232 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



around him makes his recognition quicker ; his natural active life 

 makes his senses keener, and the soft, damp, fragrant wind that 

 touches his cheek in passing, may tell him of a change of weather, 

 of the wet swamp that he is skirting, and may even whisper the 

 kinds of trees and plants there growing, and whether in bloom or 

 no ; the plants will tell the soil, and he may know the very animal 

 life that lives in the woods before him, by what on another cheek 

 would be a passing wind, and nothing more. 



Even the roughest hunters at the Fort would show this obser- 

 vant taste. Mike had it to a great extent. Potter had it, though 

 burlesqued by the wild, random manner of an impulsive boy. We 

 would often get them talking in order to lead them out. Evening 

 was the ordinary occasion of many tales and practical jokes. The 

 men would gather around the huge fires, sitting and lying in every 

 attitude — negro interpreters, Indians and soldiers, the volunteer 

 hunters, that gained their living by supplying the garrison with 

 game, and the officers, in uniforms that the swamps had left no 

 longer uniform or neat Names well known in the Florida wars 

 were often there under flags of truce. There were Primus and 

 Gopher John the Indian scouts, and Holatter Mico, the royal 

 chief, and Vose and Wilcoxson, officers, and Mike, Potter, and a 

 score of others whose local fame there ran as high as Marshals of 

 France, though in a narrower sphere. 



There were drinks of government whisky, and smokes from 

 pipes shorter and blacker than a Killarney man could fix in his 

 hat-band, and Irish jokes, and yarns of monstrous length, that 

 were roughly criticised or excelled by some other more incredulous 

 stilL 



Potter gave us one. Seated astride of an empty barrel, with 

 his rifle across his knees, his buckskin cap pushed back on his head, 

 his blue flannel shirt-collar rolled back, exposing a breast as broad 

 and shaggy as a bear's, he told us the following story with gesticula- 

 tions and amid peals of laughter : — 



" Wall, you see how it was, Squire, is this." 



The speaker took a long pull at his pipe, gave a hitch to his 

 suspenders, and then, ejecting the dense smoke in volumes through 

 his nostrils, commenced his narration. 



V 



