THE CAPE SABLE REGION OF FLORIDA 21 



Our next harbor was Lossman's Key, which is about 

 half way between Cape Sable and Chokoloskee Pass. 

 We made a landing on the island and searched for a 

 reported hammock with royal-palms, but were unsuc- 

 cessful in our quest. Returning to the "Barbee" we 

 tried to locate the channel leading into Rodgers River. 

 This river rises in the Everglades and flows through the 

 Ten Thousand Islands into the gulf at the southern end 

 of Lossman's Key. Darkness overtook us before we 

 found the channel, however, so we anchored ofif shore 

 for the night. The following morning before sunrise we 

 started again in quest of our elusive river, this time in 

 one of our small boats ; and, having found it, proceeded 

 with our exploration. 



Once above the mouth of Rodgers River, as of similar 

 rivers hereaouts, one finds a confusing maze of channels 

 winding among myriads of mangrove-clad islands — alto- 

 gether a labyrinth of the first order. But we ascended 

 the river to a point where, instead of mangrove, the 

 higher land supports hammock. There stately royal- 

 palms rose to heights of over one hundred feet, conspicu- 

 ously overtopping all other vegetation. 



The channels here, and everywhere, were filled with 

 myriads of oyster-bars. And although it was doubtless 

 from some of these bars that the numerous ancient mid- 

 dens came into being, they still furnish an inexhaustible 

 supply of oysters. 



We returned to the " Barbee " about noon and started 

 for Flamingo. We were soon at 'our destination, and 

 delayed just long enough to readjust our cargo and load 

 the large collection of orchids we had stored the previous 



