In the Wilds of Florida: A Tale of Warfare and Hunting
Page 18
in two, opened and shut, biting furiously ateverything near it. We calculated that the monster weighed fully sixhundred pounds.
We afterwards killed a hawks-bill turtle and two small green turtles,the flesh of which was kept for the cabin table. The meat was preservedby being cut up into slices and hung in the rigging to dry in the sun.After this we had turtle-soup, and turtle-steaks, and turtle-hash, untilwe agreed that we should infinitely prefer some slices of mutton.
It was extraordinary to observe what tenacity of life was exhibited bythe turtles. For some time after the head was cut off it would snap ateverything near it. Even the tail wriggled about after it was severedfrom the body. Captain Crump gravely asserted that, cut up a turtle aswe might, it would not die until the moon rose. No doubt the headsstill retained their muscular power until nightfall.
While in search of turtle, we pulled over a coral reef, where the waterwas so clear that we could see to the very bottom; and beautiful indeedwas the spectacle we beheld. From the rocks grew sea-weeds of the mostbrilliant colours,--the peacock's tail, sea-fan, and other lovely forms,hanging in wreaths round the holes; while shells of every varietycovered the surface of the rocks, amid which appeared sponges, sea-eggswith long spines, and sea-anemones. Hither and thither darted fish ofevery size and hue, from huge sharks to green, red, and gold fish of thesize of minnows. On the shore of an island where we landed we found anenormous number of shells of the most brilliant colours and gracefulshapes, from which Lejoillie selected so many that we could scarcelycarry them back to the boat.
After touching at Key West, where the United States Government has anaval station, and in the neighbourhood of which a town of some size hassprung up, we steered due north, intending to proceed to Cedar Keys,where the _Great Alexander_ was to finish her voyage. The first placeat which we were to touch was called Punta Rassa, at the mouth of theriver Caloosahatchee. High up the river was Fort Myers, the mostwesterly of the line of forts extending across the country to keep incheck the Everglade Indians.
Lejoillie proposed that we should try to make our way by these forts tothe head-waters of the Saint John River, by descending which we mightreturn to Castle Kearney. Our skipper advised us, however, not to makethe attempt. He warned us that the difficulties in the way--cedarswamps, rivers, lakes, marshes, wild beasts, and savage Indians--wouldprove insuperable, and that we should probably never again be heard of.
"Consider, my friends, how much we should add to our stock of scientificknowledge," said Lejoillie, who was not to be turned from his object.
Carlos and I were ready to accompany him; but Tim, who had listenedattentively, took an opportunity of speaking to me on the subject,saying--
"It's all very fine, Mr. Maurice, for Mr. Jolly to wish to know aboutthe birds an' bastes of the country; but what would be the good to himor any one else, if he got knocked on the head and scalped?--an' fromthe capt'n's account that seems to me mighty likely to happen. I'dstick to the _Great Alexander_, an' return home in her. The longest wayround may prove the shortest way back. Or I'd wait at Cedar Keys untilwe can find a party of soldiers crossing the country to Saint JohnRiver; for, depend on it, the Indians are in a bad temper, an' itwouldn't be safe to cross the country with a small party."
I was much inclined to agree with Tim, and told him I would have a talkwith my cousin about the matter.
The river with the long name is the southernmost of three streams whichfall into a deep bay full of islets, called Charlotte Harbour. We hadnearly reached a mangrove island, called Sanibel, when a squall from theeastward struck the schooner and almost laid her over on her beam-ends.The after-sails were quickly lowered, and as she righted away she flewbefore the gale, leaving the port for which we were bound far astern.The farther we got from the land, the heavier the sea became. At lengththe tossing and tumbling to which the old schooner was exposed began totell on her hull, the seams opening and letting in the water at anunpleasant rate. The pumps and buckets were therefore set agoing, andwe all turned-to, labouring at one or the other; but in spite of all ourefforts there appeared a great probability that the _Great Alexander_would go to the bottom. Happily, however, the gale abated in time toprevent that catastrophe. Once more we hauled our wind and stood back,steering, however, for the northern entrance to the harbour, as ourskipper intended to touch at Hickory Bluff, near the mouth of PeaseCreek, instead of Punta Rassa, as he at first proposed doing. Onstanding in, however, we ran on one of the many oyster-banks which existbetween the islands. As the tide was falling, we in vain endeavoured tohaul off the schooner, which bumped pretty severely for some time,--anoperation not likely to improve her seaworthy qualities. At last wewere left almost high and dry,--the only advantage we gained from thisbeing the power of collecting an ample supply of very fine oysters.
