212 CRUISING ALOXG SHORE. 



to die. When better means of transportation are offered, 

 the whole river will be the winter rendezvous of thou 

 sands of health-seekers and sportsmen, who now shiver 

 the winter through on the St. Johns. 



There is but one annoyance insects. For real tall 

 and lofty jumping and biting, the flea is unapproach 

 able ; but his endeavors are put to shame by the mosqui 

 toes and sand-flies. The flea may be avoided, if hotel- 

 haunted and hog-haunted sections are avoided. The 

 mosquito may be kept at bay at night, his hunting 

 season, by a good &quot;bar&quot; ; but unless one is provided 

 with an impregnable skin and a large stock of patience, 

 he will be sure to break some of the commandments over 

 the sand-flies. Snakes are not numerous enough to be 

 dangerous, except in swamps, where the tourist need not 

 go. This, in a word, is the good and bad of Indian 

 river. 



Twenty miles below Fort Pierce is the St. Lucie 

 river, coming in from the westward, forming a beautiful 

 bay as it joins the waters of the lagoon. Three miles 

 south of St. Lucie the broad sound suddenly ends, and 

 after a chain of small lakes, as it were, the channel 

 winds through densely-covered mangrove islands, 

 scarcely fifty yards in width. 



An adverse wind, and consequently current, kept us 

 at the mouth of Jupiter Narrows two days. We passed 

 the time shooting turkeys and alligators, and watching 

 the graceful &quot; man-o -war hawks,&quot; as they sailed over 

 head on wide-extended wings. The ocean beach pre 

 sented many attractions ; the beautiful sea beans and 

 shells of exquisite tints, besides vast multitudes of birds. 

 Sometimes we would find cocoanuts and fragments of 

 foreign wood, thrown up by the resistless waters. The 



