POKE KECEIVES A Ctm'oSITY AND TELLS A TAEN. 345 



water that looked like a gathering fog, and made it dark 

 close to its surface. The night was hushed, and the 

 heavy booming of the alligator bull came down the lake 

 like the muffled roar of a lion. 



In an hour Mike returned, with his quiet salutation, 

 stepping ashore and tossing something in the Doctor's 

 lap, saying, " Thar's a cur'osity for your collection." 



The Doctor picked it up, but it was too dark to tell 

 what it was. It looked like the boy's toy called a sucker, 

 made of a circular piece of leather, about three inches in 

 diameter, with a string fastened to it. 



"What is it, Mike?" 



" Somebody's heyar." 



"A scalp?" 



" Reckon." 



" Where did that come from ? It is not a fresh one." 



" Stole it from those beggars ; too lazy to watch their 

 own boats !" 



" How many of them are there ?" 



" Nine, and five squaws. I stole the only scalp they 

 had, and jist marked my cross on their canoe with my 

 knife, so they'll know 'twas me. It's that cussed old 

 Tiger Tail. Drat his red skin ! won't he swear some to- 

 morrow ! I reckon we'd better go. Marbee it wouldn't 

 be safe to be loafin' 'beout here when he finds his canoe 

 punched and his scalp stole." 



No one obeyed this suggestion to depart with more 

 alacrity than the Doctor, who already felt Tiger Tail's 

 fingers clutching his own scalp-lock in revenge for the 

 15* 



