to scent out the cause. Alone, the head would be in a sad predicament, and owes much to the Neck in joining it to the rest of the body. The Collarbone is not to be despised, though not to compare with the Heart, the Liver, and the Bowel departments of the system. More than one Limb is demanded for the symmetry of the body; and these are forthcoming in the Arms, with the Hand and Hands-and the Leg, with its Knee and Kneebone-and last of all, the Foot, with its great Toe and the lesser Toes. Arising out of his physical nature, man has the power of movement. He can Tarry or Travel-his motion may be Slow or Swift; but without question it will be Quick if he has to take to Flight! As a pedestrian, we speak of his Gait, which may be Stiff or Easy, Awkward or full of Grace. He may Saunter or Skip, he may Waddle or Dance. Should he Jump and Slide, he may chance to Trip. Should he Go-lightly, he is the better able to Flitt from place to place. If he acts the equestrian, he will regulate the pace at which to Ride. His horse may be an Ambler, or he can make it Canter and Trot, or put it to the Gallop. If it should Prance or Kick, it may Fling him from his saddle, and for that day at least his exercise would be likely to Cease. the Sly, the Proud, the Greedy, and the Idle. It is not considered much Amiss to be Lax, Careless, or Cross; but the consequences are deplorable enough. Many a Bonfellow and Meanwell has made a sorry figure in the world. To be Innocent as infancy is not our lot; but to be Meek and Gentle to all, Humble in spirit, Constant and Faithful to our promises, Kind even to our enemies-this is possible; and in proportion as we Excell in these qualities shall we be deemed Trusty and Worthy; and he who is Good to man and Godly towards his Maker, has no cause for fear. In disposition, what varieties do the walks of life exhibit! The Coldman is apt to make his neighbour the Chillman, till the Merryman appears. It is natural to some to be Bold, Valliant, Gallant, and Doughty; another is predisposed to act the Coward. The man of Brag talks as a Bouncer, but seldom develops into the Boxer. One is Trim and Stiff; a third is Easy. The Coy and Dainty may be set against the Jolly and the Eager; while it is possible for the Lively man to have so much of the Fussey about him as to be far from Pleasant in society-even a Pester and a Bore. Intellectually considered, we perceive one man to be Ready with an Argument, and able Cleverly to conduct it, while another has but a Faint or Crude conception of what it means. The Brightman, the Wise, and the Witty, to whom we must add the men of Fancy and the Bard, are the companions we seek, being as anxious to shun the society of the Muff, the Dolt, the Daft, as of him whose former acuteness has been Dulled by long excess. As man is endowed with vocal organs, we are not surprised that while he can be Silent, he may also make a Noise; animal-like he may Bray, or Howl, or Screech; or, using the faculty of speech, he can Chatt so volubly as to pass for a Chattaway. In private, he may Grumble, or, worse still, become a Tattler. In public, he may be little better than a Bawler; yet The genus homo has its genders and relationships, and should he Stammer, he will be less likely to indulge in these are pretty fully expressed by the following terms Twaddle. When able to Sing and to Chant, he is pro-Male, Baby, Suckling, Child, Bratt, Boy, Daughters. vided with the means of gratification, exhilarating and innocuous. Differences of physical appearance are often very striking. Some are Tall and Large, others Short and Small. Of some we speak as Thick, Fatt, or Stout; of others as Slight, Slender, or even Gaunt. To be Bandy is seldom the result of anything but neglectful nursing. But human nature is the subject of deep emotions, and these, both the brighter and the darker, are of innumerable shades. Pain becomes Anguish; Care deepens into Fear-this into Dread. Sudden Fright is rarely so injurious as settled Grief. The Anger which smokes may flame into Wrath and burst into Fury. On the contrary, there is an Affection that must Gladden every observer. A Happy state of mind may rise into Joy, and this feeling culminates in Bliss. All emotions when intense cause the nervous system to Tremble with the excitement they produce. As a moral being, man is capable of Virtue and Vice; Courage and Zeal may be displayed for any purpose; but Faith or Verity, with Peace, Patience, Prudence, Hope, and Love, are most frequently associated with that which is noblest in human life. Overagainst these, however, is Evil in the form of Folly, Vice, and Crime. Rant, Cant, and Fudge are at all times vexatious; but the Amour that depraves, the Gambling that inflames, and the Spite that turns the milk of human kindness into gall, leave a heavier Blott, and diffuse a deadlier Blight. Philosophers