An army ranger was on vacation in the depths of Louisiana and wanted a pair of genuine alligator shoes in the worst way, but was very reluctant to pay the high prices the local vendors were asking.

After becoming very frustrated with the no haggle attitude of one of the shopkeepers, the ranger shouted, "Maybe I'll just go out and get my own alligator so I can get a pair of shoes made at a reasonable price!"

The vendor said, "By all means, be my guest. Maybe you will run into a couple of marines who were in here earlier saying the same thing."

So the ranger headed into the bayou that same day and a few hours later came upon two men standing waist deep in the water. "Those must be the two marines the guy in town was talking about," he thought. Just then, the ranger saw a tremendously long alligator swimming rapidly underwater toward one of the marines.

Just as the alligator was about to attack, the marine grabbed its neck with both hands and strangled it to death with very little effort. Then both marines dragged it on shore and flipped it on its back. Laying nearby were several more of the creatures.

One of the marines exclaimed, "Darn, this one doesn't have any shoes either!"