April 27, 13S3.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



24B 



that the sraaflost silver coin may be followed by 1 1 te eye as 



it sinks to tin/ limestone ledges sixty feet beneath the sur- 

 face. 



To ascend klie Oeklawaha by steamer was interesting, 

 though oommonplace; to descend it by dug-out -would BU- 

 ojuice every beauty and add the poetrv'of exploration to the 

 prose of ordinary travel. A boat was hired, a companion 

 was m readiness, and ere the ,sun iiad set on the day of our 

 arrival, we -were gliding down the stream. For the use of 

 e paid two dollars) she was low, flat, and fifteen 

 feet in length, propelled by paddle power. The Okahumkee 

 was to take her back when we should reach the St. Johns, 

 on her return trip. Then of the storekeeper who had thus 

 honored us with his confidence; we made a purchase for 

 the trip: a blanket, matches, some, fishlines, crackers, sar- 

 dines, tin cup, sugar unit eggs. Paddle in hand, wo drifted 

 down Silver Spring Han, borne along bv a four-mile current, 

 walls of huge cypress and plots of beautiful lilies, 

 a turn every hundred yards, and every bend revealing some 

 new beauty. Every object on the stream was clearly reflected 

 and the minutest particle visible on its bed as in the spring 

 itself. Every little while the current was increased by other 

 springs that caused miniature whirlpools above the deep 

 caverns whence they sent out their aqueous tribute. 



"Seems like a dream," .said Long, my companion, "to be 

 Swept so swiftly onward, past such a' ceaseless panorama 

 pf beautiful scenes." 



Five miles down we passed a beautiful orange grove grow- 

 iug in a deserted clearing, and Long clambered ashore, over 

 fallen limbs and drift logs, and secured a cluster or two of 

 "bitter-sweets." Here the stream was bordered with scarlet 

 cardinal flowers, wild verbenas, yellow lilies, fragrant 

 nymphiea, and lance-leaved sagittarias. 



The Oeklawaha has its source in some small lakes south 

 n ud west of Silver Spring, though the latter contributes the 

 greatest volume of water. At the confluence of the "run" 

 with the main stream we found a barge, old and abandoned, 

 and here we baited a while to take a parting glance at the 

 silver stream, which plunged into and was lost in the tur- 

 bid, sluggish current of the Oeklawaha. Just a hundred 

 miles lay ahead of us before the river joined the St. Johns, 

 a hundred miles through a swamp, gloomy and forbidding, 

 with only at long intervals an elevation high enough for' a 

 camp at night. The sun was setting as w r e again entered th a 

 boat, turned her head down the stream and to the centre of 

 the sombre channel. 



"Over our heads the towering, tenebrous boughs of the cypress 

 • 3Iet in a dusky arch, and trailing mosses in mid-air 

 Waved like banners that, bang on the walla of ancient cathedrals: 

 Death-like the silence seemed, and uubrokeii, save by the herons, 

 Home to their roosts in the cedar trees returning at sunset, 

 Or by the owl, as he greeted the moon with demoniac laughter. " 



In the gloom we drifted uncertainly: the prospect for a 

 dry camp was not promising, but in turning a bend we saw 

 a light, an open fire: near the fire was a woman, over the 

 lire was an iron pot. both, pretty certain evidence that there 

 must be a man near, and hence a shanty and civilization. 

 But this woman advised us not to camp there; she " 'lowed" 

 the hind was high and dry and the light-wood plenty, but, 

 in her opinion, the wafcar was bad, and would "even spile 

 ef yer had any." The yearning expressed in 

 "that woman's face as she interjected this — "ef yer had any," 

 caused us both to cast an involuntary glance at the 

 blanket covering our outfit, and then sped us on out- 

 way without regret. A mile below we found a place for a 

 camp, landed and made a fire, and, with sardines, tea and 

 crackers, and a dessert of wild oranges, supped satisfactorily, 

 A pile of palmetto leaves formed our bed, and here, at our 

 first camp, arose our first dilemma. We had but one 

 blanket. By lying down in that interesting position known 

 as "spoon fashion," we could barely manage, to make it 

 cover us. The question arose: Should wo sleep on the 

 hlanket or under it; should it cover us or we it? This was 

 so perplexing a problem that we sat up half the night trying 

 to solve it. At last it was decided that one of us should 

 sleep outside and the other inside, taking turns at intervals 

 of three hours. We drew T lots for position, and it fell to 

 Long to take the first outside ; but I had not slept half an 

 hour before I awofee shivering with cold and found my 

 friend rejoicing in a whole "inside," which he had secured 

 by rolling over. After this we slept beneath the blanket, and 

 placed heavy stones at the corners to keep it down. The 

 man with heaviest ballast on his sido generally secured the 

 greater portion of hlanket. 