divide all moral qualities into Good or Base; and there is no sane mind which is Blank in this respect. It is possible to meet with some Badman, who is so Vile as to be a moral Blackamore-as here and there some may seem Allgood, and Perfect, or Faultless. Few would be disposed to apologise for the Wanton, the Prigg or Tricker, the Rake, the Scamp in general, the Swindler in particular, or the Tippler, who may be all in one. These, if Found or Caught, would be in some Danger of tasting the rigours of the law; but perhaps as much moral evil and discontent are occasioned by other parties deemed less culpable—as by the Vain, Marriage and Wedlock involves a Partner of each sex. Man is the Husband or Younghusband, as the case may be: the Dame may be a Virgin-classically Virgo vulgarly Wench, or taken from the interesting class of Widows. Cousin and Uncle, and many another Kinsman, form the Kindred which Fathers of families may be prepared to treat with relative amenity and good-will. Eating and drinking constitute so important a portion of human occupation, that a liberal inventory of articles of fare may be expected in the surnames of the land. Meats of the Flesh description are plentiful -Gammon of Bacon, Ham, Veal, Mutton, and Giblett; with liberty to Frizzle, Fry, or Stew them. Every variety of Fish and Fowl is also present-from Turtle down to Trout, and from Chicken up to Goose. Eggs are at hand, with Mustard, Pepper, and Pickles as condiments. Cabbage and Butter are not lacking, with Pease and many a Spice besides. Rice as a pudding is on the board. As a dessert, every kind of fruit is in waiting-the Date, Figg, Cherry, Almond, Nut, Orange, Peach, Plum, Raisin, Grapes, &c. For tea, there are Cake, Cakebreed, Muffin, Bunn, Honey, and Sugars of every name. Of drinks there is no stint. The temperance man has his Wells and Streams, with the addition of Congo and other sorts of Tea, also Coffee and Milk; and the lover of intoxicating liquor is placed in hazardous proximity to his Gin or Punch, his Wines, yclept Port, Sherry, and Claret, and his Malt compounds of Beer and Porter. Tart, Sweet, and Mellow are borrowed from man's sense of taste, as Round and Square to his sense of touch. Wearing apparel and domestic articles, from a Bodkin to a Broom, are represented by a long array of names. His sight is regaled with a diversity of colours-exclusive of the ordinary Browns, Blacks, and Greens-such as the various Blues of sky and water-Gray, Purple, Red, Yellow, and White the nondescript. But man is also a numbering animal-a capacity which in its highest developments separates him from the brute; hence we proceed from the Unit to Two, Twin, Double, Treble, 394 Triplett, up to Twelves, Eighteen, Forty, and a Million. Scarce, Few, Much, and Muchmore are indefinite terms in common use. Man, too, is a dealer in money-a propensity which is here indicated by the foreign Ducat, the obsolete Mite, the Farthing, Halfpenny, Penny, Twopenny, and Pound. He distinguishes times and seasons-as Day and HalfNight, and can even imagine a Doubleday. night is familiar to him. Dark gives place to Dawn, and so on to Noon and Vesper, till the Daily course is run. The succession of time is marked by Early, Late, Later, Last. Monday and Friday are recorded, and Middleweek instead of Wednesday. Weeks appear, as also January and May, among the months. Midwinter and Winter, Northeast and West, are rememMan bered, besides every other point of the compass. can measure things to an Ace; and other surnames remind us of the Inch, Halfyard, Yard, Ell, Furlong, and Halfacre. The retail trader has his Peck and Bushel; the apothecary, his Grain; the liquor merchant, his Gallon, Firkin, and Butt. Of minerals there is a Treasure-the native Copper and artificial Brass, followed by Silver, Gold, Pearl, Ruby, and Diamond. Our form of government is a limited monarchy, and the English have a high respect for Rank. The Court is in public favour, for though we have no Rex, we have a Monarch who nobly wears the Crown, and is allied to a Prince who does honour to his Royal station. was enabled to penetrate the forest to a great distance. On every side we commanded a vista of at least thousand yards, through the intervals between the red glowing trunks; and beyond this we could hear by the 'swiz' of the flames, and the continual crackling of the boughs, that fresh trees were being embraced within the circle of conflagration, still extending its circumference outward. The sounds grew fainter apace, until they bore a close resemblance to the mutterings of distant thunder. We might have fancied that the fire was dying out; but the luminous ring around the horizon proved that the flames were still ascending. It was only because the sounds came from a greater distance, that we heard them less distinctly. Our human foes must have been still further