sufficient to drive all the birds ashore, even the tallest Heron or
Flamingo, and the tide seems to flow at once over the whole expanse.
Each of us, provided with a gun, posted himself behind a bush, and no
sooner had the water forced the winged creatures to approach the shore
than the work of destruction commenced. When it at length ceased, the
collected mass of birds of different kinds looked not unlike a small
haycock. Who could not with a little industry have helped himself to a
few of their skins? Why, reader, surely no one as fond of these things
as I am. Every one assisted in this, and even the sailors themselves
tried their hand at the work.
Our pilot, good man, told us he was no hand at such occupations and
would go after something else. So taking "Long Tom" and his
fishing-tackle, he marched off quietly along the shores. About an hour
afterwards we saw him returning, when he looked quite exhausted, and on
our inquiring the cause said, "There is a dewfish yonder, and a few
balacoudas, but I am not able to bring them, or even to haul them here;
please send the sailors after them." The fishes were accordingly
brought, and as I had never seen a dewfish, I examined it closely, and
took an outline of its form, which some days hence you may perhaps see.
It exceeded a hundred pounds in weight, and afforded excellent eating.
The balacouda is also a good fish, but at times a dangerous one, for,
according to the pilot, on more than one occasion "some of these gentry"
had followed him when waist-deep in the water, in pursuit of a more
valuable prize, until in self-defence, he had to spear them, fearing
that "the gentlemen" might at one dart cut off his legs, or some other
nice bit, with which he was unwilling to part.
Having filled our cask from a fine well, long since dug in the sand of
Cape Sable, either by Seminole Indians or pirates, no matter which, we
left Sandy Isle about full tide, and proceeded homeward, giving a call
here and there at different Keys, with the view of procuring rare birds,
and also their nests and eggs. We had twenty miles to go, "as the birds
fly," but the tortuosity of the channels rendered our course fully a
third longer. The sun was descending fast, when a black cloud suddenly
obscured the majestic orb. Our sails swelled by a breeze that was
scarcely felt by us; and the pilot, requesting us to sit on the weather
gunwale, told us that we were "going to get it." One sail was hauled in
and secured, and the other was reefed, although the wind had not
increased. A low murmuring noise was heard, and across the cloud that
now rolled along in tumultuous masses shot vivid flashes of lightning.
Our experienced guide steered directly across a flat towards the nearest
land. The sailors passed their quids from one cheek to the other, and
our pilot having covered himself with his oil jacket, we followed his
example. "Blow, sweet breeze," cried he at the tiller, and "we'll reach
the land before the blast overtakes us, for, gentlemen, it is a furious
cloud yon."
A furious cloud indeed was the one which now, like an eagle on
outstretched wings, approached so swiftly that one might have deemed it
in haste to destroy us. We were not more than a cable's length from the
shore, when, with an imperative voice, the pilot calmly said to us, "Sit
quite still, gentlemen, for I should not like to lose you overboard just
now; the boat can't upset, my word for that, if you will but sit
still--Here we have it!"
Reader, persons who have never witnessed a hurricane, such as not
unfrequently desolates the sultry climates of the South, can scarcely
form an idea of their terrific grandeur. One would think that, not
content with laying waste all on land, it must needs sweep the waters of
the shallows quite dry, to quench its thirst. No respite for an instant
does it afford to the objects within the reach of its furious current.
Like the scythe of the destroying angel, it cuts everything by the
roots, as it were, with the careless ease of the experienced mower. Each
of its revolving sweeps collects a heap that might be likened to the
full-sheaf which the husbandman flings by his side. On it goes with a
wildness and fury that are indescribable, and when at last its frightful
blasts have ceased, Nature, weeping and disconsolate, is left bereaved
of her beauteous offspring. In some instances, even a full century is
required before, with all her powerful energies, she can repair her
loss. The planter has not only lost his mansion, his crops, and his
flocks, but he has to clear his lands anew, covered and entangled as
they are with the trunks and branches of trees that are everywhere
strewn. The bark, overtaken by the storm, is cast on the lee-shore, and
if any are left to witness the fatal results, they are the "wreckers"
alone, who, with inward delight, gaze upon the melancholy spectacle.
