AUDUBON AND BOONE. 135 
I had letters from the Secretaries of the Navy and Treasury 
of the United States, to the commanding officers of vessels 
of war of the revenue service, directing them to afford me 
any assistance in their power; and the schooner Spark having 
come to St. Augustine, on her way to the St. John’s River, 
I presented my credentials to her commander, Lieutenant 
Piercy, who readily and with politeness, received me and my 
assistants on board. We soon ‘after set sail, with a fair 
breeze. The strict attention to duty on board even this small 
vessel of war, afforded matter of surprise to me. Everything 
went on with the regularity of a chronometer; orders were 
given, answered to and accomplished, before they ceased to 
vibrate on the ear. The neatness of the crew equalled the 
cleanliness of the white planks of the deck; the sails were in 
perfect condition; and, built as the Spark was, for swift sail- 
ing, on she went gambolling from wave to wave. 
I thought that, while thus sailing, no feeling but that of 
pleasure could exist in our breasts; but, alas! how fleeting 
are our enjoyments. When we were almost at the entrance 
of the river, the wind changed, the sky became clouded, and, 
before many minutes had elapsed, the little bark was lying-to 
“like a duck,” as her commander expressed himself. It blew 
a hurricane :—let it blow, reader. At the break of day we 
were again at anchor within the bar of St. Augustine. 
Our next attempt was successful. Not many hours after 
we had crossed the bar, we perceived the star-like glimmer 
of the light in the great lantern at the entrance of the St. 
John’s River. This was before day-light; and, as the cross- 
ing of the sand-banks or bars, which occur at the mouths of 
all the streams of this peninsula is difficult, and can be accom- 
plished only when the tide is up, one of the guns was fired 
as a signal for the government pilot. The good man, it 
seemed, was unwilling to leave his couch, but a second gun 
brought him in his canoe alongside. The depth of the chan- 
nel was barely sufficient. My eyes, however, were not di- 
