of Lieutenant de an officer of the 2d. I found him looking over some documents and mementos of his life in the Old World. How strange it seemed in that far-off Florida wilderness, so secluded from the busy world and its cares and celebrities, to see familiar letters from men whose reputation was world-wide, and yet whom most of us know, and will know, only in books! The Lieutenant was a democrat, a European democrat; not an enthusiastic dreamer, who, secure in his own study, builds from his fancy ideal republics, but a man to whom democracy meant something; a man beside whom our halting and prudent enthusiasm seemed tempered and tame; a man with a history, and who had suffered for his principles.

I took up a curious revolver which lay upon the bed, elaborately finished, and of the finest workmanship, though of a pattern unknown to me, and searched it over in vain for the maker's name.

"Who made it?" said I. "It was made in France." "But why didn't the maker put his name on so good a piece of workmanship?"

The Lieutenant answered with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders, which, familiar as I was with a portion of his history, told me all I wanted to know; and I could not help contrasting France under the Emperor, with our own happy country, where every free and enlightened citizen may make a walking arsenal of himself, to his own deadly peril, if not that of his loving neighbors. And yet that revolver had a history, and a startling one, though not to be related here.

"The boat is ready, sir," said an orderly, respectfully, appearing at the door of the tent.

"Will you go with me?" said the Lieutenant. "We are to make a midnight excursion to Fort Myers, and I shall be glad of your company."

"Nothing would delight me more." "Well, then," said he, "if you are ready, we will start in fifteen minutes

from the landing;" and I hurried off to make immediate preparation.

"Give way," said the Lieutenant, as I took my seat in the stern-sheets of the barge. There were eight oarsmen, picked men and tough, selected with care from the Lieutenant's company, and as much at home upon the water as on the land; for the trip might have its adventures, and at all events it would have to be a severe pull. The barge had belonged to the ill-fated San Jacinto, then recently wrecked. The night was dark, and two dim objects were sitting on a thwart, immediately before us, without oars, and whom I could not immediately make out. "Indians," said the Lieutenant, squaws who wanted to go up to Fort Myers. We can save them a long walk."

The river was smooth, and without much current; the oars kept perfect time, hardly making a ripple on the water as we rapidly and noiselessly skirted the low shore. For a few miles we thus continued, until, getting further from our own camp, we judged it more prudent to put out into the stream, to avoid any possible surprise from the bank.

Fort Myers, some twenty or thirty miles up the river, had been, until recently, the only post held by our troops in this part of the country. It was built during the old Indian wars, and had been garrisoned during a part of the rebellion, and until quite recently,.. by several companies of the 2d United States Colored Infantry and the Florida Cavalry. It afforded a convenient place from which to make raids, and a secure and provoking refuge for the flying loyalists who wished to reach our lines. In fact, it was an eyesore to the rebels of long standing and no common magnitude. A few weeks previously, with pluck and endurance worthy of a better cause, they had marched a long distance through the wilderness, dragging their cannon with them, intending to reduce the Yankee stronghold, and blot it out from the land. They arrived near the fort at noonday, and were wholly unexpected; and had they

charged immediately, following the surprised pickets as they retired into the fort, they would probably have been successful, and the world might have been startled by another Fort Pillow massacre, or a worse one; for of the two classes which formed the garrison, the deserters," as they were termed, and the colored troops, it is perhaps hard to say which would deserve the less mercy. But their boldness failed them here, and with it their luck. Sending a white flag into the fort, they promised protection on surrender, and threatened awful severities if resistance were made to their superior force. The gallant officer who commanded, thus forewarned, sent a spirited defiance, and hastily made such preparation as he could. The rebels, after a spirited and brisk cannonade, were driven off, and the garrison relieved. It was deemed best, however, not long after, to retire to a more secure position, and Fort Myers was dismantled and abandoned, the troops being temporarily concentrated at Punta Rasa. Whether the enemy yet occupied Fort Myers was unknown, and caution became necessary in our movements. A bright lookout was kept, the oars were muffled, and the guns placed where they could easily be reached. "I place more confidence in the acuteness of the Indians than on our own lookout," said the Lieutenant. “ "They would hardly have come with us if they had anticipated danger."

