144 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



(Makch 23, 1888. 



AROUND THE COAST OF FLORIDA. 



BY DH. .1- A. UEN SHALL. 



Ninth Paper. 



AS we piissea oui into the Gulf frrtm the month of the 

 Homosa; a. ,i i'o "boatmen were mooring the raft 



' Bdai logs under the Tee of an island, toawtul tue arrival 

 of the little steamer that was to tow ii up to Cedar Key. 

 while film i ig one of I heir peculiar and 



pleasing melodies, the tWden or refrain "O-k-o-of" and 

 bi i'i paoghl up In 'nil chorus in a wildj chro- 

 matiu intonation, which floated oui tons over the water in 

 harmonious bursts and prolonged minor cadences: 



I pOlOdl! raft wii.y down [)« i - 1 1 . ■ >' 



O-b-O! 001 C !•' A li-,i ! 



Eiivflsli make me slubber, 



3i oto| \ |] a I 4,-jb si-a] 



Von though! yon Ueajfd 'gator belter, 



0-h-o! O-lco-ol A-ft-tt! A-'a-s-a! 

 'Tw> , only <3te brack hiiclcra teller. 



0-1i-o I i 'I,-.,-,* \ i,-h! i-b-a-al 



DB BSb D ■■., ! ig Ellt mullet, 



ii' '.hi: A-h-n-ti! 

 ,i ■■ ■ ., . , ■ ., lev ii de eagle's gullet, 

 O-li-ol o-Vu-ot Arh-ai ' 



1 10 i.ii | I ' i''i ■•'! I"'-.' jewiisli. 



u-li-n: O-h-o-ol A-ha! A fi-a-l 

 ''I. i in. i,'. ill'l you do dis, 



O-U-D! O-U-O-Ol A li-ft! A h-n-s! 



Wo put .'in into iin i.ulf some five miles, beyond the 



nd ten miles northward came to 



Lwater Keys oif the' month of Crystal River. Tie 



mouth of this rivet Lli oyster lMMka, but about it 



ii 'Mm navigable to its source, some twelve 



miles, where it arises from several Springs, near which is 



the village of Crystal River. Along this pure ami beautiful 



M mi! .-hing. game and oysters are to be obtained. 



Ten miles further northward we came to the sand batiks 



oil the mouth of Withlaeoocheo liiver — called "Coochee" 



for short This is n narrow, deep river, more than u lnm- 



lired milr.-, long, arising in Polk county, to the eastward of 



Tampa, and flows northward alonj hi border of 



i .'■■ county, and thence westward to the Gulf, it is 



navigable for sonic trwentj flvumiles. As this river pene- 



. . iar into Ibe maiiiland, ami (lows I hrough m> exten- 



i i ..!',. i ried a range of country, where the finest hunt- 

 ing, shooling and black bass Ashing can be enjoyed, it is a 



.i for the sportsman with a small Doat, An 



entire winter could be profitably spent on tbis river. Con- 

 nected with it is Panasofkee Lake, a large body of water 

 but twelve miles from Lake Harris ai theheadof Ocklawaha 

 Rive,-, and during high water a still larger lake, to the west- 

 ward of the river Lake Trali or Cbarliepopka can be 

 entered. To the canoeist a, delightful and interesting trip 



Id i' n. He i;. .I .ii ille up the sluggish St. Johns and 



Ocklawaha elvers to Lake Harris, thence by a portage of 

 twelve niiles (by n to Lake Panasofkee and thewith- 



lOchei : tot i !i 01 mtll of the latter river it is but 



. twenty mil Key, inside the Keys of Waocasassa 



Bay, where the water is shallow and smooth. 

