The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-20
EXCITING HUNT
FOR CROCODILES
Dangerous Sport in the Re
serves and Rivers of
Jamaica.

tarpon, or harpooning devilfish-an of
which sports may be obtained in Jamai-
ca-but it is far more difficult and
dangerous, calling into play all the best
QUALITIES Of the sportsman. There are
great many crocodiles in the more
distant reserves of Kingston harbor
and at the mouths of the Jamaica riv-
efS, but they are exceedingly wary and
a most cautious approach is necessary
II one wishes to get close enough for
an effective shot. Just as the lion has
his Jackal and the shark his pilot fish,
so the crocodile is almost always ac-
compan1ed by small plover, which
perches upon the scaly ridge of it's back
and is just visible above the filthy wa
ter In which its big patron loves to
wallow. On the approach of a man or
any other danger, this tiny bird flutters
into the air and utters shrill cry to
warn its ''chum.' The crocodile dives
and you may sit in your canoe and
nurse your rifle for an hour without the
chance of a shot.
Feiens Death. to Escape.
The jamaican crocodile is shyer
of man than most of its kind. often
have spent the whole day rowing up
| creeks and catching malaria in moi
some swamps without even getting
within aiming distance of the prutes.
They bury themselves in the mud on
the approach of danger and often, when
| taken unaWares, feign death in the
hope of escape. Even if you do manage
to shoot one the odds are that 1t will
| sink to the bottom Of the river or. creek
| unless you are very quick, and then
| it is terribly difficult business to fish
| it up and get the skin. My best croco-
| die was lost in. that way. caught
him on the river bank toward even
ing and got a steady shot with a 33
Winchester. The heavy bullet crashed
| through the soft pouch surrounding his
wicked little eye and he died almost
| instantly; but in his death agony he
managed to flop off the river bank
| into twelve feet of water. My negro
| boys tried to fish him up. but it was
quite impossible; for he was a huge
| fellow, at least fifteen feet long and
very heavy.
On the other hand, you may get
! fine crocodile when you least expect it.
l remember once walking in the luna
| tic asylum grounds on Kingston harbor
with one of the doctors, and seeing
a huge crocodile in the water within
! a few feet of us. He had wandered
4 ten miles from his usual habitat
| through the salt waters of the harbor
| and was prowling around the bathing
place attached to the asylum. Unlike
most crocodiles, l1eaMas not scared by
| our approach. and we were able to
send for rifles and Stay him with ease.
HE measured over ten feet. On an
other occasion some negro boys were
/ bathing round the ordnance wharf in
| the center Of the commercial part Of
| Kingston harbOr where steamers are
coming and going continually and a
crocodile suddenly appeared right in
/ the midst of them. The boys dashed
to shore and luckily. none of them was
nipped. The sentry on duty at the
wharf shot the crocodile, sending a
Lee Enfield bullet clean through the
| thick scales on the ridge of the back.
Is Not Impervlous.
Pliny said that the crocodile's skin
will abide any injury and not be pierced -
| That may have been true in his day, but
! it is not true now. The bullet of a heavy
modern rifle will pierce the skin any
| Where, unless it strikes in a slanting
| direction. The crocodile is not, as a rule,
| hard to kill provided one can get a; good
| shot at it, but that is just the trouble. 1t
| has not the marvellous vitality of the
| shark, which will sometimes struggle flu
| riously for an hour, although covered
| with apparently mortal wounds
| remember patrlarchal crocodile,
| however, which once put up a splendid
| fight. He was reputed 10 be about thirty
| feet long and 100 Years old and he spread
| terror for many months along the banks
Of one of the jamaican rivers, carrying
| off dogs and goats, soaring the women
| who washed clothes in the shadows, and
| even perambulating' the streets of river
side villages and driving everybody he'll
fPT rel i11An I lii Of
| the district. At last party of English
men tracked him to his lair and slew him
after a Homeric fight. He chung to life
| with the grimmest tenacity flashing about
with his huge tail, swapping with his
enormous jaws at everything within
reach and not giving up the. ghost until
pierced with more than twenty bullES.
Chased Eight Hunters.
In another hunt the crocodile had the
of ten and we searched the creeks pa
tiently for half the day in a small yacht.
Finding nothing we tied the yacht to a
big tree growing at the waters edge
and landed to do some stalking through
the magrove bushes. Another man and
myself took one path and the rema lining
eight went in a different direction. My
friend and sought vainly for crocodiIes
for an hour or two and then gave up the
job and returned toward the boat. About
100 yards from the bank we came across
eight rifles scattered in all directions, but
not sign of our friends. Filled with
yacht was in midstream and there were
our eight friends. safe enough but pale
as ghosts, eagerly scanning the creek and
standing On guard with oars and boat
hooks. They explained that. feeling tir-
ed by their long hunt under the tropical
sum- they had INDUCED in a siesta under
tree, leaving one of their number on
guard. He also fell asleep; Waking up
presently one observed a big crocodile
approaching with murderouS intentions
He reused the rest with a wild yell and
rushed for the boat. They had no time
even to snatch their rifles. The crocodile
was very close and they stood not upon
the y der of their going.
Strange Sport at Night.
A British naval officer who was former
~ stationed in Jamaica used to say that
the most exciting method of hunting the
crocodile is the night hunt, because it is
the strangest method OF shooting them.
He would tell how he used to be padded
round the lagoons at night by a negro
crew in 'dugout, with a bulPs-eye
head. Slowly moving his head from side
to side, he would make the light search
the surface of the water.
Suddenly" he said, "a bright light is
seen about twenty yards away. This is
the eye of the crocodile, and so the light
must be kept steadily On it and the canoe
cautiously padded. toward the spark Up
comes the rife to the shoulder and when
as close as 1t is judged safe to go with
out soaring the quarry. the trigger is pull
ed and the report is orten followed by
the welcome sound 70 the sportsman of
wa1loping round in the mud and water
in his death-throes Wait till he is quiet.
| then approach cautiously Make sure that
he is dead. for a single blow of that great
from that hideouS jaw with it's grinnins
| fangs might be more serious STILL AS
soon as he is dead al rope can be slung
| around him, his body dragged ashore to
1 Where he can cut uD newt n1orDinc