Show the Cro edHe and ita terrible detic tion aloa of human life with regard to the utility of the crocodile there are diverse opinions it is certainly a scavenger though when the rapid currents of most rivers aro are taken into consideration the importance of his mission dwindles the author of in the Mo marsh says that along the banks of african streams it is dangerous to approach h the river edge water for domestic pu purposes reposes is obtained from the top of the banks by means of a cup attached to a bamboo pole twenty or thirty feet in length and in spite of these precautions the death roll is a most ghastly one the primitive dugouts fouts used by the natives for traveling on the rivers are in many casks cases merely death traps while N b ile the man is paddling alon along barely two iwo inches above the r surface of the river the crocodile seizes his hand and drags him to the bottom on one occasion I 1 sent down some letters by a hindmo merchant and a few weeks later heard that both letters and postman had bad been devoured by crocodiles at another time I 1 was et strolling rolling along the bank and hearing cries arrived at tho waters edge in time to seize a hoy boy whose leg had been caught ty by one of these brutes and torn arz from him biln ile he escaped with his bis life thanks to my timely arrival ln in some places one tees sees thousands c of 4 c crocodiles ro odiles on a most efthem of them scarcely two inches in length evidently just hatched batched A week do docs not pus pass but in some river village wails ails and lam fam stations are heard board for a fresh vio 1 tim to the crocodiles insatiable appetite |