In the Wilds of Florida: A Tale of Warfare and Hunting
Page 13
assailed by a chorus ofdiscordant sounds, proceeding not only from pelicans, but from numerousother aquatic birds collected on the shores of the creek. Holding backour dogs, we made our way through a tangled wood, concealing ourselvesas much as possible, until we got within a short distance of the creek,where we lay hid behind some bushes, whence, on looking through thebranches, we were rewarded with a most curious sight. An army of whitepelicans was drawn up in a row across the middle of the creek, the waterreaching half-way up their bodies, while they stood upright with theirnecks raised in the air, evidently engaged in some important occupation,in which they were so absorbed that they did not observe our approach.They were apparently waiting in the attitude of attention for a signalfrom a large, grave-looking old pelican, the chief of their band, whostood on the shore ready to issue his orders. Presently we heard himutter two loud cries in a hollow tone, which sounded like "Heou-korr,heou-korr!" The instant the signal was given the troop started forward,beating the water with their outstretched wings, and holding their necksfar forward; their object being, as we soon afterwards discovered, todrive before them into shallow water the fish swimming in the stream.
The two ends of the line advanced faster than the centre, so that in ashort time the birds formed a vast crescent, which stretched across agood-sized bay; and as the distance from one bird to another wasmeasured exactly by the span of their wings, not a single fish couldbreak through the circle of menacing beaks. Indeed, the pelicansenclosed the fish with their united wings in a regular line as close andcompact as a trawl or drag-net. As the circle gradually contracted, thefish began to jump into the air, and to dart about in all directions,leaving many a muddy streak to mark their course.
Besides the old "fugleman", there were several other patriarchs, who nowadvanced into the water to perform the office of fishermen. Standingperfectly motionless, they seized the fish as they passed, and stowedthem away methodically in their enormous pouches under their beaks. Thewhole of this time the rest of the troop continued to beat the waterwith their wings, and appeared to be fully occupied in preventing theirprey from escaping, without attempting to catch any in their own beaks.
This curious fishing appeared to have excited immense interest among thefeathered tribes of the neighbourhood. Birds of every description werecollected on the surrounding trees, filling the air with theirdiscordant cries, apparently jealous of the pelicans, and eager to takea part in the feast which they were engaged in providing.
Clouds of gulls and sea-mews fluttered over the surface of the water,seizing any small fry they could reach, while robber crows quarrelledover scraps of stolen fish; and three or four bold grebes succeeded ingetting into the circle, where they floated and dived at leisure,successfully avoiding the numerous thrusts aimed at them by theformidable beaks of the pelicans.
Several cormorants, perched on the trunks of submerged trees, now andthen darted down like arrows on some big fish which their keen eyes hadespied, and as they rose, tossing them up in the air with their tails,they never failed to catch them again by the head, and swallow them at amouthful. The pelicans did not venture to interfere with these roversof the deep, being probably well acquainted with the strength of theirpowerful beaks. Lastly, came a mob of egrets, crab-eaters, and littleherons, which perched on the surrounding trees, stretched out theirnecks, rolled their wild eyes, and danced about on the dead branches,uttering their jealous cries, but not daring to interfere with theindustrious pelicans.
The fishing over, the pelicans arranged themselves in a circle on thesand, when those who had been engaged in fishing proceeded to emptydeliberately their pouches, spreading the contents before their graveold chief, each taking care to knock on the head any fish which wasstill living. Then, at a signal from the chief, a bird advanced, andtaking a fish swallowed it; then came another croak, and another pelicanwalked forward and took his share, and so on until every bird had beenfed.
The feast over, they began carefully to prune their damp plumage,turning their necks over their backs in a way of which I should not havesupposed them capable. Having arranged their plumage, they moved offtowards their roosting-places, and the rest of the birds which had beenwatching their departure darted down, hoping to pick up some of the fishthey might have left.
Lejoillie all the time, though scarcely able to contain himself forlaughter, was holding his gun, ready to obtain specimens for hiscollection.
