Storia do Mogor 103: Crocodiles of the Ganges.
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 103
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Crocodiles of the Ganges.
103.1
My stay at Hughli lasted two months. I observed that the waters are full of carnivorous crocodiles, which live upon the dead bodies thrown by the Hindus into the Ganges. No year passes without the crocodiles killing several living persons, who go either to bathe their bodies or to draw water. The crocodile lies in wait, and with one stroke of its tail on the person's legs knocks him down. A Portuguese was in the habit of bathing, and as a protection against the crocodiles, he had erected a palisade in the river at the place where he always took his bath, so that the crocodiles could not reach him. One day he went for his bath and began to undress; but a dog he had with him hindered his taking off his clothes. This angered the Portuguese, but still the dog would not desist from interfering with his master and keeping him out of the water. He had spied a crocodile, which, one knows not how or where, had managed to find entrance into the enclosure. The Portuguese tried his best to get rid of the dog, but the faithful creature would not allow his master to die. Therefore, growing angry, he barked as if he meant to bite the man in whose house he had been reared. The Portuguese ordered the troublesome dog to be taken away. The latter, seeing they wanted to catch him, and that if they did so he would be unable to protect his master from the crocodile, jumped into the water where the crocodile was before his master could enter.
103.2
The crocodile, with one rush to the side of the water, laid hold of the dog. Thus was the man saved, and he then knew the meaning of the cries and noise made by the dog. There was another thing I wondered at in the Ganges — that is, frequently the Mahomedans, as an amusement, get into a small boat, and try to catch a crocodile by sorceries, which are much resorted to in the country of Bengal. They take a pot and throw into it some flowers, repeating a spell over the pot. Then they place the pot in the river, and it moves of itself against stream. They follow it leisurely in the boat until the pot arrives of itself where there is a crocodile. Thereupon the sorcerer orders the crocodile to give a paw, and it obeys. This paw is made fast ; then he asks for the other, and it, too, is fastened. Then the brute is dragged to shore as if he were quite meek, or merely an old woman. They kill him with their spears in perfect security. When I was in Hugh they killed a crocodile, which had then in its stomach bracelets and rings of the women it had eaten.
103.3
I know that it is not seemly for a layman to raise his eyes to the skies (ponere os in caelum) when speaking of the ministers of the Gospel. Yet I cannot dispense with saying something, at any rate, to warn the superior authorities against sending such men to mission work as give an opening for speaking ill of the priesthood. Let them be vowed to poverty, and more gentle in dealing with their neighbour than those I encountered when in Bengal ; and if I must tell the truth, let them send priests more devout than those that were there. I solemnly declare I speak of no individual, nor wish to lay bare the failings of anyone, but it is quite certain that the Mahomedans and Hindus, let alone the Christians, are not edified by the lives of some missionaries. I will not speak further from the respect I bear to those ministering at the altar ; what I here say and do is for love of God's glory, and that in all sincerity what goes on in these countries may be known in Europe.
103.4
It appears to me that if the orders and instructions of the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda Fide were carried out, as to the recall to their convents of the religious who have dwelt some time in the missions, there would not be so many complaints about the fathers, nor would they become the subject of conversation. What could be better than 'vacarent studio orationi et ministerio verbi, sicut decet sanctos,' and that they should remember that 'qui militat Deo [70] non implicat se negociis secularibus,' as said St. Paul. There can be no doubt that missions are a great work, but missionaries must be imitators of the Apostles, who preached by miracles and not by hectoring words. If I thought my book would not fall into the hands of laymen, I would state some other matters, in the hope that zealous superiors might provide a remedy for the many disorders existing in India in this direction.