by Kirk Munroe
CHAPTER II
A WONDERFUL DELIVERANCE
The building of Fort Caroline occupied about three months; and duringthis time the friendly Indians willingly aided in the work of preparingthe tree-trunks which, set on end, were let deep into the earth closebeside one another, and in digging the wide moat that surrounded thewhole. A heavy embankment of earth was thrown up on the inner side ofthe palisade of tree-trunks, and upon this were mounted a number of greatguns.
During the time thus occupied, Rene de Veaux became acquainted withMicco's son, a young Indian of about his own age, named Has-se, whichmeans a sunbeam, and a strong friendship was speedily cemented betweenthem. They saw each other daily, and each learned the language of theother.
After the ships had sailed away Rene's uncle found time, even in themidst of his pressing duties, to attend to the lad's education; and everymorning was devoted to lessons in fencing, shooting the cross-bow, and inmilitary engineering. The evenings were passed with the good Jacques LeMoyne the artist, who was a very learned man, and who taught Rene Latin,and how to draw.
Although his mornings and evenings were thus occupied, Rene had hisafternoons to himself, and these he spent in company with his friendHas-se, who instructed him in the mysteries of Indian woodcraft. Now ithappened that while Has-se was a merry, lovable lad, he had one bitterenemy in the village. This was a young man somewhat older than himself,named Chitta, which means the snake. Their quarrel was one of longstanding, and nobody seemed to know how it had begun; but everybody saidthat Chitta was such a cross, ugly fellow that he must needs quarrel withsomebody, and had chosen Has-se for an enemy because everybody else lovedhim.
One afternoon Has-se asked Rene to go out on the river with him in hiscanoe, as he had that to tell him which he did not wish to run any riskof being overheard by others. Rene willingly agreed to go with him, andtaking his cross-bow and a couple of steel-tipped bolts, he seatedhimself in the bow of the light craft, which Has-se paddled from thestern. Going for some distance down the river, they turned into a smallstream from the banks of which huge, moss-hung oaks and rustlingpalm-trees cast a pleasant shade over the dark waters. Here the canoewas allowed to drift while Has-se unburdened his mind to his friend.
It seemed that the day of the Ripe Corn Dance, the great feast day of histribe, was set for that of the next full moon. On this day there was tobe a series of contests among the lads of the village to decide which ofthem was most worthy to become Bow-bearer to Micco, their chief and hisfather. This was considered a most honorable position to occupy, and hewho succeeded in winning it and filling it satisfactorily for a year was,at the expiration of that time, granted all the privileges of a warrior.The contests were to be in shooting with bows and arrows, hurling thejavelin, running, and wrestling. Has-se had set his heart upon obtainingthis position, and had long been in training for the contests. His mostdreaded rival was Chitta; and, while Has-se felt ready to meet the snakein the games of running, shooting, and hurling the javelin, he fearedthat with his greater weight the latter would prove more than a match forhim in wrestling. Could Ta-lah-lo-ko advise and help him in this matter?
"Ay, that can I, Has-se, my lad," cried Rene; "thou couldst not have hitupon a happier expedient than that of asking advice of me. 'Tis but aweek since I removed a cinder from the eye of Simon the Armorer, and inreturn for the favor he taught me a trick of wrestling that surpassesaught of the kind that ever I saw. I have practised it daily since, andwould now confidently take issue with any who know it not without regardto their superior size or weight. I will show it thee if thou wiltpromise to keep it secret. Ha!"
As they talked the canoe had drifted close in to the shore, until it laydirectly beneath the gigantic limb of a tree that extended far out overthe water, and from which hung a mesh of stout vines. As he uttered theexclamation that finished his last sentence. Rene seized hold of a stoutvine, and with a quick jerk drew the light craft in which they wereseated a few feet forward. At the same instant a tawny body was launchedlike a shot from the overhanging limb and dashed into the water exactlyat the spot over which, but an instant before, Has-se had sat.
