296 WILD SPORTS IN THE SOUTH. 



water and floated toward the island. As he reached it he slowly 

 drew himself up out of the water and wormed his way under the 

 palmetto leaves toward the shoreward end of the island. In a 

 moment more there was a guttural sound from the darkness, and the 

 dense foliage was violently agitated as if two bodies were struggling 

 beneath. The noise could not be heard on the shore for the sound 

 of the surf. But backward and forward on the islet swayed the 

 heavy leaves of the sea-rocket that reared its red head among the 

 paltnettoes, and the hound stretched his head shoreward from the 

 boat and snuffed the air with quivering nostrils, and his eyes 

 glowed like a lion's. Presently Mike crawled out again from the 

 foliage, dragging down to the water's edge the pliant body of an 

 Indian that he left under the leaves, and then he swam out and 

 drew up his boat to the island and hid it where it had been before, 

 under the tangled branches. 



Then the red flush came out of the sea, and the morning wind, 

 and like an army with banners, the great sea fog rolled up its 

 masses and trailed away over the everglades, leaving the tower, 

 and the beach, and the tumbling seas, rejoicing in the beauty and 

 the joy of a Sabbath morning. 



In a little while after daylight appeared, the warriors of Tiger 

 Tail's band showed themselves among the coppices on the beach, 

 carefully beating up every spot that might afford a cover for the 

 scent they had spent the night in searching for. They went into 

 the ruined dwelling, and then into the light-house, and away down 

 to where the point of land dwindled into the surf, and finally, as 

 if satisfied with their search and assured of the flight of their foe, 

 they resumed their positions 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 lantern, like 

 the morning star in the sky. The forest matador 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, with a cat-like bound ran up the timber that still leaned 

 against the tower, and carefully mounted the first of the iron spikes 



