AN ADVENTURE WITH AN ALLIGATOR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2295, 6 December 1889, Page 2

AN ADVENTURE WITH AN ALLIGATOR.

" F " gives the following partionlara m tho "Civil and Military Gazotto "of an adventure Mr H, Abbott, of indigo nnd racing fame, met with Borne y.ara ago : }t was m ihe rains, and wo were up at Tewarreh f acto y vats when the j niidar told us that there was a hugalligator under the bridge of the river Sonding for a gun a id a oonplo of bul'e.B, we went cp to th* bridge, and, cure onou^h, about twenty yards off, there waa an enormous "* ghorial " some twenty fo-t long, with t ia hea-i just vislblo above t-lo water. A well-directed shot caught htn between the oyos, and the brute, mortally wounded, plunged lato deep water, rolling over and over, and was carried by the tide down towards the bungalow, which waa some quarter of a mile off. Running to the vat houae, Abbott seized a long rope lying there, and rapidly mado a Blip-knot m it, and declaring that he was not going to lose bo lovely a _kin, kicked off hi. tots, ad jaet as he w.a— ln aock., breeol.ee, and shirt — jumped into tho rlvor, giving me and a lot of natives the other and of the rope to hold. Ho got well Into the middle of tbe stream and was quintly treading Water while wo wer. ail anx!o*sly watohlng, when suddenly, within two foot of the swimmer, the alligator plangod (fcralght out of the water, snout foramoßt, as alligators generally do when hit In tbe head. Without tho least hesitation Abbott fling both arms right round the snout and a regular vough-and-tumble ensued, I yelling to him at the top of my voice to drop is. Presently the bru'o's whole body appeared, and Abbott calmly mounted him, evidently trying the while to disengage the slip-knot whioh had now got tight round his own arm and to shove it over the brute's head. Then the alligttjr started swimming, and we followed down the bank, when, jam. „_ «c were opposite the bungalovr, he pulled dead up, brought his tall out of tbo water, and wl'h a fearful downside oap.ls >d Abbott, ■napping him as he ft 11. Then oame ano her fight .' suoh as I never wish again to see ; the pair eventually disappearing beneath tbe water. We hauled away at <h. ropo, thinking it was still attached to Abbott, when unexpectedly wo stw him oome up a few yards from the bank, evidently almost sonsele-a. A Rajput peon jumped In and dragged his master op the slope, He was blee Jog awfully and was a graesomo sight. Shirt m ribbon-, arms and oheat torn all over, both hands b.dly maimed, and ihe right fjut 0 mpiotoly otushed. He oame to at onoe. »nd only gild, «»Tho rope's safe over his nose," end so it was sure enough, lor the natives to whom I had thrown the rope were now bußlly eigaged In hauling tho defaoot saurian on shore.

I never caw a man In suoh a moßfl j and, to add to the horror, down to the edge of the rlvor, just as we had dragged up her half-killed husband, ruahed hla young wife, wilnging her hatido and naturally half out of hoe wlla with terror. Whllo she «aatandiug ovor blra and the servants wore carrying him to the houee, he started singing -'Home they brought her warrior dead." A nloa time of It wo had out In a jungle, with no applloationa to tie the aavered arteries, and with a patient who would inßist m trying to got out of bed to boo how the oklnning of tho alligator waa getting on, Wo tried to hire kalian, but tho whole county waa under water, and thoy refused to budgo from home ; bo wo put him In a shampony and took him into the doctor _t JKLzafferpo..*, taking from ten o'olock on Tne.day till .oven the next morning to do the 20 miles. Nothing but hio high spirits and total Inability to give ln.Jkept him alive through that jouruey.He oui-ht to have died from the loan of blood, for the wounda burnt out ovory time there was a bad jolt over the breaks In the road, and they were legion. And then the poleon from tho bites and danger of lockjaw would bave been sufficient to settle ■ny nervoua fellow. Luckily he haa not got ouch a thing as nerves In hli composition ; hence, I suppose, hla escape.