 Along (lie WitUIacoocheo the sportsman wfl] find forests 

 ii 'i i : ii'.. i. b tad ■' ■• annas and cypress 



ii ■ ib itind i " i lierons, cranes, egrets, wale.' lurl eys, 

 ospreys, eagles, etc . and ponds, lakes and bayous, tie re- 

 sort of innumerable Hocks of ducks, coots, plover, snipe and 

 curlew, while in Hie stamps mid low hatnaks can be found 

 i. bears, wild cattle and hogs, and iu the high 

 ,, and turkeys, Iu fact, the whole of 

 Hernando county will prove' of tie greatest interest to the 

 sport-man. eaiioeir-t or tourist, On Lh< Ci ' i , between the 

 ,, mi;, i, i,i iViihli eliee ami A nelot.e rivers, iu'fi numer- 

 nut keys and many hailiors, the rivers and creeks being only 

 fiomrivcto tell miles apart, while lying outside, parallel 

 :.ii!i 'he coast and some leu miles distant, is St. Martin's 

 ting off the fo* d the sea and rendering this 

 portion of the coast as SUlOOth as a mill pond, and in com 



i ■. .. . ii ' ■' ". :ei i . edge. 



ii. i .i . :o the dulf between the "Coochee" 



and the Anelole have llieii' sources in beautiful and wondcr- 



! t from the base of a high sand 



rldgo inuring parallel with (lie coast, and distant from it 

 . i . , i . nail 'ie i id ".'■' Is covered by open pine 

 forests, and i astv ard of it lie extensive haiuaks of tropical 

 luxuriance, I" the edge ol tbis hamak Jack and 1 were 

 Standing one dav, feasting oui eyes Upon its strange and 

 pie and mulberry, myrtle and uuig- 

 i md vpicss, willow and water-oak, mastic and 

 i ,i ■ ■ palmetto and dogwood, red bay and live oak,. elm 

 • ,. | .in,, i ..■ hi I..- ■. . ■... ■ i ihicklj crowded to- 

 gether, iiilerlaeed, intertwined and overrun by grape vines, 

 morning glories, climbing lack ami other creepers, and 

 their ti b< ■• and hidden in tbidketsof Bpaniehbayo- 



ii. I , .. ■ .. Indian tig and cacti. Flowers' of 



every luie greeted the eye from nee, 'shrub and vine, The 



,. a ... :..,., : . i ] -.I magnolia, (lie tall 



ii '. Spanish bayonet, morning glories of every 



lini and 1 1. .i' .'i .' iM'i and yellow flowers of the 

 cadi mingled (heir fragrance with oiiors from spicy slirubs 

 .ami aromatic leaves. 

 Jack essayed to mill a boquet of the choicest bloom, but. 



| ' I i entangled in I he meshes of a. "climbing 



jack," in- feii full length and was lost to sight among the 



.ii .in I ...in,. il,,u)ideiang out again with a 



yell of iingni-h. .and danced around, rubbing bis legs where 



■ male, ensifonu leaves of (lie Spanish bayonet had 



pierced them, and picking out the minute prickles of the 



, ' i i'i a .. iand and Eacw 



••Ah. Jack'" said l commiseratively 



'i ii, in ." I i .' .".'..'i 1 i'. . '.' flowers 



IS alWaya the first to be i.me.liM by the thorns," 



"Yes," answered lie ruefully, 



:..||..I I'"'- I a, ii"' fi . ling bell!" 



. Lbji I Tom Moore as applied to , lad. 

 lied mon truth tJia i poetry, bul Qiey are worthy oE being 

 . i. a, for it was tin fast, poetry indulged iii on (in- voy- 



,, Ei'om the mouth of the Withlacoooliee Wt to] 

 , u north ' ■ ' t for Oedar Key, where we a rrived i b 



the first, day of May, andtbe "Cruise of the 



flau.liler" was ended. 



. , i i i now a thriving and nourishing city of sev- 

 eral thousand inhabitants, situated on Way and Atsena Otic- 

 teyg Us principal indn in 'Oi dai and piue saw-mills, 



fishing and turtling. It is the shipping point for the pro- 

 duce, and (he commercial emporium of the west coast, being 

 (he western terminus of the Florida Transit, Railroad, run- 

 ning across the Stale from f'eruaudina, and connecting Ibe 

 Gulf with the Atlantic. Lines of steamers connect It with 

 Tampa, Manatee, Key West and Havana, Mobile, New Or- 

 leans and Galveston.' There are several hotels: the Suwan- 

 nee, the Gulf and EetteliuiV. and many gOod stores. The 

 sportsman can be fitted «ut with everything needful for 

 camping and cruising except fine fishing tackle, lixed am- 

 munition and cartridge shells. 



