Fehruary, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
63 
and cypress scrub were represented in 
abundance, together with cabbage palms 
of gigantic size, black and red mangrove, 
an occasional live oak and tiny commu- 
nities of wild lime and cus- 
tard apple. Mr. King jotted 
down, as well, varieties of .j" 
pigeon wood, button wood, 
sweet bay, dogwood and even 
gum eliami. \ 
Reaching upward, through • > 
these hammock and shore \ 
monarchs, was a bewildering 
number of ferns and vines — \ '^}§ 
the Virginia creeper, jungle 
vine, sword fern, palmetto, ' ' 
moon vine, resurrection \ ^ 
plant, to say nothing of yel- 
ghostly decayed trees.” 
Mr. King glanced at 
his watch. It was half 
two — and a glori- 
0 u s , drowsy, indolent 
afternoon. 
“We will equip the 
small boat for a trip to 
the interior up one of 
Bga SffVj the small creeks,” he an- 
swered, “there should be 
plenty of deer and Hen- 
■ dry will never be able to 
~ I sleep on borrowed veni- 
^ ■RrrrEI ^ 
^ I certain observa- 
I tions for my diary and 
AJlJN ... secure samples of soil 
and limestone. John Billytold Hendrythat 
there were pine lands to the North. The 
discovery of such lands would be im- 
portant. It is not popularly supposed 
that the pine will flourish out there. 
Take along your rifle and plenty of am- 
munition. Hendry has the boat ready 
now, if I am not much mistaken.” 
This was true and they entered a 
writhing tropic creek that led from the 
eastern end of Tiger Lake. It was some- 
thing like fifty feet wide here and from 
six to ten feet in depth, and ran in a 
northeasterly direction for a quarter of 
a mile, finally diverging to the North, 
shallowing as it went. 
It was perhaps a mile from the Lake 
that John begged his Father to bide a 
while, while the lines were made ready. 
Here the beautiful creek was from twelve 
to eighteen feet in depth and twenty-five 
feet wide. At one point, as they looked 
dowTi into the clear water, they could 
see a hroad limestone ridge, silhouet- 
ted against the murky bottom. Here 
there was a perceptible current of no 
less than four miles per hour. 
The shores were all that they had 
grown to expect — and more. Cypress 
a good sized deer ran out upon an open 
area, reared its beautiful head, and was 
off like the wind. The ducks grew tire- 
some, there were so many of them and 
their colors so variegated. Ibis and coot 
and the ever-present heron were singular- 
ly proof against fright. This was their 
land. Bom of it, and seldom disturbed, 
they viewed these three voyagers with 
a nonchalant indifference. 
John Billy, the Seminole who had pil- 
oted them this far, was gone. They were 
alone — impressively alone. 
“If it’s just the same to you. Father,” 
observed John, Jr., “I would rather pitch 
camp somewhere else. Dr. Tiger’s death 
house gives me the creeps. It is full of 
poison bottles, bats, frogs, lizards and 
ugly thoughts. If we remained here over 
night, I rather think the old doctor him- 
self would return from his Happy-Hunt- 
ing Grounds and play spook under the 
THE VENOMOU/ 
COPAL /NAKC 
low, scarlet and royal blue flowers — or- 
chids that flamed against the dark green 
— Tillandsia Fasciculata, wild vanilla 
and limp colorful clusters of pale purple 
air plants that baffled classification at 
that distance. 
Not once did they see a “burn” or the 
/cToi-in 
Catcm^j' a 
Baby j77aqk 
UP LosmANB 
5ting Pay 
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