the marshes were full of them, and that any quantity might be shot in an
hour. We caught sight also of a number of wild cattle; but they kept at
a distance, as did the deer, both being equally afraid of man.
Vegetation became more dense as, towards evening, we approached the
long-looked-for river, so that we had some difficulty in making our way
through the thickly-growing cabbage-palms, live-oak, and water-oak, hung
with crimson and white air-plants, trumpet-flowers, wild-vines, and
innumerable other parasites. Our guide, however, soon discovered a
narrow path, by which he led us, or otherwise our progress would have
been altogether stopped, and we should have had to turn back and make
our way by a longer route. At length we saw an expanse of water
glittering brightly between the trees.

"Dere is de riber, sah!" exclaimed our guide. "Now we see if we find
canoe; him here not long ago."

We hurried eagerly forward, until we stood on the margin of the river,
as near to the water as the tall grass would allow us to get. Our guide
searched up and down the stream, looking amid the grass and under every
thick bush as a dog hunts for game. At length he shouted out, "Hurrah!
me thought to find canoe."

We made towards him. There, sure enough, carefully concealed among the
brushwood, was a canoe capable of holding three or four persons, with
several paddles inside it.

"But it may belong to others," I observed, "and it may be of serious
consequence to them on returning not to find it."

"Sure we have a right to it, now it's deserted by its owners," observed
Tim; "maybe they'll never come back."

"What do you say?" I asked of our guide.

"Take him, massa," he answered; "me t'ink dose who come up in him neber
go back."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because de Redskins take dem scalps, an' dey all dead."

"That settles the question," said I. "But now let's look at the canoe."

On examining it, we found several ugly-looking cracks, which, had we
launched it, would have admitted the water in an inconvenient manner.
With other articles in the canoe, we discovered a small iron pot, which
had evidently been used for boiling pitch. We were not long in tapping
a pine-tree, and obtaining as much pitch as we required, with some gum
the black collected.

We made up a fire on a mud-bank, left dry by the falling waters, from
which we disturbed half-a-dozen alligators who had been taking their
siesta on it. It required our un