away. They must have retired before the widening rim of the conflagration. Of course they had calculated upon doing so, before applying the torch. In all likelihood, they had retreated to the savanna to await the result. Their object in firing the forest was not so easily understood. Perhaps they expected that the vast volume of flame would close over and consume us; or, more likely, that we should be smothered under the dense clouds of smoke. This in reality might have been our fate, but for the proximity of the pond. My companions told me that their sufferings from the smoke had been dreadful in the extreme In contrast with the preceding are a batch of names that call up anything but cheerful images. The Dead--that they should have been stifled by it, had they man is the notion of Death (also Mort), and the funeral Knell tolls his Coffin to the Grave. Murther calls us to meditate on the Graves that single crime has dug. A long list of surnames descriptive of tame and wild beasts, birds and insects, fishes and fowls, trees and flowers, must be omitted, or reserved for another occasion. In bringing up the rear of these remarks, Catchaside, God believe, Gotobed, Maybee, Sneezum, will serve as a few examples of the oddities sprinkled over this list of 2000 words. Nothing can now be said of the ridiculous combinations of Christian and surnames frequently to be met with. To call a child, for instance, whom we knew, 'Napoleon Chick,' was just pinning to the poor boy a life-long joke. The family name cannot easily be changed, but parents may avoid, by a little exercise of judgment, increasing the laughable and absurd associations which are already too freely mixed up with the nomenclature of our native realm. OCEOLA: A ROMANCE. CHAPTER LXXXIX.-AN ENEMY UNLOOKED FOR. As upon the stage of a theatre, the farce follows the grand melodrame, this tragic scene was succeeded by an incident supremely ludicrous. It elicited roars of laughter from the men, that, under the circumstances, sounded like the laughter of madmen. Maniacs, indeed, might these men have been deemed, thus giving way to mirth with a prospect before them so grim and gloomy-the prospect of almost certain death, either at the hands of our savage assailants, or from starvation. Of the Indians, we had no present fear. The flames that had driven us out of the timber, had equally forced them from their position, and we knew they were now far from us. They could not be near. The burnt branches had fallen from the pines, and the foliage was entirely consumed, so that the eye not thrown themselves into the pond, and kept their faces close to the surface of the water, which of itself was several feet below the level of the ground. It had been to me an hour of unconsciousness. My faithful black had carried me-lifeless as he supposed-to the water, and placed me in a recumbent position among the rest. It was afterwards-when the smoke had partially cleared away-that the spies were put upon their trial. Hickman and Weatherford, deeply indignant at the conduct of these monsters, would not hear of delay, but insisted upon immediate punishment; so the wretches were seized upon, and dragged out of the pond, to undergo the formality of an examination. It was at this crisis that my senses returned to me. As soon as the dread sentence had been carried into execution, the ci-devant jurors came rushing back into the pond, and plunged their bodies under the water. The heat was still intense and painful to be endured. There were two only who appeared to disregard it, and who shewed their disregard by remaining upon the bank; these were the two hunters. Knives in hand, I saw them stooping over a dark It was the horse that Hickman object that lay near. had shot in the morning. I now understood the old There were others as hungry as they, who, taking the hint, proceeded to imitate their example. The pangs of hunger overcame the dread of the hot atmosphere; and in a few minutes' time, a dozen men might have been observed grouped like vultures around the dead horse, hacking and hewing at the carcass. At this crisis occurred the incident which I have characterised as ludicrous. With the exception of the few engaged in their coarse cuisine, the rest of us had remained in the water. We were lying round the circular rim of the basin, our bodies parallel to one another, and our heads upon the bank. We were not dreaming of being disturbed by an intruder of any kind-at least for a time. We were no longer in dread of the fire, and our savage foemen were far off. All at once, however, an enemy was discovered in an unexpected quarter-right in the midst of us. Just in the centre of the pond, where the water was deepest, a monstrous form rose suddenly to the surface at the same time our ears were greeted with a loud bellowing, as if half a score of bulls had been set loose