An Adventure With an Alligator.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 405, 25 September 1889, Page 4

An Adventure With an Alligator.

'F.' gives the following particulars in the 'Civil and Military Gazette' of an adventure Mr H. Abbott, of indigo and racing fame, met with some years ago :—: — •It was in the rains, and we were up at Tewarreh Factory vata when the jamadar told U8 that there was a huge alligator under the bridge of the river. Sendiug for a gun and a couple of bullets, we went up to the bridge, and, sure enough, about twenty yards oft there was an enormous " ghurial,'" some 20ft long, with his head just visible above the water. A welldirected shot caught him between the eyes, and the brute, mortally wounded, plunged into deep water, rolling over and over, and was carried by the tide down towards the bungalow, which was a-quarter of a mile oii. itunning to the vat - house, Abbott seized a long rope lying there, and rapidly made a slipknot in it, and declaring that he was not going to lose so lovely a skin, kicked off his boots, and just as he was — in socks, breeches and shirt— jumped into the river, giving me and a lot of natives the other end of the rope to hold. He got well into the middle of the stream, and was quietly treading water while we were all anxiously watching, when suddenly, within two feet of the swimmer, the alligator plunged straight up out of the water, snout foremost, as alligators generally do when hit in the head. Without the least hesitation Abbott flung both arms right round the snout, and a regular rough-and-tumble ensued. ' Presently the brute's whole body appeared, Abbott calmly mounted him, evidently trying to disengage the slip-knot which had now got tight round his own arm, and to shove it over the brute's head. Then the alligator started swimming, and we followed down the bank, when, just as we were nearing 1 the bungalow, he pulled dead up, brought his tail out of the water, and with a fearful side-sweep capsized Abbott, snapping at him as he fell. Then came another fight, such as I never wish again to see, the pair eventually disappearing beneath the water. We hauled away at the rope, thinking that it was still attached to Abbott, when unexpectedly we saw him come up a few yards from the bank, evidently almost senseless. A Rajpoot peon jumped in and dragged his master up the slope. He was bleeding awfully, and was a gruesome sight — shirt in ribbons, anna and chest torn all over, both hands badly maimed, and the right foot completely crushed. He came to at once, and only said, "The rope's safe over his nose;"and it vras, sure enough ; for the natives to whom I had thrown the rope were now busily engaged in hawling the defunct saurian on shore. ' I never saw a man in such a mess ; and, to add to the horror, down to the edge of the river, just as we had dragged up her half-Killed husband, ru&hed his young wite, wringing her bands, and naturally half out of her wits with terror. While she was standing over him, and the servants were carrying him to the house, he started ringing, " Home they brought her warrior dead." A nice time ot it we had out in a jungle with no appliances to tie the severed arteries, and with a patient who would insist in trying to get out of bed to see how the skinning of the alligator was getting on. We tried to hire kahars, but the wnole country was under water, and they refused to budge from home ; so we put him into a shampony and took him in to the doctor at Mozufferpore, taking from ten on Tuesday till seven the next morning to do the twenty miles.'

Nurse (to youne husband) : "A beautif u 10 b baby, sir." 'Young Husband (getting things mixedin his excitement) : "Glorious! Am I a father or a mother ?"