Nov. 34, 1887.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



•345 



Seminole chieftain, happened to pass the camp. He 

 wore a heavy turban on his head, a frock reaching half 

 ways to his knees and moccasins on his feet. His skin 

 had the genuine copper color of the wild Indian, and his 

 hair hung over his shoulders in long, raven-black locks. 

 He had a deer slung on his back, with a bundle of tanned 

 deer skins for trading. I learned from Mr. J. that the 

 Indians first soak then- deer skins till the epidermis with 

 the hair drops off and then pound them in a wooden 

 mortar with the brains of the deer to tan the skins and 

 make them x^liable. Charley acted very stupid, pretend- 

 ing t hat he did not understand ub. Further acquaintance 

 showed that tliis was only Indian caution before strangers, 

 putting you off your guard till, by listening to your re- 

 marks in apparent indifference, they have made up their 

 grind concerning you, and then relaxing or maintaining 

 their stolidity, according to the impression you have 

 given them — a lesson in human nature their more en- 

 lightened Whj te brethren might learn and practice with 

 profit. 



Having become disgusted with our high-top boots and 

 brogans for swamp travel we importuned Charley to 

 make each of us a pair of moccasins. Showing him 



Imper money he signified he would make a pair for a dol- 

 ar. but vrouJd discount 50 per cent, for silver. Having 

 fortunately, the morning I sailed from the North, ex- 

 changed at a bank twenty-five dollars in paper currency 

 for silver, paying 9 per oent, for the difference, specie 

 payment not having been resumed, I now had the best 

 opportunity afforded me for speculation I had ever ex- 

 perienced — a gain by the trader's own offer of 41 per 

 cent.; and thus far I regard it as the silver-letter day of 

 my life. The bargain struck, Charier unrolled his bundle 

 of buckskins, measured my foot with a stick, and with 

 only a knife and a bone awl, in half an hour made me a 

 pair of moccasins that did me excellent service for weeks 

 afterward, and are now deposited in the museum of 

 Brown University as a sample of utilitarianism respect- 

 ing our pedal extremities it were well a more boastful 

 civilization should progress to instead of torturing nature 

 with cramping shoes, in obedience to a slavish servility 

 to fashion and for the benefit of corn doctors. 



I learn that Mr. J. has the credit of causing the last 

 Seminole war hi 1857, by wantonly and purposely shoot- 

 ing an Indian squaw, that the remnant of the tribe left 

 in the swamps around Lake Okechobee, after the removal 

 of the greater part in 1843, might be more circumscribed 

 in their already narrow limits guaranteed to them by a 

 solemn treaty, and thus enable the constantly encroach- 

 ing frontier settlements of outlaws from northern Florida 

 and Georgia to enlarge their cattle, ranches— the main 

 dependence of Cuba for beef. I met many "Crackers" 

 who participated in that war of intended extermination 

 of the tribe, and it was then- universal testimony that the 

 whites were, in every instance, the aggressors. One 

 thing is certain, the word of the Indian and his general 

 adherence to the golden rule were far more to be de- 

 pended upon than the majority of the whites whom I met 

 in that locality. 



Daylight Monday morning found me mounted upon a 

 mule, starting again for Lake Okechobee in company 

 with Mr. J. Guided across the country by my pocket 

 compass and map, and disregarding turkeys, deer and 

 game of all kinds, about sundown we turned our creatures 

 loose, kindled a fire, cooked our supper, and lay down to 

 sleep at the foot of a tall pine. The night was' clear but 

 moonless, and I slept soundly despite the mosquitoes, till 

 the unearthly I looting of a large owl right over my head 

 awa,kened me. To raise my gun without raising myself 

 and drop him at my feet, was the work of a moment", and 

 to drop to sleep again was the work of another moment. 

 In the morning I found the bud within 3ft. of me, and 

 was severely reproved by my companion for not throwing 

 it into the bushes when it fell, fearing it might have at- 

 tracted the ' 'varmint" to us. Within half a mile of our camp 

 we struck the trail that led us in an hour to an Indian 

 lodge— simply a. roof -shelter of palmettto leaves, supported 

 by four posts, with the sides wholly exposed to the winds. 

