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The National Geographic Magazine 



Crocodiles likewise abound, and in the 

 night-time may be heard catching birds 

 near the water's edge. During the last 

 two years some eight or ten men have 

 been constantly employed killing croco- 

 diles in the depths of the swamps and 

 carrying on a profitable business selling 

 their hides. In the remote parts of the 

 swamp, where the great reptiles have 

 never been disturbed, they are easily 

 killed. An old hat is placed on the end 

 of a short stick, which is held in the left 

 hand and waved over the water. The 

 crocodile rushes blindly at the hat and is 

 struck a sharp blow behind the head with 

 a machete. 



Sharks infest these shores and often 

 swim in the water so shallow as to be- 

 come half stranded on the sandy shoals. 

 Natives say that in the old days this bay 

 was a resoit for pirates and slave traders, 

 and that the sharks were originally at- 

 tracted by the large numbers of dead and 

 dying slaves thrown overboard. 



IN THE MAHOGANY FOREST 



The east shore is entirely different, to- 

 tally devoid of sand beaches or swampy 

 tracts, and is a rocky plain from five to 

 ten feet above sea-level, covered by a 

 heavy forest, which extends eastward 

 three or four miles to the edge of the 

 swamps. 



The number of species of trees is very 

 great, and, while including such splendid 

 varieties as mahogany, sabicu, ebony, and 

 Spanish cedar, there are many other 

 hardwoods, probably 150 in number, 

 some of which are very rare or quite 

 unknown to experts in tropical timbers. 

 Some of these trees have a wood harder 

 than ebony, and the best steel axes are 

 frequently broken in felling them. Many 

 are fine-grained and beautifully banded 

 and veined with two or more colors, and 

 are susceptible of a high polish. 



The mahogany and cedar are imposing 

 trees, the latter sometimes reaching a 

 diameter of seven feet. Their massive 

 branches, hung with purple and yellow 

 orchids, bromeliads, ferns, and other par- 

 asitic plants, are the resort of parrots 

 and other birds of brilliant plumage. In 



contrast, the silent swamps present a dif- 

 ferent aspect. The forest is interrupted 

 by stretches of open prairie, by slow- 

 flowing streams of great depth and 

 clumps of heavy trees, hung with long 

 shrouds of gray Spanish moss or over- 

 run by climbing cactus, mistletoe, and 

 orchids, which in early spring make a gay 

 display of white, yellow, and purple blos- 

 soms. The royal palm here reaches its 

 maximum size, the stately trunks, sym- 

 metrical as Grecian columns, rising more 

 than a hundred feet to spread their 

 crowns of foliage in the glistening sun- 

 shine above the dark and sombre forest. 



The swamp water, having general cur- 

 rents toward the sea and eventually es- 

 caping by underground channels, is clear 

 and perfectly wholesome, with, however, 

 a slight taste and color of vegetable mat- 

 ter. Many of these lagoons are very 

 picturesque, especially where long vistas 

 open up in the forest and display the 

 overhanging foliage dipping down to the 

 water surface. These black pools are oc- 

 casionally disturbed by the splash of a 

 crocodile or the rising of the "sevalo," a 

 kind of fish that comes from the sea 

 through subterranean passages and rivers 

 which drain the swamps. 



The general land surface, while per- 

 fectly level, is rocky and the soil is very 

 scanty, being apparently washed down 

 into the numerous cracks and joints in 

 the rocks. It seems remarkable that trees 

 of great size can and do grow on such 

 little soil, and one often sees their long 

 roots spreading over the ground for 

 twenty yards or more in search of some 

 hole or crevice to descend. The soil, 

 however, is remarkably fertile, and such 

 plants as reach down deep enough to be 

 independent of surface conditions of 

 moisture and drought succeed admirably. 

 Bananas, limes, and oranges of delicious 

 flavor and quality are raised in several 

 places near the bay. Vegetables and 

 small fruits succeed only when suffi- 

 ciently watered, as the light, porous soil 

 dries out very quickly. The rocks are 

 entirely of coral formation, very hard 

 and rough on the exposed surface, but 

 underneath turning to a soft, yellow 



