The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-09-10
Fight with an Alligator.

duccd me from aflllcnce to poverty. |
was but tweuty-iour years of age, strong
Of heart and Of limb and so instead Of
idling away my life at home, | resolved
to emigrate to South Amcaica, where an
old friend OF my fathers was likely to
aid me in the restoration of my fallen
fortunes. | reached Bucnos Ayres in
due season, and soon found myself at the
estanzia of Don Miguel Ramon, of Ger
RADIO, near the city of St. Jago de los
Cabalos, Don Miguel was Il very
wealthy man, growing cotton aud coffee,
tuba co and corn, as well as other South
American productions but deriving, in
patriarcha fashion, the greater part OF
his income from hi, flocks aud herds
Unfortunately he was widowcr, with
only one child, a boy, now of some five
years of age, aud whom his father was
dotIugly fond Here | was frankly and
generously welcomed. aud what with my
hosts horses, shooting among his rice
fields, aiding him iu his accounts, ard
giving little Charlie lessons in French
and English, passed my time most
agreeabIy.
| was returning from half built su-
gar mill one day, perhaps month after
my first arrival at the hacienda, at about
four o'clock in the afternoon. | had eft
the dingy complexioned masons slipping
their chocolate, and had received the
forenan's solemn assurance that fresh
course Of blocks properly cemented should
be laid before he permitted his gang to
give over their work. l was riding home-
ward, then, thinking Of many things-oi
the old days at home of friends aud
schoolellows 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 a chiId's ag-
onized voice and | started aud VIII eled
my horse towards the quarter from which
the sounds seemed to come. The cry was
repeated more feebly than before and as
had now no doubt as to the direction
whence the call for help proceeded,
NaoHcu d|ioSS IL idNluV, dhu SCI ldHl 'iOu u Y
the steep bank opposite, came in sight OF
the chain of lagoUns, connected with the
mighty Rio Plata by small river, which
skirtcd the plantations of rice aud tobac-
co, and on the banks OF which I had shot
many snip and famiugo. Here at the
edge OF cane -bordcred creek that ran
up from the nearest lagoon into the brok-
en- ground, where the hilocks were gay
with purple rhododcndrons aud the wild
geraniums, | behcld sigh: 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 bios.
SONS OF the flowered prairie, was a child
little Charlie-Don Miguel's hope and
heir-thc one tie to life and its affections
| knew the bare little golden head a,
once. But the boy stood rooted to the
ground, tran,lixed by terror. crouchinl
down, his blue eyes, dilated by mortal
fear, fixed on something huge shapelcsS
uncleau, that drew nearer ald nearer yet
a grim aud monsrous thing,,h had NOR,
the aspect Of large, log glst9ning witt
Shiny mud, than Of anything else. VIVA
is the ugly thing that has crawled GU
from the creek, tringed with bushes Of th,
laurcl-rose, and that is clumslly climbing
the bank with awkward hurry of it, un
gainly caw-tipped feet ? An alligator
by Heaven. for | see the slantng sun
light glisten on lis scaly back, aud tn,
formidable jaws omen and display tn,
curved row Of cleaning white teeth, a
with its cruel red eye fixed upon its prey
it approached the spot where stood thu
tateI child, frozen by terror that deniet
him the power to flee.
"Run, Charlie, run run towards Inc =
| called aloud, at the same time urgin:
my horse down the bank The little iel
low turned his pale face towards me, ant
recognized me but fear was still too po
tent with him, and he remained where h,
was, crying out 10 "Mirry Warburton" t.
save him. | dashed 10 the spurs rove
deep, aud at one bound came crashiu,
through the rhododendous to within som
three or four feet Of the place where tn
child stood. The alligator wheeled an
grily round, to confront the intruder VIII,
cared to come between him and his tooth
some supper; and my horse driven viii,
with terror at the sight aud smell Of tn
monstrous reptile, reared, swerved, an
threw me, galloping off like mad crea
ture. | was on my feet iu moment ,an
had just time to throw myself belwee
the alligator and the boy before the blood
thirsty jaws could close in the first fata
snap. The brute recoiled little, for al
gotors are cowardy as well as fierce, AN
they have been known to watch for hour
IN their reedy ambush, allowing men t
pass them uninjured. until they coul
pounce securely on Il woman or a chile
But the reptiles slow blood hal been to
much stirred by this expectation of a
: easy triumph to permit him to decline th
fight, and he crawled in upon me, ute
lng the hoarse cry, half whimperng moa
that caymas gives under the sting
j. pain aud fury.
l had my sheath knife cut, strou
o doutled-edged blade of Barceon astee
with cross handle and buckthorEe haft
- but this seemed poor weapon again
such a foe. BY hasty impulse-one
Z those life savlDg thoughts that come upc
us at moment Of extreme peril, as if the
were the whisperings of Inspiration
tore the blue wooden poncho from IL
shoulders-happily, | had adopted Il
new Spanish style of dress-and wra
ping the mantle around the tough hand
If my whalebone riding whip, forced
between the alligator's jaws as he clost
with me, while at the same time, bendir
forward, | struck hard with my tv
= edged knife at his white throat, viii,
was comparatively unprotected. III
first stab told, for the white streak W