YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Gift of the
YALE DIVINITY SCHOOL

LIFE

AND ADVENTURES

IN

BY

ANDREW P. CANOVA,

OF ST, PETERSBURG.

LIFE

AND

ADVENTURES

IN

SOUTH FLORIDA

BY

ANDREW P. CANOVA,
» r *
OF ST. PETERSBURG,
ASSISTED BY L. S. PERKINS,
WITH AN
INTRODUCTION BY
HON. ROBT. W. DAVIS.

TAMPA, FLORIDA:
TRIBUNE PRINTING CO.
1906.

Entered aooording to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by An
drew P. Canova and L. Sanders Perkins, in the office of
the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, ) C.

ANDREW P. CANOVA.

TO
MY COMPANIONS-IN-ARMS, AND
OTHERS WHO FOUGHT FOR THE PEACE AND PROTEC
TION OF FLORIDA, THIS LITTLE VOLUME
IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. ANDREW P. CANOVA.

INTRODUCTION.

Most of the sketches contained in this collection were con
tributed by Mr. Andrew P. Canova, the author, to the Southern
Sun, of Palatka, and attracted very general and favorable atten
tion. While never intended by Mr. Canova for other than weekly
newspaper articles, the suggestion of their permanent preserva
tion in some collected form was so often made him that he
finally consented to give them to the public in this little volume.
It graphically deals with a phase of life in Florida which will no
where else be found.
DeBry and Barcia and Fernandez and Sprague have written
at different times of different epochs, and in several different
languages, descriptive sketches and snatches of our history,
while Mr. Fairbanks, in his excellent book, has taken us along
with entertainment and instruction from those early days which
knew Juan Ponce de Leon and Menendez, to the times of Worth
and Gaines and Clinch.
But it is left to Mr. Canova to pen-paint the scenes and inci
dents of soldier-life and adventure during the Indian War, and
to describe those wardships which the soldier experienced in
morass and tangled scrub, or those pleasures he enjoyed in
bivouac and camp. Hunting adventures, too — and Indian life —
those fascinating realities which cover themselves with a halo
of romance. The life of the early "settler," when the bear and
panther roamed the wilds of a then sparcely inhabited State.
These features are all touched with an unpretentious but smooth
ly-gliding pen, and make enchanting reading for Floridians of
today — today, when immigration from North and South and East
and West has filled or is rapidly filling our waste places — when
the palatial steamboat plies the waters where once quietly glided
the canoe, and when the scream of the locomotive is home upon
the balmy southern air where once the warwhoop of the red man
resounded. Very respectfully,
ROBT. W. DAVIS.
Palatka, Fla., Oct. 20, 1885.

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

PART 1.

REMINISCENCES OF A TRIP THROUGH THE EVERGLADES
AND SOUTH FLORIDA, DURING THE
LAST INDIAN WAR.

CHAPTER I.
HOW THE LAST INDIAN WAR BROKE OUT.— .MY FIRST
ADVENTURE.
In the following pages I shall give, with all possible
accuracy, my adventures during the last Indian war, and
*t shall be a description of personal experiences and ob
servations, rather than a history of the war itself. In
writing a strictly truthful account of the scenes through
which I passed, as a private soldier, in the campaign of
1855-8, through the extreme southern portion of the State,
I shall hope to give the reader a view of the subject from
a new and original standpoint. In placing this series of
sketches before the public, of course I must say some
thing about the way the war started.
Since the close of the first and greatest war with the
Seminoles, there had been two outbreaks— one in 1849,
and the other in 1855. This last war is the one with
which we now have to deal, and according to the most
authentic accounts, the trouble began on the morning of

6 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
December 24, by the wounding of Lieutenant Hartsoff
and his men, by Billy Bowlegs.
Lieutenant Hartsoff was a civil engineer, who had been
establishing some land-lines, near the border of the Big
Cypress, in Fort Simon Drum Prairie. Hartsoff and his
corps of assistants were encamped near a small body of
water known as Bonnet Pond. Bowlegs had a garden
in the Big Cypress, about two miles away. (This Indian
was a noted chief among the Semirioles, and stood at the
head of the whole tribe. He was a short, powerfully
built man, but his physical endowments were insignifi
cant in comparison with those of Saffaj-eehojee, his lieu
tenant and "right bower." This Indian was a "show" in
himself.) Among other products of this garden were
some magnificent banana plants, which were the delight
and solace of the chief's heart. He had reared them with
parental care, until they were fully fifteen feet high, and
Jie was jealous of his darlings.
But some of Hartsoff's men (like a good many of us)
couldn't keep their hands off the beauties, and when Bow
legs came through the early mist, bathing his stalwart
ankles in the dew, one morning, coming to his beloved*
garden, he was surprised and shocked to find the banana
plants, once so ' tall and graceful, with leaves torn to
shreds, and some of the stalks broken short off at the
ground by some ruthless hand. Bowlegs 'knew at once
where the blame lay.
Going to Hartsoff's camp, he accused the men of the
outrage. . They admitted it with the utmost coolness, but
signified no intention of making good the loss, nor of giv
ing any cause for their actions, other than that they
wanted to see how "Old Billy would cut up." When
Billy saw that remonstrance and complaint were useless,
he went back and summoned his braves together. "Hyee-
fus ! Eestahotka holiwaugus !" was the war-cry. Early

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 7
next morning Lieutenant Hartsoff and his men were
fired upon, and some of them were wounded.
Hartsoff ran into the water, but began emptying his
Colt's revolver at the Indians, who were soon dismayed
by the strange weapon, which did not seem to require
loading, but which seemed to them to be able to kill
every one of them, while they were loading their rifles.
It was the first revolver they had seen, and Bowlegs
promised to cease firing if Hartsoff would come out and
show his pistol. This ruse did not succeed, and the Indi
ans retreated.
Hartsoff was badly wounded, but rallied his strength
and wrote an account of the affair, to be used in case of
his death. Meanwhile one of the men (also wounded)
set out for Fort Myers, sixty miles away, to convey the
news of the outbreak. In as short a time as possible a
company was dispatched to the scene of the fray, and
when they got there they found Hartsoff still alive, 'but
in a critical condition. He was carried to Fort Myers
together with his comrades who had been wounded, and
taken care of in the hospital there.
War was then proclaimed against the Seminole In
dians of Florida. Like a flash of electricity the news
encircled and permeated the South, and Billy Bowlegs
became the target of every pioneer's rifle. I enlisted in
1856, and did what I could for the honor and glory of
my native State. But my life was rather a tame one
for-the first year of my service. The next year was more
eventful. In the early part of July, 1857, a boat company, con
sisting of forty-five men, commanded by Capt. Jacob
Mickler, were mustered into the volunteer service of the
United States, at Fort Brooke, now called Tampa. Nine
metallic boats had been provided, for transporting the
soldiers down the Kissimmee river, while hunting the
Seminole Indians. I was mustered in with this company,

8 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
and cast my lot with those who were preparing to enter
that great, unknown wilderness — the Everglades.
The boats were hauled on wagons to Fort Kissimmee,
a distance of eighty-five miles. Nothing of importance
occurred on this trip, beyond the killing of several deer
and turkeys, which furnished us with an abundance of
food. Striking the river at Fort Kissimmee, we encamped
for the night. Strange to say, we were not annoyed in
the least by mosquitoes, although it was near mid-sum
mer. Next morning we launched our boats on the waters
of the Kissimmee, and steered away into the wild passes
of the river, toward the great Okeechobee lake.
Having the current in our favor, we proceeded on our
way without any difficulty. I had heard of alligators — of
rusty old monsters, equal to trees in size, and vicious as
wolves — but I was not prepared for the sight that met my
gaze, as our boats passed down the Kissimmee: To say
that .they were lying on the banks as thick as leaves in an
autumn forest, would be scarcely an exaggeration. , As
to their size, I hardly wish to attempt to give you a de
scription. They were quietly sleeping on the banks, as
we went along, and as the plashing of our oars waked
them, they plunged into the water ahead of us, almost
capsizing our boats at times. As the report of a gun at
that time would have very likely had the effect of alarm
ing the sagacious redskins, our captain allowed no one
to shoot at the alligators.
After traveling some twenty-five miles, we landed at
Fort Bassinger and struck camp for the night. We had
been plentifully supplied with mosquito nets, but found
that we could dispense with them at this place entirely.
The width of the river here was about seventy yards,
and so crooked that one might travel in a boat five or
six miles, land, and walk half a mile, and come to the
point he started from. The land at Fort Bassinger was
found to be rich hammock, covered with a heavy growth

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 9
of live oak and cabbage palm. Early in the morning we
proceeded on our way and reached the lake about noon.
The river, here, ran between two banks of almost im
penetrable saw-grass, through which it emptied into the
Okeechobee lake. As we rode out on the bosom of this
inland sea, the view reminded us of the ocean, for the
waters stretched away, until they were lost in the horizon
beyond. Myriads of white and blue heron and water-
turkeys were flying to and fro, or feeding among the
rushes and lily pads.
About two miles from the mouth of the river, we found
a beautiful camping spot. It was a hammock which ex
tended to the water's edge, and was bordered by a nice,
white, sandy beach. Under a canopy of overhanging oak
and rubberrtree boughs, we pitched our tents and enjoyed
a substantial dinner. Our men had caught some fine
bass, and, with a desert of papaws and rubber-tree fruit,
we fared sumptuously. The fruit of the Ficus elasticus,
or rubber-tree, is somewhat similar in 'size and flavor
to an ordinary Marseilles fig. The papaw, we found-
growing on a small tree, about ten feet in height, the
fruit adhering closely to the trunk. The "pulp has a
sweet, aromatic taste, reminding one of a muskmelon.
Our headquarters were established here for the time
being, and arrangements made for a week's encamp
ment. All hands were hearty and eager for "business,"
now that we had entered the stronghold of the enemy.
Next morning, bright and early, Captain Mickler se
lected thirty men. Leaving the others to guard the
camps, and taking six of the boats, our little fleet steered
toward an island about four miles distant. Here, we con
fidently expected to capture a lot of Indians. We could
not make much headway, on account of large masses of
floating water-lettuce. Striking open water again, we
proceeded about half a mile, and came to the mouth of a
small creek, which was overhung with cypress branches,

10 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
so low that it was with difficulty that we could pass
under them. Here we found unmistakable signs of In
dian encampments ; shells of freshly roasted water-terra
pins (commonly called "cooters") were found, and many
tracks were to be seen, showing that large numbers of
the red savages had been in that locality a short time
before. Proceeding a little farther, we discovered a large canoe
which, as we afterward learned, had been captured from
a company of regulars who had been cruising on the lake.
A trail led from this spot to an island in the saw-grass,
about a mile distant. At this juncture our captain
climbed a tree, for the purpose of taking a view of the
surroundings. As his eye fell on the island, he exclaimed :
"Boys, there are Indians on that island, and no mis
take, for the leaves of the oak trees over there look as
though they had been blackened with smoke. We will
swoop down on the rascals and 'gather them in.' "
' He hastened.down the tree and picked out a squad of
about seven men, and ordered them to guard the boats.
The rest of us then followed the trail that led to the hid
ing-place of the Indians. The saw-grass was much
higher than our heads, and the ground very boggy; we
had to step from one fern "tussock" to another in order
to keep above water; and any one failing to gain a foot
hold, was precipitated up to his waist in the mud.
When we had advanced to within a few hundred yards
of our destination, Captain Mickler ordered a halt, and,
in a low voice, issued commands to one of the party to
take charge of a company of ten men and; proceed to the
north side of the island, and to remain there until orders
were given for a final charge. The man to whom this
maneuver was intrusted, was a daring and fearless South
erner, named James Cook, who had given unmistakable
proofs of intrepidity and courage, during the short time
he had been with us. In such a foe as this, the wily sav-

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

11

age might find their most daring young warriors baffled,
both in strategy and combat.
We stood there in the saw-grass, impatiently waiting
for the final moment, while Cook and his men silently
glided through the marsh toward the/island.

CHAPTER II.
OUR FIRST CAPTURE OF INDIANS— AN UGLY CUSTOMER.
Qur captain, in order to allow Cook and his men to
reach their destination and get in readiness for the charge,
waited a few minutes, and then ordered an advance.
When we were within fifty yards of the island, the sound
of an axe was heard, and a moment afterward, the keen
crack of a rifle broken on our ears.
Hastening forward, we found the doughty James Cook
standing guard over a half dozen squaws and "picka-
ninies." He had surprised and captured them, as they
were preparing dinner. After hanging the venison pots
over the fire, they had taken a rest, and were lounging
on a rude scaffolding of poles and cabbage-palm leaves.
Some of the squaws attempted to escape by hiding in the
tall saw-grass, but a few shots from our rifles soon
brought them to terms, and it was an easy matter to find
and capture them. The women, although badly fright
ened, remained sullen and silent, but the "pickaninies"
(children) set up a howl that would have done credit to
a horde, of young hyenas. The poor creatures had been
fearfully cut and lacerated, by running through the tall
saw-grass, and their faces were, as Jim Cook said, "a
reg'lar sight."
Jim Cook seemed to be anxious to give them an ade
quate idea of his wrath toward them, and held his rifle in
alarmingly close proximity to their heads, while he
shouted :
"Jist budge a quarter of a inch, will you ? Yah triflin',
des-peekable low-liver critters! Open them 'are long
yappin' jaws o' yourn jist one time, and I wisher may die
if I don't knock ye deader'n Hec."

14 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
And a sulphurous light gleamed in his eye that meant
business. The squaws, disregarding his last injunction,
began jabbering a mixture of English and Seminole; one
old squaw kept repeating :
"White man holiwaugus (no good) ; umcah, loxidok-
schay — lie heap. Umcah ; eesta-hotka — white man no
hurt hopeta (squaw) eesta-chatta."
¦ From this highly intelligent discourse, we inferred
that the dusky ladies were trying to make negotiations
for peace. The irate Jim would fain have made them feel
the weight of his strong right arm, but as he was no
coward, he restrained himself, and was content with the
remark that, even if they were "pesky, low-down Sem
inole Injins," they were women, and he never could
"strike a 'ummern."
Hung over the fire were some brass kettles, in which
they had been cooking dinner, when we surprised them.
Near by were several baskets woven of wire-grass, full of
huckleberries and other wild fruit. Hanging in one of
the wigwams were two chiefs' costumes, richly embroid
ered with beads. Some breast-plates, hammered out of
silver dollars, were also found. We made a dash for
these, and I was fortunate enough to secure one of these
costumes. This consisted of a sort of a waistcoat*, a
pair of leggings and moccasins, and a sash. Each article
was covered with elaborate designs, worked in beads and
silk, representing birds, fishes, etc., and must have cost
much time and patience.
We were again put on our guard by the sound of de
fiance yells, coming from the distance, and put ourselves
in readiness to withstand an attack, as it was natural to
suppose that the warriors,, who had left this camp, were
returning, and that they would be ready for battle when
they came. They did riot put in an appearance, however,
during our stay.
This island was circular in shape, and contained about

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 15
an acre. It was surbunded by a belt of timber, which
completely hid its occupants from the sight of enemies
approaching from the outside. Within this circle, all
the timber, with the exception of a few large live oaks
and cabbage-palms, had been cleared away, and the
ground' was in a high state of cultivation. Fine corn,
beans, and pumpkins were growing underneath the live
oaks; the vines had climbed the trees, and the immense
pumpkins hung from the limbs, presenting a strange ap
pearance. Among our prisoners was a boy about twelve years of
age, named E-chepko, whose duty it had been to post
himself in a tall hackberry tree, and gave warning, in
case of the approach of an enemy. A feeling of com
plete security had caused him to neglect his duty on this
eventful morning, and a surprise and capture was the
result. After satisfying ourselves that the warriors were not
coming, as we had expected, preparations were made to
carry our prisoners to the boats. They were all easily
managed, except one old squaw, who manifested a de
cided reluctance in accepting our escort. In the words of
an old song:
"She couldn't and she wouldn't, and she shouldn't come at all."
James Cook, who took her in charge, then said, "Come
on, old gal, and let's go to the boats.'' As she did not
accept Jim's proffered arm, that worthy caught her by the
shoulder, and attempted to push her forward. In vain.
She set her foot firmly on the soil, and resisted all at
tempts to move her. As a finah stroke, she laid herself
flat oh the ground, and, rolling her savage red eye around,
scowled defiantly at Jim. He flew into a rage at this,
and, whipping out his bowie-knife, he drew it lightly
across her throat; .then, with an oath that would have

16 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
made an alligator turn pale, he gave her to understand
what would be her portion if she didn't submit.
"Don't kyarve the old critter," exclaimed a soldier, in
a compassionate tone. "If ye kill 'er, we hain't agwine to
git that two hundred and fifty from the Guv'ment. No ;
jist wait till the 'thorities gits hold of 'er; let 'er jibe if
ye kin, old boy, till we can git 'er into camp. We'll help
ye tote 'er ef we can't git 'er along nary nother way."
She was "taken up tenderly, lifted with care," by four
men, who had been detailed to that duty. Two seized
her arms, and the other two laid hold of her feet; still,
it was no easy task to carry the vicious old creature. She
snapped like a turtle, and grunted like an angry sow.
Just as we started back with our captives, we were
startled by the report of a gun, in the direction of the men
who had been left at the boats. When we arrived at that
place, it was discovered that an accident had happened.
One of the men was floundering around in the mud at a
great rate, and groaning loudly. It appeared that one of
the men had handled his rifle carelessly, and the result
of it was that he had wounded the man in front of him.
The man, whose name was Turnipseed, received a severe
flesh-wound, which caused him much pain, but there was
no danger to be apprehended. Beyond a slight halt in
his ga.it, and an inability to rest otherwise than by lying
on his side, he did not give much evidence of having been
the first to fall on the battlefield. In a week he" was as
spry as any of us, but I believe he selected somebody else
to walk behind him.
We placed our dusky prisoners in the boats, and
steered for camp. Close watch was kept over them lest
one should escape, for each represented two hundred and
fifty dollars. We had" fifteen of them, which amounted,
in all, to about three thousand seven hundred dollars.
They made no demonstrations on the journey; indeed,
some of the squaws became friendly and communicative,

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 17
and even smiled, at intervals. The children, however,
kept up a dolorous wail the entire distance. One of the
girls, about ten years of age-^a half-breed of Spanish and
Seminole— was really pretty. She had an intelligent ap
pearance, an olive-brown complexion, and long chestnut
hair, that would have been the pride and glory of many an
English girl. When we rowed out into Okeechobee one
of the squaws pointed to an island far out on the bosom
of the lake, which she said was the girl's birth-place.
Pinnewa (the girl) was hardly less wild and untutored
than the herons and egrets that, like her, claimed the
islands and marshes for a home. She had never seen
. white men before, and she looked long and earnestly at
the fair faces and flowing beards of our soldiers, as if she
thought them very agreeable, if not handsome. And as I
looked on her soft, rounded cheek — almost the tint of a
ripe mango — I could not wonder that the proud-souled
son of Castile had deigned to call this wild bird of the
marshes his daughter.
Arriving at our camp, we assigned the prisoners to
their tents, and set a watch over them. The old squaw
who had caused us so much trouble had quieted down so
far as to allow herself to be led from the boat without
making any resistance.
When dinner was served we all sat down together —
white and red, and captor and captive — with appetites
sharpened by the morning's exercise, partook heartily of
pork and beans, hard-tack and coffee, garnished with side-
dishes of cooter and soft-shell turtle, finished up with a
dessert of papaws and rubber-tree fruit.

CHAPTER III.
A DISAGREEABLE JOURNEY, AND AN ENCAMPMENT
AMONG THE ALLIGATORS.
We passed that afternoon fishing and hunting. One
of the men, a half-breed named Andrew Wiggins, had
quite a reputation among the soldiers as a hunter. He
never failed to bring in a deer, when once he got out on
the war-path. In hunting this game, he had a wp.y of
uttering a peculiar call, which would decoy the unsus
pecting buck within easy range of his rifle. Other of the
•soldiers spent the time trading rings, ear-bobs and other
trinkets with squaws, for beads and moccasins. The
children had fully recovered from their fright, and were
rolling and tumbling in the waters of the lake.
From the squaws we learned that the warriors belong
ing to their camp were on a scouting expedition' to Pease
Creek, about a hundred miles distant, and that they
would return within two moons. Next morning, Captain
Mickler ordered preparations for departure. The boats,
which were none too commodious at first, were loaded
to the gunwales. To add to our discomfiture, a heavy
wind arose, when we were five miles out. The great
'white caps" appeared on the water, and I never saw
larger waves on the ocean than those were on Lake
Okeechobee. The boats rolled and pitched around in
an alarming manner, and nearly every Indian was writh
ing in the bottom of the boats, suffering the agonies of
sea-sickness. At last we were compelled to run into the
saw-grass to save ourselves.
The wind did not lull until night. It was then too
dark to travel, and there was no land in sight ; so we were

20 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
obliged to spend the night in the boats as best we could.
The children set up a howl at intervals, and the squaws
industriously spanked them into silence. I had always
entertained the idea that the Seminoles were an uncleanly
set of creatures, but when I saw the repeated .dippings
the children received at the hands of the squaws, I began
to think differently. The pickaninnies were held over
the side of the boats and soused'up to their eyes at least
a dozen times during the journey. The little Spartans
took the treatment heroically, seeming rather to enjoy it.
As the boats sped along the little fellows were let into the
water and held by one hand. It might seem' as though
there was some danger in this proceedure, but perhaps
Jim Cook arrived at a correct view of the case when he
averred that "the faces of them there Injin squaws is so
tarnation ugly that they'd skeer away the sassiest 'gator
that ever growed." About ten o'clock next morningwe
arrived at the mouth of Fish-eating Creek, and found
such a mass of floating "lettuce" ahead of us that we could
not travel any farther by the ordinary means. It was
simply impossible to propel the boats with oars, so we
were compelled to fasten lines and tow them from the
river bank. A man was left in each boat for the purpose
•of steering clear of the shore. Our tow-path was covered
with about six inches of green, stagnant water. Millions
of deer flies swarmed around us, and their keen bites,
which we could not hinder, on account of pulling on the
towline, made us envy the fortunate quadrupeds, who
are furnished with tails to defend themselves from the
murderous attacks of these insects.
Suddenly a sound of curses, loud and deep, broke on
my ears. Some of the men were stamping around like
mad, and began tearing off their boots. Soon an intoler
able itching commenced on my feet, and I learned the
cause of the men's strange actions. We came to a halt,
and in a few moments the whole company were bare-

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 21
footed, scratching and pawing their feet as if for dear life.
But the more we scratched and pawed, the more unbear
able became the itching, until, at last, our feet felt as if
they were on fire. We all recognized the importance of
getting out of that water, and Jim Cook gave such heroic
jumps that one might have supposed that he was trying
to perform the y-ick of keeping both feet out of the water
at once. To repeat all of his remarks on this occasion would be
rather out of place here. His contortions were fearful to
look upon, and his face was wreathed in a fiendish grin
of mingled pain and satisfaction as he rubbed and scrub
bed his prurient heels. At last he yelled, "Pards, I'll be
everlastin'ly da§-blamed if these 'ere * * varmints
ain't eatin' me bodaciously up ! Let's quit scratchin' and
pole on ; scratchin' don't do no good — hit only makes 'em
wusser." Jim was right ; the trouble was greatly increased by
scratching. Putting on our boots, we were soon out of
the water, when the itching ceased. The irritation must
have been caused by some poisonous substance in the
water, although Jim stoutly contended that it was "var
mints," and swore that he saw the little creatures swim
ming around in the water.
We arrived at Fort Center near sunset. Here we
found a company of regulars, who welcomed us heartily,
and were much surprised at our success. The Indians
seemed grateful for an opportunity to stretch themselves
out on the dry ground once more, and we were soon
seated around the campfire, chatting of our adventures
and drinking strong, black coffee, such as only soldiers
can make.
Our captives were placed in comfortable quarters, and
we spread our blankets near the stream, and lay down to
sleep, with no other covering than the sky above us. It
was midsummer, and the air was warm and sultry, but

22 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
we were not troubled with mosquitoes. A million frogs
were singing, groaning and croaking around us, but they
could only lull us to sleep. We had worked hard all day
at the oars, and were soon snoring like good fellows.
While we were sleeping there by the side of the
stream, we did not dream of the red enemy, in whose land
we were encamped, nor did we imaging that the dark
bodies of huge alligators were gliding around us. No;
the "soldier's dream of home'' brought us visions of wives
and mothers, rejoicing at our return from the perilous
battlefield. But the slimy monsters were creeping around
us, for what purpose, I cannot say; perhaps they were
trying to discover what strange being had come among
them ; maybe they were seeking companionship, although
I never knew that the alligator possessed such an inclina
tion for human society. The probable truth of the mat
ter is, that the huge saurians were searching for bits of
meat and bread, lying around the camp. It is said that
the alligator is very fond of young Seminol'es, and has
been known to watch around where the pickaninnies
were bathing, for the purpose of seizing and caressing
the little red cherubs. One peculiar feature of that kind
of business is that the little Indians are never seen any
more. Where they go, nobody can tell.
Possibly we never would have known anything about
the scaly rascals being in our camp, if one of the men had
not made the discovery. This man, while asleep, threw
his arm outward, and his hand alighted on something
so rough, cold and slimy that he instantly awoke. He
felt a fetid breath blowing on him, and, turning. his head,
he looked right into the jaws of a large alligator, whose
cold gray eyes glittered in the moonlight.

CHAPTER IV.
ANOTHER VOYAGE, AND ANOTHER DISCOVERY.
Figuratively, the soldier was frozen stiff with horror
for a moment, but when he recovered, he opened his
mouth to its utmost capacity, and gave such a yell that
every man in camp was awakened. We all jumped to
our feet and clutched our guns, for we thought the red
devils were upon us. Ed. Marr, the man whose shout
of terror had awakened us, endeavored to tell us what the
trouble was, but some of the men were running wildly
around exclaiming :
"Where are they? Where are the Indians?" and it
was some time before everything was quiet again. The
alligators, frightened by the noise, dropped into the
stream and easily escaped.
In the morning the captain of the regulars furnished
us with a wagon for the purpose of carrying our captives
to Fort Myers, where the Indian agent was stationed.
Fifteen men were detailed as a guard, and I was one of
the. number. We set out early, and camped near Fort
Denaud that night. A heavy rain set in about the middle
of the afternoon and continued all night. We had no
tents, and were obliged to lie down and endure the. pelt
ing storm. I lay down by a pine log, covered my face
with my hat, and took a rather moist nap. About two
o'clock in the morning I waked up, and could not move a
limb, and it was several minutes before I could turn.
my head. As soon as I could get up, I collected a few
light-wood knots and built a fire. We were anxious to
reach Fort Myers, and bent all our energies to the task
of getting there that day.

