le about the pirates.

By-the-bye, I have not said anything about the alligators of Java, which
are, I believe, larger than in any other part of the world. The
Government will not allow those in the harbour of Batavia to be
disturbed, as they act the part of scavengers by eating up the garbage
which floats on the water, and might otherwise produce a pestilence. I
often passed them floating on the surface, and snapping at the morsels
which came in their way, quite indifferent to the boats going to and fro
close to them. Captain Beaver, of the _Nisus_ frigate, described to me
one he saw in another part of the island when on an exploring
expedition. It was first discovered basking on a mud-bank, and neither
he nor the officers with him would believe that it was an animal, but
thought at first that it was the huge trunk of a tree. At the lowest
computation it was forty feet in length. The circumference of the
thickest part of the body seemed nearly that of a bullock, and this
continued for about double the length. The extent of the jaws was
calculated to be at least eight feet. The eyes glistened like two large
emeralds, but with a lustre which nothing inanimate could express. The
officers examined it through their glasses, and came to the conclusion
that it was asleep, but the native guides assured them that it was not.
To prove this, one of them fearlessly leaped on shore and approached the
creature, when it glided into the water, creating a commotion like that
produced by the launch of a small vessel.

I bade farewell to William and my friends of the _Phoebe_, not without
some sadness at my heart. In those time of active warfare it might be
we should never meet again. Of my soldier brother I got but a hurried
glimpse before he embarked on an expedition which was sent to capture
Sourabaya, at the other end of the island. A few words of greeting, and
inquiries and remarks, a warm long grasp of hands, and we parted.
Directly I stepped on board Van Deck's brig the _Theodora_, the anchor
was weighed, and we stood out of the harbour with a strong land breeze.
The easterly monsoon which prevailed was in our teeth, so that we were
only able to progress by taking advantage of the land and sea-breezes.
The land breeze commenced about midnight, and as it blew directly from
the shore, we were able to steer our course the greater part of the
night; but after sunrise the wind always drew round to the eastward, and
we were