THE FLOBIDA POCAHONTAS. 157 



hair like a bear's — with a mantle of moleskin and gold, 

 and a silent tongue — he is alone and a stranger — and to- 

 morrow he dies ; and Yahchilane would rather hunt with 

 him in the Happy Land than stay here alone.' 



" When the old chief heard this, he knew what the 

 offering meant ; for it was all of his daughter's goods, 

 and all that she and her maidens had woven through the 

 year. He knew how fast love comes under a tropical 

 sky, where the blood is hot, and how far the wild feeling 

 would carry an Indian girl. He remembered the days 

 when Yahchilane's mother was a maiden ; and he turned 

 away to his brother chieftains, and left his daughter still 

 bent on the sands. 



" At a summons hastily sent, the warriors came again 

 together, and sat as before around the door of their chief. 

 They kindled a fire, and the flames flashed red over many 

 a reed-covered house — over the pickets and lagoons, and 

 the stUl bowed figure of girl. None looked at the chiefs 

 daughter, though all saw her sitting, and wist why she 

 remained ; and then they talked long and slowly, and 

 from mouth to mouth passed the pipe, fringed with eagle 

 feathers and the long beard of the turkey-cock. Hardly 

 would it have fared with the Spaniard if they had con- 

 fined themselves to his deserts — for the cruel wars of 

 Narvaez were fresh in their minds, and they remembered 

 Anta, and how their kinsmen had fallen there under the 

 arquebus and the long Spanish blade ; but when they 

 frowned and looked down, they still saw the young girl 

 in her beseeching posture, divested of her robes, with 