The visitor cannot fail to be interested in (lie cedar mills 

 of the Fabet and Eagle Pencil Companies, The logs arc 

 here run through saw after saw, until finally reduced to 

 pencil slocks and pen-holders, when they arc packed in 

 boxes and shipped Kast to tile pencil factories to be filled 

 and polished. Even the cedar sawdust is utilized, being 

 packed in casks and sent to New York. Some of the 

 machinery is very ingenious and interesting and will well 

 repay a visit. Cedar is becoming scarce, even iu Florida, 

 and what we will do for pencil stocks when it is exhausted 

 is hard to tell, for no other wood will answer, and Florida 

 cedar is the best iu the world for the purpose. 



Then- are. several fish houses where great quantities of 

 fresh fish are packed in ice and shipped North in the winter. 

 Thousand-: of green turtles are also shipped from this point. 

 They are taken in gill-nets with a mesh of eighteen inches. 

 These net -'■ are not staked down as on Indian River on the 

 cast coast, but are anchored on the grassy banks and shoals, 

 wherever the turtles are found, .sometime many miles from 

 shore. 



The Gulf coast of Florida is, perhaps, the finest cruising 

 ground in the world. The water is shallow and seldom 

 rough, for it. takes a gale of wind to kick up much of a sea, 

 and* harbors lie plentifully all along the coast. Small boats 

 can find an inside passage from Cedar Key to Cape Sable, 

 almost the entire distance. The principal passes and inlets 

 are short and usually .straight, with plenty of water and 

 easily entered. Generally there are long sand spits and shoals 

 making out from them for along distance, between which 

 the cruiser must proceed, though usually there are swash 

 Channels aloim the shores hv which small boats mav enter. 

 The rise and fall of the tides is greater than on the south- 

 eastern coast. A harbor for small boats can be found at 

 any time behind the numerous keys and islands. 



The sportsman or canoeist can ship his canoe, or small 

 boat to Cetlar Key bv rail or steamer, or having no boat can 

 procure one of tlie sharpie-built boats much used by the 

 fisherman at that place, hieing a fiat-bottomed, ceuterboard 

 boat, some fifteen feet long and three feet beam, for from 

 fifteen to twenty dollars. This can be fitted with jib and 

 iii riggi d, low hoist and broad head, and with 

 ocks ana a twelve-foot pole, the entire coast can 



i le 



i'i 



Cedar Key he can follow the shore of Waccasassa 

 Bay, inside the ke'vs if necessarv, to Withlac.oochee River. 

 Thence along shore and inside the keys and islands if he 

 wishes, to Crystal. Homosassa, Ches-awiskee and Wecka- 

 waohee rivers to Bayport. The reef before mentioned lies 

 off shore, some ten miles, rendering this portion of the route 

 usually very smooth. From Bayport he can coast along 

 inside Haley's Keys to the "Cootie" River, and thence in- 

 side Anclote Kevs to Auclote River. From here to Hog 

 Island, at the head of ( .'learwi.'ter Harbor, there is another 



tlyling reef. Sailing. down Clearwater Hi 



Ii 



jioea feign Bav he will reach Tamp; 



proceed up to old Tampa and Hills! 



the southward i 

 la:-, 1:. will enter B:g 

 proceed to Casey's Pa 

 bay. From here be I 

 a fair wind to ran out 

 bar. which connects \ 

 If he wishes 



i' kei 



mouth of Tampa 



Little Sarasota bays, and 

 herly cud of of the latter 

 ivoi'able opportunitv and 

 zen miles to Kettle Har- 

 t Harbor. 

 point, lie will sail inside to 



Punla Rassa, and a. few miles below, in sight, enter Malan- 

 zas Pass, sailing down Bsterp Bay to Esleru Pas*, where a 

 dozen mill's again of outside work will take him lo Gor- 

 don's Pass, from whence he can follow the channels along 

 the inside keys and Marco and Horr's islands to Cocoanut 

 Key, behind Cape Romano. From here to Cape Sable there 

 are outlying banks and reefs which render this portion of 

 the route smooth, and the water is quite shallow anywhere 

 within three miles of the shore, and a harbor can be found 

 at anv time behind one of the "Ten Thousand Islands." 



This would be a delightful trip in a boat drawing less than 

 a foot of water, for it is in shallow water, ami in the neigh- 

 borhood of mud flats, oyster reefs and sand banks that game, 

 fish, clams and oysters are found in their greatest 

 abundance. The cruise could of course be varied by pass- 

 ing up the numerous rivers and creeks to the mainlands, 

 ondonee in the "piney woods" venison, turkey and quail 

 could be added to the larder. 



