The Flamingo Feather

ted of his ambition. By some means he became convinced that Réné de Veaux had instructed Has-se in his newly acq

row with shouts of joy; but, like the wily reptile whose name he bore, he was content to bide his time and await

lly been raised by the accumulation of shells, bones, broken pottery, and charred wood that many generations of Indian feasters had l

music sounded fainter and fainter, until it finally ceased altogether, and by two hours after midnight the whole encampment was buried in profound slumber. Even

shadows on the edge of the forest towards the great granary, or storehouse, in which was kept all the ripe maize of the tribe, together with much starch-root (koonti

ould have noticed a dull, steady glow which came from a round object that the skulker carried with great care. If he had been near enough he would have seen that this was a large gourd, in which, on a bed of sand, w

re reached the granary, and disappeared amid the dark shadows of its walls. Crouching to the ground, and screening his gourd of coals with his robe,

the structure, around the corner, and down the entire length of its side, always keeping in the shadow, he applied the torch in a dozen places, and then flinging it

dians, who rushed out from the lodges and palmetto booths, could do nothing but stand helpless and gaze at the destruction of their

ing features gazing at the result of his efforts. At length the light from the burning building grew so bright that even the shadow in which he stood began to be illuminated, and he turned to go away. As

instantly recognized as that of Has-se, e

, stunned and bleeding, on the ground; and Chitta, saying, "Lie there, miserable

ing between him and the light, and had approached it to learn the cause of all the excitement. He was just about to speak, when he recognized Ch

ed the Snake, Has-se gave utterance to his exclamation of surprise, an

er's lodge, lying on a bed of deer-skins, while his sister,

occurrences of the past few hours, and in what way he had been connected with them. By the earliest light of day a band of experienced warriors had tracked his assailant from the spot in which the young Bow-bearer had been discovered, through the tall grass and und

ed his eyes, his sister bent over him and whispere

ather, who stood near, exclaimed, "'Tis Chitta the Snake who has done th

aimed the news, and all through the great assembly

ough the forest contained an abundance of game, and the river teemed with fish, the French soldiers were not skilled in either hunting or fishing, and had become dependent upon their Indian neighbors for what they needed of such food. It was therefore with feelings of surprised alarm that, on the second day aft

very soul of Micco's tribe; and, what was more significant, t

rough the approaching winter had been destroyed. The Indians who might have provided him with game had abandoned him and gone he knew not whither. His men knew nothing of the art of winning for themselves a livelihood from the wilderness that surrounded them. Although the soldiers had been allowed to think differently

Soisson, his lieutenant, old Hillaire, the captain of artillery, Martinez, the quartermaster, Chastelleux, the chief of engineers, Le Moyne, the artist, and to

er, and the discussion was long and earnest. Le Moyne, the artist, added to the perplexities of the commandant by stating that he had heard rumors of dissatisfaction among

e door, leading between them a slender young Indian, whom Réné, wit