The Deerslayer, or, The First Warpath
by James Fenimore Cooper
Chapter I
Chapter II.
Chapter III.
Chapter IV.
Chapter V.
Chapter VI
Chapter VII.
Chapter VIII.
Chapter IX.
Chapter X
Chapter XI.
Chapter XII.
Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIV.
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XVIX
Chapter XX
Chapter XXI.
Chapter XXII.
Chapter XXIII.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter XXV
Chapter XXVI
Chapter XXVII
Chapter XXVIII.
Chapter XXIX.
Chapter XXX.
Chapter XXXI.
Chapter XXXII.
Chapter XXXIII.
Chapter XXXIV
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. Altbough
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 civi2ization, 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
I745, 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.
4
"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 hisarms 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 Lime 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,
6
the handle of his hunting-knife was neatly carved, his powder-horn
was ornamented with suitable device slightly 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 ride."
"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 ontawful to take the
life of man, except in open and generous warfare."
"What! did you never find a fellow thieving among pour 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 ride, 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 ride 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 ware 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 f often heard the Delawares
mention, though lake and rock are equally strangers to me. The country
is claimed by both Mangos 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 I "
"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 be 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 I(Kidd, who was hanged for
piracy, long afro 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 I 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 creator' 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
knowit." 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 afford 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 nature' ! 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 creator' 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 Hefty, 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 Hefty Hutter are in
question. Hefty is only comely, while her sister, I tell thee, boy, is
such another as is not to be found attain this and the sea: Judith is
as full of wit, and talk, and cunning, as an old Indian orator, while
poor Hefty 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 toothier."
" 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 redskins 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'11 answer for it, then, that he will not remain long with poor
Kitty; 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 and 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?"
I '5
"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 battling! 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 hashed 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 gripe, 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 redden.
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 creature' 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 feline'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 redskin."
"Therein, fri'nd Hurry, you do the Delawares, at least, and all
their allied tribes, only justice, for a redskin 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. 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 end, 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 1 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
!"
T'is improving, Hurry-- t'is improving I will acknowledge ; but 't
is 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 redskin, at the best, I make no question."
"Not so, Hurry, but the best of loping redskins, 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!"
"Karkee, fr-i'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 redskins 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! --'t is solemn!-'t is 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 passed into a setting of hills and
woods. about three leagues, while its breadth could wander; " not a
tree disturbed even by redskin 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 nature' and character. 'T is 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!
"'T is 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 boat. This was no
sooner done than the two frontiermen embarked, and by a vigorous push
sent the light bark some tight 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
nature', 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 again the
feline', 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 does n'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 was n'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'11 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' zest 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 redskins 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 agin 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 be~ 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 bad 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 ~e 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 due 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 hew, I can inform you, Master Natty, while we
were bee-in it among the trees ashore. The old de 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 end 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 bees. 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 Mends,
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 oncoming 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. 'Tie 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 redskins; and then, Harry March, it keeps
blood off the conscience, too."
"Well, for my part I account game, a redskin, 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 did n'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
had'n't got the spt down, yet on their maps, though I conclude that is
a mistake, for he showed me his parchment, and there is a lake donw 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 any 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, more~er, 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 percieve that the men of the woods had a sufficient
justifcation for all their criticism on this branch of the skill of
the colonial governments, which did not at all hesitate to place a
rivet 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 Colony 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 redskins 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 hack 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 I "
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
late 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.
T'is 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, r 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 redskins. 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 ver
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 simplicityof his distinctions, that he
possessed every disposition to hear reason, a strong, innate desire to
dojustice, 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 begint 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 redskin'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
redskin may. 'T is cruel work, I '11 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 redskin 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 '5 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 comm' from a higher authority; and for a
redman to obey his own redskin 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 ple, 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 redskin'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
redskin may. 'T is cruel work, I '11 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 redskin 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 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
reconnoitring 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 I"
"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 vide 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. [f old Tom is not in the 'Rat's Cove,' he must have burrowed
in the river ; we '11 look for him first in the cove, and hen we '11
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 f 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'ye 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 did n't
think him handsome. Now, you 're no monument in the way of beauty,
yourself, Deerslayer, and yet you would n'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 '5 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 does n'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 '11 look over the side of the canoe," he cried; "Jude will say
that to your face, if you start her, for a parter tongue is n'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
should n'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 11 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 '11 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 '11 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 valie 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 men tioned, 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 re conn'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
do'nt know what they are to gain by it, but all the Delawares tell me
that, as courage is a warrior's first varme, so is prudence his
second. One such call from the moun tains, 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 dis tance 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
emerg ing 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 dan ger. You
ought to have some of the same feelin's, Hurry, to think your eye
was'n't true, or that your hand was onsteady, when no good could come
of a shot that was intended on meaningly 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 astriving 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 Inj in; 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 '11 not say that a redman 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 redskin's brother, but I hold 'em all to be animals;
with nothing human about 'em but cunning. That they have, I '11
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 '11
name you as such to Judith and the old man, and then we '11 see how
you '11 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 genera] 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 secresy 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 move~ ment 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 '11 bet every skin I take this
season, Jude is n'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 me 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 and make every inquiry that
would be likely tof 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 Hurter'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 Hurter's sister; and Thomas
Hurter'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 'in 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
'in 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, howsever, 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
at her. Even Hurry Harry is n'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 feeling~
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 did
n'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 sucb 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 did n' 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 Deer. slayer.
