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Title: The Deerslayer
Author: James Fenimore Cooper
Release Date: June, 2002 [Etext #3285]
[Yes, we are about one year ahead of schedule]
[The actual date this file first posted = 07/09/01]
Edition: 12
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The Deerslayer
by James Fenimore Cooper
Chapter I.
"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore.
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal"
Childe Harold.
On the human imagination events produce the effects of time. Thus,
he who has travelled far and seen much is apt to fancy that he has
lived long; and the history that most abounds in important incidents
soonest assumes the aspect of antiquity. In no other way can
we account for the venerable air that is already gathering around
American annals. When the mind reverts to the earliest days of
colonial history, the period seems remote and obscure, the thousand
changes that thicken along the links of recollections, throwing
back the origin of the nation to a day so distant as seemingly to
reach the mists of time; and yet four lives of ordinary duration
would suffice to transmit, from mouth to mouth, in the form of
tradition, all that civilized man has achieved within the limits
of the republic. Although New York alone possesses a population
materially exceeding that of either of the four smallest kingdoms
of Europe, or materially exceeding that of the entire Swiss
Confederation, it is little more than two centuries since the Dutch
commenced their settlement, rescuing the region from the savage
state. Thus, what seems venerable by an accumulation of changes
is reduced to familiarity when we come seriously to consider it
solely in connection with time.
This glance into the perspective of the past will prepare the reader
to look at the pictures we are about to sketch, with less surprise
than he might otherwise feel; and a few additional explanations may
carry him back in imagination to the precise condition of society
that we desire to delineate. It is matter of history that the
settlements on the eastern shores of the Hudson, such as Claverack,
Kinderhook, and even Poughkeepsie, were not regarded as safe from
Indian incursions a century since; and there is still standing on
the banks of the same river, and within musket-shot of the wharves
of Albany, a residence of a younger branch of the Van Rensselaers,
that has loopholes constructed for defence against the same crafty
enemy, although it dates from a period scarcely so distant. Other
similar memorials of the infancy of the country are to be found,
scattered through what is now deemed the very centre of American
civilization, affording the plainest proofs that all we possess of
security from invasion and hostile violence is the growth of but
little more than the time that is frequently fulfilled by a single
human life.
The incidents of this tale occurred between the years 1740 and 1745,
when the settled portions of the colony of New York were confined
to the four Atlantic counties, a narrow belt of country on each
side of the Hudson, extending from its mouth to the falls near its
head, and to a few advanced "neighborhoods" on the Mohawk and the
Schoharie. Broad belts of the virgin wilderness not only reached the
shores of the first river, but they even crossed it, stretching away
into New England, and affording forest covers to the noiseless moccasin
of the native warrior, as he trod the secret and bloody war-path.
A bird's-eye view of the whole region east of the Mississippi
must then have offered one vast expanse of woods, relieved by a
comparatively narrow fringe of cultivation along the sea, dotted
by the glittering surfaces of lakes, and intersected by the waving
lines of river. In such a vast picture of solemn solitude, the
district of country we design to paint sinks into insignificance,
though we feel encouraged to proceed by the conviction that, with
slight and immaterial distinctions, he who succeeds in giving an
accurate idea of any portion of this wild region must necessarily
convey a tolerably correct notion of the whole.
Whatever may be the changes produced by man, the eternal round of
the seasons is unbroken. Summer and winter, seed-time and harvest,
return in their stated order with a sublime precision, affording
to man one of the noblest of all the occasions he enjoys of proving
the high powers of his far-reaching mind, in compassing the laws
that control their exact uniformity, and in calculating their
never-ending revolutions.
Centuries of summer suns had warmed the tops of the same noble oaks
and pines, sending their heats even to the tenacious roots, when
voices were heard calling to each other, in the depths of a forest,
of which the leafy surface lay bathed in the brilliant light of a
cloudless day in June, while the trunks of the trees rose in gloomy
grandeur in the shades beneath. The calls were in different tones,
evidently proceeding from two men who had lost their way, and
were searching in different directions for their path. At length
a shout proclaimed success, and presently a man of gigantic mould
broke out of the tangled labyrinth of a small swamp, emerging into
an opening that appeared to have been formed partly by the ravages
of the wind, and partly by those of fire. This little area, which
afforded a good view of the sky, although it was pretty well filled
with dead trees, lay on the side of one of the high hills, or low
mountains, into which nearly the whole surface of the adjacent
country was broken.
"Here is room to breathe in!" exclaimed the liberated forester,
as soon as he found himself under a clear sky, shaking his huge
frame like a mastiff that has just escaped from a snowbank. "Hurrah!
Deerslayer; here is daylight, at last, and yonder is the lake."
These words were scarcely uttered when the second forester dashed
aside the bushes of the swamp, and appeared in the area. After
making a hurried adjustment of his arms and disordered dress, he
joined his companion, who had already begun his disposition for a
halt.
"Do you know this spot!" demanded the one called Deerslayer,"
or do you shout at the sight of the sun?"
"Both, lad, both; I know the spot, and am not sorry to see
so useful a fri'nd as the sun. Now we have got the p'ints of the
compass in our minds once more, and 't will be our own faults if
we let anything turn them topsy-turvy ag'in, as has just happened.
My name is not Hurry Harry, if this be not the very spot where
the land-hunters camped the last summer, and passed a week. See
I yonder are the dead bushes of their bower, and here is the spring.
Much as I like the sun, boy, I've no occasion for it to tell me it
is noon; this stomach of mine is as good a time-piece as is to be
found in the colony, and it already p'ints to half-past twelve.
So open the wallet, and let us wind up for another six hours' run."
At this suggestion, both set themselves about making the preparations
necessary for their usual frugal but hearty meal. We will profit
by this pause in the discourse to give the reader some idea of
the appearance of the men, each of whom is destined to enact no
insignificant part in our legend.
It would not have been easy to find a more noble specimen of
vigorous manhood than was offered in the person of him who called
himself Hurry Harry. His real name was Henry March but the
frontiersmen having caught the practice of giving sobriquets from
the Indians, the appellation of Hurry was far oftener applied to
him than his proper designation, and not unfrequently he was termed
Hurry Skurry, a nickname he had obtained from a dashing, reckless
offhand manner, and a physical restlessness that kept him
so constantly on the move, as to cause him to be known along the
whole line of scattered habitations that lay between the province
and the Canadas. The stature of Hurry Harry exceeded six feet four,
and being unusually well proportioned, his strength fully realized
the idea created by his gigantic frame. The face did no discredit
to the rest of the man, for it was both good-humored and handsome.
His air was free, and though his manner necessarily partook of the
rudeness of a border life, the grandeur that pervaded so noble a
physique prevented it from becoming altogether vulgar.
Deerslayer, as Hurry called his companion, was a very different
person in appearance, as well as in character. In stature he stood
about six feet in his moccasins, but his frame was comparatively
light and slender, showing muscles, however, that promised unusual
agility, if not unusual strength. His face would have had little
to recommend it except youth, were it not for an expression that
seldom failed to win upon those who had leisure to examine it, and
to yield to the feeling of confidence it created. This expression
was simply that of guileless truth, sustained by an earnestness of
purpose, and a sincerity of feeling, that rendered it remarkable.
At times this air of integrity seemed to be so simple as to awaken
the suspicion of a want of the usual means to discriminate between
artifice and truth; but few came in serious contact with the man,
without losing this distrust in respect for his opinions and motives.
Both these frontiersmen were still young, Hurry having reached the
age of six or eight and twenty, while Deerslayer was several years
his junior. Their attire needs no particular description, though
it may be well to add that it was composed in no small degree of
dressed deer-skins, and had the usual signs of belonging to those
who pass their time between the skirts of civilized society and the
boundless forests. There was, notwithstanding, some attention to
smartness and the picturesque in the arrangements of Deerslayer's
dress, more particularly in the part connected with his arms and
accoutrements. His rifle was in perfect condition, the handle of
his hunting-knife was neatly carved, his powder-horn was ornamented
with suitable devices lightly cut into the material, and his
shot-pouch was decorated with wampum.
On the other hand, Hurry Harry, either from constitutional recklessness,
or from a secret consciousness how little his appearance required
artificial aids, wore everything in a careless, slovenly manner,
as if he felt a noble scorn for the trifling accessories of dress
and ornaments. Perhaps the peculiar effect of his fine form and
great stature was increased rather than lessened, by this unstudied
and disdainful air of indifference.
"Come, Deerslayer, fall to, and prove that you have a Delaware
stomach, as you say you have had a Delaware edication," cried
Hurry, setting the example by opening his mouth to receive a slice
of cold venison steak that would have made an entire meal for
a European peasant; "fall to, lad, and prove your manhood on this
poor devil of a doe with your teeth, as you've already done with
your rifle."
"Nay, nay, Hurry, there's little manhood in killing a doe, and that
too out of season; though there might be some in bringing down a
painter or a catamount," returned the other, disposing himself to
comply. "The Delawares have given me my name, not so much on account
of a bold heart, as on account of a quick eye, and an actyve foot.
There may not be any cowardyce in overcoming a deer, but sartain
it is, there's no great valor."
"The Delawares themselves are no heroes," muttered Hurry through
his teeth, the mouth being too full to permit it to be fairly
opened, "or they would never have allowed them loping vagabonds,
the Mingos, to make them women."
"That matter is not rightly understood--has never been rightly
explained," said Deerslayer earnestly, for he was as zealous a
friend as his companion was dangerous as an enemy; "the Mengwe fill
the woods with their lies, and misconstruct words and treaties. I
have now lived ten years with the Delawares, and know them to be as
manful as any other nation, when the proper time to strike comes."
"Harkee, Master Deerslayer, since we are on the subject, we may as
well open our minds to each other in a man-to-man way; answer me
one question; you have had so much luck among the game as to have
gotten a title, it would seem, but did you ever hit anything human
or intelligible: did you ever pull trigger on an inimy that was
capable of pulling one upon you?"
This question produced a singular collision between mortification
and correct feeling, in the bosom of the youth, that was easily
to be traced in the workings of his ingenuous countenance. The
struggle was short, however; uprightness of heart soon getting the
better of false pride and frontier boastfulness.
"To own the truth, I never did," answered Deerslayer; "seeing that
a fitting occasion never offered. The Delawares have been peaceable
since my sojourn with 'em, and I hold it to be onlawful to take
the life of man, except in open and generous warfare."
"What! did you never find a fellow thieving among your traps and
skins, and do the law on him with your own hands, by way of saving
the magistrates trouble in the settlements, and the rogue himself
the cost of the suit!"
"I am no trapper, Hurry," returned the young man proudly: "I live
by the rifle, a we'pon at which I will not turn my back on any
man of my years, atween the Hudson and the St. Lawrence. I never
offer a skin that has not a hole in its head besides them which
natur' made to see with or to breathe through."
"Ay, ay, this is all very well, in the animal way, though it makes
but a poor figure alongside of scalps and ambushes. Shooting an
Indian from an ambush is acting up to his own principles, and now
we have what you call a lawful war on our hands, the sooner you wipe
that disgrace off your character, the sounder will be your sleep;
if it only come from knowing there is one inimy the less prowling in
the woods. I shall not frequent your society long, friend Natty,
unless you look higher than four-footed beasts to practice your
rifle on."
"Our journey is nearly ended, you say, Master March, and we can
part to-night, if you see occasion. I have a fri'nd waiting for
me, who will think it no disgrace to consort with a fellow-creatur'
that has never yet slain his kind."
"I wish I knew what has brought that skulking Delaware into this
part of the country so early in the season," muttered Hurry to
himself, in a way to show equally distrust and a recklessness of
its betrayal. "Where did you say the young chief was to give you
the meeting!"
"At a small round rock, near the foot of the lake, where they tell
me, the tribes are given to resorting to make their treaties, and
to bury their hatchets. This rock have I often heard the Delawares
mention, though lake and rock are equally strangers to me. The
country is claimed by both Mingos and Mohicans, and is a sort
of common territory to fish and hunt through, in time of peace,
though what it may become in war-time, the Lord only knows!"
"Common territory" exclaimed Hurry, laughing aloud. "I should like
to know what Floating Tom Hutter would say to that! He claims the
lake as his own property, in vartue of fifteen years' possession,
and will not be likely to give it up to either Mingo or Delaware
without a battle for it!"
"And what will the colony say to such a quarrel! All this country
must have some owner, the gentry pushing their cravings into the
wilderness, even where they never dare to ventur', in their own
persons, to look at the land they own."
"That may do in other quarters of the colony, Deerslayer, but
it will not do here. Not a human being, the Lord excepted, owns
a foot of sile in this part of the country. Pen was never put to
paper consarning either hill or valley hereaway, as I've heard
old Tom say time and ag'in, and so he claims the best right to it
of any man breathing; and what Tom claims, he'll be very likely to
maintain."
"By what I've heard you say, Hurry, this Floating Tom must be
an oncommon mortal; neither Mingo, Delaware, nor pale-face. His
possession, too, has been long, by your tell, and altogether beyond
frontier endurance. What's the man's history and natur'?"
"Why, as to old Tom's human natur', it is not much like other men's
human natur', but more like a muskrat's human natar', seeing that
he takes more to the ways of that animal than to the ways of any
other fellow-creatur'. Some think he was a free liver on the salt
water, in his youth, and a companion of a sartain Kidd, who was
hanged for piracy, long afore you and I were born or acquainted,
and that he came up into these regions, thinking that the king's
cruisers could never cross the mountains, and that he might enjoy
the plunder peaceably in the woods."
"Then he was wrong, Hurry; very wrong. A man can enjoy plunder
peaceably nowhere."
"That's much as his turn of mind may happen to be. I've known
them that never could enjoy it at all, unless it was in the midst
of a jollification, and them again that enjoyed it best in a corner.
Some men have no peace if they don't find plunder, and some if they
do. Human nature' is crooked in these matters. Old Tom seems to
belong to neither set, as he enjoys his, if plunder he has really
got, with his darters, in a very quiet and comfortable way, and
wishes for no more."
"Ay, he has darters, too; I've heard the Delawares, who've hunted
this a way, tell their histories of these young women. Is there
no mother, Hurry?"
"There was once, as in reason; but she has now been dead and sunk
these two good years."
"Anan?" said Deerslayer, looking up at his companion in a little
surprise.
"Dead and sunk, I say, and I hope that's good English. The old
fellow lowered his wife into the lake, by way of seeing the last
of her, as I can testify, being an eye-witness of the ceremony;
but whether Tom did it to save digging, which is no easy job among
roots, or out of a consait that water washes away sin sooner than
'arth, is more than I can say."
"Was the poor woman oncommon wicked, that her husband
should take so much pains with her body ?"
"Not onreasonable; though she had her faults. I consider Judith
Hutter to have been as graceful, and about as likely to make a good
ind as any woman who had lived so long beyond the sound of church
bells; and I conclude old Tom sunk her as much by way of saving
pains, as by way of taking it. There was a little steel in her
temper, it's true, and, as old Hutter is pretty much flint, they
struck out sparks once-and-a-while; but, on the whole, they might
be said to live amicable like. When they did kindle, the listeners
got some such insights into their past lives, as one gets into the
darker parts of the woods, when a stray gleam of sunshine finds
its way down to the roots of the trees. But Judith I shall always
esteem, as it's recommend enough to one woman to be the
mother of such a creatur' as her darter, Judith Hutter!"
"Ay, Judith was the name the Delawares mentioned, though it was
pronounced after a fashion of their own. From their discourse, I
do not think the girl would much please my fancy."
"Thy fancy!" exclaimed March, taking fire equally at the indifference
and at the presumption of his companion, "what the devil have you
to do with a fancy, and that, too, consarning one like Judith? You
are but a boy--a sapling, that has scarce got root. Judith has
had men among her suitors, ever since she was fifteen; which is now
near five years; and will not be apt even to cast a look
upon a half-grown creatur' like you!"
"It is June, and there is not a cloud atween us and the sun, Hurry,
so all this heat is not wanted," answered the other, altogether
undisturbed; "any one may have a fancy, and a squirrel has a right
to make up his mind touching a catamount."
"Ay, but it might not be wise, always, to let the catamount
know it," growled March. "But you're young and thoughtless, and
I'll overlook your ignorance. Come, Deerslayer," he added, with
a good-natured laugh, after pausing a moment to reflect, "come,
Deerslayer, we are sworn friends, and will not quarrel about a
light-minded, jilting jade, just because she happens to be handsome;
more especially as you have never seen her. Judith is only for a
man whose teeth show the full marks, and it's foolish to be afeard
of a boy. What did the Delawares say of the hussy? for an Indian,
after all, has his notions of woman-kind, as well as a white man."
"They said she was fair to look on, and pleasant of speech; but
over-given to admirers, and light-minded."
"They are devils incarnate! After all, what schoolmaster is a
match for an Indian, in looking into natur'! Some people think
they are only good on a trail or the war-path, but I say that they
are philosophers, and understand a man as well as they understand
a beaver, and a woman as well as they understand either. Now
that's Judith's character to a ribbon! To own the truth to you,
Deerslayer, I should have married the gal two years since, if it
had not been for two particular things, one of which was this very
lightmindedness."
"And what may have been the other?" demanded the hunter, who
continued to eat like one that took very little interest in the
subject.
"T'other was an insartainty about her having me. The hussy
is handsome, and she knows it. Boy, not a tree that is growing
in these hills is straighter, or waves in the wind with an easier
bend, nor did you ever see the doe that bounded with a more nat'ral
motion. If that was all, every tongue would sound her praises;
but she has such failings that I find it hard to overlook them,
and sometimes I swear I'll never visit the lake again."
"Which is the reason that you always come back? Nothing is ever
made more sure by swearing about it."
"Ah, Deerslayer, you are a novelty in these particulars; keeping
as true to education as if you had never left the settlements.
With me the case is different, and I never want to clinch an idee,
that I do not feel a wish to swear about it. If you know'd all that
I know consarning Judith, you'd find a justification for a little
cussing. Now, the officers sometimes stray over to the lake, from
the forts on the Mohawk, to fish and hunt, and then the creatur'
seems beside herself! You can see in the manner which she wears
her finery, and the airs she gives herself with the gallants."
"That is unseemly in a poor man's darter," returned Deerslayer
gravely, "the officers are all gentry, and can only look on such
as Judith with evil intentions."
"There's the unsartainty, and the damper! I have my misgivings
about a particular captain, and Jude has no one to blame but her
own folly, if I'm right. On the whole, I wish to look upon her
as modest and becoming, and yet the clouds that drive among these
hills are not more unsartain. Not a dozen white men have ever
laid eyes upon her since she was a child, and yet her airs,
with two or three of these officers, are extinguishers!"
"I would think no more of such a woman, but turn my mind altogether
to the forest; that will not deceive you, being ordered and ruled
by a hand that never wavers."
"If you know'd Judith, you would see how much easier it is to say
this than it would be to do it. Could I bring my mind to be easy
about the officers, I would carry the gal off to the Mohawk by
force, make her marry me in spite of her whiffling, and leave old
Tom to the care of Hetty, his other child, who, if she be not as
handsome or as quick-witted as her sister, is much the most dutiful."
"Is there another bird in the same nest!" asked Deerslayer,
raising his eyes with a species of half-awakened curiosity, "the
Delawares spoke to me only of one."
That's nat'ral enough, when Judith Hutter and Hetty Hutter are in
question. Hetty is only comely, while her sister, I tell thee,
boy, is such another as is not to be found atween this and the sea:
Judith is as full of wit, and talk, and cunning, as an old Indian
orator, while poor Hetty is at the best but 'compass meant us.'"
"Anan?" inquired, again, the Deerslayer.
"Why, what the officers call 'compass meant us,' which I understand
to signify that she means always to go in the right direction, but
sometimes does not know how. 'Compass'for the p'int, and 'meant
us' for the intention. No, poor Hetty is what I call on the verge
of ignorance, and sometimes she stumbles on one side of the line,
and sometimes on t'other."
"Them are beings that the Lord has in his special care," said
Deerslayer, solemnly; "for he looks carefully to all who fall short
of their proper share of reason. The red-skins honor and respect
them who are so gifted, knowing that the Evil Spirit delights more
to dwell in an artful body, than in one that has no cunning to work
upon."
"I'll answer for it, then, that he will not remain long with poor
Hetty; for the child is just 'compass meant us,' as I have told you.
Old Tom has a feeling for the gal, and so has Judith, quick-witted
and glorious as she is herself; else would I not answer for her
being altogether safe among the sort of men that sometimes meet on
the lake shore."
"I thought this water an unknown and little-frequented sheet,"
observed the Deerslayer, evidently uneasy at the idea of being too
near the world.
"It's all that, lad, the eyes of twenty white men never having
been laid on it; still, twenty true-bred frontiersmen -- hunters
and trappers, and scouts, and the like, -- can do a deal of mischief
if they try. 'T would be an awful thing to me, Deerslayer, did I
find Judith married, after an absence of six months!"
"Have you the gal's faith, to encourage you to hope otherwise?"
"Not at all. I know not how it is: I'm good-looking, boy, -- that
much I can see in any spring on which the sun shines, -- and yet
I could not get the hussy to a promise, or even a cordial willing
smile, though she will laugh by the hour. If she has dared to marry
in my absence, she'd be like to know the pleasures of widowhood
afore she is twenty!"
"You would not harm the man she has chosen, Hurry, simply because
she found him more to her liking than yourself!"
Why not! If an enemy crosses my path, will I not beat him out of
it! Look at me! am I a man like to let any sneaking, crawling,
skin-trader get the better of me in a matter that touches me
as near as the kindness of Judith Hutter! Besides, when we live
beyond law, we must be our own judges and executioners. And if
a man should be found dead in the woods, who is there to say who
slew him, even admitting that the colony took the matter in hand
and made a stir about it?"
"If that man should be Judith Hutter's husband, after what has
passed, I might tell enough, at least, to put the colony on the
trail."
"You!--half-grown, venison-hunting bantling! You dare to think of
informing against Hurry Harry in so much as a matter touching
a mink or a woodchuck!"
"I would dare to speak truth, Hurry, consarning you or any man that
ever lived."
March looked at his companion, for a moment, in silent amazement;
then seizing him by the throat with both hands, he shook his comparatively
slight frame with a violence that menaced the dislocation of some
of the bones. Nor was this done jocularly, for anger flashed
from the giant's eyes, and there were certain signs that seemed to
threaten much more earnestness than the occasion would appear to
call for. Whatever might be the real intention of March, and it is
probable there was none settled in his mind, it is certain that he
was unusually aroused; and most men who found themselves throttled
by one of a mould so gigantic, in such a mood, and in a solitude
so deep and helpless, would have felt intimidated, and tempted
to yield even the right. Not so, however, with Deerslayer. His
countenance remained unmoved; his hand did not shake, and his answer
was given in a voice that did not resort to the artifice of louder
tones, even by way of proving its owner's resolution.
"You may shake, Hurry, until you bring down the mountain," he said
quietly, "but nothing beside truth will you shake from me. It is
probable that Judith Hutter has no husband to slay, and you may
never have a chance to waylay one, else would I tell her of your
threat, in the first conversation I held with the gal."
March released his grip, and sat regarding the other in silent
astonishment.
"I thought we had been friends," he at length added; "but you've
got the last secret of mine that will ever enter your ears."
"I want none, if they are to be like this. I know we live in the
woods, Hurry, and are thought to be beyond human laws,--and perhaps
we are so, in fact, whatever it may be in right,--but there is a
law and a law-maker, that rule across the whole continent. He that
flies in the face of either need not call me a friend."
"Damme, Deerslayer, if I do not believe you are at heart a Moravian,
and no fair-minded, plain-dealing hunter, as you've pretended to be!"
"Fair-minded or not, Hurry, you will find me as plaindealing in
deeds as I am in words. But this giving way to sudden anger is
foolish, and proves how little you have sojourned with the red man.
Judith Hutter no doubt is still single, and you spoke but as the
tongue ran, and not as the heart felt. There's my hand, and we
will say and think no more about it."
Hurry seemed more surprised than ever; then he burst forth in a
loud, good-natured laugh, which brought tears to his eyes. After
this he accepted the offered hand, and the parties became friends.
"'T would have been foolish to quarrel about an idee," March cried,
as he resumed his meal, "and more like lawyers in the towns than
like sensible men in the woods. They tell me, Deerslayer, much
ill-blood grows out of idees among the people in the lower counties,
and that they sometimes get to extremities upon them."
"That do they,-that do they; and about other matters that might
better be left to take care of themselves. I have heard the Moravians
say that there are lands in which men quarrel even consarning their
religion; and if they can get their tempers up on such a subject,
Hurry, the Lord have Marcy on 'em. Howsoever, there is no occasion
for our following their example, and more especially about a husband
that this Judith Hutter may never see, or never wish to see. For
my part, I feel more cur'osity about the feeble-witted sister than
about your beauty. There's something that comes close to a man's
feelin's, when he meets with a fellow-creatur' that has all the
outward show of an accountable mortal, and who fails of being what
he seems, only through a lack of reason. This is bad enough in
a man, but when it comes to a woman, and she a young, and maybe
a winning creatur' it touches all the pitiful thoughts his natur'
has. God knows, Hurry, that such poor things be defenceless enough
with all their wits about 'em; but it's a cruel fortun' when that
great protector and guide fails 'em."
"Hark, Deerslayer,--you know what the hunters, and trappers, and
peltry-men in general be; and their best friends will not deny that
they are headstrong and given to having their own way, without much
bethinking 'em of other people's rights or feelin's,--and yet I
don't think the man is to be found, in all this region, who would
harm Hetty Hutter, if he could; no, not even a red-skin."
"Therein, fri'nd Hurry, you do the Delawares, at least, and all
their allied tribes, only justice, for a red-skin looks upon a
being thus struck by God's power as especially under his care. I
rejoice to hear what you say, however, I rejoice to hear it; but
as the sun is beginning to turn towards the afternoon's sky, had
we not better strike the trail again, and make forward, that we
may get an opportunity of seeing these wonderful sisters?"
Harry March giving a cheerful assent, the remnants of the meal were
soon collected; then the travelers shouldered their packs, resumed
their arms, and, quitting the little area of light, they again
plunged into the deep shadows of the forest.
Chapter II.
"Thou'rt passing from the lake's green side,
And the hunter's hearth away;
For the time of flowers, for the summer's pride,
Daughter! thou canst not stay."
Mrs. Hemans, "Edith. A Tale of the Woods" II. 191-94
Our two adventurers had not far to go. Hurry knew the direction,
as soon as he had found the open spot and the spring, and he now
led on with the confident step of a man assured of his object.
The forest was dark, as a matter of course, but it was no longer
obstructed by underbrush, and the footing was firm and dry. After
proceeding near a mile, March stopped, and began to cast about him
with an inquiring look, examining the different objects with care,
and occasionally turning his eyes on the trunks of the fallen trees,
with which the ground was well sprinkled, as is usually the case
in an American wood, especially in those parts of the country where
timber has not yet become valuable.
"This must be the place, Deerslayer," March at length observed;
"here is a beech by the side of a hemlock, with three pines at
hand, and yonder is a white birch with a broken top; and yet I see
no rock, nor any of the branches bent down, as I told you would be
the case."
"Broken branches are onskilful landmarks, as the least exper'enced
know that branches don't often break of themselves," returned
the other; "and they also lead to suspicion and discoveries. The
Delawares never trust to broken branches, unless it is in friendly
times, and on an open trail. As for the beeches, and pines, and
hemlocks, why, they are to be seen on all sides of us, not only by
twos and threes, but by forties, and fifties, and hundreds."
"Very true, Deerslayer, but you never calculate on position. Here
is a beech and a hemlock--"
"Yes, and there is another beech and a hemlock, as loving as two
brothers, or, for that matter, more loving than some brothers; and
yonder are others, for neither tree is a rarity in these woods.
I fear me, Hurry, you are better at trapping beaver and shooting
bears, than at leading on a blindish sort of a trail. Ha! there's
what you wish to find, a'ter all!"
"Now, Deerslayer, this is one of your Delaware pretensions, for
hang me if I see anything but these trees, which do seem to start
up around us in a most onaccountable and perplexing manner."
"Look this a way, Hurry--here, in a line with the black oak-don't
you see the crooked sapling that is hooked up in the branches of
the bass-wood, near it? Now, that sapling was once snow-ridden,
and got the bend by its weight; but it never straightened itself,
and fastened itself in among the bass-wood branches in the way you
see. The hand of man did that act of kindness for it."
"That hand was mine!" exclaimed Hurry; "I found the slender
young thing bent to the airth, like an unfortunate creatur' borne
down by misfortune, and stuck it up where you see it. After all,
Deerslayer, I must allow, you're getting to have an oncommon good
eye for the woods!"
"'Tis improving, Hurry-- 'tis improving I will acknowledge; but
'tis only a child's eye, compared to some I know. There's Tamenund,
now, though a man so old that few remember when he was in his
prime, Tamenund lets nothing escape his look, which is more like
the scent of a hound than the sight of an eye. Then Uncas, the
father of Chingachgook, and the lawful chief of the Mohicans, is
another that it is almost hopeless to pass unseen. I'm improving,
I will allow-- I'm improving, but far from being perfect, as yet."
"And who is this Chingachgook, of whom you talk so much, Deerslayer!"
asked Hurry, as he moved off in the direction of the righted
sapling; "a loping red-skin, at the best, I make no question."
"Not so, Hurry, but the best of loping red-skins, as you call 'em.
If he had his rights, he would be a great chief; but, as it is,
he is only a brave and just-minded Delaware; respected, and even
obeyed in some things,'tis true, but of a fallen race, and belonging
to a fallen people. Ah! Harry March, 'twould warm the heart within
you to sit in their lodges of a winter's night, and listen to the
traditions of the ancient greatness and power of the Mohicans!"
"Harkee, fri'nd Nathaniel," said Hurry, stopping short to face his
companion, in order that his words might carry greater weight with
them, "if a man believed all that other people choose to say in
their own favor, he might get an oversized opinion of them, and
an undersized opinion of himself. These red-skins are notable
boasters, and I set down more than half of their traditions as pure
talk."
"There is truth in what you say, Hurry, I'll not deny it, for I've
seen it, and believe it. They do boast, but then that is a gift
from natur'; and it's sinful to withstand nat'ral gifts. See; this
is the spot you come to find!" This remark cut short the discourse,
and both the men now gave all their attention to the object
immediately before them. Deerslayer pointed out to his companion
the trunk of a huge linden, or bass-wood, as it is termed in the
language of the country, which had filled its time, and fallen by
its own weight. This tree, like so many millions of its brethren,
lay where it had fallen, and was mouldering under the slow but
certain influence of the seasons. The decay, however, had attacked
its centre, even while it stood erect in the pride of vegetation,
bellowing out its heart, as disease sometimes destroys the vitals
of animal life, even while a fair exterior is presented to the
observer. As the trunk lay stretched for near a hundred feet along
the earth, the quick eye of the hunter detected this peculiarity,
and from this and other circumstances, he knew it to be the tree
of which March was in search.
"Ay, here we have what we want," cried Hurry, looking in at the
larger end of the linden; "everything is as snug as if it had been
left in an old woman's cupboard. Come, lend me a hand, Deerslayer,
and we'll be afloat in half an hour."
At this call the hunter joined his companion, and the two went to
work deliberately and regularly, like men accustomed to the sort
of thing in which they were employed. In the first place, Hurry
removed some pieces of bark that lay before the large opening in
the tree, and which the other declared to be disposed in a way that
would have been more likely to attract attention than to conceal
the cover, had any straggler passed that way. The two then drew out
a bark canoe, containing its seats, paddles, and other appliances,
even to fishing-lines and rods. This vessel was by no means
small; but such was its comparative lightness, and so gigantic was
the strength of Hurry, that the latter shouldered it with seeming
ease, declining all assistance, even in the act of raising it to
the awkward position in which he was obliged to hold it.
"Lead ahead, Deerslayer," said March, "and open the bushes; the
rest I can do for myself."
The other obeyed, and the men left the spot, Deerslayer clearing
the way for his companion, and inclining to the right or to the
left, as the latter directed. In about ten minutes they both broke
suddenly into the brilliant light of the sun, on a low gravelly
point, that was washed by water on quite half its outline.
An exclamation of surprise broke from the lips of Deerslayer, an
exclamation that was low and guardedly made, however, for his habits
were much more thoughtful and regulated than those of the reckless
Hurry, when on reaching the margin of the lake, he beheld the view
that unexpectedly met his gaze. It was, in truth, sufficiently
striking to merit a brief description. On a level with the point
lay a broad sheet of water, so placid and limpid that it resembled
a bed of the pure mountain atmosphere, compressed into a setting
of hills and woods. Its length was about three leagues, while its
breadth was irregular, expanding to half a league, or even more,
opposite to the point, and contracting to less than half that distance,
more to the southward. Of course, its margin was irregular, being
indented by bays, and broken by many projecting, low points. At its
northern, or nearest end, it was bounded by an isolated mountain,
lower land falling off east and west, gracefully relieving the sweep
of the outline. Still the character of the country was mountainous;
high hills, or low mountains, rising abruptly from the water, on
quite nine tenths of its circuit. The exceptions, indeed, only
served a little to vary the scene; and even beyond the parts of the
shore that were comparatively low, the background was high, though
more distant.
But the most striking peculiarities of this scene were its solemn
solitude and sweet repose. On all sides, wherever the eye turned,
nothing met it but the mirror-like surface of the lake, the placid
view of heaven, and the dense setting of woods. So rich and fleecy
were the outlines of the forest, that scarce an opening could be
seen, the whole visible earth, from the rounded mountain-top to
the water's edge, presenting one unvaried hue of unbroken verdure.
As if vegetation were not satisfied with a triumph so complete,
the trees overhung the lake itself, shooting out towards the light;
and there were miles along its eastern shore, where a boat might
have pulled beneath the branches of dark Rembrandt-looking hemlocks,
"quivering aspens," and melancholy pines. In a word, the hand
of man had never yet defaced or deformed any part of this native
scene, which lay bathed in the sunlight, a glorious picture of
affluent forest grandeur, softened by the balminess of June, and
relieved by the beautiful variety afforded by the presence of so
broad an expanse of water.
"This is grand! -- 'tis solemn!- 'tis an edication of itself,
to look upon!" exclaimed Deerslayer, as he stood leaning on his
rifle, and gazing to the right and left, north and south, above
and beneath, in whichever direction his eye could wander; "not a
tree disturbed even by red-skin hand, as I can discover, but everything
left in the ordering of the Lord, to live and die according to his
own designs and laws! Hurry, your Judith ought to be a moral and
well disposed young woman, if she has passed half the time you
mention in the centre of a spot so favored."
"That's naked truth; and yet the gal has the vagaries. All her time
has not been passed here, howsoever, old Tom having the custom,
afore I know'd him, of going to spend the winters in the neighborhood
of the settlers, or under the guns of the forts. No, no, Jude has
caught more than is for her good from the settlers, and especially
from the gallantifying officers."
"If she has--if she has, Hurry, this is a school to set her mind
right ag'in. But what is this I see off here, abreast of us, that
seems too small for an island, and too large for a boat, though it
stands in the midst of the water!
"Why, that is what these galantine gentry from the forts call
Muskrat Castle; and old Tom himself will grin at the name, though
it bears so hard on his own natur' and character. 'Tis the stationary
house, there being two; this, which never moves, and the other,
that floats, being sometimes in one part of the lake and sometimes
in another. The last goes by the name of the ark, though what may
be the meaning of the word is more than I can tell you."
"It must come from the missionaries, Hurry, whom I have heard
speak and read of such a thing. They say that the 'arth was once
covered with water, and that Noah, with his children, was saved from
drowning by building a vessel called an ark, in which he embarked
in season. Some of the Delawares believe this tradition, and some
deny it; but it behooves you and me, as white men born, to put
our faith in its truth. Do you see anything of this ark?"
"'Tis down south, no doubt, or anchored in some of the bays. But
the canoe is ready, and fifteen minutes will carry two such paddles
as your'n and mine to the castle."
At this suggestion, Deerslayer helped his companion to place the
different articles in the canoe, which was already afloat. This
was no sooner done than the two frontiermen embarked, and by a
vigorous push sent the light bark some eight or ten rods from the
shore. Hurry now took the seat in the stern, while Deerslayer
placed himself forward, and by leisurely but steady strokes of
the paddles, the canoe glided across the placid sheet, towards the
extraordinary-looking structure that the former had styled Muskrat
Castle. Several times the men ceased paddling, and looked about them
at the scene, as new glimpses opened from behind points, enabling
them to see farther down the lake, or to get broader views of
the wooded mountains. The only changes, however, were in the new
forms of the hills, the varying curvature of the bays, and the
wider reaches of the valley south; the whole earth apparently being
clothed in a gala-dress of leaves.
"This is a sight to warm the heart!" exclaimed Deerslayer, when
they had thus stopped for the fourth or fifth time; "the lake seems
made to let us get an insight into the noble forests; and land and
water alike stand in the beauty of God's providence! Do you say,
Hurry, that there is no man who calls himself lawful owner of all
these glories?"
"None but the King, lad. He may pretend to some right of that
natur', but he is so far away that his claim will never trouble
old Tom Hutter, who has got possession, and is like to keep it as
long as his life lasts. Tom is no squatter, not being on land; I
call him a floater."
"I invy that man! I know it's wrong, and I strive ag'in the feelin',
but I invy that man! Don't think, Hurry, that I'm consorting any
plan to put myself in his moccasins, for such a thought doesn't
harbor in my mind; but I can't help a little invy! 'Tis a nat'ral
feelin', and the best of us are but nat'ral, a'ter all, and give
way to such feelin's at times."
"You've only to marry Hetty to inherit half the estate," cried Hurry,
laughing; "the gal is comely; nay, if it wasn't for her sister's
beauty she would be even handsome; and then her wits are so small
that you may easily convart her into one of your own way of thinking,
in all things. Do you take Hetty off the old fellow's hands, and
I'll engage he'll give you an interest in every deer you can knock
over within five miles of his lake."
"Does game abound!" suddenly demanded the other, who paid but little
attention to March's raillery.
"It has the country to itself. Scarce a trigger is pulled on it;
and as for the trappers, this is not a region they greatly frequent.
I ought not to be so much here myself, but Jude pulls one way, while
the beaver pulls another. More than a hundred Spanish dollars has
that creatur' cost me the last two seasons, and yet I could not
forego the wish to look upon her face once more."
"Do the redmen often visit this lake, Hurry?" continued Deerslayer,
pursuing his own train of thought.
"Why, they come and go; sometimes in parties, and sometimes singly.
The country seems to belong to no native tribe in particular; and
so it has fallen into the hands of the Hutter tribe. The old man
tells me that some sharp ones have been wheedling the Mohawks for
an Indian deed, in order to get a title out of the colony; but
nothing has come of it, seeing that no one heavy enough for such
a trade has yet meddled with the matter. The hunters have a good
life-lease still of this wilderness."
"So much the better, so much the better, Hurry. If I was King
of England, the man that felled one of these trees without good
occasion for the timber, should be banished to a desarted and forlorn
region, in which no fourfooted animal ever trod. Right glad am I
that Chingachgook app'inted our meeting on this lake, for hitherto
eye of mine never looked on such a glorious spectacle."
"That's because you've kept so much among the Delawares, in whose country
there are no lakes. Now, farther north and farther west these
bits of water abound; and you're young, and may yet live to see
'em. But though there be other lakes, Deerslayer, there's no other
Judith Hutter!"
At this remark his companion smiled, and then he dropped his paddle
into the water, as if in consideration of a lover's haste. Both
now pulled vigorously until they got within a hundred yards of
the "castle," as Hurry familiarly called the house of Hutter, when
they again ceased paddling; the admirer of Judith restraining his
impatience the more readily, as he perceived that the building was
untenanted, at the moment. This new pause was to enable Deerslayer
to survey the singular edifice, which was of a construction so
novel as to merit a particular description.
Muskrat Castle, as the house had been facetiously named by some
waggish officer, stood in the open lake, at a distance of fully a
quarter of a mile from the nearest shore. On every other side the
water extended much farther, the precise position being distant
about two miles from the northern end of the sheet, and near, if
not quite, a mile from its eastern shore. As there was not the
smallest appearance of any island, but the house stood on piles,
with the water flowing beneath it, and Deerslayer had already
discovered that the lake was of a great depth, he was fain to ask
an explanation of this singular circumstance. Hurry solved the
difficulty by telling him that on this spot alone, a long, narrow
shoal, which extended for a few hundred yards in a north and south
direction, rose within six or eight feet of the surface of the lake,
and that Hutter had driven piles into it, and placed his habitation
on them, for the purpose of security.
"The old fellow was burnt out three times, atween the Indians and
the hunters; and in one affray with the red-skins he lost his only
son, since which time he has taken to the water for safety. No
one can attack him here, without coming in a boat, and the plunder
and scalps would scarce be worth the trouble of digging out canoes.
Then it's by no means sartain which would whip in such a scrimmage,
for old Tom is well supplied with arms and ammunition, and the
castle, as you may see, is a tight breastwork ag'in light shot."
Deerslayer had some theoretical knowledge of frontier warfare,
though he had never yet been called on to raise his hand in anger
against a fellow-creature. He saw that Hurry did not overrate
the strength of this position in a military point of view, since
it would not be easy to attack it without exposing the assailants
to the fire of the besieged. A good deal of art had also been
manifested in the disposition of the timber of which the building
was constructed and which afforded a protection much greater than
was usual to the ordinary log-cabins of the frontier. The sides
and ends were composed of the trunks of large pines, cut about nine
feet long, and placed upright, instead of being laid horizontally,
as was the practice of the country. These logs were squared on
three sides, and had large tenons on each end. Massive sills were
secured on the heads of the piles, with suitable grooves dug out
of their upper surfaces, which had been squared for the purpose,
and the lower tenons of the upright pieces were placed in these
grooves, giving them secure fastening below. Plates had been laid
on the upper ends of the upright logs, and were kept in their places
by a similar contrivance; the several corners of the structure
being well fastened by scarfing and pinning the sills and plates.
The doors were made of smaller logs, similarly squared, and the
roof was composed of light poles, firmly united, and well covered
with bark.
The effect of this ingenious arrangement was to give its owner a
house that could be approached only by water, the sides of which
were composed of logs closely wedged together, which were two feet
thick in their thinnest parts, and which could be separated only
by a deliberate and laborious use of human hands, or by the slow
operation of time. The outer surface of the building was rude and
uneven, the logs being of unequal sizes; but the squared surfaces
within gave both the sides and door as uniform an appearance as was
desired, either for use or show. The chimney was not the least
singular portion of the castle, as Hurry made his companion observe,
while he explained the process by which it had been made. The
material was a stiff clay, properly worked, which had been put
together in a mould of sticks, and suffered to harden, a foot or
two at a time, commencing at the bottom. When the entire chimney
had thus been raised, and had been properly bound in with outward
props, a brisk fire was kindled, and kept going until it was burned
to something like a brick-red. This had not been an easy operation,
nor had it succeeded entirely; but by dint of filling the cracks
with fresh clay, a safe fireplace and chimney had been obtained
in the end. This part of the work stood on the log-door, secured
beneath by an extra pile. There were a few other peculiarities
about this dwelling, which will better appear in the course of the
narrative.
"Old Tom is full of contrivances," added Hurry, "and he set his
heart on the success of his chimney, which threatened more than
once to give out altogether; but perseverance will even overcome
smoke; and now he has a comfortable cabin of it, though it did
promise, at one time, to be a chinky sort of a flue to carry flames
and fire."
"You seem to know the whole history of the castle, Hurry, chimney
and sides," said Deerslayer, smiling; "is love so overcoming that
it causes a man to study the story of his sweetheart's habitation ?"
"Partly that, lad, and partly eyesight," returned the good-natured
giant, laughing; "there was a large gang of us in the lake, the
summer the old fellow built, and we helped him along with the job.
I raised no small part of the weight of them uprights with my own
shoulders, and the axes flew, I can inform you, Master Natty, while
we were bee-ing it among the trees ashore. The old devil is no way
stingy about food, and as we had often eat at his hearth, we thought
we would just house him comfortably, afore we went to Albany with
our skins. Yes, many is the meal I've swallowed in Tom Hutter's
cabins; and Hetty, though so weak in the way of wits, has
a wonderful particular way about a frying-pan or a gridiron!
"While the parties were thus discoursing, the canoe had been
gradually drawing nearer to the "castle," and was now so close as
to require but a single stroke of a paddle to reach the landing.
This was at a floored platform in front of the entrance, that might
have been some twenty feet square.
"Old Tom calls this sort of a wharf his door-yard," observed Hurry,
as he fastened the canoe, after he and his Companion had left it:
"and the gallants from the forts have named it the castle court
though what a 'court' can have to do here is more than I can tell
you, seeing that there is no law. 'Tis as I supposed; not a soul
within, but the whole family is off on a v'y'ge of discovery!"
While Hurry was bustling about the "door-yard," examining the
fishing-spears, rods, nets, and other similar appliances of a frontier
cabin, Deerslayer, whose manner was altogether more rebuked and
quiet, entered the building with a curiosity that was not usually
exhibited by one so long trained in Indian habits. The interior
of the "castle" was as faultlessly neat as its exterior was novel.
The entire space, some twenty feet by forty, was subdivided into
several small sleeping-rooms; the apartment into which he first
entered, serving equally for the ordinary uses of its inmates, and
for a kitchen. The furniture was of the strange mixture that it
is not uncommon to find in the remotely situated log-tenements of
the interior. Most of it was rude, and to the last degree rustic;
but there was a clock, with a handsome case of dark wood, in a
corner, and two or three chairs, with a table and bureau, that had
evidently come from some dwelling of more than usual pretension.
The clock was industriously ticking, but its leaden-looking hands
did no discredit to their dull aspect, for they pointed to the
hour of eleven, though the sun plainly showed it was some time past
the turn of the day. There was also a dark, massive chest. The
kitchen utensils were of the simplest kind, and far from numerous,
but every article was in its place, and showed the nicest care in
its condition.
After Deerslayer had cast a look about him in the outer room, he
raised a wooden latch, and entered a narrow passage that divided
the inner end of the house into two equal parts. Frontier usages
being no way scrupulous, and his curiosity being strongly excited,
the young man now opened a door, and found himself in a bedroom.
A single glance sufficed to show that the apartment belonged to
females. The bed was of the feathers of wild geese, and filled
nearly to overflowing; but it lay in a rude bunk, raised only a foot
from the door. On one side of it were arranged, on pegs, various
dresses, of a quality much superior to what one would expect to
meet in such a place, with ribbons and other similar articles to
correspond. Pretty shoes, with handsome silver buckles, such as
were then worn by females in easy circumstances, were not wanting;
and no less than six fans, of gay colors, were placed half open,
in a way to catch the eye by their conceits and hues. Even the
pillow, on this side of the bed, was covered with finer linen than
its companion, and it was ornamented with a small ruffle. A cap,
coquettishly decorated with ribbons, hung above it, and a pair of
long gloves, such as were rarely used in those days by persons of
the laboring classes, were pinned ostentatiously to it, as if with
an intention to exhibit them there, if they could not be shown on
the owner's arms.
All this Deerslayer saw, and noted with a degree of minuteness that
would have done credit to the habitual observation of his friends,
the Delawares. Nor did he fail to perceive the distinction that
existed between the appearances on the different sides of the bed,
the head of which stood against the wall. On that opposite to the
one just described, everything was homely and uninviting, except
through its perfect neatness. The few garments that were hanging
from the pegs were of the coarsest materials and of the commonest
forms, while nothing seemed made for show. Of ribbons there was
not one; nor was there either cap or kerchief beyond those which
Hutter's daughters might be fairly entitled to wear.
It was now several years since Deerslayer had been in a spot
especially devoted to the uses of females of his own color and race.
The sight brought back to his mind a rush of childish recollections;
and he lingered in the room with a tenderness of feeling to which
he had long been a stranger. He bethought him of his mother, whose
homely vestments he remembered to have seen hanging on pegs like
those which he felt must belong to Hetty Hutter; and he bethought
himself of a sister, whose incipient and native taste for finery had
exhibited itself somewhat in the manner of that of Judith, though
necessarily in a less degree. These little resemblances opened a
long hidden vein of sensations; and as he quitted the room, it was
with a saddened mien. He looked no further, but returned slowly
and thoughtfully towards the "door-yard."
"If Old Tom has taken to a new calling, and has been trying his
hand at the traps," cried Hurry, who had been coolly examining the
borderer's implements; "if that is his humor, and you're disposed
to remain in these parts, we can make an oncommon comfortable season
of it; for, while the old man and I out-knowledge the beaver, you
can fish, and knock down the deer, to keep body and soul together.
I've always give the poorest hunters half a share, but one as actyve
and sartain as yourself might expect a full one."
"Thank'ee, Hurry; thank'ee, with all my heart--but I do a little
beavering for myself as occasions offer. 'Tis true, the Delawares
call me Deerslayer, but it's not so much because I'm pretty fatal
with the venison as because that while I kill so many bucks and
does, I've never yet taken the life of a fellow-creatur'. They
say their traditions do not tell of another who had shed so much
blood of animals that had not shed the blood of man."
"I hope they don't account you chicken-hearted, lad! A faint-hearted
man is like a no-tailed beaver."
"I don't believe, Hurry, that they account me as out-of the-way
timorsome, even though they may not account me as out-of-the-way
brave. But I'm not quarrelsome; and that goes a great way towards
keeping blood off the hands, among the hunters and red-skins; and
then, Harry March, it keeps blood off the conscience, too."
"Well, for my part I account game, a red-skin, and a Frenchman as
pretty much the same thing; though I'm as onquarrelsome a man, too,
as there is in all the colonies. I despise a quarreller as I do a
cur-dog; but one has no need to be over-scrupulsome when it's the
right time to show the flint."
"I look upon him as the most of a man who acts nearest the right,
Hurry. But this is a glorious spot, and my eyes never a-weary
looking at it!"
"Tis your first acquaintance with a lake; and these ideas come over
us all at such times. Lakes have a gentle character, as I say,
being pretty much water and land, and points and bays."
As this definition by no means met the feelings that were uppermost
in the mind of the young hunter, he made no immediate answer,
but stood gazing at the dark hills and the glassy water in silent
enjoyment.
"Have the Governor's or the King's people given this lake a name?"
he suddenly asked, as if struck with a new idea. "If they've not
begun to blaze their trees, and set up their compasses, and line off
their maps, it's likely they've not bethought them to disturb
natur' with a name."
"They've not got to that, yet; and the last time I went in with
skins, one of the King's surveyors was questioning me consarning
all the region hereabouts. He had heard that there was a lake in
this quarter, and had got some general notions about it, such as
that there was water and hills; but how much of either, he know'd
no more than you know of the Mohawk tongue. I didn't open the trap
any wider than was necessary, giving him but poor encouragement in
the way of farms and clearings. In short, I left on his mind some
such opinion of this country, as a man gets of a spring of dirty
water, with a path to it that is so muddy that one mires afore he
sets out. He told me they hadn't got the spot down yet on their
maps, though I conclude that is a mistake, for he showed me his
parchment, and there is a lake down on it, where there is no lake
in fact, and which is about fifty miles from the place where it
ought to be, if they meant it for this. I don't think my account
will encourage him to mark down another, by way of improvement."
Here Hurry laughed heartily, such tricks being particularly grateful
to a set of men who dreaded the approaches of civilization as a
curtailment of their own lawless empire. The egregious errors that
existed in the maps of the day, all of which were made in Europe,
were, moreover, a standing topic of ridicule among them; for, if
they had not science enough to make any better themselves, they had
sufficient local information to detect the gross blunders contained
in those that existed. Any one who will take the trouble to compare
these unanswerable evidences of the topographical skill of our
fathers a century since, with the more accurate sketches of our
own time, will at once perceive that the men of the woods had a
sufficient justification for all their criticism on this branch of
the skill of the colonial governments, which did not at all hesitate
to place a river or a lake a degree or two out of the way, even
though they lay within a day's march of the inhabited parts of the
country.
"I'm glad it has no name," resumed Deerslayer, "or at least, no
pale-face name; for their christenings always foretell waste and
destruction. No doubt, howsoever, the red-skins have their modes
of knowing it, and the hunters and trappers, too; they are likely
to call the place by something reasonable and resembling."
"As for the tribes, each has its tongue, and its own way of calling
things; and they treat this part of the world just as they treat
all others. Among ourselves, we've got to calling the place the
'Glimmerglass,' seeing that its whole basin is so often hinged
with pines, cast upward to its face as if it would throw back the
hills that hang over it."
"There is an outlet, I know, for all lakes have outlets, and the
rock at which I am to meet Chingachgook stands near an outlet. Has
that no colony-name yet?"
"In that particular they've got the advantage of us, having one
end, and that the biggest, in their own keeping: they've given it
a name which has found its way up to its source; names nat'rally
working up stream. No doubt, Deerslayer, you've seen the Susquehannah,
down in the Delaware country?"
"That have I, and hunted along its banks a hundred times."
"That and this are the same in fact, and, I suppose, the same in
sound. I am glad they've been compelled to keep the redmen's name,
for it would be too hard to rob them of both land and name!"
Deerslayer made no answer; but he stood leaning on his rifle,
gazing at the view which so much delighted him. The reader is not
to suppose, however, that it was the picturesque alone which so
strongly attracted his attention. The spot was very lovely, of a
truth, and it was then seen in one of its most favorable moments,
the surface of the lake being as smooth as glass and as limpid as
pure air, throwing back the mountains, clothed in dark pines, along
the whole of its eastern boundary, the points thrusting forward
their trees even to nearly horizontal lines, while the bays were
seen glittering through an occasional arch beneath, left by a vault
fretted with branches and leaves. It was the air of deep repose--
the solitudes, that spoke of scenes and forests untouched by the
hands of man-- the reign of nature, in a word, that gave so much
pure delight to one of his habits and turn of mind. Still, he
felt, though it was unconsciously, like a poet also. If he found a
pleasure in studying this large, and to him unusual opening into
the mysteries and forms of the woods, as one is gratified in getting
broader views of any subject that has long occupied his thoughts,
he was not insensible to the innate loveliness of such a landscape
neither, but felt a portion of that soothing of the spirit which
is a common attendant of a scene so thoroughly pervaded by the holy
cairn of nature.
Chapter III.
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison?
And yet it irks me, the poor dappled foals,-
Being native burghers of this desert city,-
Should, in their own confines, with forked heads
Have their round haunches gored."
As You Like It, II.i.21-25
Hurry Harry thought more of the beauties of Judith Hutter than of
those of the Glimmerglass and its accompanying scenery. As soon
as he had taken a sufficiently intimate survey of floating Tom's
implements, therefore, he summoned his companion to the canoe, that
they might go down the lake in quest of the family. Previously
to embarking, however, Hurry carefully examined the whole of the
northern end of the water with an indifferent ship's glass, that
formed a part of Hutter's effects. In this scrutiny, no part of
the shore was overlooked; the bays and points in particular being
subjected to a closer inquiry than the rest of the wooded boundary.
"'Tis as I thought," said Hurry, laying aside the glass, "the old
fellow is drifting about the south end this fine weather, and has
left the castle to defend itself. Well, now we know that he is
not up this-a-way, 'twill be but a small matter to paddle down and
hunt him up in his hiding-place."
"Does Master Hutter think it necessary to burrow on this lake?"
inquired Deerslayer, as he followed his companion into the canoe;
"to my eye it is such a solitude as one might open his whole soul
in, and fear no one to disarrange his thoughts or his worship."
"You forget your friends the Mingos, and all the French savages. Is
there a spot on 'arth, Deerslayer, to which them disquiet rogues
don't go? Where is the lake, or even the deer lick, that the
blackguards don't find out, and having found out, don't, sooner or
later, discolour its water with blood."
"I hear no good character of 'em, sartainly, friend Hurry, though
I've never been called on, yet, to meet them, or any other mortal,
on the warpath. I dare to say that such a lovely spot as this,
would not be likely to be overlooked by such plunderers, for, though
I've not been in the way of quarreling with them tribes myself,
the Delawares give me such an account of 'em that I've pretty much
set 'em down in my own mind, as thorough miscreants."
"You may do that with a safe conscience, or for that matter, any
other savage you may happen to meet."
Here Deerslayer protested, and as they went paddling down the lake,
a hot discussion was maintained concerning the respective merits
of the pale-faces and the red-skins. Hurry had all the prejudices
and antipathies of a white hunter, who generally regards the Indian
as a sort of natural competitor, and not unfrequently as a natural
enemy. As a matter of course, he was loud, clamorous, dogmatical and
not very argumentative. Deerslayer, on the other hand, manifested
a very different temper, proving by the moderation of his language,
the fairness of his views, and the simplicity of his distinctions,
that he possessed every disposition to hear reason, a strong, innate
desire to do justice, and an ingenuousness that was singularly
indisposed to have recourse to sophism to maintain an argument; or
to defend a prejudice. Still he was not altogether free from the
influence of the latter feeling. This tyrant of the human mind,
which ruses on it prey through a thousand avenues, almost as soon
as men begin to think and feel, and which seldom relinquishes its
iron sway until they cease to do either, had made some impression
on even the just propensities of this individual, who probably
offered in these particulars, a fair specimen of what absence from
bad example, the want of temptation to go wrong, and native good
feeling can render youth.
"You will allow, Deerslayer, that a Mingo is more than half devil,"
cried Hurry, following up the discussion with an animation that
touched closely on ferocity, "though you want to over-persuade me
that the Delaware tribe is pretty much made up of angels. Now, I
gainsay that proposal, consarning white men, even. All white men
are not faultless, and therefore all Indians can't be faultless.
And so your argument is out at the elbow in the start. But this is
what I call reason. Here's three colors on 'arth: white, black,
and red. White is the highest color, and therefore the best man;
black comes next, and is put to live in the neighborhood of the
white man, as tolerable, and fit to be made use of; and red comes
last, which shows that those that made 'em never expected an Indian
to be accounted as more than half human."
"God made all three alike, Hurry."
"Alike! Do you call a nigger like a white man, or me like an
Indian?"
"You go off at half-cock, and don't hear me out. God made us all,
white, black, and red; and, no doubt, had his own wise intentions
in coloring us differently. Still, he made us, in the main, much
the same in feelin's; though I'll not deny that he gave each race
its gifts. A white man's gifts are Christianized, while a red-skin's
are more for the wilderness. Thus, it would be a great offence
for a white man to scalp the dead; whereas it's a signal vartue
in an Indian. Then ag'in, a white man cannot amboosh women and
children in war, while a red-skin may. 'Tis cruel work, I'll
allow; but for them it's lawful work; while for us, it would be
grievous work."
"That depends on your inimy. As for scalping, or even skinning a
savage, I look upon them pretty much the same as cutting off the
ears of wolves for the bounty, or stripping a bear of its hide.
And then you're out significantly, as to taking the poll of a
red-skin in hand, seeing that the very colony has offered a bounty
for the job; all the same as it pays for wolves' ears and crows'
heads."
"Ay, and a bad business it is, Hurry. Even the Indians themselves
cry shame on it, seeing it's ag'in a white man's gifts. I do not
pretend that all that white men do, is properly Christianized, and
according to the lights given them, for then they would be what
they ought to be; which we know they are not; but I will maintain
that tradition, and use, and color, and laws, make such a difference in
races as to amount to gifts. I do not deny that there are tribes
among the Indians that are nat'rally pervarse and wicked, as
there are nations among the whites. Now, I account the Mingos as
belonging to the first, and the Frenchers, in the Canadas, to the
last. In a state of lawful warfare, such as we have lately got
into, it is a duty to keep down all compassionate feelin's, so far
as life goes, ag'in either; but when it comes to scalps, it's a
very different matter."
"Just hearken to reason, if you please, Deerslayer, and tell me if
the colony can make an onlawful law? Isn't an onlawful law more
ag'in natur' than scalpin' a savage? A law can no more be onlawful,
than truth can be a lie."
"That sounds reasonable; but it has a most onreasonable bearing,
Hurry. Laws don't all come from the same quarter. God has given
us his'n, and some come from the colony, and others come from the
King and Parliament. When the colony's laws, or even the King's
laws, run ag'in the laws of God, they get to be onlawful, and ought
not to be obeyed. I hold to a white man's respecting white laws,
so long as they do not cross the track of a law comin' from a higher
authority; and for a red man to obey his own red-skin usages, under
the same privilege. But, 't is useless talking, as each man will
think fir himself, and have his say agreeable to his thoughts. Let
us keep a good lookout for your friend Floating Tom, lest we pass
him, as he lies hidden under this bushy shore."
Deerslayer had not named the borders of the lake amiss. Along
their whole length, the smaller trees overhung the water, with their
branches often dipping in the transparent element The banks were
steep, even from the narrow strand; and, as vegetation invariably
struggles towards the light, the effect was precisely that at which
the lover of the picturesque would have aimed, had the ordering
of this glorious setting of forest been submitted to his control.
The points and bays, too, were sufficiently numerous to render the
outline broken and diversified. As the canoe kept close along the
western side of the lake, with a view, as Hurry had explained to
his companion, of reconnoitering for enemies, before he trusted
himself too openly in sight, the expectations of the two adventurers
were kept constantly on the stretch, as neither could foretell
what the next turning of a point might reveal. Their progress was
swift, the gigantic strength of Hurry enabling him to play with
the light bark as if it had been a feather, while the skill of his
companion almost equalized their usefulness, notwithstanding the
disparity in natural means.
Each time the canoe passed a point, Hurry turned a look behind
him, expecting to see the "ark" anchored, or beached in the bay.
He was fated to be disappointed, however; and they had got within
a mile of the southern end of the lake, or a distance of quite two
leagues from the "castle," which was now hidden from view by half
a dozen intervening projections of the land, when he suddenly ceased
paddling, as if uncertain in what direction next to steer.
"It is possible that the old chap has dropped into the river,"
said Hurry, after looking carefully along the whole of the eastern
shore, which was about a mile distant, and open to his scrutiny
for more than half its length; "for he has taken to trapping
considerable, of late, and, barring flood-wood, he might drop down
it a mile or so; though he would have a most scratching time in
getting back again!"
"Where is this outlet?" asked Deerslayer; "I see no opening in the
banks or the trees, that looks as if it would let a river like the
Susquehannah run through it."
"Ay, Deerslayer, rivers are like human mortals; having small
beginnings, and ending with broad shoulders and wide mouths. You
don't see the outlet, because it passes atween high, steep banks;
and the pines, and hemlocks and bass-woods hang over it, as a roof
hangs over a house. If old Tom is not in the 'Rat's Cove,' he
must have burrowed in the river; we'll look for him first in the
cove, and then we'll cross to the outlet."
As they proceeded, Hurry explained that there was a shallow bay,
formed by a long, low point, that had got the name of the "Rat's
Cove," from the circumstance of its being a favorite haunt of the
muskrat; and which offered so complete a cover for the "ark," that
its owner was fond of lying in it, whenever he found it convenient.
"As a man never knows who may be his visitors, in this part of the
country," continued Hurry, "it's a great advantage to get a good
look at 'em afore they come too near. Now it's war, such caution
is more than commonly useful, since a Canada man or a Mingo might
get into his hut afore he invited 'em. But Hutter is a first-rate
look-outer, and can pretty much scent danger, as a hound scents
the deer."
"I should think the castle so open, that it would be sartain to
draw inimies, if any happened to find the lake; a thing onlikely
enough, I will allow, as it's off the trail of the forts and
settlements."
"Why, Deerslayer, I've got to believe that a man meets with inimies
easier than he meets with fri'nds. It's skearful to think for
how many causes one gets to be your inimy, and for how few your
fri'nd. Some take up the hatchet because you don't think just as
they think; other some because you run ahead of 'em in the same
idees; and I once know'd a vagabond that quarrelled with a fri'nd
because he didn't think him handsome. Now, you're no monument
in the way of beauty, yourself, Deerslayer, and yet you wouldn't
be so onreasonable as to become my inimy for just saying so."
"I'm as the Lord made me; and I wish to be accounted no better, nor
any worse. Good looks I may not have; that is to say, to a degree
that the light-minded and vain crave; but I hope I'm not altogether
without some ricommend in the way of good conduct. There's few
nobler looking men to be seen than yourself, Hurry; and I know
that I am not to expect any to turn their eyes on me, when such a
one as you can be gazed on; but I do not know that a hunter is less
expart with the rifle, or less to be relied on for food, because
he doesn't wish to stop at every shining spring he may meet, to
study his own countenance in the water."
Here Hurry burst into a fit of loud laughter; for while he was too
reckless to care much about his own manifest physical superiority,
he was well aware of it, and, like most men who derive an advantage
from the accidents of birth or nature, he was apt to think complacently
on the subject, whenever it happened to cross his mind.
"No, no, Deerslayer, you're no beauty, as you will own yourself,
if you'll look over the side of the canoe," he cried; "Jude will
say that to your face, if you start her, for a parter tongue isn't
to be found in any gal's head, in or out of the settlements, if
you provoke her to use it. My advice to you is, never to aggravate
Judith; though you may tell anything to Hetty, and she'll take it
as meek as a lamb. No, Jude will be just as like as not to tell
you her opinion consarning your looks."
"And if she does, Hurry, she will tell me no more than you have
said already."
"You're not thick'ning up about a small remark, I hope, Deerslayer,
when no harm is meant. You are not a beauty, as you must know,
and why shouldn't fri'nds tell each other these little trifles?
If you was handsome, or ever like to be, I'd be one of the first
to tell you of it; and that ought to content you. Now, if Jude was
to tell me that I'm as ugly as a sinner, I'd take it as a sort
of obligation, and try not to believe her."
"It's easy for them that natur' has favored, to jest about such
matters, Hurry, though it is sometimes hard for others. I'll not
deny but I've had my cravings towards good looks; yes, I have;
but then I've always been able to get them down by considering
how many I've known with fair outsides, who have had nothing to
boast of inwardly. I'll not deny, Hurry, that I often wish I'd
been created more comely to the eye, and more like such a one as
yourself in them particulars; but then I get the feelin' under by
remembering how much better off I am, in a great many respects,
than some fellow-mortals. I might have been born lame, and onfit
even for a squirrel-hunt, or blind, which would have made me
a burden on myself as well as on my fri'nds; or without hearing,
which would have totally onqualified me for ever campaigning
or scouting; which I look forward to as part of a man's duty in
troublesome times. Yes, yes; it's not pleasant, I will allow, to
see them that's more comely, and more sought a'ter, and honored
than yourself; but it may all be borne, if a man looks the evil in
the face, and don't mistake his gifts and his obligations."
Hurry, in the main, was a good-hearted as well as good-natured
fellow; and the self-abasement of his companion completely got the
better of the passing feeling of personal vanity. He regretted
the allusion he had made to the other's appearance, and endeavored
to express as much, though it was done in the uncouth manner that
belonged to the habits and opinions of the frontier.
"I meant no harm, Deerslayer," he answered, in a deprecating
manner, "and hope you'll forget what I've said. If you're not
downright handsome, you've a sartain look that says, plainer than
any words, that all's right within. Then you set no value by looks,
and will the sooner forgive any little slight to your appearance.
I will not say that Jude will greatly admire you, for that might
raise hopes that would only breed disapp'intment; but there's Hetty,
now, would be just as likely to find satisfaction in looking at
you, as in looking at any other man. Then you're altogether too
grave and considerate-like, to care much about Judith; for, though
the gal is oncommon, she is so general in her admiration, that a
man need not be exalted because she happens to smile. I sometimes
think the hussy loves herself better than she does anything else
breathin'."
"If she did, Hurry, she'd do no more, I'm afeard, than most queens
on their thrones, and ladies in the towns," answered Deerslayer,
smiling, and turning back towards his companion with every trace
of feeling banished from his honest-looking and frank countenance.
"I never yet know'd even a Delaware of whom you might not say
that much. But here is the end of the long p'int you mentioned,
and the 'Rat's Cove' can't be far off."
This point, instead of thrusting itself forward, like all the
others, ran in a line with the main shore of the lake, which here
swept within it, in a deep and retired bay, circling round south
again, at the distance of a quarter of a mile, and crossed the
valley, forming the southern termination of the water. In this
bay Hurry felt almost certain of finding the ark, since, anchored
behind the trees that covered the narrow strip of the point, it
might have lain concealed from prying eyes an entire summer. So
complete, indeed, was the cover, in this spot, that a boat hauled
close to the beach, within the point, and near the bottom of the
bay, could by any possibility be seen from only one direction; and
that was from a densely wooded shore within the sweep of the water,
where strangers would be little apt to go.
"We shall soon see the ark," said Hurry, as the canoe glided round
the extremity of the point, where the water was so deep as actually
to appear black; "he loves to burrow up among the rushes, and we
shall be in his nest in five minutes, although the old fellow may
be off among the traps himself."
March proved a false prophet. The canoe completely doubled the
point, so as to enable the two travellers to command a view of
the whole cove or bay, for it was more properly the last, and no
object, but those that nature had placed there, became visible.
The placid water swept round in a graceful curve, the rushes bent
gently towards its surface, and the trees overhung it as usual;
but all lay in the soothing and sublime solitude of a wilderness.
The scene was such as a poet or an artist would have delighted in,
but it had no charm for Hurry Harry, who was burning with impatience
to get a sight of his light-minded beauty.
The motion of the canoe had been attended with little or no noise,
the frontiermen habitually getting accustomed to caution in most
of their movements, and it now lay on the glassy water appearing
to float in air, partaking of the breathing stillness that seemed
to pervade the entire scene. At this instant a dry stick was heard
cracking on the narrow strip of land that concealed the bay from
the open lake. Both the adventurers started, and each extended a
hand towards his rifle, the weapon never being out of reach of the
arm.
"'Twas too heavy for any light creatur'," whispered Hurry, "and it
sounded like the tread of a man!"
"Not so- not so," returned Deerslayer; "'t was, as you say, too
heavy for one, but it was too light for the other. Put your paddle
in the water, and send the canoe in, to that log; I'll land and
cut off the creatur's retreat up the p'int, be it a Mingo, or be
it a muskrat."
As Hurry complied, Deerslayer was soon on the shore, advancing into
the thicket with a moccasined foot, and a caution that prevented
the least noise. In a minute he was in the centre of the narrow
strip of land, and moving slowly down towards its end, the bushes
rendering extreme watchfulness necessary. Just as be reached the
centre of the thicket the dried twigs cracked again, and the noise
was repeated at short intervals, as if some creature having life
walked slowly towards the point. Hurry heard these sounds also,
and pushing the canoe off into the bay, he seized his rifle to
watch the result. A breathless minute succeeded, after which a
noble buck walked out of the thicket, proceeded with a stately step
to the sandy extremity of the point, and began to slake his thirst
from the water of the lake. Hurry hesitated an instant; then raising
his rifle hastily to his shoulder, he took sight and fired. The
effect of this sudden interruption of the solemn stillness of such
a scene was not its least striking peculiarity. The report of the
weapon had the usual sharp, short sound of the rifle: but when a
few moments of silence had succeeded the sudden crack, during which
the noise was floating in air across the water, it reached the
rocks of the opposite mountain, where the vibrations accumulated,
and were rolled from cavity to cavity for miles along the hills,
seeming to awaken the sleeping thunders of the woods. The buck
merely shook his head at the report of the rifle and the whistling
of the bullet, for never before had he come in contact with man;
but the echoes of the hills awakened his distrust, and leaping
forward, with his four legs drawn under his body, he fell at once
into deep water, and began to swim towards the foot of the lake.
Hurry shouted and dashed forward in chase, and for one or two
minutes the water foamed around the pursuer and the pursued. The
former was dashing past the point, when Deerslayer appeared on the
sand and signed to him to return.
"'Twas inconsiderate to pull a trigger, afore we had reconn'itred
the shore, and made sartain that no inimies harbored near it,"
said the latter, as his companion slowly and reluctantly complied.
"This much I have l'arned from the Delawares, in the way of schooling
and traditions, even though I've never yet been on a war-path. And,
moreover, venison can hardly be called in season now, and we do
not want for food. They call me Deerslayer, I'll own, and perhaps
I desarve the name, in the way of understanding the creatur's
habits, as well as for some sartainty in the aim, but they can't
accuse me of killing an animal when there is no occasion for the meat,
or the skin. I may be a slayer, it's true, but I'm no slaughterer."
"'Twas an awful mistake to miss that buck!" exclaimed Hurry, doffing
his cap and running his fingers through his handsome but matted
curls, as if he would loosen his tangled ideas by the process.
"I've not done so onhandy a thing since I was fifteen."
"Never lament it, as the creatur's death could have done neither
of us any good, and might have done us harm. Them echoes are more
awful in my ears, than your mistake, Hurry, for they sound like the
voice of natur' calling out ag'in a wasteful and onthinking action."
"You'll hear plenty of such calls, if you tarry long in this quarter
of the world, lad," returned the other laughing. "The echoes repeat
pretty much all that is said or done on the Glimmerglass, in this
calm summer weather. If a paddle falls you hear of it sometimes,
ag'in and ag'in, as if the hills were mocking your clumsiness, and
a laugh, or a whistle, comes out of them pines, when they're in
the humour to speak, in a way to make you believe they can r'ally
convarse."
"So much the more reason for being prudent and silent. I do not
think the inimy can have found their way into these hills yet, for
I don't know what they are to gain by it, but all the Delawares
tell me that, as courage is a warrior's first vartue, so is prudence
his second. One such call from the mountains, is enough to let a
whole tribe into the secret of our arrival."
"If it does no other good, it will warn old Tom to put the pot
over, and let him know visiters are at hand. Come, lad; get into
the canoe, and we will hunt the ark up, while there is yet day."
Deerslayer complied, and the canoe left the spot. Its head was
turned diagonally across the lake, pointing towards the south-eastern
curvature of the sheet. In that direction, the distance to the
shore, or to the termination of the lake, on the course the two
were now steering, was not quite a mile, and, their progress being
always swift, it was fast lessening under the skilful, but easy
sweeps of the paddles. When about half way across, a slight noise
drew the eyes of the men towards the nearest land, and they saw
that the buck was just emerging from the lake and wading towards
the beach. In a minute, the noble animal shook the water from
his flanks, gazed up ward at the covering of trees, and, bounding
against the bank, plunged into the forest.
"That creatur' goes off with gratitude in his heart," said Deerslayer,
"for natur' tells him he has escaped a great danger. You ought to
have some of the same feelin's, Hurry, to think your eye wasn't
true, or that your hand was onsteady, when no good could come of
a shot that was intended onmeaningly rather than in reason."
"I deny the eye and the hand," cried March with some heat. "You've
got a little character, down among the Delawares, there, for quickness
and sartainty, at a deer, but I should like to see you behind one
of them pines, and a full painted Mingo behind another, each with
a cock'd rifle and a striving for the chance! Them's the situations,
Nathaniel, to try the sight and the hand, for they begin with trying
the narves. I never look upon killing a creatur' as an explite;
but killing a savage is. The time will come to try your hand, now
we've got to blows ag'in, and we shall soon know what a ven'son
reputation can do in the field. I deny that either hand or eye
was onsteady; it was all a miscalculation of the buck, which stood
still when he ought to have kept in motion, and so I shot ahead of
him."
"Have it your own way, Hurry; all I contend for is, that it's
lucky. I dare say I shall not pull upon a human mortal as steadily
or with as light a heart, as I pull upon a deer."
"Who's talking of mortals, or of human beings at all, Deerslayer?
I put the matter to you on the supposition of an Injin. I dare say
any man would have his feelin's when it got to be life or death,
ag'in another human mortal; but there would be no such scruples in
regard to an Injin; nothing but the chance of his hitting you, or
the chance of your hitting him."
"I look upon the redmen to be quite as human as we are ourselves,
Hurry. They have their gifts, and their religion, it's true;
but that makes no difference in the end, when each will be judged
according to his deeds, and not according to his skin."
"That's downright missionary, and will find little favor up in
this part of the country, where the Moravians don't congregate.
Now, skin makes the man. This is reason; else how are people to
judge of each other. The skin is put on, over all, in order when
a creatur', or a mortal, is fairly seen, you may know at once what
to make of him. You know a bear from a hog, by his skin, and a
gray squirrel from a black."
"True, Hurry," said the other looking back and smiling, "nevertheless,
they are both squirrels."
"Who denies it? But you'll not say that a red man and a white
man are both Injins?"
"But I do say they are both men. Men of different races and colors,
and having different gifts and traditions, but, in the main, with
the same natur'. Both have souls; and both will be held accountable
for their deeds in this life."
Hurry was one of those theorists who believed in the inferiority of
all the human race who were not white. His notions on the subject
were not very clear, nor were his definitions at all well settled;
but his opinions were none the less dogmatical or fierce. His
conscience accused him of sundry lawless acts against the Indians,
and he had found it an exceedingly easy mode of quieting it,
by putting the whole family of redmen, incontinently, without the
category of human rights. Nothing angered him sooner than to deny
his proposition, more especially if the denial were accompanied
by a show of plausible argument; and he did not listen to his
companion's remarks with much composure of either manner or feeling.
"You're a boy, Deerslayer, misled and misconsaited by Delaware arts,
and missionary ignorance," he exclaimed, with his usual indifference
to the forms of speech, when excited. "You may account yourself
as a red-skin's brother, but I hold'em all to be animals; with
nothing human about 'em but cunning. That they have, I'll allow;
but so has a fox, or even a bear. I'm older than you, and have
lived longer in the woods- or, for that matter, have lived always
there, and am not to be told what an Injin is or what he is not.
If you wish to be considered a savage, you've only to say so, and
I'll name you as such to Judith and the old man, and then we'll
see how you'll like your welcome."
Here Hurry's imagination did his temper some service, since, by
conjuring up the reception his semi-aquatic acquaintance would be
likely to bestow on one thus introduced, he burst into a hearty fit
of laughter. Deerslayer too well knew the uselessness of attempting
to convince such a being of anything against his prejudices, to
feel a desire to undertake the task; and he was not sorry that the
approach of the canoe to the southeastern curve of the lake gave
a new direction to his ideas. They were now, indeed, quite near
the place that March had pointed out for the position of the outlet,
and both began to look for it with, a curiosity that was increased
by the expectation of the ark.
It may strike the reader as a little singular, that the place where
a stream of any size passed through banks that had an elevation of
some twenty feet, should be a matter of doubt with men who could
not now have been more than two hundred yards distant from the
precise spot. It will be recollected, however, that the trees and
bushes here, as elsewhere, fairly overhung the water, making such
a fringe to the lake, as to conceal any little variations from its
general outline.
"I've not been down at this end of the lake these two summers,"
said Hurry, standing up in the canoe, the better to look about him.
"Ay, there's the rock, showing its chin above the water, and I
know that the river begins in its neighborhood."
The men now plied the paddles again, and they were presently within
a few yards of the rock, floating towards it, though their efforts
were suspended. This rock was not large, being merely some five
or six feet high, only half of which elevation rose above the lake.
The incessant washing of the water for centuries had so rounded
its summit, that it resembled a large beehive in shape, its form
being more than usually regular and even. Hurry remarked, as they
floated slowly past, that this rock was well known to all the Indians
in that part of the country, and that they were in the practice of
using it as a mark to designate the place of meeting, when separated
by their hunts and marches.
"And here is the river, Deerslayer," he continued, "though so shut
in by trees and bushes as to look more like an and-bush, than the
outlet of such a sheet as the Glimmerglass."
Hurry had not badly described the place, which did truly seem to be
a stream lying in ambush. The high banks might have been a hundred
feet asunder; but, on the western side, a small bit of low land
extended so far forward as to diminish the breadth of the stream
to half that width.
As the bushes hung in the water beneath, and pines that had the
stature of church-steeples rose in tall columns above, all inclining
towards the light, until their branches intermingled, the eye, at
a little distance, could not easily detect any opening in the shore,
to mark the egress of the water. In the forest above, no traces
of this outlet were to be seen from the lake, the whole presenting
the same connected and seemingly interminable carpet of leaves.
As the canoe slowly advanced, sucked in by the current, it entered
beneath an arch of trees, through which the light from the heavens
struggled by casual openings, faintly relieving the gloom beneath.
"This is a nat'ral and-bush," half whispered Hurry, as if he felt
that the place was devoted to secrecy and watchfulness; "depend on
it, old Tom has burrowed with the ark somewhere in this quarter.
We will drop down with the current a short distance, and ferret
him out."
"This seems no place for a vessel of any size," returned the other;
"it appears to me that we shall have hardly room enough for the
canoe."
Hurry laughed at the suggestion, and, as it soon appeared, with
reason; for the fringe of bushes immediately on the shore of the
lake was no sooner passed, than the adventurers found themselves
in a narrow stream, of a sufficient depth of limpid water, with a
strong current, and a canopy of leaves upheld by arches composed
of the limbs of hoary trees. Bushes lined the shores, as usual,
but they left sufficient space between them to admit the passage
of anything that did not exceed twenty feet in width, and to allow
of a perspective ahead of eight or ten times that distance.
Neither of our two adventurers used his paddle, except to keep
the light bark in the centre of the current, but both watched each
turning of the stream, of which there were two or three within
the first hundred yards, with jealous vigilance. Turn after turn,
however, was passed, and the canoe had dropped down with the current
some little distance, when Hurry caught a bush, and arrested its
movement so suddenly and silently as to denote some unusual motive
for the act. Deerslayer laid his hand on the stock of his rifle
as soon as he noted this proceeding, but it was quite as much with
a hunter's habit as from any feeling of alarm.
"There the old fellow is!" whispered Hurry, pointing with a finger,
and laughing heartily, though he carefully avoided making a noise,
"ratting it away, just as I supposed; up to his knees in the mud
and water, looking to the traps and the bait. But for the life
of me I can see nothing of the ark; though I'll bet every skin
I take this season, Jude isn't trusting her pretty little feet in
the neighborhood of that black mud. The gal's more likely to be
braiding her hair by the side of some spring, where she can see
her own good looks, and collect scornful feelings ag'in us men."
"You over-judge young women- yes, you do, Hurry- who as often
bethink them of their failings as they do of their perfections. I
dare to say this Judith, now, is no such admirer of herself, and
no such scorner of our sex as you seem to think; and that she
is quite as likely to be sarving her father in the house, wherever
that may be, as he is to be sarving her among the traps."
"It's a pleasure to hear truth from a man's tongue, if it be only
once in a girl's life," cried a pleasant, rich, and yet soft female
voice, so near the canoe as to make both the listeners start. "As
for you, Master Hurry, fair words are so apt to choke you, that I
no longer expect to hear them from your mouth; the last you uttered
sticking in your throat, and coming near to death. But I'm glad
to see you keep better society than formerly, and that they who
know how to esteem and treat women are not ashamed to journey in
your company."
As this was said, a singularly handsome and youthful female
face was thrust through an opening in the leaves, within reach of
Deerslayer's paddle. Its owner smiled graciously on the young man;
and the frown that she cast on Hurry, though simulated and pettish,
had the effect to render her beauty more striking, by exhibiting the
play of an expressive but capricious countenance; one that seemed
to change from the soft to the severe, the mirthful to the reproving,
with facility and indifference.
A second look explained the nature of the surprise. Unwittingly,
the men had dropped alongside of the ark, which had been purposely
concealed in bushes cut and arranged for the purpose; and Judith
Hutter had merely pushed aside the leaves that lay before a window,
in order to show her face, and speak to them.
Chapter IV.
"And that timid fawn starts not with fear,
When I steal to her secret bower;
And that young May violet to me is dear,
And I visit the silent streamlet near,
To look on the lovely flower."
Bryant, "An Indian Story," ii.11-15
The ark, as the floating habitation of the Hutters was generally
called, was a very simple contrivance. A large flat, or scow,
composed the buoyant part of the vessel; and in its centre, occupying
the whole of its breadth, and about two thirds of its length, stood
a low fabric, resembling the castle in construction, though made
of materials so light as barely to be bullet-proof. As the sides
of the scow were a little higher than usual, and the interior of
the cabin had no more elevation than was necessary for comfort,
this unusual addition had neither a very clumsy nor a very obtrusive
appearance. It was, in short, little more than a modern canal-boat,
though more rudely constructed, of greater breadth than common, and
bearing about it the signs of the wilderness, in its bark-covered
posts and roof. The scow, however, had been put together with some
skill, being comparatively light, for its strength, and sufficiently
manageable. The cabin was divided into two apartments, one of which
served for a parlor, and the sleeping-room of the father, and the
other was appropriated to the uses of the daughters. A very simple
arrangement sufficed for the kitchen, which was in one end of the
scow, and removed from the cabin, standing in the open air; the
ark being altogether a summer habitation.
The "and-bush," as Hurry in his ignorance of English termed it, is
quite as easily explained. In many parts of the lake and river,
where the banks were steep and high, the smaller trees and larger
bushes, as has been already mentioned, fairly overhung the stream,
their branches not unfrequently dipping into the water. In some
instances they grew out in nearly horizontal lines, for thirty or
forty feet. The water being uniformly deepest near the shores,
where the banks were highest and the nearest to a perpendicular,
Hutter had found no difficulty in letting the ark drop under one
of these covers, where it had been anchored with a view to conceal
its position; security requiring some such precautions, in his
view of the case. Once beneath the trees and bushes, a few stones
fastened to the ends of the branches had caused them to bend
sufficiently to dip into the river; and a few severed bushes,
properly disposed, did the rest. The reader has seen that this
cover was so complete as to deceive two men accustomed to the woods,
and who were actually in search of those it concealed; a circumstance
that will be easily understood by those who are familiar with
the matted and wild luxuriance of a virgin American forest, more
especially in a rich soil. The discovery of the ark produced very
different effects on our two adventurers.
As soon as the canoe could be got round to the proper opening, Hurry
leaped on board, and in a minute was closely engaged in a gay, and
a sort of recriminating discourse with Judith, apparently forgetful
of the existence of all the rest of the world. Not so with Deerslayer.
He entered the ark with a slow, cautious step, examining every
arrangement of the cover with curious and scrutinizing eyes. It
is true, he cast one admiring glance at Judith, which was extorted
by her brilliant and singular beauty; but even this could detain
him but a single instant from the indulgence of his interest in
Hutter's contrivances. Step by step did he look into the construction
of the singular abode, investigate its fastenings and strength,
ascertain its means of defence, and make every inquiry that would
be likely to occur to one whose thoughts dwelt principally on such
expedients. Nor was the cover neglected. Of this he examined the
whole minutely, his commendation escaping him more than once in
audible comments. Frontier usages admitting of this familiarity,
he passed through the rooms, as he had previously done at the 'Castle', and
opening a door issued into the end of the scow opposite to that
where he had left Hurry and Judith. Here he found the other sister,
employed at some coarse needle-work, seated beneath the leafy canopy
of the cover.
As Deerslayer's examination was by this time ended, he dropped the
butt of his rifle, and, leaning on the barrel with both hands, he
turned towards the girl with an interest the singular beauty of
her sister had not awakened. He had gathered from Hurry's remarks
that Hetty was considered to have less intellect than ordinarily
falls to the share of human beings, and his education among Indians
had taught him to treat those who were thus afflicted by Providence
with more than common tenderness. Nor was there any thing in Hetty
Hutter's appearance, as so often happens, to weaken the interest
her situation excited. An idiot she could not properly be termed,
her mind being just enough enfeebled to lose most of those traits
that are connected with the more artful qualities, and to retain
its ingenuousness and love of truth. It had often been remarked of
this girl, by the few who had seen her, and who possessed sufficient
knowledge to discriminate, that her perception of the right seemed
almost intuitive, while her aversion to the wrong formed so distinctive
a feature of her mind, as to surround her with an atmosphere of
pure morality; peculiarities that are not infrequent with persons
who are termed feeble-minded; as if God had forbidden the evil spirits
to invade a precinct so defenceless, with the benign purpose of
extending a direct protection to those who had been left without the
usual aids of humanity. Her person, too, was agreeable, having a
strong resemblance to that of her sister's, of which it was a subdued
and humble copy. If it had none of the brilliancy of Judith's, the
calm, quiet, almost holy expression of her meek countenance seldom
failed to win on the observer, and few noted it long that did not
begin to feel a deep and lasting interest in the girl. She had no
colour, in common, nor was her simple mind apt to present images
that caused her cheek to brighten, though she retained a modesty
so innate that it almost raised her to the unsuspecting purity of
a being superior to human infirmities. Guileless, innocent, and
without distrust, equally by nature and from her mode of life,
providence had, nevertheless shielded her from harm, by a halo of
moral light, as it is said 'to temper the wind to the shorn lamb.'
"You are Hetty Hutter," said Deerslayer, in the way one puts a
question unconsciously to himself, assuming a kindness of tone and
manner that were singularly adapted to win the confidence of her
he addressed. "Hurry Harry has told me of you, and I know you must
be the child?"
"Yes, I'm Hetty Hutter" returned the girl in a low, sweet voice,
which nature, aided by some education, had preserved from vulgarity
of tone and utterance-"I'm Hetty; Judith Hutter's sister; and Thomas
Hutter's youngest daughter."
"I know your history, then, for Hurry Harry talks considerable,
and he is free of speech when he can find other people's consarns
to dwell on. You pass most of your life on the lake, Hetty."
"Certainly. Mother is dead; father is gone a-trapping, and Judith
and I stay at home. What's your name?"
"That's a question more easily asked than it is answered, young
woman, seeing that I'm so young, and yet have borne more names than
some of the greatest chiefs in all America."
"But you've got a name- you don't throw away one name, before you
come honestly by another?"
"I hope not, gal- I hope not. My names have come nat'rally, and I
suppose the one I bear now will be of no great lasting, since the
Delawares seldom settle on a man's ra'al title, until such time as
he has an opportunity of showing his true natur', in the council,
or on the warpath; which has never behappened me; seeing firstly,
because I'm not born a red-skin and have no right to sit in their
councillings, and am much too humble to be called on for opinions
from the great of my own colour; and, secondly, because this is
the first war that has befallen in my time, and no inimy has yet
inroaded far enough into the colony, to be reached by an arm even
longer than mine."
"Tell me your names," added Hetty, looking up at him artlessly,
"and, maybe, I'll tell you your character."
"There is some truth in that, I'll not deny, though it often fails.
Men are deceived in other men's characters, and frequently give
'em names they by no means desarve. You can see the truth of this
in the Mingo names, which, in their own tongue, signify the same
things as the Delaware names,- at least, so they tell me, for I know
little of that tribe, unless it be by report,- and no one can say
they are as honest or as upright a nation. I put no great dependence,
therefore, on names."
"Tell me all your names," repeated the girl, earnestly, for her
mind was too simple to separate things from professions, and she
did attach importance to a name; "I want to know what to think of
you."
"Well, sartain; I've no objection, and you shall hear them all.
In the first place, then, I'm Christian, and white-born, like
yourself, and my parents had a name that came down from father to
son, as is a part of their gifts. My father was called Bumppo; and
I was named after him, of course, the given name being Nathaniel,
or Natty, as most people saw fit to tarm it."
"Yes, yes - Natty - and Hetty" interrupted the girl quickly, and
looking up from her work again, with a smile: "you are Natty, and
I'm Hetty-though you are Bumppo, and I'm Hutter. Bumppo isn't
as pretty as Hutter, is it?"
"Why, that's as people fancy. Bumppo has no lofty sound, I admit;
and yet men have bumped through the world with it. I did not go
by this name, howsoever, very long; for the Delawares soon found
out, or thought they found out, that I was not given to lying, and
they called me, firstly, 'Straight-tongue.'"
"That's a good name," interrupted Hetty, earnestly, and in a
positive manner; "don't tell me there's no virtue in names!"
"I do not say that, for perhaps I desarved to be so called, lies
being no favorites with me, as they are with some. After a while
they found out I was quick of foot, and then they called me 'The
Pigeon'; which, you know, has a swift wing, and flies in a straight
line."
"That was a pretty name!" exclaimed Hetty; "pigeons are pretty
birds!"
"Most things that God created are pretty in their way, my good gal,
though they get to be deformed by mankind, so as to change their
natur's, as well as their appearance. From carrying messages, and
striking blind trails, I got at last to following the hunters, when
it was thought I was quicker and surer at finding the game than
most lads, and then they called me the 'Lap-ear'; as, they said,
I partook of the sagacity of the hound."
"That's not so pretty," answered Hetty; "I hope you didn't keep
that name long."
"Not after I was rich enough to buy a rifle," returned the other,
betraying a little pride through his usually quiet and subdued
manner; "then it was seen I could keep a wigwam in ven'son; and
in time I got the name of 'Deerslayer,' which is that I now bear;
homely as some will think it, who set more value on the scalp of
a fellow-mortal than on the horns of a buck"
"Well, Deerslayer, I'm not one of them," answered Hetty, simply;
"Judith likes soldiers, and flary coats, and fine feathers; but
they're all naught to me. She says the officers are great, and gay,
and of soft speech; but they make me shudder, for their business
is to kill their fellow-creatures. I like your calling better;
and your last name is a very good one-- better than Natty Bumppo."
"This is nat'ral in one of your turn of mind, Hetty, and much as I
should have expected. They tell me your sister is handsome--oncommon,
for a mortal; and beauty is apt to seek admiration."
"Did you never see Judith?" demanded the girl, with quick earnestness;
"if you never have, go at once and look at her. Even Hurry Harry
isn't more pleasant to look at though she is a woman, and he is
a man."
Deerslayer regarded the girl for a moment with concern. Her
pale-face had flushed a little, and her eye, usually so mild and
serene, brightened as she spoke, in the way to betray the inward
impulses.
"Ay, Hurry Harry," he muttered to himself, as he walked through
the cabin towards the other end of the boat; "this comes of good
looks, if a light tongue has had no consarn in it. It's easy to
see which way that poor creatur's feelin's are leanin', whatever
may be the case with your Jude's."
But an interruption was put to the gallantry of Hurry, the coquetry
of his intros, the thoughts of Deerslayer, and the gentle feelings
of Hetty, by the sudden appearance of the canoe of the ark's owner,
in the narrow opening among the bushes that served as a sort of
moat to his position. It would seem that Hutter, or Floating Tom,
as he was familiarly called by all the hunters who knew his habits,
recognized the canoe of Hurry, for he expressed no surprise at
finding him in the scow. On the contrary, his reception was such
as to denote not only gratification, but a pleasure, mingled with
a little disappointment at his not having made his appearance some
days sooner.
"I looked for you last week," he said, in a half-grumbling,
half-welcoming manner; "and was disappointed uncommonly that you
didn't arrive. There came a runner through, to warn all the trappers
and hunters that the colony and the Canadas were again in trouble;
and I felt lonesome, up in these mountains, with three scalps to
see to, and only one pair of hands to protect them."
"That's reasonable," returned March; "and 't was feeling like a
parent. No doubt, if I had two such darters as Judith and Hetty,
my exper'ence would tell the same story, though in gin'ral I am
just as well satisfied with having the nearest neighbor fifty miles
off, as when he is within call."
"Notwithstanding, you didn't choose to come into the wilderness
alone, now you knew that the Canada savages are likely to be
stirring," returned Hutter, giving a sort of distrustful, and at
the same time inquiring glance at Deerslayer.
"Why should I? They say a bad companion, on a journey, helps to
shorten the path; and this young man I account to be a reasonably
good one. This is Deerslayer, old Tom, a noted hunter among the
Delawares, and Christian-born, and Christian-edicated, too, like
you and me. The lad is not parfect, perhaps, but there's worse
men in the country that he came from, and it's likely he'll find
some that's no better, in this part of the world. Should we have
occasion to defend our traps, and the territory, he'll be useful
in feeding us all; for he's a reg'lar dealer in ven'son."
"Young man, you are welcome," growled Tom, thrusting a hard, bony
hand towards the youth, as a pledge of his sincerity; "in such
times, a white face is a friend's, and I count on you as a support.
Children sometimes make a stout heart feeble, and these two daughters
of mine give me more concern than all my traps, and skins, and
rights in the country."
"That's nat'ral!" cried Hurry. "Yes, Deerslayer, you and I don't
know it yet by experience; but, on the whole, I consider that as
nat'ral. If we had darters, it's more than probable we should
have some such feelin's; and I honor the man that owns 'em. As
for Judith, old man, I enlist, at once, as her soldier, and here
is Deerslayer to help you to take care of Hetty."
"Many thanks to you, Master March," returned the beauty, in a full,
rich voice, and with an accuracy of intonation and utterance that
she shared in common with her sister, and which showed that she
had been better taught than her father's life and appearance would
give reason to expect. "Many thanks to you; but Judith Hutter
has the spirit and the experience that will make her depend more
on herself than on good-looking rovers like you. Should there be
need to face the savages, do you land with my father, instead of
burrowing in the huts, under the show of defending us females and-"
"Girl-- girl," interrupted the father, "quiet that glib tongue
of thine, and hear the truth. There are savages on the lake shore
already, and no man can say how near to us they may be at this very
moment, or when we may hear more from them!"
"If this be true, Master Hutter," said Hurry, whose change of
countenance denoted how serious he deemed the information, though
it did not denote any unmanly alarm, "if this be true, your ark is
in a most misfortunate position, for, though the cover did deceive
Deerslayer and myself, it would hardly be overlooked by a full-blooded
Injin, who was out seriously in s'arch of scalps!"
"I think as you do, Hurry, and wish, with all my heart, we lay
anywhere else, at this moment, than in this narrow, crooked stream,
which has many advantages to hide in, but which is almost fatal to
them that are discovered. The savages are near us, moreover, and
the difficulty is, to get out of the river without being shot down
like deer standing at a lick!"
"Are you sartain, Master Hutter, that the red-skins you dread are
ra'al Canadas?" asked Deerslayer, in a modest but earnest manner.
"Have you seen any, and can you describe their paint?"
"I have fallen in with the signs of their being in the neighborhood,
but have seen none of 'em. I was down stream a mile or so, looking
to my traps, when I struck a fresh trail, crossing the corner of a
swamp, and moving northward. The man had not passed an hour; and
I know'd it for an Indian footstep, by the size of the foot, and
the intoe, even before I found a worn moccasin, which its owner
had dropped as useless. For that matter, I found the spot where
he halted to make a new one, which was only a few yards from the
place where he had dropped the old one."
"That doesn't look much like a red-skin on the war path!" returned
the other, shaking his head. "An exper'enced warrior, at least,
would have burned, or buried, or sunk in the river such signs of
his passage; and your trail is, quite likely, a peaceable trail.
But the moccasin may greatly relieve my mind, if you bethought you
of bringing it off. I've come here to meet a young chief myself;
and his course would be much in the direction you've mentioned.
The trail may have been his'n."
"Hurry Harry, you're well acquainted with this young man, I hope,
who has meetings with savages in a part of the country where he
has never been before?" demanded Hutter, in a tone and in a manner
that sufficiently indicated the motive of the question; these rude
beings seldom hesitating, on the score of delicacy, to betray their
feelings. "Treachery is an Indian virtue; and the whites, that
live much in their tribes, soon catch their ways and practices."
"True- true as the Gospel, old Tom; but not personable to Deerslayer,
who's a young man of truth, if he has no other ricommend. I'll
answer for his honesty, whatever I may do for his valor in battle."
"I should like to know his errand in this strange quarter of the
country."
"That is soon told, Master Hutter," said the young man, with the
composure of one who kept a clean conscience. "I think, moreover,
you've a right to ask it. The father of two such darters,
who occupies a lake, after your fashion, has just the same right
to inquire into a stranger's business in his neighborhood, as the
colony would have to demand the reason why the Frenchers put more
rijiments than common along the lines. No, no, I'll not deny your
right to know why a stranger comes into your habitation or country,
in times as serious as these."
"If such is your way of thinking, friend, let me hear your story
without more words."
"'T is soon told, as I said afore; and shall be honestly told. I'm
a young man, and, as yet, have never been on a war-path; but
no sooner did the news come among the Delawares, that wampum and
a hatchet were about to be sent in to the tribe, than they wished
me to go out among the people of my own color, and get the exact
state of things for 'em. This I did, and, after delivering my
talk to the chiefs, on my return, I met an officer of the crown on
the Schoharie, who had messages to send to some of the fri'ndly
tribes that live farther west. This was thought a good occasion
for Chingachgook, a young chief who has never struck a foe, and
myself; to go on our first war path in company, and an app'intment
was made for us, by an old Delaware, to meet at the rock near the
foot of this lake. I'll not deny that Chingachgook has another
object in view, but it has no consarn with any here, and is his
secret and not mine; therefore I'll say no more about it."
"'Tis something about a young woman," interrupted Judith hastily,
then laughing at her own impetuosity, and even having the grace
to colour a little, at the manner in which she had betrayed her
readiness to impute such a motive. "If 'tis neither war, nor a
hunt, it must be love."
"Ay, it comes easy for the young and handsome, who hear so much
of them feelin's, to suppose that they lie at the bottom of most
proceedin's; but, on that head, I say nothin'. Chingachgook is to
meet me at the rock, an hour afore sunset tomorrow evening, after
which we shall go our way together, molesting none but the king's
inimies, who are lawfully our own. Knowing Hurry of old, who
once trapped in our hunting grounds, and falling in with him on the
Schoharie, just as he was on the p'int of starting for his summer
ha'nts, we agreed to journey in company; not so much from fear of
the Mingos, as from good fellowship, and, as he says, to shorten
a long road."
"And you think the trail I saw may have been that of your friend,
ahead of his time?" said Hutter.
"That's my idee, which may be wrong, but which may be right. If I
saw the moccasin, howsever, I could tell, in a minute, whether it
is made in the Delaware fashion, or not."
"Here it is, then," said the quick-witted Judith, who had already
gone to the canoe in quest of it. "Tell us what it says; friend
or enemy. You look honest, and I believe all you say, whatever
father may think."
"That's the way with you, Jude; forever finding out friends, where
I distrust foes," grumbled Tom: "but, speak out, young man, and
tell us what you think of the moccasin."
"That's not Delaware made," returned Deerslayer, examining the worn
and rejected covering for the foot with a cautious eye. "I'm too
young on a war-path to be positive, but I should say that moccasin
has a northern look, and comes from beyond the Great Lakes."
"If such is the case, we ought not to lie here a minute longer
than is necessary," said Hutter, glancing through the leaves of
his cover, as if he already distrusted the presence of an enemy on
the opposite shore of the narrow and sinuous stream. "It wants but
an hour or so of night, and to move in the dark will be impossible,
without making a noise that would betray us. Did you hear the echo
of a piece in the mountains, half-an-hour since?"
"Yes, old man, and heard the piece itself," answered Hurry, who now
felt the indiscretion of which he had been guilty, "for the last
was fired from my own shoulder."
"I feared it came from the French Indians; still it may put them
on the look-out, and be a means of discovering us. You did wrong
to fire in war-time, unless there was good occasion.
"So I begin to think myself, Uncle Tom; and yet, if a man can't
trust himself to let off his rifle in a wilderness that is a thousand
miles square, lest some inimy should hear it, where's the use in
carrying one?"
Hutter now held a long consultation with his two guests, in which
the parties came to a true understanding of their situation. He
explained the difficulty that would exist in attempting to get
the ark out of so swift and narrow a stream, in the dark, without
making a noise that could not fail to attract Indian ears. Any
strollers in their vicinity would keep near the river or the lake;
but the former had swampy shores in many places, and was both so
crooked and so fringed with bushes, that it was quite possible to
move by daylight without incurring much danger of being seen. More
was to be apprehended, perhaps, from the ear than from the eye,
especially as long as they were in the short, straitened, and
canopied reaches of the stream.
"I never drop down into this cover, which is handy to my traps,
and safer than the lake from curious eyes, without providing the
means of getting out ag'in," continued this singular being; "and
that is easier done by a pull than a push. My anchor is now lying
above the suction, in the open lake; and here is a line, you see,
to haul us up to it. Without some such help, a single pair of
bands would make heavy work in forcing a scow like this up stream.
I have a sort of a crab, too, that lightens the pull, on occasion.
Jude can use the oar astern as well as myself; and when we fear no
enemy, to get out of the river gives us but little trouble."
"What should we gain, Master Hutter, by changing the position?"
asked Deerslayer, with a good deal of earnestness; "this is a safe
cover, and a stout defence might be made from the inside of this
cabin. I've never fou't unless in the way of tradition; but it
seems to me we might beat off twenty Mingos, with palisades like
them afore us."
"Ay, ay; you 've never fought except in traditions, that's plain
enough, young man! Did you ever see as broad a sheet of water as
this above us, before you came in upon it with Hurry?"
"I can't say that I ever did," Deerslayer answered, modestly. "Youth
is the time to l'arn; and I'm far from wishing to raise my voice
in counsel, afore it is justified by exper'ence."
"Well, then, I'll teach you the disadvantage of fighting in this
position, and the advantage of taking to the open lake. Here,
you may see, the savages will know where to aim every shot; and it
would be too much to hope that some would not find their way through
the crevices of the logs. Now, on the other hand, we should have
nothing but a forest to aim at. Then we are not safe from fire,
here, the bark of this roof being little better than so much
kindling-wood. The castle, too, might be entered and ransacked in
my absence, and all my possessions overrun and destroyed. Once in
the lake, we can be attacked only in boats or on rafts- shall have
a fair chance with the enemy-and can protect the castle with the
ark. Do you understand this reasoning, youngster?"
"It sounds well- yes, it has a rational sound; and I'll not gainsay
it."
"Well, old Tom," cried Hurry, "If we are to move, the sooner we
make a beginning, the sooner we shall know whether we are to have
our scalps for night-caps, or not."
As this proposition was self-evident, no one denied its justice.
The three men, after a short preliminary explanation, now set
about their preparations to move the ark in earnest. The slight
fastenings were quickly loosened; and, by hauling on the line, the
heavy craft slowly emerged from the cover. It was no sooner free
from the incumbrance of the branches, than it swung into the stream,
sheering quite close to the western shore, by the force of the
current. Not a soul on board heard the rustling of the branches,
as the cabin came against the bushes and trees of the western bank,
without a feeling of uneasiness; for no one knew at what moment, or
in what place, a secret and murderous enemy might unmask himself.
Perhaps the gloomy light that still struggled through the impending
canopy of leaves, or found its way through the narrow, ribbon-like
opening, which seemed to mark, in the air above, the course of
the river that flowed beneath, aided in augmenting the appearance
of the danger; for it was little more than sufficient to render
objects visible, without giving up all their outlines at a glance.
Although the sun had not absolutely set, it had withdrawn its direct
rays from the valley; and the hues of evening were beginning to
gather around objects that stood uncovered, rendering those within
the shadows of the woods still more sombre and gloomy.
No interruption followed the movement, however, and, as the men
continued to haul on the line, the ark passed steadily ahead, the
great breadth of the scow preventing its sinking into the water,
and from offering much resistance to the progress of the swift
element beneath its bottom. Hutter, too, had adopted a precaution
suggested by experience, which might have done credit to a seaman,
and which completely prevented any of the annoyances and obstacles
which otherwise would have attended the short turns of the river.
As the ark descended, heavy stones, attached to the line, were
dropped in the centre of the stream, forming local anchors, each
of which was kept from dragging by the assistance of those above
it, until the uppermost of all was reached, which got its "backing"
from the anchor, or grapnel, that lay well out in the lake. In
consequence of this expedient, the ark floated clear of the
incumbrances of the shore, against which it would otherwise have
been unavoidably hauled at every turn, producing embarrassments
that Hutter, single-handed, would have found it very difficult to
overcome. Favored by this foresight, and stimulated by the apprehension
of discovery, Floating Tom and his two athletic companions hauled
the ark ahead with quite as much rapidity as comported with the
strength of the line. At every turn in the stream, a stone was
raised from the bottom, when the direction of the scow changed to
one that pointed towards the stone that lay above. In this manner,
with the channel buoyed out for him, as a sailor might term it,
did Hutter move forward, occasionally urging his friends, in a low
and guarded voice, to increase their exertions, and then, as occasions
offered, warning them against efforts that might, at particular
moments, endanger all by too much zeal. In spite of their long
familiarity with the woods, the gloomy character of the shaded river
added to the uneasiness that each felt; and when the ark reached
the first bend in the Susquehannah, and the eye caught a glimpse
of the broader expanse of the lake, all felt a relief, that perhaps
none would have been willing to confess. Here the last stone
was raised from the bottom, and the line led directly towards the
grapnel, which, as Hutter had explained, was dropped above the
suction of the current.
"Thank God!" ejaculated Hurry, "there is daylight, and we shall
soon have a chance of seeing our inimies, if we are to feel 'em."
"That is more than you or any man can say," growled Hutter.
"There is no spot so likely to harbor a party as the shore around
the outlet, and the moment we clear these trees and get into
open water, will be the most trying time, since it will leave the
enemy a cover, while it puts us out of one. Judith, girl, do you
and Hetty leave the oar to take care of itself; and go within the
cabin; and be mindful not to show your faces at a window; for they
who will look at them won't stop to praise their beauty. And now,
Hurry, we 'll step into this outer room ourselves, and haul through
the door, where we shall all be safe, from a surprise, at least.
Friend Deerslayer, as the current is lighter, and the line has all
the strain on it that is prudent, do you keep moving from window
to window, taking care not to let your head be seen, if you set
any value on life. No one knows when or where we shall hear from
our neighbors."
Deerslayer complied, with a sensation that had nothing in common
with fear, but which had all the interest of a perfectly novel and
a most exciting situation. For the first time in his life he was
in the vicinity of enemies, or had good reason to think so; and
that, too, under all the thrilling circumstances of Indian surprises
and Indian artifices. As he took his stand at the window, the ark
was just passing through the narrowest part of the stream, a point
where the water first entered what was properly termed the river,
and where the trees fairly interlocked overhead, causing the
current to rush into an arch of verdure; a feature as appropriate
and peculiar to the country, perhaps, as that of Switzerland, where
the rivers come rushing literally from chambers of ice.
The ark was in the act of passing the last curve of this leafy
entrance, as Deerslayer, having examined all that could be seen of
the eastern bank of the river, crossed the room to look from the
opposite window, at the western. His arrival at this aperture was
most opportune, for he had no sooner placed his eye at a crack,
than a sight met his gaze that might well have alarmed a sentinel
so young and inexperienced. A sapling overhung the water, in nearly
half a circle, having first grown towards the light, and then been
pressed down into this form by the weight of the snows; a circumstance
of common occurrence in the American woods. On this no less than
six Indians had already appeared, others standing ready to follow
them, as they left room; each evidently bent on running out on the
trunk, and dropping on the roof of the ark as it passed beneath. This
would have been an exploit of no great difficulty, the inclination
of the tree admitting of an easy passage, the adjoining branches
offering ample support for the hands, and the fall being too trifling
to be apprehended. When Deerslayer first saw this party, it was
just unmasking itself, by ascending the part of the tree nearest to
the earth, or that which was much the most difficult to overcome;
and his knowledge of Indian habits told him at once that they were
all in their war-paint, and belonged to a hostile tribe.
"Pull, Hurry," he cried; "pull for your life, and as you love
Judith Hutter! Pull, man, pull!"
This call was made to one that the young man knew had the strength
of a giant. It was so earnest and solemn, that both Hutter and
March felt it was not idly given, and they applied all their force
to the line simultaneously, and at a most critical moment. The scow
redoubled its motion, and seemed to glide from under the tree as
if conscious of the danger that was impending overhead. Perceiving
that they were discovered, the Indians uttered the fearful war-whoop,
and running forward on the tree, leaped desperately towards their
fancied prize. There were six on the tree, and each made the
effort. All but their leader fell into the river more or less
distant from the ark, as they came, sooner or later, to the leaping
place. The chief, who had taken the dangerous post in advance,
having an earlier opportunity than the others, struck the scow just
within the stern. The fall proving so much greater than he had
anticipated, he was slightly stunned, and for a moment he remained
half bent and unconscious of his situation. At this instant Judith
rushed from the cabin, her beauty heightened by the excitement that
produced the bold act, which flushed her cheek to crimson, and,
throwing all her strength into the effort, she pushed the intruder
over the edge of the scow, headlong into the river. This decided
feat was no sooner accomplished than the woman resumed her sway;
Judith looked over the stern to ascertain what had become of the
man, and the expression of her eyes softened to concern, next, her
cheek crimsoned between shame and surprise at her own temerity,
and then she laughed in her own merry and sweet manner. All this
occupied less than a minute, when the arm of Deerslayer was thrown
around her waist, and she was dragged swiftly within the protection
of the cabin. This retreat was not effected too soon. Scarcely
were the two in safety, when the forest was filled with yells, and
bullets began to patter against the logs.
The ark being in swift motion all this while, it was beyond the
danger of pursuit by the time these little events had occurred;
and the savages, as soon as the first burst of their anger had
subsided, ceased firing, with the consciousness that they were
expending their ammunition in vain. When the scow came up over
her grapnel, Hutter tripped the latter in a way not to impede the
motion; and being now beyond the influence of the current, the vessel
continued to drift ahead, until fairly in the open lake, though
still near enough to the land to render exposure to a rifle-bullet
dangerous. Hutter and March got out two small sweeps and, covered
by the cabin, they soon urged the ark far enough from the shore to
leave no inducement to their enemies to make any further attempt
to injure them.
Chapter V.
"Why, let the strucken deer go weep,
The hart ungalled play,
For some must watch, while some must sleep,
Thus runs the world away."
Hamlet, III.ii.271-74
Another consultation took place in the forward part of the scow, at
which both Judith and Hetty were present. As no danger could now
approach unseen, immediate uneasiness had given place to the concern
which attended the conviction that enemies were in considerable
force on the shores of the lake, and that they might be sure
no practicable means of accomplishing their own destruction would
be neglected. As a matter of course Hutter felt these truths the
deepest, his daughters having an habitual reliance on his resources,
and knowing too little to appreciate fully all the risks they ran;
while his male companions were at liberty to quit him at any moment
they saw fit. His first remark showed that he had an eye to the
latter circumstance, and might have betrayed, to a keen observer,
the apprehension that was just then uppermost.
"We've a great advantage over the Iroquois, or the enemy, whoever
they are, in being afloat," he said.
"There's not a canoe on the lake that I don't know where it's
hid; and now yours is here. Hurry, there are but three more on
the land, and they're so snug in hollow logs that I don't believe
the Indians could find them, let them try ever so long."
"There's no telling that- no one can say that," put in Deerslayer;
"a hound is not more sartain on the scent than a red-skin, when
he expects to get anything by it. Let this party see scalps afore
'em, or plunder, or honor accordin' to their idees of what honor
is, and 't will be a tight log that hides a canoe from their eyes."
"You're right, Deerslayer," cried Harry March; "you're downright
Gospel in this matter, and I rej'ice that my bunch of bark is safe
enough here, within reach of my arm. I calcilate they'll be at
all the rest of the canoes afore to-morrow night, if they are in
ra'al 'arnest to smoke you out, old Tom, and we may as well overhaul
our paddles for a pull."
Hutter made no immediate reply. He looked about him in silence
for quite a minute, examining the sky, the lake, and the belt of
forest which inclosed it, as it might be hermetically, like one
consulting their signs. Nor did he find any alarming symptoms.
The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature,
the heavens were placid, but still luminous with the light of the
retreating sun, while the lake looked more lovely and calm than
it had before done that day. It was a scene altogether soothing,
and of a character to lull the passions into a species of holy
calm. How far this effect was produced, however, on the party in
the ark, must appear in the progress of our narrative.
"Judith," called out the father, when he had taken this close but
short survey of the omens, "night is at hand; find our friends
food; a long march gives a sharp appetite."
"We're not starving, Master Hutter," March observed, "for we filled
up just as we reached the lake, and for one, I prefer the company
of Jude even to her supper. This quiet evening is very agreeable
to sit by her side."
"Natur' is natur'," objected Hutter, "and must be fed. Judith,
see to the meal, and take your sister to help you. I've a little
discourse to hold with you, friends," he continued, as soon as his
daughters were out of hearing, "and wish the girls away. You see
my situation, and I should like to hear your opinions concerning
what is best to be done. Three times have I been burnt out already,
but that was on the shore; and I've considered myself as pretty
safe ever since I got the castle built, and the ark afloat. My
other accidents, however, happened in peaceable times, being nothing
more than such flurries as a man must meet with, in the woods; but
this matter looks serious, and your ideas would greatly relieve my
mind."
"It's my notion, old Tom, that you, and your huts, and your traps,
and your whole possessions, hereaway, are in desperate jippardy,"
returned the matter-of-fact Hurry, who saw no use in concealment.
"Accordin' to my idees of valie, they're altogether not worth half
as much today as they was yesterday, nor would I give more for 'em,
taking the pay in skins."
"Then I've children!" continued the father, making the allusion
in a way that it might have puzzled even an indifferent observer
to say was intended as a bait, or as an exclamation of paternal
concern, "daughters, as you know, Hurry, and good girls too, I may
say, though I am their father."
"A man may say anything, Master Hutter, particularly when pressed
by time and circumstances. You've darters, as you say, and one
of them hasn't her equal on the frontiers for good looks, whatever
she may have for good behavior. As for poor Hetty, she's Hetty
Hutter, and that's as much as one can say about the poor thing.
Give me Jude, if her conduct was only equal to her looks!"
"I see, Harry March, I can only count on you as a fair-weather
friend; and I suppose that your companion will be of the same way
of thinking," returned the other, with a slight show of pride,
that was not altogether without dignity; "well, I must depend on
Providence, which will not turn a deaf ear, perhaps, to a father's
prayers."
"If you've understood Hurry, here, to mean that he intends to desart
you," said Deerslayer, with an earnest simplicity that gave double
assurance of its truth, "I think you do him injustice, as I know
you do me, in supposing I would follow him, was he so ontrue-hearted
as to leave a family of his own color in such a strait as this.
I've come on this at take, Master Hutter, to rende'vous a fri'nd,
and I only wish he was here himself, as I make no doubt he will be
at sunset tomorrow, when you'd have another rifle to aid you; an
inexper'enced one, I'll allow, like my own, but one that has proved
true so often ag'in the game, big and little, that I'll answer for
its sarvice ag'in mortals."
May I depend on you to stand by me and my daughters, then, Deerslayer?"
demanded the old man, with a father's anxiety in his countenance.
"That may you, Floating Tom, if that's your name; and as a
brother would stand by a sister, a husband his wife, or a suitor
his sweetheart. In this strait you may count on me, through all
advarsities; and I think Hurry does discredit to his natur' and
wishes, if you can't count on him."
"Not he," cried Judith, thrusting her handsome face out of the
door; "his nature is hurry, as well as his name, and he'll hurry
off, as soon as he thinks his fine figure in danger. Neither 'old
Tom,' nor his 'gals,' will depend much on Master March, now they
know him, but you they will rely on, Deerslayer; for your honest face
and honest heart tell us that what you promise you will perform."
This was said, as much, perhaps, in affected scorn for Hurry, as
in sincerity. Still, it was not said without feeling. The fine
face of Judith sufficiently proved the latter circumstance; and if
the conscious March fancied that he had never seen in it a stronger
display of contempt- a feeling in which the beauty was apt to
indulge- than while she was looking at him, it certainly seldom
exhibited more of a womanly softness and sensibility, than when
her speaking blue eyes were turned on his travelling companion.
"Leave us, Judith," Hutter ordered sternly, before either of the
young men could reply; "leave us; and do not return until you come
with the venison and fish. The girl has been spoilt by the flattery
of the officers, who sometimes find their way up here, Master March,
and you'll not think any harm of her silly words."
"You never said truer syllable, old Tom," retorted Hurry, who smarted
under Judith's observations; "the devil-tongued youngsters of the
garrison have proved her undoing! I scarce know Jude any longer,
and shall soon take to admiring her sister, who is getting to be
much more to my fancy."
