AUDUBON AND BOONE. 151 



The crew and some of the party spent the night in the 

 boat. The pilot, myself, and one of my assistants, took to 

 the heart of the mangroves, and, having found high land, we 

 made a fire as well as we could, spread a tarpauling, and 

 fixing our insect bars over us, soon forgot in sleep the horrors 

 that had surrounded us. 



Next day, the Marion proceeded on her cruise, and in a 

 few more days, having anchored in another safe harbor, we 

 visited other Keys, of which I will, with your leave, give you 

 a short account. 



The Deputy-Collector of Indian Isle gave me the use of his 

 pilot for a few weeks, and I was the more gratified by this, 

 that besides knowing him to be a good man and a perfect 

 sailor, I was now convinced that he possessed a great knowl- 

 edge of the habits of birds, and could without loss of time 

 lead me to their haunts. We were a hundred miles or so 

 farther to the south. Gay May, like a playful babe, gam- 

 bolled on the ' bosom of his mother nature, and every thing 

 was replete with life and joy. The pilot had spoken to me 

 of some birds, which I was very desirous of obtaining. One 

 morning, therefore, we went in two boats to some distant isle, 

 where they were said to breed. Our difficulties in reaching 

 that Key might to some seem more imaginary than real, were 

 I faithfully to describe them. Suffice it for me to tell you, 

 that .after hauling our boats, and pushing them with our 

 hands, for upwards of nine miles, over the flats, we at last 

 reached the deep channel that usually surrounds each of the 

 mangrove islands. "We were much exhausted by the labor 

 and excessive heat, but we were now floating on deep water, 

 and by resting a short while under the shade of some man- 

 groves, we were soon refreshed by the breeze that gently 

 blew from the Gulf. We further repaired our strength by 

 taking some food; and I may as well tell you here, that 

 during all the time I spent in that portion of the Floridas, 

 my party restricted themselves to fish and soaked biscuit, 



