James Fenimore Cooper
The Prairie
A Tale
Preface
The manner in which the writer of this book came into possession of most of its
materials is mentioned in the work itself Any well bred reader will readily
conceive that there may exist a thousand reasons why he should not reveal any
more of his private sources of information He will only say on his own
responsibility that the portions of the tale for which no authorities are given
are quite as true as those which are not destitute of this peculiar advantage
and that all may be believed alike
There is however to be found in the following pages an occasional departure
from strict historical veracity which it may be well to mention In the endless
confusion of names customs opinions and languages which exists among the
tribes of the West the author has paid much more attention to sound and
convenience than to literal truth He has uniformly called the Great Spirit for
instance the Wahcondah though he is not ignorant that there are different
names for that being in the two nations he has introduced So in other matters
he has rather adhered to simplicity than sought to make his narrative strictly
correct at the expense of all order and clearness It was enough for his purpose
that the picture should possess the general features of the original In the
shading attitude and disposition of the figure a little liberty has been
taken Even this brief explanation would have been spared did not the author
know that there was a certain class of learned Thebans who are just as fit to
read any thing which depends for its success on the imagination as they are to
write it
It may be necessary to meet much graver and less easily explained objections
in the minds of a far higher class of readers The introduction of one and the
same character as a principal actor in no less than three books and the
selection of a comparative desert which is aided by no historical recollections
and embellished by so few or no poetical associations for the scene of a legend
in these times of perilous adventure in works of this description may need more
vindication If the first objection can be removed the latter must fall of
course as it clearly became the duty of a faithful chronicler to follow his
hero wherever he might choose to go
It is quite probable that the narrator of these simple events has deceived
himself as to the importance they may have in the eyes of other people But he
has seen or thought he has seen something sufficiently instructive and touching
in the life of a veteran of the forest who having commenced his career near
the Atlantic had been driven by the increasing and unparalleled advance of
population to seek a final refuge from society in the broad and tenantless
plains of the West to induce him to hazard the experiment of publication That
the changes which might have driven a man so constituted to such an expedient
have actually occurred within a single life is a matter of undeniable history
that they did produce such an effect on the Scout of the Mohicans the
Leatherstocking of the Pioneers and the Trapper of the Prairie rests on an
authority no less imposing than these veritable pages from which the reader
shall no longer be detained if he be disposed to peruse them after this frank
arrival of the poverty of their contents
Introduction
The geological formation of that portion of the American Union which lies
between the Alleghanies and the Rocky Mountains has given rise to many
ingenious theories Virtually the whole of this immense region is a plain For
a distance extending nearly 1500 miles east and west and 600 north and south
there is scarcely an elevation worthy to be called a mountain Even hills are
not common though a good deal of the face of the country has more or less of
the rolling character which is described in the opening pages of this work
There is much reason to believe that the territory which now composes Ohio
Illinois Indiana Michigan and a large portion of the country west of the
Mississippi lay formerly under water The soil of all the former states has the
appearance of an alluvial deposit and isolated rocks have been found of a
nature and in situations which render it difficult to refute the opinion that
they have been transferred to their present beds by floating ice This theory
assumes that the Great Lakes were the deep pools of one immense body of fresh
water which lay too low to be drained by the irruption that laid bare the land
It will be remembered that the French when masters of the Canadas and
Louisiana claimed the whole of the territory in question Their hunters and
advanced troops held the first communications with the savage occupants and the
earliest written accounts we possess of these vast regions are from the pens of
their missionaries Many French words have consequently become of local use in
this quarter of America and not a few names given in that language have been
perpetuated When the adventurers who first penetrated these wilds met in the
centre of the forests immense plains covered with rich verdure or rank
grasses they naturally gave them the appellation of meadows As the English
succeeded the French and found a peculiarity of nature, differing from all they
had yet seen on the continent already distinguished by a word that did not
express any thing in their own language they left these natural meadows in
possession of their title of convention In this manner has the word Prairie
been adopted into the English tongue
The American prairies are of two kinds Those which lie east of the
Mississippi are comparatively small and exceedingly fertile and are always
surrounded by forests They are susceptible of high cultivation and are fast
becoming settled They abound in Ohio Michigan Illinois and Indiana They
labour under the disadvantages of a scarcity of wood and water evils of a
serious character until art has had time to supply the deficiencies of nature.
As coal is said to abound in all that region and wells are generally
successful the enterprise of the emigrants is gradually prevailing against
these difficulties
The second description of these natural meadows lies west of the
Mississippi at a distance of a few hundred miles from that river and is called
the Great Prairies They resemble the steppes of Tartary more than any other
known portion of the world being in fact a vast country incapable of
sustaining a dense population in the absence of the two great necessaries
already named Rivers abound it is true but this region is nearly destitute of
brooks and the smaller water courses which tend so much to comfort and
fertility
The origin and date of the Great American Prairies form one of nature's most
majestic mysteries The general character of the United States, of the Canadas
and of Mexico is that of luxuriant fertility It would be difficult to find
another portion of the world of the same extent which has so little useless
land as the inhabited parts of the American Union Most of the mountains are
arable and even the prairies in this section of the republic are of deep
alluvion The same is true between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Between
the two lies the broad belt of comparative desert which is the scene of this
tale appearing to interpose a barrier to the progress of the American people
westward
The Great Prairies appear to be the final gathering place of the red men
The remnants of the Mohicans and the Delawares of the Creeks Choctaws and
Cherokees are destined to fulfil their time on these vast plains The entire
number of the Indians within the Union is differently computed at between one
and five hundred thousand souls Most of them inhabit the country west of the
Mississippi At the period of the tale they dwelt in open hostility national
feuds passing from generation to generation The power of the republic has done
much to restore peace to these wild scenes and it is now possible to travel in
security where civilized man did not dare to pass unprotected fiveandtwenty
years ago
The reader who has perused the two former works of which this is the
natural successor will recognise an old acquaintance in the principal character
of the story We have here brought him to his end and we trust he will be
permitted to slumber in the peace of the just
Paris June 1832
Chapter I
»I pray thee shepherd if that love or gold
Can in this desert place buy entertainment
Bring us where we may rest ourselves and feed«
As You Like It IIiv7173
Much was said and written at the time concerning the policy of adding the vast
regions of Louisiana to the already immense and but halftenanted territories
of the UnitedStates As the warmth of the controversy however subsided and
party considerations gave place to more liberal views the wisdom of the measure
began to be generally conceded It soon became apparent to the meanest
capacity that while nature had placed a barrier of desert to the extension of
our population in the west the measure had made us the masters of a belt of
fertile country which in the revolutions of the day might have become the
property of a rival nation It gave us the sole command of the great
thoroughfare of the interior and placed the countless tribes of savages who
lay along our borders entirely within our controul it reconciled conflicting
rights and quieted national distrusts it opened a thousand avenues to the
inland trade and to the waters of the Pacific and if ever time or necessity
shall require a peaceful division of this vast empire it assures us a neighbour
that will possess our language our religion our institutions and it is also
to be hoped our sense of political justice
Although the purchase was made in 1803 the spring of the succeeding year
was permitted to open before the official prudence of the Spaniard who held
the province for his European master admitted the authority or even of the
entrance of its new proprietors But the forms of the transfer were no sooner
completed and the new government acknowledged than swarms of that restless
people which is ever found hovering on the skirts of American society plunged
into the thickets that fringed the right bank of the Mississippi with the same
careless hardihood as had already sustained so many of them in their toilsome
progress from the Atlantic states to the eastern shores of the Father of
rivers1
Time was necessary to blend the numerous and affluent colonists of the lower
province with their new compatriots but the thinner and more humble population
above was almost immediately swallowed in the vortex which attended the tide of
instant emigration The inroad from the east was a new and sudden outbreaking
of a people who had endured a momentary restraint after having been rendered
nearly resistless by success The toils and hazards of former undertakings were
forgotten as these endless and unexplored regions with all their fancied as
well as real advantages were laid open to their enterprise The consequences
were such as might easily have been anticipated from so tempting an offering
placed as it was before the eyes of a race long trained in adventure and
nurtured in difficulties
Thousands of the elders of what were then called the NewStates2 broke up
from the enjoyment of their hardearned indulgencies and were to be seen
leading long files of descendants born and reared in the forests of Ohio and
Kentucky deeper into the land in quest of that which might be termed without
the aid of poetry their natural and more congenial atmosphere The
distinguished and resolute forester who first penetrated the wilds of the
latter state was of the number This adventurous and venerable patriarch was
now seen making his last remove placing the endless river between him and the
multitude his own success had drawn around him and seeking for the renewal of
enjoyments which were rendered worthless in his eyes when trammelled by the
forms of human institutions3
In the pursuit of adventures such as these men are ordinarily governed by
their habits or deluded by their wishes A few led by the phantoms of hope and
ambitious of sudden affluence sought the mines of the virgin territory but by
far the greater portion of the emigrants were satisfied to establish themselves
along the margins of the larger watercourses content with the rich returns
that the generous alluvial bottoms of the rivers never fail to bestow on the
most desultory industry In this manner were communities formed with magical
rapidity and most of those who witnessed the purchase of the empty empire have
lived to see already a populous and sovereign state parcelled from its
inhabitants and received into the bosom of the national Union on terms of
political equality
The incidents and scenes which are connected with this legend occurred in
the earliest periods of the enterprises which have led to so great and so speedy
a result
The harvest of the first year of our possession had long been passed and
the fading foliage of a few scattered trees was already beginning to exhibit
the hues and tints of autumn when a train of wagons issued from the bed of a
dry rivulet to pursue its course across the undulating surface of what in the
language of the country of which we write is called a rolling Prairie The
vehicles loaded with household goods and implements of husbandry the few
straggling sheep and cattle that were herded in the rear and the rugged
appearance and careless mien of the sturdy men who loitered at the sides of the
lingering teams united to announce a band of emigrants seeking for the Eldorado
of the West Contrary to the usual practice of the men of their caste this
party had left the fertile bottoms of the low country and had found its way by
means only known to such adventurers across glen and torrent over deep
morasses and arid wastes to a point far beyond the usual limits of civilized
habitations In their front were stretched those broad plains which extend
with so little diversity of character to the bases of the Rocky Mountains and
many long and dreary miles in their rear foamed the swift and turbid waters of
La Platte
The appearance of such a train in that bleak and solitary place was
rendered the more remarkable by the fact that the surrounding country offered
so little that was tempting to the cupidity of speculation and if possible
still less that was flattering to the hopes of an ordinary settler of new lands
The meagre herbage of the Prairie promised nothing in favor of a hard and
unyielding soil over which the wheels of the vehicles rattled as lightly as if
they travelled on a beaten road neither wagons nor beasts making any deeper
impression than to mark that bruised and withered grass which the cattle
plucked from time to time and as often rejected as food too sour for even
hunger to render palatable
Whatever might be the final destination of these adventurers or the secret
causes of their apparent security in so remote and unprotected a situation
there was no visible sign of uneasiness uncertainty or alarm among them
Including both sexes and every age the number of the party exceeded twenty
At some little distance in front of the whole marched the individual who
by his position and air appeared to be the leader of the band He was a tall
sunburnt man past the middle age of a dull countenance and listless manner
His frame appeared loose and flexible but it was vast and in reality of
prodigious power It was only at moments however as some slight impediment
opposed itself to his loitering progress that his person which in its
ordinary gait seemed so lounging and nerveless displayed any of those energies
which lay latent in his system like the slumbering and unwieldy but terrible
strength of the elephant The inferior lineaments of his countenance were
coarse extended and vacant while the superior or those nobler parts which are
thought to affect the intellectual being were low receding and mean
The dress of this individual was a mixture of the coarsest vestments of a
husbandman with the leathern garments that fashion as well as use had in some
degree rendered necessary to one engaged in his present pursuits There was
however a singular and wild display of prodigal and illjudged ornaments
blended with his motley attire In place of the usual deerskin belt he wore
around his body a tarnished silken sash of the most gaudy colours the buckhorn
haft of his knife was profusely decorated with plates of silver the martens
fur of his cap was of a fineness and shadowing that a queen might covet the
buttons of his rude and soiled blanketcoat were of the glittering coinage of
Mexico the stock of his rifle was of beautiful mahogany riveted and banded
with the same precious metal and the trinkets of no less than three worthless
watches dangled from different parts of his person In addition to the pack and
the rifle which were slung at his back together with the wellfilled and
carefully guarded pouch and horn he had carelessly cast a keen and bright
woodaxe across his shoulder sustaining the weight of the whole with as much as
apparent ease as if he moved unfettered in limb and free from incumbrance
A short distance in the rear of this man came a groupe of youths very
similarly attired and bearing sufficient resemblance to each other and to
their leader to distinguish them as the children of one family Though the
youngest of their number could not much have passed the period that in the
nicer judgment of the law is called the age of discretion he had proved
himself so far worthy of his progenitors as to have reared already his aspiring
person to the standard height of his race There were one or two others of
different mould whose descriptions must however be referred to the regular
course of the narrative
Of the females there were but two who had arrived at womanhood though
several whiteheaded oliveskinnd faces were peering out of the foremost wagon
of the train with eyes of lively curiosity and characteristic animation The
elder of the two adults was the sallow and wrinkled mother of most of the party
and the younger was a sprightly active girl of eighteen who in figure dress
and mien seemed to belong to a station in society several gradations above that
of any one of her visible associates The second vehicle was covered with a top
of cloth so tightly drawn as to conceal its contents with the nicest care The
remaining wagons were loaded with such rude furniture and other personal effects
as might be supposed to belong to one ready at any moment to change his abode
without reference to season or distance
Perhaps there was little in this train or in the appearance of its
proprietors that is not daily to be encountered on the highways of this
changeable and moving country But the solitary and peculiar scenery in which
it was so unexpectedly exhibited gave to the party a marked character of
wildness and adventure
In the little vallies which in the regular formation of the land occurred
at every mile of their progress the view was bounded on two of the sides by
the gradual and low elevations which give name to the description of Prairie we
have mentioned while on the others the meagre prospect ran off in long
narrow barren perspectives but slightly relieved by a pitiful show of coarse
though somewhat luxuriant vegetation From the summits of the swells the eye
became fatigued with the sameness and chilling dreariness of the landscape The
earth was not unlike the ocean when its restless waters are heaving heavily
after the agitation and fury of the tempest have begun to lessen There was the
same waving and regular surface the same absence of foreign objects and the
same boundless extent to the view Indeed so very striking was the resemblance
between the water and the land that however much the geologist might sneer at
so simple a theory it would have been difficult for a poet not to have felt
that the formation of the one had been produced by the subsiding dominion of the
other Here and there a tall tree rose out of the bottoms stretching its naked
branches abroad like some solitary vessel and to strengthen the delusion far
in the distance appeared two or three rounded thickets looming in the misty
horizon like islands resting on the waters It is unnecessary to warn the
practised reader that the sameness of the surface and the low stands of the
spectators exaggerated the distances but as swell appeared after swell and
island succeeded island there was a disheartening assurance that long and
seemingly interminable tracts of territory must be passed before the wishes of
the humblest agriculturist could be realized
Still the leader of the emigrants steadily pursued his way with no other
guide than the sun turning his back resolutely on the abodes of civilization
and plunging at each step more deeply if not irretrievably into the haunts of
the barbarous and savage occupants of the country As the day drew nigher to a
close however his mind which was perhaps incapable of maturing any connected
system of forethought beyond that which related to the interests of the present
moment became in some slight degree troubled with the care of providing for
the wants of the hours of darkness
On reaching the crest of a swell that was a little higher than the usual
elevations he lingered a minute and cast a half curious eye on either hand in
quest of those wellknown signs which might indicate a place where the three
grand requisites of water fuel and fodder were to be obtained in conjunction
It would seem that his search was fruitless for after a few moments of
indolent and listless examination he suffered his huge frame to descend the
gentle declivity in the same sluggish manner that an overfatted beast would
have yielded to the downward pressure
His example was silently followed by those who succeeded him though not
until the young men had manifested much more of interest if not of concern in
the brief inquiry which each in his turn made on gaining the same lookout It
was now evident by the tardy movements both of beasts and men that the time of
necessary rest was not far distant The matted grass of the lower land presented
obstacles which fatigue began to render formidable and the whip was becoming
necessary to urge the lingering teams to their labour At this moment when
with the exception of the principal individual a general lassitude was getting
the mastery of the travellers and every eye was cast by a sort of common
impulse wistfully forward the whole party was brought to a halt by a
spectacle as sudden as it was unexpected
The sun had fallen below the crest of the nearest wave of the Prairie
leaving the usual rich and glowing train on its track In the centre of this
flood of fiery light a human form appeared drawn against the gilded background
as distinctly and seemingly as palpable as though it would come within the
grasp of any extended hand The figure was colossal the attitude musing and
melancholy and the situation directly in the route of the travellers But
embedded as it was in its setting of garish light it was impossible to
distinguish its just proportions or true character
The effect of such a spectacle was instantaneous and powerful The man in
front of the emigrants came to a stand and remained gazing at the mysterious
object with a dull interest that soon quickened into superstitious awe His
sons so soon as the first emotions of surprise had a little abated drew slowly
around him and as they who governed the teams gradually followed their
example the whole party was soon collected in one silent and wondering groupe
Notwithstanding the impression of a supernatural agency was very general among
the travellers the ticking of gunlocks was heard and one of two of the bolder
youths cast their rifles forward in readiness for service
»Send the boys off to the right« exclaimed the resolute wife and mother in
a sharp dissonant voice »I warrant me Asa or Abner will give me some account
of the creature«
»It may be well enough to try the rifle« muttered a dull looking man whose
features both in outline and expression bore no small resemblance to the first
speaker and who loosened the stock of his piece and brought it dexterously to
the front while delivering this opinion »the Pawnee Loups are said to be
hunting by hundreds in the plains if so theyll never miss a single man from
their tribe«
»Stay« exclaimed a softtoned but alarmed female voice which was easily to
be traced to the trembling lips of the younger of the two women »we are not all
together it may be a friend«
»Who is scouting now« demanded the father scanning at the same time the
cluster of his stout sons with a displeased and sullen eye »Put by the piece
put by the piece« he continued diverting the others aim with the finger of a
giant and with the air of one it might be dangerous to deny »My job is not yet
ended let us finish the little that remains in peace«
The man who had manifested so hostile an intention appeared to understand
the others allusion and suffered himself to be diverted from his object The
sons turned their inquiring looks on the girl who had so eagerly spoken to
require an explanation but as if content with the respite she had obtained for
the stranger she sunk back in her seat and chose to affect a maidenly silence
In the mean time the hues of the heavens had often changed In place of the
brightness which had dazzled the eye a gray and more sober light had
succeeded and as the setting lost its brilliancy the proportions of the
fanciful form became less exaggerated and finally distinct Ashamed to
hesitate now that the truth was no longer doubtful the leader of the party
resumed his journey using the precaution as he ascended the slight acclivity
to release his own rifle from the strap and to cast it into a situation more
convenient for sudden use
There was little apparent necessity however for such watchfulness From
the moment when it had thus unaccountably appeared as it were between the
heavens and the earth the strangers figure had neither moved nor given the
smallest evidence of hostility Had he harboured any such evil intention the
individual who now came plainly into view seemed but little qualified to
execute them
A frame that had endured the hardships of more than eighty seasons was not
qualified to awaken apprehension in the breast of one as powerful as the
emigrant Notwithstanding his years and his look of emaciation if not of
suffering there was that about this solitary being however which said that
time and not disease had laid his hand heavily on him His form had withered
but it was not wasted The sinews and muscles which had once denoted great
strength though shrunken were still visible and his whole figure had attained
an appearance of induration which if it were not for the wellknown frailty of
humanity would have seemed to bid defiance to the further approaches of decay
His dress was chiefly of skins worn with the hair to the weather a pouch and
horn were suspended from his shoulders and he leaned on a rifle of uncommon
length but which like its owner exhibited the wear of long and hard service
As the party drew nigher to this solitary being and came within a distance
to be heard a low growl issued from the grass at his feet and then a tall
gaunt toothless hound arose lazily from his lair and shaking himself made some
show of resisting the nearer approach of the travellers
»Down Hector down« said his master in a voice that was a little
tremulous and hollow with age »What have ye to do pup with men who journey on
their lawful callings«
»Stranger if you ar much acquainted in this country« said the leader of
the emigrants »can you tell a traveller where he may find necessaries for the
night«
»Is the land filled on the other side of the Big River« demanded the old
man solemnly and without appearing to hearken to the others question »or why
do I see a sight I had never thought to behold again«
»Why there is country left it is true for such as have money and ar not
particular in the choice« returned the emigrant »but to my taste it is getting
crowdy What may a man call the distance from this place to the nighest point on
the main river«
»A hunted deer could not cool his sides in the Mississippi without
travelling a weary five hundred miles«
»And what may you name the district hereaway«
»By what name« returned the old man pointing significantly upward »would
you call the spot where you see yonder cloud«
The emigrant looked at the other like one who did not comprehend his
meaning and who half suspected he was trifled with but he contented himself by
saying
»You ar but a new inhabitant like myself I reckon stranger otherwise
you wouldnt be backward in helping a traveller to some advice words cost but
little and sometimes lead to friendships«
»Advice is not a gift but a debt that the old owe to the young What would
you wish to know«
»Where I may camp for the night Im no great difficulty maker as to bed
and board but all old journeyers like myself know the virtue of sweet water
and a good browse for the cattle«
»Come then with me and you shall be master of both and little more is it
that I can offer on this hungry Prairie«
As the old man was speaking he raised his heavy rifle to his shoulder with
a facility a little remarkable for his years and appearance and without further
words led the way over the acclivity into the adjacent bottom
Chapter II
»Up with my tent here will I lie to night
But where tomorrow Well alls one for that«
Richard III Viii7 8
The travellers soon discovered the usual and unerring evidences that the
several articles necessary to their situation were not far distant A clear and
gurgling spring burst out of the side of the declivity and joining its waters
to those of other similar little fountains in its vicinity their united
contributions formed a run which was easily to be traced for miles along the
Prairie by the scattering foliage and verdure which occasionally grew within
the influence of its moisture Hither then the stranger held his way eagerly
followed by the willing teams whose instinct gave them a prescience of
refreshment and rest
On reaching what he deemed a suitable spot the old man halted and with an
enquiring look he seemed to demand if it possessed the needed conveniences The
leader of the emigrants cast his eyes understandingly about him and examined
the place with the keenness of one competent to judge of so nice a question
though in that dilatory and heavy manner which rarely permitted him to betray
precipitation
»Ay this may do« he said when satisfied with his scrutiny »boys you
have seen the last of the sun be stirring«
The young men manifested a characteristic obedience The order for such in
tone and manner it was in truth was received with respect but the utmost
movement was the falling of an axe or two from the shoulder to the ground while
their owners continued to regard the place with listless and incurious eyes In
the mean time the elder traveller as if familiar with the nature of the
impulses by which his children were governed disencumbered himself of his pack
and rifle and assisted by the man already mentioned as disposed to appeal so
promptly to the rifle he quietly proceeded to release the cattle from the
gears
At length the eldest of the sons stepped heavily forward and without any
apparent effort he buried his axe to the eye in the soft body of a cottonwood
tree He stood a moment regarding the effect of the blow with that sort of
contempt with which a giant might be supposed to contemplate the puny resistance
of a dwarf and then flourishing the implement above his head with the grace
and dexterity with which a master of the art of offense would wield his nobler
though less useful weapon he quickly severed the trunk of the tree bringing
its tall top crashing to the earth in submission to his prowess His companions
regarded the operation with indolent curiosity until they saw the prostrate
trunk stretchd on the ground when as if a signal for a general attack had
been given they advanced in a body to the work and in a space of time and
with a neatness of execution that would have astonished an ignorant spectator
they stripped a small but suitable spot of its burthen of forest as
effectually and almost as promptly as if a whirlwind had passed along the
place
The stranger had been a silent but attentive observer of their progress As
tree after tree came whistling down he cast his eyes upward at the vacancies
they left in the heavens with a melancholy gaze and finally turned away
muttering to himself with a bitter smile like one who disdained giving a more
audible utterance to his discontent Pressing through the groupe of active and
busy children who had already lighted a cheerful fire the attention of the old
man became next fixed on the movements of the leader of the emigrants and of his
savage looking assistant
These two had already liberated the cattle which were eagerly browsing the
grateful and nutritious extremities of the fallen trees and were now employed
about the wagon which has been described as having its contents concealed with
so much apparent care Notwithstanding this particular conveyance appeared to be
as silent and as tenantless as the rest of the vehicles the men applied their
strength to its wheels and rolled it apart from the others to a dry and
elevated spot near the edge of the thicket Here they brought certain poles
which had seemingly been long employed in such a service and fastening their
larger ends firmly in the ground the smaller were attached to the hoops that
supported the covering of the wagon Large folds of cloth were next drawn out of
the vehicle and after being spread around the whole were pegged to the earth
in such a manner as to form a tolerably capacious and an exceedingly convenient
tent After surveying their work with inquisitive and perhaps jealous eyes
arranging a fold here and driving a peg more firmly there the men once more
applied their strength to the wagon pulling it by its projecting tongue from
the centre of the canopy until it appeared in the open air deprived of its
covering and destitute of any other freight than a few light articles of
furniture The latter were immediately removed by the traveller into the tent
with his own hands as though to enter it were a privilege to which even his
bosom companion was not entitled
Curiosity is a passion that is rather quickened than destroyed by seclusion
and the old inhabitant of the Prairies did not view these precautionary and
mysterious movements without experiencing some of its impulses He approached
the tent and was about to sever two of its folds with the very obvious
intention of examining more closely into the nature of its contents when the
man who had once already placed his life in jeopardy seized him by the arm
and with a rude exercise of his strength threw him from the spot he had selected
as the one most convenient for his object
»Its an honest regulation friend« the fellow drily observed though with
an eye that threatened volumes »and sometimes it is a safe one which says
mind your own business«
»Men seldom bring any thing to be concealed into these deserts« returned
the old man as if willing and yet a little ignorant how to apologize for the
liberty he had been about to take »and I had hopd no offence in examining
your comforts«
»They seldom bring themselves I reckon though this has the look of an old
country to my eye it seems not to be overly peopled«
»The land is as aged as the rest of the works of the Lord I believe but
you say true concerning its inhabitants Many months have passed since I have
laid eyes on a face of my own colour before your own I say again friend I
meant no harm I did not know but there was something behind the cloth that
might bring former days to my mind«
As the stranger ended his simple explanation he walked meekly away like
one who felt the deepest sense of the right which every man has to the quiet
enjoyment of his own without any troublesome interference on the part of his
neighbour a wholesome and just principle that he had also most probably
imbibed from the habits of his secluded life As he passed towards the little
encampment of the emigrants for such the place had now become he heard the
voice of the leader calling aloud in its hoarse tones the name of
»Ellen Wade«
The girl who has been already introduced to the reader and who was
occupied with the others of her sex around the fires sprang willingly forward
at this summons and passing the stranger with the activity of a young antelope
she was instantly lost behind the forbidden folds of the tent Neither her
sudden disappearance nor any of the arrangements we have mentioned seemed
however to excite the smallest surprise among the remainder of the party The
young men who had already completed their tasks with the axe were all engaged
after their lounging and listless manner some in bestowing equitable portions
of the fodder among the different animals others in plying the heavy pestle of
a moveable hommanymortar4 and one or two in wheeling the remainder of the
wagons aside and arranging them in such a manner as to form a sort of outwork
for their otherwise defenceless bivouac
These several duties were soon performed and as darkness now began to
conceal the objects on the surrounding Prairie the shrilltoned termagant
whose voice since the halt had been diligently exercised among her idle and
drowsy offspring announced in tones that might have been heard at a dangerous
distance that the evening meal waited only for the approach of those who were
to consume it Whatever may be the other qualities of a borderman he is seldom
deficient in the virtue of hospitality The emigrant no sooner heard the sharp
call of his wife than he cast his eyes about him in quest of the stranger in
order to offer him the place of distinction in the rude entertainment to which
they were so unceremoniously summoned
»I thank you friend« the old man replied to the rough invitation to take a
seat nigh the smoking kettle »you have my hearty thanks but I have eaten for
the day and I am not one of them who dig their graves with their teeth Well
as you wish it I will take a place for it is long sin I have seen people of
my colour eating their daily bread«
»You ar an old settler in these districts then« the emigrant rather
remarked than inquired with a mouth filled nearly to overflowing with the
delicious hommany prepared by his skillful though repulsive spouse »They told
us below we should find settlers something thinnish hereaway and I must say
the report was mainly true for unless we count the Canada traders on the big
river you ar the first white face I have met in a good five hundred miles
that is calculating according to your own reckoning«
»Though I have spent some years in this quarter I can hardly be called a
settler seeing that I have no regular abode and seldom pass more than a month
at a time in the same range«
»A hunter I reckon« the other continued glancing his eyes aside as if to
examine the equipments of his new acquaintance »your fixen seem none of the
best for such a calling«
»They are old and nearly ready to be laid aside like their master« said
the old man regarding his rifle with a look in which affection and regret were
singularly blended »and I may say they are but little needed too You are
mistaken friend in calling me a hunter I am nothing better than a trapper«5
»If you ar much of the one Im bold to say you ar something of the other
for the two callings go mainly together in these districts«
»To the shame of the man who is able to follow the first be it so said«
returned the trapper whom in future we shall choose to designate by his
pursuit »for more than fifty years did I carry my rifle in the wilderness
without so much as setting a snare for even a bird that flies the heavens
much less a beast that has nothing but legs for its gifts«
»I see but little difference whether a man gets his peltry by the rifle or
by the trap« said the illlooking companion of the emigrant in his rough
manner »The arth was made for our comfort and for that matter so ar its
creaturs«
»You seem to have but little plunder6 stranger for one who is far abroad«
bluntly interrupted the emigrant as if he had a reason for wishing to change
the conversation »I hope you ar better off for skins«
»I make but little use of either« the trapper quietly replied »At my time
of life food and clothing be all that is needed and I have little occasion for
what you call plunder unless it may be now and then to barter for a horn of
powder or a bar of lead«
»You ar not then of these parts by natur friend« the emigrant
continued having in his mind the exception which the other had taken to the
very equivocal word which he himself according to the custom of the country
had used for baggage or effects
»I was born on the seashore though most of my life has been passed in the
woods«
The whole party now looked up at him as men are apt to turn their eyes on
some unexpected object of general interest One or two of the young men
repeated the words seashore and the woman tendered him one of those civilities
with which uncouth as they were she was little accustomed to grace her
hospitality as if in deference to the travelled dignity of her guest After a
long and seemingly a meditating silence the emigrant who had however seen
no apparent necessity to suspend the functions of his masticating powers
resumed the discourse
»It is a long road as I have heard from the waters of the west to the
shores of the main sea«
»It is a weary path indeed friend and much have I seen and something
have I suffered in journeying over it«
»A man would see a good deal of hard travel in going its length«
»Seventy and five years I have been upon the road and there are not half
that number of leagues in the whole distance after you leave the Hudson on
which I have not tasted venison of my own killing But this is vain boasting of
what use are former deeds when time draws to an end«
»I once met a man that had boated on the river he names« observed the
eldest son speaking in a low tone of voice like one who distrusted his
knowledge and deemed it prudent to assume a becoming diffidence in the presence
of a man who had seen so much »from his tell it must be a considerable stream
and deep enough for a keelboat from top to bottom«
»It is a wide and deep watercourse and many sightly towns are there
growing on its banks« returned the trapper »and yet it is but a brook to the
waters of the endless river«
»I call nothing a stream that a man can travel round« exclaimed the
illlooking associate of the emigrant »a real river must be crossed not
headed like a bear in a county hunt«7
»Have you been far towards the sundown friend« interrupted the emigrant
as if he desired to keep his rough companion as much as possible out of the
discourse »I find it is a wide tract of clearing this into which I have
fallen«
»You may travel weeks and you will see it the same I often think the Lord
has placed this barren belt of Prairie behind the States to warn men to what
their folly may yet bring the land Ay weeks if not months may you journey in
these open fields in which there is neither dwelling nor habitation for man or
beast Even the savage animals travel miles on miles to seek their dens And yet
the wind seldom blows from the east but I conceit the sounds of axes and the
crash of falling trees are in my ears«
As the old man spoke with the seriousness and dignity that age seldom fails
to communicate even to less striking sentiments his auditors were deeply
attentive and as silent as the grave Indeed the trapper was left to renew the
dialogue himself which he soon did by asking a question in the indirect
manner so much in use by the border inhabitants
»You found it no easy matter to ford the watercourses and to make your way
so deep into the Prairies friend with teams of horses and herds of horned
beasts«
»I kept the left bank of the main river« the emigrant replied »until I
found the stream leading too much to the north when we rafted ourselves across
without any great suffering The woman lost a fleece or two from the next years
sheering and the girls have one cow less to their dairy Since then we have
done bravely by bridging a creek every day or two«
»It is likely you will continue west until you come to land more suitable
for a settlement«
»Until I see reason to stop or to turn agin« the emigrant bluntly
answered rising at the same time and cutting short the dialogue by the
suddenness of the movement His example was followed by the trapper as well as
the rest of the party and then without much deference to the presence of their
guest the travellers proceeded to make their dispositions to pass the night
Several little bowers or rather huts had already been formed of the tops of
trees blankets of coarse country manufacture and the skins of buffaloes
united without much reference to any other object than temporary comfort Into
these covers the children with their mother soon drew themselves and where it
is more than possible they were all speedily lost in the oblivion of sleep
Before the men however could seek their rest they had sundry little duties to
perform such as completing their works of defence carefully concealing the
fires replenishing the fodder of their cattle and setting the watch that was
to protect the party in the approaching hours of night
The former was effected by dragging the trunks of a few trees into the
intervals left by the wagons and along the open space between the vehicles and
the thicket on which in military language the encampment would be said to
have rested thus forming a sort of chevauxdefrise on three sides of the
position Within these narrow limits with the exception of what the tent
contained both man and beast were now collected the latter being far too
happy in resting their weary limbs to give any undue annoyance to their
scarcely more intelligent associates Two of the young men took their rifles
and first renewing the priming and examining the flints with the utmost care
they proceeded the one to the extreme right and the other to the left of the
encampment where they posted themselves within the shadows of the thicket but
in such positions as enabled each to overlook a portion of the Prairie
The trapper loitered about the place declining to share the straw of the
emigrant until the whole arrangement was completed and then without the
ceremony of an adieu he slowly retired from the spot
It was now in the first watch of the night and the pale quivering and
deceptive light from a new moon was playing over the endless waves of the
Prairie tipping the swells with gleams of brightness and leaving the interval
land in deep shadow Accustomed to scenes of solitude like the present the old
man as he left the encampment proceeded alone into the waste like a bold
vessel leaving its haven to enter on the trackless field of the ocean He
appeared to move for some time without object or indeed without any apparent
consciousness whither his limbs were carrying him At length on reaching the
rise of one of the undulations he came to a stand and for the first time
since leaving the band who had caused such a flood of reflections and
recollections to crowd upon his mind the old man became aware of his present
situation Throwing one end of his rifle to the earth he stood leaning on the
other again lost in deep contemplation for several minutes during which time
his hound came and crouched at his feet A deep menacing growl from the
faithful animal first aroused him from his musing
»What now dog« he said looking down at his companion as if he addressed
a being of an intelligence equal to his own and speaking in a voice of great
affection »What is it pup ha Hector what is it noseing now It wont do
dog it wont do the very fans play in open view of us without minding so
worn out curs as you and I Instinct is their gift Hector and they have found
out how little we are to be feard they have«
The dog stretched his head upward and responded to the words of his master
by a long and plaintive whine which he even continued after he had again buried
his head in the grass as if he held an intelligent communication with one who
so well knew how to interpret his dumb discourse
»This is a manifest warning Hector« The trapper continued dropping his
voice to the tones of caution and looking warily about him »What is it pup
speak plainer dog what is it«
The hound had however already laid his nose to the earth and was silent
appearing to slumber But the keen quick glances of his master soon caught a
glimpse of a distant figure which seemed through the deceptive light floating
along the very elevation on which he had placed himself Presently its
proportions became more distinct and then an airy female form appeared to
hesitate as if considering whether it would be prudent to advance Though the
eyes of the dog were now to be seen glancing in the rays of the moon opening
and shutting lazily he gave no further signs of displeasure
»Come nigher we are friends« said the trapper associating himself with
his companion by long use and probably through the strength of the secret tie
that connected them together »we are your friends none will harm you«
Encouraged by the mild tones of his voice and perhaps led on by the
earnestness of her purpose the female approached until she stood at his side
when the old man perceived his visiter to be the young woman with whom the
reader has already become acquainted by the name of Ellen Wade
»I had thought you were gone« she said looking timidly and anxiously
around »They said you were gone and that we should never see you again I did
not think it was you«
»Men are no common objects in these empty fields« returned the trapper
»and I humbly hope though I have so long consorted with the beasts of the
wilderness that I have not yet lost the look of my kind«
»Oh I knew you to be a man and I thought I knew the whine of the hound
too« she answered hastily as if willing to explain she knew not what and then
checking herself like one fearful of having already said too much
»I saw no dogs among the teams of your father« the trapper remarked
»Father« exclaimed the girl feelingly »I have no father I had nearly
said no friend«
The old man turned towards her with a look of kindness and interest that
was even more conciliating than the ordinary upright and benevolent expression
of his weatherbeaten countenance
»Why then do you venture in a place where none but the strong should come«
he demanded »Did you not know that when you crossed the big river you left a
friend behind you that is always bound to look to the young and feeble like
yourself«
»Of whom do you speak«
»The law Tis bad to have it but I sometimes think it is worse to be
entirely without it Age and weakness have brought me to feel such weakness at
times Yes yes the law is needed when such as have not the gifts of strength
and wisdom are to be taken care of I hope young woman if you have no father
you have at least a brother«
The maiden felt the tacit reproach conveyed in this covert question and for
a moment she remained in an embarrassed silence But catching a glimpse of the
mild and serious features of her companion as he continued to gaze on her with
a look of interest she replied firmly and in a manner that left no doubt she
comprehended his meaning
»Heaven forbid that any such as you have seen should be a brother of mine
or any thing else near or dear to me But tell me do you then actually live
alone in this desert district old man is there really none here besides
yourself«
»There are hundreds nay thousands of the rightful owners of the country
roving about the plains but few of our own colour«
»And have you then met none who are white but us« interrupted the girl
like one too impatient to await the tardy explanation of age and deliberation
»Not in many days Hush Hector hush« he added in reply to a low and
nearly inaudible growl from his hound »The dog scents mischief in the wind The
black bears from the mountains sometimes make their way even lower than this
The pup is not apt to complain of the harmless game I am not so ready and true
with the piece as I usedtocouldbe yet I have struck even the fiercest
animals of the Prairie in my time so you have little reason for fear young
woman«
The girl raised her eyes in that peculiar manner which is so often
practised by her sex when they commence their glances by examining the earth
at their feet and terminate them by noting every thing within the power of
human vision but she rather manifested the quality of impatience than any
feeling of alarm
A short bark from the dog however soon gave a new direction to the looks
of both then the real object of his second warning became dimly visible
Chapter III
»Come come thou art as hot a Jack in thy
mood as any in Italy and as soon movd to be
moody and as soon moody to be moved«
Romeo and Juliet IIIi1113
Though the trapper manifested some surprise when he perceived that another human
figure was approaching him and that too from a direction opposite to the
place where the emigrant had made his encampment it was with the steadiness of
one long accustomed to scenes of danger
»This is a man« he said »and one who has white blood in his veins or his
step would be lighter It will be well to be ready for the worst as the
halfandhalfs8 that one meets in these distant districts are altogether more
barbarous than the real savage«
He raised his rifle while he spoke and assured himself of the state of its
flint as well as of the priming by manual examination But his arm was
arrested while in the act of throwing forward the muzzle of the piece by the
eager and trembling hands of his companion
»For Gods sake be not too hasty« she said »it may be a friend an
acquaintance a neighbour«
»A friend« the old man repeated deliberately releasing himself at the
same time from her grasp »Friends are rare in any land and less in this
perhaps than in another and the neighbourhood is too thinly settled to make it
likely that he who comes towards us is even an acquaintance«
»But though a stranger you would not seek his blood«
The trapper earnestly regarded her anxious and frightened features and then
he dropped the butt of his rifle on the ground like one whose purpose had
undergone a sudden change
»No« he said speaking rather to himself than to his companion »she is
right blood is not to be spilt to save the life of one so useless and so near
his time Let him come on my skins my traps and even my rifle shall be his
if he sees fit to demand them«
»He will ask for neither He wants neither« returned the girl »if he be
an honest man he will surely be content with his own and ask for nothing that
is the property of another«
The trapper had not time to express the surprise he felt at this incoherent
and contradictory language for the man who was advancing was already within
fifty feet of the place where they stood In the mean time Hector had not been
an indifferent witness of what was passing At the sound of the distant
footsteps he had arisen from his warm bed at the feet of his master and now
as the stranger appeared in open view he stalked slowly towards him crouching
to the earth like a panther about to take his leap
»Call in your dog« said a firm deep manly voice in tones of friendship
rather than of menace »I love a hound and should be sorry to do an injury to
the animal«
»You hear what is said about you pup« the trapper answered »come hither
fool His growl and his bark are all that is left him now you may come on
friend the hound is toothless«
The stranger profited by the intelligence He sprang eagerly forward and at
the next instant stood at the side of Ellen Wade After assuring himself of the
identity of the latter by a hasty but keen glance he turned his attention
with a quickness and impatience that proved the interest he took in the result
to a similar examination of her companion
»From what cloud have you fallen my good old man« he said in a careless
offhand heedless manner that seemed too natural to be assumed »Or do you
actually live hereaway in the Prairies«
»I have been long on earth and never I hope nigher to Heaven than I am at
this moment« returned the trapper »my dwelling if dwelling I may be said to
have is not far distant Now may I take the liberty with you that you are so
willing to take with others Whence do you come and where is your home«
»Softly softly when I have done with my catechism it will be time to begin
with yours What sport is this you follow by moonlight You are not dodging the
buffaloes at such an hour«
»I am as you see going from an encampment of travellers which lies over
yonder swell in the land to my own wigwam in doing so I wrong no man«
»All fair and true And you got this young woman to show you the way
because she knows it so well and you know so little about it yourself«
»I met her as I have met you by accident For ten tiresome years have I
dwelt on these open fields and never before tonight have I found human
beings with white skins on them at this hour If my presence here gives offence
I am sorry and will go my way It is more than likely that when your young
friend has told her story you will be better given to believe mine«
»Friend« said the youth lifting a cap of skins from his head and running
his fingers leisurely through a dense mass of black and shaggy locks »if I ever
laid eyes on the girl before to night may I «
»Youve said enough Paul« interrupted the female laying her hand on his
mouth with a familiarity that gave something very like the lie direct to his
intended asseveration »Our secret will be safe with this honest old man I know
it by his looks and kind words«
»Our secret Ellen have you forgot «
»Nothing I have not forgotten any thing I should remember But still I say
we are safe with this honest trapper«
»Trapper is he then a trapper Give me your hand father our trades should
bring us acquainted«
»There is little call for handicrafts in this region« returned the other
examining the athletic and active form of the youth as he leaned carelessly and
not ungracefully on his rifle »the art of taking the creaturs of God in traps
and nets is one that needs more cunning than manhood and yet am I brought to
practise it in my age But it would be quite as seemly in one like you to
follow a pursuit better becoming your years and courage«
»I I never took even a slinking mink or a paddling muskrat in a cage
though I admit having peppered a few of the darkskind devils when I had much
better have kept my powder in the horn and the lead in its pouch Not I old
man nothing that crawls the earth is for my sport«
»What then may you do for a living friend for little profit is to be made
in these districts if a man denies himself his lawful right in the beasts of
the fields«
»I deny myself nothing If a bear crosses my path he is soon the mere ghost
of Bruin The deer begin to nose me and as for the buffaloe I have killd more
beef old stranger than the largest butcher in all Kentucky«
»You can shoot then« demanded the trapper with a glow of latent fire
glimmering about his eyes »is your hand true and your look quick«
»The first is like a steeltrap and the last nimbler than a buckshot I
wish it was hot noon now grandther and that there was an acre or two of your
white swans or of black feathered ducks going south over our heads you or
Ellen here might set your heart on the finest in the flock and my character
against a horn of powder that the bird would be hanging head downwards in five
minutes and that too with a single ball I scorn a shotgun No man can say he
ever knew me carry one a rod«
»The lad has good in him I see it plainly by his manner« said the trapper
turning to Ellen with an encouraging air »I will take it on myself to say that
you are not unwise in meeting him as you do Tell me lad did you ever strike a
leaping buck atwixt the antlers Hector quiet pup quiet The very name of
venison quickens the blood of the cur did you ever take an animal in that
fashion on the long leap«
»You might just as well ask me did you ever eat There is no fashion old
stranger that a deer has not been touched by my hand unless it was when
asleep«
»Ay ay you have a long and a happy ay and an honest life afore you I
am old and I suppose I might also say worn out and useless but if it was
given me to choose my time and place again as such things are not and ought
not ever to be given to the will of man though if such a gift was to be given
me I would say twenty and the wilderness But tell me how do you part with
the peltry«
»With my pelts I never took a skin from a buck nor a quill from a goose
in my life I knock them over now and then for a meal and sometimes to keep
my finger true to the touch but when hunger is satisfied the Prairie wolves
get the remainder No no I keep to my calling which pays me better than
all the fur I could sell on the other side of the big river«
The old man appeared to ponder a little but shaking his head he soon
continued
»I know of but one business that can be followed here with profit «
He was interrupted by the youth who raised a small cup of tin which
dangled at his neck before the others eyes and springing its lid the
delicious odour of the finest flavoured honey diffused itself over the organs of
the trapper
»A beehunter« observed the latter with a readiness that proved he
understood the nature of the occupation though not without some little surprise
at discovering one of the others spirited mien engaged in so humble a pursuit
»It pays well in the skirts of the settlements but I should call it a doubtful
trade in the more open districts«
»You think a tree is wanting for a swarm to settle in But I know
differently and so I have stretched out a few hundred miles farther west than
common to taste your honey And now I have bated your curiosity stranger you
will just move aside while I tell the remainder of my story to this young
woman«
»It is not necessary Im sure it is not necessary that he should leave
us« said Ellen with a haste that implied some little consciousness of the
singularity if not of the impropriety of the request »You can have nothing to
say that the whole world might not hear«
»No well may I be stung to death by drones if I understand the buzzings of
a womans mind For my part Ellen I care for nothing nor any body and am just
as ready to go down to the place where your uncle if uncle you can call one who
Ill swear is no relation has hoppled his teams and tell the old man my mind
now as I shall be a year hence You have only to say a single word and the
thing is done let him like it or not«
»You are ever so hasty and so rash Paul Hover that I seldom know when I am
safe with you How can you who know the danger of our being seen together
speak of going before my uncle and his sons«
»Has he done that of which he has reason to be ashamed« demanded the
trapper who had not moved an inch from the place he first occupied
»Heaven forbid But there are reasons why he should not be seen just now
that could do him no harm if known but which may not yet be told And so if you
will wait father near yonder willow bush until I have heard what Paul can
possibly have to say I shall be sure to come and wish you a goodnight before
I return to the camp«
The trapper drew slowly aside as if satisfied with the somewhat incoherent
reason Ellen had given why he should retire When completely out of earshot of
the earnest and hurried dialogue that instantly commenced between the two he
had left the old man again paused and patiently awaited the moment when he
might renew his conversation with beings in whom he felt a growing interest no
less from the mysterious character of their intercourse than from a natural
sympathy in the welfare of a pair so young and who as in the simplicity of his
heart he was also fain to believe were also so deserving He was accompanied by
his indolent but attached dog who once more made his bed at the feet of his
master and soon lay slumbering as usual with his head nearly buried in the
dense fog of the Prairie grass
It was so unusual a spectacle to see the human form amid the solitude in
which he dwelt that the trapper bent his eyes on the dim figures of his new
acquaintances with sensations to which he had long been a stranger Their
presence awakened recollections and emotions to which his sturdy but honest
nature had latterly paid but little homage and his thoughts began to wander
over the varied scenes of a life of hardships that had been strangely blended
with scenes of wild and peculiar enjoyment The train taken by his thoughts had
already conducted him in imagination far into an ideal world when he was once
more suddenly recalled to the reality of his situation by the movements of the
faithful hound
The dog who in submission to his years and infirmities had manifested such
a decided propensity to sleep now arose and stalked from out the shadow cast
by the tall person of his master and looked abroad into the Prairie as if his
instinct apprised him of the presence of still another visiter Then seemingly
content with his examination he returned to his comfortable post and disposed
of his weary limbs with the deliberation and care of one who was no novice in
the art of self-preservation
»What again Hector« said the trapper in a soothing voice which he had
the caution however to utter in an under tone »what is it dog tell it all
to his master pup what is it«
Hector answered with another growl but was content to continue in his lair
These were evidences of intelligence and distrust to which one as practised as
the trapper could not turn an inattentive ear He again spoke to the dog
encouraging him to watchfulness by a low guarded whistle The animal however
as if conscious of having already discharged his duty obstinately refused to
raise his head from the grass
»A hint from such a friend is far better than mans advice« muttered the
trapper as he slowly moved towards the couple who were yet too earnestly and
abstractedly engaged in their own discourse to notice his approach »and none
but a conceited settler would hear it and not respect it as he ought
Children« he added when near enough to address his companions »we are not
alone in these dreary fields there are others stirring and therefore to the
shame of our kind be it said danger is nigh«
»If one of the lazy sons of Skirting Ishmael is prowling out of his camp to
night« said the young beehunter with great vivacity and in tones that might
easily have been excited to a menace »he may have an end put to his journey
sooner either than he or his father has calculated«
»My life on it they are all with the teams« hurriedly answered the girl
»I saw the whole of them asleep myself except the two on watch and their
natures have greatly changed if they too are not both dreaming of a
turkeyhunt or a courthouse fight at this very moment«
»Some beast with a strong scent has passed between the wind and the hound
father and it makes him uneasy or perhaps he too is dreaming I had a pup of
my own in Kentucky that would start upon a long chase from a deep sleep and
all upon the fancy of some dream Go to him and pinch his ear that the beast
may feel the life within him«
»Not so not so« returned the trapper shaking his head as one who better
understood the qualities of his dog »Youth sleeps ay and dreams too but
age is awake and watchful The pup is never false with his nose and long
experience tells me to heed his warnings«
»Did you ever run him upon the trail of carrion«
»Why I must say that the ravenous beasts have sometimes tempted me to let
him loose for they are as greedy as men after the venison in its season but
then I knew the reason of the dog would tell him the object! No no Hector
is an animal known in the ways of man and will never strike a false trail when
a true one is to be followed«
»Ay ay the secret is out you have run the hound on the track of a wolf
and his nose has a better memory than his master« said the beehunter
laughing
»I have seen the creatur sleep for hours with pack after pack in open
view A wolf might eat out of his tray without a snarl unless there was a
scarcity then indeed Hector would be apt to claim his own«
»There are panthers down from the mountains I saw one make a leap at a sick
deer as the sun was setting Go go you back to the dog and tell him the
truth father in a minute I «
He was interrupted by a long loud and piteous howl from the hound which
rose on the air of the evening like the wailing of some spirit of the place and
passed off into the Prairie in cadences that rose and fell like its own
undulating surface The trapper was impressively silent listening intently
Even the reckless beehunter was struck with the wailing wildness of the sounds
After a short pause the former whistled the dog to his side and turning to his
companions he said with the seriousness which in his opinion the occasion
demanded
»They who think man enjoys all the knowledge of the creaturs of God will
live to be disappointed if they reach as I have done the age of fourscore
years I will not take upon myself to say what mischief is brewing nor will I
vouch that even the hound himself knows so much but that evil is nigh and that
wisdom invites us to avoid it I have heard from the mouth of one who never
lies I did think the pup had become unused to the footsteps of man and that
your presence made him uneasy but his nose has been on a long scent the whole
evening and what I mistook as a notice of your coming has been intended for
something more serious If the advice of an old man is then worth hearkening
to children you will quickly go different ways to your places of shelter and
safety«
»If I quit Ellen at such a moment« exclaimed the youth »may I «
»Youve said enough« the girl interrupted by again interposing a hand that
might both by its delicacy and colour have graced a far more elevated station
in life »my time is out and we must part at all events So goodnight Paul
father goodnight«
»Hist« said the youth seizing her arm as she was in the very act of
tripping from his side »Hist do you hear nothing There are buffaloes playing
their pranks at no great distance That sound beats the earth like a herd of
the mad scampering devils«
His two companions listened as people in their situation would be apt to
lend their faculties to discover the meaning of any doubtful noises especially
when heard after so many and such startling warnings The unusual sounds were
unequivocally though still faintly audible The youth and his female companion
had made several hurried and vacillating conjectures concerning their nature
when a current of the night air brought the rush of trampling footsteps too
sensibly to their ears to render mistake any longer possible
»I am right« said the beehunter »a panther is driving a herd before him
or maybe there is a battle among the beasts«
»Your ears are cheats« returned the old man who from the moment his own
organs had been able to catch the distant sounds stood like a statue made to
represent deep attention »The leaps are too long for the buffaloe and too
regular for terror Hist now they are in a bottom where the grass is high and
the sound is deadened Ay there they go on the hard earth And now they come up
the swell dead upon us they will be here afore you can find a cover«
»Come Ellen« cried the youth seizing his companion by the hand »let us
make a trial for the encampment«
»Too late too late« exclaimed the trapper »for the creaturs are in open
view and a bloody band of accursed Siouxes they are by their thieving look and
the random fashion in which they ride«
»Siouxes or devils they shall find us men« said the beehunter with a
mien as fierce as if he led a party of superior strength and of a courage equal
to his own »You have a piece old man and will pull a trigger in behalf of a
helpless Christian girl«
»Down down into the grass down with ye both« whispered the trapper
intimating to them to turn aside to the tall weeds which grew in a denser body
than common near the place where they stood »Youve not the time to fly nor the
numbers to fight foolish boy Down into the grass if you prize the young woman
or value the gift of life«
His remonstrance seconded as it was by a prompt and energetic action did
not fail to produce the submission to his order which the occasion seemed
indeed imperiously to require The moon had fallen behind a sheet of thin
fleecy clouds which skirted the horizon leaving just enough of its faint and
fluctuating light to render objects visible dimly revealing their forms and
proportions The trapper by exercising that species of influence over his
companions which experience and decision usually assert in cases of emergency
had effectually succeeded in concealing them in the grass and by the aid of
the feeble rays of the luminary he was enabled to scan the disorderly party
which was riding like so many madmen directly upon them
A band of beings who resembled demons rather than men sporting in their
nightly revels across the bleak plain was in truth approaching at a fearful
rate and in a direction to leave little hope that some one among them at
least would not pass over the spot where the trapper and his companions lay At
intervals the clattering of hoofs was borne along by the night wind quite
audibly in their front and then again their progress through the fog of the
autumnal grass was swift and silent adding to the unearthly appearance of the
spectacle The trapper who had called in his hound and bidden him crouch at
his side now kneeled in the cover also and kept a keen and watchful eye on
the route of the band soothing the fears of the girl and restraining the
impatience of the youth in the same breath
»If theres one theres thirty of the miscreants« he said in a sort of
episode to his whispered comments »Ay ay they are edging towards the river
Peace pup pup peace no here they come thisaway again the thieves
dont seem to know their own errand If there were just six of us lad what a
beautiful ambushment we might make upon them from this very spot it wont do
it wont do boy keep yourself closer or your head will be seen besides Im
not altogether strong in the opinion it would be lawful as they have done us no
harm There they bend again to the river no here they come up the swell
now is the moment to be as still as if the breath had done its duty and departed
the body«
The old man sunk into the grass while he was speaking as if the final
separation to which he alluded had in his own case actually occurred and at
the next instant a band of wild horsemen whirled by them with the noiseless
rapidity in which it might be imagined a troop of spectres would pass The dark
and fleeting forms were already vanished when the trapper ventured again to
raise his head to a level with the tops of the bending herbage motioning at the
same time to his companions to maintain their positions and their silence
»They are going down the swell towards the encampment« he continued in
his former guarded tones »no they halt in the bottom and are clustering
together like deer in council By the Lord they are turning again and we are
not yet done with the reptiles«
Once more he sought his friendly cover and at the next instant the dark
troop were to be seen riding in a disorderly manner on the very summit of the
little elevation on which the trapper and his companions lay It was now soon
apparent that they had returned to avail themselves of the height of the ground
in order to examine the dim horizon
Some dismounted while others rode to and fro like men engaged in a local
inquiry of much interest Happily for the hidden party the grass in which they
were concealed not only served to skreen them from the eyes of the savages but
opposed an obstacle to prevent their horses which were no less rude and
untrained than their riders from trampling on them in their irregular and wild
paces
At length an athletic and darklooking Indian who by his air of authority
would seem to be the leader summoned his chiefs about him to a consultation
which was held mounted This body was collected on the very margin of that mass
of herbage in which the trapper and his companions were hid As the young man
looked up and saw the fierce aspect of the groupe which was increasing at each
instant by the accession of some countenance and figure apparently more
forbidding than any which had preceded it he drew his rifle by a very natural
impulse from beneath him and commenced putting it in a state for service The
female at his side buried her face in the grass by a feeling that was
possibly quite as natural to her sex and habits leaving him to follow the
impulses of his hot blood but his aged and more prudent adviser whispered
sternly in his ear
»The tick of the lock is as well known to the knaves as the blast of a
trumpet to a soldier Lay down the piece lay down the piece should the moon
touch the barrel it could not fail to be seen by the devils whose eyes are
keener than the blackest snakes The smallest motion now would be sure to
bring an arrow among us«
The beehunter so far obeyed as to continue immoveable and silent But there
was still sufficient light to convince his companion by the contracted brow and
threatening eye of the young man that a discovery would not bestow a bloodless
victory on the savages Finding his advice disregarded the trapper took his
measures accordingly and awaited the result with a resignation and calmness
that were characteristics of the individual.
In the mean time the Siouxes for the sagacity of the old man was not
deceived in the character of his dangerous neighbors had terminated their
council and were again dispersed along the ridge of land as if they sought some
hidden object
»The imps have heard the hound« whispered the trapper »and their ears are
too true to be cheated in the distance Keep close lad keep close down with
your head to the very earth like a dog that sleeps«
»Let us rather take to our feet and trust to manhood« returned his
impatient companion
He would have proceeded but feeling a hand laid rudely on his shoulder he
turned his eyes upward and beheld the dark and savage countenance of an Indian
glooming full upon him Notwithstanding the surprise and the disadvantage of his
attitude the youth was not disposed to become a captive so easily Quicker than
the flash of his own gun he sprang upon his feet and was throttling his
opponent with a power that would soon have terminated the contest when he felt
the arms of the trapper thrown around his body confining his exertions by a
strength very little inferior to his own Before he had time to reproach his
comrade for this apparent treachery a dozen Siouxes were around them and the
whole party were compelled to yield themselves as prisoners
Chapter IV
»With much more dismay
I view the fight than those that make the fray«
The Merchant of Venice IIIii6162
The unfortunate beehunter and his companions had become the captives of a
people who might without exaggeration be called the Ishmaelites of the
American deserts From time immemorial the hands of the Siouxes had been turned
against their neighbors of the Prairies and even at this day when the
influence and authority of a civilized government are beginning to be felt
around them they are considered a treacherous and dangerous race At the period
of our tale the case was far worse few white men trusting themselves in the
remote and unprotected regions where so false a tribe was known to dwell
Notwithstanding the peaceable submission of the trapper he was quite aware
of the character of the band into whose hands he had fallen It would have been
difficult however for the nicest judge to have determined whether fear policy
or resignation formed the secret motive of the old man in permitting himself to
be plundered as he did without a murmur So far from opposing any remonstrance
to the rude and violent manner in which his conquerors performed this customary
office he even anticipated their cupidity by tendering to the chiefs such
articles as he thought might prove the most acceptable On the other hand Paul
Hover who had been literally a conquered man manifested the strongest
repugnance to submit to the violent liberties that were taken with his person
and property He even gave several exceedingly unequivocal demonstrations of
his displeasure during the summary process and would more than once have
broken out into open and desperate resistance but for the admonitions and
intreaties of the trembling girl who clung to his side in a manner so
dependant as to show the youth that her hopes were now placed no less on his
discretion than on his disposition to serve her
The Indians had however no sooner deprived the captives of their arms and
ammunition and stript them of a few articles of dress of little use and perhaps
of less value than they appeared disposed to grant them a respite Business of
greater moment pressed on their hands and required their attention Another
consultation of the chiefs was convened and it was apparent by the earnest and
vehement manner of the few who spoke that the warriors conceived their success
as yet to be far from complete
»It will be well« whispered the trapper who knew enough of the language he
heard to comprehend perfectly the subject of the discussion »if the travellers
who lie near the willow brake are not awoke out of their sleep by a visit from
these miscreants They are too cunning to believe that a woman of the pale faces
is to be found so far from the settlements without having a white mans
inventions and comforts at hand«
»If they will carry the tribe of wandering Ishmael to the Rocky Mountains«
said the young beehunter laughing in his vexation with a sort of bitter
merriment »I may forgive the rascals«
»Paul Paul« exclaimed his companion in a tone of reproach »you forget
all Think of the dreadful consequences«
»Ay it was thinking of what you call consequences Ellen that prevented me
from putting the matter at once to yonder reddevil and making it a real
knockdown and drag out Old trapper the sin of this cowardly business lies on
your shoulders But it is no more than your daily calling I reckon to take men
as well as beasts in snares«
»I implore you Paul to be calm to be patient«
»Well since it is your wish Ellen« returned the youth endeavoring to
swallow his spleen »I will make the trial though as you ought to know it is
part of the religion of a Kentuckian to fret himself a little at a
mischance«
»I fear your friends in the other bottom will not escape the eyes of the
imps« continued the trapper as coolly as though he had not heard a syllable of
the intervening discourse »They scent plunder and it would be as hard to drive
a hound from his game as to throw the varmints from its trail«
»Is there nothing to be done« asked Ellen in an imploring manner which
proved the sincerity of her concern
»It would be an easy matter to call out in so loud a voice as to make old
Ishmael dream that the wolves were among his flock« Paul replied »I can make
myself heard a mile in these open fields and his camp is but a short quarter
from us«
»And get knockd on the head for your pains« returned the trapper »No
no cunning must match cunning or the hounds will murder the whole family«
»Murder no no murder Ishmael loves travel so well there would be no
harm in his having a look at the other sea but the old fellow is in a bad
condition to take the long journey I would try a look myself before he should
be quite murdered«
»His party is strong in number and well armed do you think it will fight«
»Look here old trapper Few men love Ishmael Bush and his seven
sledgehammer sons less than one Paul Hover but I scorn to slander even a
Tennessee shotgun There is as much of the true standup courage among them as
there is in any family that was ever raised in Kentuck itself They are a
longsided and double jointed breed and let me tell you that he who takes the
measure of one of them on the ground must be a workman at a hug«
»Hist The savages have done their talk and are about to set their accursed
devices in motion Let us be patient something may yet offer in favor of your
friends«
»Friends call none of the race a friend of mine trapper if you have the
smallest regard for my affection What I say in their favor is less from love
than honesty«
»I did not know but the young woman was of the kin« returned the other a
little drily »But no offence should be taken where none was intended«
The mouth of Paul was again stopped by the hand of Ellen who took on
herself to reply in her conciliating tones »We should be all of a family when
it is in our power to serve each other We depend entirely on your experience
honest old man to discover the means to apprise our friends of their danger«
»There will be a real time of it« muttered the beehunter laughing »if
the boys get at work in good earnest with these redskins«
He was interrupted by a general movement which took place among the band
The Indians dismounted to a man giving their horses in charge of three or four
of the party who were also entrusted with the safe keeping of the prisoners
They then formed themselves in a circle around a warrior who appeared to
possess the chief authority and at a given signal the whole array movd slowly
and cautiously from the centre in straight and consequently, in diverging
lines Most of their dark forms were soon blended with the brown covering of the
Prairie though the captives who watched the slightest movements of their
enemies with vigilant eyes were now and then enabled to discern a human
figure drawn against the horizon as some one more eager than the rest rose to
his greatest height in order to extend the limits of his view But it was not
long before even these fugitive glimpses of the moving and constantly
increasing circle were lost and uncertainty and conjecture were added to
apprehension In this manner passed many anxious and weary minutes during the
close of which the listeners expected at each moment to hear the whoop of the
assailants and the shrieks of the assailed rising together on the stillness of
the night But it would seem that the search which was so evidently making was
without a sufficient object for at the expiration of half an hour the different
individuals of the band began to return singly gloomy and sullen like men who
were disappointed
»Our time is at hand« observed the trapper who noted the smallest
incident or the slightest indication of hostility among the savages »we are
now to be questioned and if I know any thing of the policy of our case I
should say it would be wise to choose one among us to hold the discourse in
order that our testimony may agree And furthermore if an opinion from one as
old and as worthless as a hunter of fourscore is to be regarded I would just
venture to say that man should be the one most skilld in the natur of an
Indian and that he should also know something of their language Are you
acquainted with the tongue of the Siouxes friend«
»Swarm your own hive« returned the discontented beehunter »You are good
at buzzing old trapper if you are good at nothing else«
»Tis the gift of youth to be rash and heady« the trapper calmly retorted
»The day has been boy when my blood was like your own too swift and too hot
to run quietly in my veins But what will it profit to talk of silly risks and
foolish acts at this time of life A gray head should cover a brain of reason
and not the tongue of a boaster«
»True true« whispered Ellen »and we have other things to attend to now
here comes the Indian to put his questions«
The girl whose apprehensions had quickened her senses was not deceived She
was yet speaking when a tall half naked savage approached the spot where they
stood and after examining the whole party as closely as the dim light
permitted for more than a minute in perfect stillness he gave the usual
salutation in the harsh and guttural tones of his own language The trapper
replied as well as he could which it seems was sufficiently well to be
understood In order to escape the imputation of pedantry we shall render the
substance, and, so far as it is possible the form of the dialogue that
succeeded into the English tongue
»Have the pale faces eaten their own buffaloes and taken the skins from all
their own beavers« continued the savage allowing the usual moment of decorum
to elapse after the words of greeting before he again spoke »that they come to
count how many are left among the Pawnees«
»Some of us are here to buy and some to sell« returned the trapper »but
none will follow if they hear it is not safe to come nigh the lodge of a Sioux«
»The Siouxes are thieves and they live in the snows why do we talk of a
people who are so far when we are in the country of the Pawnees«
»If the Pawnees are the owners of this land then white and red are here by
equal right«
»Have not the Palefaces stolen enough from the Red men that you come so
far to carry a lie I have said that this is a hunting ground of my tribe«
»My right to be here is equal to your own« the trapper rejoined with
undisturbed coolness »I do not speak as I might It is better to be silent
The Pawnees and the white men are brothers but a Sioux dare not show his face
in the village of the Loups«
»The Dahcotahs are men« exclaimed the savage fiercely forgetting in his
anger to maintain the character he had assumed and using the appellation of
which his nation was most proud »The Dahcotahs have no fear Speak what brings
you so far from the villages of the Palefaces«
»I have seen the sun rise and set on many Councils and have heard the words
of wise men Let your Chiefs come and my mouth shall not be shut«
»I am a great Chief« said the savage affecting an air of offended dignity
»Do you take me for an Assiniboine Weucha is a warrior often named and much
beloved«
»Am I a fool not to know a burntwood Teton« demanded the trapper with a
steadiness that did great credit to his nerves »Go it is dark and you do not
see that my head is gray«
The Indian now appeared convinced that he had adopted too shallow an
artifice to deceive one so practised as the man he addressed and he was
deliberating what fiction he should next invent in order to obtain his real
object when a slight commotion among the band put an end at once to all his
schemes Casting his eyes behind him as if fearful of a speedy interruption he
said in tones much less pretending than those he had first resorted to
»Give Weucha the milk of the Longknives and he will sing your name in the
ears of the great men of his tribe«
»Go« repeated the trapper motioning him away with strong disgust »Your
young men are speaking of Mahtoree My words are for the ears of a chief«
The savage cast a look on the other which notwithstanding the dim light
was sufficiently indicative of implacable hostility He then stole away among
his fellows anxious to conceal the counterfeit he had attempted to practise no
less than the treachery he had contemplated against a fair division of the
spoils from the man named by the trapper whom he now also knew to be
approaching by the manner in which his name passed from one to another in the
band He had hardly disappeared before a warrior of powerful frame advanced
out of the dark circle and placed himself before the captives with that high
and proud bearing for which a distinguished Indian chief is ever so remarkable
He was followed by all the party who arranged themselves around his person in
a deep and respectful silence
»The earth is very large« the Chief commenced after a pause of that true
dignity which his counterfeit had so miserably affected »Why can the children
of my Great White Father never find room on it«
»Some among them have heard that their friends in the Prairies are in want
of many things« returned the trapper »and they have come to see if it be true
Some want in their turns what the red men are willing to sell and they come
to make their friends rich with powder and blankets«
»Do traders cross the big river with empty hands«
»Our hands are empty because your young men thought we were tired and they
have lightened us of our loads They were mistaken I am old but I am still
strong«
»It cannot be Your load has fallen in the Prairies Show my young men the
place that they may pick it up before the Pawnees find it«
»The path to the spot is crooked and it is night The hour is come for
sleep« said the trapper with perfect composure »bid your warriors go over
yonder hill There is water and there is wood let them light their fires and
sleep with warm feet When the sun comes again I will speak to you«
A low murmur but one that was clearly indicative of dissatisfaction passed
among the attentive listeners and served to inform the old man that he had not
been sufficiently wary in proposing a measure that he intended should notify
the travellers in the brake of the presence of their dangerous neighbors
Mahtoree however without betraying in the slightest degree the excitement
which was so strongly exhibited by his companions continued the discourse in
the same lofty manner as before
»I know that my friend is rich« he said »that he has many warriors not far
off and that horses are plentier with him than dogs among the red skins«
»You see my warriors and my horses«
»What has the woman the feet of a Dahcotah that she can walk for thirty
nights in the Prairies and not fall I know that the red men of the woods make
long marches on foot but we who live where the eye cannot see from one lodge to
another love our horses«
The trapper now hesitated in his turn He was perfectly aware that
deception if detected might prove dangerous and for one of his pursuits and
character he was strongly troubled with an unaccommodating regard for the
truth But recollecting that he controlled the fate of others as well as of
himself he determined to let things take their course and to permit the
Dahcotah Chief to deceive himself if he would
»The women of the Siouxes and of the white men are not of the same wigwam«
he answered evasively »Would a Teton warrior make his wife greater than
himself I know he would not and yet my ears have heard that there are lands
where the Councils are held by squaws«
Another slight movement in the dark circle apprised the trapper that his
declaration was not received without surprise if entirely without distrust The
Chief alone seemd unmoved nor was he disposed to relax from the loftiness
and high dignity of his air
»My white Fathers who live on the Great Lakes have declared« he said »that
their brothers towards the rising sun are not men and now I know they did not
lie Go What is a nation whose chief is a squaw are you the dog and not the
husband of this woman«
»I am neither Never did I see her face before this day She came into the
Prairies because they had told her a great and generous nation called the
Dahcotahs livd there and she wishd to look on men The women of the
palefaces like the women of the Siouxes open their eyes to see things that
are new but she is poor like myself and she will want corn and buffaloe if
you take away the little that she and her friend still have«
»My ears listen to many wicked lies« exclaimed the Teton warrior in a
voice so stern that it startled even his red auditors »Am I a woman Has not a
Dacotah eyes Tell me white hunter who are the men of your colour that sleep
near the fallen trees«
As he spoke the indignant Chief pointed in the direction of Ishmaels
encampment leaving the trapper no reason to doubt that the superior industry
and sagacity of this man had effected a discovery which had eluded the search of
the rest of his party Notwithstanding his regret at an event that might prove
fatal to the sleepers and some little vexation at having been so completely
outwitted in the dialogue just related the old man continued to maintain his
air of inflexible composure
»It may be true« he answered »that white men are sleeping on the Prairie
If my brother says it it is true but what men thus trust to the generosity of
the Tetons I cannot tell If there be strangers asleep send your young men to
wake them up and let them say why they are here every paleface has a tongue«
The Chief shook his head with a wild and fierce smile answering abruptly
as he turned away to put an end to the conference
»The Dacotahs are a wise race and Mahtoree is their Chief He will not call
to the strangers that they may rise and speak to him with their carabines He
will whisper softly in their ears When this is done let the men of their own
colour come and awake them«
As he uttered these words and turned on his heel a low and approving laugh
passed around the dark circle which instantly broke its order and followed him
to a little distance from the stand of the captives where those who might
presume to mingle opinions with so great a warrior again gathered about him
in consultation Weucha profited by the occasion to renew his importunities but
the trapper who had discovered how great a counterfeit he was shook him off
in displeasure An end was however more effectually put to the annoyance of
this malignant savage by a mandate for the whole party including men and
beasts to change their position The movement was made in dead silence and
with an order that would have done credit to more enlightened beings A halt
however was soon made and when the captives had time to look about them they
found they were in view of the low dark outline of the copse near which lay
the slumbering party of Ishmael
Here another short but grave and deliberative consultation was held
The beasts which seemd trained to such covert and silent attacks were
once more placd under the care of keepers who as before were charged with the
duty of watching the prisoners The mind of the trapper was in no degree
relieved from the uneasiness which was at each instant getting a stronger
possession of him when he found that Weucha was placd nearest to his own
person and as it appeared by the air of triumph and authority he assumed at
the head of the guard also The savage however who doubtless had his secret
instructions was content for the present with making a significant gesture
with his tomahawk which menaced death to Ellen After admonishing in this
expressive manner his male captives of the fate that would instantly attend
their female companion on the slightest alarm proceeding from any of the party
he was content to maintain a rigid silence This unexpected forbearance on the
part of Weucha enabled the trapper and his two associates to give their
undivided attention to the little that might be seen of the interesting
movements which were passing in their front
Mahtoree took the entire disposition of the arrangements on himself He
pointed out the precise situation he wished each individual to occupy like one
intimately acquainted with the qualifications of his respective followers and
he was obeyed with the deference and promptitude with which an Indian warrior is
wont to submit to the instructions of his chief in moments of trial Some he
despatched to the right and others to the left Each man departed with the
noiseless and quick step peculiar to the race until all had assumed their
allotted stations with the exception of two chosen warriors who remained nigh
the person of their leader When the rest had disappeared Mahtoree turned to
these select companions and intimated by a sign that the critical moment had
arrived when the enterprise he contemplated was to be put in execution
Each man laid aside the light fowling piece which under the name of a
carabyne he carried in virtue of his rank and divesting himself of every
article of exterior or heavy clothing he stood resembling a dark and fierce
looking statue in the attitude and nearly in the garb of nature. Mahtoree
assured himself of the right position of his tomahawk felt that his knife was
secure in its sheath of skin tightened his girdle of wampum and saw that the
lacing of his fringed and ornamented leggings was secure and likely to offer no
impediment to his exertions Thus prepared at all points and ready for his
desperate undertaking the Teton gave the signal to proceed
The three advanced in a line with the encampment of the travellers until
in the dim light by which they were seen their dusky forms were nearly lost to
the eyes of the prisoners Here they paused looking around them like men who
deliberate and ponder long on the consequences before they take a desperate
leap Then sinking together they became lost in the grass of the Prairie
It is not difficult to imagine the distress and anxiety of the different
spectators of these threatening movements Whatever might be the reasons of
Ellen for entertaining no strong attachment to the family in which she has first
been seen by the reader the feelings of her sex and perhaps some lingering
seeds of kindness predominated More than once she felt tempted to brave the
awful and instant danger that awaited such an offence and to raise her feeble
and in truth impotent voice in warning So strong indeed and so very natural
was the inclination that she would most probably have put it in execution but
for the oftenrepeated though whispered remonstrances of Paul Hover In the
breast of the young beehunter himself there was a singular union of emotions
His first and chiefest solicitude was certainly in behalf of his gentle and
dependant companion but the sense of her danger was mingled in the breast of
the reckless woodsman with a consciousness of a high and wild and by no means
an unpleasant excitement Though united to the emigrants by ties still less
binding than those of Ellen he longed to hear the crack of their rifles and
had occasion offered he would gladly have been among the first to rush to their
rescue There were in truth moments when he felt in his turn an impulse that
was nearly resistless to spring forward and awake the unconscious sleepers but
a glance at Ellen would serve to recall his tottering prudence and to admonish
him of the consequences The trapper alone remained calm and observant as if
nothing that involved his personal comfort or safety had occurred His
evermoving vigilant eyes watched the smallest change with the composure of
one too long inured to scenes of danger to be easily moved and with an
expression of cool determination which denoted the intention he actually
harboured of profiting by the smallest oversight on the part of the captors
In the mean time the Teton warriors had not been idle Profiting by the high
fog which grew in the bottoms they had wormd their way through the matted
grass like so many treacherous serpents stealing on their prey until the point
was gained where an extraordinary caution became necessary to their further
advance Mahtoree alone had occasionally elevated his dark grim countenance
above the herbage straining his eye balls to penetrate the gloom which skirted
the border of the brake In these momentary glances he gained sufficient
knowledge added to that he had obtained in his former search to be the perfect
master of the position of his intended victims though he was still profoundly
ignorant of their numbers and of their means of defence
His efforts to possess himself of the requisite knowledge concerning these
two latter and essential points were however completely baffled by the
stillness of the camp which lay in a quiet as deep as if it were literally a
place of the dead Too wary and distrustful to rely in circumstances of so much
doubt on the discretion of any less firm and crafty than himself the Dahcotah
bade his companions remain where they lay and pursued the adventure alone
The progress of Mahtoree was now slow and to one less accustomed to such a
species of exercise it would have proved painfully laborious But the advance
of the wily snake itself is not more certain or noiseless than was his
approach He drew his form foot by foot through the bending grass pausing at
each movement to catch the smallest sound that might betray any knowledge on
the part of the travellers of his proximity He succeeded at length in
dragging himself out of the sickly light of the moon into the shadows of the
brake where not only his own dark person was much less liable to be seen but
where the surrounding objects became more distinctly visible to his keen and
active glances
Here the Teton paused long and warily to make his observations before he
ventured further His position enabled him to bring the whole encampment with
its tent wagons and lodges into a dark but clearly marked profile furnishing
a clue by which the practised warrior was led to a tolerably accurate estimate
of the force he was about to encounter Still an unnatural silence pervaded the
spot as if men suppressed even the quiet breathings of sleep in order to
render the appearance of their confidence more evident The chief bent his head
to the earth and listened intently He was about to raise it again in
disappointment when the long drawn and trembling respiration of one who
slumbered imperfectly met his ear The Indian was too well skilled in all the
means of deception to become himself the victim of any common artifice He knew
the sound to be natural by its peculiar quivering and he hesitated no longer
A man of nerves less tried than those of the fierce and conquering Mahtoree
would have been keenly sensible of all the hazard he incurred The reputation of
those hardy and powerful white adventurers who so often penetrated the wilds
inhabited by his people was well known to him but while he drew nigher with
the respect and caution that a brave enemy never fails to inspire it was with
the vindictive animosity of a red man jealous and resentful of the inroads of
the stranger
Turning from the line of his former route the Teton dragged himself
directly towards the margin of the thicket When this material object was
effected in safety he arose to his seat and took a better survey of his
situation A single moment served to apprise him of the place where the
unsuspecting traveller lay The reader will readily anticipate that the savage
had succeeded in gaining a dangerous proximity to one of those slothful sons of
Ishmael who were deputed to watch over the isolated encampment of the
travellers
When certain that he was undiscovered the Dahcotah raised his person again
and bending forward he movd his dark visage above the face of the sleeper in
that sort of wanton and subtle manner with which the reptile is seen to play
about its victim before it strikes Satisfied at length not only of the
condition but of the character of the stranger Mahtoree was in the act of
withdrawing his head when a slight movement of the sleeper announced the
symptoms of reviving consciousness. The savage seized the knife which hung at
his girdle and in an instant it was poised above the breast of the young
emigrant Then changing his purpose with an action as rapid as his own flashing
thoughts he sunk back behind the trunk of the fallen tree against which the
other reclined and lay in its shadow as dark as motionless and apparently as
insensible as the wood itself.
