428 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
our affiftants was to flide the quadrant down the hill, in its: 
cafe, which would have utterly deftroyed it ;, and as our boat 
was but a very indifferent embarkation, it was obliged to. 
make feveral turns to and fro before we got all our feverak 
packages landed on the weftern fide. This aflembfage, and 
the paflage of our camels, feemed to have excited the appe= 
tite, or the curiofity, of the crocodiles. One, in particu- 
lar, fwam feveral times backwards and forwards along 
the fide of the boat, without, however, making any attack. 
upon any of us; but, being exceedingly tired of fuch com- 
pany, upon his fecond or third venture over, I fired at him. 
with a rifle-gun, and fhot him dire¢tly under his fore fhoul- 
der in the belly. The wound was undoubtedly mortal, and; 
very few animals could have lived a moment after recei- 
ving it. He, however, dived to the bottom, leaving the wa-. 
ter deeply tinged with his blood.. Nor did we fee him again. 
at that time; but the people at the ferry brought him to me- 
the day after, having found him perfectly dead. He was: 
about twelve feet long ; andthe boatmen told me that thefe: 
are by much the moft dangerous, being more fierce and ac-. 
tive than the large ones. The people of Sennaar eat the: 
crocodile, efpecially the Nuba.. I never tafted it myfelf, but. 
it looks very much like Congor eel. 
CHAP. 
