A Thousand-Mile Walk 



ness, arrived. Was glad to escape to our little 

 schooner Belle again, weary and heavy laden 

 with excitement and tempting fruits. 



As night came on, a thousand lights starred 

 the great town. I was now in one of my happy 

 dreamlands, the fairest of West India islands. 

 But how, I wondered, shall I be able to escape 

 from this great city confusion? How shall I 

 reach nature in this delectable land? Consult 

 ing my map, I longed to climb the central moun 

 tain range of the island and trace it through all 

 its forests and valleys and over its summit 

 peaks, a distance of seven or eight hundred 

 miles. But alas ! though out of Florida swamps, 

 fever was yet weighing me down, and a mile of 

 city walking was quite exhausting. The weather 

 too was oppressively warm and sultry. 



January 16. During the few days since our 

 arrival the sun usually has risen unclouded, 

 pouring down pure gold, rich and dense, for 

 one or two hours. Then islandlike masses of 

 white-edged cumuli suddenly appeared, grew 

 to storm size, and in a few minutes discharged 

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