The slothful sentinel opened his heavy eyes and gazing upward for a moment
at the hazy heavens he made an extraordinary exertion and raised his powerful
frame from the support of the log Then he looked about him with an air of
something like watchfulness suffering his dull glances to run over the misty
objects of the encampment until they finally settled on the distant and dim
field of the open Prairie Meeting with nothing more attractive than the same
faint outlines of swell and interval which everywhere rose before his drowsy
eyes he changed his position so as completely to turn his back on his dangerous
neighbour and suffered his person to sink sluggishly down into its former
recumbent attitude A long and on the part of the Teton an anxious and painful
silence succeeded before the deep breathing of the traveller again announced
that he was indulging in his slumbers The savage was however far too jealous of
a counterfeit to trust to the first appearance of sleep But the fatigues of a
day of unusual toil lay too heavy on the sentinel to leave the other long in
doubt Still the motion with which Mahtoree again raised himself to his knees
was so noiseless and guarded that even a vigilant observer might have hesitated
to believe he stirred The change was however at length effected and the
Dacotah chief then bent again over his enemy without having produced a noise
louder than that of the cottonwood leaf which fluttered at his side in the
currents of the passing air
Mahtoree now felt himself master of the sleepers fate At the same time
that he scanned the vast proportions and athletic limbs of the youth in that
sort of admiration which physical excellence seldom fails to excite in the
breast of a savage he coolly prepared to extinguish the principle of vitality
which could alone render them formidable After making himself sure of the seat
of life by gently removing the folds of the intervening cloth he raised his
keen weapon and was about to unite his strength and skill in the impending
blow when the young man threw his brawny arm carelessly backward exhibiting in
the action the vast volume of its muscles
The sagacious and wary Teton paused It struck his acute faculties that
sleep was less dangerous to him at that moment than even death itself might
prove The smallest noise the agony of struggling with which such a frame
would probably relinquish its hold of life suggested themselves to his rapid
thoughts and were all present to his experienced senses He looked back into
the encampment turned his head into the thicket and glanced his glowing eyes
abroad into the wild and silent Prairies Bending once more over the respited
victim he assured himself that he was sleeping heavily and then abandoned his
immediate purpose in obedience alone to the suggestions of a more crafty policy
The retreat of Mahtoree was as still and guarded as had been his approach
He now took the direction of the encampment stealing along the margin of the
brake as a cover into which he might easily plunge at the smallest alarm The
drapery of the solitary hut attracted his notice in passing After examining the
whole of its exterior and listening with painful intensity in order to gather
counsel from his ears the savage ventured to raise the cloth at the bottom and
to thrust his dark visage beneath It might have been a minute before the Teton
chief drew back and seated himself with the whole of his form without the linen
tenement Here he sat seemingly brooding over his discovery for many moments
in rigid inaction Then he resumed his crouching attitude and once more
projected his visage beyond the covering of the tent His second visit to the
interior was longer and if possible more ominous than the first But it had
like every thing else its termination and the savage again withdrew his
glaring eyes from the secrets of the place
Mahtoree had drawn his person many yards from the spot in his slow progress
towards the cluster of objects which pointed out the centre of the position
before he again stopped He made another pause and looked back at the solitary
little dwelling he had left as if doubtful whether he should not return But
the chevauxdefrise of branches now lay within reach of his arm and the very
appearance of precaution it presented as it announced the value of the effects
it encircled tempted his cupidity and induced him to proceed
The passage of the savage through the tender and brittle limbs of the
cottonwood could be likened only to the sinuous and noiseless winding of the
reptiles which he imitated When he had effected his object and had taken an
instant to become acquainted with the nature of the localities within the
enclosure the Teton used the precaution to open a way through which he might
make a swift retreat Then raising himself on his feet he stalked through the
encampment like the master of evil seeking whom and what he should first
devote to his fell purposes He had already ascertained the contents of the
lodge in which were collected the woman and her young children and had passed
several gigantic frames stretched on different piles of brush which happily
for him lay in unconscious helplessness when he reached the spot occupied by
Ishmael in person It could not escape the sagacity of one like Mahtoree that he
had now within his power the principal man among the travellers He stood long
hovering above the recumbent and Herculean form of the emigrant keenly debating
in his own mind the chances of his enterprise and the most effectual means of
reaping its richest harvest
He sheathed the knife which under the hasty and burning impulse of his
thoughts he had been tempted to draw and was passing on when Ishmael turned
in his lair and demanded roughly who was moving before his halfopened eyes
Nothing short of the readiness and cunning of a savage could have evaded the
crisis Imitating the gruff tones and nearly unintelligible sounds he heard
Mahtoree threw his body heavily on the earth and appeared to dispose himself to
sleep Though the whole movement was seen by Ishmael in a sort of stupid
observation the artifice was too bold and too admirably executed to fail The
drowsy father closed his eyes and slept heavily with this treacherous inmate
in the very bosom of his family
It was necessary for the Teton to maintain the position he had taken for
many long weary minutes in order to make sure that he was no longer watched
Though his body lay so motionless his active mind was not idle He profited by
the delay to mature a plan which he intended should put the whole encampment
including both its effects and their proprietors entirely at his mercy The
instant he could do so with safety the indefatigable savage was again in
motion He took his way towards the slight pen which contained the domestic
animals worming himself along the ground in his former subtle and guarded
manner
The first animal he encountered among the beasts occasioned a long and
hazardous delay The weary creature perhaps conscious through its secret
instinct that in the endless wastes of the Prairies its surest protector was to
be found in man was so exceedingly docile as quietly to submit to the close
examination it was doomed to undergo The hand of the wandering Teton passed
over the downy coat the meek countenance and the slender limbs of the gentle
creature with untiring curiosity but he finally abandoned the prize as useless
in his predatory expeditions and offering too little temptation to the
appetite As soon however as he found himself among the beasts of burthen his
gratification was extreme and it was with difficulty that he restrained the
customary ejaculations of pleasure that were more than once on the point of
bursting from his lips Here he lost sight of the hazards by which he had gained
access to his dangerous position and the watchfulness of the wary and long
practised warrior was momentarily forgotten in the exultation of the savage
Chapter V
»Why worthy father what have we to lose
The law
Protects us not Then why should we be tender
To let an arrogant piece of flesh threat us
Play judge and executioner«
Cymbeline IVii12428
While the Teton thus enacted his subtle and characteristic part not a sound
broke the stillness of the surrounding Prairie The whole band lay at their
several posts waiting with the well known patience of the Natives for the
signal which was to summon them to action To the eyes of the anxious
spectators who occupied the little eminence already described as the position
of the captives the scene presented the broad solemn view of a waste dimly
lighted by the glimmering rays of a clouded moon The place of the encampment
was marked by a gloom deeper than that which faintly shadowed out the courses of
the bottoms and here and there a brighter streak tinged the rolling summits of
the ridges As for the rest it was the deep imposing quiet of a desert
But to those who so well knew how much was brooding beneath this mantle of
stillness and night it was a scene of high and wild excitement Their anxiety
gradually increased as minute after minute passed away and not the smallest
sound of life arose out of the calm and darkness which enveloped the brake The
breathing of Paul grew louder and deeper and more than once Ellen trembled at
she knew not what as she felt the quivering of his active frame while she
leaned dependantly on his arm for support
The shallow honesty as well as the besetting infirmity of Weucha have
already been exhibited The reader therefore will not be surprised to learn
that he was the first to forget the regulations he had himself imposed It was
at the precise moment when we left Mahtoree yielding to his nearly
ungovernable delight as he surveyed the number and quality of Ishmaels beasts
of burthen that the man he had selected to watch his captives chose to indulge
in the malignant pleasure of tormenting those it was his duty to protect
Bending his head nigh the ear of the trapper the savage rather muttered than
whispered
»If the Tetons lose their Great Chief by the hands of the Longknives9 old
shall die as well as young«
»Life is the gift of the Wahcondah« was the unmovd reply »The burntwood
warrior must submit to his laws as well as his other children Men only die
when he chooses and no Dahcotah can change the hour«
»Look« returned the savage thrusting the blade of his knife before the face
of his captive »Weucha is the Wahcondah of a dog«
The old man raised his eyes to the fierce visage of his keeper and for a
moment a gleam of honest and powerful disgust shot from their deep cells but
it instantly passd away leaving in its place an expression of commiseration
if not of sorrow
»Why should one made in the real image of God suffer his natur to be
provoked by a mere effigy of reason!« he said in English and in tones much
louder than those in which Weucha had chosen to pitch the conversation The
latter profited by the unintentional offence of his captive and seizing him by
the thin gray locks that fell from beneath his cap was on the point of passing
the blade of his knife in malignant triumph around their roots when a long
shrill yell rent the air and was instantly echoed from the surrounding waste
as if a thousand demons opened their throats in common at the summons Weucha
relinquished his grasp and uttered a cry of exultation
»Now« shouted Paul unable to controul his impatience any longer »now old
Ishmael is the time to show the native blood of Kentucky Fire low boys
Level into the swales for the redskins are settling to the very earth«
His voice was however lost or rather unheeded in the midst of the
shrieks shouts and yells that were by this time bursting from fifty mouths
on every side of him The guards still maintained their posts at the side of
the captives but it was with that sort of difficulty with which steeds are
restrained at the startingpost when expecting the signal to commence the trial
of speed They tossd their arms wildly in the air leaping up and down more
like exulting children than sober men and continued to utter the most frantic
cries
In the midst of this tumultuous disorder a rushing sound was heard similar
to that which might be expected to precede the passage of a flight of buffaloes
and then came the flocks and cattle of Ishmael in one confused and frightened
drove
»They have robbed the squatter of his beasts« said the attentive trapper
»The reptiles have left him as hoofless as a beaver« He was yet speaking when
the whole body of the terrified animals rose the little acclivity and swept by
the place where he stood followed by a band of dusky and demonlike looking
figures who pressed madly on their rear
The impulse was communicated to the Teton horses long accustomed to
sympathise in the untutored passions of their owners and it was with difficulty
that their keepers were enabled to restrain their impatience At this moment
when all eyes were directed to the passing whirlwind of men and beasts the
trapper caught the knife from the hands of his inattentive keeper with a power
that his age would have seemed to contradict and at a single blow severed the
thong of hide which connected the whole of the drove The wild animals snorted
with joy and terror and tearing the earth with their heels they dashd away
into the broad Prairies in a dozen different directions
Weucha turned upon his assailant with the ferocity and agility of a tiger
He felt for the weapon of which he had been so suddenly deprived fumbled with
impotent haste for the handle of his tomahawk and at the same moment glanced
his eyes after the flying cattle with the longings of a Western Indian The
struggle between thirst for vengeance and cupidity was severe but short The
latter quickly predominated in the bosom of one whose passions were proverbially
grovelling and scarcely a moment intervened between the flight of the animals
and the swift pursuit of the guards The trapper had continued calmly facing his
foe during the instant of suspense that succeeded his hardy act and now that
Weucha was seen following his companions he pointed after the dark train
saying with his deep and nearly inaudible laugh
»Rednatur is rednatur let it show itself on a Prairie or in a Forest
A knock on the head would be the smallest reward to him who should take such a
liberty with a Christian sentinel but there goes the Teton after his horses as
if he thought two legs as good as four in such a race And yet the imps will
have every hoof of them afore the day sets in because its reason agin
instinct Poor reason I allow but still there is a great deal of the man in an
Indian Ahs me your Delawares were the redskins of which America might boast
but few and scattered is that mighty people now Well the traveller may just
make his pitch where he is he has plenty of water though natur has cheated
him of the pleasure of stripping the arth of its lawful trees He has seen the
last of his fourfooted creaturs or I am but little skilled in Sioux cunning«
»Had we not better join the party of Ishmael« said the Beehunter »There
will be a regular fight about this matter or the old fellow has suddenly grown
chicken hearted«
»No no no« hastily exclaimed Ellen
She was stopped by the trapper who laid his hand gently on her mouth as he
answered
»Hist hist the sound of voices might bring us into danger Is your
friend« he added turning to Paul »a man of spirit enough «
»Dont call the squatter a friend of mine« interrupted the youth »I never
yet harbored with one who could not show hand and seal for the land which fed
him«
»Well well let it then be acquaintance Is he a man to maintain his own
stoutly by dint of powder and lead«
»His own ay and that which is not his own too Can you tell me old
trapper who held the rifle that did the deed for the sheriffs deputy that
thought to rout the unlawful settlers who had gathered nigh the Buffaloe Lick
in old Kentuck I had lind a beautiful swarm that very day into the hollow of a
dead beech and there lay the Peoples Officer at its roots with a hole directly
through the Grace of God which he carried in his jacket pocket covering his
heart as if he thought a bit of sheepskin was a breast plate against a
squatters bullet Now Ellen you neednt be troubled for it never strictly
was brought home to him and there were fifty others who had pitchd in that
neighbourhood with just the same authority from the law«
The poor girl shuddered struggling powerfully to suppress the sigh which
arose in spite of her efforts as if from the very bottom of her heart
Thoroughly satisfied that he understood the character of the emigrants by
the short but comprehensive description conveyed in Pauls reply the old man
raised no further question concerning the readiness of Ishmael to revenge his
wrongs but rather followed the train of thought which was suggested to his
experience by the occasion
»Each one knows the ties which bind him to his fellow creaturs best« he
answered »Though it is greatly to be mourned that colour and property and
tongue and larning should make so wide a difference in those who after all
are but the children of one Father Howsomever« he continued by a transition
not a little characteristic of the pursuits and feelings of the man »as this is
a business in which there is much more likelihood of a fight than need for a
sermon it is best to be prepared for what may follow Hush There is a movement
below it is an equal chance that we are seen«
»The family is stirring« cried Ellen with a tremor that announced nearly as
much terror at the approach of her friends as she had before manifested at the
presence of her enemies »Go Paul leave me You at least must not be seen«
»If I leave you Ellen in this desert before I see you safe in the care of
old Ishmael at least may I never hear the hum of another bee or what is worse
fail in sight to line him to his hive«
»You forget this good old man He will not leave me Though I am sure
Paul we have parted before where there has been more of a desert than this«
»Never These Indians may come whooping back and then where are you Half
way to the Rocky Mountains before a man can fairly strike the line of your
flight What think you old trapper How long may it be before these Tetons as
you call them will be coming for the rest of old Ishmaels goods and chattels«
»No fear of them« returned the old man laughing in his own peculiar and
silent manner »I warrant me the devils will be scampering after their beasts
these six hours yet Listen you may hear them in the willow bottoms at this
very moment ay your real Sioux cattle will run like so many longlegged Elks
Hist crouch again into the grass down with ye both as Im a miserable piece
of clay I heard the ticking of a gunlock«
The trapper did not allow his companions time to hesitate but dragging them
both after him he nearly buried his own person in the fog of the Prairie while
he was speaking It was fortunate that the senses of the aged hunter remained so
acute and that he had lost none of his readiness of action The three were
scarcely bowed to the ground when their ears were saluted with the well known
sharp short reports of the western rifle and instantly the whizzing of the
ragged lead was heard buzzing within dangerous proximity of their heads
»Well done young chips well done old block« whispered Paul whose spirits
no danger or situation could entirely depress »As pretty a volley as one would
wish to hear on the wrong end of a rifle What dye say trapper here is likely
to be a threecornered war shall I give em as good as they send«
»Give them nothing but fair words« returned the other hastily »or you are
both lost«
»Im not certain it would much mend the matter if I were to speak with my
tongue instead of the piece« said Paul in a tone half jocular half bitter
»For the sake of Heaven do not let them hear you« cried Ellen »Go Paul
go you can easily quit us now«
Several shots in quick succession each sending its dangerous messenger
still nearer than the preceding discharge cut short her speech no less in
prudence than in terror
»This must end« said the trapper rising with the dignity of one bent only
on the importance of his object »I know not what need ye may have children
to fear those you should both love and honour but something must be done to
save your lives A few hours more or less can never be missed from the time of
one who has already numbered so many days therefore I will advance Here is a
clear space around you Profit by it as you need and may God bless and prosper
each of you as ye deserve«
Without waiting for any reply the trapper walked boldly down the declivity
in his front taking the direction of the encampment neither quickening his
pace in trepidation nor suffering it to be retarded by fear The light of the
moon fell brighter for a moment on his tall gaunt form and served to warn
the emigrants of his approach Indifferent however to this unfavorable
circumstance he held his way silently and steadily towards the copse until a
threatening voice met him with the challenge of
»Who comes Friend or Foe«
»Friend« was the reply »one who has livd too long to disturb the close
of life with quarrels«
»But not so long as to forget the tricks of his youth« said Ishmael
rearing his huge frame from beneath the slight covering of a low bush and
meeting the trapper face to face »Old man you have brought this tribe of red
devils upon us and tomorrow you will be sharing the booty«
»What have you lost« calmly demanded the trapper
»Eight as good mares as ever travelled in gears besides a foal that is
worth thirty of the brightest Mexicans that bear the face of the King of Spain
Then the woman has not a cloven hoof for her dairy or her loom and I believe
even the grunters foot sore as they be are ploughing the Prairie And now
stranger« he added dropping the butt of his rifle on the hard earth with a
violence and clatter that would have intimidated one less firm than the man he
addressed »how many of these creatures may fall to your lot«
»Horses have I never craved nor even used though few have journeyed over
more of the wide lands of America than myself old and feeble as I seem But
little use is there for a horse among the hills and woods of York that is as
York was but as I greatly fear York is no longer As for woolen covering and
cows milk I covet no such womanly fashions The beasts of the field give me
food and raiment No I crave no cloth better than the skin of a deer nor any
meat richer than his flesh«
The sincere manner of the trapper as he uttered this simple vindication
was not entirely thrown away on the emigrant whose dull nature was gradually
quickening into a flame that might speedily have burst forth with dangerous
violence He listened like one who doubted though not entirely convinced and
he muttered between his teeth the denunciation with which a moment before he
intended to precede the summary vengeance he had certainly meditated
»This is brave talking« he at length grumbled »but to my judgement too
lawyer like for a straight forward fair weather and foul weather hunter«
»I claim to be no better than a trapper« the other meekly answered
»Hunter or trapper There is little difference I have come old man into
these districts because I found the law sitting too tight upon me and am not
over fond of neighbors who cant settle a dispute without troubling a justice and
twelve men but I didnt come to be robbed of my plunder and then to say
thankee to the man who did it«
»He who ventures far into the Prairies must abide by the ways of its
owners«
»Owners« echoed the squatter »I am as rightful an owner of the land I
stand on as any governor in the States Can you tell me stranger where the
law or the reason, is to be found which says that one man shall have a section
or a town or perhaps a county to his use and another have to beg for arth to
make his grave in This is not natur and I deny that it is law That is your
legal law«
»I cannot say that you are wrong« returned the trapper whose opinions on
this important topic though drawn from very different premises were in singular
accordance with those of his companion »and I have often thought and said as
much when and where I have believed my voice could be heard But your beasts
are stolen by them who claim to be masters of all they find in these deserts«
»They had better not dispute that matter with a man who knows better« said
the other in a portentous voice though it seemd deep and sluggish as he who
spoke »I call myself a fair trader and one who gives to his chaps as good as
he receives You saw the Indians«
»I did They held me a prisoner while they stole into your camp«
»It would have been more like a whiteman and a christian to have let me
known as much in better season« retorted Ishmael casting another ominous
sidelong glance at the trapper as if still meditating evil »I am not much
given to call every man I fall in with cousin but colour should be something
when christians meet in such a place as this But what is done is done and
cannot be mended by words Come out of your ambush boys here is no one but the
old man he has eaten of my bread and should be our friend though there is
such good reason to suspect him of harboring with our enemies«
The trapper made no reply to the harsh suspicion which the other did not
scruple to utter without the smallest delicacy notwithstanding the explanations
and denials to which he had just listened The summons of the unnurtured
squatter brought an immediate accession to their party Four or five of his
sons made their appearance from beneath as many covers where they had been
posted under the impression that the figures they had seen on the swell of the
Prairies were a part of the Sioux band As each man approached and dropped his
rifle into the hollow of his arm he cast an indolent but inquiring glance at
the stranger though none of them expressed the least curiosity to know whence
he had come or why he was there This forebearance however proceeded only in
part from the sluggishness of their common temper for long and frequent
experience in scenes of a similar character had taught them the virtue of
discretion The trapper endured their sullen scrutiny with the steadiness of one
as practised as themselves and with the entire composure of innocence Content
with the momentary examination he had made the eldest of the groupe who was in
truth the delinquent sentinel by whose remissness the wily Mahtoree had so well
profited turned towards his father and said bluntly
»If this man is all that is left of the party I saw on the upland yonder
we havent altogether thrown away our ammunition«
»Asa you are right« said the Father turning suddenly on the trapper a
lost idea being recalled by the hint of his son »How is it stranger there
were three of you just now or there is no virtue in moonlight«
»If you had seen the Tetons racing across the Prairies like so many
blacklooking evil ones on the heels of your cattle my friend it would have
been an easy matter to have fancied them a thousand«
»Ay for a town bred boy or a skeary woman though for that matter there
is old Esther she has no more fear of a red skin than of a crawling cub or of a
wolf pup Ill warrant ye had your thievish devils made their push by the
light of the sun the good woman would have been smartly at work among them and
the Siouxes would have found she was not given to part with her cheese and her
butter without a price But therell come a time stranger right soon when
justice will have its dues and that too without the help of what is called
the law We ar of a slow breed it may be said and it is often said of us
but slow is sure and there ar few men living who can say they ever struck a
blow that they did not get one as hard in return from Ishmael Bush«
»Then has Ishmael Bush followed the instinct of the beasts rather than the
principle which ought to belong to his kind« returned the stubborn trapper »I
have struck many a blow myself but never have I felt the same ease of mind
that of right belongs to a man who follows his reason after slaying even a
faan when there was no call for his meat or hide as I have felt at leaving a
Mingo unburied in the woods when following the trade of open and honest
warfare«
»What you have been a soldier have you trapper I made a forage or two
among the Cherokees when I was a lad myself and I followed Mad Anthony10 one
season through the beeches but there was altogether too much tatooing and
regulating among his troops for me so I left him without calling on the
Paymaster to settle my arrearages Though as Esther afterward boasted she had
made such use of the payticket that the States gained no great sum by the
oversight You have heard of such a man as Mad Anthony if you tarried long
among the soldiers«
»I fout my last battle as I hope under his orders« returned the trapper
a gleam of sunshine shooting from his dim eyes as if the event was recollected
with pleasure and then a sudden shade of sorrow succeeding as though he felt a
secret admonition against dwelling on the violent scenes in which he had so
often been an actor »I was passing from the states on the sea shore into these
far regions when I crossd the trail of his army and I fell in on his rear
just as a lookeron but when they got to blows the crack of my rifle was heard
among the rest though to my shame it may be said I never knew the right of the
quarrel as well as a man of three score and ten should know the reason of his
acts afore he takes mortal life which is a gift he never can return«
»Come stranger« said the Emigrant his rugged nature a good deal softened
when he found that they had fought on the same side in the wild warfare of the
West »It is of small account what may be the groundwork of the disturbance
when its a Christian agin a savage We shall hear more of this horsestealing
tomorrow tonight we can do no wiser or safer thing than to sleep«
So saying Ishmael deliberately led the way back towards his rifled
encampment and ushered the man whose life a few minutes before had been in
real jeopardy from his resentment into the presence of his family Here with a
very few words of explanation mingled with scarce but ominous denunciations
against the plunderers he made his wife acquainted with the state of things on
the Prairies and announced his own determination to compensate himself for his
broken rest by devoting the remainder of the night to sleep
The trapper gave his ready assent to the measure and adjusted his gaunt form
on the pile of brush that was offered him with as much composure as a Sovereign
could resign himself to sleep in the security of his Capital and surrounded by
his armed protectors The old man did not close his eyes however until he had
assured himself that Ellen Wade was among the females of the family and that
her relative or lover whichever he might be had observed the caution of
keeping himself out of view After which he slept though with the peculiar
watchfulness of one long accustomed to vigilance even in the hours of deepest
night
Chapter VI
»He is too picked too spruce too affected too odd
As it were too peregrinate as I may call it«
Loves Labors Lost Vi1214
The angloamerican is apt to boast and not without reason that his nation may
claim a descent more truly honorable than that of any other people whose history
is to be credited Whatever might have been the weaknesses of the original
colonists their virtues have rarely been disputed If they were superstitious
they were sincerely pious and, consequently, honest The descendants of these
simple and single minded provincials have been content to reject the ordinary
and artificial means by which honors have been perpetuated in families and have
substituted a standard which brings the individual himself to the ordeal of the
public estimation paying as little deference as may be to those who have gone
before him This forbearance self denial or common sense or by whatever term
it may be thought proper to distinguish the measure has subjected the nation to
the imputation of having an ignoble origin Were it worth the inquiry it would
be found that more than a just proportion of the renowned names of the mother
country are at this hour to be found in her cidevant colonies and it is a
fact well known to the few who have wasted sufficient time to become the masters
of so unimportant a subject that the direct descendants of many a failing line
which the policy of England has seen fit to sustain by collateral supporters
are now discharging the simple duties of citizens in the bosom of this republic
The hive has remained stationary and they who flutter around the venerable
straw are wont to claim the empty distinction of antiquity regardless alike of
the frailty of their tenement and of the enjoyments of the numerous and vigorous
swarms that are culling the fresher sweets of a virgin world But as this is a
subject which belongs rather to the politician and historian than to the humble
narrator of the homebred incidents we are about to reveal we must confine our
reflexions to such matters as have an immediate relation to the subject of the
tale
Although the citizen of the United States may claim so just an ancestry he
is far from being exempt from the penalties of his fallen race Like causes are
well known to produce like effects That tribute which it would seem nations
must ever pay by way of a weary probation around the shrine of Ceres before
they can be indulged in her fullest favors is in some measure exacted in
America from the descendant instead of the ancestor The march of civilization
with us has a strong analogy to that of all coming events which are known to
cast their shadows before The gradations of society from that state which is
called refined to that which approaches as near barbarity as connexion with an
intelligent people will readily allow are to be traced from the bosom of the
states where wealth luxury and the arts are beginning to seat themselves to
those distant and everreceding borders which mark the skirts and announce the
approach of the nation as moving mists precede the signs of day
Here and here only is to be found that widely spread though far from
numerous class which may be at all likened to those who have paved the way for
the intellectual progress of nations in the old world The resemblance between
the American borderer and his European prototype is singular though not always
uniform Both might be called without restraint the one being above the other
beyond the reach of the law brave because they were inured to dangers
proud because they were independant and vindictive because each was the
avenger of his own wrongs It would be unjust to the borderer to pursue the
parallel much farther He is irreligious because he has inherited the knowledge
that religion does not exist in forms and his reason rejects a mockery He is
not a knight because he has not the power to bestow distinctions and he has
not the power because he is the offspring and not the parent of a system In
what manner these several qualities are exhibited in some of the most strongly
marked of the latter class will be seen in the course of the ensuing narrative
Ishmael Bush had passed the whole of a life of more than fifty years on the
skirts of society He boasted that he had never dwelt where he might not safely
fell every tree he could view from his own threshold that the law had rarely
been known to enter his clearing and that his ears had never willingly admitted
the sound of a church bell His exertions seldom exceeded his wants which were
peculiar to his class and rarely failed of being supplied He had no respect
for any learning except that of the leech because he was ignorant of the
application of any other intelligence than such as met the senses. His
deference to this particular branch of science had induced him to listen to the
application of a medical man whose thirst for natural history had led him to
the desire of profiting by the migratory propensities of the squatter This
gentleman he had cordially received into his family or rather under his
protection and they had journeyed together thus far through the Prairies in
perfect harmony Ishmael often felicitating his wife on the possession of a
companion who would be so serviceable in their new abode wherever it might
chance to be until the family were thoroughly acclimated The pursuits of the
naturalist frequently led him however for days at a time from the direct line
of the route of the squatter who rarely seemed to have any other guide than the
sun Most men would have deemd themselves fortunate to have been absent on the
perilous occasion of the Sioux inroad as was Obed Bat or as he was fond of
hearing himself called Battius MD and fellow of several cisatlantic learned
societies the adventurous gentleman in question
Although the sluggish nature of Ishmael was not actually awakened it was
sorely pricked by the liberties which had just been taken with his property He
slept however for it was the hour he had allotted to that refreshment and
because he knew how impotent any exertions to recover his effects must prove in
the darkness of midnight He also knew the danger of his present situation too
well to hazard what was left in pursuit of that which was lost Much as the
inhabitants of the Prairies were known to love horses their attachment to many
other articles still in the possession of the travellers was equally well
understood It was a common artifice to scatter the herds and to profit by the
confusion But Mahtoree had it would seem in this particular undervalued the
acuteness of the man he had assailed The phlegm with which the squatter learned
his loss has already been seen and it now remains to exhibit the results of
his more matured determinations
Though the encampment contained many an eye that was long unclosed and many
an ear that listened greedily to catch the faintest evidence of any new alarm
it lay in deep quiet during the remainder of the night Silence and fatigue
finally performed their accustomed offices and before the morning all but the
sentinels were again buried in sleep How well these indolent watchers
discharged their duties after the assault has never been known inasmuch as
nothing occurred to confirm or to disprove their subsequent vigilance
Just as day however began to dawn and a gray light was falling from the
heavens on the dusky objects of the plain the halfstartled anxious and yet
blooming countenance of Ellen Wade was reared above the confused mass of
children among whom she had clustered on her stolen return to the camp
Arising warily she steppd lightly across the recumbent bodies and proceeded
with the same caution to the utmost limits of the defences of Ishmael Here she
listened as if doubting the propriety of venturing further The pause was only
momentary however and long before the drowsy eyes of the sentinel who
overlooked the spot where she stood had time to catch a glimpse of her active
form it had glided along the bottom and stood on the summit of the nearest
eminence
Ellen now listened intently anxious to catch some other sound than the
breathing of the morning air which faintly rustled the herbage at her feet She
was about to turn in disappointment from the inquiry when the tread of human
feet making their way through the matted grass met her ear Springing eagerly
forward she soon beheld the outlines of a figure advancing up the eminence on
the side opposite to the camp She had already uttered the name of Paul and was
beginning to speak in the hurried and eager voice with which female affection is
apt to greet a friend when drawing back the disappointed girl closd her
salutations by coldly adding
»I did not expect Doctor to meet you at this unusual hour«
»All hours and all seasons are alike my good Ellen to the genuine lover
of nature,« returned a small slightly made but exceedingly active man dressed
in an odd mixture of cloth and skins a little past the middle age and who
advanced directly to her side with the familiarity of an old acquaintance »and
he who does not know how to find things to admire by this gray light is
ignorant of a large portion of the blessings he enjoys«
»Very true« said Ellen suddenly recollecting the necessity of accounting
for her own appearance abroad at that unseasonable hour »I know many who think
the earth has a pleasanter look in the night than when seen by the brightest
sunshine«
»Ah Their organs of sight must be too convex But the man who wishes to
study the active habits of the feline race or the variety Albinos must indeed
be stirring at this hour I dare say there are men who prefer even looking at
objects by twilight for the simple reason that they see better at that time of
the day«
»And is this the cause why you are so much abroad in the night«
»I am abroad at night my good girl because the earth in its diurnal
revolutions leaves the light of the sun but half the time on any given
meridian and because what I have to do cannot be performed in twelve or
fifteen consecutive hours Now have I been off two days from the family in
search of a plant that is known to exist on the tributaries of La Platte
without seeing even a blade of grass that is not already enumerated and
classed«
»You have been unfortunate Doctor but «
»Unfortunate« echoed the little man sideling nigher to his companion and
producing his tabletts with an air in which exultation struggled strangely with
an affectation of self abasement »No no Ellen I am any thing but
unfortunate Unless indeed a man may be so called whose fortune is made
whose fame may be said to be established forever whose name will go down to
posterity with that of Buffon Buffon a mere compiler one who flourishes on
the foundation of other mens labours no pari passu with Solander who bought
his knowledge with pain and privations«
»Have you discovered a mine Doctor Bat«
»More than a mine a treasure coined and fit for instant use girl
Listen I was making the angle necessary to intersect the line of your uncles
march after my fruitless search when I heard sounds like the explosion
produced by fire arms«
»Yes« exclaimed Ellen eagerly »We had an alarm «
»And thought I was lost« continued the man of science too much bent on his
own ideas to understand her interruption »Little danger of that I made my own
base knew the length of the perpendicular by calculation and to draw the
hypothenuse had nothing to do but to work my angle I supposed the guns were
fired for my benefit and changed my course for the sounds not that I think the
senses more accurate or even as accurate as a mathematical calculation but I
feared that some of the children might need my services«
»They are all happily «
»Listen« interrupted the other already forgetting his affected anxiety for
his patients in the greater importance of the present subject »I had crossed a
large tract of Prairie for sound is conveyed far where there is little
obstruction when I heard the trampling of feet as if Bisons were beating the
earth Then I caught a distant view of a herd of quadrupeds rushing up and down
the swells animals which would have still remained unknown and undescribed
had it not been for a most felicitous accident One and he a noble specimen of
the whole was running a little apart from the rest The herd made an
inclination in my direction in which the solitary animal coincided and this
brought him within fifty yards of the spot where I stood I profited by the
opportunity and by the aid of steel and taper I wrote his description on the
spot I would have given a thousand dollars Ellen for a single shot from the
rifle of one of the boys«
»You carry a pistol Doctor why didnt you use it« said the half
inattentive girl anxiously examining the Prairie but still lingering where she
stood quite willing to be detained
»Ay but it carries nothing but the most minute particles of lead adapted
to the destruction of the larger insects and reptiles No I did better than to
attempt waging a war in which I could not be the victor I recorded the event
noting each particular with the precision necessary to science You shall hear
Ellen for you are a good and improving girl and by retaining what you learn in
this way may yet be of great service to learning should any accident occur to
me Indeed my worthy Ellen mine is a pursuit which has its dangers as well as
that of the warrior This very night« he continued glancing his eye behind
him »this awful night has the principle of life itself been in great danger
of extinction«
»By what«
»By the monster I have discovered It approached me often and ever as I
receded it continued to advance I believe nothing but the little lamp I carried
was my protector I kept it between us whilst I wrote making it serve the
double purpose of luminary and shield But you shall hear the character of the
beast and you may then judge of the risks we promoters of science run in
behalf of mankind«
The naturalist raised his tabletts to the heavens and disposed himself to
read as well as he could by the dim light they yet shed upon the plain
premising with saying
»Listen girl and you shall hear with what a treasure it has been my happy
lot to enrich the pages of Natural History«
»Is it then a creature of your forming« said Ellen turning away from her
fruitless examination with a sudden lighting of her sprightly blue eyes that
shewed she knew how to play with the foible of her learned companion
»Is the power to give life to inanimate matter the gift of man I would it
were You should speedily see a Historia Naturalis Americana that would put
the sneering imitators of the Frenchman de Buffon to shame A great improvement
might be made in the formation of all quadrupeds especially those in which
velocity is a virtue Two of the inferior limbs should be on the principle of
the lever wheels perhaps as they are now formed though I have not yet
determined whether the improvement might be better applied to the anterior or
posterior members inasmuch as I am yet to learn whether dragging or shoving
requires the greatest muscular exertion A natural exudation of the animal
might assist in overcoming the friction and a powerful momentum be obtained
But all this is hopeless at least for the present« he added raising his
tabletts again to the light and reading aloud »Oct 6 1805 thats merely the
date which I dare say you know better than I mem Quadruped seen by
starlight and by the aid of a pocket lamp in the Prairies of North America
see journal for Latitude and Meridian Genus unknown therefore named after the
Discoverer and from the happy coincidence of having been seen in the evening
Vespertilio Horribilis Americanus Dimensions by estimation Greatest length
eleven feet height six feet Head erect nostrils expansive eyes
expressive and fierce teeth serrated and abundant Tail horizontal waving
and slightly feline Feet large and hairy Talons long arquated dangerous
Ears inconspicuous Horns elongated diverging and formidable colour
plumbeousashy with fiery spots Voice sonorous martial and appalling
Habits gregarious carnivorous fierce and fearless There« exclaimed Obed
when he had ended this sententious but comprehensive description »there is an
animal which will be likely to dispute with the Lion his title to be called
the King of the Beasts«
»I know not the meaning of all you have said Doctor Battius« returned the
quick witted girl who understood the weakness of the Philosopher and often
indulged him with a title he loved so well to hear »but I shall think it
dangerous to venture far from the camp if such monsters are prowling over the
Prairies«
»You may well call it prowling« returned the Naturalist nestling still
closer to her side and dropping his voice to such low and undignified tones
of confidence as conveyed a meaning still more pointed than he had intended
»I have never before experienced such a trial of the nervous system there was a
moment I acknowledge when the fortiter in re faltered before so terrible an
enemy but the love of Natural Science bore me up and brought me off in
triumph«
»You speak a language so different from that we use in Tennessee« said
Ellen struggling to conceal her laughter »that I hardly know whether I
understand your meaning If I am right you wish to say you were
chickenhearted«
»An absurd simile drawn from an ignorance of the formation of the biped
The heart of a chicken bears a just proportion to its other organs and the
domestic fowl is in a state of nature, a gallant bird Ellen« he added with a
countenance so solemn as to produce an impression on the attentive girl »I was
pursued hunted and in a danger that I scorn to dwell on whats that«
Ellen started for the earnestness and simple sincerity of her companions
manner had produced a certain degree of credulity even on her buoyant mind
Looking in the direction indicated by the Doctor she beheld in fact a beast
coursing over the Prairie and making a straight and rapid approach to the spot
they occupied The day was not yet sufficiently advanced to enable her to
distinguish its form and character though enough was discernible to induce her
to imagine it a fierce and savage animal
»It comes it comes« exclaimed the Doctor fumbling by a sort of instinct
for his tablets while he fairly tottered on his feet under the powerful
efforts he made to maintain his ground »Now Ellen has fortune given me an
opportunity to correct the errors made by starlight hold ashey plumbeous no
ears Horns excessive «
His voice and hand were both arrested by a roar or rather a shriek from
the beast that was sufficiently terrific to appal even a stouter heart than
that of the Naturalist The cries of the animal passed over the Prairie in
strange cadences and then succeeded a deep and solemn silence that was only
broken by an uncontrolled fit of merriment from the more musical voice of Ellen
Wade In the mean time the Naturalist stood like a statue of amazement
permitting a well grown Ass against whose approach he no longer offered his
boasted shield of light to smell about his person without comment or
hindrance
»It is your own ass« cried Ellen the instant she found breath for words
»your own patient hardworking hack«
The Doctor rolld his eyes from the beast to the speaker and from the
speaker to the beast but gave no audible expression of his wonder
»Do you refuse to know an animal that has laboured so long in your service«
continued the laughing girl »A beast that I have heard you say a thousand
times has served you well and whom you loved like a brother«
»Asinus Domesticus« ejaculated the Doctor drawing his breath like one who
had been near suffocation »There is no doubt of the genus; and I will always
maintain that the animal is not of the species, equus This is undeniably Asinus
himself Ellen Wade but this is not the Vespertilio Horribilis of the Prairies
Very different animals I can assure you young woman and differently
characterised in every important particular That carnivorous« he continued
glancing his eye at the open page of his tablets »this granivorous habits
fierce dangerous habits patient abstemious ears inconspicuous ears
elongated horns diverging etc horns none«
He was interrupted by another burst of merriment from Ellen which served
in some measure to recall him to his recollection
»The image of the Vespertilio was on the retina« the astounded enquirer
into the secrets of nature observed in a manner that seemed a little
apologetic »and I was silly enough to mistake my own faithful beast for the
monster Though even now I greatly marvel to see this animal running at large«
Ellen then proceeded to explain the history of the attack and its results
She described with an accuracy that might have raised suspicions of her own
movements in the mind of one less simple than her auditor the manner in which
the beasts burst out of the encampment and the headlong speed with which they
had dispersed themselves over the open plain Although she forbore to say as
much in terms she so managed as to present before the eyes of her listener the
strong probability of his having mistaken the frightened drove for savage
beasts and then terminated her account by a lamentation for their loss and
some very natural remarks on the helpless condition in which it had left the
family The naturalist listened in silent wonder neither interrupting her
narrative nor suffering a single exclamation of surprise to escape him The
keeneyed girl however saw that as she proceeded the important leaf was torn
from the tablets in a manner which shewed that their owner had got rid of his
delusion at the same instant From that moment the world has heard no more of
the Vespertilio Horribilis Americanus and the natural sciences have
irretrieveably lost an important link in that great animated chain which is said
to connect earth and heaven and in which man is thought to be so familiarly
complicated with the monkey
When Dr Batt was put in full possession of all the circumstances of the
inroad his concern immediately took a different direction He had left sundry
folios and certain boxes well stored with botanical specimens and defunct
animals under the good keeping of Ishmael and it immediately struck his acute
mind that marauders as subtle as the Siouxes would never neglect the
opportunity to despoil him of these treasures Nothing that Ellen could say to
the contrary served to appease his apprehensions and, consequently, they
separated he to relieve his doubts and fears together and she to glide as
swiftly and silently as she had just before passed it into the still and
solitary tent
Chapter VII
»What fifty of my followers at a clap«
King Lear Iiv294
The day had now fairly opened on the seemingly interminable waste of the
Prairie The entrance of Obed at such a moment into the camp accompanied as
it was by vociferous lamentations over his anticipated loss did not fail to
rouse the drowsy family of the squatter Ishmael and his sons together with the
forbidding looking brother of his wife were all speedily afoot and then as
the sun began to shed his light on the place they became gradually apprised of
the extent of their loss
Ishmael lookd round upon the motionless and heavily loaded vehicles with
his teeth firmly compressed cast a glance at the amazed and helpless groupe of
children which clustered around their sullen but desponding mother and walked
out upon the open land as if he found the air of the encampment too confined
He was followed by several of the men who were attentive observers watching
the dark expression of his eye as the index of their own future movements The
whole proceeded in profound and moody silence to the summit of the nearest
swell whence they could command an almost boundless view of the naked plains
Here nothing was visible but a solitary buffaloe that gleaned a meagre
subsistence from the decaying herbage at no great distance and the Ass of the
Physician who profited by his freedom to enjoy a meal richer than common
»Yonder is one of the creaturs left by the villians to mock us« said
Ishmael glancing his eye towards the latter »and that the meanest of the
stock This is a hard country to make a crop in boys and yet food must be
found to fill many hungry mouths«
»The rifle is better than the hoe in such a place as this« returned the
eldest of his sons kicking the hard and thirsty soil on which he stood with an
air of contempt »It is good for such as they who make their dinner better on
beggars beans than on homminy A crow would shed tears if obliged by its
errand to fly across this district«
»What say you trapper« resumed the Father showing the slight impression
his powerful heel had made on the compact earth and laughing with frightful
ferocity »Is this the quality of land a man would choose who never troubles
the County Clerk with Title deeds«
»There is richer soil in the bottoms« returned the old man calmly »and
you have passed millions of acres to get to this dreary spot where he who
loves to till the arth might have received bushels in return for pints and
that too at the cost of no very grievous labour If you have come in search of
land you have journeyed hundreds of miles too far or as many leagues too
little«
»There is then a better choice towards the other Ocean« demanded the
squatter pointing in the direction of the Pacific
»There is and I have seen it all« was the answer of the other who dropped
his rifle to the earth and stood leaning on its barrel like one who recalled
the scenes he had witnessed with melancholy pleasure »I have seen the waters
of the two seas On one of them was I born and raised to be a lad like yonder
tumbling boy America has grown my man since the days of my youth to be a
country larger than I once had thought the world itself to be Near seventy
years I dwelt in York Province and State together Youve been in York tis
like«
»Not I not I I never visited the towns but often have heard the place
you speak of named Tis a wide clearing there I reckon«
»Too wide Too wide They scourge the very arth with their axes Such hills
and hunting grounds as I have seen stripped of the gifts of the Lord without
remorse or shame I tarried till the mouths of my hounds were deafened by the
blows of the choppers and then I came west in search of quiet It was a
grievous journey that I made a grievous toil to pass through falling timber
and to breathe the thick air of smoky clearings week after week as I did Tis
a far country too that State of York from this«
»It lies agin the outer edge of old Kentuck I reckon though what the
distance may be I never knew«
»A gull would have to fan a thousand miles of air to find the Eastern Sea
And yet it is no mighty reach to hunt across when shade and game are plenty
The time has been when I followed the deer in the mountains of the Delaware and
Hudson and took the beaver on the streams of the Upper Lakes in the same
season but my eye was quick and certain at that day and my limbs were like the
legs of a moose The dam of Hector« dropping his look kindly to the aged hound
that crouchd at his feet »was then a pup and apt to open on the game the
moment she struck the scent She gave me a deal of trouble that slut she did«
»Your hound is old stranger and a rap on the head would prove a mercy to
the beast«
»The dog is like his master« returned the trapper without appearing to heed
the brutal advice the other gave »and will number his days when his work
amongst the game is over and not before To my eye things seem ordered to meet
each other in this creation Tis not the swiftest running deer that always
throws off the hounds nor the biggest arm that holds the truest rifle Look
around you men what will the Yankee choppers say when they have cut their
path from the eastern to the western waters and find that a hand which can lay
the arth bare at a blow has been here and swept the country in very mockery
of their wickedness They will turn on their tracks like a fox that doubles
and then the rank smell of their own footsteps will show them the madness of
their waste Howsomever these are thoughts that are more likely to rise in him
who has seen the folly of Eighty seasons than to teach wisdom to men still
bent on the pleasures of their kind You have need yet of a stirring time if
you think to escape the craft and hatred of the burntwood Indians They claim
to be the lawful owners of this Country and seldom leave a white more than the
skin he boasts of when once they get the power as they always have the will
to do him harm«
»Old man« said Ishmael sternly »to which people do you belong You have
the colour and speech of a Christian while it seems that your heart is with the
redskins«
»To me there is little difference in Nations The people I lovd most are
scattered as the sands of the dry riverbeds fly before the Fall hurricanes and
life is too short to make use and custom with strangers as one can do with
such as he has dwelt amongst for years Still am I a man without the cross of
Indian blood and what is due from a warrior to his Nation is owing by me to
the people of the States though little need have they with their militia and
their armed boats of help from a single arm of fourscore«
»Since you own your kin I may ask a simple question Where are the Siouxes
who have stolen my cattle«
»Where is the herd of Buffaloe which was chased by the Panther across this
plain no later than the morning of yesterday It is as hard «
»Friend« said Dr Battius who had hitherto been an attentive listener but
who now felt a sudden impulse to mingle in the discourse »I am grieved when I
find a venator or hunter of your experience and observation following the
current of vulgar error The animal you describe is in truth a species of the
bos ferus or bos sylvestris as he has been happily called by the poets but
though of close affinity it is altogether distinct, from the common Bubulus
Bison is the better word and I would suggest the necessity of adopting it in
future when you shall have occasion to allude to the species.«
»Bison or Buffaloe it makes but little matter The creatur is the same
call it by what name you will and «
»Pardon me venerable venator as classification is the very soul of the
Natural Sciences the animal or vegetable must of necessity be characterised
by the peculiarities of its species which is always indicated by the name«
»Friend« said the trapper a little positively »would the tail of a beaver
make the worse dinner for calling it a mink or could you eat of the wolf with
relish because some bookish man had given it the name of venison«
As these questions were put with no little earnestness and some spirit
there was every probability that a hot discussion would have succeeded between
two men of whom one was so purely practical and the other so much given to
theory had not Ishamel seen fit to terminate the dispute by bringing into view
a subject that was much more important to his own immediate interests
»Beavers tails and minksflesh may do to talk about before a maple fire
and a quiet hearth« interrupted the squatter without the smallest deference to
the interested feelings of the disputants »but something more than foreign
words or words of any sort is now needed Tell me trapper where are your
Siouxes skulking«
»It would be as easy to tell you the colours of the hawk that is floating
beneath yonder white cloud When a redskin strikes his blow he is not apt to
wait until he is paid for the evil deed in lead«
»Will the beggarly savages believe they have enough when they find
themselves master of all the stock«
»Natur is much the same let it be covered by what skin it may Do you ever
find your longings after riches less when you have made a good crop than before
you were master of a kernel of corn If you do you differ from what the
experience of a long life tells me is the common cravings of man«
»Speak plainly old stranger« said the squatter striking the butt of his
rifle heavily on the earth his dull capacity finding no pleasure in a discourse
that was conducted in so obscure allusions »I have asked a simple question and
one I know well that you can answer«
»You are right you are right I can answer for I have too often seen the
disposition of my kind to mistake it when evil is stirring When the Siouxes
have gathered in the beasts and have made sure that you are not upon their
heels they will be back nibbling like hungry wolves to take the bait they have
left Or it may be theyll show the temper of the Great Bears that are found at
the falls of the Long River and strike at once with the paw without stopping
to nose their prey«
»You have then seen the animals you mention« exclaimed Dr Battius who
had now been thrown out of the conversation quite as long as his impatience
could well brook and who approached the subject with his tabletts ready
opened as a book of reference »Can you tell me if what you encountered was of
the species, Ursus Horribilis with the ears rounded front arquated eyes
destitute of the remarkable supplemental lid with six insicores one false
and four perfect molares «
»Trapper go on for we are engaged in reasonable discourse« interrupted
Ishmael »you believe we shall see more of these robbers«
»Nay nay I do not call them robbers for it is the usage of their people
and what may be called the Prairie law«
»I have come five hundred miles to find a place where no man can ding the
words of the Law in my ears« said Ishmael fiercely »and I am not in a humour
to stand quietly at a bar while a redskin sits in judgement I tell you
trapper if another Sioux is seen prowling around my camp wherever it may be
he shall feel the contents of old Kentuck« slapping his rifle in a manner that
could not be easily misconstrued »though he wore the medal of Washington11
himself I call the man a robber who takes that which is not his own«
»The Teton and the Pawnee and the Konza and men of a dozen other tribes
claim to own these naked fields«
»Natur gives them the lie in their teeth The air the water and the ground
are free gifts to man and no one has the power to portion them out in parcels
Man must drink and breathe and walk and therefore each has a right to his
share of arth Why do not the Surveyors of the States set their compasses and
run their lines over our heads as well as beneath our feet Why do they not
cover their shining sheep skins with big words giving to this landholder or
perhaps he should be called airholder so many rods of heaven with the use of
such a star for a boundary mark and such a cloud to turn a mill«
As the squatter uttered his wild conceit he laughed from the very bottom of
his chest in scorn The deriding but frightful merriment passd from the mouth
of one of his ponderous sons to that of the other until it had made the circuit
of the whole family
»Come trapper« continued Ishmael in a tone of better humour like a man
who feels that he has triumphed »neither of us I reckon has ever had much to
do with title deeds or County Clerks or blazed trees therefore we will not
waste words on fooleries You ar a man that has tarried long in this clearing
and now I ask your opinion face to face without fear or favor if you had the
lead in my business what would you do«
The old man hesitated and seemd to give the required advice with deep
reluctance As every eye however was fastened on him and whichever way he
turned his face he encountered a look rivetted on the lineaments of his own
working countenance he answered in a low melancholy tone
»I have seen too much mortal blood poured out in empty quarrels to wish
ever to hear an angry rifle again Ten weary years have I sojourned alone on
these naked plains waiting for my hour and not a blow have I struck agin an
enemy more humanized than the grizzly bear«
»Ursus horribilis« muttered the Doctor
The speaker paused at the sound of the others voice but perceiving it was
no more than a sort of mental ejaculation he continued in the same strain
»More humanized than the grizzly bear or the Panther of the Rocky
Mountains unless the Beaver which is a wise and knowing animal may be so
reckoned What would I advise Even the female Buffaloe will fight for her
young«
»It never then shall be said that Ishmael Bush has less kindness for his
children than the bear for her cubs«
»And yet this is but a naked spot for a dozen men to make head in agin
five hundred«
»Ay it is so« returned the squatter glancing his eye towards his humble
camp »but something might be done with the wagons and the cotton wood«
The trapper shook his head incredulously and pointed across the rolling
plain in the direction of the west as he answered
»A rifle would send a bullet from these hills into your very
sleepingcabins nay arrows from the thicket in your rear would keep you all
burrowed like so many Prairie dogs it wouldnt do it wouldnt do Three long
miles from this spot is a place where as I have often thought in passing
across this desert a stand might be made for days and weeks together if there
were hearts and hands ready to engage in the bloody work«
Another low deriding laugh passed among the young men announcing in a
manner sufficiently intelligible their readiness to undertake a task even more
arduous The squatter himself eagerly seized the hint which had been so
reluctantly extorted from the trapper who by some singular process of reasoning
had evidently persuaded himself that it was his duty to be strictly neutral A
few direct and pertinent inquiries served to obtain the little additional
information that was necessary in order to make the contemplated movement and
then Ishmael who was on emergencies as terrifically energetic as he was
sluggish in common set about effecting his object without delay
Notwithstanding the industry and zeal of all engaged the task was one of
great labor and difficulty The loaded vehicles were to be drawn by hand across
a wide distance of plain without track or guide of any sort except that which
the trapper furnished by communicating his knowledge of the cardinal points of
the compass In accomplishing this object the gigantic strength of the men was
taxed to the utmost nor were the females or the children spared a heavy
proportion of the toil While the sons distributed themselves about the heavily
loaded wagons and drew them by main strength up the neighboring swell their
mother and Ellen surrounded by the amazed groupe of little ones followed
slowly in the rear bending under the weight of such different articles as were
suited to their several strengths
Ishmael himself superintended and directed the whole occasionally
applying his colossal shoulder to some lagging vehicle until he saw that the
chief difficulty that of gaining the level of their intended route was
accomplished Then he pointed out the required course cautioning his sons to
proceed in such a manner that they should not lose the advantage they had with
so much labour obtained and beckoning to the brother of his wife they
returned together to the empty camp
Throughout the whole of this movement which occupied an hour of time the
trapper had stood apart leaning on his rifle with the aged hound slumbering at
his feet a silent but attentive observer of all that passed Occasionally a
smile lighted his hard muscular but wasted features like a gleam of
sunshine flitting across a ragged ruin and betrayed the momentary pleasure he
found in witnessing from time to time the vast power the youths discovered
Then as the train drew slowly up the ascent a cloud of thought and sorrow
threw all into the shade again leaving the expression of his countenance in
its usual state of quiet melancholy As vehicle after vehicle left the place of
the encampment he noted the change with increasing attention seldom failing
to cast an enquiring look at the little neglected tent which with its proper
wagon still remained as before solitary and apparently forgotten The summons
of Ishmael to his gloomy associate had however as it would now seem this
hitherto neglected portion of his effects for its object.
First casting a cautious and suspicious glance on every side of him the
squatter and his companion advanced to the little wagon and caused it to enter
within the folds of the cloth much in the manner that it had been extricated
the preceding evening They both then disappeared behind the drapery and many
moments of suspense succeeded during which the old man secretly urged by a
burning desire to know the meaning of so much mystery insensibly drew nigh to
the place until he stood within a few yards of the proscribed spot The
agitation of the cloth betrayed the nature of the occupation of those whom it
concealed though their work was conducted in rigid silence It would appear
that long practice had made each of the two acquainted with his particular
duty for neither sign nor direction of any sort was necessary from Ishmael in
order to apprise his surly associate of the manner in which he was to proceed
In less time than has been consumed in relating it the interior portion of the
arrangement was complete when the men reappeared without the tent Too busy
with his occupation to heed the presence of the trapper Ishmael began to
release the folds of the cloth from the ground and to dispose of them in such
a manner around the vehicle as to form a sweeping train to the new form the
little pavillion had now assumed The archd roof trembled with the occasional
movement of the light vehicle which it was now apparent once more supported
its secret burthen Just as the work was ended the scowling eye of Ishmaels
assistant caught a glimpse of the figure of the attentive observer of their
movements Dropping the shaft which he had already lifted from the ground
preparatory to occupying the place that was usually filled by an animal less
reasoning and perhaps less dangerous than himself he bluntly exclaimed
»I am a fool as you often say But look for yourself if that man is not an
enemy I will disgrace father and mother call myself an Indian and go hunt
with the Siouxes«
The cloud as it is about to discharge the subtle lightning is not more
dark nor threatening than the look with which Ishmael greeted the intruder He
turned his head on every side of him as if seeking some engine sufficiently
terrible to annihilate the offending trapper at a blow and then possibly
recollecting the further occasion he might have for his counsel he forced
himself to say with an appearance of moderation that nearly choked him
»Stranger I did believe this prying into the concerns of others was the
business of women in the towns and settlements and not the manner in which men
who are used to live where each has room for himself deal with the secrets of
their neighbors To what lawyer or sheriff do you calculate to sell your news«
»I hold but little discourse except with one and then chiefly of my own
affairs« returned the old man without the least observable apprehension and
pointing imposingly upward »a judge and judge of all Little does he need
knowledge from my hands and but little will your wish to keep any thing secret
from him profit you even in this desert«
The mounting tempers of his unnurtured listeners were rebuked by the simple
solemn manner of the trapper Ishmael stood sullen and thoughtful while his
companion stole a furtive and involuntary glance at the placid sky which spread
so wide and blue above his head as if he expected to see the Almighty eye
itself beaming from the heavenly vault But impressions of a serious character
are seldom lasting on minds long indulged in forgetfulness The hesitation of
the squatter was consequently of short duration The language however as well
as the firm and collected air of the speaker were the means of preventing much
subsequent abuse if not violence
»It would be shewing more of the kindness of a friend and comrade« Ishmael
returned in a tone sufficiently sullen to betray his humour though it was no
longer threatening »had your shoulder been put to the wheel of one of yonder
wagons instead of edging itself in here where none are wanted but such as are
invited«
»I can put the little strength that is left me« returned the trapper »to
this as well as to another of your loads«
»Do you take us for boys« exclaimed Ishmael laughing half in ferocity and
half in derision applying his powerful strength at the same time to the little
vehicle which rolled over the grass with as much seeming facility as if it
were drawn by its usual team
The trapper paused and followed the departing wagon with his eye
marvelling greatly as to the nature of its concealed contents until it had
also gained the summit of the eminence and in its turn disappeared behind
the swell of the land Then he turned to gaze at the desolation of the scene
around him The absence of human forms would have scarce created a sensation in
the bosom of one so long accustomed to solitude had not the site of the
deserted camp furnished such strong memorials of its recent visiters and as
the old man was quick to detect of their waste also He cast his eye upwards
with a shake of the head at the vacant spot in the heavens which had so lately
been filled by the branches of those trees that now lay stripped of their
verdure worthless and deserted logs at his feet
»Ay« he muttered to himself »I might have knowd it I might have knowd
it Often have I seen the same before and yet I brought them to the spot
myself and have now sent them to the only neighborhood of their kind within
many long leagues of the spot where I stand This is mans wish and pride and
waste and sinfulness He tames the beasts of the field to feed his idle wants
and having robbed the brutes of their natural food he teaches them to strip the
arth of its trees to quiet their hunger«
A rustling in the low bushes which still grew for some distance along the
swale that formed the thicket on which the camp of Ishmael had rested caught
his ear at the moment and cut short the soliloquy The habits of so many years
spent in the wilderness caused the old man to bring his rifle to a poise with
something like the activity and promptitude of his youth but suddenly
recovering his recollection he dropped it into the hollow of his arm again and
resumed his air of melancholy resignation
»Come forth come forth« he said aloud »be ye bird or be ye beast ye are
safe from these old hands I have eaten and I have drunk why should I take
life when my wants call for no sacrifice It will not be long afore the birds
will peck at eyes that shall not see them and perhaps light on my very bones
for if things like these are only made to perish why am I to expect to live
forever Come forth Come forth you are safe from harm at these weak hands«
»Thank you for the good word old trapper« cried Paul Hover springing
actively forward from his place of concealment »There was an air about you
when you threw forward the muzzle of the piece that I did not like for it
seemd to say that you were master of all the rest of the motions«
»You are right you are right« cried the trapper laughing with inward
selfcomplacency at the recollection of his former skill »The day has been
when few men knew the virtues of a long rifle like this I carry better than
myself old and useless as I now seem You are right young man and the time
was when it was dangerous to move a leaf within earshot of my stand or« he
added dropping his voice and looking serious »for a red Mingo to show an
eyeball from his ambushment You have heard of the Red Mingos«
»I have heard of minks« said Paul taking the old man by the arm and
gently urging him towards the thicket as he spoke while at the same time he
cast quick and uneasy glances behind him in order to make sure he was not
observed »Of your common black minks but none of any other colour«
»Lord Lord« continued the trapper shaking his head and still laughing in
his deep but quiet manner »the boy mistakes a brute for a man Though a Mingo
is little better than a beast or for that matter he is worse when rum and
opportunity are placed before his eyes There was that accursed Huron from the
Upper Lakes that I knocked from his perch among the rocks in the hills back
of the Hori «
His voice was lost in the thicket into which he had suffered himself to be
led by Paul while speaking too much occupied by thoughts which dwelt on scenes
and acts that had taken place half a century earlier in the History of the
Country to offer the smallest resistance
Chapter VIII
»Now they are clapperclawing one another; Ill go look on That
dissembling abominable varlet Diomed has got that same scurvy
doting foolish young knave in his helm«
Troilus and Cressida Viv14
It is necessary in order that the thread of the narrative should not be spun to
a length which might fatigue the reader that he should imagine a week to have
intervened between the scene with which the preceding chapter closed and the
events with which it is our intention to resume its relation in this The
season was on the point of changing its character the verdure of summer giving
place more rapidly to the brown and party coloured livery of the Fall12 The
heavens were clothed in driving clouds piled in vast masses one above the
other which whirled violently in the gusts opening occasionally to admit
transient glimpses of the bright and glorious sight of the heavens dwelling in
a magnificence by far too grand and durable to be disturbed by the fitful
efforts of the lower world Beneath the wind swept across the wild and naked
Prairies with a violence that is seldom witnessed in any section of the
continent less open It would have been easy to have imagined in the ages of
Fable that the god of the winds had permitted his subordinate agents to escape
from their den and that they now rioted in wantonness across wastes where
neither tree nor work of man nor mountain nor obstacle of any sort opposed
itself to their gambols
Though nakedness might as usual be given as the pervading character of
the spot whither it is now necessary to transfer the scene of the tale it was
not entirely without the signs of human life Amid the monotonous rolling of
the Prairies a single naked and ragged rock arose on the margin of a little
water course which found its way after winding a vast distance through the
plains into one of the numerous tributaries of the Father of Rivers A swale of
low land lay near the base of the eminence and as it was still fringed with a
thicket of alders and sumack it bore the signs of having once nurtured a feeble
growth of wood The trees themselves had been transferred however to the
summit and crags of the neighboring rocks On this elevation the signs of man to
which this allusion just made applies were to be found
Seen from beneath there were visible a breastwork of logs and stones
intermingled in such a manner as to save all unnecessary labour a few low roofs
made of bark and boughs of trees an occasional barrier constructed like the
defences on the summit and placed on such points of the acclivity as were
easier of approach than the general face of the eminence and a little dwelling
of cloth perched on the apex of a small pyramid that shot up on one angle of
the rock the white covering of which glimmered from a distance like a spot of
snow or to make the simile more suitable to the rest of the subject like a
spotless and carefully guarded standard which was to be protected by the
dearest blood of those who defended the citadel beneath It is hardly necessary
to add that this rude and characteristic fortress was the place where Ishmael
Bush had taken refuge after the robbery of his flocks and herds
On the day to which the narrative is advanced the squatter was standing
near the base of the rocks leaning on his rifle and regarding the sterile soil
that supported him with a look in which contempt and disappointment were
strongly blended
»Tis time to change our naturs« he observed to the brother of his wife
who was rarely far from his elbow »and to become ruminaters instead of people
used to the fare of Christians and free men I reckon Abiram you could glean a
living among the grasshoppers you ar an active man and might outrun the
nimblest skipper of them all«
»The country will never do« returned the other who relished but little the
forced humour of his kinsman »and it is well to remember that a lazy
traveller makes a long journey«
»Would you have me draw a cart at my heels across this desert for weeks
ay months« retorted Ishmael who like all of his class could labor with
incredible efforts on emergencies but who too seldom exerted continued industry
on any occasion to brook a proposal that offered so little repose »It may do
for your people who live in settlements to hasten on to their houses But
thank Heaven my farm is too big for its owner ever to want a resting place«
»Since you like the Plantation then you have only to make your crop«
»That is easier said than done on this corner of the estate I tell you
Abiram there is need of moving for more reasons than one You know Im a man
that very seldom enters into a bargain but who always fulfils his agreements
better than your dealers in wordy contracts written on rags of paper If theres
one mile there ar a hundred still needed to make up the distance for which you
have my honour«
As he spoke the squatter glanced his eye upward at the little tenement of
cloth which crowned the summit of his ragged fortress The look was understood
and answered by the other and by some secret influence which operated either
through their interests or feelings it served to reestablish that harmony
between them which had just been threatened with something like a momentary
breach
»I know it and feel it in every bone of my body But I remember the reason
why I have set myself on this accursed journey too well to forget the distance
between me and the end Neither you nor I will ever be the better for what we
have done unless we thoroughly finish what is so well begun Ay that is the
doctrine of the whole world I judge I heard a travelling Preacher who was
skirting it down the Ohio a time since say that if a man should live up to the
faith for a hundred years and then fall from his work a single day he would
find the settlement was to be made for the finishing blow that he had put to his
job and that all the bad and none of the good would come into the final
account«
»And you believed the hungry hypocrite«
»Who said that I believed it« retorted Abiram with a bullying look that
betrayed how much his fears had dwelt on the subject he affected to despise
»Is it believing to tell what a roguish and yet Ishmael the man might have
been honest after all He told us that the world was in truth no better than a
desert and that there was but one hand that could lead the most learned man
through all its crooked windings Now if this be true of the whole it may be
true of a part«
»Abiram out with your grievances like a man« interrupted the squatter with
a hoarse laugh »You want to pray But of what use will it be according to your
own doctrine to serve God five minutes and the Devil an hour Harkee friend
Im not much of a husbandman but this I know to my cost that to make a right
good crop even on the richest bottom there must be hard labor and your
snufflers liken the arth to a field of corn and the men who live on it to its
yield Now I tell you Abiram that you are no better than a thistle or a
mullen yea ye ar wood of too open a pore to be good even to burn«
The malign glance which shot from the scowling eye of Abiram announced the
angry character of his feelings but as the furtive look quailed immediately
before the unmoved steady countenance of the squatter it also betrayed how
much the bolder spirit of the latter had obtained the mastery over his craven
nature
Content with his ascendancy which was too apparent and had been too often
exerted on similar occasions to leave him in any doubt of its extent Ishmael
coolly continued the discourse by adverting more directly to his future plans
»You will own the justice of paying every one in kind« he said »I have
been robbed of my stock and I have a scheme to make myself as good as before
by taking hoof for hoof or for that matter when a man is put to the trouble
of bargaining for both sides he is a fool if he dont pay himself something in
the way of commission«
As the squatter made this declaration in a tone which was a little excited
by the humour of the moment four or five of his lounging sons who had been
leaning against the foot of the rock came forward with the indolent step so
common to the family
»I have been calling Ellen Wade who is on the rock keeping the look out to
know if there is any thing to be seen« observed the eldest of the young men
»and she shakes her head for an answer Ellen is sparing of her words for a
woman and might be taught manners at least without spoiling her good looks«
Ishmael cast his eye upward to the place where the offending but
unconscious girl was holding her anxious watch She was seated at the edge of
the uppermost crag by the side of the little tent and at least two hundred
feet above the level of the plain Little else was to be distinguished at that
distance but the outline of her form her fair hair streaming in the gusts
beyond her shoulders and the steady and seemingly unchangeable look that she
had rivetted on some remote point of the Prairie
»What is it Nell« cried Ishmael lifting his powerful voice a little above
the rushing of the element. »Have you got a glimpse of any thing, bigger than a
burrowing barker«
The lips of the attentive Ellen parted she rose to the utmost height her
small stature admitted seeming still to regard the unknown object but her
voice if she spoke at all was not sufficiently loud to be heard amid the wind
»It ar a fact that the child sees something more uncommon than a buffaloe
or a Prairie dog« continued Ishmael »Why Nell girl ar ye deaf Nell I
say I hope it is an army of redskins she has in her eye for I should relish
the chance to pay them for their kindness under the favor of these logs and
rocks«
As the squatter accompanied his vaunt with corresponding gestures and
directed his eyes to the circle of his equally confident sons while speaking he
drew their gaze from Ellen to himself but now when they turned together to
note the succeeding movements of their female sentinel the place which had so
lately been occupied by her form was vacant
»As I am a sinner« exclaimed Asa usually one of the most phlegmatic of the
youths »the girl is blown away by the wind«
Something like a sensation was exhibited among them which might have
denoted that the influence of the laughing blue eyes flaxen hair and glowing
cheeks of Ellen had not been lost on the dull natures of the young men and
looks of amazement mingled slightly with concern passed from one to the other
as they gazed in dull wonder at the point of the naked rock
»It might well be« added another »She sat on a slivered stone and I have
been thinking of telling her she was in danger for more than an hour«
»Is that a ribband of the child dangling from the corner of the hill
below« cried Ishmael »Ha who is moving about the tent Have I not told you
all «
»Ellen tis Ellen« interrupted the whole body of his sons in a breath and
at that instant she reappeared to put an end to their different surmises and
to relieve more than one sluggish nature from its unwonted excitement As Ellen
issued from beneath the folds of the tent she advanced with a light and
fearless step to her former giddy stand and pointed toward the Prairie
appearing to speak in an eager and rapid voice to some invisible auditor
»Nell is mad« said Asa half in contempt and yet not a little in concern
»The girl is dreaming with her eyes open and thinks she sees some of them
fierce creaturs with hard names with which the Doctor fills her ears«
»Can it be the child has found a scout of the Siouxes« said Ishmael
bending his look towards the plain but a low significant whisper from Abiram
drew his eyes quickly upward again where they were turned just in time to
perceive that the cloth of the tent was agitated by a motion very evidently
different from the quivering occasioned by the wind »Let her if she dare« the
squatter muttered in his teeth »Abiram they know my temper too well to play
the prank with me«
»Look for yourself if the curtain is not lifted I can see no better than
the owl by day light«
Ishmael struck the breech of his rifle violently on the earth and shouted
in a voice that might easily have been heard by Ellen had not her attention
still continued rapt on the object, which so unaccountably attracted her eyes
in the distance
»Nell« continued the squatter »Away with you fool Will you bring down
punishment on your own head Why Nell She has forgotten her native speech let
us see if she can understand another language«
Ishmael threw his rifle to his shoulder and at the next moment it was
pointed upward at the summit of the rock Before time was given for a word of
remonstrance it had sent forth its contents in its usual streak of bright
flame Ellen started like the frightened chamois and uttering a piercing
scream she darted into the tent with a swiftness that left it uncertain
whether terror or actual injury had been the penalty of her offence
The action of the squatter was too sudden and unexpected to admit of
prevention but the instant it was done his sons manifested in an unequivocal
manner the temper with which they witnessed the desperate measure Angry and
fierce glances were interchanged and a murmur of disapprobation was uttered by
the whole in common
»What has Ellen done Father« said Asa with a degree of spirit which was
the more striking from being unusual »that she should be shot at like a
straggling deer or a hungry wolf«
»Mischief« deliberately returned the squatter but with a cool expression
of defiance in his eye that showd how little he was movd by the ill
concealed humour of his children »Mischief boy mischief Take you heed that
the disorder dont spread«
»It would need a different treatment in a man than in yon screaming girl«
»Asa you ar a man as you have often boasted but remember I am your
Father and your better«
»I know it well and what sort of a Father«
»Harkee boy I more than half believe that your drowsy head let in the
Siouxes Be modest in speech my watchful son or you may have to answer yet for
the mischief your own bad conduct has brought upon us«
»Ill stay no longer to be hectored like a child in petticoats You talk of
law as if you knew of none and yet you keep me down as though I had not life
and wants of my own Ill stay no longer to be treated like one of your meanest
cattle«
»The world is wide my gallant boy and theres many a noble plantation on
it without a tenant Go you have title deeds signd and seald to your hand
Few Fathers portion their children better than Ishmael Bush you will say that
for me at least when you get to be a wealthy land holder«
»Look Father look« exclaimed several voices at once seizing with
avidity an opportunity to interrupt a dialogue which threatened to become more
violent
»Look« repeated Abiram in a voice which sounded hollow and warning »If
you have time for any thing but quarrels Ishmael look«
The squatter turned slowly from his offending son and cast an eye that
still lowered with deep resentment upward but which the instant it caught a
view of the object that now attracted the attention of all around him changd
its expression to one of astonishment and dismay
A female stood on the spot from which Ellen had been so fearfully expelled
Her person was of the smallest size that is believed to comport with beauty
and which poets and artists have chosen as the beau idéal of female loveliness
Her dress was of a dark and glossy silk and fluttered like gossamer around her
form Long flowing and curling tresses of hair still blacker and more shining
than her robe fell at times about her shoulders completely enveloping the
whole of her delicate bust in their ringlets or at others streamed long and
waving in the wind The elevation at which she stood prevented a close
examination of the lineaments of a countenance which however it might be seen
was youthful and at the moment of her unlocked for appearance eloquent with
feeling So young indeed did this fair and fragile being appear that it might
be doubted whether the age of childhood was entirely passed One small and
exquisitely moulded hand was pressed on her heart while with the other she made
an impressive gesture which seemd to invite Ishmael if further violence was
meditated to direct it against her bosom
The silent wonder with which the groupe of borderers gazed upward at so
extraordinary a spectacle was only interrupted as the person of Ellen was
seen emerging with timidity from the tent as if equally urged by apprehensions
in behalf of herself and the fears which she felt on account of her companion
to remain concealed and to advance She spoke but her words were unheard by
those below and unheeded by her to whom they were addressed The latter
however as if content with the offer she had made of herself as a victim to the
resentment of Ishmael now calmly retired and the spot she had so lately
occupied became vacant leaving a sort of stupid impression on the spectators
beneath not unlike that which it might be supposed would have been created had
they just been gazing at some supernatural vision
More than a minute of profound silence succeeded during which the sons of
Ishmael still continued gazing at the naked rock in stupid wonder Then as eye
met eye an expression of novel intelligence passed from one to the other
indicating that to them at least the appearance of this extraordinary tenant of
the pavilion was as unexpected as it was incomprehensible At length Asa in
right of his years and moved by the rankling impulse of the recent quarrel
took on himself the office of interrogator Instead however of braving the
resentment of his father of whose fierce nature when roused he had had too
frequent evidence to excite it wantonly he turned upon the cowering person of
Abiram observing with a sneer
»This then is the beast you were bringing into the Prairies for a decoy I
know you to be a man who seldom troubles truth when any thing worse may answer
but I never knew you to outdo yourself so thoroughly before The newspapers of
Kentuck have called you a dealer in black flesh a hundred times but little did
they reckon that you drove the trade into white families«
»Who is a kidnapper« demanded Abiram with a blustering show of resentment
»Am I to be called to account for every lie they put in print throughout the
States Look to your own family boy look to yourselves The very stumps of
Kentucky and Tennessee cry out agin ye Ay my tonguey gentleman I have seen
Father and Mother and three children yourself for one published on the logs
and stubs of the settlements with dollars enough for reward to have made an
honest man rich for «
He was interrupted by a back handed but violent blow on the mouth that
caused him to totter and which left the impression of its weight in the
starting blood and swelling lips
»Asa« said the Father advancing with a portion of that dignity with which
the hand of Nature seems to have invested the parental character »You have
struck the brother of your Mother«
»I have struck the abuser of the whole family« returned the angry youth
»and unless he teach his tongue a wiser language he had better part with it
altogether as the unruly member Im no great performer with the knife but on
an occasion could make out myself to cut off a slande «
»Boy twice have you forgotten yourself today Be careful that it does not
happen the third time Where the law of the land is weak it is right that the
law of natur should be strong You understand me Asa and you know me As for
you Abiram the child has done you wrong and it is my place to see you
righted Remember I tell you justice shall be done it is enough But you have
said hard things agin me and my family If the hounds of the law have put their
bills on the trees and stumps of the clearings it was for no act of dishonesty
as you know but because we maintain the rule that arth is common property No
Abiram could I wash my hands of things done by your advice as easily as I can
of the things done by the whisperings of the devil my sleep would be quieter at
night and none who bear my name need blush to hear it mentioned Peace Asa
and you too man enough has been said Let us all think well before any thing
is added that may make what is already so bad still more bitter«
Ishmael wavd his hand with authority as he ended and turned away with
the air of one who felt assured that those he addressed would not have the
temerity to dispute his commands Asa evidently struggled with himself to
compel the required obedience but his heavy nature quietly sunk into its
ordinary repose and he soon appeared again the being he really was
dangerous only at moments and one whose passions were too sluggish to be long
maintained at the point of ferocity Not so with Abiram While there was an
appearance of a personal conflict between him and his colossal nephew his mien
had expressed the infallible evidences of engrossing apprehension but now
that the authority as well as gigantic strength of the Father were interposed
between him and his assailant his countenance changed from paleness to a livid
hue that bespoke how deeply the injury he had received rankled in his breast
Like Asa however he acquiesced in the decision of the squatter and the
appearance at least of harmony was restored again among a set of beings who
were restrained by no obligations more powerful than the frail web of
authority with which Ishmael had been able to envelope his children
One effect of the quarrel had been to divert the thoughts of the young men
from their recent visiter With the dispute that succeeded the disappearance of
the fair stranger all recollection of her existence appeared to have vanished
A few ominous and secret conferences it is true were held apart during which
the direction of the eyes of the different speakers betrayed their subject but
these threatening symptoms soon disappeared and the whole party was again seen
broken into its usual listless silent and lounging groupes
»I will go upon the rock boys and look abroad for the savages« said
Ishmael shortly after advancing towards them with a mien which he intended
should be conciliating at the same time that it was authoritative »If there is
nothing to fear we will go out on the plain the day is too good to be lost in
words like women in the towns wrangling over their tea and sugared cakes«
Without waiting for approbation or dissent the squatter advanced to the
base of the rock which formed a sort of perpendicular wall nearly twenty feet
high around the whole acclivity Ishmael however directed his footsteps to a
point where an ascent might be made through a narrow cleft which he had taken
the precaution to fortify with a breastwork of cotton wood logs and which in
its turn was defended by a chevaux de frieze of the branches of the same tree
Here an armed man was usually kept as at the key of the whole position and
here one of the young men now stood indolently leaning against the rock ready
to protect the pass if it should prove necessary until the whole party could
be mustered at the several points of defence
From this place the squatter found the ascent still difficult partly by
nature and partly by artificial impediments until he reachd a sort of
terrace or to speak more properly the plain of the elevation where he had
established the huts in which the whole family dwelt These tenements were as
already mentioned of that class which are so often seen on the borders and
such as belongd to the infancy of architecture being simply formed of logs
bark and poles The area on which they stood contained several hundred square
feet and was sufficiently elevated above the plain greatly to lessen if not to
remove all danger from Indian missiles Here Ishmael believed he might leave
his infants in comparative security under the protection of their spirited
mother and here he now found Esther engaged at her ordinary domestic
employments surrounded by her daughters and lifting her voice in declamatory
censure as one or another of the idle fry incurred her displeasure and far too
much engrossed with the tempest of her own conversation to know any thing of the
violent scene which had been passing below
»A fine windy place you have chosen for the camp Ishmael« she commenced
or rather continued by merely diverting the attack from a sobbing girl of ten
at her elbow to her husband »My word if I havent to count the young ones
every ten minutes to see they are not flying away among the buzzards or the
ducks Why do ye all keep hovering round the rock like lolloping reptiles in
the spring when the heavens are beginning to be alive with birds man Dye
think mouths can be filld and hunger satisfied by laziness and sleep«
»Youll have your say Eester« said the husband using the provincial
pronunciation of America for the name and regarding his noisy companions with a
look of habitual tolerance rather than of affection »But the birds you shall
have if your own tongue dont frighten them to take too high a flight Ay
woman« he continued standing on the very spot whence he had so rudely banished
Ellen which he had by this time gained »and buffaloe too if my eye can tell
the animal at the distance of a Spanish league«
»Come down come down and be doing instead of talking A talking man is no
better than a barking dog Nell shall hang out the cloth if any of the
redskins show themselves in time to give you notice But Ishmael what have
you been killing my man for it was your rifle I heard a few minutes agone
unless I have lost my skill in sounds«
»Poh twas to frighten the hawk you see sailing above the rock«
»Hawk indeed at your time of day to be shooting at hawks and buzzards
with eighteen open mouths to feed Look at the bee and at the beaver my good
man and learn to be a provider Why Ishmael I believe my soul« she
continued dropping the tow she was twisting on a distaff »the man is in that
tent agin More than half his time is spent about that worthless
goodfornothing «
The sudden reappearance of her husband closed the mouth of the wife and as
the former descended to the place where Esther had resumed her employment she
was content to grumble forth her dissatisfaction instead of expressing it in
more audible terms
The dialogue that now took place between the affectionate pair was
sufficiently succinct and expressive The woman was at first a little brief and
sullen in her answers but care for her family soon rendered her more
complaisant As the purport of the conversation was merely an engagement to hunt
during the remainder of the day in order to provide the chief necessary of
life we shall not stop to record it
With this resolution then the squatter descended to the plains and
divided his forces into two parts one of which was to remain as a guard with
the fortress and the other to accompany him to the field He warily included
Asa and Abiram in his own party well knowing that no authority short of his own
was competent to repress the fierce disposition of his headstrong son if
fairly awakened When these arrangements were completed the hunters sallied
forth separating at no great distance from the rock in order to form a circle
about the distant herd of Buffaloes
Chapter IX
»Priscian a little scratchd
Twill serve«
Loves Labors Lost
Vi2829
Having made the reader acquainted with the manner in which Ishmael Bush had
disposed of his family under circumstances that might have proved so
embarrassing to most other men we shall again shift the scene a few short miles
from the place last described preserving however the due and natural
succession of time At the very moment that the squatter and his sons departed
in the manner mentioned in the preceding chapter two men were intently occupied
in a swale that lay along the borders of a little run just out of cannonshot
from the encampment discussing the merits of a savoury bisons hump that had
been prepared for their palates with the utmost attention to the particular
merits of that description of food The choice morsel had been judiciously
separated from the adjoining and less worthy parts of the beast and enveloped
in the hairy coating provided by nature it had duly undergone the heat of the
customary subterraneous oven and was now laid before its proprietors in all the
culinary glory of the Prairies So far as richness delicacy and wildness of
flavour and substantial nourishment were concerned the viand might well have
claimed a decided superiority over the meretricious cookery and laboured
compounds of the most renowned artist though the service of the dainty was
certainly achieved in a manner far from artificial It would appear that the two
fortunate mortals to whose happy lot it fell to enjoy a meal in which health
and appetite lent so keen a relish to the exquisite food of the American
deserts were far from being insensible of the advantage they possessed
The one to whose knowledge in the culinary art the other was indebted for
his banquet seemed the least disposed of the two to profit by his own skill He
ate it is true and with a relish but it was always with the moderation with
which age is apt to temper the appetite No such restraint however was imposed
on the inclination of his companion In the very flower of his days and in the
vigour of manhood the homage that he paid to the work of his more aged friends
hands was of the most profound and engrossing character As one delicious morsel
succeeded another he rolled his eyes towards his companion and seemed to
express that gratitude which he had not speech to utter in looks of the most
benignant nature
»Cut more into the heart of it lad« said the trapper for it was the
venerable inhabitant of those vast wastes who had served the beehunter with
the banquet in question »cut more into the centre of the piece there you will
find the genuine riches of natur and that without need from spices or any of
your biting mustard to give it a foreign relish«
»If I had but a cup of metheglin« said Paul stopping to perform the
necessary operation of breathing »I should swear this was the strongest meal
that was ever placed before the mouth of man«
»Ay ay well you may call it strong« returned the other laughing after
his peculiar manner in pure satisfaction at witnessing the infinite contentment
of his companion »strong it is and strong it makes him who eats it Here
Hector« tossing the patient hound who was watching his eye with a wistful
look a portion of the meat »you have need of strength my friend in your old
days as well as your master Now lad there is a dog that has eaten and slept
wiser and better ay and that of richer food than any king of them all and
why because he has used and not abused the gifts of his Maker He was made a
hound and like a hound has he feasted Them did He create men but they have
eaten like famished wolves A good and prudent dog has Hector proved and never
have I found one of his breed false in nose or friendship Do you know the
difference between the cookery of the wilderness and that which is found in the
settlements No I see plainly you dont by your appetite then I will tell
you The one follows man the other natur One thinks he can add to the gifts
of the Creator while the other is humble enough to enjoy them therein lies the
secret«
»I tell you trapper« said Paul who was very little edified by the
morality with which his associate saw fit to season their repast »that every
day while we are in this place and they are likely to be many I will shoot a
buffaloe and you shall cook his hump«
»I cannot say that I cannot say that The beast is good take him in what
part you will and it was to be food for man that he was fashioned but I cannot
say that I will be a witness and a helper to the waste of killing one daily«
»The devil a bit of waste shall there be old man If they all turn out as
good as this I will engage to eat them clean myself even to the hoofs how
now who comes here some one with a long nose I will answer and one that has
led him on a true scent if he is following the trail of a dinner«
The individual who interrupted the conversation and who had elicited the
foregoing remark of Paul was seen advancing along the margin of the run with a
deliberate pace in a direct line for the two revellers As there was nothing
formidable nor hostile in his appearance the beehunter instead of suspending
his operations rather increased his efforts in a manner which would seem to
imply that he doubted whether the hump would suffice for the proper
entertainment of all who were now likely to partake of the delicious morsel
With the trapper however the case was different His more tempered appetite
was already satisfied and he faced the new comer with a look of cordiality
that plainly evinced how very opportune he considered his arrival
»Come on friend« he said waving his hand as he observed the stranger to
pause a moment apparently in doubt »Come on I say if hunger be your guide it
has led you to a fitting place Here is meat and this youth can give you corn
parchd till it be whiter than the upland snow come on without fear We are
not ravenous beasts eating of each other but Christian men receiving
thankfully that which the Lord hath seen fit to give«
»Venerable hunter« returned the Doctor for it was no other than the
naturalist on one of his daily exploring expeditions »I rejoice greatly at this
happy meeting we are lovers of the same pursuits and should be friends«
»Lord lord« said the old man laughing without much deference to the rules
of decorum in the philosophers very face »it is the man who wanted to make me
believe that a name could change the natur of a beast Come friend you are
welcome though your notions are a little blinded with reading too many books
Sit ye down and after eating of this morsel tell me if you can the name of
the creatur that has bestowed on you its flesh for a meal«
The eyes of Dr Battius for we deem it decorous to give the good man the
appellation he most preferred the eyes of Dr Battius sufficiently denoted the
satisfaction with which he listened to this proposal The exercise he had taken
and the sharpness of the wind proved excellent stimulants and Paul himself had
hardly been in better plight to do credit to the trappers cookery than was the
lover of nature, when the grateful invitation met his ears Indulging in a small
laugh which his exertions to repress reduced nearly to a simper he took the
indicated seat by the old mans side and made the customary dispositions to
commence his meal without further ceremony
»I should be ashamed of my profession« he said swallowing a morsel of the
hump with evident delight slily endeavouring at the same time to distinguish
the peculiarities of the singed and defaced skin »I ought to be ashamed of my
profession were there beast or bird on the continent of America that I could
not tell by some one of the many evidences which science has enlisted in her
cause This then the food is nutritious and savoury a mouthful of your
corn friend if you please«
Paul who continued eating with increasing industry looking askaunt not
unlike a dog when engaged in the same agreeable pursuit threw him his pouch
without deeming it at all necessary to suspend his own labours
»You were saying friend that you have many ways of telling the creatur«
observed the attentive trapper
»Many many and infallible Now the animals that are carnivorous are known
by their incisores«
»Their what« demanded the trapper
»The teeth with which nature has furnished them for defence and in order to
tear their food Again «
»Look you then for the teeth of this creatur« interrupted the trapper who
was bent on convicting a man who had presumed to enter into competition with
himself in matters pertaining to the wilds of gross ignorance »turn the piece
round and find your insideovers«
The doctor complied and of course without success though he profited by
the occasion to take another fruitless glance at the wrinkled hide
»Well friend do you find the things you need before you can pronounce the
creatur a duck or a salmon«
»I apprehend the entire animal is not here«
»You may well say as much« cried Paul who was now compelled to pause from
pure repletion »I will answer for some pounds of the fellow weighed by the
truest steelyards west of the Alleghanies Still you may make out to keep soul
and body together with what is left« reluctantly eyeing a piece large enough
to feed twenty men but which he felt compelled to abandon from satiety »cut in
nigher to the heart as the old man says and you will find the riches of the
piece«
»The heart« exclaimed the doctor inwardly delighted to learn there was a
distinct organ to be submitted to his inspection »Ay let me see the heart it
will at once determine the character of the animal certes this is not the cor
ay sure enough it is the animal must be of the order belluae from its
obese habits«
He was interrupted by a long and hearty but still a noiseless fit of
merriment from the trapper which was considered so illtimed by the offended
naturalist as to produce an instant cessation of speech if not a stagnation of
ideas.
