he blacks--not only in my own tribe, but all
over the adjacent country. And after this encounter with the alligator
they looked upon me as a very great and powerful personage indeed. We
did not bring the dead monster back with us, but next day a number of the
blacks went over with their catamarans, and towed the reptile back to the
mainland, where it was viewed with open-mouthed amazement by crowds of
admiring natives. So great was the estimation in which my prowess was
held, that little scraps of the dead alligator were distributed (as
relics, presumably) among the tribes throughout the whole of the
surrounding country. Singularly enough this last achievement of mine was
considered much more commendable than the killing of the whale, for the
simple reason that it sometimes happened they caught a whale themselves
stranded on the beach; whereas the killing of an alligator with their
primitive weapons was a feat never attempted. They chanted praises in my
honour at night, and wherever I moved, my performances with the whales
and alligator were always the first things to be sung. Nor did I attempt
to depreciate my achievements; on the contrary, I exaggerated the facts
as much as I possibly could. I described to them how I had fought and
killed the whale with my stiletto in spite of the fact that the monster
had smashed my boat. I told them that I was not afraid of facing
anything single-handed, and I even went so far as to allege that I was
good enough to go out against a nation! My whole object was to impress
these people with my imaginary greatness, and I constantly made them
marvel at my prowess with the bow and arrow. The fact of my being able
to bring down a bird on the wing was nothing more nor less than a miracle
to them. I was given the name of "Winnimah" by these people, because my
arrows sped like lightning. Six of the alligator's teeth I took for
myself, and made them into a circlet which I wore round my head.

Some little time after this incident I decided to remove my
dwelling-place to the top of a headland on the other side of the bay,
some twenty miles away, where I thought I could more readily discern any
sail passing by out at sea. The blacks themselves, who were well aware
of my hopes of getting back to my own people, had themselves suggested
that I might find this a more likely place for the purpose than the low-
lying coast on which their tribe was then encamped. They also pointed
out to me