Florida UFO Sightings in 1974

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Ultra-fast streaking soundless white light in the rural sky, car followed by dark shape in sky in same area. In 1974, I was 20 years old, working as a correctional officer in Volusia County, Fl., outside of the county seat of Deland, at a correctional road camp/county road maintenance facility that was actually closer to Daisy Lake than DeLand.

Myself and another county employee were standing outside having a smoke and talking, facing north, toward the Ocala National Forest just across the highway from the road camp grounds. As we were standing there, we both noticed a brilliant white light appearing over the treeline to the north, possibly a quarter mile off. The light was streaking along almost due south in a perfectly straight line, emitting no sound at all, and trailing a perfectly formed 'tail' that faded out in a very even, regular manner perhaps 70 feet behind the head.

It appeared to be no more than 200 feet up, yet it did not seem to illuminate the pine trees below it at first, then there were no trees for us to gauge by in the mid-part of the flight. The visible portion of the sky, to us, was perhaps a mile and a quarter from the northern edge of the clearing we were in to the southern, and this object crossed that entire space in the space of 8 to 10 heartbeats, though we did not count it off while it happened. We arrived at that number after comparing notes immediately afterward, when we were trying to comprehend whatever it was we had seen.

I do not know where that employee is, I actually only knew his first name, and that he was a heavy equipment operator for the County. It should be noted that the Ocala Nat'l Forest starts just on the northern side of SR 44 and continues northward for about 50 miles, with an average width of 30 miles, and has no paved roads traversing it E to W for the first 25 miles. There are a number of fire roads through it, and they are used by people who have cabins on the Wekiva River.

Which leads me to the second half of this sighting. Fast forward to 1995, I have a lawn care business in the Orlando area, and one day I get to talking with a customer, an old school friend of my mother's, and I tell him about that night in late 1974 in rural Volusia County. I share this with him because he was one of the lease holders for a cabin in the National Forest down by the river, and we had gone up to it to clear brush away in preparation for fire season.

After hearing when my encounter had occured, he shared an encounter with me from about that same time, though I think his was in October of 1974. He and his family, wife and 3 kids, about 12 to 15 years old, were driving back up to the cabin over the rough dirt fire roads after having had dinner in DeLand that evening, when one of his kids almost screamed that there was something in the air over the car and behind a little way, keeping pace with them. All 3 kids saw it through the rear window, though he and his wife did not.

He stated that it was with them for perhaps 30 seconds, and there was no mechanical failure or engine stalling during that time. I asked him specifically, as by this time I had read a good deal about UFO's and knew that was one of the things that oftentimes accompanies near sightings. I do know where this man is still, and can put you in touch with him if you like, but he's getting up in years now, nearing 80, I would guess.

What ties these two together is the year and time of year, and the fact that his cabin is only 1.5 miles away from my sighting as the crow flies, a little farther if you follow the river. Also, the Ocala Nat'l Forest plays a large, mute part in it, as I see it.

The area covered by it is vast, varied in land type, and largely inaccessible to anything but the most hardcore campers or hikers. Look on Google Earth in Layers>Gallery>NASA>Earth City Lights and you'll see, the forest is a large black smear through the central part of the state for miles and miles, offering plenty of secrecy and out of the way spots to land a craft. ((NUFORC Note: Witness indicates that date is approximate.

PD)).

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Close Encounter with a large cigar shaped UFO. I was driving westward on Coral Way (sw 24th St.), when at about 87th Ave.

I noticed several bright lights in the horizon. At that point I thought they were aircraft and joked with my little sister and cousin about them being UFO'S. As we got closer I coud tell that they weren't aircraft but looked more like the stadium lights at FIU (Florida Int'l University).

But as we approached the intersection at 107 Ave., I realized that stadium lights were much farther. When we finally gor to the intersection, I stopped my car, got off and directly above me was this huge bright and white cigar shaped light.

It didn't make any noise whatsoever. Suddenly, a small green light started blinking and it silently began to descend as it drew away from us. In ended up hovering above some bushes about a block away.