»Listen to his beasts habits and belly orders« said the old man delighted
with the evident embarrassment of his rival »and then he says it is not the
core Why man you are farther from the truth than you are from the
settlements with all your bookish larning and hard words which I have once
for all said cannot be understood by any tribe or nation east of the Rocky
Mountains Beastly habits or no beastly habits the creaturs are to be seen
cropping the Prairies by tens of thousands and the piece in your hand is the
core of as juicy a buffaloehump as stomach need crave«
»My aged companion« said Obed struggling to keep down a rising
irascibility that he conceived would ill comport with the dignity of his
character »your system is erroneous from the premises to the conclusion and
your classification so faulty as utterly to confound the distinctions of
science. The buffaloe is not gifted with a hump at all Nor is his flesh savoury
and wholesome as I must acknowledge it would seem the subject before us may
well be characterized «
»There Im dead against you and clearly with the trapper« interrupted Paul
Hover »The man who denies that buffaloe beef is good should scorn to eat it«
13
The Doctor whose observation of the beehunter had hitherto been
exceedingly cursory stared at the new speaker with a look which denoted
something like recognition
»The principal characteristics of your countenance friend« he said »are
familiar either you or some other specimen of your class is known to me«
»I am the man you met in the woods east of the big river and whom you tried
to persuade to line a yellow hornet to his nest as if my eye was not too true
to mistake any other animal for a honeybee in a clear day we tarried together
a week as you may remember you at your toads and lizards and I at my high
holes and hollow trees And a good job we made of it between us I filled my
tubs with the sweetest honey I ever sent to the settlements besides housing a
dozen hives and your bag was near bursting with a crawling museum I never was
bold enough to put the question to your face stranger but I reckon you are a
keeper of curiosities«14
»Ay that is another of their wanton wickednesses« exclaimed the trapper
»They slay the buck and the moose and the wild cat and all the beasts that
range the woods and stuffing them with worthless rags and placing eyes of
glass into their heads they set them up to be stared at and call them the
creaturs of the Lord as if any mortal effigy could equal the works of his
hand«
»I know you well« returned the Doctor on whom the plaint of the old man
produced no visible impression »I know you« offering his hand cordially to
Paul »it was a prolific week as my herbal and catalogues shall one day prove
Ay I remember you well young man You are of the class, mammalia order
primates genus homo species Kentucky« Pausing to smile at his own humour
the naturalist proceeded »Since our separation I have journeyed far having
entered into a compactum or agreement with a certain man named Ishmael «
»Bush« interrupted the impatient and reckless Paul »By the Lord trapper
this is the very bloodletter that Ellen told me of«
»Then Nelly has not done me credit for what I trust I deserve« returned the
singleminded Doctor »for I am not of the phlebotomizing school at all greatly
preferring the practice which purifies the blood instead of abstracting it«
»It was a blunder of mine good stranger the girl called you a skilful
man«
»Therein she may have exceeded my merits« Dr Battius continued bowing
with sufficient meekness »But Ellen is a good and a kind and a spirited girl
too A kind and a sweet girl I have ever found Nelly Wade to be«
»The devil you have« cried Paul dropping the morsel he was sucking from
sheer reluctance to abandon the hump and casting a fierce and direct look into
the very teeth of the unconscious physician »I reckon stranger you have a
mind to bag Ellen too«
»The riches of the whole vegetable and animal world united would not tempt
me to harm a hair of her head I love the child with what may be called amor
naturalis or rather paternus The affection of a father«
»Ay that indeed is more befitting the difference in your years« Paul
coolly rejoined stretching forth his hand to regain the rejected morsel »You
would be no better than a drone at your time of day with a young hive to feed
and swarm«
»Yes there is reason because there is natur in what he says« observed
the trapper »But friend you have said you were a dweller in the camp of one
Ishmael Bush«
»True it is in virtue of compactum «
»I know but little of the virtue of packing though I follow trapping in my
old age for a livelihood They tell me that skins are well kept in the new
fashion but it is long since I have left off killing more than I need for food
and garments I was an eyewitness myself of the manner in which the Siouxes
broke into your encampment and drove off the cattle stripping the poor man you
call Ishmael of his smallest hoofs counting even the cloven feet«
»Asinus excepted« muttered the Doctor who by this time was discussing his
portion of the hump in utter forgetfulness of all its scientific attributes
»Asinus domesticus Americanus excepted«
»I am glad to hear that so many of them are saved though I know not the
value of the animals you name which is nothing uncommon seeing how long it is
that I have been out the settlements But can you tell me friend what the
traveller carries under the white cloth he guards with teeth as sharp as a wolf
that quarrels for the carcass the hunter has left«
»Youve heard of it« exclaimed the other dropping the morsel he was
conveying to his mouth in manifest surprise
»Nay I have heard nothing but I have seen the cloth and had like to have
been bitten for no greater crime than wishing to know what it covered«
»Bitten then after all the animal must be carnivorous It is too tranquil
for the ursus horridus if it were the canis latrans the voice would betray it
Nor would Nelly Wade be so familiar with any of the genus, feræ Venerable
hunter the solitary animal confined in that wagon by day and in the tent at
night has occasioned me more perplexity of mind than the whole catalogue of
quadrupeds besides and for this plain reason I did not know how to class it«
»You think it a ravenous beast«
»I know it to be a quadruped your own danger proves it to be carnivorous«
During this broken explanation Paul Hover sat silent and thoughtful
regarding each speaker with deep attention But suddenly moved by the manner of
the Doctor the latter had scarcely time to utter his positive assertion before
the young man bluntly demanded
»And pray friend what may you call a quadruped«
»A vagary of nature, wherein she has displayed less of her infinite wisdom
than is usual Could rotary levers be substituted for two of the limbs
agreeably to the improvement in my new order of phalangacrura which might be
rendered into the vernacular as leverlegged there would be a delightful
perfection and harmony in the construction But as the quadruped is now formed
I call it a mere vagary of nature; no other than a vagary«
»Harkee stranger in Kentucky we are but small dealers in dictionaries
Vagary is as hard a word to turn into English as quadruped«
»A quadruped is an animal with four legs a beast«
»A beast Do you then reckon that Ishmael Bush travels with a beast caged in
that wagon«
»I know it and lend me your ear not literally friend« observing Paul to
start and look surprised »but figuratively through its functions and you
shall hear I have already made known that in virtue of a compactum I journey
with the aforesaid Ishmael Bush but though I am bound to perform certain duties
while the journey lasts there is no condition which says that the said journey
shall be sempiternum or eternal Now though this region may scarcely be said
to be wedded to science being to all intents a virgin territory as respects the
inquirer into natural history still it is greatly destitute of the treasures of
the vegetable kingdom I should therefore have tarried some hundreds of miles
more to the eastward were it not for the inward propensity that I feel to have
the beast in question inspected and suitably described and classed For that
matter« he continued dropping his voice like one who imparts an important
secret »I am not without hopes of persuading Ishmael to let me dissect it«
»You have seen the creature«
»Not with the organs of sight but with much more infallible instruments of
vision the conclusions of reason, and the deductions of scientific premises I
have watched the habits of the animal young man and can fearlessly pronounce
by evidence that would be thrown away on ordinary observers that it is of vast
dimensions inactive possibly torpid of voracious appetite and as it now
appears by the direct testimony of this venerable hunter ferocious and
carnivorous«
»I should be better pleased stranger« said Paul on whom the Doctors
description was making a very sensible impression »to be sure the creature was
a beast at all«
»As to that if I wanted evidence of a fact which is abundantly apparent by
the habits of the animal I have the word of Ishmael himself A reason can be
given for my smallest deductions I am not troubled young man with a vulgar
and idle curiosity but all my aspirations after knowledge as I humbly believe
are first for the advancement of learning and secondly for the benefit of my
fellowcreatures I pined greatly in secret to know the contents of the tent
which Ishmael guarded so carefully and which he had covenanted that I should
swear jurare per deos not to approach nigher than a defined number of cubits
for a definite period of time Your jusjurandum or oath is a serious matter
and not to be dealt in lightly but as my expedition depended on complying I
consented to the act reserving to myself at all times the power of distant
observation It is now some ten days since Ishmael pitying the state in which
he saw me a humble lover of science, imparted the fact that the vehicle
contained a beast which he was carrying into the Prairies as a decoy by which
he intends to entrap others of the same genus or perhaps species Since then my
task has been reduced simply to watch the habits of the animal and to record
the results When we reach a certain distance where these beasts are said to
abound I am to have the liberal examination of the specimen«
Paul continued to listen in the most profound silence until the Doctor
concluded his singular but characteristic explanation then the incredulous
beehunter shook his head and saw fit to reply by saying
»Stranger old Ishmael has burrowed you in the very bottom of a hollow tree
where your eyes will be of no more use than the sting of a drone I too know
something of that very wagon and I may say that I have lined the squatter down
into a flat lie Harkee friend do you think a girl like Ellen Wade would
become the companion of a wild beast«
»Why not why not« repeated the naturalist »Nelly has a taste and often
listens with pleasure to the treasures that I am sometimes compelled to scatter
in this desert Why should she not study the habits of any animal even though
it were a rhinoceros«
»Softly softly« returned the equally positive and though less
scientific certainly on this subject better instructed beehunter »Ellen is
a girl of spirit and one too that knows her own mind or Im much mistaken but
with all her courage and brave looks she is no better than a woman after all
Havent I often had the girl crying «
»You are an acquaintance then of Nellys«
»The devil a bit But I know woman is woman and all the books in Kentucky
couldnt make Ellen Wade go into a tent alone with a ravenous beast«
»It seems to me« the trapper calmly observed »that there is something dark
and hidden in this matter I am a witness that the traveller likes none to look
into the tent and I have a proof more sure than what either of you can lay
claim to that the wagon does not carry the cage of a beast Here is Hector
come of a breed with noses as true and faithful as a hand that is allpowerful
has made any of their kind and had there been a beast in the place the hound
would long since have told it to his master«
»Do you pretend to oppose a dog to a man brutality to learning instinct to
reason« exclaimed the Doctor in some heat »In what manner pray can a hound
distinguish the habits species or even the genus of an animal like reasoning
learned scientific triumphant man«
»In what manner« coolly repeated the veteran woodsman »Listen and if you
believe that a schoolmaster can make a quicker wit than the Lord you shall be
made to see how much youre mistaken Do you not hear something move in the
brake it has been cracking the twigs these five minutes Now tell me what the
creatur is«
»I hope nothing ferocious« exclaimed the Doctor who still retained a
lively impression of his rencounter with the vespertilio horribilis »You have
rifles friends would it not be prudent to prime them for this fowlingpiece
of mine is little to be depended on«
»There may be reason in what he says« returned the trapper so far
complying as to take his piece from the place where it had lain during the
repast and raising its muzzle in the air »Now tell me the name of the
creatur«
»It exceeds the limits of earthly knowledge Button himself could not tell
whether the animal was a quadruped or of the order serpens a sheep or a
tiger«
»Then was your buffoon a fool to my Hector Here pup What is it dog
Shall we run it down pup or shall we let it pass«
The hound which had already manifested to the experienced trapper by the
tremulous motion of his ears his consciousness of the proximity of a strange
animal lifted his head from his fore paws and slightly parted his lips as if
about to shew the remnants of his teeth But suddenly abandoning his hostile
purpose he snuffed the air a moment gaped heavily shook himself and
peaceably resumed his recumbent attitude
»Now Doctor« cried the trapper triumphantly »I am well convinced there
is neither game nor ravenous beast in the thicket and that I call substantial
knowledge to a man who is too old to be a spendthrift of his strength and yet
who would not wish to be a meal for a panther«
The dog interrupted his master by a growl but still kept his head crouched
to the earth
»It is a man« exclaimed the trapper rising »It is a man if I am a judge
of the creaturs ways There is but little said atwixt the hound and me but we
seldom mistake each others meaning«
Paul Hover sprang to his feet like lightning and throwing forward his
rifle he cried in a voice of menace
»Come forward if a friend if an enemy stand ready for the worst«
»A friend a white man and I hope a Christian« returned a voice from the
thicket which opened at the same instant and at the next the speaker made his
appearance
Chapter X
»Go apart Adam and thou shalt hear
How he will shake me up«
As You Like It Ii2728
It is well known that even long before the immense regions of Louisiana changed
their masters for the second and as it is to be hoped for the last time its
unguarded territory was by no means safe from the inroads of white adventurers
The semibarbarous hunters from the Canadas the same description of population
a little more enlightened from the States and the metiffs or half breeds who
claimed to be ranked in the class of white men were scattered among the
different Indian tribes or gleaned a scanty livelihood in solitude amid the
haunts of the beaver and the bison or to adopt the popular nomenclature of the
country of the buffaloe15
It was therefore no unusual thing for strangers to encounter each other in
the endless wastes of the West By signs which an unpractised eye would pass
unobserved a borderer knew when one of his fellows was in his vicinity and he
avoided or approached the intruder as best comported with his feelings or his
interests Generally these interviews were pacific for the whites had a common
enemy to dread in the ancient and perhaps more lawful occupants of the
country but instances were not rare in which jealousy and cupidity had caused
them to terminate in scenes of the most violent and ruthless treachery The
meeting of two hunters on the American desert as we find it convenient
sometimes to call this region was consequently somewhat in the suspicious
and wary manner in which two vessels draw together in a sea that is known to be
infested with pirates While neither party is willing to betray its weakness by
exhibiting distrust neither is disposed to commit itself by any acts of
confidence from which it may be difficult to recede
Such was in some degree the character of the present interview The
stranger drew nigh deliberately keeping his eyes steadily fastened on the
movements of the other party while he purposely created little difficulties to
impede an approach which might prove too hasty On the other hand Paul stood
playing with the lock of his rifle too proud to let it appear that three men
could manifest any apprehension of a solitary individual and yet too prudent
to omit entirely the customary precautions The principal reason of the marked
difference which the two legitimate proprietors of the banquet made in the
receptions of their guests was to be explained by the entire difference which
existed in their respective appearances
While the exterior of the Naturalist was decidedly pacific not to say
abstracted that of the new comer was distinguished by an air of vigour and a
front and step which it would not have been difficult to have at once
pronounced to be military He wore a forage cap of fine blue cloth from which
depended a soiled tassel in gold and which was nearly buried in a mass of
exuberant curling jetblack hair Around his throat he had negligently
fastened a stock of black silk His body was enveloped in a hunting shirt of
dark green trimmed with the yellow fringes and ornaments that were sometimes
seen among the bordertroops of the Confederacy Beneath this however were
visible the collar and lapels of a jacket similar in colour and cloth to the
cap His lower limbs were protected by buckskin leggings and his feet by the
ordinary Indian moccasins A richly ornamented and exceedingly dangerous
straight dirk was stuck in a sash of redsilk network another girdle or
rather belt of uncolored leather contained a pair of the smallest sized
pistols in holsters nicely made to fit and across his shoulder was thrown a
short heavy military rifle its horn and pouch occupying the usual places
beneath his arms At his back he bore a knapsack marked by the well known
initials that have since gained for the Government of the United States the
good humoured and quaint appellation of Uncle Sam
»I come in amity« the stranger said like one too much accustomed to the
sight of arms to be startled at the ludicrously belligerent attitude which
Doctor Battius had seen fit to assume »I come as a friend and am one whose
pursuits and wishes will not at all interfere with your own«
»Harkee stranger« said Paul Hover bluntly »do you understand lining a
bee from this open place into a wood distant perhaps a dozen miles«
»The bee is a bird I have never been compelled to seek« returned the
other laughing »though I have too been something of a fowler in my time«
»I thought as much« exclaimed Paul thrusting forth his hand frankly and
with the true freedom of manner that marks an American borderer »Let us cross
fingers You and I will never quarrel about the comb since you set so little
store by the honey And now if your stomach has an empty corner and you know
how to relish a genuine dew drop when it falls into your very mouth there lies
the exact morsel to put into it Try it stranger and having tried it if you
dont call it as snug a fit as you have made since How long ar you from the
settlements pray«
»Tis many weeks and I fear it may be as many more before I can return I
will however gladly profit by your invitation for I have fasted since the
rising of yesterdays sun and I know too well the merits of a bisons hump to
reject the food«
»Ah you ar acquainted with the dish Well therein you have the advantage
of me in setting out though I think I may say we could now start on equal
grounds I should be the happiest fellow between Kentuck and the Rocky
Mountains if I had a snug cabin near some old wood that was filled with hollow
trees just such a hump every day as that for dinner a load of fresh straw for
hives and little El «
»Little what« demanded the stranger evidently amused with the
communicative and frank disposition of the beehunter
»Something that I shall have one day and which concerns no body so much as
myself« returned Paul pecking the flint of his rifle and beginning very
cavalierly to whistle an air well known on the waters of the Mississippi
During this preliminary discourse the stranger had taken his seat by the
side of the hump and was already making a serious inroad on its relicks Dr
Battius however watchd his movements with a jealousy still more striking than
the cordial reception which the open hearted Paul had just exhibited
But the doubts or rather apprehensions of the naturalist were of a
character altogether different from the confidence of the beehunter He had
been struck with the strangers using the legitimate instead of the perverted
name of the animal off which he was making his repast and as he had been among
the foremost himself to profit by the removal of the impediments which the
policy of Spain had placd in the way of all explorers of her TransAtlantic
dominions whether bent on the purposes of commerce or like himself on the more
laudable pursuits of science, he had a sufficiency of every day philosophy to
feel that the same motives which had so powerfully urged himself to his present
undertaking might produce a like result on the mind of some other student of
Nature. Here then was the prospect of an alarming rivalry which bade fair to
strip him of at least a moiety of the just rewards of all his labors
privations and dangers Under these views of his character therefore it is not
at all surprising that the native meekness of the naturalists disposition was a
little disturbed and that he watchd the proceedings of the other with such a
degree of vigilance as he believed best suited to detect his sinister designs
»This is truly a delicious repast« observed the unconscious young
stranger for both young and handsome he was fairly entitled to be considered
»either hunger has given a peculiar relish to the viand or the bison may lay
claim to be the finest of the ox family«
»Naturalists sir are apt when they speak familiarly to give the cow the
credit of the genus,« said Doctor Battius swelling with secret distrust and
clearing his throat before speaking much in the manner that a duellist examines
the point of the weapon he is about to put into the body of his foe »The figure
is more perfect as the bos meaning the ox is unable to perpetuate his kind
and the bos in its most extended meaning or vacca is altogether the nobler
animal of the two«
The Doctor uttered this opinion with a certain air that he intended should
express his readiness to come at once to any of the numerous points of
difference, which he doubted not existed between them and he now awaited the
blow of his antagonist intending that his next thrust should be still more
vigorous But the young stranger appeared much better disposed to partake of the
good cheer with which he had been so providently provided than to take up the
cudgels of argument on this or on any other of the knotty points which are so
apt to furnish the lovers of science, with the materials of a mental joust
»I dare say you are very right sir« he replied with a most provoking
indifference to the importance of the points he conceded »I dare say you are
quite right and that vacca would have been the better word«
»Pardon me sir you are giving a very wrong construction to my language if
you suppose I include without many and particular qualifications the bibulus
Americanus in the family of the vacca For as you well know sir or as I
presume I should say Doctor you have the Medical Diploma no doubt«
»You give me credit for an honour I can not claim« interrupted the other
»An undergraduate or perhaps your degrees have been taken in some other of
the liberal sciences«
»Still wrong I do assure you«
»Surely young man you have not entered on this important I may say this
awful service without some evidence of your fitness for the task some
commission by which you can assert an authority to proceed or by which you may
claim an affinity and a communion with your fellowworkers in the same
beneficent pursuits«
»I know not by what means or for what purposes you have made yourself
master of my objects« exclaimed the youth reddening and rising with a
quickness which manifested how little he regarded the grosser appetites when a
subject nearer his heart was approached »Still sir your language is
incomprehensible That pursuit which in another might perhaps be justly called
beneficent is in me a dear and cherished duty though why a commission should
be demanded or needed is I confess no less a subject of surprise«
»It is customary to be provided with such a document« returned the Doctor
gravely »and on all suitable occasions to produce it in order that congenial
and friendly minds may at once reject unworthy suspicions and stepping over
what may be called the elements of discourse come at once to those points
which are desiderata to both«
»It is a strange request« the youth muttered turning his frowning eye
from one to the other as if examining the characters of his companions with a
view to weigh their physical powers Then putting his hand into his bosom he
drew forth a small box and extending it with an air of dignity towards the
Doctor he continued »you will find by this sir that I have some right to
travel in a country which is now the property of the American States«
»What have we here« exclaimed the Naturalist opening the folds of a large
parchment »Why this is the sign manual of the Philosopher Jefferson The seal
of State Countersigned by the Minister of War Why this is a commission
creating Duncan Uncas Middleton a Captain of Artillery«
»Of whom of whom« repeated the trapper who had sat regarding the
stranger during the whole discourse with eyes that seemd greedily to devour
each lineament »How is the name did you call him Uncas Uncas was it Uncas«
»Such is my name« returned the youth a little haughtily »It is the
appellation of a native chief that both my uncle and myself bear with pride
for it is the memorial of an important service done my family by a warrior in
the old wars of the Provinces«
»Uncas did ye call him Uncas« repeated the trapper approaching the
youth and parting the dark curls which clustered over his brow without the
slightest resistance on the part of their wondering owner »Ah my eyes are
old and not so keen as when I was a warrior myself but I can see the look of
the father in the son I saw it when he first came nigh but so many things
have since passed before my failing sight that I could not name the place
where I had met his likeness Tell me lad by what name is your father known«
»He was an officer of the States in the war of the revolution of my own
name of course my mothers brother was called Duncan Uncas Heyward«
»Still Uncas still Uncas« echoed the other trembling with eagerness
»And his father«
»Was called the same without the appellation of the native chief It was to
him and to my grandmother that the service of which I have just spoken was
rendered«
»I knowd it I knowd it« shouted the old man in his tremulous voice his
rigid features working powerfully as if the names the other mentioned
awakened some long dormant emotions connected with the events of an anterior
age »I knowd it son or grandson it is all the same it is the blood and
tis the look Tell me is he they calld Duncan without the Uncas is he
living«
The young man shook his head sorrowfully as he replied in the negative.
»He died full of days and of honours Beloved happy and bestowing
happiness«
»Full of days« repeated the trapper looking down at his own meagre but
still muscular hands »Ah he livd in the settlements and was wise only
after their fashions But you have often seen him and you have heard him
discourse of Uncas and of the wilderness«
»Often He was then an Officer of the King but when the war took place
between the Crown and her Colonies my grandfather did not forget his
birthplace but threw off the empty allegiance of names and was true to his
proper country he fought on the side of Liberty«
»There was reason in it and what is better there was Natur Come sit ye
down beside me lad sit ye down and tell me of what your grandther used to
speak when his mind dwelt on the wonders of the wilderness«
The youth smiled no less at the importunity than at the interest manifested
by the old man but as he found that there was no longer the least appearance
of any violence being contemplated he unhesitatingly complied
»Give it all to the trapper by rule and by figures of speech« said Paul
very coolly taking his seat on the other side of the young soldier »It is the
fashion of old age to relish these ancient traditions and for that matter I
can say that I dont dislike to listen to them myself«
Middleton smiled again and perhaps with a slight air of derision but good
naturedly turning to the trapper he continued
»It is a long and might prove a painful story Bloodshed and all the
horrors of Indian cruelty and of Indian warfare are fearfully mingled in the
narrative«
»Ay give it all to us stranger« continued Paul »we are used to these
matters in Kentuck and I must say I think a story none the worse for having a
few scalps in it«
»But he told you of Uncas did he« resumed the trapper without regarding
the slight interruptions of the bee hunter which amounted to no more than a
sort of byplay »And what thought he and said he of the lad in his parlour
with the comforts and ease of the settlements at his elbow«
»I doubt not he used a language similar to that he would have adopted in
the woods and had he stood face to face with his friend «
»Did he call the savage his friend the poor naked painted warrior he was
not too proud then to call the Indian his friend«
»He even boasted of the connexion and as you have already heard bestowed a
name on his firstborn which is likely to be handed down as an heir loom among
the rest of his descendants«
»It was well done Like a man ay and like a Christian too He used to say
the Delaware was swift of foot did he remember that«
»As the antelope Indeed he often spoke of him by the appellation of Le
Cerf Agile a name he had obtained by his activity«
»And bold and fearless lad« continued the trapper looking up into the eyes
of his companion with a wistfulness that bespoke the delight he received in
listening to the praises of one whom it was so very evident he had once
tenderly lovd
»Brave as a blooded hound Without fear He always quoted Uncas and his
father who from his wisdom was called the Grand Serpent as models of heroism
and constancy«
»He did them justice He did them justice Truer men were not to be found
in tribe or nation be their skins of what colour they might I see your
grandther was just and did his duty too by his offspring Twas a perilous
time he had of it among them hills and nobly did he play his own part Tell
me lad or officer I should say since officer you be was this all«
»Certainly not it was as I have said a fearful tale full of moving
incidents and the memories both of my grandfather and of my grandmother«
»Ah« exclaimed the trapper tossing a hand into the air as his whole
countenance lighted with the recollections the name revived »They called her
Alice Elsie or Alice tis all the same A laughing playful child she was
when happy and tender and weeping in her misery Her hair was shining and
yellow as the coat of the young fawn and her skin clearer than the purest water
that drips from the rocks Well do I remember her I remember her right well«
The lip of the youth slightly curled and he regarded the old man with an
expression which might easily have been construed into a declaration that such
were not his own recollections of his venerable and revered ancestor though it
would seem he did not think it necessary to say as much in words He was content
to answer
»They both retained impressions of the dangers they had passed by far too
vivid easily to lose the recollection of any of their fellow actors«
The trapper lookd aside and seemd to struggle with some deeply innate
feeling then turning again towards his companion though his honest eyes no
longer dwelt with the same open interest as before on the countenance of the
other he continued
»Did he tell you of them all were they all redskins but himself and the
daughters of Munro«
»No There was a white man associated with the Delawares A scout of the
English Army but a native of the Provinces«
»A drunken worthless vagabond like most of his colour who harbor with the
savages I warrant you«
»Old man your gray hairs should caution you against slander The man I
speak of was of great simplicity of mind but of sterling worth Unlike most of
those who live a border life he united the better instead of the worst
qualities of the two people He was a man endowed with the choicest and perhaps
rarest gift of nature, that of distinguishing good from evil his virtues were
those of simplicity because such were the fruits of his habits as were
indeed his very prejudices In courage he was the equal of his red associates
in warlike skill being better instructed their superior In short he was a
noble shoot from the stock of human nature which never could attain its proper
elevation and importance for no other reason than because it grew in the
forest such old hunter were the very words of my grandfather when speaking
of the man you imagine so worthless«
The eyes of the trapper had sunk to the earth as the stranger delivered this
character in the ardent tones of generous youth He playd with the ears of his
hound fingered his own rustic garment and opend and shut the pan of his
rifle with hands that trembled in a manner that would have implied their total
unfitness to wield the weapon When the other had concluded he hoarsely added
»Your grandther didnt then entirely forget the white man«
»So far from that there are already three among us who have also names
derived from that scout«
»A name did you say« exclaimed the old man starting »what the name of
the solitary unlarned hunter Do the great and the rich and the honored and
what is better still the just do they bear his very actual name«
»It is borne by my brother and by two of my cousins whatever may be their
titles to be described by the terms you have mentioned«
»Do you mean the actual name itself spelt with the very same letters
beginning with an N and ending with an L«
»Exactly the same« the youth smilingly replied »No no we have forgotten
nothing that was his I have at this moment a dog brushing a deer not far from
this who is come of a hound that very scout sent as a present after his
friends and which was of the stock he always used himself a truer breed in
nose and foot is not to be found in the wide Union«
»Hector« said the old man struggling to conquer an emotion that nearly
suffocated him and speaking to his hound in the sort of tones he would have
used to a child »do ye hear that Pup Your kin and blood are on the Prairies
A name it is wonderful very wonderful«
Nature could endure no more Overcome by a flood of unusual and
extraordinary sensations and stimulated by tender and long dormant
recollections strangely and unexpectedly revived the old man had just self
command enough to add in a voice that was hollow and unnatural through the
efforts he made to command it
»Boy I am that scout a warrior once a miserable trapper now« when the
tears broke over his wasted cheeks out of fountains that had long been dried
and sinking his face between his knees he covered it decently with his
buckskin garment and sobbd aloud
The spectacle produced correspondent emotions in his companions Paul Hover
had actually swallowed each syllable of the discourse as they fell alternately
from the different speakers his feelings keeping equal pace with the increasing
interest of the scene Unused to such strange sensations he was turning his
face on every side of him to avoid he knew not what until he saw the tears and
heard the sobs of the old man when he sprang to his feet and grappling his
guest fiercely by the throat he demanded by what authority he had made his
aged companion weep A flash of recollection crossing his brain at the same
instant he released his hold and stretching forth an arm in the very
wantonness of gratification he seized the Doctor by the hair which instantly
revealed its artificial formation by cleaving to his hand leaving the white
and shining poll of the Naturalist with a covering no warmer than the skin
»What think you of that Mr Buggatherer« he rather shouted than cried
»is not this a strange bee to line into his hole«
»Tis remarkable wonderful edifying« returned the lover of nature, good
humouredly recovering his wig with twinkling eyes and a husky voice »Tis rare
and commendable Though I doubt not in the exact order of causes and effects«
With this sudden outbreaking however the commotion instantly subsided the
three spectators clustering around the trapper with a species of awe at
beholding the tears of one so aged
»It must be so or how could he be so familiar with a history that is little
known beyond my own family« at length the youth observed not ashamed to
acknowledge how much he had been affected by unequivocally drying his own eyes
»True« echoed Paul »If you want any more evidence I will swear to it I
know every word of it myself to be true as the gospel«
»And yet we had long supposed him dead« continued the soldier »My
grandfather had filled his days with honor and we had believed him the junior
of the two«
»It is not often that youth has an opportunity of thus looking down on the
weakness of age« the trapper observed raising his head and looking around him
with composure and dignity »That I am still here young man is the pleasure of
the Lord who has spared me until I have seen fourscore long and laborious
years for his own secret ends That I am the man I say you need not doubt for
why should I go to my grave with so cheap a lie in my mouth«
»I do not hesitate to believe I only marvel that it should be so But why
do I find you venerable and excellent friend of my parents in these wastes so
far from the comforts and safety of the lower country«
»I have come into these plains to escape the sound of the axe for here
surely the choppers can never follow But I may put the like question to
yourself Are you of the party which the States have sent into their new
purchase to look after the natur of the bargain they have made«
»I am not Lewis is working his way up the river some hundreds of miles
from this I come on a private adventure«
»Though it is no cause of wonder that a man whose strength and eyes have
failed him as a hunter should be seen nigh the haunts of the beaver using a
trap instead of a rifle it is strange that one so young and prosperous and
bearing the commission of the Great Father should be moving among the Prairies
without even a campcolourman to do his biddings«
»You would think my reasons sufficient did you know them as know them you
shall if you are disposed to listen to my story I think you all honest and
men who would rather aid than betray one bent on a worthy object«
»Come then and tell us at your leisure« said the trapper seating
himself and beckoning to the youth to follow his example The latter willingly
complied and after Paul and the Doctor had disposed of themselves to their
several likings the newcomer entered into a narrative of the singular reasons
which had led him so far into the deserts
Chapter XI
»So foul a sky clears not without a storm«
King John IVii108
In the mean time the industrious and irreclaimable hours continued their
labours The sun which had been struggling through such masses of vapor
throughout the day fell slowly into a streak of clear sky and thence sunk
gloriously into the gloomy wastes as he is wont to settle into the waters of
the ocean The vast herds which had been grazing among the wild pastures of the
Prairies gradually disappeared and the endless flocks of aquatic birds that
were pursuing their customary annual journey from the virgin Lakes of the North
towards the Gulf of Mexico ceased to fan that air which had now become loaded
with dew and vapour In short the shadows of night fell upon the rock adding
the mantle of darkness to the other dreary accompanyments of the place
As the light began to fail Esther collected her younger children at her
side and placing herself on a projecting point of her insulated fortress she
sat patiently awaiting the return of the hunters Ellen Wade was at no great
distance seeming to keep a little aloof from the anxious circle as if willing
to mark the distinction which existed in their characters
»Your uncle is and always will be a dull calculator Nell« observed the
mother after a long pause in a conversation that had turned on the labors of
the day »A lazy hand at figures and foreknowledge is that said Ishmael Bush
Here he sat lolloping about the rock from light till noon doing nothing but
scheme scheme scheme with seven as noble boys at his elbows as woman ever
gave to man and whats the upshot why night is setting in and his needful
work not yet ended«
»It is not prudent certainly aunt« Ellen replied with a vacancy in her
air that proved how little she knew what she was saying »and it is setting a
very bad example to his sons«
»Hoity toity girl who has reared you up as a judge over your elders ay
and your betters too I should like to see the man on the whole frontier who
sets a more honest example to his children than this same Ishmael Bush Show me
if you can Miss faultfinder but not faultmender a set of boys who will on
occasion sooner chop a piece of logging and dress it for the crop than my own
children though I say it myself who perhaps should be silent or a cradler
that knows better how to lead a gang of hands through a field of wheat leaving a
cleaner stubble in his track than my own good man Then as a father he is as
generous as a Lord for his sons have only to name the spot where they would
like to pitch and he gives em a deed of the Plantation and no charge for
papers is ever made«
As the wife of the squatter concluded she raised a hollow taunting laugh
that was echoed from the mouths of several juvenile imitators whom she was
training to a life as shiftless and lawless as her own but which
notwithstanding its uncertainty was not without its secret charms
»Holla old Eester« shouted the well known voice of her husband from the
plain beneath »ar you keeping your junketts while we ar finding you in
venison and buffaloe beef Come down come down old girl with all your young
and lend us a hand to carry up the meat why what a frolick you ar in woman
Come down come down for the boys are at hand and we have work here for double
your number«
Ishmael might have spared his lungs more than a moiety of the effort they
were compelled to make in order that he should be heard He had hardly uttered
the name of his wife before the whole of the crouching circle rose in a body
and tumbling over each other they precipitated themselves down the dangerous
passes of the rock with ungovernable impatience Esther followed the young fry
with a more measured gait nor did Ellen deem it wise or rather discreet to
remain behind Consequently, the whole were soon assembled at the base of the
citadel on the open plain
Here the squatter was found staggering under the weight of a fine fat buck
attended by one or two of his younger sons Abiram quickly appeared and before
many minutes had elapsed most of the hunters dropped in singly and in pairs
each man bringing with him some fruits of his prowess in the field
»The plain is free from redskins to night at least« said Ishmael after
the bustle of reception had a little subsided »for I have scoured the Prairie
for many long miles on my own feet and I call myself a judge of the print of
an Indian moccasin So old woman you can give us a few steaks of the venison
and then we will sleep on the days work«
»Ill not swear there are no savages near us« said Abiram »I too know
something of the trail of a redskin and unless my eyes have lost some of their
sight I would swear boldly that there ar Indians at hand But wait till Asa
comes in He passd the spot where I found the marks and the boy knows
something of such matters too«
»Ay the boy knows too much of many things« returned Ishmael gloomily
»It will be better for him when he thinks he knows less But what matters it
Hetty if all the Sioux tribes west of the big river are within a mile of us
they will find it no easy matter to scale this rock in the teeth of ten bold
men«
»Call em twelve at once Ishmael call em twelve« cried his termigant
assistant »For if your moth gathering bug hunting friend can be counted a
man I beg you will set me down as two I will not turn my back to him with the
rifle or the shotgun and for courage the yearling heifer that them skulking
devils the Tetons stole was the biggest coward among us all and after her
comes your drivelling Doctor Ah Ishmael you rarely attempt a regular trade
but you come out the loser and this man I reckon is the hardest bargain among
them all Would you think it the fellow ordered me a blister around my mouth
because I complained of a pain in the foot«
»It is a pity Eester« the husband coolly answered »that you did not take
it I reckon it would have done considerable good But boys if it should turn
out as Abiram thinks that there are Indians near us we may have to scamper up
the rock and lose our suppers after all Therefore we will make sure of the
game and talk over the performances of the Doctor when we have nothing better
to do«
The hint was taken and in a few minutes the exposed situation in which the
family was collected was exchanged for the more secure elevation of the rock
Here Esther busied herself working and scolding with equal industry until the
repast was prepared when she summoned her husband to his meal in a voice as
sonorous as that with which the Imaum reminds the Faithful of a more important
duty
When each had assumed his proper and customary place around the smoking
viand the squatter set the example by beginning to partake of a delicious
venison steak prepared like the hump of the bison with a skill that rather
increased than concealed its natural properties A painter would gladly have
seized the moment to transfer the wild and characteristic scene to the canvass
The reader will remember that the citadel of Ishmael stood insulated
lofty ragged and nearly inaccessible A bright flashing fire that was
burning on the centre of its summit and around which the busy groupe was
clustered lent it the appearance of some tall Pharos placed in the centre of
the deserts to light such adventurers as wandered through their broad wastes
The flashing flame gleamed from one sun burnt countenance to another
exhibiting every variety of expression from the juvenile simplicity of the
children mingled as it was with a shade of the wildness peculiar to their
semibarbarous lives to the dull and immovable apathy that dwelt on the
features of the squatter when unexcited Occasionally a gust of wind would fan
the embers and as a brighter light shot upward the little solitary tent was
seen as it were suspended in the gloom of the upper air All beyond was
enveloped as usual at that hour in an impenetrable body of darkness
»It is unaccountable that Asa should choose to be out of the way at such a
time as this« Esther pettishly observed »When all is finished and to rights
we shall have the boy coming up grumbling for his meal and hungry as a bear
after his winters nap His stomach is as true as the best clock in Kentucky
and seldom wants winding up to tell the time whether of day or night A
desperate eater is Asa when ahungered by a little work«
Ishmael lookd sternly around the circle of his silent sons as if to see
whether any among them would presume to say aught in favour of the absent
delinquent But now when no exciting cause existed to arouse their slumbering
tempers it seemed to be too great an effort to enter on the defence of their
rebellious brother Abiram however who since the pacification either felt or
affected to feel a more generous interest in his late adversary saw fit to
express an anxiety to which the others were strangers
»It will be well if the boy has escaped the Tetons« he muttered »I should
be sorry to have Asa who is one of the stoutest of our party both in heart and
hand fall into the power of the red devils«
»Look to yourself Abiram and spare your breath if you can use it only to
frighten the woman and her huddling girls You have whitened the face of Ellen
Wade already who looks as pale as if she was staring today at the very
Indians you name when I was forced to speak to her through the rifle because I
couldnt reach her ears with my tongue How was it Nell you have never given
the reason of your deafness«
The colour of Ellens cheek changed as suddenly as the squatters piece had
flashd on the occasion to which he alluded the burning glow suffusing her
features until even her throat mantled with its fine healthful tinge She hung
her head abashed but did not seem to think it necessary to reply
Ishmael too sluggish to pursue the subject or content with the pointed
allusion he had just made rose from his seat on the rock and stretching his
heavy frame like a well fed and fattened ox he announced his intention to
sleep Among a race who livd chiefly for the indulgence of the natural wants
such a declaration could not fail of meeting with sympathetic dispositions One
after another disappeared each seeking his or her rude dormitory and before
many minutes Esther who by this time had scolded the younger fry to sleep
found herself if we except the usual watchman below in solitary possession of
the naked rock
Whatever less valuable fruits had been produced in this uneducated woman
by her migratory habits the great principle of female nature was too deeply
rooted ever to be entirely eradicated Of a powerful not to say fierce
temperament her passions were violent and difficult to be smothered But
however she might and did abuse the accidental prerogatives of her situation
love for her offspring while it often slumbered could never be said to become
extinct She likd not the protracted absence of Asa Too fearless herself to
have hesitated an instant on her own account about crossing the dark abyss
into which she now sat looking with longing eyes her busy imagination in
obedience to this inextinguishable sentiment began to conjure nameless evils on
account of her son It might be true as Abiram had hinted that he had become a
captive to some of the tribes who were hunting the buffaloe in that vicinity or
even a still more dreadful calamity might have befallen So thought the mother
while silence and darkness lent their aid to the secret impulses of nature.
Agitated by these reflexions which put sleep at defiance Esther continued
at her post listening with that sort of acuteness which is termed instinct in
the animals a few degrees below her in the scale of intelligence for any of
those noises which might indicate the approach of footsteps At length her
wishes had an appearance of being realized for the long desired sounds were
distinctly audible and presently she distinguished the dim form of a man at
the base of the rock
»Now Asa richly do you deserve to be left with an earthen bed this blessed
night« the woman began to mutter with a revolution in her feelings that will
not be surprising to those who have made the contradictions that give variety to
the human character a study »And a hard one Ive mind it shall be Why Abner
Abner you Abner do you sleep Let me not see you dare to open the hole till I
get down I will know who it is that wishes to disturb a peaceable ay and an
honest family too at such a time in the night as this«
»Woman« exclaimed a voice that intended to bluster while the speaker was
manifestly a little apprehensive of the consequences »Woman I forbid you on
pain of the Law to project any of your infernal missiles I am a citizen and a
freeholder and a graduate of two universities and I stand upon my rights
Beware of malice prepense of chance medley and of manslaughter It is I
your amicus a Friend and inmate I Doctor Obed Battius«
»Who« demanded Esther in a voice that nearly refused to convey her words to
the ears of the anxious listener beneath »Did you say it was not Asa«
»Nay I am neither Asa nor Absolem nor any of the Hebrew Princes but Obed
the root and stock of them all Have I not said woman that you keep one in
attendance who is entitled to a peaceable as well as an honorable admission
Do you take me for an animal of the class Amphibia and that I can play with my
lungs as a blacksmith does with his bellows«
The naturalist might have expended his breath much longer without producing
any desirable result had Esther been his only auditor Disappointed and
alarmed the woman had already sought her pallet and was preparing with a sort
of desperate indifference to compose herself to sleep Abner the sentinel
below however had been aroused from an exceedingly equivocal situation by the
outcry and as he had now regained sufficient consciousness to recognize the
voice of the Physician the latter was admitted with the least possible delay
Doctor Battius bustled through the narrow entrance with an air of singular
impatience and was already beginning to mount the difficult ascent when
catching a view of the porter he paused to observe with an air that he intended
should be impressively admonitory
»Abner there are dangerous symptoms of somnolency about thee It is
sufficiently exhibited in the tendency to hiation and may prove dangerous not
only to yourself but to all thy fathers family«
»You never made a greater mistake Doctor« returned the youth gaping like
an indolent lion »I havent a symptom as you call it about any part of me
and as to father and the children I reckon the smallpox and the measles
have been thoroughly through the breed these many months ago«
Content with his brief admonition the Naturalist had surmounted half the
difficulties of the ascent before the deliberate Abner ended his justification
On the summit Obed fully expected to encounter Esther of whose linguacious
powers he had too often been furnished with the most sinister proofs and of
which he stood in an awe too salutary to covet a repetition of the attacks The
reader can foresee that he was to be agreeably disappointed Treading lightly
and looking timidly over his shoulder as if he apprehended a shower of
something even more formidable than words the Doctor proceeded to the place
which had been allotted to himself in the general disposition of the
dormitories
Instead of sleeping the worthy naturalist sat ruminating over what he had
both seen and heard that day until the tossing and mutterings which proceeded
from the cabin of Esther who was his nearest neighbor advertised him of the
wakeful situation of its inmate Perceiving the necessity of doing something to
disarm this female Cerberus before his own purpose could be accomplished the
Doctor reluctant as he was to encounter her tongue found himself compelled to
invite a colloquial communication
»You appear not to sleep my very kind and worthy Mrs Bush« he said
determined to commence his applications with a plaister that was usually found
to adhere »you appear to rest badly my excellent hostess Can I administer to
your ailings«
»What would you give me man« grumbled Esther »A blister to make me
sleep«
»Say rather a cataplasm But if you are in pain here are some cordial
drops which taken in a glass of my own Cogniac will give you rest if I know
aught of the Materia Medica«
The Doctor as he very well knew had assailed Esther on her weak side and
as he doubted not of the acceptable quality of his prescription he set himself
at work without unnecessary delay to prepare it When he made his offering it
was received in a snappish and threatening manner but swallowed with a facility
that sufficiently proclaimed how much it was relished The woman muttered her
thanks and her leech reseated himself in silence to await the operation of
the dose In less than half an hour the breathing of Esther became so profound
and as the Doctor himself might have termed it so very abstracted that had
he not known how easy it was to ascribe this new instance of somnolency to the
powerful dose of opium with which he had garnished the brandy he might have
seen reason to distrust his own prescription With the sleep of the restless
woman the stillness became profound and general
Then Dr Battius saw fit to arise with the silence and caution of the
midnight robber and to steal out of his own cabin or rather kennel for it
deserved no better name towards the adjoining dormitories Here he took time to
assure himself that all his neighbors were buried in deep sleep Once advised of
this important fact he hesitated no longer but commenced the difficult ascent
which led to the upper pinnacle of the rock His advance though abundantly
guarded was not entirely noiseless but while he was felicitating himself on
having successfully effected his object and he was in the very act of placing
his foot on the highest ledge a hand was laid upon the skirts of his coat
which as effectually put an end to his advance as if the gigantic strength of
Ishmael himself had pinned him to the earth
»Is there sickness in the tent« whispered a soft voice in his very ear
»that Doctor Battius is called to visit it at such an hour«
So soon as the heart of the Naturalist had returned from its hasty
expedition into his throat as one less skilled than Dr Battius in the
formation of the animal would have been apt to have accounted for the
extraordinary sensation with which he received this unlookd for interruption
he found resolution to reply using as much in terror as in prudence the same
precaution in the indulgence of his voice
»My worthy Nelly I am greatly rejoiced to find it is no other than thee
Hist child hist Should Ishmael gain a knowledge of our plans he would not
hesitate to cast us both from this rock upon the plain beneath Hist Nelly
hist«
As the Doctor delivered his injunctions between the intervals of his ascent
by the time they were concluded both he and his auditor had gained the upper
level
»And now Doctor Battius« the girl gravely demanded »may I know the reason
why you have run so great a risk of flying from this place without wings and
at the certain expense of your neck«
»Nothing shall be concealed from thee worthy and trusty Nelly but are you
certain that Ishmael will not awake«
»No fear of him he will sleep until the sun scorches his eye lids The
danger is from my aunt«
»Esther sleepeth« the Doctor sententiously replied »Ellen you have been
watching on this rock today«
»I was ordered to do so«
»And you have seen the bison and the antelope and the wolf and the deer
as usual animals of the orders pecora belluæ and feræ«
»I have seen the creatures you namd in English but I know nothing of the
Indian languages«
»There is still an order that I have not named which you have also seen
The Primates is it not true«
»I cannot say I know no animal by that name«
»Nay Ellen you confer with a friend Of the genus, homo child«
»Whatever else I may have had in view I have not seen the vespertilio
horribi «
»Hush Nelly thy vivacity will betray us Tell me girl have you not seen
certain bipeds called men wandering about the Prairie«
»Surely My uncle and his sons have been hunting the buffaloe since the sun
began to fall«
»I must speak in the vernacular to be comprehended Ellen I would say of
the species, Kentucky«
Though Ellen reddened like the rose her blushes were concealed by the
darkness She hesitated an instant and then summoned sufficient spirit to say
decidedly
»If you wish to speak in parables Doctor Battius you must find another
listener Put your questions plainly in English and I will answer them
honestly in the same tongue«
»I have been journeying in this desert as thou knowest Nelly in quest of
animals that have been hidden from the eyes of science, until now Among
others I have discovered a Primates of the genus homo species Kentucky
which I term Paul «
»Hist for the sake of mercy« said Ellen »speak lower Doctor or we shall
be ruined«
»Hover by profession a collector of the Apes or Bee« continued the other
»Do I use the vernacular now am I understood«
»Perfectly perfectly« returned the girl breathing with difficulty in her
surprise »But what of him did he tell you to mount this rock he knows
nothing himself for the oath I gave my uncle has shut my mouth«
»Ay but there is one that has taken no oath who has revealed all I would
that the mantle which is wrapped around the mysteries of nature, were as
effectually withdrawn from its hidden treasures Ellen Ellen the man with whom
I have unwittingly formed a compactum or agreement is sadly forgetful of the
obligations of honesty Thy uncle child«
»You mean Ishmael Bush my fathers brothers widows husband« returned
the offended girl a little proudly »Indeed indeed it is cruel to reproach
me with a tie that chance has formed and which I would rejoice so much to
break for ever«
The humbled Ellen could utter no more but sinking on a projection of the
rock she began to sob in a manner that rendered their situation doubly
critical The Doctor muttered a few words which he intended as an apologetic
explanation but before he had time to complete his laboured vindication she
arose and said with decision
»I did not come here to pass my time in foolish tears nor you to try to
stop them What then has brought you hither«
»I must see the inmate of that tent«
»You know what it contains«
»I am taught to believe I do and I bear a letter which I must deliver with
my own hands If the animal prove a quadruped Ishmael is a true man if a
biped fledged or unfledged I care not he is false and our compactum at an
end«
Ellen made a sign for the Doctor to remain where he was and to be silent
She then glided into the tent where she continued many minutes that proved
exceedingly weary and anxious to the expectant without but the instant she
returned she took him by the arm and together they entered beneath the folds of
the mysterious cloth
Chapter XII
»Pray God the Duke of York excuse himself«
2 Henry VI Iiii178
The mustering of the borderers on the following morning was silent sullen and
gloomy The repast of that hour was wanting in the inharmonious accompanyment
with which Esther ordinarily enlivened their meals for the effects of the
powerful opiate the Doctor had administered still muddled her intellects The
young men brooded over the absence of their elder brother and the brows of
Ishmael himself were knit as he cast his scowling eyes from one to the other
like a man preparing to meet and to repel an expected assault on his authority
In the midst of this family distrust Ellen and her midnight confederate the
Naturalist took their usual places among the children without awakening
suspicion or exciting comment The only apparent fruits of the adventure in
which they had been engaged were occasional upliftings of the eyes on the part
of the Doctor which were mistaken by the observers for some of his scientific
contemplations of the heavens but which in reality were no other than furtive
glances at the fluttering walls of the proscribed tent
At length the squatter who had waited in vain for some more decided
manifestation of the expected rising among his sons resolved to make a
demonstration of his own intentions
»Asa shall account to me for this undutiful conduct« he observed »Here
has the livelong night gone by and he outlying on the Prairie when his hand
and his rifle might both have been wanted in a brush with the Siouxes for any
right he had to know the contrary«
»Spare your breath good man« retorted his wife »be saving of your breath
for you may have to call long enough for the boy before he will answer«
»It ar a fact that some men be so womanish as to let the young master the
old But you old Eester should know better than to think such will ever be
the natur of things in the family of Ishmael Bush«
»Ah you ar a hectorer with the boys when need calls I know it well
Ishmael and one of your sons have you driven from you by your temper and
that too at a time when he is most wanted«
»Father« said Abner whose sluggish nature had gradually been stimulating
itself to the exertion of taking so bold a stand »the boys and I have pretty
generally concluded to go out on the search of Asa We are disagreeable about
his camping on the Prairie instead of coming in to his own bed as we all know
he would like to do «
»Pshaw« muttered Abiram »the boy has killed a buck or perhaps a
buffaloe and he is sleeping by the carcass to keep off the wolves till day we
shall soon see him or hear him bawling for help to bring in his load«
»Tis little help that a son of mine will call for to shoulder a buck or to
quarter your wild beef« returned the Mother »And you Abiram to say so
uncertain a thing you who said yourself that the red skins had been prowling
around this place no later than the yesterday«
»I« exclaimed her brother hastily as if anxious to retract an error »I
said it then and I say it now and so you will find it to be The Tetons are in
our neighborhood and happy will it prove for the boy if he is well shut of
them«
»It seems to me« said Doctor Battius speaking with the sort of
deliberation and dignity one is apt to use after having thoroughly ripened his
opinions by sufficient reflection »it seems to me a man but little skilled in
the signs and tokens of Indian warfare especially as practised in these remote
plains but one who I may say without vanity has some insight into the
mysteries of nature; it seems then to me thus humbly qualified that when
doubts exist, in a matter of moment it would always be the wisest course to
appease them«
»No more of your doctoring for me« cried the grum Esther »no more of your
quiddities in a healthy family say I Here was I doing well only a little out
of sorts with over instructing the young and you dosd me with a drug that
hangs about my tongue like a pound weight on a humming birds wing«
»Is the medicine out« drily demanded Ishmael »it must be a rare dose that
gives a heavy feel to the tongue of old Eester«
»Friends« continued the Doctor waving his hand for the angry wife to
maintain the peace »that it cannot perform all that is said of it the very
charge of good Mrs Bush is a sufficient proof But to speak of the absent Asa
There is doubt as to his fate and there is a proposition to solve it Now in
the natural sciences truth is always a desideratum and I confess it would seem
to be equally so in the present case of domestick uncertainty which may be
called a vacuum where according to the laws of physick there should exist
some pretty palpable proofs of materiality«
»Dont mind him dont mind him« cried Esther observing that the rest of
his auditors listened with an attention which might proceed equally from
acquiescence in his proposal or ignorance of its meaning »There is a drug in
every word he utters«
»Doctor Battius wishes to say« Ellen modestly interposed »that as some of
us think Asa is in danger and some think otherwise the whole family might
pass an hour or two in looking for him«
»Does he« interrupted the woman »then Dr Battius has more sense in him
than I believed She is right Ishmael and what she says shall be done I will
shoulder a rifle myself and woe betide the redskin that crosses my path I
have pulled a trigger before to day ay and heard an Indian yell too to my
sorrow«
The spirit of Esther diffused itself like the stimulus which attends a
warcry among her sons They arose in a body and declared their determination
to second so bold a resolution Ishmael prudently yielded to an impulse that he
could not resist and in a few minutes the woman appeared shouldering her
arms prepared to lead forth in person such of her descendants as chose to
follow
»Let them stay with the children that please« she said »and them follow me
who ar not chickenhearted«
»Abiram it will not do to leave the huts without some guard« Ishmael
whispered glancing his eye upward
The man whom he addressd started and betrayed extraordinary eagerness in
his reply
»I will tarry and watch the camp«
A dozen voices were instantly raised in objections to this proposal He was
wanted to point out the places where the hostile tracks had been seen and his
termagant sister openly scouted at the idea as unworthy of his manhood The
reluctant Abiram was compelled to yield and Ishmael made a new disposition for
the defence of the place which was admitted by every one to be all important
to their security and comfort
He offered the post of Commandant to Dr Battius who however peremptorily
and somewhat haughtily declined the doubtful honor exchanging looks of
intelligence with Ellen as he did so In this dilemma the squatter was obliged
to constitute the girl herself castellan taking care however in deputing
this important trust to omit no words of caution and instruction When this
preliminary point was settled the young men proceeded to arrange certain means
of defence and signals of alarm that were adapted to the weakness and
character of the garrison Several masses of rock were drawn to the edge of the
upper level and so placed as to leave it at the discretion of the feeble
Ellen and her associates to cast them or not as they might choose on the heads
of any invaders who would of necessity be obliged to mount the eminence by
the difficult and narrow passage already so often mentioned In addition to this
formidable obstruction the barriers were strengthened and rendered nearly
impassable Smaller missiles that might be hurled even by the hands of the
younger children but which would prove from the elevation of the place
exceedingly dangerous were provided in profusion A pile of dried leaves and
splinters was placed as a beacon on the upper rock and then even in the
jealous judgment of the squatter the post was deemed competent to maintain a
creditable siege
The moment the rock was thought to be in a state of sufficient security the
party who composed what might be called the sortie sallied forth on their
anxious expedition The advance was led by Esther in person who attired in a
dress halfmasculine and bearing a weapon like the rest seemd no unfit leader
for the groupe of wildly clad frontiermen that followed in her rear
»Now Abiram« cried the Amazon in a voice that was cracked and harsh for
the simple reason of being used too often on a strained and unnatural key »now
Abiram run with your nose low show yourself a hound of the true breed and do
some credit to your training You it was that saw the prints of the Indian
moccasin and it behoves you to let others be as wise as yourself Come come
to the front man and give us a bold lead«
The brother who appeared at all times to stand in awe of his sisters
authority complied though it was with a reluctance so evident as to excite
sneers even among the unobservant and indolent sons of the squatter Ishmael
himself movd among his tall children like one who expected nothing from the
search and who was indifferent alike to its success or failure In this manner
the party proceeded until their distant fortress had sunk so low as to present
an object no larger nor more distinct than a hazy point on the margin of the
Prairie Hitherto their progress had been silent and somewhat rapid for as
swell after swell was mounted and passed without varying or discovering a
living object to enliven the monotony of the view even the tongue of Esther was
hushed in increasing anxiety Here however Ishmael chose to pause and casting
the butt of his rifle from his shoulder to the ground he observed
»This is enough Buffaloe signs and deer signs ar plenty but where ar
thy Indian footsteps Abiram«
»Still farther West« returned the other pointing in the direction he named
»This was the spot where I struck the tracks of the buck it was after I took
the deer that I fell upon the Teton trail«
»And a bloody piece of work you made of it man« cried the squatter
pointing tauntingly to the soiled garments of his kinsman and then directing
the attention of the spectators to his own by the way of a triumphant contrast
»Here have I cut the throat of two lively does and a scampering fawn without
spot or stain while you blundering dog as you ar have made as much work for
Eester and her girls as though butchering was your regular calling Come boys
it is enough I am too old not to know the signs of the frontiers no Indian
has been here since the last fall of water Follow me and I will make a turn
that shall give us at least the beef of a fallow cow for our trouble«
»Follow me« echoed Esther stepping undauntedly forward »I am leader to
day and I will be followed who so proper let me know as a mother to head a
search for her own lost child«
Ishmael regarded his untractable mate with a smile of indulgent pity
Observing that she had already struck out a path for herself different both
from that of Abiram and the one he had seen fit to choose and being unwilling
to draw the cord of authority too tight just at that moment he submitted to
her will But Doctor Battius who had hitherto been a silent and thoughtful
attendant on the woman now saw fit to raise his feeble voice in the way of
remonstrance
»I agree with thy partner in life worthy and gentle Mrs Bush« he said
»in believing that some ignuus fatuus of the imagination has deceived Abiram
in the signs or symptoms of which he has spoken«
»Symptoms yourself« interrupted the termagant »This is no time for
bookish words nor is this a place to stop and swallow medicines If you ar
aleg weary say so as a plainspeaking man should then seat yourself on the
Prairie like a hound that is footsore and take your natural rest«
»I accord in the opinion« the Naturalist calmly replied complying
literally with the opinion of the deriding Esther by taking his seat very
coolly by the side of an indigenous shrub the examination of which he
commenced on the instant in order that science might not lose any of its just
and important dues »I honor your excellent advice Mistress Esther as you may
perceive Go thou in quest of thy offspring while I tarry here in pursuit of
that which is better viz an insight into the arcana of nature's volume«
The woman answered with a hollow unnatural and scornful laugh and even her
heavy sons as they slowly passed the seat of the already abstracted naturalist
did not disdain to manifest their contempt in smiles In a few minutes the
train mounted the nearest eminence and as it turned the rounded acclivity the
Doctor was left to pursue his profitable investigations in entire solitude
Another halfhour passed during which Esther continued to advance on her
seemingly fruitless search Her pauses however were becoming frequent and her
looks wandering and uncertain when footsteps were heard clattering through
the bottom and at the next instant a buck was seen to bound up the ascent and
to dart from before their eyes in the direction of the naturalist So sudden
and unlookedfor had been the passage of the animal and so much had he been
favored by the shape of the ground that before any one of the foresters had
time to bring his rifle to his shoulder it was already beyond the range of a
bullet
»Look out for the wolf« shouted Abner shaking his head in vexation at
being a single moment too late »A wolfs skin will be no bad gift in a
winters night Ay yonder the hungry devil comes«
»Hold« cried Ishmael knocking up the levelled weapon of his too eager son
»Tis not a wolf but a hound of thorough blood and bottom Ha we have hunters
nigh There ar two of them«
He was still speaking when the animals in question came leaping on the
track of the deer striving with noble ardor to outdo each other One was an
aged dog whose strength seemd to be sustained purely by generous emulation
and the other a pup that gamboled even while he pressd most warmly on the
chace They both ran however with clean and powerful leaps carrying their
noses high like animals of the most keen and subtle scent They had passed and
in another minute they would have been running openmouthed with the deer in
view had not the younger dog suddenly bounded from the course and uttered a
cry of surprise His aged companion stopped also and returned panting and
exhausted to the place where the other was whirling around in swift and
apparently in mad evolutions circling the spot in his own footsteps and
continuing his outcry in a short snappish barking But when the elder hound
had reachd the spot he seated himself and lifting his nose high into the air
he raised a long loud and wailing howl
»It must be a strong scent« said Abner who had been with the rest of the
family an admiring observer of the movements of the dogs »that can break off
two such creaturs so suddenly from their trail«
»Murder them« cried Abiram »Ill swear to the old hound tis the dog of
the trapper whom we now know to be our mortal enemy«
Though the brother of Esther gave so hostile advice he appeared in no way
ready to put it in execution himself The surprise which had taken possession
of the whole party exhibited itself in his own vacant wondering stare as
strongly as in any of the admiring visages by whom he was surrounded His
denunciation therefore notwithstanding its dire import was disregarded and
the dogs were left to obey the impulses of their mysterious instinct without
let or hindrance
It was long before any of the spectators broke the silence but the
squatter at length so far recollected his authority as to take on himself the
right to controul the movements of his children
»Come away boys come away and leave the hounds to sing their tunes for
their own amusement« Ishmael said in his coldest manner »I scorn to take the
life of a beast because its master has pitchd himself too nigh my clearing
come away boys come away we have enough of our own work before us without
turning aside to do that of the whole neighbourhood«
»Come not away« cried Esther in tones that sounded like the admonitions
of some Sybil »I say come not away my children There is a meaning and a
warning in this and as I am a woman and a mother will I know the truth of it
all«
So saying the awakened wife brandished her weapon with an air that was not
without its wild and secret influence and led the way towards the spot where
the dogs still remained filling the air with their long drawn and piteous
complaints The whole party followed in her steps some too indolent to oppose
others obedient to her will and all more or less excited by the uncommon
character of the scene
»Tell me you Abner Abiram Ishmael « the woman cried standing over a
spot where the earth was trampled and beaten and plainly sprinkled with blood
»tell me you who ar hunters what sort of animal has here met his death
Speak ye ar men and used to the signs of the plains is it the blood of
wolf or panther«
»A buffaloe and a noble and powerful creatur has it been« returned the
squatter who lookd down calmly on these fatal signs which so strangely
affected his wife »Here are the marks of the spot where he has struck his
hoofs into the earth in the deathstruggle and yonder he has plunged and torn
the ground with his horns Ay a buffaloe bull of wonderful strength and
courage has he been«
»And who has slain him« continued Esther »man where are the offals
wolves they devour not the hide Tell me ye men and hunters is this the
blood of a beast«
»The creatur has plunged over the hillock« said Abner who had proceeded a
short distance beyond the rest of the party »Ah there you will find it in yon
swale of alders Look a thousand carrion birds ar hovering above the
carcass«
»The animal has still life in him« returned the squatter »or the buzzards
would settle upon their prey By the action of the dogs it must be something
ravenous I reckon it is the white bear from the upper falls They are said to
cling desperately to life«
»Let us go back« said Abiram »there may be danger and there can be no
good in attacking a ravenous beast Remember Ishmael twill be a risky job
and one of small profit«
The young men smild at this new proof of the well known pusilanimity of
their uncle The oldest even proceeded so far as to express his contempt by
bluntly saying
»It will do to cage with the other animal we carry Then we may go back
doublehanded into the settlements and set up for showmen around the
courthouses and gaols of Kentuck«
The threatening frown which gathered on the brow of his father admonished
the young man to forbear Exchanging looks that were halfrebellious with his
brethren he saw fit to be silent But instead of observing the caution
recommended by Abiram they proceeded in a body until they again came to a
halt within a few yards of the matted cover of the thicket
The scene had now indeed become wild and striking enough to have
produced a powerful effect on minds better prepared than those of the unnurtured
family of the squatter to resist the impressions of so exciting a spectacle
The heavens were as usual at the season covered with dark driving clouds
beneath which interminable flocks of aquatic birds were again on the wing
holding their toilsome and heavy way towards the distant waters of the south
The wind had risen and was once more sweeping over the Prairie in gusts which
it was often vain to oppose and then again the blasts would seem to mount into
the upper air as if to sport with the drifting vapour whirling and rolling
vast masses of the dusky and ragged volumes over each other in a terrific and
yet grand disorder Above the little brake the flocks of birds still held
their flight circling with heavy wings about the spot struggling at times
against the torrent of wind and then favored by their position and height
making bold swoops upon the thicket away from which however they never faild
to sail screaming in terror as if apprised either by sight or instinct that
the hour of their voracious dominion had not yet fully arrived
Ishmael stood for many minutes with his wife and children clustered
together in an amazement with which awe was singularly mingled gazing in
deathlike stillness on the sight The voice of Esther at length broke the
charm and reminded the spectators of the necessity of resolving their doubts
in some manner more worthy of their manhood than by dull and inactive
observation
»Call in the dogs« she said »call in the hounds and put them into the
thicket There ar men enough of ye if ye have not lost the spirit with which
I know ye were born to tame the tempers of all the bears west of the big
river Call in the dogs I say you Enoch Abner Gabriel has wonder made ye
deaf«
One of the young men complied and having succeeded in detaching the hounds
from the place around which until then they had not ceased to hover he led
them down to the margin of the thicket
»Put them in boy Put them in« continued the woman »and you Ishmael and
Abiram if anything wicked or hurtful comes forth show them the use of your
rifles like frontiermen If ye ar wanting in spirit before the eyes of my
children will I put ye both to shame«
The youths who until now had detained the hounds let slip the thongs of
skin by which they had been held and urged them to the attack by their voices
But it would seem that the elder dog was restrained by some extraordinary
sensation, or that he was much too experienced to attempt the rash adventure
After proceeding a few yards to the very verge of the brake he made a sudden
pause and stood trembling in all his aged limbs apparently as unable to recede
as to advance The encouraging calls of the young men were disregarded or only
answered by a low and plaintive whining For a minute the pup also was
similarly affected but less sage or more easily excited he was induced at
length to leap forward and finally to dash into the cover An alarmed and
startling howl was heard and at the next minute he broke out of the thicket
and commenced circling the spot in the same wild and unsteady manner as before
»Have I a man among my children« demanded Esther »Give me a truer piece
than a childish shotgun and I will show ye what the courage of a frontier
woman can do«
»Stay mother« exclaimed Abner and Enoch »if you will see the creatur let
us drive it into view«
This was quite as much as the youths were accustomed to utter even on more
important occasions but having given a pledge of their intentions they were
far from being backward in redeeming it Preparing their arms with the utmost
care they advanced with steadiness to the brake Nerves less often tried than
those of the young borderers might have shrunk before the dangers of so
uncertain an undertaking As they proceeded the howls of the dogs became more
shrill and plaintive the vultures and buzzards settled so low as to flap the
bushes with their heavy wings and the wind came hoarsely sweeping along the
naked Prairie as if the spirits of the air had also descended to witness the
approaching developement
There was a breathless moment when the blood of the undaunted Esther
flowed backward to her heart as she saw her sons push aside the matted branches
of the thicket and bury themselves in its labyrinth A deep and solemn pause
succeeded Then arose two loud and piercing cries in quick succession which
were followed by a quiet still more awful and appalling
»Come back come back my children« cried the woman the feelings of a
mother getting the ascendancy
But her voice was hushed and every faculty seemd frozen with horror as
at that instant the bushes once more parted and the two adventurers
reappeared pale and nearly insensible themselves and laid at her feet the
stiff and motionless body of the lost Asa with the marks of a violent death but
too plainly stampd on every pallid lineament
The dogs uttered a long and closing howl and then breaking off together
they disappeared on the forsaken trail of the deer The flight of birds wheeled
upward into the heavens filling the air with their complaints at having been
robbed of a victim which frightful and disgusting as it was still bore too
much of the impression of humanity to become the prey of their obscene
appetites
Chapter XIII
»A pickaxe and a spade a spade
For and a shrouding sheet
O a pit of clay for to be made
For such a guest is meet«
Hamlet Vi9497
»Stand back stand off the whole of ye« said Esther hoarsely to the crowd
which pressd too closely on the corpse »I am his mother and my right is
better than that of ye all Who has done this Tell me Ishmael Abiram Abner
open your mouths and your hearts and let Gods truth and no other issue from
them Who has done this bloody deed«
Her husband made no reply but stood leaning on his rifle looking sadly
but with an unaltered eye at the mangled remains of his son Not so the mother
She threw herself on the earth and receiving the cold and ghastly head into her
lap she sat contemplating those muscular features on which the deathagony was
still horridly impressed in a silence far more expressive than any language of
lamentation could have proved
The voice of the woman was frozen in grief In vain Ishmael attempted a few
words of rude consolation she neither listened nor answered Her sons gathered
about her in a circle and expressed after their uncouth manner their sympathy
in her sorrows as well as their sense of their own loss but she motioned them
away impatiently with her hand At times her fingers playd in the matted
hair of the dead and at others they lightly attempted to smooth the painfully
expressive muscles of its ghastly visage as the hand of the mother is seen
lingering fondly about the features of her sleeping child Then starting from
their revolting office her hands would flutter around her and seem to seek
some fruitless remedy against the violent blow which had thus suddenly
destroyed the child in whom she had not only placd her greatest hopes but so
much of her maternal pride While engaged in the latter incomprehensible manner
the lethargic Abner turned aside and swallowing the unwonted emotions which
were rising in his own throat he observed
»Mother means that we should look for the signs that we may know in what
manner Asa has come by his end«
»We owe it to the accursed Siouxes« answered Ishmael »Twice have they put
me deeply in their debt The third time the score shall be cleared«
But not content with this plausible explanation and perhaps secretly glad
to avert their eyes from a spectacle which awakened so extraordinary and unusual
sensations in their sluggish bosoms the sons of the squatter turned away in a
body from their mother and the corpse and proceeded to make the enquiries
which they fancied the former had so repeatedly demanded Ishmael made no
objections but though he accompanied his children while they proceeded in the
investigation it was more with the appearance of complying with their wishes
at a time when resistance might not be seemly than with any visible interest in
the result As the borderers notwithstanding their usual dullness were well
instructed in most things connected with their habits of life an inquiry the
success of which depended so much on signs and evidences that bore so strong a
resemblance to a forest trail was likely to be conducted with skill and
acuteness Accordingly they proceeded to the melancholy task with great
readiness and intelligence
Abner and Enoch agreed in their accounts as to the position in which they
had found the body It was seated nearly upright the back supported by a mass
of matted brush and one hand still grasping a broken twig of the alders It
was most probably owing to the former circumstance that the body had escaped
the rapacity of the carrion birds which had been seen hovering above the
thicket and the latter provd that life had not yet entirely abandoned the
hapless victim when he entered the brake The opinion now became general that
the youth had received his death wound in the open Prairie and had dragged his
enfeebled form into the cover of the thicket for the purpose of concealment A
trail through the bushes confirmed this opinion It also appeared on
examination that a desperate struggle had taken place on the very margin of the
thicket This was sufficiently apparent by the trodden branches the deep
impressions on the moist ground and the lavish flow of blood
»He has been shot in the open ground and come here for a cover« said
Abiram »these marks would clearly prove it The boy has been set upon by the
savages in a body and has fout like a hero as he was until they have mastered
his strength and then drawn him to the bushes«
To this probable opinion there was now but one dissenting voice that of the
slowminded Ishmael who demanded that the corpse itself should be examined in
order to obtain a more accurate knowledge of its injuries On examination it
appeared that a rifle bullet had passed directly through the body of the
deceased entering beneath one of his brawny shoulders and making its exit by
the breast It required some knowledge in gunshot wounds to decide this
delicate point but the experience of the borderers was quite equal to the
scrutiny and a smile of wild and certainly of singular satisfaction passed
among the sons of Ishmael when Abner confidently announced that the enemies of
Asa had assailed him in the rear
»It must be so« said the gloomy but attentive squatter »He was of too good
a stock and too well trained knowingly to turn the weak side to man or beast
Remember boys that while the front of manhood is to your enemy let him be who
or what he may you ar safe from cowardly surprise Why Eester woman you ar
getting beside yourself with picking at the hair and the garments of the child
Little good can you do him now old girl«
»See« interrupted Enoch extricating from the fragments of cloth the morsel
of lead which had prostrated the strength of one so powerful »Here is the very
bullet«
Ishmael took it in his hand and eyed it long and closely
»Theres no mistake« at length he muttered through his compressed teeth
»It is from the pouch of that accursed trapper Like many of the hunters he has
a mark in his mould in order to know the work his rifle performs and here you
see it plainly six little holes laid crossways«
»Ill swear to it« cried Abiram triumphantly »he showd me his private
mark himself and boasted of the number of deer he had laid upon the Prairies
with these very bullets Now Ishmael will you believe me when I tell you the
old knave is a spy of the redskins«
The lead passd from the hand of one to that of another and unfortunately
for the reputation of the old man several among them remembered also to have
seen the aforesaid private bulletmark during the curious examination which all
had made of his accoutrements In addition to this wound however were many
others of a less dangerous nature all of which were deemed to confirm the
supposed guilt of the trapper
The traces of many different struggles were to be seen between the spot
where the first blood was spilt and the thicket to which it was now generally
believed Asa had retreated as a place of refuge These were interpreted into so
many proofs of the weakness of the murderer who would have sooner dispatched
his victim had not even the dying strength of the youth rendered him formidable
to the infirmities of one so old The danger of drawing some others of the
hunters to the spot by repeated firing was deemd a sufficient reason for not
again resorting to the rifle after it had performed the important duty of
disabling the victim The weapon of the dead man was not to be found and had
doubtless together with many other less valuable and lighter articles that he
was accustomed to carry about his person become a prize to his destroyer
But what in addition to the tell tale bullet appeared to fix the ruthless
deed with peculiar certainty on the trapper was the accumulated evidence
furnished by the trail which proved notwithstanding his deadly hurt that the
wounded man had still been able to make a long and desperate resistance to the
subsequent efforts of his murderer Ishmael seemed to press this proof with a
singular mixture of sorrow and pride sorrow at the loss of a son whom in
their moments of amity he highly valued and pride at the courage and power he
had manifested to his last and weakest breath
»He died as a son of mine should die« said the squatter gleaning a hollow
consolation from so unnatural an exultation »a dread to his enemy to the last
and without help from the law Come children we have the grave to make and
then to hunt his murderer«
The sons of the squatter set about their melancholy office in silence and in
sadness An excavation was made in the hard earth at a great expense of toil
and time and the body was wrapped in such spare vestments as could be collected
among the laborers When these arrangements were completed Ishmael approached
the seemingly unconscious Esther and announced his intention to inter the
dead She heard him and quietly relinquished her grasp of the corpse rising in
silence to follow it to its narrow resting place Here she seated herself
again at the head of the grave watching each movement of the youths with
eager and jealous eyes When a sufficiency of earth was laid upon the senseless
clay of Asa to protect it from injury Enoch and Abner entered the cavity and
trode it into a solid mass by the weight of their huge frames with an
appearance of a strange not to say savage mixture of care and indifference
This wellknown precaution was adopted to prevent the speedy exhumation of the
body by some of the carnivorous beasts of the Prairie whose instinct was sure
to guide them to the spot Even the rapacious birds appeared to comprehend the
nature of the ceremony for mysteriously apprised that the miserable victim was
now about to be abandoned by the human race they once more began to make their
airy circuits above the place screaming as if to frighten the kinsmen from
their labour of caution and love
Ishmael stood with folded arms steadily watching the manner in which this
necessary duty was performed and when the whole was completed he lifted his
cap to his sons to thank them for their services with a dignity that would
have become one much better nurtured Throughout the whole of a ceremony which
is ever solemn and admonitory the squatter had maintained a grave and serious
deportment His vast features were visibly stampd with an expression of deep
concern but at no time did they falter until he turned his back as he
believed forever on the grave of his firstborn Nature was then stirring
powerfully within him and the muscles of his stern visage began to work
perceptibly His children fastened their eyes on his as if to seek a direction
to the strange emotions which were moving their own heavy natures when the
struggle in the bosom of the squatter suddenly ceased and taking his wife by
the arm he raised her to her feet as if she had been an infant saying in a
voice that was perfectly steady though a nice observer would have discovered
that it was kinder than usual
»Eester we have now done all that man and woman can do We raised the boy
and made him such as few others were like on the frontiers of America and we
have given him a grave Let us go our way«
The woman turned her eyes slowly from the fresh earth and laying her hands
on the shoulders of her husband stood looking him anxiously in the eyes
»Ishmael Ishmael« she said »you parted from the boy in your wrath«
»May the Lord pardon his sins as freely as I have forgiven his worst
misdeeds« calmly returned the squatter »woman go you back to the rock and
read your bible a chapter in that book always does you good You can read
Eester which is a privilege I never did enjoy«
»Yes yes« muttered the woman yielding to his strength and suffering
herself to be led though with powerful reluctance from the spot »I can read
and how have I used the knowledge But he Ishmael he has not the sin of
wasted larning to answer for We have spared him that at least whether it be
in mercy or in cruelty I know not«
Her husband made no reply but continued steadily to lead her in the
direction of their temporary abode When they reached the summit of the swell of
land which they knew was the last spot from which the situation of the grave
of Asa could be seen they all turned as by common concurrence to take a
farewell view of the place The little mound itself was not visible but it was
frightfully indicated by the flock of screaming birds which hovered above In
the opposite direction a low blue hillock in the skirts of the horizon
pointed out the place where Esther had left the rest of her young and served
as an attraction to draw her reluctant steps from the last abode of her eldest
born Nature quickened in the bosom of the mother at the sight and she finally
yielded the rights of the dead to the more urgent claims of the living
The foregoing occurrences had struck a spark from the stern tempers of a set
of beings so singularly moulded in the habits of their uncultivated lives which
served to keep alive among them the dying embers of family affection United to
their parents by ties no stronger than those which use had created there had
been great danger as Ishmael had foreseen that the overloaded hive would
swarm and leave him saddled with the difficulties of a young and helpless
brood unsupported by the exertions of those whom he had already brought to a
state of maturity The spirit of insubordination which emanated from the
unfortunate Asa had spread among his juniors and the squatter had been made
painfully to remember the time when in the wantonness of his youth and vigor
he had reversing the order of the brutes cast off his own aged and failing
parents to enter into the world unshackled and free But the danger had now
abated for a time at least and if his authority was not restored with all its
former influence it was admitted to exist, and to maintain its ascendancy a
little longer
It is true that his slowminded sons even while they submitted to the
impressions of the recent event had glimmerings of terrible distrusts as to
the manner in which their elder brother had met with his death There were
faint and indistinct images in the minds of two or three of the oldest which
portrayed the father himself as ready to imitate the example of Abraham
without the justification of the sacred authority which commanded the holy man
to attempt the revolting office But then these images were so transient and
so much obscured in intellectual mists as to leave no very strong impressions
and the tendency of the whole transaction as we have already said was rather
to strengthen than to weaken the authority of Ishmael
In this disposition of mind the party continued their route towards the
place whence they had that morning issued on a search which had been crowned
with so melancholy a success The long and fruitless march which they had made
under the direction of Abiram the discovery of the body and its subsequent
interment had so far consumed the day that by the time their steps were
retraced across the broad tract of waste which lay between the grave of Asa and
the rock the sun had fallen far below his meridian altitude The hill had
gradually risen as they approached like some tower emerging from the bosom of
the sea and when within a mile the minuter objects that crowned its height
came dimly into view
»It will be a sad meeting for the girls« said Ishmael who from time to
time did not cease to utter something which he intended should be consolatory
to the bruised spirit of his partner »Asa was much regarded by all the young
and seldom failed to bring in from his hunts something that they lovd«
»He did he did« murmured Esther »the boy was the pride of the family My
other children are as nothing to him«
»Say not so good woman« returned the Father glancing his eye a little
proudly at the athletic train which followed at no great distance in their rear
»Say not so old Eester for few fathers and mothers have greater reason to be
boastful than ourselves«
»Thankful thankful« muttered the humbled woman »ye mean thankful
Ishmael«
»Then thankful let it be if you like the word better my good girl but
what has become of Nelly and the young The child has forgotten the charge I
gave her and has not only suffered the children to sleep but I warrant you is
dreaming of the fields of Tennessee at this very moment The mind of your niece
is mainly fixd on the settlements I reckon«
»Ay she is not for us I said it and thought it when I took her because
death had stripped her of all other friends Death is a sad worker in the bosom
of families Ishmael Asa had a kind feeling to the child and they might have
come one day into our places had things been so ordered«
»Nay she is not gifted for a frontier wife if this is the manner she is to
keep house while the husband is on the hunt Abner let off your rifle that
they may know we ar coming I fear Nelly and the young ar asleep«
The young man complied with an alacrity that manifested how gladly he would
see the rounded active figure of Ellen enliven the ragged summit of the rock
But the report was succeeded by neither signal nor answer of any sort For a
moment the whole party stood in suspense awaiting the result and then a
simultaneous impulse caused the whole to let off their pieces at the same
instant producing a noise which might not fail to reach the ears of all within
so short a distance
»Ah there they come at last« cried Abiram who was usually among the first
to seize on any circumstance which promised relief from disagreeable
apprehensions
»It is a petticoat fluttering on the line« said Esther »I put it there
myself«
»You ar right but now she comes The jade has been taking her comfort in
the tent«
»It is not so« said Ishmael whose usually inflexible features were
beginning to manifest the uneasiness he felt »It is the tent itself blowing
about loosely in the wind They have loosened the bottom like silly children
as they ar and unless care is had the whole will come down«
The words were scarcely uttered before a rushing blast of wind swept by
the spot where they stood raising the dust in little eddies in its progress
and then as if guided by a master hand it quitted the earth and mounted to
the precise spot on which all eyes were just then rivetted The loosened linen
felt its influence and tottered but regained its poise and for a moment it
became tranquil The cloud of leaves next playd in circling revolutions around
the place and then descended with the velocity of a swooping hawk and sailed
away into the Prairie in long straight lines, like a flight of swallows resting
on their expanded wings They were followed for some distance by the snowwhite
tent which however soon fell behind the rock leaving its highest peak as
naked as when it lay in the entire solitude of the desert
»The murderers have been here« moaned Esther »My babes my babes«
For a moment even Ishmael faltered before the weight of so unexpected a
blow But shaking himself like an awakened lion he sprang forward and pushing
aside the impediments of the barrier as if they had been feathers he rushed up
the ascent with an impetuosity which proved how formidable a sluggish nature
may become when thoroughly aroused
Chapter XIV
»Whose party do the townsmen yet admit«
King John IIi361
In order to preserve an even pace between the incidents of the tale it becomes
necessary to revert to such events as occurred during the ward of Ellen Wade
For the few first hours the cares of the honest and warm hearted girl were
confined to the simpler offices of satisfying the often repeated demands which
her younger associates made on her time and patience under the pretences of
hunger thirst and all the other ceaseless wants of captious and inconsiderate
childhood She had seized a moment from their importunities to steal into the
tent where she was administering to the comforts of one far more deserving of
her tenderness when an outcry among the children recalled her to the duties
she had momentarily forgotten
»See Nelly see« exclaimed half a dozen eager voices »yonder ar men and
Phoebe says that they ar Sioux Indians«
Ellen turned her eyes in the direction in which so many arms were already
extended and to her consternation beheld several men advancing manifestly and
swiftly in a straight line towards the rock She counted four but was unable to
make out any thing concerning their characters except that they were not any of
those who of right were entitled to admission into the fortress It was a
fearful moment for Ellen Looking around at the juvenile and frightened flock
that pressd upon the skirts of her garments she endeavored to recall to her
confused faculties some one of the many tales of female heroism with which the
history of the western frontier abounded In one a stockade had been
successfully defended by a single man supported by three or four women for days
against the assaults of a hundred enemies In another the women alone had been
able to protect the children and the less valuable effects of their absent
husbands and a third was not wanting in which a solitary female had destroyed
her sleeping captors and given liberty not only to herself but to a brood of
helpless young This was the case most nearly assimilated to the situation in
which Ellen now found herself and with flushing cheeks and kindling eyes the
girl began to consider and to prepare her slender means of defence
She posted the larger girls at the little levers that were to cast the
rocks on the assailants the smaller were to be used more for show than any
positive service they could perform while like any other leader she reserved
her own person as a superintendant and encourager of the whole When these
dispositions were made she endeavored to await the issue with an air of
composure that she intended should inspire her assistants with the confidence
necessary to insure success
Although Ellen was vastly their superior in that spirit which emanates from
moral qualities she was by no means the equal of the two eldest daughters of
Esther in the important military property of insensibility to danger Reared in
the hardihood of a migrating life on the skirts of society where they had
become familiarised to the sights and dangers of the wilderness these girls
promised fairly to become at some future day no less distinguished than their
mother for daring and for that singular mixture of good and evil which in a
wider sphere of action would probably have enabled the wife of the squatter to
enroll her name among the remarkable females of her time Esther had already
on one occasion made good the log tenement of Ishmael against an inroad of
savages and on another she had been left for dead by her enemies after a
defence that with a more civilized foe would have entitled her to the honours
of a liberal capitulation These facts and sundry others of a similar nature
had often been recapitulated with suitable exaltation in the presence of her
daughters and the bosoms of the young Amazons were now strangely fluctuating
between natural terror and the ambitious wish to do something that might render
them worthy of being the children of such a mother It appeared that the
opportunity for distinction of this wild character was no longer to be denied
them
The party of strangers was already within a hundred rods of the rock
Either consulting their usual wary method of advancing or admonished by the
threatening attitudes of two figures who had thrust forth the barrels of as
many old muskets from behind the stone entrenchment the new comers halted
under favor of an inequality in the ground where a growth of grass thicker than
common offered the advantage of concealment From this spot they reconnoitred
the fortress for several anxious and to Ellen interminable minutes Then one
advanced singly and apparently more in the character of a herald than of an
assailant
Phoebe do you fire and no Hetty you were beginning to be heard between
the half frightened and yet eager daughters of the squatter when Ellen probably
saved the advancing stranger from some imminent alarm if from no greater
danger by exclaiming
»Lay down the muskets tis Dr Battius«
Her subordinates so far complied as to withdraw their hands from the locks
though the threatening barrels still maintained the portentous levels The
Naturalist who had advanced with sufficient deliberation to note the smallest
hostile demonstration of the garrison now raised a white handkerchief on the
end of his fusee and came within speaking distance of the fortress Then
assuming what he intended should be an imposing and dignified semblance of
authority he blustered forth in a voice that might have been heard at a much
greater distance
»What ho I summon ye all in the name of the Confederacy of the United
Sovereign States of North America to submit yourselves to the laws.«
»Doctor or no Doctor he is an enemy Nelly hear him hear him he talks of
the law«
»Stop stay till I hear his answer« said the nearly breathless Ellen
pushing aside the dangerous weapons which were again pointed in the direction of
the shrinking person of the herald
»I admonish and forewarn ye all« continued the startled Doctor »that I am
a peaceful Citizen of the before named Confederacy or to speak with greater
accuracy Union a supporter of the Social Compact and a lover of good order
and amity« Then perceiving that the danger was at least temporarily removed
he once more raised his voice to the hostile pitch »I charge ye all therefore
to submit to the laws.«
»I thought you were a friend« Ellen replied »and that you travelled with
my uncle in virtue of an agreement «
»It is void I have been deceived in the very premises and I hereby
pronounce a certain compactum entered into and concluded between Ishmael Bush
squatter and Obed Battius MD to be incontinently null and of noneffect Nay
children to be null is merely a negative property and is fraught with no evil
to thy worthy parent so lay aside the fire arms and listen to the admonitions
of reason. I declare it vicious null abrogated As for thee Nelly my
feelings towards thee are not at all given to hostility therefore listen to
that which I have to utter nor turn away thine ears in the wantonness of
security Thou knowest the character of the man with whom thou dwellest young
woman and thou also knowest the danger of being found in evil company Abandon
then the trifling advantages of thy situation and yield the rock peacably to
the will of those who accompany me a legion young woman I do assure you an
invincible and powerful legion Render therefore the effects of this lawless
and wicked squatter nay children such disregard of human life is frightful
in those who have so recently received the gift in their own persons point
those dangerous weapons aside I entreat of you more for your own sakes than
for mine Hetty hast thou forgotten who appeased thine anguish when thy
auricular nerves were tortured by the colds and damps of the naked earth and
thou Phoebe ungrateful and forgetful Phoebe but for this very arm which you
would prostrate with an endless paralysis thine incisores would still be giving
thee pain and sorrow Lay then aside thy weapons and hearken to the advice of
one who has always been thy friend And now young woman« still keeping a
jealous eye on the muskets which the girl had suffered to be diverted a little
from their aim »And now young woman for the last and therefore the most
solemn asking I demand of thee the surrender of this rock without delay or
resistance in the joint names of Power of justice and of the « Law he would
have added but recollecting that this ominous word would again provoke the
hostility of the squatters children he succeeded in swallowing it in good
season and concluded with the less dangerous and more convertible term of
Reason.
