ple rites, and were about to turn away from the
spot, the old chief, thus bereft of the pride and hope of his declining
years, took the hand of the white lad in his, and, in a voice that
faltered with his strong emotion said, so that all present could hear
him,

"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 Rene'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. Rene 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 Rene 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 Rene
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 Rene de