GAVIAL SHOOTING ON THE JUMNA. 47 



gathers confidence, and allows his body to float up to the top of the 

 water. His back and tail are now visible, and we carefully esti- 

 mate his length to within six inches. While we are thinking 

 about it, he gives a gentle sweep sidewise with his tail, and floats 

 foiTs^ard till his snout touches the sand. Slowly and deliberately 

 he puts his best foot forward, raises the end of his snout, and lazily 

 slides up the sand until he is fairly out of the water, then he sUdes 

 slowly round to the left untU he lies broadside to us. If he is a 

 httle suspicious, he turns until his head is toward the water again 

 and only a yard from it. He does not stand up on his feet and 

 walk ; he simply slides along in the laziest jDossible way. As he 

 settles down, he gives his tail a flirt to one side, draws his feet close 

 up to his body, and is soon sound asleep, though in appearance 

 only, and dreaming of young calves, big fish, and dead Hindoos. 



Just as my intended victim cleared the water and showed me 

 his side, my rifle spoke, and his jaws flew open. Instantly four of 

 the boatmen rushed across the sand, jumped into the river, and 

 started to swim to the sand-bar. The gavial saw them coming, 

 mustered up his strength, and began to struggle toward the water. 

 I fired at him again but missed the vital spot, and the gavial re- 

 doubled his efforts to reach the water. I shouted to the men and 

 promised them four annas each (twelve cents, or two days' wages), 

 if they stopped that "ghariyal." They struggled through the 

 water faster than ever, but just as they touched bottom the gavial 

 reached the water. As he slid out of siofht I veiled to the men that 

 I would give "eight annas ! " They inished aci'oss the sand-bar, and 

 reached the further side just as the end of the gavial's tail disaj)- 

 peared, and I gave it up for lost. But they were not to be beaten 

 so easily. Two men jumped into the water above their knees, 

 made a gi-ab for the ga\'iars tail, caught it and held on, and in a 

 twinkling they dragged the huge reptile out of his native element 

 and to the middle- of the sand-bar. The gavial was now fau'ly re- 

 covered and thoroughly roused, and I never saw a crocodile ti-y so 

 viciously to bite his assailants. He was a large one too (measur- 

 ing 11 feet 6 inches), and the men had a fierce struggle to hold 

 him, and to keep from being bitten. I cheered them lustily, but 

 could do no more, for my last cartridge had been expended. Fort- 

 imately, one of the men had carried over with him a rope, and an- 

 other had taken a stout little bamboo, for just such an emergency. 

 At last the rope was slipped round one of the gavial's hind legs and 

 made fast to the bamboo, which was stuck in the sand, and the 



