, 1873-07-13


as to venture into It. Thus hommed in by great
FORESTS, swAMps, AND a11nEs,
the shore Of this lonely lake cnn be reached at
with considerable difficulty. for the donao growth
OF reeds at ono point or masses Of tangled iuni-
Per at an another impede every stop, and in hddl.
tlon to thiB the groat possibility that eaeh next
traaohcroua quickBand, tho coil Of deadly copper
SNAKE or tho lair Of soine rayonous wolf, B slll-
cicnt to deter any hut tho more resoluto from
tho shore Of thiu dismal and iaolatod lake.
and even tho Indians, in their various mi
grafton 8, loave 1t far to ono Rido. ALI who have
visited it concur in their accounts Of its forbid
nesB and OF oppressive solitude hangs like cloud
around and above tho region of this great lake Of
tho 8wamps. Some havo returned from thoir
viaits to the lake with exciting stories Of mid.
night conflicts which they claimed to have had
with ferocioua beasts Of peculiar Bpocios, to be
found only in this wonderful region others tell
moro modest but not leBs strange taoa Of curious
forms Of animalia which they have soon rise Tor
a momont above, and again disappear into tho
bosom Of this mysterious water.
ADVENTUROUS soLDIEnB FEAR TO VENTURE.
Several United Btates forts arc situated in this
portion Of Florida, sumo In tho worry vicinity Of
this lako but Its uninviting character, md tho
entire absouce Of suitable nohns for exploring,
have combiuod to discourage those who werc
stationed thero from mixing any extensive OBJ
time to time, wont to and came away from thero,
and while each wondered what this curious water
contained, all wore comrelled to leave without
unyeiling the Hocrots of thla secluded lako.
AN rNTEaEsT1Na ACCOUNT By AN LxrLoREn.
The following particulars OF tho recent ex-
ploratiou arc given by Mr. George X. Allen, a
reh!dont OF San Marlo, Fla. Tho exploring
party numbered fivo, Mr. Allen being one Of tho
explorers had to contend with was the great diff
ticnlty which they had experienced in getting
their boat which was about s!;irty nys g. fat long
to s a point OUT about bout 1ttoan @ miioH Mi % from odd Old
Fort Won Swearingen. The boat WAS thon landed
and placed upon t5gGk @ and conveyed in that
tended with almost infinite difficulty for their
way led aoross the Alpatiokoo Swamp, and al
though they. wore lesa than twenty miles from
they did not roach it until nearly four weeks af
forwards. Upon emerging from tho swamp they
found that vide quicksaud, over which it was
impossible to pass, lay between thom md the
great distance from there small bayou leading
to it.
AS THEY sA1LEn OUT uroH THE 1AKE
they could eco nothing to tho woAt or northwest
but wids e1panHe Of water, while to the SOUTH
west an island WAS In Biglt, about five miles dis
tant from them, and apparently not far from tho
shore. To this ialand they directed their courae.
they had toiled for 80 long time, and through
10 many difficulties, to roach, they did not expe-
rionco that keen aenae, Of pleasure which they
had expected thoy would. for myriads Of mosqui-
toes, gallinippers, bugs bees and fleB wore
whrlipg, singing, and buzziug about their heads.
The party, however, wore provided with yolls
! and glovos having anticipated such encountorR;
| and, although each particular insoct was soem-
ingly aouated by an irresistible desire to inAiot
| discomfort upon tho party to tho fullest o1tont
Of thoso powers with which nature hhsBo lagishly
endowed him, the e!plorera escaped compare
miles from tho shore, tho depth Of the lako vns
found to DO but little over tive feet, and they
approached tho Inland it became much ahallower,
80 much 30 that they were unable to bring their
boat nearer than about 800 yards to the island.
This island they wore disappointed to find was
very small, Ia fact they Woro not able to tell
whether 1t was really IN island or simply
growth Of reeds from tho bed Of tho lake. There
| wore humorous other islands OF this salno char
| aoter in night, but only ono Of them had any
trees upon it, and this was small island and
tho treos small Expresses. Tho lake in the Vi
otnity Of these islands literally
| BWAnMEp WITH ALLEGATIONS,
many Of them boing Of monstrous SIZE and un-
comfortably tnme. This fact in connection
with tho insignificant appearance Of the Islands,
induced the party to remain but short time in
this vicinity, and loaying them thcy sailed to-
wards tho oontre OF the lake. After they bad
sailed about eight miles in that direction they
wero no longor annoyed by their insect.lo ene-
mics, nor :5ere there any alligators to bc seen.
The water, which noar tho shore is Of .
brownieh color, now began to DO very clear. md,
having dropped line into It, thoy found that the
lako was ITO feot deep. At q distance Of about
IL miles frum tho shore the party discov-
those isanda was about Q mileB long, from
north to aouth, and fully 4 miles wido. Tho
northern portion Of this island was barron,
rocky waste, which extended back from the
shore nearly mile and half. to the baHe Of
line OF rocky cliffs about 16O feet high, which
extended aoroaa tho whole width Of tho Island
10 the Houth OF theso cliffs is magnificent for
oat, composed chiefly Of mahogany, palmetto,
aud laurel magnolia. Many Of the latter treos
rearcd their grand heads to nearly a level with
tho
suMMlrs OF THE CLIFFS
and being III full bloom, prosecuted an enohant-
ing sceno, III which wild beauty gracol stately
grandeur. ThB forest extondH over tho whole
within faw hundred yards Of the shore,
which at every point iB sandy aud covered with
rockH.
The island next in size IL about one-foursh OF
me west Of is large isand dtH n north
large IBlund, and extonda sonthward to
peGn peft of 0 s sand SoG " Ths '0Rs,0is ssaa i
about four milca long and milo and half
arga island. Tho. third III quito small, boing
only about ono milo loug and from a half to
throo-quarters OF u mile Wide. It is nearly duo
north Of tho largest island. aud, like tho north
CRY, part Of that island, in barron and rocky.
shallow, aud IT y not Improbable that ut sonle
former period tloy wore al! joined together,
in which case tl,oy formed an island
snnssy ysy oi irospSsta1G t na 'r1s na vsS
islands. Among the fow that tho party did see
were sotne Of q Bpeolos different from my thoy