In the Wilds of Florida: A Tale of Warfare and Hunting

abundance of game to be found in that part of the country.

  We encountered several rattlesnakes; but as they gave us notice of theirwhereabouts, we easily despatched them, and carried off their rattles astrophies. The one I killed, by blowing off its head, was upwards ofseven feet in length, and would have proved a disagreeable customer tomeet with in a narrow pathway. We fell in also with several herds ofwild hogs; but as we had brought no salt for pickling them, we shot onlyone each day, that we might have fresh pork for dinner, for in thatclimate meat becomes unfit to eat in the course of a very few hours. Asmay be supposed, we lived very well, as far as meat was concerned; andwe also occasionally added a cabbage-palm, and some wild roots andfruits, to our bill of fare.

  At length Carlos and I agreed that we ought to turn our faces homewards,as we had almost come to an end of our ammunition, as well as of ourflour and other stores. On our return journey we shot merely what werequired for food.

  On the evening of the first day, when we were on our homeward march,Rochford did not make his appearance in camp. "He'll soon be up to us,"observed Carlos in an unconcerned tone; "though it may be as well tofire a shot or two to show him where we are encamped, should he fail tocatch sight of our fire."

  We soon had two fires blazing up, round which we gathered to cook ourprovisions, and to shield ourselves from the attacks of mosquitoes,which were kept at a distance by the smoke. Supper was over, and wewere preparing to lie down. Still Rochford did not appear. I began togrow anxious about him. As it was not likely that he would bediscovered should we set off to search for him in the dark, we settledto wait till the following morning, hoping that in the meantime he mightcome into camp.

  The night passed away, and he did not appear. At daybreak, leaving twoof the blacks to look after the animals, we divided into three parties:Tim going with me; and Lejoillie and Carlos, each having a black withhim. We traversed the country in the direction from which we had come,but no trace could we discover of our missing friend. I wished that wehad had Indians with us, or more experienced woodmen, who might haveperceived traces which we failed to observe.

  Tim and I returned late in the evening to the camp, where Lejoillie andCarlos had shortly before arrived, as unsuccessful as we had been. IfRochford had met with any accident, we should, we thought, havediscovered some traces of him. On inquiring, however, of the blackswhat had happened at the camp during our absence, one of them presentedme with a small piece of paper, saying that an Indian had left it to bedelivered to the young white stranger. I eagerly held it to the lightof the fire, and I read the words:--

  "Farewell! I have too long neglected my duty. I must endeavour tocarry out the object for which I came to this country. I trust thatjustice will be done to the children of the soil, and peace bemaintained. Hoping to meet you again,--yours sincerely--

  "MuR."

  Though this paper showed that our friend had not met with any accident,I regretted that he had not returned, as I feared that he contemplatedengaging in some hopeless enterprise, which could not benefit theIndians, while he himself would be exposed to considerable danger.

  Carlos was very indignant at the way he had left us. "Why couldn't hehave told us where he was going?" he exclaimed. "If he puts the Indiansup to mischief with any of his wild notions, he will be hunted down, andto a certainty will get hung on the nearest tree."

  The appearance of the Indian showed that some of his people were in theneighbourhood, and Carlos thought it prudent to keep a strict watchduring the night. Not waiting for daybreak, as the country before uswas tolerably level, we struck camp and pushed homewards. Although weoccasionally saw Indians in the distance, none came near us. It was,however, pretty evident that our movements were closely watched, but forwhat object we could not surmise, as we were allowed to proceed withoutbeing molested.

  I missed Rochford greatly; and though I was interested by Lejoillie'sremarks on the natural history of the country, I was very glad when weat length reached Castle Kearney.

  I watched my cousin Juanita when Carlos was giving her an account ofRochford's disappearance, "I am very sorry," she answered in quite anindifferent tone. "I thought he would have come back again; but as hehas chosen to go away, I only hope that the Indians will treat him well.Perhaps he'll return with a red squaw, as a proof of his affection forthe Indian race." She laughed, but perhaps not quite so heartily as shetried to do.

