Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-02-06
ooDs AoAINsT ALLIoAroR.
Gus Was So Sure It Was Dead He Went
in After 1t.

Gus Was So Sure It Was Dead He went
in After nj.
When ] lived in Texas IL was in
Atascosa county, about forty or fifty
miles southwest OF San Antonio de
Bexar on ranch where ] was engag!
ed in cattle raising. One morning
some seven or eight OF the nearest
neighbors, representing as many fam
lilies. whose ranches were located
along the same little stream. the Atlas
cosa, the English OF which is Little
Muddy, met at the ranch OF Mr..
James French, who lived at the upper
end OF the settlement, near a small
lake, or rather large water-hole in the
bed of said stream, says a writer in
the Philadelphia Times. This was
not running stream all the year
round. but was formed of small lakes
few miles or less apart and the
water only ran from lake to lake dur
ing about three or four months of the.
late fall and winter seasons.
At the time that | write there was
no water in the creek except in these
lakes. which was the home of the
beautiful and artistic alligator.
We had all brought our rifles with
us. hoping again 10. meet here for the
purpose of going some twenty miles
out west to drive away or kill some
mustang horses that had made their
appearance near the settlements among
the tame herds. it being very danger
Gus to have the wild mustangs among
them. as they frequently injured the
tame geldings, killing some of them,
and often enticing the whole herd with
them into their range.
While we were sitting on the. front
veranda, chatting over the events of
the past two days, the prospects of
crops etc. negro woman who had
been down to the lake near the house
engaged in the family washing came
rushing toward the house, screaming
Alligator! alligator at the top of
her voice. The noise and frightened
appearance of the negress attracted
the attention of the boys and Gus
Durand, one Of the party, snatched up
his rife and started for the lake, the
rest of the party following slowly after
Gus was an unerring shot and we
knew if he got a fair bead on the ga
tors eye that he was sure of mis- game
We kept back far enough not to
| flush the game and give Gus a chance
TO take every advantage of position.
but we had got sufficiently close TO see
the head and shoulders of the reptile
out on the bank, the other half of his
body stili hanging in the water At
the crack of the gun the alligator slid
back into the lake and sunk in about
ten feet deep ofswater. OF course we
could not tell whether Gus had touched
him or not, whereupon some of the
boys began 10, guy him and offered to
bet that he hadn't even grazed the
| hide. Now Gus had the utmost con-
| fidence in his unequaled marksman-
ship, and was ready at all times to
back his judgment whereupon, totthe
surprise of us all he coolly accepted
the challenge and offered to cover any
mans $40 that he had killed the alli-
gator. The wager was settled and
Gus deliberately dotted his clothing
and plunged intothe water.
Ii appeared afterward that the alli-
gator was not instantly killed. and by
the merest accident Gus happened to
/ land right on the alligator's back just
as the reptile was in the last throes of
the death agony and had started to,
the surface, and in very few minutes
landed HIM safely on Shore going
through his last shiver in the death
struggle in a few feet of the water. 1t
is stated by those who, claim expe-
rience in the habits of the alligator
that they always come TO. land To die;
and perhaps this accounts partly for
Gus good luck in getting out alive as
we all agreed that it was the most
foolhardy trick we ever knew Gus
Durand to be guilty OF.
Gus only reply to circumstances
was: Il knowed DANCED wen I'd get
his eye, as he coolly pOoketed the
golden eagle.