The Ancient City

When a motley group of eight sets out from a snow‑laden New York in a steamer bound for the warm coasts of the South, the journey itself becomes a study in character and curiosity. Aunt Diana, her niece Iris, the scholarly Professor Macquoid, the adventurous John Hoffman, and a few other companions converge on the slow‑moving St. Johns River, a waterway that flows northward against the ordinary. Their arrival in early February brings them to the river’s famous shell heaps and the looming bluff that once sheltered Fort Caroline, a silent reminder of a 16th‑century French settlement.

Guided by the professor’s eager, if myopic, eye and the gossip of the older travelers, the party begins to piece together the violent history of the Huguenot colony and its subsequent tragedies. As they disembark to explore the overgrown banks, the landscape teems with alligators, lingering legends, and the promise of hidden ruins that may finally reveal the “ancient city” whispered about in old maps. The narrative balances humor, scholarly intrigue, and the raw excitement of an expedition poised on the edge of discovery.