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  A CRUISE ON BOARD THE GREAT ALEXANDER--OYSTER-BEDS--A CURIOUS SIGHT--PELICANS FISHING--SPECIMENS FOR THE NATURALIST--A STORM--MARTYR TOSCIENCE--TIM FINDS OYSTER-TREES--THE RACOON--A FISHING-PARTY--FLORIDAWRECKERS--ON THE EVERGLADES--LOOK OUT FOR SNAKES--INDIANS--RETREATTHROUGH THE FOREST--THE OLD LIGHTHOUSE--A SIEGE--KILLING FOR KILLING'SSAKE--ATTEMPT TO BURN US OUT--THE REDSKINS DEFEATED--THE TURN OF THETIDE--SAFE ON BOARD.

  We had returned but a few days, and Lejoillie had scarcely had time toarrange the collections he had made daring our late trip, when the_Great Alexander_ anchored off the island, and Captain Crump came onshore to deliver some goods he had brought for my uncle. He was goingafterwards down the east coast to the Florida Keys, as those coral reefsand islands which fringe the southern end of the peninsula are called.He intended to touch at several places on his way, and perhapsafterwards run up the west coast as far as Cedar Keys.

  Lejoillie at once inquired whether he would convey passengers; and onreceiving a reply in the affirmative, he invited Carlos and me toaccompany him, and Tim if he wished to go.

  My father and uncle willingly gave us leave, and we lost no time inmaking preparations for the voyage. This was soon done, and that veryevening we went on board. Captain Crump had brought a fresh supply ofammunition; and as we had plenty of provisions, we were in want ofnothing.

  I took Caesar, and Carlos had two other dogs. I have already describedthe schooner, as well as that portion of the Saint John River which wenow sailed over. Rounding the Hazard Lighthouse, we steered for SaintAugustine, not only the oldest city in Florida, but the most ancientbuilt by Europeans in the whole continent of North America. It standson a narrow peninsula formed by the Sebastian and Matanzas rivers.

  Carlos had often been there before, as it is only a few miles acrossfrom the Saint John River, and he had friends and relatives of hismother residing there. It still contains many old Spanish buildings,which give it a very picturesque appearance. The streets are, however,somewhat narrow and paved with stone, or rather with a conglomerate ofshells. As we remained there but a few hours, I can say little moreabout it.

  From Saint Augustine, for three hundred miles southward, there extends asuccession of long narrow banks, which form the outside of a series oflagoons, so shallow that only vessels drawing a very few feet of watercan navigate them. We kept out to sea for about a hundred miles, when,passing through the Mosquito Inlet, we entered the Mosquito Lagoon.Outside, we had been tumbling about in the rolling Atlantic. We werenow in perfectly smooth water; but our skipper and his mate had to keepa sharp look-out, to avoid running on the numerous shoals which lay inour course. The narrow strip of land outside was only a few feet inheight, covered with pines, oaks, and palmettos. As it was impossibleto navigate the lagoon at night, we came to anchor. The next morning wecontinued our voyage. Looking over the side, we could see the fishswimming about in vast numbers. Frequently we found ourselves scrapingalong over oyster-beds, which in some places rose to within a couple offeet of the surface. As we got farther to the south, the banks werefringed with mangroves, and the cabbage-palm and palmetto made theirappearance. On some of these oyster-reefs the mangrove trees had struckroot--thus forming islands, which are constantly increasing, and stillfurther narrowing the channel.

  Leaving the Mosquito Inlet, we entered another lagoon, known as IndianRiver, upwards of a hundred miles in length, and in some places onlysixty or seventy yards across, though in others three miles in width.The most interesting objects on shore were the orange-groves, for whichthe banks of the Indian River
are celebrated. Some of the plantationsare of large size; and our skipper told us that one we were then passingproduced in good years a crop of more than a quarter of a million oforanges.

  One afternoon, the wind having dropped completely, we came to anchor offa sandy point which afforded an easy landing-place. Our skipper havinglent us his boat, advised us to go on shore, and to make our way towardsthe south, when, as he said, "we should see what we should see;" adding,"Don't let your dogs get ahead of you, friends, or they will spoil yoursport."

  Making our way in the direction pointed out, we saw before us a creekfalling into the lagoon. Extending some distance from it was a forestof dead trees, the stems and branches bare and gaunt, crusted withwhite, and supporting on their highest branches the roughly-constructednests of a vast colony of pelicans, the most curious-looking birds ofthe feathered tribe.

  As we approached the spot, our ears were