FLORIDA.


departure from this hospitable home, the old Colonel de-
positing a huge basketful of oranges in our boat as a


remembrancer. We bade hi
hoping that his considerable sh
 A long, circuitous sail was
we might view its beautiful
hotel in the evening. Early
our journey, and were soon we


m good-by with regret, all
adow may never be less.*


made around
shores, and we
next morning
U on our way t(


the lake that
reached the
we resumed
SSumterville,


west of Leesburg. The route lay through a rather flat,
uninteresting belt that appeared generally wet, and, in
tracts, marshy, a good sugar-cane region. We crossed one
broad body of water, which was much deeper than our
driver had counted upon, and, in consequence, we barely


escaped the unpleasant incident of a ducking.


In some


places the road passed through extensive hammocks, always
attractive. About five miles from Leesburg we reached
the stony belt of Central Florida, the only locality in all
the peninsula (except along the coasts and in some of the
northern counties) where we found stones. Here they
were plentiful, scattered about in all shapes and sizes, and
it gave us considerable satisfaction to hear the wheels click
along over them, with the music so familiar in more north-
ern regions.
 It was noon (Sunday noon) when Sumterville was
reached, and our team turned back to its starting-point,
while we took quarters at the primitive hostelry that offers


scant accommodations to way-bound
ville is an old ante-bellum settlement,
cleared land-evidently a high level,
with a dark soil, which is undoubtedly
ductive. The hamlet contains two
backwoods sort of stores, and about


travelers. Sunrter-
with large tracts of
as it is not wet-
y very rich and pro-
.or three very rude
a dozen dwellings,


but has great expectations, that are quite likely to be ful-

 Since our visit, Colonel Marshall has sold this grove for $28,000 cash.