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-Project Gutenberg's The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-Title: The Last of the Mohicans
-
-Author: James Fenimore Cooper
-
-Release Date: February 5, 2006 [EBook #940]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by John Horner and David Widger
-
-
-
-
-
-THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
-
-A Narrative of 1757
-
-by James Fenimore Cooper
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTION
-
-It is believed that the scene of this tale, and most of the information
-necessary to understand its allusions, are rendered sufficiently obvious
-to the reader in the text itself, or in the accompanying notes. Still
-there is so much obscurity in the Indian traditions, and so much
-confusion in the Indian names, as to render some explanation useful.
-
-Few men exhibit greater diversity, or, if we may so express it, greater
-antithesis of character, than the native warrior of North America.
-In war, he is daring, boastful, cunning, ruthless, self-denying,
-and self-devoted; in peace, just, generous, hospitable, revengeful,
-superstitious, modest, and commonly chaste. These are qualities, it
-is true, which do not distinguish all alike; but they are so far the
-predominating traits of these remarkable people as to be characteristic.
-
-It is generally believed that the Aborigines of the American continent
-have an Asiatic origin. There are many physical as well as moral facts
-which corroborate this opinion, and some few that would seem to weigh
-against it.
-
-The color of the Indian, the writer believes, is peculiar to himself,
-and while his cheek-bones have a very striking indication of a Tartar
-origin, his eyes have not. Climate may have had great influence on
-the former, but it is difficult to see how it can have produced the
-substantial difference which exists in the latter. The imagery of the
-Indian, both in his poetry and in his oratory, is oriental; chastened,
-and perhaps improved, by the limited range of his practical knowledge.
-He draws his metaphors from the clouds, the seasons, the birds, the
-beasts, and the vegetable world. In this, perhaps, he does no more than
-any other energetic and imaginative race would do, being compelled to
-set bounds to fancy by experience; but the North American Indian clothes
-his ideas in a dress which is different from that of the African, and
-is oriental in itself. His language has the richness and sententious
-fullness of the Chinese. He will express a phrase in a word, and he will
-qualify the meaning of an entire sentence by a syllable; he will even
-convey different significations by the simplest inflections of the
-voice.
-
-Philologists have said that there are but two or three languages,
-properly speaking, among all the numerous tribes which formerly occupied
-the country that now composes the United States. They ascribe the known
-difficulty one people have to understand another to corruptions and
-dialects. The writer remembers to have been present at an interview
-between two chiefs of the Great Prairies west of the Mississippi, and
-when an interpreter was in attendance who spoke both their languages.
-The warriors appeared to be on the most friendly terms, and seemingly
-conversed much together; yet, according to the account of the
-interpreter, each was absolutely ignorant of what the other said.
-They were of hostile tribes, brought together by the influence of the
-American government; and it is worthy of remark, that a common policy
-led them both to adopt the same subject. They mutually exhorted each
-other to be of use in the event of the chances of war throwing either of
-the parties into the hands of his enemies. Whatever may be the truth,
-as respects the root and the genius of the Indian tongues, it is quite
-certain they are now so distinct in their words as to possess most of
-the disadvantages of strange languages; hence much of the embarrassment
-that has arisen in learning their histories, and most of the uncertainty
-which exists in their traditions.
-
-Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian gives a very
-different account of his own tribe or race from that which is given by
-other people. He is much addicted to overestimating his own perfections,
-and to undervaluing those of his rival or his enemy; a trait which may
-possibly be thought corroborative of the Mosaic account of the creation.
-
-The whites have assisted greatly in rendering the traditions of the
-Aborigines more obscure by their own manner of corrupting names. Thus,
-the term used in the title of this book has undergone the changes of
-Mahicanni, Mohicans, and Mohegans; the latter being the word commonly
-used by the whites. When it is remembered that the Dutch (who first
-settled New York), the English, and the French, all gave appellations
-to the tribes that dwelt within the country which is the scene of this
-story, and that the Indians not only gave different names to their
-enemies, but frequently to themselves, the cause of the confusion will
-be understood.
-
-In these pages, Lenni-Lenape, Lenope, Delawares, Wapanachki, and
-Mohicans, all mean the same people, or tribes of the same stock. The
-Mengwe, the Maquas, the Mingoes, and the Iroquois, though not all
-strictly the same, are identified frequently by the speakers, being
-politically confederated and opposed to those just named. Mingo was a
-term of peculiar reproach, as were Mengwe and Maqua in a less degree.
-
-The Mohicans were the possessors of the country first occupied by the
-Europeans in this portion of the continent. They were, consequently,
-the first dispossessed; and the seemingly inevitable fate of all these
-people, who disappear before the advances, or it might be termed the
-inroads, of civilization, as the verdure of their native forests falls
-before the nipping frosts, is represented as having already befallen
-them. There is sufficient historical truth in the picture to justify the
-use that has been made of it.
-
-In point of fact, the country which is the scene of the following tale
-has undergone as little change, since the historical events alluded to
-had place, as almost any other district of equal extent within the whole
-limits of the United States. There are fashionable and well-attended
-watering-places at and near the spring where Hawkeye halted to drink,
-and roads traverse the forests where he and his friends were compelled
-to journey without even a path. Glen's has a large village; and while
-William Henry, and even a fortress of later date, are only to be traced
-as ruins, there is another village on the shores of the Horican. But,
-beyond this, the enterprise and energy of a people who have done so much
-in other places have done little here. The whole of that wilderness,
-in which the latter incidents of the legend occurred, is nearly a
-wilderness still, though the red man has entirely deserted this part of
-the state. Of all the tribes named in these pages, there exist only a
-few half-civilized beings of the Oneidas, on the reservations of their
-people in New York. The rest have disappeared, either from the regions
-in which their fathers dwelt, or altogether from the earth.
-
-There is one point on which we would wish to say a word before closing
-this preface. Hawkeye calls the Lac du Saint Sacrement, the "Horican."
-As we believe this to be an appropriation of the name that has its
-origin with ourselves, the time has arrived, perhaps, when the fact
-should be frankly admitted. While writing this book, fully a quarter of
-a century since, it occurred to us that the French name of this lake
-was too complicated, the American too commonplace, and the Indian too
-unpronounceable, for either to be used familiarly in a work of fiction.
-Looking over an ancient map, it was ascertained that a tribe of Indians,
-called "Les Horicans" by the French, existed in the neighborhood of this
-beautiful sheet of water. As every word uttered by Natty Bumppo was
-not to be received as rigid truth, we took the liberty of putting the
-"Horican" into his mouth, as the substitute for "Lake George." The name
-has appeared to find favor, and all things considered, it may possibly
-be quite as well to let it stand, instead of going back to the House of
-Hanover for the appellation of our finest sheet of water. We relieve our
-conscience by the confession, at all events leaving it to exercise its
-authority as it may see fit.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 1
-
-     "Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared:
-     The worst is wordly loss thou canst unfold:--
-     Say, is my kingdom lost?"--Shakespeare
-
-It was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars of North America, that
-the toils and dangers of the wilderness were to be encountered before
-the adverse hosts could meet. A wide and apparently an impervious
-boundary of forests severed the possessions of the hostile provinces
-of France and England. The hardy colonist, and the trained European who
-fought at his side, frequently expended months in struggling against
-the rapids of the streams, or in effecting the rugged passes of the
-mountains, in quest of an opportunity to exhibit their courage in a more
-martial conflict. But, emulating the patience and self-denial of the
-practiced native warriors, they learned to overcome every difficulty;
-and it would seem that, in time, there was no recess of the woods so
-dark, nor any secret place so lovely, that it might claim exemption
-from the inroads of those who had pledged their blood to satiate their
-vengeance, or to uphold the cold and selfish policy of the distant
-monarchs of Europe.
-
-Perhaps no district throughout the wide extent of the intermediate
-frontiers can furnish a livelier picture of the cruelty and fierceness
-of the savage warfare of those periods than the country which lies
-between the head waters of the Hudson and the adjacent lakes.
-
-The facilities which nature had there offered to the march of the
-combatants were too obvious to be neglected. The lengthened sheet of
-the Champlain stretched from the frontiers of Canada, deep within the
-borders of the neighboring province of New York, forming a natural
-passage across half the distance that the French were compelled to
-master in order to strike their enemies. Near its southern termination,
-it received the contributions of another lake, whose waters were so
-limpid as to have been exclusively selected by the Jesuit missionaries
-to perform the typical purification of baptism, and to obtain for it
-the title of lake "du Saint Sacrement." The less zealous English thought
-they conferred a sufficient honor on its unsullied fountains, when they
-bestowed the name of their reigning prince, the second of the house of
-Hanover. The two united to rob the untutored possessors of its wooded
-scenery of their native right to perpetuate its original appellation of
-"Horican."*
-
-     * As each nation of the Indians had its language or its
-     dialect, they usually gave different names to the same
-     places, though nearly all of their appellations were
-     descriptive of the object. Thus a literal translation of the
-     name of this beautiful sheet of water, used by the tribe
-     that dwelt on its banks, would be "The Tail of the Lake."
-     Lake George, as it is vulgarly, and now, indeed, legally,
-     called, forms a sort of tail to Lake Champlain, when viewed
-     on the map. Hence, the name.
-
-Winding its way among countless islands, and imbedded in mountains, the
-"holy lake" extended a dozen leagues still further to the south. With
-the high plain that there interposed itself to the further passage of
-the water, commenced a portage of as many miles, which conducted the
-adventurer to the banks of the Hudson, at a point where, with the usual
-obstructions of the rapids, or rifts, as they were then termed in the
-language of the country, the river became navigable to the tide.
-
-While, in the pursuit of their daring plans of annoyance, the restless
-enterprise of the French even attempted the distant and difficult
-gorges of the Alleghany, it may easily be imagined that their proverbial
-acuteness would not overlook the natural advantages of the district we
-have just described. It became, emphatically, the bloody arena, in which
-most of the battles for the mastery of the colonies were contested.
-Forts were erected at the different points that commanded the facilities
-of the route, and were taken and retaken, razed and rebuilt, as victory
-alighted on the hostile banners. While the husbandman shrank back from
-the dangerous passes, within the safer boundaries of the more ancient
-settlements, armies larger than those that had often disposed of the
-scepters of the mother countries, were seen to bury themselves in these
-forests, whence they rarely returned but in skeleton bands, that were
-haggard with care or dejected by defeat. Though the arts of peace were
-unknown to this fatal region, its forests were alive with men; its
-shades and glens rang with the sounds of martial music, and the echoes
-of its mountains threw back the laugh, or repeated the wanton cry,
-of many a gallant and reckless youth, as he hurried by them, in the
-noontide of his spirits, to slumber in a long night of forgetfulness.
-
-It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we
-shall attempt to relate occurred, during the third year of the war
-which England and France last waged for the possession of a country that
-neither was destined to retain.
-
-The imbecility of her military leaders abroad, and the fatal want of
-energy in her councils at home, had lowered the character of Great
-Britain from the proud elevation on which it had been placed by the
-talents and enterprise of her former warriors and statesmen. No longer
-dreaded by her enemies, her servants were fast losing the confidence
-of self-respect. In this mortifying abasement, the colonists, though
-innocent of her imbecility, and too humble to be the agents of her
-blunders, were but the natural participators. They had recently seen a
-chosen army from that country, which, reverencing as a mother, they
-had blindly believed invincible--an army led by a chief who had been
-selected from a crowd of trained warriors, for his rare military
-endowments, disgracefully routed by a handful of French and Indians, and
-only saved from annihilation by the coolness and spirit of a Virginian
-boy, whose riper fame has since diffused itself, with the steady
-influence of moral truth, to the uttermost confines of Christendom.* A
-wide frontier had been laid naked by this unexpected disaster, and more
-substantial evils were preceded by a thousand fanciful and imaginary
-dangers. The alarmed colonists believed that the yells of the savages
-mingled with every fitful gust of wind that issued from the interminable
-forests of the west. The terrific character of their merciless enemies
-increased immeasurably the natural horrors of warfare. Numberless recent
-massacres were still vivid in their recollections; nor was there any
-ear in the provinces so deaf as not to have drunk in with avidity the
-narrative of some fearful tale of midnight murder, in which the natives
-of the forests were the principal and barbarous actors. As the credulous
-and excited traveler related the hazardous chances of the wilderness,
-the blood of the timid curdled with terror, and mothers cast anxious
-glances even at those children which slumbered within the security of
-the largest towns. In short, the magnifying influence of fear began to
-set at naught the calculations of reason, and to render those who should
-have remembered their manhood, the slaves of the basest passions. Even
-the most confident and the stoutest hearts began to think the issue
-of the contest was becoming doubtful; and that abject class was hourly
-increasing in numbers, who thought they foresaw all the possessions of
-the English crown in America subdued by their Christian foes, or laid
-waste by the inroads of their relentless allies.
-
-     * Washington, who, after uselessly admonishing the European
-     general of the danger into which he was heedlessly running,
-     saved the remnants of the British army, on this occasion, by
-     his decision and courage. The reputation earned by
-     Washington in this battle was the principal cause of his
-     being selected to command the American armies at a later
-     day. It is a circumstance worthy of observation, that while
-     all America rang with his well-merited reputation, his name
-     does not occur in any European account of the battle; at
-     least the author has searched for it without success. In
-     this manner does the mother country absorb even the fame,
-     under that system of rule.
-
-When, therefore, intelligence was received at the fort which covered the
-southern termination of the portage between the Hudson and the lakes,
-that Montcalm had been seen moving up the Champlain, with an army
-"numerous as the leaves on the trees," its truth was admitted with more
-of the craven reluctance of fear than with the stern joy that a warrior
-should feel, in finding an enemy within reach of his blow. The news had
-been brought, toward the decline of a day in midsummer, by an Indian
-runner, who also bore an urgent request from Munro, the commander of
-a work on the shore of the "holy lake," for a speedy and powerful
-reinforcement. It has already been mentioned that the distance between
-these two posts was less than five leagues. The rude path, which
-originally formed their line of communication, had been widened for the
-passage of wagons; so that the distance which had been traveled by the
-son of the forest in two hours, might easily be effected by a detachment
-of troops, with their necessary baggage, between the rising and setting
-of a summer sun. The loyal servants of the British crown had given to
-one of these forest-fastnesses the name of William Henry, and to the
-other that of Fort Edward, calling each after a favorite prince of the
-reigning family. The veteran Scotchman just named held the first, with
-a regiment of regulars and a few provincials; a force really by far
-too small to make head against the formidable power that Montcalm was
-leading to the foot of his earthen mounds. At the latter, however,
-lay General Webb, who commanded the armies of the king in the northern
-provinces, with a body of more than five thousand men. By uniting the
-several detachments of his command, this officer might have arrayed
-nearly double that number of combatants against the enterprising
-Frenchman, who had ventured so far from his reinforcements, with an army
-but little superior in numbers.
-
-But under the influence of their degraded fortunes, both officers and
-men appeared better disposed to await the approach of their formidable
-antagonists, within their works, than to resist the progress of their
-march, by emulating the successful example of the French at Fort du
-Quesne, and striking a blow on their advance.
-
-After the first surprise of the intelligence had a little abated, a
-rumor was spread through the entrenched camp, which stretched along the
-margin of the Hudson, forming a chain of outworks to the body of the
-fort itself, that a chosen detachment of fifteen hundred men was to
-depart, with the dawn, for William Henry, the post at the northern
-extremity of the portage. That which at first was only rumor,
-soon became certainty, as orders passed from the quarters of the
-commander-in-chief to the several corps he had selected for this
-service, to prepare for their speedy departure. All doubts as to the
-intention of Webb now vanished, and an hour or two of hurried footsteps
-and anxious faces succeeded. The novice in the military art flew from
-point to point, retarding his own preparations by the excess of his
-violent and somewhat distempered zeal; while the more practiced veteran
-made his arrangements with a deliberation that scorned every appearance
-of haste; though his sober lineaments and anxious eye sufficiently
-betrayed that he had no very strong professional relish for the, as yet,
-untried and dreaded warfare of the wilderness. At length the sun set in
-a flood of glory, behind the distant western hills, and as darkness drew
-its veil around the secluded spot the sounds of preparation diminished;
-the last light finally disappeared from the log cabin of some officer;
-the trees cast their deeper shadows over the mounds and the rippling
-stream, and a silence soon pervaded the camp, as deep as that which
-reigned in the vast forest by which it was environed.
-
-According to the orders of the preceding night, the heavy sleep of the
-army was broken by the rolling of the warning drums, whose rattling
-echoes were heard issuing, on the damp morning air, out of every vista
-of the woods, just as day began to draw the shaggy outlines of some tall
-pines of the vicinity, on the opening brightness of a soft and cloudless
-eastern sky. In an instant the whole camp was in motion; the meanest
-soldier arousing from his lair to witness the departure of his comrades,
-and to share in the excitement and incidents of the hour. The simple
-array of the chosen band was soon completed. While the regular and
-trained hirelings of the king marched with haughtiness to the right of
-the line, the less pretending colonists took their humbler position
-on its left, with a docility that long practice had rendered easy.
-The scouts departed; strong guards preceded and followed the lumbering
-vehicles that bore the baggage; and before the gray light of the morning
-was mellowed by the rays of the sun, the main body of the combatants
-wheeled into column, and left the encampment with a show of high
-military bearing, that served to drown the slumbering apprehensions of
-many a novice, who was now about to make his first essay in arms. While
-in view of their admiring comrades, the same proud front and ordered
-array was observed, until the notes of their fifes growing fainter in
-distance, the forest at length appeared to swallow up the living mass
-which had slowly entered its bosom.
-
-The deepest sounds of the retiring and invisible column had ceased to
-be borne on the breeze to the listeners, and the latest straggler had
-already disappeared in pursuit; but there still remained the signs
-of another departure, before a log cabin of unusual size and
-accommodations, in front of which those sentinels paced their rounds,
-who were known to guard the person of the English general. At this spot
-were gathered some half dozen horses, caparisoned in a manner which
-showed that two, at least, were destined to bear the persons of females,
-of a rank that it was not usual to meet so far in the wilds of the
-country. A third wore trappings and arms of an officer of the staff;
-while the rest, from the plainness of the housings, and the traveling
-mails with which they were encumbered, were evidently fitted for the
-reception of as many menials, who were, seemingly, already waiting
-the pleasure of those they served. At a respectful distance from this
-unusual show, were gathered divers groups of curious idlers; some
-admiring the blood and bone of the high-mettled military charger,
-and others gazing at the preparations, with the dull wonder of vulgar
-curiosity. There was one man, however, who, by his countenance and
-actions, formed a marked exception to those who composed the latter
-class of spectators, being neither idle, nor seemingly very ignorant.
-
-The person of this individual was to the last degree ungainly, without
-being in any particular manner deformed. He had all the bones and joints
-of other men, without any of their proportions. Erect, his stature
-surpassed that of his fellows; though seated, he appeared reduced within
-the ordinary limits of the race. The same contrariety in his members
-seemed to exist throughout the whole man. His head was large; his
-shoulders narrow; his arms long and dangling; while his hands were
-small, if not delicate. His legs and thighs were thin, nearly to
-emaciation, but of extraordinary length; and his knees would have
-been considered tremendous, had they not been outdone by the broader
-foundations on which this false superstructure of blended human orders
-was so profanely reared. The ill-assorted and injudicious attire of the
-individual only served to render his awkwardness more conspicuous. A
-sky-blue coat, with short and broad skirts and low cape, exposed a long,
-thin neck, and longer and thinner legs, to the worst animadversions
-of the evil-disposed. His nether garment was a yellow nankeen, closely
-fitted to the shape, and tied at his bunches of knees by large knots of
-white ribbon, a good deal sullied by use. Clouded cotton stockings, and
-shoes, on one of the latter of which was a plated spur, completed the
-costume of the lower extremity of this figure, no curve or angle of
-which was concealed, but, on the other hand, studiously exhibited,
-through the vanity or simplicity of its owner.
-
-From beneath the flap of an enormous pocket of a soiled vest of embossed
-silk, heavily ornamented with tarnished silver lace, projected an
-instrument, which, from being seen in such martial company, might have
-been easily mistaken for some mischievous and unknown implement of war.
-Small as it was, this uncommon engine had excited the curiosity of most
-of the Europeans in the camp, though several of the provincials
-were seen to handle it, not only without fear, but with the utmost
-familiarity. A large, civil cocked hat, like those worn by clergymen
-within the last thirty years, surmounted the whole, furnishing dignity
-to a good-natured and somewhat vacant countenance, that apparently
-needed such artificial aid, to support the gravity of some high and
-extraordinary trust.
-
-While the common herd stood aloof, in deference to the quarters of Webb,
-the figure we have described stalked into the center of the domestics,
-freely expressing his censures or commendations on the merits of the
-horses, as by chance they displeased or satisfied his judgment.
-
-"This beast, I rather conclude, friend, is not of home raising, but is
-from foreign lands, or perhaps from the little island itself over the
-blue water?" he said, in a voice as remarkable for the softness and
-sweetness of its tones, as was his person for its rare proportions; "I
-may speak of these things, and be no braggart; for I have been down at
-both havens; that which is situate at the mouth of Thames, and is named
-after the capital of Old England, and that which is called 'Haven', with
-the addition of the word 'New'; and have seen the scows and brigantines
-collecting their droves, like the gathering to the ark, being outward
-bound to the Island of Jamaica, for the purpose of barter and traffic
-in four-footed animals; but never before have I beheld a beast which
-verified the true scripture war-horse like this: 'He paweth in the
-valley, and rejoiceth in his strength; he goeth on to meet the armed
-men. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle
-afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting' It would seem
-that the stock of the horse of Israel had descended to our own time;
-would it not, friend?"
-
-Receiving no reply to this extraordinary appeal, which in truth, as it
-was delivered with the vigor of full and sonorous tones, merited some
-sort of notice, he who had thus sung forth the language of the holy
-book turned to the silent figure to whom he had unwittingly addressed
-himself, and found a new and more powerful subject of admiration in the
-object that encountered his gaze. His eyes fell on the still, upright,
-and rigid form of the "Indian runner," who had borne to the camp the
-unwelcome tidings of the preceding evening. Although in a state of
-perfect repose, and apparently disregarding, with characteristic
-stoicism, the excitement and bustle around him, there was a sullen
-fierceness mingled with the quiet of the savage, that was likely to
-arrest the attention of much more experienced eyes than those which now
-scanned him, in unconcealed amazement. The native bore both the tomahawk
-and knife of his tribe; and yet his appearance was not altogether that
-of a warrior. On the contrary, there was an air of neglect about his
-person, like that which might have proceeded from great and recent
-exertion, which he had not yet found leisure to repair. The colors
-of the war-paint had blended in dark confusion about his fierce
-countenance, and rendered his swarthy lineaments still more savage
-and repulsive than if art had attempted an effect which had been thus
-produced by chance. His eye, alone, which glistened like a fiery star
-amid lowering clouds, was to be seen in its state of native wildness.
-For a single instant his searching and yet wary glance met the wondering
-look of the other, and then changing its direction, partly in cunning,
-and partly in disdain, it remained fixed, as if penetrating the distant
-air.
-
-It is impossible to say what unlooked-for remark this short and silent
-communication, between two such singular men, might have elicited from
-the white man, had not his active curiosity been again drawn to other
-objects. A general movement among the domestics, and a low sound of
-gentle voices, announced the approach of those whose presence alone
-was wanted to enable the cavalcade to move. The simple admirer of the
-war-horse instantly fell back to a low, gaunt, switch-tailed mare, that
-was unconsciously gleaning the faded herbage of the camp nigh by; where,
-leaning with one elbow on the blanket that concealed an apology for a
-saddle, he became a spectator of the departure, while a foal was quietly
-making its morning repast, on the opposite side of the same animal.
-
-A young man, in the dress of an officer, conducted to their steeds two
-females, who, as it was apparent by their dresses, were prepared to
-encounter the fatigues of a journey in the woods. One, and she was
-the more juvenile in her appearance, though both were young, permitted
-glimpses of her dazzling complexion, fair golden hair, and bright blue
-eyes, to be caught, as she artlessly suffered the morning air to blow
-aside the green veil which descended low from her beaver.
-
-The flush which still lingered above the pines in the western sky was
-not more bright nor delicate than the bloom on her cheek; nor was the
-opening day more cheering than the animated smile which she bestowed on
-the youth, as he assisted her into the saddle. The other, who appeared
-to share equally in the attention of the young officer, concealed her
-charms from the gaze of the soldiery with a care that seemed better
-fitted to the experience of four or five additional years. It could be
-seen, however, that her person, though molded with the same exquisite
-proportions, of which none of the graces were lost by the traveling
-dress she wore, was rather fuller and more mature than that of her
-companion.
-
-No sooner were these females seated, than their attendant sprang lightly
-into the saddle of the war-horse, when the whole three bowed to Webb,
-who in courtesy, awaited their parting on the threshold of his cabin and
-turning their horses' heads, they proceeded at a slow amble, followed
-by their train, toward the northern entrance of the encampment. As they
-traversed that short distance, not a voice was heard among them; but
-a slight exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females, as the
-Indian runner glided by her, unexpectedly, and led the way along the
-military road in her front. Though this sudden and startling movement
-of the Indian produced no sound from the other, in the surprise her veil
-also was allowed to open its folds, and betrayed an indescribable look
-of pity, admiration, and horror, as her dark eye followed the easy
-motions of the savage. The tresses of this lady were shining and black,
-like the plumage of the raven. Her complexion was not brown, but it
-rather appeared charged with the color of the rich blood, that seemed
-ready to burst its bounds. And yet there was neither coarseness nor
-want of shadowing in a countenance that was exquisitely regular, and
-dignified and surpassingly beautiful. She smiled, as if in pity at her
-own momentary forgetfulness, discovering by the act a row of teeth that
-would have shamed the purest ivory; when, replacing the veil, she bowed
-her face, and rode in silence, like one whose thoughts were abstracted
-from the scene around her.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 2
-
-     "Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola!"
-     --Shakespeare
-
-While one of the lovely beings we have so cursorily presented to the
-reader was thus lost in thought, the other quickly recovered from the
-alarm which induced the exclamation, and, laughing at her own weakness,
-she inquired of the youth who rode by her side:
-
-"Are such specters frequent in the woods, Heyward, or is this sight an
-especial entertainment ordered on our behalf? If the latter, gratitude
-must close our mouths; but if the former, both Cora and I shall have
-need to draw largely on that stock of hereditary courage which we boast,
-even before we are made to encounter the redoubtable Montcalm."
-
-"Yon Indian is a 'runner' of the army; and, after the fashion of his
-people, he may be accounted a hero," returned the officer. "He has
-volunteered to guide us to the lake, by a path but little known,
-sooner than if we followed the tardy movements of the column; and, by
-consequence, more agreeably."
-
-"I like him not," said the lady, shuddering, partly in assumed, yet more
-in real terror. "You know him, Duncan, or you would not trust yourself
-so freely to his keeping?"
-
-"Say, rather, Alice, that I would not trust you. I do know him, or he
-would not have my confidence, and least of all at this moment. He
-is said to be a Canadian too; and yet he served with our friends the
-Mohawks, who, as you know, are one of the six allied nations. He was
-brought among us, as I have heard, by some strange accident in which
-your father was interested, and in which the savage was rigidly dealt
-by; but I forget the idle tale, it is enough, that he is now our
-friend."
-
-"If he has been my father's enemy, I like him still less!" exclaimed the
-now really anxious girl. "Will you not speak to him, Major Heyward, that
-I may hear his tones? Foolish though it may be, you have often heard me
-avow my faith in the tones of the human voice!"
-
-"It would be in vain; and answered, most probably, by an ejaculation.
-Though he may understand it, he affects, like most of his people, to be
-ignorant of the English; and least of all will he condescend to speak
-it, now that the war demands the utmost exercise of his dignity. But
-he stops; the private path by which we are to journey is, doubtless, at
-hand."
-
-The conjecture of Major Heyward was true. When they reached the spot
-where the Indian stood, pointing into the thicket that fringed the
-military road; a narrow and blind path, which might, with some little
-inconvenience, receive one person at a time, became visible.
-
-"Here, then, lies our way," said the young man, in a low voice.
-"Manifest no distrust, or you may invite the danger you appear to
-apprehend."
-
-"Cora, what think you?" asked the reluctant fair one. "If we journey
-with the troops, though we may find their presence irksome, shall we not
-feel better assurance of our safety?"
-
-"Being little accustomed to the practices of the savages, Alice, you
-mistake the place of real danger," said Heyward. "If enemies have
-reached the portage at all, a thing by no means probable, as our scouts
-are abroad, they will surely be found skirting the column, where scalps
-abound the most. The route of the detachment is known, while ours,
-having been determined within the hour, must still be secret."
-
-"Should we distrust the man because his manners are not our manners, and
-that his skin is dark?" coldly asked Cora.
-
-Alice hesitated no longer; but giving her Narrangansett* a smart cut
-of the whip, she was the first to dash aside the slight branches of the
-bushes, and to follow the runner along the dark and tangled pathway.
-The young man regarded the last speaker in open admiration, and even
-permitted her fairer, though certainly not more beautiful companion, to
-proceed unattended, while he sedulously opened the way himself for
-the passage of her who has been called Cora. It would seem that the
-domestics had been previously instructed; for, instead of penetrating
-the thicket, they followed the route of the column; a measure which
-Heyward stated had been dictated by the sagacity of their guide, in
-order to diminish the marks of their trail, if, haply, the Canadian
-savages should be lurking so far in advance of their army. For many
-minutes the intricacy of the route admitted of no further dialogue;
-after which they emerged from the broad border of underbrush which
-grew along the line of the highway, and entered under the high but dark
-arches of the forest. Here their progress was less interrupted; and the
-instant the guide perceived that the females could command their steeds,
-he moved on, at a pace between a trot and a walk, and at a rate which
-kept the sure-footed and peculiar animals they rode at a fast yet easy
-amble. The youth had turned to speak to the dark-eyed Cora, when the
-distant sound of horses hoofs, clattering over the roots of the broken
-way in his rear, caused him to check his charger; and, as his companions
-drew their reins at the same instant, the whole party came to a halt, in
-order to obtain an explanation of the unlooked-for interruption.
-
-     * In the state of Rhode Island there is a bay called
-     Narragansett, so named after a powerful tribe of Indians,
-     which formerly dwelt on its banks. Accident, or one of those
-     unaccountable freaks which nature sometimes plays in the
-     animal world, gave rise to a breed of horses which were once
-     well known in America, and distinguished by their habit of
-     pacing. Horses of this race were, and are still, in much
-     request as saddle horses, on account of their hardiness and
-     the ease of their movements. As they were also sure of foot,
-     the Narragansetts were greatly sought for by females who
-     were obliged to travel over the roots and holes in the "new
-     countries."
