CHAPTER XV. 



THE SKIN OF THE TIGER-CAT. 



" A dragon's tail was Hayed to warm 

 A headless maiden's heart." 



A number of days flew by at our island home in the simple 

 pleasures narrated in our last chapters. The cheering cry of the 

 hounds as they scoured the islands, the ringing shots in the 

 marshes, now a long exploration in the canoes through the winding 

 channels of the archipelago, and again some expedition to the 

 uttermost keys, where the pelicans dressed themselves on the 

 sandy points in lines like soldiers ; and strange sea-birds, excited 

 our wonder and admiration, were the daily amusements of the 

 party. Once in a while the members of the hunt would branch 

 off, and while one party pursued the chase, another would make 

 an excursion to the mainland, or fish in the rivers. The weather 

 had been constantly clear. One cloudless day would follow an- 

 other with an exhilarating yet motionless air, that seemed as if 

 nature had exhausted her prodigality of production, and then, 

 breathless, had paused to dream. 



Once in a while Mike would disappear, and be gone for a day 

 or a night, but as he never made any remark on what he saw or 

 did, no one seemed to take any note of his incomings or outgoings. 

 One evening, after he had returned from one of these lonely ex- 

 cursions, I was sitting by the willow copse on the shore, casting 

 with my line into the channel after some large fish I had noticed 

 were breaking the water near the shore. The negroes were getting 

 supper ready, and Lou Jackson came walking down to the beach, 

 where Mike joined her, and they came toward the boats on the 

 other side of the willows, and so near I could hear their conversa- 

 tion. 