"I'm glad to hear this, Harry, and look upon it as a sign that
you're coming to your right senses. Hetty would make a much safer
and more rational companion than Jude, and would be much the most
likely to listen to your suit, as the officers have, I greatly
fear, unsettled her sister's mind."
"No man needs a safer wife than Hetty," said Hurry, laughing,
"though I'll not answer for her being of the most rational. But
no matter; Deerslayer has not misconceived me, when he told you
I should be found at my post. I'll not quit you, Uncle Tom, just
now, whatever may be my feelin's and intentions respecting your
eldest darter."
Hurry had a respectable reputation for prowess among his
associates, and Hutter heard this pledge with a satisfaction that
was not concealed. Even the great personal strength of such an aid
became of moment, in moving the ark, as well as in the species of
hand-to-hand conflicts, that were not unfrequent in the woods; and
no commander who was hard pressed could feel more joy at hearing
of the arrival of reinforcements, than the borderer experienced at
being told this important auxiliary was not about to quit him. A
minute before, Hutter would have been well content to compromise
his danger, by entering into a compact to act only on the defensive;
but no sooner did he feel some security on this point, than the
restlessness of man induced him to think of the means of carrying
the war into the enemy's country.
"High prices are offered for scalps on both sides." he observed,
with a grim smile, as if he felt the force of the inducement, at
the very time he wished to affect a superiority to earning money
by means that the ordinary feelings of those who aspire to be
civilized men repudiated, even while they were adopted. "It isn't
right, perhaps, to take gold for human blood; and yet, when mankind
is busy in killing one another, there can be no great harm in adding
a little bit of skin to the plunder. What's your sentiments, Hurry,
touching these p'ints?"
"That you've made a vast mistake, old man, in calling savage blood
human blood, at all. I think no more of a red-skin's scalp than
I do of a pair of wolf's ears; and would just as lief finger money
for the one as for the other. With white people 't is different,
for they've a nat'ral avarsion to being scalped; whereas your Indian
shaves his head in readiness for the knife, and leaves a lock of
hair by way of braggadocio, that one can lay hold of in the bargain."
"That's manly, however, and I felt from the first that we had only
to get you on our side, to have your heart and hand," returned
Tom, losing all his reserve, as he gained a renewed confidence in
the disposition of his companions. "Something more may turn up from
this inroad of the red-skins than they bargained for. Deerslayer,
I conclude you're of Hurry's way of thinking, and look upon money
'arned in this way as being as likely to pass as money 'arned in
trapping or hunting."
"I've no such feelin', nor any wish to harbor it, not I," returned
the other. "My gifts are not scalpers' gifts, but such as belong
to my religion and color. I'll stand by you, old man, in the ark
or in the castle, the canoe or the woods, but I'll not unhumanize
my natur' by falling into ways that God intended for another race.
If you and Hurry have got any thoughts that lean towards the colony's
gold, go by yourselves in s'arch of it, and leave the females to
my care. Much as I must differ from you both on all gifts that do
not properly belong to a white man, we shall agree that it is the
duty of the strong to take care of the weak, especially when the
last belong to them that natur' intended man to protect and console
by his gentleness and strength."
"Hurry Harry, that is a lesson you might learn and practise on to
some advantage," said the sweet, but spirited voice of Judith, from
the cabin; a proof that she had over-heard all that had hitherto
been said.
"No more of this, Jude," called out the father angrily. "Move
farther off; we are about to talk of matters unfit for a woman to
listen to."
Hutter did not take any steps, however, to ascertain whether he
was obeyed or not; but dropping his voice a little, he pursued the
discourse.
"The young man is right, Hurry," he said; "and we can leave
the children in his care. Now, my idea is just this; and I think
you'll agree that it is rational and correct. There's a large party
of these savages on shore and, though I didn't tell it before the
girls, for they're womanish, and apt to be troublesome when anything
like real work is to be done, there's women among 'em. This I
know from moccasin prints; and 't is likely they are hunters, after
all, who have been out so long that they know nothing of the war,
or of the bounties."
"In which case, old Tom, why was their first salute an attempt to
cut our throats?"
"We don't know that their design was so bloody. It's natural and
easy for an Indian to fall into ambushes and surprises; and, no
doubt they wished to get on board the ark first, and to make their
conditions afterwards. That a disapp'inted savage should fire at
us, is in rule; and I think nothing of that. Besides, how often
they burned me out, and robbed my traps- ay, and pulled trigger on
me, in the most peaceful times?"
"The blackguards will do such things, I must allow; and we pay
'em off pretty much in their own c'ine. Women would not be on the
war-path, sartainly; and, so far, there's reason in your idee."
"Nor would a hunter be in his war-paint," returned Deerslayer. "I
saw the Mingos, and know that they are out on the trail of mortal
men; and not for beaver or deer."
"There you have it ag'in, old fellow," said Hurry. "In the way of
an eye, now, I'd as soon trust this young man, as trust the oldest
settler in the colony; if he says paint, why paint it was."
"Then a hunting-party and a war-party have met, for women must have
been with 'em. It's only a few days since the runner went through
with the tidings of the troubles; and it may be that warriors have
come out to call in their women and children, to get an early blow."
"That would stand the courts, and is just the truth," cried Hurry;
"you've got it now, old Tom, and I should like to hear what you
mean to make out of it."
"The bounty," returned the other, looking up at his attentive
companion in a cool, sullen manner, in which, however, heartless
cupidity and indifference to the means were far more conspicuous
than any feelings of animosity or revenge.
"If there's women, there's children; and big and little have scalps;
the colony pays for all alike."
"More shame to it, that it should do so," interrupted Deerslayer;
"more shame to it, that it don't understand its gifts, and pay
greater attention to the will of God."
"Hearken to reason, lad, and don't cry out afore you understand a
case," returned the unmoved Hurry; "the savages scalp your fri'nds,
the Delawares, or Mohicans whichever they may be, among the rest;
and why shouldn't we scalp? I will own, it would be ag'in right
for you and me now, to go into the settlements and bring out
scalps, but it's a very different matter as concerns Indians. A
man shouldn't take scalps, if he isn't ready to be scalped, himself,
on fitting occasions. One good turn desarves another, the world
over. That's reason, and I believe it to be good religion."
"Ay, Master Hurry," again interrupted the rich voice of Judith,
"is it religion to say that one bad turn deserves another?"
"I'll never reason ag'in you, Judy, for you beat me with beauty,
if you can't with sense. Here's the Canadas paying their Injins
for scalps, and why not we pay-"
"Our Indians!" exclaimed the girl, laughing with a sort of melancholy
merriment. "Father, father! think no more of this, and listen to
the advice of Deerslayer, who has a conscience; which is more than
I can say or think of Harry March."
Hutter now rose, and, entering the cabin, he compelled his daughters
to go into the adjoining room, when he secured both the doors,
and returned. Then he and Hurry pursued the subject; but, as the
purport of all that was material in this discourse will appear in
the narrative, it need not be related here in detail. The reader,
however, can have no difficulty in comprehending the morality that
presided over their conference. It was, in truth, that which, in
some form or other, rules most of the acts of men, and in which
the controlling principle is that one wrong will justify another.
Their enemies paid for scalps, and this was sufficient to justify
the colony for retaliating. It is true, the French used the same
argument, a circumstance, as Hurry took occasion to observe in
answer to one of Deerslayer's objections, that proved its truth,
as mortal enemies would not be likely to have recourse to the same
reason unless it were a good one. But neither Hutter nor Hurry
was a man likely to stick at trifles in matters connected with the
right of the aborigines, since it is one of the consequences of
aggression that it hardens the conscience, as the only means of
quieting it. In the most peaceable state of the country, a species
of warfare was carried on between the Indians, especially those of
the Canadas, and men of their caste; and the moment an actual and
recognized warfare existed, it was regarded as the means of lawfully
revenging a thousand wrongs, real and imaginary. Then, again, there
was some truth, and a good deal of expediency, in the principle of
retaliation, of which they both availed themselves, in particular,
to answer the objections of their juster-minded and more scrupulous
companion.
"You must fight a man with his own we'pons, Deerslayer," cried Hurry,
in his uncouth dialect, and in his dogmatical manner of disposing
of all oral propositions; "if he's f'erce you must be f'ercer; if
he's stout of heart, you must be stouter. This is the way to get
the better of Christian or savage: by keeping up to this trail,
you'll get soonest to the ind of your journey."
"That's not Moravian doctrine, which teaches that all are to be
judged according to their talents or l'arning; the Injin like an
Injin; and the white man like a white man. Some of their teachers
say, that if you're struck on the cheek, it's a duty to turn the
other side of the face, and take another blow, instead of seeking
revenge, whereby I understand-"
"That's enough!" shouted Hurry; "that's all I want, to prove a
man's doctrine! How long would it take to kick a man through the
colony- in at one ind and out at the other, on that principle?"
"Don't mistake me, March," returned the young hunter, with dignity;
"I don't understand by this any more than that it's best to do
this, if possible. Revenge is an Injin gift, and forgiveness a
white man's. That's all. Overlook all you can is what's meant;
and not revenge all you can. As for kicking, Master Hurry," and
Deerslayer's sunburnt cheek flushed as he continued, "into the
colony, or out of the colony, that's neither here nor there, seeing
no one proposes it, and no one would be likely to put up with it.
What I wish to say is, that a red-skin's scalping don't justify a
pale-face's scalping."
"Do as you're done by, Deerslayer; that's ever the Christian parson's
doctrine."
"No, Hurry, I've asked the Moravians consarning that; and it's
altogether different. 'Do as you would be done by,' they tell me,
is the true saying, while men practyse the false. They think all
the colonies wrong that offer bounties for scalps, and believe no
blessing will follow the measures. Above all things, they forbid
revenge."
"That for your Moravians!" cried March, snapping his fingers; "they're
the next thing to Quakers; and if you'd believe all they tell
you, not even a 'rat would be skinned, out of marcy. Who ever
heard of marcy on a muskrat!"
The disdainful manner of Hurry prevented a reply, and he and the
old man resumed the discussion of their plans in a more quiet and
confidential manner. This confidence lasted until Judith appeared,
bearing the simple but savory supper. March observed, with a little
surprise, that she placed the choicest bits before Deerslayer,
and that in the little nameless attentions it was in her power to
bestow, she quite obviously manifested a desire to let it be seen
that she deemed him the honored guest. Accustomed, however, to
the waywardness and coquetry of the beauty, this discovery gave him
little concern, and he ate with an appetite that was in no degree
disturbed by any moral causes. The easily-digested food of the
forests offering the fewest possible obstacles to the gratification
of this great animal indulgence, Deerslayer, notwithstanding the
hearty meal both had taken in the woods, was in no manner behind
his companion in doing justice to the viands.
An hour later the scene had greatly changed. The lake was still
placid and glassy, but the gloom of the hour had succeeded to the
soft twilight of a summer evening, and all within the dark setting
of the woods lay in the quiet repose of night. The forests gave
up no song, or cry, or even murmur, but looked down from the hills
on the lovely basin they encircled, in solemn stillness; and the
only sound that was audible was the regular dip of the sweeps, at
which Hurry and Deerslayer lazily pushed, impelling the ark towards
the castle. Hutter had withdrawn to the stern of the scow, in
order to steer, but, finding that the young men kept even strokes,
and held the desired course by their own skill, he permitted the
oar to drag in the water, took a seat on the end of the vessel, and
lighted his pipe. He had not been thus placed many minutes, ere
Hetty came stealthily out of the cabin, or house, as they usually
termed that part of the ark, and placed herself at his feet, on a
little bench that she brought with her. As this movement was by
no means unusual in his feeble-minded child, the old man paid no
other attention to it than to lay his hand kindly on her head, in
an affectionate and approving manner; an act of grace that the girl
received in meek silence.
After a pause of several minutes, Hetty began to sing. Her voice
was low and tremulous, but it was earnest and solemn. The words
and the tune were of the simplest form, the first being a hymn
that she had been taught by her mother, and the last one of those
natural melodies that find favor with all classes, in every age,
coming from and being addressed to the feelings. Hutter never
listened to this simple strain without finding his heart and manner
softened; facts that his daughter well knew, and by which she had
often profited, through the sort of holy instinct that enlightens
the weak of mind, more especially in their aims toward good.
Hetty's low, sweet tones had not been raised many moments, when
the dip of the oars ceased, and the holy strain arose singly on the
breathing silence of the wilderness. As if she gathered courage
with the theme, her powers appeared to increase as she proceeded;
and though nothing vulgar or noisy mingled in her melody, its
strength and melancholy tenderness grew on the ear, until the air
was filled with this simple homage of a soul that seemed almost
spotless. That the men forward were not indifferent to this
touching interruption, was proved by their inaction; nor did their
oars again dip until the last of the sweet sounds had actually died
among the remarkable shores, which, at that witching hour, would
waft even the lowest modulations of the human voice more than a mile.
Hutter was much affected; for rude as he was by early habits, and
even ruthless as he had got to be by long exposure to the practices
of the wilderness, his nature was of that fearful mixture of good
and evil that so generally enters into the moral composition of
man.
"You are sad tonight, child," said the father, whose manner and
language usually assumed some of the gentleness and elevation of
the civilized life he had led in youth, when he thus communed with
this particular child; "we have just escaped from enemies, and
ought rather to rejoice."
"You can never do it, father!" said Hetty, in a low, remonstrating
manner, taking his hard, knotty hand into both her own; "you have
talked long with Harry March; but neither of you have the heart to
do it!"
"This is going beyond your means, foolish child; you must have been
naughty enough to have listened, or you could know nothing of our
talk."
"Why should you and Hurry kill people- especially women and children?"
"Peace, girl, peace; we are at war, and must do to our enemies as
our enemies would do to us."
"That's not it, father! I heard Deerslayer say how it was. You
must do to your enemies as you wish your enemies would do to you.
No man wishes his enemies to kill him."
"We kill our enemies in war, girl, lest they should kill us. One
side or the other must begin; and them that begin first, are most
apt to get the victory. You know nothing about these things, poor
Hetty, and had best say nothing."
"Judith says it is wrong, father; and Judith has sense though I
have none."
"Jude understands better than to talk to me of these matters; for
she has sense, as you say, and knows I'll not bear it. Which would
you prefer, Hetty; to have your own scalp taken, and sold to the
French, or that we should kill our enemies, and keep them from
harming us?"
"That's not it, father! Don't kill them, nor let them kill us.
Sell your skins, and get more, if you can; but don't sell human
blood."
"Come, come, child; let us talk of matters you understand. Are
you glad to see our old friend, March, back again? You like Hurry,
and must know that one day he may be your brother- if not something
nearer."
"That can't be, father," returned the girl, after a considerable
pause; "Hurry has had one father, and one mother; and people never
have two."
"So much for your weak mind, Hetty. When Jude marries, her
husband's father will be her father, and her husband's sister her
sister. If she should marry Hurry, then he will be your brother."
"Judith will never have Hurry," returned the girl mildly, but
positively; "Judith don't like Hurry."
"That's more than you can know, Hetty. Harry March is the handsomest,
and the strongest, and the boldest young man that ever visits the
lake; and, as Jude is the greatest beauty, I don't see why they
shouldn't come together. He has as much as promised that he will
enter into this job with me, on condition that I'll consent."
Hetty began to move her body back and forth, and other-wise to
express mental agitation; but she made no answer for more than a
minute. Her father, accustomed to her manner, and suspecting no
immediate cause of concern, continued to smoke with the apparent
phlegm which would seem to belong to that particular species of
enjoyment.
"Hurry is handsome, father," said Hetty, with a simple emphasis,
that she might have hesitated about using, had her mind been more
alive to the inferences of others.
"I told you so, child," muttered old Hutter, without removing the
pipe from between his teeth; "he's the likeliest youth in these
parts; and Jude is the likeliest young woman I've met with since
her poor mother was in her best days."
"Is it wicked to be ugly, father?'"
"One might be guilty of worse things- but you're by no means ugly;
though not so comely as Jude."
"Is Judith any happier for being so handsome?"
"She may be, child, and she may not be. But talk of other matters
now, for you hardly understand these, poor Hetty. How do you like
our new acquaintance, Deerslayer?"
"He isn't handsome, father. Hurry is far handsomer than Deerslayer."
"That's true; but they say he is a noted hunter! His fame had
reached me before I ever saw him; and I did hope he would prove to
be as stout a warrior as he is dexterous with the deer. All men
are not alike, howsever, child; and it takes time, as I know by
experience, to give a man a true wilderness heart."
"Have I got a wilderness heart, father- and Hurry, is his heart
true wilderness?"
"You sometimes ask queer questions, Hetty! Your heart is good,
child, and fitter for the settlements than for the woods; while
your reason is fitter for the woods than for the settlements."
"Why has Judith more reason than I, father?"
"Heaven help thee, child: this is more than I can answer. God
gives sense, and appearance, and all these things; and he grants
them as he seeth fit. Dost thou wish for more sense?"
"Not I. The little I have troubles me; for when I think the hardest,
then I feel the unhappiest. I don't believe thinking is good for
me, though I do wish I was as handsome as Judith!"
"Why so, poor child? Thy sister's beauty may cause her trouble,
as it caused her mother before her. It's no advantage, Hetty, to
be so marked for anything as to become an object of envy, or to be
sought after more than others."
"Mother was good, if she was handsome," returned the girl, the
tears starting to her eyes, as usually happened when she adverted
to her deceased parent.
Old Hutter, if not equally affected, was moody and silent at this
allusion to his wife. He continued smoking, without appearing disposed
to make any answer, until his simple-minded daughter repeated her
remark, in a way to show that she felt uneasiness lest he might be
inclined to deny her assertion. Then he knocked the ashes out of
his pipe, and laying his hand in a sort of rough kindness on the
girl's head, he made a reply.
"Thy mother was too good for this world," he said; "though others
might not think so. Her good looks did not befriend her; and you
have no occasion to mourn that you are not as much like her as
your sister. Think less of beauty, child, and more of your duty,
and you'll be as happy on this lake as you could be in the king's
palace."
"I know it, father; but Hurry says beauty is everything in a young
woman."
Hutter made an ejaculation expressive of dissatisfaction, and went
forward, passing through the house in order to do so. Hetty's simple
betrayal of her weakness in behalf of March gave him uneasiness
on a subject concerning which he had never felt before, and he
determined to come to an explanation at once with his visitor; for
directness of speech and decision in conduct were two of the best
qualities of this rude being, in whom the seeds of a better education
seemed to be constantly struggling upwards, to be choked by the
fruits of a life in which his hard struggles for subsistence and
security had steeled his feelings and indurated his nature. When
he reached the forward end of the scow, he manifested an intention
to relieve Deerslayer at the oar, directing the latter to take his
own place aft. By these changes, the old man and Hurry were again
left alone, while the young hunter was transferred to the other
end of the ark.
Hetty had disappeared when Deerslayer reached his new post, and for
some little time he directed the course of the slow-moving craft by
himself. It was not long, however, before Judith came out of the
cabin, as if disposed to do the honors of the place to a stranger
engaged in the service of her family. The starlight was sufficient
to permit objects to be plainly distinguished when near at hand,
and the bright eyes of the girl had an expression of kindness in
them, when they met those of the youth, that the latter was easily
enabled to discover. Her rich hair shaded her spirited and yet soft
countenance, even at that hour rendering it the more beautiful-as
the rose is loveliest when reposing amid the shadows and contrasts
of its native foliage. Little ceremony is used in the intercourse
of the woods; and Judith had acquired a readiness of address, by
the admiration that she so generally excited, which, if it did not
amount to forwardness, certainly in no degree lent to her charms
the aid of that retiring modesty on which poets love to dwell.
"I thought I should have killed myself with laughing, Deerslayer,"
the beauty abruptly but coquettishly commenced, "when I saw that
Indian dive into the river! He was a good-looking savage, too,"
the girl always dwelt on personal beauty as a sort of merit, "and
yet one couldn't stop to consider whether his paint would stand
water!"
"And I thought they would have killed you with their we'pons,
Judith," returned Deerslayer; "it was an awful risk for a female
to run in the face of a dozen Mingos!"
"Did that make you come out of the cabin, in spite of their rifles,
too?" asked the girl, with more real interest than she would have
cared to betray, though with an indifference of manner that was
the result of a good deal of practice united to native readiness.
"Men ar'n't apt to see females in danger, and not come to their
assistance. Even a Mingo knows that."
This sentiment was uttered with as much simplicity of manner
as of feeling, and Judith rewarded it with a smile so sweet, that
even Deerslayer, who had imbibed a prejudice against the girl in
consequence of Hurry's suspicions of her levity, felt its charm,
notwithstanding half its winning influence was lost in the feeble
light. It at once created a sort of confidence between them, and
the discourse was continued on the part of the hunter, without
the lively consciousness of the character of this coquette of the
wilderness, with which it had certainly commenced.
"You are a man of deeds, and not of words, I see plainly, Deerslayer,"
continued the beauty, taking her seat near the spot where the other
stood, "and I foresee we shall be very good friends. Hurry Harry
has a tongue, and, giant as he is, he talks more than he performs."
"March is your fri'nd, Judith; and fri'nds should be tender of each
other, when apart."
"We all know what Hurry's friendship comes to! Let him have his
own way in everything, and he's the best fellow in the colony; but
'head him off,' as you say of the deer, and he is master of everything
near him but himself. Hurry is no favorite of mine, Deerslayer;
and I dare say, if the truth was known, and his conversation about
me repeated, it would be found that he thinks no better of me than
I own I do of him."
The latter part of this speech was not uttered without uneasiness.
Had the girl's companion been more sophisticated, he might have
observed the averted face, the manner in which the pretty little
foot was agitated, and other signs that, for some unexplained
reason, the opinions of March were not quite as much a matter of
indifference to her as she thought fit to pretend. Whether this
was no more than the ordinary working of female vanity, feeling
keenly even when it affected not to feel at all, or whether it
proceeded from that deeply-seated consciousness of right and wrong
which God himself has implanted in our breasts that we may know good
from evil, will be made more apparent to the reader as we proceed
in the tale. Deerslayer felt embarrassed. He well remembered the
cruel imputations left by March's distrust; and, while he did not
wish to injure his associate's suit by exciting resentment against
him, his tongue was one that literally knew no guile. To answer
without saying more or less than he wished, was consequently a
delicate duty.
"March has his say of all things in natur', whether of fri'nd
or foe," slowly and cautiously rejoined the hunter. "He's one of
them that speak as they feel while the tongue's a-going, and that's
sometimes different from what they'd speak if they took time to
consider. Give me a Delaware, Judith, for one that reflects and
ruminates on his idees! Inmity has made him thoughtful, and a
loose tongue is no ricommend at their council fires."
"I dare say March's tongue goes free enough when it gets on the
subject of Judith Hutter and her sister," said the girl, rousing
herself as if in careless disdain. "Young women's good names are
a pleasant matter of discourse with some that wouldn't dare be so
open-mouthed if there was a brother in the way. Master March may
find it pleasant to traduce us, but sooner or later he'll repent.
"Nay, Judith, this is taking the matter up too much in 'arnest.
Hurry has never whispered a syllable ag'in the good name of Hetty,
to begin with-"
"I see how it is- I see how it is," impetuously interrupted Judith.
"I am the one he sees fit to scorch with his withering tongue!
Hetty, indeed! Poor Hetty!" she continued, her voice sinking into
low, husky tones, that seemed nearly to stifle her in the utterance;
"she is beyond and above his slanderous malice! Poor Hetty! If
God has created her feeble-minded, the weakness lies altogether on
the side of errors of which she seems to know nothing. The earth
never held a purer being than Hetty Hutter, Deerslayer."
"I can believe it- yes, I can believe that, Judith, and I hope
'arnestly that the same can be said of her handsome sister."
There was a soothing sincerity in the voice of Deerslayer, which
touched the girl's feelings; nor did the allusion to her beauty
lessen the effect with one who only knew too well the power of her
personal charms. Nevertheless, the still, small voice of conscience
was not hushed, and it prompted the answer which she made, after
giving herself time to reflect.
"I dare say Hurry had some of his vile hints about the people of
the garrisons," she added. "He knows they are gentlemen, and can
never forgive any one for being what he feels he can never become
himself."
"Not in the sense of a king's officer, Judith, sartainly, for March
has no turn thataway; but in the sense of reality, why may not a
beaver-hunter be as respectable as a governor? Since you speak of
it yourself, I'll not deny that he did complain of one as humble
as you being so much in the company of scarlet coats and silken
sashes. But 't was jealousy that brought it out of him, and I
do think he mourned over his own thoughts as a mother would have
mourned over her child."
Perhaps Deerslayer was not aware of the full meaning that his
earnest language conveyed. It is certain that he did not see the
color that crimsoned the whole of Judith's fine face, nor detect
the uncontrollable distress that immediately after changed its hue
to deadly paleness. A minute or two elapsed in profound stillness,
the splash of the water seeming to occupy all the avenues of sound;
and then Judith arose, and grasped the hand of the hunter, almost
convulsively, with one of her own.
"Deerslayer," she said, hurriedly, "I'm glad the ice is broke between
us. They say that sudden friendships lead to long enmities, but
I do not believe it will turn out so with us. I know not how it
is-but you are the first man I ever met, who did not seem to wish
to flatter- to wish my ruin- to be an enemy in disguise- never mind;
say nothing to Hurry, and another time we'll talk together again."
As the girl released her grasp, she vanished in the house, leaving
the astonished young man standing at the steering-oar, as motionless
as one of the pines on the hills. So abstracted, indeed, had his
thoughts become, that he was hailed by Hutter to keep the scow's head
in the right direction, before he remembered his actual situation.
Chapter VI.
"So spake the apostate Angel, though in pain,
Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair.'
Paradise lost, I. 125-26.
Shortly after the disappearance of Judith, a light southerly
air arose, and Hutter set a large square sail, that had once been
the flying top-sail of an Albany sloop, but which having become
threadbare in catching the breezes of Tappan, had been condemned
and sold. He had a light, tough spar of tamarack that he could
raise on occasion, and with a little contrivance, his duck was spread
to the wind in a sufficiently professional manner. The effect on
the ark was such as to supersede the necessity of rowing; and in
about two hours the castle was seen, in the darkness, rising out of
the water, at the distance of a hundred yards. The sail was then
lowered, and by slow degrees the scow drifted up to the building,
and was secured.
No one had visited the house since Hurry and his companion left
it. The place was found in the quiet of midnight, a sort of type
of the solitude of a wilderness. As an enemy was known to be near,
Hutter directed his daughters to abstain from the use of lights,
luxuries in which they seldom indulged during the warm months, lest
they might prove beacons to direct their foes where they might be
found.
"In open daylight I shouldn't fear a host of savages behind these
stout logs, and they without any cover to skulk into," added Hutter,
when he had explained to his guests the reasons why he forbade the
use of light; "for I've three or four trusty weapons always loaded,
and Killdeer, in particular, is a piece that never misses. But it's
a different thing at night. A canoe might get upon us unseen, in
the dark; and the savages have so many cunning ways of attacking,
that I look upon it as bad enough to deal with 'em under a bright
sun. I built this dwelling in order to have 'em at arm's length,
in case we should ever get to blows again. Some people think
it's too open and exposed, but I'm for anchoring out here, clear
of underbrush and thickets, as the surest means of making a safe
berth."
"You was once a sailor, they tell me, old Tom?" said Hurry, in
his abrupt manner, struck by one or two expressions that the other
had just used, "and some people believe you could give us strange
accounts of inimies and shipwrecks, if you'd a mind to come out
with all you know?"
"There are people in this world, Hurry," returned the other,
evasively, "who live on other men's thoughts; and some such often
find their way into the woods. What I've been, or what I've seen
in youth, is of less matter now than what the savages are. It's of
more account to find out what will happen in the next twenty-four
hours than to talk over what happened twenty-four years since."
"That's judgment, Deerslayer; yes, that's sound judgment. Here's
Judith and Hetty to take care of, to say nothing of our own top-knots;
and, for my part, I can sleep as well in the dark as I could under
a noonday sun. To me it's no great matter whether there is light
or not, to see to shut my eyes by."
As Deerslayer seldom thought it necessary to answer his companion's
peculiar vein of humor, and Hutter was evidently indisposed to dwell
longer on the subject, it's discussion ceased with this remark. The
latter had something more on his mind, however, than recollections.
His daughters had no sooner left them, with an expressed intention
of going to bed, than he invited his two companions to follow him
again into the scow. Here the old man opened his project, keeping
back the portion that he had reserved for execution by Hurry and
himself.
"The great object for people posted like ourselves is to command
the water," he commenced. "So long as there is no other craft on
the lake, a bark canoe is as good as a man of-war, since the castle
will not be easily taken by swimming. Now, there are but five
canoes remaining in these parts, two of which are mine, and one is
Hurry's. These three we have with us here; one being fastened in
the canoe-dock beneath the house, and the other two being alongside
the scow. The other canoes are housed on the shore, in hollow
logs, and the savages, who are such venomous enemies, will leave
no likely place unexamined in the morning, if they 're serious in
s'arch of bounties-"
"Now, friend Hutter," interrupted Hurry, "the Indian don't live that
can find a canoe that is suitably wintered. I've done something
at this business before now, and Deerslayer here knows that I am
one that can hide a craft in such a way that I can't find it myself."
"Very true, Hurry," put in the person to whom the appeal had been
made, "but you overlook the sarcumstance that if you couldn't
see the trail of the man who did the job, I could. I'm of Master
Hutter's mind, that it's far wiser to mistrust a savage's ingenuity,
than to build any great expectations on his want of eye-sight.
If these two canoes can be got off to the castle, therefore, the
sooner it's done the better."
"Will you be of the party that's to do it?" demanded Hutter, in a
way to show that the proposal both surprised and pleased him.
"Sartain. I'm ready to enlist in any enterprise that's not ag'in
a white man's lawful gifts. Natur' orders us to defend our lives,
and the lives of others, too, when there's occasion and opportunity.
I'll follow you, Floating Tom, into the Mingo camp, on such an
arr'nd, and will strive to do my duty, should we come to blows;
though, never having been tried in battle, I don't like to promise
more than I may be able to perform. We all know our wishes, but
none know their might till put to the proof."
"That's modest and suitable, lad," exclaimed Hurry. "You've never
yet heard the crack of an angry rifle; and, let me tell you, 'tis
as different from the persuasion of one of your venison speeches,
as the laugh of Judith Hutter, in her best humor, is from the
scolding of a Dutch house keeper on the Mohawk. I don't expect
you'll prove much of a warrior, Deerslayer, though your equal with
the bucks and the does don't exist in all these parts. As for the
ra'al sarvice, however, you'll turn out rather rearward, according
to my consait."
"We'll see, Hurry, we'll see," returned the other, meekly; so far
as human eye could discover, not at all disturbed by these expressed
doubts concerning his conduct on a point on which men are sensitive,
precisely in the degree that they feel the consciousness of
demerit; "having never been tried, I'll wait to know, before I form
any opinion of myself; and then there'll be sartainty, instead of
bragging. I've heard of them that was valiant afore the fight,
who did little in it; and of them that waited to know their own
tempers, and found that they weren't as bad as some expected, when
put to the proof."
"At any rate, we know you can use a paddle, young man," said Hutter,
"and that's all we shall ask of you tonight. Let us waste no more
time, but get into the canoe, and do, in place of talking."
As Hutter led the way, in the execution of his project, the boat
was soon ready, with Hurry and Deerslayer at the paddles. Before
the old man embarked himself, however, he held a conference of
several minutes with Judith, entering the house for that purpose;
then, returning, he took his place in the canoe, which left the
side of the ark at the next instant.
Had there been a temple reared to God, in that solitary wilderness,
its clock would have told the hour of midnight as the party set
forth on their expedition. The darkness had increased, though
the night was still clear, and the light of the stars sufficed for
all the purposes of the adventurers. Hutter alone knew the places
where the canoes were hid, and he directed the course, while his
two athletic companions raised and dipped their paddles with proper
caution, lest the sound should be carried to the ears of their
enemies, across that sheet of placid water, in the stillness of
deep night. But the bark was too light to require any extraordinary
efforts, and skill supplying the place of strength, in about half
an hour they were approaching the shore, at a point near a league
from the castle.
"Lay on your paddles, men," said Hutter, in a low voice, "and let
us look about us for a moment. We must now be all eyes and ears,
for these vermin have noses like bloodhounds."
The shores of the lake were examined closely, in order to discover
any glimmering of light that might have been left in a camp; and the
men strained their eyes, in the obscurity, to see if some thread
of smoke was not still stealing along the mountainside, as it arose
from the dying embers of a fire. Nothing unusual could be traced;
and as the position was at some distance from the outlet, or the
spot where the savages had been met, it was thought safe to land.
The paddles were plied again, and the bows of the canoe ground
upon the gravelly beach with a gentle motion, and a sound barely
audible. Hutter and Hurry immediately landed, the former carrying
his own and his friend's rifle, leaving Deerslayer in charge of
the canoe. The hollow log lay a little distance up the side of
the mountain, and the old man led the way towards it, using so much
caution as to stop at every third or fourth step, to listen if any
tread betrayed the presence of a foe. The same death-like stillness,
however, reigned on the midnight scene, and the desired place was
reached without an occurrence to induce alarm.
"This is it," whispered Hutter, laying a foot on the trunk of a
fallen linden; "hand me the paddles first, and draw the boat out
with care, for the wretches may have left it for a bait, after
all."
"Keep my rifle handy, butt towards me, old fellow," answered March.
"If they attack me loaded, I shall want to unload the piece at 'em,
at least. And feel if the pan is full."
"All's right," muttered the other; "move slow, when you get your
load, and let me lead the way."
The canoe was drawn out of the log with the utmost care, raised by
Hurry to his shoulder, and the two began to return to the shore,
moving but a step at a time, lest they should tumble down the
steep declivity. The distance was not great, but the descent was
extremely difficult; and, towards the end of their little journey,
Deerslayer was obliged to land and meet them, in order to aid in
lifting the canoe through the bushes. With his assistance the task
was successfully accomplished, and the light craft soon floated
by the side of the other canoe. This was no sooner done, than
all three turned anxiously towards the forest and the mountain,
expecting an enemy to break out of the one, or to come rushing down
the other. Still the silence was unbroken, and they all embarked
with the caution that had been used in coming ashore.
Hutter now steered broad off towards the centre of the lake. Having
got a sufficient distance from the shore, he cast his prize loose,
knowing that it would drift slowly up the lake before the light
southerly air, and intending to find it on his return. Thus relieved
of his tow, the old man held his way down the lake, steering towards
the very point where Hurry had made his fruitless attempt on the
life of the deer. As the distance from this point to the outlet
was less than a mile, it was like entering an enemy's country; and
redoubled caution became necessary. They reached the extremity
of the point, however, and landed in safety on the little gravelly
beach already mentioned. Unlike the last place at which they had
gone ashore, here was no acclivity to ascend, the mountains looming
up in the darkness quite a quarter of a mile farther west, leaving
a margin of level ground between them and the strand. The point
itself, though long, and covered with tall trees, was nearly flat,
and for some distance only a few yards in width. Hutter and Hurry
landed as before, leaving their companion in charge of the boat.
In this instance, the dead tree that contained the canoe of which
they had come in quest lay about half-way between the extremity
of the narrow slip of land and the place where it joined the main
shore; and knowing that there was water so near him on his left,
the old man led the way along the eastern side of the belt with
some confidence walking boldly, though still with caution. He had
landed at the point expressly to get a glimpse into the bay and
to make certain that the coast was clear; otherwise he would have
come ashore directly abreast of the hollow tree. There was no
difficulty in finding the latter, from which the canoe was drawn
as before, and instead of carrying it down to the place where
Deerslayer lay, it was launched at the nearest favorable spot. As
soon as it was in the water, Hurry entered it, and paddled round
to the point, whither Hutter also proceeded, following the beach.
As the three men had now in their possession all the boats on the
lake, their confidence was greatly increased, and there was no longer
the same feverish desire to quit the shore, or the same necessity
for extreme caution. Their position on the extremity of the long,
narrow bit of land added to the feeling of security, as it permitted
an enemy to approach in only one direction, that in their front,
and under circumstances that would render discovery, with their
habitual vigilance, almost certain. The three now landed together,
and stood grouped in consultation on the gravelly point.
"We've fairly tree'd the scamps," said Hurry, chuckling at their
success; "if they wish to visit the castle, let 'em wade or swim!
Old Tom, that idee of your'n, in burrowing out in the lake, was
high proof, and carries a fine bead. There be men who would think
the land safer than the water; but, after all, reason shows it
isn't; the beaver, and rats, and other l'arned creatur's taking to
the last when hard pressed. I call our position now, entrenched,
and set the Canadas at defiance."
"Let us paddle along this south shore," said Hutter, "and see if
there's no sign of an encampment; but, first, let me have a better
look into the bay, for no one has been far enough round the inner
shore of the point to make suit of that quarter yet."
As Hutter ceased speaking, all three moved in the direction he had
named. Scarce had they fairly opened the bottom of the bay, when
a general start proved that their eyes had lighted on a common
object at the same instant. It was no more than a dying brand,
giving out its flickering and failing light; but at that hour, and
in that place, it was at once as conspicuous as "a good deed in
a naughty world." There was not a shadow of doubt that this fire
had been kindled at an encampment of the Indians. The situation,
sheltered from observation on all sides but one, and even on that
except for a very short distance, proved that more care had been
taken to conceal the spot than would be used for ordinary purposes,
and Hutter, who knew that a spring was near at hand, as well as
one of the best fishing-stations on the lake, immediately inferred
that this encampment contained the women and children of the party.
"That's not a warrior's encampment," he growled to Hurry; "and
there's bounty enough sleeping round that fire to make a heavy
division of head-money. Send the lad to the canoes, for there'll
come no good of him in such an onset, and let us take the matter
in hand at once, like men."
"There's judgment in your notion, old Tom, and I like it to the
backbone. Deerslayer, do you get into the canoe, lad, and paddle
off into the lake with the spare one, and set it adrift, as we
did with the other; after which you can float along shore, as near
as you can get to the head of the bay, keeping outside the point,
howsever, and outside the rushes, too. You can hear us when we
want you; and if there's any delay, I'll call like a loon-yes,
that'll do it- the call of a loon shall be the signal. If you hear
rifles, and feel like sogering, why, you may close in, and see if
you can make the same hand with the savages that you do with the
deer."
"If my wishes could be followed, this matter would not be undertaken,
Hurry-"
"Quite true-nobody denies it, boy; but your wishes can't be
followed; and that inds the matter. So just canoe yourself off
into the middle of the lake, and by the time you get back there'll
be movements in that camp!"
The young man set about complying with great reluctance and a
heavy heart. He knew the prejudices of the frontiermen too well,
however, to attempt a remonstrance. The latter, indeed, under the
circumstances, might prove dangerous, as it would certainly prove
useless. He paddled the canoe, therefore, silently and with the
former caution, to a spot near the centre of the placid sheet of
water, and set the boat just recovered adrift, to float towards the
castle, before the light southerly air. This expedient had been
adopted, in both cases, under the certainty that the drift could
not carry the light barks more than a league or two, before the
return of light, when they might easily be overtaken in order to
prevent any wandering savage from using them, by swimming off and
getting possession, a possible but scarcely a probable event, all
the paddles were retained.
No sooner had he set the recovered canoe adrift, than Deerslayer
turned the bows of his own towards the point on the shore that had
been indicated by Hurry. So light was the movement of the little
craft, and so steady the sweep of its master's arm, that ten minutes
had not elapsed ere it was again approaching the land, having, in
that brief time, passed over fully half a mile of distance. As
soon as Deerslayer's eye caught a glimpse of the rushes, of which
there were many growing in the water a hundred feet from the
shore, he arrested the motion of the canoe, and anchored his boat
by holding fast to the delicate but tenacious stem of one of the
drooping plants. Here he remained, awaiting, with an intensity of
suspense that can be easily imagined, the result of the hazardous
enterprise.
It would be difficult to convey to the minds of those who have
never witnessed it, the sublimity that characterizes the silence of
a solitude as deep as that which now reigned over the Glimmerglass.
In the present instance, this sublimity was increased by the gloom
of night, which threw its shadowy and fantastic forms around the
lake, the forest, and the hills. It is not easy, indeed, to conceive
of any place more favorable to heighten these natural impressions,
than that Deerslayer now occupied. The size of the lake brought
all within the reach of human senses, while it displayed so much
of the imposing scene at a single view, giving up, as it might be,
at a glance, a sufficiency to produce the deepest impressions. As
has been said, this was the first lake Deerslayer had ever seen.
Hitherto, his experience had been limited to the courses of rivers
and smaller streams, and never before had he seen so much of
that wilderness, which he so well loved, spread before his gaze.
Accustomed to the forest, however, his mind was capable of portraying
all its hidden mysteries, as he looked upon its leafy surface. This
was also the first time he had been on a trail where human lives
depended on the issue. His ears had often drunk in the traditions
of frontier warfare, but he had never yet been confronted with an
enemy.
The reader will readily understand, therefore, how intense must have
been the expectation of the young man, as be sat in his solitary
canoe, endeavoring to catch the smallest sound that might denote
the course of things on shore. His training had been perfect, so
far as theory could go, and his self-possession, notwithstanding
the high excitement, that was the fruit of novelty, would have
done credit to a veteran. The visible evidences of the existence
of the camp, or of the fire could not be detected from the spot
where the canoe lay, and he was compelled to depend on the sense of
hearing alone. He did not feel impatient, for the lessons he had
heard taught him the virtue of patience, and, most of all, inculcated
the necessity of wariness in conducting any covert assault on the
Indians. Once he thought he heard the cracking of a dried twig, but
expectation was so intense it might mislead him. In this manner
minute after minute passed, until the whole time since he left
his companions was extended to quite an hour. Deerslayer knew not
whether to rejoice in or to mourn over this cautious delay, for,
if it augured security to his associates, it foretold destruction
to the feeble and innocent.
It might have been an hour and a half after his companions and he
had parted, when Deerslayer was aroused by a sound that filled him
equally with concern and surprise. The quavering call of a loon
arose from the opposite side of the lake, evidently at no great
distance from its outlet. There was no mistaking the note of
this bird, which is so familiar to all who know the sounds of the
American lakes. Shrill, tremulous, loud, and sufficiently prolonged,
it seems the very cry of warning. It is often raised, also, at
night, an exception to the habits of most of the other feathered
inmates of the wilderness; a circumstance which had induced Hurry
to select it as his own signal. There had been sufficient time,
certainly, for the two adventurers to make their way by land from
the point where they had been left to that whence the call had come,
but it was not probable that they would adopt such a course. Had
the camp been deserted they would have summoned Deerslayer to the
shore, and, did it prove to be peopled, there could be no sufficient
motive for circling it, in order to re-embark at so great a
distance. Should he obey the signal, and be drawn away from the
landing, the lives of those who depended on him might be the forfeit-
and, should he neglect the call, on the supposition that it had been
really made, the consequences might be equally disastrous, though
from a different cause. In this indecision he waited, trusting that
the call, whether feigned or natural, would be speedily renewed.
Nor was he mistaken. A very few minutes elapsed before the same
shrill warning cry was repeated, and from the same part of the
lake. This time, being on the alert, his senses were not deceived.
Although he had often heard admirable imitations of this bird, and
was no mean adept himself in raising its notes, he felt satisfied
that Hurry, to whose efforts in that way he had attended, could
never so completely and closely follow nature. He determined,
therefore, to disregard that cry, and to wait for one less perfect
and nearer at hand.
Deerslayer had hardly come to this determination, when the profound
stillness of night and solitude was broken by a cry so startling,
as to drive all recollection of the more melancholy call of the
loon from the listener's mind. It was a shriek of agony, that came
either from one of the female sex, or from a boy so young as not yet
to have attained a manly voice. This appeal could not be mistaken.
Heart rending terror- if not writhing agony- was in the sounds, and
the anguish that had awakened them was as sudden as it was fearful.
The young man released his hold of the rush, and dashed his paddle
into the water; to do, he knew not what- to steer, he knew not
whither. A very few moments, however, removed his indecision. The
breaking of branches, the cracking of dried sticks, and the fall
of feet were distinctly audible; the sounds appearing to approach
the water though in a direction that led diagonally towards the
shore, and a little farther north than the spot that Deerslayer
had been ordered to keep near. Following this clue, the young man
urged the canoe ahead, paying but little attention to the manner
in which he might betray its presence. He had reached a part of
the shore, where its immediate bank was tolerably high and quite
steep. Men were evidently threshing through the bushes and trees
on the summit of this bank, following the line of the shore, as if
those who fled sought a favorable place for descending. Just at
this instant five or six rifles flashed, and the opposite hills
gave back, as usual, the sharp reports in prolonged rolling echoes.
One or two shrieks, like those which escape the bravest when suddenly
overcome by unexpected anguish and alarm, followed; and then the
threshing among the bushes was renewed, in a way to show that man
was grappling with man.
"Slippery devil!" shouted Hurry with the fury of disappointment-"his
skin's greased! I sha'n't grapple! Take that for your cunning!"
The words were followed by the fall of some heavy object among
the smaller trees that fringed the bank, appearing to Deerslayer
as if his gigantic associate had hurled an enemy from him in this
unceremonious manner. Again the flight and pursuit were renewed,
and then the young man saw a human form break down the hill, and
rush several yards into the water. At this critical moment the
canoe was just near enough to the spot to allow this movement,
which was accompanied by no little noise, to be seen, and feeling
that there he must take in his companion, if anywhere, Deerslayer
urged the canoe forward to the rescue. His paddle had not been
raised twice, when the voice of Hurry was heard filling the air with
imprecations, and he rolled on the narrow beach, literally loaded
down with enemies. While prostrate, and almost smothered with his
foes, the athletic frontierman gave his loon-call, in a manner that
would have excited laughter under circumstances less terrific. The
figure in the water seemed suddenly to repent his own flight, and
rushed to the shore to aid his companion, but was met and immediately
overpowered by half a dozen fresh pursuers, who, just then, came
leaping down the bank.
"Let up, you painted riptyles- let up!" cried Hurry, too hard pressed
to be particular about the terms he used; "isn't it enough that I
am withed like a saw-log that ye must choke too!"
This speech satisfied Deerslayer that his friends were prisoners,
and that to land would be to share their fate He was already within
a hundred feet of the shore, when a few timely strokes of the paddle
not only arrested his advance, but forced him off to six or eight
times that distance from his enemies. Luckily for him, all of the
Indians had dropped their rifles in the pursuit, or this retreat
might not have been effected with impunity; though no one had noted
the canoe in the first confusion of the melee.
"Keep off the land, lad," called out Hutter; "the girls depend
only on you, now; you will want all your caution to escape these
savages. Keep off, and God prosper you, as you aid my children!"
There was little sympathy in general between Hutter and the young
man, but the bodily and mental anguish with which this appeal was
made served at the moment to conceal from the latter the former's
faults. He saw only the father in his sufferings, and resolved
at once to give a pledge of fidelity to its interests, and to be
faithful to his word.
"Put your heart at ease, Master Hutter," he called out; "the gals
shall be looked to, as well as the castle. The inimy has got the
shore, 'tis no use to deny, but he hasn't got the water. Providence
has the charge of all, and no one can say what will come of it;
but, if good-will can sarve you and your'n, depend on that much.
My exper'ence is small, but my will is good."
"Ay, ay, Deerslayer," returned Hurry, in this stentorian voice,
which was losing some of its heartiness, notwithstanding,- "Ay, ay,
Deerslayer. You mean well enough, but what can you do? You're no
great matter in the best of times, and such a person is not likely
to turn out a miracle in the worst. If there's one savage on this
lake shore, there's forty, and that's an army you ar'n't the man to
overcome. The best way, in my judgment, will be to make a straight
course to the castle; get the gals into the canoe, with a few
eatables; then strike off for the corner of the lake where we came
in, and take the best trail for the Mohawk. These devils won't
know where to look for you for some hours, and if they did, and
went off hot in the pursuit, they must turn either the foot or the
head of the lake to get at you. That's my judgment in the matter;
and if old Tom here wishes to make his last will and testament in
a manner favorable to his darters, he'll say the same."
"'Twill never do, young man," rejoined Hutter. "The enemy has
scouts out at this moment, looking for canoes, and you'll be seen
and taken. Trust to the castle; and above all things, keep clear
of the land. Hold out a week, and parties from the garrisons will
drive the savages off."
"'Twon't be four-and-twenty hours, old fellow, afore these foxes
will be rafting off to storm your castle," interrupted Hurry, with
more of the heat of argument than might be expected from a man who
was bound and a captive, and about whom nothing could be called free
but his opinions and his tongue. "Your advice has a stout sound,
but it will have a fatal tarmination. If you or I was in the
house, we might hold out a few days, but remember that this lad has
never seen an inimy afore tonight, and is what you yourself called
settlement-conscienced; though for my part, I think the consciences
in the settlements pretty much the same as they are out here in
the woods. These savages are making signs, Deerslayer, for me to
encourage you to come ashore with the canoe; but that I'll never
do, as it's ag'in reason and natur'. As for old Tom and myself,
whether they'll scalp us tonight, keep us for the torture by fire,
or carry us to Canada, is more than any one knows but the devil
that advises them how to act. I've such a big and bushy head that
it's quite likely they'll indivor to get two scalps off it, for the
bounty is a tempting thing, or old Tom and I wouldn't be in this
scrape. Ay- there they go with their signs ag'in, but if I advise
you to land may they eat me as well as roast me. No, no, Deerslayer
-- do you keep off where you are, and after daylight, on no account
come within two hundred yards -"
This injunction of Hurry's was stopped by a hand being rudely
slapped against his mouth, the certain sign that some one in the
party sufficiently understood English to have at length detected
the drift of his discourse. Immediately after, the whole group
entered the forest, Hutter and Hurry apparently making no resistance
to the movement. Just as the sounds of the cracking bushes were
ceasing, however, the voice of the father was again heard.
"As you're true to my children, God prosper you, young man!" were
the words that reached Deerslayer's ears; after which he found
himself left to follow the dictates of his own discretion.
Several minutes elapsed, in death-like stillness, when the party
on the shore had disappeared in the woods. Owing to the distance
-rather more than two hundred yards - and the obscurity, Deerslayer
had been able barely to distinguish the group, and to see it
retiring; but even this dim connection with human forms gave an
animation to the scene that was strongly in contrast to the absolute
solitude that remained. Although the young man leaned forward
to listen, holding his breath and condensing every faculty in the
single sense of hearing, not another sound reached his ears to denote
the vicinity of human beings. It seemed as if a silence that had
never been broken reigned on the spot again; and, for an instant,
even that piercing shriek, which had so lately broken the stillness
of the forest, or the execrations of March, would have been a relief
to the feeling of desertion to which it gave rise.
This paralysis of mind and body, however, could not last long in
one constituted mentally and physically like Deerslayer. Dropping
his paddle into the water, he turned the head of the canoe, and
proceeded slowly, as one walks who thinks intently, towards the
centre of the lake. When he believed himself to have reached a
point in a line with that where he had set the last canoe adrift,
he changed his direction northward, keeping the light air as nearly
on his back as possible. After paddling a quarter of a mile in
this direction, a dark object became visible on the lake, a little
to the right; and turning on one side for the purpose, he had soon
secured his lost prize to his own boat. Deerslayer now examined
the heavens, the course of the air, and the position of the two
canoes. Finding nothing in either to induce a change of plan, he
lay down, and prepared to catch a few hours' sleep, that the morrow
might find him equal to its exigencies.
Although the hardy and the tired sleep profoundly, even in scenes
of danger, it was some time before Deerslayer lost his recollection.
His mind dwelt on what had passed, and his half-conscious faculties
kept figuring the events of the night, in a sort of waking
dream. Suddenly he was up and alert, for he fancied he heard the
preconcerted signal of Hurry summoning him to the shore. But all
was still as the grave again. The canoes were slowly drifting
northward, the thoughtful stars were glimmering in their mild glory
over his head, and the forest-bound sheet of water lay embedded
between its mountains, as calm and melancholy as if never troubled
by the winds, or brightened by a noonday sun. Once more the loon
raised his tremulous cry, near the foot of the lake, and the mystery
of the alarm was explained. Deerslayer adjusted his hard pillow,
stretched his form in the bottom of the canoe, and slept.
Chapter VII.
"Clear, placid Leman I Thy contrasted lake
With the wild world I dwelt in, is a thing
Which warns me, with its stillness, to forsake
Earth's troubled waters for a purer spring.
This quiet sail is as a noiseless wing
To waft me from distraction; once I loved
Torn ocean's roar, but thy soft murmuring
Sounds sweet as if a sister's voice reproved,
That I with stern delights should e'er have been so moved."
BYRON.
Day had fairly dawned before the young man, whom we have left in
the situation described in the last chapter, again opened his eyes.
This was no sooner done, than he started up, and looked about
him with the eagerness of one who suddenly felt the importance of
accurately ascertaining his precise position. His rest had been
deep and undisturbed; and when he awoke, it was with a clearness of
intellect and a readiness of resources that were very much needed
at that particular moment. The sun had not risen, it is true, but
the vault of heaven was rich with the winning softness that "brings
and shuts the day," while the whole air was filled with the carols
of birds, the hymns of the feathered tribe. These sounds first told
Deerslayer the risks he ran. The air, for wind it could scarce be
called, was still light, it is true, but it had increased a little
in the course of the night, and as the canoes were feathers on
the water, they had drifted twice the expected distance; and, what
was still more dangerous, had approached so near the base of the
mountain that here rose precipitously from the eastern shore, as
to render the carols of the birds plainly audible. This was not
the worst. The third canoe had taken the same direction, and was
slowly drifting towards a point where it must inevitably touch,
unless turned aside by a shift of wind, or human hands. In other
respects, nothing presented itself to attract attention, or to
awaken alarm. The castle stood on its shoal, nearly abreast of
the canoes, for the drift had amounted to miles in the course of
the night, and the ark lay fastened to its piles, as both had been
left so many hours before.
As a matter of course, Deerslayer's attention was first given to
the canoe ahead. It was already quite near the point, and a very
few strokes of the paddle sufficed to tell him that it must touch
before he could possibly overtake it. Just at this moment, too,
the wind inopportunely freshened, rendering the drift of the light
craft much more rapid than certain. Feeling the impossibility of
preventing a contact with the land, the young man wisely determined
not to heat himself with unnecessary exertions; but first looking
to the priming of his piece, he proceeded slowly and warily towards
the point, taking care to make a little circuit, that he might be
exposed on only one side, as he approached.
The canoe adrift being directed by no such intelligence, pursued
its proper way, and grounded on a small sunken rock, at the distance
of three or four yards from the shore. Just at that moment, Deerslayer
had got abreast of the point, and turned the bows of his own boat
to the land; first casting loose his tow, that his movements might
be unencumbered. The canoe hung an instant to the rock; then it
rose a hair's breadth on an almost imperceptible swell of the water,
swung round, floated clear, and reached the strand. All this the
young man noted, but it neither quickened his pulses, nor hastened
his hand. If any one had been lying in wait for the arrival of
the waif, he must be seen, and the utmost caution in approaching
the shore became indispensable; if no one was in ambush, hurry was
unnecessary. The point being nearly diagonally opposite to the
Indian encampment, he hoped the last, though the former was not
only possible, but probable; for the savages were prompt in adopting
all the expedients of their particular modes of warfare, and quite
likely had many scouts searching the shores for craft to carry
them off to the castle. As a glance at the lake from any height or
projection would expose the smallest object on its surface, there
was little hope that either of the canoes would pass unseen; and
Indian sagacity needed no instruction to tell which way a boat or
a log would drift, when the direction of the wind was known. As
Deerslayer drew nearer and nearer to the land, the stroke of his
paddle grew slower, his eye became more watchful, and his ears
and nostrils almost dilated with the effort to detect any lurking
danger. 'T was a trying moment for a novice, nor was there the
encouragement which even the timid sometimes feel, when conscious
of being observed and commended. He was entirely alone, thrown on
his own resources, and was cheered by no friendly eye, emboldened
by no encouraging voice. Notwithstanding all these circumstances,
the most experienced veteran in forest warfare could not have
behaved better. Equally free from recklessness and hesitation,
his advance was marked by a sort of philosophical prudence that
appeared to render him superior to all motives but those which were
best calculated to effect his purpose. Such was the commencement
of a career in forest exploits, that afterwards rendered this man,
in his way, and under the limits of his habits and opportunities,
as renowned as many a hero whose name has adorned the pages of
works more celebrated than legends simple as ours can ever become.
When about a hundred yards from the shore, Deerslayer rose in the
canoe, gave three or four vigorous strokes with the paddle, sufficient
of themselves to impel the bark to land, and then quickly laying
aside the instrument of labor, he seized that of war. He was in
the very act of raising the rifle, when a sharp report was followed
by the buzz of a bullet that passed so near his body as to cause
him involuntarily to start. The next instant Deerslayer staggered,
and fell his whole length in the bottom of the canoe. A yell -
it came from a single voice - followed, and an Indian leaped from
the bushes upon the open area of the point, bounding towards the
canoe. This was the moment the young man desired. He rose on the
instant, and levelled his own rifle at his uncovered foe; but his
finger hesitated about pulling the trigger on one whom he held at
such a disadvantage. This little delay, probably, saved the life
of the Indian, who bounded back into the cover as swiftly as he
had broken out of it. In the meantime Deerslayer had been swiftly
approaching the land, and his own canoe reached the point just as
his enemy disappeared. As its movements had not been directed, it
touched the shore a few yards from the other boat; and though the
rifle of his foe had to be loaded, there was not time to secure
his prize, and carry it beyond danger, before he would be exposed
to another shot. Under the circumstances, therefore, he did not
pause an instant, but dashed into the woods and sought a cover.
On the immediate point there was a small open area, partly in
native grass, and partly beach, but a dense fringe of bushes lined
its upper side. This narrow belt of dwarf vegetation passed, one
issued immediately into the high and gloomy vaults of the forest.
The land was tolerably level for a few hundred feet, and then it
rose precipitously in a mountainside. The trees were tall, large,
and so free from underbrush, that they resembled vast columns,
irregularly scattered, upholding a dome of leaves. Although they
stood tolerably close together, for their ages and size, the eye
could penetrate to considerable distances; and bodies of men, even,
might have engaged beneath their cover, with concert and intelligence.
Deerslayer knew that his adversary must be employed in reloading,
unless he had fled. The former proved to be the case, for the young
man had no sooner placed himself behind a tree, than he caught a
glimpse of the arm of the Indian, his body being concealed by an
oak, in the very act of forcing the leathered bullet home. Nothing
would have been easier than to spring forward, and decide the
affair by a close assault on his unprepared foe; but every feeling
of Deerslayer revolted at such a step, although his own life had
just been attempted from a cover. He was yet unpracticed in the
ruthless expedients of savage warfare, of which he knew nothing except
by tradition and theory, and it struck him as unfair advantage to
assail an unarmed foe. His color had heightened, his eye frowned,
his lips were compressed, and all his energies were collected and
ready; but, instead of advancing to fire, he dropped his rifle to
the usual position of a sportsman in readiness to catch his aim,
and muttered to himself, unconscious that he was speaking-
"No, no - that may be red-skin warfare, but it's not a Christian's
gifts. Let the miscreant charge, and then we'll take it out like
men; for the canoe he must not, and shall not have. No, no; let
him have time to load, and God will take care of the right!"
All this time the Indian had been so intent on his own movements,
that he was even ignorant that his enemy was in the woods. His
only apprehension was, that the canoe would be recovered and carried
away before he might be in readiness to prevent it. He had sought
the cover from habit, but was within a few feet of the fringe
of bushes, and could be at the margin of the forest in readiness
to fire in a moment. The distance between him and his enemy was
about fifty yards, and the trees were so arranged by nature that
the line of sight was not interrupted, except by the particular
trees behind which each party stood.
His rifle was no sooner loaded, than the savage glanced around him,
and advanced incautiously as regarded the real, but stealthily as
respected the fancied position of his enemy, until he was fairly
exposed. Then Deerslayer stepped from behind its own cover, and
hailed him.
"This a way, red-skin; this a way, if you're looking for me," he
called out. "I'm young in war, but not so young as to stand on
an open beach to be shot down like an owl, by daylight. It rests
on yourself whether it's peace or war atween us; for my gifts are
white gifts, and I'm not one of them that thinks it valiant to slay
human mortals, singly, in the woods."
The savage was a good deal startled by this sudden discovery of
the danger he ran. He had a little knowledge of English, however,
and caught the drift of the other's meaning. He was also too well
schooled to betray alarm, but, dropping the butt of his rifle to
the earth, with an air of confidence, he made a gesture of lofty
courtesy. All this was done with the ease and self-possession
of one accustomed to consider no man his superior. In the midst
of this consummate acting, however, the volcano that raged within
caused his eyes to glare, and his nostrils to dilate, like those
of some wild beast that is suddenly prevented from taking the fatal
leap.
"Two canoes," he said, in the deep guttural tones of his race,
holding up the number of fingers he mentioned, by way of preventing
mistakes; "one for you --one for me."
"No, no, Mingo, that will never do. You own neither; and neither
shall you have, as long as I can prevent it. I know it's war atween
your people and mine, but that's no reason why human mortals should
slay each other, like savage creatur's that meet in the woods; go
your way, then, and leave me to go mine. The world is large enough
for us both; and when we meet fairly in battle, why, the Lord will
order the fate of each of us."
"Good!" exclaimed the Indian; "my brother missionary - great talk;
all about Manitou."
"Not so - not so, warrior. I'm not good enough for the Moravians,
and am too good for most of the other vagabonds that preach about
in the woods. No, no; I'm only a hunter, as yet, though afore the
peace is made, 'tis like enough there'll be occasion to strike a
blow at some of your people. Still, I wish it to be done in fair
fight, and not in a quarrel about the ownership of a miserable
canoe."
"Good! My brother very young - but he is very wise. Little warrior
- great talker. Chief, sometimes, in council."
"I don't know this, nor do I say it, Injin," returned Deerslayer,
coloring a little at the ill-concealed sarcasm of the other's
manner; "I look forward to a life in the woods, and I only hope
it may be a peaceable one. All young men must go on the war-path,
when there's occasion, but war isn't needfully massacre. I've
seen enough of the last, this very night, to know that Providence
frowns on it; and I now invite you to go your own way, while I go
mine; and hope that we may part fri'nds."
"Good! My brother has two scalp - gray hair under 'other. Old
wisdom - young tongue."
Here the savage advanced with confidence, his hand extended, his
face smiling, and his whole bearing denoting amity and respect.
Deerslayer met his offered friendship in a proper spirit, and they
shook hands cordially, each endeavoring to assure the other of his
sincerity and desire to be at peace.
"All have his own," said the Indian; "my canoe, mine; your canoe,
your'n. Go look; if your'n, you keep; if mine, I keep."
"That's just, red-skin; thought you must be wrong in thinking the
canoe your property. Howsever, seein' is believin', and we'll go
down to the shore, where you may look with your own eyes; for it's
likely you'll object to trustin' altogether to mine."
The Indian uttered his favorite exclamation of "Good!" and then
they walked side by side, towards the shore. There was no apparent
distrust in the manner of either, the Indian moving in advance,
as if he wished to show his companion that he did not fear turning
his back to him. As they reached the open ground, the former
pointed towards Deerslayer's boat, and said emphatically - "No mine
- pale-face canoe. This red man's. No want other man's canoe -
want his own."
"You're wrong, red-skin, you 're altogether wrong. This canoe was
left in old Hutter's keeping, and is his'n according to law, red
or white, till its owner comes to claim it. Here's the seats and
the stitching of the bark to speak for themselves. No man ever
know'd an Injin to turn off such work."
"Good! My brother little old - big wisdom. Injin no make him.
White man's work."
"I'm glad you think so, for holding out to the contrary might have
made ill blood atween us, every one having a right to take possession
of his own. I'll just shove the canoe out of reach of dispute at
once, as the quickest way of settling difficulties."
While Deerslayer was speaking, he put a foot against the end of
the light boat, and giving a vigorous shove, he sent it out into
the lake a hundred feet or more, where, taking the true current,
it would necessarily float past the point, and be in no further
danger of coming ashore. The savage started at this ready and
decided expedient, and his companion saw that he cast a hurried
and fierce glance at his own canoe, or that which contained the
paddles. The change of manner, however, was but momentary, and
then the Iroquois resumed his air of friendliness, and a smile of
satisfaction.
"Good!" he repeated, with stronger emphasis than ever. "Young head,
old mind. Know how to settle quarrel. Farewell, brother. He go
to house in water-muskrat house - Injin go to camp; tell chiefs no
find canoe."
Deerslayer was not sorry to hear this proposal, for he felt anxious
to join the females, and he took the offered hand of the Indian
very willingly. The parting words were friendly, and while the red
man walked calmly towards the wood, with the rifle in the hollow of
his arm, without once looking back in uneasiness or distrust, the
white man moved towards the remaining canoe, carrying his piece in
the same pacific manner, it is true, but keeping his eye fastened
on the movements of the other. This distrust, however, seemed to
be altogether uncalled for, and as if ashamed to have entertained
it, the young man averted his look, and stepped carelessly up to
his boat. Here he began to push the canoe from the shore, and to
make his other preparations for departing. He might have been thus
employed a minute, when, happening to turn his face towards the
land, his quick and certain eye told him, at a glance, the imminent
jeopardy in which his life was placed. The black, ferocious eyes
of the savage were glancing on him, like those of the crouching
tiger, through a small opening in the bushes, and the muzzle of
his rifle seemed already to be opening in a line with his own body.
Then, indeed, the long practice of Deerslayer, as a hunter did
him good service. Accustomed to fire with the deer on the bound,
and often when the precise position of the animal's body had in a
manner to be guessed at, he used the same expedients here. To cock
and poise his rifle were the acts of a single moment and a single
motion: then aiming almost without sighting, he fired into the
bushes where he knew a body ought to be, in order to sustain the
appalling countenance which alone was visible. There was not time
to raise the piece any higher, or to take a more deliberate aim. So
rapid were his movements that both parties discharged their pieces
at the same instant, the concussions mingling in one report. The
mountains, indeed, gave back but a single echo. Deerslayer dropped
his piece, and stood with head erect, steady as one of the pines
in the calm of a June morning, watching the result; while the
savage gave the yell that has become historical for its appalling
influence, leaped through the bushes, and came bounding across the
open ground, flourishing a tomahawk. Still Deerslayer moved not,
but stood with his unloaded rifle fallen against his shoulders,
while, with a hunter's habits, his hands were mechanically feeling
for the powder-horn and charger. When about forty feet from his
enemy, the savage hurled his keen weapon; but it was with an eye
so vacant, and a hand so unsteady and feeble, that the young man
caught it by the handle as it was flying past him. At that instant
the Indian staggered and fell his whole length on the ground.
"I know'd it - I know'd it!" exclaimed Deerslayer, who was already
preparing to force a fresh bullet into his rifle; "I know'd it must
come to this, as soon as I had got the range from the creatur's
eyes. A man sights suddenly, and fires quick when his own life's
in danger; yes, I know'd it would come to this. I was about the
hundredth part of a second too quick for him, or it might have
been bad for me! The riptyle's bullet has just grazed my side -but
say what you will for or ag'in 'em, a red-skin is by no means as
sartain with powder and ball as a white man. Their gifts don't
seem to lie that a way. Even Chingachgook, great as he is in other
matters, isn't downright deadly with the rifle."
By this time the piece was reloaded, and Deerslayer, after tossing
the tomahawk into the canoe, advanced to his victim, and stood
over him, leaning on his rifle, in melancholy attention. It was
the first instance in which he ha seen a man fall in battle - it
was the first fellow-creature against whom he had ever seriously
raised his own hand. The sensations were novel; and regret, with
the freshness of our better feelings, mingled with his triumph.
The Indian was not dead, though shot directly through the body. He
lay on his back motionless, but his eyes, now full of consciousness,
watched each action of his victor - as the fallen bird regards the
fowler - jealous of every movement. The man probably expected the
fatal blow which was to precede the loss of his scalp; or perhaps
he anticipated that this latter act of cruelty would precede his
death. Deerslayer read his thoughts; and he found a melancholy
satisfaction in relieving the apprehensions of the helpless savage.
"No, no, red-skin," he said; "you've nothing more to fear from me.
I am of a Christian stock, and scalping is not of my gifts. I'll
just make sartain of your rifle, and then come back and do you
what sarvice I can. Though here I can't stay much longer, as the
crack of three rifles will be apt to bring some of your devils down
upon me."
The close of this was said in a sort of a soliloquy, as the young
man went in quest of the fallen rifle. The piece was found where
its owner had dropped it, and was immediately put into the canoe.
Laying his own rifle at its side, Deerslayer then returned and
stood over the Indian again.
"All inmity atween you and me's at an ind red-skin," he said; "and
you may set your heart at rest on the score of the scalp, or any
further injury. My gifts are white, as I've told you; and I hope
my conduct will be white also."
Could looks have conveyed all they meant, it is probable Deerslayer's
innocent vanity on the subject of color would have been rebuked
a little; but he comprehended the gratitude that was expressed in
the eyes of the dying savage, without in the least detecting the
bitter sarcasm that struggled with the better feeling.
"Water!" ejaculated the thirsty and unfortunate creature; "give
poor Injin water."
"Ay, water you shall have, if you drink the lake dry. I'll just
carry you down to it that you may take your fill. This is the way,
they tell me, with all wounded people - water is their greatest
comfort and delight."
So saying, Deerslayer raised the Indian in his arms, and carried
him to the lake. Here he first helped him to take an attitude in
which he could appease his burning thirst; after which he seated
himself on a stone, and took the head of his wounded adversary in
his own lap, and endeavored to soothe his anguish in the best manner
he could.
"It would be sinful in me to tell you your time hadn't come,
warrior," he commenced, "and therefore I'll not say it. You've
passed the middle age already, and, considerin' the sort of lives
ye lead, your days have been pretty well filled. The principal
thing now, is to look forward to what comes next. Neither red-skin
nor pale-face, on the whole, calculates much on sleepin' forever;
but both expect to live in another world. Each has his gifts, and
will be judged by 'em, and I suppose you've thought these matters
over enough not to stand in need of sarmons when the trial comes.
You'll find your happy hunting-grounds, if you've been a just Injin;
if an onjust, you'll meet your desarts in another way. I've my
own idees about these things; but you're too old and exper'enced
to need any explanations from one as young as I."
"Good!" ejaculated the Indian, whose voice retained its depth even
as life ebbed away; "young head - old wisdom!"
"It's sometimes a consolation, when the ind comes, to know that
them we've harmed, or tried to harm, forgive us. I suppose natur'
seeks this relief, by way of getting a pardon on 'arth; as we never
can know whether He pardons, who is all in all, till judgment itself
comes. It's soothing to know that any pardon at such times; and
that, I conclude, is the secret. Now, as for myself, I overlook
altogether your designs ag'in my life; first, because no harm came
of 'em; next, because it's your gifts, and natur', and trainin', and
I ought not to have trusted you at all; and, finally and chiefly,
because I can bear no ill-will to a dying man, whether heathen or
Christian. So put your heart at ease, so far as I'm consarned; you
know best what other matters ought to trouble you, or what ought
to give you satisfaction in so trying a moment."
It is probable that the Indian had some of the fearful glimpses of
the unknown state of being which God, in mercy, seems at times to
afford to all the human race; but they were necessarily in conformity
with his habits and prejudices Like most of his people, and like
too many of our own, he thought more of dying in a way to gain
applause among those he left than to secure a better state of
existence hereafter. While Deerslayer was speaking, his mind was
a little bewildered, though he felt that the intention was good;
and when he had done, a regret passed over his spirit that none of
his own tribe were present to witness his stoicism, under extreme
bodily suffering, and the firmness with which he met his end.
With the high innate courtesy that so often distinguishes the
Indian warrior before he becomes corrupted by too much intercourse
with the worst class of the white men, he endeavored to express
his thankfulness for the other's good intentions, and to let him
understand that they were appreciated.
"Good!" he repeated, for this was an English word much used by the
savages, "good! young head; young heart, too. Old heart tough;
no shed tear. Hear Indian when he die, and no want to lie - what
he call him?"
"Deerslayer is the name I bear now, though the Delawares have said
that when I get back from this war-path, I shall have a more manly
title, provided I can 'arn one."
"That good name for boy - poor name for warrior. He get better
quick. No fear there," - the savage had strength sufficient, under
the strong excitement he felt, to raise a hand and tap the young
man on his breast, - "eye sartain -finger lightning - aim, death
- great warrior soon. No Deerslayer - Hawkeye -Hawkeye - Hawkeye.
Shake hand."
Deerslayer - or Hawkeye, as the youth was then first named, for
in after years he bore the appellation throughout all that region
- Deerslayer took the hand of the savage, whose last breath was
drawn in that attitude, gazing in admiration at the countenance of
a stranger, who had shown so much readiness, skill, and firmness,
in a scene that was equally trying and novel. When the reader
remembers it is the highest gratification an Indian can receive to
see his enemy betray weakness, he will be better able to appreciate
the conduct which had extorted so great a concession at such a
moment.
"His spirit has fled!" said Deerslayer, in a suppressed, melancholy
voice. "Ah's me! Well, to this we must all come, sooner or later;
and he is happiest, let his skin be what color it may, who is best
fitted to meet it. Here lies the body of no doubt a brave warrior,
and the soul is already flying towards its heaven or hell, whether
that be a happy hunting ground, a place scant of game, regions of
glory, according to Moravian doctrine, or flames of fire! So it
happens, too, as regards other matters! Here have old Hutter and
Hurry Harry got themselves into difficulty, if they haven't got
themselves into torment and death, and all for a bounty that luck
offers to me in what many would think a lawful and suitable manner.
But not a farthing of such money shall cross my hand. White I was
born, and white will I die; clinging to color to the last, even
though the King's majesty, his governors, and all his councils,
both at home and in the colonies, forget from what they come, and
where they hope to go, and all for a little advantage in warfare.
No, no, warrior, hand of mine shall never molest your scalp, and
so your soul may rest in peace on the p'int of making a decent
appearance when the body comes to join it, in your own land of
spirits."
Deerslayer arose as soon as he had spoken. Then he placed the body
of the dead man in a sitting posture, with its back against the
little rock, taking the necessary care to prevent it from falling
or in any way settling into an attitude that might be thought
unseemly by the sensitive, though wild notions of a savage. When
this duty was performed, the young man stood gazing at the grim
countenance of his fallen foe, in a sort of melancholy abstraction.
As was his practice, however, a habit gained by living so much
alone in the forest, he then began again to give utterance to his
thoughts and feelings aloud.
"I didn't wish your life, red-skin," he said "but you left me no
choice atween killing or being killed. Each party acted according
to his gifts, I suppose, and blame can light on neither. You were
treacherous, according to your natur' in war, and I was a little
oversightful, as I'm apt to be in trusting others. Well, this is
my first battle with a human mortal, though it's not likely to be
the last. I have fou't most of the creatur's of the forest, such as
bears, wolves, painters, and catamounts, but this is the beginning
with the red-skins. If I was Injin born, now, I might tell of
this, or carry in the scalp, and boast of the expl'ite afore the
whole tribe; or, if my inimy had only been even a bear, 'twould have
been nat'ral and proper to let everybody know what had happened;
but I don't well see how I'm to let even Chingachgook into this
secret, so long as it can be done only by boasting with a white
tongue. And why should I wish to boast of it a'ter all? It's
slaying a human, although he was a savage; and how do I know that
he was a just Injin; and that he has not been taken away suddenly
to anything but happy hunting-grounds. When it's onsartain whether
good or evil has been done, the wisest way is not to be boastful -
still, I should like Chingachgook to know that I haven't discredited
the Delawares, or my training!"
Part of this was uttered aloud, while part was merely muttered
between the speaker's teeth; his more confident opinions enjoying
the first advantage, while his doubts were expressed in the latter
mode. Soliloquy and reflection received a startling interruption,
however, by the sudden appearance of a second Indian on the lake
shore, a few hundred yards from the point. This man, evidently
another scout, who had probably been drawn to the place by
the reports of the rifles, broke out of the forest with so little
caution that Deerslayer caught a view of his person before he was
himself discovered. When the latter event did occur, as was the
case a moment later, the savage gave a loud yell, which was answered
by a dozen voices from different parts of the mountainside. There
was no longer any time for delay; in another minute the boat was
quitting the shore under long and steady sweeps of the paddle.
As soon as Deerslayer believed himself to be at a safe distance he
ceased his efforts, permitting the little bark to drift, while he
leisurely took a survey of the state of things. The canoe first
sent adrift was floating before the air, quite a quarter of a mile
above him, and a little nearer to the shore than he wished, now
that he knew more of the savages were so near at hand. The canoe
shoved from the point was within a few yards of him, he having
directed his own course towards it on quitting the land. The dead
Indian lay in grim quiet where he had left him, the warrior who had
shown himself from the forest had already vanished, and the woods
themselves were as silent and seemingly deserted as the day they
came fresh from the hands of their great Creator. This profound
stillness, however, lasted but a moment. When time had been given
to the scouts of the enemy to reconnoitre, they burst out of the
thicket upon the naked point, filling the air with yells of fury
at discovering the death of their companion. These cries were
immediately succeeded by shouts of delight when they reached the
body and clustered eagerly around it. Deerslayer was a sufficient
adept in the usages of the natives to understand the reason of the
change. The yell was the customary lamentation at the loss of a
warrior, the shout a sign of rejoicing that the conqueror had not
been able to secure the scalp; the trophy, without which a victory
is never considered complete. The distance at which the canoes
lay probably prevented any attempts to injure the conqueror, the
American Indian, like the panther of his own woods, seldom making
any effort against his foe unless tolerably certain it is under
circumstances that may be expected to prove effective.
As the young man had no longer any motive to remain near the point,
he prepared to collect his canoes, in order to tow them off to the
castle. That nearest was soon in tow, when he proceeded in quest
of the other, which was all this time floating up the lake. The
eye of Deerslayer was no sooner fastened on this last boat, than it
struck him that it was nearer to the shore than it would have been
had it merely followed the course of the gentle current of air.
He began to suspect the influence of some unseen current in the
water, and he quickened his exertions, in order to regain possession
of it before it could drift into a dangerous proximity to the woods.
On getting nearer, he thought that the canoe had a perceptible motion
through the water, and, as it lay broadside to the air, that this
motion was taking it towards the land. A few vigorous strokes of
the paddle carried him still nearer, when the mystery was explained.
Something was evidently in motion on the off side of the canoe, or
that which was farthest from himself, and closer scrutiny showed
that it was a naked human arm. An Indian was lying in the bottom
of the canoe, and was propelling it slowly but certainly to the
shore, using his hand as a paddle. Deerslayer understood the whole
artifice at a glance. A savage had swum off to the boat while he
was occupied with his enemy on the point, got possession, and was
using these means to urge it to the shore.
Satisfied that the man in the canoe could have no arms, Deerslayer
did not hesitate to dash close alongside of the retiring boat,
without deeming it necessary to raise his own rifle. As soon as
the wash of the water, which he made in approaching, became audible
to the prostrate savage, the latter sprang to his feet, and uttered
an exclamation that proved how completely he was taken by surprise.
"If you've enj'yed yourself enough in that canoe, red-skin,"
Deerslayer coolly observed, stopping his own career in sufficient
time to prevent an absolute collision between the two boats, - "if
you've enj'yed yourself enough in that canoe, you'll do a prudent
act by taking to the lake ag'in. I'm reasonable in these matters,
and don't crave your blood, though there's them about that would
look upon you more as a due-bill for the bounty than a human mortal.
Take to the lake this minute, afore we get to hot words."
The savage was one of those who did not understand a word of
English, and he was indebted to the gestures of Deerslayer, and
to the expression of an eye that did not often deceive, for an
imperfect comprehension of his meaning. Perhaps, too, the sight
of the rifle that lay so near the hand of the white man quickened
his decision. At all events, he crouched like a tiger about to
take his leap, uttered a yell, and the next instant his naked body
disappeared in the water. When he rose to take breath, it was at
the distance of several yards from the canoe, and the hasty glance
he threw behind him denoted how much he feared the arrival of a
fatal messenger from the rifle of his foe. But the young man made
no indication of any hostile intention. Deliberately securing the
canoe to the others, he began to paddle from the shore; and by the
time the Indian reached the land, and had shaken himself, like a
spaniel, on quitting the water, his dreaded enemy was already beyond
rifle-shot on his way to the castle. As was so much his practice,
Deerslayer did not fail to soliloquize on what had just occurred,
while steadily pursuing his course towards the point of destination.
"Well, well," - he commenced, - "'twould have been wrong to kill
a human mortal without an object. Scalps are of no account with
me, and life is sweet, and ought not to be taken marcilessly by
them that have white gifts. The savage was a Mingo, it's true;
and I make no doubt he is, and will be as long as he lives, a ra'al
riptyle and vagabond; but that's no reason I should forget my gifts
and color. No, no, - let him go; if ever we meet ag'in, rifle
in hand, why then 'twill be seen which has the stoutest heart and
the quickest eye. Hawkeye! That's not a bad name for a warrior,
sounding much more manful and valiant than Deerslayer! 'Twouldn't
be a bad title to begin with, and it has been fairly 'arned. If
't was Chingachgook, now, he might go home and boast of his deeds,
and the chiefs would name him Hawkeye in a minute; but it don't
become white blood to brag, and 't isn't easy to see how the matter
can be known unless I do. Well, well, - everything is in the hands
of Providence; this affair as well as another; I'll trust to that
for getting my desarts in all things."
Having thus betrayed what might be termed his weak spot, the young
man continued to paddle in silence, making his way diligently, and
as fast as his tows would allow him, towards the castle. By this
time the sun had not only risen, but it had appeared over the eastern
mountains, and was shedding a flood of glorious light on this as
yet unchristened sheet of water. The whole scene was radiant with
beauty; and no one unaccustomed to the ordinary history of the
woods would fancy it had so lately witnessed incidents so ruthless
and barbarous. As he approached the building of old Hutter, Deerslayer
thought, or rather felt that its appearance was in singular harmony
with all the rest of the scene. Although nothing had been consulted
but strength and security, the rude, massive logs, covered with
their rough bark, the projecting roof, and the form, would contribute
to render the building picturesque in almost any situation, while
its actual position added novelty and piquancy to its other points
of interest.
When Deerslayer drew nearer to the castle, however, objects of
interest presented themselves that at once eclipsed any beauties
that might have distinguished the scenery of the lake, and the site
of the singular edifice. Judith and Hetty stood on the platform
before the door, Hurry's dooryard awaiting his approach with
manifest anxiety; the former, from time to time, taking a survey of
his person and of the canoes through the old ship's spyglass that
has been already mentioned. Never probably did this girl seem more
brilliantly beautiful than at that moment; the flush of anxiety
and alarm increasing her color to its richest tints, while the
softness of her eyes, a charm that even poor Hetty shared with her,
was deepened by intense concern. Such, at least, without pausing
or pretending to analyze motives, or to draw any other very nice
distinction between cause and effect, were the opinions of the young
man as his canoes reached the side of the ark, where he carefully
fastened all three before he put his foot on the platform.
Chapter VIII.
"His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles;
His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate;
His tears pure messengers sent from his heart;
His heart as far from fraud as heaven from earth."
Two Gentlemen of Verona, II.vii,75-78
Neither of the girls spoke as Deerslayer stood before them alone,
his countenance betraying all the apprehension he felt on account
of two absent members of their party.
"Father!" Judith at length exclaimed, succeeding in uttering the
word, as it might be by a desperate effort.
"He's met with misfortune, and there's no use in concealing it,"
answered Deerslayer, in his direct and simple minded manner. "He
and Hurry are in Mingo hands, and Heaven only knows what's to be the
tarmination. I've got the canoes safe, and that's a consolation,
since the vagabonds will have to swim for it, or raft off, to come
near this place. At sunset we'll be reinforced by Chingachgook,
if I can manage to get him into a canoe; and then, I think, we two
can answer for the ark and the castle, till some of the officers
in the garrisons hear of this war-path, which sooner or later must
be the case, when we may look for succor from that quarter, if from
no other."
"The officers!" exclaimed Judith, impatiently, her color deepening,
and her eye expressing a lively but passing emotion. "Who thinks
or speaks of the heartless gallants now? We are sufficient of
ourselves to defend the castle. But what of my father, and of poor
Hurry Harry?"
"'T is natural you should feel this consarn for your own parent,
Judith, and I suppose it's equally so that you should feel it for
Hurry Harry, too."
Deerslayer then commenced a succinct but clear narrative of all
that occurred during the night, in no manner concealing what had
befallen his two companions, or his own opinion of what might prove
to be the consequences. The girls listened with profound attention,
but neither betrayed that feminine apprehension and concern which
would have followed such a communication when made to those who were
less accustomed to the hazards and accidents of a frontier life.
To the surprise of Deerslayer, Judith seemed the most distressed,
Hetty listening eagerly, but appearing to brood over the facts
in melancholy silence, rather than betraying any outward signs of
feeling. The former's agitation, the young man did not fail to
attribute to the interest she felt in Hurry, quite as much as to
her filial love, while Hetty's apparent indifference was ascribed
to that mental darkness which, in a measure, obscured her intellect,
and which possibly prevented her from foreseeing all the consequences.
Little was said, however, by either, Judith and her sister busying
themselves in making the preparations for the morning meal, as they
who habitually attend to such matters toil on mechanically even
in the midst of suffering and sorrow. The plain but nutritious
breakfast was taken by all three in sombre silence. The girls
ate little, but Deerslayer gave proof of possessing one material
requisite of a good soldier, that of preserving his appetite in
the midst of the most alarming and embarrassing circumstances. The
meal was nearly ended before a syllable was uttered; then, however,
Judith spoke in the convulsive and hurried manner in which feeling
breaks through restraint, after the latter has become more painful
than even the betrayal of emotion.
"Father would have relished this fish," she exclaimed; "he says the
salmon of the lakes is almost as good as the salmon of the sea."
"Your father has been acquainted with the sea, they tell me, Judith,"
returned the young man, who could not forbear throwing a glance of
inquiry at the girl; for in common with all who knew Hutter, he had
some curiosity on the subject of his early history. "Hurry Harry
tells me he was once a sailor."
Judith first looked perplexed; then, influenced by feelings that
were novel to her, in more ways than one, she became suddenly
communicative, and seemingly much interested in the discourse.
"If Hurry knows anything of father's history, I would he had told
it to me!" she cried. "Sometimes I think, too, he was once a sailor,
and then again I think he was not. If that chest were open, or if
it could speak, it might let us into his whole history. But its
fastenings are too strong to be broken like pack thread."
Deerslayer turned to the chest in question, and for the first time
examined it closely. Although discolored, and bearing proofs of
having received much ill-treatment, he saw that it was of materials
and workmanship altogether superior to anything of the same sort
he had ever before beheld. The wood was dark, rich, and had once
been highly polished, though the treatment it had received left
little gloss on its surface, and various scratches and indentations
proved the rough collisions that it had encountered with substances
still harder than itself. The corners were firmly bound with
steel, elaborately and richly wrought, while the locks, of which
it had no less than three, and the hinges, were of a fashion and
workmanship that would have attracted attention even in a warehouse
of curious furniture. This chest was quite large; and when Deerslayer
arose, and endeavored to raise an end by its massive handle, he
found that the weight fully corresponded with the external appearance.
"Did you never see that chest opened, Judith?" the young man
demanded with frontier freedom, for delicacy on such subjects was
little felt among the people on the verge of civilization, in that
age, even if it be today.
"Never. Father has never opened it in my presence, if he ever
opens it at all. No one here has ever seen its lid raised, unless
it be father; nor do I even know that he has ever seen it."
"Now you're wrong, Judith," Hetty quietly answered. "Father has
raised the lid, and I've seen him do it."
A feeling of manliness kept the mouth of Deerslayer shut; for, while
he would not have hesitated about going far beyond what would be
thought the bounds of propriety, in questioning the older sister,
he had just scruples about taking what might be thought an advantage
of the feeble intellect of the younger. Judith, being under no
such restraint, however, turned quickly to the last speaker and
continued the discourse.
"When and where did you ever see that chest opened, Hetty?"
"Here, and again and again. Father often opens it when you are
away, though he don't in the least mind my being by, and seeing
all he does, as well as hearing all he says."
"And what is it that he does, and what does he say?"
"That I cannot tell you, Judith," returned the other in a low but
resolute voice. "Father's secrets are not my secrets."
"Secrets! This is stranger still, Deerslayer, that father should
tell them to Hetty, and not tell them to me!"
"There's a good reason for that, Judith, though you're not to know
it. Father's not here to answer for himself, and I'll say no more
about it."
Judith and Deerslayer looked surprised, and for a minute the first
seemed pained. But, suddenly recollecting herself, she turned away
from her sister, as if in pity for her weakness and addressed the
young man.
"You've told but half your story," she said, "breaking off at the
place where you went to sleep in the canoe - or rather where you
rose to listen to the cry of the loon. We heard the call of the
loons, too, and thought their cries might bring a storm, though
we are little used to tempests on this lake at this season of the
year."
"The winds blow and the tempests howl as God pleases; sometimes at
one season, and sometimes at another," answered Deerslayer; "and
the loons speak accordin' to their natur'. Better would it be if
men were as honest and frank. After I rose to listen to the birds,
finding it could not be Hurry's signal, I lay down and slept. When
the day dawned I was up and stirring, as usual, and then I went in
chase of the two canoes, lest the Mingos should lay hands on 'em."
"You have not told us all, Deerslayer," said Judith earnestly. "We
heard rifles under the eastern mountain; the echoes were full and
long, and came so soon after the reports, that the pieces must
have been fired on or quite near to the shore. Our ears are used
to these signs, and are not to be deceived."
"They've done their duty, gal, this time; yes, they've done their
duty. Rifles have been sighted this morning, ay, and triggers pulled,
too, though not as often a they might have been. One warrior has
gone to his happy hunting-grounds, and that's the whole of it. A
man of white blood and white gifts is not to be expected to boast
of his expl'ites and to flourish scalps."
Judith listened almost breathlessly; and when Deerslayer, in his
quiet, modest manner, seemed disposed to quit the subject, she
rose, and crossing the room, took a seat by his side. The manner
of the girl had nothing forward about it, though it betrayed
the quick instinct of a female's affection, and the sympathizing
kindness of a woman's heart. She even took the hard hand of the
hunter, and pressed it in both her own, unconsciously to herself,
perhaps, while she looked earnestly and even reproachfully into
his sun burnt face.
"You have been fighting the savages, Deerslayer, singly and by
yourself!" she said. "In your wish to take care of us -- of Hetty
-- of me, perhaps, you've fought the enemy bravely, with no eye
to encourage your deeds, or to witness your fall, had it pleased
Providence to suffer so great a calamity!"
"I've fou't, Judith; yes, I have fou't the inimy, and that too, for
the first time in my life. These things must be, and they bring
with 'em a mixed feelin' of sorrow and triumph. Human natur' is
a fightin' natur', I suppose, as all nations kill in battle, and
we must be true to our rights and gifts. What has yet been done
is no great matter, but should Chingachgook come to the rock this
evening, as is agreed atween us, and I get him off it onbeknown to
the savages or, if known to them, ag'in their wishes and designs,
then may we all look to something like warfare, afore the Mingos
shall get possession of either the castle, or the ark, or yourselves."
"Who is this Chingachgook; from what place does he come, and why
does he come here ?"
"The questions are nat'ral and right, I suppose, though the
youth has a great name, already, in his own part of the country.
Chingachgook is a Mohican by blood, consorting with the Delawares
by usage, as is the case with most of his tribe, which has long
been broken up by the increase of our color. He is of the family
of the great chiefs; Uncas, his father, having been the considerablest
warrior and counsellor of his people. Even old Tamenund honors
Chingachgook, though he is thought to be yet too young to lead
in war; and then the nation is so disparsed and diminished, that
chieftainship among 'em has got to be little more than a name.
"Well, this war having commenced in 'arnest, the Delaware and I
rendezvous'd an app'intment, to meet this evening at sunset on the
rendezvous-rock at the foot of this very lake, intending to come
out on our first hostile expedition ag'in the Mingos. Why we come
exactly this a way is our own secret; but thoughtful young men on
the war-path, as you may suppose, do nothing without a calculation
and a design."
"A Delaware can have no unfriendly intentions towards us," said
Judith, after a moment's hesitation, "and we know you to be friendly."
"Treachery is the last crime I hope to be accused of," returned
Deerslayer, hurt at the gleam of distrust that had shot through
Judith's mind; "and least of all, treachery to my own color."
"No one suspects you, Deerslayer," the girl impetuously cried. "No
- no -your honest countenance would be sufficient surety for the
truth of a thousand hearts! If all men had as honest tongues, and
no more promised what they did not mean to perform, there would be
less wrong done in the world, and fine feathers and scarlet cloaks
would not be excuses for baseness and deception."
The girl spoke with strong, nay, even with convulsed feeling, and
her fine eyes, usually so soft and alluring, flashed fire as she
concluded. Deerslayer could not but observe this extraordinary
emotion; but with the tact of a courtier, he avoided not only any
allusion to the circumstance, but succeeded in concealing the effect
of his discovery on himself. Judith gradually grew calm again,
and as she was obviously anxious to appear to advantage in the eyes
of the young man, she was soon able to renew the conversation as
composedly as if nothing had occurred to disturb her.
"I have no right to look into your secrets, or the secrets of your
friend, Deerslayer," she continued, "and am ready to take all you
say on trust. If we can really get another male ally to join us
at this trying moment, it will aid us much; and I am not without
hope that when the savages find that we are able to keep the lake,
they will offer to give up their prisoners in exchange for skins,
or at least for the keg of powder that we have in the house."
The young man had the words "scalps" and "bounty" on his lips, but
a reluctance to alarm the feelings of the daughters prevented him
from making the allusion he had intended to the probable fate of
their father. Still, so little was he practised in the arts of
deception, that his expressive countenance was, of itself, understood
by the quick-witted Judith, whose intelligence had been sharpened
by the risks and habits of her life.
"I understand what you mean," she continued, hurriedly, "and what
you would say, but for the fear of hurting me - us, I mean; for
Hetty loves her father quite as well as I do. But this is not
as we think of Indians. They never scalp an unhurt prisoner, but
would rather take him away alive, unless, indeed, the fierce wish
for torturing should get the mastery of them. I fear nothing for
my father's scalp, and little for his life. Could they steal on
us in the night, we should all probably suffer in this way; but
men taken in open strife are seldom injured; not, at least, until
the time of torture comes."
"That's tradition, I'll allow, and it's accordin' to practice -but,
Judith, do you know the arr'nd on which your father and Hurry went
ag'in the savages?"
"I do; and a cruel errand it was! But what will you have? Men
will be men, and some even that flaunt in their gold and silver,
and carry the King's commission in their pockets, are not guiltless
of equal cruelty." Judith's eye again flashed, but by a desperate
struggle she resumed her composure. "I get warm when I think of
all the wrong that men do," she added, affecting to smile, an effort
in which she only succeeded indifferently well. "All this is silly.
What is done is done, and it cannot be mended by complaints. But
the Indians think so little of the shedding of blood, and value
men so much for the boldness of their undertakings, that, did they
know the business on which their prisoners came, they would be more
likely to honor than to injure them for it."
"For a time, Judith; yes, I allow that, for a time. But when that
feelin' dies away, then will come the love of revenge. We must
indivor, -Chingachgook and I, - we must indivor to see what we can
do to get Hurry and your father free; for the Mingos will no doubt
hover about this lake some days, in order to make the most of their
success."
"You think this Delaware can be depended on, Deerslayer?" demanded
the girl, thoughtfully.
"As much as I can myself. You say you do not suspect me, Judith?"
"You!" taking his hand again, and pressing it between her own,
with a warmth that might have awakened the vanity of one less
simple-minded, and more disposed to dwell on his own good qualities,
"I would as soon suspect a brother! I have known you but a day,
Deerslayer, but it has awakened the confidence of a year. Your name,
however, is not unknown to me; for the gallants of the garrisons
frequently speak of the lessons you have given them in hunting,
and all proclaim your honesty."
"Do they ever talk of the shooting, gal?" inquired the other
eagerly, after, however, laughing in a silent but heartfelt manner.
"Do they ever talk of the shooting? I want to hear nothing about
my own, for if that isn't sartified to by this time, in all these
parts, there's little use in being skilful and sure; but what do
the officers say of their own - yes, what do they say of their own?
Arms, as they call it, is their trade, and yet there's some among
'em that know very little how to use 'em!"
"Such I hope will not be the case with your friend Chingachgook,
as you call him - what is the English of his Indian name?"
"Big Sarpent - so called for his wisdom and cunning, Uncas is his
ra'al name -all his family being called Uncas until they get a
title that has been 'arned by deeds."
"If he has all this wisdom, we may expect a useful friend in him,
unless his own business in this part of the country should prevent
him from serving us."
"I see no great harm in telling you his arr'nd, a'ter all, and, as
you may find means to help us, I will let you and Hetty into the
whole matter, trusting that you'll keep the secret as if it was
your own. You must know that Chingachgook is a comely Injin, and
is much looked upon and admired by the young women of his tribe,
both on account of his family, and on account of himself. Now,
there is a chief that has a daughter called Wah-ta-Wah, which is
intarpreted into Hist-oh-Hist, in the English tongue, the rarest gal
among the Delawares, and the one most sought a'ter and craved for
a wife by all the young warriors of the nation. Well, Chingachgook,
among others, took a fancy to Wah-ta-Wah, and Wah-ta-Wah took a
fancy to him." Here Deerslayer paused an instant; for, as he got
thus far in his tale, Hetty Hutter arose, approached, and stood
attentive at his knee, as a child draws near to listen to the
legends of its mother. "Yes, he fancied her, and she fancied him,"
resumed Deerslayer, casting a friendly and approving glance at the
innocent and interested girl; "and when that is the case, and all
the elders are agreed, it does not often happen that the young
couple keep apart. Chingachgook couldn't well carry off such a
prize without making inimies among them that wanted her as much as
he did himself. A sartain Briarthorn, as we call him in English,
or Yocommon, as he is tarmed in Injin, took it most to heart, and
we mistrust him of having a hand in all that followed.
Wah-ta-Wah went with her father and mother, two moons ago, to fish
for salmon on the western streams, where it is agreed by all in
these parts that fish most abounds, and while thus empl'yed the
gal vanished. For several weeks we could get no tidings of her;
but here, ten days since, a runner, that came through the Delaware
country, brought us a message, by which we learn that Wah-ta-Wah
was stolen from her people, we think, but do not know it, by
Briarthorn's sarcumventions,-and that she was now with the inimy,
who had adopted her, and wanted her to marry a young Mingo. The
message said that the party intended to hunt and forage through
this region for a month or two, afore it went back into the Canadas,
and that if we could contrive to get on a scent in this quarter,
something might turn up that would lead to our getting the maiden
off."
"And how does that concern you, Deerslayer?" demanded Judith, a
little anxiously.
"It consarns me, as all things that touches a fri'nd consarns a
fri'nd. I'm here as Chingachgook's aid and helper, and if we can
get the young maiden he likes back ag'in, it will give me almost
as much pleasure as if I had got back my own sweetheart."
"And where, then, is your sweetheart, Deerslayer?"
"She's in the forest, Judith - hanging from the boughs of the
trees, in a soft rain - in the dew on the open grass - the clouds
that float about in the blue heavens - the birds that sing in the
woods - the sweet springs where I slake my thirst - and in all the
other glorious gifts that come from God's Providence!"
"You mean that, as yet, you've never loved one of my sex, but love
best your haunts, and your own manner of life."
"That's it - that's just it. I am white - have a white heart and
can't, in reason, love a red-skinned maiden, who must have a red-skin
heart and feelin's. No, no, I'm sound enough in them partic'lars,
and hope to remain so, at least till this war is over. I find my
time too much taken up with Chingachgook's affair, to wish to have
one of my own on my hands afore that is settled."
"The girl that finally wins you, Deerslayer, will at least win an
honest heart, - one without treachery or guile; and that will be
a victory that most of her sex ought to envy."
As Judith uttered this, her beautiful face had a resentful frown on
it; while a bitter smile lingered around a mouth that no derangement
of the muscles could render anything but handsome. Her companion
observed the change, and though little skilled in the workings of
the female heart, he had sufficient native delicacy to understand
that it might be well to drop the subject.
As the hour when Chingachgook was expected still remained distant,
Deerslayer had time enough to examine into the state of the defences,
and to make such additional arrangements as were in his power, and
the exigency of the moment seemed to require. The experience and
foresight of Hutter had left little to be done in these particulars;
still, several precautions suggested themselves to the young man,
who may be said to have studied the art of frontier warfare, through
the traditions and legends of the people among whom he had so long
lived. The distance between the castle and the nearest point on the
shore, prevented any apprehension on the subject of rifle-bullets
thrown from the land. The house was within musket-shot in one
sense, it was true, but aim was entirely out of the question, and
even Judith professed a perfect disregard of any danger from that
source. So long, then, as the party remained in possession of the
fortress, they were safe, unless their assailants could find the
means to come off and carry it by fire or storm, or by some of the
devices of Indian cunning and Indian treachery.
Against the first source of danger Hutter had made ample provision,
and the building itself, the bark roof excepted, was not very
combustible. The floor was scuttled in several places, and buckets
provided with ropes were in daily use, in readiness for any such
emergency. One of the girls could easily extinguish any fire that
might be lighted, provided it had not time to make much headway.
Judith, who appeared to understand all her father's schemes of
defence, and who had the spirit to take no unimportant share in the
execution of them, explained all these details to the young man,
who was thus saved much time and labor in making his investigations.
Little was to be apprehended during the day. In possession of
the canoes and of the ark, no other vessel was to be found on the
lake. Nevertheless, Deerslayer well knew that a raft was soon made,
and, as dead trees were to be found in abundance near the water,
did the savages seriously contemplate the risks of an assault, it
would not be a very difficult matter to find the necessary means.
The celebrated American axe, a tool that is quite unrivalled in
its way, was then not very extensively known, and the savages were
far from expert in the use of its hatchet-like substitute; still,
they had sufficient practice in crossing streams by this mode to
render it certain they would construct a raft, should they deem
it expedient to expose themselves to the risks of an assault. The
death of their warrior might prove a sufficient incentive, or it
might act as a caution; but Deerslayer thought it more than possible
that the succeeding night would bring matters to a crisis, and
in this precise way. This impression caused him to wish ardently
for the presence and succor of his Mohican friend, and to look
forward to the approach of sunset with an increasing anxiety.
As the day advanced, the party in the castle matured their plans,
and made their preparations. Judith was active, and seemed to find
a pleasure in consulting and advising with her new acquaintance,
whose indifference to danger, manly devotion to herself and sister,
guilelessness of manner, and truth of feeling, had won rapidly on
both her imagination and her affections. Although the hours appeared
long in some respects to Deerslayer, Judith did not find them so,
and when the sun began to descend towards the pine-clad summits of
the western hills, she felt and expressed her surprise that the day
should so soon be drawing to a close. On the other hand, Hetty was
moody and silent. She was never loquacious, or if she occasionally
became communicative, it was under the influence of some temporary
excitement that served to arouse her unsophisticated mind; but,
for hours at a time, in the course of this all-important day, she
seemed to have absolutely lost the use of her tongue. Nor did
apprehension on account of her father materially affect the manner
of either sister. Neither appeared seriously to dread any evil
greater than captivity, and once or twice, when Hetty did speak,
she intimated the expectation that Hutter would find the means to
liberate himself. Although Judith was less sanguine on this head,
she too betrayed the hope that propositions for a ransom would come,
when the Indians discovered that the castle set their expedients
and artifices at defiance. Deerslayer, however, treated these
passing suggestions as the ill-digested fancies of girls, making
his own arrangements as steadily, and brooding over the future as
seriously, as if they had never fallen from their lips.
At length the hour arrived when it became necessary to proceed to
the place of rendezvous appointed with the Mohican, or Delaware,
as Chingachgook was more commonly called. As the plan had been
matured by Deerslayer, and fully communicated to his companions,
all three set about its execution, in concert, and intelligently.
Hetty passed into the ark, and fastening two of the canoes together, she
entered one, and paddled up to a sort of gateway in the palisadoes
that surrounded the building, through which she carried both;
securing them beneath the house by chains that were fastened within
the building. These palisadoes were trunks of trees driven firmly
into the mud, and served the double purpose of a small inclosure
that was intended to be used in this very manner, and to keep any
enemy that might approach in boats at arm's length. Canoes thus
docked were, in a measure, hid from sight, and as the gate was
properly barred and fastened, it would not be an easy task to remove
them, even in the event of their being seen. Previously, however,
to closing the gate, Judith also entered within the inclosure with
the third canoe, leaving Deerslayer busy in securing the door and
windows inside the building, over her head. As everything was
massive and strong, and small saplings were used as bars, it would
have been the work of an hour or two to break into the building,
when Deerslayer had ended his task, even allowing the assailants
the use of any tools but the axe, and to be unresisted. This
attention to security arose from Hutter's having been robbed once
or twice by the lawless whites of the frontiers, during some of
his many absences from home.
As soon as all was fast in the inside of the dwelling, Deerslayer
appeared at a trap, from which he descended into the canoe of
Judith. When this was done, he fastened the door with a massive
staple and stout padlock. Hetty was then received in the canoe,
which was shoved outside of the palisadoes. The next precaution
was to fasten the gate, and the keys were carried into the ark.
The three were now fastened out of the dwelling, which could only
be entered by violence, or by following the course taken by the
young man in quitting it. The glass had been brought outside as a
preliminary step, and Deerslayer next took a careful survey of the
entire shore of the lake, as far as his own position would allow.
Not a living thing was visible, a few birds excepted, and even the
last fluttered about in the shades of the trees, as if unwilling to
encounter the heat of a sultry afternoon. All the nearest points,
in particular, were subjected to severe scrutiny, in order to make
certain that no raft was in preparation; the result everywhere giving
the same picture of calm solitude. A few words will explain the
greatest embarrassment belonging to the situation of our party. Exposed
themselves to the observation of any watchful eyes, the movements
of their enemies were concealed by the drapery of a dense forest.
While the imagination would be very apt to people the latter with
more warriors than it really contained, their own weakness must
be too apparent to all who might chance to cast a glance in their
direction.
"Nothing is stirring, howsever," exclaimed Deerslayer, as he finally
lowered the glass, and prepared to enter the ark. "If the vagabonds
do harbor mischief in their minds, they are too cunning to let it
be seen; it's true, a raft may be in preparation in the woods, but
it has not yet been brought down to the lake. They can't guess
that we are about to quit the castle, and, if they did, they've no
means of knowing where we intend to go."
"This is so true, Deerslayer," returned Judith, "that now all
is ready, we may proceed at once, boldly, and without the fear of
being followed; else we shall be behind our time."
"No, no; the matter needs management; for, though the savages
are in the dark as to Chingachgook and the rock, they've eyes and
legs, and will see in what direction we steer, and will be sartain
to follow us. I shall strive to baffle 'em, howsever, by heading
the scow in all manner of ways, first in one quarter and then in
another, until they get to be a-leg-weary, and tired of tramping
a'ter us."
So far as it was in his power, Deerslayer was as good as his word.
In less than five minutes after this speech was made, the whole
party was in the ark, and in motion. There was a gentle breeze
from the north, and boldly hoisting the sail, the young man laid
the head of the unwieldy craft in such a direction, as, after making
a liberal but necessary allowance for leeway, would have brought
it ashore a couple of miles down the lake, and on its eastern side.
The sailing of the ark was never very swift, though, floating as
it did on the surface, it was not difficult to get it in motion, or
to urge it along over the water at the rate of some three or four
miles in the hour. The distance between the castle and the rock
was a little more than two leagues. Knowing the punctuality of
an Indian, Deerslayer had made his calculations closely, and had
given himself a little more time than was necessary to reach the
place of rendezvous, with a view to delay or to press his arrival,
as might prove most expedient. When he hoisted the sail, the sun
lay above the western hills, at an elevation that promised rather
more than two hours of day; and a few minutes satisfied him that
the progress of the scow was such as to equal his expectations.
It was a glorious June afternoon, and never did that solitary sheet
of water seem less like an arena of strife and bloodshed. The light
air scarce descended as low as the bed of the lake, hovering over
it, as if unwilling to disturb its deep tranquillity, or to ruffle
its mirror-like surface. Even the forests appeared to be slumbering
in the sun, and a few piles of fleecy clouds had lain for hours
along the northern horizon like fixtures in the atmosphere, placed
there purely to embellish the scene. A few aquatic fowls occasionally
skimmed along the water, and a single raven was visible, sailing high
above the trees, and keeping a watchful eye on the forest beneath
him, in order to detect anything having life that the mysterious
woods might offer as prey.
The reader will probably have observed, that, amidst the frankness
and abruptness of manner which marked the frontier habits of Judith,
her language was superior to that used by her male companions, her
own father included. This difference extended as well to pronunciation
as to the choice of words and phrases. Perhaps nothing so soon
betrays the education and association as the modes of speech;
and few accomplishments so much aid the charm of female beauty
as a graceful and even utterance, while nothing so soon produces
the disenchantment that necessarily follows a discrepancy between
appearance and manner, as a mean intonation of voice, or a vulgar
use of words. Judith and her sister were marked exceptions to all
the girls of their class, along that whole frontier; the officers
of the nearest garrison having often flattered the former with the
belief that few ladies of the towns acquitted themselves better
than herself, in this important particular. This was far from
being literally true, but it was sufficiently near the fact to give
birth to the compliment. The girls were indebted to their mother
for this proficiency, having acquired from her, in childhood,
an advantage that no subsequent study or labor can give without
a drawback, if neglected beyond the earlier periods of life. Who
that mother was, or rather had been, no one but Hutter knew. She
had now been dead two summers, and, as was stated by Hurry, she had
been buried in the lake; whether in indulgence of a prejudice, or
from a reluctance to take the trouble to dig her grave, had frequently
been a matter of discussion between the rude beings of that region.
Judith had never visited the spot, but Hetty was present at the
interment, and she often paddled a canoe, about sunset or by the
light of the moon, to the place, and gazed down into the limpid
water, in the hope of being able to catch a glimpse of the form
that she had so tenderly loved from infancy to the sad hour of
their parting.
"Must we reach the rock exactly at the moment the sun sets?" Judith
demanded of the young man, as they stood near each other, Deerslayer
holding the steering-oar, and she working with a needle at some
ornament of dress, that much exceeded her station in life, and was
altogether a novelty in the woods. "Will a few minutes, sooner or
later, alter the matter? It will be very hazardous to remain long
as near the shore as that rock!"
"That's it, Judith; that's the very difficulty! The rock's within
p'int blank for a shot-gun, and 'twill never do to hover about it
too close and too long. When you have to deal with an Injin, you
must calculate and manage, for a red natur' dearly likes sarcumvention.
Now you see, Judith, that I do not steer towards the rock at all,
but here to the eastward of it, whereby the savages will be tramping
off in that direction, and get their legs a-wearied, and all for
no advantage."
"You think, then, they see us, and watch our movements, Deerslayer?
I was in hopes they might have fallen back into the woods, and left
us to ourselves for a few hours."
"That's altogether a woman's consait. There's no let-up in an
Injin's watchfulness when he's on a war-path, and eyes are on us
at this minute, 'though the lake presarves us. We must draw near
the rock on a calculation, and indivor to get the miscreants on a
false scent. The Mingos have good noses, they tell me; but a white
man's reason ought always to equalize their instinct."
Judith now entered into a desultory discourse with Deerslayer, in
which the girl betrayed her growing interest in the young man; an
interest that his simplicity of mind and her decision of character,
sustained as it was by the consciousness awakened by the consideration
her personal charms so universally produced, rendered her less
anxious to conceal than might otherwise have been the case. She
was scarcely forward in her manner, though there was sometimes a
freedom in her glances that it required all the aid of her exceeding
beauty to prevent from awakening suspicions unfavorable to her
discretion, if not to her morals. With Deerslayer, however, these
glances were rendered less obnoxious to so unpleasant a construction;
for she seldom looked at him without discovering much of the
sincerity and nature that accompany the purest emotions of woman.
It was a little remarkable that, as his captivity lengthened,
neither of the girls manifested any great concern for her father;
but, as has been said already, their habits gave them confidence,
and they looked forward to his liberation, by means of a ransom,
with a confidence that might, in a great degree, account for their
apparent indifference. Once before, Hutter had been in the hands
of the Iroquois, and a few skins had readily effected his release.
This event, however, unknown to the sisters, had occurred in a
time of peace between England and France, and when the savages were
restrained, instead of being encouraged to commit their excesses,
by the policy of the different colonial governments.
While Judith was loquacious and caressing in her manner, Hetty
remained thoughtful and silent. Once, indeed, she drew near to
Deerslayer, and questioned him a little closely as to his intentions,
as well as concerning the mode of effecting his purpose; but her
wish to converse went no further. As soon as her simple queries
were answered - and answered they all were, in the fullest and
kindest manner - she withdrew to her scat, and continued to work
on a coarse garment that she was making for her father, sometimes
humming a low melancholy air, and frequently sighing.
In this manner the time passed away; and when the sun was beginning
to glow behind the fringe of the pines that bounded the western
hill, or about twenty minutes before it actually set, the ark was
nearly as low as the point where Hutter and Hurry had been made
prisoners. By sheering first to one side of the lake, and then to
the other, Deerslayer managed to create an uncertainty as to his
object; and, doubtless, the savages, who were unquestionably watching
his movements, were led to believe that his aim was to communicate
with them, at or near this spot, and would hasten in that direction,
in order to be in readiness to profit by circumstances. This
artifice was well managed; since the sweep of the bay, the curvature
of the lake, and the low marshy land that intervened, would probably
allow the ark to reach the rock before its pursuers, if really
collected near this point, could have time to make the circuit that
would be required to get there by land. With a view to aid this
deception, Deerslayer stood as near the western shore as was at all
prudent; and then causing Judith and Hetty to enter the house, or
cabin, and crouching himself so as to conceal his person by the
frame of the scow, he suddenly threw the head of the latter round,
and began to make the best of his way towards the outlet. Favored
by an increase in the wind, the progress of the ark was such as
to promise the complete success of this plan, though the crab-like
movement of the craft compelled the helmsman to keep its head looking
in a direction very different from that in which it was actually
moving.
Chapter IX.
"Yet art thou prodigal of smiles
-Smiles, sweeter than thy frowns are stern:
Earth sends from all her thousand isles,
A shout at thy return.
The glory that comes down from thee
Bathes, in deep joy, the land and sea."
Bryant, 'The Firmament," 11.19-24
It may assist the reader in understanding the events we are about
to record, if he has a rapidly sketched picture of the scene, placed
before his eyes at a single view. It will be remembered that the
lake was an irregularly shaped basin, of an outline that, in the
main, was oval, but with bays and points to relieve its formality
and ornament its shores. The surface of this beautiful sheet of
water was now glittering like a gem, in the last rays of the evening
sun, and the setting of the whole, hills clothed in the richest
forest verdure, was lighted up with a sort of radiant smile, that
is best described in the beautiful lines we have placed at the head
of this chapter. As the banks, with few exceptions, rose abruptly
from the water, even where the mountain did not immediately bound
the view, there was a nearly unbroken fringe of leaves overhanging
the placid lake, the trees starting out of the acclivities, inclining
to the light, until, in many instances they extended their long
limbs and straight trunks some forty or fifty feet beyond the line
of the perpendicular. In these cases we allude only to the giants
of the forest, pines of a hundred or a hundred and fifty feet in
height, for of the smaller growth, very many inclined so far as to
steep their lower branches in the water. In the position in which
the Ark had now got, the castle was concealed from view by the
projection of a point, as indeed was the northern extremity of the
lake itself. A respectable mountain, forest clad, and rounded,
like all the rest, limited the view in that direction, stretching
immediately across the whole of the fair scene, with the exception
of a deep bay that passed the western end, lengthening the basin,
for more than a mile.
The manner in which the water flowed out of the lake, beneath the
leafy arches of the trees that lined the sides of the stream, has
already been mentioned, and it has also been said that the rock,
which was a favorite place of rendezvous throughout all that region,
and where Deerslayer now expected to meet his friend, stood near this
outlet, and at no great distance from the shore. It was a large,
isolated stone that rested on the bottom of the lake, apparently
left there when the waters tore away the earth from around it,
in forcing for themselves a passage down the river, and which had
obtained its shape from the action of the elements, during the
slow progress of centuries. The height of this rock could scarcely
equal six feet, and, as has been said, its shape was not unlike
that which is usually given to beehives, or to a hay-cock. The
latter, indeed, gives the best idea not only of its form, but of
its dimensions. It stood, and still stands, for we are writing of
real scenes, within fifty feet of the bank, and in water that was
only two feet in depth, though there were seasons in which its
rounded apex, if such a term can properly be used, was covered by
the lake. Many of the trees stretched so far forward, as almost
to blend the rock with the shore, when seen from a little distance,
and one tall pine in particular overhung it in a way to form a
noble and appropriate canopy to a seat that had held many a forest
chieftain, during the long succession of unknown ages, in which
America, and all it contained, had existed apart, in mysterious
solitude, a world by itself; equally without a familiar history,
and without an origin that the annals of man can reach.
When distant some two or three hundred feet from the shore,
Deerslayer took in his sail. He dropped his grapnel, as soon as he
found the Ark had drifted in a line that was directly to windward
of the rock. The motion of the scow was then checked, when it
was brought head to wind, by the action of the breeze. As soon as
this was done, Deerslayer "paid out line," and suffered the vessel
to "set down" upon the rock, as fast as the light air could force
it to leeward. Floating entirely on the surface, this was soon
effected, and the young man checked the drift when he was told
that the stern of the scow was within fifteen or eighteen feet of
the desired spot.
In executing this maneuver, Deerslayer had proceeded promptly,
for, while he did not in the least doubt that he was both watched
and followed by the foe, he believed he distracted their movements,
by the apparent uncertainty of his own, and he knew they could have
no means of ascertaining that the rock was his aim, unless indeed
one of their prisoners had betrayed him; a chance so improbable in
itself, as to give him no concern. Notwithstanding the celerity
and decision his movements, he did not, however, venture so near
the shore without taking due precautions to effect a retreat, in
the event of its becoming necessary. He held the line in his hand,
and Judith was stationed at a loop, on the side of the cabin next
the shore, where she could watch the beach and the rock, and give
timely notice of the approach of either friend or foe. Hetty was
also placed on watch, but it was to keep the trees overhead in view,
lest some enemy might ascend one, and, by completely commanding
the interior of the scow render the defence of the hut, or cabin,
useless.
The sun had disappeared from the lake and valley, when Deerslayer
checked the Ark, in the manner mentioned. Still it wanted a few
minutes to the true sunset, and he knew Indian punctuality too well
to anticipate any unmanly haste in his friend. The great question
was, whether, surrounded by enemies as he was known to be, he
had escaped their toils. The occurrences of the last twenty-four
hours must be a secret to him, and like himself, Chingachgook was
yet young on a path. It was true, he came prepared to encounter
the party that withheld his promised bride, but he had no means
ascertaining the extent of the danger he ran, or the precise
positions occupied by either friends, or foes. In a word, the
trained sagacity, and untiring caution of an Indian were all he
had to rely on, amid the critical risks he unavoidably ran.
"Is the rock empty, Judith?" inquired Deerslayer, as soon as he
had checked the drift of the Ark, deeming it imprudent to venture
unnecessarily near the shore. "Is any thing to be seen of the
Delaware chief?"
"Nothing, Deerslayer. Neither rock, shore, trees, nor lake seems
to have ever held a human form."
