THE FLORIDA KEYS 55 



longing to the family having a better title to the 

 shanty came in to occupy it with me. In order 

 to get warm they huddled close to me and tore 

 down my bar, letting in the mosquitoes. I got up 

 and undertook to walk about in order to warm 

 myself, but on account of the irregular rocky floor 

 and the darkness I was in danger of falling, so I 

 went back to my flea-bitten dogs. Later a train 

 came rushing along not far away and I made my 

 way out and walked up and down the track until 

 after an age, as it seemed to me, I saw the first 

 streaks of the blessed dawn. 



In the morning I got a few cooked black beans 

 from the proprietor of my hotel and started north 

 along the track, collecting and studying geology. 

 That evening I arrived at another flag station 

 and applied at a fairly decent-looking house for 

 lodging and supper. It was evident that the 

 woman who came to the door did not welcome me, 

 and when I told her I wasn't a tramp, but a wan- 

 dering naturalist, she said: "O, they all 'as some 

 fine hexcuse; there was one 'ere the other day as 

 said 'e was a doctor, but 'e was nothing but a 

 tramp, an' 'e was better dressed than you." Then 

 I went out to the railroad and looked myself over. 



