Post by pegleg on Feb 16, 2010 18:29:22 GMT -6
Back in the 60's and 70's my Uncle Bill had a horse auction barn in north Miami. It was on a dirt road with a big canal runnin next to it. One Saturday night my cousin Bobby, our freind Wayne and I borrowed Uncle Bill's truck and went to a jackpot bull ridein in Davie. We went to the mandantory after jackpot party afterwards and got just a little smashed. We where drunker than $700. I know we shouldn't have been drivein but luckily the pickup knew the way back to the barn. When we pulled into the gate at sunrise I noticed a huge gator comeing out of the pens next to the auction barn. I told Bobby to shut off the truck so the lizard wouldn't spook and run for the canal. I grabbed my catch rope off the gun rack in the back window and shook out a loop. I staggered over in front of the gator to cut him off he bowed up and let out a hiss then opened his mouth. Bobby and Wayne hollered at me to back away cause they didn't want to tell my Mom how I died. Well, all that liquid courage I had in my belly told me I could catch that gator if I could get him roped. I spun my rope a couple times and threw the prettiest loop you ever saw over that suckers head. I guess the big guy was watchin over me cause instead of chargein me the gator took off runnin toward the canal. I put the tail of the rope behind my butt and braced myself like I had roped a colt or a calf. The lizard snatched the slack out of the rope and jerked me off my feet. I ended up on my back slidein across the grass and dirt. I wasn't about to let that gator go but we parted company when he ran under that five strand barbwire fence. I finally got what was left of my shirt unhooked from the wire and stood up to look around to see where everyone was at. Bobby and Wayne were rollin on the ground laughin their butts off. They were no help at all.
