The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1909-08-07
C0HERNtL1y7- R4LACS. 07.Y G/ RfA4tzl

R4LACI. (17Y DT HflS4/11
far from ones pillow. And was par
ticularly anxious to get to sleep. be
cause at a. m. the chief OF police
was coming round to take our party
on an alligator hunt.
! was just doing off when there
came loud rapping at the door and
a boy thrust in his head: WAS you
de gemman dat ordahed de ice-watah?'
mo" | said, next ROOM" and com
posed myself to rest. About two
o'clock / was meeting with some de-
gree Of success when the same boy
raped again Did You wish for
ice-watah, subj"
At three O'CLOCK he came a third
time and said the chief Of police was
waiting downstairs. | had not slept
at all, but neither had the chief OF
police
We drove, with day breaking above
the royal palms and the ceba trees,
past the Chinese cemetery and around
AnCon hill to the wharf of La Boca.
the Pacific terminus Of the canal
Here there was a 50-foot launch wait
ing for us; the American engineers
found the launch on the top of the
hills at Culebra and put it together.
With two Jamaica natives Bhoveling
coal in the cockpit and a Spaniard at
the engine, we went up the coast %
miles through water alive with sharks
chasing the mullet clean out OF the
sea and the pelicans solemnly fishing
from the reefs. At the mouth Of the
Chowera river we turned in. Opposite
a stone dock built by a British trading
company We anchored the laupch and
took to four small boats, each boat
rowed by two policemen from the
Panama constabulary. 1t WAS hard
fighting up that river. The tide was
rushing out nine miles an hour and
after passing a native village OF mis-
cradle shacks thatched with palm. we
came to reef that spanned the river
except at one or two points, where
the water rushed boiling through
Again and again the oarsmen. yelling,
bent to the paddles and forced the
boats right into the teeth of the rap
los, but the water played with us "as
kitten pats cork" and drove us
back with our gunwales dipping un.
der.
Capt Stanton, our chief OF police.
was getting a little discouraged, for
he had not seen anything much TO
shoot at except a couple of water
dogs, or soras. that ventured too near
ne hank. and the captain had given
IS TO expect a happy hunting ground
with a whole herd OF alligators. As we
oundcd the corner just above the
apids, | nearly fell out of the boat
mere they were on the bank, at least
- OF them-not 200, as the champion
lar Of the party subsequently, stated
The biggest was not less than % feet
onS. They shambled very rapidly ON
heir fat legs TO the waters edge and
! plOpped in. The minute their noses
came to the surface 12 Marlin AS
gave them a voIley, but Capt Shan
tons elephant gun was probably the
| only weapon that did any damage.
\ great hunter was telling me the
other night how you proceed with a
whale He said:
First you get the whale Interested
and then You kick him in the face
But you can't do that with an alljga.
tor We probably shouldn't have
| landed a single one If it hadn't been
for the fact that a lady gator was
| taking a nap in thicket far above
! the water line and hearing the m
multi and the shouting came down ne
| bank In a hurry toward Capt Shan
! toms boat, clappiDg her under law
! Ike the bottom OF a steam shovel
! bucket at Cllebra The captain was
| ready and lot her have Goth barrels
! Of the elephant gun, which would
| have wrecked the shoulder of an ordj.
! uarily strong man. congressman
! from California was peep:ng between
! Capt Shau'ons legs witt a Brownie
camera. but he pressed the button
/ great many times and forgot To turn
I the film So that tie rcsll. was decl
! Is composite The gator -eeled ogrr
4 Just before she got to tie aater sra
when ac we're s.re she 81 gun.c.en,
s. dead pe cut Of Ter C.,tus for sou
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