This extraordinary summons failed however of producing the desired effect
It proved utterly unintelligible to his younger listeners with the exception of
the few offensive terms already sufficiently distinguished and though Ellen
better comprehended the meaning of the herald she appeared as little moved by
his rhetoric as her companions At those passages which he intended should be
tender and affecting the intelligent girl though tortured by painful feelings
had even manifested a disposition to laugh while to the threats she turned an
utterly insensible ear
»I know not the meaning of all you wish to say Dr Battius« she quietly
replied when he had ended »but I am sure if it would teach me to betray my
trust it is what I ought not to hear I caution you to attempt no violence for
let my wishes be what they may you see I am surrounded by a force that can
easily put me down and you know or ought to know too well the temper of this
family to trifle in such a matter with any of its members let them be of what
sex or age they may«
»I am not entirely ignorant of human character« returned the Naturalist
prudently receding a little from the position which he had until now stoutly
maintained at the very base of the hill »But here comes one who may know its
secret windings still better than I«
»Ellen Ellen Wade« cried Paul Hover who had advanced to his elbow
without betraying any of that sensitiveness which had so manifestly discomposed
the Doctor »I didnt expect to find an enemy in you«
»Nor shall you when you ask that which I can grant without treachery You
know that my uncle has trusted his family to my care and shall I so far betray
the trust as to let in his bitterest enemies to murder his children perhaps
and to rob him of the little which the Indians have left«
»Am I a murderer is this old man this Officer of the States« pointing to
the trapper and his newly discovered friend both of whom by this time stood at
his side »is either of them likely to do the things you name«
»What is it then you ask of me« said Ellen wringing her hands in
excessive doubt
»The beast nothing more nor less than the squatters hidden ravenous
dangerous beast«
»Excellent young woman« commenced the young stranger who had so lately
joined himself to the party on the Prairie but his mouth was immediately
stopped by a significant sign from the trapper who whispered in his ear
»Let the lad be our spokesman Natur will work in the bosom of the child
and we shall gain our object in good time«
»The whole truth is out Ellen« Paul continued »and we have lined the
squatter into his most secret misdoings We have come to right the wronged and
to free the imprisoned now if you are the girl of a true heart as I have
always believed so far from throwing straws in our way you will join in the
general swarming and leave old Ishmael and his hive to the bees of his own
breed«
»I have sworn a solemn oath «
»A compactum which is entered into through ignorance or in duresse is null
in the sight of all good moralists« cried the Doctor
»Hush hush« again the trapper whispered »leave it all to natur and the
lad«
»I have sworn in the sight and by the name of him who is the founder and
ruler of all that is good whether it be in morals or in religion« Ellen
continued »neither to reveal the contents of that tent nor to help its
prisoner to escape We are both solemnly terribly sworn our lives perhaps have
been the gift we received for the promises It is true you are masters of the
secret but not through any means of ours nor do I know that I can justify
myself for even being neutral while you attempt to invade the dwelling of my
uncle in this hostile manner«
»I can prove beyond the power of refutation« the Naturalist eagerly
exclaimed »by Payley Berkeley ay even by the immortal Binkerschoef that a
compactum concluded while one of the parties be it a state or be it an
individual is in durence «
»You will ruffle the temper of the child with your abusive language« said
the cautious trapper »while the lad if left to human feelings will bring her
down to the meekness of a fawn Ah you are like myself little knowing in the
natur of hidden kindnesses«
»Is this the only vow you have taken Ellen« Paul continued in a tone
which for the gay lighthearted beehunter sounded dolorous and reproachful
»Have you sworn only to this are the words which the squatter says to be as
honey in your mouth and all other promises like so much useless comb«
The paleness which had taken possession of the usually cheerful countenance
of Ellen was hid in a bright glow that was plainly visible even at the
distance at which she stood She hesitated a moment as if struggling to repress
something very like resentment before she answered with all her native spirit
»I know not what right any one has to question me about oaths and promises
which can only concern her who has made them if indeed any of the sort you
mention have ever been made at all I shall hold no further discourse with one
who thinks so much of himself and takes advice merely of his own feelings«
»Now old trapper do you hear that« said the unsophisticated beehunter
turning abruptly to his aged friend »The meanest insect that skims the heavens
when it has got its load flies straight and honestly to its nest or hive
according to its kind but the ways of a womans mind are as knotty as a
gnarled oak and more crooked than the windings of the Mississippi«
»Nay nay child« said the trapper good naturedly interfering in behalf of
the offending Paul »you are to consider that youth is hasty and not overgiven
to thought But then a promise is a promise and not to be thrown aside and
forgotten like the hoofs and horns of a buffaloe«
»I thank you for reminding me of my oath« said the still resentful Ellen
biting her pretty nether lip with vexation »I might else have proved
forgetful«
»Ah female natur is awakened in her« said the old man shaking his head in
a manner to show how much he was disappointed in the result »but it manifests
itself against the true spirit«
»Ellen« cried the young stranger who until now had been an attentive
listener to the parly »since Ellen is the name by which you are known «
»They often add to it another I am sometimes called by the name of my
father«
»Call her Nelly Wade at once« muttered Paul »It is her rightful name and
I care not if she keeps it forever«
»Wade I should have added« continued the youth »you will acknowledge
that though bound by no oath myself I at least have known how to respect
those of others You are a witness yourself that I have foreborn to utter a
single call while I am certain it could reach those ears it would gladden so
much Permit me then to ascend the rock singly I promise a perfect indemnity
to your kinsman against any injury his effects may sustain«
Ellen seemd to hesitate but catching a glimpse of Paul who stood leaning
proudly on his rifle whistling with an appearance of the utmost indifference
the air of a boating song she recovered her recollection in time to answer
»I have been left the Captain of the rock while my uncle and his sons
hunt and Captain will I remain till he returns to receive back the charge«
»This is wasting moments that will not soon return and neglecting an
opportunity that may never occur again« the young soldier gravely remarked
»The sun is beginning to fall already and many minutes cannot elapse before
the squatter and his savage brood will be returning to their huts«
Doctor Battius cast a glance behind him and took up the discourse by
saying
»Perfection is always found in maturity whether it be in the Animal or in
the Intellectual world Reflection is the mother of wisdom and wisdom the
Parent of success I propose that we retire to a discreet distance from this
impregnable position and there hold a convocation or council to deliberate in
what manner we may sit down regularly before the place or perhaps by
postponing the siege to another season gain the aid of auxiliaries from the
inhabited countries and thus secure the dignity of the laws, from any danger of
a repulse«
»A storm would be better« the soldier smilingly answered measuring the
height and scanning all its difficulties with a deliberate eye »twould be but
a broken arm or a bruised head at the worst«
»Then have at it« shouted the impetuous beehunter making a spring that at
once put him out of danger from shot by carrying him beneath the projecting
ledge on which the garrison was posted »Now do your worst young devils of a
wicked breed you have but a moment to work your mischief in«
»Paul rash Paul« shrieked Ellen »another step and these rocks will crush
you they hang but by a thread and the girls are ready and willing to let them
fall«
»Then drive the accursed swarm from the hive for scale the rock I will
though I find it covered with hornets«
»Let her if she dare« tauntingly cried the eldest of the girls brandishing
a musket with a mien and resolution that would have done credit to her
Amazonian dam »I know you Nelly Wade you are with the lawyers in your heart
and if you come a foot nigher you shall have frontier punishment Put in
another pry girls in with it I should like to see the man of them all that
dare come up into the camp of Ishmael Bush without asking leave of his
children«
»Stir not Paul for your life keep beneath the rock «
Ellen was interrupted by the same bright vision which on the preceding day
had stayd another scarcely less portentous tumult by exhibiting itself on the
same giddy height where it was now seen
»In the name of him who commandeth all I implore you to pause both you
who so madly incur the risk and you who so rashly offer to take that which you
never can return« said a voice in a slightly foreign accent that instantly
drew all eyes upward
»Inez« cried the Officer »Do I again see you mine shall you now be
though a million devils were posted on this rock Push up brave woodsman and
give room for another«
The sudden appearance of the figure from the tent had created a momentary
stupor among the defendants of the rock which might with suitable
forbearance have been happily improved but startled by the voice of Middleton
the surprised Phoebe discharged her musket at the female scarcely knowing
whether she aimed at the life of a mortal or at some being which belonged to
another world Ellen uttered a cry of horror and darted after her alarmed or
wounded friend she knew not which into the tent
During this moment of dangerous byeplay the sounds of a serious attack
were very distinctly audible beneath Paul had profited by the commotion over
his head to change his place so far as to make room for Middleton The latter
was followed by the naturalist who in a state of mental aberration produced by
the report of the musket had instinctively rushed towards the rocks for cover
The trapper remained where he was last seen an unmoved but close observer of
the several proceedings Though averse to enter into actual hostilities the old
man was however far from being useless Favored by his position he was
enabled to apprise his friends of the movements of those who plotted their
destruction above and to advise and control their advance accordingly
In the mean time the children of Esther were true to the spirit they had
inherited from their redoubtable mother The instant they found themselves
relieved from the presence of Ellen and her unknown companion they bestowed an
undivided attention on their more masculine and certainly more dangerous
assailants who by this time had made a complete lodgement among the crags of
their citadel The repeated summons to surrender which Paul uttered in a voice
that he intended should strike terror in their young bosoms were as little
heeded as were the calls of the trapper to abandon a resistance which might
prove fatal to some among them without offering the smallest probability of
eventual success Encouraging each other to persevere they poised the fragments
of rocks prepared the lighter missiles for immediate service and thrust
forward the barrels of the muskets with a business like air and a coolness
that would have done credit to men long practised in warfare
»Keep under the ledge« said the trapper pointing out to Paul the manner in
which he should proceed »keep in your foot more lad ah you see the warning
was not amiss had the stone struck it the bees would have had the Prairies to
themselves Now namesake of my Friend Uncas in name and spirit now if you
have the activity of le Cerf Agile you may make a far leap to the right and
gain a good twenty feet without danger Beware the bush Beware the bush
twill prove a treacherous hold Ah he has done it safely and bravely has he
done it Your turn comes next friend that follows the fruits of natur Push you
to the left and divide the attention of the children Nay girls fire My old
ears are used to the whistling of lead and little reason have I to prove a
doeheart with fourscore years on my back« He shook his head with a melancholy
smile but without flinching in a muscle as the bullet which the exasperated
Hetty fired passed innocently at no great distance from the spot where he
stood »It is safer keeping in your track than dodging when a weak finger pulls
the trigger« he continued »but it is a solemn sight to witness how much human
natur is inclined to evil in one so young Well done my man of beasts and
plants Another such leap and you may laugh at all the squatters bars and
walls The Doctor has got his temper up I see it in his eye and something good
will come of him keep closer man keep closer«
The trapper though he was not deceived as to the state of Doctor Battius
mind was however greatly in error as to the exciting cause While imitating
the movements of his companions and toiling his way upward with the utmost
caution and not without great inward tribulation the eye of the Naturalist had
caught a glimpse of an unknown plant a few yards above his head and in a
situation more than commonly exposed to the missiles which the girls were
unceasingly hurling in the direction of the assailants Forgetting in an
instant every thing but the glory of being the first to give this jewel to the
catalogues of science, he sprang upward at the prize with the avidity with
which the sparrow darts upon the butterfly The rock which instantly came
thundering down announced that he was seen and for a moment while his form
was concealed in the cloud of dust and fragments which followed the furious
descent the trapper gave him up for lost At the next instant he was seen
safely seated in a cavity formed by some of the projecting stones which had
yielded to the shock holding triumphantly in his hand the captured stem
which he was already devouring with delighted and certainly not unskillful
eyes Paul profited by the opportunity Turning his course with the quickness
of thought he sprang to the post which Obed thus securely occupied and
unceremoniously making a footstool of his shoulder as the latter stooped over
his treasure he bounded through the breach left by the fallen rock and gained
the level He was followed by Middleton who joined him in seizing and disarming
the girls In this manner a bloodless and complete victory was obtained over
that citadel which Ishmael had vainly flattered himself might prove
impregnable
Chapter XV
»So smile the heavens upon this holy act
That afterhours with sorrow chide us not«
Romeo and Juliet IIvi12
It is proper that the course of the narrative should be staied while we revert
to those causes, which have brought in their train of consequences the singular
contest just related The interruption must necessarily be as brief as we
hope it may prove satisfactory to that class of readers who require that no gap
should be left by those who assume the office of historians for their own
fertile imaginations to fill
Among the troops sent by the Government of the United States to take
possession of its newly acquired territory in the west was a detachment led by
the young soldier who has become so busy an actor in the scenes of our Legend
The mild and indolent descendants of the Ancient Colonists received their new
compatriots without distrust well knowing that the transfer raised them from
the condition of subjects to the more enviable distinction of citizens in a
Government of Laws. The new rulers exercised their functions with discretion
and wielded their delegated authority without offence In such a novel
intermixture however of men born and nurtured in freedom and the compliant
minions of absolute power the catholic and the protestant the active and the
indolent some little time was necessary to blend the discrepant elements of
society In attaining so desirable an end woman was made to perform her
accustomed and grateful office The barriers of Prejudice and religion were
broken through by the irresistible power of the Master Passion and family
unions ere long began to cement the political tie which had made a forced
conjunction between people so opposite in their habits their educations and
their opinions
Middleton was among the first of the new possessors of the soil who became
captive to the charms of a Louisianian Lady In the immediate vicinity of the
post he had been directed to occupy dwelt the chief of one of those ancient
colonial families which had been content to slumber for ages amid the ease
indolence and wealth of the spanish provinces He was an officer of the crown
and had been induced to remove from the Floridas among the French of the
adjoining province by a rich succession of which he had become the inheritor
The name of Don Augustin de Certavallos was scarcely known beyond the limits of
the little town in which he resided though he found a secret pleasure himself
in pointing it out in large scrolls of musty documents to an only child as
enrolled among the former heroes and grandees of old and of New Spain This
fact so important to himself and of so little moment to any body else was the
principal reason that while his more vivacious Gallic neighbors were not slow
to open a frank communion with their visiters he chose to keep aloof seemingly
content with the society of his daughter who was a girl just emerging from the
condition of childhood into that of a woman
The curiosity of the youthful Inez however was not so inactive She had
not heard the martial music of the garrison melting on the evening air nor
seen the strange banner which fluttered over the height that rose at no great
distance from her Fathers extensive grounds without experiencing some of those
secret impulses which are thought to distinguish the sex Natural timidity and
that retiring and perhaps peculiar lassitude which forms the very ground work of
female fascination in the tropical Provinces of Spain held her in their
seemingly indissoluble bonds and it is more than probable that had not an
accident occurred in which Middleton was of some personal service to her
father so long a time would have elapsed before they met that another
direction might have been given to the wishes of one who was just of an age to
be alive to all the power of youth and beauty
Providence or if that imposing word is too just to be classical Fate had
otherwise decreed The haughty and reserved Don Augustin was by far too
observant of the forms of that station on which he so much valued himself to
forget the duties of a gentleman Gratitude for the kindness of Middleton
induced him to open his doors to the Officers of the Garrison and to admit of a
guarded but polite intercourse Reserve gradually gave way before the propriety
and candor of their spirited young leader and it was not long ere the affluent
Planter rejoiced as much as his daughter whenever the well known signal at the
gate announced one of these agreeable visits from the commander of the post
It is unnecessary to dwell on the impression which the charms of Inez
produced on the soldier or to delay the tale in order to write a wiredrawn
account of the progressive influence that elegance of deportment manly beauty
and undivided assiduity and intelligence were likely to produce on the
sensitive mind of a romantic warmhearted and secluded girl of sixteen It is
sufficient for our purpose to say that they lovd that the youth was not
backward to declare his feelings that he prevailed with some facility over the
scruples of the maiden and with no little difficulty over the objections of her
father and that before the Province of Louisiana had been six months in the
possession of the States the officer of the latter was the affianced husband
of the richest heiress on the banks of the Mississippi
Although we have presumed the reader to be acquainted with the manner in
which such results are commonly attained it is not to be supposed that the
triumph of Middleton either over the prejudices of the father or over those of
the daughter was achieved without difficulty Religion formed a stubborn and
nearly irremovable obstacle with both The devoted young man patiently
submitted to a formidable essay which Father Ignatius was deputed to make in
order to convert him to the true faith The effort on the part of the worthy
priest was systematic vigorous and long sustained A dozen times it was at
those moments when glimpses of the light sylph like form of Inez flitted like
some fairy being past the scene of their conferences the good Father fancied he
was on the eve of a glorious triumph over infidelity but all his hopes were
frustrated by some unlookd for opposition on the part of the subject of his
pious labors So long as the assault on his faith was distant and feeble
Middleton who was no great proficient in Polemics submitted to its effects
with the patience and humility of a martyr but the moment the good father who
felt such concern in his future happiness was tempted to improve his vantage
ground by calling in the aid of some of the peculiar subtilties of his own
creed the young man was too good a soldier not to make head against the hot
attack He came to the contest it is true with no weapons more formidable than
common sense and some little knowledge of the habits of his country as
contrasted with that of his adversary but with these homebred implements he
never failed to repulse the father with something of the power with which a
nervous cudgel player would deal with a skilful master of the rapier setting at
naught his passados by the direct and unanswerable arguments of a broken head
and a shivered weapon
Before the controversy was terminated an inroad of Protestants had come to
aid the soldier The reckless freedom of such among them as thought only of
this life and the consistent and tempered piety of others caused the honest
priest to look about him in concern The influence of example on one hand and
the contamination of too free an intercourse on the other began to manifest
themselves even in that portion of his own flock which he had supposed to be
too thoroughly folded in spiritual government ever to stray It was time to turn
his thoughts from the offensive and to prepare his followers to resist the
lawless deluge of opinion which threatened to break down the barriers of their
faith Like a wise commander who finds he has occupied too much ground for the
amount of his force he began to curtail his outworks The relics were
concealed from profane eyes his people were admonished not to speak of miracles
before a race that not only denied their existence but who had even the
desperate hardihood to challenge their proofs and even the bible itself was
prohibited with terrible denunciations for the triumphant reason that it was
liable to be misinterpreted
In the mean time it became necessary to report to Don Augustin the effects
his arguments and prayers had produced on the heretical disposition of the young
soldier No man is prone to confess his weakness at the very moment when
circumstances demand the utmost efforts of his strength By a species of pious
fraud for which no doubt the worthy Priest found his absolution in the purity
of his motives he declared that while no positive change was actually wrought
in the mind of Middleton there was every reason to hope the entering wedge of
argument had been driven to its head and that in consequence an opening was
left through which it might rationally be hoped the blessed seeds of a
religious fructification would find their way especially if the subject was
left uninterruptedly to enjoy the advantage of catholic communion
Don Augustin himself was now seized with the desire of proselyting Even
the soft and amiable Inez thought it would be a glorious consummation of her
wishes to be a humble instrument of bringing her lover into the bosom of the
true church The offers of Middleton were promptly accepted and while the
father looked forward impatiently to the day assigned for the nuptials as to
the pledge of his own success the daughter thought of it with feelings in which
the holy emotions of her faith were blended with the softer sensations of her
years and situation
The sun rose the morning of her nuptials on a day so bright and cloudless
that Inez hailed it as a harbinger of future happiness Father Ignatius
performed the offices of the church in a little chapel attached to the estate
of Don Augustin and long ere the sun had begun to fall Middleton pressed the
blushing and timid young creole to his bosom his acknowledged and unalienable
wife It had pleased the parties to pass the day of the wedding in retirement
dedicating it solely to the best and purest affections aloof from the noisy and
heartless rejoicings of a compelled festivity
Middleton was returning through the grounds of Don Augustin from a visit of
duty to his encampment at that hour in which the light of the sun begins to
melt into the shadows of evening when a glimpse of a robe similar to that in
which Inez had accompanied him to the altar caught his eye through the foliage
of a retired arbour He approached the spot with a delicacy that was rather
increased than diminished by the claim she had perhaps given him to intrude on
her private moments but the sounds of her soft voice which was offering up
prayers in which he heard himself named by the dearest of all appellations
overcame his scruples and induced him to take a position where he might listen
without the fear of detection It was certainly grateful to the feelings of a
husband to be able in this manner to lay bare the spotless soul of his wife
and to find that his own image lay enshrined amid its purest and holiest
aspirations His self esteem was too much flattered not to induce him to
overlook the immediate object of the petitioner While she prayed that she
might become the humble instrument of bringing him into the flock of the
faithful she petitioned for forgiveness on her own behalf if presumption or
indifference to the counsel of the church had caused her to set too high a
value on her influence and led her into the dangerous error of hazarding her
own soul by espousing a heretic There was so much of fervent piety mingled
with so strong a burst of natural feeling so much of the woman blended with the
angel in her prayers that Middleton could have forgiven her had she termed
him a pagan for the sweetness and interest with which she petitioned in his
favor
The young man waited until his bride arose from her knees and then he
joined her as if entirely ignorant of what had occurred
»It is getting late my Inez« he said »and Don Augustin would be apt to
reproach you with inattention to your health in being abroad at such an hour
What then am I to do who am charged with all his authority and twice his love«
»Be like him in every thing« she answered looking up in his face with
tears in her eyes and speaking with emphasis »in every thing Imitate my
father Middleton and I can ask no more of you«
»Nor for me Inez I doubt not that I should be all you can wish were I to
become as good as the worthy and respectable Don Augustin But you are to make
some allowances for the infirmities and habits of a soldier Now let us go and
join this excellent father«
»Not yet« said his bride gently extricating herself from the arm that he
had thrown around her slight form while he urged her from the place »I have
still another duty to perform before I can submit so implicitly to your
orders soldier though you are I promised the worthy Inesella my faithful
nurse she who as you heard has so long been a mother to me Middleton I
promised her a visit at this hour It is the last as she thinks that she can
receive from her own child and I cannot disappoint her Go you then to Don
Augustin in one short hour I will rejoin you«
»Remember it is but an hour«
»One hour« repeated Inez as she kissed her hand to him and then blushing
ashamed at her own boldness she darted from the arbor and was seen for an
instant gliding toward the cottage of her nurse in which at the next moment
she disappeared
Middleton returned slowly and thoughtfully to the house often bending his
eyes in the direction in which he had last seen his wife as if he would fain
trace her lovely form in the gloom of the evening still floating through the
vacant space Don Augustin received him with warmth and for many minutes his
mind was amused by relating to his new kinsman plans for the future The
exclusive old Spaniard listened to his glowing but true account of the
prosperity and happiness of those States, of which he had been an ignorant
neighbor half his life partly in wonder and partly with that sort of
incredulity with which one attends to what he fancies are the exaggerated
descriptions of a too partial friendship
In this manner the hour for which Inez had conditioned passd away much
sooner than her husband could have thought possible in her absence At length
his looks began to wander to the clock and then the minutes were counted as
one rolld by after another and Inez did not appear The hand had already made
half of another circuit around the face of the dial when Middleton arose and
announced his determination to go and offer himself as an escort to the
absentee He found the night dark and the heavens charged with threatening
vapor which in that climate was the infallible forerunner of a gust
Stimulated no less by the unpropitious aspect of the skies than by his secret
uneasiness he quickened his pace making long and rapid strides in the
direction of the cottage of Inesella Twenty times he stoppd fancying that he
caught glimpses of the fairy form of Inez tripping across the grounds on her
return to the mansionhouse and as often he was obliged to resume his course
in disappointment He reached the gate of the cottage knocked opened the door
entered and even stood in the presence of the aged nurse without meeting the
person of her he sought She had already left the place and had returned to
her fathers house Believing that he must have passed her in the darkness
Middleton retraced his steps to meet with another disappointment Inez had not
been seen Without communicating his intention to any one the bridegroom
proceeded with a palpitating heart to the little sequestered arbor where he had
overheard his bride offering up those petitions for his happiness and
conversion Here too he was disappointed and then all was afloat in the
painful incertitude of doubt and conjecture
For many hours a secret distrust of the motives of his wife caused
Middleton to proceed in the search with delicacy and caution But as day dawned
without restoring her to the arms of her father or her husband reserve was
thrown aside and her unaccountable absence was loudly proclaimed The inquiries
after the lost Inez were now direct and open but they provd equally fruitless
No one had seen her or heard of her from the moment that she left the cottage
of her nurse
Day succeeded day and still no tidings rewarded the search that was
immediately instituted until she was finally given over by most of her
relatives and friends as irretrievably lost
An event of so extraordinary a character was not likely to be soon
forgotten It excited speculation gave rise to an infinity of rumours and not
a few inventions The prevalent opinion among such of those emigrants who were
overrunning the country as had time in the multitude of their employments to
think of any foreign concerns was the simple and direct conclusion that the
absent bride was no more nor less than a felo de se Father Ignatius had many
doubts and much secret compunction of conscience but like a wise chief he
endeavored to turn the sad event to some account in the impending warfare of
faith Changing his battery he whispered in the ears of a few of his oldest
parishioners that he had been deceived in the state of Middletons mind which
he was now compelled to believe was completely stranded on the quicksands of
heresy He began to show his relicks again and was even heard to allude once
more to the delicate and nearly forgotten subject of modern miracles In
consequence of these demonstrations on the part of the venerable priest it
came to be whispered among the faithful and finally it was adopted as part of
the parish creed that Inez had been translated to heaven
Don Augustin had all the feelings of a Father but they were smothered in
the lassitude of a Creole Like his spiritual governor he began to think that
they had been wrong in consigning one so pure so young so lovely and above
all so pious to the arms of a heretic and he was fain to believe that the
calamity which had befallen his age was a judgment on his presumption and want
of adherence to established forms It is true that as the whispers of the
congregation came to his ears he found present consolation in their belief but
then nature was too powerful and had too strong a hold of the old mans heart
not to give rise to the rebellious thought that the succession of his daughter
to the heavenly inheritance was a little premature
But Middleton the lover the husband the bridegroom Middleton was nearly
crushed by the weight of the unexpected and terrible blow Educated himself
under the dominion of a simple and rational faith in which nothing is attempted
to be concealed from the believers he could have no other apprehensions for the
fate of Inez than such as grew out of his knowledge of the superstitious
opinions she entertained of his own church It is needless to dwell on the
mental tortures that he endured or all the various surmises hopes and
disappointments that he was fated to experience in the first few weeks of his
misery A jealous distrust of the motives of Inez and a secret lingering hope
that he should yet find her had tempered his enquiries without however
causing him to abandon them entirely But time was beginning to deprive him
even of the mortifying reflection that he was intentionally though perhaps
temporarily deserted and he was gradually yielding to the more painful
conviction that she was dead when his hopes were suddenly revived in a new and
singular manner
The young commander was slowly and sorrowfully returning from an evening
parade of his troops to his own quarters which stood at some little distance
from the place of the encampment and on the same high bluff of land when his
vacant eyes fell on the figure of a man who by the regulations of the place
was not entitled to be there at that forbidden hour The stranger was meanly
dressd with every appearance about his person and countenance of squalid
poverty and of the most dissolute habits Sorrow had softened the military pride
of Middleton and as he passed the crouching form of the intruder he said in
tones of great mildness or rather of kindness
»You will be given a night in the guard house friend should the patrole
find you here Here is a dollar go and get a better place to sleep in and
something to eat«
»I swallow all my food Captain without chewing« returned the vagabond
with the low exultation of an accomplished villain as he eagerly seized the
silver »Make this Mexican twenty and I will sell you a secret«
»Go go« said the other with a little of a soldiers severity returning
to his manner »Go before I order the guard to seize you«
»Well go I will But if I do go captain I shall take my knowledge with
me and then you may live a widower bewitched till the tatoo of life is beat
off«
»What mean you fellow« exclaimed Middleton turning quickly toward the
wretch who was already dragging his diseased limbs from the place
»I mean to have the value of this dollar in Spanish Brandy and then come
back and sell you my secret for enough to buy a barrel«
»If you have any thing to say speak now« continued Middleton restraining
with difficulty the impatience that urged him to betray his feeling
»I am a dry and I can never talk with elegance when my throat is husky
captain How much will you give to know what I can tell you let it be
something handsome such as one gentleman can offer to another«
»I believe it would be better justice to order the drummer to pay you a
visit fellow To what does your boasted secret relate«
»Matrimony A wife and no wife a pretty face and a rich bride do I speak
plain now captain«
»If you know any thing relating to my wife say it at once you need not
fear for your reward«
»Ay Captain I have drove many a bargain in my time and sometimes I have
been paid in money and sometimes I have been paid in promises Now the last
are what I call pinching food«
»Name your price«
»Twenty no damnit its worth thirty dollars if its worth a cent«
»Here then is your money but remember if you tell me nothing worth
knowing I have a force that can easily deprive you of it again and punish
your insolence in the bargain«
The fellow examined the bankbills he received with a jealous eye and then
pocketted them apparently well satisfied of their being genuine
»I like a northern note« he said very coolly »they have a charcatur to
lose like myself No fear of me captain I am a man of honour and I shall not
tell you a word more nor a word less than I know of my own knowledge to be
true«
»Proceed then without further delay or I may repent and order you to be
deprived of all your gains the silver as well as the notes«
»Honor if you die for it« returned the miscreant holding up a hand in
affected horror at so treacherous a threat »Well Captain you must know that
gentlemen dont all live by the same calling some keep what theyve got and
some get what they can«
»You have been a thief«
»I scorn the word I have been a humanityhunter Do you know what that
means ay it has many interpretations Some people think the woollyheads are
miserable working on hot plantations under a broiling sun and all such sorts
of inconveniences Well captain I have been in my time a man who has been
willing to give them the pleasures of variety at least by changing the scene
for them You understand me«
»You are in plain language a kidnapper«
»Have been my worthy Captain have been but just now a little reduced
like a merchant who leaves off selling tobacco by the hogshead to deal in it by
the yard I have been a soldier too in my day What is said to be the great
secret of our trade can you tell me that«
»I know not« said Middleton beginning to tire of the fellows trifling
»courage«
»No legs legs to fight with and legs to run away with And therein you
see my two callings agreed My legs are none of the best just now and without
legs a kidnapper would carry on a losing trade But then there are men enough
left better provided than I am«
»Stolen« groaned the horror struck husband
»On her travels as sure as you are standing still«
»Villain what reason have you for believing a thing so shocking«
»Hands off hands off do you think my tongue can do its work the better
for a little squeezing of the throat Have patience and you shall know it all
but if you treat me so ungenteelly again I shall be obliged to call in the
assistance of the Lawyers«
»Say on but if you utter a single word more or less than the truth expect
instant vengeance«
»Are you fool enough to believe what such a scoundrel as I am tells you
captain unless it has probability to back it I know you are not therefore I
will give my facts and my opinions and then leave you to chew on them while I
go and drink of your generosity I know a man who is called Abiram White I
believe the knave took that name to show his enmity to the race of blacks But
this gentleman is now and has been for years to my certain knowledge a
regular translator of the human body from one State to another I have dealt
with him in my time and a cheating dog he is No more honor in him than meat
in my stomach I saw him here in this very town the day of your wedding He
was in company with his wifes brother and pretended to be a settler on the
hunt for new land A noble set they were to carry on business seven sons
each of them as tall as your sergeant with his cap on Well the moment I heard
that your wife was lost I saw at once that Abiram had laid his hands on her«
»Do you know this can this be true What reason have you to fancy a thing
so wild«
»Reason enough I know Abiram White Now will you add a trifle just to keep
my throat from parching«
»Go go you are stupified with drink already miserable man and know not
what you say Go go and beware the drummer«
»Experience is a good guide« the fellow calld after the retiring
Middleton and then turning with a chuckling laugh like one well satisfied with
himself he made the best of his way towards the shop of the suttler
A hundred times in the course of that night did Middleton fancy that the
communication of the miscreant was entitled to some attention and as often did
he reject the idea as too wild and visionary for another thought He was
awakened early on the following morning after passing a restless and nearly
sleepless night by his orderly who came to report that a man was found dead on
the parade at no great distance from his quarters Throwing on his clothes he
proceeded to the spot and beheld the individual, with whom he had held the
preceding conference in the precise situation in which he had first been found
The miserable wretch had fallen a victim to his intemperance This revolting
fact was sufficiently proclaimed by his obtruding eyeballs his bloated
countenance and the nearly insufferable odours that were even then exhaling
from his carcass Disgusted with the odious spectacle the youth was turning
from the sight after ordering the corpse to be removed when the position of
one of the dead mans hands struck him On examination he found the fore finger
extended as if in the act of writing in the sand with the following incomplete
sentence nearly illegible but yet in a state to be deciphered »Capt it is
true as I am a gentle « He had either died or fallen into a sleep the
forerunner of his death before the latter word was finished
Concealing this fact from the others Middleton repeated his orders and
departed The pertinacity of the deceased and all the circumstances united
induced him to set on foot some secret inquiries He found that a family
answering the description which had been given him had in fact passed the
place the day of his nuptials They were traced along the margin of the
Mississippi for some distance until they took boat and ascended the river to
its confluence with the Missouri Here they had disappeared like hundreds of
others in pursuit of the hidden wealth of the interior
Furnished with these facts Middleton detailed a small guard of his most
trusty men took leave of Don Augustin without declaring his hopes or his fears
and having arrived at the indicated point he pushed into the wilderness in
pursuit It was not difficult to trace a train like that of Ishmael until he
was well assured its object lay far beyond the usual limits of the settlements
This circumstance in itself, quickened his suspicions and gave additional
force to his hopes of final success
After getting beyond the assistance of verbal directions the anxious
husband had recourse to the usual signs of a trail in order to follow the
fugitives This he also found a task of no difficulty until he reached the hard
and unyielding soil of the rolling Prairies Here indeed he was completely at
fault He found himself at length compelled to divide his followers
appointing a place of rendezvous at a distant day and to endeavor to find the
lost trail by multiplying as much as possible the number of his eyes He had
been alone a week when accident brought him in contact with the trapper and the
beehunter Part of their interview has been related and the reader can readily
imagine the explanations that succeeded the tale he recounted and which led as
has already been seen to the recovery of his bride
Chapter XVI
»These likelihoods confirm her flight from hence
Therefore I pray you stay not to discourse
But mount you presently «
Two Gentlemen of Verona Vii4345
An hour had slid by in hasty and nearly incoherent questions and answers
before Middleton hanging over his recovered treasure with that sort of jealous
watchfullness with which a miser would regard his hoards closed the disjointed
narrative of his own proceedings by demanding
»And you my Inez in what manner were you treated«
»In every thing but the great injustice they did in separating me so
forcibly from my friends as well perhaps as the circumstances of my captors
would allow I think the man who is certainly the master here is but a new
beginner in wickedness He quarrelled frightfully in my presence with the
wretch who seized me and then they made an impious bargain to which I was
compelled to acquiesce and to which they bound me as well as themselves by
oaths Ah Middleton I fear the heretics are not so heedful of their vows as we
who are nurtured in the bosom of the true church«
»Believe it not These villains are of no religion did they foreswear
themselves«
»No but perjured But was it not awful to call upon the good God to
witness so sinful a compact«
»And so we think Inez as truly as the most virtuous Cardinal of Rome But
how did they observe their oath and what was its purport«
»They conditioned to leave me unmolested and free from their odious
presence provided I would give a pledge to make no effort to escape and that I
would not even show myself until a time that my masters saw fit to name«
»And that time « demanded the impatient Middleton who so well knew the
religious scruples of his wife »That time «
»It is already passed I was sworn by my Patron Saint and faithfully did I
keep the vow until the man they call Ishmael forgot the terms by offering
violence I then made one appearance on the rock for the time too was passed
though I even think that Father Ignatius would have absolved me from the vow
on account of the treachery of my keepers«
»If he had not« muttered the youth between his compressed teeth »I would
have absolved him forever from his spiritual care of your conscience«
»You Middleton« returned his wife looking up into his flushd face while a
bright blush suffused her own sweet countenance »you may receive my vows but
surely you can have no power to absolve me from their observance«
»No no no Inez you are right I know but little of these conscientious
subtilties and I am any thing but a priest Yet tell me what has induced these
monsters to play this desperate game to trifle thus with my happiness«
»You know my ignorance of the world and how ill I am qualified to furnish
reasons for the conduct of beings so different from any I have ever seen
before But does not love of money drive men to acts even worse than this I
believe they thought that an aged and wealthy father could be tempted to pay
them a rich ransom for his child and perhaps« she added stealing an enquiring
glance through her tears at the attentive Middleton »they counted something on
the fresh affections of a bridegroom«
»They might have extracted the blood from my heart drop by drop«
»Yes« resumed his young and timid wife instantly withdrawing the stolen
look she had hazarded and hurriedly pursuing the train of the discourse as if
glad to make him forget the liberty she had just taken »I have been told there
are men so base as to perjure themselves at the altar in order to command the
gold of ignorant and confiding girls and if love of money will lead to such
baseness we may surely expect it will hurry those who devote themselves to
gain into acts of lesser fraud«
»It must be so and now Inez though I am here to guard you with my life
and we are in possession of this rock our difficulties perhaps our dangers
are not ended You will summon all your courage to meet the trial and prove
yourself a soldiers wife my Inez«
»I am ready to depart this instant The letter you sent by the physician
had prepared me to hope for the best and I have every thing arranged for
flight at the shortest warning«
»Let us then leave this place and join our friends«
»Friends« interrupted Inez glancing her eyes around the little tent in
quest of the form of Ellen »I too have a friend who must not be forgotten but
who is pledged to pass the remainder of her life with us She is gone«
Middleton gently led her from the spot as he smilingly answered
»She may have had like myself her own private communications for some
favored ear«
The young man had not however done justice to the motives of Ellen Wade
The sensitive and intelligent girl had readily perceived how little her
presence was necessary in the interview that has just been related and had
retired with that intuitive delicacy of feeling which seems to belong more
properly to her sex She was now to be seen seated on a point of the rock with
her person so entirely enveloped in her dress as to conceal her features Here
she had remained for near an hour no one approaching to address her and as it
appeared to her own quick and jealous eyes totally unobserved In the latter
particular however even the vigilance of the quicksighted Ellen was deceived
The first act of Paul Hover on finding himself the master of Ishmaels
citadel had been to sound the note of victory after the quaint and ludicrous
manner that is so often practised among the borderers of the west Flapping his
sides with his hands as the conquering game cock is wont to do with his wings
he raised a loud and laughable imitation of the exultation of this bird a cry
which might have proved a dangerous challenge had any one of the athletic sons
of the squatter been within hearing
»This has been a regular knockdown and dragout« he cried »and no bones
broke How now old trapper you have been one of your training platoon
rankandfile soldiers in your day and have seen forts taken and batteries
stormed before this am I right«
»Ay ay that have I« answered the old man who still maintained his post
at the foot of the rock so little disturbed by what he had just witnessed as
to return the grin of Paul with a hearty indulgence in his own silent and
peculiar laughter »You have gone through the exploit like men«
»Now tell me is it not in rule to call over the names of the living and to
bury the dead after every bloody battle«
»Some did and other some didnt When Sir William pushd the German
Dieskau thro the defiles at the foot of the Hori «
»Your Sir William was a drone to Sir Paul and knew nothing of regularity
So here begins the roll call bythebye old man what between beehunting and
buffaloe humps and certain other matters I have been too busy to ask your
name for I intend to begin with my rear guard well knowing that my man in
front is too busy to answer«
»Lord lad Ive been called in my time by as many names as there are
people among whom Ive dwelt Now the Delawares namd me for my eyes and I was
called after the farsighted hawk Then agin the settlers in the Otsego hills
christened me anew from the fashion of my leggings and various have been the
names by which I have gone through life But little will it matter when the time
shall come that all are to be musterd face to face by what titles a mortal
has playd his part I humbly trust I shall be able to answer to any of mine in
a loud and manly voice«
Paul paid little or no attention to this reply more than half of which was
lost in the distance but pursuing the humour of the moment he called out in a
stentorian voice to the naturalist to answer to his name Doctor Battius had not
thought it necessary to push his success beyond the comfortable niche which
accident had so opportunely formed for his protection and in which he now
reposed from his labors with a pleasing consciousness of security added to
great exultation at the possession of the botanical treasure already mentioned
»Mount Mount my worthy molecatcher come and behold the prospect of
skirting Ishmael Come and look nature boldly in the face and not go sneaking
any longer among the Prairie grass and mullen tops like a gobbler nibbling for
grass hoppers«
The mouth of the lighthearted and reckless bee hunter was instantly closed
and he was rendered as mute as he had just been boisterous and talkative by
the appearance of Ellen Wade When the melancholy maiden took her seat on the
point of the rock as mentioned Paul affected to employ himself in conducting a
close inspection of the household effects of the squatter He rummaged the
drawers of Esther with no delicate hands scattered the rustic finery of her
girls on the ground without the least deference to its quality or elegance and
tossd her pots and kettles here and there as though they had been vessels of
wood instead of iron All this industry was however manifestly without an
object. He reserved nothing for himself not even appearing conscious of the
nature of the articles which suffered by his familiarity When he had examined
the inside of every cabin taken a fresh survey of the spot where he had
confined the children and where he had thoroughly secured them with cord and
kickd one of the pails of the woman like a football fifty feet into the air
in sheer wantonness he returned to the edge of the rock and thrusting both his
hands through his wampum belt he began to whistle the Kentucky hunters as
diligently as if he had been hired to supply his auditors with music by the
hour In this manner passd the remainder of the time until Middleton as has
been related led Inez forth from the tent and gave a new direction to the
thoughts of the whole party He summoned Paul from his flourish of music tore
the Doctor from the study of his plant and as acknowledged leader gave the
necessary orders for immediate departure
In the bustle and confusion that were likely to succeed such a mandate
there was little opportunity to indulge in complaints or reflections As the
adventurers had not come unprepared for victory each individual employed
himself in such offices as were best adapted to his strength and situation The
trapper had already made himself master of the patient Asinus who was quietly
feeding at no great distance from the rock and he was now busy in fitting his
back with the complicated machinery that Doctor Battius saw fit to term a
saddle of his own invention The naturalist himself seized upon his
portfolios herbals and collection of insects which he quickly transferred
from the encampment of the squatter to certain pockets in the aforesaid
ingenious invention and which the trapper as uniformly cast away the moment
his back was turned Paul showed his dexterity in removing such light articles
as Inez and Ellen had prepared for their flight to the foot of the citadel
while Middleton after mingling threats and promises in order to induce the
children to remain quietly in their bondage assisted the females to descend As
time began to press upon them and there was great danger of Ishmaels
returning these several movements were made with singular industry and
despatch
The trapper bestowed such articles as he conceived were necessary to the
comfort of the weaker and more delicate members of the party in those pockets
from which he had so unceremoniously expelled the treasures of the unconscious
naturalist and then gave way for Middleton to place Inez in one of those seats
which he had prepared on the back of the animal for her and her companion
»Go child« the old man said motioning to Ellen to follow the example of
the lady and turning his head a little anxiously to examine the waste behind
him »It cannot be long afore the owner of this place will be coming to look
after his house hold and he is not a man to give up his property however
obtained without complaint«
»It is true« cried Middleton »we have wasted moments that are precious
and have the utmost need of industry«
»Ay ay I thought it and would have said it Captain but I remembered how
your grandther used to love to look upon the face of her he led away for a
wife in the days of his youth and his happiness Tis natur tis natur and
tis wiser to give way a little before its feelings than to try to stop a
current that will have its course«
Ellen advanced to the side of the beast and seizing Inez by the hand she
said with heartfelt warmth after struggling to suppress an emotion that nearly
choked her
»God bless you sweet lady I hope you will forget and forgive the wrongs
you have received from my uncle «
The humbled and sorrowful girl could say no more her voice becoming
entirely inaudible in an ungovernable burst of grief
»How is this« cried Middleton »did you not say Inez that this excellent
young woman was to accompany us and to live with us for the remainder of her
life or at least until she found some more agreeable residence for herself«
»I did and I still hope it She has always given me reason to believe
that after having shown so much commiseration and friendship in my misery she
would not desert me should happier times return«
»I cannot I ought not« continued Ellen getting the better of her
momentary weakness »It has pleased God to cast my lot among these people and I
ought not to quit them It would be adding the appearance of treachery to what
will already seem bad enough with one of his opinions He has been kind to me
an orphan after his rough customs and I cannot steal from him at such a
moment«
»She is just as much a relation of skirting Ishmael as I am a Bishop« said
Paul with a loud hem as if his throat wanted clearing »If the old fellow has
done the honest thing by her in giving her a morsel of venison now and then
or a spoon around his homminy dish hasnt she payd him in teaching the young
devils to read their bible or in helping old Esther to put her finery in shape
and fashion Tell me that a drone has a sting and Ill believe you as easily
as I will that this young woman is a debtor to any of the tribe of Bush«
»It is but little matter who owns me or where Im in debt There are none
to care for a girl who is fatherless and motherless and whose nearest kin are
the offcasts of all honest people no no go lady and heaven forever bless
you I am better here in this desert where there are none to know my shame«
»Now old trapper« retorted Paul »this is what I call knowing which way the
wind blows You ar a man that has seen life and you know something of fashions
I put it to your judgement plainly isnt it in the nature of things for the
hive to swarm when the young get their growth and if children will quit their
parents ought one who is of no kith nor kin «
»Hist« interrupted the man he addressed »Hector is discontented Say it
out plainly pup What is it dog what is it«
The venerable hound had risen and was scenting the fresh breeze which
continued to sweep heavily over the Prairies At the words of his master he
growled and contracted the muscles of his lips as if half disposed to threaten
with the remnants of his teeth The younger dog who was resting after the chace
of the morning also made some signs that his nose detected a taint in the air
and then the two resumed their slumbers as if they had done enough
The trapper seized the bridle of the Ass and cried urging the beast onward
»There is no time for words The squatter and his brood are within a mile or
two of this blessed spot«
Middleton lost all recollection of Ellen in the danger which now so
imminently beset his recovered bride nor is it necessary to add that Doctor
Battius did not wait for a second admonition to commence his retreat Following
the route indicated by the old man they turned the rock in a body and pursued
their way as fast as possible across the Prairie under the favor of the cover
it afforded
Paul Hover however remained in his tracks sullenly leaning on his rifle
Near a minute had elapsed before he was observed by Ellen who had buried her
face in her hands to conceal her fancied desolation from herself
»Why do you not fly« the weeping girl exclaimed the instant she perceived
she was not alone
»Im not used to it«
»My uncle will soon be here you have nothing to hope from his pity«
»Nor from that of his niece I reckon Let him come he can only knock me on
the head«
»Paul Paul if you love me fly «
»Alone if I do may I be «
»If you value your life fly«
»I value it not compared to you«
»Paul«
»Ellen«
She extended both her hands and burst into another and a still more violent
flood of tears The beehunter put one of his sturdy arms around her waist and
in another moment he was urging her over the plain in rapid pursuit of their
flying friends
Chapter XVII
»Approach the chamber and destroy your sight
With a new Gorgon Do not bid me speak
See and then speak yourselves«
Macbeth IIiii7173
The little run which supplied the family of the squatter with water and
nourished the trees and bushes that grew near the base of the rocky eminence
took its rise at no great distance from the latter in a small thicket of
cottonwood and vines Hither then the trapper directed the flight as to the
place affording the only available cover in so pressing an emergency It will
be remembered that the sagacity of the old man which from long practice in
similar scenes amounted nearly to an instinct in all cases of sudden danger had
first induced him to take this course as it placd the hill between them and
the approaching party Favored by this circumstance he succeeded in reaching the
bushes in sufficient time and Paul Hover had just hurried the breathless Ellen
into the tangled brush as Ishmael gained the summit of the rock in the manner
already described where he stood like a man momentarily bereft of senses
gazing at the confusion which had been created among his chattels or at his
gagged and bound children who had been safely bestowed by the forethought of
the beehunter under the cover of a bark roof in a sort of irregular pile A
long rifle would have thrown a bullet from the height on which the squatter now
stood into the very cover where the fugitives who had wrought all this
mischief were clustered
The trapper was the first to speak as the man on whose intelligence and
experience they all depended for counsel after running his eye over the
different individuals who gathered about him in order to see that none were
missing
»Ah natur is natur and has done its work« he said nodding to the
exulting Paul with a smile of approbation »I thought it would be hard for them
who had so often met in fair and foul by starlight and under the clouded moon
to part at last in anger Now is there little time to lose in talk and every
thing to gain by industry It cannot be long afore some of yonder brood will be
nosing along the arth for our trail and should they find it as find it they
surely will and should they push us to stand on our courage the dispute must
be settled with the rifle which may He in Heaven forbid Captain can you lead
us to the place where any of your warriors lie for the stout sons of the
squatter will make a manly brush of it or I am but little of a judge in warlike
dispositions«
»The place of rendezvous is many leagues from this on the banks of La
Platte«
»It is bad it is bad If fighting is to be done it is always wise to
enter on it on equal terms But what has one so near his time to do with
illblood and hotblood at his heart Listen to what a gray head and some
experience have to offer and then if any among you can point out a wiser
fashion for a retreat we can just follow his design and forget that I have
spoken This thicket stretches for near a mile as it may be slanting from the
rock and leads towards the sunset instead of the settlements«
»Enough Enough« cried Middleton too impatient to wait until the
deliberative and perhaps loquacious old man could end his minute explanation
»Time is too precious for words Let us fly«
The trapper made a gesture of compliance and turning in his tracks he lead
Asinus across the trembling earth of the swale and quickly emerged on the hard
ground on the side opposite to the encampment of the squatter
»If old Ishmael gets a squint at that highway through the brush« cried Paul
casting as he left the place a hasty glance at the broad trail the party had
made through the thicket »hell need no finger board to tell him which way his
road lies But let him follow I know the vagabond would gladly cross his breed
with a little honest blood but if any son of his ever gets to be the husband of
«
»Hush Paul hush« said the terrified young woman who leaned on his arm for
support »your voice might be heard«
The beehunter was silent though he did not cease to cast ominous looks
behind him as they flew along the edge of the run which sufficiently betrayed
the belligerent condition of his mind As each one was busy for himself but a
few minutes elapsed before the party rose a swell of the Prairie and
descending without a moments delay on the opposite side they were at once
removed from every danger of being seen by the sons of Ishmael unless the
pursuers should happen to fall upon their trail The old man now profited by
the formation of the land to take another direction with a view to elude
pursuit as a vessel changes her course in fogs and darkness to escape from the
vigilance of her enemies
Two hours passed in the utmost diligence enabled them to make a
halfcircuit around the rock and to reach a point that was exactly opposite to
the original direction of their flight To most of the fugitives their situation
was as entirely unknown as is that of a ship in the middle of the ocean to the
uninstructed voyager but the old man proceeded at every turn and through every
bottom with a decision that inspired his followers with confidence as it spoke
favorably of his own knowledge of the localities His hound stopping now and
then to catch the expression of his eye had preceded the trapper throughout
the whole distance with as much certainty as though a previous and intelligible
communion between them had established the route by which they were to proceed
But at the expiration of the time just named the dog suddenly came to a
stand and then seating himself on the Prairie he snuffed the air a moment
and began a low and piteous whining
»Ay pup ay I know the spot I know the spot and reason there is to
remember it well« said the old man stopping by the side of his uneasy
associate until those who followed had time to come up »Now yonder is a
thicket before us« he continued pointing forward »where we may lie till tall
trees grow on these naked fields afore any of the squatters kin will venture
to molest us«
»This is the spot where the body of the dead man lay« cried Middleton
examining the place with an eye that revolted at the recollection
»The very same But whether his friends have put him in the bosom of the
ground or not remains to be seen The hound knows the scent but seems to be a
little at a loss too It is therefore necessary that you advance friend
beehunter to examine while I tarry to keep the dogs from complaining in too
loud a voice«
»I« exclaimed Paul thrusting his hand into his shaggy locks like one who
thought it prudent to hesitate before he undertook so formidable an adventure
»now hearkee old trapper Ive stood in my thinnest cottons in the midst of
many a swarm that has lost its queen bee without winking and let me tell you
the man who can do that is not likely to fear any living son of skirting
Ishmael but as to meddling with dead mens bones why it is neither my calling
nor my inclination so after thanking you for the favor of your choice as they
say when they make a man a corporal in Kentucky I decline serving«
The old man turned a disappointed look towards Middleton who was too much
occupied in solacing Inez to observe his embarrassment which was however
suddenly relieved from a quarter whence from previous circumstances there was
little reason to expect such a demonstration of fortitude
Doctor Battius had rendered himself a little remarkable throughout the
whole of the preceding retreat for the exceeding diligence with which he had
labored to effect that desirable object So very conspicuous was his zeal
indeed as to have entirely gotten the better of all his ordinary predilections
The worthy naturalist belongd to that species of discoverers who make the worst
possible travelling to a man who has reason to be in a hurry No stone no
bush no plant is ever suffered to escape the examination of their vigilant
eyes and thunder may mutter and rain fall without disturbing the abstraction
of their reveries Not so however with the disciple of Linnæus during the
momentous period that it remained a mooted point at the tribunal of his better
judgement whether the stout descendants of the squatter were not likely to
dispute his right to traverse the Prairie in freedom The highest blooded and
best trained hound with his game in view could not have run with an eye more
rivetted than that with which the Doctor had pursued his curvilinear course It
was perhaps lucky for his fortitude that he was ignorant of the artifice of the
trapper in leading them around the citadel of Ishmael and that he had imbibed
the soothing impression that every inch of Prairie he traversed was just so
much added to the distance between his own person and the detested rock
Notwithstanding the momentary shock he certainly experienced when he discovered
this error he now boldly volunteered to enter the thicket in which there was
some reason to believe the body of the murdered Asa still lay Perhaps the
naturalist was urged to show his spirit on this occasion by some secret
consciousness that his excessive industry in the retreat might be liable to
misconstruction and it is certain that whatever might be his peculiar notions
of danger from the quick his habits and his knowledge had placd him far above
the apprehension of suffering harm from any communication with the dead
»If there is any service to be performed which requires the perfect command
of the nervous system« said the man of science, with a look that was slightly
blustering »you have only to give a direction to his intellectual faculties
and here stands one on whose physical powers you may depend«
»The man is given to speak in parables« muttered the single minded trapper
»but I conclude there is always some meaning hidden in his words though it is
as hard to find sense in his speeches as to discover three eagles on the same
tree It will be wise friend to make a cover lest the sons of the squatter
should be out skirting on our trail and as you well know there is some reason
to fear yonder thicket contains a sight that may horrify a womans mind Are you
man enough to look death in the face or shall I run the risk of the hounds
raising an outcry and go in myself You see the pup is willing to run with an
open mouth already«
»Am I man enough venerable trapper our communications have a recent
origin or thy interrogatory might have a tendency to embroil us in angry
disputation Am I man enough I claim to be of the class, mammalia order
Primates genus homo Such are my physical attributes of my moral properties
let posterity speak it becomes me to be mute«
»Physick may do for such as relish it to my taste and judgment it is
neither palatable nor healthy but morals never did harm to any living mortal
be it that he was a sojourner in the forest or a dweller in the midst of glazed
windows and smoking chimnies It is only a few hard words that divide us
friend for Im of an opinion that with use and freedom we should come to
understand one another, and mainly settle down into the same judgments of
mankind and of the ways of the world Quiet Hector quiet what ruffles your
temper pup is it not used to the scent of human blood«
The Doctor bestowed a gracious but commiserating smile on the Philosopher of
nature, as he retrograded a step or two from the place whither he had been
impelled by his excess of spirit in order to reply with less expenditure of
breath and with a greater freedom of action and attitude »A homo is certainly
a homo« he said stretching forth an arm in an argumentative manner »so far as
the animal functions extend there are the connecting links of harmony order
conformity and design between the whole genus but there the resemblance ends
Man may be degraded to the very margin of the line which separates him from the
brute by ignorance or he may be elevated to a communion with the Great Master
Spirit of All by knowledge nay I know not if time and opportunity were given
him but he might become the Master of all learning and consequently equal to
the great moving principle«
The old man who stood leaning on his rifle in a thoughtful attitude shook
his head as he answered with a native steadiness that entirely eclipsed the
imposing air which his antagonist had seen fit to assume
»This is neither more nor less than mortal wickedness Here have I been a
dweller on the arth for fourscore and six changes of the seasons and all that
time have I lookd at the growing and the dying trees and yet do I not know the
reasons why the bud starts under the summer sun or the leaf falls when it is
pinchd by the frosts Your larning though it is mans boast is folly in the
eyes of him who sits in the clouds and looks down in sorrow at the pride and
vanity of his creaturs Many is the hour that Ive passd lying in the shades
of the woods or stretchd upon the hills of these open fields looking up into
the blue skies where I could fancy the Great One had taken his stand and was
solemnizing on the waywardness of man and brute below as I myself had often
lookd at the ants tumbling over each other in their eagerness though in a way
and a fashion more suited to his mightiness and Power Knowledge it is his
plaything say you who think it so easy to climb into the judgment seat above
can you tell me any thing of the beginning and the end Nay youre a dealer in
ailings and cures what is life and what is death Why does the eagle live so
long and why is the time of the butterfly so short Tell me a simpler thing
why is this hound so uneasy while you who have passed your days in looking
into books can see no reason to be disturbed«
The Doctor who had been a little astounded by the dignity and energy of the
old man drew a long breath like a fallen wrestler who is just released from
the throttling grasp of his antagonist and seized on the opportunity of the
pause to reply
»It is his instinct«
»And what is the gift of instinct«
»An inferior gradation of reason a sort of mysterious combination of
thought and matter«
»And what is that which you call thought«
»Venerable venator this is a method of reasoning which sets at naught the
uses of definitions and such as I do assure you is not at all tolerated in the
schools«
»Then is there more cunning in your schools than I had thought for it is a
certain method of showing them their vanity« returned me trapper suddenly
abandoning a discussion from which the naturalist was just beginning to
anticipate great delight by turning to his dog whose restlessness he attempted
to appease by playing with his ears »This is foolish Hector more like an
untrained pup than a sensible hound one who has got his education by hard
experience, and not by nosing over the trails of other dogs as a boy in the
settlements follows on the track of his masters be it right or be it wrong
Well friend you who can do so much are you equal to looking into the thicket
or must I go in myself«
The Doctor again assumed his air of resolution and without further parlance
proceeded to do as desired The dogs were so far restrained by the remonstrances
of the old man as to confine their complaints to low but often repeated
whinings When they saw the naturalist advance the pup however broke through
all restraint and made a swift circuit around his person scenting the earth as
he proceeded and then returning to his companion he howled aloud
»The squatter and his brood have left a strong taint upon the arth« said
the old man watching as he spoke for some signal from his learned Pioneer to
follow »I hope yonder schoolbred man knows enough to remember the errand on
which I have sent him«
Doctor Battius had already disappeared in the bushes and the trapper was
beginning to betray additional evidences of impatience when the person of the
former was seen retiring from the thicket backwards with his face fastened on
the place he had just left as if his look was bound in the thraldom of some
charm
»Here is something skeary by the wildness of the mans countenance«
exclaimed the old man relinquishing his hold of Hector and moving stoutly to
the side of the totally unconscious naturalist »How is it friend have you
found a new leaf in your book of wisdom«
»It is a basilisk« muttered the Doctor whose altered visage betrayed the
utter confusion which beset his faculties »An animal of the order serpens I
had thought its attributes were fabulous but mighty nature is equal to all that
man can imagine«
»What ist what ist The snakes of the Prairies are harmless unless it
be now and then an angered rattler and he always gives you notice with his
tail afore he works his mischief with his fangs Lord Lord what a humbling
thing is fear Here is one who in common delivers words too big for a humble
mouth to hold so much beside himself that his voice is as fine as the whistle
of the whippoorwill Courage what is it man what ist«
»A Prodigy a lusus naturæ a monster that nature has delighted to form in
order to exhibit her power Never before have I witnessed such an utter
confusion in her Laws or a specimen that so completely bids defiance to the
distinctions of Class and Genera Let me record its appearance« fumbling for
his tabletts with hands that trembled too much to perform their office »while
time and opportunity are allowed eyes enthralling Colour various complex
and profound «
»One would think the man was crazd with his enthralling looks and
pieballd colours« interrupted the discontented trapper who began to grow a
little uneasy that his party was all this time neglecting to seek the
protection of some cover »If there is a reptile in the brush show me the
creatur and should it refuse to depart peaceably why there must be a quarrel
for the possession of the place«
»There« said the Doctor pointing into a dense mass of the thicket to a
spot within fifty feet of that where they both stood The trapper turned his
look with perfect composure in the required direction but the instant his
practised glance met the object which had so utterly upset the philosophy of the
naturalist he gave a start himself threw his rifle rapidly forward and as
instantly recovered it as if a second flash of thought convinced him he was
wrong Neither the instinctive movement nor the sudden recollection was
without a sufficient object At the very margin of the thicket and in absolute
contact with the earth lay an animate ball that might easily by the
singularity and fierceness of its aspect have justified the disturbed condition
of the naturalists mind It were difficult to describe the shape or colours of
this extraordinary substance except to say in general terms that it was nearly
spherical and exhibited all the hues of the rainbow intermingled without
reference to harmony and without any very ostensible design The predominant
hues were a black and a bright vermillion With these however the several
tints of white yellow and crimson were strangely and wildly blended Had this
been all it would have been difficult to have pronounced that the object was
possessed of life for it lay motionless as any stone but a pair of dark
glaring and moving eyeballs which watchd with jealousy the smallest movement
of the trapper and his companion sufficiently established the important fact of
its possessing vitality
»Your reptile is a scouter or Im no judge of Indian paints and Indian
deviltries« muttered the old man dropping the butt of his weapon to the
ground and gazing with a steady eye at the frightful object as he leaned on
its barrel in an attitude of great composure »He wants to face us out of sight
and reason and make us think the head of a redskin is a stone covered with the
autumn leaf or he has some other devilish artifice in his mind«
»Is the animal human« demanded the Doctor »of the genus homo I had
fancied it a nondescript«
»Its as human and as mortal too as a warrior of these Prairies is ever
known to be I have seen the time when a redskin would have shown a foolish
daring to peep out of his ambushment in that fashion on a hunter I could name
but who is too old now and too near his time to be any thing better than a
miserable trapper It will be well to speak to the imp and to let him know he
deals with men whose beards are grown Come forth from your cover friend« he
continued in the language of the extensive tribes of the Dahcotahs »there is
room on the Prairie for another warrior«
The eyes appeared to glare more fiercely than before but the mass which
according to the trappers opinion was neither more nor less than a human head
shorn as usual among the warriors of the west of its hair still continued
without motion or any other sign of life
»It is a mistake« exclaimed the Doctor »The animal is not even of the
class Mammalia much less a man«
»So much for your knowledge« returned the trapper laughing with great
exultation »So much for the larning of one who has lookd into so many books
that his eyes are not able to tell a moose from a wildcat Now my Hector here
is a dog of education after his fashion and though the meanest primmer in the
settlements would puzzle his schooling you couldnt cheat the hound in a matter
like this As you think the object no man you shall see his whole formation
and then let an ignorant old trapper who never passed a day within reach of a
spelling book in his life know by what name to call it Mind I mean no
violence but just to brush the devil from his ambushment«
The trapper very deliberately examined the priming of his rifle taking care
to make as great a parade as possible of his hostile intentions in going
through the necessary evolutions with the weapon When he thought the stranger
began seriously to apprehend some danger he very deliberately presented the
piece and called aloud
»Now friend am I all for peace or all for war as you may say No well
it is no man as the wise one here says and there can be no harm in just
firing into a bunch of leaves«
The muzzle of the rifle fell as he concluded and the weapon was gradually
settling into a steady and what would easily have proved a fatal aim when a
tall Indian sprang from beneath that bed of leaves and brush which he had
collected about his person at the approach of the party and stood upright
uttering the exclamation
»Wagh«
Chapter XVIII
»My visor is Philemons roof within the house is Jove«
Much Ado about Nothing IIi9697
The trapper who had meditated no violence dropped his rifle again and
laughing at the success of his experiment with great seeming self complacency
he drew the astounded gaze of the naturalist from the person of the savage to
himself by saying
»The imps will lie for hours like sleeping alligators brooding their
deviltries in dreams and other craftiness till such time as they see some real
danger is at hand and then they look to themselves the same as other mortals
But this is a scouter in his warpaint There should be more of his tribe at no
great distance Let us draw the truth out of him for an unlucky warparty may
prove more dangerous to us than a visit from the whole family of the squatter«
»It is truly a desperate and a dangerous species« said the Doctor
relieving his amazement by a breath that seemd to exhaust his lungs of air »a
violent race and one that it is difficult to define or class within the usual
boundaries of definitions Speak to him therefore but let thy words be strong
in amity«
The old man cast a keen eye on every side of him to ascertain the
important particular whether the stranger was supported by any associates and
then making the usual signs of peace by exhibiting the palm of his naked hand he
boldly advanced In the mean time the Indian betrayed no evidences of
uneasiness He suffered the trapper to draw nigh maintaining by his own mien
and attitude a striking air of dignity and fearlessness Perhaps the wary
warrior also knew that owing to the difference in their weapons he should be
placd more on an equality by being brought nearer to the stranger
As a description of this individual may furnish some idea of the personal
appearance of a whole race it may be well to detain the narrative in order to
present it to the reader in our hasty and imperfect manner Would the truant
eyes of Alston or Greenough turn but for a time from their gaze at the models
of antiquity to contemplate this wronged and humbled people little would be
left for such inferior artists as ourselves to delineate
The Indian in question was in every particular a warrior of fine stature and
admirable proportions As he cast aside his masque composed of such
partycoloured leaves as he had hurriedly collected his countenance appeared
in all the gravity the dignity and it may be added in the terror of his
profession The outlines of his lineaments were strikingly noble and nearly
approaching to Roman though the secondary features of his face were slightly
marked with the well known traces of his Asiatic origin The peculiar tint of
the skin which in itself is so well designed to aid the effect of a martial
expression had received an additional aspect of wild ferocity from the colours
of the warpaint But as if he disdained the usual artifices of his people he
bore none of those strange and horrid devices with which the children of the
forest are accustomed like the more civilized heroes of the moustache to back
their reputation for courage contenting himself with a broad and deep shadowing
of black that served as a sufficient and an admirable foil to the brighter
gleamings of his native swarthiness His head was as usual shaved to the crown
where a large and gallant scalplock seemd to challenge the grasp of his
enemies The ornaments that in peace were pendant from the cartilages of his ear
had been removed on account of his present pursuit His body notwithstanding
the lateness of the season was nearly naked and the portion that was clad
bore a vestment no warmer than a light robe of the finest dressd deer skin
beautifully stained with the rude design of some daring exploit and which was
carelessly worn as if more in pride than from any unmanly regard to comfort
His leggins were of bright scarlet cloth the only evidence about his person
that he had held communion with the traders of Pale faces But as if to furnish
some offset to this solitary submission to a womanish vanity they were
fearfully fringed from the gartered knee to the bottom of the mockasin with
the hair of human scalps He leaned lightly with one hand on a short hickory
bow while the other rather touched than sought support from the long delicate
handle of an ashen lance A quiver made of the cougar skin from which the tail
of the animal depended as a characteristic ornament was slung at his back and
a shield of hides quaintly emblazoned with another of his warlike deeds was
suspended from his neck by a thong of sinews
As the trapper approached this warrior maintained his calm upright
attitude discovering neither an eagerness to ascertain the character of those
who advanced upon him nor the smallest wish to avoid a scrutiny in his own
person An Eye that was darker and more shining than that of the stag was
incessantly glancing however from one to another of the strange party
seemingly never knowing rest for an instant
»Is my brother far from his village« demanded the old man in the Pawnee
language after examining the paint and those other little signs by which a
practised eye knows the tribe of the warrior he encounters in the American
desert with the same readiness and by the same sort of mysterious observation
as that by which the seaman knows the distant sail
»It is farther to the towns of the Bigknives« was the laconick reply
»Why is a PawneeLoup so far from the Fork of his own river without a horse
to journey on and in a spot empty as this«
»Can the women and children of a Paleface live without the meat of the
bison There was hunger in my lodge«
»My brother is very young to be already the master of a lodge« returned the
trapper looking steadily into the unmoved countenance of the youthful warrior
»but I dare say he is brave and that many a chief has offered him his daughters
for wives But he has been mistaken« pointing to the arrow which was dangling
from the hand that held the bow »in bringing a loose and barbed arrow head to
kill the buffaloe Do the Pawnees wish the wounds they give their game to
rankle«
»It is good to be ready for the Sioux though he is not in sight a bush may
hide him«
»The man is a living proof of the truth of his words« muttered the trapper
in English »and a closejointed and gallant looking lad he is but far too
young for a chief of any importance It is wise however to speak him fair for
a single arm thrown into either party if we come to blows with the squatter and
his brood may turn the day You see my children are weary« he continued in the
dialect of the Prairie pointing as he spoke to the rest of the party who by
this time were also approaching »We wish to camp and eat Does my brother own
this spot«
»The runners from the people on the Bigriver tell us that your nation have
traded with the Tawneyfaces who live beyond the salt lake and that the
Prairies are now the hunting grounds of the Bigknives«
»It is true as I hear also from the hunters and trappers on La Platte
Though it is with the Frenchers and not with the men who claim to own the
Mexicos that my people have bargained«
»And warriors are wading up the Long River to see that they have not been
cheated in what they have bought«
»Ay that is partly true too I fear and it will not be long afore an
accursed band of choppers and loggers will be following on their heels to humble
the wilderness which lies so broad and rich on the western banks of the
Mississippi and then the land will be a peopled desert from the shores of the
Maine sea to the foot of the Rocky Mountains filld with all the abominations
and craft of man and script of the comfort and loveliness it received from the
hand of the Lord«
»And where were the chiefs of the Pawnee Loups when this bargain was made«
suddenly demanded the youthful warrior a look of startling fierceness gleaming
at the same instant athwart his dark visage »Is a nation to be sold like the
skin of a beaver«
»Right enough right enough and where were truth and honesty also But
might is right according to the fashions of the arth and what the strong choose
to do the weak must call justice If the Law of the Wahcondah was as much
hearkened to Pawnee as the laws of the Long knives your right to the Prairies
would be as good as that of the greatest chief in the settlements to the house
which covers his head«
»The skin of the traveller is white« said the young native laying a finger
impressively on the hard and wrinkled hand of the trapper »does his heart say
one thing and his tongue another«
»The Wahcondah of a whiteman has ears and he shuts them to a lie Look at
my head it is like a frosted pine and must soon be laid in the ground Why
then should I wish to meet the Great Spirit face to face while his countenance
is dark upon me«
The Pawnee gracefully threw his shield over one shoulder and placing a hand
on his chest he bent his head in deference to the gray locks exhibited by the
trapper after which his eye became more steady and his countenance less fierce
Still he maintained every appearance of a distrust and watchfulness that were
rather tempered and subdued than forgotten When this equivocal species of amity
was established between the warrior of the Prairies and the experienced old
trapper the latter proceeded to give his directions to Paul concerning the
arrangements of the contemplated halt While Inez and Ellen were dismounting and
Middleton and the beehunter were attending to their comforts the discourse was
continued sometimes in the language of the natives but often as Paul and the
Doctor mingled their opinions with the two principal speakers in the English
tongue There was a keen and subtle trial of skill between the Pawnee and the
trapper in which each endeavored to discover the objects of the other without
betraying his own interest in the investigation As might be expected when the
struggle was between adversaries so equal the result of the encounter answered
the expectations of neither The latter had put all the interrogatories his
ingenuity and practice could suggest concerning the state of the tribe of the
Loups their crops their store of provisions for the coming winter and their
relations with their different warlike neighbors without extorting any answer
that in the slightest degree elucidated the reason why he found a solitary
warrior so far from his people On the other hand while the questions of the
Indian were far more dignified and delicate they were equally ingenious He
commented on the state of the trade in peltries spoke of the good or ill
success of many white hunters whom he had either encountered or heard named and
even alluded to the steady march which the nation of his Great Father as he
courteously termed the government of the States was making towards the
huntinggrounds of his tribe It was apparent however by this singular mixture
of interest contempt and indignation that were occasionally gleaming through
the reserved manner of this warrior that he knew the strange people who were
thus trespassing on his native rights much more by report than by any actual
intercourse This personal ignorance of the whites was as much betrayed by the
manner in which he regarded the females as by the brief but energetick
expressions which occasionally escaped him
While speaking to the trapper he suffered his wandering glances to stray
towards the intellectual and nearly infantile beauty of Inez as one might be
supposed to gaze upon the loveliness of an ethereal being It was very evident
that he now saw for the first time one of those females of whom the fathers
of his tribe so often spoke and who were considered of such rare excellence as
to equal all that savage ingenuity could imagine in the way of loveliness His
observation of Ellen was less marked but notwithstanding the warlike and
chastened expression of his eye there was much of the homage which man is wont
to pay to woman even in the more cursory look he sometimes turned on her
maturer and perhaps more animated beauty This admiration however was so
tempered by his habits and so smothered in the pride of a warrior as completely
to elude every eye but that of the trapper who was too well skilled in Indian
customs and was too well instructed in the importance of rightly conceiving the
character of the stranger to let the smallest trait or the most trifling of his
movements escape him In the mean time the unconscious Ellen herself movd
about the feeble and less resolute Inez with her accustomed assiduity and
tenderness exhibiting in her frank features those changing emotions of joy and
regret which occasionally beset her as her active mind dwelt on the decided
step she had just taken with the contending doubts and hopes and possibly with
some of the mental vacillation that was natural to her situation and sex
Not so Paul conceiving himself to have attained the two things dearest to
his heart the possession of Ellen and a triumph over the sons of Ishmael he
now enacted his part in the business of the moment with as much coolness as
though he were already leading his willing bride from solemnizing their nuptials
before a border magistrate to the security of his own dwelling He had hovered
around the moving family during the tedious period of their weary march
concealing himself by day and seeking interviews with his betrothed as
opportunities offered in the manner already described until fortune and his
own intrepidity had united to render him successful at the very moment when he
was beginning to despair He now cared neither for distance nor violence nor
hardships To his sanguine fancy and determined resolution all the rest was
easily to be achieved Such were his feelings and such in truth they seemd to
be With his cap cast on one side and whistling a low air he thrashed among
the bushes in order to make a place suitable for the females to repose on
while from time to time he cast an approving glance at the agile form of Ellen
as she trippd past him engaged in her own share of the duty
»And so the wolftribe of the Pawnees have buried the hatchet with their
neighbors the Konzas« said the trapper pursuing a discourse which he had
scarcely permitted to flag though it had been occasionally interrupted by the
different directions with which he saw fit to interlard it the reader will
remember that while he spoke to the native warrior in his own tongue he
necessarily addressed his white companions in English »The Loups and the
lightfacd redskins are again friends Doctor that is a tribe of which Ill
engage youve often read and of which many a round lie has been whispered in
the ears of the ignorant people who live in the settlements There was a story
of a nation of Welshers that livd hereaway in the Prairies and how they
came into the land afore the uneasyminded man who first let in the Christians
to rob the heathens of their inheritance had even dreamt that the sun set on a
country as big as that it rose from And how they knew the white ways and spoke
with white tongues and a thousand other follies and idle conceits«
»Have I not heard of them« exclaimed the Naturalist dropping a piece of
jerked bisons meat which he was rather roughly discussing at the moment »I
should be greatly ignorant not to have often dwelt with delight on so beautiful
a theory and one which so triumphantly establishes two positions which I have
often maintained are unanswerable even without such living testimony in their
favor viz, that this continent can claim a more remote affinity with
civilization than the time of Columbus and that colour is the fruit of climate
and condition and not a regulation of nature. Propound the latter question to
this Indian gentleman venerable hunter he is of a reddish tint himself and
his opinion may be said to make us masters of the two sides of the disputed
point«
»Do you think a Pawnee is a reader of books and a believer of printed lies
like the idlers in the towns« contemptuously retorted the old man »But it may
be as well to humour the likings of the man which after all it is quite
probable are neither more nor less than his natural gifts and therefore to be
followed although they may be pitied What does my brother think all whom he
sees here have white skins but the Pawnee warriors are red does he believe
that man changes with the season and that the son is not like his fathers«
The young warrior regarded his interrogator for a moment with a steady and
deliberating eye then raising his finger upward he answered with dignity
»The Wahcondah pours the rain from his clouds when he speaks he shakes the
hills and the fire which scorches the trees is the anger of his eye but he
fashioned his children with care and thought What he has thus made never
alters«
»Ay tis in the reason of natur that it should be so Doctor« continued
the trapper when he had interpreted this answer to the disappointed naturalist
»The Pawnees are a wise and a great people and Ill engage they abound in many
a wholesome and honest tradition The hunters and trappers I sometimes see speak
of a great warrior of your race«
»My tribe are not women A brave is no stranger in my village«
»Ay but he they speak of most is a chief far beyond the renown of common
warriors and one that might have done credit to that once mighty but now fallen
people the Delawares of the Hills«
»Such a warrior should have a name«
»They call him HardHeart from the stoutness of his resolution and well is
he named if all I have heard of his deeds be true«
The stranger cast a glance which seemd to read the guileless soul of the
old man as he demanded
»Has the pale face seen the Partizan of my tribe«
»Never It is not with me now as it used to be some forty years agone
when warfare and bloodshed were my calling and my gifts«
A loud shout from the reckless Paul interrupted his speech and at the next
moment the beehunter appeared leading an Indian warhorse from the side of the
thicket opposite to the one occupied by the party
»Here is a beast for a redskin to straddle« He cried as he made the
animal go through some of its wild paces »Theres not a brigadier in all
Kentuck that can call himself master of so sleek and well jointed a nag A
Spanish saddle too like a Grandee of the Mexicos and look at the mane and
tail braided and platted down with little silver balls as if it were Ellen
herself getting her shining hair ready for a dance or a husking frolick Isnt
this a real trotter old trapper to eat out of the manger of a savage«
»Softly lad softly The Loups are famous for their horses and its often
that you see a warrior on the Prairies far better mounted than a Congressman
in the settlements But this indeed is a beast that none but a powerful chief
should ride The saddle as you rightly think has been sat upon in its day by a
great Spanish Captain who has lost it and his life together in some of the
battles which this people often fight against the Southern Provinces I warrant
me I warrant me this youngster is the son of a great Chief maybe of the
mighty HardHeart himself«
During this rude interruption to the discourse the young Pawnee manifested
neither impatience nor displeasure but when he thought his beast had been the
subject of sufficient comment he very coolly and with the air of one
accustomed to have his will respected relieved Paul of the bridle and throwing
the reins on the neck of the animal he sprang upon his back with the activity
of a professor of the equestrian art Nothing could be finer or firmer than the
seat of the savage The highly wrought and cumbrous saddle was evidently more
for show than use Indeed it impeded rather than aided the action of limbs
which disdained to seek assistance or admit of restraint from so womanish
inventions as stirrups The horse which immediately began to prance was like
its rider wild and untutored in all his motions but while there was so little
of art there was all the freedom and grace of nature in the movements of both
The animal was probably indebted to the blood of Araby for its excellence
through a long Pedigree that embraced the steed of Mexico the spanish barb and
the Moorish charger The rider in obtaining his steed from the Provinces of
CentralAmerica had also obtained that spirit and grace in controlling him
which unite to form the most intrepid and perhaps the most skilful horsemen in
the world
Notwithstanding this sudden occupation of his animal the Pawnee discovered
no hasty wish to depart More at his ease and possibly more independant now he
found himself secure of the means of retreat he rode back and forth eyeing the
different individuals of the party with far greater freedom than before But at
each extremity of his ride just as the sagacious trapper expected to see him
profit by his advantage and fly he would turn his horse and pass over the same
ground sometimes with the rapidity of the flying antelope and at others more
slowly and with greater dignity of mien and movement Anxious to ascertain such
facts as might have an influence on his future proceedings the old man
determined to invite him to a renewal of their conference He therefore made a
gesture expressive at the same time of his wish to resume the interrupted
discourse and of his own pacific intentions The quick eye of the stranger was
not slow to note the action but it was not until a sufficient time had passed
to allow him to debate the prudence of the measure in his own mind that he
seemd willing to trust himself again so near a party that was so much
superior to himself in physical power and consequently one that was able at
any instant to command his life or controul his personal liberty When he did
approach nigh enough to converse with facility it was with a singular mixture of
haughtiness and of distrust
»It is far to the village of the Loups« he said stretching his arm in a
direction contrary to that in which the trapper well knew that the tribe dwelt
»and the road is very crooked what has the BigKnife to say«
»Ay crooked enough« muttered the old man in English »if you are to set out
on your journey by that path but not half so winding as the cunning of an
Indians mind Say my Brother do the chiefs of the Pawnees love to see strange
faces in their lodges«
The young warrior bent his body gracefully though but slightly over the
saddle bow as he replied
»When have my people forgotten to give food to the stranger«
»If I lead my daughters to the doors of the Loups will the women take them
by the hand and will the warriors smoke with my young men«
»The country of the Pale faces is behind them Why do they journey so far
towards the setting sun Have they lost the path or are these the women of the
whitewarriors that I hear are wading up the river of the troubled water«
»Neither They who wade the Missouri are the warriors of my Great Father
who has sent them on his message But we are peacerunners The Whitemen and
the Red are neighbors and they wish to be friends Do not the Omahaws visit the
Loups when the tomahawk is buried in the path between the two nations«
»The Omahaws are welcome«
»And the Yanktons and the Burntwood Tetons who live in the elbow of the
river with muddy water do they not come into the lodges of the Loups and
smoke«
»The Tetons are liars« exclaimed the other »They dare not shut their eyes
in the night No they sleep in the sun See« he added pointing with fierce
triumph to the frightful ornaments of his leggings »their scalps are so plenty
that the Pawnees tread on them Go let a Sioux live in banks of snow the
plains and buffaloes are for men«
»Ah The secret is out« said the trapper to Middleton who was an attentive
because a deeply interested observer of what was passing »This goodlooking
young Indian is scouting on the track of the Siouxes You may see it by his
arrowheads and his paint ay by his eye too for a redskin lets his natur
follow the business he is on be it for peace or be it for war Quiet Hector
quiet Have you never scented a Pawnee afore pup keep down dog keep down My
brother is right The Siouxes are thieves Men of all colours and nations say it
of them and say it truly But the people from the risingsun are not Siouxes
and they wish to visit the lodges of the Loups«
»The head of my brother is white« returned the Pawnee throwing one of those
glances at the trapper which were so remarkably expressive of distrust
intelligence and pride and then pointing as he continued towards the eastern
horizon »and his eyes have lookd on many things Can he tell me the name of
what he sees yonder Is it a buffaloe«
»It looks more like a cloud peeping above the skirt of the plain with the
sunshine lighting its edges It is the smoke of the heavens«
»It is a hill of the earth And on its top are the lodges of Palefaces
Let the women of my brother wash their feet with the people of their own
colour«
»The eyes of a Pawnee are good if he can see a white skin so far«
The Indian turned slowly towards the speaker and after a pause of a moment
he sternly demanded
»Can my brother hunt«
»Alas I claim to be no better than a miserable trapper«
»When the plain is covered with the buffaloes can he see them«
»No doubt no doubt it is far easier to see than to take a scampering
bull«
»And when the birds are flying from the cold and the clouds are black with
their feathers can he see them too«
»Ay ay it is not hard to find a duck or a goose when millions are
darkening the heavens«
»When the snow falls and covers the lodges of the Longknives can the
stranger see flakes in the air«
»My eyes are none of the best now« returned the old man a little
resentfully »but the time has been Pawnee when I had a name for my sight«
»The Redskins find the Bigknives as easily as the stranger sees the
buffaloe or the travelling birds or the falling snow Your warriors think the
Master of Life has made the whole earth white they are mistaken They are pale
and it is their own faces that they see Go a Pawnee is not blind that he need
look long for your people «
The warrior suddenly paused and bent his face aside like one who listened
with all his faculties absorbed in the act Then turning the head of his horse
he rode to the nearest angle of the thicket and lookd intently across the bleak
Prairie in a direction opposite to the side on which the party stood Returning
slowly from this unaccountable and to his observers startling procedure he
rivetted his eyes on Inez and pacd back and forth several times with the air
of one who maintained a warm struggle on some difficult point in the recesses
of his own thought He had drawn the reins of his impatient steed and was
seemingly about to speak when his head again sunk on his chest and he resumed
his former attitude of attention Galloping like a deer to the place of his
former observations he rode for a moment swiftly in short and rapid circles as
if still uncertain of his course and then darted away like a bird that had been
fluttering around its nest before it takes a distant flight After scouring the
plain for a minute he was lost to the eye behind a swell of the land
The hounds who had also manifested great uneasiness for some time followed
him for a little distance and then terminated their chase by seating themselves
on the ground and raising their usual low whining and warning howls
Chapter XIX
»How if he will not stand«
Much Ado about Nothing
IIIiii27
The several movements related in the close of the preceding chapter had passed
in so short a space of time that the old man while he neglected not to note
the smallest incident had no opportunity of expressing his opinion concerning
the strangers motives After the Pawnee had disappeared however he shook his
head and muttered while he walked slowly to the angle of the thicket that the
Pawnee had just quitted
»There are both scents and sounds in the air though my miserable senses are
not good enough to hear the one or to catch the taint of the other«
»There is nothing to be seen« cried Middleton who kept close at his side
»My eyes and my ears are good and yet I can assure you that I neither hear nor
see any thing.«
»Your eyes are good and you are not deaf« returned the other with a slight
air of contempt »no lad no they may be good to see across a church or to
hear a town bell but afore you had passed a year on these Prairies you would
find yourself mistaking a turkey for a horse or conceiting fifty times that the
roar of a buffaloe bull was the thunder of the Lord There is a deception of
natur in these naked plains in which the air throws up the image like water
and then is it hard to tell the Prairies from a sea But yonder is a sign that a
hunter never fails to know«
The trapper pointed to a flight of vultures that were sailing over the plain
at no great distance and apparently in the direction in which the Pawnee had
rivetted his eye At first Middleton could not distinguish the small dark
objects that were dotting the dusky clouds but as they came swiftly onward
first their forms and then their heavy waving wings became distinctly visible
»Listen« said the trapper when he had succeeded in making Middleton see
the moving column of birds »now you hear the buffaloes or bisons as your
knowing Doctor sees fit to call them though buffaloes is their name among all
the hunters of these regions Now I conclude that a hunter is a better judge of
a beast and of its name« he added winking to the young soldier »than any man
who has turnd over the leaves of a book instead of travelling over the face of
the arth in order to find out the naturs of its inhabitants«
»Of their habits I will grant you« cried the Naturalist who rarely missd
an opportunity to agitate any point which touched his favorite studies »that is
provided always that deference is had to the proper use of definitions and
that they are contemplated with scientific eyes«
»Eyes of a mole as if mans eyes were not as good for names as the eyes of
any other creatur who named the works of His hand can you tell me that with
your books and college wisdom Was it not the first man in the Garden and is it
not a plain consequence that his children inherit his gifts«
»That is certainly the Mosaic account of the event« said the Doctor
»though your reading is by far too literal«
»My reading nay if you suppose that I have wasted my time in schools you
do such a wrong to my knowledge as one mortal should never lay to the door of
another without sufficient reason If I have ever craved the art of reading it
has been that I might better know the sayings of the book you name for it is a
book which speaks in every line according to human feelings and therein
according to reason«
»And do you then believe« said the Doctor a little provoked by the
dogmatism of his stubborn adversary and perhaps secretly triumphing in his own
more liberal though scarcely as profitable attainments »Do you then believe
that all these beasts were literally collected in a garden to be enrolled in the
nomenclature of the first man«
»Why not I understand your meaning for it is not needful to live in towns
to hear all the devilish devices that the conceit of man can invent to upset his
own happiness What does it prove except indeed that it may be said to prove
that the garden He made was not after the miserable fashions of our times
thereby directly giving the lie to what the world calls its civilizing No no
the Garden of the Lord was the forest then and is the forest now where the
fruits do grow and the birds do sing according to his own wise ordering Now
lads you may see through the mystery of the vultures There come the buffaloes
themselves and a noble herd it is I warrant me that Pawnee has a troop of his
people in some of the hollows nigh by and as he has gone scampering after them
you are about to see a glorious chase It will serve to keep the squatter and
his brood under cover and for ourselves there is little reason to fear A
Pawnee is not apt to be a malicious savage«
Every eye was now drawn to the striking spectacle that succeeded Even the
timid Inez hastened to the side of Middleton to gaze at the sight and Paul
summoned Ellen from her culinary labors to become a witness of the lively
scene
Throughout the whole of those moving events which it has been our duty to
record the Prairies had lain in the majesty of perfect solitude The heavens
had been blackened with the passage of the migratory birds it is true but the
dogs of the party and the ass of the Doctor were the only quadrupeds that had
enlivened the broad surface of the waste beneath There was now a sudden
exhibition of animal life which changed the scene as it were by magic to the
very opposite extreme
A few enormous Bison bulls were first observed scouring along the most
distant roll of the Prairie and then succeeded long files of single beasts
which in their turns were followed by a dark mass of bodies, until the
duncoloured herbage of the plain was entirely lost in the deeper hue of their
shaggy coats The herd as the column spread and thickened was like the endless
flocks of the smaller birds whose extended flanks are so often seen to heave up
out the abyss of the heavens until they appear as countless and as
interminable as the leaves in those forests over which they wing their endless
flight Clouds of dust shot up in little columns from the centre of the mass as
some animal more furious than the rest ploughed the plain with his horns and
from time to time a deep hollow bellowing was borne along on the wind as if a
thousand throats vented their plaints in a discordant murmuring
A long and musing silence reigned in the party as they gazed on this
spectacle of wild and peculiar grandeur It was at length broken by the trapper
who having been long accustomed to similar sights felt less of its influence or
rather felt it in a less thrilling and absorbing manner than those to whom the
scene was more novel
»There go ten thousand oxen in one drove without keeper or master except
him who made them and gave them these open plains for their pasture Ay it is
here that man may see the proofs of his wantonness and folly Can the proudest
Governer in all the States go into his fields and slaughter a nobler bullock
than is here offered to the meanest hand and when he has gotten his surloin or
his steak can he eat it with as good a relish as he who has sweetened his food
with wholesome toil and earned it according to the law of natur by honestly
mastering that which the Lord hath put before him«
»If the Prairie platter is smoking with a buffaloes hump I answer no«
interrupted the luxurious beehunter
»Ay boy you have tasted and you feel the genuine reasoning of the thing
But the herd is heading a little thisaway and it behoves us to make ready
for their visit If we hide ourselves altogether the horned brutes will break
through the place and trample us beneath their feet like so many creeping
worms so we will just put the weak ones apart and take post as becomes men and
hunters in the van«
As there was but little time to make the necessary arrangements the whole
party set about them in good earnest Inez and Ellen were placed in the edge of
the thicket on the side farthest from the approaching herd Asinus was posted in
