46 
CROCODILE. 
several months without any aliment, having had 
their jaws previously tied together with wire. 
We should naturally conclude, from the very 
formidable appearance of this animal, that he would 
be left unmolested by mankind, as an object too pow- 
erful for them to contend with ; yet this is far from 
being the case ; for the negroes in the neighbour- 
hood of the river Senegal will boldly attack him, 
and frequently prove victorious. Mr. Adanson 
gives the following account of an engagement be- 
tween a negro and a crocodile seven feet long, which 
the negro discovered sleeping among some bushes 
at the foot of a tree near the banks of a river. 
When the man was convinced that the crocodile 
was asleep he approached with great caution, and 
gave him a deep wound with a knife on the side of 
the neck: the animal, though mortally wounded, 
struck the negro so violently on the legs with his 
tail as to knock him down ; but without quitting 
his hold, he rose instantly, and slipped a rope over 
the muzzle of the crocodile, while one of his com- 
panions secured his tail : Mr. Adanson then mount- 
ed on his back to hold him down, while the negro 
drew out the knife from the wound and cut off his 
head. Notwithstanding their general ferocity there 
are some negroes who will venture to attack them 
in their own element, and merely armed with a 
dagger. Mr. Brue mentions one of the garrison 
of Fort St. Louis who used very frequently to do 
this by way of amusement, and was long success- 