-
-In a few moments a colt was seen gliding, like a fallow deer, among the
-straight trunks of the pines; and, in another instant, the person of the
-ungainly man, described in the preceding chapter, came into view, with
-as much rapidity as he could excite his meager beast to endure without
-coming to an open rupture. Until now this personage had escaped the
-observation of the travelers. If he possessed the power to arrest any
-wandering eye when exhibiting the glories of his altitude on foot, his
-equestrian graces were still more likely to attract attention.
-
-Notwithstanding a constant application of his one armed heel to the
-flanks of the mare, the most confirmed gait that he could establish
-was a Canterbury gallop with the hind legs, in which those more forward
-assisted for doubtful moments, though generally content to maintain a
-loping trot. Perhaps the rapidity of the changes from one of these paces
-to the other created an optical illusion, which might thus magnify the
-powers of the beast; for it is certain that Heyward, who possessed
-a true eye for the merits of a horse, was unable, with his utmost
-ingenuity, to decide by what sort of movement his pursuer worked his
-sinuous way on his footsteps with such persevering hardihood.
-
-The industry and movements of the rider were not less remarkable than
-those of the ridden. At each change in the evolutions of the latter,
-the former raised his tall person in the stirrups; producing, in this
-manner, by the undue elongation of his legs, such sudden growths and
-diminishings of the stature, as baffled every conjecture that might
-be made as to his dimensions. If to this be added the fact that, in
-consequence of the ex parte application of the spur, one side of the
-mare appeared to journey faster than the other; and that the aggrieved
-flank was resolutely indicated by unremitted flourishes of a bushy tail,
-we finish the picture of both horse and man.
-
-The frown which had gathered around the handsome, open, and manly brow
-of Heyward, gradually relaxed, and his lips curled into a slight smile,
-as he regarded the stranger. Alice made no very powerful effort to
-control her merriment; and even the dark, thoughtful eye of Cora lighted
-with a humor that it would seem, the habit, rather than the nature, of
-its mistress repressed.
-
-"Seek you any here?" demanded Heyward, when the other had arrived
-sufficiently nigh to abate his speed; "I trust you are no messenger of
-evil tidings?"
-
-"Even so," replied the stranger, making diligent use of his triangular
-castor, to produce a circulation in the close air of the woods, and
-leaving his hearers in doubt to which of the young man's questions he
-responded; when, however, he had cooled his face, and recovered his
-breath, he continued, "I hear you are riding to William Henry; as I
-am journeying thitherward myself, I concluded good company would seem
-consistent to the wishes of both parties."
-
-"You appear to possess the privilege of a casting vote," returned
-Heyward; "we are three, while you have consulted no one but yourself."
-
-"Even so. The first point to be obtained is to know one's own mind. Once
-sure of that, and where women are concerned it is not easy, the next is,
-to act up to the decision. I have endeavored to do both, and here I am."
-
-"If you journey to the lake, you have mistaken your route," said
-Heyward, haughtily; "the highway thither is at least half a mile behind
-you."
-
-"Even so," returned the stranger, nothing daunted by this cold
-reception; "I have tarried at 'Edward' a week, and I should be dumb not
-to have inquired the road I was to journey; and if dumb there would be
-an end to my calling." After simpering in a small way, like one whose
-modesty prohibited a more open expression of his admiration of
-a witticism that was perfectly unintelligible to his hearers, he
-continued, "It is not prudent for any one of my profession to be too
-familiar with those he has to instruct; for which reason I follow not
-the line of the army; besides which, I conclude that a gentleman of
-your character has the best judgment in matters of wayfaring; I have,
-therefore, decided to join company, in order that the ride may be made
-agreeable, and partake of social communion."
-
-"A most arbitrary, if not a hasty decision!" exclaimed Heyward,
-undecided whether to give vent to his growing anger, or to laugh in the
-other's face. "But you speak of instruction, and of a profession; are
-you an adjunct to the provincial corps, as a master of the noble science
-of defense and offense; or, perhaps, you are one who draws lines and
-angles, under the pretense of expounding the mathematics?"
-
-The stranger regarded his interrogator a moment in wonder; and then,
-losing every mark of self-satisfaction in an expression of solemn
-humility, he answered:
-
-"Of offense, I hope there is none, to either party: of defense, I make
-none--by God's good mercy, having committed no palpable sin since last
-entreating his pardoning grace. I understand not your allusions about
-lines and angles; and I leave expounding to those who have been called
-and set apart for that holy office. I lay claim to no higher gift than a
-small insight into the glorious art of petitioning and thanksgiving, as
-practiced in psalmody."
-
-"The man is, most manifestly, a disciple of Apollo," cried the amused
-Alice, "and I take him under my own especial protection. Nay, throw
-aside that frown, Heyward, and in pity to my longing ears, suffer him to
-journey in our train. Besides," she added, in a low and hurried voice,
-casting a glance at the distant Cora, who slowly followed the footsteps
-of their silent, but sullen guide, "it may be a friend added to our
-strength, in time of need."
-
-"Think you, Alice, that I would trust those I love by this secret path,
-did I imagine such need could happen?"
-
-"Nay, nay, I think not of it now; but this strange man amuses me; and if
-he 'hath music in his soul', let us not churlishly reject his company."
-She pointed persuasively along the path with her riding whip, while
-their eyes met in a look which the young man lingered a moment to
-prolong; then, yielding to her gentle influence, he clapped his spurs
-into his charger, and in a few bounds was again at the side of Cora.
-
-"I am glad to encounter thee, friend," continued the maiden, waving her
-hand to the stranger to proceed, as she urged her Narragansett to renew
-its amble. "Partial relatives have almost persuaded me that I am not
-entirely worthless in a duet myself; and we may enliven our wayfaring
-by indulging in our favorite pursuit. It might be of signal advantage to
-one, ignorant as I, to hear the opinions and experience of a master in
-the art."
-
-"It is refreshing both to the spirits and to the body to indulge
-in psalmody, in befitting seasons," returned the master of song,
-unhesitatingly complying with her intimation to follow; "and nothing
-would relieve the mind more than such a consoling communion. But four
-parts are altogether necessary to the perfection of melody. You have all
-the manifestations of a soft and rich treble; I can, by especial aid,
-carry a full tenor to the highest letter; but we lack counter and bass!
-Yon officer of the king, who hesitated to admit me to his company, might
-fill the latter, if one may judge from the intonations of his voice in
-common dialogue."
-
-"Judge not too rashly from hasty and deceptive appearances," said the
-lady, smiling; "though Major Heyward can assume such deep notes on
-occasion, believe me, his natural tones are better fitted for a mellow
-tenor than the bass you heard."
-
-"Is he, then, much practiced in the art of psalmody?" demanded her
-simple companion.
-
-Alice felt disposed to laugh, though she succeeded in suppressing her
-merriment, ere she answered:
-
-"I apprehend that he is rather addicted to profane song. The chances
-of a soldier's life are but little fitted for the encouragement of more
-sober inclinations."
-
-"Man's voice is given to him, like his other talents, to be used, and
-not to be abused. None can say they have ever known me to neglect my
-gifts! I am thankful that, though my boyhood may be said to have been
-set apart, like the youth of the royal David, for the purposes of music,
-no syllable of rude verse has ever profaned my lips."
-
-"You have, then, limited your efforts to sacred song?"
-
-"Even so. As the psalms of David exceed all other language, so does the
-psalmody that has been fitted to them by the divines and sages of the
-land, surpass all vain poetry. Happily, I may say that I utter nothing
-but the thoughts and the wishes of the King of Israel himself; for
-though the times may call for some slight changes, yet does this version
-which we use in the colonies of New England so much exceed all other
-versions, that, by its richness, its exactness, and its spiritual
-simplicity, it approacheth, as near as may be, to the great work of the
-inspired writer. I never abide in any place, sleeping or waking, without
-an example of this gifted work. 'Tis the six-and-twentieth edition,
-promulgated at Boston, Anno Domini 1744; and is entitled, 'The Psalms,
-Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Old and New Testaments; faithfully
-translated into English Metre, for the Use, Edification, and Comfort of
-the Saints, in Public and Private, especially in New England'."
-
-During this eulogium on the rare production of his native poets, the
-stranger had drawn the book from his pocket, and fitting a pair of
-iron-rimmed spectacles to his nose, opened the volume with a care and
-veneration suited to its sacred purposes. Then, without circumlocution
-or apology, first pronounced the word "Standish," and placing the
-unknown engine, already described, to his mouth, from which he drew a
-high, shrill sound, that was followed by an octave below, from his own
-voice, he commenced singing the following words, in full, sweet, and
-melodious tones, that set the music, the poetry, and even the uneasy
-motion of his ill-trained beast at defiance; "How good it is, O see, And
-how it pleaseth well, Together e'en in unity, For brethren so to dwell.
-It's like the choice ointment, From the head to the beard did go; Down
-Aaron's head, that downward went His garment's skirts unto."
-
-The delivery of these skillful rhymes was accompanied, on the part
-of the stranger, by a regular rise and fall of his right hand, which
-terminated at the descent, by suffering the fingers to dwell a moment on
-the leaves of the little volume; and on the ascent, by such a flourish
-of the member as none but the initiated may ever hope to imitate.
-It would seem long practice had rendered this manual accompaniment
-necessary; for it did not cease until the preposition which the poet had
-selected for the close of his verse had been duly delivered like a word
-of two syllables.
-
-Such an innovation on the silence and retirement of the forest could not
-fail to enlist the ears of those who journeyed at so short a distance in
-advance. The Indian muttered a few words in broken English to Heyward,
-who, in his turn, spoke to the stranger; at once interrupting, and, for
-the time, closing his musical efforts.
-
-"Though we are not in danger, common prudence would teach us to journey
-through this wilderness in as quiet a manner as possible. You will then,
-pardon me, Alice, should I diminish your enjoyments, by requesting this
-gentleman to postpone his chant until a safer opportunity."
-
-"You will diminish them, indeed," returned the arch girl; "for never did
-I hear a more unworthy conjunction of execution and language than that
-to which I have been listening; and I was far gone in a learned inquiry
-into the causes of such an unfitness between sound and sense, when you
-broke the charm of my musings by that bass of yours, Duncan!"
-
-"I know not what you call my bass," said Heyward, piqued at her remark,
-"but I know that your safety, and that of Cora, is far dearer to me than
-could be any orchestra of Handel's music." He paused and turned his head
-quickly toward a thicket, and then bent his eyes suspiciously on their
-guide, who continued his steady pace, in undisturbed gravity. The young
-man smiled to himself, for he believed he had mistaken some shining
-berry of the woods for the glistening eyeballs of a prowling savage, and
-he rode forward, continuing the conversation which had been interrupted
-by the passing thought.
-
-Major Heyward was mistaken only in suffering his youthful and generous
-pride to suppress his active watchfulness. The cavalcade had not long
-passed, before the branches of the bushes that formed the thicket were
-cautiously moved asunder, and a human visage, as fiercely wild as savage
-art and unbridled passions could make it, peered out on the retiring
-footsteps of the travelers. A gleam of exultation shot across the
-darkly-painted lineaments of the inhabitant of the forest, as he traced
-the route of his intended victims, who rode unconsciously onward, the
-light and graceful forms of the females waving among the trees, in the
-curvatures of their path, followed at each bend by the manly figure of
-Heyward, until, finally, the shapeless person of the singing master
-was concealed behind the numberless trunks of trees, that rose, in dark
-lines, in the intermediate space.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 3
-
-     "Before these fields were shorn and till'd,
-     Full to the brim our rivers flow'd;
-     The melody of waters fill'd
-     The fresh and boundless wood;
-     And torrents dash'd, and rivulets play'd,
-     And fountains spouted in the shade."--Bryant
-
-Leaving the unsuspecting Heyward and his confiding companions to
-penetrate still deeper into a forest that contained such treacherous
-inmates, we must use an author's privilege, and shift the scene a few
-miles to the westward of the place where we have last seen them.
-
-On that day, two men were lingering on the banks of a small but rapid
-stream, within an hour's journey of the encampment of Webb, like those
-who awaited the appearance of an absent person, or the approach of some
-expected event. The vast canopy of woods spread itself to the margin of
-the river, overhanging the water, and shadowing its dark current with a
-deeper hue. The rays of the sun were beginning to grow less fierce, and
-the intense heat of the day was lessened, as the cooler vapors of the
-springs and fountains rose above their leafy beds, and rested in
-the atmosphere. Still that breathing silence, which marks the drowsy
-sultriness of an American landscape in July, pervaded the secluded spot,
-interrupted only by the low voices of the men, the occasional and lazy
-tap of a woodpecker, the discordant cry of some gaudy jay, or a swelling
-on the ear, from the dull roar of a distant waterfall. These feeble and
-broken sounds were, however, too familiar to the foresters to draw their
-attention from the more interesting matter of their dialogue. While
-one of these loiterers showed the red skin and wild accouterments of a
-native of the woods, the other exhibited, through the mask of his
-rude and nearly savage equipments, the brighter, though sun-burned and
-long-faced complexion of one who might claim descent from a European
-parentage. The former was seated on the end of a mossy log, in a posture
-that permitted him to heighten the effect of his earnest language, by
-the calm but expressive gestures of an Indian engaged in debate. His
-body, which was nearly naked, presented a terrific emblem of death,
-drawn in intermingled colors of white and black. His closely-shaved
-head, on which no other hair than the well-known and chivalrous
-scalping tuft* was preserved, was without ornament of any kind, with
-the exception of a solitary eagle's plume, that crossed his crown,
-and depended over the left shoulder. A tomahawk and scalping knife, of
-English manufacture, were in his girdle; while a short military rifle,
-of that sort with which the policy of the whites armed their savage
-allies, lay carelessly across his bare and sinewy knee. The expanded
-chest, full formed limbs, and grave countenance of this warrior, would
-denote that he had reached the vigor of his days, though no symptoms of
-decay appeared to have yet weakened his manhood.
-
-     * The North American warrior caused the hair to be plucked
-     from his whole body; a small tuft was left on the crown of
-     his head, in order that his enemy might avail himself of it,
-     in wrenching off the scalp in the event of his fall. The
-     scalp was the only admissible trophy of victory. Thus, it
-     was deemed more important to obtain the scalp than to kill
-     the man. Some tribes lay great stress on the honor of
-     striking a dead body. These practices have nearly
-     disappeared among the Indians of the Atlantic states.
-
-The frame of the white man, judging by such parts as were not concealed
-by his clothes, was like that of one who had known hardships and
-exertion from his earliest youth. His person, though muscular, was
-rather attenuated than full; but every nerve and muscle appeared strung
-and indurated by unremitted exposure and toil. He wore a hunting shirt
-of forest-green, fringed with faded yellow*, and a summer cap of skins
-which had been shorn of their fur. He also bore a knife in a girdle of
-wampum, like that which confined the scanty garments of the Indian, but
-no tomahawk. His moccasins were ornamented after the gay fashion of the
-natives, while the only part of his under dress which appeared below the
-hunting-frock was a pair of buckskin leggings, that laced at the sides,
-and which were gartered above the knees, with the sinews of a deer. A
-pouch and horn completed his personal accouterments, though a rifle of
-great length**, which the theory of the more ingenious whites had
-taught them was the most dangerous of all firearms, leaned against a
-neighboring sapling. The eye of the hunter, or scout, whichever he might
-be, was small, quick, keen, and restless, roving while he spoke, on
-every side of him, as if in quest of game, or distrusting the sudden
-approach of some lurking enemy. Notwithstanding the symptoms of habitual
-suspicion, his countenance was not only without guile, but at the moment
-at which he is introduced, it was charged with an expression of sturdy
-honesty.
-
-     * The hunting-shirt is a picturesque smock-frock, being
-     shorter, and ornamented with fringes and tassels. The colors
-     are intended to imitate the hues of the wood, with a view to
-     concealment. Many corps of American riflemen have been thus
-     attired, and the dress is one of the most striking of modern
-     times. The hunting-shirt is frequently white.
-
-     ** The rifle of the army is short; that of the hunter is
-     always long.
-
-"Even your traditions make the case in my favor, Chingachgook," he said,
-speaking in the tongue which was known to all the natives who formerly
-inhabited the country between the Hudson and the Potomac, and of
-which we shall give a free translation for the benefit of the reader;
-endeavoring, at the same time, to preserve some of the peculiarities,
-both of the individual and of the language. "Your fathers came from the
-setting sun, crossed the big river*, fought the people of the country,
-and took the land; and mine came from the red sky of the morning, over
-the salt lake, and did their work much after the fashion that had been
-set them by yours; then let God judge the matter between us, and friends
-spare their words!"
-
-     * The Mississippi. The scout alludes to a tradition which is
-     very popular among the tribes of the Atlantic states.
-     Evidence of their Asiatic origin is deduced from the
-     circumstances, though great uncertainty hangs over the whole
-     history of the Indians.
-
-"My fathers fought with the naked red man!" returned the Indian,
-sternly, in the same language. "Is there no difference, Hawkeye, between
-the stone-headed arrow of the warrior, and the leaden bullet with which
-you kill?"
-
-"There is reason in an Indian, though nature has made him with a red
-skin!" said the white man, shaking his head like one on whom such an
-appeal to his justice was not thrown away. For a moment he appeared to
-be conscious of having the worst of the argument, then, rallying again,
-he answered the objection of his antagonist in the best manner his
-limited information would allow:
-
-"I am no scholar, and I care not who knows it; but, judging from what
-I have seen, at deer chases and squirrel hunts, of the sparks below,
-I should think a rifle in the hands of their grandfathers was not so
-dangerous as a hickory bow and a good flint-head might be, if drawn with
-Indian judgment, and sent by an Indian eye."
-
-"You have the story told by your fathers," returned the other, coldly
-waving his hand. "What say your old men? Do they tell the young warriors
-that the pale faces met the red men, painted for war and armed with the
-stone hatchet and wooden gun?"
-
-"I am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts himself on his natural
-privileges, though the worst enemy I have on earth, and he is an
-Iroquois, daren't deny that I am genuine white," the scout replied,
-surveying, with secret satisfaction, the faded color of his bony and
-sinewy hand, "and I am willing to own that my people have many ways, of
-which, as an honest man, I can't approve. It is one of their customs to
-write in books what they have done and seen, instead of telling them
-in their villages, where the lie can be given to the face of a cowardly
-boaster, and the brave soldier can call on his comrades to witness for
-the truth of his words. In consequence of this bad fashion, a man, who
-is too conscientious to misspend his days among the women, in learning
-the names of black marks, may never hear of the deeds of his fathers,
-nor feel a pride in striving to outdo them. For myself, I conclude the
-Bumppos could shoot, for I have a natural turn with a rifle, which
-must have been handed down from generation to generation, as, our holy
-commandments tell us, all good and evil gifts are bestowed; though I
-should be loath to answer for other people in such a matter. But every
-story has its two sides; so I ask you, Chingachgook, what passed,
-according to the traditions of the red men, when our fathers first met?"
-
-A silence of a minute succeeded, during which the Indian sat mute; then,
-full of the dignity of his office, he commenced his brief tale, with a
-solemnity that served to heighten its appearance of truth.
-
-"Listen, Hawkeye, and your ear shall drink no lie. 'Tis what my fathers
-have said, and what the Mohicans have done." He hesitated a single
-instant, and bending a cautious glance toward his companion, he
-continued, in a manner that was divided between interrogation and
-assertion. "Does not this stream at our feet run toward the summer,
-until its waters grow salt, and the current flows upward?"
-
-"It can't be denied that your traditions tell you true in both these
-matters," said the white man; "for I have been there, and have seen
-them, though why water, which is so sweet in the shade, should become
-bitter in the sun, is an alteration for which I have never been able to
-account."
-
-"And the current!" demanded the Indian, who expected his reply with that
-sort of interest that a man feels in the confirmation of testimony, at
-which he marvels even while he respects it; "the fathers of Chingachgook
-have not lied!"
-
-"The holy Bible is not more true, and that is the truest thing in
-nature. They call this up-stream current the tide, which is a thing soon
-explained, and clear enough. Six hours the waters run in, and six hours
-they run out, and the reason is this: when there is higher water in the
-sea than in the river, they run in until the river gets to be highest,
-and then it runs out again."
-
-"The waters in the woods, and on the great lakes, run downward
-until they lie like my hand," said the Indian, stretching the limb
-horizontally before him, "and then they run no more."
-
-"No honest man will deny it," said the scout, a little nettled at the
-implied distrust of his explanation of the mystery of the tides; "and I
-grant that it is true on the small scale, and where the land is level.
-But everything depends on what scale you look at things. Now, on the
-small scale, the 'arth is level; but on the large scale it is round. In
-this manner, pools and ponds, and even the great fresh-water lakes, may
-be stagnant, as you and I both know they are, having seen them; but when
-you come to spread water over a great tract, like the sea, where the
-earth is round, how in reason can the water be quiet? You might as well
-expect the river to lie still on the brink of those black rocks a mile
-above us, though your own ears tell you that it is tumbling over them at
-this very moment."
-
-If unsatisfied by the philosophy of his companion, the Indian was far
-too dignified to betray his unbelief. He listened like one who was
-convinced, and resumed his narrative in his former solemn manner.
-
-"We came from the place where the sun is hid at night, over great plains
-where the buffaloes live, until we reached the big river. There we
-fought the Alligewi, till the ground was red with their blood. From the
-banks of the big river to the shores of the salt lake, there was none to
-meet us. The Maquas followed at a distance. We said the country should
-be ours from the place where the water runs up no longer on this stream,
-to a river twenty sun's journey toward the summer. We drove the Maquas
-into the woods with the bears. They only tasted salt at the licks; they
-drew no fish from the great lake; we threw them the bones."
-
-"All this I have heard and believe," said the white man, observing that
-the Indian paused; "but it was long before the English came into the
-country."
-
-"A pine grew then where this chestnut now stands. The first pale faces
-who came among us spoke no English. They came in a large canoe, when
-my fathers had buried the tomahawk with the red men around them. Then,
-Hawkeye," he continued, betraying his deep emotion, only by permitting
-his voice to fall to those low, guttural tones, which render his
-language, as spoken at times, so very musical; "then, Hawkeye, we were
-one people, and we were happy. The salt lake gave us its fish, the wood
-its deer, and the air its birds. We took wives who bore us children; we
-worshipped the Great Spirit; and we kept the Maquas beyond the sound of
-our songs of triumph."
-
-"Know you anything of your own family at that time?" demanded the white.
-"But you are just a man, for an Indian; and as I suppose you hold their
-gifts, your fathers must have been brave warriors, and wise men at the
-council-fire."
-
-"My tribe is the grandfather of nations, but I am an unmixed man. The
-blood of chiefs is in my veins, where it must stay forever. The Dutch
-landed, and gave my people the fire-water; they drank until the heavens
-and the earth seemed to meet, and they foolishly thought they had found
-the Great Spirit. Then they parted with their land. Foot by foot,
-they were driven back from the shores, until I, that am a chief and a
-Sagamore, have never seen the sun shine but through the trees, and have
-never visited the graves of my fathers."
-
-"Graves bring solemn feelings over the mind," returned the scout, a good
-deal touched at the calm suffering of his companion; "and they often aid
-a man in his good intentions; though, for myself, I expect to leave my
-own bones unburied, to bleach in the woods, or to be torn asunder by the
-wolves. But where are to be found those of your race who came to their
-kin in the Delaware country, so many summers since?"
-
-"Where are the blossoms of those summers!--fallen, one by one; so all
-of my family departed, each in his turn, to the land of spirits. I am on
-the hilltop and must go down into the valley; and when Uncas follows in
-my footsteps there will no longer be any of the blood of the Sagamores,
-for my boy is the last of the Mohicans."
-
-"Uncas is here," said another voice, in the same soft, guttural tones,
-near his elbow; "who speaks to Uncas?"
-
-The white man loosened his knife in his leathern sheath, and made
-an involuntary movement of the hand toward his rifle, at this sudden
-interruption; but the Indian sat composed, and without turning his head
-at the unexpected sounds.
-
-At the next instant, a youthful warrior passed between them, with a
-noiseless step, and seated himself on the bank of the rapid stream. No
-exclamation of surprise escaped the father, nor was any question asked,
-or reply given, for several minutes; each appearing to await the moment
-when he might speak, without betraying womanish curiosity or childish
-impatience. The white man seemed to take counsel from their customs,
-and, relinquishing his grasp of the rifle, he also remained silent and
-reserved. At length Chingachgook turned his eyes slowly toward his son,
-and demanded:
-
-"Do the Maquas dare to leave the print of their moccasins in these
-woods?"
-
-"I have been on their trail," replied the young Indian, "and know that
-they number as many as the fingers of my two hands; but they lie hid
-like cowards."
-
-"The thieves are outlying for scalps and plunder," said the white man,
-whom we shall call Hawkeye, after the manner of his companions. "That
-busy Frenchman, Montcalm, will send his spies into our very camp, but he
-will know what road we travel!"
-
-"'Tis enough," returned the father, glancing his eye toward the setting
-sun; "they shall be driven like deer from their bushes. Hawkeye, let us
-eat to-night, and show the Maquas that we are men to-morrow."
-
-"I am as ready to do the one as the other; but to fight the Iroquois
-'tis necessary to find the skulkers; and to eat, 'tis necessary to get
-the game--talk of the devil and he will come; there is a pair of the
-biggest antlers I have seen this season, moving the bushes below the
-hill! Now, Uncas," he continued, in a half whisper, and laughing with a
-kind of inward sound, like one who had learned to be watchful, "I will
-bet my charger three times full of powder, against a foot of wampum,
-that I take him atwixt the eyes, and nearer to the right than to the
-left."
-
-"It cannot be!" said the young Indian, springing to his feet with
-youthful eagerness; "all but the tips of his horns are hid!"
-
-"He's a boy!" said the white man, shaking his head while he spoke, and
-addressing the father. "Does he think when a hunter sees a part of the
-creature', he can't tell where the rest of him should be!"
-
-Adjusting his rifle, he was about to make an exhibition of that skill
-on which he so much valued himself, when the warrior struck up the piece
-with his hand, saying:
-
-"Hawkeye! will you fight the Maquas?"
-
-"These Indians know the nature of the woods, as it might be by
-instinct!" returned the scout, dropping his rifle, and turning away like
-a man who was convinced of his error. "I must leave the buck to your
-arrow, Uncas, or we may kill a deer for them thieves, the Iroquois, to
-eat."
-
-The instant the father seconded this intimation by an expressive gesture
-of the hand, Uncas threw himself on the ground, and approached the
-animal with wary movements. When within a few yards of the cover, he
-fitted an arrow to his bow with the utmost care, while the antlers
-moved, as if their owner snuffed an enemy in the tainted air. In another
-moment the twang of the cord was heard, a white streak was seen glancing
-into the bushes, and the wounded buck plunged from the cover, to the
-very feet of his hidden enemy. Avoiding the horns of the infuriated
-animal, Uncas darted to his side, and passed his knife across the
-throat, when bounding to the edge of the river it fell, dyeing the
-waters with its blood.
-
-"'Twas done with Indian skill," said the scout laughing inwardly, but
-with vast satisfaction; "and 'twas a pretty sight to behold! Though an
-arrow is a near shot, and needs a knife to finish the work."
-
-"Hugh!" ejaculated his companion, turning quickly, like a hound who
-scented game.
-
-"By the Lord, there is a drove of them!" exclaimed the scout, whose eyes
-began to glisten with the ardor of his usual occupation; "if they come
-within range of a bullet I will drop one, though the whole Six Nations
-should be lurking within sound! What do you hear, Chingachgook? for to
-my ears the woods are dumb."
-
-"There is but one deer, and he is dead," said the Indian, bending his
-body till his ear nearly touched the earth. "I hear the sounds of feet!"
-
-"Perhaps the wolves have driven the buck to shelter, and are following
-on his trail."
-
-"No. The horses of white men are coming!" returned the other, raising
-himself with dignity, and resuming his seat on the log with his former
-composure. "Hawkeye, they are your brothers; speak to them."
-
-"That I will, and in English that the king needn't be ashamed to
-answer," returned the hunter, speaking in the language of which he
-boasted; "but I see nothing, nor do I hear the sounds of man or beast;
-'tis strange that an Indian should understand white sounds better than a
-man who, his very enemies will own, has no cross in his blood, although
-he may have lived with the red skins long enough to be suspected! Ha!
-there goes something like the cracking of a dry stick, too--now I hear
-the bushes move--yes, yes, there is a trampling that I mistook for
-the falls--and--but here they come themselves; God keep them from the
-Iroquois!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 4
-
-     "Well go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove
-     Till I torment thee for this injury."--Midsummer Night's Dream.
-
-The words were still in the mouth of the scout, when the leader of the
-party, whose approaching footsteps had caught the vigilant ear of the
-Indian, came openly into view. A beaten path, such as those made by the
-periodical passage of the deer, wound through a little glen at no great
-distance, and struck the river at the point where the white man and his
-red companions had posted themselves. Along this track the travelers,
-who had produced a surprise so unusual in the depths of the forest,
-advanced slowly toward the hunter, who was in front of his associates,
-in readiness to receive them.
-
-"Who comes?" demanded the scout, throwing his rifle carelessly across
-his left arm, and keeping the forefinger of his right hand on the
-trigger, though he avoided all appearance of menace in the act. "Who
-comes hither, among the beasts and dangers of the wilderness?"
-
-"Believers in religion, and friends to the law and to the king,"
-returned he who rode foremost. "Men who have journeyed since the rising
-sun, in the shades of this forest, without nourishment, and are sadly
-tired of their wayfaring."
-
-"You are, then, lost," interrupted the hunter, "and have found how
-helpless 'tis not to know whether to take the right hand or the left?"
-
-"Even so; sucking babes are not more dependent on those who guide them
-than we who are of larger growth, and who may now be said to possess the
-stature without the knowledge of men. Know you the distance to a post of
-the crown called William Henry?"
-
-"Hoot!" shouted the scout, who did not spare his open laughter, though
-instantly checking the dangerous sounds he indulged his merriment at
-less risk of being overheard by any lurking enemies. "You are as much
-off the scent as a hound would be, with Horican atwixt him and the deer!
-William Henry, man! if you are friends to the king and have business
-with the army, your way would be to follow the river down to Edward, and
-lay the matter before Webb, who tarries there, instead of pushing into
-the defiles, and driving this saucy Frenchman back across Champlain,
-into his den again."
-
-Before the stranger could make any reply to this unexpected proposition,
-another horseman dashed the bushes aside, and leaped his charger into
-the pathway, in front of his companion.
-
-"What, then, may be our distance from Fort Edward?" demanded a new
-speaker; "the place you advise us to seek we left this morning, and our
-destination is the head of the lake."
-
-"Then you must have lost your eyesight afore losing your way, for the
-road across the portage is cut to a good two rods, and is as grand a
-path, I calculate, as any that runs into London, or even before the
-palace of the king himself."
-
-"We will not dispute concerning the excellence of the passage," returned
-Heyward, smiling; for, as the reader has anticipated, it was he. "It is
-enough, for the present, that we trusted to an Indian guide to take
-us by a nearer, though blinder path, and that we are deceived in his
-knowledge. In plain words, we know not where we are."
