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No trip to Okefenokee Swamp would be complete without listening to the swampers and rangers tell their stories.

In the swampers collection of folklore as to hunting alligators, they say that if you play a fiddle or a guitar, the gator will come to your boat because they just love the music. Also, they have medical remedies available if you should get nibbled on by an alligator. Here are a couple of the ways to take care of the wound, according to swamp folklore. If a person is bitten on the leg or arm, dig a hole and bury the limb in the earth for from twelve to twenty four hours. Another one is to cut open a frog and place the frog over the bite before the frog is dead. As the frog dies, it will take the poisons from the wound into its own body. This one is my favorite. Drink a lot of whiskey and you will not feel the pain.

A folk story that has been handed down from Lone Thrift, whom we have met in an earlier column, tells us about this sound that he heard in the swamp. He described it as a sort of a slurping sound, like you were “slapping a board into the mud”. This was a sound that he had been hearing for a number of years. Then, finally one day, he saw what it was.

There was a huge alligator laying out on top of logs, with his mouth open. When his tongue would get covered with mosquitos, he would slap his jaws together, like clapping your hands. Then, he would chew a bit and open up his jaws and do it again. Every time, his tongue would get covered with the bugs, he would repeat the jaw slapping.

At Stephen C. Foster State Park, which is on an island, eighteen miles inside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, an interpretive Ranger tells about what it was like to go alligator hunting in the olden times, something that the swampers did almost every day.

“The men would gather in small groups and the one that was the best shot would shoot first, when they saw a gator. Usually, this did not kill him right away. Then, the man, who was best at doing the gator grunt, made this noise when the gator went under the water. After several grunts, it would come up again and they would shoot at him again. They usually were successful in killing him.

‘Now, they had to search for him. When they saw the dead gator, they would grab him by the tail and skin him, which they did in a matter of minutes. After they had gotten him, the best yodeler would do this as loud as he could, to signal to the other hunting parties that they had gotten their prey.”

The following stories are believed to have been handed down in the Lee family. This one took place early in the 1930s. “Some men were traveling at a pretty good speed, up one of the small creeks that flow inside the Okefenokee Swamp. The water had dropped and the banks were around five feet up in the air. The man that was standing at the wheel of the small outboard boat, felt a gust of wind brush across the top of his head. When he turned towards the bank from where it came from, he saw dirt was tumbling into the creek. Then, he heard a splash on the opposite side of his boat.

At first, the man thought that this dirt was caused by his wake since this creek is only about six or seven feet wide. However, the man who was setting in the bow, looked back at the driver, his eyes became as big as saucers. This is when the driver knew that something had happened.

Apparently, an alligator had crawled up onto the creek bank to sun himself and take a nap. The boat’s engine startled him and still groggy from the deep sleep, he lunged for the safety of the water just as the boat was passing by. According to bow guy, the gator’s body barely missed his companion’s head. If the timing didn’t turn out as it did, the guys would have had two tons of angry alligator now a companion in their boat.”

This story is believed to have taken place sometime in the early 1940s. It is about a female alligator that everyone called Sweetheart. She was an 18-foot gator who used to live on a bank along the Suwanee River. She never attacked a person but, the noise from boat engines upset her something fierce.

The story goes that one of the Lee family and his friends were fishing from two, 12-foot boats. As his friends rounded a bend in the river, Sweetheart came up from being submerged in the water and attacked their outboard engine. She shook the small craft with her jaws and snapped the motor in half. Then she grabbed the boat by the transom and began tearing it to pieces.

At this point, one of the guys picked up an oar and hit Sweetheart on the head. This had no effect. It only made her madder. So, she ripped the oar right out of his hands. While this was going on, the other guy that was in the bow, began paddling like crazy to get away. As Sweetheart chewed on the oar, they came back around the bend so fast that they were nearly on plane! Hearing the commotion, some other men who were fishing came to their rescue and towed what was left of their damaged boat to safety.

This is an unusual activity that is narrated by a ranger known as Gator. I will give you his talk, word for word, on how to take a joyride on an alligator.

  “First thing you need to do is coax an unsuspecting gator alongside your boat. Now, roll out of the boat onto his back. Don’t worry about his tail slapping you off. You need to concern yourself with his mouth. You need to take your thumbs and forefingers and snap it shut. As long as you have it clamped tight, he can’t open it again. But if you happen to leave some fingers in there, he can slam that mouth down with about 1000 to 3000 pounds of pressure per square inch. Now your fingers are a snack. So, it is best to keep them out of his way.

‘Now that his mouth is closed, open yours and take a deep breath, because this gator is going to take you straight to the bottom. Aim his snout upwards and he will ride you back up to the surface like an elevator. Now, you can steer him right or left, like riding a pony.

