A PEEP AT THE EVERGLADES 125 



ing, certainly, for what might have been thought 

 so promising a place. 



And now, as the grass grew shorter, so that 

 we could survey the world about us, the water of 

 a sudden turned shallow. The professor's flat- 

 bottomed boat still floated prosperously, but my 

 own heavier, keeled craft speedily touched bot- 

 tom. The rower put down the oars, took off his 

 shoes and stockings, rolled up his trousers, and 

 proceeded to lighten the boat of his weight, and 

 drag it forward. This expedient answered for a 

 rod or two. Then we stuck fast again, and the 

 passenger followed his boatman's example and 

 took to the water. So we followed along, the 

 water now deeper, now shallower, the bottom 

 hard and slimy, till after a little we were at the 

 end of our rope. If we were to go farther we 

 must leave the boat behind us. 



This was hardly worth while, especially as even 

 in that way we could not hope to proceed far 

 enough to see anything different from what we 

 had seen already. " "We wiU go back," I said, 

 " drifting with the current and stopping by the 

 way." And so we did, my boatman and I, leav- 

 ing the professor — who, as it turned out, went 

 but a few rods beyond us — to pursue his inves- 

 tigations unhindered. 



After all, in spite of our indolent intentions, 