To make a long story short, after almost crashing trying to get close to the UFO again, I decided to drop the chase since by then my little sister and cousin were very scared. A couple of days later I heard on the radio that there had been other reports of UFO sightings in the area. ((NUFORC Note: Date of incident is approximate.

PD)).

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Mr.davanport in late 74 while visiting relatives in e ft. myers, I observed a disk shape craft that had a round top And lights that rotated from right to left in a circler pattern around the top portion of the disk, these lights were red, blue, green, amber, they blinked one at time and then reappeared on the right side.

This disk made no noise and traveled east to west along palmbeach blvd. We were on oritz when we first saw it moving about forty feet high very slowly, me and my uncle rode a bicycle to tice st. And could see it moving toward down town over the residential houses.

Looking down the side streets where there was better lighting from businesses. we could tell it was a saucer. At the end of tice we turned on newyork st.

to glennwood av. and continued seeing the lights rotate one at time in a circler pattern. Right before we approached the road the McDonalds is on a tree blocked my sight ,then it just disappear from sight.

I've never ! seen anything like it. again. Growingup in 70's, I never would have imagined there would be shows and websites to make a report of this incident.

This really happen and I hope other people who live in e. Ft. Myers in 1974 will remember seeing this disk shaped craft.

((NUFORC Note: Witness indicates that the date of the sighting is approximate. PD)).

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My brother and I were anchored and fishing in our 19' boat about 200' from a Navy Undersea Warfare Research Platform, 18 miles from Panama City, FL, with absolutely clear skies, when two craft approached from the south in perfect unison with no sound at about 40mph. They had no markings, perfectly metallic with a parting line on the center circumference, purplish color on the bottom and silver on the top, about the length of a 727. We quickly ruled out earthly origin.

They stopped above the platform, then without turning, went southeast about 1/4 mile, hovered, reversed and came back to a stationary position above the platform. During this time, Navy frogmen in wetsuits were attempting to enter a rubber raft at the base of the platform but after seeing the craft, they climbed back up the ladder of the platform and re-entered. In about two seconds, the craft 'bulleted' away at about a 45 degree angle back toward the same southerly approach direction and were invisible.

A few seconds later, two phantom jets, apparently from Tyndal AFB in Panama City, roared at about 100' over our boat and "chased" the craft at the direction and angle of ascent as the craft had departed. The impression I had was of a puppy trying to catch a speeding car. I had recently been discharged as an ROTC Army Officer and my brother from the Coast Guard.

If I'd had my recently purchased SLR camera with its 210mm telephoto lens, given that most of the time we were 300-400' from these craft, there would be little doubt today of the existence of UFO's. (made several typo corrections after clicking the 'submit report' button, sorry) ((NUFORC Note: Witness indicates that date of sighting is approximate. PD)).

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Multi- event, three orb / stars move in triangle unison, cigar shaped craft turns up to sky becomes point of light My friend and I set up on a dock on Lake Sebring to watch the stars. We were laying on camping cots so we were focused on the same spot in the sky. Looking about 15 degrees from directly overhead, facing west, over the lake.

I now know this shape to be the torso of pegasus. This was a multi-faceted event. First we saw a couple typical satellites pin-points moving in a straight line.

(My thoughts, satellites) Next we noticed heat lightning, but later both recognized it was more like subtle bands of white moving across the ecliptic east-west and became semi-regular. 15 to 20 minutes would pass. Three stars began to move in perfect unison shape of a triangle – after 1-2 sec.

the bottom most star got 3-5 times brighter before shrinking back to its original size, all the while keeping the shape of the triangle. This group moved out of view. Next,the most perfect shooting star i have ever seen, traveling a distance i had not seen.

Two rails of Gold sparkle streamers followed behind it. Next, faint lights appeared in the torso, tens at a times, all moving in random, like koi fish in a pond coming to the surface to eat. Then it got good.

The sky seemed to turn blue-dark almost flourescent. All but one star faded out and it began to oscillate. I became extremely emotional – i could feel – not sure if i was being "told" – but i told my friend,"they are going to give us the show we wanted to see".

