ar of extermination upon them," said Morris.

"I don't know what that is; but they want to kill them all off," replied
Achang, who had improved his language so that his tutor seldom had to
correct it.

"That is the same thing. They pay by the foot for crocodiles here."

"The bigger they are, the more dangerous," suggested Louis. "Let us haul
him alongside, and see how long he is."

The boat had stopped her screw before Louis fired; and the captain
directed Wales to lay her alongside the saurian, which was done in a few
minutes. Ropes were passed under his head and tail; and with a couple of
purchases made fast to the horizontal rods over the rail, close to the
stanchions, the carcass was hoisted partly out of the water. The measure
was taken with a line first, to which Lane, who was a carpenter's
assistant, applied his rule, which gave twelve feet and two inches as
the length of the crocodile.

"That makes him worth eighteen shillings," said Achang.

"About four dollars and a half," added Morris. "We could make something
hunting crocodiles. If we could kill ten of them like that fellow it
would give us forty-five dollars."

Louis and Scott laughed heartily at this calculation, and thought the
idea was derogatory to the character of true sport, though they did not
object to turning their victims of this kind into money.

"Must we carry the carcass of this beast down to Kuching in order to get
the reward, Achang?" asked Morris.

"The head will be enough; and they can tell how long he is by the size
of it."

"How shall we saw the head off? Can you do it, Lane?"

"I can do that," interposed the Bornean, as he went to a bundle of
implements he had procured in the town and from the natives.

He drew from it a very heavy sword, from which he took off the covering
of dry leaves, and applied his thumb to the edge of the weapon. Then he
picked out a straw from some packing, and dropped it off in pieces, as
one tries his razor on a hair. It appeared to be as sharp as the
shaving-tool, and he was satisfied. All hands watched his movements with
deep interest. He secured a position with one foot on the side of the
boat, and the other on the back of the crocodile. With two or three
blows of his sword, he severed the head from the body, and a seaman
secured it with a boathook.

All hands applauded when the deed was done, as the Bornean washed his
keen blade. The operation excited the admiration of all the lookers-on,
it