The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-04-25

eHO ui eau OSI IdlHIJ VI my perm hePI inC
: awake. Once again befreo morning I
was compelled to battle with the hid
/ eous reptiles, and chased them away
with a shot from my gun.
Morning came at length, but with no
, change in my perilous position. The
light only showed me my island prison,
but revealed no way of escape from it.
Indeed the change could not be called
: for the better, for the fervid rays of an
almost vertical sun poured down upon
me until my skin blistcred. I was al
ready specklcd by the bites of thou
sand swamp flies and mosquitoes that
all night had preyed upon me. There
was not cloud in the heavens to shade
me; and the sunbeams smote the sur
face of the dead bayou with double
intensity.
Towards evening I began to hunger
no wonder at that. 1 had not eaten
since leaving the village settlement
To assauge thirst, I drank the water of
the lake, turbid and Shiny as it was.
1 drank it in large quantities, for it was
hot, and only moistened my palate
without quenching the craving of my ap-
petite. Of water there was enough
I had more to fear from want of food.
What could 1 eat? The ibis But
how to cook it? There was nothing
wherewith to make fre-not a stick.
No matter for that. Cooking is mod
ern invention, luxury for pampered
palates. 1 dive9ted the ibis of its bril-
liant plumage, and ate it raw. I spoil
cd my specimen, but at the time there
was little thought of that. There was
not much of the naturalists left in me.
I mathematical the hour 1 had ever
promised to procure the bird: L wished
my friend up to his neck in a swamp
The lbs did dot weigh above three
pounds, bones and all 1t served me for
second meal, breakfast; but at this
dejeuner sans .Jo,srcAette L picked the
bones.
What next? Starve? No-not yet
In the battles 1 had with the alhgators
during the second night, one of them
had received shot that proved mortal.
The hideous carcass of the reptile lay
dead upon the beach. need not starve,
I could eat that Such were my refec-
tions, must hunger. though, before
1 could bring myself to touch the musky
mortal. Two days more fasting con-
quered my sqeamishness, L drew out
my knife, cut steak from the alliga
tors tail, and ate it-not the one had
first killed, but second; the other was
now putrid, rapidly decomposing under
the hot sun-its odor filled the islet.
The stencil had grown intolerable.
There was not breath of air stirring
otherwise might have summed it by
keeping windwafd. The whole atmos-
phere of the islet, as we'll large circle
round it, was impregnated with the fear
full effluvium could bear il no longer.
With the aid of my gun, pushed the
half decomposed carcass into the lake.
Perhaps the current might carry it
away. It did; had the satisfaction
to see it float off. This circumitance leo
me into train of reflections. Why did
the body of the alligator float? 1t was
swollen, inflated with gases. Ha!
An idea shot suddenly through my
mind-one of those brilliant ideas, the
children of necessity. I thought of the
floating alligator, ofits intestines-what
if I inflated them? Yes, yes buoys
and bladders; floats and life preserversl
that was the thought. 1 would open
the alligators, make a buoy of their
intestines, and that would bear me from
the islet
L did not loose moments time; I
was full of energy: hope had given me
new life. My gun was loaded huge
crocodile that swan near the shore re-
.ceived the shot in his eye dragged
him on the beach; with my knife laid
open his entrails. Few they were, but
enough for my purpose. A plume-quiil
from the wing of the ibis served me for
blow-pipe. I saw the bladder-like
skin expand, until was surrounded by
objects like great sausages. These were
tied together, and fastened to my body,
and then with plunge, l entered the
waters of the lake and Aoated downward
I had tod on my life-preservers in such
a way that sat in the water in an up
right position, holding my gun with
both hands. This 1 intended to have
used as club in case 1 should be t
tackled by the alligators; but [ had
chosen the hot hour of noon when these
creatures lie in a half morbid state, and
to my Joy was not molested. Half an
hours drifting with the current carried
me to the end of the lake, and found
myself at the dc6oatchure of the bayou.
Here, to my great delight, 1 saw my
boat in the swamp, where it had been
caught and held fast by the sedge. "A
few minutes more, and I had swung
myself over the gunwale and was culling
with eager strokes down the smooth
waters of the bayou. " l
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