which the reptile's teeth closed,
giving the wood a savage shake which nearly wrenched it out of Morgan's
hands; but he held on, and had all his work to do to avoid the tangled
growth and the blows of the creature's tail.

"That's it, Master George. Now quick: drop that rope, and next time he
opens his pretty mouth give him the pole. Aren't afraid of him, are
you?"

I did not answer.

I did not want to answer just then, but I did exactly as I was told,
dropping the rope and standing ready with my pole on one side, so as to
thrust it into the brute's mouth.

I did not have long to wait for my opportunity, and it was not the
alligator's fault that he did not get right hold, for through
nervousness, I suppose, I thrust short, and the jaws came together with
an ugly snap that was startling.

"Never mind; try again; quick, my lad, or he'll get away back to the
hole."

To prevent this Morgan made a rush, and gave the brute a sounding thwack
with his broken pole, sufficiently hard to make it turn in another
direction, when, thoroughly excited now, I made a poke at it with the
pole, and it snapped at it viciously.

I made another and another, and then the teeth closed upon the end, and
the pole quivered in my grasp.

"Well done! Brave lad!" shouted Morgan, for he did not know I was all
of a tremble. "That's the way; hold on, and keep him thinking about you
just a moment. Pull! Let go! Pull again!"

As he gave me these directions, he got the end of the pole from me for a
moment so as to pass the noose of the rope he had picked up over it, and
then once more shouting to me to pull, he boldly ran the wide noose down
over the pole; and as the brute saw him so near, it loosed its hold to
make a fierce snap; but Morgan was too quick for the creature, and
leaped away with a shout of triumph, tightening the rope, which was
right round the reptile's neck, and running and passing the other end
about a tree.

"Got him now," panted Morgan, as the alligator thrashed at the rope with
its tail, and tugged and strained with all its might, but of course only
tightening the noose with every effort.

"Yes," I said, breathlessly, as I stood now well out of danger; "we've
got him now."

"Yes, we've got him now," said Morgan again, as we made the end of the
rope fast to a branch. "That would hold one twice as big. Let's see;
'bout how long is he?"

"Seven feet," I said, making a rapid guess.

"Well," said Morgan, in a s