Observing a fishing canoe of Indians turning a point below and coming towards us, who hailed us, we waited their coming up; they were cheerful merry fellows, and insisted on our accepting of part of their fish; they having a greater quantity and variety, especially of the bream, my favourite fish, we exchanged some of our trout with them.
Our chief being engaged with the chiefs of the town in commercial concerns, and others of our company out in the forests with the Indians, hunting up horses belonging to the trading company; the young interpreter, my companion, who was obliging to me, and whom our chief previously recommended to me as an associate, proposed to me another little voyage down the river. This was agreeable to me, being desirous of increasing my observations during our continuance at Talahasochte; as when the White King should return to town (which was expected every hour) we intended after audience and treaty to leave them and encamp in the forests, about fifteen miles distance and nearer the range of their horses.
Having supplied ourselves with ammunition and provision, we set off in the cool of the morning, and descended pleasantly, riding on the crystal flood, which flows down with an easy, gentle, yet active current, rolling over its silvery bed. How abundantly are the waters replenished with inhabitants! the stream almost as transparent as the air we breathe; there is nothing done in secret except on its green flowery verges, where nature, at the command of the Supreme Creator, hath spread a mantle, as a covering and retreat at suitable and convenient times, but by no means a secure refuge from the voracious enemy and pursuer.
Behold the watery nations, in numerous bands roving to fro, amidst each other, here they seem all at peace; though incredible to relate! but a few yards off, near the verge of the green mantled shore there is eternal war, or rather slaughter. Near the banks the waters become turbid, from substance gradually diverging from each side of the swift channel, and collections of opaque particles whirled to shore by the eddies, which afford a kind of nursery for young fry, and its slimy bed a prolific nidus for generating and rearing of infinite tribes and swarms of amphibious insects, which are the food of young fish, who in their turn become a prey to the older. Yet when those different tribes of fish are in the transparent channel, their very nature seems absolutely changed; for here is neither desire to destroy nor persecute, but all seems peace and friendship. Do they agree on a truce, a suspension of hostilities? or by some secret divine influence, is desire taken away? or are they otherwise rendered incapable of pursuing each other to destruction?
About noon we approached the admirable Manate Spring, three or four miles down the river. This charming nymphæum is the product of primitive nature, not to be imitated much less equalled, by the united effort of human power and ingenuity! As we approach it by water, the mind of the enquiring traveller is previously entertained and gradually led on to greater discovery; first by a view of the sublime dark grove, lifted up on shore, by a range or curved chain of hills, at a small distance from the lively green verge of the river, on the east banks; as we gently descend floating fields of the Nymphæa nelumbo, intersected with vistas of the yellow green Pista stratiotes, which cover a bay or cove of the river opposite the circular woodland hills.
It is amazing and almost incredible, what troops and bands of fish, and other watery inhabitants are now in sight, all peaceable; and in what variety of gay colours and forms, continually ascending and descending, roving and figuring amongst one another, yet every tribe associating separately. We now ascended the crystal stream, the current swift, we entered the grand fountain, the expansive circular bason, the source of which arises from under the bases of the high woodland hills, near half encircling it. The ebullition is astonishing, and continual, though its greatest force or fury intermits, regularly, for the space of thirty seconds of time: the waters appear of a lucid sea green colour, in some measure owing to the reflection of the leaves above: the ebullition is perpendicular upwards, from a vast ragged orifice through a bed of rocks, a great depth below the common surface of the bason, throwing up small particles or pieces of white shells, which subside with the waters at the moment of intermission, gently settling down round about the orifice, forming a vast funnel. At those moments, when the waters rush upwards, the surface of the bason immediately over the orifice is greatly swolen or raised a considerable height; and then it is impossible to keep the boat or any other floating vessel over the fountain; but the ebullition quickly subsides; yet, before the surface becomes quite even, the fountain vomits up the waters again, and so on perpetually. The bason is generally circular, about fifty yards over; and the perpetual stream from it into the river is twelve or fifteen yards wide, and ten or twelve feet in depth; the bason and stream continually peopled with prodigious numbers and variety of fish and other animals; as the alligator, and the manate[[35]] or sea cow, in the winter season. Part of a skeleton of one, which the Indians had killed last winter, lay upon the banks of the spring: the grinding teeth were about an inch in diameter; the ribs eighteen inches in length, and two inches and an half in thickness, bending with a gentle curve. This bone is esteemed equal to ivory. The flesh of this creature is counted wholesome and pleasant food; the Indians call them by a name which signifies the big beaver. My companion, who was a trader in Talahasochte last winter, saw three of them at one time in this spring: they feed chiefly on aquatic grass and weeds. The ground round about the head of the bason is generally level, for the distance of a few yards; then gradually ascends, forming moderately high hills: the soil at top is a light, greyish, sandy mould, which continues some feet in depth, lying on a stratum of yellowish clay, then clay and gravel, then sand, and so on, stratum upon stratum, down to the general foundation of testaceous rocks. In other places a deep stratum of whitish, chalky limestone. The vegetable productions which cover and ornament those eminences, are generally Live Oaks, Magnolia grandiflora, in the Creek tongue, Tolo-chlucco, which signifies the Big Bay, Laurus Borbonia or Red Bay, in the Creek tongue, Etomico, that is King’s tree, Olea Americana and Liquidambar, with other trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants common in East Florida.
The hills and groves environing this admirable fountain, affording amusing subjects of enquiry, occasioned my stay here a great part of the day, and towards evening we returned to the town.
Next day, early in the morning, we crossed the river, landing on the other shore opposite the town, swimming our horses by the side of the canoe, each of us holding his horse by the bridle whilst an Indian paddled us over. After crossing, we struck off from the river into the forests, sometimes falling into, and keeping for a time, the ancient Spanish high road to Pensacola, now almost obliterated: passed four or five miles through old Spanish fields.
There are to be seen plain marks or vestiges of the old Spanish plantations and dwellings; as fence posts and wooden pillars of their houses, ditches and even corn ridges and Batata hills. From the Indian accounts, the Spaniards had here a rich well cultivated and populous settlement, and a strong fortified post, as they likewise had at the savanna and fields of Capola; but either of them far inferior to one they had some miles farther south-west towards the Apalachuchla River, now called the Apalachian Old Fields, where yet remain vast works and buildings, as fortifications, temples, some brass cannon, mortars, heavy church bells, &c.
The same groups of whitish testaceous rocks and circular sinks, with natural wells, make their appearance in these groves and fields, as observed on the side of the river opposite to Capola; and the same trees, shrubs and herbage without variation. Having passed five or six miles through these ancient fields and groves, the scene suddenly changes, after riding through a high forest of Oak, Magnolia, Fraxinus, Liquidambar, Fagus sylvatica, &c,