Florida Swamps and Forests 
naked as to the earth he came. Had he emerged 
from the black muck of a marsh, we might eas- 
ily have believed that the Lord had manufac- 
tured him like Adam direct from the earth. 
Surely, thought I, as I started for Gaines- 
ville, surely I am now coming to the tropics, 
where the inhabitants wear nothing but their 
own skins. This fashion is sufficiently simple, 
— “no troublesome disguises,” as Milton calls 
clothing, — but it certainly is not quite in har- 
mony with Nature. Birds make nests and 
nearly all beasts make some kind of bed for their 
young; but these negroes allow their younglings 
to lie nestless and naked in the dirt. 
Gainesville is rather attractive — an oasis 
in the desert, compared with other villages. 
Its gets its life from the few plantations located 
about it on dry ground that rises islandlike a 
few feet above the swamps. Obtained food and 
lodging at a sort of tavern. 
October 19. Dry land nearly all day. Encoun- 
tered limestone, flint, coral, shells, etc. Passed 
several thrifty cotton plantations with com- 
[ 107 ] 
