Year: 1879

Tall Fishing at saInmEore-Capture of n
Dreaded Mnn-Eater.


An Englishman in India writes: The
annual Bulan Pnasa, or Ramadan, was
being observed, when our Malays fast
by day, gorge themselves at night, and
suffer all the horrors of dyspepsia until
feeding time comes again. When the
sun sets gun is fred from the pictures
que little fort guarding the Klang river
and the British residency. The first
meal is over, and again at the approach
of midnight the faithful we're making
ready for another attack on the good
things provided; when, preparatory to
the repast, one Hadjie Mahomet Yakim,
a stalwart Menangkabow man, proceeds
to large log OF timber al the landing
place, at the end of Gelan Malaon--the
Malay street-to perform his ablutions
and add to the long list of prayers he
has so conscientiously recited-during the
past day.


A scream of terror is heard from the
landing place, and the Hadiie's friends
rush out of their house, alarmed at what
they hear. A search is made, but the
poor Hadjie has disappeared, leaving
his turban and marks of struggling in
the mud to show what fate had been his.
A few inquiries soon indicate that one of
the numerous crocodiles in the river
had taken the unhappy Hadiie, and the
usual standing reward of forty cents
foot was offered for the capture of the
brute. Three days elapsed when
Pandi Pahang man offers to the super
intendent of police to " tankup itu boya"
(catch that crocodile), if the resident
will increase the reward to dollar
foot. This was readily agreed to, and
within twenty-four hours the Hadiie-
eating crocodile was booked literally. A
large iron hook was baited with large
fowl, a very long rattan, some ninety
feet in length, being fastened to the
hook.


The blight of the rattan is thrown over
the overhanging branch of tree, and
the bait is suspended on the surface of
water. The following morning the spot
is visited, and the rattan has disappear
ed. A canoe with one crocodile-catcher
and two others search the river, and at
last the floating rattan is discoverd. A
pull at it soon indicetes what sort of
fish has been hooked, and our boatmen
play the crocodile with long scope un-
til he is quiet enough to get ashore; then
they manage to secure him literally hand
and foot, the jaws lashed together, the
tail, however, being left free. The
brute measured thirteen feet in length,
and how the three plucky fellows man
aged to fasten him, and subsequently
roll him off the bank into the small dug
out canoe, is beyond my comprehen-
sion.


OF course, when tired out, the croco-
dile was pretty quiet, and they could
easily have speared him; but they alb
solutely brought him to the boom, or
public landing place, unhurt. Here
public reception was accorded to the
man eater, and all the boys in the town
fairly towed him up the hill to the fort
gates. The superintendent received
him and took him inside his small gar
| den-an attention he acknowledge by
sweeping half the flower pots with one
sweep of his tail, and sending an unhap-
py retriever flying across the compound.
was away when the crocodile was
brought in, but I arrived at night to
witness scene worth sketching. There
lay the fastened brute, with heaving
flank, and DOW and then sweep of the
tail that indicated with what force it
could be used.


One of the officers stepped forward
and gave the beast a kick in the side,
which he resented with stroke of his
tail that would have certainly put a
stop to my friends kicking for some
time to come, had it taken effect. The
fort garden was crowded with men, and
the glare of torches, cleaning of weap-
ons and angry glances from the poor
Hadiies friends at the victim before
them, formed a scene not easily forgot
ten. Speculation was rife as to whether
the right crocodile had been caught, but
all agree he looked fat enough to con-
tain Hadiie during Bulan Phasa. This
was soon set at rest, and I had the salts
faction of putting three rifle bullets in
the neck of the brute, which settled
him. On opening him, sure enough
there was the poor Hadjie's head, almost
cloven in three parts, and other remains
evidences of taste for goats, fowls
and other such odds and ends,