As our fire blazed brightly far into the night, it attracted 

 the attention of some men who had been out hunting 

 limkins, or Indian pullets, and they alarmed us by landing 

 and inspecting the camp. We had but one firearm" between 

 us, and that a small revolver, which we both instinctively 

 grabbed for as we awoke and saw those evil-looking faces 

 bending over us After a social smoke and a pull at the 

 bottle they departed, with little speech, save to warn us 

 against burning too much light-wood from the pile near us, 

 as "the man ez cut that ere light- w r ood mought bring in a 

 bill afor sun-up." This vision that they had evoked of the 

 watchful wood-cutter, filled us with apprehension, and one of 

 us kept hourly watch, in momentary expectation of being 

 prodded with a knife or plugged with a bullet. The stars 

 twinkled, the frogs and lizards chirped, the owls hooted, the 

 limkiu sent out his maniac laugh, and the night was vocal 

 with their medley. 



The "limkin," or "crying bird," is such a queer ornitho- 

 logical specimen that I cannot refrain, in this connection, 

 from quoting its quaint, description by Bartram. One hun- 

 rs ago this enterprising botanist penetrated the then 

 wilderness of Florida, and discovered many things new and 

 strange, among others the limkin. "There 'is inhabiting the 

 low shores and swamps of this river and the lakes of Florida 

 a very curious bird, called by an Indian name, Epkovskyca, 

 which signifies in our language the Crying Bird. It is about 

 the size of a large domestic hen, all the body above and be- 

 neath is of a dark lead color, every feather edged or tipped 

 with white, which makes the bird'appear speckled on a near 

 new. The eye is large and placed high on the head; the 

 hill or beak is five or six inches long, arched or bent gradu- 

 ally downward, and flatted at top and beneath, which makes 

 it appear four-square for more than an inch. The tail is very 

 short, and the middle feather the longest; the two shortest 

 or outermost feathers are perfectly white, which the bird has 

 a faculty of flirting out as quick as lightning, especially 

 when he hears or sees anything that disturbs him, uttering 

 at the same instant an extreme harsh and loud shriek." 



This bird uttered its "extreme harsh and loud shriek" all 

 the night through, and thereby much disturbed our rest. At 

 five in ihe morning we arose from our palmetto couch, cold 

 and stiff, enveloped in a tog that covered river and swamp. 



The renewing of the fire under these circumstances was a 

 matter of extreme discomfort: but the crackling of twigs 

 and the blazing of pine-knots soon enkindled In us a flame 

 that quickened pulse and limb. To remove the last vestige 

 of fog and chill from our systems Long brewed a pint cup of 

 egg-nog, that is what the sinful would call it, but he said it 

 was not regular egg-nog, as it lacked the principal ingredient, 

 against which total-abstaiuers set their faces. 



This was Sunday; there arose a. question between us, 

 whether we ought to tie up and lie idle all day. or let the boat 

 drift with the current. Long advanced the rather specious 

 argument, that drifting was not working: that the stream 

 performed its allotted task in obedience to the mandate of a 

 Sreat Creator, that it followed on and on, Sabbath and week- 

 day alike; that we might launch our boat and drift upon its 

 bosom without a qualm from even consciences like ours, that 

 had been made tender by New England precepts, and case- 

 hardened by repeated applications of Shorter Catechism. 

 "Again," he said, -look at our provisions! a few eggs, a lit- 

 tle sugar, and two or three oranges, to say nothing of the low 

 state of our flour and pork!" 



