ainland, you were understood to blot out the
Seminary and Muirtown and Scotland and civilisation. Woody Island was
somewhere in the wild West, and was still in the possession of the
children of the forest; the ashes of their fires could be seen any day
there, and you could come upon their wigwams in one of the open spots.
There was a place where they had massacred three trappers and taken
their scalps, and in that cave "Bull's-eye Charlie," the famous Indian
scout, lying curled up like a ball, and with only the mouth of his rifle
peeping out, had held twenty of the red-skinned braves at bay for a
whole day. It was a fairy world in which our Indian tales could be
reproduced upon the stage, and we ourselves could be the heroes we had
so often admired. The equipment for the day consisted of four tomahawks
(three axes out of small tool chests and one axe for breaking coals
which "Piggie" used to steal for the day) two pistols (one belonging to
Speug and the other to Bauldie); a couple of toy rifles--not things for
kids, mark you, but long rifles with bayonets, and which could fire
caps; a tent, which was in reality an old carriage cloth from Peter's
yard; and a kettle for boiling water--I mean cooking the game--which
Jock Howieson abstracted from his kitchen. Each boy had to visit his
home on pretence of returning for a book, and bring away the necessary
articles of war and as much food as he could steal from the pantry; and
then everything, axes included, and, if possible, the rifles had to be
hidden away about their persons until the four, skulking by back lanes,
and separating from one another, reached the top of the North Meadow,
after which they went up the bank of the river, none daring to make them
afraid. They were out of bounds now, and the day was before them for
weal or woe, and already Speug was changing into an Indian trapper, and
giving directions about how they must deal with the Seminoles (see Mayne
Reid), while Howieson had begun to speculate whether they would have a
chance of meeting with the famous chief, Oceola. "Piggie" might want to
try a cap on his rifle, but Speug would not allow him, because, although
they had not yet entered the Indian territory, the crafty foe might have
scouts out on this side of the river, and in that case there was no hope
of Woody Island. The Indians would be in ambush among the trees on the
bank, and the four would be shot down as they crossed.

Their first enemy, however, wa