"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 r 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 '11 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 l" cried Hurry. "Yes, Deerslayer, you e 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 M[arch," returned the beauty, in a
full, rich voice, and with an accuracy of intonations tioti 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
redskins 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 does n't look much like a redskin 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 bail 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 my. self; 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 '11 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. Thiw 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 bot tom of most
proceedin's; but, on that head, I say nothin'. Chingachgook is to meet
me at the rock, an hour afore sunset to-morrow evening, after which we
shall go our way to gether, molesting none but the king's inimies, who
are law fully our own. Knowing Hurry of old, who once trapped in our
hunting grounds, and falling in with him on the Scho harie, 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 Hurter.
"That's my idee, which may be wrong, but which may be right. If I
saw the moccasin, howsever, I could tell, in a min ute, 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 earnest ness; "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 unmediated 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 re 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 day-light, 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 Amer ican woods. On this no less than six
Indians had already appeared, others standing ready to follow them, as
they left the 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 and 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 neat 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 he 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 'ye 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 redskin, 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 '11 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 prefar 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 to-day 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 dig- nity; "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 hehe was here himself, as I make no doubt he
will be at sunset to-morrow, when you 'd have another rifle to aid
you; an inexper'enced one, I '11 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 e, 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 dis- credit 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 '11 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 a 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 '11 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 undo' ing. 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 'U 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 '11 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 Hurter 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 unfre' quent 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 com- promise 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 induce-ment, 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 redskin'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 redskins than they bargained for. Deerslayer, I
conclude you 're of Hurry's way of thinking, and look upon money
'arued 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 '11 stand by you, old man, in the ark or in
the castle, the canoe or the woods, but I '11 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 '11
agree that it is rational and correct. There 's a large party of these
savages on shore and, though I did n'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 sur- prises; and, no
doubt they wished to get on hoard the ark first, and to make their
conditions afterwards. That a dis- app' 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;nd we pay 'em
off pretty much in their own time. 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 'ye got it now, old Tom, and I should like to hear what you mean
to make out of it."
we "The bounty," returned the other, looking up at his attentive
companion, in a cool, sullen manner, in which, ct.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 to 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 ur- 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 '5 a very different matter as concerns Indians A man shouldn't take
scalps, if he is n't ready to be scalped, him- self, on fitting
occasions. One good turn desarves another, the all 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 '11 never reason ag'in you, Judy, for you beat me with ned
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 'In sort of
melancholy merriment. "Father, father! think no more of this, and
listen to the advice of Deerslayer, who int, 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 the secured both the
doors, and returned. Then he and Hurry call pursued the subject; but,
as the purport of all that was material in this discourse will appear
in the imrrative, 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 redskin'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 'ye 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 Lhe 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 wilder- ness. As if she gathered courage with
the theme, her pow- ers 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 to-night, child," said the father, whose manner and
language usually assumed some of the gentle- ness 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 '11 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 under- stand. 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 consid- erable
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'11 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, con- tinued 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, Deer- slayer?"
"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 an- swer 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 her come an object of envy, or to be sought
after more than others."
