very one present, did this lakelet of crystal waters receive its name.

The blacks crowded around the canoe, and while feeling its firm texture,
and wondering at the long distance it had traversed, expressed
themselves in their peculiar and original way. One of their number,
known as a "tonguey nigger," volunteered to explain the wonder to the
somewhat confused intellects of his companions. To a question from one
negro as to "How did dis yere Yankee-man cum all dis fur way in de
_paper_ canoe, all hissef lone?" the "_educated_" negro replied: "It's
all de Lord. No man ken cum so fur in a _paper_ boat ef de Lord didn't
help him. De Lord does eberyting. He puts de tings in de Yankee-man's
heads to du um, an' dey duz um. Dar was de big Franklin up norf, dat
made de telegraf. Did ye eber har tell ob him?"

"Neber, neber!" responded all the negroes.

Then, with a look of supreme contempt for the ignorance of his audience,
the orator proceeded: "Dis great Franklin, _Cap'n_ Franklin, he tort
he'd kotch de litening and make de telegraf; so he flies a big kite way
up to de heabens, an' he puts de string in de bottle dat hab nufing in
it. Den he holds de bottle in one hand, an' he holds de cork in de udder
hand. Down cums de litening and fills de bottle _full up_, and Cap'n
Franklin he dun cork him up mighty quick, and kotched de litening an'
made de telegraf. But it was de Lord--de Lord, not Cap'n Franklin--dat
did all dis."

It was amusing to watch the varied expression of the negroes, as they
listened to this description of the discovery of electricity, and the
origin of the telegraph. Their eyes dilated with wonder, and their thick
lips parted till the mouth, growing wider and wider, seemed to cover
more than its share of the face. The momentary silence was soon broken
by a deep gurgle proceeding from a stolid-looking negro, as he
exclaimed: "Did he kotch de bottle _full_ ob litening, and _cork_ him
up. Golly! I tort he wud hab _busted_ hissef!"

"So he wud! so he wud!" roared the orator, "but ye see 'twas all de
Lord--de Lord's a-doing it."

While in Florida I paid some attention to the negro method of conducting
praise meetings, which they very appropriately call "de shoutings." If I
give some verbatim reports of the negro's curious and undignified
clerical efforts, it is not done for the purpose of caricaturing him,
nor with a desire to make him appear destitute of mental calibre; but
rather with the hope that the pi