Buck pried his mouth open, so that the ladies could see his teeth.
Cornwood asked Miss Margie if she did not want a piece of him for her
supper, declaring that he had eaten a portion of the tail, which he
considered very good. The English maiden preferred beef and mutton.

We did not want the alligator, and we left him where he was. Cornwood
said some native would take possession of him, and in two or three
months his teeth would be for sale in the stores at Jacksonville. We
were on board in time for dinner at one, the hour at which it had been
ordered. In the afternoon I received a visit from the gentleman who was
sailing the little steam-yacht near us. He was a New Yorker, spending
the winter in Florida, and had his wife and daughter on board. I
introduced him to our party, and showed him all over the Sylvania.

CHAPTER XXV.

ALLIGATOR SHOOTING ON BLACK CREEK.

After supper I returned the visit of Mr. Garbrook, the owner and
captain of the little steam-yacht. She was a perfect beauty, and, small
as she was, she had two state-rooms for the owner and his family, and a
nice little cabin. The whole ship's company besides the owner,
consisted of an engineer and a boy. Forward of the engine were a
cook-room, a little cabin, and the pilot-house, the latter so small
that only one person could occupy it at the same time.

"Who is the cook?" I asked, wondering how he managed to run the boat
with only two hands.

"Sometimes the boy does the cooking, and sometimes I do it; but we
don't live very high on board," said Mr. Garbrook, laughing. "We take
most of our meals on shore when we are near a hotel."

"I think I should prefer a little more room," I added.

"So should I; but a steamer of your size draws too much water. I have
an orange plantation back of Picolata; I have to run up Five-Mile Creek
to reach it by water; and it is not deep enough for such a craft as I
would like," added Mr. Garbrook.

"I was thinking of going up Black Creek to-morrow, to Middleburg; but I
cannot find a pilot. I was going to ask your party to accompany us,"
continued the owner of the little steamer.

"I think I can furnish the pilot," I replied.

"Your steamer draws too much water for Black Creek, or I suppose you
would run up to Middleburg in her. A great many parties make this
excursion."

"I don't know that I ever heard of Black Creek before," I replied,
wondering that Cornwood had not mentioned it.

Perhaps our guide did n