Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-04-24

then there came tunk agin my boat
that nigh -a-inost turned her over.
Then she WAS INT on tothcr side and
sent spnnin', aHd the crashin and
| swishin' in the grass and the SplaShin
splashin and b'iIin' in the water WAS
all the time GROWN loudcr'n louder.
BY this time, too, my boat was rockin'
and bohbin' about. now h'istcd clean
out of the water and now most sunk by
something iloppin' down ON the gun |.
! couldn't stand II no longer, and riz
up my head and peercd out. 'Gators,
by snuckeyr says J to myself.
couldn hold my eyes open but see
ond, in the edge of the flame, almost ;
but learin along right under the leap
in tongue of fire was solid drove of
gators, Dig and little, ehinkcd in with
water moccasins, aud they was n plump
in into the little pond, which was al
ready foamin' and hilin' with them
that was already in there. | had 10
get my head under right away, but |
could tell pretty well what was goin'
ON by the commotion in the water and
the bobbin of The boat. All this took
place in a good deal less time than it
takes me to tell it. you know. Then
came a blast of heat that singcd the hairs
of my blanket, and al the same time
a-hoppin in the water that seemed like
hit was goin to smash the skin into
spliuters. Hit seemed as if this lasted
terrible time, and then the heat be-
gan to moderate But the smoke set
tied down enough 10 choke a body. and
the commoiion in the water kept up.
Ii YOU are a bcttin' man YOU can bet
! cr boots wanted that skin to hold to-
Ecthcr.
"When the smoke had cleared away
SO that, after two or three trials. |
could keep my head out from under
the blanket, sat up in the skin; and
such sight We'll, sir, whgIher you
believe me or not, that little fhnd was
plumb full of gators anj moceasinS,
and was actually overllowin with EN-.
They was wcdgcd so thick around my
boat that She was h'istcd half way out
Of the water, and | couldn't have got
her away any more than if she'd been
kctchcd in Jam of saw-logs. Yer :
a pretty kettle o fish. says | TO myself;
IOh III Eblll " FNA 'uA VI hitf ''''
these yer gators a fcrmcnting and
chawin' al each other, and the mocca-
sins sirikin' right and left, and the
skin nigh-a-most high and dry for want
of room in the water among en-.
Well, while was a-settin there pom
dcrin' it over and watcbin' the dirty
smoke and flame that crawlcd along in
the rear of the fire that had passed
over, ! saw big gator maxim his
way out of the pond by the course |
had come in. Others followed him
and pretty soon there was a general
move in that direction, aud my skitl
began to settle down to her usual lloat4
in position. The moecasins cleared
out, too, some squirmm of with the
gators and others crawlin' up ON the
warm stubblc that the fire had burned
over, and in less'n an- hour ! was alone
in my boat in the little lagoon, in the
midst of blackencd prairie
You might have Killed quite mum.
bcr of alligatorS," suggested the Doc
tor, "if YOU had gone ut it just when
they were the thicllesl about you.
"Didn't Kill a gator that trip, said
the hunter. 80 tell the truth, | was
sick of gators, and | pulled out o
there in the morning, made for the
nearest blum, got bear and couple
o. bucks. and came back down the
river IN y SUN.