LIX.

THE NEGRO AND THE ALLIGATOR.

Foremost among the reptiles which excited the curiosity and aroused the fears of the Georgia colonists, upon their first acquaintance with them, were the alligators. Francis Moore, keeper of the stores, describing them in 1736, says: “They are terrible to look at, stretching open an horrible large mouth big enough to swallow a Man, with Rows of dreadful large sharp Teeth, and Feet like Draggons, armed with great Claws, and a long Tail which they throw about with great Strength, and which seems their best Weapon, for their Claws are feebly set on, and the Stiffness of their Necks hinders them from turning nimbly to bite.” In order to dissipate the general terror which these strange saurians inspired, Mr. Oglethorpe, having wounded and caught one of them, caused it to be carried to Savannah, where he “made the boys bait it with sticks, and finally pelt and beat it to death.”

To the European, newly landed on these shores, the alligator was indeed a novelty, repulsive and provocative of dread. Not so with the negro. His ancestors were well acquainted with the African crocodile, and their descendants, dwelling in this marsh region filled with swamps and cypress ponds, and permeated with lagoons, creeks, and rivers--the habitat of this formidable reptile--were from childhood familiar with its roar, and entirely accustomed to its unsightly appearance and habits. Among these sable myth-makers it figured as an important _dramatis persona_. Of the dogs, geese, ducks, and hogs of the plantation hands it was an avowed and a voracious enemy. When skinned and thoroughly boiled, its tail was esteemed by many as a savory article of food. For the cure of rheumatism its oil was held in special repute, and the exuded musk was collected for medicinal uses. Its skin, rudely tanned, entered largely into the composition of home-made pouches and shoes. Whistles and powder-charges were fabricated from the tusks, which also served a good turn for the pickaninnies to rub their swollen gums against, and to cut their first teeth upon. A constant depredator was the alligator upon the fish-traps which guarded the mouths of the short creeks emptying into the rivers. Upon the reflux of the tide, entering the inclosure, this reptile gorged itself upon the fishes there detained, and incurred the wrath of Cuffee, whose frying-pan was thus cheated out of its anticipated evening broil. Hence it came to pass that the alligator was regarded by the negro both as an enemy and as desirable game. During the spring and summer they frequently met, and whenever the former could be taken at a disadvantage its life was forfeit to the opportunity. It was killed in rice-field ditches, in shallow ponds, and occasionally upon land. The hoe, the axe, a fence rail, and the club were the offensive weapons; and loud were the cries and great was the fun while the struggling reptile was being beaten to death. In the back-waters and in swamps where the alligators made their nests, reared their young, and dug their holes, the negroes, during their leisure hours, were fond of capturing them by means of a heavy iron hook fastened to the end of a long, stout pole. This was thrust into the hole where the reptile lay. While snapping at the hook, with its irritating prong, the alligator was in the end securely caught with the barb, and then came the tug of war. It was in no wise an easy operation to draw from its hiding-place one of these reluctant, excited, and revolving monsters. For this purpose the combined strength of several stalwart men barely sufficed. The frolic was joyous, and the exultant shouts of those engaged in the sport awakened strange echoes in the depths of the dank and moss-clad swamps.

If we may credit the text of the “Brevis Narratio” of Le Moyne de Morgues, the Florida Indians were addicted to similar sport, and Plate XXVI may well be claimed in practical illustration of the amusement to which we are now alluding.

During the period of hibernation the negroes often dug these reptiles out of their holes. Sometimes the alligator attained huge proportions, measuring, from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail, fourteen feet. It was fond of a given locality, and exercised exclusive dominion over some favorite bend in the river, some chosen part of a lake, or some attractive pool in the swamp. The patriarch, with its attendant consort and progeny, there reigned supreme, unless, after severe battle, it was driven away by one more powerful.

In ante-bellum days, when firearms were denied to the negro population, alligators were far more numerous than they are at present. The great demand for their skins which has arisen of late, the use of the rifle in the hands of the tourist, and the employment of the shot-gun by the freedmen have united in causing a frightful mortality among these reptiles. Bartram says that when he visited the River St. John the alligators at one point “were in such incredible numbers, and so close together from shore to shore, that it would have been easy to have walked across on their heads, had the animals been harmless.”

For the capture of animals drinking at the water’s edge, or swimming in lake or river, the tail was employed. A stunning blow having thus been delivered, the victim was caught in the open jaws, and thence transported to the dwelling-place of the reptile, where it was guarded until decomposition had fairly supervened. It was then eaten at leisure and with apparent relish. Sometimes days were allowed to elapse before the slain animal or bird became suitably seasoned for the feast.

While hogs, dogs, calves, sheep, geese, and ducks were often captured by alligators, they seldom attacked human beings. Of mankind they apparently entertained an inborn fear, and would quit the part of the river or lagoon in which men or even boys were swimming. Instances are rare in which human life has been sacrificed to the voracity of these monsters. The writer remembers several occasions, however, on which men and children were attacked by alligators. He will be pardoned for recalling one of them.

Sawney had a wife who resided upon a neighboring plantation. It was his habit to visit his wife every Saturday night, and remain with her until Monday morning. On these journeys he would carry a bag containing provisions and such choice morsels as he had been able, during the week, to accumulate for his better half. Near the negro quarter, where he resided on the home-plantation, was a small creek, in which the tide ebbed and flowed. A large log furnished convenient means for crossing it. On the night in question, shortly after dark, Sawney shouldered his well-filled bag and set out for his wife’s house. The tide was flowing into the creek. Instead of crossing on the log, he saw fit to descend the gentle bank and wade through the water. It was not more than half-leg deep, and the creek was only some ten yards wide. When he was in the middle of the stream his attention was attracted by a movement in the water. Instead of getting out upon the bank, which he could readily have done, he paused, and began to parley with what, in the darkness, he conceived to be a “sperit.” “Tan back, Mossa Sperit, an lemme pass. Tan back, Mossa Sperit; me do you no harm.” In this idiotic and frightened manner he stood idly talking, until what proved to be a large alligator approached and laid violent hold of his right leg. He was quickly thrown down by the reptile. In the confusion which ensued, and amid the struggles and yells of the negro, the alligator for the moment relaxed its hold, and was attracted by the fallen bag, which it tore in pieces. Sawney had so completely lost his wits, was so terrified, and was suffering so much pain, that he neglected to improve the opportunity thus afforded, and betake himself to flight. He remained rooted to the spot, howling, praying, and calling for help. Having in a little while disposed of the bag, the alligator renewed its attack upon the frightened negro, threw him down, broke his left arm, and frightfully lacerated it and one of his legs.

The negroes at the quarter hard by, hearing the noise and cries for help, armed with torches, hoes, axes, and billets, rushed to the spot just in time to save the life of the unfortunate man. The alligator was beaten to death. It measured nearly eleven feet, and was very stout. Sawney’s wounds proved well-nigh fatal. He was confined to his cabin for quite three months, and, during that time, required and received the careful attention of a competent surgeon.

The lazy way in which the negro was in the habit of fishing, perched upon a tussock, with feet and rod trailing in the water, somnolent and in utter silence, did sometimes invite and receive a flirt from the tail of the reigning alligator, defending its preserves against all poachers.

The old memories are fast drifting away into the shadows, and the modern negro and the alligator of the present are but partial types of things that were.