-
-"An Indian lost in the woods!" said the scout, shaking his head
-doubtingly; "When the sun is scorching the tree tops, and the water
-courses are full; when the moss on every beech he sees will tell him in
-what quarter the north star will shine at night. The woods are full
-of deer-paths which run to the streams and licks, places well known to
-everybody; nor have the geese done their flight to the Canada waters
-altogether! 'Tis strange that an Indian should be lost atwixt Horican
-and the bend in the river! Is he a Mohawk?"
-
-"Not by birth, though adopted in that tribe; I think his birthplace was
-farther north, and he is one of those you call a Huron."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the two companions of the scout, who had continued
-until this part of the dialogue, seated immovable, and apparently
-indifferent to what passed, but who now sprang to their feet with an
-activity and interest that had evidently got the better of their reserve
-by surprise.
-
-"A Huron!" repeated the sturdy scout, once more shaking his head in
-open distrust; "they are a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they are
-adopted; you can never make anything of them but skulks and vagabonds.
-Since you trusted yourself to the care of one of that nation, I only
-wonder that you have not fallen in with more."
-
-"Of that there is little danger, since William Henry is so many miles
-in our front. You forget that I have told you our guide is now a Mohawk,
-and that he serves with our forces as a friend."
-
-"And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo will die a Mingo," returned
-the other positively. "A Mohawk! No, give me a Delaware or a Mohican
-for honesty; and when they will fight, which they won't all do, having
-suffered their cunning enemies, the Maquas, to make them women--but
-when they will fight at all, look to a Delaware, or a Mohican, for a
-warrior!"
-
-"Enough of this," said Heyward, impatiently; "I wish not to inquire into
-the character of a man that I know, and to whom you must be a stranger.
-You have not yet answered my question; what is our distance from the
-main army at Edward?"
-
-"It seems that may depend on who is your guide. One would think such
-a horse as that might get over a good deal of ground atwixt sun-up and
-sun-down."
-
-"I wish no contention of idle words with you, friend," said Heyward,
-curbing his dissatisfied manner, and speaking in a more gentle voice;
-"if you will tell me the distance to Fort Edward, and conduct me
-thither, your labor shall not go without its reward."
-
-"And in so doing, how know I that I don't guide an enemy and a spy of
-Montcalm, to the works of the army? It is not every man who can speak
-the English tongue that is an honest subject."
-
-"If you serve with the troops, of whom I judge you to be a scout, you
-should know of such a regiment of the king as the Sixtieth."
-
-"The Sixtieth! you can tell me little of the Royal Americans that
-I don't know, though I do wear a hunting-shirt instead of a scarlet
-jacket."
-
-"Well, then, among other things, you may know the name of its major?"
-
-"Its major!" interrupted the hunter, elevating his body like one who was
-proud of his trust. "If there is a man in the country who knows Major
-Effingham, he stands before you."
-
-"It is a corps which has many majors; the gentleman you name is the
-senior, but I speak of the junior of them all; he who commands the
-companies in garrison at William Henry."
-
-"Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of vast riches, from one
-of the provinces far south, has got the place. He is over young, too,
-to hold such rank, and to be put above men whose heads are beginning to
-bleach; and yet they say he is a soldier in his knowledge, and a gallant
-gentleman!"
-
-"Whatever he may be, or however he may be qualified for his rank, he now
-speaks to you and, of course, can be no enemy to dread."
-
-The scout regarded Heyward in surprise, and then lifting his cap, he
-answered, in a tone less confident than before--though still expressing
-doubt.
-
-"I have heard a party was to leave the encampment this morning for the
-lake shore?"
-
-"You have heard the truth; but I preferred a nearer route, trusting to
-the knowledge of the Indian I mentioned."
-
-"And he deceived you, and then deserted?"
-
-"Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter, for he is to be found
-in the rear."
-
-"I should like to look at the creature; if it is a true Iroquois I
-can tell him by his knavish look, and by his paint," said the scout;
-stepping past the charger of Heyward, and entering the path behind the
-mare of the singing master, whose foal had taken advantage of the halt
-to exact the maternal contribution. After shoving aside the bushes,
-and proceeding a few paces, he encountered the females, who awaited
-the result of the conference with anxiety, and not entirely without
-apprehension. Behind these, the runner leaned against a tree, where he
-stood the close examination of the scout with an air unmoved, though
-with a look so dark and savage, that it might in itself excite fear.
-Satisfied with his scrutiny, the hunter soon left him. As he repassed
-the females, he paused a moment to gaze upon their beauty, answering to
-the smile and nod of Alice with a look of open pleasure. Thence he went
-to the side of the motherly animal, and spending a minute in a fruitless
-inquiry into the character of her rider, he shook his head and returned
-to Heyward.
-
-"A Mingo is a Mingo, and God having made him so, neither the Mohawks nor
-any other tribe can alter him," he said, when he had regained his former
-position. "If we were alone, and you would leave that noble horse at the
-mercy of the wolves to-night, I could show you the way to Edward myself,
-within an hour, for it lies only about an hour's journey hence; but with
-such ladies in your company 'tis impossible!"
-
-"And why? They are fatigued, but they are quite equal to a ride of a few
-more miles."
-
-"'Tis a natural impossibility!" repeated the scout; "I wouldn't walk
-a mile in these woods after night gets into them, in company with that
-runner, for the best rifle in the colonies. They are full of outlying
-Iroquois, and your mongrel Mohawk knows where to find them too well to
-be my companion."
-
-"Think you so?" said Heyward, leaning forward in the saddle, and
-dropping his voice nearly to a whisper; "I confess I have not been
-without my own suspicions, though I have endeavored to conceal them,
-and affected a confidence I have not always felt, on account of my
-companions. It was because I suspected him that I would follow no
-longer; making him, as you see, follow me."
-
-"I knew he was one of the cheats as soon as I laid eyes on him!"
-returned the scout, placing a finger on his nose, in sign of caution.
-
-"The thief is leaning against the foot of the sugar sapling, that you
-can see over them bushes; his right leg is in a line with the bark of
-the tree, and," tapping his rifle, "I can take him from where I stand,
-between the angle and the knee, with a single shot, putting an end
-to his tramping through the woods, for at least a month to come. If I
-should go back to him, the cunning varmint would suspect something, and
-be dodging through the trees like a frightened deer."
-
-"It will not do. He may be innocent, and I dislike the act. Though, if I
-felt confident of his treachery--"
-
-"'Tis a safe thing to calculate on the knavery of an Iroquois," said the
-scout, throwing his rifle forward, by a sort of instinctive movement.
-
-"Hold!" interrupted Heyward, "it will not do--we must think of some
-other scheme--and yet, I have much reason to believe the rascal has
-deceived me."
-
-The hunter, who had already abandoned his intention of maiming the
-runner, mused a moment, and then made a gesture, which instantly brought
-his two red companions to his side. They spoke together earnestly in the
-Delaware language, though in an undertone; and by the gestures of
-the white man, which were frequently directed towards the top of the
-sapling, it was evident he pointed out the situation of their hidden
-enemy. His companions were not long in comprehending his wishes, and
-laying aside their firearms, they parted, taking opposite sides of
-the path, and burying themselves in the thicket, with such cautious
-movements, that their steps were inaudible.
-
-"Now, go you back," said the hunter, speaking again to Heyward, "and
-hold the imp in talk; these Mohicans here will take him without breaking
-his paint."
-
-"Nay," said Heyward, proudly, "I will seize him myself."
-
-"Hist! what could you do, mounted, against an Indian in the bushes!"
-
-"I will dismount."
-
-"And, think you, when he saw one of your feet out of the stirrup, he
-would wait for the other to be free? Whoever comes into the woods to
-deal with the natives, must use Indian fashions, if he would wish to
-prosper in his undertakings. Go, then; talk openly to the miscreant, and
-seem to believe him the truest friend you have on 'arth."
-
-Heyward prepared to comply, though with strong disgust at the nature of
-the office he was compelled to execute. Each moment, however, pressed
-upon him a conviction of the critical situation in which he had suffered
-his invaluable trust to be involved through his own confidence. The sun
-had already disappeared, and the woods, suddenly deprived of his light*,
-were assuming a dusky hue, which keenly reminded him that the hour the
-savage usually chose for his most barbarous and remorseless acts
-of vengeance or hostility, was speedily drawing near. Stimulated by
-apprehension, he left the scout, who immediately entered into a loud
-conversation with the stranger that had so unceremoniously enlisted
-himself in the party of travelers that morning. In passing his gentler
-companions Heyward uttered a few words of encouragement, and was
-pleased to find that, though fatigued with the exercise of the day, they
-appeared to entertain no suspicion that their present embarrassment was
-other than the result of accident. Giving them reason to believe he
-was merely employed in a consultation concerning the future route,
-he spurred his charger, and drew the reins again when the animal had
-carried him within a few yards of the place where the sullen runner
-still stood, leaning against the tree.
-
-     * The scene of this tale was in the 42d degree of latitude,
-     where the twilight is never of long continuation.
-
-"You may see, Magua," he said, endeavoring to assume an air of freedom
-and confidence, "that the night is closing around us, and yet we are no
-nearer to William Henry than when we left the encampment of Webb with
-the rising sun.
-
-"You have missed the way, nor have I been more fortunate. But, happily,
-we have fallen in with a hunter, he whom you hear talking to the singer,
-that is acquainted with the deerpaths and by-ways of the woods, and
-who promises to lead us to a place where we may rest securely till the
-morning."
-
-The Indian riveted his glowing eyes on Heyward as he asked, in his
-imperfect English, "Is he alone?"
-
-"Alone!" hesitatingly answered Heyward, to whom deception was too new to
-be assumed without embarrassment. "Oh! not alone, surely, Magua, for you
-know that we are with him."
-
-"Then Le Renard Subtil will go," returned the runner, coolly raising
-his little wallet from the place where it had lain at his feet; "and the
-pale faces will see none but their own color."
-
-"Go! Whom call you Le Renard?"
-
-"'Tis the name his Canada fathers have given to Magua," returned the
-runner, with an air that manifested his pride at the distinction. "Night
-is the same as day to Le Subtil, when Munro waits for him."
-
-"And what account will Le Renard give the chief of William Henry
-concerning his daughters? Will he dare to tell the hot-blooded Scotsman
-that his children are left without a guide, though Magua promised to be
-one?"
-
-"Though the gray head has a loud voice, and a long arm, Le Renard will
-not hear him, nor feel him, in the woods."
-
-"But what will the Mohawks say? They will make him petticoats, and bid
-him stay in the wigwam with the women, for he is no longer to be trusted
-with the business of a man."
-
-"Le Subtil knows the path to the great lakes, and he can find the bones
-of his fathers," was the answer of the unmoved runner.
-
-"Enough, Magua," said Heyward; "are we not friends? Why should there be
-bitter words between us? Munro has promised you a gift for your services
-when performed, and I shall be your debtor for another. Rest your weary
-limbs, then, and open your wallet to eat. We have a few moments to
-spare; let us not waste them in talk like wrangling women. When the
-ladies are refreshed we will proceed."
-
-"The pale faces make themselves dogs to their women," muttered the
-Indian, in his native language, "and when they want to eat, their
-warriors must lay aside the tomahawk to feed their laziness."
-
-"What say you, Renard?"
-
-"Le Subtil says it is good."
-
-The Indian then fastened his eyes keenly on the open countenance of
-Heyward, but meeting his glance, he turned them quickly away, and
-seating himself deliberately on the ground, he drew forth the remnant of
-some former repast, and began to eat, though not without first bending
-his looks slowly and cautiously around him.
-
-"This is well," continued Heyward; "and Le Renard will have strength and
-sight to find the path in the morning"; he paused, for sounds like the
-snapping of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose from the
-adjacent bushes, but recollecting himself instantly, he continued, "we
-must be moving before the sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our path,
-and shut us out from the fortress."
-
-The hand of Magua dropped from his mouth to his side, and though
-his eyes were fastened on the ground, his head was turned aside, his
-nostrils expanded, and his ears seemed even to stand more erect than
-usual, giving to him the appearance of a statue that was made to
-represent intense attention.
-
-Heyward, who watched his movements with a vigilant eye, carelessly
-extricated one of his feet from the stirrup, while he passed a hand
-toward the bear-skin covering of his holsters.
-
-Every effort to detect the point most regarded by the runner was
-completely frustrated by the tremulous glances of his organs, which
-seemed not to rest a single instant on any particular object, and which,
-at the same time, could be hardly said to move. While he hesitated how
-to proceed, Le Subtil cautiously raised himself to his feet, though with
-a motion so slow and guarded, that not the slightest noise was produced
-by the change. Heyward felt it had now become incumbent on him to act.
-Throwing his leg over the saddle, he dismounted, with a determination to
-advance and seize his treacherous companion, trusting the result to his
-own manhood. In order, however, to prevent unnecessary alarm, he still
-preserved an air of calmness and friendship.
-
-"Le Renard Subtil does not eat," he said, using the appellation he had
-found most flattering to the vanity of the Indian. "His corn is not
-well parched, and it seems dry. Let me examine; perhaps something may be
-found among my own provisions that will help his appetite."
-
-Magua held out the wallet to the proffer of the other. He even suffered
-their hands to meet, without betraying the least emotion, or varying his
-riveted attitude of attention. But when he felt the fingers of Heyward
-moving gently along his own naked arm, he struck up the limb of the
-young man, and, uttering a piercing cry, he darted beneath it, and
-plunged, at a single bound, into the opposite thicket. At the next
-instant the form of Chingachgook appeared from the bushes, looking like
-a specter in its paint, and glided across the path in swift pursuit.
-Next followed the shout of Uncas, when the woods were lighted by a
-sudden flash, that was accompanied by the sharp report of the hunter's
-rifle.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 5
-
-                 ..."In such a night
-     Did This be fearfully o'ertrip the dew;
-     And saw the lion's shadow ere himself."--Merchant of Venice
-
-The suddenness of the flight of his guide, and the wild cries of the
-pursuers, caused Heyward to remain fixed, for a few moments, in inactive
-surprise. Then recollecting the importance of securing the fugitive, he
-dashed aside the surrounding bushes, and pressed eagerly forward to lend
-his aid in the chase. Before he had, however, proceeded a hundred yards,
-he met the three foresters already returning from their unsuccessful
-pursuit.
-
-"Why so soon disheartened!" he exclaimed; "the scoundrel must be
-concealed behind some of these trees, and may yet be secured. We are not
-safe while he goes at large."
-
-"Would you set a cloud to chase the wind?" returned the disappointed
-scout; "I heard the imp brushing over the dry leaves, like a black
-snake, and blinking a glimpse of him, just over ag'in yon big pine, I
-pulled as it might be on the scent; but 'twouldn't do! and yet for a
-reasoning aim, if anybody but myself had touched the trigger, I should
-call it a quick sight; and I may be accounted to have experience in
-these matters, and one who ought to know. Look at this sumach; its
-leaves are red, though everybody knows the fruit is in the yellow
-blossom in the month of July!"
-
-"'Tis the blood of Le Subtil! he is hurt, and may yet fall!"
-
-"No, no," returned the scout, in decided disapprobation of this opinion,
-"I rubbed the bark off a limb, perhaps, but the creature leaped the
-longer for it. A rifle bullet acts on a running animal, when it barks
-him, much the same as one of your spurs on a horse; that is, it quickens
-motion, and puts life into the flesh, instead of taking it away. But
-when it cuts the ragged hole, after a bound or two, there is, commonly,
-a stagnation of further leaping, be it Indian or be it deer!"
-
-"We are four able bodies, to one wounded man!"
-
-"Is life grievous to you?" interrupted the scout. "Yonder red devil
-would draw you within swing of the tomahawks of his comrades, before you
-were heated in the chase. It was an unthoughtful act in a man who has so
-often slept with the war-whoop ringing in the air, to let off his piece
-within sound of an ambushment! But then it was a natural temptation!
-'twas very natural! Come, friends, let us move our station, and in such
-fashion, too, as will throw the cunning of a Mingo on a wrong scent, or
-our scalps will be drying in the wind in front of Montcalm's marquee,
-ag'in this hour to-morrow."
-
-This appalling declaration, which the scout uttered with the cool
-assurance of a man who fully comprehended, while he did not fear to face
-the danger, served to remind Heyward of the importance of the charge
-with which he himself had been intrusted. Glancing his eyes around, with
-a vain effort to pierce the gloom that was thickening beneath the
-leafy arches of the forest, he felt as if, cut off from human aid,
-his unresisting companions would soon lie at the entire mercy of those
-barbarous enemies, who, like beasts of prey, only waited till the
-gathering darkness might render their blows more fatally certain. His
-awakened imagination, deluded by the deceptive light, converted each
-waving bush, or the fragment of some fallen tree, into human forms, and
-twenty times he fancied he could distinguish the horrid visages of
-his lurking foes, peering from their hiding places, in never ceasing
-watchfulness of the movements of his party. Looking upward, he found
-that the thin fleecy clouds, which evening had painted on the blue
-sky, were already losing their faintest tints of rose-color, while the
-imbedded stream, which glided past the spot where he stood, was to be
-traced only by the dark boundary of its wooded banks.
-
-"What is to be done!" he said, feeling the utter helplessness of doubt
-in such a pressing strait; "desert me not, for God's sake! remain to
-defend those I escort, and freely name your own reward!"
-
-His companions, who conversed apart in the language of their tribe,
-heeded not this sudden and earnest appeal. Though their dialogue was
-maintained in low and cautious sounds, but little above a whisper,
-Heyward, who now approached, could easily distinguish the earnest tones
-of the younger warrior from the more deliberate speeches of his seniors.
-It was evident that they debated on the propriety of some measure, that
-nearly concerned the welfare of the travelers. Yielding to his powerful
-interest in the subject, and impatient of a delay that seemed fraught
-with so much additional danger, Heyward drew still nigher to the dusky
-group, with an intention of making his offers of compensation more
-definite, when the white man, motioning with his hand, as if he conceded
-the disputed point, turned away, saying in a sort of soliloquy, and in
-the English tongue:
-
-"Uncas is right! it would not be the act of men to leave such harmless
-things to their fate, even though it breaks up the harboring place
-forever. If you would save these tender blossoms from the fangs of
-the worst of serpents, gentleman, you have neither time to lose nor
-resolution to throw away!"
-
-"How can such a wish be doubted! Have I not already offered--"
-
-"Offer your prayers to Him who can give us wisdom to circumvent the
-cunning of the devils who fill these woods," calmly interrupted the
-scout, "but spare your offers of money, which neither you may live to
-realize, nor I to profit by. These Mohicans and I will do what man's
-thoughts can invent, to keep such flowers, which, though so sweet, were
-never made for the wilderness, from harm, and that without hope of
-any other recompense but such as God always gives to upright dealings.
-First, you must promise two things, both in your own name and for your
-friends, or without serving you we shall only injure ourselves!"
-
-"Name them."
-
-"The one is, to be still as these sleeping woods, let what will happen
-and the other is, to keep the place where we shall take you, forever a
-secret from all mortal men."
-
-"I will do my utmost to see both these conditions fulfilled."
-
-"Then follow, for we are losing moments that are as precious as the
-heart's blood to a stricken deer!"
-
-Heyward could distinguish the impatient gesture of the scout, through
-the increasing shadows of the evening, and he moved in his footsteps,
-swiftly, toward the place where he had left the remainder of the
-party. When they rejoined the expecting and anxious females, he briefly
-acquainted them with the conditions of their new guide, and with the
-necessity that existed for their hushing every apprehension in instant
-and serious exertions. Although his alarming communication was not
-received without much secret terror by the listeners, his earnest and
-impressive manner, aided perhaps by the nature of the danger, succeeded
-in bracing their nerves to undergo some unlooked-for and unusual trial.
-Silently, and without a moment's delay, they permitted him to assist
-them from their saddles, and when they descended quickly to the water's
-edge, where the scout had collected the rest of the party, more by the
-agency of expressive gestures than by any use of words.
-
-"What to do with these dumb creatures!" muttered the white man, on whom
-the sole control of their future movements appeared to devolve; "it
-would be time lost to cut their throats, and cast them into the river;
-and to leave them here would be to tell the Mingoes that they have not
-far to seek to find their owners!"
-
-"Then give them their bridles, and let them range the woods," Heyward
-ventured to suggest.
-
-"No; it would be better to mislead the imps, and make them believe they
-must equal a horse's speed to run down their chase. Ay, ay, that will
-blind their fireballs of eyes! Chingach--Hist! what stirs the bush?"
-
-"The colt."
-
-"That colt, at least, must die," muttered the scout, grasping at the
-mane of the nimble beast, which easily eluded his hand; "Uncas, your
-arrows!"
-
-"Hold!" exclaimed the proprietor of the condemned animal, aloud, without
-regard to the whispering tones used by the others; "spare the foal
-of Miriam! it is the comely offspring of a faithful dam, and would
-willingly injure naught."
-
-"When men struggle for the single life God has given them," said the
-scout, sternly, "even their own kind seem no more than the beasts of the
-wood. If you speak again, I shall leave you to the mercy of the Maquas!
-Draw to your arrow's head, Uncas; we have no time for second blows."
-
-The low, muttering sounds of his threatening voice were still audible,
-when the wounded foal, first rearing on its hinder legs, plunged forward
-to its knees. It was met by Chingachgook, whose knife passed across its
-throat quicker than thought, and then precipitating the motions of the
-struggling victim, he dashed into the river, down whose stream it glided
-away, gasping audibly for breath with its ebbing life. This deed of
-apparent cruelty, but of real necessity, fell upon the spirits of the
-travelers like a terrific warning of the peril in which they stood,
-heightened as it was by the calm though steady resolution of the actors
-in the scene. The sisters shuddered and clung closer to each other,
-while Heyward instinctively laid his hand on one of the pistols he had
-just drawn from their holsters, as he placed himself between his charge
-and those dense shadows that seemed to draw an impenetrable veil before
-the bosom of the forest.
-
-The Indians, however, hesitated not a moment, but taking the bridles,
-they led the frightened and reluctant horses into the bed of the river.
-
-At a short distance from the shore they turned, and were soon concealed
-by the projection of the bank, under the brow of which they moved, in
-a direction opposite to the course of the waters. In the meantime, the
-scout drew a canoe of bark from its place of concealment beneath some
-low bushes, whose branches were waving with the eddies of the current,
-into which he silently motioned for the females to enter. They complied
-without hesitation, though many a fearful and anxious glance was thrown
-behind them, toward the thickening gloom, which now lay like a dark
-barrier along the margin of the stream.
-
-So soon as Cora and Alice were seated, the scout, without regarding the
-element, directed Heyward to support one side of the frail vessel,
-and posting himself at the other, they bore it up against the stream,
-followed by the dejected owner of the dead foal. In this manner they
-proceeded, for many rods, in a silence that was only interrupted by the
-rippling of the water, as its eddies played around them, or the low dash
-made by their own cautious footsteps. Heyward yielded the guidance of
-the canoe implicitly to the scout, who approached or receded from the
-shore, to avoid the fragments of rocks, or deeper parts of the river,
-with a readiness that showed his knowledge of the route they held.
-Occasionally he would stop; and in the midst of a breathing stillness,
-that the dull but increasing roar of the waterfall only served to render
-more impressive, he would listen with painful intenseness, to catch any
-sounds that might arise from the slumbering forest. When assured that
-all was still, and unable to detect, even by the aid of his practiced
-senses, any sign of his approaching foes, he would deliberately resume
-his slow and guarded progress. At length they reached a point in the
-river where the roving eye of Heyward became riveted on a cluster of
-black objects, collected at a spot where the high bank threw a deeper
-shadow than usual on the dark waters. Hesitating to advance, he pointed
-out the place to the attention of his companion.
-
-"Ay," returned the composed scout, "the Indians have hid the beasts with
-the judgment of natives! Water leaves no trail, and an owl's eyes would
-be blinded by the darkness of such a hole."
-
-The whole party was soon reunited, and another consultation was held
-between the scout and his new comrades, during which, they, whose fates
-depended on the faith and ingenuity of these unknown foresters, had a
-little leisure to observe their situation more minutely.
-
-The river was confined between high and cragged rocks, one of which
-impended above the spot where the canoe rested. As these, again, were
-surmounted by tall trees, which appeared to totter on the brows of the
-precipice, it gave the stream the appearance of running through a deep
-and narrow dell. All beneath the fantastic limbs and ragged tree tops,
-which were, here and there, dimly painted against the starry zenith,
-lay alike in shadowed obscurity. Behind them, the curvature of the banks
-soon bounded the view by the same dark and wooded outline; but in front,
-and apparently at no great distance, the water seemed piled against
-the heavens, whence it tumbled into caverns, out of which issued those
-sullen sounds that had loaded the evening atmosphere. It seemed, in
-truth, to be a spot devoted to seclusion, and the sisters imbibed a
-soothing impression of security, as they gazed upon its romantic though
-not unappalling beauties. A general movement among their conductors,
-however, soon recalled them from a contemplation of the wild charms that
-night had assisted to lend the place to a painful sense of their real
-peril.
-
-The horses had been secured to some scattering shrubs that grew in the
-fissures of the rocks, where, standing in the water, they were left to
-pass the night. The scout directed Heyward and his disconsolate fellow
-travelers to seat themselves in the forward end of the canoe, and took
-possession of the other himself, as erect and steady as if he floated
-in a vessel of much firmer materials. The Indians warily retraced their
-steps toward the place they had left, when the scout, placing his pole
-against a rock, by a powerful shove, sent his frail bark directly into
-the turbulent stream. For many minutes the struggle between the light
-bubble in which they floated and the swift current was severe and
-doubtful. Forbidden to stir even a hand, and almost afraid to breath,
-lest they should expose the frail fabric to the fury of the stream,
-the passengers watched the glancing waters in feverish suspense.
-Twenty times they thought the whirling eddies were sweeping them to
-destruction, when the master-hand of their pilot would bring the bows of
-the canoe to stem the rapid. A long, a vigorous, and, as it appeared
-to the females, a desperate effort, closed the struggle. Just as Alice
-veiled her eyes in horror, under the impression that they were about
-to be swept within the vortex at the foot of the cataract, the canoe
-floated, stationary, at the side of a flat rock, that lay on a level
-with the water.
-
-"Where are we, and what is next to be done!" demanded Heyward,
-perceiving that the exertions of the scout had ceased.
-
-"You are at the foot of Glenn's," returned the other, speaking aloud,
-without fear of consequences within the roar of the cataract; "and the
-next thing is to make a steady landing, lest the canoe upset, and you
-should go down again the hard road we have traveled faster than you came
-up; 'tis a hard rift to stem, when the river is a little swelled; and
-five is an unnatural number to keep dry, in a hurry-skurry, with a
-little birchen bark and gum. There, go you all on the rock, and I will
-bring up the Mohicans with the venison. A man had better sleep without
-his scalp, than famish in the midst of plenty."
-
-His passengers gladly complied with these directions. As the last foot
-touched the rock, the canoe whirled from its station, when the tall form
-of the scout was seen, for an instant, gliding above the waters, before
-it disappeared in the impenetrable darkness that rested on the bed of
-the river. Left by their guide, the travelers remained a few minutes in
-helpless ignorance, afraid even to move along the broken rocks, lest a
-false step should precipitate them down some one of the many deep and
-roaring caverns, into which the water seemed to tumble, on every side
-of them. Their suspense, however, was soon relieved; for, aided by the
-skill of the natives, the canoe shot back into the eddy, and floated
-again at the side of the low rock, before they thought the scout had
-even time to rejoin his companions.
-
-"We are now fortified, garrisoned, and provisioned," cried Heyward
-cheerfully, "and may set Montcalm and his allies at defiance. How, now,
-my vigilant sentinel, can see anything of those you call the Iroquois,
-on the main land!"
-
-"I call them Iroquois, because to me every native, who speaks a foreign
-tongue, is accounted an enemy, though he may pretend to serve the king!
-If Webb wants faith and honesty in an Indian, let him bring out the
-tribes of the Delawares, and send these greedy and lying Mohawks and
-Oneidas, with their six nations of varlets, where in nature they belong,
-among the French!"
-
-"We should then exchange a warlike for a useless friend! I have heard
-that the Delawares have laid aside the hatchet, and are content to be
-called women!"
-
-"Aye, shame on the Hollanders and Iroquois, who circumvented them by
-their deviltries, into such a treaty! But I have known them for twenty
-years, and I call him liar that says cowardly blood runs in the veins
-of a Delaware. You have driven their tribes from the seashore, and would
-now believe what their enemies say, that you may sleep at night upon an
-easy pillow. No, no; to me, every Indian who speaks a foreign tongue
-is an Iroquois, whether the castle* of his tribe be in Canada, or be in
-York."
-
-     * The principal villages of the Indians are still called
-     "castles" by the whites of New York. "Oneida castle" is no
-     more than a scattered hamlet; but the name is in general
-     use.
-
-Heyward, perceiving that the stubborn adherence of the scout to the
-cause of his friends the Delawares, or Mohicans, for they were branches
-of the same numerous people, was likely to prolong a useless discussion,
-changed the subject.
-
-"Treaty or no treaty, I know full well that your two companions are
-brave and cautious warriors! have they heard or seen anything of our
-enemies!"
-
-"An Indian is a mortal to be felt afore he is seen," returned the scout,
-ascending the rock, and throwing the deer carelessly down. "I trust to
-other signs than such as come in at the eye, when I am outlying on the
-trail of the Mingoes."
-
-"Do your ears tell you that they have traced our retreat?"
-
-"I should be sorry to think they had, though this is a spot that stout
-courage might hold for a smart scrimmage. I will not deny, however,
-but the horses cowered when I passed them, as though they scented the
-wolves; and a wolf is a beast that is apt to hover about an Indian
-ambushment, craving the offals of the deer the savages kill."
-
-"You forget the buck at your feet! or, may we not owe their visit to the
-dead colt? Ha! what noise is that?"
-
-"Poor Miriam!" murmured the stranger; "thy foal was foreordained to
-become a prey to ravenous beasts!" Then, suddenly lifting up his voice,
-amid the eternal din of the waters, he sang aloud: "First born of Egypt,
-smite did he, Of mankind, and of beast also: O, Egypt! wonders sent
-'midst thee, On Pharaoh and his servants too!"
-
-"The death of the colt sits heavy on the heart of its owner," said the
-scout; "but it's a good sign to see a man account upon his dumb friends.
-He has the religion of the matter, in believing what is to happen will
-happen; and with such a consolation, it won't be long afore he submits
-to the rationality of killing a four-footed beast to save the lives of
-human men. It may be as you say," he continued, reverting to the purport
-of Heyward's last remark; "and the greater the reason why we should cut
-our steaks, and let the carcass drive down the stream, or we shall have
-the pack howling along the cliffs, begrudging every mouthful we swallow.
