Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-02-22
"reminiscences Of Travel.
NUMBER SIXTH


For tie Fayetteville Observer.
Mn. EDIToR: After stay of some
time in Micsnopy, / concluded to
take trip down to Qcola and the
Silver Springs. Having procured .
buggy and span Of fine horses,
! set out with my friend s.. al my.
side. We set cot in tie evening
and spent very pleasant night with
OUT friend: Mc-s#ho lives about threa
miles from Micanopy. Here, for the
first, time, ! saw a Gopher, and as it
is very probable. that most Of your
readers never saw one, ! shah try to
describe itsi j never saw anything
just like it; but it is pretty much like
one Of our Highland Terrapihs, only
more so. Some Of them would weigh
ten or twelve pounds. Their shell
is divided into pentagonal pieces,
with some few exceptions. 1t has
something like q spade with which it
carries sand out Of its den. and has d
head and tail as we'll as a Terrapin.
1t generally digs its den under the
root Of an upturned tree; in which
den it may. always be found unless
when professionally absent. Gopher
soup is considered a greatlnxury by
a great many, but ] never had the
pleasure Of tasting the article; set |
have taken several plates of soup
made Of his neighbor, Loggerhead,
with considerable gusto, especially
when l had Boston pickles to take
with it. Now, having told you all
about the Gopher, we will proceed on
our journey, which lies through a
beautiful and level .country;;r an al
most unbroken pine forest. After a
pleasantday's travel we reached Ocola,
the county seat Of Marion county,
and about thirty miles south Of Mi
canopy. Here we stopped a few mo-
ments with some friends and took a
snack Of Bologna sausages, soda
biscuits, and goshen butter, then pro-
ceeded about one mile east and put
up at our friend c. - a large su..
Here we spent the
night very agreeably conversing a.
bout the country, it's prospects, pro-
ducts, etc. The next morning our
friend G. proposed to accompanies
to the silver spring, which lies about
six miles southeast from Ocala. The
road lies between dry, sandy pine
woods, and the surrounding country
seems as unlikely TO afford a silver
spring as any J ever saw. About an
hours travel brought US in sight ola
range Of small tmmmocks, and we
began to feel as if we we're about to
realize sight which we bad longed
to see. We passed several houses
and two stores, (the beginning Of a
IS
town I spose, and then the long
looked for burst upon, our view. J
was at first disappointed, for at first
sight it seems nothing more than a
common small lake, surrounded With
thick underground. But it is really
D spring large enough fora steam
boat to comeintoit and turn about
-and there are Two warehouses; on
,ne side oft. After killing a snake
,r two We got into a small boat and
launched out to take a view of this
amoos culiiccssitv. No Sooner bad
se thrust out 4 little from The shofs, 1
han myrEads OF ripping waves be-
gan to reflect the dazzling splendor
# the scene. Every ripple seemed /
o posses tie magic Of a prism, and
lazzling rays Of every color. were
|ancing and darting 10 every direc.
ion producing an effect, beautiful be-
'ond description. This spring is said
0 be eighty fee. deep, but its waters
re SO transparent that it seems to
'e not more than fifteen or, twenty.
The bottom can be seen very dis J,
inctlyby placing the eyes near the
7ater, and fish can be, seen in great
aoating lazily about The
ottom il. covered with a rich carpet ,
81 Of mass which appears tinged .
IT'D all The prismati tic. col6rss and is !
be most beaqfifdl natural curiosity ,
yer saw. sI'Fhere are on this splen-
i'd carpet several large spots vary- ,
g IN size and shape, one ], noticed ).
assin the shape. Of a lion. These
oots.gljtter Ike diamonds set in finet {
rcDght silver. and adds greatly toll
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