The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-04-20

ceola had again attacked the en-
croaching white man. Everybody
thought that except J. o. Miller. To
him the crack of the gun was like the
puncture of a tire, and his first
thoughts were "blow-out," fiat tire,
etc.
To say that the Oklawaha, which
for the most part seems to have been
made to fit the boat, so narrow is it
| to say that it winds continuously with
never foot of the river visible either
before or behind the boat. might |
leave one with the impression that !
the Oklawaha is a fairly straight |
stream. For more than ten hours in |
twelve-mile boat we travelled river
that is one great series of double
horseshoe bends, each horseshoe be-
ing a different size and shape, the |
horseshoes themselves made up of lit |
| tie and more acute triple reverse
curves, calculated to break a black |
snakes back, if you know what we |
mean. Before next season, says Mr.. |
| Carmichael, the boats are to be pro- |
vided with hinges in their middles ana
non-skid bottoms. All day long and
into the night we picked our way up
this stream toward it's head at the
| springs. With the setting of the sun,
a million frogs sang for US and twice
| that many lightning bugs, whose So
ciety name is FREELY, danced in the
swamps, from which the water Of
countless oozing tributaries flowed
out to meet US as the water lilies that
fringe the entire stream, often
threatening to entirely choke it. nod
ded a greeting and modestly receded.
by this time it was dark indeed, and
lpretty girls, tired by day of kodak
ing and sacheting around the twenty
foot deck, sat and slept with their
mouths open and didn't care. Once
the engine stopt and the boat bacllt
(as they spell them nowadays), but
a little tinkering and italic language
on the part of the captain soon had
US moving again.
The meals served on the Silver
Springs going up the river and on the
Wekiwa coming back must be men
toned. Well cooked and well served,
with water not sulphur, they were
provided three times day, each more
welcome than it's predecessor. Miller
did two things to US we'll and in
plenty-he fed US and rode us enough.
Consciences hurt after every meal.
We saw by daylight Sunday morn
ing what we had passed on Saturday
night. Men and boys in canoes were
. fishing; a thousand shades of green
were reflected in the water from the
impenetrable wilderness of vegetation
that ever borders the river except
where a farm has been developed or
an orange grove or camphor grove set
out.
The springs themselves are truly
, wonderful and all who see them say
so. But one must look into them to
know what they are like, for there
are some spots mans pen cannot pic
ture. There is a grand thing in Colo
RADIO that has never been described,
= and sensible men do not attempt It..
Silver Springs is another one of those
= aweing, stupendous, majestic. natural
J creations that is beyond competent de-
: scription, located in the midst of a
= lnon-tourist, agricultural, stock-rais~
ing, north middle Florida looking
: country, where arching live oaks and
= colonial homes give positive proof
= that aristocracy abides within and the
> people are poor, possibly, but proud
and burned particular. 1t was pleas
ant and delightful and new and scenic.
: There were no dull moments and there
! was much opportunity to rest and ride
u and eat. But after a day in the mar
row, crooked Oklawaha it was like
;, being uncaged to again float out onto
the great st. Johns, the good, old,
:; well-behaved st. Johns that ever flows
= slowly, steadily, broadly toward the
- constant sea.