country. The sight of whatmight some day become a thriving place did not afford us a favourablespecimen of the scenery of Florida. Though there was not much to admirein the city itself, we saw several country houses surrounded by trees;but we were told that the sea-beach on the eastern side of the island,to the extent of thirty miles, is beautifully level, and so hard as toafford a delightful drive or ride.
The schooner having discharged her cargo, we again sailed, steering ourcourse for the mouth of the Saint John River, twenty miles off.
As many of those who read my journal may be unacquainted with Florida,they may like to have a short description of the country. First, as tohow it came to be called Florida. It was so named, it is said, by theSpaniard, Ponce de Leon, the first European who landed on its shores onPalm Sunday, 1513, either in honour of the day--Pasqua Florida--orbecause, being struck by the number and beauty of the flowers whichcovered the ground, he denominated it Terra Florida, or the FloweryLand. In shape it somewhat resembles a boot. The northern portion,joined to Georgia, is about three hundred miles from east to west; whilethe rest of the peninsula, which may be likened to the leg, extendingfrom the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico, is about one hundred milesacross. On both shores are numerous islands and sand-banks. There areneither mountains nor hills even, the greater part of the country risingbut a few feet above the level of the sea. It contains, however, agreat many lakes and a few rivers. The largest of the latter--the SaintJohn River--rises far away in the south, frequently expanding during theearly part of its course into broad lakes, and in some places closelyapproaching the Atlantic coast. The southern point of Florida reachesto within twenty-five degrees of the equator, so that the vegetation isof a tropical character. Alligators swarm in the streams and pools;flowering shrubs of rare beauty clothe the banks of every river; andbirds innumerable inhabit the forests, lakes, islets sand-banks, andsea-coast.
At the time I speak of there were several forts, with small garrisons,scattered here and there, and a few huts and stores in theirneighbourhood; but the white settlers generally were located on theAtlantic coast or on the banks of the Saint John; while over the rest ofthe country the Seminoles, a detached tribe of the Creeks, who inhabitedGeorgia, roamed at large.
"A short time ago," observed the judge, "the State of Georgia resolvedto compel the Cherokees, the most civilised and most powerful of theIndian tribes, to abandon their territories, and remove to the westernside of the Mississippi. Though they had written laws and anestablished government, the legislature of Georgia refused to allow themthe rights of citizens, and passed a law, declaring `that no Indian, ordescendant of an Indian, residing within the Creek or Cherokee nationsof Indians, shall be deemed a competent witness or party to any suit orin any court where a white man is defendant.'
"Notwithstanding this, the Cherokees still determined to remain on theland of their fathers; but when they found that the whole of the whitesettlers of Georgia were arrayed against them, knowing that ultimatelythey would be compelled to succumb, they accepted the offers ofgovernment, and agreed, provided they were allowed time, to part withtheir lands and to remove to the territories allotted to them. TheCreeks, then a numerous tribe inhabiting the western portion of Georgia,followed the example of the Cherokees, and consented to remove westward,although great opposition was offered by many of the chiefs to thistreaty with the white men.
"The government of the United States, having succeeded with these twotribes, came to the resolution to deal with the Seminoles in the samemanner, and had already issued a notice to their chiefs, ordering themto make preparations for migrating westward.
"Such was the state of the country at the time of which I am speaking."
Rochford listened to the account given us by the judge, of which theabove is only a brief outline. I observed his eyes flash, and thecolour mount to his cheeks, but he restrained his feelings sufficientlyto keep silence.
"I am more determined than ever to visit these ill-treated Indians, andendeavour, by some means or other, to serve them," he said to meafterwards, as we stood together at a distance from the rest of theparty.
"Let me know when you go," I said; "for I should like to visit the redmen in their native wilds, and learn their ways and customs."
"I will not fail if I have an opportunity," he answered. As Lejoilliejoined us just then, he made no further remark.
In about three hours we were opposite some sand-hills and a lighthousewhich mark the entrance to Saint John River; but as a long line offoam-covered breakers was rolling over the bar, our skipper ordered thesheets to be hauled aft, and we stood off, waiting until the tide hadrisen and we could pass with safety.
