The first time a man fires at a crocodile is an epoch in his life. We
had only now arrived in the waters where they abound; for it is a
curious fact that none are ever seen below Mineych, though Herodotus
speaks of them as fighting with the dolphins, at the mouths of the Nile.
A prize had been offered for the first man who detected a crocodile, and
the crew had now been two days on the alert in search of them. Buoyed up
with the expectation of such game, we had latterly reserved our fire for
them exclusively; and the wild-duck and turtle, nay, even the vulture
and the eagle, had swept past, or soared above, in security. At length
the cry of "Timseach, timseach!" was heard from half-a-dozen claimants
of the proffered prize, and half-a-dozen black fingers were eagerly
pointed to a spit of sand, on which were strewn apparently some logs of
trees. It was a covey of crocodiles! Hastily and silently the boat was
run in shore. R. was ill, so I had the enterprise to myself, and
clambered up the steep bank with a quicker pulse than when I first
levelled a rifle at a Highland deer. My intended victims might have
prided themselves on their superior nonchalance; and, indeed, as I
approached them, there seemed to be a sneer on their ghastly mouths and
winking eyes. Slowly they rose, one after the other, and waddled to the
water, all but one, the most gallant or most gorged of the party. He lay
still until I was within a hundred yards of him; then slowly rising on
his fin-like legs, he lumbered towards the river, looking askance at me,
with an expression of countenance that seemed to say, "He can do me no
harm; however, I may as well have a swim." I took aim at the throat of
this supercilious brute, and, as soon as my hand steadied, the very
pulsation of my finger pulled the trigger. Bang! went the gun! whizz!
flew the bullet; and my excited ear could catch the _thud_ with which it
plunged into the scaly leather of his neck. His waddle became a plunge,
the waves closed over him, and the sun shone on the calm water, as I
reached the brink of the shore, that was still indented by the waving
of his gigantic tail. But there is blood upon the water, and he rises
for a moment to the surface. "A hundred piasters for the timseach," I
exclaimed, and half-a-dozen Arabs plunged into the stream. There! he
rises again, and the blacks dash at him as if he hadn't a tooth in his
head. Now he is gone, the waters close over him, and I never saw him
since. From that time we saw hundreds of crocodiles of all sizes, and
fired shots,--enough of them for a Spanish revolution; but we never
could get possession of any, even if we hit them, which to this day
remains doubtful.
~Remarkable Instance of Courage in a Lady.~
In the Life of Thomas Day, Esq., an anecdote is related of Miss B----,
afterwards Mrs. Day, shewing with what remarkable effect presence of
mind and courage can tame the ferocity of the brute creation.
Miss B. was, on one occasion, walking in company with another young lady
through a field, when a bull came running up to them with all the marks
of malevolence. Her friend began to run towards the stile, but was
prevented by Miss B., who told her, that as she could not reach the
stile soon enough to save herself, and as it is the nature of these
animals to attack persons in flight, her life would be in great danger
if she attempted to run, and would be inevitably lost if she chanced to
fall; but that, if she would steal gently to the stile, she herself
would take off the bull's attention from her, by standing between them.
Accordingly, turning her face towards the animal with the firmest aspect
she could assume, she fixed her eyes steadily upon his. It is said by
travellers, that a lion itself may be controlled by the steady looks of
a human being; but that, no sooner a man turns his back, than the beast
springs upon him as his prey. Miss B., to whom this property of animals
seems to have been known, had the presence of mind to apply it to the
safety of her friend and of herself. By her steady aspect she checked
the bull's career; but he shewed the strongest marks of indignation at
being so controlled, by roaring and tearing the ground with his feet and
horns. While he was thus engaged in venting his rage on the turf, she
cautiously retreated a few steps, without removing her eyes from him.
When he observed that she had retreated, he advanced till she stopped,
and then he also stopped, and again renewed his frantic play. Thus by
repeated degrees she at length arrived at the stile, where she
accomplished her safety; and thus, by a presence of mind rarely seen in
a person of her youth and sex, she not only saved herself, but also, at
the hazard of her own life, protected her friend. Some days afterwards,
this bull gored its master.
~Indian Field Sports.~
We give a few anecdotes illustrative of the above, from a work intitled
"Sketches of Field Sports, as followed by the Natives of India," from
the reading of which we have derived much pleasure. The authority is Dr.
Johnson, East India Company's Service.
He begins by informing his readers, that the "Shecarries" (or professed
hunters) are generally Hindoos of a low caste, who gain their livelihood
entirely by catching birds, hares, and all sorts of animals; some of
them confine themselves to catching birds and hares, whilst others
practise the art of catching birds and various animals; another
description of them live by destroying tigers.