Part 13 (2/2)

If the reader will take the trouble to scan the revised chart of the Island, he will notice on the eastern coast an indentation entitled ”Panjoo,” which, in the language of the blacks, seerassy slope comes down to the sea, separated therefrole-covered spur, along the foot of which is a pal, wind-bent acacias The gully enters the boulder-strewn inlet under the shade of iant rocks, aed palm (CARYOTA) bears i two coffee-like berries Panjoo is a favourite objective, for it may be approached from various directions, each pleasant, but as a resort for a crocodile it is about as unproht Nove we (”Paddy,” the most silent and alert of black boys, and myself) went The tide was out, and we found a co occasionally to wade through shallow pools and to claone by a huge log of pencil cedar had been cast a ”Paddy” with a start indicated the presence of a novelty--a crocodile apparently in repose, with its head in the shadow of a boulder I was carrying a pea rifle h of a most cheerful disposition, never made remarks His conversation for the estures A monosyllable to him was a laborious sentence; four or five words a speech Once upon a time, it is said, a youthful Gere reserved for Moltke The glare of the great y for the intrusion

The great man exclaimed with an air of exasperated boredom--”Insufferable talker!”--of course, all in German ”Paddy,” like Moltke, was, averse from speech, unless when speech was absolutely vital The presence of a 10-foot crocodile of unknowledgeable ferocity was a vital occasion We hastily discussed in staccato whispers our plan of caed that we should assail the enemy at close quarters The calibre of the rifle was 22; its velocity most humble, the bullet of soft lead Unless it entered the eye of the crocodile, and thence by luck its small brain, there was no hope of fatal effects

Yet to take home such a rare trophy as a crocodile's skull, never before known or heard of on the island, was a hope sufficient to evoke and steady the instincts to be called upon as a necessary prelihty stones, and soto cut off the creature's retreat to the sea, we silently and with the utmost caution advanced

Here let me advise readers to call to inning--

'Twas late, and the gay coht lay soft on the deserted roo:

She had been asleep

The crocodilefor its blood, stealthily approached Then as I raised the rifle ”Paddy” tilted up his ic whisper said--”Dead!”

At all times a crocodile has a characteristic odour, a combination of fish and very sour and stale musk, but Paddy smelt more than the familiar scent--the scent of carrion

Most unworthy of s--a crocodile that had died a natural death Apparently a day, or at the most a day and a half, had elapsed since the creature had laid its head under the shadow of the boulder and died, far fron of wound, bruise or putrefying sore

All the teeth were perfect It see its rest, with its awful stench around it

With poles we levered the body out of the way of the tide Months after, when Nature had done her part in the removal of all fleshy taint, we returned for the bones The teeth are now scattered far and wide as trophies of the one and only crocodile ever acknowledged to have been discovered dead

To account for such a pheno This ill-fated crocodile is assumed to have wandered from its proper quarters--the Tully or the Hull River, or one of the unna lost its way, it eed from the sea at pretty Panjoo So different was the locality from that to which the poor forlorn creature had been accustomed, it was at once seized with a fatal attack of ho a few tears natural--to it (”'Tis so, and the tears of it are wet”), it died (”and the elerates”) Such is the theory, annotated by Mark Antony's iossip, on the emotions and natural history of the species

THE ARABS PRECEPT

”A Pearl of Great Price”

”Mister, I tell you, neber say anything I hab bin reech once I lorse my reechness for that I talk a little bit; but I talk too much I poor man now I lorse my chants Suppose I no lorse my chants I am reech man of my country”

So said Hassan, the Arab with the pearly teeth, as he sat on the edge of the verandah one stea

”Yes, Hassan How did you lose your money?”

”I hab no money, Mister But I hab a pearl My word, Mister, I tell youpearl White pearl--more white than snohite! my pearl!”

The thin-fra teeth, quivered with the intensity of his recollection

”My beauty pearl My beeg white pearl My pearl of snohite,”

he reat black eyes