As neither of the children had ever before owned more
than five dollars at one time, they now felt wealthy enough to buy the
State of Florida, and regarded each other with vastly increased
respect. While their father took charge of this money for them, he told
them they might invest it as they saw fit, provided he and their mother
thought the investment a good one.

At daylight next morning the Nancy Bell again spread her sails, and
soon Key West was but a low-lying cloud left far behind. For three days
they sailed northward, with light winds, over the warm waters of the
Gulf of Mexico. On the evening of the third day a bright light flashed
across the waters ahead of them, and "Captain Li" said it was at the
mouth of the St. Mark's River. As the tide was low, and no pilot was to
be had that night, they had to stand off and on, and wait for daylight
before crossing the bar and sailing up the river beyond it.

CHAPTER VI.

A QUEER CHRISTMAS-DAY.

All night long the Nancy Bell sailed back and forth within sight of the
light that marked the mouth of the river. Soon after day-light a
pilot-boat was seen approaching her in answer to the signal which was
flying from the main rigging. As the boat ran alongside, a colored
pilot clambered to the deck and declared it did him good to see a big
schooner waiting to come into the St. Mark's once more.

"Uster be a plenty of 'em," said he to "Captain Li," "but dey's
scurcer'n gole dollars now-adays, an' I'se proud to see 'em comin'
ag'in."

By the time breakfast was over and the Elmers came on deck, they found
the schooner running rapidly up a broad river, between wide expanses of
low salt-marshes, bounded by distant pine forests, and studded here and
there with groups of cabbage palms. The channel was a regular zig-zag,
and they ran now to one side and then far over to the other to escape
the coral reefs and oyster bars with which it is filled. This occupied
much time; but the breeze was fresh, and within an hour they had run
eight miles up the river, and were passing the ruins of the old Spanish
Fort of St. Mark's. A few minutes later sails were lowered, and the
schooner was moored to one of the rotten old wharves that still remain
to tell of St. Mark's former glory.

"And is this St. Mark's?" asked Mrs. Elmer, looking with a feeling of
keen disappointment at the dozen or so tumble-down frame buildings
that, perched on piles above the low, wet land, looked like dilap