'Keep close, Judith - keep close, Hetty - a rifle has a prying eye,
a nimble foot, and a desperate fatal tongue. Keep close then, but
keep up actyve looks, and be on the alart. 'Twould grieve me to
the heart, did any harm befall either of you.'
"And you Deerslayer-" exclaimed Judith, turning her handsome face
from the loop, to bestow a gracious and grateful look on the young
man - "do you 'keep close', and have a proper care that the savages
do not catch a glimpse of you! A bullet might be as fatal to you
as to one of us; and the blow that you felt, would be felt by us
all."
"No fear of me, Judith - no fear of me, my good gal. Do not look
this-a-way, although you look so pleasant and comely, but keep your
eyes on the rock, and the shore, and the-"
Deerslayer was interrupted by a slight exclamation from the girl,
who, in obedience to his hurried gestures, as much as in obedience
to his words, had immediately bent her looks again, in the opposite
direction.
"What is't? - What is't, Judith?" he hastily demanded - "Is any
thing to be seen?"
"There is a man on the rock! - An Indian warrior, in his paint
-and armed!"
"Where does he wear his hawk's feather?" eagerly added Deerslayer,
relaxing his hold of the line, in readiness to drift nearer to
the place of rendezvous. "Is it fast to the war-lock, or does he
carry it above the left ear?"
"'Tis as you say, above the left ear; he smiles, too, and mutters
the word 'Mohican.'"
"God be praised, 'tis the Sarpent, at last!" exclaimed the young
man, suffering the line to slip through his hands, until hearing
a light bound, in the other end of the craft, he instantly checked
the rope, and began to haul it in, again, under the assurance that
his object was effected. At that moment the door of the cabin was
opened hastily, and, a warrior, darting through the little room,
stood at Deerslayer's side, simply uttering the exclamation "Hugh!"
At the next instant, Judith and Hetty shrieked, and the air was
filled with the yell of twenty savages, who came leaping through
the branches, down the bank, some actually falling headlong into
the water, in their haste.
"Pull, Deerslayer," cried Judith, hastily barring the door, in
order to prevent an inroad by the passage through which the Delaware
had just entered; "pull, for life and death - the lake is full of
savages, wading after us!"
The young men - for Chingachgook immediately came to his friend's
Assistance -needed no second bidding, but they applied themselves
to their task in a way that showed how urgent they deemed the occasion.
The great difficulty was in suddenly overcoming the inertia of so
large a mass, for once in motion, it was easy to cause the scow to
skim the water with all the necessary speed.
"Pull, Deerslayer, for Heaven's sake!" cried Judith, again at the
loop. "These wretches rush into the water like hounds following
their prey! Ah - the scow moves! and now, the water deepens,
to the arm-pits of the foremost, but they reach forward, and will
seize the Ark!"
A slight scream, and then a joyous laugh followed from the girl;
the first produced by a desperate effort of their pursuers, and the
last by its failure; the scow, which had now got fairly in motion
gliding ahead into deep water, with a velocity that set the designs
of their enemies at nought. As the two men were prevented by the
position of the cabin from seeing what passed astern, they were
compelled to inquire of the girls into the state of the chase.
"What now, Judith? - What next? - Do the Mingos still follow,
or are we quit of 'em, for the present," demanded Deerslayer, when
he felt the rope yielding as if the scow was going fast ahead,
and heard the scream and the laugh of the girl, almost in the same
breath.
"They have vanished! - One - the last - is just burying himself in
the bushes of the bank - There, he has disappeared in the shadows
of the trees! You have got your friend, and we are all safe!"
The two men now made another great effort, pulled the Ark up swiftly
to the grapnel, tripped it, and when the scow had shot some distance
and lost its way, they let the anchor drop again. Then, for the
first time since their meeting, they ceased their efforts. As the
floating house now lay several hundred feet from the shore, and
offered a complete protection against bullets, there was no longer
any danger or any motive for immediate exertion.
The manner in which the two friends now recognized each other, was
highly characteristic. Chingachgook, a noble, tall, handsome and
athletic young Indian warrior, first examined his rifle with care,
opening the pan to make sure that the priming was not wet, and,
assured of this important fact, he next cast furtive but observant
glances around him, at the strange habitation and at the two girls.
Still he spoke not, and most of all did he avoid the betrayal of
a womanish curiosity, by asking questions.
"Judith and Hetty" said Deerslayer, with an untaught, natural
courtesy -"this is the Mohican chief of whom you've heard me
speak; Chingachgook as he is called; which signifies Big Sarpent;
so named for his wisdom and prudence, and cunning, and my 'arliest
and latest fri'nd. I know'd it must be he, by the hawk's feather
over the left ear, most other warriors wearing 'em on the war-lock."
As Deerslayer ceased speaking, he laughed heartily, excited more
perhaps by the delight of having got his friend safe at his side,
under circumstances so trying, than by any conceit that happened
to cross his fancy, and exhibiting this outbreaking of feeling in
a manner that was a little remarkable, since his merriment was not
accompanied by any noise. Although Chingachgook both understood
and spoke English, he was unwilling to communicate his thoughts in
it, like most Indians, and when he had met Judith's cordial shake
of the hand, and Hetty's milder salute, in the courteous manner
that became a chief, he turned away, apparently to await the moment
when it might suit his friend to enter into an explanation of his
future intentions, and to give a narrative of what had passed since
their separation. The other understood his meaning, and discovered
his own mode of reasoning in the matter, by addressing the girls.
"This wind will soon die away altogether, now the sun is down," he
said, "and there is no need for rowing ag'in it. In half an hour,
or so, it will either be a flat calm, or the air will come off from
the south shore, when we will begin our journey back ag'in to the
castle; in the meanwhile, the Delaware and I will talk over matters,
and get correct idees of each other's notions consarning the course
we ought to take."
No one opposed this proposition, and the girls withdrew into the
cabin to prepare the evening meal, while the two young men took
their seats on the head of the scow and began to converse. The
dialogue was in the language of the Delawares. As that dialect,
however, is but little understood, even by the learned; we shall
not only on this, but on all subsequent occasions render such
parts as it may be necessary to give closely, into liberal English;
preserving, as far as possible, the idiom and peculiarities of the
respective speakers, by way of presenting the pictures in the most
graphic forms to the minds of the readers.
It is unnecessary to enter into the details first related by Deerslayer,
who gave a brief narrative of the facts that are already familiar
to those who have read our pages. In relating these events,
however, it may be well to say that the speaker touched only on the
outlines, more particularly abstaining from saying anything about
his encounter with, and victory over the Iroquois, as well as to
his own exertions in behalf of the two deserted young women. When
Deerslayer ended, the Delaware took up the narrative, in turn,
speaking sententiously and with grave dignity. His account was both
clear and short, nor was it embellished by any incidents that did
not directly concern the history of his departure from the villages
of his people, and his arrival in the valley of the Susquehannah.
On reaching the latter, which was at a point only half a mile south
of the outlet, he had soon struck a trail, which gave him notice
of the probable vicinity of enemies. Being prepared for such an
occurrence, the object of the expedition calling him directly into
the neighborhood of the party of Iroquois that was known to be out,
he considered the discovery as fortunate, rather than the reverse,
and took the usual precautions to turn it to account. First
following the river to its source, and ascertaining the position
of the rock, he met another trail, and had actually been hovering
for hours on the flanks of his enemies, watching equally for an
opportunity to meet his mistress, and to take a scalp; and it may
be questioned which he most ardently desired. He kept near the
lake, and occasionally he ventured to some spot where he could get
a view of what was passing on its surface. The Ark had been seen
and watched, from the moment it hove in sight, though the young
chief was necessarily ignorant that it was to be the instrument of
his effecting the desired junction with his friend. The uncertainty
of its movements, and the fact that it was unquestionably managed
by white men, soon led him to conjecture the truth, however, and
he held himself in readiness to get on board whenever a suitable
occasion might offer. As the sun drew near the horizon he repaired
to the rock, where, on emerging from the forest, he was gratified
in finding the Ark lying, apparently in readiness to receive him.
The manner of his appearance, and of his entrance into the craft
is known.
Although Chingachgook had been closely watching his enemies for
hours, their sudden and close pursuit as he reached the scow was
as much a matter of surprise to himself, as it had been to his
friend. He could only account for it by the fact of their being
more numerous than he had at first supposed, and by their having out
parties of the existence of which he was ignorant. Their regular,
and permanent encampment, if the word permanent can be applied to
the residence of a party that intended to remain out, in all probability,
but a few weeks, was not far from the spot where Hutter and Hurry
had fallen into their hands, and, as a matter of course, near a
spring.
"Well, Sarpent," asked Deerslayer, when the other had ended
his brief but spirited narrative, speaking always in the Delaware
tongue, which for the reader's convenience only we render into
the peculiar vernacular of the speaker - "Well, Sarpent, as you've
been scouting around these Mingos, have you anything to tell us of
their captyves, the father of these young women, and of another,
who, I somewhat conclude, is the lovyer of one of 'em."
"Chingachgook has seen them. An old man, and a young warrior -
the falling hemlock and the tall pine."
"You're not so much out, Delaware; you're not so much out. Old
Hutter is decaying, of a sartainty, though many solid blocks might
be hewn out of his trunk yet, and, as for Hurry Harry, so far as
height and strength and comeliness go, he may be called the pride
of the human forest. Were the men bound, or in any manner suffering
torture? I ask on account of the young women, who, I dare to say,
would be glad to know."
"It is not so, Deerslayer. The Mingos are too many to cage their
game. Some watch; some sleep; some scout; some hunt. The pale-faces
are treated like brothers to-day; to-morrow they will lose their
scalps."
"Yes, that's red natur', and must be submitted to! Judith and
Hetty, here's comforting tidings for you, the Delaware telling
me that neither your father nor Hurry Harry is in suffering, but,
bating the loss of liberty, as well off as we are ourselves. Of
course they are kept in the camp; otherwise they do much as they
please."
"I rejoice to hear this, Deerslayer," returned Judith, "and now
we are joined by your friend, I make no manner of question that we
shall find an opportunity to ransom the prisoners. If there are
any women in the camp, I have articles of dress that will catch
their eyes, and, should the worst come to the worst, we can open
the great chest, which I think will be found to hold things that
may tempt the chiefs."
"Judith," said the young man, looking up at her with a smile and
an expression of earnest curiosity, that in spite of the growing
obscurity did not escape the watchful looks of the girl, "can you
find it in your heart, to part with your own finery, to release
prisoners; even though one be your own father, and the other is
your sworn suitor and lovyer?"
The flush on the face of the girl arose in part from resentment,
but more perhaps from a gentler and a novel feeling, that, with
the capricious waywardness of taste, had been rapidly rendering
her more sensitive to the good opinion of the youth who questioned
her, than to that of any other person. Suppressing the angry
sensation, with instinctive quickness, she answered with a readiness
and truth, that caused her sister to draw near to listen, though
the obtuse intellect of the latter was far from comprehending the
workings of a heart as treacherous, as uncertain, and as impetuous
in its feelings, as that of the spoiled and flattered beauty.
"Deerslayer," answered Judith, after a moment's pause, "I shall be
honest with you. I confess that the time has been when what you
call finery, was to me the dearest thing on earth; but I begin to
feel differently. Though Hurry Harry is nought to me nor ever can
be, I would give all I own to set him free. If I would do this
for blustering, bullying, talking Hurry, who has nothing but good
looks to recommend him, you may judge what I would do for my own
father."
"This sounds well, and is according to woman's gifts. Ah's, me!
The same feelin's is to be found among the young women of the
Delawares. I've known 'em, often and often, sacrifice their vanity
to their hearts. Tis as it should be - 'tis as it should be I
suppose, in both colours. Woman was created for the feelin's, and
is pretty much ruled by feelin'."
"Would the savages let father go, if Judith and I give them all
our best things?" demanded Hetty, in her innocent, mild, manner.
"Their women might interfere, good Hetty; yes, their women might
interfere with such an ind in view. But, tell me, Sarpent, how
is it as to squaws among the knaves; have they many of their own
women in the camp?"
The Delaware heard and understood all that passed, though with
Indian gravity and finesse he had sat with averted face, seemingly
inattentive to a discourse in which he had no direct concern.
Thus appealed to, however, he answered his friend in his ordinary
sententious manner.
"Six -" he said, holding up all the fingers of one hand, and the
thumb of the other, "besides this." The last number denoted his
betrothed, whom, with the poetry and truth of nature, he described
by laying his hand on his own heart.
"Did you see her, chief - did you get a glimpse of her pleasant
countenance, or come close enough to her ear, to sing in it the
song she loves to hear?"
"No, Deerslayer - the trees were too many, and leaves covered their
boughs like clouds hiding' the heavens in a storm. But" - and
the young warrior turned his dark face towards his friend, with a
smile on it that illuminated its fierce-looking paint and naturally
stern lineaments with a bright gleam of human feeling, "Chingachgook
heard the laugh of Wah-ta-Wah, and knew it from the laugh of the
women of the Iroquois. It sounded in his ears, like the chirp of
the wren."
"Ay, trust a lovyer's ear for that, and a Delaware's ear for all
sounds that are ever heard in the woods. I know not why it is so,
Judith, but when young men - and I dares to say it may be all the
same with young women, too - but when they get to have kind feelin's
towards each other, it's wonderful how pleasant the laugh, or
the speech becomes, to the other person. I've seen grim warriors
listening to the chattering and the laughing of young gals, as if
it was church music, such as is heard in the old Dutch church that
stands in the great street of Albany, where I've been, more than
once, with peltry and game."
"And you, Deerslayer," said Judith quickly, and with more sensibility
than marked her usually light and thoughtless manner, -"have you
never felt how pleasant it is to listen to the laugh of the girl
you love?"
"Lord bless you gal! - Why I've never lived enough among my own
colour to drop into them sort of feelin's, - no never! I dares
to say, they are nat'ral and right, but to me there's no music so
sweet as the sighing of the wind in the tree tops, and the rippling
of a stream from a full, sparkling, natyve fountain of pure forest
water - unless, indeed," he continued, dropping his head for
an instant in a thoughtful manner - "unless indeed it be the open
mouth of a sartain hound, when I'm on the track of a fat buck. As
for unsartain dogs, I care little for their cries, seein' they are
as likely to speak when the deer is not in sight, as when it is."
Judith walked slowly and pensively away, nor was there any of her
ordinary calculating coquetry in the light tremulous sigh that,
unconsciously to herself, arose to her lips. On the other hand
Hetty listened with guileless attention, though it struck her simple
mind as singular that the young man should prefer the melody of
the woods, to the songs of girls, or even to the laugh of innocence
and joy. Accustomed, however, to defer in most things to her sister,
she soon followed Judith into the cabin, where she took a seat and
remained pondering intensely over some occurrence, or resolution,
or opinion - which was a secret to all but herself. Left alone,
Deerslayer and his friend resumed their discourse.
"Has the young pale-face hunter been long on this lake?" demanded
the Delaware, after courteously waiting for the other to speak
first.
"Only since yesterday noon, Sarpent, though that has been long
enough to see and do much." The gaze that the Indian fastened
on his companion was so keen that it seemed to mock the gathering
darkness of the night. As the other furtively returned his look,
he saw the two black eyes glistening on him, like the balls of the
panther, or those of the penned wolf. He understood the meaning
of this glowing gaze, and answered evasively, as he fancied would
best become the modesty of a white man's gifts.
"'Tis as you suspect, Sarpent; yes, 'tis somewhat that-a-way. I
have fell in with the inimy, and I suppose it may be said I've
fou't them, too."
An exclamation of delight and exultation escaped the Indian, and
then laying his hand eagerly on the arm of his friend, he asked if
there were any scalps taken.
"That I will maintain in the face of all the Delaware tribe, old
Tamenund, and your own father the great Uncas, as well as the rest,
is ag'in white gifts! My scalp is on my head, as you can see,
Sarpent, and that was the only scalp that was in danger, when one
side was altogether Christian and white."
"Did no warrior fall? - Deerslayer did not get his name by being
slow of sight, or clumsy with the rifle!"
"In that particular, chief, you're nearer reason, and therefore
nearer being right. I may say one Mingo fell."
"A chief!" demanded the other with startling vehemence.
"Nay, that's more than I know, or can say. He was artful, and
treacherous, and stout-hearted, and may well have gained popularity
enough with his people to be named to that rank. The man fou't
well, though his eye was'n't quick enough for one who had had his
schooling in your company, Delaware."
"My brother and friend struck the body?"
"That was uncalled for, seeing that the Mingo died in my arms.
The truth may as well be said, at once; he fou't like a man of red
gifts, and I fou't like a man with gifts of my own colour. God
gave me the victory; I coul'n't fly in the face of his Providence
by forgetting my birth and natur'. White he made me, and white I
shall live and die."
"Good! Deerslayer is a pale-face, and has pale-face hands. A
Delaware will look for the scalp, and hang it on a pole, and sing
a song in his honour, when we go back to our people. The glory
belongs to the tribe; it must not be lost."
"This is easy talking, but 'twill not be as easy doing. The Mingo's
body is in the hands of his fri'nds and, no doubt, is hid in some
hole where Delaware cunning will never be able to get at the scalp."
The young man then gave his friend a succinct, but clear account,
of the event of the morning, concealing nothing of any moment, and
yet touching on every thing modestly and with a careful attention
to avoid the Indian habit of boasting. Chingachgook again expressed
his satisfaction at the honour won by his friend, and then both
arose, the hour having arrived when it became prudent to move the
Ark further from the land.
It was now quite dark, the heavens having become clouded, and
the stars hid. The north wind had ceased - as was usual with the
setting of the sun, and a light air arose from the south. This
change favoring the design of Deerslayer, he lifted his grapnel,
and the scow immediately and quite perceptibly began to drift more
into the lake. The sail was set, when the motion of the craft
increased to a rate not much less than two miles in the hour. As
this superseded the necessity of rowing, an occupation that an Indian
would not be likely to desire, Deerslayer, Chingachgook and Judith
seated themselves in the stern of the scow, where they first governed
its movements by holding the oar. Here they discoursed on their
future movements, and on the means that ought to be used in order
to effect the liberation of their friends.
In this dialogue Judith held a material part, the Delaware readily
understanding all she said, while his own replies and remarks,
both of which were few and pithy, were occasionally rendered into
English by his friend. Judith rose greatly in the estimation of her
companions, in the half hour that followed. Prompt of resolution
and firm of purpose, her suggestions and expedients partook of
her spirit and sagacity, both of which were of a character to find
favor with men of the frontier. The events that had occurred since
their meeting, as well as her isolated and dependant situation,
induced the girl to feel towards Deerslayer like the friend of
a year instead of an acquaintance of a day, and so completely had
she been won by his guileless truth of character and of feeling,
pure novelties in our sex, as respected her own experience, that
his peculiarities excited her curiosity, and created a confidence
that had never been awakened by any other man. Hitherto she had
been compelled to stand on the defensive in her intercourse with
men, with what success was best known to herself, but here had she
been suddenly thrown into the society and under the protection of
a youth, who evidently as little contemplated evil towards herself
as if he had been her brother. The freshness of his integrity,
the poetry and truth of his feelings, and even the quaintness of
his forms of speech, all had their influence, and aided in awakening
an interest that she found as pure as it was sudden and deep. Hurry's
fine face and manly form had never compensated for his boisterous
and vulgar tone, and her intercourse with the officers had prepared her
to make comparisons under which even his great natural advantages
suffered. But this very intercourse with the officers who occasionally
came upon the lake to fish and hunt, had an effect in producing her
present sentiments towards the young stranger. With them, while
her vanity had been gratified, and her self-love strongly awakened,
she had many causes deeply to regret the acquaintance - if not to
mourn over it, in secret sorrow - for it was impossible for one of
her quick intellect not to perceive how hollow was the association
between superior and inferior, and that she was regarded as the
play thing of an idle hour, rather than as an equal and a friend,
by even the best intentioned and least designing of her scarlet-clad
admirers. Deerslayer, on the other hand, had a window in his breast
through which the light of his honesty was ever shining; and even
his indifference to charms that so rarely failed to produce a
sensation, piqued the pride of the girl, and gave him an interest
that another, seemingly more favored by nature, might have failed
to excite.
In this manner half an hour passed, during which time the Ark had
been slowly stealing over the water, the darkness thickening around
it; though it was easy to see that the gloom of the forest at the
southern end of the lake was getting to be distant, while the mountains
that lined the sides of the beautiful basin were overshadowing it,
nearly from side to side. There was, indeed, a narrow stripe of
water, in the centre of the lake where the dim light that was still
shed from the heavens, fell upon its surface in a line extending
north and south; and along this faint track, a sort of inverted
milky way, in which the obscurity was not quite as dense as in other
places, the scow held her course, he who steered well knowing that
it led in the direction he wished to go. The reader is not to
suppose, however, that any difficulty could exist as to the course.
This would have been determined by that of the air, had it not
been possible to distinguish the mountains, as well as by the dim
opening to the south, which marked the position of the valley in
that quarter, above the plain of tall trees, by a sort of lessened
obscurity; the difference between the darkness of the forest, and
that of the night, as seen only in the air. The peculiarities at
length caught the attention of Judith and the Deerslayer, and the
conversation ceased, to allow each to gaze at the solemn stillness
and deep repose of nature.
"'Tis a gloomy night -" observed the girl, after a pause of several
minutes - "I hope we may be able to find the castle."
"Little fear of our missing that, if we keep this path in the middle
of the lake," returned the young man. "Natur' has made us a road
here, and, dim as it is, there'll be little difficulty following
it."
"Do you hear nothing, Deerslayer? - It seemed as if the water was
stirring quite near us!"
"Sartainly something did move the water, oncommon like; must have
been a fish. Them creatur's prey upon each other like men and
animals on the land; one has leaped into the air and fallen hard,
back into his own element. 'Tis of little use Judith, for any to
strive to get out of their elements, since it's natur' to stay in
'em, and natur' will have its way. Ha! That sounds like a paddle,
used with more than common caution!"
At this moment the Delaware bent forward and pointed significantly
into the boundary of gloom, as if some object had suddenly caught
his eye. Both Deerslayer and Judith followed the direction of his
gesture, and each got a view of a canoe at the same instant. The
glimpse of this startling neighbor was dim, and to eyes less
practised it might have been uncertain, though to those in the Ark
the object was evidently a canoe with a single individual in it;
the latter standing erect and paddling. How many lay concealed
in its bottom, of course could not be known. Flight, by means of
oars, from a bark canoe impelled by vigorous and skilful hands,
was utterly impracticable, and each of the men seized his rifle in
expectation of a conflict.
"I can easily bring down the paddler," whispered Deerslayer, "but
we'll first hail him, and ask his arrn'd." Then raising his voice,
he continued in a solemn manner - "hold! If ye come nearer, I must
fire, though contrary to my wishes, and then sartain death will
follow. Stop paddling, and answer."
"Fire, and slay a poor defenseless girl," returned a soft tremulous
female voice. "And God will never forgive you! Go your way,
Deerslayer, and let me go mine."
"Hetty!" exclaimed the young man and Judith in a breath; and the
former sprang instantly to the spot where he had left the canoe
they had been towing. It was gone, and he understood the whole
affair. As for the fugitive, frightened at the menace she ceased
paddling, and remained dimly visible, resembling a spectral outline
of a human form, standing on the water. At the next moment the
sail was lowered, to prevent the Ark from passing the spot where
the canoe lay. This last expedient, however, was not taken in
time, for the momentum of so heavy a craft, and the impulsion of the
air, soon set her by, bringing Hetty directly to windward, though
still visible, as the change in the positions of the two boats now
placed her in that species of milky way which has been mentioned.
"What can this mean, Judith?" demanded Deerslayer - "Why has your
sister taken the canoe, and left us?"
"You know she is feeble-minded, poor girl! - and she has her own
ideas of what ought to be done. She loves her father more than
most children love their parents - and - then -"
"Then, what, gal? This is a trying moment; one in which truth must
be spoken!"
Judith felt a generous and womanly regret at betraying her sister,
and she hesitated ere she spoke again. But once more urged by
Deerslayer, and conscious herself of all the risks the whole party
was running by the indiscretion of Hetty, she could refrain no
longer.
"Then, I fear, poor, weak-minded Hetty has not been altogether able
to see all the vanity, and rudeness and folly, that lie hid behind
the handsome face and fine form of Hurry Harry. She talks of him
in her sleep, and sometimes betrays the inclination in her waking
moments."
"You think, Judith, that your sister is now bent on some mad scheme
to serve her father and Hurry, which will, in all likelihood, give
them riptyles the Mingos, the mastership of a canoe?"
"Such, I fear, will turn out to be the fact, Deerslayer. Poor
Hetty has hardly sufficient cunning to outwit a savage."
All this while the canoe, with the form of Hetty erect in one
end of it, was dimly perceptible, though the greater drift of the
Ark rendered it, at each instant, less and less distinct. It was
evident no time was to be lost, lest it should altogether disappear.
The rifles were now laid aside as useless, the two men seizing the
oars and sweeping the head of the scow round in the direction of
the canoe. Judith, accustomed to the office, flew to the other end
of the Ark, and placed herself at what might be called the helm.
Hetty took the alarm at these preparations, which could not be made
without noise, and started off like a bird that had been suddenly
put up by the approach of unexpected danger.
As Deerslayer and his companion rowed with the energy of those who
felt the necessity of straining every nerve, and Hetty's strength
was impaired by a nervous desire to escape, the chase would have
quickly terminated in the capture of the fugitive, had not the
girl made several short and unlooked-for deviations in her course.
These turnings gave her time, and they had also the effect of
gradually bringing both canoe and Ark within the deeper gloom, cast
by the shadows from the hills. They also gradually increased the
distance between the fugitive and her pursuers, until Judith called
out to her companions to cease rowing, for she had completely lost
sight of the canoe.
When this mortifying announcement was made, Hetty was actually so
near as to understand every syllable her sister uttered, though the
latter had used the precaution of speaking as low as circumstances
would allow her to do, and to make herself heard. Hetty stopped
paddling at the same moment, and waited the result with an impatience
that was breathless, equally from her late exertions, and her desire
to land. A dead silence immediately fell on the lake, during which
the three in the Ark were using their senses differently, in order
to detect the position of the canoe. Judith bent forward to listen,
in the hope of catching some sound that might betray the direction
in which her sister was stealing away, while her two companions
brought their eyes as near as possible to a level with the water,
in order to detect any object that might be floating on its surface.
All was vain, however, for neither sound nor sight rewarded their
efforts. All this time Hetty, who had not the cunning to sink
into the canoe, stood erect, a finger pressed on her lips, gazing
in the direction in which the voices had last been heard, resembling
a statue of profound and timid attention. Her ingenuity had barely
sufficed to enable her to seize the canoe and to quit the Ark, in
the noiseless manner related, and then it appeared to be momentarily
exhausted. Even the doublings of the canoe had been as much the
consequence of an uncertain hand and of nervous agitation, as of
any craftiness or calculation.
The pause continued several minutes, during which Deerslayer and
the Delaware conferred together in the language of the latter.
Then the oars dipped, again, and the Ark moved away, rowing with as
little noise as possible. It steered westward, a little southerly,
or in the direction of the encampment of the enemy. Having reached
a point at no great distance from the shore, and where the obscurity
was intense on account of the proximity of the land, it lay there
near an hour, in waiting for the expected approach of Hetty, who,
it was thought, would make the best of her way to that spot as
soon as she believed herself released from the danger of pursuit.
No success rewarded this little blockade, however, neither appearance
nor sound denoting the passage of the canoe. Disappointed at this
failure, and conscious of the importance of getting possession of
the fortress before it could be seized by the enemy, Deerslayer
now took his way towards the castle, with the apprehension that
all his foresight in securing the canoes would be defeated by this
unguarded and alarming movement on the part of the feeble-minded
Hetty.
Chapter X.
"But who in this wild wood
May credit give to either eye, or ear?
From rocky precipice or hollow cave,
'Midst the confused sound of rustling leaves;,
And creaking boughs, and cries of nightly birds,
Returning seeming answer!"
Joanna Baihie, Rayner: A Tragedy, II.L3-4, 6-g.
Fear, as much as calculation, had induced Hetty to cease paddling,
when she found that her pursuers did not know in which direction
to proceed. She remained stationary until the Ark had pulled in
near the encampment, as has been related in the preceding chapter,
when she resumed the paddle and with cautious strokes made the
best of her way towards the western shore. In order to avoid her
pursuers, however, who, she rightly suspected, would soon be rowing
along that shore themselves, the head of the canoe was pointed so
far north as to bring her to land on a point that thrust itself
into the lake, at the distance of near a league from the outlet.
Nor was this altogether the result of a desire to escape, for,
feeble minded as she was, Hetty Hutter had a good deal of that
instinctive caution which so often keeps those whom God has thus
visited from harm. She was perfectly aware of the importance of
keeping the canoes from falling into the hands of the Iroquois, and
long familiarity with the lake had suggested one of the simplest
expedients, by which this great object could be rendered compatible
with her own purpose.
The point in question was the first projection that offered on that
side of the lake, where a canoe, if set adrift with a southerly
air would float clear of the land, and where it would be no great
violation of probabilities to suppose it might even hit the castle;
the latter lying above it, almost in a direct line with the wind.
Such then was Hetty's intention, and she landed on the extremity
of the gravelly point, beneath an overhanging oak, with the express
intention of shoving the canoe off from the shore, in order that
it might drift up towards her father's insulated abode. She knew,
too, from the logs that occasionally floated about the lake, that
did it miss the castle and its appendages the wind would be likely
to change before the canoe could reach the northern extremity of
the lake, and that Deerslayer might have an opportunity of regaining
it in the morning, when no doubt he would be earnestly sweeping
the surface of the water, and the whole of its wooded shores, with
glass. In all this, too, Hetty was less governed by any chain of
reasoning than by her habits, the latter often supplying the place
of mind, in human beings, as they perform the same for animals of
the inferior classes.
The girl was quite an hour finding her way to the point, the distance
and the obscurity equally detaining her, but she was no sooner on
the gravelly beach than she prepared to set the canoe adrift, in
the manner mentioned. While in the act of pushing it from her, she
heard low voices that seemed to come among the trees behind her.
Startled at this unexpected danger Hetty was on the point of
springing into the canoe in order to seek safety in flight, when
she thought she recognized the tones of Judith's melodious voice.
Bending forward so as to catch the sounds more directly, they
evidently came from the water, and then she understood that the Ark
was approaching from the south, and so close in with the western
shore, as necessarily to cause it to pass the point within twenty
yards of the spot where she stood. Here, then, was all she could
desire; the canoe was shoved off into the lake, leaving its late
occupant alone on the narrow strand.
When this act of self-devotion was performed, Hetty did not retire.
The foliage of the overhanging trees and bushes would have almost
concealed her person, had there been light, but in that obscurity it
was utterly impossible to discover any object thus shaded, at the
distance of a few feet. Flight, too, was perfectly easy, as twenty
steps would effectually bury her in the forest. She remained,
therefore, watching with intense anxiety the result of her expedient,
intending to call the attention of the others to the canoe with
her voice, should they appear to pass without observing it. The
Ark approached under its sail, again, Deerslayer standing in its
bow, with Judith near him, and the Delaware at the helm. It would
seem that in the bay below it had got too close to the shore, in
the lingering hope of intercepting Hetty, for, as it came nearer,
the latter distinctly heard the directions that the young man
forward gave to his companion aft, in order to clear the point.
"Lay her head more off the shore, Delaware," said Deerslayer for
the third time, speaking in English that his fair companion might
understand his words - "Lay her head well off shore. We have got
embayed here, and needs keep the mast clear of the trees. Judith,
there's a canoe!"
The last words were uttered with great earnestness, and Deerslayer's
hand was on his rifle ere they were fairly out of his mouth. But
the truth flashed on the mind of the quick-witted girl, and she
instantly told her companion that the boat must be that in which
her sister had fled.
"Keep the scow straight, Delaware; steer as straight as your bullet
flies when sent ag'in a buck; there - I have it."
The canoe was seized, and immediately secured again to the side of
the Ark. At the next moment the sail was lowered, and the motion
of the Ark arrested by means of the oars.
"Hetty!" called out Judith, concern, even affection betraying
itself in her tones. "Are you within hearing, sister - for God's
sake answer, and let me hear the sound of your voice, again! Hetty!
- dear Hetty."
"I'm here, Judith - here on the shore, where it will be useless to
follow me, as I will hide in the woods."
"Oh! Hetty what is't you do! Remember 'tis drawing near midnight,
and that the woods are filled with savages and wild beasts!"
"Neither will harm a poor half-witted girl, Judith. God is as
much with me, here, as he would be in the Ark or in the hut. I am
going to help my father, and poor Hurry Harry, who will be tortured
and slain unless some one cares for them."
"We all care for them, and intend to-morrow to send them a flag of
truce, to buy their ransom. Come back then, sister; trust to us,
who have better heads than you, and who will do all we can for
father."
"I know your head is better than mine, Judith, for mine is very
weak, to be sure; but I must go to father and poor Hurry. Do you
and Deerslayer keep the castle, sister; leave me in the hands of
God."
"God is with us all, Hetty - in the castle, or on the shore -father
as well as ourselves, and it is sinful not to trust to his goodness.
You can do nothing in the dark; will lose your way in the forest,
and perish for want of food."
"God will not let that happen to a poor child that goes to serve
her father, sister. I must try and find the savages."
"Come back for this night only; in the morning, we will put you
ashore, and leave you to do as you may think right."
"You say so, Judith, and you think so; but you would not. Your
heart would soften, and you'd see tomahawks and scalping knives in
the air. Besides, I've got a thing to tell the Indian chief that
will answer all our wishes, and I'm afraid I may forget it, if I
don't tell it to him at once. You'll see that he will let father
go, as soon as he hears it!"
"Poor Hetty! What can you say to a ferocious savage that will be
likely to change his bloody purpose!"
"That which will frighten him, and make him let father go -" returned
the simple-minded girl, positively. "You'll see, sister; you'll
see, how soon it will bring him to, like a gentle child!"
"Will you tell me, Hetty, what you intend to say?" asked Deerslayer.
"I know the savages well, and can form some idee how far fair words
will be likely, or not, to work on their bloody natur's. If it's
not suited to the gifts of a red-skin, 'twill be of no use; for
reason goes by gifts, as well as conduct."
"Well, then," answered Hetty, dropping her voice to a low,
confidential, tone, for the stillness of the night, and the nearness
of the Ark, permitted her to do this and still to be heard - "Well,
then, Deerslayer, as you seem a good and honest young man I will
tell you. I mean not to say a word to any of the savages until I
get face to face with their head chief, let them plague me with as
many questions as they please I'll answer none of them, unless it
be to tell them to lead me to their wisest man - Then, Deerslayer,
I'll tell him that God will not forgive murder, and thefts; and
that if father and Hurry did go after the scalps of the Iroquois,
he must return good for evil, for so the Bible commands, else he
will go into everlasting punishment. When he hears this, and feels
it to be true, as feel it he must, how long will it be before he
sends father, and Hurry, and me to the shore, opposite the castle,
telling us all three to go our way in peace?"
The last question was put in a triumphant manner, and then the
simple-minded girl laughed at the impression she never doubted that
her project had made on her auditors. Deerslayer was dumb-founded
at this proof of guileless feebleness of mind, but Judith had
suddenly bethought her of a means of counteracting this wild project,
by acting on the very feelings that had given it birth. Without
adverting to the closing question, or the laugh, therefore, she
hurriedly called to her sister by name, as one suddenly impressed
with the importance of what she had to say. But no answer was
given to the call.
By the snapping of twigs, and the rustling of leaves, Hetty had
evidently quitted the shore, and was already burying herself in the
forest. To follow would have been fruitless, since the darkness,
as well as the dense cover that the woods everywhere offered, would
have rendered her capture next to impossible, and there was also
the never ceasing danger of falling into the hands of their enemies.
After a short and melancholy discussion, therefore, the sail was
again set, and the Ark pursued its course towards its habitual
moorings, Deerslayer silently felicitating himself on the recovery
of the canoe, and brooding over his plans for the morrow. The
wind rose as the party quitted the point, and in less than an hour
they reached the castle. Here all was found as it had been left,
and the reverse of the ceremonies had to be taken in entering the
building, that had been used on quitting it. Judith occupied a
solitary bed that night bedewing the pillow with her tears, as she
thought of the innocent and hitherto neglected creature, who had
been her companion from childhood, and bitter regrets came over her
mind, from more causes than one, as the weary hours passed away,
making it nearly morning before she lost her recollection in sleep.
Deerslayer and the Delaware took their rest in the Ark, where we
shall leave them enjoying the deep sleep of the honest, the healthful
and fearless, to return to the girl we have last seen in the midst
of the forest.
When Hetty left the shore, she took her way unhesitatingly into
the woods, with a nervous apprehension of being followed. Luckily,
this course was the best she could have hit on to effect her own
purpose, since it was the only one that led her from the point. The
night was so intensely dark, beneath the branches of the trees, that
her progress was very slow, and the direction she went altogether
a matter of chance, after the first few yards. The formation of
the ground, however, did not permit her to deviate far from the line
in which she desired to proceed. On one hand it was soon bounded
by the acclivity of the hill, while the lake, on the other, served
as a guide. For two hours did this single-hearted and simple-minded
girl toil through the mazes of the forest, sometimes finding herself
on the brow of the bank that bounded the water, and at others
struggling up an ascent that warned her to go no farther in that
direction, since it necessarily ran at right angles to the course
on which she wished to proceed. Her feet often slid from beneath
her, and she got many falls, though none to do her injury; but, by
the end of the period mentioned, she had become so weary as to want
strength to go any farther. Rest was indispensable, and she set
about preparing a bed, with the readiness and coolness of one to
whom the wilderness presented no unnecessary terrors. She knew
that wild beasts roamed through all the adjacent forest, but animals
that preyed on the human species were rare, and of dangerous serpents
there were literally none. These facts had been taught her by her
father, and whatever her feeble mind received at all, it received
so confidingly as to leave her no uneasiness from any doubts,
or scepticism. To her the sublimity of the solitude in which she
was placed, was soothing, rather than appalling, and she gathered
a bed of leaves, with as much indifference to the circumstances that
would have driven the thoughts of sleep entirely from the minds of
most of her sex, as if she had been preparing her place of nightly
rest beneath the paternal roof. As soon as Hetty had collected a
sufficient number of the dried leaves to protect her person from
the damps of the ground, she kneeled beside the humble pile, clasped
her raised hands in an attitude of deep devotion, and in a soft,
low, but audible voice repeated the Lord's Prayer. This was followed
by those simple and devout verses, so familiar to children, in
which she recommended her soul to God, should it be called away to
another state of existence, ere the return of morning. This duty
done, she lay down and disposed herself to sleep. The attire of
the girl, though suited to the season, was sufficiently warm for
all ordinary purposes, but the forest is ever cool, and the nights
of that elevated region of country, have always a freshness about
them, that renders clothing more necessary than is commonly the
case in the summers of a low latitude. This had been foreseen by
Hetty, who had brought with her a coarse heavy mantle, which, when
laid over her body, answered all the useful purposes of a blanket
Thus protected, she dropped asleep in a few minutes, as tranquilly
as if watched over by the guardian care of that mother, who had so
recently been taken from her forever, affording in this particular
a most striking contrast between her own humble couch, and the
sleepless pillow of her sister.
Hour passed after hour, in a tranquility as undisturbed and a rest
as sweet as if angels, expressly commissioned for that object,
watched around the bed of Hetty Hutter. Not once did her soft eyes
open, until the grey of the dawn came struggling through the tops
of the trees, falling on their lids, and, united to the freshness
of a summer's morning, giving the usual summons to awake. Ordinarily,
Hetty was up ere the rays of the sun tipped the summits of the
mountains, but on this occasion her fatigue had been so great, and
her rest was so profound, that the customary warnings failed of
their effect. The girl murmured in her sleep, threw an arm forward,
smiled as gently as an infant in its cradle, but still slumbered.
In making this unconscious gesture, her hand fell on some object that
was warm, and in the half unconscious state in which she lay, she
connected the circumstance with her habits. At the next moment,
a rude attack was made on her side, as if a rooting animal were
thrusting its snout beneath, with a desire to force her position,
and then, uttering the name of "Judith" she awoke. As the startled
girl arose to a sitting attitude she perceived that some dark object
sprang from her, scattering the leaves and snapping the fallen
twigs in its haste. Opening her eyes, and recovering from the
first confusion and astonishment of her situation, Hetty perceived
a cub, of the common American brown bear, balancing itself on its
hinder legs, and still looking towards her, as if doubtful whether
it would be safe to trust itself near her person again. The first
impulse of Hetty, who had been mistress of several of these cubs,
was to run and seize the little creature as a prize, but a loud
growl warned her of the danger of such a procedure. Recoiling a
few steps, the girl looked hurriedly round, and perceived the dam,
watching her movements with fiery eyes at no great distance. A
hollow tree, that once been the home of bees, having recently
fallen, the mother with two more cubs was feasting on the dainty
food that this accident had placed within her reach; while the
first kept a jealous eye on the situation of its truant and reckless
young.
It would exceed all the means of human knowledge to presume to
analyze the influences that govern the acts of the lower animals.
On this occasion, the dam, though proverbially fierce when its young
is thought to be in danger, manifested no intention to attack the
girl. It quitted the honey, and advanced to a place within twenty
feet of her, where it raised itself on its hind legs and balanced
its body in a sort of angry, growling discontent, but approached
no nearer. Happily, Hetty did not fly. On the contrary, though
not without terror, she knelt with her face towards the animal,
and with clasped hands and uplifted eyes, repeated the prayer of
the previous night. This act of devotion was not the result of
alarm, but it was a duty she never neglected to perform ere she slept,
and when the return of consciousness awoke her to the business of
the day. As the girl arose from her knees, the bear dropped on
its feet again, and collecting its cubs around her, permitted them
to draw their natural sustenance. Hetty was delighted with this
proof of tenderness in an animal that has but a very indifferent
reputation for the gentler feelings, and as a cub would quit its
mother to frisk and leap about in wantonness, she felt a strong
desire again to catch it up in her arms, and play with it. But
admonished by the growl, she had self-command sufficient not to put
this dangerous project in execution, and recollecting her errand
among the hills, she tore herself away from the group, and proceeded
on her course along the margin of the lake, of which she now caught
glimpses again through the trees. To her surprise, though not to
her alarm, the family of bears arose and followed her steps, keeping
a short distance behind her; apparently watching every movement as
if they had a near interest in all she did.
In this manner, escorted by the dam and cubs, the girl proceeded
nearly a mile, thrice the distance she had been able to achieve in
the darkness, during the same period of time. She then reached a
brook that had dug a channel for itself into the earth, and went
brawling into the lake, between steep and high banks, covered with
trees. Here Hetty performed her ablutions; then drinking of the
pure mountain water, she went her way, refreshed and lighter of
heart, still attended by her singular companions. Her course now
lay along a broad and nearly level terrace, which stretched from
the top of the bank that bounded the water, to a low acclivity
that rose to a second and irregular platform above. This was at a
part of the valley where the mountains ran obliquely, forming the
commencement of a plain that spread between the hills, southward
of the sheet of water. Hetty knew, by this circumstance, that
she was getting near to the encampment, and had she not, the bears
would have given her warning of the vicinity of human beings.
Snuffing the air, the dam refused to follow any further, though
the girl looked back and invited her to come by childish signs, and
even by direct appeals made in her own sweet voice. It was while
making her way slowly through some bushes, in this manner, with
averted face and eyes riveted on the immovable animals, that the
girl suddenly found her steps arrested by a human hand, that was
laid lightly on her shoulder.
"Where go? -" said a soft female voice, speaking hurriedly, and
in concern. -"Indian - red man savage - wicked warrior- thataway."
This unexpected salutation alarmed the girl no more than the presence
of the fierce inhabitants of the woods. It took her a little by
surprise, it is true, but she was in a measure prepared for some
such meeting, and the creature who stopped her was as little likely
to excite terror as any who ever appeared in the guise of an Indian.
It was a girl, not much older than herself, whose smile was sunny
as Judith's in her brightest moments, whose voice was melody itself,
and whose accents and manner had all the rebuked gentleness that
characterizes the sex among a people who habitually treat their
women as the attendants and servitors of the warriors. Beauty among
the women of the aboriginal Americans, before they have become
exposed to the hardships of wives and mothers, is by no means
uncommon. In this particular, the original owners of the country
were not unlike their more civilized successors, nature appearing
to have bestowed that delicacy of mien and outline that forms
so great a charm in the youthful female, but of which they are so
early deprived; and that, too, as much by the habits of domestic
life as from any other cause.
The girl who had so suddenly arrested the steps of Hetty was dressed
in a calico mantle that effectually protected all the upper part of
her person, while a short petticoat of blue cloth edged with gold
lace, that fell no lower than her knees, leggings of the same, and
moccasins of deer-skin, completed her attire. Her hair fell in
long dark braids down her shoulders and back, and was parted above
a low smooth forehead, in a way to soften the expression of eyes
that were full of archness and natural feeling. Her face was oval,
with delicate features, the teeth were even and white, while the
mouth expressed a melancholy tenderness, as if it wore this peculiar
meaning in intuitive perception of the fate of a being who was doomed
from birth to endure a woman's sufferings, relieved by a woman's
affections. Her voice, as has been already intimated, was soft
as the sighing of the night air, a characteristic of the females
of her race, but which was so conspicuous in herself as to have
produced for her the name of Wah-ta-Wah; which rendered into English
means Hist-oh-Hist.
In a word, this was the betrothed of Chingachgook, who - having
succeeded in lulling their suspicions, was permitted to wander around
the encampment of her captors. This indulgence was in accordance
with the general policy of the red man, who well knew, moreover,
that her trail could have been easily followed in the event of
flight. It will also be remembered that the Iroquois, or Hurons,
as it would be better to call them, were entirely ignorant of
the proximity of her lover, a fact, indeed, that she did not know
herself.
It is not easy to say which manifested the most self-possession
at this unexpected meeting; the pale-face, or the red girl. But,
though a little surprised, Wah-ta-Wah was the most willing to
speak, and far the readier in foreseeing consequences, as well as
in devising means to avert them. Her father, during her childhood,
had been much employed as a warrior by the authorities of the
Colony, and dwelling for several years near the forts, she had
caught a knowledge of the English tongue, which she spoke in the
usual, abbreviated manner of an Indian, but fluently, and without
any of the ordinary reluctance of her people.
"Where go? -" repeated Wah-ta-Wah, returning the smile of Hetty,
in her own gentle, winning, manner - "wicked warrior that-a-way -
good warrior, far off."
"What's your name?" asked Hetty, with the simplicity of a child.
"Wah-ta-Wah. I no Mingo - good Delaware - Yengeese friend. Mingo
cruel, and love scalp, for blood - Delaware love him, for honor.
Come here, where no eyes."
Wah-ta-Wah now led her companion towards the lake, descending the
bank so as to place its overhanging trees and bushes between them
and any probable observers. Nor did she stop until they were both
seated, side by side, on a fallen log, one end of which actually
lay buried in the water.
"Why you come for?" the young Indian eagerly inquired - "Where you
come for?" Hetty told her tale in her own simple and truth-loving
manner. She explained the situation of her father, and stated her
desire to serve him, and if possible to procure his release.
"Why your father come to Mingo camp in night?" asked the Indian
girl, with a directness, which if not borrowed from the other,
partook largely of its sincerity. "He know it war-time, and he no
boy - he no want beard - no want to be told Iroquois carry tomahawk,
and knife, and rifle. Why he come night time, seize me by hair,
and try to scalp Delaware girl?"
"You!" said Hetty, almost sickening with horror - "Did he seize
you - did he try to scalp you?"
"Why no? Delaware scalp sell for much as Mingo scalp. Governor
no tell difference. Wicked t'ing for pale-face to scalp. No his
gifts, as the good Deerslayer always tell me."
"And do you know the Deerslayer?" said Hetty, coloring with delight
and surprise; forgetting her regrets, at the moment, in the influence
of this new feeling. "I know him, too. He is now in the Ark,
with Judith and a Delaware who is called the Big Serpent. A bold
and handsome warrior is this Serpent, too!"
Spite of the rich deep colour that nature had bestowed on the
Indian beauty, the tell-tale blood deepened on her cheeks, until
the blush gave new animation and intelligence to her jet-black eyes.
Raising a finger in an attitude of warning, she dropped her voice,
already so soft and sweet, nearly to a whisper, as she continued
the discourse.
"Chingachgook!" returned the Delaware girl, sighing out the harsh
name, in sounds so softly guttural, as to cause it to reach the
ear in melody - "His father, Uncas - great chief of the Mahicanni
- next to old Tamenund! - More as warrior, not so much gray hair,
and less at Council Fire. You know Serpent?"
"He joined us last evening, and was in the Ark with me, for two
or three hours before I left it. I'm afraid, Hist -" Hetty could
not pronounce the Indian name of her new friend, but having heard
Deerslayer give her this familiar appellation, she used it without
any of the ceremony of civilized life - "I'm afraid Hist, he has
come after scalps, as well as my poor father and Hurry Harry."
"Why he shouldn't - ha? Chingachgook red warrior - very red -scalp
make his honor - Be sure he take him."
"Then," said Hetty, earnestly, "he will be as wicked as any other.
God will not pardon in a red man, what he will not pardon in a
white man.
"No true -" returned the Delaware girl, with a warmth that nearly
amounted to passion. "No true, I tell you! The Manitou smile
and pleased when he see young warrior come back from the war path,
with two, ten, hundred scalp on a pole! Chingachgook father take
scalp - grandfather take scalp - all old chief take scalp, and
Chingachgook take as many scalp as he can carry, himself"
"Then, Hist, his sleep of nights must be terrible to think of. No
one can be cruel, and hope to be forgiven."
"No cruel - plenty forgiven -" returned Wah-ta-Wah, stamping her
little foot on the stony strand, and shaking her head in a way to
show how completely feminine feeling, in one of its aspects, had
gotten the better of feminine feeling in another. "I tell you,
Serpent brave; he go home, this time, with four, - yes - two scalp."
"And is that his errand, here? - Did he really come all this
distance, across mountain, and valley, rivers and lakes, to torment
his fellow creatures, and do so wicked a thing?"
This question at once appeased the growing ire of the half-offended
Indian beauty. It completely got the better of the prejudices
of education, and turned all her thoughts to a gentler and more
feminine channel. At first, she looked around her, suspiciously,
as if distrusting eavesdroppers; then she gazed wistfully into the
face of her attentive companion; after which this exhibition of
girlish coquetry and womanly feeling, terminated by her covering
her face with both her hands, and laughing in a strain that might
well be termed the melody of the woods. Dread of discovery, however,
soon put a stop to this naive exhibition of feeling, and removing
her hands, this creature of impulses gazed again wistfully into
the face of her companion, as if inquiring how far she might trust
a stranger with her secret. Although Hetty had no claims to her
sister's extraordinary beauty, many thought her countenance the most
winning of the two. It expressed all the undisguised sincerity of
her character, and it was totally free from any of the unpleasant
physical accompaniments that so frequently attend mental imbecility.
It is true that one accustomed to closer observations than common,
might have detected the proofs of her feebleness of intellect
in the language of her sometimes vacant eyes, but they were signs
that attracted sympathy by their total want of guile, rather than
by any other feeling. The effect on Hist, to use the English and
more familiar translation of the name, was favorable, and yielding
to an impulse of tenderness, she threw her arms around Hetty, and
embraced her with an outpouring emotion, so natural that it was
only equaled by its warmth.
"You good -" whispered the young Indian - "you good, I know; it so
long since Wah-ta-Wah have a friend - a sister - any body to speak
her heart to! You Hist friend; don't I say trut'?"
"I never had a friend," answered Hetty returning the warm embrace
with unfeigned earnestness. "I've a sister, but no friend. Judith
loves me, and I love Judith; but that's natural, and as we are
taught in the Bible - but I should like to have a friend! I'll
be your friend, with all my heart, for I like your voice and your
smile, and your way of thinking in every thing, except about the
scalps -"
"No t'ink more of him - no say more of scalp -" interrupted Hist,
soothingly -"You pale-face, I red-skin; we bring up different fashion.
Deerslayer and Chingachgook great friend, and no the same colour,
Hist and - what your name, pretty pale-face?"
"I am called Hetty, though when they spell the name in the bible,
they always spell it Esther."
"What that make? - no good, no harm. No need to spell name at
all -Moravian try to make Wah-ta-Wah spell, but no won't let him.
No good for Delaware girl to know too much- know more than warrior
some time; that great shame. My name Wah-ta-Wah that say Hist in
your tongue; you call him, Hist - I call him, Hetty."
These preliminaries settled to their mutual satisfaction, the two
girls began to discourse of their several hopes and projects. Hetty
made her new friend more fully acquainted with her intentions in
behalf of her father, and, to one in the least addicted to prying
into the affairs, Hist would have betrayed her own feelings and
expectations in connection with the young warrior of her own tribe.
Enough was revealed on both sides, however, to let each party get
a tolerable insight into the views of the other, though enough
still remained in mental reservation, to give rise to the following
questions and answers, with which the interview in effect closed.
As the quickest witted, Hist was the first with her interrogatories.
Folding an arm about the waist of Hetty, she bent her head so as
to look up playfully into the face of the other, and, laughing, as
if her meaning were to be extracted from her looks, she spoke more
plainly.
"Hetty got broder, as well as fader? -" she said - "Why no talk
of broder, as well as fader?"
"I have no brother, Hist. I had one once, they say, but he is dead
many a year, and lies buried in the lake, by the side of my mother."
"No got broder - got a young warrior - Love him, almost as much as
fader, eh? Very handsome, and brave-looking; fit to be chief, if
he good as he seem to be."
"It's wicked to love any man as well as I love my father, and so I
strive not to do it, Hist," returned the conscientious Hetty, who
knew not how to conceal an emotion, by an approach to an untruth
as venial as an evasion, though powerfully tempted by female shame
to err, "though I sometimes think wickedness will get the better
of me, if Hurry comes so often to the lake. I must tell you the
truth, dear Hist, because you ask me, but I should fall down and
die in the woods, if he knew it!"
"Why he no ask you, himself? - Brave looking - why not bold
speaking? Young warrior ought to ask young girl, no make young
girl speak first. Mingo girls too shame for that."
This was said indignantly, and with the generous warmth a young female
of spirit would be apt to feel, at what she deemed an invasion of
her sex's most valued privilege. It had little influence on the
simple-minded, but also just-minded Hetty, who, though inherently
feminine in all her impulses, was much more alive to the workings
of her own heart, than to any of the usages with which convention
has protected the sensitiveness of her sex.
"Ask me what?' the startled girl demanded, with a suddenness that
proved how completely her fears had been aroused. 'Ask me, if I
like him as well as I do my own father! Oh! I hope he will never
put such a question to me, for I should have to answer, and that
would kill me!"
"No - no - no kill, quite - almost," returned the other, laughing
in spite of herself. "Make blush come - make shame come too; but
he no stay great while; then feel happier than ever. Young warrior
must tell young girl he want to make wife, else never can live in
his wigwam."
"Hurry don't want to marry me - nobody will ever want to marry me,
Hist."
"How you can know? P'raps every body want to marry you, and
by-and-bye, tongue say what heart feel. Why nobody want to marry
you?"
"I am not full witted, they say. Father often tells me this; and
so does Judith, sometimes, when she is vexed; but I shouldn't so
much mind them, as I did mother. She said so once and then she
cried as if her heart would break; and, so, I know I'm not full
witted."
Hist gazed at the gentle, simple girl, for quite a minute without
speaking, and then the truth appeared to flash all at once on the
mind of the young Indian maid. Pity, reverence and tenderness
seemed struggling together in her breast, and then rising suddenly,
she indicated a wish to her companion that she would accompany
her to the camp, which was situated at no great distance. This
unexpected change from the precautions that Hist had previously
manifested a desire to use, in order to prevent being seen, to an
open exposure of the person of her friend, arose from the perfect
conviction that no Indian would harm a being whom the Great Spirit
had disarmed, by depriving it of its strongest defence, reason.
In this respect, nearly all unsophisticated nations resemble each
other, appearing to offer spontaneously, by a feeling creditable to
human nature, that protection by their own forbearance, which has
been withheld by the inscrutable wisdom of Providence. Wah-ta-Wah,
indeed, knew that in many tribes the mentally imbecile and the
mad were held in a species of religious reverence, receiving from
these untutored inhabitants of the forest respect and honors,
instead of the contumely and neglect that it is their fortune to
meet with among the more pretending and sophisticated.
Hetty accompanied her new friend without apprehension or reluctance.
It was her wish to reach the camp, and, sustained by her motives, she
felt no more concern for the consequences than did her companion
herself, now the latter was apprised of the character of the
protection that the pale-face maiden carried with her. Still, as
they proceeded slowly along a shore that was tangled with overhanging
bushes, Hetty continued the discourse, assuming the office of
interrogating which the other had instantly dropped, as soon as
she ascertained the character of the mind to which her questions
had been addressed.
"But you are not half-witted," said Hetty, "and there's no reason
why the Serpent should not marry you."
"Hist prisoner, and Mingo got big ear. No speak of Chingachgook
when they by. Promise Hist that, good Hetty."
"I know - I know -" returned Hetty, half-whispering, in her eagerness
to let the other see she understood the necessity of caution. "I
know - Deerslayer and the Serpent mean to get you away from the
Iroquois, and you wish me not to tell the secret."
"How you know?" said Hist, hastily, vexed at the moment that the
other was not even more feeble minded than was actually the case.
"How you know? Better not talk of any but fader and Hurry - Mingo
understand dat; he no understand t'udder. Promise you no talk
about what you no understand."
"But I do understand this, Hist, and so I must talk about it.
Deerslayer as good as told father all about it, in my presence,
and as nobody told me not to listen, I overheard it all, as I did
Hurry and father's discourse about the scalps."
"Very bad for pale-faces to talk about scalps, and very bad for
young woman to hear! Now you love Hist, I know, Hetty, and so,
among Injins, when love hardest never talk most."
"That's not the way among white people, who talk most about them
they love best. I suppose it's because I'm only half-witted that I
don't see the reason why it should be so different among red people."
"That what Deerslayer call gift. One gift to talk; t'udder gift
to hold tongue. Hold tongue your gift, among Mingos. If Sarpent
want to see Hist, so Hetty want to see Hurry. Good girl never tell
secret of friend."
Hetty understood this appeal, and she promised the Delaware girl
not to make any allusion to the presence of Chingachgook, or to
the motive of his visit to the lake.
"Maybe he get off Hurry and fader, as well as Hist, if let him have
his way," whispered Wah-ta-Wah to her companion, in a confiding
flattering way, just as they got near enough to the encampment to
hear the voices of several of their own sex, who were apparently
occupied in the usual toils of women of their class. "Tink of dat,
Hetty, and put two, twenty finger on mouth. No get friend free
without Sarpent do it."
A better expedient could not have been adopted, to secure the silence
and discretion of Hetty, than that which was now presented to her
mind. As the liberation of her father and the young frontier man
was the great object of her adventure, she felt the connection
between it and the services of the Delaware, and with an innocent
laugh, she nodded her head, and in the same suppressed manner,
promised a due attention to the wishes of her friend. Thus assured,
Hist tarried no longer, but immediately and openly led the way into
the encampment of her captors.
Chapter XI.
"The great King of Kings
Hath in the table of his law commanded,
That thou shalt do no murder.
Take heed; for he holds vengeance in his hand,
To hurl upon their heads that break his law."
Richard III, I.iv.i95-97 199-200.
That the party to which Hist compulsorily belonged was not one
that was regularly on the war path, was evident by the presence of
females. It was a small fragment of a tribe that had been hunting
and fishing within the English limits, where it was found by the
commencement of hostilities, and, after passing the winter and
spring by living on what was strictly the property of its enemies,
it chose to strike a hostile blow before it finally retired. There
was also deep Indian sagacity in the manoeuvre which had led them
so far into the territory of their foes. When the runner arrived
who announced the breaking out of hostilities between the English
and French - a struggle that was certain to carry with it all the
tribes that dwelt within the influence of the respective belligerents
- this particular party of the Iroquois were posted on the shores
of the Oneida, a lake that lies some fifty miles nearer to their
own frontier than that which is the scene of our tale.
To have fled in a direct line for the Canadas would have exposed them
to the dangers of a direct pursuit, and the chiefs had determined
to adopt the expedient of penetrating deeper into a region that
had now become dangerous, in the hope of being able to retire in
the rear of their pursuers, instead of having them on their trail.
The presence of the women had induced the attempt at this ruse,
the strength of these feebler members of the party being unequal
to the effort of escaping from the pursuit of warriors. When the
reader remembers the vast extent of the American wilderness, at
that early day, he will perceive that it was possible for even a
tribe to remain months undiscovered in particular portions of it;
nor was the danger of encountering a foe, the usual precautions
being observed, as great in the woods, as it is on the high seas,
in a time of active warfare.
The encampment being temporary, it offered to the eye no more than
the rude protection of a bivouac, relieved in some slight degree
by the ingenious expedients which suggested themselves to the
readiness of those who passed their lives amid similar scenes.
One fire, that had been kindled against the roots of a living oak,
sufficed for the whole party; the weather being too mild to require
it for any purpose but cooking. Scattered around this centre
of attraction, were some fifteen or twenty low huts, or perhaps
kennels would be a better word, into which their different owners
crept at night, and which were also intended to meet the exigencies
of a storm.
These little huts were made of the branches of trees, put together
with some ingenuity, and they were uniformly topped with bark that
had been stripped from fallen trees; of which every virgin forest
possesses hundreds, in all stages of decay. Of furniture they had
next to none. Cooking utensils of the simplest sort were lying near
the fire, a few articles of clothing were to be seen in or around
the huts, rifles, horns, and pouches leaned against the trees, or
were suspended from the lower branches, and the carcasses of two
or three deer were stretched to view on the same natural shambles.
As the encampment was in the midst of a dense wood, the eye could
not take in its tout ensemble at a glance, but hut after hut
started out of the gloomy picture, as one gazed about him in quest
of objects. There was no centre, unless the fire might be so
considered, no open area where the possessors of this rude village
might congregate, but all was dark, covert and cunning, like its
owners. A few children strayed from hut to hut, giving the spot
a little of the air of domestic life, and the suppressed laugh
and low voices of the women occasionally broke in upon the deep
stillness of the sombre forest. As for the men, they either ate,
slept, or examined their arms. They conversed but little, and then
usually apart, or in groups withdrawn from the females, whilst an
air of untiring, innate watchfulness and apprehension of danger
seemed to be blended even with their slumbers.
As the two girls came near the encampment, Hetty uttered a slight
exclamation, on catching a view of the person of her father. He
was seated on the ground with his back to a tree, and Hurry stood
near him indolently whittling a twig. Apparently they were as much
at liberty as any others in or about the camp, and one unaccustomed
to Indian usages would have mistaken them for visitors, instead
of supposing them to be captives. Wah-ta-Wah led her new friend
quite near them, and then modestly withdrew, that her own presence
might be no restraint on her feelings. But Hetty was not sufficiently
familiar with caresses or outward demonstrations of fondness, to
indulge in any outbreaking of feeling. She merely approached and
stood at her father's side without speaking, resembling a silent
statue of filial affection. The old man expressed neither alarm
nor surprise at her sudden appearance. In these particulars he
had caught the stoicism of the Indians, well knowing that there was
no more certain mode of securing their respect than by imitating
their self-command. Nor did the savages themselves betray the
least sign of surprise at this sudden appearance of a stranger
among them. In a word, this arrival produced much less visible
sensation, though occurring under circumstances so peculiar, than
would be seen in a village of higher pretensions to civilization
did an ordinary traveler drive up to the door of its principal inn.
Still a few warriors collected, and it was evident by the manner
in which they glanced at Hetty as they conversed together, that she
was the subject of their discourse, and probable that the reasons
of her unlooked-for appearance were matters of discussion. This
phlegm of manner is characteristic of the North American Indian
- some say of his white successor also - but, in this case much
should be attributed to the peculiar situation in which the party
was placed. The force in the Ark, the presence of Chingachgook
excepted, was well known, no tribe or body of troops was believed
to be near, and vigilant eyes were posted round the entire lake,
watching day and night the slightest movement of those whom it
would not be exaggerated now to term the besieged.
Hutter was inwardly much moved by the conduct of Hetty, though he
affected so much indifference of manner. He recollected her gentle
appeal to him before he left the Ark, and misfortune rendered
that of weight which might have been forgotten amid the triumph of
success. Then he knew the simple, single-hearted fidelity of his
child, and understood why she had come, and the total disregard of
self that reigned in all her acts.
"This is not well, Hetty," he said, deprecating the consequences
to the girl herself more than any other evil. "These are fierce
Iroquois, and are as little apt to forget an injury, as a favor."
"Tell me, father -" returned the girl, looking furtively about her
as if fearful of being overheard, "did God let you do the cruel
errand on which you came? I want much to know this, that I may
speak to the Indians plainly, if he did not."
"You should not have come hither, Hetty; these brutes will not
understand your nature or your intentions!"
"How was it, father; neither you nor Hurry seems to have any thing
that looks like scalps."
"If that will set your mind at peace, child, I can answer you, no.
I had caught the young creatur' who came here with you, but her
screeches soon brought down upon me a troop of the wild cats, that
was too much for any single Christian to withstand. If that will
do you any good, we are as innocent of having taken a scalp, this
time, as I make no doubt we shall also be innocent of receiving
the bounty."
"Thank God for that, father! Now I can speak boldly to the Iroquois,
and with an easy conscience. I hope Hurry, too, has not been able
to harm any of the Indians?"
"Why, as to that matter, Hetty," returned the individual in question,
"you've put it pretty much in the natyve character of the religious
truth. Hurry has not been able, and that is the long and short of
it. I've seen many squalls, old fellow, both on land and on the
water, but never did I feel one as lively and as snappish as that
which come down upon us, night afore last, in the shape of an Indian
hurrah-boys! Why, Hetty, you're no great matter at a reason, or
an idee that lies a little deeper than common, but you're human
and have some human notions - now I'll just ask you to look at them
circumstances. Here was old Tom, your father, and myself, bent on
a legal operation, as is to be seen in the words of the law and the
proclamation; thinking no harm; when we were set upon by critturs
that were more like a pack of hungry wolves than mortal savages
even, and there they had us tethered like two sheep, in less time
than it has taken me to tell you the story."
"You are free now, Hurry," returned Hetty, glancing timidly at the
fine unfettered limbs of the young giant -"You have no cords, or
withes, to pain your arms, or legs, now."
"Not I, Hetty. Natur' is natur', and freedom is natur', too. My
limbs have a free look, but that's pretty much the amount of it,
sin' I can't use them in the way I should like. Even these trees
have eyes; ay, and tongues too; for was the old man, here, or I,
to start one single rod beyond our gaol limits, sarvice would be
put on the bail afore we could 'gird up our loins' for a race, and,
like as not, four or five rifle bullets would be travelling arter
us, carrying so many invitations to curb our impatience. There
isn't a gaol in the colony as tight as this we are now in; for I've
tried the vartues of two or three on 'em, and I know the mater'als
they are made of, as well as the men that made 'em; takin' down being
the next step in schoolin', to puttin' up, in all such fabrications."
Lest the reader should get an exaggerated opinion of Hurry's
demerits from this boastful and indiscreet revelation, it may be well
to say that his offences were confined to assaults and batteries,
for several of which he had been imprisoned, when, as he has just
said, he often escaped by demonstrating the flimsiness of the
constructions in which he was confined, by opening for himself
doors in spots where the architects had neglected to place them.
But Hetty had no knowledge of gaols, and little of the nature
of crimes, beyond what her unadulterated and almost instinctive
perceptions of right and wrong taught her, and this sally of the
rude being who had spoken was lost upon her. She understood his
general meaning, however, and answered in reference to that alone.
"It's so best, Hurry," she said. "It is best father and you should
be quiet and peaceable, 'till I have spoken to the Iroquois, when
all will be well and happy. I don't wish either of you to follow,
but leave me to myself. As soon as all is settled, and you are at
liberty to go back to the castle, I will come and let you know it."
Hetty spoke with so much simple earnestness, seemed so confident of
success, and wore so high an air of moral feeling and truth, that
both the listeners felt more disposed to attach an importance to her
mediation, than might otherwise have happened. When she manifested
an intention to quit them, therefore, they offered no obstacle,
though they saw she was about to join the group of chiefs who were
consulting apart, seemingly on the manner and motive of her own
sudden appearance.
When Hist - for so we love best to call her - quitted her companion,
she strayed near one or two of the elder warriors, who had shown
her most kindness in her captivity, the principal man of whom had
even offered to adopt her as his child if she would consent to
become a Huron. In taking this direction, the shrewd girl did so
to invite inquiry. She was too well trained in the habits of her
people to obtrude the opinions of one of her sex and years on men
and warriors, but nature had furnished a tact and ingenuity that
enabled her to attract the attention she desired, without wounding
the pride of those to whom it was her duty to defer and respect.
Even her affected indifference stimulated curiosity, and Hetty had
hardly reached the side of her father, before the Delaware girl
was brought within the circle of the warriors, by a secret but
significant gesture. Here she was questioned as to the person of
her companion, and the motives that had brought her to the camp.
This was all that Hist desired. She explained the manner in which
she had detected the weakness of Hetty's reason, rather exaggerating
than lessening the deficiency in her intellect, and then she
related in general terms the object of the girl in venturing among
her enemies. The effect was all that the speaker expected, her
account investing the person and character of their visitor with a
sacredness and respect that she well knew would prove her protection.
As soon as her own purpose was attained, Hist withdrew to a distance,
where, with female consideration and a sisterly tenderness she set
about the preparation of a meal, to be offered to her new friend
as soon as the latter might be at liberty to partake of it. While
thus occupied, however, the ready girl in no degree relaxed in her
watchfulness, noting every change of countenance among the chiefs,
every movement of Hetty's, and the smallest occurrence that could
be likely to affect her own interests, or that of her new friend.
As Hetty approached the chiefs they opened their little circle,
with an ease and deference of manner that would have done credit
to men of more courtly origin. A fallen tree lay near, and the
oldest of the warriors made a quiet sign for the girl to be seated
on it, taking his place at her side with the gentleness of a father.
The others arranged themselves around the two with grave dignity,
and then the girl, who had sufficient observation to perceive that
such a course was expected of her, began to reveal the object of
her visit. The moment she opened her mouth to speak, however, the
old chief gave a gentle sign for her to forbear, said a few words
to one of his juniors, and then waited in silent patience until the
latter had summoned Hist to the party. This interruption proceeded
from the chief's having discovered that there existed a necessity
for an interpreter, few of the Hurons present understanding the
English language, and they but imperfectly.
Wah-ta-Wah was not sorry to be called upon to be present at the
interview, and least of all in the character in which she was now
wanted. She was aware of the hazards she ran in attempting to
deceive one or two of the party, but was none the less resolved to
use every means that offered, and to practice every artifice that
an Indian education could supply, to conceal the facts of the
vicinity of her betrothed, and of the errand on which he had come.
One unpracticed in the expedients and opinions of savage life
would not have suspected the readiness of invention, the wariness
of action, the high resolution, the noble impulses, the deep
self-devotion, and the feminine disregard of self when the affections
were concerned, that lay concealed beneath the demure looks, the
mild eyes, and the sunny smiles of this young Indian beauty. As she
approached them, the grim old warriors regarded her with pleasure,
for they had a secret pride in the hope of engrafting so rare a
scion on the stock of their own nation; adoption being as regularly
practised, and as distinctly recognized among the tribes of America,
as it ever had been among those nations that submit to the sway of
the Civil Law.
As soon as Hist was seated by the side of Hetty, the old chief
desired her to ask "the fair young pale-face" what had brought her
among the Iroquois, and what they could do to serve her.
"Tell them, Hist, who I am - Thomas Hutter's youngest daughter;
Thomas Hutter, the oldest of their two prisoners; he who owns the
castle and the Ark, and who has the best right to be thought the
owner of these hills, and that lake, since he has dwelt so long,
and trapped so long, and fished so long, among them - They'll know
whom you mean by Thomas Hutter, if you tell them, that. And then
tell them that I've come here to convince them they ought not to
harm father and Hurry, but let them go in peace, and to treat them
as brethren rather than as enemies. Now tell them all this plainly,
Hist, and fear nothing for yourself or me. God will protect us."
Wah-ta-Wah did as the other desired, taking care to render the words
of her friend as literally as possible into the Iroquois tongue, a
language she used with a readiness almost equal to that with which
she spoke her own. The chiefs heard this opening explanation
with grave decorum, the two who had a little knowledge of English
intimating their satisfaction with the interpreter by furtive but
significant glances of the eyes.
"And, now, Hist," continued Hetty, as soon as it was intimated to
her that she might proceed, "and, now, Hist, I wish you to tell
these red men, word for word, what I am about to say. Tell them
first, that father and Hurry came here with an intention to take as
many scalps as they could, for the wicked governor and the province
have offered money for scalps, whether of warriors, or women, men
or children, and the love of gold was too strong for their hearts
to withstand it. Tell them this, dear Hist, just as you have heard
it from me, word for word."
Wah-ta-Wah hesitated about rendering this speech as literally
as had been desired, but detecting the intelligence of those who
understood English, and apprehending even a greater knowledge than
they actually possessed she found herself compelled to comply.
Contrary to what a civilized man would have expected, the admission
of the motives and of the errands of their prisoners produced no
visible effect on either the countenances or the feelings of the
listeners. They probably considered the act meritorious, and that
which neither of them would have hesitated to perform in his own
person, he would not be apt to censure in another.
"And, now, Hist," resumed Hetty, as soon as she perceived that her
first speeches were understood by the chiefs, "you can tell them
more. They know that father and Hurry did not succeed, and therefore
they can bear them no grudge for any harm that has been done. If
they had slain their children and wives it would not alter the
matter, and I'm not certain that what I am about to tell them would
not have more weight had there been mischief done. But ask them
first, Hist, if they know there is a God, who reigns over the whole
earth, and is ruler and chief of all who live, let them be red, or
white, or what color they may?"
Wah-ta-Wah looked a little surprised at this question, for the
idea of the Great Spirit is seldom long absent from the mind of
an Indian girl. She put the question as literally as possible,
however, and received a grave answer in the affirmative.
"This is right," continued Hetty, "and my duty will now be light.
This Great Spirit, as you call our God, has caused a book to
be written, that we call a Bible, and in this book have been set
down all his commandments, and his holy will and pleasure, and the
rules by which all men are to live, and directions how to govern
the thoughts even, and the wishes, and the will. Here, this is one
of these holy books, and you must tell the chiefs what I am about
to read to them from its sacred pages."
As Hetty concluded, she reverently unrolled a small English Bible
from its envelope of coarse calico, treating the volume with the
sort of external respect that a Romanist would be apt to show to
a religious relic. As she slowly proceeded in her task the grim
warriors watched each movement with riveted eyes, and when they saw
the little volume appear a slight expression of surprise escaped
one or two of them. But Hetty held it out towards them in triumph,
as if she expected the sight would produce a visible miracle, and
then, without betraying either surprise or mortification at the
Stoicism of the Indian, she turned eagerly to her new friend, in
order to renew the discourse.
"This is the sacred volume, Hist," she said - "and these words,
and lines, and verses, and chapters, all came from God."
"Why Great Spirit no send book to Injin, too?" demanded Hist, with
the directness of a mind that was totally unsophisticated.
"Why?" answered Hetty, a little bewildered by a question so
unexpected. "Why? - Ah! you know the Indians don't know how to
read."
If Hist was not satisfied with this explanation, she did not deem
the point of sufficient importance to be pressed. Simply bending
her body, in a gentle admission of the truth of what she heard,
she sat patiently awaiting the further arguments of the pale-face
enthusiast.
"You can tell these chiefs that throughout this book, men are ordered
to forgive their enemies; to treat them as they would brethren; and
never to injure their fellow creatures, more especially on account
of revenge or any evil passions. Do you think you can tell them
this, so that they will understand it, Hist?"
"Tell him well enough, but he no very easy to understand." Hist
then conveyed the ideas of Hetty, in the best manner she could, to
the attentive Indians, who heard her words with some such surprise as
an American of our own times would be apt to betray at a suggestion
that the great modern but vacillating ruler of things human, public
opinion, might be wrong. One or two of their number, however,
having met with missionaries, said a few words in explanation, and
then the group gave all its attention to the communications that
were to follow. Before Hetty resumed she inquired earnestly of
Hist if the chiefs had understood her, and receiving an evasive
answer, was fain to be satisfied.
"I will now read to the warriors some of the verses that it is
good for them to know," continued the girl, whose manner grew more
solemn and earnest as she proceeded - "and they will remember that
they are the very words of the Great Spirit. First, then, ye are
commanded to 'love thy neighbor as Thyself.' Tell them that, dear
Hist."
"Neighbor, for Injin, no mean pale-face," answered the Delaware
girl, with more decision than she had hitherto thought it necessary
to use. "Neighbor mean Iroquois for Iroquois, Mohican for Mohican,
Pale-face for pale face. No need tell chief any thing else."
"You forget, Hist, these are the words of the Great Spirit,
and the chiefs must obey them as well as others. Here is another
commandment -'Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn
to him the other also.'"
"What that mean?" demanded Hist, with the quickness of lightning.
Hetty explained that it was an order not to resent injuries, but
rather to submit to receive fresh wrongs from the offender.
"And hear this, too, Hist," she added. "'Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you and persecute you.'"
By this time Hetty had become excited; her eye gleamed with the
earnestness of her feelings, her cheeks flushed, and her voice,
usually so low and modulated, became stronger and more impressive.
With the Bible she had been early made familiar by her mother, and
she now turned from passage to passage with surprising rapidity,
taking care to cull such verses as taught the sublime lessons of
Christian charity and Christian forgiveness. To translate half
she said, in her pious earnestness, Wah-ta-Wah would have found
impracticable, had she made the effort, but wonder held her tongue
tied, equally with the chiefs, and the young, simple-minded enthusiast
had fairly become exhausted with her own efforts, before the other
opened her mouth, again, to utter a syllable. Then, indeed, the
Delaware girl gave a brief translation of the substance of what had
been both read and said, confining herself to one or two of the more
striking of the verses, those that had struck her own imagination
as the most paradoxical, and which certainly would have been the
most applicable to the case, could the uninstructed minds of the
listeners embrace the great moral truths they conveyed.
It will be scarcely necessary to tell the reader the effect that
such novel duties would be likely to produce among a group of Indian
warriors, with whom it was a species of religious principle never
to forget a benefit, or to forgive an injury. Fortunately, the
previous explanations of Hist had prepared the minds of the Hurons
for something extravagant, and most of that which to them seemed
inconsistent and paradoxical, was accounted for by the fact that
the speaker possessed a mind that was constituted differently from
those of most of the human race. Still there were one or two old
men who had heard similar doctrines from the missionaries, and these
felt a desire to occupy an idle moment by pursuing a subject that
they found so curious.
"This is the Good Book of the pale-faces," observed one of these
chiefs, taking the volume from the unresisting hands of Hetty, who
gazed anxiously at his face while he turned the leaves, as if she
expected to witness some visible results from the circumstance.
"This is the law by which my white brethren professes to live?"
Hist, to whom this question was addressed, if it might be considered
as addressed to any one, in particular, answered simply in the
affirmative; adding that both the French of the Canadas, and the
Yengeese of the British provinces equally admitted its authority,
and affected to revere its principles.
"Tell my young sister," said the Huron, looking directly at Hist,
"that I will open my mouth and say a few words."
"The Iroquois chief go to speak - my pale-face friend listen," said
Hist.
"I rejoice to hear it!" exclaimed Hetty. "God has touched his
heart, and he will now let father and Hurry go."
"This is the pale-face law," resumed the chief. "It tells him to
do good to them that hurt him, and when his brother asks him for
his rifle to give him the powder horn, too. Such is the pale-face
law?"
"Not so - not so -" answered Hetty earnestly, when these words had
been interpreted - "There is not a word about rifles in the whole
book, and powder and bullets give offence to the Great Spirit."
"Why then does the pale-face use them? If he is ordered to give
double to him that asks only for one thing, why does he take double
from the poor Indian who ask for no thing. He comes from beyond
the rising sun, with this book in his hand, and he teaches the red
man to read it, but why does he forget himself all it says? When
the Indian gives, he is never satisfied; and now he offers gold
for the scalps of our women and children, though he calls us beasts
if we take the scalp of a warrior killed in open war. My name is
Rivenoak."
When Hetty had got this formidable question fairly presented to
her mind in the translation, and Hist did her duty with more than
usual readiness on this occasion, it scarcely need be said that
she was sorely perplexed. Abler heads than that of this poor girl
have frequently been puzzled by questions of a similar drift, and
it is not surprising that with all her own earnestness and sincerity
she did not know what answer to make.
"What shall I tell them, Hist," she asked imploringly - "I know
that all I have read from the book is true, and yet it wouldn't seem
so, would it, by the conduct of those to whom the book was given?"
"Give 'em pale-face reason," returned Hist, ironically - "that
always good for one side; though he bad for t'other."
"No - no - Hist, there can't be two sides to truth - and yet it
does seem strange! I'm certain I have read the verses right, and
no one would be so wicked as to print the word of God wrong. That
can never be, Hist."
"Well, to poor Injin girl, it seem every thing can be to pale-faces,"
returned the other, coolly. "One time 'ey say white, and one time
'ey say black. Why never can be?"
Hetty was more and more embarrassed, until overcome with the
apprehension that she had failed in her object, and that the lives
of her father and Hurry would be the forfeit of some blunder of
her own, she burst into tears. From that moment the manner of Hist
lost all its irony and cool indifference, and she became the fond
caressing friend again. Throwing her arms around the afflicted
girl, she attempted to soothe her sorrows by the scarcely ever
failing remedy of female sympathy.
"Stop cry - no cry -" she said, wiping the tears from the face of
Hetty, as she would have performed the same office for a child,
and stopping to press her occasionally to her own warm bosom with
the affection of a sister. "Why you so trouble? You no make he
book, if he be wrong, and you no make he pale-face if he wicked.
There wicked red man, and wicked white man - no colour all good -
no colour all wicked. Chiefs know that well enough."
Hetty soon recovered from this sudden burst of grief, and then her
mind reverted to the purpose of her visit, with all its single-hearted
earnestness. Perceiving that the grim looking chiefs were still
standing around her in grave attention, she hoped that another
effort to convince them of the right might be successful. "Listen,
Hist," she said, struggling to suppress her sobs, and to speak
distinctly - "Tell the chiefs that it matters not what the wicked
do -right is right - The words of The Great Spirit are the words
of The Great Spirit - and no one can go harmless for doing an evil
act, because another has done it before him. 'Render good for
evil,' says this book, and that is the law for the red man as well
as for the white man."
"Never hear such law among Delaware, or among Iroquois -" answered
Hist soothingly. "No good to tell chiefs any such laws as dat.
Tell 'em somet'ing they believe."
Hist was about to proceed, notwithstanding, when a tap on the
shoulder from the finger of the oldest chief caused her to look up.
She then perceived that one of the warriors had left the group, and
was already returning to it with Hutter and Hurry. Understanding
that the two last were to become parties in the inquiry, she became
mute, with the unhesitating obedience of an Indian woman. In a few
seconds the prisoners stood face to face with the principal men of
the captors.
"Daughter," said the senior chief to the young Delaware, "ask this
grey beard why he came into our camp?"
The question was put by Hist, in her own imperfect English, but
in a way that was easy to be understood. Hutter was too stern and
obdurate by nature to shrink from the consequences of any of his
acts, and he was also too familiar with the opinions of the savages
not to understand that nothing was to be gained by equivocation or
an unmanly dread of their anger. Without hesitating, therefore,
he avowed the purpose with which he had landed, merely justifying
it by the fact that the government of the province had bid high
for scalps. This frank avowal was received by the Iroquois with
evident satisfaction, not so much, however, on account of the
advantage it gave them in a moral point of view, as by its proving
that they had captured a man worthy of occupying their thoughts and
of becoming a subject of their revenge. Hurry, when interrogated,
confessed the truth, though he would have been more disposed to
concealment than his sterner companion, did the circumstances very
well admit of its adoption. But he had tact enough to discover
that equivocation would be useless, at that moment, and he made
a merit of necessity by imitating a frankness, which, in the case
of Hutter, was the offspring of habits of indifference acting on
a disposition that was always ruthless, and reckless of personal
consequences.
As soon as the chiefs had received the answers to their questions,
they walked away in silence, like men who deemed the matter
disposed of, all Hetty's dogmas being thrown away on beings trained
in violence from infancy to manhood. Hetty and Hist were now left
alone with Hutter and Hurry, no visible restraint being placed on
the movements of either; though all four, in fact, were vigilantly
and unceasingly watched. As respects the men, care was had to prevent
them from getting possession of any of the rifles that lay scattered
about, their own included; and there all open manifestations of
watchfulness ceased. But they, who were so experienced in Indian
practices, knew too well how great was the distance between appearances
and reality, to become the dupes of this seeming carelessness.
Although both thought incessantly of the means of escape, and this
without concert, each was aware of the uselessness of attempting
any project of the sort that was not deeply laid, and promptly
executed. They had been long enough in the encampment, and were
sufficiently observant to have ascertained that Hist, also, was a
sort of captive, and, presuming on the circumstance, Hutter spoke
in her presence more openly than he might otherwise have thought it
prudent to do; inducing Hurry to be equally unguarded by his example.
"I'll not blame you, Hetty, for coming on this errand, which
was well meant if not very wisely planned," commenced the father,
seating himself by the side of his daughter and taking her hand; a
sign of affection that this rude being was accustomed to manifest
to this particular child. "But preaching, and the Bible, are not
the means to turn an Indian from his ways. Has Deerslayer sent any
message; or has he any scheme by which he thinks to get us free?"
"Ay, that's the substance of it!" put in Hurry. "If you can help
us, gal, to half a mile of freedom, or even a good start of a short
quarter, I'll answer for the rest. Perhaps the old man may want
a little more, but for one of my height and years that will meet
all objections."
Hetty looked distressed, turning her eyes from one to the other,
but she had no answer to give to the question of the reckless Hurry.
"Father," she said, "neither Deerslayer nor Judith knew of my coming
until I had left the Ark. They are afraid the Iroquois will make
a raft and try to get off to the hut, and think more of defending
that than of coming to aid you."
"No - no - no -" said Hist hurriedly, though in a low voice, and
with her face bent towards the earth, in order to conceal from
those whom she knew to be watching them the fact of her speaking
at all. "No - no - no - Deerslayer different man. He no t'ink
of defending 'self, with friend in danger. Help one another, and
all get to hut."
"This sounds well, old Tom," said Hurry, winking and laughing,
though he too used the precaution to speak low - "Give me a ready
witted squaw for a fri'nd, and though I'll not downright defy an
Iroquois, I think I would defy the devil."
"No talk loud," said Hist. "Some Iroquois got Yengeese tongue,
and all got Yengeese ear."
"Have we a friend in you, young woman?" enquired Hutter with an
increasing interest in the conference. "If so, you may calculate
on a solid reward, and nothing will be easier than to send you to
your own tribe, if we can once fairly get you off with us to the
castle. Give us the Ark and the canoes, and we can command the
lake, spite of all the savages in the Canadas. Nothing but artillery
could drive us out of the castle, if we can get back to it.
"S'pose 'ey come ashore to take scalp?" retorted Hist, with cool
irony, at which the girl appeared to be more expert than is common
for her sex.
"Ay - ay - that was a mistake; but there is little use in lamentations,
and less still, young woman, in flings."
"Father," said Hetty, "Judith thinks of breaking open the big chest,
in hopes of finding something in that which may buy your freedom
of the savages."
A dark look came over Hutter at the announcement of this fact, and
he muttered his dissatisfaction in a way to render it intelligible
enough.
"What for no break open chest?" put in Hist. "Life sweeter than
old chest -scalp sweeter than old chest. If no tell darter to
break him open, Wah-ta-Wah no help him to run away."
"Ye know not what ye ask - ye are but silly girls, and the wisest
way for ye both is to speak of what ye understand and to speak
of nothing else. I little like this cold neglect of the savages,
Hurry; it's a proof that they think of something serious, and if
we are to do any thing, we must do it soon. Can we count on this
young woman, think you?"
"Listen -" said Hist quickly, and with an earnestness that proved
how much her feelings were concerned - "Wah-ta-Wah no Iroquois
- All over Delaware - got Delaware heart - Delaware feeling. She
prisoner, too. One prisoner help t'udder prisoner. No good to
talk more, now. Darter stay with fader - Wah-ta-Wah come and see
friend - all look right - Then tell what he do."
This was said in a low voice, but distinctly, and in a manner to
make an impression. As soon as it was uttered the girl arose and
left the group, walking composedly towards the hut she occupied,
as if she had no further interest in what might pass between the
pale-faces.
Chapter XII.
"She speaks much of her father; says she hears,
There's tricks i' the world; and hems, and beats her breast;
Spurns enviously at straws; speaks things in doubt,
That carry but half sense; her speech is nothing,
Yet the unshaped use of it doth move
The hearers to collection;
Hamlet, IV.v.4-9.
We left the occupants of the castle and the ark, buried in sleep.
Once, or twice, in the course of the night, it is true, Deerslayer
or the Delaware, arose and looked out upon the tranquil lake; when,
finding all safe, each returned to his pallet, and slept like a
man who was not easily deprived of his natural rest. At the first
signs of the dawn the former arose, however, and made his personal
arrangements for the day; though his companion, whose nights had
not been tranquil or without disturbances of late, continued on
his blanket until the sun had fairly risen; Judith, too, was later
than common that morning, for the earlier hours of the night had
brought her little of either refreshment or sleep. But ere the
sun had shown himself over the eastern hills these too were up
and afoot, even the tardy in that region seldom remaining on their
pallets after the appearance of the great luminary. Chingachgook
was in the act of arranging his forest toilet, when Deerslayer
entered the cabin of the Ark and threw him a few coarse but light
summer vestments that belonged to Hutter.
"Judith hath given me them for your use, chief," said the latter,
as he cast the jacket and trousers at the feet of the Indian, "for
it's ag'in all prudence and caution to be seen in your war dress
and paint. Wash off all them fiery streaks from your cheeks, put
on these garments, and here is a hat, such as it is, that will give
you an awful oncivilized sort of civilization, as the missionaries
call it. Remember that Hist is at hand, and what we do for the
maiden must be done while we are doing for others. I know it's
ag'in your gifts and your natur' to wear clothes, unless they
are cut and carried in a red man's fashion, but make a vartue of
necessity and put these on at once, even if they do rise a little
in your throat."
Chingachgook, or the Serpent, eyed the vestments with strong disgust;
but he saw the usefulness of the disguise, if not its absolute
necessity. Should the Iroquois discover a red man, in or about
the Castle, it might, indeed, place them more on their guard, and
give their suspicions a direction towards their female captive.
Any thing was better than a failure, as it regarded his betrothed,
and, after turning the different garments round and round, examining
them with a species of grave irony, affecting to draw them on in a
way that defeated itself, and otherwise manifesting the reluctance
of a young savage to confine his limbs in the usual appliances
of civilized life, the chief submitted to the directions of his
companion, and finally stood forth, so far as the eye could detect,
a red man in colour alone. Little was to be apprehended from this
last peculiarity, however, the distance from the shore, and the
want of glasses preventing any very close scrutiny, and Deerslayer,
himself, though of a brighter and fresher tint, had a countenance
that was burnt by the sun to a hue scarcely less red than that of
his Mohican companion. The awkwardness of the Delaware in his new
attire caused his friend to smile more than once that day, but he
carefully abstained from the use of any of those jokes which would
have been bandied among white men on such an occasion, the habits
of a chief, the dignity of a warrior on his first path, and the
gravity of the circumstances in which they were placed uniting to
render so much levity out of season.
The meeting at the morning meal of the three islanders, if we may
use the term, was silent, grave and thoughtful. Judith showed by
her looks that she had passed an unquiet night, while the two men
had the future before them, with its unseen and unknown events.
A few words of courtesy passed between Deerslayer and the girl,
in the course of the breakfast, but no allusion was made to their
situation. At length Judith, whose heart was full, and whose novel
feelings disposed her to entertain sentiments more gentle and tender
than common, introduced the subject, and this in a way to show how
much of her thoughts it had occupied, in the course of the last
sleepless night.
"It would be dreadful, Deerslayer," the girl abruptly exclaimed,
"should anything serious befall my father and Hetty! We cannot
remain quietly here and leave them in the hands of the Iroquois,
without bethinking us of some means of serving them."
"I'm ready, Judith, to sarve them, and all others who are in
trouble, could the way to do it be p'inted out. It's no trifling
matter to fall into red-skin hands, when men set out on an ar'n'd
like that which took Hutter and Hurry ashore; that I know as well
as another, and I wouldn't wish my worst inimy in such a strait,
much less them with whom I've journeyed, and eat, and slept. Have
you any scheme, that you would like to have the Sarpent and me
indivour to carry out?"
"I know of no other means to release the prisoners, than by bribing
the Iroquois. They are not proof against presents, and we might
offer enough, perhaps, to make them think it better to carry away
what to them will be rich gifts, than to carry away poor prisoners;
if, indeed, they should carry them away at all!"
"This is well enough, Judith; yes, it's well enough, if the inimy
is to be bought, and we can find articles to make the purchase
with. Your father has a convenient lodge, and it is most cunningly
placed, though it doesn't seem overstock'd with riches that will
be likely to buy his ransom. There's the piece he calls Killdeer,
might count for something, and I understand there's a keg of powder
about, which might be a make-weight, sartain; and yet two able
bodied men are not to be bought off for a trifle - besides - "
"Besides what?" demanded Judith impatiently, observing that the
other hesitated to proceed, probably from a reluctance to distress
her.
"Why, Judith, the Frenchers offer bounties as well as our own
side, and the price of two scalps would purchase a keg of powder,
and a rifle; though I'll not say one of the latter altogether as
good as Killdeer, there, which your father va'nts as uncommon, and
unequalled, like. But fair powder, and a pretty sartain rifle; then
the red men are not the expartest in fire arms, and don't always
know the difference atwixt that which is ra'al, and that which is
seeming."
"This is horrible!" muttered the girl, struck by the homely manner
in which her companion was accustomed to state his facts. "But
you overlook my own clothes, Deerslayer, and they, I think, might
go far with the women of the Iroquois."
"No doubt they would; no doubt they would, Judith," returned the
other, looking at her keenly, as if he would ascertain whether
she were really capable of making such a sacrifice. "But, are you
sartain, gal, you could find it in your heart to part with your
own finery for such a purpose? Many is the man who has thought he
was valiant till danger stared him in the face; I've known them,
too, that consaited they were kind and ready to give away all they
had to the poor, when they've been listening to other people's hard
heartedness; but whose fists have clench'd as tight as the riven
hickory when it came to downright offerings of their own. Besides,
Judith, you're handsome- uncommon in that way, one might observe
and do no harm to the truth - and they that have beauty, like to
have that which will adorn it. Are you sartain you could find it
in your heart to part with your own finery?"
The soothing allusion to the personal charms of the girl was well
timed, to counteract the effect produced by the distrust that the
young man expressed of Judith's devotion to her filial duties.
Had another said as much as Deerslayer, the compliment would most
probably have been overlooked in the indignation awakened by the
doubts, but even the unpolished sincerity, that so often made this
simple minded hunter bare his thoughts, had a charm for the girl;
and while she colored, and for an instant her eyes flashed fire,
she could not find it in her heart to be really angry with one whose
very soul seemed truth and manly kindness. Look her reproaches
she did, but conquering the desire to retort, she succeeded in
answering in a mild and friendly manner.
"You must keep all your favorable opinions for the Delaware girls,
Deerslayer, if you seriously think thus of those of your own
colour," she said, affecting to laugh. "But try me; if you find
that I regret either ribbon or feather, silk or muslin, then may
you think what you please of my heart, and say what you think."
"That's justice! The rarest thing to find on 'arth is a truly
just man. So says Tamenund, the wisest prophet of the Delawares,
and so all must think that have occasion to see, and talk, and act
among Mankind. I love a just man, Sarpent. His eyes are never
covered with darkness towards his inimies, while they are all
sunshine and brightness towards his fri'nds. He uses the reason
that God has given him, and he uses it with a feelin' of his being
ordered to look at, and to consider things as they are, and not
as he wants them to be. It's easy enough to find men who call
themselves just, but it's wonderful oncommon to find them that are
the very thing, in fact. How often have I seen Indians, gal, who
believed they were lookin' into a matter agreeable to the will of
the Great Spirit, when in truth they were only striving to act up
to their own will and pleasure, and this, half the time, with a
temptation to go wrong that could no more be seen by themselves,
than the stream that runs in the next valley can be seen by us
through yonder mountain', though any looker on might have discovered
it as plainly as we can discover the parch that are swimming around
this hut."
"Very true, Deerslayer," rejoined Judith, losing every trace of
displeasure in a bright smile - "very true, and I hope to see you
act on this love of justice in all matters in which I am concerned.
Above all, I hope you will judge for yourself, and not believe every
evil story that a prating idler like Hurry Harry may have to tell,
that goes to touch the good name of any young woman, who may not
happen to have the same opinion of his face and person that the
blustering gallant has of himself."
"Hurry Harry's idees do not pass for gospel with me, Judith; but
even worse than he may have eyes and ears", returned the other
gravely.
"Enough of this!" exclaimed Judith, with flashing eye and a flush
that mounted to her temples, "and more of my father and his ransom.
'Tis as you say, Deerslayer; the Indians will not be likely to
give up their prisoners without a heavier bribe than my clothes
can offer, and father's rifle and powder. There is the chest."
"Ay, there is the chest as you say, Judith, and when the question
gets to be between a secret and a scalp, I should think most men
would prefer keeping the last. Did your father ever give you any
downright commands consarning that chist?"
"Never. He has always appeared to think its locks, and its steel
bands, and its strength, its best protection."
"'Tis a rare chest, and altogether of curious build," returned
Deerslayer, rising and approaching the thing in question, on which
he seated himself, with a view to examine it with greater ease.
"Chingachgook, this is no wood that comes of any forest that you
or I have ever trailed through! 'Tisn't the black walnut, and
yet it's quite as comely, if not more so, did the smoke and the
treatment give it fair play."
The Delaware drew near, felt of the wood, examined its grain,
endeavored to indent the surface with a nail, and passed his hand
curiously over the steel bands, the heavy padlocks, and the other
novel peculiarities of the massive box.
"No - nothing like this grows in these regions," resumed Deerslayer.
"I've seen all the oaks, both the maples, the elms, the bass
woods, all the walnuts, the butternuts, and every tree that has a
substance and colour, wrought into some form or other, but never
have I before seen such a wood as this! Judith, the chest itself
would buy your father's freedom, or Iroquois cur'osity isn't as
strong as red-skin cur'osity, in general; especially in the matter
of woods."
"The purchase might be cheaper made, perhaps, Deerslayer. The
chest is full, and it would be better to part with half than to
part with the whole. Besides, father- I know not why - but father
values that chest highly."
"He would seem to prize what it holds more than the chest, itself,
judging by the manner in which he treats the outside, and secures
the inside. Here are three locks, Judith; is there no key?"
"I've never seen one, and yet key there must be, since Hetty told
us she had often seen the chest opened."
"Keys no more lie in the air, or float on the water, than humans,
gal; if there is a key, there must be a place in which it is kept."
"That is true, and it might not be difficult to find it, did we
dare to search!"
"This is for you, Judith; it is altogether for you. The chist
is your'n, or your father's; and Hutter is your father, not mine.
Cur'osity is a woman's, and not a man's failing, and there you
have got all the reasons before you. If the chist has articles
for ransom, it seems to me they would be wisely used in redeeming
their owner's life, or even in saving his scalp; but that is a
matter for your judgment, and not for ourn. When the lawful owner
of a trap, or a buck, or a canoe, isn't present, his next of kin
becomes his riprisentyve by all the laws of the woods. We therefore
leave you to say whether the chist shall, or shall not be opened."
"I hope you do not believe I can hesitate, when my father's life's
in danger, Deerslayer!"
"Why, it's pretty much putting a scolding ag'in tears and mourning.
It's not onreasonable to foretell that old Tom may find fault with
what you've done, when he sees himself once more in his hut, here,
but there's nothing unusual in men's falling out with what has been
done for their own good; I dare to say that even the moon would
seem a different thing from what it now does, could we look at it
from the other side."
"Deerslayer, if we can find the key, I will authorize you to open
the chest, and to take such things from it as you may think will
buy father's ransom."
"First find the key, gal; we'll talk of the rest a'terwards.
Sarpent, you've eyes like a fly, and a judgment that's seldom out.
Can you help us in calculating where Floating Tom would be apt to
keep the key of a chist that he holds to be as private as this?"
The Delaware had taken no part in the discourse until he was thus
directly appealed to, when he quitted the chest, which had continued
to attract his attention, and cast about him for the place in which
a key would be likely to be concealed under such circumstances.
As Judith and Deerslayer were not idle the while, the whole three
were soon engaged in an anxious and spirited search. As it was
certain that the desired key was not to be found in any of the common
drawers or closets, of which there were several in the building,
none looked there, but all turned their inquiries to those places
that struck them as ingenious hiding places, and more likely
to be used for such a purpose. In this manner the outer room was
thoroughly but fruitlessly examined, when they entered the sleeping
apartment of Hutter. This part of the rude building was better
furnished than the rest of the structure, containing several
articles that had been especially devoted to the service of the
deceased wife of its owner, but as Judith had all the rest of the
keys, it was soon rummaged without bringing to light the particular
key desired.
They now entered the bed room of the daughters. Chingachgook was
immediately struck with the contrast between the articles and the
arrangement of that side of the room that might be called Judith's,
and that which more properly belonged to Hetty. A slight exclamation
escaped him, and pointing in each direction he alluded to the fact
in a low voice, speaking to his friend in the Delaware tongue.
"'Tis as you think, Sarpent," answered Deerslayer, whose remarks
we always translate into English, preserving as much as possible
of the peculiar phraseology and manner of the man, "'Tis just so,
as any one may see, and 'tis all founded in natur'. One sister
loves finery, some say overmuch; while t'other is as meek and lowly
as God ever created goodness and truth. Yet, after all, I dare
say that Judith has her vartues, and Hetty has her failin's."
"And the 'Feeble-Mind' has seen the chist opened?" inquired
Chingachgook, with curiosity in his glance.
"Sartain; that much I've heard from her own lips; and, for that
matter, so have you. It seems her father doesn't misgive her
discretion, though he does that of his eldest darter."
"Then the key is hid only from the Wild Rose?" for so Chingachgook
had begun gallantly to term Judith, in his private discourse with
his friend.
"That's it! That's just it! One he trusts, and the other he
doesn't. There's red and white in that, Sarpent, all tribes and
nations agreeing in trusting some, and refusing to trust other
some. It depends on character and judgment."
"Where could a key be put, so little likely to be found by the Wild
Rose, as among coarse clothes?"
Deerslayer started, and turning to his friend with admiration
expressed in every lineament of his face, he fairly laughed, in
his silent but hearty manner, at the ingenuity and readiness of
the conjecture.
"Your name's well bestowed, Sarpent - yes, 'tis well bestowed!
Sure enough, where would a lover of finery be so little likely to
s'arch, as among garments as coarse and onseemly as these of poor
Hetty's. I dares to say, Judith's delicate fingers haven't touched
a bit of cloth as rough and oncomely as that petticoat, now, since
she first made acquaintance with the officers! Yet, who knows?
The key may be as likely to be on the same peg, as in any other
place. Take down the garment, Delaware, and let us see if you are
ra'ally a prophet." Chingachgook did as desired, but no key was
found. A coarse pocket, apparently empty, hung on the adjoining
peg, and this was next examined. By this time, the attention of
Judith was called in that direction, and she spoke hurriedly and
like one who wished to save unnecessary trouble.
"Those are only the clothes of poor Hetty, dear simple girl!" she
said, "Nothing we seek would be likely to be there."
The words were hardly out of the handsome mouth of the speaker,
when Chingachgook drew the desired key from the pocket. Judith
was too quick of apprehension not to understand the reason a hiding
place so simple and exposed had been used. The blood rushed to her
face, as much with resentment, perhaps, as with shame, and she bit
her lip, though she continued silent. Deerslayer and his friend
now discovered the delicacy of men of native refinement, neither
smiling or even by a glance betraying how completely he understood
the motives and ingenuity of this clever artifice. The former, who
had taken the key from the Indian, led the way into the adjoining
room, and applying it to a lock ascertained that the right instrument
had actually been found. There were three padlocks, each of which
however was easily opened by this single key. Deerslayer removed
them all, loosened the hasps, raised the lid a little to make
certain it was loose, and then he drew back from the chest several
feet, signing to his friend to follow.
"This is a family chist, Judith," he said, "and 'tis like to hold
family secrets. The Sarpent and I will go into the Ark, and look
to the canoes, and paddles, and oars, while you can examine it by
yourself, and find out whether any thing that will be a make-weight
in a ransom is, or is not, among the articles. When you've
got through give us a call, and we'll all sit in council together
touching the valie of the articles."
"Stop, Deerslayer," exclaimed the girl, as he was about to withdraw.
"Not a single thing will I touch - I will not even raise the lid
- unless you are present. Father and Hetty have seen fit to keep
the inside of this chest a secret from me, and I am much too proud
to pry into their hidden treasures unless it were for their own
good. But on no account will I open the chest alone. Stay with
me, then; I want witnesses of what I do."
"I rather think, Sarpent, that the gal is right! Confidence
and reliance beget security, but suspicion is like to make us all
wary. Judith has a right to ask us to be present, and should the
chist hold any of Master Hutter's secrets, they will fall into the
keeping of two as close mouthed young men as are to be found. We
will stay with you, Judith - but first let us take a look at the
lake and the shore, for this chist will not be emptied in a minute."
The two men now went out on the platform, and Deerslayer swept the
shore with the glass, while the Indian gravely turned his eye on
the water and the woods, in quest of any sign that might betray the
machinations of their enemies. Nothing was visible, and assured
of their temporary security, the three collected around the chest
again, with the avowed object of opening it.
Judith had held this chest and its unknown contents in a species
of reverence as long as she could remember. Neither her father nor
her mother ever mentioned it in her presence, and there appeared
to be a silent convention that in naming the different objects that
occasionally stood near it, or even lay on its lid, care should be
had to avoid any allusion to the chest itself. Habit had rendered
this so easy, and so much a matter of course, that it was only
quite recently the girl had began even to muse on the singularity
of the circumstance. But there had never been sufficient intimacy
between Hutter and his eldest daughter to invite confidence. At
times he was kind, but in general, with her more especially, he was
stern and morose. Least of all had his authority been exercised
in a way to embolden his child to venture on the liberty she was
about to take, without many misgivings of the consequences, although
the liberty proceeded from a desire to serve himself. Then Judith
was not altogether free from a little superstition on the subject
of this chest, which had stood a sort of tabooed relic before her
eyes from childhood to the present hour. Nevertheless the time
had come when it would seem that this mystery was to be explained,
and that under circumstances, too, which left her very little choice
in the matter.
Finding that both her companions were watching her movements, in
grave silence, Judith placed a hand on the lid and endeavored to
raise it. Her strength, however, was insufficient, and it appeared
to the girl, who was fully aware that all the fastenings were
removed, that she was resisted in an unhallowed attempt by some
supernatural power.
"I cannot raise the lid, Deerslayer!" she said - "Had we not better
give up the attempt, and find some other means of releasing the
prisoners?"
"Not so - Judith; not so, gal. No means are as sartain and easy,
as a good bribe," answered the other. "As for the lid, 'tis held
by nothing but its own weight, which is prodigious for so small a
piece of wood, loaded with iron as it is."
As Deerslayer spoke, he applied his own strength to the effort,
and succeeded in raising the lid against the timbers of the house,
where he took care to secure it by a sufficient prop. Judith
fairly trembled as she cast her first glance at the interior, and
she felt a temporary relief in discovering that a piece of canvas,
that was carefully tucked in around the edges, effectually concealed
all beneath it. The chest was apparently well stored, however,
the canvas lying within an inch of the lid.
"Here's a full cargo," said Deerslayer, eyeing the arrangement,
"and we had needs go to work leisurely and at our ease. Sarpent,
bring some stools while I spread this blanket on the floor, and
then we'll begin work orderly and in comfort."
The Delaware complied, Deerslayer civilly placed a stool for
Judith, took one himself, and commenced the removal of the canvas
covering. This was done deliberately, and in as cautious a manner
as if it were believed that fabrics of a delicate construction lay
hidden beneath. When the canvass was removed, the first articles
that came in view were some of the habiliments of the male sex. They
were of fine materials, and, according to the fashions of the age,
were gay in colours and rich in ornaments. One coat in particular
was of scarlet, and had button holes worked in gold thread. Still
it was not military, but was part of the attire of a civilian
of condition, at a period when social rank was rigidly respected
in dress. Chingachgook could not refrain from an exclamation of
pleasure, as soon as Deerslayer opened this coat and held it up to
view, for, notwithstanding all his trained self-command, the splendor
of the vestment was too much for the philosophy of an Indian.
Deerslayer turned quickly, and he regarded his friend with momentary
displeasure as this burst of weakness escaped him, and then
he soliloquized, as was his practice whenever any strong feeling
suddenly got the ascendancy.
"'Tis his gift! - yes, 'tis the gift of a red-skin to love finery,
and he is not to be blamed. This is an extr'ornary garment, too,
and extr'ornary things get up extr'ornary feelin's. I think this
will do, Judith, for the Indian heart is hardly to be found in all
America that can withstand colours like these, and glitter like
that. If this coat was ever made for your father, you've come
honestly by the taste for finery, you have."
"That coat was never made for father," answered the girl, quickly
- "it is much too long, while father is short and square."
"Cloth was plenty if it was, and glitter cheap," answered Deerslayer,
with his silent, joyous laugh. "Sarpent, this garment was made for
a man of your size, and I should like to see it on your shoulders."
Chingachgook, nothing loath, submitted to the trial, throwing aside
the coarse and thread bare jacket of Hutter, to deck his person
in a coat that was originally intended for a gentleman. The
transformation was ludicrous, but as men are seldom struck with
incongruities in their own appearance, any more than in their own
conduct, the Delaware studied this change in a common glass, by
which Hutter was in the habit of shaving, with grave interest. At
that moment he thought of Hist, and we owe it to truth, to say,
though it may militate a little against the stern character of a
warrior to avow it, that he wished he could be seen by her in his
present improved aspect.
"Off with it, Sarpent - off with it," resumed the inflexible Deerslayer.
"Such garments as little become you as they would become me. Your
gifts are for paint, and hawk's feathers, and blankets, and wampum,
and mine are for doublets of skins, tough leggings, and sarviceable
moccasins. I say moccasins, Judith, for though white, living as
I do in the woods it's necessary to take to some of the practyces
of the woods, for comfort's sake and cheapness."
"I see no reason, Deerslayer, why one man may not wear a scarlet
coat, as well as another," returned the girl. "I wish I could see
you in this handsome garment."
"See me in a coat fit for a Lord! - Well, Judith, if you wait till
that day, you'll wait until you see me beyond reason and memory.
No - no - gal, my gifts are my gifts, and I'll live and die in 'em,
though I never bring down another deer, or spear another salmon.
What have I done that you should wish to see me in such a flaunting
coat, Judith?"
"Because I think, Deerslayer, that the false-tongued and false-hearted
young gallants of the garrisons, ought not alone to appear in
fine feathers, but that truth and honesty have their claims to be
honored and exalted."
"And what exaltification" - the reader will have remarked that
Deerslayer had not very critically studied his dictionary - "and
what exaltification would it be to me, Judith, to be bedizened and
bescarleted like a Mingo chief that has just got his presents up
from Quebec? No - no - I'm well as I am; and if not, I can be no
better. Lay the coat down on the blanket, Sarpent, and let us look
farther into the chist."
The tempting garment, one surely that was never intended for
Hutter, was laid aside, and the examination proceeded. The male
attire, all of which corresponded with the coat in quality, was
soon exhausted, and then succeeded female. A beautiful dress of
brocade, a little the worse from negligent treatment, followed, and
this time open exclamations of delight escaped the lips of Judith.
Much as the girl had been addicted to dress, and favorable as had
been her opportunities of seeing some little pretension in that way
among the wives of the different commandants, and other ladies of
the forts, never before had she beheld a tissue, or tints, to equal
those that were now so unexpectedly placed before her eyes. Her
rapture was almost childish, nor would she allow the inquiry to
proceed, until she had attired her person in a robe so unsuited to
her habits and her abode. With this end, she withdrew into her own
room, where with hands practised in such offices, she soon got rid
of her own neat gown of linen, and stood forth in the gay tints of
the brocade. The dress happened to fit the fine, full person of
Judith, and certainly it had never adorned a being better qualified
by natural gifts to do credit to its really rich hues and fine
texture. When she returned, both Deerslayer and Chingachgook, who
had passed the brief time of her absence in taking a second look at
the male garments, arose in surprise, each permitting exclamations
of wonder and pleasure to escape him, in a way so unequivocal as to
add new lustre to the eyes of Judith, by flushing her cheeks with
a glow of triumph. Affecting, however, not to notice the impression
she had made, the girl seated herself with the stateliness of a
queen, desiring that the chest might be looked into, further.
"I don't know a better way to treat with the Mingos, gal," cried
Deerslayer, "than to send you ashore as you be, and to tell 'em
that a queen has arrived among 'em! They'll give up old Hutter,
and Hurry, and Hetty, too, at such a spectacle!"
"I thought your tongue too honest to flatter, Deerslayer," returned
the girl, gratified at this admiration more than she would have
cared to own. "One of the chief reasons of my respect for you,
was your love for truth."
"And 'tis truth, and solemn truth, Judith, and nothing else. Never
did eyes of mine gaze on as glorious a lookin' creatur' as you be
yourself, at this very moment! I've seen beauties in my time, too,
both white and red; and them that was renowned and talk'd of, far
and near; but never have I beheld one that could hold any comparison
with what you are at this blessed instant, Judith; never."
The glance of delight which the girl bestowed on the frank-speaking
hunter in no degree lessened the effect of her charms, and as the
humid eyes blended with it a look of sensibility, perhaps Judith
never appeared more truly lovely, than at what the young man had
called that "blessed instant." He shook his head, held it suspended
a moment over the open chest, like one in doubt, and then proceeded
with the examination.
Several of the minor articles of female dress came next, all of a
quality to correspond with the gown. These were laid at Judith's
feet, in silence, as if she had a natural claim to their possession.
One or two, such as gloves, and lace, the girl caught up, and
appended to her already rich attire in affected playfulness, but
with the real design of decorating her person as far as circumstances
would allow. When these two remarkable suits, male and female they
might be termed, were removed, another canvas covering separated
the remainder of the articles from the part of the chest which they
had occupied. As soon as Deerslayer perceived this arrangement he
paused, doubtful of the propriety of proceeding any further.
"Every man has his secrets, I suppose," he said, "and all men have
a right to their enj'yment. We've got low enough in this chist
in my judgment to answer our wants, and it seems to me we should
do well by going no farther; and by letting Master Hutter have to
himself, and his own feelin's, all that's beneath this cover.
"Do you mean, Deerslayer, to offer these clothes to the Iroquois
as ransom?" demanded Judith, quickly.
"Sartain. What are we prying into another man's chist for, but to
sarve its owner in the best way we can. This coat, alone, would
be very apt to gain over the head chief of the riptyles, and if his
wife or darter should happen to be out with him, that there gownd
would soften the heart of any woman that is to be found atween
Albany and Montreal. I do not see that we want a larger stock in
trade than them two articles."
"To you it may seem so, Deerslayer," returned the disappointed girl,
"but of what use could a dress like this be to any Indian woman?
She could not wear it among the branches of the trees, the dirt
and smoke of the wigwam would soon soil it, and how would a pair
of red arms appear, thrust through these short, laced sleeves!"
"All very true, gal, and you might go on and say it is altogether
out of time, and place and season, in this region at all. What
is it to us how the finery is treated, so long as it answers our
wishes? I do not see that your father can make any use of such
clothes, and it's lucky he has things that are of no valie to
himself, that will bear a high price with others. We can make no
better trade for him, than to offer these duds for his liberty.
We'll throw in the light frivol'ties, and get Hurry off in the
bargain."
"Then you think, Deerslayer, that Thomas Hutter has no one in his
family - no child - no daughter, to whom this dress may be thought
becoming, and whom you could wish to see in it, once and awhile,
even though it should be at long intervals, and only in playfulness?"
"I understand you, Judith - yes, I now understand your meaning, and
I think I can say, your wishes. That you are as glorious in that
dress as the sun when it rises or sets in a soft October day, I'm
ready to allow, and that you greatly become it is a good deal more
sartain than that it becomes you. There's gifts in clothes, as
well as in other things. Now I do not think that a warrior on his
first path ought to lay on the same awful paints as a chief that
has had his virtue tried, and knows from exper'ence he will not
disgrace his pretensions. So it is with all of us, red or white. You
are Thomas Hutter's darter, and that gownd was made for the child
of some governor, or a lady of high station, and it was intended to
be worn among fine furniture, and in rich company. In my eyes,
Judith, a modest maiden never looks more becoming than when becomingly
clad, and nothing is suitable that is out of character. Besides,
gal, if there's a creatur' in the colony that can afford to do without
finery, and to trust to her own good looks and sweet countenance,
it's yourself."
"I'll take off the rubbish this instant, Deerslayer," cried the
girl, springing up to leave the room, "and never do I wish to see
it on any human being, again."
"So it is with 'em, all, Sarpent," said the other, turning to his
friend and laughing, as soon as the beauty had disappeared. "They
like finery, but they like their natyve charms most of all. I'm
glad the gal has consented to lay aside her furbelows, howsever,
for it's ag'in reason for one of her class to wear em; and then
she is handsome enough, as I call it, to go alone. Hist would show
oncommon likely, too, in such a gownd, Delaware!"
"Wah-ta-Wah is a red-skin girl, Deerslayer," returned the Indian,
"like the young of the pigeon, she is to be known by her own
feathers. I should pass by without knowing her, were she dressed
in such a skin. It's wisest always to be so clad that our friends
need not ask us for our names. The 'Wild Rose' is very pleasant,
but she is no sweeter for so many colours."
"That's it! - that's natur', and the true foundation for love and
protection. When a man stoops to pick a wild strawberry, he does
not expect to find a melon; and when he wishes to gather a melon,
he's disapp'inted if it proves to be a squash; though squashes be
often brighter to the eye than melons. That's it, and it means
stick to your gifts, and your gifts will stick to you."
The two men had now a little discussion together, touching the
propriety of penetrating any farther into the chest of Hutter, when
Judith re-appeared, divested of her robes, and in her own simple
linen frock again.
"Thank you, Judith," said Deerslayer, taking her kindly by the hand
-"for I know it went a little ag'in the nat'ral cravings of woman,
to lay aside so much finery, as it might be in a lump. But you're
more pleasing to the eye as you stand, you be, than if you had a
crown on your head, and jewels dangling from your hair. The question
now is, whether to lift this covering to see what will be ra'ally
the best bargain we can make for Master Hutter, for we must do as
we think he would be willing to do, did he stand here in our places."
