THE BOOK OF THE TARPON 



select the channel bass with his big spots, or the 

 sea trout with his little ones, or may choose at 

 will the white flesh of Spanish mackerel or 

 sheepshead, or the rich, red meat of the cavally. 

 As the fisherman becomes skilled with the grains 

 he will eat of pompano, placed on the coals be- 

 fore it has ceased to flop, and will realize that he 

 has reached the height of epicureanism. Broiled 

 duck, Indian hen, and other birds that may legiti- 

 mately be used as food are always available. 



Reefs of oysters abound in tarpon waters and 

 the very trees are laden with the bivalves, small 

 but sweet, while a bed of great clams stretches 

 for a hundred miles before the mouths of the tar- 

 pon rivers. Palmetto cabbage, bread of the 

 Cracker, grows on nearly every wooded bank, 

 while fruits and vegetables flourish, from avo- 

 cado pears, custard apples, and bananas, down to 

 tamarinds, wild oranges, and yams. Many of 

 these grow wild while others can be obtained 

 cheaply from little Cracker farms. 



In the cruising of many years in Florida, I 

 have not known what it was to lack food. 

 Limeade and tea from the leaves of the sweet 

 bay have often taken the place of coffee and a 



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