DOWN THE ST. JOE 

 RIVER 



THE St. Joe River is one of the most 

 winding streams in the world. Its 

 tortuous course flows through high- 

 lands and lowlands, now with steep banks 

 overhanging the water, now with shelving 

 banks of sand dotted with mussel shells. 

 Springs rise along its shores and creep lazily 

 to the river, there to mingle with the current, 

 and along the timber-line higher up the crows 

 fly past. Shallows follow on the paths of 

 deep pools where black bass lie, and swal- 

 lows dip and cross above the river's surface. 

 Blackbirds linger along the shores, sometimes 

 among roots of trees at the water's edge and 

 at other times whistling from maples and 

 sycamores in the low grounds. Beech-trees, 

 sturdy of stature and compact of texture, rise 

 on the slopes and oaks grow on hills higher 

 up. There is an infinite variety of scenery 

 where the river weaves in and out of the hills, 



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