- ^he St, Johns River, 275 



crowded state of her cabin soon began to prove rather 

 disagreeable. The boat itself was a mere scow, comman- 

 ded by a person of rather uncouth aspect and rude man- 

 ners. Two sorry nags he had fastened to the end of a 

 long tow-line, on the nearer of which rode a negro youth 

 less than half clad, with a long switch in one hand and 

 the joined bridles in the other, striving with all his might 

 to urge them on at the rate of something more than two 

 miles an hour. How fortunate it is for one to possess a 

 little knowledge of a true traveller ! Following the ad- 

 vice of a good, and somewhat aged one, we had provided 

 ourselves with a large basket, which was not altogether 

 empty when we reached the end of our agreeable excur- 

 sion. Here and there the shores of the river were beau- 

 tiful j the space between it and the undulating hills that 

 bounded the prospect being highly cultivated, while now 

 and then its abrupt and rocky banks assumed a most 

 picturesque appearance. Although it was late in Sep- 

 tember, the mowers were still engaged in cutting the grass, 

 and the gardens of the farmers showed patches of green 

 peas. The apples were yet green, and the vegetation in 

 general reminded us that we were in a northern latitude. 

 Gradually and slowly we proceeded, until in the afternoon 

 we landed to exchange our jaded horses. We saw a 

 house on an eminence, with groups of people assembled 

 around it, but no dinner could be obtained, because, as 

 the landlord told us, an election was going on. So we 

 had recourse to the basket, and on the green sward we 

 refreshed ourselves with its contents. This done, we re- 

 turned to the scow, and resumed our stations. As is 

 usual in such cases, in every part of the world that I have 

 visited, our second set of horses was worse than the first. 

 However, on we went ; but to tell you how often the tow- 

 line gave way would not be more amusing to you than it 

 was annoying to us. Once our commander was in con- 



