In the Wilds of Florida: A Tale of Warfare and Hunting
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evident that the Indian had made his preparations forescaping while he had been dozing. The stars served to guide us, andalthough we frequently stumbled over logs of wood and branches, wemanaged to get some distance before daylight. We then pushed on as fastas our weary legs and heavy loads would allow us.
Our friends were very much surprised at seeing us arrive without thehorse.
"I thought so!" exclaimed Carlos, when we told of the Indian's flight."I knew that fellow was trying to play us a trick from the first; and hewould have done so before now, had we not kept a watchful eye on him."
We brought venison enough to last a couple of days, or even longer onshort commons, provided we could manage to dry it in the sun or smokeit.
Rochford told me that he had resolved to set out immediately, and makehis way to the lodges of Oceola. Captain Norton, on hearing of hisdetermination, though anxious to recover my cousin, saw clearly thedanger our friend would run, especially since the spy had made hisescape, and coming into the hut where we were standing, spoke earnestlyto him on the subject.
"Spotted Wolf will tell the Redskins that you have been with us," hesaid. "They, of course, considering that we are their enemies, willtreat you very differently to what they might previously have done."
"I am fully prepared for every danger I may have to encounter," answeredRochford, as he took the captain's hand; "but I have resolved, at therisk of my life, to restore Juanita to her family, if she be willing tointrust herself to my care. I have become acquainted with Oceola, andknow him to be as generous as he is brave, although he may not have beenable to restrain his followers from committing the cruel and sanguinarydeeds of which they have been guilty. We shall meet again, I trust, erelong; and if not, those here will know that I have fallen in a righteouscause."
Captain Norton, on receiving this reply, no longer endeavoured todissuade Rochford from his enterprise. "I believe that your plan, fromits boldness, is more likely to succeed than any I can devise," heanswered. "Go; and may success crown your efforts!"
Rochford's dog, which stood by, looked up into its master's face, as ifasking leave to accompany him.
"Yes, my faithful Rob," he said, patting the animal's head, "I will notleave you behind this time. You have already saved my life, and will, Iknow, keep a careful watch over my solitary camp at night."
Having bade us all farewell, and wrung his cousin's hand for the lasttime, Rochford, followed by Rob, hastened from the fort, and was soonlost to sight among the trees.
We remained for the next two days, in the hope of receiving informationfrom the commandant of Fort King; but neither of the two trusty scoutswho had been despatched thither returned. At last our provisions hadcome so nearly to an end that Captain Norton considered, unless we couldobtain a fresh supply, it would be necessary to proceed there at once.Had Spotted Wolf not deserted us, we might have sent out a hunting partyin the neighbourhood; but as it was thought that he would to a certaintygive information to our enemies, and that they would in all probabilityreturn and cut off any small party outside the fort, arrangements weremade for recommencing the march. Our chief difficulty in a forcedmarch, such as we intended to make, was to convey the wounded man, thesole survivor of the massacred party we had discovered. A strong litterhad been prepared, and several men had volunteered to carry him. Hehad, however, made no progress towards recovery, and the evening beforewe were to start he was evidently worse.
Tim, who had assisted my father in doctoring him, entered the littleroom appropriated to the officers. "I am afraid, sir, that Mike Dillonis going to slip through our fingers after all," he said. "He has askedto see you and the captain, but I fear, by the time you get to him,he'll have little power to say anything."
On receiving this summons, we hastened to the hut, where, on a roughpallet, lay the wounded trooper. His eyes turned towards us as weentered.
"The Indians have done for me, gentlemen; and I want to thank you forthe care you have taken of a poor fellow," he gasped out. "If any ofyou get back, and ever visit Philadelphia, I would ask you as a favourto visit my poor mother, Widow Dillon, and tell her how I came to myend. Give her my love, and say I died in the hope that she wouldforgive me for the trouble I had caused her." His words grew fainter ashe spoke.
Captain Norton promised that he would carry out his request; and in afew minutes after the young soldier breathed his last.
We buried him that night, just outside the fort, not far from where itsformer defenders lay. We none of us could tell how soon we might sharehis fate. Captain Norton, well aware of the dangers to which we shouldbe exposed, charged the scouts to keep a vigilant look-out, so as toavoid being led into an ambush, or surprised in any other way.
