The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-06-02


ences.'
He paused and deftly put in the kluk
to the tip Of an opossums tail. l had
brought the specimen and was watch
ing him mount it,
THE nearest / ever came 10 real
escape. so far as ! know, happened on
my first trip to the Florida Everglades
! nm not boasting when l say that
was the first white man to explore the
Everglades thoroughly and map Oke-
chobee
"The aliigators about there were q
source Of constant danger They were
10 be stepped on in the bogs. bumped
against in the water. tumbled over
everywhere
"Snch neighborhood is calculated
to make one careful and alert. Eat
was young, and though naturally eau
tious. had rot dev .oped the woods
mans wariness into Il habit Under
any sudden excitement / was likely
to forget.
II had left my new camp shortly
after noon. intending to wade across
the marsh to mound that was plainly
visible about four miles away.
"An Indian and Georgia cracker
made up my party. We had pene-
trated several miles into the low coun-
try, ana were still some distance from
Okechobee, for instead OF descending
the Kissimmee, we had worked in on
the Caloosahatchee as FAR MS we could,
and were following creeks and lagoons
in our bateau.
This afternoon. instead of taking
the two men, as usual, / left them to
finish the camp, and went off alone.
As large specimens even of birds,
were out of the question at this end
of the journey, took only the light
shotgun, thinking | might need it for
some small, rare species.
The mound proved fully five miles |
away, and | had travelled SO slowly |
through the muck and dense grass |
that the afternoon was nearly spent by |
the time 1 turned back toward camp.
As the dusk settled l moved with
what speed | could. for the nelghbor-
hood was not a pleasant one to sleep /
in Something in the quaking. boggy
bottom. in the all-encircling sedge, the
heavy vapors and the vast. empty twl- /
light puts one ont Of the mood for
sleep. And as | passed along, | could
hear of on my right The occasional
below Of bull alligator.
Il was halfway back, perhaps, when
I came upon a sheet of water, small
lagoon, that lay as if it had been dug
out Of the marsh, so clean and sharp
were its grassy walls
"The sedges and grass here were
head-high, but the ground was so
thlckly rooted and firm that | worked
ont along the edge Of the lagoon,
partly for the relief Of the free vision.
partly to see what might be going on
in the water
Nothing was going OH, but oat in
the miadle Of the quiet pool lay what
appeared to be a long, water-soaked
log. 1t was an immense alligator that
had risen to the surface with the twi-
light. and was waiting for anything
eatable that might come along.
II was tempted to sting him with a
charge of bird-shot But didn't fire,
Just why l don't know, because Up to
this time l haa not learned enough to
let a sleeping alligator lie and save
my ammunition.
Il had taken few steps forward
when saw flying toward me over
the lagoon. large heron Of some kind.
He veered into the light little. and
instantly | discovered that it was not
the common blue species, but large
white bird, which could be none other
than the great white heron Of Cuba
and Jamaica.
Il had never seen the bird alive be-
fore. This was a stray wanGerer and
might be the only one l should meet.
l must have it. and to get the best
possible shot, creDt hurriedly through
the grass to the edge of the water, and
drew myself down out Of sight
mo suspicion Of danger crossed my
mind. l had not thought Of looking
at my steps for possible moccasin.
OF about me in the tall grass for
waiting alligator. My eyes, my whole
attention were fixed on the great
snowy bird approaching; anu when his
deliberate wings expanded almost over
me ! fired.
'The bird recoiied and shot upward.
the report rang in my ears. and stimuli
taneousIy a fearful blow from behind
hurled me headlong into the pool
''The breath was knocked wholly
out Of me, and most of my wits, too;
but l realized that the slashing blow
had been struck by an alligator. which
had been lying concealed in the grass.
with its tail in swinging range Of me.
And another thing l was conscious of
the moment felt the muddy bottom
that there was another alligator in the
ooze under me, and that lie was churn-
ing up a lively suds in his surprise
Il had been flung upon the creature
as it lay on the bottom. flung fairly
astride him. and he was plunging mad
ly about in his endeayo@ to shake me
of / tried to hold on, for upon his
back / was safe at least from his ter
rible jaws. But be plunged and bent
and doubled like a buclsing horse I'M
81 bo 4l,,o... ,.,a fait I,fc 4oii macs