IN THE JAWS OF. A CROCODILE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13497, 25 May 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

IN THE JAWS OF. A CROCODILE.

r A BOY'S NARROW ESCAPE.An interesting story of a,boy's ( escape from a crocodile is given in the pages of the Field. ..;': ~;-, ■-. ,!... , It was'at the latter end of the year 1904, says the writer, • that■ I was coming down the upper Niger iu one of the Government stern-wheelers to .Lokoja, when the following occurred. We were in hopes of reaching Lokoja at' about eight p.m., but "on 'passing a place called Barrow were signalled 'by some white men on the bank to stop. This | we accordingly did. The white men turned out to be.=-a party who had -just completed the survey of the proposed' railway from Barrow to Zungerie, the headquarters of the Protectorate of Northern 1 Nigeria. This caused a little, diversion, and, as I was the only white man on board the steamer; I decided to put off my dinner hour and have it a little later with the surveyor and his two assistants. •* ' I- S"• - -

' After dinner we all turned in; and arrived -at Lokoja a little after midnight. The next morning, my early tea not appearing, I called for -my , boy (an Ejau, Southern Nigerian), and Was 'told by the cook that he had hot been seen since the previous night.; " I naturally concluded ' that the young begj;ar had gone down to the native town on the spree, and was somewhat surprised, as he was a very good and quiet boy. - ... --.-•- -■_ - • At 1.30 a native canoe .came 'alongside, and I was told my boy was in it, and on going to see I found him, or What was left of him. He was an awful sight, being covered from head to foot in clotted blood and sand. He told me that while passing Jamitar he had fallen overboard, but could make.no one hear the current being very strong, he had some difficulty in ' reaching the shore, splendid 6wimmer though 'he was. He was just getting into shallow water,, when a crocodile caught him by the legs.' He fought the brute, and' managed somehow to free his legs; but the brute went for him again, and caught' him by the head, but he again freed himself; and managed to crawl on shore. ... • ; Considering -he had no .weapons, 1 could not quite see how it was, possible for him to protect himself in any way. 'He, however explained the mystery to me. It was done by pushing his thumbs into the brute's eyes; but in doing this he had both arms bitten to rags, but no bones broken. The wound in the head was the most curious. One large tooth had gone in "just behind the left eye ball, and several others on the top of the head. Six broken teeth were taken out of the top of his head, and the eye was not injured. I ;'? sent him to the native hospital at Lokoja, with instructions to the Niger Company to advance him money .up to a certain sum if necessary. This, however, they failed to do, and after waiting for me about a month he went down to his own country in a Niger-Company's boat, - which took all . his savings. ]i After another month he worked his way up the river again, and found me Although I then -had, an excellent boy in his place, I took him on again! out of pity, and after a lot of trouble got 1 the truth out of him. .

It appears that after he had cleared away our dinner he went to the galley to get his rice, but my cook Sambo would not give it him, as he had none of his own and wanted to steal the boy's. ; When the boy insisted, Sambo pushed him overboard. About twenty negroes on the lower deck saw this happen, but would not say word as they were Northern Nigerians and the boy a. 'Southerner.