On reaching the shore, the men jumped out to haul the alligator up on the dry land, and began to pull away vigorously.  It was a comic scene to witness.  They expected to have some difficulty in performing their task; but suddenly they found the rope slacken, and looking round beheld the alligator walking up after them of his own accord, faster than was pleasant.  In their haste, endeavouring to keep the rope taut, one fellow tripped up; and it was for a moment a question whether he would not be snapped in two; the feeling of alarm, however, soon gave way to a sense of the ludicrous, at beholding the manner in which he gathered himself up into a ball and rolled out of the alligator’s way.  I thought it now high time to take decisive measures, and with another shot altered the intentions of the monster, who endeavoured to back towards the water.  Perhaps if he had been further away from it, I might have been tempted to try Waterton’s experiment.

It was not before he had received six balls in the head, that he consented to be killed.  During the operation he exhibited something of his savoir faire, by opening his mouth, that looked like a gigantic man-trap, and suddenly shutting it with a loud snap, which made us shudder, and forcibly recalled to mind the escape I had had a few days before, from having my body embraced by such a pair of jaws.

The reader will gather a good idea of their size from the woodcut; and their power of holding will be shown in the description accompanying.  The view annexed represents the moment when the alligator received the first shot on shore; the singular character of Sea Range is also shown, and the small whirlwinds I have alluded to, as having the appearance of smoke.

Description of the alligator.

Length of Alligator, 15 feet.  From base of head to extreme of nose 2 feet 2 inches.  Across the base of head, 2 feet.  Length of lower jaw, 2 feet.  Teeth in both jaws, vary in size, and are variously disposed, as will be seen above; in upper jaw on each side of maxillary bone, 18, 2 incisors.  Ditto in lower jaw, 15, 2 incisors.  The largest teeth are 1 1/2 inch in length.  The two lower incisors are stronger and longer than the upper, and project through two holes in front part of upper jaw.

Breadth across the animal, from extreme of one fore foot, across the shoulders to the other side, 5 feet 2 inches.  The fore feet have each five perfect toes; the three inner or first, have long horny nails, slightly curved; the two outer toes have no nails, nor are they webbed.  The third and fourth toes are deeply webbed, allowing a wide space between them, which is apparent even in their passive state.  The hind feet have four long toes; the first two are webbed as far as the first joint, and the others are strongly webbed to the apex of last joint, the last or outer toe has no nail.

From the apex of tail, a central highly notched ridge runs up about midway of it, and there splits into two branches, which pass up on each side of the spine over the back, as far as the shoulders, gradually diminishing in height to their termination.