418 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



" This world, as a glorious apartment of the boundless 

 palace of the Sovereign Creator, is furnished with an infinite 

 variety of animated scenes, inexpressibly beautiful and pleasing, 

 equally free to the inspection and enjoyment of all his crea- 

 tures ;" and William Bartram seems to have been one whose 

 whole soul was wrapt in the excitement of continued " inspec- 

 tion and enjoyment." No hardships, nor labours, nor privations, 

 could tame his ardour ; no danger could daunt his courage ; he 

 wrapped himself in his blanket, and slept the peaceful sleep of 

 infancy in the primeval forests of America, undisturbed by the 

 incessant howling of the wolves and roaring of alligators. 



" The evening," says Bartram, " was temperately cool 

 and calm. The crocodiles began to roar and to appear in un- 

 common numbers along the shores and in the river. I fixed 

 my camp in an open plain near the utmost projection of the 

 promontory, under the shelter of a large live oak, which stood 

 on the highest part of the ground, and but a few yards from 

 my boat. From this open high situation I had a free prospect 

 of the river, which was a matter of no trivial consideration to 

 me, having good reason to dread the subtle attacks of the 

 alligators who were crowding about my harbour. Having 

 collected a good quantity of wood, for the purpose of keeping 

 up a light and smoke during the night, I began to think of 

 preparing my supper, when, upon examining my stores, I 

 found but a scanty provision ; I therefore determined, as the 

 most expeditious way of supplying my necessities, to take my 

 bob and try for some trout. About one hundred yards above 

 my harbour began a cove or bay of the river, out of which 

 opened a large lagoon. The mouth or entrance to it was 

 narrow, but the waters soon after spread and formed a little 

 lake, extending into the marshes ; its entrance, and shores 

 within, I observed to be verged with floating lawns of Pistia, 

 Nymphcea, and other aquatic plants, and these I knew to be 

 excellent haunts for trout. 



" The verges and islets of the lagoon were elegantly embel- 

 lished with flowering plants and shrubs. The laughing coots, 

 with wings half spread, were tripping over the little coves, and 

 hiding themselves in the tufts of long grass ; young broods 

 of the painted summer teal skimming the still surface of 

 the water, and following the watchful parent, unconscious of 

 danger, were frequently surprised by the voracious trout." 