At that point, smaller white stars began to shoot about 1-2 degrees away from the oscillating star and loop back. I started telling my friend "it's like they are telling me i can go with them", but i wasn't hearing voices. It was a feeling.

I told my friend that they understood that he had a family and could not come. I became very scared. I know in my head, there was a break away from this type of communication.

The star seemd to rise higher in the sky and i wept more. My friend tried to comfort me telling me to take it in. It was now the most beautiful feeling i had ever felt.

The sky began to "woosh" colors of what seemed like thick liquid clouds. Purple, blue, black, gold, silver were swooshing at incredible speed. At one point it became calm again (though there was no noise associated with this even).

We are laying there on our cots. I dont think there was a presence, but i was terrified to look around. First for fear that I would end the event, but i didnt think i could handle seeing an extra terrestrial.

During this calm, i felt a blue glow coming from behind us, almost like what was making the sky this strange color. I remembered seeing this blue glow on my nose as i continued looking out over the lake. I told my friend " i dont think we are on earth anymore".

Almost like that seen from contact when Jodi Foster meets the dad-form of the being. The sky picked back up, i wept more at the beauty. Then it stopped again.

The sky went black, the stars came back…but the sun was also coming up now and within minutes we are in dusk. We both stood up and jumped for joy knowing we had seen a unique event. Looking out over the dock, we saw a plane but quickly realized no.

It was a small cigar shaped craft, too far to make out detail. But obvious it had no wings and no tail and was such a shined piece of metal that it was almost white. It was at least a mile away laterally and a couple thousand feet up.

It glided, silently toward our position but latterly away, like a fly by….we both got that "hello, goodbye" feeling. It made its right turn parallel to our position and kept going up until it was a star and then vanished.

Afterward, trey and i both noticed a sort of electricity left the air. I made note of black floaters in my eye, so big that it was like news print letters – like globs of oil. He said he had the same thing.

We sat down for a minute and knew the event was over. During this even i never told my friend what i saw. I only asked him what he saw.

He was always able to describe precisely what i saw. We are both educators – so obviously , its not my first way to help my career to talk about UFO's. ((NUFORC Note: Witness elects to remain totally anonymous; provides no contact information.

PD)).

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It was about 1AM-2AM in the morning, while watching TV, a bright object though our window caught my eye. The window was on the north side of the house. It was decending at approximately 45 degrees angle east to west, it was huge and around the circumference was seeming low flames with a fiery trail.

It reminded me of the huge special effects of the meteor that carried the space craft in the original "War of the Worlds" movie. It was eerie looking, I was so excited I shouted for my wife to come a see. By the time she awoke and got to the window it passed from sight.

I called the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport Control Tower and asked if they saw the object. The person that answered said "No".

I the called Channel 7 news room and a guy answered, I told him what I saw, he replied that he had not heard of anything. I asked him if he did would he call me back and I gave him my telephone number. I thought he was just humoring me when he said he would, but when the phone rang about 15 minutes later it was this fellow at the TV station telling me that the report was coming over the AP wire and that the object had been spotted as far north as Gainsville.

He asked me to descibe what I saw again, I did, he thanked me and we hung up. I could hardly sleep and stayed up most of the night. The next day I was impatiently waiting for the news reports to come out about the sighting, but I personally never heard anything about it.

Someone said something about a falling satelite or some other nonsense. That vision will never leave me. This evening I discovered your Reporting center and curiosity drove me to find the report which had to be one in the sighting.

I was stunned to finally see a report by someone else that seemingly corroborates what I saw. That report was posted 6/2/98 and the location was Hamton, Virginia Beach Amusment Park, VA. The report by a photgrapher.

I've waited 28 years to tell this, boy it feels good! Thanks. Round meteor with flame and trail, decending as if it were a controlled decent. The color was Orange/red and bright.

It did not move like a falling star or a burning up satellite or a meteor burning up in our atmosphere. It was too huge and too controlled.

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taking a picture of night blooming cereus cactus at 9pm. craft came from north over ranche style house. lots were one quarter acre.

hovered over my head approximately 300 ft in air. Had pool in backyard on lights were on. caft was silouetted against the night sky.

