The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-08-05
My First Experience with AlligatOrs.

| first went to Florida in the winter
of 1873. Like all pilgrims in search of
health, sailed up the st. Johns River.
After beholding palmetto in all its
glory l was eager to see an alligator in
all its pristine purity. For 230 miles
kept bright lookout along the banks
of the st. Johns. 1t was early in JAN
uary and the weather was chilly. /
landed in Enterprise, on Lake Monroe,
without seeing a saurian. They were
in winter quarters, hidden in the mud
at the bottom of the river. If the ne
groes are to be believed, each reptile
had swallowed lightwOOd knot by way
of ballast and would not reappear until
the weather became warm. | saw the
first alligator a week after my arrival
in Enterprise. | sat in the stern of a
blue boat, trolling for Southern bass.
July jenkins, venerable Ethiopian,
was pulling the oars. 1t was a day of
sunshine. We were nearing the mouth
of Woodruff Creek when July stopped
rowing and eagerly murmured, "Dah's
a gatah!'
l looked up a small bayou and saw
long black object stretched among the
reeds and lilypads, perfectly motion
less He looked as though he wore a
coat of mail. "He's dead, july" l
said.
80, no, sah," was the reply. Hem
only asleep, l reckon"
black up the boat" said, "Iwant
to look at him."
The boat was nOiselessly backed up
the bayou. The monster gave no sign
of life. He was fully eleven feet long.
| had taken in my spinner and was
handling my rod like a hOrsewhip.
Fore de Lord, don't be brash," July
murmured, "dah's heap o. compre-
junction in gatah." l could not be-
lieve that the reptile was alive. If he
were breathing his TANKS ought to show
the motion of bellows. When with
in six feet l prodded him under
a fore leg with the Lakewood
tip. All doubt vanished. The rep
tile jumped as though torpedo had eX-
ploded beneath him. He took in the
situation in a second. Reeds and lily
pads flew in the air and he landed slap
against the gunwales, throwing me
partly overheard and covering the
frightened negro with mud. The water
was shallow and as the monster slid I'M
der the keel the boat was careened, the
freedman's hat went overheard and an
oar was thrown ten feet away by wipe
of the serrated tail. clambered back
into the boat and saw curved line of
bubbles marking the reptiles course
from the bayou into the lake. had
seen an alligator in all its pristine puri-
ty. Z" knOwed dat gatah war asleep,
sab" said July, in a tone of reproach,
as he fshed up his hat and broke for the
stray oar. We resumed our fishing, but
the old gentleman pointed out no more
alligators, although he undoubtedly saw
half dozen. On our return to Enter
prise. Captain Tom Reeves heard of the
adventure and made inquiries as to To-
cation and position. A week afterward
he was pulled up to the dock with the
cayman trailing at the stern of his boat.
Within fortnight l was trolling
along a fringe of lilypads, near the
mouth of the Wekiva, and saw six
footer plastered against the opposite
bank of the river in profound slumber.
Showing cartridge into Remington
rifle got out of the boat, braced myself
against live oak, took deliberate aim
at the reptiles neck and fired. A cloud
of snowy herons arose from marsh be-
hind me, but the alligator did not stir.
g Dat ah gatah's good sleepah, sah,"
said July. "Dat ah shot done gone clean
ober him, reckon" Again steadied
myself against the live oak and a second
report ran over the water. heard a
crashing in the cane behind me and saw
a huge saurian rushing for the ilypads
like a train of coal cars. He had prob
ably been watching me from the time l
landed and had been 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 in terror. The six footer on the
bank of the river remained as
quiescenJ as iron. After three addi-
tional shots we crossed the river and
Iald a most TOOTtono Tbrpa b11l lots ha6