 A platform of rails but two feet high, covered with deer- 

 skins, formed the couch. Outside upon the ground was 

 a lire with sweet potatoes and a corn cake baking in the 

 ashes. Upon a log near the fire sat a squaw nursing a. 

 pappoose, while a boy and girl of ten or twelve, entirely 

 naked, were swinging a younger child in a hammock. 

 As we came in sight, the pater familios, known among 

 the "Crackers*' as Tommy Tiger, planted himself in front 

 of the lodge, with folded arms, standing full six feet two, 

 clothed only in a frock reaching half way to the knees. 

 To Mr. J.'s ''Good morning, Tommy," not a word of reply 

 or movement of a muscle. "Yank, Okechobee, here night, 

 you guide, silver," was uttered by Mr. J. , partly bywords, 

 but more by signs. A shake of the head only m reply. 

 "Where's Chief Tustenuggee?" A wave of the arm by 

 Tommy signified that he was way off hunting. I then 

 broke in. "Me Yank, Okechobee, one day, silver," suiting 

 my action to my word by displaying a handful of the 

 shining halves and quarters. His eyes sparkled, and 

 turning upon his heels without a sign struck a bee line 

 for the woods. "He's gone for his pony," said the guide. 

 Observing a child enter a swamp, we followed, and cross- 

 ing a creek on narrow footlogs, came out upon a hum- 

 mock of pine land, where we found half a dozen more 

 lodges, and plenty of women and children, but no men. 

 The women were grubbing the ground preparatory to 

 planting corn. The children were amusing themselves 

 with then bows and arrows. 



These Indians, to the number of about forty families, 

 are a remnant of the Seminoles left in the Everglades at 

 the close of the war of 1857. They are not recognized by 

 the Government and maintain their original habits of 

 living by hunting and fishing in a tribal relation; electing 

 and deposing at pleasure their chief, whose word is abso- 

 lute. No missionary labor has been dispensed among 

 them, nor do they seemingly need it more than the neigh- 

 boring whites. Their singular custom of loading down 

 the female children with glass beads— necklaces obtained 

 originally from the Spaniards and passing down the 

 generations as heirlooms, must have some physiological 

 significance, which, in my ignorance of their language I 

 could not discover. A single necklace is put on at birth 

 and additions made from time to time, till I counted over 

 a hundred around the neck of a maiden of eighteen or 

 twenty, the whole weighing not less than 251bs. A very 

 aged squaw tottered around beneath a similar burden, and 

 from her erect form, I inferred the object of wearing 

 them might be to develop and preserve physical symmetry. 

 On the border of the creek I found an outcrop of coral 



rock greatly worn and decayed, with north and south 

 strike. This find strongly countenances the correctness 

 of Mr. C. J. Mayoard's conclusions respecting the geologi- 

 cal "process of land-making" by which the peninsula of 

 Florida has been formed. Simply premising tha,t the 

 theory requires there to have been in geologic ages past a 

 more or less extensive ridge of rocks along what is now 

 the western coast, as a foundation for coral building, I 

 will quote at length from the Sjwrt.wnan. in which paper 

 Mr. Maynard first published his views in 1874: 



"Ages ago these breakers which roll upon this eastern 

 sandy beach, dashed on the rocks of western Florida, 

 more than a hundred miles away. Then it was that the 

 little polyp, living far down beneath the sea, began to 

 abstract lime from the surrounding waters and build a 

 line of coral reef , just like the one which now lies along 

 the Florida Keys. When the coral rock had risen to the 

 surface of the water the action of the waves continually 

 cast sand and shells over it, gradually filling the space 

 between it and the shore. These accumulations arose 

 more rapidly immediately behind the reef and soon over- 

 topped it, rising above the surface in a long ridge. This 

 grew wider and wider, and finally became covered with 

 vegetation, presenting the appearance of a veritable beach 

 ridge like the one on wliich we stood. 



