Worcester daily spy., 1872-08-19
EinI,, VIII, nm AIIiun,nr


Buenos Ayres in due season, and soon after
found myself az the eStdnzid of Don Miguel Ra-
mon, of Cerrado, near the city of:St. Sago de los
Caballos. Don Miguel was a very wealthy man,
growing cotton and coffee, tobacco and corn, as
well as other South American productions, but
deriving, in patriarchal fashion, the greater
part of his income from his tiocks and herds.
Unfortunately he was widower, with only one
child, boy, now Of some five years of age, and
of whom his father was dotnely fond. Here
was frankly and generously welcomed, and,
what with riding my hosts horses, shooting
among his rice fields, aiding him in his accounts,
and giving little Charlie lessons in French and
English, passed my time most agreeablY.
was returning from half built sugar mill
one day, perhaps a month after my first arrival
at the hacienda, at about four O'Clock in the
afternoon. had left the dingy compeXiOned
masons slipping their chocolate, and had re-
ceiyed the foreman's solemn assurance that
fresh course of blocks, properly cemented,
should be laid before he permitted his gang TO
give over work. was riding homeward, then,
thinking of many things-of the old days at
home; of friends and sehoolellOws that
should perhaps never see again in the flesh;
Of
"What was that? A cry of painP' Yes. a
cry, certainly of pain and terror-the shrill APP
pealing cry of a chld's agoinzed voice; aud
started and wheeled my horse towards the quar-
ter from which the sounds seemed 10 come.
The cry was repeated, more freely than before;
ana as ldu now no uOuDL as 10 the ulftctlOH
whence the call for help proceeded, | dashed
across a ravne, and scrambled up the steep
bank opposite, came in sight of the chain OF
lagoonS, connected with the mighty Rio Plata
by small river, which Skrted the plantation of
rice and tobacco, and on the banks OF which
had shot many snipe and fiamlngo. Here, at
the edge of cane-bOrdered creek tina, ran up
from the nearest lagoon into the broken ground
where the hillOcks were gay with purple
rhododendrons, and the wild geraniums, be-
held II sight that chilled my blood with horror.
Close to the margin of the water, knee.deep in
| the flowers and tall Pampas grass, just where
| the white and yellow pond lilies mingled with
the rich colOred blossoms of the fiowered prairie
| was a child-lttle Charlie-Don MguePs hope
| and heir-the one tie to life and its affections.
| knew the bare little golded head at once. But
/ the boy stood, rooted to the ground, tranStiXed
by terror crouching down, his blue eyes, dilated
/ by mortal fear, fixed on something huge, shape
| less, unclean, that drew nearer and nearer yet,
| grim and monstrous thing, that had more the
aspect of large log, glistening with Shiny mud,
| than OF anything else. What is the ugly thing
| that has crawed out from the creek, lrlnged
| with bushes of the laurel rose, and that is clum-
\ Sily cID.syng the bank with awkward hurry Of
| its umgainly claw-tpped feet? An alligator, by
| heaven! Tor see the slanting sunlight gsten
| on its scaly back, and the formidable jaws open
| and display the curved row of cleaning white
| teeth, as, with its cruel red eye fixed upon its
| prey, it approached the spot where stood the
lated child frozen by terror that denied him
| abe power to fee.
"Run, Charlie, rum run towards mel" l
| called aloud at the same time urging my horse
down the bank The little fellow turned his
| pale face towards me, and recognized me; but
| fear was still too potent with him. and he re-
mained where he was, crying out to "Mirry
Warburton" to save him. | dashed in the
| spurs rowe deep, and at one bound came crash
| ing through the rhodOdendrOns TO within some
| three or four feet of the place where the child
| stood The alligator wheeled angrily round, to
| confront the intruder who dared to come between
| him and his toothSome supper; and my horse,
/ driven wild with terror at the sight and smell oil
/ the monstrous reptile, reared, swcryed, and
| threw me- galloping off like mad creature. |
| was on my feet in a moment, and had Just time
to throw myself between the alligator and the
boy before the bloodthirsty jaws could close in
the first fatal snap. The brute recoied little,
for alligatOrS are coWardly ms well as herCe and
they have been known to watch for hours in
their reedy ambush, allowing men 10 pass them
uniDjured, until they could pOunce securely ON
a woman or child. Bat the reptiles slow
blood had been too much stirred by the eXpec-
tatiOn of an easy triumph to permit him to de-
cline to fight, and he crawled in upon me, ut
tering the hoarse cry, half roar, half whimper-
ing moan, that cayman gives under the sting
of pain or fury.