-Besides, though the Delaware tongue is the same as a book to the
-Iroquois, the cunning varlets are quick enough at understanding the
-reason of a wolf's howl."
-
-The scout, while making his remarks, was busied in collecting certain
-necessary implements; as he concluded, he moved silently by the group
-of travelers, accompanied by the Mohicans, who seemed to comprehend his
-intentions with instinctive readiness, when the whole three
-disappeared in succession, seeming to vanish against the dark face of
-a perpendicular rock that rose to the height of a few yards, within as
-many feet of the water's edge.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 6
-
-     "Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide;
-     He wales a portion with judicious care;
-     And 'Let us worship God', he says, with solemn air."--Burns
-
-Heyward and his female companions witnessed this mysterious movement
-with secret uneasiness; for, though the conduct of the white man had
-hitherto been above reproach, his rude equipments, blunt address,
-and strong antipathies, together with the character of his silent
-associates, were all causes for exciting distrust in minds that had been
-so recently alarmed by Indian treachery.
-
-The stranger alone disregarded the passing incidents. He seated
-himself on a projection of the rocks, whence he gave no other signs
-of consciousness than by the struggles of his spirit, as manifested in
-frequent and heavy sighs. Smothered voices were next heard, as though
-men called to each other in the bowels of the earth, when a sudden light
-flashed upon those without, and laid bare the much-prized secret of the
-place.
-
-At the further extremity of a narrow, deep cavern in the rock, whose
-length appeared much extended by the perspective and the nature of the
-light by which it was seen, was seated the scout, holding a blazing
-knot of pine. The strong glare of the fire fell full upon his sturdy,
-weather-beaten countenance and forest attire, lending an air of romantic
-wildness to the aspect of an individual, who, seen by the sober light of
-day, would have exhibited the peculiarities of a man remarkable for the
-strangeness of his dress, the iron-like inflexibility of his frame,
-and the singular compound of quick, vigilant sagacity, and of exquisite
-simplicity, that by turns usurped the possession of his muscular
-features. At a little distance in advance stood Uncas, his whole person
-thrown powerfully into view. The travelers anxiously regarded the
-upright, flexible figure of the young Mohican, graceful and unrestrained
-in the attitudes and movements of nature. Though his person was more
-than usually screened by a green and fringed hunting-shirt, like that of
-the white man, there was no concealment to his dark, glancing, fearless
-eye, alike terrible and calm; the bold outline of his high, haughty
-features, pure in their native red; or to the dignified elevation of his
-receding forehead, together with all the finest proportions of a noble
-head, bared to the generous scalping tuft. It was the first opportunity
-possessed by Duncan and his companions to view the marked lineaments of
-either of their Indian attendants, and each individual of the party felt
-relieved from a burden of doubt, as the proud and determined, though
-wild expression of the features of the young warrior forced itself on
-their notice. They felt it might be a being partially benighted in the
-vale of ignorance, but it could not be one who would willingly devote
-his rich natural gifts to the purposes of wanton treachery. The
-ingenuous Alice gazed at his free air and proud carriage, as she would
-have looked upon some precious relic of the Grecian chisel, to which
-life had been imparted by the intervention of a miracle; while Heyward,
-though accustomed to see the perfection of form which abounds among
-the uncorrupted natives, openly expressed his admiration at such an
-unblemished specimen of the noblest proportions of man.
-
-"I could sleep in peace," whispered Alice, in reply, "with such a
-fearless and generous-looking youth for my sentinel. Surely, Duncan,
-those cruel murders, those terrific scenes of torture, of which we read
-and hear so much, are never acted in the presence of such as he!"
-
-"This certainly is a rare and brilliant instance of those natural
-qualities in which these peculiar people are said to excel," he
-answered. "I agree with you, Alice, in thinking that such a front and
-eye were formed rather to intimidate than to deceive; but let us not
-practice a deception upon ourselves, by expecting any other exhibition
-of what we esteem virtue than according to the fashion of the savage.
-As bright examples of great qualities are but too uncommon among
-Christians, so are they singular and solitary with the Indians; though,
-for the honor of our common nature, neither are incapable of producing
-them. Let us then hope that this Mohican may not disappoint our wishes,
-but prove what his looks assert him to be, a brave and constant friend."
-
-"Now Major Heyward speaks as Major Heyward should," said Cora; "who that
-looks at this creature of nature, remembers the shade of his skin?"
-
-A short and apparently an embarrassed silence succeeded this remark,
-which was interrupted by the scout calling to them, aloud, to enter.
-
-"This fire begins to show too bright a flame," he continued, as they
-complied, "and might light the Mingoes to our undoing. Uncas, drop the
-blanket, and show the knaves its dark side. This is not such a supper
-as a major of the Royal Americans has a right to expect, but I've
-known stout detachments of the corps glad to eat their venison raw, and
-without a relish, too*. Here, you see, we have plenty of salt, and can
-make a quick broil. There's fresh sassafras boughs for the ladies to sit
-on, which may not be as proud as their my-hog-guinea chairs, but which
-sends up a sweeter flavor, than the skin of any hog can do, be it of
-Guinea, or be it of any other land. Come, friend, don't be mournful for
-the colt; 'twas an innocent thing, and had not seen much hardship. Its
-death will save the creature many a sore back and weary foot!"
-
-     * In vulgar parlance the condiments of a repast are called
-     by the American "a relish," substituting the thing for its
-     effect. These provincial terms are frequently put in the
-     mouths of the speakers, according to their several
-     conditions in life. Most of them are of local use, and
-     others quite peculiar to the particular class of men to
-     which the character belongs. In the present instance, the
-     scout uses the word with immediate reference to the "salt,"
-     with which his own party was so fortunate as to be provided.
-
-Uncas did as the other had directed, and when the voice of Hawkeye
-ceased, the roar of the cataract sounded like the rumbling of distant
-thunder.
-
-"Are we quite safe in this cavern?" demanded Heyward. "Is there no
-danger of surprise? A single armed man, at its entrance, would hold us
-at his mercy."
-
-A spectral-looking figure stalked from out of the darkness behind the
-scout, and seizing a blazing brand, held it toward the further extremity
-of their place of retreat. Alice uttered a faint shriek, and even Cora
-rose to her feet, as this appalling object moved into the light; but
-a single word from Heyward calmed them, with the assurance it was only
-their attendant, Chingachgook, who, lifting another blanket, discovered
-that the cavern had two outlets. Then, holding the brand, he crossed
-a deep, narrow chasm in the rocks which ran at right angles with the
-passage they were in, but which, unlike that, was open to the heavens,
-and entered another cave, answering to the description of the first, in
-every essential particular.
-
-"Such old foxes as Chingachgook and myself are not often caught in a
-barrow with one hole," said Hawkeye, laughing; "you can easily see the
-cunning of the place--the rock is black limestone, which everybody knows
-is soft; it makes no uncomfortable pillow, where brush and pine wood is
-scarce; well, the fall was once a few yards below us, and I dare to say
-was, in its time, as regular and as handsome a sheet of water as any
-along the Hudson. But old age is a great injury to good looks, as these
-sweet young ladies have yet to l'arn! The place is sadly changed! These
-rocks are full of cracks, and in some places they are softer than at
-othersome, and the water has worked out deep hollows for itself, until
-it has fallen back, ay, some hundred feet, breaking here and wearing
-there, until the falls have neither shape nor consistency."
-
-"In what part of them are we?" asked Heyward.
-
-"Why, we are nigh the spot that Providence first placed them at, but
-where, it seems, they were too rebellious to stay. The rock proved
-softer on each side of us, and so they left the center of the river bare
-and dry, first working out these two little holes for us to hide in."
-
-"We are then on an island!"
-
-"Ay! there are the falls on two sides of us, and the river above and
-below. If you had daylight, it would be worth the trouble to step up
-on the height of this rock, and look at the perversity of the water. It
-falls by no rule at all; sometimes it leaps, sometimes it tumbles;
-there it skips; here it shoots; in one place 'tis white as snow, and in
-another 'tis green as grass; hereabouts, it pitches into deep hollows,
-that rumble and crush the 'arth; and thereaways, it ripples and sings
-like a brook, fashioning whirlpools and gullies in the old stone, as if
-'twas no harder than trodden clay. The whole design of the river seems
-disconcerted. First it runs smoothly, as if meaning to go down the
-descent as things were ordered; then it angles about and faces the
-shores; nor are there places wanting where it looks backward, as if
-unwilling to leave the wilderness, to mingle with the salt. Ay, lady,
-the fine cobweb-looking cloth you wear at your throat is coarse,
-and like a fishnet, to little spots I can show you, where the river
-fabricates all sorts of images, as if having broke loose from order, it
-would try its hand at everything. And yet what does it amount to! After
-the water has been suffered so to have its will, for a time, like a
-headstrong man, it is gathered together by the hand that made it, and a
-few rods below you may see it all, flowing on steadily toward the sea,
-as was foreordained from the first foundation of the 'arth!"
-
-While his auditors received a cheering assurance of the security of
-their place of concealment from this untutored description of Glenn's,*
-they were much inclined to judge differently from Hawkeye, of its wild
-beauties. But they were not in a situation to suffer their thoughts to
-dwell on the charms of natural objects; and, as the scout had not found
-it necessary to cease his culinary labors while he spoke, unless to
-point out, with a broken fork, the direction of some particularly
-obnoxious point in the rebellious stream, they now suffered their
-attention to be drawn to the necessary though more vulgar consideration
-of their supper.
-
-     * Glenn's Falls are on the Hudson, some forty or fifty miles
-     above the head of tide, or that place where the river
-     becomes navigable for sloops. The description of this
-     picturesque and remarkable little cataract, as given by the
-     scout, is sufficiently correct, though the application of
-     the water to uses of civilized life has materially injured
-     its beauties. The rocky island and the two caverns are known
-     to every traveler, since the former sustains the pier of a
-     bridge, which is now thrown across the river, immediately
-     above the fall. In explanation of the taste of Hawkeye, it
-     should be remembered that men always prize that most which
-     is least enjoyed. Thus, in a new country, the woods and
-     other objects, which in an old country would be maintained
-     at great cost, are got rid of, simply with a view of
-     "improving" as it is called.
-
-The repast, which was greatly aided by the addition of a few delicacies
-that Heyward had the precaution to bring with him when they left their
-horses, was exceedingly refreshing to the weary party. Uncas acted as
-attendant to the females, performing all the little offices within his
-power, with a mixture of dignity and anxious grace, that served to amuse
-Heyward, who well knew that it was an utter innovation on the
-Indian customs, which forbid their warriors to descend to any menial
-employment, especially in favor of their women. As the rights of
-hospitality were, however, considered sacred among them, this little
-departure from the dignity of manhood excited no audible comment. Had
-there been one there sufficiently disengaged to become a close observer,
-he might have fancied that the services of the young chief were not
-entirely impartial. That while he tendered to Alice the gourd of sweet
-water, and the venison in a trencher, neatly carved from the knot of the
-pepperidge, with sufficient courtesy, in performing the same offices
-to her sister, his dark eye lingered on her rich, speaking countenance.
-Once or twice he was compelled to speak, to command her attention
-of those he served. In such cases he made use of English, broken and
-imperfect, but sufficiently intelligible, and which he rendered so mild
-and musical, by his deep, guttural voice, that it never failed to cause
-both ladies to look up in admiration and astonishment. In the course
-of these civilities, a few sentences were exchanged, that served to
-establish the appearance of an amicable intercourse between the parties.
-
-In the meanwhile, the gravity of Chingcachgook remained immovable. He
-had seated himself more within the circle of light, where the frequent,
-uneasy glances of his guests were better enabled to separate the natural
-expression of his face from the artificial terrors of the war paint.
-They found a strong resemblance between father and son, with the
-difference that might be expected from age and hardships. The fierceness
-of his countenance now seemed to slumber, and in its place was to be
-seen the quiet, vacant composure which distinguishes an Indian warrior,
-when his faculties are not required for any of the greater purposes
-of his existence. It was, however, easy to be seen, by the occasional
-gleams that shot across his swarthy visage, that it was only necessary
-to arouse his passions, in order to give full effect to the terrific
-device which he had adopted to intimidate his enemies. On the other
-hand, the quick, roving eye of the scout seldom rested. He ate and
-drank with an appetite that no sense of danger could disturb, but his
-vigilance seemed never to desert him. Twenty times the gourd or the
-venison was suspended before his lips, while his head was turned aside,
-as though he listened to some distant and distrusted sounds--a movement
-that never failed to recall his guests from regarding the novelties
-of their situation, to a recollection of the alarming reasons that had
-driven them to seek it. As these frequent pauses were never followed by
-any remark, the momentary uneasiness they created quickly passed away,
-and for a time was forgotten.
-
-"Come, friend," said Hawkeye, drawing out a keg from beneath a cover of
-leaves, toward the close of the repast, and addressing the stranger
-who sat at his elbow, doing great justice to his culinary skill, "try
-a little spruce; 'twill wash away all thoughts of the colt, and quicken
-the life in your bosom. I drink to our better friendship, hoping that
-a little horse-flesh may leave no heart-burnings atween us. How do you
-name yourself?"
-
-"Gamut--David Gamut," returned the singing master, preparing to wash
-down his sorrows in a powerful draught of the woodsman's high-flavored
-and well-laced compound.
-
-"A very good name, and, I dare say, handed down from honest forefathers.
-I'm an admirator of names, though the Christian fashions fall far below
-savage customs in this particular. The biggest coward I ever knew as
-called Lyon; and his wife, Patience, would scold you out of hearing
-in less time than a hunted deer would run a rod. With an Indian 'tis a
-matter of conscience; what he calls himself, he generally is--not that
-Chingachgook, which signifies Big Sarpent, is really a snake, big or
-little; but that he understands the windings and turnings of human
-natur', and is silent, and strikes his enemies when they least expect
-him. What may be your calling?"
-
-"I am an unworthy instructor in the art of psalmody."
-
-"Anan!"
-
-"I teach singing to the youths of the Connecticut levy."
-
-"You might be better employed. The young hounds go laughing and singing
-too much already through the woods, when they ought not to breathe
-louder than a fox in his cover. Can you use the smoothbore, or handle
-the rifle?"
-
-"Praised be God, I have never had occasion to meddle with murderous
-implements!"
-
-"Perhaps you understand the compass, and lay down the watercourses and
-mountains of the wilderness on paper, in order that they who follow may
-find places by their given names?"
-
-"I practice no such employment."
-
-"You have a pair of legs that might make a long path seem short! you
-journey sometimes, I fancy, with tidings for the general."
-
-"Never; I follow no other than my own high vocation, which is
-instruction in sacred music!"
-
-"'Tis a strange calling!" muttered Hawkeye, with an inward laugh, "to
-go through life, like a catbird, mocking all the ups and downs that may
-happen to come out of other men's throats. Well, friend, I suppose it
-is your gift, and mustn't be denied any more than if 'twas shooting, or
-some other better inclination. Let us hear what you can do in that way;
-'twill be a friendly manner of saying good-night, for 'tis time that
-these ladies should be getting strength for a hard and a long push, in
-the pride of the morning, afore the Maquas are stirring."
-
-"With joyful pleasure do I consent", said David, adjusting his
-iron-rimmed spectacles, and producing his beloved little volume,
-which he immediately tendered to Alice. "What can be more fitting
-and consolatory, than to offer up evening praise, after a day of such
-exceeding jeopardy!"
-
-Alice smiled; but, regarding Heyward, she blushed and hesitated.
-
-"Indulge yourself," he whispered; "ought not the suggestion of the
-worthy namesake of the Psalmist to have its weight at such a moment?"
-
-Encouraged by his opinion, Alice did what her pious inclinations, and
-her keen relish for gentle sounds, had before so strongly urged. The
-book was open at a hymn not ill adapted to their situation, and in which
-the poet, no longer goaded by his desire to excel the inspired King
-of Israel, had discovered some chastened and respectable powers. Cora
-betrayed a disposition to support her sister, and the sacred song
-proceeded, after the indispensable preliminaries of the pitchpipe, and
-the tune had been duly attended to by the methodical David.
-
-The air was solemn and slow. At times it rose to the fullest compass of
-the rich voices of the females, who hung over their little book in holy
-excitement, and again it sank so low, that the rushing of the waters ran
-through their melody, like a hollow accompaniment. The natural taste and
-true ear of David governed and modified the sounds to suit the confined
-cavern, every crevice and cranny of which was filled with the thrilling
-notes of their flexible voices. The Indians riveted their eyes on the
-rocks, and listened with an attention that seemed to turn them into
-stone. But the scout, who had placed his chin in his hand, with an
-expression of cold indifference, gradually suffered his rigid features
-to relax, until, as verse succeeded verse, he felt his iron nature
-subdued, while his recollection was carried back to boyhood, when his
-ears had been accustomed to listen to similar sounds of praise, in the
-settlements of the colony. His roving eyes began to moisten, and before
-the hymn was ended scalding tears rolled out of fountains that had long
-seemed dry, and followed each other down those cheeks, that had oftener
-felt the storms of heaven than any testimonials of weakness. The singers
-were dwelling on one of those low, dying chords, which the ear devours
-with such greedy rapture, as if conscious that it is about to lose them,
-when a cry, that seemed neither human nor earthly, rose in the outward
-air, penetrating not only the recesses of the cavern, but to the inmost
-hearts of all who heard it. It was followed by a stillness apparently
-as deep as if the waters had been checked in their furious progress, at
-such a horrid and unusual interruption.
-
-"What is it?" murmured Alice, after a few moments of terrible suspense.
-
-"What is it?" repeated Hewyard aloud.
-
-Neither Hawkeye nor the Indians made any reply. They listened, as if
-expecting the sound would be repeated, with a manner that expressed
-their own astonishment. At length they spoke together, earnestly, in the
-Delaware language, when Uncas, passing by the inner and most concealed
-aperture, cautiously left the cavern. When he had gone, the scout first
-spoke in English.
-
-"What it is, or what it is not, none here can tell, though two of us
-have ranged the woods for more than thirty years. I did believe there
-was no cry that Indian or beast could make, that my ears had not heard;
-but this has proved that I was only a vain and conceited mortal."
-
-"Was it not, then, the shout the warriors make when they wish to
-intimidate their enemies?" asked Cora who stood drawing her veil about
-her person, with a calmness to which her agitated sister was a stranger.
-
-"No, no; this was bad, and shocking, and had a sort of unhuman sound;
-but when you once hear the war-whoop, you will never mistake it for
-anything else. Well, Uncas!" speaking in Delaware to the young chief as
-he re-entered, "what see you? do our lights shine through the blankets?"
-
-The answer was short, and apparently decided, being given in the same
-tongue.
-
-"There is nothing to be seen without," continued Hawkeye, shaking his
-head in discontent; "and our hiding-place is still in darkness. Pass
-into the other cave, you that need it, and seek for sleep; we must
-be afoot long before the sun, and make the most of our time to get to
-Edward, while the Mingoes are taking their morning nap."
-
-Cora set the example of compliance, with a steadiness that taught the
-more timid Alice the necessity of obedience. Before leaving the place,
-however, she whispered a request to Duncan, that he would follow. Uncas
-raised the blanket for their passage, and as the sisters turned to thank
-him for this act of attention, they saw the scout seated again before
-the dying embers, with his face resting on his hands, in a manner which
-showed how deeply he brooded on the unaccountable interruption which had
-broken up their evening devotions.
-
-Heyward took with him a blazing knot, which threw a dim light through
-the narrow vista of their new apartment. Placing it in a favorable
-position, he joined the females, who now found themselves alone with
-him for the first time since they had left the friendly ramparts of Fort
-Edward.
-
-"Leave us not, Duncan," said Alice: "we cannot sleep in such a place as
-this, with that horrid cry still ringing in our ears."
-
-"First let us examine into the security of your fortress," he answered,
-"and then we will speak of rest."
-
-He approached the further end of the cavern, to an outlet, which, like
-the others, was concealed by blankets; and removing the thick screen,
-breathed the fresh and reviving air from the cataract. One arm of the
-river flowed through a deep, narrow ravine, which its current had
-worn in the soft rock, directly beneath his feet, forming an effectual
-defense, as he believed, against any danger from that quarter; the
-water, a few rods above them, plunging, glancing, and sweeping along in
-its most violent and broken manner.
-
-"Nature has made an impenetrable barrier on this side," he continued,
-pointing down the perpendicular declivity into the dark current before
-he dropped the blanket; "and as you know that good men and true are on
-guard in front I see no reason why the advice of our honest host should
-be disregarded. I am certain Cora will join me in saying that sleep is
-necessary to you both."
-
-"Cora may submit to the justice of your opinion though she cannot put it
-in practice," returned the elder sister, who had placed herself by the
-side of Alice, on a couch of sassafras; "there would be other causes to
-chase away sleep, though we had been spared the shock of this mysterious
-noise. Ask yourself, Heyward, can daughters forget the anxiety a father
-must endure, whose children lodge he knows not where or how, in such a
-wilderness, and in the midst of so many perils?"
-
-"He is a soldier, and knows how to estimate the chances of the woods."
-
-"He is a father, and cannot deny his nature."
-
-"How kind has he ever been to all my follies, how tender and indulgent
-to all my wishes!" sobbed Alice. "We have been selfish, sister, in
-urging our visit at such hazard."
-
-"I may have been rash in pressing his consent in a moment of much
-embarrassment, but I would have proved to him, that however others might
-neglect him in his strait his children at least were faithful."
-
-"When he heard of your arrival at Edward," said Heyward, kindly, "there
-was a powerful struggle in his bosom between fear and love; though
-the latter, heightened, if possible, by so long a separation, quickly
-prevailed. 'It is the spirit of my noble-minded Cora that leads them,
-Duncan', he said, 'and I will not balk it. Would to God, that he who
-holds the honor of our royal master in his guardianship, would show but
-half her firmness!'"
-
-"And did he not speak of me, Heyward?" demanded Alice, with jealous
-affection; "surely, he forgot not altogether his little Elsie?"
-
-"That were impossible," returned the young man; "he called you by a
-thousand endearing epithets, that I may not presume to use, but to the
-justice of which, I can warmly testify. Once, indeed, he said--"
-
-Duncan ceased speaking; for while his eyes were riveted on those of
-Alice, who had turned toward him with the eagerness of filial affection,
-to catch his words, the same strong, horrid cry, as before, filled the
-air, and rendered him mute. A long, breathless silence succeeded, during
-which each looked at the others in fearful expectation of hearing the
-sound repeated. At length, the blanket was slowly raised, and the scout
-stood in the aperture with a countenance whose firmness evidently
-began to give way before a mystery that seemed to threaten some danger,
-against which all his cunning and experience might prove of no avail.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 7
-
-     "They do not sleep,
-     On yonder cliffs, a grizzly band,
-     I see them sit."--Gray
-
-"'Twould be neglecting a warning that is given for our good to lie hid
-any longer," said Hawkeye "when such sounds are raised in the forest.
-These gentle ones may keep close, but the Mohicans and I will watch upon
-the rock, where I suppose a major of the Sixtieth would wish to keep us
-company."
-
-"Is, then, our danger so pressing?" asked Cora.
-
-"He who makes strange sounds, and gives them out for man's information,
-alone knows our danger. I should think myself wicked, unto rebellion
-against His will, was I to burrow with such warnings in the air! Even
-the weak soul who passes his days in singing is stirred by the cry,
-and, as he says, is 'ready to go forth to the battle' If 'twere only a
-battle, it would be a thing understood by us all, and easily managed;
-but I have heard that when such shrieks are atween heaven and 'arth, it
-betokens another sort of warfare!"
-
-"If all our reasons for fear, my friend, are confined to such as proceed
-from supernatural causes, we have but little occasion to be alarmed,"
-continued the undisturbed Cora, "are you certain that our enemies have
-not invented some new and ingenious method to strike us with terror,
-that their conquest may become more easy?"
-
-"Lady," returned the scout, solemnly, "I have listened to all the sounds
-of the woods for thirty years, as a man will listen whose life and death
-depend on the quickness of his ears. There is no whine of the panther,
-no whistle of the catbird, nor any invention of the devilish Mingoes,
-that can cheat me! I have heard the forest moan like mortal men in their
-affliction; often, and again, have I listened to the wind playing
-its music in the branches of the girdled trees; and I have heard the
-lightning cracking in the air like the snapping of blazing brush as it
-spitted forth sparks and forked flames; but never have I thought that I
-heard more than the pleasure of him who sported with the things of his
-hand. But neither the Mohicans, nor I, who am a white man without a
-cross, can explain the cry just heard. We, therefore, believe it a sign
-given for our good."
-
-"It is extraordinary!" said Heyward, taking his pistols from the place
-where he had laid them on entering; "be it a sign of peace or a signal
-of war, it must be looked to. Lead the way, my friend; I follow."
-
-On issuing from their place of confinement, the whole party instantly
-experienced a grateful renovation of spirits, by exchanging the pent
-air of the hiding-place for the cool and invigorating atmosphere which
-played around the whirlpools and pitches of the cataract. A heavy
-evening breeze swept along the surface of the river, and seemed to drive
-the roar of the falls into the recesses of their own cavern, whence it
-issued heavily and constant, like thunder rumbling beyond the distant
-hills. The moon had risen, and its light was already glancing here and
-there on the waters above them; but the extremity of the rock where they
-stood still lay in shadow. With the exception of the sounds produced
-by the rushing waters, and an occasional breathing of the air, as it
-murmured past them in fitful currents, the scene was as still as night
-and solitude could make it. In vain were the eyes of each individual
-bent along the opposite shores, in quest of some signs of life, that
-might explain the nature of the interruption they had heard. Their
-anxious and eager looks were baffled by the deceptive light, or rested
-only on naked rocks, and straight and immovable trees.
-
-"Here is nothing to be seen but the gloom and quiet of a lovely
-evening," whispered Duncan; "how much should we prize such a scene, and
-all this breathing solitude, at any other moment, Cora! Fancy yourselves
-in security, and what now, perhaps, increases your terror, may be made
-conducive to enjoyment--"
-
-"Listen!" interrupted Alice.
-
-The caution was unnecessary. Once more the same sound arose, as if from
-the bed of the river, and having broken out of the narrow bounds of the
-cliffs, was heard undulating through the forest, in distant and dying
-cadences.
-
-"Can any here give a name to such a cry?" demanded Hawkeye, when the
-last echo was lost in the woods; "if so, let him speak; for myself, I
-judge it not to belong to 'arth!"
-
-"Here, then, is one who can undeceive you," said Duncan; "I know the
-sound full well, for often have I heard it on the field of battle, and
-in situations which are frequent in a soldier's life. 'Tis the horrid
-shriek that a horse will give in his agony; oftener drawn from him in
-pain, though sometimes in terror. My charger is either a prey to the
-beasts of the forest, or he sees his danger, without the power to avoid
-it. The sound might deceive me in the cavern, but in the open air I know
-it too well to be wrong."
-
-The scout and his companions listened to this simple explanation with
-the interest of men who imbibe new ideas, at the same time that they get
-rid of old ones, which had proved disagreeable inmates. The two latter
-uttered their usual expressive exclamation, "hugh!" as the truth first
-glanced upon their minds, while the former, after a short, musing pause,
-took upon himself to reply.
-
-"I cannot deny your words," he said, "for I am little skilled in horses,
-though born where they abound. The wolves must be hovering above their
-heads on the bank, and the timorsome creatures are calling on man
-for help, in the best manner they are able. Uncas"--he spoke in
-Delaware--"Uncas, drop down in the canoe, and whirl a brand among the
-pack; or fear may do what the wolves can't get at to perform, and leave
-us without horses in the morning, when we shall have so much need to
-journey swiftly!"
-
-The young native had already descended to the water to comply, when a
-long howl was raised on the edge of the river, and was borne swiftly
-off into the depths of the forest, as though the beasts, of their
-own accord, were abandoning their prey in sudden terror. Uncas, with
-instinctive quickness, receded, and the three foresters held another of
-their low, earnest conferences.
-
-"We have been like hunters who have lost the points of the heavens, and
-from whom the sun has been hid for days," said Hawkeye, turning away
-from his companions; "now we begin again to know the signs of our
-course, and the paths are cleared from briers! Seat yourselves in the
-shade which the moon throws from yonder beech--'tis thicker than that
-of the pines--and let us wait for that which the Lord may choose to
-send next. Let all your conversation be in whispers; though it would be
-better, and, perhaps, in the end, wiser, if each one held discourse with
-his own thoughts, for a time."
-
-The manner of the scout was seriously impressive, though no longer
-distinguished by any signs of unmanly apprehension. It was evident that
-his momentary weakness had vanished with the explanation of a mystery
-which his own experience had not served to fathom; and though he now
-felt all the realities of their actual condition, that he was prepared
-to meet them with the energy of his hardy nature. This feeling seemed
-also common to the natives, who placed themselves in positions which
-commanded a full view of both shores, while their own persons were
-effectually concealed from observation. In such circumstances, common
-prudence dictated that Heyward and his companions should imitate a
-caution that proceeded from so intelligent a source. The young man drew
-a pile of the sassafras from the cave, and placing it in the chasm which
-separated the two caverns, it was occupied by the sisters, who were
-thus protected by the rocks from any missiles, while their anxiety
-was relieved by the assurance that no danger could approach without
-a warning. Heyward himself was posted at hand, so near that he might
-communicate with his companions without raising his voice to a dangerous
-elevation; while David, in imitation of the woodsmen, bestowed his
-person in such a manner among the fissures of the rocks, that his
-ungainly limbs were no longer offensive to the eye.
-
-In this manner hours passed without further interruption. The moon
-reached the zenith, and shed its mild light perpendicularly on the
-lovely sight of the sisters slumbering peacefully in each other's arms.
-Duncan cast the wide shawl of Cora before a spectacle he so much loved
-to contemplate, and then suffered his own head to seek a pillow on the
-rock. David began to utter sounds that would have shocked his delicate
-organs in more wakeful moments; in short, all but Hawkeye and the
-Mohicans lost every idea of consciousness, in uncontrollable drowsiness.
-But the watchfulness of these vigilant protectors neither tired nor
-slumbered. Immovable as that rock, of which each appeared to form a
-part, they lay, with their eyes roving, without intermission, along the
-dark margin of trees, that bounded the adjacent shores of the narrow
-stream. Not a sound escaped them; the most subtle examination could
-not have told they breathed. It was evident that this excess of caution
-proceeded from an experience that no subtlety on the part of their
-enemies could deceive. It was, however, continued without any apparent
-consequences, until the moon had set, and a pale streak above the
-treetops, at the bend of the river a little below, announced the
-approach of day.
-
-Then, for the first time, Hawkeye was seen to stir. He crawled along the
-rock and shook Duncan from his heavy slumbers.
-
-"Now is the time to journey," he whispered; "awake the gentle ones, and
-be ready to get into the canoe when I bring it to the landing-place."
-
-"Have you had a quiet night?" said Heyward; "for myself, I believe sleep
-has got the better of my vigilance."
