The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-07-16
Sleepins with an Alligator.

A correspondent of Forest and Stream
has a pleasant word for the Mucous
reptile, the alligator, and suggests that
kind treatment may make it doclie:
The long wharf at Mandarin, Florida
stretches some six hundred feet out into
the peaceful St. Johns, and hither repair
the fishermen, after their nights toll in
their row-boats with their nets, to sellthe
ouiyering fish to the inhabitants, and
ship the surplus by morning steamer to
Jacksonville. Istrolled down the wharf
in quest of mess and met q tall, bony
fisherman on whose face the habit OF
fishing all night had left very plain
impression. 49,, ..No
"Haven't got fish," said he: "No
luck at all last night. l should have
had some luck, too, if it wern't TOR an
alligator. He got into my net ana II
took me nearly all night to get him out,
and thar was two of the prettiest
schools of bass Hopping close by that
ever saw. Instead Of getting good lot
of um as ought ter hev done and would
hey done if it want for that alligator
here l am this morning with nothing at
all in the boat except the thing"
"Haye you got him in the boat!'
asked.
Eyes; don't yer want to come down
and see him?'
l followed him down to the end of the
wharf, and preceding US went his fisher
companion. a lad Of about seventeen
The boat lay moored to the bulkhead
and up above on the wharf, under shed
sat about a half-dozen negro womer
with their babies, waiting for the mex
steamboat. The boy, with an animated
grin, ran down the flight of step'
into the boat, and as we ap
preached pulled out an alligator, fou
or five feet long, by cord that wa
fastened about its neck, and held it o,
his knees, bending its tail around from
side to side. The negro women At tn
first look grabbed their babies, and t1e'
in all directions, Notwithstanding tn
bows good-naturcd ale won't hur
vou." He picked him up and put hin
down, coiled his tail, rubbed his side
and put his ugly head upon the boa
thwart for general exhibition, AM
through it all the alligator was as quie
az a lamb. Indeed, he seemed rathe
to like the process he. was undergoing
Perhaps he liked the jolly disposition
the boy.
"Won't he bite him?" I asked.
"No; alligators won't generally bite,
said the fisherman, sunless you tantaliz
UNI. That boy there" he continued
sis JUS like baby; JUS as quick as hi
head is down in the night he's asleep.
Now this seemed Just unlike most bs
bies to me. l said nothing, while h
went on
"Last night, sir, after we ketched thu
gator we put him in the bottom of tn
boat forward, and that boy there WEI
and laid right down alongside of hin
and sir, eff he and the alligator didn
sleep together, rolled in the same blank'
the rest Of the night"
| looked in the boys face for som
trace of kinship to the ugly saurian, {
some sign of that which had won i
mild behavior, but the kind eyes an
look of jolly good-nature were all l cou]
see. Possibly, if all the winter visitor
, to Florida were endowed with goo!
:. humored, rollicking natures, the ug
, hrutes MIGHT vet ha transformed into q
fectionate domestic pets, which we mig
lead about with pink ribbon, or dand
in orr arms with interested love.