Caphii'e and Death of a large Alligator. 315 



In the course of the year 1831, the proprietor of Halahala in- 

 formed me that he frequently lost horses and cows on a remote 

 part of his plantation, and that the natives assured him they were 

 taken by an enormous alligator, who frequented one of the 

 streams which run into the lake. Their descriptions were so 

 highly wrought that they were attributed to the fondness for ex- 

 aggeration, to which the inhabitants of that country are peculiarly 

 addicted, and very little credit was given to their repeated rela- 

 tions. 



All doubts as to the existence of the animal were at last dispel- 

 led by the destruction of an Indian, who attempted to ford the 

 river on horseback, although entreated to desist by his compan- 

 ions, who crossed at a shallow place, higher up. He reached the 

 centre of the stream, and was laughing at the others for their 

 prudence, when the alligator came upou him. His teeth encoun- 

 tered the saddle, which he tore from the horse, while the rider 

 tumbled on the other side into the water and made for the shore. 

 The horse, too terrified to move, stood trembling where the at- 

 tack was made. The alligator, disregarding him, pursued the 

 man, who safely reached the bank, which he could easily have 

 ascended, but rendered fool-hardy by his escape, he placed him- 

 self behind a tree, which had fallen partly into the water, and 

 drawing his heavy knife, leaned over the tree, and on the ap- 

 proach of his enemy, struck him on the nose. The animal re- 

 peated his assault and the Indian his blows, until the former, ex- 

 asperated at the resistance, rushed on the man, and seizing him 

 by the middle of the body, which was at once enclosed and 

 crushed in his capacious jaws, swam into the lake. His friends 

 hastened to the rescue ; but the alligator slowly left the shore, 

 while the poor wretch, writhing and shrieking in his agony, with 

 his knife uplifted in his clasped hands, seemed, as the others ex- 

 pressed it, " held out as a man would carry a torch." His suffer- 

 ings were not long continued, for the monster sank to the bottom, 

 and soon after reappearing alone on the surface, and calmly bask- 

 ing in the sun, gave to the horror-stricken spectators the fullest 

 confirmation of the death and burial of their comrade. 



A short time after this event, I made a visit to Halahala, and 

 expressing a strong desire to capture or destroy the alligator, my 

 host readily offered his assistance. The animal had been seen, a 

 few days before, with his head and one of his fore feet resting on 



