CHAPTER VII
"Where are we now, uncle? Have we come down to Florida yet?" asked Nedat the breakfast table.
"Yes; we are now moving along down the east coast of that State,"replied Dr. Harold; "and now we may as well decide at which and howmany of its ports we will call. Should you enjoy visiting St. Augustineand Fort Marion again, Elsie?" he queried with a look of amusement athis niece.
"Oh, no, indeed, uncle!" was the quick, emphatic reply, accompaniedby a little shiver, as if the very name brought some unpleasantrecollection.
"But why not?" asked Elsie Dinsmore with a look of surprise andcuriosity.
"Oh," exclaimed Elsie Raymond, "it's a dreadful place, over threehundred years old, with dungeons where people used to be torturedlong, long ago, and we seemed to hear one of them saying, 'Here haveI lain for three hundred years with none to pity or help. Oh, 'tis aweary while! Shall I never, never escape?'"
"But as Cousin Ronald is not with us now we needn't fear a repetitionof that," remarked Dr. Harold reassuringly. "Still, perhaps we may aswell pass St. Augustine by this time, and visit places or things we didnot look at before. Mother, what do you say to seeing something of thesponging business?"
"That it would be instructive and probably quite interesting," was thepleased reply.
"Sponging business!" echoed Ned. "What does that mean?"
"The work of gathering sponges and making them ready for the market,"replied his uncle.
"Oh, I think that would be interesting!" cried the little fellow. "Dothey grow down under the water, and are they nice and clean when theyare brought up, uncle?"
"Not very, Ned," replied Dr. Harold, smiling kindly upon his youngquestioner; "but with your grandma's help I think I can give you allneeded information on the subject; and afterward you may be able to seefor yourself."
"Oh, that'll be good! Will you tell me about it, grandma?" asked Ned,turning excitedly to her.
"Sonny boy, we will have a nice talk about it in the saloon after ourfamily worship," Mrs. Travilla replied in her usual kindly tone.
"And I am sure we will all be glad to hear whatever you can tell us onthe subject, mother," said Grace. "I know it will be interesting to me,and a good preparation for the sight of the spongers' work."
The two Elsies and Alie Leland expressed their pleasure in the prospectof both the information promised by Grandma Elsie and the afterwardsight of the doings of the spongers.
"I think, if it suits you, mother," said Dr. Harold, "we will haveour talk on the sponging subject before our morning exercise upon thedeck. Sitting still for a while will aid the digestion of this heartybreakfast, and the sun will make the deck a little warmer for usafterward."
Everybody seemed pleased with that plan, and it was carried out, Dr.Harold making one of his mother's little audience.
"Haven't you a map of Florida, Harold?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, mother, I have," he replied; "also some pictures that will behelpful." He hastened to his stateroom and brought them out.
"Ah, these will be quite a help," she said. "Come, children, let uslook at the map first."
Then, as they gathered round the table on which she had laid the map,"There, on the east coast, near the southern end of the State, you seeMiami, and starting from a point near it a chain of keys, or islands,begins which extends in the shape of a horn away down into the Gulf ofMexico, the Dry Tortugas being the westernmost. Sponges are found inthe waters surrounding most of these keys, also between them and themainland as far as Cape Sable. This is called 'the key grounds.' Somefew of the people living on the larger islands and spongers from KeyWest are the only persons who engage in that work there. In the Gulfof Mexico, on the west coast, are the 'bay grounds,' which yield themost. They extend from John's Pass, a few miles north of the entranceto Tampa Bay, to St. Mark's Lighthouse."
"How far is that, grandma?" asked Ned.
"How far, Harold?" she asked.
"About two hundred miles, mother," he replied.
"There are some few sponges found between Tampa Bay and Cape Sable, butnot enough to make it worth while to take special trips to that point,"she continued.
"Now, who can tell me whether it is to the vegetable or animal kingdomsponge belongs?"
"Oh, grandma," laughed Ned, "I'm sure a sponge isn't an animal."
"Are you?" she queried with an amused smile. "Now, little girls, whatare your opinions in regard to the matter?"
"Why, I never thought of a sponge as being either an animal or avegetable!" exclaimed Alie Leland. "Which is it, grandma?"