His unrighteous argument prevailed. we launched our skiff 

 and drifted with the current. We passed shelly bluffs with 

 uuderstratums of lime-stone, above which were fields of 

 limited extent containing sheep and bleating lambs. As if 

 further to recall visions of a Northern spring, on this January 

 day. we startled, every now and then, great flocks of black- 

 birds from the corn-like grass, which flew into the trees with 

 whistled "chick-arees;" and a robin, a few warblers, and a 

 wren, completed the illusion. The river narrowed, and 

 graceful palms stood up at every point, bignonias and lilies, 

 and water lettuce joining their bases with the water. We 

 drifted through beautiful channels and looked down long 

 vistas between palmettoes and cypress festooned with vines, 

 their images reflected in the mirror-like surface. 



Must I pass this dream-land through and by, without secur- 

 ing a more lasting impression than my eye'c.an carry to my 

 senses, in this transitory fashion? No f I would photograph 

 its beauties, as I had done at Silver Spring; for a camera and 

 a "dark-tent," containing chemicals and plates, folded into the 

 compass of a large valise, were part of my outfit. But it was 

 the Sabbath! 



Again, the over-ready Long came to my aid with argu- 

 ments in favor of improving the time as "we went along. 

 "Here were scenes unfolding that we should never look upon 

 again; unless now secured they would be forever lost to us 

 and the world." He prevailed; he had let down the bars at 

 Sunday Bluff, he now drove me into the pasture. The dark- 

 tent was opened and a plate dipped inthe silver bath, while 

 the camera was focused in position. 



Drawn out from the. "bath," the plate was perfectly trans- 

 parent; it should have been coated with a creamy film. An- 

 other was tried and the bath strengthened, but with like re- 

 sult. In making the collodion my assistant had left out the 

 iodizer. Then my heart sank into my boots, for there .was 

 no more collodion nearer than Palatka.'lOO miles away! We 

 packed up and paddled on in gloomy silence. The same thought 

 scented to be passing through our 'minds, for suddenly Long 

 broke out with, "Well, you didn't break the Sabbath so very 

 much, after all, did you?" 



In the afternoon our lesson of the morning was emphasized 

 by our bringing up against a great log fallen across the 

 stream, and by our having to row several miles back to the 

 main channel against the current. A little attention would 

 have prevented this mistake, as that river was as distinctly 

 "blazed" as any path through the forest by the steamboat 

 bumps and bruises on logs and trunks of trees. At one 

 point in this tunnel through the swamp the trees approach so 

 that there is a passage, of only twenty-two feet in width, and 

 the steamers have but a foot "to spare on either side. This is 

 called the "gate," the gate-posts being two mighty cypresses, 

 their broad buttresses extending deep down into the mud, 

 their ghostly arms and fingers of limbs and branches stretched 

 toward the sky far out of sight, above the overarching canopy 

 of twigs and mosses. Just below the gate is the town, and 

 landing of Eureka. What the cracker who opened the place 

 to the world fouud here when he bestowed upon it the name 

 above puzzled us to find out. What we found was a landing 

 of stumps, with a plank leading to firmer land beyond. A 

 sagacious man must he have been who bestowed this cogno- 

 men upon this landing. He knew of the weakness of the 

 world in general — to give credit always for what is expressed, 

 without questioning; for, the vision of passing travelers being 

 limited by the harrier of cypress, they would be prone to 

 imagine the unseen land beyond as possessed of charms un- 

 utterable. 



But I later had cause for imitating the example of the 

 grand old Greek, and joyfully shouting Eureka! at the top of 

 my lungs, for I found here that which enabled us to sail 

 serenely on dowm the stream, picturing its beauties as we 

 went. A man who met us as we paddled up to the plank at 

 dusk informed us that the owners of the clearing, the "Har- 

 rison boys," were absent, but extended an invitation to their 

 cabin. Securing our boat, wefollowed our new acquaintance 

 to a humble hut of logs, where he made us welcome. The 

 inevitable hog and hominy was our fare and the floor our 

 bed, but we spread the blanket contentedly, being full of 

 good cheer, with a fire on the hearth before us and a roof 

 above us. At about midnight we heard the tramp of horses' 

 feet, and two brawny men soon after entered, each with a sad- 

 dle and bridle over his arm, which he flung into a corner, 

 Of course they discovered us lying on their floor, and after 

 the first start drew their housekeeper aside and questioned 

 him. My dark-tent, being the most conspicuous portion of 

 my luggage, excited remark, and one of the newcomers 

 launched at once into a knowing dissertation upon negatives. 

