morning of the next day, when we knew that the crocodile
would be asleep in his cave, Sylvia and I went together to the road
which the reptile had made, by the weight of his body, to his usual
watering-place.

Here, with such rude implements as the islanders possessed, we dug a
trench the width of the road, and for some distance along it. At the
bottom of the trench we laid a stout log, in which was firmly fixed my
manchette, its sharp point upward. We then filled up the trench with
soft sand, and retired to the place of vantage which I had occupied the
previous day, and from which we could see the crocodile make his
evening raid. Towards sundown he came forth with a rush among the
terrified goats, four of which he slew with a stroke from his powerful
tail, after which he proceeded to drag their mangled carcases into his
lair. We waited an hour, when, just before sundown, the reptile came
forth again on his way to the water. We watched him with bated breath,
and Sylvia, who now, for the first time, began to understand the trap I
had set, could hardly contain her excitement. When the crocodile came
to the sand-pit we had dug on the road he sank down, when the sharp
blade of the manchette entered his breast, and as he dashed forward,
rove him to the navel, so that he died on the spot in the greatest
agony.

Sylvia now summoned the islanders to see my work. They came from all
parts, and raised so great a shout when they saw their enemy dead that
the sound of it reached the wise-ones on the mountain-tops, who peered
down at the beast where he lay in a morass of blood which deluged the
sand so that it ran into the stream, dyeing the water a deep red.

The death of the reptile, and the craft and cunning I had displayed in
the killing of it, so impressed the Amazons that they came to me in a
body, with Sylvia as their mouthpiece, asking me to stay and be their
king, nor did the wise-ones raise any objection to this proposal. But
although I admired Sylvia, I had no desire to spend the rest of my days
at Engano, not even as King of the Amazons. I therefore answered that
my comrades were no doubt looking for me, nor would they continue their
voyage home until all hope of my rescue had been abandoned, and I
reminded the wise-ones of the promise they had made me of safe conduct
back to my vessel, in case I should succeed in ridding the island of
their enemy. The justice of my claim was not to be denied, and with the
dawn of the