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Crocodile Sammy
Gave Drover
A Fright
(By a Special 'Daily News' Correspondent)
WYNDHAM, Wednesday.
A crocodile slithering along a verandah between
the beds of a dozen sleeping men, and at frantic 2 a.m.
torchlight search for the reptile through hotel bars
and bedrooms, in backyards and along Wyndham's
main street, were the highlights of a scene at the
Wyndham Hotel today.
Sammy, a recently captured
crocodile given by a North-West
station owner to Mrs. Novell,
wife of the licensee of the hotel
was the central figure in this
drama of Wyndham night life.
Sammy was brought to Wyndham
yesterday in a specially-constructed
box, guarded at the front by wire netting.
He spent the day quietly enough,
but in the early hours of this morning
forced back the wire netting and
slithered to freedom.
On a verandah seat a drover from
out-back had just dropped off to sleep
after a heavy night in the bar, and,
mischievously, Sammy flipped his tail
in the man's stomach.
With a yell, the drover leaped
from the seat.
'Yellow crocodiles!' he screamed.
As yellow crocodiles and pink
snakes are only too well known
here, those who heard the shout
took no notice.
So Sammy continued on his way.
Past a dozen sleeping men, he slithered
— so his tracks proved afterwards
— and not a flip of his tail disturbed
them.
An excursion down the Main-street
brought no excitement, so Sammy slipped
into some long grass near the jetty.
About 2 o'clock Mrs. Novell went to
see if Sammy had settled down for the
night. She found the cage empty— and
the hunt was on.
His tracks were soon picked up, and
his course through the hotel and into
the yard and street followed. But at
the edge of the long grass the posse
came to an abrupt stop— Sammy, in
the open, was bad enough, but Sammy
in the long, dark grass was a crocodile
of another color.
Eventually, though, he played
into the hands of his enemies. He
made a move on to the cattle race
that runs along the jetty — with
the idea of getting back to the
water.
He was seen, and caught after a
struggle.
Later today Mrs. Novell sent Sammy
to the meatworks to be killed and
stuffed.
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