16 



BAHAMAN TRIP 



running west for a short distance, it turned abruptly to the south and 

 spread out into a lake-Hke expansion about half a mile wide. The 

 shores are of hard coral rock, and the pines come to the water's edge. 

 It narrowed again and finally became a deep narrow winding stream 

 that was fresh for the last mile or more of its course. At the extreme 

 head the water became shallow, the bottom rocky in places, and the 

 current quite strong, while numerous small streams trickled down the 

 steep banks, into which some had cut quite deep channels. This 

 narrow fresh part is called the '4ake. " It was here that we col- 

 lected two species of bladderwort (Utricularia), the only fresh-water 

 plants that we saw in the entire island. We must have penetrated 

 twelve or thirteen miles into the interior, through pines and palmet- 

 toes all the way until we reached the head where we found swash 

 running back perhaps two or three miles. In some places the ground 

 was covered with mangroves for a long distance. Altogether the land- 

 scape looked very much like that of the west coast. We left the head 

 of the creek at about three o'clock and reentered the broad lake-like 

 part about five, camping at six on the north shore. Here the creek is 

 half a mile wide ; to the west it extends for two miles, and you can see 

 three or four miles to the east. It is bordered by pines with an under- 

 growth of palmettoes and brier tree. 



Tuesday, May 6. Left Orange Landing, where we had camped, 

 a place with a house and a few orange trees, at about 8 a.m., reached 

 the mouth of the creek at about eleven. Here we saw Cacti for the 

 first time, the ''dildo" (Cereus Swartzii) which grew ten or twelve feet 

 in height. (We found them quite common at Deep Creek later.) 

 Yesterday the ''doctor flies" were thicker than the men had ever seen 

 them. These troublesome flies attack the feet and legs especially and 

 inflict quite a painful wound. They troubled the men much oftener 

 than they did us. About half-past eleven we started on our return 

 trip and reached Conch Sound about half-past eight in the evening. 



May 13. Our next undertaking was a walk across the island, from 

 Conch Sound to the west side. Apparently no one had ever gone that 

 way, for the men were unable to give any idea as to how long it would 

 take. On May 13, 8 a.m., we left Mr. Keith's with four men and pro- 

 visions for four days. Took a road through the pines, and in a half 

 hour reached the beginning of Johnson's Coppet, a rocky ridge rising in 

 the midst of the pines and covered with a hardwood growth. Here 