"Mother was good, if she was handsome," returned the girl, the
tears staffing 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 '11 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 com- menced, 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
could n'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 indif- ference of manner that was
the result of a good deal of prac tice 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 wanner as of
feeling, and Judith rewarded it with a smile so 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 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 would n'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 '11 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 can believe it-yes, I can believe tha, 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'11 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 jeal- ousy 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 '11 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 'ye 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 'ye been, or what I 'ye 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 'ye 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 could n'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
'11 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, 't is 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 '11 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 '11 wait to know, before I form any
opinion of myself; and then there '11 be sartainty, instead of
bragging. I've beard 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 were n'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 mountain-side, 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 be. 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 'ye 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 Can
adas 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 '11
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 '11 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'11 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
Deer-slayer'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
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 '11
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 '11 call like a loon-yes, that '11 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 '11 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, 't is 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, notwith' standing,-" Ay, ay,
Deerslayer. you mean well enough
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
mote 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 re-loading,
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 redskin 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, redskin; 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, 't is 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 I 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 is n'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 frinds."
"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, redskin; thought you must be wrong in thinking the
canoe your property. Howsever, seem' 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 redman's. No want other man's canoe-want his own."
"You're wrong, redskin, 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 redman
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 redskin 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, redskin," he said; "you've nothing more to fear from me. I
am of a Christian stock, and scalping is not of my gifts. I '11 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 redskin," 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 'ye 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 had n't come,
warrior," he commenced, "and therefore I '11 not say it. You 'ye
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 redskin 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 'ye thought these matters over enough not to stand
in need of sarmons when the trial comes. You '11 find your happy
hunting-grounds, if you 'ye been a just Injin; if an onjust, you'll
meet your desarts in another way. I'ye 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 I"
"It's sometimes a consolation, when the ind comes, to know that
them we 'ye 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 am 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 huntingground, a place scant of game, regions of glory,
according to Moravian doctine, 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 have n'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, redskin," 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
redskins. 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, 't would 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 mountain-side. 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, redskin,"
Deerslayer coolly observed, stopping his own career in sufficient time
to prevent an absolute collision between the two boats,-" if you 'ye
enj'yed yourself enough in that canoe, you 'Il 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 leaps 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,-" 't would 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 ta"l' 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! 'T wouldn'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
is n'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'11 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 spy- glass 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 Gentle men 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 simpleminded manner. "He and
Hurry are in Mingo hands, and Heaven only knows what's to be the
tarmination. I 'ye 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 p1ace. At sunset we '11 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 caste, 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 for bear 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 packthread."
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 to-day.
"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, howevever, 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 youU, 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
beenfied on or quite near to the shore. Our ears are used to these
sigs, and are no to be deceived."
"They've done their duty, gal, this tiime; yes, they've done their
duty. Rifles have been sighted this morning, ay, and triggers pulled,
too, thoug 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 beathlessly; 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 i, 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, sinly 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 o 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 thattoo, for
the first time in my life. These thins 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 onbe known 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 of 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.'
Tne girl spoke with strong, nay, even with convulsed feel' ing, 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 totturing 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'11 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 is n'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 '11 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-taWab, and Wah-ta-Wah took a fancy to him." Here Deerslayer
paused an instant; for, as lie 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 could n' 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 redskin 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
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 'ye 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 with. out 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 they 'ye 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 bead 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 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 t, 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 f 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 over head 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, 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 run, or the precise positions occupied by either friends, or
foes. In a word, the trained sagacity, and untiring caution of an
Indian were had to rely on, amid the critical risks he unavoidably
ran.
"Is the rock empty, Judith?" enquired 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 T would grieve me to the heart,
did any harm befal 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 "Hutty!" 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
enquire 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 recognised 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 mean while,
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 idion' 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 an 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 .any thing 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 suffice.
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 any thing 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."
"Ghingachgook 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 heighth,
and strength and comliness 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, 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, "beside 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, "Ghingachgook 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, seem' 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.Chingachgo ok 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 mad 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 ail and fallen hard, back into
his own element. Tis of little us Judith, for any to strive to get out
of their elements, since it 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 a 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 bar: canoe impelled by
vigorous and skilful hands, was utterly im practicable, and each of
the men seized his rifle, in expectation of a conflict.
"I can easily bring down the paddler," whispered Deer slayer, "but
we'll first hail him, and ask his ar'n'd." Then raising his voice, he
continued in a solemn manner-"hold! I 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, defenceless, 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 appentages tje 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 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 recognised 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 ntercepting Hetty, for, as it caine 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 quickwitted 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 agin 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 Qut Judith, concern, even affection betraying
itself in her tones. "Are you within hearing, sister- for God's sake
answer, and let me bear 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 4o! 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."
