The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-04-26

sive nocturnal performance, inv which dis
sonance was, as usual, q prominent feature
Sometimes there would come q lull; the
animals would sink into silence, and the
concert would be left to the insects alone
then suddenly the shrill hoOting of some
night-bird, as it darted off into the forest
or the cry of n wild animal from the tree.
top, would arouse again the whole catalogue
of sounds.
Toward morning was doing, and the
animal world, which seemed to be following
my example, had almost sunk into silence
when l was aroused by strong musky
smell, that seemed suddenly to pervade the
whole encampment. l was not properly
awake, but l funcied that some wild animal
must be near, and cautiously looked over
the side of the hammock.
could but just see the dusky forms of
the men, as they lay around me, for the
moon had now set behind the mountains i;
and except where the starlight fell upon the
water, or when the Pickering light OF the
fire now and then illuminated the camp, all
was black as night. Recalling my scattered
senses, and opening my eyes, cast them
along the opening that led to the water.
AS did so, fancied saw something NOV
ing. l could not make out what it was !;
but it came up slowly and stealthily. At
last perceived that it was of hideous shape,
and that it was moving up toward the
sleeping seamen.
For IL moment dared not move or speak,
for / could not see distinctly enough to
make out what it was. At length a portion
OF the fire gave way, and the unburnt wood.
forth IL bright flame, and showed me the
long Saunt snOut OF an enormous alligator
l seized my gun, which, fortunately, had
had the precautiOn to place at the head of
my hammock, aimed at its eyes, and pulled
the trigger; but the cap only went off:
The beast was now close to one of the men
but at the snap OF the cap, he stood still
and listened. ! put OH another cap, and
shook up the printing. By this time, the
brute had ranged up alongside Peter Byrne,
and was just bending his tail, ready for a
blow, when l fired.
AL hands were up in an instant. One of
the boys, in rising, stumbled over the beast.
and, not knowing what it was, beloved
loudly for help. Meanwhile, the struggles
of the alligator We're terrific, and he was
blowing furiously. At last, with an expir--
ing effort, he turned round, and, dragging
himself down to the water, plunged heavily
into it. =
No sooner had the beast disappeared than
we began to look about us for the boy, but
he was nowhere to be seen. was some
what puzzled Mt this. had heard of alli-
gators dragging their prey into the water,
and drowning it !; but that one should do so
in his death-throes, and that before our
faces, without our perceiving it, appeared
there was the fact, the
boy was gone.
After so tragical an episode, felt no in
clinatlon to sleep, for l could not get tho
thought of the poor boy out of my head.
SO raked together the red embers of the
fire, and, heaping OH more wood, it soon
blazed up brightly. Then, filling my pipe,
sat down to think.
At last, day dawned, and as the light in
can describe, to see the boy, whom fancied
had been carried off by the cayman, quietly
sleeping III his place among the men..
awoke him, and asked him for an explana-
ton; but l could get nothing satisfactory
from him, except that he had been horribly
ran off he knew not where, and
had sneaked back into the camp while l
was doing.
Ihe4first ray of the sun found us at sea
again. With our sails swelling with fresh
and invigorating breeze, we passed the
point, and were bowling away toward our
destination; and, by six o'clock, we entered
the mouth of the lagoon.
And now came the aim and object of orr
procuring of a supply of
cocoa nuts. In this genial cline, the cocoa
nut palm grows to an amazing height
usually from sixty to seventy feet (; but, in |
some instances, if my eyes did not deceive |
me, they rose to ninety or a hundred The
W noe Oh the stem Is clear, that Is, without |
llmb or protuberance, and, 1 may say,
without bark. AT any rate, they have what |
may be called a smooth, round trunk; con-
sequcntly, it requires no little agility and
ingenuity to climb them. This was not to
be done by agility alone, as some of our
fellows found out and here Jones proved
man of resource.
The only interruption we experienced in
procuring our cargo was from an army of |
6nrnf II fro t1,ox L.
to witness our operations. First they came |
down in skies and sevens, swinging them
selves from tree to tree, grinning. and chat
terinG at US, as, We proceeded with our
work but presently they arrived I'm shoals,
headed by an old fellow who seemed a sort
their gambols, he seated himself upon a
hlgh tree. and they aSsenlhled round him