34 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
formed by rotten vegetation, which had drifted 
upon the hard granite that formed the basis of the 
isle. The bare gray granite shelved gradually 
towards the water, and exposed a clear surface of 
about 60 feet; upon this were large rounded masses 
resembling boulders of rock, which had resisted the 
process of gradual disintegration. It was a pictur¬ 
esque and unexpected island, a huge rock rising 
suddenly from the deep water. 
The canoe drew near, and when within about 20 
yards the great boulders of granite began to move ! I 
could not believe my eyes ; great masses commenced 
to unfold, and in a few seconds resolved themselves 
into two vast forms, each as thick as the body of 
a hippopotamus, and of enormous length. These 
two antediluvian monsters glided slowly and fear¬ 
lessly along the gently sloping granite, and when 
half beneath the water they exposed a breadth of 
back which was the most extraordinary sight I have 
ever seen in my long experience of crocodiles. 
We stopped the canoe for a few moments, but I 
would not fire for the reason already given, and after 
gazing at us for a short time, the great heads sank 
below the surface ; the scene was then restricted to 
a rather flat granite island, without any boulders, 
and a dense tuft of papyrus rushes on the western 
side. 
I would not presume to estimate the length of 
these extraordinary creatures, but the deep and 
broad river, flowing silently through one of the 
oldest portions of the earth, suggested, by the 
