The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-11-22
BATTLE WITH An ALLIGATOR.

EVf sue IL HISS uo NJ tue QOOr.
BATTLE WITH AN ALLIGATOR.
81, / was returning from the half.built
sugar mill one day, perhaps a month
after my hrst arrival at the hacienda,
at about four o'clock in the afternoon.
was riding homeward, then, thinking
OF many things-of the friends that
should perhaps never see again in the
flesh; Of
What was that A cry of pain p
Yes, a cry certainly of pain or terror
the shrill appealing cry of child's
agonized voice and | started. and
wheeled my horse toward the quarter
from which the sound seemed to come.
The cry was repeated, more feebly than
before; and as l had now no doubt as
10 the direction whence the call for
help proceeded, I dashed across a rayine,
and, scrambiing up the steep bank op
posite, came in sight of the chain of
aagoons connected with the mighty Rio
Plata by small river, which skirted
the plantations of rice and tobacco, and
on the banks of which had shot MANY
a snipe and faminse. Here, at the
edge Of a cane bordered creek that run
up from the nearest lagoon into the
broken ground, where the hillocks were
gay with purple rhododendrons and the
wild geranium, / beheld a sight that
chilled my blood with horror.
Close to the margin of the water,
knee-deep in the flowers and tall pam.
pas grass, just where the white and
yellow pond lilies mingled with the
rich colofed blossoms of the fiowered
prairie, was child-little Charlie
Don Miguel's hope and heir-his one
tie to life and its affections-I knew the
bare little golden head at once. But
the hoy stood, rooted to the ground,
transfxed by terror cronching down,
his klue eyes dilated by mortal fear,
liked on something huge, shapeless,
unclean, that drew nearer and nearer
yet, a grim and monstrous thing that
had more the aspect of large log,
glistening with Shiny mud, than of any
thing else. What is the ugly thing that
has crawled out from the creek, fringed
with bushes of the laurel rose, md that
is clumsily climbing the bank with
awkward hurry of IFS ungainly claw.
tipped feet? An alligator, by Heaven I
for l see the slanting sunlight glisten
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 ap
preached the spot where stood the fated
child, frozen by terror that denied
him the power TO fee.
Run, Charlie, run run toward me |
l called aloud, at the same time urging
my horse down the bank. The little
fellow turned his pale face toward me,
and recognized me; Tut fear was still
potent with him, and he remained
where he was, crying out to Mirry War
burton to save him. l dashed in the
spurs rowel deep, and at one bound
came crashing through the rhododen-
drons to within some three or four feet
from the place where the Child stood.
The alligator wheeled angr.ly around,
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 of the
monstrous reptile, reared, sweryed, and
threw Ine, galloping off like a mad
creature. = was on my feet in mo
ment, and had just time to throw my
self between the alligator and the boy,
before the bloodthirsiy jaws could close
10 the first fatal snap. The brute re-
coiled little, for alligators are cowardly
a. well as fierce, and they have been
known to watch for hours in their
reedy, ambush, allowing men TO p1ss
them upinjured, until they could
pounce securely on a woman or child.
But the reptiles slow blood had been
too much stirred, by tine expectation of
an easy triumph, to permit him TO de-
cline the fight, and he crawled upon
me, uttering The hoarse cry, half roar,
half whimpering moan, that a cayman
gyes under the sting of pain or fury.
Z had q strong sheath.knife out, q
strong, double-edged blade of Barcelona
steel, with cross-hsndie and buck
morn haft; but this seemed poor
weapon against such fee. by the
nasty impulse-one Of the life saving
thoughts that come upon us at mo.
nents OK extreme peril, as If they were
we mhisperings of inspiration-I tore
Ine blue woolen poneho from my shoul.
Ser.-happily | had adopted the New
opsin style Of dress-and, wrapping the
mantle around the tough handle Of my
~haiebone riding whip, forced it be.
s.een the alligator's jaws as he closed
WIN me, while at the same time, bend
ing forward, ] struck hard with my two
eaged knife at his white throat, which
sas comparatively unprotected. The
n1ststab told, for the white Streak was
soon cfimsoned with blood; but the
second faded, for the knife slipped and
!aitied uselessiy on the armor plates of
Z sle creatures mailed back, apd dythen
Segan aaslrugele for death or lie be-
sIsen my terrible antsgonist and my
sen. My strength was nothing 10 that
u huge reptile, and | felt myself
dragged TO right and left as if had