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138 [[left margin in red]] ION [[/left margin]] March 25 Left early for [[red underline]] Shark River [[/red underline]] and [[red underline]] Ten Thousand Islands. [[/red underline]] Dropt ^[[anchor]] [[red underline]] near abandoned [[/red underline]] Mangrove-extract factory This being [[red underline]] only sign of life all day. Catlow [[/red underline]] with me went exploring some of the endless canals, while trawling, Andrew while at anchor caught a [[red underline]] 250 lb. shark [[/red underline]] while we were away. No sign of life except numerous Herons and fish. Anchored outside Shark River, away from mangroves over night. [[underline]] March 26 [[/underline]] Went for [[red underline]] Chokoloskee an old Indian Trading [[/red underline]] Post now a scant settlement with one store, lost in an intricate mesh of Mangrove Islands. Bought gasoline & supplies at the store kept by a bluff Southerner. called [[red underline]] Smallwood. Land here is dry [[/red underline]] and free from Mangroves and [[end page]] [[start page]] 139 [[left margin in red]] ION [[/left margin]] seems to have been settled before the East Coast Afternoon got out and anchored overnight in a bight beyond Pavillion Key far enough from Mangroves to escape Mosquitoes. Found some [[red underline]] excellent oysters [[/red underline]] on near by Oyster Bank and ate them on deck in moonlight [[underline]] March 27 [[/underline]] On our way to Sandy Key. Stopped near an [[strikethrough]] oyster [[/strikethrough]] [[red underline]] clam dredge, the first sign of life since [[/red underline]] quite some time where bought peck of excellent large clams for 25 cents. [[left margin in red]] Water spouts [[/left margin]] Dropt anchor in shelter of [[red underline]] Sandy Key, [[/red underline]] then went exploring the Island, uninhabited except for some fishermen who tie up their boat on Easterly shore during fishing season. [[underline]] March 28. [[/underline]] On our way to Long Key saw two large [[red underline]] water [[/red underline]]