The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-14

'It is not generally known that we have
in this country a crocodile" said cocoa
nut planter of the Biscayne country. II
lived in Florida, near the Miami, for
months before knew it. 1 met the Sem
inoles from up the swamp every now and
then, and when 1 asked for game they al
ways referred to what they called the
'sharp-nosed gator which, I supposed
was the common alligator. One day, how
ever. l came across an Indian who had
the skull of one of these sharp-nosed ga
tors for sale. 1 bought it. and at once was
struck with the difference between it and
that OF the alligator. One was pointed with
sharp teeth; the other fiat and round-nosed.
with blunt. crushing teeth. Here, unsus-
pecte~-at least by the majority of white
people, discovered-was as perfect a croc-
odile as could be found on the Nile, and
1 determined to capture one If possible.
"Allgators were fairly common, and Il
was difficult to distinguish them from the
crocodiles; but learned that the crocodiles
were found near the mouths of streams.
In salt water, and that the alligators were
more at home up stream. About this time
party of friends from New York came
down to my plantation. so we organized a
hunt, and for several days secured the
little bays and inclosed areas of the coast:
went I'D the rivers and crawled into the
swamps. but never saw a large crocodile. We
were, in fact. hunting for giant described
by the Indians as twenty or twenty-one
feet long, that had been seen and shot at
score of times, but no one had ever hit
IL. Ii was reported as taking TO the rivers
in winter, and being seen way up i'm the
swamp, going down to salt water in sum-
mer
This monster was fully pictured in our
imaginations. We could see his big head.
his enormous mouth. the corrugated back
in every submerged log or alligator. But
days slipped by and he failed to material
ize One day I took the party out on to
the reef mile from shore to spear turtle
or any game that might come along, and
the main subject of our conversation was
our poor luck with crocodiles. While we
were talking my man suddenly stopped
rowing and pointed to the reef. AS turned
In that direction long tail was lifted out
of the water. coming down with a power
full splash. and then a long, alligatorlike
body became visible and Immediately disap-
peared. causing small wake to follow as
1t moved away.
Crocodile said the man.
What? Out here? Nonsense mani ex-
claimed one of my companions.
"'You saw 1t. sir? said the man, turning
to me. No shark could look like that. 1t
was either crocodile or an alligator, and
1 never heard Of an alligator coming out to
sea-
ut was an easy question to settle and
the boat was turned in the direction Of the
animal. the man in the bow taking out the
harpoon-a three-pr6nged afrair-and ex-
aiming it to see If the rope was attached.
The boat was rowed slowly. the men MAX
ing as little noise as possible, the location
Of the animal now being indicated by
swirl Of water not seventy feet away.
Whatever 1t was II was evidently feeding
in the shallow water. Not a word was said
as the boat slowly drifted up. The har-
pooner stood erect and ready, when sudden
ly fifteen feet from the boat up came the
broad. corrugated back of a huge crocodile,
and the next moment a sharp pointed muz-
zle protruded from the water, having in it's
jaws a ray, which it tossed from side to
side, endeavoring to tear the wide body
asunder.
ut was a crocodile. there was no doubt
In our minds; and SO busily engaged was
it that it did not see the boat until it had
covered five or six feet more. Then the
harpooner leaned back, and, as the big
head turned, he threw the iron.
"'Well struck" cried some one, as the
iron hit the animal, trembling as it kept
its place. Then the great tail came kissing
out of the water, struck the slender mast
(the man dropping into the bottom of the
boat and broke it off as cleverly as though
it had been done with a knife.
Look out for the line! Jump to wind
ard! Stern all hands.' were the orders that
followed. as, in those few seconds, the croc-
odile had made a desperate rush, jerked