ttentive listener.

On the summit of the hill we found an observatory, which we occupied
for a full hour. It commanded a fine view of the ocean, the inland
channels, and the country beyond them. Before we left, Owen and the
Shepards joined us.

"Have you seen any snakes, Margie?" asked Edith, when they were seated
at the top of the observatory.

"I have not seen one; indeed, I have not thought of the snakes since
Mr. Cornwood assured me we should see none," replied Miss Margie.

"I rather like snakes, and I hoped I should see some," added Miss
Edith, very bravely.

"I think I could find some for you, Miss Edith," interposed Cornwood.

"No, I thank you. I don't care to go snaking. When I see one I wish to
have it without any effort on my part," replied the beautiful girl.

"That is a nice way to get out of it," added Miss Margie. "I believe I
should faint away if I came upon one, without any effort on my part."

"You will be likely to see some on your trip up the river, if you go on
shore. The largest moccasin I ever saw I killed within the limits of
the city of Jacksonville. It was on the way to Moncrief's Spring. Are
you fond of alligators?" asked Mr. Cornwood, who also seemed to regard
the English girl with much favor.

"I never saw one in my life," answered Miss Margie. "We don't have any
such creatures in England. But I have seen pictures of the crocodile,
which I dare say is the same thing."

"They are certainly the same sort of reptile, though a crocodile is not
an alligator any more than an alligator is a crocodile. They differ in
the shape of the head; the lower canine teeth of the crocodile fit into
notches between the teeth of the upper jaw, while the alligator's lower
teeth fit into cavities in the upper jaw. The alligator has a broader
and shorter head than the crocodile. The cayman, found in the East
Indies and in tropical South America, is different in some respects
from either. But we have both crocodiles and alligators in the more
southern of the United States."

"I am sure I don't care whether they are crocodiles or alligators; they
are ugly-looking beasts, and I don't want to see any of them," replied
Miss Margie.

Mr. Cornwood had evidently "studied up" on alligators; and I was quite
interested in his comparison of the different reptiles, for I had
supposed they were all alike.

"You can't very well help seeing them when you go up the river, for
some of the streams we shall doubtless e