-
-"All is yet still as midnight. Be silent, but be quick."
-
-By this time Duncan was thoroughly awake, and he immediately lifted the
-shawl from the sleeping females. The motion caused Cora to raise her
-hand as if to repulse him, while Alice murmured, in her soft, gentle
-voice, "No, no, dear father, we were not deserted; Duncan was with us!"
-
-"Yes, sweet innocence," whispered the youth; "Duncan is here, and while
-life continues or danger remains, he will never quit thee. Cora! Alice!
-awake! The hour has come to move!"
-
-A loud shriek from the younger of the sisters, and the form of the other
-standing upright before him, in bewildered horror, was the unexpected
-answer he received.
-
-While the words were still on the lips of Heyward, there had arisen such
-a tumult of yells and cries as served to drive the swift currents of his
-own blood back from its bounding course into the fountains of his heart.
-It seemed, for near a minute, as if the demons of hell had possessed
-themselves of the air about them, and were venting their savage humors
-in barbarous sounds. The cries came from no particular direction, though
-it was evident they filled the woods, and, as the appalled listeners
-easily imagined, the caverns of the falls, the rocks, the bed of the
-river, and the upper air. David raised his tall person in the midst of
-the infernal din, with a hand on either ear, exclaiming:
-
-"Whence comes this discord! Has hell broke loose, that man should utter
-sounds like these!"
-
-The bright flashes and the quick reports of a dozen rifles, from the
-opposite banks of the stream, followed this incautious exposure of his
-person, and left the unfortunate singing master senseless on that rock
-where he had been so long slumbering. The Mohicans boldly sent back the
-intimidating yell of their enemies, who raised a shout of savage triumph
-at the fall of Gamut. The flash of rifles was then quick and close
-between them, but either party was too well skilled to leave even a limb
-exposed to the hostile aim. Duncan listened with intense anxiety for the
-strokes of the paddle, believing that flight was now their only refuge.
-The river glanced by with its ordinary velocity, but the canoe was
-nowhere to be seen on its dark waters. He had just fancied they were
-cruelly deserted by their scout, as a stream of flame issued from the
-rock beneath them, and a fierce yell, blended with a shriek of agony,
-announced that the messenger of death sent from the fatal weapon of
-Hawkeye, had found a victim. At this slight repulse the assailants
-instantly withdrew, and gradually the place became as still as before
-the sudden tumult.
-
-Duncan seized the favorable moment to spring to the body of Gamut,
-which he bore within the shelter of the narrow chasm that protected the
-sisters. In another minute the whole party was collected in this spot of
-comparative safety.
-
-"The poor fellow has saved his scalp," said Hawkeye, coolly passing his
-hand over the head of David; "but he is a proof that a man may be born
-with too long a tongue! 'Twas downright madness to show six feet of
-flesh and blood, on a naked rock, to the raging savages. I only wonder
-he has escaped with life."
-
-"Is he not dead?" demanded Cora, in a voice whose husky tones showed how
-powerfully natural horror struggled with her assumed firmness. "Can we
-do aught to assist the wretched man?"
-
-"No, no! the life is in his heart yet, and after he has slept awhile he
-will come to himself, and be a wiser man for it, till the hour of his
-real time shall come," returned Hawkeye, casting another oblique glance
-at the insensible body, while he filled his charger with admirable
-nicety. "Carry him in, Uncas, and lay him on the sassafras. The longer
-his nap lasts the better it will be for him, as I doubt whether he can
-find a proper cover for such a shape on these rocks; and singing won't
-do any good with the Iroquois."
-
-"You believe, then, the attack will be renewed?" asked Heyward.
-
-"Do I expect a hungry wolf will satisfy his craving with a mouthful!
-They have lost a man, and 'tis their fashion, when they meet a loss,
-and fail in the surprise, to fall back; but we shall have them on again,
-with new expedients to circumvent us, and master our scalps. Our main
-hope," he continued, raising his rugged countenance, across which a
-shade of anxiety just then passed like a darkening cloud, "will be to
-keep the rock until Munro can send a party to our help! God send it may
-be soon and under a leader that knows the Indian customs!"
-
-"You hear our probable fortunes, Cora," said Duncan, "and you know we
-have everything to hope from the anxiety and experience of your father.
-Come, then, with Alice, into this cavern, where you, at least, will be
-safe from the murderous rifles of our enemies, and where you may bestow
-a care suited to your gentle natures on our unfortunate comrade."
-
-The sisters followed him into the outer cave, where David was beginning,
-by his sighs, to give symptoms of returning consciousness, and then
-commending the wounded man to their attention, he immediately prepared
-to leave them.
-
-"Duncan!" said the tremulous voice of Cora, when he had reached the
-mouth of the cavern. He turned and beheld the speaker, whose color had
-changed to a deadly paleness, and whose lips quivered, gazing after him,
-with an expression of interest which immediately recalled him to her
-side. "Remember, Duncan, how necessary your safety is to our own--how
-you bear a father's sacred trust--how much depends on your discretion
-and care--in short," she added, while the telltale blood stole over her
-features, crimsoning her very temples, "how very deservedly dear you are
-to all of the name of Munro."
-
-"If anything could add to my own base love of life," said Heyward,
-suffering his unconscious eyes to wander to the youthful form of
-the silent Alice, "it would be so kind an assurance. As major of the
-Sixtieth, our honest host will tell you I must take my share of the
-fray; but our task will be easy; it is merely to keep these blood-hounds
-at bay for a few hours."
-
-Without waiting for a reply, he tore himself from the presence of the
-sisters, and joined the scout and his companions, who still lay within
-the protection of the little chasm between the two caves.
-
-"I tell you, Uncas," said the former, as Heyward joined them, "you are
-wasteful of your powder, and the kick of the rifle disconcerts your aim!
-Little powder, light lead, and a long arm, seldom fail of bringing the
-death screech from a Mingo! At least, such has been my experience with
-the creatur's. Come, friends: let us to our covers, for no man can tell
-when or where a Maqua* will strike his blow."
-
-     * Mingo was the Delaware term of the Five Nations. Maquas
-     was the name given them by the Dutch. The French, from their
-     first intercourse with them, called them Iroquois.
-
-The Indians silently repaired to their appointed stations, which were
-fissures in the rocks, whence they could command the approaches to the
-foot of the falls. In the center of the little island, a few short and
-stunted pines had found root, forming a thicket, into which Hawkeye
-darted with the swiftness of a deer, followed by the active Duncan. Here
-they secured themselves, as well as circumstances would permit, among
-the shrubs and fragments of stone that were scattered about the place.
-Above them was a bare, rounded rock, on each side of which the water
-played its gambols, and plunged into the abysses beneath, in the manner
-already described. As the day had now dawned, the opposite shores no
-longer presented a confused outline, but they were able to look into the
-woods, and distinguish objects beneath a canopy of gloomy pines.
-
-A long and anxious watch succeeded, but without any further evidences
-of a renewed attack; and Duncan began to hope that their fire had
-proved more fatal than was supposed, and that their enemies had been
-effectually repulsed. When he ventured to utter this impression to his
-companions, it was met by Hawkeye with an incredulous shake of the head.
-
-"You know not the nature of a Maqua, if you think he is so easily
-beaten back without a scalp!" he answered. "If there was one of the imps
-yelling this morning, there were forty! and they know our number and
-quality too well to give up the chase so soon. Hist! look into the water
-above, just where it breaks over the rocks. I am no mortal, if the risky
-devils haven't swam down upon the very pitch, and, as bad luck would
-have it, they have hit the head of the island. Hist! man, keep close! or
-the hair will be off your crown in the turning of a knife!"
-
-Heyward lifted his head from the cover, and beheld what he justly
-considered a prodigy of rashness and skill. The river had worn away the
-edge of the soft rock in such a manner as to render its first pitch
-less abrupt and perpendicular than is usual at waterfalls. With no other
-guide than the ripple of the stream where it met the head of the island,
-a party of their insatiable foes had ventured into the current, and
-swam down upon this point, knowing the ready access it would give, if
-successful, to their intended victims.
-
-As Hawkeye ceased speaking, four human heads could be seen peering above
-a few logs of drift-wood that had lodged on these naked rocks, and which
-had probably suggested the idea of the practicability of the hazardous
-undertaking. At the next moment, a fifth form was seen floating over the
-green edge of the fall, a little from the line of the island. The savage
-struggled powerfully to gain the point of safety, and, favored by the
-glancing water, he was already stretching forth an arm to meet the grasp
-of his companions, when he shot away again with the shirling current,
-appeared to rise into the air, with uplifted arms and starting eyeballs,
-and fell, with a sudden plunge, into that deep and yawning abyss over
-which he hovered. A single, wild, despairing shriek rose from the
-cavern, and all was hushed again as the grave.
-
-The first generous impulse of Duncan was to rush to the rescue of the
-hapless wretch; but he felt himself bound to the spot by the iron grasp
-of the immovable scout.
-
-"Would ye bring certain death upon us, by telling the Mingoes where we
-lie?" demanded Hawkeye, sternly; "'Tis a charge of powder saved, and
-ammunition is as precious now as breath to a worried deer! Freshen the
-priming of your pistols--the midst of the falls is apt to dampen the
-brimstone--and stand firm for a close struggle, while I fire on their
-rush."
-
-He placed a finger in his mouth, and drew a long, shrill whistle, which
-was answered from the rocks that were guarded by the Mohicans. Duncan
-caught glimpses of heads above the scattered drift-wood, as this signal
-rose on the air, but they disappeared again as suddenly as they had
-glanced upon his sight. A low, rustling sound next drew his attention
-behind him, and turning his head, he beheld Uncas within a few feet,
-creeping to his side. Hawkeye spoke to him in Delaware, when the young
-chief took his position with singular caution and undisturbed coolness.
-To Heyward this was a moment of feverish and impatient suspense; though
-the scout saw fit to select it as a fit occasion to read a lecture
-to his more youthful associates on the art of using firearms with
-discretion.
-
-"Of all we'pons," he commenced, "the long barreled, true-grooved,
-soft-metaled rifle is the most dangerous in skillful hands, though it
-wants a strong arm, a quick eye, and great judgment in charging, to put
-forth all its beauties. The gunsmiths can have but little insight into
-their trade when they make their fowling-pieces and short horsemen's--"
-
-He was interrupted by the low but expressive "hugh" of Uncas.
-
-"I see them, boy, I see them!" continued Hawkeye; "they are gathering
-for the rush, or they would keep their dingy backs below the logs. Well,
-let them," he added, examining his flint; "the leading man certainly
-comes on to his death, though it should be Montcalm himself!"
-
-At that moment the woods were filled with another burst of cries, and at
-the signal four savages sprang from the cover of the driftwood. Heyward
-felt a burning desire to rush forward to meet them, so intense was the
-delirious anxiety of the moment; but he was restrained by the deliberate
-examples of the scout and Uncas.
-
-When their foes, who had leaped over the black rocks that divided them,
-with long bounds, uttering the wildest yells, were within a few rods,
-the rifle of Hawkeye slowly rose among the shrubs, and poured out its
-fatal contents. The foremost Indian bounded like a stricken deer, and
-fell headlong among the clefts of the island.
-
-"Now, Uncas!" cried the scout, drawing his long knife, while his quick
-eyes began to flash with ardor, "take the last of the screeching imps;
-of the other two we are sartain!"
-
-He was obeyed; and but two enemies remained to be overcome. Heyward had
-given one of his pistols to Hawkeye, and together they rushed down a
-little declivity toward their foes; they discharged their weapons at the
-same instant, and equally without success.
-
-"I know'd it! and I said it!" muttered the scout, whirling the despised
-little implement over the falls with bitter disdain. "Come on, ye bloody
-minded hell-hounds! ye meet a man without a cross!"
-
-The words were barely uttered, when he encountered a savage of gigantic
-stature, of the fiercest mien. At the same moment, Duncan found himself
-engaged with the other, in a similar contest of hand to hand. With ready
-skill, Hawkeye and his antagonist each grasped that uplifted arm of
-the other which held the dangerous knife. For near a minute they stood
-looking one another in the eye, and gradually exerting the power of
-their muscles for the mastery.
-
-At length, the toughened sinews of the white man prevailed over the less
-practiced limbs of the native. The arm of the latter slowly gave way
-before the increasing force of the scout, who, suddenly wresting his
-armed hand from the grasp of the foe, drove the sharp weapon through his
-naked bosom to the heart. In the meantime, Heyward had been pressed in
-a more deadly struggle. His slight sword was snapped in the first
-encounter. As he was destitute of any other means of defense, his
-safety now depended entirely on bodily strength and resolution. Though
-deficient in neither of these qualities, he had met an enemy every way
-his equal. Happily, he soon succeeded in disarming his adversary, whose
-knife fell on the rock at their feet; and from this moment it became a
-fierce struggle who should cast the other over the dizzy height into a
-neighboring cavern of the falls. Every successive struggle brought them
-nearer to the verge, where Duncan perceived the final and conquering
-effort must be made. Each of the combatants threw all his energies into
-that effort, and the result was, that both tottered on the brink of the
-precipice. Heyward felt the grasp of the other at his throat, and
-saw the grim smile the savage gave, under the revengeful hope that he
-hurried his enemy to a fate similar to his own, as he felt his body
-slowly yielding to a resistless power, and the young man experienced the
-passing agony of such a moment in all its horrors. At that instant of
-extreme danger, a dark hand and glancing knife appeared before him; the
-Indian released his hold, as the blood flowed freely from around the
-severed tendons of the wrist; and while Duncan was drawn backward by the
-saving hand of Uncas, his charmed eyes still were riveted on the
-fierce and disappointed countenance of his foe, who fell sullenly and
-disappointed down the irrecoverable precipice.
-
-"To cover! to cover!" cried Hawkeye, who just then had despatched the
-enemy; "to cover, for your lives! the work is but half ended!"
-
-The young Mohican gave a shout of triumph, and followed by Duncan, he
-glided up the acclivity they had descended to the combat, and sought the
-friendly shelter of the rocks and shrubs.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 8
-
-     "They linger yet,
-     Avengers of their native land."--Gray
-
-The warning call of the scout was not uttered without occasion. During
-the occurrence of the deadly encounter just related, the roar of the
-falls was unbroken by any human sound whatever. It would seem that
-interest in the result had kept the natives on the opposite shores in
-breathless suspense, while the quick evolutions and swift changes in
-the positions of the combatants effectually prevented a fire that might
-prove dangerous alike to friend and enemy. But the moment the struggle
-was decided, a yell arose as fierce and savage as wild and revengeful
-passions could throw into the air. It was followed by the swift flashes
-of the rifles, which sent their leaden messengers across the rock in
-volleys, as though the assailants would pour out their impotent fury on
-the insensible scene of the fatal contest.
-
-A steady, though deliberate return was made from the rifle of
-Chingachgook, who had maintained his post throughout the fray with
-unmoved resolution. When the triumphant shout of Uncas was borne to his
-ears, the gratified father raised his voice in a single responsive cry,
-after which his busy piece alone proved that he still guarded his pass
-with unwearied diligence. In this manner many minutes flew by with the
-swiftness of thought; the rifles of the assailants speaking, at times,
-in rattling volleys, and at others in occasional, scattering shots.
-Though the rock, the trees, and the shrubs, were cut and torn in a
-hundred places around the besieged, their cover was so close, and so
-rigidly maintained, that, as yet, David had been the only sufferer in
-their little band.
-
-"Let them burn their powder," said the deliberate scout, while bullet
-after bullet whizzed by the place where he securely lay; "there will be
-a fine gathering of lead when it is over, and I fancy the imps will tire
-of the sport afore these old stones cry out for mercy! Uncas, boy, you
-waste the kernels by overcharging; and a kicking rifle never carries a
-true bullet. I told you to take that loping miscreant under the line
-of white point; now, if your bullet went a hair's breadth it went two
-inches above it. The life lies low in a Mingo, and humanity teaches us
-to make a quick end to the sarpents."
-
-A quiet smile lighted the haughty features of the young Mohican,
-betraying his knowledge of the English language as well as of the
-other's meaning; but he suffered it to pass away without vindication of
-reply.
-
-"I cannot permit you to accuse Uncas of want of judgment or of skill,"
-said Duncan; "he saved my life in the coolest and readiest manner, and
-he has made a friend who never will require to be reminded of the debt
-he owes."
-
-Uncas partly raised his body, and offered his hand to the grasp of
-Heyward. During this act of friendship, the two young men exchanged
-looks of intelligence which caused Duncan to forget the character and
-condition of his wild associate. In the meanwhile, Hawkeye, who looked
-on this burst of youthful feeling with a cool but kind regard made the
-following reply:
-
-"Life is an obligation which friends often owe each other in the
-wilderness. I dare say I may have served Uncas some such turn myself
-before now; and I very well remember that he has stood between me
-and death five different times; three times from the Mingoes, once in
-crossing Horican, and--"
-
-"That bullet was better aimed than common!" exclaimed Duncan,
-involuntarily shrinking from a shot which struck the rock at his side
-with a smart rebound.
-
-Hawkeye laid his hand on the shapeless metal, and shook his head, as he
-examined it, saying, "Falling lead is never flattened, had it come from
-the clouds this might have happened."
-
-But the rifle of Uncas was deliberately raised toward the heavens,
-directing the eyes of his companions to a point, where the mystery was
-immediately explained. A ragged oak grew on the right bank of the river,
-nearly opposite to their position, which, seeking the freedom of the
-open space, had inclined so far forward that its upper branches overhung
-that arm of the stream which flowed nearest to its own shore. Among the
-topmost leaves, which scantily concealed the gnarled and stunted limbs,
-a savage was nestled, partly concealed by the trunk of the tree, and
-partly exposed, as though looking down upon them to ascertain the effect
-produced by his treacherous aim.
-
-"These devils will scale heaven to circumvent us to our ruin," said
-Hawkeye; "keep him in play, boy, until I can bring 'killdeer' to bear,
-when we will try his metal on each side of the tree at once."
-
-Uncas delayed his fire until the scout uttered the word.
-
-The rifles flashed, the leaves and bark of the oak flew into the air,
-and were scattered by the wind, but the Indian answered their assault by
-a taunting laugh, sending down upon them another bullet in return, that
-struck the cap of Hawkeye from his head. Once more the savage yells
-burst out of the woods, and the leaden hail whistled above the heads of
-the besieged, as if to confine them to a place where they might become
-easy victims to the enterprise of the warrior who had mounted the tree.
-
-"This must be looked to," said the scout, glancing about him with
-an anxious eye. "Uncas, call up your father; we have need of all our
-we'pons to bring the cunning varmint from his roost."
-
-The signal was instantly given; and, before Hawkeye had reloaded his
-rifle, they were joined by Chingachgook. When his son pointed out to the
-experienced warrior the situation of their dangerous enemy, the
-usual exclamatory "hugh" burst from his lips; after which, no further
-expression of surprise or alarm was suffered to escape him. Hawkeye and
-the Mohicans conversed earnestly together in Delaware for a few moments,
-when each quietly took his post, in order to execute the plan they had
-speedily devised.
-
-The warrior in the oak had maintained a quick, though ineffectual fire,
-from the moment of his discovery. But his aim was interrupted by the
-vigilance of his enemies, whose rifles instantaneously bore on any
-part of his person that was left exposed. Still his bullets fell in the
-center of the crouching party. The clothes of Heyward, which rendered
-him peculiarly conspicuous, were repeatedly cut, and once blood was
-drawn from a slight wound in his arm.
-
-At length, emboldened by the long and patient watchfulness of his
-enemies, the Huron attempted a better and more fatal aim. The quick eyes
-of the Mohicans caught the dark line of his lower limbs incautiously
-exposed through the thin foliage, a few inches from the trunk of the
-tree. Their rifles made a common report, when, sinking on his wounded
-limb, part of the body of the savage came into view. Swift as thought,
-Hawkeye seized the advantage, and discharged his fatal weapon into the
-top of the oak. The leaves were unusually agitated; the dangerous rifle
-fell from its commanding elevation, and after a few moments of vain
-struggling, the form of the savage was seen swinging in the wind,
-while he still grasped a ragged and naked branch of the tree with hands
-clenched in desperation.
-
-"Give him, in pity, give him the contents of another rifle," cried
-Duncan, turning away his eyes in horror from the spectacle of a fellow
-creature in such awful jeopardy.
-
-"Not a karnel!" exclaimed the obdurate Hawkeye; "his death is certain,
-and we have no powder to spare, for Indian fights sometimes last for
-days; 'tis their scalps or ours! and God, who made us, has put into our
-natures the craving to keep the skin on the head."
-
-Against this stern and unyielding morality, supported as it was by such
-visible policy, there was no appeal. From that moment the yells in the
-forest once more ceased, the fire was suffered to decline, and all
-eyes, those of friends as well as enemies, became fixed on the hopeless
-condition of the wretch who was dangling between heaven and earth.
-The body yielded to the currents of air, and though no murmur or groan
-escaped the victim, there were instants when he grimly faced his foes,
-and the anguish of cold despair might be traced, through the intervening
-distance, in possession of his swarthy lineaments. Three several times
-the scout raised his piece in mercy, and as often, prudence getting the
-better of his intention, it was again silently lowered. At length one
-hand of the Huron lost its hold, and dropped exhausted to his side. A
-desperate and fruitless struggle to recover the branch succeeded, and
-then the savage was seen for a fleeting instant, grasping wildly at
-the empty air. The lightning is not quicker than was the flame from the
-rifle of Hawkeye; the limbs of the victim trembled and contracted, the
-head fell to the bosom, and the body parted the foaming waters like
-lead, when the element closed above it, in its ceaseless velocity, and
-every vestige of the unhappy Huron was lost forever.
-
-No shout of triumph succeeded this important advantage, but even the
-Mohicans gazed at each other in silent horror. A single yell burst
-from the woods, and all was again still. Hawkeye, who alone appeared to
-reason on the occasion, shook his head at his own momentary weakness,
-even uttering his self-disapprobation aloud.
-
-"'Twas the last charge in my horn and the last bullet in my pouch, and
-'twas the act of a boy!" he said; "what mattered it whether he struck
-the rock living or dead! feeling would soon be over. Uncas, lad, go down
-to the canoe, and bring up the big horn; it is all the powder we have
-left, and we shall need it to the last grain, or I am ignorant of the
-Mingo nature."
-
-The young Mohican complied, leaving the scout turning over the
-useless contents of his pouch, and shaking the empty horn with renewed
-discontent. From this unsatisfactory examination, however, he was soon
-called by a loud and piercing exclamation from Uncas, that sounded,
-even to the unpracticed ears of Duncan, as the signal of some new and
-unexpected calamity. Every thought filled with apprehension for the
-previous treasure he had concealed in the cavern, the young man started
-to his feet, totally regardless of the hazard he incurred by such an
-exposure. As if actuated by a common impulse, his movement was imitated
-by his companions, and, together they rushed down the pass to the
-friendly chasm, with a rapidity that rendered the scattering fire of
-their enemies perfectly harmless. The unwonted cry had brought the
-sisters, together with the wounded David, from their place of refuge;
-and the whole party, at a single glance, was made acquainted with the
-nature of the disaster that had disturbed even the practiced stoicism of
-their youthful Indian protector.
-
-At a short distance from the rock, their little bark was to be seen
-floating across the eddy, toward the swift current of the river, in a
-manner which proved that its course was directed by some hidden agent.
-The instant this unwelcome sight caught the eye of the scout, his rifle
-was leveled as by instinct, but the barrel gave no answer to the bright
-sparks of the flint.
-
-"'Tis too late, 'tis too late!" Hawkeye exclaimed, dropping the useless
-piece in bitter disappointment; "the miscreant has struck the rapid; and
-had we powder, it could hardly send the lead swifter than he now goes!"
-
-The adventurous Huron raised his head above the shelter of the canoe,
-and, while it glided swiftly down the stream, he waved his hand, and
-gave forth the shout, which was the known signal of success. His cry was
-answered by a yell and a laugh from the woods, as tauntingly exulting
-as if fifty demons were uttering their blasphemies at the fall of some
-Christian soul.
-
-"Well may you laugh, ye children of the devil!" said the scout, seating
-himself on a projection of the rock, and suffering his gun to fall
-neglected at his feet, "for the three quickest and truest rifles in
-these woods are no better than so many stalks of mullein, or the last
-year's horns of a buck!"
-
-"What is to be done?" demanded Duncan, losing the first feeling of
-disappointment in a more manly desire for exertion; "what will become of
-us?"
-
-Hawkeye made no other reply than by passing his finger around the crown
-of his head, in a manner so significant, that none who witnessed the
-action could mistake its meaning.
-
-"Surely, surely, our case is not so desperate!" exclaimed the youth;
-"the Hurons are not here; we may make good the caverns, we may oppose
-their landing."
-
-"With what?" coolly demanded the scout. "The arrows of Uncas, or such
-tears as women shed! No, no; you are young, and rich, and have friends,
-and at such an age I know it is hard to die! But," glancing his eyes at
-the Mohicans, "let us remember we are men without a cross, and let us
-teach these natives of the forest that white blood can run as freely as
-red, when the appointed hour is come."
-
-Duncan turned quickly in the direction indicated by the other's eyes,
-and read a confirmation of his worst apprehensions in the conduct of the
-Indians. Chingachgook, placing himself in a dignified posture on another
-fragment of the rock, had already laid aside his knife and tomahawk, and
-was in the act of taking the eagle's plume from his head, and smoothing
-the solitary tuft of hair in readiness to perform its last and revolting
-office. His countenance was composed, though thoughtful, while his dark,
-gleaming eyes were gradually losing the fierceness of the combat in
-an expression better suited to the change he expected momentarily to
-undergo.
-
-"Our case is not, cannot be so hopeless!" said Duncan; "even at this
-very moment succor may be at hand. I see no enemies! They have sickened
-of a struggle in which they risk so much with so little prospect of
-gain!"
-
-"It may be a minute, or it may be an hour, afore the wily sarpents steal
-upon us, and it is quite in natur' for them to be lying within hearing
-at this very moment," said Hawkeye; "but come they will, and in such
-a fashion as will leave us nothing to hope! Chingachgook"--he spoke in
-Delaware--"my brother, we have fought our last battle together, and the
-Maquas will triumph in the death of the sage man of the Mohicans, and of
-the pale face, whose eyes can make night as day, and level the clouds to
-the mists of the springs!"
-
-"Let the Mingo women go weep over the slain!" returned the Indian,
-with characteristic pride and unmoved firmness; "the Great Snake of the
-Mohicans has coiled himself in their wigwams, and has poisoned their
-triumph with the wailings of children, whose fathers have not returned!
-Eleven warriors lie hid from the graves of their tribes since the snows
-have melted, and none will tell where to find them when the tongue of
-Chingachgook shall be silent! Let them draw the sharpest knife, and
-whirl the swiftest tomahawk, for their bitterest enemy is in their
-hands. Uncas, topmost branch of a noble trunk, call on the cowards to
-hasten, or their hearts will soften, and they will change to women!"
-
-"They look among the fishes for their dead!" returned the low, soft
-voice of the youthful chieftain; "the Hurons float with the slimy eels!
-They drop from the oaks like fruit that is ready to be eaten! and the
-Delawares laugh!"
-
-"Ay, ay," muttered the scout, who had listened to this peculiar burst
-of the natives with deep attention; "they have warmed their Indian
-feelings, and they'll soon provoke the Maquas to give them a speedy end.
-As for me, who am of the whole blood of the whites, it is befitting that
-I should die as becomes my color, with no words of scoffing in my mouth,
-and without bitterness at the heart!"
-
-"Why die at all!" said Cora, advancing from the place where natural
-horror had, until this moment, held her riveted to the rock; "the path
-is open on every side; fly, then, to the woods, and call on God for
-succor. Go, brave men, we owe you too much already; let us no longer
-involve you in our hapless fortunes!"
-
-"You but little know the craft of the Iroquois, lady, if you judge they
-have left the path open to the woods!" returned Hawkeye, who, however,
-immediately added in his simplicity, "the down stream current, it is
-certain, might soon sweep us beyond the reach of their rifles or the
-sound of their voices."
-
-"Then try the river. Why linger to add to the number of the victims of
-our merciless enemies?"
-
-"Why," repeated the scout, looking about him proudly; "because it is
-better for a man to die at peace with himself than to live haunted by an
-evil conscience! What answer could we give Munro, when he asked us where
-and how we left his children?"
-
-"Go to him, and say that you left them with a message to hasten to
-their aid," returned Cora, advancing nigher to the scout in her generous
-ardor; "that the Hurons bear them into the northern wilds, but that
-by vigilance and speed they may yet be rescued; and if, after all, it
-should please heaven that his assistance come too late, bear to him,"
-she continued, her voice gradually lowering, until it seemed nearly
-choked, "the love, the blessings, the final prayers of his daughters,
-and bid him not mourn their early fate, but to look forward with humble
-confidence to the Christian's goal to meet his children." The hard,
-weather-beaten features of the scout began to work, and when she had
-ended, he dropped his chin to his hand, like a man musing profoundly on
-the nature of the proposal.
-
-"There is reason in her words!" at length broke from his compressed
-and trembling lips; "ay, and they bear the spirit of Christianity; what
-might be right and proper in a red-skin, may be sinful in a man who
-has not even a cross in blood to plead for his ignorance. Chingachgook!
-Uncas! hear you the talk of the dark-eyed woman?"
-
-He now spoke in Delaware to his companions, and his address, though calm
-and deliberate, seemed very decided. The elder Mohican heard with deep
-gravity, and appeared to ponder on his words, as though he felt the
-importance of their import. After a moment of hesitation, he waved his
-hand in assent, and uttered the English word "Good!" with the peculiar
-emphasis of his people. Then, replacing his knife and tomahawk in his
-girdle, the warrior moved silently to the edge of the rock which was
-most concealed from the banks of the river. Here he paused a moment,
-pointed significantly to the woods below, and saying a few words in his
-own language, as if indicating his intended route, he dropped into the
-water, and sank from before the eyes of the witnesses of his movements.
-
-The scout delayed his departure to speak to the generous girl, whose
-breathing became lighter as she saw the success of her remonstrance.
-
-"Wisdom is sometimes given to the young, as well as to the old," he
-said; "and what you have spoken is wise, not to call it by a better
-word. If you are led into the woods, that is such of you as may be
-spared for awhile, break the twigs on the bushes as you pass, and make
-the marks of your trail as broad as you can, when, if mortal eyes can
-see them, depend on having a friend who will follow to the ends of the
-'arth afore he desarts you."
-
-He gave Cora an affectionate shake of the hand, lifted his rifle,
-and after regarding it a moment with melancholy solicitude, laid it
-carefully aside, and descended to the place where Chingachgook had just
-disappeared. For an instant he hung suspended by the rock, and looking
-about him, with a countenance of peculiar care, he added bitterly, "Had
-the powder held out, this disgrace could never have befallen!" then,
-loosening his hold, the water closed above his head, and he also became
-lost to view.
