Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-03-31
ON LIE ST. JOHNS.
JOURNEYING BY BOAT on
FLORIDAs NOTED RIVER.
Passengers Are ALWAYS on the Look
out for Alligators-The Rivers
Picturesque Scenery-Why
Shooting is Forbidden.


St. Johns River is of the broad type OF
Floridian streams wide expanse oil
iretted blue walled in tamely with banks
of low vegetation. There are only two
types, that and the tortuous narrow
sort, running like leafy lanes in crampei
ribbons, hedged close by trees. 1t is
when the St. Johns is compressed and
squeezed until it wriggle5 like landed
eel that the search for gators begins. l
had never seen a wild alligator at large
when made the voyage, and, to tell the
truth, had seen so many others like me,
and such signs Of a general slaughter OF
the saurians, their babies, and even their
eggs, that fancied might leave Florida
with the luck of one who goes to Dakota
to get a shot at buffalo. But l was
wrong. Not all the alligatols are killed
yet, though that consummatiol is not
far off In the older parts of Florida.
When we came to the narrow end OF the
river we saw plenty Of the anphiOians,
aud discovered also that they are appar-
emily the only things that induce the
captain to raise his voice aud to be:ray
an ;rr,ord oxcirannnt
alligator on the left bank QuickP
he shouted to all the passengers. CALI
gator-big one-on the left bank-olOse
ahead"
Sure enough, there was the huge liz
ard.likc animal upon the low bank, be-
tween the water aud the trees, where he
had been basking until the approach OF
the boat aroused him. Already, with a
snakish motion, he was moving toward
the river, his head sweeping in one di-
recliou, and his thick strong tail IN
the other. There WAS time to see that
he was ten feet lon, and to wonder how
the clptain detected thing so nearly
the color Of the earth it rested upon,
when, with a graceful giant wr;ggle, tae
beast slipped into the river, and shovel
US only a black snout aud two bimplike'
eyes ripping the surface of the stream.
There were some persons among the
passengers who all but rayed with de
light over the beauty of the scenery in
the narrow part Of the river. Pretty it
is, but not extremely beautiful, and the
extravagaut expressions Of those who
find extreme beauty where Others see
tameuess, or, at the utmost, mere prctti'
ness, inspire com passion for all who live
where nature Is ill.favorel or tedious, as
on the plains, for instance. The st.
Johns was here a pretty winding stream
curving amid more or less dense
growths of oak, cypress and palmetto.
Spanish moss hung its greeaish- gray tails
upon many of the trees, and aug nented
the strangeness of the scenery; for
strange it would seem to any American
from beyond the few States that border
the Gulf of Mexico. 1t got its prettineSs
from the fresh new green that nature
was lavishing upon the trees AMI the un-
dergrowth. So narrow was the stream
that the boat was seen to push the water
ahead OF it, and to suck great billow
along behind it--a bilow that crashed
upon the low banks and hurried the COWS
ashore, the buzzlris to flight, and the
turtles and allgators of their resting
places. The experience suggested steam
boating on some crooked narrow route
like Pearl street in New York; but some
times the loops in the stream were so
sharp that steamers making the same
course appeared to be, and were going
in opposite directions. The turtles were
amusing. Sometimes half dozen would
drop from a projecting log to fall upon
their backs and scramble wildly into cor
rect positions. Lazy and beautiful cranes
we're seen at times, and the boat passed
many buzzard roosts, where the great
ugly birds we're seen stalking awk-
wardly on the earth, or roosting like
turkeys on the tree limbs.
saw eleven alligators, many OF them
very large. One favored me with an
exhibition of his pedestrianism By turn
ing into the woods instead OF the water.
It was worth seeing. He lifted his
head and six-sevenths of his tail above
the ground upon ungaiuly legs that
stood out from his body almost like
a spiders limbs. Then he walked as if
he had not learned how. The custom.
ary man with gun, and with a general
aud all embracing ambition to murder
pomething, had come upon the boat to
kill an alligator. This he was for
hidden to do, and l think an riglt in
saying that from no stea NIB ,lt running
IN Florida is shooting now per nittel.
The captain explained why this was
when he said, "It passea gers were
allowed to shoot, they would be apt to
alarm or anger the people ashore, aud
tome Of the crackers would be sure to
turn and send q fusillade Of buckshot
into the boat"