Judith looked very happy. Accustomed as she was to adulation, the
homely homage of Deerslayer had given her more true satisfaction,
than she had ever yet received from the tongue of man. It was not
the terms in which this admiration had been expressed, for they
were simple enough, that produced so strong an impression; nor
yet their novelty, or their warmth of manner, nor any of those
peculiarities that usually give value to praise; but the unflinching
truth of the speaker, that carried his words so directly to the
heart of the listener. This is one of the great advantages of
plain dealing and frankness. The habitual and wily flatterer may
succeed until his practices recoil on himself, and like other sweets
his aliment cloys by its excess; but he who deals honestly, though
he often necessarily offends, possesses a power of praising that
no quality but sincerity can bestow, since his words go directly
to the heart, finding their support in the understanding. Thus it
was with Deerslayer and Judith. So soon and so deeply did this
simple hunter impress those who knew him with a conviction of
his unbending honesty, that all he uttered in commendation was as
certain to please, as all he uttered in the way of rebuke was as
certain to rankle and excite enmity, where his character had not
awakened a respect and affection, that in another sense rendered
it painful. In after life, when the career of this untutored being
brought him in contact with officers of rank, and others entrusted
with the care of the interests of the state, this same influence
was exerted on a wider field, even generals listening to his
commendations with a glow of pleasure, that it was not always in
the power of their official superiors to awaken. Perhaps Judith
was the first individual of his own colour who fairly submitted to
this natural consequence of truth and fair-dealing on the part of
Deerslayer. She had actually pined for his praise, and she had
now received it, and that in the form which was most agreeable to
her weaknesses and habits of thought. The result will appear in
the course of the narrative.
"If we knew all that chest holds, Deerslayer," returned the girl,
when she had a little recovered from the immediate effect produced
by his commendations of her personal appearance, "we could better
determine on the course we ought to take."
"That's not onreasonable, gal, though it's more a pale-face than
a red-skin gift to be prying into other people's secrets."
"Curiosity is natural, and it is expected that all human beings
should have human failings. Whenever I've been at the garrisons,
I've found that most in and about them had a longing to learn their
neighbor's secrets."
"Yes, and sometimes to fancy them, when they couldn't find 'em
out! That's the difference atween an Indian gentleman and a white
gentleman. The Sarpent, here, would turn his head aside if he found
himself onknowingly lookin' into another chief's wigwam, whereas
in the settlements while all pretend to be great people, most prove
they've got betters, by the manner in which they talk of their
consarns. I'll be bound, Judith, you wouldn't get the Sarpent,
there, to confess there was another in the tribe so much greater
than himself, as to become the subject of his idees, and to empl'y
his tongue in conversations about his movements, and ways, and
food, and all the other little matters that occupy a man when he's
not empl'y'd in his greater duties. He who does this is but little
better than a blackguard, in the grain, and them that encourages
him is pretty much of the same kidney, let them wear coats as fine
as they may, or of what dye they please."
"But this is not another man's wigwam; it belongs to my father,
these are his things, and they are wanted in his service."
"That's true, gal; that's true, and it carries weight with it.
Well, when all is before us we may, indeed, best judge which to
offer for the ransom, and which to withhold."
Judith was not altogether as disinterested in her feelings as she
affected to be. She remembered that the curiosity of Hetty had
been indulged in connection with this chest, while her own had
been disregarded, and she was not sorry to possess an opportunity
of being placed on a level with her less gifted sister in this one
particular. It appearing to be admitted all round that the enquiry
into the contents of the chest ought to be renewed, Deerslayer
proceeded to remove the second covering of canvass.
The articles that lay uppermost, when the curtain was again raised
on the secrets of the chest, were a pair of pistols, curiously
inlaid with silver. Their value would have been considerable in
one of the towns, though as weapons in the woods they were a species
of arms seldom employed; never, indeed, unless it might be by some
officer from Europe, who visited the colonies, as many were then
wont to do, so much impressed with the superiority of the usages of
London as to fancy they were not to be laid aside on the frontiers
of America. What occurred on the discovery of these weapons will
appear in the succeeding chapter.
Chapter XIII.
"An oaken, broken, elbow-chair;
A caudle-cup without an ear;
A battered, shattered ash bedstead;
A box of deal without a lid;
A pair of tongs, but out of joint;
A back-sword poker, without point;
A dish which might good meat afford once;
An Ovid, and an old
Concordance."
Thomas Sheridan, "A True and Faithful Inventory of the Goods
belonging to Dr. Swift," ll.i-6, 13-14.
No sooner did Deerslayer raise the pistols, than he turned to the
Delaware and held them up for his admiration.
"Child gun," said the Serpent, smiling, while he handled one of
the instruments as if it had been a toy."
"Not it, Sarpent; not it - 'twas made for a man and would satisfy
a giant, if rightly used. But stop; white men are remarkable for
their carelessness in putting away fire arms, in chists and corners.
Let me look if care has been given to these."
As Deerslayer spoke, he took the weapon from the hand of his friend
and opened the pan. The last was filled with priming, caked like
a bit of cinder, by time, moisture and compression. An application
of the ramrod showed that both the pistols were charged, although
Judith could testify that they had probably lain for years in the
chest. It is not easy to portray the surprise of the Indian at
this discovery, for he was in the practice of renewing his priming
daily, and of looking to the contents of his piece at other short
intervals.
"This is white neglect," said Deerslayer, shaking his head, "and
scarce a season goes by that some one in the settlements doesn't
suffer from it. It's extr'ornary too, Judith - yes, it's downright
extr'ornary that the owner shall fire his piece at a deer, or
some other game, or perhaps at an inimy, and twice out of three
times he'll miss; but let him catch an accident with one of these
forgotten charges, and he makes it sartain death to a child, or a
brother, or a fri'nd! Well, we shall do a good turn to the owner
if we fire these pistols for him, and as they're novelties to
you and me, Sarpent, we'll try our hands at a mark. Freshen that
priming, and I'll do the same with this, and then we'll see who
is the best man with a pistol; as for the rifle, that's long been
settled atween us."
Deerslayer laughed heartily at his own conceit, and, in a minute
or two, they were both standing on the platform, selecting some
object in the Ark for their target. Judith was led by curiosity
to their side.
"Stand back, gal, stand a little back; these we'pons have been
long loaded," said Deerslayer, "and some accident may happen in
the discharge." "Then you shall not fire them! Give them both to
the Delaware; or it would be better to unload them without firing."
"That's ag'in usage - and some people say, ag'in manhood; though
I hold to no such silly doctrine. We must fire 'em, Judith; yes,
we must fire 'em; though I foresee that neither will have any great
reason to boast of his skill."
Judith, in the main, was a girl of great personal spirit, and her
habits prevented her from feeling any of the terror that is apt to
come over her sex at the report of fire arms. She had discharged
many a rifle, and had even been known to kill a deer, under
circumstances that were favorable to the effort. She submitted
therefore, falling a little back by the side of Deerslayer, giving
the Indian the front of the platform to himself. Chingachgook
raised the weapon several times, endeavored to steady it by using
both hands, changed his attitude from one that was awkward to
another still more so, and finally drew the trigger with a sort
of desperate indifference, without having, in reality, secured any
aim at all. The consequence was, that instead of hitting the knot
which had been selected for the mark, he missed the ark altogether;
the bullet skipping along the water like a stone that was thrown
by hand.
"Well done - Sarpent - well done -" cried Deerslayer laughing, with
his noiseless glee, "you've hit the lake, and that's an expl'ite
for some men! I know'd it, and as much as said it, here, to Judith;
for your short we'pons don't belong to red-skin gifts. You've hit
the lake, and that's better than only hitting the air! Now, stand
back and let us see what white gifts can do with a white we'pon.
A pistol isn't a rifle, but colour is colour."
The aim of Deerslayer was both quick and steady, and the report
followed almost as soon as the weapon rose. Still the pistol
hung fire, as it is termed, and fragments of it flew in a dozen
directions, some falling on the roof of the castle, others in the
Ark, and one in the water. Judith screamed, and when the two men
turned anxiously towards the girl she was as pale as death, trembling
in every limb.
"She's wounded - yes, the poor gal's wounded, Sarpent, though one
couldn't foresee it, standing where she did. We'll lead her in
to a seat, and we must do the best for her that our knowledge and
skill can afford."
Judith allowed herself to be supported to a seat, swallowed a mouthful
of the water that the Delaware offered her in a gourd, and, after
a violent fit of trembling that seemed ready to shake her fine
frame to dissolution, she burst into tears.
"The pain must be borne, poor Judith - yes, it must be borne," said
Deerslayer, soothingly, "though I am far from wishing you not to
weep; for weeping often lightens galish feelin's. Where can she
be hurt, Sarpent? I see no signs of blood, nor any rent of skin
or garments?"
"I am uninjured, Deerslayer," stammered the girl through her tears.
"It's fright - nothing more, I do assure you, and, God be praised!
no one, I find, has been harmed by the accident."
"This is extr'ornary!" exclaimed the unsuspecting and simple minded
hunter - "I thought, Judith, you'd been above settlement weaknesses,
and that you was a gal not to be frightened by the sound of a
bursting we'pon - No - I didn't think you so skeary! Hetty might
well have been startled; but you've too much judgment and reason
to be frightened when the danger's all over. They're pleasant to
the eye, chief, and changeful, but very unsartain in their feelin's!"
Shame kept Judith silent. There had been no acting in her agitation,
but all had fairly proceeded from sudden and uncontrollable alarm
- an alarm that she found almost as inexplicable to herself, as it
proved to be to her companions. Wiping away the traces of tears,
however, she smiled again, and was soon able to join in the laugh
at her own folly.
"And you, Deerslayer," she at length succeeded in saying - "are
you, indeed, altogether unhurt? It seems almost miraculous that a
pistol should have burst in your hand, and you escape without the
loss of a limb, if not of life!"
"Such wonders ar'n't oncommon, at all, among worn out arms. The
first rifle they gave me play'd the same trick, and yet I liv'd
through it, though not as onharmless as I've got out of this affair.
Thomas Hutter is master of one pistol less than he was this morning,
but, as it happened in trying to sarve him, there's no ground of
complaint. Now, draw near, and let us look farther into the inside
of the chist."
Judith, by this time, had so far gotten the better of her agitation
as to resume her seat, and the examination went on. The next article
that offered was enveloped in cloth, and on opening it, it proved
to be one of the mathematical instruments that were then in use
among seamen, possessing the usual ornaments and fastenings in
brass. Deerslayer and Chingachgook expressed their admiration and
surprise at the appearance of the unknown instrument, which was
bright and glittering, having apparently been well cared for.
"This goes beyond the surveyors, Judith!" Deerslayer exclaimed,
after turning the instrument several times in his hands. "I've
seen all their tools often, and wicked and heartless enough are
they, for they never come into the forest but to lead the way to
waste and destruction; but none of them have as designing a look
as this! I fear me, after all, that Thomas Hutter has journeyed
into the wilderness with no fair intentions towards its happiness.
Did you ever see any of the cravings of a surveyor about your
father, gal?"
"He is no surveyor, Deerslayer, nor does he know the use of that
instrument, though he seems to own it. Do you suppose that Thomas
Hutter ever wore that coat? It is as much too large for him, as
this instrument is beyond his learning."
"That's it - that must be it, Sarpent, and the old fellow, by some
onknown means, has fallen heir to another man's goods! They say
he has been a mariner, and no doubt this chist, and all it holds
- ha! What have we here? -This far out does the brass and black
wood of the tool!"
Deerslayer had opened a small bag, from which he was taking, one
by one, the pieces of a set of chessmen. They were of ivory, much
larger than common, and exquisitely wrought. Each piece represented
the character or thing after which it is named; the knights
being mounted, the castles stood on elephants, and even the pawns
possessed the heads and busts of men. The set was not complete, and
a few fractures betrayed bad usage; but all that was left had been
carefully put away and preserved. Even Judith expressed wonder, as
these novel objects were placed before her eyes, and Chingachgook
fairly forgot his Indian dignity in admiration and delight. The
latter took up each piece, and examined it with never tiring
satisfaction, pointing out to the girl the more ingenious and
striking portions of the workmanship. But the elephants gave him
the greatest pleasure. The "Hughs!" that he uttered, as he passed
his fingers over their trunks, and ears, and tails, were very
distinct, nor did he fail to note the pawns, which were armed as
archers. This exhibition lasted several minutes, during which time
Judith and the Indian had all the rapture to themselves. Deerslayer
sat silent, thoughtful, and even gloomy, though his eyes followed
each movement of the two principal actors, noting every new peculiarity
about the pieces as they were held up to view. Not an exclamation
of pleasure, nor a word of condemnation passed his lips. At length
his companions observed his silence, and then, for the first time
since the chessmen had been discovered, did he speak.
"Judith," he asked earnestly, but with a concern that amounted
almost to tenderness of manner, "did your parents ever talk to you
of religion?"
The girl coloured, and the flashes of crimson that passed over her
beautiful countenance were like the wayward tints of a Neapolitan
sky in November. Deerslayer had given her so strong a taste for
truth, however, that she did not waver in her answer, replying
simply and with sincerity.
"My mother did often," she said, "my father never. I thought it
made my mother sorrowful to speak of our prayers and duties, but
my father has never opened his mouth on such matters, before or
since her death."
"That I can believe - that I can believe. He has no God - no
such God as it becomes a man of white skin to worship, or even a
red-skin. Them things are idols!"
Judith started, and for a moment she seemed seriously hurt. Then
she reflected, and in the end she laughed. "And you think,
Deerslayer, that these ivory toys are my father's Gods? I have
heard of idols, and know what they are."
"Them are idols!" repeated the other, positively. "Why should your
father keep 'em, if he doesn't worship 'em."
"Would he keep his gods in a bag, and locked up in a chest? No,
no, Deerslayer; my poor father carries his God with him, wherever
he goes, and that is in his own cravings. These things may really
be idols - I think they are myself, from what I have heard and read
of idolatry, but they have come from some distant country, and like
all the other articles, have fallen into Thomas Hutter's hands when
he was a sailor."
"I'm glad of it - I am downright glad to hear it, Judith, for I do
not think I could have mustered the resolution to strive to help
a white idolater out of his difficulties! The old man is of my
colour and nation and I wish to sarve him, but as one who denied
all his gifts, in the way of religion, it would have come hard to
do so. That animal seems to give you great satisfaction, Sarpent,
though it's an idolatrous beast at the best."
"It is an elephant," interrupted Judith. "I've often seen pictures
of such animals, at the garrisons, and mother had a book in which
there was a printed account of the creature. Father burnt that
with all the other books, for he said Mother loved reading too well.
This was not long before mother died, and I've sometimes thought
that the loss hastened her end."
This was said equally without levity and without any very deep
feeling. It was said without levity, for Judith was saddened by
her recollections, and yet she had been too much accustomed to live
for self, and for the indulgence of her own vanities, to feel her
mother's wrongs very keenly. It required extraordinary circumstances
to awaken a proper sense of her situation, and to stimulate the
better feelings of this beautiful, but misguided girl, and those
circumstances had not yet occurred in her brief existence.
"Elephant, or no elephant, 'tis an idol," returned the hunter, "and
not fit to remain in Christian keeping."
"Good for Iroquois!" said Chingachgook, parting with one of the
castles with reluctance, as his friend took it from him to replace
it in the bag -"Elephon buy whole tribe - buy Delaware, almost!"
"Ay, that it would, as any one who comprehends red-skin natur' must
know," answered Deerslayer, "but the man that passes false money,
Sarpent, is as bad as he who makes it. Did you ever know a just
Injin that wouldn't scorn to sell a 'coon skin for the true marten,
or to pass off a mink for a beaver. I know that a few of these
idols, perhaps one of them elephants, would go far towards buying
Thomas Hutter's liberty, but it goes ag'in conscience to pass such
counterfeit money. Perhaps no Injin tribe, hereaway, is downright
idolators but there's some that come so near it, that white gifts
ought to be particular about encouraging them in their mistake."
"If idolatry is a gift, Deerslayer, and gifts are what you seem
to think them, idolatry in such people can hardly be a sin," said
Judith with more smartness than discrimination.
"God grants no such gifts to any of his creatur's, Judith," returned
the hunter, seriously. "He must be adored, under some name or
other, and not creatur's of brass or ivory. It matters not whether
the Father of All is called God, or Manitou, Deity or Great Spirit,
he is none the less our common maker and master; nor does it count
for much whether the souls of the just go to Paradise, or Happy
Hunting Grounds, since He may send each his own way, as suits
his own pleasure and wisdom; but it curdles my blood, when I find
human mortals so bound up in darkness and consait, as to fashion
the 'arth, or wood, or bones, things made by their own hands, into
motionless, senseless effigies, and then fall down afore them, and
worship 'em as a Deity!"
"After all, Deerslayer, these pieces of ivory may not be idols,
at all. I remember, now, to have seen one of the officers at the
garrison with a set of fox and geese made in some such a design
as these, and here is something hard, wrapped in cloth, that may
belong to your idols."
Deerslayer took the bundle the girl gave him, and unrolling it, he
found the board within. Like the pieces it was large, rich, and
inlaid with ebony and ivory. Putting the whole in conjunction the
hunter, though not without many misgivings, slowly came over to
Judith's opinion, and finally admitted that the fancied idols must
be merely the curiously carved men of some unknown game. Judith
had the tact to use her victory with great moderation, nor did she
once, even in the most indirect manner, allude to the ludicrous
mistake of her companion.
This discovery of the uses of the extraordinary-looking little
images settled the affair of the proposed ransom. It was agreed
generally, and all understood the weaknesses and tastes of Indians,
that nothing could be more likely to tempt the cupidity of the
Iroquois than the elephants, in particular. Luckily the whole of
the castles were among the pieces, and these four tower-bearing
animals it was finally determined should be the ransom offered.
The remainder of the men, and, indeed, all the rest of the articles
in the chest, were to be kept out of view, and to be resorted to
only as a last appeal. As soon as these preliminaries were settled,
everything but those intended for the bribe was carefully replaced
in the chest, all the covers were 'tucked in' as they had been found,
and it was quite possible, could Hutter have been put in possession
of the castle again, that he might have passed the remainder of
his days in it without even suspecting the invasion that had been
made on the privacy of the chest. The rent pistol would have been
the most likely to reveal the secret, but this was placed by the
side of its fellow, and all were pressed down as before, some half
a dozen packages in the bottom of the chest not having been opened
at all. When this was done the lid was lowered, the padlocks
replaced, and the key turned. The latter was then replaced in the
pocket from which it had been taken.
More than an hour was consumed in settling the course proper to
be pursued, and in returning everything to its place. The pauses
to converse were frequent, and Judith, who experienced a lively
pleasure in the open, undisguised admiration with which Deerslayer's
honest eyes gazed at her handsome face, found the means to prolong
the interview, with a dexterity that seems to be innate in female
coquetry. Deerslayer, indeed, appeared to be the first who was
conscious of the time that had been thus wasted, and to call the
attention of his companions to the necessity of doing something
towards putting the plan of ransoming into execution. Chingachgook
had remained in Hutter's bed room, where the elephants were laid,
to feast his eyes with the images of animals so wonderful, and so
novel. Perhaps an instinct told him that his presence would not
be as acceptable to his companions as this holding himself aloof,
for Judith had not much reserve in the manifestations of her
preferences, and the Delaware had not got so far as one betrothed
without acquiring some knowledge of the symptoms of the master
passion.
"Well, Judith," said Deerslayer, rising, after the interview had
lasted much longer than even he himself suspected, "'tis pleasant
convarsing with you, and settling all these matters, but duty calls
us another way. All this time, Hurry and your father, not to say
Hetty - " The word was cut short in the speaker's mouth, for, at
that critical moment, a light step was heard on the platform, or
'court-yard', a human figure darkened the doorway, and the person
last mentioned stood before him. The low exclamation that escaped
Deerslayer and the slight scream of Judith were hardly uttered,
when an Indian youth, between the ages of fifteen and seventeen,
stood beside her. These two entrances had been made with moccasined
feet, and consequently almost without noise, but, unexpected and
stealthy as they were, they had not the effect to disturb Deerslayer's
self possession. His first measure was to speak rapidly in Delaware
to his friend, cautioning him to keep out of sight, while he stood
on his guard; the second was to step to the door to ascertain
the extent of the danger. No one else, however, had come, and a
simple contrivance, in the shape of a raft, that lay floating at
the side of the Ark, at once explained the means that had been used
in bringing Hetty off. Two dead and dry, and consequently buoyant,
logs of pine were bound together with pins and withes and a little
platform of riven chestnut had been rudely placed on their surfaces.
Here Hetty had been seated, on a billet of wood, while the young
Iroquois had rowed the primitive and slow-moving, but perfectly
safe craft from the shore.
As soon as Deerslayer had taken a close survey of this raft, and
satisfied himself nothing else was near, he shook his head and
muttered in his soliloquizing way - "This comes of prying into
another man's chist! Had we been watchful, and keen eyed, such a
surprise could never have happened, and, getting this much from a
boy teaches us what we may expect when the old warriors set themselves
fairly about their sarcumventions. It opens the way, howsever, to
a treaty for the ransom, and I will hear what Hetty has to say."
Judith, as soon as her surprise and alarm had a little abated,
discovered a proper share of affectionate joy at the return of her
sister. She folded her to her bosom, and kissed her, as had been
her wont in the days of their childhood and innocence. Hetty
herself was less affected, for to her there was no surprise, and
her nerves were sustained by the purity and holiness of her purpose.
At her sister's request she took a seat, and entered into an account
of her adventures since they had parted. Her tale commenced just
as Deerslayer returned, and he also became an attentive listener,
while the young Iroquois stood near the door, seemingly as indifferent
to what was passing as one of its posts.
The narrative of the girl was sufficiently clear, until she reached
the time where we left her in the camp, after the interview with
the chiefs, and, at the moment when Hist quitted her, in the abrupt
manner already related. The sequel of the story may be told in
her own language.
"When I read the texts to the chiefs, Judith, you could not have
seen that they made any changes on their minds," she said, "but if
seed is planted, it will grow. God planted the seeds of
all these trees - "
"Ay that did he - that did he -" muttered Deerslayer; "and a goodly
harvest has followed."
"God planted the seeds of all these trees," continued Hetty, after
a moment's pause, "and you see to what a height and shade they have
grown! So it is with the Bible. You may read a verse this year,
and forget it, and it will come back to you a year hence, when you
least expect to remember it."
"And did you find any thing of this among the savages, poor Hetty?"
"Yes, Judith, and sooner and more fully than I had even hoped. I
did not stay long with father and Hurry, but went to get my breakfast
with Hist. As soon as we had done the chiefs came to us, and then
we found the fruits of the seed that had been planted. They said
what I had read from the good book was right - it must be right -
it sounded right; like a sweet bird singing in their ears; and they
told me to come back and say as much to the great warrior who had
slain one of their braves; and to tell it to you, and to say how
happy they should be to come to church here, in the castle, or to
come out in the sun, and hear me read more of the sacred volume -
and to tell you that they wish you would lend them some canoes that
they can bring father and Hurry and their women to the castle, that
we might all sit on the platform there and listen to the singing
of the Pale-face Manitou. There, Judith; did you ever know of
any thing that so plainly shows the power of the Bible, as that!"
"If it were true 't would be a miracle, indeed, Hetty. But all
this is no more than Indian cunning and Indian treachery, striving
to get the better of us by management, when they find it is not to
be done by force."
"Do you doubt the Bible, sister, that you judge the savages so
harshly!"
"I do not doubt the Bible, poor Hetty, but I much doubt an Indian
and an Iroquois. What do you say to this visit, Deerslayer?"
"First let me talk a little with Hetty," returned the party appealed
to; "Was the raft made a'ter you had got your breakfast, gal, and
did you walk from the camp to the shore opposite to us, here?"
"Oh! no, Deerslayer. The raft was ready made and in the water
-could that have been by a miracle, Judith?"
"Yes - yes - an Indian miracle," rejoined the hunter - "They're
expart enough in them sort of miracles. And you found the raft
ready made to your hands, and in the water, and in waiting like
for its cargo?"
"It was all as you say. The raft was near the camp, and the Indians
put me on it, and had ropes of bark, and they dragged me to the
place opposite to the castle, and then they told that young man to
row me off, here."
"And the woods are full of the vagabonds, waiting to know what is
to be the upshot of the miracle. We comprehend this affair, now,
Judith, but I'll first get rid of this young Canada blood sucker,
and then we'll settle our own course. Do you and Hetty leave us
together, first bringing me the elephants, which the Sarpent is
admiring, for 'twill never do to let this loping deer be alone a
minute, or he'll borrow a canoe without asking."
Judith did as desired, first bringing the pieces, and retiring
with her sister into their own room. Deerslayer had acquired some
knowledge of most of the Indian dialects of that region, and he
knew enough of the Iroquois to hold a dialogue in the language.
Beckoning to the lad, therefore, he caused him to take a seat on
the chest, when he placed two of the castles suddenly before him.
Up to that moment, this youthful savage had not expressed a single
intelligible emotion, or fancy. There were many things, in and
about the place, that were novelties to him, but he had maintained
his self-command with philosophical composure. It is true, Deerslayer
had detected his dark eye scanning the defences and the arms, but
the scrutiny had been made with such an air of innocence, in such
a gaping, indolent, boyish manner, that no one but a man who had
himself been taught in a similar school, would have even suspected
his object. The instant, however, the eyes of the savage fell
upon the wrought ivory, and the images of the wonderful, unknown
beasts, surprise and admiration got the mastery of him. The manner
in which the natives of the South Sea Islands first beheld the toys
of civilized life has been often described, but the reader is not
to confound it with the manner of an American Indian, under similar
circumstances. In this particular case, the young Iroquois or
Huron permitted an exclamation of rapture to escape him, and then
he checked himself like one who had been guilty of an indecorum.
After this, his eyes ceased to wander, but became riveted on the
elephants, one of which, after a short hesitation, he even presumed
to handle. Deerslayer did not interrupt him for quite ten minutes,
knowing that the lad was taking such note of the curiosities, as
would enable him to give the most minute and accurate description
of their appearance to his seniors, on his return. When he thought
sufficient time had been allowed to produce the desired effect,
the hunter laid a finger on the naked knee of the youth and drew
his attention to himself.
"Listen," he said; "I want to talk with my young friend from the
Canadas. Let him forget that wonder for a minute."
"Where t'other pale brother?" demanded the boy, looking up and letting
the idea that had been most prominent in his mind, previously to
the introduction of the chess men, escape him involuntarily.
"He sleeps, or if he isn't fairly asleep, he is in the room where
the men do sleep," returned Deerslayer. "How did my young friend
know there was another?"
"See him from the shore. Iroquois have got long eyes - see beyond
the clouds - see the bottom of the Great Spring!"
"Well, the Iroquois are welcome. Two pale-faces are prisoners in
the camp of your fathers, boy."
The lad nodded, treating the circumstance with great apparent
indifference; though a moment after he laughed as if exulting in
the superior address of his own tribe.
"Can you tell me, boy, what your chiefs intend to do with these
captyves, or haven't they yet made up their minds?"
The lad looked a moment at the hunter with a little surprise. Then
he coolly put the end of his fore finger on his own head, just
above the left ear, and passed it round his crown with an accuracy
and readiness that showed how well he had been drilled in the
peculiar art of his race.
"When?" demanded Deerslayer, whose gorge rose at this cool
demonstration of indifference to human life. "And why not take
them to your wigwams?"
"Road too long, and full of pale-faces. Wigwam full, and scalps
sell high. Small scalp, much gold."
"Well that explains it - yes, that does explain it. There's no need
of being any plainer. Now you know, lad, that the oldest of your
prisoners is the father of these two young women, and the other
is the suitor of one of them. The gals nat'rally wish to save the
scalps of such fri'nds, and they will give them two ivory creaturs,
as ransom. One for each scalp. Go back and tell this to your
chiefs, and bring me the answer before the sun sets."
The boy entered zealously into this project, and with a sincerity
that left no doubt of his executing his commission with intelligence
and promptitude. For a moment he forgot his love of honor, and
all his clannish hostility to the British and their Indians, in
his wish to have such a treasure in his tribe, and Deerslayer was
satisfied with the impression he had made. It is true the lad
proposed to carry one of the elephants with him, as a specimen of
the other, but to this his brother negotiator was too sagacious to
consent; well knowing that it might never reach its destination if
confided to such hands. This little difficulty was soon arranged,
and the boy prepared to depart. As he stood on the platform, ready
to step aboard of the raft, he hesitated, and turned short with
a proposal to borrow a canoe, as the means most likely to shorten
the negotiations. Deerslayer quietly refused the request, and,
after lingering a little longer, the boy rowed slowly away from
the castle, taking the direction of a thicket on the shore that
lay less than half a mile distant. Deerslayer seated himself on a
stool and watched the progress of the ambassador, sometimes closely
scanning the whole line of shore, as far as eye could reach, and
then placing an elbow on a knee, he remained a long time with his
chin resting on the hand.
During the interview between Deerslayer and the lad, a different
scene took place in the adjoining room. Hetty had inquired for
the Delaware, and being told why and where he remained concealed,
she joined him. The reception which Chingachgook gave his visitor
was respectful and gentle. He understood her character, and, no
doubt, his disposition to be kind to such a being was increased
by the hope of learning some tidings of his betrothed. As soon as
the girl entered she took a seat, and invited the Indian to place
himself near her; then she continued silent, as if she thought it
decorous for him to question her, before she consented to speak
on the subject she had on her mind. But, as Chingachgook did not
understand this feeling, he remained respectfully attentive to any
thing she might be pleased to tell him.
"You are Chingachgook, the Great Serpent of the Delawares, ar'n't
you?" the girl at length commenced, in her own simple way losing
her self-command in the desire to proceed, but anxious first to
make sure of the individual. "Chingachgook," returned the Delaware
with grave dignity. "That say Great Sarpent, in Deerslayer tongue."
"Well, that is my tongue. Deerslayer, and father, and Judith, and
I, and poor Hurry Harry - do you know Henry March, Great Serpent?
I know you don't, however, or he would have spoken of you, too."
"Did any tongue name Chingachgook, Drooping-Lily"? for so the
chief had named poor Hetty. "Was his name sung by a little bird
among Iroquois?"
Hetty did not answer at first, but, with that indescribable
feeling that awakens sympathy and intelligence among the youthful
and unpracticed of her sex, she hung her head, and the blood suffused
her cheek ere she found her tongue. It would have exceeded her
stock of intelligence to explain this embarrassment, but, though
poor Hetty could not reason, on every emergency, she could always
feel. The colour slowly receded from her cheeks, and the girl
looked up archly at the Indian, smiling with the innocence of a
child, mingled with the interest of a woman.
"My sister, the Drooping Lily, hear such bird!" Chingachgook added,
and this with a gentleness of tone and manner that would have
astonished those who sometimes heard the discordant cries that
often came from the same throat; these transitions from the harsh
and guttural, to the soft and melodious not being infrequent in
ordinary Indian dialogues. "My sister's ears were open -has she
lost her tongue?"
"You are Chingachgook - you must be; for there is no other red man
here, and she thought Chingachgook would come."
"Chin-gach-gook," pronouncing the name slowly, and dwelling on each
syllable` "Great Sarpent, Yengeese tongue."
[It is singular there should be any question concerning the origin
of the well-known sobriquet of "Yankees." Nearly all the old
writers who speak of the Indians first known to the colonists make
them pronounce the word "English" as "Yengeese." Even at this day,
it is a provincialism of New England to say "Anglish" instead of
"Inglish," and there is a close conformity of sound between "Anglish"
and "yengeese," more especially if the latter word, as was probably
the case, be pronounced short. The transition from "Yengeese,"
thus pronounced, to "Yankees" is quite easy. If the former is
pronounced "Yangis," it is almost identical with "Yankees," and
Indian words have seldom been spelt as they are pronounced. Thus
the scene of this tale is spelt "Otsego," and is properly pronounced
"Otsago." The liquids of the Indians would easily convert "En"
into "Yen."]
"Chin-gach-gook," repeated Hetty, in the same deliberate manner.
"Yes, so Hist called it, and you must be the chief."
"Wah-ta-Wah," added the Delaware.
"Wah-ta-Wah, or Hist-oh-Hist. I think Hist prettier than Wah, and
so I call her Hist."
"Wah very sweet in Delaware ears!"
"You make it sound differently from me. But, never mind, I did
hear the bird you speak of sing, Great Serpent."
"Will my sister say words of song? What she sing most - how she
look - often she laugh?"
"She sang Chin-gach-gook oftener than any thing else; and she laughed
heartily, when I told how the Iroquois waded into the water after
us, and couldn't catch us. I hope these logs haven't ears, Serpent!"
"No fear logs; fear sister next room. No fear Iroquois; Deerslayer
stuff his eyes and ears with strange beast."
"I understand you, Serpent, and I understood Hist. Sometimes I
think I'm not half as feeble minded as they say I am. Now, do you
look up at the roof, and I'll tell you all. But you frighten me,
you look so eager when I speak of Hist."
The Indian controlled his looks, and affected to comply with the
simple request of the girl.
"Hist told me to say, in a very low voice, that you mustn't trust
the Iroquois in anything. They are more artful than any Indians
she knows. Then she says that there is a large bright star that
comes over the hill, about an hour after dark" - Hist had pointed
out the planet Jupiter, without knowing it - "and just as that
star comes in sight, she will be on the point, where I landed last
night, and that you must come for her, in a canoe."
"Good - Chingachgook understand well enough, now; but he understand
better if my sister sing him ag'in."
Hetty repeated her words, more fully explaining what star was
meant, and mentioning the part of the point where he was to venture
ashore. She now proceeded in her own unsophisticated way to relate
her intercourse with the Indian maid, and to repeat several of her
expressions and opinions that gave great delight to the heart of
her betrothed. She particularly renewed her injunctions to be on
their guard against treachery, a warning that was scarcely needed,
however, as addressed to men as wary as those to whom it was sent.
She also explained with sufficient clearness, for on all such
subjects the mind of the girl seldom failed her, the present state
of the enemy, and the movements they had made since morning. Hist
had been on the raft with her until it quitted the shore, and was
now somewhere in the woods, opposite to the castle, and did not
intend to return to the camp until night approached; when she hoped
to be able to slip away from her companions, as they followed the
shore on their way home, and conceal herself on the point. No one
appeared to suspect the presence of Chingachgook, though it was
necessarily known that an Indian had entered the Ark the previous
night, and it was suspected that he had since appeared in and about
the castle in the dress of a pale-face. Still some little doubt
existed on the latter point, for, as this was the season when
white men might be expected to arrive, there was some fear that
the garrison of the castle was increasing by these ordinary means.
All this had Hist communicated to Hetty while the Indians were
dragging them along shore, the distance, which exceeded six miles,
affording abundance of time.
"Hist don't know, herself, whether they suspect her or not, or
whether they suspect you, but she hopes neither is the case. And
now, Serpent, since I have told you so much from your betrothed,"
continued Hetty, unconsciously taking one of the Indian's hands,
and playing with the fingers, as a child is often seen to play
with those of a parent, "you must let me tell you something from
myself. When you marry Hist, you must be kind to her, and smile on
her, as you do now on me, and not look cross as some of the chiefs
do at their squaws. Will you promise this?"
"Alway good to Wah! - too tender to twist hard; else she break."
"Yes, and smile, too; you don't know how much a girl craves smiles
from them she loves. Father scarce smiled on me once, while I was
with him - and, Hurry -Yes - Hurry talked loud and laughed, but I
don't think he smiled once either. You know the difference between
a smile and a laugh?"
"Laugh, best. Hear Wah laugh, think bird sing!"
"I know that; her laugh is pleasant, but you must smile. And then,
Serpent, you mustn't make her carry burthens and hoe corn, as so
many Indians do; but treat her more as the pale-faces treat their
wives."
"Wah-ta-Wah no pale-face - got red-skin; red heart, red feelin's.
All red; no pale-face. Must carry papoose."
"Every woman is willing to carry her child," said Hetty smiling,
"and there is no harm in that. But you must love Hist, and be
gentle, and good to her; for she is gentle and good herself."
Chingachgook gravely bowed, and then he seemed to think this part
of the subject might be dismissed. Before there was time for Hetty
to resume her communications, the voice of Deerslayer was heard
calling on his friend, in the outer room. At this summons the
Serpent arose to obey, and Hetty joined her sister.
Chapter XIV.
"'A stranger animal,' cries one,
'Sure never liv'd beneath the sun;
A lizard's body lean and long,
A fish's head, a serpent's tongue,
Its foot, with triple claw disjoined;
And what a length of tail behind!'"
James Merrick, "The Chameleon," 11.21-26.
The first act of the Delaware, on rejoining his friend, was to
proceed gravely to disencumber himself of his civilized attire, and
to stand forth an Indian warrior again. The protest of Deerslayer
was met by his communicating the fact that the presence of an
Indian in the hut was known to the Iroquois, and that maintaining
the disguise would be more likely to direct suspicions to his real
object, than if he came out openly as a member of a hostile tribe.
When the latter understood the truth, and was told that he had been
deceived in supposing the chief had succeeded in entering the Ark
undiscovered, he cheerfully consented to the change, since further
attempt at concealment was useless. A gentler feeling than the
one avowed, however, lay at the bottom of the Indian's desire to
appear as a son of the forest. He had been told that Hist was on
the opposite shore, and nature so far triumphed over all distinctions
of habit, and tribes and people, as to reduce this young savage
warrior to the level of a feeling which would have been found in
the most refined inhabitant of a town, under similar circumstances.
There was a mild satisfaction in believing that she he loved could
see him, and as he walked out on the platform in his scanty, native
attire, an Apollo of the wilderness, a hundred of the tender fancies
that fleet through lovers' brains beset his imagination and softened
his heart. All this was lost on Deerslayer, who was no great adept
in the mysteries of Cupid, but whose mind was far more occupied
with the concerns that forced themselves on his attention, than with
any of the truant fancies of love. He soon recalled his companion,
therefore, to a sense of their actual condition, by summoning him
to a sort of council of war, in which they were to settle their
future course. In the dialogue that followed, the parties mutually
made each other acquainted with what had passed in their several
interviews. Chingachgook was told the history of the treaty about
the ransom, and Deerslayer heard the whole of Hetty's communications.
The latter listened with generous interest to his friend's hopes,
and promised cheerfully all the assistance he could lend.
"Tis our main ar'n'd, Sarpent, as you know, this battling for the
castle and old Hutter's darters, coming in as a sort of accident.
Yes - yes - I'll be actyve in helping little Hist, who's not only
one of the best and handsomest maidens of the tribe, but the very
best and handsomest. I've always encouraged you, chief, in that
liking, and it's proper, too, that a great and ancient race like
your'n shouldn't come to an end. If a woman of red skin and red
gifts could get to be near enough to me to wish her for a wife,
I'd s'arch for just such another, but that can never be; no, that
can never be. I'm glad Hetty has met with Hist, howsever, for
though the first is a little short of wit and understanding, the
last has enough for both. Yes, Sarpent," laughing heartily - "put
'em together, and two smarter gals isn't to be found in all York
Colony!"
"I will go to the Iroquois camp," returned the Delaware, gravely.
"No one knows Chingachgook but Wah, and a treaty for lives and
scalps should be made by a chief. Give me the strange beasts, and
let me take a canoe."
Deerslayer dropped his head and played with the end of a fish-pole
in the water, as he sat dangling his legs over the edge of the
platform, like a man who was lost in thought by the sudden occurrence
of a novel idea. Instead of directly answering the proposal of
his friend, he began to soliloquize, a circumstance however that
in no manner rendered his words more true, as he was remarkable
for saying what he thought, whether the remarks were addressed to
himself, or to any one else.
"Yes - yes -" he said - "this must be what they call love! I've
heard say that it sometimes upsets reason altogether, leaving a
young man as helpless, as to calculation and caution, as a brute
beast. To think that the Sarpent should be so lost to reason, and
cunning, and wisdom! We must sartainly manage to get Hist off,
and have 'em married as soon as we get back to the tribe, or this
war will be of no more use to the chief, than a hunt a little
oncommon extr'ornary. Yes - Yes - he'll never be the man he was,
till this matter is off his mind, and he comes to his senses like
all the rest of mankind. Sarpent, you can't be in airnest, and
therefore I shall say but little to your offer. But you're a chief,
and will soon be sent out on the war path at head of the parties,
and I'll just ask if you'd think of putting your forces into the
inimy's hands, afore the battle is fou't?"
"Wah!" ejaculated the Indian.
"Ay - Wah - I know well enough it's Wah, and altogether Wah -Ra'ally,
Sarpent, I'm consarned and mortified about you! I never heard so
weak an idee come from a chief, and he, too, one that's already
got a name for being wise, young and inexper'enced as he is. Canoe
you sha'n't have, so long as the v'ice of fri'ndship and warning
can count for any thing."
"My pale-face friend is right. A cloud came over the face of
Chingachgook, and weakness got into his mind, while his eyes were
dim. My brother has a good memory for good deeds, and a weak memory
for bad. He will forget."
"Yes, that's easy enough. Say no more about it chief, but if another
of them clouds blow near you, do your endivours to get out of its
way. Clouds are bad enough in the weather, but when they come to
the reason, it gets to be serious. Now, sit down by me here, and
let us calculate our movements a little, for we shall soon either
have a truce and a peace, or we shall come to an actyve and bloody
war. You see the vagabonds can make logs sarve their turn, as
well as the best raftsmen on the rivers, and it would be no great
expl'ite for them to invade us in a body. I've been thinking of
the wisdom of putting all old Tom's stores into the Ark, of barring
and locking up the Castle, and of taking to the Ark, altogether.
That is moveable, and by keeping the sail up, and shifting places,
we might worry through a great many nights, without them Canada
wolves finding a way into our sheep fold!"
Chingachgook listened to this plan with approbation. Did the
negotiation fail, there was now little hope that the night would
pass without an assault, and the enemy had sagacity enough to
understand that in carrying the castle they would probably become
masters of all it contained, the offered ransom included, and still
retain the advantages they had hitherto gained. Some precaution
of the sort appeared to be absolutely necessary, for now the
numbers of the Iroquois were known, a night attack could scarcely
be successfully met. It would be impossible to prevent the enemy
from getting possession of the canoes and the Ark, and the latter
itself would be a hold in which the assailants would be as effectually
protected against bullets as were those in the building. For a
few minutes, both the men thought of sinking the Ark in the shallow
water, of bringing the canoes into the house, and of depending
altogether on the castle for protection. But reflection satisfied
them that, in the end, this expedient would fail. It was so easy
to collect logs on the shore, and to construct a raft of almost any
size, that it was certain the Iroquois, now they had turned their
attention to such means, would resort to them seriously, so long
as there was the certainty of success by perseverance. After
deliberating maturely, and placing all the considerations fairly
before them, the two young beginners in the art of forest warfare
settled down into the opinion that the Ark offered the only available
means of security. This decision was no sooner come to, than it
was communicated to Judith. The girl had no serious objection to
make, and all four set about the measures necessary to carrying
the plan into execution.
The reader will readily understand that Floating Tom's worldly goods
were of no great amount. A couple of beds, some wearing apparel,
the arms and ammunition, a few cooking utensils, with the mysterious
and but half examined chest formed the principal items. These were
all soon removed, the Ark having been hauled on the eastern side
of the building, so that the transfer could be made without being
seen from the shore. It was thought unnecessary to disturb the
heavier and coarser articles of furniture, as they were not required
in the Ark, and were of but little value in themselves. As great
caution was necessary in removing the different objects, most of
which were passed out of a window with a view to conceal what was
going on, it required two or three hours before all could be effected.
By the expiration of that time, the raft made its appearance, moving
from the shore. Deerslayer immediately had recourse to the glass,
by the aid of which he perceived that two warriors were on it,
though they appeared to be unarmed. The progress of the raft was
slow, a circumstance that formed one of the great advantages that
would be possessed by the scow, in any future collision between
them, the movements of the latter being comparatively swift and
light. As there was time to make the dispositions for the reception
of the two dangerous visitors, everything was prepared for them,
long before they had got near enough to be hailed. The Serpent and
the girls retired into the building, where the former stood near
the door, well provided with rifles, while Judith watched the
proceedings without through a loop. As for Deerslayer, he had
brought a stool to the edge of the platform, at the point towards
which the raft was advancing, and taken his seat with his rifle
leaning carelessly between his legs.
As the raft drew nearer, every means possessed by the party in the
castle was resorted to, in order to ascertain if their visitors had
any firearms. Neither Deerslayer nor Chingachgook could discover
any, but Judith, unwilling to trust to simple eyesight, thrust the
glass through the loop, and directed it towards the hemlock boughs
that lay between the two logs of the raft, forming a sort of
flooring, as well as a seat for the use of the rowers. When the
heavy moving craft was within fifty feet of him, Deerslayer hailed
the Hurons, directing them to cease rowing, it not being his intention
to permit them to land. Compliance, of course, was necessary, and
the two grim-looking warriors instantly quitted their seats, though
the raft continued slowly to approach, until it had driven in much
nearer to the platform.
"Are ye chiefs?" demanded Deerslayer with dignity - "Are ye chiefs?
-Or have the Mingos sent me warriors without names, on such
an ar'n'd? If so, the sooner ye go back, the sooner them will be
likely to come that a warrior can talk with."
"Hugh!" exclaimed the elder of the two on the raft, rolling his
glowing eyes over the different objects that were visible in and
about the Castle, with a keenness that showed how little escaped
him. "My brother is very proud, but Rivenoak (we use the literal
translation of the term, writing as we do in English) is a name to
make a Delaware turn pale."
"That's true, or it's a lie, Rivenoak, as it may be; but I am not
likely to turn pale, seeing that I was born pale. What's your
ar'n'd, and why do you come among light bark canoes, on logs that
are not even dug out?"
"The Iroquois are not ducks, to walk on water! Let the pale-faces
give them a canoe, and they'll come in a canoe."
"That's more rational, than likely to come to pass. We have but
four canoes, and being four persons that's only one for each of
us. We thank you for the offer, howsever, though we ask leave not
to accept it. You are welcome, Iroquois, on your logs."
"Thanks - My young pale-face warrior - he has got a name - how do
the chiefs call him?"
Deerslayer hesitated a moment, and a gleam of pride and human
weakness came over him. He smiled, muttered between his teeth, and
then looking up proudly, he said - "Mingo, like all who are young
and actyve, I've been known by different names, at different times.
One of your warriors whose spirit started for the Happy Grounds of
your people, as lately as yesterday morning, thought I desarved to
be known by the name of Hawkeye, and this because my sight happened
to be quicker than his own, when it got to be life or death atween
us."
Chingachgook, who was attentively listening to all that passed,
heard and understood this proof of passing weakness in his friend,
and on a future occasion he questioned him more closely concerning
the transaction on the point, where Deerslayer had first taken
human life. When he had got the whole truth, he did not fail
to communicate it to the tribe, from which time the young hunter
was universally known among the Delawares by an appellation so
honorably earned. As this, however, was a period posterior to all
the incidents of this tale, we shall continue to call the young
hunter by the name under which he has been first introduced to
the reader. Nor was the Iroquois less struck with the vaunt of
the white man. He knew of the death of his comrade, and had no
difficulty in understanding the allusion, the intercourse between
the conqueror and his victim on that occasion having been seen by
several savages on the shore of the lake, who had been stationed
at different points just within the margin of bushes to watch the
drifting canoes, and who had not time to reach the scene of action,
ere the victor had retired. The effect on this rude being of the
forest was an exclamation of surprise; then such a smile of courtesy,
and wave of the hand, succeeded, as would have done credit to Asiatic
diplomacy. The two Iroquois spoke to each other in low tones, and
both drew near the end of the raft that was closest to the platform.
"My brother, Hawkeye, has sent a message to the Hurons," resumed
Rivenoak, "and it has made their hearts very glad. They hear he has
images of beasts with two tails! Will he show them to his friends?"
"Inimies would be truer," returned Deerslayer, "but sound isn't
sense, and does little harm. Here is One of the images; I toss it
to you under faith of treaties. If it's not returned, the rifle
will settle the p'int atween us."
The Iroquois seemed to acquiesce in the conditions, and Deerslayer
arose and prepared to toss one of the elephants to the raft, both
parties using all the precaution that was necessary to prevent its
loss. As practice renders men expert in such things, the little
piece of ivory was soon successfully transferred from one hand to
the other, and then followed another scene on the raft, in which
astonishment and delight got the mastery of Indian stoicism.
These two grim old warriors manifested even more feeling, as they
examined the curiously wrought chessman, than had been betrayed
by the boy; for, in the case of the latter, recent schooling had
interposed its influence; while the men, like all who are sustained
by well established characters, were not ashamed to let some of
their emotions be discovered. For a few minutes they apparently
lost the consciousness of their situation, in the intense scrutiny
they bestowed on a material so fine, work so highly wrought, and
an animal so extraordinary. The lip of the moose is, perhaps, the
nearest approach to the trunk of the elephant that is to be found
in the American forest, but this resemblance was far from being
sufficiently striking to bring the new creature within the range
of their habits and ideas, and the more they studied the image,
the greater was their astonishment. Nor did these children of
the forest mistake the structure on the back of the elephant for a
part of the animal. They were familiar with horses and oxen, and
had seen towers in the Canadas, and found nothing surprising in
creatures of burthen. Still, by a very natural association, they
supposed the carving meant to represent that the animal they saw was
of a strength sufficient to carry a fort on its back; a circumstance
that in no degree lessened their wonder.
"Has my pale-face brother any more such beasts?" at last the senior
of the Iroquois asked, in a sort of petitioning manner.
"There's more where them came from, Mingo," was the answer; "one
is enough, howsever, to buy off fifty scalps."
"One of my prisoners is a great warrior - tall as a pine - strong
as the moose -active as a deer - fierce as the panther! Some day
he'll be a great chief, and lead the army of King George!"
"Tut-tut Mingo; Hurry Harry is Hurry Harry, and you'll never make
more than a corporal of him, if you do that. He's tall enough, of
a sartainty; but that's of no use, as he only hits his head ag'in
the branches as he goes through the forest. He's strong too, but
a strong body isn't a strong head, and the king's generals are
not chosen for their sinews; he's swift, if you will, but a rifle
bullet is swifter; and as for f'erceness, it's no great ricommend
to a soldier; they that think they feel the stoutest often givin'
out at the pinch. No, no, you'll niver make Hurry's scalp pass for
more than a good head of curly hair, and a rattle pate beneath it!"
"My old prisoner very wise - king of the lake - great warrior, wise
counsellor!"
"Well, there's them that might gainsay all this, too, Mingo. A
very wise man wouldn't be apt to be taken in so foolish a manner as
befell Master Hutter, and if he gives good counsel, he must have
listened to very bad in that affair. There's only one king of
this lake, and he's a long way off, and isn't likely ever to see
it. Floating Tom is some such king of this region, as the wolf
that prowls through the woods is king of the forest. A beast with
two tails is well worth two such scalps!"
"But my brother has another beast? - He will give two" - holding
up as many fingers, "for old father?"
"Floating Tom is no father of mine, but he'll fare none the worse
for that. As for giving two beasts for his scalp, and each beast
with two tails, it is quite beyond reason. Think yourself well
off, Mingo, if you make a much worse trade."
By this time the self-command of Rivenoak had got the better of his
wonder, and he began to fall back on his usual habits of cunning,
in order to drive the best bargain he could. It would be useless
to relate more than the substance of the desultory dialogue that
followed, in which the Indian manifested no little management,
in endeavoring to recover the ground lost under the influence of
surprise. He even affected to doubt whether any original for the
image of the beast existed, and asserted that the oldest Indian
had never heard a tradition of any such animal. Little did either
of them imagine at the time that long ere a century elapsed, the
progress of civilization would bring even much more extraordinary
and rare animals into that region, as curiosities to be gazed
at by the curious, and that the particular beast, about which the
disputants contended, would be seen laving its sides and swimming
in the very sheet of water, on which they had met.
[The Otsego is a favorite place for the caravan keepers to let
their elephants bathe. The writer has seen two at a time, since
the publication of this book, swimming about in company.]
As is not uncommon on such occasions, one of the parties got
a little warm in the course of the discussion, for Deerslayer met
all the arguments and prevarication of his subtle opponent with his
own cool directness of manner, and unmoved love of truth. What an
elephant was he knew little better than the savage, but he perfectly
understood that the carved pieces of ivory must have some such
value in the eyes of an Iroquois as a bag of gold or a package of
beaver skins would in those of a trader. Under the circumstances,
therefore, he felt it to be prudent not to concede too much at first,
since there existed a nearly unconquerable obstacle to making the
transfers, even after the contracting parties had actually agreed
upon the terms. Keeping this difficulty in view, he held the extra
chessmen in reserve, as a means of smoothing any difficulty in the
moment of need.
At length the savage pretended that further negotiation was useless,
since he could not be so unjust to his tribe as to part with the
honor and emoluments of two excellent, full grown male scalps for
a consideration so trifling as a toy like that he had seen, and he
prepared to take his departure. Both parties now felt as men are
wont to feel, when a bargain that each is anxious to conclude is on
the eve of being broken off, in consequence of too much pertinacity
in the way of management. The effect of the disappointment was
very different, however, on the respective individuals. Deerslayer
was mortified, and filled with regret, for he not only felt for
the prisoners, but he also felt deeply for the two girls. The
conclusion of the treaty, therefore, left him melancholy and full
of regret. With the savage, his defeat produced the desire of
revenge. In a moment of excitement, he had loudly announced his
intention to say no more, and he felt equally enraged with himself
and with his cool opponent, that he had permitted a pale face to
manifest more indifference and self-command than an Indian chief.
When he began to urge his raft away from the platform his countenance
lowered and his eye glowed, even while he affected a smile of
amity and a gesture of courtesy at parting.
It took some little time to overcome the inertia of the logs, and
while this was being done by the silent Indian, Rivenoak stalked
over the hemlock boughs that lay between the logs in sullen ferocity,
eyeing keenly the while the hut, the platform and the person of his
late disputant. Once he spoke in low, quick tones to his companion,
and he stirred the boughs with his feet like an animal that is
restive. At that moment the watchfulness of Deerslayer had a little
abated, for he sat musing on the means of renewing the negotiation
without giving too much advantage to the other side. It was perhaps
fortunate for him that the keen and bright eyes of Judith were as
vigilant as ever. At the instant when the young man was least on
his guard, and his enemy was the most on the alert, she called out
in a warning voice to the former, most opportunely giving the alarm.
"Be on your guard, Deerslayer," the girl cried - "I see rifles with
the glass, beneath the hemlock brush, and the Iroquois is loosening
them with his feet!"
It would seem that the enemy had carried their artifices so far as
to Employ an agent who understood English. The previous dialogue
had taken place in his own language, but it was evident by the sudden
manner in which his feet ceased their treacherous occupation, and
in which the countenance of Rivenoak changed from sullen ferocity
to a smile of courtesy, that the call of the girl was understood.
Signing to his companion to cease his efforts to set the logs in
motion, he advanced to the end of the raft which was nearest to
the platform, and spoke.
"Why should Rivenoak and his brother leave any cloud between them,"
he said. "They are both wise, both brave, and both generous; they
ought to part friends. One beast shall be the price of one prisoner."
"And, Mingo," answered the other, delighted to renew the negotiations
on almost any terms, and determined to clinch the bargain if possible
by a little extra liberality, "you'll see that a pale-face knows
how to pay a full price, when he trades with an open heart, and an
open hand. Keep the beast that you had forgotten to give back to
me, as you was about to start, and which I forgot to ask for, on
account of consarn at parting in anger. Show it to your chiefs.
When you bring us our fri'nds, two more shall be added to it,
and," hesitating a moment in distrust of the expediency of so great
a concession; then, deciding in its favor - "and, if we see them
afore the sun sets, we may find a fourth to make up an even number."
This settled the matter. Every gleam of discontent vanished from
the dark countenance of the Iroquois, and he smiled as graciously,
if not as sweetly, as Judith Hutter, herself. The piece already in
his possession was again examined, and an ejaculation of pleasure
showed how much he was pleased with this unexpected termination of
the affair. In point of fact, both he and Deerslayer had momentarily
forgotten what had become of the subject of their discussion, in
the warmth of their feelings, but such had not been the case with
Rivenoak's companion. This man retained the piece, and had fully
made up his mind, were it claimed under such circumstances as to
render its return necessary, to drop it in the lake, trusting to
his being able to find it again at some future day. This desperate
expedient, however, was no longer necessary, and after repeating
the terms of agreement, and professing to understand them, the two
Indians finally took their departure, moving slowly towards the
shore.
"Can any faith be put in such wretches?" asked Judith, when she and
Hetty had come out on the platform, and were standing at the side
of Deerslayer, watching the dull movement of the logs. "Will they
not rather keep the toy they have, and send us off some bloody proofs
of their getting the better of us in cunning, by way of boasting?
I've heard of acts as bad as this."
"No doubt, Judith; no manner of doubt, if it wasn't for Indian
natur'. But I'm no judge of a red-skin, if that two tail'd beast
doesn't set the whole tribe in some such stir as a stick raises in
a beehive! Now, there's the Sarpent; a man with narves like flint,
and no more cur'osity in every day consarns than is befitting
prudence; why he was so overcome with the sight of the creatur',
carved as it is in bone, that I felt ashamed for him! That's just
their gifts, howsever, and one can't well quarrel with a man for
his gifts, when they are lawful. Chingachgook will soon get over
his weakness and remember that he's a chief, and that he comes of
a great stock, and has a renowned name to support and uphold; but
as for yonder scamps, there'll be no peace among 'em until they
think they've got possession of every thing of the natur' of that
bit of carved bone that's to be found among Thomas Hutter's stores!"
"They only know of the elephants, and can have no hopes about the
other things."
"That's true, Judith; still, covetousness is a craving feelin'!
They'll say, if the pale-faces have these cur'ous beasts with two
tails, who knows but they've got some with three, or for that matter
with four! That's what the schoolmasters call nat'ral arithmetic,
and 'twill be sartain to beset the feelin's of savages. They'll
never be easy, till the truth is known."
"Do you think, Deerslayer," inquired Hetty, in her simple and
innocent manner, "that the Iroquois won't let father and Hurry go?
I read to them several of the very best verses in the whole Bible,
and you see what they have done, already."
The hunter, as he always did, listened kindly and even affectionately
to Hetty's remarks; then he mused a moment in silence. There was
something like a flush on his cheek as he answered, after quite a
minute had passed.
"I don't know whether a white man ought to be ashamed, or not, to
own he can't read, but such is my case, Judith. You are skilful,
I find, in all such matters, while I have only studied the hand of
God as it is seen in the hills and the valleys, the mountain-tops,
the streams, the forests and the springs. Much l'arning may be got
in this way, as well as out of books; and, yet, I sometimes think
it is a white man's gift to read! When I hear from the mouths of
the Moravians the words of which Hetty speaks, they raise a longing
in my mind, and I then think I will know how to read 'em myself;
but the game in summer, and the traditions, and lessons in war,
and other matters, have always kept me behind hand."
"Shall I teach you, Deerslayer?" asked Hetty, earnestly. "I'm
weak-minded, they say, but I can read as well as Judith. It might
save your life to know how to read the Bible to the savages, and
it will certainly save your soul; for mother told me that, again
and again!"
"Thankee, Hetty - yes, thankee, with all my heart. These are like
to be too stirring times for much idleness, but after it's peace,
and I come to see you ag'in on this lake, then I'll give myself
up to it, as if 'twas pleasure and profit in a single business.
Perhaps I ought to be ashamed, Judith, that 'tis so; but truth is
truth. As for these Iroquois, 'tisn't very likely they'll forget
a beast with two tails, on account of a varse or two from the Bible.
I rather expect they'll give up the prisoners, and trust to some
sarcumvenion or other to get 'em back ag'in, with us and all in the
castle and the Ark in the bargain. Howsever, we must humour the
vagabonds, first to get your father and Hurry out of their hands,
and next to keep the peace atween us, until such time as the Sarpent
there can make out to get off his betrothed wife. If there's any
sudden outbreakin' of anger and ferocity, the Indians will send
off all their women and children to the camp at once, whereas, by
keeping 'em calm and trustful we may manage to meet Hist at the
spot she has mentioned. Rather than have the bargain fall through,
now, I'd throw in half a dozen of them effigy bow-and-arrow men,
such as we've in plenty in the chist."
Judith cheerfully assented, for she would have resigned even the
flowered brocade, rather than not redeem her father and please
Deerslayer. The prospects of success were now so encouraging as to
raise the spirits of all in the castle, though a due watchfulness
of the movements of the enemy was maintained. Hour passed after
hour, notwithstanding, and the sun had once more begun to fall
towards the summits of the western hills, and yet no signs were
seen of the return of the raft. By dint of sweeping the shore with
the glass, Deerslayer at length discovered a place in the dense
and dark woods where, he entertained no doubt, the Iroquois were
assembled in considerable numbers. It was near the thicket whence
the raft had issued, and a little rill that trickled into the
lake announced the vicinity of a spring. Here, then, the savages
were probably holding their consultation, and the decision was to
be made that went to settle the question of life or death for the
prisoners. There was one ground for hope in spite of the delay,
however, that Deerslayer did not fail to place before his anxious
companions. It was far more probable that the Indians had left their
prisoners in the camp, than that they had encumbered themselves by
causing them to follow through the woods a party that was out on
a merely temporary excursion. If such was the fact, it required
considerable time to send a messenger the necessary distance, and
to bring the two white men to the spot where they were to embark.
Encouraged by these reflections, a new stock of patience was
gathered, and the declension of the sun was viewed with less alarm.
The result justified Deerslayer's conjecture. Not long before the
sun had finally disappeared, the two logs were seen coming out of
the thicket, again, and as it drew near, Judith announced that her
father and Hurry, both of them pinioned, lay on the bushes in the
centre. As before, the two Indians were rowing. The latter seemed
to be conscious that the lateness of the hour demanded unusual
exertions, and contrary to the habits of their people, who are
ever averse to toil, they labored hard at the rude substitutes for
oars. In consequence of this diligence, the raft occupied its old
station in about half the time that had been taken in the previous
visits.
Even after the conditions were so well understood, and matters had
proceeded so far, the actual transfer of the prisoners was not a
duty to be executed without difficulty. The Iroquois were compelled
to place great reliance on the good faith of their foes, though it
was reluctantly given; and was yielded to necessity rather than to
confidence. As soon as Hutter and Hurry should be released, the
party in the castle numbered two to one, as opposed to those on the
raft, and escape by flight was out of the question, as the former
had three bark canoes, to say nothing of the defences of the house
and the Ark. All this was understood by both parties, and it is
probable the arrangement never could have been completed, had not
the honest countenance and manner of Deerslayer wrought their usual
effect on Rivenoak.
"My brother knows I put faith in him," said the latter, as he
advanced with Hutter, whose legs had been released to enable the
old man to ascend to the platform. "One scalp - one more beast."
"Stop, Mingo," interrupted the hunter, "keep your prisoner a moment.
I have to go and seek the means of payment."
This excuse, however, though true in part, was principally a fetch.
Deerslayer left the platform, and entering the house, he directed
Judith to collect all the arms and to conceal them in her own room.
He then spoke earnestly to the Delaware, who stood on guard as
before, near the entrance of the building, put the three remaining
castles in his pocket, and returned.
"You are welcome back to your old abode, Master Hutter," said
Deerslayer, as he helped the other up on the platform, slyly passing
into the hand of Rivenoak, at the same time, another of the castles.
"You'll find your darters right glad to see you, and here's Hetty
come herself to say as much in her own behalf."
Here the hunter stopped speaking and broke out into a hearty fit of
his silent and peculiar laughter. Hurry's legs were just released,
and he had been placed on his feet. So tightly had the ligatures
been drawn, that the use of his limbs was not immediately recovered,
and the young giant presented, in good sooth, a very helpless
and a somewhat ludicrous picture. It was this unusual spectacle,
particularly the bewildered countenance, that excited the merriment
of Deerslayer.
"You look like a girdled pine in a clearin', Hurry Harry, that
is rocking in a gale," said Deerslayer, checking his unseasonable
mirth, more from delicacy to the others than from any respect to
the liberated captive. "I'm glad, howsever, to see that you haven't
had your hair dressed by any of the Iroquois barbers, in your late
visit to their camp."
"Harkee, Deerslayer," returned the other a little fiercely, "it
will be prudent for you to deal less in mirth and more in friendship
on this occasion. Act like a Christian, for once, and not like a
laughing gal in a country school when the master's back is turned,
and just tell me whether there's any feet, or not, at the end of
these legs of mine. I think I can see them, but as for feelin'
they might as well be down on the banks of the Mohawk, as be where
they seem to be."
"You've come off whole, Hurry, and that's not a little," answered
the other, secretly passing to the Indian the remainder of the
stipulated ransom, and making an earnest sign at the same moment
for him to commence his retreat. "You've come off whole, feet and
all, and are only a little numb from a tight fit of the withes.
Natur'll soon set the blood in motion, and then you may begin to
dance, to celebrate what I call a most wonderful and onexpected
deliverance from a den of wolves."
Deerslayer released the arms of his friends, as each landed, and the
two were now stamping and limping about on the platform, growling
and uttering denunciations as they endeavored to help the returning
circulation. They had been tethered too long, however, to regain
the use of their limbs in a moment, and the Indians being quite as
diligent on their return as on their advance, the raft was fully
a hundred yards from the castle when Hurry, turning accidentally
in that direction, discovered how fast it was getting beyond the
reach of his vengeance. By this time he could move with tolerable
facility, though still numb and awkward. Without considering his
own situation, however, he seized the rifle that leaned against
the shoulder of Deerslayer, and attempted to cock and present it.
The young hunter was too quick for him. Seizing the piece he
wrenched it from the hands of the giant, not, however, until it
had gone off in the struggle, when pointed directly upward. It is
probable that Deerslayer could have prevailed in such a contest,
on account of the condition of Hurry's limbs, but the instant the
gun went off, the latter yielded, and stumped towards the house,
raising his legs at each step quite a foot from the ground, from
an uncertainty of the actual position of his feet. But he had been
anticipated by Judith. The whole stock of Hutter's arms, which had
been left in the building as a resource in the event of a sudden
outbreaking of hostilities, had been removed, and were already
secreted, agreeably to Deerslayer's directions. In consequence
of this precaution, no means offered by which March could put his
designs in execution.
Disappointed in his vengeance, Hurry seated himself, and like
Hutter, for half an hour, he was too much occupied in endeavoring
to restore the circulation, and in regaining the use of his limbs,
to indulge in any other reflections. By the end of this time the
raft had disappeared, and night was beginning to throw her shadows once
more over the whole sylvan scene. Before darkness had completely
set in, and while the girls were preparing the evening meal,
Deerslayer related to Hutter an outline of events that had taken
place, and gave him a history of the means he had adopted for the
security of his children and property.
Chapter XV.
"As long as Edwarde rules thys lande,
Ne quiet you wylle ye know;
Your sonnes and husbandes shall be slayne,
And brookes with bloode shall 'flowe.'
'You leave youre geode and lawfulle kynge,
Whenne ynne adversity;
Like me, untoe the true cause stycke,
And for the true cause dye."
Chatterton.
The calm of evening was again in singular contrast, while its
gathering gloom was in as singular unison with the passions of men.
The sun was set, and the rays of the retiring luminary had ceased
to gild the edges of the few clouds that had sufficient openings
to admit the passage of its fading light. The canopy overhead
was heavy and dense, promising another night of darkness, but the
surface of the lake was scarcely disturbed by a ripple. There was
a little air, though it scarce deserved to be termed wind. Still,
being damp and heavy, it had a certain force. The party in the
castle were as gloomy and silent as the scene. The two ransomed
prisoners felt humbled and discoloured, but their humility partook
of the rancour of revenge. They were far more disposed to remember
the indignity with which they had been treated during the last few
hours of their captivity, than to feel grateful for the previous
indulgence. Then that keen-sighted monitor, conscience, by reminding
them of the retributive justice of all they had endured, goaded
them rather to turn the tables on their enemies than to accuse
themselves. As for the others, they were thoughtful equally from
regret and joy. Deerslayer and Judith felt most of the former
sensation, though from very different causes, while Hetty for the
moment was perfectly happy. The Delaware had also lively pictures
of felicity in the prospect of so soon regaining his betrothed.
Under such circumstances, and in this mood, all were taking the
evening meal.
"Old Tom!" cried Hurry, bursting into a fit of boisterous laughter,
"you look'd amazin'ly like a tethered bear, as you was stretched
on them hemlock boughs, and I only wonder you didn't growl more.
Well, it's over, and syth's and lamentations won't mend the matter!
There's the blackguard Rivenoak, he that brought us off has an
oncommon scalp, and I'd give as much for it myself as the Colony.
Yes, I feel as rich as the governor in these matters now, and will
lay down with them doubloon for doubloon. Judith, darling, did
you mourn for me much, when I was in the hands of the Philipsteins?"
The last were a family of German descent on the Mohawk, to whom
Hurry had a great antipathy, and whom he had confounded with the
enemies of Judea.
"Our tears have raised the lake, Hurry March, as you might have
seen by the shore!" returned Judith, with a feigned levity that
she was far from feeling. "That Hetty and I should have grieved
for father was to be expected; but we fairly rained tears for you."
"We were sorry for poor Hurry, as well as for father, Judith!" put
in her innocent and unconscious sister.
"True, girl, true; but we feel sorrow for everybody that's in
trouble, you know," returned the other in a quick, admonitory manner
and a low tone. "Nevertheless, we are glad to see you, Master
March, and out of the hands of the Philipsteins, too."
"Yes, they're a bad set, and so is the other brood of 'em, down on
the river. It's a wonderment to me how you got us off, Deerslayer;
and I forgive you the interference that prevented my doin' justice
on that vagabond, for this small service. Let us into the secret,
that we may do you the same good turn, at need. Was it by lying,
or by coaxing?"
"By neither, Hurry, but by buying. We paid a ransom for you both,
and that, too, at a price so high you had well be on your guard
ag'in another captyvement, lest our stock of goods shouldn't hold
out."
"A ransom! Old Tom has paid the fiddler, then, for nothing of
mine would have bought off the hair, much less the skin. I didn't
think men as keen set as them vagabonds would let a fellow up so
easy, when they had him fairly at a close hug, and floored. But
money is money, and somehow it's unnat'ral hard to withstand.
Indian or white man, 'tis pretty much the same. It must be owned,
Judith, there's a considerable of human natur' in mankind ginirally,
arter all!"
Hutter now rose, and signing to Deerslayer, he led him to an inner
room, where, in answer to his questions, he first learned the price
that had been paid for his release. The old man expressed neither
resentment nor surprise at the inroad that had been made on his
chest, though he did manifest some curiosity to know how far the
investigation of its contents had been carried. He also inquired
where the key had been found. The habitual frankness of Deerslayer
prevented any prevarication, and the conference soon terminated by
the return of the two to the outer room, or that which served for
the double purpose of parlour and kitchen.
"I wonder if it's peace or war, between us and the savages!"
exclaimed Hurry, just as Deerslayer, who had paused for a single
instant, listened attentively, and was passing through the outer
door without stopping. "This givin' up captives has a friendly
look, and when men have traded together on a fair and honourable
footing they ought to part fri'nds, for that occasion at least. Come
back, Deerslayer, and let us have your judgment, for I'm beginnin'
to think more of you, since your late behaviour, than I used to
do."
"There's an answer to your question, Hurry, since you're in such
haste to come ag'in to blows."
As Deerslayer spoke, he threw on the table on which the other was
reclining with one elbow a sort of miniature fagot, composed of a
dozen sticks bound tightly together with a deer-skin thong. March
seized it eagerly, and holding it close to a blazing knot of pine
that lay on the hearth, and which gave out all the light there was
in the room, ascertained that the ends of the several sticks had
been dipped in blood.
"If this isn't plain English," said the reckless frontier man,
"it's plain Indian! Here's what they call a dicliration of war,
down at York, Judith. How did you come by this defiance, Deerslayer?"
"Fairly enough. It lay not a minut' since, in what you call Floatin'
Tom's door-yard."
"How came it there?"
"It never fell from the clouds, Judith, as little toads sometimes
do, and then it don't rain."
"You must prove where it come from, Deerslayer, or we shall suspect
some design to skear them that would have lost their wits long ago,
if fear could drive 'em away."
Deerslayer had approached a window, and cast a glance out of it on
the dark aspect of the lake. As if satisfied with what he beheld,
he drew near Hurry, and took the bundle of sticks into his own
hand, examining it attentively.
"Yes, this is an Indian declaration of war, sure enough," he said,
"and it's a proof how little you're suited to be on the path it
has travelled, Harry March, that it has got here, and you never
the wiser as to the means. The savages may have left the scalp on
your head, but they must have taken Off the ears; else you'd have
heard the stirring of the water made by the lad as he come off
ag'in on his two logs. His ar'n'd was to throw these sticks at
our door, as much as to say, we've struck the war-post since the
trade, and the next thing will be to strike you."
"The prowling wolves! But hand me that rifle, Judith, and I'll
send an answer back to the vagabonds through their messenger."
"Not while I stand by, Master March," coolly put in Deerslayer,
motioning for the other to forbear. "Faith is faith, whether given
to a red-skin, or to a Christian. The lad lighted a knot, and came
off fairly under its blaze to give us this warning; and no man
here should harm him, while empl'yed on such an ar'n'd. There's no
use in words, for the boy is too cunning to leave the knot burning,
now his business is done, and the night is already too dark for a
rifle to have any sartainty."
"That may be true enough, as to a gun, but there's virtue still in
a canoe," answered Hurry, passing towards the door with enormous
strides, carrying a rifle in his hands. "The being doesn't live
that shall stop me from following and bringing back that riptyle's
scalp. The more on 'em that you crush in the egg, the fewer there'll
be to dart at you in the woods!"
Judith trembled like the aspen, she scarce knew why herself, though
there was the prospect of a scene of violence; for if Hurry was
fierce and overbearing in the consciousness of his vast strength,
Deerslayer had about him the calm determination that promises
greater perseverance, and a resolution more likely to effect its
object. It was the stern, resolute eye of the latter, rather than
the noisy vehemence of the first, that excited her apprehensions.
Hurry soon reached the spot where the canoe was fastened, but
not before Deerslayer had spoken in a quick, earnest voice to the
Serpent, in Delaware. The latter had been the first, in truth, to
hear the sounds of the oars, and he had gone upon the platform in
jealous watchfulness. The light Satisfied him that a message was
coming, and when the boy cast his bundle of sticks at his feet, it
neither moved his anger nor induced surprise. He merely stood at
watch, rifle in hand, to make certain that no treachery lay behind
the defiance. As Deerslayer now called to him, he stepped into the
canoe, and quick as thought removed the paddles. Hurry was furious
when he found that he was deprived of the means of proceeding. He
first approached the Indian with loud menaces, and even Deerslayer
stood aghast at the probable consequences. March shook his
sledge-hammer fists and flourished his arms as he drew near the
Indian, and all expected he would attempt to fell the Delaware
to the earth; one of them, at least, was well aware that such
an experiment would be followed by immediate bloodshed. But even
Hurry was awed by the stern composure of the chief, and he, too,
knew that such a man was not to be outraged with impunity; he
therefore turned to vent his rage on Deerslayer, where he foresaw
no consequences so terrible. What might have been the result of
this second demonstration if completed, is unknown, since it was
never made.
"Hurry," said a gentle, soothing voice at his elbow, "it's wicked
to be so angry, and God will not overlook it. The Iroquois treated
you well, and they didn't take your scalp, though you and father
wanted to take theirs."
The influence of mildness on passion is well known. Hetty, too,
had earned a sort of consideration, that had never before been
enjoyed by her, through the self-devotion and decision of her recent
conduct. Perhaps her established mental imbecility, by removing
all distrust of a wish to control, aided her influence. Let the
cause be as questionable as it might, the effect we sufficiently
certain. Instead of throttling his old fellow-traveler, Hurry
turned to the girl and poured out a portion of his discontent, if
none of his anger, in her attentive ears.
"Tis too bad, Hetty!" he exclaimed; "as bad as a county gaol or
a lack of beaver, to get a creatur' into your very trap, then to
see it get off. As much as six first quality skins, in valie, has
paddled off on them clumsy logs, when twenty strokes of a well-turned
paddle would overtake 'em. I say in valie, for as to the boy in
the way of natur', he is only a boy, and is worth neither more nor
less than one. Deerslayer, you've been ontrue to your fri'nds in
letting such a chance slip through my fingers well as your own."
The answer was given quietly, but with a voice as steady as a
fearless nature and the consciousness of rectitude could make it.
"I should have been untrue to the right, had I done otherwise,"
returned the Deerslayer, steadily; "and neither you, nor any other
man has authority to demand that much of me. The lad came on
a lawful business, and the meanest red-skin that roams the woods
would be ashamed of not respecting his ar'n'd. But he's now far
beyond your reach, Master March, and there's little use in talking,
like a couple of women, of what can no longer be helped."
So saying, Deerslayer turned away, like one resolved to waste no more
words on the subject, while Hutter pulled Harry by the sleeve, and
led him into the ark. There they sat long in private conference.
In the mean time, the Indian and his friend had their secret
consultation; for, though it wanted some three or four hours to the
rising of the star, the former could not abstain from canvassing
his scheme, and from opening his heart to the other. Judith,
too, yielded to her softer feelings, and listened to the whole of
Hetty's artless narrative of what occurred after she landed. The
woods had few terrors for either of these girls, educated as they
had been, and accustomed as they were to look out daily at their
rich expanse or to wander beneath their dark shades; but the elder
sister felt that she would have hesitated about thus venturing
alone into an Iroquois camp. Concerning Hist, Hetty was not very
communicative. She spoke of her kindness and gentleness and of the
meeting in the forest; but the secret of Chingachgook was guarded
with a shrewdness and fidelity that many a sharper-witted girl
might have failed to display.
At length the several conferences were broken up by the reappearance
of Hutter on the platform. Here he assembled the whole party, and
communicated as much of his intentions as he deemed expedient. Of
the arrangement made by Deerslayer, to abandon the castle during
the night and to take refuge in the ark, he entirely approved.
It struck him as it had the others, as the only effectual means
of escaping destruction. Now that the savages had turned their
attention to the construction of rafts, no doubt could exist of
their at least making an attempt to carry the building, and the
message of the bloody sticks sufficiently showed their confidence
in their own success. In short, the old man viewed the night as
critical, and he called on all to get ready as soon as possible, in
order to abandon the dwellings temporarily at least, if not forever.
These communications made, everything proceeded promptly and with
intelligence; the castle was secured in the manner already described,
the canoes were withdrawn from the dock and fastened to the ark by
the side of the other; the few necessaries that had been left in
the house were transferred to the cabin, the fire was extinguished
and all embarked.
The vicinity of the hills, with their drapery of pines, had the
effect to render nights that were obscure darker than common on the
lake. As usual, however, a belt of comparative light was etched
through the centre of the sheet, while it was within the shadows
of the mountains that the gloom rested most heavily on the water.
The island, or castle, stood in this belt of comparative light, but
still the night was so dark as to cover the aperture of the ark.
At the distance of an observer on the shore her movements could not
be seen at all, more particularly as a background of dark hillside
filled up the perspective of every view that was taken diagonally
or directly across the water. The prevailing wind on the lakes
of that region is west, but owing to the avenues formed by the
mountains it is frequently impossible to tell the true direction of
the currents, as they often vary within short distances and brief
differences of time. This is truer in light fluctuating puffs of
air than in steady breezes; though the squalls of even the latter
are familiarly known to be uncertain and baffling in all mountainous
regions and narrow waters. On the present occasion, Hutter himself
(as he shoved the ark from her berth at the side of the platform)
was at a loss to pronounce which way the wind blew. In common,
this difficulty was solved by the clouds, which, floating high
above the hill tops, as a matter of course obeyed the currents; but
now the whole vault of heaven seemed a mass of gloomy wall. Not
an opening of any sort was visible, and Chingachgook we already
trembling lest the non-appearance of the star might prevent his
betrothed from being punctual to her appointment. Under these
circumstances, Hutter hoisted his sail, seemingly with the sole
intention of getting away from the castle, as it might be dangerous
to remain much longer in its vicinity. The air soon filled the
cloth, and when the scow was got under command, and the sail was
properly trimmed, it was found that the direction was southerly,
inclining towards the eastern shore. No better course offering
for the purposes of the party, the singular craft was suffered to
skim the surface of the water in this direction for more than hour,
when a change in the currents of the air drove them over towards
the camp.
Deerslayer watched all the movements of Hutter and Harry with
jealous attention. At first, he did not know whether to ascribe
the course they held to accident or to design; but he now began to
suspect the latter. Familiar as Hutter was with the lake, it was
easy to deceive one who had little practice on the water; and let
his intentions be what they might, it was evident, ere two hours
had elapsed, that the ark had got sufficient space to be within a
hundred rods of the shore, directly abreast of the known position
of the camp. For a considerable time previously to reaching this
point, Hurry, who had some knowledge of the Algonquin language,
had been in close conference with the Indian, and the result was
now announced by the latter to Deerslayer, who had been a cold,
not to say distrusted, looker-on of all that passed.
"My old father, and my young brother, the Big Pine," - for so
the Delaware had named March - "want to see Huron scalps at their
belts," said Chingachgook to his friend. "There is room for some
on the girdle of the Sarpent, and his people will look for them when
he goes back to his village. Their eyes must not be left long in
a fog, but they must see what they look for. I know that my brother
has a white hand; he will not strike even the dead. He will wait
for us; when we come back, he will not hide his face from shame
for his friend. The great Serpent of the Mohicans must be worthy
to go on the war-path with Hawkeye."
"Ay, ay, Sarpent, I see how it is; that name's to stick, and in
time I shall get to be known by it instead of Deerslayer; well, if
such honours will come, the humblest of us all must be willing to
abide by 'em. As for your looking for scalps, it belongs to your
gifts, and I see no harm in it. Be marciful, Sarpent, howsever;
be marciful, I beseech of you. It surely can do no harm to a
red-skin's honour to show a little marcy. As for the old man, the
father of two young women, who might ripen better feelin's in his
heart, and Harry March, here, who, pine as he is, might better bear
the fruit of a more Christianized tree, as for them two, I leave
them in the hands of the white man's God. Wasn't it for the bloody
sticks, no man should go ag'in the Mingos this night, seein' that
it would dishonor our faith and characters; but them that crave
blood can't complain if blood is shed at their call. Still, Sarpent,
you can be marciful. Don't begin your career with the wails of
women and the cries of children. Bear yourself so that Hist will
smile, and not weep, when she meets you. Go, then; and the Manitou
presarve you!"
"My brother will stay here with the scow. Wah will soon be standing
on the shore waiting, and Chingachgook must hasten."
The Indian then joined his two co-adventurers, and first lowering
the sail, they all three entered the canoe, and left the side of
the ark. Neither Hutter nor March spoke to Deerslayer concerning
their object, or the probable length of their absence. All this
had been confided to the Indian, who had acquitted himself of the
trust with characteristic brevity. As soon as the canoe was out of
sight, and that occurred ere the paddles had given a dozen strokes,
Deerslayer made the best dispositions he could to keep the ark as
nearly stationary as possible; and then he sat down in the end of
the scow, to chew the cud of his own bitter reflections. It was
not long, however, before he was joined by Judith, who sought every
occasion to be near him, managing her attack on his affections
with the address that was suggested by native coquetry, aided by
no little practice, but which received much of its most dangerous
power from the touch of feeling that threw around her manner, voice,
accents, thoughts, and acts, the indescribable witchery of natural
tenderness. Leaving the young hunter exposed to these dangerous
assailants, it has become our more immediate business to follow
the party in the canoe to the shore.
The controlling influence that led Hutter and Hurry to repeat their
experiment against the camp was precisely that which had induced
the first attempt, a little heightened, perhaps, by the desire
of revenge. But neither of these two rude beings, so ruthless in
all things that touched the rights and interests of the red man,
thought possessing veins of human feeling on other matters, was much
actuated by any other desire than a heartless longing for profit.
Hurry had felt angered at his sufferings, when first liberated, it
is true, but that emotion soon disappeared in the habitual love
of gold, which he sought with the reckless avidity of a needy
spendthrift, rather than with the ceaseless longings of a miser.
In short, the motive that urged them both so soon to go against
the Hurons, was an habitual contempt of their enemy, acting on
the unceasing cupidity of prodigality. The additional chances of
success, however, had their place in the formation of the second
enterprise. It was known that a large portion of the warriors
-perhaps all - were encamped for the night abreast of the castle,
and it was hoped that the scalps of helpless victims would be
the consequence. To confess the truth, Hutter in particular - he
who had just left two daughters behind him - expected to find few
besides women and children in the camp. The fact had been but
slightly alluded to in his communications with Hurry, and with
Chingachgook it had been kept entirely out of view. If the Indian
thought of it at all, it was known only to himself.
Hutter steered the canoe; Hurry had manfully taken his post in the
bows, and Chingachgook stood in the centre. We say stood, for all
three were so skilled in the management of that species of frail
bark, as to be able to keep erect positions in the midst of the
darkness. The approach to the shore was made with great caution,
and the landing effected in safety. The three now prepared their
arms, and began their tiger-like approach upon the camp. The Indian
was on the lead, his two companions treading in his footsteps with
a stealthy cautiousness of manner that rendered their progress almost
literally noiseless. Occasionally a dried twig snapped under the
heavy weight of the gigantic Hurry, or the blundering clumsiness
of the old man; but, had the Indian walked on air, his step could
not have seemed lighter. The great object was first to discover
the position of the fire, which was known to be the centre of the
whole encampment. At length the keen eye of Chingachgook caught a
glimpse of this important guide. It was glimmering at a distance
among the trunks of trees. There was no blaze, but merely a single
smouldering brand, as suited the hour; the savages usually retiring
and rising with the revolutions of the sun.
As soon as a view was obtained of this beacon, the progress of the
adventurers became swifter and more certain. In a few minutes they
got to the edge of the circle of little huts. Here they stopped to
survey their ground, and to concert their movements. The darkness
was so deep as to render it difficult to distinguish anything but
the glowing brand, the trunks of the nearest trees, and the endless
canopy of leaves that veiled the clouded heaven. It was ascertained,
however, that a hut was quite near, and Chingachgook attempted to
reconnnoitre its interior. The manner in which the Indian approached
the place that was supposed to contain enemies, resembled the wily
advances of the cat on the bird. As he drew near, he stooped to
his hands and knees, for the entrance was so low as to require this
attitude, even as a convenience. Before trusting his head inside,
however, he listened long to catch the breathing of sleepers. No
sound was audible, and this human Serpent thrust his head in at
the door, or opening, as another serpent would have peered in on
the nest. Nothing rewarded the hazardous experiment; for, after
feeling cautiously with a hand, the place was found to be empty.
The Delaware proceeded in the same guarded manner to one or two more
of the huts, finding all in the same situation. He then returned
to his companions, and informed them that the Hurons had deserted
their camp. A little further inquiry corroborated this fact, and
it only remained to return to the canoe. The different manner
in which the adventurers bore the disappointment is worthy of a
passing remark. The chief, who had landed solely with the hope of
acquiring renown, stood stationary, leaning against a tree, waiting
the pleasure of his companions. He was mortified, and a little
surprised, it is true; but he bore all with dignity, falling back
for support on the sweeter expectations that still lay in reserve
for that evening. It was true, he could not now hope to meet his
mistress with the proofs of his daring and skill on his person, but
he might still hope to meet her; and the warrior, who was zealous
in the search, might always hope to be honored. On the other hand,
Hutter and Hurry, who had been chiefly instigated by the basest of
all human motives, the thirst of gain, could scarce control their
feelings. They went prowling among the huts, as if they expected
to find some forgotten child or careless sleeper; and again and
again did they vent their spite on the insensible huts, several of
which were actually torn to pieces, and scattered about the place.
Nay, they even quarrelled with each other, and fierce reproaches
passed between them. It is possible some serious consequences might
have occurred, had not the Delaware interfered to remind them of
the danger of being so unguarded, and of the necessity of returning
to the ark. This checked the dispute, and in a few minutes they
were paddling sullenly back to the spot where they hoped to find
that vessel.
It has been said that Judith took her place at the side of Deerslayer,
soon after the adventurers departed. For a short time the girl
was silent, and the hunter was ignorant which of the sisters had
approached him, but he soon recognized the rich, full-spirited
voice of the elder, as her feelings escaped in words.
"This is a terrible life for women, Deerslayer!" she exclaimed.
"Would to Heaven I could see an end of it!"
"The life is well enough, Judith," was the answer, "being pretty
much as it is used or abused. What would you wish to see in its
place?"
"I should be a thousand times happier to live nearer to civilized
beings - where there are farms and churches, and houses built as
it might be by Christian hands; and where my sleep at night would
be sweet and tranquil! A dwelling near on of the forts would be
far better than this dreary place where we live!"
"Nay, Judith, I can't agree too lightly in the truth of all this.
If forts are good to keep off inimies, they sometimes hold inimies
of their own. I don't think 'twould be for your good, or the good
of Hetty, to live near one; and if I must say what I think, I'm
afeard you are a little too near as it is." Deerslayer went on,
in his own steady, earnest manner, for the darkness concealed the
tints that colored the cheeks of the girl almost to the brightness
of crimson, while her own great efforts suppressed the sounds of
the breathing that nearly choked her. "As for farms, they have
their uses, and there's them that like to pass their lives on 'em;
but what comfort can a man look for in a clearin', that he can't find
in double quantities in the forest? If air, and room, and light,
are a little craved, the windrows and the streams will furnish
'em, or here are the lakes for such as have bigger longings in that
way; but where are you to find your shades, and laughing springs,
and leaping brooks, and vinerable trees, a thousand years old,
in a clearin'? You don't find them, but you find their disabled
trunks, marking the 'arth like headstones in a graveyard. It
seems to me that the people who live in such places must be always
thinkin' of their own inds, and of universal decay; and that, too,
not of the decay that is brought about by time and natur', but the
decay that follows waste and violence. Then as to churches, they
are good, I suppose, else wouldn't good men uphold 'em. But they
are not altogether necessary. They call 'em the temples of the
Lord; but, Judith, the whole 'arth is a temple of the Lord to such
as have the right mind. Neither forts nor churches make people
happier of themselves. Moreover, all is contradiction in the
settlements, while all is concord in the woods. Forts and churches
almost always go together, and yet they're downright contradictions;
churches being for peace, and forts for war. No, no - give me
the strong places of the wilderness, which is the trees, and the
churches, too, which are arbors raised by the hand of natur'."
"Woman is not made for scenes like these, Deerslayer, scenes of
which we shall have no end, as long as this war lasts."
"If you mean women of white colour, I rather think you're not far
from the truth, gal; but as for the females of the redmen, such
visitations are quite in character. Nothing would make Hist, now,
the bargained wife of yonder Delaware, happier than to know that
he is at this moment prowling around his nat'ral inimies, striving
after a scalp."
"Surely, surely, Deerslayer, she cannot be a woman, and not feel
concern when she thinks the man she loves is in danger!"
"She doesn't think of the danger, Judith, but of the honor; and
when the heart is desperately set on such feelin's, why, there is
little room to crowd in fear. Hist is a kind, gentle, laughing,
pleasant creatur', but she loves honor, as well as any Delaware
gal I ever know'd. She's to meet the Sarpent an hour hence, on the
p'int where Hetty landed, and no doubt she has her anxiety about
it, like any other woman; but she'd be all the happier did she know
that her lover was at this moment waylaying a Mingo for his scalp."
"If you really believe this, Deerslayer, no wonder you lay so
much stress on gifts. Certain am I, that no white girl could feel
anything but misery while she believed her betrothed in danger of
his life! Nor do I suppose even you, unmoved and calm as you ever
seem to be, could be at peace if you believed your Hist in danger."
"That's a different matter - 'tis altogether a different matter,
Judith. Woman is too weak and gentle to be intended to run such
risks, and man must feel for her. Yes, I rather think that's as
much red natur' as it's white. But I have no Hist, nor am I like
to have; for I hold it wrong to mix colours, any way except in
friendship and sarvices."
"In that you are and feel as a white man should! As for Hurry
Harry, I do think it would be all the same to him whether his wife
were a squaw or a governor's daughter, provided she was a little
comely, and could help to keep his craving stomach full."
"You do March injustice, Judith; yes, you do. The poor fellow dotes
on you, and when a man has ra'ally set his heart on such a creatur'
it isn't a Mingo, or even a Delaware gal, that'll be likely to
unsettle his mind. You may laugh at such men as Hurry and I, for
we're rough and unteached in the ways of books and other knowledge;
but we've our good p'ints, as well as our bad ones. An honest
heart is not to be despised, gal, even though it be not varsed in
all the niceties that please the female fancy."
"You, Deerslayer! And do you - can you, for an instant, suppose
I place you by the side of Harry March? No, no, I am not so far
gone in dullness as that. No one - man or woman - could think of
naming your honest heart, manly nature, and simple truth, with the
boisterous selfishness, greedy avarice, and overbearing ferocity of
Harry March. The very best that can be said of him, is to be found
in his name of Hurry Skurry, which, if it means no great harm,
means no great good. Even my father, following his feelings with
the other, as he is doing at this moment, well knows the difference
between you. This I know, for he said as much to me, in plain
language."
Judith was a girl of quick sensibilities and of impetuous feelings;
and, being under few of the restraints that curtail the manifestations
of maiden emotions among those who are educated in the habits of
civilized life, she sometimes betrayed the latter with a feeling
that was so purely natural as to place it as far above the wiles of
coquetry as it was superior to its heartlessness. She had now even
taken one of the hard hands of the hunter and pressed it between
both her own, with a warmth and earnestness that proved how sincere
was her language. It was perhaps fortunate that she was checked by
the very excess of her feelings, since the same power might have
urged her on to avow all that her father had said - the old man
not having been satisfied with making a comparison favorable to
Deerslayer, as between the hunter and Hurry, but having actually,
in his blunt rough way, briefly advised his daughter to cast off the
latter entirely, and to think of the former as a husband. Judith
would not willingly have said this to any other man, but there
was so much confidence awakened by the guileless simplicity of
Deerslayer, that one of her nature found it a constant temptation
to overstep the bounds of habit. She went no further, however,
immediately relinquishing the hand, and falling back on a reserve
that was more suited to her sex, and, indeed, to her natural modesty.
"Thankee, Judith, thankee with all my heart," returned the hunter, whose
humility prevented him from placing any flattering interpretation
on either the conduct or the language of the girl. "Thankee as much
as if it was all true. Harry's sightly - yes, he's as sightly as
the tallest pine of the mountains, and the Sarpent has named him
accordingly; however, some fancy good looks, and some fancy good
conduct, only. Hurry has one advantage, and it depends on himself
whether he'll have t'other or - Hark! That's your father's voice,
gal, and he speaks like a man who's riled at something."
"God save us from any more of these horrible scenes!" exclaimed
Judith, bending her face to her knees, and endeavoring to exclude
the discordant sounds, by applying her hands to her ears. "I
sometimes wish I had no father!"
This was bitterly said, and the repinings which extorted the words
were bitterly felt. It is impossible to say what might next have
escaped her had not a gentle, low voice spoken at her elbow.
"Judith, I ought to have read a chapter to father and Hurry!" said
the innocent but terrified speaker, "and that would have kept them
from going again on such an errand. Do you call to them, Deerslayer,
and tell them I want them, and that it will be good for them both
if they'll return and hearken to my words."
"Ah's me! Poor Hetty, you little know the cravin's for gold and
revenge, if you believe they are so easily turned aside from their
longin's! But this is an uncommon business in more ways than one,
Judith. I hear your father and Hurry growling like bears, and yet
no noise comes from the mouth of the young chief. There's an ind
of secrecy, and yet his whoop, which ought to ring in the mountains,
accordin' to rule in such sarcumstances, is silent!"
"Justice may have alighted on him, and his death have saved the
lives of the innocent."
"Not it - not it - the Sarpent is not the one to suffer if that's
to be the law. Sartainly there has been no onset, and 'tis
most likely that the camp's deserted, and the men are comin' back
disapp'inted. That accounts for the growls of Hurry and the silence
of the Sarpent."
Just at this instant a fall of a paddle was heard in the canoe,
for vexation made March reckless. Deerslayer felt convinced that
his conjecture was true. The sail being down, the ark had not
drifted far; and ere many minutes he heard Chingachgook, in a low,
quiet tone, directing Hutter how to steer in order to reach it.
In less time than it takes to tell the fact, the canoe touched the
scow, and the adventurers entered the latter. Neither Hutter nor
Hurry spoke of what had occurred. But the Delaware, in passing
his friend, merely uttered the words "fire's out," which, if not
literally true, sufficiently explained the truth to his listener.
It was now a question as to the course to be steered. A short
surly conference was held, when Hutter decided that the wisest way
would be to keep in motion as the means most likely to defeat any
attempt at a surprise - announcing his own and March's intention
to requite themselves for the loss of sleep during their captivity,
by lying down. As the air still baffled and continued light, it was
finally determined to sail before it, let it come in what direction
it might, so long as it did not blow the ark upon the strand. This
point settled, the released prisoners helped to hoist the sail, and
they threw themselves upon two of the pallets, leaving Deerslayer
and his friend to look after the movements of the craft. As neither
of the latter was disposed to sleep, on account of the appointment
with Hist, this arrangement was acceptable to all parties. That
Judith and Hetty remained up also, in no manner impaired the
agreeable features of this change.
For some time the scow rather drifted than sailed along the western
shore, following a light southerly current of the air. The progress
was slow - not exceeding a couple of miles in the hour - but the
two men perceived that it was not only carrying them towards the
point they desired to reach, but at a rate that was quite as fast
as the hour yet rendered necessary. But little more was said the
while even by the girls; and that little had more reference to the
rescue of Hist than to any other subject. The Indian was calm to
the eye, but as minute after minute passed, his feelings became
more and more excited, until they reached a state that might have
satisfied the demands of even the most exacting mistress. Deerslayer
kept the craft as much in the bays as was prudent, for the double
purpose of sailing within the shadows of the woods, and of detecting
any signs of an encampment they might pass on the shore. In this
manner they doubled one low point, and were already in the bay that
was terminated north by the goal at which they aimed. The latter
was still a quarter of a mile distant, when Chingachgook came
silently to the side of his friend and pointed to a place directly
ahead. A small fire was glimmering just within the verge of
the bushes that lined the shore on the southern side of the point
-leaving no doubt that the Indians had suddenly removed their camp
to the very place, or at least the very projection of land where
Hist had given them the rendezvous!
Chapter XVI
"I hear thee babbling to the vale
Of sunshine and of flowers,
But unto me thou bring'st a tale
Of visionary hours."
Wordsworth.
One discovery mentioned at the close of the preceding chapter
was of great moment in the eyes of Deerslayer and his friend. In
the first place, there was the danger, almost the certainty, that
Hutter and Hurry would make a fresh attempt on this camp, should
they awake and ascertain its position. Then there was the increased
risk of landing to bring off Hist; and there were the general
uncertainty and additional hazards that must follow from the
circumstance that their enemies had begun to change their positions.
As the Delaware was aware that the hour was near when he ought to
repair to the rendezvous, he no longer thought of trophies torn
from his foes, and one of the first things arranged between him and
his associate was to permit the two others to sleep on, lest they
should disturb the execution of their plans by substituting some
of their own. The ark moved slowly, and it would have taken fully
a quarter of an hour to reach the point, at the rate at which
they were going, thus affording time for a little forethought.
The Indians, in the wish to conceal their fire from those who
were thought to be still in the castle, had placed it so near the
southern side of the point as to render it extremely difficult to
shut it in by the bushes, though Deerslayer varied the direction
of the scow both to the right and to the left, in the hope of being
able to effect that object.
"There's one advantage, Judith, in finding that fire so near the
water," he said, while executing these little manoeuvres, "since it
shows the Mingos believe we are in the hut, and our coming on 'em
from this quarter will be an unlooked for event. But it's lucky
Harry March and your father are asleep, else we should have 'em
prowling after scalps ag'in. Ha! there - the bushes are beginning
to shut in the fire - and now it can't be seen at all!"
Deerslayer waited a little to make certain that he had at last
gained the desired position, when he gave the signal agreed on,
and Chingachgook let go the grapnel and lowered the sail.
The situation in which the ark now lay had its advantages and its
disadvantages. The fire had been hid by sheering towards the shore,
and the latter was nearer, perhaps, than was desirable. Still,
the water was known to be very deep further off in the lake, and
anchoring in deep water, under the circumstances in which the party
was placed, was to be avoided, if possible. It was also believed
no raft could be within miles; and though the trees in the darkness
appeared almost to overhang the scow, it would not be easy to get
off to her without using a boat. The intense darkness that prevailed
so close in with the forest, too, served as an effectual screen,
and so long as care was had not to make a noise, there was little
or no danger of being detected. All these things Deerslayer pointed
out to Judith, instructing her as to the course she was to follow
in the event of an alarm; for it was thought to the last degree
inexpedient to arouse the sleepers, unless it might be in the
greatest emergency.
"And now, Judith, as we understand one another, it is time the
Sarpent and I had taken to the canoe," the hunter concluded. "The
star has not risen yet, it's true, but it soon must, though none
of us are likely to be any the wiser for it tonight, on account
of the clouds. Howsever, Hist has a ready mind, and she's one of
them that doesn't always need to have a thing afore her, to see it.
I'll warrant you she'll not be either two minutes or two feet out
of the way, unless them jealous vagabonds, the Mingos, have taken
the alarm, and put her as a stool-pigeon to catch us, or have hid
her away, in order to prepare her mind for a Huron instead of a
Mohican husband."
"Deerslayer," interrupted the girl, earnestly; "this is a most
dangerous service; why do you go on it, at all?"
"Anan! - Why you know, gal, we go to bring off Hist, the Sarpent's
betrothed - the maid he means to marry, as soon as we get back to
the tribe."
"That is all right for the Indian - but you do not mean to marry
Hist - you are not betrothed, and why should two risk their lives
and liberties, to do that which one can just as well perform?"
"Ah - now I understand you, Judith - yes, now I begin to take the
idee. You think as Hist is the Sarpent's betrothed, as they call
it, and not mine, it's altogether his affair; and as one man can
paddle a canoe he ought to be left to go after his gal alone! But
you forget this is our ar'n'd here on the lake, and it would not
tell well to forget an ar'n'd just as the pinch came. Then, if
love does count for so much with some people, particularly with
young women, fri'ndship counts for something, too, with other
some. I dares to say, the Delaware can paddle a canoe by himself,
and can bring off Hist by himself, and perhaps he would like that
quite as well, as to have me with him; but he couldn't sarcumvent
sarcumventions, or stir up an ambushment, or fight with the savages,
and get his sweetheart at the same time, as well by himself as if
he had a fri'nd with him to depend on, even if that fri'nd is no
better than myself. No - no - Judith, you wouldn't desert one that
counted on you, at such a moment, and you can't, in reason, expect
me to do it."
"I fear - I believe you are right, Deerslayer, and yet I wish you
were not to go! Promise me one thing, at least, and that is, not
to trust yourself among the savages, or to do anything more than
to save the girl. That will be enough for once, and with that you
ought to be satisfied."
"Lord bless you! gal; one would think it was Hetty that's talking,
and not the quick-witted and wonderful Judith Hutter! But fright
makes the wise silly, and the strong weak. Yes, I've seen proofs
of that, time and ag'in! Well, it's kind and softhearted in you,
Judith, to feel this consarn for a fellow creatur', and I shall
always say that you are kind and of true feelings, let them that
envy your good looks tell as many idle stories of you as they may."
"Deerslayer!" hastily said the girl, interrupting him, though nearly
choked by her own emotions; "do you believe all you hear about a
poor, motherless girl? Is the foul tongue of Hurry Harry to blast
my life?"
"Not it, Judith - not it. I've told Hurry it wasn't manful to
backbite them he couldn't win by fair means; and that even an Indian
is always tender, touching a young woman's good name."
"If I had a brother, he wouldn't dare to do it!" exclaimed Judith,
with eyes flashing fire. "But, finding me without any protector but
an old man, whose ears are getting to be as dull as his feelings,
he has his way as he pleases!"
"Not exactly that, Judith; no, not exactly that, neither! No
man, brother or stranger, would stand by and see as fair a gal as
yourself hunted down, without saying a word in her behalf. Hurry's
in 'arnest in wanting to make you his wife, and the little he does
let out ag'in you, comes more from jealousy, like, than from any
thing else. Smile on him when he awakes, and squeeze his hand
only half as hard as you squeezed mine a bit ago, and my life on
it, the poor fellow will forget every thing but your comeliness.
Hot words don't always come from the heart, but oftener from the
stomach than anywhere else. Try him, Judith, when he awakes, and
see the virtue of a smile."
Deerslayer laughed, in his own manner, as he concluded, and then he
intimated to the patient-looking, but really impatient Chingachgook,
his readiness to proceed. As the young man entered the canoe, the
girl stood immovable as stone, lost in the musings that the language
and manner of the other were likely to produce. The simplicity
of the hunter had completely put her at fault; for, in her narrow
sphere, Judith was an expert manager of the other sex; though in
the present instance she was far more actuated by impulses, in all
she had said and done, than by calculation. We shall not deny that
some of Judith's reflections were bitter, though the sequel of the
tale must be referred to, in order to explain how merited, or how
keen were her sufferings.
Chingachgook and his pale-face friend set forth on their hazardous
and delicate enterprise, with a coolness and method that would have
done credit to men who were on their twentieth, instead of being
on their first, war-path. As suited his relation to the pretty
fugitive, in whose service they were engaged, the Indian took his
place in the head of the canoe; while Deerslayer guided its movements
in the stern. By this arrangement, the former would be the first
to land, and of course, the first to meet his mistress. The latter
had taken his post without comment, but in secret influenced by the
reflection that one who had so much at stake as the Indian, might
not possibly guide the canoe with the same steadiness and intelligence,
as another who had more command of his feelings. From the instant
they left the side of the ark, the movements of the two adventurers
were like the manoeuvres of highly-drilled soldiers, who, for the
first time were called on to meet the enemy in the field. As yet,
Chingachgook had never fired a shot in anger, and the debut of
his companion in warfare is known to the reader. It is true, the
Indian had been hanging about his enemy's camp for a few hours, on
his first arrival, and he had even once entered it, as related in
the last chapter, but no consequences had followed either experiment.
Now, it was certain that an important result was to be effected,
or a mortifying failure was to ensue. The rescue, or the continued
captivity of Hist, depended on the enterprise. In a word, it was
virtually the maiden expedition of these two ambitious young forest
soldiers; and while one of them set forth impelled by sentiments
that usually carry men so far, both had all their feelings of pride
and manhood enlisted in their success.
Instead of steering in a direct line to the point, then distant
from the ark less than a quarter of a mile, Deerslayer laid the
head of his canoe diagonally towards the centre of the lake, with
a view to obtain a position from which he might approach the shore,
having his enemies in his front only. The spot where Hetty had
landed, and where Hist had promised to meet them, moreover, was on
the upper side of the projection rather than on the lower; and to
reach it would have required the two adventurers to double nearly
the whole point, close in with the shore, had not this preliminary
step been taken. So well was the necessity for this measure
understood, that Chingachgook quietly paddled on, although it was
adopted without consulting him, and apparently was taking him in
a direction nearly opposite to that one might think he most wished
to go. A few minutes sufficed, however, to carry the canoe the
necessary distance, when both the young men ceased paddling as it
were by instinctive consent, and the boat became stationary. The
darkness increased rather than diminished, but it was still
possible, from the place where the adventurers lay, to distinguish
the outlines of the mountains. In vain did the Delaware turn
his head eastward, to catch a glimpse of the promised star; for,
notwithstanding the clouds broke a little near the horizon in
that quarter of the heavens, the curtain continued so far drawn as
effectually to conceal all behind it. In front, as was known by
the formation of land above and behind it, lay the point, at the
distance of about a thousand feet. No signs of the castle could
be seen, nor could any movement in that quarter of the lake reach
the ear. The latter circumstance might have been equally owing to
the distance, which was several miles, or to the fact that nothing
was in motion. As for the ark, though scarcely farther from the
canoe than the point, it lay so completely buried in the shadows
of the shore, that it would not have been visible even had there
been many degrees more of light than actually existed.
The adventurers now held a conference in low voices, consulting
together as to the probable time. Deerslayer thought it wanted
yet some minutes to the rising of the star, while the impatience
of the chief caused him to fancy the night further advanced, and
to believe that his betrothed was already waiting his appearance on
the shore. As might have been expected, the opinion of the latter
prevailed, and his friend disposed himself to steer for the place
of rendezvous. The utmost skill and precaution now became necessary in
the management of the canoe. The paddles were lifted and returned
to the water in a noiseless manner; and when within a hundred
yards of the beach, Chingachgook took in his, altogether laying
his hand on his rifle in its stead. As they got still more within
the belt of darkness that girded the woods, it was seen that they
were steering too far north, and the course was altered accordingly.
The canoe now seemed to move by instinct, so cautious and deliberate
were all its motions. Still it continued to advance, until its
bows grated on the gravel of the beach, at the precise spot where
Hetty had landed, and whence her voice had issued, the previous
night, as the ark was passing. There was, as usual, a narrow
strand, but bushes fringed the woods, and in most places overhung
the water.
Chingachgook stepped upon the beach, and cautiously examined it for
some distance on each side of the canoe. In order to do this, he
was often obliged to wade to his knees in the lake, but no Hist
rewarded his search. When he returned, he found his friend also on
the shore. They next conferred in whispers, the Indian apprehending
that they must have mistaken the place of rendezvous. But Deerslayer
thought it was probable they had mistaken the hour. While he was
yet speaking, he grasped the arm of the Delaware, caused him to
turn his head in the direction of the lake, and pointed towards the
summits of the eastern mountains. The clouds had broken a little,
apparently behind rather than above the hills, and the evening
star was glittering among the branches of a pine. This was every
way a flattering omen, and the young men leaned on their rifles,
listening intently for the sound of approaching footsteps. Voices
they often heard, and mingled with them were the suppressed cries
of children, and the low but sweet laugh of Indian women. As the
native Americans are habitually cautious, and seldom break out in
loud conversation, the adventurers knew by these facts that they
must be very near the encampment. It was easy to perceive that
there was a fire within the woods, by the manner in which some of
the upper branches of the trees were illuminated, but it was not
possible, where they stood, to ascertain exactly how near it was to
themselves. Once or twice, it seemed as if stragglers from around
the fire were approaching the place of rendezvous; but these
sounds were either altogether illusion, or those who had drawn near
returned again without coming to the shore. A quarter of an hour
was passed in this state of intense expectation and anxiety, when
Deerslayer proposed that they should circle the point in the canoe;
and by getting a position close in, where the camp could be seen,
reconnoitre the Indians, and thus enable themselves to form some
plausible conjectures for the non-appearance of Hist. The Delaware,
however, resolutely refused to quit the spot, reasonably enough
offering as a reason the disappointment of the girl, should she
arrive in his absence. Deerslayer felt for his friend's concern,
and offered to make the circuit of the point by himself, leaving
the latter concealed in the bushes to await the occurrence of any
fortunate event that might favour his views. With this understanding,
then, the parties separated.
As soon as Deerslayer was at his post again, in the stern of the
canoe, he left the shore with the same precautions, and in the
same noiseless manner, as he had approached it. On this occasion
he did not go far from the land, the bushes affording a sufficient
cover, by keeping as close in as possible. Indeed, it would not
have been easy to devise any means more favourable to reconnoitering
round an Indian camp, than those afforded by the actual state
of things. The formation of the point permitted the place to be
circled on three of its sides, and the progress of the boat was
so noiseless as to remove any apprehensions from an alarm through
sound. The most practised and guarded foot might stir a bunch of
leaves, or snap a dried stick in the dark, but a bark canoe could
be made to float over the surface of smooth water, almost with the
instinctive readiness, and certainly with the noiseless movements
of an aquatic bird.
Deerslayer had got nearly in a line between the camp and the ark
before he caught a glimpse of the fire. This came upon him suddenly,
and a little unexpectedly, at first causing an alarm, lest he had
incautiously ventured within the circle of light it cast. But
perceiving at a second glance that he was certainly safe from
detection, so long as the Indians kept near the centre of the
illumination, he brought the canoe to a state of rest in the most
favourable position he could find, and commenced his observations.
We have written much, but in vain, concerning this extraordinary
being, if the reader requires now to be told, that, untutored as
he was in the learning of the world, and simple as he ever showed
himself to be in all matters touching the subtleties of conventional
taste, he was a man of strong, native, poetical feeling. He loved
the woods for their freshness, their sublime solitudes, their
vastness, and the impress that they everywhere bore of the divine
hand of their creator. He seldom moved through them, without
pausing to dwell on some peculiar beauty that gave him pleasure,
though seldom attempting to investigate the causes; and never did
a day pass without his communing in spirit, and this, too, without
the aid of forms or language, with the infinite source of all he
saw, felt, and beheld. Thus constituted, in a moral sense, and of
a steadiness that no danger could appall, or any crisis disturb,
it is not surprising that the hunter felt a pleasure at looking
on the scene he now beheld, that momentarily caused him to forget
the object of his visit. This will more fully appear when we
describe it.
The canoe lay in front of a natural vista, not only through the
bushes that lined the shore, but of the trees also, that afforded
a clear view of the camp. It was by means of this same opening
that the light had been first seen from the ark. In consequence
of their recent change of ground, the Indians had not yet retired
to their huts, but had been delayed by their preparations, which
included lodging as well as food. A large fire had been made,
as much to answer the purpose of torches as for the use of their
simple cookery; and at this precise moment it was blazing high and
bright, having recently received a large supply of dried brush.
the effect was to illuminate the arches of the forest, and to
render the whole area occupied by the camp as light as if hundreds
of tapers were burning. Most of the toil had ceased, and even the
hungriest child had satisfied its appetite. In a word, the time
was that moment of relaxation and general indolence which is apt to
succeed a hearty meal, and when the labours of the day have ended.
The hunters and the fishermen had been totally successful; and
food, that one great requisite of savage life, being abundant,
every other care appeared to have subsided in the sense of enjoyment
dependent on this all-important fact.
Deerslayer saw at a glance that many of the warriors were absent.
His acquaintance Rivenoak, however, was present, being seated in
the foreground of a picture that Salvator Rosa would have delighted
to draw, his swarthy features illuminated as much by pleasure as
by the torchlike flame, while he showed another of the tribe one of
the elephants that had caused so much sensation among his people.
A boy was looking over his shoulder, in dull curiosity, completing
the group. More in the background eight or ten warriors lay half
recumbent on the ground, or sat with their backs reclining against
trees, so many types of indolent repose. Their arms were near
them all, sometimes leaning against the same trees as themselves,
or were lying across their bodies in careless preparation. But
the group that most attracted the attention of Deerslayer was that
composed of the women and children. A1l the females appeared to
be collected together, and, almost as a matter of course, their
young were near them. The former laughed and chatted in their
rebuked and quiet manner, though one who knew the habits of the
people might have detected that everything was not going on in its
usual train. Most of the young women seemed to be light-hearted
enough; but one old hag was seated apart with a watchful soured
aspect, which the hunter at once knew betokened that some duty of
an unpleasant character had been assigned her by the chiefs. What
that duty was, he had no means of knowing; but he felt satisfied it
must be in some measure connected with her own sex, the aged among
the women generally being chosen for such offices and no other.
As a matter of course, Deerslayer looked eagerly and anxiously
for the form of Hist. She was nowhere visible though the light
penetrated to considerable distances in all directions around the
fire. Once or twice he started, as he thought he recognized her
laugh; but his ears were deceived by the soft melody that is so
common to the Indian female voice. At length the old woman spoke
loud and angrily, and then he caught a glimpse of one or two dark
figures in the background of trees, which turned as if obedient
to the rebuke, and walked more within the circle of the light. A
young warrior's form first came fairly into view; then followed
two youthful females, one of whom proved to be the Delaware girl.
Deerslayer now comprehended it all. Hist was watched, possibly
by her young companion, certainly by the old woman. The youth was
probably some suitor of either her or her companion; but even his
discretion was distrusted under the influence of his admiration.
The known vicinity of those who might be supposed to be her friends,
and the arrival of a strange red man on the lake had induced
more than the usual care, and the girl had not been able to slip
away from those who watched her in order to keep her appointment.
Deerslayer traced her uneasiness by her attempting once or twice
to look up through the branches of the trees, as if endeavouring
to get glimpses of the star she had herself named as the sign for
meeting. All was vain, however, and after strolling about the camp
a little longer, in affected indifference, the two girls quitted
their male escort, and took seats among their own sex. As soon
as this was done, the old sentinel changed her place to one more
agreeable to herself, a certain proof that she had hitherto been
exclusively on watch.
Deerslayer now felt greatly at a loss how to proceed. He well
knew that Chingachgook could never be persuaded to return to the
ark without making some desperate effort for the recovery of his
mistress, and his own generous feelings well disposed him to aid in
such an undertaking. He thought he saw the signs of an intention
among the females to retire for the night; and should he remain,
and the fire continue to give out its light, he might discover the
particular hut or arbour under which Hist reposed; a circumstance
that would be of infinite use in their future proceedings. Should he
remain, however, much longer where he was, there was great danger
that the impatience of his friend would drive him into some act
of imprudence. At each instant, indeed, he expected to see the
swarthy form of the Delaware appearing in the background, like the
tiger prowling around the fold. Taking all things into consideration,
therefore, he came to the conclusion it would be better to rejoin
his friend, and endeavour to temper his impetuosity by some of his
own coolness and discretion. It required but a minute or two to
put this plan in execution, the canoe returning to the strand some
ten or fifteen minutes after it had left it.
Contrary to his expectations, perhaps, Deerslayer found the Indian
at his post, from which he had not stirred, fearful that his betrothed
might arrive during his absence. A conference followed, in which
Chingachgook was made acquainted with the state of things in the
camp. When Hist named the point as the place of meeting, it was
with the expectation of making her escape from the old position,
and of repairing to a spot that she expected to find without any
occupants; but the sudden change of localities had disconcerted
all her plans. A much greater degree of vigilance than had been
previously required was now necessary; and the circumstance that
an aged woman was on watch also denoted some special grounds of
alarm. All these considerations, and many more that will readily
suggest themselves to the reader, were briefly discussed before
the young men came to any decision. The occasion, however, being
one that required acts instead of words, the course to be pursued
was soon chosen.
Disposing of the canoe in such a manner that Hist must see it,
should she come to the place of meeting previously to their return,
the young men looked to their arms and prepared to enter the wood.
The whole projection into the lake contained about two acres of
land; and the part that formed the point, and on which the camp was
placed, did not compose a surface of more than half that size. It
was principally covered with oaks, which, as is usual in the American
forests, grew to a great height without throwing out a branch, and
then arched in a dense and rich foliage. Beneath, except the fringe
of thick bushes along the shore, there was very little underbrush;
though, in consequence of their shape, the trees were closer
together than is common in regions where the axe has been freely
used, resembling tall, straight, rustic columns, upholding the
usual canopy of leaves. The surface of the land was tolerably even,
but it had a small rise near its centre, which divided it into a
northern and southern half. On the latter, the Hurons had built
their fire, profiting by the formation to conceal it from their
enemies, who, it will be remembered, were supposed to be in the
castle, which bore northerly. A brook also came brawling down the
sides of the adjacent hills, and found its way into the lake on the
southern side of the point. It had cut for itself a deep passage
through some of the higher portions of the ground, and, in later
days, when this spot has become subjected to the uses of civilization,
by its windings and shaded banks, it has become no mean accessory
in contributing to the beauty of the place. This brook lay west
of the encampment, and its waters found their way into the great
reservoir of that region on the same side, and quite near to
the spot chosen for the fire. All these peculiarities, so far as
circumstances allowed, had been noted by Deerslayer, and explained
to his friend.
