an land in the eyes of the
Seminoles. The tribe of Red Sticks that went to Florida in 1808 was
received with great friendliness.

The Indian woman with the silver beads soon married another brave, and
went to live on a "hammock" near Fort King, not far from the place where
Ocala now stands. She took with her her son. He was called Powell by
some who remembered his stepfather, the trader. But his mother called
him Osceola, which means the rising sun. Osceola grew up loving Florida
as his home. And, indeed, it was a home that any Indian might have
loved.

The climate was healthful for the Indians, and so warm and pleasant that
clothing was a matter of small concern. The soil was rich, and corn and
koontee were to be had in abundance. The forests were full of deer and
small game.

A few skins thrown over some poles afforded sufficient protection for
ordinary weather. But if rains made a more substantial dwelling
necessary the palmetto furnished material for posts, elevated floor, and
thatched roof.

Not least among the advantages of the Florida home were its wonderful
waterways leading off through dense mysterious forests, where strange
birds called and strange plants grew--a labyrinth full of danger for the
intruder, but a safe and joyous retreat for the Seminole floating on the
dark water in his dugout.

Though the Indians could have lived comfortably in this country without
much effort, the Seminoles did not choose to live in idleness. They saw
the flourishing farms of the Spanish settlers and wished to have farms
of their own.

So it happened that when Osceola was a boy he saw the Indians around him
make the beginnings of what they believed would be permanent homes. He
saw them cultivate the soil and tend their herds of cattle and horses
and hogs. He watched them build their dwellings and
storehouses--palmetto lodges without walls for themselves, substantial
log cribs for their corn and potatoes.

When a child, he imitated not only the warriors and hunters, but made
cornfields of sand with tall grass spears for cornstalks, and built
"camps" and corncribs out of little sticks.

[Illustration: FISHING WITH A SPEAR]

As he grew older he often hoed the corn and ground the koontee and drove
the cattle. He did cheerfully the work of a farmer, though he liked best
to hunt and fish and explore. He had a strong boat made by burning out
the heart of a large cypress log. In this he often glided swiftly and
noiselessl