The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1886-04-29
A ri
Senator Camden Relates a Remarka-
BILE Story About n Hunting Trip
in Florida.

IN Florida.
Senator Camden, of West Virginia,
has just returned from u brief s%ojourn
in Florida, whittier he went to seek
relief from senatorial overwork. He
is chokefull of stories about adventures
he had in the land of orange blossoms.
zone day." said he, II went out hunt
ing alone. OF course I'm not the man
to brag about my skill as q hunter, but.
between you and me, I'm no SLOUGH
with a gun. After killing q few deer,
one or two bears, thirty or forty squir-
rels, and a dozen or so wild turkeys, /
concluded to return to the hotel. 1t
was still early, but | was tired packing
around my load of game. L was going
along the bank of Il creek, and coming
across q friendly log l thought L would
sit down and rest. L laid my rifle and
game down by the log and took a seat.
| had a lunch of cold chicken in my
haversack. L had breakfasted at day
light and was pretty hungry, so L took
out the chicken and began to eat.
When | had finished my repast [ took
the pocket-knife | had been using to
cut the chicken and drove the blade in
to the LOG, intending to let it rest there
until | could get out my pocket-hand-
kerchief and wipe my hands. But
great Scottl You ought to have seen
that log! 1t was the most sensitive log
l ever saw. When l drove my knife
into it, quicker than lightning, it
bumped itself like q bucking mule, and
gave me q flip with the little end that
sent me sprawling about thirty feet
away. Blame my buttons, if that loo
wasn't Florida alligator twenty-eight
feet long, with a tail like q cross-cut
saw and teeth as sharp and long as the
tusks of Il boar.
''When / scrambled to my feet and
looked at the log-I mean the alliga-
tor-there it was, standing, and its
teeth grinding savagely together. /
dared not run, for | was told never to
run from an alligator. as he would be
sure to pursue and overtake me. Sol
stood transfixed to the spot. What did
the alligator do? Keeping his gaze
fixed steadily upon me, he deliberately
backed to where my pile of game lay
and pitched in. First he ate up the
bears, then the deer. Smacking his
chops like a regulation clearinghouse
h~ash-eater, he then turned on the squir-
rels and wild turkeys, and when he got
through there wasn't q hair or a feath-
er to be seen. I'll undertake to say
that no alligator ever before had such
a rare banquet. How the alligator held
all that feed | don't understand, but he
did. When he got through there
wasn't a thing left but my rifle, and he
nosed around that for several seconds
as if he intended to eat it, too, but he
didn't. What did he do then? Well,
sir, that alligator deliberately turned
his tail to the bank, and keeping his
eye on me, backed to the edge. Then,
with a snort and Il below, he plunged
tail-foremost into the water. L got to
my rifle in the fraction of q second,
rushed to the edge and looked down. L
was painting for revenge, but L couldn't
see anything but a succession of waves
impelling each other toward the other
shore. The alligator was at the bot
tom of the stream. l staid there an
hour watching for him, but he was too
sharp to come to the surface. I'll bet
you he's got that knife of mine. sticking
in his back yet, for L drove it in pretty
deep. You see, the alligator was
sound asleep when l was sitting on him,
but sticking the knife in him woke him
up."-BaLtimOre Herald.