VISIT TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. 305 



7. VISIT TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE. 



WE left the canoe beached, or, more properly speak 

 ing, mudded, on the north side of Fish Eating creek, 

 and steered a course for what we considered the bank 

 of the lake. The walking we found excellent, although 

 not equalling that of Broadway. Beginning at the 

 surface we found one foot of water, and beneath the 

 aqueous element fifteen inches of black, tenacious mud. 

 Every motion of the legs was obstructed by. lily-pads 

 spatterdocks, lettuce, trailing vines, and fresh-water 

 plants in endless yariety. Above the water, saw-grass, 

 reeds, and rushes seriously interfered with vision as well 

 motion. Resolved upon reaching the lake, our grand 

 objective point, we trudged on, and having proceeded 

 about two miles reached a large floating island that had 

 been drifted on the marsh during the hurricane of the 

 preceding October. Frank seated himself on the 

 island and vowed that he would &quot;proceed no farther. 

 When youth gave out and cried &quot;peccavi,&quot; it was time 

 for old fogydom to push ahead, so I laid a course for 

 a small tree, on what appeared to have been a floating 

 island, and after an unpleasant tramp of two hundred 

 yards I reached the oasis, and found growing upon it a 

 swamp oak fifteen feet in height. By signs and words I 

 directed Billy Osceola to ascend the oak ; he did so, and 

 shouted &quot;Okeechobee, Okeechobee.&quot; I claim no rela 

 tionship to the feline race, but the way I scrambled up 

 that juvenile oak was a caution to the cat family. 

 Reaching the upper branches, I was rewarded with a 

 view of the mysterious lake, distant about six hundred 

 feet. From the time of my first visit to the south coast 



