TOUR


OF THE STATE.


shallow lakes, full of fish and covered with ducks. These
lakes are the paradise of alligators, fish, birds, and cattle.
 Late in the afternoon-it was supper-time-we arrived
at Salt Lake, the end of our journey by the boat, having
traveled a distance of three hundred and eleven miles by
water, or about one hundred and forty-five miles in a di-
rect line, froii Jacksonville.
 Salt Lake is a small lake, or series of connected ponds;
prairie on all but the east side, which has a heavy growth
of timber, the commencement of a forest that covers the
intervening country to the Indian River. On the shore
was a solitary cabin, the depot of the mule-power, wooden-
railed road over to Titusville. We anchored some distance
from the shore, for the water was too shallow for the little
steamer to go close in. At once several of the passengers
took the small boat and went fishing, having a grand suc-
cess. In a half-hour, five men caught upward of forty-five
fine, large fish. Others continued shooting away at the ducks
all around us, killing great numbers, that were brought in


by the sn


nail boats. Many passengers had


been shooting


at ducks (and alligators) all day; most of the ducks were
picked up by a little Mexican, a member of the crew, who
followed along behind in the row-boat, for the steamer
goes slowly there, and he took advantage of short cuts.
 The next morning was beautiful; all were up early,
and soon the car was seen at the shore cabin. Then two
or three negro laborers poled a large lighter out to the
steamer, and we were soon seated in the curious vehicle.
We met here a party of several tourist-sportsmen return-
ing from a fishing, turtling, hunting-trip on Indian River;
also on the lighter was a cargo of about eighty monster
sea-green turtles, their weight marked on their backs.
These were on their way to the leading hotels of the


North.
 The


" Turtle-soup to-day was their final epitaph.
journey on this primitive sort of railroad


Was


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