CROCODILE SHOOTING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2046, 25 January 1889, Page 3

CROCODILE SHOOTING

It was on a ho* Sunday afternoon, when, on turning the bend m the Nile not far from the wonderful temple of Aba Fimbl, the Arab m the bows shouted that there was a big crocodile asleep on a mud bank m the middle of the river. B accordingly got bis rifle, and as the awakening brute slid lazily into the water, plumped him under the right shoulder at a distance of quite 130 yards— a first-rate shot The beast stopped at the water's edge, and began to lash his flaily tail about. i y this time the excitement among the sailors was immense ; the sporting old optain stopped the steamer, a boat was manned, and we polled off to the bank, I haying charge of the rifle wherewith to finieh him. He was already half m the water, aod the difficulty was to get his head opt, to let me get a fair shot at his eye, which £ hid learnt m my youthful days, was the only vulnerable point. The bdathook was tbe duly m etrument to haul bioa back by, so half adozen niggers manned it, booked it into a corner of hU jaw, and tugged bis great head roand for tbe coup 6a grace. Even with a seoond bullet m the place where the brain ought to have been, he had strength enongh left to anap at the boathook with •uoh foroe as to leave marks of his teetb on the Iron head, A third shot clow under tbe eye fialabed him, aod with mnoh labor he was holtted Into tbe boat, and from tbenae on to the steamer. On measuring him be was found Jo be a coople of icohea under thirteen feet— » real monater. When we halted for good that evening, the carcase waa iktnned and devoured (entrails and all) by some natives from a neighboring village. Buw took posaeaalon of the hide, and put it on the paddle-box to dry m the son. When the wind was ahead the stench was really -dreadful, and drove us off the after-deoW. —" Count Glelehen."