-
-All eyes now were turned on Uncas, who stood leaning against the ragged
-rock, in immovable composure. After waiting a short time, Cora pointed
-down the river, and said:
-
-"Your friends have not been seen, and are now, most probably, in safety.
-Is it not time for you to follow?"
-
-"Uncas will stay," the young Mohican calmly answered in English.
-
-"To increase the horror of our capture, and to diminish the chances of
-our release! Go, generous young man," Cora continued, lowering her
-eyes under the gaze of the Mohican, and perhaps, with an intuitive
-consciousness of her power; "go to my father, as I have said, and be the
-most confidential of my messengers. Tell him to trust you with the means
-to buy the freedom of his daughters. Go! 'tis my wish, 'tis my prayer,
-that you will go!"
-
-The settled, calm look of the young chief changed to an expression of
-gloom, but he no longer hesitated. With a noiseless step he crossed the
-rock, and dropped into the troubled stream. Hardly a breath was drawn by
-those he left behind, until they caught a glimpse of his head emerging
-for air, far down the current, when he again sank, and was seen no more.
-
-These sudden and apparently successful experiments had all taken place
-in a few minutes of that time which had now become so precious. After
-a last look at Uncas, Cora turned and with a quivering lip, addressed
-herself to Heyward:
-
-"I have heard of your boasted skill in the water, too, Duncan," she
-said; "follow, then, the wise example set you by these simple and
-faithful beings."
-
-"Is such the faith that Cora Munro would exact from her protector?" said
-the young man, smiling mournfully, but with bitterness.
-
-"This is not a time for idle subtleties and false opinions," she
-answered; "but a moment when every duty should be equally considered. To
-us you can be of no further service here, but your precious life may be
-saved for other and nearer friends."
-
-He made no reply, though his eye fell wistfully on the beautiful form of
-Alice, who was clinging to his arm with the dependency of an infant.
-
-"Consider," continued Cora, after a pause, during which she seemed
-to struggle with a pang even more acute than any that her fears had
-excited, "that the worst to us can be but death; a tribute that all must
-pay at the good time of God's appointment."
-
-"There are evils worse than death," said Duncan, speaking hoarsely, and
-as if fretful at her importunity, "but which the presence of one who
-would die in your behalf may avert."
-
-Cora ceased her entreaties; and veiling her face in her shawl, drew the
-nearly insensible Alice after her into the deepest recess of the inner
-cavern.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 9
-
-     "Be gay securely;
-     Dispel, my fair, with smiles, the tim'rous clouds,
-     That hang on thy clear brow."--Death of Agrippina
-
-The sudden and almost magical change, from the stirring incidents of the
-combat to the stillness that now reigned around him, acted on the heated
-imagination of Heyward like some exciting dream. While all the images
-and events he had witnessed remained deeply impressed on his memory, he
-felt a difficulty in persuading him of their truth. Still ignorant of
-the fate of those who had trusted to the aid of the swift current, he
-at first listened intently to any signal or sounds of alarm, which might
-announce the good or evil fortune of their hazardous undertaking. His
-attention was, however, bestowed in vain; for with the disappearance of
-Uncas, every sign of the adventurers had been lost, leaving him in total
-uncertainty of their fate.
-
-In a moment of such painful doubt, Duncan did not hesitate to look
-around him, without consulting that protection from the rocks which just
-before had been so necessary to his safety. Every effort, however, to
-detect the least evidence of the approach of their hidden enemies was as
-fruitless as the inquiry after his late companions. The wooded banks of
-the river seemed again deserted by everything possessing animal life.
-The uproar which had so lately echoed through the vaults of the forest
-was gone, leaving the rush of the waters to swell and sink on the
-currents of the air, in the unmingled sweetness of nature. A fish-hawk,
-which, secure on the topmost branches of a dead pine, had been a distant
-spectator of the fray, now swooped from his high and ragged perch, and
-soared, in wide sweeps, above his prey; while a jay, whose noisy voice
-had been stilled by the hoarser cries of the savages, ventured again
-to open his discordant throat, as though once more in undisturbed
-possession of his wild domains. Duncan caught from these natural
-accompaniments of the solitary scene a glimmering of hope; and he began
-to rally his faculties to renewed exertions, with something like a
-reviving confidence of success.
-
-"The Hurons are not to be seen," he said, addressing David, who had
-by no means recovered from the effects of the stunning blow he had
-received; "let us conceal ourselves in the cavern, and trust the rest to
-Providence."
-
-"I remember to have united with two comely maidens, in lifting up
-our voices in praise and thanksgiving," returned the bewildered
-singing-master; "since which time I have been visited by a heavy
-judgment for my sins. I have been mocked with the likeness of sleep,
-while sounds of discord have rent my ears, such as might manifest the
-fullness of time, and that nature had forgotten her harmony."
-
-"Poor fellow! thine own period was, in truth, near its accomplishment!
-But arouse, and come with me; I will lead you where all other sounds but
-those of your own psalmody shall be excluded."
-
-"There is melody in the fall of the cataract, and the rushing of many
-waters is sweet to the senses!" said David, pressing his hand confusedly
-on his brow. "Is not the air yet filled with shrieks and cries, as
-though the departed spirits of the damned--"
-
-"Not now, not now," interrupted the impatient Heyward, "they have
-ceased, and they who raised them, I trust in God, they are gone, too!
-everything but the water is still and at peace; in, then, where you may
-create those sounds you love so well to hear."
-
-David smiled sadly, though not without a momentary gleam of pleasure, at
-this allusion to his beloved vocation. He no longer hesitated to be led
-to a spot which promised such unalloyed gratification to his wearied
-senses; and leaning on the arm of his companion, he entered the narrow
-mouth of the cave. Duncan seized a pile of the sassafras, which he
-drew before the passage, studiously concealing every appearance of an
-aperture. Within this fragile barrier he arranged the blankets abandoned
-by the foresters, darkening the inner extremity of the cavern, while its
-outer received a chastened light from the narrow ravine, through which
-one arm of the river rushed to form the junction with its sister branch
-a few rods below.
-
-"I like not the principle of the natives, which teaches them to submit
-without a struggle, in emergencies that appear desperate," he said,
-while busied in this employment; "our own maxim, which says, 'while
-life remains there is hope', is more consoling, and better suited to
-a soldier's temperament. To you, Cora, I will urge no words of idle
-encouragement; your own fortitude and undisturbed reason will teach
-you all that may become your sex; but cannot we dry the tears of that
-trembling weeper on your bosom?"
-
-"I am calmer, Duncan," said Alice, raising herself from the arms of her
-sister, and forcing an appearance of composure through her tears; "much
-calmer, now. Surely, in this hidden spot we are safe, we are secret,
-free from injury; we will hope everything from those generous men who
-have risked so much already in our behalf."
-
-"Now does our gentle Alice speak like a daughter of Munro!" said
-Heyward, pausing to press her hand as he passed toward the outer
-entrance of the cavern. "With two such examples of courage before him, a
-man would be ashamed to prove other than a hero." He then seated himself
-in the center of the cavern, grasping his remaining pistol with a hand
-convulsively clenched, while his contracted and frowning eye announced
-the sullen desperation of his purpose. "The Hurons, if they come, may
-not gain our position so easily as they think," he slowly muttered; and
-propping his head back against the rock, he seemed to await the result
-in patience, though his gaze was unceasingly bent on the open avenue to
-their place of retreat.
-
-With the last sound of his voice, a deep, a long, and almost breathless
-silence succeeded. The fresh air of the morning had penetrated the
-recess, and its influence was gradually felt on the spirits of its
-inmates. As minute after minute passed by, leaving them in undisturbed
-security, the insinuating feeling of hope was gradually gaining
-possession of every bosom, though each one felt reluctant to give
-utterance to expectations that the next moment might so fearfully
-destroy.
-
-David alone formed an exception to these varying emotions. A gleam of
-light from the opening crossed his wan countenance, and fell upon
-the pages of the little volume, whose leaves he was again occupied in
-turning, as if searching for some song more fitted to their condition
-than any that had yet met their eye. He was, most probably, acting all
-this time under a confused recollection of the promised consolation of
-Duncan. At length, it would seem, his patient industry found its reward;
-for, without explanation or apology, he pronounced aloud the words "Isle
-of Wight," drew a long, sweet sound from his pitch-pipe, and then ran
-through the preliminary modulations of the air whose name he had just
-mentioned, with the sweeter tones of his own musical voice.
-
-"May not this prove dangerous?" asked Cora, glancing her dark eye at
-Major Heyward.
-
-"Poor fellow! his voice is too feeble to be heard above the din of the
-falls," was the answer; "beside, the cavern will prove his friend. Let
-him indulge his passions since it may be done without hazard."
-
-"Isle of Wight!" repeated David, looking about him with that dignity
-with which he had long been wont to silence the whispering echoes of his
-school; "'tis a brave tune, and set to solemn words! let it be sung with
-meet respect!"
-
-After allowing a moment of stillness to enforce his discipline, the
-voice of the singer was heard, in low, murmuring syllables, gradually
-stealing on the ear, until it filled the narrow vault with sounds
-rendered trebly thrilling by the feeble and tremulous utterance produced
-by his debility. The melody, which no weakness could destroy, gradually
-wrought its sweet influence on the senses of those who heard it. It even
-prevailed over the miserable travesty of the song of David which the
-singer had selected from a volume of similar effusions, and caused the
-sense to be forgotten in the insinuating harmony of the sounds. Alice
-unconsciously dried her tears, and bent her melting eyes on the pallid
-features of Gamut, with an expression of chastened delight that she
-neither affected or wished to conceal. Cora bestowed an approving smile
-on the pious efforts of the namesake of the Jewish prince, and Heyward
-soon turned his steady, stern look from the outlet of the cavern, to
-fasten it, with a milder character, on the face of David, or to meet the
-wandering beams which at moments strayed from the humid eyes of Alice.
-The open sympathy of the listeners stirred the spirit of the votary of
-music, whose voice regained its richness and volume, without losing that
-touching softness which proved its secret charm. Exerting his renovated
-powers to their utmost, he was yet filling the arches of the cave
-with long and full tones, when a yell burst into the air without, that
-instantly stilled his pious strains, choking his voice suddenly, as
-though his heart had literally bounded into the passage of his throat.
-
-"We are lost!" exclaimed Alice, throwing herself into the arms of Cora.
-
-"Not yet, not yet," returned the agitated but undaunted Heyward: "the
-sound came from the center of the island, and it has been produced by
-the sight of their dead companions. We are not yet discovered, and there
-is still hope."
-
-Faint and almost despairing as was the prospect of escape, the words of
-Duncan were not thrown away, for it awakened the powers of the sisters
-in such a manner that they awaited the results in silence. A second yell
-soon followed the first, when a rush of voices was heard pouring down
-the island, from its upper to its lower extremity, until they reached
-the naked rock above the caverns, where, after a shout of savage
-triumph, the air continued full of horrible cries and screams, such
-as man alone can utter, and he only when in a state of the fiercest
-barbarity.
-
-The sounds quickly spread around them in every direction. Some called to
-their fellows from the water's edge, and were answered from the heights
-above. Cries were heard in the startling vicinity of the chasm between
-the two caves, which mingled with hoarser yells that arose out of the
-abyss of the deep ravine. In short, so rapidly had the savage sounds
-diffused themselves over the barren rock, that it was not difficult
-for the anxious listeners to imagine they could be heard beneath, as in
-truth they were above on every side of them.
-
-In the midst of this tumult, a triumphant yell was raised within a few
-yards of the hidden entrance to the cave. Heyward abandoned every hope,
-with the belief it was the signal that they were discovered. Again the
-impression passed away, as he heard the voices collect near the spot
-where the white man had so reluctantly abandoned his rifle. Amid the
-jargon of Indian dialects that he now plainly heard, it was easy to
-distinguish not only words, but sentences, in the patois of the Canadas.
-A burst of voices had shouted simultaneously, "La Longue Carabine!"
-causing the opposite woods to re-echo with a name which, Heyward well
-remembered, had been given by his enemies to a celebrated hunter and
-scout of the English camp, and who, he now learned for the first time,
-had been his late companion.
-
-"La Longue Carabine! La Longue Carabine!" passed from mouth to mouth,
-until the whole band appeared to be collected around a trophy which
-would seem to announce the death of its formidable owner. After a
-vociferous consultation, which was, at times, deafened by bursts of
-savage joy, they again separated, filling the air with the name of a
-foe, whose body, Heywood could collect from their expressions, they
-hoped to find concealed in some crevice of the island.
-
-"Now," he whispered to the trembling sisters, "now is the moment of
-uncertainty! if our place of retreat escape this scrutiny, we are
-still safe! In every event, we are assured, by what has fallen from our
-enemies, that our friends have escaped, and in two short hours we may
-look for succor from Webb."
-
-There were now a few minutes of fearful stillness, during which Heyward
-well knew that the savages conducted their search with greater vigilance
-and method. More than once he could distinguish their footsteps, as
-they brushed the sassafras, causing the faded leaves to rustle, and the
-branches to snap. At length, the pile yielded a little, a corner of a
-blanket fell, and a faint ray of light gleamed into the inner part of
-the cave. Cora folded Alice to her bosom in agony, and Duncan sprang
-to his feet. A shout was at that moment heard, as if issuing from the
-center of the rock, announcing that the neighboring cavern had at
-length been entered. In a minute, the number and loudness of the voices
-indicated that the whole party was collected in and around that secret
-place.
-
-As the inner passages to the two caves were so close to each other,
-Duncan, believing that escape was no longer possible, passed David and
-the sisters, to place himself between the latter and the first onset of
-the terrible meeting. Grown desperate by his situation, he drew nigh
-the slight barrier which separated him only by a few feet from his
-relentless pursuers, and placing his face to the casual opening, he even
-looked out with a sort of desperate indifference, on their movements.
-
-Within reach of his arm was the brawny shoulder of a gigantic Indian,
-whose deep and authoritative voice appeared to give directions to the
-proceedings of his fellows. Beyond him again, Duncan could look into the
-vault opposite, which was filled with savages, upturning and rifling the
-humble furniture of the scout. The wound of David had dyed the leaves
-of sassafras with a color that the native well knew as anticipating the
-season. Over this sign of their success, they sent up a howl, like an
-opening from so many hounds who had recovered a lost trail. After this
-yell of victory, they tore up the fragrant bed of the cavern, and bore
-the branches into the chasm, scattering the boughs, as if they suspected
-them of concealing the person of the man they had so long hated and
-feared. One fierce and wild-looking warrior approached the chief,
-bearing a load of the brush, and pointing exultingly to the deep red
-stains with which it was sprinkled, uttered his joy in Indian yells,
-whose meaning Heyward was only enabled to comprehend by the frequent
-repetition of the name "La Longue Carabine!" When his triumph had
-ceased, he cast the brush on the slight heap Duncan had made before
-the entrance of the second cavern, and closed the view. His example was
-followed by others, who, as they drew the branches from the cave of the
-scout, threw them into one pile, adding, unconsciously, to the security
-of those they sought. The very slightness of the defense was its chief
-merit, for no one thought of disturbing a mass of brush, which all
-of them believed, in that moment of hurry and confusion, had been
-accidentally raised by the hands of their own party.
-
-As the blankets yielded before the outward pressure, and the branches
-settled in the fissure of the rock by their own weight, forming a
-compact body, Duncan once more breathed freely. With a light step and
-lighter heart, he returned to the center of the cave, and took the
-place he had left, where he could command a view of the opening next the
-river. While he was in the act of making this movement, the Indians, as
-if changing their purpose by a common impulse, broke away from the chasm
-in a body, and were heard rushing up the island again, toward the point
-whence they had originally descended. Here another wailing cry betrayed
-that they were again collected around the bodies of their dead comrades.
-
-Duncan now ventured to look at his companions; for, during the most
-critical moments of their danger, he had been apprehensive that the
-anxiety of his countenance might communicate some additional alarm to
-those who were so little able to sustain it.
-
-"They are gone, Cora!" he whispered; "Alice, they are returned whence
-they came, and we are saved! To Heaven, that has alone delivered us from
-the grasp of so merciless an enemy, be all the praise!"
-
-"Then to Heaven will I return my thanks!" exclaimed the younger sister,
-rising from the encircling arm of Cora, and casting herself with
-enthusiastic gratitude on the naked rock; "to that Heaven who has spared
-the tears of a gray-headed father; has saved the lives of those I so
-much love."
-
-Both Heyward and the more temperate Cora witnessed the act of
-involuntary emotion with powerful sympathy, the former secretly
-believing that piety had never worn a form so lovely as it had now
-assumed in the youthful person of Alice. Her eyes were radiant with the
-glow of grateful feelings; the flush of her beauty was again seated on
-her cheeks, and her whole soul seemed ready and anxious to pour out its
-thanksgivings through the medium of her eloquent features. But when her
-lips moved, the words they should have uttered appeared frozen by some
-new and sudden chill. Her bloom gave place to the paleness of death;
-her soft and melting eyes grew hard, and seemed contracting with horror;
-while those hands, which she had raised, clasped in each other, toward
-heaven, dropped in horizontal lines before her, the fingers pointed
-forward in convulsed motion. Heyward turned the instant she gave a
-direction to his suspicions, and peering just above the ledge which
-formed the threshold of the open outlet of the cavern, he beheld the
-malignant, fierce and savage features of Le Renard Subtil.
-
-In that moment of surprise, the self-possession of Heyward did not
-desert him. He observed by the vacant expression of the Indian's
-countenance, that his eye, accustomed to the open air had not yet
-been able to penetrate the dusky light which pervaded the depth of the
-cavern. He had even thought of retreating beyond a curvature in the
-natural wall, which might still conceal him and his companions, when by
-the sudden gleam of intelligence that shot across the features of the
-savage, he saw it was too late, and that they were betrayed.
-
-The look of exultation and brutal triumph which announced this terrible
-truth was irresistibly irritating. Forgetful of everything but the
-impulses of his hot blood, Duncan leveled his pistol and fired. The
-report of the weapon made the cavern bellow like an eruption from a
-volcano; and when the smoke it vomited had been driven away before the
-current of air which issued from the ravine the place so lately occupied
-by the features of his treacherous guide was vacant. Rushing to the
-outlet, Heyward caught a glimpse of his dark figure stealing around a
-low and narrow ledge, which soon hid him entirely from sight.
-
-Among the savages a frightful stillness succeeded the explosion, which
-had just been heard bursting from the bowels of the rock. But when
-Le Renard raised his voice in a long and intelligible whoop, it was
-answered by a spontaneous yell from the mouth of every Indian within
-hearing of the sound.
-
-The clamorous noises again rushed down the island; and before Duncan
-had time to recover from the shock, his feeble barrier of brush was
-scattered to the winds, the cavern was entered at both its extremities,
-and he and his companions were dragged from their shelter and borne into
-the day, where they stood surrounded by the whole band of the triumphant
-Hurons.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 10
-
-     "I fear we shall outsleep the coming morn
-     As much as we this night have overwatched!"
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-The instant the shock of this sudden misfortune had abated, Duncan began
-to make his observations on the appearance and proceedings of their
-captors. Contrary to the usages of the natives in the wantonness of
-their success they had respected, not only the persons of the trembling
-sisters, but his own. The rich ornaments of his military attire had
-indeed been repeatedly handled by different individuals of the tribes
-with eyes expressing a savage longing to possess the baubles; but
-before the customary violence could be resorted to, a mandate in the
-authoritative voice of the large warrior, already mentioned, stayed the
-uplifted hand, and convinced Heyward that they were to be reserved for
-some object of particular moment.
-
-While, however, these manifestations of weakness were exhibited by the
-young and vain of the party, the more experienced warriors continued
-their search throughout both caverns, with an activity that denoted they
-were far from being satisfied with those fruits of their conquest which
-had already been brought to light. Unable to discover any new victim,
-these diligent workers of vengeance soon approached their male
-prisoners, pronouncing the name "La Longue Carabine," with a fierceness
-that could not be easily mistaken. Duncan affected not to comprehend
-the meaning of their repeated and violent interrogatories, while his
-companion was spared the effort of a similar deception by his ignorance
-of French. Wearied at length by their importunities, and apprehensive
-of irritating his captors by too stubborn a silence, the former
-looked about him in quest of Magua, who might interpret his answers
-to questions which were at each moment becoming more earnest and
-threatening.
-
-The conduct of this savage had formed a solitary exception to that of
-all his fellows. While the others were busily occupied in seeking
-to gratify their childish passion for finery, by plundering even
-the miserable effects of the scout, or had been searching with such
-bloodthirsty vengeance in their looks for their absent owner, Le Renard
-had stood at a little distance from the prisoners, with a demeanor so
-quiet and satisfied, as to betray that he had already effected the grand
-purpose of his treachery. When the eyes of Heyward first met those of
-his recent guide, he turned them away in horror at the sinister though
-calm look he encountered. Conquering his disgust, however, he was able,
-with an averted face, to address his successful enemy.
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is too much of a warrior," said the reluctant Heyward,
-"to refuse telling an unarmed man what his conquerors say."
-
-"They ask for the hunter who knows the paths through the woods,"
-returned Magua, in his broken English, laying his hand, at the same
-time, with a ferocious smile, on the bundle of leaves with which a wound
-on his own shoulder was bandaged. "'La Longue Carabine'! His rifle
-is good, and his eye never shut; but, like the short gun of the white
-chief, it is nothing against the life of Le Subtil."
-
-"Le Renard is too brave to remember the hurts received in war, or the
-hands that gave them."
-
-"Was it war, when the tired Indian rested at the sugartree to taste his
-corn! who filled the bushes with creeping enemies! who drew the knife,
-whose tongue was peace, while his heart was colored with blood! Did
-Magua say that the hatchet was out of the ground, and that his hand had
-dug it up?"
-
-As Duncan dared not retort upon his accuser by reminding him of his own
-premeditated treachery, and disdained to deprecate his resentment by any
-words of apology, he remained silent. Magua seemed also content to
-rest the controversy as well as all further communication there, for he
-resumed the leaning attitude against the rock from which, in momentary
-energy, he had arisen. But the cry of "La Longue Carabine" was renewed
-the instant the impatient savages perceived that the short dialogue was
-ended.
-
-"You hear," said Magua, with stubborn indifference: "the red Hurons call
-for the life of 'The Long Rifle', or they will have the blood of him
-that keep him hid!"
-
-"He is gone--escaped; he is far beyond their reach."
-
-Renard smiled with cold contempt, as he answered:
-
-"When the white man dies, he thinks he is at peace; but the red men know
-how to torture even the ghosts of their enemies. Where is his body? Let
-the Hurons see his scalp."
-
-"He is not dead, but escaped."
-
-Magua shook his head incredulously.
-
-"Is he a bird, to spread his wings; or is he a fish, to swim without
-air! The white chief read in his books, and he believes the Hurons are
-fools!"
-
-"Though no fish, 'The Long Rifle' can swim. He floated down the stream
-when the powder was all burned, and when the eyes of the Hurons were
-behind a cloud."
-
-"And why did the white chief stay?" demanded the still incredulous
-Indian. "Is he a stone that goes to the bottom, or does the scalp burn
-his head?"
-
-"That I am not stone, your dead comrade, who fell into the falls, might
-answer, were the life still in him," said the provoked young man, using,
-in his anger, that boastful language which was most likely to excite the
-admiration of an Indian. "The white man thinks none but cowards desert
-their women."
-
-Magua muttered a few words, inaudibly, between his teeth, before he
-continued, aloud:
-
-"Can the Delawares swim, too, as well as crawl in the bushes? Where is
-'Le Gros Serpent'?"
-
-Duncan, who perceived by the use of these Canadian appellations, that
-his late companions were much better known to his enemies than to
-himself, answered, reluctantly: "He also is gone down with the water."
-
-"'Le Cerf Agile' is not here?"
-
-"I know not whom you call 'The Nimble Deer'," said Duncan gladly
-profiting by any excuse to create delay.
-
-"Uncas," returned Magua, pronouncing the Delaware name with even greater
-difficulty than he spoke his English words. "'Bounding Elk' is what the
-white man says, when he calls to the young Mohican."
-
-"Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Renard," said Duncan,
-hoping to provoke a discussion. "Daim is the French for deer, and cerf
-for stag; elan is the true term, when one would speak of an elk."
-
-"Yes," muttered the Indian, in his native tongue; "the pale faces are
-prattling women! they have two words for each thing, while a red-skin
-will make the sound of his voice speak to him." Then, changing his
-language, he continued, adhering to the imperfect nomenclature of his
-provincial instructors. "The deer is swift, but weak; the elk is swift,
-but strong; and the son of 'Le Serpent' is 'Le Cerf Agile.' Has he
-leaped the river to the woods?"
-
-"If you mean the younger Delaware, he, too, has gone down with the
-water."
-
-As there was nothing improbable to an Indian in the manner of the
-escape, Magua admitted the truth of what he had heard, with a readiness
-that afforded additional evidence how little he would prize such
-worthless captives. With his companions, however, the feeling was
-manifestly different.
-
-The Hurons had awaited the result of this short dialogue with
-characteristic patience, and with a silence that increased until there
-was a general stillness in the band. When Heyward ceased to speak, they
-turned their eyes, as one man, on Magua, demanding, in this expressive
-manner, an explanation of what had been said. Their interpreter pointed
-to the river, and made them acquainted with the result, as much by
-the action as by the few words he uttered. When the fact was generally
-understood, the savages raised a frightful yell, which declared the
-extent of their disappointment. Some ran furiously to the water's
-edge, beating the air with frantic gestures, while others spat upon the
-element, to resent the supposed treason it had committed against
-their acknowledged rights as conquerors. A few, and they not the least
-powerful and terrific of the band, threw lowering looks, in which the
-fiercest passion was only tempered by habitual self-command, at those
-captives who still remained in their power, while one or two even gave
-vent to their malignant feelings by the most menacing gestures, against
-which neither the sex nor the beauty of the sisters was any protection.
-The young soldier made a desperate but fruitless effort to spring to the
-side of Alice, when he saw the dark hand of a savage twisted in the rich
-tresses which were flowing in volumes over her shoulders, while a knife
-was passed around the head from which they fell, as if to denote the
-horrid manner in which it was about to be robbed of its beautiful
-ornament. But his hands were bound; and at the first movement he made,
-he felt the grasp of the powerful Indian who directed the band, pressing
-his shoulder like a vise. Immediately conscious how unavailing any
-struggle against such an overwhelming force must prove, he submitted
-to his fate, encouraging his gentle companions by a few low and tender
-assurances, that the natives seldom failed to threaten more than they
-performed.
-
-But while Duncan resorted to these words of consolation to quiet the
-apprehensions of the sisters, he was not so weak as to deceive himself.
-He well knew that the authority of an Indian chief was so little
-conventional, that it was oftener maintained by physical superiority
-than by any moral supremacy he might possess. The danger was, therefore,
-magnified exactly in proportion to the number of the savage spirits
-by which they were surrounded. The most positive mandate from him who
-seemed the acknowledged leader, was liable to be violated at each moment
-by any rash hand that might choose to sacrifice a victim to the manes of
-some dead friend or relative. While, therefore, he sustained an outward
-appearance of calmness and fortitude, his heart leaped into his throat,
-whenever any of their fierce captors drew nearer than common to the
-helpless sisters, or fastened one of their sullen, wandering looks on
-those fragile forms which were so little able to resist the slightest
-assault.
-
-His apprehensions were, however, greatly relieved, when he saw that
-the leader had summoned his warriors to himself in counsel. Their
-deliberations were short, and it would seem, by the silence of most of
-the party, the decision unanimous. By the frequency with which the few
-speakers pointed in the direction of the encampment of Webb, it was
-apparent they dreaded the approach of danger from that quarter. This
-consideration probably hastened their determination, and quickened the
-subsequent movements.
-
-During his short conference, Heyward, finding a respite from his gravest
-fears, had leisure to admire the cautious manner in which the Hurons had
-made their approaches, even after hostilities had ceased.
-
-It has already been stated that the upper half of the island was a naked
-rock, and destitute of any other defenses than a few scattered logs of
-driftwood. They had selected this point to make their descent, having
-borne the canoe through the wood around the cataract for that purpose.
-Placing their arms in the little vessel a dozen men clinging to its
-sides had trusted themselves to the direction of the canoe, which was
-controlled by two of the most skillful warriors, in attitudes that
-enabled them to command a view of the dangerous passage. Favored by this
-arrangement, they touched the head of the island at that point which had
-proved so fatal to their first adventurers, but with the advantages of
-superior numbers, and the possession of firearms. That such had been the
-manner of their descent was rendered quite apparent to Duncan; for they
-now bore the light bark from the upper end of the rock, and placed it
-in the water, near the mouth of the outer cavern. As soon as this change
-was made, the leader made signs to the prisoners to descend and enter.
-
-As resistance was impossible, and remonstrance useless, Heyward set the
-example of submission, by leading the way into the canoe, where he
-was soon seated with the sisters and the still wondering David.
-Notwithstanding the Hurons were necessarily ignorant of the little
-channels among the eddies and rapids of the stream, they knew the common
-signs of such a navigation too well to commit any material blunder.
-When the pilot chosen for the task of guiding the canoe had taken his
-station, the whole band plunged again into the river, the vessel glided
-down the current, and in a few moments the captives found themselves on
-the south bank of the stream, nearly opposite to the point where they
-had struck it the preceding evening.
-
-Here was held another short but earnest consultation, during which the
-horses, to whose panic their owners ascribed their heaviest misfortune,
-were led from the cover of the woods, and brought to the sheltered spot.
-The band now divided. The great chief, so often mentioned, mounting the
-charger of Heyward, led the way directly across the river, followed by
-most of his people, and disappeared in the woods, leaving the prisoners
-in charge of six savages, at whose head was Le Renard Subtil. Duncan
-witnessed all their movements with renewed uneasiness.
-
-He had been fond of believing, from the uncommon forbearance of the
-savages, that he was reserved as a prisoner to be delivered to Montcalm.
-As the thoughts of those who are in misery seldom slumber, and the
-invention is never more lively than when it is stimulated by hope,
-however feeble and remote, he had even imagined that the parental
-feelings of Munro were to be made instrumental in seducing him from his
-duty to the king. For though the French commander bore a high character
-for courage and enterprise, he was also thought to be expert in those
-political practises which do not always respect the nicer obligations
-of morality, and which so generally disgraced the European diplomacy of
-that period.
-
-All those busy and ingenious speculations were now annihilated by the
-conduct of his captors. That portion of the band who had followed the
-huge warrior took the route toward the foot of the Horican, and no other
-expectation was left for himself and companions, than that they were to
-be retained as hopeless captives by their savage conquerors. Anxious to
-know the worst, and willing, in such an emergency, to try the potency of
-gold he overcame his reluctance to speak to Magua. Addressing himself
-to his former guide, who had now assumed the authority and manner of one
-who was to direct the future movements of the party, he said, in tones
-as friendly and confiding as he could assume:
-
-"I would speak to Magua, what is fit only for so great a chief to hear."