In the Rambler most of our sailing was. Iioin choice, out- 

 side, with an oiling of from two to ten miles from the shore 

 line: but 1 hope, someday, to make such a cruise as out- 

 lined above, in a canoe, or a small boat drawing not more 

 than six iuches. In this event 1 will thoroughly explore 

 Chatham and Whitewater bays and the Western Everglades. 



So far as the east Coast of Florida is concerned, none but 

 thoroughly good sea-going Craft and experienced sailors 

 should attempt its navigation below- Jupiter Inlet, or above 

 that, point if the, outside route is taken, for the harbors are 

 few and far between and difficult to enter, some of them 

 only at high water, and with wind and tide favorable. The 

 coast is a dangerous one and subject to severe storms, fierce 

 sales and heavj seas. From Halifax River to Jupiter the 

 inside route can be safely navigated in small weatherly craft 

 via Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River, and with the tribu- 

 taries Of the latter river, and the contiguous coast, il is 

 preferable, in "b\ opinion, to the west coast for a winter's 

 sojourn, though in the eye of the sportsman each coast has 

 its special advantages. 



Kty pen is inadequate to describe the pleasures to be en- 

 loyed, and t he beaut LOS and wonders of nature to be observed, 

 during a winter spent on the southern coast of Florida. 

 The wealth and glory of the vegetable kingdom, the varied 

 and Curious forms of animated nature, and the balmy atmos- 

 phere, and suniiN skies of the Southern seas must be realized 



by appreeia'he'-aai-a-, in ,|o them justice. 



Ami ol all the pk asiue objects of l hid. perpetual summer 

 clime, (he ever present palmetto, with its beauty and fresh- 

 ness, will strike the eye of the beholder as the grandest and 

 most, graceful, and the most, characteristic and picturesque 

 feature of those sub-tropical shores. To the camper it is 

 bouse, food and raiment. A good shelter can be thatched 

 with its broad leaves; its berries are palatable, nutritious 

 and healing to the diseased lung, and furnish a good wine; 



the embryonic leaf-bud of the young tree provides a good 

 "cabbage';" two of its broad fronds hung over the shoulders, 

 in front and behind, form a waterproof garment in a shower; 

 its leaves provide a carpet, a bed, tablecloth, plates and 

 platters, and their mid ribs, forks; its drv foot-stalk fur- 

 nishes fuel, and ils fan, a torch: its green leaf stem, a fish- 

 ing-rod, or a spear; its blenched green leave, cordage, hats, 

 mats, fans and baskets. But don't sit on it-- trunk, for its 

 brittle and sharp fibre is nearly as bad as cactus prickles. 



The description of the southwest coast heretofore given iu 

 Fo»M8T ASD STREAM by Dr. Ken worthy ("Al Fresco") is 

 not in the least overdrawn, but, is a, faithful aud correct, 

 account of that section; and his sailing directions for small 

 boats can Tie implicitly relied upon; I found them of much 

 service whenever I employed them. 



The invalid afflicted with such diseases as are only- or best 

 cured by an out-door life and Nature's potent and "pleasant 

 remedies, air, sunshine, exercise, nutritious food and good 

 water, as pulmonary consumption, chronic bronchitis, dys- 

 pepsia, neuralgia, nervous exhaustion, etc.. lean confidently 

 and conscientious] v recommend the east or west coast, and 

 the keys of Southern Florida. 



At length, on the morning of the tenth day of May, I 

 stepped aboard the train of the Transit, Railroad, and was 

 soon rattling over the keys to the mainland, leaving behind 

 die broad bay, the wdiite'sails, the skimming gulls and the 

 mangroves. At last, we were whirled into Ibe pine woods 

 and hamaks. and I caught the last, grand and glorious view 

 of the boundless, blue Gulf, sleeping and shimmering in the 

 bright morning sun. 



Farewell, Florida! 



Thy stately palms and whisp'ring pines, 



Thy silent cypress, dumb 'ring vines, 



Thy orange groves and flowers rare. 



Thy spicy shrubs and scented air. 

 Farewell! 



Farewell, Florida! 