"1 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 y~u 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 do'n'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 natux's. If
it~ 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
tellyeu. 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 bootless, since the darkness, as
well as the dense cover that the woods every where. 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
~ 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 nights
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 returirof 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 partirular, 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 unconsciouss 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 soaping 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 hurly round, and
perceived the dam, watching her moveftts, with fiery eyes, at no
great distance. A hollow tree; that once been the home of bees, having
recently fallen, the ther with two more cubs, was feasting on the
dainty food it this accident had placed within her reach; while the
firsta 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 ne4~'er neglected to perform ere she slept, and w~hen 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 indutThrent reputation for the gentler
feelings, and as a cub would quit its mother to frisk and leap about
in wantonness, she felt a strong desireagaintocatchitupinherarms,
anciplaywithit. Butadmonished 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; appaiently
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. J-Ietty
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 foundher 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
asJudith'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 peQple, 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 bf 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 w~s 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~he
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 fader 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 alway tell me."
"And doyou 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 should'n'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 eaves-droppers; 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 equalled 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; do'n'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, aughing 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 Nife, else never can live in his wigwam."
"Hurry do'n't want to marry me- No body 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 hould'n'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 vithout
speaking, and then the truth appeared to flash all at nce on the mind
of the young Indian maid. Pity, reverence Lnd tenderness seemed
struggling together in her breast, and hen rising, suddenly, she
indicated a wish to her companion hat 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 apprized 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 halfwitted that I
do'n'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 Ganadas 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 whichevery 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 carcases 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 themen, 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 visiters, 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 traveller 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 Ghingachgook
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 thesimple, 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
proclomation; 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 is'n'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 do'n'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 feelingand 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 visiter 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 run 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 unpractised 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, ii 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 Roman ist 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 do'n'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 ii, 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 enquired 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-'Whasoever 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 would'n'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 feniale 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 196 The Deerslayer
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 thecircumstances 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; orhas
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 ranquil lake; when,
finding all safe, each returned to his and slept like a man who was
not easily deprived of his pallet, 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. Ghingachgook 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 any thing serious befall my father and Hetty! We cannot remain
quietly here, and leave them if: the hands of the Iroquois, without
bethinking us of some means of serving them."
"I'm ready, Judith, to sarve them, and a11 others who are in
trouble, could the way to do it be p'inted out. It's no trifling
matter to fall into redskin 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 1 would'n'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 does'n'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, sprain; and yet two able bodied men are not to be
bought off for a trifle- besides- "
"Besides what?'' demanded Judith impatiently, observ'ing 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 1'11 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 captain rifle; then the red men
are not the expartest in fire arms, and do'n't always know the
difference atwixt that which is ra'al, and that which is seeming."
''This is horriblel' 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 sustain,
gal, you could and 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; l've known them, too, that conspired
they were kind and ready to give away all they had to the poor, when
they've been listening to other people's hard learnedness; 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 bargain 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 hibbard 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, Sargent. His eyes are never covered with
darkness towards his unifies, 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 hull'
"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 idlees 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.
"T' s 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 conserving that chist?"
'Never. He has always appeared to think its locks, and its steel
bands, and its strength, its best protection."
"T'is 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! 'T'is'n'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 redskin 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- l 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, is'n'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 enquiries 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 H utter. 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 does'n'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 does'n'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 have'n'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 canvass, that was
carefully tucked in, around the edges, effectually concealed all
beneath it. The chest was apparently well stored, however, the
canvass 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 ascendant.
"Tis his gift! -yes, 'tis the gift of a redskin 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 loth, 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 bedizzened 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 enquiry 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 do'n'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 renowed 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 canvass 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 peculiarties 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 practises 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. PerhapsJudith 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 could'n'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 would'n'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-t'was
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 does n'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 do'n'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
is'n'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 wownded - yes, the poor gal's wownded - Sarpent, though one
could'n'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. Wip
ing 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 chess-men. 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 "Hugh's!" 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 sate 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 chess men 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 does'n'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, t'is 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 comperhends 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 would'n'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
iffigies, 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, every thing 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 every thing to its place. The pauses to
converse were frequent, and Judiih, 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, "t'is 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 door-way, 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, Deer-slayer?"
"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 comperhend 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 is'n'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 have'n'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 enquired for the
Delaware, and being told why and where he remained concealed, she
joined him. The reception which Chingachgook gave his visiter 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 do'n'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
unpractised 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 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."
"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?"
