In the Wilds of Florida: A Tale of Warfare and Hunting
Page 36
up extinguished the torch,and began dragging my prize into the open. While thus employed, twoother shots from the farther extremities of the hummock reached my ears,and I hoped that our party had bagged three more deer at least. Theanimal I had shot was too heavy to carry, but I managed,notwithstanding, to drag it over the rough ground. I had not gone farwhen I was joined by Tim, who exclaimed--
"Arrah! sure, I thought I had kilt a deer, but it's only a beast of agrey wolf. However, it will serve to feed the dogs; and I hope yourfather and the rest will each have knocked over a deer."
I asked Tim to leave the wolf and assist me in carrying the deer intocamp. This he did, and we got on very well. He was so vexed, however,that he declared he must have another trial, as in a short time thedeer, which had been startled by our shots, would recover from theiralarm, and very likely return to the spot. Telling one of the menwhereabouts the wolf lay, he set off with a fresh pine-torch. In themeantime my father and his companions returned with a couple of deer.So hungry had the party become that no time was lost in kindling fires,which had not before been done, and putting on the venison to roast.The deer we had killed were not more than sufficient for a couple ofmeals to each man, and Tim was hailed with considerable satisfaction,when later in the night he returned with a fourth one. We had no longerany fears as to the hummock concealing Indians, as they would certainlyhave shown themselves long before this. A careful watch, however, waskept during the night. Some of the party proposed scouring the hummock,to obtain a larger supply of venison, or any other game we could shoot;but Captain Norton would not consent to this.
Next morning, having breakfasted on venison, with some wild duck whichthe keenest of our sportsmen had killed at sunrise, we recommenced ourmarch. Spotted Wolf shortly afterwards intimated that if we wouldproceed farther west, he might probably obtain information regardingthose of whom we were in search. There were a few lodges of his people,connected to him by ties of blood, who, being peaceably disposed, haddeclined to join Oceola and the other rebel chiefs. "They, ofnecessity," he said, "keep themselves well informed of what is goingforward in other parts of the country, that they may make their escapeshould the rebels attempt to compel them to join their party."
Carlos doubted the truth of this statement; but Captain Norton appearedto believe it, or, at all events, allowed Spotted Wolf to think so. IfOceola had really carried off Juanita, his object, no doubt, would be toplace her somewhere in safety, under the charge of the female members ofhis family, so that she would be unable to escape herself, or obtain theassistance of her friends. He could scarcely have expected that a forcelike ours would so soon have been despatched in pursuit. Carlos,however, persisted in declaring that the Indian chief had had nothing todo with the matter, and that Rochford alone had, somehow or other,obtained the means of carrying her off.
We had been marching on for some hours across a pine-barren, with thesun beating down on our heads, and were anxiously looking out for astream or pool at which we could quench our thirst, Carlos and I beingtogether, when an object was seen moving across the plain towards us.It was soon made out to be a horse.
"It is riderless," observed Carlos.
"Can it be a wild one?" I asked.
"Not from its movements, I am nearly sure. And see! it has a saddle onits back," he replied.
Presently another and another appeared, coming from the same direction.Carlos and I, with several of the men, rushed forward to catch theanimals. Two of those which brought up the rear came on at a slowerpace than the rest. They were wounded, and as we got nearer weperceived an arrow sticking in the side of one of them; a bullet hadgone through the neck of another, which had also had a spear thrust intoits shoulder; while three of the others had blood on their saddles, andtwo had their bridles cut. What had become of their riders?
Captain Norton at once recognised the animals as belonging to the UnitedStates cavalry. "Some disaster has overtaken our people, I fear," heobserved, "for these horses have been in battle, and managed to escapewhen their riders were overthrown. We must now be doubly on the watch.At the same time, we must hope that, although some have been killed, therest have put the enemy to flight, or cut their way out, supposing thatour troops were surprised. It is not, however, very likely!"
