11-4 AVILD SrOKTS IX THE FAll "SVEST. 



become fixed, mid although the United States Govern- 

 ment has caused a passage for steamers to be cut 

 through them, yet I -was advised not to attempt it ^vilh 

 my canoe, because the current ran through it Avi.h 

 such force, that the least obstacle I might encounter 

 Avould inMlibly overset the canoe. I was therefore 

 obliged to traverse two lakes, called Clear Lake and 

 Soda Lake, which are connected with the river above 

 and below the Raft, as the collection of matted trees is 

 called. 



I saw a great number of alligators sunning them- 

 selves on the warm sands. I shot ten or eleven of 

 them, but could never prevail on m^'self to touch them. 

 They were from three to twelve feet long, and some- 

 times even eighteen feet. Kot far from the mouth 

 of the river, on the fifth day, just about dusk, seeing 

 something white in the water ahead of me, I paddled 

 to it, and laid hold of it, but drew my hand back 

 Avith a shudder, and the blood ran cold in my veins ; 

 it was a corpse — the naked white back alone floated 

 above the surfiice, head, arms, and legs hanging down ; 

 a wound several inches long was visible on the left 

 side, just under the ribs. I paddled hastily away 

 in sickening disgust, and left the horrid object behind 

 me. 



On the following morning I entered the Mississippi, 

 the excessively dirty " Father of Waters." The sceneiy 

 assumed a more tropical character, and the long 

 waving moss hanging from the gigantic trees gave it 

 a pecuharly strange aspect. After entering this mag- 

 nificent river I took on board fresh provender, not far 

 from the junction, and directed my course towards that 



