rn horizon.

"'The schooner lay almost motionless, with the silence of death about
her. The negro had stopped coughing, and all was still, save the faint
creaking of the masts and spars and the sounds of our oars in the
rowlocks.

"'In the west the sun-painted clouds lay in great masses of gold and
purple, tinting the sea with ever-changing colors.

"'"Damn pretty sunset!" remarked Jim, as he drew in his oar, and bent
over to light his pipe, and then, musingly: "I wish I hadn't had to
kill that nigger."

"'Shortly after dark a gentle breeze sprung up from the southeast, and
we put up a little sail we had brought with us.

"'Fowley Rocks light was in plain sight, and about midnight we rounded
Cape Florida, and entered Biscayne Bay, and by daylight we made the
mouth of the Miami River, where we tied up to a small pier, owned by a
man named Brickle. On the other side of the river stood a long, low
stone building, which, they told us, was once used as a government
building, and was called Fort Dallas.

"'We told the people we had come from Key West, following the coast
along inside the keys, and were on a hunting and fishing trip. Upon
inquiry we learned that there was very little game about the bay except
crocodiles, but that we could get splendid sport by going up the river
into the everglades and following the shore line north to New River.
They advised us to get an Indian to go with us. This plan suited us
exactly, as once having disappeared in the wilderness we could come out
at some other point, and having assumed new names could go forth into
the world in perfect safety.

"'Before starting we bought a light flat-bottomed boat for use in
shallow water, and after rowing up the river a few miles we made camp
and burned the yawl, first breaking her up with our axes. This took up
the greater part of the day. In the afternoon Jim went up to the head of
the river and reported meeting an Indian who told him of a large island
which was, as near as he could judge, about thirty miles to the north,
on which there were deer and turkeys.

"'We had plenty of provisions, and for three days we pushed our boat
northward among the islands of the great grassy lake. In many places
the water was so shallow we had to push our way through grass and reeds.
We noticed a great many white flowers growing on the banks of the
islands, and water-lilies were abundant, but they had no smell.

"'Towards evening, on the third day, we landed