THE STORY OF THE CROCODILE . 
319 
the hunter and assistant hid themselves in the canoe, while the son of the 
former entered the water, which he commenced to beat with his hands. 
Catching sight of the boy, the crocodile prepared to dive towards him, upon 
which the boy took refuge in the canoe. In a moment or so the reptile rose 
to the surface at the expected spot, where he was saluted with a couple of 
harpoons, one of which secured a firm hold. After a long chase, in which a 
number of the inhabitants of the village took part in boats, a second harpoon 
was safely planted in the head of the monster, who was finally dragged to 
shore. When opened several gold and silver ornaments—the relics of earlier 
victims—were found in his stomach. 
ALLIGATOR WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO TURN UP. 
On the Amazon and Orinoco, as well as other South American rivers, 
alligators are to be met with in myriads, and appear to be very similar in 
their habits to the crocodiles of the old world. They grow to a length of 
eighteen or twenty feet, and attain an enormous bulk. Like the turtles, the 
alligator has its annual migrations, for it retreats to the interior pools and 
flooded forests in the dry season. During the months of high water, there¬ 
fore, scarcely a single individual is to be seen in the main river. In the mid¬ 
dle part of the Lower Amazon, where many of the lakes with their channels 
