90 
THE iUIAZON AND MADEIRA RI\'ERS. 
the pcrinissiou is always giauted, as the sport keeps up tkeii' spirits, aud 
spares our jiro visions. Witliout loss of time, then, one of them, having 
carefully fastened a strong looi) of raw hide at the end of a long pole, aud 
having dexterously slipped off his hast shirt, creeps slowly tlu’ough the 
shallow water, pole and sling in hand, as near as possible to the alligator, 
whieh looks on at these preparations with perfect apathy, only now and 
then h(‘trayiug a sign of life hy a lazy movement of its jiowerful tail. 
Hut it does not take its eyes off the Indian as he crawls nearer and 
nearer. The fatal sling is at arm’s length from its muzzle, aud yet it does 
not see it. As if imder the influence of witchcraft, it continues to stare 
Avith its large protruding eyes at the hold hunter, who in the next moment 
lias tlirown the loop over its head, aud suddenly drawn it to with a 
strong pull. The other Indians, who the while have heen cowering 
motionless on shore, now rush into the water to the help of their 
com]»anion, and four or five of them land the ugly creature that with 
all its might struggles to get hack into the water, lashing the sand 
with its tail and showing its long teeth ; hut a few vigorous hlow's 
Avith an axe on the tail aud skull soon render it tame enough. It, instead 
of dragging hack, the alligator Avere only to rush forAvard holdly to the 
attack of the Indians, they Avouhl, of a certainty, leave pole and sling 
and run for their Ha'cs ; hut this hiight idea never seems to occur to 
the uncouth animal, and the strife ahvays ends Avith its death. Though 
there AA^ere more than a dozen of them killed during the voyage, I 
never thought of sending a rifle-hullct through the thick skull of one, 
except on one occasion, Avhen I Avas afraid that one of our Cani- 
chanas Avas about to make too close an acquaintance Avith the hard, 
jagged tail of an extraordinarily strong monster, Av^hich measimed full 
IG^ feet. 
Ea^cu hcforc the huge spoil is cut up, four musk-glands, placed hy 
tAVOs under its jaAV, aud on its holly, near the hegiuning of the tail, 
must he carefully tiiken out, to prevent the diftusion, over the wdiole 
body, of the penetrating odour of the greasy, hroAvn liquid they contain. 
These glands, Avhieh are about an inch and a half long aud as thick as a 
finger, arc carefully tied uj> and suspended in the sim to dry. Mixed 
Avith a little rose-water, their contents serve, as we Averc told, to 
perfume the raven-black tresses of the elegant Bolivian ladies at Santa 
Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba, in spite of, or rather by reason 
of, their strong scent, AA'hich gives the headache to all save these 
