We Were Encamped At A Small Creek, Scarcely A Mile From The River, From
Which John Murphy And Brown Brought The Leaves Of The First Palm Trees We
Had Seen On The Waters Of The Gulf.
They belonged to the genus Corypha;
some of them were very thick and high.
The mornings and evenings were very beautiful, and are surpassed by no
climate that I have ever lived in. It was delightful to watch the fading
and changing tints of the western sky after sunset, and to contemplate,
in the refreshing coolness of advancing night, the stars as they
successively appeared, and entered on their nightly course. The state of
our health showed how congenial the climate was to the human
constitution; for, without the comforts which the civilized man thinks
essentially necessary to life; without flour, without salt and miserably
clothed, we were yet all in health; although at times suffering much from
weakness and fatigue. At night we stretched ourselves on the ground,
almost as naked as the natives, and though most of my companions still
used their tents, it was amply proved afterwards that the want of this
luxury was attended with no ill consequences.
We heard some subdued cooees, not very far from our camp, which I thought
might originate from natives returning late from their excursions, and
whose attention had been attracted by our fires. I discharged a gun to
make them aware of our presence; after which we heard no more of them.
June 22.
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