24 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
At noon we camped near a scrub hammock. Andrew
Wiggins, of course, had to take his gun and scour the
woods in search of game. He crept softly as a tiger
through the desert rosemary and slanting spruce of the
scrub, and kept his eagle eye on the lookout for deer and
turkey. He glided along on his hands and knees, and
then stopped and listened, at intervals. Finally he heard
strange sounds coming irpm a thicket a few hundred
yards distant. Springing to his feet he ran to the spot,
and as he came nearer the terrific growl of the black bear
and the fierce scream of the panther broke on his ear. He
saw the bear standing on, his haunches, and the panther
crouching near by; in an instant the panther sprang at
her enemy, and a stream of blood began trickling down
the bear's side. ' With an intermission of only a few
moments the panther renewed the attack, and the bear
reached out eagerly for his adversary, who was just a
little too quick for him. At last the panther made a false
move, and the bear clasped him in his hideous embrace.
With one sweep of a paw, he disemboweled his foe, who
lay gasping in the last throes of death. The bear's vic
tory was short-lived, however, for Wiggins laid him low
with a bullet form his rifle. Wiggins said that the .com
batants had beaten down nearly half an acre of the scrub.
The triumphant hunter skinned the bear, and dexter
ously severing a hind quarter, shouldered it and carried it
into camp. We were pleased at the prospect of a "bait"
of jerked bear, but our joy was nothing compared to that
of the Indian squaws, who reared themselves up in the
wagon and espied Wiggins with the precious freight,
coming in the distance. With nostrils extended, and
teeth -unsheathed, they scented the feast "from afar off."
"Easta-hotka, get lokasee!" was their rapturous ex
clamation. "Lokasee" is the Seminole word for bear,
and among their pigeon-like chattering, the word was

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 25
many times repeated. "Umcah, lokasee good, ojus ; cook
'em quick; eat littlum raw."
They wished us to understand that we need not wait
to cook it, as far as they were concerned ; that they were
not so fastidious as the "easta-hotka," or white man. We
set some stakes over the fire and began broiling huge
slices of meat, while some of the men were sent along
with' Wiggins for the purpose of carrying back- the re
mainder of the bear. ' After a glorious feast we contin
ued our journey, and at noon the next day we reached
Fort Myers. Here we found the agent and transferred
the prisoners to him. The squaws had expected to meet
the warriors at this place, and began wailing piteously
when they found themselves disappointed. They bade us
a tearful good-by, and shook hands with us in a very
friendly manner. But they were inconsolable for the loss
of their warriors. We tried to encourage and cheer them
by telling them that the eesta-chattas would soon cheer
them with their presence. When we left they were wan
dering to and fro, crying together like children.
Before long we joined our comrades at the camp on
Fish-Eating creek, and together we went on another
Indian chase.
This time we bent our course to the east side of Lake
Okeechobee, and searched closely every hammock as we
went along, for our "blood was up," and nothing but
another wholesale capture of Indians would satisfy us.
We made our boats fly through the water as fast as
oars and blankets (for sails) could make them go. Jim
Cook commanded one of the boats, and every few min
utes went ashore and examined the land for "Injin signs."'
Finally his keen eye fell upon tracks, in the sand of the
beach. With a smothered chuclde of satisfaction, he sig
nalled the good news to Captain Mickler, who immedi
ately steered, for the shore. Our captain, after examining
the tracks, ordered the men back to the boats, and, to

26 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
Jim's disappointment, the journey was resumed. After
we had gone a mile or more, we encountered something
else which attracted our attention. I was lounging at
the bow of the front' boat, and, of course, was able to
make discoveries before the others. Underneath a group
of custard-apple trees, which were growing in the water
near the beach, I saw a blue rag fluttering in the breeze,
and called Captain Mickler's attention to it. Immedi
ately afterward I saw a canoe tied up close to the shore.
Our captain ordered the boat to be put about, and we
pulled for the shore. Before we reached the land a squaw
appeared and waded out to the end of the canoe above
mentioned, and hung a shot-bag over the stern of the
boat. This was the truce of peace, and was understood
by all of us.
When we landed, all of us had our arms in readiness
for battle, and some of the men were eager for the fray.
The squaw was exceedingly grim and uncommunicative.
She utterly refused to tell where her better half was, and
perhaps things would have gone a little rough with her
if it had not been for a discovery made by one of the men.
While hunting in the dry grass and thickets near the
water, he espied a dlark form, lying half hidden in a clump
of custard-apple bushes. Beckoning one of the men' to
him, the two crept silently upon the unsuspecting red
skin.

CHAPTER V.
A FLORIDA DELICACY— NOVEL METHOD OF SECURING
GAME.
? >
The Indian, who had been sleeping "the sleep of the
just," and lay wrapped in dreams while his captors were
stealing upon him, was rudely awakened by an uncere
monious "laying on of hands." He turned his affrighted
gaze toward the men, and, seeing there was no hope of
escape, a diplomatic grin overspread his features, and he
rose to his feet, held out his hand, saying: "How do?
How you do "
"Well, we're a-doin' first rate, and you'd better thank
goodness that you're a-doin' at all. What's your name,
anyhow, you dirty, half-made, sneakin' whelp !"
"My name Tommie ; me Seminole, good, too much.
Me not hurt eesta-hotka — me good, ojus, too much,
umcah." "Well, Tommie," said Captain Mickler, "where were
you 'going."
"Goin' to ooontee-sassahcllober.''
"Where are all the other Indians."
"All gone to coontee-sassahollober," he repeated,
pointing in the direction of the Big Cypress. He seemed
willing to give us information about his people, and did
not exhibit any of that surly, taciturn disposition that
was shown by the majority of the Indians. His wife,
however, had quite a serious cast of countenance, and
kept her little boy close by her side, occasionally speak
ing to him in a low voice, in Seminole. When asked
about the number of Indians in the neighborhood, he

28 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
replied by shaking his head and saying, "Sookkus-chay,
which is the Indian word for departing.
We noticed some pots hanging over the fire, and upon
examining one, we found that it contained "cabbage
permeeter." The fragrant odor that arose therefrom
told us that it was a luxury never to be forgotten when
once tasted. The manner of procuring the "permeeter"
is as follows: A thrifty young cabbage-palm tree is
selected, and with an ax, the leaf-stems are cut off.
About the spot, on the trunk of the palm tree, where the
leaf-stems begin to wither and die, is where the chop
ping must be done. If it is cut lower than this, the bit
ter,, woody part will be included, and if higher, the ten
der germinal bud will be lost, or sliced up in such a
manner as to be hardly fit for food. Having felled the
trunk, the sheathing leaf-stems are separated, and soon
the snow-white "bud'' is visible. This, in a thrifty spec
imen, is about eighteen inches long, four inches in diam
eter, and cylindrical, . with a bulge at the base. It is so
brittle that a large piece of is can be broken up easily,
with the 'fingers; is as smooth as glass, and whiter than
ivory. When raw, the bud resembles a green chestnut
in taste. But let it once be properly cooked ; stewed with
ham or breakfast bacon, and served with cream and but
ter, with a sprinkling of pepper — oysters, green corn and
pumpkin pie sing into insignificance. A lingering, "soul-
filling, hunger-killing" sensation is experienced, as the
gastronomist takes his first bite. I am speaking in earn
est, when I say that palmetto cabbage is the raciest, most
toothsome dish that ever came to my acquaintance since
I was old enough to know what it was. Even as I write,
I long to toss my pen aside and rush into the wild ham
mocks, where. the coveted delicacy grows in abundance.
The other pot contained "comptie." I cannot well
tell just what that is, for I don't think there is any thing
like, it growing in the North. It is the root of a plant

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 29
that is found in immense quantities in South Florida.
The roots are macerated in a mortar, and a fine quality
of flour is obtained, which contains a very large percent
age of starch. When cooked it resembles arrowroot in
taste and character. It is used very extensively as a
breadstuff among the Indians, who call it "soff-kee," after
it is cooked.
We also noticed a number of large birds called "cor
morants" in that region, which had been placed so as to
broil over the fire. Seeing that the Indian had no lock
on his gun, and of course could not use it, Captain Mick-
ler asked him how he got the birds.
"Hannah," he answered, pointing at his wife, "go
rookery; take stick — knock 'em down."
It was true. The woman, disregarding all accepted
rules of sportsmanship, took a stout cypress limb, and,
creeping under the trees where the birds had selected a
roost, commenced such a fierce onslaught on them that
but few of the luckless creatures escaped.
About this time, our captain ordered the men to chop
the Indian canoe to pieces. The owner looked, on with
rueful countenance, but said nothing.
The nvyriads of custard-apple trees around us were
loaded with fruit, but none of it was ripe. Captain Mick-
ler picked one of them, "and asked Tommie if it was fit
to eat. "No good, holiwaugus. Tomollow, ripe; good, too
much." He meant that next day it would ripen. The fruit is
about as large as a quince. A grove of custard-apple
trees, full of fruit, will perfume the air for half a mile
around. We manned our boats and left with our captives,
steering our course toward the south end of Lake Okee
chobee. After traveling five miles, we reached that
point and began looking for an outlet into the Everglades,

30 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
but without success. We were bounded by a high, al
most impenetrable wall of saw-grass, through which the
water from the lake oozed its way to the Everglades.
We went on about three miles farther, and reached an
Indian town". Here we saw several palmetto huts, and
the place looked as if it had been deserted for many years.
In answer to a question as to who lived there, Tommie
said: "Miccosukie ; no good- — thief, too much."
Miccosukie was the name of a tribe who had lived
apart from other tribes, plundering their neighbors and
murdering women and children. Tommie told some fear
ful tales of their depredations.
Next day we landed on Observation Island, and in
iny next chapter I will tell my readers what we saw there.

CHAPTER VI.
A MAN TRIES CHICKEN-HAWK AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD,
WITHOUT SUCCESS— WE REACH THE EVERGLADES.
Observation Island is about three-fourths of a mile in
length, and one-fourth of a mile wide. It has a hard;
white sandy beach, and is known as a favorite resort for
turtles. On landing at the island, a curious sight met our eyes.
The ground was literally paved with turtles and cooters,
some of which were industriously digging in the sand,
forming a place in which to deposit their' eggs. The
tierce, gray-eyed soft-shell, the bright, yellow-striped
cooter, and his odoriferous companion, the "alligator tur
tle," were dwelling together in unity, but there was con
sternation among them as we came up ; which was plain,
from their frantic scrambles toward the water.
We hurried ashore, and commenced a raid on the un
fortunate reptiles. I secured half a dozen without acci
dent, and retired with my struggling, kicking captives to
a shady spot, where I made them secure with a few strips
of tough bark. One man, a long, lean Tar-heel, named
Turnipseed, was not so fortunate. While wrestling with
a giant soft-shell turtle, the vicious chelonian grabbed
him by the thumb and held on like "grim death." There
is a superstition prevalent among some people, to the
effect that a turtle will not relax his hold "until it thun
ders." Perhaps Turnipseed had began to have that opin
ion, for the soft-shell tightened his grip, and, drawing
in his head, plunged forward to suddenly that the Tar
heel was obliged to move his arm accordingly, to save
his thumb. The turtle continued to plunge and rear,

32 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
but there is a limit to human endurance. Notwithstand
ing his peculiar name, there was nothing small about Mr.
Turnipseed. He didn't swear, and tear around, nor curse,
nor wish that the vicious reptile was in the country, of
which they say the pepper is a native. No, he simply
held up the turtle by his thumb, and waiting until its
neck was sufficiently extended, made a skillful swipe of
his knife, and the body fell to the ground. The head,
however, remained, and Mr. T. had to practice some sur-
gery-before he finally got his thumb free.
We considered we had plenty, when two dozen of the
snapping turtles were thrown into the boat. On close
inspection, we failed to discover any signs of Indians,
and of course our only alternative was. to return to the
mainland. When' we arrived at the camp, we found some little
excitement among the soldiers. It appeared that one of
the men 'had shot a chicken-hawk, and insisted upon hay
ing it for his dinner, despite the remonstrance of the men.
Not long after he had finished his meal, he complained of
intense pain in the stomach. When we arrived, he was
almost delirious, and the physician of the camp was doing
his best to alleviate the man's sufferings.
Our captive, Tommie, seemed much concerned about
the man's condition, and repeatedly begged Dr. Oliver to
let him try a cure. The doctor at last consented, and
Tommie dispatched his squaw, Hannah, to the woods
for the purpose of gathering roots and herbs. He then
took the man's hands in his own, and repeated a strange
jargon of unintelligible sounds, and passed his hands
over the man's face. The voodoo operations had no '
effect, and when Hannah returned with an apron full of
leaves, Tommie bruised them together in his hands, and
then put them in the man's ears' and mouth, at the same
time repeating the gibberish of a voodoo. All to no pur-

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 33
pose. After a few struggles, the man lay still in death
before us.
Tommie seemed greatly affected at the unfortunate
termination of his case, and tried to explain to us that the
moon's pha"se was unfavorable to a cure. We buried our
comrade under a rubber-tree, and inscribed the name in
the bark, over his head, which, no doubt, can be seen until
this day, perhaps partly effaced by the growth of the tree.
Next morning, we set out on the journey to Fort
Myers, and after two days of rowing on the Caloosa-
hatchie, we arrived at our destination, and delivered
Tommie, Hannah and the boy to the Indian agent.
After securing a receipt for the Indians, Captain Mick-
ler was furnished with a guide, an old Spaniard, named
Phillippi, and an Indian squaw, called Polly, a former
wife of Chi-ee, a famous Seminole chief.
We again impelled our boats down the Caloosahatchie,
and arrived at Punta Rassa, where the river empties into
the Gulf of Mexico. At that point we entered the salt
water, and cruised along the coast, southward. Mullet
and pompano were our chief diet, and the men, who had
grown tired of fresh-water fish, feasted on these products
of the "briny deep" with unlimited zest.
Sanibel Island, off Punta Rassa, is famous for its wild
hogs and deer. Before leaving for Shark river, some of
the men went across to that island and began chasing the
long-toothed boars. Andrew Wiggins was one of the
party, and proposed to show the others just how he could
lay the vicious game low. They "jumped" a herd of the
swine, digging in a small pond, in search of "wampee,"
an aquatic plant, something on the order of Arum, or
Indian turnip. Andrew Wiggins unceremoniously inter
rupted their meal by firing among them, and he wounded
one so badly that it set up a fearful scream. One old
boar became greatly enraged at this, and with a blood
curdling "gosh-gosh," and rattling grunt, trotted straight

34 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
for Wiggins, who turned and ran for a tree. It was wise
for him to do so, for the angry animal was right at his
heels, when he reached a small oak tree. With the
agility of a squirrel he climbed the tree, and the boar,
finding himself disappointed, commenced rooting at the
foot of the oak. Whether the boar would ultimately have
overturned the sapling, I cannot say, but as soon as
Wiggins could get a firrn foothold, he stopped the tunnel
ing operations with a bullet from his rifle. We killed
several fine young shoats, and carried them to the boats.
Shark river flows into the Gulf about eighty miles
south of Punta Rassa, and after traveling two days, we
reached the mouth of the river.' Proceeding up this
stream eight miles we selected a camp, amid the man
grove trees. The ground was dry, although not more
than three feet above the water. Roaming around the
forest that evening, I found a tree covered with grape
vines, on which hung the finest grapes I ever saw. They
were larger than muscadines, covered with a deep purple
blo'om, and so juicy and rich that they were near burst
ing. Neither before, nor since, have I ever seen such
magnificent grapes.
Next day we entered the Everglades. Mangrove for
ests were behind us ; and before us, as far as the eye could
reach, could be seen nothing but an ocean of saw-grass,
dotted with small islands, on which a few cocoa-plum
and myrtle trees were growing.
Many people who have heard of the Everglades all
their lives, have no idea of what the country looks like.
Some imagine it to be a beautiful forest, where tropical
birds fly through fruit-laden trees ; others imagine that it
is an El Dorado, where one is almost sure to find gold or
jewels. I understand that one prominent writer, and
citizen of Florida, pretending to write from experience,
says that the Everglades will yet become the greatest
winter resort in Florida. He speaks of "high, rolling

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

35

land, wild orange groves, and a rich soil and healthful
climate, which must some day gain for it a world-wide
reputation as a resort for invalids." I can scarcely con
ceive- of a more shameless misrepresentation. In my
next chapter I will give a description of the Everglades,
which I am ready to substantiate in every particular.

CHAPTER VII.
A JOURNEY ACROSS THE EVERGLADES, AND A PROMISE
OF AN ADVENTURE.
Standing on the edge of the Everglades, we could look
each way, and discern the line of demarkation as plainly
as ever was seen in a field or lake. The confines of the
great morass ran in almost a straight line north and
south, and melted away into the dim distance on each side
of us.. At our feet lay a warm, reeking mass of water and
decaying vegetation, and around us stood myrtle and
pocoa-plum trees, laden with fruit. An intense silence
pervaded the whole scene. Far ahead of us we could, see
the white heron and the roseate spoonbill, expanding
their wings in the warm sunlight, but they uttered no
sound. A solitary flamingo spread his scarlet pinions
on the air, and slowly wended his flight to the south, at
last looking like a blazing red star, sinking into the hori
zon of the saw-grass and myrtle.
The water was less than six inches deep, and we could
easily foresee that the journey would be a difficult one,
for the boats would have to be drawn over the fields of
saw-grass by main strength.
Captain Mickler ordered that two of the largest boats
be sent back, as they were too large to be hauled along
like the other boats. Accordingly, William Mickler, the
captain's brother, assumed the task of taking them back,
and we prepared for the journey across the Everglades.
All of us entered the water with the .exception of Polly,
the Indian, squaw, who sat in the prow of the foremost
boat. Five. men were assigned to each boat; one behind
and two on each side, and we had all we could do to push

38 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
them along, although they contained nothing but rations,
ammunition and guns. Polly, who was to act as our
'guide, gave her directions to Phillippi, who interpreted
them to us in English. ' She ]had' crossed the Everglades
eighteen years before, and yet she knew the way just as
well as if -she- had made the trip a hundred times. No
mariner's compass could have guided us across this track
less waste with more precision than did this hideous old
hag*. . Occasionally Captain Mickler would order a halt, and
go to. an island, climb a. cocoa-plum tree, and take a long
look at the surrounding country. As far as he could see
there was no variation of the monotonous scenery. On
examining these islands we found that they were only a
few inches above the water, and the soil seemed to con
sist of rotten limestone, covered with a thin, hard crust,
which broke through as we walked upon it. Underneath
was. a whitish, calcareous, ill-smeliing soil, mixed with
shells. But the cocoa-plum trees which grew in such
numbers on every island, were a boon to us. There are
two varieties-^the black and the white cocoa— and the
fruit is about the size of a green-gage plum. The pulp
is very sweet and good, and very refreshing. After the
pulp has been eaten, the seed is cracked, and inside is
found a substance that resembles chocolate very closely,
both in taste and appearance. It is claimed that the seed
possesses many properties of Erythroxylon coca. One
thing I am sure of is, that eating the seeds seemed to
enable one to do a greater amount of labor without fa
tigue, than was possible before.
Occasionally we crossed the little rills trickling their
way sluggishly toward the south. These little streams
were hardly ever more than six feet across, and contained
a few species of swamp fish. The water was not more
than a foot deep, and the current was scarcely discernible.
¦ Strange to say, we saw no alligators nor snakes on

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 39
this journey, nor the slightest trace of any reptile except
an occasional cooter. At sunset we were weary indeed,
although we had traversed a distance of only twelve
miles. Behind us lay the long, winding path made by our
boats, through the saw-grass. Our course was toward
the Miami, on the Atlantic coast — about east-northeast.
At night we went on to an island, where the ground was
a little dry, and prepared for the night. The myrtle;
which grows in such abundance on these islands, is very
brittle, and we had no difficulty in preparing couches of
the fragrant boughs. We built a fire of the dry, dead
branches, and were soon comfortably seated around a
smoking supper, making ourselves just as merry as if
we were at home, and not forced to roam through one of
the most desolate deserts known to mortal man.
When we retired to rest on our couches of sweet myr
tle boughs, sleep came to us on swift wings. Not a mos
quito nor sand-fly appeared to keep us awake, and appar
ently, we just pressed the couches, and then opened our
eyes to the rising sun. Never did I sleep more perfectly
and refreshingly. I cannot say whether this was owing
\o the cocoa-plum seeds I had eaten, or not.
It is my honest opinion that we never could have gone
a mile into the Everglades without the aid of the boats,
for the soil was so soft and boggy that as soon as we
relaxed our hold on the boats we sank above our knees.
Nobody knows how much deeper we would have sunk.
All the hardships I had ever endured were nothing com
pared to this. Very often we leaned over in the boats,
thoroughly exhausted by our exertions. It was an al
most superhuman task to shove the boats along, and
when we were once out of sight of dry land, the pros
pect was indescribably dreary — a circle of saw-grass and
little islands in every direction. I think I can safely say
that no human being ever did, or can, accomplish the
feat of crossing the Everglades on foot and unaided.

40 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
On the second day's journey, we observed no change
in the character of the surroundings. The islands ahead
of us looked as if they were high and dry, and gave im
pressions of an earthly paradise, with their soft verdure,
colored fruits and shady trees. But when we reached
them, the hallucination faded, and the stern reality was
before us. Noisome weeds, growing on a low, unhealthy
soil and a few cocoa-plum and. custard-apple trees, cov
ered with white-flowered vines, were all that met our
disenchanted vision.
As well as I can remember, none of these islands con
tained more than an acre and a half of land, and eighteen
inches was the greatest elevation above the water.
The weary, toiling soldiers became discouraged at the
dreary prospect around them, and showed signs of dissat
isfaction. Like the soldiers who accompanied Columbus
on his voyage of discovery, they began to express doubts
as to the reliability of the guide. They at last openly
declared that Polly was misleading them, and expressed
an unwillingness to let the alligators and herons wrestle •
with their bones, in that forsaken solitude. It must be
said, right here, to the lasting credit of Jim Cook, that
he was prompt and effectual in quelling the incipient
mutiny among the men. , His iron will and straightfor
ward and convincing dialect had the desired effect, and
equanimity was soon restored.
At night we had made about the same distance that
we traveled the first day — twelve miles. As before, an
island was our resting place.
In the morning we resumed the journey, and it is
hardly necessary- to repeat that we were much discour
aged at the non-appearance of land. I say "land," for, of
course, we were as much "at sea" as if we were on the
ocean. Captain Mickler climbed a tree, about twenty feet,
high, and looked eastward. Soon he gave an exclama-

LHYi AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 41
tion of delight, and told us that we might give ourselves
no uneasiness, as there was land in sight. He could
discern plainly the line of timber skirting Biscayne Bay.
This was about nine o'clock in the morning, and when
night came, we were within eight miles of the Miami.
At last, we were going to get out of this unhallowed
place. We were footsore and weary, and as we had to
slake our thirst with the loathsome limewater that oozed
through the grass at our feet, we were suffering from the
effects of it. Some of the men declared that one hun
dred dollars in gold would hot tempt them to make an
other trip through tr^Everglades.
It was perhaps ten o'clock in the morning of the fourth
day, when we saw something ahead of us, which caused
us to halt and hurriedly "call a council of war." About
two miles ahead we discerned what we supposed to be
an army of Indians coming toward us.
"Well, boys," said the captain, "we are pretty well'
worn out, but I guess we will manage to give them a
warm reception."
With silent, eager movements, the men put themselves
in readiness for a tussle with the savages.

