One cool autumn day, in 1835, Ephraim Ashley, a scout in the service of the United States, was cautiously threading his way through that immense tract of trees, undergrowth, morass, and swamp, in which the St. John's River of Florida has its source, as it flows northward through lake and lagoon to its outlet in the northeastern corner, beyond the present city of Jacksonville.<br><br>The scout, armed with rifle, pistol, and knife, and clad in coarse, strong, homespun garments, had entered the country of the warlike Seminoles, who, it was rumored, were plotting against the Government and scattered settlements, for causes that will be made clear later on.