The reader will understand that the little rise in the ground,
that lay behind the Indian encampment, greatly favoured the secret
advance of the two adventurers. It prevented the light of the fire
diffusing itself on the ground directly in the rear, although the
land fell away towards the water, so as to leave what might be
termed the left, or eastern flank of the position unprotected by
this covering. We have said unprotected, though that is not properly
the word, since the knoll behind the huts and the fire offered a
cover for those who were now stealthily approaching, rather than
any protection to the Indians. Deerslayer did not break through
the fringe of bushes immediately abreast of the canoe, which might
have brought him too suddenly within the influence of the light,
since the hillock did not extend to the water; but he followed the
beach northerly until he had got nearly on the opposite side of
the tongue of land, which brought him under the shelter of the low
acclivity, and consequently more in the shadow.
As soon as the friends emerged from the bushes, they stopped to
reconnoitre. The fire was still blazing behind the little ridge,
casting its light upward into the tops of the trees, producing an
effect that was more pleasing than advantageous. Still the glare
had its uses; for, while the background was in obscurity, the
foreground was in strong light; exposing the savages and concealing
their foes. Profiting by the latter circumstance, the young men
advanced cautiously towards the ridge, Deerslayer in front, for he
insisted on this arrangement, lest the Delaware should be led by
his feelings into some indiscretion. It required but a moment to
reach the foot of the little ascent, and then commenced the most
critical part of the enterprise. Moving with exceeding caution,
and trailing his rifle, both to keep its barrel out of view, and
in readiness for service, the hunter put foot before foot, until
he had got sufficiently high to overlook the summit, his own head
being alone brought into the light. Chingachgook was at his side
and both paused to take another close examination of the camp. In
order, however, to protect themselves against any straggler in the
rear, they placed their bodies against the trunk of an oak, standing
on the side next the fire.
The view that Deerslayer now obtained of the camp was exactly the
reverse of that he had perceived from the water. The dim figures
which he had formerly discovered must have been on the summit of the
ridge, a few feet in advance of the spot where he was now posted.
The fire was still blazing brightly, and around it were seated on
logs thirteen warriors, which accounted for all whom he had seen
from the canoe. They were conversing, with much earnestness among
themselves, the image of the elephant passing from hand to hand.
The first burst of savage wonder had abated, and the question now
under discussion was the probable existence, the history and the
habits of so extraordinary an animal. We have not leisure to record
the opinions of these rude men on a subject so consonant to their
lives and experience; but little is hazarded in saying that they
were quite as plausible, and far more ingenious, than half the
conjectures that precede the demonstrations of science. However
much they may have been at fault as to their conclusions and
inferences, it is certain that they discussed the questions with a
zealous and most undivided attention. For the time being all else
was forgotten, and our adventurers could not have approached at a
more fortunate instant.
The females were collected near each other, much as Deerslayer
had last seen them, nearly in a line between the place where he
now stood and the fire. The distance from the oak against which
the young men leaned and the warriors was about thirty yards; the
women may have been half that number of yards nigher. The latter,
indeed, were so near as to make the utmost circumspection, as to
motion and noise, indispensable. Although they conversed in their
low, soft voices it was possible, in the profound stillness of the
woods, even to catch passages of the discourse; and the light-hearted
laugh that escaped the girls might occasionally have reached the
canoe. Deerslayer felt the tremolo that passed through the frame
of his friend when the latter first caught the sweet sounds that
issued from the plump, pretty lips of Hist. He even laid a hand
on the shoulder of the Indian, as a sort of admonition to command
himself. As the conversation grew more earnest, each leaned forward
to listen.
"The Hurons have more curious beasts than that," said one of the
girls, contemptuously, for, like the men, they conversed of the
elephant and his qualities. "The Delawares will think this creature
wonderful, but tomorrow no Huron tongue will talk of it. Our young
men will find him if the animals dare to come near our wigwams!"
This was, in fact, addressed to Wah-ta-Wah, though she who spoke
uttered her words with an assumed diffidence and humility that
prevented her looking at the other.
"The Delawares are so far from letting such creatures come into
their country," returned Hist, "that no one has even seen their
images there! Their young men would frighten away the images as
well as the beasts."
"The Delaware young men! - the nation is women - even the deer
walk when they hear their hunters coming! Who has ever heard the
name of a young Delaware warrior?"
This was said in good-humour, and with a laugh; but it was also
said bitingly. That Hist so felt it, was apparent by the spirit
betrayed in her answer.
"Who has ever heard the name of a young Delaware?" she repeated
earnestly. "Tamenund, himself, though now as old as the pines on
the hill, or as the eagles in the air, was once young; his name
was heard from the great salt lake to the sweet waters of the west.
What is the family of Uncas? Where is another as great, though the
pale-faces have ploughed up its grates, and trodden on its bones?
Do the eagles fly as high, is the deer as swift or the panther as
brave? Is there no young warrior of that race? Let the Huron maidens
open their eyes wider, and they may see one called Chingachgook,
who is as stately as a young ash, and as tough as the hickory."
As the girl used her figurative language and told her companions
to "open their eyes, and they would see" the Delaware, Deerslayer
thrust his fingers into the sides of his friend, and indulged in a
fit of his hearty, benevolent laughter. The other smiled; but the
language of the speaker was too flattering, and the tones of her
voice too sweet for him to be led away by any accidental coincidence,
however ludicrous. The speech of Hist produced a retort, and the
dispute, though conducted in good-humour, and without any of the
coarse violence of tone and gesture that often impairs the charms
of the sex in what is called civilized life, grew warm and slightly
clamorous. In the midst of this scene, the Delaware caused his
friend to stoop, so as completely to conceal himself, and then he
made a noise so closely resembling the little chirrup of the smallest
species of the American squirrel, that Deerslayer himself, though
he had heard the imitation a hundred times, actually thought it
came from one of the little animals skipping about over his head.
The sound is so familiar in the woods, that none of the Hurons paid
it the least attention. Hist, however, instantly ceased talking,
and sat motionless. Still she had sufficient self-command to
abstain from turning her head. She had heard the signal by which
her lover so often called her from the wigwam to the stolen interview,
and it came over her senses and her heart, as the serenade affects
the maiden in the land of song.
From that moment, Chingachgook felt certain that his presence was
known. This was effecting much, and he could now hope for a bolder
line of conduct on the part of his mistress than she might dare to
adopt under an uncertainty of his situation. It left no doubt of
her endeavouring to aid him in his effort to release her. Deerslayer
arose as soon as the signal was given, and though he had never
held that sweet communion which is known only to lovers, he was
not slow to detect the great change that had come over the manner
of the girl. She still affected to dispute, though it was no longer
with spirit and ingenuity, but what she said was uttered more as
a lure to draw her antagonists on to an easy conquest, than with
any hopes of succeeding herself. Once or twice, it is true, her
native readiness suggested a retort, or an argument that raised a
laugh, and gave her a momentary advantage; but these little sallies,
the offspring of mother-wit, served the better to conceal her real
feelings, and to give to the triumph of the other party a more
natural air than it might have possessed without them. At length
the disputants became wearied, and they rose in a body as if about
to separate. It was now that Hist, for the first time, ventured
to turn her face in the direction whence the signal had come. In
doing this, her movements were natural, but guarded, and she stretched
her arm and yawned, as if overcome with a desire to sleep. The
chirrup was again heard, and the girl felt satisfied as to the
position of her lover, though the strong light in which she herself
was placed, and the comparative darkness in which the adventurers
stood, prevented her from seeing their heads, the only portions
of their forms that appeared above the ridge at all. The tree
against which they were posted had a dark shadow cast upon it by
the intervention of an enormous pine that grew between it and the
fire, a circumstance which alone would have rendered objects within
its cloud invisible at any distance. This Deerslayer well knew,
and it was one of the reasons why he had selected this particular
tree.
The moment was near when it became necessary for Hist to act. She
was to sleep in a small hut, or bower, that had been built near where
she stood, and her companion was the aged hag already mentioned.
Once within the hut, with this sleepless old woman stretched across
the entrance, as was her nightly practice, the hope of escape was
nearly destroyed, and she might at any moment be summoned to her
bed. Luckily, at this instant one of the warriors called to the
old woman by name, and bade her bring him water to drink. There
was a delicious spring on the northern side of the point, and the
hag took a gourd from a branch and, summoning Hist to her side,
she moved towards the summit of the ridge, intending to descend
and cross the point to the natural fountain. All this was seen
and understood by the adventurers, and they fell back into the
obscurity, concealing their persons by trees, until the two females
had passed them. In walking, Hist was held tightly by the hand.
As she moved by the tree that hid Chingachgook and his friend the
former felt for his tomahawk, with the intention to bury it in the
brain of the woman. But the other saw the hazard of such a measure,
since a single scream might bring all the warriors upon them, and
he was averse to the act on considerations of humanity. His hand,
therefore, prevented the blow. Still as the two moved past, the
chirrup was repeated, and the Huron woman stopped and faced the
tree whence the sounds seemed to proceed, standing, at the moment,
within six feet of her enemies. She expressed her surprise that a
squirrel should be in motion at so late an hour, and said it boded
evil. Hist answered that she had heard the same squirrel three
times within the last twenty minutes, and that she supposed it was
waiting to obtain some of the crumbs left from the late supper.
This explanation appeared satisfactory, and they moved towards the
spring, the men following stealthily and closely. The gourd was
filled, and the old woman was hurrying back, her hand still grasping
the wrist of the girl, when she was suddenly seized so violently by
the throat as to cause her to release her captive, and to prevent
her making any other sound than a sort of gurgling, suffocating
noise. The Serpent passed his arm round the waist of his mistress
and dashed through the bushes with her, on the north side of the
point. Here he immediately turned along the beach and ran towards
the canoe. A more direct course could have been taken, but it
might have led to a discovery of the place of embarking.
Deerslayer kept playing on the throat of the old woman like the
keys of an organ, occasionally allowing her to breathe, and then
compressing his fingers again nearly to strangling. The brief
intervals for breath, however, were well improved, and the hag
succeeded in letting out a screech or two that served to alarm the
camp. The tramp of the warriors, as they sprang from the fire,
was plainly audible, and at the next moment three or four of them
appeared on the top of the ridge, drawn against the background of
light, resembling the dim shadows of the phantasmagoria. It was
now quite time for the hunter to retreat. Tripping up the heels
of his captive, and giving her throat a parting squeeze, quite as
much in resentment at her indomitable efforts to sound the alarm
as from any policy, he left her on her back, and moved towards the
bushes, his rifle at a poise, and his head over his shoulders, like
a lion at bay.
Chapter XVII.
There, ye wise saints, behold your light, your star,
Ye would be dupes and victims and ye are.
Is it enough? or, must I, while a thrill
Lives in your sapient bosoms, cheat you still?"
Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh, "The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan"
The fire, the canoe, and the spring, near which Deerslayer commenced
his retreat, would have stood in the angles of a triangle of tolerably
equal sides. The distance from the fire to the boat was a little
less than the distance from the fire to the spring, while the
distance from the spring to the boat was about equal to that between
the two points first named. This, however, was in straight lines,
a means of escape to which the fugitives could not resort. They
were obliged to have recourse to a detour in order to get the cover
of the bushes, and to follow the curvature of the beach. Under
these disadvantages, then, the hunter commenced his retreat,
disadvantages that he felt to be so much the greater from his
knowledge of the habits of all Indians, who rarely fail in cases
of sudden alarms, more especially when in the midst of cover,
immediately to throw out flankers, with a view to meet their foes
at all points, and if possible to turn their rear. That some such
course was now adopted he believed from the tramp of feet, which
not only came up the ascent, as related, but were also heard, under
the first impulse, diverging not only towards the hill in the rear,
but towards the extremity of the point, in a direction opposite
to that he was about to take himself. Promptitude, consequently
became a matter of the last importance, as the parties might meet
on the strand, before the fugitive could reach the canoe.
Notwithstanding the pressing nature of the emergency, Deerslayer
hesitated a single instant, ere he plunged into the bushes that lined
the shore. His feelings had been awakened by the whole scene, and
a sternness of purpose had come over him, to which he was ordinarily
a stranger. Four dark figures loomed on the ridge, drawn against
the brightness of the fire, and an enemy might have been sacrificed
at a glance. The Indians had paused to gaze into the gloom, in
search of the screeching hag, and with many a man less given to
reflection than the hunter, the death of one of them would have
been certain. Luckily he was more prudent. Although the rifle
dropped a little towards the foremost of his pursuers, he did not
aim or fire, but disappeared in the cover. To gain the beach, and
to follow it round to the place where Chingachgook was already in
the canoe, with Hist, anxiously waiting his appearance, occupied but
a moment. Laying his rifle in the bottom of the canoe, Deerslayer
stooped to give the latter a vigorous shove from the shore, when a
powerful Indian leaped through the bushes, alighting like a panther
on his back. Everything was now suspended by a hair; a false step
ruining all. With a generosity that would have rendered a Roman
illustrious throughout all time, but which, in the career of one
so simple and humble, would have been forever lost to the world but
for this unpretending legend, Deerslayer threw all his force into
a desperate effort, shoved the canoe off with a power that sent it
a hundred feet from the shore, as it might be in an instant, and
fell forward into the lake, himself, face downward; his assailant
necessarily following him.
Although the water was deep within a few yards of the beach, it
was not more than breast high, as close in as the spot where the
two combatants fell. Still this was quite sufficient to destroy
one who had sunk, under the great disadvantages in which Deerslayer
was placed. His hands were free, however, and the savage was
compelled to relinquish his hug, to keep his own face above the
surface. For half a minute there was a desperate struggle, like
the floundering of an alligator that has just seized some powerful
prey, and then both stood erect, grasping each other's arms, in
order to prevent the use of the deadly knife in the darkness. What
might have been the issue of this severe personal struggle cannot
be known, for half a dozen savages came leaping into the water to
the aid of their friend, and Deerslayer yielded himself a prisoner,
with a dignity that was as remarkable as his self-devotion.
To quit the lake and lead their new captive to the fire occupied
the Indians but another minute. So much engaged were they all
with the struggle and its consequences, that the canoe was unseen,
though it still lay so near the shore as to render every syllable
that was uttered perfectly intelligible to the Delaware and his
betrothed; and the whole party left the spot, some continuing the
pursuit after Hist, along the beach, though most proceeded to the
light. Here Deerslayer's antagonist so far recovered his breath and
his recollection, for he had been throttled nearly to strangulation,
as to relate the manner in which the girl had got off. It was
now too late to assail the other fugitives, for no sooner was his
friend led into the bushes than the Delaware placed his paddle into
the water, and the light canoe glided noiselessly away, holding its
course towards the centre of the lake until safe from shot, after
which it sought the Ark. When Deerslayer reached the fire, he found
himself surrounded by no less than eight grim savages, among whom
was his old acquaintance Rivenoak. As soon as the latter caught a
glimpse of the captive's countenance, he spoke apart to his companions,
and a low but general exclamation of pleasure and surprise escaped
them. They knew that the conqueror of their late friend, he who
had fallen on the opposite side of the lake, was in their hands,
and subject to their mercy, or vengeance. There was no little
admiration mingled in the ferocious looks that were thrown on the
prisoner; an admiration that was as much excited by his present
composure, as by his past deeds. This scene may be said to
have been the commencement of the great and terrible reputation
that Deerslayer, or Hawkeye, as he was afterwards called, enjoyed
among all the tribes of New York and Canada; a reputation that was
certainly more limited in its territorial and numerical extent,
than those which are possessed in civilized life, but which was
compensated for what it wanted in these particulars, perhaps, by
its greater justice, and the total absence of mystification and
management.
The arms of Deerslayer were not pinioned, and he was left the
free use of his hands, his knife having been first removed. The
only precaution that was taken to secure his person was untiring
watchfulness, and a strong rope of bark that passed from ankle to
ankle, not so much to prevent his walking, as to place an obstacle
in the way of his attempting to escape by any sudden leap. Even
this extra provision against flight was not made until the captive
had been brought to the light, and his character ascertained. It
was, in fact, a compliment to his prowess, and he felt proud of
the distinction. That he might be bound when the warriors slept he
thought probable, but to be bound in the moment of capture showed
that he was already, and thus early, attaining a name. While the
young Indians were fastening the rope, he wondered if Chingachgook
would have been treated in the same manner, had he too fallen
into the hands of the enemy. Nor did the reputation of the young
pale-face rest altogether on his success in the previous combat, or
in his discriminating and cool manner of managing the late negotiation,
for it had received a great accession by the occurrences of the
night. Ignorant of the movements of the Ark, and of the accident
that had brought their fire into view, the Iroquois attributed the
discovery of their new camp to the vigilance of so shrewd a foe.
The manner in which he ventured upon the point, the abstraction or
escape of Hist, and most of all the self-devotion of the prisoner,
united to the readiness with which he had sent the canoe adrift,
were so many important links in the chain of facts, on which his
growing fame was founded. Many of these circumstances had been
seen, some had been explained, and all were understood.
While this admiration and these honors were so unreservedly bestowed
on Deerslayer, he did not escape some of the penalties of his
situation. He was permitted to seat himself on the end of a log,
near the fire, in order to dry his clothes, his late adversary
standing opposite, now holding articles of his own scanty vestments
to the heat, and now feeling his throat, on which the marks of his
enemy's fingers were still quite visible. The rest of the warriors
consulted together, near at hand, all those who had been out having
returned to report that no signs of any other prowlers near the
camp were to be found. In this state of things, the old woman,
whose name was Shebear, in plain English, approached Deerslayer,
with her fists clenched and her eyes flashing fire. Hitherto, she
had been occupied with screaming, an employment at which she had
played her part with no small degree of success, but having succeeded
in effectually alarming all within reach of a pair of lungs that had
been strengthened by long practice, she next turned her attention to
the injuries her own person had sustained in the struggle. These
were in no manner material, though they were of a nature to arouse
all the fury of a woman who had long ceased to attract by means
of the gentler qualities, and who was much disposed to revenge the
hardships she had so long endured, as the neglected wife and mother
of savages, on all who came within her power. If Deerslayer had not
permanently injured her, he had temporarily caused her to suffer,
and she was not a person to overlook a wrong of this nature, on
account of its motive.
"Skunk of the pale-faces," commenced this exasperated and semi-poetic
fury, shaking her fist under the nose of the impassable hunter, "you
are not even a woman. Your friends the Delawares are only women,
and you are their sheep. Your own people will not own you, and no
tribe of redmen would have you in their wigwams; you skulk among
petticoated warriors. You slay our brave friend who has left us?
- No- his great soul scorned to fight you, and left his body rather
than have the shame of slaying you! But the blood that you spilt
when the spirit was not looking on, has not sunk into the ground.
It must be buried in your groans. What music do I hear? Those
are not the wailings of a red man! - no red warrior groans so much
like a hog. They come from a pale-face throat - a Yengeese bosom,
and sound as pleasant as girls singing - Dog - skunk - woodchuck
-mink - hedgehog - pig - toad - spider -yengee -"
Here the old woman, having expended her breath and exhausted
her epithets, was fain to pause a moment, though both her fists
were shaken in the prisoner's face, and the whole of her wrinkled
countenance was filled with fierce resentment. Deerslayer looked
upon these impotent attempts to arouse him as indifferently as
a gentleman in our own state of society regards the vituperative
terms of a blackguard: the one party feeling that the tongue of an
old woman could never injure a warrior, and the other knowing that
mendacity and vulgarity can only permanently affect those who resort
to their use; but he was spared any further attack at present, by
the interposition of Rivenoak, who shoved aside the hag, bidding
her quit the spot, and prepared to take his seat at the side of his
prisoner. The old woman withdrew, but the hunter well understood
that he was to be the subject of all her means of annoyance, if
not of positive injury, so long as he remained in the power of his
enemies, for nothing rankles so deeply as the consciousness that
an attempt to irritate has been met by contempt, a feeling that
is usually the most passive of any that is harbored in the human
breast. Rivenoak quietly took the seat we have mentioned, and,
after a short pause, he commenced a dialogue, which we translate
as usual, for the benefit of those readers who have not studied
the North American languages.
"My pale-face friend is very welcome," said the Indian, with a
familiar nod, and a smile so covert that it required all Deerslayer's
vigilance to detect, and not a little of his philosophy to detect
unmoved; "he is welcome. The Hurons keep a hot fire to dry the
white man's clothes by."
"I thank you, Huron - or Mingo, as I most like to call you,"
returned the other, "I thank you for the welcome, and I thank you
for the fire. Each is good in its way, and the last is very good,
when one has been in a spring as cold as the Glimmerglass. Even
Huron warmth may be pleasant, at such a time, to a man with a
Delaware heart."
"The pale-face - but my brother has a name? So great a warrior
would not have lived without a name?"
"Mingo," said the hunter, a little of the weakness of human nature
exhibiting itself in the glance of his eye, and the colour on his
cheek - "Mingo, your brave called me Hawkeye, I suppose on account
of a quick and sartain aim, when he was lying with his head in my
lap, afore his spirit started for the Happy Hunting Grounds."
"'Tis a good name! The hawk is sure of his blow. Hawkeye is not
a woman; why does he live with the Delawares?"
"I understand you, Mingo, but we look on all that as a sarcumvention
of some of your subtle devils, and deny the charge. Providence
placed me among the Delawares young, and, 'bating what Christian
usages demand of my colour and gifts, I hope to live and die in
their tribe. Still I do not mean to throw away altogether my natyve
rights, and shall strive to do a pale-face's duty, in red-skin
society."
"Good; a Huron is a red-skin, as well as a Delaware. Hawkeye is
more of a Huron than of a woman."
"I suppose you know, Mingo, your own meaning; if you don't I make
no question 'tis well known to Satan. But if you wish to get
any thing out of me, speak plainer, for bargains can not be made
blindfolded, or tongue tied."
"Good; Hawkeye has not a forked tongue, and he likes to say what he
thinks. He is an acquaintance of the Muskrat," this was the name
by which all the Indians designated Hutter - "and has lived in
his wigwam. But he is not a friend. He wants no scalps, like a
miserable Indian, but fights like a stout-hearted pale-face. The
Muskrat is neither white, nor red. Neither a beast nor a fish.
He is a water snake; sometimes in the spring and sometimes on the
land. He looks for scalps, like an outcast. Hawkeye can go back
and tell him how he has outwitted the Hurons, how he has escaped,
and when his eyes are in a fog, when he can't see as far as from
his cabin to the shore, then Hawkeye can open the door for the
Hurons. And how will the plunder be divided? Why, Hawkeye, will
carry away the most, and the Hurons will take what he may choose
to leave behind him. The scalps can go to Canada, for a pale-face
has no satisfaction in them."
"Well, well, Rivenoak - for so I hear 'em tarm you - This is plain
English, enough, though spoken in Iroquois. I understand all you
mean, now, and must say it out-devils even Mingo deviltry! No
doubt, 'twould be easy enough to go back and tell the Muskrat that
I had got away from you, and gain some credit, too, by the expl'ite."
"Good. That is what I want the pale-face to do."
"Yes - yes - That's plain enough. I know what you want me to do,
without more words. When inside the house, and eating the Muskrat's
bread, and laughing and talking with his pretty darters, I might
put his eyes into so thick a fog, that he couldn't even see the
door, much less the land."
"Good! Hawkeye should have been born a Huron! His blood is not
more than half white!"
"There you're out, Huron; yes, there you're as much out, as if you
mistook a wolf for a catamount. I'm white in blood, heart, natur'
and gifts, though a little red-skin in feelin's and habits. But
when old Hutter's eyes are well befogged, and his pretty darters
perhaps in a deep sleep, and Hurry Harry, the Great Pine as you
Indians tarm him, is dreaming of any thing but mischief, and all
suppose Hawkeye is acting as a faithful sentinel, all I have to
do is set a torch somewhere in sight for a signal, open the door,
and let in the Hurons, to knock 'em all on the head."
"Surely my brother is mistaken. He cannot be white! He is worthy
to be a great chief among the Hurons!"
"That is true enough, I dares to say, if he could do all this.
Now, harkee, Huron, and for once hear a few honest words from the
mouth of a plain man. I am Christian born, and them that come
of such a stock, and that listen to the words that were spoken to
their fathers and will be spoken to their children, until 'arth and
all it holds perishes, can never lend themselves to such wickedness.
Sarcumventions in war, may be, and are, lawful; but sarcumventions,
and deceit, and treachery among fri'inds are fit only for the
pale-face devils. I know that there are white men enough to give
you this wrong idee of our natur', but such be ontrue to their
blood and gifts, and ought to be, if they are not, outcasts and
vagabonds. No upright pale-face could do what you wish, and to
be as plain with you as I wish to be, in my judgment no upright
Delaware either. With a Mingo it may be different."
The Huron listened to this rebuke with obvious disgust, but he had
his ends in view, and was too wily to lose all chance of effecting
them by a precipitate avowal of resentment. Affecting to smile,
he seemed to listen eagerly, and he then pondered on what he had
heard.
"Does Hawkeye love the Muskrat?" he abruptly demanded; "Or does he
love his daughters?"
"Neither, Mingo. Old Tom is not a man to gain my love, and, as
for the darters, they are comely enough to gain the liking of any
young man, but there's reason ag'in any very great love for either.
Hetty is a good soul, but natur' has laid a heavy hand on her mind,
poor thing."
"And the Wild Rose!" exclaimed the Huron - for the fame of Judith's
beauty had spread among those who could travel the wilderness, as
well as the highway by means of old eagles' nests, rocks, and riven
trees known to them by report and tradition, as well as among the
white borderers, "And the Wild Rose; is she not sweet enough to be
put in the bosom of my brother?"
Deerslayer had far too much of the innate gentleman to insinuate
aught against the fair fame of one who, by nature and position
was so helpless, and as he did not choose to utter an untruth, he
preferred being silent. The Huron mistook the motive, and supposed
that disappointed affection lay at the bottom of his reserve.
Still bent on corrupting or bribing his captive, in order to obtain
possession of the treasures with which his imagination filled the
Castle, he persevered in his attack.
"Hawkeye is talking with a friend," he continued. "He knows that
Rivenoak is a man of his word, for they have traded together, and
trade opens the soul. My friend has come here on account of a
little string held by a girl, that can pull the whole body of the
sternest warrior?"
"You are nearer the truth, now, Huron, than you've been afore,
since we began to talk. This is true. But one end of that string
was not fast to my heart, nor did the Wild Rose hold the other."
"This is wonderful! Does my brother love in his head, and not in
his heart? And can the Feeble Mind pull so hard against so stout
a warrior?"
"There it is ag'in; sometimes right, and sometimes wrong! The
string you mean is fast to the heart of a great Delaware; one of
Mohican stock in fact, living among the Delawares since the disparsion
of his own people, and of the family of Uncas - Chingachgook by
name, or Great Sarpent. He has come here, led by the string, and
I've followed, or rather come afore, for I got here first, pulled
by nothing stronger than fri'ndship; which is strong enough for such
as are not niggardly of their feelin's, and are willing to live a
little for their fellow creatur's, as well as for themselves."
"But a string has two ends - one is fast to the mind of a Mohican;
and the other?"
"Why the other was here close to the fire, half an hour since.
Wah-ta-Wah held it in her hand, if she didn't hold it to her heart."
"I understand what you mean, my brother," returned the Indian gravely,
for the first time catching a direct clue to the adventures of the
evening. "The Great Serpent, being strongest, pulled the hardest,
and Hist was forced to leave us."
"I don't think there was much pulling about it," answered the other,
laughing, always in his silent manner, with as much heartiness as
if he were not a captive, and in danger of torture or death -"I
don't think there was much pulling about it; no I don't. Lord
help you, Huron! He likes the gal, and the gal likes him, and
it surpassed Huron sarcumventions to keep two young people apart,
where there was so strong a feelin' to bring 'em together."
"And Hawkeye and Chingachgook came into our camp on this errand,
only?"
"That's a question that'll answer itself, Mingo! Yes, if a question
could talk it would answer itself, to your parfect satisfaction. For
what else should we come? And yet, it isn't exactly so, neither;
for we didn't come into your camp at all, but only as far as that
pine, there, that you see on the other side of the ridge, where we
stood watching your movements, and conduct, as long as we liked.
When we were ready, the Sarpent gave his signal, and then all went
just as it should, down to the moment when yonder vagabond leaped
upon my back. Sartain; we come for that, and for no other purpose,
and we got what we come for; there's no use in pretending otherwise.
Hist is off with a man who's the next thing to her husband, and
come what will to me, that's one good thing detarmined."
"What sign, or signal, told the young maiden that her lover was
nigh?" asked the Huron with more curiosity than it was usual for
him to betray.
Deerslayer laughed again, and seem'd to enjoy the success of the
exploit, with as much glee as if he had not been its victim.
"Your squirrels are great gadabouts, Mingo," he cried still laughing
-"yes, they're sartainly great gadabouts! When other folk's squirrels
are at home and asleep, yourn keep in motion among the trees, and
chirrup and sing, in a way that even a Delaware gal can understand
their musick! Well, there's four legged squirrels, and there's two
legged squirrels, and give me the last, when there's a good tight
string atween two hearts. If one brings 'em together, t'other
tells when to pull hardest!"
The Huron looked vexed, though he succeeded in suppressing any
violent exhibition of resentment. He now quitted his prisoner and,
joining the rest of the warriors, he communicated the substance of
what he had learned. As in his own case, admiration was mingled
with anger at the boldness and success of their enemies. Three or
four of them ascended the little acclivity and gazed at the tree
where it was understood the adventurers had posted themselves, and
one even descended to it, and examined for foot prints around its
roots, in order to make sure that the statement was true. The
result confirmed the story of the captive, and they all returned
to the fire with increased wonder and respect. The messenger who
had arrived with some communication from the party above, while the
two adventurers were watching the camp, was now despatched with
some answer, and doubtless bore with him the intelligence of all
that had happened.
Down to this moment, the young Indian who had been seen walking in
company with Hist and another female had made no advances to any
communication with Deerslayer. He had held himself aloof from his
friends, even, passing near the bevy of younger women, who were
clustering together, apart as usual, and conversed in low tones
on the subject of the escape of their late companion. Perhaps it
would be true to say that these last were pleased as well as vexed
at what had just occurred. Their female sympathies were with the
lovers, while their pride was bound up in the success of their own
tribe. It is possible, too, that the superior personal advantages
of Hist rendered her dangerous to some of the younger part of the
group, and they were not sorry to find she was no longer in the
way of their own ascendency. On the whole, however, the better
feeling was most prevalent, for neither the wild condition in
which they lived, the clannish prejudices of tribes, nor their hard
fortunes as Indian women, could entirely conquer the inextinguishable
leaning of their sex to the affections. One of the girls even
laughed at the disconsolate look of the swain who might fancy
himself deserted, a circumstance that seemed suddenly to arouse
his energies, and induce him to move towards the log, on which the
prisoner was still seated, drying his clothes.
"This is Catamount!" said the Indian, striking his hand boastfully
on his naked breast, as he uttered the words in a manner to show
how much weight he expected them to carry.
"This is Hawkeye," quietly returned Deerslayer, adopting the name
by which he knew he would be known in future, among all the tribes
of the Iroquois. "My sight is keen; is my brother's leap long?"
"From here to the Delaware villages. Hawkeye has stolen my wife;
he must bring her back, or his scalp will hang on a pole, and dry
in my wigwam."
"Hawkeye has stolen nothing, Huron. He doesn't come of a thieving
breed, nor has he thieving gifts. Your wife, as you call Wah-ta-Wah,
will never be the wife of any red-skin of the Canadas; her mind is
in the cabin of a Delaware, and her body has gone to find it. The
catamount is actyve I know, but its legs can't keep pace with a
woman's wishes."
"The Serpent of the Delawares is a dog - he is a poor bull trout
that keeps in the water; he is afraid to stand on the hard earth,
like a brave Indian!"
"Well, well, Huron, that's pretty impudent, considering it's not
an hour since the Sarpent stood within a hundred feet of you, and
would have tried the toughness of your skin with a rifle bullet,
when I pointed you out to him, hadn't I laid the weight of
a little judgment on his hand. You may take in timorsome gals in
the settlements, with your catamount whine, but the ears of a man
can tell truth from ontruth."
"Hist laughs at him! She sees he is lame, and a poor hunter, and
he has never been on a war path. She will take a man for a husband,
and not a fish."
"How do you know that, Catamount? how do you know that?" returned
Deerslayer laughing. "She has gone into the lake, you see, and
maybe she prefars a trout to a mongrel cat. As for war paths,
neither the Sarpent nor I have much exper'ence, we are ready to
own, but if you don't call this one, you must tarm it, what the
gals in the settlements tarm it, the high road to matrimony. Take
my advice, Catamount, and s'arch for a wife among the Huron women;
you'll never get one with a willing mind from among the Delawares."
Catamount's hand felt for his tomahawk, and when the fingers reached
the handle they worked convulsively, as if their owner hesitated
between policy and resentment. At this critical moment Rivenoak
approached, and by a gesture of authority, induced the young man
to retire, assuming his former position, himself, on the log at the
side of Deerslayer. Here he continued silent for a little time,
maintaining the grave reserve of an Indian chief.
"Hawkeye is right," the Iroquois at length began; "his sight is
so strong that he can see truth in a dark night, and our eyes have
been blinded. He is an owl, darkness hiding nothing from him. He
ought not to strike his friends. He is right."
"I'm glad you think so, Mingo," returned the other, "for a traitor,
in my judgment, is worse than a coward. I care as little for the
Muskrat, as one pale-face ought to care for another, but I care too
much for him to ambush him in the way you wished. In short, according
to my idees, any sarcumventions, except open-war sarcumventions,
are ag'in both law, and what we whites call 'gospel', too."
"My pale-face brother is right; he is no Indian, to forget his
Manitou and his colour. The Hurons know that they have a great
warrior for their prisoner, and they will treat him as one. If he
is to be tortured, his torments shall be such as no common man can
bear; if he is to be treated as a friend, it will be the friendship
of chiefs."
As the Huron uttered this extraordinary assurance of consideration,
his eye furtively glanced at the countenance of his listener, in
order to discover how he stood the compliment, though his gravity
and apparent sincerity would have prevented any man but one practised
in artifices, from detecting his motives. Deerslayer belonged
to the class of the unsuspicious, and acquainted with the Indian
notions of what constitutes respect, in matters connected with the
treatment of captives, he felt his blood chill at the announcement,
even while he maintained an aspect so steeled that his quick sighted
enemy could discover in it no signs of weakness.
"God has put me in your hands, Huron," the captive at length answered,
"and I suppose you will act your will on me. I shall not boast of
what I can do, under torment, for I've never been tried, and no man
can say till he has been; but I'll do my endivours not to disgrace
the people among whom I got my training. Howsever, I wish you
now to bear witness that I'm altogether of white blood, and, in a
nat'ral way of white gifts too; so, should I be overcome and forget
myself, I hope you'll lay the fault where it properly belongs, and
in no manner put it on the Delawares, or their allies and friends
the Mohicans. We're all created with more or less weakness, and
I'm afeard it's a pale-face's to give in under great bodily torment,
when a red-skin will sing his songs, and boast of his deeds in the
very teeth of his foes."
"We shall see. Hawkeye has a good countenance, and he is tough
-but why should he be tormented, when the Hurons love him? He is
not born their enemy, and the death of one warrior will not cast
a cloud between them forever."
"So much the better, Huron; so much the better. Still I don't wish
to owe any thing to a mistake about each other's meaning. It is so
much the better that you bear no malice for the loss of a warrior
who fell in war, and yet it is ontrue that there is no inmity - lawful
inmity I mean - atween us. So far as I have red-skin feelin's at
all, I've Delaware feelin's, and I leave you to judge for yourself
how far they are likely to be fri'ndly to the Mingos -"
Deerslayer ceased, for a sort of spectre stood before him, that
put a stop to his words, and, indeed, caused him for a moment to
doubt the fidelity of his boasted vision. Hetty Hutter was standing
at the side of the fire as quietly as if she belonged to the tribe.
As the hunter and the Indian sat watching the emotions that were
betrayed in each other's countenance, the girl had approached
unnoticed, doubtless ascending from the beach on the southern side
of the point, or that next to the spot where the Ark had anchored,
and had advanced to the fire with the fearlessness that belonged to
her simplicity, and which was certainly justified by the treatment
formerly received from the Indians. As soon as Rivenoak perceived
the girl, she was recognised, and calling to two or three of the
younger warriors, the chief sent them out to reconnoitre, lest her
appearance should be the forerunner of another attack. He then
motioned to Hetty to draw near.
"I hope your visit is a sign that the Sarpent and Hist are in
safety, Hetty," said Deerslayer, as soon as the girl had complied
with the Huron's request. "I don't think you'd come ashore ag'in,
on the arr'nd that brought you here afore."
"Judith told me to come this time, Deerslayer," Hetty replied, "she
paddled me ashore herself, in a canoe, as soon as the Serpent had
shown her Hist and told his story. How handsome Hist is tonight,
Deerslayer, and how much happier she looks than when she was with
the Hurons!"
"That's natur' gal; yes, that may be set down as human natur'.
She's with her betrothed, and no longer fears a Mingo husband. In
my judgment Judith, herself, would lose most of her beauty if she
thought she was to bestow it all on a Mingo! Content is a great
fortifier of good looks, and I'll warrant you, Hist is contented
enough, now she is out of the hands of these miscreants, and with
her chosen warrior! Did you say that Judith told you to come ashore
- why should your sister do that?"
"She bid me come to see you, and to try and persuade the savages
to take more elephants to let you off, but I've brought the Bible
with me - that will do more than all the elephants in father's
chest!"
"And your father, good little Hetty - and Hurry; did they know of
your arr'nd?"
"Not they. Both are asleep, and Judith and the Serpent thought it
best they should not be woke, lest they might want to come again
after scalps, when Hist had told them how few warriors, and how
many women and children there were in the camp. Judith would give
me no peace, till I had come ashore to see what had happened to
you."
"Well, that's remarkable as consarns Judith! Whey should she feel
so much unsartainty about me? - Ah - - I see how it is, now; yes,
I see into the whole matter, now. You must understand, Hetty,
that your sister is oneasy lest Harry March should wake, and come
blundering here into the hands of the inimy ag'in, under some
idee that, being a travelling comrade, he ought to help me in this
matter! Hurry is a blunderer, I will allow, but I don't think he'd
risk as much for my sake, as he would for his own."
"Judith don't care for Hurry, though Hurry cares for her," replied
Hetty innocently, but quite positively.
"I've heard you say as much as that afore; yes, I've heard that
from you, afore, gal, and yet it isn't true. One don't live in a
tribe, not to see something of the way in which liking works in a
woman's heart. Though no way given to marrying myself, I've been
a looker on among the Delawares, and this is a matter in which
pale-face and red-skin gifts are all as one as the same. When the
feelin' begins, the young woman is thoughtful, and has no eyes or
ears onless for the warrior that has taken her fancy; then follows
melancholy and sighing, and such sort of actions; after which,
especially if matters don't come to plain discourse, she often flies
round to back biting and fault finding, blaming the youth for the
very things she likes best in him. Some young creatur's are forward
in this way of showing their love, and I'm of opinion Judith is
one of 'em. Now, I've heard her as much as deny that Hurry was
good-looking, and the young woman who could do that, must be far
gone indeed!"
"The young woman who liked Hurry would own that he is handsome. I
think Hurry very handsome, Deerslayer, and I'm sure everybody must
think so, that has eyes. Judith don't like Harry March, and that's
the reason she finds fault with him."
"Well - well - my good little Hetty, have it your own way. If we
should talk from now till winter, each would think as at present,
and there's no use in words. I must believe that Judith is much
wrapped up in Hurry, and that, sooner or later, she'll have him;
and this, too, all the more from the manner in which she abuses
him; and I dare to say, you think just the contrary. But mind what
I now tell you, gal, and pretend not to know it," continued this
being, who was so obtuse on a point on which men are usually quick
enough to make discoveries, and so acute in matters that would baffle
the observation of much the greater portion of mankind, "I see how
it is, with them vagabonds. Rivenoak has left us, you see, and is
talking yonder with his young men, and though too far to be heard,
I can see what he is telling them. Their orders is to watch your
movements, and to find where the canoe is to meet you, to take you
back to the Ark, and then to seize all and what they can. I'm sorry
Judith sent you, for I suppose she wants you to go back ag'in."
"All that's settled, Deerslayer," returned the girl, in a low,
confidential and meaning manner, "and you may trust me to outwit
the best Indian of them all. I know I am feeble minded, but I've
got some sense, and you'll see how I'll use it in getting back,
when my errand is done!"
"Ahs! me, poor girl; I'm afeard all that's easier said than done.
They're a venomous set of riptyles and their p'ison's none the
milder, for the loss of Hist. Well, I'm glad the Sarpent was the
one to get off with the gal, for now there'll be two happy at least,
whereas had he fallen into the hands of the Mingos, there'd been
two miserable, and another far from feelin' as a man likes to feel."
"Now you put me in mind of a part of my errand that I had almost
forgotten, Deerslayer. Judith told me to ask you what you thought
the Hurons would do with you, if you couldn't be bought off, and
what she had best do to serve you. Yes, this was the most important
part of the errand - what she had best do, in order to serve you?"
"That's as you think, Hetty; but it's no matter. Young women are
apt to lay most stress on what most touches their feelin's; but
no matter; have it your own way, so you be but careful not to let
the vagabonds get the mastery of a canoe. When you get back to the
Ark, tell 'em to keep close, and to keep moving too, most especially
at night. Many hours can't go by without the troops on the river
hearing of this party, and then your fri'nds may look for relief.
'Tis but a day's march from the nearest garrison, and true soldiers
will never lie idle with the foe in their neighborhood. This is my
advice, and you may say to your father and Hurry that scalp-hunting
will be a poor business now, as the Mingos are up and awake, and
nothing can save 'em, 'till the troops come, except keeping a good
belt of water atween 'em and the savages."
"What shall I tell Judith about you, Deerslayer; I know she will
send me back again, if I don't bring her the truth about you."
"Then tell her the truth. I see no reason Judith Hutter shouldn't
hear the truth about me, as well as a lie. I'm a captyve in Indian
hands, and Providence only knows what will come of it! Harkee,
Hetty," dropping his voice and speaking still more confidentially,
"you are a little weak minded, it must be allowed, but you know
something of Injins. Here I am in their hands, after having slain
one of their stoutest warriors, and they've been endivouring to
work upon me through fear of consequences, to betray your father,
and all in the Ark. I understand the blackguards as well as
if they'd told it all out plainly, with their tongues. They hold
up avarice afore me, on one side, and fear on t'other, and think
honesty will give way atween 'em both. But let your father and Hurry
know, 'tis all useless; as for the Sarpent, he knows it already."
"But what shall I tell Judith? She will certainly send me back,
if I don't satisfy her mind."
"Well, tell Judith the same. No doubt the savages will try the
torments, to make me give in, and to revenge the loss of their
warrior, but I must hold out ag'in nat'ral weakness in the best manner
I can. You may tell Judith to feel no consarn on my account-it
will come hard I know, seeing that a white man's gifts don't run to
boasting and singing under torment, for he generally feels smallest
when he suffers most - but you may tell her not to have any consarn.
I think I shall make out to stand it, and she may rely on this,
let me give in, as much as I may, and prove completely that I am
white, by wailings, and howlings, and even tears, yet I'll never fall
so far as to betray my fri'nds. When it gets to burning holes in
the flesh, with heated ramrods, and to hacking the body, and tearing
the hair out by the roots, natur' may get the upperhand, so far
as groans, and complaints are consarned, but there the triumph of
the vagabonds will ind; nothing short of God's abandoning him to
the devils can make an honest man ontrue to his colour and duty."
Hetty listened with great attention, and her mild but speaking
countenance manifested a strong sympathy in the anticipated agony
of the supposititious sufferer. At first she seemed at a loss
how to act; then, taking a hand of Deerslayer's she affectionately
recommended to him to borrow her Bible, and to read it while the
savages were inflicting their torments. When the other honestly
admitted that it exceeded his power to read, she even volunteered
to remain with him, and to perform this holy office in person. The
offer was gently declined, and Rivenoak being about to join them,
Deerslayer requested the girl to leave him, first enjoining her again
to tell those in the Ark to have full confidence in his fidelity.
Hetty now walked away, and approached the group of females with
as much confidence and self-possession as if she were a native of
the tribe. On the other hand the Huron resumed his seat by the
side of his prisoner, the one continuing to ask questions with all
the wily ingenuity of a practised Indian counsellor, and the other
baffling him by the very means that are known to be the most
efficacious in defeating the finesse of the more pretending diplomacy
of civilization, or by confining his answers to the truth, and the
truth only.
Chapter XVIII
"Thus died she; never more on her
Shall sorrow light, or shame. She was not made
Through years or moons the inner weight to bear,
Which colder hearts endure till they are laid
By age in earth; her days and pleasure were
Brief but delightful - such as had not stayed
Long with her destiny; but she sleeps well
By the sea-shore whereon she loved to dwell."
Byron. Don Juan, IV, lxxi.
The young men who had been sent out to reconnoitre, on the sudden
appearance of Hetty, soon returned to report their want of success
in making any discovery. One of them had even been along the
beach as far as the spot opposite to the ark, but the darkness
had completely concealed that vessel from his notice. Others had
examined in different directions, and everywhere the stillness of
night was added to the silence and solitude of the woods.
It was consequently believed that the girl had come alone, as on
her former visit, and on some similar errand. The Iroquois were
ignorant that the ark had left the castle, and there were movements
projected, if not in the course of actual execution, by this time,
which also greatly added to the sense of security. A watch was
set, therefore, and all but the sentinels disposed themselves to
sleep. Sufficient care was had to the safe keeping of the captive,
without inflicting on him any unnecessary suffering; and, as for
Hetty, she was permitted to find a place among the Indian girls in
the best manner she could. She did not find the friendly offices
of Hist, though her character not only bestowed impunity from
pain and captivity, but it procured for her a consideration and
an attention that placed her, on the score of comfort, quite on a
level with the wild but gentle beings around her. She was supplied
with a skin, and made her own bed on a pile of boughs a little
apart from the huts. Here she was soon in a profound sleep, like
all around her.
There were now thirteen men in the party, and three kept watch at
a time. One remained in shadow, not far from the fire, however.
His duty was to guard the captive, to take care that the fire
neither blazed up so as to illuminate the spot, nor yet became
wholly extinguished, and to keep an eye generally on the state of
the camp. Another passed from one beach to the other, crossing
the base of the point, while the third kept moving slowly around
the strand on its outer extremity, to prevent a repetition of the
surprise that had already taken place that night. This arrangement
was far from being usual among savages, who ordinarily rely more on
the secrecy of their movements, than or vigilance of this nature;
but it had been called for by the peculiarity of the circumstances
in which the Hurons were now placed. Their position was known to
their foes, and it could not easily be changed at an hour which
demanded rest. Perhaps, too, they placed most of their confidence
on the knowledge of what they believed to be passing higher up
the lake, and which, it was thought, would fully occupy the whole
of the pale-faces who were at liberty, with their solitary Indian
ally. It was also probable Rivenoak was aware that, in holding
his captive, he had in his own hands the most dangerous of all his
enemies.
The precision with which those accustomed to watchfulness, or
lives of disturbed rest, sleep, is not the least of the phenomena
of our mysterious being. The head is no sooner on the pillow
than consciousness is lost; and yet, at a necessary hour, the mind
appears to arouse the body, as promptly as if it had stood sentinel
the while over it. There can be no doubt that they who are thus
roused awake by the influence of thought over matter, though the
mode in which this influence is exercised must remain hidden from
our curiosity until it shall be explained, should that hour ever
arrive, by the entire enlightenment of the soul on the subject of
all human mysteries. Thus it was with Hetty Hutter. Feeble as
the immaterial portion of her existence was thought to be, it was
sufficiently active to cause her to open her eyes at midnight. At
that hour she awoke, and leaving her bed of skin and boughs she
walked innocently and openly to the embers of the fire, stirring the
latter, as the coolness of the night and the woods, in connection
with an exceedingly unsophisticated bed, had a little chilled her.
As the flame shot up, it lighted the swarthy countenance of the
Huron on watch, whose dark eyes glistened under its light like
the balls of the panther that is pursued to his den with burning
brands. But Hetty felt no fear, and she approached the spot where
the Indian stood. Her movements were so natural, and so perfectly
devoid of any of the stealthiness of cunning or deception, that he
imagined she had merely arisen on account of the coolness of the
night, a common occurrence in a bivouac, and the one of all others,
perhaps, the least likely to excite suspicion. Hetty spoke to him,
but he understood no English. She then gazed near a minute at the
sleeping captive, and moved slowly away in a sad and melancholy
manner. The girl took no pains to conceal her movements. Any
ingenious expedient of this nature quite likely exceeded her
powers; still her step was habitually light, and scarcely audible.
As she took the direction of the extremity of the point, or the
place where she had landed in the first adventure, and where Hist
had embarked, the sentinel saw her light form gradually disappear
in the gloom without uneasiness or changing his own position. He
knew that others were on the look-out, and he did not believe that
one who had twice come into the camp voluntarily, and had already
left it openly, would take refuge in flight. In short, the conduct
of the girl excited no more attention that that of any person of
feeble intellect would excite in civilized society, while her person
met with more consideration and respect.
Hetty certainly had no very distinct notions of the localities,
but she found her way to the beach, which she reached on the same
side of the point as that on which the camp had been made. By
following the margin of the water, taking a northern direction,
she soon encountered the Indian who paced the strand as sentinel.
This was a young warrior, and when he heard her light tread coming
along the gravel he approached swiftly, though with anything but
menace in his manner. The darkness was so intense that it was not
easy to discover forms within the shadows of the woods at the distance
of twenty feet, and quite impossible to distinguish persons until
near enough to touch them. The young Huron manifested disappointment
when he found whom he had met; for, truth to say, he was expecting
his favourite, who had promised to relieve the ennui of a midnight
watch with her presence. This man was also ignorant of English,
but he was at no loss to understand why the girl should be up at
that hour. Such things were usual in an Indian village and camp,
where sleep is as irregular as the meals. Then poor Hetty's known
imbecility, as in most things connected with the savages, stood
her friend on this occasion. Vexed at his disappointment, and
impatient of the presence of one he thought an intruder, the young
warrior signed for the girl to move forward, holding the direction
of the beach. Hetty complied; but as she walked away she spoke
aloud in English in her usual soft tones, which the stillness of
the night made audible at some little distance.
"If you took me for a Huron girl, warrior," she said, "I don't
wonder you are so little pleased. I am Hetty Hutter, Thomas Hutter's
daughter, and have never met any man at night, for mother always
said it was wrong, and modest young women should never do it; modest
young women of the pale-faces, I mean; for customs are different
in different parts of the world, I know. No, no; I'm Hetty Hutter,
and wouldn't meet even Hurry Harry, though he should fall down on
his knees and ask me! Mother said it was wrong."
By the time Hetty had said this, she reached the place where the
canoes had come ashore, and, owing to the curvature of the land and
the bushes, would have been completely hid from the sight of the
sentinel, had it been broad day. But another footstep had caught
the lover's ear, and he was already nearly beyond the sound of the
girl's silvery voice. Still Hetty, bent only on her own thoughts
and purposes, continued to speak, though the gentleness of her tones
prevented the sounds from penetrating far into the woods. On the
water they were more widely diffused.
"Here I am, Judith," she added, "and there is no one near me. The
Huron on watch has gone to meet his sweetheart, who is an Indian
girl you know, and never had a Christian mother to tell her how
wrong it is to meet a man at night."
Hetty's voice was hushed by a "Hist!" that came from the water,
and then she caught a dim view of the canoe, which approached
noiselessly, and soon grated on the shingle with its bow. The
moment the weight of Hetty was felt in the light craft the canoe
withdrew, stern foremost, as if possessed of life and volition,
until it was a hundred yards from the shore. Then it turned and,
making a wide sweep, as much to prolong the passage as to get
beyond the sound of voices, it held its way towards the ark. For
several minutes nothing was uttered; but, believing herself to be
in a favourable position to confer with her sister, Judith, who
alone sat in the stern, managing the canoe with a skill little short
of that of a man, began a discourse which she had been burning to
commence ever since they had quitted the point.
"Here we are safe, Hetty," she said, "and may talk without the
fear of being overheard. You must speak low, however, for sounds
are heard far on the water in a still night. I was so close to
the point some of the time while you were on it, that I have heard
the voices of the warriors, and I heard your shoes on the gravel
of the beach, even before you spoke."
"I don't believe, Judith, the Hurons know I have left them."
"Quite likely they do not, for a lover makes a poor sentry, unless
it be to watch for his sweetheart! But tell me, Hetty, did you
see and speak with Deerslayer?"
"Oh, yes - there he was seated near the fire, with his legs tied,
though they left his arms free, to move them as he pleased."
"Well, what did he tell you, child? Speak quick; I am dying to
know what message he sent me."
"What did he tell me? why, what do you think, Judith; he told me
that he couldn't read! Only think of that! a white man, and not
know how to read his Bible even! He never could have had a mother,
sister!"
"Never mind that, Hetty. All men can't read; though mother knew so
much and taught us so much, father knows very little about books,
and he can barely read the Bible you know."
"Oh! I never thought fathers could read much, but mothers ought
all to read, else how can they teach their children? Depend on
it, Judith, Deerslayer could never have had a mother, else he would
know how to read."
"Did you tell him I sent you ashore, Hetty, and how much concern
I feel for his misfortune?" asked the other, impatiently.
"I believe I did, Judith; but you know I am feeble-minded, and
I may have forgotten. I did tell him you brought me ashore. And
he told me a great deal that I was to say to you, which I remember
well, for it made my blood run cold to hear him. He told me to
say that his friends - I suppose you are one of them, sister?"
"How can you torment me thus, Hetty! Certainly, I am one of the
truest friends he has on earth."
"Torment you! yes, now I remember all about it. I am glad you
used that word, Judith, for it brings it all back to my mind. Well,
he said he might be tormented by the savages, but he would try to
bear it as becomes a Christian white man, and that no one need be
afeard - why does Deerslayer call it afeard, when mother always
taught us to say afraid?"
"Never mind, dear Hetty, never mind that, now," cried the other,
almost gasping for breath. "Did Deerslayer really tell you that he
thought the savages would put him to the torture? Recollect now,
well, Hetty, for this is a most awful and serious thing."
"Yes he did; and I remember it by your speaking about my tormenting
you. Oh! I felt very sorry for him, and Deerslayer took all so
quietly and without noise! Deerslayer is not as handsome as Hurry
Harry, Judith, but he is more quiet."
"He's worth a million Hurrys! yes, he's worth all the young men
who ever came upon the lake put together," said Judith, with an
energy and positiveness that caused her sister to wonder. "He is
true. There is no lie about Deerslayer. You, Hetty, may not know
what a merit it is in a man to have truth, but when you get - no
- I hope you will never know it. Why should one like you be ever
made to learn the hard lesson to distrust and hate!"
Judith bowed her face, dark as it was, and unseen as she must have
been by any eye but that of Omniscience, between her hands, and
groaned. This sudden paroxysm of feeling, however, lasted but for
a moment, and she continued more calmly, still speaking frankly to
her sister, whose intelligence, and whose discretion in any thing
that related to herself, she did not in the least distrust. Her
voice, however, was low and husky, instead of having its former
clearness and animation.
"It is a hard thing to fear truth, Hetty," she said, "and yet do I
more dread Deerslayer's truth, than any enemy! One cannot tamper
with such truth - so much honesty - such obstinate uprightness!
But we are not altogether unequal, sister - Deerslayer and I? He
is not altogether my superior?"
It was not usual for Judith so far to demean herself as to appeal
to Hetty's judgment. Nor did she often address her by the title of
sister, a distinction that is commonly given by the junior to the
senior, even where there is perfect equality in all other respects.
As trifling departures from habitual deportment oftener strike
the imagination than more important changes, Hetty perceived the
circumstances, and wondered at them in her own simple way. Her
ambition was a little quickened, and the answer was as much out of
the usual course of things as the question; the poor girl attempting
to refine beyond her strength.
"Superior, Judith!" she repeated with pride. "In what can Deerslayer
be your superior? Are you not mother's child - and does he know
how to read - and wasn't mother before any woman in all this part
of the world? I should think, so far from supposing himself your
superior, he would hardly believe himself mine. You are handsome,
and he is ugly -"
"No, not ugly, Hetty," interrupted Judith. "Only plain. But his
honest face has a look in it that is far better than beauty. In
my eyes, Deerslayer is handsomer than Hurry Harry."
"Judith Hutter! you frighten me. Hurry is the handsomest mortal
in the world - even handsomer than you are yourself; because a
man's good looks, you know, are always better than a woman's good
looks."
This little innocent touch of natural taste did not please the
elder sister at the moment, and she did not scruple to betray it.
"Hetty, you now speak foolishly, and had better say no more on
this subject," she answered. "Hurry is not the handsomest mortal
in the world, by many; and there are officers in the garrisons - "
Judith stammered at the words - "there are officers in the garrisons,
near us, far comelier than he. But why do you think me the equal
of Deerslayer - speak of that, for I do not like to hear you show
so much admiration of a man like Hurry Harry, who has neither
feelings, manners, nor conscience. You are too good for him, and
he ought to be told it, at once."
"I! Judith, how you forget! Why I am not beautiful, and am
feeble-minded."
"You are good, Hetty, and that is more than can be said of Harry
March. He may have a face, and a body, but he has no heart. But
enough of this, for the present. Tell me what raises me to an
equality with Deerslayer."
"To think of you asking me this, Judith! He can't read, and you
can. He don't know how to talk, but speaks worse than Hurry even;
- for, sister, Harry doesn't always pronounce his words right! Did
you ever notice that?"
"Certainly, he is as coarse in speech as in everything else. But
I fear you flatter me, Hetty, when you think I can be justly called
the equal of a man like Deerslayer. It is true, I have been better
taught; in one sense am more comely; and perhaps might look higher;
but then his truth - his truth -makes a fearful difference between
us! Well, I will talk no more of this; and we will bethink us of
the means of getting him out of the hands of the Hurons. We have
father's chest in the ark, Hetty, and might try the temptation of
more elephants; though I fear such baubles will not buy the liberty
of a man like Deerslayer. I am afraid father and Hurry will not be
as willing to ransom Deerslayer, as Deerslayer was to ransom them!"
"Why not, Judith? Hurry and Deerslayer are friends, and friends
should always help one another."
"Alas! poor Hetty, you little know mankind! Seeming friends are
often more to be dreaded than open enemies; particularly by females.
But you'll have to land in the morning, and try again what can be
done for Deerslayer. Tortured he shall not be, while Judith Hutter
lives, and can find means to prevent it."
The conversation now grew desultory, and was drawn out, until the
elder sister had extracted from the younger every fact that the
feeble faculties of the latter permitted her to retain, and to
communicate. When Judith was satisfied - though she could never
be said to be satisfied, whose feelings seemed to be so interwoven
with all that related to the subject, as to have excited a nearly
inappeasable curiosity - but, when Judith could think of no more
questions to ask, without resorting to repetition, the canoe was
paddled towards the scow. The intense darkness of the night, and
the deep shadows which the hills and forest cast upon the water,
rendered it difficult to find the vessel, anchored, as it had
been, as close to the shore as a regard to safety rendered prudent.
Judith was expert in the management of a bark canoe, the lightness
of which demanded skill rather than strength; and she forced her
own little vessel swiftly over the water, the moment she had ended
her conference with Hetty, and had come to the determination to
return. Still no ark was seen. Several times the sisters fancied
they saw it, looming up in the obscurity, like a low black rock;
but on each occasion it was found to be either an optical illusion,
or some swell of the foliage on the shore. After a search that lasted
half an hour, the girls were forced to the unwelcome conviction
that the ark had departed. Most young women would have felt
the awkwardness of their situation, in a physical sense, under
the circumstances in which the sisters were left, more than any
apprehensions of a different nature. Not so with Judith, however;
and even Hetty felt more concern about the motives that might have
influenced her father and Hurry, than any fears for her own safety.
"It cannot be, Hetty," said Judith, when a thorough search had
satisfied them both that no ark was to be found; "it cannot be that
the Indians have rafted, or swum off and surprised our friends as
they slept?"
"I don't believe that Hist and Chingachgook would sleep until they
had told each other all they had to say after so long a separation
- do you, sister?"
"Perhaps not, child. There was much to keep them awake, but one
Indian may have been surprised even when not asleep, especially as
his thoughts may have been on other things. Still we should have
heard a noise; for in a night like this, an oath of Hurry Harry's
would have echoed in the eastern hills like a clap of thunder."
"Hurry is sinful and thoughtless about his words, Judith," Hetty
meekly and sorrowfully answered.
"No - no; 'tis impossible the ark could be taken and I not hear
the noise. It is not an hour since I left it, and the whole time
I have been attentive to the smallest sound. And yet, it is not
easy to believe a father would willingly abandon his children!"
"Perhaps father has thought us in our cabin asleep, Judith, and
has moved away to go home. You know we often move the ark in the
night."
"This is true, Hetty, and it must be as you suppose. There is a
little more southern air than there was, and they have gone up the
lake -" Judith stopped, for, as the last word was on her tongue,
the scene was suddenly lighted, though only for a single instant,
by a flash. The crack of a rifle succeeded, and then followed the
roll of the echo along the eastern mountains. Almost at the same
moment a piercing female cry rose in the air in a prolonged shriek.
The awful stillness that succeeded was, if possible, more appalling
than the fierce and sudden interruption of the deep silence of
midnight. Resolute as she was both by nature and habit, Judith
scarce breathed, while poor Hetty hid her face and trembled.
"That was a woman's cry, Hetty," said the former solemnly, 'and it
was a cry of anguish! If the ark has moved from this spot it can
only have gone north with this air, and the gun and shriek came
from the point. Can any thing have befallen Hist?"
"Let us go and see, Judith; she may want our assistance - for,
besides herself, there are none but men in the ark."
It was not a moment for hesitation, and ere Judith had ceased
speaking her paddle was in the water. The distance to the point,
in a direct line, was not great, and the impulses under which the
girls worked were too exciting to allow them to waste the precious
moments in useless precautions. They paddled incautiously for them,
but the same excitement kept others from noting their movements.
Presently a glare of light caught the eye of Judith through
an opening in the bushes, and steering by it, she so directed the
canoe as to keep it visible, while she got as near the land as was
either prudent or necessary.
The scene that was now presented to the observation of the
girls was within the woods, on the side of the declivity so often
mentioned, and in plain view from the boat. Here all in the camp
were collected, some six or eight carrying torches of fat-pine,
which cast a strong but funereal light on all beneath the arches of
the forest. With her back supported against a tree, and sustained
on one side by the young sentinel whose remissness had suffered
Hetty to escape, sat the female whose expected visit had produced
his delinquency. By the glare of the torch that was held near her
face, it was evident that she was in the agonies of death, while
the blood that trickled from her bared bosom betrayed the nature
of the injury she had received. The pungent, peculiar smell
of gunpowder, too, was still quite perceptible in the heavy, damp
night air. There could be no question that she had been shot.
Judith understood it all at a glance. The streak of light had
appeared on the water a short distance from the point, and either the
rifle had been discharged from a canoe hovering near the land, or
it had been fired from the ark in passing. An incautious exclamation,
or laugh, may have produced the assault, for it was barely possible
that the aim had been assisted by any other agent than sound. As
to the effect, that was soon still more apparent, the head of
the victim dropping, and the body sinking in death. Then all the
torches but one were extinguished - a measure of prudence; and
the melancholy train that bore the body to the camp was just to be
distinguished by the glimmering light that remained. Judith sighed
heavily and shuddered, as her paddle again dipped, and the canoe
moved cautiously around the point. A sight had afflicted her senses,
and now haunted her imagination, that was still harder to be borne,
than even the untimely fate and passing agony of the deceased girl.
She had seen, under the strong glare of all the torches, the erect
form of Deerslayer, standing with commiseration, and as she thought,
with shame depicted on his countenance, near the dying female. He
betrayed neither fear nor backwardness himself; but it was apparent
by the glances cast at him by the warriors, that fierce passions
were struggling in their bosoms. All this seemed to be unheeded
by the captive, but it remained impressed on the memory of Judith
throughout the night. No canoe was met hovering near the point.
A stillness and darkness, as complete as if the silence of the
forest had never been disturbed, or the sun had never shone on that
retired region, now reigned on the point, and on the gloomy water,
the slumbering woods, and even the murky sky. No more could be
done, therefore, than to seek a place of safety; and this was only
to be found in the centre of the lake. Paddling in silence to that
spot, the canoe was suffered to drift northerly, while the girls
sought such repose as their situation and feelings would permit.
Chapter XIX
"Stand to your arms, and guard the door- all's lost
Unless that fearful bell be silenced soon.
The officer hath miss'd his path, or purpose,
Or met some unforeseen and hideous obstacle.
Anselmo, with thy company proceed
Straight to the tower; the rest remain with me."
Byron, Marino Faliero, lV.ii.23o-35.
The conjecture of Judith Hutter, concerning the manner in which
the Indian girl had met her death, was accurate in the main. After
sleeping several hours, her father and March awoke. This occurred
a few minutes after she had left the Ark to go in quest of her
sister, and when of course Chingachgook and his betrothed were
on board. From the Delaware the old man learned the position
of the camp, and the recent events, as well as the absence of his
daughters. The latter gave him no concern, for he relied greatly
on the sagacity of the elder, and the known impunity with which the
younger passed among the savages. Long familiarity with danger,
too, had blunted his sensibilities. Nor did he seem much to regret
the captivity of Deerslayer, for, while he knew how material his
aid might be in a defence, the difference in their views on the
morality of the woods, had not left much sympathy between them. He
would have rejoiced to know the position of the camp before it had
been alarmed by the escape of Hist, but it would be too hazardous
now to venture to land, and he reluctantly relinquished for the
night the ruthless designs that cupidity and revenge had excited
him to entertain. In this mood Hutter took a seat in the head of
the scow, where he was quickly joined by Hurry, leaving the Serpent
and Hist in quiet possession of the other extremity of the vessel.
"Deerslayer has shown himself a boy, in going among the savages at
this hour, and letting himself fall into their hands like a deer
that tumbles into a pit," growled the old man, perceiving as usual
the mote in his neighbor's eyes, while he overlooked the beam in
his own; "if he is left to pay for his stupidity with his own flesh,
he can blame no one but himself."
"That's the way of the world, old Tom," returned Hurry. "Every man
must meet his own debts, and answer for his own sins. I'm amazed,
howsever, that a lad as skilful and watchful as Deerslayer should
have been caught in such a trap! Didn't he know any better than
to go prowling about a Huron camp at midnight, with no place to
retreat to but a lake? or did he think himself a buck, that by
taking to the water could throw off the scent and swim himself out
of difficulty? I had a better opinion of the boy's judgment, I'll
own; but we must overlook a little ignorance in a raw hand. I say,
Master Hutter, do you happen to know what has become of the gals
- I see no signs of Judith, or Hetty, though I've been through the
Ark, and looked into all its living creatur's."
Hutter briefly explained the manner in which his daughters had
taken to the canoe, as it had been related by the Delaware, as well
as the return of Judith after landing her sister, and her second
departure.
"This comes of a smooth tongue, Floating Tom," exclaimed Hurry,
grating his teeth in pure resentment - "This comes of a smooth
tongue, and a silly gal's inclinations, and you had best look into
the matter! You and I were both prisoners - " Hurry could recall that
circumstance now - "you and I were both prisoners and yet Judith
never stirred an inch to do us any sarvice! She is bewitched with
this lank-looking Deerslayer, and he, and she, and you, and all
of us, had best look to it. I am not a man to put up with such
a wrong quietly, and I say, all the parties had best look to it!
Let's up kedge, old fellow, and move nearer to this p'int, and see
how matters are getting on.
Hutter had no objections to this movement, and the Ark was got
under way in the usual manner; care being taken to make no noise.
The wind was passing northward, and the sail soon swept the scow so
far up the lake as to render the dark outlines of the trees that
clothed the point dimly visible. Floating Tom steered, and he
sailed along as near the land as the depth of the water and the
overhanging branches would allow. It was impossible to distinguish
anything that stood within the shadows of the shore, but the forms
of the sail and of the hut were discerned by the young sentinel on
the beach, who has already been mentioned. In the moment of sudden
surprise, a deep Indian exclamation escaped him. In that spirit
of recklessness and ferocity that formed the essence of Hurry's
character, this man dropped his rifle and fired. The ball was
sped by accident, or by that overruling providence which decides
the fates of all, and the girl fell. Then followed the scene with
the torches, which has just been described.
At the precise moment when Hurry committed this act of unthinking
cruelty, the canoe of Judith was within a hundred feet of the spot
from which the Ark had so lately moved. Her own course has been
described, and it has now become our office to follow that of her
father and his companions. The shriek announced the effects of
the random shot of March, and it also proclaimed that the victim
was a woman. Hurry himself was startled at these unlooked for
consequences, and for a moment he was sorely disturbed by conflicting
sensations. At first he laughed, in reckless and rude-minded
exultation; and then conscience, that monitor planted in our breasts
by God, and which receives its more general growth from the training
bestowed in the tillage of childhood, shot a pang to his heart.
For a minute, the mind of this creature equally of civilization and
of barbarism, was a sort of chaos as to feeling, not knowing what
to think of its own act; and then the obstinacy and pride of one of
his habits, interposed to assert their usual ascendency. He struck
the butt of his rifle on the bottom of the scow, with a species of
defiance, and began to whistle a low air with an affectation of
indifference. All this time the Ark was in motion, and it was already
opening the bay above the point, and was consequently quitting the
land.
Hurry's companions did not view his conduct with the same indulgence
as that with which he appeared disposed to regard it himself. Hutter
growled out his dissatisfaction, for the act led to no advantage,
while it threatened to render the warfare more vindictive than
ever, and none censure motiveless departures from the right more
severely than the mercenary and unprincipled. Still he commanded
himself, the captivity of Deerslayer rendering the arm of the offender
of double consequence to him at that moment. Chingachgook arose,
and for a single instant the ancient animosity of tribes was
forgotten, in a feeling of colour; but he recollected himself in
season to prevent any of the fierce consequences that, for a passing
moment, he certainly meditated. Not so with Hist. Rushing through
the hut, or cabin, the girl stood at the side of Hurry, almost
as soon as his rifle touched the bottom of the scow, and with
a fearlessness that did credit to her heart, she poured out her
reproaches with the generous warmth of a woman.
"What for you shoot?" she said. "What Huron gal do, dat you kill
him? What you t'ink Manitou say? What you t'ink Manitou feel?
What Iroquois do? No get honour- no get camp - no get prisoner -no
get battle - no get scalp - no get not'ing at all! Blood come
after blood! How you feel, your wife killed? Who pity you, when
tear come for moder, or sister? You big as great pine - Huron
gal little slender birch - why you fall on her and crush her? You
t'ink Huron forget it? No; red-skin never forget! Never forget
friend; never forget enemy. Red man Manitou in dat. Why you so
wicked, great pale-face?"
Hurry had never been so daunted as by this close and warm attack
of the Indian girl. It is true that she had a powerful ally in
his conscience, and while she spoke earnestly, it was in tones so
feminine as to deprive him of any pretext for unmanly anger. The
softness of her voice added to the weight of her remonstrance, by
lending to the latter an air of purity and truth. Like most vulgar
minded men, he had only regarded the Indians through the medium
of their coarser and fiercer characteristics. It had never struck
him that the affections are human, that even high principles -
modified by habits and prejudices, but not the less elevated within
their circle - can exist in the savage state, and that the warrior
who is most ruthless in the field, can submit to the softest and
gentlest influences in the moments of domestic quiet. In a word,
it was the habit of his mind to regard all Indians as being only a
slight degree removed from the wild beasts that roamed the woods,
and to feel disposed to treat them accordingly, whenever interest
or caprice supplied a motive or an impulse. Still, though daunted
by these reproaches, the handsome barbarian could hardly be said
to be penitent. He was too much rebuked by conscience to suffer
an outbreak of temper to escape him, and perhaps he felt that he
had already committed an act that might justly bring his manhood
in question. Instead of resenting, or answering the simple but
natural appeal of Hist, he walked away, like one who disdained
entering into a controversy with a woman.
In the mean while the Ark swept onward, and by the time the scene
with the torches was enacting beneath the trees, it had reached the
open lake, Floating Tom causing it to sheer further from the land
with a sort of instinctive dread of retaliation. An hour now
passed in gloomy silence, no one appearing disposed to break it.
Hist had retired to her pallet, and Chingachgook lay sleeping in the
forward part of the scow. Hutter and Hurry alone remained awake,
the former at the steering oar, while the latter brooded over his own
conduct, with the stubbornness of one little given to a confession
of his errors, and the secret goadings of the worm that never dies.
This was at the moment when Judith and Hetty reached the centre of
the lake, and had lain down to endeavor to sleep in their drifting
canoe.
The night was calm, though so much obscured by clouds. The season
was not one of storms, and those which did occur in the month of
June, on that embedded water, though frequently violent were always
of short continuance. Nevertheless, there was the usual current
of heavy, damp night air, which, passing over the summits of the
trees, scarcely appeared to descend as low as the surface of the
glassy lake, but kept moving a short distance above it, saturated with
the humidity that constantly arose from the woods, and apparently
never proceeding far in any one direction. The currents were
influenced by the formation of the hills, as a matter of course, a
circumstance that rendered even fresh breezes baffling, and which
reduced the feebler efforts of the night air to be a sort of capricious
and fickle sighings of the woods. Several times the head of the
Ark pointed east, and once it was actually turned towards the south,
again; but, on the whole, it worked its way north; Hutter making
always a fair wind, if wind it could be called, his principal motive
appearing to keep in motion, in order to defeat any treacherous
design of his enemies. He now felt some little concern about his
daughters, and perhaps as much about the canoe; but, on the whole,
this uncertainty did not much disturb him, as he had the reliance
already mentioned on the intelligence of Judith.
It was the season of the shortest nights, and it was not long
before the deep obscurity which precedes the day began to yield to
the returning light. If any earthly scene could be presented to
the senses of man that might soothe his passions and temper his
ferocity, it was that which grew upon the eyes of Hutter and Hurry
as the hours advanced, changing night to morning. There were the
usual soft tints of the sky, in which neither the gloom of darkness
nor the brilliancy of the sun prevails, and under which objects
appear more unearthly, and we might add holy, than at any other
portion of the twenty four hours. The beautiful and soothing calm
of eventide has been extolled by a thousand poets, and yet it does
not bring with it the far-reaching and sublime thoughts of the half
hour that precedes the rising of a summer sun. In the one case the
panorama is gradually hid from the sight, while in the other its
objects start out from the unfolding picture, first dim and misty;
then marked in, in solemn background; next seen in the witchery of
an increasing, a thing as different as possible from the decreasing
twilight, and finally mellow, distinct and luminous, as the rays
of the great centre of light diffuse themselves in the atmosphere.
The hymns of birds, too, have no moral counterpart in the retreat
to the roost, or the flight to the nest, and these invariably accompany
the advent of the day, until the appearance of the sun itself -
"Bathes in deep joy, the land and sea."
All this, however, Hutter and Hurry witnessed without experiencing
any of that calm delight which the spectacle is wont to bring, when
the thoughts are just and the aspirations pure. They not only
witnessed it, but they witnessed it under circumstances that had a
tendency to increase its power, and to heighten its charms. Only
one solitary object became visible in the returning light that had
received its form or uses from human taste or human desires, which
as often deform as beautify a landscape. This was the castle,
all the rest being native, and fresh from the hand of God. That
singular residence, too, was in keeping with the natural objects
of the view, starting out from the gloom, quaint, picturesque and
ornamental. Nevertheless the whole was lost on the observers, who
knew no feeling of poetry, had lost their sense of natural devotion
in lives of obdurate and narrow selfishness, and had little other
sympathy with nature, than that which originated with her lowest
wants.
As soon as the light was sufficiently strong to allow of a distinct
view of the lake, and more particularly of its shores, Hutter turned
the head of the Ark directly towards the castle, with the avowed
intention of taking possession, for the day at least, as the place
most favorable for meeting his daughters and for carrying on his
operations against the Indians. By this time, Chingachgook was
up, and Hist was heard stirring among the furniture of the kitchen.
The place for which they steered was distant only a mile, and the air
was sufficiently favorable to permit it to be reached by means of
the sail. At this moment, too, to render the appearances generally
auspicious, the canoe of Judith was seen floating northward in the
broadest part of the lake; having actually passed the scow in the
darkness, in obedience to no other power than that of the elements.
Hutter got his glass, and took a long and anxious survey,
to ascertain if his daughters were in the light craft or not, and
a slight exclamation like that of joy escaped him, as he caught a
glimpse of what he rightly conceived to be a part of Judith's dress
above the top of the canoe. At the next instant the girl arose
and was seen gazing about her, like one assuring herself of her
situation. A minute later, Hetty was seen on her knees in the
other end of the canoe, repeating the prayers that had been taught
her in childhood by a misguided but repentant mother. As Hutter
laid down the glass, still drawn to its focus, the Serpent raised
it to his eye and turned it towards the canoe. It was the first
time he had ever used such an instrument, and Hist understood by
his "Hugh!," the expression of his face, and his entire mien, that
something wonderful had excited his admiration. It is well known
that the American Indians, more particularly those of superior
characters and stations, singularly maintain their self-possession
and stoicism, in the midst of the flood of marvels that present
themselves in their occasional visits to the abodes of civilization,
and Chingachgook had imbibed enough of this impassibility to suppress
any very undignified manifestation of surprise. With Hist, however,
no such law was binding, and when her lover managed to bring the
glass in a line with the canoe, and her eye was applied to the
smaller end, the girl started back in alarm; then she clapped her
hands with delight, and a laugh, the usual attendant of untutored
admiration, followed. A few minutes sufficed to enable this quick
witted girl to manage the instrument for herself, and she directed
it at every prominent object that struck her fancy. Finding
a rest in one of the windows, she and the Delaware first surveyed
the lake; then the shores, the hills, and, finally, the castle
attracted their attention. After a long steady gaze at the latter,
Hist took away her eye, and spoke to her lover in a low, earnest
manner. Chingachgook immediately placed his eye to the glass, and
his look even exceeded that of his betrothed in length and intensity.
Again they spoke together, confidentially, appearing to compare
opinions, after which the glass was laid aside, and the young
warrior quitted the cabin to join Hutter and Hurry.
The Ark was slowly but steadily advancing, and the castle was
materially within half a mile, when Chingachgook joined the two
white men in the stern of the scow. His manner was calm, but it
was evident to the others, who were familiar with the habits of the
Indians, that he had something to communicate. Hurry was generally
prompt to speak and, according to custom, he took the lead on this
occasion.
"Out with it, red-skin," he cried, in his usual rough manner. "Have
you discovered a chipmunk in a tree, or is there a salmon-trout
swimming under the bottom of the scow? You find what a pale-face
can do in the way of eyes, now, Sarpent, and mustn't wonder that
they can see the land of the Indians from afar off."
"No good to go to Castle," put in Chingachgook with emphasis,
the moment the other gave him an opportunity of speaking. "Huron
there."
"The devil he is! - If this should turn out to be true, Floating
Tom, a pretty trap were we about to pull down on our heads! Huron,
there! -Well, this may be so; but no signs can I see of any thing,
near or about the old hut, but logs, water, and bark - bating two
or three windows, and one door."
Hutter called for the glass, and took a careful survey of the spot,
before he ventured an opinion, at all; then he somewhat cavalierly
expressed his dissent from that given by the Indian.
"You've got this glass wrong end foremost, Delaware," continued
Hurry. "Neither the old man nor I can see any trail in the lake."
"No trail - water make no trail," said Hist, eagerly. "Stop
boat - no go too near. Huron there!"
"Ay, that's it! - Stick to the same tale, and more people
will believe you. I hope, Sarpent, you and your gal will agree
in telling the same story arter marriage, as well as you do now.
'Huron, there!'-Whereabouts is he to be seen - in the padlock, or the
chains, or the logs. There isn't a gaol in the colony that has
a more lock up look about it, than old Tom's chiente, and
I know something about gaols from exper'ence."
"No see moccasin," said Hist, impatiently "why no look - and see
him."
"Give me the glass, Harry," interrupted Hutter, "and lower the sail.
It is seldom that an Indian woman meddles, and when she does, there
is generally a cause for it. There is, truly, a moccasin floating
against one of the piles, and it may or may not be a sign that
the castle hasn't escaped visitors in our absence. Moccasins are
no rarities, however, for I wear 'em myself; and Deerslayer wears
'em, and you wear 'em, March, and, for that matter so does Hetty,
quite as often as she wears shoes, though I never yet saw Judith
trust her pretty foot in a moccasin."
Hurry had lowered the sail, and by this time the Ark was within two
hundred yards of the castle, setting in, nearer and nearer, each
moment, but at a rate too slow to excite any uneasiness. Each now
took the glass in turn, and the castle, and every thing near it,
was subjected to a scrutiny still more rigid than ever. There the
moccasin lay, beyond a question, floating so lightly, and preserving
its form so well, that it was scarcely wet. It had caught by
a piece of the rough bark of one of the piles, on the exterior of
the water-palisade that formed the dock already mentioned, which
circumstance alone prevented it from drifting away before the air.
There were many modes, however, of accounting for the presence
of the moccasin, without supposing it to have been dropped by an
enemy. It might have fallen from the platform, even while Hutter
was in possession of the place, and drifted to the spot where it was
now seen, remaining unnoticed until detected by the acute vision
of Hist. It might have drifted from a distance, up or down the
lake, and accidentally become attached to the pile, or palisade.
It might have been thrown from a window, and alighted in that
particular place; or it might certainly have fallen from a scout,
or an assailant, during the past night, who was obliged to abandon
it to the lake, in the deep obscurity which then prevailed.
All these conjectures passed from Hutter to Hurry, the former
appearing disposed to regard the omen as a little sinister, while
the latter treated it with his usual reckless disdain. As for the
Indian, he was of opinion that the moccasin should be viewed as
one would regard a trail in the woods, which might, or might not,
equally, prove to be threatening. Hist, however, had something
available to propose. She declared her readiness to take a canoe,
to proceed to the palisade and bring away the moccasin, when its
ornaments would show whether it came from the Canadas or not. Both
the white men were disposed to accept this offer, but the Delaware
interfered to prevent the risk. If such a service was to be undertaken,
it best became a warrior to expose himself in its execution, and
he gave his refusal to let his betrothed proceed, much in the quiet
but brief manner in which an Indian husband issues his commands.
"Well then, Delaware, go yourself if you're so tender of your
squaw," put in the unceremonious Hurry. "That moccasin must be
had, or Floating Tom will keep off, here, at arm's length, till
the hearth cools in his cabin. It's but a little deerskin, a'ter
all, and cut this-a-way or that-a-way, it's not a skear-crow
to frighten true hunters from their game. What say you, Sarpent,
shall you or I canoe it?"
"Let red man go. - Better eyes than pale-face - know Huron trick
better, too."
"That I'll gainsay, to the hour of my death! A white man's eyes,
and a white man's nose, and for that matter his sight and ears are
all better than an Injin's when fairly tried. Time and ag'in have
I put that to the proof, and what is proved is sartain. Still I
suppose the poorest vagabond going, whether Delaware or Huron, can
find his way to yonder hut and back ag'in, and so, Sarpent, use
your paddle and welcome."
Chingachgook was already in the canoe, and he dipped the implement
the other named into the water, just as Hurry's limber tongue ceased.
Wah-ta-Wah saw the departure of her warrior on this occasion with
the submissive silence of an Indian girl, but with most of the
misgivings and apprehensions of her sex. Throughout the whole of
the past night, and down to the moment, when they used the glass
together in the hut, Chingachgook had manifested as much manly
tenderness towards his betrothed as one of the most refined sentiment
could have shown under similar circumstances, but now every sign of
weakness was lost in an appearance of stern resolution. Although
Hist timidly endeavored to catch his eye as the canoe left the side
of the Ark, the pride of a warrior would not permit him to meet
her fond and anxious looks. The canoe departed and not a wandering
glance rewarded her solicitude.
Nor were the Delaware's care and gravity misplaced, under the
impressions with which he proceeded on this enterprise. If the
enemy had really gained possession of the building he was obliged
to put himself under the very muzzles of their rifles, as it were,
and this too without the protection of any of that cover which forms
so essential an ally in Indian warfare. It is scarcely possible
to conceive of a service more dangerous, and had the Serpent been
fortified by the experience of ten more years, or had his friend
the Deerslayer been present, it would never have been attempted;
the advantages in no degree compensating for the risk. But the
pride of an Indian chief was acted on by the rivalry of colour,
and it is not unlikely that the presence of the very creature from
whom his ideas of manhood prevented his receiving a single glance,
overflowing as he was with the love she so well merited, had no
small influence on his determination.
Chingachgook paddled steadily towards the palisades, keeping his eyes
on the different loops of the building. Each instant he expected
to see the muzzle of a rifle protruded, or to hear its sharp crack;
but he succeeded in reaching the piles in safety. Here he was,
in a measure, protected, having the heads of the palisades between
him and the hut, and the chances of any attempt on his life while
thus covered, were greatly diminished. The canoe had reached the
piles with its head inclining northward, and at a short distance
from the moccasin. Instead of turning to pick up the latter, the
Delaware slowly made the circuit of the whole building, deliberately
examining every object that should betray the presence of enemies,
or the commission of violence. Not a single sign could he discover,
however, to confirm the suspicions that had been awakened. The
stillness of desertion pervaded the building; not a fastening was
displaced, not a window had been broken. The door looked as secure
as at the hour when it was closed by Hutter, and even the gate
of the dock had all the customary fastenings. In short, the most
wary and jealous eye could detect no other evidence of the visit
of enemies, than that which was connected with the appearance of
the floating moccasin.
The Delaware was now greatly at a loss how to proceed. At one
moment, as he came round in front of the castle, he was on the point
of stepping up on the platform and of applying his eye to one of
the loops, with a view of taking a direct personal inspection of
the state of things within; but he hesitated. Though of little
experience in such matters, himself, he had heard so much of Indian
artifices through traditions, had listened with such breathless
interest to the narration of the escapes of the elder warriors,
and, in short, was so well schooled in the theory of his calling,
that it was almost as impossible for him to make any gross blunder
on such an occasion, as it was for a well grounded scholar, who had
commenced correctly, to fail in solving his problem in mathematics.
Relinquishing the momentary intention to land, the chief slowly
pursued his course round the palisades. As he approached the
moccasin, having now nearly completed the circuit of the building,
he threw the ominous article into the canoe, by a dexterous and
almost imperceptible movement of his paddle. He was now ready to
depart, but retreat was even more dangerous than the approach, as
the eye could no longer be riveted on the loops. If there was really
any one in the castle, the motive of the Delaware in reconnoitering
must be understood, and it was the wisest way, however perilous it
might be, to retire with an air of confidence, as if all distrust
were terminated by the examination. Such, accordingly, was the
course adopted by the Indian, who paddled deliberately away, taking
the direction of the Ark, suffering no nervous impulse to quicken
the motions of his arms, or to induce him to turn even a furtive
glance behind him.
No tender wife, reared in the refinements of the highest
civilization, ever met a husband on his return from the field with
more of sensibility in her countenance than Hist discovered, as
she saw the Great Serpent of the Delawares step, unharmed, into the
Ark. Still she repressed her emotion, though the joy that sparkled
in her dark eyes, and the smile that lighted her pretty mouth,
spoke a language that her betrothed could understand.
"Well, Sarpent," cried Hurry, always the first to speak, "what news
from the muskrats? Did they shew their teeth, as you surrounded
their dwelling?"
"I no like him," sententiously returned the Delaware. "Too still.
So still, can see silence!"
"That's downright Injin - as if any thing could make less noise
than nothing! If you've no better reason than this to give, old
Tom had better hoist his sail, and go and get his breakfast under
his own roof. What has become of the moccasin?"
"Here," returned Chingachgook, holding up his prize for the general
inspection. The moccasin was examined, and Hist confidently
pronounced it to be Huron, by the manner in which the porcupine's
quills were arranged on its front. Hutter and the Delaware, too,
were decidedly of the same opinion. Admitting all this, however,
it did not necessarily follow that its owners were in the castle.
The moccasin might have drifted from a distance, or it might have
fallen from the foot of some scout, who had quitted the place when
his errand was accomplished. In short it explained nothing, while
it awakened so much distrust.
Under the circumstances, Hutter and Hurry were not men to be long
deterred from proceeding by proofs as slight as that of the moccasin.
They hoisted the sail again, and the Ark was soon in motion,
heading towards the castle. The wind or air continued light, and
the movement was sufficiently slow to allow of a deliberate survey
of the building, as the scow approached. The same death-like silence
reigned, and it was difficult to fancy that any thing possessing
animal life could be in or around the place. Unlike the Serpent,
whose imagination had acted through his traditions until he was
ready to perceive an artificial, in a natural stillness, the others
saw nothing to apprehend in a tranquility that, in truth, merely
denoted the repose of inanimate objects. The accessories of the
scene, too, were soothing and calm, rather than exciting. The day
had not yet advanced so far as to bring the sun above the horizon, but
the heavens, the atmosphere, and the woods and lake were all seen
under that softened light which immediately precedes his appearance,
and which perhaps is the most witching period of the four and twenty
hours. It is the moment when every thing is distinct, even the
atmosphere seeming to possess a liquid lucidity, the hues appearing
gray and softened, with the outlines of objects defined, and
the perspective just as moral truths that are presented in their
simplicity, without the meretricious aids of ornament or glitter.
In a word, it is the moment when the senses seem to recover their
powers, in the simplest and most accurate forms, like the mind
emerging from the obscurity of doubts into the tranquility and peace
of demonstration. Most of the influence that such a scene is apt
to produce on those who are properly constituted in a moral sense,
was lost on Hutter and Hurry; but both the Delawares, though too
much accustomed to witness the loveliness of morning-tide to stop
to analyze their feelings, were equally sensible of the beauties
of the hour, though it was probably in a way unknown to themselves.
It disposed the young warrior to peace, and never had he felt less
longings for the glory of the combat, than when he joined Hist
in the cabin, the instant the scow rubbed against the side of the
platform. From the indulgence of such gentle emotions, however,
he was aroused by a rude summons from Hurry, who called on him to
come forth and help to take in the sail, and to secure the Ark.
Chingachgook obeyed, and by the time he had reached the head of
the scow, Hurry was on the platform, stamping his feet, like one
glad to touch what, by comparison, might be called terra firma,
and proclaiming his indifference to the whole Huron tribe in his
customary noisy, dogmatical manner. Hutter had hauled a canoe up
to the head of the scow, and was already about to undo the fastenings
of the gate, in order to enter within the 'dock.' March had no other
motive in landing than a senseless bravado, and having shaken the
door in a manner to put its solidity to the proof, he joined Hutter
in the canoe and began to aid him in opening the gate. The reader
will remember that this mode of entrance was rendered necessary by
the manner in which the owner of this singular residence habitually
secured it, whenever it was left empty; more particularly at
moments when danger was apprehended. Hutter had placed a line in
the Delaware's hand, on entering the canoe, intimating that the
other was to fasten the Ark to the platform and to lower the sail.
Instead of following these directions, however, Chingachgook left
the sail standing, and throwing the bight of the rope over the
head of a pile, he permitted the Ark to drift round until it lay
against the defences, in a position where it could be entered only
by means of a boat, or by passing along the summits of the palisades;
the latter being an exploit that required some command of the feet,
and which was not to be attempted in the face of a resolute enemy.
In consequence of this change in the position of the scow, which
was effected before Hutter had succeeded in opening the gate
of his dock, the Ark and the Castle lay, as sailors would express
it, yard-arm and yard-arm, kept asunder some ten or twelve feet by
means of the piles. As the scow pressed close against the latter,
their tops formed a species of breast work that rose to the height
of a man's head, covering in a certain degree the parts of the scow
that were not protected by the cabin. The Delaware surveyed this
arrangement with great satisfaction and, as the canoe of Hutter
passed through the gate into the dock, he thought that he might defend
his position against any garrison in the castle, for a sufficient
time, could he but have had the helping arm of his friend Deerslayer.
As it was, he felt comparatively secure, and no longer suffered
the keen apprehensions he had lately experienced in behalf of Hist.
A single shove sent the canoe from the gate to the trap beneath
the castle. Here Hutter found all fast, neither padlock nor chain
nor bar having been molested. The key was produced, the locks
removed, the chain loosened, and the trap pushed upward. Hurry
now thrust his head in at the opening; the arms followed, and the
colossal legs rose without any apparent effort. At the next instant,
his heavy foot was heard stamping in the passage above; that which
separated the chambers of the father and daughters, and into which
the trap opened. He then gave a shout of triumph.
"Come on, old Tom," the reckless woodsman called out from within the
building - "here's your tenement, safe and sound; ay, and as empty
as a nut that has passed half an hour in the paws of a squirrel!
The Delaware brags of being able to see silence; let him come here,
and he may feel it, in the bargain."
"Any silence where you are, Hurry Harry," returned Hutter, thrusting
his head in at the hole as he uttered the last word, which instantly
caused his voice to sound smothered to those without - "Any silence
where you are, ought to be both seen and felt, for it's unlike any
other silence."
"Come, come, old fellow; hoist yourself up, and we'll open doors
and windows and let in the fresh air to brighten up matters. Few
words in troublesome times, make men the best fri'nds. Your darter
Judith is what I call a misbehaving young woman, and the hold of
the whole family on me is so much weakened by her late conduct,
that it wouldn't take a speech as long as the ten commandments to
send me off to the river, leaving you and your traps, your Ark and
your children, your man servants and your maid servants, your oxen
and your asses, to fight this battle with the Iroquois by yourselves.
Open that window, Floating Tom, and I'll blunder through and do
the same job to the front door."
A moment of silence succeeded, and a noise like that produced by
the fall of a heavy body followed. A deep execration from Hurry
succeeded, and then the whole interior of the building seemed alive.
The noises that now so suddenly, and we may add so unexpectedly
even to the Delaware, broke the stillness within, could not be
mistaken. They resembled those that would be produced by a struggle
between tigers in a cage. Once or twice the Indian yell was given,
but it seemed smothered, and as if it proceeded from exhausted or
compressed throats, and, in a single instance, a deep and another
shockingly revolting execration came from the throat of Hurry. It
appeared as if bodies were constantly thrown upon the floor with
violence, as often rising to renew the struggle. Chingachgook
felt greatly at a loss what to do. He had all the arms in the Ark,
Hutter and Hurry having proceeded without their rifles, but there
was no means of using them, or of passing them to the hands of their
owners. The combatants were literally caged, rendering it almost
as impossible under the circumstances to get out, as to get into
the building. Then there was Hist to embarrass his movements, and
to cripple his efforts. With a view to relieve himself from this
disadvantage, he told the girl to take the remaining canoe and to
join Hutter's daughters, who were incautiously but deliberately
approaching, in order to save herself, and to warn the others of
their danger. But the girl positively and firmly refused to comply.
At that moment no human power, short of an exercise of superior
physical force, could have induced her to quit the Ark. The exigency
of the moment did not admit of delay, and the Delaware seeing no
possibility of serving his friends, cut the line and by a strong
shove forced the scow some twenty feet clear of the piles. Here
he took the sweeps and succeeded in getting a short distance
to windward, if any direction could be thus termed in so light an
air, but neither the time, nor his skill at the oars, allowed the
distance to be great. When he ceased rowing, the Ark might have
been a hundred yards from the platform, and half that distance
to the southward of it, the sail being lowered. Judith and Hetty
had now discovered that something was wrong, and were stationary
a thousand feet farther north.
All this while the furious struggle continued within the house.
In scenes like these, events thicken in less time than they can
be related. From the moment when the first fall was heard within
the building to that when the Delaware ceased his awkward attempts
to row, it might have been three or four minutes, but it had evidently
served to weaken the combatants. The oaths and execrations of
Hurry were no longer heard, and even the struggles had lost some
of their force and fury. Nevertheless they still continued with
unabated perseverance. At this instant the door flew open, and
the fight was transferred to the platform, the light and the open
air. A Huron had undone the fastenings of the door, and three or
four of his tribe rushed after him upon the narrow space, as if glad
to escape from some terrible scene within. The body of another
followed, pitched headlong through the door with terrific violence.
Then March appeared, raging like a lion at bay, and for an instant
freed from his numerous enemies. Hutter was already a captive and
bound. There was now a pause in the struggle, which resembled a
lull in a tempest. The necessity of breathing was common to all,
and the combatants stood watching each other, like mastiffs that
have been driven from their holds, and are waiting for a favorable
opportunity of renewing them. We shall profit by this pause to
relate the manner in which the Indians had obtained possession of
the castle, and this the more willingly because it may be necessary
to explain to the reader why a conflict which had been so close
and fierce, should have also been so comparatively bloodless.
Rivenoak and his companion, particularly the latter who had appeared
to be a subordinate and occupied solely with his raft, had made
the closest observations in their visits to the castle. Even the
boy had brought away minute and valuable information. By these
means the Hurons obtained a general idea of the manner in which
the place was constructed and secured, as well as of details that
enabled them to act intelligently in the dark. Notwithstanding
the care that Hutter had taken to drop the Ark on the east side of
the building when he was in the act of transferring the furniture
from the former to the latter, he had been watched in a way to
render the precaution useless. Scouts were on the look-out on the
eastern as well as on the western shore of the lake, and the whole
proceeding had been noted. As soon as it was dark, rafts like that
already described approached from both shores to reconnoitre, and
the Ark had passed within fifty feet of one of them without its
being discovered; the men it held lying at their length on the
logs, so as to blend themselves and their slow moving machine with
the water. When these two sets of adventurers drew near the castle
they encountered each other, and after communicating their respective
observations, they unhesitatingly approached the building. As had
been expected, it was found empty. The rafts were immediately sent
for a reinforcement to the shore, and two of the savages remained
to profit by their situation. These men succeeded in getting on
the roof, and by removing some of the bark, in entering what might
be termed the garret. Here they were found by their companions.
Hatchets now opened a hole through the squared logs of the upper
floor, through which no less than eight of the most athletic of
the Indians dropped into the rooms beneath. Here they were left,
well supplied with arms and provisions, either to stand a siege, or
to make a sortie, as the case might require. The night was passed
in sleep, as is usual with Indians in a state of inactivity. The
returning day brought them a view of the approach of the Ark
through the loops, the only manner in which light and air were now
admitted, the windows being closed most effectually with plank,
rudely fashioned to fit. As soon as it was ascertained that the two
white men were about to enter by the trap, the chief who directed
the proceedings of the Hurons took his measures accordingly. He
removed all the arms from his own people, even to the knives, in
distrust of savage ferocity when awakened by personal injuries, and
he hid them where they could not be found without a search. Ropes
of bark were then prepared, and taking their stations in the three
different rooms, they all waited for the signal to fall upon their
intended captives. As soon as the party had entered the building,
men without replaced the bark of the roof, removed every sign of
their visit, with care, and then departed for the shore. It was
one of these who had dropped his moccasin, which he had not been
able to find again in the dark. Had the death of the girl been
known, it is probable nothing could have saved the lives of Hurry
and Hutter, but that event occurred after the ambush was laid, and
at a distance of several miles from the encampment near the castle.
Such were the means that had been employed to produce the state of
things we shall continue to describe.
Chapter XX
"Now all is done that man can do,
And all is done in vain!
My love! my native land, adieu
For I must cross the main, My dear,
For I must cross the main."
Robert Burns, "It was a' for our Rightfu' King," II. 7-12.
The last chapter we left the combatants breathing in their narrow
lists. Accustomed to the rude sports of wrestling and jumping,
then so common in America, more especially on the frontiers, Hurry
possessed an advantage, in addition to his prodigious strength,
that had rendered the struggle less unequal than it might otherwise
appear to be. This alone had enabled him to hold out so long,
against so many enemies, for the Indian is by no means remarkable
for his skill, or force, in athletic exercises. As yet, no one
had been seriously hurt, though several of the savages had received
severe falls, and he, in particular, who had been thrown bodily
upon the platform, might be said to be temporarily hors de combat.
Some of the rest were limping, and March himself had not entirely
escaped from bruises, though want of breath was the principal loss
that both sides wished to repair.
Under circumstances like those in which the parties were placed, a
truce, let it come from what cause it might, could not well be of
long continuance. The arena was too confined, and the distrust
of treachery too great, to admit of this. Contrary to what might
be expected in his situation, Hurry was the first to recommence
hostilities. Whether this proceeded from policy, an idea that he
might gain some advantage by making a sudden and unexpected assault,
or was the fruit of irritation and his undying hatred of an Indian,
it is impossible to say. His onset was furious, however, and at
first it carried all before it. He seized the nearest Huron by the
waist, raised him entirely from the platform, and hurled him into
the water, as if he had been a child. In half a minute, two more
were at his side, one of whom received a grave injury by the friend
who had just preceded him. But four enemies remained, and, in a
hand to hand conflict, in which no arms were used but those which
nature had furnished, Hurry believed himself fully able to cope
with that number of red-skins.
"Hurrah! Old Tom," he shouted - "The rascals are taking to the
lake, and I'll soon have 'em all swimming!" As these words were
uttered a violent kick in the face sent back the injured Indian,
who had caught at the edge of the platform, and was endeavoring
to raise himself to its level, helplessly and hopelessly into the
water. When the affray was over, his dark body was seen, through
the limpid element of the Glimmerglass, lying, with outstretched
arms, extended on the bottom of the shoal on which the Castle stood,
clinging to the sands and weeds, as if life were to be retained by
this frenzied grasp of death. A blow sent into the pit of another's
stomach doubled him up like a worm that had been trodden on, and
but two able bodied foes remained to be dealt with. One of these,
however, was not only the largest and strongest of the Hurons, but
he was also the most experienced of their warriors present, and that
one whose sinews were the best strung in fights, and by marches on
the warpath. This man fully appreciated the gigantic strength of
his opponent, and had carefully husbanded his own. He was also
equipped in the best manner for such a conflict, standing in nothing
but his breech-cloth, the model of a naked and beautiful statue of
agility and strength. To grasp him required additional dexterity
and unusual force. Still Hurry did not hesitate, but the kick that
had actually destroyed one fellow creature was no sooner given, than
he closed in with this formidable antagonist, endeavoring to force
him into the water, also. The struggle that succeeded was truly
frightful. So fierce did it immediately become, and so quick and
changeful were the evolutions of the athletes, that the remaining
savage had no chance for interfering, had he possessed the desire;
but wonder and apprehension held him spell bound. He was an
inexperienced youth, and his blood curdled as he witnessed the fell
strife of human passions, exhibited too, in an unaccustomed form.
Hurry first attempted to throw his antagonist. With this view he
seized him by the throat, and an arm, and tripped with the quickness
and force of an American borderer. The effect was frustrated by
the agile movements of the Huron, who had clothes to grasp by, and
whose feet avoided the attempt with a nimbleness equal to that with
which it was made. Then followed a sort of melee, if such a term
can be applied to a struggle between two in which no efforts were
strictly visible, the limbs and bodies of the combatants assuming
so many attitudes and contortions as to defeat observation. This
confused but fierce rally lasted less than a minute, however; when,
Hurry, furious at having his strength baffled by the agility and
nakedness of his foe, made a desperate effort, which sent the Huron
from him, hurling his body violently against the logs of the hut.
The concussion was so great as momentarily to confuse the latter's
faculties. The pain, too, extorted a deep groan; an unusual
concession to agony to escape a red man in the heat of battle.
Still he rushed forward again to meet his enemy, conscious that
his safety rested on it's resolution. Hurry now seized the other
by the waist, raised him bodily from the platform, and fell with
his own great weight on the form beneath. This additional shock
so stunned the sufferer, that his gigantic white opponent now had
him completely at his mercy. Passing his hands around the throat
of his victim, he compressed them with the strength of a vice, fairly
doubling the head of the Huron over the edge of the platform, until
the chin was uppermost, with the infernal strength he expended.
An instant sufficed to show the consequences. The eyes of the
sufferer seemed to start forward, his tongue protruded, and his
nostrils dilated nearly to splitting. At this instant a rope of
bark, having an eye, was passed dexterously within the two arms of
Hurry, the end threaded the eye, forming a noose, and his elbows
were drawn together behind his back, with a power that all his
gigantic strength could not resist. Reluctantly, even under such
circumstances, did the exasperated borderer see his hands drawn
from their deadly grasp, for all the evil passions were then in the
ascendant. Almost at the same instant a similar fastening secured
his ankles, and his body was rolled to the centre of the platform
as helplessly, and as cavalierly, as if it were a log of wood.
His rescued antagonist, however, did not rise, for while he began
again to breathe, his head still hung helplessly over the edge of
the logs, and it was thought at first that his neck was dislocated.
He recovered gradually only, and it was hours before he could walk.
Some fancied that neither his body, nor his mind, ever totally
recovered from this near approach to death.
Hurry owed his defeat and capture to the intensity with which
he had concentrated all his powers on his fallen foe. While thus
occupied, the two Indians he had hurled into the water mounted to
the heads of the piles, along which they passed, and joined their
companion on the platform. The latter had so far rallied his
faculties as to have gotten the ropes, which were in readiness for
use as the others appeared, and they were applied in the manner
related, as Hurry lay pressing his enemy down with his whole weight,
intent only on the horrible office of strangling him. Thus were
the tables turned, in a single moment; he who had been so near
achieving a victory that would have been renowned for ages, by means
of traditions, throughout all that region, lying helpless, bound
and a captive. So fearful had been the efforts of the pale-face,
and so prodigious the strength he exhibited, that even as he lay
tethered like a sheep before them, they regarded him with respect,
and not without dread. The helpless body of their stoutest warrior
was still stretched on the platform, and, as they cast their eyes
towards the lake, in quest of the comrade that had been hurled
into it so unceremoniously, and of whom they had lost sight in the
confusion of the fray, they perceived his lifeless form clinging
to the grass on the bottom, as already described. These several
circumstances contributed to render the victory of the Hurons almost
as astounding to themselves as a defeat.
Chingachgook and his betrothed witnessed the whole of this struggle
from the Ark. When the three Hurons were about to pass the cords
around the arms of the prostrate Hurry the Delaware sought his
rifle, but, before he could use it the white man was bound and
the mischief was done. He might still bring down an enemy, but to
obtain the scalp was impossible, and the young chief, who would so
freely risk his own life to obtain such a trophy, hesitated about
taking that of a foe without such an object in view. A glance
at Hist, and the recollection of what might follow, checked any
transient wish for revenge. The reader has been told that Chingachgook
could scarcely be said to know how to manage the oars of the Ark at
all, however expert he might be in the use of the paddle. Perhaps
there is no manual labor at which men are so bungling and awkward, as
in their first attempts to pull oar, even the experienced mariner,
or boat man, breaking down in his efforts to figure with the
celebrated rullock of the gondolier. In short it is, temporarily,
an impracticable thing for a new beginner to succeed with a single
oar, but in this case it was necessary to handle two at the same
time, and those of great size. Sweeps, or large oars, however,
are sooner rendered of use by the raw hand than lighter implements,
and this was the reason that the Delaware had succeeded in moving the
Ark as well as he did in a first trial. That trial, notwithstanding,
sufficed to produce distrust, and he was fully aware of the critical
situation in which Hist and himself were now placed, should the
Hurons take to the canoe that was still lying beneath the trap, and
come against them. At the moment he thought of putting Hist into
the canoe in his own possession, and of taking to the eastern
mountain in the hope of reaching the Delaware villages by direct
flight. But many considerations suggested themselves to put a
stop to this indiscreet step. It was almost certain that scouts
watched the lake on both sides, and no canoe could possibly approach
shore without being seen from the hills. Then a trail could not
be concealed from Indian eyes, and the strength of Hist was unequal
to a flight sufficiently sustained to outstrip the pursuit of
trained warriors. This was a part of America in which the Indians
did not know the use of horses, and everything would depend on
the physical energies of the fugitives. Last, but far from being
least, were the thoughts connected with the situation of Deerslayer,
a friend who was not to be deserted in his extremity.
Hist in some particulars reasoned, and even felt, differently though
she arrived at the same conclusions. Her own anger disturbed her
less than her concern for the two sisters, on whose behalf her
womanly sympathies were now strongly enlisted. The canoe of the
girls, by the time the struggle on the platform had ceased, was
within three hundred yards of the castle, and here Judith ceased
paddling, the evidences of strife first becoming apparent to the
eyes. She and Hetty were standing erect, anxiously endeavoring
to ascertain what had occurred, but unable to satisfy their doubts
from the circumstance that the building, in a great measure,
concealed the scene of action.
The parties in the Ark, and in the canoe, were indebted to the
ferocity of Hurry's attack for their momentary security. In any
ordinary case, the girls would have been immediately captured, a
measure easy of execution now the savages had a canoe, were it not
for the rude check the audacity of the Hurons had received in the
recent struggle. It required some little time to recover from the
effects of this violent scene, and this so much the more, because
the principal man of the party, in the way of personal prowess
at least, had been so great a sufferer. Still it was of the last
importance that Judith and her sister should seek immediate refuge
in the Ark, where the defences offered a temporary shelter at least,
and the first step was to devise the means of inducing them to do
so. Hist showed herself in the stern of the scow, and made many
gestures and signs, in vain, in order to induce the girls to make
a circuit to avoid the Castle, and to approach the Ark from the
eastward. But these signs were distrusted or misunderstood. It
is probable Judith was not yet sufficiently aware of the real state
of things to put full confidence in either party. Instead of doing
as desired, she rather kept more aloof, paddling slowly back to
the north, or into the broadest part of the lake, where she could
command the widest view, and had the fairest field for flight
before her. At this instant the sun appeared above the pines of
the eastern range of mountains and a light southerly breeze arose,
as was usual enough at that season and hour. Chingachgook lost no
time in hoisting the sail. Whatever might be in reserve for him,
there could be no question that it was every way desirable to get
the Ark at such a distance from the castle as to reduce his enemies
to the necessity of approaching the former in the canoe, which the
chances of war had so inopportunely, for his wishes and security,
thrown into their hands. The appearance of the opening duck seemed
first to arouse the Hurons from their apathy, and by the time
the head of the scow had fallen off before the wind, which it did
unfortunately in the wrong direction, bringing it within a few yards
of the platform, Hist found it necessary to warn her lover of the
importance of covering his person against the rifles of his foes.
This was a danger to be avoided under all circumstances, and so
much the more, because the Delaware found that Hist would not take
to the cover herself so long as he remained exposed. Accordingly,
Chingachgook abandoned the scow to its own movements, forced Hist
into the cabin, the doors of which he immediately secured, and then
he looked about him for the rifles. The situation of the parties
was now so singular as to merit a particular description. The Ark
was within sixty yards of the castle, a little to the southward,
or to windward of it, with its sail full, and the steering oar
abandoned. The latter, fortunately, was loose, so that it produced
no great influence on the crab like movements of the unwieldy craft.
The sail being as sailors term it, flying, or having no braces,
the air forced the yard forward, though both sheets were fast. The
effect was threefold on a boat with a bottom that was perfectly
flat, and which drew merely some three or four inches water. It
pressed the head slowly round to leeward, it forced the whole fabric
bodily in the same direction at the same time, and the water that
unavoidably gathered under the lee gave the scow also a forward
movement. All these changes were exceedingly slow, however, for
the wind was not only light, but it was baffling as usual, and
twice or thrice the sail shook. Once it was absolutely taken aback.
Had there been any keel to the Ark, it would inevitably have run
foul of the platform, bows on, when it is probable nothing could
have prevented the Hurons from carrying it; more particularly as
the sail would have enabled them to approach under cover. As it
was, the scow wore slowly round, barely clearing that part of the
building. The piles projecting several feet, they were not cleared,
but the head of the slow moving craft caught between two of them,
by one of its square corners, and hung. At this moment the Delaware
was vigilantly watching through a loop for an opportunity to fire,
while the Hurons kept within the building, similarly occupied.
The exhausted warrior reclined against the hut, there having been
no time to remove him, and Hurry lay, almost as helpless as a log,
tethered like a sheep on its way to the slaughter, near the middle
of the platform. Chingachgook could have slain the first, at any
moment, but his scalp would have been safe, and the young chief
disdained to strike a blow that could lead to neither honor nor
advantage.
"Run out one of the poles, Sarpent, if Sarpent you be," said Hurry,
amid the groans that the tightness of the ligatures was beginning
to extort from him - "run out one of the poles, and shove the head
of the scow off, and you'll drift clear of us - and, when you've
done that good turn for yourself just finish this gagging blackguard
for me."
The appeal of Hurry, however, had no other effect than to draw the
attention of Hist to his situation. This quick witted creature
comprehended it at a glance. His ankles were bound with several
turns of stout bark rope, and his arms, above the elbows, were
similarly secured behind his back; barely leaving him a little play
of the hands and wrists. Putting her mouth near a loop she said
in a low but distinct voice - "Why you don't roll here, and fall
in scow? Chingachgook shoot Huron, if he chase!"
"By the Lord, gal, that's a judgematical thought, and it shall be
tried, if the starn of your scow will come a little nearer. Put
a bed at the bottom, for me to fall on."
This was said at a happy moment, for, tired of waiting, all the
Indians made a rapid discharge of their rifles, almost simultaneously,
injuring no one; though several bullets passed through the loops.
Hist had heard part of Hurry's words, but most of what he said was
lost in the sharp reports of the firearms. She undid the bar of
the door that led to the stern of the scow, but did not dare to
expose her person. All this time, the head of the Ark hung, but
by a gradually decreasing hold as the other end swung slowly round,
nearer and nearer to the platform. Hurry, who now lay with his
face towards the Ark, occasionally writhing and turning over like
one in pain, evolutions he had performed ever since he was secured,
watched every change, and, at last, he saw that the whole vessel
was free, and was beginning to grate slowly along the sides of the
piles. The attempt was desperate, but it seemed to be the only
chance for escaping torture and death, and it suited the reckless
daring of the man's character. Waiting to the last moment, in order
that the stern of the scow might fairly rub against the platform,
he began to writhe again, as if in intolerable suffering, execrating
all Indians in general, and the Hurons in particular, and then he
suddenly and rapidly rolled over and over, taking the direction of
the stern of the scow. Unfortunately, Hurry's shoulders required
more space to revolve in than his feet, and by the time he reached the
edge of the platform his direction had so far changed as to carry
him clear of the Ark altogether, and the rapidity of his revolutions
and the emergency admitting of no delay, he fell into the water. At
this instant, Chingachgook, by an understanding with his betrothed,
drew the fire of the Hurons again, not a man of whom saw the
manner in which one whom they knew to be effectually tethered,
had disappeared. But Hist's feelings were strongly interested in
the success of so bold a scheme, and she watched the movements of
Hurry as the cat watches the mouse. The moment he was in motion
she foresaw the consequences, and this the more readily, as the scow
was now beginning to move with some steadiness, and she bethought
her of the means of saving him. With a sort of instinctive readiness,
she opened the door at the very moment the rifles were ringing in
her ears, and protected by the intervening cabin, she stepped into
the stem of the scow in time to witness the fall of Hurry into the
lake. Her foot was unconsciously placed on the end of one of the
sheets of the sail, which was fastened aft, and catching up all
the spare rope with the awkwardness, but also with the generous
resolution of a woman, she threw it in the direction of the helpless
Hurry. The line fell on the head and body of the sinking man and
he not only succeeded in grasping separate parts of it with his
hands, but he actually got a portion of it between his teeth. Hurry
was an expert swimmer, and tethered as he was he resorted to the
very expedient that philosophy and reflection would have suggested.
He had fallen on his back, and instead of floundering and drowning
himself by desperate efforts to walk on the water, he permitted his
body to sink as low as possible, and was already submerged, with
the exception of his face, when the line reached him. In this
situation he might possibly have remained until rescued by the
Hurons, using his hands as fishes use their fins, had he received
no other succour, but the movement of the Ark soon tightened the
rope, and of course he was dragged gently ahead holding even pace
with the scow. The motion aided in keeping his face above the surface
of the water, and it would have been possible for one accustomed
to endurance to have been towed a mile in this singular but simple
manner.
It has been said that the Hurons did not observe the sudden
disappearance of Hurry. In his present situation he was not only
hid from view by the platform, but, as the Ark drew slowly ahead,
impelled by a sail that was now filled, he received the same friendly
service from the piles. The Hurons, indeed, were too intent on
endeavoring to slay their Delaware foe, by sending a bullet through
some one of the loops or crevices of the cabin, to bethink them
at all of one whom they fancied so thoroughly tied. Their great
concern was the manner in which the Ark rubbed past the piles,
although its motion was lessened at least one half by the friction,
and they passed into the northern end of the castle in order to
catch opportunities of firing through the loops of that part of
the building. Chingachgook was similarly occupied, and remained
as ignorant as his enemies of the situation of Hurry. As the Ark
grated along the rifles sent their little clouds of smoke from
one cover to the other, but the eyes and movements of the opposing
parties were too quick to permit any injury to be done. At length
one side had the mortification and the other the pleasure of seeing
the scow swing clear of the piles altogether, when it immediately
moved away, with a materially accelerated motion, towards the north.
Chingachgook now first learned from Hist the critical condition
of Hurry. To have exposed either of their persons in the stern of
the scow would have been certain death, but fortunately the sheet
to which the man clung led forward to the foot of the sail. The
Delaware found means to unloosen it from the cleet aft, and Hist,
who was already forward for that purpose, immediately began to pull
upon the line. At this moment Hurry was towing fifty or sixty feet
astern, with nothing but his face above water. As he was dragged
out clear of the castle and the piles he was first perceived by the
Hurons, who raised a hideous yell and commenced a fire on, what may
very well be termed the floating mass. It was at the same instant
that Hist began to pull upon the line forward - a circumstance that
probably saved Hurry's life, aided by his own self-possession and
border readiness. The first bullet struck the water directly on the
spot where the broad chest of the young giant was visible through
the pure element, and might have pierced his heart had the angle
at which it was fired been less acute. Instead of penetrating the
lake, however, it glanced from its smooth surface, rose, and buried
itself in the logs of the cabin near the spot at which Chingachgook
had shown himself the minute before, while clearing the line from
the cleet. A second, and a third, and a fourth bullet followed,
all meeting with the same resistance of the water, though Hurry
sensibly felt the violence of the blows they struck upon the lake
so immediately above, and so near his breast. Discovering their
mistake, the Hurons now changed their plan, and aimed at the
uncovered face; but by this time Hist was pulling on the line, the
target advanced and the deadly missiles still fell upon the water.
In another moment the body was dragged past the end of the scow
and became concealed. As for the Delaware and Hist, they worked
perfectly covered by the cabin, and in less time than it requires
to tell it, they had hauled the huge frame of Harry to the place
they occupied. Chingachgook stood in readiness with his keen
knife, and bending over the side of the scow he soon severed the
bark that bound the limbs of the borderer. To raise him high enough
to reach the edge of the boat and to aid him in entering were less
easy, as Hurry's arms were still nearly useless, but both were
done in time, when the liberated man staggered forward and fell
exhausted and helpless into the bottom of the scow. Here we shall
leave him to recover his strength and the due circulation of his
blood, while we proceed with the narrative of events that crowd
upon us too fast to admit of any postponement. The moment the
Hurons lost sight of the body of Hurry they gave a common yell of
disappointment, and three of the most active of their number ran
to the trap and entered the canoe. It required some little delay,
however, to embark with their weapons, to find the paddles and,
if we may use a phrase so purely technical, "to get out of dock."
