Florida Fish and Fishing 



and my boat, with its white canvas roof 

 glaring in the light of the full moon, broke 

 on the gaze of the astonished darkey 

 through the trees, and as it moved this way 

 and that, responsive to a slight breeze, it 

 seemed an uncanny thing to the thoroughly 

 frightened man as he moaned : 



" O Lawd ; O Lawd ; dar's a spook ! De Spooks and 

 debble will sho' cotch me. I wish I was ] 

 back in ole Kaintuck. Oh, doctah, I sho' 

 am 'fraid to go back to-night. I sho' saw 

 de debble's eye shinin' in de bresh, and v 

 heard de splash of his tail in de watah, all 

 de way down. Please, sah, let me stay in 

 de camp till de mawnin'." 



I saw that he was really terrified, and 

 that it would never do to let him attempt 

 to return to Naples alone that night. Ac- 

 cordingly we hobbled the mules, and I made 

 him a bed in the boat, where he soon was 

 snoring and making as loud and uncouth 

 noises as any " debble " was capable of. 

 In the morning I gave him a good breakfast 

 and started him home with the mules, the 

 happiest coon in Florida. 

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