Burke's weekly for boys and girls. (Macon, Ga.) 1867-1870, May 21, 1870, Page 370, Image 2

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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-