The animal that made this fierce plunge was a panther of the largestsize; and if Rene had not chanced to catch sight of its nervouslytwitching tail as it drew itself together for the spring, it would havealighted squarely upon the naked shoulders of the unsuspecting Indianlad. Rene's prompt action had, however, caused the animal to plunge intothe water, though it only missed the canoe by a few feet; and when itrose to the surface it was close beside them.
Has-se seized his paddle, and with a powerful stroke forced the canoeahead, but directly into the mesh of trailing vines, in which it becameso entangled that they could not extricate it before the beast hadrecovered from his surprise, and had begun to swim towards them.
A bolt was hurriedly fitted to Rene's cross-bow and hastily fired at theapproaching animal. It struck him near the fore-shoulder, and served tocheck his progress for a moment, as with a snarl of rage he bit savagelyat the wound, from which the blood flowed freely, crimsoning the wateraround him. Then he again turned towards the canoe, and seemed to leaprather than swim, in his eagerness to reach it. A second bolt, firedwith even greater haste than the first, missed the panther entirely, andthe boys were about to plunge from the opposite side of the canoe intothe water, in their despair, when an almost unheard-of thing occurred toeffect their deliverance.
Just as one more leap would have brought the panther within reach of thecanoe, a huge, dark form rose from the red waters behind him, and a pairof horrid jaws opened, and then closed like a vice upon one of hishind-quarters. The panther uttered a wild yell, made a convulsive springforward, his claws rattled against the side of the canoe, and then thewaters closed above his head, and he was dragged down into the darkdepths of the stream, to the slimy home of the great alligator, who hadthus delivered the boys from their peril. A few bubbles coming upthrough the crimson waters told of the terrible struggle going on beneaththem, and then all was still, and the stream flowed on as undisturbed asbefore. For a few moments the boys sat gazing in silent amazement at theplace of the sudden disappearance of their enemy, hardly believing thathe would not again return to the attack.
When they had regained the fort, Laudonniere heard with horror Rene'sstory of their adventure with the tiger and the crocodile, as he namedpanthers and alligators, and bade him be very careful in the future howhe wandered in the wilderness. He did not forbid his nephew to associatewith Has-se, for he was most anxious to preserve a friendship with theIndians, upon whom his little colony was largely dependent forprovisions, and he considered Rene's influence with the Indian lad whowas the son of the chief very important.
On the afternoon following that of their adventure, Has-se came into thefort in search of Rene, and anxious to acquire the promised trick ofwrestling. After securing his promise never to impart the trick toanother, Rene led him into a room where they would not be observed, andtaught it to him. It was a very simple trick, being merely a feint ofgiving way, followed quickly by a peculiar inside twist of the leg; butit was irresistible, and the opponent who knew it not was certain to beovercome by it. Has-se quickly acquired it, and though he found fewwords to express his feelings, there was a look in his face when he leftRene that showed plainly his gratitude.
When next the silver sickle of the new moon shone in the western sky,active preparations were begun among the Indians for their great Dance ofRipe Corn. The race-course was laid out, and carefully cleared; clay wasmixed with its sand, and it was trampled hard and smooth by manymoccasined feet. A large booth, or shelter from the hot sun, under whichthe chiefs and distinguished visitors might sit and witness the games,was constructed of boughs and palm leaves. Bows were carefully testedand fitted with new strings of twisted deer-sinew. Those who had beenfortunate enough to obtain from the white men bits of steel and iron,ground them to sharp points, and with them replaced their arrow-heads offlint. Has-se, w
ith great pride, displayed to Rene his javelin or lightspear, the tough bamboo shaft of which was tipped with a keen-edgedsplinter of milk-white quartz, obtained from some far northern tribe.Guests began to arrive, coming from Seloy and other coast villages fromthe north, and from the broad savannas of the fertile Alachua land, untilmany hundred of them were encamped within a few miles of Fort Caroline.
At length the day of feasting broke bright and beautiful, and soon afterbreakfast Laudonniere, accompanied by Rene de Veaux and half the garrisonof Fort Caroline, marched out to the scene of the games. Here they werewarmly welcomed by Micco and his people, and invited to occupy seats ofhonor in the great booth. Upon their arrival the signal was given forthe games to begin.
