BUFFALOES AND CROCODILES. 
15 
mell and drove twenty assegais into him, and finished 
him, complimenting me, I suppose, much on my 
prowess, though little credit was due to me, as I 
must confess to having felt very much alarmed at 
the suddenness of the whole thing, not having known 
in the least what I was placed there for. 
31<s£.—Off an hour and a half before sunrise to 
Monies’s sea-cows, which had been towed ashore, and 
on emerging quietly through the bush, and tall, rank, 
soaking grass, to an open place, I saw some nine or 
ten crocodiles high and dry, gorged with sea-cow, and 
fast asleep. One enormous brute, twenty feet long 
at least, I wanted to shoot, but Monies would not 
allow it, as he hoped to get more sea-cows, and he 
feared a shot would frighten them and spoil our 
chances. I was not half satisfied, and said, ‘Well, 
anyhow let me have the satisfaction of giving him a 
kick in the ribs ’ (I was shod with heavy English 
shooting-boots) 4 by way of a memento,’ and was just 
in the act of raising my foot for the purpose when 
Monies suddenly drew me forcibly back, saying, 4 You 
fool, he ’ll crack your legs off like pipe-stumps with 
his tail; ’ and that instant he woke up, and I had 
Monies to thank for saving me a broken bone at 
least, for I never saw anything like the whirl he 
gave his tail as he dashed into the water some fifteen 
yards ahead, and almost immediately floated like a 
log on the top of the water, taking a cool survey of 
his morning visitors. Shot my first sea-cow, and we 
made a lot of sjamboks and whips from his hide, 
