Sept. 21, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
359 
W E still had the same dread of stepping on a 
rattlesnake, excepting that as soon as the 
dogs pointed, we forgot all about the 
danger and pushed on just as we would have done 
in perfectly safe country. We did not see a single 
rattler all day, the ground probably being too 
wet, but about noon I almost stepped on a big 
cottonmouth moccasin. 1 will give the creature 
credit, though, for trying to get out of my way, 
as most snakes will, if they are permitted, but 
as on general principles I kill all poisonous rep¬ 
tiles, I fired quickly at a yard’s distance and 
missed, whereupon it stopped crawling away and 
raised its head, which I blew off at the muzzle 
of my gun. 
About the time that we found our third covey, 
John and I.parted company, he taking the direct 
road to the Lightsee ranch, and I following an 
old road through the forest so as to reach shoot¬ 
ing ground which had not been hunted that sea¬ 
son, and we found it, for all the coveys which 
we flushed were large ones. Our last covey for 
the day we raised near the place where we had 
decided to quit shooting, because it was getting 
late, and we did not know exactly how far we 
were from our destination. It was a splendid 
lot of birds, and after we had taken toll out of 
it we marked it well, scattered close to a dense 
thicket that they term “bay” in Florida Or 
‘Tnott’’ in Texas. The temptation to follow was 
too great, and Leonard having joined us, all 
three pushed on a quarter of a mile, finding the 
birds one or two at a time and bagging a goodly 
number in spite of the increasing darkness and 
the proximity of the thicket, to which of course 
each bird flew as it rose. After we got back to 
our buggies from this round-up, it was decidedly 
late, far too late for the distance ahead of us 
and the condition of the roads, hence we pushed 
on as rapidly as possible, trotting the horses 
wherever the road permitted. After a while we 
passed a farm house where we were told that 
the Lightsee ranch was about six miles ahead, 
and after we had gone a mile and a half or two 
miles further, we were informed at another farm 
house that our destination was still eight miles 
off—and it was ! 
By this time it had become quite dark, and 
the moon had not risen ; in fact, it was clouding 
up in the East for rain. We pushed on as fast 
as possible, but the road was either too rough 
or too wet for trotting, and we could scarcely 
see it at times. Generally we could trust to the 
mare’s keeping in it, "but occasionally she would 
wander off, then R. would have to get out and 
Sport in Florida 
By J. A. L. WADDELL 
(Continued from last week.) 
find it by lighting matches. At one place the 
trail followed a barbed wire fence, and we kept 
in proper place by traveling close thereto, but 
presently we struck a small pond or lake with 
a heavy forest beyond, and in crossing it the 
mare turned to the left and got out of the road. 
Just as we reached the timber we brought up 
suddenly with a crash. Something had broken, 
and it proved to be the whiffle-tree, of which 
the end had been snapped off. R., however, was 
equal to the emergency, for by means of baling- 
wire, some of which he invariably made a prac¬ 
tice of carrying in each of his buggies, and 
using torches prepared from paper that we had 
in our pockets, he managed to repair the dam¬ 
age and get the buggy back into the road, which 
meanwhile W. had located by means of matches 
and burning paper. Had the latter not been a 
smoker and consequently well supplied with 
matches, we might have had to stay in the swamp 
all night. That would have been decidedly un¬ 
pleasant, because when we were making the re¬ 
pairs, the rain, that for some time had been 
threatening, struck us. Fortunately we were pro¬ 
vided with waterproof coats and consequently 
escaped a soaking. 
The rest of that drive seemed interminable, 
but there were no more mishaps, and after pass¬ 
ing through a mile or two of forest we struck 
a somewhat smoother road where we made better 
time, although in our crippled condition it was 
not good policy to trot much. Occasionally we 
would see a light and think that the ranch house 
was near, but it proved to be either a burning 
stump on some ground that was being cleared 
or else a jack-o’-lantern. Our fireflies in the 
North produce quick, bright flashes, and in 
Mexico I have seen a kind that gives a con¬ 
tinuous shine from its eyes, but I had never 
seen fireflies like these, for their glow was not 
only continuous, but it appeared like a ball as 
big as one’s fist or even bigger. These lights 
generally moved along slowly a dozen feet or 
more above the ground, but once there was one 
on a fence post, and for a while I felt sure that 
it was a lantern placed on a gateway to guide 
us to the ranch. 
It must have been 9 o’clock when we reached 
our journey’s end. John, who had gotten there 
in good time, soon prepared a fine and a hot 
supper, the principal feature of which was a fry 
of some of the birds that he had taken from 
us in the morning. He had found the ranch de¬ 
serted and the door locked, but had crawled 
through a window and started a fire in the 
kitchen stove. John Lightsee, who was across 
the lake at the other ranch house where the 
famous Lightsee orange orchard is located, saw 
the smoke and surmised that some sportsmen 
had arrived, consequently he plucked half a 
gunny sack full of oranges and came across in 
the motor boat, a distance of one mile by land 
and two by water. From that time on he stayed 
with us at the West ranch house, and others 
dropped in both by land and water, as the natives 
there like company and our food was good. In 
purchasing the provisions at Bartow, Mr. W. 
had ordered enough for eight men for ten days, 
and I had added a lot of articles to the list after 
he got through, although at the time I did not 
see why he wanted such a lot of provisions. It 
seemed that he had been there before and knew 
the customs of the country. It was a great pleas¬ 
ure and satisfaction to us all to keep open house 
and to provide a good, square meal for each 
comer. Had it not been for the abundance 01 
game that we secured, our provisions would have 
run short; in fact, they did toward the last, but 
I managed to buy some from the captain of the 
steamer on its way up to Kissimmee at the head 
.of the lake. 
We had expected to catch plenty of fish, as 
the lake is a good one for black bass and two 
or three other kinds, but the weather was un- 
propitious and we did not take a single fish dur¬ 
ing the six days we were there, although we 
tried on two or three occasions. During our 
entire stay we were supplied with all the oranges 
that everybody cared to eat, and were told to 
gather what we wanted from the orchard—and 
what excellent oranges they were! I have eaten 
fine ones in Japan, China, California, Louisiana 
and Mexico, but I have never tasted any that 
could compare with those of the Lightsee or¬ 
chard. They were very juicy, unusually sweet, 
and just acid enough. We used to eat from 
four to six apiece several times a day. I sent 
a box of them to Iowa, where it arrived in 
good shape, and each season in the future I 
shall leave a standing order to have one box per 
week sent to my home during the entire orange 
season. Anyone who likes fine oranges and who 
does not mind paying high express charges can 
do the same. 
The sleeping accommodations at the ranch 
were comfortable, though limited. Leonard and 
I were given a bed in the granary and W. one it! 
John Lightsee’s room, and the others slept in 
cots on the covered porch, which ran around 
three sides of the house. 
