346 FLORIDA KEYS. 



Over these enormous mud-flats, a foot or two of water is quite suffi- 

 cient to drive all the birds ashore, even the tallest Heron or Flamingo, 

 and the tide seems to flow at once over the whole expanse. Each of 

 us provided with a gun, posted himself behind a bush, and no sooner had 

 the water forced the winged creatures to approach the shore, than the 

 work of destruction commenced. When it at length ceased, the collected 

 mass of birds of different kinds looked not unlike a small haycock. Who 

 could not with a Httle industry have helped himself to a few of their skins ? 

 Why, reader, surely no one as fond of these things as I am. Every one 

 assisted in this, and even the sailors themselves tried their hand at the 

 work. 



Our pilot, good man, told us he was no hand at such occupations, and 

 would go after something else. So taking Long Tom and his fishing-tackle, 

 he marched off quietly along the shores. About an hour afterwards we 

 saw him returning, when he looked quite exhausted, and on our inquiring 

 the cause said, " There is a dew-fish yonder and a few balacoudas, but I 

 am not able to bring them, or even to haul them here ; please send the 

 sailors after them." The fishes were accordingly brought, and as I had 

 never seen a dewfish, I examined it closely, and took an outline of its 

 form, which some days hence you may perhaps see. It exceeded a hun- 

 dred pounds in weight, and afforded excellent eating. The balacouda is 

 also a good fish, but at times a dangerous one, for, according to the pilot, 

 on more than one occasion " some of these gentry" had followed him when 

 waist-deep in the water, in pursuit of a more valuable prize, until in self- 

 defence he had to spear them, fearing that " the gentlemen" might at one 

 dart cut off" his legs, or some other nice bit, with which he was unwilling 

 to part. 



Having filled our cask from a fine well long since dug in the sand of 

 Cape Sable, either by Seminole Indians or pirates, no matter which, we 

 left Sandy Isle about full tide, and proceeded homewards, giving a call 

 here and there at different keys, with the view of procuring rare birds, 

 and also their nests and eggs. We had twenty miles to go " as the birds 

 fly," but the tortuosity of the channels rendered our course fully a third 

 longer. The sun was descending fast, when a black cloud suddenly ob- 

 scured the majestic orb. Our sails swelled by a breeze, that was scarcely 

 felt by us, and the pilot, requesting us to sit on the weather gunwale, told 

 us that we were " going to get it." One sail was hauled in and secured, 

 and the other Avas reefed although the wind had not increased. A low 



