e iron spike, and began to haul away at the
rope with a force which threatened to snap it, if it did not pull down
the tree.

The doctor now called the villagers, and ordered them to haul away at
the rope. At first they seemed very unwilling to undertake the task;
but we setting them the example, they laid hold of it, and casting the
end loose from the tree, hauled away lustily. In spite of its
struggles, the vast monster was dragged up to the bank; and feeling its
feet touch the shore, it made the most terrific efforts to back off.
The men hauled away with such good-will, that it was compelled to move
along the ground for some distance on its knees. Suddenly getting on
its feet, however, it made a desperate rush at its captors. "Pull away!
pull away!" shouted the doctor, who was prepared for the emergency; and
the villagers pulled with all their might, till two or three tumbling
down, the rest scampered off. My uncle, Tim, and I had sprung on one
side and got ready our rifles, but before we could fire the monster
would have been upon the fallen men, when the doctor, stepping forward,
fired his rifle almost down its throat. It instantly stopped, and after
another attempt to dash forward fell over on its side.

The villagers on this slackened the rope, when the creature, recovering,
made another desperate attempt to reach them. "Pull, ye villains,
pull!" shouted Tim; his words being echoed by the doctor, who, in his
excitement, as another great naturalist asserts that he himself did,
leaped on the alligator's back, and flourished his rifle, which he had
reloaded, above his head; then quickly lowering it, he presented it
towards the creature's ear.

The natives, now emboldened by witnessing his performance, hauled away
as he directed them. The wounded alligator was evidently becoming
weaker; and the doctor, fearing that it might roll over him, and finding
his seat not the most comfortable in the world, leaped off; then running
some way ahead, he again fired into the creature's mouth. The last shot
proved an effectual quietus to the saurian, which, after making a few
convulsive struggles, rolled over and lay perfectly still.

The natives, on seeing their enemy dead, shouted and danced with
delight, and insisted on carrying us all back on their shoulders to the
village in triumph. They told us that the monster had already carried
off several dogs which had gone down to the water to drink. They urged
us to rem