Our light bark shivered like a leaf the instant the blast reached her
sides. We thought she had gone over; but the next instant she was on the
shore. And now in contemplation of the sublime and awful storm, I gazed
around me. The waters drifted like snow; the tough mangroves hid their
tops amid their roots, and the loud roaring of the waves driven among
them blended with the howl of the tempest. It was not rain that fell;
the masses of water flew in a horizontal direction, and where a part of
my body was exposed I felt as if a smart blow had been given me on it.
But enough--in half an hour it was over. The pure blue sky once more
embellished the heavens, and although it was now quite night, we
considered our situation a good one.
The crew and some of the party spent the night in the boat. The pilot,
myself, and one of my assistants took to the heart of the mangroves, and
having found high land, we made a fire as well as we could, spread a
tarpauling, and fixing our insect bars over us, soon forgot in sleep the
horrors that had surrounded us.
Next day the "Marion" proceeded on her cruise, and in a few more days,
having anchored in another safe harbor, we visited other Keys, of which
I will, with your leave, give you a short account.
The deputy-collector of Indian Isle gave me the use of his pilot for a
few weeks, and I was the more gratified by this, that besides knowing
him to be a good man, and a perfect sailor, I was now convinced that he
possessed a great knowledge of the habits of birds, and could without
loss of time lead me to their haunts. We were a hundred miles or so
farther to the south. Gay May, like a playful babe, gambolled on the
bosom of his mother Nature, and everything was replete with life and
joy. The pilot had spoken to me of some birds which I was very desirous
of obtaining. One morning, therefore, we went in two boats to some
distant isle, where they were said to breed. Our difficulties in
reaching that Key might to some seem more imaginary than real, were I
faithfully to describe them. Suffice it for me to tell you that after
hauling our boats and pushing them with our hands, for upwards of nine
miles, over the flats, we at last reached the deep channel that usually
surrounds each of the mangrove islands. We were much exhausted by the
labor and excessive heat, but we were now floating on deep water, and by
resting a short while under the shade of some mangroves, we were soon
refreshed by the breeze that gently blew from the Gulf. We further
repaired our strength by taking some food; and I may as well tell you
here that, during all the time I spent in that part of the Floridas, my
party restricted themselves to fish and soaked biscuit, while our only
and constant beverage was molasses and water. I found that in these warm
latitudes, exposed as we constantly were to alternate heat and moisture,
ardent spirits and more substantial food would prove dangerous to us.
The officers, and those persons who from time to time kindly accompanied
us, adopted the same regimen, and not an individual of us had ever to
complain of so much as a headache.
But we were under the mangroves; at a great distance on one of the
flats, the Heron which I have named _Ardea occidentalis_[56] was seen
moving majestically in great numbers. The tide rose and drove them away,
and as they came towards us, to alight and rest for a time on the
tallest trees, we shot as many as I wished. I also took under my charge
several of their young alive.
At another time we visited the "Mule Keys." There the prospect was in
many respects dismal in the extreme. As I followed their shores, I saw
bales of cotton floating in all the coves, while spars of every
description lay on the beach, and far off on the reefs I could see the
last remains of a lost ship, her dismantled hulk. Several schooners were
around her; they were wreckers. I turned me from the sight with a heavy
heart. Indeed, as I slowly proceeded, I dreaded to meet the floating or
cast-ashore bodies of some of the unfortunate crew. Our visit to the
Mule Keys was in no way profitable, for besides meeting with but a few
birds, in two or three instances I was, whilst swimming in the deep
channel of a mangrove isle, much nearer a large shark than I wish ever
to be again.
"The service" requiring all the attention, prudence, and activity of
Captain Day and his gallant officers, another cruise took place, of
which you will find some account in the sequel; and while I rest a
little on the deck of the "Lady of the Green Mantle," let me offer my
humble thanks to the Being who has allowed me the pleasure of thus
relating to you, kind reader, a small part of my adventures.
