28 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
possesses an equal number of musk-glands, they 
are smaller, and not so powerful. 
The crocodile is harpooned by the Arabs pre¬ 
cisely in the same manner as the hippopotamus, 
with the exception that, instead of being struck 
when floating upon the surface, the hunters swim 
under cover of the bank when they have descried a 
crocodile asleep upon a bed of sand ; the harpoon is 
then cast, and as the crocodile immediately plunges 
into the river, the hunters with equal agility jump 
out. In many portions of the Soudan the hunters 
are armed with rifles, but the harpoon in dexterous 
hands is more effective, as the creature seldom 
escapes. Great numbers of crocodiles may be shot, 
but very few in proportion are actually secured, as 
the body sinks immediately in deep water; and, 
unlike the hippopotamus, it will not rise to the 
surface for several days, until decomposition shall 
have set in, and the belly has become inflated with 
foul gas. 
Within the last few years the hide of the crocodile 
has been generally used for the manufacture of 
travelling bags and various lighter articles. It is to 
be hoped that the increased demand may have the 
effect of reducing the numbers of these reptiles, which 
are a terrible scourge to every country which they 
infest. Personally I have studiously avoided a 
swim in any water inhabited by crocodiles, but it is 
astonishing to see the risks that are continually 
incurred by Arabs,- whose faith in some special 
charm, received from a faky or priest, is sufficient 