It is generally supposed that, since the termination of the Seminole war, there are no Indians left in Florida, but this is an error. It is true the Government has nominally removed them, but there are a few still left, haunting, in a melancholy and ghostly way, some of their favorite spots. Away in the interior, in some hidden place unknown and unvisited by white men, a feeble remnant of the race still linger in the land which once was theirs. "Tigertail," formerly a famous chief, is known to be among them; he never would abandon the graves of his forefathers. With jealous care they preserve their

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secret, as well they may; appearing at long intervals with honey and skins, and other articles of traffic with the whites, no one knowing whence they come or whither they go. Poor people! I pity them, strangers in their own land; skulking and hiding in their own broad acres. Let us hope that somewhere in this pleasant clime they still inhabit a favored spot, bright with flowers and plentiful with game, where the sun ever shines and the cold winds are shut out, and where perchance the Fountain of Youth, eluding the search of Ponce de Leon and all his knightly race, may be theirs as a slight compensation, if any it be, for many years of injustice and wrong. Indeed, on the authority of the veracious Dr. Heidegger, we may assert its existence near Lake Macaco;" and he adds, with the particularity of exact information, that "its source is overshadowed by several gigantic magnolias which, though numberless centuries old, have been kept fresh as violets by the virtues of this wonderful water." Taught by dear experience, these Indians were neutral during the war, coming to and going from the fort at will, and never, so far as I know, betraying either side or mixing in the contest. Of the two in the boat, one was an old squaw of some consideration in the tribe, though partly of African blood, and the other, whom we subsequently had abundant opportunity to see in daylight, a pure Indian, of fair complexion and noble figure, and apparently about eighteen. Her face was pleasing, or at least dignified, but of studied coldness and immobility. We had in the regiment a man who was formerly a slave, and had escaped to the Indians, and who lived years among them, though never, I believe, formally adopted into the tribe. He was a splendid rifle-shot, as indeed he had need to be, and on the startling phenomenon being brought to his knowledge of men of his own color bearing arms, he had left the tribe and enlisted in the regiment. Through him the Lieutenant had learned something of the history of the girl, and it was at

his suggestion, and as a measure of safety and precaution mainly, that he had taken the squaws into the boat, already sufficiently full. The girl was the posthumous daughter of a chief of the best blood and greatest consideration in the tribe. Her mother never would emigrate, and the child grew up with her, inheriting little from her father except his good name and a full share of his pride and spirit, as we subsequently saw. By some means she became attached to a brave a number of years her senior, who had emigrated westward with the rest of his tribe, but had now returned over many weary miles to claim his bride. Both he and she had been about Punta Rasa for a number of days, though she had held no intercourse with any, save to purchase some slight articles of finery from the sutlers, and which alone betrayed the heart of a woman beneath her marble exterior. Neither her intended husband nor the old squaw who accompanied her, and who seemed to be a sort of duenna, were above the blandishments of whiskey; but not a drop would the girl take. The old squaw had the softest voice and most winning manner of any old woman that I ever met. Her way was so gentle, yet so seductive and artistic, that she seldom or never failed of extorting whiskey from the most conscientious or rigid of those who had it. The doctor had kindly provided me with a flask of his best old rye, not merely as a measure of precaution against exposure to the night-air, but for any of the crew who might need it after their severe exertion. This the aged enchantress caught sight of, and in a voice so musical that I could not resist, she at length prevailed upon me to share a little of it with her.

