might grow more useful things, George, but we could not make the
place more beautiful."

And I often used to think so, as I gazed out of my window at the wild
forest, and the openings leading down to the stream and away to the
swamp, where I could hear the alligators barking and bellowing at night,
with a feeling half dread, half curiosity, and think that some day I
should live to see one that I had caught or killed myself, close at
hand.

Now and then Morgan used to call me to come and see where a 'gator, as
he called it, had been in the night, pointing out its track right up to
the rough fence of the garden.

"You and I'll have a treat one of these days, my lad."

"Yes," I used to say; "but when?"

"Oh, one of these days when I'm not busy."

"Ah, Morgan," I used to say, impatiently, "when you're not busy: when
will that be?"

"Be? One o' these days when we've cut down all the wood, and turned all
that low flat swamp into plantation. You see I'm so busy just now."

"Oh, very well," I said, "I shall go by myself."

"That you won't, look you," he cried. "I heard you promise your father
you wouldn't go alone. You're not much of a boy, but you're too good to
feed alligators with, or let the rattlesnakes and 'cassins try their
pyson on."

"But they wouldn't, I should take care."

"Take care? Do you know, there's 'gators big as trees in these
swamp-holes. I shouldn't wonder if there's some of the old
open-countenanced beauties big round as houses. Why, Master George, I
believe there's fellows out there as old as the river, and as could take
you as easy as I do a pill."

"Don't believe it."

"_Ve_-ry well then; only mind, if one does take you across the middle,
give you a pitch up in the air, and then catch you head-first and
swallow you, don't you blame me."

"Why, how could I, if he swallowed me?" I said.

"Oh, I don't know. You might holler or knock, if you had a stick in
your hand."

"What stuff!"

"Oh, is it! There's plenty of room in 'em, and they're as hard as horn.
But you take my advice, and don't try."

"Well, then, come with me; I know several holes where I think they
live."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I've seen the footmarks leading down to them all plain in the
mud."

"Then you've been going too far, and don't you run no risks again."

I walked away discontentedly, as I'd often walked away before, wishing
that I had a companion of my own age.

Some of the gentlem