t verging
toward red, and his face was illumined wonderfully by black eyes that
often flashed with a lofty look of courage and pride.

The young warrior, Tayoga, a coming chief of the clan of the Bear, of
the nation Onondaga, of the League of the Hodenosaunee, known to white
men as the Iroquois, was in all the wild splendor of full forest
attire. His headdress, _gustoweh_, was the product of long and careful
labor. It was a splint arch, curving over the head, and crossed by
another arch from side to side, the whole inclosed by a cap of fine
network, fastened with a silver band. From the crest, like the plume of
a Roman knight, a cluster of pure white feathers hung, and on the side
of it a white feather of uncommon size projected upward and backward,
the end of the feather set in a little tube which revolved with the
wind, the whole imparting a further air of distinction to his strong and
haughty countenance.

The upper part of his body was clothed in the garment called by the
Hodenosaunee _gakaah_, a long tunic of deerskin tanned beautifully,
descending to the knees, belted at the waist, and decorated elaborately
with the quills of the porcupine, stained red, yellow and blue and
varied with the natural white.

His leggings, called in his own language _giseha_, were fastened by
bands above the knees, and met his moccasins. They too were of deerskin
tanned with the same skill, and along the seams and around the bottom,
were adorned with the quills of the porcupine and rows of small, colored
beads. The moccasins, _ahtaquaoweh_, of deerskin, were also decorated
with quills and beads, but the broad belt, _gagehta_, holding in his
tunic at the waist, was of rich blue velvet, heavy with bead work. The
knife at his belt had a silver hilt, and the rifle in the bottom of the
canoe was silver-mounted. Nowhere in the world could one have found a
young forest warrior more splendid in figure, manner and dress.

The white youth was the equal in age and height of his red comrade, but
was built a little more heavily. His face, tanned red instead of brown,
was of the blonde type and bore an aspect of refinement unusual in the
woods. The blue eyes were thoughtful and the chin, curving rather
delicately, indicated gentleness and a sense of humor, allied with
firmness of purpose and great courage. His dress was similar in fashion
to that of the older man, but was finer in quality. He was armed like
the others.

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