es. Our
friends, I should have said, had brought half-a-dozen of the large
blood-hounds I have before described, which were used for hunting
ocelots and other fierce game, as well as for searching out runaway
negroes. These were likely to prove of the greatest service in
exploring the hummocks, as they would quickly give tongue on discovering
any lurking enemies. We felt pretty sure, therefore, that we had no
foes on our right, or that we had left any behind us. Our great object,
however, was to find some Indians who could give us information either
of Juanita or Rochford; whether they were together, or whether either
one or the other had been seen. From what I had heard of the Indians, I
had very little hope of success.

We marched on all day, frequently, however, in consequence of the nature
of the ground, making but slow progress. We could carry, of course, but
a small quantity of provisions, chiefly flour, coffee, pepper, and salt,
so that we depended on our guns for supplying ourselves with game. It
might have been better had we been able to be independent of hunting, as
we ran a risk of being separated, and falling into the hands of our
enemies, should any be on the watch to cut us off.

We had now to cross an extensive tract of prairie land, which covers a
large portion of the interior of the country north of the Everglades. I
have already described its unpleasant character. The sun struck down on
our heads with intense force, there being few trees to afford us shade.
Our legs were torn by the sharp teeth of the palmetto; and the only
water we could obtain was from stagnant pools fringed with tall
saw-grass, through which it was difficult to penetrate to get to the
water, such as it was. Sometimes, after a great deal of trouble, and at
the risk of being snapped up by an alligator, we found the water
brackish and utterly undrinkable. Occasionally we came upon
pine-islands, slight sandy elevations above the prairie covered by tall
pine-trees. We here got the benefit of shade, but no water was to be
obtained near them. We had one advantage, however, in crossing the
prairie: no enemies in any number could find concealment to burst out
suddenly upon us, as we knew they might well do where the country was
thickly wooded. While crossing the prairie we saw no four-footed game,
nor even any of the wild cattle which we had expected to find there.
The opinion was that they had been driven off by the Indians.