SOUTH AMERICA. 
219 
me, I saw he was in a state of fear and perturbation; 
I instantly dropped the mast, sprung up, and jumped 
on his back, turning half round as I vaulted, so that 
I gained my seat with my face in a right position. 
I immediately seized his fore-legs, and, by main 
force, twisted them on his back; thus they served 
me for a bridle. 
He now seemed to have recovered from his sur¬ 
prise, and probably fancying himself in hostile com¬ 
pany, he begun to plunge furiously, and lashed the 
sand with his long and powerful tail. I was out of 
reach of the strokes of it, by being near his head. 
He continued to plunge and strike, and made my 
seat very uncomfortable. It must have been a fine 
sight for an unoccupied spectator. 
The people roared out in triumph, and were so 
vociferous, that it was some time before they heard 
me tell them to pull me and my beast of burthen 
farther in land. I was apprehensive the rope might 
break, and then there would have been every chance 
of going down to the regions under water with the 
cayman. That would have been more perilous than 
Arion’s marine morning ride :— 
“ Delphini insidens vada caerula sulcat Arion.” 
The people now dragged us about forty yards on 
the sand : it was the first and last time I was ever 
on a cayman’s back. Should it be asked, how I 
managed to keep my seat, I would answer,—I 
hunted some years with Lord Harlington’sfoxhounds. 
After repeated attempts to regain his liberty, the 
THIRD 
OURNEV. 