"The waves with their ceaseless motion ground and 

 beat millions of shells to pieces, just as they are now 

 beating and grinding them. The wind swept the lighter 

 fragments into the lagoon which was now formed be- 

 yond, while the waves during storms rushed over the 

 ridge and carried with them the larger shells. The sand 

 being heavier, settled down, and the shells gradually ac- 

 cumulated over it until the lagoon was filled and dry 

 land was formed, which was soon covered with vegetable 

 mold upon which grew the luxuriant vegetation of the 

 South. 



"Thus it was that a great level plain was formed, with 

 enormous depressions, in which fresh water collected. 

 These hollows then formed swamps, which overflowed, 

 and the water striving to escape to the sea marked out 

 the river beds. It can now be understood how it is that 

 the foundation of Florida is composed of lime rock. This 

 immense bed of loose fragments of shell became cemented 

 together by pressure with the help of water, and now 

 forms the underlying strata just below the surface of the 

 soil. 



"Thi? in general is the plan of the formation of Florida. 

 Two of these partly filled lagoons are now to be seen on 

 the eastern coast; Indian Eiver — which, as it has a supply 

 of fresh water continually sweeping through it from the 

 swamps at the north, will probably always remain much 

 as it is at present; Mosquito Lagoon — which, as the shelly 

 beach on the western side indicates, is now slowly filling 

 and before many seasons have passed will be solid land. 

 The water of this lagoon is very salt. The tide ebbs and 

 flows but a short distance from the inlet, which is shal- 

 low and narrow, while on account of constant evapora- 

 tion, the waters of the southern end of the lagoon some- 

 times contain 25 per cent, more salt than that of the 

 neighboring ocean. Where the beach ridge is narrow 

 the coral reef can be see just below the surface of the 

 water. The beach ridge is 25ft. higher than the surface 

 of the ocean; yet during storms the waves dash over the top. " 



According to this theory the St. John's flows in the 

 latest formed lagoon west of the Indian River, while the 

 southern terminus of the peninsula must once have been 

 north of Lake Okechobee and have been continued south- 

 erly by successive reefs curving to the southwest. 



In about half an hour Indian Tommy returned bestride 

 a pony without saddle or bridle. Girting on a blanket, 

 with stirrups of deerskin and a bridle corresponding, and 

 binding on his moccasins, with a few sweet potatoes 

 tucked into the bosom of his frock, he mounted and 

 started for the woods in a bridle-path without a sign of 

 any kind indicating his intentions. We mounted and 

 followed in true Indian file at a stiff trot for an hour, 

 without a backward look from our guide. Coming to a 

 creek bordered on either side for 50ft. with thick under- 

 brush, he dismounted and sounded the quagmire with a 

 large stick, till, finding a fording place* he led his pony 

 by the thong reins across the slough. We followed his 

 example, but when we emerged from the thicket he was 

 trotting at double speed, full quarter of a mile distant. 

 At the end of another hour he suddenly dismounted, 

 hung all his horse equipments upon a branch, turned 

 the pony loose, and sat down composedly to eating his 

 potatoes. Imitating him we built a fire, boiled our 

 coffee, broiled our venison, and at one o'clock signified 

 that we were at his service. Immediately he struck into 

 a blind trail in the unburnt grass, that terminated in 

 quarter of an hour in a cane-brake. Signifying to one of 

 us to follow a few feet to the right of him, and to the 

 other a few feet to the left, he plunged into the morass 

 parting the cane with his hands. In half an horn- the 

 water was nearing my waist, when we came upon four 

 canoes hollowed from logs. Tommy selected the best, 

 and motioning to us to get in, with some difficulty we suc- 

 ceeded, lying close in" the bottom. He then went still 

 further into the cane, till lost to view, but soon returned 

 with a long pole and a paddle. Bounding into the canoe 

 like a cat, he poled us along for an hour, when we en- 

 tered a cypress swamp, with open water among the huge 

 trunks, though greatly impeded by cypress-knees from be- 

 neath, and bramble growth from above. For once, his 

 Indian keenness was at fault, and after fruitless efforts for 

 an horn-, to penetrate the cypress slough, we worked our 

 way back to where we entered, when Tommy started off 

 waist deep in the water, prospecting. When 100ft. away 

 a low chuckle reached our ears. "He has found it," 