THE TURTLERS
The Tortugas are a group of islands lying about eighty miles from Key
West, and the last of those that seem to defend the peninsula of the
Floridas. They consist of five or six extremely low, uninhabitable
banks, formed of shelly sand, and are resorted to principally by that
class of men called wreckers and turtlers. Between these islands are
deep channels, which, although extremely intricate, are well known to
those adventurers, as well as to the commanders of the revenue cutters,
whose duties call them to that dangerous coast. The great coral reef, or
wall, lies about eight miles from these inhospitable isles, in the
direction of the Gulf, and on it many an ignorant or careless navigator
has suffered shipwreck. The whole ground around them is densely covered
with corals, sea-fans, and other productions of the deep, amid which
crawl innumerable testaceous animals, while shoals of curious and
beautiful fishes fill the limpid waters above them. Turtles of different
species resort to these banks, to deposit their eggs in the burning
sand, and clouds of sea-fowl arrive every spring for the same purpose.
These are followed by persons called "eggers," who, when their cargoes
are completed, sail to distant markets, to exchange their ill-gotten
ware for a portion of that gold on the acquisition of which all men seem
bent.
The "Marion" having occasion to visit the Tortugas, I gladly embraced
the opportunity of seeing those celebrated islets. A few hours before
sunset the joyful cry of "Land!" announced our approach to them; but as
the breeze was fresh, and the pilot was well acquainted with all the
windings of the channels, we held on, and dropped anchor before
twilight. If you have never seen the sun setting in those latitudes, I
would recommend to you to make a voyage for the purpose, for I much
doubt if, in any other portion of the world, the departure of the orb of
day is accompanied with such gorgeous appearances. Look at the great red
disk, increased to triple its ordinary dimensions! Now it has partially
sunk beneath the distant line of waters, and with its still remaining
half irradiates the whole heavens with a flood of golden light, purpling
the far-off clouds that hover over the western horizon. A blaze of
refulgent glory streams through the portals of the west, and the masses
of vapor assume the semblance of mountains of molten gold. But the sun
has now disappeared, and from the east slowly advances the gray curtain
which night draws over the world.
The Night-hawk is flapping its noiseless wings in the gentle sea-breeze;
the Terns, safely landed, have settled on their nests; the Frigate
Pelicans are seen wending their way to distant mangroves; and the Brown
Gannet, in search of a resting-place, has perched on the yard of the
vessel. Slowly advancing landward, their heads alone above the water,
are observed the heavily laden Turtles, anxious to deposit their eggs in
the well-known sands. On the surface of the gently rippling stream, I
dimly see their broad forms, as they toil along, while at intervals may
be heard their hurried breathings, indicative of suspicion and fear. The
moon with her silvery light now illumines the scene, and the Turtle,
having landed, slowly and laboriously drags her heavy body over the
sand, her "flippers" being better adapted for motion in the water than
on shore. Up the slope, however, she works her way; and see how
industriously she removes the sand beneath her, casting it out on either
side. Layer after layer she deposits her eggs, arranging them in the
most careful manner, and with her hind paddles brings the sand over
them. The business is accomplished, the spot is covered over, and with a
joyful heart the Turtle swiftly retires towards the shore, and launches
into the deep.
But the Tortugas are not the only breeding places of the Turtles; these
animals, on the contrary, frequent many other Keys, as well as various
parts of the coast of the mainland. There are four different species,
which are known by the names of the _Green_ Turtle, the _Hawk-billed_
Turtle, the _Logger-head_ Turtle, and the _Trunk_ Turtle. The first is
considered the best as an article of food, in which capacity it is well
known to most epicures. It approaches the shores, and enters the bays,
inlets, and rivers, early in the month of April, after having spent the
winter in the deep waters. It deposits its eggs in convenient places, at
two different times in May, and once again in June. The first deposit is
the largest, and the last the least, the total quantity being, at an
average, about two hundred and forty. The Hawk-billed Turtle, whose
shell is so valuable as an article of commerce, being used for various
purposes in the arts, is the next with respect to the quality of its
flesh. It resorts to the outer Keys only, where it deposits its eggs in
two sets, first in July, and again in August, although it "crawls" the
beaches of these Keys much earlier in the season, as if to look for a
safe place. The average number of its eggs is about three hundred. The
Logger-head visits the Tortugas in April, and lays from that period
until late in June three sets of eggs, each set averaging one hundred
and seventy. The Trunk Turtle, which is sometimes of an enormous size,
and which has a pouch like a Pelican, reaches the shores latest. The
shell and flesh are so soft that one may push his finger into them,
almost as into a lump of butter. This species is therefore considered as
the least valuable, and, indeed, is seldom eaten, unless by the Indians,
who, ever alert when the Turtle season commences, first carry off the
eggs, and afterwards catch the Turtles themselves. The average number of
eggs which it lays in the season, in two sets, may be three hundred and
fifty.
