The broad ax., 1898-11-12

| pass them by some .aeans. No soon
er had every rife been discharged
than the whole hideous herd made 5
dash for safety. which was right over
the boats. II was a question Of cour-
age and promptness then. Death star
ed them In the face. The barking
guns poured deadly hail Of lead into
the advancing saurians. To the horror
Of the hunters, the brutes did not seem
to care for the hot fire, notwithstanding
that numbers Of them were already
dead on the river bank. Hundreds and
hundreds of the repulsive creatures
were crawling down upon the boats,
their long tails trailing in the mud as
they advanced. On the right hand side
Of the boats nine or ten OF the largest
gators lay in their death throes. lash
ing the reeking mud with their tails
and hurting the sinking filth high into
the air. The monsters crawled over
one another in their hurry to escape.
There was q wilderness OF swapping
jaws and catapultic tails before the
hunted hunters. The reyolvers came
into active play, and the spiteful barks
of the weapons were mixed with the
hoarse roars Of the maddened brutes.
II was a perfect avalanche OF alligators.
Canoe l. Upset,
At the critical moment an accident
occurred which for the moment pal
sled the nerves and froze the very
blood of the men, whose eyes shone
with the light OF battle. Several of
the brutes dived into the mire under
the canoe. which had the effect Of heel
ing the little craft over. The sudden
movement threw Winters, who was
standing in the bow. into the semili-
Quid mud with a tremendous splash.
The gators snapped at him from all
sides, but he was rescued only after
terrific and well directed fire had ere
ated a diversion in the unhappy mans
favor. Presently the saurians began to
whip the mire with their tails. There
was a general tattoo, and as a result
OF the tremendous blows IL raised foul
smelling. green and black mud. In
a minute or two the boats were near
" half filed with blood and water, and
the mems clothes were covered with
the loathsome mixture. A peon was in
a STOPPING posture slashing at the
brutes with his machete, when his arm
was nearly broken by a blow from a
swinging tail. There were numerous
accidents that heightened the excite
ment OF the struggle. The greater num-
Der Of the reptiles had got past the
crafts. AS a result of the unprecedent-
ed battle there were about $50 dead
reptiles. 1t was a hunt that will new
er be forgotten by those who partici-
pated in II. The boats started back
for Panama the next morning, a night
being spent on the bank upon which
they were aground. The night was not
one of rest. made so by the festive mos
Quitoes, which arose in clouds from
the adjacent swamps. After an alb
sence of thirty-five hours the young
men got back to Panama, surfeited
with alligator hunting. The clothes Of
each were torn and covered with the
malodorous slime. Their eyes were
swollen, their noses twice their ordi-
nary size owing to the attacks OF the
mosquitoes. The sun had peeled on
the skin, and both were suffering from
ague and fever through breathing the
tainted atmosphere of the churned-up
mud. But they endured all with
stoical British fortitude, and were
happy in the enjoyment OF days good
sport.