 exclaimed my companion, and speedily he appeared 

 with an approximation to a smile upon his counte- 

 nance, the first I noticed. Poling the canoe through 

 the cane and saw-grass to the spot, I noticed a twig 

 broken half off, 2ft. above the water and bent to the left; 

 also flags, a sure indication of a sluggish current or chan- 

 nel. Fifty feet further on a twig was broken similarly, 

 but bent to the right. Though in a creek, no current was 

 perceptible, and often a thick curtain of brambles had to 

 be. lifted by Tommy's pole while we dragged oursel ves 

 beneath. In other places logs impeded our track, which 

 we sometimes crawled under, and at other times hauled 

 the canoe over, Tommy, giant that he was, depressing 

 the bow or elevating the stern. After toiling another 

 hour in forcing our way through the cypress, and disturb- 

 ing not a few " gator, moc'sins and such like varmin," as 

 my "Cracker" companion called them, we found our- 

 selves suddenly debouching on the lake, with only a water 



horizon in front, and limitless banks on the right and left. 

 The problem is solved-there is a Lake Okechobee, and even 

 my ' 'Cracker" guide, who had been five years searching for 

 it, is obliged to give up his doubts and confess that I had 

 enabled him to find it. Before landing we paddled out 

 from the shore for a quarter of a, mile. Sounding 

 with a pole, we found it eight feet deep, and were 

 assured by Tommy it was nowhere deeper than that. Its 

 shallowness permits light winds to stir up the bottom, 

 and henae its destitution of fish, the fine sand being 

 troublesome to then' gills. My first impulse, as I stepped 

 from the canoe, was to cliinb the tallest tree and see if I 

 could discover the boat or camp of the Explorer and his 

 party. Seeing nothing of them, I contended myself with 

 cutting my name in the bark of a huge box tree, in hopes, 

 if they had not already passed this point in their circum- 

 navigation of the lake, they might find it, and thus Erwin 

 know ere we met, how well I had fulfilled my promise to 

 see the lake before leaving Florida. Two weeks later 

 they passed the point, but not near enough to discover 

 signs of occupation. It is now known as the result of 

 their exploration, that "the lake is about forty-five miles 

 in length, from north to south, and thirty in width, from 

 east to west, near the center." With the exception of 

 two small islands on the southwest border, it is an un- 

 broken expanse of water, terminating at the south in 

 "the Everglades, through which, without creek or river, 

 the accumulated drainage of thousands of square miles 

 of territory slowly percolates by millions of channels 

 with countless ramifications, to the ocean and the gulf." 

 Convinced that the shores of the lake, where I examined 

 it, were utterly barren of animated natural history, and 

 warned by the low descending sun, I gave orders for our 

 return. 



Having gratified my curiosity as to the existence of the 

 lake, I more carefully inspected the skirting cypress 

 slough on my return, and was amazed at the gigantic 

 ferns and flaming epiphytic air plants. Overarching 

 vines and Spanish moss festooned the trees, while varie- 

 gated leaves of beautiful lilies tinted the waters. But 

 hideous snakes and repulsive alligators alone represen ted 

 the animal kingdom to enjoy these rare charms of the 

 vegetable — leading me often to ask, "Why does the Cre- 

 ator so frequently display His selected skill in places 

 inaccessible to mortal man?" 



Reached the hiding place of the canoes at sundown 

 and the halting place at dusk to find our horses all eight. 