First of all came the races for wives, for at this feast only of all theyear could the young men of the tribe get married. Even now they wereobliged to run after their sweethearts, who were allowed so great a startin the race that if they chose they could reach the goal first and thusescape all further attentions from their pursuers. They generallyallowed themselves to be caught, however, and thus became blushingbrides. Thus, on this occasion, and in this manner, Yah-chi-la-ne (theEagle), a young Alachua chief, gained the hand of Has-se's beautifulsister Nethla, which means the Day-star.
The contests among the boys to decide who of them should be Bow-bearer totheir chief for the ensuing year followed, and as the great drum,Kas-a-lal-ki, rolled forth its hollow, booming notes, twenty slenderyouths stepped forward, of whom the handsomest was Has-se the Sunbeam,and the tallest was dark-faced Chitta the Snake. All were stripped tothe skin, and wore only girdles about their loins and moccasins on theirfeet; but Has-se, as the son of the chief, had the scarlet feather of aflamingo braided into his dark hair.
From the very first Has-se and Chitta easily excelled all theircompetitors in the contests; but they two were most evenly matched.Has-se scored the most points in hurling the javelin, and Chitta won inthe foot-race. In shooting with the bow both were so perfect that thejudges could not decide between them, and the final result of the trialbecame dependent upon their skill at wrestling. When they stood uptogether for this contest, Has-se's slight form seemed no match for thatof the taller and heavier Chitta; and when in the first bout the formerwas thrown heavily to the ground, a murmur of disapprobation arose fromthe white spectators, though the Indians made no sign to express theirfeelings.
In the second bout, after a sharp struggle, Has-se seemed suddenly togive way, and almost immediately afterwards Chitta was hurled to earth,but how, no one could tell, except Rene, who with the keenest interestwatched the effect of his lesson. As Chitta rose to his feet he seemeddazed, and regarded his opponent with a bewildered air, as though therewere something about him he could not understand.
Again they clinched and strained and tugged, until the perspirationrolled in great beads from their shining bodies, and their breath came inshort gasps. It seemed as though Rene's friend must give in, when,presto! down went Chitta again; while Has-se stood erect, a proud smileon his face, winner of the games, and Bow-bearer to his father for a year.
Has-se had still to undergo one more test of endurance before he couldcall himself a warrior, which he must be able to do ere he could assumethe duties of Bow-bearer. He must pass through the ordeal of theCassine, or black drink. This was a concoction prepared by themedicine-men, of roots and leaves, from a recipe the secret of which wasmost jealously guarded by them; and to drink of it was to subject one'sself to the most agonizing pains, which, however, were but of shortduration. In spite of his sufferings, the youth who drank from thehorrid bowl was expected to preserve a smiling face, nor admit by word orsign that he was undergoing aught but the most pleasing sensations. Ifhe failed in this one thing, no matter what record he had previouslygained for courage or daring, he was ever afterwards condemned to sharethe work of women, nor might he ever again bear arms or take part in thechase or in war.
Immediately after his overthrow of Chitta, and while the shouts of joyover his victory were still ringing in his ears, Has-se was led to anelevated seat, where he could be seen of all the people, and a bowl ofthe awful mixture was handed him. Without hesitation, and with a proudglance around him, the brave youth swallowed the nauseous draught, andthen folding his arms, gazed with a smiling face upon the assembledmultitude. For fifteen minutes he sat there amid a death-like silence,calm and unmoved, though the great beads of perspiration rolling from hisforehead showed what he was enduring. At the end of that time a greatshout from the people told him that his ordeal was over; and, weak andfaint, he was led away to a place where he might recover in quiet fromthe effects of his terrible sufferings, and enjoy in peace the firstglorious thoughts that now he was indeed a Bow-bearer and a warrior.
Rene sprang forward from his seat to seize and shake his friend's hand,while from all, Indians as well as whites, arose shouts of joy at thevictory of the brave and much-loved lad who wore the Flamingo Feather.
As the angry Chitta turned away from the scene of his defeat, his heartwas filled with rage at these shouts, and he muttered a deep threat ofvengeance upon all who uttered them, those of his own race as well as thepale-faces.