The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-01-22

SC1TFaClOn. Inc axes ana macneteS, or
knives, were then brought into play and
the work of cutting through the barrier
Of willows and brushwood begun. 1t was
slow, tedious work, and after day of
earnest labor it was found that the party
had moved forward only a quarter of
mile.
When this thicket of willows was
finally cut through, by much arduous
work, the party were brought face to face
with the saw-grass, which had frightened
back the United States engineers and
officers who tried TO explore this region
in ls47, and who declared that it could
not be done either on foot or in boats.
In all directions, as far as the eye could
reach, was one unlimited expanse of tall.
waving marsh-grass, with not a tree or
bush rising above it. Marks were found
that indicated that the water had been
five feet deep here, but at that time it was
only five inches. To haul lot of canoes
and batteaux in water from three to FIVE
inches through grass like this seemed
an impossible task, and for time failure
stared the expedition in the face, but
Major Williams soon hit upon the happy
idea of burning away tIr saw-grass ahead
of him. This, fort.dafely, was easy, for
the grass was dry and burned like tinder
to the waters edge. n party was sent
ahead and fired the swamp. In a few
minutes the whole region Of saw grass,
tor tens and tens of miles, was one mass
OF seething flames This was the fire
that so alarmed the friends of the expe-
ditiOn, and gave rise to the belief that it
had perished in the flames.
Following the pillar of smoke before
them, the party marched boldly into the
sawgrass. 1t was slow work here. The
fire left the roots Of the grass behind,
and the men had to desert their boats and
slowly push them forward through the
mud and grass. In one day, moving in
this way, they proceeded barely a mile,
with the men wearicd and brokcn down
10y the arduous work Their life was GER
talnly hard and rough for the next few
weeks. There was not sufficient water to
float the boats, and they had to be pushed
along 10y the men, who Travelled slowly,
sinking above their knees in the mud. At
night they slept cuddled up in the boats,
the victims of millions of mosquitoes and
other stinging insects The fires with
which they cooked their meals had TO be
made in pots on the decks Of their canoes.
When rain came they were without pro
lection from it, and morning, noon and
night they were wet. They were doomed
to disappointment in a serious matter.
They had imagined that this saw grass
region was only ten miles wide, and that
IN week, OF at least ten days, they
would be IN deeper water. But at the
end OF ten days the character Of the
country was completely unchanged. 1t
was the same desolate saw-grass desert.
They found the country utterly devoid of
game of any kind. A deathlike oppres-
sive stiffness prevailed everywhere. There
were no fish in the water, no birds in the
air; even the air itself seemed to be with
out life or motion.
The situation of the men grew worse
bay 10y day. They had to toll onward,
waist deep, i'll the mud and water; with
leeches clinging to their legs until the
water around them was dyed deep red !;
with thousands Of bugs Fostering and
bothering them; with prickly plants to
brulse and poison them, and with the
water alive with moccasins. Rest at night,
cuddled up in the canoes, was scarcely
pleasant, for the moccasns had way of
crawling into the boats to get warm and
comfortable. 1t was thong ht big days
journey to travel a mile and half in
twcntyfour hours.
The grass was burnt up ahead of them,
and in this way they were able to move
somewhat faster. But as they moved on
ward they found the grass too wet to
burn, so they were compelled to cut and
break through it, AS they proceeded
further the water got deeper, until it was
possible to float the boats. Still there was
no sign as far as the eye could reach of
anything but the same unbroken level
plain of grass. When the grass was fired
one day to clear it off, the party was sur.
prised to see signals Of smoke replying to
it from all quarters 1t was the work of
the Indians, the remnant of the great
tribe Of the Seminoles, who sought refuge
in the swamps of Southern Florida
Throughout the remainder of the journey
the party found themselves, wherever
they went, surrounded by scores Of these
signals. 1t was evident that they were
well watched by the Indians. How near
the latter came to them they never knew,
for they met none of them, saw nothing
but these Indian fires springing up around
them wherever they camped out.
On November 22 the water in the
swamp became suddenly much deeper, the
boats moved easily through it and it was
found that the sails could be used with
great advantage. 1t was now decidedly
new country. The broad expanse of
saw-grass was broken by basins or little
lakes, fifteen feet deep or more, covered
with water lilies and connected with each
other by innumerable streams. The
ponds or basins were of water as clear as
crystal, and filled with trout and alliga-
tors, the latter utterly fearless and impu-
IDENTIFY poking their noses into the boats.
On the 23d the provision batteau,
Queen Anne, had to be abandoned in the
swamp, as her bottom was completely
worn out from dragging over the grass
and she leaked badly. Next day the
party found the first piece of dry land
they had seen since they left Okeechobee,
a very small plot of only few feet, but
the expedition, hungry for land, greeted
it as warmly as Noah did the summit of
Ararat as it raised itself out of the water
1t was thought best that Capt. Hendry
should be sent due west so as to reach
the coast sooner, and make the needful
preparations to send boats up Sharks
river to meet the expedition. The char
Al. 81