190 A VOYAGE TO Book IV. 



Their voracity has alfo been felt by the boatmen, 

 who, by inconfiderately fleeping with one of their 

 arms or legs hanging over the fide of the boat, thefe 

 animals have feizcd, and drawn the whole body into 

 the water. Alligators who have once feafted on hu- 

 man flefli are known to be the moft dangerous, and 

 become, as it were, inflamed with an infatiable defire 

 of repeating the fame delicious repaft. The inhabi- 

 tants of thofe places where they abound, are very in-^ 

 duflrious in catching and deftroying them. Their 

 ufual method is by a cafonate, or piece of hard wood 

 fliarpened at both ends, and baited with the lungs of 

 fome animal. This cafonate they fallen to a thong, 

 the end of which is fecured on the fhore. The al- 

 Jigator, on feeing the lungs floating on the water^ 

 fnaps at the bait, and thus both points of the wood 

 enter his jaws, in fuch a manner that he can neither 

 fhut nor open his mouth. He is then dragged afliore, 

 where he violently endeavours to refcue himfelf, while 

 the Indians bait him like a bull, knowing that thd 

 greateft damage he can do, is to throw down fuch as, 

 for want of care or agility, do not keep out of his 

 reach. 



The form of this aiaimal fo nearly refembles that of 

 the lagarto or lizard, that here they are commonly 

 called by that name ; but there is fome difi^erence in 

 the fhape of the head, which in this creature is long^ 

 and towards the extremity flender, gradually forming 

 a fnout like that of a hog, and, when in the river^ 

 is generally above the furface of the water; a fuf- 

 ficient demonftration, that the refpiration of a grofller 

 air is necelTary to it. The mandibles of this creature 

 have each a row of vety ftrong and pointed teeth, to 

 which fome writers have attributed particular virtues 1 

 but all I can fay to this is, that they are fuch as I 

 and my companions, notwithfl:anding all our enquiries 

 to attain a complete knowledge of every particujar,^ 

 could never hear any fatisfadtory account of^ 



CHAP. 



