"A lot of crocodiles, eh?"
"They are not crocodiles," returned Maza in a dry, disdainful tone, without raising his head.
"And why are they not?" asked the doctor, wounded by the tone.
"Because they are not."
"That is no reason."
"If you don't know, study; I am not here to teach you for nothing."
"Tut! The sage of Greece. Stand off, gentlemen!"
"I am not a sage, but I say these animals are not crocodiles, for there are no crocodiles in the river Maranon."
"What are they, then?"
"Alligators."