I2 4 
TRAVELS IN 
with a tremendous roar came up, and darted as 
fwift as an arrow under my boat, emerging upright 
on my lee quarter, with open jaws, and belching 
water and fmoke that fell upon me like rain in a 
hurricane. I laid foundry about his head with my 
club and beat him off ; and after plunging and dart- 
ing about my boat, he went off on a ftraight line 
through the water, feemingly with the rapidity of 
lightning, and entered the cape of the lagoon. I 
now employed my time to the very bed advantage 
in paddling clofe along fhore, but could not forbear 
looking now and then behind me, and prefently 
perceived one of them coming up again. The wa- 
ter of the river hereabouts was fhoal and very clear : 
the monfter came up with the ufual roar and me- 
naces, and pafTed clofe by the fide of my boat, 
when I could diftin&ly fee a young brood of alliga- 
tors, to the number of one hundred or more, fol- 
lowing after her in a long train. They kept clofe 
together in a column without ftraggling off to the 
one fide or the other ; the young appeared to be of 
an equal fize, about fifteen inches in length, almofl 
black, with pale yellow tranfverfe waved clouds or 
blotches, much like rattlefnakes in colour. I now 
loft fight of my enemy again* 
Still keeping clofe along fhore, on turning a 
point or projection of the river bank, at once I be- 
held a great number of hillocks or fmali pyramids, 
refembling hay-cocks, ranged like an encampment 
along the banks. They flood fifteen or twenty yards 
diflant from the water, on a high marfh, about four 
feet perpendicular above the water. I knew them 
to be the nefls of the crocodile, having had a de- 
fcription of them before ; and now expected a fu- 
rious and general attack, as I faw feveral large cro- 
codiles 