into the glade. In an instant the water was agitated-lashed into foam-while the spray was scattered in showers around our heads. Weird-like and sudden as was the apparition, there was nothing mysterious about it. The hideous form, and deep bovine tone, were well known to all. It was simply an alligator. But for its enormous size, the presence of the creature would scarcely have been regarded; but it was one of the largest of its kind-its body in length almost equalling the diameter of the pond, with huge gaunt jaws that seemed capable of swallowing one of us at a single 'gulp.' Its roar, too, was enough to inspire even the boldest with terror. It produced this effect; and the wild frightened looks of those in the water-their confused plunging and plashing, as they scrambled to their feet, and hastened to get out of it—their simultaneous rushing up the bank, and scattering off over the open ground -all contributed to form a spectacle ludicrous as exciting. In less than ten seconds' time, the great saurian had the pond to himself, where he continued to bellow, and brandish his tail as if triumphant at our retreat. He was not permitted to exult long in his triumph. The hunters, with several others, seized their rifles, and ran forward to the edge of the pond, when a volley from a dozen guns terminated the monster's existence. Those who had been ashore' were already convulsed with laughter at the scared fugitives; but the latter, having recovered from their momentary affright, now joined in the laugh till the woods rang with a chorus of wild cachinnations. Could the Indians have heard us at that moment, they must have fancied us mad-or more likely dead, and that our voices were those of their own friends, headed by Wykomé himself, rejoicing over the infernal holocaust. CHAPTER XC. A CONFLICT IN DARKNESS. The forest continued to burn throughout the night, the following day, and the night after. Even on the second day, most of the trees were still on fire. They no longer blazed, for the air was perfectly still, and there was no wind to fan the fire into flame. It was seen in red patches upon the trunks, smouldering and gradually becoming less, as its strength spontaneously died out. From many of the trees the fire had disappeared altogether, and these no longer bore any resemblance to trees, but looked like huge, sharppointed stakes, charred, and black, as though profusely coated with coal-tar. Though there were portions of the forest that might have been traversed, there were other places where the fire still burned-enough to oppose our progress. We were still besieged by the igneous element-as completely confined within the circumscribed boundaries of the glade, as if encompassed by a hostile army of twenty times our number. No rescue could possibly reach us. Even our enemies, so far as our safety was concerned, could not have 'raised the siege.' The old hunter's providence had stood us in good stead. But for the horse, some of us must have succumbed to hunger; or, at all events, suffered to an extreme degree. We had now been four days without food, except what the handful of pine-cones and the horseflesh afforded; and still the fiery forest hemmed us in. There was no alternative but to stay where we were, until, as Hickman phrased it, 'the woods shed git cool.' We were cheered with the hope that another day would effect this end, and we might travel with safety amid the calcined trunks, and over the black smouldering ashes. But the prospect before us was even as gloomy as that around us. While our dread of the fire declined, that of our human foes increased in an inverse proportion. We had but little hope of getting off without an encounter. They could traverse the woods as soon as we, and were certain to be on the look-out. With them the account was still to be settled-the gauntlet yet to be run. The But we had grown fiercer and more fearless. greatest coward of our party had become brave, and no one voted either for skulking or hanging back. Stand or fall, we had resolved upon keeping together, and cutting our way through the hostile lines, or dying in the attempt. It was but the old programme, with a slight change in the mise en scène. We waited only for another night to carry the plan into execution. The woods would scarcely be as 'cool' as we might have desired, but hunger was again hurrying us. The horse-a small one-had disappeared. Fifty starved stomachs are hard to satisfy. The bones lay around, clean picked-those that contained marrow, broken into fragments, and emptied of their contents. Even the hideous saurian was a skeleton! A more disgusting spectacle was presented by the bodies of the two criminals. The heat had swollen them to enormous proportions, and decomposition had already commenced. The air was loaded with that horrid effluvia peculiar to the dead body of a human