-
-The Indian turned his eyes on the young soldier scornfully, as he
-answered:
-
-"Speak; trees have no ears."
-
-"But the red Hurons are not deaf; and counsel that is fit for the great
-men of a nation would make the young warriors drunk. If Magua will not
-listen, the officer of the king knows how to be silent."
-
-The savage spoke carelessly to his comrades, who were busied, after
-their awkward manner, in preparing the horses for the reception of the
-sisters, and moved a little to one side, whither by a cautious gesture
-he induced Heyward to follow.
-
-"Now, speak," he said; "if the words are such as Magua should hear."
-
-"Le Renard Subtil has proved himself worthy of the honorable name given
-to him by his Canada fathers," commenced Heyward; "I see his wisdom,
-and all that he has done for us, and shall remember it when the hour to
-reward him arrives. Yes! Renard has proved that he is not only a great
-chief in council, but one who knows how to deceive his enemies!"
-
-"What has Renard done?" coldly demanded the Indian.
-
-"What! has he not seen that the woods were filled with outlying parties
-of the enemies, and that the serpent could not steal through them
-without being seen? Then, did he not lose his path to blind the eyes of
-the Hurons? Did he not pretend to go back to his tribe, who had treated
-him ill, and driven him from their wigwams like a dog? And when he saw
-what he wished to do, did we not aid him, by making a false face, that
-the Hurons might think the white man believed that his friend was his
-enemy? Is not all this true? And when Le Subtil had shut the eyes and
-stopped the ears of his nation by his wisdom, did they not forget that
-they had once done him wrong, and forced him to flee to the Mohawks?
-And did they not leave him on the south side of the river, with their
-prisoners, while they have gone foolishly on the north? Does not Renard
-mean to turn like a fox on his footsteps, and to carry to the rich and
-gray-headed Scotchman his daughters? Yes, Magua, I see it all, and I
-have already been thinking how so much wisdom and honesty should be
-repaid. First, the chief of William Henry will give as a great chief
-should for such a service. The medal* of Magua will no longer be of tin,
-but of beaten gold; his horn will run over with powder; dollars will be
-as plenty in his pouch as pebbles on the shore of Horican; and the deer
-will lick his hand, for they will know it to be vain to fly from
-the rifle he will carry! As for myself, I know not how to exceed the
-gratitude of the Scotchman, but I--yes, I will--"
-
-     * It has long been a practice with the whites to conciliate
-     the important men of the Indians by presenting medals, which
-     are worn in the place of their own rude ornaments. Those
-     given by the English generally bear the impression of the
-     reigning king, and those given by the Americans that of the
-     president.
-
-"What will the young chief, who comes from toward the sun, give?"
-demanded the Huron, observing that Heyward hesitated in his desire to
-end the enumeration of benefits with that which might form the climax of
-an Indian's wishes.
-
-"He will make the fire-water from the islands in the salt lake flow
-before the wigwam of Magua, until the heart of the Indian shall be
-lighter than the feathers of the humming-bird, and his breath sweeter
-than the wild honeysuckle."
-
-Le Renard had listened gravely as Heyward slowly proceeded in this
-subtle speech. When the young man mentioned the artifice he supposed
-the Indian to have practised on his own nation, the countenance of
-the listener was veiled in an expression of cautious gravity. At the
-allusion to the injury which Duncan affected to believe had driven
-the Huron from his native tribe, a gleam of such ungovernable ferocity
-flashed from the other's eyes, as induced the adventurous speaker to
-believe he had struck the proper chord. And by the time he reached
-the part where he so artfully blended the thirst of vengeance with the
-desire of gain, he had, at least, obtained a command of the deepest
-attention of the savage. The question put by Le Renard had been calm,
-and with all the dignity of an Indian; but it was quite apparent, by the
-thoughtful expression of the listener's countenance, that the answer was
-most cunningly devised. The Huron mused a few moments, and then laying
-his hand on the rude bandages of his wounded shoulder, he said, with
-some energy:
-
-"Do friends make such marks?"
-
-"Would 'La Longue Carbine' cut one so slight on an enemy?"
-
-"Do the Delawares crawl upon those they love like snakes, twisting
-themselves to strike?"
-
-"Would 'Le Gros Serpent' have been heard by the ears of one he wished to
-be deaf?"
-
-"Does the white chief burn his powder in the faces of his brothers?"
-
-"Does he ever miss his aim, when seriously bent to kill?" returned
-Duncan, smiling with well acted sincerity.
-
-Another long and deliberate pause succeeded these sententious questions
-and ready replies. Duncan saw that the Indian hesitated. In order to
-complete his victory, he was in the act of recommencing the enumeration
-of the rewards, when Magua made an expressive gesture and said:
-
-"Enough; Le Renard is a wise chief, and what he does will be seen.
-Go, and keep the mouth shut. When Magua speaks, it will be the time to
-answer."
-
-Heyward, perceiving that the eyes of his companion were warily fastened
-on the rest of the band, fell back immediately, in order to avoid
-the appearance of any suspicious confederacy with their leader.
-Magua approached the horses, and affected to be well pleased with the
-diligence and ingenuity of his comrades. He then signed to Heyward to
-assist the sisters into the saddles, for he seldom deigned to use the
-English tongue, unless urged by some motive of more than usual moment.
-
-There was no longer any plausible pretext for delay; and Duncan was
-obliged, however reluctantly, to comply. As he performed this office, he
-whispered his reviving hopes in the ears of the trembling females, who,
-through dread of encountering the savage countenances of their captors,
-seldom raised their eyes from the ground. The mare of David had been
-taken with the followers of the large chief; in consequence, its owner,
-as well as Duncan, was compelled to journey on foot. The latter did not,
-however, so much regret this circumstance, as it might enable him to
-retard the speed of the party; for he still turned his longing looks in
-the direction of Fort Edward, in the vain expectation of catching some
-sound from that quarter of the forest, which might denote the approach
-of succor. When all were prepared, Magua made the signal to proceed,
-advancing in front to lead the party in person. Next followed David, who
-was gradually coming to a true sense of his condition, as the effects of
-the wound became less and less apparent. The sisters rode in his rear,
-with Heyward at their side, while the Indians flanked the party, and
-brought up the close of the march, with a caution that seemed never to
-tire.
-
-In this manner they proceeded in uninterrupted silence, except when
-Heyward addressed some solitary word of comfort to the females, or David
-gave vent to the moanings of his spirit, in piteous exclamations, which
-he intended should express the humility of resignation. Their direction
-lay toward the south, and in a course nearly opposite to the road to
-William Henry. Notwithstanding this apparent adherence in Magua to the
-original determination of his conquerors, Heyward could not believe
-his tempting bait was so soon forgotten; and he knew the windings of an
-Indian's path too well to suppose that its apparent course led directly
-to its object, when artifice was at all necessary. Mile after mile was,
-however, passed through the boundless woods, in this painful manner,
-without any prospect of a termination to their journey. Heyward watched
-the sun, as he darted his meridian rays through the branches of the
-trees, and pined for the moment when the policy of Magua should change
-their route to one more favorable to his hopes. Sometimes he fancied the
-wary savage, despairing of passing the army of Montcalm in safety,
-was holding his way toward a well-known border settlement, where a
-distinguished officer of the crown, and a favored friend of the Six
-Nations, held his large possessions, as well as his usual residence. To
-be delivered into the hands of Sir William Johnson was far preferable
-to being led into the wilds of Canada; but in order to effect even the
-former, it would be necessary to traverse the forest for many weary
-leagues, each step of which was carrying him further from the scene of
-the war, and, consequently, from the post, not only of honor, but of
-duty.
-
-Cora alone remembered the parting injunctions of the scout, and whenever
-an opportunity offered, she stretched forth her arm to bend aside the
-twigs that met her hands. But the vigilance of the Indians rendered this
-act of precaution both difficult and dangerous. She was often defeated
-in her purpose, by encountering their watchful eyes, when it became
-necessary to feign an alarm she did not feel, and occupy the limb by
-some gesture of feminine apprehension. Once, and once only, was she
-completely successful; when she broke down the bough of a large sumach,
-and by a sudden thought, let her glove fall at the same instant. This
-sign, intended for those that might follow, was observed by one of her
-conductors, who restored the glove, broke the remaining branches of the
-bush in such a manner that it appeared to proceed from the struggling of
-some beast in its branches, and then laid his hand on his tomahawk,
-with a look so significant, that it put an effectual end to these stolen
-memorials of their passage.
-
-As there were horses, to leave the prints of their footsteps, in both
-bands of the Indians, this interruption cut off any probable hopes of
-assistance being conveyed through the means of their trail.
-
-Heyward would have ventured a remonstrance had there been anything
-encouraging in the gloomy reserve of Magua. But the savage, during all
-this time, seldom turned to look at his followers, and never spoke. With
-the sun for his only guide, or aided by such blind marks as are only
-known to the sagacity of a native, he held his way along the barrens
-of pine, through occasional little fertile vales, across brooks and
-rivulets, and over undulating hills, with the accuracy of instinct,
-and nearly with the directness of a bird. He never seemed to hesitate.
-Whether the path was hardly distinguishable, whether it disappeared, or
-whether it lay beaten and plain before him, made no sensible difference
-in his speed or certainty. It seemed as if fatigue could not affect him.
-Whenever the eyes of the wearied travelers rose from the decayed leaves
-over which they trod, his dark form was to be seen glancing among the
-stems of the trees in front, his head immovably fastened in a forward
-position, with the light plume on his crest fluttering in a current of
-air, made solely by the swiftness of his own motion.
-
-But all this diligence and speed were not without an object. After
-crossing a low vale, through which a gushing brook meandered, he
-suddenly ascended a hill, so steep and difficult of ascent, that the
-sisters were compelled to alight in order to follow. When the summit was
-gained, they found themselves on a level spot, but thinly covered with
-trees, under one of which Magua had thrown his dark form, as if willing
-and ready to seek that rest which was so much needed by the whole party.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 11
-
-     "Cursed be my tribe If I forgive him."
-     --Shylock
-
-The Indian had selected for this desirable purpose one of those steep,
-pyramidal hills, which bear a strong resemblance to artificial mounds,
-and which so frequently occur in the valleys of America. The one in
-question was high and precipitous; its top flattened, as usual; but with
-one of its sides more than ordinarily irregular. It possessed no other
-apparent advantage for a resting place, than in its elevation and form,
-which might render defense easy, and surprise nearly impossible. As
-Heyward, however, no longer expected that rescue which time and distance
-now rendered so improbable, he regarded these little peculiarities with
-an eye devoid of interest, devoting himself entirely to the comfort and
-condolence of his feebler companions. The Narragansetts were suffered
-to browse on the branches of the trees and shrubs that were thinly
-scattered over the summit of the hill, while the remains of their
-provisions were spread under the shade of a beech, that stretched its
-horizontal limbs like a canopy above them.
-
-Notwithstanding the swiftness of their flight, one of the Indians had
-found an opportunity to strike a straggling fawn with an arrow, and
-had borne the more preferable fragments of the victim, patiently on his
-shoulders, to the stopping place. Without any aid from the science of
-cookery, he was immediately employed, in common with his fellows, in
-gorging himself with this digestible sustenance. Magua alone sat apart,
-without participating in the revolting meal, and apparently buried in
-the deepest thought.
-
-This abstinence, so remarkable in an Indian, when he possessed the means
-of satisfying hunger, at length attracted the notice of Heyward. The
-young man willingly believed that the Huron deliberated on the most
-eligible manner of eluding the vigilance of his associates. With a view
-to assist his plans by any suggestion of his own, and to strengthen the
-temptation, he left the beech, and straggled, as if without an object,
-to the spot where Le Renard was seated.
-
-"Has not Magua kept the sun in his face long enough to escape all danger
-from the Canadians?" he asked, as though no longer doubtful of the
-good intelligence established between them; "and will not the chief
-of William Henry be better pleased to see his daughters before another
-night may have hardened his heart to their loss, to make him less
-liberal in his reward?"
-
-"Do the pale faces love their children less in the morning than at
-night?" asked the Indian, coldly.
-
-"By no means," returned Heyward, anxious to recall his error, if he had
-made one; "the white man may, and does often, forget the burial place of
-his fathers; he sometimes ceases to remember those he should love, and
-has promised to cherish; but the affection of a parent for his child is
-never permitted to die."
-
-"And is the heart of the white-headed chief soft, and will he think of
-the babes that his squaws have given him? He is hard on his warriors and
-his eyes are made of stone?"
-
-"He is severe to the idle and wicked, but to the sober and deserving
-he is a leader, both just and humane. I have known many fond and tender
-parents, but never have I seen a man whose heart was softer toward his
-child. You have seen the gray-head in front of his warriors, Magua; but
-I have seen his eyes swimming in water, when he spoke of those children
-who are now in your power!"
-
-Heyward paused, for he knew not how to construe the remarkable
-expression that gleamed across the swarthy features of the attentive
-Indian. At first it seemed as if the remembrance of the promised reward
-grew vivid in his mind, while he listened to the sources of parental
-feeling which were to assure its possession; but, as Duncan proceeded,
-the expression of joy became so fiercely malignant that it was
-impossible not to apprehend it proceeded from some passion more sinister
-than avarice.
-
-"Go," said the Huron, suppressing the alarming exhibition in an
-instant, in a death-like calmness of countenance; "go to the dark-haired
-daughter, and say, 'Magua waits to speak' The father will remember what
-the child promises."
-
-Duncan, who interpreted this speech to express a wish for some
-additional pledge that the promised gifts should not be withheld, slowly
-and reluctantly repaired to the place where the sisters were now resting
-from their fatigue, to communicate its purport to Cora.
-
-"You understand the nature of an Indian's wishes," he concluded, as he
-led her toward the place where she was expected, "and must be prodigal
-of your offers of powder and blankets. Ardent spirits are, however, the
-most prized by such as he; nor would it be amiss to add some boon
-from your own hand, with that grace you so well know how to practise.
-Remember, Cora, that on your presence of mind and ingenuity, even your
-life, as well as that of Alice, may in some measure depend."
-
-"Heyward, and yours!"
-
-"Mine is of little moment; it is already sold to my king, and is a prize
-to be seized by any enemy who may possess the power. I have no father
-to expect me, and but few friends to lament a fate which I have courted
-with the insatiable longings of youth after distinction. But hush! we
-approach the Indian. Magua, the lady with whom you wish to speak, is
-here."
-
-The Indian rose slowly from his seat, and stood for near a minute silent
-and motionless. He then signed with his hand for Heyward to retire,
-saying, coldly:
-
-"When the Huron talks to the women, his tribe shut their ears."
-
-Duncan, still lingering, as if refusing to comply, Cora said, with a
-calm smile:
-
-"You hear, Heyward, and delicacy at least should urge you to retire. Go
-to Alice, and comfort her with our reviving prospects."
-
-She waited until he had departed, and then turning to the native, with
-the dignity of her sex in her voice and manner, she added: "What would
-Le Renard say to the daughter of Munro?"
-
-"Listen," said the Indian, laying his hand firmly upon her arm, as if
-willing to draw her utmost attention to his words; a movement that Cora
-as firmly but quietly repulsed, by extricating the limb from his grasp:
-"Magua was born a chief and a warrior among the red Hurons of the lakes;
-he saw the suns of twenty summers make the snows of twenty winters run
-off in the streams before he saw a pale face; and he was happy! Then
-his Canada fathers came into the woods, and taught him to drink the
-fire-water, and he became a rascal. The Hurons drove him from the graves
-of his fathers, as they would chase the hunted buffalo. He ran down the
-shores of the lakes, and followed their outlet to the 'city of cannon'
-There he hunted and fished, till the people chased him again through the
-woods into the arms of his enemies. The chief, who was born a Huron, was
-at last a warrior among the Mohawks!"
-
-"Something like this I had heard before," said Cora, observing that he
-paused to suppress those passions which began to burn with too bright a
-flame, as he recalled the recollection of his supposed injuries.
-
-"Was it the fault of Le Renard that his head was not made of rock? Who
-gave him the fire-water? who made him a villain? 'Twas the pale faces,
-the people of your own color."
-
-"And am I answerable that thoughtless and unprincipled men exist, whose
-shades of countenance may resemble mine?" Cora calmly demanded of the
-excited savage.
-
-"No; Magua is a man, and not a fool; such as you never open their lips
-to the burning stream: the Great Spirit has given you wisdom!"
-
-"What, then, have I do to, or say, in the matter of your misfortunes,
-not to say of your errors?"
-
-"Listen," repeated the Indian, resuming his earnest attitude; "when
-his English and French fathers dug up the hatchet, Le Renard struck the
-war-post of the Mohawks, and went out against his own nation. The pale
-faces have driven the red-skins from their hunting grounds, and now when
-they fight, a white man leads the way. The old chief at Horican, your
-father, was the great captain of our war-party. He said to the Mohawks
-do this, and do that, and he was minded. He made a law, that if an
-Indian swallowed the fire-water, and came into the cloth wigwams of his
-warriors, it should not be forgotten. Magua foolishly opened his
-mouth, and the hot liquor led him into the cabin of Munro. What did the
-gray-head? let his daughter say."
-
-"He forgot not his words, and did justice, by punishing the offender,"
-said the undaunted daughter.
-
-"Justice!" repeated the Indian, casting an oblique glance of the most
-ferocious expression at her unyielding countenance; "is it justice to
-make evil and then punish for it? Magua was not himself; it was the
-fire-water that spoke and acted for him! but Munro did believe it. The
-Huron chief was tied up before all the pale-faced warriors, and whipped
-like a dog."
-
-Cora remained silent, for she knew not how to palliate this imprudent
-severity on the part of her father in a manner to suit the comprehension
-of an Indian.
-
-"See!" continued Magua, tearing aside the slight calico that very
-imperfectly concealed his painted breast; "here are scars given by
-knives and bullets--of these a warrior may boast before his nation; but
-the gray-head has left marks on the back of the Huron chief that he must
-hide like a squaw, under this painted cloth of the whites."
-
-"I had thought," resumed Cora, "that an Indian warrior was patient, and
-that his spirit felt not and knew not the pain his body suffered."
-
-"When the Chippewas tied Magua to the stake, and cut this gash," said
-the other, laying his finger on a deep scar, "the Huron laughed in their
-faces, and told them, Women struck so light! His spirit was then in the
-clouds! But when he felt the blows of Munro, his spirit lay under the
-birch. The spirit of a Huron is never drunk; it remembers forever!"
-
-"But it may be appeased. If my father has done you this injustice, show
-him how an Indian can forgive an injury, and take back his daughters.
-You have heard from Major Heyward--"
-
-Magua shook his head, forbidding the repetition of offers he so much
-despised.
-
-"What would you have?" continued Cora, after a most painful pause,
-while the conviction forced itself on her mind that the too sanguine and
-generous Duncan had been cruelly deceived by the cunning of the savage.
-
-"What a Huron loves--good for good; bad for bad!"
-
-"You would, then, revenge the injury inflicted by Munro on his helpless
-daughters. Would it not be more like a man to go before his face, and
-take the satisfaction of a warrior?"
-
-"The arms of the pale faces are long, and their knives sharp!" returned
-the savage, with a malignant laugh: "why should Le Renard go among the
-muskets of his warriors, when he holds the spirit of the gray-head in
-his hand?"
-
-"Name your intention, Magua," said Cora, struggling with herself to
-speak with steady calmness. "Is it to lead us prisoners to the woods, or
-do you contemplate even some greater evil? Is there no reward, no means
-of palliating the injury, and of softening your heart? At least, release
-my gentle sister, and pour out all your malice on me. Purchase wealth
-by her safety and satisfy your revenge with a single victim. The loss
-of both his daughters might bring the aged man to his grave, and where
-would then be the satisfaction of Le Renard?"
-
-"Listen," said the Indian again. "The light eyes can go back to the
-Horican, and tell the old chief what has been done, if the dark-haired
-woman will swear by the Great Spirit of her fathers to tell no lie."
-
-"What must I promise?" demanded Cora, still maintaining a secret
-ascendancy over the fierce native by the collected and feminine dignity
-of her presence.
-
-"When Magua left his people his wife was given to another chief; he has
-now made friends with the Hurons, and will go back to the graves of his
-tribe, on the shores of the great lake. Let the daughter of the English
-chief follow, and live in his wigwam forever."
-
-However revolting a proposal of such a character might prove to
-Cora, she retained, notwithstanding her powerful disgust, sufficient
-self-command to reply, without betraying the weakness.
-
-"And what pleasure would Magua find in sharing his cabin with a wife he
-did not love; one who would be of a nation and color different from his
-own? It would be better to take the gold of Munro, and buy the heart of
-some Huron maid with his gifts."
-
-The Indian made no reply for near a minute, but bent his fierce looks
-on the countenance of Cora, in such wavering glances, that her eyes
-sank with shame, under an impression that for the first time they had
-encountered an expression that no chaste female might endure. While she
-was shrinking within herself, in dread of having her ears wounded by
-some proposal still more shocking than the last, the voice of Magua
-answered, in its tones of deepest malignancy:
-
-"When the blows scorched the back of the Huron, he would know where to
-find a woman to feel the smart. The daughter of Munro would draw his
-water, hoe his corn, and cook his venison. The body of the gray-head
-would sleep among his cannon, but his heart would lie within reach of
-the knife of Le Subtil."
-
-"Monster! well dost thou deserve thy treacherous name," cried Cora, in
-an ungovernable burst of filial indignation. "None but a fiend could
-meditate such a vengeance. But thou overratest thy power! You shall find
-it is, in truth, the heart of Munro you hold, and that it will defy your
-utmost malice!"
-
-The Indian answered this bold defiance by a ghastly smile, that showed
-an unaltered purpose, while he motioned her away, as if to close the
-conference forever. Cora, already regretting her precipitation, was
-obliged to comply, for Magua instantly left the spot, and approached his
-gluttonous comrades. Heyward flew to the side of the agitated female,
-and demanded the result of a dialogue that he had watched at a distance
-with so much interest. But, unwilling to alarm the fears of Alice, she
-evaded a direct reply, betraying only by her anxious looks fastened on
-the slightest movements of her captors. To the reiterated and earnest
-questions of her sister concerning their probable destination, she
-made no other answer than by pointing toward the dark group, with an
-agitation she could not control, and murmuring as she folded Alice to
-her bosom.
-
-"There, there; read our fortunes in their faces; we shall see; we shall
-see!"
-
-The action, and the choked utterance of Cora, spoke more impressively
-than any words, and quickly drew the attention of her companions on that
-spot where her own was riveted with an intenseness that nothing but the
-importance of the stake could create.
-
-When Magua reached the cluster of lolling savages, who, gorged with
-their disgusting meal, lay stretched on the earth in brutal indulgence,
-he commenced speaking with the dignity of an Indian chief. The first
-syllables he uttered had the effect to cause his listeners to raise
-themselves in attitudes of respectful attention. As the Huron used
-his native language, the prisoners, notwithstanding the caution of the
-natives had kept them within the swing of their tomahawks, could only
-conjecture the substance of his harangue from the nature of those
-significant gestures with which an Indian always illustrates his
-eloquence.
-
-At first, the language, as well as the action of Magua, appeared calm
-and deliberative. When he had succeeded in sufficiently awakening
-the attention of his comrades, Heyward fancied, by his pointing so
-frequently toward the direction of the great lakes, that he spoke of the
-land of their fathers, and of their distant tribe. Frequent indications
-of applause escaped the listeners, who, as they uttered the expressive
-"Hugh!" looked at each other in commendation of the speaker. Le Renard
-was too skillful to neglect his advantage. He now spoke of the long and
-painful route by which they had left those spacious grounds and happy
-villages, to come and battle against the enemies of their Canadian
-fathers. He enumerated the warriors of the party; their several merits;
-their frequent services to the nation; their wounds, and the number of
-the scalps they had taken. Whenever he alluded to any present (and the
-subtle Indian neglected none), the dark countenance of the flattered
-individual gleamed with exultation, nor did he even hesitate to assert
-the truth of the words, by gestures of applause and confirmation. Then
-the voice of the speaker fell, and lost the loud, animated tones of
-triumph with which he had enumerated their deeds of success and victory.
-He described the cataract of Glenn's; the impregnable position of its
-rocky island, with its caverns and its numerous rapids and whirlpools;
-he named the name of "La Longue Carabine," and paused until the forest
-beneath them had sent up the last echo of a loud and long yell, with
-which the hated appellation was received. He pointed toward the youthful
-military captive, and described the death of a favorite warrior, who
-had been precipitated into the deep ravine by his hand. He not only
-mentioned the fate of him who, hanging between heaven and earth, had
-presented such a spectacle of horror to the whole band, but he acted
-anew the terrors of his situation, his resolution and his death, on the
-branches of a sapling; and, finally, he rapidly recounted the manner
-in which each of their friends had fallen, never failing to touch upon
-their courage, and their most acknowledged virtues. When this recital of
-events was ended, his voice once more changed, and became plaintive and
-even musical, in its low guttural sounds. He now spoke of the wives and
-children of the slain; their destitution; their misery, both physical
-and moral; their distance; and, at last, of their unavenged wrongs. Then
-suddenly lifting his voice to a pitch of terrific energy, he concluded
-by demanding:
-
-"Are the Hurons dogs to bear this? Who shall say to the wife of Menowgua
-that the fishes have his scalp, and that his nation have not taken
-revenge! Who will dare meet the mother of Wassawattimie, that scornful
-woman, with his hands clean! What shall be said to the old men when
-they ask us for scalps, and we have not a hair from a white head to give
-them! The women will point their fingers at us. There is a dark spot on
-the names of the Hurons, and it must be hid in blood!" His voice was no
-longer audible in the burst of rage which now broke into the air, as
-if the wood, instead of containing so small a band, was filled with the
-nation. During the foregoing address the progress of the speaker was too
-plainly read by those most interested in his success through the medium
-of the countenances of the men he addressed. They had answered his
-melancholy and mourning by sympathy and sorrow; his assertions, by
-gestures of confirmation; and his boasting, with the exultation of
-savages. When he spoke of courage, their looks were firm and responsive;
-when he alluded to their injuries, their eyes kindled with fury; when
-he mentioned the taunts of the women, they dropped their heads in shame;
-but when he pointed out their means of vengeance, he struck a chord
-which never failed to thrill in the breast of an Indian. With the first
-intimation that it was within their reach, the whole band sprang upon
-their feet as one man; giving utterance to their rage in the most
-frantic cries, they rushed upon their prisoners in a body with drawn
-knives and uplifted tomahawks. Heyward threw himself between the sisters
-and the foremost, whom he grappled with a desperate strength that for a
-moment checked his violence. This unexpected resistance gave Magua time
-to interpose, and with rapid enunciation and animated gesture, he drew
-the attention of the band again to himself. In that language he knew so
-well how to assume, he diverted his comrades from their instant purpose,
-and invited them to prolong the misery of their victims. His proposal
-was received with acclamations, and executed with the swiftness of
-thought.
-
-Two powerful warriors cast themselves on Heyward, while another was
-occupied in securing the less active singing-master. Neither of the
-captives, however, submitted without a desperate, though fruitless,
-struggle. Even David hurled his assailant to the earth; nor was Heyward
-secured until the victory over his companion enabled the Indians to
-direct their united force to that object. He was then bound and fastened
-to the body of the sapling, on whose branches Magua had acted the
-pantomime of the falling Huron. When the young soldier regained his
-recollection, he had the painful certainty before his eyes that a
-common fate was intended for the whole party. On his right was Cora in
-a durance similar to his own, pale and agitated, but with an eye whose
-steady look still read the proceedings of their enemies. On his left,
-the withes which bound her to a pine, performed that office for Alice
-which her trembling limbs refused, and alone kept her fragile form from
-sinking. Her hands were clasped before her in prayer, but instead of
-looking upward toward that power which alone could rescue them, her
-unconscious looks wandered to the countenance of Duncan with infantile
-dependency. David had contended, and the novelty of the circumstance
-held him silent, in deliberation on the propriety of the unusual
-occurrence.
-
-The vengeance of the Hurons had now taken a new direction, and they
-prepared to execute it with that barbarous ingenuity with which they
-were familiarized by the practise of centuries. Some sought knots, to
-raise the blazing pile; one was riving the splinters of pine, in order
-to pierce the flesh of their captives with the burning fragments; and
-others bent the tops of two saplings to the earth, in order to suspend
-Heyward by the arms between the recoiling branches. But the vengeance of
-Magua sought a deeper and more malignant enjoyment.
-
-While the less refined monsters of the band prepared, before the eyes of
-those who were to suffer, these well-known and vulgar means of torture,
-he approached Cora, and pointed out, with the most malign expression of
-countenance, the speedy fate that awaited her:
-
-"Ha!" he added, "what says the daughter of Munro? Her head is too good
-to find a pillow in the wigwam of Le Renard; will she like it better
-when it rolls about this hill a plaything for the wolves? Her bosom
-cannot nurse the children of a Huron; she will see it spit upon by
-Indians!"
-
-"What means the monster!" demanded the astonished Heyward.
-
-"Nothing!" was the firm reply. "He is a savage, a barbarous and ignorant
-savage, and knows not what he does. Let us find leisure, with our dying
-breath, to ask for him penitence and pardon."
-
-"Pardon!" echoed the fierce Huron, mistaking in his anger, the meaning
-of her words; "the memory of an Indian is no longer than the arm of the
-pale faces; his mercy shorter than their justice! Say; shall I send the
-yellow hair to her father, and will you follow Magua to the great lakes,
-to carry his water, and feed him with corn?"
-
-Cora beckoned him away, with an emotion of disgust she could not
-control.
-
-"Leave me," she said, with a solemnity that for a moment checked the
-barbarity of the Indian; "you mingle bitterness in my prayers; you stand
-between me and my God!"
-
-The slight impression produced on the savage was, however, soon
-forgotten, and he continued pointing, with taunting irony, toward Alice.
-
-"Look! the child weeps! She is too young to die! Send her to Munro, to
-comb his gray hairs, and keep life in the heart of the old man."
-
-Cora could not resist the desire to look upon her youthful sister, in
-whose eyes she met an imploring glance, that betrayed the longings of
-nature.
-
-"What says he, dearest Cora?" asked the trembling voice of Alice. "Did
-he speak of sending me to our father?"
-
-For many moments the elder sister looked upon the younger, with a
-countenance that wavered with powerful and contending emotions.
-At length she spoke, though her tones had lost their rich and calm
-fullness, in an expression of tenderness that seemed maternal.
-
-"Alice," she said, "the Huron offers us both life, nay, more than both;
-he offers to restore Duncan, our invaluable Duncan, as well as you, to
-our friends--to our father--to our heart-stricken, childless father, if
-I will bow down this rebellious, stubborn pride of mine, and consent--"
-
-Her voice became choked, and clasping her hands, she looked upward, as
-if seeking, in her agony, intelligence from a wisdom that was infinite.
