42 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



tight as a bird-cage. To meet this difficulty, Mike sat 

 down on the bow of the raft, and with a hatchet cut away 

 the reeds, as the negroes poled the raft, until a narrow 

 lane was cut through to terra, fir ma ^ and the men landed 

 with the munitions. Here selecting a sturdy cabbage pal- 

 metto, they fastened the other end of the rope securely, 

 thus making a taut line entirely across the river, and 

 throwing away both poles and paddle, by means of 

 the rope pulled back to the shore from which they 

 started. 



l^ext came the ponies' turn, and with much coaxing, 

 and some pushing and pulling, one of their equine high- 

 nesses was brought on board the raft and pulled to the 

 other shore, where, when he was loosened, he quickly 

 disappeared in the reeds. Sometimes we made him swim 

 by the side of the raft, but it was a dangerous attempt in 

 large rivers on account of the alligators that were tempted 

 to nibble at the legs so invitingly ]3addling above them. 



The third trip brought the other pony, wdio, by liis 

 obstinacy, came near breaking up the raft ; and, finally, 

 I rode over with the balance of the camp equipage and 

 the dogs, that had to be tied up at the beginning of the 

 operations to prevent them swimming, which, had they 

 attempted, they would certainly have been lost by the 

 rapaciousness of the alligators, that even in the early fall 

 were still very active in all the rivers. 



Lastly the raft was sent back empty, with Scipio to 

 unfasten the end of the rope. He, after casting off the 

 rope, pulled himself leisurely ashore with the slack line, 



