Arizona republican., 1894-10-20

monster that had destroyed the canoe.
 Had he already met his fate? The young officer tried to shake off his des- pondency-to hope, in spite of appear ances, that his brother might, in some way, have escaped and still be alive.
 He looked toward the peninsula from which the canoe seemed to have drifted. This peninsula, consisting of two high, projecting banks composed of soft rock and earth, opposite each other, about fifteen feet apart, was roofed by the branches of slender trees that fourished in wild luxuriance on both banks.
 The trunks of these trees slanted so that their boughs intermingled and were so thickly interwoven with vines that they formed dense canopy of leaves and blossoms over the open space beneath, which thus resembled a sort of long water cavern.
 Ralph directed the cutter to this cavern, and, looking through the green archway into the partial obscurity be- yond, he beheld a sight well calculated to arouse apprehension.
 In the back part of the cavern, lying in shallow, among sandbanks that partially concealed it, was large crocodile, with its head raised and thrown back and it's horrible jaws wide open, while its eyes were strained, as if turned up toward some elevated point.
 Gazing in the same direction, Ralph was startled to see, about ten feet above those hideous jaws, the form of his little brother, lying, with pale face and closed eyes, on the narrow shelf of rock. The rock was under the branches of slender trees, which rose on each side of 1t from low banks on the right and left, about two yards from the elevation. One of the over- hanging branches, broken off, ex- plained the boys situation.
 He had evidently climbed the tree to escape the crocodile, had crept out on the slender branch, it had given way, and he had fallen on the rock, his head striking it with force enough to render him unconscious. There he now lay, so perilously near the edge of the rock-shelf that the slightest movement on his part would cause him to roll off and fall into the jaws of the monster below. As he was proba- ply but temporarily stunned he was therefore, of the utmost importance, in order to insure hls safety, that he should be speedily conveyed from his dangerous position.
 Ralph feared that discharge of the swivel or of any frearm at the croco- dile, would only be attended with ia tai results to Frank. The sandbanks might,hinder the shot from striking the fierce reptile. while the shock would be pretty sure to dislodge the senseless lad from the shelf, and thus bring him down into the power of his voracious enc my.
 The youth lost no time in heading his boat toward the rock. But the cutter was some fathoms from it, when the keel caught in submerged sandbank. Drawing his sword. Ralph sprang out, and quickly waded toward the rock. Slight lodges and pro- truding spurs on its front would en- able him, he thought, to climb up to his brother; in fact, there was nc other way of reaching him. The young officer held his sword ready for use, in case the crocodile, close to which he would be obliged to pass, should ven- ture to attack him.
 Ralph, however, kept his eyes fas- tened upon the crocodile.
 The monster turned it's head when he was near it and snapped at him.
 He avoided it by stepping sideways; then he commenced to strike and thrust vigorously at it's jaws with his sword. It retreated a few yards but broke his blade in two with it's teeth as it twisted it's body around. Think ing it would leave him, Ralph sprang to the rock. Just then little Frank, recovering his senses, gave a slight cry and fell from the ledge above. The young officer saw him in time to catch him in his arms. As he turned to convey him to the cutter, he per ceived that the crocodile, now be- tween him and the boat, with open jaws, was prepared to renew the at tack.
 He set his confused brother upon his feet in the shallow water, and draw ing the single-barrelled navy pistol which he carried in his belt, he fired at the creatures big, yawning mouth. But, owing to the animals sheering a little to seize the boy, now on one side of his protector, it itreceived the shot on the edge of It's jaw.
 Twisting itself away from the twain, it commenced, as if in blended rage and pain, to thrash the shadows with