The Logger-head and the Trunk Turtles are the least cautious in choosing
the places in which to deposit their eggs, whereas the two other species
select the wildest and most secluded spots. The Green Turtle resorts
either to the shores of the Main, between Cape Sable and Cape Florida,
or enters Indian, Halifax, and other large rivers or inlets, from which
it makes its retreat as speedily as possible, and betakes itself to the
open sea. Great numbers, however, are killed by the turtlers and
Indians, as well as by various species of carnivorous animals, as
Cougars, Lynxes, Bears, and Wolves. The Hawk-bill, which is still more
wary, and is always the most difficult to surprise, keeps to the
sea-islands. All the species employ nearly the same method in depositing
their eggs in the sand, and as I have several times observed them in the
act, I am enabled to present you with a circumstantial account of it.
On first nearing the shores, and mostly on fine, calm, moonlight nights,
the Turtle raises her head above the water, being still distant thirty
or forty yards from the beach, looks around her, and attentively
examines the objects on the shore. Should she observe nothing likely to
disturb her intended operations, she emits a loud hissing sound, by
which such of her many enemies as are unaccustomed to it are startled,
and so are apt to remove to another place, although unseen by her.
Should she hear any noise, or perceive indications of danger, she
instantly sinks, and goes off to a considerable distance; but should
everything be quiet, she advances slowly towards the beach, crawls over
it, her head raised to the full stretch of her neck, and when she has
reached a place fitted for her purpose, she gazes all round in silence.
Finding "all well" she proceeds to form a hole in the sand, which she
effects by removing it from _under_ her body with her _hind_ flippers,
scooping it out with so much dexterity that the sides seldom if ever
fall in. The sand is raised alternately with each flipper, as with a
large ladle, until it has accumulated behind her, when, supporting
herself with her head and fore part on the ground fronting her body,
she, with a spring from each flipper, sends the sand around her,
scattering it to the distance of several feet. In this manner the hole
is dug to the depth of eighteen inches, or sometimes more than two feet.
This labor I have seen performed in the short period of nine minutes.
The eggs are then dropped one by one, and disposed in regular layers, to
the number of a hundred and fifty, or sometimes nearly two hundred. The
whole time spent in this part of the operation may be about twenty
minutes. She now scrapes the loose sand back over the eggs, and so
levels and smooths the surface that few persons on seeing the spot could
imagine anything had been done to it. This accomplished to her mind, she
retreats to the water with all possible despatch, leaving the hatching
of the eggs to the heat of the sand. When a Turtle, a Logger-head for
example, is in the act of dropping her eggs, she will not move,
although one should go up to her, or even seat himself on her back, for
it seems that at this moment she finds it necessary to proceed at all
events, and is unable to intermit her labor. The moment it is finished,
however, off she starts; nor would it then be possible for one, unless
he were as strong as a Hercules, to turn her over and secure her.
To upset a Turtle on the shore, one is obliged to fall on his knees, and
placing his shoulder behind her fore-arm, gradually raise her up by
pushing with great force, and then with a jerk throw her over. Sometimes
it requires the united strength of several men to accomplish this; and,
if the Turtle should be of very great size, as often happens on that
coast, even handspikes are employed. Some turtlers are so daring as to
swim up to them while lying asleep on the surface of the water, and turn
them over in their own element, when, however, a boat must be at hand,
to enable them to secure their prize. Few Turtles can bite beyond the
reach of their fore-legs, and few, when once turned over, can, without
assistance, regain their natural position; but, notwithstanding this,
their flippers are generally secured by ropes so as to render their
escape impossible.
