wledged that
he might possibly not be far off. Though our scouts ranged on every
side, as well as ahead, and sometimes dropped behind, they failed to
catch sight of the Indians, who, however, we knew, would, in all
probability, keep near us, waiting for an opportunity to attack us,
should they find us off our guard. It was not altogether a pleasant
feeling to know that at any moment we might be assailed by a band of
savages eager to take our scalps; but by degrees we got accustomed to
the feeling, and there was nothing we so much desired as to catch sight
of our supposed enemies, being certain that we should beat them off,
however numerous they might be.

I have already so fully described the country, that I need not draw any
further pictures of it. Our course led us sometimes over the prairie,
covered with low saw-palmetto and grass; sometimes over the pine-lands,
by the side of ponds; occasionally along the edges of the belts of
forest, chiefly composed of pines and cabbage-palms; and then near
hummocks, which, as they were mostly impenetrable jungles, we carefully
avoided, except when it became necessary to halt to obtain food for our
party. We then sent in the dogs, to ascertain if an enemy were
concealed in the jungle. Spotted Wolf, who invariably marched ahead
with the captain, kept his eyes ranging over the ground in search of any
trail which might serve to point out in what direction parties of his
countrymen had gone. But though he did this, I saw how easily he might
deceive us; for though he might see trails, he might not communicate his
discovery.

We again halted for the night among a clump of pine-trees, with a stream
near us, a pond on one side, and a hummock at a little distance. The
hummock might conceal a foe; but as the Indians could not possibly know
that we should halt in this neighbourhood, it was not likely that they
would have laid an ambush there.

We had run short of provisions, and were anxious to shoot some deer;
indeed, it was absolutely necessary to obtain food at all risks. We
waited therefore until dark, when, the main body being encamped, with
sentries on the watch, my father, Tim, and I, with four of our best
shots, proceeded to the edge of the hummock. We were, each of us,
supplied with pine-torches secured to sticks which could be run into the
ground. We advanced cautiously to the spots we had selected, some
hundred feet apart, when, having stuck our torches in the ground,