Next morning, no messenger having arrived from Fort King, or from anyother direction, we commenced our march.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
DIFFICULTIES OF THE JOURNEY--DISCOVERY OF WILD BEES--IN SIGHT OF FORTKING--A WARM RECEPTION--THE FLAG OF TRUCE--WITH FRIENDS--ANEXPLANATION--A SAD STORY--DETAINED BY THE COMMANDANT--THE BLACKMESSENGER--NEWS FROM OUR FRIEND--JUANITA DISCOVERED--WE SET OFF TO JOINROCHFORD--CAMP--POMPEY MISTRUSTED--A NEGRO ENCAMPMENT--LOST IN THEFORESTS--A WELCOME CHALLENGE--HOW TO ACT FOR THE BEST--ON THE TRAIL--WECOME UP WITH THE REDSKINS--A HASTY DEED--FATE OF SPOTTED WOLF--PARTICULARS OF ROCHFORD'S CAPTURE--FORWARD TO THE RESCUE.
Eager as we were to reach Fort King, we made but slow progress, owing tothe nature of the country. The men grumbled as they found their feettorn by the short palmetto which grew everywhere over the ground,frequently inflicting very disagreeable wounds on their almost barelegs. The sun moreover beat down with intense force on our heads; whilein many places, as we tramped over the sandy tract, we were surroundedby clouds of dust, which prevented us from seeing to any distance oneither side. Frequently we came to swampy ponds, to avoid which we hadto make a wide circuit; for though they were not deep, it would havebeen impossible to have waded through them. As, however, we had scoutsout both ahead and on either flank, we ran but little risk, whilemarching through the open country, of being surprised; and whenever weapproached a wood, or mass of the tall saw-grass which fringed theponds, the dogs were sent forward to ascertain whether or not an enemylay in ambush under their cover. We soon also felt the want ofprovisions. The very scanty stock we had brought with us from theblock-house was rapidly exhausted, and no large game of any descriptionwas to be met with on the prairie, the Indians having driven off orkilled all the wild cattle, while the deer had retreated to the cover ofthe woods. We should soon have exhausted our ammunition had wecontinued to pop away at the wild-ducks and plovers which rose from theponds; besides which, the captain had given strict orders that no shotsshould be fired, lest the sound might be heard by any of the bands ofIndians prowling in the vicinity, who thus might have been induced, ondiscovering the smallness of our party, to attack us. Captain Nortonwas anxious, if possible, to avoid an encounter with the enemy; foralthough we might have succeeded in driving them off, it would have beenalmost impossible to have carried the wounded with us, and they wouldhave had to be left behind to die of starvation, or to be scalped andkilled by the Indians. We passed several ponds, but the water was sobrackish that it could not be drunk, and we therefore suffereddreadfully from thirst. Our experience showed us what an army has toendure marching across a desert region.
The day wore on, and still we were a long way from our destination. Theprairie was bordered on our right side by a thick forest. Besides theshort palmetto, the ground in many places was covered with papaw, orcustard apple, on which grew a profusion of party-coloured blossoms,while in other places numerous flowers of various hues appeared amongthe grass. At first I had scarcely noticed the countless bees whichwere feeding on them; but Black Hawk, who was marching in front, with aguard on either side keeping a strict watch over him, pointed towards anenormous pine-tree which grew somewhat in advance of a line of timber,and I saw that the bees as they rose, laden with honey, directed theircourse towards it. He addre
ssed a few words to the captain, whoobserved--
"Our Indian friend tells me that we shall find an abundance of honey inyonder tree, if we will take the trouble to gather it. We must,however, be careful, while we are so employed, that he does not give usthe slip, and that no enemies are concealed within the wood, who mightrush out and surprise us."
We, eager to satisfy our hunger, at once directed our course towards thetree. As we approached, we observed countless bees swarming around thelower branches, which were thickly studded with honeycombs. A halt wasordered, and a strict search being made in the wood to ascertain if anyIndians were concealed within, we piled arms. The men were thendirected to gather wood for fires, while some of the best climbersprepared to ascend the tree and gather the coveted honey. The firesbeing lit under the branches, the smoke rising either suffocated thebees or