240 TIIE OKEECIIOBEE EXPEDITION. 



Seminole town and while hunting, and fought at locali 

 ties I had recently visited. A wedged-sliaped coquina 

 rock terminates Merritt s Island, two miles east of Elbow 

 creek. The rocky shores here arc worn into innumer 

 able caverns, their roofs supported by water-wrought 

 pillars and groined arches. The island comes down to 

 this point, ever narrowing, till it terminates a mile north 

 of a palm-crowned point upon the eastern shore. A 

 deep bay is formed, crescent shaped, covered with dainty 

 shells. Bordering this bay is a high shell bluff, covered 

 with wild orange trees. Back of this bluff is an ancient 

 earth mound, from which leads an elevated road- way, 

 sixty feet in width, to the sea-beach a mile away. 



Now, this place, in my belief, has a share in the 

 tragical history attending the early settlement of Florida 

 by the Spaniards. When Eibaut was wrecked on this 

 coast, and fell into the hands of Menendez in 15G5, a part 

 of his force, some 200, escaped down the coast. Soon 

 intelligence came to the Spaniards that the French were 

 fortifying themselves and building a vessel south of 

 Cape Canaveral. A force was despatched, which cap 

 tured the greater part of the French troops, burned their 

 vessel and destroyed their fort. The Spaniards then 

 built another fort, which they called St. Lucie, and 

 garrisoned it. From many proofs, I adduce the opinion 

 that this is the site this bluff or earth mound of that 

 Spanish fort. The road, from sea-beach to river, straight 

 and wide, was probably made by the builders of the 

 mound many years before the Spanish conquest, but it 

 doubtless was in condition then to offer many advantages, 

 and not, as now, overgrown with scrub and palmetto. I 

 am not aware that the fact of the existence of this old 

 road has ever been mentioned before at least in this 



