176 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



anchors the raft, w.hich will float hither and thither by ' 

 the wind, closing or opening some water pasmge, to the 

 great discomfiture of the bewildered explorer. 



Beyond these ranker islets, and acting as outer piers 

 or breakwaters to the still inner bays, lie other islands 

 in long reefs, covered by sea grass and a smaller growth 

 of trees, and washed on their outer sides by the surf of 

 the Gulf. All of them abound in game of every kind, the 

 fame of which led our party of hunters with our hosts 

 for a few days' hunting and sporting, bringing tents, 

 dogs, and servants enough to beat up all the woods on 

 the Gulf Coast. These species of hunts are frequent in 

 the Southern States, where time is not regarded with the 

 monetary eye to value with which it is measured in Doc- 

 tor Franklin's proverbs, and where an ample range of 

 unclaimed ground is open to all that choose to come and 

 enjoy it. Such hunts are called marrooning, arid we 

 were marrooners as soon at we had reached the low 

 sandy shore of Bonda Key, and pitched the two white 

 tents that formed our travelling homes. 



One hut was occupied by Poke, Jackson and myself, 

 the other by Lou Jackson and her girl Rosa, a bright 

 negress of the same age as her mistress^ and around the 

 big fire a large row of screens of blankets or evergreen 

 branches sheltered the dozen negroes that constituted 

 our party. As to Mike, he always preferred to carry up 

 his canoe, and elevating the side next the fire on a stick, 

 would crawl under it and sleep like an alligator. 



In many respects our camp was more orderly than the 



