The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-03-29
I.iDING ALLIGATORS.
A NATIVE WHO THINKS NOTHING or
MOUNTING 4 SAURlAN.


who depicted men on horseback as cen
taurs were now living what field they
would find in Florida for originating
new forms of lite, provided they fol /
lowed the idea developed in the prOduc-
ton of the creature that was part man !
and part horse! Here, for instance, they
could see men riding huge saurlans
across a lake without either reins or sad
die, some coming from the depths Of the
ocean mounted on gigantic turtles
weighing as much as Clydesdale horses,
and others straddling a Jewish, shark or
porpoise, or being towed behind an enor-
nous sea devil in a cookie shell Of boat
or in large schooner.
Tampa boasts of colored citizen who
has no more fear of an alligator than be
has Of the harmless lizard, and will at
tempt to ride one any day for small
sum of money His method Of riding
the reptile is to enter lake or pond
where the species congregates, select
large one, Jump on its back quickly and
pressing his thumbs on its eyes, urge 1t .
shoreward.
An employee of the South Florida /
railroad, whose name | have received +
permission to use, informed me that he
had often mounted old bulls in the lakes
of fernando county and ridden them
ashore without any trouble by simply
pressing his thumbs on their eyes and
| urging them forward with his heels or
| shouts. He found it far easier work to
| mount than dismount, for as soon as his
saurian steed touched the shore 1t tried
to seize his leg by bringing its tail and
| head suddenly together and rolling over
| and over like barrel going down hill
| This is the ordinary method employed
| by alligators for capturing their prey or
enemies, and as its efficacy depends on
the prompt conjunction of jaws and
tail, the stroke may be readily avoided
by little figuring" to use MIR. Stat
ford's expression.
According to Mr.. Stafford, all he had
| to do when in want of an aquatic mus
| tang was to enter half dried pond, pick
out the largest and LATEST saurian he
saw there, mount it promptly and point
its head landward. The mounted ami
NAL, according to his statement, makes
no fuss about moving wherever 1t ls
directed while in the water, but the mo-
ment it touches land it uses every effort
to throw and devour its jockey.
1t is possible to ride an alligator some
distance overland by tying its muzzle,
as it does not attempt to do any injury
until it can throw its open mouth and
long tail together by sudden sweep to
one side. Mr. Stafford, who Is, be-
Eeye. a native of Florida, veteran
hunter and an expert alligator jockey
relates an anecdote which shows tina
saurian riding is as dangerous as lrlsl
steeplechasing when the mount is sulk.
or wounded. He had ridden an alligato
ashore during one of his hunting trips
and as it was rather large and its skin
n as a consequence, usually valuable, b
decided to kill and fay it near the pond
After emptying the contents OF his r
f1e into its head and assuring h1mselt Q
its being dead, he drew his knife to tia
it; but he had hardly touched the hea
ere the alligator returned to life, an
Selling him by the coat sleeve con
, menced rolling over and over. The sec
i oud or third roll took the sleeve OFT n
4 coat and dislocated his arm, and on b.
ing set free in this unexpected mann'
it did not take him long to scramble OF
of reach of the furious reptile. A phi.
stefan who was hunting with him set h
arm in few moments, and when tn;
was done the jockey poured lead INTO n
40 late mount until he was sure that
nd ferocious spirit had fled
al A man who has shot alligators t
/ their hides told me that the anlma
.- were harmless in winter and inclined
avoid contest with men at all tim
a1 Hnfpn6l1
their young. They are worse IN I
Js9 pairing season than at any other, I
bulls being then unusually petulal
more than ordinarily stupid and SIT
born and inclined to resent any mt
= sion on their grounds. Yet by bolc
~ facing them they can be forced to RI
and may even be mounted and rldd
ashore, provided there are no females
the vicinity.
He once tried to ride an old bull
ward landmark that doomed above
other objects on the fiat shore Of a ls
llU ON q dark night, and wondered why
steed tried so hard to turn away iron
whenever the thumbs were lifted on
ewes. but he was able to account fol
readily few moments later, When
enraged female that was guarding
landmark, which was her nest, rusi
IKE open mouthed and granting like an
sane grizzly, and sent her conque
- precipitately to the rear and its JOG
deep into the mud.
Fortunately for him the assailant
more enraged at the bull than at
Jockey and followed it several hund
wards, charging at intervals and thr'
- Ing it vigorously with her tail whene
Il she got an opportunity. The male
driven almost across the lake before
decided to return and attack the II
but he was running on shore tor
life long before she had given up
pursuit of the steed.
The rider said he had seen many
perate charges during the civil war
III. that he never was in one that so
pIeteIy benumbed his faculties as
charge of that big mouthed So
gator" He thought he could nc
O ! male saurian at any time OF the
- but that no man living could reta1l
seat for any length of time on the
o,rp of a female that was defending her
coz or was accompanied by her young
st. Louis Republic.
Nice tablecloths and napkins sh
80. not be allowed to become much SO
90 so that they will require vigorous
-. bling with soap or in hot water.