THE FLOEIDA POCAHONTAS. 155 



the wondering eyes of the Indian gii'ls that followed his 

 ste-ps ; for his thoughts were where the Alcanadra River 

 was leaping his native hills of Arragon, and the castanets 

 clacked to the dancer's tread unner the walls of his home 

 in Huesca. 



" But there were others at the village who did not join 

 in the verdict of the chiefs. Those simple hearts, whose 

 love and faith in the forest, or the town, all the wide 

 world over, makes the sunshine to man's gloom, the hope 

 to passion's rigor, had seen the stranger, had sorrowed 

 for him, and had longed to save him. First among them 

 all was the daughter of the chief. Availing herself of 

 her rank, she had stood without the ring when Ortez was 

 under examination. She had seen his melancholy atti- 

 tude, and met the fiery glance of his Spanish eye. She 

 had marked his slashed doublet, and the graceful em- 

 broideries of his vest. His heavy moustache was differ- 

 ent from the smooth-faced warriors of her tribe, and his 

 form, by their lithe figures, towered like King Richard's 

 at Askelon. Her uncovered bosom throbbed beneath 

 the necklace of coral, her deep eyes were vacant with 

 thought ; Yahchilane was in love; and the object of her 

 love was the Spanish soldier that was to die at sunrise." 



" That's not nateral at all, an Injin woman is a leetle 

 wuss nor an Injin man, and is allers down on a pri- 

 soner." 



"You Mike!" said Louisa Jackson, with a hushing 

 gesture of her hand ; and the hunter relapsed into silence, 

 and sat as before, listening to the story, and rolling back- 