Then the Lieutenant and myself lay back in the boat, carefully covering the bowls of our pipes from observation on shore, and I listened while he related to me some of the incidents of his life. Strange, eventful, romantic to the last degree, was the history of this stern democrat, who, all his mature life, had

battled against the tyranny and oppression of crowned heads and their agents. Of a family whose antiquity stretched back in unnumbered generations, through the proudest blood of Venice to the patricians of the Eastern Empire, and related to some of the most distinguished families in Europe, he and his father before him were republicans. Holding at an early age a commission in the Austrian army, he voluntarily relinquished it to fight for his country under Charles Albert. Subsequently in the French army, then a wanderer in many lands, the friend of Mazzini, Orsini, and other well-known republicans, implicated in or knowing of many dangerous things, traversing Italy upon his secret missions, imprisoned in Cayenne and in Africa; but always through a thousand perils true to Freedom as he understood it, he, if any, could truly say, "where Liberty is, there is my Country." Hour after hour thus passed, and at length I grew weary of listening. Bolt upright before me sat the young girl, never changing her position, or moving a muscle, seemingly insensible to fatigue. Once the bottle passed to the crew, who still pulled noiselessly and vigorously up the river, and was offered to her by the old woman, who did not hesitate to recommend it by her example; but it was declined without a word. In vain the squaw placed the bottle to the girl's lips, urging and apparently expecting her to drink; thinly clad, and chilly as the night was, she refused. I began to feel an interest in this strange girl, full of life and vigor and passion as I knew she must be, and yet apparently so cold and insensible. A princess, every inch of her, this "nut-brown maid," I thought. No residence near king or kaiser could improve upon the dignity of this untaught child of nature. Finally, lulled by the steady, monotonous strokes of the oars, I fell asleep. Confused images of courts and palaces, of dungeons and escapes, of Indians and rebels, suggested by the conversation, passed through my mind. At length I seemed to be in Venice, then mistress

of the seas, and the most magnificent city of the Christian world. It was a gala-day indeed, for on that day the Emperor of the East, John Palæologus, was to enter the city. I saw the gorgeous procession approach. Vessels dressed in silk and gold crowded the grand canal, banners flaunted, music sounded, the lions of St. Mark and the Roman eagles were everywhere displayed. High upon a gilded throne sat the successor of a hundred Constantines, while all that was venerable in character or illustrious in rank of the Eastern world-the home still of letters and the arts-followed in his train; the despot Demetrius, patriarchs and primates and patricians of high degree. Then the haughty Doge and reverend senators, chiefs of an independent state, bowed low in homage before him; while from roof and balcony, from window and tower, all that was illustrious or beautiful in Venice applauded the deed; for was not the Emperor bound on a holy mission, and about to consummate the union of the churches of the East and West? All, did I say? No; one proud girl, daughter of the Doge, betrothed as she was to a patrician of the empire, shrunk from the degrading spectacle; and as the pageant passed away, she too changed, and became an Indian maid, unmoved and scornful. What other fancies, half memory half dreams, would have followed, I know not, for a soft voice calling "Whiskee!"-the only word of English I ever heard the old squaw utter, though doubtless the artful jade knew more-and a gentle pull at my coat, awakened me. During my sleep she seemed to have forgotten her usual prudence, and had emptied the bottle, and now, though needlessly, was calling for more. Alas, poor woman! she could hardly have known of the waters of the Fountain of Youth, to quaff so eagerly of so poor a substitute; or are these favored ones in this too, as in other joys, who may taste the cup denied to many, no matter how athirst? Let us hope not. Ah me! I very much fear the worthy Dr. Heidegger played but a

scurvy trick upon the Widow Wycherly and her two friends, and that the Fountain of Youth has yet to be sought for through this weary world, to be found at last only in another.

However this may be, our old friend the squaw began to grow hilarious. She insisted on pulling an oar, which she did so vigorously as to make the water boil, and seriously interfere with the regular and noiseless stroke of the others; so we had to interfere, and for a while she contented herself with singing, or rather humming, a low, wild, and monotonous but not unmusical chant; for nothing could be unmusical from her.

