but scalped. Bloodhounds, imported from Cuba at a cost of $150 each,
to track the Indians to their hiding places, proved a miserable failure. It
is said that those animals, having been trained to hunt fugitive slaves,
could not follow the Indian scent.

The troops on expeditions into the 'Glades destroyed whatever
they found. And yet the amount of Indian supplies remained apparently
undiminished. The passable trails developed by the army, its fort along
the east and west coasts, and its attempted control of the waterways into
the Everglades in an effort to stop the contraband from the Bahamas and
Cuba, proved useless because of the Indians' superior knowledge of the
country.

The Indians kept to their swampy fastnesses, completely hidden
from the white man. All intercourse with them was forbidden. Their
trade was cut off, but it was apparent they were not completely isolated.

Although the Seminole War officially ended in 1843, State
authorities continued to demand the removal of the remaining members
of the tribe, and the United States Government kept troops actively
engaged in opening roads and exploring the southern part of the State.
A small steamboat and nine small metallic boats were provided for
navigating Lake Okeechobee and adjacent waters.

The soldiers explored the Harney, Shark, Corkscrew and other
rivers but never found the "short way through the 'Glades" and