THE OKEECHOBEE EXPEDITION. 247 



covers them, and shallow ponds, dry in the dry season, 

 occur at intervals. The clumps of cypress here are 

 characteristic of this section, being in long curving lines, 

 resembling mountains at a distance. At intervals of 

 half a dozen miles, pine islands occur, with opportuni 

 ties for camping. Sixteen miles from Ten-mile creek, 

 twenty-six from St. Lucie, the prairies of the St. Johns 

 are taken and kept until the old military road from Fort 

 Capron to Tampa is struck, when the course is due west 

 for five miles through a belt of timber to the Kissimmee 

 Prairies. This belt runs nearly north and south, separa 

 ting the prairies of the Kissimmee from those of the 

 St. Johns and the Alapattie Flats. The road over the 

 prairies is rather obscure, as also is that to the timber 

 upon the other side, but easily followed by a woodsman. 

 The course is south-west. The prairie is dotted with 

 pine islands, the last one (in which lives the only 

 settler on the route, Judge Parker) is over two miles in 

 width. The Kissimmee at the ford is about fifty yards 

 wide, though it sometimes overflows its banks for two 

 miles upon the eastern side. We had to wade a mile 

 before launching our boat. 



The other route is from Lake Jessup, or Winder, on 

 the St. Johns, to Lake Tohopekaliga, or Cypress, the 

 head-waters of the Kissimmee. It is said to be about 

 forty miles overland, and one hundred and forty down 

 the river to Bassenger. The settlers near the river knew 

 nothing of the distance from the Fort Bassenger ford to 

 the lake, but thought it to be sixty miles. We found it 

 about fifty-five miles, and it took us two days to reach 

 the lake. The river is extremely crooked, the current 

 swift, and the water the l^st in south Florida. The 

 width at the ford is maintained throughout almost its 