CHAPTER VIII.
WE EMERGE EROM THE EVERGLADES, AND HAVE A
VERY PLEASANT TIME.
With renewed energy in our sinews, we laid hold of
the boats and sent them rushing through the water. It
surely looked as if we ought to be rewarded for our long,
wearisome struggle, and Some of the men thought that a
liberal number of captives would indemnify them for their
trouble. Steadily we advanced, and as steadily did the seem
ing enemy approach us, until they were only half a mile
distant, when, to our astonishment, we discovered that
we were soon to be joined by a company of regulars,
instead of the human game we had been expecting. The
friendliest greetings passed between our company and
that of Captain Doubleday, the commander of the regu
lars. In replying to questions, they answered evasively,
saying that our guide would probably be more reliable
than theirs. It was evident that they had been lost,
and were not willing to confess it. So they fell in behind
and started back with us.
After traveling two miles we came to a spot where
Polly -commenced an excited discussion in Seminole, with
Phillippi. That old worthy said that Polly pronounced
the little rivulet at our feet-to be the head of the Miami
river. Polly piped out in her shrill, panther-like voice:
"Sookus-hechek-opko ! lokasee ; ojus !"
We all understood the word "lokasee," and permis
sion was speedily obtained to follow a bear which was
running across from one island to another. The chase
Was a short one ; the bear took refuge on an island, and

44 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
was soon surrounded and killed. As we went on, the
rivulet broadened and deepened so that we could launch
our boats. What a relief it was ! We had been forced
to shove them along through the mud and grass, but now
we could use the oars, and we were happy. The bear
was safely lying in the bottom of the boat ; the Ever
glades were behind us, and a prospect of rest before us.
Some of the men, more sentimentally inclined, lifted their
voices and sang. We were gliding over the purest, clear
est water; pines, hammocks, and other familiar objects
greeted our vision, and palms dipped their fern-like leaves
in the crystal stream. As we rowed on, the leafy woods
on each side echoed the music :
"Quickly our boats are now gliding along,
Gliding along, , t
Gliding along*
Swiftly we're rowing in time with our song,
Rowing in time with our song.
, "Forest and meadows are passing behind,
Passing behind,
Passing behind;
Odors so sweetly are borne on the wind,
Odors are borne on the wind."
In high glee we rowed into Fort Dallas, at the mouth
of the Miami river. Here we saw many nice frame
houses among the cocoa palm trees. The ground was
high and dry, and the sea breeze was most refreshing
after our sojourn through the Everglades. No better
place could have been. found for a camp. . We stayed here
two days and recruited.
The guava bushes were fu.ll of delicious: fruit,, and no
one can say that we did not do them ample justice. Next
to a peach, I think the guava is the most delightful fruit
under the sun. No — I will not say that — for the guava
stands without rival; it is the '-queen -of -fruits. The man
that says we didn't, have. plenty of cocoanuts, makes a-
grand mistake. We ate. them, and drank the milk, until-

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 45
we didn't have a good opinion of them. One man ate so
many jelly-cocoanuts that he .was seized with severe
cramps in the stomach, and came near dying. Maybe
my readers would like to know what a "jelly-cocoanut"
is. It is nothing more nor less than a very young, un
ripe nut; at that stage the flesh has a jelly-like consist-.
ency, and the milk is indescribably delicious, but it is
dangerous if eaten without moderation.
When the two days had passed away we were in fine
condition for another journey. The jelly-cocoanut man
had recovered, and all went merry. It did not require
much time to prepare ourselves for the trip. At sunrise
we set out over the waters of Biscayne Bay, toward the
south. The weather was delightful, and after bidding
adieu to our friends, the regulars, the cocoanut groves
were left behind. Fine hammock skirted the beach ;
rubber, hackberry, saffron-plum, mastic, pigeon-plum and
"gumbolimbo" were among the tropical trees we saw.
The fruit of a mastic tree is about the size of a plum,
yellow, and has a soft, juicy pulp, with a cinnamon-like
odor. It is delicious eating, but the effects are unpleas
ant. When too many have been eaten, the mouth be
comes as sore as if the person were salivated. The
saffron-plum, pigeon-plum and hackberry all bear edible
fruit. The first object of interest we came to was General
Harney's Punchbowl. It was about ten o'clock in the
morning when we arrived at the place and landed. The
bank was about twelve feet high, rocky and steep. About
half way up the declivity was a spring of cold, clear water,
issuing from a deep, bowl-like depression in the rock. We
drank the cooling water, and ascended to the hammock,
which lay beyond. (This spring was named after General
Harney, the' famous Indian fighter.) In the hammock
we came upon a lime grove that eclipsed anything I ever
saw. The ground was literally paved with the fragrant,

46 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
.golden globes. We gathered several bushels and car
ried, them to the boats. After another deep draught at
General Harney's Punchbowl, we resumed the journey.
That night we camped at the south end of Biscayne
Bay, and next day we passed through Upper and Lower
Cards Sound, into Barnes' Sound, and through Chi-ee's
Cut-off, into Sadler's Bay. Chi-ee's Cut-off is where the
waters of Barnes' Sound connect with Sadler bay. The
water was twenty-five feet deep, and clear as it well could
be. Down near the bottom we could see enormous red
snappers and groupers darting around, and they evidently
had plenty to eat, for they paid no attention to bait. At
sunset we were within five miles of Cape Sable, at a
place named Saw-fish Hole. That night we discovered
that there were mosquitoes in Florida, after alh But we
had plenty of nets.
In the morning, after breakfast on mullet, pompano
and grouper, we shouldered guns and attacked the deer.
Foremost among the hunters was Andrew Wiggins.
With an unerring hand, he caused many a deer to bite
the sand that day. . One hunter swore that a deer came
up within a few yards of him, and never flinched, as he
took aim and fired. I cannot vouch for the truth of the
statement, but it seemed to me as if the deer were remark
ably tame.
But "graining" the tarpons was the finest sport of all.
The tarpon, when full grown, is about five feet in length,
and clothed in bright, silvery scales, about the size of a
silver dollar. They have a habit of rising to the surface
and striking the water with the tail, with such force that
the blow can be heard for five or six hundred yards.
"Graining the tarpon" is a sporl very popular around
Key West, and consists in throwing a long gig, or barbed
rod, into the fish, from a boat. To the rod is fastened a
long, stout line, and to that a stoppered jug is attached.
The tarpon, when caught, is far too powerful to be con-

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 47
trolled by hand ; so he is allowed to plunge around at will,
but the jug follows him wherever he goes, and betrays
his presence. The jugs, flying across the water with
such rapidity that a cloud of spray envelopes them ; the
excited men, bending all their strength to the oars, and
the overtaking and capture of the jug, and the final land
ing of the shining fish, forms as animating a scene as one
could well imagine. The flesh of the tarpon, while hard
ly so fine as that of the red snapper, is really good eating.
After graining half a dozen of the silvery monsters,
we cleaned them, and proceeded to "jerk" them. As
everybody knows that 'this means drying the meat in the
sun or over a fire, I will not dwell on the particulars.
Next day we visited Cape Sable, the extreme southern
point of the mainland of Florida. There are three points
which compose the cape proper ; East Point, Palm Point,
and North Cape. On Palm Point were two prodigiously
tall royal palm trees (fully 125 feet high), which were
visible as a landmark for many miles around. The Gov
ernment authorities ordained that any one who cut these
trees down, was to be fined at least five hundred dollars.
Since that time, however, a storm of unwonted violence
has uprooted them.
My readers have patiently followed me among the red
savages, have traversed deep swamps, and finally waded
through the Everglades with me, until we are lodged
safely at Cape Sable. And now, my dear readers, we are
preparing to set out on a seven days' scout through the
Big Cypress, and we are likely to pass through some
strange scenes before we rest again.

CHAPTER IX.
AMONG THE TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS.
No one who enters the border of Florida and steps
into the kingdom of the orange, where everything wears
such a soft, unseered hue of sempiternal spring, would
imagine that the southern extremity of the State pre
sented such a desolate, gloomy appearance. The pine-
covered hills and orange-scented hammocks are meta
morphosed into low, oozy points, and slimy mangrove
swamps. The very cranes and herons, poised on one
leg, look as mournful as the sprawling frogs about to
become their prey. The croak of the water-turkey is
worse than a funeral dirge, and the far-reaching note of
the curlew and flamingo makes one wish to be at home.
As we left Cape Sable the prospect grew brighter.
The sampson-grass gave way to hammocks bordered
with mangrove forests. At night we reached Pavilion
Key, and selected it as a camping spot for the night.
I had heard of the great clam beds at this key, and was
anxious to make the trip.
What a beautiful spot it was! The setting sun was
laving its heated face in the cool Gulf far to the west
ward; the last ruddy rays gilded the top of the lofty
mangrove trees, and already a deep twilight lay in the
shadowy places. The water was clear and we could
see millions of clams beneath us. As we approached the
key, some of the soldiers jumped overboard (it was only
knee deep) and threw hundreds of the .succulent bivalves
into the boat. We built a fire and soon had a mammoth
chowder ready, tbgether with some cooter steak. Polly's
eyes scintillated with suppressed joy, but when she tasted

50 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
the delicious mixture, her bosom heaved, her lips parted,
and lifting her withered hand toward heaven, she ejacu
lated : >
"Good— too much!"
We "fell to" with the gusto of savages, and had a
glorious feast. Stories were told, jokes passed, and for
mer griefs forgotten amid the joys of the present. But
amid the hearty laughs that echoed through the twilight,
there was one who maintained a deep, thoughtful silence,
as if he thought the time too precious, while sitting
around the chowder-pot, to waste in useless merriment.
But after the feast was over, he crawled to a mangrove
tree and leaned against it; throwing out his feet, and
clasping his hands over his shaggy head, he gave vent
to one of those laughs for which he was famous. First
his mouth opened, then there was a commotion all over,
and a gurgling sound arose, seemingly, from his boots,
and finally the bubbling, undulating mixture of sounds
poured forth, astonishing and amusing all who heard it.
Truly, Andrew Wiggins was a great laugher.
But I must proceed on the journey, or we will be
late. From Pavilion Key we went through Sand Fly
Pass into Chocaliska Bay, where we encountered the Ten
Thousand Islands. I had long wished to see and deter
mine just what these islands were, and observed them
with great interest. Our boats wound in and out among
them, and once I landed with some others to examine
an island. It was larger than some of the rest, being
about ten acres in extent. Around the edges stood a
circle of mangrove trees, and inside of that the land was
dry, shell hammock, and very rich, covered with a heavy
growth of mastic, gumbolimbo and other West India
trees. You have often heard me speak about mangrove
trees, and maybe you would like to know what they look
like. The mangrove don't content itself with rising
straight out of the ground like any other tree, but props

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. ,51
its trunk away up in the air on several small trunks,
which were originally roots. Some of these trees look
like a lot of large tent-poles leaning together, and a big
tree growing on top. It often reaches a height of seventy
feet or more; the wood is extremely heavy, and is used
extensively for piers and making wharves, as it lasts a
long time in water. The trees bear a long, dry seed,
which drop down when ripe and stick upright in the mud,
and in a short time a new mangrove is putting forth its
leaves. The islands were, on an average, not more than two or
" three hundred yards apart, and the smallest one I saw
was only fifty feet across, with a few stunted mangrove
and mastic trees growing on it. Sometimes, where the
islands were close together, the tall, shady trees loomed
up in leafy walls on each side of us, and formed an over
arching canopy of green, through which the echoes of
the men's voices, and the sounds of the oars rang and
reverberated. This was the home of the sand fly. High
overhead we heard the shrill hum of untold millions of
these little insects, which increased as we went on.
In this arboreal wilderness, the semi-twilight hue of
the scene seems to make the little creatures' advances
more bold. The whirr of their wings — so fine and shrill,
that "nothing seemed to lie 'twixt it and silence" — was
constantly in our ears, and the infinitesimal white spots
which marked their presence on the hands ancj. face were
the cause of considerable pain and annoyance. They are
not like a mosquito; they are too small for you to aim a
blow at them, and they are biting you for dear life before
you know it.
The water was three feet in depth, and very clear, so
that we cpuld see the oyster beds below, with great dis
tinctness. Many of these beds contained oysters of fine
size, so that we supplied ourselves liberally with the, deli
cious things. Seated in the boats, we pryed open the

52 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
shells, and rapidly provided accommodations for the
oysters contained within.
After a while we emerged from among the islands,
and came to the mouth of the Chocaliska river, and jour
neyed up the stream for five miles, to the point where it
receives the waters of the Faquahatchie. Here we found
a company of soldiers who had just finished burying their
commander — Captain Parkhill — who had been killed by
Indians the day before, in the Royal Palm Hammock.
There was the most intense excitement among the men,
and their speech and actions boded no good for the Indi
ans they were preparing to hunt next day. They had
carried his body nine miles in order to find a safe resting
place for their chief.
Captain Mickler ordered us to return, and when we
again entered the Chocaliska bay, our course was directed
northward, en route for Marco Inlet, near Cape Romano.
After a journey of twenty miles, we reached the inlet,
and, : "xt morning we were joined by the company before
mentioned. We were, in all, about one hundred strong,
and were provided with guns, ammunition and provi
sions. Colonel St. George Rogers took command, and,
at an early hour, we set forth, ostensibly for the purpose
of quelling a rebellion, but many of the men were ready
to risk life and liberty for the purpose of avenging the
dastardly murder of their chief, Captain Parkhill.

CHAPTER X.
INCIDENTS OF SEVEN YEARS.
In bringing to a close the first part of book, I recall
several instances, which I have learned since the first
edition was published, which stand out even in the dark
and troublous days of Indian warfare, and which will be
found of interest. One of these incidents, the murder of
one Barker, occurred in 1849, and the others seven years
later, in the year of Grace (or perhaps it should be called
Bloodshed), 1856, five years before the hostilities with
the native red men were to be forgotten in the longer
and deadlier conflict between brethren of the same race,
in which our fair State, no less than others, suffered
through fire and sword.
The first affair of which I write, the murder of Bar
ker, occurred on the Indian river in 1849. Barker, with
his brother-in-law, Major Russell, and their families,
lived on this river, as the great lagoon is called, extend
ing almost the entire length of the East Coast— the great
river which does not rise from the highlands and flow
into the ocean, but rises and falls with the moon-driven
tides of the Atlantic. Major Russell was an Indian trad
er, and among the red men bore none too good a repu
tation for honesty and square dealing. It was through
a desire on their part for revenge against Russell, for the
Indian never forgets either a kindness of an injury, that
the unfortunate Barker lost his life. .
One day as Major Russell and Mr. Barker were at
work in their garden amongst their crop of spring veg
etables, they espied two Indians, who came down to the
riverside and fired their rifles, at the same time giving

54 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
the blood-curdling whoop which meant that the Sem-
inoles were on the warpath — that some of the tribe had
"smelt blood," and, like- the wild beast of the jungles,
could only be satisfied with more. Before the men could
arrange to protect themselves the two savage's were
upon them in the garden, and, each taking deliberate
aim, fired at his man. Barker fell to the ground, dead,
and Major Russell was wounded severely. Mrs. Barker
and, Mrs. Russell, hearing the guns and seeing the fatal
results, seized their children and hurried down to the
boat. at the river. There was no time for useless lamen
tation over the corpse of the murdered husband, father
and brother ; immediate action was all that could save
the lives of Russell, the unfortunate woman, and the inno
cent children of the two households.
Rushing into the house as fast as his wounded con
dition would permit, Major Russell secured his gun and
fired back at the attacking party, who disappeared amid
the trees at once. . He then hurried down to the river,
growing weaker and fainter with loss of blood every min
ute, and joined his family. They rowed across the Indian
river and walked up the beach to Cape Canaveral, forty
miles away. The women gave Major Russell such atten
tion as they could, and his wound did not result fatally.
After walking for three days, enduring all|the pangs
of hunger and the agonies of thirst, for they were with
out food, and the only water in sight — the briny ocean
on the east, — only served to accentuate their sufferings,
so that they might well have exclaimed with the Ancient
Mariner : "Water! water! everywhere,
But not a drop to drink ! !
At the end of this time they reached Cape Canaveral,
where they found Captain Burnham and a detachment of
troops under his command. The latter relieved their

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 55
wants, and Captain Bumham conveyed them to St.
Augustine. Lieutenant Ripley was then stationed at the
oldest city in America, and was ordered by the War De
partment immediately to proceed to Fort Capron, on the
Indian river, near the scene of the Barker murder, and
protect the few settlers that were still there.
This prompt action on the part of the United States
authorities put an end to the depredations for the time,
but not, sad to relate, until the same Indians who had
murdered Barker made their way across the country to
Pease creek, killing on the way a man named Paine, a
respected white settler who was unfortunate enough to
be in their line of march.
BATTLE OF PEASE CREEK.
Peace reigned until the spring of 1858, when the seven
years of peace treaty were to be succeeded by a season
of war and ruin. The Indians were in a hostile mood,
and as a result of their depredations through the country
the white settlers, what few there were, had gathered
together at the different forts for protection, especially
at Fort Mead. Amongst others in the community was
a family named Tillis, who lived about two miles from
the Fort. Mr. Tillis had two-grown sons, and all being
armed, felt secure from an attack by the savages. One
morning, at dawn, Mrs. Tillis, accompanied by one of
her youngest children, went to the cow pen to milk, as
usual. On arriving. she noticed that the cows appeared
frightened, giving warning as clearly as the instinct of
an animal can, of serious danger, and looking as only
dumb animals can look when frightened, at a pile of rails
behind the fence of the cow pen.
Looking in the same direction, Mrs. Tillis saw a num
ber of Indians prostrate upon the ground. She started
to the house at once, calling to her child to follow. At

56 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
this the Indians commenced firing on the woman and
child, but they arrived safely in the house, where they
were given the protection of the husband and Sons. The
Indians, determined to commit mischief before leavings
then began a fusillade against the house, but the latter
was as secure against the bullets of the savages, being
built in the pioneer manner of pine logs, as were the
palmetto logs of Fort Moutrie safe against the cannon
balls of the British in the War of the Revolution. There
was no Sargent Jasper here to spring upon the ramparts
with the battle flag of the Fort, but in the sacred pre
cincts of their pinelog cabin, the Tillis family fought for
their lives and their home.
The walls of the cabin, useless to«relate, were not
plastered or ceiled, as such "trimmings" as these were
unknown in the pioneer, days of Florida, and for once
the cracks between the logs stood the inmates of the
cabin in good stead. Safely barricaded behind the walls,
the defenders of the cabin fired their rifles through the-
cracks, and thus kept the enemy at bay. In the mean
time the sound of the rifles had been heard at Fort Meade
by a party of South Florida cowboys who had been left
to guard the women and children at the Fort. "Boys,
there's work for us over in the woods," said their leader,
and mounting their horses they dashed at full speed to
the scene of the battle.
Hearing the sound of the approaching volunteer cav
alry, the Indians withdrew from the attack on the Tillis
homestead, and lay in wait in a thicket of pine saplings.
The cowboys dismounted and charged them, driving
them back from the thicket in which they had sought
refuge. , One of the cowboys, McCullough 'by named,
disarmed an Indian and threw him to the ground, then
called to a comrade to come and help him, that they
might get the reward of $500 offered by the government
for the capture of a warrior. At that very instant the

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 57
comrade was shot down, and McCullough found himself
in the same position of the Irish trooper in the Crimean
war who "caught a Tartar." There was but one thing
for McCullough to do when no aid came to him; the
Indian was making a desperate struggle to slay his cag-
tor, having again secured possession of his arms, and
McCullough, to save his own life, jerked out his knife
and cut the red man's throat.
Ocshan, the chief of the Indian war party, was killed,
but his men were too numerous for the cowboys to count
their triumph a final one, so they withdrew in good order
from the skirmish, with very littfe loss.
Next day a party of eighteen cowboys started out in
pursuit of the Indians, who were not strong enough to
risk an attack on the Fort, and withdrew from the fight
at Tillis' place as soon almost as the coyboys did. After
going some distance down Pease creek the pursuing party
found very fresh signs of the Indians, and in a few min
utes afterwards discovered an Indian on watch some dis
tance from the Indian encampment. Eli Whiddon, who
was in the lead, gave chase, and ran the sentry back to
his. camp. The Indians opened fire, the cowboys returned
it, and in a few seconds the battle was at its height.
It was short and decisive. When the fight was thickest
and fiercest, the chief stood to one side of his warriors
and sang the war song of the Seminoles, to cheer them
on to the fray. One of the white men, an old fellow
named Brooker, had discharged his gun and was reload
ing it, when he heard his name called, "Brooker! Brook
er!" and saw an Indian advancing on him, at the same
time shouting his name. "For God's sake, Langford,"
he called to one of his men, "kill that Indian or he will
get me !" Langford fired, the Indian fell, and old man
Brooker's life was saved. The last victim of the battle
was a negro, a runaway slave, who had joined the In
dians. The negro ran to the river and attempted to

58 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
swim it, when John Mansfield let drive a load into his
back, and the negro sank to the bottom. After the bat
tle was over, the whites counted six dead Indians lying
behind one log, the rest having been carried away by
their comrades in the retreat down the creek. This was
the last formidable engagement, if such it may" be called,
and may be said to have practically been the last trouble
on an organized basis between the whites and red men of
this state.
CAPT. STEVENS' EXPEDITION IN BIG CYPRESS
In the early part of 1857, Capt. Winston Stevens was
ordered from Tampa to Fort Myers, and from there up
to Fort Denan on the Caloosahatchee river. After a
short stay at the latter, he received further orders to
proceed to Fort Drum, and almost immediately from that
point to take ten days' rations and make a circuit around
Lake Okeechobee. He followed out the commands given
him, but found no Indians, and then was ordered to Camp
Rogers. While at Camp Rogers, the day after arrival, we heard
a peculiar noise, like cows bellowing, and we were or
dered into the Big Cypress to investigate it. Proceeding
some distance, we found an Indian trail and followed
it to a large Indian village, where we found the natives
had just left. We took the trail and followed them, go
ing about three miles, when the enemy began coming
together. Two of our men fell sick and we had to leave
them behind. The trailer took two men and followed the
Indian path, soon finding the track of a pickaninny,
made to decoy our men.
While in the thickest of the woods, the Indians opened
fire on the party, firing about seventy shots. One of the
white men was killed, and another had his gun stock
cut by a bullet. The balance of the command, hearing

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 59
the shots, ran to the assistance of the trailer and his liv
ing companion, pursuing the Indians for some distance.
They were unable, however, to overtake them, and the
whole cypress, during the affray, resounded with the
defiant warwhoops of the savages. Finding pursuit use
less, our men then fell back to where we had left our
knapsacks, and buried the man who was killed in 'the
•early part of the conflict. Intending the decoy the In
dians on our way back to camp, we lay in ambush in a
• little hammock for about two hours. Then two Indians
came along, talking together as they walked along the'
trail. We shot them both down in their tracks from our
ambush, and waited for fresh victims. Two or three
hours later a party of eighteen red men came along the
same route, and as they came to where their two com
panions were lying dead, one of the warriors exclaimed,
in broken English profanity, —
"Damn then, we will get some of them yet!"
Believing that. they would surround the hammock that
night and charge it at daybreak, we fell back to our camp.
Returning to the Cypress the following day, we surprised
the Indians and killed nineteen of them, besides captur
ing nineteen in their camp. The following week we
¦spent in the edge of the Cypress, at Fort Rogers, and
we put our horses in Bowlegs' garden to graze. The
Indians made an attack on our guards, ran them back
Into camp, and captured and killed thirty-six of the
horses, which seriously crippled our forces for the time
being. A few days later two of Captain Stewart's men
went into the Cypress to cut some cabbage palmetto
buds, when two Indians fired on them, killing one and
running the other into camp. They followed closely,
•cutting at him with a knife as he ran for safety.
After numerous other affrays with the Indians on
the part of our command and others, the Indians were
defeated and most of them captured. Major Dodier was

. 3 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
detailed to carry them to Fort Myers, where they staid
about ten days, when the steamer Gray Cloud arrived to
transport them to Egmont Key, at the mouth of Tampa
Bay, the point at which they were concentrated prior
to being sent out to their reservation in Indian Terri
tory. Amongst other captives was Tiger Tail. He was
determined not to leave Florida alive, and committed
suicide while at Myers, in a horrible manner. The
morning they were to leave, he procured a quantity of
glass, which he pounded fine, and swallowed in a glass
of water. While the guards were taking him down to
the dock where the steamer lay waiting, he told Samp
son, the negro interpreter, that he was going to die.
At the same time he asked the guards to let him lie down,
which they permitted him to do. Spreading his pallet
upon the ground, he laid himself on it, and in a few1 min
utes, with the Indian's stoical indifference to the pain
he suffered, and to the approach of death, he died. His
daughter was with him, and when he breathed his last
she threw herself upon his dead body, wailing so pite
ously that the bystanders, men used as they were to
death and sorrow, could not keep back their tears.
Tiger Tail was buried at Fort Myers, in the land he
loved better than his own life. Whatever his faults
were, he was a brave chief, and valiantly defended the
land in which he was born, and which he felt was his
birthright, and it was fitting that he should find his last
resting place in its bosom, where all, red men and white,
are the same when they sleep the sleep that knows no
waking in this world.
ATTACK ON BRADEN CASTLE.
Corrallated with the history of South Florida stands-
the present town of Manatee — the oldest town on the

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 61
peninsula south of Tampa. Its settlement dates back
to the fall of 1841, when it became the first and only
frontier town of that section, its settlement coming short
ly after the close of the long five years' war with the
Seminoles. Conspicuous in the history of Manatee were some of
the exciting and tragic events of the Indian outbreaks
from 1849 to 1858. During these years the Indians fre
quented Manatee, and at some seasons of the year they
were there almost daily, visiting the town for the pur
pose of trading.
Knowing the suspicious and treacherous nature of the
red men — how soon a conceived wrong would prompt
him to revenge, the sugar planter of that section lived
in nightly dread of the torch to his sugar house, and the
women and children in dread of the Indian's tomahawk
and scalping knife.
Prominent among the Indians' attempted depreda
tions on the town of Manatee was their unexpected at
tack upon Dr. Joseph Braden in his castle home, on the
banks of the Manatee river. Braden Castle is a build
ing made of shell, lime and sand — and which stands to
day, a prominent mark, on the beautiful river. The con
struction of the building in this instance proved a shield
against the torch and saved the lives of its inmates from
the red men. A more cautious man than Dr. Braden
never lived, and he was well protected against this at
tack upon his castle. To see that all of his family, to
gether with any visitors and his servants were all in
the house, doors barred and windows closed, was a duty
promptly attended to at sunset of each day, as a guard
against any surprise from an Indian raid.
This precaution on the part of Dr. Braden was his
salvation, for in the spring of 1856, at the hour of dusk,
while he and his family were seated at the supper table,
a rap was heard upon the front door. A servant girl

62 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
upstairs, prompted by curiosity to see who the callers
might be at that hour, cautiously peeped from an up
stairs window. In the dim light she recognized the
callers as Indians, judging largely from their dress and
general appearance and what appeared to be guns in
their hands.
Hastening down stairs, the girl met her master in the
hall approaching the front door, and quietly gave him
her impressions of the visitors. Dr. Braden, being amply
supplied with arms, and there being two gentlemen
friends stopping with him at the time — Freeman Chairs,
of Tallahassee, and Rev. T. T. Sealey — he immediately
went up stairs. With his gun in his hand, Dr. Braden
approached the window from which the Indians had
been seen by the servant, and looked out. He saw a
number of forms standing on the porch and he called
to them, asking who they were and what they wanted.
A cautious man is always a conscientious man and not
prone to act hastily, lest some sad mistake be made.
He prepared to be thoroughly satisfied that his visitors
on this occasion were hostile Indians before he took
action, and to be sure that they understood his English
when he called to them. He told them that if they did
not answer him he would shoot.
The reply to this was the crack of several rifles and
the thud of several bullets as they imbedded themselves
in the window casing near Dr. Braden's head. During
the quick retreat of the Indians from Dr. Braden's front
porch he responded to them with his shotgun, wounding
one of their number. Several shots were exchanged at
random, mixed with a great deal of Indian profanity in
English. "
The Indians made their retreat through Dr. Braden's
plantation. They made captives of several negroes, and
stole a number of mules to carry away their captives
and booty. This was an ill-conceived plan, for it ren-

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 63
dered pursuit easy, their plain trail being easy to follow.
The firing at Braden Castle was heard for some
distance by the neighbors, and the people were quickly
aroused and a company formed for immediate pursuit
of the marauders.
This attack on Braden Castle immediately followed
and was by the same band that had appeared at Sara
sota, where they had killed Captain Owens and burned
the house over him, they having proceeded immediately
to Manatee from this depredation.
The alarm was immediately given at Sarasota, and
Wm. H. Whitaker dispatched to Fort Meade for help.
The pursuing party from the Manatee section was head
ed by Capt. John Addison, his son Lieut. Wm. Addison,
Sergt. Dave Townsend, and John Whidden, the trailer.
This party overhauled the Indians at Peace Creek, where
the Indians were found encamped on the east side, an
other Indian having met them at this point. This Indian
was evidently waiting for the party, as he had a bar
becued beef ready for them.
The white men remained in ambush on the west
side of the creek and listened to a conversation which
took place between old Uncle Peter, a negro, and Billy
Bowlegs' son. .
"I intend to give my father one of these mules, and
the other I will keep for myself," said Bowlegs to Uncle
Peter. The following day, at daybreak, the Indians broke
camp and made their way to Joshua's creek, where they
intended to take their dinner. While they were enjoy
ing their repast, having no guard on duty, the cowboys
charged them. Peter, the negro, heard the sound of the
horses, hoofs and cried out, "Cowboys!" This startled
the Indians and they attempted to rise. Captain Addi
son charged on them and fired. One Indian said "Wau !"
and fell into the creek and disappeared. Three others

64 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
ran down the creek and two went up. Lieutenant Addi
son dismounted, ran into the swamp and met the Indi
ans in a ravine, killed the one in the lead and shot the
other one, who jumped into a hole of water, at the same
time exclaiming "Waugh ! good Indian." Addison made
him come out and led him to the other cowboys.
In the meantime Dave Townsend had captured an
Indian pony, which he rode all through the Indian war.
After this Captain Addison reported to the governor,
who -gave him a commission to organize a company.
Among others he recruited eight men from Leon county,
one of these men being J. A. Redd, who is now located
at Sarasota, in Manatee county. Mr. J. A. Redd has
been a much valued and very successful Baptist preacher
for thirty years. He is also interested in the mercantile
and livery business in his town. I recently paid him a
yery pleasant visit at his hospitable home, and we spent
several very pleasant hours in our Indian war reminis
cences.

