I daresay yon would like to see the
picture which one of his friends made of him, riding upon his dangerous
steed.
We may form some idea of this naturalist's feat from what he tells us in
another part of his book about his "wanderings." "One Sunday afternoon,"
he says, "when a good many people were standing about on the banks of the
Orinoco, never dreaming of danger, a great Cayman came suddenly out of the
river, seized a man, and carried him off beneath the water, so that he was
seen no more."
How sad it would have been had Waterton shared a similar fate, in his
effort to get the alligator's skin! Life is a precious gift from God, and
no one has a right to risk his life in a rash foolhardiness, which is very
different from the true courage which does not shrink from facing danger if
the life of one more helpless than himself is in peril.
But while we know that no one has a right to give up his life unless at
God's desire, and that it is wicked in His sight for anyone to risk losing
his life unless at God's command, we must not forget that there is no risk
for those who count not their lives dear to them for Christ's sake. He
spoke some solemn words about "loving" and "hating" life, which His
servants should ever remember.
You will be interested to know that the alligators' eggs are laid in a
nest made of grass on the banks of a stream, and that they often travel
for miles across forest or prairie from one stream to another.
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