The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-12-25
MISUNDERSTANDING
Cor. Chicago Tribune.

Arlington house, OaiueSVllle, Kia., u
what is known as Noonan's Lake, t,
hunt alligators. We had secured tn
services of darky with his boat, ant
embarked at the sink in Paine's Prai
rie. This sink is simply hole in th'
ground, where the waters of Noonan'
Lake disappear, or rather used to, q
for some reason it has partly stopped
up, go that the water set back ant
overfows thousands of acres. Conse
quently, we had 80 far to row thai, be
fore we got into the stream or regu
lar outlet of the lake, it began to grow
dark. After lots of hard work ani
trouble we became fairly bewildered
and finally stuck in the midst of ,
hummock about II o'clock at night
and still mile or two to go. W.
tied up the boat and struck out fol
higher ground; but, as it didn't seen
to dry up much, we rolled up some
logs to make a foundation above water
After piling on lots of dry weeds and
grass, it made a dry seat, but didnl
suit as for q camp; so climbing the
stub of tree that had great amount
Of Spanish moss hanging on it, we
pulled down several armfuls, and
hung the festoons thick on sticks
stuck in the ground around our camp.
bed, leaving one side open next to the
hre our darky had kindled. When all
was done, we had camp, or hut, that
was both original and comfortable.
Some time in the night our fire be-
gan to burn low; SO 1 tramped off in
the outer darkness after wood. Look
ing back at our moss-covered hut, lit
up by the fire in front, it looked like
an immense bunch of wool. In a
hole in one side sat Phinney, my COM
rade, with his elbows on his knees, in
deep study,-thinking perhaps of the
probable time it would take to build
the Gainesville u Charlotte Harbor
Railroad. On the opposite side of
the fire from where Phinney eat, 1
found our darky, jackson, sound
asleep,-a small log of wood under
his neck, head thrown back, mouth
wide open, and the prospect for ivory
first-rate.
We would have slept pretty we'll,
but for the night-noises peculiar to q
Florida swamp. The roaring of the
alligatOrs, and the hoOtings, howlings,
and fiendish laughter of night. birds
and animals, are very apt to give
character to a mans dreams accord.
ing to what denomination of Sunday
school he was brought up under.
Next morning we pushed on up in
to the lake, the shores OF which, as far
as we could see, were lined with tall
cypress-trees, the branches all heavily
festooned with the gray Spanish moss,
hanging down sometimes in trailing
masses fifteen to twenty feet. The eff
feet was sombre and rather indescrib.
able. 1t was a warm and somewhat
still day, and the gentle swaying of
the long gray mossy streamers gave
the scenery tinge of melancholy, as
if every tree was draped for some
great funeral occasion, The water
was of reddish color, little like an
infusion Of tan bark. This is ascribed
to the cypress-roots growing in the
water. '"' -'tt-H
Rowing slowly and quietly along
the shore, as the gators are quite shy,
we began to see floating around what
looked like logs of wood, with the
rough bark and knots sticking above
the surface of the water,-the eyes
looking like two ots,-which, as we
came up, would quietly disappear, or
60 down with splash. One huge
fellow, coming from the edge Of the
shore, passed under the boat, where
the water was only two or three feet
deep,-making the boat rock; his big
eyes looked yiciously enough as he
passed under.
Pretty soon we came in sight of q
strip of an island of half. floating bon.
net or lily-pad roots and mud. On
this were dozen or more gigantic
saurians, whose long jaws with mar
row muzzles marked them as genuine
specimens of the crocodile, varying in
length from sixteen to twenty feet.
When we got too near 10 suit, they
gradually slid off In the water, float
ing around the boat, seemingly curl
Gus to know what sort of beings we
were. Several times Phinney raised
his rife to shoot; but 1 whispered
"Hold onl Don't shoot yeti Here is
q show p. T. Barnum can't give, and
probably the old Snowman would give
half dollar to see it." Our darky
boatman stammered out, "G-g-gem-
men, b-better let 'em bel"
Finally, one huge fellow, some
twenty feet in length. returned too
close to the boat, and Phinney sent
bullet into him. Quick as lightning
his tail went up in the air twenty feet
or more, and came down on the water
with a whop that made us "feel glad
that we were just close by little ways
off," The hit was not Immediately
fatal, so we did not get him.
We finally secured one of the smaller
ones, nine feet long. The ball struck
his head at an acute angle, and scoop
ed all the brain out of the skull yet
for an hour it was not safe to come
near, as he would Jump his length out
of the water and lash about till the
water foamed like soap-suds. Alliga-
tors, when fatally hurt, generally
work to shore to die. This one did
that. So, stepping down the bank, l
took hold of his fore leg to help him
ont hut from the wav tho boad aud