The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1893-06-21

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 a 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, followediby his wife
and the rest of the crew, and armed
with loaded rifle which he had
brought with him from the,ship, made
his way inland. There was)a thicket a
short distance beyond the beach, and
this the party entered.
The ground was marehy 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 hun
dred yards off, apparently asleep, on
the bank of shallow istream, they be-
held littlo Thomasl
He lay upon his side, hisicheek 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 astwell.
At first the happytwoman could not
utter word for}joy.
Then, with lcry ofIgladness, with
outstretched arms she ran toward the
siumberer.
But she had not t'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 thelbank, and was now
crawling toward the sleeper.
The animal, hslftcovered with mud
and green slime, presented an appear
ance at once URcouth and horrible.
1t was full twenty feet in length, its
body covered with rough, irregular
scales, its legs spotted, its claws sharp
and crooked
The jaw wide open, revealed rows of
sharp teeth which We're not close
together, but littleiapart. Each of
its eyes, of an oval shape, and of fiery,
blood red hue, looked ias if separated
by dark line, which gave to it an
aspect of indescrible ferocity and vora-
ciousness.
The terrible jaw was already within
few feet of the child's head.
Before the most active of the sailors
could reach it, the teeth would close
over that bright face; those golden
curls would disappear in that ugly
mouth forever.
The captain stopped aud quickly
raised his rifle.
''Fire, fire, for God S sake !" screamed
his wife.
But Bertram's hand shook. Even
had it been steady, he would not have
dared to fire, lest his bullet should
strike his boy instead of the croco-
ollie.
He was good shot, but so near was
the fierce animal to the sleeper that
the chances were ten 30 one that he
would hit the child.
Lily understood the cause of hor
husbands hesitation.
Meanwhile the frightful teeth of the
crocodile were now within few feet
of the boy; the bloodshot eyes snapped
with greed and ferocity.
/ In a few seconds more the little one
must become the monsters victim.
And now over the mothers face
there came an expression of iron firm
I ness.
From the quaking hands of her ex-
cited husband, who. still fearful of
hitting the child, could not bring him
self to fire, she snatched the rifle,
raised it and took aim at the crocodile's
eye.
Like a statue she stood for an in
staut; then the sharp 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 its hard tail
and then fell on its side-aead
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 Just theu but her child.