unks of the palm-trees were, in many
instances, from sixty to ninety feet high, of a bright ash colour, and
were terminated by plumes of leaves, some of them nearly fifteen feet in
length.

Mr. Bartram landed, for the night, in a little bay, not far from the
entrance to a small lake, another expansion of the river. Near this
place there was much low and swampy land, and the islands in the river
were numerous. The evening was cool and calm, and he went out in his
canoe, to fish for trout. As the evening closed, alligators appeared in
great numbers along the shores and in the river. Mr. Bartram states that
he was witness to a combat between these dreadful animals, which
inspired him with horror, especially as his little harbour was
surrounded by them. In endeavouring to paddle his canoe through a line
of alligators, he was pursued by several large ones; and, before he
could reach the shore, he was assailed on every side. His situation
became extremely precarious. Two very large alligators attacked him
closely, rushing with their heads and part of their bodies above the
water, roaring terribly, and, from their mouths, throwing floods of
water over him. They struck their jaws together so close to his ears as
almost to stun him; and he, every moment, expected to be dragged out of
the boat and devoured by them. He held in his hand a large club, which
he used so efficaciously, as to beat them off: he then hastened towards
the shore, as the only means of preservation left. Here the water was
shallow; and his ferocious opponents, some of which were twelve feet in
length, returned into deeper water. After this, as Mr. Bartram was
stepping out of his canoe, an alligator rushed up to him, near his feet,
and, with its head and shoulders out of the water, lay there for some
time. Mr. Bartram ran for his gun, and, having a heavy charge in it, he
shot the animal in the head and killed him. While Mr. Bartram was
employed in cleansing some fish for his supper, he raised his head, and
beheld, through the clear water, another of these animals of large size,
moving slowly towards him; and he stepped back, at the instant the beast
was preparing to spring upon him. This excessive boldness gave him great
uneasiness, as he feared he should be obliged to keep on watch through
the whole night. He had made the best preparation, in his power, for
passing the night, when he was roused by a tumultuous noise, which
seemed to come from the harbour. On