ATJDUBON AND BOONS. 139 



leaving one of my assistants to look after them, I set out, 

 accompanied by the other, and my Newfoundland dog. We 

 had eighteen miles to go ; and as the sun was only two hours 

 high, we struck off at a good rate. Presently we entered a 

 pine barren. The country was as level as a floor ; our path, 

 although narrow, was well beaten, having been used by the 

 Seminole Indians for ages, and the weather was calm and 

 beautiful. Now and then a rivulet occurred, from which we 

 quenched our thirst, while the magnolias and other flowering 

 plants on its banks, relieved the dull uniformity of the woods. 

 When the path separated into two branches, both seemingly 

 leading the same way, I would follow one, while my com- 

 panion took the other, and unless we met again in a short 

 time, one of us would go across the intervening forest. 



The sun went down behind a cloud, and the south-east 

 breeze that sprung up at this moment, sounied dolefully 

 among the tall pines. Along the eastern horizon lay a bed 

 of black vapor, which gradually rose, and soon covered the 

 heavens. The air felt hot and oppressive, and we knew that 

 a tempest was approaching. Plato was now our guide, the 

 white spots on his skin being the only objects that we could 

 discern amid the darkness, and as if aware of his utility in 

 this respect, he kept a short way before us on the trail. Had 

 we imagined ourselves more than a few miles from the town, 

 we would have made a camp, and remained under its shelter 

 for the night ; but conceiving that the distance could not bo 

 great, we resolved to trudge along. 



Large drops began to fall from the murky mass overhead ; 

 thick, impenetrable darkness surrounded us, and to my dis- 

 may, the dog refused to proceed. Groping with my hands 

 on the ground, I discovered that several trails branched out 

 at the spot where he lay down ; and when I had selected one, 

 he went on. Vivid flashes of lightning streamed across the 

 heavens, the wind increased to a gale, and the rain poured 

 down upon us like a torrent. The water soon rose on the 



