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50 
out on foot for Camp Jackson, where we arrived just after sun- 
down on the first day. To this point our party consisted, in ad- 
dition to Mr. Carter and the writer, of one camp-man, two car- 
riers and one beast of burden, a blind mule. As the trail from 
Homestead to Camp Jackson is rough beyond the power of words 
to describe, the mule’s misfortune was really a blessing, for he 
s thus saved the mental strain, the sight of the almost impas- 
sable trail might have caused him and the physical pain he would 
have suffered had a view of the trail caused him to become balky 
and necessary persuasive methods had been applied. However, in 
spite of the loss of the shoes from his feet and the skin from his 
shins, he emerged none the worse for his experience. Camp 
Jackson is the limit of transportation for any domesticated crea- 
tures except man and dog. The mule having been dispensed 
with, and the baggage divided between the members of the party, 
a start was made for camp on Long Key four miles distant. 
Misgivings arose in our minds before we had proceeded a quarter 
of a mile from camp, for we found the intervening everglades 
filled with water as a result of the unseasonable rains of the 
previous week. ing the eae then proceeding 
further, we pushed on oe three miles through mud and water on 
the one hand and heavy showers on the other, before we defi- 
nitely ascertained that the water was too high about Long Key 
for the prosecution of our intended wo 
Greatly disappointed, we were eh es to retrace our steps 
to Camp Jackson, carefully avoiding stepping on the water-moc- 
casins which seemed to arise from the mud and water about us 
as if by magic. While drying our clothes around the camp-fire 
and mending our shoes which had nearly been destroyed during 
the few hours spent in the attempt to reach Long Key, we formu- 
lated plans for further action. With good prospects for clearing 
weather, it was decided to postpone our exploration of Long 
Key, assuming that the water in the everglades would subside 
sufficiently within a week or ten days time to warrant another 
attempt on that line. Thus reversing some of our previously 
made plans, we called the blind mule into service again and re- 
turned to Homestead the following day. Storing our supplies 