Full moon to boot. The craft had soft smooth edges. A central disc in the middle of the craft and a disc at each angle.

I found myself looking up at the object, then back looking at the cereus cactus. I looked up again and the craft started slowly taking off. It was now 2300.

I ran into the house and asked a friend to come out. He witnessed the craft leaving the area.Craft was totally dark, no sounds were made by the craft ((NUFORC Note: Date may be approximate.

PD)).

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In 1974 my friend and I spotted directly in front of us, a craft approx 75 ft in oval shape hovering about 5 ft. over a funeral home. A friend and I were driving around looking for an address.

We realized we were on the wrong street and turned around in a parking lot of a apt. complex. The driveway we were pulling out of was directly across the street from a place called Ralphs funeral home.

We were looking west. As we started to pull out we looked directly in front of us and above the funeral home was an oval shaped craft. it was hovering about 5 feet, over the funeral home.

I seem to remember it making a very soft humming noise. It had very small colored lights under it. It was moving extremely slowly.

I remember thinking if I got out of the car I could walk under it at the same speed it was moving. It was about one and a half times the size of the building aproximately 70 or 80 feet in length.I was absolutely not a hot air ballon or blimp.

I asked her if she saw it. She said yes. We sat for about a minute and then she got panacky and speed away.

We went back I got my mom and I made her take me back. There of course was not trace of the craft. But within the same month my father spotted something in the sky outside of our front door while entering the house.

He actually called everyone out to see. It was a small light like a star in the distance I cannot say exactly how high but it was at about a 40 degree angle from the ground. It was moving very slowly up.

not straight up but again at about a 40 to 45 degree angle. It then shot out a tail of light like a rocket would, it did this about 3 times, and disappeared. we were looking at it facing west.

((NUFORC Note: Date is approximate. PD)).

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a sphere shaped object hovered over us while on the beach. A police officer was heard reporting seeing something at the same time. I was with 3 friends on the west in of Pensacola Beach in Ft.

Pickens State Park when we saw a silver sphere shaped object with what looked like windows all the way around it. We were in a convertable so it was easily seen. It flew toward us then hovered about 100 ft (I don't judge distance well but it was close) over us.

It was almost as if it was watching us or wanted us to see it. Then it suddenly flew away in the opposite direction. I can't remember because it was so long ago but it had lights inside that either dimmed when it hovered or dimmed when it flew away.

We were teenagers and I never told my parents as I thought they'd think I was crazy, but one of the other witnesses told her mother. Her mother said she'd listened to a police scanner the night we saw it and heard a beach deputy come on the radio and state that he had also seen something. She said he made a comment about not believing what he saw so it was obvious that it was something very unusual.

((NUFORC Note: We have assigned an arbitrary time and date. PD)).

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Ever seen an orb, and then the mother ship. I have. Then they gave me something.

Summer 1974 at Knights Fish Camp at the mouth of Black Creek, on the St. Johns River in Florida. An orb approximately 12 inches in diameter entered the building through the door that faced the east.

It was a faint orange and yellow in color and glowed. It circled the room once and then stopped directly in front of me. Three others were present, Both the owner and his employee were standing behind the counter, and a customer/owners friend was seated on a stool.

I was standing near the door that the orb entered through and it hovered about chest high, not more than 15 inches in front of me. I thought about reaching out and touching it for a moment but quickly got a sense that if I did I might get shocked or worse. The orb stayed stationary in front of me for about one minute, then circled the room again before departing through a window.

No one said a word, we all just looked at each other in bewilderment. I helped out at the fish camp after school and on weekends for free. My payment was the ability to take out any of the rental boats when ever I wanted and the occasiona! l free sandwich and drink.

I asked the owner if it was alright if I took one of the boats out and he shook his head OK. The fish camp had a small channel next to it where we kept the boats, so I climbed into one of them and left the channel. The boat was a 12 foot Stump Knocker, with a 6 hp.

Evenrude engine. At the end of the channel was the entrance to Black Creek. Next to it was a wooden bridge that rotated open for passing sail boats, it took both train and car traffic.