At length the stars faded in the misty night, and the sky began to flush and crimson with the dawn. The old squaw, finding nothing better to do, amused herself with removing some of the outer drapery from her younger companion, thereby disclosing, but not immodestly, something of the queenly proportions of her form; but, as before, our princess never moved a muscle, or condescended to notice the admiration with which we could not help regard her. Finally the sun threw his full and level beams into the hazy air, lighting up the landscape, and making a cheerful picture of woods and waters. We were approaching Fort Myers. We landed, and one of the men climbed a tall pine, from which a view of the fort could be obtained. It was a weary and difficult task, but little rewarded his scrutinizing gaze. No rebel flag and no signs of life were seen about the fort, and again we moved on. Half an hour brought us to a bend in the river, from which the fort was plainly visible in the distance to the naked eye. We had intended, without exposing ourselves, to scrutinize carefully with a glass the entire vicinity; but the young girl rose on her seat, and standing erect, intently scanned each side of the river as far as the eye could reach. That will do, thought I, and we moved forward, the girl still standing, her tall, full figure, wrapped gracefully in her robe, being clearly marked against the

sky. While the Lieutenant searched the field with the glass, I kept my eye on the girl. Her countenance was still immobile, and her eye, though fixed, betrayed no intelligence; when suddenly a momentary flash, perhaps of pleasure or surprise, which even she could not conceal, animated her face for a moment. "Stop rowing," said I to the men, and made a hasty movement towards the Lieutenant for the glass. "I see it," said he, anticipating me, "there is certainly some one moving, but not a white man, I think." A few more strokes of the oars brought into view a solitary Indian standing in relief against one of the white-walled buildings, and apparently the only tenant of the deserted fort. He never would allow himself to be used as a decoy, and we knew it. Passively he stood, until we were near the broken wharf, when he turned and disappeared among the buildings. I was disappointed, for I wished to witness the interview between the girl and her lover, as I felt it must be. Our guests left us at the landing, the old squaw stumbling and crooning up the wharf, and the girl walking with a slow though stately step, and neither showing the slightest mark of gratitude or farewell.

Lookouts were stationed, and one with a powerful glass occupied a blockhouse which formed part of the defences of the place, and the rest of the men dispersed in various directions in search of a number of articles for which they had come, and which, in the haste of departure, had been left behind.

Situated on the left bank of the Caloosahatchie, here several hundred yards broad, on land elevated from the river, but sloping here and there to the water's edge, dotted with shade-trees which in places hung gracefully over the bank; with long, low buildings, and cool verandas, and gravelled walks, and pleasant varieties of fruits and flowers, a delicious climate, and an abundance of fish and game, Fort Myers was truly a charming spot; and so it looked to me that pleasant Spring

morning, as, seated on one of the blockhouses, I traced the river winding through the landscape, and saw the interminable woods spread out green before me. A portion of my regiment had been stationed here for many months, and truly their experience must have been a pleasant one. Countless herds of cattle roam in the savannas of Florida; and from them Lee's army was long supplied, after the opening of the Mississippi had cut off the supplies from Texas. Glorious were the raids under the skilful guidance of the loyal Floridians; just enough of excitement and peril were there in hunting these animals, wild almost as the buffalo of the Western prairies, and in bringing them safely in, in spite of the vengeful pursuit of the enraged Johnnies; to say nothing of such other ready means of annoyance as opportunity offered to inflict. The garrison waxed fat on the spoils of the land.

There is always something interesting in wandering about a place suddenly abandoned by its inhabitants, whether it be Pompeii of old, or more modern places which the fortunes of war have caused to be as suddenly depopulated. As we penetrate into places sacred to the domestic gods, there is a feeling half of naughtiness that we are seeing sights not altogether proper to be seen; that we are spying out the nakedness of the land which it were fitter to have left uncovered, and yet which is not altogether unpleasant. So I wandered through the various buildings grouped together at the fort, unmindful of the protecting deities, if indeed there were any, poking into this place and uncovering that, and bringing to light many familiar articles of use or convenience which, in the haste of a sudden evacuation, had been left behind.

At noon the Lieutenant and myself dined pleasantly in a little arbor formed on the roots of an old tree, which, together with the trunk, bent as if with age, projected far over the river. The branches were hung with