The sun., 1910-01-09
MANS FIGHT WITH CROCODILE.
story Of an Old saIIor's Determination
20 bag Hs Game.
a. Cavesdask IN Charbers's Journal.

A. Cape1dfsk IN Chansbers's Journal
70 is only few months since the Incidents 8
happened that am about to relate. Ny
work took me on q visit up q river to one
Of those timber cutting camps where are
feIled and RATED the great hardwood logs
50 valued In the Chinese market.
O.. the white man in charge, was a char
hcteristic old hard case. who had started
| life before the mast in a sailing ship and
drifted In q beach combing fashion 20 our
colony. where he had been given. almost in
charity. q subordinate billet in one Of the
large timber companies. Arriving In my
boat at the little jetty or landing stage. I
was astonished TO ind @. lying on rattan
couch within few yards OF the bank with
. heavy express rife across his knees
gazing intently st . rough pagan OF fence
erected In the stream.
Hanging from this fence and few feet
above the water were the corpses OF q
monkey and several p&riAh dogs: while
half q dozen ducks. each tied TO the fence
by the leg with long string, tapped about
on the water and ouaoked dismaliy in their
efforts to escape. ] was just WONDERING
whether the whiskey bottle or too much
solitude accounted for this state Of affairs,
when noticed that G.'s leg was swathed
in rough bandages from knee TO ankle.
Throwing myself down near him in the
story: Two nights before O. was sleeping
peacefully In his little palm leaf house
In o clearing about twenty yards from the
river bank whsn his dog began 70 rrowl
and refused 10 be silcnced. @. turned out
and walked round the hut 10 ascertain the
cause OF the disturbance. but seeing moth
ing addressed himself to the dog in his
usual lurid and picturesque sailing ship
language and retired TO bed again. Five
NWswak kAn vaNA h.
By yelp from the dog. and this time really
annoyed he seized q stick and sailed forth
TO innict dire punishment on the disturber
Of his dreams. Suddenly q dark form
gIided swiftly from the shadows and q. felt
himself seized by the right knee a. In a wise.
STOPPING to free himself. he found he wa.
in the grip of q large crocodile whose teeth
were firmly embedded In flesh and bone
Backward and forward the struggle
| swayed. the crocodile striving to pull its
destined victim to the waters edge and q
hampered as he was by his imprisoned leg
lighting for his life TO reach higher ground
At last the beast. hurting Its victim to the
ground with q shake OF it's powerful head
began to drag him swiftly toward the water
Poor g.. feeling. as he expressed 81, that Il
was all over bar the shoutin'.- determined
| 20 make one last effort FOR his life, and tax
ing advantage Of a nnomentary halt as tn,
| DruLe was steering past tree stump ne sal
up and succeeded in getting both his thumbs
| into the reptiles eye sockets. the only vul.
nerable part OF crocodile's head
The rest OF the story IA perhaps best told
| in G . own words. or as nearly as circum
stances land the editor) will permit: So
soon as gets me thumbs made fast in II
eyes e opens is mouth TO shout an LETT
90 my leg Then first thing next mornin
tho coolies lays Is breakfast for m. as yot
see, an I gets into this chair. an ere I stay
II It's a month" Vainly tried to persuad,
q to come away With me to the next station
and zee q doctor 7 argued with him,
implored him. but u was absolutely useless
He refused to move from that chair till h,
had bagged his crocodile. and was at las
obliged to leave him. having dressed hi
leg and exhausted every known means o
persuasion short of brute force
! met him again q week later in hospita
bed suffering severly. but quite happy II
the knowledge that the bones OF that croco
die we're bleaching in the sun outside hi
house Poor old g Only few weeks after
ward the habit Of clea ring creepers from hi
path in the jungle with the butt end OF hi
| loaded and cooked rife proved fatal 70 him