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Page 54
"I have lost a son, and I have gained a son. Has-se has gone from me,
but Ta-lah-lo-ko has come in his place. It is your chief who speaks,
and as the son of your chief shall this lad dwell among you."
Then the beautiful Nethla, taking R�n�'s other hand, kissed him gently
on the forehead, and said,
"In the name of him who has gone from us I welcome thee, Ta-lah-lo-ko,
as a brother."
As she spoke she offered him a Flamingo Feather, the same that had
gleamed among the dark tresses of the dead lad. R�n� took it, and
twining it in his own sunny curls, said, in a clear voice,
"As the son of a chief I wear this emblem. Its significance has been
made known to me, and, even as I vowed to him who lies yonder, I will,
from this time forth, endeavor to act truly the part of a son to this
old man. I will never fail him or desert him until death shall part
us."
So R�n� de Veaux became, to all intents and purposes, a member of this
tribe of Indians. The Flamingo Feather which he wore proclaimed his
position among them to all men, and obtained for him that regard and
respect which his own manliness and ready tact enabled him to retain
and increase. He became a skilful hunter, and from his Indian
companions he soon acquired all their knowledge of woodcraft. In
return for this he taught them so many of the useful arts of his own
civilization, that his reputation for wisdom spread far and wide over
the land, and many from distant tribes came to learn of him.
From time to time rumors were brought to these Indians of the terrible
cruelties practised by the Spaniards upon such natives of the country
as fell into their hands. For this reason the tribe into which R�n�
had been adopted returned not to their own lands in the far east, but
remained in the land of the Alachuas. With these people they became so
closely united by ties of kinship and mutual interest that after a
while no distinctions were drawn between them. Thus, upon the death of
the Alachua chief, the good Micco was chosen to succeed him; and from
that time he ruled over the united tribes. Among his wise men and
principal advisers, those upon whom he relied the most were
Yah-chi-la-ne and R�n� de Veaux.
At the time of Has-se's death, Micco's tribe and the Alachuas had
determined to be no longer annoyed by the neighborhood of the Seminole
outlaws, and had despatched a powerful war-party against them. When,
however, this party reached the island village in the depths of the
great swamp, they found it deserted. By some means the Seminoles had
obtained a knowledge of their coming, and had fled from that part of
the country. The Alachuas destroyed their village, and from that time
for more than a year they were heard of no more, save by rumor, which
located them among the savages of the far south.
Upon a certain occasion, after he had been for many months a member of
the tribe, R�n� led a hunting-party, who sought to secure a large
number of alligators, to the edge of the great swamp. One night as
they sat about their campfire, gravely smoking their stone pipes, and
listening to some of the wild traditions of their race, related by the
oldest member of the party, they were suddenly startled, and all but
R�n� were greatly alarmed, by a flash of light and a loud explosion.
It sounded from a small grove of trees not far from them, and R�n�
instantly recognized it as the explosion of a fire-arm.
As it had been followed by a loud cry of pain, and as groans were still
to be heard, he succeeded in convincing his companions that the
terrifying sound was of human origin, and in persuading them to go with
him in search of its cause.
In the grove they found a young Indian writhing in agony upon the
ground, while near him lay the shattered remains of a Spanish arquebuse
or musket. He had evidently attempted to discharge it at some member
of the hunting-party, and, either because it was over-loaded or was too
badly rusted to be of service, it had burst in his hands. Although he
had escaped other wounds, an examination of his face showed that his
eyesight had been totally destroyed by the burning powder, and it was
the pain thus caused that had drawn from him the cries and groans they
had heard.
In spite of the disfiguration of his face R�n� knew him the moment he
was dragged within the light of the camp-fire, and it was with
sensations of dread and horror that he gazed upon the once familiar
features. When he explained to his followers the nature of the weapon
this enemy had attempted to use against them, they were filled with
rage, and would have instantly slain the wretch, but R�n� bade them
spare his life.
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