428 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER
our afTiftants was to Hide the quadrant down the hill, in its cafe, which would have utterly deftroyed it ; and as our boat was but a very indifferent embarkation, it was obliged to make feveral turns to and fro before we got all our feveral packages landed on the weftern fide. This aflemblage, and, the paffage of our camels, feemed to have excited the appe- tite, or the curiofity, of the crocodiles. One, in particu- lar, fwam feveral times backwards and forwards along the fide of the boat, without, however, making any attack upon any of us ; but, being exceedingly tired of fuch com- pany, upon his fecond or third venture over, I fired at him with a rifle- gun, and fliot him diredlly under his fore fhoul-. der in the belly. The wound was undoubtedly mortal, and; Very few animals could have lived a moment after recei- ving it. He, however, dived to the bottom, leaving the wai- ter deeply tinged with his blood. Nor did we fee him again at that time ; but the people at the ferry brought him to me the] day after, having found him perfe6lly dead. He was about twelve feet long ; and the boatmen told me that thefe are by much the mofl: dangerous, being more fierce and ac-- tivc than the large ones. The people of Sennaar eat the crocodile, efpecially the Nuba. I never tailed it myfelf, but it looks very much like Congor eel..
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CHAa
