CHAPTER III 

 THe Ten THoxisand Islands 



TEN THOUSAND ISLANDS,— the very 

 name savors of mystery, of the joys of 

 exploration and discovery. 

 Beginning just south of Naples on the 

 southwest coast of Florida this archipelago ex- 

 tends southeast in an unbroken curve to North- 

 west Cape Sable its concave side towards the sea. 

 Those most familiar with the region say the group 

 of islands has an average width of eight to ten 

 miles. The entire region consists of a myriad of 

 low islands, covered with tall, slender, closely set 

 mangroves having but few buttressed roots, with 

 here and there, some black mangrove, button- 

 wood, white mangrove, and a few other swamp- 

 loving trees. Along the sea front and for some dis- 

 tance inland the islands are separated by channels 

 of varying width and often of considerable depth. 

 Through these the tides sweep strongly, dissolving 



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