John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
As sent to me.
They made em pretty tough back then...
'Big Ben' captured near Townsville in 1928 by my husband's great grandmother.
“We were living on the bank of a creek near Townsville at the time,” [Mary Ann Lee] said. “One still evening, I was warming goat’s milk in a saucepan over an open fire. I heard a sudden loud splash behind me. I looked back to the waters, and there, slowly spreading over the surface, was a series of great rings following each other.
“They were too large to have been made by a fish. Then a terrible thought came. That must be Big Ben.
“That evening the crying of the goats seemed different. It seemed to say they were scared. Next day I shot a goat and salted it down. Then I went to the box where Boyd kept his hooks. Taking two of the largest kingfish hooks I bound them together with fishing cord, and attached them to a long stout line.
“Just before dusk I baited the line with goat’s flesh setting it a few inches above the surface, where mud and water met. The end of the line was fasted to a branch that overhung the creek.
“I went to bed early, but I slept badly. Once when I woke, I heard an incessant bleating from the scrub… but I did not feel like investigating.
“As soon as it was light enough, I went to my line. It had been pulled off the branch of the tree, and the cord was trailing down into the deeper part of the water.
“How my heart bounded when I took hold to haul. But there was no weight on the line, it came in slack and the hooks and bait were missing.”
Walking inside, Mrs Lee noticed a big portion of fish net dragging in the water. She hauled it back to the creek side. Entangled in the thick mesh was the head of a large goat. Its horns had become tangled and the loud bleating had attracted the attention of the ‘monster lurking in the creek.’
“I knew Big Ben had been up to his old pranks but I made up my mind to take a hand. I got a long heavy rope and an outsize in shark-hooks – one specially made for deep sea fishing – with a long chain.”
Fastening it to the rope Mrs. Lee tied the other end to a large tree near the humpy.
She skewered the hook through the neck and out the jaw of the goat’s head, leaving the barb slightly protruding, and winding twine around the head to keep it in place on the hook.
She tethered a goat near the creek. It resented being kept from the herd and bleated incessantly.
“As night fell I released the goat and picking up the line hung it over the same branch of the tree on which had hung the tempting bait.”
Mrs. Lee lay awake listening to a thunderstorm.
“During one of the lulls, I heard a terrific splashing in the waters of the creek. I had caught the crocodile. I felt sure of it.
“I lay in bed in a state of happy excitement until I fell asleep.
“As daylight came I ran to the bank of the creek. My line was out in midstream. And there was a monstrous crocodile floating on the water with the shark hook in its jaw.
“I rushed back to the humpy, took down my rifle from the wall and rushing outside fired a shot at the big brute. Of course I missed. I was too excited.”
Mrs. Lee raced through the scrub to the nearest neighbour. She burst into the house saying, “Come and see what I’ve got!”
The news spread like wildfire.
“All the womenfolk and the few men rushed to the spot where I had my rope tied. We all hauled together and the crocodile was yanked to the side of the creek and shot.
“Slipping a rope over the long jaw, we dragged the monster ashore. It was Big Ben all right.”
-Mrs Lee's account was published in 'Fangs of the Sea' by Norman Caldwell
They made em pretty tough back then...
'Big Ben' captured near Townsville in 1928 by my husband's great grandmother.
“We were living on the bank of a creek near Townsville at the time,” [Mary Ann Lee] said. “One still evening, I was warming goat’s milk in a saucepan over an open fire. I heard a sudden loud splash behind me. I looked back to the waters, and there, slowly spreading over the surface, was a series of great rings following each other.
“They were too large to have been made by a fish. Then a terrible thought came. That must be Big Ben.
“That evening the crying of the goats seemed different. It seemed to say they were scared. Next day I shot a goat and salted it down. Then I went to the box where Boyd kept his hooks. Taking two of the largest kingfish hooks I bound them together with fishing cord, and attached them to a long stout line.
“Just before dusk I baited the line with goat’s flesh setting it a few inches above the surface, where mud and water met. The end of the line was fasted to a branch that overhung the creek.
“I went to bed early, but I slept badly. Once when I woke, I heard an incessant bleating from the scrub… but I did not feel like investigating.
“As soon as it was light enough, I went to my line. It had been pulled off the branch of the tree, and the cord was trailing down into the deeper part of the water.
“How my heart bounded when I took hold to haul. But there was no weight on the line, it came in slack and the hooks and bait were missing.”
Walking inside, Mrs Lee noticed a big portion of fish net dragging in the water. She hauled it back to the creek side. Entangled in the thick mesh was the head of a large goat. Its horns had become tangled and the loud bleating had attracted the attention of the ‘monster lurking in the creek.’
“I knew Big Ben had been up to his old pranks but I made up my mind to take a hand. I got a long heavy rope and an outsize in shark-hooks – one specially made for deep sea fishing – with a long chain.”
Fastening it to the rope Mrs. Lee tied the other end to a large tree near the humpy.
She skewered the hook through the neck and out the jaw of the goat’s head, leaving the barb slightly protruding, and winding twine around the head to keep it in place on the hook.
She tethered a goat near the creek. It resented being kept from the herd and bleated incessantly.
“As night fell I released the goat and picking up the line hung it over the same branch of the tree on which had hung the tempting bait.”
Mrs. Lee lay awake listening to a thunderstorm.
“During one of the lulls, I heard a terrific splashing in the waters of the creek. I had caught the crocodile. I felt sure of it.
“I lay in bed in a state of happy excitement until I fell asleep.
“As daylight came I ran to the bank of the creek. My line was out in midstream. And there was a monstrous crocodile floating on the water with the shark hook in its jaw.
“I rushed back to the humpy, took down my rifle from the wall and rushing outside fired a shot at the big brute. Of course I missed. I was too excited.”
Mrs. Lee raced through the scrub to the nearest neighbour. She burst into the house saying, “Come and see what I’ve got!”
The news spread like wildfire.
“All the womenfolk and the few men rushed to the spot where I had my rope tied. We all hauled together and the crocodile was yanked to the side of the creek and shot.
“Slipping a rope over the long jaw, we dragged the monster ashore. It was Big Ben all right.”
-Mrs Lee's account was published in 'Fangs of the Sea' by Norman Caldwell
