80 THE ALLIGATORS LIFE HISTORY 



The hunters having located an alligator hole can easily tell 

 by the signs on the bank and the condition of the water 

 whether or not it is occupied, and by the signs they can also 

 tell approximately the size of the occupant. 



Having located a hole in which there was an alligator, the 

 hunter proceeded to feel with his pole until he found the 

 opening from the water, that led under the marsh or bank 

 to the alligator's den. He then ran his pole in as far as 

 possible, and if he did not encounter the alligator, noted 

 the direction that the underground den took, and following 

 this line to about where his pole would end, would dig 

 through the surface with a small, short-handled shovel that 

 he carried in his belt, making a small opening through the 

 turf into the water of the underground passageway. He 

 would then start at this point and feel farther back into 

 the den with his pole. Sometimes he would have to make 

 two or three openings before he would locate the alligator 

 at the end of the den, and sometimes the den would have 

 several branches or a second opening connecting with a 

 stream or pond, and the alligator would not be found. If 

 the alligator was located, this could be told by its movement 

 which could be felt as the pole touched it. The pole was 

 moved backward and forward until the alligator became en- 

 raged, and grabbed the end of it in its mouth. When this 

 happened, the hunter with a quick tug would fasten the iron 

 hook on the end of the pole in the alligator's throat, and 

 if it was not too large, draw it to the entrance that the pole 

 went into. As soon as the alligator's head came above the 

 water, a quick cut from a hand axe through the brain put 

 an end to its life. It was then hauled out in the grass and 

 skinned at once. In this way the hunters would proceed 

 over a considerable territory and frequently get a dozen or 

 more alligator hides in a day. Sometimes they hook on to 

 a very large, powerful alligator that could not be pulled 

 from its den, and occasionally a hunter would lose his pole, 

 as the alligator would be so strong that he would twist the 