(("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 "English" instead of
"Inglish" and there is a close conformity of sound between "English"
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." [1841])
"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 could'n't catch us. I hope these logs have'n'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 must'n't trust
the Iroquois in any thing. 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 do'n'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 do'n'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 do'n'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 must'n'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. 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 gender 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. Ghingachgook 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 is'n't to be
found in all York Colony!"
"I will go to the Iroquois camp," returned the Delaware, gravely.
"No one knows Chingachgook but Wah1, and a treaty for lives and scalps
should be made by a chiefi 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 sate 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
season, 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 warpath 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 Wab! -
Ra'ally, Sarpent, I'm consamed 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 memoi-y 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 ac"yve, 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 visiters, every
thing 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 visiters had
any fire arms. Neither Deerslayer nor Chingachgook could discover
any, but Judith, unwilling to trust to simple eye-sight, 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 is n'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 chess-man, 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 is'n'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 would'n't be apt to be taken in so foolish a manner as befel
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 is'n'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 laying its sides, and swimming in the very
sheet of water, on which they had met. * 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 ofJudith 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, ving slowly towards the shore.
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 was'n't for Indian
natur'. But I'm no judge of a red skin, if that two tail'd beast
does'n'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
t'will 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 wo'n'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 do'n'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 I-jetty 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, tis'n'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 haifa 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, slily 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 have'n'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 silvan 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 brooked with bloode shall 'flowe.' 'You leave youre geode and lawfulle kynge, Wbenne ynne adversity ; Like me. untoe the true cause styckke. 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. Tne 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 fore. ne 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 keensighted
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 other 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 circumstandes, 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 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 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.much tor it myself as
the Colony. Yes, l 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 tor 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 l 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 airflow up so
easy, when they had him fairly at a close hug, and Moored. 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 generally, after 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.
'1 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 behav iour, than l 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.
"lf this isn't plain English,' said the reckless frontier man,
"it's plain Indian ! Here's what they call a declination of war, down
at York, Judith. How did you come by this defiant, Deerslayer ?'
'Fairly enough. It lay not a minot' 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 t 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 declination 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'n 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-pool since the trade, and the next thing will be to
strike you.
' 'The prowling wolves ! But hand me that rifle, Judith, and 1'11
send an answer back to the vagabonds through their messenger.'
'Not while l 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. "T'he 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 spoke in a quick, earnest voice to the Serpent, in
Delaware. The latter had been the frst, in truth, to hear the sounds
of the oars, and he nae 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 frst 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 neat the Indian, and all expected he would attempt to
fell the Delaware to the earth ; one of them, at least, was well award
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 o 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 creator' into your very trap '' then to see
it get off. As much as six firrst 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 ontru 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' 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 toe 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 t ready as soon as possible, in order to abandon the
dwellings uporarily at least, if not forever.
These communications made, everything proceeded promptly and with
intelligence ; the castle was secured in the manner ready described,
the canoes were withdrawn from the dock kd 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
fact to render nights that were obscure, darker than common on the
lake. As usual, however, a belt of comparative light was retched
through the centre of the sheet, while it was within the dadoes of the
mountains, that the gloom rested most heavily on the water. Thee
island, or castle, stood in this belt of imperative 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 tilled 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 be 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; thou the squalls of even the latter are familiarly known to
be uncertain and baffling in all mountainous regions and narrow
raters. 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 no 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 son 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 merciful. Sarpent, howsever ; be
merciful, I beseech of you. It surely can do no harm to a red-skin's
honour to show a little mare. 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
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 Huger 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. ne 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 Ending that fire so near the
water,' he said, while executing these little manœuvres, 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 mites ; 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 to-night, 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 l 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
canoed 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. Allen, if love does count for
so much with some people, particularly with young women, fri'ndship
counts for some- thing, too, with other some. l 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 light 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 thik 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 consign for a fellow creator', 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 Harry Hurry 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.'
'lf I had a brother, he wouldn't dare to do it !' exclaimed Judith,
with eyes flashing lire. "But, Ending 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 immoveable 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 thc side of the ark, the movements of the two adventurers were
like the manoeuvred of highly-drilled soldiers, who, for the first
time were called on to meet the enemy in the held. 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 Fe 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 mites, 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, consult- ing
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. ne
utmost skill and precaution now became necessary in the management of
the canoe. ne 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 wolds, it was seen that they were steering too far north,
and the course was altered accordingly. ne 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 wolds, 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. ne 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
wolds, 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 fired 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 reconnoitring 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 certaininly
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 wolds 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 consti- tuted, in a moral sense, and of a steadiness that no
danger could appal, or any crisis disturb, it is not surprising that
the hunted 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 the scene. .: 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 t f their recent change of ground,
the Indians had not yet retired to to their huts, but had been delayed
by their preparations, which t 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.
