100 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
narrow I thought I must take the first chance, or I 
might see him no more. 
15i ih .—I found my sea-cow on his back in the 
middle of a large hole, about forty yards from land, 
with half a dozen crocodiles round him. I bribed 
the Zulus, and bullied my Kaffirs, to go in and fasten 
cords on him to tow him ashore, but in vain ; so after 
firing a couple of shots, and throwing stones to 
frighten the crocodiles, I swam in, made the cords 
fast to him, and made for the shore again as soon as 
possible, shouting lustily to scare the crocodiles. The 
ropes had been so carelessly fastened together that 
they came undone as soon as they were used, and I 
was obliged to swim in again. It was not a very 
pleasant position to be rolling about on a sea-cow with 
crocodiles all round one, and I did not at all relish it. 
Through bad management I had to go in four times, 
and once, while swimming from him to shore with a 
slip-knot round my arm, striking out vigorously, the 
rheim being too short, checked me suddenly, and sent 
me a good depth under ; the Kaffirs howled again, 
making sure the crocodiles had me. 
At last, however, after several failures, we got him 
to land. The next day I brought up the head, 
which the crocodiles, adjutants, and vultures had 
picked tolerably clean, and buried it near a kraal, 
in charge of an old Kaffir, salted the tongue and a 
tub full of meat, stretched some sjamboks and whip¬ 
lashes round the wagon, and in the afternoon started 
in pursuit of more, but without success. 
