ccasionally at other times. A table is not a necessity for
the crew of a ship, and one is not used on board a merchant vessel; but
Louis insisted that all hands should fare equally well on board of the
little steamer.

The dinner was disposed of, and Wales was at the wheel. The men had
nothing to do, and a couple of them had assisted Pitts in washing the
dishes and putting the after cabin in order. It was an idle time, and
the "Big Four" were anxious to have something more exciting than merely
sailing along the river, the novelty of which had worn off; and they had
not long to wait for it.

"A crocodile ahead, Captain, on the port bow, sir!" exclaimed Wales, the
wheelman, whose duty required him to keep a sharp lookout for any
obstructions in the stream.

All of the party had their weapons within reach, including the three
seamen who were disengaged; but the latter were not expected to use the
rifles till they were ordered to do so by the captain or any one of the
hunters. The occupants of the fore cabin, the principal personages on
board, had the exclusive use of the forward part of the boat, though the
hands were at liberty to use the seats when they were not required by
any of the "Big Four." No order to this effect had been given; but the
men, under the influence of the discipline on board of the ship, had
involuntarily adopted the system.

"Slow her down, Wales," said Scott, after he had observed the situation
of the saurian.

The wheelman rang the jingle-bell, and the boat soon came down to
half-speed. The five hunters, including Achang, had their rifles ready
for use, though they still retained their seats. The reptile was not
asleep; and he appeared to have some notions of his own, for he was not
disposed to wait for the coming of the boat. He settled down in the dark
water so that he could not be seen, but the surface was disturbed by his
movements.

"Port the helm, Wales," said the captain quietly. "He is going across
the river."

Presently he came to the surface again, and was swimming towards the
opposite shore. He kept his head and a small portion of his back next to
it above the surface of the water, as the young hunters had seen in
Sumatra before.

"Full speed; give her a spurt, Wales," said the captain.

The wheelman rang the speed-bell, and then spoke through the tube to the
engineer. The boat suddenly darted ahead under this instruction, and was
soon abreast of the reptile, who was not at f