ne hunters and the fishermen had been ttally 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 every thing 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 hurter 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 risibles though tee 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 back-ground 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. ne 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 emissary; 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 them- selves to the reader?
were briefly discussed before the young men came to any decision. The
occasion, however, being one that required act: 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 Ere, 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 l
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, '1 evinced cautiously towards
the ridge, Deerslayer dfc young men a in front, for he insisted on
this arrangement, lest the Delaw should be led by his feelings into
some indiscretion. It required but a moment to reach the foot of the
little ascent, and 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
before foot, until he had got sufficiently high to over-look summit,
his own head being alone brought into the ' 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 lire
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 Deer slayer 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 wolds, 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 End 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 palefaces 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 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
topes their eyes, and they would see' the Delaware, Deerslayer thrust
his angers into the sides of his friend, and indulged in a fit of his
hearty, benevolent laughter, tne 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. ne 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 pratice, 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 else. 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 tile
keys of an organ, occasionally allowing her to breathe, and then
compressing his angers 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. Tne 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 hack-ground 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. Every thing 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
Deer-slayer, 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 ancle to
ancle, 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 red men 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 - wood-chuck - mink -
hedge-hog- 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 shook
'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 paleface friend is very welcome," said the Indian, with a
familiar nod, and a smile so covert that it required all Deer-slayer'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 paleface-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 do'n't I make
no question t'is 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 out-cast. 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 ca'n'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 paleface 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 could'n'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 Hutters eyes are well be-fogged, 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,
andet 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 I am 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 suchre ontrue to their blood and gifts, and ought to
be, if they are not, out casts 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, the are comely enough to gain the
liking of any young man but here's reason ag'in any very great love
for either. Hetty is a god 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 littlie
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 did'n'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 do'n'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
do'n't think there was much pulling about it; no I do'n't. Lord help
you, Huron! He likes the gal, and the gal hikes 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 Is'n't exactly so, neither; for
we did'n'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 look'd 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
wheat 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 occur-red. 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 Gatamount!" 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 does'n'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-pout, 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, had'n't I laid the weight of a little
judgment on his hand. You may take in timersome 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 may be
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
do n'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 thee 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 thee 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 teethe 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 do'n'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 thee 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
wariors, thee 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 do'n't think you'd come ashore ag'in, on the
ar'n'd 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 to-night,
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 ar'n'd?"
"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 wheat 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 do n't think he'd risk as much for my
sake, as he would for his own."
"Judith do n'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 is'n'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!"
"Thee young woman who liked Hurry would own that he is handsome. I
think Hurry very handsome, Deerslayer, and I'm sure every body must
think so, that has eyes. Judith do n'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 thee 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 out-wit the
best Indian of them all. I know lam 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 thee hands of thee 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 could'n'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 wheat 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; 1 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 should n'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. Thee 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 thee 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 thee other baffling him by thee very means that
are known to be the most efficacious in defeating the finesse of the
more pretending diplomacy of civilisation or by confining his answers
to the truth, and thee 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 become wholly extinguished, and
to keep an eye generally or 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 entinel 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 any thing 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
Harry Hurry, 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 Harry Hurry,
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 baying 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 - Deer-slayer 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 Harry Hurry.'
'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 Henry
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 every thing 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 Harry Hurry'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. 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 XVIX
"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 recal 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 any thing 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
be a wish 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 even tide 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 back ground;
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 a 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 Ghingachgook 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 chip-munk 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 must n'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 is n'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 has n'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 atempt 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
reconnoitring 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 Deer-slayer. 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 pad lock 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 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 free'd 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 redskins
"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 mêlée, 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 y 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
momentarily to confuse the latter's faculties. The pain, too, orted a
deep groan; an unusual concession to agony, to ape a red man in the
heat of battle. Still he rushed forward gain, 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 e 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 ancles, and his body was rolled to 4the
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 or
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 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 gondollier
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 every thing 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, 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 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 circum stance
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 rlover 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 e time, and the water that unavoidably gathered
under the 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 ye run foul
of the platform, bows on, when it is probable thing 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 ancles 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 do n't roll here, and fall in scow?
Chingachgook shoot Huron, if he chace!"
