Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-07-04


be delighted with their entertain
ment. Except for a brief period of
roseness-evinced in actions and
not In words-such had been Hes
tors attitude towards his captixes
since the SHARK" rounded Cape Cod.
On the morning which opened with
| the death of the crocodile-Sidney
Hammond discovered the saurian
was a crocodile, and not an alliga-
tor-Hestor was in jubilant spirits.
During the day he seemed surprised
at certain hints dropped by his un-
willing guests. His expression was
that of the willing host who finds
his best efforts not fully appreciated,
and who therefore redoubles his at
tempts to please. He was glad that
the voyage had SO happily ended;
| glad that all had been favored with
| good health, and earnest in his pre-
dictions that his guests would enjoy
! themselves.
at may seem like egotism to call
this 'Hestoria,' he said, as they
were seated at the breakfast table,
''but l practically discovered the
| place, and in common with many
other explorers gave it my name.
! If you gentlemen do not like the
name you can call it 'Haven's Haven
or 'RockwelIs Reef or Vincent's
Land or anything you choose. Its
various Typographical features are
as yet not fully explored, and are
unnamed. l am going to suggest
that we honor Mr.. Morton by Civ
ing his name to this beautiful body
of water we are now on. We will
call it 'Morton's Bay"
"Thank you," said Mr.. Morton. 81
appreciate and accept the honor"
81 have some surprises in store for
you," said Hestor, when the meal was
finished. 1--WE will go ashore directly,
and look on something more attrac-
tive than dead alligators or croco-
| diles-as Sidney insists on calling
| them. All, Capt. Waters, has the tide
turned sufficiently to make land
| ing?"
There is now IA foot of water
at the landing" was Capt Waters
answer. ''We will have the gang plank
| on SnOTG IN Ten minutes.
The panorama unrOlled before the
gaze of the yOyagers on board the
shark" as she slowly headed for
| shelving rock was one of surpass-
ing beauty. Imagine a pear-shaped
lake about mile at its greatest
| width and mile and a half in length,
walled in by rocks and crags whose
eli INV ha
splendid foliage of the tropics. Ma
ture, in some fantastic mood, had
created this spot, and then as if APP
| palled at her work, had wreathed it
with flowers, and chastened it's out
lines with the harmony of fern, vine
and palm. The narrow inlet leading
| to the ocean was guarded by two
great rocks, which seemed to over
hang and threaten the intrepid slilor
who dared explore and ravish the
beauties which nestled within. These
rocks were fully 400 feet in height,
and unlike those surrounding the
lake, were free from tree or YER
dure. Through the portal thus
formed, the ocean with it's deep and
glorious blue, showed in contrast to
the dark background of these crags.
| The surge of the sea came yelling
| through this gate, but soon lost it's
the lake its ripples came as but
| the futter of the deep breathing of
| the sea.
The shores were lined with boul-
ders which had tumbled down from
crag and peak. At intervals there
were grassy stretches of meadow,
deep enough to form a foreground
| to the darker beauties of cliff or ra-
vine. Here and there brook trickled
from the heights, or found its tor
| tuous way through unknown dells.
| And everywhere a lavish profusion,
OF flowers. The base of one cliff
was afiame with the red of some
| flower, the name of which was I'M
known to any of the party. To add
| to this riot of color there were
focks of parrots of many and bril-
liant hues, while of humming and
hooking birds there seemed to be
millions. Overhead an eagle circled
| on heavy pinions, and the waters of
|
| water fowl.
| About a thousand feet from the
southern shore of this sheet of wa
ter-which Hestor had named 'Mor-
tons Bay"-was small island. 1t
was a gem of an island. Basaltic
rocks reached up from the liquid
depths of the bay, and its northern
end was a crag, probably 100 feet
above the surface of the lake. To
the west it sloped gradually down,
and at low tide there was a sand
bar. 1t was on the inner edge of
this bar that Hestor had sighted the
crocodile. Tall, slender cocoa palms,
with their crowns of graceful leaves,
nodded in the morning breeze. eau
cho, camphor and dragon trees added
their beauty to this tropical bou-
quet. The base of the rocks was hid
den in giant pond lilies, ivy and
other climbing plants. which fes-
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