New-York tribune., 1895-02-10
A NEST OF ALLIGATORS.
THE BABIES WICKED PAPA

..c,roR JEFF"-HE CARRIES GRAVEYARD
pARnrr.s FOOT AND Is NOT AFRAID
OF HIS PREY.
out of many queer quaint cha'ao'e ,,I
",Cator Jefr'' is the most picturesque ana s'''h"s
+, III >, pasco County He Is an eX-slave back as
a December night and so bent as 10 iol" a'''
perfect right angle wnen he stands stiii' foi 'ea
and ve,rs Jeff has devoted all his energy anu
thought to hunting and trapping aiNsators ".'
the constantly increasing demand LOT I'VE s"'o,
big and little, by menageries ana aquaiu'' az
nrivate collectors their teeth to polish ana inahe
i,, ,oya,rv and knick-knacks, their skins staple
article in the leather trade. and their eggs lor
museums and naturalists. and the CONSEQUENT III
nation of prices the old man makes good h'i"s'
An the wear around he either hunting gators or
locating the nest where he VIII shoruy sa'hei
harvest Of eggs or II he prefers, Crawling twis'-
, saokf,l of voung gators. The latter he has
,odo , snecialty for Northern tourists All ike 10
take home real live little gator TO some ooy
relative or friend. The little sauriahS are i"''S
bardv are not dangerous in any way, are very
bright and make interesting pets Inc harhe.
! nrce is from 81 80 to 81 go according 70 size anu
,i,-,, Whom one considers that there are often
from, dfty to a hundred baby gators hatched out
IN one nest it will be at once seen ina. '"e P''
from finding and catching such FANNY are not
slight Still each family Is rapidly depie'eu Ho'"
he
not found till week after leaving the egg t"es al"
ce,eraIIv reduced 10 a tenth or less OF the origina
nnrber Thus jeff has to keep himself well IN
formed of affairs in the gator FAMILY OF lie ioSeo
money ,.o.
ON any still calm morning, before the sun i SNOW
ing over the cypress banks. you VIII see old "a'o'
left" as his goes in that region po'''s us
dugout gently along under the shadow OF the over
hanging trees The bent old black VIII nave on ony
a pair of canvas calico trousers ueu III d. ,'e
ankles and fastened at the waist by pe' III ."e
belt he carries a short, straight sneathkhie WIN
six or seven inch blade. and tied TO MS "a's' 10
| folded sack Corkei up in a smai' Do'.ie !" w
nocket is some red pepper, and these, with the '"o
coils Of slender rope in the bottom OF MS craft are
| his tools and weapons , -,
Suddenly he will head toward low mudoahA os
| rho onnoslte shore. where big. half-sunken gum
~ h fsuep between the mudbank and the
| sbore As he noiselessly draws near, a long, nat
| brown object that a novice might nave caiiea
| rock or small mudbank moves ana goes uo",'
| leaving a long eddy behind Jen knows tha' -
the old bull gator. He knows also thdt ne mas
gone below into the hidden nest where ne VIII scare
on, Mrs Gator and then taking advantage OF the
alarm devour the greater part OF his family. Papa
gators are the wort foes their children nave ana
so JEFF loses time He draws the nose oi 'ne
lugout up on the mud. and then without spas"
or sound slips into the Shiny water ne u"e''
and an onooker would wait in vain Tor MN 10 re-
annear and would when five minutes had eIapsei
think he had been killed by the old bn!i or peeh
caught In water-grass and drowned But no. ihese
gators have n queer fashion OF selecting mono"
hor,as ,nder clay banks the only entrance TO which
s from under water. Here the mother Wli rear Tue
little ones taking them on each fair day 10 sun OIL
sore nearby sandbank and returning home every
uleht IL she leaves them moment hsh OF o'"ei
gators particularly their own father VIII XIII ana
emf them all. Frequently when the iona pa'ern'i
rarent evinces too much appetite and attempts 10
a, 10 prss
no IL thrashed ard driven from home. In this case
left has only the bull 10 fear. tie mas az i hs
| usual practice, captured the mother the nlght De-
fore and has got her tied TO stake near MS nome
| He dives and emerges beyond the gum tree trunk
| and under the bank. In little washed-out cave.
IIere high and dry he finds. when his eyes get used
| - the oucer dim light that filters In through the
| creek water the family OF BABY gators inous"
their mother has only been away one nlsh' ne mus
third OF the family gone. and that increases MS
| anger when ne hears snort ana hnds the puii ~
| crawling after him from the dusky corner OF ,ne
| cave lie dips back into the creek. and when his
enemy approaches the edge OF the shef thrus's MS
| keen knife irto the leathern belly and gives IL
| oulck turn An agonized grunt follows ana III
| uhlr, ~ bloody muddy bubbles the gator plunseS
| on, into the creek mortally wounded Later on Jen
| ,ill nick ND his floating carcass and tow II nome
| ward behind the dugout. Now. however ne ony
| STAYS long enough TO gather up the blinking uhfe
! sistlng Youngsters and tumble them In surprseu
heap into his sack. In ABOUT hNe minutes y. " 80
more. his head with It's dripping gray wool comes
| poppng I'D beside the dugout, and he drops me
sack aboard. Then he Chambers IN hhse' anu "
| off for fresh game -. L.. r. ,n rul
gather from sandbank where M1,hsT @ sph op nine
dozen. These he will carefully blow and ship 10
In the season when eggs and babies are scarce, ne
stalks the bull gators capturing now and then one one
alive. though there is not so much demshu ms iE u,
! dead ones to stuff and mount Where the SKIN is
spoiled or imperfect. Je saves and tans the iea'ne
and knocks out the teeth or II Is periee' s can anu
! plete skeleton He sometimes fishes from the BANK
with line and big iron hook DATED WIN meal rtsS NJ
near home At other times he lies hid In the ,l bay
dog dog This viii surely call up old bull gator =
| one be anywhere near for besides Delng lhQusl !,
ss ys sey MSen are the very nSsr
| shoot IT, or lasso II by diving ana casting loops
around head and tail under the water He seems
His visitors and his few neghbors regard ms cs,,-
ing as e a'V fevers but ef laughs at this
| when you wonder at his foolhardlness In divlns
under some foul clsybank. when both parent gators
were AT home guarding the young. ne VII sno% o,
two broad re We of ,oothess gums ana va; "a.
the rs es OF n ana da s M blind h s0%
| their cave how he stab them or moose tner
sst or nsaSd beSre a9S aS ha ne
harmless under water "xcept for the sweep ot "T en-
Ss sarace as ory ore on S' ana rRen after he
you his pens and ar'dciai mudeanks M wne,e n ds ne
mand grows brisk. and tells you wnat nos, sn,o, a.
dealers he supplies, all over the state you e'"''
but aa%ss Sa yss Sifa hs shSeRs You sOdo
end tell him You wouldn't pc n y ms ses Massr
knows wat fool Brer Gator am. an kin hsnnse sE
err dozen OBJ em at once under water ~ ae ia, son
Semai sSem an wSsper | got er rabbits ef
hine foot tied in nah bet!'