"It belongs to the animal kingdom," was the reply. "I have never seenit in its natural state, but from what I have read and heard I knowit is a very different looking object from what it becomes in beingprepared for the market. When first brought up from the water it lookssomething like a jelly-fish or mass of liver, its entire surfacecovered with a thin, slimy skin, usually of a dark color, and havingopenings into what we call the holes of the sponge. What we call asponge is really only the skeleton of one."
"And men go down into deep water to get them, do they?" queried Ned.
"Do you know how deep the water is on this coast, Harold?" asked hismother.
"I have been told from ten to fifty feet here in Florida, mother, butconsiderably more in the Mediterranean Sea; and the finest gradesare found in the deepest water. Sponges from that sea are said tobe superior in quality to those found in either Florida or the WestIndies."
"Go on, my son, and give us all the information you can," said hismother as he paused.
"If you wish it, mother," he replied with an affectionate look andsmile. "In the waters of Florida and the West Indies the fishing isdone in flat-bottomed boats called dingies. A tin or wooden pail witha glass bottom is used to help locate the sponges by lowering it intothe water and looking down through it. When that has been done, theyare brought up by means of a pole some thirty feet long, with a sharp,curved, double hook, with which they, the sponges, are detached anddrawn up to the surface. Having gotten a boatload, it is laid out todecompose in a kraal on the beach, where it is washed by the sea. Atthat time the odor is very unpleasant. When they have been in the kraalabout a week they are beaten out with a short, heavy stick, whichremoves most of the slime and animal matter still remaining in them,and where the black scum still adheres they are scraped with a knife.The sponges are next squeezed out right thoroughly with the hands, thentaken to the shore and strung on pieces of coarse twine about six feetlong, and then they are ready for sale by auction."
"What is a kraal, uncle?" asked Ned.
"It is a pen, generally about ten feet square, built of wattled stakes,and is placed in shallow water near some key or island," replied Dr.Harold. "Here is a picture of one," he added, taking it from the tableand holding it out so that all could see.
It was gazed upon with interest. Then several other pictures wereshown, examined and commented upon interestedly--one or two spongers atwork on the water, one of them with the long, hooked pole, the othergazing through the bucket with the glass bottom.
Another picture was of the sponge yard at Key West, showing the spongesdrying. There were pictures of sponge auctions, too, and of a boatbringing sponges to the wharf at Key West.
"And can we see all these things when we get there--to Key West, Imean?" asked Ned, adding, "I think it would be a good deal better--moreinteresting--to look at them than only at their pictures."
"I hope to give you that pleasure, Neddie boy," replied his uncle,smiling on him and patting his cheek. "We will very likely have to waita day or two at Key West for your father and mother and the rest whoare to join us there and pass with us through the Gulf of Mexico on theway to Viamede."
"Is there a town there, uncle?" asked Elsie.
"Yes; a well-built one, with wide streets crossing at right angles, andhaving churches, schools and a fine Marine Hospital belonging to theUnited States."
"Hotels, too, I suppose," remarked Elsie Dinsmore, "but we won't caref
or them, having this delightful yacht to stay in."
"No; and in it we can sail about and see the originals of the pictureswe have been looking at. Large quantities of sponges, turtles and fishare sent out from Key West to our Atlantic cities. But wrecking is theprincipal business of the place."
"Why, what does that mean, uncle?" asked Ned.
"You know what we mean when we say a vessel has been wrecked, don'tyou?" his uncle asked in reply. "Well, about forty-five or fiftyvessels are wrecked in the course of a year near Key West, and thepeople of that island help to save the cargoes, doing so in a way tobenefit the owners as well as themselves. I am told they derive anannual profit of about two hundred thousand dollars."
"It (Key West) is considered an important military station, is it not?"asked Grace.
"Yes; being the key to the Florida Pass and the Gulf of Mexico,"replied Harold. "It has a large and safe harbor, which will admitvessels drawing twenty-two feet of water; and Fort Taylor, whichdefends it, is a powerful work."
"Oh, I for one expect to have a good time there!" exclaimed his cousinElsie; "we can visit the town and the fort to see what they are like,then come back to this yacht and have a good time here while waitingfor the rest of our party."
