Night Adventure In A Southern Swamp

Night Adventure in A Southern Swamp

Odd places, curious people and especially novel experiences have a great fascination for Mme. Sarah Bernhardt, and during her last trip to this country she found the city of New Orleans much to interest her.

Most of her afternoons during the week’s engagement in the Crescent City were spent in the quaint creole quarters. On one of her jaunts she happened to stroll into an alligator vendor’s establishment in a dingy thoroughfare known as Charters street.

While Mme. Bernhardt was in the alligator store gazing interestedly at the pens filled with wriggling, squirming little alligators Dellyfeet, a long, lean, mud covered, sunburned “Cajun,” whose whole attire consisted of a blue shirt, a pair of trousers rolled up to the knees and a palmetto hat, entered with a sack over his shoulder containing half a hundred little black creatures about twelve inches long. He had paddled his perogue (canoe) in through the bayous (canals) to the city with his week’s collection of baby “gators.”

This fellow’s French attracted Mme. Bernhardt’s attention, and she was soon in conversation with him, asking about his queer business and way of living.

Finally Dellyfeet invited his new acquaintance to go with him on a chase. Mme. Bernhardt eagerly accepted, and a few evenings later, clad in a regular hunting suit, with a short skirt and high boots, she and three of her friends boarded the little electric train for the summer resort of West End, on Lake Pontchartrain.

Arrived at a known haunt of the alligators in a dark creek fringed with tall reeds, pine torches were lit in the canoes and a search began at the water’s edge for “gator” holes. In a few minutes a bunch of three was found.

Mme. Bernhardt was particularly anxious to capture an alligator for herself, and so, under the guidance of the hunter, she laid a noose of stout rope about one of the holes.

One of the hunters gave a low, weird snort which sounded as if faroff in the distance. In the stillness of the night and amid those dreary wastes it sounded most eerie. In a few moments there was another cry as if nearer, then another, and the noise was repeated until at last there came a violent roar, ending in a spluttering among the weeds at the water’s edge exactly as though a huge reptile had just landed from a long swim. It was a most clever piece of mimicry.

Mme. Bernhardt, who had hold of her rope, ready to give the jerk when the creature should pass into the noose, was suddenly apprised of the fact that the critical moment had come.

There was a slight jerk on her rope. She turned quickly and saw a monster alligator crawling out of the hole. Instantly she jerked the rope, tightening the loop about the creature’s middle.

The huge saurian roared with rage and tore furiously around the tree to which he found himself tied. He travel fast than any of the party, although they fled helter skelter in all directions. The visitors had just time to get out of the way as the creature swept past them, his tail swinging from side to side dangerously and his great jaws snapping viciously.

The alligator could have bitten the rope in two with one snap of his jaws, but he hadn’t sense enough for that.

Presently the strain began to tell, his wild rushes slackened and soon he lay almost exhausted.

A heavy pine board was now laid near him. He was tangled up as much as possible in the rope and when all danger from his jaws and tail was past he was bound securely to the plank and the noose around his body was cut.

The plank and its burden were carried to one of the boats, the other animal being similarly secured, the party started homeward.

Mme. Bernhardt’s alligator proved to be a ten footer and weighted 275 pounds. The hunter got $1.25 a foot for the prize, or $12.50 for the big animal.