Part 13 (1/2)
All these tropical splendors are illumined by the rays of the full hunter'sstrea silver Froht fill the bals, punctured by the occasional screas of the melancholy owls Here in this forest prinolias, nature rules supreme, uncontaminated by the trammels of civilization
But what is that? Surely hu noiselessly from limb to limb over dark pools where the deadly oons beautified by great lilies, and densely populated with rainbow colored fishes, and gaily decorated by water-fo all motionless in the embrace of sleep, the brother of death
The moonbeaines, who once ruled over the whole of this fair peninsular
They are returning, with packs of supplies strapped upon their backs, fro journey to the city of Kissi for many-colored calicos, ammunition, and alas for the once-noble red men! fire-water They had left their canoes when they could no longer be floated, and are now returning in this, the only possible manner, to their fertile oasis, protected fros into which all foot travelers would sink to unknown slile file, hand over hand fro in the air, led by Tiger-tail, the chief of the survivors of the ent and powerful of all the Indian tribes Suddenly the leader stops, gives the low cry of the Ring-dove, which halts his followers, and suspended in air, gazes at the sleeping for, with his rifle beside hirass-covered above the surroundinghis band to follow, the chief drops noiselessly beside the sleeper, stealthily seizes the gun, revolver, and bowie-knife of the helpless victim, hands them to others, and shouts ”Humph, wake up!”
The pale-face reaches for his weapons, and finding the at his stalwart captors
”Who you be?” grunted the chief ”What for you here?”
”I a”
”Huht here You my prisoner; follow me, my slave”
As resistance was useless, the youth silently obeys, cli hour after hour until his arms seemed about to be wrenched fro sun shot his lances of light through the forest's gloom, the chief drops to solid earth, followed by all
A roer the styx-like waters; the funereal realms of Pluto have vanished, and an elevated plateau appears, partially cleared Here and there graceful pale trees laden with fruit; sparkling springs; abundant harvests of varied crops; picturesque as started to yelp, but at once slunk away at a word fro: ”Go in there till I call you”
Henry obeyed, and exhausted with his journey, sank quickly to sleep upon the straw-covered floor At length, when the sun was high in the heavens, he akened by a black man, who placed before him some venison and corn bread, then silently withdrew After satisfying his hunger, he went out to explore
It was an ideal scene of tropical luxuriance; cattle and sheep were feeding upon the abundant grasses; but they suddenly took to their heels, with uplifted tails and terrified eyes, at the sight of his white face, a spectacle never before seen on this oasis, peopled hitherto exclusively by ”Copperheads” Swarets; groups of braves, fantastically attired, lounged under the shade of the wide-spreading u-steive the visitor even an inquiring glance
Henry interviewed a nu corn and sweet potatoes, who inforlish that they were the slaves of the Indians; that they had never heard of the civil war, nor of Abraham Lincoln They clai plenty to eat and no very severe labor They cast anxious glances towards the village, and see they had never before seen a whiteaily, all nature smiled complacently, and he strolled over the flower-bedecked fields into the recesses of the forest, where he seated hinolia around which twined the fragrant jessaht, moccasined footfall is heard, and there stepped froraceful as a faith her head croith flowers, and softly singing a strange, sweet song in an unknown tongue When the stranger was seen she started to flee, but with a sh hypnotized
”Oh,” she whispered, ”you are the pale-face er-tail should seeto you, he would kill us both Such is the law of the Seminoles No Indian maiden must speak to a white man; but I never saw such as you before”
”But, how happens it,” said he, in astonishht me,” was the reply, ”he is a scholar; we all speak some American”
”May I know your nahter of the Seminole chief”
”Andlook ”You are well nahters of the pale-faces; but none so fair and bright as you Sunbealance, I love you; can you sometiirl; ”the Great Spirit tells ether; they will kill us, we must part at once”
”Dearest,” cried Henry, ”when can we ain?”
”To-morrow at noon,” came the impulsive reply ”In my cave there back of that cypress; no one is allowed to enter but me; there I say my prayers, and my father says it is sacred to me alone Good-bye, Henry,” and she sped like a deer into the shades of the forest
The youth was sincere, for it had flashed upon him like an inspiration when their eyes first met, that she was born for hio It came like a word from the Infinite to these kindred souls A sudden rent in the veil of darkness which surrounds us s unseen Such visions sometimes effect a transfor a poor caoats, into a Joan of Arc
This love-flash from the invisible blent these two hitherto widely separated souls into one, even as the positive electricity leaps through the spaces to find the negative, and when met, dissolves the separateness into a harmonious oneness which can never be sundered