"Yes, I think we can," assented Dr. Harold. "And now suppose we allwrap up and go on deck for a little healthful exercise."
They did so, and all greatly enjoyed their promenade, though Ned soongrew weary enough to be glad to go below again and lie down for alittle nap. Grandma and sister went with him, the other children soonfollowed, and Grace and her husband were left alone together, a stateof things by no means disagreeable to either. It was still very earlyin their honeymoon, and dearly as they loved their mother and thelittle folks so nearly related to them, they were glad now and then tobe left quite to themselves--Harold that he might pet and caress hisheart's idol unobserved, and Grace that she might receive and returnsuch tokens of ardent affection unabashed by the thought of indifferentor amused spectators of the scene.
But at length they began taking note of the progress that they weremaking toward their destination, and Grace asked:
"How soon do you think we will reach Key West?"
"We are nearing it now," replied Harold, "and will anchor in the harborto-night, I think."
"Oh, I am glad to hear that!" exclaimed Grace. "And how soon do youthink father and his party will join us?"
"Doubtless in a few days we shall see them. They will come down by railto Cedar Keys, from there by steamer to Key West."
"And they will want to stay a few days to see the sponge auctions,sponge yard and so forth; and after that we will have the rest ofour pleasant journey in the yacht to Viamede, mother's beautiful anddelightful Southern home."
"To me it is both beautiful and delightful," returned Harold, smilingfondly upon her, "and I am very glad that it is to my little wife also."
"Oh, she's not so very little!" exclaimed Grace with an amused andhappy laugh, drawing herself up to her full height as she spoke.
"Yet rather small compared to your tall, broad-shouldered husband,"returned Harold, accompanying his words with a very loverlike caress.
"Now, Rory, leave off, sir; You'll hug me no more; That is eight times to-day That you've kissed me before,"
sang Grace, ending with a merry laugh.
"Then here goes another on that to make sure, For there's luck in odd numbers says Rory O'More."
rejoined Harold in laughing reply, and suiting the action to the word.
The _Dolphin_ entered the harbor of Key West early that evening andanchored near the shore. All her passengers were on deck, eager to takea bird's-eye view of the place, expecting to do more than that in themorning.
"I suppose we will all go ashore directly, or at least pretty soonafter breakfast, won't we, Harold?" asked Elsie Dinsmore.
"Hardly all of us, Cousin Elsie," replied Harold, giving Ned aregretful glance as he spoke; "the exertion would be too great for myyoung patient's strength, and surely some one of us should stay here inour yacht with him."
"And his grandmother is the very one to do that," quickly respondedMrs. Elsie Travilla.
"But, mother, you should not be deprived of the sight of this town ofKey West," remonstrated Harold, and Ned's sisters, Grace and Elsie,each promptly offered to stay and take care of their little invalidbrother. "Very good and kind of you both," remarked Harold with apleased smile, "but now I think of it, we are likely to lie in thisport for some days, and that being the case, can divide forces and maketwo trips to the town, some going to-day, others to-morrow."
"That entirely obviates the difficulty," said his mother. "I will becaretaker of my little grandson to-day, and perhaps some one else maybe to-morrow."
A sailor had been sent ashore to inquire for mail and telegrams, andnow approached our party with several letters and a telegram, that lastdirected to Dr. Harold, who took and promptly opened it.
"Ah ha!" he said with a pleased smile; "the rest of our party will behere with us soon--to-night or to-morrow, I think."
"Oh, that's good!" cried Ned joyously; "how glad I'll be to see dearpapa and mamma! With them here I sha'n't care at all for not being ableto go on shore."
Everybody else seemed to share his delight at the prospect of theexpected addition to their company, and talked merrily of what theyhoped to do and see in the next few days.
"I wish you could go ashore with the rest of us, Neddie dear," said hissister in a regretful tone, taking his hand in hers and giving it anaffectionate squeeze. "You poor little brother, it does seem hard thatyou have to miss so many of the pleasures the rest of us have."
"It's good of you to feel so for me, Elsie dear," he replied, returningthe squeeze and smiling up into her face, "but I don't mind it a bit ifI can have grandma or mamma or papa with me; they're so kind and tellme such nice stories; and I can have a rest or a nap whenever I wantit."
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