CAPE SABLE 93 



didn't venture into it. He soon came back to 

 the boat and remarked that there wasn't any- 

 thing of interest on the island anyhow. Then 

 we went to a point on the mainland northeast of 

 Jo Kemp's Key and pottered about the open 

 ground near shore, but all seemed nervous and 

 nobody ventured into the scrub. After a brief 

 consultation we decided to start for home. Small 

 claimed he had gotten about all the plants he had 

 expected to find. Of course it was ridiculous to 

 suppose that any of us were afraid of snakes or 

 that there were not the most urgent of reasons for 

 going home. The urgency of the reasons is well 

 expressed in a popular song of a few years ago 

 entitled: '"Tain't no disgrace to run whenyo' are 

 skeered." 



At the time of my last visit to the capes we saw* 

 upon nearing the shore, a solitary man sitting on a 

 log. I talked with him while the rest of our party 

 were busy botanizing. He was powerfully built, 

 of middle age, and decidedly intelligent. He 

 informed me he was the keeper of the big coconut 

 plantation along the shore. I was curious to 

 know why he had chosen to live in this lonely place 

 and questioned him accordingly. He said his 