 It being too late to go further, we built our camp-fire, and 

 sharing our supply with Tommy, I lay down to sleep, 

 with a known murderer and outlaw on one side and a 

 wild Indian on the other, in a wilderness at least fifty 

 miles distant from any semblance of civilization. It was 

 impossible to prevent intrusive thoughts of suspicion that 

 my watch and silver might prove a stronger temptation 

 than their honesty could bear— especially when I awoke 

 about midnight and found Tommy stepping noiselessly 

 near my head. Instinctively one hand grasped my pistol 

 and the other searched for my hatchet, till I. discovered 

 his intentions were only to recruit the fire. To thwart 

 the clouds of mosquitoes that settled down upon every 

 exposed part of my body, and even pierced readily 

 through my sail cloth pants and blue flannel shirt, as soon 

 as Tommy lay down I parted the fire and laid myself 

 down between the two heaps, that the wind might blow 

 the pine-knot smoke across my face. As a result from 

 the gathering of the soot upon my hair and beard, I was, 

 in the morning, far more of an Indian in appearance than 

 Tommy , to his great amusement— the second time I had 

 seen anything like a relaxing ofhis facial muscles. 



Observing numerous stumps of large trees, that had 

 evidently been cut by a civilized axe, I learned from 

 Tommy that we were encamped upon the site of General 

 Taylor's great battle with the Indians in 1837, when he 

 was most disastrously defeated. Tommy explained in 

 his pantomimic way how the soldiers fled in then- retreat, 

 and also how the Indians scattered, in the final issue of 

 the war, to the swamps we had just penetrated. 



But where are our horses? Tommy climbed the tallest 

 tree, but could see nothing of them. ' Descending he took 

 a circuit, till, discovering their tracks, he darted off in a 

 tangent, returning iu a couple of hours driving them be- 

 fore him. Having Tommy to feed, we were on short 

 allowance for breakfast, but on reaching Tommy's lodge 

 at noon, he brought out sweet potatoes in abundance, 

 with jerked venison, and, as a luxury, he drew into a 

 broken gourd some honey from a bottfe made of the skin 

 of the leg of a deer, stripped off whole and plugged up at 

 the ankle end with a wooden stopper. We all dipped 

 our bread together into the gourd with a good relish— so 

 readily does real hunger do away with squeamishness. 

 After lunching, I offered the promised silver. Tommy 

 held his open palm toward me, but turned his face from 

 me. I dropped into his palm one, two, three, four half 

 dollars, when he closed it, tucked the silver away in his 

 frock, and started off, without any more of a farewell 

 than of a welcome the day before. 



For fifty years an Indian relic constructed of a dozen 

 box-tortoise shells, bound together by deer skin thongs, 

 each one partially filled with wild beans, had lain in a 

 physician's office in Providence, R. L, with the tradition 

 that it came from the Seminoles, though nothing more 

 could be said about it when it was presented to the 

 museum of Brown University. At my first sight of the 

 Indian lodges I was gratified to observe the same article 

 suspended under the roof af each one. As Tommy turned 

 to leave me I signified my desire to purchase a pair of 

 them. At first he flatly refused, but as I urged he com- 

 menced a dialogue with his squaw and aged mother, 

 which ended in his holding up one finger for one and two 

 for two, meaning a dollar for one and two dollars for a 

 pair. I readily took a pair and then -desired him to put 

 them on and show me how to use them. At that he 

 straightened up to his full height of 6ft. 2in. , folded his 

 arms and looked down upon me with such a withering- 

 frown as completely cowed me. Mr, J, instantly grasped 

 his pistol, so threatening was his scowl. But Tommy 

 quickly recollected himself, pocketed the insult and con- 

 temptuously pointing to his wife with the exclamation, 

 "Squaw danoe," turned upon his heel and left me. I at 

 once saw my mistake and how grievously I had insulted 

 him by intimating that he, a brave, should demean him- 

 self to put on an article which, I afterward learned, was 

 worn only by the squaws as a musical accompaniment to 

 their green-corn dances. Going over to her, I held out a 

 silver quarter, when she readily bound them below the 

 knee, and gave me a specimen of a Seminole reel. 

 BnowN Univehsity, Providence R. L <T, W. P. JENKS. 



