The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-06-16
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n II perience with some of
| vi the South American al
n ligators. followed the
| whaling business in the
| W. South Pacific Ocean for
~ eight years, and during
| % that time had frequent
W opportunities of visit
ing many wild, unset
IISgNsyWsc, j. tied places along the
| 6s~rE<sx llNysy Coast of Peru and Ecua-
| fsSssssr 1ssfkssssA H8dOr (where we went for
$:;: : sc s;;,i 3, e.; E:
| time, after we had taken on board supplies
at the mouth of the Tumbez River, q small
stream that forms the boundary between Peru
| and Ecuador, the officers of the ship were
| allowed to take their boats crews on shore for
| a grand alligator hunt. One object of the ex-
| petition being to take summary vengeance on
| the whole tribe and especially upon one old
veteran sinner for his uncivil conduct toward
an ish-American citizen, whom he swallowed
| while bathing in the river a few weeks pre-
| vious and since that time had been target
for the natives as we'll as sailors. But they
had never been able to get close enough for
their small rifle-balls to take effect which they
| might have done had they been at close range
and aimed at spot close behind his foreleg.
| Well, hundreds were shot that day of all
sizes. Babies few feet long, and finally, the
old Gambia himsef-after we had lain in
wait long time watching for him-crawed
from the river to his favorite bask ing place,
and four ball from one of our bomb
| lance guns finished his man eating career. He
| disappeared into the river after being shot, but
an hour later we found his old carcass on a
sand bar where the falling tide left it stranded.
! We cut off his head and our Second Mate car
| ried its skeleton home as relic 1t measured
| three and "a half feet long, and his whole
length was over IS feet. His teeth protruded
from his jaws from one to three inches the two
outer ones in the lower jaw entering holes in
| the upper and passing entirely up and through,
while tho outer ones of the upper jaw closed
| down outside the lower, and the balance Of
| them fitted together like cog wheels. Imagine
| the chance of escape from such trap.
| Another time, at the same place, boats
crew OF six of us proposed to capture one alive.
| We laid for him near his basking- place, and
when he appeared, Pedro, little Chilano
vachero, crept cautiously up, and az he was
| lying with his mouth wide open, whzzed the
moose of asso of whaling line over his upper
| jaw into his mouth. The fellow at first showed
| the white feather and started for the water.
| Pedro objected and jerked him back, and by
| the time we arrived with reinforcemcnts, the
savage brute got mad and declared war, and
| opened the campaign with an assault US.
Fun commenced right away, but somehow
in the melee he soon became entangled, and
we found the line wound around his snout,
and so long as we kept it taut his mouth was
| securely closed against further use. OF course
we thought he was ours without much more
trouble. Although we had disabled his first
corps" his second was still in good fighting
trim. In other words-laying aside military
terms-we soon found that live alligator has
two business ends, for the first Of the
"hanking party" IAN Italian Prince from
| Cork who boldly grabbed him by the tail was
knocked "hors de combat" into the mud, and
when he reganed his breath he swore Be
jabbers, that hathen sthruck me twict to wanst.
and faith but it tuck the wind clane out o me-"
A Downeast Yankee next limped to the rear,
yelling: Look ont that consumed varmints
darned HAIRLESS with that ar war club o. his'n.
/ swow | du bleve he's broke my laige."
The remaining four of US were left with all
the business on our hands we wanted for the
next few minutes; that devil" was as timber
as an eel and quick as though full of steel
springs worked by electricity. He would
double his head and tail together first one side
and then tho other, at the rate Of about four
times a second, and any one standing in the
way was liable to get hit anywhere between tho
shins and stomach. The Yankee and Paddy
could best judge of the force of his blows. But
we finally Strengthened him out by dragging
him over the sand az fast as we were able, and
before he could get his galvanlc batteries in
working order again we all sat down ON him."
DuI III WIS men, nu0, ana alligator pfOnl5-
cuously mixed for while, until Pedro succeeded
In throwing a turn of the rope over his tail
then we doubled him together like jack knife,
bound his legs, and tumbled him into our boat
and took him on board the ship. Our ship
mates laughed when they saw what plight
we were in, and chaffed the Yankee and the
Paddy for allowing that little, Insignificant
"cus5" to handle them 80 roughly. Paddy
said nothing but winked significantly, and
the Yankee drawled out: You'll see."
So we dashed the scamp to a rngbolt in the
deck, with rope around his body just aft his
foreegs giving him just play enough SO when
his business ends" were loosed he could make
good use of them. Just as we imagined. The
inquisitiveness Of one of the crew led him to
walk up and deliberately kick the insgnif-
cant cuss." The next instant his feet were
knocked from under him, and he narrowly es-
capped the jaws of the reptile, as they snapped
together in close proximity to his body. AS he
arose, rubbing his leg, Paddy roared out, "Ah,
ha," and the Yankee chimed In, "Tole We yed
see; larn better mabby bimby"; while the rest
Of the crew Joined in hearty laugh. The next
man to make investigations was big burly
Englishman, the strongest man on the Ship
who seized harpoon pole and said he would
make the fellow back down. But when he
poked the pole towards his head 1t was snapped
at by the alligator, jerked out Of his hands and
sent spinning across the deck. After witness
ing few more exhibitions Of his strength and
agility, the crew did not wonder at the rough
usage he gave us while capturing him, and all
agreed he was the strongest animal they ever
for his size. 1t was a difficult matter to
get an accurate measurement Of him, but as
near as we could get he was not less than eight
feet long, and his weight estimated at 300
pounds
Since the days OF Samson Of Holy Writ
and David the Hebrew lion and bear slayer,
who finally crowned his exploits by knock
ing out" the Philistne giant, l have never
seen or heard Of man whom l believe was CO.
pable of capturing this fellow with a lasso.
During the few days we kept this fellow We
fed him by throwing fish and bits Of meat into
his mouth, which he swallowed. and even an
old pair of shoes went down his throat the
same way, probably more from spite than be-
cause he liked such kind of food. He was
easily enraged, and in that state he was in the
habit of swelling his body, and then emitting
loud, Kissing sound ending with basso below
resembling bull at long distance; at the
same time he emitted q sickening odor of a ga
line and musky smell. I have heard that ami
mails smell them when they are out on the
land, and by this means are able to avoid
them. But having once witnessed fight be-
tween half-wild boar and one Of these rep
tiles, / am inclined to think half the stories
told about them are not true.
l was one day sitting on the bank Of tho
river, which was between 100 and 200 yards
wide when HEARING n eom OtiOn on the other