My next chapter will tell of how we made a trip
through the weird and. gloomy Big Cypress, and that
will conclude the first part of the book.

CHAPTER XL
A SEVEN DAYS' SCOUT THROUGH THE BIG CYPRESS-
CLOSING SCENES.
The Everglades and Big Cypress are great problems,
in themselves, which can only be solved by tithe and in
genuity. It would seem as if the climate — the counter
part of which is found nowhere else on the globe — were
not to be enjoyed by the settler here. But those who
have had the temerity to venture into these vast soli
tudes, have often returned with the consciousness of hav
ing had a very pleasant time, and the botanist and natur
alist was never heard to complain of the scarcity of the
flora and fauna of those "dim, mysterious regions." As
I have said in a former chapter, I consider it a misrepre
sentation for any one to call the Everglades a "winter
resort." The Everglades are simply immense stretches
of long, low, level prairie, covered for the most part with
water and saw-grass, and dotted with little islands. This
region of country is some eight or ten feet above the sea,
and I do not think the highest elevation can exceed fif
teen feet. The great drainage scheme inaugurated by
Disston is a fine idea and the solution of the problem
he has undertaken is an object of unlimited discussion,
and I think that a successful termination of the project
would be of untold benefit to Florida and the whole
South. But I think somebody ought' to turn his atten
tion to the Big Cypress. There are islands in there that,
for fertility, are equal to the delta of the Nile.
You are put to a great deal of trouble in gaining access
to these islands, but a visit will repay a long journey.
Some of these beautiful bodies of land are elevated many

66 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
feet above the water, and the soil is something wonderful.
The Indians raised very fine rice on these bodies of ham
mock, and that region may be termed, with propriety,
the home of the banana, for frost seldom, if ever, enters
the dominion of the Big Cypress. Pineapples would run
riot. But little game is found, except around the borders.
One man, in walking over this soil (so says an old
tradition), was so deeply impressed with its fertile ap
pearance, that he took a tenpenny nail from his pocket
and planted it near a tree, which he marked for future
reference. When six months had gone by, he returned
to the spot, and dug for the nail. To his surprise, he
found that it had grown into a crowbar, four feet long!
A wonderful result, certainly, but as I didn't see the nail
planted, nor the crowbar harvested, I can't vouch for the
truth of the story.
It is difficult to imagine the impressive solemnity of
this mighty forest, unless one takes a trip through it.
Strange, unwholesome legends are rife among the Semi
nole Indians (who are less inclined to superstition than
many other tribes) concerning the death-dealing charac
ter of certain things to be' found in the Big Cypress, and
it is a brave warrior indeed, who undertakes to enter the
dread "coontee-sassa-hollober" after nightfall.
But the resolute band of soldiers were preparing to
prove themselves greater objects of dread to the eesta-
chatta than any goblin that might have its lair in the
coontee-sassa-hollober. At an early hour we brought our boats into Marco
river, and steered for the Big Cypress. Our course was
to the southeast, and after we entered Palm Hammock
creek, we followed that stream for nine or ten miles, and
came to its head. A grassy prairie, half a mile wide, lay
ahead, and after crossing that we entered the Little Royal
Palm Hammock and struck camp. The land was nice and
dry, and the air seemed somewhat purer. Did you ever see

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. $
the famous royal palm, or Oreodoxia regia? If you have-
not, a description might interest you. At this place 'trie-
trees were nearly a hundred and twenty feet high, and
stood fifteen or twenty feet apart. The trunks are White,
as smooth as polished marble, and as straight as an ar
row. Near the top the trunk is bright green, and jointed
like sugar cane, surmounted by an immense crown of
leaves, the stems of which are sometimes fifteen feet
long. No animal not provided with wings, can climb
these lofty palms. The royal palm is one of the finest
trees in all the vegetable kingdom, and surely Florida can
boast of nothing more uniquely grand or singularly beau
tiful. Our course next day lay to the eastward, and the im
mense swamp lay before us and around us. The cypress
trees were never more than twenty inches in diameter,
and were covered with poisonous vines, whose velvety
leaves we avoided as we would shun fire. Especially is
a person in danger when freely perspiring ; then the pores
of the body are open, and the skin is peculiarly suscepti
ble to poisoning from contact with the vines. The ar
boreal Rhus toxicodendron, or "devil's shoe-string," and
the dreaded Rhus vernix, or "thunderwood," were pointed
out to us as being worse than the terrible upas tree.
One of the men, a Spaniard, named Johnnie Ortagus
(a native of St. Augustine), was the most expert climber
I ever saw. And he seemed invulnerable to the poison
ous vines, for he could handle them without being in
jured. He could take one of the vines in his hands and
scale the tallest tree in a few minutes. His climbing
powers were scarcely inferior to those of a squirrel.
Colonel St. George Rogers directed him to climb the tall
est trees and inspect the surroundings. In this way we
could gain some idea of the course that lay before us>.
Artagus, in reply to questions from Colonel Rogers,.
would describe the country ahead, and we would direct

68 LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
our course acordingly. (Mr. Ortagus is how a hale, vig
orous old gentleman, and keeps a restaurant in Jackson
ville.) The water through which we traveled was never more
than six inches deep, and was strongly impregnated with
lime, but we were forced to drink it. Sometimes we came
to high ridges of land, covered with stunted, pines and
various species of palmetto. These curious plants grew
in the utmost profusion and luxuriance ; the saw-palmetto,
the trunk of which is usually in the form of a long, creep
ing rhizome, reared high in the air, almost like trees.
Here we found the needle-palm, with its myriads of long,
.sharp spines ; the cabbage palm, and the blue-stem.
After leaving these ridges (which were, as a rule, not
more than half a mile across) we would generally descend
into a low, lime prairie, which stretched north and south
as far as the eye could reach. In the afternoon we
reached the Big Royal Pafm Hammock. Following the
trail through the low, wet swamp, we suddenly encoun
tered a high slope, which led us into the Big Hammock.
O, what relief, and an inspiration it was, after the dreary
march through the cypress ! The lofty palms towered
toward heaven, lifting their spreading summits far above
the big live oaks and gumbolimbos. There was a large
clearing here, and some of the oaks were covered with
pumpkin and bean vines ; many of these trees were loaded
with green and ripe pumpkins, which gave rise to the
fancy that they were the fruit of the tree itself. Banana
plants, fifteen feet or more in height, and immense corn,
were among the products of this fertile region. With
out stopping to destroy what the Indians had planted,
we proceeded' onward in search of the planters them
selves. We then came to a deserted village, on an island three
miles from Big Hammock. This was Saf-faj-eehojee's
Town, and from the appearance of the log huts, with their

LIFE AND ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 69
fallen-in palmetto roofs, we judged' that the town had
been deserted for a couple of years. We saw no fresh
signs, and went on, and before long came to another vil
lage, graced with the name of Emathle-ochee's Town.
Farther on was Fin-halloway's metropolis, where a few
logs lying in a square, told us that there was once an
attempt at building a city, at this place. Here we saw
plenty of fresh Indian signs, and followed the trail with
greater activity than ever.
The march was a dreary and monotonous one. Seven
long days we marched, and no glimpse of an Indian re
warded our anxious gaze. Captain Dick Turner was our
guide. He had never been through there before, but his
services as a guide were well rendered. So well did he
pilot us through this trackless wilderness that, in a march
of seventy-five miles, we missed our destination by only
two miles. (When I revisited Chocaliska Bay, in 1880,
in company with Prof. A. H. Curtiss, I was pleased to
see Captain Turner pleasantly located on the Bay, sur
rounded by rich fields of sugar cane, orange groves and
banana gardens. Truly, the "Captain'' is well fixed, but
not a whit better than he deserves.)
Finally we came to the Ock-kollowah-cootchee. Long
and frightful as this name may seem, it was no worse than
the thing itself. It was a field of dense saw-grass, about
four miles wide. The grass was two feet higher than
our heads, and was so dense that we could not see a foot
ahead of us. One man was selected to break the road,
30 that the others could pass. No man could endure this
task more than five minutes, and first one and then an
other "took turns" at pushing in front ; the side and shoul
ders were used in this laborious and painful work. To
add to our misery, the sun shone with terrible force upon
ns, and not a breath of fresh air could reach us. Worse
than all, the water was poison, and our feet soon felt the
-effects of it. The men, who were grumbling before,

70 LIFE ANP ADVENTURES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
lifted up their voices and gave vent to some hair-lifting
expressions. The volunteers from Middle Florida, who
had never experienced the like before, were almost furi
ous. But in time we emerged from the dreadful Ock-
kollowah-cootchee, and reached Fort Simon Drum.
There we w;ere joined by other soldiers, and made our
way to Fort Myers. At that place we ' boarded the
steamer ior , Fort Brooke. We were there mustered out
of the service, and bade each other good-by.
My readers have. indeed been patient in following me
thus far. My narrative has been necessarily a prosaic
orte, for I started out with the determination of telling
nothing but the unvarnished truth. Many of the old set
tlers can bear witness to the truth of my descriptions,
and would not be slow to detect any misstatement I
might make. I am loth to part with the comrades who
accompanied me through many hardships and vicissi
tudes. My journeys through the far South have been
varied and full of incident, and in the second part of my
little book, I have endeavored to give a new phase of
Florida life, which will, I hope, leave an agreeable im
pression on the reader, who has been so patient to follow
me thus far.
As to the subsequent life of my companions-in-arms,
I can say but little. Captain Jacob Mickler was killed
shortly after the war, by being thrown from his buggy,
near Lake City. Andrew Wiggins disappeared from ex
istence, as it were, without leaving a trace of himself.
Ed. Marr died in 1864, on Indian river; and Jim Cook,
the dauntless warrior and true hearted gentleman —
rough-hewn though he was — departed from a useful life,
near Tampa, a few years ago, honored and admired by
all who knew him. [END OF PART I.]

TO THE PIONEERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. 71

TO THE PIONEERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA.
We have found, with pride and pleasure,
That our own fair State is known
To the world as the brightest treasure
Of the semHroplc zone,
For the East and the West awaken
To tfhe glory of the South,
And the wondrous story is taken
Through the North, from mouth to mouth
Of a land, of which they were dreaming,
As though it were not earth,
But which, today, is beaming
In the light of its real worth.
Where the winds of evening, sighing
Through the leaves of the cabbage-palm,
Eier whisper of peace undying,
And a life of blissful calm;
A land where Time ne'er bringeth
The snow, nor the dead leaves' fall,
And. the angel of summer wingeth
Her flight through the forest hall.
Where the sons of the colder regions
Have found a home and retreat —
And they come in happy legions,
Away from the snow and sleet.
But the land of endless summer,
Where the orange and the lemon grow,
Had little to offer to the comer,
In the days of long ago.

Then, the warriors, in their glory,
Through the virgin forest roamed,
And 'neath the live oaks, old and hoary,
They passed, With locks uncombed,
And an eye that mocked at capture,
And scorned a prisoner's chain —
Will they thrill, with a hunter's rapture,
In the olden haunts again?
Ah, no; for civilization
Has banished each swarthy face,
And now, the Seminole nation,
Is a half-forgotten race.

72 TO THE PIONEERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA.
The guava and lime are growing,
Where once they slaughtered the deer,
And engine-whistles are blowing,
Where the war-whoop smote the ear.
The orange its fruit produces,
Where the Indian wigwam stood,
And offers us. golden juices,
Instead of an enemy's blood.
The Sabbath hells are ringing
O'er hammock and tangled brake,
And we hear the children singing,
By the shore of the woodland lake.
Then we ask: Who fought for the honor
Of our own South Florida —
And who are they, that have won her,
The glory she wears today?

We hail them: Hughey and Holden,
Yates, Barber and Summerlin —
Their harvest is rich and golden,
And bountifully gathered in —
Hendry, Patrick and Lanier,
Hancock, and Speer, and Bass —
Each dauntless pioneer
Began in the wire-grass;
And, wresting the land from the gopher,
They planted the trees that gleam
With the treasures of ancient Ophir,
And Pactolus' magic stream.
Through the long, dark years of waiting,
With their noble wives by their side,
And with courage never abating,
They watched for the turn of the tide;
And now, in their life's declining,
Their evening sun is shed
On fruit-filled branches twining
.uike laurels above their head.
Let us wind them a wreath of honor,
From the yellow, jessamine —
Yea, drink to their health and honor,.
In shaddock and orange wine! — ^-Sigma.

SOUTH FLORIDA.

TART SECOND.

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

RART 2.

SKETCHES OF TRAVEL, INCIDENT AND ADVENTURE
AMONG THE LAKES AND HAMMOCKS OF
SEMI-TROPICAL FLORIDA.

CHAPTER I.

JIOW SPONGES ARE GATHERED AND DISPOSED OF AT
KEY WEST.
There is no town in the world that is anything like the
counterpart of Key West. Lying, as it does, at the very
threshold of the tropics, it combines, in a rare degree, the
;snap and vim of the northern clime, with the laxative
breath from gardens smothered in the flowers and trees
•of the equatorial regions. On one side is seen the sym
metrical crown of the Australian fir, and close by a
¦stately cocoa-palm rears its head. The dark-eyed Cuban
jostles the Georgia "nigger" in the busy market places,
and the tall, lank, hawk-nosed "land-stalker" is a Yankee,
:and no mistake, but, like the rest of his peculiar race, has
:a faculty of making himself at home, under all circum
stances and on all occasions, which you can easily infer
from the coolness with which he button-holes every an
cient (or modern) Cracker who comes to town with a
"kyart load" of garden truck. The sea breezes are just

76 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
as pleasant as anybody ever said they were, and I count
the town among the nicest places I have seen in the State.
I have seen Key West described as a para'tiise for lazy
men. This is a misrepresentation, and if the writer of
that article had ever been there, he would have thought
and written differently, — especially if he had ever hap
pened to be without money.
Sponge-gathering and cigar-making are the chief in
dustries' of the place, and the former occupation is re
sorted to by those who cannot endure the strong, nar
cotic fumes of the cigar factories.
I lived in Key West fully six years before the idea oc
curred to me to try my fortune among the spongers.
Vessel after vessel came in with their precious freight,
attracting hordes of anxious buyers, and the fishermen
generally brought in no less than one thousand pounds,
which sold readily for a dollar a pound. Finally I decid
ed that the "briny deep" should yield up to me some of
its treasure, and secured a berth on one of the spongers
that, plied around the Keys. Besides myself, there were
about twenty-five men, who were going to try their for
tunes in the business. The manner of fitting out an ex
pedition is as follows :
A vessel is engaged from some owner, who agrees to
take half the amount of sponges gathered for the hire of
his boat. A stock of provisions is laid in, and each
sponge-gatherer is provided with a long pole and hook-
The voyages are never more than eight weeks in length,
and in that time, if the "catch" has been successful, there.
ought to be eight hundred "bunches'' on board. A bunch
weighs about two pounds and is worth at present about
four dollars, although at the time I was engaged in the
business the sponger could get only a dollar a pound.
Our crew set sail, and after a four days' voyage we
came to the Anclote Keys, then a noted sponging ground.
When we reached the grounds the small boats were-

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 77
launched and other preparations made for the business.
We had four of these small boats, and each boat was
sent out with a man who was armed with a twenty-five-
foot pole, with two prongs at the end. I rowed my little
vessel some distance from the ship and began looking for
.sponges. The water was very clear and about twelve feet deep.
The bottom was covered with myriads of curious and
beautiful growths, such as the Fenestrella, or sea-fan ;
the sea-feather, and tall, tree-like plants, which I could
not classify. White rocks covered the bottom, and on
these I could see thousands of young sponges growing.
They were a glossy black, and most of them too small
to be gathered. But as I went on I could see larger
specimens, and finally I reached downward and drew up
a fine one. There are many varieties of sponges, the
sheep's-wool variety being the most valuable of all. Next
in order come the yellow sponge, the "glove," the "grass,"
"boat," and "loggerhead." The last named variety is
absolutely worthless, and is never gathered. The sheep's-
wool is distinguished from other kinds by a multitude of
small protuberances, and by its shining black color.
Thrusting tlfe pole downward through the water, I
inserted the prongs under the largest of the sponges, and
it took but little exertion to detach them from the rock
to which they were growing. When brought to the
surface, the sponge appears to be a soft, limp mass of
jelly. A tough, black membrane envelopes it all over,
and this is not removed until the next day. The sponge,
after lying out of the water, dies within a few hours,
and the animal tissue dissolves, forming a dark, ill-smell
ing fluid, which the natives call "gurry."
We had selected a spot where the water was only
five feet deep, and had driven a circular row of mangrove
stakes, forming a pen, which we termed a "kraal." Sev
eral of these kraals had been made, and to one of them

78 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
I carried my load of sponges on the day after they had
been gathered. Some of the others had also brought
loads in, and after letting them soak awhile we began
beating them with sticks and punching them about in
the water, inside the kraals. In an hour or so the black,
outside scurf, or membrane was gone, also all traces of
the animal tissue were washed away, leaving nothing but
the skeleton sponge. Then we took needles and thread
and made them into bunches, so they could be handled
easily. Afterward they were taken to the ship.
Deep-water sponging is a much more laborious opera
tion. Two men set out in a boat and seek a suitable spot
where the water is not more than thirty feet deep. One
of these men sculls the boat gently along, while the other
takes a glass, ' constructed for the purpose, and leaning
over the side of the boat, examines the bottom closely.
As soon as a large' sponge is discovered they stop, and
the long, slender pole is let down into the water with a
sweep of the arm, which is acquired only through a long
and tiresome experience. Some of the largest of all
sponges are found in deep water, and there has been so
much gathering done in the shallow places that one is
forced to seek deeper water or give up the business.
When the "catch" was completed, we returned to Key
West and sold our sponges. They were separated into
lots, and a large number of buyers inspected each lot
and made bids. Whenever a buyer has made his bid,
the auctioneer proceeds to call out the amount bid for
each lot, and thus each cargo or parcel of sponges is
consigned to the highest bidder. I have seen as much
as fourteen thousand' dollars' worth of sponges sold in
a few hours, at Key West. The price at that time was
about one dollar a pound, but owing to the increased
demand, and perhaps decreasing supply, the price is dou
bled. I have been reliably informed that substantial
steps have been taken toward preserving them from ex-

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 79
tinction by planting them, and "cultivating" them, as it
were. I cannot tell the reader just how that is done, but
no doubt it is practiced successfully. If they have done
that much I shall not be at all surprised to learn that
they have since built large factories in Key West, where
sponges are manufactured, by the wholesale, from saw-
palmetto and wool.
Nearly all the sponges around the coast of Florida
were destroyed some eight or ten years ago by some mys
terious, unaccountable calamity. The first sign of the
hidden scourge was the appearance of dead fish on the
surface of the water, and soon the shores were lined with
their dead bodies, and the air became almost pestilential.
The 'oldest and most experienced fishermen were at a
loss to account for .it. Finally somebody noticed that
there were green streaks in the water, two or three
hundred feet wide and many miles long, occurring at
intervals around the coast, from the mouth of the With-
lacoochee river to Biscayne Bay. The poisonous strips
of water were found as far as thirty miles out at sea,
and nearly everything was killed in their wake. Even
the sponges were destroyed, and fish became very scarce
in the markets along the coast. Many houses in Key
West are provided with cupolas which are used for look
ing out for wrecks on the reef. From these cupolas we
could see immense quantities of dead fish of all sizes,
from the largest sharks down, floating on the water. On
the shore were myriads of the strangest looking fish I
ever saw, and there were some species of which no one
had ever before heard or seen, and which must have come
from very deep water. Even the dreaded moray (a
long, slender, serpent-like fish, which lives in holes in
the rocks, where the water is a few fathoms deep, and
whose bite is very painful and dangerous), and thousands
of sponges of all varieties, besides many curious species
of crustaceans, lined the shores in heaps, and the task

80 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
of burying them was, no light matter. Porpoises seemed
to be the only kind of creature that could withstand the
mysterious poison.
Fishing smacks, on their way to Cuba with a cargo
of live fish on board, sometimes encountered these streaks
of dark green water. As soon as the smacks entered the
poisoned water, the fish, which were kept in "wells" in
the bottom of the boats, commenced floundering and
dashing around, and in a few moments turned on their
backs and died. In this way many of the poor fisher
men lost the fruits of their hard labor and were forced
to put about and return to their fishing grounds. The
strange plague lasted a month or two, when the green
streaks disappeared, but it was a good while before fish
became plentiful again.
Many, theories were advanced concerning, this curious
occurrence, but I have never regarded any of them as
entirely satisfactory. Some people thought 'it was a
poisonous liquid that flowed from the Withlacoochee,
and, mingling with the Gulf Stream, encircled the penin
sula. I don't believe a word of that, for there is noth
ing in any Florida river to produce such a result. Oth
ers, with more cogency, insisted that there had been
some eruption on the bottom of the ocean, whereby an
immense quantity of acid or gas was liberated, causing
death and destruction to almost everything with which.it
came in contact. I don't suppose the real cause of the
mysterious plague will ever be found out, but the fact
of its having destroyed millions of dollars' worth of fish
is well known among those who were -living around the
coast at that time.

CHAPTER II.
CATCHING THE MANATEE, OR SEA-COW, ON THE ST.
LUCIE— DESCRIPTION OF THE CURIOUS CREATURE.
The St. Lucie river is one of the shortest in the State,
if not in America, being only ten miles in length. It is,
however, scarcely a separate, clearly defined river, and
some contend that it is merely a part of Indian river. A
small stream is formed from the water that oozes from
the Halpattee-oka Flats, and broadens and deepens until
it is navigable for small boats, and when it reaches St.
Lucie bay it is of quite a respectable size.
There is something peculiar about this stream. Along
its. banks plants are found whicli are sought in vain else
where; and the Indians regard it with mysterious awe,
so that it might be with propriety called the Ganges of
the Seminoles. But the characteristic which gives it
such importance in the eye of the hunter is that here
the rare manatee is to be found. These animals were
once quite abundant, in many parts of the extreme South,
but I think I can with propriety assert that the St. Lucie
river is the only place where the manatee can be looked.
for with any degree of certainty. The high prices paid
for these rare animals induce many people in this region
to hunt them, and it was my good fortune once to be
present at the capture of a large one.
Perhaps it would be better to give a description of
the manatee before we proceed to tell how they are
caught. It is a' difficult task, for we have here to deal
with a creature whose like is not to be found anywhere.
A more awkward, helpless and curious creature than the
manatee, when landed, I never saw. The head is broad

82 SCENES IN S^_^ -~^~z.^~.
and the eyes are completely hidden by heavy folds of
skin, and the mouth is shaped very much like that of a
cow, in every way but the teeth. These are so long and
sharp that one might at first be led to believe that they
belonged to a carniverous animal. The sea-cow, never
theless, is a strict vegetarian, and eats nothing but
aquatic plants. It has been asserted that its only food
is the manatee-grass, which grows in immense , quanti
ties in the St. Lucie river. This grass has large, broad
blades, and is found in eight or ten feet of water, grow
ing on the bottom and extending to the surface.
A full grown manatee should weigh about twelve hun
dred pounds, although one monster was captured, many
years ago, which weighed fifteen hundred. Such a
one would be twelve feet in length, and have a girth
of four feet. They are provided with flippers about ten
inches in length, and the body diminishes into a large
fan-like tail, similar to j. porpoise. The skin is black
and sparsely covered with short, black hair. They move
with considerable rapidity thrqugh the water, and al
though a most clumsy-looking animal when on land, they
understand very well how to conduct themselves in their
native element. They possess, perhaps, the most acute
hearing of all animals. So delicate and perfect is this
sense in the manatee that the sound of an oar, no matter
how carefully handled, will alarm them at a distance of
half a mile. It is a common habit, in Key West, in
speaking of a man whose hearing is acute, to say that
he hears like a manatee. This is a wise dispensation of
Providence, for the manatee is lacking in almost every
ordinary means of self-defense. When caught, they
never attempt to bite, and cannot in any way resent the
indignities offered by their captors.
I tasted manatee flesh once, and shall never forget
it. The fattest, juciest' Tennessee beef is by no means
equal to it, and I very much doubt if there is anything

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 83
in the animal kingdom that is so entirely delicious. One
of them was stranded on the beach near St. Lucie bay,
and some hunters found and killed it, and that was the
time I found an opportunity to test the flavor of the flesh.
In the year 1858 I met a man named Kelly who, with
two or three others, had started out on a manatee hunt.
They had a large marlin net, and a wooden tank for the
purpose of keeping the animal should one be caught.
The spot selected was a cove, formed by a bend of the
river, where the water was twelve feet deep. The net,
which was three hundred feet long, was extended be-
twen stakes set firmly in the bottom, and the hunters
retired to their huts in the adjacent hammock, and pa
tiently awaited results. Two or three times a day we
went down and inspected the net, but nothing was to be
seen, except an occasional alligator, who beat a hasty
retreat through the large meshes, as soon as he per
ceived the danger he was in. A small rowboat was used
in going to and from the net, which was a quarter of a
mile from the shore.
After two weeks of waiting we were at last rewarded
by seeing the floats bobbing about in a lively fashion, one
morning when we visited the nets. Excitedly, but with
sure movements, the men took a bundle of inch rope
and set out for the captured prize, who was creating
quite a commotion in the water, and tangling himself
up beautifully in the relentless meshes of the marlin. I
did not go out in the boat and consequently did not get
the first sight of the monster, but they soon tugged him
into shallow- water. A combination of ropes and pulleys
was arranged and he was dragged ashore, and with hiy
twelve hundred pounds he was by no means easily man
aged. He was then placed in the tank, which was six
by ten feet, and kept until a sloop arrived, which car
ried the precious freight to Key West. This was a male,.
and about a week afterward we caught a female. This

U SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
was) the only pair I know of ever having been captured;
and they should have brought quite a handsome price;
But, as it was, they, were fairly given away. As well as
, I can remember, they brought only seventy-five dollars,
P. T. Barnum paid one thousand dollars in gold, some
years ago, for a manatee not as large as some I have
-seen, and their extreme scarcity would now cause them
to he valued at perhaps three times as much.
The manatee was kept a week before the sloop ar
rived; and I formed quite an intimate acquaintance with
the strange creature. For the. first day or two he was
shy, but I commenced scratching him on the head, and
when he saw that my intentions were good, our acquaint
ance ripened into something like friendship. I stroked
and scratched his big, ugly head, and he opened his
mouth and devoured bananas, cabbage leaves and deli
cate bits of vegetables which I offered him. Every time
I came to the tank the huge beast would open his mouth
for some little tidbit and present his head for a scratch
ing. During the week the water in the tank was changed
twice — once with fresh and once with salt water; one
is as good as the other for the manatee. I had become
quite interested in my pet before the week had passed
by, and rather regretted the advent of the sloop which
¦carried him away.
In days long gone by the Seminoles living in White
water bay, near Cape Sable, killed the manatee, jerked
the1 flesh and sold it to the Spaniards at a good price,
and ten years ago the meat could be bought at fifty cents a
pound. Of course, the animals are becoming far too scarce
to admit of its being sold at all. There is no doubt that
the manatee is fast becoming an extinct animal. Like
the dodo bird which flourished in the East in the middle
ages but is now extinct, the sea-cow will pass out of ex
istence, and will be looked upon a few centuries hence
as a monstrosity, and the only remaining trace of its

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

85

former existence will be a few old bones and an anti-
. quated volume containing a description of it.