We had plenty of time to examine the lighthouse, which appeared to beentirely surrounded by the foaming sea. Many a gale it had stood, andbeing composed of solid masonry, it seemed capable of standing manymore. Through our glasses we could distinguish a female form standingon the gallery. We inquired of the skipper who she was.
"She is the keeper's wife; they say she's not altogether right in hermind, so he brought her there, that she might be out of harm's way. Myidea is, she was fond of the bottle; but as she's kept on shortallowance out there, she is not likely to be the worse for liquor."
"Poor creature! what a terrible existence for her, to be compelled tolive from month to month surrounded by water, without seeing any oneexcept her husband and his mate!" observed the judge's wife.
"To my mind, marm, she's better off up there out of the way oftemptation than she would be if left at home alone hankering after thegrog bottle. Maybe by the time she gets ashore she'll be cured, andhappier than she was before," observed the skipper.
After making several tacks in sight of the lighthouse, we again keptbefore the wind, and the skipper taking the helm, we dashed on boldlytowards the line of foaming breakers. The water bubbled and hissedaround us, sometimes leaping up and falling with a splash on our deck.The schooner sailed on, and in a few minutes we were gliding calmly upthe Saint John River, here a mile broad. We kept to the south shore forsome time, till we came to a cliff some twenty feet in height, coveredat the summit with palmetto, pine, and cedar.
Lejoillie inquired of the skipper the name of the cliff, and was told itwas called Saint John Bluff; upon which he looked at it with greatinterest.
"Ah! I thought so," he said; "it is the scene of the death of many ofmy compatriots. Have you not heard the story?"
"No," I replied; "I thought the Spaniards were the only Europeans whoheld possession of the country until it was taken from them by theEnglish, and being afterwards restored, was sold to the United States."
"Ah! but I speak of some centuries ago, as far back as the year 1562.The brave Admiral Coligny wishing to found a settlement in the NewWorld, where his co-religionists might be freed from the persecutions towhich they were subjected, sent out a stout Breton navigator, JeanRibaut, to search for a suitable spot.
"Entering the Saint John River, he fixed on yonder bluff, and, takingpossession of it in the name of the King of France, he erected a stoneto mark the site, and returned home with a favourable report. In ashort time three ships were got ready to convey a large party ofcolonists, under the command of a Huguenot gentleman, Rene deLaudoniere. On their arrival in the river, the Huguenots built a fort,which they called Fort Caroline, and strengthened it by stockades,behind which they might be able to defend themselves against theIndians, who, ill-treated by the Spaniards, had learned to look upon allwhite men as their enemies.
"For many months the colonists were ill supplied with provisions, buthoping to receive them from home, they struggled on, though closelysurrounded by hostile natives. At first they endeavoured to win overthe red men; but, pressed by hunger, they made prisoners of some, whomthey detained as hostages, threatening them with punishment if food werenot brought to the camp. The Indians, resenting this treatment,informed the Spaniards of the state of the French settlement, when Pedrode Menendez, who was engaged in the colonisation of the West
Indies,landed on the coast, some miles south of the River Saint John, at thehead of a large band of ruffian troops. Guided by a party of thetreacherous Indians, he and his band made their way through the forests,and fell suddenly, sword in hand, on the almost defenceless colonists.Not a human being who could be overtaken was allowed to escape; men,women, and children were ruthlessly slaughtered by Menendez and hissavage followers. When the work was done, he set up a stone, on whichhe caused to be engraved, `Not to Frenchmen, but to Lutherans andheretics.' Laudoniere, with a small party of followers, had beenoutside the fort when it was attacked. Getting down to the shore, theymade their way on board a ship, one of a small squadron, under thecommand of Jean Ribaut, which had just arrived with new settlers andfresh provisions for the colony. The ship on board which the gallantBreton sailed had not reached the mouth
In the Wilds of Florida: A Tale of Warfare and Hunting Page 3