208 WILD ANIMAL CELEBRITIES 



warning, Number Two suddenly caught hold 

 of Old Mose's tail, fixing his teeth firmly into 

 the part where the notch had been made by 

 the shark, and hung on for dear life. 



Old Mose was powerless. It was useless 

 turning round; he simply swung his enemy 

 away from him, and no matter how much he 

 turned and twisted Number Two would not 

 let go. Alligators do not pull and strain at 

 the objects they catch hold of, like most of 

 the wild animals ; they turn round and round 

 in the water like a swivel, and keep this up 

 until the part they happen to have in their 

 mouths comes away by sheer force of twist- 

 ing and wrenching. 



There followed one of the most terrific 

 struggles ever seen between two reptiles in 

 captivity; indeed I doubt whether such 

 another instance has ever even been heard of. 

 The water was splashed and thrown up high 

 and in all directions, turning gradually to- 

 wards the end of the struggles to a deep red 

 color, but Number Two did not once loosen 

 his hold until he had torn off fully fourteen 