At length, fixing his eye on a blue crab-eater, he fired, and the birdfell to the ground. At the sound of the shot the pelicans took toflight in good order, followed by the cormorants and crows; the gullsand terns flew off up the creek; but the herons, more courageous or morestupid, remained perched on the higher branches of the neighbouringtrees.
Not to let them all escape, I aimed at a beautiful egret with whiteplumage, and to my great delight down it fell. It was nearly three feetin height, with a long tuft of silken and silvery feathers down the backof its neck. Carlos knocked over a beautiful little bird with achestnut-coloured head, a perfect heron in miniature, but only the sizeof a thrush. Lejoillie was delighted, and would have hugged us both aswe brought him the specimens.
As there was no chance of a breeze, we agreed to spend the night onshore, where we could stretch our legs and enjoy a cooler air than wecould find in our close little cabin. We accordingly sent for a sail,rigged a tent, lighted a fire, and did our best to make ourselves athome, while Lejoillie skinned his birds and "potted" his insects, asCarlos used to call the operation.
"I wish he'd pot these mesquitoes," exclaimed my cousin, as clouds ofwhat he called "blind mesquitoes" came round us, dropping into the potin which our coffee was boiling, and covering all our food. As,however, they did not bite like the "galley nippers" of other parts, wesoon got accustomed to them, and if they added to the strength of ourcoffee we did not mind. We were not, however, allowed to finish ournight's rest. A breeze unexpectedly getting up, the skipper called uson board, and we continued our course down the lagoon. I never rememberseeing the water so phosphorescent in any other part of the world. Wecould distinguish the jew-fish, the saw-fish, and many other denizens ofthose Southern waters, which, disturbed by the schooner's keel, dartedaway in all directions in a blaze of light, every scale on their bodiesbeing clearly defined. Indeed, they looked like meteors, their rapidcourse marked by trails of light. The next day the wind was so lightthat we made but slow progress. The appearance of the shore on eitherhand was monotonous in the extreme. At length, passing the settlementof Saint Lucie, the most southern in Florida, we might have got out tothe ocean through the Indian River Inlet, but the sea was breakingheavily on the bar; and as the weather looked threatening, we continuedour course down the lagoon, steering for an opening called JupiterInlet. At night we lay-to among a number of mangrove islets, on theeast bank of the sound, being just able to see our way until we droppedanchor.
Scarcely were the sails furled than the storm which had been brewingburst above our heads. The thunder roared, lightning flashed, and downcame the rain in torrents, flooding our decks. We had to take refuge inthe cabin, which we shared with the troops of cockroaches, centipedes,and numberless other creeping things. At length the rain ceased, andthe thunder rolled away, and we were expecting to enjoy some sleep, whenclouds of mosquitoes and sand-flies came off, literally filling the air,and, finding their way into the cabin, made a fearful onslaught on ourbodies. In vain we endeavoured to shield ourselves from their sharpstings. They defied the clouds of tobacco smoke we puffed at them. Wehad no sulphur, or we would have submitted to inhale its noxious fumesin preference to being bitten by these abominable creatures.
"Have patience, my friends!" cried Lejoillie, when he heard Carlos, Tim,and me crying out as we slapped our hands and faces, and tried to driveoff our assailants; "recollect we are suffering in the cause ofscience."
"All very well for you who get the honour and glory, but, for my part, Ihope never to endure such another night of misery again," cried Carlos.
> Daylight came at last, when, going upon deck, we found ourselves in themidst of a forest of mangroves, rising some forty or fifty feet abovethe water, the lower branches, stems, and spider-like limbs, withinreach of high-tide, being completely covered with thick clusters ofoysters.
"Sure, do them shell-fish grow on the trees?" exclaimed Tim. "ThoughI've been the world round, never did I see such curious fruit."
Captain Crump explained that the young oysters seize on every hardobject on which to fix themselves; and he pointed out the mud-banks,where they lay three or four feet in depth Tim, jumping into the boat,rowed off, and soon brought back several branches of oysters, which hethought would serve us for breakfast. We found them, however, verybitter to our taste.
The skipper told us they were called 'coon oysters, as the racoons arevery fond of them, or perhaps can get at them with greater ease