"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 stem of the cow. Unfortunately, Hurry's
shoulders required more space to revolve m 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, am, not a man of whom
saw the manner in which one, horn 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, 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, 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 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, ad
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 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 same instant, that Hist began to pull
upon the line for 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 might have
pierced his heart, had the angle at was fired, been less acute.
Instead of penetrating the ~ever, it glanced from its smooth surface,
rose, and buried itself in the logs of the cabin, near the spot at
Chingachgook had shown himself the minute before, the line from the
cleet. A second, and a third, fourth bullet followed, all meeting with
the same resistance of the water, though Hurry sensibly the blows they
struck upon the lake so and so near his breast. Discovering their 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 the tow 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 Hurter'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 :e that might proceed from the greater strength of the
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 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 L. "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 quick, 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 does n'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 'till
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
con-fined 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 the 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 thee 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, 0 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 here after!"
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 sup-posed 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'1l 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 around.' 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 that had been taken from the fire place,
were enclosed with it, took heed of the arrangement. The body was in
the scow, enveloped in a sheet, and quite a hundred weight of stones,
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 looking 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
on-pretending 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 ex-claimed~
after a minutes 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.
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 mentaally instead of
utterint it aloud, "We are over thy grave, but litttle 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 bad 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 do'n't understand why he was'n'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 would n'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 do n'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 was n't born, I've
passed my life. I do n'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 wiil 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 do n't much care for any relation but you, and do n't
think I could love them I never saw, as well as I ought. If you do n't
like to marry Hurry, I do n'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 is n'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 need n'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 has n'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 did n'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 to-night, 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 do n't both hear and see. If father was n'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."
"Tis n'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 do n'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 do n'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 visiter.
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 does'n'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 was n'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 should n'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 did n't! You
believe that Chingachgook and Hurry Harry won't suffer it; but you do
n'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 would
n'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 was n't
the man to particularize the ra'al natur' of any sort of tire 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 vour'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 must
n'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 must n'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 past 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 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; Tis n'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 do n'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 hitter
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 is n't often-"
added the hunter, with a pleasing consciousness that his previous life
justified this implicit reliance on his good faith-"it is'n't often
they consait any thing so good of a pale face; but so they did with
me, and, therefore, they did n'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 does n'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 does
n'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, past her own hand across the speaker's mouth, in a way to
check the words.
"You do n'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 every thing 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 do n'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 yourn. 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 erson, 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 i did not always make him
outrageous, usually made him impudent, as respects those with whom he
conversed.
"Fair woods make long friendships, Master Deerslayer," he said a
little nemacingly. "You're but a stripling and you know by exper'ence,
what you are in the hands of a may. As you're not me, but only a go
between, sent by the savages to us christians, you may tell your
emply'ers 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 figts. 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 cncmy'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 tomarry, 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 lend 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 do n'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 to 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 was n'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 do n'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 did n'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 iniiny 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 do n 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, 'till 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 redskins 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 would n'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 wo'n'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 does n'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 frontier-man 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- "good bye,
dear Hurry. Take care of yourself in the woods, and don't stop once,
'till 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, is n'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 is n'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 do n'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
did n'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."
"Good bye, 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; "good bye, Hurry; take care of yourself in the
woods; do n't halt 'till 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 canoe-men 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 ear shot 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 sartan. The Lord, in his wisdom, can only
detarmine my fate, or yourn!"
"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 would n'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 employ ments, 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 com
panions 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 objec tions, both were soon in the scow, and in the room
that contamed 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 re mained 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
Hurter 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 composs enough for that, Judith?" de manded 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 have n'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 to wards 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 de sire 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 Hurter and my mother."
"Why Thomas Hutter, Judith, and not your father? The I 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 detar mine about
realities, Judith," returned the other, admonish ingly. "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 Hurter's
having once been concerned with the peo ple 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 rob bers, but, Lord, Judith, it can't surely give you
any satisfaction to make out that ag'in your mother's own hus band,
though he isn't your father."
"Any thing 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 can not 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 pre served, 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 in a 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 Hurter. 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 every thing 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 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 Hurter. 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 every thing 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 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 ex pectations may be raised in you, or any onjustiflable
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 posses sion 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 deter mined 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 favor ably-at least it
seems so-I hope I could, for, a world would n't tempt me to let you do
any thing that might change my real opinion of you."
"Then do n'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 any thing 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 should n't
you and Hetty do, as others have done afore ye? Hutter was the old
man's name, and Hurter 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 posi
tively-"until the law gives me a right to another name. Never will I
use that of Thomas Hurter again; nor, with my consent, shall Hetty!
