Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-11-04

ponderous jaws, turned pale and ran.
Lighting fresh fan, ran around him. SCI
ting the coarse, dry grass ui tiiiu savanna on
fire He was eneircled With flames, He rails
ed his hody gazed at the fire with bloodshot
eyes, and then shuilled himself into the
Wet sand, and calmly awaited the result.
There was fair breeze from the northeast.
In three minutes the fire had swept over
him, burying him in the hlackcned grass
He remained as he had planted himself
| went through the smoke aud reache |
him with the barrels of the gun. but he
did not move. He seemed 70 doze; pos
sbly he had tainted, ! remounted the
horse, and we rode of. 4 hundred yards
away we looked back The monster had
recovered, and was travelling leiSurely over
the smoking savanna toward a little stream
that pours into the head of Indian river
Two years before this had visited Lake
Worth, twelve miles below Jupiter light.
At that time Charles Moore, a Jolly beach.
comber vas the only person living ON the
shore of the lake, We went through an
arm of the everglades, and deposited our
camp equipage and provisions on the hard
sand at the noTthcasy end OF the lake. The
sand was tringed with huge PUSHES We
had hauled our boat over the strip of sand
separating the waters Of the lake from the
everglades, intending 10 run down to
Moorts cabin before shutdown. The wind,
however, died away, and we concluded 10
camp for the night. We found 4 cleared
spot in the scrub hundred feet back from
the SHORE. Ridge poles and crotched posts
indicated that it WAS tavorite camping
ground for the Seminolos. On returning
to the beach | found a twelve foot alliga-
tor crawling toward our bag Of pork. A
score of companions we're anchored of the
rusheS, and one or two were following IN
his wake. On hearing my footsteps the
old fellow turned and faced me, Our guns
lay ON n chest within three feet of him and
so we were cut of from our base of sup
plies. Moore and Hammond q Pcnnsylva-
Man, who had prc-empted land on the lake,
Joined me- We shouted and hcaycd ridge
poles at the savage scouudrel, but it was
no 20. He held the pass, and his compan-
ions were moving on to the pork. Some
thing must be done, or we would be left
without provisions. My eyes fell ON a bed
of dried palmettoes that had been used by
the Indians. To gather and set them ablaze,
was the work OF a few seconds. With the
lizards. In the light of the blaze they re-
treated to the lake. We suspended the
bag of pork from a tree that hung over the
bank, and in the morning the sand looked
as though rebel brigade had been throw
ing up trenches.
The inlet connecting the lake with
| the ocean had L@en closed by a bank of
sand thrown up iii an easterly hurricane.
On this bank ] cncamped for "a week.
Schools of spotted bass, snappers, groupers
croakers, and white drum had been shut in
! the lake by the closing Of the inlet, At
| high tide the water from tnc ocean perco-
/ lated through the sand and the fishes
swarmed TO the bay TO get taste of the
! fresh salt water. While fishing here | dis
covered a huge alligator regarding my
movements with apparent interest. As he
seemed civil and not eyily disposed, |
threw him in twenty pound bass, and he
ate it with n relish, For six days he re-
manned near me, reaping a harvest. He at
/ last became so tame that he stationed him
! self thirty feet away, and received his fish
with evident pleasure. Nor did he act the
/ hog, or display any ingratitnde He took
only the fish that were thrown to him. At
one time q vicious bldetish snapped the
! line above the float and a huge white drum
ran of with the bait 1 followed the float
in boat and secured it, When ! returned
| the old alligator was al his station, and a
! pile of choice fish that had reserved for
myself were undisturbcd.