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

longer dangerous, although there was stu
| life In the tail. II moved slowly aud
luneasily. like the tail OF wounded snake,
and the guides declared that II would not
die until the setting of the sun. AT inter
walls the cayman roarsd like Central
Park lion. Toward night | went 10 the
swamp 10 mark the roosts OF Wild turkeys,
The day was progressively bot. l was re.
turning toward camp long after dark, When
| I found myself upon the b.T at savanna,
To my surprise, the whole savanna seemed
alive and moving. Nearly worn out with
exhaustion, I fancied that my head was
reellug--a sure sign Of malarlaI fever. The
1 phenomenon was quickly explained. "A
| thousand huzzards were In the camp neal
the great alligator, awaiting the light OF
| day to secure their prey. a year after
ward found the skeleton OF this saurlani
and knocked out It's teeth. The savanna was
| then covered with water foot deep.
In the following winter was shooting
pIumed hcrons on the great sayannas al
The head Of Indian river. My guide wa'
the weiI.knowu Judge Connor once Metho
dist clergyman. One morning while riding
over the vast prairie on horseback we mel
an alligator longer than the moral law.
| shoot him." said the Judge.
| "Oh, no." I replied; 81 don't want to
kill him. The report OF the gun viii scare
up every heron within a mile, and shall
get no planes"
" But" said the Judge, " be eats my hogs
and Young calves on the range. Shoot him.
"No," i answered; "Pye come twenty
miles for plumes, aud I don't intend to 60
back without them"
| "Well,v said Conner, You're the first
Yankee ever saw who won't pull trig-
ger on a gator"
"Yll take look at him, anyhow" said,
as hitched my horse to palmetto mid
way between two creeks. The grass was
high and rank. AS / walked toward the
reptile he raised himself on bis four legs,
openrd bis Jaws, pulled out bis throat like
I a bullfrog, and made a noise like the hum-
ming OF u buzz.saw. 1 stopped ten feet
away, and stamped and shouted. The Judge
sat upon bis horse watching the proceed
ings. The alligator did not quail. On the
contrary, be squatted close TO the ground,
and began to creep toward me as cat
would creep toward mouse. Walking
back 10 the palmetto, gathered five or six
OF its huge dried fans, held them toward my
! body, struck match, and act them ablaZe.
The ugly monster watched me like a
dragon. held the fans down, hiding
the blaze, and marched toward him.
His huge mouth was open, and looked
like newly-bricked tunnel. Within
reach, / suddenly raised the fans,
and thrust the blazing mass in his throat.
He closed his poDderous jaws, turned pale,
and ran. Lighting fresh fan, l ran around
him, setting the coarse, dry grass OF the
savanna on fire. He was encircled with
flames. He raised his body, gazed at the
IRE with bloodshot eyes, and then shuffled
himself into the wet sand, and calmly
awaited The result. There was fair breeze
from the northeast. In three minutes the
tire bad swept over bin, burying him in the
blackened grass. He remained as be had
planted himself. went through the smoke
and touched him with the barrels OF the
gun, but be did not move. He SCENE d
dazed possibly lie had tainted. remOunt-
ed The horse, and we rode of. A hundred
yards away we looked back. The monster
had recovered, and was travelling leisurely
over the smoking savanna toward little
stream that pours into the bead 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, was 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 northern end OF the lake. The
sand was friDged with huge rusbes. We
had hauled our boat over the strip OF sand
separating the waters OF the lske from the
everglades, intending to run down to
Moore's cabin before shutdown. The wind,
however, died away, and we concluded to
camp for the night. We fou0d cleared
spot in the scrub hundred feet back from
the shore. Ridge-poes and crotched posts
indicated that il was fayorite camping.
ground for the Seminoles. On returning
to the beach found twelye-ioot alligator
crawling toward our bag of pork. A
score of companions were 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 chest within
three feet of him, and we were cut off from
our base Of supplies. Moore and Ham,
mOnd, Pennsylvania, who had preempt-
ed land on the lake, joined me. We shouted
and beayed riGge-poles at the savage scoun.
drel, but it was no 90. He held the pass,
and his companions were moving on the
pork. Something must be done, or we
would be left without provisions, My eyes
fell on bed of dried palmettoes that had
been used by the Indians. To gather and
set them ablaZe was the work OF a few Sc
conds. With the flaming mass we advanced
on the great lizards. In the light OF the
blaze they retreated to the lake. We sus-
pended the bag OF pork from tree that
hung over the bank, and in the morning
the sand looked as though a brigade had
been throwing up trenches.
The inlet connecting the lake with the
ocean has been closed by bank OF sand
thrown up in an easterly hurricane. On
this bank ! encamped for week. Schools
OF spotted bsSs, sDappers, groupers, croak-
ere, and white drum had been shut in the
lake by the closing OF the inlet. AT high.
tide the water from the ocean percolated
through the sand, and the fishes swarmed to
the bay TO get a TASTE OF the fresh salt water.
While fishing here discovered huge ali-
gator regarding my movements with APP
parent interest. As he seemed civil and
not evily-disposed, l threw him in
a twenty-pound bass, and he ate it
with relish. For six days he remained
near me, reaping harvest. He at last be-
came so tame that be stationed himself thr'
ty feet away, and received his fish with evil
dent pleasure. Nor did he act the hog, or
display any ingratitude. He took only the
fish That were thrown to him. At one time
vicious bluefsh snapped the line above
the float, and huge white drum ran of
with the bait. followed the float in boat
and secured it. When / returned the old
alligator was at his station, and pile OF
choice 6sh that had reserved for myself
were undIsturbed.