Page:Hunting and trapping stories; a book for boys (IA huntingtrappings00pric).pdf/148

 looking on without attempting to take any part in the fray. The fight was too hot for them, and they were willing to be only spectators.

The crocodile, by vigorously switching its tail, succeeded in breaking the legs of two of the buffalos, putting them out of the fight. Then the crocodile, fearing for its life, let go of the buffalo's nose and tried to escape into the water, but its foe and the remaining unhurt buffalo followed it up quickly. During the struggle the crocodile seized the buffalo's nose again, this time drawing it steadily toward the water. When the crocodile had only about ten feet more to go, the second buffalo rushed at it and buried its horns into its side. This was the end of the poor crocodile, for the wound was fatal, and it fell over on its side, dead. The buffalo which had its snout mangled also had a leg broken. So, in a fight of four against one, the crocodile had succeeded in disabling three of its enemies. The buffalos with broken legs being unable to move, became a splendid meal later on for the lion and the leopards.

This story is a good illustration of the crocodiles enormous strength and vitality. Crocodiles are very quarrelsome and fight great battles among themselves for hours at a time. Any hunter who has shot large specimens can testify that the creatures' heads are literally covered with scars received in former fights.

When crocodiles take possession of a river all other creatures except the hippopotamus give it place. This animal is too big and powerful a swimmer, and too savage even for the crocodile to handle, therefore the hippopotamuses and the crocodiles live in mutual respect and peace. Once in a while a crocodile will try to steal a baby hippo, and then a fight takes place which the river folk remember for many moons.

Crocodiles are treacherous. They love to lurk near fords or places where the women come to wash. They sneak up in the shallow water and seize their victims. In parts of the Nile, near Khartoum, hardly a day passes without some poor native being carried off by a crocodile. There are instances on record where a crocodile has charged a canoe, upset it, and then attacked the rowers as they struggled in the water.

Sir Samuel Baker mentions a case where a back-water of the Nile had been damned off to make a safe and shallow bathing place for the people of the village. Somehow a crocodile got in. One day awful shrieks were heard coming from the pond, and the men, rushing to the place, found that a woman had been carried off. The crocodile could not get out, so the assembled villagers leisurely shot the beast to death.