h side of the rope toward the
bank, and standing ready with their weapons to try to plunge them into
the reptile's throat. Then the principal Malay said a few words,
uttered a shout, and the strain was increased a little, then a little
more, as the creature began to be drawn nearer the bank; then they moved
faster and faster, Ned wondering whether the rope and hook would stand;
and as he ran on with the men, he looked back and saw the reptile's head
with its jaws wide appear above the muddy bank, then its fore-paws were
over, and the next moment it was gliding over the grass, striking right
and left with head and tail; while, as it was dragged right away from
the river, and the men paused, it raised itself up high on its feet,
arching up its back like an angry toad of monstrous dimensions, and
snapped its jaws.

"Pretty darlin'!" cried Tim. "Oh, how proud his mother must be. Look
at his smile."

Frank uttered a triumphant shout, and Ned joined in, but only feebly,
for he was too much excited and on the watch for a charge from their
captive.

Two or three of these were made as the men attacked it with spears; but
the strain of the rope on the reptile's head prevented it from doing any
mischief, and though it laid about it, thrashing furiously with its
tail, no harm was done, while the men contrived to give it thrust after
thrust in the soft under-parts of the neck, weakening it so, that at
last they managed to turn it over on its back, and one of the Malays
leaped upon it, and with a great knife ripped it up nearly from end to
end.

Ned turned away sickened as the men now unfastened the rope from the
tree and retied it, so as to give the reptile a very short tether.

"There's no need for that now--is there?" said Ned, as he stood wiping
his brow.

"No need to what?"

"Tie it up."

"Only, that if they did not, the brute would crawl back into the river."

"What, wounded like that?"

"Oh yes. They don't seem to mind much. They'll go back into the water
even after the Malays have cut them open and taken out their inside.
They always do that to see whether they are man-eaters. They're doing
it now. Come and look."

"No," said Ned. "I'm satisfied. We've caught him. That's all too
horrible."

By this time the report was being spread that the monster had been
taken, and footsteps were heard approaching, quite a little crowd hiding
the reptile from the boys, and out of which crowd rose directly after a