Mrs. Norton awoke, turned on her
side, raised her body a little and suddenly saw the horrible reptile.
She sat up rigid with terror and stared at it. The brute slowly opened
its huge mouth and disclosed the cruel, gapped teeth. Then the iron jaws
clashed together. With a shriek the woman sprang to her feet, but stood
trembling, unable to move away.

"Run! Run!" shouted Wargrave, springing down the slope towards her.

Behind him raced Raymond, while her husband, who was unable to run
fast, followed far behind.

Mrs. Norton seemed rooted to the spot. But she turned to Wargrave with
outstretched arms and gasped:

"Save me, Frank! Save me!"

With a bound he reached her, and, as she clung to him convulsively,
panted out:

"It's all right, dear. You're safe now."

He pushed her behind him, and bringing the rifle to his shoulder, faced
the crocodile. The brute opened and shut its great jaws, seeming to gasp
for air, while a strange whistling sound came from its throat. Its body
appeared to be paralysed.

"It can't move. You've broken its spine," cried Raymond, as he reached
them. "Your first shot it must have been. Look! Your second's torn its
throat."

He pointed to the neck and went round to the other side. From a jagged,
gaping wound where the expanding bullet had torn the throat, the blood
spurted and air whistled out with a shrill sound.

Wargrave turned to Violet and took the terrified woman, who seemed on
the point of fainting, in his arms.

"All right, little girl. It's all right. The brute's done for."

She pulled herself together with an effort and looked nervously at the
crocodile. Then she released herself from Frank's clasp and said,
smiling feebly:

"What a coward I am! I'm ashamed of myself. Where's John? Oh, here he
is. Doesn't he look funny?"

The Resident, very red-faced and out of breath, had slowed down into a
shambling walk and was puffing and blowing like a grampus. As he came up
to them he spluttered:

"Is it safe? Is it dead?"

"It's harmless now, sir," answered Raymond. "It's still living but it
can't move. The spine's broken, I think."

The Resident turned to his wife. The poor man had been in agony while
she was in danger; but now that the peril had passed he could only
express his relief in irritable scolding:

"How could you be so foolish, Violet?" he asked crossly. "The idea of
going to sleep near the tank! Most unwise! You might have been eaten
alive."

His wife smiled