By this time Hurry was in the scow, and the Delaware had his rifles
again in readiness. As the Ark necessarily sailed before the wind,
it had got by this time quite two hundred yards from the castle,
and was sliding away each instant, farther and farther, though with
a motion so easy as scarcely to stir the water. The canoe of the
girls was quite a quarter of a mile distant from the Ark, obviously
keeping aloof, in ignorance of what had occurred, and in apprehension
of the consequences of venturing too near. They had taken the
direction of the eastern shore, endeavoring at the same time to get
to windward of the Ark, and in a manner between the two parties,
as if distrusting which was to be considered a friend, and which
an enemy. The girls, from long habit, used the paddles with great
dexterity, and Judith, in particular, had often sportively gained
races, in trials of speed with the youths that occasionally visited
the lake.
When the three Hurons emerged from behind the palisades, and found
themselves on the open lake, and under the necessity of advancing
unprotected on the Ark, if they persevered in the original design,
their ardor sensibly cooled. In a bark canoe they were totally
without cover, and Indian discretion was entirely opposed to such
a sacrifice of life as would most probably follow any attempt to
assault an enemy entrenched as effectually as the Delaware. Instead
of following the Ark, therefore, these three warriors inclined
towards the eastern shore, keeping at a safe distance from the
rifles of Chingachgook. But this manoeuvre rendered the position
of the girls exceedingly critical. It threatened to place them if
not between two fires, at least between two dangers, or what they
conceived to be dangers, and instead of permitting the Hurons to
enclose her, in what she fancied a sort of net, Judith immediately
commenced her retreat in a southern direction, at no very great
distance from the shore. She did not dare to land; if such an
expedient were to be resorted to at all, she could only venture on
it in the last extremity. At first the Indians paid little or no
attention to the other canoe, for, fully apprised of its contents,
they deemed its capture of comparatively little moment, while the
Ark, with its imaginary treasures, the persons of the Delaware and
of Hurry, and its means of movement on a large scale, was before
them. But this Ark had its dangers as well as its temptations, and
after wasting near an hour in vacillating evolutions, always at a
safe distance from the rifle, the Hurons seemed suddenly to take
their resolution, and began to display it by giving eager chase to
the girls.
When this last design was adopted, the circumstances of all parties,
as connected with their relative positions, were materially changed.
The Ark had sailed and drifted quite half a mile, and was nearly
that distance due north of the castle. As soon as the Delaware
perceived that the girls avoided him, unable to manage his unwieldy
craft, and knowing that flight from a bark canoe, in the event of
pursuit, would be a useless expedient if attempted, he had lowered
his sail, in the hope it might induce the sisters to change their
plan and to seek refuge in the scow. This demonstration produced
no other effect than to keep the Ark nearer to the scene of action,
and to enable those in her to become witnesses of the chase. The
canoe of Judith was about a quarter of a mile south of that of
the Hurons, a little nearer to the east shore, and about the same
distance to the southward of the castle as it was from the hostile
canoe, a circumstance which necessarily put the last nearly abreast
of Hutter's fortress. With the several parties thus situated the
chase commenced.
At the moment when the Hurons so suddenly changed their mode of
attack their canoe was not in the best possible racing trim. There
were but two paddles, and the third man so much extra and useless
cargo. Then the difference in weight between the sisters and the
other two men, more especially in vessels so extremely light, almost
neutralized any difference that might proceed from the greater
strength of the Hurons, and rendered the trial of speed far from
being as unequal as it might seem. Judith did not commence her
exertions until the near approach of the other canoe rendered the
object of the movement certain, and then she exhorted Hetty to aid
her with her utmost skill and strength.
"Why should we run, Judith?" asked the simple minded girl. "The
Hurons have never harmed me, nor do I think they ever will."
"That may be true as to you, Hetty, but it will prove very different
with me. Kneel down and say your prayer, and then rise and do your
utmost to help escape. Think of me, dear girl, too, as you pray."
Judith gave these directions from a mixed feeling; first because
she knew that her sister ever sought the support of her great ally
in trouble, and next because a sensation of feebleness and dependance
suddenly came over her own proud spirit, in that moment of apparent
desertion and trial. The prayer was quickly said, however, and the
canoe was soon in rapid motion. Still, neither party resorted to
their greatest exertions from the outset, both knowing that the
chase was likely to be arduous and long. Like two vessels of war
that are preparing for an encounter, they seemed desirous of first
ascertaining their respective rates of speed, in order that they
might know how to graduate their exertions, previously to the great
effort. A few minutes sufficed to show the Hurons that the girls
were expert, and that it would require all their skill and energies
to overtake them.
Judith had inclined towards the eastern shore at the commencement
of the chase, with a vague determination of landing and flying
to the woods as a last resort, but as she approached the land,
the certainty that scouts must be watching her movements made her
reluctance to adopt such an expedient unconquerable. Then she was
still fresh, and had sanguine hopes of being able to tire out her
pursuers. With such feelings she gave a sweep with her paddle,
and sheered off from the fringe of dark hemlocks beneath the shades
of which she was so near entering, and held her way again, more
towards the centre of the lake. This seemed the instant favorable
for the Hurons to make their push, as it gave them the entire
breadth of the sheet to do it in; and this too in the widest part,
as soon as they had got between the fugitives and the land. The
canoes now flew, Judith making up for what she wanted in strength
by her great dexterity and self command. For half a mile the
Indians gained no material advantage, but the continuance of so
great exertions for so many minutes sensibly affected all concerned.
Here the Indians resorted to an expedient that enabled them to give
one of their party time to breathe, by shifting their paddles from
hand to hand, and this too without sensibly relaxing their efforts.
Judith occasionally looked behind her, and she saw this expedient
practised. It caused her immediately to distrust the result, since
her powers of endurance were not likely to hold out against those
of men who had the means of relieving each other. Still she
persevered, allowing no very visible consequences immediately to
follow the change.
As yet the Indians had not been able to get nearer to the girls
than two hundred yards, though they were what seamen would term
"in their wake"; or in a direct line behind them, passing over the
same track of water. This made the pursuit what is technically
called a "stern chase", which is proverbially a "long chase": the
meaning of which is that, in consequence of the relative positions
of the parties, no change becomes apparent except that which is
a direct gain in the nearest possible approach. "Long" as this
species of chase is admitted to be, however, Judith was enabled to
perceive that the Hurons were sensibly drawing nearer and nearer,
before she had gained the centre of the lake. She was not a girl
to despair, but there was an instant when she thought of yielding,
with the wish of being carried to the camp where she knew the
Deerslayer to be a captive; but the considerations connected with
the means she hoped to be able to employ in order to procure his
release immediately interposed, in order to stimulate her to renewed
exertions. Had there been any one there to note the progress of
the two canoes, he would have seen that of Judith flying swiftly
away from its pursuers, as the girl gave it freshly impelled speed,
while her mind was thus dwelling on her own ardent and generous
schemes. So material, indeed, was the difference in the rate of
going between the two canoes for the next five minutes, that the
Hurons began to be convinced all their powers must be exerted or
they would suffer the disgrace of being baffled by women. Making
a furious effort under the mortification of such a conviction, one
of the strongest of their party broke his paddle at the very moment
when he had taken it from the hand of a comrade to relieve him.
This at once decided the matter, a canoe containing three men and
having but one paddle being utterly unable to overtake fugitives
like the daughters of Thomas Hutter.
"There, Judith!" exclaimed Hetty, who saw the accident, "I hope
now you will own, that praying is useful! The Hurons have broke
a paddle, and they never can overtake us."
"I never denied it, poor Hetty, and sometimes wish in bitterness of
spirit that I had prayed more myself, and thought less of my beauty!
As you say, we are now safe and need only go a little south and
take breath."
This was done; the enemy giving up the pursuit, as suddenly as
a ship that has lost an important spar, the instant the accident
occurred. Instead of following Judith's canoe, which was now lightly
skimming over the water towards the south, the Hurons turned their
bows towards the castle, where they soon arrived and landed. The
girls, fearful that some spare paddles might be found in or about
the buildings, continued on, nor did they stop until so distant
from their enemies as to give them every chance of escape, should
the chase be renewed. It would seem that the savages meditated
no such design, but at the end of an hour their canoe, filled with
men, was seen quitting the castle and steering towards the shore.
The girls were without food, and they now drew nearer to the
buildings and the Ark, having finally made up their minds from its
manoeuvres that the latter contained friends.
Notwithstanding the seeming desertion of the castle, Judith
approached it with extreme caution. The Ark was now quite a mile
to the northward, but sweeping up towards the buildings, and this,
too, with a regularity of motion that satisfied Judith a white
man was at the oars. When within a hundred yards of the building
the girls began to encircle it, in order to make sure that it was
empty. No canoe was nigh, and this emboldened them to draw nearer
and nearer, until they had gone round the piles and reached the
platform.
"Do you go into the house, Hetty," said Judith, "and see that the
savages are gone. They will not harm you, and if any of them are
still here you can give me the alarm. I do not think they will
fire on a poor defenceless girl, and I at least may escape, until
I shall be ready to go among them of my own accord."
Hetty did as desired, Judith retiring a few yards from the platform
the instant her sister landed, in readiness for flight. But the
last was unnecessary, not a minute elapsing before Hetty returned
to communicate that all was safe.
"I've been in all the rooms, Judith," said the latter earnestly,
"and they are empty, except father's; he is in his own chamber,
sleeping, though not as quietly as we could wish."
"Has any thing happened to father?" demanded Judith, as her foot
touched the platform; speaking quickly, for her nerves were in a
state to be easily alarmed.
Hetty seemed concerned, and she looked furtively about her as if
unwilling any one but a child should hear what she had to communicate,
and even that she should learn it abruptly.
"You know how it is with father sometimes, Judith," she said, "When
overtaken with liquor he doesn't always know what he says or does,
and he seems to be overtaken with liquor now."
"That is strange! Would the savages have drunk with him, and then
leave him behind? But 'tis a grievous sight to a child, Hetty,
to witness such a failing in a parent, and we will not go near him
'til he wakes."
A groan from the inner room, however, changed this resolution,
and the girls ventured near a parent whom it was no unusual thing
for them to find in a condition that lowers a man to the level of
brutes. He was seated, reclining in a corner of the narrow room
with his shoulders supported by the angle, and his head fallen
heavily on his chest. Judith moved forward with a sudden impulse,
and removed a canvass cap that was forced so low on his head as to
conceal his face, and indeed all but his shoulders. The instant
this obstacle was taken away, the quivering and raw flesh, the bared
veins and muscles, and all the other disgusting signs of mortality,
as they are revealed by tearing away the skin, showed he had been
scalped, though still living.
Chapter XXI.
"Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone,
And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him;
But nothing he'll reck, if they'll let him sleep on,
In the grave where a Briton has laid him."
Charles Wolfe, "The Burial of Sir John Moore," vi.
The reader must imagine the horror that daughters would experience,
at unexpectedly beholding the shocking spectacle that was placed
before the eyes of Judith and Esther, as related in the close of
the last chapter. We shall pass over the first emotions, the first
acts of filial piety, and proceed with the narrative by imagining
rather than relating most of the revolting features of the scene.
The mutilated and ragged head was bound up, the unseemly blood was
wiped from the face of the sufferer, the other appliances required
by appearances and care were resorted to, and there was time to
enquire into the more serious circumstances of the case. The facts
were never known until years later in all their details, simple as
they were, but they may as well be related here, as it can be done
in a few words. In the struggle with the Hurons, Hutter had been
stabbed by the knife of the old warrior, who had used the discretion
to remove the arms of every one but himself. Being hard pushed by
his sturdy foe, his knife had settled the matter. This occurred
just as the door was opened, and Hurry burst out upon the platform,
as has been previously related. This was the secret of neither
party's having appeared in the subsequent struggle; Hutter having
been literally disabled, and his conqueror being ashamed to be
seen with the traces of blood about him, after having used so many
injunctions to convince his young warriors of the necessity of
taking their prisoners alive. When the three Hurons returned from
the chase, and it was determined to abandon the castle and join the
party on the land, Hutter was simply scalped to secure the usual
trophy, and was left to die by inches, as has been done in a
thousand similar instances by the ruthless warriors of this part
of the American continent. Had the injury of Hutter been confined
to his head, he might have recovered, however, for it was the
blow of the knife that proved mortal. There are moments of vivid
consciousness, when the stern justice of God stands forth in colours
so prominent as to defy any attempts to veil them from the sight,
however unpleasant they may appear, or however anxious we may be
to avoid recognising it. Such was now the fact with Judith and
Hetty, who both perceived the decrees of a retributive Providence,
in the manner of their father's suffering, as a punishment for his
own recent attempts on the Iroquois. This was seen and felt by
Judith with the keenness of perception and sensibility that were
suited to her character, while the impression made on the simpler
mind of her sister was perhaps less lively, though it might well
have proved more lasting.
"Oh! Judith," exclaimed the weak minded girl, as soon as their
first care had been bestowed on sufferer. "Father went for scalps,
himself, and now where is his own? The Bible might have foretold
this dreadful punishment!"
"Hush, Hetty - hush, poor sister - He opens his eyes; he may hear
and understand you. 'Tis as you say and think, but 'tis too dreadful
to speak."
"Water," ejaculated Hutter, as it might be by a desperate effort,
that rendered his voice frightfully deep and strong for one as near
death as he evidently was - "Water - foolish girls - will you let
me die of thirst?"
Water was brought and administered to the sufferer; the first he
had tasted in hours of physical anguish. It had the double effect
of clearing his throat and of momentarily reviving his sinking
system. His eyes opened with that anxious, distended gaze which
is apt to accompany the passage of a soul surprised by death, and
he seemed disposed to speak.
"Father," said Judith, inexpressibly pained by his deplorable
situation, and this so much the more from her ignorance of what
remedies ought to be applied - "Father, can we do any thing for
you? Can Hetty and I relieve your pain?"
"Father!" slowly repeated the old man. "No, Judith; no, Hetty -I'm
no father. She was your mother, but I'm no father. Look in the
chest - Tis all there - give me more water."
The girls complied, and Judith, whose early recollections extended
farther back than her sister's, and who on every account had more
distinct impressions of the past, felt an uncontrollable impulse of
joy as she heard these words. There had never been much sympathy
between her reputed father and herself, and suspicions of this very
truth had often glanced across her mind, in consequence of dialogues
she had overheard between Hutter and her mother. It might be going
too far to say she had never loved him, but it is not so to add
that she rejoiced it was no longer a duty. With Hetty the feeling
was different. Incapable of making all the distinctions of her
sister, her very nature was full of affection, and she had loved
her reputed parent, though far less tenderly than the real parent,
and it grieved her now to hear him declare he was not naturally
entitled to that love. She felt a double grief, as if his death and
his words together were twice depriving her of parents. Yielding
to her feelings, the poor girl went aside and wept.
The very opposite emotions of the two girls kept both silent for
a long time. Judith gave water to the sufferer frequently, but
she forbore to urge him with questions, in some measure out of
consideration for his condition, but, if truth must be said, quite
as much lest something he should add in the way of explanation
might disturb her pleasing belief that she was not Thomas Hutter's
child. At length Hetty dried her tears, and came and seated herself
on a stool by the side of the dying man, who had been placed at
his length on the floor, with his head supported by some coarse
vestments that had been left in the house.
"Father," she said "you will let me call you father, though you say
you are not one - Father, shall I read the Bible to you - mother
always said the Bible was good for people in trouble. She was
often in trouble herself, and then she made me read the Bible to
her - for Judith wasn't as fond of the Bible as I am - and it always
did her good. Many is the time I've known mother begin to listen
with the tears streaming from her eyes, and end with smiles and
gladness. Oh! father, you don't know how much good the Bible can
do, for you've never tried it. Now, I'll read a chapter and it
will soften your heart as it softened the hearts of the Hurons."
While poor Hetty had so much reverence for, and faith in, the
virtues of the Bible, her intellect was too shallow to enable her
fully to appreciate its beauties, or to fathom its profound and
sometimes mysterious wisdom. That instinctive sense of right which
appeared to shield her from the commission of wrong, and even cast
a mantle of moral loveliness and truth around her character, could
not penetrate abstrusities, or trace the nice affinities between
cause and effect, beyond their more obvious and indisputable
connection, though she seldom failed to see all the latter, and
to defer to all their just consequences. In a word, she was one
of those who feel and act correctly without being able to give a
logical reason for it, even admitting revelation as her authority.
Her selections from the Bible, therefore, were commonly distinguished
by the simplicity of her own mind, and were oftener marked for
containing images of known and palpable things than for any of the
higher cast of moral truths with which the pages of that wonderful
book abound - wonderful, and unequalled, even without referring to
its divine origin, as a work replete with the profoundest philosophy,
expressed in the noblest language. Her mother, with a connection
that will probably strike the reader, had been fond of the book
of Job, and Hetty had, in a great measure, learned to read by the
frequent lessons she had received from the different chapters of
this venerable and sublime poem - now believed to be the oldest
book in the world. On this occasion the poor girl was submissive
to her training, and she turned to that well known part of the
sacred volume, with the readiness with which the practised counsel
would cite his authorities from the stores of legal wisdom. In
selecting the particular chapter, she was influenced by the caption,
and she chose that which stands in our English version as "Job
excuseth his desire of death." This she read steadily, from beginning
to end, in a sweet, low and plaintive voice; hoping devoutly that
the allegorical and abstruse sentences might convey to the heart of
the sufferer the consolation he needed. It is another peculiarity
of the comprehensive wisdom of the Bible that scarce a chapter,
unless it be strictly narration, can be turned to, that does not
contain some searching truth that is applicable to the condition of
every human heart, as well as to the temporal state of its owner,
either through the workings of that heart, or even in a still more
direct form. In this instance, the very opening sentence - "Is
there not an appointed time to man on earth?" was startling, and
as Hetty proceeded, Hutter applied, or fancied he could apply many
aphorisms and figures to his own worldly and mental condition. As
life is ebbing fast, the mind clings eagerly to hope when it is not
absolutely crushed by despair. The solemn words "I have sinned;
what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? Why hast thou
set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself,"
struck Hutter more perceptibly than the others, and, though too
obscure for one of his blunted feelings and obtuse mind either to
feel or to comprehend in their fullest extent, they had a directness
of application to his own state that caused him to wince under
them.
"Don't you feel better now, father?" asked Hetty, closing the
volume. "Mother was always better when she had read the Bible."
"Water," returned Hutter - "give me water, Judith. I wonder if
my tongue will always be so hot! Hetty, isn't there something in
the Bible about cooling the tongue of a man who was burning in Hell
fire?"
Judith turned away shocked, but Hetty eagerly sought the passage,
which she read aloud to the conscience stricken victim of his own
avaricious longings.
"That's it, poor Hetty; yes, that's it. My tongue wants cooling,
now -what will it be hereafter?"
This appeal silenced even the confiding Hetty, for she had no
answer ready for a confession so fraught with despair. Water, so
long as it could relieve the sufferer, it was in the power of the
sisters to give, and from time to time it was offered to the lips
of the sufferer as he asked for it. Even Judith prayed. As for
Hetty, as soon as she found that her efforts to make her father
listen to her texts were no longer rewarded with success, she knelt
at his side and devoutly repeated the words which the Saviour has
left behind him as a model for human petitions. This she continued
to do, at intervals, as long as it seemed to her that the act could
benefit the dying man. Hutter, however, lingered longer than the
girls had believed possible when they first found him. At times
he spoke intelligibly, though his lips oftener moved in utterance
of sounds that carried no distinct impressions to the mind. Judith
listened intently, and she heard the words - "husband" -"death"
-"pirate" - "law" - "scalps" - and several others of similar import,
though there was no sentence to tell the precise connection in
which they were used. Still they were sufficiently expressive to
be understood by one whose ears had not escaped all the rumours
that had been circulated to her reputed father's discredit, and
whose comprehension was as quick as her faculties were attentive.
During the whole of the painful hour that succeeded, neither of
the sisters bethought her sufficiently of the Hurons to dread their
return. It seemed as if their desolation and grief placed them
above the danger of such an interruption, and when the sound of
oars was at length heard, even Judith, who alone had any reason to
apprehend the enemy, did not start, but at once understood that the
Ark was near. She went upon the platform fearlessly, for should
it turn out that Hurry was not there, and that the Hurons were
masters of the scow also, escape was impossible. Then she had the
sort of confidence that is inspired by extreme misery. But there
was no cause for any new alarm, Chingachgook, Hist, and Hurry all
standing in the open part of the scow, cautiously examining the
building to make certain of the absence of the enemy. They, too,
had seen the departure of the Hurons, as well as the approach of
the canoe of the girls to the castle, and presuming on the latter
fact, March had swept the scow up to the platform. A word sufficed
to explain that there was nothing to be apprehended, and the Ark
was soon moored in her old berth.
Judith said not a word concerning the condition of her father,
but Hurry knew her too well not to understand that something was
more than usually wrong. He led the way, though with less of his
confident bold manner than usual, into the house, and penetrating
to the inner room, found Hutter lying on his back with Hetty sitting at
his side, fanning him with pious care. The events of the morning
had sensibly changed the manner of Hurry. Notwithstanding his skill
as a swimmer, and the readiness with which he had adopted the only
expedient that could possibly save him, the helplessness of being
in the water, bound hand and foot, had produced some such effect
on him, as the near approach of punishment is known to produce on
most criminals, leaving a vivid impression of the horrors of death
upon his mind, and this too in connection with a picture of bodily
helplessness; the daring of this man being far more the offspring
of vast physical powers, than of the energy of the will, or even
of natural spirit. Such heroes invariably lose a large portion of
their courage with the failure of their strength, and though Hurry
was now unfettered and as vigorous as ever, events were too recent
to permit the recollection of his late deplorable condition to be
at all weakened. Had he lived a century, the occurrences of the
few momentous minutes during which he was in the lake would have
produced a chastening effect on his character, if not always on
his manner.
Hurry was not only shocked when he found his late associate in
this desperate situation, but he was greatly surprised. During
the struggle in the building, he had been far too much occupied
himself to learn what had befallen his comrade, and, as no deadly
weapon had been used in his particular case, but every effort had
been made to capture him without injury, he naturally believed
that Hutter had been overcome, while he owed his own escape to his
great bodily strength, and to a fortunate concurrence of extraordinary
circumstances. Death, in the silence and solemnity of a chamber,
was a novelty to him. Though accustomed to scenes of violence, he
had been unused to sit by the bedside and watch the slow beating of
the pulse, as it gradually grew weaker and weaker. Notwithstanding
the change in his feelings, the manners of a life could not be
altogether cast aside in a moment, and the unexpected scene extorted
a characteristic speech from the borderer.
"How now! old Tom," he said, "have the vagabonds got you at an
advantage, where you're not only down, but are likely to be kept
down! I thought you a captyve it's true, but never supposed you
so hard run as this!"
Hutter opened his glassy eyes, and stared wildly at the speaker.
A flood of confused recollections rushed on his wavering mind at
the sight of his late comrade. It was evident that he struggled
with his own images, and knew not the real from the unreal.
"Who are you?" he asked in a husky whisper, his failing strength
refusing to aid him in a louder effort of his voice.
"Who are you? - You look like the mate of 'The Snow' - he was a
giant, too, and near overcoming us."
"I'm your mate, Floating Tom, and your comrade, but have nothing to
do with any snow. It's summer now, and Harry March always quits
the hills as soon after the frosts set in, as is convenient."
"I know you - Hurry Skurry - I'll sell you a scalp! - a sound one,
and of a full grown man - What'll you give?"
"Poor Tom! That scalp business hasn't turned out at all profitable,
and I've pretty much concluded to give it up; and to follow a less
bloody calling."
"Have you got any scalp? Mine's gone - How does it feel to have
a scalp? I know how it feels to lose one - fire and flames about
the brain - and a wrenching at the heart - no - no - kill first,
Hurry, and scalp afterwards."
"What does the old fellow mean, Judith? He talks like one that
is getting tired of the business as well as myself. Why have you
bound up his head? or, have the savages tomahawked him about the
brains?"
"They have done that for him which you and he, Harry March, would
have so gladly done for them. His skin and hair have been torn
from his head to gain money from the governor of Canada, as you
would have torn theirs from the heads of the Hurons, to gain money
from the Governor of York."
Judith spoke with a strong effort to appear composed, but it was
neither in her nature, nor in the feeling of the moment to speak
altogether without bitterness. The strength of her emphasis,
indeed, as well as her manner, caused Hetty to look up reproachfully.
"These are high words to come from Thomas Hutter's darter, as Thomas
Hutter lies dying before her eyes," retorted Hurry.
"God be praised for that! - whatever reproach it may bring on my
poor mother, I am not Thomas Hutter's daughter."
"Not Thomas Hutter's darter! - Don't disown the old fellow in his
last moments, Judith, for that's a sin the Lord will never overlook.
If you're not Thomas Hutter's darter, whose darter be you?"
This question rebuked the rebellious spirit of Judith, for,
in getting rid of a parent whom she felt it was a relief to find
she might own she had never loved, she overlooked the important
circumstance that no substitute was ready to supply his place.
"I cannot tell you, Harry, who my father was," she answered
more mildly; "I hope he was an honest man, at least."
"Which is more than you think was the case with old Hutter?
Well, Judith, I'll not deny that hard stories were in circulation
consarning Floating Tom, but who is there that doesn't get a scratch,
when an inimy holds the rake? There's them that say hard things
of me, and even you, beauty as you be, don't always escape."
This was said with a view to set up a species of community of
character between the parties, and as the politicians are wont to
express it, with ulterior intentions. What might have been the
consequences with one of Judith's known spirit, as well as her
assured antipathy to the speaker, it is not easy to say, for, just
then, Hutter gave unequivocal signs that his last moment was nigh.
Judith and Hetty had stood by the dying bed of their mother, and
neither needed a monitor to warn them of the crisis, and every sign
of resentment vanished from the face of the first. Hutter opened
his eyes, and even tried to feel about him with his hands, a sign
that sight was failing. A minute later, his breathing grew ghastly;
a pause totally without respiration followed; and, then, succeeded
the last, long drawn sigh, on which the spirit is supposed to
quit the body. This sudden termination of the life of one who had
hitherto filled so important a place in the narrow scene on which
he had been an actor, put an end to all discussion.
The day passed by without further interruption, the Hurons, though
possessed of a canoe, appearing so far satisfied with their success
as to have relinquished all immediate designs on the castle. It
would not have been a safe undertaking, indeed, to approach it
under the rifles of those it was now known to contain, and it is
probable that the truce was more owing to this circumstance than
to any other. In the mean while the preparations were made for the
interment of Hutter. To bury him on the land was impracticable,
and it was Hetty's wish that his body should lie by the side of
that of her mother, in the lake. She had it in her power to quote
one of his speeches, in which he himself had called the lake the
"family burying ground," and luckily this was done without the
knowledge of her sister, who would have opposed the plan, had she
known it, with unconquerable disgust. But Judith had not meddled
with the arrangement, and every necessary disposition was made
without her privity or advice.
The hour chosen for the rude ceremony was just as the sun was
setting, and a moment and a scene more suited to paying the last
offices to one of calm and pure spirit could not have been chosen.
There are a mystery and a solemn dignity in death, that dispose the
living to regard the remains of even a malefactor with a certain
degree of reverence. All worldly distinctions have ceased; it
is thought that the veil has been removed, and that the character
and destiny of the departed are now as much beyond human opinions,
as they are beyond human ken. In nothing is death more truly a
leveller than in this, since, while it may be impossible absolutely
to confound the great with the low, the worthy with the unworthy,
the mind feels it to be arrogant to assume a right to judge of
those who are believed to be standing at the judgment seat of God.
When Judith was told that all was ready, she went upon the platform,
passive to the request of her sister, and then she first took heed
of the arrangement. The body was in the scow, enveloped in a sheet,
and quite a hundred weight of stones, that had been taken from the
fire place, were enclosed with it, in order that it might sink.
No other preparation seemed to be thought necessary, though Hetty
carried her Bible beneath her arm.
When all were on board the Ark, the singular habitation of the
man whose body it now bore to its final abode, was set in motion.
Hurry was at the oars. In his powerful hands, indeed, they seemed
little more than a pair of sculls, which were wielded without
effort, and, as he was expert in their use, the Delaware remained
a passive spectator of the proceedings. The progress of the Ark
had something of the stately solemnity of a funeral procession, the
dip of the oars being measured, and the movement slow and steady.
The wash of the water, as the blades rose and fell, kept time with
the efforts of Hurry, and might have been likened to the measured
tread of mourners. Then the tranquil scene was in beautiful
accordance with a rite that ever associates with itself the idea
of God. At that instant, the lake had not even a single ripple on
its glassy surface, and the broad panorama of woods seemed to look
down on the holy tranquillity of the hour and ceremony in melancholy
stillness. Judith was affected to tears, and even Hurry, though he
hardly knew why, was troubled. Hetty preserved the outward signs
of tranquillity, but her inward grief greatly surpassed that of her
sister, since her affectionate heart loved more from habit and long
association, than from the usual connections of sentiment and taste.
She was sustained by religious hope, however, which in her simple
mind usually occupied the space that worldly feelings filled in
that of Judith, and she was not without an expectation of witnessing
some open manifestation of divine power, on an occasion so solemn.
Still she was neither mystical nor exaggerated; her mental imbecility
denying both. Nevertheless her thoughts had generally so much of
the purity of a better world about them that it was easy for her
to forget earth altogether, and to think only of heaven. Hist
was serious, attentive and interested, for she had often seen the
interments of the pale-faces, though never one that promised to
be as peculiar as this; while the Delaware, though grave, and also
observant, in his demeanor was stoical and calm.
Hetty acted as pilot, directing Hurry how to proceed, to find that
spot in the lake which she was in the habit of terming "mother's
grave." The reader will remember that the castle stood near
the southern extremity of a shoal that extended near half a mile
northerly, and it was at the farthest end of this shallow water
that Floating Tom had seen fit to deposit the remains of his wife
and child. His own were now in the course of being placed at their
side. Hetty had marks on the land by which she usually found the
spot, although the position of the buildings, the general direction
of the shoal, and the beautiful transparency of the water all aided
her, the latter even allowing the bottom to be seen. By these means
the girl was enabled to note their progress, and at the proper time
she approached March, whispering, "Now, Hurry you can stop rowing.
We have passed the stone on the bottom, and mother's grave is near."
March ceased his efforts, immediately dropping the kedge and taking
the warp in his hand in order to check the scow. The Ark turned
slowly round under this restraint, and when it was quite stationary,
Hetty was seen at its stern, pointing into the water, the tears
streaming from her eyes, in ungovernable natural feeling. Judith
had been present at the interment of her mother, but she had never
visited the spot since. The neglect proceeded from no indifference
to the memory of the deceased; for she had loved her mother, and
bitterly had she found occasion to mourn her loss; but she was
averse to the contemplation of death; and there had been passages
in her own life since the day of that interment which increased
this feeling, and rendered her, if possible, still more reluctant to
approach the spot that contained the remains of one whose severe
lessons of female morality and propriety had been deepened and
rendered doubly impressive by remorse for her own failings. With
Hetty, the case had been very different. To her simple and innocent
mind, the remembrance of her mother brought no other feeling than
one of gentle sorrow; a grief that is so often termed luxurious
even, because it associates with itself the images of excellence and
the purity of a better state of existence. For an entire summer,
she had been in the habit of repairing to the place after night-fall;
and carefully anchoring her canoe so as not to disturb the body,
she would sit and hold fancied conversations with the deceased,
sing sweet hymns to the evening air, and repeat the orisons that
the being who now slumbered below had taught her in infancy. Hetty
had passed her happiest hours in this indirect communion with the
spirit of her mother; the wildness of Indian traditions and Indian
opinions, unconsciously to herself, mingling with the Christian lore
received in childhood. Once she had even been so far influenced
by the former as to have bethought her of performing some of those
physical rites at her mother's grave which the redmen are known to
observe; but the passing feeling had been obscured by the steady,
though mild light of Christianity, which never ceased to burn in her
gentle bosom. Now her emotions were merely the natural outpourings
of a daughter that wept for a mother whose love was indelibly
impressed on the heart, and whose lessons had been too earnestly
taught to be easily forgotten by one who had so little temptation
to err.
There was no other priest than nature at that wild and singular
funeral rite. March cast his eyes below, and through the transparent
medium of the clear water, which was almost as pure as air, he saw
what Hetty was accustomed to call "mother's grave." It was a low,
straggling mound of earth, fashioned by no spade, out of a corner
of which gleamed a bit of the white cloth that formed the shroud
of the dead. The body had been lowered to the bottom, and Hutter
brought earth from the shore and let it fall upon it, until all was
concealed. In this state the place had remained until the movement
of the waters revealed the solitary sign of the uses of the spot
that has just been mentioned.
Even the most rude and brawling are chastened by the ceremonies
of a funeral. March felt no desire to indulge his voice in any of
its coarse outbreakings, and was disposed to complete the office
he had undertaken in decent sobriety. Perhaps he reflected on the
retribution that had alighted on his late comrade, and bethought
him of the frightful jeopardy in which his own life had so lately
been placed. He signified to Judith that all was ready, received
her directions to proceed, and, with no other assistant than his
own vast strength, raised the body and bore it to the end of the
scow. Two parts of a rope were passed beneath the legs and shoulders,
as they are placed beneath coffins, and then the corpse was slowly
lowered beneath the surface of the lake.
"Not there - Harry March - no, not there," said Judith, shuddering
involuntarily; "do not lower it quite so near the spot where mother
lies!"
"Why not, Judith?" asked Hetty, earnestly. "They lived together
in life, and should lie together in death."
"No - no - Harry March, further off - further off. Poor Hetty,
you know not what you say. Leave me to order this."
"I know I am weak-minded, Judith, and that you are clever - but,
surely a husband should be placed near a wife. Mother always said
that this was the way they bury in Christian churchyards."
This little controversy was conducted earnestly, but in smothered
voices, as if the speakers feared that the dead might overhear
them. Judith could not contend with her sister at such a moment,
but a significant gesture induced March to lower the body at a
little distance from that of his wife; when he withdrew the cords,
and the act was performed.
"There's an end of Floating Tom!" exclaimed Hurry, bending over the
scow, and gazing through the water at the body. "He was a brave
companion on a scout, and a notable hand with traps. Don't weep,
Judith, don't be overcome, Hetty, for the righteousest of us all
must die; and when the time comes, lamentations and tears can't
bring the dead to life. Your father will be a loss to you, no
doubt; most fathers are a loss, especially to onmarried darters;
but there's a way to cure that evil, and you're both too young and
handsome to live long without finding it out. When it's agreeable to
hear what an honest and onpretending man has to say, Judith,
I should like to talk a little with you, apart."
Judith had scarce attended to this rude attempt of Hurry's at
consolation, although she necessarily understood its general drift,
and had a tolerably accurate notion of its manner. She was weeping
at the recollection of her mother's early tenderness, and painful
images of long forgotten lessons and neglected precepts were
crowding her mind. The words of Hurry, however, recalled her to
the present time, and abrupt and unseasonable as was their import,
they did not produce those signs of distaste that one might have
expected from the girl's character. On the contrary, she appeared
to be struck with some sudden idea, gazed intently for a moment
at the young man, dried her eyes, and led the way to the other end
of the scow, signifying her wish for him to follow. Here she took
a seat and motioned for March to place himself at her side. The
decision and earnestness with which all this was done a little
intimidated her companion, and Judith found it necessary to open
the subject herself.
"You wish to speak to me of marriage, Harry March," she said, "and
I have come here, over the grave of my parents, as it might be -no
- no - over the grave of my poor, dear, dear, mother, to hear what
you have to say."
"This is oncommon, and you have a skearful way with you this evening,
Judith," answered Hurry, more disturbed than he would have cared
to own, "but truth is truth, and it shall come out, let what will
follow. You well know, gal, that I've long thought you the comeliest
young woman my eyes ever beheld, and that I've made no secret
of that fact, either here on the lake, out among the hunters
and trappers, or in the settlements."
"Yes - yes, I've heard this before, and I suppose it to be true,"
answered Judith with a sort of feverish impatience.
"When a young man holds such language of any particular young woman,
it's reasonable to calculate he sets store by her."
"True - true, Hurry - all this you've told me, again and again."
"Well, if it's agreeable, I should think a woman coul'n't hear it
too often. They all tell me this is the way with your sex, that
nothing pleases them more than to repeat over and over, for the
hundredth time, how much you like 'em, unless it be to talk to 'em
of their good looks!"
"No doubt - we like both, on most occasions, but this is an uncommon
moment, Hurry, and vain words should not be too freely used. I
would rather hear you speak plainly."
"You shall have your own way, Judith, and I some suspect you always
will. I've often told you that I not only like you better than
any other young woman going, or, for that matter, better than all
the young women going, but you must have obsarved, Judith, that
I've never asked you, in up and down tarms, to marry me."
"I have observed both," returned the girl, a smile struggling
about her beautiful mouth, in spite of the singular and engrossing
intentness which caused her cheeks to flush and lighted her eyes
with a brilliancy that was almost dazzling - "I have observed both,
and have thought the last remarkable for a man of Harry
March's decision and fearlessness."
"There's been a reason, gal, and it's one that troubles me even
now-nay, don't flush up so, and look fiery like, for there are
thoughts which will stick long in any man's mind, as there be words
that will stick in his throat - but, then ag'in, there's feelin's
that will get the better of 'em all, and to these feelin's I find
I must submit. You've no longer a father, or a mother, Judith, and
it's morally unpossible that you and Hetty could live here, alone,
allowing it was peace and the Iroquois was quiet; but, as matters
stand, not only would you starve, but you'd both be prisoners, or
scalped, afore a week was out. It's time to think of a change and
a husband, and, if you'll accept of me, all that's past shall be
forgotten, and there's an end on't."
Judith had difficulty in repressing her impatience until this rude
declaration and offer were made, which she evidently wished to
hear, and which she now listened to with a willingness that might
well have excited hope. She hardly allowed the young man to conclude,
so eager was she to bring him to the point, and so ready to answer.
"There - Hurry - that's enough," she said, raising a hand as if to
stop him -"I understand you as well as if you were to talk a month.
You prefer me to other girls, and you wish me to become your wife."
"You put it in better words than I can do, Judith, and I
wish you to fancy them said just as you most like to hear 'em."
"They're plain enough, Harry, and 'tis fitting they should be so.
This is no place to trifle or deceive in. Now, listen to my answer,
which shall be, in every tittle, as sincere as your offer. There
is a reason, March, why I should never -
"I suppose I understand you, Judith, but if I'm willing to overlook
that reason, it's no one's consarn but mine - Now, don't brighten
up like the sky at sundown, for no offence is meant, and
none should be taken."
"I do not brighten up, and will not take offence," said Judith,
struggling to repress her indignation, in a way she had never found
it necessary to exert before. "There is a reason why I should
not, cannot, ever be your wife, Hurry, that you seem to overlook,
and which it is my duty now to tell you, as plainly as you have
asked me to consent to become so. I do not, and I am certain that
I never shall, love you well enough to marry you. No man can wish
for a wife who does not prefer him to all other men, and when I
tell you this frankly, I suppose you yourself will thank me for my
sincerity."
"Ah! Judith, them flaunting, gay, scarlet-coated officers of the
garrisons have done all this mischief!"
"Hush, March; do not calumniate a daughter over her mother's grave!
Do not, when I only wish to treat you fairly, give me reason to
call for evil on your head in bitterness of heart! Do not forget
that I am a woman, and that you are a man; and that I have neither
father, nor brother, to revenge your words!"
"Well, there is something in the last, and I'll say no more. Take
time, Judith, and think better on this."
"I want no time - my mind has long been made up, and I have
only waited for you to speak plainly, to answer plainly. We now
understand each other, and there is no use in saying any more."
The impetuous earnestness of the girl awed the young man, for
never before had he seen her so serious and determined. In most,
of their previous interviews she had met his advances with evasion
or sarcasm, but these Hurry had mistaken for female coquetry, and
had supposed might easily be converted into consent. The struggle
had been with himself, about offering, nor had he ever seriously
believed it possible that Judith would refuse to become the wife
of the handsomest man on all that frontier. Now that the refusal
came, and that in terms so decided as to put all cavilling out of
the question; if not absolutely dumbfounded, he was so much mortified
and surprised as to feel no wish to attempt to change her resolution.
"The Glimmerglass has now no great call for me," he exclaimed after
a minute's silence. "Old Tom is gone, the Hurons are as plenty on
the shore as pigeons in the woods, and altogether it is getting to
be an onsuitable place."
"Then leave it. You see it is surrounded by dangers, and there is
no reason why you should risk your life for others. Nor do I know
that you can be of any service to us. Go, tonight; we'll never
accuse you of having done any thing forgetful, or unmanly."
"If I do go, 'twill be with a heavy heart on your account, Judith;
I would rather take you with me."
"That is not to be spoken of any longer, March; but, I will land
you in one of the canoes, as soon as it is dark and you can strike
a trail for the nearest garrison. When you reach the fort, if
you send a party -"
Judith smothered the words, for she felt that it was humiliating
to be thus exposing herself to the comments and reflections of one
who was not disposed to view her conduct in connection with all
in those garrisons, with an eye of favor. Hurry, however, caught
the idea, and without perverting it, as the girl dreaded, he answered
to the purpose.
"I understand what you would say, and why you don't say it." he
replied. "If I get safe to the fort, a party shall start on the
trail of these vagabonds, and I'll come with it, myself, for I
should like to see you and Hetty in a place of safety, before we
part forever."
"Ah, Harry March, had you always spoken thus, felt thus, my feelings
towards you might have been different!"
"Is it too late, now, Judith? I'm rough and a woodsman, but we all
change under different treatment from what we have been used to."
"It is too late, March. I can never feel towards you, or any
other man but one, as you would wish to have me. There, I've said
enough, surely, and you will question me no further. As soon as
it is dark, I or the Delaware will put you on the shore. You will
make the best of your way to the Mohawk, and the nearest garrison,
and send all you can to our assistance. And, Hurry, we are now
friends, and I may trust in you, may I not?"
"Sartain, Judith; though our fri'ndship would have been all the
warmer, could you look upon me as I look upon you."
Judith hesitated, and some powerful emotion was struggling within
her. Then, as if determined to look down all weaknesses, and
accomplish her purposes at every hazard, she spoke more plainly.
"You will find a captain of the name of Warley at the nearest
post," she said, pale as death, and even trembling as she spoke;
"I think it likely he will wish to head the party, but I would
greatly prefer it should be another. If Captain Warley can be kept
back, 't would make me very happy!"
"That's easier said than done, Judith, for these officers do
pretty much as they please. The Major will order, and captains,
and lieutenants, and ensigns must obey. I know the officer you
mean, a red faced, gay, oh! be joyful sort of a gentleman, who
swallows madeira enough to drown the Mohawk, and yet a pleasant
talker. All the gals in the valley admire him, and they say he
admires all the gals. I don't wonder he is your dislike, Judith,
for he's a very gin'ral lover, if he isn't a gin'ral officer."
Judith did not answer, though her frame shook, and her colour
changed from pale to crimson, and from crimson back again to the
hue of death.
"Alas! my poor mother!" she ejaculated mentally instead of uttering
it aloud, "We are over thy grave, but little dost thou know how
much thy lessons have been forgotten; thy care neglected; thy love
defeated!"
As this goading of the worm that never dies was felt, she arose
and signified to Hurry, that she had no more to communicate.
Chapter XXII.
"That point in misery, which makes the oppressed man regardless
of his own life, makes him too Lord of the oppressor's."
Coleridge, Remorse, V.i.201-04.
All this time Hetty had remained seated in the head of the scow,
looking sorrowfully into the water which held the body of her mother,
as well as that of the man whom she had been taught to consider her
father. Hist stood near her in gentle quiet, but had no consolation
to offer in words. The habits of her people taught her reserve in
this respect, and the habits of her sex induced her to wait patiently
for a moment when she might manifest some soothing sympathy by
means of acts, rather than of speech. Chingachgook held himself a
little aloof, in grave reserve, looking like a warrior, but feeling
like a man.
Judith joined her sister with an air of dignity and solemnity it
was not her practice to show, and, though the gleamings of anguish
were still visible on her beautiful face, when she spoke it was
firmly and without tremor. At that instant Hist and the Delaware
withdrew, moving towards Hurry, in the other end of the boat.
"Sister," said Judith kindly, "I have much to say to you; we will
get into this canoe, and paddle off to a distance from the Ark -The
secrets of two orphans ought not to be heard by every ear."
"Certainly, Judith, by the ears of their parents? Let Hurry lift
the grapnel and move away with the Ark, and leave us here, near
the graves of father and mother, to say what we may have to say."
"Father!" repeated Judith slowly, the blood for the first time since
her parting with March mounting to her cheeks - "He was no father
of ours, Hetty! That we had from his own mouth, and in his dying
moments."
"Are you glad, Judith, to find you had no father! He took care of
us, and fed us, and clothed us, and loved us; a father could have
done no more. I don't understand why he wasn't a father."
"Never mind, dear child, but let us do as you have said. It may
be well to remain here, and let the Ark move a little away. Do you
prepare the canoe, and I will tell Hurry and the Indians our wishes."
This was soon and simply done, the Ark moving with measured strokes
of the sweeps a hundred yards from the spot, leaving the girls
floating, seemingly in air, above the place of the dead; so buoyant
was the light vessel that held them, and so limpid the element by
which it was sustained.
"The death of Thomas Hutter," Judith commenced, after a short
pause had prepared her sister to receive her communications, "has
altered all our prospects, Hetty. If he was not our father, we
are sisters, and must feel alike and live together."
"How do I know, Judith, that you wouldn't be as glad to find I am
not your sister, as you are in finding that Thomas Hutter, as you
call him, was not your father. I am only half witted, and few people
like to have half witted relations; and then I'm not handsome - at
least, not as handsome as you - and you may wish a handsomer sister."
"No, no Hetty. You and you only are my sister - my heart, and
my love for you tell me that - and mother was my mother - of that
too am I glad, and proud; for she was a mother to be proud of -but
father was not father!"
"Hush, Judith! His spirit may be near; it would grieve it to
hear his children talking so, and that, too, over his very grave.
Children should never grieve parents, mother often told me, and
especially when they are dead!"
"Poor Hetty! They are happily removed beyond all cares on our
account. Nothing that I can do or say will cause mother any sorrow
now -there is some consolation in that, at least! And nothing you
can say or do will make her smile, as she used to smile on your
good conduct when living."
"You don't know that, Judith. Spirits can see, and mother may
see as well as any spirit. She always told us that God saw all we
did, and that we should do nothing to offend him; and now she has
left us, I strive to do nothing that can displease her. Think how
her spirit would mourn and feel sorrow, Judith, did it see either
of us doing what is not right; and spirits may see, after all;
especially the spirits of parents that feel anxious about their
children."
"Hetty - Hetty - you know not what you say!" murmured Judith,
almost livid with emotion - "The dead cannot see, and know nothing
of what passes here! But, we will not talk of this any longer.
The bodies of Mother and Thomas Hutter lie together in the lake,
and we will hope that the spirits of both are with God. That we,
the children of one of them, remain on earth is certain; it is now
proper to know what we are to do in future."
"If we are not Thomas Hutter's children, Judith, no one will dispute
our right to his property. We have the castle and the Ark, and
the canoes, and the woods, and the lakes, the same as when he was
living, and what can prevent us from staying here, and passing our
lives just as we ever have done?"
"No, no poor sister - this can no longer be. Two girls would not
be safe here, even should these Hurons fail in getting us into their
power. Even father had as much as he could sometimes do, to keep
peace upon the lake, and we should fail altogether. We must quit
this spot, Hetty, and remove into the settlements."
"I am sorry you think so, Judith," returned Hetty, dropping her
head on her bosom, and looking thoughtfully down at the spot where
the funeral pile of her mother could just be seen. "I am very
sorry to hear it. I would rather stay here, where, if I wasn't
born, I've passed my life. I don't like the settlements - they are
full of wickedness and heart burnings, while God dwells unoffended
in these hills! I love the trees, and the mountains, and the lake,
and the springs; all that his bounty has given us, and it would
grieve me sorely, Judith, to be forced to quit them. You are
handsome, and not at all half-witted, and one day you will marry,
and then you will have a husband, and I a brother to take care of
us, if women can't really take care of themselves in such a place
as this."
"Ah! if this could be so, Hetty, then, indeed, I could now be
a thousand times happier in these woods, than in the settlements.
Once I did not feel thus, but now I do. Yet where is the man to
turn this beautiful place into such a garden of Eden for us?"
"Harry March loves you, sister," returned poor Hetty, unconsciously
picking the bark off the canoe as she spoke. "He would be glad
to be your husband, I'm sure, and a stouter and a braver youth is
not to be met with the whole country round."
"Harry March and I understand each other, and no more need be said
about him. There is one - but no matter. It is all in the hands
of providence, and we must shortly come to some conclusion about
our future manner of living. Remain here - that is, remain here,
alone, we cannot - and perhaps no occasion will ever offer for
remaining in the manner you think of. It is time, too, Hetty, we
should learn all we can concerning our relations and family. It
is not probable we are altogether without relations, and they may
be glad to see us. The old chest is now our property, and we have
a right to look into it, and learn all we can by what it holds.
Mother was so very different from Thomas Hutter, that, now I know
we are not his children, I burn with a desire to know whose children
we can be. There are papers in that chest, I am certain, and those
papers may tell us all about our parents and natural friends."
"Well, Judith, you know best, for you are cleverer than common,
mother always said, and I am only half-witted. Now father and
mother are dead, I don't much care for any relation but you, and
don't think I could love them I never saw, as well as I ought. If
you don't like to marry Hurry, I don't see who you can choose for
a husband, and then I fear we shall have to quit the lake, after
all."
"What do you think of Deerslayer, Hetty?" asked Judith, bending
forward like her unsophisticated sister, and endeavoring to
conceal her embarrassment in a similar manner. "Would he not make
a brother-in-law to your liking?"
"Deerslayer!" repeated the other, looking up in unfeigned surprise.
"Why, Judith, Deerslayer isn't in the least comely, and is altogether
unfit for one like you!"
"He is not ill-looking, Hetty, and beauty in a man is not of much
matter."
"Do you think so, Judith? I know that beauty is of no great matter,
in man or woman, in the eyes of God, for mother has often told me
so, when she thought I might have been sorry I was not as handsome
as you, though she needn't have been uneasy on that account, for
I never coveted any thing that is yours, sister - but, tell me so
she did - still, beauty is very pleasant to the eye, in both! I
think, if I were a man, I should pine more for good looks than I do
as a girl. A handsome man is a more pleasing sight than a handsome
woman."
"Poor child! You scarce know what you say, or what you mean!
Beauty in our sex is something, but in men, it passes for little.
To be sure, a man ought to be tall, but others are tall, as well as
Hurry; and active - and I think I know those that are more active
- and strong; well, he hasn't all the strength in the world - and
brave - I am certain I can name a youth who is braver!"
"This is strange, Judith! - I didn't think the earth held a handsomer,
or a stronger, or a more active or a braver man than Hurry Harry!
I'm sure I never met his equal in either of these things."
"Well, well, Hetty - say no more of this. I dislike to hear you
talking in this manner. Tis not suitable to your innocence, and
truth, and warm-hearted sincerity. Let Harry March go. He quits
us tonight, and no regret of mine will follow him, unless it be
that he has staid so long, and to so little purpose."
"Ah! Judith; that is what I've long feared - and I did so hope he
might be my brother-in-law!"
"Never mind it now. Let us talk of our poor mother - and of Thomas
Hutter."
"Speak kindly then, sister, for you can't be quite certain that
spirits don't both hear and see. If father wasn't father, he was
good to us, and gave us food and shelter. We can't put any stones
over their graves, here in the water, to tell people all this, and
so we ought to say it with our tongues."
"They will care little for that, girl. 'Tis a great consolation
to know, Hetty, that if mother ever did commit any heavy fault when
young, she lived sincerely to repent of it; no doubt her sins were
forgiven her."
"Tisn't right, Judith, for children to talk of their parents'
sins. We had better talk of our own."
"Talk of your sins, Hetty! - If there ever was a creature on earth
without sin, it is you! I wish I could say, or think the same of
myself; but we shall see. No one knows what changes affection for
a good husband can make in a woman's heart. I don't think, child,
I have even now the same love for finery I once had."
"It would be a pity, Judith, if you did think of clothes, over your
parents' graves! We will never quit this spot, if you say so, and
will let Hurry go where he pleases."
"I am willing enough to consent to the last, but cannot answer for
the first, Hetty. We must live, in future, as becomes respectable
young women, and cannot remain here, to be the talk and jest of all
the rude and foul tongu'd trappers and hunters that may come upon
the lake. Let Hurry go by himself, and then I'll find the means
to see Deerslayer, when the future shall be soon settled. Come,
girl, the sun has set, and the Ark is drifting away from us; let
us paddle up to the scow, and consult with our friends. This night
I shall look into the chest, and to-morrow shall determine what we
are to do. As for the Hurons, now we can use our stores without
fear of Thomas Hutter, they will be easily bought off. Let me get
Deerslayer once out of their hands, and a single hour shall bring
things to an understanding."
Judith spoke with decision, and she spoke with authority, a habit
she had long practised towards her feeble-minded sister. But,
while thus accustomed to have her way, by the aid of manner and a
readier command of words, Hetty occasionally checked her impetuous
feelings and hasty acts by the aid of those simple moral truths
that were so deeply engrafted in all her own thoughts and feelings;
shining through both with a mild and beautiful lustre that threw
a sort of holy halo around so much of what she both said and did.
On the present occasion, this healthful ascendancy of the girl of
weak intellect, over her of a capacity that, in other situations,
might have become brilliant and admired, was exhibited in the usual
simple and earnest manner.
"You forget, Judith, what has brought us here," she said reproachfully.
"This is mother's grave, and we have just laid the body of father
by her side. We have done wrong to talk so much of ourselves at
such a spot, and ought now to pray God to forgive us, and ask him
to teach us where we are to go, and what we are to do."
Judith involuntarily laid aside her paddle, while Hetty dropped on
her knees, and was soon lost in her devout but simple petitions.
Her sister did not pray. This she had long ceased to do directly,
though anguish of spirit frequently wrung from her mental and
hasty appeals to the great source of benevolence, for support, if
not for a change of spirit. Still she never beheld Hetty on her
knees, that a feeling of tender recollection, as well as of profound
regret at the deadness of her own heart, did not come over her.
Thus had she herself done in childhood, and even down to the hour
of her ill fated visits to the garrisons, and she would willingly
have given worlds, at such moments, to be able to exchange her
present sensations for the confiding faith, those pure aspirations,
and the gentle hope that shone through every lineament and movement
of her otherwise, less favored sister. All she could do, however,
was to drop her head to her bosom, and assume in her attitude some
of that devotion in which her stubborn spirit refused to unite.
When Hetty rose from her knees, her countenance had a glow and
serenity that rendered a face that was always agreeable, positively
handsome. Her mind was at peace, and her conscience acquitted her
of a neglect of duty.
"Now, you may go if you want to, Judith," she said, "for God has
been kind to me, and lifted a burden off my heart. Mother had many
such burdens, she used to tell me, and she always took them off in
this way. Tis the only way, sister, such things can be done. You
may raise a stone, or a log, with your hands; but the heart must be
lightened by prayer. I don't think you pray as often as you used
to do, when younger, Judith!"
"Never mind - never mind, child," answered the other huskily,
"'tis no matter, now. Mother is gone, and Thomas Hutter is gone,
and the time has come when we must think and act for ourselves."
As the canoe moved slowly away from the place, under the gentle
impulsion of the elder sister's paddle, the younger sat musing,
as was her wont whenever her mind was perplexed by any idea more
abstract and difficult of comprehension than common.
"I don't know what you mean by 'future', Judith," she at length,
suddenly observed. "Mother used to call Heaven the future, but
you seem to think it means next week, or tomorrow!"
"It means both, dear sister - every thing that is yet to come,
whether in this world or another. It is a solemn word, Hetty, and
most so, I fear, to them that think the least about it. Mother's
future is eternity; ours may yet mean what will happen while we
live in this world - Is not that a canoe just passing behind the
castle - here, more in the direction of the point, I mean; it is
hid, now; but certainly I saw a canoe stealing behind the logs!"
"I've seen it some time," Hetty quietly answered, for the Indians
had few terrors for her, "but I didn't think it right to talk about
such things over mother's grave! The canoe came from the camp,
Judith, and was paddled by a single man. He seemed to be Deerslayer,
and no Iroquois."
"Deerslayer!" returned the other, with much of her native impetuosity
-"That cannot be! Deerslayer is a prisoner, and I have been
thinking of the means of setting him free. Why did you fancy it
Deerslayer, child?"
"You can look for yourself, sister, for there comes the canoe in
sight, again, on this side of the hut."
Sure enough, the light boat had passed the building, and was now
steadily advancing towards the Ark; the persons on board of which
were already collecting in the head of the scow to receive their
visitor. A single glance sufficed to assure Judith that her sister
was right, and that Deerslayer was alone in the canoe. His approach
was so calm and leisurely, however, as to fill her with wonder, since
a man who had effected his escape from enemies by either artifice
or violence, would not be apt to move with the steadiness and
deliberation with which his paddle swept the water. By this time
the day was fairly departing, and objects were already seen dimly
under the shores. In the broad lake, however, the light still
lingered, and around the immediate scene of the present incidents,
which was less shaded than most of the sheet, being in its broadest
part, it cast a glow that bore some faint resemblance to the warm
tints of an Italian or Grecian sunset. The logs of the hut and
Ark had a sort of purple hue, blended with the growing obscurity,
and the bark of the hunter's boat was losing its distinctness in
colours richer, but more mellowed, than those it showed under a
bright sun. As the two canoes approached each other - for Judith and
her sister had plied their paddles so as to intercept the unexpected
visiter ere he reached the Ark - even Deerslayer's sun-burned
countenance wore a brighter aspect than common, under the pleasing
tints that seemed to dance in the atmosphere. Judith fancied that
delight at meeting her had some share in this unusual and agreeable
expression. She was not aware that her own beauty appeared to
more advantage than common, from the same natural cause, nor did
she understand what it would have given her so much pleasure to
know, that the young man actually thought her, as she drew nearer,
the loveliest creature of her sex his eyes had ever dwelt on.
"Welcome - welcome, Deerslayer!" exclaimed the girl, as the canoes
floated at each other's side; "we have had a melancholy -a frightful
day - but your return is, at least, one misfortune the less! Have
the Hurons become more human, and let you go; or have you escaped
from the wretches, by your own courage and skill?"
"Neither, Judith - neither one nor t'other. The Mingos are Mingos
still, and will live and die Mingos; it is not likely their natur's
will ever undergo much improvement. Well! They've their gifts,
and we've our'n, Judith, and it doesn't much become either to
speak ill of what the Lord has created; though, if the truth must
be said, I find it a sore trial to think kindly or to talk kindly
of them vagabonds. As for outwitting them, that might have been
done, and it was done, too, atween the Sarpent, yonder, and me, when
we were on the trail of Hist -" here the hunter stopped to laugh
in his own silent fashion - "but it's no easy matter to sarcumvent
the sarcumvented. Even the fa'ans get to know the tricks of the
hunters afore a single season is over, and an Indian whose eyes
have once been opened by a sarcumvention never shuts them ag'in in
precisely the same spot. I've known whites to do that, but never
a red-skin. What they l'arn comes by practice, and not by books,
and of all schoolmasters exper'ence gives lessons that are the
longest remembered."
"All this is true, Deerslayer, but if you have not escaped from
the savages, how came you here?"
"That's a nat'ral question, and charmingly put. You are wonderful
handsome this evening, Judith, or Wild Rose, as the Sarpent calls
you, and I may as well say it, since I honestly think it! You
may well call them Mingos, savages too, for savage enough do they
feel, and savage enough will they act, if you once give them an
opportunity. They feel their loss here, in the late skrimmage, to
their hearts' cores, and are ready to revenge it on any creatur'
of English blood that may fall in their way. Nor, for that matter
do I much think they would stand at taking their satisfaction out
of a Dutch man."
"They have killed father; that ought to satisfy their wicked cravings
for blood," observed Hetty reproachfully.
"I know it, gal - I know the whole story - partly from what I've
seen from the shore, since they brought me up from the point, and
partly from their threats ag'in myself, and their other discourse.
Well, life is unsartain at the best, and we all depend on the
breath of our nostrils for it, from day to day. If you've lost a
staunch fri'nd, as I make no doubt you have, Providence will raise
up new ones in his stead, and since our acquaintance has begun in
this oncommon manner, I shall take it as a hint that it will be a
part of my duty in futur', should the occasion offer, to see you
don't suffer for want of food in the wigwam. I can't bring the
dead to life, but as to feeding the living, there's few on all
this frontier can outdo me, though I say it in the way of pity and
consolation, like, and in no particular, in the way of boasting."
"We understand you, Deerslayer," returned Judith, hastily, "and
take all that falls from your lips, as it is meant, in kindness
and friendship. Would to Heaven all men had tongues as true, and
hearts as honest!"
"In that respect men do differ, of a sartainty, Judith. I've known
them that wasn't to be trusted any farther than you can see them;
and others ag'in whose messages, sent with a small piece of wampum,
perhaps, might just as much be depended on, as if the whole business
was finished afore your face. Yes, Judith, you never said truer
word, than when you said some men might be depended on, and other
some might not."
"You are an unaccountable being, Deerslayer," returned the girl,
not a little puzzled with the childish simplicity of character
that the hunter so often betrayed - a simplicity so striking that
it frequently appeared to place him nearly on a level with the
fatuity of poor Hetty, though always relieved by the beautiful moral
truth that shone through all that this unfortunate girl both said
and did - "You are a most unaccountable man, and I often do not
know how to understand you. But never mind, just now; you have
forgotten to tell us by what means you are here."
"I! - Oh! That's not very onaccountable, if I am myself, Judith.
I'm out on furlough."
"Furlough! - That word has a meaning among the soldiers that
I understand; but I cannot tell what it signifies when used by a
prisoner."
"It means just the same. You're right enough; the soldiers do
use it, and just in the same way as I use it. A furlough is when
a man has leave to quit a camp or a garrison for a sartain specified
time; at the end of which he is to come back and shoulder his musket,
or submit to his torments, just as he may happen to be a soldier,
or a captyve. Being the last, I must take the chances of a prisoner."
"Have the Hurons suffered you to quit them in this manner, without
watch or guard."
"Sartain - I woul'n't have come in any other manner, unless indeed
it had been by a bold rising, or a sarcumvention."
"What pledge have they that you will ever return?"
"My word," answered the hunter simply. "Yes, I own I gave 'em that,
and big fools would they have been to let me come without it! Why
in that case, I shouldn't have been obliged to go back and ondergo
any deviltries their fury may invent, but might have shouldered my
rifle, and made the best of my way to the Delaware villages. But,
Lord! Judith, they know'd this, just as well as you and I do, and
would no more let me come away, without a promise to go back, than
they would let the wolves dig up the bones of their fathers!"
"Is it possible you mean to do this act of extraordinary self-destruction
and recklessness?"
"Anan!"
"I ask if it can be possible that you expect to be able to put
yourself again in the power of such ruthless enemies, by keeping
your word."
Deerslayer looked at his fair questioner for a moment with stern
displeasure. Then the expression of his honest and guileless face
suddenly changed, lighting as by a quick illumination of thought,
after which he laughed in his ordinary manner.
"I didn't understand you, at first, Judith; no, I didn't! You
believe that Chingachgook and Hurry Harry won't suffer it; but you
don't know mankind thoroughly yet, I see. The Delaware would be
the last man on 'arth to offer any objections to what he knows is a
duty, and, as for March, he doesn't care enough about any creatur'
but himself to spend many words on such a subject. If he did, 'twould
make no great difference howsever; but not he, for he thinks more
of his gains than of even his own word. As for my promises, or
your'n, Judith, or any body else's, they give him no consarn. Don't
be under any oneasiness, therefore, gal; I shall be allowed to go
back according to the furlough; and if difficulties was made, I've
not been brought up, and edicated as one may say, in the woods,
without knowing how to look 'em down."
Judith made no answer for some little time. All her feelings as
a woman, and as a woman who, for the first time in her life was
beginning to submit to that sentiment which has so much influence
on the happiness or misery of her sex, revolted at the cruel fate
that she fancied Deerslayer was drawing down upon himself, while
the sense of right, which God has implanted in every human breast,
told her to admire an integrity as indomitable and as unpretending
as that which the other so unconsciously displayed. Argument,
she felt, would be useless, nor was she at that moment disposed
to lessen the dignity and high principle that were so striking in
the intentions of the hunter, by any attempt to turn him from his
purpose. That something might yet occur to supersede the necessity
for this self immolation she tried to hope, and then she proceeded
to ascertain the facts in order that her own conduct might be
regulated by her knowledge of circumstances.
"When is your furlough out, Deerslayer," she asked, after both
canoes were heading towards the Ark, and moving, with scarcely a
perceptible effort of the paddles, through the water.
"To-morrow noon; not a minute afore; and you may depend on it,
Judith, I shan't quit what I call Christian company, to go and give
myself up to them vagabonds, an instant sooner than is downright
necessary. They begin to fear a visit from the garrisons, and
wouldn't lengthen the time a moment, and it's pretty well understood
atween us that, should I fail in my ar'n'd, the torments are to
take place when the sun begins to fall, that they may strike upon
their home trail as soon as it is dark."
This was said solemnly, as if the thought of what was believed
to be in reserve duly weighed on the prisoner's mind, and yet so
simply, and without a parade of suffering, as rather to repel than
to invite any open manifestations of sympathy.
"Are they bent on revenging their losses?" Judith asked faintly,
her own high spirit yielding to the influence of the other's quiet
but dignified integrity of purpose.
"Downright, if I can judge of Indian inclinations by the symptoms.
They think howsever I don't suspect their designs, I do believe,
but one that has lived so long among men of red-skin gifts, is
no more likely to be misled in Injin feelin's, than a true hunter
is like to lose his trail, or a stanch hound his scent. My own
judgment is greatly ag'in my own escape, for I see the women are
a good deal enraged on behalf of Hist, though I say it, perhaps,
that shouldn't say it, seein' that I had a considerable hand myself
in getting the gal off. Then there was a cruel murder in their
camp last night, and that shot might just as well have been fired
into my breast. Howsever, come what will, the Sarpent and his wife
will be safe, and that is some happiness in any case."
"Oh! Deerslayer, they will think better of this, since they have
given you until to-morrow noon to make up your mind!"
"I judge not, Judith; yes, I judge not. An Injin is an Injin, gal,
and it's pretty much hopeless to think of swarving him, when he's
got the scent and follows it with his nose in the air. The Delawares,
now, are a half Christianized tribe - not that I think such sort of
Christians much better than your whole blooded onbelievers - but,
nevertheless, what good half Christianizing can do to a man, some
among 'em have got, and yet revenge clings to their hearts like
the wild creepers here to the tree! Then, I slew one of the best
and boldest of their warriors, they say, and it is too much to expect
that they should captivate the man who did this deed, in the very
same scouting on which it was performed, and they take no account
of the matter. Had a month, or so, gone by, their feelin's would
have been softened down, and we might have met in a more friendly
way, but it is as it is. Judith, this is talking of nothing but
myself, and my own consarns, when you have had trouble enough, and
may want to consult a fri'nd a little about your own matters. Is
the old man laid in the water, where I should think his body would
like to rest?"
"It is, Deerslayer," answered Judith, almost inaudibly. "That duty
has just been performed. You are right in thinking that I wish
to consult a friend; and that friend is yourself. Hurry Harry is
about to leave us; when he is gone, and we have got a little over
the feelings of this solemn office, I hope you will give me an hour
alone. Hetty and I are at a loss what to do."
"That's quite nat'ral, coming as things have, suddenly and fearfully.
But here's the Ark, and we'll say more of this when there is a
better opportunity."
Chapter XXIII.
"The winde is great upon the highest hilles;
The quiet life is in the dale below;
Who tread on ice shall slide against their willes;
They want not cares, that curious arts should know.
Who lives at ease and can content him so,
Is perfect wise, and sets us all to schoole:
Who hates this lore may well be called a foole."
Thomas Churchyard, "Shore's Wife," xlvii.
The meeting between Deerslayer and his friends in the Ark was grave
and anxious. The two Indians, in particular, read in his manner
that he was not a successful fugitive, and a few sententious words
sufficed to let them comprehend the nature of what their friend had
termed his 'furlough.' Chingachgook immediately became thoughtful,
while Hist, as usual, had no better mode of expressing her sympathy
than by those little attentions which mark the affectionate manner
of woman.
In a few minutes, however, something like a general plan for the
proceedings of the night was adopted, and to the eye of an uninstructed
observer things would be thought to move in their ordinary train.
It was now getting to be dark, and it was decided to sweep the
Ark up to the castle, and secure it in its ordinary berth. This
decision was come to, in some measure on account of the fact
that all the canoes were again in the possession of their proper
owners, but principally, from the security that was created by
the representations of Deerslayer. He had examined the state of
things among the Hurons, and felt satisfied that they meditated no
further hostilities during the night, the loss they had met having
indisposed them to further exertions for the moment. Then, he had
a proposition to make; the object of his visit; and, if this were
accepted, the war would at once terminate between the parties; and
it was improbable that the Hurons would anticipate the failure of
a project on which their chiefs had apparently set their hearts,
by having recourse to violence previously to the return of their
messenger. As soon as the Ark was properly secured, the different
members of the party occupied themselves in their several peculiar
manners, haste in council, or in decision, no more characterizing
the proceedings of these border whites, than it did those of their
red neighbors. The women busied themselves in preparations for
the evening meal, sad and silent, but ever attentive to the first
wants of nature. Hurry set about repairing his moccasins, by the
light of a blazing knot; Chingachgook seated himself in gloomy
thought, while Deerslayer proceeded, in a manner equally free from
affectation and concern, to examine 'Killdeer', the rifle of Hutter
that has been already mentioned, and which subsequently became so
celebrated, in the hands of the individual who was now making a
survey of its merits. The piece was a little longer than usual,
and had evidently been turned out from the work shops of some
manufacturer of a superior order. It had a few silver ornaments,
though, on the whole, it would have been deemed a plain piece
by most frontier men, its great merit consisting in the accuracy
of its bore, the perfection of the details, and the excellence of
the metal. Again and again did the hunter apply the breech to his
shoulder, and glance his eye along the sights, and as often did he
poise his body and raise the weapon slowly, as if about to catch
an aim at a deer, in order to try the weight, and to ascertain its
fitness for quick and accurate firing. All this was done, by the
aid of Hurry's torch, simply, but with an earnestness and abstraction
that would have been found touching by any spectator who happened
to know the real situation of the man.
"Tis a glorious we'pon, Hurry!" Deerslayer at length exclaimed,
"and it may be thought a pity that it has fallen into the hands
of women. The hunters have told me of its expl'ites, and by all
I have heard, I should set it down as sartain death in exper'enced
hands. Hearken to the tick of this lock-a wolf trap has'n't
a livelier spring; pan and cock speak together, like two singing
masters undertaking a psalm in meetin'. I never did see so true
a bore, Hurry, that's sartain!"
"Ay, Old Tom used to give the piece a character, though he wasn't
the man to particularize the ra'al natur' of any sort of fire
arms, in practise," returned March, passing the deer's thongs
through the moccasin with the coolness of a cobbler. "He was no
marksman, that we must all allow; but he had his good p'ints, as
well as his bad ones. I have had hopes that Judith might consait
the idee of giving Killdeer to me."
"There's no saying what young women may do, that's a truth, Hurry,
and I suppose you're as likely to own the rifle as another. Still,
when things are so very near perfection, it's a pity not to reach
it entirely."
"What do you mean by that? - Would not that piece look as well on
my shoulder, as on any man's?"
"As for looks, I say nothing. You are both good-looking, and might
make what is called a good-looking couple. But the true p'int is
as to conduct. More deer would fall in one day, by that piece,
in some man's hands, than would fall in a week in your'n, Hurry!
I've seen you try; yes, remember the buck t'other day."
"That buck was out of season, and who wishes to kill venison out
of season. I was merely trying to frighten the creatur', and I
think you will own that he was pretty well skeared, at any rate."
"Well, well, have it as you say. But this is a lordly piece, and
would make a steady hand and quick eye the King of the Woods!"
"Then keep it, Deerslayer, and become King of the Woods," said
Judith, earnestly, who had heard the conversation, and whose eye
was never long averted from the honest countenance of the hunter.
"It can never be in better hands than it is, at this moment, and
there I hope it will remain these fifty years.
"Judith you can't be in 'arnest!" exclaimed Deerslayer, taken so
much by surprise, as to betray more emotion than it was usual for
him to manifest on ordinary occasions. "Such a gift would be fit
for a ra'al King to make; yes, and for a ra'al King to receive."
"I never was more in earnest, in my life, Deerslayer, and I am as
much in earnest in the wish as in the gift."
"Well, gal, well; we'll find time to talk of this ag'in. You mustn't
be down hearted, Hurry, for Judith is a sprightly young woman,
and she has a quick reason; she knows that the credit of her father's
rifle is safer in my hands, than it can possibly be in yourn; and,
therefore, you mustn't be down hearted. In other matters, more
to your liking, too, you'll find she'll give you the preference."
Hurry growled out his dissatisfaction, but he was too intent on
quitting the lake, and in making his preparations, to waste his
breath on a subject of this nature. Shortly after, the supper
was ready, and it was eaten in silence as is so much the habit of
those who consider the table as merely a place of animal refreshment.
On this occasion, however, sadness and thought contributed their
share to the general desire not to converse, for Deerslayer was so
far an exception to the usages of men of his cast, as not only to
wish to hold discourse on such occasions, but as often to create
a similar desire in his companions.
The meal ended, and the humble preparations removed, the whole
party assembled on the platform to hear the expected intelligence
from Deerslayer on the subject of his visit. It had been evident
he was in no haste to make his communication, but the feelings of
Judith would no longer admit of delay. Stools were brought from the
Ark and the hut, and the whole six placed themselves in a circle,
near the door, watching each other's countenances, as best they
could, by the scanty means that were furnished by a lovely star-light
night. Along the shores, beneath the mountains, lay the usual body
of gloom, but in the broad lake no shadow was cast, and a thousand
mimic stars were dancing in the limpid element, that was just
stirred enough by the evening air to set them all in motion.
"Now, Deerslayer," commenced Judith, whose impatience resisted
further restraint-"now, Deerslayer, tell us all the Hurons have to
say, and the reason why they have sent you on parole, to make us
some offer."
"Furlough, Judith; furlough is the word; and it carries the same
meaning with a captyve at large, as it does with a soldier who has
leave to quit his colors. In both cases the word is passed to come
back, and now I remember to have heard that's the ra'al signification;
'furlough' meaning a 'word' passed for the doing of any thing of the
like. Parole I rather think is Dutch, and has something to do with
the tattoos of the garrisons. But this makes no great difference,
since the vartue of a pledge lies in the idee, and not in the word.
Well, then, if the message must be given, it must; and perhaps
there is no use in putting it off. Hurry will soon be wanting to
set out on his journey to the river, and the stars rise and set,
just as if they cared for neither Injin nor message. Ah's! me;
'Tisn't a pleasant, and I know it's a useless ar'n'd, but it must
be told."
"Harkee, Deerslayer," put in Hurry, a little authoritatively-"You're
a sensible man in a hunt, and as good a fellow on a march, as a
sixty-miler-a-day could wish to meet with, but you're oncommon slow
about messages; especially them that you think won't be likely to
be well received. When a thing is to be told, why tell it; and
don't hang back like a Yankee lawyer pretending he can't understand
a Dutchman's English, just to get a double fee out of him."
"I understand you, Hurry, and well are you named to-night, seeing
you've no time to lose. But let us come at once to the p'int, seeing
that's the object of this council- for council it may be called,
though women have seats among us. The simple fact is this. When
the party came back from the castle, the Mingos held a council, and
bitter thoughts were uppermost, as was plain to be seen by their
gloomy faces. No one likes to be beaten, and a red-skin as little
as a pale-face. Well, when they had smoked upon it, and made
their speeches, and their council fire had burnt low, the matter
came out. It seems the elders among 'em consaited I was a man to
be trusted on a furlough-They're wonderful obsarvant, them Mingos;
that their worst mimics must allow - but they consaited I was such
a man; and it isn't often -" added the hunter, with a pleasing
consciousness that his previous life justified this implicit
reliance on his good faith -"it isn't often they consait any thing
so good of a pale-face; but so they did with me, and, therefore,
they didn't hesitate to speak their minds, which is just this:
You see the state of things. The lake, and all on it, they fancy,
lie at their marcy. Thomas Hutter is deceased, and, as for Hurry,
they've got the idee he has been near enough to death to-day, not
to wish to take another look at him this summer. Therefore, they
account all your forces as reduced to Chingachgook and the two young
women, and, while they know the Delaware to be of a high race, and
a born warrior, they know he's now on his first war path. As for
the gals, of course they set them down much as they do women in
gin'ral."
"You mean that they despise us!" interrupted Judith, with eyes that
flashed so brightly as to be observed by all present.
"That will be seen in the end. They hold that all on the lake
lies at their marcy, and, therefore, they send by me this belt of
wampum," showing the article in question to the Delaware, as he
spoke, "with these words. 'Tell the Sarpent, they say, that he has
done well for a beginner; he may now strike across the mountains
for his own villages, and no one shall look for his trail. If he
has found a scalp, let him take it with him, for the Huron braves
have hearts, and can feel for a young warrior who doesn't wish to
go home empty-handed. If he is nimble, he is welcome to lead out
a party in pursuit. Hist, howsever, must go back to the Hurons,
for, when she left there in the night, she carried away by mistake,
that which doesn't belong to her"
"That can't be true!" said Hetty earnestly. "Hist is no such girl,
but one that gives every body his due -"
How much more she would have said in remonstrance cannot be known,
inasmuch as Hist, partly laughing and partly hiding her face in
shame, passed her own hand across the speaker's mouth in a way to
check the words.
"You don't understand Mingo messages, poor Hetty -" resumed
Deerslayer, "which seldom mean what lies exactly uppermost. Hist
has brought away with her the inclinations of a young Huron, and
they want her back again, that the poor young man may find them
where he last saw them! The Sarpent they say is too promising
a young warrior not to find as many wives as he wants, but this
one he cannot have. That's their meaning, and nothing else, as I
understand it."
"They are very obliging and thoughtful, in supposing a young woman
can forget all her own inclinations in order to let this unhappy
youth find his!" said Judith, ironically; though her manner became
more bitter as she proceeded. "I suppose a woman is a woman,
let her colour be white, or red, and your chiefs know little of a
woman's heart, Deerslayer, if they think it can ever forgive when
wronged, or ever forget when it fairly loves."
"I suppose that's pretty much the truth with some women, Judith,
though I've known them that could do both. The next message is to
you. They say the Muskrat, as they called your father, has dove
to the bottom of the lake; that he will never come up again, and
that his young will soon be in want of wigwams if not of food.
The Huron huts, they think, are better than the huts of York, and
they wish you to come and try them. Your colour is white, they
own, but they think young women who've lived so long in the woods
would lose their way in the clearin's. A great warrior among them
has lately lost his wife, and he would be glad to put the Wild Rose
on her bench at his fireside. As for the Feeble Mind, she will
always be honored and taken care of by red warriors. Your father's
goods they think ought to go to enrich the tribe, but your own
property, which is to include everything of a female natur', will
go like that of all wives, into the wigwam of the husband. Moreover,
they've lost a young maiden by violence, lately, and 'twill take
two pale-faces to fill her seat."
"And do you bring such a message to me," exclaimed Judith, though
the tone in which the words were uttered had more in it of sorrow
than of anger. "Am I a girl to be an Indian's slave?"
"If you wish my honest thoughts on this p'int, Judith, I shall
answer that I don't think you'll, willingly, ever become any man's
slave; red-skin or white. You're not to think hard, howsever, of
my bringing the message, as near as I could, in the very words in
which it was given to me. Them was the conditions on which I got
my furlough, and a bargain is a bargain, though it is made with a
vagabond. I've told you what they've said, but I've not yet told
you what I think you ought, one and all, to answer."
"Ay; let's hear that, Deerslayer," put in Hurry. "My cur'osity is
up on that consideration, and I should like, right well, to hear
your idees of the reasonableness of the reply. For my part, though,
my own mind is pretty much settled on the p'int of my own answer,
which shall be made known as soon as necessary."
"And so is mine, Hurry, on all the different heads, and on no one
is it more sartainly settled that on your'n. If I was you, I should
say -'Deerslayer, tell them scamps they don't know Harry March!
He is human; and having a white skin, he has also a white natur',
which natur' won't let him desart females of his own race and gifts
in their greatest need. So set me down as one that will refuse
to come into your treaty, though you should smoke a hogshead
of tobacco over it.'"
March was a little embarrassed at this rebuke, which was uttered
with sufficient warmth of manner, and with a point that left no
doubt of the meaning. Had Judith encouraged him, he would not have
hesitated about remaining to defend her and her sister, but under
the circumstances a feeling of resentment rather urged him to abandon
them. At all events, there was not a sufficiency of chivalry in
Hurry Harry to induce him to hazard the safety of his own person
unless he could see a direct connection between the probable
consequences and his own interests. It is no wonder, therefore,
that his answer partook equally of his intention, and of the reliance
he so boastingly placed on his gigantic strength, which if it
did not always make him outrageous, usually made him impudent, as
respects those with whom he conversed.
"Fair words make long friendships, Master Deerslayer," he said
a little menacingly. "You're but a stripling, and you know by
exper'ence what you are in the hands of a man. As you're not me,
but only a go between sent by the savages to us Christians, you
may tell your empl'yers that they do know Harry March, which is a
proof of their sense as well as his. He's human enough to follow
human natur', and that tells him to see the folly of one man's
fighting a whole tribe. If females desart him, they must expect
to be desarted by him, whether they're of his own gifts or another
man's gifts. Should Judith see fit to change her mind, she's welcome
to my company to the river, and Hetty with her; but shouldn't she
come to this conclusion, I start as soon as I think the enemy's
scouts are beginning to nestle themselves in among the brush and
leaves for the night."
"Judith will not change her mind, and she does not ask your company,
Master March," returned the girl with spirit.
"That p'int's settled, then," resumed Deerslayer, unmoved by the
other's warmth. "Hurry Harry must act for himself, and do that
which will be most likely to suit his own fancy. The course he
means to take will give him an easy race, if it don't give him an
easy conscience. Next comes the question with Hist - what say you
gal? - Will you desart your duty, too, and go back to the Mingos
and take a Huron husband, and all not for the love of the man you're
to marry, but for the love of your own scalp?"
"Why you talk so to Hist!" demanded the girl half-offended. "You
t'ink a red-skin girl made like captain's lady, to laugh and joke
with any officer that come."
"What I think, Hist, is neither here nor there in this matter. I
must carry back your answer, and in order to do so it is necessary
that you should send it. A faithful messenger gives his ar'n'd,
word for word."
Hist no longer hesitated to speak her mind fully. In the excitement
she rose from her bench, and naturally recurring to that language
in which she expressed herself the most readily, she delivered
her thoughts and intentions, beautifully and with dignity, in the
tongue of her own people.
"Tell the Hurons, Deerslayer," she said, "that they are as ignorant
as moles; they don't know the wolf from the dog. Among my people,
the rose dies on the stem where it budded, the tears of the child
fall on the graves of its parents; the corn grows where the seed
has been planted. The Delaware girls are not messengers to be sent,
like belts of wampum, from tribe to tribe. They are honeysuckles,
that are sweetest in their own woods; their own young men carry them
away in their bosoms, because they are fragrant; they are sweetest
when plucked from their native stems. Even the robin and the martin
come back, year after year, to their old nests; shall a woman be
less true hearted than a bird? Set the pine in the clay and it
will turn yellow; the willow will not flourish on the hill; the
tamarack is healthiest in the swamp; the tribes of the sea love
best to hear the winds that blow over the salt water. As for a
Huron youth, what is he to a maiden of the Lenni Lenape. He may be
fleet, but her eyes do not follow him in the race; they look back
towards the lodges of the Delawares. He may sing a sweet song
for the girls of Canada, but there is no music for Wah, but in the
tongue she has listened to from childhood. Were the Huron born of
the people that once owned the shores of the salt lake, it would
be in vain, unless he were of the family of Uncas. The young pine
will rise to be as high as any of its fathers. Wah-ta-Wah has but
one heart, and it can love but one husband."
Deerslayer listened to this characteristic message, which was given
with an earnestness suited to the feelings from which it sprung, with
undisguised delight, meeting the ardent eloquence of the girl, as
she concluded, with one of his own heartfelt, silent, and peculiar
fits of laughter.
"That's worth all the wampum in the woods!" he exclaimed. "You
don't understand it, I suppose, Judith, but if you'll look into your
feelin's, and fancy that an inimy had sent to tell you to give up
the man of your ch'ice, and to take up with another that wasn't the
man of your ch'ice, you'll get the substance of it, I'll warrant!
Give me a woman for ra'al eloquence, if they'll only make up their
minds to speak what they feel. By speakin', I don't mean chatterin',
howsever; for most of them will do that by the hour; but comm' out
with their honest, deepest feelin's in proper words. And now, Judith,
having got the answer of a red-skin girl, it is fit I should get
that of a pale-face, if, indeed, a countenance that is as blooming
as your'n can in any wise so be tarmed. You are well named the
Wild Rose, and so far as colour goes, Hetty ought to be called the
Honeysuckle."
'Did this language come from one of the garrison gallants, I
should deride it, Deerslayer, but coming from you, I know it can be
depended on," returned Judith, deeply gratified by his unmeditated
and characteristic compliments. "It is too soon, however, to ask
my answer; the Great Serpent has not yet spoken."
"The Sarpent! Lord; I could carry back his speech without hearing
a word of it! I didn't think of putting the question to him at
all, I will allow; though 'twould be hardly right either, seeing
that truth is truth, and I'm bound to tell these Mingos the fact
and nothing else. So, Chingachgook, let us hear your mind on this
matter-are you inclined to strike across the hills towards your
village, to give up Hist to a Huron, and to tell the chiefs at
home that, if they're actyve and successful, they may possibly get
on the end of the Iroquois trail some two or three days a'ter the
inimy has got off of it?"
Like his betrothed, the young chief arose, that his answer might
be given with due distinctness and dignity. Hist had spoken with
her hands crossed upon her bosom, as if to suppress the emotions
within, but the warrior stretched an arm before him with a calm
energy that aided in giving emphasis to his expressions. "Wampum
should be sent for wampum," he said; "a message must be answered
by a message. Hear what the Great Serpent of the Delawares has to
say to the pretended wolves from the great lakes, that are howling
through our woods. They are no wolves; they are dogs that have come
to get their tails and ears cropped by the hands of the Delawares.
They are good at stealing young women; bad at keeping them.
Chingachgook takes his own where he finds it; he asks leave of no
cur from the Canadas. If he has a tender feeling in his heart, it
is no business of the Hurons. He tells it to her who most likes
to know it; he will not bellow it in the forest, for the ears of
those that only understand yells of terror. What passes in his
lodge is not for the chiefs of his own people to know; still less
for Mingo rogues -"
"Call 'em vagabonds, Sarpent -" interrupted Deerslayer, unable to
restrain his delight - "yes, just call 'em up-and-down vagabonds,
which is a word easily intarpreted, and the most hateful of all to
their ears, it's so true. Never fear me; I'll give em your message,
syllable for syllable, sneer for sneer, idee for idee, scorn for
scorn, and they desarve no better at your hands -only call 'em
vagabonds, once or twice, and that will set the sap mounting in
'em, from their lowest roots to the uppermost branches!"
"Still less for Mingo vagabonds," resumed Chingachgook, quite
willingly complying with his friend's request. "Tell the Huron dogs
to howl louder, if they wish a Delaware to find them in the woods,
where they burrow like foxes, instead of hunting like warriors.
When they had a Delaware maiden in their camp, there was a reason
for hunting them up; now they will be forgotten unless they make a
noise. Chingachgook don't like the trouble of going to his villages
for more warriors; he can strike their run-a-way trail; unless they
hide it under ground, he will follow it to Canada alone. He will
keep Wah-ta-Wah with him to cook his game; they two will be Delawares
enough to scare all the Hurons back to their own country ."
"That's a grand despatch, as the officers call them things!"
cried Deerslayer; "'twill set all the Huron blood in motion; most
particularily that part where he tells 'em Hist, too, will keep on
their heels 'til they're fairly driven out of the country. Ahs!
me; big words ain't always big deeds, notwithstanding! The Lord
send that we be able to be only one half as good as we promise to
be! And now, Judith, it's your turn to speak, for them miscreants
will expect an answer from each person, poor Hetty, perhaps,
excepted."
"And why not Hetty, Deerslayer? She often speaks to the purpose;
the Indians may respect her words, for they feel for people in her
condition."
"That is true, Judith, and quick-thoughted in you. The red-skins
do respect misfortunes of all kinds, and Hetty's in particular. So,
Hetty, if you have any thing to say, I'll carry it to the Hurons
as faithfully as if it was spoken by a schoolmaster, or a missionary."
The girl hesitated a moment, and then she answered in her own
gentle, soft tones, as earnestly as any who had preceded her.
"The Hurons can't understand the difference between white people
and themselves," she said, "or they wouldn't ask Judith and me to
go and live in their villages. God has given one country to the
red men and another to us. He meant us to live apart. Then mother
always said that we should never dwell with any but Christians,
if possible, and that is a reason why we can't go. This lake is
ours, and we won't leave it. Father and mother's graves are in it,
and even the worst Indians love to stay near the graves of their
fathers. I will come and see them again, if they wish me to, and
read more out of the Bible to them, but I can't quit father's and
mother's graves."
"That will do - that will do, Hetty, just as well as if you sent
them a message twice as long," interrupted the hunter. "I'll tell
'em all you've said, and all you mean, and I'll answer for it that
they'll be easily satisfied. Now, Judith, your turn comes next,
and then this part of my ar'n'd will be tarminated for the night."
Judith manifested a reluctance to give her reply, that had awakened
a little curiosity in the messenger. Judging from her known spirit,
he had never supposed the girl would be less true her feelings
and principles than Hist, or Hetty, and yet there was a visible
wavering of purpose that rendered him slightly uneasy. Even now
when directly required to speak, she seemed to hesitate, nor did
she open her lips until the profound silence told her how anxiously
her words were expected. Then, indeed, she spoke, but it was
doubtingly and with reluctance.
"Tell me, first - tell us, first, Deerslayer," she commenced,
repeating the words merely to change the emphasis - "what effect
will our answers have on your fate? If you are to be the sacrifice
of our spirit, it would have been better had we all been more
wary as to the language we use. What, then, are likely to be the
consequences to yourself?"
"Lord, Judith, you might as well ask me which way the wind will
blow next week, or what will be the age of the next deer that will
be shot! I can only say that their faces look a little dark upon
me, but it doesn't thunder every time a black cloud rises, nor does
every puff of wind blow up rain. That's a question, therefore,
much more easily put than answered."
"So is this message of the Iroquois to me," answered Judith rising,
as if she had determined on her own course for the present. "My
answer shall be given, Deerslayer, after you and I have talked
together alone, when the others have laid themselves down for the
night."
There was a decision in the manner of the girl that disposed
Deerslayer to comply, and this he did the more readily as the delay
could produce no material consequences one way or the other. The
meeting now broke up, Hurry announcing his resolution to leave
them speedily. During the hour that was suffered to intervene, in
order that the darkness might deepen before the frontierman took
his departure, the different individuals occupied themselves in
their customary modes, the hunter, in particular, passing most of
the time in making further enquiries into the perfection of the
rifle already mentioned.
The hour of nine soon arrived, however, and then it had been
determined that Hurry should commence his journey. Instead of
making his adieus frankly, and in a generous spirit, the little he
thought it necessary to say was uttered sullenly and in coldness.
Resentment at what he considered Judith's obstinacy was blended
with mortification at the career he had since reaching the lake,
and, as is usual with the vulgar and narrow-minded, he was more
disposed to reproach others with his failures than to censure himself.
Judith gave him her hand, but it was quite as much in gladness as
with regret, while the two Delawares were not sorry to find he was
leaving them. Of the whole party, Hetty alone betrayed any real
feeling. Bashfulness, and the timidity of her sex and character,
kept even her aloof, so that Hurry entered the canoe, where Deerslayer
was already waiting for him, before she ventured near enough to be
observed. Then, indeed, the girl came into the Ark and approached
its end, just as the little bark was turning from it, with a movement
so light and steady as to be almost imperceptible. An impulse of
feeling now overcame her timidity, and Hetty spoke.
"Goodbye Hurry -" she called out, in her sweet voice - "goodbye,
dear Hurry. Take care of yourself in the woods, and don't stop
once, 'til you reach the garrison. The leaves on the trees are
scarcely plentier than the Hurons round the lake, and they'll not
treat a strong man like you as kindly as they treat me."
The ascendency which March had obtained over this feebleminded,
but right-thinking, and right-feeling girl, arose from a law of
nature. Her senses had been captivated by his personal advantages,
and her moral communications with him had never been sufficiently
intimate to counteract an effect that must have been otherwise
lessened, even with one whose mind was as obtuse as her own. Hetty's
instinct of right, if such a term can be applied to one who seemed
taught by some kind spirit how to steer her course with unerring
accuracy, between good and evil, would have revolted at Hurry's
character on a thousand points, had there been opportunities to
enlighten her, but while he conversed and trifled with her sister,
at a distance from herself, his perfection of form and feature had
been left to produce their influence on her simple imagination and
naturally tender feelings, without suffering by the alloy of his
opinions and coarseness. It is true she found him rough and rude;
but her father was that, and most of the other men she had seen,
and that which she believed to belong to all of the sex struck
her less unfavorably in Hurry's character than it might otherwise
have done. Still, it was not absolutely love that Hetty felt for
Hurry, nor do we wish so to portray it, but merely that awakening
sensibility and admiration, which, under more propitious circumstances,
and always supposing no untoward revelations of character on the
part of the young man had supervened to prevent it, might soon
have ripened into that engrossing feeling. She felt for him an
incipient tenderness, but scarcely any passion. Perhaps the nearest
approach to the latter that Hetty had manifested was to be seen in
the sensitiveness which had caused her to detect March's predilection
for her sister, for, among Judith's many admirers, this was the
only instance in which the dull mind of the girl had been quickened
into an observation of the circumstances.
Hurry received so little sympathy at his departure that the gentle
tones of Hetty, as she thus called after him, sounded soothingly.
He checked the canoe, and with one sweep of his powerful arm brought
it back to the side of the Ark. This was more than Hetty, whose
courage had risen with the departure of her hero, expected, and
she now shrunk timidly back at this unexpected return.
"You're a good gal, Hetty, and I can't quit you without shaking
hands," said March kindly. "Judith, a'ter all, isn't worth as much
as you, though she may be a trifle better looking. As to wits, if
honesty and fair dealing with a young man is a sign of sense in a
young woman, you're worth a dozen Judiths; ay, and for that matter,
most young women of my acquaintance."
"Don't say any thing against Judith, Harry," returned Hetty
imploringly. "Father's gone, and mother's gone, and nobody's left
but Judith and me, and it isn't right for sisters to speak evil,
or to hear evil of each other. Father's in the lake, and so is
mother, and we should all fear God, for we don't know when we may
be in the lake, too."
"That sounds reasonable, child, as does most you say. Well, if we
ever meet ag'in, Hetty, you'll find a fri'nd in me, let your sister
do what she may. I was no great fri'nd of your mother I'll allow,
for we didn't think alike on most p'ints, but then your father, Old
Tom, and I, fitted each other as remarkably as a buckskin garment
will fit any reasonable-built man. I've always been unanimous of
opinion that Old Floating Tom Hutter, at the bottom, was a good
fellow, and will maintain that ag'in all inimies for his sake, as
well as for your'n."
"Goodbye, Hurry," said Hetty, who now wanted to hasten the young
man off, as ardently as she had wished to keep him only the moment
before, though she could give no clearer account of the latter than
of the former feeling; "goodbye, Hurry; take care of yourself in
the woods; don't halt 'til you reach the garrison. I'll read a
chapter in the Bible for you before I go to bed, and think of you
in my prayers."
This was touching a point on which March had no sympathies, and
without more words, he shook the girl cordially by the hand and
re-entered the canoe. In another minute the two adventurers were a
hundred feet from the Ark, and half a dozen had not elapsed before
they were completely lost to view. Hetty sighed deeply, and rejoined
her sister and Hist.
For some time Deerslayer and his companion paddled ahead in silence.
It had been determined to land Hurry at the precise point where he
is represented, in the commencement of our tale, as having embarked,
not only as a place little likely to be watched by the Hurons, but
because he was sufficiently familiar with the signs of the woods,
at that spot, to thread his way through them in the dark. Thither,
then, the light craft proceeded, being urged as diligently and
as swiftly as two vigorous and skilful canoemen could force their
little vessel through, or rather over, the water. Less than a quarter
of an hour sufficed for the object, and, at the end of that time,
being within the shadows of the shore, and quite near the point
they sought, each ceased his efforts in order to make their parting
communications out of earshot of any straggler who might happen to
be in the neighborhood.
"You will do well to persuade the officers at the garrison to lead
out a party ag'in these vagabonds as soon as you git in, Hurry,"
Deerslayer commenced; "and you'll do better if you volunteer to guide
it up yourself. You know the paths, and the shape of the lake,
and the natur' of the land, and can do it better than a common,
gin'ralizing scout. Strike at the Huron camp first, and follow
the signs that will then show themselves. A few looks at the hut
and the Ark will satisfy you as to the state of the Delaware and
the women, and, at any rate, there'll be a fine opportunity to
fall on the Mingo trail, and to make a mark on the memories of the
blackguards that they'll be apt to carry with 'em a long time. It
won't be likely to make much difference with me, since that matter
will be detarmined afore tomorrow's sun has set, but it may make
a great change in Judith and Hetty's hopes and prospects!"
"And as for yourself, Nathaniel," Hurry enquired with more interest
than he was accustomed to betray in the welfare of others - "And,
as for yourself, what do you think is likely to turn up?"
"The Lord, in his wisdom, only can tell, Henry March! The clouds
look black and threatening, and I keep my mind in a state to meet
the worst. Vengeful feelin's are uppermost in the hearts of the
Mingos, and any little disapp'intment about the plunder, or the
prisoners, or Hist, may make the torments sartain. The Lord, in
his wisdom, can only detarmine my fate, or your'n!"
"This is a black business, and ought to be put a stop to in some way
or other -" answered Hurry, confounding the distinctions between
right and wrong, as is usual with selfish and vulgar men. "I
heartily wish old Hutter and I had scalped every creatur' in their
camp, the night we first landed with that capital object! Had you
not held back, Deerslayer, it might have been done, and then you
wouldn't have found yourself, at the last moment, in the desperate
condition you mention."
"'Twould have been better had you said you wished you had never
attempted to do what it little becomes any white man's gifts to
undertake; in which case, not only might we have kept from coming
to blows, but Thomas Hutter would now have been living, and the
hearts of the savages would be less given to vengeance. The death
of that young woman, too, was on-called for, Henry March, and leaves
a heavy load on our names if not on our consciences!"
This was so apparent, and it seemed so obvious to Hurry himself,
at the moment, that he dashed his paddle into the water, and began
to urge the canoe towards the shore, as if bent only on running away
from his own lively remorse. His companion humoured this feverish
desire for change, and, in a minute or two, the bows of the boat
grated lightly on the shingle of the beach. To land, shoulder his
pack and rifle, and to get ready for his march occupied Hurry but
an instant, and with a growling adieu, he had already commenced
his march, when a sudden twinge of feeling brought him to a dead
stop, and immediately after to the other's side.
"You cannot mean to give yourself up ag'in to them murdering savages,
Deerslayer!" he said, quite as much in angry remonstrance, as with
generous feeling. "Twould be the act of a madman or a fool!"
"There's them that thinks it madness to keep their words, and
there's them that don't, Hurry Harry. You may be one of the first,
but I'm one of the last. No red-skin breathing shall have it in
his power to say that a Mingo minds his word more than a man of
white blood and white gifts, in any thing that consarns me. I'm
out on a furlough, and if I've strength and reason, I'll go in on
a furlough afore noon to-morrow!"
"What's an Injin, or a word passed, or a furlough taken from
creatur's like them, that have neither souls, nor reason!"
"If they've got neither souls nor reason, you and I have both,
Henry March, and one is accountable for the other. This furlough
is not, as you seem to think, a matter altogether atween me and
the Mingos, seeing it is a solemn bargain made atween me and God.
He who thinks that he can say what he pleases, in his distress,
and that twill all pass for nothing, because 'tis uttered in the
forest, and into red men's ears, knows little of his situation,
and hopes, and wants. The woods are but the ears of the Almighty,
the air is his breath, and the light of the sun is little more than
a glance of his eye. Farewell, Harry; we may not meet ag'in, but
I would wish you never to treat a furlough, or any other solemn
thing that your Christian God has been called on to witness, as a
duty so light that it may be forgotten according to the wants of
the body, or even accordin' to the cravings of the spirit."
March was now glad again to escape. It was quite impossible that
he could enter into the sentiments that ennobled his companion, and
he broke away from both with an impatience that caused him secretly
to curse the folly that could induce a man to rush, as it were,
on his own destruction. Deerslayer, on the contrary, manifested
no such excitement. Sustained by his principles, inflexible
in the purpose of acting up to them, and superior to any unmanly
apprehension, he regarded all before him as a matter of course, and
no more thought of making any unworthy attempt to avoid it, than
a Mussulman thinks of counteracting the decrees of Providence. He
stood calmly on the shore, listening to the reckless tread with
which Hurry betrayed his progress through the bushes, shook his
head in dissatisfaction at the want of caution, and then stepped
quietly into his canoe. Before he dropped the paddle again into
the water, the young man gazed about him at the scene presented
by the star-lit night. This was the spot where he had first laid
his eyes on the beautiful sheet of water on which he floated. If
it was then glorious in the bright light of a summer's noon-tide,
it was now sad and melancholy under the shadows of night. The
mountains rose around it like black barriers to exclude the outer
world, and the gleams of pale light that rested on the broader
parts of the basin were no bad symbols of the faintness of the hopes
that were so dimly visible in his own future. Sighing heavily, he
pushed the canoe from the land, and took his way back with steady
diligence towards the Ark and the castle.
Chapter XXIV
"Thy secret pleasure turns to open shame;
Thy private feasting to a public fast;
Thy smoothing titles to a ragged name;
Thy sugar'd tongue to bitter worm wood taste:
Thy violent vanities can never last."
Shakespeare, Rape of Lucrece, 11. 890-94.
Judith was waiting the return of Deerslayer on the platform, with
stifled impatience, when the latter reached the hut. Hist and Hetty
were both in a deep sleep, on the bed usually occupied by the two
daughters of the house, and the Delaware was stretched on the floor
of the adjoining room, his rifle at his side, and a blanket over
him, already dreaming of the events of the last few days. There
was a lamp burning in the Ark, for the family was accustomed to
indulge in this luxury on extraordinary occasions, and possessed
the means, the vessel being of a form and material to render it
probable it had once been an occupant of the chest.
As soon as the girl got a glimpse of the canoe, she ceased her
hurried walk up and down the platform and stood ready to receive
the young man, whose return she had now been anxiously expecting
for some time. She helped him to fasten the canoe, and by aiding
in the other little similar employments, manifested her desire to
reach a moment of liberty as soon as possible. When this was done,
in answer to an inquiry of his, she informed him of the manner in
which their companions had disposed of themselves. He listened
attentively, for the manner of the girl was so earnest and impressive
as to apprise him that she had something on her mind of more than
common concern.
"And now, Deerslayer," Judith continued, "you see I have lighted
the lamp, and put it in the cabin of the Ark. That is never done
with us, unless on great occasions, and I consider this night as
the most important of my life. Will you follow me and see what I
have to show you - hear what I have to say."
The hunter was a little surprised, but, making no objections, both
were soon in the scow, and in the room that contained the light.
Here two stools were placed at the side of the chest, with the lamp
on another, and a table near by to receive the different articles
as they might be brought to view. This arrangement had its rise
in the feverish impatience of the girl, which could brook no delay
that it was in her power to obviate. Even all the padlocks were
removed, and it only remained to raise the heavy lid, again, to
expose all the treasures of this long secreted hoard.
"I see, in part, what all this means," observed Deerslayer - "yes,
I see through it, in part. But why is not Hetty present? Now Thomas
Hutter is gone, she is one of the owners of these cur'osities, and
ought to see them opened and handled."
"Hetty sleeps -" answered Judith, huskily. "Happily for her, fine
clothes and riches have no charms. Besides she has this night
given her share of all that the chest may hold to me, that I may
do with it as I please."
"Is poor Hetty compass enough for that, Judith?" demanded the
just-minded young man. "It's a good rule and a righteous one, never
to take when them that give don't know the valie of their gifts;
and such as God has visited heavily in their wits ought to be
dealt with as carefully as children that haven't yet come to their
understandings."
Judith was hurt at this rebuke, coming from the person it did,
but she would have felt it far more keenly had not her conscience
fully acquitted her of any unjust intentions towards her feeble-minded
but confiding sister. It was not a moment, however, to betray any
of her usual mountings of the spirit, and she smothered the passing
sensation in the desire to come to the great object she had in
view.
"Hetty will not be wronged," she mildly answered; "she even knows
not only what I am about to do, Deerslayer, but why I do it. So
take your seat, raise the lid of the chest, and this time we will
go to the bottom. I shall be disappointed if something is not
found to tell us more of the history of Thomas Hutter and my mother."
"Why Thomas Hutter, Judith, and not your father? The dead ought
to meet with as much reverence as the living!"
"I have long suspected that Thomas Hutter was not my father, though
I did think he might have been Hetty's, but now we know he was the
father of neither. He acknowledged that much in his dying moments.
I am old enough to remember better things than we have seen on
this lake, though they are so faintly impressed on my memory that
the earlier part of my life seems like a dream."
"Dreams are but miserable guides when one has to detarmine about
realities, Judith," returned the other admonishingly. "Fancy nothing
and hope nothing on their account, though I've known chiefs that
thought 'em useful."
"I expect nothing for the future from them, my good friend, but
cannot help remembering what has been. This is idle, however, when
half an hour of examination may tell us all, or even more than I
want to know."
Deerslayer, who comprehended the girl's impatience, now took his
seat and proceeded once more to bring to light the different articles
that the chest contained. As a matter of course, all that had been
previously examined were found where they had been last deposited,
and they excited much less interest or comment than when formerly
exposed to view. Even Judith laid aside the rich brocade with an
air of indifference, for she had a far higher aim before her than
the indulgence of vanity, and was impatient to come at the still
hidden, or rather unknown, treasures.
"All these we have seen before," she said, "and will not stop to
open. The bundle under your hand, Deerslayer, is a fresh one; that
we will look into. God send it may contain something to tell poor
Hetty and myself who we really are!"
"Ay, if some bundles could speak, they might tell wonderful secrets,"
returned the young man deliberately undoing the folds of another
piece of course canvass, in order to come at the contents of the
roll that lay on his knees: "though this doesn't seem to be one
of that family, seeing 'tis neither more nor less than a sort of
flag, though of what nation, it passes my l'arnin' to say."
"That flag must have some meaning to it -" Judith hurriedly interposed.
"Open it wider, Deerslayer, that we may see the colours."
"Well, I pity the ensign that has to shoulder this cloth, and to
parade it about on the field. Why 'tis large enough, Judith, to
make a dozen of them colours the King's officers set so much store
by. These can be no ensign's colours, but a gin'ral's!"
"A ship might carry it, Deerslayer, and ships I know do use such
things. Have you never heard any fearful stories about Thomas Hutter's
having once been concerned with the people they call buccaneers?"
"Buck-ah-near! Not I - not I - I never heard him mentioned as good
at a buck far off, or near by. Hurry Harry did till me something
about its being supposed that he had formerly, in some way or
other, dealings with sartain sea robbers, but, Lord, Judith, it
can't surely give you any satisfaction to make out that ag'in your
mother's own husband, though he isn't your father."
"Anything will give me satisfaction that tells me who I am, and
helps to explain the dreams of childhood. My mother's husband!
Yes, he must have been that, though why a woman like her, should
have chosen a man like him, is more than mortal reason can explain.
You never saw mother, Deerslayer, and can't feel the vast, vast
difference there was between them!"
"Such things do happen, howsever; - yes, they do happen; though
why providence lets them come to pass is more than I understand.
I've knew the f'ercest warriors with the gentlest wives of any in
the tribe, and awful scolds fall to the lot of Injins fit to be
missionaries."
"That was not it, Deerslayer; that was not it. Oh! if it should
prove that -no; I cannot wish she should not have been his wife at
all. That no daughter can wish for her own mother! Go on, now,
and let us see what the square looking bundle holds."
Deerslayer complied, and he found that it contained a small trunk
of pretty workmanship, but fastened. The next point was to find
a key; but, search proving ineffectual, it was determined to force
the lock. This Deerslayer soon effected by the aid of an iron
instrument, and it was found that the interior was nearly filled
with papers. Many were letters; some fragments of manuscripts,
memorandums, accounts, and other similar documents. The hawk does
not pounce upon the chicken with a more sudden swoop than Judith
sprang forward to seize this mine of hitherto concealed knowledge.
Her education, as the reader will have perceived, was far superior
to her situation in life, and her eye glanced over page after page
of the letters with a readiness that her schooling supplied, and
with an avidity that found its origin in her feelings. At first it
was evident that the girl was gratified; and we may add with reason,
for the letters written by females, in innocence and affection,
were of a character to cause her to feel proud of those with whom
she had every reason to think she was closely connected by the ties
of blood. It does not come within the scope of our plan to give
more of these epistles, however, than a general idea of their
contents, and this will best be done by describing the effect they
produced on the manner, appearance, and feeling of her who was so
eagerly perusing them.
It has been said, already, that Judith was much gratified with the
letters that first met her eye. They contained the correspondence
of an affectionate and inteffigent mother to an absent daughter,
with such allusions to the answers as served in a great measure
to fill up the vacuum left by the replies. They were not without
admonitions and warnings, however, and Judith felt the blood mounting
to her temples, and a cold shudder succeeding, as she read one in
which the propriety of the daughter's indulging in as much intimacy
as had evidently been described in one of the daughter's own letters,
with an officer "who came from Europe, and who could hardly be
supposed to wish to form an honorable connection in America," was
rather coldly commented on by the mother. What rendered it singular
was the fact that the signatures had been carefully cut from every
one of these letters, and wherever a name occurred in the body of
the epistles it had been erased with so much diligence as to render
it impossible to read it. They had all been enclosed in envelopes,
according to the fashion of the age, and not an address either was
to be found. Still the letters themselves had been religiously
preserved, and Judith thought she could discover traces of tears
remaining on several. She now remembered to have seen the little
trunk in her mother's keeping, previously to her death, and she
supposed it had first been deposited in the chest, along with the
other forgotten or concealed objects, when the letters could no
longer contribute to that parent's grief or happiness.
Next came another bundle, and these were filled with the protestations
of love, written with passion certainly, but also with that deceit
which men so often think it justifiable to use to the other sex.
Judith had shed tears abundantly over the first packet, but now she
felt a sentiment of indignation and pride better sustaining her.
Her hand shook, however, and cold shivers again passed through her
frame, as she discovered a few points of strong resemblance between
these letters and some it had been her own fate to receive. Once,
indeed, she laid the packet down, bowed her head to her knees, and
seemed nearly convulsed. All this time Deerslayer sat a silent
but attentive observer of every thing that passed. As Judith read
a letter she put it into his hands to hold until she could peruse
the next; but this served in no degree to enlighten her companion,
as he was totally unable to read. Nevertheless he was not entirely
at fault in discovering the passions that were contending in the
bosom of the fair creature by his side, and, as occasional sentences
escaped her in murmurs, he was nearer the truth, in his divinations,
or conjectures, than the girl would have been pleased at discovering.
Judith had commenced with the earliest letters, luckily for a
ready comprehension of the tale they told, for they were carefully
arranged in chronological order, and to any one who would take the
trouble to peruse them, would have revealed a sad history of gratified
passion, coldness, and finally of aversion. As she obtained the
clue to their import, her impatience would not admit of delay,
and she soon got to glancing her eyes over a page by way of coming
at the truth in the briefest manner possible. By adopting this
expedient, one to which all who are eager to arrive at results
without encumbering themselves with details are so apt to resort,
Judith made a rapid progress in these melancholy revelations of
her mother's failing and punishment. She saw that the period of
her own birth was distinctly referred to, and even learned that the
homely name she bore was given her by the father, of whose person
she retained so faint an impression as to resemble a dream. This
name was not obliterated from the text of the letters, but stood
as if nothing was to be gained by erasing it. Hetty's birth was
mentioned once, and in that instance the name was the mother's, but
ere this period was reached came the signs of coldness, shadowing
forth the desertion that was so soon to follow. It was in this stage
of the correspondence that her mother had recourse to the plan of
copying her own epistles. They were but few, but were eloquent
with the feelings of blighted affection, and contrition. Judith
sobbed over them, until again and again she felt compelled to lay
them aside from sheer physical inability to see; her eyes being
literally obscured with tears. Still she returned to the task, with
increasing interest, and finally succeeded in reaching the end of
the latest communication that had probably ever passed between her
parents.
All this occupied fully an hour, for near a hundred letters were
glanced at, and some twenty had been closely read. The truth now
shone clear upon the acute mind of Judith, so far as her own birth
and that of Hetty were concerned. She sickened at the conviction,
and for the moment the rest of the world seemed to be cut off from
her, and she had now additional reasons for wishing to pass the
remainder of her life on the lake, where she had already seen so
many bright and so many sorrowing days.
There yet remained more letters to examine. Judith found these
were a correspondence between her mother and Thomas Hovey. The
originals of both parties were carefully arranged, letter and answer,
side by side; and they told the early history of the connection
between the ill-assorted pair far more plainly than Judith wished
to learn it. Her mother made the advances towards a marriage, to
the surprise, not to say horror of her daughter, and she actually
found a relief when she discovered traces of what struck her as
insanity - or a morbid desperation, bordering on that dire calamity
- in the earlier letters of that ill-fated woman. The answers of
Hovey were coarse and illiterate, though they manifested a sufficient
desire to obtain the hand of a woman of singular personal attractions,
and whose great error he was willing to overlook for the advantage
of possessing one every way so much his superior, and who it also
appeared was not altogether destitute of money. The remainder of
this part of the correspondence was brief, and it was soon confined
to a few communications on business, in which the miserable wife
hastened the absent husband in his preparations to abandon a world
which there was a sufficient reason to think was as dangerous
to one of the parties as it was disagreeable to the other. But a
sincere expression had escaped her mother, by which Judith could
get a clue to the motives that had induced her to marry Hovey, or
Hutter, and this she found was that feeling of resentment which so
often tempts the injured to inflict wrongs on themselves by way of
heaping coals on the heads of those through whom they have suffered.
Judith had enough of the spirit of that mother to comprehend this
sentiment, and for a moment did she see the exceeding folly which
permitted such revengeful feelings to get the ascendancy.
There what may be called the historical part of the papers ceased.
Among the loose fragments, however, was an old newspaper that
contained a proclamation offering a reward for the apprehension of
certain free-booters by name, among which was that of Thomas Hovey.
The attention of the girl was drawn to the proclamation and to
this particular name by the circumstance that black lines had been
drawn under both, in ink. Nothing else was found among the papers
that could lead to a discovery of either the name or the place of
residence of the wife of Hutter. All the dates, signatures, and
addresses had been cut from the letters, and wherever a word occurred
in the body of the communications that might furnish a clue, it was
scrupulously erased. Thus Judith found all her hopes of ascertaining
who her parents were defeated, and she was obliged to fall back
on her own resources and habits for everything connected with the
future. Her recollection of her mother's manners, conversation,
and sufferings filled up many a gap in the historical facts she had
now discovered, and the truth, in its outlines, stood sufficiently
distinct before her to take away all desire, indeed, to possess
any more details. Throwing herself back in her seat, she simply
desired her companion to finish the examination of the other articles
in the chest, as it might yet contain something of importance.
"I'll do it, Judith; I'll do it," returned the patient Deerslayer,
"but if there's many more letters to read, we shall see the sun
ag'in afore you've got through with the reading of them! Two good
hours have you been looking at them bits of papers!"
"They tell me of my parents, Deerslayer, and have settled my plans
for life. A girl may be excused, who reads about her own father
and mother, and that too for the first time in her life! I am
sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Never mind me, gal; never mind me. It matters little whether I
sleep or watch; but though you be pleasant to look at, and are so
handsome, Judith, it is not altogether agreeable to sit so long to
behold you shedding tears. I know that tears don't kill, and that
some people are better for shedding a few now and then, especially
young women; but I'd rather see you smile any time, Judith, than
see you weep."
This gallant speech was rewarded with a sweet, though a melancholy
smile; and then the girl again desired her companion to finish the
examination of the chest. The search necessarily continued some
time, during which Judith collected her thoughts and regained her
composure. She took no part in the search, leaving everything to
the young man, looking listlessly herself at the different articles
that came uppermost. Nothing further of much interest or value,
however, was found. A sword or two, such as were then worn by
gentlemen, some buckles of silver, or so richly plated as to appear
silver, and a few handsome articles of female dress, composed the
principal discoveries. It struck both Judith and the Deerslayer,
notwithstanding, that some of these things might be made useful in
effecting a negotiation with the Iroquois, though the latter saw a
difficulty in the way that was not so apparent to the former. The
conversation was first renewed in connection with this point.
"And now, Deerslayer," said Judith, "we may talk of yourself, and
of the means of getting you out of the hands of the Hurons. Any
part, or all of what you have seen in the chest, will be cheerfully
given by me and Hetty to set you at liberty."
"Well, that's gin'rous, - yes, 'tis downright free-hearted, and
free-handed, and gin'rous. This is the way with women; when they
take up a fri'ndship, they do nothing by halves, but are as willing
to part with their property as if it had no value in their eyes.
However, while I thank you both, just as much as if the bargain
was made, and Rivenoak, or any of the other vagabonds, was here to
accept and close the treaty, there's two principal reasons why it
can never come to pass, which may be as well told at once, in order
no onlikely expectations may be raised in you, or any onjustifiable
hopes in me."
"What reason can there be, if Hetty and I are willing to part with
the trifles for your sake, and the savages are willing to receive
them?"
"That's it, Judith; you've got the idees, but they're a little out
of their places, as if a hound should take the back'ard instead
of the leading scent. That the Mingos will be willing to receive
them things, or any more like 'em you may have to offer is probable
enough, but whether they'll pay valie for 'em is quite another
matter. Ask yourself, Judith, if any one should send you a message
to say that, for such or such a price, you and Hetty might have that
chist and all it holds, whether you'd think it worth your while to
waste many words on the bargain?"
"But this chest and all it holds, are already ours; there is no
reason why we should purchase what is already our own."
"Just so the Mingos caculate! They say the chist is theirn, already;
or, as good as theirn, and they'll not thank anybody for the key."
"I understand you, Deerslayer; surely we are yet in possession
of the lake, and we can keep possession of it until Hurry sends
troops to drive off the enemy. This we may certainly do provided
you will stay with us, instead of going back and giving yourself
up a prisoner, again, as you now seem determined on."
"That Hurry Harry should talk in thisaway, is nat'ral, and according
to the gifts of the man. He knows no better, and, therefore, he
is little likely to feel or to act any better; but, Judith, I put
it to your heart and conscience - would you, could you think of me
as favorably, as I hope and believe you now do, was I to forget my
furlough and not go back to the camp?"
