1 6 7 1 ] of the Island Dauphine , &c. 61 
dog bark or howl, incontinently he sees these crocodiles 
in search. 
I have never seen or heard say of any Frenchman 
having been attack’d by these Crocodiles, excepting one, 
but he suffer’d no harm. The Blacks are often attack’d 
& eaten by them, when they are oblig’d to pass through 
the waters; they say that these animals do not love the 
white men. 
I have bath’d myself many times in the rivers without 
any accident happening to me. Indeed, one day I was 
bathing in company with other Frenchmen in the river of 
Fansherre , a place belonging to M. de Champmargou ; we 
were a long time in the water. When we were getting 
out, I perceiv’d some small Ducks which were in the river. 
I immediately went to the Fort of Fansherre to fetch a 
fuzil to fire at these Ducks, which having done, & the rain 
catching me at the bank of the river, I put myself for 
shelter under a tree, during which time a Black who serv’d 
us, being on the other side of the river to that where I 
was, call’d to some one to pass him a canoe, in order to 
pass from the other side; & as no one came, he began to 
swim to cross, & being at four paces from the bank where 
I was, a crocodile threw himself on this Black, but having 
by good fortune taken its spring too high, it pass’d over 
the head of this Black, whom it struck nevertheless with 
its feet or claws, & inflicted several wounds in him. This 
black was not at all frighten’d, & quickly sprang on shore, 
without which he was lost. We had just bath’d at the 
same spot where this Black was attack’d. 
These Blacks are very timorous, and fancy a number of 
chimeras. They say that there is a phantom in the 
Island which has only half the body of a man ; that this 
phantom always goes hopping, & makes large tracks, & 
that he catches quantities of Blacks, whom he kills & 
causes to die. 
