"I dare not, lest my letter fall into unscrupulous hands, convey to you more than a hint of what lies before us in these uncharted solitudes of the Everglades. "You must read between the lines when I say that because one can see through a sheet of glass, the glass is none the less solid and palpable. One can see _through_ it--if that is also seeing it; but one can nevertheless hold it and feel it and receive from it sensations of cold or heat according to its temperature. "Certain jellyfish are absolutely transparent when in the water, and one can only know of their presence by accidental contact, not by sight. "_Have you ever thought that possibly there might exist larger and more highly organized creatures transparent to eyesight, yet palpable to touch?_ "Little Sprite Lake is the jumping-off place; beyond lie the Everglades, the outskirts of which are haunted by the Seminoles, the interior of which have never been visited by man, as far as we know. "As you are aware, no general survey of Florida has yet been made; there exist no maps of the Everglades south of Okeechobee; even Little Sprite Lake is but a vague blot on our maps. We know, of course, that south of the eleven thousand square miles of fresh water which is called Lake Okeechobee the Everglades form a vast, delta-like projection of thousands and thousands of square miles. Darkest Africa is no longer a mystery; but the Everglades to-day remain the sombre secret of our continent. And, to-day, this unknown expanse of swamps, barrens, forests, and lagoons is greater than in the days of De Soto, because the entire region has been slowly rising. "All this, my dear sir, you already know, and I ask your indulgence for recalling the facts to your memory. I do it for this reason--the search for _what I am seeking_ may lead us to utter destruction; and therefore my formal orders to you should be modified to this extent:--do you volunteer? If you volunteer, my orders remain; if not, turn this letter over to Mr. Kingsley, who will find for me the companion I require. "In the event of your coming, you must break your journey at False Cape and ask for an old man named Slunk. He will give you a packet; you will give him a dollar, and drive on to Cape Canaveral, and you will do what is to be done there. From there to Fort Kissimmee, to Okeechobee, traversing the lake to the Rita River, where I have marked the trail to Little Sprite. "At Little Sprite I shall await you; beyond that point a merciful Providence alone can know what awaits us. "Yours fraternally, "FARRAGO. "P.S.--I think that you had better make your will, and suggest the same idea to the stenographer who is to accompany you. F."