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For when the galleons were in the Indies all ports were closed by the Spaniards, for fear that precious information of the whereabouts of the fleet and of the value of its cargo might inconveniently leak out to their rivals. From Cartagena the course was north-west past Jamaica and the Caymans to the Isle of Pines, and thence round Capes Corrientes and San Antonio to Havana.
Caymans were common, and differed from the crocodiles we had seen in Africa in two points: they were not alarmed by the report of a rifle when fired at, and they lay with the head raised instead of stretched along the sand. For three days, as we steamed northward toward the Tropic of Capricorn, and then passed it, we were within the Republic of Paraguay.
The rest of the villagers were also in a state of alarm, as they declared that the alligators, when once they have tasted human flesh, become particularly fond of it, and are especially bold and fierce in their attacks on people approaching their haunts. "I will try what I can do for you," said the doctor. "I have been sent opportunely to your relief. Know me as the renowned slayer of caymans!"
"All because we didn't hear mass," sighed one. "But what accident has befallen us, ladies?" asked Ibarra. "The cayman seems to have been the only unlucky one." "All of which proves," concluded the ex-student of theology, "that in all its sinful life this unfortunate reptile has never attended mass at least, I've never seen him among the many other caymans that frequent the church."
"You are going, for no good purpose, to expose yourselves to very great dangers, against which you have no means of defence, for before you have gone far you will see thousands of caymans rising out of the deep water; they will come to attack you, and what can you oppose to those ferocious and invulnerable monsters? Your guns and bullets cannot wound them.
"But, my lord " "Obey." "That is not hard; to-morrow morning they fish in the open sea; the negroes must be nearly ready to go; in order to be before dawn at the Creek of Caymans, where their boat is moored." "My lord, all favors us; you see it; let us go," said the colonel in a low voice.
I was much surprised at not perceiving the smell of musk at the Havannah, three days after the death of the animal, in a temperature of 30 degrees, while at Mompox, on the banks of the Magdalena, living crocodiles infected our apartment. In that island Dampier was struck with the great difference between the caymans and the American crocodiles.
Along with these venerated lamps there also come forth from their hiding-places the work of the girls: crocheted scarfs, rugs, artificial flowers. There appear old glass trays, on the bottoms of which are sketched miniature lakes with little fishes, caymans, shell-fish, seaweeds, coral, and glassy stones of brilliant hues.
The monster soon appeared above the water with the rope tied in a double band around its neck and underneath its front legs. It was a large one, as Leon had said, speckled, and on its back grew the green moss which is to the caymans what gray hairs are to men.
"Has she not a brigantine always ready to put to sea, and which can in two hours be at the Creek of Caymans, not far from Devil's Cliff, where there is a little harbor," said De Chemerant, consulting his notes once more. "We will speak of this filibuster later, sir, but this pirate " "Was sunk in the Rivière des Saints." "To return to this filibuster, baron; he frequents the house of Blue Beard?"
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