The arrow was extracted from the side of the horse, and the wounds ofthe others having been looked to, it was hoped that they would do well.Anxious to ascertain what had happened, we pushed on, while the horseswere led in the rear. Every moment we expected to meet with the Indiansmaking their escape, or with a body of American troops, who would, itwas fully believed, have been victorious. Not a human being appeared insight. We had marched a couple of miles farther, however, when we sawhovering in the air a number of birds, while others were flitting aboutthe trees or perched on the boughs. As we drew nearer, we recognisedamong them numberless turkey buzzards, vultures, and other carrion fowl,while a pack of wolves were roaming about, disputing with the featheredtribe for their prey.
"It is a battle-field!" I heard my father exclaim.
A sickening sensation came over me when I saw the remains of myfellow-creatures covering the ground, and the horrible condition towhich the birds of prey and the wolves had reduced them. I hung back;though several of the party went forward, that they might ascertain whothey were and what number had fallen. It must have been difficult,however, to count them. Already the limbs of many had been torn off,and the countenances of all had been so disfigured that their nearestfriends could not have identified them; but their uniforms told tooplainly that they were soldiers of the United States. Includingofficers and men, there must have been nearly a hundred, mostlyinfantry, with a few cavalry. The latter lay scattered about outsidethe rest. Too probably not one of the whole force had escaped. Most ofthem had been scalped, showing that the Redskins had been victorious;but they had, for some reason or other, moved off before they hadfinished their horrible work. It was clear that the troops had beensurprised and destroyed by a vastly superior force before they had hadtime to stand on the defensive. On either side of the space were thickwoods, in which probably the Indians had lain in ambush, when some ofthe party, emerging from one end of the glade, and some from the other,the troops had been completely surrounded.
Captain Norton appeared deeply affected when we gathered together, afterhe had surveyed the battle-field. He was of opinion that the troops hadcome from the west coast--probably from the Bay of Tampa--and weremarching to one of the forts to the northward. He acknowledged, too,that we were in a fearfully dangerous predicament, and that the fatewhich had overtaken the soldiers might be ours. What could our smallforce avail against many hundreds of fierce warriors flushed withvictory? To turn back was as dangerous as to proceed. Should we bepursued, we might quickly be overwhelmed. He therefore determined onattempting to gain one of the forts, where we might hold out againstOceola's forces.
To stop and bury the dead was impossible. The wolves and birds of preywould soon dispose of them. We had our own safety to look after. Evennow the woods on either side might be full of our enemies, waiting onlyfor a favourable opportunity to set upon us. To ascertain whether therewere any foes lurking near us, the dogs, one at a time, were turned intothe woods. Before long, the loud baying of the first which was letloose gave notice that he had discovered some one; and the scouts, ledby Tim, were at once sent forward to ascertain what was there. Wewaited with our weapons ready to defend ourselves, should they be drivenback by the enemy. They soon, however, reappeared, carrying a woundedman. Though severely hurt, he was able to speak, and informed CaptainNorton that to his belief he was the sole survivor of a force of upwardsof a hundred men, who had marched from the Bay of Tampa, intending toproceed to Fort King, which was, it had been understood, threatened byOceola and his braves. Suddenly, when they did not believe an enemy wasnear, having halted and piled their arms, they were set upon by upwardsof five hundred well-armed Indians, who were in their midst before theycould recover their we
apons. He was one of the very first wounded, andhad crawled behind a bush, where he lay and witnessed the slaughter ofhis comrades. As evening approached, favoured by the darkness, hecrawled farther into the wood, to die in peace. He heard the shouts andshrieks of the Redskins, triumphing over their victims, when suddenlythey had hurried off, as he supposed, to the northward.
While we were listening to the poor fellow's account, the dogs had beensent in to the other side of the forest, where they discovered threemore soldiers, almost at the point of death. Two, indeed, died beforethey could give any account of what had happened; but the othercorroborated the statement of the first in all particulars, adding thathe had seen the savages dance round the slain; and that while thusengaged the horses had escaped, with the exception of two or three,which they had succeeded in carrying off with them. Several, indeed,lay dead on the battle-field, almost torn to