The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1881-09-10
A Florida Adventure.

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dees, DeSoto and DeLeon. were ran
sacking its almost impenetrable
jungles in search of gold and the
fountain of perpetual youth. The
east coast, in fact, is not nearly as
much frequented by man as it was in
the Spanish day.
The exuberance of nature in the
semi-tropical climate is still running
wild riot, and probably will continue
to do so for ages to come; for, as a
discouraged settler once said to the
writer: God hasn't finished this
country yet, and it's no use standing
round in His way"
Soon fter the close of the late war
it was the fortune of Ii to be
come connected with a certain com
pany of lumberinen, who at the time
were located near Mosquito inlet,
about 100 miles south of st. Angus
tine.
H was serving the company in
sort of general capacity, including
bookkeeping, time keeping, hunting
and fishing and bartering with the
neighbors for camp supplies as their
limited amount of energy could af-
ford
1t was on the occasion of u pro
posed excul sion to old man Futch's
place to procure boat load Of sweet
pumpkins 1--WE should. call them
squashes) that the Incidents Of our
bear story took place.
Old man Futch, as he was familiar
ly called, was one Of the nearest
neighbors, and, with his wife, lived
in palmetto matched log cabin of
one room, near the north end, of
Mosquito inlet, something more than
sixty miles from the camp.
A minute description of the gentle
man bearing the euphonious name of
"Futth," together with his Surround
ings, His house, and appnrtenances,
and his manner of living, would as
tonish most New England boys.
Mosquito inlet, after breaking
through the ridge of low, white-saud
hillocks that line the coast, extends
its waters both north and south, in
narrow lagoons parallel with, and at
no point more than three miles from
the seashore, thus forming narrow
peninsulas varying in width from one
to three miles.
The north peninsula sustains lit
tie except rank growth of shrub
berry over its whole extent, consisting
principally of the low palmetto, which
produces an abundance of rich, oily
berries, of which bears are exceed
inelv fond.
Between sunset and dark, on a sin
gle evening. II has counted eight
full grown bears, that would average
to weigh near 400, swimming the la
COON from their homes in the dark,
primeyal forest Of the main land in
quest of a supper and a moonlight
promenade on the peninsula.
AT midnight, when the bright
moon was hanging low over the dark
Atlantic, away out where the sky
and watets seemed to meet, her
cleaning beams playing hidedud-
seek with the white crested waves
chasing far up the hard sand beach,
H has watched, from little
bough- house in the sand hills, an old
dam and her two cubs cantering
along the waters edge, occasionally
stopping as the incoming waves
broke around her huge feet, with,
perhaps, an Offering of some unlucky
crab or other dainty mouthful from
oceans storehouse-the little ones,
meantime, scampering out of the
way, only to follow up the receding
waters with their gambols, till the
next white capped roller folded itself
over with a crash and boom that sent
them scrambling off again.
One fine morning an early start
was made from camp by order of
Maj. Hoyt, who was general super
intendent, with good natured sup
Elementary command not to come
back without bringing something.
The party consisted of western
half breed Indian called John, Gus
Hoyt, 14-year-old Son of the Major
and H.
The outfit was made up of a com
mon ships yawl, an old Springfield
rifle, Ballard rifle and Colts navy
revolver.
The wind was fair and steady
The tide swelled at 4 o'clock, and ten
minutes after the little craft was
aflQat with her sail filled, and lifted
along at rate which soon put "Camp
Orange at distance.
..On past low-l lying marshes, covered
with coarse grass, and dotted here
and there with an occasional scraggy
mangrove, or the tall, limbless trunk
of palm etto palm. On through mar
row passages, between oyster reefs
and shoals, where the tide eddies and
whirls like mill-race, the little craft
scuds in the gray morning.
Rather a dubious scene, on the
whole, till the sun's rays leaped over
the sand-hills and lit up the old
black forest of pine, live-oak and
magnolia, that grew to the waters
edge on the main land.
H was at the helm, intent up
on avoiding reefs, shoals and sand
bars. Gus managed the sheet-rope
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