 Hearing this, Long nudged me, who required no jogging, 

 for at the first discussion of photographic lore 1 was on end 

 immediately. 



"This feller says," quoth the man who had invited us here, 

 "thet he's gut tew go to Palatky fer chimmykels; thet he 

 wants tew photygraph the hull darned river, but his col- 

 colly-something's* give out." 



"Collodion's what you mean, ain't it?" 



"Yis, thet'sit; he's feelin' kinder pokey about it, 's right 

 smart daown in the mouth. Naow, John, you've gut some 

 uv thet air. ain't yer?" 



"Yis, I've gut a bottle on't somewhar. " 



"What will you take for it?" 



Their backs were turned toward us and the conversation 

 had been carried on in a low tone for fear of awaking us. 

 To say that they were surprised at my sudden demand would 

 be stating it but mildly 



"What will you take for that bottle of colloi lio 



A satisfactory bargain was concluded, and after much 

 conversation we retired, happy to find, in this isolated clear- 

 ing, far from any settlement, one of those deluded b<*i£s who, 



at some perform of thru liv.v- imagine they will wrest a 

 fortune from the world as peripatetic photographers; 



The young Harrisons had here a comfortable cabin, ten 

 acres of cleared land, with various outbuildings, a large 

 garden well planted with thrifty orange trees, "and at the 

 river a warehouse, and a grist mill and cotton-gin run by 

 steam. They had taught themselves everything pertaining 

 to the running of the engine and eotron-srin, and seemed to 

 be young men of more than ordinary intellitrenoe. How it 

 warms one's heart to recall, even after the "lapse of years, 

 such instances of cheerful pluck and large-hearted endeavor 

 as were here manifest. Many a time, when reflecting upon 

 the great number of yoUng men in our cities earning a pre- 

 carious living by doing woman's work behind counters and 

 in office, have 1 recalled the noble exertions of these cheerful 

 young men in this clearing in the wilderness. Thousands of 

 acres pf land are open to trial in this land of sunshine, which 

 will give a young man decided returns for outlay of labor, 

 in, at least, refreshing slumber and a contented spirit. 



At noon, next day, we drifted down again, through the 

 same tortuous windings, to Log Landing. A picturesque 

 little creek tempted us to make "a side-exploration, and we 

 rowed past a thrifty little settlement, containing a nursery 

 of orange trees, cotton and sugar cane, to where ti large 

 waterwheel was slowly revolving; and this made such a 

 pretty picture, with "its background of palmettoes aud 

 cypress, that I tried it with nry new collodion with success. 

 The creek had been dammed and furnished sufficient water- 

 power to turn this wheel with its dependent cotton- gins, 

 rice mill and grist mill. In this manner, all over the State, 

 are the citizens of Florida settling the. problem of its future. 



Running out of the creek into the river we rowed on. the 

 banks not notably pretty, though hung with an increased 

 abundance of bignonias, past Forty-foot Bluff, a long, high 

 ridge, crowded with palmettoes and deciduous trees. In' a 

 couple of hours we suddenly came upon a lone and dilapi- 

 dated warehouse standing on the river's bank, with a great 

 pile of light- wood and orange-box shooks its only company. 

 This, we concluded, was Iola, where, we had been told, We 

 shoidd find food and lodging. There was no other sitrn of 

 house or individual, but after a long walk we reached a 

 rambling, disjointed planter's dwelling; surrounded by fields 

 run wild of wild plums and cane grass. In these fields wdld 

 rabbits and gophers burrowed in abundance, and flocks of 

 small birds dwelt in the mulberry, oak and China trees that 

 surrounded the stables and cookhouse. Here we were made 

 welcome and our goods locked up in the warehouse. 