| had my sheath knife out, a strong double
edged blade of Barcelona steel, with cross
handle and buckthorn haft; but this seemed a
poor weapon against such foe. BY haSty
impulse-one OF those life saving thoughts that
come upon us at moments of extreme peril, as
ii tGey were the whisperings of iuspiration-I
tore the blue woolen poncho from my shoulders
happily, had adopted the new style of dress
and, wrapping the mantle around the tough
handle of my whalebone riding whip, | forced
| it between the alligator's jaws as he closed
| with me, while at the same time, bending for
| ward, struck hard with my two edged knife at
his white throat which was comparatively un-
| protected. The first stab told, for the white
| streak was soon crimSoned with blood; but the
| second stroke failed, and the knife slipped, anC
| ratified uselesSly on the armor plates of tho
creatures mailed back and then began a strug
gle for death or life between my terrible antag
onist and myself. My strength was nothing tC
that of the huge reptile, and | felt myself
dragged to right and left as if had been Il raj
in the gripe Of a terrier, yet held on fast to
| the wbalebOne handle of the whip, while the
sharp teeth yainly gnashed and tore at the
spongy wool that clogged them, and retained
| my hold in sheer desperation, striking in with
| my knife whenever got chance, but usually
| baffied by the tenacious armor OF my inyulner-
able adversary.
Charley, few feet distant, was sobbing
| piteously, at times crying aloud in appeal 10
| Guachos whom he knew-"Sanohop "DiegoP'
| "El Negro!' !'-tO help "Mirry Warburton;" for
| the dear llttle fellow, delivered from his first
| agony OF alarm, seemed now 10 think only of
/ NY peril. The idea was a good one, although
the child'S weak voice could not of course reach
| far. EXerting the full strength of my lungs, |
| twice shouted forth the well known desert cry
/ when Jaguar is sighted "Mozos, MILL
| Iigre!-MoZOs F'-and | fanced, as | uttered
| the second call that | heard distant answer
| like faint echo. But now / had need OF ali
/ my breath and all my muscles, for the infuriated
/ animal with which fought, tearing the cloth Of
| the soft mantle to pulp, was gradually getting
| IFS grim Jaws free Twice already had nv
/ wrist and hppp hui +
| bear the white scars 10 this day-and the horri-
| bic odor OF the creature, aud the remorSeless
| glare OF its small bloOdshOt eye, impressed me
with the fantastic notion that my enemy was
something evil beyond the mere furious greed of
| Wild beast Yet grasped the WhalebOne whin
handle, and drove in the knife with all the force
| of an arm that was fast growing exhausted.
! Spent, GREATNESS, giddy, was dragged down,
and in kneeling attitude, exerted the remains
| of my waning strength in a stab at the alliga-
| tors throat. The blade broke short off by the
handle as it lodged among the stout scales of
| lhe neck.
just then heard a shout, and the tramp of n
horse coming up at full and furious speed On
| they came, the Steed foam ticcked and gored by
the spur, the rider brandiShing high above his
head the spiral coils Of the asso. ! recognized
| the horseman in an instant. 1t was Juan, the
Guacho, the boldeSt and most deXerous of all
| that Centaur brotherhood; and he knew me and
comprehended at glance the state of affairs
| ptdnu DdckI EngllSumdn-Stand Dack!' he
cried aloud, "and I'll do the rest. Mozosl El
tigre! MozosP And he whirled the lasso high,
squirting his frightened horse nearer and nearer
to the spot
Keeling, breathess, and dizzy of brain, / un-
derstoOd the Guacho's meaning sufficiently TO
stand back, letting 90 my hold of the tough whip
| handle, which, with the tattered poncho wrapped
| arount it, had hitherto obstinately kept be-
tween the aligatOr's churning Jaws. The infu-
rated brute followed me up with bitter hate, his
hateful snout all but brushing my knee as |
staggered back. But Just at that instant whirrI
| crackl came the well known sound of the heavy
| lasso whistling past, launched with unerrng
| aim, and as gazed about me with haggard eyes
| saw that the noosa was tightening round the
| reptiles neck; while Juan, with the end of the
stout cord fastened to his saddle had started off
at canter, towing along the alligator after him,
as he had tugged along many bull and many
| wild steed
For an instant il seemed as if the Gaucho's
would be an easy triumph; but it was only the
surprise Of the shock that had mastered the
alligator, very large one, and great weight
and strength which soon began to tell. saw
the horse brought, with a jerk, to stop, and
then, TO my dsmay, beheld steed and rider
dragged by sheer force toward the lagoon, vain
ly striving 10 resist the superior power of the
gigantic tyrant of the waters. Juan drove in
his spurs, urging his painting and terrified
horse by voice, hand and knee, to put out his