other
would be sure to haul me in; but it would be better if I could get
aboard at the bows, as then I might not be observed either by mate or
skipper, and even should his majesty come after me I could be hidden
away about the forecastle. The skipper, not knowing I was aboard,
would, of course, deny me with a will. I was determined, therefore, to
do all I could to get aboard by the bows.

I was an excellent swimmer--not surpassed by any of the _Pandora's_
crew, except, perhaps, by Brace himself, who was one of the best in the
world. I had practised a great deal in my schooldays in rivers,
fresh-water lakes, and the sea itself; and I thought nothing of swimming
a mile or more without rest. Crossing from the bank of the river to
midstream--a distance of not over two hundred yards--was a mere
bagatelle, and I had no apprehension of not being able to accomplish it
at my ease.

But although I had no apprehension about my powers of swimming, I was
keenly sensible of danger from another source. I had not thought of it
before that moment--for the excitement of escaping, and the difficulty
of making my way through the underwood, had driven every thought of
danger out of my head, except that of being pursued. The peril from
behind had prevented me from dwelling upon dangers ahead; and, it was
only after I had plunged into the stream, that I became the victim of a
keen apprehension. Then, and not till then, did I remember the fate of
the unfortunate Dutchman!--then, and not till then, did I think of the
crocodiles!

A horrid sensation came over me--a dread feeling of fear. My blood ran
cold--far colder than the water of the stream--perhaps at that moment I
was within reach of a huge man-eating crocodile? at all events, within
sight, for some of these hideous monsters were sure to be near, either
by one bank or the other. Indeed, as I was about to plunge in I saw a
long dark form by the shore, some twenty yards further down, which I had
taken for a floating log. The noise made by my body striking the water
had caused it to move. I thought then it was the current; but now,
under my keen apprehensions, I thought differently. It was no dead
log--it was the motion of a living creature--beyond doubt a huge
crocodile!

This conjecture soon became a conviction. A floating log would scarce
have settled there, against the sedgy bank, and where there was current
enough to carry it onward; it was no log, it was the great liz