Hurter 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 Hurter was n't Thomas Hurter, and his darters were n't his
darters! Who, then, could Thomas Hurter be, and who are his darters?"
"Did you never hear any thing 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'am 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. Hem may sarve you just as good a turn."
"I do not know it. I've look'd through those papers, Deer-slayer,
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 narur',
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 Herty, 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 be coming 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 some thing 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 suit ors, 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 would n'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 should n't find favor with a maiden like you?"
"Then you shall know, Deerslayer," returned the girl, gladly
availing herself of the opportunity of indirectly extol ling the
qualities which had so strongly interested her in her listener; hoping
by these means covertly to approach the sub ject 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 won derful 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-teffing 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 Hurter, 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 do n'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 would n't make the best of husbands, but
I fear that the tastes of most young women, hereaway, would n't be so
hard upon him."
"No-no-Judith without a name, would never consent to be called
Judith March! Any thing would be better than that."
"Judith Bumppo would n'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, does
n't come through the ear, but through the heart. Every thing 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 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 do n't kill, and that
some people are better for shedding a few, now and then, especially
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 every thing 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 Deer-slayer 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 ginerous-yes, 'tis downright free-hearted, and
free-handed, and ginerous. 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 valie in their eyes. Howsever,
while I thank you both, just 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 compan. ion
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 any thing 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
crc 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
"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 contamed 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 re mained 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
Hurter 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 composs 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 have n'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 to wards 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 de sire 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 Hurter and my mother."
"Why Thomas Hutter, Judith, and not your father? The I 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 detar mine about
realities, Judith," returned the other, admonish ingly. "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 Hurter's
having once been concerned with the peo ple 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 rob bers, but, Lord, Judith, it can't surely give you
any satisfaction to make out that ag'in your mother's own hus band,
though he isn't your father."
"Any thing 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 can not 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 pre served, 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 in a 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 Hurter. 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 every thing 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 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 inifict
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 Hurter. 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 every thing 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 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 ex pectations may be raised in you, or any onjustiflable
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 posses sion 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 deter mined 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 favor ably-at least it
seems so-I hope I could, for, a world would n't tempt me to let you do
any thing that might change my real opinion of you."
"Then do n'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 any thing 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 should n't
you and Hetty do, as others have done afore ye? Hutter was the old
man's name, and Hurter 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! Hurter 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 tproperly concern him; "yes, this is very strange and
oncommon! Thomas Hutter was n't Thomas Hutter, and his darters were
n't his darters! Who, then, could Thomas Hurter be, and who are his
darters?"
"Did you never hear any thing 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'am 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, Hurter, 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. Hem may sarve you just as good a turn."
"I do not know it. I've look'd through those papers, Deer-slayer,
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 narur',
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 Herty, 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 be coming 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 some thing 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 suit ors, 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 would n'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 should n't find favor with a maiden like you?"
"Then you shall know, Deerslayer," returned the girl, gladly
availing herself of the opportunity of indirectly extol ling the
qualities which had so strongly interested her in her listener; hoping
by these means covertly to approach the sub ject 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 won derful 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-teffing 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 Hurter, 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 do n'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 would n't make the best of husbands, but
I fear that the tastes of most young women, hereaway, would n't be so
hard upon him."
"No-no-Judith without a name, would never consent to be called
Judith March! Any thing would be better than that."
"Judith Bumppo would n'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, does
n't come through the ear, but through the heart. Every thing 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 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 do n't kill, and that
some people are better for shedding a few, now and then, especially
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 every thing 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 Deer-slayer 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 ginerous-yes, 'tis downright free-hearted, and
free-handed, and ginerous. 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 valie in their eyes. Howsever,
while I thank you both, just 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 compan. ion
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 any thing 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
crc 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 XXVI
"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 employ ments, 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 objec tions, both were soon in the scow, and in the room
that contamed 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 re mained 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
Hurter 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 composs enough for that, Judith?" de manded 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 have n'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 to wards 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 de sire 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 Hurter and my mother."
"Why Thomas Hutter, Judith, and not your father? The I dead ought
to meet with as much reverence as the living!"
"I have long suspected that Thomas Hurter 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 detar mine 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 Hurter'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 rob bers, 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."
"Any thing 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 can not 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 intelligent 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 pre served, 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 in a 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 Hurter. 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 every thing 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 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
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