St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-11-22

one, and all of my information on that
noint is derived at second hand from those
who have seen such terrible sights. In
Berneo the villages of the Malays are
nearly always found along the rivers ana
their tributaries, which furnish the PEG
ple means of travel and also supply them
with water Each village has its landing
Mace. where the canoes are tied, and here
the naople bathe and fill bamboo pals
with water.
It is at these landing places that the
tragedies nearly always occur. In order
to get the best water fearless man or
thoughtless woman wades out few steps
into the stream-going half waist deep,
perhaps-chatting and laughing With
others who nearer shore are filling their
pals more cautiously.
Heflls his bamboo, shoulders it and
turns to wade ashore, when all at once
pair of tremendous jaws close upon his
leg like living trap.
There is no escape. He shrieks and
struggles wildly for an instant only the
powerful monster quickly backs into deep
water, dragging his human prey with him,
and with look of terror which once seen
can never BIZ forgotten, the poor wretch IS
dragged under, and is seen no more. Once
in deep water the hideous reptile series
his prey by the body, and the miserable
victim is crushed to death and drowned at
the same time.
Dyak parents are very fond of their
children, and are brave to the death IN
their defense. | was told of Dyak father
who, on seeing his little boy seized by
crocodile at the waters edge and dragged
into the stream, drew his sword, plunged
in after him, and dived several times to
the bottom of the river before he gave up
all hope of saving him.
On another occasion crocodile seized
man by the chest in the presence of his
children, and swan with his prey along
the surface for some distance. The terri
fed children cried to their father to
gouge out the crocodile's eyes, but although
he looked at them, he neither moved nor
spoke, being completely paralyzed by the
grip.
In the Sambas river man was once
seized by crocodile, and dragged out OF
large boat from among nearly twenty
companions. In the Lingga river thirteen
people were once eaten in one month, and
on various other streams many people have
lost their lives.
A traveller in North Borneo visited the
site of village which had been abandoned
on account of the crocodiles, and he de-
clares that "the reputation of the place
was so bad that when bathing there in
the boat | had man with q full-cocked
gun on board
The Government of Sarawak Territory
has for some years past waged an externli,
mating war against the man eating croco-
diles of that country. By paving reward
of thirty five cents per linear foot for
every crocodile caught and killed, the
most dangerous ones have been exterml-
mated, and the total number greatly re-
duced. In the year 1878 two hundred and
sixty-six crocodiies were caught, snd the
Government paid out seven hundred and
thirty eight dollars in rewards to their
captors.
The Malays and Sea Dyaks catch the
blood thirsty beasts with hook and line
The cline is long rattan, with dry
cocoanut at the end to serve as II 'at, and
the hook" is stick OF tough, green wood
ten inches long and pointed at roth ends
to the middle of which the line Is tied.
The shook" is baited with dead fowl or
monkey, or anyiother small animal, which
is fastened to it in such manner that the
hook and bait will be swallowed together
without disarrangement. When the com
bination has been swallowed, the fisher
man pulls on the line, bit of string
breaks, and the hook at once turns cross
wise in the crocod;le's stomach.
The monster is then hauled up, bound
securely, dragged ashore and killed with
out mercy. Often on cutting the stomach
open are found beads, human hair, bangles
and pieces of clo.hing Whenever
human being is carried off by a crocodile,
the friends and relatives of the deceased
person diligently fish for the monster un
til they catch him, when he is generally
ripped open alive in revenge.
| once fshed on the Malay plan for
large man eating crocodile and. to the
great Joy of the Chinese who lived near
his haunts, was fortunate enough to
catch him. He was the most repulsive
looking crocodile that had ever seen, and
l have seen many hundred of these mon
sters. He was precisely twelve feet IN
length, and was very old, rough looking
and ugly. His back was covered with a
Shiny growth of fungus of some sort, and
he was altogether so hideously ugly that
preserved his skeleton only, and threw
his skin away William I. Hornad0y'
3n Youths CoaU1nt0n.