CHAPTER III.
HUNTING BEE-TREES ON THE UPPER ST. JOHNS RIVER.
A STORY AND A TRAGEDY.
Life in Florida has its sweets and, like the grand
mother, its bitters also. Among the sweets of an exist
ence in the State may be reckoned the finding of bee-
trees and consequent discovery of a fine lot of pure, rich,
wild honey. That is, provided the little insects do not
take a notion to avenge •.the desecration of their castle
and destruction of their treasure. And I have often
known them to rtget in their work" on their human rob
bers in such a forcible manner as to render the job any
thing but sweet.
Of course the incident I am about to relate was not
the first of the kind I had experienced, for I had been
familiar with bee-hunting since early boyhood. But I
do not remember to have ever had such success as we
had that time. The way it happened was thus :
I was living on Indian river, near the mouth of the
St. Sebastian, and one fine, sunny day in early spring,
two of my neighbors came to me and proposed that we
go on a hunt for bee-trees. The idea was favorable to
me, for I had long been wishing for a taste of honey,
and we made preparations for starting next day. Each
took a gun and plenty of ammunition, together with
provisions for a week.
Bees and honey were not the only objects we were
going to look for. Obeying an instinct which is very
strong in many people to expect something better ahead,
we thought we could find land in that region we were
going to visit which would eclipse anything we had yet

88 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
seen. Our destination was a certain region on the west
side of the St. Johns river, near Lake Winder, about fifty
miles away. We reached the place on the second day,
and were disappointed to find that the land was low and
flat, and in every respect inferior to that which we had
-left behind. But we applied ourselves next day to the
hunt for bee-trees, and were not disappointed. In the
morning we pressed our way through the briars and
bushes of two or three bay-heads, and entered a low
palmetto flat. It- was not long before we heard a hum
in the air, and one of my comrades, named Patrick, di
rected a sharp glance upward and saw a few bees issu
ing from a hole in a large pine about thirty feet from the
ground. Immediately afterward we found another tree
which bore unmistakable evidence of being the home of
a. large quantity of bees.
We marked the trees with our axes, scalping off the
bark and leaving a broad, white mark which could be
seen a long distance through the forest. Continuing
through the woods, we kept our eyes and ears strained
to detect the little workers. In going three-fourths of
a mile we found no less than eight trees, and they all
gave promise of a large yield of honey. But we post
poned cutting the trees until we had made a more thor
ough inspection of the surrounding country.
That afternoon we shouldered our guns and went on
a hunt for deer and bear. The St. Johns at this place
was about one hundred feet across, and was navigable
for small steamers, although none had ever penetrated
that region at that time. We reached Lake Winder
late in the afternoon. Near this like we found a clump
of fine cabbage-palms, and heard a strange, ripping sound,
as we drew near. Looking up in one of the trees we
were astonished to see a large bear sitting on top, try
ing to pull out the tender bud of the palm. He had
flattened out the crown leaves so as to form quite a good

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 89
lodgment for himself, and was untiring in his efforts to
extract the sweet, tender bud. He had not yet observed
us, and was too much absorbed, perhaps, in the antici
pation of the delicious feast he was going to enjoy, to
notice his surroundings. Finally the bud broke loose
and the bear swung backward with all his weight, but
the .bud came out too easy. He had not calculated the
sudden relaxation, and the result was that he lost his
balance and came crashing to the ground. He hastily
gathered himself up, and at the same moment his eyes
fell on us. With a startled grunt he scrambled away
into the bushes, and I must confess that by the time our
firearms v^ere in readiness, he was thrashing his way
through the thicket, safely out of our reach. Pursuit
was worse than useless, and it was growing late, so we
returned to our camp.
In spite of the low, flat character of the land, it had
its charms. The saw-palmetto and loblolly bay were in
bloom, and their heavy sweetness burdened the night air,
while the ground was carpeted with the spicy, aromatic
pennyroyal, which gave forth its aroma as we walked
through it. As Patrick remarked, the conditions were
in every way favorable for bees, and he confidently
predicted that the yield of honey from our trees would
be a large one.
As early next morning as we could make preparations
we commenced on the bees. Two of us took a good,
keen ax apiece and proceeded. Our first tree was two
feet in diameter, and "sound as a dollar." But our axes
were sharp, and the thought of a solid yard of well-
filled honeycomb braced our muscles, and the bees had
hardly begun to get uneasy before their dwelling place
trembled in its foundations, and soon smote the earth.
They were somewhat stunned by the fall, and, I took ad
vantage of the opportunity by running forward and stop
ping the hole with a bunch of moss.

90 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
About a foot from the hole we cut out a large chip
and proceed cautiously to open up the hidden treasure.
Meanwhile, one of the men took a short stick, wrapped
a bunch of rags around it and set it on fire. This pro
duced a large volume of strong, suffocating smoke, and
was intended to discourage the angry insects from pour
ing out of the holes and attacking us.
Sopn the honey was reached, and with very little trou
ble. Patrick reached into the hollow and drew out a
huge piece of comb, covered with dead and crippled bees,
and although thousands were crawling over his hands,
none showed any disposition to sting. Whenever they
tried to swarm out of their prison, an application of
the burning rag would repress them instantly. From
this tree we secured at least twenty-five pounds of the best
honey that ever was gathered from flowers. We then
retired to a shady spot, each with a large piece of comb,
and after selecting a few large saw-palmetto leaves, we
wove a net of them and deposited our treasure thereon.
The bees soon filled the air around the fallen tree, and
would have perhaps made it lively for any one who had
had the temerity to approach them.
Seated on a log underneath a large cabbage-palm,
we had before us a feast that would have tempted a dys
peptic anchorite. Be it known that three mortals on
that day ate so much honey that they avowed the bees
could have all the rest, for all they cared. But after
the fierce thirst, occasioned by such a diet, was quenched,
the work of destruction was renewed.
With his hat on the ground under his feet, and his
head thrown back against the palm-tree, Patrick was
nibbling a choice bit of new unsealed comb, when he sud
denly remembered that he had an adventure to tell. He
was in that, happy stage when the mind is as tranquil as
a spring morning, and the stomach has earned the warm
gratitude of its owner, for having such a liberal capacity.

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 91
Patrick was full — not quite too full for utterance, else
we would have been compelled to forego the pleasure of
learning just how and where he passed through such
pleasant experiences.
Clearing his throat with a consequential air, he be
gan : "When I joined Cap. H's. regiment, a couple of
years ago, nobody ever thought about me a-gettin' any
higher than a private, or a corporal, at the best. But I
was a-gwine to prove jist what stuff was in me, and I
saved my reegiment, and don't you believe nothin' else."
Of course we wanted to know how Pat had saved his
regiment, and after waiting discreetly a few minutes, in
order to give us an opportunity of asking him to continue
his narrative, he proceeded :
"Well, I* tell you how it was: You see, we kinder got
out o' grub. Now, I've knowed of reegiments that fowt
like killin' snakes, but didn't have no shootin' irons, neth
er; but when it comes to a lot of men fightin' when they
hain't got enough in their craws to keep a week-old
¦chicken alive two minutes, they hain't a-gwine to do
much fightin', I can tell you. Well, it was just that bad
with us. We tramped through swamps and over hills,
and we couldn't shoot nothin', not even a kyarn crow,
nor a buzzard. The Cap. had begun to look mighty
black, and says he, 'Well, bullys, hit's about gittin' the
test of us, this time, and we mowt as well say our pray
ers and hold a council of starvation,' says he. Says I,
'Cap., I'm nothin' but a common soldier, but if you'll
gimme a chance I'll dust around and have everybody full
to the chin before two hours,' says I. The Cap._ allowed
I was jist a-talkin' to hear myself, but all the same, he
'lowed I might try, seein' as how things was lookin' so
tjlack. To-be-sure, some of the men was a-lyin' down,
and fixin' to drop off. One of 'em 'lowed as how he had
been born with a pipe in his mouth, and was a-gwine to
take his last smoke, feelin' happy and contented. I told

92 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
'em as how I was a-gwine to knock all that nonsence
in the head, and that .they must not give up till they
hearn from me again. But they jist wunk their eyes and
rolled over." *
The listeners cleared their throats incredulously at
this tragic turn of affairs, but Pat continued, as he artis
tically severed a piece of comb and cautiously proceeded
to » consume it :
"Well, I left 'em lyin' there, and knowed I'd have to
skedaddle or I'd find a fust-class funeral all in full blast
when I got back. I took a ax and went after a bee-
tree. And, lo and behold! I hadn't gone more'n a quar
ter 'fore I seen a stream of bees a-comin' out'n a big
forked cypress. I fell to choppin' on it, and hadn't much
more'n got through the sap, when out popped a stream
of honey as big as my arm." A most energetic yawning"
interrupted the narrator at this moment, but he daunt-
lessly continued :
"Maybe you wouldn't have believe it, but that honey
was as clear as spring-water, and I cotch my hat full the
fust thing. 'But gosh !' says I, 'that won't begin to be a
taste for then starvin' critters.' So I took and peeled off
a big hunk of bark and let it run full. Well, I looked
through the swamp and seen a tater patch on a hill on
t'other side. I knowed them fellers 'ould want sump'in'
'sides 'pyore honey, so I run over there, and it wan't no
time 'fore I was a'grabblin' them 'taters. Yes, a big
flop-eared hound did make for me, but about the time
he come "yoogle, yoogle,' atter me, I gin him a dost from
my rifle, and you know them there pills alius gits in their
work  " •
At this supreme moment a solitary bee wandered past,
and perhaps becoming angry at the coolness with which
we had appropriated his hard earnings, surely and quick
ly selected Pat's upper lip for his resting place. The
struggle was short and sharp. Pat danced the can-can,

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 93
making havoc with some of our honey, and it was with a
sad eye and pulsating lip that he resumed his 'seat. His
remarks were brief but to the' point, as had been the
.encounter with the angry insect, and when we ventured
to ask whether that was the kind of "pills" he had re
ferred to, he looked dangerous. We wondered what
became of the starving "reegiment" that had lain down to
die, but we were not enlightened any further as to their
fate. Pat went about with an overhanging lip and a
dogged determination to say as little as possible.
We then cut several other trees, and secured as much
of the honey as we could carry home in our improvised
knapsacks of saw-palmetto. We brought home enough
lioney to last for several weeks. Even at this day, the re
gion around Lake Winder is rich in bee-trees and honey,
* and people sometimes go as far as thirty miles to get a
stand of bees from that vicinity.

CHAPTER IV.
IN WHICH A COMPANY OF SOLDIERS GET SHORT OF
RATIONS, AND THE READER IS INTRODUCED
TO A REMARKABLE FAMILY.
I beg my readers to excuse me for recurring to an
incident which might have come under the head of "War
Reminiscences;" but, at this day and time we can,
through the agency of memory, enter the battlefield and
view the strife without fear of stray bullets and the ter
rors of those days Have given place to the quiescent
recollections, which still form the darling theme of many
a veteran in the evening of life. As this will probably
be the last of my "war series," I hope the reader will
patiently hear me through the recital of an adventure of
mine which, while perhaps devoid of dramatic or sensa
tional detail, is none the less strongly impressed on my
memory. First, I will introduce you to our camp, situated on the
east side of Pease Creek, half a mile from Fort Meade,
on a little stream cabled Sink Branch. You observe that
the surrounding country is high, rolling pine land, but as
we cross a low ridge covered with willow-oaks, we come
suddenly upon one of the wonders of this remarkable
region. Making our way through the tangle of myrtle
and palmetto, we suddenly behold, lying at our feet, a
crystal-clear spring, bubbling up with great energy. The
spring is twenty feet across and is fathomless. In all
probability this spring is fed through some deep sub
terranean passage, by the waters of Pease Creek. The
water is deliriously cool and as pure as mountain dew.
Under the shade of some overhanging willow-oaks, we

96 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
pitched our tents, and I doubt if we could have found a
better camping-spot in South Florida.
We rose from an invigorating breakfast of fresh veni
son, on the morning of the ioth of May, 1857, and assem
bled respectfully together, to receive commands for the
day's service from our Captain, William B." Mosely,, of
the Florida Mounted Volunteers. (Captain Mosely was
a son of ex-Governor Mosely, of Florida, and was one
of the best men I ever knew. The soldiers were all much
attached to him. He once owned a large tract of land
on the Heights, hear Palatka, and I believe is still liv
ing.) For many days previous we had not been called
upon to perform any serious or exciting duty, and had
deported ourselves as hunters, rather than soldiers. But
now, something more serious was before us. Captain
Mosely told us, briefly, that we were to go on a scout and
gather in the few Seminoles wh® were yet out of the fold.
In other words, we were to penetrate a region which, at
that time, was almost entirely , unknown and untraveled.
That, too, in the face of rumors of. the ugliest sort, con
cerning the dire fate of certain venturesome parties who
had penetrated into this unpeopled wilderness in search
of game, but no animal came near them, except the black
vultures which found their poor, starved and shriveled
corpses near sqme bay or hidden stream, where the lost
hunters had lain down to die, in despair of ever getting
home again. The distance to be traversed was some
thing near a hundred miles, and the "Jornada del Muer-
to"* that lay between, held out but little inducement to
•The "Jornada del Muerto", (Spanish "Journey of Death")
is a long strip of land lying west of the Rio Grande, where trav
elers often perish for want of food and water, while trying to
cross the great soda plains. In the Florida "Jornada," however,
the traveler suffered only for want of food. Water was plentiful,
and only the lack of game and the sparse population rendered
it unsafe for those who attempted the journey. But since (hen
the region has become the home of a happy and prosperous
people.

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 97
us, although not one of the stout Florida volunteers hes
itated for a moment to obey the call of duty. Our des
tination was Camp Whipple, where a company of regu
lars were stationed. At that place we were to turn over
our prisoners, if we were so fortunate as to make a cap
ture, make our reports, and return to Fort Meade.
It was perhaps. six o'clock in the morning when we
shouldered arms and marched forth over the long slopes,
carpeted with wire grass, which quivered and swayed
in the morning breeze like a ground-swell on the ocean.
The cavernous excavations of the gophers, and the litt'e
hillocks of yellow sand, upheaved by the "salamanders,"
were the only traces of animal life to be seen in that lone
ly spot. Then we descended into long stretches of flatwoods,
covered with a rank growth of blueberry, myrtle, saw
palmetto and siren-flower. Our eyes were well practised
in detecting Indian trails, but we utterly failed to discover
anything whatever. Evidently the wary redskins were
ensconced in some thick, shady hammock or bay-head,
not trusting themselves out on open ground.
And whenever one of these jungles was approached,
we began to look out for a shower of bullets from the
hidden foe. Very often had a whole company been rout
ed by a fusilade from a few dastardly rascals hidden in
the palmetto and bramble, through which they glided
with the ease of rattlesnakes, when pursued. In the
hammocks the white man was hardly a match for the
Seminole. We marched along until the end of the second day,
when our provisions gave out. The farther we weiyt the
less encouraging became the prospect, and in the morn
ing we began to feel serious, for as the sun ascended, our
appetites rose accordingly, and the wherewith to satisfy
our cravings was nowhere to be found. From hunting
human beings, we turned our attention toward hunting

98 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
for something to eat. When the day was far advanced,
and we were faint and weary, one of the men found a
bunch of comptie, the famous bread-root of the Indians.
We tried to prepare some of the roots for food, by peel
ing them and frying them in the little mickle of lard
we had saved, and we forced down a few spoonsful of
the wretched mess. It is not necessary to say that we
vowed to discard comptie from our bill of fare in the fu
ture. When prepared properly, it tastes very much like
arrow-root or casava, although it does not contain as
mudh -"urishment as either.
The morning of the third day dawned upon a land
scape radiant with dewy flowers, but it brought but little
comfort to the handful of starving soldiers, who were
looking as though they, were well-nigh exhausted. "Tat"
Kendrick and I volunteered to set forth in search' of
Camp Whipple, which we knew must lie within ten miles
of us. Mounting our ponies we struck out toward Pease
Creek, and reached the mouth of that stream after two
hours' ride. At this place we fired off our guns, and were
rejoiced to hear the answering report of a gun away off
to the south. We repeated the signal, fearing that there
'might have been some mistake, and again the friendly
booming of the guns told us that deliverance was near.
My companion, "Tat" Kendrick, usually so vivacious,
witty and full of life, had grown haggard and wan, and
the few words he uttered were freighted with woe unut
terable. His hopes revived, however, when he heard
the guns. Right here, before I go any further, I wish
to say a few words about the Kendrick family. They
were a jovial, fun-loving set of mortals, who often whiled
away the hours when in congenial company, by telling
monstrous tales, which by far eplipsed Munchhausen
or Jules Verne in the richness and grotesqueness of their
imagination. Finally, "Old Bill Kendrick" became
known as the "tarnationest story-teller in all Flurridy/*

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 99
and so rapidly did his fame spread, that people began
to "make allowances" for evertyhing Mr. Kendrick said,
whether joking or in earnest. This sad state of affairs
did not alarm the old gentleman in the least, although it
did him great injustice, for he was, after all, a sober, in
dustrious citizen, his greatest drawback being a light
regard for the welfare of his own good name.
As usual, when a person attained distinction in that
region, everybody was ready to Swell his reputation and
add to his fame. Anybody who could make up a yarn
on old Billy, repeated it whenever practicable, and many
of his traducers were his inferiors, when it came to that.
Somebody, who had very little else to do, told a huge
story about Billy Kendrick and his brother Tat, which
represented the latter as having once out-lied his brother
Bill so completely that the old gentleman was sorely
grieved, and bowed his head and wept, and the sound
of his weeping was heard afar aff — boohooing like a
colicky baby. I can not at this moment distinctly recall
the yarn supposed to have been told by Tat, but I think
it was something about a fish he had caught, which was
so large that it made a hole in water so big that it was
three days in filling up. They said that the yarn re
formed Bill, and that he quit the ' romancing business
then, and for all time.
Tat Kendrick rode off toward the spot from whence
the sounds of the gun came, while I returned to the camp
and reported the good news to our captain. It put new
life into every man and strengthened them for the jour
ney. Now, I am strongly tempted to unveil a tragedy which
was being enacted as I came into camp, wherein a poor,
helpless gopher was the victim, perishing at the hands of
a dozen soldiers, but I will not betray my companions-
in-arms for any consideration. Besides, if I were to tell
you that the men, with all due reverence and respect,

100 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
presented the two fore-legs of the miserable little turtle
to their captain, before consuming the rest with the rel
ish of starved vultures, you would not believe it; so, I
will remain silent on the subject.
When we reached Camp Whipple, we were in a sad
condition ; completely exhausted and half-delirious. We
were, of course, not allowed to eat as fast as our appe-
lites prompted, and it was a long time before we were
satisfied. We were taken care of in the best possible
m.nnier, and in a week were able to return to Fort Meade.

CHAPTER Vi
SOME REMARKS ABOUT THE SEMINOLES— DESCRIPTION
OF THE "GREEN-CORN DANCE," AND
OTHER CUSTOMS.
The annals of this decaying race, if written in strict
obedience to the laws of truth, and without prejudice,
would place them in a better light than the one in which
most people are disposed to regard them. The Coman
che and Arapahoe are as inferior to the Seminole, morally
and mentally, as is possible, in two tribes of Indians. The
fiendish instinct which leads the wild tribes of the West
to porlong the death of a captive over a slow fire, is to
tally lacking in the red man of Florida. Through all the
long and bloody strife which preceded the settlement of
Florida, no well-grounded tale was ever told of a Semi
nole putting a captive to death in an unnatural manner.
He was none the less heroic or warlike, for his lack of
brutality. In war, his first thought was to subdue his
enemy at once and forever, with a bullet; the thought
of a lingering death was not pleasant to him. The cus
toms and habits of the aboriginees of Florida are not
such as would grace a parlor or ballroom, but they are
by no means repulsive. The wild, free life which suits
them best, has engendered in them a love of freedom,
which they know how to fight for with energy and wear
with dignity.
However, the few Seminoles who remain as relics of
past glory and power, are becoming demoralized, in an
alarming degree, by the encroachments of modern civ
ilization and "wyomi" (whisky). These potent agents
have, in a great measure, subjugated the eesta-chatta's

102 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
wild, unbridled tendency to live and die as free, and as
innocent of work, as the alligators and herons of. his
native marshes.
The average Seminole of today scorns any impedi
ment in the way of breeches, and seems to think that
these use of these garments betokens little else but van
ity and extravagance on the part of those who wear them.
The change of the season does not affect his attire, for
the only garment 'between him and the world — a stout,
well-greased shirt — serves him as well in winter as in
spring. Sometimes they come striding into Kissimmee,
as stately and en deshabille as a bronze statue of Mer
cury. Lately, however, the braves are presented with
a pair of pants immediately upon their arrival in Kissim
mee. Tom Tiger has formed the habit of dressing in a
becoming manner, and when rigged out in a pair of new
pants, a pair of moccasins, a bright, clean calico shirt,
and half a dozen red handkerchiefs around his neck,
crowned with an immense red turban, no one can help
admiring him. His splendid figure, and the careless,
unconscious grace with which he carries himself, will al
ways impress the person who meets Tom Tiger for the
first time. Billy Buster, who is a little older than Tom,
does not reflect much glory on his ancestry. Billy still
remains as unregenerated as can be, and disdainfully re
fuses to, accept the pair of pants usually tendered him
upon his arrival in Kissimmee. Nobody ever saw Billy
Buster dressed like a white man, and it's very likely that
nobody ever will.
• • The Seminole language is a curious anomaly of verbs,
adjectives and nouns. I am almost tempted to say that
these complete the parts of speech, in Seminole grammar.
The: words are almost invariably accented on the penuti-
mate syllable, and are rich in aspirates and linguidentals.
Like .the: Russian language, the Semonile has no article,
thtl i words * 'the": and "a" being unknown. I will give

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 103
the following Seminole words, with their equivalent in
English, in lieu of a longer dissertation on the grammar
of the language, and in pronouncing them the reader
should bear in mind that all the words are accented on
the syllable next to the last:
Ab-bass-wah  Bread.
Soff-kee  Grits, or Comptie.
Po-leg-dah  Stool, or Chair.
Ee-fah  Doe.
Hal-pa-tah  Alligator.
Ee-cho  Deer.
Che-lok-kah  Horse.
Wah-ku-hoo-tee  Bull.
Wah-ku  Steer.
Wah-ku-pos-see  Cow.
Wah-ku-pos-see-ne-hah  Butter.
Toad-kah  Fire.
O-shay  Rain.
To-kabiss-loo  Boat.
The following words form an exception to the general
rule, having the rising inflection on the last syllable :
Chan-kee . . .  Hand.
Thath-o  Fish.
Chit-tokkanee-wah  Money.
Chit-tokkanee-wah-katee  Purse.
Lo-kasee  Bear.
The above will suffice to give the reader an idea of
this barbarous tongue, and will probably satisfy all who
survive the first trial.
I do not think there are more than three hundred
Indians living in Florida at the present day, although no
accurate figures can be obtained, owing to their shy
ness and dread of anything pertaining to "red tape:"
Rumor once had it that Jacob Summerlin, one of the fore
most of the frontiersmen of Florida, and a cattle-kihg
• of- no mean dominion, once la-id a -striking ' and original

