The former George Lee, also known as The Swamp Man, was gliding along the swamp. He was out for alligators. A good alligator skin would fetch him enough to avoid working for a week. It wasn't exactly legal, alligator hunting. It was exactly illegal. The Swamp Man had a few ethical problems with this but he overcame them very easily.

Sometimes a snake would jump into his flatbottom boat with him. Lee liked company as much as the next guy but not in the form of a snake. He used a rod to snatch the snake up and toss it out of the boat. Then he would shoot it with his snakeshot loaded pistol. Lee felt that killing a snake was always the right thing to do. He would shoot a snake if it even looked like it wanted to get into the boat. He'd shoot a snake no matter what, in fact.

He couldn't use this on the alligators. First off, he needed an undamaged hide. That was one good reason. A better reason was that an alligator would laugh off a snakeshot. Then it would get pissed and come after The Swamp Man. Lee had the scars and a few missing parts to know not to let a riled up gator come after him.

The way Lee saw it was this a battle between a man and a creature to see who was better. To the alligator, Lee was just a food supply to bury in case the alligator got real hungry or had a bad run of hunting. To the law, Lee was just another poacher they wouldn't catch. To the animal rights people, Lee was an enemy that they were afraid to say anything to and certainly not picket.

There! Over by that log pretending to be a log was a gator. Looked to be a big un. Might fetch him enough to not work for two weeks. Got to fetch him first. The gator wasn't going to just volunteer to be shoes, belts, and a suitcase.. or two.

Lee sat silently in the boat without moving and making no noise. He wanted the gator to get used to him being there and ignore him. The alligator had his eye on a swamp deer. He also had an eye on The Swamp Man. While Lee was sitting still and quiet, he was still a man in a boat. The alligator wasn't smart and wasn't thinking much about this except that it wasn't part of the swamp.

The deer, who was part of the swamp saw both the alligator and The Swamp Man. One belonged here and one didn't. The deer belonged in the swamp but not this part of it at this time. It took off. Now the alligator would have to find some other food source. Lee was the only thing the alligator could see.

The Swamp Man saw the deer take off and gave it credit for seeing the gator. Good, sharp eyes on that deer. He didn't see that gator anymore. Wonder where he went? Wonder no more, Swamp man. He's right under your boat. He came up right beside the boat, tipping it over and sending The Swamp Man into the swamp.

Lee got to his feet as the alligator came at him, mouth wide open. One crunch and Lee would be food. Lee grabbed his pistol and fired four shots down the gator's throat. Going to ruin the hide but, dang it, the gator was determined to ruin his hide.

Lee was shaking with relief at surviving the alligator attack when the snake bit him. Bit him a good one. George had one shot left and he took that snake out with it. The Swamp Man's last thought was, "A dead snake is a good snake".