Newspaper Page Text
370
the trick performed before, that this re
sult would be obtained, I confessed my
self “ done,” without the Slightest no
tion of the how.
I examined the ground, and found it
was smooth and unturned. Apparent
ly delighted with my surprise, the jug
gler stood up, laughing. One of his
companions just then chucked a pebble
to him, which he put into his mouth.
Immediately the same companion, walk
ing backwards, drew forth from the
man’s mouth a cord of silk, twenty
yards or so in length. But this was not
all, for the juggler, with his hands be
hind his back, threw forth from his
mouth two decanter stoppers, two shells,
a spinning-top, stone, and several
other things, followed by a long jet of
fire.
**<>>•*
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
“Order.”
VOR THE BIG BOYS.
our ranks, atiSHiLOH, rang
fp An order, like a sabre-clang:
“Halt and dress though Tri
umpk’s cry
Had hurled the battle’s from the
sky;
“ Halt and and css!” by flank'and flank
They aligned each crescent rank ;
And the glacier moved again
A mighty avalanche of men.
And never hath the setting sun
Numbered day move nobly won !
And if the steps of Triumph stay
For “ Order,” let it rule dismay ;
And stand, though reeling legions sweive.
The steel of Honor's last reserve ;
Or die, at least, with Cmsar's grace.
And Caesar's mantle on its fnec!
Torch Hill.
Keep away fiom the Wheels.
A • £ aJ.
Williams lived near a
manufactory, and he was very
* fond of going among the work
men and young people that were at work
there. The foreman would say to_him,
“ Keep away from the wheels, Charlie.”
Charlie did not mind, and would often
sa} r , “ I can take care of myself.”
Often he would go nigh, and the wind
of the wheels would almost suck him
in, and two or three times he grew so
dizzy he scarcely knew which way to go.
At length, one day, he staggered
while amid the wheels, and fell the
wrong way ; the band caught his little
coat, and drew him in, and he was
dreadfully mangled. So it is, boys,
when you go into the grog shop ; you
may think you can take care of your
selves, and keep clear of the wheels ;
but, 0 ! you may be dreadfully mistaken.
Before you are aware of it, the band
may catch you, and nothing can save
you.
Keep away from the wheels 1
BURKE’S WEEKLY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
A HUNT ON THE WAKULLA;
OR, <IAOK DOBSLU IN FLORIDA*
By the Author cf “ Big-Foot Wallace" and
“ Jack Dobell; or, A Boy's Adventures
in Texas."
CHAPTER 11.
TIGERTAIL IS WOUNDED AND TAKEN PRIS
ONER IN A SKIRMISH WITH THE UNITED
STATES—IS CARRIED TO NEW ORLEANS —
DIES THERE IN PRISON FROM THE EF
FECTS OF HIS WOUND —SOME ACCOUNT
OF THE SEMINOLE INDIANS, SUPERSTI
TIONS, TRADITIONS, ETC. —MODE OF
BURYING THEIR DEAD —THE WARRIOR’S
REVENGE—DESCRIPTION OF WAKULLA
SPRING.
-
slgr
IfLwHEX the war broke out, liger
fMMc tail of course took part with
jjjg people, and became one of
the most dreaded leaders of the ma
rauding bands that carried death and
desolation into the heart of the settle
ments. Knowing the country thorough
ly, as he had remained most of his time
within the settlements long after the
tribe had been moved off to the penin
sular of Florida, he would slip back in
to his old hunting grounds, strike a
blow in some defenceless quarter, and
his intimate acquaintance with the lo
calities, the swamps, jungles, and the
crossing of streams, enabled him always
to make good his retreat without loss.
At length, however, in a skirmish
with the United States troops, he was
wounded and taken prisoner, placed on
board a vessel and carried to New Or
leans. There he lingered for a while,
but finally died, and no one knew that
he had beei wounded until after his
death, as he carefully concealed the fact,
pretending that he was only sick. Af
ter his death tho attending surgeon or
physician ascertained that he had died
from the effects of a wound received
the time of his capture.
I suppose the reason why Tigertail
did not let the surgeon know he was
wounded was, that he preferred death
to captivity, and wished to get rid of an
existence that had become hateful to
him.
I was very sorry, you may be sure,
when I heard that my old friend Tiger
tail had died in this way, in a loathsome
prison, far away from his people and
the wild woods and forests he loved so
well ; ‘or, although he may have been
very fierce and cruel when engaged in
war, he was always kind and friendly to
me. I could not blame him for fighting
for his country, and I sincerely hope
that his spirit has gone to those “ hap
py hunting grounds” he used to tell me
about, where the deer, the turkeys, and
bear, and buffalo throng the woods in
countless numbers, and where no grasp
ing white man will ever come to drive
the Indians away from their wigwams
and lodges.
