hid their tops amid their roots, and the loud roaring of the waves driven
among them blended with the howl of the tempest. It was not rain that
fell; the masses of water flew in a horizontal direction, and where a part
of my body was exposed, I felt as if a smart blow had been given me on
it. But enough !—in half an hour it was over. The pure blue sky once
more embellished the heavens, and although it was now quite night, we
considered our situation a good one.
The crew and some of the party spent the night in the boat. The
pilot, myself, and one of my assistants took to the heart of the mangroves,
and having found high land, we made a fire as well as we could, spread
a tarpauling, and fixing our insect bars over us, soon forgot in sleep the
horrors that had surrounded us.
Next day, the Marion proceeded on her cruize, and in a few more
days, having anchored in another safe harbour, we visited other Keys, of
which I will, with your leave, give you a short account.
The Deputy-Collector of Indian Isle gave me the use of his pilot for
a few weeks, and I was the more gratified by this, that besides knowing
him to be a good man and a perfect sailor, I was now convinced that he possessed
a great knowledge of the habits of birds, and could without loss of
time lead me to their haunts. We were a hundred miles or so farther to
the south. Gay May like a playfuLbabe gambolled on the bosom of his
mother nature, and every thing was replete with life and joy. The pilot
had spoken to me of some birds, which I was very desirous of obtaining.
One morning, therefore, we went in two boats to some distant isle,
where they were said to breed. Our difficulties in reaching that Key
.might to some seem more imaginary than real, were I faithfully to describe
them. Suffice it for me to tell you that after hauling our boats
and pushing them with our hands, for upwards of nine miles, over the
.flats, we at last reached the deep channel that usually surrounds each of
the mangrove islands. We were much exhausted by the labour and excessive
heat, but we were now floating on deep water, and by resting a
-short while under the shade of some mangroves, we were soon refreshed
by the breeze that gently blew from the Gulf. We further repaired
our strength by taking some food ; and I may as well tell you here,
that during all the time I spent in that portion of the Floridas, my
party restricted themselves to fish and soaked biscuit, while our only
and constant beverage was water and mollasses. I found that in these
warm latitudes, exposed as we constantly were to alternate heat and mois-
FLORIDA KEYS. 349
ture, ardent spirits and more substantial food would prove dangerous to
us. The officers, and those persons who from time to time kindly accompanied
us, adopted the same regimen, and not an individual of us had
ever to complain of so much as a headach.
But we were under the mangroves—at a great distance on one of the
flats, the Heron which I have named Ardea occidentalis was seen moving
majestically in great numbers. The tide rose and drove them away, and
as they came towards us, to alight and rest for a time on the tallest trees,
we shot as many as I wished. I also took under my charge several of
their young alive.
At another time we visited the " Mule Keys." There the prospect
was in many respects dismal in the extreme. As I followed their shores,
I saw bales of cotton floating in all the coves, while spars of every description
lay on the beach, and far off on the reefs I could see the last
remains of a lost ship, her dismantled hulk. Several schooners were
around her; they were wreckers. I turned me from the sight with a
heavy heart. Indeed, as I slowly proceeded, I dreaded to meet the floating
or cast ashore bodies of some of the unfortunate crew. Our visit to
the Mule Keys was in no way profitable, for besides meeting with but a
few birds in two or three instances, I was, whilst swimming in the deep
channel of a mangrove isle, much nearer a large shark than I wish ever
to be again.
" The service " requiring all the attention, prudence and activity of
Captain D A Y and his gallant officers, another cruize took place, of which
you will find some account in the sequel; and while I rest a little on the
deck of the Lady of the Green Mantle, let me offer my humble thanks to
the Being who has allowed me the pleasure of thus relating to you, kind
reader, a small part of my adventures.