ame sweeping along from the eastward,
completely shrouding the whole country, as well as the sun above our
heads, so that we had no object by which to direct our course. In a
country like Florida, where there are no mountains, and the taller trees
grow in hollows, it is most difficult to find one's way, except by
compass, when the sun is obscured; still we thought we knew the
direction of the east, and continued on, every now and then uttering a
loud shout, hoping that our friends might be within hearing. We agreed
at last that, although they might not hear our voices, they might hear
the report of our guns; but that we might expend our powder with some
benefit to ourselves, we agreed to wait until we saw an object to fire
at.

We were passing, soon afterwards, near some ponds, when we shot three or
four birds, and coming near a hummock, we killed several others, which
we thought would be welcome to our friends, or would, at all events,
supply us and Caesar with food for the next day. We still fancied that
we were going right. Shortly afterwards, we entered a pine-barren, or,
rather, I might call it a pine-forest, through which we struck on a
well-defined track, the grass on either side being so tall that we could
scarcely see over it.

We had been going on for several hours, when we suddenly found ourselves
in a more open space. On one side was a deserted hut, near a pool of
fresh-water, while a number of tall trees, which had been cut down by
the woodmen's axes, lay prostrate on the ground. We examined the hut.
There were bed-places for three or four men; and just outside was a
circle of blackened stones, with ashes in the centre, which had
evidently formed the fire-place; but everything else had disappeared.
While searching about, Tim exclaimed that there were marks of blood in
one of the bed-places; and, on examining the spots, I agreed with him
that the stains were those of blood. His opinion was, that one of the
party had been surprised asleep in the hut by the Indians, but that the
rest, being out at the time, had made their escape, and were afraid to
venture back.

On leaving the hut, Caesar ran to a little distance from it and barked.
We followed him, when great was our horror to see the body of a man
stretched on the ground. The poor fellow had been scalped, clearly
showing by whom he had met his death. His jacket had been carried off;
his shirt was torn, as if the savages had been about to take it