104 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
plan for taking a census of all the Seminoles in Florida,
which apparently should have succeeded. It was alleged
that he sent an agent among them to announce that a
grand festival was to be given at Fort Myers, and the
whole tribe was invited to partake of it. But the plan
was a failure. "Holiwaugus — no good !" was the sen
tentious reply, and no amount of argument or explana
tion could convince them that the invitation did not arise
from sinister motives.
Like most other tribes, the Seminoles consider the
labors of the field far beneath their dignity. The squaw
is the farmer, while the brave warrior scours the ham
mocks and flatwoods in search of game, or dozes away
the long summer hours beneath the oak and palm. The
fine corn and pumpkins, of which I have spoken in the
first part of my book, were planted and tended by these
patient, horny-handed daughters of toil.
Many years ago, I becames acquainted with a young
man named Moore, who had earned quite a reputation
by his attempts to affiliate with the Seminoles, and be
come as one of them. He stayed with them three
months, and in that period of time saw many of their
peculiar manners and customs displayed. He often
spoke of the famous "green-corn dance," which he had
once seen. Now, I never was an eye-witness of this pe
culiar ceremony, and will have to quote Mr. Moore as
my authority for the following description :
He had been with them perhaps a month, and had
been initiated into many of their mysteries. In his in
tercourse with them he had picked up enough of their
language to make himself intelligible to them ; his fine
sportsmanship, unerring aim and unfailing good humor
had won the admiration of the young braves, and even
the old, long-headed warriors had begun to regard him
with less suspicion. Many a frisky squirrel, seemingly
secure, on the topmost boughs of the towering live oaks

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 105
and hickories, came whirling to the ground at the call
of his rifle, and if he "jumped" a deer, there was sure to
be venison in camp that day. Littleton Hancock, in his
palmiest days, could not have been a greater terror to
deer than was this man Moore.
As I said before, he had been with the Indians about
a month, when he saw the dance, and it was in early
May. One day, soon after the orange blossoms had
faded in the hammocks, and the tassels were just brown
ing over the fields of corn, there were great preparations
made for some sort of feast, which Moore could not ac
count for, and the Indians were not communicative on the
subject. Great piles of comptie had been dug and
washed; many cabbage palms trees were slaughtered,
and the snow-white buds prepared for the pot. A spot
of ground was selected in the shadiest part of the ham
mock, where three giant-bodied live oaks leaned their
great arms together, and a large space of ground under
the trees was divested of its growth of palmettoes and
bushes and swept clean. A fire of rich pine-knots and
oak limbs was built in the center, and after awhile there
was a deep bed of live coals. The women came in from
the fields, laden with green corn, which they husked
and placed in the embers to roast, while the old men held
secret council together, and skinned the deer and wild
hogs brought in by the young warriors. From the dark
recesses of the Coontee-sassa-hollober, the ancient war
riors came, bearing venison and bear-meat on their shoul
ders; from the islands of Okeechobee, and the heron-
tenanted prairies and hammocks, of the great Coontee-
seema-pollawah and Saffaj-eehojee's Town, the dusky
red legions came trooping to the scene of festivity.
When the guests had assembled, the chief, glittering
in war paint and silver ornaments, rose to his feet, and in
a few words, directed the opening of the performance. A
circle was formed and a march begun, during which a

106 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
strange, dirge-like song was chanted; faster and faster
moved the procession around the fire. On and on they
swept, not pausing a moment for breath, until finally the
yelling, dancing, jumping redskins sank down to rest
and to feast on the venison, comptie and palm-cabbage,
which were temptingly displayed on platters of ' pal
metto. The fragrant brown ears of roasted corn were
brought forward and distributed among the throng, as
an emblem (of future peace and prosperity.
Moore said that one peculiar feature of this custom
was that all fugitives who had been banished from the
tribes were allowed to return, for a brief period, even
when they had been exiled for some grave offense. As
the procession formed around the fire, there could be
seen brothers, sisters, parents and sometimes sweet
hearts, standing and waiting for the dear one who had
been long absent.
At a Seminole wedding, the new couple enter a ring
composed of two or three dozen dancers. The proces
sion moves rapidly around them ; the bridegroom carries
in his hand a piece of venison, and the bride has an ear
of corn, which she hands to her husband, saying:- "I
will provide bread if you will furnish the meat." Where
upon the warrior presents the venison to his squaw, and
repeats his part of the formula.
Moore also witnessed a war dance, in which over fifty
braves participated, While they were forming a ring,
preparatory to commencing the dance, the chief hid him
self in the densest portion of the hammock, and no one
dared approach 'him ; some mysterious rite was being
celebrated, which must not be witnessed by profane eyes ;
perhaps a consecration of body, and soul, to the god of
war. In the meantime, the solemn, measured minuet
began ; in deep chest-tones, the warriors sang the song
of battle, their voices rising from a low wail in a minor
key, to a roar like that of an alligator. Suddenly, with-

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 107
out the least warning, the chief came bounding into the
midst of the ring. The circle widened, leaving him plenty
of room for his wild leaps and gyrations, and the yells
of the excited savages rose to the highest notch. The
chief took a stick of sour-orange wood, on one end of
which was a carving of a man's head; thrusting this in
the ground, in the center of the circle, he drew his long,
bright hunting-knife, brought it down upon the carved
head, and went through all the motions of scalping.
Then rose the death-song : *
Ecah-esah-ah-lee —
Ecah-bosah-ah-lee! '
Wah-luck-hick-luck — •
Wah-luck-lu'Ck-tock !
Wah-lucklo-mah-ah-lee !
Olucklo-wah-ah-lee !
The orgies were now at the highest pitch, and it would
not have been safe to jump into their midst, at that mo
ment. Moore said that he "lay low and sung easy,"
while that war-dance was oging on. After the ceremony
of scalping was ended, the panting braves subsided, and
they proceeded to stow away an incredible amount of
comptie and venison.
An Indian needs but one cooking utensil. A brass
kettle takes the place of pot, stew-pan, oven, basin and
bucket, and great care is taken to keep it polished
brightly. On rainy days, the squaws whittle but spoons,
and that completes the list of table-ware, for the eesta-
-chatta has no use for cups or dishes.
Seminoles have very strict ideas of social virtue, and
any of their number — male or female — who oversteps the
bounds of chastity, is severely punished. Perpetual ban
ishment has often been inflicted on those who broke
the laws in this respect; Billy Bowlegs, a former chief
of the Seminoles, was condemned to wander apart from
liis tribe, for a long time, as a punishment for some

108 SCENES IN SOUTH" FLORIDA.
misdeed of a similar nature. Tom Tiger once brought
his squaw to town on a visit, and while there, of course,
she attracted a good deal of attention. One of the "big
men" of the town invited Tom -and his squaw to take
a boat ride with him, on a neighboring lake. Tom ac
cepted the invitation in silence, but eyed the eesta-hotka
distrustfully, all the while; with an Indian's keen per
ception, he concluded that the white man was not actu
ated solely by a desire to please him and his squaw,
and he prepared himself for some unfair trick. But the
pale-face had no such intentions; the Indians interested
him, and he wished to learn some of their peculiar ways.
He learned a good deal. Actuated by a sudden burst of
gallantry, he seized Mrs. Tiger's hand. Tom raised his
gun, and with a "Holiwaugus !" that would have startled
anybody, ordered the boat put about for land. Tom
and his squaw hustled off down the river to Rosalie.
He never brought his squaw to that place any more,
and it is very likely that that white man generally man
aged to be absent, whenever the Indians "painted the
town red."

CHAPTER VI.
NED MARR AND MYSELF TRY OUR FORTUNES ON IN
DIAN RIVER— A NARROW ESCAPE FROM DEATH. .
Many and varied have been the descriptions of the
Indian River region, and it is not an easy task to traverse
untrodden ground in speaking of it at this day and time.
Sidney Lanier dreamed his sweetest dreams under its
feathery cocoa palms, and tells us, in glowing words,
how his heart was enthralled by the weird beauties of
the enchanted river. Audubon, the great naturalist, en
trapped the purple gallinule and roseate spoonbill in its
silent marshes, and left for succeeding generations a
record of the wonders of that region, and now- when the
blase tourist has become surfeited with the scenes of the
West, he often comes to the shores of Indian river, to
forget the fatigue and ennui in the charms of the bee-
hunting, mullet-catching, and chasing that noble animal,
the bear. And if he wishes to descend, at one flop, from
the sublime to the ridiculous, he takes a "grain" in his
hand, and impales the festive stingaree. This animal
(which is also called "the bob-tail end of creation") will-
receive proper attention farther on.
I was more fortunate than many other mortals, in the
selection of a birthplace, and have always been proud of
my good judgment in choosing Florida as my native
State ; indeed, that is the only act of my life of which I
can make much boast. Having been born in the semi-
tropic zone, I did not have to go through the initiating
process, like the people who come here late in life. And
as the years increase, I lose not a ray of the sunshine
that surrounded my infancy, and I might well say that

110 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
the Florida of half a century ago was not more pleasant
than it is today. The people, with their steamboats,
railroads and other big projects have turned things
around completely, making a new country of it. And
in the midst of all this, the old- stagers are all having
their say, about how it "used to was." Now my turn has
come. The chilling winds of November, A. D. 1858, were
causing the orange trees to huddle their limbs together
for warmth and protection, when my companion, Ned
Marr, and myself concluded to forsake our bachelor
quarters on Tampa Bay and seek more congenial sur
roundings on the east coast. Our objective point was
Honey Branch, which had attracted my attention when
I passed through the region several years before. The
greater part of the remainder of the year was consumed
in reaching our destination, and when we got there, the
first act of our administration was to build a hut of poles
and palm leaves. We were well supplied with knives,
forks, tin plates and other kitchen utensils, having attend
ed to all business of that description before we left
Tampa Bay. The spot selected for our future home was
a shady nook, in a cabbage palm grove, within a few
feet of the river. Taking a sharp hatchet, I sought out
some slender poles from a hammock near by. Each
¦pole was about eight feet long, and had a crotch on one
end, formed by the short stump of a limb spared for that
purpose. The other end was hewn to a sharp point.
One pair of poles was cut three feet longer than the
rest. I stuck the four short poles in the ground, form
ing a square of about fourteen feet ; the long poles were
placed in the middle at the ends, so as to give the roof
the proper slant. Other poles were used to finish up the
framework. Meanwhile, my friend Marr was by no
means idle. Taking a sharp hatchet, he climbed the
trunks of the palm trees by means of dead leaf sterns, and

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. Ill
cut off the great green fronds or leaves ; depriving these
of their stems, he piled them up near the frame of the
hut. Then we both went to work, and at the end of two
days had a roof over our heads and a cosy place to sleep.
In all this piece of architecture there was not a particle
of iron, everything being lashed together with strips of
palm leaves.
Full . of peace and contentment, we moved into our
new quarters. I can not describe the exquisite sense of
comfort I experienced when, after a day of brisk fish
ing and hunting, I lay down to rest beneath a noof of fra
grant palm leaves; and what music the rain did make '
as it pattered overhead! Never more will I see such
days of unmixed pleasure ; never again can I pass such
nights, fanned by the cool breeze, and lulled to sleep by
the murmur of the rain. But this isn't business — this
straying off the track — and I will finish the description
of our palmetto hut, by saying that it was perfectly water
tight, and built to last ten- years.
Marr and I, in seeking this region as a home, were
filled with the idea that we could make our fortune in an
orange grove.' As well as I can remember, the "orange
fever" did not fully break out until the fall of 1858, but
the few who were stricken had it bad, and my comrade
and I were among the earlier victims. Reports of enor
mous returns from small investments in orange groves,
reached us from time to time, and fired our ambition to
"go and do likewise." ' '
In one respect, we succeeded admirably. The spot
we selected for the scene of our operations was one
which left nothing to be desired, as far as nature went.
A cool spring of water lifted its crystal waves into the
sunlight within easy reach of our door ; Indian river,
With its untold wealth of fish and fowl, spread out to
the east of us, and we had only to shoulder a gun and
enter the hammock to supply our table with bear or tur-

112 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
key. Deer were so common that we let them go, some
times, out of sheer contempt. We cleared about an acre
in the hammock, where the soil was blackest and deepest,
and grubbed leisurely1 along until we had prepared ground
for about two dozen trees. We found a wild grove not
far away, and transplanted a few of them where we
thought they would do the most good. But when the
leaves began to have that rich, golden hue which the
ripe fruit possesses, and speedily turned into so many
dry, withered sticks, we gave up in despair of ever mak
ing an orange grove. We planted them among a tangle
of roots, and in taking them up, chopped off nearly all
their side roots, while the tap roots were lopped off
without mercy. The only wonder is, that they lived as
long as they did. If I had practiced a little less sports
manship then and went about the orange business in
the right way, and entered that fine tract of land, I
would be worth, today, fifty thousand dollars more than
I am. Thus the winter was whiled away and spring came.
Our nearest neighbor, Capt. John Houston, lived fifteen
miles away to the north, on Elbow Creek, at a place now
called Eau Gallic But when we got our supplies, we
had to take a boat and row about thirty miles southward
to Fort Capron, where Maj. William Russell kept a little
grocery store. The Major supplied the people for leagues
around with the necessaries of life, and his store was the
Mecca of many a long pilgrimage.
In the month of May it fell to my lot to take such a
journey. I entered a boat and, taking enough dried veni
son, onions and roasted potatoes along to keep nie alive
for three days, set out for Fort Capron. The first night
I camped- in a hammock, near the river side. The moon
was just rising and showed up everything plainly. I
was intently engaged in picking, up dry sticks to make a
fire, when I looked up and was startled at the sight of a

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. _ 113
bear sitting on his haunches within five feet of me. He
was a monster. How in the world it was that I came
so near the bear without alarming him I never could
imagine. I groped wildly for the hatchet, and if it had
been found I could very easily have brained him on the
spot. Finding that the hatchet was determined to elude
my grasp, I yelled at the top of my voice. Such a jump
as that bear gave ! Talk about your deer, but that bear
made better time (and more noise) than a runaway team
of mules, as he tore through the hammock. That was
the last of the bear episode, and I will now proceed to
conclude this chapter by the recital of something none
the less true, but ai little more serious.
One day in early June I took a stroll out toward the
head of the St. Sebastian, which was not more than two
miles away. I was looking for bee-trees, and entered a
scope of country that contained but little water. It was
Friday — unlucky day! — and I encountered something
that afternoon which came near cutting short my thread
of existence. The weather was warm and I became very thirsty.
No water appeared to exist in that region at all, but as I
was hurrying back home my eye fell on a green, grassy
spot off to the right, and upon closer inspection it turned
out to be a small dried-up pond, covered with a rank
growth of maidencane, and a clump of willow trees in
the center. Very naturally, the first thing I thought of
was water, and in I walked. I wore nothing on my feet
but a pair of moccasins, and should have known better.
I had nearly reached the clump of willows, when a blow
was struck on my foot which nearly knocked me down.
I hastily parted the grass, in order to get a view of the
alligator— for I felt sure nothing else could have given
such a blow— and was horrified to catch a glimpse of a
stump-tailed cotton-mouth snake of immense size. After
delivering the blow, he wriggled off through the maiden-

114 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
cane so quickly that I could not kill him, but I saw
enough to convince me that he was not less than five
inches in diameter, and a little over four feet long. These
hideous serpents are fully as much dreaded as the rattle
snake, although their poison does not act so quickly.
Without a moment's hesitation I rushed out of the grass
and ran toward home with all my strength. There was
a sensation like a piece of red-hot iron clinging to my
toes, where the fanks had struck. At every step the pain
increased, and it seemed as if a thousand hot needles
were piercing my body. Worse than all, my leg became
so stiff and badly swollen that I could not run any more,
and began to think that death would come to me in the
woods, with no help nigh. Three times I staggered and
fell, and each time it was more difficult to regain my feet.
With all my power I continued to cry for help, but my
companion did not hear me until I had reached the border
of the clearing. ,(He ran out and half carried, me to the
house. The poor fellow was almost frantic, and knew not
what to do. But like a flash of light into the darkness
of the situation came the recollection of something I had
heard Dr. Reid, of Savannah, say about his method of
curing snake bites. He made a poultice of raw onions,
beaten up fine, and applied to the wound. I barely suc
ceeded in telling this to Ed. Marr, when I went into de
lirium, and did not regain consciousness until next day,
when I was surprised to see the injured limb almost as
large as my body. Marr was bending over me and apply
ing a fresh poultice. Faithful fellow ! he never closed his
eyes once during the night, and had renewed the poultice
every half hour. Fortunately, we had raised a good crop.
of onions, and I knew that they saved my life.
The swelling subsided very gradually, and it was two
weeks before I regained the use of my limbs. Whisky
is considered the sovereign remedy- for snake bites, but

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.

115

there was not a drop of it within a hundred miles of us,
and there is no doubt that raw. onions, albne, applied in
the manner mentioned, will cure any snake-bite, if used
in time. We stayed there until the war broke out between the
States, when I left for St. Augustine to join the army.
Ed. Marr remained at the hut, and the next time I heard
from him he had gone on that long, swift journey we all
must take, sooner or later. Among all the dear departed
friends, there is none who holds a dearer place in my
memory than this, my companion of the olden time.

CHAPTER VII. i ':¦
INTRODUCING A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF "ALLI
GATOR FERGUSON"— SOME OLD-TIME HEROES. ,..
It is strange how men will get names fastened. on
them. By some untoward circumstance the unfortunate
wight gets a ridiculous soubriquet attached to his narne,
which, like a deep scar, lasts as long as the man lives.; I
once knew a man who, by some accident, got his eye in
jured. The first thing he knew everybody was calling him
"Old Frog-eyed Bill," and another acquaintance of mine,
was christened "Horse-leg Jim," on account of some
slight obliquity in his make-up. Both men were known
only by these names. "Alligator Ferguson" and "Alli
gator Piatt" wore their nicknames into the grave. It
starts, sometimes, from something a person has said or
done, and often from some personal peculiarity. Here
in Florida, a man wins a name by his exploits. (I. am
not dealing now with military nomenclature ; for, of
course, majors, generals, lieutenants and commodore's are
as plentiful as mosquitoes, and a corporal is seen occa
sionally.) I am speaking of such heroes as Alligator
Ferguson and Alligator Piatt, whose fame shall never
fade from the minds of those who were witnesses of the
great havoc made by these men among the alligators, in
good old days gone by. Not from any fancied reserrir
blance to the saurian tribe, nor from any amphibious in
clination,, were these gentlemen graced with the names
above mentioned. The titles were fairly and honorably
won, and as substantial and unfading as any you . ever
heard of.
Alligator Ferguson didn't confine his operations to

118 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
any particular portion of South Florida; from Tampa to
Biscayne Bay, and from the saw-grass fields of Lake
Apopka to the shores of Okeechobee, he created con
sternation among the scaly denizens of the marshes, and
I think he could lay claim to having killed more alligators
than any other man living. He made his bed among
them;, ate among them, spent many months among them,
as his only companions, and it is probable that he hardly
ever thought or talked of anything but alligators. The
gigantic snarls and growls with which they communed
together in early spring was the only music which
charmed his ears. At that time of the year he knew
they could be found in pairs, and were more easily cap
tured. He stayed among them so long that he became,
as some people said, almost amphibious. One man
thought Ferguson's teeth were growing longer, and an
other, with an exceptionally keen pair of eyes, was cer
tain that the great" hunter's skin was growing rough and
hard, in patches,, preparatory to changing into scales.
Ferguson didn't care a cent what they said or thought
about him, so long as he could kill big alligators and sell
their, teeth.
When I first saw him, in 1880, he had given up the
alligator business and commenced carrying fruit from
the Ten Thousand Islands to Tampa. He made quite a
snug sum from the teeth of the 'gators he had killed,
and became an expert at the business. Teeth were worth
from four to five dollars a pound, and sometimes he gath
ered four and five pounds a week. He never cared any
thing for the hides, although they were worth more than
the teeth. He said the alligators were more plentiful
on. .Fish-eating Creek, but that their teeth were very
mush inferior to those from other places. On the Gulf
Coast,, he said, was the best place for real good teeth,
and professed a preference for salt-water alligators.
Those fchatliv.e in saltwater are of stouter build, and the

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 119
head is larger in proportion to the body than that of
the fresh water species. Some people claim that they
are more ferocious than the others, but Ferguson didn't
seem to think so.
Ferguson was quite an expert at decoying alligators
within range of his gun. He had a way of barking like
a small dog, and when he commenced that it was not
long before you could see their huge snouts sticking out
of trie water. Another way was to take a little dog, or
pig, in his arms, and twist its tail so that it would yell
and attract the alligators. A screaming pig will excite
the interest and attention of any alligator, no matter
how indolent or phlegmatic. Old Jimmie Yates said that
he was hunting one spring morning, near Tohopekaliga,
and had brought a young, fine-blooded dog with him.
Coming to a deep, round pool, which formed a small bay
in the lake, he commenced looking out for alligators,
which he knew were to be found in that place in large
quantities. The dog was a little too eager for the sport,
and jumped into the water. Jimmie said he -tried to call
him back, but the dog was deaf to all remonstrance.
When he had reached the middle of the pool, he began
howling and struggling, and looked back appealingly to
his master for help. In a few moments the dog disap
peared and was seen no more. "Hit riled me awfully
to see my purp gobbled down that-a-way," said old Jim
mie, "and I laid for that 'gator. I wouldn't a-took the
purtiest fifty-dollar bill you ever saw for that dog, and
I jest says to myself, I am goin' to make them 'gators
hop. And I did make 'em hop. I takes my leetlest purp
and I wrings and twists his tail untwel he hollers like
as if he was a-bein' killed, and first thing I knowed, out
popped the head of a whoppin' big 'gator. Then an
other one of the big black devils poked his sassy snoot
out'n the water, and hit warn't no time 'fore the pond
was teetotally covered with 'em. I never seen so many

120 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
'gators in the known world! I shot and shot and shot,
untwel I was bodaciously out of breath, but I made them
• devils sweat. They eat up my purp (and I wouldn't
a-took a brand-new fifty-dollar bill for him), but I ever-
lestin'ly peppered 'em for it."
It would hardly do to dwell very long on this subject
without" saying something about "Alligator Piatt," an
other hero of the olden time, whose deeds were embalmed
in the lore of South Florida. Piatt was not such a great
hunter as Ferguson, but what he did was done quickly
and well, and there was some originality about his ex
ploits. Joshua Creek is a branch of Pease, and flows near
the town of Pine. Level, in Manatee county. This creek
was fairly alive with alligators, and here it was that Alli
gator Piatt exerted his curious talents to the fullest ex
tent. Creeping along under the palmettoes to the bank
of the creek, he peered into the amber-colored depths and
waited for a victim. When a rippling, swirling spot on
the water betokened the presence of an alligator, he
leaned over and poised himself. The 'gator cautiously
poked his snout and then his entire head above the water,
and looked around to see if an enemy was in sight. Per
ceiving no danger, he leisurely floated along on the sur
face until he caught a glimpse of Piatt's red, excited
face, and hurriedly proceeded to sink out of sight. Too
late. Piatt was not going to let his glory as a hunter
become overcast by any such a slip as that. He plunged
into the water and dived after the huge reptile. Those
who stood by, anxiously awaited the reappearance of the
man, and the immense whirls and swirls in the water
where he went down showed that he was quite busy be
low. In a very few moments Piatt reappeared, in tri
umph, astride of the alligator, which he rode to the
shore, like a horse. When once he got his thumbs into
the alligators eyes, it was easily managed, and although
it was nearly twelve feet long, no lamb could have been

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 121
more gentle. Piatt said he could manage the very big
gest of them this way, and he advised everybody to pur
sue that plan, when attacked by an alligator.
Ned Beasley was another fellow who earned consider
able reputation by his affection for alligators. It was
told, for an actual fact, that Beasley was more alligator
than human, and that he was so near cannibal in his tastes
that he frequently put up a barrel or two of 'gator meat
to be used in his house during the winter. He grew real
fat and healthy from indulging in this questionable diet,
and often declared that no earthly delicacy could tempt
him from a dish of 'gator stew. His chickens were fed
on it, and grew to unheard-of proportions. The hogs
and dogs, however, let it studiously alone. The chickens
would congregate around the kettle where the oil was
being "rendered out," and wait for bits of the meat,,
which Beasley threw to them after the oil had been ex
tracted. And it was laughable to see those chickens
(so it was said) as they staggered off into some shade to
rest and sleep.
Somebody asked Beasley how he came to be so fond
of alligator meat. "Well," he replied, "I'll tell you how
it came about, and mebbe you won't believe it, and mebbe
I don't keer whuther you believe it or not." With this
ornate introduction he proceeded to tell how and where
he fell in love with 'gator meat.
"Me and my ole dad was a workin' on a boat one time,
and there was a whole lot of us fellers workin' together.
There used to be a 'ole 'ummern as would come 'round-
every mornin' and sell fried fish to us for breakfast.
Gosh, but didn't them there fish go good! 'Peared like
they jist slipped down by theirselves. Finerly, the ole
'ummern brung a fish around one mornin' that beat any
thing I ever hearn tell of. I never seed sich a fish in the
known world ! She had it fried in meal and pepper, and
it was so big that she had it strapped on a piece of fence

122 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
rail so she could lug it on her shoulder. When we was
a-eatin' of it, we axed the ole critter whur she cotch it,
and she tole us hit was cotch down on the Ellifiars (the
Alalia river), and when we axed her what breed of fish it
was, she said it was somethin' like a trout, only hit eat a
heap better. And hit shore did go mighty good. Dad
'lowed he never head in all his born days seen a fish with
sich a big backbone. (You see, that 'ere fish's back
bone was every bit as big as my arm.) And he said hit
was mighty cur'ous that there wan't no ribs, nor no lit
tle bones in it, and he'd be blowed if he seed any sense in
the thing, nohow, and he said he wan't a-gwine to swaller
nary 'nother bite untwel he knowed what he was a-eatin'.
(AfLer all the meat he'd gobbled down !) Finerly, the ole
witch tole us we'd been a-eatin' 'gator-tail for break
fast. You jist orter a-seed them there fellers makin'
fer the edge of the. boat, with their fingers in their throats,
a-strainin' and a-groanin', like as if they was distracted.
But all their cuttin' up didn't do no good; the 'gator
was down, and hit was a-gwine to stay down. They
Couldn't throw it up to'save their lives. Dad was for
givin' the ole 'ummern a good duckin', but I wouldn't
have no sich doin's ; 'sides, you see, I kinder liked the
truck, anyway, and dad had already said he'd seen a heap
wuss meat in his time. Dad said he might a-knowed
hit wan't fitten to eat by hits not havin' no ribs nor no
bones, but a whalin' big backbone. The ole 'ummern
never come foolin' around our boat no more, and even
now dad hain't got no use for no kind of fish."
Beasley delighted in palming off alligator meat on his
guests, telling them it was corned beef, "jist in from
Fulton Market." After the feast was over it was funny
to him to see the expression on the men's faces when he
told them what they had been eating.
I have no idea what Ferguson is doing now, and I
can not say whether Piatt and Beasley are alive yet or

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 123
not. But Alligator Ferguson, Alligator Piatt and "ditto"
Beasley will always remain as monuments of example to
those to whom dog and gun are sacred. "Uncle" Jimmie
Yates is enjoying a hearty old age, surrounded by chil
dren and grand-children. If you were to pay Jimmie a
visit, he would take you out in his grove and insist on
your feasting on some of his oranges. Then he would
probably give you a greater treat than all — one of his
Indian stories. A written account of these things inter
ests some people, but it is incomparably better to hear it
from the lips of the old heroes who went through it all.
And nobody can be more entertaining than Uncle Jim
mie. Should you ever visit Kissimmee, you would do
well to call on him.

