. I was undecided to whose assistance I should run, when, to
my horror, I saw the crocodile seize Hans by the arm, before he could
regain his feet. I fortunately had my large hunting-knife in my belt,
though I had not; brought my rifle. Little as I liked Hans, I felt that
it was my duty to go to his assistance. Unless I did so he would be
quickly dragged off into deep water, and become the prey of the
crocodile. Seeing that his father and my uncle had already got hold of
Harry, drawing my hunting-knife I dashed forward, shouting with all my
might to try to frighten the savage brute. Hans had caught hold of the
branch of a fallen tree, which he grasped with his left arm, holding on
to it for his life. Every moment I expected to see him let go, when his
fate would have been sealed. Not for an instant did I think of the
danger I was running. I can scarcely even now understand how I acted as
I did. With a single bound I sprang over the branches close to the head
of the crocodile, and seizing the man with one hand, I plunged the knife
into the eye of the monster, who immediately opened his jaws, and as he
did so, Hans, with an activity I could scarcely have expected, hauled
himself up to the top of the bough, where I sprang after him, while the
crocodile, giving a whisk of his tail which nearly knocked us off our
perch, retreated into deep water, the next instant to turn lifeless on
its back, when, floating down a few yards, its huge body was brought up
by a ledge of rocks which projected partly out of the water.

"Well done, Fred, my boy," shouted my uncle and Mr Welbourn in chorus.

Having placed Harry on the bank they hurried forward to assist me in
lifting Hans off the bough to which he was clinging, and to place him
beside Harry. For some seconds he lay, scarcely knowing what had
happened. On examining his arm, though it was fearfully crushed,
wonderful as it may seem, no bone was actually broken. After a little
time he revived, and, accompanied by Harry, we led him back to the camp.
My uncle exerted all his medical skill to doctor him, and the next
morning, though his arm was useless, he was able to move about as well
as ever. He did not exhibit any special feeling of gratitude to me, but
I won the good opinion of the natives, and of Toko in particular. Had
anybody told me that I should have been able to perform the act, I
should have declared it was impossible, and all I know is that I did it.

As all