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Show NEARLY BECOMES FOOD FOR "BAD" ALLIGATORS Story of an Unpleasant Experience with the Huge Beasts In a Florida Jungle. j Chicago. In tho junglo a mllo or so ! above Palm Ileach, Fin., dwells a good-1 uaturcd glnnt called "Alligator Joe." For years he has, by somo secret j The Reptiles Were Snapping Their Jaws Beneath Me. stratagem, captured largo, llvo alligators alliga-tors and crocodiles In tho Everglades, and corralled them in shallow ponds surrounded by stockades ot high posts. During "the season" Joo gives dally exhibitions ut tho "Alligator Farm." to guests from tho resort, jumping Into ono of the corrals and actually riding a huge alligator. Thoro aro three enormous outlaw crocodiles, howovor, kept In a basin ot tholr own, that Joo only ventures to stir up with n long pole from a safo roost on top of tho stockade. , "Them ones," Joo explained, "Is the baddeat ones I got." And they certainly wero savage, ! breaking their teeth on tho pole, churning the water to a foam, and , tearing to bits unythlng thrown thorn. I One Sunday 1 called on Joo, wearing a bathing suit, and while ho was cutting ; mo some palm promts In tho Jungle, I j climbed on tho stockade Inclosing the "bnddost ones," uml proceeded to give . myself n freo exhibition by prodding ' them up somewhat lively with tho pole. Just how it happened I never could toll, but n wuvo of muddy water Instantly In-stantly splashed ovor mo from below, tho polo wii3 whisked from my hands, my feot slipped, and I tumbled headlong head-long Into tho corral, and rolled half way down tho lti-foot embankment thnt separated tho slimy pool from tho foot of tho stockade. All this happened In a flash, and whon I stopped rolling my eyes wore lllled with muddy wntor. I could hear tho reptiles coming, but I didn't wait. I was up that embankment nnd hnd shinned up tho nearest post to a ills-tunco ills-tunco of six feet or so before I discovered discov-ered thnt tho bark had beon stripped oft abovo this point and the post was wet and slimy. Above was a four-foot stretch of "greased polo" to climb, nnd Just be low my bnro legs wero two of Joo's pets already waiting with tholr ugly mouths open, nnd a third one on the wuy. If any one ever bnwlod out for "Alligator "Alli-gator Joo" In real, gonulno, dondly earnobt, and kept it up for 415 mlnutos (Joo says llvo), It was I. Hut one moro minute would havo exhausted my strength I am positive It was tho work of a second with that giant's gilp on my wrist to gnln a place of safety. |