The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-15
AROUND 0kEEcH0BEE.
RAMA SLOPPY Country Eow-HappY Inhabitants.
What Is Doins-iniuns.

FROM 4tff Speetdf Correspondence.
Big PRAIRIE, |
WEST BANK OKEECHoBEE,
February s, 1888.
Well. its rain, rain. rain. and in |
this level terrace of the Okeechobee |
country much rain means sloppy trav-
cling. Just think of it, from a. m. |
to about that time p. m. in water ankle |
deep, with the ceaseless patter. patter of |
your horses hoof under you.
In dry times the big prairie with its |
level surface spotted here and there |
with its live oak hammock islands of |
all areas from an acre to hundreds of |
acres, is really a beautiful sight with its
herds upon herds of fat cattle grazing in
view, and makes one wish to be stock
man. Still it must be dreary life to
the mind above COW whip. yet doubt
if a more contented people live than the
lonely denizens of this very thinly set
tied section, with their habitations miles
apart from each other. The doctor,
preacher and teacher only known of by
tradition; a yearly visit to some town
or annual camp meeting is green spot
in their memories. A more open hearted
people, fun of genuine sympathies for
the distress of others never existed. Let
one get seriously i'll and they gather to
minister to the comforts or last offices of
the sick one, and it is really mystery
where so many come from on such oc-
casions. When you ride up to their
houses or cabbage tents, it is Light
mister and hitch your horse, and mas
ter and mistress of the house comes out
to welcome you, insists on taking your
sscreeter'' while two or three sothers are
minding off the dogs that seem anxious
to taste of you. You are led into the
house and duly seated in fresh wiped
chair, and should you be stranger you
are Hospitality inquired into, who you
are found out, and all of a sudden this
query comes up, But mister you haint
been to dinner have youg" if you "haint"
their best is placed before you with many
apologies, about being out of flour, ETC.,
generally some cold venison or turkey
or trout garnished by big platter of
Eaters" some corn bread, and best
of all, plenty of coffee. When you rise
from your seat your conscience begins to
reproach you for breeding famine on
the place by eating so much, and you
solace yourself by admitting that you
were hungry. Yet you were welcome,
and they do their best to keep you few
days, hunts and fishing sprees are pro-
posed and this is the country for either
most emphatically.
I've only one hint to give the visitor,
and that is, if he is medical man, or has
ever wandered through the intricate mys-
teries of an old time medical almanac,
he must ''tell it not in GATH Ii he lets
| it out the madam promptly marshals up
| her young ones that ever had a COM
| plant, from measly worm or two to a
"numony," and she'll exhaust three or
| four pipes of tobacco before she lets him
off. The doctor mans best plan is to get
out his pill bag, and lay out something
for their future distresses, and he's the
best man living, directly.
|
in what is known as the lower drainage
terrace of wet lands, or rather lands sub
| ject to too much water in wet times,
and when the new outlets from Lake
Okeechobee to the Gulf are opened, this
whole country will be reclaimed, and
millions Of acres of pine lands placed
on the market.
A new outlet or canal is to be cut in
southeasterly direction from Lake Hick-
! pochee, to meet another canal that is to
he cut in southerly course from the
south cove of Lake Okeechobee. the cut
| then to run southeriy on the west border
| of virtually unknown section of South
| Florida, and one that is supposed by
some to embrace large body of very
| fine lands now known as the Royal
Palm Hammock-the hunters and wild
mans paradise; the southern outlet of
the canal will be the Thousand Islands.
| predict rush to that section by that
| class who are always wanting to push to
| the frontier. There are yet here in
South Florida some tribal remnants of
the Seminoles, perhaps in the total some
| 800, but their intercourse with the
whites is of the most friendly nature.
Every once and while few of them
visit the nearest towns-Fort Myers or
| Ogden-with dressed skins and plumes
and get their needed supplies of ammu-
milton, etc. They are living in a very
primitive way; palm huts and few
cook pots serve for living purposes, the
women dong all the labor whsle the
males do the hunting and fishing, and
gorging and stuffing from the family
cook pot, which generally contains a
what is it mess of something to eat
| For lump of downright laziness COM
mend the pure Indian.
A question arises to the frontier mind
down here-can the Indian collect the
scalp bounties on bear, wolves, etc? If
| so, his fortunes made, and want to be
| an Indian forthwithly, yaller legs and
| all. Does it ever occur to YOU what
| privilege it is to be an Indian? No wran-
! giles with your laundry maid, you sim
| ply put on your buds and they stay there
| till they mortify and fall off. OF course,
the odor is o K, if you're injun. w.