"To think more favorably of you than I now do, Deerslayer, would
not be easy; but I might continue to think as favorably - at least
it seems so - I hope I could, for a world wouldn't tempt me to let
you do anything that might change my real opinion of you."
"Then don't try to entice me to overlook my furlough, gal! A
furlough is a sacred thing among warriors and men that carry their
lives in their hands, as we of the forests do, and what a grievous
disapp'intment would it be to old Tamenund, and to Uncas, the
father of the Sarpent, and to my other fri'nds in the tribe, if
I was so to disgrace myself on my very first war-path. This you
will pairceive, moreover, Judith, is without laying any stress on
nat'ral gifts, and a white man's duties, to say nothing of conscience.
The last is king with me, and I try never to dispute his orders."
"I believe you are right, Deerslayer," returned the girl, after a
little reflection and in a saddened voice: "a man like you ought
not to act as the selfish and dishonest would be apt to act; you
must, indeed, go back. We will talk no more of this, then. Should
I persuade you to anything for which you would be sorry hereafter,
my own regret would not be less than yours. You shall not have it
to say, Judith - I scarce know by what name to call myself, now!"
"And why not? Why not, gal? Children take the names of their
parents, nat'rally, and by a sort of gift, like, and why shouldn't
you and Hetty do as others have done afore ye? Hutter was the
old man's name, and Hutter should be the name of his darters; - at
least until you are given away in lawful and holy wedlock."
"I am Judith, and Judith only," returned the girl positively -"until
the law gives me a right to another name. Never will I use that
of Thomas Hutter again; nor, with my consent, shall Hetty! Hutter
was not even his own name, I find, but had he a thousand rights to
it, it would give none to me. He was not my father, thank heaven;
though I may have no reason to be proud of him that was!"
"This is strange!" said Deerslayer, looking steadily at the excited
girl, anxious to know more, but unwilling to inquire into matters
that did not properly concern him; "yes, this is very strange and
oncommon! Thomas Hutter wasn't Thomas Hutter, and his darters
weren't his darters! Who, then, could Thomas Hutter be, and who
are his darters?"
"Did you never hear anything whispered against the former life of
this person, Deerslayer?" demanded Judith "Passing, as I did, for
his child, such reports reached even me."
"I'll not deny it, Judith; no, I'll not deny it. Sartain things
have been said, as I've told you, but I'm not very credible as to
reports. Young as I am, I've lived long enough to l'arn there's two
sorts of characters in the world - them that is 'arned by deeds,
and them that is 'arned by tongues, and so I prefar to see and
judge for myself, instead of letting every jaw that chooses to wag
become my judgment. Hurry Harry spoke pretty plainly of the whole
family, as we journeyed this-a-way, and he did hint something
consarning Thomas Hutter's having been a free-liver on the water,
in his younger days. By free-liver, I mean that he made free to
live on other men's goods."
"He told you he was a pirate - there is no need of mincing matters
between friends. Read that, Deerslayer, and you will see that he
told you no more than the truth. This Thomas Hovey was the Thomas
Hutter you knew, as is seen by these letters."
As Judith spoke, with a flushed cheek and eyes dazzling with
the brilliancy of excitement, she held the newspaper towards her
companion, pointing to the proclamation of a Colonial Governor,
already mentioned.
"Bless you, Judith!" answered the other laughing, "you might as
well ask me to print that - or, for that matter to write it. My
edication has been altogether in the woods; the only book I read,
or care about reading, is the one which God has opened afore all
his creatur's in the noble forests, broad lakes, rolling rivers,
blue skies, and the winds and tempests, and sunshine, and other
glorious marvels of the land! This book I can read, and I find it
full of wisdom and knowledge."
"I crave your pardon, Deerslayer," said Judith, earnestly, more
abashed than was her wont, in finding that she had in advertently
made an appeal that might wound her compan ion's pride. "I had
forgotten your manner of life, and least of all did I wish to hurt
your feelings."
"Hurt my feelin's? Why should it hurt my feelin's to ask me to
read, when I can't read. I'm a hunter - and I may now begin to
say a warrior, and no missionary, and therefore books and papers
are of no account with such as I -No, no -Judith," and here the
young man laughed cordially, "not even for wads, seeing that your
true deerkiller always uses the hide of a fa'a'n, if he's got one,
or some other bit of leather suitably prepared. There's some that
do say, all that stands in print is true, in which case I'll own an
unl'arned man must be somewhat of a loser; nevertheless, it can't
be truer than that which God has printed with his own hand in the
sky, and the woods, and the rivers, and the springs."
"Well, then, Hutter, or Hovey, was a pirate, and being no father
of mine, I cannot wish to call him one. His name shall no longer
be my name."
"If you dislike the name of that man, there's the name of your
mother, Judith. Her'n may sarve you just as good a turn."
"I do not know it. I've look'd through those papers, Deerslayer,
in the hope of finding some hint by which I might discover who my
mother was, but there is no more trace of the past, in that respect,
than the bird leaves in the air."
"That's both oncommon, and onreasonable. Parents are bound to give
their offspring a name, even though they give 'em nothing else. Now
I come of a humble stock, though we have white gifts and a white
natur', but we are not so poorly off as to have no name. Bumppo
we are called, and I've heard it said --" a touch of human vanity
glowing on his cheek, "that the time has been when the Bumppos had
more standing and note among mankind than they have just now."
"They never deserved them more, Deerslayer, and the name is a good
one; either Hetty, or myself, would a thousand times rather be
called Hetty Bumppo, or Judith Bumppo, than to be called Hetty or
Judith Hutter."
"That's a moral impossible," returned the hunter, good humouredly,
"onless one of you should so far demean herself as to marry me."
Judith could not refrain from smiling, when she found how simply
and naturally the conversation had come round to the very point
at which she had aimed to bring it. Although far from unfeminine
or forward, either in her feelings or her habits, the girl was
goaded by a sense of wrongs not altogether merited, incited by the
hopelessness of a future that seemed to contain no resting place,
and still more influenced by feelings that were as novel to her
as they proved to be active and engrossing. The opening was too
good, therefore, to be neglected, though she came to the subject
with much of the indirectness and perhaps justifiable address of
a woman.
"I do not think Hetty will ever marry, Deerslayer," she said, "and
if your name is to be borne by either of us, it must be borne by
me."
"There's been handsome women too, they tell me, among the Bumppos,
Judith, afore now, and should you take up with the name, oncommon
as you be in this particular, them that knows the family won't be
altogether surprised."
"This is not talking as becomes either of us, Deerslayer, for
whatever is said on such a subject, between man and woman, should
be said seriously and in sincerity of heart. Forgetting the shame
that ought to keep girls silent until spoken to, in most cases, I
will deal with you as frankly as I know one of your generous nature
will most like to be dealt by. Can you - do you think, Deerslayer,
that you could be happy with such a wife as a woman like myself
would make?"
"A woman like you, Judith! But where's the sense in trifling
about such a thing? A woman like you, that is handsome enough to
be a captain's lady, and fine enough, and so far as I know edicated
enough, would be little apt to think of becoming my wife. I suppose
young gals that feel themselves to be smart, and know themselves
to be handsome, find a sartain satisfaction in passing their jokes
ag'in them that's neither, like a poor Delaware hunter."
This was said good naturedly, but not without a betrayal of feeling
which showed that something like mortified sensibility was blended
with the reply. Nothing could have occurred more likely to awaken
all Judith's generous regrets, or to aid her in her purpose, by
adding the stimulant of a disinterested desire to atone to her other
impulses, and cloaking all under a guise so winning and natural, as
greatly to lessen the unpleasant feature of a forwardness unbecoming
the sex.
"You do me injustice if you suppose I have any such thought, or
wish," she answered, earnestly. "Never was I more serious in my
life, or more willing to abide by any agreement that we may make
to-night. I have had many suitors, Deerslayer - nay, scarce
an unmarried trapper or hunter has been in at the Lake these four
years, who has not offered to take me away with him, and
I fear some that were married, too -"
"Ay, I'll warrant that!" interrupted the other - "I'll warrant all
that! Take 'em as a body, Judith, 'arth don't hold a set of men
more given to theirselves, and less given to God and the law."
"Not one of them would I - could I listen to; happily for myself
perhaps, has it been that such was the case. There have been
well looking youths among them too, as you may have seen in your
acquaintance, Henry March."
"Yes, Harry is sightly to the eye, though, to my idees, less so to
the judgment. I thought, at first, you meant to have him, Judith,
I did; but afore he went, it was easy enough to verify that the
same lodge wouldn't be big enough for you both."
"You have done me justice in that at least, Deerslayer. Hurry is
a man I could never marry, though he were ten times more comely
to the eye, and a hundred times more stout of heart than he really
is."
"Why not, Judith, why not? I own I'm cur'ous to know why a youth
like Hurry shouldn't find favor with a maiden like you?"
"Then you shall know, Deerslayer," returned the girl, gladly availing
herself of the opportunity of indirectly extolling the qualities
which had so strongly interested her in her listener; hoping by
these means covertly to approach the subject nearest her heart.
"In the first place, looks in a man are of no importance with a
woman, provided he is manly, and not disfigured, or deformed."
"There I can't altogether agree with you," returned the other
thoughtfully, for he had a very humble opinion of his own personal
appearance; "I have noticed that the comeliest warriors commonly get
the best-looking maidens of the tribe for wives, and the Sarpent,
yonder, who is sometimes wonderful in his paint, is a gineral
favorite with all the Delaware young women, though he takes to
Hist, himself, as if she was the only beauty on 'arth!"
"It may be so with Indians; but it is different with white girls.
So long as a young man has a straight and manly frame, that promises
to make him able to protect a woman, and to keep want from the
door, it is all they ask of the figure. Giants like Hurry may do
for grenadiers, but are of little account as lovers. Then as to
the face, an honest look, one that answers for the heart within,
is of more value than any shape or colour, or eyes, or teeth, or
trifles like them. The last may do for girls, but who thinks of
them at all, in a hunter, or a warrior, or a husband? If there
are women so silly, Judith is not among them."
"Well, this is wonderful! I always thought that handsome liked
handsome, as riches love riches!"
"It may be so with you men, Deerslayer, but it is not always
so with us women. We like stout-hearted men, but we wish to see
them modest; sure on a hunt, or the war-path, ready to die for the
right, and unwilling to yield to the wrong. Above all we wish for
honesty - tongues that are not used to say what the mind does not
mean, and hearts that feel a little for others, as well as for
themselves. A true-hearted girl could die for such a husband! while
the boaster, and the double-tongued suitor gets to be as hateful
to the sight, as he is to the mind."
Judith spoke bitterly, and with her usual force, but her listener
was too much struck with the novelty of the sensations he experienced
to advert to her manner. There was something so soothing to the
humility of a man of his temperament, to hear qualities that he
could not but know he possessed himself, thus highly extolled by
the loveliest female he had ever beheld, that, for the moment, his
faculties seemed suspended in a natural and excusable pride. Then
it was that the idea of the possibility of such a creature as Judith
becoming his companion for life first crossed his mind. The image
was so pleasant, and so novel, that he continued completely absorbed
by it for more than a minute, totally regardless of the beautiful
reality that was seated before him, watching the expression of his
upright and truth-telling countenance with a keenness that gave her
a very fair, if not an absolutely accurate clue to his thoughts.
Never before had so pleasing a vision floated before the mind's
eye of the young hunter, but, accustomed most to practical things,
and little addicted to submitting to the power of his imagination,
even while possessed of so much true poetical feeling in connection
with natural objects in particular, he soon recovered his reason,
and smiled at his own weakness, as the fancied picture faded from
his mental sight, and left him the simple, untaught, but highly
moral being he was, seated in the Ark of Thomas Hutter, at midnight,
with the lovely countenance of its late owner's reputed daughter,
beaming on him with anxious scrutiny, by the light of the solitary
lamp.
"You're wonderful handsome, and enticing, and pleasing to look
on, Judith!" he exclaimed, in his simplicity, as fact resumed its
ascendency over fancy. "Wonderful! I don't remember ever to
have seen so beautiful a gal, even among the Delawares; and I'm not
astonished that Hurry Harry went away soured as well as disapp'inted!"
"Would you have had me, Deerslayer, become the wife of such a man
as Henry March?"
"There's that which is in his favor, and there's that which is
ag'in him. To my taste, Hurry wouldn't make the best of husbands,
but I fear that the tastes of most young women, hereaway, wouldn't
be so hard upon him."
"No - no -Judith without a name would never consent to be called
Judith March! Anything would be better than that."
"Judith Bumppo wouldn't sound as well, gal; and there's many names
that would fall short of March, in pleasing the ear."
"Ah! Deerslayer, the pleasantness of the sound, in such cases,
doesn't come through the ear, but through the heart. Everything
is agreeable, when the heart is satisfied. Were Natty Bumppo,
Henry March, and Henry March, Natty Bumppo, I might think the name
of March better than it is; or were he, you, I should fancy the
name of Bumppo horrible!"
"That's just it - yes, that's the reason of the matter. Now, I'm
nat'rally avarse to sarpents, and I hate even the word, which,
the missionaries tell me, comes from human natur', on account of
a sartain sarpent at the creation of the 'arth, that outwitted the
first woman; yet, ever since Chingachgook has 'arned the title he
bears, why the sound is as pleasant to my ears as the whistle of
the whippoorwill of a calm evening - it is. The feelin's make all
the difference in the world, Judith, in the natur' of sounds; ay,
even in that of looks, too."
"This is so true, Deerslayer, that I am surprised you should think
it remarkable a girl, who may have some comeliness herself, should
not think it necessary that her husband should have the same
advantage, or what you fancy an advantage. To me, looks in a man
is nothing provided his countenance be as honest as his heart."
"Yes, honesty is a great advantage, in the long run; and they that
are the most apt to forget it in the beginning, are the most apt
to l'arn it in the ind. Nevertheless, there's more, Judith, that
look to present profit than to the benefit that is to come after
a time. One they think a sartainty, and the other an onsartainty.
I'm glad, howsever, that you look at the thing in its true light,
and not in the way in which so many is apt to deceive themselves."
"I do thus look at it, Deerslayer," returned the girl with emphasis,
still shrinking with a woman's sensitiveness from a direct offer of
her hand, "and can say, from the bottom of my heart, that I would
rather trust my happiness to a man whose truth and feelings may be
depended on, than to a false-tongued and false-hearted wretch that
had chests of gold, and houses and lands - yes, though he were
even seated on a throne!"
"These are brave words, Judith; they're downright brave words;
but do you think that the feelin's would keep 'em company, did the
ch'ice actually lie afore you? If a gay gallant in a scarlet coat
stood on one side, with his head smelling like a deer's foot, his
face smooth and blooming as your own, his hands as white and soft
as if God hadn't bestowed 'em that man might live by the sweat of
his brow, and his step as lofty as dancing-teachers and a light
heart could make it; and the other side stood one that has passed
his days in the open air till his forehead is as red as his cheek;
had cut his way through swamps and bushes till his hand was as rugged
as the oaks he slept under; had trodden on the scent of game till
his step was as stealthy as the catamount's, and had no other
pleasant odor about him than such as natur' gives in the free air
and the forest - now, if both these men stood here, as suitors for
your feelin's, which do you think would win your favor?"
Judith's fine face flushed, for the picture that her companion had
so simply drawn of a gay officer of the garrisons had once been
particularly grateful to her imagination, though experience and
disappointment had not only chilled all her affections, but given
them a backward current, and the passing image had a momentary
influence on her feelings; but the mounting colour was succeeded
by a paleness so deadly, as to make her appear ghastly.
"As God is my judge," the girl solemnly answered, "did both these
men stand before me, as I may say one of them does, my choice, if
I know my own heart, would be the latter. I have no wish for a
husband who is any way better than myself."
"This is pleasant to listen to, and might lead a young man in time
to forget his own onworthiness, Judith! Howsever, you hardly think
all that you say. A man like me is too rude and ignorant for one
that has had such a mother to teach her. Vanity is nat'ral, I do
believe, but vanity like that, would surpass reason."
"Then you do not know of what a woman's heart is capable! Rude
you are not, Deerslayer, nor can one be called ignorant that has
studied what is before his eyes as closely as you have done. When
the affections are concerned, all things appear in their pleasantest
colors, and trifles are overlooked, or are forgotten. When the
heart feels sunshine, nothing is gloomy, even dull looking objects,
seeming gay and bright, and so it would be between you and the
woman who should love you, even though your wife might happen, in
some matters, to possess what the world calls the advantage over
you."
"Judith, you come of people altogether above mine, in the
world, and onequal matches, like onequal fri'ndships can't often
tarminate kindly. I speak of this matter altogether as a fanciful
thing, since it's not very likely that you, at least, would be apt
to treat it as a matter that can ever come to pass."
Judith fastened her deep blue eyes on the open, frank countenance
of her companion, as if she would read his soul. Nothing there
betrayed any covert meaning, and she was obliged to admit to herself,
that he regarded the conversation as argumentative, rather than
positive, and that he was still without any active suspicion that
her feelings were seriously involved in the issue. At first, she
felt offended; then she saw the injustice of making the self-abasement
and modesty of the hunter a charge against him, and this novel
difficulty gave a piquancy to the state of affairs that rather
increased her interest in the young man. At that critical instant,
a change of plan flashed on her mind, and with a readiness of
invention that is peculiar to the quick-witted and ingenious, she
adopted a scheme by which she hoped effectually to bind him to her
person. This scheme partook equally of her fertility of invention,
and of the decision and boldness of her character. That the
conversation might not terminate too abruptly, however, or any
suspicion of her design exist, she answered the last remark of
Deerslayer, as earnestly and as truly as if her original intention
remained unaltered.
"I, certainly, have no reason to boast of parentage, after what I
have seen this night," said the girl, in a saddened voice. "I had
a mother, it is true; but of her name even, I am ignorant - and,
as for my father, it is better, perhaps, that I should never know
who he was, lest I speak too bitterly of him!"
"Judith," said Deerslayer, taking her hand kindly, and with a manly
sincerity that went directly to the girl's heart, "tis better to
say no more to-night. Sleep on what you've seen and felt; in the
morning things that now look gloomy, may look more che'rful. Above
all, never do anything in bitterness, or because you feel as if you'd
like to take revenge on yourself for other people's backslidings.
All that has been said or done atween us, this night, is your
secret, and shall never be talked of by me, even with the Sarpent,
and you may be sartain if he can't get it out of me no man can. If
your parents have been faulty, let the darter be less so; remember
that you're young, and the youthful may always hope for better
times; that you're more quick-witted than usual, and such gin'rally
get the better of difficulties, and that, as for beauty, you're
oncommon, which is an advantage with all. It is time to get a
little rest, for to-morrow is like to prove a trying day to some
of us."
Deerslayer arose as he spoke, and Judith had no choice but to comply.
The chest was closed and secured, and they parted in silence, she
to take her place by the side of Hist and Hetty, and he to seek
a blanket on the floor of the cabin he was in. It was not five
minutes ere the young man was in a deep sleep, but the girl continued
awake for a long time. She scarce knew whether to lament, or to
rejoice, at having failed in making herself understood. On the
one hand were her womanly sensibilities spared; on the other was
the disappointment of defeated, or at least of delayed expectations,
and the uncertainty of a future that looked so dark. Then came
the new resolution, and the bold project for the morrow, and when
drowsiness finally shut her eyes, they closed on a scene of success
and happiness, that was pictured by the fancy, under the influence
of a sanguine temperament, and a happy invention.
Chapter XXV
"But, mother, now a shade has past,
Athwart my brightest visions here,
A cloud of darkest gloom has wrapt,
The remnant of my brief career!
No song, no echo can I win,
The sparkling fount has died within."
Margaret Davidson, "To my Mother," 11. 7-12.
Hist and Hetty arose with the return of light, leaving Judith still
buried in sleep. It took but a minute for the first to complete
her toilet. Her long coal-black hair was soon adjusted in a simple
knot, the calico dress belted tight to her slender waist, and her
little feet concealed in their gaudily ornamented moccasins. When
attired, she left her companion employed in household affairs, and
went herself on the platform to breathe the pure air of the morning.
Here she found Chingachgook studying the shores of the lake, the
mountains and the heavens, with the sagacity of a man of the woods,
and the gravity of an Indian.
The meeting between the two lovers was simple, but affectionate.
The chief showed a manly kindness, equally removed from boyish
weakness and haste, while the girl betrayed, in her smile and half
averted looks, the bashful tenderness of her sex. Neither spoke,
unless it were with the eyes, though each understood the other as
fully as if a vocabulary of words and protestations had been poured
out. Hist seldom appeared to more advantage than at that moment,
for just from her rest and ablutions, there was a freshness about
her youthful form and face that the toils of the wood do not always
permit to be exhibited, by even the juvenile and pretty. Then
Judith had not only imparted some of her own skill in the toilet,
during their short intercourse, but she had actually bestowed a
few well selected ornaments from her own stores, that contributed
not a little to set off the natural graces of the Indian maid. All
this the lover saw and felt, and for a moment his countenance was
illuminated with a look of pleasure, but it soon grew grave again,
and became saddened and anxious. The stools used the previous
night were still standing on the platform; placing two against the
walls of the hut, he seated himself on one, making a gesture to his
companion to take the other. This done, he continued thoughtful
and silent for quite a minute, maintaining the reflecting dignity
of one born to take his seat at the council-fire, while Hist was
furtively watching the expression of his face, patient and submissive,
as became a woman of her people. Then the young warrior stretched
his arm before him, as if to point out the glories of the scene at
that witching hour, when the whole panorama, as usual, was adorned
by the mellow distinctness of early morning, sweeping with his
hand slowly over lake, hills and heavens. The girl followed the
movement with pleased wonder, smiling as each new beauty met her
gaze.
"Hugh!" exclaimed the chief, in admiration of a scene so unusual
even to him, for this was the first lake he had ever beheld. "This
is the country of the Manitou! It is too good for Mingos, Hist;
but the curs of that tribe are howling in packs through the woods.
They think that the Delawares are asleep, over the mountains."
"All but one of them is, Chingachgook. There is one here; and he
is of the blood of Uncas!"
"What is one warrior against a tribe? The path to our villages is
very long and crooked, and we shall travel it under a cloudy sky.
I am afraid, too, Honeysuckle of the Hills, that we shall travel
it alone!"
Hist understood the allusion, and it made her sad; though it sounded
sweet to her ears to be compared, by the warrior she so loved, to
the most fragrant and the pleasantest of all the wild flowers of
her native woods. Still she continued silent, as became her when
the allusion was to a grave interest that men could best control,
though it exceeded the power of education to conceal the smile that
gratified feeling brought to her pretty mouth.
"When the sun is thus," continued the Delaware, pointing to the
zenith, by simply casting upward a hand and finger, by a play of
the wrist, "the great hunter of our tribe will go back to the Hurons
to be treated like a bear, that they roast and skin even on full
stomachs."
"The Great Spirit may soften their hearts, and not suffer them to
be so bloody minded. I have lived among the Hurons, and know them.
They have hearts, and will not forget their own children, should
they fall into the hands of the Delawares."
"A wolf is forever howling; a hog will always eat. They have
lost warriors; even their women will call out for vengeance. The
pale-face has the eyes of an eagle, and can see into a Mingo's
heart; he looks for no mercy. There is a cloud over his spirit,
though it is not before his face."
A long, thoughtful pause succeeded, during which Hist stealthily
took the hand of the chief, as if seeking his support, though she
scarce ventured to raise her eyes to a countenance that was now
literally becoming terrible, under the conflicting passions and
stern resolution that were struggling in the breast of its owner.
"What will the Son of Uncas do?" the girl at length timidly asked.
"He is a chief, and is already celebrated in council, though so
young; what does his heart tell him is wisest; does the head, too,
speak the same words as the heart?"
"What does Wah-ta-Wah say, at a moment when my dearest friend is
in such danger. The smallest birds sing the sweetest; it is always
pleasant to hearken to their songs. I wish I could hear the Wren
of the Woods in my difficulty; its note would reach deeper than
the ear."
Again Hist experienced the profound gratification that the language
of praise can always awaken when uttered by those we love. The
'Honeysuckle of the Hills' was a term often applied to the girl by
the young men of the Delawares, though it never sounded so sweet
in her ears as from the lips of Chingachgook; but the latter alone
had ever styled her the Wren of the Woods. With him, however, it
had got to be a familiar phrase, and it was past expression pleasant
to the listener, since it conveyed to her mind the idea that her
advice and sentiments were as acceptable to her future husband, as
the tones of her voice and modes of conveying them were agreeable;
uniting the two things most prized by an Indian girl, as coming
from her betrothed, admiration for a valued physical advantage,
with respect for her opinion. She pressed the hand she
held between both her own, and answered -
"Wah-ta-Wah says that neither she nor the Great Serpent could ever
laugh again, or ever sleep without dreaming of the Hurons, should
the Deerslayer die under a Mingo tomahawk, and they do nothing to
save him. She would rather go back, and start on her long path
alone, than let such a dark cloud pass before her happiness."
"Good! The husband and the wife will have but one heart; they will
see with the same eyes, and feel with the same feelings."
What further was said need not be related here. That the conversation
was of Deerslayer, and his hopes, has been seen already, but the
decision that was come to will better appear in the course of the
narrative. The youthful pair were yet conversing when the sun
appeared above the tops of the pines, and the light of a brilliant
American day streamed down into the valley, bathing "in deep joy"
the lake, the forests and the mountain sides. Just at this instant
Deerslayer came out of the cabin of the Ark and stepped upon the
platform. His first look was at the cloudless heavens, then his
rapid glance took in the entire panorama of land and water, when
he had leisure for a friendly nod at his friends, and a cheerful
smile for Hist.
"Well," he said, in his usual, composed manner, and pleasant voice,
"he that sees the sun set in the west, and wakes 'arly enough in
the morning will be sartain to find him coming back ag'in in the
east, like a buck that is hunted round his ha'nt. I dare say, now,
Hist, you've beheld this, time and ag'in, and yet it never entered
into your galish mind to ask the reason?"
Both Chingachgook and his betrothed looked up at the luminary, with
an air that betokened sudden wonder, and then they gazed at each
other, as if to seek the solution of the difficulty. Familiarity
deadens the sensibilities even as connected with the gravest natural
phenomena, and never before had these simple beings thought of
enquiring into a movement that was of daily occurrence, however
puzzling it might appear on investigation. When the subject was
thus suddenly started, it struck both alike, and at the same instant,
with some such force, as any new and brilliant proposition in the
natural sciences would strike the scholar. Chingachgook alone saw
fit to answer.
"The pale-faces know everything," he said; "can they tell us why
the sun hides his face, when he goes back, at night."
"Ay, that is downright red-skin l'arnin'" returned the other,
laughing, through he was not altogether insensible to the pleasure
of proving the superiority of his race by solving the difficulty,
which he set about doing in his own peculiar manner. "Harkee, Sarpent,"
he continued more gravely, though too simply for affectation; "this
is easierly explained than an Indian brain may fancy. The sun,
while he seems to keep traveling in the heavens, never budges, but
it is the 'arth that turns round, and any one can understand, if
he is placed on the side of a mill-wheel, for instance, when it's
in motion, that he must some times see the heavens, while he is
at other times under water. There's no great secret in that; but
plain natur'; the difficulty being in setting the 'arth in motion."
"How does my brother know that the earth turns round?" demanded
the Indian. "Can he see it?"
"Well, that's been a puzzler, I will own, Delaware, for I've
often tried, but never could fairly make it out. Sometimes I've
consaited that I could; and then ag'in, I've been obliged to own
it an onpossibility. Howsever, turn it does, as all my people say,
and you ought to believe 'em, since they can foretell eclipses,
and other prodigies, that used to fill the tribes with terror,
according to your own traditions of such things."
"Good. This is true; no red man will deny it. When a wheel turns,
my eyes can see it - they do not see the earth turn."
"Ay, that's what I call sense obstinacy! Seeing is believing,
they say, and what they can't see, some men won't in the least give
credit to. Neverthless, chief, that isn't quite as good reason
as it mayat first seem. You believe in the Great Spirit, I know,
and yet, I conclude, it would puzzle you to show where you see
him!"
"Chingachgook can see Him everywhere - everywhere in good things
-the Evil Spirit in bad. Here, in the lake; there, in the forest;
yonder, in the clouds; in Hist, in the Son of Uncas, in Tannemund,
in Deerslayer. The Evil Spirit is in the Mingos. That I see; I
do not see the earth turn round."
"I don't wonder they call you the Sarpent, Delaware; no, I don't!
There's always a meaning in your words, and there's often a meaning
in your countenance, too! Notwithstanding, your answers doesn't
quite meet my idee. That God is observable in all nat'ral objects
is allowable, but then he is not perceptible in the way I mean.
You know there is a Great Spirit by his works, and the pale-faces
know that the 'arth turns round by its works. This is the reason
of the matter, though how it is to be explained is more than I can
exactly tell you. This I know; all my people consait that fact,
and what all the pale-faces consait, is very likely to be true."
"When the sun is in the top of that pine to-morrow, where will my
brother Deerslayer be?"
The hunter started, and he looked intently, though totally without
alarm, at his friend. Then he signed for him to follow, and led
the way into the Ark, where he might pursue the subject unheard by
those whose feelings he feared might get the mastery over their
reason. Here he stopped, and pursued the conversation in a more
confidential tone.
"'Twas a little onreasonable in you Sarpent," he said, "to bring
up such a subject afore Hist, and when the young women of my own
colour might overhear what was said. Yes, 'twas a little more
onreasonable than most things that you do. No matter; Hist didn't
comprehend, and the other didn't hear. Howsever, the question is
easier put than answered. No mortal can say where he will be when
the sun rises tomorrow. I will ask you the same question, Sarpent,
and should like to hear what answer you can give."
"Chingachgook will be with his friend Deerslayer - if he be in
the land of spirits, the Great Serpent will crawl at his side; if
beneath yonder sun, its warmth and light shall fall on both."
"I understand you, Delaware," returned the other, touched with the
simple self-devotion of his friend, "Such language is as plain in
one tongue as in another. It comes from the heart, and goes to the
heart, too. 'Tis well to think so, and it may be well to say so,
for that matter, but it would not be well to do so, Sarpent. You
are no longer alone in life, for though you have the lodges to change,
and other ceremonies to go through, afore Hist becomes your lawful
wife, yet are you as good as married in all that bears on the
feelin's, and joy, and misery. No - no - Hist must not be desarted,
because a cloud is passing atween you and me, a little onexpectedly
and a little darker than we may have looked for."
"Hist is a daughter of the Mohicans. She knows how to obey her
husband. Where he goes, she will follow. Both will be with the
Great Hunter of the Delawares, when the sun shall be in the pine
to-morrow."
"The Lord bless and protect you! Chief, this is downright madness.
Can either, or both of you, alter a Mingo natur'? Will your grand
looks, or Hist's tears and beauty, change a wolf into a squirrel,
or make a catamount as innocent as a fa'an? No - Sarpent, you
will think better of this matter, and leave me in the hands of
God. A'ter all, it's by no means sartain that the scamps design
the torments, for they may yet be pitiful, and bethink them of the
wickedness of such a course - though it is but a hopeless expectation
to look forward to a Mingo's turning aside from evil, and letting
marcy get uppermost in his heart. Nevertheless, no one knows to a
sartainty what will happen, and young creatur's, like Hist, a'n't
to be risked on onsartainties. This marrying is altogether a
different undertaking from what some young men fancy. Now, if you
was single, or as good as single, Delaware, I should expect you
to be actyve and stirring about the camp of the vagabonds, from
sunrise to sunset, sarcumventing and contriving, as restless as
a hound off the scent, and doing all manner of things to help me,
and to distract the inimy, but two are oftener feebler than one,
and we must take things as they are, and not as we want 'em to be."
"Listen, Deerslayer," returned the Indian with an emphasis so
decided as to show how much he was in earnest. "If Chingachgook
was in the hands of the Hurons, what would my pale-face brother do?
Sneak off to the Delaware villages, and say to the chiefs, and old
men, and young warriors - 'see, here is Wah-ta-Wah; she is safe,
but a little tired; and here is the Son of Uncas, not as tired as
the Honeysuckle, being stronger, but just as safe.' Would he do
this?"
"Well, that's oncommon ingen'ous; it's cunning enough for a Mingo,
himself! The Lord only knows what put it into your head to ask
such a question. What would I do? Why, in the first place, Hist
wouldn't be likely to be in my company at all, for she would stay as
near you as possible, and therefore all that part about her couldn't
be said without talking nonsense. As for her being tired, that
would fall through too, if she didn't go, and no part of your speech
would be likely to come from me; so, you see, Sarpent, reason is
ag'in you, and you may as well give it up, since to hold out ag'in
reason, is no way becoming a chief of your character and repitation."
"My brother is not himself; he forgets that he is talking to one
who has sat at the Council Fire of his nation," returned the other
kindly. "When men speak, they should say that which does not
go in at one side of the head and out at the other. Their words
shouldn't be feathers, so light that a wind which does not ruffle
the water can blow them away. He has not answered my question;
when a chief puts a question, his friend should not talk of other
things."
"I understand you, Delaware; I understand well enough what you
mean, and truth won't allow me to say otherwise. Still it's not
as easy to answer as you seem to think, for this plain reason. You
wish me to say what I would do if I had a betrothed as you have,
here, on the lake, and a fri'nd yonder in the Huron camp, in danger
of the torments. That's it, isn't it?"
The Indian bowed his head silently, and always with unmoved gravity,
though his eye twinkled at the sight of the other's embarrassment.
"Well, I never had a betrothed - never had the kind of feelin's
toward any young woman that you have towards Hist, though the Lord
knows my feelin's are kind enough towards 'em all! Still my heart,
as they call it in such matters, isn't touched, and therefore I
can't say what I would do. A fri'nd pulls strong, that I know by
exper'ence, Sarpent, but, by all that I've seen and heard consarning
love, I'm led to think that a betrothed pulls stronger."
"True; but the betrothed of Chingachgook does not pull towards the
lodges of the Delawares; she pulls towards the camp of the Hurons."
"She's a noble gal, for all her little feet, and hands that an't
bigger than a child's, and a voice that is as pleasant as a mocker's;
she's a noble gal, and like the stock of her sires! Well, what is
it, Sarpent; for I conclude she hasn't changed her mind, and means
to give herself up, and turn Huron wife. What is it you want?"
"Wah-ta-Wah will never live in the wigwam of an Iroquois," answered
the Delaware drily. "She has little feet, but they can carry her
to the villages of her people; she has small hands, too, but her
mind is large. My brother will see what we can do, when the time
shall come, rather than let him die under Mingo torments."
"Attempt nothing heedlessly, Delaware," said the other earnestly;
"I suppose you must and will have your way; and, on the whole it's
right you should, for you'd neither be happy, unless something
was undertaken. But attempt nothing heedlessly - I didn't expect
you'd quit the lake, while my matter remained in unsartainty,
but remember, Sarpent, that no torments that Mingo ingenuity can
invent, no ta'ntings and revilings; no burnings and roastings and
nail-tearings, nor any other onhuman contrivances can so soon break
down my spirit, as to find that you and Hist have fallen into the
power of the inimy in striving to do something for my good."
"The Delawares are prudent. The Deerslayer will not find them
running into a strange camp with their eyes shut."
Here the dialogue terminated. Hetty announced that the breakfast
was ready, and the whole party was soon seated around the simple
board, in the usual primitive manner of borderers. Judith was the
last to take her seat, pale, silent, and betraying in her countenance
that she had passed a painful, if not a sleepless, night. At this
meal scarce a syllable was exchanged, all the females manifesting
want of appetites, though the two men were unchanged in this
particular. It was early when the party arose, and there still
remained several hours before it would be necessary for the prisoner
to leave his friends. The knowledge of this circumstance, and the
interest all felt in his welfare, induced the whole to assemble on
the platform again, in the desire to be near the expected victim,
to listen to his discourse, and if possible to show their interest
in him by anticipating his wishes. Deerslayer, himself, so
far as human eyes could penetrate, was wholly unmoved, conversing
cheerfully and naturally, though he avoided any direct allusions
to the expected and great event of the day. If any evidence could
be discovered of his thought's reverting to that painful subject at
all, it was in the manner in which he spoke of death and the last
great change.
"Grieve not, Hetty," he said, for it was while consoling this
simple-minded girl for the loss of her parents that he thus betrayed
his feelings, "since God has app'inted that all must die. Your
parents, or them you fancied your parents, which is the same thing,
have gone afore you; this is only in the order of natur', my good
gal, for the aged go first, and the young follow. But one that had
a mother like your'n, Hetty, can be at no loss to hope the best,
as to how matters will turn out in another world. The Delaware,
here, and Hist, believe in happy hunting grounds, and have idees
befitting their notions and gifts as red-skins, but we who are
of white blood hold altogether to a different doctrine. Still, I
rather conclude our heaven is their land of spirits, and that the
path which leads to it will be travelled by all colours alike. Tis
onpossible for the wicked to enter on it, I will allow, but fri'nds
can scarce be separated, though they are not of the same race on
'arth. Keep up your spirits, poor Hetty, and look forward to the
day when you will meet your mother ag'in, and that without pain,
or sorrowing."
"I do expect to see mother," returned the truth-telling and simple
girl, "but what will become of father?"
"That's a non-plusser, Delaware," said the hunter, in the Indian
dialect -"yes, that is a downright non-plusser! The Muskrat was
not a saint on 'arth, and it's fair to guess he'll not be much of
one, hereafter! Howsever, Hetty," dropping into the English by an
easy transition, "howsever, Hetty, we must all hope for the best.
That is wisest, and it is much the easiest to the mind, if one can
only do it. I ricommend to you, trusting to God, and putting down
all misgivings and fainthearted feelin's. It's wonderful, Judith,
how different people have different notions about the futur', some
fancying one change, and some fancying another. I've known white
teachers that have thought all was spirit, hereafter, and them,
ag'in, that believed the body will be transported to another world,
much as the red-skins themselves imagine, and that we shall walk
about in the flesh, and know each other, and talk together, and be
fri'nds there as we've been fri'nds here."
"Which of these opinions is most pleasing to you, Deerslayer?"
asked the girl, willing to indulge his melancholy mood, and far from
being free from its influence herself. "Would it be disagreeable
to think that you should meet all who are now on this platform in
another world? Or have you known enough of us here, to be glad to
see us no more.
"The last would make death a bitter portion; yes it would. It's
eight good years since the Sarpent and I began to hunt together,
and the thought that we were never to meet ag'in would be a hard
thought to me. He looks forward to the time when he shall chase a
sort of spirit-deer, in company, on plains where there's no thorns,
or brambles, or marshes, or other hardships to overcome, whereas
I can't fall into all these notions, seeing that they appear to be
ag'in reason. Spirits can't eat, nor have they any use for clothes,
and deer can only rightfully be chased to be slain, or slain, unless
it be for the venison or the hides. Now, I find it hard to suppose
that blessed spirits can be put to chasing game without an object,
tormenting the dumb animals just for the pleasure and agreeableness
of their own amusements. I never yet pulled a trigger on buck or
doe, Judith, unless when food or clothes was wanting."
"The recollection of which, Deerslayer, must now be a great
consolation to you."
"It is the thought of such things, my fri'nds, that enables a man
to keep his furlough. It might be done without it, I own; for
the worst red-skins sometimes do their duty in this matter; but it
makes that which might otherwise be hard, easy, if not altogether
to our liking. Nothing truly makes a bolder heart than a light
conscience."
Judith turned paler than ever, but she struggled for self-command,
and succeeded in obtaining it. The conflict had been severe,
however, and it left her so little disposed to speak that Hetty
pursued the subject. This was done in the simple manner natural
to the girl.
"It would be cruel to kill the poor deer," she said, "in this
world, or any other, when you don't want their venison, or their
skins. No good white man, and no good red man would do it. But
it's wicked for a Christian to talk about chasing anything in
heaven. Such things are not done before the face of God, and the
missionary that teaches these doctrines can't be a true missionary.
He must be a wolf in sheep's clothing. I suppose you know what a
sheep is, Deerslayer."
"That I do, gal, and a useful creatur' it is, to such as like cloths
better than skins for winter garments. I understand the natur' of
sheep, though I've had but little to do with 'em, and the natur'
of wolves too, and can take the idee of a wolf in the fleece of a
sheep, though I think it would be like to prove a hot jacket for
such a beast, in the warm months!"
"And sin and hypocrisy are hot jackets, as they will find who put
them on," returned Hetty, positively, "so the wolf would be no worse
off than the sinner. Spirits don't hunt, nor trap, nor fish, nor
do anything that vain men undertake, since they've none of the
longings of this world to feed. Oh! Mother told me all that,
years ago, and I don't wish to hear it denied."
"Well, my good Hetty, in that case you'd better not broach your
doctrine to Hist, when she and you are alone, and the young Delaware
maiden is inclined to talk religion. It's her fixed idee, I know,
that the good warriors do nothing but hunt and fish in the other
world, though I don't believe that she fancies any of them are
brought down to trapping, which is no empl'yment for a brave. But
of hunting and fishing, accordin' to her notion, they've their
fill, and that, too, over the most agreeablest hunting grounds, and
among game that is never out of season, and which is just actyve
and instinctyve enough to give a pleasure to death. So I wouldn't
ricommend it to you to start Hist on that idee."
"Hist can't be so wicked as to believe any such thing," returned
the other, earnestly. "No Indian hunts after he is dead."
"No wicked Indian, I grant you; no wicked Indian, sartainly. He
is obliged to carry the ammunition, and to look on without sharing
in the sport, and to cook, and to light the fires, and to do every
thing that isn't manful. Now, mind; I don't tell you these are my
idees, but they are Hist's idees, and, therefore, for the sake of
peace the less you say to her ag'in 'em, the better."
"And what are your ideas of the fate of an Indian, in the other
world?" demanded Judith, who had just found her voice.
"Ah! gal, any thing but that! I am too Christianized to expect
any thing so fanciful as hunting and fishing after death, nor do
I believe there is one Manitou for the red-skin and another for
a pale-face. You find different colours on 'arth, as any one may
see, but you don't find different natur's. Different gifts, but
only one natur'."
"In what is a gift different from a nature? Is not nature itself
a gift from God?"
"Sartain; that's quick-thoughted, and creditable, Judith, though the
main idee is wrong. A natur' is the creatur' itself; its wishes,
wants, idees and feelin's, as all are born in him. This natur' never
can be changed, in the main, though it may undergo some increase,
or lessening. Now, gifts come of sarcumstances. Thus, if you put
a man in a town, he gets town gifts; in a settlement, settlement
gifts; in a forest, gifts of the woods. A soldier has soldierly
gifts, and a missionary preaching gifts. All these increase and
strengthen, until they get to fortify natur', as it might be, and
excuse a thousand acts and idees. Still the creatur' is the same
at the bottom; just as a man who is clad in regimentals is the same
as the man that is clad in skins. The garments make a change to
the eye, and some change in the conduct, perhaps; but none in the
man. Herein lies the apology for gifts; seein' that you expect
different conduct from one in silks and satins, from one in homespun;
though the Lord, who didn't make the dresses, but who made the
creatur's themselves, looks only at his own work. This isn't ra'al
missionary doctrine, but it's as near it as a man of white colour
need be. Ah's! me; little did I think to be talking of such matters,
to-day, but it's one of our weaknesses never to know what will come
to pass. Step into the Ark with me, Judith, for a minute; I wish
to convarse with you."
Judith complied with a willingness she could scarce conceal.
Following the hunter into the cabin, she took a seat on a stool,
while the young man brought Killdeer, the rifle she had given him,
out of a corner, and placed himself on another, with the weapon
laid upon his knees. After turning the piece round and round,
and examining its lock and its breech with a sort of affectionate
assiduity, he laid it down and proceeded to the subject which had
induced him to desire the interview.
"I understand you, Judith, to say that you gave me this rifle,"
he said. "I agreed to take it, because a young woman can have no
particular use for firearms. The we'pon has a great name, and it
desarves it, and ought of right to be carried by some known and
sure hand, for the best repitation may be lost by careless and
thoughtless handling."
'Can it be in better hands than those in which it is now, Deerslayer?
Thomas Hutter seldom missed with it; with you it must turn out to
be -"
"Sartain death!" interrupted the hunter, laughing. "I once know'd
a beaver-man that had a piece he called by that very name, but
'twas all boastfulness, for I've seen Delawares that were as true
with arrows, at a short range. Howsever, I'll not deny my gifts -
for this is a gift, Judith, and not natur' -but, I'll not deny my
gifts, and therefore allow that the rifle couldn't well be in better
hands than it is at present. But, how long will it be likely to
remain there? Atween us, the truth may be said, though I shouldn't
like to have it known to the Sarpent and Hist; but, to you the
truth may be spoken, since your feelin's will not be as likely to
be tormented by it, as those of them that have known me longer and
better. How long am I like to own this rifle or any other? That
is a serious question for our thoughts to rest on, and should that
happen which is so likely to happen, Killdeer would be without an
owner."
Judith listened with apparent composure, though the conflict within
came near overpowering her. Appreciating the singular character
of her companion, however, she succeeded in appearing calm, though,
had not his attention been drawn exclusively to the rifle, a man
of his keenness of observation could scarce have failed to detect
the agony of mind with which the girl had hearkened to his words.
Her great self-command, notwithstanding, enabled her to pursue the
subject in a way still to deceive him.
"What would you have me do with the weapon," she asked, "should
that which you seem to expect take place?"
"That's just what I wanted to speak to you about, Judith; that's
just it. There's Chingachgook, now, though far from being parfect
sartainty, with a rifle - for few red-skins ever get to be that
- though far from being parfect sartainty, he is respectable, and
is coming on. Nevertheless, he is my fri'nd, and all the better
fri'nd, perhaps, because there never can be any hard feelin's atween
us, touchin' our gifts, his'n bein' red, and mine bein' altogether
white. Now, I should like to leave Killdeer to the Sarpent, should
any thing happen to keep me from doing credit and honor to your
precious gift, Judith."
"Leave it to whom you please, Deerslayer. The rifle is your own,
to do with as you please. Chingachgook shall have it, should you
never return to claim it, if that be your wish."
"Has Hetty been consulted in this matter? Property goes from the
parent to the children, and not to one child, in partic'lar!"
"If you place your right on that of the law, Deerslayer, I fear
none of us can claim to be the owner. Thomas Hutter was no more
the father of Esther, than he was the father of Judith. Judith
and Esther we are truly, having no other name!"
"There may be law in that, but there's no great reason, gal.
Accordin' to the custom of families, the goods are your'n, and
there's no one here to gainsay it. If Hetty would only say that
she is willing, my mind would be quite at ease in the matter. It's
true, Judith, that your sister has neither your beauty, nor your
wit; but we should be the tenderest of the rights and welfare of
the most weak-minded."
The girl made no answer but placing herself at a window, she summoned
her sister to her side. When the question was put to Hetty, that
simple-minded and affectionate creature cheerfully assented to the
proposal to confer on Deerslayer a full right of ownership to the
much-coveted rifle. The latter now seemed perfectly happy, for
the time being at least, and after again examining and re-examining
his prize, he expressed a determination to put its merits to a
practical test, before he left the spot. No boy could have been
more eager to exhibit the qualities of his trumpet, or his crossbow,
than this simple forester was to prove those of his rifle. Returning
to the platform, he first took the Delaware aside, and informed
him that this celebrated piece was to become his property, in the
event of any thing serious befalling himself.
"This is a new reason why you should he wary, Sarpent, and not run
into any oncalculated danger," the hunter added, "for, it will be
a victory of itself to a tribe to own such a piece as this! The
Mingos will turn green with envy, and, what is more, they will not
ventur' heedlessly near a village where it is known to be kept. So,
look well to it, Delaware, and remember that you've now to watch
over a thing that has all the valie of a creatur', without its
failin's. Hist may be, and should be precious to you, but Killdeer
will have the love and veneration of your whole people."
"One rifle like another, Deerslayer," returned the Indian,
in English, the language used by the other, a little hurt at his
friend's lowering his betrothed to the level of a gun. "All kill;
all wood and iron. Wife dear to heart; rifle good to shoot."
"And what is a man in the woods without something to shoot with?
-a miserable trapper, or a forlorn broom and basket maker, at the
best. Such a man may hoe corn, and keep soul and body together, but
he can never know the savory morsels of venison, or tell a bear's
ham from a hog's. Come, my fri'nd, such another occasion may never
offer ag'in, and I feel a strong craving for a trial with this
celebrated piece. You shall bring out your own rifle, and I will
just sight Killdeer in a careless way, in order that we may know
a few of its secret vartues."
As this proposition served to relieve the thoughts of the whole party,
by giving them a new direction, while it was likely to produce no
unpleasant results, every one was willing to enter into it; the
girls bringing forth the firearms with an alacrity bordering on
cheerfulness. Hutter's armory was well supplied, possessing several
rifles, all of which were habitually kept loaded in readiness
to meet any sudden demand for their use. On the present occasion
it only remained to freshen the primings, and each piece was in a
state for service. This was soon done, as all assisted in it, the
females being as expert in this part of the system of defence as
their male companions.
"Now, Sarpent, we'll begin in a humble way, using Old Tom's commoners
first, and coming to your we'pon and Killdeer as the winding up
observations," said Deerslayer, delighted to be again, weapon in
hand, ready to display his skill. "Here's birds in abundance, some
in, and some over the lake, and they keep at just a good range,
hovering round the hut. Speak your mind, Delaware, and p'int out
the creatur' you wish to alarm. Here's a diver nearest in, off
to the eastward, and that's a creatur' that buries itself at the
flash, and will be like enough to try both piece and powder."
Chingachgook was a man of few words. No sooner was the bird pointed
out to him than he took his aim and fired. The duck dove at the
flash, as had been expected, and the bullet skipped harmlessly
along the surface of the lake, first striking the water within a few
inches of the spot where the bird had so lately swam. Deerslayer
laughed, cordially and naturally, but at the same time he threw
himself into an attitude of preparation and stood keenly watching
the sheet of placid water. Presently a dark spot appeared, and
then the duck arose to breathe, and shook its wings. While in this
act, a bullet passed directly through its breast, actually turning
it over lifeless on its back. At the next moment, Deerslayer stood
with the breech of his rifle on the platform, as tranquil as if
nothing had happened, though laughing in his own peculiar manner.
"There's no great trial of the pieces in that!" he said, as if anxious
to prevent a false impression of his own merit. "No, that proof's
neither for nor ag'in the rifles, seeing it was all quickness of
hand and eye. I took the bird at a disadvantage, or he might have
got under, again, afore the bullet reached him. But the Sarpent
is too wise to mind such tricks, having long been used to them.
Do you remember the time, chief, when you thought yourself sartain
of the wild-goose, and I took him out of your very eyes, as it might
be with a little smoke! Howsever, such things pass for nothing.
atween fri'nds, and young folk will have their fun, Judith. Ay;
here's just the bird we want, for it's as good for the fire, as it
is for the aim, and nothing should be lost that can be turned to
just account. There, further north, Delaware."
The latter looked in the required direction, and he soon saw a
large black duck floating in stately repose on the water. At that
distant day, when so few men were present to derange the harmony
of the wilderness, all the smaller lakes with which the interior
of New York so abounds were places of resort for the migratory
aquatic birds, and this sheet like the others had once been much
frequented by all the varieties of the duck, by the goose, the
gull, and the loon. On the appearance of Hutter, the spot was
comparatively deserted for other sheets, more retired and remote,
though some of each species continued to resort thither, as indeed
they do to the present hour. At that instant, a hundred birds were
visible from the castle, sleeping on the water or laying their
feathers in the limpid element, though no other offered so favorable
a mark as that Deerslayer had just pointed out to his friend.
Chingachgook, as usual, spared his words, and proceeded to execution.
This time his aim was more careful than before, and his success
in proportion. The bird had a wing crippled, and fluttered along
the water screaming, materially increasing its distance from its
enemies.
"That bird must be put out of pain," exclaimed Deerslayer, the
moment the animal endeavored to rise on the wing, "and this is the
rifle and the eye to do it."
The duck was still floundering along, when the fatal bullet overtook
it, severing the head from the neck as neatly as if it had been
done with an axe. Hist had indulged in a low cry of delight at
the success of the young Indian, but now she affected to frown and
resent the greater skill of his friend. The chief, on the contrary,
uttered the usual exclamation of pleasure, and his smile proved
how much he admired, and how little he envied.
"Never mind the gal, Sarpent, never mind Hist's feelin's, which
will neither choke, nor drown, slay nor beautify," said Deerslayer,
laughing. "'Tis nat'ral for women to enter into their husband's
victories and defeats, and you are as good as man and wife, so far
as prejudyce and fri'ndship go. Here is a bird over head that will
put the pieces to the proof. I challenge you to an upward aim,
with a flying target. That's a ra'al proof, and one that needs
sartain rifles, as well as sartain eyes."
The species of eagle that frequents the water, and lives on fish,
was also present, and one was hovering at a considerable height above
the hut, greedily watching for an opportunity to make a swoop; its
hungry young elevating their heads from a nest that was in sight,
in the naked summit of a dead pine. Chingachgook silently turned
a new piece against this bird, and after carefully watching his
time, fired. A wider circuit than common denoted that the messenger
had passed through the air at no great distance from the bird,
though it missed its object. Deerslayer, whose aim was not more
true than it was quick, fired as soon as it was certain his friend
had missed, and the deep swoop that followed left it momentarily
doubtful whether the eagle was hit or not. The marksman himself,
however, proclaimed his own want of success, calling on his friend
to seize another rifle, for he saw signs on the part of the bird
of an intention to quit the spot.
"I made him wink, Sarpent, I do think his feathers were ruffled,
but no blood has yet been drawn, nor is that old piece fit for so
nice and quick a sight. Quick, Delaware, you've now a better rifle,
and, Judith, bring out Killdeer, for this is the occasion to try
his merits, if he has 'em."
A general movement followed, each of the competitors got ready,
and the girls stood in eager expectation of the result. The eagle
had made a wide circuit after his low swoop, and fanning his way
upward, once more hovered nearly over the hut, at a distance even
greater than before. Chingachgook gazed at him, and then expressed
his opinion of the impossibility of striking a bird at that great
height, and while he was so nearly perpendicular, as to the range.
But a low murmur from Hist produced a sudden impulse and he fired.
The result showed how well he had calculated, the eagle not even
varying his flight, sailing round and round in his airy circle,
and looking down, as if in contempt, at his foes.
"Now, Judith," cried Deerslayer, laughing, with glistening and
delighted eyes, "we'll see if Killdeer isn't Killeagle, too! Give
me room Sarpent, and watch the reason of the aim, for by reason
any thing may be l'arned."
A careful sight followed, and was repeated again and again, the bird
continuing to rise higher and higher. Then followed the flash and
the report. The swift messenger sped upward, and, at the next
instant, the bird turned on its side, and came swooping down,
now struggling with one wing and then with the other, sometimes
whirling in a circuit, next fanning desperately as if conscious of
its injury, until, having described several complete circles around
the spot, it fell heavily into the end of the Ark. On examining
the body, it was found that the bullet had pierced it about half
way between one of its wings and the breast-bone.
Chapter XXVI.
"Upon two stony tables, spread before her,
She lean'd her bosom, more than stony hard,
There slept th' impartial judge, and strict restorer
Of wrong, or right, with pain or with reward;
There hung the score of all our debts, the card
Where good, and bad, and life, and death, were painted;
Was never heart of mortal so untainted,
But when the roll was read, with thousand terrors fainted."
Giles Fletcher, Christ's Victory in Heaven, lxv.
"We've done an unthoughtful thing, Sarpent - yes, Judith, we've
done an unthoughtful thing in taking life with an object no better
than vanity!" exclaimed Deerslayer, when the Delaware held up the
enormous bird, by its wings, and exhibited the dying eyes riveted
on its enemies with the gaze that the helpless ever fasten on their
destroyers. "Twas more becomin' two boys to gratify their feelin's
in this onthoughtful manner, than two warriors on a warpath, even
though it be their first. Ah's! me; well, as a punishment I'll quit
you at once, and when I find myself alone with them bloody-minded
Mingos, it's more than like I'll have occasion to remember that
life is sweet, even to the beasts of the woods and the fowls of
the air. There, Judith; there's Kildeer; take him back, ag'in, and
keep him for some hand that's more desarving to own such a piece."
"I know of none as deserving as your own, Deerslayer," answered
the girl in haste; "none but yours shall keep the rifle."
"If it depended on skill, you might be right enough, gal, but we
should know when to use firearms, as well as how to use 'em. I
haven't l'arnt the first duty yet, it seems; so keep the piece till
I have. The sight of a dyin' and distressed creatur', even though
it be only a bird, brings wholesome thoughts to a man who don't know
how soon his own time may come, and who is pretty sartain that it
will come afore the sun sets; I'd give back all my vain feelin's,
and rej'icin's in hand and eye, if that poor eagle was only on its
nest ag'in, with its young, praisin' the Lord for anything that we
can know about the matter, for health and strength!"
The listeners were confounded with this proof of sudden repentance
in the hunter, and that too for an indulgence so very common, that
men seldom stop to weigh its consequences, or the physical suffering
it may bring on the unoffending and helpless. The Delaware understood
what was said, though he scarce understood the feelings which had
prompted the words, and by way of disposing of the difficulty, he
drew his keen knife, and severed the head of the sufferer from its
body.
"What a thing is power!" continued the hunter, "and what a thing
it is to have it, and not to know how to use it. It's no wonder,
Judith, that the great so often fail of their duties, when even
the little and the humble find it so hard to do what's right, and
not to do what's wrong. Then, how one evil act brings others a'ter
it! Now, wasn't it for this furlough of mine, which must soon take
me back to the Mingos, I'd find this creatur's nest, if I travelled
the woods a fortnight - though an eagle's nest is soon found by them
that understands the bird's natur', - but I'd travel a fortnight
rather than not find it, just to put the young, too, out of their
pain."
"I'm glad to hear you say this, Deerslayer," observed Hetty, "and
God will be more apt to remember your sorrow for what you've done,
than the wickedness itself. I thought how wicked it was to kill
harmless birds, while you were shooting, and meant to tell you so;
but, I don't know how it happened, - I was so curious to see if you
could hit an eagle at so great a height, that I forgot altogether
to speak, 'till the mischief was done."
"That's it; that's just it, my good Hetty. We can all see our
faults and mistakes when it's too late to help them! Howsever I'm
glad you didn't speak, for I don't think a word or two would have
stopped me, just at that moment, and so the sin stands in its
nakedness, and not aggravated by any unheeded calls to forbear.
Well, well, bitter thoughts are hard to be borne at all times, but
there's times when they're harder than at others."
Little did Deerslayer know, while thus indulging in feelings that
were natural to the man, and so strictly in accordance with his
own unsophisticated and just principles, that, in the course of the
inscrutable providence, which so uniformly and yet so mysteriously
covers all events with its mantle, the very fault he was disposed
so severely to censure was to be made the means of determining his
own earthly fate. The mode and the moment in which he was to feel
the influence of this interference, it would be premature to relate,
but both will appear in the course of the succeeding chapters. As
for the young man, he now slowly left the Ark, like one sorrowing
for his misdeeds, and seated himself in silence on the platform. By
this time the sun had ascended to some height, and its appearance,
taken in connection with his present feelings, induced him to
prepare to depart. The Delaware got the canoe ready for his friend,
as soon as apprised of his intention, while Hist busied herself
in making the few arrangements that were thought necessary to his
comfort. All this was done without ostentation, but in a way that
left Deerslayer fully acquainted with, and equally disposed to
appreciate, the motive. When all was ready, both returned to the
side of Judith and Hetty, neither of whom had moved from the spot
where the young hunter sat.
"The best fri'nds must often part," the last began, when he saw
the whole party grouped around him - "yes, fri'ndship can't alter
the ways of Providence, and let our feelin's be as they may, we
must part. I've often thought there's moments when our words dwell
longer on the mind than common, and when advice is remembered, just
because the mouth that gives it isn't likely to give it ag'in. No
one knows what will happen in this world, and therefore it may be
well, when fri'nds separate under a likelihood that the parting may
be long, to say a few words in kindness, as a sort of keepsakes.
If all but one will go into the Ark, I'll talk to each in turn, and
what is more, I'll listen to what you may have to say back ag'in,
for it's a poor counsellor that won't take as well as give."
As the meaning of the speaker was understood, the two Indians
immediately withdrew as desired, leaving the sisters, however, still
standing at the young man's side. A look of Deerslayer's induced
Judith to explain.
"You can advise Hetty as you land," she said hastily, "for I intend
that she shall accompany you to the shore."
"Is this wise, Judith? It's true, that under common sarcumstances
a feeble mind is a great protection among red-skins, but when their
feelin's are up, and they're bent on revenge, it's hard to say what
may come to pass. Besides -"
"What were you about to say, Deerslayer?" asked Judith, whose
gentleness of voice and manner amounted nearly to tenderness,
though she struggled hard to keep her emotions and apprehensions
in subjection.
"Why, simply that there are sights and doin's that one even as
little gifted with reason and memory as Hetty here, might better
not witness. So, Judith, you would do well to let me land alone,
and to keep your sister back."
"Never fear for me, Deerslayer," put in Hetty, who comprehended
enough of the discourse to know its general drift, "I'm feeble
minded, and that they say is an excuse for going anywhere; and
what that won't excuse, will be overlooked on account of the Bible
I always carry. It is wonderful, Judith, how all sorts of men; the
trappers as well as the hunters; red-men as well as white; Mingos
as well as Delawares do reverence and fear the Bible!"
"I think you have not the least ground to fear any injury, Hetty,"
answered the sister, "and therefore I shall insist on your going to
the Huron camp with our friend. Your being there can do no harm,
not even to yourself, and may do great good to Deerslayer."
"This is not a moment, Judith, to dispute, and so have the matter
your own way," returned the young man. "Get yourself ready, Hetty,
and go into the canoe, for I've a few parting words to say to your
sister, which can do you no good."
Judith and her companion continued silent, until Hetty had so far
complied as to leave them alone, when Deerslayer took up the subject,
as if it had been interrupted by some ordinary occurrence, and in
a very matter of fact way.
"Words spoken at parting, and which may be the last we ever hear
from a fri'nd are not soon forgotten," he repeated, "and so Judith,
I intend to speak to you like a brother, seein' I'm not old enough
to be your father. In the first place, I wish to caution you ag'in
your inimies, of which two may be said to ha'nt your very footsteps,
and to beset your ways. The first is oncommon good looks, which is
as dangerous a foe to some young women, as a whole tribe of Mingos
could prove, and which calls for great watchfulness -not to admire
and praise - but to distrust and sarcumvent. Yes, good looks may
be sarcumvented, and fairly outwitted, too. In order to do this
you've only to remember that they melt like the snows, and, when
once gone, they never come back ag'in. The seasons come and go,
Judith, and if we have winter, with storms and frosts, and spring
with chills and leafless trees, we have summer with its sun and
glorious skies, and fall with its fruits, and a garment thrown over
the forest, that no beauty of the town could rummage out of all
the shops in America. 'Arth is in an etarnal round, the goodness
of God bringing back the pleasant when we've had enough of the
onpleasant. But it's not so with good looks. They are lent for
a short time in youth, to be used and not abused, and, as I never
met with a young woman to whom providence has been as bountiful as
it has to you, Judith, in this partic'lar, I warn you, as it might
be with my dyin' breath, to beware of the inimy - fri'nd, or inimy,
as we deal with the gift."
It was so grateful to Judith to hear these unequivocal admissions
of her personal charms, that much would have been forgiven to the
man who made them, let him be who he might. But, at that moment,
and from a far better feeling, it would not have been easy for
Deerslayer seriously to offend her, and she listened with a patience,
which, had it been foretold only a week earlier, it would have
excited her indignation to hear.
"I understand your meaning, Deerslayer," returned the girl, with
a meekness and humility that a little surprised her listener, "and
hope to be able to profit by it. But, you have mentioned only one
of the enemies I have to fear; who, or what is the other."
"The other is givin' way afore your own good sense and judgment, I
find, Judith; yes, he's not as dangerous as I supposed. Howsever,
havin' opened the subject, it will be as well to end it honestly.
The first inimy you have to be watchful of, as I've already told
you, Judith, is oncommon good looks, and the next is an oncommon
knowledge of the sarcumstance. If the first is bad, the last
doesn't, in any way, mend the matter, so far as safety and peace
of mind are consarned."
How much longer the young man would have gone on in his simple and
unsuspecting, but well intentioned manner, it might not be easy to
say, had he not been interrupted by his listener's bursting into
tears, and giving way to an outbreak of feeling, which was so
much the more violent from the fact that it had been with so much
difficulty suppressed. At first her sobs were so violent and
uncontrollable that Deerslayer was a little appalled, and he was
abundantly repentant from the instant that he discovered how much
greater was the effect produced by his words than he had anticipated.
Even the austere and exacting are usually appeased by the signs of
contrition, but the nature of Deerslayer did not require proofs of
intense feelings so strong in order to bring him down to a level
with the regrets felt by the girl herself. He arose, as if an
adder had stung him, and the accents of the mother that soothes
her child were scarcely more gentle and winning than the tones of
his voice, as he now expressed his contrition at having gone so
far.
"It was well meant, Judith," he said, "but it was not intended
to hurt your feelin's so much. I have overdone the advice, I
see; yes, I've overdone it, and I crave your pardon for the same.
Fri'ndship's an awful thing! Sometimes it chides us for not having
done enough; and then, ag'in it speaks in strong words for havin'
done too much. Howsever, I acknowledge I've overdone the matter,
and as I've a ra'al and strong regard for you, I rej'ice to say it,
inasmuch as it proves how much better you are, than my own vanity
and consaits had made you out to be."
Judith now removed her hands from her face, her tears had ceased,
and she unveiled a countenance so winning with the smile which
rendered it even radiant, that the young man gazed at her, for a
moment, with speechless delight.
"Say no more, Deerslayer," she hastily interposed; "it pains me to
hear you find fault with yourself. I know my own weakness, all the
better, now I see that you have discovered it; the lesson, bitter
as I have found it for a moment, shall not be forgotten. We will
not talk any longer of these things, for I do not feel myself brave
enough for the undertaking, and I should not like the Delaware, or
Hist, or even Hetty, to notice my weakness. Farewell, Deerslayer;
may God bless and protect you as your honest heart deserves blessings
and protection, and as I must think he will."
Judith had so far regained the superiority that properly belonged
to her better education, high spirit, and surpassing personal
advantages, as to preserve the ascendancy she had thus accidentally
obtained, and effectually prevented any return to the subject that
was as singularly interrupted, as it had been singularly introduced.
The young man permitted her to have every thing her own way, and when
she pressed his hard hand in both her own, he made no resistance,
but submitted to the homage as quietly, and with quite as matter
of course a manner, as a sovereign would have received a similar
tribute from a subject, or the mistress from her suitor. Feeling
had flushed the face and illuminated the whole countenance of the
girl, and her beauty was never more resplendant than when she cast
a parting glance at the youth. That glance was filled with anxiety,
interest and gentle pity. At the next instant, she darted into the
hut and was seen no more, though she spoke to Hist from a window,
to inform her that their friend expected her appearance.
"You know enough of red-skin natur', and red-skin usages, Wah-ta-Wah,
to see the condition I am in on account of this furlough," commenced
the hunter in Delaware, as soon as the patient and submissive girl
of that people had moved quietly to his side; "you will therefore
best onderstand how onlikely I am ever to talk with you ag'in. I've
but little to say; but that little comes from long livin' among
your people, and from havin' obsarved and noted their usages. The
life of a woman is hard at the best, but I must own, though I'm
not opinionated in favor of my own colour, that it is harder among
the red men than it is among the pale-faces. This is a p'int on
which Christians may well boast, if boasting can be set down for
Christianity in any manner or form, which I rather think it cannot.
Howsever, all women have their trials. Red women have their'n
in what I should call the nat'ral way, while white women take 'em
innoculated like. Bear your burthen, Hist, becomingly, and remember
if it be a little toilsome, how much lighter it is than that of
most Indian women. I know the Sarpent well - what I call cordially
- and he will never be a tyrant to any thing he loves, though he
will expect to be treated himself like a Mohican Chief. There will
be cloudy days in your lodge I suppose, for they happen under all
usages, and among all people, but, by keepin' the windows of the
heart open there will always be room for the sunshine to enter.
You come of a great stock yourself, and so does Chingachgook. It's
not very likely that either will ever forget the sarcumstance and
do any thing to disgrace your forefathers. Nevertheless, likin'
is a tender plant, and never thrives long when watered with tears.
Let the 'arth around your married happiness be moistened by the
dews of kindness."
"My pale brother is very wise; Wah will keep in her mind all that
his wisdom tells her."
"That's judicious and womanly, Hist. Care in listening, and
stout-heartedness in holding to good counsel, is a wife's great
protection. And, now, ask the Sarpent to come and speak with me,
for a moment, and carry away with you all my best wishes and prayers.
I shall think of you, Hist, and of your intended husband, let what
may come to pass, and always wish you well, here and hereafter,
whether the last is to be according to Indian idees, or Christian
doctrines."
Hist shed no tear at parting. She was sustained by the high
resolution of one who had decided on her course, but her dark eyes
were luminous with the feelings that glowed within, and her pretty
countenance beamed with an expression of determination that was in
marked and singular contrast to its ordinary gentleness. It was
but a minute ere the Delaware advanced to the side of his friend
with the light, noiseless tread of an Indian.
"Come this-a-way, Sarpent, here more out of sight of the women,"
commenced the Deerslayer, "for I've several things to say that
mustn't so much as be suspected, much less overheard. You know
too well the natur' of furloughs and Mingos to have any doubts or
misgivin's consarnin' what is like to happen, when I get back to
the camp. On them two p'ints therefore, a few words will go a great
way. In the first place, chief, I wish to say a little about Hist,
and the manner in which you red men treat your wives. I suppose
it's accordin' to the gifts of your people that the women should
work, and the men hunt; but there's such a thing as moderation in
all matters. As for huntin', I see no good reason why any limits
need be set to that, but Hist comes of too good a stock to toil
like a common drudge. One of your means and standin' need never
want for corn, or potatoes, or anything that the fields yield;
therefore, I hope the hoe will never be put into the hands of any
wife of yourn. You know I am not quite a beggar, and all I own,
whether in ammunition, skins, arms, or calicoes, I give to Hist,
should I not come back to claim them by the end of the season. This
will set the maiden up, and will buy labor for her, for a long time
to come. I suppose I needn't tell you to love the young woman, for
that you do already, and whomsoever the man ra'ally loves, he'll
be likely enough to cherish. Nevertheless, it can do no harm to
say that kind words never rankle, while bitter words do. I know
you're a man, Sarpent, that is less apt to talk in his own lodge,
than to speak at the Council Fire; but forgetful moments may
overtake us all, and the practyse of kind doin', and kind talkin',
is a wonderful advantage in keepin' peace in a cabin, as well as
on a hunt."
"My ears are open," returned the Delaware gravely; "the words of
my brother have entered so far that they never can fall out again.
They are like rings, that have no end, and cannot drop. Let him
speak on; the song of the wren and the voice of a friend never
tire."
"I will speak a little longer, chief, but you will excuse it for
the sake of old companionship, should I now talk about myself.
If the worst comes to the worst, it's not likely there'll be much
left of me but ashes, so a grave would be useless, and a sort of
vanity. On that score I'm no way partic'lar, though it might be
well enough to take a look at the remains of the pile, and should
any bones, or pieces be found, 'twould be more decent to gather
them together, and bury them, than to let them lie for the wolves
to gnaw at, and howl over. These matters can make no great difference
in the mind, but men of white blood and Christian feelin's have
rather a gift for graves."
"It shall be done as my brother says," returned the Indian, gravely.
"If his mind is full, let him empty it in the bosom of a friend."
"I thank you, Sarpent; my mind's easy enough; yes, it's tolerable
easy. Idees will come uppermost that I'm not apt to think about
in common, it's true, but by striving ag'in some, and lettin' other
some out, all will come right in the long run. There's one thing,
howsever, chief, that does seem to me to be onreasonable, and
ag'in natur', though the missionaries say it's true, and bein' of
my religion and colour I feel bound to believe them. They say an
Injin may torment and tortur' the body to his heart's content, and
scalp, and cut, and tear, and burn, and consume all his inventions
and deviltries, until nothin' is left but ashes, and they shall
be scattered to the four winds of heaven, yet when the trumpet of
God shall sound, all will come together ag'in, and the man will
stand forth in his flesh, the same creatur' as to looks, if not as
to feelin's, that he was afore he was harmed!"
"The missionaries are good men - mean well," returned the Delaware
courteously; "they are not great medicines. They think all they
say, Deerslayer; that is no reason why warriors and orators should
be all ears. When Chingachgook shall see the father of Tamenund
standing in his scalp, and paint, and war lock, then will he believe
the missionaries."
"Seein' is believin', of a sartainty; ahs! me - and some of us
may see these things sooner than we thought. I comprehind your
meanin' about Tamenund's father, Sarpent, and the idee's a close
idee. Tamenund is now an elderly man, say eighty every day of
it, and his father was scalped, and tormented, and burnt, when the
present prophet was a youngster. Yes, if one could see that come
to pass, there wouldn't be much difficulty in yieldin' faith to all
that the missionaries say. Howsever, I am not ag'in the opinion
now, for you must know, Sarpent, that the great principle of
Christianity is to believe without seeing, and a man should always
act up to his religion and principles, let them be what they may."
"That is strange for a wise nation!" said the Delaware with emphasis.
"The red man looks hard, that he may see and understand."
"Yes, that's plauserble, and is agreeable to mortal pride, but
it's not as deep as it seems. If we could understand all we see,
Sarpent, there might be not only sense, but safety, in refusin' to
give faith to any one thing that we might find oncomperhensible;
but when there's so many things about which it may be said we know
nothin' at all, why, there's little use, and no reason, in bein'
difficult touchin' any one in partic'lar. For my part, Delaware,
all my thoughts haven't been on the game, when outlyin' in the
hunts and scoutin's of our youth. Many's the hour I've passed,
pleasantly enough too, in what is tarmed conterplation by my people.
On such occasions the mind is actyve, though the body seems lazy
and listless. An open spot on a mountain side, where a wide look
can be had at the heavens and the 'arth, is a most judicious place
for a man to get a just idee of the power of the Manitou, and of his
own littleness. At such times, there isn't any great disposition
to find fault with little difficulties, in the way of comperhension,
as there are so many big ones to hide them. Believin' comes easy
enough to me at such times, and if the Lord made man first out
of'arth, as they tell me it is written in the Bible; then turns
him into dust at death; I see no great difficulty in the way to
bringin' him back in the body, though ashes be the only substance
left. These things lie beyond our understandin', though they may
and do lie so close to our feelin's. But, of all the doctrines,
Sarpent, that which disturbs me, and disconsarts my mind the most,
is the one which teaches us to think that a pale-face goes to one
heaven, and a red-skin to another; it may separate in death them
which lived much together, and loved each other well, in life!"
"Do the missionaries teach their white brethren to think it is so?"
demanded the Indian, with serious earnestness. 'The Delawares
believe that good men and brave warriors will hunt together in the
same pleasant woods, let them belong to whatever tribe they may;
that all the unjust Indians and cowards will have to sneak in with
the dogs and the wolves to get venison for their lodges."
"Tis wonderful how many consaits mankind have consarnin' happiness
and misery, here after!" exclaimed the hunter, borne away by the
power of his own thoughts. 'Some believe in burnin's and flames,
and some think punishment is to eat with the wolves and dogs. Then,
ag'in, some fancy heaven to be only the carryin' out of their own
'arthly longin's, while others fancy it all gold and shinin' lights!
Well, I've an idee of my own, in that matter, which is just this,
Sarpent. Whenever I've done wrong, I've ginirally found 'twas
owin' to some blindness of the mind, which hid the right from view,
and when sight has returned, then has come sorrow and repentance.
Now, I consait that, after death, when the body is laid aside or,
if used at all, is purified and without its longin's, the spirit
sees all things in their ra'al lights and never becomes blind to
truth and justice. Such bein' the case, all that has been done
in life, is beheld as plainly as the sun is seen at noon; the
good brings joy, while the evil brings sorrow. There's nothin'
onreasonable in that, but it's agreeable to every man's exper'ence."
"I thought the pale-faces believed all men were wicked; who then
could ever find the white man's heaven?"
"That's ingen'ous, but it falls short of the missionary teachin's.
You'll be Christianized one day, I make no doubt, and then 'twill
all come plain enough. You must know, Sarpent, that there's been
a great deed of salvation done, that, by God's help, enables all
men to find a pardon for their wickednesses, and that is the essence
of the white man's religion. I can't stop to talk this matter over
with you any longer, for Hetty's in the canoe, and the furlough
takes me away, but the time will come I hope when you'll feel these
things; for, after all, they must be felt rather than reasoned
about. Ah's! me; well, Delaware, there's my hand; you know it's
that of a fri'nd, and will shake it as such, though it never has
done you one half the good its owner wishes it had."
The Indian took the offered hand, and returned its pressure warmly.
Then falling back on his acquired stoicism of manner, which so many
mistake for constitutional indifference, he drew up in reserve,
and prepared to part from his friend with dignity. Deerslayer,
however, was more natural, nor would he have at all cared about
giving way to his feelings, had not the recent conduct and language
of Judith given him some secret, though ill defined apprehensions
of a scene. He was too humble to imagine the truth concerning the
actual feelings of that beautiful girl, while he was too observant
not to have noted the struggle she had maintained with herself, and
which had so often led her to the very verge of discovery. That
something extraordinary was concealed in her breast he thought
obvious enough, and, through a sentiment of manly delicacy that
would have done credit to the highest human refinement, he shrunk
from any exposure of her secret that might subsequently cause regret
to the girl, herself. He therefore determined to depart, now, and
that without any further manifestations of feeling either from him,
or from others.
"God bless you! Sarpent - God bless you!" cried the hunter, as
the canoe left the side of the platform. "Your Manitou and my God
only know when and where we shall meet ag'in; I shall count it a
great blessing, and a full reward for any little good I may have
done on 'arth, if we shall be permitted to know each other, and
to consort together, hereafter, as we have so long done in these
pleasant woods afore us!"
Chingachgook waved his hand. Drawing the light blanket he wore
over his head, as a Roman would conceal his grief in his robes, he
slowly withdrew into the Ark, in order to indulge his sorrow and
his musings, alone. Deerslayer did not speak again until the canoe
was half-way to the shore. Then he suddenly ceased paddling, at
an interruption that came from the mild, musical voice of Hetty.
"Why do you go back to the Hurons, Deerslayer?" demanded the girl.
"They say I am feeble-minded, and such they never harm, but you have
as much sense as Hurry Harry; and more too, Judith thinks, though
I don't see how that can well be."
"Ah! Hetty, afore we land I must convarse a little with you child,
and that too on matters touching your own welfare, principally.
Stop paddling -or, rather, that the Mingos needn't think we are
plotting and contriving, and so treat us accordingly, just dip your
paddle lightly, and give the canoe a little motion and no more.
That's just the idee and the movement; I see you're ready enough
at an appearance, and might be made useful at a sarcumvention if it
was lawful now to use one - that's just the idee and the movement!
Ah's! me. Desait and a false tongue are evil things, and
altogether onbecoming our colour, Hetty, but it is a pleasure and
a satisfaction to outdo the contrivances of a red-skin in the strife
of lawful warfare. My path has been short, and is like soon to
have an end, but I can see that the wanderings of a warrior aren't
altogether among brambles and difficulties. There's a bright side
to a warpath, as well as to most other things, if we'll only have
the wisdom to see it, and the ginerosity to own it."
"And why should your warpath, as you call it, come so near to an
end, Deerslayer?"
"Because, my good girl, my furlough comes so near to an end. They're
likely to have pretty much the same tarmination, as regards time,
one following on the heels of the other, as a matter of course."
"I don't understand your meaning, Deerslayer -" returned the girl,
looking a little bewildered. "Mother always said people ought to
speak more plainly to me than to most other persons, because I'm
feeble minded. Those that are feeble minded, don't understand as
easily as those that have sense."
"Well then, Hetty, the simple truth is this. You know that I'm now
a captyve to the Hurons, and captyves can't do, in all things, as
they please -"
"But how can you be a captive," eagerly interrupted the girl
-"when you are out here on the lake, in father's best canoe, and
the Indians are in the woods with no canoe at all? That can't be
true, Deerslayer!"
"I wish with all my heart and soul, Hetty, that you was right, and
that I was wrong, instead of your bein' all wrong, and I bein' only
too near the truth. Free as I seem to your eyes, gal, I'm bound
hand and foot in ra'ality."
"Well it is a great misfortune not to have sense! Now I can't see
or understand that you are a captive, or bound in any manner. If
you are bound, with what are your hands and feet fastened?"
"With a furlough, gal; that's a thong that binds tighter than any
chain. One may be broken, but the other can't. Ropes and chains
allow of knives, and desait, and contrivances; but a furlough can
be neither cut, slipped nor sarcumvented."
"What sort of a thing is a furlough, then, if it be stronger than
hemp or iron? I never saw a furlough."
"I hope you may never feel one, gal; the tie is altogether in the
feelin's, in these matters, and therefore is to be felt and not
seen. You can understand what it is to give a promise, I dare to
say, good little Hetty?"
"Certainly. A promise is to say you will do a thing, and that binds
you to be as good as your word. Mother always kept her promises
to me, and then she said it would be wicked if I didn't keep my
promises to her, and to every body else."
"You have had a good mother, in some matters, child, whatever she
may have been in other some. That is a promise, and as you say it
must be kept. Now, I fell into the hands of the Mingos last night,
and they let me come off to see my fri'nds and send messages in to
my own colour, if any such feel consarn on my account, on condition
that I shall be back when the sun is up today, and take whatever
their revenge and hatred can contrive, in the way of torments, in
satisfaction for the life of a warrior that fell by my rifle, as
well as for that of the young woman shot by Hurry, and other
disapp'intments met with on and about this lake. What is called
a promise atween mother and darter, or even atween strangers in
the settlements is called a furlough when given by one soldier to
another, on a warpath. And now I suppose you understand my
situation, Hetty."
The girl made no answer for some time, but she ceased paddling
altogether, as if the novel idea distracted her mind too much to
admit of other employment. Then she resumed the dialogue earnestly
and with solicitude.
"Do you think the Hurons will have the heart to do what you say,
Deerslayer?" she asked. "I have found them kind and harmless."
"That's true enough as consarns one like you, Hetty, but it's a
very different affair when it comes to an open inimy, and he too
the owner of a pretty sartain rifle. I don't say that they bear
me special malice on account of any expl'ites already performed,
for that would be bragging, as it might be, on the varge of the
grave, but it's no vanity to believe that they know one of their
bravest and cunnin'est chiefs fell by my hands. Such bein' the
case, the tribe would reproach them if they failed to send the
spirit of a pale-face to keep the company of the spirit of their
red brother; always supposin' that he can catch it. I look for no
marcy, Hetty, at their hands; and my principal sorrow is that such
a calamity should befall me on my first warpath: that it would come
sooner or later, every soldier counts on and expects."
"The Hurons shall not harm you, Deerslayer," cried the girl, much
excited -"Tis wicked as well as cruel; I have the Bible, here, to
tell them so. Do you think I would stand by and see you tormented?"
"I hope not, my good Hetty, I hope not; and, therefore, when the
moment comes, I expect you will move off, and not be a witness of
what you can't help, while it would grieve you. But, I haven't
stopped the paddles to talk of my own afflictions and difficulties,
but to speak a little plainly to you, gal, consarnin' your own
matters."
"What can you have to say to me, Deerslayer! Since mother died,
few talk to me of such things."
"So much the worse, poor gal; yes, 'tis so much the worse, for one
of your state of mind needs frequent talking to, in order to escape
the snares and desaits of this wicked world. You haven't forgotten
Hurry Harry, gal, so soon, I calculate?"
"I! - I forget Henry March!" exclaimed Hetty, starting. "Why
should I forget him, Deerslayer, when he is our friend, and only
left us last night. Then the large bright star that mother loved
so much to gaze at was just over the top of yonder tall pine on the
mountain, as Hurry got into the canoe; and when you landed him on
the point, near the east bay, it wasn't more than the length of
Judith's handsomest ribbon above it."
"And how can you know how long I was gone, or how far I went to
land Hurry, seein' you were not with us, and the distance was so
great, to say nothing of the night?"
"Oh! I know when it was, well enough," returned Hetty positively
-"There's more ways than one for counting time and distance. When
the mind is engaged, it is better than any clock. Mine is feeble,
I know, but it goes true enough in all that touches poor Hurry
Harry. Judith will never marry March, Deerslayer."
"That's the p'int, Hetty; that's the very p'int I want to come to.
I suppose you know that it's nat'ral for young people to have kind
feelin's for one another, more especially when one happens to be a
youth and t'other a maiden. Now, one of your years and mind, gal,
that has neither father nor mother, and who lives in a wilderness
frequented by hunters and trappers, needs be on her guard against
evils she little dreams of."
"What harm can it be to think well of a fellow creature," returned
Hetty simply, though the conscious blood was stealing to her cheeks
in spite of a spirit so pure that it scarce knew why it prompted
the blush, "the Bible tells us to 'love them who despitefully use'
us, and why shouldn't we like them that do not."
"Ah! Hetty, the love of the missionaries isn't the sort of likin'
I mean. Answer me one thing, child; do you believe yourself to
have mind enough to become a wife, and a mother?"
"That's not a proper question to ask a young woman, Deerslayer,
and I'll not answer it," returned the girl, in a reproving manner
- much as a parent rebukes a child for an act of indiscretion. "If
you have any thing to say about Hurry, I'll hear that - but you
must not speak evil of him; he is absent, and 'tis unkind to talk
evil of the absent."
"Your mother has given you so many good lessons, Hetty, that
my fears for you are not as great as they were. Nevertheless, a
young woman without parents, in your state of mind, and who is not
without beauty, must always be in danger in such a lawless region
as this. I would say nothin' amiss of Hurry, who, in the main,
is not a bad man for one of his callin', but you ought to know one
thing, which it may not be altogether pleasant to tell you, but
which must be said. March has a desperate likin' for your sister
Judith."
"Well, what of that? Everybody admires Judith, she's so handsome,
and Hurry has told me, again and again, how much he wishes to marry
her. But that will never come to pass, for Judith don't like Hurry.
She likes another, and talks about him in her sleep; though you
need not ask me who he is, for all the gold in King George's crown,
and all the jewels too, wouldn't tempt me to tell you his name.
If sisters can't keep each other's secrets, who can?"
"Sartainly, I do not wish you to tell me, Hetty, nor would it be
any advantage to a dyin' man to know. What the tongue says when
the mind's asleep, neither head nor heart is answerable for."
"I wish I knew why Judith talks so much in her sleep, about officers,
and honest hearts, and false tongues, but I suppose she don't like
to tell me, as I'm feeble minded. Isn't it odd, Deerslayer, that
Judith don't like Hurry -he who is the bravest looking youth that
ever comes upon the lake, and is as handsome as she is herself.
Father always said they would be the comeliest couple in the country,
though mother didn't fancy March any more than Judith. There's no
telling what will happen, they say, until things actually come to
pass."
"Ahs! me - well, poor Hetty, 'tis of no great use to talk to them
that can't understand you, and so I'll say no more about what I did
wish to speak of, though it lay heavy on my mind. Put the paddle
in motion ag'in, gal, and we'll push for the shore, for the sun is
nearly up, and my furlough is almost out."
The canoe now glided ahead, holding its way towards the point
where Deerslayer well knew that his enemies expected him, and where
he now began to be afraid he might not arrive in season to redeem
his plighted faith. Hetty, perceiving his impatience without very
clearly comprehending its cause, however, seconded his efforts in
a way that soon rendered their timely return no longer a matter of
doubt. Then, and then only, did the young man suffer his exertions
to flag, and Hetty began, again, to prattle in her simple confiding
manner, though nothing farther was uttered that it may be thought
necessary to relate.
Chapter XXVII.
"Thou hast been busy, Death, this day, and yet
But half thy work is done! The gates of hell
Are thronged, yet twice ten thousand spirits more
Who from their warm and healthful tenements
Fear no divorce; must, ere the sun go down,
Enter the world of woe!"-
Southey, Roderick, the Last of the Goths, XXIV, i-6.
One experienced in the signs of the heavens, would have seen that
the sun wanted but two or three minutes of the zenith, when Deerslayer
landed on the point, where the Hurons were now encamped, nearly
abreast of the castle. This spot was similar to the one already
described, with the exception that the surface of the land
was less broken, and less crowded with trees. Owing to these two
circumstances, it was all the better suited to the purpose for which
it had been selected, the space beneath the branches bearing some
resemblance to a densely wooded lawn. Favoured by its position and
its spring, it had been much resorted to by savages and hunters,
and the natural grasses had succeeded their fires, leaving an
appearance of sward in places, a very unusual accompaniment of the
virgin forest. Nor was the margin of water fringed with bushes,
as on so much of its shore, but the eye penetrated the woods
immediately on reaching the strand, commanding nearly the whole
area of the projection.
If it was a point of honor with the Indian warrior to redeem his
word, when pledged to return and meet his death at a given hour,
so was it a point of characteristic pride to show no womanish
impatience, but to reappear as nearly as possible at the appointed
moment. It was well not to exceed the grace accorded by the
generosity of the enemy, but it was better to meet it to a minute.
Something of this dramatic effect mingles with most of the graver
usages of the American aborigines, and no doubt, like the prevalence
of a similar feeling among people more sophisticated and refined,
may be referred to a principle of nature. We all love the wonderful,
and when it comes attended by chivalrous self-devotion and a rigid
regard to honor, it presents itself to our admiration in a shape
doubly attractive. As respects Deerslayer, though he took a pride
in showing his white blood, by often deviating from the usages of
the red-men, he frequently dropped into their customs, and oftener
into their feelings, unconsciously to himself, in consequence of
having no other arbiters to appeal to, than their judgments and
tastes. On the present occasion, he would have abstained from
betraying a feverish haste by a too speedy return, since it would
have contained a tacit admission that the time asked for was more
than had been wanted; but, on the other hand, had the idea occurred
to him, he would have quickened his movements a little, in order to
avoid the dramatic appearance of returning at the precise instant
set as the utmost limit of his absence. Still, accident had interfered
to defeat the last intention, for when the young man put his foot
on the point, and advanced with a steady tread towards the group of
chiefs that was seated in grave array on a fallen tree, the oldest
of their number cast his eye upward, at an opening in the trees,
and pointed out to his companions the startling fact that the sun
was just entering a space that was known to mark the zenith. A
common, but low exclamation of surprise and admiration escaped every
mouth, and the grim warriors looked at each other, some with envy
and disappointment, some with astonishment at the precise accuracy
of their victim, and others with a more generous and liberal feeling.
The American Indian always deemed his moral victories the noblest,
prizing the groans and yielding of his victim under torture, more
than the trophy of his scalp; and the trophy itself more than his
life. To slay, and not to bring off the proof of victory, indeed,
was scarcely deemed honorable, even these rude and fierce tenants
of the forest, like their more nurtured brethren of the court and
the camp, having set up for themselves imaginary and arbitrary
points of honor, to supplant the conclusions of the right and the
decisions of reason.
The Hurons had been divided in their opinions concerning the
probability of their captive's return. Most among them, indeed, had
not expected it possible for a pale-face to come back voluntarily,
and meet the known penalties of an Indian torture; but a few of
the seniors expected better things from one who had already shown
himself so singularly cool, brave and upright. The party had
come to its decision, however, less in the expectation of finding
the pledge redeemed, than in the hope of disgracing the Delawares
by casting into their teeth the delinquency of one bred in their
villages. They would have greatly preferred that Chingachgook
should be their prisoner, and prove the traitor, but the pale-face
scion of the hated stock was no bad substitute for their purposes,
failing in their designs against the ancient stem. With a view to
render their triumph as signal as possible, in the event of the
hour's passing without the reappearance of the hunter, all the
warriors and scouts of the party had been called in, and the whole
band, men, women and children, was now assembled at this single
point, to be a witness of the expected scene. As the castle was
in plain view, and by no means distant, it was easily watched by
daylight, and, it being thought that its inmates were now limited
to Hurry, the Delaware and the two girls, no apprehensions were
felt of their being able to escape unseen. A large raft having a
breast-work of logs had been prepared, and was in actual readiness
to be used against either Ark or castle as occasion might require, so
soon as the fate of Deerslayer was determined, the seniors of the
party having come to the opinion that it was getting to be hazardous
to delay their departure for Canada beyond the coming night. In
short the band waited merely to dispose of this single affair,
ere it brought matters with those in the Castle to a crisis, and
prepared to commence its retreat towards the distant waters of
Ontario.
It was an imposing scene into which Deerslayer now found himself
advancing. All the older warriors were seated on the trunk of
the fallen tree, waiting his approach with grave decorum. On the
right stood the young men, armed, while left was occupied by the
women and children. In the centre was an open space of considerable
extent, always canopied by trees, but from which the underbrush,
dead wood, and other obstacles had been carefully removed. The
more open area had probably been much used by former parties, for
this was the place where the appearance of a sward was the most
decided. The arches of the woods, even at high noon, cast their
sombre shadows on the spot, which the brilliant rays of the sun
that struggled through the leaves contributed to mellow, and, if
such an expression can be used, to illuminate. It was probably
from a similar scene that the mind of man first got its idea of the
effects of gothic tracery and churchly hues, this temple of nature
producing some such effect, so far as light and shadow were concerned,
as the well-known offspring of human invention.
As was not unusual among the tribes and wandering bands of the
Aborigines, two chiefs shared, in nearly equal degrees, the principal
and primitive authority that was wielded over these children of
the forest. There were several who might claim the distinction of
being chief men, but the two in question were so much superior to
all the rest in influence, that, when they agreed, no one disputed
their mandates, and when they were divided the band hesitated, like
men who had lost their governing principle of action. It was also
in conformity with practice, perhaps we might add in conformity
with nature, that one of the chiefs was indebted to his mind for
his influence, whereas the other owed his distinction altogether
to qualities that were physical. One was a senior, well known for
eloquence in debate, wisdom in council, and prudence in measures; while
his great competitor, if not his rival, was a brave distinguished
in war, notorious for ferocity, and remarkable, in the way of
intellect, for nothing but the cunning and expedients of the war
path. The first was Rivenoak, who has already been introduced to
the reader, while the last was called le Panth'ere, in the language
of the Canadas, or the Panther, to resort to the vernacular of
the English colonies. The appellation of the fighting chief was
supposed to indicate the qualities of the warrior, agreeably to
a practice of the red man's nomenclature, ferocity, cunning and
treachery being, perhaps, the distinctive features of his character.
The title had been received from the French, and was prized so much
the more from that circumstance, the Indian submitting profoundly
to the greater intelligence of his pale-face allies, in most things
of this nature. How well the sobriquet was merited will be seen
in the sequel.
Rivenoak and the Panther sat side by side awaiting the approach
of their prisoner, as Deerslayer put his moccasined foot on the
strand, nor did either move, or utter a syllable, until the young
man had advanced into the centre of the area, and proclaimed his
presence with his voice. This was done firmly, though in the simple
manner that marked the character of the individual.
"Here I am, Mingos," he said, in the dialect of the Delawares, a
language that most present understood; "here I am, and there is the
sun. One is not more true to the laws of natur', than the other
has proved true to his word. I am your prisoner; do with me what
you please. My business with man and 'arth is settled; nothing
remains now but to meet the white man's God, accordin' to a white
man's duties and gifts."
A murmur of approbation escaped even the women at this address,
and, for an instant there was a strong and pretty general desire
to adopt into the tribe one who owned so brave a spirit. Still
there were dissenters from this wish, among the principal of whom
might be classed the Panther, and his sister, Ie Sumach, so called
from the number of her children, who was the widow of le Loup
Cervier, now known to have fallen by the hand of the captive.
Native ferocity held one in subjection, while the corroding passion
of revenge prevented the other from admitting any gentler feeling
at the moment. Not so with Rivenoak. This chief arose, stretched
his arm before him in a gesture of courtesy, and paid his compliments
with an ease and dignity that a prince might have envied. As,
in that band, his wisdom and eloquence were confessedly without
rivals, he knew that on himself would properly fall the duty of
first replying to the speech of the pale-face.
"Pale-face, you are honest," said the Huron orator. "My people
are happy in having captured a man, and not a skulking fox. We
now know you; we shall treat you like a brave. If you have slain
one of our warriors, and helped to kill others, you have a life
of your own ready to give away in return. Some of my young men
thought that the blood of a pale-face was too thin; that it would
refuse to run under the Huron knife. You will show them it is not
so; your heart is stout, as well as your body. It is a pleasure to
make such a prisoner; should my warriors say that the death of Ie
Loup Cervier ought not to be forgotten, and that he cannot travel
towards the land of spirits alone, that his enemy must be sent
to overtake him, they will remember that he fell by the hand of a
brave, and send you after him with such signs of our friendship as
shall not make him ashamed to keep your company. I have spoken;
you know what I have said."
"True enough, Mingo, all true as the gospel," returned the simple
minded hunter, 'you have spoken, and I do know not only what you
have said, but, what is still more important, what you mean. I
dare to say your warrior the Lynx was a stout-hearted brave, and
worthy of your fri'ndship and respect, but I do not feel unworthy
to keep his company, without any passport from your hands. Nevertheless,
here I am, ready to receive judgment from your council, if, indeed,
the matter was not detarmined among you afore I got back."
"My old men would not sit in council over a pale-face until they
saw him among them," answered Rivenoak, looking around him a little
ironically; "they said it would be like sitting in council over
the winds; they go where they will, and come back as they see fit,
and not otherwise. There was one voice that spoke in your favor,
Deerslayer, but it was alone, like the song of the wren whose mate
has been struck by the hawk."
"I thank that voice whosever it may have been, Mingo, and will say
it was as true a voice as the rest were lying voices. A furlough
is as binding on a pale-face, if he be honest, as it is on a red-skin,
and was it not so, I would never bring disgrace on the Delawares,
among whom I may be said to have received my edication. But words
are useless, and lead to braggin' feelin's; here I am; act your
will on me."
Rivenoak made a sign of acquiescence, and then a short conference
was privately held among the chiefs. As soon as the latter ended,
three or four young men fell back from among the armed group, and
disappeared. Then it was signified to the prisoner that he was
at liberty to go at large on the point, until a council was held
concerning his fate. There was more of seeming, than of real
confidence, however, in this apparent liberality, inasmuch as the
young men mentioned already formed a line of sentinels across the
breadth of the point, inland, and escape from any other part was
out of the question. Even the canoe was removed beyond this line of
sentinels, to a spot where it was considered safe from any sudden
attempt. These precautions did not proceed from a failure of
confidence, but from the circumstance that the prisoner had now
complied with all the required conditions of his parole, and it
would have been considered a commendable and honorable exploit to
escape from his foes. So nice, indeed, were the distinctions drawn
by the savages in cases of this nature, that they often gave their
victims a chance to evade the torture, deeming it as creditable
to the captors to overtake, or to outwit a fugitive, when his
exertions were supposed to be quickened by the extreme jeopardy
of his situation, as it was for him to get clear from so much
extraordinary vigilance.
Nor was Deerslayer unconscious of, or forgetful, of his rights and
of his opportunities. Could he now have seen any probable opening
for an escape, the attempt would not have been delayed a minute. But
the case seem'd desperate. He was aware of the line of sentinels,
and felt the difficulty of breaking through it, unharmed. The lake
offered no advantages, as the canoe would have given his foes the
greatest facilities for overtaking him; else would he have found
it no difficult task to swim as far as the castle. As he walked
about the point, he even examined the spot to ascertain if it
offered no place of concealment, but its openness, its size, and
the hundred watchful glances that were turned towards him, even
while those who made them affected not to see him, prevented any
such expedient from succeeding. The dread and disgrace of failure
had no influence on Deerslayer, who deemed it even a point of honor
to reason and feel like a white man, rather than as an Indian, and
who felt it a sort of duty to do all he could that did not involve
a dereliction from principle, in order to save his life. Still he
hesitated about making the effort, for he also felt that he ought
to see the chance of success before he committed himself.
In the mean time the business of the camp appeared to proceed in
its regular train. The chiefs consulted apart, admitting no one
but the Sumach to their councils, for she, the widow of the fallen
warrior, had an exclusive right to be heard on such an occasion.
The young men strolled about in indolent listlessness, awaiting the
result with Indian patience, while the females prepared the feast
that was to celebrate the termination of the affair, whether it
proved fortunate or otherwise for our hero. No one betrayed feeling,
and an indifferent observer, beyond the extreme watchfulness of
the sentinels, would have detected no extraordinary movement or
sensation to denote the real state of things. Two or three old
women put their heads together, and it appeared unfavorably to
the prospects of Deerslayer, by their scowling looks, and angry
gestures; but a group of Indian girls were evidently animated by a
different impulse, as was apparent by stolen glances that expressed
pity and regret. In this condition of the camp, an hour soon glided
away.
Suspense is perhaps the feeling of all others that is most difficult
to be supported. When Deerslayer landed, he fully expected in
the course of a few minutes to undergo the tortures of an Indian
revenge, and he was prepared to meet his fate manfully; but, the
delay proved far more trying than the nearer approach of suffering,
and the intended victim began seriously to meditate some desperate
effort at escape, as it might be from sheer anxiety to terminate
the scene, when he was suddenly summoned, to appear once more in
front of his judges, who had already arranged the band in its former
order, in readiness to receive him.
"Killer of the Deer," commenced Rivenoak, as soon as his captive
stood before him, "my aged men have listened to wise words; they
are ready to speak. You are a man whose fathers came from beyond
the rising sun; we are children of the setting sun; we turn our faces
towards the Great Sweet Lakes, when we look towards our villages.
It may be a wide country and full of riches towards the morning,
but it is very pleasant towards the evening. We love most to look
in that direction. When we gaze at the east, we feel afraid, canoe
after canoe bringing more and more of your people in the track of
the sun, as if their land was so full as to run over. The red men
are few already; they have need of help. One of our best lodges
has lately been emptied by the death of its master; it will be a
long time before his son can grow big enough to sit in his place.
There is his widow; she will want venison to feed her and her
children, for her sons are yet like the young of the robin, before
they quit the nest. By your hand has this great calamity befallen
her. She has two duties; one to le Loup Cervier, and one to his
children. Scalp for scalp, life for life, blood for blood, is one
law; to feed her young, another. We know you, Killer of the Deer.
You are honest; when you say a thing, it is so. You have but
one tongue, and that is not forked, like a snake's. Your head is
never hid in the grass; all can see it. What you say, that will
you do. You are just. When you have done wrong, it is your wish
to do right, again, as soon as you can. Here, is the Sumach; she
is alone in her wigwam, with children crying around her for food
- yonder is a rifle; it is loaded and ready to be fired. Take the
gun, go forth and shoot a deer; bring the venison and lay it before
the widow of Le Loup Cervier, feed her children; call yourself her
husband. After which, your heart will no longer be Delaware, but
Huron; le Sumach's ears will not hear the cries of her children;
my people will count the proper number of warriors."
"I fear'd this, Rivenoak," answered Deerslayer, when the other
had ceased speaking -"yes, I did dread that it would come to this.
Howsever, the truth is soon told, and that will put an end to all
expectations on this head. Mingo, I'm white and Christian born;
't would ill become me to take a wife, under red-skin forms, from
among heathen. That which I wouldn't do, in peaceable times, and
under a bright sun, still less would I do behind clouds, in order
to save my life. I may never marry; most likely Providence in
putting me up here in the woods, has intended I should live single,
and without a lodge of my own; but should such a thing come to pass,
none but a woman of my own colour and gifts shall darken the door
of my wigwam. As for feeding the young of your dead warrior, I
would do that cheerfully, could it be done without discredit; but
it cannot, seeing that I can never live in a Huron village. Your
own young men must find the Sumach in venison, and the next time
she marries, let her take a husband whose legs are not long enough
to overrun territory that don't belong to him. We fou't a fair
battle, and he fell; in this there is nothin' but what a brave
expects, and should be ready to meet. As for getting a Mingo
heart, as well might you expect to see gray hairs on a boy, or the
blackberry growing on the pine. No - no Huron; my gifts are white
so far as wives are consarned; it is Delaware, in all things touchin'
Injins."
These words were scarcely out of the mouth of Deerslayer, before
a common murmur betrayed the dissatisfaction with which they had
been heard. The aged women, in particular, were loud in their
expressions of disgust, and the gentle Sumach, herself, a woman quite
old enough to be our hero's mother, was not the least pacific in her
denunciations. But all the other manifestations of disappointment
and discontent were thrown into the background, by the fierce resentment
of the Panther. This grim chief had thought it a degradation to
permit his sister to become the wife of a pale-face of the Yengeese
at all, and had only given a reluctant consent to the arrangement
-one by no means unusual among the Indians, however - at the
earnest solicitations of the bereaved widow; and it goaded him to
the quick to find his condescension slighted, the honor he had with
so much regret been persuaded to accord, condemned. The animal
from which he got his name does not glare on his intended prey with
more frightful ferocity than his eyes gleamed on the captive, nor
was his arm backward in seconding the fierce resentment that almost
consumed his breast.
"Dog of the pale-faces!" he exclaimed in Iroquois, "go yell among
the curs of your own evil hunting grounds!"
The denunciation was accompanied by an appropriate action. Even
while speaking his arm was lifted, and the tomahawk hurled. Luckily
the loud tones of the speaker had drawn the eye of Deerslayer towards
him, else would that moment have probably closed his career. So
great was the dexterity with which this dangerous weapon was thrown,
and so deadly the intent, that it would have riven the scull of the
prisoner, had he not stretched forth an arm, and caught the handle
in one of its turns, with a readiness quite as remarkable as
the skill with which the missile had been hurled. The projectile
force was so great, notwithstanding, that when Deerslayer's arm
was arrested, his hand was raised above and behind his own head,
and in the very attitude necessary to return the attack. It is not
certain whether the circumstance of finding himself unexpectedly in
this menacing posture and armed tempted the young man to retaliate,
or whether sudden resentment overcame his forbearance and prudence.
His eye kindled, however, and a small red spot appeared on each
cheek, while he cast all his energy into the effort of his arm,
and threw back the weapon at his assailant. The unexpectedness of
this blow contributed to its success, the Panther neither raising
an arm, nor bending his head to avoid it. The keen little axe
struck the victim in a perpendicular line with the nose, directly
between the eyes, literally braining him on the spot. Sallying
forward, as the serpent darts at its enemy even while receiving its
own death wound, this man of powerful frame fell his length into
the open area formed by the circle, quivering in death. A common
rush to his relief left the captive, in a single instant, quite
without the crowd, and, willing to make one desperate effort for
life, he bounded off with the activity of a deer. There was but a
breathless instant, when the whole band, old and young, women and
children, abandoning the lifeless body of the Panther where it lay,
raised the yell of alarm and followed in pursuit.
Sudden as had been the event which induced Deerslayer to make this
desperate trial of speed, his mind was not wholly unprepared for
the fearful emergency. In the course of the past hour, he had
pondered well on the chances of such an experiment, and had shrewdly
calculated all the details of success and failure. At the first
leap, therefore, his body was completely under the direction of an
intelligence that turned all its efforts to the best account, and
prevented everything like hesitation or indecision at the important
instant of the start. To this alone was he indebted for the first
great advantage, that of getting through the line of sentinels
unharmed. The manner in which this was done, though sufficiently
simple, merits a description.
Although the shores of the point were not fringed with bushes,
as was the case with most of the others on the lake, it was owing
altogether to the circumstance that the spot had been so much used
by hunters and fishermen. This fringe commenced on what might
be termed the main land, and was as dense as usual, extending in
long lines both north and south. In the latter direction, then,
Deerslayer held his way, and, as the sentinels were a little without
the commencement of this thicket, before the alarm was clearly
communicated to them the fugitive had gained its cover. To run
among the bushes, however, was out of the question, and Deerslayer
held his way, for some forty or fifty yards, in the water, which
was barely knee deep, offering as great an obstacle to the speed
of his pursuers as it did to his own. As soon as a favorable spot
presented, he darted through the line of bushes and issued into the
open woods. Several rifles were discharged at Deerslayer while in
the water, and more followed as he came out into the comparative
exposure of the clear forest. But the direction of his line of
flight, which partially crossed that of the fire, the haste with
which the weapons had been aimed, and the general confusion that
prevailed in the camp prevented any harm from being done. Bullets
whistled past him, and many cut twigs from the branches at his
side, but not one touched even his dress. The delay caused by
these fruitless attempts was of great service to the fugitive, who
had gained more than a hundred yards on even the leading men of
the Hurons, ere something like concert and order had entered into
the chase. To think of following with rifles in hand was out of
the question, and after emptying their pieces in vague hopes of
wounding their captive, the best runners of the Indians threw them
aside, calling out to the women and boys to recover and load them,
again, as soon as possible.
Deerslayer knew too well the desperate nature of the struggle in
which he was engaged to lose one of the precious moments. He also
knew that his only hope was to run in a straight line, for as soon
as he began to turn, or double, the greater number of his pursuers
would put escape out of the question. He held his way therefore,
in a diagonal direction up the acclivity, which was neither very
high nor very steep in this part of the mountain, but which was
sufficiently toilsome for one contending for life, to render it
painfully oppressive. There, however, he slackened his speed to
recover breath, proceeding even at a quick walk, or a slow trot,
along the more difficult parts of the way. The Hurons were whooping
and leaping behind him, but this he disregarded, well knowing they
must overcome the difficulties he had surmounted ere they could
reach the elevation to which he had attained. The summit of the
first hill was now quite near him, and he saw, by the formation of
the land, that a deep glen intervened before the base of a second
hill could be reached. Walking deliberately to the summit, he
glanced eagerly about him in every direction in quest of a cover.
None offered in the ground, but a fallen tree lay near him, and
desperate circumstances required desperate remedies. This tree lay
in a line parallel to the glen, at the brow of the hill. To leap
on it, and then to force his person as close as possible under its
lower side, took but a moment. Previously to disappearing from his
pursuers, however, Deerslayer stood on the height and gave a cry
of triumph, as if exulting at the sight of the descent that lay
before him. In the next instant he was stretched beneath the tree.
No sooner was this expedient adopted, than the young man ascertained
how desperate had been his own efforts, by the violence of
the pulsations in his frame. He could hear his heart beat, and
his breathing was like the action of a bellows, in quick motion.
Breath was gained, however, and the heart soon ceased to throb as
if about to break through its confinement. The footsteps of those
who toiled up the opposite side of the acclivity were now audible,
and presently voices and treads announced the arrival of the
pursuers. The foremost shouted as they reached the height; then,
fearful that their enemy would escape under favor of the descent,
each leaped upon the fallen tree and plunged into the ravine,
trusting to get a sight of the pursued ere he reached the bottom.
In this manner, Huron followed Huron until Natty began to hope the
whole had passed. Others succeeded, however, until quite forty
had leaped over the tree, and then he counted them, as the surest
mode of ascertaining how many could be behind. Presently all were
in the bottom of the glen, quite a hundred feet below him, and
some had even ascended part of the opposite hill, when it became
evident an inquiry was making as to the direction he had taken.
This was the critical moment, and one of nerves less steady, or of
a training that had been neglected, would have seized it to rise
and fly. Not so with Deerslayer. He still lay quiet, watching
with jealous vigilance every movement below, and fast regaining
his breath.
The Hurons now resembled a pack of hounds at fault. Little was
said, but each man ran about, examining the dead leaves as the hound
hunts for the lost scent. The great number of moccasins that had
passed made the examination difficult, though the in-toe of an Indian
was easily to be distinguished from the freer and wider step of a
white man. Believing that no more pursuers remained behind, and
hoping to steal away unseen, Deerslayer suddenly threw himself over
the tree, and fell on the upper side. This achievement appeared
to be effected successfully, and hope beat high in the bosom of
the fugitive.
Rising to his hands and feet, after a moment lost in listening to
the sounds in the glen, in order to ascertain if he had been seen,
the young man next scrambled to the top of the hill, a distance
of only ten yards, in the expectation of getting its brow between
him and his pursuers, and himself so far under cover. Even this
was effected, and he rose to his feet, walking swiftly but steadily
along the summit, in a direction opposite to that in which he had
first fled. The nature of the calls in the glen, however, soon
made him uneasy, and he sprang upon the summit again, in order to
reconnoitre. No sooner did he reach the height than he was seen,
and the chase renewed. As it was better footing on the level
ground, Deerslayer now avoided the side hill, holding his flight
along the ridge; while the Hurons, judging from the general formation
of the land, saw that the ridge would soon melt into the hollow,
and kept to the latter, as the easiest mode of heading the fugitive.
A few, at the same time, turned south, with a view to prevent his
escaping in that direction, while some crossed his trail towards
the water, in order to prevent his retreat by the lake, running
southerly.
The situation of Deerslayer was now more critical than it ever had
been. He was virtually surrounded on three sides, having the lake
on the fourth. But he had pondered well on all the chances, and
took his measures with coolness, even while at the top of his speed.
As is generally the case with the vigorous border men, he could
outrun any single Indian among his pursuers, who were principally
formidable to him on account of their numbers, and the advantages
they possessed in position, and he would not have hesitated to
break off in a straight line at any spot, could he have got the
whole band again fairly behind him. But no such chance did, or
indeed could now offer, and when he found that he was descending
towards the glen, by the melting away of the ridge, he turned
short, at right angles to his previous course, and went down the
declivity with tremendous velocity, holding his way towards the
shore. Some of his pursuers came panting up the hill in direct
chase, while most still kept on in the ravine, intending to head
him at its termination.
Deerslayer had now a different, though a desperate project in view.
Abandoning all thoughts of escape by the woods, he made the best
of his way towards the canoe. He knew where it lay; could it
be reached, he had only to run the gauntlet of a few rifles, and
success would be certain. None of the warriors had kept their
weapons, which would have retarded their speed, and the risk would
come either from the uncertain hands of the women, or from those
of some well grown boy; though most of the latter were already out
in hot pursuit. Everything seemed propitious to the execution of
this plan, and the course being a continued descent, the young man
went over the ground at a rate that promised a speedy termination
to his toil.
As Deerslayer approached the point, several women and children were
passed, but, though the former endeavoured to cast dried branches
between his legs, the terror inspired by his bold retaliation on
the redoubted Panther was so great, that none dared come near enough
seriously to molest him. He went by all triumphantly and reached
the fringe of bushes. Plunging through these, our hero found
himself once more in the lake, and within fifty feet of the canoe.
Here he ceased to run, for he well understood that his breath was
now all important to him. He even stooped, as he advanced, and
cooled his parched mouth by scooping water up in his hand to drink.
Still the moments pressed, and he soon stood at the side of the
canoe. The first glance told him that the paddles had been removed!
This was a sore disappointment, after all his efforts, and, for
a single moment, he thought of turning, and of facing his foes
by walking with dignity into the centre of the camp again. But
an infernal yell, such as the American savage alone can raise,
proclaimed the quick approach of the nearest of his pursuers, and
the instinct of life triumphed. Preparing himself duly, and giving
a right direction to its bows, he ran off into the water bearing
the canoe before him, threw all his strength and skill into a last
effort, and cast himself forward so as to fall into the bottom
of the light craft without materially impeding its way. Here he
remained on his back, both to regain his breath and to cover his
person from the deadly rifle. The lightness, which was such an
advantage in paddling the canoe, now operated unfavorably. The
material was so like a feather, that the boat had no momentum, else
would the impulse in that smooth and placid sheet have impelled
it to a distance from the shore that would have rendered paddling
with the hands safe. Could such a point once be reached, Deerslayer
thought he might get far enough out to attract the attention of
Chingachgook and Judith, who would not fail to come to his relief
with other canoes, a circumstance that promised everything. As the
young man lay in the bottom of the canoe, he watched its movements
by studying the tops of the trees on the mountainside, and judged
of his distance by the time and the motions. Voices on the shore
were now numerous, and he heard something said about manning the
raft, which, fortunately for the fugitive, lay at a considerable
distance on the other side of the point.
Perhaps the situation of Deerslayer had not been more critical that
day than it was at this moment. It certainly had not been one half
as tantalizing. He lay perfectly quiet for two or three minutes,
trusting to the single sense of hearing, confident that the noise
in the lake would reach his ears, did any one venture to approach
by swimming. Once or twice he fancied that the element was stirred
by the cautious movement of an arm, and then he perceived it was
the wash of the water on the pebbles of the strand; for, in mimicry
of the ocean, it is seldom that those little lakes are so totally
tranquil as not to possess a slight heaving and setting on their
shores. Suddenly all the voices ceased, and a death like stillness
pervaded the spot: A quietness as profound as if all lay in the
repose of inanimate life. By this time, the canoe had drifted so
far as to render nothing visible to Deerslayer, as he lay on his
back, except the blue void of space, and a few of those brighter
rays that proceed from the effulgence of the sun, marking his
proximity. It was not possible to endure this uncertainty long.
The young man well knew that the profound stillness foreboded evil,
the savages never being so silent as when about to strike a blow;
resembling the stealthy foot of the panther ere he takes his leap.
He took out a knife and was about to cut a hole through the bark,
in order to get a view of the shore, when he paused from a dread
of being seen in the operation, which would direct the enemy where
to aim their bullets. At this instant a rifle was fired, and the
ball pierced both sides of the canoe, within eighteen inches of
the spot where his head lay. This was close work, but our hero
had too lately gone through that which was closer to be appalled.
He lay still half a minute longer, and then he saw the summit of
an oak coming slowly within his narrow horizon.
Unable to account for this change, Deerslayer could restrain his
impatience no longer. Hitching his body along, with the utmost
caution, he got his eye at the bullet hole, and fortunately commanded
a very tolerable view of the point. The canoe, by one of those
imperceptible impulses that so often decide the fate of men as well
as the course of things, had inclined southerly, and was slowly
drifting down the lake. It was lucky that Deerslayer had given it
a shove sufficiently vigorous to send it past the end of the point,
ere it took this inclination, or it must have gone ashore again.
As it was, it drifted so near it as to bring the tops of two or
three trees within the range of the young man's view, as has been
mentioned, and, indeed, to come in quite as close proximity with
the extremity of the point as was at all safe. The distance could
not much have exceeded a hundred feet, though fortunately a light
current of air from the southwest began to set it slowly off shore.
Deerslayer now felt the urgent necessity of resorting to some
expedient to get farther from his foes, and if possible to apprise
his friends of his situation. The distance rendered the last
difficult, while the proximity to the point rendered the first
indispensable. As was usual in such craft, a large, round, smooth
stone was in each end of the canoe, for the double purpose of seats
and ballast; one of these was within reach of his feet. This stone
he contrived to get so far between his legs as to reach it with his
hands, and then he managed to roll it to the side of its fellow in
the bows, where the two served to keep the trim of the light boat,
while he worked his own body as far aft as possible. Before quitting
the shore, and as soon as he perceived that the paddles were gone,
Deerslayer had thrown a bit of dead branch into the canoe, and this
was within reach of his arm. Removing the cap he wore, he put it
on the end of this stick, and just let it appear over the edge of
the canoe, as far as possible from his own person. This ruse was
scarcely adopted before the young man had a proof how much he had
underrated the intelligence of his enemies. In contempt of an
artifice so shallow and common place, a bullet was fired directly
through another part of the canoe, which actually raised his skin.
He dropped the cap, and instantly raised it immediately over his
head, as a safeguard. It would seem that this second artifice was
unseen, or what was more probable, the Hurons feeling certain of
recovering their captive, wished to take him alive.
