LASSOING AN ALLIGATOR. 



217 



swam after his end, to the great amusement of our party. " Nig " 

 reached the line, and putting it over his shoulder walked up the beach. 

 As the alligator was led to the edge of the water, " Nig " stood grinning 

 at one end of the line on shore, while the alligator lay quietly awaiting 

 a ball from my gun or a stroke from the hatchet in the hand of a man. 

 But we were disappointed ; " Nig 1 ' had no weight to sling to the under 

 part of the noose to keep it under water, so when the alligator jumped 

 he caught the noose in his mouth, and while " Nig " was grinning, his 

 eyes closed with delight, the alligator cut the rope and swam away. 



There are parts of the alligator near the back bone which the Indians 

 eat. This is the only manner in which they take alligators here ; their 

 arrows will not enter the scales, which often turn a rifle ball. I have 

 seen a boat's crew in Mexico fire a volley of musket balls into an alli- 

 gator and not kill him. The alligators here are much smaller than 

 those found on the rivers in Tobasco. The Indians make buttons, beads, 

 fancy birds, and animals, of their teeth. 



