CROCODILES. 287 
of African slaves in attempting to rescue their mas- 
ters from the jaws of these voracious reptiles. Not 
many years ago, in the Llanos of Calabozo, a negro, 
attracted by the cries of his owner, armed himself 
with a long knife, and, plunging into the river, 
forced the animal, by scooping out its eyes, to leave 
its prey and take to flight. The natives being daily 
exposed to similar dangers think little of them. 
They observe the manners of the crocodile as the 
torero studies those of the bull; and quietly calcu- 
late the motions of the enemy, its means of attack, 
and the degree of its audacity. 
The general nature of the vast regions bordering 
on the Orinoco may be sufficiently learned from the 
above condensed narrative; and we think it unne- 
cessary to follow our learned author through his de- 
scription of that portion of the river which extends 
from Angostura to its mouths, especially as it is not 
founded on personal observation. 
