54 EFFECT OF A SHOT. 



little effect I had produced on former occasions, 

 scarcely dreamt of the execution my ball actually 

 did. It happened that to-day I was in excellent 

 practice, and had just hit a large wild dog, a long 

 shot, making him jump high off the ground ; but 

 this beast is as tenacious of life as a cat, and instead 

 of falling dead, he limped off and escaped. But 

 to resume : I fired, and never heard a ball strike 

 with more satisfaction in my life. It laid the 

 alligator sprawling, feet uppermost. There was no 

 time to be lost in getting him on shore ; two or 

 three strokes with the oars brought us alongside of 

 the monster, as he floated on the surface of the 

 stream. The business was to attach a line to one 

 of his legs ; and as we knew that he was not dead, 

 but only stunned, this was rather a nervous opera- 

 tion. I noticed indeed a hesitation among the men, 

 as to who should venture, and fearing lest our prize 

 should escape, I seized the line and made it fast 

 to one of his fore-legs, when we proceeded to the 

 shore, dragging him alongside. Before reaching 

 it, however, our friend gave signs of reviving ani- 

 mation, and as we could not foresee to what extent 

 he might regain his activity, we dropped him astern, 

 clear of the boat, fearing lest in floundering about 

 he might stave in her broadside. In doing so, more- 

 over, and by way of a sedative, I fired a charge 

 of large shot at his head, the muzzle of the gun 

 not being a yard from it; and yet the only effect 

 produced, was a slight stupor of the intellectual 