CHAPTER VIII.
SOME OF THE CURIOUS AND INTERESTING INHABITANTS
OF THE INDIAN RIVER REGION.
If, in any of these statements, you think I have painted
"things that are not, as though they were," and given to
"airy nothings a local habitation and a name," why, of
course, you have a right to investigate. But I will again
say that I have started out to tell the truth (regardless
of. the difficulties and temptations involved), for, if my
conscience should wear out, there would be plenty of old*
stagers around the State who would be ready to let me
(and others) know, if I strayed from the path of veracity.
Now, with this explanation, here goes.
Didn't I promise a description of the celebrated stin
garee ? Nobody that has ever been to Indian river is .
considered up with the times unless he has seen this king
of aquatic nuisances. We will, in imagination (and with
your consent) translate you from your cosy home to the
coquina banks of Indian river. The time of the year is
July — a time when you can get a good idea of mid-sum
mer life in this region. Now you make a discovery ; there
are mosquitoes ! You ask me why I didn't mention that
fact before ; and I comfort you by the explanation that I
thought it would be a source of more satisfaction to both
of us if I left you to make the discovery yourself. But,
after all, there are not so many of the little vampires as
you think; the shrill cry and bold advances of the few
that encircle your head, give you the impression that the ,
country is alive with them. But even if that were the
case, there are so many other things of beauty that you
will forget the little minnesingers. If we go out yon- ,

126 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
der on the bosom of the river, I can show you something
new, that for pure, unadulterated cussedness and curios
ity is unexcelled.
If I were a poet I would try to make you forget the
mosquitoes by raving about the sunset ; how the reflec
tions of the palms in the painted waters are broken up
and twisted into million augers and corkscrews by the
night breeze that is springing up, and would point to the
whippoorwill, or bull-bat,, sweep downward almost to
the water, with a croak that is echoed down the river.
But we are on the lookout for stingarees, and must give
them our undivided attention. The water beneath us is
clear, and we can see the curious creatures crawling and
walking on the bottom; we see horse-shoe crabs, sea-
' porcupines, tarpons, saw-fish, sharks, and many other
things very distinctly, and they don't seem to be very
much afraid of us. Hold! don't get, excited, that isn't a
stingaree, that's only a poor, harmless ."bishop ;" he looks
ugly enough, with his tawney hide, with white spots on
him, and his eyes are both on the top of his head, about
as close as they can be, and he looks like he wanted to
raise a row with somebody, but he won't hurt you. Now
ir you want to see a stingaree, look right ahead. You
can't see him very well, he darts about so actively; so
when he is speared and brought into the boat, he serves
our purposes better. This is a small specimen — only
three feet long.
The body, in such a speicmen, is about one foot across,
and nearly round. It is slate-colored, and three inches
through the deepest part. On each side, it slopes to a
thin edge, a flapping motion of which impels them for
ward. The tail is round, an inch in diameter, tapering
to the size of a lead pencil, and has a rough, gristly sur
face. The eyes are situated about three inches from the
nose, and are close together, small and wicked-looking.
Its mouth is underneath the front part of the body, and

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 127
it don't have any teeth worth speaking of. But the pe
culiarity which gives the stingaree such importance, is
the sting. It ornaments that part of the back, where the
tail joins the body, is hard and bony, tapering to a very
fine point, and is covered with sharp fibres, which point
downward, so that it is very difficult to extract from a
wound. A sting on such a specimen is four inches long,
and it is able to inflict a very painful wound, which is a
long time in healing. An irritating substance, secreted
by this barb, which, while never fatal (as far as I know),.
is often productive of evil results, such as marasmus and
chronic ulcers.
You can wade about among them, where they are
swarming as thick as leaves in autumn, but they will
never try to harm you, if you don't step on them, for
they are not aggressive.
The whipparee is very much like the stingaree. The
only difference is that the tail is somewhat longer, and
the sting is lacking. The tail is very tough and pliable,
and is often used as a buggy whip, and as such will stand
many years of hard service. I imagine that you shiver
when I remark that these hideous creatures are very often
eaten. No, the people don't eat the whole animal ; the
thin edges of the body — commonly called "wings" — are
the only parts that are considered fit to eat. I sampled
this luxury once, and although I managed to survive it,
I wasn't troubled with any ambition to try it again. It
tasted a little weak and fishy, and after indulging in a
dish of stingaree, my digestive apparatus was a icted
with a peculiar "ever-present goneness," neither to be
imagined or described. Where there is such a boundless
wealth of fish and fowl that are really delicious eating, I
would advise no one to bother with stingarees. They
should be the dernier ressort — the last dodge of a starv
ing hound. With this, I drop the stingaree subject, as
one not pleasant to handle.

128 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
The sharks of the Indian river are not very dangerous,
and if a man falls overboard, I don't think he need fear
that he will make a Jonah of himself. The shark of
Indian river, according to the account of persons who
ought to know, does not possess the dignity of the white
shark which follows in the wape of ships, and has to turn
on its back before it can bite. They say that the Indian
river shark has a mean way of slipping up behind a man
that is wading, and nipping as big a piece as he can out
of the calf of the man's leg, generally disappearing with
his prize before the surprised and startled individual can
make any remonstrance. I hardly credit this, but I have
heard some pretty well founded stories of men having
been killed and eaten by the sharks in Indian River In
let. But don't be scared, for if you will only be half-way
careful, you will never die by a shark.
Titled peers and noblemen, from all parts of Europe,
were once as plentiful on Indian river as you please, but
•.ither on account of the disappearance of game, or a
complication of interesting affairs at home, they are not
so common nowadays in that region. The pink curlew,
or roseate spoonbill, is not esteemed at all as an article
of food, but its splendid plumage causes it to be an ob
ject of great value to the hunter. A roseate spoonbill,
captured alive, sometimes sells for a hundred dollars.
Snowy egrets, blue herons, and ducks of several kinds,
were once to be found here "world without end." Any
thing richer and more succulent, in the line of game, than
the young teals, widgeons and grease-ball ducks, one can
not well imagine. If they had not been so wantonly
destroyed, regardless of breeding seasons and every
thing else, it would still be a sportsman's paradise ; as it
now is, a man can find a good deal of sport, but in a great
measure the glory of former days has departed. There
are still plenty of water turkeys, purple gallinules,
and blue herons. But the "Johnnie gogglin" is worthy

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 129
of a little special mention. This great bird, which is also
called the "whooper," stands, when full grown, nearly
five feet high, and when it takes its flight through the
pine woods, greeting the rising sun with a clear, trilling
cry that resounds through the still morning air, it will
always command the attention of the hunter. The flesh
of the gogglin is very much like venison. ' The black-
winged curlew, or "flint-head," whose bills are so ponder
ous that they cannot hold their heads erect, and many
other interesting things might be described, but it would
take too long.
The mullet that are caught here, in the middle of
September, are the fattest fish I ever saw. I have seen
rolls of fat fully an inch thick in many of these fish. I
was once present when a haul was made, on a seine in
Indian river, where ten men found is impossible to raise
it. After raising the foot-line and letting out about fifty
barrels of the mullet, the rest were secured. Words
cannot describe the delicious tenderness of these fish
when first caught. But the highest luxury, in the way
of an eatable, that I know of, is a pompano. This fish
is by no means common, and, although the largest speci
mens hardly ever measure more than twelve inches in
length, they sell for no less than twenty-five cents apiece,
and command a ready sale at that price. They are more
plentiful on the west coast than the east. Then we have
the drum, that grunts like a hog; the grouper, the red-
snapper, and the saw-fish, which often attains a length
of eighteen feet. These great nsh sometimes get en
tangled in the turtle nets, and at such times are danger
ous to approach. I have seen the fishermen cautiously
come up alongside of the saw-fish, in a boat, and, with av
blow of a heavy, sharp ax, sever the long, serrate snout,
cutting it off pear the eyes. Of course the fish could not
live long after such treatment.
I will conclude this chapter by telling a story I once

130 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
heard, on James Russell, who is still holding forth on
Indian river, I believe at Fort Capron. Now, it was
alleged that Jim and three others went out into a dry
willow marsh, where a great many alligator holes were
to be found. (In dry seasons, these holes have no water
in them, and are generally tenanted by alligators of
medium size.. There are more of these "dry holess"
around Southport than any other place I ever saw.)
Jim carried a rope with him, but the most persistent ques
tioning failed to reveal his purpose in carrying it, until
the field of future conflict was reached. The hole was
two feet across, and when Jim slapped the side of the
cavity, a loud hissing, coming out of the dark depths,
told that there was a 'gator down there. Jim Russell
fastened one end of the rope around his waist, and in
tones that could not be misunderstood, commanded the
men to hold the other end, while he descended and laid
hold on the reptile. "And," he added, "when I say 'haul
away,' you haul." So saying, he crawled into the hole.
Louder and fiercer became the hissing, and a churning
sound betokened the alligator's efforts to hide himself
from the enemy. Jim's boots disappeared into the dark
ness, and soon a faint, smothered "Haul away !" told that
Mr. Russell had secured his prize, and desired a whiff of
fresh air. The alligator was evidently in close quarters,
and the musk of his anger, rising from the hole, mingled
with a murmur of cuss^words, told that the struggle was
nearing a crisis. The men pulled until they "saw stars,"
and at last they brought the weary, panting pair to the
surface. Jim was muddy, and the rope had pinched him
in the waist considerably, but he had his alligator.

CHAPTER IX. i
A FEW WORDS ABOUT PHELPS, THE KING OF BEAR-
HUNTERS, AND HIS INTERESTING COMPANIONS.
If ever a man deserved the surname of Nimrod, it was
that man Phelps. His very soul seemed to leap within
him at the thought or suggestion of a chase after big
game ; bear was his favorite game. He had roamed with
Fremont over the Rocky mountains, and caused count
less grizzlies to tumble down the canyons in a death
struggle ; even the mountain eagle, wheeling around his
eyrie among the beetling crags, and looking down "a
thousand fathoms' depth of nether air," was not safe
from his rifle, for his climbing powers were equal to his
marksmanship. But evidently, the transition from the
rugged cliffs of the Rocky Mountains to the quiescent
lakes and level stretches of Florida hammock and pine
woods did not betoken a wane in his ambition as a sports
man. He found the alligator a rather cowardly citizen,
and the bear of the Indian river hammocks was tame
when compared with the grizzly, but its flesh was better,
and in eating it he grew so robust and jolly that he never
looked back on the old scenes with regret.
I met him in 1854, about the time his fame began to
spread in the Indian River region. In those days you
could hardly leave your house for ten minutes without
encountering a deer or bear. The old cow-hunters of the
surrounding country considered themselves "tip-top" at
bear-slaying, but they all acknowledged the superiority
of Phelps. They told some great stories of his extraor
dinary skill in- that line; said that he could take aim and
kill a bear a hundred yards distant, simply by sound,

132 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
the darkest night that ever came, and some were ready
to swear that he was in the habit of following trails by
scent, as well as any of his dogs. Everybody knew or
felt that he was something great, and I, among others,
was anxious to make his acquaintance.
We came upon him in a hammock one day, surround
ed by ;his dogs, and eating bear meat. The dogs ¦ looked
hungry at us, and beat their tails on the ground, but a
word, from their master appeased them. (They were
fearful beasts.) Phelps came forward and invited us to the
feast ; an offer which was accepted with gratitude, if not
with jetiquette. Taking our seats on the mossy trunk of
a fallen live oak, and seizing each a bone, draped in fat,
tender, ffesh, we made a most hearty, meal, a la cracaire.
Our. host was glad to have met us ; his eyes lighted up,
and he looked gleeful at the prospect of having an audi
ence .for his latest bear tales. For; next to hunting and
eating: that lordly game, he liked to tell of his exploits.
I wish I could recall one of these yarns ; I am sure it
would astonish and amuse you.
Phelps was clothed in raiment of cotton, dyed with
the bark of the red mangrove. (This gives cloth a beau
tiful, purplish brown color, and when treated with a
mordant like alum or copperas, will hardly ever fade.
.Some' long-headed Yankee may yet find his fortune in
red mangrove bark. If he wants to try it, he can find
any amount of the raw material around the south coast.)
His hunting shirt had been rendered perfectly water
proof by the oil from the fat bear meat which he was in
the^ habit of carrying on his shoulders, and his long,
black hair shone with a fine lustre, from the same cause.
Sickness to him was a myth, and medicine an insult ;
while he could imbibe liberal draughts of sweet, limpid
bear oil, what cared he for Wind or weather?
His dogs were not less remarkable than their owner.
There were five of them, and the features of the blood-

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 133
hound seemed to predominate. Phelps had procured
them from Capt. Douglass Dummitt, of orange grove
fame, and trained them himself. Like most dogs of this
breed, they were silently ferocious, and seemed ever to
yearn for a victim ; they were all formidable, but Rowdy,
the leader was simply a terror. I looked on him very
much as a rabbit looks on a big cat. Those watchful
eyes of his seemed never to close, and his jaws dropped
just enough to show an armory of teeth as cruel as Cer
berus, and as relentless as death itself. He was white,
with black spots. Our hero was well provided with
defenders, but not the least of his possessions was his
rifle, which he called "Ruin." He purchased Ruin from
Capt. Miles Burnham, who had it made to order in New
York, at a considerable outlay, and it was the most per
fect weapon of the kind then in use.
In the evening, after he had finished the most impor
tant task of the day — the supper of bear's flesh and palm-
buds — he laid himself to rest, as if no company was pres
ent. Underneath a palmetto shed, he unfolded and hung
up his forty yards of mosquito netting, and extended him
self on the soft Mackinaw blankets he had brought from
the Rocky Mountains. Then, raising the netting a lit
tle, he called each dog — Rowdy first, and then the others ;
and they came, just as their names were called, and took
their places around their master. Then, with the invinci
ble Ruin nestling by his side, he drifted off into a dim,
shadowy land, where bears were as plentiful as mosqui
toes, and much easier killed. With those sleepless sen
tinels around him, I cannot imagine what he had to fear.
Such a cordon of watchers might make a night's sleep in
an East India jungle, one of security and peace. And
you may rightly judge that those dogs received good
treatment. Every morning they received a liberal allow
ance of hominy and bear oil, together with what bits of
meat they wanted. Phelps assured me that he would

134 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
sooner go hungry any time, than see his dogs suffer for
something to eat. "The man that strikes a dog of mine;
strikes me," was a frequent remark with him. What
an expression! As if that man could be found who
would dare such a thing! It would have been strictly
a personal matter between the man and the dog, to be
settled in a very short time, to the decided detriment of
the former.
Usually, a bear is not of a very aggressive turn of
mind, but I heard something . once which gave me a
different opinion. Phelps, Jim Russell and Captain Davis
were rusticating on Lake Worth, and they had found a
fine camping spot. Bear signs were abundant, and the
outlook for a huge run of sport was very encouraging.
The day was spent in making all possible preparations
for the hunt next morning. (It was their intention to
turn, out before daybreak in the morning and surprise
the bears while they were napping.) Late in the after
noon the party went on a reconnoitering tour, so as to be
well posted when the chase was begun in the morning.
It was some time after dark when they returned to sup
per. While they were eating they heard heavy steps
approaching, and before they could utter a word a huge
bear strode into the camp. "Not a moment stopped or
stayed he," to ask permission of the proprietors, but
walked right into their midst, almost brushing against
one of the men and rushed at a dog who was sitting near
by. That startled animal, finding himself decidedly at a
disadvantage, took to his heels, with the bear in hot pur
suit. Round the camp they went, and the men stood
stock-still, gazing at the strange spectacle in powerless
and speechless amazement. Finally, Jim Russell rushed
down to the boats, which were on the margin of Lake
Worth, about two hundred yards away, where the guns
had been left. Before he returned, the big beast had
vanished, and nothing could be done, but quietly sit

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 135
down and finish their supper. Jim Russell— who is still
living on Indian river— said he never could account for
this strange freak, and thinks it is the only case of that
kind ever known.
Our hero's tales of triumph and adventure were nu
merous and varied, but his favorite theme was his en
counter with "Old Slewfoot," a bear of prodigious dimen
sions, that had tantalized the old hunters in that region
for years, appearing at intervals and giving them a
glimpse of a huge back and shoulders,. only to fade away
into the recesses of Pepper Hammock, where the utmost
efforts of his pursuers failed to reveal his hiding place.
This hammock took its name from the wild pepper which
grew there in great abundance. Old Slewfoot once had
a fight with a panther, and bore a memento of the con
flict on his left fore-foot, which had turned "wopper-
jawed," and made a track easily recognized by all who
had heard of him, and gained him the name above men
tioned. '
To kill Old Slewfoot became the dearest ambition of
Phelps' life. Creeping under the palmetto, in the som
bre shades of the hammock, morning and evening, endur
ing the bites of mosquitoes, red-bugs and seed-ticks,
with his trusty hounds along with him, he hunted the old
veteran for two months. One morning, the bell-like
tones of his big dog Rowdy waked him to the sense of
something important. Hastily slipping on his moccasins
(it was about daybreak), he slung Ruin across his shoul
der and ran toward his dogs, who were creating a fearful
racket in the hammock, two or three hundred yards away.
"If they've treed him — if they have treed him !" was his
only thought, as he rushed along.
Yes, Old Slewfoot was in close quarters. The dogs
were all around him, and Rowdy was about to reach his
throat, when old Ruin delivered a message in lead and
flame that made the cool morning air quiver for miles,

136 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
and the great animal reared and fell at a conqueror's
feet, never again to roam through the shady hammock.
The voice in which each old hunter congratulated Phelps
on this exploit was tinged just a little with envy, for
they all imagined that the bear was their lawful prey,
and had a kind of idea that no interloper should take
such advantages. But when the time of feasting came,
each old worthy enjoyed a good quantity of the meat.
Thus did Old Slewfoot find, at last, a warm place in the
hearts (and stomachs) of those who had been his bitter
est enemies. And Phelps understood just how to cook
bear meat, if anybody did.
Let me tell you of a favorite dish of his, and then I
will close. You know, a great many people throw away
the feet of, a bear. Well, Phelps didn't. After clean
ing them thoroughly, he boiled them in plain water for
two or three hours; then he would stew them up some
way with onions and palm buds, and you couldn't, for the
life of you, tell what kind of meat it resembled ; but you
knew one thing — but few delicacies were equal to it. If
I had that dish for dinner every day now, I would un
doubtedly be a healthier (and probably a better and wis
er) man.

CHAPTER X.
GIVING MY READERS MY IMPRESSION OF THE FLORIDA
KEYS— A SOJOURN WITH PROF. CURTISS.
When you take up a map of Florida, one of the objects
which strikes your attention, is a long row of little dots
for islands, extending in a long, oblique group, around the
southern extremity of Florida, graced with innumerable
names, each with a "Key" attached to it. These are
known as the Florida Keys, and many who have never
visited them are often heard to ask what the keys con
sist of, and want to know "what they are good for." My
object in writing this chapter is to answer these queries.
In the year 1880, Prof. A. H. Curtiss was detailed,
by the Department of the Interior, to obtain a complete
collection of Southern woods, and it was my good for
tune to be able to act as guide for him, on this important
trip. On the morning of the 6th of May, we started out
from Key West, in a sail boat, and headed for Boca
Chica. After a sail of -two or three hours, we landed on
the Key, and prepared a camp. The Professor had in
vited Mr. Ash mead, of Jacksonville, to accompany him,
and as we had made every conceivable preparation or
the journey before leaving Key West, there was nothing
to put a damper on our spirits. The afternoon was spent
in exploring the island and gathering plants. The soil
was very rich, covered with sea-grape, wild sappadillo
and dog-wood trees and vines. There did not seem a
very promising field for collecting specimens, so we made
our visit as short as possible. The Professor was desir
ous of reaching a locality where specimens were more
abundant, and the scenes which lay ahead were looked

138 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
forward to with pleasant anticipations. Our time, which
had not been limited or fixed by any arbiter, must never
theless be put to the very best possible use, and we
hastened onward, actuated by a desire to seek out the
habitat -of all the forest trees, common and uncommon,
that were to be looked for in this sunny latitude.
Next morning we "weighed anchor" and proceeded
on our journey. The morning was calm, and bright, and
the breezes still' slumbered on the waters, which lay
unruffled before us, shaded by the reflections of the trees
on hundreds of .little islands or keys, behind, before, and
around us. Of course we made rather slow progress,
and until a slight breeze sprang up, I was afraid we
would do nothing at all that day. We drifted idly among
the keys, and did not pass them rapidly enough to pre
vent an examination of some of their peculiarities. Oc
casionally a column of smoke, arising from a solid pha
lanx of banana and lime trees, showed that the key was'
inhabited On the shore, a deer occasionally jumped into
sight and then disappeared in the bushes, about the time
a discussion was begun as to the propriety of stopping
and having some sport as well as venison. The usual
size of these smaller keys was about a mile, and some
times we encountered some containing no more than
forty acres, while others were many hundred acres in
extent. The width of these curious bodies of land was
never equal to the length ; in many cases a key two
miles long was scarcely a half mile wide, and covered
almost entirely with lime-rocks. Around the borders
was a dense growth of mangrove and button-wood, which
often hid the interior of the island from view.
Buttonwood makes better fuel than any wood I ever
saw. A log of buttonwood, set on fire at one end, will
burn to ashes before the fire goes out, and generates an
intense heat. The wood is collected on the keys and

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 139
shipped to Key West, where it brings from five to seven
dollars a cord ; it is about the only fuel used there.
That evening we landed at Little Pine Key, something
near fifteen miles from Boca Chica. We stopped here,
simply as a matter of necessity, for the island was little
else but a long, irregular pile of lime-rocks, covered
sparsely with pine trees of small stature. To the west,
about three miles away, we could see Big Pine Key,
with its tall pines and mangrove thickets. These are the
¦only keys on which pines are found.
On that morning we were favored with a fine breeze,
and it did not take us long to reach Knight's Key, and
all day we wound in and out among the archipelago of
keys which stretched in every direction, as far as we could
see. At 10 o'clock next morning we came to Matacomba
Key, and were given a cordial welcome by Messrs. Pin-
der and Sanders, and it may be easily imagined that we
were glad to find ourselves among human beings once
more. Matacomba was two miles long, and not much
more than one-fourth of a mile wide, bordered with a
beautiful white sandy beach. As usual, the soil was
rocky, and it was a source of continual surprise to me
that such luxuriant forests could grow on land like this.
Not only forest trees, but many varieties of semi-tropical
¦fruits and flowers, made themselves perfectly at home
in this halcyon spot ; well might they lift their heads fear
lessly into the warm, brine-laden air, for no modicum
of frost ever reached their home, and the tenderest ex
otic might never find its ambitions checked by an un
kindly blast.
Our newly-found friends spared no effort to make our
visit a pleasant one, and it was with much interest and
pleasure that we inspected their gardens of tropical fruits.
Here, indeed, was the very home of the pine-apple. At
that time, they had made but a modest beginning, but

140 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
since then, I have heard that they have made some im
mense shipments in the last year or two. The manner
of cultivation was peculiar. No hoe could be used, on
account of the extreme shallowness of the soil. The
truth of the matter is, that the ground could not be stirred
for fear of its blowing away and leaving nothing but the
bare rock. But you- could not throw a plant down with
out its taking root, so favorable were the conditions for
growth. The plants were set out about eighteen inches
apart, and then left mainly to themselves. One weeding
was considered sufficient, and the soil was not stirred
at all. The severe droughts that prevail on the Florida
Keys, at times, do not affect the pineapples very seriously.
Indeed, I have been led to believe that they are more than
half air-plants ; lately, the botanists have established a
very palpable relationship between the air-plant, long-
moss, and pineapple, and that is one point in favor of my
theory. At any rate, I have always noticed that they
grow much better on dry soil than in a damp location.
I doubt if the Professor or Mr. Ashmead had ever be
fore enjoyed such an abundant and protracted feast of
pineapples, and I (Floridian that I am), can truthfully
say that I had never eaten so much of the luscious fruit.
Sappadillo, pawpaw, and sugar apple trees were loaded
with young fruit, and it was quite tantalizing to reflect
that we were there too early in the season to enjoy any
of the ripe fruit. We consoled ourselves, however, with
looking for specimens. Before I leave the subject of
fruit-growing on this key, I wish to say a little about.
the cultivation of bananas, etc.
On different portions of the island were little patches
of deep soil, called by the inhabitants "red holes." These
curious spots are from fifteen to thirty feet in diameter,
and take their name from the peculiar reddish color of
the soil contained in them. Scarcely any rocks are found
in these spots, and the fruit-growers select them on thnt

