before he could tie the jaws of the
creature, after which he took the baby crocodile in his arms and
tucked it away in the bow of the skiff. Before he had time to tie
the little reptile in its crib Ned shouted from the power boat:

"There's one under that bank, a big fellow."

The captain sculled the skiff slowly toward the crocodile, which was
lying on the water, just under the bank. As they approached, the
creature slowly sank beneath the surface of the water, which was
shallow, and beneath it a bottom of mud in which the fleeing reptile
had left his trail. The captain followed the trail by the
furrow-like track of the tail, the spoor of the paws and the roiled
water, until Dick got a shot with his harpoon. Then the crocodile
towed the skiff into the deeper channels of the river, among logs
and snags and under banks, sometimes rolling up on the line and
biting at the skiff while Dick vainly tried to get a bight of the
harpoon line around the creature's jaw. The reptile was too wary for
him, until finally the captain threatened the crocodile with a pole,
while Dick got a line around its jaws and took it in the skiff.
There was so little room in the skiff that Dick sat on the back of
his captive until they reached the _Irene_. If he had tried this
with an alligator he would have gone overboard, _pronto_, but when a
crocodile's jaws are tied he is gentler than most lambs.

[Illustration: "SIXTEEN FEET OF FIERCENESS LAY STRANDED ON THE
BANK"]

As soon as Dick had his new pets safely on the _Irene_ he examined
them carefully and then shouted to Ned:

"This is my old crocodile, the very one we turned loose when we were
here before. I'd know him in a thousand. Don't you remember the
broken point to the tooth that stuck out through his upper jaw, on
the right side, too? Why, Crocky, old boy, how are you? I'm mighty
glad to see you again."

"Don't you want to set them free to-morrow, Dick?" asked Mr.
Barstow.

"I don't, but I've got to."

"Would you rather send them North to be educated?"

"I surely would. I wish I could."

"I think it can be managed. I know of a zoological collection where
they will be very welcome. If you think they haven't been injured, I
will ship both of them North from Miami."

"They are all right. I know that. I made two bad throws and barely
touched both of them. I don't believe you could find where either of
them was hit, now."

"Then North they go."

The boys made a box for the li