ALLIGATORS OF LOUISIANA AND TEXAS. 277 



employment, and finished by asking whether the 

 alligator which they had just skinned was not one of 

 the heaviest which they had ever met with. They 

 answered that it was a good one for the neighbour- 

 hood, but nothing for the Big Marshes. 



" And where are they ? " said I. 



"Oh! they're not very far. Only down there," 

 said he, pointing down river. He then spun me a 

 tremendous yarn respecting the alligators which he 

 had to do with in that part of the Mississippi, and 

 in his adventures with which he had narrowly escaped 

 being swallowed up by them. 



Here is my last adventure with the alligators, and 

 I give the reader my word of honour that it is 

 strictly true. I had often met a negro who lived on 

 the border of Devil's Swamp, not far from New 

 Orleans, and who got his living by selling spirituous 

 liquors. Miro had four barrels in his cellar, — one 

 of wine, another of gin, a third of brandy, and a 

 fourth of rum. He, had, moreover, ten well-built 

 fishing-boats, and eked out a very good living by 

 serving gentlemen who came that way with a very 

 passable pepper-pot, or a capital venison steak, or a 

 peccary ham. He was a bit of a braggart in his 

 way, and had often recounted adventures which had 

 piqued my curiosity. Among other things he had 

 frequently told me of the effect of the Electric 

 Telegraph upon on alligator. 



At this time there was only one sportsman in New 



