They lay in the sun in batches in every stage of incubation, and from almost every batch there were little crocodiles emerging, that made straight for the water.

What worse monster preyed on them to keep their numbers down, or what disease took care of their prolixity we could not guess.
Perhaps they ate one another, or just died of hunger.

The owner of the boat vowed there were no fish left in the river, and that the crocodiles did not eat hippo unless it were first dead.
We took another tent from among Fred's loads, changed two of our porters for stronger ones, and went forward that evening; for it began to be obvious that the speed had been telling on the cattle.

We passed two more dead heifers within a few miles of the river bank, and there were other signs that for all our long sleep we were gaining on them.
Perhaps the Greeks thought they had shaken off pursuit.

Judging by the compass they were headed for the shore of Victoria Nyanza, where the grazing would be better, food for men would be purchaseable, and the number of villages closely spaced would make the task of night-herding vastly easier.