Deerslayer lay passive a few minutes longer, his eye at the bullet
hole, however, and much did he rejoice at seeing that he was
drifting, gradually, farther and farther from the shore. When he
looked upward, the treetops had disappeared, but he soon found that
the canoe was slowly turning, so as to prevent his getting a view
of anything at his peephole, but of the two extremities of the lake.
He now bethought him of the stick, which was crooked and offered
some facilities for rowing without the necessity of rising. The
experiment succeeded on trial, better even than he had hoped, though
his great embarrassment was to keep the canoe straight. That his
present manoeuvre was seen soon became apparent by the clamor on
the shore, and a bullet entering the stern of the canoe traversed
its length, whistling between the arms of our hero, and passed out
at the head. This satisfied the fugitive that he was getting away
with tolerable speed, and induced him to increase his efforts.
He was making a stronger push than common, when another messenger
from the point broke the stick out-board, and at once deprived him
of his oar. As the sound of voices seemed to grow more and more
distant, however, Deerslayer determined to leave all to the drift,
until he believed himself beyond the reach of bullets. This was
nervous work, but it was the wisest of all the expedients that
offered, and the young man was encouraged to persevere in it by
the circumstance that he felt his face fanned by the air, a proof
that there was a little more wind.
Chapter XXVIII.
"Nor widows' tears, nor tender orphans' cries
Can stop th' invader's force;
Nor swelling seas, nor threatening skies,
Prevent the pirate's course:
Their lives to selfish ends decreed
Through blood and rapine they proceed;
No anxious thoughts of ill repute,
Suspend the impetuous and unjust pursuit;
But power and wealth obtain'd, guilty and great,
Their fellow creatures' fears they raise, or urge their hate."
Congreve, "Pindaric Ode," ii.
By this time Deerslayer had been twenty minutes in the canoe, and
he began to grow a little impatient for some signs of relief from
his friends. The position of the boat still prevented his seeing
in any direction, unless it were up or down the lake, and, though
he knew that his line of sight must pass within a hundred yards of
the castle, it, in fact, passed that distance to the westward of
the buildings. The profound stillness troubled him also, for he
knew not whether to ascribe it to the increasing space between him
and the Indians, or to some new artifice. At length, wearied with
fruitless watchfulness, the young man turned himself on his back,
closed his eyes, and awaited the result in determined acquiescence.
If the savages could so completely control their thirst for revenge,
he was resolved to be as calm as themselves, and to trust his fate
to the interposition of the currents and air.
Some additional ten minutes may have passed in this quiescent
manner, on both sides, when Deerslayer thought he heard a slight
noise, like a low rubbing against the bottom of his canoe. He
opened his eyes of course, in expectation of seeing the face or
arm of an Indian rising from the water, and found that a canopy
of leaves was impending directly over his head. Starting to his
feet, the first object that met his eye was Rivenoak, who had so far
aided the slow progress of the boat, as to draw it on the point,
the grating on the strand being the sound that had first given
our hero the alarm. The change in the drift of the canoe had been
altogether owing to the baffling nature of the light currents of
the air, aided by some eddies in the water.
"Come," said the Huron with a quiet gesture of authority, to order
his prisoner to land, "my young friend has sailed about till he is
tired; he will forget how to run again, unless he uses his legs."
"You've the best of it, Huron," returned Deerslayer, stepping
steadily from the canoe, and passively following his leader to the
open area of the point; "Providence has helped you in an onexpected
manner. I'm your prisoner ag'in, and I hope you'll allow that I'm
as good at breaking gaol, as I am at keeping furloughs."
"My young friend is a Moose!" exclaimed the Huron. "His legs are
very long; they have given my young men trouble. But he is not a
fish; he cannot find his way in the lake. We did not shoot him;
fish are taken in nets, and not killed by bullets. When he turns
Moose again he will be treated like a Moose."
'Ay, have your talk, Rivenoak; make the most of your advantage.
'Tis your right, I suppose, and I know it is your gift. On that
p'int there'll be no words atween us, for all men must and ought to
follow their gifts. Howsever, when your women begin to ta'nt and
abuse me, as I suppose will soon happen, let 'em remember that if
a pale-face struggles for life so long as it's lawful and manful,
he knows how to loosen his hold on it, decently, when he feels that
the time has come. I'm your captyve; work your will on me."
"My brother has had a long run on the hills, and a pleasant sail
on the water," returned Rivenoak more mildly, smiling, at the same
time, in a way that his listener knew denoted pacific intentions.
'He has seen the woods; he has seen the water. Which does he like
best? Perhaps he has seen enough to change his mind, and make him
hear reason."
"Speak out, Huron. Something is in your thoughts, and the sooner
it is said, the sooner you'll get my answer."
"That is straight! There is no turning in the talk of my pale-face
friend, though he is a fox in running. I will speak to him; his
ears are now open wider than before, and his eyes are not shut. The
Sumach is poorer than ever. Once she had a brother and a husband.
She had children, too. The time came and the husband started for
the Happy Hunting Grounds, without saying farewell; he left her
alone with his children. This he could not help, or he would not
have done it; le Loup Cervier was a good husband. It was pleasant
to see the venison, and wild ducks, and geese, and bear's meat, that
hung in his lodge in winter. It is now gone; it will not keep in
warm weather. Who shall bring it back again? Some thought the
brother would not forget his sister, and that, next winter, he would
see that the lodge should not be empty. We thought this; but the
Panther yelled, and followed the husband on the path of death. They
are now trying which shall first reach the Happy Hunting Grounds.
Some think the Lynx can run fastest, and some think the Panther
can jump the farthest. The Sumach thinks both will travel so fast
and so far that neither will ever come back. Who shall feed her
and her young? The man who told her husband and her brother to
quit her lodge, that there might be room for him to come into it.
He is a great hunter, and we know that the woman will never want."
"Ay, Huron this is soon settled, accordin' to your notions, but it
goes sorely ag'in the grain of a white man's feelin's. I've heard
of men's saving their lives this-a-way, and I've know'd them that
would prefar death to such a sort of captivity. For my part, I do
not seek my end, nor do I seek matrimony."
"The pale-face will think of this, while my people get ready for
the council. He will be told what will happen. Let him remember
how hard it is to lose a husband and a brother. Go; when we want
him, the name of Deerslayer will be called."
This conversation had been held with no one near but the speakers.
Of all the band that had so lately thronged the place, Rivenoak
alone was visible. The rest seemed to have totally abandoned the
spot. Even the furniture, clothes, arms, and other property of the
camp had entirely disappeared, and the place bore no other proofs
of the crowd that had so lately occupied it, than the traces of
their fires and resting places, and the trodden earth that still
showed the marks of their feet. So sudden and unexpected a change
caused Deerslayer a good deal of surprise and some uneasiness,
for he had never known it to occur, in the course of his experience
among the Delawares. He suspected, however, and rightly, that
a change of encampment was intended, and that the mystery of the
movement was resorted to in order to work on his apprehensions.
Rivenoak walked up the vista of trees as soon as he ceased speaking,
leaving Deerslayer by himself. The chief disappeared behind the
covers of the forest, and one unpractised in such scenes might have
believed the prisoner left to the dictates of his own judgment.
But the young man, while he felt a little amazement at the dramatic
aspect of things, knew his enemies too well to fancy himself
at liberty, or a free agent. Still, he was ignorant how far the
Hurons meant to carry their artifices, and he determined to bring
the question, as soon as practicable, to the proof. Affecting an
indifference he was far from feeling, he strolled about the area,
gradually getting nearer and nearer to the spot where he had landed,
when he suddenly quickened his pace, though carefully avoiding all
appearance of flight, and pushing aside the bushes, he stepped upon
the beach. The canoe was gone, nor could he see any traces of it,
after walking to the northern and southern verges of the point, and
examining the shores in both directions. It was evidently removed
beyond his reach and knowledge, and under circumstances to show
that such had been the intention of the savages.
Deerslayer now better understood his actual situation. He was a
prisoner on the narrow tongue of land, vigilantly watched beyond a
question, and with no other means of escape than that of swimming.
He, again, thought of this last expedient, but the certainty that
the canoe would be sent in chase, and the desperate nature of the
chances of success deterred him from the undertaking. While on
the strand, he came to a spot where the bushes had been cut, and
thrust into a small pile. Removing a few of the upper branches,
he found beneath them the dead body of the Panther. He knew that
it was kept until the savages might find a place to inter it,
where it would be beyond the reach of the scalping knife. He gazed
wistfully towards the castle, but there all seemed to be silent
and desolate, and a feeling of loneliness and desertion came over
him to increase the gloom of the moment.
"God's will be done!" murmured the young man, as he walked sorrowfully
away from the beach, entering again beneath the arches of the wood.
"God's will be done, on 'arth as it is in heaven! I did hope that
my days would not be numbered so soon, but it matters little a'ter
all. A few more winters, and a few more summers, and 'twould have
been over, accordin' to natur'. Ah's! me, the young and actyve
seldom think death possible, till he grins in their faces, and
tells 'em the hour is come!"
While this soliloquy was being pronounced, the hunter advanced
into the area, where to his surprise he saw Hetty alone, evidently
awaiting his return. The girl carried the Bible under her arm,
and her face, over which a shadow of gentle melancholy was usually
thrown, now seemed sad and downcast. Moving nearer, Deerslayer
spoke.
"Poor Hetty," he said, "times have been so troublesome, of late,
that I'd altogether forgotten you; we meet, as it might be to mourn
over what is to happen. I wonder what has become of Chingachgook
and Wah!"
"Why did you kill the Huron, Deerslayer? -" returned the girl
reproachfully. 'Don't you know your commandments, which say 'Thou
shalt not kill!' They tell me you have now slain the woman's husband
and brother!"
"It's true, my good Hetty - 'tis gospel truth, and I'll not deny
what has come to pass. But, you must remember, gal, that many
things are lawful in war, which would be onlawful in peace. The
husband was shot in open fight -or, open so far as I was consarned,
while he had a better cover than common - and the brother brought
his end on himself, by casting his tomahawk at an unarmed prisoner.
Did you witness that deed, gal?"
"I saw it, and was sorry it happened, Deerslayer, for I hoped you
wouldn't have returned blow for blow, but good for evil."
"Ah, Hetty, that may do among the Missionaries, but 'twould make
an onsartain life in the woods! The Panther craved my blood, and
he was foolish enough to throw arms into my hands, at the very
moment he was striving a'ter it. 'Twould have been ag'in natur'
not to raise a hand in such a trial, and 'twould have done discredit
to my training and gifts. No - no - I'm as willing to give every
man his own as another, and so I hope you'll testify to them that
will be likely to question you as to what you've seen this day."
"Deerslayer, do you mean to marry Sumach, now she has neither
husband nor brother to feed her?"
"Are such your idees of matrimony, Hetty! Ought the young to wive
with the old - the pale-face with the red-skin - the Christian with
the heathen? It's ag'in reason and natur', and so you'll see, if
you think of it a moment."
"I've always heard mother say," returned Hetty, averting her face
more from a feminine instinct than from any consciousness of wrong,
"that people should never marry until they loved each other better
than brothers and sisters, and I suppose that is what you mean.
Sumach is old, and you are young!"
"Ay and she's red, and I'm white. Beside, Hetty, suppose you was
a wife, now, having married some young man of your own years, and
state, and colour -Hurry Harry, for instance -" Deerslayer selected
this example simply from the circumstance that he was the only
young man known to both - "and that he had fallen on a war path,
would you wish to take to your bosom, for a husband, the man that
slew him?"
"Oh! no, no, no -" returned the girl shuddering - "That would be
wicked as well as heartless! No Christian girl could, or would do
that! I never shall be the wife of Hurry, I know, but were he my
husband no man should ever be it, again, after his death!"
"I thought it would get to this, Hetty, when you come to understand
sarcumstances. 'Tis a moral impossibility that I should ever marry
Sumach, and, though Injin weddin's have no priests and not much
religion, a white man who knows his gifts and duties can't profit
by that, and so make his escape at the fitting time. I do think
death would be more nat'ral like, and welcome, than wedlock with
this woman."
"Don't say it too loud," interrupted Hetty impatiently; "I suppose
she will not like to hear it. I'm sure Hurry would rather marry even
me than suffer torments, though I am feeble minded; and I am sure
it would kill me to think he'd prefer death to being my husband."
"Ay, gal, you ain't Sumach, but a comely young Christian, with a
good heart, pleasant smile, and kind eye. Hurry might be proud to
get you, and that, too, not in misery and sorrow, but in his best
and happiest days. Howsever, take my advice, and never talk to
Hurry about these things; he's only a borderer, at the best."
"I wouldn't tell him, for the world!" exclaimed the girl, looking
about her like one affrighted, and blushing, she knew not why.
"Mother always said young women shouldn't be forward, and speak
their minds before they're asked; Oh! I never forget what mother
told me. Tis a pity Hurry is so handsome, Deerslayer; I do think
fewer girls would like him then, and he would sooner know his own
mind."
"Poor gal, poor gal, it's plain enough how it is, but the Lord will
bear in mind one of your simple heart and kind feelin's! We'll talk
no more of these things; if you had reason, you'd be sorrowful at
having let others so much into your secret. Tell me, Hetty, what
has become of all the Hurons, and why they let you roam about the
p'int as if you, too, was a prisoner?"
'I'm no prisoner, Deerslayer, but a free girl, and go when and where
I please. Nobody dare hurt me! If they did, God would be angry,
as I can show them in the Bible. No - no - Hetty Hutter is
not afraid; she's in good hands. The Hurons are up yonder in the
woods, and keep a good watch on us both, I'll answer for it, since
all the women and children are on the look-out. Some are burying
the body of the poor girl who was shot, so that the enemy and the
wild beasts can't find it. I told 'em that father and mother lay
in the lake, but I wouldn't let them know in what part of it,
for Judith and I don't want any of their heathenish company in our
burying ground."
"Ahs! me; Well, it is an awful despatch to be standing here, alive
and angry, and with the feelin's up and ferocious, one hour, and
then to be carried away at the next, and put out of sight of mankind
in a hole in the 'arth! No one knows what will happen to him on
a warpath, that's sartain."
Here the stirring of leaves and the cracking of dried twigs
interrupted the discourse, and apprised Deerslayer of the approach
of his enemies. The Hurons closed around the spot that had been
prepared for the coming scene, and in the centre of which the intended
victim now stood, in a circle, the armed men being so distributed
among the feebler members of the band, that there was no safe opening
through which the prisoner could break. But the latter no longer
contemplated flight, the recent trial having satisfied him of
his inability to escape when pursued so closely by numbers. On
the contrary, all his energies were aroused in order to meet his
expected fate, with a calmness that should do credit to his colour
and his manhood; one equally removed from recreant alarm, and savage
boasting.
When Rivenoak re-appeared in the circle, he occupied his old place
at the head of the area. Several of the elder warriors stood near
him, but, now that the brother of Sumach had fallen, there was no
longer any recognised chief present whose influence and authority
offered a dangerous rivalry to his own. Nevertheless, it is well
known that little which could be called monarchical or despotic
entered into the politics of the North American tribes, although the
first colonists, bringing with them to this hemisphere the notions
and opinions of their own countries, often dignified the chief men
of those primitive nations with the titles of kings and princes.
Hereditary influence did certainly exist, but there is much reason
to believe it existed rather as a consequence of hereditary merit
and acquired qualifications, than as a birthright. Rivenoak,
however, had not even this claim, having risen to consideration
purely by the force of talents, sagacity, and, as Bacon expresses
it in relation to all distinguished statesmen, "by a union of great
and mean qualities;" a truth of which the career of the profound
Englishman himself furnishes so apt an illustration. Next to arms,
eloquence offers the great avenue to popular favor, whether it be
in civilized or savage life, and Rivenoak had succeeded, as so many
have succeeded before him, quite as much by rendering fallacies
acceptable to his listeners, as by any profound or learned
expositions of truth, or the accuracy of his logic. Nevertheless,
he had influence; and was far from being altogether without just
claims to its possession. Like most men who reason more than they
feel, the Huron was not addicted to the indulgence of the more
ferocious passions of his people: he had been commonly found on the
side of mercy, in all the scenes of vindictive torture and revenge
that had occurred in his tribe since his own attainment to power.
On the present occasion, he was reluctant to proceed to extremities,
although the provocation was so great. Still it exceeded his
ingenuity to see how that alternative could well be avoided. Sumach
resented her rejection more than she did the deaths of her husband
and brother, and there was little probability that the woman
would pardon a man who had so unequivocally preferred death to her
embraces. Without her forgiveness, there was scarce a hope that the
tribe could be induced to overlook its loss, and even to Rivenoak,
himself, much as he was disposed to pardon, the fate of our hero
now appeared to be almost hopelessly sealed.
When the whole band was arrayed around the captive, a grave silence,
so much the more threatening from its profound quiet, pervaded
the place. Deerslayer perceived that the women and boys had been
preparing splinters of the fat pine roots, which he well knew were
to be stuck into his flesh, and set in flames, while two or three
of the young men held the thongs of bark with which he was to
be bound. The smoke of a distant lire announced that the burning
brands were in preparation, and several of the elder warriors
passed their fingers over the edges of their tomahawks, as if to
prove their keenness and temper. Even the knives seemed loosened
in their sheathes, impatient for the bloody and merciless work to
begin.
"Killer of the Deer," recommenced Rivenoak, certainly without any
signs of sympathy or pity in his manner, though with calmness and
dignity, "Killer of the Deer, it is time that my people knew their
minds. The sun is no longer over our heads; tired of waiting on
the Hurons, he has begun to fall near the pines on this side of the
valley. He is travelling fast towards the country of our French
fathers; it is to warn his children that their lodges are empty,
and that they ought to be at home. The roaming wolf has his den,
and he goes to it when he wishes to see his young. The Iroquois
are not poorer than the wolves. They have villages, and wigwams,
and fields of corn; the Good Spirits will be tired of watching
them alone. My people must go back and see to their own business.
There will be joy in the lodges when they hear our whoop from the
forest! It will he a sorrowful whoop; when it is understood, grief
will come after it. There will be one scalp-whoop, but there will
be only one. We have the fur of the Muskrat; his body is among
the fishes. Deerslayer must say whether another scalp shall be on
our pole. Two lodges are empty; a scalp, living or dead, is wanted
at each door."
"Then take 'em dead, Huron," firmly, but altogether without dramatic
boasting, returned the captive. "My hour is come, I do suppose,
and what must be, must. If you are bent on the tortur', I'll do
my indivours to bear up ag'in it, though no man can say how far
his natur' will stand pain, until he's been tried."
"The pale-face cur begins to put his tail between his legs!" cried
a young and garrulous savage, who bore the appropriate title of
the Corbeau Rouge; a sobriquet he had gained from the French by
his facility in making unseasonable noises, and an undue tendency
to hear his own voice; "he is no warrior; he has killed the Loup
Cervier when looking behind him not to see the flash of his own
rifle. He grunts like a hog, already; when the Huron women begin
to torment him, he will cry like the young of the catamount. He
is a Delaware woman, dressed in the skin of a Yengeese!"
"Have your say, young man; have your say," returned Deerslayer,
unmoved; "you know no better, and I can overlook it. Talking may
aggravate women, but can hardly make knives sharper, fire hotter,
or rifles more sartain."
Rivenoak now interposed, reproving the Red Crow for his premature
interference, and then directing the proper persons to bind the
captive. This expedient was adopted, not from any apprehensions
that he would escape, or from any necessity that was yet apparent
of his being unable to endure the torture with his limbs free, but
from an ingenious design of making him feel his helplessness, and
of gradually sapping his resolution by undermining it, as it might
be, little by little. Deerslayer offered no resistance. He submitted
his arms and legs, freely if not cheerfully, to the ligaments
of bark, which were bound around them by order of the chief, in a
way to produce as little pain as possible. These directions were
secret, and given in the hope that the captive would finally save
himself from any serious bodily suffering by consenting to take the
Sumach for a wife. As soon as the body of Deerslayer was withed in
bark sufficiently to create a lively sense of helplessness, he was
literally carried to a young tree, and bound against it in a way
that effectually prevented him from moving, as well as from falling.
The hands were laid flat against the legs, and thongs were passed
over all, in a way nearly to incorporate the prisoner with the
tree. His cap was then removed, and he was left half-standing,
half-sustained by his bonds, to face the coming scene in the best
manner he could.
Previously to proceeding to any thing like extremities, it was the
wish of Rivenoak to put his captive's resolution to the proof by
renewing the attempt at a compromise. This could be effected only
in one manner, the acquiescence of the Sumach being indispensably
necessary to a compromise of her right to be revenged. With this
view, then, the woman was next desired to advance, and to look to
her own interests; no agent being considered as efficient as the
principal, herself, in this negotiation. The Indian females, when
girls, are usually mild and submissive, with musical tones, pleasant
voices and merry laughs, but toil and suffering generally deprive
them of most of these advantages by the time they have reached
an age which the Sumach had long before passed. To render their
voices harsh, it would seem to require active, malignant, passions,
though, when excited, their screams can rise to a sufficiently
conspicuous degree of discordancy to assert their claim to possess
this distinctive peculiarity of the sex. The Sumach was not
altogether without feminine attraction, however, and had so recently
been deemed handsome in her tribe, as not to have yet learned the
full influence that time and exposure produce on man, as well as on
woman. By an arrangement of Rivenoak's, some of the women around
her had been employing the time in endeavoring to persuade the
bereaved widow that there was still a hope Deerslayer might be
prevailed on to enter her wigwam, in preference to entering the world
of spirits, and this, too, with a success that previous symptoms
scarcely justified. All this was the result of a resolution on
the part of the chief to leave no proper means unemployed, in order
to get transferred to his own nation the greatest hunter that was
then thought to exist in all that region, as well as a husband for
a woman who he felt would be likely to be troublesome, were any of
her claims to the attention and care of the tribe overlooked.
In conformity with this scheme, the Sumach had been secretly
advised to advance into the circle, and to make her appeal to the
prisoner's sense of justice, before the band had recourse to the
last experiment. The woman, nothing loth, consented, for there
was some such attraction in becoming the wife of a noted hunter,
among the females of the tribes, as is experienced by the sex, in
more refined life, when they bestow their hands on the affluent. As
the duties of a mother were thought to be paramount to all other
considerations, the widow felt none of that embarrassment, in
preferring her claims, to which even a female fortune hunter among
ourselves might be liable. When she stood forth before the whole
party, therefore, the children that she led by the hands fully
justified all she did.
"You see me before you, cruel pale-face," the woman commenced;
"your spirit must tell you my errand. I have found you; I cannot
find le Loup Cervier, nor the Panther; I have looked for them in
the lake, in the woods, in the clouds. I cannot say where they
have gone."
"No man knows, good Sumach, no man knows," interposed the captive.
"When the spirit leaves the body, it passes into a world beyond
our knowledge, and the wisest way, for them that are left behind,
is to hope for the best. No doubt both your warriors have gone
to the Happy Hunting Grounds, and at the proper time you will see
'em ag'in, in their improved state. The wife and sister of braves
must have looked forward to some such tarmination of their 'arthly
careers."
"Cruel pale-face, what had my warriors done that you should slay
them! They were the best hunters, and the boldest young men of
their tribe; the Great Spirit intended that they should live until
they withered like the branches of the hemlock, and fell of their
own weight-"
"Nay - nay - good Sumach," interrupted Deerslayer, whose love of
truth was too indomitable to listen to such hyperbole with patience,
even though it came from the torn breast of a widow -"Nay - nay,
good Sumach, this is a little outdoing red-skin privileges. Young
man was neither, any more than you can be called a young woman, and
as to the Great Spirit's intending that they should fall otherwise
than they did, that's a grievous mistake, inasmuch as what the
Great Spirit intends is sartain to come to pass. Then, agin, it's
plain enough neither of your fri'nds did me any harm; I raised my
hand ag'in 'em on account of what they were striving to do, rather
than what they did. This is nat'ral law, 'to do lest you should
be done by.'"
"It is so. Sumach has but one tongue; she can tell but one story.
The pale face struck the Hurons lest the Hurons should strike him.
The Hurons are a just nation; they will forget it. The chiefs
will shut their eyes and pretend not to have seen it; the young men
will believe the Panther and the Lynx have gone to far off hunts,
and the Sumach will take her children by the hand, and go into the
lodge of the pale-face and say - 'See; these are your children;
they are also mine - feed us, and we will live with you.'"
"The tarms are onadmissable, woman, and though I feel for your
losses, which must he hard to bear, the tarms cannot be accepted.
As to givin' you ven'son, in case we lived near enough together,
that would be no great expl'ite; but as for becomin' your husband,
and the father of your children, to be honest with you, I feel no
callin' that-a-way."
"Look at this boy, cruel pale-face; he has no father to teach him
to kill the deer, or to take scalps. See this girl; what young man
will come to look for a wife in a lodge that has no head? There
are more among my people in the Canadas, and the Killer of Deer
will find as many mouths to feed as his heart can wish for."
"I tell you, woman," exclaimed Deerslayer, whose imagination was
far from seconding the appeal of the widow, and who began to grow
restive under the vivid pictures she was drawing, "all this is nothing
to me. People and kindred must take care of their own fatherless,
leaving them that have no children to their own loneliness. As for
me, I have no offspring, and I want no wife. Now, go away Sumach;
leave me in the hands of your chiefs, for my colour, and gifts,
and natur' itself cry out ag'in the idee of taking you for a wife."
It is unnecessary to expatiate on the effect of this downright refusal
of the woman's proposals. If there was anything like tenderness
in her bosom -and no woman was probably ever entirely without that
feminine quality - it all disappeared at this plain announcement.
Fury, rage, mortified pride, and a volcano of wrath burst out, at
one explosion, converting her into a sort of maniac, as it might
beat the touch of a magician's wand. Without deigning a reply in
words, she made the arches of the forest ring with screams, and
then flew forward at her victim, seizing him by the hair, which
she appeared resolute to draw out by the roots. It was some time
before her grasp could be loosened. Fortunately for the prisoner
her rage was blind; since his total helplessness left him entirely
at her mercy. Had it been better directed it might have proved
fatal before any relief could have been offered. As it was, she
did succeed in wrenching out two or three handsful of hair, before
the young men could tear her away from her victim.
The insult that had been offered to the Sumach was deemed an insult
to the whole tribe; not so much, however, on account of any respect
that was felt for the woman, as on account of the honor of the
Huron nation. Sumach, herself, was generally considered to be as
acid as the berry from which she derived her name, and now that
her great supporters, her husband and brother, were both gone, few
cared about concealing their aversion. Nevertheless, it had become
a point of honor to punish the pale-face who disdained a Huron woman,
and more particularly one who coolly preferred death to relieving
the tribe from the support of a widow and her children. The
young men showed an impatience to begin to torture that Rivenoak
understood, and, as his older associates manifested no disposition
to permit any longer delay, he was compelled to give the signal
for the infernal work to proceed.
Chapter XXIX.
"The ugly bear now minded not the stake,
Nor how the cruel mastiffs do him tear,
The stag lay still unroused from the brake,
The foamy boar feared not the hunter's spear:
All thing was still in desert, bush, and briar:"
Thomas Sackville; "The Complaint of Henry Duke of Buckingham,"
lxxxi.
Twas one of the common expedients of the savages, on such occasions,
to put the nerves of their victims to the severest proofs. On the
other hand, it was a matter of Indian pride to betray no yielding
to terror, or pain, but for the prisoner to provoke his enemies
to such acts of violence as would soonest produce death. Many a
warrior had been known to bring his own sufferings to a more speedy
termination, by taunting reproaches and reviling language, when he
found that his physical system was giving way under the agony of
sufferings produced by a hellish ingenuity that might well eclipse
all that has been said of the infernal devices of religious
persecution. This happy expedient of taking refuge from the ferocity
of his foes, in their passions, was denied Deerslayer however, by
his peculiar notions of the duty of a white man, and he had stoutly
made up his mind to endure everything, in preference to disgracing
his colour.
No sooner did the young men understand that they were at liberty
to commence, than some of the boldest and most forward among them
sprang into the arena, tomahawk in hand. Here they prepared to
throw that dangerous weapon, the object being to strike the tree as
near as possible to the victim's head, without absolutely hitting
him. This was so hazardous an experiment that none but those who
were known to be exceedingly expert with the weapon were allowed
to enter the lists at all, lest an early death might interfere with
the expected entertainment. In the truest hands it was seldom that
the captive escaped injury in these trials, and it often happened
that death followed, even when the blow was not premeditated. In
the particular case of our hero, Rivenoak and the older warriors
were apprehensive that the example of the Panther's fate might
prove a motive with some fiery spirit suddenly to sacrifice his
conqueror, when the temptation of effecting it in precisely the
same manner, and possibly with the identical weapon with which the
warrior had fallen, offered. This circumstance of itself rendered
the ordeal of the tomahawk doubly critical for the Deerslayer. It
would seem, however, that all who now entered what we shall call
the lists, were more disposed to exhibit their own dexterity, than
to resent the deaths of their comrades. Each prepared himself
for the trial with the feelings of rivalry, rather than with the
desire for vengeance, and, for the first few minutes, the prisoner
had little more connection with the result, than grew out of the
interest that necessarily attached itself to a living target. The
young men were eager, instead of being fierce, and Rivenoak thought
he still saw signs of being able to save the life of the captive
when the vanity of the young men had been gratified; always admitting
that it was not sacrificed to the delicate experiments that were
about to be made. The first youth who presented himself for the
trial was called The Raven, having as yet had no opportunity of
obtaining a more warlike sobriquet. He was remarkable for high
pretension, rather than for skill or exploits, and those who knew
his character thought the captive in imminent danger when he took
his stand, and poised the tomahawk. Nevertheless, the young man
was good natured, and no thought was uppermost in his mind other
than the desire to make a better cast than any of his fellows.
Deerslayer got an inkling of this warrior's want of reputation by
the injunctions that he had received from the seniors, who, indeed,
would have objected to his appearing in the arena, at all, but
for an influence derived from his father; an aged warrior of great
merit, who was then in the lodges of the tribe. Still, our hero
maintained an appearance of self-possession. He had made up his
mind that his hour was come, and it would have been a mercy, instead
of a calamity, to fall by the unsteadiness of the first hand that
was raised against him. After a suitable number of flourishes and
gesticulations that promised much more than he could perform, the
Raven let the tomahawk quit his hand. The weapon whirled through
the air with the usual evolutions, cut a chip from the sapling to
which the prisoner was bound within a few inches of his cheek, and
stuck in a large oak that grew several yards behind him. This was
decidedly a bad effort, and a common sneer proclaimed as much, to
the great mortification of the young man. On the other hand, there
was a general but suppressed murmur of admiration at the steadiness
with which the captive stood the trial. The head was the only
part he could move, and this had been purposely left free, that
the tormentors might have the amusement, and the tormented endure
the shame, of his dodging, and otherwise attempting to avoid the
blows. Deerslayer disappointed these hopes by a command of nerve
that rendered his whole body as immovable as the tree to which he
was bound. Nor did he even adopt the natural and usual expedient
of shutting his eyes, the firmest and oldest warrior of the red-men
never having more disdainfully denied himself this advantage under
similar circumstances.
The Raven had no sooner made his unsuccessful and puerile effort,
than he was succeeded by le Daim-Mose, or the Moose; a middle aged
warrior who was particularly skilful in the use of the tomahawk,
and from whose attempt the spectators confidently looked for
gratification. This man had none of the good nature of the Raven,
but he would gladly have sacrificed the captive to his hatred
of the pale-faces generally, were it not for the greater interest
he felt in his own success as one particularly skilled in the use
of this weapon. He took his stand quietly, but with an air of
confidence, poised his little axe but a single instant, advanced
a foot with a quick motion, and threw. Deerslayer saw the keen
instrument whirling towards him, and believed all was over; still,
he was not touched. The tomahawk had actually bound the head of
the captive to the tree, by carrying before it some of his hair,
having buried itself deep beneath the soft bark. A general yell
expressed the delight of the spectators, and the Moose felt his
heart soften a little towards the prisoner, whose steadiness of
nerve alone enabled him to give this evidence of his consummate
skill.
Le Daim-Mose was succeeded by the Bounding Boy, or le Garcon qui
Bondi who came leaping into the circle, like a hound or a goat at
play. This was one of those elastic youths whose muscles seemed
always in motion, and who either affected, or who from habit was
actually unable, to move in any other manner than by showing the
antics just mentioned. Nevertheless, he was both brave and skilful,
and had gained the respect of his people by deeds in war, as well
as success in the hunts. A far nobler name would long since have
fallen to his share, had not a French-man of rank inadvertently
given him this sobriquet, which he religiously preserved as coming
from his Great Father who lived beyond the Wide Salt Lake. The
Bounding Boy skipped about in front of the captive, menacing him
with his tomahawk, now on one side and now on another, and then
again in front, in the vain hope of being able to extort some sign
of fear by this parade of danger. At length Deerslayer's patience
became exhausted by all this mummery, and he spoke for the first
time since the trial had actually commenced.
"Throw away, Huron," he cried, "or your tomahawk will forget its
ar'n'd. Why do you keep loping about like a fa'a'n that's showing
its dam how well it can skip, when you're a warrior grown, yourself,
and a warrior grown defies you and all your silly antiks. Throw,
or the Huron gals will laugh in your face."
Although not intended to produce such an effect, the last words
aroused the "Bounding" warrior to fury. The same nervous excitability
which rendered him so active in his person, made it difficult to
repress his feelings, and the words were scarcely past the lips
of the speaker than the tomahawk left the hand of the Indian. Nor
was it cast without ill-will, and a fierce determination to slay.
Had the intention been less deadly, the danger might have been
greater. The aim was uncertain, and the weapon glanced near the
cheek of the captive, slightly cutting the shoulder in its evolutions.
This was the first instance in which any other object than that of
terrifying the prisoner, and of displaying skill had been manifested,
and the Bounding Boy was immediately led from the arena, and
was warmly rebuked for his intemperate haste, which had come so
near defeating all the hopes of the band. To this irritable person
succeeded several other young warriors, who not only hurled the
tomahawk, but who cast the knife, a far more dangerous experiment,
with reckless indifference; yet they always manifested a skill that
prevented any injury to the captive. Several times Deerslayer was
grazed, but in no instance did he receive what might be termed a
wound. The unflinching firmness with which he faced his assailants,
more especially in the sort of rally with which this trial terminated,
excited a profound respect in the spectators, and when the chiefs
announced that the prisoner had well withstood the trials of the
knife and the tomahawk, there was not a single individual in the
band who really felt any hostility towards him, with the exception
of Sumach and the Bounding Boy. These two discontented spirits got
together, it is true, feeding each other's ire, but as yet their
malignant feelings were confined very much to themselves, though
there existed the danger that the others, ere long, could not fail
to be excited by their own efforts into that demoniacal state which
usually accompanied all similar scenes among the red men.
Rivenoak now told his people that the pale-face had proved himself
to be a man. He might live with the Delawares, but he had not been
made woman with that tribe. He wished to know whether it was the
desire of the Hurons to proceed any further. Even the gentlest
of the females, however, had received too much satisfaction in the
late trials to forego their expectations of a gratifying exhibition,
and there was but one voice in the request to proceed. The
politic chief, who had some such desire to receive so celebrated a
hunter into his tribe, as a European Minister has to devise a new
and available means of taxation, sought every plausible means of
arresting the trial in season, for he well knew, if permitted to go
far enough to arouse the more ferocious passions of the tormentors,
it would be as easy to dam the waters of the great lakes of his
own region, as to attempt to arrest them in their bloody career.
He therefore called four or five of the best marksmen to him, and
bid them put the captive to the proof of the rifle, while at the same
time he cautioned them touching the necessity of their maintaining
their own credit, by the closest attention to the manner of exhibiting
their skill.
When Deerslayer saw the chosen warriors step into the circle, with
their arms prepared for service, he felt some such relief as the
miserable sufferer, who has long endured the agonies of disease,
feels at the certain approach of death. Any trifling variance in
the aim of this formidable weapon would prove fatal; since, the
head being the target, or rather the point it was desired to graze
without injuring, an inch or two of difference in the line of
projection must at once determine the question of life or death.
In the torture by the rifle there was none of the latitude permitted
that appeared in the case of even Gessler's apple, a hair's breadth
being, in fact, the utmost limits that an expert marksman would
allow himself on an occasion like this. Victims were frequently
shot through the head by too eager or unskilful hands, and it
often occurred that, exasperated by the fortitude and taunts of the
prisoner, death was dealt intentionally in a moment of ungovernable
irritation. All this Deerslayer well knew, for it was in relating
the traditions of such scenes, as well as of the battles and victories
of their people, that the old men beguiled the long winter evenings
in their cabins. He now fully expected the end of his career,
and experienced a sort of melancholy pleasure in the idea that he
was to fall by a weapon as much beloved as the rifle. A slight
interruption, however, took place before the business was allowed
to proceed.
Hetty Hutter witnessed all that passed, and the scene at first
had pressed upon her feeble mind in a way to paralyze it entirely;
but, by this time she had rallied, and was growing indignant at
the unmerited suffering the Indians were inflicting on her friend.
Though timid, and shy as the young of the deer on so many occasions,
this right-feeling girl was always intrepid in the cause of
humanity; the lessons of her mother, and the impulses of her own
heart - perhaps we might say the promptings of that unseen and
pure spirit that seemed ever to watch over and direct her actions
- uniting to keep down the apprehensions of woman, and to impel her
to be bold and resolute. She now appeared in the circle, gentle,
feminine, even bashful in mien, as usual, but earnest in her words
and countenance, speaking like one who knew herself to be sustained
by the high authority of God.
"Why do you torment Deerslayer, redmen?" she asked "What has he
done that you trifle with his life; who has given you the right to
be his judges? Suppose one of your knives or tomahawks had hit
him; what Indian among you all could cure the wound you would make.
Besides, in harming Deerslayer, you injure your own friend; when
father and Hurry Harry came after your scalps, he refused to be of
the party, and staid in the canoe by himself. You are tormenting
a good friend, in tormenting this young man!"
The Hurons listened with grave attention, and one among them, who
understood English, translated what had been said into their native
tongue. As soon as Rivenoak was made acquainted with the purport
of her address he answered it in his own dialect; the interpreter
conveying it to the girl in English.
"My daughter is very welcome to speak," said the stern old orator,
using gentle intonations and smiling as kindly as if addressing a
child - "The Hurons are glad to hear her voice; they listen to what
she says. The Great Spirit often speaks to men with such tongues.
This time, her eyes have not been open wide enough to see all that
has happened. Deerslayer did not come for our scalps, that is
true; why did he not come? Here they are on our heads; the war
locks are ready to be taken hold of; a bold enemy ought to stretch
out his hand to seize them. The Iroquois are too great a nation
to punish men that take scalps. What they do themselves, they
like to see others do. Let my daughter look around her and count
my warriors. Had I as many hands as four warriors, their fingers
would be fewer than my people, when they came into your hunting
grounds. Now, a whole hand is missing. Where are the fingers?
Two have been cut off by this pale-face; my Hurons wish to see if
he did this by means of a stout heart, or by treachery. Like a
skulking fox, or like a leaping panther."
"You know yourself, Huron, how one of them fell. I saw it, and
you all saw it, too. 'Twas too bloody to look at; but it was not
Deerslayer's fault. Your warrior sought his life, and he defended
himself. I don't know whether this good book says that it was
right, but all men will do that. Come, if you want to know which
of you can shoot best, give Deerslayer a rifle, and then you will
find how much more expert he is than any of your warriors; yes,
than all of them together!"
Could one have looked upon such a scene with indifference, he would
have been amused at the gravity with which the savages listened
to the translation of this unusual request. No taunt, no smile
mingled with their surprise, for Hetty had a character and a manner
too saintly to subject her infirmity to the mockings of the rude
and ferocious. On the contrary, she was answered with respectful
attention.
"My daughter does not always talk like a chief at a Council Fire,"
returned Rivenoak, "or she would not have said this. Two of my
warriors have fallen by the blows of our prisoner; their grave is
too small to hold a third. The Hurons do not like to crowd their
dead. If there is another spirit about to set out for the far off
world, it must not be the spirit of a Huron; it must be the spirit
of a pale-face. Go, daughter, and sit by Sumach, who is in grief;
let the Huron warriors show how well they can shoot; let the
pale-face show how little he cares for their bullets."
Hetty's mind was unequal to a sustained discussion, and accustomed
to defer to the directions of her seniors she did as told, seating
herself passively on a log by the side of the Sumach, and averting
her face from the painful scene that was occurring within the
circle.
The warriors, as soon as this interruption had ceased, resumed
their places, and again prepared to exhibit their skill. As there
was a double object in view, that of putting the constancy of the
captive to the proof, and that of showing how steady were the hands
of the marksmen under circumstances of excitement, the distance was
small, and, in one sense, safe. But in diminishing the distance
taken by the tormentors, the trial to the nerves of the captive was
essentially increased. The face of Deerslayer, indeed, was just
removed sufficiently from the ends of the guns to escape the effects
of the flash, and his steady eye was enabled to look directly
into their muzzles, as it might be, in anticipation of the fatal
messenger that was to issue from each. The cunning Hurons well
knew this fact, and scarce one levelled his piece without first
causing it to point as near as possible at the forehead of the
prisoner, in the hope that his fortitude would fail him, and that
the band would enjoy the triumph of seeing a victim quail under
their ingenious cruelty. Nevertheless each of the competitors was
still careful not to injure, the disgrace of striking prematurely
being second only to that of failing altogether in attaining the
object. Shot after shot was made; all the bullets coming in close
proximity to the Deerslayer's head, without touching it. Still
no one could detect even the twitching of a muscle on the part of
the captive, or the slightest winking of an eye. This indomitable
resolution, which so much exceeded everything of its kind that any
present had before witnessed, might be referred to three distinct
causes. The first was resignation to his fate, blended with natural
steadiness of deportment; for our hero had calmly made up his mind
that he must die, and preferred this mode to any other; the second
was his great familiarity with this particular weapon, which deprived
it of all the terror that is usually connected with the mere form
of the danger; and the third was this familiarity carried out
in practice, to a degree so nice as to enable the intended victim
to tell, within an inch, the precise spot where each bullet must
strike, for he calculated its range by looking in at the bore of the
piece. So exact was Deerslayer's estimation of the line of fire,
that his pride of feeling finally got the better of his resignation,
and when five or six had discharged their bullets into the tree,
he could not refrain from expressing his contempt at their want of
hand and eye.
"You may call this shooting, Mingos!" he exclaimed, "but we've squaws
among the Delawares, and I have known Dutch gals on the Mohawk,
that could outdo your greatest indivours. Ondo these arms of mine,
put a rifle into my hands, and I'll pin the thinnest warlock in
your party to any tree you can show me, and this at a hundred yards
- ay, or at two hundred if the objects can be seen, nineteen shots
in twenty; or, for that matter twenty in twenty, if the piece is
creditable and trusty!"
A low menacing murmur followed this cool taunt. The ire of the
warriors kindled at listening to such a reproach from one who so
far disdained their efforts as to refuse even to wink when a rifle
was discharged as near his face as could be done without burning
it. Rivenoak perceived that the moment was critical, and, still
retaining his hope of adopting so noted a hunter into his tribe,
the politic old chief interposed in time, probably to prevent
an immediate resort to that portion of the torture which must
necessarily have produced death through extreme bodily suffering,
if in no other manner. Moving into the centre of the irritated
group, he addressed them with his usual wily logic and plausible
manner, at once suppressing the fierce movement that had commenced.
"I see how it is," he said. "We have been like the pale-faces
when they fasten their doors at night, out of fear of the red men.
They use so many bars that the fire comes and burns them before they
can get out. We have bound the Deerslayer too tight: the thongs
keep his limbs from shaking and his eyes from shutting. Loosen
him; let us see what his own body is really made of."
It is often the case when we are thwarted in a cherished scheme,
that any expedient, however unlikely to succeed, is gladly resorted
to in preference to a total abandonment of the project. So it was
with the Hurons. The proposal of the chief found instant favor,
and several hands were immediately at work, cutting and tearing
the ropes of bark from the body of our hero. In half a minute
Deerslayer stood as free from bonds as when an hour before he had
commenced his flight on the side of the mountain. Some little
time was necessary that he should recover the use of his limbs,
the circulation of the blood having been checked by the tightness
of the ligatures, and this was accorded to him by the politic
Rivenoak, under the pretence that his body would be more likely
to submit to apprehension if its true tone were restored; though
really with a view to give time to the fierce passions which had
been awakened in the bosoms of his young men to subside. This
ruse succeeded, and Deerslayer by rubbing his limbs, stamping his
feet, and moving about, soon regained the circulation, recovering
all his physical powers as effectually as if nothing had occurred
to disturb them.
It is seldom men think of death in the pride of their health and
strength. So it was with Deerslayer. Having been helplessly bound
and, as he had every reason to suppose, so lately on the very verge
of the other world, to find himself so unexpectedly liberated, in
possession of his strength and with a full command of limb, acted
on him like a sudden restoration to life, reanimating hopes that
he had once absolutely abandoned. From that instant all his plans
changed. In this, he simply obeyed a law of nature; for while we
have wished to represent our hero as being resigned to his fate,
it has been far from our intention to represent him as anxious to
die. From the instant that his buoyancy of feeling revived, his
thoughts were keenly bent on the various projects that presented
themselves as modes of evading the designs of his enemies, and he
again became the quick witted, ingenious and determined woodsman,
alive to all his own powers and resources. The change was so great
that his mind resumed its elasticity, and no longer thinking of
submission, it dwelt only on the devices of the sort of warfare in
which he was engaged.
As soon as Deerslayer was released, the band divided itself in
a circle around him, in order to hedge him in, and the desire to
break down his spirit grew in them, precisely as they saw proofs
of the difficulty there would be in subduing it. The honor of the
band was now involved in the issue, and even the fair sex lost all
its sympathy with suffering in the desire to save the reputation of
the tribe. The voices of the girls, soft and melodious as nature
had made them, were heard mingling with the menaces of the men,
and the wrongs of Sumach suddenly assumed the character of injuries
inflicted on every Huron female. Yielding to this rising tumult,
the men drew back a little, signifying to the females that they
left the captive, for a time, in their hands, it being a common
practice on such occasions for the women to endeavor to throw the
victim into a rage by their taunts and revilings, and then to turn
him suddenly over to the men in a state of mind that was little
favorable to resisting the agony of bodily suffering. Nor was this
party without the proper instruments for effecting such a purpose.
Sumach had a notoriety as a scold, and one or two crones,
like the She Bear, had come out with the party, most probably as
the conservators of its decency and moral discipline; such things
occurring in savage as well as in civilized life. It is unnecessary
to repeat all that ferocity and ignorance could invent for such a
purpose, the only difference between this outbreaking of feminine
anger, and a similar scene among ourselves, consisting in the
figures of speech and the epithets, the Huron women calling their
prisoner by the names of the lower and least respected animals that
were known to themselves.
But Deerslayer's mind was too much occupied to permit him to be
disturbed by the abuse of excited hags, and their rage necessarily
increasing with his indifference, as his indifference increased
with their rage, the furies soon rendered themselves impotent by
their own excesses. Perceiving that the attempt was a complete
failure, the warriors interfered to put a stop to this scene, and
this so much the more because preparations were now seriously making
for the commencement of the real tortures, or that which would put
the fortitude of the sufferer to the test of severe bodily pain. A
sudden and unlooked for announcement, that proceeded from one of the
look-outs, a boy ten or twelve years old, however, put a momentary
check to the whole proceedings. As this interruption has a close
connection with the dénouemnent of our story, it shall be given in
a separate chapter.
Chapter XXX.
"So deem'st thou - so each mortal deems
Of that which is from that which seems;
But other harvest here
Than that which peasant's scythe demands,
Was gather'd in by sterner hands,
With bayonet, blade, and spear."
Scott, "The Field of Waterloo," V.i-6.
It exceeded Deerslayer's power to ascertain what had produced the
sudden pause in the movements of his enemies, until the fact was
revealed in the due course of events. He perceived that much agitation
prevailed among the women in particular, while the warriors rested
on their arms in a sort of dignified expectation. It was plain no
alarm was excited, though it was not equally apparent that a friendly
occurrence produced the delay. Rivenoak was evidently apprised of
all, and by a gesture of his arm he appeared to direct the circle
to remain unbroken, and for each person to await the issue in the
situation he or she then occupied. It required but a minute or
two to bring an explanation of this singular and mysterious pause,
which was soon terminated by the appearance of Judith on the exterior
of the line of bodies, and her ready admission within its circle.
If Deerslayer was startled by this unexpected arrival, well knowing
that the quick witted girl could claim none of that exemption from
the penalties of captivity that was so cheerfully accorded to her
feebler minded sister, he was equally astonished at the guise in
which she came. All her ordinary forest attire, neat and becoming
as this usually was, had been laid aside for the brocade that
has been already mentioned, and which had once before wrought so
great and magical an effect in her appearance. Nor was this all.
Accustomed to see the ladies of the garrison in the formal, gala
attire of the day, and familiar with the more critical niceties
of these matters, the girl had managed to complete her dress in a
way to leave nothing strikingly defective in its details, or even
to betray an incongruity that would have been detected by one
practised in the mysteries of the toilet. Head, feet, arms, hands,
bust, and drapery, were all in harmony, as female attire was then
deemed attractive and harmonious, and the end she aimed at, that
of imposing on the uninstructed senses of the savages, by causing
them to believe their guest was a woman of rank and importance,
might well have succeeded with those whose habits had taught them
to discriminate between persons. Judith, in addition to her rare
native beauty, had a singular grace of person, and her mother had
imparted enough of her own deportment to prevent any striking or
offensive vulgarity of manner; so that, sooth to say, the gorgeous
dress might have been worse bestowed in nearly every particular.
Had it been displayed in a capital, a thousand might have worn it,
before one could have been found to do more credit to its gay colours,
glossy satins, and rich laces, than the beautiful creature whose
person it now aided to adorn. The effect of such an apparition had
not been miscalculated. The instant Judith found herself within the
circle, she was, in a degree, compensated for the fearful personal
risk she ran, by the unequivocal sensation of surprise and admiration
produced by her appearance. The grim old warriors uttered their
favorite exclamation "hugh!" The younger men were still more
sensibly overcome, and even the women were not backward in letting
open manifestations of pleasure escape them. It was seldom that
these untutored children of the forest had ever seen any white
female above the commonest sort, and, as to dress, never before had
so much splendor shone before their eyes. The gayest uniforms of
both French and English seemed dull compared with the lustre of the
brocade, and while the rare personal beauty of the wearer added to
the effect produced by its hues, the attire did not fail to adorn
that beauty in a way which surpassed even the hopes of its wearer.
Deerslayer himself was astounded, and this quite as much by the
brilliant picture the girl presented, as at the indifference to
consequences with which she had braved the danger of the step she
had taken. Under such circumstances, all waited for the visitor
to explain her object, which to most of the spectators seemed as
inexplicable as her appearance.
"Which of these warriors is the principal chief?" demanded Judith of
Deerslayer, as soon as she found it was expected that she should
open the communications; "my errand is too important to be delivered
to any of inferior rank. First explain to the Hurons what I say;
then give an answer to the question I have put."
Deerslayer quietly complied, his auditors greedily listening to the
interpretation of the first words that fell from so extraordinary
a vision. The demand seemed perfectly in character for one who
had every appearance of an exalted rank, herself. Rivenoak gave an
appropriate reply, by presenting himself before his fair visitor in
a way to leave no doubt that he was entitled to all the consideration
he claimed.
"I can believe this, Huron," resumed Judith, enacting her assumed
part with a steadiness and dignity that did credit to her powers of
imitation, for she strove to impart to her manner the condescending
courtesy she had once observed in the wife of a general officer,
at a similar though a more amicable scene: "I can believe you to
be the principal person of this party; I see in your countenance
the marks of thought and reflection. To you, then, I must make my
communication."
"Let the Flower of the Woods speak," returned the old chief
courteously, as soon as her address had been translated so that all
might understand it - "If her words are as pleasant as her looks,
they will never quit my ears; I shall hear them long after the winter
of Canada has killed all the flowers, and frozen all the speeches
of summer."
This admiration was grateful to one constituted like Judith, and
contributed to aid her self-possession, quite as much as it fed
her vanity. Smiling involuntarily, or in spite of her wish to seem
reserved, she proceeded in her plot.
"Now, Huron," she continued, "listen to my words. Your eyes tell
you that I am no common woman. I will not say I am queen of this
country; she is afar off, in a distant land; but under our gracious
monarchs, there are many degrees of rank; one of these I fill. What
that rank is precisely, it is unnecessary for me to say, since you
would not understand it. For that information you must trust your
eyes. You see what I am; you must feel that in listening to my
words, you listen to one who can be your friend, or your enemy, as
you treat her."
This was well uttered, with a due attention to manner and a
steadiness of tone that was really surprising, considering all the
circumstances of the case. It was well, though simply rendered
into the Indian dialect too, and it was received with a respect
and gravity that augured favourably for the girl's success. But
Indian thought is not easily traced to its sources. Judith waited
with anxiety to hear the answer, filled with hope even while she
doubted. Rivenoak was a ready speaker, and he answered as promptly
as comported with the notions of Indian decorum; that peculiar
people seeming to think a short delay respectful, inasmuch as it
manifests that the words already heard have been duly weighed.
"My daughter is handsomer than the wild roses of Ontario; her
voice is pleasant to the ear as the song of the wren," answered
the cautious and wily chief, who of all the band stood alone in not
being fully imposed on by the magnificent and unusual appearance
of Judith; but who distrusted even while he wondered: "the humming
bird is not much larger than the bee; yet, its feathers are as gay
as the tail of the peacock. The Great Spirit sometimes puts very
bright clothes on very little animals. Still He covers the Moose
with coarse hair. These things are beyond the understanding of
poor Indians, who can only comprehend what they see and hear. No
doubt my daughter has a very large wigwam somewhere about the lake;
the Hurons have not found it, on account of their ignorance?"
"I have told you, chief, that it would be useless to state my rank
and residence, in as much as you would not comprehend them. You
must trust to your eyes for this knowledge; what red man is there
who cannot see? This blanket that I wear is not the blanket of a
common squaw; these ornaments are such as the wives and daughters
of chiefs only appear in. Now, listen and hear why I have come
alone among your people, and hearken to the errand that has brought
me here. The Yengeese have young men, as well as the Hurons; and
plenty of them, too; this you well know."
"The Yengeese are as plenty as the leaves on the trees! This every
Huron knows, and feels."
"I understand you, chief. Had I brought a party with me, it might
have caused trouble. My young men and your young men would have
looked angrily at each other; especially had my young men seen that
pale-face bound for the torture. He is a great hunter, and is much
loved by all the garrisons, far and near. There would have been
blows about him, and the trail of the Iroquois back to the Canadas
would have been marked with blood."
"There is so much blood on it, now," returned the chief, gloomily,
"that it blinds our eyes. My young men see that it is all Huron."
"No doubt; and more Huron blood would be spilt had I come surrounded
with pale-faces. I have heard of Rivenoak, and have thought it
would be better to send him back in peace to his village, that he
might leave his women and children behind him; if he then wished
to come for our scalps, we would meet him. He loves animals made
of ivory, and little rifles. See; I have brought some with me to
show him. I am his friend. When he has packed up these things
among his goods, he will start for his village, before any of my
young men can overtake him, and then he will show his people in
Canada what riches they can come to seek, now that our great fathers,
across the Salt Lake, have sent each other the war hatchet. I will
lead back with me this great hunter, of whom I have need to keep
my house in venison."
Judith, who was sufficiently familiar with Indian phraseology,
endeavored to express her ideas in the sententious manner common to
those people, and she succeeded even beyond her own expectations.
Deerslayer did her full justice in the translation, and this so much
the more readily, since the girl carefully abstained from uttering
any direct untruth; a homage she paid to the young man's known aversion
to falsehood, which he deemed a meanness altogether unworthy of a
white man's gifts. The offering of the two remaining elephants,
and of the pistols already mentioned, one of which was all the worse
for the recent accident, produced a lively sensation among the Hurons,
generally, though Rivenoak received it coldly, notwithstanding the
delight with which he had first discovered the probable existence
of a creature with two tails. In a word, this cool and sagacious
savage was not so easily imposed on as his followers, and with a
sentiment of honor that half the civilized world would have deemed
supererogatory, he declined the acceptance of a bribe that he felt
no disposition to earn by a compliance with the donor's wishes.
"Let my daughter keep her two-tailed hog, to eat when venison
is scarce," he drily answered, "and the little gun, which has two
muzzles. The Hurons will kill deer when they are hungry, and they
have long rifles to fight with. This hunter cannot quit my young
men now; they wish to know if he is as stouthearted as he boasts
himself to be."
"That I deny, Huron -" interrupted Deerslayer, with warmth - "Yes,
that I downright deny, as ag'in truth and reason. No man has heard
me boast, and no man shall, though ye flay me alive, and then roast
the quivering flesh, with your own infarnal devices and cruelties!
I may be humble, and misfortunate, and your prisoner; but I'm no
boaster, by my very gifts."
"My young pale-face boasts he is no boaster," returned the crafty
chief: "he must be right. I hear a strange bird singing. It has
very rich feathers. No Huron ever before saw such feathers! They
will be ashamed to go back to their village, and tell their people
that they let their prisoner go on account of the song of this
strange bird and not be able to give the name of the bird. They
do not know how to say whether it is a wren, or a cat bird. This
would be a great disgrace; my young men would not be allowed to
travel in the woods without taking their mothers with them, to tell
them the names of the birds!"
"You can ask my name of your prisoner," returned the girl. "It is
Judith; and there is a great deal of the history of Judith in the
pale-face's best book, the Bible. If I am a bird of fine feathers,
I have also my name."
"No," answered the wily Huron, betraying the artifice he had so long
practised, by speaking in English with tolerable accuracy, "I not
ask prisoner. He tired; he want rest. I ask my daughter, with
feeble mind. She speak truth. Come here, daughter; you answer.
Your name, Hetty?"
"Yes, that's what they call me," returned the girl, "though it's
written Esther in the Bible."
"He write him in bible, too! All write in bible. No matter- what
her name?"
"That's Judith, and it's so written in the Bible, though father
sometimes called her Jude. That's my sister Judith. Thomas Hutter's
daughter -Thomas Hutter, whom you called the Muskrat; though he
was no muskrat, but a man like yourselves - he lived in a house on
the water, and that was enough for you."
A smile of triumph gleamed on the hard wrinkled countenance of the
chief, when he found how completely his appeal to the truth-loving
Hetty had succeeded. As for Judith, herself, the moment her sister
was questioned, she saw that all was lost; for no sign, or even
intreaty could have induced the right feeling girl to utter a
falsehood. To attempt to impose a daughter of the Muskrat on the
savages as a princess, or a great lady, she knew would be idle,
and she saw her bold and ingenious expedient for liberating the
captive fail, through one of the simplest and most natural causes
that could be imagined. She turned her eye on Deerslayer, therefore,
as if imploring him to interfere to save them both.
"It will not do, Judith," said the young man, in answer to this
appeal, which he understood, though he saw its uselessness; "it
will not do. 'Twas a bold idea, and fit for a general's lady, but
yonder Mingo" Rivenoak had withdrawn to a little distance, and was
out of earshot - "but yonder Mingo is an oncommon man, and not to
be deceived by any unnat'ral sarcumvention. Things must come afore
him in their right order, to draw a cloud afore his eyes! Twas
too much to attempt making him fancy that a queen, or a great lady,
lived in these mountains, and no doubt he thinks the fine clothes
you wear is some of the plunder of your own father - or, at least,
of him who once passed for your father; as quite likely it was, if
all they say is true."
"At all events, Deerslayer, my presence here will save you for a
time. They will hardly attempt torturing you before my face!"
"Why not, Judith? Do you think they will treat a woman of the
pale faces more tenderly than they treat their own? It's true that
your sex will most likely save you from the torments, but it will
not save your liberty, and may not save your scalp. I wish you had
not come, my good Judith; it can do no good to me, while it may do
great harm to yourself."
"I can share your fate," the girl answered with generous enthusiasm.
"They shall not injure you while I stand by, if in my power to
prevent it -besides -"
"Besides, what, Judith? What means have you to stop Injin cruelties,
or to avart Injin deviltries?"
"None, perhaps, Deerslayer," answered the girl, with firmness, "but
I can suffer with my friends - die with them if necessary."
"Ah! Judith - suffer you may; but die you will not, until the
Lord's time shall come. It's little likely that one of your sex
and beauty will meet with a harder fate than to become the wife
of a chief, if, indeed your white inclinations can stoop to match
with an Injin. 'Twould have been better had you staid in the Ark,
or the castle, but what has been done, is done. You was about to
say something, when you stopped at 'besides'?"
"It might not be safe to mention it here, Deerslayer," the girl
hurriedly answered, moving past him carelessly, that she might speak
in a lower tone; "half an hour is all in all to us. None of your
friends are idle."
The hunter replied merely by a grateful look. Then he turned
towards his enemies, as if ready again to face their torments. A
short consultation had passed among the elders of the band, and by
this time they also were prepared with their decision. The merciful
purpose of Rivenoak had been much weakened by the artifice of
Judith, which, failing of its real object, was likely to produce
results the very opposite of those she had anticipated. This was
natural; the feeling being aided by the resentment of an Indian who
found how near he had been to becoming the dupe of an inexperienced
girl. By this time, Judith's real character was fully understood,
the wide spread reputation of her beauty contributing to the
exposure. As for the unusual attire, it was confounded with the
profound mystery of the animals with two tails, and for the moment
lost its influence.
When Rivenoak, therefore, faced the captive again, it was with
an altered countenance. He had abandoned the wish of saving him,
and was no longer disposed to retard the more serious part of the
torture. This change of sentiment was, in effect, communicated to
the young men, who were already eagerly engaged in making their
preparations for the contemplated scene. Fragments of dried wood
were rapidly collected near the sapling, the splinters which it
was intended to thrust into the flesh of the victim, previously to
lighting, were all collected, and the thongs were already produced
that were again to bind him to the tree. All this was done in
profound silence, Judith watching every movement with breathless
expectation, while Deerslayer himself stood seemingly as unmoved as
one of the pines of the hills. When the warriors advanced to bind
him, however, the young man glanced at Judith, as if to enquire
whether resistance or submission were most advisable. By a significant
gesture she counselled the last, and, in a minute, he was once more
fastened to the tree, a helpless object of any insult, or wrong,
that might be offered. So eagerly did every one now act, that
nothing was said. The fire was immediately lighted in the pile,
and the end of all was anxiously expected.
It was not the intention of the Hurons absolutely to destroy the
life of their victim by means of fire. They designed merely to
put his physical fortitude to the severest proofs it could endure,
short of that extremity. In the end, they fully intended to carry
his scalp with them into their village, but it was their wish
first to break down his resolution, and to reduce him to the level
of a complaining sufferer. With this view, the pile of brush and
branches had been placed at a proper distance, or, one at which
it was thought the heat would soon become intolerable, though it
might not be immediately dangerous. As often happened, however,
on these occasions, this distance had been miscalculated, and the
flames began to wave their forked tongues in a proximity to the face
of the victim, that would have proved fatal, in another instant,
had not Hetty rushed through the crowd, armed with a stick, and
scattered the blazing pile in a dozen directions. More than one
hand was raised to strike this presumptuous intruder to the earth,
but the chiefs prevented the blows, by reminding their irritated
followers of the state of her mind. Hetty, herself, was insensible
to the risk she ran, but, as soon as she had performed this bold
act, she stood looking about her, in frowning resentment, as if to
rebuke the crowd of attentive savages for their cruelty.
"God bless you, dearest sister, for that brave and ready act!"
murmured Judith, herself unnerved so much as to be incapable of
exertion -"Heaven, itself, has sent you on its holy errand."
"'Twas well meant, Judith -" rejoined the victim - "'twas excellently
meant, and 'twas timely; though it may prove ontimely in the ind!
What is to come to pass, must come to pass soon, or 'twill quickly
be too late. Had I drawn in one mouthful of that flame in breathing,
the power of man could not save my life, and you see that, this
time, they've so bound my forehead, as not to leave my head the
smallest chance. 'Twas well meant, but it might have been more
marciful to let the flames act their part."
"Cruel, heartless Hurons!" exclaimed the still indignant Hetty -
"Would you burn a man and a Christian, as you would burn a log of
wood! Do you never read your Bibles? Or do you think God will
forget such things?"
A gesture from Rivenoak caused the scattered brands to be collected.
Fresh wood was brought, even the women and children busying themselves
eagerly, in the gathering of dried sticks. The flame was just
kindling a second time, when an Indian female pushed through the
circle, advanced to the heap, and with her foot dashed aside the
lighted twigs in time to prevent the conflagration. A yell followed
this second disappointment, but when the offender turned towards
the circle, and presented the countenance of Hist, it was succeeded
by a common exclamation of pleasure and surprise. For a minute,
all thought of pursuing the business in hand was forgotten. Young
and old crowded around the girl, in haste to demand an explanation
of her sudden and unlooked-for return. It was at this critical
instant that Hist spoke to Judith in a low voice, placed some small
object unseen in her hand, and then turned to meet the salutations
of the Huron girls, with whom she was personally a great favorite.
Judith recovered her self possession, and acted promptly. The
small, keen edged knife that Hist had given to the other, was
passed by the latter into the hands of Hetty, as the safest and
least suspected medium of transferring it to Deerslayer. But the
feeble intellect of the last defeated the well-grounded hopes of
all three. Instead of first cutting loose the hands of the victim,
and then concealing the knife in his clothes, in readiness for
action at the most available instant, she went to work herself,
with earnestness and simplicity, to cut the thongs that bound his
head, that he might not again be in danger of inhaling flames. Of
course this deliberate procedure was seen, and the hands of Hetty
were arrested, ere she had more than liberated the upper portion of
the captive's body, not including his arms below the elbows. This
discovery at once pointed distrust towards Hist, and to Judith's
surprise, when questioned on the subject, that spirited girl was
not disposed to deny her agency in what had passed.
"Why should I not help the Deerslayer?" the girl demanded, in the
tones of a firm minded woman. "He is the brother of a Delaware
chief; my heart is all Delaware. Come forth, miserable Briarthorn,
and wash the Iroquois paint from your face; stand before the Hurons
the crow that you are. You would eat the carrion of your own dead,
rather than starve. Put him face to face with Deerslayer, chiefs
and warriors; I will show you how great a knave you have been
keeping in your tribe."
This bold language, uttered in their own dialect and with a manner
full of confidence, produced a deep sensation among the Hurons.
Treachery is always liable to distrust, and though the recreant
Briarthorn had endeavoured to serve the enemy well, his exertions
and assiduities had gained for him little more than toleration. His
wish to obtain Hist for a wife had first induced him to betray her,
and his own people, but serious rivals to his first project had
risen up among his new friends, weakening still more their
sympathies with treason. In a word, Briarthorn had been barely
permitted to remain in the Huron encampment, where he was as closely
and as jealously watched as Hist, herself, seldom appearing before
the chiefs, and sedulously keeping out of view of Deerslayer, who,
until this moment, was ignorant even of his presence. Thus summoned,
however, it was impossible to remain in the back ground. "Wash the
Iroquois paint from his face," he did not, for when he stood in the
centre of the circle, he was so disguised in these new colours, that
at first, the hunter did not recognise him. He assumed an air of
defiance, notwithstanding, and haughtily demanded what any could say
against "Briarthorn."
"Ask yourself that," continued Hist with spirit, though her manner
grew less concentrated, and there was a slight air of abstraction
that became observable to Deerslayer and Judith, if to no others
-"Ask that of your own heart, sneaking woodchuck of the Delawares;
come not here with the face of an innocent man. Go look into the
spring; see the colours of your enemies on your lying skin; then
come back and boast how you run from your tribe and took the blanket
of the French for your covering! Paint yourself as bright as the
humming bird, you will still be black as the crow!"
Hist had been so uniformly gentle, while living with the Hurons,
that they now listened to her language with surprise. As for the
delinquent, his blood boiled in his veins, and it was well for the
pretty speaker that it was not in his power to execute the revenge
he burned to inflict on her, in spite of his pretended love.
"Who wishes Briarthorn?" he sternly asked - "If this pale-face is
tired of life, if afraid of Indian torments, speak, Rivenoak; I
will send him after the warriors we have lost."
"No, chiefs - no, Rivenoak -" eagerly interrupted Hist - "Deerslayer
fears nothing; least of all a crow! Unbind him - cut his withes,
place him face to face with this cawing bird; then let us see which
is tired of life!"
Hist made a forward movement, as if to take a knife from a young
man, and perform the office she had mentioned in person, but an aged
warrior interposed, at a sign from Rivenoak. This chief watched
all the girl did with distrust, for, even while speaking in her
most boastful language, and in the steadiest manner, there was an
air of uncertainty and expectation about her, that could not escape
so close an observer. She acted well; but two or three of the old
men were equally satisfied that it was merely acting. Her proposal
to release Deerslayer, therefore, was rejected, and the disappointed
Hist found herself driven back from the sapling, at the very moment
she fancied herself about to be successful. At the same time, the
circle, which had got to be crowded and confused, was enlarged, and
brought once more into order. Rivenoak now announced the intention
of the old men again to proceed, the delay having continued long
enough, and leading to no result.
"Stop Huron - stay chiefs! -" exclaimed Judith, scarce knowing
what she said, or why she interposed, unless to obtain time. "For
God's sake, a single minute longer -"
The words were cut short, by another and a still more extraordinary
interruption. A young Indian came bounding through the Huron ranks,
leaping into the very centre of the circle, in a way to denote the
utmost confidence, or a temerity bordering on foolhardiness. Five
or six sentinels were still watching the lake at different and
distant points, and it was the first impression of Rivenoak that one
of these had come in, with tidings of import. Still the movements
of the stranger were so rapid, and his war dress, which scarcely
left him more drapery than an antique statue, had so little
distinguishing about it, that, at the first moment, it was impossible
to ascertain whether he were friend or foe. Three leaps carried
this warrior to the side of Deerslayer, whose withes were cut in the
twinkling of an eye, with a quickness and precision that left the
prisoner perfect master of his limbs. Not till this was effected
did the stranger bestow a glance on any other object; then he
turned and showed the astonished Hurons the noble brow, fine person,
and eagle eye, of a young warrior, in the paint and panoply of a
Delaware. He held a rifle in each hand, the butts of both resting
on the earth, while from one dangled its proper pouch and horn.
This was Killdeer which, even as he looked boldly and in defiance
at the crowd around him, he suffered to fall back into the hands
of its proper owner. The presence of two armed men, though it was
in their midst, startled the Hurons. Their rifles were scattered
about against the different trees, and their only weapons were
their knives and tomahawks. Still they had too much self-possession
to betray fear. It was little likely that so small a force would
assail so strong a band, and each man expected some extraordinary
proposition to succeed so decisive a step. The stranger did not
seem disposed to disappoint them; he prepared to speak.
"Hurons," he said, "this earth is very big. The Great Lakes are
big, too; there is room beyond them for the Iroquois; there is
room for the Delawares on this side. I am Chingachgook the Son
of Uncas; the kinsman of Tamenund. This is my betrothed; that
pale-face is my friend. My heart was heavy, when I missed him;
I followed him to your camp, to see that no harm happened to him.
All the Delaware girls are waiting for Wah; they wonder that she
stays away so long. Come, let us say farewell, and go on our path."
"Hurons, this is your mortal enemy, the Great Serpent of them you
hate!" cried Briarthorn. "If he escape, blood will be in your
moccasin prints, from this spot to the Canadas. I am all Huron!"
As the last words were uttered, the traitor cast his knife at the
naked breast of the Delaware. A quick movement of the arm, on the
part of Hist, who stood near, turned aside the blow, the dangerous
weapon burying its point in a pine. At the next instant, a similar
weapon glanced from the hand of the Serpent, and quivered in the
recreant's heart. A minute had scarcely elapsed from the moment
in which Chingachgook bounded into the circle, and that in which
Briarthorn fell, like a log, dead in his tracks. The rapidity of
events had prevented the Hurons from acting; but this catastrophe
permitted no farther delay. A common exclamation followed, and
the whole party was in motion. At this instant a sound unusual to
the woods was heard, and every Huron, male and female, paused to
listen, with ears erect and faces filled with expectation. The sound
was regular and heavy, as if the earth were struck with beetles.
Objects became visible among the trees of the background, and a
body of troops was seen advancing with measured tread. They came
upon the charge, the scarlet of the King's livery shining among
the bright green foliage of the forest.
The scene that followed is not easily described. It was one in which
wild confusion, despair, and frenzied efforts, were so blended as
to destroy the unity and distinctness of the action. A general
yell burst from the enclosed Hurons; it was succeeded by the hearty
cheers of England. Still not a musket or rifle was fired, though
that steady, measured tramp continued, and the bayonet was seen
gleaming in advance of a line that counted nearly sixty men. The
Hurons were taken at a fearful disadvantage. On three sides was
the water, while their formidable and trained foes cut them off
from flight on the fourth. Each warrior rushed for his arms, and
then all on the point, man, woman and child, eagerly sought the
covers. In this scene of confusion and dismay, however, nothing
could surpass the discretion and coolness of Deerslayer. His first
care was to place Judith and Hist behind trees, and he looked for
Hetty; but she had been hurried away in the crowd of Huron women.
This effected, he threw himself on a flank of the retiring Hurons,
who were inclining off towards the southern margin of the point,
in the hope of escaping through the water. Deerslayer watched his
opportunity, and finding two of his recent tormentors in a range,
his rifle first broke the silence of the terrific scene. The bullet
brought down both at one discharge. This drew a general fire from
the Hurons, and the rifle and war cry of the Serpent were heard in
the clamor. Still the trained men returned no answering volley,
the whoop and piece of Hurry alone being heard on their side,
if we except the short, prompt word of authority, and that heavy,
measured and menacing tread. Presently, however, the shrieks,
groans, and denunciations that usually accompany the use of the
bayonet followed. That terrible and deadly weapon was glutted in
vengeance. The scene that succeeded was one of those of which so
many have occurred in our own times, in which neither age nor sex
forms an exemption to the lot of a savage warfare.
Chapter XXXI.
"The flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow dies;
All that we wish to stay,
Tempts and then flies:
What is this world's delight?
Lightning that mocks the night,
Brief even as bright."
Shelley, "Mutability," 11. i-v.
The picture next presented, by the point of land that the unfortunate
Hurons had selected for their last place of encampment, need
scarcely be laid before the eyes of the reader. Happily for the
more tender-minded and the more timid, the trunks of the trees,
the leaves, and the smoke had concealed much of that which passed,
and night shortly after drew its veil over the lake, and the whole
of that seemingly interminable wilderness; which may be said to
have then stretched, with few and immaterial interruptions, from
the banks of the Hudson to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Our
business carries us into the following day, when light returned
upon the earth, as sunny and as smiling as if nothing extraordinary
had occurred.
When the sun rose on the following morning, every sign of hostility
and alarm had vanished from the basin of the Glimmerglass. The
frightful event of the preceding evening had left no impression
on the placid sheet, and the untiring hours pursued their course
in the placid order prescribed by the powerful hand that set
them in motion. The birds were again skimming the water, or were
seen poised on the wing, high above the tops of the tallest pines
of the mountains, ready to make their swoops, in obedience to the
irresistable law of their natures. In a word, nothing was changed,
but the air of movement and life that prevailed in and around the
castle. Here, indeed, was an alteration that must have struck
the least observant eye. A sentinel, who wore the light infantry
uniform of a royal regiment, paced the platform with measured tread,
and some twenty more of the same corps lounged about the place, or
were seated in the ark. Their arms were stacked under the eye of
their comrade on post. Two officers stood examining the shore, with
the ship's glass so often mentioned. Their looks were directed to
that fatal point, where scarlet coats were still to be seen gliding
among the trees, and where the magnifying power of the instrument
also showed spades at work, and the sad duty of interment going on.
Several of the common men bore proofs on their persons that their
enemies had not been overcome entirely without resistance, and the
youngest of the two officers on the platform wore an arm in a sling.
His companion, who commanded the party, had been more fortunate. He
it was who used the glass, in making the reconnoissances in which
the two were engaged.
A sergeant approached to make a report. He addressed the senior
of these officers as Capt. Warley, while the other was alluded
to as Mr., which was equivalent to Ensign Thornton. The former it
will at once be seen was the officer who had been named with so
much feeling in the parting dialogue between Judith and Hurry. He
was, in truth, the very individual with whom the scandal of the
garrisons had most freely connected the name of this beautiful but
indiscreet girl. He was a hard featured, red faced man of about five
and thirty; but of a military carriage, and with an air of fashion
that might easily impose on the imagination of one as ignorant of
the world as Judith.
"Craig is covering us with benedictions," observed this person
to his young ensign, with an air of indifference, as he shut the
glass and handed it to his servant; "to say the truth, not without
reason; it is certainly more agreeable to be here in attendance on
Miss Judith Hutter, than to be burying Indians on a point of the
lake, however romantic the position, or brilliant the victory. By
the way, Wright - is Davis still living?"
"He died about ten minutes since, your honor," returned the sergeant
to whom this question was addressed. "I knew how it would be, as
soon as I found the bullet had touched the stomach. I never knew
a man who could hold out long, if he had a hole in his stomach."
"No; it is rather inconvenient for carrying away any thing very
nourishing," observed Warley, gaping. "This being up two nights
de suite, Arthur, plays the devil with a man's faculties! I'm as
stupid as one of those Dutch parsons on the Mohawk - I hope your
arm is not painful, my dear boy?"
"It draws a few grimaces from me, sir, as I suppose you see,"
answered the youth, laughing at the very moment his countenance was
a little awry with pain. "But it may be borne. I suppose Graham
can spare a few minutes, soon, to look at my hurt."
"She is a lovely creature, this Judith Hutter, after all, Thornton;
and it shall not be my fault if she is not seen and admired in
the Parks!" resumed Warley, who thought little of his companion's
wound - "your arm, eh! Quite True - Go into the ark, sergeant, and
tell Dr. Graham I desire he would look at Mr. Thornton's injury,
as soon as he has done with the poor fellow with the broken leg.
A lovely creature! and she looked like a queen in that brocade
dress in which we met her. I find all changed here; father and
mother both gone, the sister dying, if not dead, and none of the
family left, but the beauty! This has been a lucky expedition all
round, and promises to terminate better than Indian skirmishes in
general."
"Am I to suppose, sir, that you are about to desert your colours, in
the great corps of bachelors, and close the campaign with matrimony?"
"I, Tom Warley, turn Benedict! Faith, my dear boy, you little know
the corps you speak of, if you fancy any such thing. I do suppose
there are women in the colonies that a captain of Light Infantry need
not disdain; but they are not to be found up here, on a mountain
lake; or even down on the Dutch river where we are posted. It
is true, my uncle, the general, once did me the favor to choose a
wife for me in Yorkshire; but she had no beauty - and I would not
marry a princess, unless she were handsome."
"If handsome, you would marry a beggar?"
"Ay, these are the notions of an ensign! Love in a cottage - doors
- and windows - the old story, for the hundredth time. The 20th
- don't marry. We are not a marrying corps, my dear boy. There's
the Colonel, Old Sir Edwin ------, now; though a full General he has
never thought of a wife; and when a man gets as high as a Lieutenant
General, without matrimony, he is pretty safe. Then the Lieutenant
Colonel is confirmed, as I tell my cousin the bishop. The Major is
a widower, having tried matrimony for twelve months in his youth,
and we look upon him, now, as one of our most certain men. Out
of ten captains, but one is in the dilemma, and he, poor devil, is
always kept at regimental headquarters, as a sort of memento mori,
to the young men as they join. As for the subalterns, not one has
ever yet had the audacity to speak of introducing a wife into the
regiment. But your arm is troublesome, and we'll go ourselves and
see what has become of Graham."
The surgeon who had accompanied the party was employed very
differently from what the captain supposed. When the assault was
over, and the dead and wounded were collected, poor Hetty had been
found among the latter. A rifle bullet had passed through her body,
inflicting an injury that was known at a glance to be mortal. How
this wound was received, no one knew; it was probably one of those
casualties that ever accompany scenes like that related in the
previous chapter.
The Sumach, all the elderly women, and some of the Huron girls,
had fallen by the bayonet, either in the confusion of the melee,
or from the difficulty of distinguishing the sexes when the dress
was so simple. Much the greater portion of the warriors suffered
on the spot. A few had escaped, however, and two or three had been
taken unharmed. As for the wounded, the bayonet saved the surgeon
much trouble. Rivenoak had escaped with life and limb, but was
injured and a prisoner. As Captain Warley and his ensign went into
the Ark they passed him, seated in dignified silence in one end of
the scow, his head and leg bound, but betraying no visible sign of
despondency or despair. That he mourned the loss of his tribe is
certain; still he did it in a manner that best became a warrior
and a chief.
The two soldiers found their surgeon in the principal room of the
Ark. He was just quitting the pallet of Hetty, with an expression
of sorrowful regret on his hard, pock-marked Scottish features,
that it was not usual to see there. All his assiduity had been
useless, and he was compelled reluctantly to abandon the expectation
of seeing the girl survive many hours. Dr. Graham was accustomed
to death-bed scenes, and ordinarily they produced but little
impression on him. In all that relates to religion, his was one
of those minds which, in consequence of reasoning much on material
things, logically and consecutively, and overlooking the total want
of premises which such a theory must ever possess, through its want
of a primary agent, had become sceptical; leaving a vague opinion
concerning the origin of things, that, with high pretentions to
philosophy, failed in the first of all philosophical principles, a
cause. To him religious dependence appeared a weakness, but when
he found one gentle and young like Hetty, with a mind beneath
the level of her race, sustained at such a moment by these pious
sentiments, and that, too, in a way that many a sturdy warrior and
reputed hero might have looked upon with envy, he found himself
affected by the sight to a degree that he would have been ashamed
to confess. Edinburgh and Aberdeen, then as now, supplied no small
portion of the medical men of the British service, and Dr. Graham,
as indeed his name and countenance equally indicated, was, by birth
a North Briton.
"Here is an extraordinary exhibition for a forest, and one but
half-gifted with reason," he observed with a decided Scotch accent,
as Warley and the ensign entered; "I just hope, gentlemen, that
when we three shall be called on to quit the 20th, we may be found
as resigned to go on the half pay of another existence, as this
poor demented chiel!"
"Is there no hope that she can survive the hurt?" demanded Warley,
turning his eyes towards the pallid Judith, on whose cheeks,
however, two large spots of red had settled as soon as he came into
the cabin.
"No more than there is for Chairlie Stuart! Approach and judge for
yourselves, gentlemen; ye'll see faith exemplified in an exceeding
and wonderful manner. There is a sort of arbitrium between life
and death, in actual conflict in the poor girl's mind, that renders
her an interesting study to a philosopher. Mr. Thornton, I'm at
your service, now; we can just look at the arm in the next room,
while we speculate as much as we please on the operations and
sinuosities of the human mind."
The surgeon and ensign retired, and Warley had an opportunity of
looking about him more at leisure, and with a better understanding
of the nature and feelings of the group collected in the cabin.
Poor Hetty had been placed on her own simple bed, and was reclining
in a half seated attitude, with the approaches of death on her
countenance, though they were singularly dimmed by the lustre of
an expression in which all the intelligence of her entire being
appeared to be concentrated. Judith and Hist were near her, the
former seated in deep grief; the latter standing, in readiness to
offer any of the gentle attentions of feminine care. Deerslayer
stood at the end of the pallet, leaning on Killdeer, unharmed in
person, all the fine martial ardor that had so lately glowed in
his countenance having given place to the usual look of honesty and
benevolence, qualities of which the expression was now softened by
manly regret and pity. The Serpent was in the background of the
picture, erect, and motionless as a statue; but so observant that
not a look of the eye escaped his own keen glances. Hurry completed
the group, being seated on a stool near the door, like one who felt
himself out of place in such a scene, but who was ashamed to quit
it, unbidden.
"Who is that in scarlet?" asked Hetty, as soon as the Captain's
uniform caught her eye. "Tell me, Judith, is it the friend of
Hurry?"
"'Tis the officer who commands the troops that have rescued us all
from the hands of the Hurons," was the low answer of the sister.
"Am I rescued, too! - I thought they said I was shot, and about
to die. Mother is dead; and so is father; but you are living,
Judith, and so is Hurry. I was afraid Hurry would be killed, when
I heard him shouting among the soldiers."
"Never mind - never mind, dear Hetty -" interrupted Judith,
sensitively alive to the preservation of her sister's secret, more,
perhaps, at such a moment, than at any other. "Hurry is well, and
Deerslayer is well, and the Delaware is well, too."
"How came they to shoot a poor girl like me, and let so many men
go unharmed? I didn't know that the Hurons were so wicked, Judith!"
"'Twas an accident, poor Hetty; a sad accident it has been! No
one would willingly have injured you."
"I'm glad of that! - I thought it strange; I am feeble minded,
and the redmen have never harmed me before. I should be sorry to
think that they had changed their minds. I am glad too, Judith,
that they haven't hurt Hurry. Deerslayer I don't think God will
suffer any one to harm. It was very fortunate the soldiers came
as they did though, for fire will burn!"
"It was indeed fortunate, my sister; God's holy name be forever
blessed for the mercy!"
"I dare say, Judith, you know some of the officers; you used to
know so many!"
Judith made no reply; she hid her face in her hands and groaned.
Hetty gazed at her in wonder; but naturally supposing her own
situation was the cause of this grief, she kindly offered to console
her sister.
"Don't mind me, dear Judith," said the affectionate and pure-hearted
creature, "I don't suffer; if I do die, why father and mother are
both dead, and what happens to them may well happen to me. You
know I am of less account than any of the family; therefore few
will think of me after I'm in the lake."
"No, no, no - poor, dear, dear Hetty!" exclaimed Judith, in an
uncontrollable burst of sorrow, "I, at least, will ever think of
you; and gladly, oh! how gladly would I exchange places with you,
to be the pure, excellent, sinless creature you are!"
Until now, Captain Warley had stood leaning against the door of the
cabin; when this outbreak of feeling, and perchance of penitence,
however, escaped the beautiful girl, he walked slowly and thoughtfully
away; even passing the ensign, then suffering under the surgeon's
care, without noticing him.
"I have got my Bible here, Judith," returned her sister in a voice
of triumph. "It's true, I can't read any longer, there's something
the matter with my eyes - you look dim and distant - and so does
Hurry, now I look at him -well, I never could have believed that
Henry March would have so dull a look! What can be the reason,
Judith, that I see so badly, today? I, who mother always said had
the best eyes in the whole family. Yes, that was it: my mind was
feeble - what people call half-witted - but my eyes were so good!"
Again Judith groaned; this time no feeling of self, no retrospect
of the past caused the pain. It was the pure, heartfelt sorrow
of sisterly love, heightened by a sense of the meek humility and
perfect truth of the being before her. At that moment, she would
gladly have given up her own life to save that of Hetty. As the
last, however, was beyond the reach of human power, she felt there
was nothing left her but sorrow. At this moment Warley returned
to the cabin, drawn by a secret impulse he could not withstand,
though he felt, just then, as if he would gladly abandon the American
continent forever, were it practicable. Instead of pausing at
the door, he now advanced so near the pallet of the sufferer as to
come more plainly within her gaze. Hetty could still distinguish
large objects, and her look soon fastened on him.
"Are you the officer that came with Hurry?" she asked. "If you
are, we ought all to thank you, for, though I am hurt, the rest
have saved their lives. Did Harry March tell you, where to find
us, and how much need there was for your services?"
"The news of the party reached us by means of a friendly runner,"
returned the Captain, glad to relieve his feelings by this appearance
of a friendly communication, "and I was immediately sent out to cut
it off. It was fortunate, certainly, that we met Hurry Harry, as
you call him, for he acted as a guide, and it was not less fortunate
that we heard a firing, which I now understand was merely a shooting
at the mark, for it not only quickened our march, but called us
to the right side of the lake. The Delaware saw us on the shore,
with the glass it would seem, and he and Hist, as I find his squaw
is named, did us excellent service. It was really altogether a
fortunate concurrence of circumstances, Judith."
"Talk not to me of any thing fortunate, sir," returned the girl
huskily, again concealing her face. "To me the world is full of
misery. I wish never to hear of marks, or rifles, or soldiers, or
men, again!"
"Do you know my sister?" asked Hetty, ere the rebuked soldier had
time to rally for an answer. "How came you to know that her name
is Judith? You are right, for that is her name; and I am Hetty;
Thomas Hutter's daughters."
"For heaven's sake, dearest sister; for my sake, beloved Hetty,"
interposed Judith, imploringly, "say no more of this!"
Hetty looked surprised, but accustomed to comply, she ceased her
awkward and painful interrogations of Warley, bending her eyes
towards the Bible which she still held between her hands, as one
would cling to a casket of precious stones in a shipwreck, or a
conflagration. Her mind now adverted to the future, losing sight,
in a great measure, of the scenes of the past.
"We shall not long be parted, Judith," she said; "when you die, you
must be brought and be buried in the lake, by the side of mother,
too."
"Would to God, Hetty, that I lay there at this moment!"
"No, that cannot be, Judith; people must die before they have any
right to be buried. 'Twould be wicked to bury you, or for you to
bury yourself, while living. Once I thought of burying myself;
God kept me from that sin."
"You! -You, Hetty Hutter, think of such an act!" exclaimed Judith,
looking up in uncontrollable surprise, for she well knew nothing
passed the lips of her conscientious sister, that was not religiously
true.
"Yes, I did, Judith, but God has forgotten - no he forgets nothing
- but he has forgiven it," returned the dying girl, with the subdued
manner of a repentant child. "'Twas after mother's death; I felt
I had lost the best friend I had on earth, if not the only friend.
'Tis true, you and father were kind to me, Judith, but I was
so feeble-minded, I knew I should only give you trouble; and then
you were so often ashamed of such a sister and daughter, and 'tis
hard to live in a world where all look upon you as below them. I
thought then, if I could bury myself by the side of mother, I should
be happier in the lake than in the hut."
"Forgive me - pardon me, dearest Hetty - on my bended knees, I beg
you to pardon me, sweet sister, if any word, or act of mine drove
you to so maddening and cruel a thought!"
"Get up, Judith - kneel to God; don't kneel to me. Just so I felt
when mother was dying! I remembered everything I had said and
done to vex her, and could have kissed her feet for forgiveness. I
think it must be so with all dying people; though, now I think of
it, I don't remember to have had such feelings on account of father."
Judith arose, hid her face in her apron, and wept. A long pause
-one of more than two hours - succeeded, during which Warley entered
and left the cabin several times; apparently uneasy when absent,
and yet unable to remain. He issued various orders, which his men
proceeded to execute, and there was an air of movement in the party,
more especially as Mr. Craig, the lieutenant, had got through the
unpleasant duty of burying the dead, and had sent for instructions
from the shore, desiring to know what he was to do with his detachment.
During this interval Hetty slept a little, and Deerslayer and
Chingachgook left the Ark to confer together. But, at the end of
the time mentioned, the Surgeon passed upon the platform, and with
a degree of feeling his comrades had never before observed in one
of his habits, he announced that the patient was rapidly drawing
near her end. On receiving this intelligence the group collected
again, curiosity to witness such a death - or a better feeling -
drawing to the spot men who had so lately been actors in a scene
seemingly of so much greater interest and moment. By this time
Judith had got to be inactive through grief, and Hist alone was
performing the little offices of feminine attention that are so
appropriate to the sick bed. Hetty herself had undergone no other
apparent change than the general failing that indicated the near
approach of dissolution. All that she possessed of mind was as
clear as ever, and, in some respects, her intellect perhaps was
more than usually active.
"Don't grieve for me so much, Judith," said the gentle sufferer,
after a pause in her remarks; "I shall soon see mother - I think I
see her now; her face is just as sweet and smiling as it used to
be! Perhaps when I'm dead, God will give me all my mind, and I
shall become a more fitting companion for mother than I ever was
before."
"You will be an angel in heaven, Hetty," sobbed the sister; "no
spirit there will be more worthy of its holy residence!"
"I don't understand it quite; still, I know it must be all true;
I've read it in the Bible. How dark it's becoming! Can it be
night so soon? I can hardly see you at all - where is Hist?"
"I here, poor girl-Why you no see me?"
"I do see you; but I couldn't tell whether 'twas you, or Judith.
I believe I shan't see you much longer, Hist."
"Sorry for that, poor Hetty. Never mind - pale-face got a heaven
for girl as well as for warrior."
"Where's the Serpent? Let me speak to him; give me his hand; so;
I feel it. Delaware, you will love and cherish this young Indian
woman - I know how fond she is of you; you must be fond of her.
Don't treat her as some of your people treat their wives; be a real
husband to her. Now, bring Deerslayer near me; give me his hand."
This request was complied with, and the hunter stood by the side of
the pallet, submitting to the wishes of the girl with the docility
of a child.
"I feel, Deerslayer," she resumed, "though I couldn't tell why
-but I feel that you and I are not going to part for ever. 'Tis
a strange feeling! I never had it before; I wonder what it comes
from!"
"'Tis God encouraging you in extremity, Hetty; as such it ought
to be harbored and respected. Yes, we shall meet ag'in, though it
may be a long time first, and in a far distant land."
"Do you mean to be buried in the lake, too? If so, that may account
for the feeling."
"'Tis little likely, gal; 'tis little likely; but there's a region
for Christian souls, where there's no lakes, nor woods, they say;
though why there should be none of the last, is more than I can
account for; seeing that pleasantness and peace is the object in
view. My grave will be found in the forest, most likely, but I
hope my spirit will not be far from your'n."
"So it must be, then. I am too weak-minded to understand these
things, but I feel that you and I will meet again. Sister, where
are you? I can't see, now, anything but darkness. It must be
night, surely!"
"Oh! Hetty, I am here at your side; these are my arms that are around
you," sobbed Judith. "Speak, dearest; is there anything you wish
to say, or have done, in this awful moment."
By this time Hetty's sight had entirely failed her. Nevertheless
death approached with less than usual of its horrors, as if in
tenderness to one of her half-endowed faculties. She was pale as
a corpse, but her breathing was easy and unbroken, while her voice,
though lowered almost to a whisper, remained clear and distinct.
When her sister put this question, however, a blush diffused itself
over the features of the dying girl, so faint however as to be nearly
imperceptible; resembling that hue of the rose which is thought
to portray the tint of modesty, rather than the dye of the flower
in its richer bloom. No one but Judith detected this exposure of
feeling, one of the gentle expressions of womanly sensibility, even
in death. On her, however, it was not lost, nor did she conceal
from herself the cause.
"Hurry is here, dearest Hetty," whispered the sister, with her face
so near the sufferer as to keep the words from other ears. "Shall
I tell him to come and receive your good wishes?"
A gentle pressure of the hand answered in the affirmative. Then
Hurry was brought to the side of the pallet. It is probable that
this handsome but rude woodsman had never before found himself so
awkwardly placed, though the inclination which Hetty felt for him
(a sort of secret yielding to the instincts of nature, rather than
any unbecoming impulse of an ill-regulated imagination), was too
pure and unobtrusive to have created the slightest suspicion of
the circumstance in his mind. He allowed Judith to put his hard
colossal hand between those of Hetty, and stood waiting the result
in awkward silence.
"This is Hurry, dearest," whispered Judith, bending over her sister,
ashamed to utter the words so as to be audible to herself. "Speak
to him, and let him go."
"What shall I say, Judith?"
"Nay, whatever your own pure spirit teaches, my love. Trust to
that, and you need fear nothing."
"Good bye, Hurry," murmured the girl, with a gentle pressure of
his hand. "I wish you would try and be more like Deerslayer."
These words were uttered with difficulty; a faint flush succeeded
them for a single instant. Then the hand was relinquished, and Hetty
turned her face aside, as if done with the world. The mysterious
feeling that bound her to the young man, a sentiment so gentle as
to be almost imperceptible to herself, and which could never have
existed at all, had her reason possessed more command over her
senses, was forever lost in thoughts of a more elevated, though
scarcely of a purer character.
"Of what are you thinking, my sweet sister?" whispered Judith "Tell
me, that I may aid you at this moment."
"Mother - I see Mother, now, and bright beings around her in the
lake. Why isn't father there? It's odd that I can see Mother,
when I can't see you! Farewell, Judith."
The last words were uttered after a pause, and her sister had hung
over her some time, in anxious watchfulness, before she perceived
that the gentle spirit had departed. Thus died Hetty Hutter, one of
those mysterious links between the material and immaterial world,
which, while they appear to be deprived of so much that it is
esteemed and necessary for this state of being, draw so near to,
and offer so beautiful an illustration of the truth, purity, and
simplicity of another.
Chapter XXXII
"A baron's chylde to be begylde!
it were a cursed dede:
To be felàwe with an outlàwe!
Almighty God forbede!
Yea, better were, the pore squy
re alone to forest yede,
Then ye sholde say another day,
that by my cursed dede
Ye were betrayed:
wherefore, good mayde,
the best rede that I can,
Is, that I to the grene wode go, alone,
a banyshed man."
Thomas Percy, 'Nutbrowne Mayde,' 11. 265-76 from Reliques of
Ancient English Poetry, Vol. II.
The day that followed proved to be melancholy, though one of much
activity. The soldiers, who had so lately been employed in interring
their victims, were now called on to bury their own dead. The scene
of the morning had left a saddened feeling on all the gentlemen of
the party, and the rest felt the influence of a similar sensation,
in a variety of ways and from many causes. Hour dragged on after
hour until evening arrived, and then came the last melancholy offices
in honor of poor Hetty Hutter. Her body was laid in the lake, by
the side of that of the mother she had so loved and reverenced,
the surgeon, though actually an unbeliever, so far complying with
the received decencies of life as to read the funeral service
over her grave, as he had previously done over those of the other
Christian slain. It mattered not; that all seeing eye which reads
the heart, could not fail to discriminate between the living and
the dead, and the gentle soul of the unfortunate girl was already
far removed beyond the errors, or deceptions, of any human ritual.
These simple rites, however, were not wholly wanting in suitable
accompaniments. The tears of Judith and Hist were shed freely,
and Deerslayer gazed upon the limpid water, that now flowed over
one whose spirit was even purer than its own mountain springs,
with glistening eyes. Even the Delaware turned aside to conceal
his weakness, while the common men gazed on the ceremony with
wondering eyes and chastened feelings.
The business of the day closed with this pious office. By order
of the commanding officer, all retired early to rest, for it was
intended to begin the march homeward with the return of light. One
party, indeed, bearing the wounded, the prisoners, and the trophies,
had left the castle in the middle of the day under the guidance
of Hurry, intending to reach the fort by shorter marches. It had
been landed on the point so often mentioned, or that described
in our opening pages, and, when the sun set, was already encamped
on the brow of the long, broken, and ridgy hills, that fell away
towards the valley of the Mohawk. The departure of this detachment
had greatly simplified the duty of the succeeding day, disencumbering
its march of its baggage and wounded, and otherwise leaving him
who had issued the order greater liberty of action.
Judith held no communications with any but Hist, after the death
of her sister, until she retired for the night. Her sorrow had
been respected, and both the females had been left with the body,
unintruded on, to the last moment. The rattling of the drum broke
the silence of that tranquil water, and the echoes of the tattoo
were heard among the mountains, so soon after the ceremony was over
as to preclude the danger of interruption. That star which had
been the guide of Hist, rose on a scene as silent as if the quiet
of nature had never yet been disturbed by the labors or passions
of man. One solitary sentinel, with his relief, paced the platform
throughout the night, and morning was ushered in, as usual, by the
martial beat of the reveille.
Military precision succeeded to the desultory proceedings of border
men, and when a hasty and frugal breakfast was taken, the party
began its movement towards the shore with a regularity and order
that prevented noise or confusion. Of all the officers, Warley
alone remained. Craig headed the detachment in advance, Thornton
was with the wounded, and Graham accompanied his patients as a matter
of course. Even the chest of Hutter, with all the more valuable
of his effects, was borne away, leaving nothing behind that was
worth the labor of a removal. Judith was not sorry to see that
the captain respected her feelings, and that he occupied himself
entirely with the duty of his command, leaving her to her own
discretion and feelings. It was understood by all that the place
was to be totally abandoned; but beyond this no explanations were
asked or given.
The soldiers embarked in the Ark, with the captain at their head.
He had enquired of Judith in what way she chose to proceed, and
understanding her wish to remain with Hist to the last moment, he
neither molested her with requests, nor offended her with advice.
There was but one safe and familiar trail to the Mohawk, and
on that, at the proper hour, he doubted not that they should meet
in amity, if not in renewed intercourse. When all were on board,
the sweeps were manned, and the Ark moved in its sluggish manner
towards the distant point. Deerslayer and Chingachgook now lifted
two of the canoes from the water, and placed them in the castle.
The windows and door were then barred, and the house was left by
means of the trap, in the manner already described. On quitting
the palisades, Hist was seen in the remaining canoe, where the
Delaware immediately joined her, and paddled away, leaving Judith
standing alone on the platform. Owing to this prompt proceeding,
Deerslayer found himself alone with the beautiful and still weeping
mourner. Too simple to suspect anything, the young man swept the
light boat round, and received its mistress in it, when he followed
the course already taken by his friend. The direction to the point
led diagonally past, and at no great distance from, the graves of
the dead. As the canoe glided by, Judith for the first time that
morning spoke to her companion. She said but little; merely uttering
a simple request to stop, for a minute or two, ere she left the
place.
"I may never see this spot again, Deerslayer," she said, "and it
contains the bodies of my mother and sister! Is it not possible,
think you, that the innocence of one of these beings may answer in
the eyes of God for the salvation of both?"
"I don't understand it so, Judith, though I'm no missionary, and am
but poorly taught. Each spirit answers for its own backslidings,
though a hearty repentance will satisfy God's laws."
"Then must my poor poor mother be in heaven! Bitterly, bitterly
has she repented of her sins, and surely her sufferings in this life
ought to count as something against her sufferings in the next!"
"All this goes beyond me, Judith. I strive to do right, here,
as the surest means of keeping all right, hereafter. Hetty was
oncommon, as all that know'd her must allow, and her soul was as
fit to consart with angels the hour it left its body, as that of
any saint in the Bible!"
"I do believe you only do her justice! Alas! Alas! that there
should be so great differences between those who were nursed at
the same breast, slept in the same bed, and dwelt under the same
roof! But, no matter - move the canoe, a little farther east,
Deerslayer - the sun so dazzles my eyes that I cannot see the
graves. This is Hetty's, on the right of mother's?"
"Sartain - you ask'd that of us, and all are glad to do as you
wish, Judith, when you do that which is right."
The girl gazed at him near a minute, in silent attention; then she
turned her eyes backward, at the castle. "This lake will soon be
entirely deserted," she said, "and this, too, at a moment when it
will be a more secure dwelling place than ever. What has so lately
happened will prevent the Iroquois from venturing again to visit
it for a long time to come."
"That it will! Yes, that may be set down as sartain. I do not
mean to pass this-a-way, ag'in, so long as the war lasts, for, to
my mind no Huron moccasin will leave its print on the leaves of
this forest, until their traditions have forgotten to tell their
young men of their disgrace and rout."
"And do you so delight in violence and bloodshed? I had thought
better of you, Deerslayer - believed you one who could find his
happiness in a quiet domestic home, with an attached and loving
wife ready to study your wishes, and healthy and dutiful children
anxious to follow in your footsteps, and to become as honest and
just as yourself."
"Lord, Judith, what a tongue you're mistress of! Speech and looks
go hand in hand, like, and what one can't do, the other is pretty
sartain to perform! Such a gal, in a month, might spoil the stoutest
warrior in the colony."
"And am I then so mistaken? Do you really love war, Deerslayer,
better than the hearth, and the affections?"
"I understand your meaning, gal; yes, I do understand what you
mean, I believe, though I don't think you altogether understand me.
Warrior I may now call myself, I suppose, for I've both fou't and
conquered, which is sufficient for the name; neither will I deny that
I've feelin's for the callin', which is both manful and honorable
when carried on accordin' to nat'ral gifts, but I've no relish
for blood. Youth is youth, howsever, and a Mingo is a Mingo. If
the young men of this region stood by, and suffered the vagabonds
to overrun the land, why, we might as well all turn Frenchers at
once, and give up country and kin. I'm no fire eater, Judith, or
one that likes fightin' for fightin's sake, but I can see no great
difference atween givin' up territory afore a war, out of a dread
of war, and givin' it up a'ter a war, because we can't help it,
onless it be that the last is the most manful and honorable."
"No woman would ever wish to see her husband or brother stand by
and submit to insult and wrong, Deerslayer, however she might mourn
the necessity of his running into the dangers of battle. But,
you've done enough already, in clearing this region of the Hurons;
since to you is principally owing the credit of our late victory.
Now, listen to me patiently, and answer me with that native
honesty, which it is as pleasant to regard in one of your sex, as
it is unusual to meet with."
Judith paused, for now that she was on the very point of explaining
herself, native modesty asserted its power, notwithstanding the
encouragement and confidence she derived from the great simplicity
of her companion's character. Her cheeks, which had so lately
been pale, flushed, and her eyes lighted with some of their former
brilliancy. Feeling gave expression to her countenance and softness
to her voice, rendering her who was always beautiful, trebly
seductive and winning.
"Deerslayer," she said, after a considerable pause, "this is not a
moment for affectation, deception, or a want of frankness of any sort.
Here, over my mother's grave, and over the grave of truth-loving,
truth-telling Hetty, everything like unfair dealing seems to be
out of place. I will, therefore, speak to you without any reserve,
and without any dread of being misunderstood. You are not an
acquaintance of a week, but it appears to me as if I had known you
for years. So much, and so much that is important has taken place,
within that short time, that the sorrows, and dangers, and escapes
of a whole life have been crowded into a few days, and they who have
suffered and acted together in such scenes, ought not to feel like
strangers. I know that what I am about to say might be misunderstood
by most men, but I hope for a generous construction of my course
from you. We are not here, dwelling among the arts and deceptions
of the settlements, but young people who have no occasion to deceive
each other, in any manner or form. I hope I make myself understood?"
"Sartain, Judith; few convarse better than yourself, and none more
agreeable, like. Your words are as pleasant as your looks."
"It is the manner in which you have so often praised those looks,
that gives me courage to proceed. Still, Deerslayer, it is not easy
for one of my sex and years to forget all her lessons of infancy,
all her habits, and her natural diffidence, and say openly what
her heart feels!"
"Why not, Judith? Why shouldn't women as well as men deal fairly
and honestly by their fellow creatur's? I see no reason why you
should not speak as plainly as myself, when there is any thing
ra'ally important to be said."
This indomitable diffidence, which still prevented the young man
from suspecting the truth, would have completely discouraged the
girl, had not her whole soul, as well as her whole heart, been set
upon making a desperate effort to rescue herself from a future that
she dreaded with a horror as vivid as the distinctness with which
she fancied she foresaw it. This motive, however, raised her
above all common considerations, and she persevered even to her
own surprise, if not to her great confusion.
"I will - I must deal as plainly with you, as I would with poor,
dear Hetty, were that sweet child living!" she continued, turning
pale instead of blushing, the high resolution by which she was
prompted reversing the effect that such a procedure would ordinarily
produce on one of her sex; "yes, I will smother all other feelings,
in the one that is now uppermost! You love the woods and the life
that we pass, here, in the wilderness, away from the dwellings and
towns of the whites."
"As I loved my parents, Judith, when they was living! This very
spot would be all creation to me, could this war be fairly over,
once; and the settlers kept at a distance."
"Why quit it, then? It has no owner - at least none who can claim
a better right than mine, and that I freely give to you. Were it
a kingdom, Deerslayer, I think I should delight to say the same.
Let us then return to it, after we have seen the priest at the
fort, and never quit it again, until God calls us away to that
world where we shall find the spirits of my poor mother and sister."
A long, thoughtful pause succeeded; Judith here covered her
face with both her hands, after forcing herself to utter so plain
a proposal, and Deerslayer musing equally in sorrow and surprise,
on the meaning of the language he had just heard. At length the
hunter broke the silence, speaking in a tone that was softened to
gentleness by his desire not to offend.
"You haven't thought well of this, Judith," he said, "no, your
feelin's are awakened by all that has lately happened, and believin'
yourself to be without kindred in the world, you are in too great
haste to find some to fill the places of them that's lost."
"Were I living in a crowd of friends, Deerslayer, I should still
think as I now think - say as I now say," returned Judith, speaking
with her hands still shading her lovely face.
"Thank you, gal - thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Howsever,
I am not one to take advantage of a weak moment, when you're forgetful
of your own great advantages, and fancy 'arth and all it holds is
in this little canoe. No - no - Judith, 'twould be onginerous in
me; what you've offered can never come to pass!"
"It all may be, and that without leaving cause of repentance to
any," answered Judith, with an impetuosity of feeling and manner
that at once unveiled her eyes. "We can cause the soldiers to
leave our goods on the road, till we return, when they can easily
be brought back to the house; the lake will be no more visited by
the enemy, this war at least; all your skins may be readily sold
at the garrison; there you can buy the few necessaries we shall
want, for I wish never to see the spot, again; and Deerslayer,"
added the girl smiling with a sweetness and nature that the young
man found it hard to resist, "as a proof how wholly I am and wish
to be yours, - how completely I desire to be nothing but your
wife, the very first fire that we kindle, after our return, shall
be lighted with the brocade dress, and fed by every article I have
that you may think unfit for the woman you wish to live with!"
"Ah's me! - you're a winning and a lovely creatur', Judith; yes,
you are all that, and no one can deny it and speak truth. These
pictur's are pleasant to the thoughts, but they mightn't prove so
happy as you now think 'em. Forget it all, therefore, and let us
paddle after the Sarpent and Hist, as if nothing had been said on
the subject."
Judith was deeply mortified, and, what is more, she was profoundly
grieved. Still there was a steadiness and quiet in the manner of
Deerslayer that completely smothered her hopes, and told her that
for once her exceeding beauty had failed to excite the admiration
and homage it was wont to receive. Women are said seldom to
forgive those who slight their advances, but this high spirited and
impetuous girl entertained no shadow of resentment, then or ever,
against the fair dealing and ingenuous hunter. At the moment,
the prevailing feeling was the wish to be certain that there was
no misunderstanding. After another painful pause, therefore, she
brought the matter to an issue by a question too direct to admit
of equivocation.
"God forbid that we lay up regrets, in after life, through my want
of sincerity now," she said. "I hope we understand each other, at
least. You will not accept me for a wife, Deerslayer?"
"'Tis better for both that I shouldn't take advantage of your own
forgetfulness, Judith. We can never marry."
"You do not love me, - cannot find it in your heart, perhaps, to
esteem me, Deerslayer!"
"Everything in the way of fri'ndship, Judith - everything, even to
sarvices and life itself. Yes, I'd risk as much for you, at this
moment, as I would risk in behalf of Hist, and that is sayin' as
much as I can say of any darter of woman. I do not think I feel
towards either - mind I say either, Judith - as if I wished to
quit father and mother - if father and mother was livin', which,
howsever, neither is - but if both was livin', I do not feel towards
any woman as if I wish'd to quit 'em in order to cleave unto her."
"This is enough!" answered Judith, in a rebuked and smothered voice.
"I understand all that you mean. Marry you cannot with loving, and
that love you do not feel for me. Make no answer, if I am right,
for I shall understand your silence. That will be painful enough
of itself."
Deerslayer obeyed her, and he made no reply. For more than a
minute, the girl riveted her bright eyes on him as if to read his
soul, while he was playing with the water like a corrected school
boy. Then Judith, herself, dropped the end of her paddle, and urged
the canoe away from the spot, with a movement as reluctant as the
feelings which controlled it. Deerslayer quietly aided the effort,
however, and they were soon on the trackless line taken by the
Delaware.
In their way to the point, not another syllable was exchanged between
Deerslayer and his fair companion. As Judith sat in the bow of
the canoe, her back was turned towards him, else it is probable
the expression of her countenance might have induced him to venture
some soothing terms of friendship and regard. Contrary to what
would have been expected, resentment was still absent, though the
colour frequently changed from the deep flush of mortification to
the paleness of disappointment. Sorrow, deep, heart-felt sorrow,
however, was the predominant emotion, and this was betrayed in a
manner not to be mistaken.
As neither labored hard at the paddle, the ark had already arrived
and the soldiers had disembarked before the canoe of the two loiterers
reached the point. Chingachgook had preceded it, and was already
some distance in the wood, at a spot where the two trails, that to
the garrison and that to the villages of the Delawares, separated.
The soldiers, too, had taken up their line of march, first setting
the Ark adrift again, with a reckless disregard of its fate. All
this Judith saw, but she heeded it not. The glimmerglass had no
longer any charms for her, and when she put her foot on the strand,
she immediately proceeded on the trail of the soldiers without casting
a single glance behind her. Even Hist was passed unnoticed, that
modest young creature shrinking from the averted face of Judith,
as if guilty herself of some wrongdoing.
"Wait you here, Sarpent," said Deerslayer as he followed in the
footsteps of the dejected beauty, while passing his friend. "I
will just see Judith among her party, and come and j'ine you."
A hundred yards had hid the couple from those in front, as well as
those in their rear, when Judith turned, and spoke.
"This will do, Deerslayer," she said sadly. "I understand your
kindness but shall not need it. In a few minutes I shall reach
the soldiers. As you cannot go with me on the journey of life, I
do not wish you to go further on this. But, stop - before we part,
I would ask you a single question. And I require of you, as you
fear God, and reverence the truth, not to deceive me in your answer.
I know you do not love another and I can see but one reason why
you cannot, will not love me. Tell me then, Deerslayer," The girl
paused, the words she was about to utter seeming to choke her. Then
rallying all her resolution, with a face that flushed and paled at
every breath she drew, she continued.
"Tell me then, Deerslayer, if anything light of me, that Henry
March has said, may not have influenced your feelings?"
Truth was the Deerslayer's polar star. He ever kept it in view,
and it was nearly impossible for him to avoid uttering it, even
when prudence demanded silence. Judith read his answer in his
countenance, and with a heart nearly broken by the consciousness
of undue erring, she signed to him an adieu, and buried herself
in the woods. For some time Deerslayer was irresolute as to his
course; but, in the end, he retraced his steps, and joined the
Delaware. That night the three camped on the head waters of their
own river, and the succeeding evening they entered the village of
the tribe, Chingachgook and his betrothed in triumph; their companion
honored and admired, but in a sorrow that it required months of
activity to remove.
The war that then had its rise was stirring and bloody. The Delaware
chief rose among his people, until his name was never mentioned
without eulogiums, while another Uncas, the last of his race, was
added to the long line of warriors who bore that distinguishing
appellation. As for the Deerslayer, under the sobriquet of Hawkeye,
he made his fame spread far and near, until the crack of his rifle
became as terrible to the ears of the Mingos as the thunders of
the Manitou. His services were soon required by the officers of
the crown, and he especially attached himself in the field to one
in particular, with whose after life he had a close and important
connection.
Fifteen years had passed away, ere it was in the power of the
Deerslayer to revisit the Glimmerglass. A peace had intervened,
and it was on the eve of another and still more important war,
when he and his constant friend, Chingachgook, were hastening to
the forts to join their allies. A stripling accompanied them, for
Hist already slumbered beneath the pines of the Delawares, and the
three survivors had now become inseparable. They reached the lake
just as the sun was setting. Here all was unchanged. The river
still rushed through its bower of trees; the little rock was washing
away, by the slow action of the waves, in the course of centuries,
the mountains stood in their native dress, dark, rich and mysterious,
while the sheet glistened in its solitude, a beautiful gem of the
forest.
The following morning, the youth discovered one of the canoes
drifted on the shore, in a state of decay. A little labor put it
in a state for service, and they all embarked, with a desire to
examine the place. All the points were passed, and Chingachgook
pointed out to his son the spot where the Hurons had first encamped,
and the point whence he had succeeded in stealing his bride. Here
they even landed, but all traces of the former visit had disappeared.
Next they proceeded to the scene of the battle, and there they
found a few of the signs that linger around such localities. Wild
beasts had disinterred many of the bodies, and human bones were
bleaching in the rains of summer. Uncas regarded all with reverence
and pity, though traditions were already rousing his young mind to
the ambition and sternness of a warrior.
From the point, the canoe took its way toward the shoal, where the
remains of the castle were still visible, a picturesque ruin. The
storms of winter had long since unroofed the house, and decay had
eaten into the logs. All the fastenings were untouched, but the
seasons rioted in the place, as if in mockery at the attempt to
exclude them. The palisades were rotting, as were the piles, and
it was evident that a few more recurrences of winter, a few more
gales and tempests, would sweep all into the lake, and blot the
building from the face of that magnificent solitude. The graves
could not be found. Either the elements had obliterated their
traces, or time had caused those who looked for them to forget
their position.
The Ark was discovered stranded on the eastern shore, where it had
long before been driven with the prevalent northwest winds. It
lay on the sandy extremity of a long low point, that is situated
about two miles from the outlet, and which is itself fast disappearing
before the action of the elements. The scow was filled with water,
the cabin unroofed, and the logs were decaying. Some of its coarser
furniture still remained, and the heart of Deerslayer beat quick,
as he found a ribbon of Judith's fluttering from a log. It recalled
all her beauty, and we may add all her failings. Although the girl
had never touched his heart, the Hawkeye, for so we ought now to
call him, still retained a kind and sincere interest in her welfare.
He tore away the ribbon, and knotted it to the stock of Killdeer,
which had been the gift of the girl herself.
A few miles farther up the lake, another of the canoes was discovered,
and on the point where the party finally landed, were found those
which had been left there upon the shore. That in which the present
navigation was made, and the one discovered on the eastern shore,
had dropped through the decayed floor of the castle, drifted past
the falling palisades, and had been thrown as waifs upon the beach.
From all these signs, it was probable the lake had not been visited
since the occurrence of the final scene of our tale. Accident or
tradition had rendered it again a spot sacred to nature, the frequent
wars and the feeble population of the colonies still confining the
settlements within narrow boundaries. Chingachgook and his friend
left the spot with melancholy feelings. It had been the region
of their First War Path, and it carried back the minds of both to
scenes of tenderness, as well as to hours of triumph. They held
their way towards the Mohawk in silence, however, to rush into
new adventures, as stirring and as remarkable as those which had
attended their opening careers on this lovely lake. At a later
day they returned to the place, where the Indian found a grave.
Time and circumstances have drawn an impenetrable mystery around
all else connected with the Hutters. They lived, erred, died, and
are forgotten. None connected have felt sufficient interest in
the disgraced and disgracing to withdraw the veil, and a century is
about to erase even the recollection of their names. The history
of crime is ever revolting, and it is fortunate that few love to
dwell on its incidents. The sins of the family have long since
been arraigned at the judgment seat of God, or are registered for
the terrible settlement of the last great day.
The same fate attended Judith. When Hawkeye reached the garrison
on the Mohawk he enquired anxiously after that lovely but misguided
creature. None knew her - even her person was no longer remembered.
Other officers had, again and again, succeeded the Warleys and
Craigs and Grahams, though an old sergeant of the garrison, who
had lately come from England, was enabled to tell our hero that Sir
Robert Warley lived on his paternal estates, and that there was a
lady of rare beauty in the Lodge who had great influence over him,
though she did not bear his name. Whether this was Judith relapsed
into her early failing, or some other victim of the soldier's, Hawkeye
never knew, nor would it be pleasant or profitable to inquire. We
live in a world of transgressions and selfishness, and no pictures
that represent us otherwise can be true, though, happily, for
human nature, gleamings of that pure spirit in whose likeness man
has been fashioned are to be seen, relieving its deformities, and
mitigating if not excusing its crimes.
End of Project Gutenberg Etext The Deerslayer, by James Fenimore Cooper