I steered the boat under the bridge and after passing under it, there it was. Off to my right was an aircraft hovering above the water. It was beautiful, a perfectly shaped craft, silver with no visible windows.

But what I couldn't understand was that it made no sound, and the fact that the water under it didn't move. How could something that big suspend itself like that without an engine that should surly be roaring. And why wasn't there even a ripple on the water.

And no exhaust smoke. It obviously couldn't be ours, so that meant that the orb came from it. I assumed that the orb must have returned to it before I got there.

Where else could it have gone. This I just had to touch. I figured that if I idled the boat up to it very carefully that I could touch it, I might even be able to board it.

They or it had to have come from some place a heck of a lot smarter than us, so they surely could teach me a lot. But as I placed the engine in and out of gear to nudge myself closer, it backed away at the exact amount. It matched my movements, it didn't want me any closer.

I left the engine in neutral and kept staring at it. I asked myself why, but then figured that that's what they wanted and who was I to question them. So I thought to myself if I couldn't touch or board the craft than what can you give me.

And I thought, if I could receive anything from you, than give me something that could help the world. Make this a better place, and benefit everyone. I never got an answer, so sounds, no lights, no smoke, nothing.

Again I just continued to sit there and appreciate the beauty of this aircraft. Suddenly I got the idea that I could possibly charge it, force my way to it and at least touch it. But the engine just wasn't fast enough.

As I put it in gear and started forward, it simply rose up about 20 foot. Then it moved away from me and rounded the corner. That's when I really got impressed, as it took off in a blur and then just disappeared.

It was as though it was able to constantly increase its speed without limit. One moment its stationary, the next its going hundreds of miles per hour, then only a blur. WOW.

Or at least I thought that I never got an answer. Have you ever had a dream, how about having the same dream every night for Ten Years. Some how they were able to give me the details of an engine, or is it more than that.

Every night its details became more and more detailed. Eventually It got to the point where I could assemble it in my head. I figured that I had better put it down on paper before I forgot, or something happened to me.

So I did. I continued to go over it in my head over and over again. One part was similar to a helicopter, so I enlisted in the Army and began working on them.

I had to figure out how they could change direction without the main rotor changing its pitch. That answer was easy, a few of our pilots were remote control helicopter nuts. So I showed them the plans to what I wanted to build.

They couldn't believe their eyes. They wanted me to let them hold my design so they could show their commander. That was fine, a while later they returned wanting me to give them my design.

I told them that ! I would sell it to the army, but I wouldn't give it to them. Maybe I should have, at least by now I could have a working model. I went to college and told my physics teacher that I wanted to make an electromagnetic engine, and he told me it was impossible.

I asked why and he said that because there wasn't one in existence. That's no excuse for me, there isn't one yet, because no one has made it yet. I don't have the dreams any more, but I still have the memories, and I have my design.

I met a young man a few years back and he asked me if I had seen the ufo next to the bridge there in Green Cove Springs. I suppose he was in a passing car that went over the bridge. I laughed and told him that if he saw it, then he saw the guy in the boat.

He said ya I saw that. That's when I told him that I was the guy in the boat. It's funny, when you have the money to build something you don't have the time, and now that I'm retired and have the time, I don't have the money.

I keep hoping that maybe one day Ill put all the pieces together, slowly but surely I'm gathering everything. I just hope I don't die first. Like I stated the engine works off of electromagnetism, no fuel, no fumes, no noise.

It can be placed in anything. Something as small as a power tool, or as large as an aircraft carrier. It'll work on land, in the air, under water or even in space.

But what would happen to the power companies if every home powered itself. Or the oil companies if we no longer needed fuel for our cars, trucks, jets, planes, or for the military. They spend what 6 Billion dollars a year in fuel alone.

Or was that ten years ago. I guess that's really I hadn't built it yet, what happens to those who come up with ideas like that? Those who put thousands out of business, or those who take the money out of rich peoples pockets. ((NUFORC Note: Witness elects to remain totally anonymous.

PD)).

