reat forests and lakes and beautiful streams, can
take a steamer and sail up the St. John's, which, by the way, flows
northward some two hundred miles. In some parts the river is six miles
wide, resembling a lake, and in its narrow portions the shores are very
beautiful.

About forty miles above Tocoi the Ocklawaha River runs into the St.
John's, and there are few visitors to St. Augustine who do not desire to
take a trip up the little river which is in many respects the most
romantic and beautiful stream in the world. At Tocoi we take a small
steamboat which looks like a very narrow two-story house mounted upon a
little canal-boat, and in this we go up the St. John's until we see on
the right an opening in the tree-covered banks. This is the mouth of the
Ocklawaha, and, entering it, we steam directly into the heart of one of
the great forests of Florida. The stream is very narrow, and full of
turns and bends. Indeed, its name, which is Indian, signifies "crooked
water"; and sometimes the bow of the boat has even to be pushed around
by men with long poles. Of course we go slowly, but no one objects to
that, for we do not wish to hurry through such scenery as this. On each
side we see green trees with their thick evergreen foliage, with vines
and moss hanging from many of them, and the ground beneath covered with
the luxuriant shrubbery which grows in these warm regions.

Sometimes we can see through the trees into the distant recesses of the
forest, and then again we are shut in by walls of foliage. Now and then
we may see an alligator sunning himself on a log, and as our boat
approaches he rolls over into the water and plumps out of sight.
Water-turkeys, whose bodies are concealed in the bushes, run out their
long necks to look at us, presenting the appearance of snakes darting
from between the leaves; while curlews, herons, and many other birds are
seen on the banks and flying across the river. In some places the stream
widens, and in the shallower portions near the banks grow many kinds of
lilies, beautiful reeds, and other water-plants. For long distances
there is no solid ground on either side of the river, the water
penetrating far into the forest and forming swamps. Near the edge of the
river we frequently see myriads of tree-roots bent almost at right
angles, giving the trees the appearance of standing on spider-legs in
the water.

Sometimes the forest opens overhead, but nearly all the way we are
covered by