84 THE ALLIGATOR'S LIFE HISTORY 



gator slide off the bank about one hundred yards ahead, 

 look at me for a few moments and then disappear under 

 the water. I was paddling my boat from the left side and 

 holding very close to the bank. The alligator had slid off 

 from that side. Suddenly when I came near the place where 

 I had seen it disappear, the tail of a very large alligator rose 

 above the water and struck a glancing blow on the side of 

 my boat, upsetting the boat and driving me against the bank. 

 I had my loaded gun in front of me with its stock acfoss 

 one thigh and its barrel extending along the bottom of the 

 boat. As the alligator struck the boat, I instinctively 

 dropped the paddle and grabbed the gun, and as I was 

 driven against the bank, I came to my feet in water not 

 more than two or three feet deep, simultaneously with the 

 rising to the surface of the head and neck of the alligator, 

 not more than six feet from me. The look in its eyes and 

 the position of its head being extended well above the 

 water and parallel to it showed that it was looking for me 

 with the intention of grabbing me. Quick as a flash I whirled 

 my gun and shot it through the head, killing it. I am firmly 

 convinced that this alligator made an attempt to catch me. 

 I pulled it to the side of the bank and found it was a very 

 large one, perhaps eleven or twelve feet long, with a good 

 section of its tail missing. Large alligators often have a 

 considerable part of their tail or a leg missing, it having 

 been twisted off during a fight with one of its kind. 



On another occasion, I had been shooting Upland Plover 

 in late August, and I was riding back from the prairie over 

 the road through the marsh connecting Avery Island with 

 the highland, when I saw an old alligator with a lot of young 

 ones crossing the road in front of me. I had with me a 

 young darky who was carrying my game, and riding another 

 horse. We 'loped up quickly as I wanted to get some of the 

 young ones, but the whole party slid off the road into the 

 water bordering the road before I got to them. I jumped 

 off my horse, handed the reins and my gun to the boy who 



