A Thousand-Mile Wal 
ness, arrived. Was glad to escape to our little 
schooner Belle again, weary and heavy laden 
with excitement and tempting fruits. 
As night came on, a thousand lights starred 
the great town. I was now in one of my happy 
dreamlands, the fairest of West India islands. 
But how, I wondered, shall I be able to escape 
from this great city confusion? How shall I 
reach nature in this delectable land? Consult- 
ing my map, I longed to climb the central moun- 
tain range of the island and trace it through all 
its forests and valleys and over its summit 
peaks, a distance of seven or eight hundred 
miles. But alas! though out of Florida swamps, 
fever was yet weighing me down, and a mile of 
city walking was quite exhausting. The weather 
too was oppressively warm and sultry. 
January 16. During the few days since our 
arrival the sun usually has risen unclouded, 
. pouring down pure gold, rich and dense, for 
one or two hours. Then islandlike masses of 
white-edged cumuli suddenly appeared, grew 
to storm size, and in a few minutes discharged 
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