the centre in consideration of his nerves and then the old man with his three
male companions divided themselves in such a manner as they thought would enable
them to turn the head of the rushing column should it chance to approach too
nigh their position By the vacillating movements of some fifty or a hundred
bulls that led the advance it remained questionable for many moments what course
they intended to pursue But a tremendous and painful roar which came from
behind the cloud of dust that rose in the centre of the horde and which was
horridly answered by the screams of the carrion birds that were greedily sailing
directly above the flying drove appeared to give a new impulse to their flight
and at once to remove every symptom of indecision As if glad to seek the
smallest signs of the forest the whole of the affrighted herd became steady in
its direction rushing in a straight line toward the little cover of bushes which
has already been so often named
The appearance of danger was now in reality, of a character to try the
stoutest nerves The flanks of the dark moving mass were advanced in such a
manner as to make a concave line of the front and every fierce eye that was
glaring from the shaggy wilderness of hair in which the entire heads of the
males were enveloped was rivetted with mad anxiety on the thicket It seemd as
if each beast strove to outstrip his neighbor in gaining this desired cover
and as thousands in the rear pressd blindly on those in front there was the
appearance of an imminent risk that the leaders of the herd would be
precipitated on the crouching party in which case the destruction of every one
of them was certain Each of our adventurers felt the danger of his situation in
a manner peculiar to his individual character and circumstances
Middleton wavered At times he felt inclined to rush through the bushes and
seizing Inez attempt to fly then recollecting the impossibility of outstripping
the furious speed of an alarmed bison he felt for his arms determined to make
head against the countless drove The faculties of Doctor Battius were quickly
wrought up to the very summit of mental delusion The dark forms of the herd
lost their distinctness and then the Naturalist began to fancy he beheld a wild
collection of all the creatures of the world rushing upon him in a body as if to
revenge the various injuries which in the course of a life of indefatigable
labour in behalf of the natural sciences he had inflicted on their several
genera The paralysis it occasioned in his system was like the effect of the
Incubus Equally unable to fly or to advance he stood rivetted to the spot
until the infatuation became so complete that the worthy naturalist was
beginning by a desperate effort of scientific resolution even to class the
different specimens On the other hand Paul shouted and calld on Ellen to come
and assist him in shouting but his voice was lost in the bellowings and
trampling of the herd Furious and yet strangely excited by the obstinacy of
the brutes and the wildness of the sight and nearly maddened by sympathy and a
species of unconscious apprehension in which the claims of nature were
singularly mingled with concern for his mistress he nearly split his throat in
exhorting his aged friend to interfere
»Come forth old trapper« he shouted »with your Prairie inventions or we
shall be all smothered under a mountain of buffaloe humps«
The old man who had stood all this while leaning on his rifle and regarding
the movements of the herd with a steady eye now deemd it time to strike his
blow Levelling his piece at the foremost bull with an agility that would have
done credit to his youth he fired The animal received the bullet on the matted
hair between his horns and fell to his knees but shaking his head he instantly
arose the very shock seeming to increase his exertions There was now no
longer time to hesitate Throwing down his rifle the trapper stretched forth
his arms and advanced from the cover with naked hands directly towards the
rushing column of the beasts
The figure of a man when sustained by the firmness and steadiness that
intellect can only impart rarely fails of commanding respect from all the
inferior animals of the creation The leading bulls recoiled and for a single
instant there was a sudden stop to their speed a dense mass of bodies rolling
up in front until hundreds were seen floundering and tumbling on the plain
Then came another of those hollow bellowings from the rear and set the herd
again in motion The head of the column however divided the immovable form
of the trapper cutting it as it were into two gliding streams of life
Middleton and Paul instantly profited by his example and extended the feeble
barrier by a similar exhibition of their own persons
For a few moments the new impulse given to the animals in front served to
protect the thicket but as the body of the herd pressd more and more upon the
open line of its defenders and the dust thickened so as to obscure their
persons there was at each instant a renewed danger of the brutes breaking
through It became necessary for the trapper and his companions to become still
more and more alert and they were gradually yielding before the headlong
multitude when a furious bull darted by Middleton so near as to brush his
person and at the next instant swept through the thicket with the velocity of
the wind
»Close and die for the ground« shouted the old man »or a thousand of the
devils will be at his heels«
All their efforts would have provd fruitless however against the living
torrent had not Asinus whose domains had just been so rudely entered lifted
his voice in the midst of the uproar The most sturdy and furious of the bulls
trembled at the alarming and unknown cry and then each individual brute was
seen madly pressing from that very thicket which the moment before he had
endeavored to reach with the eagerness with which the murderer seeks the
sanctuary
As the stream divided the place became clear the two dark columns moving
obliquely from the copse to unite again at the distance of a mile on its
opposite side The instant the old man saw the sudden effect which the voice of
Asinus had produced he coolly commenced reloading his rifle indulging at the
same time in a heartfelt fit of his silent and peculiar merriment
»There they go like dogs with so many halffilled shot pouches dangling at
their tails and no fear of their breaking their order for what the brutes in
the rear didnt hear with their own ears theyll conceit they did besides if
they change their minds it may be no hard matter to get the Jack to sing the
rest of his tune«
»The ass has spoken but Balaam is silent« cried the Beehunter catching
his breath after a repeated burst of noisy mirth that might possibly have added
to the panic of the buffaloes by its vociferation »The man is as completely
dumbfounded as if a swarm of young bees had settled on the end of his tongue
and he not willing to speak for fear of their answer«
»How now friend« continued the trapper addressing the still motionless
and entranced naturalist »How now friend are you who make your livelihood by
booking the names and naturs of the beasts of the fields and the fowls of the
air frightened at a herd of scampering buffaloes Though perhaps you are ready
to dispute my right to call them by a word that is in the mouth of every hunter
and trader on the frontier«
The old man was however mistaken in supposing he could excite the benumbed
faculties of the Doctor by provoking a discussion From that time henceforth
he was never known except on one occasion to utter a word that indicated either
the species, or the genus, of the animal He obstinately refused the nutritious
food of the whole ox family and even to the present hour now that he is
established in all the scientific dignity and security of a savan in one of the
maritime towns he turns his back with a shudder on those delicious and
unrivalled viands that are so often seen at the suppers of the craft and which
are unequalled by any thing that is served under the same name at the boasted
chophouses of London or at the most renowned of the Parisian restaurans In
short the distaste of the worthy naturalist for beef was not unlike that which
the shepherd sometimes produces by first muzzling and fettering his delinquent
dog and then leaving him as a stepping stone for the whole flock to use in its
transit over a wall or through the opening of a sheepfold a process which is
said to produce in the culprit a species of surfeit on the subject of mutton
forever after By the time Paul and the trapper saw fit to terminate the fresh
bursts of merriment which the continued abstraction of their learned companion
did not fail to excite he commenced breathing again as if the suspended action
of his lungs had been renewed by the application of a pair of artificial
bellows and was heard to make use of the ever afterwards proscribed term on
that solitary occasion to which we have just alluded
»Boves American Horridi« exclaimed the Doctor laying great stress on the
latter word after which he continued mute like one who pondered on strange and
unaccountable events
»Ay horrid eyes enough I will willingly allow« returned the trapper »and
altogether the creatur has a frightful look to one unused to the sights and
bustle of a natural life But then the courage of the beast is in no way equal
to its countenance Lord man if you should once get fairly beset by a brood of
grizzly bears as happened to Hector and I at the great falls of the Miss ah
here comes the tail of the herd and yonder goes a pack of hungry wolves ready
to pick up the sick or such as get a disjointed neck by a tumble ha there
are mounted men on their trail or Im no sinner here lad you may see them
hereaway just where the dust is scattering afore the wind They are hovering
around a wounded buffaloe making an end of the surly devil with their arrows«
Middleton and Paul soon caught a glimpse of the dark groupe that the quick
eye of the old man had so readily detected Some fifteen or twenty horsemen
were in truth to be seen riding in quick circuits about a noble bull which
stood at bay too grievously hurt to fly and yet seeming to disdain to fall
notwithstanding his hardy body had already been the target for a hundred arrows
A thrust from the lance of a powerful Indian however completed his conquest
and the brute gave up his obstinate hold of life with a roar that past
bellowing over the place where our adventurers stood and reaching the ears of
the affrighted herd added a new impulse to their flight
»How well that Pawnee knew the philosophy of a buffaloe hunt« said the old
man after he had stood regarding the animated scene for a few moments with
evident satisfaction »You saw how he went off like the wind before the drove
It was in order that he might not taint the air and that he might turn the
flank and join Ha how is this yonder redskins are not Pawnees The feathers
in their heads are from the wings and tails of owls Ah as I am but a
miserable half sighted trapper it is a band of the accursed Siouxes To cover
lads to cover A single cast of an eye thisaway would strip us of every rag
of clothes as surely as the lightning scorches the bush and it might be that
our very lives would be far from safe«
Middleton had already turned from the spectacle to seek that which pleased
him better the sight of his young and beautiful bride Paul seized the Doctor
by the arm and as the trapper followed with the smallest possible delay the
whole party was quickly collected within the cover of the thicket After a few
short explanations concerning the character of this new danger the old man on
whom the whole duty of directing their movements was devolved in deference to
his great experience continued his discourse as follows
»This is a region as you must all know where a strong arm is far better
than the right and where the white law is as little known as heeded therefore
does every thing now depend on judgment and power If« he continued laying
his finger on his cheek like one who considered deeply all sides of the
embarrassing situation in which he found himself »if an invention could be
framed which would set these Siouxes and the brood of the squatter by the ears
then might we come in like the buzzards after a fight atween the beasts and pick
up the gleanings of the ground There are Pawnees nigh us too It is a certain
matter for yonder lad is not so far from his village without an errand Here
are therefore four parties within sound of a cannon not one of whom can trust
the other All which makes movement a little difficult in a district where
covers are far from plenty But we are three well armed and I think I may say
three stouthearted men «
»Four« interrupted Paul
»Anan« said the old man looking up simply at his companion
»Four« repeated the beehunter pointing to the Naturalist
»Every army has its hangerson and idlers« rejoined the blunt border man
»Friend it will be necessary to slaughter this ass«
»To slay Asinus such a deed would be an act of supererogatory cruelty«
»I know nothing of your words which hide their meaning in sound but that
is cruel which sacrifices a christian to a brute This is what I call the reason
of marcy It would be just as safe to blow a trumpet as to let the animal raise
his voice agin inasmuch as it would prove a manifest challenge to the
Siouxes«
»I will answer for the discretion of Asinus who seldom speaks without a
reason«
»They say a man can be known by the company he keeps« retorted the old man
»and why not a brute I once made a forced march and went through a great deal
of jeopardy with a companion who never opened his mouth but to sing and trouble
enough and great concern of mind did the fellow give me It was in that very
business with your grandther Captain but then he had a human throat and
well did he know how to use it on occasion though he didnt always stop to
regard the time and seasons fit for such outcries Ahs me if I was now as I
was then it wouldnt be a band of thieving Siouxes that should easily drive me
from such a lodgment as this But what signifies boasting when sight and
strength are both failing The warrior that the Delawares once saw fit to call
after the Hawk for the goodness of his eyes would now be better termed the
Mole In my judgement therefore it will be well to slay the brute«
»Theres argument and good logic in it« said Paul »Music is music and
its always noisy whether it comes from a fiddle or a JackAss Therefore I
agree with the old man and say kill the beast«
»Friends« said the naturalist looking with a sorrowful eye from one to
another of his bloodily disposed companions »slay not Asinus He is a specimen
of his kind of whom much good and little evil can be said Hardy and docile for
his genus abstemious and patient even for his humble species We have journeyed
much together and his death would grieve me How would it trouble thy spirit
venerable venator to separate in such an untimely manner from your faithful
hound«
»The animal shall not die« said the old man suddenly clearing his throat
in a manner that proved he felt the force of the appeal »but his voice must be
smothered Bind his jaws with the halter and then I think we may trust the rest
to providence«
With this double security for the discretion of Asinus for Paul instantly
bound the muzzle of the ass in the manner required the trapper seemd content
After which he proceeded to the margin of the thicket to reconnoitre
The uproar which attended the passage of the herd was now gone or rather it
was heard rolling along the Prairie at the distance of a mile The clouds of
dust were already blown away by the wind and a clear range was left to the eye
in that place where ten minutes before there existed a scene of so much
wildness and confusion
The Siouxes had completed their conquest and apparently satisfied with
this addition to the numerous previous captives they had made they now seemed
content to let the remainder of the herd escape A dozen remained around the
carcass over which a few buzzards were balancing themselves with steady wings
and greedy eyes while the rest were riding about in quest of such further booty
as might come in their way on the trail of so vast a drove The trapper
measured the proportions and scanned the equipments of such individuals as drew
nearer to the side of the thicket with careful eyes At length he pointed out
one among them to Middleton as Weucha
»Now know we not only who they are but their errand« the old man
continued deliberately shaking his head »They have lost the trail of the
squatter and are on its hunt These buffaloes have crossd their path and in
chasing the animals bad luck has led them in open sight of the hill on which
the brood of Ishmael have harbored Do you see yon birds watching for the
offals of the beast they have killed Therein is a moral which teaches the
manner of a Prairie life A band of Pawnees are outlying for these very Siouxes
as you see the buzzards looking down for their food and it behooves us as
Christian men who have so much at stake to look down upon them both Ha what
brings yonder two skirting reptiles to a stand As you live they have found the
place where the miserable son of the squatter met his death«
The old man was not mistaken Weucha and a savage who accompanied him had
reached that spot which has already been mentioned as furnishing the frightful
evidences of violence and bloodshed There they sat on their horses examining
the well known signs with the intelligence that distinguishes the habits of
Indians Their scrutiny was long and apparently not without distrust At length
they raised a cry that was scarcely less hideous and startling than that which
the hounds had before made over the same fatal signs and which did not fail to
draw the whole band immediately around them as the fell bark of the jackall is
said to gather his comrades to the chase
Chapter XX
»Welcome ancient Pistol«
2 Henry IV IIiv111
It was not long before the trapper pointed out the commanding person of
Mahtoree as the leader of the Siouxes This chief who had been among the last to
obey the vociferous summons of Weucha no sooner reachd the spot where his
whole party was now gathered than he threw himself from his horse and proceeded
to examine the marks of the extraordinary trail with that degree of dignity and
attention which became his high and responsible station The warriors for it
was but too evident that they were to a man of that fearless and ruthless class
awaited the result of his investigation with patient reserve none but a few of
the principal braves presuming even to speak while their leader was thus
gravely occupied It was several minutes before Mahtoree seemd satisfied He
then directed his eyes along the ground to those several places where Ishmael
had found the same revolting evidences of the passage of some bloody struggle
and motioned to his people to follow
The whole band advanced in a body towards the thicket until they came to a
halt within a few yards of the precise spot where Esther had stimulated her
sluggish sons to break into the cover The reader will readily imagine that the
trapper and his companions were not indifferent observers of so threatening a
movement The old man summoned all who were capable of bearing arms to his side
and demanded in very unequivocal terms though in a voice that was suitably
lowered in order to escape the ears of their dangerous neighbors whether they
were disposed to make battle for their liberty or whether they should try the
milder expedient of conciliation As it was a subject in which all had an equal
interest he put the question as to a Council of war and not without some slight
exhibition of the lingering vestiges of a nearly extinct military pride Paul
and the Doctor were diametrically opposed to each other in opinion the former
declaring for an immediate appeal to arms and the latter as warmly espousing
the policy of pacific measures Middleton who saw that there was great danger
of a hot verbal dispute between two men who were governed by feelings so
diametrically opposed saw fit to assume the office of arbiter or rather to
decide the question his situation making him a sort of umpire He also leaned
to the side of peace for he evidently saw that in consequence of the vast
superiority of their enemies violence would irretrievably lead to their
destruction
The trapper listened to the reasons of the young soldier with great
attention and as they were given with the steadiness of one who did not suffer
apprehension to blind his judgement they did not fail to produce a suitable
impression
»It is rational« rejoined the trapper when the other had delivered his
reasons »It is very rational for what man cannot move with his strength he
must circumvent with his wits It is reason that makes him stronger than the
buffaloe and swifter than the moose Now stay you here and keep yourselves
close My life and my traps are but of little value when the welfare of so
many human souls is concerned and moreover I may say that I know the windings
of Indian cunning Therefore will I go alone upon the Prairie It may so happen
that I can yet draw the eyes of a Sioux from this spot and give you time and
room to fly«
As if resolved to listen to no remonstrance the old man quietly shouldered
his rifle and moving leisurely through the thicket he issued on the plain at a
point whence he might first appear before the eyes of the Siouxes without
exciting their suspicions that he came from its cover
The instant that the figure of a man dressed in the garb of a hunter and
bearing the well known and much dreaded rifle appeared before the eyes of the
Siouxes there was a sensible though a suppressed sensation in the band The
artifice of the trapper had so far succeeded as to render it extremely doubtful
whether he came from some point on the open Prairie or from the thicket though
the Indians still continued to cast frequent and suspicious glances at the
cover They had made their halt at the distance of an arrowflight from the
bushes but when the stranger came sufficiently nigh to show that the deep
coating of red and brown which time and exposure had given to his features was
laid upon the original colour of a Pale Face they slowly receded from the spot
until they reached a distance that might defeat the aim of firearms
In the mean time the old man continued to advance until he had got nigh
enough to make himself heard without difficulty Here he stopped and dropping
his rifle to the earth he raised his hand with the palm outward in token of
peace After uttering a few words of reproach to his hound who watchd the
savage groupe with eyes that seemd to recognize them he spoke in the Sioux
tongue
»My brothers are welcome« he said cunningly constituting himself the
master of the region in which they had met and assuming the offices of
hospitality »They are far from their villages and are hungry Will they follow
to my lodge to eat and sleep«
No sooner was his voice heard than the yell of pleasure which burst from a
dozen mouths convinced the sagacious trapper that he also was recognized
Feeling that it was too late to retreat he profited by the confusion which
prevailed among them while Weucha was explaining his character to advance
until he was again face to face with the redoubtable Mahtoree The second
interview between these two men each of whom was extraordinary in his way was
marked by the usual caution of the frontiers They stood for nearly a minute
examining each other without speaking
»Where are your young men« sternly demanded the Teton chieftain after he
found that the immoveable features of the trapper refused to betray any of their
masters secrets under his intimidating look
»The Longknives do not come in bands to trap the beaver I am alone«
»Your head is white but you have a forked tongue Mahtoree has been in your
camp He knows that you are not alone Where is your young wife and the warrior
that I found upon the Prairie«
»I have no wife I have told my brother that the woman and her friend were
strangers The words of a gray head should be heard and not forgotten The
Dahcotahs found travellers asleep and they thought they had no need of horses
The women and children of a Paleface are not used to go far on foot Let them
be sought where you left them«
The eyes of the Teton flashd fire as he answered
»They are gone but Mahtoree is a wise chief and his eyes can see a great
distance«
»Does the Partizan of the Tetons see men on these naked fields« retorted
the trapper with great steadiness of mien »I am very old and my eyes grow dim
where do they stand«
The chief remained silent a moment as if he disdained to contest any
further the truth of a fact concerning which he was already satisfied then
pointing to the traces on the earth he said with a sudden transition to
mildness in his eye and manner
»My father has learnt wisdom in many winters can he tell me whose moccasin
has left this trail«
»There have been wolves and buffaloes on the Prairies and there may have
been cougars too«
Mahtoree glanced his eye at the thicket as if he thought the latter
suggestion not impossible Pointing to the place he ordered his young men
reconnoitre it more closely cautioning them at the same time with a stern look
at the trapper to beware of treachery from the Bigknives Three or four
halfnaked eagerlooking youths lashd their horses at the word and darted
away to obey the mandate The old man trembled a little for the discretion of
Paul when he saw this demonstration The Tetons encircled the place two or
three times approaching nigher and nigher at each circuit and then galloped
back to their leader to report that the copse seemd empty Notwithstanding the
trapper watchd the eye of Mahtoree in order to detect the inward movements of
his mind and if possible to anticipate in order to direct his suspicions the
utmost sagacity of one so long accustomed to study the cold habits of the Indian
race could however detect no symptom or expression that denoted how far he
credited or distrusted this intelligence Instead of replying to the information
of his scouts he spoke kindly to his horse and motioning to a youth to receive
the bridle or rather halter by which he governed the animal he took the
trapper by the arm and led him a little apart from the rest of the band
»Has my father been a warrior« said the wily Teton in a tone that he
intended should be conciliating
»Do the leaves cover the trees in the season of fruits Go The Dahcotahs
have not seen as many warriors living as I have lookd on in their blood But
what signifies idle remembrancing« he added in English »when limbs grow stiff
and sight is failing«
The chief regarded him a moment with a severe look as if he would lay bare
the falsehood he had heard but meeting in the calm eye and steady mien of the
trapper a confirmation of the truth of what he said he took the hand of the old
man and laid it gently on his head in token of the respect that was due to the
others years and experience
»Why then do the Bigknives tell their red brethren to bury the tomahawk«
he said »when their own young men never forget that they are braves and meet
each other so often with bloody hands«
»My nation is more numerous than the buffaloes on the Prairies or the
pigeons in the air Their quarrels are frequent yet their warriors are few
None go out on the war path but they who are gifted with the qualities of a
brave and therefore such see many battles«
»It is not so my Father is mistaken« returned Mahtoree indulging in a
smile of exulting penetration at the very instant he corrected the force of his
denial in deference to the years and services of one so aged »The Bigknives
are very wise and they are men all of them would be warriors They would leave
the red skins to dig roots and hoe the corn But a Dahcotah is not born to live
like a woman he must strike the Pawnee and the Omawhaw or he will lose the
name of his Fathers«
»The Master of Life looks with an open eye on his children who die in a
battle that is fought for the right but he is blind and his ears are shut to
the cries of an Indian who is killed when plundering or doing evil to his
neighbor«
»My father is old« said Mahtoree looking at his aged companion with an
expression of irony that sufficiently denoted he was one of those who overstep
the trammels of education and who are perhaps a little given to abuse the
mental liberty they thus obtain »He is very old Has he made a journey to the
far country and has he been at the trouble to come back to tell the young men
what he has seen«
»Teton« returned the trapper throwing the breech of his rifle to the earth
with startling vehemence and regarding his companion with steady severity »I
have heard that there are men among my people who study their great medecines
until they believe themselves to be Gods and who laugh at all faith except in
their own vanities It may be true It is true for I have seen them When man
is shut up in towns and schools with his own follies it may be easy to believe
himself greater than the Master of Life but a warrior who lives in a house with
the clouds for its roof where he can at any moment look both at the heavens and
at the earth and who daily sees the power of the Great Spirit should be more
humble A Dahcotah chieftain ought to be too wise to laugh at justice«
The crafty Mahtoree who saw that his freethinking was not likely to
produce a favorable impression on the old man instantly changed his ground by
alluding to the more immediate subject of their interview Laying his hand
gently on the shoulder of the trapper he led him forward until they both stood
within fifty feet of the margin of the thicket Here he fastened his penetrating
eyes on the others honest countenance and continued the discourse
»If my father has hid his young men in the bush let him tell them to come
forth You see that a Dahcotah is not afraid Mahtoree is a great Chief A
warrior whose head is white and who is about to go to the Land of Spirits cannot
have a tongue with two ends like a serpent«
»Dahcotah I have told no lie Since the Great Spirit made me a man I have
livd in the wilderness or on these naked plains without lodge or family I am
a hunter and go on my path alone«
»My father has a good carabyne Let him point it in the bush and fire«
The old man hesitated a moment and then slowly prepared himself to give
this delicate assurance of the truth of what he said without which he plainly
perceived the suspicions of his crafty companion could not be lulled As he
lowered his rifle his eye although greatly dimmed and weakened by age ran
over the confused collection of objects that lay embedded amid the party
coloured foliage of the thicket until it succeeded in catching a glimpse of the
brown covering of the stem of a small tree With this object in view he raised
the piece to a level and fired The bullet had no sooner glided from the barrel
than a tremor seized the hands of the trapper which had it occurred a moment
sooner would have utterly disqualified him for so hazardous an experiment A
frightful silence succeeded the report during which he expected to hear the
shrieks of the females and then as the smoke whirled away in the wind he
caught a view of the fluttering bark and felt assured that all his former skill
was not entirely departed from him Dropping the piece to the earth he turned
again to his companion with an air of the utmost composure and demanded
»Is my brother satisfied«
»Mahtoree is a chief of the Dahcotahs« returned the cunning Teton laying
his hand on his chest in acknowledgement of the others sincerity »He knows
that a warrior who has smoked at so many Council fires until his head has grown
white would not be found in wicked company But did not my father once ride on
a horse like a rich chief of the Palefaces instead of travelling on foot like
a hungry Konza«
»Never The Wahcondah has given me legs and he has given me resolution to
use them For sixty summers and winters did I journey in the woods of America
and ten tiresome years have I dwelt on these open fields without finding need
to call often upon the gifts of the other creturs of the Lord to carry me from
place to place«
»If my Father has so long livd in the shade why has he come upon the
Prairies The sun will scorch him«
The old man lookd sorrowfully about for a moment and then turning with a
confidential air to the other he replied
»I passed the spring summer and autumn of life among the trees The winter
of my days had come and found me where I lovd to be in the quiet ay and in
the honesty of the woods Teton then I slept happily where my eyes could look
up through the branches of the pines and the beeches to the very dwelling of
the Good Spirit of my people If I had need to open my heart to him while his
fires were burning above my head the door was open and before my eyes But the
axes of the choppers awoke me For a long time my ears heard nothing but the
uproar of clearings I bore it like a warrior and a man there was a reason
that I should bear it But when that reason was ended I bethought me to get
beyond the accursed sounds It was trying to the courage and to the habits but
I had heard of these vast and naked fields and I came hither to escape the
wasteful temper of my people Tell me Dahcotah have I not done well«
The trapper laid his long lean finger on the naked shoulder of the Indian
as he ended and seemd to demand his felicitations on his ingenuity and
success with a ghastly smile in which triumph was singularly blended with
regret His companion listened intently and replied to the question by saying
in the sententious manner of his race
»The head of my Father is very gray he has always livd with men and he
has seen every thing What he does is good what he speaks is wise Now let him
say is he sure that he is a stranger to the Bigknives who are looking for
their beasts on every side of the Prairies and cannot find them«
»Dahcotah what I have said is true I live alone and never do I mingle
with men whose skins are white if «
His mouth was suddenly closed by an interruption that was as mortifying as
it was unexpected The words were still on his tongue when the bushes on the
side of the thicket where they stood opened and the whole of the party whom he
had just left and in whose behalf he was endeavoring to reconcile his love of
truth to the necessity of prevaricating came openly into view A pause of mute
astonishment succeeded this unlookedfor spectacle Then Mahtoree who did not
suffer a muscle or a joint to betray the wonder and surprise he actually
experienced motioned towards the advancing friends of the trapper with an air
of assumed civility and a smile that lighted his fierce dark visage as the
glare of the setting sun reveals the volume and load of the cloud that is
surcharged to bursting with the electric fluid He however disdained to speak
or to give any other evidence of his intentions than by calling to his side the
distant band who sprang forward at his beck with the alacrity of willing
subordinates
In the mean time the friends of the old man continued to advance Middleton
himself was foremost supporting the light and aerial looking figure of Inez on
whose anxious and shaking countenance he cast such occasional glances of tender
interest as in similar circumstances a father would have given to his child
Paul led Ellen close in their rear But while the eye of the beehunter did not
neglect his blooming companion it scowled angrily resembling more the aspect
of the sullen and retreating bear than the soft intelligence of a favored
suitor Obed and Asinus came last the former leading his companion with a
degree of fondness that could hardly be said to be exceeded by any other of the
Party The approach of the naturalist was far less rapid than that of those who
preceded him His feet seemd equally reluctant to advance or to remain
stationary his position bearing a great analogy to that of Mahomets coffin
with the exception that the quality of repulsion rather than that of attraction
held him in a state of rest The repulsive power in his rear however appeared
to predominate and by a singular exception as he would have said himself to
all philosophical principles it rather increased than diminished by distance
As the eyes of the naturalist steadily maintained a position that was the
opposite of his route they served to give a direction to those of the observers
of all these movements and at once furnished a sufficient clue by which to
unravel the mystery of so sudden a debouchement from the cover
Another cluster of stout and armed men was seen at no great distance just
rounding a point of the thicket and moving directly though cautiously towards
the place where the band of the Siouxes was posted as a squadron of cruisers is
often seen to steer across the waste of waters towards the rich but
wellprotected convoy In short the family of the squatter or at least such
among them as were capable of bearing arms appeared in view on the broad
Prairie evidently bent on revenging their wrongs
Mahtoree and his party slowly retired from the thicket the moment they
caught a view of the strangers until they halted on a swell that commanded a
wide and unobstructed view of the naked fields on which they stood Here the
Dahcotah appeared disposed to make his stand and to bring matters to an issue
Notwithstanding this retreat in which he compelled the trapper to accompany
him Middleton still advanced until he too halted on the same elevation and
within speaking distance of the warlike Siouxes The borderers in their turn
took a favourable position though at a much greater distance The three groupes
now resembled so many fleets at sea lying with their topsails to the masts
with the commendable precaution of reconnoitring before each could ascertain
who among the strangers might be considered as friends and who as foes
During this moment of suspense the dark threatening eye of Mahtoree rolled
from one of the strange parties to the other in keen and hasty examination and
then it turned its withering look on the old man as the chief said in a tone
of high and bitter scorn
»The Bigknives are fools It is easier to catch the Cougar asleep than to
find a blind Dahcotah Did the whitehead think to ride on the horse of a
Sioux«
The trapper who had found time to collect his perplexed faculties saw at
once that Middleton having perceived Ishmael on the trail by which they had
fled preferred trusting to the hospitality of the savages than to the treatment
he would be likely to receive from the hands of the squatter He therefore
disposed himself to clear the way for the favorable reception of his friends
since he found that the unnatural coalition became necessary to secure the
liberty if not the lives of the party
»Did my brother ever go on a war path to strike my people« he calmly
demanded of the indignant chief who still awaited his reply
The lowering aspect of the Teton warrior so far lost its severity as to
suffer a gleam of pleasure and triumph to lighten its ferocity as sweeping his
arm in an entire circle around his person he answered
»What tribe or nation has not felt the blows of the Dahcotahs Mahtoree is
their Partizan«
»And has he found the Bigknives women or has he found them men«
A multitude of fierce passions were struggling in the tawny countenance of
the Indian For a moment inextinguishable hatred seemd to hold the mastery and
then a nobler expression and one that better became the character of a brave
got possession of his features and maintained itself until first throwing
aside his light robe of pictured deerskin and pointing to the scar of a
bayonet on his breast he replied
»It was given as it was taken face to face«
»It is enough My brother is a brave chief and he should be wise Let him
look is that a warrior of the Palefaces Was it one such as that who gave the
Great Dahcotah his hurt«
The eyes of Mahtoree followed the direction of the old mans extended arm
until they rested on the drooping form of Inez The look of the Teton was long
rivetted and admiring Like that of the young Pawnee it resembled more the
gaze of a mortal on some heavenly image than the admiration with which man is
wont to contemplate even the loveliness of woman Starting as if suddenly
selfconvicted of forgetfulness the chief next turned his eyes on Ellen where
they lingered an instant with a much more intelligible expression of admiration
and then pursued their course until they had taken another glance at each
individual of the party
»My brother sees that my tongue is not forked« continued the trapper
watching the emotions the other betrayed with a readiness of comprehension
little inferior to that of the Teton himself »The Bigknives do not send their
women to war I know that the Dahcotahs will smoke with the strangers«
»Mahtoree is a great chief The Bigknives are welcome« said the Teton
laying his hand on his breast with an air of lofty politeness that would have
done credit to any state of society »The arrows of my young men are in their
quivers«
The trapper motioned to Middleton to approach and in a few moments the two
parties were blended in one each of the males having exchanged friendly
greetings after the fashions of the Prairie warriors But even while engaged in
this hospitable manner the Dahcotah did not fail to keep a strict watch on the
more distant party of white men as if he still distrusted an artifice or
sought further explanation The old man in his turn perceived the necessity of
being more explicit and of securing the slight and equivocal advantage he had
already obtained While affecting to examine the groupe which still lingered at
the spot where it had first halted as if to discover the characters of those
who composed it he plainly saw that Ishmael contemplated immediate hostilities
The result of a conflict on the open Prairies between a dozen resolute border
men and the half armed natives even though seconded by their white allies was
in his experienced judgment a point of great uncertainty and though far from
reluctant to engage in the struggle on account of himself the aged trapper
thought it far more worthy of his years and his character to avoid than to
court the contest His feelings were for obvious reasons in accordance with
those of Paul and Middleton who had lives still more precious than their own to
watch over and protect In this dilemma the three consulted on the means of
escaping the frightful consequences which might immediately follow a single act
of hostility on the part of the borderers the old man taking care that their
communication should in the eyes of those who noted the expression of their
countenances with jealous watchfulness bear the appearance of explanations as
to the reason why such a party of travellers was met so far in the deserts
»I know that the Dahcotahs are a wise and great people« at length the
trapper commenced again addressing himself to the chief »but does not their
partizan know a single brother who is base«
The eye of Mahtoree wandered proudly around his band but rested a moment
reluctantly on Weucha as he answered
»The Master of Life has made chiefs and warriors and women« conceiving
that he thus embraced all the gradations of human excellence from the highest to
the lowest
»And he has also made pale faces who are wicked Such are they whom my
brother sees yonder«
»Do they go on foot to do wrong« demanded the Teton with a wild gleam
from his eyes that sufficiently betrayed how well he knew the reason why they
were reduced to so humble an expedient
»Their beasts are gone But their powder and their lead and their blankets
remain«
»Do they carry their riches in their hands like miserable Konzas or are
they brave and leave them with the women as men should do who know where to
find what they lose«
»My brother sees the spot of blue across the Prairie look the sun has
touchd it for the last time today«
»Mahtoree is not a mole«
»It is a rock and on it are the goods of the Bigknives«
An expression of savage joy shot into the dark countenance of the Teton as
he listened Turning to the old man he seemd to read his soul as if to assure
himself he was not deceived Then he bent his look on the party of Ishmael and
counted its numbers
»One warrior is wanting« he said
»Does my brother see the buzzards There is his grave Did he find blood on
the Prairie It was his«
»Enough Mahtoree is a wise chief Put your women on the horses of the
Dahcotahs we shall see for our eyes are open very wide«
The trapper wasted no unnecessary words in explanation Familiar with the
brevity and promptitude of the Natives he immediately communicated the result to
his companions Paul was mounted in an instant with Ellen at his back A few
more moments were necessary to assure Middleton of the security and ease of
Inez While he was thus engaged Mahtoree advanced to the side of the beast he
had allotted to this service which was his own and manifested an intention to
occupy his customary place on its back The young soldier seized the reins of
the animal and glances of sudden anger and lofty pride were exchanged between
them
»No man takes this seat but myself« said Middleton sternly in English
»Mahtoree is a great chief« retorted the savage neither comprehending the
meaning of the others words
»The Dahcotah will be too late« whispered the old man at his elbow »see
the Bigknives are afraid and they will soon run«
The Teton chief instantly abandoned his claim and threw himself on another
horse directing one of his young men to furnish a similar accommodation for the
trapper The warriors who were dismounted got up behind as many of their
companions Doctor Battius bestrode Asinus and notwithstanding the brief
interruption in half the time we have taken to relate it the whole party was
prepared to move
When he saw that all were ready Mahtoree gave the signal to advance A few
of the best mounted of the warriors the chief himself included moved a little
in front and made a threatening demonstration as if they intended to attack
the strangers The squatter who was in truth slowly retiring instantly halted
his party and showed a willing front Instead however of coming within reach
of the dangerous aim of the western rifle the subtle savages kept wheeling
about the strangers until they had made a half circuit keeping the latter in
constant expectation of an assault Then perfectly secure of their object the
Tetons raised a loud shout and darted across the Prairie in a line for the
distant rock as directly and nearly with the velocity of the arrow that has
just been shot from its bow
Chapter XXI
»Dally not with the gods but get thee gone«
The Taming of the Shrew IViv68
Mahtoree had scarcely given the first intimation of his real design before a
general discharge from the borderers proved how well they understood it The
distance and the rapidity of the flight however rendered the fire harmless As
a proof of how little he regarded the hostility of their Party the Dahcotah
chieftain answered the report with a yell and flourishing his carabyne above
his head he made a circuit on the plain followed by his chosen warriors in
scorn of the impotent attempt of his enemies As the main body continued the
direct course this little band of the elite in returning from its wild
exhibition of savage contempt took its place in the rear with a dexterity and
a concert of action that showed the manoeuvre had been contemplated
Volley swiftly succeeded volley until the enraged squatter was reluctantly
compelled to abandon the idea of injuring his enemies by means so feeble
Relinquishing his fruitless attempt he commenced a rapid pursuit occasionally
discharging a rifle in order to give the alarm to the garrison which he had
prudently left under the command of the redoubtable Esther herself In this
manner the chase was continued for many minutes the horsemen gradually gaining
on their pursuers who maintained the race however with an incredible power of
foot
As the little speck of blue rose against the heavens like an island issuing
from the deep the savages occasionally raised a yell of triumph But the mists
of evening were already gathering along the whole of the eastern margin of the
Prairie and before the band had made half of the necessary distance the dim
outline of the rock had melted into the haze of the background Indifferent to
this circumstance which rather favored than disconcerted his plans Mahtoree
who had again ridden in front held on his course with the accuracy of a hound
of the truest scent merely slackening his speed a little as the horses of his
party were by this time thoroughly blown It was at this stage of the
enterprise that the old man rode up to the side of Middleton and addressed
him as follows in English
»Here is likely to be a thieving business and one in which I must say I
have but little wish to be a partner«
»What would you do It would be fatal to trust ourselves in the hands of the
miscreants in our rear«
»Tut for miscreants be they red or be they white Look ahead lad as if ye
were talking of our medecines or perhaps praising the Teton beasts For the
knaves love to hear their horses commended the same as a foolish mother in the
settlements is fond of hearing the praises of her wilful child So pat the
animal and lay your hand on the gewgaws with which the redskins have
ornamented his mane giving your eye as it were to one thing and your mind to
another Listen if matters are managed with judgement we may leave these Tetons
as the night sets in«
»A blessed thought« exclaimed Middleton who retained a painful remembrance
of the look of admiration with which Mahtoree had contemplated the loveliness of
Inez as well as of his subsequent presumption in daring to wish to take the
office of her protecter on himself
»Lord Lord what a weak creatur is man when the gifts of natur are
smothered in bookish knowledge and womanly manners Such another start would
tell these imps at our elbows that we were plotting against them just as
plainly as if it were whispered in their ears by a Sioux tongue Ay Ay I know
the devils they look as innocent as so many frisky fawns but there is not one
among them all that has not an eye on our smallest motions Therefore what is to
be done is to be done in wisdom in order to circumvent their cunning That is
right pat his neck and smile as if you praised the horse and keep the ear on
my side open to my words Be careful not to worry your beast for though but
little skilled in horses reason teaches that breath is needful in a hard push
and that a weary leg makes a dull race Be ready to mind the signal when you
hear a whine from old Hector The first will be to make ready the second to
edge out of the crowd and the third to go Am I understood«
»Perfectly perfectly« said Middleton trembling in his excessive eagerness
to put the plan in instant execution and pressing the little arm which
encircled his body to his heart »Perfectly Hasten Hasten«
»Ay the beast is no sloth« continued the trapper in the Teton language as
if he continued the discourse edging cautiously through the dusky throng at the
same time until he found himself riding at the side of Paul He communicated
his intentions in the same guarded manner as before The highspirited and
fearless beehunter received the intelligence with delight declaring his
readiness to engage the whole of the savage band should it become necessary to
effect their object When the old man drew off from the side of this pair also
he cast his eyes about him to discover the situation occupied by the naturalist
The Doctor with infinite labor to himself and Asinus had maintained a
position in the very centre of the Siouxes so long as there existed the
smallest reason for believing that any of the missiles of Ishmael might arrive
in contact with his person After this danger had diminished or rather
disappeared entirely his own courage revived while that of his steed began to
droop To this mutual but very material change was owing the fact that the rider
and the ass were now to be sought among that portion of the band who formed a
sort of rear guard Hither then the trapper contrived to turn his steed without
exciting the suspicions of any of his subtle companions
»Friend« commenced the old man when he found himself in a situation
favorable to discourse »should you like to pass a dozen years among the
savages with a shaved head and a painted countenance with perhaps a couple of
wives and five or six children of the halfbreed to call you father«
»Impossible« exclaimed the startled naturalist »I am indisposed to
matrimony in general and more especially to all admixture of the varieties of
species which only tend to tarnish the beauty and to interrupt the harmony of
nature. Moreover it is a painful innovation on the order of all nomenclatures«
»Ay ay you have reason enough for your distaste to such a life but
should these Siouxes get you fairly into their village such would be your luck
as certain as that the sun rises and sets at the pleasure of the Lord«
»Marry me to a woman who is not adorned with the comeliness of the species!«
responded the Doctor »Of what crime have I been guilty that so grievous a
punishment should await the offense To marry a man against the movements of his
will is to do a violence to human nature«
»Now that you speak of natur I have hopes that the gift of reason has not
altogether deserted your brain« returned the old man with a covert expression
playing about the angles of his deep set eyes which betrayed he was not
entirely destitute of humour »Nay they may conceive you a remarkable subject
for their kindness and for that matter marry you to five or six I have
known in my day favored chiefs who had numberless wives«
»But why should they meditate this vengeance« demanded the Doctor whose
hair began to rise as if each fibre was possessed of sensibility »what evil
have I done«
»It is the fashion of their kindness When they come to learn that you are a
great medecine they will adopt you in the tribe and some mighty chief will
give you his name and perhaps his daughter or it may be a wife or two of his
own who have dwelt long in his lodge and of whose value he is a judge by
experience«
»The Governor and Founder of Natural Harmony Protect me« ejaculated the
Doctor »I have no affinity to a single consort much less to duplicates and
triplicates of the class! I shall certainly essay a flight from their abodes
before I mingle in so violent a conjunction«
»There is reason in your words but why not attempt the race you speak of
now«
The naturalist lookd fearfully around as if he had an inclination to make
an instant exhibition of his desperate intention but the dusky figures who were
riding on every side of him seemd suddenly tripled in number and the darkness
that was already thickening on the Prairie appeared in his eyes to possess the
glare of high noon
»It would be premature and reason forbids it« he answered »Leave me
venerable venator to the council of my own thoughts and when my plans are
properly classed I will advise you of my resolutions«
»Resolutions« repeated the old man shaking his head a little
contemptuously as he gave the rein to his horse and allowed him to mingle with
the steeds of the savages »Resolution is a word that is talkd of in the
settlements and felt on the borders Does my brother know the beast on which
the Pale face rides« he continued addressing a gloomy looking warrior in his
own tongue and making a motion with his arm that at the same time directed his
attention to the Naturalist and the meek Asinus
The Teton turned his eyes for a minute on the animal but disdained to
manifest the smallest portion of that wonder he had felt in common with all his
companions on first viewing so rare a quadruped The trapper was not ignorant
that while asses and mules were beginning to be known to those tribes who dwelt
nearest the Mexicos they were not usually encountered so far north as the waters
of La Platte He therefore managed to read the mute astonishment that lay so
deeply concealed in the tawny visage of the savage and took his measures
accordingly
»Does my brother think that the rider is a warrior of the Palefaces« he
demanded when he believed that sufficient time had elapsed for a full
examination of the pacific mien of the naturalist
The flash of scorn which shot across the features of the Teton was
visible even by the dim light of the stars
»Is a Dahcotah a fool« was the answer
»They are a wise nation whose eyes are never shut much do I wonder that
they have not seen the Great Medecine of the Big knives«
»Wah« exclaimed his companion suffering the whole of his amazement to
burst out of his dark rigid countenance at the surprise like a flash of
lightning illuminating the gloom of midnight
»The Dahcotah knows that my tongue is not forked Let him open his eyes
wider Does he not see a very great Medicine«
The light was not necessary to recall to the savage each feature in the
really remarkable costume and equipage of Doctor Battius In common with the
rest of the band and in conformity with the universal practice of the Indians
this warrior while he had suffered no gaze of idle curiosity to disgrace his
manhood had not permitted a single distinctive mark which might characterize
any one of the strangers to escape his vigilance He knew the air the stature
the dress and the features even to the colour of the eyes and of the hair of
every one of the Bigknives whom he had thus strangely encountered and deeply
had he ruminated on the causes which could have led a party so singularly
constituted into the haunts of the rude inhabitants of his native wastes He
had already considered the several physical powers of the whole party and had
duly compared their abilities with what he supposed might have been their
intentions Warriors they were not for the Big knives like the Siouxes left
their women in their villages when they went out on the bloody path The same
objections applied to them as hunters and even as traders the two characters
under which the white men commonly appeared in their villages He had heard of
a Great Council at which the Menahashah or Long knives and the
Washsheomantiqua or Spaniards had smoked together when the latter had sold to
the former their incomprehensible rights over those vast regions through which
his nation had roamd in freedom for so many ages His simple mind had not
been able to embrace the reasons why one people should thus assume a superiority
over the possessions of another and it will readily be perceived that at the
hint just received from the trapper he was not indisposed to fancy that some of
the hidden subtilty of that magical influence of which he was so firm a
believer was about to be practised by the unsuspecting subject of their
conversation in furtherance of these mysterious claims Abandoning therefore
all the reserve and dignity of his manner under the conscious helplessness of
ignorance he turned to the old man and stretching forth his arms as if to
denote how much he lay at his mercy he said
»Let my father look at me I am a wild man of the Prairies My body is
naked my hands empty my skin red I have struck the Pawnees the Konzas the
Omawhaws the Osages and even the Long knives I am a man amid warriors but a
woman among the conjurors Let my Father speak the ears of the Teton are open
He listens like a deer to the step of the cougar«
»Such are the wise and unsarchable ways of one who alone knows good from
evil« exclaimed the trapper in English »To some he grants cunning and on
others he bestows the gift of manhood It is humbling and it is afflicting to
see so noble a creatur as this who has fout in many a bloody fray truckling
before his superstition like a beggar asking for the bones you would throw to
the dogs The Lord will forgive me for playing with the ignorance of the
savage for he knows I do it in no mockery of his state or in idle vaunting of
my own but in order to save mortal life and to give justice to the wronged
while I defeat the deviltries of the wicked Teton« speaking again in the
language of the listener »I ask you is not that a wonderful medicine If the
Dahcotahs are wise they will not breathe the air he breathes nor touch his
robes They know that the Wahconshecheh bad spirit loves his own children and
will not turn his back on him that does them harm«
The old man delivered this opinion in an ominous and sententious manner and
then rode apart as if he had said enough The result justified his
expectations The warrior to whom he had addressed himself was not slow to
communicate his important knowledge to the rest of the rear guard and in a very
few moments the naturalist was the object of general observation and reverence
The trapper who understood that the natives often worshipped with a view to
propitiate the evil spirit awaited the workings of his artifice with the
coolness of one who had not the smallest interest in its effects It was not
long before he saw one dark figure after another lashing his horse and
galloping ahead into the centre of the band until Weucha alone remained nigh
the persons of himself and Obed The very dullness of this grovellingminded
savage who continued gazing at the supposed conjuror with a sort of stupid
admiration opposed now the only obstacle to the complete success of his
artifice
Thoroughly understanding the character of this Indian the old man lost no
time in getting rid of him also Riding to his side he said in an affected
whisper
»Has Weucha drunk of the milk of the Big knives to day«
»Hugh« exclaimed the savage every dull thought instantly recalled from
heaven to earth by the question
»Because the Great Captain of my people who rides in front has a cow that
is never empty I know it will not be long before he will say are any of my red
brethren dry«
The words were scarcely uttered before Weucha in his turn quickened the
gait of his beast and was soon blended with the rest of the dark groupe who
were riding at a more moderate pace a few rods in advance The trapper who knew
how fickle and sudden were the changes of a savage mind did not lose a moment
in profiting by this advantage He loosened the reins of his own impatient steed
and in an instant he was again at the side of Obed
»Do you see the twinkling star that is maybe the length of four rifles
above the Prairie hereaway to the North I mean«
»Ay it is of the Constellation «
»A tut for your Constellation man do you see the star I mean tell me in
the English of the Land yes or no«
»Yes«
»The moment my back is turned pull upon the rein of your ass until you
lose sight of the savages Then take the Lord for your dependance and yonder
star for your guide Turn neither to the right hand nor to the left but make
diligent use of your time for your beast is not quick of foot and every inch
of Prairie you gain is a day added to your liberty or to your life« Without
waiting to listen to the queries which the Naturalist was about to put the old
man again loosened the reins of his horse and presently he too was blended
with the groupe in front
Obed was now alone Asinus willingly obeyed the hint which his master soon
gave rather in desperation than with any very collected understanding of the
orders he had received and checked his pace accordingly As the Tetons
however rode at a hard gallop but a moment of time was necessary after the
ass began to walk to remove them effectually from before the vision of his
rider Without plan expectation or hope of any sort except that of escaping
from his dangerous neighbors the Doctor first feeling to assure himself that
the package which contained the miserable remnants of his specimens and notes
was safe at his crupper turned the head of the beast in the required direction
and kicking him with a species of fury he soon succeeded in exciting the speed
of the patient animal into a smart run He had barely time to descend into a
hollow and ascend the adjoining swell of the prairie before he heard or
fancied he heard his name shouted in good English from the throats of twenty
Tetons The delusion gave a new impulse to his ardor and no professor of the
saltant art ever applied himself with greater industry than the naturalist now
used his heels on the ribs of Asinus The conflict endured for several minutes
without interruption and to all appearances it might have continued to the
present moment had not the meek temper of the beast become unduly excited
Borrowing an idea from the manner in which his master exhibited his agitation
Asinus so far changed the application of his own heels as to raise them
simultaneously with a certain indignant flourish into the air a measure that
instantly decided the controversy in his favor Obed took leave of his seat as
of a position no longer tenable continuing however the direction of his flight
while the Ass like a conqueror took possession of the field of battle beginning
to crop the dry herbage as the fruits of victory
When Doctor Battius had recovered his feet and rallied his faculties which
were in a good deal of disorder from the hurried manner in which he had
abandoned his former situation he returned in quest of his specimens and of his
Ass Asinus displayed enough of magnanimity to render the interview amicable
and thenceforth the Naturalist continued the required route with very
commendable industry but with a much more tempered discretion
In the mean time the old trapper had not lost sight of the important
movements that he had undertaken to control Obed had not been mistaken in
supposing that he was already missed and sought though his imagination had
corrupted certain savage cries into the well known sounds that composed his own
latinized name The truth was simply this The warriors of the rear guard had
not failed to apprise those in front of the mysterious character with which it
had pleased the trapper to invest the unsuspecting naturalist The same
untutored admiration which on the receipt of this intelligence had driven those
in the rear to the front now drove many of the front to the rear The Doctor
was of course absent and the outcry was no more than the wild yells which were
raised in the first burst of savage disappointment
But the authority of Mahtoree was prompt to aid the ingenuity of the
trapper in suppressing these dangerous sounds When order was restored and the
former was made acquainted with the reason why his young men had betrayed so
strong a mark of indiscretion the old man who had taken a post at his elbow
saw with alarm the gleam of keen distrust that flashed in his swarthy visage
»Where is your conjuror« demanded the chief turning suddenly to the
trapper as if he meant to make him responsible for the reappearance of Obed
»Can I tell my brother the number of the stars the ways of a great
medicine are not like the ways of other men«
»Listen to me grayhead and count my words« continued the other bending
on his rude saddle bow like some Chevalier of a more civilized race and
speaking in the haughty tones of absolute power »the Dahcotahs have not chosen
a woman for their Chief When Mahtoree feels the power of a great medicine he
will tremble Until then he will look with his own eyes without borrowing
sight from a Pale face If your conjuror is not with his friends in the
morning my young men shall look for him Your ears are open Enough«
The trapper was not sorry to find that so long a respite was granted He had
before found reason to believe that the Teton Partizan was one of those bold
spirits who overstep the limits which use and education fix to the opinions of
man in every state of society and he now saw plainly that he must adopt some
artifice to deceive him different from that which had succeeded so well with
his followers The sudden appearance of the rock however which hove up a
black and ragged mass out of the darkness ahead put an end for the present
to their discourse Mahtoree giving all his thoughts to the execution of his
designs on the rest of the squatters moveables A murmur ran through the band
as each dark warrior caught a glimpse of the desired haven after which the
nicest ear might have listened in vain to catch a sound louder than the
rustling of feet among the tall grass of the Prairie
But the vigilance of Esther was not easily deceived She had long listened
anxiously to the suspicious sounds which approached the rock across the naked
waste nor had the sudden outcry been unheard by the unwearied sentinels of the
rock The savages who had dismounted at some little distance had not time to
draw around the base of the hill in their customary silent and insidious
manner before the voice of the Amazon was raised demanding
»Who is beneath answer for your lives Siouxes or devils I fear ye not«
No answer was given to this challenge every warrior halting where he stood
confident that his dusky form was blended with the shadows of the plain It was
at this moment that the trapper determined to escape He had been left with the
rest of his friends under the surveillance of those who were assigned to the
duty of watching the horses as they all continued mounted the moment appeared
favorable to his project The attention of the guards was drawn to the rock and
a heavy cloud driving above them at that instant obscured even the feeble
light which fell from the stars Leaning on the neck of his horse the old man
muttered
»Wheres my pup where is it Hector where is it dog«
The hound caught the well known sounds and answered by a whine of
friendship which threatened to break out into one of his piercing howls The
trapper was in the act of raising himself from this successful exploit when he
felt the hand of Weucha grasping his throat as if determined to suppress his
voice by the very unequivocal process of strangulation Profiting by the
circumstance he raised another low sound as if in the natural effort of
breathing which drew a second responsive cry from the faithful hound Weucha
instantly abandoned his hold of the master in order to wreak his vengeance on
the dog But the voice of Esther was again heard and every other design was
abandoned in order to listen
»Ay whine and deform your throats as you may ye imps of darkness« she
said with a cracked but scornful laugh »I know ye Tarry and ye shall have
light for your misdeeds Put in the coals Phoebe put in the coal your Father
and the boys shall see that they are wanted at home to welcome their guests«
As she spoke a strong light like that of a brilliant star was seen on the
very pinnacle of the rock then followed a forked flame which curled for a
moment amid the windings of an enormous pile of brush and flashing upward in
an united sheet it wavered to and fro in the passing air shedding a bright
glare on every object within its influence A taunting laugh was heard from the
height in which the voices of all ages mingled as though they triumphed in
having so successfully exposed the treacherous intentions of the Tetons
The trapper lookd about him to ascertain in what situations he might find
his friends True to the signals Middleton and Paul had drawn a little apart
and now stood ready by every appearance to commence their flight at the third
repetition of the cry Hector had escaped his savage pursuer and was again
crouching at the heels of his masters horse But the broad circle of light was
gradually increasing in extent and power and the old man whose eye and
judgment so rarely failed him patiently awaited a more propitious moment for
his enterprise
»Now Ishmael my man if sight and hand ar true as ever now is the time
to work upon these redskins who claim to own all your property even to wife
and children Now my good man prove both breed and character«
A distant shout was heard in the direction of the approaching party of the
squatter assuring the female garrison that succour was not far distant Esther
answered to the grateful sounds by a crackd cry of her own lifting her form
in the first burst of her exultation above the rock in a manner to be visible
to all below Not content with this dangerous exposure of her person she was in
the act of tossing her arms in triumph when the dark figure of Mahtoree shot
into the light and pinioned them to her side The forms of three other warriors
glided across the top of the rock looking like naked demons flitting among the
clouds The air was filled with the brands of the beacon and a heavy darkness
succeeded not unlike that of the appalling instant when the last rays of the
sun are excluded by the intervening mass of the moon A yell of triumph burst
from the savages in their turn and was rather accompanied than followed by a
long loud whine from Hector
In an instant the old man was between the horses of Middleton and Paul
extending a hand to the bridle of each in order to check the impatience of
their riders
»Softly Softly« he whispered »their eyes are as marvellously shut for
the minute as if the Lord had stricken them blind but their ears are open
Softly softly for fifty rods at least we must move no faster than a walk«
The five minutes of doubt that succeeded seemed like an age to all but the
trapper As their sight was gradually restored it appeared to each that the
momentary gloom which followed the extinction of the beacon was to be replaced
by as broad a light as that of noon day Gradually the old man however
suffered the animals to quicken their steps until they had gained the centre of
one of the Prairie bottoms then laughing in his quiet manner he released the
reins and said
»Now let them give play to their legs but keep on the old fog to deaden
the sounds«
It is needless to say how cheerfully he was obeyed In a few more minutes
they ascended and crossd a swell of the land after which the flight was
continued at the top of their horses speed keeping the indicated star in view
as the laboring bark steers for the light which points the way to a haven and
security
Chapter XXII
»The clouds and sunbeams oer his eye
That once their shades and glories threw
Have left in yonder silent sky
No vestige where they flew«
Montgomery »The Common Lot«
ll 3336
A stillness as deep as that which marked the gloomy waste in their front was
observed by the fugitives to distinguish the spot they had just abandoned Even
the trapper lent his practised faculties in vain to detect any of the well
known signs which might establish the important fact that hostilities had
actually commenced between the parties of Mahtoree and Ishmael but their horses
carried them out of the reach of sounds without the occurrence of the smallest
evidence of that sort The old man from time to time muttered his discontent
but manifested the uneasiness he actually entertained in no other manner unless
it might be in exhibiting a growing anxiety to urge the animals to increase
their speed He pointed out in passing the deserted swale where the family of
the squatter had encamped the night they were introduced to the reader and
afterwards he maintained an ominous silence ominous because his companions had
already seen enough of his character to be convinced that the circumstances
must be critical indeed which possessed the power to disturb the well
regulated tranquility of the old mans mind
»Have we not done enough« Middleton demanded in tenderness to the
inability of Inez and Ellen to endure so much fatigue at the end of some hours
»we have ridden hard and have crossd a wide tract of Plain It is time to seek
a place of rest«
»You must seek it then in heaven if you find yourselves unequal to a
longer march« murmured the old trapper »Had the Tetons and the squatters come
to blows as any one might see in the natur of things they were bound to do
there would be time to look about us and to calculate not only the chances but
the comforts of the journey but as the case actually is I should consider it
certain death or endless captivity to trust our eyes with sleep until our heads
are fairly hid in some uncommon cover«
»I know not« returned the youth who reflected more on the sufferings of the
fragile being he supported than on the experience of his companion »I know not
We have ridden leagues and I can see no extraordinary signs of danger If you
fear for yourself my good friend believe me you are wrong for «
»Your grandther were he living and here« interrupted the old man
stretching forth a hand and laying a finger impressively on the arm of
Middleton »would have spared those words He had some reason to think that in
the prime of my days when my eye was quicker than the hawks and my limbs were
as active as the legs of the fallow deer I never clung too eagerly and fondly
to life then why should I now feel such childish affection for a thing that
I know to be vain and the companion of pain and sorrow Let the Tetons do their
worst they will not find a miserable and worn out trapper the loudest in his
complaints or his prayers«
»Pardon me my worthy my inestimable friend« exclaimed the repentant young
man warmly grasping the hand which the other was in the act of withdrawing »I
knew not what I said or rather I thought only of those whose tenderness we
are most bound to consider«
»Enough It is natur and it is right Therein your grandther would have
done the very same Ahs me what a number of seasons hot and cold wet and
dry have rolled over my poor head since the time we worried it out together
among the red Hurons of the Lakes back in those rugged mountains of old York
and many a noble buck has since that day fallen by my hand ay and many a
thieving Mingo too Tell me lad did the General for General I know he got to
be did he ever tell you of the deer we took that night the outlyers of the
accursed tribe drove us to the caves on the island and how we feasted and
drunk in security«
»I have often heard him mention the smallest circumstance of the night you
mean but «
»And the singer and his open throat and his shoutings in the fights«
continued the old man laughing joyously at the strength of his own
recollections
»All All he forgot nothing even to the most trifling incident Do you
not «
»What did he tell you of the imp behind the log and of the miserable devil
who went over the fall or of the wretch in the tree«
»Of each and all with every thing that concerned them16 I should think «
»Ay« continued the old man in a voice which betrayed how powerfully his
own faculties retained the impression of the spectacle »I have been a dweller
in forests and in the wilderness for threescore and ten years and if any man
can pretend to know the world or to have seen scary sights it is myself But
never before nor since have I seen human man in such a state of mortal despair
as that very savage and yet he scorned to speak or to cry out or to own his
forlorn condition It is their gift and nobly did he maintain it«
»Harkee old trapper« interrupted Paul who content with the knowledge
that his waist was grasped by one of the arms of Ellen had hitherto ridden in
unusual silence »my eyes are as true and as delicate as a humming birds in the
day but they are nothing worth boasting of by starlight Is that a sick
buffaloe crawling along in the bottom there or is it one of the stray cattle
of the savages«
The whole party drew up in order to examine the object which Paul had
pointed out During most of the time they had ridden in the little vales in
order to seek the protection of the shadows but just at that moment they had
ascended a roll of the Prairie in order to cross into the very bottom where
this unknown animal was now seen
»Let us descend« said Middleton »Be it beast or man we are too strong to
have any cause of fear«
»Now if the thing was not morally impossible« cried the trapper who the
reader must have already discovered was not always exact in the use of
qualifying words »if the thing was not morally impossible I should say that
was the man who journeys in search of reptiles and insects our fellow traveller
the Doctor«
»Why impossible did you not direct him to pursue this course in order to
rejoin us«
»Ay but I did not tell him to make an Ass outdo the speed of a horse you
are right you are right« said the trapper interrupting himself as by
gradually lessening the distance between them his eyes assured him it was Obed
and Asinus whom he saw »you are right as certainly as the thing is a miracle
Lord what a thing is fear How now friend you have been industrious to have
got so far ahead in so short a time I marvel at the speed of the ass«
»Asinus is overcome« returned the Naturalist mournfully »The animal has
certainly not been idle since we separated but he declines all my admonitions
and invitations to proceed I hope there is no instant fear from the savages«
»I cannot say that I cannot say that matters are not as they should be
atween the squatter and the Tetons nor will I answer as yet for the safety of
any scalp among us The beast is broken down you have urged him beyond his
natural gifts and he is like a worried hound There is pity and discretion in
all things even though a man be ariding for his life«
»You indicated the star« returned the Doctor »and I deemd it expedient to
use great diligence in pursuing the direction«
»Did you expect to reach it by such haste Go go you talk boldly of the
creaturs of the Lord though I plainly see that you are but a child in matters
that concern their gifts and instincts What plight would you now be in if
there was need for a long and a quick push with our heels«
»The fault exists in the formation of the quadruped« said Obed whose
placid temper began to revolt under so many scandalous imputations »Had there
been rotary levers for two of the members a moiety of the fatigue would have
been saved for one item «
»That for your moietys and rotarys and items man a jaded ass is a
jaded ass and he who denies it is but a brother of the beast itself Now
Captain are we driven to choose one of two evils We must either abandon this
man who has been too much with us through good and bad to be easily cast away
or we must seek a cover to let the animal rest«
»Venerable venator« exclaimed the alarmed Obed »I conjure you by all the
secret sympathies of our common nature by all the hidden «
»Ah fear has brought him to talk a little rational sense It is not natur
truly to abandon a brother in distress and the Lord he knows that I have never
yet done the shameful deed You are right friend you are right we must all be
hidden and that speedily But what to do with the Ass Friend Doctor do you
truly value the life of the creatur«
»He is an ancient and faithful servant« returned the disconsolate Obed
»and with pain should I see him come to any harm Fetter his lower limbs and
leave him to repose in this bed of herbage I will engage he shall be found
where he is left in the morning«
»And the Siouxes What would become of the beast should any of the red
imps catch a peep at his ears growing up out of the grass like two mullein
tops« cried the beehunter »They would stick him as full of arrows as a
womans cushion is full of pins and then believe that they had done the job
for the Father of all rabbits My word for it but they would find out their
blunder at the first mouthful«
Middleton who began to grow impatient under the protracted discussion
interposed and as a good deal of deference was paid to his rank he quickly
prevailed in his efforts to effect a sort of compromise The humble Asinus too
meek and too weary to make any resistance was soon tethered and deposited in his
bed of dying grass where he was left with a perfect confidence on the part of
his master of finding him again at the expiration of a few hours The old man
strongly remonstrated against this arrangement and more than once hinted that
the knife was much more certain than the tether but the petitions of Obed
aided perhaps by the secret reluctance of the trapper to destroy the beast were
the means of saving its life When Asinus was thus secured and as his master
believed secreted the whole party proceeded to find some place where they
might rest themselves during the time required for the repose of the animal
According to the calculations of the trapper they had ridden twenty miles
since the commencement of their flight The delicate frame of Inez began to
droop under the excessive fatigue nor was the more robust but still feminine
person of Ellen insensible to the extraordinary effort she had made Middleton
himself was not sorry to repose nor did the vigorous and high spirited Paul
hesitate to confess that he should be all the better for a little rest The old
man alone seemd indifferent to the usual claims of nature. Although but
little accustomed to the unusual description of exercise he had just been
taking he appeared to bid defiance to all the usual attacks of human
infirmities Though evidently so near its dissolution his attenuated frame
still stood like the shaft of seasoned oak dry naked and tempestriven but
unbending and apparently indurated to the consistency of stone On the present
occasion he conducted the search for a resting place which was immediately
commenced with all the energy of youth tempered by the discretion and
experience of his great age
The bed of grass in which the Doctor had been met and in which his ass had
just been left was followed a little distance until it was found that the
rolling swells of the Prairie were melting away into one vast level plain that
was covered for miles on miles with the same species of herbage
»Ah this may do this may do« said the old man when they arrived on the
borders of this sea of withered grass »I know the spot and often have I lain
in its secret holes for days at a time while the savages have been hunting the
buffaloes on the open ground We must enter it with great care for a broad
trail might be seen and Indian curiosity is a dangerous neighbor«
Leading the way himself he selected a spot where the tall coarse herbage
stood most erect growing not unlike a bed of reeds both in height and density
Here he entered singly directing the others to follow as nearly as possible in
his own footsteps When they had passed for some hundred or two feet into the
wilderness of weeds he gave his directions to Paul and Middleton who continued
a direct route deeper into the place while he dismounted and returned on his
tracks to the margin of the meadow Here he passed many minutes in replacing the
trodden grass and in effacing as far as possible every evidence of their
passage
In the mean time the rest of the party continued their progress not
without toil and consequently at a very moderate gait until they had penetrated
a mile into the place Here they found a spot suited to their circumstances and
dismounting they began to make their dispositions to pass the remainder of the
night By this time the trapper had rejoined the party and again resumed the
direction of their proceedings
The weeds and grass were soon plucked and cut from an area of sufficient
extent and a bed for Inez and Ellen was speedily made a little apart which
for sweetness and ease might have rivalled one of down The exhausted females
after receiving some light refreshments from the provident stores of Paul and
the old man soon sought their repose leaving their more stout companions at
liberty to provide for their own necessities Middleton and Paul were not long
in following the examples of their betrothed leaving the trapper and the
Naturalist still seated around a savory dish of bisons meat which had been
cooked at a previous halt and which was as usual eaten cold
A certain lingering sensation which had so long been uppermost in the mind
of Obed temporarily banished sleep and as for the old man his wants were
rendered by habit and necessity as seemingly subject to his will as if they
altogether depended on the pleasures of the moment Like his companion he chose
therefore to watch instead of sleeping
»If the children of ease and security knew the hardships and dangers the
students of nature encounter in their behalf« said Obed after a moment of
silence when Middleton took his leave for the night »pillars of silver and
statues of brass would be reared as the everlasting monuments of their glory«
»I know not I know not« returned his companion »Silver is far from
plenty at least in the wilderness and your brazen idols are forbidden in the
Commandments of the Lord«
»Such indeed was the opinion of the Great Law Giver of the Jews but the
Egyptians and the Chaldeans the Greeks and the Romans were wont to manifest
their gratitude in these types of the human form Indeed many of the
illustrious masters of Antiquity have by the aid of science and skill even
outdone the works of nature, and exhibited a beauty and perfection in the human
form that are difficult to be found in the rarest living specimens of any of
the species, genus homo«
»Can your idols walk or speak or have they the glorious gift of reason!«
demanded the trapper with some indignation in his voice »though but little
given to run into the noise and chatter of the settlements yet have I been into
the towns in my day to barter the Peltry for lead and powder and often have I
seen your waxen dolls with their tawdry clothes and glass eyes «
»Waxen dolls« interrupted Obed »it is profanation in the view of the arts
to liken the miserable handy work of the dealers in wax to the pure models of
antiquity«
»It is profanation in the eyes of the Lord« retorted the old man »to liken
the works of his creaturs to the power of his own hand«
»Venerable venator« resumed the naturalist clearing his throat like one
who was much in earnest »let us discuss understandingly and in amity You
speak of the dross of ignorance whereas my memory dwells on those precious
jewels which it was my happy fortune formerly to witness among the treasured
glories of the old world«
»Old World« retorted the trapper »that is the miserable cry of all the
halfstarved miscreants that have come into this blessed land since the days of
my boyhood They tell you of the old world as if the Lord had not the power and
the will to create the universe in a day or as if he had not bestowed his
gifts with an equal hand though not with an equal mind or equal wisdom have
they been received and used were they to say a worn out and an abused and a
sacrilegious world they might not be so far from the truth«
Doctor Battius who found it quite as arduous a task to maintain any of his
favorite positions with so irregular an antagonist as he would have found it
difficult to keep his feet within the hug of a western wrestler hemmed aloud
and profited by the new opening the trapper had made to shift the grounds of
the discussion
»By old and new world my excellent associate« he said »it is not to be
understood that the hills and the vallies the rocks and the rivers of our own
moiety of the earth do not physically speaking bear a date as ancient as the
spot on which the bricks of Babylon are found It merely signifies that its
moral existence is not coequal with its physical or geological formation«
»Anan« said the old man looking up inquiringly into the face of the
Philosopher
»Merely that it has not been so long known in morals as the other
countries of Christendom«
»So much the better so much the better I am no great admirator of your old
morals as you call them for I have ever found and I have livd long as it
were in the very heart of natur that your old morals are never of the best
Mankind twist and turn the rules of the Lord to suit their own wickedness when
their devilish cunning has had too much time to trifle with his commands«
»Nay venerable hunter still am I not comprehended By morals I do not
mean the limited and literal signification of the term, such as is conveyd in
its synonyme morality but the practices of men as connected with their daily
intercourse their institutions and their laws«
»And such I call barefaced and downright wantonness and waste« interrupted
his sturdy disputant
»Well be it so« returned the Doctor abandoning the explanation in despair
»Perhaps I have conceded too much« he then instantly added fancying that he
still saw the glimmerings of an argument through another chink in the discourse
»Perhaps I have conceded too much in saying that this hemisphere is literally
as old in its formation as that which embraces the venerable quarters of
Europe Asia and Africa«
»It is easy to say that a pine is not so tall as an alder but it would be
hard to prove Can you give a reason for such a belief«
»The reasons are numerous and powerful« returned the Doctor delighted by
this encouraging opening »Look into the plains of Egypt and Araby their sandy
deserts teem with the monuments of their antiquity and then we have also
recorded documents of their glory doubling the proofs of their former
greatness now that they lie stripped of their fertility while we look in vain
for similar evidences that man has ever reachd the summit of civilization on
this Continent or search without our reward for the path by which he has made
the downward journey to his present condition of second childhood«
»And what see you in all this« demanded the trapper who though a little
confused by the terms of his companion seized the thread of his ideas
»A demonstration of my Problem that nature did not make so vast a region to
lie so many ages an uninhabited waste This is merely the moral view of the
subject as to the more exact and geological «
»Your morals are exact enough for me« returned the old man »for I think I
see in them the very pride of folly I am but little gifted in the fables of
what you call the old world seeing that my time has been mainly passed looking
natur steadily in the face and in reasoning on what Ive seen rather than on
what Ive heard in traditions But I have never shut my ears to the words of the
good book and many is the long winter evening that I have passed in the
wigwams of the Delawares listening to the good Moravians as they dealt forth
the history and doctrines of the elder times to the people of the Lenape It was
pleasant to hearken to such wisdom after a weary hunt Right pleasant did I find
it and often have I talked the matter over with the Great Serpent of the
Delawares in the more peaceful hours of our outlyings whether it might be on
the trail of a warparty of the Mingoes or on the watch for a York deer I
remember to have heard it then and there said that the blessed Land was once
fertile as the bottoms of the Mississippi and groaning with its stores of grain
and fruits but that the judgement has since fallen upon it and that it is now
more remarkable for its barrenness than any qualities to boast of«
»It is true but Egypt nay much of Africa furnishes still more striking
proofs of this exhaustion of nature.«
»Tell me« interrupted the old man »is it a certain truth that buildings
are still standing in that land of Pharoah which may be likened in their
stature to the hills of the arth«
»It is as true as that nature never refuses to bestow her incisores on the
animals mamalia genus Homo «
»It is very marvellous and it proves how great He must be when his
miserable creaturs can accomplish such wonders Many men must have been needed
to finish such an edifice ay and men gifted with strength and skill too Does
the land abound with such a race to this hour«
»Far from it Most of the Country is a desert and but for a mighty river
all would be so«
»Yes rivers are rare gifts to such as till the ground as any one may see
who journeys far atween the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi But how do you
account for these changes on the face of the arth itself, and for this downfall
of nations you men of the schools«
»It is to be ascribed to moral cau«
»Youre right it is their morals their wickedness and their pride and
chiefly their waste that has done it all now listen to what the experience of
an old man teaches him I have lived long as these gray hairs and wrinkled
hands will show even though my tongue should fail in the wisdom of my years
And I have seen much of the folly of man for his natur is the same be he born
in the wilderness or be he born in the towns To my weak judgement it hath ever
seemd that his gifts are not equal to his wishes That he would mount into the
Heavens with all his deformities about him if he only knew the road no one
will gainsay that witnesses his bitter strivings upon arth If his power is not
equal to his will it is because the wisdom of the Lord hath set bounds to his
evil workings«
»It is much too certain that certain facts will warrant a theory which
teaches the natural depravity of the genus; but if science could be fairly
brought to bear on a whole species at once for instance education might
eradicate the evil principle«
»That for your education the time has been when I have thought it possible
to make a companion of a beast Many are the cubs and many are the speckled
fawns that I have reared with these old hands until I have even fancied them
rational and altered beings but what did it amount to the bear would bite and
the deer would run notwithstanding my wicked conceit in fancying I could
change a temper that the Lord himself had seen fit to bestow Now if man is so
blinded in his folly as to go on ages on ages doing harm chiefly to himself
there is the same reason to think that he has wrought his evil here as in the
Countries you call so old Look about you man where are the multitudes that
once peopled these Prairies the Kings and the Palaces the riches and the
riotousnesses of this desert«
»Where are the monuments that would prove the truth of so vague a theory«
»I know not what you call a monument«
»The works of man the glories of Thebes and Balbec Columns catacombs and
Pyramids standing amid the sands of the East like wrecks on a rocky shore to
testify to the storms of ages«
»They are gone Time has lasted too long for them for why time was made by
the Lord and they were made by man This very spot of reeds and grass on which
you now sit may once have been the garden of some mighty King It is the fate
of all things to ripen and then to decay The tree blossoms and bears its
fruit which falls rots withers and even the seed is lost Go count the rings
of the oak and of the sycamore they lie in circles one about another until
the eye is blinded in striving to make out their numbers and yet a full change
of the seasons comes round while the stem is winding one of those little lines
about itself like the buffaloe changing his coat or the buck his horns and
what does it all amount to there does the noble tree fill its place in the
forest loftier and grander and richer and more difficult to imitate than
any of your pitiful pillars for a thousand years until the time which the Lord
hath given it is full Then come the winds that you cannot see to rive its
bark and the waters from the heavens to soften its pores and the rot which
all can feel and none can understand to humble its pride and bring it to the
ground From that moment its beauty begins to perish It lies another hundred
years a mouldering log and then a mound of moss and arth a sad effigy of a
human grave This is one of your genuine monuments though made by a very
different power than such as belongs to your chiselling masons and after all
the cunningest scout of the whole Dahcotah nation might pass his life in
searching for the spot where it fell and be no wiser when his eyes grew dim
than when they were first opened As if that was not enough to convince man of
his ignorance and as though it were put there in mockery of his conceit a pine
shoots up from the roots of the oak just as barrenness comes after fertility
or as these wastes have been spread where a garden may have been created Tell
me not of your worlds that are old it is blasphemous to set bounds and seasons
in this manner to the works of the Almighty like a woman counting the ages of
her young«
»Friend hunter or trapper« returned the naturalist clearing his throat in
some intellectual confusion at the vigorous attack of his companion »your
deductions if admitted by the world would sadly circumscribe the efforts of
reason, and much abridge the boundaries of knowledge.«
»So much the better so much the better for I have always found that a
conceited man never knows content All things prove it Why have we not the
wings of the pigeon the eyes of the eagle and the legs of the moose if it had
been intended that man should be equal to all his wishes«
»These are mere physical defects venerable trapper in which I am always
ready to admit great and happy alterations might be suggested For example, in
my own order of Phalangacru «
»Cruel enough would be the order that should come from miserable hands like
thine A touch from such a finger would destroy the mocking deformity of a
monkey Go go human folly is not needed to fill up the great design of God
There is no stature no beauty no proportions nor any colours in which man
himself can well be fashioned that is not already done to his hand«
»That is touching another great and much disputed question« exclaimed the
Doctor who seized upon every distinct idea that the ardent and somewhat
dogmatic old man left exposed to his mental grasp with the vain hope of
inducing a logical discussion in which he might bring his battery of syllogisms
to annihilate the unscientific defences of his antagonist
It is however unnecessary to our narrative to relate the erratic discourse
that ensued The old man eluded the annihilating blows of his adversary as the
light armed soldier is wont to escape the efforts of the more regular warrior
even while he annoys him most and an hour passed away without bringing any of
the numerous subjects on which they touchd to a satisfactory conclusion The
arguments acted however on the nervous system of the Doctor like so many
soothing soporifics and by the time his aged companion was disposed to lay his
head on his pack Obed refreshed by his recent mental joust was in a condition
to seek his natural rest without enduring the torments of the Incubus in the
shapes of Teton warriors and bloody tomahawks
Chapter XXIII
» Save you sir«
Coriolanus
IViv6
The sleep of the fugitives lasted for several hours The trapper was the first
to shake off its influence as he had been the last to court its refreshment
Rising just as the gray light of day began to brighten that portion of the
studded vault which rested on the eastern margin of the plain he summoned his
companions from their warm lairs and pointed out the necessity of their being
once more on the alert While Middleton attended to the arrangements necessary
to the comforts of Inez and Ellen in the long and painful journey which lay
before them the old man and Paul prepared the meal which the former had
advised them to take before they proceeded to horse These several dispositions
were not long in making and the little groupe was soon seated about a repast
which though it might want the elegancies to which the bride of Middleton had
been accustomed was not deficient in the more important requisites of savour
and nutriment
»When we get lower into the hunting grounds of the Pawnees« said the
trapper laying a morsel of delicate venison before Inez on a little trencher
neatly made of horn and expressly for his own use »we shall find the buffaloe
fatter and sweeter the deer in more abundance and all the gifts of the Lord
abounding to satisfy our wants Perhaps we may even strike a beaver and get a
morsel from his tail17 by way of a rare mouthful«
»What course do you mean to pursue when you have once thrown these
bloodhounds from the chace« demanded Middleton
»If I might advise« said Paul »it would be to strike a watercourse and
get upon its downward current as soon as may be Give me a cottonwood and I
will turn you out a canoe that shall carry us all the jackass excepted in
perhaps the work of a day and a night Ellen here is a lively girl enough but
then she is no great racerider and it would be far more comfortable to boat
six or eight hundred miles than to go loping along like so many elks measuring
the Prairies besides water leaves no trail«
»I will not swear to that« returned the trapper »I have often thought the
eyes of a red skin would find a trail in the air«
»See Middleton« exclaimed Inez in a sudden burst of youthful pleasure
that causd her for a moment to forget her situation »How lovely is that sky
surely it contains a promise of happier times«
»It is glorious« returned her husband »Glorious and heavenly is that
streak of vivid red and here is a still brighter crimson rarely have I seen
a richer rising of the sun«
»Rising of the sun« slowly repeated the old man lifting his tall person
from its seat with a deliberate and abstracted air while he kept his eye
rivetted on the changing and certainly beautiful tints that were garnishing the
vault of heaven »Rising of the sun I like not such risings of the sun Ahs
me the imps have circumvented us with a vengeance The Prairie is on fire«
»God in Heaven protect us« cried Middleton catching Inez to his bosom
under the instant impression of the imminence of their danger »There is no time
to lose old man each instant is a day let us fly«
»Whither« demanded the trapper motioning him with calmness and dignity to
arrest his steps »In this wilderness of grass and reeds you are like a vessel
on the broad lakes without a compass A single step on the wrong course might
prove the destruction of us all It is seldom that danger is so pressing that
there is not time enough for reason to do its work young officer therefore let
us await its biddings«
»For my own part« said Paul Hover looking about him with no equivocal
expression of concern »I acknowledge that should this dry bed of weeds get
fairly in a flame a bee would have to make a flight higher than common to
prevent his wings from scorching Therefore old trapper I agree with the
Captain and say mount and run«
»Ye are wrong ye are wrong man is not a beast to follow the gift of
instinct and to snuff up his knowledge by a taint in the air or a rumbling in
the sound but he must see and reason and then conclude So follow me a little
to the left where there is a rise in the ground whence we may make our
reconnoitrings«
The old man waved his hand with authority and led the way without further
parlance to the spot he had indicated followed by the whole of his alarmed
companions An eye less practised than that of the trapper might have failed in
discovering the gentle elevation to which he alluded and which lookd on the
surface of the meadow like a growth a little taller than common When they
reachd the place however the stunted grass itself announced the absence of
that moisture which had fed the rank weeds of most of the plain and furnished a
clue to the evidence by which he had judged of the formation of the ground
hidden beneath Here a few minutes were lost in breaking down the tops of the
surrounding herbage which notwithstanding the advantage of their position
rose even above the heads of Middleton and Paul and in obtaining a lookout
that might command a view of the surrounding sea of fire
The frightful prospect added nothing to the hopes of those who had so
fearful a stake in the result Although the day was beginning to dawn the vivid
colours of the sky continued to deepen as if the fierce element were bent on an
impious rivalry of the light of the sun Bright flashes of flame shot up here
and there along the margin of the waste like the nimble corruscations of the
North but far more angry and threatening in their colour and changes The
anxiety on the rigid features of the trapper sensibly deepened as he leisurely
traced these evidences of a conflagration which spread in a broad belt about
their place of refuge until he had encircled the whole horizon
Shaking his head as he again turned his face to the point where the danger
seemd nighest and most rapidly approaching the old man said
»Now have we been cheating ourselves with the belief that we had thrown
those Tetons from our trail while here is proof enough that they not only know
where we lie but that they intend to smoke us out like so many skulking beasts
of prey See they have lighted the fire around the whole bottom at the same
moment and we are as completely hemmd in by the Devils as an island by its
waters«
»Let us mount and ride« cried Middleton »Is life not worth a struggle«
»Whither would ye go Is a Teton horse a salamander that can walk amid fiery
flames unhurt or do ye think the Lord will show his might in your behalf as in
the days of old and carry you harmless through such a furnace as you may see
glowing beneath yonder red sky There are Siouxes too hemming the fire with
their arrows and knives on every side of us or I am no judge of their murderous
deviltries«
»We will ride into the centre of the whole tribe« retorted the youth
fiercely »and put their manhood to the test«
»Ay its well in words but what would it prove in deeds Here is a dealer
in bees who can teach you wisdom in a matter like this«
»Now for that matter old trapper« said Paul stretching his athletic form
like a mastiff conscious of his strength »I am on the side of the Captain and
am clearly for a race against the fire though it line me into a Teton wigwam
Here is Ellen who will «
»Of what use of what use are your stout hearts when the element of the
Lord is to be conquered as well as human men Look about you friends the
wreath of smoke that is rising from the bottoms plainly says that there is no
outlet from the spot without crossing a belt of fire Look for yourselves my
men look for yourselves if you can find a single opening I will engage to
follow«
The examination which his companions so instantly and so intently made
rather served to assure them of their desperate situation than to appease their
fears Huge columns of smoke were rolling up from the plain and thickening in
gloomy masses around the horizon The red glow which gleamed upon their
enormous folds now lighting their volumes with the glare of the conflagration
and now flashing to another point as the flame beneath glided ahead leaving
all behind enveloped in awful darkness and proclaiming louder than words the
character of the imminent and approaching danger
»This is terrible« exclaimed Middleton folding the trembling Inez to his
heart »At such a time as this and in such a manner«
»The gates of Heaven are open to all who truly believe« murmured the pious
devotee in his bosom
»This resignation is maddening But we are men and will make a struggle for
our lives How now my brave and spirited friend shall we yet mount and push
across the flames or shall we stand here and see these we most love perish in
this frightful manner without an effort«
»I am for a swarming time and a flight before the hive is too hot to hold
us« said the beehunter to whom it will be at once seen that Middleton
addressed himself »Come old trapper you must acknowledge this is but a slow
way of getting out of danger if we tarry here much longer it will be in the
fashion that the bees lie around the straw after the hive has been smoked for
its honey You may hear the fire begin to roar already and I know by
experience that when the flame once gets fairly into the Prairie grass it is no
sloth that can outrun it«
»Think you« returned the old man pointing scornfully at the mazes of the
dry and matted grass which environed them »that mortal feet can outstrip the
speed of fire on such a path If I only knew now on which side them miscreants
lay«
»What say you friend Doctor« cried the bewildered Paul turning to the
naturalist with that sort of helplessness with which the strong are often apt
to seek aid of the weak when human power is baffled by the hand of a mightier
being »What say you have you no advice to give away in a case of life and
death«
The naturalist stood tabletts in hand looking at the awful spectacle with
as much composure as if the conflagration had been lighted in order to solve the
difficulties of some scientific problem Aroused by the question of his
companion he turned to his equally calm though differently occupied associate
the trapper demanding with the most provoking insensibility to the urgent
nature of their situation
»Venerable hunter you have often witnessed similar prismatick experiments
«
He was rudely interrupted by Paul who struck the tabletts from his hands
with a violence that betrayed the utter intellectual confusion which had overset
the equanimity of his mind Before time was allowed for remonstrance the old
man who had continued during the whole scene like one much at a loss how to
proceed though also like one who was rather perplexed than alarmed suddenly
assumed a decided air as if he no longer doubted on the course it was most
adviseable to pursue
»It is time to be doing« he said interrupting the controversy that was
about to ensue between the Naturalist and the beehunter »It is time to leave
off books and moanings and to be doing«
»You have come to your recollections too late miserable old man« cried
Middleton »The flames are within a quarter of a mile of us and the wind is
bringing them down upon us in this quarter with dreadful rapidity«
»Anan the flames I care but little for the flames If I only knew how to
circumvent the cunning of the Tetons as I know how to cheat the fire of its
prey there would be nothing needed but thanks to the Lord for our deliverance
Do you call this a fire If you had seen what I have witnessed in the Eastern
hills when mighty mountains were like the furnace of a smith you would have
known what it was to fear the flames and to be thankful that you were spared
Come lads come tis time to be doing now and to cease talking for yonder
curling flame is truly coming on like a trotting moose Put hands upon this
short and withered grass where we stand and lay bare the arth«
»Would you think to deprive the fire of its victims in this childish
manner« exclaimed Middleton
A faint but solemn smile passed over the features of the old man as he
answered
»Your granther would have said that when the enemy was nigh a soldier
could do no better than to obey«
The Captain felt the reproof and instantly began to imitate the industry of
Paul who was tearing the decayed herbage from the ground in a sort of desperate
compliance with the trappers directions Even Ellen lent her hands to the
labor nor was it long before Inez was seen similarly employed though none
amongst them knew why or wherefore When life is thought to be the reward of
labor men are wont to be industrious A very few minutes sufficed to lay nearly
bare a spot of some thirty feet in diameter Into one edge of this little area
the trapper brought the females directing Middleton and Paul to cover their
light and inflammable dresses with the blankets of the party So soon as this
precaution was observed the old man approached the opposite margin of the grass
which still environed them in a tall and dangerous circle and selecting a
handful of the driest of the herbage he placed it over the pan of his rifle The
light combustible kindled at the flash Then he placed the little flame in a bed
of the standing fog and withdrawing from the spot to the centre of the ring
he patiently awaited the result
The subtle element seized with avidity upon its new fuel and in a moment
forked flames were gliding among the grass as the tongues of ruminating animals
are seen rolling among their food apparently in quest of its sweetest portions
»Now« said the old man holding up a finger and laughing in his peculiarly
silent manner »you shall see fire fight fire Ahs me many is the time I have
burnt a smooty path from wanton laziness to pick my way across a tangled
bottom«
»But is this not fatal« cried the amazed Middleton »are you not bringing
the enemy nigher to us instead of avoiding it«
»Do ye scorch so easily Your Granther had a tougher skin But we shall
live to see we shall all live to see«
The experience of the trapper was in the right As the fire gained strength
and heat it began to spread on three sides dying of itself on the fourth for
want of aliment As it increased and the sullen roaring announced its power it
cleared every thing before it leaving the black and smoking soil far more naked
than if the scythe had swept the place The situation of the fugitives would
have still been hazardous had not the area enlarged as the flame encircled them
But by advancing to the spot where the trapper had kindled the grass they
avoided the heat and in a very few moments the flames began to recede in every
quarter leaving them enveloped in a cloud of smoke but perfectly safe from the
torrent of fire that was still furiously rolling onward
The spectators regarded the simple expedient of the trapper with that
species of wonder with which the courtiers of Ferdinand are said to have viewed
the manner in which Columbus made his egg stand on its end though with feelings
that were filled with gratitude instead of envy
»Most wonderful« said Middleton when he saw the complete success of the
means by which they had been rescued from a danger that he had conceived to be
unavoidable »The thought was a gift from heaven and the hand that executed it
should be immortal«
»Old trapper« cried Paul thrusting his fingers through his shaggy locks
»I have lined many a loaded bee into his hole and know something of the nature
of the woods but this is robbing a hornet of his sting without touching the
insect«
»It will do it will do« returned the old man who after the first moment
of his success seemd to think no more of the exploit »now get the horses in
readiness Let the flames do their work for a short half hour and then we will
mount That time is needed to cool the meadow for these unshod Teton beasts are
as tender on the hoof as a barefooted girl«
Middleton and Paul who considered their unlookedfor escape as a species of
resurrection patiently awaited the time the trapper mentioned with renewed
confidence in the infallibility of his judgement The Doctor regained his
tabletts a little the worse from having fallen among the grass which had been
subject to the dominion of the flames and was consoling himself for this slight
misfortune by recording uninterruptedly such different vacillations in light
and shadow as he chose to consider phenomena.
