Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1837-07-26
The Alligator Story-By Sam.-sDid

The Alligator Story-By Sam.-"Did
ever tell you of my adventure with the AL
ligator," said Brewster to his friend Tom,
as they stood on the deck of the steam boat
Henry Clay, as she went putting and blow
ing, throwing up the muddy waters of the
Mississippi. II guess not" said Tom.-
"Bless that musqueto, he liked to pull me
overheard by the nose but howsomever if
the Alligator story ar'nt too long"le have
it, if it's only TO drive away this dull time,
as our old Deacon used to say when he
drank beer" Those who have travelled
on the Mississippi'kno the value of tough
yarn, to relieve the dreary monotony oc.
casioned by the eternal splash, splash of the
paddles, and when the narrator was one of
the hardy race, now nearly extinct, who toll
ed on this father of waters before Ito use
their EXPRESSION "steam boats cum in fash
ion." The word was no sooner passed
than Brew, as they called him, was going
to spin a yarn, than some ten or twelve as
sembled around him. Brew felt his i'm,
portance-after eying his auditory like a
village lawyer, when about to make stump
speech he thus began
swell it's been sometime ago, before
your steamboats, scared the creters way
back into the dry settlements, the Allgators
used to cum out on the river, and bark at
the dogs on board our broad horns, and if
ever brave fellow Of dog Gas they did
sometimes jumped over after them, they'd
gather him up with their tail, which you
know does them for hand, and raising
their upper jaw, they'd chew him up hand
somely indeed, the varmints seem to love
dog meat better than any other, and they
were SIGH devils that they used to try to
climb up into the boat to git at our dogs |;
so we used to stand guard to keep them off
every night. Well, as | was saying, we
we're going up the Mississippi one night, in
fine new boat, the current was running
pretty much as it is now, and we had guards
to keep off The Alligators, as we had some
fine pups abroad that we didn't want them
to git at: well as nigh as | could reckon
twas about midnight, and mighty dark, with
a great thick fog all about us, so thick that
you could hardly walk through it. well |
felt terrible bump against the head of the
boat, and then the guards sung out, snag,
a snag: went to look, and sure enough
there it was, as big as the body of COM
mon sized tree, through and through our
bran new boat; so, says |, there's no use
of grieving so | trusted TO Providence,
and went to sleep. About light got up,
and went to see how things were going, and
bless your soul, what do you think it was?"
"Guees 'twant an Alligator" said Tom.-
"Yes, but it 'twas--the varmint had played
the snag, and run his head clean through
and through and through our boat up to the
dogs bed on deck; he had eaten them all
clean up, but one large bull pup, who had
got crossways in the creter's throat, so he
couldn't pull his head out from the boat
again, because he couldn't shut his jaws,
and there he was fast, wiggling his tail
about in the water for all the world like
whirlwind." "But how did you get him
out?" said Tom. "Why I'll tell you we
cut his head off smooth with the deck, and
tied up his tail-he fitted so tight we didn't
leak drop, but went on. "Guess it was u
cute way TO get rid of Mississippi Saw
YER" said Tom. "And do the Alligators
really bark like a dog, and climb into boats?"
asked consequential poppish looking chap,
who had been writing in his tablets while
Brew was spinning his yarn. "For sartin
they do" said Brew, sand I've heard them
myself mile of, like hounds in full chase?
"Astonishing!" said the stranger, and after
making a note, walked off," "That's one
of your men who travels to make book"
said Brew. 81 reckon he's got an Alliga-
tor story this time.