SOUTH AMERICA. 233 

 wild beasts, and runaway negroes. Old age was now Third 



Journey. 



coming fast upon liiin ; he had been an able fellow in his 



younger days, and a gallant one too, for he had a large 

 scar over his eyebrow, caused by the stroke of a cutlass, 

 from another negro, while the Daddy was engaged in an 

 intrigue. 



The back of the Cayman may be said to be almost The back of 



the Cayman. 



impenetrable to a musket ball ; but his sides are not near 

 so strong, and are easily pierced with an arrow ; indeed, 

 were they as strong as the back and the belly, there 

 would be no part of the Cayman's body soft and elastic 

 enough to admit of expansion after taking in a supply of 

 food. 



The Cayman has no grinders ; his teeth are entirely its teeth, 

 made for snatch and swallow; there are thirty-two 

 in each jaw. Perhaps no animal in existence bears 

 more decided marks in his countenance of cruelty and 

 malice than the Cayman, He is the scourge and terror 

 of all the large rivers in South America near the line. 



One Sunday evening, some years ago, as I was walking Anecdote, 

 with Don Felipe de Ynciarte, governor of Angustura, on 

 the bank of the Oroonoque, " Stop here a minute or two, 

 Don Carlos," said he to me, " while I recount a sad 

 accident. One fine evening last year, as the people of 

 Angustura were sauntering up and down here, in the 

 Alameda, I was within twenty yards of this place, when 

 I saw a large Cayman rush out of the river, seize a man, 



2 H 