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 141
account, as a place to plant bananas and tropical fruit-
trees. Dwarf bananas are the only kind grown to any
extent on this key, and, although the plants are of low
stature, the heads are very large, and sometimes are so
long that they touch the ground. These red holes are
not found on every key, and are valued highly by the
planters. For nine days we remained on Matacomba, and the
ax was kept busy, and our negro, Dave, displayed great
energy in felling the trees, under the Professor's direc
tions. Here we found fine specimens of prince-wood,
crab-wood, lignum vitae,- torch-wood, and Madeira-wood.
Torch-wood is almost as fine-scented as sandal-wood, and
is very inflammable. Crab-wood, which finds its way
to Northern markets in the shape of walking-canes, was
found here in abundance. The wood is valuable and is
worth at least fifty dollars a cord, notwithstanding the
fact that it was being used for fuel on this key. It would
wea;y the reader to give the name and description of
each tree we saw at this place, and I will content myself
with the remark that on no other key did we find a greater
variety of woods.
The nine days of our sojourn at Matacomba were cal
culated to remain as bright spots on the memory of the
three principal actors in the affair, and we were really
sorry to turn our backs on this lovely, sequestered spot.
It seemed to us that we had seen the garden spot, and
that the coming scenes would prepare us for disappoint
ment. A certain subtle, inexplicable air of comfort and
content about the place had not failed of its effect upon
us, and in reviewing the favorable features of the sur
roundings, I almost forgot the charms of Indian river.
But the voice of duty reminded us that we must seek
new fields, and extend our investigation among the semi-
tropical forests.
Plantation Key next received our attention. But a

142 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
brief glance in the interior showed us that the prospects
for a new collection were not flattering. The main ob
jects of interest were Mr. Low's pineapple field and co-
coanut grove. Here we saw- thirty acres planted in pine
apples, covering the ground completely, and gay with
ripening fruit. Ah, wasn't that a spicy breeze that sa
luted us, when we landed? Sated as we were with the
fruit we had eaten at Matacomba, we still could not help
enjoying the rich fragrance of the breeze that swept that
precious expanse of green, purple and gold. The crop
that year was coming on finely, and Mr. Low was count
ing on cutting at least eight thousand dozen pineapples.
Pleasant as the prospect was, we could not stop, and
soon the green island with its long colonnades of palms
was left behind, and our sail filled with a noble breeze,
which bore us in the direction of Key Largo. At the key
we formed the acquaintance of Mr. Baker, one of the
first men who ever thought of raising pineapples on the
keys. This is more than twice as large as any other
key, being twenty-five miles long, and averaging nearly
half a mile in width. "Largo," in Spanish, signifies
"long," and the name fits this key very well.
Key Largo was well timbered, but as there was no
prospect of finding any new specimens, our stay was
short. Two days afterward we reached the Indian hunt
ing grounds, on Biscayne Bay. This was my second
visit to this wonderful region, and we all entered it with
pleasant anticipations. I was not going into an entirely
strange land, for I was sure of meeting Mr. John Addi
son, and old-time. friend of mine whom I had known for
thirty years. The first thing we did was to penetrate the
dense green wall of hammock which rose up before us.
Here, indeed, was a lavish wealth of pure, undefiled na
ture ; huge trees of gumbolimbo, red-stopper and mastic
towered away above us, and the graceful trunks of innu
merable palms met our eyes on either side. A strange

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 143
but not unpleasant odor was exhaled from the ground,
where centuried logs and leaves from spicy tropical trees
were mouldering into dust. We found a tree which, I
believe, could not have been found anywhere else in
Florida. This was the so-called paradise tree — a lovely
specimen of the vegetable kingdom. It was forty feet
high, covered with a wide spreading crown of leaves,
of a delicate, sea-green tint, which gave the tree an ex
tremely handsome appeaarnce. When we found this
tree, the berries were just ripening, and we were deprived
of the opportunity of seeing the flowers. Judging from
the descriptions of those who were well acquainted with
the paradise tree, the flowers must be marvelously beau
tiful. We found John Addison snugly hidden away in this
"hammock, with his dwelling almost hidden from sight
by a grove of fine banana plants. Frost was unknown
at this place. On Addison's farm we saw the finest of
sugarcane and Jamaica arrowroot growing. No orange
trees were to be seen, but limes and lemons were doing
well. (It is a curious but undisputed fact that orange
trees can not be grown on the Florida Keys, nor on
such land as the Indian Hunting Ground. Unsuccessful
attempts have been made to raise them in these places,
but the rock which underlies the soil prevents the tap-
! root from penetrating deep enough. And you very sel
dom see a cow about the Hunting Grounds. The old
settlers say that there is some poisonous grass growing
in the woods which kill the cattle. A cow is very seldom
seen on the Florida Keys. But there are so many good
points about this part of the country that you would be
well satisfied to forego cattle and oranges.)
I don't remember how many new varieties of woods
we found here ; there was the red and black-stopper, the
blolly tree, and the cocoa-plum, the "pull-and-haul-back"
— a thorny tree or vine, whatever you may call it, for it

144 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
partakes of the nature of both — and the rubber trees.
Dave served us faithfully, and he and his ax were potent
agents in getting together one of the most complete col
lections of forest trees ever made in this or any other
country. Dave made the chips fly with a zeal that re
flected great credit on his race, but there was one time
when he refused to opey commands. And that time he
had a pretty good reason for it. It was when we were
on Boca Chica, and it was a manchineel tree that excited
Dave's fears. After listening to a- description of the ter
rible properties of this tree, Dave swore that we might
ask any other duty of him, but that he would not touch
that manchineel for anything. He described, with a shiv
er, the dire consequences attendant upon cutting the tree:;
one stroke of the ax, ' he said, would be sufficient ; the
milk, which is found in tins tree in great abundance,,
would be scattered over him, and everywhere a drop
fell there would be a frightful sore. The manchineel
is terribly poison, but not so bad as Dave T>elieved. ¦
We divided our 'time between the Hunting Grounds
and Miami, and stayed in that region about ten days.
Before we left we secured the greater part of the collec
tion. While at the Hunting Grounds (which didn't very
well deserve its name, for game was by no means over
abundant), we were astonished at the springs, which
burst up in the salt water, near the beach. Truly, they
were wonderful. Wading out twenty-five or thirty yards
from the shore, we could see the fresh water springs rip
pling up through the brine, and we tried some of the
water to see how it tasted. Knocking out both heads
of a barrel, we placed it around a spring, and carefully
bailed the salt water out. Soon the barrel was half full
of cool, sweet drinking water. There were a great many
of these springs, and some of them were of quite good
size. I do not remember having seen anything like it,

.SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 145
before or since, and am inclined to believe that it is a
first-class curiosity.
We made arrangements with a man to carry the speci
mens to Key West, and then journeyed to the Gulf coast,
where the collection was completed. We had gathered
together forty-four distinct varieties o.f South Florida
woods. We were three months on the trip, and came
back with the consciousness of having seen a great deal
of Florida, and it was just the impression made on me
by this trip that led me to write an account of it. My
compagnons du voyage have each given their impressions
to the world, and I have tried to do the same. Five years
have elapsed since the journey was made, and the visitor
now would have to remember that, about the time he
thought of taking me to task for some apparent discrep
ancy between my description and the country as it ap
pears to him.

CHAPTER XI.
A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE TROPICAL
FRUITS WHICH FIND A HOME IN FLORIDA.
"The tropical fruits of Florida !" What a nameless
charm invests this subject for the denizen of a colder re
gion, in whose imagination these children of the south
land exist only as a dream ! But the thrill of enthusiasm
awakened by the contemplation of these unseen glories
must, in a considerable measure, fade in presence of real
ity. That is, you must prepare yourself for disappoint
ment, if you expect the fruits and flowers of paradise on
an earthly soil. The fruits I am about to describe are
objects of interest mainly on account of their rarity in
this country, and partly as an undeveloped source of
revenue to the State.
Accounts of tropical fruits are as often exaggerated
as fish or alligator stories. I read a dime novel once
(reader, it was a good while ago; that's my only excuse),
I think Wild-Cat Ned, the Bloodhungry Prince of the
Prairies, was the hero, where the brave lad rescued a
maiden, single-handed, from a band of savages. /-The
scene was laid in a wilderness where all manner of fruit
was opportunely abundant. There was nothing remark
able in all this — I had read of countless exploits of a sim
ilar nature before, — but I was astonished to hear that the
young hero, in looking around for something for his girl
to eat, found some delicious ripe bananas "growing on a
vine!" That disgusted me with that sort of literature.
There are some big stories told of other fruits. An
American traveler, in speaking of an East India fruit
called the durion, or durian, says that it is at once the

148 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
most delightful and most disgusting of all fruits. He-
says the odor of a ripe durian is a hundred times worse
than a whiff from a glue-factory or bone-yard, and yet so
intensely luscious and rich that the appetite for it
amounts almost to a frenzy. He gives is as a well estab
lished fact that the native women often sell their chil
dren, in order to procure the fruit. There is undoubtedly
such a fruit as the durian, but I hardly think its prop-
ties .are so "agonizing" as one would gather from the
above description.. In our own Florida, the guava plays
a .milder role, but is sometimes roughly handled by those
who are so unappreciative of the good things of Nature,
as not to like them. The following incident is said to
have occurred at. Orlando, in Orange county:
A down-east ankee mounted a "kyart" belonging to a
venerable Cracker who had brought some of his planta
tion products to town. Sniffing the air .vigorously, the
Yank looked around in the cart and saw a box covered
with moss. "What have you in here?" inquired the
descendant of John Alden, bending his eyebrows in the
direction of the Cracker, who answered, smilingly:
"Gwavers." "Great horn-spoon !" gasped the Yank ;
"now, p'r'aps you'll tell me how long they've been dead !"
It is said that that Cracker has not yet quit laughing over
the Yankee's ignorance.
Very few people like guavas at the first trial. The
•odor is so powerful and penetrating, and is calculated to
antagonize the senses, until a closer acquaintance is
gained. The best variety I know of is the large, white,
pear-shaped kind, arid I challenge any one to show me
any kind of Northern fruit that will eclipse this prince of
luxuries. The pink, catley, strawberry, and vinegar
guavas grow finely throughout South Florida. The fin^
est specimens of this fruit I ever saw were grown at
Point Pinellas, on Tampa Bay, in the grove of Vincent
Leonardy. Guavas will grow, with a little protection, as

SCENES IN SOUTH 'FLORIDA. 149
far north as Palatka and Jacksonville, although it is sel
dom met with north of Putnam county. The fruit ripens
from July to November.
The Agna Cate, or alligator pear, is not a pear at all ;
it has one large seed in the center, weighing two ounces,
in a good specimen. I have seen agua cates (pronounced
ah-guah cahta) weighing two pounds each. The flavor
transcends that of the finest muskmelon, and the fruit is
eaten with salt and pepper. It contains no acid, but its
rich, marrowy, vegetable-like pulp renders it a fine article
of food. One full grown specimen is as much as any
man can .eat, and it more nearly takes the place of meat
than any other fruit I know of. One fine feature of this
tree is its power of resisting cold. Confident that it would
succeed as far north as Palatka (notwithstanding the evil
predictions of -i few croakers who styled themselves
judges of such matters), I introduced some of the trees
in 1882. Mr. Dorwin, Mr. Jackson and others procured
young plants of me, and the present fine condition of the
trees attests the favorable action of Palatka soil and cli
mate. They can undoubtedly be grown successfully in
Putnam county, although hardly in such perfection as
farther South. The best specimens of this valuable tree
I have seen are growing on the property of John Roble,
near Tampa. In August, 1880, I accompanied Prof. A.
H. Curtiss to this place. The trees at that time were
thirty-five feet high and about fifteen inches in diameter.
Professor Curtiss pronounced it one of the most beautiful
that he had ever seen. Such a tree would no doubt bear
annual crops of fifteen hundred pounds of fruit, that
would sell readily at eight cents a pound. In Tampa I
never saw them sell for a lower price than seventy-five
cents a dozen. The agua cate begins to bear at the age
of five years. A temperature of 20 degrees above zero'
is cold enough, but I think they will stand it for a short
time. The fruit ripens from August till October.

.150 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
The mango is a fruit that has many friends, on ac
count of its handsome appearance and its novel flavor.
It is pear-shaped, flattened, and covered with russet-
brown and greenish-red splotches. The seed is very
large and flat, the flesh adhering to it very firmly. Just
the least odor of turpentine, in some of the specimens,
detracts a little from the popularity of the fruit. The
tree is exceedingly prolific, and the fruit bears shipping
well. Mangoes will stand a pretty sharp frost, but I
wouldn't advise any one to risk too much of it. They
begin bearing when three years old, and are of rapid
growth. The long, drooping branches, laden with fruit, -
and the shining red, willowy terminal leaves, are quite
handsome. The fruit commences ripening in July, and
the crop is of short duration.
The sappadillo is one of my favorites. There are
eight varieties of the fruit, and they are all good ; but the
egg-shaped variety is the best. The Cubans say : "Es
fruta muy delicada;" "The fruit is most delicious." On
the Keys they attain their greatest perfection. The Cu
bans acknowledge the superiority of the Florida sappa
dillo over their own- The tree is small, hardly ever ex
ceeding four inches in diameter, and the leaves are very
dark green. The pulp is very sweet and brownish in
color. Outside, the fruit resembles an Irish potato. Like
the mango, the sappadillo bears the third year after plant
ing, and very prolific. They always command good
prices in the markets of Key West and Tampa. I am
pretty sure they can endure a moderate frost without pro
tection. The crop, which begins with July, lasts well.
Probably the largest fruit in Florida is the sour-sop,
or Anona muricata, called by the Spaniards guanavana.
They are simply immense. Four pounds is the common
weight. The seeds are numerous, small and I>lack, float
ing in a snowy, custard-like pulp, which has a fine flavor,
unlike that of any other fruit. Ice cream and cooling

SCENES IN 'SOUTH FLORIDA. 151
drinks are made of them in Key West. The exterior
of the fruit is of a greenish color, irregular in shape, and
covered with soft prickles. The tree, which begins to
bear at five years of age is a strong grower, and the leaves
are small and lanceolate. The fruit is rare in Key West,
and commands as high as sixty cents apiece sometimes.
In the latter part of August the fruit begins to ripen, and
is jealously guarded, to prevent its getting injured or
stolen. A man named Sanders, in Key West, was the
owner of the largest tree in the city. To prevent the
fruit from falling and bruising itself during the night,
he prepared bags of cloth, placed them around the fruit,
and tied them to the limbs. If the fruit took a notion to
part from the parent stem during the night, the bag would
hold it. Sour sops can not withstand frost; I am pretty
sure of that. I think it is the most delicate fruit grown
in Florida, and one of the most valuable.
The Jamaica apple, or cherimoyer, is not at all like a
Northern apple ; the seeds are half an inch long, and flat ;
the' pulp is firm and white, with a rich, sub-acid flavor.
This fruit is not plentiful in Florida; the tree is small,
and by no means a prolific bearer. On the Keys is its
home,, where it ripens in August, and it bears in five years
from the seed.
The sugar-apple tree resembles the above, but the
fruit is very different. It is exceedingly rich ; the pulp
is like candied honey, with a peculiar grainy texture. Like
the papaw of the Middle States, and other members of
the Anona family, the seeds are smooth, round and black,
and the outside skin is olive-green, with a knotty sur
face; the aroma is fine in the extreme. It can endure
a moderate degree of cold, but does not bear transporta
tion. It commences to bear in three years, and ripens its
fruit in August.
The mammee tree is very rare in Florida; the only
specimens I know of in the State are growing on Mrs.

152 SCENES IN, SOUTH FLORIDA.
Gilbert's place in Miami. Professor Curtiss (considered
the most prominent botanist in the South) passed Mi
ami with me, in the year 1880, and we saw these' trees.
. They were at that time at least thirty feet high, with a
spreading summit. The leaves were a most vivid green,
and interspersed with snow-white .flowers, fully two
inches across. Magnificent is a tame word to use in
connection with these trees. Two of them stood near
together, one loaded with fruit and the other with blooms.
The tree is dioecious ; that it, requires two trees to pro
duce fruit. I think these are the only specimens of the
mammee in the State. The fruit is as large as a cante-
loupe melon, with a dark, brownish skin. Inside it is
yellow, with a soft, yielding pulp, when fully ripe. If
I were asked to describe the flavor of this fruit, I would
have to answer: "It tastes like a mammee, more than
anything else." It ripens in June, and continues about
two months.
The West India papaw (Carica papaya) is not a very
delicious fruit; it is as large as a man's head, and is
ranged around the trunk of the tree, where -the crown of
leaves put forth. In two or three years you may expect
fruit, if the tree has been planted in soil sufficiently rich
and moist. Papaws are most plentiful on the coast,
where the frost protection is fairly good. They will not
stand a heavy frost.
I have seen a fruit in Key West, the name of which I
will write Tee-Ess. It is very rare, and the few trees in
Key West are valued highly. It looks somewhat like a
large, yellow plum, but the flavor is something entirely
new. The Tee-Ess is undoubtedly the costliest fruit,
to its size, in the State, and is very sensitive to cold. The
fruit, which ripens in late August, is produced when the
tree is five years old.
Tamarind trees are plentiful on the Keys. A most
delicious summer drink is made from the pods, which are

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 153
filled with an acid pulp, of a jelly-like consistency. Hand
some, indeed, are the long, drooping boughs and bright
green bi-pinnate leaves, and the tree resembles, in some
respects, the honey-locust, without the thorns. It bears
early and is not injured by a moderate frost.
The date-palms of St. Augustine bear heavy crops
each year. Some of them are over thirty feet high, and
must be fully a hundred years old. The date is dioecious,
and the fruit, which is hard and of a reddish color, is not
of much value, as no one seems to understand the art of
curing it. This secret must be learned before dates be
come a source of revenue to the State.
The India rubber, saffron-plum, mastic fruit, cocoa-
plum (Chrysolalanus icaco), and custard-apple have been
mentioned in my Indian War Reminiscences. Bananas,
pineapplies, and the Citrus fruits have not been touched
upon, as they are too well known to need any description.
Of course, I could not enter into detail in regard to the
cultivation of the fruits described in this chapter; any
thing like a satisfactory synopsis of that kind would make
a book of itself. Much information and pleasure could
be gained from a thorough tour through Florida. Our
flatwoods and scrubs are teeming with tropical plant-life,
and our hammocks abound in fruits and flowers, some of
which have never found their way into any botany.

CHAPTER XII.
IN WHICH THE INEVITABLE FINALE AND DISCLAIMER
APPEARS— SOUTH FLORIDA IS VINDICATED,
AND THE PEN IS LAID ASIDE.
Since that auspicious and eventful morning of Palm
Sunday, A. D. 1512, when Ponce de Leon lifted the veil
of obscurity from a land sui generis and unrivalled in the
gifts which partial Nature had bestowed upon it, Florida
has smiled through a mist of romance which has not been
dispelled by the advance of three and three-quarter cen
turies. The wild, ambitious dreams of tlfe Spaniards
who sought the precious metals in our hammocks find
their counterpart in the eager anticipations of those who
come here to plant orange groves, fondly believing that
a speedy fortune awaits them in the "field of the fruit of
gold." The difference is, that the latter dream is capable
of realization. The title of these sketches does not seek to draw an
invidious distinction between North and South Florida.
It so happened that the greater portion of my life as a
guide, soldier and pilot has been passed in the extreme
southern portion of the State, and as it did not behoove
me to enter into details, in any portion of the book, in
regard to the advantages or disadvantages of any particu
lar section of Florida, I can disclaim any intention of
writing an immigration pamphlet, or an advertisement
of real estate. The old settlers of Florida here read an
account of scenes with which they are familiar; the
stranger is introduced to a region of which he has heard
a great deal, and every reader may know that the de
scriptions are capable of corroboration, for they are all

156 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
true. The book will n'ot tell the reader how many orange
trees can be planted on an acre, or how many thousand
boxes of oranges those trees will yield in five years, and
does not even give a hint as to the best place in the State
for growing them. Not a line will be found in reference
to any real estate, for I have not a foot of land for sale.
And I don't think I have made the impression that I
was trying to persuade anybody to come here. I rea
son this way ; If you have made up your mind to come
"here, why you are coming, and nobody need try to dis
suade you. On the other hand, of course, if you didn't
want to come, you wouldn't thank anybody for insisting"
on your doing so. But I hope I haven't scared you away
by any of my descriptions. The stingarees of Indian riv
er, and the 'gators of Okeechobee are still "alive and kick
ing," but I aaever hear of their hurting anybody, nowa
days. Mosquitoes and mosquito stories are plentiful as
ever; the lordly Seminole still scours the hammocks of
Walk-in-the-WateP, in search of deer and bear, and loves
"wyomi" and red handkerchiefs as passionately as ever.
The enthusiast who wants to come here, should re
member that he can't find everything just to his notion;.
he must not lose his religion if he is bitten by a few mos
quitoes and sand flies while walking beneath blossoming ¦
orange trees with the girl of his choice, and if he wants
to recline at length on the grass in the shade, he must
not be surprised if the sand spurs pin his clothes to his-
skin. The botanist who penetrates into the rich semi-trop
ical hammocks in search of flowers should not grumble if
he returns laden with re<J bugs and other interesting little
creatures who lie in wait in the shady woods, and whose
name is more than legion.
In coming to Florida, one should leave kid gloves and
great expectations behind. And, while many people and
many papers are saying that this is the poor man's ter
restrial paradise, I would advise the comer to bring a lit--

SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA. 157
tie money along with him, "just for convenience's sake,
you know ;" such little items come in pretty handy some
times. As a general rule a double-barreled shot gun will
4«ill all the game you will find, without resorting to a
breach-loader, and the fishermen here are a modest
sort of men. You hardly ever hear of the capture of a
very big fish, but what they lack in size is made up in
quantity. Hunting gophers inland and pegging turtles
on the coast is by no means on the wane, and although
these sober occupations are not resorted to by those who
thirst after the gore of big garhe, they are sometimes par
ticipated in by some of as dignified and respectable per
sonages as you ever saw.
The day is past when you could take up a homestead,
half hammock and the other half a wild orange grove, and
when the deer oblingingly browsed within a few feet of
your door, as if anxious to supply you with venison.
Once in a while, however, a man is seen who wants and
expects all these things, and a great many more. One
of these peculiar specimens of the human race lived (or
rather stayed) at Tampa Bay, in the year 1858. His
name was Hunter, and I think he hailed from Georgia.
That man was the very embodiment of dissatisfaction
and unrest. According to his own statement, he had
looked in vain, all over his native State, for a suitable
place for. a "buildin' locayshin," and came to Florida, to
see if he could do any better. When I met him he was
dressed in a rather seedy looking suit of clothes, but there
was a grin of hope on his faded features which told that
he expected to attain his object, sooner or1 later.
"What kind of a place do you expect to find, Mr. Hun
ter?" I asked him, one day, as he came sauntering along
the street. He answered, with a nasal drawl :
"Well, I'm a-huntin' of a hornestead what has got a
piece of harrtmick lend (land) for raisin' gyarden truck,
and a high pine ridge 'jinin' onto it, fur a buildin' locay-

Jf>8 SCENES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
shin, with a na-tral spring, and a fust-rate mill-site
throwed in. I've bin a-huntin' of jist sich a place as that,
fur five or six year, and I 'spect to git it, atter awhile."
With that soft, stereotyped whistle, and that easy;
shambling step, he vanished form my sight. Sometimes
he put a couple of pieces of hard-tack in his pocket, and
sallied forth in quest of the wonderful combination-home--
stead, and he would be gone for three or four days. His
"widow and orphans," which he was in the habit of call
ing his wife and children (with more propriety, perhaps,
than he was aware of) had to scratch around pretty lively
for a living, while he was hunting for the "na-tral spring
and mill-site," and they had perhaps long ago given up all
hope of his success.
The moral of the above incident is, of course, that
you shouldn't come to Florida, unless you come prepared
to take it as it comes. Hunter's restless disposition would
not allow him to settle anywhere. It reminds me of a
yarn I heard of a grandiloquent Yankee, who used some
pretty big words where they were not needed. A Crack
er standing near by, whose mouth had gradually expand
ed as he took in the ripple of elegant English, exclaimed
with a burst of native sarcasm : "Stranger, if I had the
eddification you've got, I wouldn't stay here, nor no
where else!"
The "short and simple annals" of the pioneers of South
Florida might fill many a volume larger than this one, and
might be made to embrace many thrilling scenes" and ad
ventures, which as. yet lie dormant and unknown to all
except those who figured in them. Mine has been the
fortune to speak to a larger audience, and should my de
sire for the entertainment of my readers be fulfilled, I
shall be encouraged to give other sketches of life in the
far South, in another edition.
With this, I take leave of you, commending my little
book to your kindest consideration.

CONTENTS.

PART FIRST.
CHAPTER I.
How the Last Indian War Broke Out — My First Adventure.. 5
CHAPTER II.
Our First Capture of Indians — An Ugly Customer  13
CHAPTER III.
A Disagreeable Journey, and an Encampment Among the Alli
gators  19
CHAPTER IV.
Another Journey, and A New Adventure  23
CHAPTER V.
A Florida Delicacy — Novel Method of Securing Game  27
CHAPTER VI.
A Man Tries Chicken-Hawk as an Article of Pood, Without
, Success — We Reach the Everglades  31
CHAPTER VII.
A Journey Across the Everglades, and a Promise of an Ad
venture  37
CHAPTER VIII.
We Emerge From the Everglades and Have a Very Pleasant
Time  ^  4
CHAPTER IX.
Among the Ten Thousand Islands 
CHAPTER X.
Incidents of Seven Years 
CHAPTER XI.
A Seven Days' Scout Through the Big Cypress— Closing Scenes 65

CONTENTS.

PART SECOND.
CHAPTER I.
How Sponges are Gathered and Disposed of at Key West. .... 75
CHAPTER II.
Catching the Manatee, or Sea-Cow, on the St. Lucie River  81
CHAPTER III.
Hunting Bee-Trees on' the Upper St. Johns — A Story and a
Tragedy  87
CHAPTER IV. '
In Which a Company of Soldiers Get Very Short of Rations. .95
CHAPTER V.
Description of the Green-Corn Dance, and Other Seminole Cus
toms  101
CHAPTER VI.
Ned Marr and Myself Try Our Fortunes on Indian River  109
CHAPTER VII.
Introducing a Gentleman named "Alligator Ferguson"  117
/ CHAPTER VIII.
Some of the Curious and Interesting Inhabitants of the In
dian River Region  125
CHAPTER IX.
A Few Words About Phelps, the King of Bear-Hunters  .131
CHAPTER X.
¦Giving My Readers My Impressions of the Florida Keys  137
CHAPTER XI.
A 'Short Description of the Tropical Fruits Which Find a Home
in Florida  147
CHAPTER XII.
In Which the Inevitable Finale Is Given; South Florida Is
Vindicated, and the Pen Is Laid Aside  155