The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-17
CROCODILE HUNT
IN THE TROPICS
The Huge Reptiles Too Crafty
TO be Nabbed
STORIES OF LUCKY SHOTS
Sometimes II Is Possible to Catch Mr..
Alligator During His slesta-croc-
odIIe Thirty Feet Long and a
Hundred Years old.
STORIES Of LUCKY SHOTS

AhuBstoI NJdmalcaJ Oaliy SledneF, III
letter to the Chicago News, is stalking
and shooting crocodiles.
Perhaps 1t is not quite so exciting as
fishing fer sharks, catching tarpon or
harpooning the devilfsh-all of which
sports may also be obtained in Jamaica
but 1t is far from difficult and dan
gerous, calling into play all the best
qualities of the sportsman.
There are a good many crocodiles in
the more distant reserves of Kingston
harbor and at the mouths of the Jamaica
rivers, but they are exceedingly wary,
and a most cautious approach Is neces-
sary If 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 accompanied by
small plover. which perches upon the
scaly ridge of its back, and is just Wis
ible above the filthy water in which
its big patron loves to wanow.
On the approach of man or any other
danger this tiny bird fiutters into the
air and utters a shrlll cry to warn its
"chum."
The crocodile dives. and you may sit
in your canoes and nurse your rifle for
an hour without a chance of shot.
is Afraid OF Man.
The Jamaican crocodile is shyer of man
than most of its kind.
Often have spent the whole day row.
ing up creeks and catching malaria in
noisome swamps without even getting
within aiming distance of the brutes.
They bury themselves in the mud on the
approach of danger, and often, when
taken unawares, feign death in the hope
of escape.
Even IL you do manage to shoot one
the odds are that 1t will sink to the bot
tom of the river or creek unless you are
very quick. and then 1t is a terribly diff
ficult business to fish 1t up and get the
skin.
My best crocodile was lost In that
way. 1 caught him on the river bank
toward evening and got a steady shot
with a .33 winchester. The heavy bullet
crashed through the soft pouch surround
ing his wicked little eye and he died al
most instantly, but in his death agony
he managed to flop off the river bank in
to twelve feet of water.
The negro boys tried to fish him up,
but 1t was quite impossible, for he was
huge fellow, at least fifteen feet long,
and very heavy.
He Strayed Far Afield.
On the other hand you may get fine
crocodile when you least expect 1t. |
remember once walking in the lunatic
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 ten miles from
his us habitat, through the salt waters
of the harbor, and was prowling around
the bathing place attached to the asylum.
Unlike most orocodiles. he was not scared
by our approach, and we were able to
for iii oIo ~.
He measured over ten feet On another
occasion some negro boys were bathing
round the ordnance wharf in the center
of the commercial part of Kingston har-
Dor, where steamers are coming and
going continually, and crocodile sudden
ly 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
Pliny said that the crocodlle'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 bull
let of heavy modern rifle will pierce
the skin anywhere, unless 1t strikes in
a slanting direction. The crocodile is not.
as a rule, hard to kill. provided one can
get a good shot at 1t, but that is just
the trouble. 1t has not the marvellous
vitality of the shark, which will some
times struggle furiously for an hour al
though covered with apparently mortal
wounds.
A Hundred Years Old.
I remember a patriarchal crocodile.
however, which once put up a splendid
fight He was reputed to 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 women who
washed clothes In the shadows and even
perambulating the streets OF riverside
villages and driving everybody helter-
SHELTER In doors. He was the king of the
district. At last a party of Englishmen
tracked him to his lair ana slew him
after a Homeric fight. He chung to kfe
with the grimmest tenacity, lashing about
with his huge tail. swapping with his en-
ormous jaws at everything within reach
and not giving up the ghost until pierced
with more than twenty bullets.
In another hunt the crocodile had the
better of the encounter. We were a party
of ten and we searched the creeks pa
tintly 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
mangrove bushes. Another man and my
self took one path and the remaining
eight went In a different direction My
friend and I sought vainly for crocodiles
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 direc-
lions, but not sign of our friends. Filled
with alarm, we hurried to the bank. The
yacht was in mdstream 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
tired by their long hunt under the tropi-
cal sun, they had INDUCED in a siesta I'M
der a tree, leaving one of their number
on guard. He also fell asleep. Waking
up presently one observed big crocodile
approaching with murderous intentions.
He reused the rest with a wild yell and
rush for the boat. They had no time
even to snatch their rifles. The crocodile
was very close and they stood not upon
the order of their going"
Hunting at Night.
A British naval officer. who was for
merly stationed in Jamaica. used to say
that the most exciting method Of hunt
ing the crocodile is the night hunt. be-
cause 1t the strangest method of shoot
ing them. He would tell how he used
to be padded round the lagoons at night
by a negro crew In a "dugout," with a
bullseye lantern. He would make the
light search the surface OF the water.
Suddenly" he said, "a big light is
seen about twenty yards away. This is
the eye Of the crocodile, and SO the light
must be kept steadily on 1t and the