SHOOTING AT SALT LAKE. 219 



that there shortly reposed a goodly pile of well-favored 

 ducks in the bottom of my boat. 



It was now near noon, and while munching my frugal 

 lunch, I cast about me for some larger game more worthy 

 of my labor. Eunning my eye along the shore, I saw, 

 wherever a sandy reach stood out from the reedy margin, 

 dozens of long, black objects stretched motionless upon 

 the snowy sand. These were alligators which the sun had 

 called from the depths of the lake to enjoy his beams in 

 the open air. There were all sorts and sizes, from the lit 

 tle snapper, a foot long, to the old bull alligator of a dozen 

 feet in length, patriarch of a large tribe. Softly pad 

 dling my boat up a crooked creek, I watched the &quot; gators &quot; 

 as they slipped oif the banks into the water, where they 

 would remain an instant watching me, then disappear. 

 Soon came my opportunity ; rounding a sharp curve, I dis 

 covered a nine-footer, fast asleep, with mouth wide open. 

 The vulnerable parts of the alligator are the eye, ear, and 

 the heart, reached by placing a shot behind the fore leg. 

 This I well knew, but just as I sighted his ear, a snake 

 slipped into the water, distracting my attention a trifle, 

 and the bulk of the charge was placed too far behind. 

 It seemed to be effectual, however, and running my boat 

 alongside, I essayed to roll him in. As his paws were 

 working convulsively, affording no hold, I stuck my 

 bowie knife full into his eye to facilitate operations. 

 This seemed to have an enlivening effect, for he at once 

 commenced a series of gymnastic evolutions that would 

 have struck terror to the heart of Dio Lewis himself. 

 Finding that he was retreating toward the creek, carry 

 ing my eigh teen-inch bowie with him, I seized my gun and 

 stretched him upon his back with quivering paws. Then 

 rolling him into the boat, I soon had him at the land- 



