The Flamingo Feather

promising a young warrior as Chitta, who had so incurred the enmity of both th

ans for future action. Cat-sha told Chitta that he had left his band in their most inaccessible stronghold among the bayous and deep morasses of the great Okeefenokee Swamp. He also said that, were it not for the

t-sha a secret that was known to but few of his people, and which he himself had only discovered by accident. It was the same that Has-se had declined to confide

old me makes clear our plan of attack upon this nest of pale-faces, and removes one of the chief difficulties in our way. Having this information, I regard the fort and all that

down the river, close under its bank. Cat-sha soon pronounced it to be a fle

ble under the river-bank, to avoid observation from the white men in Fort Caroline, who, they feared, might oppose their departure if they learned of it. It was not until they reached the bold bluff from the summit of which the two Semi

ldren, and all of its movable property, Cat-sha concluded that it was a general movement of Micco's people towards some dis

f what he had so recently done and become. "This is thy doing, my young Seminole. Thou hast destroyed their store of food, and thus compelled them to go in search of mo

movements that they ran no chance of discovery from those in advance of them, though they were never far behind. They carefully examined each camping-place of the moving tribe, to assu

his own band, who awaited him in the depths of the great swamp. He even meditated an attack upon his Indian foe

and Réné de Veaux in turn followed them, and it was their canoe o

aken, or those whom we know to be in close pursuit of them. Here is work for us, Ta-lah-lo-ko, or rather for me, for it is my duty to discover

enemies, and thy safety or danger is mine to share with thee. So say no more of my safety, save as it concerns thine as well, but lead on as thou thinkest best, and I will follow thee as truly as thou

ue friendship, and gave Réné a grateful smile, which the latter understood to mean "Ver

nts of the canoe, of which he had caught but the merest glimpse, should have looked back and detected them at the same instant, that he decided to push on, and if possible discover more of it. So he and Réné crossed the open water as quickly and with as little noise as possible, and as th

of the river they had ascended from the salt-marshes of the east. As Has-se had requested him to keep absolute silence, and on no account to

both rose in the great swamp, and that their headwaters were connected by navigable streams, b

g to hear the war-cry of his enemies in every breath of wind, knew better than to leave open waters without looking behind as he did so. On this occasion the quick glance thrown backward at the

n discovered, that was exactly what they would be expected to do, and their pursuers would exercise more than a usual amount of caution in approaching that point. Once safely past it they would advance more boldly, thinking that their own presence had been undet

ne on each side of the stream; and, hidden behind screens of tangled vines, with arrows held rea

ously, to be sure, but without a warning of what awaited them. At length they had approached within a qu

open thy ears as well as thy eyes, Ta-lah-l

that not the faintest hum of a

fted aside, and hung for an instant upon the upraised end of a sunken log. Réné reached his hand down into the water to push it clear of the obstruction, but suddenly withd