being. Our comrades who fell in the fight had been interred; and there had been some talk of performing the like office for the others. No one objected, but none volunteered to take the trouble. In such cases, men are overpowered by an extreme apathy; and this was chiefly the reason why the bodies of the two spies were left uninterred. With eyes bent anxiously towards the west, we awaited the going down of the sun. So long as his bright orb was above the horizon, we could only guess at the condition of the fire. The darkness would enable us to distinguish that part of the forest that was still burning, and point out the direction we should take. The fire itself would guide us to shunning it. Twilight found us on the tiptoe of expectation, and not without hope. There was but little noise among the scathed pines; the smoke appeared slighter than we had yet observed it. All believed that the fires were nearly out, and that the time had arrived when we could pass through them. An unexpected circumstance put this point beyond conjecture. While we stood waiting, the rain began to fall-at first, in big solitary drops; but in a few minutes it came pouring down as if all heaven's fountains had been opened together. We hailed the phenomenon with joy; it appeared an omen in our favour. The men could hardly be restrained from setting forth at once; but the more cautious counselled the rest to patience, and we stood awaiting the deeper darkness. The rain continued to pour, its clouds hastening the night. As it darkened, scarcely a spark appeared among the trees. It is dark enough,' urged the impatient. The others assented; and all started forth into the black bosom of the ruined forest. We moved silently along, each tightly grasping his gun, and holding it ready for use. Mine was carried in one hand-the other rested in a sling. In this plight I was not alone; half-a-dozen of my comrades had been also winged;' and together we kept in the rear. The better men marched in front, Hickman and Weatherford acting as guides. The rain beat down upon us: there was no longer a foliage to intercept it. As we walked under the burnt branches, the black char was driven against our faces, and as quickly washed off again. Most of the men were bareheaded; their caps were over the locks of their guns to keep them dry; some sheltered their priming with the skirts of their coats. In this manner we had advanced nearly half a mile —we knew not in what direction; no guide could have found a path through such a forest. We only endeavoured to keep straight on, with the view of getting beyond our enemies. So long unmolested, we had begun to hope. Alas, it was a momentary gleam! we were underrating the craft of our red foemen. They had been watching us all the time-had dogged our steps, and, at some distance off, were marching on both sides of us in two parallel lines. While dreaming of safety, we were actually in their midst. The flashes of a hundred guns through the misty rain-the whistling of as many bullets-was the first intimation we had of their proximity. Several fell under the volley-some returned the fire-a few thought only of flight. On the former they were executing their hideous rite of vengeance-they were scalping them. A group was nearer the individuals who composed it were standing erect. One in their midst appeared to issue commands; even in the gray light I could distinguish three waving plumes. Again Oçeola! I was not free, or at that moment I should have rushed forward and grappled him-vain though the effort might have been. But I was not free. Two savages knelt over me, as if guarding me against escape. I perceived the black near at hand, still alive, and similarly cared for. Why had they not killed us? A man approached the spot where we lay. It was not he with the ostrich plumes, though the latter appeared to have sent him. As he drew near, I perceived that he carried a pistol: my hour was come. The man stooped over me, and placed the weapon close to my ear. To my astonishment, he fired it into the air! I thought he had missed me, and would try again. But this was not his purpose; he only wanted a light. While the powder was ablaze, I caught a glance of the countenance. It was an Indian's. I thought I had seen it before; and from some expression the man made use of, he appeared to know me. He passed rapidly away, and proceeded to the spot where Jake was held captive. The pistol must have had two barrels, for I heard him fire it again, stooping in a similar manner over the prostrate form of the black. He then rose, and called out: "It is they both alive.' The information appeared meant for him of the black plumes, for the moment it was given, the latter uttered some exclamation I did not comprehend, and then walked away. His voice produced a singular impression upon me. I fancied it did not sound like