In the mean time the veteran on whose experience they all so implicitly
relied for protection employed himself in reconnoitring objects in the
distance through the openings which the air occasionally made in the immense
bodies of smoke that by this time lay in enormous piles on every part of the
plain
»Look you here lads« the trapper said after a long and anxious
examination »your eyes are young and may prove better than my worthless sight
though the time has been when a wise and brave people saw reason to think me
quick on a lookout but those times are gone and many a true and tried friend
has passed away with them Ahs me If I could choose a change in the orderings
of providence which I cannot and which it would be blasphemy to attempt
seeing that all things are governed by a wiser mind than belongs to mortal
weakness but if I were to choose a change it would be to say that such as
they who have livd long together in friendship and kindness and who have
proved their fitness to go in company by many acts of suffering and daring in
each others behalf should be permitted to give up life at such times as when
the death of one leaves the other but little reason to wish to live«
»Is it an Indian that you see« demanded the impatient Middleton
»Redskin or whiteskin it is much the same Friendship and use can tie men
as strongly together in the woods as in the towns ay or for that matter
stronger Here are the young warriors of the Prairies Often do they sort
themselves in pairs and set apart their lives for deeds of friendship and well
and truly do they act up to their promises The death blow to one is commonly
mortal to the other I have been a solitary man much of my time if he can be
called solitary who has lived for seventy years in the very bosom of natur and
where he could at any instant open his heart to God without having to strip it
of the cares and wickednesses of the settlements but making that allowance
have I been a solitary man and yet have I always found that intercourse with my
kind was pleasant and painful to break off provided that the companion was
brave and honest Brave because a skeary comrade in the woods« suffering his
eyes inadvertently to rest a moment on the person of the abstracted naturalist
»is apt to make a short path long and honest inasmuch, as craftiness is
rather an instinct of the brutes than a gift becoming the reason of a human
man«
»But the object that you saw was it a Sioux«
»What this world of America is coming to and where the machinations and
inventions of its people are to have an end the Lord he only knows I have
seen in my day the chief who in his time had beheld the first christian that
placd his wicked foot in the regions of York How much has the beauty of the
wilderness been deformed in two short lives My own eyes were first opened on
the shores of the Eastern sea and well do I remember that I tried the virtues
of the first rifle I ever bore after such a march from the door of my father
to the forest as a stripling could make between sun and sun and that without
offence to the rights or prejudices of any man who set himself up to be the
owner of the beasts of the fields Natur then lay in its glory along the whole
coast giving a narrow stripe between the woods and the ocean to the greediness
of the settlers And where am I now Had I the wings of an eagle they would
tire before a tenth of the distance which separates me from that sea could be
passed and towns and villages farms and high ways churches and schools in
short all the inventions and deviltries of man are spread across the region I
have known the time when a few redskins shouting along the borders could set
the Provinces in a fever and men were to be armed and troops were to be called
to aid from a distant land and prayers were said and the women frighted and
few slept in quiet because the Iroquois was on the war path the accursed Mingo
had the tomahawk in hand How is it now The country sends out her ships to
foreign lands to wage their battles cannon are plentier than the rifle used to
be and trained soldiers are never wanting in tens of thousands when need calls
for their services Such is the difference atween a Province and a State my
men and I miserable and worn out as I seem have livd to see it all«
»That you must have seen many a chopper skimming the cream from the face of
the earth and many a settler gathering the very honey of nature, old trapper«
said Paul »no reasonable man can or for that matter shall doubt But here is
Ellen growing uneasy about the Siouxes and now you have opened your mind so
freely concerning these matters if you will just put us on the line of our
flight the swarm will make another move«
»Anan«
»I say that Ellen is getting uneasy and as the smoke is lifting from the
plain it may be prudent to take another flight«
»The boy is reasonable I had forgotten we were in the midst of a raging
fire and that Siouxes were round about us like hungry wolves watching a drove
of buffaloes But when memory is at work in my old brain on times long past it
is apt to overlook the matters of the day You say right my children it is
time to be moving and now comes the real nicety of our case It is easy to
outwit a furnace for it is nothing but a raging element and it is not always
difficult to throw a grizzly bear from his scent for the creatur is both
enlightened and blinded by his instinct but to shut the eyes of a waking Teton
is a matter of greater judgement inasmuch, as his deviltry is backed by
reason«
Notwithstanding the old man appeared so conscious of the difficulty of the
undertaking he set about its achievement with great steadiness and alacrity
After completing the examination which had been interrupted by the melancholy
wanderings of his mind he gave the signal to his companions to mount The
horses which had continued passive and trembling amid the raging of the fire
received their burthens with a satisfaction so very evident as to furnish a
favorable augury of their future industry The trapper invited the Doctor to
take his own steed declaring his intention to proceed on foot
»I am but little used to journeying with the feet of others« he added as a
reason for the measure »and my legs are weary of doing nothing Besides should
we light suddenly on an ambushment which is a thing far from impossible the
horse will be in a better condition for a hard run with one man on his back
than with two As for me what matters it whether my time is to be a day
shorter or longer Let the Tetons take my scalp if it be Gods pleasure they
will find it covered with gray hairs and it is beyond the craft of man to cheat
me of the knowledge and experience by which they have been whitened«
As no one among the impatient listeners seemed disposed to dispute the
arrangement it was acceded to in silence The Doctor though he muttered a few
mourning exclamations on behalf of the lost Asinus was by far too well pleased
in finding that his speed was likely to be sustained by four legs instead of
two to be long in complying and consequently, in a very few moments the
beehunter who was never last to speak on such occasions vociferously
announced that they were ready to proceed
»Now look off yonder to the east« said the old man as he began to lead
the way across the murky and still smoking plain »little fear of cold feet in
journeying such a path as this but look you off to the east and if you see a
sheet of shining white glistening like a plate of beaten silver through the
openings of the smoke why that is water A noble stream is running thereaway
and I thought I got a glimpse of it a while since but other thoughts came and
I lost it It is a broad and swift river such as the Lord has made many of its
fellows in this desert For here may natur be seen in all its richness trees
alone excepted Trees which are to the arth as fruits are to a garden without
them nothing can be pleasant or thoroughly useful Now watch all of you with
open eyes for that stripe of glittering water we shall not be safe until it is
flowing between our trail and these sharp sighted Tetons«
The latter declaration was enough to insure a vigilant lookout for the
desired stream on the part of all the trappers followers With this object in
view the party proceeded in profound silence the old man having admonished
them of the necessity of caution as they entered the clouds of smoke which were
rolling like masses of fog along the plain more particularly over those spots
where the fire had encountered occasional pools of stagnant water
They travelled near a league in this manner without obtaining the desired
glimpse of the river The fire was still raging in the distance and as the air
swept away the first vapor of the conflagration fresh volumes rolled along the
place limiting the view At length the old man who had begun to betray some
little uneasiness which caused his followers to apprehend that even his acute
faculties were beginning to be confused in the mazes of the smoke made a
sudden pause and dropping his rifle to the ground he stood apparently musing
over some object at his feet Middleton and the rest rode up to his side and
demanded the reason of the halt
»Look ye here« returned the trapper pointing to the mutilated carcass of a
horse that lay more than half consumed in a little hollow of the ground »here
may you see the power of a Prairie conflagration The arth is moist hereaway
and the grass has been taller than usual This miserable beast has been caught
in his bed You see the bones the crackling and scorched hide and the
grinning teeth A thousand winters could not wither an animal so thoroughly as
the element has done it in a minute«
»And this might have been our fate« said Middleton »had the flames come
upon us in our sleep«
»Nay I do not say that I do not say that Not but what man will burn as
well as tinder but that being more reasoning than a horse he would better know
how to avoid the danger«
»Perhaps this then has been but the carcass of an animal or he too would
have fled«
»See you these marks in the damp soil Here have been his hoofs and there
is a moccasin print as Im a sinner The owner of the beast has tried hard to
move him from the place but it is in the instinct of the creatur to be
fainthearted and obstinate in a fire«
»It is a well known fact But if the animal has had a rider where is he«
»Ay therein lies the mystery« returned the trapper stooping to examine the
signs in the ground with a closer eye »Yes yes it is plain there has been a
long struggle atween the two The master has tried hard to save his beast and
the flames must have been very greedy or he would have had better success«
»Harkee old trapper« interrupted Paul pointing to a little distance where
the ground was drier and the herbage had in consequence been less luxuriant
»just call them two horses Yonder lies another«
»The boy is right can it be that the Tetons have been caught in their own
snares Such things do happen and here is an example to all evildoers Ay
look you here this is iron there have been some white inventions about the
trappings of this beast it must be so it must be so A party of the knaves
have been skirting in the grass after us while their friends have fired the
Prairie and look you at the consequences they have lost their beasts and happy
have they been if their own souls are not now skirting along the path which
leads to the Indian heaven«
»They had the same expedient at command as yourself« rejoined Middleton as
the party slowly proceeded approaching the other carcass which lay directly on
their route
»I know not that It is not every savage that carries his steel and flint
or a good rifle pan like this old friend of mine It is slow making a fire with
two sticks and a little time was given to consider or invent just at this
spot as you may see by yon streak of flame which is flashing along afore the
wind as if it were on a trail of powder It is not many minutes since the fire
has passed hereaway and it may be well to look at our primings not that I
would willingly combat the Tetons God forbid but if a fight needs be it is
always wise to get the first shot«
»This has been a strange beast old man« said Paul who had pulled the
bridle or rather halter of his steed over the second carcass which the rest
of the party were already passing in their eagerness to proceed »A strange
horse do I call it it has neither head nor hoofs«
»The fire has not been idle« returned the trapper keeping his eye
vigilantly employed in profiting by those glimpses of the horizon which the
whirling smoke offered to his examination »It would soon bake you a buffaloe
whole or for that matter powder his hoofs and horns into white ashes Shame
shame old Hector as for the captains pup it is to be expected that he would
show his want of years and I may say I hope without offence his want of
education too but for a hound like you who have livd so long in the forest
afore you came into these plains it is very disgraceful Hector to be showing
your teeth and growling at the carcass of a roasted horse the same as if you
were telling your master that you found the trail of a grizzly bear«
»I tell you old trapper this is no horse neither in hoofs head nor
hide«
»Anan Not a horse your eyes are good for the bees and for the hollow
trees my lad but bless me the boy is right That I should mistake the hide
of a buffaloe scorched and crimpled as it is for the carcass of a horse Ahs
me The time has been my men when I would tell you the name of a beast as far
as eye could reach and that too with most of the particulars of colour age
and sex«
»An inestimable advantage have you then enjoyed in your day venerable
venator« observed the attentive naturalist »The man who can make these
distinctions in a desert is saved the pain of many a weary walk and often of
an inquiry that in its result proves useless Pray tell now did your exceeding
excellence of vision extend so far as to enable you to decide on their Order or
Genus«
»I know not what you mean by your orders of genius«
»No« interrupted the beehunter a little disdainfully for him when speaking
to his aged friend »Now old trapper that is admitting your ignorance of the
English language in a way I should not expect from a man of your experience and
understanding By order our comrade means whether they go in promiscuous
droves like a swarm that is following its Queenbee or in single file as you
often see the Buffaloe trailing each other through a Prairie And as for genius
Im sure that is a word well understood and in every bodys mouth There is the
congressman in our district and that tonguey little fellow who puts out the
paper in our County they are both so called for their smartness which is what
the Doctor means as I take it seeing that he seldom speaks without a
particular meaning«
When Paul finished this very clever explanation he lookd behind him with
an expression which rightly interpreted would have said »You see though I
dont often trouble myself in these matters I am no fool«
Ellen admired Paul for any thing but his learning There was enough in his
frank fearless and manly character backed as it was by great personal
attraction to awaken her sympathies without the necessity of prying into his
mental attainments The poor girl reddened like a rose her pretty fingers
played with the belt by which she sustained herself on the horse and she
hurriedly observed as if anxious to divert the attentions of the other
listeners from a weakness on which her own thoughts could not bear to dwell
»And this is not a horse after all«
»It is nothing more nor less than the hide of a buffaloe« continued the
trapper who had been no less puzzled by the explanation of Paul than by the
language of the Doctor »The hair is beneath and the fire has run over it as
you see for being fresh the flames could take no hold The beast has not been
long killed and it may be that some of the beef is still here away«
»Lift the corner of the skin old trapper« said Paul with the tone of one
who felt as if he had now proved his right to mingle his voice in any council
»If there is a morsel of the hump left it must be well cooked and it shall be
welcome«
The old man laughed heartily at the conceit of his companion Thrusting
his foot beneath the skin it moved Then it was suddenly cast aside and an
Indian warrior sprang from its cover to his feet with an agility that bespoke
how urgent he deemed the occasion
Chapter XXIV
»But tell me Hal art thou not horribly afeard«
1 Henry IV IIiv36566
A second glance sufficed to convince the whole of the startled party that the
young Pawnee whom they had already encountered again stood before them
Surprise kept both sides mute and more than a minute was passed in surveying
each other with eyes of astonishment if not of distrust The wonder of the
young warrior was however much more tempered and dignified than that of his
christian acquaintances While Middleton and Paul felt the tremors which shook
the persons of their dependant companions thrilling through their own quickened
blood the glowing eye of the Indian rolled from one to another as if it could
never quail before the rudest assaults His gaze after making the circuit of
every wondering countenance finally settled in a steady look on the equally
immoveable features of the trapper The silence was first broken by Doctor
Battius in the ejaculation of
»Order primates genus homo species Prairie«
»Ay ay the secret is out« said the old trapper shaking his head like one
who congratulated himself on having mastered the mystery of some knotty
difficulty »The lad has been in the grass for a cover the fire has come upon
him in his sleep and having lost his horse he has been driven to save himself
under that fresh hide of buffaloe No bad invention when powder and flint were
wanting to kindle a ring I warrant me now this is a clever youth and one
that it would be safe to journey with I will speak to him kindly for anger can
at least serve no turn of ours My brother is welcome again« using the
language which the other understood »the Tetons have been smoking him as they
would a raccoon«
The young Pawnee rolld his eye over the place as if he were examining the
terrific danger from which he had just escaped but he disdained to betray the
smallest emotion at its imminency His brow contracted as he answered to the
remark of the trapper by saying
»A Teton is a dog When the Pawnee warwhoop is in their ears the whole
nation howls«
»It is true The imps are on our trail and I am glad to meet a warrior with
the tomahawk in his hand who does not love them Will my brother lead my
children to his village If the Siouxes follow on our path my young men shall
help him to strike them«
The young Pawnee turned his eyes from one to another of the strangers in a
keen scrutiny before he saw fit to answer so important an interrogatory His
examination of the males was short and apparently satisfactory But his gaze was
fastened long and admiringly as in their former interview on the surpassing
and unwonted beauty of a being so fair and so unknown as Inez Though his glance
wandered for moments from her countenance to the more intelligible and yet
extraordinary charms of Ellen it did not fail to return promptly to the study
of a creature who in the view of his unpractised eye and untutored
imagination was formed with all that perfection with which the youthful poet
is apt to endow the glowing images of his brain Nothing so fair so ideal so
every way worthy to reward the courage and self devotion of a warrior had ever
before been encountered on the Prairies and the young brave appeared to be
deeply and intuitively sensible to the influence of so rare a model of the
loveliness of the sex Perceiving however that his gaze gave uneasiness to the
subject of his admiration he withdrew his eyes and laying his hand
impressively on his chest he modestly answered
»My father shall be welcome The young men of my nation shall hunt with his
sons Chiefs shall smoke with the grey head The Pawnee girls will sing in the
ears of his daughters«
»And if we meet the Tetons« demanded the trapper who wished to
understand thoroughly the more important conditions of this new alliance
»The enemy of the Bigknives shall feel the blow of the Pawnee«
»It is well Now let my brother and I meet in Council that we may not go on
a crooked path but that our road to his village may be like the flight of the
pigeons«
The young Pawnee made a significant gesture of assent and followed the
other a little apart in order to be removed from all danger of interruption
from the reckless Paul or the abstracted naturalist Their conference was
short but as it was conducted in the sententious manner of the natives it
served to make each of the parties acquainted with all the necessary information
of the other When they rejoined their associates the old man saw fit to explain
a portion of what had passed between them as follows
»Ay I was not mistaken« he said »this good looking young warrior for
good looking and noble looking he is though a little horrified perhaps with
paint this good looking youth then tells me he is out on the scout for
these very Tetons His party was not strong enough to strike the devils who are
down from their towns in great numbers to hunt the buffaloe and runners have
gone to the Pawnee villages for aid It would seem that this lad is a fearless
boy for he has been hanging on their skirts alone until like ourselves he was
driven to the grass for a cover But he tells me more my men and what I am
mainly sorry to hear which is that the cunning Mahtoree instead of going to
blows with the squatter has become his friend and that both broods red and
white are on our heels and outlying around this very burning plain to
circumvent us to our destruction«
»How knows he all this to be true« demanded Middleton
»Anan«
»In what manner does he know that these things are so«
»In what manner Do you think newspapers and town criers are needed to tell
a scout what is doing on the Prairies as they are in the bosom of the States
No gossipping woman who hurries from house to house to spread evil of her
neighbor can carry tidings with her tongue so fast as these people will spread
their meaning by signs and warnings that they alone understand Tis their
larning and what is better it is got in the open air and not within the
walls of a school I tell you Captain that what he says is true«
»For that matter« said Paul »Im ready to swear to it It is reasonable
and therefore it must be true«
»And well you might lad well you might He furthermore declares that my
old eyes for once were true to me and that the river lies hereaway at about
the distance of half a league You see the fire has done most of its work in
that quarter and our path is clouded in smoke He also agrees that it is
needful to wash our trail in water Yes we must put that river atween us and
the Sioux eyes and then by the favor of the Lord not forgetting our own
industry we may gain the village of the Loups«
»Words will not forward us a foot« said Middleton »let us move«
The old man assented and the party once more prepared to renew its route
The Pawnee threw the skin of the buffaloe over his shoulder and led the
advance casting many a stolen glance behind him as he proceeded in order to
fix his gaze on the extraordinary and to him unaccountable loveliness of the
unconscious Inez
An hour sufficed to bring the fugitives to the bank of the stream which was
one of the hundred rivers that serve to conduct through the mighty arteries of
the Missouri and Mississippi the waters of that vast and still uninhabited
region to the ocean The river was not deep but its current was troubled and
rapid The flames had scorched the earth to its very margin and as the warm
steams of the fluid mingled in the cooler air of the morning with the smoke of
the raging conflagration most of its surface was wrapped in a mantle of moving
vapour The trapper pointed out the circumstance with pleasure saying as he
assisted Inez to dismount on the margin of the water course
»The knaves have outwitted themselves I am far from certain that I should
not have fired the Prairie to have got the benefit of this very smoke to hide
our movements had not the heartless imps saved us the trouble Ive known such
things done in my day and done with success Come lady put your tender foot
upon the ground for a fearful time has it been to one of your breeding and
skeary qualities Ahs me what have I not known the young and the delicate
and the virtuous and the modest to undergo in my time among the horrifications
and circumventions of Indian warfare Come it is a short quarter of a mile to
the other bank and then our trail at least will be broken«
Paul had by this time assisted Ellen to dismount and he now stood looking
with rueful eyes at the naked banks of the river Neither tree nor shrub grew
along its borders with the exception of here and there a solitary thicket of
low bushes from among which it would not have been an easy matter to have found
a dozen stems of a size sufficient to make an ordinary walkingstick
»Harkee old trapper« the moody looking bee exclaimed »it is very well to
talk of the other side of this ripple of a river or brook or whatever you may
call it but in my judgement it would be a smart rifle that would throw its lead
across it that is to any detriment to Indian or deer«
»That it would that it would though I carry a piece here that has done
its work in time of need at as great a distance«
»And do you mean to shoot Ellen and the Captains lady across or do you
intend them to go trout fashion with their mouths under water«
»Is this river too deep to be forded« asked Middleton who like Paul began
to consider the impossibility of transporting her whose safety he valued more
than his own to the opposite shore
»When the mountains above feed it with their torrents it is as you see a
swift and powerful stream Yet have I crossed its sandy bed in my time without
wetting a knee But we have the Sioux horses I warrant me that the kicking
imps will swim like so many deer«
»Old trapper« said Paul thrusting his fingers into his mop of a head as
was usual with him when any difficulty confounded his philosophy »I have swam
like a fish in my day and I can do it again when there is need nor do I much
regard the weather But I question if you get Nelly to sit a horse with this
water whirling like a millrace before her eyes besides it is manifest the
thing is not to be done dry shod«
»Ah the lad is right We must to our inventions therefore or the river
cannot be crossed« Cutting the discourse short he turned to the Pawnee and
explained to him the difficulty which existed in relation to the women The
young warrior listened gravely and throwing the buffaloe skin from his shoulder
he immediately commenced assisted by the occasional aid of the understanding
old man the preparations necessary to effect this desirable object
The hide was soon drawn into the shape of an umbrella top or an inverted
parachute by thongs of deerskin with which both the laborers were well
provided A few light sticks served to keep the parts from collapsing or falling
in When this simple and natural expedient was arranged it was placed on the
water the Indian making a sign that it was ready to receive its freight Both
Inez and Ellen hesitated to trust themselves in a bark of so frail a
construction nor would Middleton or Paul consent that they should do so until
each had assured himself by actual experiment that the vessel was capable of
sustaining a load much heavier than it was destined to receive Then indeed
their scruples were reluctantly overcome and the skin was made to receive its
precious burthen
»Now leave the Pawnee to be the pilot« said the trapper »my hand is not
so steady as it used to be but he has limbs like toughened hickory Leave all
to the wisdom of the Pawnee«
The husband and lover could not well do otherwise and they were fain to
become deeply interested it is true but passive spectators of this primitive
species of ferrying The Pawnee selected the beast of Mahtoree from among the
three horses with a readiness that proved he was far from being ignorant of the
properties of that noble animal and throwing himself upon its back he rode
into the margin of the river Thrusting an end of his lance into the hide he
bore the light vessel up against the stream and giving his steed the rein they
pushd boldly into the current Middleton and Paul followed pressing as nigh
the bark as prudence would at all warrant In this manner the young warrior
bore his precious cargo to the opposite bank in perfect safety without the
slightest inconvenience to the passengers and with a steadiness and celerity
which proved that both horse and rider were not unused to the operation When
the shore was gained the young Indian undid his work threw the skin over his
shoulder placd the sticks under his arm and returned without speaking to
transfer the remainder of the party in a similar manner to what was very
justly considered the safer side of the river
»Now friend Doctor« said the old man when he saw the Indian plunging into
the river a second time »do I know there is faith in yonder redskin He is a
goodlooking ay and an honest looking youth but the winds of heaven are not
more deceitful than these savages when the devil has fairly beset them Had the
Pawnee been a Teton or one of them heartless Mingos that used to be prowling
through the woods of York a time back that is some sixty years agone we
should have seen his back and not his face turned towards us My heart had its
misgivings when I saw the lad choose the better horse for it would be as easy
to leave us with that beast as it would for a nimble pigeon to part company
from a flock of noisy and heavy winged crows But you see the truth is in the
boy and make a redskin once your friend he is yours so long as you deal
honestly by him«
»What may be the distance to the sources of this stream« demanded Doctor
Battius whose eyes were rolling over the whirling eddies of the current with a
very portentous expression of doubt »At what distance may its secret springs be
found«
»That may be as the weather proves I warrant me your legs would be aweary
before you had followed its bed into the Rocky Mountains but then there are
seasons when it might be done without wetting a foot«
»And in what particular divisions of the year do these periodical seasons
occur«
»He that passes this spot a few months from this time will find that
foaming watercourse a desert of drifting sand«
The naturalist pondered deeply Like most others who are not endowed with a
superfluity of physical fortitude the worthy man had found the danger of
passing the river in so simple a manner magnifying itself in his eyes so
rapidly as the moment of adventure approached that he actually contemplated the
desperate effort of going round the river in order to escape the hazard of
crossing it It may not be necessary to dwell on the incredible ingenuity with
which terror will at any time prop a tottering argument The worthy Obed had
gone over the whole subject with commendable diligence and had just arrived at
the consoling conclusion that there was nearly as much glory in discerning the
hidden sources of so considerable a stream as in adding a plant or an insect
to the lists of the learned when the Pawnee reachd the shore for the second
time The old man took his seat with the utmost deliberation in the vessel of
skin so soon as it had been duly arranged for his reception and having
carefully disposed of Hector between his legs he beckoned to his companion to
occupy the third place
The naturalist placd a foot in the frail vessel as an elephant will try a
bridge or a horse is often seen to make a similar experiment before he will
trust the whole of his corporeal treasure on the dreaded flat and then
withdrew just as the old man believed he was about to seat himself
»Venerable venator« he said mournfully »this is a most unscientific bark
there is an inward monitor which bids me distrust its security«
»Anan« said the old man who was pinching the ears of the hound as a
father would play with the same members in a favorite child
»I incline not to this irregular mode of experimenting on fluids The vessel
has neither form nor proportions«
»It is not as handsomely turned as I have seen a canoe in birchen bark but
comfort may be taken in a wigwam as well as in a Palace«
»It is impossible that any vessel constructed on principles so repugnant to
science can be safe This tub venerable hunter will never reach the opposite
shore in safety«
»You are a witness of what it has done«
»Ay but it was an anomaly in prosperity If exceptions were to be taken as
rules in the government of things the human race would speedily be plunged in
the abysses of ignorance Venerable trapper this expedient in which you would
repose your safety is in the annals of regular inventions what a lusus naturæ
may be termed in the lists of Natural History a monster«
How much longer Doctor Battius might have felt disposed to prolong the
discourse it is difficult to say for in addition to the powerful personal
considerations which induced him to procrastinate an experiment which was
certainly not without its dangers the pride of reason was beginning to sustain
him in the discussion But fortunately for the credit of the old mans
forbearance when the naturalist reachd the word with which he terminated his
last speech a sound arose on the air that seemd a sort of supernatural echo
to the idea itself. The young Pawnee who had awaited the termination of the
incomprehensible discussion with grave and characteristic patience raised his
head and listened to the unknown cry like a stag whose mysterious faculties
had detected the footsteps of the distant hounds in the gale The trapper and
the Doctor were not however entirely so uninstructed as to the nature of the
extraordinary sounds The latter recognized in them the well known voice of his
own beast and he was about to rush up the little bank which confined the
current with all the longings of strong affection when Asinus himself
galloped into view at no great distance urged to the unnatural gait by the
impatient and brutal Weucha who bestrode him
The eyes of the Teton and those of the fugitives met The former raised a
long loud and piercing yell in which the notes of exultation were fearfully
blended with those of warning The signal served for a finishing blow to the
discussion on the merits of the bark the Doctor stepping as promptly to the
side of the old man as if a mental mist had been miraculously removed from his
eyes In another instant the steed of the young Pawnee was struggling with the
torrent
The utmost strength of the horse was needed to urge the fugitives beyond
the flight of arrows that came sailing through the air at the next moment The
cry of Weucha had brought fifty of his comrades to the shore but fortunately
among them all there was not one of a rank sufficient to entitle him to the
privilege of bearing a fusee One half the stream however was not passed
before the form of Mahtoree himself was seen on its bank and an ineffectual
discharge of fire arms announced the rage and disappointment of the chief More
than once the trapper had raised his rifle as if about to try its power on
his enemies but he as often lowered it without firing The eyes of the Pawnee
warrior glared like those of the cougar at the sight of so many of the hostile
tribe and he answered the impotent effort of their chief by tossing a hand
into the air in contempt and raising the warcry of his nation The challenge
was too taunting to be endured The Tetons dashed into the stream in a body
and the river became dotted with the dark forms of beasts and riders
There was now a fearful struggle for the friendly bank As the Dahcotahs
advanced with beasts which had not like that of the Pawnee expended their
strength in former efforts and as they moved unincumbered by any thing but
their riders the speed of the pursuers greatly outstripped that of the
fugitives The trapper who clearly comprehended the whole danger of their
situation calmly turned his eyes from the Tetons to his young Indian associate
in order to examine whether the resolution of the latter began to falter as the
former lessened the distance between them Instead of betraying fear however
or any of that concern which might so readily have been excited by the
peculiarity of his risque the brow of the young warrior contracted to a look
which indicated high and deadly hostility
»Do you greatly value life friend Doctor« demanded the old man with a
sort of philosophical calmness which made the question doubly appalling to his
companion
»Not for itself,« returned the naturalist sipping some of the water of the
river from the hollow of his hand in order to clear his husky throat »Not for
itself. But exceedingly inasmuch as Natural History has so deep a stake in my
existence Therefore «
»Ay« resumed the other who mused too deeply to dissect the ideas of the
Doctor with his usual sagacity »tis in truth the history of natur and a base
and craven feeling it is Now is life as precious to this young Pawnee as to any
Governor in the States and he might save it or at least stand some chance of
saving it by letting us go down the stream and yet you see he keeps his faith
manfully and like an Indian warrior For myself I am old and willing to take
the fortune that the Lord may see fit to give nor do I conceit that you are of
much benefit to mankind and it is a crying shame if not a sin that so fine a
youth as this should lose his scalp for two beings so worthless as ourselves I
am therefore disposed provided that it shall prove agreeable to you to tell
the lad to make the best of his way and to leave us to the mercy of the
Tetons«
»I repel the proposition, as repugnant to nature and as treason to
science« exclaimed the alarmed naturalist »Our progress is miraculous and as
this admirable invention moves with so wonderful a facility a few more minutes
will serve to bring us to land«
The old man regarded him intently for an instant and shaking his head he
said
»Lord what a thing is fear it transforms the creaturs of the world and
the craft of man making that which is ugly seemly in our eyes and that which
is beautiful unsightly Lord Lord what a thing is fear«
A termination was however put to the discussion by the increasing interest
of the chace The horses of the Dahcotahs had by this time gained the middle
of the current and their riders were already filling the air with yells of
triumph At this moment Middleton and Paul who had led the females to a little
thicket appeared again on the margin of the stream menacing their enemies with
the rifle
»Mount mount« shouted the trapper the instant he beheld them »Mount and
fly if you value those who lean on you for help Mount and leave us in the
hands of the Lord«
»Stoop your head old trapper« returned the voice of Paul »Down with ye
both into your nest The Teton Devil is in your line down with your heads and
make way for a Kentucky bullet«
The old man turned his head and saw that the eager Mahtoree who preceded
his party some distance had brought himself nearly in a line with the bark and
the beehunter who stood perfectly ready to execute his hostile threat Bending
his body low the rifle was discharged and the swift lead whizzed harmlessly
past him on its more distant errand But the eye of the Teton chief was not
less quick and certain than that of his enemy He threw himself from his horse
the moment preceding the report and sunk into the water The beast snorted with
terror and anguish throwing half his form out of the river in a desperate
plunge Then he was seen drifting away in the torrent and dying the turbid
waters with his blood
The Teton chief soon reappeared on the surface and understanding the nature
of his loss he swam with vigorous strokes to the nearest of the young men who
relinquished his steed as a matter of course to so renowned a warrior The
incident however created a confusion in the whole of the Dahcotah band who
appeared to await the intention of their leader before they renewed their
efforts to reach the shore In the mean time the vessel of skin had reachd the
land and the fugitives were once more united on the margin of the river
The savages were now swimming about in indecision as a flock of pigeons is
often seen to hover in confusion after receiving a heavy discharge into its
leading column apparently hesitating on the risk of storming a bank so
formidably defended The well known precaution of Indian warfare prevailed and
Mahtoree admonished by his recent adventure led his warriors back to the shore
from which they had come in order to relieve their beasts which were already
becoming unruly
»Now mount you with the tender ones and ride for yonder hillock« said
the trapper »beyond it you will find another stream into which you must
enter and turning to the sun follow its bed for a mile until you reach a high
and sandy plain There will I meet you Go Mount This Pawnee youth and I and
my stout friend the Physicianer who is a desperate warrior are men enough to
keep the bank seeing that show and not use is all that is needed«
Middleton and Paul saw no use in wasting their breath in remonstrances
against this proposal Glad to know that their rear was to be covered even in
this imperfect manner they hastily got their horses in motion and soon
disappeared on the required route Some twenty or thirty minutes succeeded this
movement before the Tetons on the opposite shore seemd inclined to enter on
any new enterprise Mahtoree was distinctly visible in the midst of his
warriors issuing his mandates and betraying his desire for vengeance by
occasionally shaking an arm in the direction of the fugitives but no step was
taken which appeared to threaten any further act of immediate hostility At
length a yell arose among the savages which announced the occurrence of some
fresh event Then Ishmael and his sluggish sons were seen in the distance and
soon the whole of the united force movd down to the very limits of the stream
The squatter proceeded to examine the position of his enemies with his usual
coolness and as if to try the power of his rifle he sent a bullet among them
with a force sufficient to do execution even at the distance at which he stood
»Now let us depart« exclaimed Obed endeavoring to catch a furtive glimpse
of the lead which he fancied was whizzing at his very ear »we have maintained
the bank in a gallant manner for a sufficient length of time quite as much
military skill is to be displayed in a retreat as in an advance«
The old man cast a look behind him and seeing that the equestrians had
reached the cover of the hill he made no objections to the proposal The
remaining horse was given to the Doctor with instructions to pursue the course
just taken by Middleton and Paul When the naturalist was mounted and in full
retreat the trapper and the young Pawnee stole from the spot in such a manner
as to leave their enemies some time in doubt as to their movements Instead
however of proceeding across the plain towards the hill a route on which they
must have been in open view they took a shorter path covered by the formation
of the ground and intersected the little water course at the point where
Middleton had been directed to leave it and just in season to join his party
The Doctor had used so much diligence in the retreat as to have already
overtaken his friends and of course all the fugitives were again assembled
The trapper now lookd about him for some convenient spot where the whole
party might halt as he expressed it for some five or six hours
»Halt« exclaimed the Doctor when the alarming proposal reached his ears
»venerable hunter it would seem that on the contrary many days should be
passed in industrious flight«
Middleton and Paul were both of his opinion and each in his particular
manner expressed as much
The old man heard them with patience but shook his head like one who was
unconvinced and then answered all their arguments in one general and positive
reply
»Why should we fly« he asked »Can the legs of mortal men out strip the
speed of horses Do you think the Tetons will lie down and sleep or will cross
the water and nose for our trail Thanks be to the Lord we have washed it well
in this stream and if we leave the place with discretion and wisdom we may yet
throw them off its track But a Prairie is not a wood There a man may journey
long caring for nothing but the prints his moccasin leaves whereas in these
open plains a runner placd on yonder hill for instance could see far on
every side of him like a hovering hawk looking down on his prey No no night
must come and darkness be upon us afore we leave this spot But listen to the
words of the Pawnee he is a lad of spirit and I warrant me many is the hard
race that he has run with the Sioux bands Does my brother think our trail is
long enough« he demanded in the Indian tongue
»Is a Teton a fish that he can see it in the river«
»But my young men think we should stretch it until it reaches across the
Prairie«
»Mahtoree has eyes he will see it«
»What does my brother counsel«
The young warrior studied the heavens a moment and appeared to hesitate He
mused some time with himself and then he replied like one whose opinion was
fixed
»The Dahcotahs are not asleep« he said »we must lie in the grass«
»Ah the lad is of my mind« said the old man briefly explaining the
opinion of his companion to his white friends Middleton was obliged to
acquiesce and as it was confessedly dangerous to remain upon their feet each
one set about assisting in the means to be adopted for their security Inez and
Ellen were quickly bestowed beneath the warm and not uncomfortable shelter of
the buffaloe skins which formed a thick covering and tall grass was drawn over
the place in such a manner as to evade any examination from a common eye Paul
and the Pawnee fettered the beasts and cast them to the earth where after
supplying them with food they were also left concealed in the fog of the
Prairie No time was lost when these several arrangements were completed before
each of the others sought a place of rest and concealment and then the plain
appeared again deserted to its solitude
The old man had advised his companions of the absolute necessity of their
continuing for hours in this concealment All their hopes of escape depended on
the success of the artifice If they might elude the cunning of their pursuers
by this simple and therefore less suspected expedient they could renew their
flight as the evening approached and by changing their course the chance of
final success would be greatly increased Influenced by these momentous
considerations the whole party lay musing on their situation until thoughts
grew weary and sleep finally settled on them all one after another
The deepest silence had prevailed for hours when the quick ears of the
trapper and the Pawnee were startled by a faint cry of surprise from Inez
Springing to their feet like men who were about to struggle for their lives
they found the vast plain the rolling swells the little hillock and the
scattered thickets covered in one white dazzling sheet of snow
»The Lord have mercy on ye all« exclaimed the old man regarding the
prospect with a rueful eye »now Pawnee do I know the reason why you studied
the clouds so closely but it is too late it is too late A squirrel would
leave his trail on this light coating of the arth Ha there come the imps to a
certainty Down with ye all down with ye your chance is but small and yet it
must not be wilfully cast away«
The whole party was instantly concealed again though many an anxious and
stolen glance was directed through the tops of the grass on the movements of
their enemies At the distance of half a mile the Teton band was seen riding in
a circuit which was gradually contracting itself, and evidently closing upon the
very spot where the fugitives lay There was but little difficulty in solving
the mystery of this movement The snow had fallen in time to assure them that
those they sought were in their rear and they were now employed with the
unwearied perseverance and patience of Indian warriors in circling the certain
boundaries of their place of concealment
Each minute added to the jeopardy of the fugitives Paul and Middleton
deliberately prepared their rifles and as the occupied Mahtoree came at
length within fifty feet of them keeping his eyes riveted on the grass through
which he rode they levelled them together and pulled the triggers The effort
was answered by the mere snapping of the locks
»Enough« said the old man rising with dignity »I have cast away the
priming for certain death would follow your rashness Now let us meet our
fates like men Cringing and complaining find no favor in Indian eyes«
His appearance was greeted by a yell that spread far and wide over the
plain and in a moment a hundred savages were seen riding madly to the spot
Mahtoree received his prisoners with great selfrestraint though gleams of
fierce joy broke through his clouded brow and the heart of Middleton grew cold
as he caught the expression of that eye which the chief turned on the nearly
insensible but still lovely Inez
The exultation of receiving the white captives was so great as for a time
to throw the dark and immovable form of their young Indian companion entirely
out of view He stood apart disdaining to turn an eye on his enemies as
motionless as if he were frozen in that attitude of dignity and composure But
when a little time had passed even this secondary object attracted the
attention of the Tetons Then it was that the trapper first learned by the shout
of triumph and the long drawn yell of delight which burst at once from a
hundred throats as well as by the terrible name which filld the air that his
youthful friend was no other than that redoubtable and hitherto invincible
warrior HardHeart
Chapter XXV
»What are ancient pistol and
You friends yet«
Henry V IIi34
The curtain of our imperfect drama must fall to rise upon another scene The
time is advanced several days during which very material changes had occurred
in the situation of the actors The hour is noon and the place an elevated
plain that rose at no great distance from the water somewhat abruptly from a
fertile bottom which stretched along the margin of one of the numberless
watercourses of that region The river took its rise near the base of the Rocky
Mountains and after washing a vast extent of plain it mingled its waters with
a still larger stream to become finally lost in the turbid current of the
Missouri
The landscape was changed materially for the better though the hand which
had impressed so much of the desert on the surrounding region had laid a
portion of its power on this spot The appearance of vegetation was however
less discouraging than in the more sterile wastes of the rolling Prairies
Clusters of trees were scattered in greater profusion and a long outline of
ragged forest marked the northern boundary of the view Here and there on the
bottom were to be seen the evidences of a hasty and imperfect culture of such
indigenous vegetables as were of a quick growth and which were known to
flourish without the aid of art in deep and alluvial soils On the very edge
of what might be called the tableland were pitchd the hundred lodges of a
horde of wandering Siouxes These light tenements were arranged without the
least attention to order Proximity to the water seemed to be the only
consideration which had been consulted in their disposition nor had even this
important convenience been always regarded While most of the lodges stood along
the brow of the plain many were to be seen at greater distances occupying such
places as had first pleased the capricious eyes of their untutored owners The
encampment was not military or in the slightest degree protected from surprise
by its position or defences It was open on every side and on every side as
accessible as any other point in those wastes if the imperfect and natural
obstruction offered by the river be excepted In short the place bore the
appearance of having been tenanted longer than its occupants had originally
intended while it was not wanting in the signs of readiness for a hasty or even
a compelled departure
This was the temporary encampment of that portion of his people who had long
been hunting under the direction of Mahtoree on those grounds which separated
the stationary abodes of his nation from those of the warlike tribes of the
Pawnees The lodges were tents of skin high conical and of the most simple and
primitive construction The shield the quiver the lance and the bow of its
master were to be seen suspended from a light post before the opening or door
of each habitation the different domestic implements of his one two or three
wives as the brave was of greater or lesser renown were carelessly thrown at
its side and here and there the round full patient countenance of an infant
might be found peeping from its comfortless wrappers of bark as suspended by
a deer skin thong from the same post it rocked in the passing air Children of
a larger growth were tumbling over each other in piles the males even at that
early age making themselves distinguished for that species of domination
which in after life was to mark the vast distinction between the sexes Youths
were on the bottom essaying their juvenile powers in curbing the wild steeds of
their fathers while here and there a truant girl was to be seen stealing from
her labors to admire their fierce and impatient daring
Thus far the picture was the daily exhibition of an encampment confident in
its security But immediately in front of the lodges was a gathering that seemed
to forbode some movements of more than usual interest A few of the withered and
remorseless crones of the band were clustering together in readiness to lend
their fell voices if needed to aid in exciting their descendants to an
exhibition which their depraved tastes covetted as the luxurious Roman dame
witnessed the struggles and the agony of the gladiator The men were subdivided
into groupes assorted according to the deeds and reputations of the several
individuals of whom they were composed
They who were of that equivocal age which admitted them to the hunts while
their discretion was still too doubtful to permit them to be trusted on the
warpath hung around the skirts of the whole catching from the fierce models
before them that gravity of demeanour and restraint of manner which in time
was to become so deeply engrafted in their own characters A few of a still
older class and who had heard the whoop in anger were a little more presuming
pressing nigher to the chiefs though far from presuming to mingle in their
Councils sufficiently distinguished by being permitted to catch the wisdom
which fell from lips so venerated The ordinary warriors of the band were still
less diffident not hesitating to mingle among the chiefs of lesser note though
far from assuming the right to dispute the sentiments of any established brave
or to call in question the prudence of measures that were recommended by the
more gifted counsellors of the nation
Among the chiefs themselves there was a singular compound of exterior They
were divided into two classes those who were mainly indebted for their
influence to physical causes and to deeds in arms and those who had become more
distinguished rather for their wisdom than for their services in the field The
former was by far the most numerous and the most important class These were men
of stature and mien whose stern countenances were often rendered doubly
imposing by those evidences of their valour which had been roughly traced on
their lineaments by the hands of their enemies That class which had gained its
influence by a moral ascendancy was extremely limited They were uniformly to be
distinguished by the quick and lively expression of their eyes by the air of
distrust that marked their movements and occasionally by the vehemence of their
utterance in those sudden outbreakings of the mind, by which their present
consultations were from time to time distinguished
In the very centre of a ring formed by these chosen counsellors was to be
seen the person of the disquieted but seemingly calm Mahtoree There was a
conjunction of all the several qualities of the others in his person and
character Mind as well as matter had contributed to establish his authority
His scars were as numerous and deep as those of the whitest head in his nation
his limbs were in their greatest vigor his courage at its fullest height
Endowed with this rare combination of moral and physical influence the keenest
eye in all that assembly was wont to lower before his threatening glance
Courage and cunning had established his ascendancy and it had been rendered in
some degree sacred by time He knew so well how to unite the powers of reason
and force that in a state of society which admitted of a greater display of his
energies the Teton would in all probability have been both a conqueror and a
despot
A little apart from the gathering of the band was to be seen a set of
beings of an entirely different origin Taller and far more muscular in their
persons the lingering vestiges of their Saxon and Norman ancestry were yet to
be found beneath the swarthy complexions which had been bestowed by an American
sun It would have been a curious investigation for one skilled in such an
inquiry to have traced those points of difference by which the offspring of the
most western European was still to be distinguished from the descendant of the
most remote Asiatic now that the two in the revolutions of the world were
approximating in their habits their residence and not a little in their
characters The groupe of whom we write was composed of the family of the
squatter They stood indolent lounging and inert as usual when no immediate
demand was made on their dormant energies clustered in front of some four or
five habitations of skin for which they were indebted to the hospitality of
their Teton allies The terms of their unexpected confederation were
sufficiently explained by the presence of the horses and domestic cattle that
were quietly grazing on the bottom beneath under the jealous eyes of the
spirited Hetty The wagons were drawn about the lodges in a sort of irregular
barrier which at once manifested that their confidence was not entirely
restored while on the other hand their policy or indolence prevented any very
positive exhibition of distrust There was a singular union of passive enjoyment
and of dull curiosity slumbering in every dull countenance as each of the party
stood leaning on his rifle regarding the movements of the Sioux conference
Still no sign of expectation or interest escaped from the youngest among them
the whole appearing to emulate the most phlegmatic of their savage allies in an
exhibition of patience They rarely spoke and when they did it was in some
short and contemptuous remark which served to put the physical superiority of a
white man and that of an Indian in a sufficiently striking point of view In
short the family of Ishmael appeared now to be in the plentitude of an
enjoyment which depended on inactivity but which was not entirely free from
certain confused glimmerings of a perspective in which their security stood in
some little danger of a rude interruption from Teton treachery Abiram alone
formed a solitary exception to this state of equivocal repose
After a life passed in the commission of a thousand mean and insignificant
villainies the mind of the kidnapper had become hardy enough to attempt the
desperate adventure which has been laid before the reader in the course of the
narrative His influence over the bolder but less active spirit of Ishmael was
far from great and had not the latter been suddenly expelled from a fertile
bottom of which he had taken possession with intent to keep it without much
deference to the forms of law he would never have succeeded in enlisting the
husband of his sister in an enterprise that required so much decision and
forethought Their original success and subsequent disappointment have been
seen and Abiram now sat apart plotting the means by which he might secure to
himself the advantages of his undertaking which he perceived were each moment
becoming more uncertain through the open admiration of Mahtoree for the
innocent subject of his villainy We shall leave him to his vacillating and
confused expedients in order to pass to the description of certain other
personages in the drama
There was still another corner of the picture that was occupied On a little
bank at the extreme right of the encampment lay the forms of Middleton and
Paul Their limbs were painfully bound with thongs cut from the skin of a
bison while by a sort of refinement in cruelty they were so placed that each
could see a reflection of his own misery in that of his neighbor Within a dozen
yards of them a post was set firmly in the ground and against it was bound the
light and Apollolike person of HardHeart Between the two stood the trapper
deprived of his rifle his pouch and his horn but otherwise left in a sort of
contemptuous liberty Some five or six young warriors however with quivers at
their backs and long tough bows dangling from their shoulders who stood with
grave watchfullness at no great distance from the spot sufficiently proclaimed
how fruitless any attempt to escape on the part of one so aged and so feeble
might prove Unlike the other spectators of the important conference these
individuals were engaged in a discourse that for them contained an interest of
its own.
»Captain« said the beehunter with an expression of comical concern that
no misfortune could repress in one of his buoyant feelings »do you really find
that accursed strap of untanned leather cutting into your shoulder or is it
only the tickling in my own arm that I feel«
»When the spirit suffers so deeply the body is insensible to pain«
returned the more refined though scarcely so spirited Middleton »would to
Heaven that some of my trusty artillerists might fall upon this accursed
encampment«
»You might as well wish that these Teton lodges were so many hives of
hornets and that the insects would come forth and battle with yonder tribe of
halfnaked savages« Then chuckling with his own conceit the beehunter turned
away from his companion and sought a momentary relief from his misery by
imagining that so wild an idea might be realized and fancying the manner in
which the attack would upset even the well established patience of an Indian
Middleton was glad to be silent but the old man who had listened to their
words drew a little nigher and continued the discourse
»Here is likely to be a marciless and a hellish business« he said shaking
his head in a manner to prove that even his experience was at a loss for a
remedy in so trying a dilemma »Our Pawnee friend is already staked for the
torture and I well know by the eye and the countenance of the Great Sioux that
he is leading on the temper of his people to further enormities«
»Harkee old trapper« said Paul writhing in his bonds to catch a glimpse
of the others melancholy face »you ar skilled in Indian tongues and know
somewhat of Indian deviltries Go you to the council and tell their chiefs in
my name that is to say in the name of Paul Hover of the State of Kentucky that
provided they will guarantee the safe return of one Ellen Wade into the States
they are welcome to take his scalp when and in such manner as best suits their
amusements or ifsobe they will not trade on these conditions you may throw
in an hour or two of torture beforehand in order to sweeten the bargain to
their damnable appetites«
»Ah Lad it is little that they would hearken to such an offer knowing as
they do that you are already like a bear in a trap as little able to fight as
to fly But be not downhearted for the colour of a white man is sometimes his
death warrant among these far tribes of savages and sometimes his shield
Though they love us not cunning often ties their hands Could the red nations
work their will trees would shortly be growing again on the ploughd fields
of America and woods would be whitened with christian bones No one can doubt
that who knows the quality of the love which a redskin bears a Pale face but
they have counted our numbers until their memories fail them and they are not
without their policy Therefore, is our fate unsettled but I fear me there is
small hope left for the Pawnee«
As the old man concluded he walkd slowly towards the subject of his latter
observation taking his post at no great distance from his side Here he stood
observing such a silence and mien as became him to manifest to a chief so
renowned and so situated as his captive associate But the eye of HardHeart was
fastened on the distance and his whole air was that of one whose thoughts were
entirely removed from the present scene
»The Siouxes are in Council on my brother« the trapper at length observed
when he found that he could only attract the others attention by speaking
The young partizan turned his head with a calm smile as he answered
»They are counting the scalps over the lodge of HardHeart«
»No doubt no doubt their tempers begin to mount as they remember the number
of Tetons you have struck and better would it be for you now had more of your
days been spent in chasing the deer and fewer on the warpath Then some
childless mother of this tribe might take you in the place of her lost son and
your time would be filld in Peace«
»Does my father think that a warrior can ever die The Master of Life does
not open his hand to take away his gifts again When he wants his young men he
calls them and they go But the redskin he has once breathed on lives
forever«
»Ay this is a more comfortable and a more humble faith than that which
yonder heartless Teton harbors There is something in these Loups which opens
my inmost heart to them They seem to have the courage ay and the honesty
too of the Delawares of the Hills And this lad it is wonderful it is very
wonderful but the age and the eye and the limbs are as if they might have
been brothers Tell me Pawnee have you ever in your traditions heard of a
Mighty People who once lived on the shores of the Salt Lake hard by the rising
sun «
»The earth is white by people of the colour of my father«
»Nay nay I speak not now of any strollers who have crept into the land
to rob the lawful owners of their birthright but of a people who are or rather
were what with natur and what with paint red as the berry on the bush«
»I have heard the old men say that there were bands who hid themselves in
the woods under the rising sun because they dared not come upon the open
Prairies to fight with men«
»Do not your traditions tell you of the greatest the bravest and the
wisest nation of redskins that the Wahcondah has ever breathed upon«
HardHeart raised his head with a loftiness and dignity that even his bonds
could not repress as he answered
»Has age blinded my father or does he see so many Siouxes that he believes
there are no longer any Pawnees«
»Ah such is mortal vanity and pride« exclaimed the disappointed old man
in English »Natur is as strong in a redskin as in the bosom of a man of
white gifts Now would a Delaware conceit himself far mightier than a Pawnee
just as a Pawnee boasts himself to be of the Princes of the arth And so it was
atween the Frenchers of the Canadas and the red coated English that the King
did use to send into the States when States they were not but outcrying and
petitioning Provinces They fout and they fout and what marvellous boastings
did they give forth to the world of their own valor and victories while both
parties forgot to name the humble soldier of the land who did the real service
but who as he was not privileged then to smoke at the Great Council Fire of his
Nation seldom heard of his deeds after they were once bravely done«
When the old man had thus given vent to the nearly dormant but far from
extinct Military Pride that had so unconsciously led him into the very error he
deprecated his eye which had begun to quicken and glimmer with some of the
ardor of his youth softened and turned its anxious look on the devoted captive
whose countenance was also restored to its former cold look of abstraction and
thought
»Young warrior« he continued in a voice that was growing tremulous »I
have never been father or brother The Wahcondah made me to live alone He
never tied my heart to house or field by the cords with which the men of my
race are bound to their lodges if he had I should not have journeyed so far and
seen so much But I have tarried long among a people who livd in those woods
you mention and much reason did I find to imitate their courage and love their
honesty The Master of Life has made us all Pawnee with a feeling for our
kind I never was a father but well do I know what is the love of one You are
like a lad I valued and I had even begun to fancy that some of his blood might
be in your veins But what matters that You are a true man as I know by the
way in which you keep your faith and honesty is a gift too rare to be
forgotten My heart yearns to you boy and gladly would I do you good«
The youthful warrior listened to the words which came from the lips of the
other with a force and simplicity that established their truth and he bowd his
head on his naked bosom in testimony of the respect with which he met the
proffer Then lifting his dark eye to the level of the view he seemd to be
again considering of things removed from every personal consideration The
trapper who well knew how high the pride of a warrior would sustain him in
those moments he believed to be his last awaited the pleasure of his young
friend with a meekness and patience that he had acquired by his association with
that remarkable race At length the gaze of the Pawnee began to waver and then
quick flashing glances were turned from the countenance of the old man to the
air and from the air to his deeply marked lineaments again as if the spirit
which governed their movements was beginning to be troubled
»Father« the young brave finally answered in a voice of confidence and
kindness »I have heard your words They have gone in at my ears and are now
within me The white headed Longknife has no son the HardHeart of the Pawnees
is young but he is already the oldest of his family He found the bones of his
father on the hunting grounds of the Osages and he has sent them to the
Prairies of the Good Spirits No doubt the great Chief his father has seen
them and knows what is part of himself But the Wahcondah will soon call to us
both you because you have seen all that is to be seen in this country and
HardHeart because he has need of a warrior who is young There is not time for
the Pawnee to show the Pale Face the duty that a son owes to his Father«
»Old as I am and miserable and helpless as I now stand to what I once was
I may live to see the sun go down in the Prairie Does my son expect to do as
much«
»The Tetons are counting the scalps on my lodge« returned the young chief
with a smile whose melancholy was singularly illuminated by a gleam of triumph
»And they find them many Too many for the safety of its owner while he is
in their revengeful hands My son is not a woman and he looks on the path he is
about to travel with a steady eye Has he nothing to whisper in the ears of his
people before he starts These legs are old but they may yet carry me to the
forks of the Loup river«
»Tell them that HardHeart has tied a knot in his wampum for every Teton«
burst from the lips of the captive with that vehemence with which sudden
passion is known to break through the barriers of artificial restraint »If he
meets one of them all in the Prairie of the Master of Life his heart will
become Sioux«
»Ah that feeling would be a dangerous companion for a man with white gifts
to start with on so solemn a journey« muttered the old man in English »This is
not what the good Moravians said to the Councils of the Delawares nor what is
so often preachd to the whiteskins in the settlements though to the shame of
the colour be it said it is so little heeded Pawnee I love you but being a
Christian man I cannot be the runner to bear such a message«
»If my father is afraid that the Tetons will hear him let him whisper it
softly to our old men«
»As for fear young warrior it is no more the shame of a Pale face than of
a redskin The Wahcondah teaches us to love the life he gives but it is as
men love their hunts and their dogs and their carybines and not with the
doting that a mother looks upon her infant The Master of Life will not have to
speak aloud twice when he calls my name I am as ready to answer to it now as
I shall be tomorrow or at any time it may please his mighty will But what
is a warrior without his traditions Mine forbid me to carry your words«
The chief made a dignified motion of assent and here there was great danger
that those feelings of confidence which had been so singularly awakened would as
suddenly subside But the heart of the old man had been too sensibly touched
through long dormant but still living recollections to break off the
communication so rudely He pondered for a minute and then bending his look
wistfully on his young associate again continued
»Each warrior must be judged by his gifts I have told my son what I cannot
but let him open his ears to what I can do An elk shall not measure the Prairie
much swifter than these old legs if the Pawnee will give me a message that a
white man may bear«
»Let the Pale face listen« returned the other after hesitating a single
instant longer under a lingering sensation of his former disappointment »He
will stay here till the Siouxes have done counting the scalps of their dead
warriors He will wait until they have tried to cover the heads of eighteen
Tetons with the skin of one Pawnee Then he will open his eyes wide that he may
see the place where they bury the bones of a warrior«
»All this will I and may I do noble boy«
»He will mark me spot that he may know it«
»No fear no fear that I shall forget the place« interrupted the other
whose fortitude began to give way under so trying an exhibition of calmness and
resignation
»Then I know that my father will go to my people His head is gray and his
words will not be blown away with the smoke Let him get on my lodge and call
the name of HardHeart aloud No Pawnee will be deaf Then let my father ask
for the colt that has never been ridden but which is sleeker than the buck and
swifter than the elk«
»I understand you boy I understand you« interrupted the attentive old
man »and what you say shall be done ay and well done too or Im but little
skilled in the wishes of a dying Indian«
»And when my young men have given my father the halter of that colt he
will lead him by a crooked path to the grave of HardHeart«
»Will I ay that I will brave youth though the winter covers these plains
in banks of snow and the sun is hidden as much by day as by night To the head
of the holy spot will I lead the beast and place him with his eyes looking
towards the setting sun«
»And my father will speak to him and tell him that the master who has fed
him since he was foaled has now need of him«
»That too will I do though the Lord he knows that I shall hold discourse
with a horse not with any vain conceit that my words will be understood but only
to satisfy the cravings of Indian superstition Hector my pup what think you
dog of talking to a horse«
»Let the grayhead speak to him with the tongue of a Pawnee« interrupted
the young victim perceiving that his companion had used an unknown language for
the preceding speech
»My sons will shall be done And with these old hands which I had hoped
had nearly done with bloodshed whether it be of man or beast will I slay the
animal on your grave«
»It is good« returned the other a gleam of satisfaction flitting across
his features »HardHeart will ride his horse to the blessed Prairies and he
will come before the Master of Life like a chief«
The sudden and striking change which instantly occurred in the countenance
of the Indian caused the trapper to look aside when he perceived that the
conference of the Siouxes had ended and that Mahtoree attended by one or two
of the principal warriors was deliberately approaching his intended victims
Chapter XXVI
»I am not prone to weeping as our sex
Commonly are «
»But I have that honorable
Grief lodged here which burns worse than
Tears drown«
The Winters Tale IIi10809 11012
When within twenty feet of the prisoners the Tetons stopped and their leader
made a sign to the old man to draw nigh The trapper obeyed quitting the young
Pawnee with a significant look which was received as it was meant for an
additional pledge that he would never forget his promise So soon as Mahtoree
found that the other had stopped within reach of him he stretchd forth his
arm and laying a hand upon the shoulder of the attentive old man he stood
regarding him a minute with eyes that seemd willing to penetrate the recesses
of his most secret thoughts
»Is a Pale face always made with two tongues« he demanded when he found
that as usual with the subject of this examination he was as little
intimidated by his present frown as movd by any apprehensions of the future
»Honesty lies deeper than the skin«
»It is so Now let my father hear me Mahtoree has but one tongue the
grayhead has many They may be all straight and none of them forked A Sioux
is no more than a Sioux but a Pale face is every thing He can talk to the
Pawnee and the Konza and the Omahaw and he can talk to his own people«
»Ay there are linguisters in the settlements that can do still more But
what profits it all The Master of Life has an ear for every language«
»The grayhead has done wrong He has said one thing when he meant another
He has looked before him with his eyes and behind him with his mind He has
ridden the horse of a Sioux too hard He has been the friend of the Pawnee and
the enemy of my people«
»Teton I am your prisoner Though my words are white they will not
complain Act your will«
»No Mahtoree will not make a white hair red My father is free The
Prairie is open on every side of him But before the grayhead turns his back on
the Siouxes let him look well at them that he may tell his own Chief how great
is a Dahcotah«
»I am not in a hurry to go on my path You see a man with a white head and
no woman Teton therefore shall I not run myself out of breath to tell the
nations of the Prairie what the Siouxes are doing«
»It is good My Father has smokd with the chiefs at many Councils«
returned Mahtoree who now thought himself sufficiently sure of the others
favor to go more directly to his object »Mahtoree will speak with the tongue
of his very dear friend and father A young paleface will listen when an old
man of that nation opens his mouth Go My father will make what a poor Indian
says fit for a white ear«
»Speak aloud« said the trapper who readily understood the metaphorical
manner in which the Teton expressed a desire that he should become an
interpreter of his words into the English language »speak my young men
listen Now Captain and you too friend beehunter prepare yourselves to meet
the deviltries of this savage with the stout hearts of white warriors If you
find yourselves giving way under his threats just turn your eyes on that noble
looking Pawnee whose time is measured with a hand as niggardly as that with
which a trader in the towns gives forth the fruits of the Lord inch by inch in
order to satisfy his covetousness A single look at the boy will set you both
up in resolution«
»My brother has turned his eyes on the wrong path« interrupted Mahtoree
with a complacency that betrayed how unwilling he was to offend his intended
interpreter
»The Dahcotah will speak to my young men«
»After he has sung in the ear of the flower of the pale faces«
»The Lord forgive the desperate villain« exclaimed the old man in English
»There are none so tender or so young or so innocent as to escape his ravenous
wishes But hard words and cold looks will profit nothing therefore it will be
wise to speak him fair Let Mahtoree open his mouth«
»Would my father cry out that the women and children should hear the wisdom
of Chiefs We will go into the lodge and whisper«
As the Teton ended he pointed significantly towards a tent vividly
emblazoned with the history of one of his own boldest and most commended
exploits and which stood a little apart from the rest as if to denote it was
the residence of some privileged individual of the band The shield and quiver
at its entrance were richer than common and the high distinction of a fusee
attested the importance of its proprietor In every other particular it was
rather distinguished by signs of poverty than of wealth The domestic utensils
were fewer in number and simpler in their forms than those to be seen about the
openings of the meanest lodges nor was there a single one of those high prized
articles of civilized life which were occasionally bought of the traders in
bargains that bore so hard on the ignorant natives All these had been bestowed
as they had been acquired by the generous chief on his subordinates to purchase
an influence that might render him the master of their lives and persons a
species of wealth that was certainly more noble in itself, and far dearer to his
ambition
The old man well knew this to be the lodge of Mahtoree and in obedience to
the sign of the chief he held his way towards it with slow and reluctant steps
But there were others present who were equally interested in the approaching
conference whose apprehensions were not to be so easily suppressed The
watchful eyes and jealous ears of Middleton had taught him enough to fill his
soul with horrible forebodings With an incredible effort he succeeded in
gaining his feet and called aloud to the retiring trapper
»I conjure you old man if the love you bore my parents was more than
words or if the love you bear your God is that of a Christian man utter not a
syllable that may wound the ear of that innocent«
Exhausted in spirit and fettered in limbs he then fell like an inanimate
log to the earth where he lay like one dead
Paul had however caught the clue and completed the exhortation in his
peculiar manner
»Harkee old trapper« he shouted vainly endeavoring at the same time to
make a gesture of defiance with his hand »if you ar about to play the
interpreter speak such words to the ears of that damnable savage as becomes a
white man to use and a heathen to hear Tell him from me that if he does or
says the thing that is uncivil to the girl called Nelly Wade that Ill curse
him with my dying breath that Ill pray for all good Christians in Kentucky to
curse him sitting and standing eating and drinking fighting praying or at
horseraces indoors and outdoors in summer or winter or in the month of
March in short Ill ay it ar a fact morally true that Ill finally haunt
him if the ghost of a paleface can contrive to lift itself from a grave made
by the hands of a redskin«
Having thus vented the most terrible denunciation he could devise and the
one which in the eyes of the honest beehunter there seemd the greatest
likelihood of his being able to put in execution he was obliged to await the
fruits of his threat with that resignation which would be apt to govern a
western border man who in addition to the prospects just named had the
advantage of contemplating them in fetters and bondage We shall not detain the
narrative to relate the quaint morals with which he next endeavored to cheer
the drooping spirits of his more sensitive companion or the occasional pithy
and peculiar benedictions that he pronounced on all the bands of the Dahcotahs
commencing with those whom he accused of stealing or murdering on the banks of
the distant Mississippi and concluding in terms of suitable energy with the
Teton tribe The latter more than once received from his lips curses as
sententious and as complicated as that celebrated anathema of the church for a
knowledge of which most unlettered Protestants are indebted to the pious
researches of the worthy Tristram Shandy But as Middleton recovered from his
exhaustion he was fain to appease the boisterous temper of his associate by
admonishing him of the uselessness of such denunciations and of the possibility
of their hastening the very evil he deprecated by irritating the resentments of
a race who were sufficiently fierce and lawless even in their most pacific
moods
In the mean time the trapper and the Sioux chief pursued their way to the
lodge The former had watched with painful interest the expression of
Mahtorees eye while the words of Middleton and Paul were pursuing their
footsteps but the mien of the Indian was far too much restrained and
selfguarded to permit the smallest of his emotions to escape through any of
those ordinary outlets by which the condition of the human volcano is commonly
betrayed His look was fastened on the little habitation they approached and
for the moment his thoughts appeared to brood alone on the purposes of this
extraordinary visit
The appearance of the interior of the lodge corresponded with its exterior
It was larger than most of the others more finished in its form and finer in
its materials but there its superiority ceased Nothing could be more simple
and republican than the form of living that the ambitious and powerful Teton
chose to exhibit to the eyes of his people A choice collection of weapons for
the chace some three or four medals bestowed by the traders and political
agents of the Canadas as a homage to or rather as an acknowledgement of his
rank with a few of the most indispensable articles of personal accommodation
composed its furniture It abounded in neither venison nor the wild beef of the
Prairies its crafty owner having well understood that the liberality of a
single individual would be abundantly rewarded by the daily contributions of a
band Although as preeminent in the chase as in war a deer or a buffaloe was
never seen to enter whole into his lodge In return an animal was rarely
brought into the encampment that did not contribute to support the family of
Mahtoree But the policy of the chief seldom permitted more to remain than
sufficed for the wants of the day perfectly assured that all must suffer
before hunger the bane of savage life could lay its fell fangs on so important
a victim
Immediately beneath the favorite bow of the chief and encircled in a sort
of magical ring of spears shields lances and arrows all of which had in
their time done good service was suspended the mysterious and sacred medicine
bag It was highly wrought in wampum and profusely ornamented with beads and
porcupines quills after the most cunning devices of Indian ingenuity The
peculiar freedom of Mahtorees religious creed has been more than once
intimated and by a singular species of contradiction he appeared to have
lavished his attentions on this emblem of a supernatural agency in a degree
that was precisely inverse to his faith It was merely the manner in which the
Sioux imitated the well known expedient of the Pharisees in order that they
might be seen of men
The tent had not however been entered by its owner since his return from
the recent expedition As the reader has already anticipated it had been made
the prison of Inez and Ellen The bride of Middleton was seated on a simple
couch of sweet scented herbs covered with skins She had already suffered so
much and witnessed so many wild and unlooked for events within the short space
of her captivity that every additional misfortune fell with a diminished force
on her seemingly devoted head Her cheeks were bloodless her dark and
usually animated eye was contracted in an expression of settled concern and her
form appeared shrinking and sensitive nearly to extinction But in the midst of
these evidences of natural weakness there were at times such an air of pious
resignation such gleams of meek but holy hope lighting her countenance as
might well have rendered it a question whether the hapless captive was most a
subject of pity or of admiration All the precepts of Father Ignatius were
riveted in her faithful memory and not a few of his pious visions were floating
before her imagination Sustained by so sacred resolutions the mild the
patient and the confiding girl was bowing her head to this new stroke of
Providence with the same sort of meekness as she would have submitted to any
other prescribed penitence for her sins though nature at moments warred
powerfully with so compelled a humility
On the other hand Ellen had exhibited far more of the woman and
consequently of the passions of the world She had wept until her eyes were
swollen and red Her cheeks were flushed and angry and her whole mien was
distinguished by an air of spirit and resentment that was not a little however
qualified by apprehensions for the future In short there was that about the
eye and step of the betrothed of Paul which gave a warranty that should
happier times arrive and the constancy of the beehunter finally meet with its
reward he would possess a partner every way worthy to cope with his own
thoughtless and buoyant temperament
There was still another and a third figure in that little knot of females
It was the youngest the most highly gifted and until now the most favored of
the wives of the Teton Her charms had not been without the most powerful
attraction in the eyes of her husband until they had so unexpectedly opened on
the surpassing loveliness of a woman of the Pale faces From that hapless moment
the graces the attachment the fidelity of the young Indian had lost their
power to please Still the complexion of Tachechana though less dazzling than
that of her rival was for her race clear and healthy her hazel eye had the
sweetness and playfulness of the antelopes her voice was soft and joyous as
the song of the wren and her happy laugh was the very melody of the forest Of
all the Sioux girls Tachechana or the Fawn was the lightesthearted and the
most envied Her father had been a distinguished brave and her brothers had
already left their bones on a distant and dreary warpath Numberless were the
warriors who had sent presents to the lodge of her parents but none of them
were listened to until a messenger from the great Mahtoree had come She was
his third wife it is true but she was confessedly the most favored of them all
Their union had existed but two short seasons and its fruits now lay sleeping
at her feet wrapped in the customary ligatures of skin and bark which form the
swaddlings of an Indian infant
At the moment when Mahtoree and the trapper arrived at the opening of the
lodge the young Sioux wife was seated on a simple stool turning her soft
eyes with looks that varied like her emotions with love and wonder from the
unconscious child to those rare beings who had filled her youthful and
uninstructed mind with so much admiration and astonishment Though Inez and
Ellen had passed an entire day in her sight it seemed as if the longings of her
curiosity were increasing with each new gaze She regarded them as beings of an
entirely different nature and condition from the females of the Prairie Even
the mystery of their complicated attire had its secret influence on her simple
mind though it was the grace and charm of sex to which nature has made every
people so sensible that most attracted her admiration But while her ingenuous
disposition freely admitted the superiority of the strangers over the less
brilliant attractions of the Dahcotah maidens she had seen no reason to
deprecate their advantages The visit that she was now about to receive was the
first which her husband had made to the tent since his return from the recent
inroad and he was ever present to her thoughts as a successful warrior who
was not ashamed in the moments of inaction to admit the softer feelings of a
father and a husband
We have every where endeavored to show that while Mahtoree was in all
essentials a warrior of the Prairies he was much in advance of his people in
those acquirements which announce the dawnings of civilization He had held
frequent communion with the traders and troops of the Canadas and the
intercourse had unsettled many of those wild opinions which were his
birthright without perhaps substituting any others of a nature sufficiently
definite to be profitable His reasoning was rather subtle than true and his
philosophy far more audacious than profound Like thousands of more enlightened
beings who fancy they are able to go through the trials of human existence
without any other support than their own resolutions his morals were
accommodating and his motive selfish These several characteristics will be
understood always with reference to the situation of the Indian though little
apology is needed for finding resemblances between men who essentially possess
the same nature however it may be modified by circumstances
Notwithstanding the presence of Inez and Ellen the entrance of the Teton
warrior into the lodge of his favorite wife was made with the tread and mien of
a master The step of his moccasin was noiseless but the rattling of his
bracelets and of the silver ornaments of his leggings sufficed to announce his
approach as he pushd aside the skin covering of the opening of the tent and
stood in the presence of its inmates A faint cry of pleasure burst from the
lips of Tachechana but the emotion was instantly suppressed in that subdued
demeanor which better became a matron of her tribe Instead of returning the
stolen glance of his youthful and secretly rejoicing wife Mahtoree movd to
the couch occupied by his prisoners and placed himself at his ease before them
in the haughty upright attitude of an Indian chief The old man had glided past
him and already taken a position suited to the office he had been commanded to
fill
Surprise kept the females silent and nearly breathless Though accustomed to
the sight of savage warriors in the horrid panoply of their profession there
was something so startling in the entrance and so audacious in the look of
their conqueror that the eyes of both sunk to the earth under a feeling of
terror and embarrassment Then Inez recovered herself and addressing the
trapper she demanded with the dignity of an offended gentlewoman though with
her accustomed grace to what circumstance they owed this extraordinary and
unexpected visit The old man hesitated but clearing his throat like one who
was about to make an effort to which he was little used he ventured on the
following reply
»Lady« he said »a savage is a savage and you are not to look for the uses
and formalities of the settlements on a bleak and windy Prairie As these
Indians would say fashions and courtesies are things so light that they would
blow away As for myself though a man of the forest I have seen the ways of
the great in my time and I am not to learn that they differ from the ways of
the lowly I was long a serving man in my youth not one of your beck and nod
runners about a household but a man that went through the servitude of the
forest with his officer and well do I know in what manner to approach the wife
of a Captain Now had I the ordering of this visit I would first have hemmd
aloud at the door in order that you might hear that strangers were coming and
then I «
»The manner is indifferent« interrupted Inez too anxious to await the
prolix explanations of the old man »Why is the visit made«
»Therein shall the savage speak for himself The daughters of the Pale
faces wish to know why the Great Teton has entered his lodge«
Mahtoree regarded his interrogator with a surprise which showd how
extraordinary he deemed the question then placing himself in a posture of
condescension after a moments delay he answered
»Sing in the ears of the darkeye Tell her that the lodge of Mahtoree is
very large and that it is not full She shall find room in it and none shall
be greater than she Tell the light hair that she too may stay in the lodge of
a brave and eat of his venison Mahtoree is a great chief His hand is never
shut«
»Teton« returned the trapper shaking his head in evidence of the strong
disapprobation with which he heard this language »the tongue of a redskin must
be coloured white before it can make music in the ears of a Paleface Should
your words be spoken my daughters would shut their ears and Mahtoree would
seem a trader to their eyes Now listen to what comes from a grayhead and
then speak accordingly My people is a mighty people The sun rises on their
eastern and sets on their western border The land is filled with brighteyed
and laughing girls like these you see ay Teton I tell no lie« observing his
auditor to start with an air of distrust »brighteyed and pleasant to behold
as these before you«
»Has my father a hundred wives« interrupted the savage laying a finger on
the shoulder of the trapper with a look of curious interest in the reply
»No Dahcotah the Master of Life has said to me live alone Your lodge
shall be the forest the roof of your wigwam the clouds But though never bound
in the secret faith which in my nation ties one man to one woman often have I
seen the workings of that kindness which brings the two together Go into the
regions of my people You will see the daughters of the land fluttering through
the Towns like many coloured and joyful birds in the season of blossoms you
will meet them singing and rejoicing along the great paths of the country and
you will hear the woods ringing with their laughter They are very excellent to
behold and the young men find pleasure in looking at them«
»Hugh« ejaculated the attentive Mahtoree
»Ay well may you put faith in what you hear for it is no lie But when a
youth has found a maiden to please him he speaks to her in a voice so soft that
none else can hear He does not say my lodge is empty and there is room for
another but shall I build and will the virgin show me near what spring she
would dwell His voice is sweeter than honey from the locust and goes into the
ear thrilling like the song of a wren Therefore if my brother wishes his words
to be heard he must speak with a white tongue«
Mahtoree pondered deeply and in a wonder that he did not attempt to conceal
It was reversing all the order of society and according to his established
opinions endangering the dignity of a chief for a warrior thus to humble
himself before a woman But as Inez sat before him reserved and imposing in
air utterly unconscious of his object and least of all suspecting the true
purport of so extraordinary a visit the savage felt the influence of a manner
to which he was unaccustomed Bowing his head in acknowledgment of his error
he steppd a little back and placing himself in an attitude of easy dignity he
began to speak with the confidence of one who had been no less distinguished for
eloquence than for deeds in arms keeping his eyes riveted on the unconscious
bride of Middleton he proceeded in the following words
»I am a man with a redskin but my eyes are dark They have been open since
many snows They have seen many things They know a brave from a coward When a
boy I saw nothing but the bison and the deer I went to the hunts and I saw the
cougar and the bear This made Mahtoree a man He talkd with his mother no
more his ears were open to the wisdom of the old men They told him every
thing they told him of the Bigknives He went on the warpath He was then the
last now he is the first What Dahcotah dare say he will go before Mahtoree
into the hunting grounds of the Pawnees The Chiefs met him at their doors and
they said my son is without a home They gave him their lodges they gave him
their riches and they gave him their daughters Then Mahtoree became a chief
as his fathers had been He struck the warriors of all the nations and he could
have chosen wives from the Pawnees the Omahaws and the Konzas But he looked at
the hunting ground and not at his village He thought a horse was pleasanter
than a Dahcotah girl But he found a flower on the Prairies and he pluckd it
and brought it into his lodge He forgets that he is the master of a single
horse He gives them all to the stranger for Mahtoree is not a thief he will
only keep the flower he found on the Prairie Her feet are very tender She
cannot walk to the door of her father she will stay in the lodge of a valiant
warrior for ever«
When he had finished this extraordinary address the Teton awaited to have
it translated with the air of a suitor who entertained no very disheartening
doubts of his success The trapper had not lost a syllable of the speech and he
now prepared himself to render it into English in such a manner as should leave
its principal idea even more obscure than in the original But as his reluctant
lips were in the act of parting Ellen lifted a finger and with a keen glance
from her quick eye at the still attentive Inez she interrupted him
»Spare your breath« she said »all that a savage says is not to be repeated
before a Christian Lady«
Inez started blushed and bowed with an air of reserve as she coldly
thanked the old man for his intentions and observed that she could now wish to
be alone
»My daughters have no need of ears to understand what a great Dahcotah
says« returned the trapper addressing himself to the expectant Mahtoree »The
look he has given and the signs he has made are enough They understand him
They wish to think of his words for the children of great braves such as their
fathers are do nothing without much thought«
With this explanation so flattering to the energy of his eloquence and so
promising to his future hopes the Teton was every way content He made the
customary ejaculation of assent and prepared to retire Saluting the females in
the cold but dignified manner of his people he drew his robe about him and
moved from the spot where he had stood with an air of illconcealed triumph
But there had been a stricken though a motionless and unobserved auditor of
the foregoing scene Not a syllable had fallen from the lips of the long and
anxiously expected husband that had not gone directly to the heart of his
unoffending wife In this manner had he wooed her from the lodge of her father
and it was to listen to similar pictures of the renown and deeds of the greatest
brave in her tribe that she had shut her ears to the tender tales of so many of
the Sioux youths
As the Teton turned to leave his lodge in the manner just mentioned he
found this unexpected and halfforgotten object before him She stood in the
humble guise and with the shrinking air of an Indian girl holding the pledge of
their former love in her arms directly in his path Starting the chief
regained the marblelike indifference of countenance which distinguished in so
remarkable a degree the restrained or more artificial expression of his
features and signed to her with an air of authority to give place
»Is not Tachechana the daughter of a chief« demanded a subdued voice in
which pride struggled with anguish »were not her brothers braves«
»Go The men are calling their partisan He has no ears for a woman«
»No« replied the supplicant »it is not the voice of Tachechana that you
hear but this boy speaking with the tongue of his mother He is the son of a
chief and his words will go up to his fathers ears Listen to what he says
When was Mahtoree hungry and Tachechana had not food for him When did he go on
the path of the Pawnees and find it empty that my mother did not weep When did
he come back with the marks of their blows that she did not sing What Sioux
girl has given a brave a son like me Look at me well that you may know me My
eyes are the eagles I look at the sun and laugh In a little time the
Dahcotahs will follow me to the hunts and on the warpath Why does my father
turn his eyes from the woman that gives me milk Why has he so soon forgotten
the daughter of a mighty Sioux«
There was a single instant as the exulting father suffered his cold eye to
wander to the face of his laughing boy that the stern nature of the Teton
seemed touched But shaking off the grateful sentiment like one who would
gladly be rid of any painful because reproachful emotion he laid his hand
calmly on the arm of his wife and led her directly in front of Inez Pointing
to the sweet countenance that was beaming on her own with a look of tenderness
and commiseration he paused to allow his wife to contemplate a loveliness
which was quite as excellent to her ingenuous mind as it had proved dangerous
to the character of her faithless husband When he thought abundant time had
passed to make the contrast sufficiently striking he suddenly raised a small
mirror that dangled at her breast an ornament he had himself bestowed in an
hour of fondness as a compliment to her beauty and placed her own dark image
in its place Wrapping his robe again about him the Teton motioned to the
trapper to follow and stalked haughtily from the lodge muttering as he went
»Mahtoree is very wise What nation has so great a chief as the Dahcotahs«
Tachechana stood frozen into a statue of humility Her mild and usually
joyous countenance worked as if the struggle within was about to dissolve the
connexion between her soul and that more material part whose deformity was
becoming so loathsome Inez and Ellen were utterly ignorant of the nature of her
interview with her husband though the quick and sharpened wits of the latter
led her to suspect a truth to which the entire innocence of the former furnished
no clue They were both however about to tender those sympathies which are so
natural to and so graceful in the sex when their necessity seemed suddenly to
cease The convulsions in the features of the young Sioux disappeared and her
countenance became cold and rigid like chiselled stone A single expression of
subdued anguish which had made its impression on a brow that had rarely before
contracted with sorrow alone remained It was never removed in all the changes
of seasons fortunes and years which in the vicissitudes of a suffering female
savage life she was subsequently doomed to endure As in the case of a premature
blight let the plant quicken and revive as it may the effects of that
withering touch were always present
Tachechana first stripped her person of every vestige of those rude but
highly prized ornaments which the liberality of her husband had been wont to
lavish on her and she tendered them meekly and without a murmur as an
offering to the superiority of Inez The bracelets were forced from her wrists
the complicated mazes of beads from her leggings and the broad silver band from
her brow Then she paused long and painfully But it would seem that the
resolution she had once adopted was not to be conquered by the lingering
emotions of any affection however natural The boy himself was next laid at
the feet of her supposed rival and well might the self abased wife of the Teton
believe that the burthen of her sacrifice was now full
While Inez and Ellen stood regarding these several strange movements with
eyes of wonder a low soft musical voice was heard saying in a language that
to them was unintelligible
»A strange tongue will tell my boy the manner to become a man He will hear
sounds that are new but he will learn them and forget the voice of his mother
It is the will of the Wahcondah and a Sioux girl should not complain Speak to
him softly for his ears are very little When he is big your words may be
louder Let him not be a girl for very sad is the life of a woman Teach him to
keep his eyes on the men Show him how to strike them that do him wrong and let
him never forget to return blow for blow When he goes to hunt the flower of
the Pale faces« she concluded using in bitterness the metaphor which had been
supplied by the imagination of her truant husband »will whisper softly in his
ears that the skin of his mother was red and that she was once the Fawn of the
Dahcotahs«
Tachechana pressed a kiss on the lips of her son and withdrew to the
farther side of the lodge Here she drew her light calicoe robe over her head
and took her seat in token of humility on the naked earth All efforts to
attract her attention were fruitless She neither heard remonstrances nor felt
the touch Once or twice her voice rose in a sort of wailing song from beneath
her quivering mantle but it never mounted into the wildness of savage music In
this manner she remained unseen for hours while events were occurring without
the lodge which not only materially changed the complexion of her own fortunes
but left a lasting and deep impression on the future movements of the wandering
Sioux
Chapter XXVII
»Ill no swaggerers I am in good name and fame with the very best
Shut the door There come no swaggerers here I have not lived
all this while to have swaggering now shut the door I pray you«
2 Henry IV IIiv7578
Mahtoree encountered at the door of his lodge Ishmael Abiram and Esther The
first glance of his eye at the countenance of the heavymoulded squatter
served to tell the cunning Teton that the treacherous truce he had made with
these dupes of his superior sagacity was in some danger of a violent
termination
»Look you here old graybeard« said Ishmael seizing the trapper and
whirling him round as if he had been a top »that Im tired of carrying on a
discourse with fingers and thumbs instead of a tongue ar a natural fact so
youll play linguister and put my words into Indian without much caring
whether they suit the stomach of a redskin or not«
»Say on friend« calmly returned the trapper »They shall be given as
plainly as you send them«
»Friend« repeated the squatter eyeing the other for an instant with an
expression of indefinable meaning »But it is no more than a word and sounds
break no bones and survey no farms Tell this thieving Sioux then that I come
to claim the conditions of our solemn bargain made at the foot of the rock«
When the trapper had rendered his meaning into the Sioux language Mahtoree
demanded with an air of surprise
»Is my brother cold buffalo skins are plenty Is he hungry let my young
men carry venison into his lodges«
The squatter elevated his clenched fist in a menacing manner and struck it
with violence on the palm of his open hand by way of confirming his
determination as he answered
»Tell the deceitful liar I have not come like a beggar to pick his bones
but like a free man asking for his own and have it I will and moreover tell
him I claim that you too miserable sinner as you ar should be given up to
justice Theres no mistake My prisoner my niece and you I demand the three
at his hands according to a sworn agreement«
The immovable old man smiled with an expression of singular intelligence
as he answered
»Friend squatter you ask what few men would be willing to grant You would
first cut the tongue from the mouth of the Teton and then the heart from his
bosom«
»It is little that Ishmael Bush regards who or what is damaged in claiming
his own Put you the questions in straightgoing Indian and when you speak of
yourself make such a sign as a white man will understand in order that I may
know there is no foulplay«
The trapper laughed in his silent fashion and muttered a few words to
himself before he addressed the chief
»Let the Dahcotah open his ears very wide« he said »that big words may
have room to enter His friend the Bigknife comes with an empty hand and he
