It was often covered with
water, and a misstep on either side of its entire length would have
plunged the unfortunate who should make it into a bottomless morass.
From it, without assistance, he would never be able to extricate
himself, but would only sink deeper and deeper, until he had
disappeared forever. It happened that one of the French prisoners did
step from the trail on this occasion. The brutal savages watched with
pleasure his frantic struggles to regain a footing, but without
offering to aid him. He had very nearly drowned in the horrible
mixture of black water and blacker mud before they hauled him out. He
was in a pitiable plight, but they only greeted him with blows and
jeers at his appearance, and forced him to resume the march, without
allowing him to remove from his clothing any of the filth that clung to
it.
Rene was able to distinguish the point at which the trail they were
following branched off from that formerly taken by Has-se. He hoped
that E-chee would also note it, but had no chance of assuring himself
that the young Indian had done so.
It was nearly nightfall before they reached the Seminole village that
marked their journey's end. Here they were received by its inhabitants
with the wildest demonstrations of savage joy. Rene was an especial
object of interest, for, as the "young white chief," his name was
already well known to them, and his capture was regarded as the most
noteworthy one ever made by the band.
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