The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-16

/ - hNAAo-ot 4 ACAb Ioau1 IOl ali emergencies
ana set out on my jaunt alone.
TOOK along a revolver, which / carried
In my coat pocket. for robberies and even
murder had, IN spite Of great vigilance
ana prompt punishment, been rife in the
nelgeoorhood, though l don't suppose
that the miscreants would have had the
temerity TO attack British officer.
Notwithstanding that the roads and the
WhoIe country were sodden and that the
suns powerful rays licked up the moisture
and made the atmosphere dam and oppres-
slve. felt very hght-hearted as left the
cantonment behind and stepped out briskly
on the main road
After while it brought me to bridge
which crossed small creek, now swollen
Dy the rains to stream some forty or fifty
Teet wide. After crossing the bridge | de-
cided to follow the course Of the stream and
accordingly turned of the road and pursued
my way along the banks, Notwithstanding
the fact that by so doing I had to take nv
way through long grass which reached con-
siderably above my knees and made me I'M
comfortably wet.
After going some distance l concluded to
make for home, but feeling disinclined to
return by the same route as l had come.
determined to look for some place in the
stream narrow enough to jump over and
so take short cut home. After a while |
found spot not more than TWENTY-FIVE
feet broad, and, moreover, the distance
was divided by rock seven or eight feet
from the far shore.
Being good jumper l knew l could
easily manage 60 get across, and going back
some distance from the stream chose a SPOT
where the grass was shortest, and making a
flying leap landed safely on the rock and q
moment afterward, with a slip and a
scramble, had reached the distant bank.
Before strikiaS out homsward turned
casually TO look at my last leap, aud to my
surprise saw that the rock was not in Its old
position, and had, in fact, disappeared alto
gether. | was just wondering how on earth
this could possibly have occurred when
saw huge tail OF a crocodile swaying lazily
in the water
"rhe devil" I Thought "pve read Of O
man doing the same thing, but never sup
posed l should mistake tho creatures back
for rock or log. Then was seized with
frantic desire TO secure the creature, aud,
suddenly remembering their fondness for
the Parlah dog, in moment more was
crouching behind some reeds at the waters
edge, yelping and yapping as If my very
life depended on ii. OF course had drawn
my revolver, and kept up the Internal
racket intermitently for several minutes.
AS was 30 engaged, If the truth be told,
without much hope OF success attending my
efforts, the reeds in front of me, without
any previous warning, suddenly parted,
and was confronted by the monsters open
jaws, revealing oavernous void aching to
be filed by the prey he expected to find.
With yell of surprise and terror sprang
out Of reach Of their dangerous proximity,
wildly discharging my weapon as / did so
down his throat 1t would be hard 30 say
which was the more astonished, the croco-
die or myself, but he remained there mo-
ment or two without moving.
I'm inclined to think that he was, and
while stood looking at him it seemed to me
that he had a puzzled expression on his face,
and the idea was 30 irresissibly funny that
broke out into an uncomfortable fit of
laughter.
l don't suppose this latest freak of his sup
posed dog In any way lesssned his surprise,
but he nevertheless closed his jaws with a
snap and waddled slowly out of the water.
When was able to get full view Of him
his size fairly paralyEed me, aud instinct
lively moved myself farther away from the
monster.
So we stood looking at each other for a
few moments, and then | approached as
near as ! dared, determined to put bullet
through one Of his eyes, for he was directly
facing me. and that was, therefore, the only
vulnerable point open. ] took long and
steady aim, but the bullet struck immedi-
ately above the point aimed at. and Of
course produced no more impression than 1t
would have done on an iron-clad. l think
the weapon must have thrown high, for a
second shot resulted exactly as the first
had only two shots remaining, for
brought no spare cartridges with me, and
was beginning TO fear that l should lose
him after all, when he came 10 the conclus-
ion, suppose, to turn around with view
Of betaking himself TO the water. Now was
my chance. ran In step or two closer
and fired both shots In rapid succession into
the unarmed flesh, Immediately behind the
shoulder.
A kind Of spasmodio shuddsr passed
through him, and wriggle of his immense
tail, which / was not nimble enough to
avoid, caught me on the thigh and sent me
spinning yards away TO grovel in the slime
and ooze. got up feeling as If an earth
quake had struck me, and, congratulasing
myself that the crocodile was, practically
speaking, dead when 1 received the blow,
found him perfectly still and stone dead.
then started home, but before reaching the
barracks found that my injury was far
worse than at fret supposed, my thigh
growing SO stiff and painful that after a
while was scarcely able to crawl.
However, l got there at last, and sent
two or three sheSarris native huntsmen) to
bring home the hide. Then had to sub
init myself Co the DOCTORS treatment, for,
though had sustained no injury beyond a
terrible bruise, was unable to get about
for several days. / had the skin properly
tanned and mounted on thick dark blue
cloth, the whole being large enough to form
an elegant covering for my entire sitting
room. The skin was nearly 80 feet
long, or, to be exact, % feet inches. It
can hardly be conceived what an enormous
creature that was, and yet the natives as
sured me that they had seen some as much