 Thy Everglades, savannas green, 

 Thy crystal streams and lakes serene, 

 Thy coral reefs, thy sunny keys, 

 Thy mangrove isles, thy summer breeze. 



Farewell I 



Farewell, Florida! 

 'Thy starry nights, thy balmy days, 

 Tby azure skies, thy sun's bright rays, 

 Thy oeean blue, thy land-lock'd bays. 

 Thy silver sheen, thy golden haze, 



FareweU ! 



1ur L nl Jj)i§toryi. 



A SALMAGUNDI OF NATURAL HISTORY. 

 In Two Parts— Part I. 



BY JOHN DEAN CATOK, LL.D 



MAJOB is a character in his way— yes, and an In- 

 structor too. He was well educated ai'the East, where 

 he was born, and came to the "Western frontier more than 

 titty years ago. Of good natural parts and a close observer, 

 lie has accumuiateda fund of informal ton. He affects an un- 

 couth form of expression sometimes, which lie contracted of 

 the backwoodsmen in early life, which pleases him much 

 better than more BChotoly language, while it serves to im- 

 part his ideas. He has all his life been a. laud surveyor, 

 often executing Government contracts, and thus have his 

 observations of men and things been extended from the 

 Ohio River to Lake Superior. He has lived in camp almost 

 as much as in a house, and his fondness for the wilderness, 

 whether forest or prairie, has never abated. Of course he 

 was an expert hunter and was sure to supply his camp when- 

 ever in regions where game abounded. 



In early life he was much addicted to language quite in- 

 appropriate to a camp meeting or the vestibule of a church, 

 but this he has succeeded in dropping out. of bis conversa- 

 tion to a large extent; but the frailty of exaggeration still 

 clings to him to a certain extent, but it. seems to lend a sort 

 of piquancy to his discourse without detracting much from 

 its iustiuctiveness ; for you readily see where' to make the 

 proper allowance to arrive at the truth he would teach. I 

 have said be was an instructor, and so he is. Nothiug 

 pleases him so much as to sit on a box in front of the store, 

 and gather about, him the boys of the town and discourse to 

 them by the hour. Often in the balmy mornings of apt ihg 

 have 1 seen the Major seat, himself on a bench or bOS on (he 

 sidewalk, when immediately the boys would begin to gather 

 around him till the passage would be fairly obstructed, 

 when the interview would begin. I have frequently stopped 

 and listened with interest and felt 1 wtts instructed, though 

 his object evidently was to both amuse and instruct, the boys. 



I cannot resist the temptation to repeat one of these infer 



One of the boys who had worked up close to him said: 

 "Now. Major, won't, you please tell us some more about the 

 Black Hawk war?" 



"Ah, my youngsters!'' said he, "you always want to hear 

 about war and bloodshed. Better cultivate I he arts of peace. 

 That war was more'n than fifty years ago, and long before 

 many of your fathers were born. . Then I won my spurs, and 

 used' them, too— at, Stillmairs Run— but we will not talk 

 aboUt that. That war was only the chirp of a cricket to the 

 roar of a lion when compared with the great war of the 

 Rebellion, which was only twenty years ago. In that war 

 I did some real service, and I may at some other time tell you 

 about my campaigns in the South, but I am more peacefully 

 inclined this morning. " 



"Well," said another boy, "tell us, then, something about, 

 this country when it was all new — when the prairies were 

 wild, and the groves had no fences around them, and the 

 deer and the prairie chickens bad it all their own way." 



"Come here, sonny," said the Major, as bis eyes sparkled 

 with the recollection" of by -gone times, "you have got some 

 sense, and I like to talk to you. roil want to know how 

 things were as God made them, and before mau bad spoiled 

 their beaut}-, and the deer and the prairie chickens were 

 plenty. Yes. this was a glorious country (hen. I have al- 

 ways believed that this was the Garden 'of Edeu. I know 

 that is so, boys, for I once saw the tracks Old Adam made 

 when he left. He was in a hurry, now, I tell you— yes, the 

 track showed that he loped along as if something big was 

 after him. I looked for Eve's tracks but could find none, 

 but she no doubt went trudging after at the best pace she 

 could, 'a-crying all the way she went,' and probably yelled 

 to him to hold up and wait for her, but if he ever did so you 



