40 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



Before reaching the sea, we struck something 

 side-on in a broadside rush that threw some of us 

 overboard. There we remained miserably ex- 

 posed to the fury of the wind for six or seven hours 

 when the norther ceased, and the returning sea 

 floated us. This will give some idea of the force 

 with which the water is driven across the keys 

 and its power to cut channels. 



The greater part of the dry land (especially 

 toward the western end of the archipelago) is 

 found in its southern part. It may be this once 

 formed a low, continuous ridge which acted as a 

 dam to prevent the water of the Gulf from break- 

 ing across into the strait. The sea water, however, 

 entered by seepage into the low, rocky land of the 

 western part of the archipelago and by under- 

 mining has broken it down into a confusing 

 irregularity of outline. There are places in some 

 of the lagoons where the water is six or seven fe^ 

 deep showing undoubtedly that the rock has been 

 removed by solution. 



Probably all of Ramrod and several other small 

 keys have subsided slightly but enough to convert 

 them into mangrove swamps. The dry-land vege- 

 tation upon them has been destroyed, and almost 



