Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-11-11

aud new sport In the exciting alliea.
tor hunt by night
Alligator hunting by night is per
haps one Of the weirdest, most dan
serous, and consequently the most
thrilling games eyer devised. That
is why the American hunters. who
never seem 10 yield. as other nation
alities do. TO tropic lasBitudc. have
chosen this particular sport.
Hitherto alligator hunting here
has been conducted in daylight Then
when the sun is blazing tho ulilea.
tors, so plentiful in the swamps along
the lower harbor, come out and bask
In the mud. i: is then n comparative.
ly easy task to shoot the almost mani
mate creatures.
The procedure in the new game IS
To hire two negroes ana n dugout ca.
noe, This lit,lo craft Is ms light as
a feather. being dug ont of the soft
cottonwood tree. One OF the negroes
is engaged to paddle He must be an
expert guide for In the lagoons At
night there Is little or no light-in
fact. the darker It is the better for
the hunt. The negro also must be
an expert paddlcr. silent of stroke
ana swift of manipulation. for tho
slightest sound will disturb the ALI.
gator. and should he get "rilcd" about
anything quick action Is advantageous.
The other negro has an odd duty
to perform. He carries n hurricane
lamp, which he hides in the bow OF
the canoe. where he must also hide
himself rs much as possible His
duty IL to hoist this lamp slowly at
intervals in attempts to locate n gator
without soaring him.
One may wonder how a hunter can
expect to SOC Il snout Oil the water
by the light Of n lamp. lndcet. that
Is impossible, but the way the alllga.
tor Is sighted and the suspense fol
lowing the sighting nrc n thriller
that will appeal to every real sports
man.
The canoe glldcs silently through
the water, the lamp being raised eau.
tiously aud lowered again and again.
Finally tho ramp Is raised and not
lowered That is the signal. The
paddlcr stops. gently inserts his blade
into water and applies his strength
10 stop the canoe. An alligator
has been sighted, and tho hunters
peer into the gloom ahead There
Is nothing to be seen, hut presently
the negro slowly moves the lamp
from side to side, little higher. and
then little lower and again little
To the side. rs IL he were trying to
catch something he saw.
As he Is moving the lamp ..ac alert
hunters occasionally see e flash like
a yellow diamond In the water. 1t
appears ana disappears. until finally
II becomes steady. And the lamp be-
comes steady, too.
The crucial momcnL has arrived.
Tho alligator Is rs curious as n
woman. II has seen something new
u light II that light moved suddenly
tho reptile would take alarm ana sink,
but not knowing that the gleam of the
lamp reflected. In Tia own eyes pre-
scnts IL fatal mark In the water II
waits to SEQ what manner OF creature
this lurId thing Is.
1t has all been arranged previously
as to which huntcr shall have the
first shot. speaking while In the lagoon
being fatal to the sport When the
gleam Of the lamp becomes fixed the
hunter cautiously raises the rife to
his shoulder, take long and careful
aim, and fires.
That Is the second great moment
And strange thing occurs which
provides sido thrill. All lizards,
toahs and cricKets cease their nocturn-
al chorus as the rifle cxplodos. They
do the same thing in their dismal fear
after Il clap of thunder, only To
begin again III moment with shrek
Ing panic.
As for the alligator, the result OF
tho shot Is known even before the
echoes OF 1t burst through the momen-
tary silence. If the shot has been
true and the ball has gone through
the eye to The brain there Is one
great convnlsivc lash OF tho animals;
tail. then the light OF the lamp shows
tho yellow belly upward upon the
surface.