ArDUBOJI A^D BOOXE. 139 



leariag one of my asiistants to look after tLem, I set out, 

 accompanied by the other, and my Xewfoundland dog. "We 

 had eighteen mUes to go ; and as the sun -was only two houis 

 high, Tve struck off at a good rate. Presently -we entered a 

 pine barren. The country was as level as a floor ; our path, 

 although narrow, was well beaten, having been used by the 

 Seminole Indians for ages, and the weather was calm and 

 beautiful. Xow and then a rivulet occurred, from ■which we 

 quenched our tiiirst, while the magnolias and other flowering 

 plants on its banks, relieved the dull uniformity of the woods. 

 When the path separated into two brandies, both seemingly 

 leading the same way, I would follow one, while my com- 

 panion took the other, and unless we met again iu a short 

 time, one of us would go across the intervening forest. 



The sun went down behind a cloud, and the south-east 

 breeze that sprung up at this moment, sounded dolefully 

 among the tall pines. Along the eastern horizon lay a bed 

 of black vapoJ, which gradually rose, and soon covered the 

 heavens. The air felt hot and oppressive, and we knew that 

 a tempest was approaching. Plato was now our guide, the 

 white spots on his skin being the only objects that we could 

 discern amid the darkness, and as if aware of his utilitv in 

 this respect, he kept a short way before us on the trail. Had 

 we imagined ourselves more than a few mUes from the town, 

 we would have made a camp, and remained under its shelter 

 for the night ; but conceiving that the distance could not be 

 great, we resolved to trudge along. 



Large drops began to fall from the murky mass overhead ; 

 thick, impenetrable darkness surrounded us, and to my dis- 

 may, the dog refused to proceed. Groping with my hands 

 on the ground, I discovered that several trails branched out 

 at the spot where he lay down; and when I had selected one, 

 he went on. Yivid flashes of lightning streamed across the 

 heavens, the wind increased to a gale, and the rain poured 

 down upon us like, a torrent. The t\ ater soon rose on the 



