VISIT TO LAKE OKEECIIOBEE. 307 



world, and have had some queer experiences,, but our 

 jaunt from the creek to the lake, and return, excelled 

 anything in the past, and convinced us that hunting 

 Seminolc Indians must have been anything but an 

 amusing and pleasant occupation. 



Reaching the canoe, Billy paddled, and Frank and I 

 amused ourselves ventilating the gators that exposed 

 themselves on the banks of the creek. Arriving at Old 

 Fort Centre, I visited the large Indian mound while Mr. 

 Carlton hitched up our bovine friends. I found the 

 mound to be four hundred feet long, one hundred and 

 fifty wide, and about forty high. At a point where some 

 former visitor had made a small excavation I scratched 

 with a stick and found remains of human skeletons. In 

 our opinion, this mound is worthy of being opened, and 

 I trust that some future visitor will be amply provided 

 with stores, so as to enable him to spend a few days in 

 the locality and carefully examine it. With the excep 

 tion of one mound on the east bank of the Caloosahatchie 

 river, this is the largest we have noticed in the south. 

 Seating ourselves in our springless conveyance, we 

 started for New Fort Centre, which we reached about 

 dark. Feeling tired, I resolved upon having a good bed, 

 and by the light of pine-wood fire gathered a large quan 

 tity of the Spanish moss (Tillanusia), hanging in luxu 

 riant festoons from every tree. After supper I carefully 

 arranged my mossy couch and turned in. Old Somnus 

 soon took possession of the man, and I have reason to 

 believe that I was guilty of some responsible snoring 

 until about midnight, when I was aroused by an unpleas 

 ant sensation of burning, smarting, and itching. For a 

 few minutes I made the situation a practical study, and 

 realized the fact that I had discovered something new to 