From this point, the famous Orange Lake was at that time 

 reached, and we hired a cart, with mule aud attendant driver, 

 to transport us thither, desiring to see a native wild grove in 

 process of being subjected to man. At Oeklawaha Church, a 

 noted landmark, we met the parson on his circuit, which 

 embraced the territory lying between Orange Springs and 

 Silver Springs, twenty-five miles by land, aud seventy-five 

 by river. The road was stumpy and sandy, passing through 

 palmetto scrub and pine barren, and there were very few- 

 sett lets. About ten miles out we crossed a graded roadbed. 

 once intended for the railroad from Waldo, on the "Florida 

 Road," to Ocala, a thriving settlement in the interior. There 

 were trees growing on it six inches in diameter, showing that 

 Florida was alive to her prospective needs, and even antici- 

 pated them. A further travesty on enterprise was furnished 

 in the town of Greeley, where house and town lots were for 

 sale of barren sand. 'Though surrounded by beautiful oak 

 and hickory hammock land, this town of Greeley was barren 

 of inducements and something more than premature in its 

 inception. The widow Who Owned the house at the river, 

 had expatiated upon the beauties of the wild grove at Orange. 

 Lake in such glowing language, that both Long and myself 

 had departed from our intended route and gone to the dis- 

 comfort of this ride of twenty miles in a mule cart. The 

 grove itself was so far beneath our expectations, that we 

 returned three days later in a pet. it was at first proposed 

 to pass the house and go on to the river, but our better feel- 

 ings prevailed and we concluded to stop and say good-bye. 

 Arrived there, we found tjie widow departed, but her two 

 demure and pretty daughters in possession and awaiting us 

 with a tempting dinner. Ah! but that was a temptation to 

 stop. But we were thoroughly mad, from our three days of 

 jolting, and steeled our hearts 'and our stomachs and turned 

 our faces to the river. The girls seemed grieved that we 

 should slight their hospitable preparations, and I confess to 

 a pang of remorse, even at this day, five years later, that we 

 should have allowed ourselves to be so ungalhtnt. The 

 younger damsel, a black-eyed, tangle-haired beauty of sixteen, 

 did not appear to credit our intentions of leaving, and darted 

 into the garden for some oranges for dessert, ana we saw her, 

 as we passed, plucking the golden fruit from the trees. 



"Look, Long! Did you ever see a lovelier picture?" She 

 stood in the sunlight, with hat hanging loose, clad in pure 

 white, brought into beautiful and strong relief against the 

 dark green of the orange trees. 



"No," replied the unhappy Long, "I never did; but we 

 can't go back in honor, now;" let's go on." And so we left 

 the plantation, with many a backward glance, aud reluctant 

 feet. But we w T ere. well punished for our stubbornness thai, 

 night, by a supperless camp and misfortunes that the sequel 

 will show, 



Paddling on, we reached at dusk an overgrown clearine,, 

 which, seen through a vista of cypress trees hung with Span- 

 ish moss, aud containing a small shanty, invited lis to cesl 

 there for the night. No man disputed our entry, and we cut 

 fresh leaves for a bed and built a fire near the "lean-to" roof 

 of palmetto fans. Having now nothing but our ten and a 

 few crackers, we soon had supper disposed of and essayed to 

 sleep. It must havebcen about midnight— everything of im- 

 portance a) ways occurs at midnight, in a well-conducted camp 

 — that Long leaped up with a loud shout and, to my aJaJ Uli 1 

 and sleepy eyes, appeared trying to divest himself of all his 

 apparel. 



"I've got a centipede on me, or a scorpion; he's crawling 

 down my back. There I there he. is; by Jove, but What a 

 beast!" And he jerked something out from under his vest 

 and flung it on the ground, stamping it out of shape ID a 

 second. "Pooh!" said I, "it wasn't anything harmful, there 

 isn't anything of that kind here. Don't you remember wdiat 

 the land company's books say — 'there are are no noxious in- 

 sects— not one— in the entiiv' State'-.'" "But thai waan'l 

 insect, he was too big; he spread himself the whole length 

 of my spine." "Oh, that's all imagination, you mustn't let 

 such little tilings— Jerusalem! Long, just reach down my 

 back antl catch that animal. Oh, I know this is a centipede. 

 sure; he's got a thousand and one legs." 



No, you don't," retorted the unfeeling Long, "then 

 'no noxious insects in Florida, hey I How do you like it?" 

 Meanwhile I was writhing in an agony of apprehension, feel- 

 ing a most horrible rasping on my skin from this infernal 



