MIKE AND TIGER TAIL PLAT CHESS. 413 



around the tower, and one of them, laying his rifle 

 down, prepared to make the ascent of the outer wall to 

 the light, that still burned dimly and fitfully in the lan- 

 tern, like the morning star in the sky. The forest mata- 

 dor carefully prepared himself for his task by laying 

 aside his hunting-shirt that the Seminoles wore, contrary 

 to the usual habit of dress among native tribes. He took 

 off the necklace of coins with a pendent crescent of silver 

 that ornamented his breast. He threw aside his wrought 

 belt with its bullet-pouch and sheath, and putting his 

 knife between his teeth, like a butcher, with a cat-like 

 bound ran up the timber that still leaned against the 

 tower, and carefully mounted the first of the iron spikes 

 driven into the wall. His tight buckskin leggins were 

 fringed with blue, his naked chest and arms glistened 

 with sweat, and the sunshine and the vermilion-colored 

 painting on his face and breast made him resemble an 

 ocelot climbing a tree. He found the ascent very easy, 

 until he reached the top of the tower, where it curved 

 out to form the little gallery that ran round the lantern. 

 Here he paused for a moment, adjusting his feet and 

 inserting a hand in a crevice of the wall to support him, 

 while he reached out with the other to fix his hold in 

 the ledge, and here he met the bolt of fate from Mike's 

 rifle, that with its clear ringing knell proclaimed to the 

 astonished band that not only was their comrade on the 

 tower death-stricken, but that necessarily the outpost 

 they had left on the island in the night had first fallen 

 before the same avenger. 



