iterally crammed
full of alligators."

"Musha, but there's more alligators than wather, I belave!" exclaimed
Barney.

The pond was indeed swarming with these ferocious reptiles, which were
constantly thrusting their ugly snouts above the surface and then
disappearing with a flourish of their powerful tails. During the rainy
season this lake was much larger, and afforded ample room for its
inhabitants; but at the height of the dry season, which it was at this
time, there was little water, and it was much overstocked. When
alligators are thus put upon short allowance of water, they frequently
bury themselves in the wet mud, and lie dormant for a long time, while
the water continues to retire and leaves them buried. But when the
first shower of the rainy season falls, they burst open their tomb, and
drag their dry bodies to the lake or river, on whose margin they went to
sleep.

An hour or two later the Senhor Antonio arrived; but as it was getting
dark, nothing could be done until the following morning; so they slung
their hammocks under the wooden shed on the margin of the lake, and, in
order to save themselves as much as possible from the bites of the
tormenting mosquitoes, went to sleep with their heads tied up in their
handkerchiefs, and their hands thrust into their breeches pockets! The
occasional splash and snort of contending alligators, about twenty yards
off, varied the monotony of the hours of darkness, while the frogs and
cranes and jaguars sang their lullaby.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

AN ALLIGATOR HUNT--REMARKABLE EXPLOSIONS--THE RAINY SEASON USHERED IN BY
AN AWFUL RESURRECTION.

At sunrise an expressive shout in Portuguese set the black slaves on
their feet; and, after a hasty breakfast of alligator-tail and farina,
they commenced operations. Alligator-tail is by no means bad food, and
after the first mouthful--taken with hesitation and swallowed with
difficulty,--Martin and Barney both pronounced it "capital." Sambo, who
had cooked the delicate morsel, and stood watching them, smacked his
lips and added, "Fuss rate."

All being now ready for the hunt, a number of Negroes entered the water,
which was nowhere very deep, with long poles in their hands. This
appeared to Martin and Barney a very reckless and dangerous thing to do,
as no doubt it was. Nevertheless accidents, they were told, very rarely
happened.

Sambo, who was the overseer of the party, was the first to dash up to
the middle in