says that the Teton must fill it«
»Wagh Mahtoree is a rich chief He is master of the Prairies«
»He must give the darkhair«
The brow of the chief contracted in an ominous frown that threatened
instant destruction to the audacious squatter but as suddenly recollecting his
policy he craftily replied
»A girl is too light for the hand of such a brave I will fill it with
buffaloes«
»He says that he has need of the lighthair too who has his blood in her
veins«
»She shall be the wife of Mahtoree then the Longknife will be the Father
of a chief«
»And me« continued the trapper making one of those expressive signs by
which the natives communicate with nearly the same facility as with their
tongues and turning to the squatter at the same time in order that the latter
might see he dealt fairly by him »he asks for a miserable and worn out
trapper«
The Dahcotah threw his arm over the shoulder of the old man with an air of
great affection before he replied to this third and last demand
»My friend is old« he said »and cannot travel far He will stay with the
Tetons that they may learn wisdom from his words What Sioux has a tongue like
my Father No Let his words be very soft but let them be very clear Mahtoree
will give skins and buffaloes He will give the young men of the Palefaces
wives but he cannot give away any who live in his own lodge«
Perfectly satisfied himself with this laconick reply the chief was moving
towards his expecting counsellors when suddenly returning he interrupted the
translation of the trapper by adding
»Tell the Great Buffaloe« a name by which the Tetons had already
christened Ishmael »that Mahtoree has a hand which is always open See« he
added pointing to the hard and wrinkled visage of the attentive Esther »his
wife is too old for so great a chief Let him put her out of his lodge Mahtoree
loves him as a brother He is his brother He shall have the youngest wife of
the Teton Tachechana the pride of the Sioux girls shall cook his venison and
many braves will look at him with longing minds Go A Dahcotah is always
generous«
The singular coolness with which the Teton concluded this audacious proposal
confounded even the practised trapper He stared after the retiring form of the
Indian with an astonishment he did not care to conceal nor did he renew his
attempt at interpretation until the person of Mahtoree was blended with the
cluster of warriors who had so long and with so characteristic patience awaited
his return
»The Teton chief has spoken very plainly« the old man continued »He will
not give you the lady to whom the Lord in Heaven he knows you have no claim
unless it be such as the wolf has to the lamb He will not give you the child
you call your niece and therein I acknowledge that I am far from certain he
has the same justice on his side Moreover neighbour squatter he flatly denies
your demand for me miserable and worthless as I am nor do I think he has been
unwise in so doing seeing that I should have many reasons against journeying
far in your company But he makes you an offer which it is right and convenient
you should know The Teton says through me who am no more than a mouthpiece
and therein not answerable for the sin of his words but he says that as this
good woman is getting past the comely age it is reasonable for you to tire of
such a wife He therefore tells you to turn her out of your lodge and when it
is empty he will send his own favorite or rather she that was his favorite
the Skipping Fawn as the Siouxes call her to fill her place You see neighbor
though the redskin is minded to keep your property he is willing to give you
wherewithal to make yourself some return«
Ishmael listened to these replies to his several demands with that species
of gathering indignation with which the dullest tempers mount into the most
violent paroxysms of rage He even affected to laugh at the conceit of
exchanging his long tried partner for the more flexible support of the youthful
Tachechana though his voice was hollow and unnatural in the effort But Esther
was far from giving the proposal so facetious a reception Lifting her voice to
its most audible key she broke forth after catching her breath like one who
had been in some imminent danger of strangulation as follows
»Hoitytoity who set an Indian up for a maker and breaker of the rights of
wedded wives Does he think a woman is a beast of the Prairie that she is to be
chased from a village by dog and gun Let the bravest squaw of them all come
forth and boast of her doings can she show such a brood as mine A wicked
tyrant is that thieving redskin and a bold rogue I warrant me He would be
captain indoors as well as out A honest woman is no better in his eyes than
one of your broomstick jumpers And you Ishmael Bush the father of seven sons
and so many comely daughters to open your sinful mouth except to curse him
Would ye disgrace colour and family and nation by mixing white blood with
red and would ye be the parent of a race of mules The Devil has often tempted
you my man but never before has he set so cunning a snare as this Go back
among your children friend go and remember that you are not a prowling bear
but a Christian man and thank God that you ar a lawful husband«
The clamor of Esther was anticipated by the judicious trapper He had easily
foreseen that her meek temper would overflow at so scandalous a proposal as
repudiation and he now profited by the tempest to retire to a place where he
was at least safe from any immediate violence on the part of her less excited
but certainly more dangerous husband Ishmael who had made his demands with a
stout determination to enforce them was diverted by the wordy torrent like
many a more obstinate husband from his purpose and in order to appease a
jealousy that resembled the fury with which the bear defends her cubs was fain
to retire to a distance from the lodge that was known to contain the unoffending
object of the sudden uproar
»Let your coppercoloured minx come forth and show her tawney beauty before
the face of a woman who has heard more than one church bell and seen a power
of real quality« cried Esther flourishing her hand in triumph as she drove
Ishmael and Abiram before her like two truant boys towards their own
encampment »I warrant me I warrant me here is one who would shortly talk her
down Never think to tarry here my men never think to shut an eye in a camp
through which the devil walks as openly as if he were a gentleman and was sure
of his welcome Here you Abner Enoch Jesse where ar ye gotten to Put to
put to If that weakminded softfeeling man your father eats or drinks again
in this neighborhood we shall see him poisoned with the craft of the redskins
Not that I care I who comes into my place when it is once lawfully empty but
Ishmael I never thought that you who have had one woman with a white skin
would find pleasure in looking on a brazen ay that she is copper ar a fact
you cant deny and I warrant me brazen enough is she too«
Against this ebullition of wounded female pride the experienced husband made
no other head than by an occasional exclamation which he intended to be the
precursor of a simple asseveration of his own innocence The fury of the woman
would not be appeased She listened to nothing but her own voice and
consequently nothing was heard but her mandates to depart
The squatter had collected his beasts and loaded his wagons as a measure of
precaution before proceeding to the extremity he contemplated Esther
consequently found every thing favorable to her wishes The young men stared at
each other as they witnessed the extraordinary excitement of their mother but
took little interest in an event which in the course of their experience had
found so many parallels By command of their father the tents were thrown into
the vehicles as a sort of reprisal for the want of faith in their late ally
and then the train left the spot in its usual listless and sluggish order
As a formidable division of wellarmed borderers protected the rear of the
retiring party the Siouxes saw it depart without manifesting the smallest
evidence of surprise or resentment The savage like the tiger rarely makes
his attack on an enemy who expects him and if the warriors of the Tetons
meditated any hostility it was in the still and patient manner with which the
feline beasts watch for the incautious moment in order to ensure the blow The
Councils of Mahtoree however on whom so much of the policy of his people
depended lay deep in the depository of his own thoughts Perhaps he rejoiced at
so easy a manner of getting rid of claims so troublesome perhaps he awaited a
fitting time to exhibit his power or it even might be that matters of so much
greater importance were pressing on his mind that it had not leisure to devote
any of its faculties to an event of so much indifference
But it would seem that while Ishmael made such a concession to the awakened
feelings of Esther he was far from abandoning his original intentions His
train followed the course of the river for a mile and then it came to a halt
on the brow of the elevated land and in a place which afforded the necessary
facilities Here he again pitchd his tents unharnessed his teams sent his
cattle on the bottom and in short made all the customary preparations to pass
the night with the same coolness and deliberation as if he had not hurled an
irritating defiance into the teeth of his dangerous neighbors
In the mean time the Tetons proceeded to the more regular business of the
hour A fierce and savage joy had existed in the camp from the instant when it
had been announced that their own Chief was returning with the long dreaded and
hated Partizan of their enemies For many hours the crones of the tribe had been
going from lodge to lodge in order to stimulate the tempers of the warriors to
such a pass as might leave but little room for mercy To one they spoke of a
son whose scalp was drying in the smoke of a Pawnee lodge To another they
enumerated his own scars his disgraces and defeats With a third they dwelt on
his losses of skins and horses and a fourth was reminded of vengeance by a
significant question concerning some flagrant adventure in which he was known to
have been a sufferer
By these means the men had been so far excited as to have assembled in the
manner already related though it still remained a matter of doubt how far they
intended to carry their revenge A variety of opinions prevailed on the policy
of executing their prisoners and Mahtoree had suspended the discussions in
order to ascertain how far the measure might propitiate or retard his own
particular views Hitherto the consultations had merely been preliminary with
a design that each chief might discover the number of supporters his particular
views would be likely to obtain when the important subject should come before a
more solemn council of the tribe The moment for the latter had now arrived and
the preparations were made with a dignity and solemnity suited to the momentous
interests of the occasion
With a refinement in cruelty that none but an Indian would have imagined
the place selected for this grave deliberation was immediately about the post
to which the most important of its subjects was attached Middleton and Paul
were brought in their bonds and laid at the feet of the Pawnee and then the
men began to take their places according to their several claims to distinction
As warrior after warrior approached he seated himself in the wide circle with
a mien as composed and thoughtful as if his mind were actually in a condition to
deal out justice tempered as it should be with the heavenly quality of mercy
A place was reserved for three or four of the principal chiefs and a few of the
oldest of the women as withered as age exposure hardships and lives of
savage passions could make them thrust themselves into the foremost circle
with a temerity to which they were impelled by their insatiable desire for
cruelty and which nothing but their years and their long tried fidelity to the
nation would have excused
All but the chiefs already named were now in their places These had delayed
their appearance in the vain hope that their own unanimity might smooth the way
to that of their respective factions for notwithstanding the superior
influence of Mahtoree his power was to be maintained only by constant appeals
to the opinions of his inferiors As these important personages at length
entered the circle in a body their sullen looks and clouded brows
notwithstanding the time thus given to consultation sufficiently proclaimed the
discontent which reigned among them The eye of Mahtoree was varying in its
expression from sudden gleams that seemed to kindle with the burning impulses
of his soul to that cold and guarded steadiness which was thought more
peculiarly to become a chief in Council He took his seat with the studied
simplicity of a demagogue though the keen and flashing glance that he
immediately threw around the silent assembly betrayed the more predominant
temper of a tyrant
When all were present an aged warrior lighted the great pipe of his people
and blew the smoke towards the four quarters of the heavens So soon as this
propitiatory offering was made he tendered it to Mahtoree who in affected
humility passed it to a grayheaded chief by his side After the influence of
the soothing weed had been courted by all a grave silence succeeded as if each
was not only qualified to but actually did think more deeply on the matters
before them Then an old Indian arose and spoke as follows
»The eagle at the falls of the endless river was in its egg many snows
after my hand had struck a Pawnee What my tongue says my eyes have seen
Bohrecheena is very old The hills have stood longer in their places than he
has been in his tribe and the rivers were full and empty before he was born
but where is the Sioux that knows it besides himself What he says they will
hear If any of his words fall to the ground they will pick them up and hold
them to their ears If any blow away in the wind my young men who are very
nimble will catch them Now listen Since water ran and trees grew the Sioux
has found the Pawnee on his war path As the cougar loves the antelope the
Dahcotah loves his enemy When the wolf finds the fawn does he lie down and
sleep When the Panther sees the doe at the spring does he shut his eyes You
know that he does not He drinks too but it is of blood A Sioux is a leaping
panther a Pawnee a trembling deer Let my children hear me They will find my
words good I have spoken«
A deep guttural exclamation of assent broke from the lips of all the
partisans of Mahtoree as they listened to this sanguinary advice from one who
was certainly among the most aged men of the nation That deeply seated love of
vengeance which formed so prominent a feature in their character was gratified
by his metaphorical allusions and the chief himself augured favorably of the
success of his own schemes by the number of supporters who manifested
themselves to be in favor of the counsel of his friend But still unanimity was
far from prevailing A long and decorous pause was suffered to succeed the words
of the first speaker in order that all might duly deliberate on their wisdom
before another chief took on himself the office of refutation This second
orator though past the prime of his days was far less aged than the one who had
preceded him He felt the disadvantage of this circumstance and endeavored to
counteract it as far as possible by the excess of his humility
»I am but an infant« he commenced looking furtively around him in order
to detect how far his well established character for prudence and courage
contradicted his assertion »I have lived with the women since my father has
been a man If my head is getting gray it is not because I am old Some of the
snow which fell on it while I have been sleeping on the warpaths has frozen
there and the hot sun near the Osage villages has not been strong enough to
melt it« A low murmur was heard expressive of admiration of the services to
which he thus artfully alluded The orator modestly waited for the feeling to
subside a little and then he continued with increasing energy encouraged by
their commendations »But the eyes of a young brave are good He can see very
far He is a Lynx Look at me well I will turn my back that you may see both
sides of me Now do you know I am your friend for you look on a part that a
Pawnee never yet saw Now look at my face not in this seam for there your eyes
can never see into my spirit It is a hole cut by a Konza But here is an
opening made by the Wahcondah through which you may look into the soul What am
I a Dahcotah within and without You know it Therefore hear me The blood of
every creature on the Prairies is red Who can tell the spot where a Pawnee was
struck from the place where my young men took a bison It is of the same
colour The Master of Life made them for each other He made them alike But
will the grass grow green where a Paleface is killed My young men must not
think that Nation so numerous that it will not miss a warrior They call them
over often and say where are my sons If they miss one they will send into
the Prairies to look for him If they cannot find him they will tell their
runners to ask for him among the Siouxes My Brethren the Bigknives are not
fools There is a mighty medecine of their nation now among us Who can tell
how loud is his voice or how long is his arm «
The speech of the orator who was beginning to enter into his subject with
warmth was cut short by the impatient Mahtoree who suddenly arose and
exclaimed in a voice in which authority was mingled with contempt and at the
close with a keen tone of irony also
»Let my young men lead the Evil Spirit of the Pale faces to the Council My
brother shall see his Medecine face to face«
A deathlike and solemn stillness succeeded this extraordinary interruption
It not only involved a deep offence against the sacred courtesy of debate but
the mandate was likely to brave the unknown power of one of those
incomprehensible beings whom few Indians were enlightened enough at that day
to regard without reverence or few hardy enough to oppose The subordinates
however obeyed and Obed was led forth from a lodge mounted on Asinus with a
ceremony and state which was certainly intended for derision but which
nevertheless was greatly enhanced by fear As they entered the ring Mahtoree
who had foreseen and had endeavored to anticipate the influence of the Doctor by
bringing him into contempt cast an eye around the assembly in order to gather
his success in the various dark visages by which he was encircled
Truly nature and art had combined to produce such an effect from the air and
appointments of the naturalist as might have made him the subject of wonder in
any place His head had been industriously shaved after the most approved
fashion of Sioux taste A gallant scalplock which would probably not have been
spared had the Doctor himself been consulted in the matter was all that
remained of an exuberant and at that particular season of the year far from
uncomfortable head of hair Thick coats of paint had been laid on the naked
poll and certain fanciful designs in the same material had even been extended
into the neighborhood of the eyes and mouth lending to the keen expression of
the former, a look of twinkling cunning and to the dogmatism of the latter not
a little of the grimness of necromancy He had been despoiled of his upper
garments and in their stead his body was sufficiently protected from the cold
by a fantastickally painted robe of dressed deer skin As if in mockery of his
pursuit sundry toads frogs lizards butterflies etc all duly prepared to
take their places at some future day in his own private cabinet were attached
to the solitary lock on his head to his ears and to various other conspicuous
parts of his person If in addition to the effect produced by these quaint
auxiliaries to this costume we add the portentous and troubled gleamings of
doubt which rendered his visage doubly austere and proclaimed the misgivings of
the worthy Obeds mind as he beheld his personal dignity thus prostrated and
what was of far greater moment in his eyes himself led forth as he firmly
believed to be the victim of some heathenish sacrifice the reader will find no
difficulty in giving credit to the sensation of awe that was excited by his
appearance in a band already more than half prepared to worship him as a
powerful agent of the Evil Spirit
Weucha led Asinus directly into the centre of the circle and leaving them
together for the legs of the Naturalist were attached to the beast in such a
manner that the two animals might be said to be incorporated and to form a new
order he withdrew to his proper place gazing at the conjuror as he retired
with a wonder and admiration that were natural to the grovelling dulness of his
mind
The astonishment seemed mutual between the spectators and the subject of
this strange exhibition If the Tetons contemplated the mysterious attributes of
the Medecine with awe and fear the Doctor gazed on every side of him with a
mixture of quite as many extraordinary emotions in which the latter sensation
however formed no inconsiderable ingredient Every where his eyes which just
at that moment possessed a secret magnifying quality seemed to rest on several
dark savage and obdurate countenances at once from none of which could he
extract a solitary gleam of sympathy or commiseration At length his wandering
gaze fell on the grave and decent features of the trapper who with Hector at
his feet stood in the edge of the circle leaning on that rifle which he had
been permitted as an acknowledged friend to resume and apparently musing on
the events that were likely to succeed a Council marked by so many and such
striking ceremonies
»Venerable venator or hunter or trapper« said the disconsolate Obed »I
rejoice greatly in meeting thee again I fear that the precious time which had
been allotted me in order to complete a mighty labor is drawing to a premature
close and I would gladly unburthen my mind to one who if not a pupil of
science, has at least some of the knowledge which civilization imparts to its
meanest subjects Doubtless many and earnest enquiries will be made after my
fate by the learned societies of the world and perhaps expeditions will be
sent into these regions to remove any doubts which may arise on so important a
subject I esteem myself happy that a man who speaks the vernacular is present,
to preserve the record of my end You will say that after a well spent and
glorious life I died a martyr to science and a victim to mental darkness As I
expect to be particularly calm and abstracted in my last moments if you add a
few details concerning the fortitude and scholastic dignity with which I met my
death it may serve to encourage future aspirants for similar honour and
assuredly give offence to no one And now friend trapper as a duty I owe to
human nature I will conclude by demanding if all hope has deserted me or if
any means still exist by which so much valuable information may be rescued from
the grasp of ignorance and preserved to the pages of Natural History«
The old man lent an attentive ear to this melancholy appeal and
apparently he reflected on every side of the important question before he
would presume to answer
»I take it friend physicianer« he at length gravely replied »that the
chances of life and death in your particular case depend altogether on the
will of Providence as it may be pleased to manifest it through the accursed
windings of Indian cunning For my own part I see no great difference in the
main end to be gained inasmuch, as it can matter no one greatly yourself
excepted whether you live or die«
»Would you account the fall of a corner stone from the foundations of the
edifice of learning a matter of indifference to contemporaries or to
posterity« interrupted Obed »Besides my aged associate« he reproachfully
added »the interest that a man has in his own existence, is by no means
trifling however it may be eclipsed by his devotion to more general and
philanthropic feelings«
»What I would say is this« resumed the trapper who was far from
understanding all the subtle distinctions with which his more learned companion
so often saw fit to embellish his discourse »There is but one birth and one
death to all things be it hound or be it deer be it redskin or be it
white Both are in the hands of the Lord it being as unlawful for man to strive
to hasten the one as impossible to prevent the other But I will not say that
something may not be done to put the last moment aside for a while at least
and therefore it is a question that any one has a right to put to his own
wisdom how far he will go and how much pain he will suffer to lengthen out a
time that may have been too long already Many a dreary winter and scorching
summer has gone by since I have turned to the right hand or to the left to
add an hour to a life that has already stretched beyond fourscore years I keep
myself as ready to answer to my name as a soldier at evening rollcall In my
judgment if your cases are left to Indian tempers the policy of the Great
Sioux will lead his people to sacrifice you all nor do I put much dependance
on his seeming love for me therefore it becomes a question whether you are
ready for such a journey and if being ready whether this is not as good a
time to start as another Should my opinion be asked thus far will I give it in
your favor that is to say it is my belief your life has been innocent enough
touching any great offences that you may have committed though honesty compels
me to add that I think all you can lay claim to on the score of activity in
deeds will not amount to any thing worth naming in the great account«
Obed turned a rueful eye on the calm philosophic countenance of the other
as he answered with so discouraging a statement of his case clearing his throat
as he did so in order to conceal the desperate concern which began to beset his
faculties with a vestige of that pride which rarely deserts poor human nature
even in the greatest emergencies
»I believe venerable hunter« he replied »considering the question in all
its bearings and assuming that your theory is just it will be the safest to
conclude that I am not prepared to make so hasty a departure and that measures
of precaution should be forthwith resorted to«
»Being in that mind« returned the deliberate trapper »I will act for you
as I would for myself though as time has begun to roll down the hill with you
I will just advise that you look to your case speedily for it may so happen
that your name will be heard when quite as little prepared to answer to it as
now«
With this amicable understanding the old man drew back again into the
ring where he stood musing on the course he should now adopt with the singular
mixture of decision and resignation that proceeded from his habits and his
humility and which united to form a character in which excessive energy and the
most meek submission to the will of Providence were oddly enough combined
Chapter XXVIII
»The witch in Smithfield shall be burned to ashes
And you three shall be strangled on the gallows«
2 Henry VI IIiii 78
The Siouxes had awaited the issue of the foregoing dialogue with commendable
patience Most of the band were restrained by the secret awe with which they
regarded the mysterious character of Obed while a few of the more intelligent
chiefs gladly profited by the opportunity to arrange their thoughts for the
struggle that was plainly foreseen Mahtoree influenced by neither of these
feelings was content to show the trapper how much he conceded to his pleasure
and when the old man discontinued the discourse he received from the chief a
glance that was intended to remind him of the patience with which he had
awaited his movements A profound and motionless silence succeeded the short
interruption Then Mahtoree arose evidently prepared to speak First placing
himself in an attitude of dignity he turned a steady and severe look on the
whole assembly The expression of his eye however changed as it glanced across
the different countenances of his supporters and of his opponents To the former
the look though stern was not threatening while it seemed to tell the latter
all the hazards they incurred in daring to brave the resentment of one so
powerful
Still in the midst of so much hauteur and confidence the sagacity and
cunning of the Teton did not desert him When he had thrown the gauntlett as it
were to the whole tribe and sufficiently asserted his claim to superiority
his mien became more affable and his eye less angry Then it was that he raised
his voice in the midst of a deathlike stillness varying its tones to suit the
changing character of his images and of his eloquence
»What is a Sioux« the chief sagaciously began »He is Ruler of the
Prairies and Master of its beasts The fishes in the river of troubled waters
know him and come at his call He is a fox in Council an eagle in sight a
grizzly bear in combat A Dahcotah is a man« After waiting for the low murmur
of approbation which followed this flattering portrait of his people to subside
the Teton continued »What is a Pawnee A thief who only steals from women a
redskin who is not brave a hunter that begs for his venison In Council he
is a squirrel hopping from place to place he is an owl that only goes on the
Prairies at night in battle he is an elk whose legs are long A Pawnee is a
woman« Another pause succeeded during which a yell of delight broke from
several mouths and a demand was made that the taunting words should be
translated by the trapper to the unconscious subject of their biting contempt
The old man took his cue from the eye of Mahtoree and complied HardHeart
listened gravely and then as if apprised that his time to speak had not
arrived he once more bent his look on the vacant air The orator watched his
countenance with an expression that manifested how inextinguishable was the
hatred he felt for the only chief far and near whose fame might
advantageously be compared with his own Though disappointed in not having
touched the pride of one whom he regarded as a boy he proceeded to what he
considered as far more important to quicken the tempers of the men of his own
tribe in order that they might be prepared to work his savage purposes »If the
earth was covered with rats which are good for nothing« he said »there would
be no room for buffaloes which give food and clothes to an Indian If the
Prairies were covered with Pawnees there would be no room for the foot of a
Dahcotah A Loup is a rat a Sioux a heavy buffaloe Let the buffaloes tread
upon the rats and make room for themselves
My Brothers a little child has spoken to you He tells you his hair is not
gray but frozen That the grass will not grow where a pale face has died Does
he know the colour of the blood of a Bigknife No I know he does not he has
never seen it What Dahcotah besides Mahtoree has ever struck a Pale face Not
one But Mahtoree must be silent Every Teton will shut his ears when he speaks
The scalps over his lodge were taken by the women They were taken by Mahtoree
and he is a woman His mouth is shut he waits for the feasts to sing among the
girls«
Notwithstanding the exclamations of regret and resentment which followed so
abasing a declaration the chief took his seat as if determined to speak no
more But the murmurs grew louder and more general, and there were threatening
symptoms that the Council would dissolve itself in confusion and he arose and
resumed his speech by changing his manner to the fierce and hurried enunciation
of a warrior bent on revenge
»Let my young men go look for Tetao« he cried »they will find his scalp
drying in Pawnee smoke Where is the son of Borecheena His bones are whiter
than the faces of his murderers Is Mahhah asleep in his lodge You know it is
many moons since he started for the blessed Prairies Would he were here that he
might say of what color was the hand that took his scalp«
In this strain the artful chief continued for many minutes calling those
warriors by name who were known to have met their deaths in battle with the
Pawnees or in some of those lawless frays which so often occurred between the
Sioux bands and a class of white men who were but little removed from them in
the qualities of civilization Time was not given to reflect on the merits or
rather the demerits of most of the different individuals to whom he alluded in
consequence of the rapid manner in which he ran over their names but so
cunningly did he time his events and so thrillingly did he make his appeals
aided as they were by the power of his deeptoned and stirring voice that each
of them struck an answering chord in the breast of some one of his auditors
It was in the midst of one of his highest flights of eloquence that a man
so aged as to walk with the greatest difficulty entered the very centre of the
circle and took his stand directly in front of the speaker An ear of great
acuteness might possibly have detected that the tones of the orator faltered a
little as his flashing look first fell on this unexpected object though the
change was so trifling that none but such as thoroughly knew the parties would
have suspected it The stranger had once been as distinguished for his beauty
and proportions as had been his eagle eye for its irresistible and terrible
glance But his skin was now wrinkled and his features furrowed with so many
scars as to have obtained for him half a century before from the French of
the Canadas a title which has been borne by so many of the heroes of France and
which had now been adopted into the language of the wild horde of whom we are
writing as the one most expressive of the deeds of their own brave The murmur
of Le Balafré that ran through the assembly when he appeared announced not
only his name and the high estimation of his character but how extraordinary his
visit was considered. As he neither spoke nor moved however the sensation
created by his appearance soon subsided and then every eye was again turned
upon the speaker and every ear once more drunk in the intoxication of his
maddening appeals
It would have been easy to have traced the triumph of Mahtoree in the
reflecting countenances of his auditors It was not long before a look of
ferocity and of revenge was to be seen seated on the grim visages of most of the
warriors and each new and crafty allusion to the policy of extinguishing their
enemies was followed by fresh and less restrained bursts of approbation In the
height of this success the Teton closed his speech by a rapid appeal to the
pride and hardihood of his native band and suddenly took his seat
In the midst of the murmurs of applause which succeeded so remarkable an
effort of eloquence a low feeble and hollow voice was heard rising in the
tumult as if it rolled from the inmost cavities of the human chest and
gathered strength and energy as it issued into the air A solemn stillness
followed the sounds and then the lips of the aged man were first seen to move
»The day of Le Balafré is near its end« were the first words which were
distinctly audible »He is like a buffaloe on whom the hair will grow no longer
He will soon be ready to leave his lodge to go in search of another that is
far from the villages of the Siouxes Therefore what he has to say concerns not
him but those he leaves behind him His words are like the fruit on the tree
ripe and fit to be given to chiefs«
»Many snows have fallen since Le Balafré has been found on the war path His
blood has been very hot but it has had time to cool The Wahcondah gives him
dreams of war no longer he sees that it is better to live in peace«
»My Brothers one foot is turned to the Happy hunting grounds the other
will soon follow and then an old chief will be seen looking for the prints of
his Fathers moccasins that he may make no mistake but be sure to come before
the Master of Life by the same path as so many good Indians have already
travelled But who will follow Le Balafré has no son His oldest has ridden too
many Pawnee horses the bones of the youngest have been gnawed by Konza dogs
Le Balafré has come to look for a young arm on which he may lean and to find a
son that when he is gone his lodge may not be empty Tachechana the skipping
fawn of the Tetons is too weak to prop a warrior who is old She looks before
her and not backwards Her mind is in the lodge of her husband«
The enunciation of the veteran warrior had been calm but distinct and
decided His declaration was received in silence and though several of the
chiefs who were in the councils of Mahtoree turned their eyes on their leader
none presumed to oppose so aged and so venerated a brave in a resolution that
was strictly in conformity to the usages of the Nation The Teton himself was
content to await the result with seeming composure though the gleams of
ferocity that played about his eye occasionally betrayed the nature of those
feelings with which he witnessed a procedure that was likely to rob him of that
one of all his intended victims whom he most hated
In the mean time Le Balafré moved with a slow and painful step towards the
captives He stopped before the person of HardHeart whose faultless form
unchanging eye and lofty mien he contemplated long with high and evident
satisfaction Then making a gesture of authority he awaited until his order had
been obeyed and the youth was released from the post and his bonds by the same
blow of the knife When the young warrior was led nearer to his dimmed and
failing sight the examination was renewed with strictness of scrutiny and that
admiration which physical excellence is so apt to excite in the breast of a
savage
»It is good« the wary veteran murmured when he found that all his skill in
the requisites of a brave could detect no blemish »this is a leaping panther
Does my son speak with the tongue of a Teton«
The intelligence which lighted the eyes of the captive betrayed how well he
understood the question but still he was far too haughty to communicate his
ideas through the medium of a language that belonged to a hostile people Some
of the surrounding warriors explained to the old chief that the captive was a
PawneeLoup
»My son opened his eyes on the waters of the wolves« said Le Balafré in the
language of that nation »but he will shut them in the bend of the river with a
troubled stream He was born a Pawnee but he will die a Dahcotah Look at me I
am a sycamore that once covered many with my shadow The leaves are fallen and
the branches begin to drop But a single succor is springing from my roots It
is a little vine and it winds itself about a tree that is green I have long
lookd for one fit to grow by my side Now have I found him Le Balafré is no
longer without a son his name will not be forgotten when he is gone Men of the
Tetons I take this youth into my lodge«
No one was bold enough to dispute a right that had so often been exercised
by warriors far inferior to the present speaker and the adoption was listened
to in grave and respectful silence Le Balafré took his intended son by the
arm and leading him into the very centre of the circle he stepped aside with
an air of triumph in order that the spectators might approve of his choice
Mahtoree betrayed no evidence of his intentions but rather seemed to await a
moment better suited to the crafty policy of his character The more experienced
and sagacious chiefs distinctly foresaw the utter impossibility of two partisans
so renowned so hostile and who had so long been rivals in fame as their
prisoner and their native leader existing amicably in the same tribe Still the
character of Le Balafré was so imposing and the custom to which he had resorted
so sacred that none dared to lift a voice in opposition to the measure They
watched the result with increasing interest but with a coldness of demeanor
that concealed the nature of their inquietude From this state of embarrassment
and as it might readily have proved of disorganisation the tribe was
unexpectedly relieved by the decision of the one most interested in the success
of the aged chiefs design
During the whole of the foregoing scene it would have been difficult to
have traced a single distinct emotion in the lineaments of the captive He had
heard his release proclaimed with the same indifference as the order to bind him
to the stake But now that the moment had arrived when it became necessary to
make his election he spoke in a way to prove that the fortitude which had
bought for him so distinguished a name had in no degree deserted him
»My father is very old but he has not yet lookd upon every thing« said
HardHeart in a voice so clear as to be heard by all in presence »He has never
seen a buffaloe change to a bat He will never see a Pawnee become a Sioux«
There was a suddenness and yet a calmness in the manner of delivering this
decision which assured most of the auditors that it was unalterable The heart
of Le Balafré however was yearning towards the youth and the fondness of age
was not so readily repulsed Reproving the burst of admiration and triumph to
which the boldness of the declaration and the freshened hopes of revenge had
given rise by turning his gleaming eye around the band the veteran again
addressed his adopted child as if his purpose was not to be denied
»It is well« he said »Such are the words a brave should use that the
warriors may see his heart The day has been when the voice of Le Balafré was
loudest amongst the lodges of the Konzas But the root of a white hair is
wisdom My child will show the Tetons that he is brave by striking their
enemies Men of the Dahcotahs this is my son«
The Pawnee hesitated a moment and then stepping in front of the chief he
took his hard and wrinkled hand and laid it with reverence on his head as if
to acknowledge the extent of his obligation Then recoiling a step he raised
his person to its greatest elevation and looked upon the hostile band by whom
he was environed with an air of loftiness and disdain as he spoke aloud in the
language of the Siouxes
»HardHeart has lookd at himself within and without He has thought of all
that he has done in the hunts and in the wars Every where he is the same
There is no change He is in all things a Pawnee He has struck so many Tetons
that he could never eat in their lodges His arrows would fly backwards the
point of his lance would be on the wrong end their friends would weep at every
whoop he gave their enemies would laugh Do the Tetons know a Loup Let them
look at him again His head is painted his arm is flesh his heart is rock
When the Tetons see the sun come from the Rocky Mountains and move toward the
land of the palefaces the mind of HardHeart will soften and his spirit will
become Sioux Until that day he will live and die a Pawnee«
A yell of delight in which admiration and ferocity were strangely mingled
interrupted the speaker and but too clearly announced the character of his
fate The captive awaited a moment for the commotion to subside and then
turning again to Le Balafré he continued in tones conciliating and kind as if
he felt the propriety of softening his refusal in a manner not to wound the
pride of one who would so gladly be his benefactor
»Let my father lean heavier on the fawn of the Dahcotahs« he said »She is
weak now but as her lodge fills with young she will be stronger See« he
added directing the eyes of the other to the earnest countenance of the
attentive trapper »HardHeart is not without a grayhead to show him the path
to the blessed Prairies If he ever has another father it shall be that just
warrior«
Le Balafré turned away in disappointment from the youth and approached the
stranger who had thus anticipated his design The examination between these two
aged men was long mutual and curious It was not easy to detect the real
character of the trapper through the mask which the hardships of so many years
had laid upon his features especially when aided by his wild and peculiar
attire Some moments elapsed before the Teton spoke and then it was in doubt
whether he addressed one like himself or some wanderer of that race who he had
heard were spreading themselves like hungry locusts throughout the land
»The head of my brother is very white« he said »but the eye of Le Balafré
is no longer like the eagles Of what colour is his skin«
»The Wahcondah made me like these you see waiting for a Dahcotah judgement
but fair and foul have coloured me darker than the skin of a fox What of that
Though the bark is ragged and riven the heart of the tree is sound«
»My brother is a BigKnife Let him turn his face toward the setting sun
and open his eyes Does he see the salt Lake beyond the mountains«
»The time has been Teton when few could see the white on the eagles head
farther than I but the glare of fourscore and seven winters has dimmed my eyes
and but little can I boast of sight in my latter days Does the Sioux think a
pale face is a God that he can look through hills«
»Then let my brother look at me I am nigh him and he can see that I am a
foolish redman Why cannot his people see every thing since they crave all«
»I understand you chief nor will I gainsay the justice of your words
seeing that they are too much founded in truth But though born of the race you
love so little my worst enemy not even a lying Mingo would dare to say that
I ever laid hands on the goods of another except such as were taken in manful
warfare or that I ever coveted more ground than the Lord has intended each man
to fill«
»And yet my brother has come among the redskins to find a son«
The trapper laid a finger on the naked shoulder of Le Balafré and looked
into his scarred countenance with a wistful and confidential expression as he
answered
»Ay but it was only that I might do good to the boy If you think
Dahcotah that I adopted the youth in order to prop my age you do as much
injustice to my good will as you seem to know little of the merciless
intentions of your own people I have made him my son that he may know that one
is left behind him Peace Hector peace Is this decent pup when grayheads
are counselling together to break in upon their discourse with the whinings of
a hound The dog is old Teton and though well taught in respect of behavior
he is getting like ourselves I fancy something forgetful of the fashions of
his youth«
Further discourse between these veterans was interrupted by a discordant
yell which burst at that moment from the lips of the dozen withered crones
who have already been mentioned as having forced themselves into a conspicuous
part of the circle The outcry was excited by a sudden change in the air of
HardHeart When the old men turned towards the youth they saw him standing in
the very centre of the ring with his head erect his eye fixed on vacancy one
leg advanced and an arm a little raised as if all his faculties were absorbed
in the act of listening A smile lighted his countenance for a single moment
and then the whole man sunk again into his former look of dignity and
coldness suddenly recalled to selfpossession The movement had been construed
into contempt and even the tempers of the chiefs began to be excited Unable to
restrain their fury the women broke into the circle in a body and commenced
their attack by loading the captive with the most bitter revilings They boasted
of the various exploits which their sons had achieved at the expense of the
different tribes of the Pawnees They undervalued his own reputation and told
him to look at Mahtoree if he had never yet seen a warrior They accused him of
having been suckled by a doe and of having drunk in cowardice with his mothers
milk In short they lavished upon their unmoved captive a torrent of that
vindictive abuse in which the women of the savages are so well known to excel
but which has been too often described to need a repetition here
The effect of this outbreaking was inevitable Le Balafré turned away
disappointed and hid himself in the crowd while the trapper whose honest
features were working with his emotions pressed nigher to his young friend as
those who are linked to the criminal by ties so strong as to brave the opinions
of men are often seen to stand about the place of execution to support his
dying moments The excitement soon spread among the inferior warriors though
the chiefs still forbore to make the signal which committed the victim to their
mercy Mahtoree who had awaited such a movement among his fellows with the
wary design of concealing his own jealous hatred soon grew weary of delay and
by a glance of his eye encouraged the tormentors to proceed
Weucha who eager for this sanction had long stood watching the countenance
of the chief bounded forward at the signal like a blood hound loosened from
the leash Forcing his way into the centre of the hags who were already
proceeding from abuse to violence he reproved their impatience and bade them
wait until a warrior had begun to torment and then they should see their
victim shed tears like a woman
The heartless savage commenced his efforts by flourishing his tomahawk
about the head of the captive in such a manner as to give reason to suppose
each blow would bury the weapon in the flesh while it was so governed as not
to touch the skin To this customary expedient HardHeart was perfectly
insensible His eye kept the same steady riveted look on air though the
glittering ax described in its evolutions a bright circle of light before his
countenance Frustrated in this attempt the callous Sioux laid the cold edge
on the naked head of his victim and began to describe the different manners in
which a prisoner might be flayed The women kept time to his cruelties with
their taunts and endeavored to force some expression of the longings of nature
from the insensible features of the Pawnee But he evidently reserved himself
for the chiefs and for those moments of extreme anguish when the loftiness of
his spirit might evince itself in a manner better becoming his high and
untarnished reputation
The eyes of the trapper followed every movement of the tomahawk with the
interest of a real father until at length unable to command his indignation
he exclaimed in the native language of his friend
»My son has forgotten his cunning This is a lowminded Indian and one
easily hurried into folly I cannot do the thing myself for my traditions
forbid a dying warrior to revile his persecutors but the gifts of a redskin
are different Let the Pawnee say the bitter words and purchase an easy death
I will answer for his success provided he speaks before the grave men set their
wisdom to back the folly of this fool«
The savage Sioux who heard his words without comprehending their meaning
turned to the speaker and menaced him with death for his temerity
»Ay work your will« said the unflinching old man »I am as ready now as I
shall be tomorrow Though it would be a death that an honest man might not wish
to die Look at that noble Pawnee Teton and see what a redskin may become
who fears the Master of Life and follows his laws How many of your people has
he sent to the distant Prairies« he continued in a sort of pious fraud
thinking that while the danger menaced himself there could surely be no sin in
extolling the merits of another »how many howling Siouxes has he struck like a
warrior in open combat while arrows were sailing in the air plentier than
flakes of falling snow Go Will Weucha speak the name of one enemy he has ever
struck«
»HardHeart« shouted the Sioux turning in his fury and aiming a deadly
blow at the head of his victim His arm fell into the hollow of the captives
hand For a single moment the two stood as if entranced in that attitude the
one paralyzed by so unexpected a resistance and the other bending his head not
to meet his death but in the act of the most intense attention The women
screamed with triumph for they thought the nerves of the captive had at length
failed him The trapper trembled for the honor of his friend and Hector as if
conscious of what was passing raised his nose into the air and uttered a
piteous howl
But the Pawnee hesitated only for that moment Raising the other hand like
lightning the tomahawk flashed in the air and Weucha sunk to his feet brained
to its eye Then cutting a way with the bloody weapon he darted through the
opening left by the frightened women and seemed to descend the declivity at a
single bound
Had a bolt from heaven fallen in the midst of the Teton band it would not
have occasioned greater consternation than this act of desperate hardihood A
shrill plaintive cry burst from the lips of all the women and there was a
moment that even the oldest warriors appeared to have lost their faculties This
stupor endured only for the instant It was succeeded by a yell of revenge that
burst from a hundred throats while as many warriors started forward at the cry
bent on the most bloody retribution But a powerful and authoritative call from
Mahtoree arrested every foot The chief in whose countenance disappointment and
rage were struggling with the affected composure of his station extended an arm
towards the river and the whole mystery was explained
HardHeart had already crossd half the bottom which lay between the
acclivity and the water At this precise moment a band of armed and mounted
Pawnees turned a swell and galloped to the margin of the stream into which
the plunge of the fugitive was distinctly heard A few minutes sufficed for his
vigorous arm to conquer the passage and then the shout from the opposite
shore told the humbled Tetons the whole extent of the triumph of their
adversaries
Chapter XXIX
»If that shepherd be not in handfast let him fly
The curses he shall have the tortures he shall feel
Will break the back of man the heart of monster«
The Winters Tale IViv76870
It will readily be seen that the event just related was attended by an
extraordinary sensation among the Siouxes In leading the hunters of the band
back to the encampment their chief had neglected none of the customary
precautions of Indian prudence in order that his trail might escape the eyes of
his enemies It would seem however that the Pawnees had not only made the
dangerous discovery but had managed with great art to draw nigh the place by
the only side on which it was thought unnecessary to guard the approaches with
the usual line of sentinels The latter who were scattered along the different
little eminences which lay in the rear of the lodges were among the last to be
apprised of the danger
In such a crisis there was little time for deliberation It was by
exhibiting the force of his character in scenes of similar difficulty that
Mahtoree had obtained and strengthened his ascendancy among his people nor did
he seem likely to lose it by the manifestation of any indecision on the present
occasion In the midst of the screams of the young the shrieks of the women
and the wild howlings of the crones which were sufficient of themselves to have
created a chaos in the thoughts of one less accustomed to act in emergencies he
promptly asserted his authority issuing his orders with the coolness of a
veteran
While the warriors were arming the boys were dispatched to the bottom for
the horses The tents were hastily struck by the women and disposed of on such
of the beasts as were not deemed fit to be trusted in combat The infants were
cast upon the backs of their mothers and those children who were of a size to
march were driven to the rear like a herd of less reasoning animals Though
these several movements were made amid outcries and a clamor that likened the
place to another Babel they were executed with incredible alacrity and
intelligence
In the mean time Mahtoree neglected no duty that belonged to his
responsible station From the elevation on which he stood he could command a
perfect view of the force and evolutions of the hostile party A grim smile
lighted his visage when he found that in point of numbers his own band was
greatly the superior Notwithstanding this advantage however there were other
points of inequality which would probably have a tendency to render his success
in the approaching conflict exceedingly doubtful His people were the
inhabitants of a more northern and less hospitable region than their enemies
and were far from being rich in that species of property horses and arms which
constitutes the most highly prized wealth of a western Indian The band in view
was mounted to a man and as it had come so far to rescue or to revenge their
greatest partisan he had no reason to doubt its being composed entirely of
braves On the other hand many of his followers were far better in a hunt than
in a combat men who might serve to divert the attention of his foes but from
whom he could expect little desperate service Still his flashing eye glanced
over a body of warriors on whom he had often relied and who had never deceived
him and though in the precise position in which he found himself he felt no
disposition to precipitate the conflict he certainly would have had no
intention to avoid it had not the presence of his women and children placed the
option altogether in the power of his adversaries
On the other hand the Pawnees so unexpectedly successful in their first
and greatest object manifested no intention to drive matters to an issue The
river was a dangerous barrier to pass in the face of a determined foe and it
would now have been in perfect accordance with their cautious policy to have
retired for a season in order that their onset might be made in the hours of
darkness and of seeming security But there was a spirit in their chief that
elevated him for the moment above the ordinary expedients of savage warfare
His bosom burned with the desire to wipe out that disgrace of which he had been
the subject and it is possible that he believed the retiring camp of the
Siouxes contained a prize that begun to have a value in his eyes far exceeding
any that could be found in fifty Teton scalps Let that be as it might
HardHeart had no sooner received the brief congratulations of his band and
communicated to the chiefs such facts as were important to be known than he
prepared himself to act such a part in the coming conflict as would at once
maintain his well earned reputation and gratify his secret wishes A led horse
one that had been long trained in the hunts had been brought to receive his
master with but little hope however that his services would ever be needed
again in this life With a delicacy and consideration that proved how much the
generous qualities of the youth had touched the feelings of his people a bow a
lance and a quiver were thrown across the animal which it had been intended
to immolate on the grave of the young brave a species of care that would have
superseded the necessity for the pious duty that the trapper had pledged himself
to perform
Though HardHeart was sensible of the kindness of his warriors and believed
that a chief furnished with such appointments might depart with credit for the
distant hunting grounds of the Master of Life he seemed equally disposed to
think that they might be rendered quite as useful in the actual state of
things His countenance lighted with stern pleasure as he tried the elasticity
of the bow and poised the well balanced spear The glance he bestowed on the
shield was more cursory and indifferent but the exultation with which he threw
himself on the back of his favored warhorse was so great as to break through
the forms of Indian reserve He rode to and fro among his scarcely less
delighted warriors managing the animal with a grace and address that no
artificial rules can ever supply at times flourishing his lance as if to
assure himself of his seat and at others examining critically into the
condition of the fusee with which he had also been furnished with the fondness
of one who was miraculously restored to the possession of treasures that
constituted his pride and his happiness
At this particular moment Mahtoree having completed the necessary
arrangements prepared to make a more decisive movement The Teton had found no
little embarrassment in disposing of his captives The tents of the squatter
were still in sight and his wary cunning did not fail to apprise him that it
was quite as necessary to guard against an attack from that quarter as to watch
the motions of his more open and more active foes His first impulse had been to
make the tomahawk suffice for the men and to trust the females under the same
protection as the women of his band but the manner in which so many of his
braves continued to regard the imaginary Medecine of the Longknives forewarned
him of the danger of so hazardous an experiment on the eve of a battle It might
be deemed the omen of defeat In this dilemma he motioned to a superannuated
warrior to whom he had confided the charge of the noncombatants and leading
him apart he placed a finger significantly on his shoulder as he said in a
tone in which authority was tempered by confidence
»When my young men are striking the Pawnees give the women knives Enough
my father is very old he does not want to hear wisdom from a boy«
The grim old savage returned a look of ferocious assent and then the mind
of the chief appeared to be at rest on this important subject From that moment
he bestowed all his care on the achievement of his revenge and the maintenance
of his martial character Throwing himself on his horse he made a sign with the
air of a Prince to his followers to imitate his example interrupting without
ceremony the war songs and solemn rites by which many among them were
stimulating their spirits to deeds of daring When all were in order the whole
moved with great steadiness and silence towards the margin of the river
The hostile bands were now separated by the water The width of the stream
was too great to admit of the use of the ordinary Indian missiles but a few
useless shots were exchanged from the fusees of the chiefs more in bravado
than with any expectation of doing execution As some time was suffered to
elapse in demonstrations and abortive efforts we shall leave them for that
period to return to such of our characters as remained in the hands of the
savages
We have shed much ink in vain and wasted quires that might possibly have
been better employed if it be necessary now to tell the reader that few of
the foregoing movements escaped the observation of the experienced trapper He
had been in common with rest astonished at the sudden act of HardHeart and
there was a single moment when a feeling of regret and mortification got the
better of his longings to save the life of the youth The simple and
wellintentioned old man would have felt at witnessing any failure of firmness
on the part of a warrior who had so strongly excited his sympathies the same
species of sorrow that a christian parent would suffer in hanging over the dying
moments of an impious child But when instead of an impotent and unmanly
struggle for existence he found that his friend had forborne with the customary
and dignified submission of an Indian warrior until an opportunity had offered
to escape and that he had then manifested the spirit and decision of the most
gifted brave his gratification became nearly too powerful to be concealed In
the midst of the wailing and commotion which succeeded the death of Weucha and
the escape of the captive he placed himself nigh the persons of his white
associates with a determination of interfering at every hazard should the fury
of the savages take that direction The appearance of the hostile band spared
him however so desperate and probably so fruitless an effort and left him to
pursue his observations and to mature his plans more at leisure
He particularly remarked that while by far the greater part of the women
and all the children together with the effects of the party were hurried to
the rear probably with an order to secrete themselves in some of the adjacent
woods the tent of Mahtoree himself was left standing and its contents
undisturbed Two chosen horses however stood near by held by a couple of
youths who were too young to go into the conflict and yet of an age to
understand the management of the beasts The trapper perceived in this
arrangement the reluctance of Mahtoree to trust his newly found flowers beyond
the reach of his eye and at the same time his forethought in providing against
a reverse of fortune Neither had the manner of the Teton in giving his
commission to the old savage nor the fierce pleasure with which the latter had
received the bloody charge escaped his observation From all these mysterious
movements the old man was aware that a crisis was at hand and he summoned the
utmost knowledge he had acquired in so long a life to aid him in the desperate
conjecture While musing on the means to be employed the Doctor again
attracted his attention to himself by a piteous appeal for assistance
»Venerable trapper or as I may now say liberator« commenced the dolorous
Obed »It would seem that a fitting time has at length arrived to dissever the
unnatural and altogether irregular connexion which exists between my inferior
members and the body of Asinus Perhaps if such a portion of my limbs were
released as might leave me master of the remainder and this favorable
opportunity were suitably improved by making a forced march towards the
settlements all hopes of preserving the treasures of knowledge of which I am
the unworthy receptacle would not be lost The importance of the results is
surely worth the hazard of the experiment«
»I know not I know not« returned the deliberate old man »The vermin and
reptiles which you bear about you were intended by the Lord of the Prairies
and I see no good in sending them into regions that may not suit their naturs
And moreover you may be of great and particular use as you now sit on the Ass
though it creates no wonder in my mind to perceive that you are ignorant of
it seeing that usefulness is altogether a new calling to so bookish a man«
»Of what service can I be in this painful thraldom in which the animal
functions are in a manner suspended and the spiritual or intellectual blinded
by the secret sympathy that unites mind to matter There is likely to be blood
spilt between yonder adverse hosts of heathens and though but little desiring
the office it would be better that I should employ myself in surgical
experiments than in thus wasting the precious moments mortifying both soul and
body«
»It is little that a redskin would care to have a physicianer at his hurts
while the whoop is ringing in his ears Patience is a virtue in an Indian and
can be no shame to a Christian whiteman Look at these hags of squaws friend
Doctor I have no judgement in savage tempers if they are not bloodyminded and
ready to work their accursed pleasures on us all Now so long as you keep upon
the ass and maintain the fierce look which is far from being your natural gift
fear of so great a Medicine may serve to keep down their courage I am placed
here like a general at the opening of the battle and it has become my duty to
make such use of all my forces as in my judgement each is best fitted to
perform If I know these niceties you will be more serviceable for your
countenance just now than in any more stirring exploits«
»Harkee old trapper« shouted Paul whose patience could no longer maintain
itself under the calculating and prolix explanations of the other »suppose you
cut two things I can name short off That is to say your conversation which
is agreeable enough over a well baked buffaloe hump and these damnable thongs
of hide which according to my experience can be pleasant no where A single
stroke of your knife would be of more service just now than the longest speech
that was ever made in a Kentucky CourtHouse«
»Ay CourtHouses are the happy hunting grounds as a redskin would say for
them that are born with gifts no better than such as lie in the tongue I was
carried into one of the lawless holes myself once and it was all about a thing
of no more value than the skin of a deer The Lord forgive them the Lord
forgive them they knew no better and they did according to their weak
judgements and therefore the more are they to be pitied And yet it was a
solemn sight to see an aged man who had always lived in the air laid neck and
heels by the law and held up as a spectacle for the women and boys of a
wasteful settlement to point their fingers at«
»If such be your opinions of confinement honest friend you had better
manifest the same by putting us at liberty with as little delay as possible«
said Middleton who like his companion began to find the tardiness of his
oftentried companion quite as extraordinary as it was disagreeable
»I should greatly like to do the same especially in your behalf Captain
who being a soldier might find not only pleasure but profit in examining more
at your ease into the circumventions and cunning of an Indian fight As to our
friend here it is of but little matter how much of this affair he examines or
how little seeing that a bee is not to be overcome in the same manner as an
Indian«
»Old man this trifling with our misery is inconsiderate to give it a name
no harsher «
»Ay your granther was of a hot and hurrying mind and one must not expect
that the young of a Panther will crawl the arth like the litter of a porcupine
Now keep you both silent and what I say shall have the appearance of being
spoken concerning the movements that are going on in the bottom all of which
will serve to put jealousy to sleep and to shut the eyes of such as rarely
close them on wickedness and cruelty In the first place then you must know
that I have reason to think yonder treacherous Teton has left an order to put
us all to death so soon as he thinks the deed may be done secretly and without
tumult«
»Great Heaven will you suffer us to be butchered like unresisting sheep«
»Hist Captain hist a hot temper is none of the best when cunning is
more needed than blows Ah the Pawnee is a noble boy it would do your heart
good to see how he draws off from the river in order to invite his enemies to
cross and yet according to my failing sight they count two warriors to his
one But as I was saying little good comes of haste and thoughtlessness The
facts are so plain that any child may see into their wisdom The savages are of
many minds as to the manner of our treatment Some fear us for our colour and
would gladly let us go and other some would show us the mercy that the doe
receives from the hungry wolf When opposition gets fairly into the Councils of
a tribe it is rare that humanity is the gainer Now see you these wrinkled and
cruel minded squaws no you cannot see them as you lie but nevertheless they
are here ready and willing like so many raging shebears to work their will
upon us so soon as the proper time shall come«
»Harkee old gentleman trapper« interrupted Paul with a little bitterness
in his manner »Do you tell us these matters for our amusement or for your own
If for ours you may keep your breath for the next race you run as I am tickled
nearly to suffocation already with my part of the fun«
»Hist « said the trapper cutting with great dexterity and rapidity the
thong which bound one of the arms of Paul to his body and dropping his knife at
the same time within reach of the liberated hand »Hist boy hist That was a
lucky moment the yell from the bottom drew the eyes of these bloodsuckers in
another quarter and so far we are safe Now make a proper use of your
advantages but be careful that what you do is done without being seen«
»Thank you for this small favor old deliberation« muttered the beehunter
»though it comes like a snow in May somewhat out of season«
»Foolish boy« reproachfully exclaimed the other who had moved to a little
distance from his friends and appeared to be attentively regarding the
movements of the hostile parties »will you never learn to know the wisdom of
patience And you too Captain though a man myself that seldom ruffles his
temper by vain feelings I see that you are silent because you scorn to ask
favors any longer from one you think too slow to grant them No doubt ye are
both young and filled with the pride of your strength and manhood and I dare
say you thought it only needful to cut the thongs to leave you masters of the
ground But he that has seen much is apt to think much Had I run like a
bustling woman to have given you freedom these hags of the Siouxes would have
seen the same and then where would you both have found yourselves Under the
tomahawk and the knife like helpless and outcrying children though gifted with
the size and beards of men Ask our friend the beehunter in what condition he
finds himself to struggle with a Teton boy after so many hours of bondage much
less with a dozen marciless and bloodthirsty squaws«
»Truly old trapper« returned Paul stretching his limbs which were by this
time entirely released and endeavoring to restore the suspended circulation
»you have some judgematical notions in these matters Now here am I Paul
Hover a man who will give in to few at wrestle or race nearly as helpless as
the day I paid my first visit to the house of old Paul who is dead and gone
the Lord forgive him any little blunders he may have made while he tarried in
Kentucky Now there is my foot on the ground so far as eyesight has any
virtue and yet it would take no great temptation to make me swear it didnt
touch the earth by six inches I say honest friend since you have done so much
have the goodness to keep these damnable squaws of whom you say so many
interesting things at a little distance till I have got the blood of this arm
in motion and am ready to receive them«
The trapper made a sign that he perfectly understood the case as he walked
towards the superannuated savage who began to manifest an intention of
commencing his assigned task leaving the beehunter to recover the use of his
limbs as well as he could and to put Middleton in a similar situation to defend
himself
Mahtoree had not mistaken his man in selecting the one he did to execute
his bloody purpose He had chosen one of those ruthless savages more or less of
whom are to be found in every tribe who had purchased a certain share of
military reputation by the exhibition of a hardihood that found its impulses in
an innate love of cruelty Contrary to the high and chivalrous sentiment which
among the Indians of the Prairies renders it a deed of even greater merit to
bear off the trophy of victory from a fallen foe than to slay him he had been
remarkable for preferring the pleasure of destroying life to the glory of
striking the dead While the more selfdevoted and ambitious braves were intent
on personal honor he had always been seen established behind some favorable
cover depriving the wounded of hope by finishing that which a more gallant
warrior had begun In all the cruelties of the tribe he had ever been foremost
and no Sioux was so uniformly found on the side of merciless councils
He had awaited with an impatience which his long practised restraint could
with difficulty subdue for the moment to arrive when he might proceed to
execute the wishes of the Great Chief without whose approbation and powerful
protection he would not have dared to undertake a step that had so many
opposers in the nation But events had been hastening to an issue between the
hostile parties and the time had now arrived greatly to his secret and
malignant joy when he was free to act his will
The trapper found him distributing knives to the ferocious hags who
received the presents chanting a low monotonous song that recalled the losses
of their people in various conflicts with the whites and which extolled the
pleasures and glory of revenge The appearance of such a groupe was enough of
itself to have deterred one less accustomed to such sights than the old man
from trusting himself within the circle of their wild and repulsive rites
Each of the crones as she received the weapon commenced a slow and
measured but ungainly step around the savage until the whole were circling
him in a sort of magic dance Their movements were timed in some degree by the
words of their songs as were their gestures by the ideas. When they spoke of
their own losses they tossed their long straight locks of gray into the air or
suffered them to fall in confusion upon their withered necks but as the
sweetness of returning blow for blow was touched upon by any among them it was
answered by a common howl as well as by gestures that were sufficiently
expressive of the manner in which they were exciting themselves to the
necessary state of fury
Into the very centre of this ring of seeming demons the trapper now
stalked with the same calmness and observation as he would have walked into a
village church No other change was made by his appearance than a renewal of
the threatening gestures with if possible a still less equivocal display of
their remorseless intentions Making a sign for them to cease the old man
demanded
»Why do the mothers of the Tetons sing with bitter tongues The Pawnee
prisoners are not yet in their village their young men have not come back
loaded with scalps«
He was answered by a general howl and a few of the boldest of the furies
even ventured to approach him flourishing their knives within a dangerous
proximity of his own steady eyeballs
»It is a warrior you see and no runner of the Longknives whose face grows
paler at the sight of a tomahawk« returned the trapper without moving a
muscle »Let the Sioux women think If one whiteskin dies a hundred spring up
where he falls«
Still the hags made no other answer than by increasing their speed in the
circle and occasionally raising the threatening expressions of their chaunt
into louder and more intelligible strains Suddenly one of the oldest and the
most ferocious of them all broke out of the ring and skirred away in the
direction of her victims like a rapacious bird that having wheeled on poised
wings for the time necessary to insure its object, makes the final dart upon
its prey The others followed a disorderly and screaming flock fearful of
being too late to reap their portion of the sanguinary pleasure
»Mighty Medicine of my people« shouted the old man in the Teton tongue
»lift your voice and speak that the Sioux nation may hear«
Whether Asinus had acquired so much knowledge by his recent experience as
to know the value of his sonorous properties or the strange spectacle of a
dozen hags flitting past him filling the air with such sounds as were even
grating to the ears of an ass most moved his temper it is certain that the
animal did that which Obed was requested to do and probably with far greater
effect than if the naturalist had strove with his mightiest effort to be
heard It was the first time that the strange beast had spoken since his
arrival in the encampment Admonished by so terrible a warning the hags
scattered themselves like vultures frightened from their prey still screaming
and but halfdiverted from their purpose
In the mean time the sudden appearance and the imminency of the danger
quickened the blood in the veins of Paul and Middleton more than all their
laborious frictions and physical expedients The former had actually risen to
his feet and assumed an attitude which perhaps threatened more than the worthy
beehunter was able to perform and even the latter had mounted to his knees
and showed a disposition to do good service for his life The unaccountable
release of the captives from their bonds was attributed by the hags to the
incantations of the Medecine and the mistake was probably of as much service as
the miraculous and timely interposition of Asinus in their favor
»Now is the time to come out of our ambushment« exclaimed the old man
hastening to join his friends »and to make open and manful war It would have
been policy to have kept back the struggle until the Captain was in better
condition to join but as we have unmasked our battery why we must maintain the
ground«
He was interrupted by feeling a gigantic hand on his shoulder Turning under
a sort of confused impression that necromancy was actually abroad in the place
he found that he was in the hands of a sorcerer no less dangerous and powerful
than Ishmael Bush The file of the squatters wellarmed sons that was seen
issuing from behind the still standing tent of Mahtoree explained at once not
only the manner in which their rear had been turned while their attention had
been so earnestly bestowed on matters in front but the utter impossibility of
resistance
Neither Ishmael nor his sons deemed it necessary to enter into prolix
explanations Middleton and Paul were bound again with extraordinary silence
and dispatch and this time not even the aged trapper was exempt from a similar
fortune The tent was struck the females placed upon the horses and the whole
were on the way towards the squatters encampment with a celerity that might
well have served to keep alive the idea of magic
During this summary and brief disposition of things the disappointed Agent
of Mahtoree and his callous associates were seen flying across the plain in the
direction of the retiring families and when Ishmael left the spot with his
prisoners and his booty the ground which had so lately been alive with the
bustle and life of an extensive Indian encampment was as still and empty as any
other spot in those extensive wastes
Chapter XXX
»Is this proceeding just and honorable«
2 Henry IV IVii110
During the occurrence of these events on the upland plain the warriors on the
bottom had not been idle We left the adverse bands watching one another on the
opposite banks of the stream each endeavoring to excite its enemy to some act
of indiscretion by the most reproachful taunts and revilings But the Pawnee
chief was not slow to discover that his crafty antagonist had no objection to
waste the time in so idle and as they mutually proved so useless expedients
He changed his plans accordingly and withdrew from the bank as has been
already explained through the mouth of the trapper in order to invite the more
numerous host of the Siouxes to cross The challenge was not accepted and the
Loups were compelled to frame some other method to attain their end
Instead of any longer throwing away the precious moments in fruitless
endeavors to induce his foe to cross the stream the young Partisan of the
Pawnees led his troop at a swift gallop along its margin in quest of some
favorable spot where by a sudden push he might throw his own band without
loss to the opposite shore The instant his object was discovered each
mounted Teton received a footman behind him and Mahtoree was still enabled to
concentrate his whole force against the effort Perceiving that his design was
anticipated and unwilling to blow his horses by a race that would disqualify
them for service even after they had succeeded in outstripping the more heavily
burthened cattle of the Sioux HardHeart drew up and came to a dead halt on
the very margin of the watercourse
As the country was too open for any of the usual devices of savage warfare
and time was so pressing the chivalrous Pawnee resolved to bring on the result
by one of those acts of personal daring for which the Indian braves are so
remarkable and by which they often purchase their highest and dearest renown
The spot he had selected was favorable to such a project The river which
throughout most of its course was deep and rapid had expanded there to more
than twice its customary width and the rippling of its waters proved that it
flowed over a shallow bottom In the centre of the current there was an
extensive and naked bed of sand but a little raised above the level of the
stream and of a colour and consistency that told a practised eye that it
afforded a firm and safe foundation for the foot To this spot the partisan now
turned his wistful gaze nor was he long in making his decision First speaking
to his warriors and apprising them of his intentions he dashed into the
current and partly by swimming and more by the use of his horses feet he
reached the island in safety
The experience of HardHeart had not deceived him When his snorting steed
issued from the water he found himself on a quivering but damp and compact bed
of sand that was admirably adapted to the exhibition of the finest powers of
the animal The horse seemed conscious of the advantage and bore his warlike
rider with an elasticity of step and a loftiness of air that would have done
no discredit to the highest trained and most generous charger The blood of the
chief himself quickened with the excitement of his situation He sat the
beast as if conscious that the eyes of two tribes were on his movements and as
nothing could be more acceptable and grateful to his own band than this display
of native grace and courage so nothing could be more taunting and humiliating
to their enemies
The sudden appearance of the Pawnee on the sands was announced among the
Tetons by a general yell of savage anger A rush was made to the shore
followed by a discharge of fifty arrows and a few fusees and on the part of
several braves there was a plain manifestation of a desire to plunge into the
water in order to punish the temerity of their insolent foe But a call and a
mandate from Mahtoree checked the rising and nearly ungovernable temper of his
band So far from allowing a single foot to be wet or a repetition of the
fruitless efforts of his people to drive away their foe with missiles the whole
of the party was commanded to retire from the shore while he himself
communicated his intentions to one or two of his most favored followers
When the Pawnees observed the rush of their enemies twenty warriors rode
into the stream but so soon as they perceived that the Tetons had withdrawn
they fell back to a man leaving their young chief to the support of his own
oftentried skill and well established courage The instructions of HardHeart
on quitting his band had been worthy of the self-devotion and daring of his
character So long as single warriors came against him he was to be left to the
keeping of the Wahcondah and his own arm but should the Siouxes attack him in
numbers he was to be sustained man for man even to the extent of his whole
force These generous orders were strictly obeyed and though so many hearts in
the troop panted to share in the glory and danger of their partisan not a
warrior was found among them all who did not know how to conceal his impatience
under the usual mask of Indian selfrestraint They watched the issue with quick
and jealous eyes nor did a single exclamation of surprise escape them when
they saw as will soon be apparent that the experiment of their chief was as
likely to conduce to peace as to war
Mahtoree was not long in communicating his plans to his confidants whom he
as quickly dismissed to join their fellows in the rear The Teton entered a
short distance into the stream and halted Here he raised his hand several
times with the palm outwards and made several of those other signs which are
construed into a pledge of amicable intentions among the inhabitants of those
regions Then as if to confirm the sincerity of his faith he cast his fusee to
the shore and entered deeper into the water where he again came to a stand in
order to see in what manner the Pawnee would receive his pledges of peace
The crafty Sioux had not made his calculations on the noble and honest
nature of his more youthful rival in vain HardHeart had continued galloping
across the sands during the discharge of missiles and the appearance of a
general onset with the same proud and confident mien as that with which he had
first braved the danger When he saw the well known person of the Teton partisan
enter the river he waved his hand in triumph and flourishing his lance he
raised the thrilling warcry of his people as a challenge for him to come on
But when he saw the signs of a truce though deeply practised in the treachery
of savage combats he disdained to show a less manly reliance on himself than
that which his enemy had seen fit to exhibit Riding to the farthest extremity
of the sands he cast his own fusee from him and returned to the point whence
he had started
The two chiefs were now armed alike Each had his spear his bow his
quiver his little battle axe and his knife and each had also a shield of
hides which might serve as a means of a defense against a surprise from any of
these weapons The Sioux no longer hesitated but advanced deeper into the
stream and soon landed on a point of the island which his courteous adversary
had left free for that purpose Had one been there to watch the countenance of
Mahtoree as he crossed the water that separated him from the most formidable
and the most hated of all his rivals he might have fancied that he could trace
the gleamings of a secret joy breaking through the cloud which deep cunning and
heartless treachery had drawn before his swarthy visage and yet there would
have been moments when he might have believed that the flashings of the
Tetons eye and the expansion of his nostrils had their origin in a nobler
sentiment and one more worthy of an Indian chief
The Pawnee awaited the time of his enemy with calmness and dignity The
Teton made a short turn or two to curb the impatience of his steed and to
recover his seat after the effort of crossing and then he rode into the centre
of the place and invited the other by a courteous gesture to approach
HardHeart drew nigh until he found himself at a distance equally suited to
advance or to retreat and in his turn he came to a stand keeping his glowing
eye riveted on that of his enemy A long and grave pause succeeded this
movement during which these two distinguished braves who were now for the
first time confronted with arms in their hands sat regarding each other like
warriors who know how to value the merits of a gallant foe however hated But
the mien of Mahtoree was far less stern and warlike than that of the partisan of
the Loups Throwing his shield over his shoulder as if to invite the confidence
of the other he made a gesture of salutation and was the first to speak
»Let the Pawnees go upon the hills« he said »and look from the morning to
the evening sun from the country of snows to the land of many flowers and they
will see that the earth is very large Why cannot the red men find room on it
for all their villages«
»Has the Teton ever known a warrior of the Loups come to his towns to beg a
place for his lodge« returned the young brave with a look in which pride and
contempt were not attempted to be concealed »When the Pawnees hunt do they
send runners to ask Mahtoree if there are no Siouxes on the Prairies«
»When there is hunger in the lodge of a warrior he looks for the buffaloe
which is given him for food« the Teton continued struggling to keep down the
ire excited by the others scorn »The Wahcondah has made more of them than he
has made Indians He has not said this buffaloe shall be for a Pawnee and that
for a Dahcotah this beaver for a Konza and that for an Omawhaw No he said
there are enough I love my red children and I have given them great riches
The swiftest horse shall not go from the village of the Tetons to the village of
the Loups in many suns It is far from the towns of the Pawnees to the river of
the Osages There is room for all that I love Why then should a redman
strike his brother«
HardHeart dropped one end of his lance to the earth and having also cast
his shield across his shoulder he sat leaning lightly on the weapon as he
answered with a smile of no doubtful expression
»Are the Tetons weary of the hunts and of the warpath do they wish to
cook the venison and not to kill it Do they intend to let the hair cover their
heads that their enemies shall not know where to find their scalps Go a
Pawnee warrior will never come among such Sioux squaws for a wife«
A frightful gleam of ferocity broke out of the restraint of the Dahcotahs
countenance as he listened to this biting insult but he was quick in subduing
the telltale feeling in an expression much better suited to his present
purpose
»This is the way a young chief should talk of war« he answered with
singular composure »But Mahtoree has seen the misery of more winters than his
brother When the nights have been long and darkness has been in his lodge
while the young men slept he has thought of the hardships of his people He has
said to himself Teton count the scalps in your smoke They are all red but
two Does the wolf destroy the wolf or the rattler strike his brother You know
they do not therefore Teton are you wrong to go on a warpath that leads to
the village of a redskin with a tomahawk in your hand«
»The Sioux would rob the warrior of his fame He would say to his young men
go dig roots in the Prairies and find holes to bury your tomahawks in you are
no longer braves«
»If the tongue of Mahtoree ever says thus« returned the crafty chief with
an appearance of strong indignation »let his women cut it out and burn it with
the offals of the buffaloe No« he added advancing a few feet nigher to the
immovable HardHeart as if in the sincerity of confidence »the redman can
never want an enemy They are plentier than the leaves on the trees the birds
in the heavens or the buffaloes on the Prairies Let my brother open his eyes
wide does he no where see an enemy he would strike«
»How long is it since the Teton counted the scalps of his warriors that were
drying in the smoke of a Pawnee lodge The hand that took them is here and
ready to make eighteen twenty«
»Now let not the mind of my brother go on a crooked path If a redskin
strikes a redskin forever who will be masters of the Prairies when no
warriors are left to say they are mine Hear the voices of the old men They
tell us that in their days many Indians have come out of the woods under the
rising sun and that they have filled the Prairies with their complaints of the
robberies of the Longknives Where a Paleface comes a redman cannot stay The
land is too small They are always hungry See they are here already«
As the Teton spoke he pointed towards the tents of Ishmael which were in
plain sight and then he paused to await the effect of his words on the mind of
his ingenuous foe HardHeart listened like one in whom a train of novel ideas
had been excited by the reasoning of the other He mused for a minute before he
demanded
»What do the wise chiefs of the Sioux say must be done«
»They think that the moccasin of every pale face should be followed like
the track of the bear That the Longknife who comes upon the Prairie should
never go back That the path shall be open to those who come and shut to those
who go Yonder are many They have horses and guns They are rich but we are
poor Will the Pawnees meet the Tetons in Council and when the sun is gone
behind the Rocky Mountains they will say this is for a Loup and this for a
Sioux«
»Teton No HardHeart has never struck the stranger They come into his
lodge and eat and they go out in safety A mighty chief is their friend When
my people call the young men to go on the warpath the moccasin of HardHeart
is the last But his village is no sooner hid by the trees than it is the
first No Teton His arm will never be lifted against the stranger«
»Fool then die with empty hands« Mahtoree exclaimed setting an arrow to
his bow and sending it with a sudden and deadly aim full at the naked bosom of
his generous and confiding enemy
The action of the treacherous Teton was too quick and too well matured to
admit of any of the ordinary means of defense on the part of the Pawnee His
shield was hanging at his shoulder and even the arrow had been suffered to fall
from its place and lay in the hollow of that hand which grasped his bow But
the quick eye of the brave had time to see the movement and his ready thoughts
did not desert him Pulling hard and with a jerk upon the rein his steed reared
his forward legs into the air and as the rider bent his body low the horse
served for a shield against the danger So true however was the aim and so
powerful the force by which it was sent that the arrow entered the neck of the
animal and broke the skin on the opposite side
Quicker than thought HardHeart sent back an answering arrow The shield of
the Teton was transfixed but his person was untouched For a few moments the
twang of the bow and the glancing of arrows were incessant notwithstanding the
combatants were compelled to give so large a portion of their care to the means
of defense The quivers were soon exhausted and though blood had been drawn it
was not in sufficient quantities to impair the energy of the combat
A series of masterly and rapid evolutions with the horses now commenced The
wheelings the charges the advances and the circuitous retreats were like the
flights of circling swallows Blows were struck with the lance the sand was
scattered in the air and the shocks often seemed to be unavoidably fatal but
still each party kept his seat and still each rein was managed with a steady
hand At length the Teton was driven to the necessity of throwing himself from
his horse in order to escape a thrust that would otherwise have proved fatal
The Pawnee passed his lance through the beast uttering a shout of triumph as he
galloped by Turning in his tracks he was about to push the advantage when his
own mettled steed staggered and fell under a burthen that he could no longer
sustain Mahtoree answered his premature cry of victory and rushed upon the
entangled youth with knife and tomahawk The utmost agility of HardHeart had
not sufficed to extricate himself in season from the fallen beast He saw that
his case was desperate Feeling for his knife he took the blade between a
finger and thumb and cast it with admirable coolness at his advancing foe The
keen weapon whirled a few times in the air and its point meeting the naked
breast of the impetuous Sioux the blade was buried to the buckhorn haft
Mahtoree laid his hand on the weapon and seemed to hesitate whether to
withdraw it or not For a moment his countenance darkened with the most
inextinguishable hatred and ferocity and then as if inwardly admonished how
little time he had to lose he staggered to the edge of the sands and halted
with his feet in the water The cunning and duplicity which had so long obscured
the brighter and nobler traits of his character were lost in the never dying
sentiment of pride which he had imbibed in the days of his youth and of his
comparative innocence
»Boy of the Loups« he said with a smile of grim satisfaction »the scalp
of a mighty Dahcotah shall never dry in Pawnee smoke«
Drawing the knife from the wound he hurled it towards his enemy in
disdain Then shaking his arm at his successful foe his swarthy countenance
appearing to struggle with volumes of scorn and hatred that he could not utter
with the tongue he cast himself headlong into one of the most rapid veins of
the current his hand still waving in triumph above the fluid even after his
body had sunk into the tide forever HardHeart was by this time free The
silence which had hitherto reigned in the bands was broken by general and
tumultuous shouts Fifty of the adverse warriors were already in the river
hastening to destroy or to defend the conqueror and the combat was rather on
the eve of its commencement than near its termination But to all these signs of
danger and need the young victor was insensible He sprang for the knife and
bounded with the foot of an antelope along the sands looking for the receding
fluid which concealed his prize A dark bloody spot indicated the place and
armed with the knife he plunged into the stream resolute to die in the flood
or to return with his trophy
In the mean time the sands became a scene of bloodshed and violence Better
mounted and perhaps more ardent the Pawnees had however reached the spot in
sufficient numbers to force their enemies to retire The victors pushed their
success to the opposite shore and gained solid ground in the mélée of the
fight Here they were met by all the unmounted Tetons and in their turn they
were forced to give way
The combat now became more characteristic and circumspect As the hot
impulses which had driven both parties to mingle in so deadly a struggle began
to cool the chiefs were enabled to exercise their influence and to temper the
assaults with prudence In consequence of the admonitions of their leaders the
Siouxes sought such covers as the grass afforded or here and there some bush or
slight inequality of the ground and the charges of the Pawnee warriors
necessarily became more wary and of course less fatal
In this manner the contest continued with a varied success and without much
loss The Siouxes had succeeded in forcing themselves into a thick growth of
rank grass where the horses of their enemies could not enter or where when
entered they were worse than useless It became necessary to dislodge the Tetons
from this cover or the objects of the combat must be abandoned Several
desperate efforts had been repulsed and the disheartened Pawnees were beginning
to think of a retreat when the well known warcry of HardHeart was heard at
hand and at the next instant the chief appeared in their centre flourishing the
scalp of the Great Sioux as a banner that would lead to victory
He was greeted by a shout of delight and followed into the cover with an
impetuosity that for the moment drove all before it But the bloody trophy in
the hand of the partisan served as an incentive to the attacked as well as to
the assailants Mahtoree had left many a daring brave behind him in his band
and the orator who in the debates of that day had manifested such pacific
thoughts now exhibited the most generous selfdevotion in order to wrest the
memorial of a man he had never loved from the hands of the avowed enemies of
his people
The result was in favor of numbers After a severe struggle in which the
finest displays of personal intrepidity were exhibited by all the chiefs the
Pawnees were compelled to retire upon the open bottom closely pressed by the
Siouxes who failed not to seize each foot of ground ceded by their enemies Had
the Tetons stayed their efforts on the margin of the grass it is probable that
the honor of the day would have been theirs notwithstanding the irretrievable
loss they had sustained in the death of Mahtoree But the more reckless braves
of the band were guilty of an indiscretion that entirely changed the fortunes
of the fight and suddenly stripped them of their hard earned advantages
A Pawnee chief had sunk under the numerous wounds he had received and he
fell a target for a dozen arrows in the very last groupe of his retiring party
Regardless alike of inflicting further injury on their foes and of the
temerity of the act the Sioux braves bounded forward with a whoop each man
burning with the wish to reap the high renown of striking the body of the dead
They were met by HardHeart and a chosen knot of warriors all of whom were just
as stoutly bent on saving the honor of their nation from so foul a stain The
struggle was hand to hand and blood began to flow more freely As the Pawnees
retired with the body the Siouxes pressed upon their footsteps and at length
the whole of the latter broke out of the cover with a common yell and
threatened to bear down all opposition by sheer physical superiority
The fate of HardHeart and his companions all of whom would have died
rather than relinquish their object would have been quickly sealed but for a
powerful and unlooked for interposition in their favor A shout was heard from a
little brake on the left A volley from the fatal western rifle immediately
succeeded Some five or six Siouxes leaped forward in the death agony and every
arm among them was as suddenly suspended as if the lightning had flashed from
the clouds to aid the cause of the Loups Then came Ishmael and his stout sons
in open view bearing down upon their late treacherous allies with looks and
voices that proclaimed the character of the succour
The shock was too much for the fortitude of the Tetons Several of their
bravest chiefs had already fallen and those that remained were instantly
abandoned by the whole of the inferior herd A few of the most desperate braves
still lingered nigh the fatal symbol of their honor and there nobly met their
deaths under the blows of the reencouraged Pawnees A second discharge from
the rifles of the squatter and his party completed the victory
The Siouxes were now to be seen flying to more distant covers with the same
eagerness and desperation as a few moments before they had been plunging into
the fight The triumphant Pawnees bounded forward in chase like so many
highblooded and well trained hounds On every side were heard the cries of
victory or the yells of revenge A few of the fugitives endeavored to bear away
the bodies of their fallen warriors but the hot pursuit quickly compelled them
to abandon the slain in order to preserve the living Among all the struggles
which were made on that occasion to guard the honor of the Siouxes from the
stain which their peculiar opinions attached to the possession of the scalp of a
fallen brave but one solitary instance of success occurred
The opposition of a particular chief to the hostile proceedings in the
Councils of that morning has been already seen But after having raised his
voice in vain in support of peace his arm was not backward in doing its duty
in the war His prowess has been mentioned and it was chiefly by his courage
and example that the Tetons sustained themselves in the heroic manner they did
when the death of Mahtoree was known This warrior who in the figurative
language of his people was called the Swooping Eagle had been the last to
abandon the hopes of victory When he found that the support of the dreaded
rifle had robbed his band of their hard earned advantages he sullenly retired
amid a shower of missiles to the secret spot where he had hid his horse in the
mazes of the highest grass Here he found a new and an entirely unexpected
competitor ready to dispute with him for the possession of the beast It was
Borecheena the aged friend of Mahtoree he whose voice had been given in
opposition to his own wiser opinions transfixed with an arrow and evidently
suffering under the pangs of approaching death
»I have been on my last warpath« said the grim old warrior when he found
that the real owner of the animal had come to claim his property »shall a
Pawnee carry the white hairs of a Sioux into his village to be a scorn to his
women and children«
The other grasped his hand answering to the appeal with the stern look of
inflexible resolution With this silent pledge he assisted the wounded man to
mount So soon as he had led the horse to the margin of the cover he threw
himself also on its back and securing his companion to his belt he issued on
the open plain trusting entirely to the well known speed of the beast for
their mutual safety The Pawnees were not long in catching a view of these new
objects and several turned their steeds to pursue The race continued for a
mile without a murmur from the sufferer though in addition to the agony of his
body he had the pain of seeing his enemies approach at every leap of their
horses
»Stop« he said raising a feeble arm to check the speed of his companion
»The eagle of my tribe must spread his wings wider Let him carry the white
hairs of an old warrior into the burntwood village«
Few words were necessary between men who were governed by the same feelings
of glory and who were so well trained in the principles of their romantic
honor The Swooping Eagle threw himself from the back of the horse and
assisted the other to alight The old man raised his tottering frame to its
knees and first casting a glance upward at the countenance of his countryman
as if to bid him adieu he stretched out his neck to the blow he himself
invited A few strokes of the tomahawk with a circling gash from the knife
sufficed to sever the head from the less valued trunk The Teton mounted again
just in season to escape a flight of arrows which came from his eager and
disappointed pursuers Flourishing the grim and bloody visage he darted away
from the spot with a shout of triumph and was seen scouring the plains as if
he were actually borne along on the wings of the powerful bird from whose
qualities he had received his flattering name The Swooping Eagle reached his
village in safety He was one of the few Siouxes who escaped from the massacre
of that fatal day and for a long time he alone of the saved was able to lift
his voice in the Councils of his nation with undiminished confidence
The knife and the lance cut short the retreat of the larger portion of the
vanquished Even the retiring party of the women and children were scattered by
the conquerors and the sun had long sunk behind the rolling outline of the
western horizon before the fell business of that disastrous defeat was entirely
ended
Chapter XXXI
»Which is the merchant here and which the Jew«
The Merchant of Venice IVi174
The day dawned the following morning on a more tranquil scene The work of
blood had entirely ceased and as the sun arose its light was shed on a broad
expanse of quiet and solitude The tents of Ishmael were still standing where
they had been last seen but not another vestige of human existence could be
traced in any other part of the waste Here and there little flocks of ravenous
birds were sailing and screaming above those spots where some heavyfooted Teton
had met his death but every other sign of the recent combat had passed away
The river was to be traced far through the endless meadows by its serpentine and
smoking bed and the little silvery clouds of vapor which hung above the pools
and springs were beginning to melt in air as they felt the quickening warmth
which pouring from the glowing sky shed its bland and subtle influence on
every object of the vast and unshadowed region The Prairie was like the
heavens after the passage of the gust soft calm and soothing
It was in the midst of such a scene that the family of the squatter
assembled to make their final decision concerning the several individuals who
had been thrown into their power by the fluctuating chances of the incidents
related Every being possessing life and liberty had been afoot since the first
streak of gray had lighted the east and even the youngest of the erratic brood
seemed conscious that the moment had arrived when circumstances were about to
transpire that might leave a lasting impression on the wild fortunes of their
semibarbarous condition
Ishmael moved through his little encampment with the seriousness of one who
had been unexpectedly charged with matters of a gravity exceeding any of the
ordinary occurrences of his irregular existence His sons however who had so
often found occasions to prove the inexorable severity of their fathers
character saw in his sullen mien and cold eye rather a determination to adhere
to his resolutions which usually were as obstinately enforced as they were
harshly conceived than any evidences of wavering or doubt Even Esther was
sensibly affected by the important matters that pressed so heavily on the
interests of her family While she neglected none of those domestic offices
which would probably have proceeded under any conceivable circumstances just as
the world turns round with earthquakes rending its crust and volcanoes
consuming its vitals yet her voice was pitched to a lower and more foreboding
