78 Capture and Death of a large Altigator. 



had fallen partly into the water, and drawing his heavy knife, 

 leaned over the tree, and, on the approach of his enemy, struck 

 him on the nose. The animal repeated his assault, and the 

 Indian his blows, until the former, exasperated at the resist- 

 ance, rushed on the man, and seizing him by the middle of the 

 body, which was at once enclosed and crushed in his capacious 

 jaws, swam into the lake. His friends hastened to the rescue ; 

 but the alligator slowly left the shore, while the poor wretch, 

 writhing and shrieking in his agony, with his knife uplifted in 

 his clasped hands, seemed, as the others expressed it, " held 

 out as a man would carry a torch." His sufferings were not 

 long continued, for the monster sank to the bottom, and soon 

 after reappearing alone on the surface, and calmly basking in 

 the sun, gave to the horror-stricken spectators the fullest con- 

 firmation of the death and burial of their comrade. 



A short time after this event, I made a visit to Halahala, 

 and expressing a strong desire to capture or destroy the alli- 

 gator, my host readily offered his assistance. The animal had 

 been seen a few days before, with his head and one of his fore 

 feet resting on the bank, and his eyes following the motion of 

 some cows which were grazing near. Our informer likened 

 his appearance to that of a cat watching a mouse, and in the 

 attitude to spring upon his prey, when it should come within 

 his reach. 



I would here mention, as a curious fact, that the domestic 

 buffalo, which is almost continually in the water, and, in the 

 heats of mid-day, remains for hours with only his nose above 

 the surface, is never molested by the alligator. All other 

 animals become his victim when they incautiously approach 

 him, and their knowledge of the danger most usually prompts 

 them to resort to shallow places to quench their thirst. 



Hearing that the alligator had killed a horse, we proceeded 

 to the place, about five miles from the house. It was a tran- 

 quil spot, and one of singular beauty, even in that land. The 

 stream, which, a few hundred feet from the lake, narrowed to 

 a brook, with Hs green banks fringed with the graceful bam- 

 boo, and the alternate glory of glade and forest, spreading far 

 and wide, seemed fitted for other purposes than the famihar 

 haunt of the huge creature that had appropriated rt to himself 



