The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-05

BEAST, BIRD OR DEVIL
The Queer Thing Thing Georgia Hunter
Says He Saw When He Had . Gun.

The Queer Thing Thing q Georgia Hunter
Says He Saw When He Had . Gun.
a Screven county hunter relates O
thrilling story of strange animal
which he encountered in a swamp near
the Savannah river. The story is as fol-
lows:
sit was about O'Clock in the morn
ing, and I was standing with my gun
behind some trees, about 100 yards
from the outside. waiting to get shot
If possible at a passing deer. Suddenly
heard noise in toward the river that
made my hair stand on end. It was not
such a loud noise, nor did it soEnd very
dangerous, but it was peculiar. had
never heard anything like it before, and
I hope 1 may never hear it again. It
was sound somewhat like the quack-
ing of duck and the kissing of snake
com bined. That is as near as can de-
scribe it, and yet that does not give any
idea of how it sounded. Itwa stronger
and louder than either, and yet that is
the impression that it gave me-either
that it must be monster duck or huge
snake, and then thought it must be
both.
''The sound seemed to issue from
thick place surrounding a kind of Ia
COON. I kept my eyes fastened on the
spot with cooked gun in hand. had
not long to wait. In a few seconds 1
heard a kind Of splashing in the water,
and peering through the bushes saw,
about 100 yards away, what seemed to
be the head of an enormous duck But
I thought surely it was the king Of all
ducks, for the bill was at least foot
long and as black as could be- It was
still making that blood curdling, half
kissing, half quacking noise and seemed
to be wading or swimming slowly along
in the mud and water.
Before had time to think-even if
my brain had been in any condition for
such work-the creature raised itself up
a little, and / saw the blacklist, ugliest,
most loathsome looking animal that
ever inhabited this earth, / do firmly be-
lieve. Its body was between three and
four feet long and was also black
When first caught a glimpse of it, I
thought l must have been mistaken in
the head and that it was an alligator
coming out to sun himself, and yet
had never SEN an alligator like that be-
fore.
Coming ON up nearer to where I
crouched in terror behind a tree soon
had an opportunity to see the thing in
all its strangeness and ugliness. There
was little knoll where the puddle Of
water ended, and-horror of horrors
what 1 had thought was an alligator
stepped up on this little elevation, and
then saw that it had only two feet AS
near as could judge its legs were about
foot and a half long, and it stood
there like some huge blackbird of the
night, with it's bill stuck downward and
still emitting that unearthly kind Of
noise.
''To say that was para1yzed with
fear would hardly give you an idea of
my condition. If the creature had seen
me and started in my direction, am
sure would never have been alive when
it reached me. It never occurred to me
that my gun would have been any pro-
lection. was SO completely terrified by
the appearance of the unnatural looking
thing that couldn't think of anything
else. believe would rather have braved
thousand alligators than that bird or
beast or whatever you might call it.
cit stood there, suppose, about a
minute, and had good opportunity
to examine it with my eye. Its body
was rough and scaly, like an alliga
tors, and the tail went off to point.
It had legs like turkey or duck, only
they were larger and stronger. Its feet
/ could not see on account of some
bushes 1t kept turning its bill up and
down and around, but try as could
never did locate its eyes. They were the
7 rio than frfo
ed in not seeing, and I suppose they
were so black that at that distance
could not make them out
81 can never describe the awful sound
the thing made with its mouth. 1t made
my blood run colder every time heard
it. After short while, that seemed an
age, the creature gave kind of spring
from the ground, and before I could
realize what it was doing it went up
into large tree and sat on the lowest
limb. As it did SO could hardly believe
| my eyes when I saw two dark wings
spread out from its side and strike the
air with a heavy sound that made my
heart sick. / had not noticed before that
! it had wings, but wings they certainly
were, although could see no feathers.
| AS soon as it had poised itself on the
| limb its wings were drawn so closely to
| its body that it was impossible to detect
where they were. looked at it for a
second or two, and then, as its back
was toward me, I thought it was IA
vorable opportunity to get out of the
swamp, as I was hungry anyhow.
stole quietly out and never took long
breath until had left the swamp full
mile behind. ATLANTA Constitution.