Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-05-26
AN ALLIGATOR ADVENTURE.
South Australian AborienaFs Fight
with the Beast.

with the Beast.
The traditional method of catchipa
bird is to put salt on its tail, ana
of defeating the attack of an alligator
10 poke the beasts eyes in with ones
thumbs. Authentic records of one
feat are almost as rare as those of the
other. The slender collection Is now
enriched by an exciting story told by
The Northern Territory Times, z
newspaper published at PalmerstGn.
South Australia:
"Of late years" says this journal,
"alligators seem to be acquiring
bad habit of prowling around th'.
farbor foreshores of Port Darwin A
dusk on Feb. an aboriginal. rejoicing
in The name of Mubbleburra, employ en-
on pearling lugger, Invested himself
of his scanty attire with the intentions
OF having a dip. He was swimming.
and was about midway between the.
shore and the boat, when a huge ALI
gator suddenly arose alongside of hina
The reptile struck Mubbleburra on
the side of the head with one of ia
forepaws. one of the claws penetrating
the mans face and INJECTING a severe
injury. In the next instant ii sei2eu
its victims in its jaws and inflicted
some terrible wounds in the mans
shoulder and back A more horrible.
and apparently hopeless position can
not well be conceived. ANY white
man similarly circumsiauced woula
probably have yielded up the ghost
! forthwith. But MubbleburTa comes
from a district whose rivers TEEN.
with these reptiles.
Probably some old tribal stories;
of hair-breadth escapes from similar
| tight corners flashed through hsA
mind In any case, with great cooa
ness and courage, he wrlggled himself
around and managed to insert his
thumbs in the eye-sockets of the
alligator with such force and effect
that the brute let go its hold AMI bea,
a temporary retreat. MubbleburTa.
torn and bleeding as ne was, i'm
mediately dived to the bottom ana
struck out in the direction of the boat
coming up occasionally for breath, he
appears TO have lodged the alligator,
and succeeded in scrambling into the
dinghy. AS he did so the brute. which
had been following him. made a rush
and bit through or broke the painter
of the boat-a new IL inch rope
within six inches of the stem Mub-
blebGrra broke limb from one of ,be
mangrove trees and padded himsel,
ashore. Questioned concerning his
adventure later, Mubbleburra SAID.
My word, suppose that one young
strong pfeller alligator me die quick;
that one old pfeller-no more too
much strong quick pfeller
I'VE learn that Mubbleburra is in u,
fair way toward complete recovery
after his unique, or, at the least.
sensational experience, but until he lie
planted away in some tree in his final
bark envelope, he will be able to show
scars on his person attesting the truth
of his tale. We believe the alligator
in question had been seen occasionally
in the neighborhood for some weeks
previously, and we are informed thar
on the morning following Mubbie
burra's adventure one of the crew
had a good sight of the same brute.
who leisureIy circle1 around the
dinghy he was in, apparently mej!tat
ing on the feasibility of upfctting the
tiny craft and grabbing It's occupant.
The brute is said TO have approached
quite close to the boat, and had the
man possessed a rife COCO cnance'
was afforded Of giving the dangerous,
reptile its quietus."