the squeteague or
weakfish, but not the same thing. In the other boats they were having
the same luck.

Towards night we began to pull in red snappers from six to twelve
pounds in weight. They were perfect beauties, vermilion on the back,
the color gradually changing to pink on the belly. The Colonel was all
worn out with his exertions, and he was glad to exchange his line for
the tiller of the boat, and I took a hand in the exciting sport. But we
were catching more than we could use, and we landed at a settlement
called Eau Gallie just before dark, where we were glad to pass the
night.

We stayed two days longer in this delightful region. Every time we went
out fishing we averaged a hundred weight of fish to each line. We sent
five hundred weight across to the Wetumpka, on board of which we had
tons of ice, to be packed for future use. The Colonel was sorry to
leave such magnificent fishing, and Owen declared that he would spend
all the winters of the rest of his life in the southern part of
Florida.

On Thursday morning we harnessed up our mule teams, and started across
the land for the river. At the end of the week we were to finish our
trip in Florida; but we were to give two or three days to hunting in
the vicinity of the point where the steamer lay. On our way back
through the forest we saw game in abundance. On our arrival the mules
were picketed in the woods, for we did not like the music of their
stamping on the planks of the forward deck. We reached the boat an hour
before dinner-time, and Gopher had red snapper and spotted bass in a
variety of styles for the meal. In the afternoon the gentlemen took to
the woods with their sporting gear, but I remained to escort the ladies
and protect them from rattlesnakes and moccasins, which they seemed to
fear every time they set foot on shore. But we did not see a snake of
any kind during the whole time we were on the waters of the upper St.
Johns. At three o'clock I had the mules harnessed to one of the wagons,
and drove the ladies several miles into the forest; they were delighted
with the excursion.

On my return, when the ladies had gone up into the saloon, I went aft
on the main deck to take a look at the water. The steamer was moored
with her head to the shore, so that her stern was out in the river. I
was afraid, as we had had no rain for some days, not even a shower,
that the river would fall so as to endanger our getting over the shoal,
two miles below, w