I 
Campirvg in South America 
By FRANCIS C. NICHOLAS. Ph.D. 
VII.—The American Crocodile 
O N the coast below the Sierra Nevada de 
Santa Marta in Colombia is a long 
stretch of sandy beach glistening white 
in the sun. This I had frequently noticed, and 
one day said: “Lopez, we rhust "examine the 
sand all the way to the further point.” 
“What will the doctor do next ?”• Viejo asked. 
“You can all ride if you want to, but I walk,” 
I said to them. 
The other men said they would walk if I did, 
but a bull was provided for Lopez. In that 
country, where the way is rough and hard, bulls 
are used as riding animals, and for packing 
goods, particularly among the upper mountains 
where the roads are so rough in the Indian coun¬ 
try that mules cannot follow them. 
It cannot be said that the beach along the 
Caribbean Sea is pleasant. Generally there is a 
torment of sand flies, and in the regions we were 
exploring they were on hand in plenty, annoy¬ 
ing at all times, but when we had to undress to 
cross the mouth of a river the incident became 
a torture. 
Our first difficulty was with the Rio Dibulla, 
a large stream where a torrent of water comes 
down from the mountains. Here a canoe was 
waiting, and to embark was a-matter of a few 
moments. Our ‘effects were all on board, and 
the bull would be allowed to swim after the 
canoe, guided by a friendly hand, but the bull 
wasn’t swimming that day and protested with 
feet firmly planted in the sand. Out of the 
canoe tumbled the men and began to abuse the 
bull. In Spanish-America the bulls are usually 
staid, plodding creatures, good-tempered and as 
willing as the oxen of the North. Perhaps the 
climate is discouraging, 1 but' they have' wills of 
their owh, and as'stubborn as a mule is a mild 
expression to describe the determination of the 
bull. With feet wide apart, braced firmly in the 
sand, our animal stood; nor looked distressed 
nor angry, it just stood. The men pounded, 
kicked it, twisted its tail and then built a fire 
under it, but all to no effect. The heat began 
to singe the animal’s skin, and immediately the 
owner kicked the fire to one side; still the bull 
re/nained immobile and expressionless. The men 
stood about abusing it in the picturesque lan¬ 
guage which they commanded so readily. Not 
cursing—no one would dare curse in Spanish- 
America—for the evil would return with double 
destruction on the head of him who cursed an¬ 
other. The men called bad names, a most re¬ 
markable collection of epithets,■' abusive and ex¬ 
pressive in the extreme, - but’ which would not 
permit of being translated into' English. Sud¬ 
denly the bull seemed to have an inspiration 
'accompanied with plunging, bucking and jump¬ 
ing. The blankets strapped comfortably over 
its back to form a seat which Lopez was to 
•occupy were scattered in all directions. Viejo 
' lost his grip on the guide rope, the bull plunged 
into the water, swam the river, and bellowing 
its protests and indignation, disappeared in the 
woods. 
• “Santa Maria, a trained bull!' Do you call 
that a trained bull?” Lopez cried in disgust. 
“Ah,” the owner replied; “we do not know 
whether the Americano is to bring good or evil.” 
“Neither does the bull,” Lopez replied wrath- 
fully, and the owner, seeing that his excuses 
were not welL received replied, “Well, the bull 
don’t like him.” Then he went off giving him¬ 
self no further concern. 
Lopez would have to walk, and we all made 
our way across the Rio Dibulla and started on 
our long tramp. The wind was coming in fresh 
•from the sea, ozone laden as only in the hot 
tropics it can be found; salt odors were per¬ 
meating everywhere. With a low tide and a 
hard, sandy beach the bull might go to evil; we 
did not need him. 
Sometimes I stopped to pick shells, an act 
which the men regarded with doubtful approval. 
Americans did such childish things, and to begin 
a collection of shells so early on the trip might 
result in an accumulation not convenient for a 
hot day and a long distance. We could collect 
• shells on our way back; why bother now? So 
-I only took a few of the choicest specimens, and 
then only when something very fine was encount¬ 
ered, and these I could easily carry in the pock¬ 
ets of my hunting coat. 
Two hours went gliding by, and then it be¬ 
came hot; the sun glistening on the white sand 
troubled the eyes, red lights seemed to be flit¬ 
ting away ahead of us, and a bronze purple was 
on the water wherever the eye rested. ' Never 
mind, push on; there was a cool place ahead 
where a point of conglomerate was jutting out 
in the sand with trees growing over it. There 
we would rest, and it was half way to our first 
stopping place. 
Here was a real enjoyment; the rocks jutting 
out into the sand were at one side the mouth of 
a river over which a multitude of swallows were 
circling and darting about. The shade under the 
trees which grew on the conglomerate was like 
that of an ample covering, for the leaves were 
thick and we seemed to be under a little canopy 
of green, supported by numerous trunks of stout 
stubby trees. A gentle breeze was still blowing 
in from the sea, and resting we cooled our 
heated bodies where many travelers before us 
had stopped to rest and refresh themselves. 
Everyone is glad to get out of the sun for a 
time in the tropics, and there is no denying that 
on an open beach it is a power. 
After we had rested for a time it was natural 
to look about a little. “See that fellow over in 
the water,” Viejo said, pointing across the river. 
“Think you could hit him?” . . 
Following the direction indicated, I saw the 
head and shoulders of a giant crocodile where 
he was half in the .river, half on the warm, 
sandy bank, as if wanting to take the sun, and 
yet reluctant to leave the water.. Crocodiles 
grow to a considerable size in tropical America, 
but are not so abundant as the alligators which 
swarm in the swamps and along the rivers. 
Usually there are a few crocodiles about; and 
in some of the larger rivers they are said to 
be so dangerous that to fall in the water is to 
meet death; usually only a brief disturbance of 
the water and some blood appearing on the sur¬ 
face mark the place of the. accident. I am not 
■sure about the truth of this statement, for in 
one of the streams in another part of the coun¬ 
try, where crocodiles were said to be plenty, a 
drunken man in our party jumped overboard and 
swam about for some time without suffering any 
serious consequences. 
This was at another place. Now we were 
interested in killing one of the brutes lying be¬ 
fore us lest he should later make away with 
some of the people passing the river. It was a 
heavy beast, black-green colored shading to 
brown-gray and olive along the sides. It had 
a rather short-pointed snout, but how the teeth 
were placed I could not see. Taking careful aim 
I fired with a .44 caliber rifle. The crocodile 
stirred a little, and then with a bored expres¬ 
sion started lazily backward to the water, ap¬ 
parently indignant that his rest should have been 
disturbed. I pumped a few shots at him and 
he hurried a bit; that was all. I think I hit 
him, but I am quite sure I did not do any dam¬ 
age, and Lopez said, “The thing will live for¬ 
ever ; if the Americano can’t kill him, nobody can.” 
Other crocodiles or alligators were about', 
showing just their heads and backs above water. 
We took shots at them, but generally without 
effect, though once there -was a great splashing 
about and Lopez said that at any rate otle would 
die. The men had some shots and proved good 
marksmen, at least as good as I was, but pen 
haps that is not saying much. 
It is not well to rest a great' while when on 
