Hassib thought a bit over this, and then replied gravely-- "If it is the will of Allah that you should get a crocodile, you will get a crocodile. If it is not the will of Allah that you should get a crocodile, you will not get a crocodile." There was no gainsaying this. Mohammedan races are fond of propounding truisms with an air of having evolved a new idea out of their unassisted brains, and that is why people often think them so very wise. "You see," said Harry, after bowing his head in assent to the last proposition, "I promised my mother a crocodile, and it seems so absurd to go up the Nile and not be able to get one. Then they are all white, and I expected them to be black." "White men call the devil and crocodiles black; black men call them white," replied Hassib, who was a wag. "You now see which is right." "Good again; that is one for me!" laughed Harry. "But I should really like to get one if I could." "And the English think the crocodile such a pretty ornament!" said Hassib. "It is a strange taste." And then Harry thought for the first time where on earth would they put the crocodile if they got it. But that was a future consideration. "Shall we shoot the cataract to-night?" he asked, presently. "No," said Hassib, "there will not be light enough. We shall anchor for the night soon, and start at daybreak." The river soon grew broader and calmer, and in half an hour they came to the place where they were to remain, and cast anchor. Harry went ashore with his rifle, in hopes of a shot at the amphibious creatures, and his fishing tackle to keep him in patience while he was waiting for it. Hassib accompanied him to point out the place he had mentioned where the monsters were wont to lie. For some time he got neither a shot nor a bite; but presently there came a tremendous tug at his line. The fish tugged, and Harry tugged, and the line being strong enough to hold a whale nearly, it seemed to be a question whether Harry pulled the fish out, or the fish pulled Harry in. In fact it was a regular tug of war. Harry was the victor, and his opponent came to bank with a bound and flop. "By jove! I have got a crocodile after all!" cried Harry, jumping back, as a hideous thing four feet long, and having the same number of legs, and a tail, seemed making towards him. The reis, laughing in a manner most contrary to our notions of the staid impassive Arab, began hammering the creature with a stick, until it lay quiet enough. "What is it?" asked the captor, approaching cautiously. "A big lizard," replied Hassib, "so your learned white men say; `alligator lizard' I heard one call it. But it is really a thing that comes out of an addled crocodile's egg." Harry looked up quickly, but the reis was perfectly grave. And on such occasions he always pretended to believe, whether he did or no. Hassib was quite confident of the correctness of his information, and how could it be disproved, or, for that matter, why should it be?