Smyrna times., 1886-04-21
A Senator in Peril.
MR., CAMDEN's COMIC ADVENTURE WITH
A FLORIDA ALLIGATOR.

Senator Camden of West Virginia
has just retuned from a brief soiourn
in Frorida, whittier he went to seek re-
lief from senatorial Overwork. He is
chockfull Of stories about the advent
ures he had in the land of orange bios
SONS.
Gone day" he said, 81 went ont
hunting alone. OF course, Pm not the
man to brag about my skill as hunter
but, between you and me, Pm no
slOuch with gun. After killing a few
deer, one or two bears, thirty or forty
squirrels and dozen or so wild tur-
keys, concluded to return to the hO-
tel. 1t was still early, but was tired
packing around my load of game. I
was going along the bank of a creek,
and coming across a friendly log |
thought l would sit down and rest. q
laid my rifle and game down by log
and took a seat. had lunch of cold
chicken in my haversack. 1 had
breakfasted at daylight and was pretty
hungry. So l took the pocket-knife 1
had been using to cut the chicken and
drove the blade into the log, intending
to let it rest there until could get out
my pocket handkerchief and wipe nv
hands. But great Scott You ought
to have seen that log 1t was the most
sensitive log l ever saw When drove
my knife into it, quicker than light
ming it bumped itself like a bucking
mule and gave me flap with its little
end that sent me sprawling about
thirty feet away. Blame nv buttons
If that Innr ttrncrif LlO,,sl.,
twenty-eight feet long, with tail like
a crOss-cut saw and teeth as sharp and
long as tusks Of boar.
when l scrambled to my feet and
looked at the lOg--I mean the alligator
there it was, standing rampant on its
feet, with eyes glaring and its teeth
! grinding saVagely together. l dared
not run, for | was told never to run
from an alligator, as he would be sure
to pursue me and overtake me. So
stood transfiXed to the spot. What
did the alligator do? Keeping his gaze
fixed steadily on me, he deliberately
backed to where my pile of game Law
and pitched in. First he ate up the
bears, then the deer. Smacking his
chops like regulation boarding house
hash eater, he then turned on the
squirrels and wild turkeys, and when
he got through there wasn't hair OF
feather to be seen. I'll undertake to
say that no alligator ever before had
such rare banquet. How the alliga-
tor held all that feed l don't under.
stand, but he did. When he got
through there wasn't a thing left but
my rifle, and he nosed around that fol
several seconds as if he intended to eat
it too, but he didn't. What did he. dc
then ? Well, sir, that alligator deliber
ately turned tail to the bank, anC
keeping his eye on me, backed to the
edge. Then with a snort and below
he plunged tail foremost into the water
got to my rifle in the fraction of {
second, rushed to the edge and looked
down. was painting for revenge, but
l Icouldn't see any thing but a success
ion of waves impelling each other to-
ward the other shore. The alligator
was at the bottom of the stream.
stayed there an hour watching for him
but he was to sharp to come the sur
face. l bet you he's got that knife oi
mine sticking in his back yet, for
drove it in pretty deep. You see tn,
alligator was sound asleep when l wa.
sitting on him, but sticking the knife il
him woke him up" t