CHAPTER XLV.
A PAIR OF VALIANT VULTURES.
They had got into a part of the river that seemed to be a favouriteresort with turtles and crocodiles, and creatures of that description.At different times they saw turtles of different kinds; among others,the "painted turtle," a beautiful species that derives its name from thefine colouring of its shell, which appears as if it had been painted inenamel. Of crocodiles, too, they saw three or four distinct species, andnot unfrequently, the largest of all, the great black crocodile (_Jacarenigra_). This was sometimes seen of the enormous length of over twentyfeet! Terrible-looking as these crocodiles are, they are not masters ofevery creature upon the river. There are even birds that can sorely vexthem, and compel them to take to the water to save themselves from afearful calamity--blindness.
One day, while descending the river, our travellers were witness to anillustration of this.
They were passing a wide sand-bank that shelved back from the river,with a scarcely perceptible slope, when they saw, at a distance of abouttwo hundred yards from the water's edge, a crocodile making for theriver. He looked as though he had just awoke from his torpid sleep, forhis body was caked all over with dry mud, and he seemed both hungry andthirsty. It was like enough he was coming from some inland pond, wherethe water had dried up, and he was now on his way to the river.
All at once two dark shadows were seen passing over the white surface ofthe sand-bank. In the heaven two large birds were wheeling about,crossing each other in their courses, and holding their long necksdownwards, as if the crocodile was the object of their regard.
The latter, on seeing them, paused; and lowered his body into a squattedor crouching attitude, as if in the birds he recognised an enemy. Andyet what could such a large creature fear from a pair of"king-vultures?" for king vultures they were, as was easily seen bytheir red-orange heads and cream-coloured plumage. What could acrocodile, full ten feet long, fear from these, even had they beeneagles, or the great condor himself? No matter; he was evidentlyfrightened at them; and each time that they drew near in their flight,he stopped and flattened his body against the sand, as if that mightconceal him. As soon as they flew off again to a more distant point oftheir aerial circle, he would once more elevate himself on his arms, andmake all haste toward the water.
He had got within about an hundred yards of the river, when the birdsmade a sudden turn in the sky, and swooping down, alighted upon the sanddirectly before the snout of the crocodile. The latter stopped again,and kept his eyes fixed upon them. They did not leave him long to rest;for one of them, making a few hops towards him, came so close, that itmight have been supposed the crocodile could have seized it in his jaws.This, in fact, he attempted to do; but the wary bird threw up its broadwings, and flapped to one side out of his reach.
Meanwhile, the other had hopped close up to his opposite shoulder; andwhile the crocodile was engaged with the first one, this made a dashforward, aiming its great open beak at the eye of the reptile. Thecrocodile parried the thrust by a sudden turn of his head; but he hadscarcely got round, when the second vulture, watching its opportunity,rushed forward at the other eye. It must have succeeded in pecking it,for the great lizard roared out with the pain; and rushing forward abit, writhed and lashed the sand with his tail.
The vultures paid no attention to these demonstrations, but only keptout of the way of the teeth and claws of their antagonist; and then,when he became still again, both returned to the attack as before. Oneafter the other was seen dashing repeatedly forward--using both legs andwings to effect their object, and each time darting out their greatbeaks towards the eyes of the reptile. The head of the latter keptcontinuously moving from side to side; but move where it would, thebeaks of the vultures were ready to meet it, and to pierce into thesockets of those deep lurid eyes.
This terrible contest lasted all the time the balza was floating by. Itwas a slow current at this place, and our travellers were a long time inpassing, so that they had a good opportunity of witnessing the strangespectacle. Long after they had glided past, they saw that the conflictcontinued. They could still perceive the black body of the reptile uponthe white sand-bank, writhing and struggling, while the flapping wingsof the vultures showed that they still kept up their terrible attack.But the head of the crocodile was no longer directed towards the water.
At the first onset the reptile had used every effort to retreat in thatdirection. He knew that his only safety lay in getting into the river,and sinking beyond the reach of his adversaries. At every intervalbetween their assaults, he had been seen to crawl forward, stopping onlywhen compelled to defend himself. Now, however, his head was seen turnedfrom the water; sometimes he lay parallel with the stream; and sometimeshe appeared to be heading back for the woods, while his struggles andcontortions betrayed the agony he was undergoing. But his turning inthis way was easily accounted for. He knew not in what direction lay theriver. He could no longer see. His eyes were mutilated by the beaks ofthe birds. _He was blind!_
Guapo said the vultures would not leave him until they had made a mealof his eyes, and that was all they wanted. He would then remain onshore, perhaps without finding his way back to the water, and mostlikely be attacked by jaguars, or other preying creatures, who couldconquer him the easier now that he was deprived of his sight!
As the balza glided on, Guapo told our travellers many strange storiesof crocodiles. He stated, what is well known to be true, that in therivers of South America many people are every year killed by theseravenous creatures; in fact, far more than have ever fallen victims tothe salt-sea sharks. In some places they are much fiercer than inothers; but this may arise from different species being the inhabitantsof these different places. There is the true crocodile, with long sharpsnout, and large external tusks; and the caiman, with a snout broaderand more pike-shaped; and the former is a much more courageous andman-eating creature. Both are often found in the same river; but they donot associate together, but keep in distinct bands or societies; andthey are often mistaken for each other.
This may account for the difference of opinion that exists in regard tothe fierceness of these reptiles--many asserting that they are utterlyharmless, and will not attack man under any circumstances; while others,who have witnessed their attacks, of course bearing testimony to thecontrary. There are many places in South America, where the nativeswill fearlessly enter a lake or river known to be full of crocodiles,and drive these creatures aside with a piece of a stick; but there areother districts where nothing will tempt an Indian to swim across ariver infested with these reptiles. In the Amazon districts, in everyIndian village, several people may be seen who have been maimed bycrocodiles. No wonder that among author-travellers there should be sucha difference of opinion.
Guapo stated, that when an Indian has been seized by a crocodile in itsgreat jaws, he has only one chance of escape, and that is, by thrustinghis fingers into the eyes of the reptile. This will invariably cause itto let go its hold, and generally frighten it, so as to enable theperson to escape. It, of course, requires great presence of mind toeffect this, as the person who has been seized will himself be in greatpain from the tearing teeth of the monster, and, perhaps, will have beendrawn under the water, before he can gather his senses. But it has oftenoccurred that Indians, and even women, have escaped in this way.
The eyes of the crocodile are its most tender parts,--in fact, the onlyparts that can be made to feel pain. A crocodile may be disabled bycutting at the root of its tail, but it can only be frightened by anattack upon the eyes; and this appears to be a well-known fact, not onlyto the Indians, but to all its other enemies among the birds andquadrupeds.
The young crocodiles are often attacked, and have their eyes pecked out,by the small gallinazo or "zamuro" vultures just in the same way that wehave seen one of a larger size become the victim of the more powerfulking vultures.