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Fireball flys low over canal behind home with 2 foot fire trail. ((NUFORC Note: Witness indicates that the date is approximate. PD)).

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initial sighting indicating airliner on final approach for main runway On the date indicated above, I was employed as security at the Florida Light & Power plant. While checking the perimiter fence on the east side, I turned off the golf cart, When I observed a greenish large light approaching from the west, the rate of speed , decent, angle indicated that this was an airliner on final approach. The ceiling was approx six to seven thousand feet w/very scatterd clouds, yet the light seemed to be hazy as if in a fog, when it came over the intercoastal waterway, appox 1/4 mile from my location, it made a sharp 90 degree turn to the south accelerated faster than any aircraft that I have ever seen, I viewed it for approx 5/10 seconds until it vanished.

No engine noise was heard, If this was seen by me, it had to have been seen by the control tower as it was no more than 600ft agl. I looked for any reports on the radio, newspapers, tv nothing was mentioned. brief background, college grad/ aa/bs, military vet (us army).

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I could only see the underside of it from about 25-50 yards. It had a bright light underneath. It left fast, really fast.

I was waiting in my car in my boyfriends yard when I saw a bright light about 25-50 yards in front of me hoovering over a barn. I got down in the floor of my car. It just sat there, I didn't hear anything.

It scared me but at the same time I wanted to look at it. I don't remember it doing anything. I can't remember seeing the top of it but it was real bright around the underside of it.

It just stayed in one place for about 5-10 minutes and then it made a slight move upward to leave and it was gone. I don't mean it slowly left, I mean it was gone. I told a few friends who laughed at me so I never told anyone until about 25 years later and mentioned it to my then boyfriends mom.

She turned pale. I thought she was going to laugh at me but she said she had seen it to and had never said anything to anyone. I wish I had talked more about it back then because I keep feeling like I forgot alot about it by supressing it.

I wonder if hypnosis would help me remember. OK, so you want to know if I'm a nut. I don't feel that way.

I was a student either a senior in high school or just out. You would think that I would have that date engraved in my memory but I don't. I do remember exactly where I was when JFK got shot, Elvis died and both of our space shuttles went down but I can't tell you the dates of them either.

I have been a nurse for 27 years and my boyfriends mom is still a practicing nurse today at age 79. I KNOW what I saw!! They are out there somewhere. ((NUFORC Note: Date is approximate.

PD)).

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This happened a long time ago but I never officially reported it. I just read Leslie Kean’s book and decided to do so. I was 16.

It was a week day night. It was cold. I went out with a prospective boyfriend to hand out and drink a disc pack.

We also had some marijuana. We kept getting chased away from the usual places so we ended up in an area of sand dunes that is between The city and the beaches. Not far from Craig Field.

He was trying to get the car unstuck from the sand going back and forth when I looked up from the front windshield and saw a round hovering craft with colored lights blinking around the outer edge. I called my companion’s attention to it. He saw it too.

We both stared at it for a moment and then it took off very low over the dunes. It made no noise and did not stir up any sand. We got out of the car and tried to run in the direction it went.

That was not easy and we soon got winded. We decided to go to a high area to see if we could see ! anything. We did but there was nothing in sight.

We sat down to catch our breath and smoke a joint. We were probably about a mile from the car and could sat looking back in that direction. Shortly two other vehicles entered the du es from the road we used to enter.

We initially saw only the headlights. They had to be 4 wheel drive to travel on the dunes. We kept watching and they kept coming towards us.

Until we became alarmed. They were clearly aiming for us and traveling pretty fast. They both came up the dune where we were sitting and I ran.

I think he did too. I was blinded by the lights. They may have used spot lights.

I ran down the dune into a wet area and fell down getting icky water and stuff all over. The cars which looked like black Jeep’s kept going in the direction that the craft went without stopping. My companion was not pleased with my wet swampy self getting in his car and he drove me home in silence.

I did not see him again for a number of months. It was w! arm the day. I immediately started reminiscing about what happ! ened.

He said he did not remember anything that happened that night. He remembered picking me up but nothing else. The pot was.

It that good and we had two beers apiece. I never saw him again.