Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1893-06-16

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that no trace of the little one had been
found.
''We will look again in the morn
ing," said the captain. 'Don't
despond, Lily"
All that night he endeavored to
soothe his wife; but her anguish was
almost beyond endurance, such as no
pen could describe.
At daybreak the captain had his boat
down again.
| Besides the crew, it now contained
Mrs. Bertram, who had insisted in ac-
companying the party.
After long search, the boat was
discovered among some rocks, where
the breakers had almost dashed it to
pieces.
Had little Thomas been drowned, or
had he contrived to get out of the boat
and reach the sandy beach few feet
distant?
A cry of Joy escaped the vigilant
mother.
She pointed to the sand, where the
impressions of little shoes, not yet
washed away, were visible.
Leaving two men in charge of the
boat, the captain, followed by his wife
and the rest of the crew, and armed
with Il loaded rifle which he had
brought with him from the ship, made
his way inland. There was thicket
short distance beyond the beach, and
this the party entered.
The ground was marshy in some
places, and the tracks of the lost boy
were occasionally seen.
Following these traces carefully, the
party at length beheld, ahead of them,
n small opening, and there, not a hun
dred yards of, apparently asleep, on
! the bank of shallow stream, they be-
held little Thomasl
| He lay upon his side, his cheek rest
ing upon one arm, his long curls
streaming on the ground.
The rosy, healthy color upon his
face at once convinced his mother that
he was unharmed as well.
At first the happy woman could not
utter word for Joy.
Then, with cry of gladness, with
outstretched arms, she ran toward the
siumberer.
But she had not taken ten steps when
her cheeks blanched, and an exclama-
tion of dismay escaped the whole party.
| An enormous crocodile had slowly
lifted its hideous proportion from
amongst the long reeds fringing the
lower part of the bank, and was now
crawling toward the sleeper.
The animal, half covered with mud
and green slime, presented an appear
ance at once uncouth and horrible.
1t was full twenty feet in length, its
fbody covered with rough, irregular
scales, its legs spotted, its claws sharp
i and crooked.
The jaw wide open, revealed rows of
sharp teeth which were not close
ttogether, but little apart. Each of
tits eyes, of an oval shape, and of fiery,
blood red hue, looked as if separated
10y dark line, which gave to it an
laspect of indescrible ferocity and vora-
1ciousness.
I The terrible jaw was already within
Va few feet of the child's head.
Before the most active of the sailors
lcould reach it, the teeth would close
,over that bright face; those golden
lcurls would disappear in that ugly
mouth forever.
| The captain stopped and quickly
iraised his rife.
''Fire, fire, for Gods sake" screamed
his wife.
But Bertram's hand shook. Even
had it been steady, he would not have
idared to fire, lest his bullet should
tstrike his boy instead of the croco-
adile.
He was good shot, but so near was
Ethe fierce animal to the sleeper that
the chances were ten to one that he
fwould hit the child.
Lily understood the cause of her
Husbands hesitation.
| Meanwhile the frightful teeth of the
hcrocodilo we're now within few feet
iof the boy the bloodshot eyes snapped
hwith greed and ferocity.
In a few seconds more the little one
must become the monsters victim.
And now over the mothers face
there came On expression of iron firm
l,ness.
From the quaking hands of her ex-
pcited husband, who. still fearful of
hitting the child, could not bring him
self to fire, she enatched the rifle,
raised it and took aim at the crocodile's
eye.
Like statue she stood for an in
stant; then the eharp report of the rifle
smote upon the air, the teeth of the
crocodile closed with click, its head
dropped to the earth, it smote the
bank few moments with it's hard tail
and then fell on its side-.dead!
The mothers aim had been true the
bullet had struck the target, had pene-
trated the monsters eye and lodged in
its brain.
Such cheer as then went up to the
sky was never heard before.
But Mrs. Bertram thought Of moth
ing inst then but her child.