key than common and the still frequent chidings of her children were tempered
by something like the milder dignity of parental authority
Abiram as usual seemed the one most given to solicitude and doubt There
were certain misgivings in the frequent glances that he turned on the unyielding
countenance of Ishmael which might have betrayed how little of their former
confidence and goodunderstanding existed between them His looks appeared to be
vacillatory between hope and fear At times his countenance lighted with the
gleamings of a sordid joy as he bent his look on the tent which contained his
recovered prisoner and then again the impression seemed unaccountably chased
away by the shadows of intense apprehension When under the influence of the
latter feeling his eye never failed to seek the visage of his dull and
impenetrable kinsman But there he rather found reason for alarm than grounds of
encouragement for the whole character of the squatters countenance expressed
the fearful truth that he had redeemed his dull faculties from the influence of
the kidnapper and that his thoughts were now brooding only on the achievement
of his own stubborn intentions
It was in this state of things that the sons of Ishmael in obedience to an
order from their father conducted the several subjects of his contemplated
decisions from their places of confinement into the open air No one was
exempted from this arrangement Middleton and Inez Paul and Ellen Obed and the
trapper were all brought forth and placed in situations that were deemed
suitable to receive the sentence of their arbitrary judge The younger children
gathered around the spot in momentary but engrossing curiosity and even Esther
quitted her culinary labors and drew nigh to listen
HardHeart alone of all his band was present to witness the novel and far
from unimposing spectacle He stood leaning gravely on his lance while the
smoking steed that grazed nigh showed that he had ridden far and hard to be a
spectator on the occasion
Ishmael had received his new ally with a coldness that showed his entire
insensibility to that delicacy which had induced the young chief to come alone
in order that the presence of his warriors might not create uneasiness or
distrust He neither courted their assistance nor dreaded their enmity and he
now proceeded to the business of the hour with as much composure as if the
species of patriarchal power he wielded was universally recognized
There is something elevating in the possession of authority however it may
be abused The mind is apt to make some efforts to prove the fitness between its
qualities and the condition of its owner though it may often fail and render
that ridiculous which was only hated before But the effect on Ishmael Bush was
not so disheartening Grave in exterior saturnine by temperament formidable by
his physical means and dangerous from his lawless obstinacy his
selfconstituted tribunal excited a degree of awe to which even the intelligent
Middleton could not bring himself to be entirely insensible Little time
however was given to arrange his thoughts for the squatter though unaccustomed
to haste having previously made up his mind was not disposed to waste the
moments in delay When he saw that all were in their places he cast a dull look
over his prisoners and addressed himself to the Captain as the principal man
among the imaginary delinquents
»I am called upon this day to fill the office which in the settlements
you give unto judges who are set apart to decide on matters that arise between
man and man I have but little knowledge of the ways of the courts though there
is a rule that is known unto all and which teaches that an eye must be returned
for an eye and a tooth for a tooth I am no troubler of County houses and least
of all do I like living on a plantation that the sheriff has surveyed yet there
is a reason in such a law that makes it a safe rule to journey by and therefore
it ar a solemn fact that this day shall I abide by it and give unto all and
each that which is his due and no more«
When Ishmael had delivered his mind thus far he paused and looked about him
as if he would trace the effects in the countenances of his hearers When his
eye met that of Middleton he was answered by the latter
»If the evil doer is to be punished and he that has offended none to be
left to go at large you must change situations with me and become a prisoner
instead of a Judge«
»You mean to say that I have done you wrong in taking the lady from her
fathers house and leading her so far against her will into these wild
districts« returned the unmoved squatter who manifested as little resentment
as he betrayed compunction at the charge »I shall not put the lie on the back
of an evil deed and deny your words Since things have come to this pass
between us I have found time to think the matter over at my leisure and though
none of your swift thinkers who can see or who pretend to see into the nature
of all things by a turn of the eye yet am I a man open to reason and give me
my time one who is not given to deny the truth Therefore have I mainly
concluded that it was a mistake to take a child from its parent and the Lady
shall be returned whence she has been brought as tenderly and as safely as man
can do it«
»Ay ay« added Esther »the man is right Poverty and labor bore hard upon
him especially as county officers were getting troublesome and in a weak moment
he did the wicked act but he has listened to my words and his mind has got
round again into its honest corner An awful and a dangerous thing it is to be
bringing the daughters of other people into a peaceable and wellgoverned
family«
»And who will thank you for the same after what has been already done«
muttered Abiram with a grin of disappointed cupidity in which malignity and
terror were disgustingly united »When the devil has once made out his account
you may look for your receipt in full only at his hands«
»Peace« said Ishmael stretching his heavy hand towards his kinsman in a
manner that instantly silenced the speaker »Your voice is like a ravens in my
ears If you had never spoken I should have been spared this shame«
»Since then you are beginning to lose sight of your errors and to see the
truth« said Middleton »do not things by halves but by the generosity of your
conduct purchase friends who may be of use in warding off any future danger
from the law «
»Young man« interrupted the squatter with a dark frown »you too have
said enough If fear of the law had come over me you would not be here to
witness the manner in which Ishmael Bush deals out justice«
»Smother not your good intentions and remember if you contemplate violence
to any among us that the arm of that law you affect to despise reaches far and
that though its movements are sometimes slow they are not the less certain«
»Yes there is too much truth in his words squatter« said the trapper
whose attentive ears rarely suffered a syllable to be uttered unheeded in his
presence »A busy and a troublesome arm it often proves to be here in this
land of America where as they say man is left greatly to the following of his
own wishes compared to other countries and happier ay and more manly and
more honest too is he for the privilege Why do you know my men that there
are regions where the law is so busy as to say in this fashion shall you live
in that fashion shall you die and in such another fashion shall you take leave
of the world to be sent before the judgement seat of the Lord A wicked and a
troublesome meddling is that with the business of one who has not made his
creatures to be herded like oxen and driven from field to field as their
stupid and selfish keepers may judge of their need and wants A miserable land
must that be where they fetter the mind as well as the body and where the
creatures of God being born children are kept so by the wicked inventions of
men who would take upon themselves the office of the great Governor of all«
During the delivery of this pertinent opinion Ishmael was content to be
silent though the look with which he regarded the speaker manifested any other
feeling than that of amity When the old man was done he turned to Middleton
and continued the subject which the other had interrupted
»As to ourselves young Captain there has been wrong on both sides If I
have borne hard upon your feelings in taking away your wife with an honest
intention of giving her back to you when the plans of that devil incarnate were
answered so have you broken into my encampment aiding and abetting as they
have called many an honester bargain in destroying my property«
»But what I did was to liberate «
»The matter is settled between us« interrupted Ishmael with the air of
one who having made up his own opinion on the merits of the question cared
very little for those of other people »You and your wife are free to go and
come when and how you please Abner set the Captain at liberty and now if you
will tarry until I am ready to draw nigher to the settlements you shall both
have the benefit of carriage if not never say that you did not get a friendly
offer«
»Now may the strong oppress me and my sins be visited harshly on my own head
if I forget your honesty however slow it has been in showing itself« cried
Middleton hastening to the side of the weeping Inez the instant he was
released »and Friend I pledge you the honor of a soldier that your own part
of this transaction shall be forgotten whatever I may deem fit to have done
when I reach a place where the arm of Government can make itself felt«
The dull smile with which the squatter answered to this assurance proved how
little he valued the pledge that the youth in the first revulsion of his
feelings was so free to make
»Neither fear nor favor but what I call justice has brought me to this
judgement« he said »Do you that which may seem right in your eyes and believe
that the world is wide enough to hold us both without our crossing each others
path again If you ar content well if you ar not content seek to ease your
feelings in your own fashion I shall not ask to be let up when you once put me
fairly down And now Doctor have I come to your leaf in my accounts It is
time to foot up the small reckoning that has been running on for some time
atwixt us With you I entered into open and manly faith in what manner have you
kept it«
The singular felicity with which Ishmael had contrived to shift the
responsibility of all that had passed from his own shoulders to those of his
prisoners backed as it was by circumstances that hardly admitted of a very
philosophical examination of any mooted point in Ethics was sufficiently
embarrassing to the several individuals who were so unexpectedly required to
answer for a conduct which in their simplicity they had deemed so
meritorious The life of Obed had been so purely theoretic that his amazement
was not the least embarrassing at a state of things which might not have
proved so very remarkable had he been a little more practised in the ways of the
world The worthy naturalist was not the first by many who found himself at
the precise moment when he was expecting praise suddenly arraigned to answer
for the very conduct on which he rested all his claims to commendation Though
not a little scandalized at the unexpected turn of the transaction he was fain
to make the best of circumstances and to bring forth such matter in
justification as first presented itself to his disordered faculties
»That there did exist a certain compactum or agreement between Obed Batt
MD and Ishmael Bush viator or erratic husbandman« he said endeavoring to
avoid all offense in the use of terms »I am not disposed to deny I will admit
that it was therein conditioned or stipulated that a certain journey should be
performed conjointly or in company until so many days had been numbered But as
the said time has fully expired I presume it fair to infer that the bargain
may now be said to be obsolete «
»Ishmael« interrupted the impatient Esther »make no words with a man who
can break your bones as easily as set them and let the poisoning devil go Hes
a cheat from box to phial Give him half the Prairie and take the other half
yourself He an acclimator I will engage to get the brats acclimated to a fever
and ague bottom in a week and not a word shall be uttered harder to pronounce
than the bark of a cherrytree with perhaps a drop or two of western comfort
One thing ar a fact Ishmael I like no fellowtravellers who can give a heavy
feel to an honest womans tongue ay and that without caring whether her
household is in order or out of order«
The air of settled gloom which had taken possession of the squatters
countenance lighted for an instant with a look of dull drollery as he
answered
»Different people might judge differently Eester of the virtue of the
mans art But sin it is your wish to let him depart I will not plough the
Prairie to make the walking rough Friend you ar at liberty to go into the
settlements and there I would advise you to tarry as men like me who make but
few contracts do not relish the custom of breaking them so easily«
»And now Ishmael« resumed his conquering wife »in order to keep a quiet
family and to smother all heartburnings atween us show yonder redskin and
his daughter« pointing to the aged Le Balafré and the widowed Tachechana »the
way to their village and let us say to them God bless you and farewell in
the same breath«
»They ar the captives of the Pawnee according to the rules of Indian
warfare and I cannot meddle with his rights«
»Beware the Devil my man Hes a cheat and a tempter and none can say they
ar safe with his awful delusions before their eyes Take the advice of one who
has the honor of your name at heart and send the tawney Jezebel away«
The squatter laid his broad hand on her shoulder and looking her steadily in
the eye he answered in tones that were both stern and solemn
»Woman we have that before us which calls our thoughts to other matters
than the follies you mean Remember what is to come and put your silly jealousy
to sleep«
»It is true it is true« murmured his wife moving back among her
daughters »God forgive me that I should forget it«
»And now young man you who have so often come into my clearing under the
pretence of lining the bee into his hole« resumed Ishmael after a momentary
pause as if to recover the equilibrium of his mind »with you there is a
heavier account to settle Not satisfied with rummaging my camp you have stolen
a girl who is akin to my wife and who I had calculated to make one day a
daughter of my own«
A stronger sensation was produced by this than by any of the preceding
interrogations All the young men bent their curious eyes on Paul and Ellen the
former of whom seemed in no small mental confusion while the latter bent her
face on her bosom in shame
»Harkee friend Ishmael Bush« returned the Beehunter who found that he
was expected to answer to the charge of burglary as well as to that of
abduction »That I did not give the most civil treatment to your pots and pails
I am not going to gainsay If you will name the price you put upon the articles
it is possible the damage may be quietly settled between us and all hard
feelings forgotten I was not in a churchgoing humour when we got upon your
rock and it is more than probable there was quite as much kicking as preaching
among your wares but a hole in the best mans coat can be mended by money As
to the matter of Ellen Wade here it may not be got over so easily Different
people have different opinions on the subject of matrimony Some think it is
enough to say yes and no to the questions of the magistrate or of the parson if
one happens to be handy in order to make a quiet house but I think that when a
young womans mind is fairly bent on going in a certain direction it will be
quite as prudent to let her body follow Not that I mean to say Ellen was not
altogether forced to what she did and therefore she is just as innocent in
this matter as yonder jackass who was made to carry her and greatly against
his will too as I am ready to swear he would say himself if he could speak as
loud as he can bray«
»Nelly« resumed the squatter who paid very little attention to what Paul
considered a highly creditable and ingenious vindication »Nelly this is a wide
and wicked world on which you have been in such a hurry to cast yourself You
have fed and you have slept in my camp for a year and I did hope that you had
found the free air of the borders enough to your mind to wish to remain among
us«
»Let the girl have her will« muttered Esther from the rear »he who might
have persuaded her to stay is sleeping in the cold and naked Prairie and
little hope is left of changing her humour besides a womans mind is a wilful
thing and not easily turned from its waywardness as you know yourself my man
or I should not be here the mother of your sons and daughters«
The squatter seemed reluctant to abandon his views on the abashed girl so
easily and before he answered to the suggestion of his wife he turned his
usual dull look along the line of the curious countenances of his boys as if to
see whether there was not one among them fit to fill the place of the deceased
Paul was not slow to observe the expression and hitting nigher than usual on
the secret thoughts of the other he believed he had fallen on an expedient
which might remove every difficulty
»It is quite plain friend Bush« he said »that there are two opinions in
this matter yours for your sons and mine for myself I see but one amicable
way of settling this dispute which is as follows Do you make a choice among
your boys of any you will and let us walk off together for the matter of a few
miles into the Prairies the one who stays behind can never trouble any mans
house or his fixen and the one who comes back may make the best of his way he
can in the goodwishes of the young woman«
»Paul« exclaimed the reproachful but smothered voice of Ellen
»Never fear Nelly« whispered the literal beehunter whose straightgoing
mind suggested no other motive of uneasiness on the part of his mistress than
concern for himself »I have taken the measure of them all and you may trust an
eye that has seen to line many a bee into his hole«
»I am not about to set myself up as a ruler of inclinations« observed the
squatter »If the heart of the child is truly in the settlements let her
declare it she shall have no let or hindrance from me Speak Nelly and let
what you say come from your wishes without fear or favor Would you leave us to
go with this young man into the settled countries or will you tarry and share
the little we have to give but which to you we give so freely«
Thus called upon to decide Ellen could no longer hesitate The glance of
her eye was at first timid and furtive But as the colour flushed her features
and her breathing became quick and excited it was apparent that the native
spirit of the girl was gaining the ascendancy over the bashfulness of sex
»You took me a fatherless impoverished and friendless orphan« she said
struggling to command her voice »when others who live in what may be called
affluence compared to your state chose to forget me and may heaven in its
goodness bless you for it The little I have done will never pay you for that
one act of kindness I like not your manner of life it is different from the
ways of my childhood and it is different from my wishes still had you not led
this sweet and unoffending lady from her friends I should never have quitted
you until you yourself had said go and the blessing of God go with you«
»The act was not wise but it is repented of and so far as it can be done
in safety it shall be repaired Now speak freely will you tarry or will you
go«
»I have promised the lady« said Ellen dropping her eyes again to the earth
»not to leave her and after she has received so much wrong from our hands she
may have a right to claim that I keep my word«
»Take the cords from the young man« said Ishmael When the order was obeyed
he motioned for all his sons to advance and he placed them in a row before the
eyes of Ellen »Now let there be no trifling but open your heart Here ar all
I have to offer besides a hearty welcome«
The distressed girl turned her abashed look from the countenance of one of
the young men to that of another until her eye met the troubled and working
features of Paul Then nature got the better of forms She threw herself into
the arms of the beehunter and sufficiently proclaimed her choice by sobbing
aloud Ishmael signed to his sons to fall back and evidently mortified though
perhaps not disappointed by the result he no longer hesitated
»Take her« he said »and deal honestly and kindly by her The girl has that
in her which should make her welcome in any mans house and I should be loth to
hear she ever came to harm And now I have settled with you all on terms that I
hope you will not find hard but on the contrary just and manly I have only
another question to ask and that is of the Captain do you choose to profit by
my teams in going into the settlements or not«
»I hear that some soldiers of my party are looking for me near the villages
of the Pawnees« said Middleton »and I intend to accompany this chief in order
to join my men«
»Then the sooner we part the better Horses are plenty on the bottom Go
make your choice and leave us in peace«
»That is impossible while the old man who has been a friend of my family
near halfacentury is left a prisoner What has he done that he too is not
released«
»Ask no questions that may lead to deceitful answers« sullenly returned the
squatter »I have dealings of my own with that trapper that it may not befit an
officer of the States to meddle with Go while your road is open«
»The man may be giving you honest counsel and that which it concerns you
all to hearken to« observed the old captive who seemed in no uneasiness at the
extraordinary condition in which he found himself »The Siouxes are a numberless
and bloody race and no one can say how long it may be afore they will be out
again on the scent of revenge Therefore I say to you go also and take
especial heed in crossing the bottoms that you get not entangled again in the
fires for the honest hunters often burn the grass at this season in order
that the buffaloes may find a sweeter and a greener pasturage in the spring«
»I should forget not only my gratitude but my duty to the laws, were I to
leave this prisoner in your hands even by his own consent without knowing the
nature of his crime in which we may have all been his innocent accessaries«
»Will it satisfy you to know that he merits all he will receive«
»It will at least change my opinion of his character«
»Look then at this« said Ishmael placing before the eyes of the Captain
the bullet that had been found about the person of the dead Asa »with this
morsel of lead did he lay low as fine a boy as ever gave joy to a parents
eyes«
»I cannot believe that he has done this deed unless in selfdefence or on
some justifiable provocation That he knew of the death of your son I confess
for he pointed out the brake in which the body lay but that he has wrongfully
taken his life nothing but his own acknowledgment shall persuade me to believe«
»I have lived long« commenced the trapper who found by the general pause
that he was expected to vindicate himself from the heavy imputation »and much
evil have I seen in my day Many are the prowling bears and leaping panthers
that I have met fighting for the morsel which has been thrown in their way and
many are the reasoning men that I have looked on striving against each other
unto death in order that human madness might have its hour For myself I hope
there is no boasting in saying that though my hand has been needed in putting
down wickedness and oppression it has never struck a blow of which its owner
will be ashamed to hear at a reckoning that shall be far mightier than this«
»If my father has taken life from one of his tribe« said the young Pawnee
whose quick eye had read the meaning of what was passing in the bullet and in
the countenances of the others »let him give himself up to the friends of the
dead like a warrior He is too just to need thongs to lead him to judgment«
»Boy I hope you do me justice If I had done the foul deed with which they
charge me I should have manhood enough to come and offer my head to the blow of
punishment as all good and honest redmen do the same« Then giving his anxious
Indian friend a look to reassure him of his innocence he turned to the rest of
his attentive and interested listeners as he continued in English »I have a
short story to tell and he that believes it will believe the truth and he that
disbelieves it will only lead himself astray and perhaps his neighbour too We
were all outlying about your camp friend squatter as by this time you may
begin to suspect when we found that it contained a wronged and imprisoned lady
with intentions neither more honest nor dishonest than to set her free as in
nature and justice she had a right to be Seeing that I was more skilled in
scouting than the others while they lay back in the cover I was sent upon the
plain on the business of the reconnoitrings You little thought that one was so
nigh who saw into all the circumventions of your hunt but there was I
sometimes flat behind a bush or a tuft of grass sometimes rolling down a hill
into a bottom and little did you dream that your motions were watched as the
panther watches the drinking deer Lord squatter when I was a man in the pride
and strength of my days I have looked in at the tent door of the enemy and
they sleeping ay and dreaming too of being at home and in peace I wish there
was time to give you the partic«
»Proceed with your explanation« interrupted Middleton
»Ah and a bloody and wicked sight it was There I lay in a low bed of
grass as two of the hunters came nigh each other Their meeting was not
cordial nor such as men who meet in a desert should give each other but I
thought they would have parted in peace until I saw one put his rifle to the
others back and do what I call a treacherous and sinful murder It was a noble
and a manly youth that boy Though the powder burnt his coat he stood the
shock for more than a minute before he fell Then was he brought to his knees
and a desperate and manful fight he made to the brake like a wounded bear
seeking a cover«
»And why in the name of heavenly justice did you conceal this« cried
Middleton
»What think you Captain that a man who has spent more than threescore
years in the wilderness has not learned the virtue of discretion What
redwarrior runs to tell the sights he has seen until a fitting time I took
the Doctor to the place in order to see whether his skill might not come in use
and our friend the beehunter being in company was knowing to the fact that
the bushes held the body«
»Ay it ar true« said Paul »but not knowing what private reasons might
make the old trapper wish to hush the matter up I said as little about the
thing as possible which was just nothing at all«
»And who was the perpetrator of this deed« demanded Middleton
»If by perpetrator you mean him who did the act yonder stands the man and
a shame and a disgrace is it to our race that he is of the blood and family of
the dead«
»He lies he lies« shrieked Abiram »I did no murder I gave but blow for
blow«
The voice of Ishmael was deep and even awful as he answered
»It is enough Let the old man go Boys put the brother of your mother in
his place«
»Touch me not« cried Abiram »Ill call on God to curse ye if you touch
me«
The wild and disordered gleam of his eye at first induced the young men to
arrest their steps but when Abner older and more resolute than the rest
advanced full upon him with a countenance that bespoke the hostile state of his
mind the affrighted criminal turned and making an abortive effort to fly fell
with his face to the earth to all appearance perfectly dead Amid the low
exclamations of horror which succeeded Ishmael made a gesture which commanded
his sons to bear the body into a tent
»Now« he said turning to those who were strangers in his camp »nothing is
left to be done but for each to go his own road I wish you all well and to
you Ellen though you may not prize the gift I say God bless you«
Middleton awestruck by what he believed a manifest judgment of Heaven
made no further resistance but prepared to depart The arrangements were brief
and soon completed When they were all ready they took a short and silent leave
of the squatter and his family and then the whole of the singularly constituted
party was seen slowly and silently following the victorious Pawnee towards his
distant villages
Chapter XXXII
»And I beseech you
Wrest once the law to your authority
To do a great right do a little wrong«
The Merchant of Venice IVi21416
Ishmael awaited long and patiently for the motley train of HardHeart to
disappear When his scout reported that the last straggler of the Indians who
had joined their chief so soon as he was at such a distance from the encampment
as to excite no jealousy by their numbers had gone behind the most distant
swell of the Prairie he gave forth the order to strike his tents The cattle
were already in the gears and the moveables were soon transferred to their
usual places in the different vehicles When all these arrangements were
completed the little wagon which had so long been the tenement of Inez was
drawn before the tent into which the insensible body of the kidnapper had been
borne and preparations were evidently made for the reception of another
Prisoner Then it was as Abiram appeared pale terrified and tottering beneath
a load of detected guilt that the younger members of the family were first
apprised that he still belonged to the class of the living A general and
superstitious impression had spread among them that his crime had been visited
by a terrible retribution from heaven and they now gazed at him as at a being
who belonged rather to another world than as a mortal who like themselves had
still to endure the last agony before the great link of human existence could
be broken The criminal himself appeared to be in a state in which the most
sensitive and startling terror was singularly combined with total physical
apathy The truth was that while his person had been numbed by the shock his
susceptibility to apprehension kept his agitated mind in unrelieved distress
When he found himself in the open air he looked about him in order to gather
if possible some evidences of his future fate from the countenances of those
gathered round Seeing every where grave but composed features and meeting in
no eye any expression that threatened immediate violence the miserable man
began to revive and by the time he was seated in the wagon his artful
faculties were beginning to plot the expedients of parrying the just resentment
of his kinsmen or if these should fail him the means of escaping from a
punishment that his forebodings told him would be terrible
Throughout the whole of these preparations Ishmael rarely spoke A gesture
or a glance of the eye served to indicate his pleasure to his sons and with
these simple methods of communication all parties appeared content When the
signal was made to proceed the squatter threw his rifle into the hollow of his
arm and his axe across his shoulder taking the lead as usual Esther buried
herself in the wagon which contained her daughters the young men took their
customary places among the cattle or nigh the teams and the whole proceeded at
their ordinary dull but unremitted gait
For the first time in many a day the squatter turned his back towards the
setting sun The route he held was in the direction of the settled country and
the manner in which he moved sufficed to tell his children who had learned to
read their fathers determinations in his mien that their journey on the
Prairie was shortly to have an end Still nothing else transpired for hours
that might denote the existence of any sudden or violent revolution in the
purposes or feelings of Ishmael During all that time he marched alone keeping
a few hundred rods in front of his teams seldom giving any sign of
extraordinary excitement Once or twice indeed his huge figure was seen
standing on the summit of some distant swell with his head bent towards the
earth as he leaned on his rifle but then these moments of intense thought were
rare and of short continuance The train had long thrown its shadows towards
the east before any material alteration was made in the disposition of their
march Watercourses were waded plains were passed and rolling ascents risen
and descended without producing the smallest change Long practised in the
difficulties of that peculiar species of travelling in which he was engaged
the squatter avoided the more impracticable obstacles of their route by a sort
of instinct invariably inclining to the right or left in season as the
formation of the land the presence of trees or the signs of rivers forewarned
him of the necessity of such movements
At length the hour arrived when charity to man and beast required a
temporary suspension of labor Ishmael chose the required spot with his
customary sagacity The regular formation of the country such as it has been
described in the earlier pages of our book had long been interrupted by a more
unequal and broken surface There were it is true in general the same wide and
empty wastes the same rich and extensive bottoms and that wild and singular
combination of swelling fields and of nakedness which gives that region the
appearance of an ancient country incomprehensibly stripped of its people and
their dwellings But these distinguishing features of the rolling Prairies had
long been interrupted by irregular hillocks occasional masses of rock and broad
belts of forest
Ishmael chose a spring that broke out of the base of a rock some forty or
fifty feet in elevation as a place well suited to the wants of his herds The
water moistened a small swale that lay beneath the spot which yielded in return
for the fecund gift a scanty growth of grass A solitary willow had taken root
in the alluvion and profiting by its exclusive possession of the soil the tree
had sent up its stem far above the crest of the adjacent rock whose peaked
summit had once been shadowed by its branches But its loveliness had gone with
the mysterious principle of life As if in mockery of the meagre show of verdure
that the spot exhibited it remained a noble and solemn monument of former
fertility The larger ragged and fantastick branches still obtruded themselves
abroad while the white and hoary trunk stood naked and tempestriven Not a
leaf nor a sign of vegetation was to be seen about it In all things it
proclaimed the frailty of existence, and the fulfilment of time
Here Ishmael after making the customary signal for the train to approach
threw his vast frame upon the earth and seemed to muse on the deep
responsibility of his present situation His sons were not long in arriving for
the cattle no sooner scented the food and water than they quickened their pace
and then succeeded the usual bustle and avocations of a halt
The impression made by the scene of that morning was not so deep or
lasting on the children of Ishmael and Esther as to induce them to forget the
wants of nature. But while the sons were searching among their stores for
something substantial to appease their hunger and the younger fry were
wrangling about their simple dishes the parents of the unnurtured family were
differently employed
When the squatter saw that all even to the reviving Abiram were busy in
administering to their appetites he gave his downcast partner a glance of his
eye and withdrew towards a distant roll of the land which bounded the view
towards the east The meeting of the pair in this naked spot was like an
interview held above the grave of their murdered son Ishmael signed to his wife
to take a seat beside him on a fragment of rock and then followed a space
during which neither seemed disposed to speak
»We have journeyed together long through good and bad« Ishmael at length
commenced »much have we had to try us and some bitter cups have we been made
to swallow my woman but nothing like this has ever before lain in my path«
»It is a heavy cross for a poor misguided and sinful woman to bear«
returned Esther bowing her head to her knees and partly concealing her face in
her dress »A heavy and a burthensome weight is this to be laid upon the
shoulders of a sister and a Mother«
»Ay therein lies the hardship of the case I had brought my mind to the
punishment of that houseless trapper with no great strivings for the man has
done me few favors and God forgive me if I suspected him wrongfully of much
evil This is however bringing shame in at one door of my cabin in order to
drive it out at the other But shall a son of mine be murdered and he who did it
go at large The boy would never rest«
»Oh Ishmael we pushed the matter far Had little been said who would have
been the wiser our consciences might then have been quiet«
»Eester« said the husband turning on her a reproachful but still a dull
regard »the hour has been my woman when you thought another hand had done
this wickedness«
»I did I did the Lord gave me the feeling as a punishment for my sins but
his mercy was not slow in lifting the veil I looked into the book Ishmael and
there I found the words of comfort«
»Have you that book at hand woman it may happen to advise in such a dreary
business«
Esther fumbled in her pocket and was not long in producing the fragment of
a bible which had been thumbed and smokedried till the print was nearly
illegible It was the only article in the nature of a book that was to be found
among the chattels of the squatter and it had been preserved by his wife as a
melancholy relick of more prosperous and possibly of more innocent days She had
long been in the habit of resorting to it under the pressure of such
circumstances as were palpably beyond human redress though her spirit and
resolution rarely needed support under those that admitted of reparation through
any of the ordinary means of reprisal In this manner Esther had made a sort of
convenient ally of the word of God rarely troubling it for counsel however
except when her own incompetency to avert an evil was too apparent to be
disputed We shall leave casuists to determine how far she resembled any other
believers in this particular and proceed directly with the matter before us
»There are many awful passages in these pages Ishmael« she said when the
volume was opened and the leaves were slowly turning under her finger »and
some there ar that teach the rules of punishment«
Her husband made a gesture for her to find one of those brief rules of
conduct which have been received among all christian nations as the direct
mandates of the Creator and which have been found so just that even they who
deny their high authority admit their wisdom Ishmael listened with grave
attention as his companion read all those verses which her memory suggested and
which were thought applicable to the situation in which they found themselves
He made her show him the words which he regarded with a sort of strange
reverence A resolution once taken was usually irrevocable in one who was moved
with so much difficulty He put his hand upon the book and closed the pages
himself as much as to apprise his wife that he was satisfied Esther who so
well knew his character trembled at the action and casting a glance at his
steady eye she said
»And yet Ishmael my blood and the blood of my children is in his veins
cannot mercy be shown«
»Woman« he answered sternly »when we believed that miserable old trapper
had done this deed nothing was said of mercy«
Esther made no reply but folding her arms upon her breast she sat silent
and thoughtful for many minutes Then she once more turned her anxious gaze upon
the countenance of her husband where she found all passion and care apparently
buried in the coldest apathy Satisfied now that the fate of her brother was
sealed and possibly conscious how well he merited the punishment that was
meditated she no longer thought of mediation No more words passed between
them Their eyes met for an instant and then both arose and walked in profound
silence towards the encampment
The squatter found his children expecting his return in the usual listless
manner with which they awaited all coming events The cattle were already herded
and the horses in their gears in readiness to proceed so soon as he should
indicate that such was his pleasure The children were already in their proper
vehicle and in short nothing delayed the departure but the absence of the
parents of the wild brood
»Abner« said the Father with the deliberation with which all his
proceedings were characterized »take the brother of your mother from the wagon
and let him stand upon the arth«
Abiram issued from his place of concealment trembling it is true but far
from destitute of hopes as to his final success in appeasing the just resentment
of his kinsman After throwing a glance around him with the vain wish of
finding a single countenance in which he might detect a solitary gleam of
sympathy he endeavoured to smother those apprehensions that were by this time
reviving in their original violence by forcing a sort of friendly communication
between himself and the squatter
»The beasts are getting jaded brother« he said »and as we have made so
good a march already is it not time to camp To my eye you may go far
before a better place than this is found to pass the night in«
»Tis well you like it Your tarry here ar likely to be long My sons
draw nigh and listen Abiram White« he added lifting his cap and speaking with
a solemnity and steadiness that rendered even his dull mien imposing »you have
slain my first born and according to the laws of God and Man must you die«
The kidnapper started at this terrible and sudden sentence with the terror
that one would exhibit who unexpectedly found himself in the grasp of a monster
from whose power there was no retreat Although filled with the most serious
forebodings of what might be his lot his courage had not been equal to looking
his danger in the face and with the deceitful consolation with which timid
tempers are apt to conceal their desperate condition from themselves he had
rather courted a treacherous relief in his cunning than prepared himself for
the worst
»Die« he repeated in a voice that scarcely issued from his chest »A man is
surely safe among his kinsmen«
»So thought my boy« returned the squatter motioning for the team that
contained his wife and the girls to proceed as he very coolly examined the
priming of his piece »By the rifle did you destroy my son it is fit and just
that you meet your end by the same weapon«
Abiram stared about him with a gaze that bespoke an unsettled reason He
even laughed as if he would not only persuade himself but others that what he
heard was some pleasantry intended to try his nerves But no where did his
frightful merriment meet with an answering echo All around him was solemn and
still The visages of his nephews were excited but cold towards him and that
of his former confederate frightfully determined This very steadiness of mien
was a thousand times more alarming and hopeless than any violence could have
proved The latter might possibly have touched his spirit and awakened
resistance but the former threw him entirely on the feeble resources of
himself
»Brother« he said in a hurried unnatural whisper »did I hear you«
»My words are plain Abiram White thou hast done murder and for the same
must thou die«
»Esther Sister Sister will you leave me Oh Sister do you hear my
call«
»I hear one speak from the grave« returned the husky tones of Esther as
the wagon passed the spot where the criminal stood »It is the voice of my first
born calling aloud for justice God have mercy God have mercy on your soul«
The team slowly pursued its route and the deserted Abiram now found himself
deprived of the smallest vestige of hope Still he could not summon fortitude to
meet his death and had not his limbs refused to aid him he would yet have
attempted to fly Then by a sudden revolution from hope to utter despair he fell
upon his knees and commenced a prayer in which cries for mercy to God and to his
kinsman were wildly and blasphemously mingled The sons of Ishmael turned away
in horror at the disgusting spectacle and even the stern nature of the squatter
began to bend before so abject misery
»May that which you ask of Him be granted« he said »but a father can
never forget a murdered child«
He was answered by the most humble appeals for time A week a day an hour
were each implored with an earnestness commensurate to the value they receive
when a whole life is compressed into their short duration The squatter was
troubled and at length he yielded in part to the petitions of the criminal His
final purpose was not altered though he changed the means »Abner« he said
»mount the rock and look on every hand that we may be sure none are nigh«
While his nephew was obeying this order gleams of reviving hope were seen
shooting across the quivering features of the kidnapper The report was
favorable nothing having life the retiring teams excepted was to be seen A
messenger was however coming from the latter in great apparent haste Ishmael
awaited its arrival He received from the hands of one of his wondering and
frighted girls a fragment of that book which Esther had preserved with so much
care The squatter beckoned the child away and placed the leaves in the hands
of the criminal
»Eester has sent you this« he said »that in your last moments you may
remember God«
»Bless her bless her a good and kind sister has she been to me But time
must be given that I may read time my brother time«
»Time shall not be wanting You shall be your own executioner and this
miserable office shall pass away from my hands«
Ishmael proceeded to put his new resolution in force The immediate
apprehensions of the kidnapper were quieted by an assurance that he might yet
live for days though his punishment was inevitable A reprieve to one abject
and wretched as Abiram temporarily produced the same effects as a pardon He
was even foremost in assisting in the appalling arrangements and of all the
actors in that solemn tragedy his voice alone was facetious and jocular
A thin shelf of the rock projected beneath one of the ragged arms of the
willow It was many feet from the ground and admirably adapted to the purpose
which in fact its appearance had suggested On this little platform the
criminal was placed his arms bound at the elbows behind his back beyond the
possibility of liberation with a proper cord leading from his neck to the limb
of the tree The latter was so placed that when suspended the body could find no
foothold The fragment of the bible was placed in his hands and he was left to
seek his consolation as he might from its pages
»And now Abiram White« said the squatter when his sons had descended from
completing this arrangement »I give you a last and solemn asking Death is
before you in two shapes With this rifle can your misery be cut short or by
that cord sooner or later must you meet your end«
»Let me yet live Oh Ishmael you know not how sweet life is when the last
moment draws so nigh«
»Tis done« said the squatter motioning for his assistants to follow the
herds and teams »And now miserable man that it may prove a consolation to
your end I forgive you my wrongs and leave you to your God«
Ishmael turned and pursued his way across the plain at his ordinarily
sluggish and ponderous gait Though his head was bent a little towards the
earth his inactive mind did not prompt him to cast a look behind Once indeed
he thought he heard his name called in tones that were a little smothered but
they failed to make him pause
At the spot where he and Esther had conferred he reached the boundary of
the visible horizon from the rock Here he stopped and ventured a glance in the
direction of the place he had just quitted The sun was near dipping into the
plains beyond and its last rays lighted the naked branches of the willow He
saw the ragged outline of the whole drawn against the glowing heavens and he
even traced the still upright form of the being he had left to his misery
Turning the roll of the swell he proceeded with the feelings of one who had
been suddenly and violently separated from a recent confederate forever
Within a mile the squatter overtook his teams His sons had found a place
suited to the encampment for the night and merely awaited his approach to
confirm their choice Few words were necessary to express his acquiescence
Every thing passed in a silence more general and remarkable than ever The
chidings of Esther were not heard among her young or if heard they were more
in the tones of softened admonition than in her usual upbraiding key
No questions or explanations passed between the husband and his wife It was
only as the latter was about to withdraw among her children for the night that
the former saw her taking a furtive look at the pan of his rifle Ishmael bad
his sons seek their rest announcing his intention to look to the safety of the
camp in person When all was still he walked out upon the Prairie with a sort
of sensation that he found his breathing among the tents too straightened The
night was well adapted to heighten the feelings which had been created by the
events of the day
The wind had risen with the moon and it was occasionally sweeping heavily
over the plain in a manner that rendered it easy for the sentinel to fancy
strange and unearthly sounds were in the blasts Yielding to the extraordinary
impulses of which he was the subject he cast a glance around to see that all
were slumbering in security and then he strayed towards the swell of land
already mentioned Here the squatter found himself at a point that commanded a
view to the east and to the west Light fleecy clouds were driving before the
moon which was cold and watery though there were moments when its placid rays
were shed from clear blue fields seeming to soften objects to its own mild
loveliness
For the first time in a life of so much wild adventure Ishmael felt a keen
sense of solitude The naked Prairies began to assume the forms of illimitable
and dreary wastes and the rushing of the wind sounded like the whisperings of
the dead It was not long before he thought a shriek was borne past him on a
blast It did not sound like a call from earth but it swept frightfully through
the upper air mingled with the hoarse acompanyment of the wind The teeth of
the squatter were compressed and his huge hand grasped the rifle as if it would
crush the metal Then came a lull a fresher blast and a cry of horror that
seemed to have been uttered at the very portals of his ears A sort of echo
burst involuntarily from his own lips as men will shout under unnatural
excitement and throwing his rifle across his shoulder he proceeded towards the
rock with the strides of a giant
It was not often that the blood of Ishmael moved at the rate with which the
fluid circulates in the veins of ordinary men but now he felt it ready to gush
from every pore in his body The animal was aroused in his most latent
energies Ever as he advanced he heard those shrieks which sometimes seemed
ringing among the clouds and sometimes passed so nigh as to appear to brush
the earth At length there came a cry in which there could be no delusion or to
which the imagination could lend no horror It appeared to fill each cranny of
the air as the visible horizon is often charged to fullness by one dazzling
flash of the electric fluid The name of God was distinctly audible but it was
awfully and blasphemously blended with sounds that may not be repeated The
squatter stopped and for a moment he covered his ears with his hands When he
withdrew the latter a low and husky voice at his elbow asked in smothered
tones
»Ishmael my man heard ye nothing«
»Hist« returned the husband laying a powerful arm on Esther without
manifesting the smallest surprise at the unlooked for presence of his wife
»Hist woman if you have the fear of Heaven be still«
A profound silence succeeded Though the wind rose and fell as before its
rushing was no longer mingled with those fearful cries The sounds were imposing
and solemn but it was the solemnity and majesty of nature.
»Let us go on« said Esther »All is hushed«
»Woman what has brought you here« demanded her husband whose blood had
returned into its former channels and whose thoughts had already lost a portion
of their excitement
»Ishmael he murdered our first born but it is not meet that the son of my
mother should lie upon the ground like the carrion of a dog«
»Follow« returned the squatter again grasping his rifle and striding
towards the rock The distance was still considerable and their approach as
they drew nigh the place of execution was moderated by awe Many minutes had
passed before they reached a spot where they might distinguish the outlines of
the dusky objects
»Where have you put the body« whispered Esther »See here are pick and
spade that a brother of mine may sleep in the bosom of the earth«
The moon broke from behind a mass of clouds and the eye of the woman was
enabled to follow the finger of Ishmael It pointed to a human form swinging in
the wind beneath the ragged and shining arm of the willow Esther bent her head
and veiled her eyes from the sight But Ishmael drew nigher and long
contemplated his work in awe though not in compunction The leaves of the
sacred book were scattered on the ground and even a fragment of the shelf had
been displaced by the kidnapper in his agony But all was now in the stillness
of death The grim and convulsed countenance of the victim was at times brought
full into the light of the moon and again as the wind lulled the fatal rope
drew a dark line across its bright disk The squatter raised his rifle with
extreme care and fired The cord was cut and the body came lumbering to the
earth a heavy and insensible mass
Until now Esther had not moved nor spoken But her hand was not slow to
assist in the labor of the hour The grave was soon dug It was instantly made
to receive its miserable tenant As the lifeless form descended Esther who
sustained the head looked up into the face of her husband with an expression
of anguish and said
»Ishmael my man it is very terrible I cannot kiss the corpse of my
fathers child«
The squatter laid his broad hand on the bosom of the dead and said
»Abiram White we all have need of mercy from my soul do I forgive you
May God in Heaven have pity on your sins«
The woman bowed her face and imprinted her lips long and fervently on the
pallid forehead of her brother After this came the falling clods and all the
solemn sounds of filling a grave Esther lingered on her knees and Ishmael
stood uncovered while the woman muttered a prayer All was then finished
On the following morning the teams and herds of the squatter were seen
pursuing their course towards the settlements As they approached the confines
of society the train was blended among a thousand others Though some of the
numerous descendants of this peculiar pair were reclaimed from their lawless
and semibarbarous lives the principals of the family themselves were never
heard of more
Chapter XXXIII
»No leave take I for I will ride
As far as land will let me by your side«
Richard II Iiii25152
The passage of the Pawnee to his village was interrupted by no scene of
violence His vengeance had been as complete as it was summary Not even a
solitary scout of the Siouxes was left on the hunting grounds he was obliged to
traverse and of course the journey of Middletons party was as peaceful as if
made in the bosom of the States The marches were timed to meet the weakness of
the females In short the victors seemed to have lost every trace of ferocity
with their success and appeared disposed to consult the most trifling of the
wants of that engrossing people who were daily encroaching on their rights and
reducing the redmen of the West from their state of proud independance to the
condition of fugitives and wanderers
Our limits will not permit a detail of the triumphal entry of the
conquerors The exultation of the tribe was proportioned to its previous
despondency Mothers boasted of the honorable deaths of their sons wives
proclaimed the honor and pointed to the scars of their husbands and Indian
girls rewarded the younger braves with songs of triumph The trophies of their
fallen enemies were exhibited as conquered standards are displayed in more
civilized regions The deeds of former warriors were recounted by the aged men
and declared to be eclipsed by the glory of this victory While HardHeart
himself so distinguished for his exploits from boyhood to that hour was
unanimously proclaimed and reproclaimed the worthiest chief and the stoutest
brave that the Wahcondah had ever bestowed on his most favored children the
Pawnees of the Loup
Notwithstanding the comparative security in which Middleton found his
recovered treasure he was not sorry to see his faithful and sturdy
artillerists standing among the throng as he entered in the wild train and
lifting their voices in a martial shout to greet his return The presence of
this force small as it was removed every shadow of uneasiness from his mind
It made him master of his movements gave him dignity and importance in the eyes
of his new friends and would enable him to overcome the difficulties of the
wide region which still lay between the village of the Pawnees and the nearest
fortress of his Countrymen A lodge was yielded to the exclusive possession of
Inez and Ellen and even Paul when he saw an armed sentinel in the uniform of
the States pacing before its entrance was content to stray among the dwellings
of the redskins prying with but little reserve into their domestic economy
commenting sometimes jocularly sometimes gravely and always freely on their
different expedients or endeavoring to make the wondering housewives comprehend
his quaint explanations of what he conceived to be the better customs of the
whites
This inquiring and troublesome temper found no imitators among the Indians
The delicacy and reserve of HardHeart were communicated to his people When
every attention that could be suggested by their simple manners and narrow
wants had been fulfilled no intrusive foot presumed to approach the cabins
devoted to the service of the strangers They were left to seek their repose in
the manner which most comported with their habits and inclinations The songs
and rejoicings of the tribe however ran far into the night during the deepest
hours of which the voice of more than one warrior was heard recounting from the
top of his lodge the deeds of his people and the glory of their triumphs
Every thing having life notwithstanding the excesses of the night was
abroad with the appearance of the sun The expressions of exultation which had
so lately been seen on every countenance was now changed to one better suited
to the feeling of the moment It was understood by all that the Palefaces who
had befriended their Chief were about to take their final leave of the tribe
The soldiers of Middleton in anticipation of his arrival had bargained with an
unsuccessful trader for the use of his boat which lay in the stream ready to
receive its cargo and nothing remained to complete the arrangements for the
long journey
Middleton did not see this moment arrive entirely without distrust The
admiration with which HardHeart regarded Inez had not escaped his jealous
eyes any more than had the lawless wishes of Mahtoree He knew the consummate
manner in which a savage could conceal his designs and he felt that it would be
a culpable weakness to be unprepared for the worst Secret instructions were
therefore given to his men while the preparations they made were properly
masked behind the show of military parade with which it was intended to
signalise their departure
The conscience of the young soldier reproached him when he saw the whole
tribe accompanying his party to the margin of the stream with unarmed hands and
sorrowful countenances They gathered in a circle around the strangers and their
chief and became not only peaceful but deeply interested observers of what was
passing As it was evident that HardHeart intended to speak the former
stopped and manifested their readiness to listen the trapper performing the
office of an interpreter Then the chief addressed his people in the usual
metaphorical language of an Indian He commenced by alluding to the antiquity
and renown of his own nation He spoke of their successes in the hunts and on
the war path of the manner in which they had always known how to defend their
rights and to chastise their enemies After he had said enough to manifest his
respect for the greatness of the Loups and to satisfy the pride of the
listeners he made a sudden transition to the race of whom the strangers were
members He compared their countless numbers to the flights of migratory birds
in the season of blossoms or in the fall of the year With a delicacy that
none knew better how to practise than an Indian warrior he made no direct
mention of the rapacious temper that so many of them had betrayed in their
dealings with the redmen Feeling that the sentiment of distrust was strongly
engrafted in the tempers of his tribe he rather endeavored to soothe any just
resentment they might entertain by indirect excuses and apologies He reminded
the listeners that even the Pawnee Loups had been obliged to chase many unworthy
individuals from their villages The Wahcondah sometimes veiled his countenance
from a red man No doubt the Great Spirit of the Pale Faces often looked darkly
on his children Such as were abandoned to the worker of Evil could never be
brave or virtuous let the color of the skin be what it might He bade his young
men look at the hands of the Big knives They were not empty like those of
hungry beggars Neither were they filled with goods like those of knavish
traders They were like themselves warriors and they carried arms which they
knew well how to use They were worthy to be called brothers
Then he directed the attention of all to the chief of the strangers He was
a son of their Great White Father He had not come upon the Prairies to frighten
the buffaloes from their pastures or to seek the game of the Indians Wicked
men had robbed him of one of his wives No doubt she was the most obedient the
meekest and the loveliest of them all They had only to open their eyes to see
that his words must be true Now that the White Chief had found his wife he was
about to return to his own people in peace He would tell them that the Pawnees
were just and there would be a line of wampum between the two nations Let all
his people wish the strangers a safe return to their towns The warriors of the
Loups knew both how to receive their enemies and how to clear the briars from
the path of their friends
The heart of Middleton beat quick as the young Partisan18 alluded to the
charms of Inez and for an instant he cast an impatient glance at his little
line of Artillerists but the chief from that moment appeared to forget he had
ever seen so fair a being His feelings if he had any on the subject were
veiled behind the cold mask of Indian selfdenial He took each warrior by the
hand not even forgetting the meanest soldier but his cold and collected eye
never wandered for an instant towards either of the females Arrangements had
been made for their comfort with a prodigality and care that had not failed to
excite some surprise in his young men but in no other particular did he shock
their manly pride by betraying any solicitude in behalf of the weaker sex
The leavetaking was general and imposing Each male Pawnee was sedulous to
omit no one of the strange warriors in his attentions and of course the
ceremony occupied some time The only exception and that was not general was
in the case of Dr Battius Not a few of the young men it is true were
indifferent about lavishing civilities on one of so doubtful a profession but
the worthy naturalist found some consolation in the more matured politeness of
the old men who had inferred that though not of much use in war the Medicine
of the Big knives might possibly be made serviceable in peace
When all of Middletons party had embarked the trapper lifted a small
bundle which had lain at his feet during the previous proceedings and
whistling Hector to his side he was the last to take his seat The Artillerists
gave the usual cheers which were answered by a shout from the tribe and then
the boat was shoved into the current and began to glide swiftly down its
stream
A long and a musing if not a melancholy silence succeeded this departure
It was first broken by the trapper whose regret was not the least visible in
his dejected and sorrowful eye
»They are a valiant and an honest tribe« he said »that will I say boldly
in their favor and second only do I take them to be to that once mighty but
now scattered people the Delaware of the Hills Ahs me Captain if you had
seen as much good and evil as I have seen in these nations of redskins you
would know of how much value was a brave and simpleminded warrior I know that
some are to be found who both think and say that an Indian is but little better
than the beasts of these naked plains But it is needful to be honest in
onesself to be a fitting judge of honesty in others No doubt no doubt they
know their enemies and little do they care to show them any great confidence
or love«
»It is the way of man« returned the Captain »and it is probable they are
not wanting in any of his natural qualities«
»No no it is little that they want that natur has had to give But as
little does he know of the temper of a redskin who has seen but one Indian or
one tribe as he knows of the colour of feathers who has only looked upon a
crow Now friend steersman just give the boat a sheer towards yonder low
sandy point and a favor will be granted at a short asking«
»For what« demanded Middleton »we are now in the swiftest of the current
and by drawing to the shore we shall lose the force of the stream«
»Your tarry will not be long« returned the old man applying his own hand to
the execution of that which he had requested The oarsmen had seen enough of his
influence with their leader not to dispute his wishes and before time was
given for further discussion on the subject the bow of the boat had touched the
land
»Captain« resumed the other untying his little wallet with great
deliberation and even in a manner to show that he found satisfaction in the
delay »I wish to offer you a small matter of trade No great bargain mayhap
but still it is the best that one of whose hand the skill of the rifle has
taken leave and who has become no better than a miserable trapper can offer
before we part«
»Part« was echoed from every mouth among those who had so recently shared
his dangers and profited by his care
»What the devil old trapper do you mean to foot it to the settlements
when here is a boat that will float the distance in half the time the Jack Ass
the Doctor has given the Pawnee could trot along the same«
»Settlements Boy It is long sin I took my leave of the waste and
wickedness of the settlements and the village If I live in a clearing here it
is one of the Lords making and I have no hard thoughts on the matter but
never again shall I be seen running wilfully into the danger of immoralities«
»I had not thought of parting« answered Middleton endeavoring to seek some
relief from the uneasiness he felt by turning his eyes on the sympathizing
countenances of his friends »On the contrary I had hoped and believed that you
would have accompanied us below where I give you a sacred pledge nothing
shall be wanting to make your days comfortable«
»Yes lad yes you would do your endeavors but what are the strivings of
man against the working of the Devil Ay if kind offers and good wishes could
have done the thing I might have been a Congressman or perhaps a Governor
years agone Your Grandther wished the same and there are them still living
in the Otsego Mountains as I hope who would gladly have given me a palace for
my dwelling But what are riches without content My time must now be short at
any rate and I hope it is no mighty sin for one who has acted his part
honestly near ninety winters and summers to wish to pass the few hours that
remain in comfort If you think that I have done wrong in coming thus far to
quit you again Captain I will own the reason of the act without shame or
backwardness Though I have seen so much of the wilderness it is not to be
gainsayed that my feelings as well as my skin are white Now it would not be a
fitting spectacle that yonder Pawnee Loups should look upon the weakness of an
old warrior if weakness he should happen to show in parting forever from those
he has reason to love though he may not set his heart so strongly on them as
to wish to go into the settlements in their company«
»Harkee old trapper« said Paul clearing his throat with a desperate
effort as if determined to give his voice a clear exit »I have just one
bargain to make since you talk of trading which is neither more nor less than
this I offer you as my side of the business one half of my shanty nor do I
much care if it be the biggest half the sweetest and the purest honey that can
be made of the wildlocust always enough to eat with now and then a mouthful
of venison or for that matter a morsel of buffaloes hump seeing that I intend
to push my acquaintance with the animal and as good and as tidy cooking as can
come from the hands of one like Ellen Wade here who will shortly be Nelly
somebodyelse and altogether such general treatment as a decent man might be
supposed to pay to his best friend or for that matter to his own father in
return for the same you ar to give us at odd moments some of your ancient
traditions perhaps a little wholesome advice on occasions in small quantities
at a time and as much of your agreeable company as you please«
»It is well it is well boy« returned the old man fumbling at his wallet
»honestly offered and not unthankfully declined But it cannot be no it can
never be«
»Venerable venator« said Doctor Battius »there are obligations which every
man owes to society and to human nature It is time that you should return to
your countrymen to deliver up some of those stores of experimental knowledge
that you have doubtless obtained by so long a sojourn in the wilds which
however they may be corrupted by preconceived opinions will prove acceptable
bequests to those whom as you say you must shortly leave forever«
»Friend Physicianer« returned the trapper looking the other steadily in
the face »as it would be no easy matter to judge of the temper of a rattler by
considering the fashions of the moose so it would be hard to speak of the
usefulness of one man by thinking too much of the deeds of another You have
your gifts like others I suppose and little do I wish to disturb them But as
to me the Lord has made me for a doer and not a talker and therefore do I
consider it no harm to shut my ears to your invitation«
»It is enough« interrupted Middleton »I have seen and heard so much of
this extraordinary man as to know that persuasions will not change his purpose
First we will hear your request my friend and then we will consider what may
be best done for your advantage here«
»It is a small matter Captain« returned the old man succeeding at length
in opening his bundle »A small and trifling matter is it to what I once used to
offer in the way of bargain but then it is the best I have and therein not
to be despised Here are the skins of four beavers that I took it might be a
month afore we met and here is another from a raccoon that is of no great
matter tobesure but which may serve to make weight atween us«
»And what do you propose to do with them«
»I offer them in lawful barter Them knaves the Siouxes the Lord forgive
me for ever believing it was the Konzas have stolen the best of my traps and
driven me altogether to makeshift inventions which might foretell a dreary
winter for me should my time stretch into another season I wish you therefore
to take the skins and to offer them to some of the trappers you will not fail
to meet below in exchange for a few traps and to send the same into the Pawnee
village in my name Be careful to have my mark painted on them A letter N with
a hounds ear and the lock of a rifle There is no redskin who will then
dispute my right For all which trouble I have little more to offer than my
thanks unless my friend the Beehunter here will accept of the raccoon and
take on himself the special charge of the whole matter«
»If I do may I be « the mouth of Paul was stopped by the hand of Ellen and
he was obliged to swallow the rest of the sentence which he did with a species
of emotion that bore no slight resemblance to the process of strangulation
»Well well« returned the old man meekly »I hope there is no heavy offence
in the offer I know that the skin of a raccoon is of small price but then it
was no mighty labor that I asked in return«
»You entirely mistake the meaning of our friend« interrupted Middleton who
observed that the beehunter was looking in every direction but the right one
and that he was utterly unable to make his own vindication »He did not mean to
say that he declined the charge but merely that he refused all compensation It
is unnecessary however to say more of this it shall be my office to see that
the debt we owe is properly discharged and that all your necessities shall be
anticipated«
»Anan« said the old man looking up enquiringly into the others face as if
to ask an explanation
»It shall all be as you wish Lay the skins with my baggage We will bargain
for you as for ourselves«
»Thankee thankee Captain Your Grandther was of a free and generous mind
So much so in truth that those just people the Delawares called him the open
hand I wish now I was as I used to be in order that I might send in the Lady
a few delicate martens for her tippets and overcoats just to show you that I
know how to give courtesy for courtesy But do not expect the same for I am too
old to give a promise It will all be just as the Lord shall see fit I can
offer you nothing else for I havent lived so long in the wilderness not to
know the scrupulous ways of Gentlemen«
»Harkee old trapper« cried the Bee hunter striking his own hand into the
open palm which the other had extended with a report but little below the crack
of a rifle »I have just two things to say Firstly that the Captain has told
you my meaning better than I can myself and secondly that if you want a skin
either for your private use or to send abroad I have it at your service and
that is the skin of one Paul Hover«
The old man returned the grasp he received and opened his mouth to the
utmost in his extraordinary silent laugh
»You couldnt have given such a squeeze boy when the Teton squaws were
about you with the knives Ah you are in your prime and in your vigor and
happiness if honesty lies in your path« Then the expression of his rugged
features suddenly changed to a look of seriousness and thought »Come hither
lad« he said leading the beehunter by a button to the land and speaking
apart in a tone of admonition and confidence »Much has passed atween us on the
pleasures and respectableness of a life in the woods or on the borders I do
not now mean to say that all you have heard is not true but different tempers
call for different employments You have taken to your bosom there a good and
kind child and it has become your duty to consider her as well as yourself in
setting forth in life You are a little given to skirting the settlements but
to my poor judgement the girl would be more like a flourishing flower in the sun
of a clearing than in the winds of a Prairie Therefore forget any thing you
may have heard from me which is nevertheless true and strive to turn your mind
on the ways of the inner country«
Paul could only answer with a squeeze of the hand that would have brought
tears from the eyes of most men but which produced no other effect on the
indurated muscles of the other than to make him laugh and nod as if he
received the same as a pledge that the beehunter would remember his advice The
trapper then turned away from his rough but warm hearted companion and having
called Hector from the boat he seemed anxious still to utter a few words more
»Captain« he at length resumed »I know that when a poor man talks of
credit he deals in a delicate word according to the fashions of the world and
when an old man talks of life he speaks of that which he may never see
Nevertheless there is one thing I will say and that is not so much on my own
behalf as on that of another person Here is Hector a good and faithful pup
that has long outlived the time of a dog and like his master he looks more to
comfort now than to any deeds in running But the creatur has his feelings as
well as a christian He has consorted latterly with his kinsman there in such
a sort as to find great pleasure in his company and I will acknowledge that
it touches my feelings a little to part the pair so soon If you will set a
value on your hound I will endeavor to send it to you in the spring more
especially should them same traps come safe to hand or if you dislike parting
with the animal altogether I will just ask you for his loan through the
winter I think I can see my pup will not last beyond that time for I have
judgment in these matters since many is the friend both hound and redskin
that I have seen depart in my day though the Lord has not yet seen fit to order
his angels to sound forth my name«
»Take him take him« cried Middleton »Take all or any thing!«
The old man whistled the younger dog to the land and then he proceeded to
the final adieus Little was said on either side The trapper took each person
solemnly by the hand and uttered something friendly and kind to all Middleton
was perfectly speechless and was driven to affect busying himself among the
baggage Paul whistled with all his might and even Obed took his leave with
an effort that bore the appearance of desperate philosophical resolution When
he had made the circuit of the whole the old man with his own hands shoved the
boat into the current wishing God to speed them Not a word was spoken nor a
stroke of the oar given until the travellers had floated past a knoll that hid
the trapper from their view He was last seen standing on the low point leaning
on his rifle with Hector crouched at his feet and the younger dog frisking
along the sands in the playfulness of youth and vigor
Chapter XXXIV
»Methought I heard a voice «
Macbeth IIii32
The watercourses were at their height and the boat went down the swift current
like a bird The passage proved prosperous and speedy In less than a third of
the time that would have been necessary for the same journey by land it was
accomplished by the favor of those rapid rivers Issuing from one stream into
another as the veins of the human body communicate with the larger channels of
life they soon entered the grand artery of the western waters and landed
safely at the very door of the father of Inez
The joy of Don Augustin and the embarrassment of the worthy Father Ignatius
may be imagined The former wept and returned thanks to Heaven the latter
returned thanks and did not weep The mild provincials were too happy to raise
any questions on the character of so joyful a restoration and by a sort of
general consent it soon came to be an admitted opinion that the bride of
Middleton had been kidnapped by a villain and that she was restored to her
friends by human agency There were as respects this belief certainly a few
sceptics but then they enjoyed their doubts in private with that species of
sublimated and solitary gratification that a miser finds in gazing at his
growing but useless hoards
In order to give the worthy priest something to employ his mind Middleton
made him the instrument of uniting Paul and Ellen The former consented to the
ceremony because he found that all his friends laid great stress on the matter
but shortly after he led his bride into the plains of Kentucky under the
pretence of paying certain customary visits to sundry members of the family of
Hover While there he took occasion to have the marriage properly solemnized
by a justice of the peace of his acquaintance in whose ability to forge the
nuptial chain he had much more faith than in that of all the gownsmen within the
Pale of Rome Ellen who appeared conscious that some extraordinary preventives
might prove necessary to keep one of so erratic a temper as her partner within
the proper matrimonial boundaries raised no objections to these double knots
and all parties were content
The local importance Middleton had acquired by his union with the daughter
of so affluent a proprietor as Don Augustin united to his personal merit
attracted the attention of the Government He was soon employed in various
situations of responsibility and confidence which both served to elevate his
character in the public estimation and to afford the means of patronage The
beehunter was among the first of those to whom he saw fit to extend his favor
It was far from difficult to find situations suited to the abilities of Paul in
the state of society that existed three and twenty years ago in those regions
The efforts of Middleton and Inez in behalf of her husband were warmly and
sagaciously seconded by Ellen and they succeeded in process of time in
working a great and beneficial change in his character He soon became a
landholder then a prosperous cultivator of the soil and shortly after a
townofficer By that progressive change in fortune which in the republicks is
often seen to be so singularly accompanied by a corresponding improvement in
knowledge and selfrespect he went on from step to step until his wife
enjoyed the maternal delight of seeing her children placed far beyond the danger
of returning to that state from which both their parents had issued Paul is
actually at this moment a member of the lower branch of the Legislature of the
State where he has long resided and he is even notorious for making speeches
that have a tendency to put that deliberative body in good humour and which as
they are based on great practical knowledge suited to the condition of the
country possess a merit that is much wanted in many more subtle and fine spun
theories that are daily heard in similar assemblies to issue from the lips of
certain instinctive politicians But all these happy fruits were the results of
much care and of a long period of time Middleton who fills with a credit
better suited to the difference in their educations a seat in a far higher
branch of Legislative Authority is the source from which we have derived most
of the intelligence necessary to compose our legend In addition to what he has
related of Paul and of his own continued happiness he has added a short
narrative of what took place in a subsequent visit to the Prairies with which
as we conceive it a suitable termination to what has gone before we shall judge
it wise to conclude our labors
In the autumn of the year that succeeded the season in which the preceding
events occurred the young man still in the military service found himself on
the waters of the Missouri at a point not far remote from the Pawnee towns
Released from any immediate calls of duty and strongly urged to the measure by
Paul who was in his company he determined to take horse and cross the country
to visit the Partisan and to inquire into the fate of his friend the trapper As
his train was suited to his functions and rank the journey was effected with
the privations and hardships that are the accompanyments of all travelling in a
wild but without any of those dangers and alarms that marked his former
passage through the same regions When within a proper distance he dispatched
an Indian runner belonging to a friendly tribe to announce the approach of
himself and party continuing his route at a deliberate pace in order that the
intelligence might as was customary precede his arrival To the surprise of the
travellers their message was unanswered Hour succeeded hour and mile after
mile was passed without bringing either the signs of an honorable reception or
the more simple assurances of a friendly welcome At length the cavalcade at
whose head rode Middleton and Paul descended from the elevated plain on which
they had long been journeying to a luxuriant bottom that brought them to the
level of the village of the Loups The sun was beginning to fall and a sheet of
golden light was spread over the placid plain lending to its even surface
those glorious tints and hues that the human imagination is apt to conceive
form the embellishment of still more imposing scenes The verdure of the year
yet remained and herds of horses and mules were grazing peacefully in the vast
natural pasture under the keeping of vigilant Pawnee boys Paul pointed out
among them the well known form of Asinus sleek fat and luxuriating in the
fulness of content as he stood with reclining ears and closed eyelids
seemingly musing on the exquisite nature of his present indolent enjoyment
The route of the party led them at no great distance from one of those
watchful youths who was charged with a trust heavy as the principal wealth of
his tribe He heard the trampling of the horses and cast his eye aside but
instead of manifesting curiosity or alarm his look instantly returned whence
it had been withdrawn to the spot where the village was known to stand
»There is something remarkable in all this« muttered Middleton half
offended at what he conceived to be not only a slight to his rank but offensive
to himself personally »yonder boy has heard of our approach or he would not
fail to notify his tribe and yet he scarcely deigns to favor us with a glance
Look to your arms men it may be necessary to let these savages feel our
strength«
»Therein Captain I think youre in an error« returned Paul »If honesty
is to be met on the Prairies at all you will find it in our old friend
HardHeart neither is an Indian to be judged of by the rules of a white see
we are not altogether slighted for here comes a party at last to meet us though
it is a little pitiful as to show and numbers«
Paul was right in both particulars A groupe of horsemen were at length
seen wheeling round a little copse and advancing across the plain directly
towards them The advance of this party was slow and dignified As it drew nigh
the Partisan of the Loups was seen at its head followed by a dozen younger
warriors of his tribe They were all unarmed nor did they even wear any of
those ornaments or feathers which are considered testimonials of respect to the
guest an Indian receives as well as evidence of his own importance
The meeting was friendly though a little restrained on both sides
Middleton jealous of his own consideration no less than of the authority of his
government suspected some undue influence on the part of the agents of the
Canadas and as he was determined to maintain the authority of which he was the
representative he felt himself constrained to manifest an hauteur that he was
far from feeling It was not so easy to penetrate the motives of the Pawnees
Calm dignified and yet far from repulsive they set an example of courtesy
blended with reserve that many a diplomatist of the most polished court might
have strove in vain to imitate
In this manner the two parties continued their course to the town Middleton
had time during the remainder of the ride to revolve in his mind all the
probable reasons which his ingenuity could suggest for this strange reception
Although he was accompanied by a regular interpreter the chiefs made their
salutations in a manner that dispensed with his services Twenty times the
Captain turned his glance on his former friend endeavoring to read the
expression of his rigid features But every effort and all conjectures proved
equally futile The eye of HardHeart was fixed composed and a little anxious
but as to every other emotion impenetrable He neither spoke himself nor
seemed willing to invite discourse in his visiters It was therefore necessary
for Middleton to adopt the patient manners of his companions and to await the
issue for the explanation
When they entered the town the whole of its inhabitants were seen collected
in an open space where they were arranged with the customary deference to age
and rank The whole formed a large circle in the centre of which were perhaps a
dozen of the principal chiefs HardHeart waved his hand as he approached and
as the mass of bodies opened he rode through followed by his companions Then
they dismounted and as the beasts were led apart the strangers found
themselves environed by a thousand grave composed but solicitous faces
Middleton gazed about him in growing concern for no cry no song no
shout welcomed him among a people from whom he had so lately parted with
regret His uneasiness not to say apprehensions was shared by all his
followers Determination and stern resolution began to assume the place of
anxiety in every eye as each man silently felt for his arms and assured
himself that his several weapons were in a state for service But there was no
answering symptom of hostility on the part of their hosts HardHeart beckoned
for Middleton and Paul to follow leading the way towards the cluster of forms
that occupied the centre of the circle Here the visiters found a solution of
all the movements which had given them so much reason for apprehension
The trapper was placed on a rude seat which had been made with studied
care to support his frame in an upright and easy attitude The first glance of
the eye told his former friends that the old man was at length called upon to
pay the last tribute of nature. His eye was glazed and apparently as devoid of
sight as of expression His features were a little more sunken and strongly
marked than formerly but there all change so far as exterior was concerned
might be said to have ceased His approaching end was not to be ascribed to any
positive malady but had been a gradual and mild decay of the physical powers
Life it is true still lingered in his system but it was as if at times
entirely ready to depart and then it would appear to reanimate the sinking form
as if reluctant to give up the possession of a tenement that had never been
corrupted by vice or undermined by disease It would have been no violent fancy
to have imagined that the spirit fluttered about the placid lips of the old
woodsman reluctant to depart from a shell that had so long given it an honest
and an honourable shelter
His body was placed so as to let the light of the setting sun fall full
upon the solemn features His head was bare the long thin locks of gray
fluttering lightly in the evening breeze His rifle lay upon his knee and the
other accoutrements of the chase were placed at his side within reach of his
hand Between his feet lay the figure of a hound with its head crouching to the
earth as if it slumbered and so perfectly easy and natural was its position
that a second glance was necessary to tell Middleton he saw only the skin of
Hector stuffed by Indian tenderness and ingenuity in a manner to represent the
living animal His own dog was playing at a distance with the child of
Tachechana and Mahtoree The mother herself stood at hand holding in her arms a
second offspring that might boast of a parentage no less honorable than that
which belonged to a son of HardHeart Le Balafré was seated nigh the dying
trapper with every mark about his person that the hour of his own departure
also was not far distant The rest of those immediately in the centre were
aged men who had apparently drawn near in order to observe the manner in which
a just and fearless warrior would depart on the greatest of his journeys
The old man was reaping the rewards of a life so remarkable for temperance
and activity in a tranquil and placid death His vigor had in a manner endured
to the very last Decay when it did occur was rapid but free from pain He had
hunted with the tribe in the spring and even throughout most of the summer
when his limbs suddenly refused to perform their customary offices A
sympathysing weakness took possession of all his faculties and the Pawnees
believed that they were going to lose in this unexpected manner a sage and
counsellor whom they had begun both to love and to respect But as we have
already said the immortal occupant seemed unwilling to desert its tenement The
lamp of life often flickered without becoming extinguished On the morning of
the day on which Middleton arrived there was a general reviving of the powers
of the whole man His tongue was again heard in wholesome maxims and his eye
from time to time recognised the persons of his friends It merely proved to be
a brief and final intercourse with the world on the part of one who had already
been considered, as to mental communion to have taken his leave of it forever
When he had placed his guests in front of the dying man HardHeart after a
pause that proceeded as much from sorrow as decorum leaned a little forward
and demanded »Does my Father hear the words of his son«
»Speak« returned the trapper in tones that issued from his chest but
which were rendered awfully distinct by the stillness that reigned in the place
»I am about to depart from the village of the Loups and shortly shall be
beyond the reach of your voice«
»Let the wise chief have no cares for his journey« continued HardHeart
with an earnest solicitude that led him to forget for the moment that others
were waiting to address his adopted parent »A hundred Loups shall clear his
path from briars«
»Pawnee I die as I have lived a christian man« resumed the trapper with
a force of voice that had the same startling effect on his hearers as is
produced by the trumpet when its blast rises suddenly and freely on the air
after its obstructed sounds have been heard struggling in the distance »As I
came into life so will I leave it Horses and arms are not needed to stand in
the Presence of the Great Spirit of my people He knows my colour and according
to my gifts will he judge my deeds«
»My father will tell my young men how many Mingoes he has struck and what
acts of valour and justice he has done that they may know how to imitate him«
»A boastful tongue is not heard in the heaven of a white man« solemnly
returned the old man »What I have done he has seen His eyes are always open
That which has been well done will he remember Wherein I have been wrong will
he not forget to chastise though he will do the same in mercy No my son a
paleface may not sing his own praises and hope to have them acceptable before
his God«
A little disappointed the young partisan stepped modestly back making way
for the recent comers to approach Middleton took one of the meagre hands of the
trapper and struggling to command his voice he succeeded in announcing his
presence The old man listened like one whose thoughts were dwelling on a very
different subject but when the other had succeeded in making him understand
that he was present an expression of joyful recognition passed over his faded
features
»I hope you have not so soon forgotten those whom you so materially served«
Middleton concluded »It would pain me to think my hold on your memory was so
light«
»Little that I have ever seen is forgotten« returned the trapper »I am at
the close of many weary days but there is not one among them all that I could
wish to overlook I remember you with the whole of your companions ay and
your granther that went before you I am glad that you have come back upon
these plains for I had need of one who speaks the English since little faith
can be put in the traders of these regions Will you do a favor to an old and
dying man«
»Name it« said Middleton »It shall be done«
»It is a far journey to send such trifles« resumed the old man who spoke
at short intervals as strength and breath permitted »A far and weary journey
is the same But kindnesses and friendships are things not to be forgotten
There is a settlement among the Otsego hills«
»I know the place« interrupted Middleton observing that he spoke with
increasing difficulty »Proceed to tell me what you would have done«
»Take this rifle and pouch and horn and send them to the person whose
name is graven on the plates of the stock A trader cut the letters with his
knife for it is long that I have intended to send him such a token of my love«
»It shall be so Is there more that you could wish«
»Little else have I to bestow My traps I give to my Indian son for
honestly and kindly has he kept his faith Let him stand before me«
Middleton explained to the chief what the trapper had said and relinquished
his own place to the other
»Pawnee« continued the old man always changing his language to suit the
person he addressed and not unfrequently according to the ideas he expressed
»it is a custom of my people for the Father to leave his blessing with the son
before he shuts his eyes forever This blessing I give to you Take it for the
prayers of a Christian man will never make the path of a just warrior to the
blessed Prairies either longer or more tangled May the God of a white man
look on your deeds with friendly eyes and may you never commit an act that
shall cause him to darken his face I know not whether we shall ever meet again
There are many traditions concerning the place of good Spirits It is not for
one like me old and experienced though I am to set up my opinions against a
nations You believe in the blessed Prairies and I have faith in the sayings
of my fathers If both are true our parting will be final but if it should
prove that the same meaning is hid under different words we shall yet stand
together Pawnee before the face of your Wahcondah who will then be no other
than my God There is much to be said in favor of both religions for each seems
suited to its own people and no doubt it was so intended I fear I have not
altogether followed the gifts of my colour inasmuch as I find it a little
painful to give up forever the use of the rifle and the comforts of the chase
But then the fault has been my own seeing that it could not have been His Ay
Hector« he continued leaning forward a little and feeling for the ears of the
hound »our parting has come at last dog and it will be a long hunt You have
been an honest and a bold and a faithful hound Pawnee you cannot slay the pup
on my grave for where a christian dog falls there he lies forever but you can
be kind to him after I am gone for the love you bear his Master«
»The words of my father are in my ears« returned the young Partisan
making a grave and respectful gesture of assent
»Do you hear what the chief has promised dog« demanded the trapper making
an effort to attract the notice of the insensible effigy of his hound Receiving
no answering look nor hearing any friendly whine the old man felt for the
mouth and endeavored to force his hand between the cold lips The truth then
flashed upon him although he was far from perceiving the whole extent of the
deception Falling back in his seat he hung his head like one who felt a severe
and unexpected shock Profiting by this momentary forgetfulness two young
Indians removed the skin with the same delicacy of feeling that had induced
them to attempt the pious fraud
»The dog is dead« muttered the trapper after a pause of many minutes »a
hound has his time as well as a man and well has he filled his days Captain«
he added making an effort to wave his hand for Middleton »I am glad you have
come for though kind and well meaning according to the gifts of their colour
these Indians are not the sort of men to lay the head of a white man in his
grave I have been thinking too of this dog at my feet it will not do to set
forth the opinion that a christian can expect to meet his hound again still
there can be little harm in placing what is left of so faithful a servant nigh
the bones of his master«
»It shall be done as you desire«
»Im glad you think with me in this matter In order then to save labor lay
the pup at my feet or for that matter put him side by side A hunter need
never be ashamed to be found in company with his dog«
»I charge myself with your wish«
The old man made a long and apparently a musing pause At times he raised
his eyes wistfully as if he would again address Middleton but some innate
feeling appeared ever to suppress his words The other who observed his
hesitation enquired in a way most likely to encourage him to proceed whether
there was aught else that he could wish to have done
»I am without kith or kin in the wide world« the trapper answered »When I
am gone there will be an end of my race We have never been chiefs but honest
and useful in our way I hope it cannot be denied we have always proved
ourselves My father lies buried near the sea and the bones of his son will
whiten on the Prairies«
»Name the spot and your remains shall be placed by the side of your father«
interrupted Middleton
»Not so not so Captain Let me sleep where I have lived beyond the din of
the settlements Still I see no need why the grave of an honest man should be
hid like a redskin in his ambushment I paid a man in the settlements to make
and put a graven stone at the head of my fathers restingplace It was of the
value of twelve beaverskins and cunningly and curiously was it carved Then it
told to all comers that the body of such a christian lay beneath and it spoke
of his manner of life of his years and of his honesty When we had done with
the Frenchers in the old war I made a journey to the spot in order to see that
all was rightly performed and glad I am to say the workman had not forgotten
his faith«
»And such a stone you would have at your grave«
»I no no I have no son but HardHeart and it is little that an Indian
knows of white fashions and usages Besides I am his debtor already seeing it
is so little I have done since I have lived in his tribe The rifle might bring
the value of such a thing but then I know it will give the boy pleasure to
hang the piece in his hall for many is the deer and the bird that he has seen
it destroy No no the gun must be sent to him whose name is graven on the
lock«
»But there is one who would gladly prove his affection in the way you wish
He who owes you not only his own deliverance from so many dangers but who
inherits a heavy debt of gratitude from his ancestors The stone shall be put at
the head of your grave«
The old man extended his meagre hand and gave the other a squeeze of
thanks
»I thought you might be willing to do it but I was backward in asking the
favour« he said »seeing that you are not of my kin Put no boastful words on
the same but just the name the age and the time of the death with something
from the holy book No more no more My name will then not be altogether lost
on arth I need no more«
Middleton intimated his assent and then followed a pause that was only
interrupted by distant and broken sentences from the dying man He appeared now
to have closed his accounts with the world and to wait merely for the final
summons to quit it Middleton and HardHeart placed themselves on the opposite
sides of his seat and watched with melancholy solicitude the variations of his
countenance For two hours there was no very sensible alteration The expression
of his faded and timeworn features was that of a calm and dignified repose
From time to time he spoke uttering some brief sentence in the way of advice
or asking some simple question concerning those in whose fortunes he still took
a friendly interest During the whole of that solemn and anxious period each
individual of the tribe kept his place in the most selfrestrained patience
When the old man spoke all bent their heads to listen and when his words were
uttered they seemed to ponder on their wisdom and usefulness
As the flame drew nigher to the socket his voice was hushed and there were
moments when his attendants doubted whether he still belonged to the living
Middleton who watched each wavering expression of his weatherbeaten visage
with the interest of a keen observer of human nature softened by the tenderness
of personal regard fancied that he could read the workings of the old mans
soul in the strong lineaments of his countenance Perhaps what the enlightened
soldier took for the delusion of mistaken opinion did actually occur for who
has returned from that unknown world to explain by what forms and in what manner
he was introduced into its awful precincts Without pretending to explain what
must ever be a mystery to the quick we shall simply relate facts as they
occurred
The trapper had remained nearly motionless for an hour His eyes alone had
occasionally opened and shut When opened his gaze seemed fastened on the clouds
which hung around the western horizon reflecting the bright colours and giving
form and loveliness to the glorious tints of an American sunset The hour the
calm beauty of the season the occasion all conspired to fill the spectators
with solemn awe Suddenly while musing on the remarkable position in which he
was placed Middleton felt the hand which he held grasp his own with
incredible power and the old man supported on either side by his friends rose
upright to his feet For a moment he looked about him as if to invite all in
presence to listen the lingering remnant of human frailty and then with a
fine military elevation of the head and with a voice that might be heard in
every part of that numerous assembly he pronounced the word
»Here«
A movement so entirely unexpected and the air of grandeur and humility
which were so strikingly united in the mien of the trapper together with the
clear and uncommon force of his utterance produced a short period of confusion
in the faculties of all present When Middleton and HardHeart each of whom
involuntarily extended a hand to support the form of the old man turned to him
again they found that the subject of their interest was removed forever beyond
the necessity of their care They mournfully placed the body in its seat and Le
Balafré arose to announce the termination of the scene to the tribe The voice
of the old Indian seemed a sort of echo from that invisible world to which the
spirit of the honest trapper had just departed
»A valiant a just and a wise warrior has gone on the path which will lead
him to the blessed grounds of his people« he said »When the voice of the
Wahcondah called him he was ready to answer Go my children remember the just
chiefs of the Palefaces and clear your own tracks from briars«
The grave was made beneath the shade of some noble oaks It has been
carefully watched to the present hour by the Pawnees of the Loup and is often
shown to the traveller and the trader as a spot where a just whiteman sleeps
In due time the stone was placed at its head with the simple inscription which
the trapper had himself requested The only liberty taken by Middleton was to
add »May no wanton hand ever disturb his remains«
Notes
1 The Mississippi is thus termed in several of the Indian languages The reader
will gain a more just idea of the importance of this stream if he recall to
mind the fact that the Missouri and the Mississippi are properly the same
river Their united lengths cannot be greatly short of four thousand miles
2 All the states admitted to the American Union since the revolution are called
NewStates with the exception of Vermont that had claims before the war which
were not however admitted until a later day
3 Col Boon the patriarch of Kentucky This venerable and hardy pioneer of
civilization emigrated to an estate three hundred miles west of the Mississippi
in his ninety second year because he found a population of ten to the square
mile inconveniently crowded
4 Hommany is a dish composed chiefly of cracked corn or maize
5 It is scarcely necessary to say that this American word means one who takes
his game in a trap It is of general use on the frontiers The beaver an animal
too sagacious to be easily killed is oftener taken in this way than in any
other
6 The cant word for luggage in the western States is plunder The term might
easily mislead one as to the character of the people who notwithstanding their
pleasant use of so expressive a word are like the inhabitants of all new
settlements hospitable and honest Knavery of the description conveyed by
plunder is chiefly found in regions more civilized
7 There is a practice in the new countries to assemble the men of a large
district sometimes of an entire county to exterminate the beasts of prey They
form themselves into a circle of several miles in extent and gradually draw
nearer killing all before them The allusion is to this custom in which the
hunted beast is turned from one to another
8 Halfbreeds men born of Indian women by white fathers This race has much of
the depravity of civilization without the virtues of the savage
9 The whites are so called by the Indians from their swords
10 Anthony Wayne a Pennsylvanian distinguished in the war of the revolution
and subsequently against the Indians of the west for his daring as a general
by which he gained from his followers the title of Mad Anthony General Wayne
was the son of the person mentioned in the life of West as commanding the
regiment which excited his military ardor
11 The American government creates chiefs among the western tribes and
decorates them with silver medals bearing the impression of the different
Presidents That of Washington is the most prized
12 The Americans call the autumn the fall from the fall of the leaf
13 It is scarcely necessary to tell the reader that the animal so often alluded
to in this book and which is vulgarily called the buffaloe is in truth the
bison hence so many contre tems between the man of the Prairies and the man of
science.
14 The pursuit of a beehunter is not uncommon on the skirts of American
society though it is a little embellished here When the bees are seen sucking
the flowers their pursuer contrives to capture one or two He then chooses a
proper spot and suffering one to escape the insect invariably takes its flight
towards the hive Changing his ground to a greater or less distance according
to circumstances the beehunter then permits another to escape Having watched
the courses of the bees which is technically called lining he is enabled to
calculate the intersecting angle of the two lines which is the hive
15 In addition to the scientific distinctions which mark the two species it may
be added with due deference to Dr Battius that a much more important
particular is the fact that while the former of these animals is delicious and
nourishing food the latter is scarcely edible
16 They who have read the preceding books in which the trapper appears as a
hunter and a scout will readily understand the allusions
17 The American hunters consider the tail of the beaver the most nourishing of
all food
18 The Americans and the Indians have adopted several words which each believes
peculiar to the language of the others Thus squaw papoose or child wigwam
etc etc though it is doubtful whether they belonged at all to any Indian
dialect are much used by both white and red men in their intercourse Many
words are derived from the French in this species of Prairie nomaic Partizan
Brave etc are part of the number