TRAVELS IN 
£41 
made upon them ; their various languages, cries, 
and fluttering caufed an inexpreffible uproar, like a 
public fair or market in a populous trading city, 
when fuddenly furprifed by feme unexpected cala- 
mitous event. 
About midnight, having fallen afleep, I was 
awakened and greatly furprifed at finding moft of 
my companions up in arms, and furioufiy engaged 
with a large alligator but a few yards from me. 
One of our company, it feems, awoke in the 
night, and perceived the monfter within a few 
paces of the camp, when giving the alarm to the 
reft, they readily came to his affiftance, for it was 
a rare piece of fport. Some took fire-brands and 
caft them at his head, whilft others formed javelins 
of faplins, pointed and hardened with fire ; thefe 
they thrufl down his throat into his bowels, which 
caufed the monfter to roar and bellow hideoufly ; 
but his firength and fury were fo great, that he eafily 
wrenched or twiffed them out of their hands, and 
?vvieiding and brandifhing them about, kept his ene- 
mies at a diftance for a time. Some were for put- 
ting an end to his life and fufferings with a rifle 
ball, but the majority thought this would too foon 
deprive them of the diverfion and pleafure of ex- 
ercifmg their various inventions of torture: they 
at length however grew tired, and agreed in one 
opinion, that he had fuffered fufficiently ; and put 
an end to his exiftence. This crocodile was about 
twelve feet in length : we fuppofed that he had 
been allured by the fifhy fcent of our birds, and 
encouraged to undertake and purfue this hazardous 
adventure which cofi: him his life. This, with 
other infiances already recited, may be fufficient to 
prove the intrepidity and fubtilty of thofe voracious, 
formidable animals, 
■* . r i i ' 
We 
