NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS. 165 



neither of the Indians appeared to pay the slightest attention to the strangers. 



" Os leitz ta car," now exclaimed the Professor, using the melodious 

 Seminole language. Suddenly the Indians paused in their regular paddling and 

 turned their faces toward our party. Both answered almost involuntarily, 

 " Un car." 



The Professor now beckoned to them to land, when the man in the 

 stern utteiing a few words to his companion, gave a quick stroke or two 

 with his paddle, causing the dug-out to deviate from its course and glide 

 along the bank directly at the feet of our interested party. As the cance 

 touched the shore, the Indian nearer the bow threw out a piece of coral 

 rock to which was attached a rope made of twisted palmetto leaves. The 

 current then carried the craft along beside the bank and the men stepped out. 



One of the Indians was small, of rather spare build. His face wore a 

 most sinister expression, for his forehead was low, overhung with coal black 

 hair cut squarely across, banged, as George afterwards . c aid, and the beating 

 brow protruded over sparkling, though somewhat bead-like eyes. 



Harry, who was standing near, involuntarily recoiled as the man came ashore. 

 The other Seminole, however, was a man of powerful build, tall, and straight 

 as an arrow, with splendid proportioned, muscular limbs. The face of the 

 first was forbidding in the extreme, but this Indian had fairly fine features. A 

 nose, slightly aquiline in outline, open, massive forehead, with the facial angle 

 as slight, or as nearly at right angles as that of the white man, while the eyes, 

 though dark and piercing, were large, and altogether he was a fine looking 

 man. 



Both Indians had their hair banged in front and braided in several strands on 

 the sides and behind, the braids being long enough to rest on their shoulders. 

 Around their heads were twisted highly colored shawls in the form of tur- 

 bans. Each wore a hunting frock of deer skin, fringed around the bottom 

 which reached to the knees, and their leggins were of the same material, 

 while their feet were protected with moccasins. Each had a pouch or bag of 

 deer skin hung to his side, and both were armed with rifles which they took 

 in their hands as they came on shore. 



The small man had no ornaments of any kind, save a pair of silver ear- 

 rings of quaint device. On the other hand, the tall Seminole wore, besides 

 earrings, two silver crescents suspended to his neck and hanging across his 

 breast, one above the other. The tall man at once grasped the Professor by 

 the hand and shook it heartily, repeating the salutation in Seminole, while 

 the Professor exclaimed, " Heedles cha, Heedles cha, Tiger," and turning to 

 the smaller Indian, who also shook hands with him, called him Billy. 