"Ah!" exclaimed Lejoillie as he popped one after another down histhroat, "this is indeed a fine country, and might maintain a populationas dense as that of China with the abundance of food its shores andsurrounding seas afford."
"What are we to do next?" asked Carlos, when we had finished ouroysters.
"Wait till the tide rises, and then, if we can keep the craft afloat,make for Hickory Bluff, where I guess we shall have to put her on shoreand try to patch her up," answered the skipper.
"And how long will it take to perform that operation?" inquiredLejoillie.
"Maybe a week, or maybe a month," was the answer. "I guess we shallhave to put a new bottom into her, for most of her planks are as rottenas touchwood."
This was not pleasant information, as we had still some miles to sail;but we were thankful that we had made the long stretch from Key Westwithout going to the bottom. At last we did get off, and by dint ofhard pumping and baling the _Great Alexander_ was kept above water untilwe reached the neighbourhood of Hickory Bluff, on the northern shore ofPease Creek, when, the wind being favourable for the purpose, we ran thecraft at high-water right up on the sandy beach just in time to preventher sinking. As the tide on ebbing left her dry, we surveyed herbottom, when it seemed doubtful whether she would ever float again, andwe had therefore to decide as to our future proceedings. Lejoillie,after examining the map, proposed that we should pull up Pease Creek toits head-waters, whence he calculated it was about a hundred miles toLake Washington, through which the Upper Saint John River flows. Wemight perform the journey after leaving the canoe, he calculated, in tendays or a fortnight, or, by crossing another large lake in theintermediate space, considerably shorten the distance by land.
As we found no vessel sailing northward, Lejoillie's plan appeared thebest; and we accordingly, the next morning, having engaged a canoe, withtwo blacks to paddle and a white man to act as pilot, put up our goodsin compact bundles, and bade farewell to the _Great Alexander_, hermosquitoes, cockroaches, scorpions, tarantulas, fleas, and bugs, as wellas to her worthy skipper and his crew.
We then embarked on our adventurous voyage. Besides our crew, the canoeheld Lejoillie, Carlos, Tim, and me, our stores (including powder andshot), and my faithful dog Caesar, who at once took up his position inthe bows, where he sat, as if on the look-out to warn us of dangerahead. There were two spare paddles, of which Tim and I made use, as wewere ashamed of sitting idle, and we found that we could greatly add tothe speed of the canoe. Several times I felt something bump against thebottom of our craft, and, on asking our pilot what it was, he replied--
"Only maybe a shark or a devil-fish; they are pretty plentifulhereabout."
Upon looking over the side indeed, so clear was the water that we couldsee vast numbers of monster fish,--not only sharks and devil-fish, butsaw-fish, jew-fish, sting rays, whip rays, and other specimens of thefinny tribe, of great size,--swimming below and around us in suchnumbers that they threatened to upset the canoe, and we actually struckthem over and over again with our paddles.
By the time we had gone about a mile, having reached the centre of theriver, a strong breeze sprang up, and a good deal of sea constantlybroke over us, and com
pelled Carlos and Lejoillie to employ themselvesin baling. Our pilot, however, assured us that, in the course of halfan hour or so, we should be in smooth water, if we were not upset in themeantime. It made us shudder at what would be our fate should such anevent occur. However, we were in for it, and determined to keep ourcourse up the river. Our canoe, I should have said, was a dug-out, madefrom a cypress trunk, about forty feet in length and three feet inbreadth, and sharp at both ends. She had eight thwarts, on which thepaddlers sat, and a seat aft for the helmsman, who also used a paddlefor steering. For several miles mangrove trees bordered the river oneither side, without a single spot, so far as we could see, where wecould land should it become necessary. Wind and tide being in ourfavour, we made good progress; but still the water bubbled over thegunwale, and the canoe leaked considerably. Our guide assured us thatthis was nothing, and