‘What happens when you are ready to get off? Well, that is going to be subject to some serious negotiation between you and Mr. Gator. But whatever you do, you best be quick about it.”

Now, most passengers in his boat giggle to which he replies, “I’ll remind y’all, that you are in the thick of the Bible Belt and everything you hear today is Gospel!”

Visiting in Okefenokee Swamp can be dangerous if you don’t use the common sense that God gave you. It is best to know and abide by the rules. Here are some ideas from talks given by rangers on how to handle a gator who has a hold on you because you didn’t listen. Some are funny but they give good pointers on a serious topic.

This is a talk by a ranger on how to handle an alligator when you have gotten yourself in trouble by getting too close to the water’s edge.

“Now, a hungry alligator has jumped out and grabbed you. Old time swampers who have been in a similar pickle, advise you to keep a cool head and follow these simple steps to get away.

‘If you have been snatched on land, try to get on the gator’s back and put pressure on its neck, forcing its head and jaws down to the ground.

‘Next, you need to take a tip from old Western movies, where the cowboy puts a bandanna over his horse’s eyes to keep it from panicking because of a fire or a rattlesnake. So, get out your hanky or a wad of wet leaves and cover the gator’s eyes. That will confuse him and make him less ornery.

‘If he is obviously set on having you for brunch, forget the above and use your fists or a stick to poke him in the eyes and snout. While he is crying foul, make a quick getaway. Gators can run faster than a speeding bullet, but they can’t climb trees. So, find a friendly live oak or cypress and scamper up as high as you can.

‘If his jaws clamp around something you’d like to keep, like arms and legs, tap or punch him on the snout. Gators often open their snout when they get a good rap and drop whatever they have gotten hold of, figuring there are easier meals elsewhere.

‘If the gator gets you in his jaws, clap his mouth shut to prevent him from shaking you like a rag doll or rolling over on its back. These instinctive actions really hurt-a lot- and you might drown.

‘Call 911, ASAP, even if you get away with only a small cut or bruise. Gators’ mouths are open sewers of pestilential infection.

‘Most important, avoid these close encounters of the terminal kind and look before you leap. Don’t wade or swim in places that gators have staked out. In South Georgia that could be any river, creek or swamp. Never feed them. They assume that humans are tasty as the leftover tuna sandwich that you tossed from the boat or dock.”

This story came from a guide who also has a very good warning to share. “Gator babies are cute as the dickens but let them be. You may not see her, but momma will see you and this is a 911 call that brings her on a gallop.

‘Several years ago, on Cumberland Island, a novice naturalist and I happened on a gator’s hive, shaped nest. To my horror, the naturalist said, “Oh, I don’t see the mother. I’ll see if I can call her. I heard the guy’s loud honking sound as I barreled through the underbrush like the cartoon roadrunner. I never saw that naturalist again.”

There are also warnings posted on trees for visitors to the Okefenokee Swamp. Here is what one of them said.

“Hunters, hikers, fishers and golfers take extra precautions and keep alert for alligators while in Ware, Pierce, Brantley and Charlton Counties. Don’t wear noise producing devices, such as little bells, on your clothing. These will alert, but not startle the alligators. Also, the carrying of pepper spray will help in case of an encounter with an alligator. It is also a good idea to watch for fresh signs of alligator activity. People should learn to recognize the difference between the droppings of a small, young alligator and large, adult one. Young alligator droppings are small and contain fish bones and possibly bird feathers. Adult alligator droppings have little bells in them and smell like pepper spray.”

Sometimes, telling something with some humor will stay with someone and help them avoid injury or worse. The best rule to remember is to keep your arms, hands, legs and feet in the boat!

I hope you enjoyed our trip into the Okefenokee Swamp. I have to tell you, that I had never been in such a place before. There are so many ways that you can experience the swamp with each one offering a different experience.

One will take you through the waters of the swamp, while with another, you can walk through it. There is also a train that goes around it.

The excursion boat ride takes you down the Seminole Indian waterway that they originally cleared. Also, during this ride, your guide will demonstrate what it is like to walk on the trembling earth. He also will stop and let you view some of the many alligators that live in the swamp, from a safe distance.

You also have the option to take a walk down several of the board walk paths. Each one will take you through a different part of the swamp. It is a great way to see some of the more exotic wild flowers and some almost extinct plants. However, there are a few rules for you to abide by for your own safety.

Lastly, there is the one- and one-half mile ride on the park’s train, Lady Suwanee. This trip takes you on the edge of the wetlands on the same path that the trains ran during the lumber company days. On this, you stop at Pioneer Island, a recreation of a homestead and a museum.