Persons who search for Turtles' eggs, are provided with a light stiff
cane or a gun-rod, with which they go along the shores probing the sand
near the tracks of the animals, which, however, cannot always be seen,
on account of the winds and heavy rains that often obliterate them. The
nests are discovered not only by men, but also by beasts of prey, and
the eggs are collected, or destroyed on the spot, in great numbers, as
on certain parts of the shores hundreds of Turtles are known to deposit
their eggs within the space of a mile. They form a new hole each time
they lay, and the second is generally dug near the first, as if the
animal were quite unconscious of what had befallen it. It will readily
be understood that the numerous eggs seen in a Turtle on cutting it up,
could not be all laid the same season. The whole number deposited by an
individual in one summer may amount to four hundred, whereas, if the
animal is caught on or near her nest, as I have witnessed, the remaining
eggs, all small, without shells, and as it were threaded like so many
large beads, exceed three thousand. In an instance where I found that
number, the Turtle weighed nearly four hundred pounds. The young, soon
after being hatched, and when yet scarcely larger than a dollar, scratch
their way through their sandy covering, and immediately betake
themselves to the water.
The food of the Green Turtle consists chiefly of marine plants, more
especially the Grasswrack (_Zostera marina_) which they cut near the
roots to procure the most tender and succulent parts. Their
feeding-grounds, as I have elsewhere said, are easily discovered by
floating masses of these plants on the flats, or along the shores to
which they resort. The Hawk-billed species feeds on sea-weeds, crabs,
various kinds of shell-fish and fishes; the Logger-head mostly on the
fish of conch-shells of large size, which they are enabled, by means of
their powerful beak, to crush to pieces with apparently as much ease as
a man cracks a walnut. One which was brought on board the "Marion," and
placed near the fluke of one of her anchors, made a deep indentation in
that hammered piece of iron, which quite surprised me. The Trunk Turtle
feeds on mollusca, fish, crustacea, sea urchins, and various marine
plants.
All the species move through the water with surprising speed; but the
Green and Hawk-billed, in particular, remind you, by their celerity and
the ease of their motions, of the progress of a bird in the air. It is,
therefore, no easy matter to strike one with a spear, and yet this is
often done by an accomplished turtler.
While at Key West, and other islands on the coast, where I made the
observations here presented to you, I chanced to have need to purchase
some Turtles, to feed my friends on board "The Lady of the Green
Mantle"--not my friends her gallant officers, or the brave tars who
formed her crew, for all of them had already been satiated with Turtle
soup, but my friends the Herons, of which I had a goodly number alive in
coops, intending to carry them to John Bachman of Charleston, and other
persons for whom I ever feel a sincere regard. So I went to a "crawl"
accompanied by Dr. Benjamin Strobel, to inquire about prices, when, to
my surprise, I found that the smaller the Turtles above ten-pounds
weight, the dearer they were, and that I could have purchased one of the
Logger-head kind that weighed more than seven hundred pounds, for little
more money than another of only thirty pounds. While I gazed on the
large one, I thought of the soups the contents of its shell would have
furnished for a "Lord Mayor's dinner," of the numerous eggs which its
swollen body contained, and of the curious carriage which might be made
of its shell--a car in which Venus herself might sail over the Caribbean
Sea, provided her tender Doves lent their aid in drawing the divinity,
and provided no shark or hurricane came to upset it. The turtler assured
me that although the "great monster" was, in fact, better meat than any
other of a less size, there was no disposing of it, unless, indeed, it
had been in his power to have sent it to some very distant market. I
would willingly have purchased it, but I knew that if killed, its flesh
could not keep much longer than a day, and on that account I bought
eight or ten small ones, which "my friends" really relished exceedingly,
and which served to support them for a long time.
Turtles, such as I have spoken of, are caught in various ways on the
coasts of the Floridas, or in estuaries and rivers. Some turtlers are in
the habit of setting great nets across the entrance of streams, so as to
answer the purpose either at the flow or at the ebb of the waters.
These nets are formed of very large meshes, into which the Turtles
partially enter, when, the more they attempt to extricate themselves,
the more they get entangled. Others harpoon them in the usual manner;
but in my estimation no method is equal to that employed by Mr. Egan,
the pilot of Indian Isle.