Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-01-30

pense of such luggage, with two or
three trunks, should not be more than
$40.
Then a hunting outfit must be
bought. A good tarpon outfit can be
purchased for s15 in Florida, includ-
ing a gait hook, and other fishing
tackle can be made to cost what one
wishes. The outfit of one of the best
Northern fishermen in Florida never
exceeds S25 all told, and he angles for
trout, catfish and reddish, just as cir
curnstances and his own taste dictate.
With a good breech-loading gun, cost
ing s75 OF 500, and $50 worth of am
munition, the camper is fitted ont for
a two or three months trip in the
woods.
The next question is how to. reach a
good camping country, where pure
drinking water, game and a mild eli
mate contribute to make life pleasant.
There are many such places in Flor
ida, but il O region is sought where
few people have ever been, the Gulf
Coast somewhere between Tampa and
Punta Rassa cannot be excelled. The
road to Tampa is direct, and at this
point a line of steamers starts down
the coast, touching at st. James City
and Pine Island, Punta Rassa and
Naples.
A sleeper can be taken at Jersey
City on the fast mail train, and imme-
diately upon it's arrival at Port Tampa
the steamer leaves for the southern
coast. The Tarpon, the appropriate
name of the fast and commodious lit
tie steamer, goes through the tarpon
fishing region, and the line is known
by the picturesque. name of ''The
Route of the Silver King"
The steamer leaves at 10 o'clock at
night and by morning she lands her
passengers at Punta Rassa. Ten years
ago not more than a dozen inhabitants
lived in this place, but it is rapidly
growing in size and Importance. 1t is
the headquarters of tarpon fishers and
bird shooters, and every year scores of
them go down there to try their luck.
Some fine places and fruit groves
have sprung into existence, making
the place too much settled and civil
lied to suit the old sportsmen who
soiourned there in the past.
1t is situated nearly at the mouth of
the Caioosahatchie, which opens up a
wild region for small-game hunting
and al endless variety of picturesque
scenes. On the south side of the place
is Oyster Bay, a rather shallow body
of water opening directly upon the
Gulf and filed with oyster beds, where
numerous fish feed. With a good
sized boat one can fish owe these
beds all day long, and haul in rec
snappers, catfish, black bass and null
let until he is tired.
The Missouri folks are great or
gathering pebbles and some rare col
lections will be taken home. There
are more varieties here than on the
northern coast of the Atlantic. Many
of the finest roads IN the town here
are made of shells and they are per-
feet. Some of the houses are built Of
eoquina taken from the quarries along
the coast. Coquina is simply a form
alton composed of small shells and
after it is quarried becomes harder
and stronger the longer it is exposed
to the atmosphere. This, is a great
country for antiquities and several
acres of forest have been cut down to
secure inch square pieces of the "old-
est house in the United States" These
are sold at % cents apiece. When il
is understood that the Oldest house
was not built of wood, but mud anG
co1uina, the fake is that much the
stronger. But the people like to be
humbugged, especially when they are
away from home. Why, I have seen a
street fakir in Mexico, Mo-, sell Ion
electric belts made of tin and cost.
ing no less than 2 cents each and
worth nothing, at 81 each, and the PEG.
pie fought to get them. Then some
people wont pay 3 cents a week fol
their local paper. If they had they
would never have bought the belts
But such is life the world over.
R. M. WHITE.