The Beagle’s voyage south was largely uneventful, save for one incident that came entirely unexpectedly. On the last day of our voyage to south Florida we stopped at a service centre on Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce/Port St Lucy for the relief of the crew. The service centre was under construction which left little room for Mr. Darwin to perambulate the grassy verge. Sailing Master Chaffers and Mr. Darwin went off to inspect the grassland right next to the highway, of which there was precious little, but beggars, unable to be choosers, had to make do.
In the meantime, Captain Fitzroy was returning from the service centre looking for her crew. While attempting to make contact with Master Chaffers, she stood upon an area of the service centre which was not near the grassy verge, but well within the paved area – where any right thinking person would expect to be entirely safe from marauding creatures of any description. However, the Captain soon noticed a stinging sensation on her ankles and feet and, acting quickly to repel the attackers, she was able to avoid any major escalation of the incident – but not before some of the attackers had advanced a considerable distance up the legs of her trousers as well, inflicting various wounds which required some number of days to heal.
This was the crew’s first encounter with the local fauna of southern Florida. Mr Darwin, the ship’s naturalist, determined that the attackers were a species of ants known locally as “fire ants” (Solenopsis invicta). Captain Fitzroy can attest to the appropriateness of the name.