Oçeola's. We were kept upon the ground only for a few minutes longer, until some horses were brought up. Upon two of them Jake and I were mounted, and fast tied to the saddles. The word to advance was Uttering their shrill cries, the savages closed in then given; and, with an Indian riding on each side upon us; in the darkness, they appeared to out-of us, we were conducted away through the woods. number the trees. Save the occasional report of a pistol, no other shots were heard or fired-no one thought of reloading. The foe was upon us before there was time to draw a ramrod. The knife and hatchet were to be the arbiters of the fight. The struggle was sanguinary as it was short; many of our brave fellows met their death, but each killed his foeman-some two or three-before falling. We were soon vanquished. How could it be otherwise? the enemy was five to one. They were fresh and strong-we weak with hunger-almost emaciated -many of us wounded: how could it be otherwise? CHAPTER XCI. THE THREE BLACK PLUMES. The We journeyed throughout the whole night. burnt woods were left behind; and, having crossed a savanna, we passed for several hours under a forest of giant oaks, palms, and magnolias. I knew this by the fragrance of the magnolia blossoms, that, after the fetid atmosphere we had been breathing, smelt sweet and refreshing. Just as day was breaking, we arrived at an opening in the woods, where our captors halted. The opening was of small extent-a few acres only I saw but little of the conflict-perhaps no one saw more; it was a struggle amidst obscurity-darkness-bounded on all sides by a thick growth of palms, almost opaque. With only one hand-and that the left--I was quite helpless. I fired my rifle at random, and had contrived to draw a pistol; but the blow of a tomahawk hindered me from using it, at the same time striking me senseless to the earth. I was only stunned; and when my senses returned to me, I perceived that the conflict was over. Dark as it was, I could see a number of black objects lying near me upon the ground; they were the bodies of the slain. Some were my late comrades-others their foes in many instances locked in each other's embrace. Red Indians were stooping over, as if separating them. magnolias, and live-oaks. Their foliage drooped to the ground, so that the glade appeared encompassed by a vast wall of green, through which no outlet was discernible. In the gray light I perceived the outlines of an encampment. There were two or three tents with horses picketed around them, and human forms-some upright and moving about, others recumbent upon the grass, singly or in clusters, as if sleeping together for mutual warmth. A large fire was burning in the midst, and around it were men and women seated and standing. To the edge of this camp we had been carried, but no time was left us for observation. On the instant after halting, we were dragged roughly from our saddles, and flung prostrate upon the grass. We were next turned upon our backs, thongs were tied around our wrists and ankles, our arms and limbs were drawn out to their full extent, and we were thus staked firmly to the ground, like a pair of hides spread out to be dried. Of course, in this attitude we could see no more of the camp, nor the trees, nor the earth itself—only the blue heavens above us. Under any circumstances, the position would have been painful, but my wounded arm rendered it excruciating. In another instant his shadow fell over my face; and Yellow Jake himself stood within the circle of my vision. Despite the pigments that disguised the natural colour of his skin-despite the beaded shirt, the sash, the embroidered leggings-despite the three black plumes that waved over his brow, I easily identified the man. CHAPTER XCII. BURIED AND BURNED. We had both been expecting him. The cry mulattomico, and afterwards the voice-still remembered― had warned us of his coming. Our arrival had set the camp in motion. Men came out to meet us, and women crowded over us as I expected to gaze upon him with dread. Strange we lay on our backs. There were Indian squaws it may appear, but such was not the case. On the among them, but to my surprise I noticed that most contrary, I beheld him with a feeling akin to joy of them were of African race-mulattoes, zamboes,-joy at the sight of those three black plumes that and negresses! nodded above his scowling temples. For some time they stood over, jeering and taunting us. They even proceeded to inflict torture-they spat on us, pulled out handfuls of our hair by the roots, and stuck sharp thorns into our skins-all the while yelling with a fiendish delight, and jabbering an unintelligible patois, that appeared a mixture of Spanish and Yamassee. My fellow-captive fared as badly as myself. Homogeneousness of colour elicited no sympathy from these female fiends. Black and white were