MUDBANKS COVERED WITH CROCODILES—HOW THEY STALK THEIR PREY—AN UNSUSPECTING BOAR SUDDENLY SWALLOWED UP—HABITS OF THE HUGE CREATURES.

We continued on our way, and about two hours afterwards entered a small creek, and then got into very tall and dense reeds, through which we had great difficulty in advancing. Suddenly we emerged into a shallow lake, and I saw a strange sight.

I could hardly believe my own eyes. Hundreds of huge crocodiles, and other hundreds of smaller ones were to be seen everywhere resting on the muddy islands basking in the powerful rays of the sun. At first I thought they were logs of dark wood stranded on the mud. In some places the crocodiles were solitary,—in others, three or four, and sometimes ten or twelve were together. I had never seen so many crocodiles before.

Paddling cautiously, we kept gazing at the crocodiles. I did not wish to fire a shot at them, for I did not want to disturb, but to watch them. Oshoria, who was steering, said: “Oguizi, look there!” pointing at the same time with his finger in the direction towards which he wanted to draw my attention. Following his gesture, I saw a herd of yellow wild boars standing near the shore. Watching them in the water was a large crocodile. His big head was the only part of his body that could be seen. After a while we noticed his head moving slowly towards the shore. He left hardly a ripple behind him. Then the head became stationary once more.

The boars grunted as they advanced towards the water, headed by their leader. Suddenly they stopped and gave peculiar grunts unlike those they had first given. They were talking among themselves. Then all went on the muddy bank. They were evidently having a grand time in the mud.

Once more we saw the head of the crocodile moving and getting nearer and nearer the boars. The boars appeared to feel uneasy. Suddenly the head of the crocodile disappeared entirely under the water. The boars became quieter, and continued to enjoy themselves.

Oshoria said: “The crocodile is swimming under the water. It has done this to fool the boars. Watch, Oguizi. Soon you will see the crocodile again.”

I watched intently and all at once I saw the crocodile’s head reappear on the surface of the water. It was hardly perceptible, and quite near the shore this time. Before I had time to think, I saw a huge crocodile amidst the boars and seizing one of them in its powerful jaws. All the rest gave a squeal of fear and fled.

The teeth of the crocodile were fastened into the boar’s body and as quickly as he had come the monster disappeared in the thick reeds which were close by to devour his prey. The men, laughing, said: “How much better lodged the meat of the boar would have been in our stomachs instead of in that of the crocodile.”

We left this spot and continued to paddle amid muddy black islands covered with crocodiles. I said to my hunters: “We must not camp on the shores of the lake, for we shall surely be attacked by crocodiles.” Pointing to one that seemed to be eighteen or twenty feet long, I said: “Look at his big jaws; he would make short work of one of you if you got between them.”

“He would!” they all shouted with one voice, “but we won’t give him a chance.”

“We will camp on the top of that high hill yonder,” said Oshoria, at the same time pointing out the place to me, “for that is near the path that will lead us to the elephants’ hunting-ground.” He had hardly uttered these last words when we passed near a muddy bank just above the water, upon which I counted nine big crocodiles; not one of them seemed less than fifteen feet in length. They were perfectly motionless and looked exactly as if they were dead.

Oshoria said: “How quiet they are, Oguizi! They seem so harmless and so sleepy, but they look round slyly with their cunning eyes. When hungry they often hide among the reeds. Once I came here to hunt, and three of my dogs were eaten by them. The dogs when thirsty come to the lake to drink, and then are seized by the crocodiles.”

“Oguizi,” said Ogoola, “when a crocodile knows a spot where animals come to drink he remains quiet near by and watches constantly. When he sees the game he dives away to make the beast unsuspicious, as we have seen one do with the boars,—then quick as a bird of prey he pounces upon his victim, seizes it in his powerful jaws and carries it to some retired spot to devour it.”

In the evening we camped on the top of the hill just by the path that led to the elephant country. We lighted big fires, and after supper I said: “To-morrow we will take to the lake and kill some of the big crocodiles.”

“You are our Oguizi; we will follow you everywhere,” they replied.

As we were seated by the fire Oshoria said: “There was a time when there were several villages on Crocodile Lake, for the land around is good for cultivating and there is much game in the forest. There are yet two or three villages left, which we cannot see from here.

“Now, Oguizi, I am going to tell you a sad story. Years, years ago, there lived in a village by Crocodile Lake a beautiful woman, the wife of a great hunter. All the people loved them, for they were kind, and when the man killed game he always used to divide the meat with other people. He loved his wife dearly. One day as they were crossing the lake a tornado overtook them and upset their canoe. Just as they were on the point of reaching the shore, a crocodile that was in the weeds near by, in the twinkling of an eye seized the man’s wife and disappeared, the poor woman uttering a fearful shriek; then all became silent.

“Oguizi,” he added, “a man who loved that woman had changed his shape into that of a crocodile and carried her off. That man, who lived in the same village, was never seen afterward.”

“But,” I said, “Oshoria, that man was probably devoured by a leopard or a crocodile.”

“No,” Oshoria replied, “it was witchcraft.”

After this story we went to sleep. The following morning we were once more on the lake. The crocodiles were far more lively than the day before. They disappeared constantly under the water and reappeared. Oshoria was forward in my canoe, watching for crocodiles. We wanted to kill one that we could haul easily. We paddled along until we saw one that was in the right place, and then steered towards the big, ugly, sly creature.

When Ngola saw me take “Bulldog” he said, “Crocodile, your days are numbered. ‘Bulldog’ will kill you, and you will eat no more wild boars, antelopes, and gazelles. What a nice necklace your teeth will make!”

We paddled in such a manner as to keep in the rear of the crocodile, for I wanted to shoot him behind one of his forelegs. The beast was apparently asleep. The men used their paddles so carefully that we could hardly hear them going through the water. Coming into position, I aimed behind the right shoulder and fired. Dear “Bulldog” did his work well. The monster advanced about a yard towards the water, slamming his tail to help him, but he died before he could reach it.

“Let us try to get at the crocodile,” I said to Oshoria, to which he replied: “We will try, but it will be difficult, for the mud is very soft and dangerous.”

“It is sure death,” they all shouted.

“Then,” I answered, “we will not try to get the crocodile into our canoe. Let us go back and get that old abandoned canoe we saw near the shore on our way here, break it up into three boards, bring them with us, lay them on the mud and walk upon them to where the beast lies; then with the help of a rope we will haul him off.” The suggestion was received with shouts of approval and we went for the old canoe to carry out my suggestion.

On our return we succeeded in putting the crocodile upon one of the boards and then after a great deal of work we dragged the board with the crocodile upon it into the water and towed our prize towards our camp.

Near the landing I spied a very large crocodile on the shore. When we came near enough, we all took aim and fired at the same time, and killed the beast instantly. He hardly moved. It was an enormous one, over twenty feet long. What powerful jaws, what tremendous, long round teeth! We ate crocodile for supper. Before going to sleep, the men rubbed their bodies with oil, for their skin was blistered by the sun, and they seemed very comfortable afterwards.