The red book of animal stories/The Cow and the Crocodile

THE COW AND THE CROCODILE

Crocodiles are found in nearly every large river all over the tropics; they are of immense length, sometimes reaching as much as twenty feet and upwards, and are covered with a thick, scaly hide which renders them almost invulnerable. Not only is their throat very large, but it is capable of expansion, so that a crocodile can with ease swallow a small person or animal whole, though, in the case of a larger victim, its snapping jaws and immense teeth can bite through a human bone, or any equally hard obstacle, as clean and sharp as though it had been cut with a knife. These huge teeth are sixty-eight in number, thirty-four in each jaw. They are very long and sharp, and those of the upper and lower jaws interlock, so that woe betide any person seized upon by them; there is no possibility of escape, or, if by good fortune he be rescued, he will certainly leave a limb behind him in the jaws of the devourer.

It is a mistake to suppose, as many persons do, that the crocodile immediately consumes its victim; in the case of small animals, such as dogs and fawns, this may be so. Large animals, however, when seized, are dragged beneath the surface of the water, held there till drowned, then borne off to some favourite hiding-place, there to be eaten at leisure. The fore-feet of the crocodile are shaped much like a short human hand, armed in place of fingers with five long horny claws, which hold the prey whilst tearing it with the teeth.

The time when it is most dangerous to enter the water on account of these greedy monsters is towards sunset, for then the fish come to the shallow water to feed, and the crocodiles come to prey on them; they may be seen dashing furiously like huge pike after the larger fish, who often leap several feet out of the water in the vain hope of evading their pursuer.

Their cunning is only equalled by their ferocity, and nothing daunts them, not even the sight of a large steamer passing quickly through the water, from the deck of which they will even snatch any person heedless enough to place himself within their reach. This happened more than once on Sir Samuel Baker’s explorations of the White Nile. A sailor, seated on deck dangling his feet over the side of the vessel within half a yard of the water, was seized and carried off so swiftly, that, though a hundred men were present, nothing more was ever seen or heard of him. Another sailor, who was seated on the rudder washing himself, was borne off just as suddenly in the sight of all his comrades.

The troops were in the habit of bathing in a small dock, which had been made for the accommodation of one of the steamers, and was connected with the river by a canal thirty yards long and only three feet deep. This was considered a perfectly safe bathing place, and free from the intrusions of crocodiles. One evening, however, the captain was absent from muster, and as it was known that he had gone to bathe at this basin, search was immediately made there for him. His clothes and red fez alone being found on the bank,a number of men went into the water in search of his body, which was not long in being discovered. One leg being broken in several places proved unmistakably that it was the work of a crocodile, who would doubtless soon have returned to devour his victim. Some months after this catastrophe another occurred in the same canal, occasioned, it was supposed, by the same monster, though there were no actual proofs of the fact. As Sir Samuel and Lady Baker were sitting out of doors enjoying the comparative coolness of the evening, a man rushed frantically past the sentries throwing himself on the ground at Sir Samuel’s feet, grasped him by the legs. As soon as he could find breath he gasped out, ‘Said! Said is gone! taken from my side this moment. We were wading together across the canal by the dock where Reis Mahomet was killed, when a crocodile rushed like a steamer from the river, seized Said, and went off with him.’ Assistance was quickly on the spot, but all trace of the unhappy Said had completely disappeared, and not even a ripple on the surface of the water bore witness to the melancholy fact.

Another man belonging to the same expedition was less unfortunate. While gathering watercress he had his arm bitten off, and was only saved from utter destruction by his comrades holding tightly on to him.

Yet another man was seized by the leg while helping to push a vessel off a sand bank. He, too, was saved by the help of the soldiers engaged on the same work, but with the loss of his leg.

From this formidable description, a tug-of-war between a crocodile and a cow would seem a very unequal contest, and certain to go in favour of the crocodile. But on the only occasion that such a thing is known to have taken place, the cow came off with flying colours. She was one of three large cbws, with immense powerful horns, brought by Sir Samuel Baker to Gondokoro, on the White Nile. Being different from, and much handsomer than, the small, active, cattle of that district, they were looked upon with great admiration by the natives. When Sir Samuel was obliged to depart into the interior of Africa, he entrusted the three cows to the care of a neighbouring chief, who, while responsible for their safety, enjoyed the use of the milk. Upon Sir Samuel’s return to Gondokoro, after an absence of two years, he found not only that the cows were in good health, but that one of them had become an object of great veneration to the tribes. Every morning her horns were wreathed with fresh flowers, and she had become the sheik or chieftainess of all the herds, for she had performed the remarkable feat of having caught a crocodile.

It had happened in this way: she had gone to drink at the river, at a place where the banks sloped gradually down to the water’s edge. While she drank, a large crocodile came out and seized her by the nose, with the intention of dragging her down to the water, and there drowning her, according to crocodile custom. Far from this, however, for once he found that he had met his match. The cow being heavy and strong, and the slope of the bank gradual, she succeeded in dragging the crocodile out of the water, and as the creature would not let go its hold, and the cow was equally determined and more powerful, they gradually receded several yards from the water’s edge. The natives attracted by the bellowing of the cow, rushed to the rescue, and soon put an end to the combat by despatching the crocodile with their spears. Its head was kept as a trophy, and the cow became a heroine for life.

A bullock on another occasion was less fortunate, or, perhaps, less plucky and determined; a crocodile having succeeded in dragging it into the water, several times, in its struggles, its body was seen to appear above the surface, its head being held down by its captor. At length nothing was visible but its tail, writhing and twisting convulsively in the air, like a snake, till at length that too ceased to move, and disappeared. Presently the dead body rose to the surface, and was seen to float, while the triumphant crocodile swam alongside, contemplating its victim with satisfaction.

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