The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-07-16

Aavensurcs In Florida.
r.va Axp NIGHTS Axoxe rHE ALTaGAroRs OF
ruK FLOWER tASD--frxDIxa sAvRIAS
AsLxGP.
I frst went 10 Florids 10 the winter OF
,s.a. Like all pilgrims In search OF health,
sailed up the 81. johns river. After be-
s;pld,ng palmetto In oil is glory was
Eager 70 see az alligator in all 10 pristine
puIity. For two hundred and thirty miles
l ken, a bright lookout along the banks OF
the s.. johns. II was early In January. aud
snc weather was chilly. landed 10 Enter
urise. on Lake Monroe, without seeing
sauriau. They were in winter quarters,
hidden in the mud at the bottom OF ,ne
river. II the negroes are 10 De De
ljoyed. each reptile had swallowed ngn'.
wood knot by way Of ballast, ana wouid not
rsxppear until the weather became warm.
! saw The iirst alligator week AFTER my ar
rival In Enterprise. sat in the stern OF
blue-bost, trolling for southern psss. July
Jenkins. venerable Ethiopian, was pulling
the cars. Il was day OF sunshine. we
were nearing the mouth OF Woodrpn
creek, when July stopped rowing anu
eagerly murmured, |" Dah's a gstah
t,,sck object stretched among the reeds and
Iilypads. perfectly motionless. lie looked
as though be wore a coat mail. "he's
dead, jelly" said.
sob, no, sah,r was the reply. Hem
only asleep, reckon"
"Bsck up the boat" said. al want 10
look at him.
THE boat was noiselessiy backed up the
BAYOU. The monster gave no sign OF iie.
lie wss fully eleven feet long. had taken
in INV spinner, and was handling my rod
like 4 borsewhip. "'Fore de Lord, don't
be brash.v mnrmured July; "dah's heap
q, compredunctiou in gatab." could
rot believe that The reptile was alive. III
he were breathing bis TANKS ought TO show
the motion OF a bellows. When within six
feet prodded him under fore leg with
the lsncewood tip. All doubt vanished.
The reptile jumped as though atorpedo had
sxpIoded beneath him. He took In the sit
uatlon In a second. Reeds and lilypads
Jew in the air. and be landed Flap
against the gunwales, throwing me partly
overheard, and covering the frightened
negro with mud. The water was shall
low, and as the monster slid under the
keel the boat was careened, the freedDan's
hat went overheard, and an oar was thrown
ten feet away by wipe OF the serrated iail.
I clsmbesed back into the boat, and saw o
curved line OF bubbles marking the reptiles
course from the BAYOU into the lake. had
seen an alligator in all its pristine glory.
IS knowed dat gatah war asleep, sah,"
said July, in tone. OF reproacb, as he
fshed for his hat and broke for the stray
oar. We resumed our fishing, but The OLD
gentleman pointed out no more alligators.
although be undoubtedly saw bali dozen.
Op our return TO Enterprise Captain Tom.
Reeves heard Of the adventure, and MADE
Inquiries as 10 location and position. a
week afterward he was pulled up TO the
dock, with the cayman trailing al the Stern
of bis boat.
Within fortnight / was trolling along
q fringe Of lilypads near The mouth OF the
Wekiya, and saw six-footer plastered
against lbe opposite side OF the river in pro-
found slumber. Showing cartridge into
Remington rife, l got out OF the boat.
braced myself against a live oak, took de-
llberate aim at The reptiles neck, and fred.
A cloud OF snowy herons arose fr0Ci a
marsh behind me, but the alligator did not
stir. "Dat oh gatah's good sleepah, sah,"
said July. "Dat alb shot done gone clean
ober him, / reckon" Again steadied N.Y.
self against the live-oak, and second re-
port ran over the water. 1 heard crash
jrc in The canes behind me, and saw huge
saurian rushing for the lilypads Ike train
OF coal.cars. He bad probably been watch
ipg me from the time | landed. and bad
teen startled by the second crack OF the
rifle. As he went into the river small tidal
wave rolled over the lilypads, and school
OF large bass who had been hiding in
the shady recesses beneath them darted to
and fro I'm terror. The six.footer on the
opposite bank OF the river remained as Qui-
escent as iron. After three additional shots
we crossed the river and held o post norton.
Three bullets had entered the reptiles
cody, and two had glanced from the plates
OF mail. The first bullet had apparently
broken the yerl ebra Just over the shoulders,
and had killed him outright, without
spasm. We beayed him into the boat and
returned TO Enterprise in triumph. A
crowd OF darkies and pilgrims gathered
around. Earnest MDan, of Bayonne, n. j.,
heard the story with much interest.
q" Wby,v he said, at its conclusion, that's
the same alligator that l killed two days
ago. II you look under his left fore-ieg,
you'll find the mark OF an explosive bullet"
A month later visited Lake Jesup with
Judge Emmops, OF Jacksonville. The Judge
was a wonderful MAI ksman. as full OF fun
as a magpie; but he was getting old and his
eyesieht was falling. One day we killed a
monster on the edge OF marshy canebrake.
lie had splendid teeth, and the Judge want
ed to secure them as mementoes. The paint
err Of the boat was tied to the reptiles leg,
and we towed him across an arm OF the lake
10 solid ground. A small axe was borrowed
from the house Of "cracker near by,
and we concluded 10 decapitate the prize,
boil the head, and remove the teeth. The
BODY was so large that we could not draw
IL upon the shore. A stake was cut and
pointed and driven through the jaws OF the
reptile, pinning bin into the mud. The
water was probably two feet deep. The
Judge drew out sheth-knife and was about
to make an incisioD, when he was cautioned
by bare-iootsd negro. who stood on The
bank watching the operation with curious
eyes.
/" Better git shut o. dat alb gatah, shuab,"
said he, "twell he gone dead"
ooh. good Lord F" exclaimed the Judge,
he's been dead an hour. IL he was alive
do you reckon he'd allow US TO drive
stake through him?"
"No gatah am dead till de sun am gone
down." the darky observed.
The Judge laughed and passed me the
knife. / inserted the blade In bullet
bole near the shoulder and cut a cash In
the flesh, following the trend OF the dia-
mond-shaped scales beneath the skin.
Judge Emmons stood near the monsters
tail. The knife penetrated the quiyering
flesh, and was stained with blood. AS quick
as flash the tail shot from the water, and
the Judge was knocked fully ten feet. The
reptile raised It's head, stake and all, and
sailed out into the lake like submarine