16 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



" Who wants to fight with such a huge dragon ? Not you, I 

 warrant ! " 



" Whar your pup alligators ? " said Mike to the Doctor. 

 " Bless me, I forgot them ! " exclaimed the Doctor, diving his 

 hands up to his elbows in his capacious pockets. Out came bits 

 of thread, seeds of plants, little tin boxes, claws of birds, and 

 finally two or three young alligators, about the size and shape of 

 small daggers. They were of a mottled chocolate and yellow 

 colour, and feeling the genial effect of the fire, commenced 

 scrambling around like tortoises. The Doctor, with a hand on 

 each knee, regarded them with unfeigned delight, and Mike, 

 between his puffs of tobacco, looked on the scene with a quirk in 

 his cheek. 



"Eeptilia, Loricata, oviparous, amphibious," enunciated the 

 Doctor. 



Just then one of the little animals inserted his nose under 

 Csesar's neck, as he lay snoring by the fire, and commenced 

 wriggling himself into the woolly retreat. 



" Bress de Lord ! " shouted Caesar, springing to his feet ; " whas 

 am dat yer pizen little varmint — what fur yer cum here, hey ? " 



Seeing our laughter he shook himself, and going to the other 

 side of the fire rolled up again like a ball, pulling his blanket over 

 his head, and went to sleep as soundly as before. 



" Do you see that alligator's tail ? " said the Doctor, as he 

 pointed with the mouth-piece of his pipe at the caudal extremity 

 of one of the little brutes as it lay on the warm sand. I admitted 

 that I did, because I saw the Doctor was in a humour to talk, and 

 I did not want to contradict him. 



" Now tell me why it is that this animal should have such a 

 big tail for so small a body, when any one knows he can't wag it 

 with any pleasure ? " 

 " Couldn't say, Poke." 

 " Can't you imagine, then ? " 

 " Ornament," I blandly suggested. 



" Ornament, indeed ! Now, I have been studying these mam- 

 malia to-day. Mike and I went down Black Bayou after bear 

 tracks, and I saw he was going farther than I fancied, so I sat 



