The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-03
TREED BY ALL1GAToRs.
A story With "Yhrill" Whether Vera
cious or Otherwise.

A party of four tourists who returned
this morning from a weeks trip in that sec
ton looked rather dismal when asked about
the sport that they had and were exceed
ingly uncommunicative in regard to it. A
bright colored boy about IS, who accompa-
MED them as guide, cook and general facto
tum, finally let the cat out of the bag and
gave the adventure of the hunters dead
away.
For the first few days, said the boy, all
went lovely and the sportsmen had fun in
abundance. Fish were plenty, several ga
tors were killed and one or two fine deer fell
to their lot. When they came to Cypress
lake they cruised around its shores and,
finding the islands full of game, decided to
camp out. A sandy isle was selected as
being free from mosquitoes and the hunters
soon pitched their tent and settled in camp
fashion. The island was about four acres
in extent, with no vegetation, though large
cypress trunks or "knees" were standing up
all over it. The boy told them that it was
great resort for alligators and this made
the hunters still more anxious to camp there.
The night was bright moonlight one and,
after getting their supper under way, they
started out to explore the land. A few steps
outside the glare of the campfire one of them
stepped on what he supposed was dead log.
Much to his surprise, the seeming log lifted
up and sent him flying while the alligator,
for such it was, with a snort of fright and
anger, dashed for the water. No bones
were broken and the adventure was taken
in good part.
Shortly after three nests were discovered,
in two of which eggs were found, while in
the third, which was close to the water,
about a score of young gators rewarded
their search. While they were cleaning it
out a noise at the waters edge attracted
their attention and immediately an immense
gator crawled up and advanced as rapidly
as it could toward them, its loud below and
putting indicating anger rather than fear.
Gathering up several of the youngsters the
party beat hasty retreat to their camp, as
by some strange lack of foresight no arms
had been carried along. Selling their guns
two of them ventured back anxious for
gator scalps.
AS they hurried on they heard the loud
gruntS and roars of the saurians on each
side of the island, but they were entirely
unprepared for the sight that burst ON their
vision as they reached the shore. The beach
shelved gently down to the waters edge and
for several rods from land the water was
shallow. Standing upon its forepaws beside
It's plundered nest was an immense female
alligator, putting and blowing, while right
around and advancing in from the water
were over a score of others, all roaring and
opening and swapping their capaciouS jaws
with an ominOus sound, the strong, musky
smell emitted filling the air for yards around
AS soon as the brutes saw tie butchers ap-
proach in the dim light they advanced on
them, with every indication of the utmost
anger and rage, seemingly devoid of fear
The boys fired several shots, severely wound
ing one or two, but the sound and flash only
seemed to arouse still further The wrath of
the reptiles and the hunters fed back to the
tent The rest OF tue party, who had been
preparing supper, etc, heard the uproar and
came out, followed by Charlie the colored
boy, who confesses that he felt rather shaky,
as he had never himself seen alligators so
thoroughly enraged before. The reinforce
ments came up but on seeing the scores of
"gators" crawling up they decided to re-
tire.
On going back to the tent they found it
nearly surrounded by gators who had
crawled up from the other side and the out
look was rather bad for nervous persons.
The deer that had been hung before the fire
soon fell into the Goals and the smell Of burn
ing meat permeated the air and SCENE to
make the saurians still more savage. Soon
the party saw circle of fiery eyes ranged
nearly around their tent and the situation
was indeed growing desperate.
This won't do, boys" called out Charley
make break for it OF these devils will make
pie-meat of us. Fire all at once and then
60 for those stubs over there, said he, point
ing to some half-dozsn dead lightwood trees
and cypresS-knees that rose up some ten feet
or so near by. The next moment the rifles
rang out volley and the boys rushed for
ward through the lane their shots and sud
den onslaught had made aud in less time
than it takes to write it they were 'shn-
piTon ba traa pf faft1oa GtharIaxr tbo
colored boy, got left in the sudden rush and
came near meeting his death, for, as he
sprang over big gator, it rose suddenly
on its forefeet, tripping him up apd throw
ing him directly in trout of an old saurian,
who opened his jaws wide at the tempting
morsel so opportunely thrown in his way
But Charley was game and diving Under
the one which had causei his fall he leaped
on the backs of ne closely packed reptiles
and on reaching the shore Jumped into The
boat, the impetus of his rush carrying it
from shore.
As soon as the all gators recovered from
the rush made against them they plunged
furiousiy forward and in a few minutes the
meat hanging Oh the splits aud IN front of
the tent was torn into hundreds of pieces,
the fierce animals fighting one another for
the choice bits like so many hungry dogs
Their huge forms floundered around and in
was occupied by moving mass of the hid
eous brutes, moving around in the semi
darkness, blowing, putting and roaring, the
strong, musky odor nearly sitting the hunt
ers Oh their narrow and uncomfortable
perches.
If ever hunters were fairly "treed" they
were. They were all sitting astride of old
dead limbs, on the stubs, all in the compass
of few yards. Two of them had their
rifles but only few rounds of cartridges.
There they sat and when the first fright mad
worn off they shouted out to each other to
see if all were safe. After repeatedly call
ing "Charlie," Charlie" FAINT hello was
heard from off the water aud "Heah am"
came to their ears. They could do nothing,
however, so sat still and endured the long
hours the best they knew how.
Meanwhile the scaly reptiles moved over
the island in countless numbers, jostling
against one another and kissing at times like
so many gigantic geese The tent was lev
eled, the canvas torn and trampled, the
dishes, crOckery, ETC., broken and pandemo-
mum generally raised. About 2 O'clock in
the morning as the tired hunters were nearly
falling down from sheer fatigue a horrible
din underneath startled them into a full
sense Of their still great danger.
A fight began in the center Of the mass
between two huge specimens and soon others
joined in, till they thought, from tie horr
Die qnasllug OF teeth and the dull thumps
Of the fiail-like tails of the gators, that
fully half a hundred were engaged in the
deadly melee. Snarl5, roars of pain and