I suppose there is no instance on re
cord in history where a people as infe
ferior in numbers and power to their
enemy as the Seminole* were to the
whites, ever sustained so protracted a
conflict. For more than twenty years,
and with not more than 2500 or 3000
warriors in the nation at the breaking
out of the war, they maintained them
selves against the whole power and re
sources of the United States, a power
that in four years brought to a close the
Confederate war, in which nearly a mil
lion- of armed men, commanded by able
officers, were arrayed in opposition
to it.
It was owing, however, in a great
measure, to the almost impassable and
impenetrable character of a large por
tion of their country, that they were en
abled to contend so long against the
numerous armies that were sent out to
subdue them. Much of their country
consisted of vast cypress swamps, tang
led thickets and jungles, through which
it was almost impossible for the white
man to travel. But the perfect know
ledge the Indians had of every by-way
and trail enabled them nearly always to
make good their retreat when pressed
by a superior force. Still, even with
this advantage in their favor, it is won
derful that they stood out so long against
the power of the United States.
Reckoning the warriors at 3000 when
the war began, and the cost of the war
at $30,000,000 (which, I suppose, is less
than the actual amount expended,) the
killing and capturing of that number
cost the Government $30,000 a-piece.
If any people ever “ sold their lives
dearly,” the Seminoles most assuredly
did it.
The Seminoles had a very singular
way of disposing of their dead. When
a warrior died, the body was wrapped
in a blanket, taken off into some thick
woods, and laid out upon the ground,
with his gun, tomahawk, and scalping
knife by hi3 side, so that he might have
them handy the moment he reached the
“happy hunting grounds.” A close
log pen -was then built over the body, to
prevent the wolves and other wild ani
mals from getting access to it, and there
it was left to moulder away in the free,
open air of heaven.
Often, when hunting. I have come
across these pens in the woods, and
peeping through the crevices of the logs
have been startled at seeing within the
grim and grinning skeleton of some de
funct warrior. It is hardly necessary
to say that I always left those parts at
“double quick” as soon as I found out
what they contained.
The Seminole Indians had a singular
tradition among them in regard to the
creation of man, and why it was that
the white man was so fond of books,
the Indian of guns, bows and arrows,
and that the natural condition of the
negro was a state of serfdom or slavery.
They say, that in the beginning the
Great Spirit created three varieties of
the human race —the white man, the In
dian, and the negro,—and calling them
to him, he broke a straw into three un
equal lengths, and told them the one
that drew the longest straw from his
hand should have the choice of the con
tents of any one of the three large boxes
that were placed on the ground before
them.
The white man stepped up first and
drew the longest straw, and of course
had the choice of boxes. He went to
one of them, opened it, and finding that
it contained only axes, shovels, hoes,
picks, and other instruments of labor,
he shut the lid down hastily, and went
on to the next. Opening this, he found
that it was filled with guns, bows and
arrows, fishing hooks and lines, arid all
the implements of the chase. These
seemed to please him much more than
the hoes, axes, etc., and he examined
them all with much interest. He pla
ced the gun to his shoulder, cocked it,
sighted it, and sprung the triggers, and
examined its mechanism and construc
tion minutely ; but, finally, and to the
great joy of the Indian, who had set his
heart on that box as soon as he saw its
contents, the white man shut it up and
opened the last, which was filled with
books, pens and paper, and many curi
ous instruments, th3 use of which was
totally unknown to the Indian. These
he examined closely one after another,
and when he had seen all, he told the
Great Spirit he would take that box for
his share.
The Indian then stepped up and drew
the next longest straw, and without
looking at the box containing the hoes
and axes, he went at once to the one
filled with the guns, bows and arrows,
etc., and told the Great Spirit he would
take that, and the poor negro was com
pelled to take the one containing the
implements of labor. But, much to the
astonishment of the Indian, when the
Great Spirit had left them, and they
were examining again the contents of the
boxes, the guns were found in the white
man’s, among the books and papers.
He had slipped them from the Indian's
box into his own, whilst the Great Spir
it was occupied in arranging the straws
in his hand.
The Seminoles, like all other Indians,
were revengeful, and never forgave an
insult or an injury. Just before the
war broke out, a planter living in the
upper part of the State severely cow
hided a Seminole brave for some trivial
offence he had committed. Some per
sons living in his vicinity, who were
well acquainted with the Indian charac
ter, warned him that he had better be
cautious how he traveled about, as the
Indian lie had flogged would surely,
sooner or later, seek an opportunity to
revenge himself for the manner in which
he had disgraced him in the eyes of his
people.
Shortly after the war began, the plan-