4^4 
TRAVELS IN 
from the muddy bottom to its fnrface minute air 
bladders or bubbles: in fhort, thefe dark loath fome 
waters, from every appearance, feem to be a ftrong 
extradl or tincture of the leaves of the trees, herbs 
and reeds, arifmgfrom the fhores, and which almoft 
overfpi ead them, and float on the furface, info much 
that a great part of thefe ftagnate rivers', during the 
hummer and autumnal feafons, are conftrai; ed to 
pafs under a load of grafs and weeds ; which are 
continually vegetating and fpreading over the fur- 
face from the banks, until the rifmg floods of win- 
ter and fpring, rufliing down from the main, fweep 
them av/ay, and purify the waters. Late in the 
evening we difcovered a narrow ridge of land clofe 
to the river bank, high and dry enough to fufFer us 
to kindle a fire, and fpace fufficient to fpread our 
bedding on. But here, fire and imoke were infuf- 
ficient to expel the hofts of mufquitoes that inverted 
our camp, and kept us awake during the long and 
tedious night, fo that the aligators had no chance 
of taking us napping. We were glad to rife early 
In the morning, proceeding up the Amite. The 
land now gradually rifes, the banks become higher, 
the foil drier and firmer four or five feet above the 
furface of the river ; the trees are of an incredible 
magnitude, particularly Platanus occidentals, Frax- 
inus, ulmus, Quercus hemifpherica, &c. The 
Ganna Indica grows here in furprifing luxuriance, 
prefenting a glorious fhow; the ftem rifes fix, feven 
and nine feet high, terminating upwards with fpikes 
of fcarlet flowers. 
Now having advanced near thirty miles up the 
Amite, we arrived at a very large plantation, the 
property of a Scotch gentleman, who received me 
with 