alike the victims of their hellish spite. Part of their jargon I was able to comprehend. Aided by a slight acquaintance with the Spanish tongue, I made out what was intended to be done with us. The knowledge was far from affording consolation: We had been brought to the camp to be tortured. We were sufficiently tortured already; but it was not all we were destined to undergo. We were to be the victims of a grand spectacle, and these infernal hags were exulting in the prospect of the sport our sufferings should afford them. For this only had we been captured, instead of being killed. Into whose horrid hands had we fallen? Were they human beings? Were they Indians? Could they be Seminoles, whose behaviour to their captives had hitherto repelled every insinuation of torture? A shout arose, as if in answer to my questions. The voices of all around were mingled in the cry, but the words were the same: 'Mulatto-mico! mulatto-mico! Viva, mulatto-mico!' The trampling of many hoofs announced the arrival of a band of horsemen. They were those who had been engaged in the fight-who had conquered and made us captive. Only half-a-dozen guards had been with us on the night-march, and had reached the camp along with us. The new-comers were the main body-who had stayed upon the field of battle to complete the despoliation of their fallen foes. I could not see them, though they were near. I heard their horses trampling around. I lay listening to that significant shout: 'Mulatto-mico! Viva, mulatto-mico !' To me the words were full of terrible import. The phrase 'mulatto-mico' was not new to me, and I heard it with a feeling of dread. But it was scarcely possible to increase apprehensions already excited to their highest. A horrid fate was before me. The presence of the fiend himself could not have made it more certain. My fellow-victim shared my thoughts. We were near, and could converse. On comparing our conjectures, we found that they exactly coincided. For a moment I marked not his angry frowns, nor the wicked triumph that sparkled in his eye. The ostrich feathers were alone the objects of my regard the cynosure of my thoughts. Their presence upon the crest of the 'mulatto king' elucidated a world of mystery; foul suspicion was plucked from out my bosom: the preserver of my life, the hero of my heart's admiration, was still true-Oçeola was true! In the momentary exultation of this thought, I almost forgot the peril that surrounded me; but the voice of the mulatto once more roused me to a consciousness of my situation. 'Carajo!' cried he, in a tone of malignant triumph. Al fin verguenza!—(At last vengeance.) Both too— white and black-master and slave-my tyrant, and my rival! Ha, ha, ha!' Me tie to tree?' continued he, after a burst of hoarse laughter; me burn, eh? burn 'live? Your turn come now-trees plenty here. But no; I teach you better plan. Carrambo, si! far better plan. Tie to tree, captive sometime 'scape, ha, ha, ha! Sometime 'scape, eh? ha, ha, ha!' 'Before burn you, me shew you sight. Ho, there!' he shouted, motioning to some of the bystanders to come near. 'Untie hands-raise 'em up-both-face turn to camp-basta! basta! that do. Now, white rascall-black rascall, look-what see yonder?' As he issued these orders, several of his creatures pulled up the stakes that had picketed down our arms, and raising us into a sitting-posture, slewed our bodies round till our faces bore full upon the camp. It was now broad daylight-the sun shining brightly in the heavens. Under such a light, every object in the camp was distinctly visible-the tentsthe horses--the motley crowd of human occupants. We regarded not these: on two forms alone our eyes rested-the well-known forms of my sister and Viola. They were close together, as I had seen them once before-Viola, seated, with head drooping; while that of Virginia rested in her lap. The hair of both was hanging in dishevelled masses, the black tresses of the maid mingling with the golden locks of her mistress. They were surrounded by guards, and appeared unconscious of our presence. This was but for a time. One was despatched to give them notice of it. As the information was imparted, we saw them start, and look inquiringly around. In another instant, their eyes were upon us. A thrilling scream announced that we were recognised. Both cried out together. I heard my sister's voice pronouncing my name. I called to her in return. I saw her spring to her feet, toss her arms wildly above her head, and attempt to rush towards me. I saw the guard taking hold of her, and rudely dragging her back. Oh, it was a painful sight! Death itself would But the point was soon settled beyond conjecture. A harsh voice sounded in our ears, issuing an abrupt order that scattered the women away. A heavy footstep was heard behind-the speaker was approaching. I have been easier to endure. |