Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-05-26

Indian. Fortunately everything passed as we
wished. When all was ready, l launched
three pirogues, strongly fastened together side
by side, with some Indians in the centre,
armed with lances, and with tall bamboos with
which they could touch the bottom. At last
all measures having been taken to attain my
end without risk of accident, my Indians be-
gan to explore the river with their long bam-
boos.
An animal of such formidable size as the one
we sought cannot very easily hide himself, and
soon we beheld him upon the surface of the
river, lashing the water with his long tail,
swapping and clattering with his jaws, and en-
deavoring TO get at those who dared to disturb
him in his retreat. A universal shout of ioy
greeted his appearance; the Indians in the
plrogues hurled their lances at him, while we,
upon either shore of the river, fired yolley.-
The bullets re5ounded from the monsters
scales, which they were unable 10 penetrate
the keener lances made their way between the
scales, and entered the cayman's body some
eight or ten inches. Thereupon he disap-
peared, swimming with incredible rapidty,
and reached the first net. The resistance it
opposed turned him back he re-ascended the
river, and again appeared on the top of the
water. This violent movement broke the
slaves Of the lances which the Indian had stuck
into him, and the iron alone remained in the
wounds. Each time that he re.appeared, the
firing recommended, and fresh lances were
plunged into his enormous body. Perceiving,
however, how Intellectual firearms were to
pierce his cuirass of invulnerable scales, ex-
cited him by my shouts and gestures, and
when he came to the edge of the water, open
ing his enormous jaws all ready to devour me,
| approached the muzzle of my gun to within
few inches, and fired both barrels in the hope
that both bullets would find something softer
than scales in the interior of that formidable
cavern, and that they would penetrate to his
brain. All was in vain. The jaws closed
with terrible noise, seizing only the fire and
smoke that issued from my gun, and the balls
fattened against his bones without injuring
them.
The animal which had now become furious,
made uncomfortable efforts to seize one Of his
enemies; his strength seemed to increase in
stead of diminishing, whilst our resources were
nearly exhausted Almost all our lances were
sticking in his body, and our ammunition drew
to an end. The fight had lasted more than six
hours without any result that could make us
hope its speedy termination, when an Indian
struck the cayman, whilst at the bottom of the
water, with lance of unusual strength and
size. Another Indian, at his comrades re-
quest, struck two vigorous blows with mace
upon the butt-end of the lance. The iron en-
tered deeply into the animals body, and i'm
mediately, with movement as swift as light
ming, he darted towards the net and disap-
peared. The lance-pole, detached from the
iron head, returned TO the esurface Of the water;
for some minutes we waited in vain for the
monsters temperance we thought that his
last effort had enabled him to reach the lake,
and that our chase was perfectly fruitless.-
We hauled in the first net, large hole in
which convinced US that our supposition was
correct. The second net was in the same con-
dition as the first. Disheartened by our fail
ure, we were hauling in the third, when we
felt strong resistance. Several Indians be-
gan to drag it towards the bank, and presently,
to our great JOY, we saw the cayman upon the
surface of the water. He was expiring. We
threw over him several lassos of strong cords,
and when he was well secured we drew him to
land. 1t was no easy matter TO haul him up
on the bank. The strength of forty Indians
hardly suficed. When at last we had got him
completely out of the water, and had him be-
fore our eyes, we stood stupefed with aston
ishment, for a very different thing was it to
see him swimming when he was fighting
against us. Mr.. Russell, very competent
person, was charged with his measurement
From the extremity of his nostrils TO the tip of
his tail, he was found to be tlUenty-Seuerl feet
long, and his circumference was eleven feet
measured under the arm-pits. His belly was
much more volumnous but we thought it
useless to measure him there, judging that the
horse upon which he had breakfasted must
considerably have increased his bulk.
The first process at an end, we took counsel
as TO what we should do with the dead cay
man. Every one gave his opinion. Ny wish
was to convey it bodily, to my residence but
that was impossible; it would have required
vessel of five or six tons burden, and we could
not procure such craft. One man wanted
the skin; the Indians begged for the flesh to
dry and use as specific against asthma.
They affirm that any asthmatic person who
nourishes himself for certain time with this
flesh, is infallibly cured. Somebod else de-
sired to have the fat as an antidote to rheumatic
pains and finally, my worthy priest demand
ed that the stomach should be opened, in order
to ascertain how many Christians the monster
had deNoured. Every time he said, that a cay
man eats Christian, he swallows large
pebble thus the number of pebbles we should
find in him would positively indicate the num-
Der of faithful to whom his enormous stomach
had given sepulture. To satisfy everybody, |
sent for an axe, wherewith to cut open his
head, which reserved for myself, abandoning