-
-"Say on," cried Alice; "to what, dearest Cora? Oh! that the proffer were
-made to me! to save you, to cheer our aged father, to restore Duncan,
-how cheerfully could I die!"
-
-"Die!" repeated Cora, with a calmer and firmer voice, "that were easy!
-Perhaps the alternative may not be less so. He would have me," she
-continued, her accents sinking under a deep consciousness of the
-degradation of the proposal, "follow him to the wilderness; go to the
-habitations of the Hurons; to remain there; in short, to become his
-wife! Speak, then, Alice; child of my affections! sister of my love! And
-you, too, Major Heyward, aid my weak reason with your counsel. Is life
-to be purchased by such a sacrifice? Will you, Alice, receive it at my
-hands at such a price? And you, Duncan, guide me; control me between
-you; for I am wholly yours!"
-
-"Would I!" echoed the indignant and astonished youth. "Cora! Cora! you
-jest with our misery! Name not the horrid alternative again; the thought
-itself is worse than a thousand deaths."
-
-"That such would be your answer, I well knew!" exclaimed Cora, her
-cheeks flushing, and her dark eyes once more sparkling with the
-lingering emotions of a woman. "What says my Alice? for her will I
-submit without another murmur."
-
-Although both Heyward and Cora listened with painful suspense and the
-deepest attention, no sounds were heard in reply. It appeared as if the
-delicate and sensitive form of Alice would shrink into itself, as she
-listened to this proposal. Her arms had fallen lengthwise before her,
-the fingers moving in slight convulsions; her head dropped upon her
-bosom, and her whole person seemed suspended against the tree, looking
-like some beautiful emblem of the wounded delicacy of her sex, devoid of
-animation and yet keenly conscious. In a few moments, however, her head
-began to move slowly, in a sign of deep, unconquerable disapprobation.
-
-"No, no, no; better that we die as we have lived, together!"
-
-"Then die!" shouted Magua, hurling his tomahawk with violence at the
-unresisting speaker, and gnashing his teeth with a rage that could no
-longer be bridled at this sudden exhibition of firmness in the one he
-believed the weakest of the party. The axe cleaved the air in front of
-Heyward, and cutting some of the flowing ringlets of Alice, quivered
-in the tree above her head. The sight maddened Duncan to desperation.
-Collecting all his energies in one effort he snapped the twigs which
-bound him and rushed upon another savage, who was preparing, with loud
-yells and a more deliberate aim, to repeat the blow. They encountered,
-grappled, and fell to the earth together. The naked body of his
-antagonist afforded Heyward no means of holding his adversary, who
-glided from his grasp, and rose again with one knee on his chest,
-pressing him down with the weight of a giant. Duncan already saw the
-knife gleaming in the air, when a whistling sound swept past him, and
-was rather accompanied than followed by the sharp crack of a rifle. He
-felt his breast relieved from the load it had endured; he saw the savage
-expression of his adversary's countenance change to a look of vacant
-wildness, when the Indian fell dead on the faded leaves by his side.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 12
-
-     "Clo.--I am gone, sire,
-            And anon, sire, I'll be with you again."
-     --Twelfth Night
-
-The Hurons stood aghast at this sudden visitation of death on one of
-their band. But as they regarded the fatal accuracy of an aim which had
-dared to immolate an enemy at so much hazard to a friend, the name
-of "La Longue Carabine" burst simultaneously from every lip, and was
-succeeded by a wild and a sort of plaintive howl. The cry was answered
-by a loud shout from a little thicket, where the incautious party had
-piled their arms; and at the next moment, Hawkeye, too eager to load
-the rifle he had regained, was seen advancing upon them, brandishing the
-clubbed weapon, and cutting the air with wide and powerful sweeps. Bold
-and rapid as was the progress of the scout, it was exceeded by that of
-a light and vigorous form which, bounding past him, leaped, with
-incredible activity and daring, into the very center of the Hurons,
-where it stood, whirling a tomahawk, and flourishing a glittering knife,
-with fearful menaces, in front of Cora. Quicker than the thoughts could
-follow those unexpected and audacious movements, an image, armed in the
-emblematic panoply of death, glided before their eyes, and assumed a
-threatening attitude at the other's side. The savage tormentors recoiled
-before these warlike intruders, and uttered, as they appeared in such
-quick succession, the often repeated and peculiar exclamations of
-surprise, followed by the well-known and dreaded appellations of:
-
-"Le Cerf Agile! Le Gros Serpent!"
-
-But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons was not so easily
-disconcerted. Casting his keen eyes around the little plain, he
-comprehended the nature of the assault at a glance, and encouraging his
-followers by his voice as well as by his example, he unsheathed his
-long and dangerous knife, and rushed with a loud whoop upon the expected
-Chingachgook. It was the signal for a general combat. Neither party had
-firearms, and the contest was to be decided in the deadliest manner,
-hand to hand, with weapons of offense, and none of defense.
-
-Uncas answered the whoop, and leaping on an enemy, with a single,
-well-directed blow of his tomahawk, cleft him to the brain. Heyward
-tore the weapon of Magua from the sapling, and rushed eagerly toward
-the fray. As the combatants were now equal in number, each singled an
-opponent from the adverse band. The rush and blows passed with the fury
-of a whirlwind, and the swiftness of lightning. Hawkeye soon got another
-enemy within reach of his arm, and with one sweep of his formidable
-weapon he beat down the slight and inartificial defenses of his
-antagonist, crushing him to the earth with the blow. Heyward ventured
-to hurl the tomahawk he had seized, too ardent to await the moment
-of closing. It struck the Indian he had selected on the forehead,
-and checked for an instant his onward rush. Encouraged by this slight
-advantage, the impetuous young man continued his onset, and sprang upon
-his enemy with naked hands. A single instant was enough to assure him
-of the rashness of the measure, for he immediately found himself fully
-engaged, with all his activity and courage, in endeavoring to ward the
-desperate thrusts made with the knife of the Huron. Unable longer to
-foil an enemy so alert and vigilant, he threw his arms about him, and
-succeeded in pinning the limbs of the other to his side, with an iron
-grasp, but one that was far too exhausting to himself to continue long.
-In this extremity he heard a voice near him, shouting:
-
-"Extarminate the varlets! no quarter to an accursed Mingo!"
-
-At the next moment, the breech of Hawkeye's rifle fell on the naked head
-of his adversary, whose muscles appeared to wither under the shock, as
-he sank from the arms of Duncan, flexible and motionless.
-
-When Uncas had brained his first antagonist, he turned, like a hungry
-lion, to seek another. The fifth and only Huron disengaged at the first
-onset had paused a moment, and then seeing that all around him were
-employed in the deadly strife, he had sought, with hellish vengeance,
-to complete the baffled work of revenge. Raising a shout of triumph, he
-sprang toward the defenseless Cora, sending his keen axe as the dreadful
-precursor of his approach. The tomahawk grazed her shoulder, and cutting
-the withes which bound her to the tree, left the maiden at liberty to
-fly. She eluded the grasp of the savage, and reckless of her own
-safety, threw herself on the bosom of Alice, striving with convulsed
-and ill-directed fingers, to tear asunder the twigs which confined the
-person of her sister. Any other than a monster would have relented at
-such an act of generous devotion to the best and purest affection; but
-the breast of the Huron was a stranger to sympathy. Seizing Cora by the
-rich tresses which fell in confusion about her form, he tore her from
-her frantic hold, and bowed her down with brutal violence to her knees.
-The savage drew the flowing curls through his hand, and raising them
-on high with an outstretched arm, he passed the knife around the
-exquisitely molded head of his victim, with a taunting and exulting
-laugh. But he purchased this moment of fierce gratification with the
-loss of the fatal opportunity. It was just then the sight caught the eye
-of Uncas. Bounding from his footsteps he appeared for an instant darting
-through the air and descending in a ball he fell on the chest of his
-enemy, driving him many yards from the spot, headlong and prostrate. The
-violence of the exertion cast the young Mohican at his side. They arose
-together, fought, and bled, each in his turn. But the conflict was soon
-decided; the tomahawk of Heyward and the rifle of Hawkeye descended
-on the skull of the Huron, at the same moment that the knife of Uncas
-reached his heart.
-
-The battle was now entirely terminated with the exception of the
-protracted struggle between "Le Renard Subtil" and "Le Gros Serpent."
-Well did these barbarous warriors prove that they deserved those
-significant names which had been bestowed for deeds in former wars.
-When they engaged, some little time was lost in eluding the quick and
-vigorous thrusts which had been aimed at their lives. Suddenly darting
-on each other, they closed, and came to the earth, twisted together like
-twining serpents, in pliant and subtle folds. At the moment when the
-victors found themselves unoccupied, the spot where these experienced
-and desperate combatants lay could only be distinguished by a cloud of
-dust and leaves, which moved from the center of the little plain toward
-its boundary, as if raised by the passage of a whirlwind. Urged by the
-different motives of filial affection, friendship and gratitude, Heyward
-and his companions rushed with one accord to the place, encircling the
-little canopy of dust which hung above the warriors. In vain did Uncas
-dart around the cloud, with a wish to strike his knife into the heart
-of his father's foe; the threatening rifle of Hawkeye was raised and
-suspended in vain, while Duncan endeavored to seize the limbs of the
-Huron with hands that appeared to have lost their power. Covered as they
-were with dust and blood, the swift evolutions of the combatants seemed
-to incorporate their bodies into one. The death-like looking figure of
-the Mohican, and the dark form of the Huron, gleamed before their eyes
-in such quick and confused succession, that the friends of the former
-knew not where to plant the succoring blow. It is true there were short
-and fleeting moments, when the fiery eyes of Magua were seen glittering,
-like the fabled organs of the basilisk through the dusty wreath by which
-he was enveloped, and he read by those short and deadly glances the fate
-of the combat in the presence of his enemies; ere, however, any hostile
-hand could descend on his devoted head, its place was filled by the
-scowling visage of Chingachgook. In this manner the scene of the combat
-was removed from the center of the little plain to its verge. The
-Mohican now found an opportunity to make a powerful thrust with his
-knife; Magua suddenly relinquished his grasp, and fell backward without
-motion, and seemingly without life. His adversary leaped on his feet,
-making the arches of the forest ring with the sounds of triumph.
-
-"Well done for the Delawares! victory to the Mohicans!" cried Hawkeye,
-once more elevating the butt of the long and fatal rifle; "a finishing
-blow from a man without a cross will never tell against his honor, nor
-rob him of his right to the scalp."
-
-But at the very moment when the dangerous weapon was in the act of
-descending, the subtle Huron rolled swiftly from beneath the danger,
-over the edge of the precipice, and falling on his feet, was seen
-leaping, with a single bound, into the center of a thicket of low
-bushes, which clung along its sides. The Delawares, who had believed
-their enemy dead, uttered their exclamation of surprise, and were
-following with speed and clamor, like hounds in open view of the deer,
-when a shrill and peculiar cry from the scout instantly changed their
-purpose, and recalled them to the summit of the hill.
-
-"'Twas like himself!" cried the inveterate forester, whose prejudices
-contributed so largely to veil his natural sense of justice in all
-matters which concerned the Mingoes; "a lying and deceitful varlet as
-he is. An honest Delaware now, being fairly vanquished, would have lain
-still, and been knocked on the head, but these knavish Maquas cling to
-life like so many cats-o'-the-mountain. Let him go--let him go; 'tis but
-one man, and he without rifle or bow, many a long mile from his French
-commerades; and like a rattler that lost his fangs, he can do no further
-mischief, until such time as he, and we too, may leave the prints of our
-moccasins over a long reach of sandy plain. See, Uncas," he added, in
-Delaware, "your father is flaying the scalps already. It may be well to
-go round and feel the vagabonds that are left, or we may have another of
-them loping through the woods, and screeching like a jay that has been
-winged."
-
-So saying the honest but implacable scout made the circuit of the dead,
-into whose senseless bosoms he thrust his long knife, with as much
-coolness as though they had been so many brute carcasses. He had,
-however, been anticipated by the elder Mohican, who had already torn the
-emblems of victory from the unresisting heads of the slain.
-
-But Uncas, denying his habits, we had almost said his nature, flew with
-instinctive delicacy, accompanied by Heyward, to the assistance of the
-females, and quickly releasing Alice, placed her in the arms of Cora. We
-shall not attempt to describe the gratitude to the Almighty Disposer
-of Events which glowed in the bosoms of the sisters, who were thus
-unexpectedly restored to life and to each other. Their thanksgivings
-were deep and silent; the offerings of their gentle spirits burning
-brightest and purest on the secret altars of their hearts; and their
-renovated and more earthly feelings exhibiting themselves in long and
-fervent though speechless caresses. As Alice rose from her knees, where
-she had sunk by the side of Cora, she threw herself on the bosom of the
-latter, and sobbed aloud the name of their aged father, while her soft,
-dove-like eyes, sparkled with the rays of hope.
-
-"We are saved! we are saved!" she murmured; "to return to the arms of
-our dear, dear father, and his heart will not be broken with grief. And
-you, too, Cora, my sister, my more than sister, my mother; you, too,
-are spared. And Duncan," she added, looking round upon the youth with a
-smile of ineffable innocence, "even our own brave and noble Duncan has
-escaped without a hurt."
-
-To these ardent and nearly innocent words Cora made no other answer than
-by straining the youthful speaker to her heart, as she bent over her
-in melting tenderness. The manhood of Heyward felt no shame in dropping
-tears over this spectacle of affectionate rapture; and Uncas stood,
-fresh and blood-stained from the combat, a calm, and, apparently, an
-unmoved looker-on, it is true, but with eyes that had already lost their
-fierceness, and were beaming with a sympathy that elevated him far
-above the intelligence, and advanced him probably centuries before, the
-practises of his nation.
-
-During this display of emotions so natural in their situation, Hawkeye,
-whose vigilant distrust had satisfied itself that the Hurons, who
-disfigured the heavenly scene, no longer possessed the power to
-interrupt its harmony, approached David, and liberated him from the
-bonds he had, until that moment, endured with the most exemplary
-patience.
-
-"There," exclaimed the scout, casting the last withe behind him, "you
-are once more master of your own limbs, though you seem not to use them
-with much greater judgment than that in which they were first fashioned.
-If advice from one who is not older than yourself, but who, having
-lived most of his time in the wilderness, may be said to have experience
-beyond his years, will give no offense, you are welcome to my thoughts;
-and these are, to part with the little tooting instrument in your jacket
-to the first fool you meet with, and buy some we'pon with the money, if
-it be only the barrel of a horseman's pistol. By industry and care, you
-might thus come to some prefarment; for by this time, I should think,
-your eyes would plainly tell you that a carrion crow is a better bird
-than a mocking-thresher. The one will, at least, remove foul sights
-from before the face of man, while the other is only good to brew
-disturbances in the woods, by cheating the ears of all that hear them."
-
-"Arms and the clarion for the battle, but the song of thanksgiving
-to the victory!" answered the liberated David. "Friend," he added,
-thrusting forth his lean, delicate hand toward Hawkeye, in kindness,
-while his eyes twinkled and grew moist, "I thank thee that the hairs
-of my head still grow where they were first rooted by Providence; for,
-though those of other men may be more glossy and curling, I have ever
-found mine own well suited to the brain they shelter. That I did not
-join myself to the battle, was less owing to disinclination, than to the
-bonds of the heathen. Valiant and skillful hast thou proved thyself in
-the conflict, and I hereby thank thee, before proceeding to discharge
-other and more important duties, because thou hast proved thyself well
-worthy of a Christian's praise."
-
-"The thing is but a trifle, and what you may often see if you tarry long
-among us," returned the scout, a good deal softened toward the man of
-song, by this unequivocal expression of gratitude. "I have got back my
-old companion, 'killdeer'," he added, striking his hand on the breech of
-his rifle; "and that in itself is a victory. These Iroquois are cunning,
-but they outwitted themselves when they placed their firearms out of
-reach; and had Uncas or his father been gifted with only their common
-Indian patience, we should have come in upon the knaves with three
-bullets instead of one, and that would have made a finish of the whole
-pack; yon loping varlet, as well as his commerades. But 'twas all
-fore-ordered, and for the best."
-
-"Thou sayest well," returned David, "and hast caught the true spirit
-of Christianity. He that is to be saved will be saved, and he that is
-predestined to be damned will be damned. This is the doctrine of truth,
-and most consoling and refreshing it is to the true believer."
-
-The scout, who by this time was seated, examining into the state of his
-rifle with a species of parental assiduity, now looked up at the other
-in a displeasure that he did not affect to conceal, roughly interrupting
-further speech.
-
-"Doctrine or no doctrine," said the sturdy woodsman, "'tis the belief of
-knaves, and the curse of an honest man. I can credit that yonder Huron
-was to fall by my hand, for with my own eyes I have seen it; but nothing
-short of being a witness will cause me to think he has met with any
-reward, or that Chingachgook there will be condemned at the final day."
-
-"You have no warranty for such an audacious doctrine, nor any covenant
-to support it," cried David who was deeply tinctured with the subtle
-distinctions which, in his time, and more especially in his province,
-had been drawn around the beautiful simplicity of revelation, by
-endeavoring to penetrate the awful mystery of the divine nature,
-supplying faith by self-sufficiency, and by consequence, involving those
-who reasoned from such human dogmas in absurdities and doubt; "your
-temple is reared on the sands, and the first tempest will wash away its
-foundation. I demand your authorities for such an uncharitable assertion
-(like other advocates of a system, David was not always accurate in his
-use of terms). Name chapter and verse; in which of the holy books do you
-find language to support you?"
-
-"Book!" repeated Hawkeye, with singular and ill-concealed disdain; "do
-you take me for a whimpering boy at the apronstring of one of your old
-gals; and this good rifle on my knee for the feather of a goose's
-wing, my ox's horn for a bottle of ink, and my leathern pouch for a
-cross-barred handkercher to carry my dinner? Book! what have such as I,
-who am a warrior of the wilderness, though a man without a cross, to
-do with books? I never read but in one, and the words that are written
-there are too simple and too plain to need much schooling; though I may
-boast that of forty long and hard-working years."
-
-"What call you the volume?" said David, misconceiving the other's
-meaning.
-
-"'Tis open before your eyes," returned the scout; "and he who owns it
-is not a niggard of its use. I have heard it said that there are men who
-read in books to convince themselves there is a God. I know not but man
-may so deform his works in the settlement, as to leave that which is so
-clear in the wilderness a matter of doubt among traders and priests. If
-any such there be, and he will follow me from sun to sun, through the
-windings of the forest, he shall see enough to teach him that he is a
-fool, and that the greatest of his folly lies in striving to rise to the
-level of One he can never equal, be it in goodness, or be it in power."
-
-The instant David discovered that he battled with a disputant who
-imbibed his faith from the lights of nature, eschewing all subtleties
-of doctrine, he willingly abandoned a controversy from which he believed
-neither profit nor credit was to be derived. While the scout was
-speaking, he had also seated himself, and producing the ready little
-volume and the iron-rimmed spectacles, he prepared to discharge a
-duty, which nothing but the unexpected assault he had received in his
-orthodoxy could have so long suspended. He was, in truth, a minstrel of
-the western continent--of a much later day, certainly, than those gifted
-bards, who formerly sang the profane renown of baron and prince, but
-after the spirit of his own age and country; and he was now prepared
-to exercise the cunning of his craft, in celebration of, or rather in
-thanksgiving for, the recent victory. He waited patiently for Hawkeye to
-cease, then lifting his eyes, together with his voice, he said, aloud:
-
-"I invite you, friends, to join in praise for this signal deliverance
-from the hands of barbarians and infidels, to the comfortable and solemn
-tones of the tune called 'Northampton'."
-
-He next named the page and verse where the rhymes selected were to be
-found, and applied the pitch-pipe to his lips, with the decent gravity
-that he had been wont to use in the temple. This time he was, however,
-without any accompaniment, for the sisters were just then pouring out
-those tender effusions of affection which have been already alluded
-to. Nothing deterred by the smallness of his audience, which, in
-truth, consisted only of the discontented scout, he raised his voice,
-commencing and ending the sacred song without accident or interruption
-of any kind.
-
-Hawkeye listened while he coolly adjusted his flint and reloaded his
-rifle; but the sounds, wanting the extraneous assistance of scene and
-sympathy, failed to awaken his slumbering emotions. Never minstrel,
-or by whatever more suitable name David should be known, drew upon his
-talents in the presence of more insensible auditors; though considering
-the singleness and sincerity of his motive, it is probable that no bard
-of profane song ever uttered notes that ascended so near to that throne
-where all homage and praise is due. The scout shook his head, and
-muttering some unintelligible words, among which "throat" and "Iroquois"
-were alone audible, he walked away, to collect and to examine into the
-state of the captured arsenal of the Hurons. In this office he was now
-joined by Chingachgook, who found his own, as well as the rifle of his
-son, among the arms. Even Heyward and David were furnished with weapons;
-nor was ammunition wanting to render them all effectual.
-
-When the foresters had made their selection, and distributed their
-prizes, the scout announced that the hour had arrived when it was
-necessary to move. By this time the song of Gamut had ceased, and the
-sisters had learned to still the exhibition of their emotions. Aided by
-Duncan and the younger Mohican, the two latter descended the precipitous
-sides of that hill which they had so lately ascended under so very
-different auspices, and whose summit had so nearly proved the scene of
-their massacre. At the foot they found the Narragansetts browsing the
-herbage of the bushes, and having mounted, they followed the movements
-of a guide, who, in the most deadly straits, had so often proved himself
-their friend. The journey was, however, short. Hawkeye, leaving the
-blind path that the Hurons had followed, turned short to his right,
-and entering the thicket, he crossed a babbling brook, and halted in a
-narrow dell, under the shade of a few water elms. Their distance from
-the base of the fatal hill was but a few rods, and the steeds had been
-serviceable only in crossing the shallow stream.
-
-The scout and the Indians appeared to be familiar with the sequestered
-place where they now were; for, leaning their rifle against the trees,
-they commenced throwing aside the dried leaves, and opening the blue
-clay, out of which a clear and sparkling spring of bright, glancing
-water, quickly bubbled. The white man then looked about him, as though
-seeking for some object, which was not to be found as readily as he
-expected.
-
-"Them careless imps, the Mohawks, with their Tuscarora and Onondaga
-brethren, have been here slaking their thirst," he muttered, "and the
-vagabonds have thrown away the gourd! This is the way with benefits,
-when they are bestowed on such disremembering hounds! Here has the Lord
-laid his hand, in the midst of the howling wilderness, for their good,
-and raised a fountain of water from the bowels of the 'arth, that might
-laugh at the richest shop of apothecary's ware in all the colonies; and
-see! the knaves have trodden in the clay, and deformed the cleanliness
-of the place, as though they were brute beasts, instead of human men."
-
-Uncas silently extended toward him the desired gourd, which the spleen
-of Hawkeye had hitherto prevented him from observing on a branch of
-an elm. Filling it with water, he retired a short distance, to a place
-where the ground was more firm and dry; here he coolly seated himself,
-and after taking a long, and, apparently, a grateful draught, he
-commenced a very strict examination of the fragments of food left by the
-Hurons, which had hung in a wallet on his arm.
-
-"Thank you, lad!" he continued, returning the empty gourd to Uncas;
-"now we will see how these rampaging Hurons lived, when outlying in
-ambushments. Look at this! The varlets know the better pieces of the
-deer; and one would think they might carve and roast a saddle, equal to
-the best cook in the land! But everything is raw, for the Iroquois are
-thorough savages. Uncas, take my steel and kindle a fire; a mouthful of
-a tender broil will give natur' a helping hand, after so long a trail."
-
-Heyward, perceiving that their guides now set about their repast in
-sober earnest, assisted the ladies to alight, and placed himself at
-their side, not unwilling to enjoy a few moments of grateful rest, after
-the bloody scene he had just gone through. While the culinary process
-was in hand, curiosity induced him to inquire into the circumstances
-which had led to their timely and unexpected rescue:
-
-"How is it that we see you so soon, my generous friend," he asked, "and
-without aid from the garrison of Edward?"
-
-"Had we gone to the bend in the river, we might have been in time
-to rake the leaves over your bodies, but too late to have saved your
-scalps," coolly answered the scout. "No, no; instead of throwing away
-strength and opportunity by crossing to the fort, we lay by, under the
-bank of the Hudson, waiting to watch the movements of the Hurons."
-
-"You were, then, witnesses of all that passed?"
-
-"Not of all; for Indian sight is too keen to be easily cheated, and we
-kept close. A difficult matter it was, too, to keep this Mohican boy
-snug in the ambushment. Ah! Uncas, Uncas, your behavior was more like
-that of a curious woman than of a warrior on his scent."
-
-Uncas permitted his eyes to turn for an instant on the sturdy
-countenance of the speaker, but he neither spoke nor gave any indication
-of repentance. On the contrary, Heyward thought the manner of the young
-Mohican was disdainful, if not a little fierce, and that he suppressed
-passions that were ready to explode, as much in compliment to the
-listeners, as from the deference he usually paid to his white associate.
-
-"You saw our capture?" Heyward next demanded.
-
-"We heard it," was the significant answer. "An Indian yell is plain
-language to men who have passed their days in the woods. But when you
-landed, we were driven to crawl like sarpents, beneath the leaves; and
-then we lost sight of you entirely, until we placed eyes on you again
-trussed to the trees, and ready bound for an Indian massacre."
-
-"Our rescue was the deed of Providence. It was nearly a miracle that you
-did not mistake the path, for the Hurons divided, and each band had its
-horses."
-
-"Ay! there we were thrown off the scent, and might, indeed, have lost
-the trail, had it not been for Uncas; we took the path, however, that
-led into the wilderness; for we judged, and judged rightly, that the
-savages would hold that course with their prisoners. But when we had
-followed it for many miles, without finding a single twig broken, as I
-had advised, my mind misgave me; especially as all the footsteps had the
-prints of moccasins."
-
-"Our captors had the precaution to see us shod like themselves," said
-Duncan, raising a foot, and exhibiting the buckskin he wore.
-
-"Aye, 'twas judgmatical and like themselves; though we were too expart
-to be thrown from a trail by so common an invention."
-
-"To what, then, are we indebted for our safety?"
-
-"To what, as a white man who has no taint of Indian blood, I should be
-ashamed to own; to the judgment of the young Mohican, in matters which
-I should know better than he, but which I can now hardly believe to be
-true, though my own eyes tell me it is so."
-
-"'Tis extraordinary! will you not name the reason?"
-
-"Uncas was bold enough to say, that the beasts ridden by the gentle
-ones," continued Hawkeye, glancing his eyes, not without curious
-interest, on the fillies of the ladies, "planted the legs of one side on
-the ground at the same time, which is contrary to the movements of all
-trotting four-footed animals of my knowledge, except the bear. And yet
-here are horses that always journey in this manner, as my own eyes have
-seen, and as their trail has shown for twenty long miles."
-
-"'Tis the merit of the animal! They come from the shores of
-Narrangansett Bay, in the small province of Providence Plantations,
-and are celebrated for their hardihood, and the ease of this peculiar
-movement; though other horses are not unfrequently trained to the same."
-
-"It may be--it may be," said Hawkeye, who had listened with singular
-attention to this explanation; "though I am a man who has the full blood
-of the whites, my judgment in deer and beaver is greater than in beasts
-of burden. Major Effingham has many noble chargers, but I have never
-seen one travel after such a sidling gait."
-
-"True; for he would value the animals for very different properties.
-Still is this a breed highly esteemed and, as you witness, much honored
-with the burdens it is often destined to bear."
-
-The Mohicans had suspended their operations about the glimmering fire
-to listen; and, when Duncan had done, they looked at each other
-significantly, the father uttering the never-failing exclamation of
-surprise. The scout ruminated, like a man digesting his newly-acquired
-knowledge, and once more stole a glance at the horses.
-
-"I dare to say there are even stranger sights to be seen in the
-settlements!" he said, at length. "Natur' is sadly abused by man, when
-he once gets the mastery. But, go sidling or go straight, Uncas had seen
-the movement, and their trail led us on to the broken bush. The outer
-branch, near the prints of one of the horses, was bent upward, as a lady
-breaks a flower from its stem, but all the rest were ragged and broken
-down, as if the strong hand of a man had been tearing them! So I
-concluded that the cunning varments had seen the twig bent, and had torn
-the rest, to make us believe a buck had been feeling the boughs with his
-antlers."
-
-"I do believe your sagacity did not deceive you; for some such thing
-occurred!"
-
-"That was easy to see," added the scout, in no degree conscious of
-having exhibited any extraordinary sagacity; "and a very different
-matter it was from a waddling horse! It then struck me the Mingoes
-would push for this spring, for the knaves well know the vartue of its
-waters!"
-
-"Is it, then, so famous?" demanded Heyward, examining, with a more
-curious eye, the secluded dell, with its bubbling fountain, surrounded,
-as it was, by earth of a deep, dingy brown.
-
-"Few red-skins, who travel south and east of the great lakes but have
-heard of its qualities. Will you taste for yourself?"
-
-Heyward took the gourd, and after swallowing a little of the water,
-threw it aside with grimaces of discontent. The scout laughed in his
-silent but heartfelt manner, and shook his head with vast satisfaction.
-
-"Ah! you want the flavor that one gets by habit; the time was when I
-liked it as little as yourself; but I have come to my taste, and I now
-crave it, as a deer does the licks*. Your high-spiced wines are not
-better liked than a red-skin relishes this water; especially when his
-natur' is ailing. But Uncas has made his fire, and it is time we think
-of eating, for our journey is long, and all before us."
-
-     * Many of the animals of the American forests resort to
-     those spots where salt springs are found. These are called
-     "licks" or "salt licks," in the language of the country,
-     from the circumstance that the quadruped is often obliged to
-     lick the earth, in order to obtain the saline particles.
-     These licks are great places of resort with the hunters, who
-     waylay their game near the paths that lead to them.
-
-Interrupting the dialogue by this abrupt transition, the scout had
-instant recourse to the fragments of food which had escaped the voracity
-of the Hurons. A very summary process completed the simple cookery, when
-he and the Mohicans commenced their humble meal, with the silence and
-characteristic diligence of men who ate in order to enable themselves to
-endure great and unremitting toil.
-
-When this necessary, and, happily, grateful duty had been performed,
-each of the foresters stooped and took a long and parting draught at
-that solitary and silent spring*, around which and its sister fountains,
-within fifty years, the wealth, beauty and talents of a hemisphere were
-to assemble in throngs, in pursuit of health and pleasure. Then Hawkeye
-announced his determination to proceed. The sisters resumed their
-saddles; Duncan and David grapsed their rifles, and followed on
-footsteps; the scout leading the advance, and the Mohicans bringing up
-the rear. The whole party moved swiftly through the narrow path, toward
-the north, leaving the healing waters to mingle unheeded with the
-adjacent brooks and the bodies of the dead to fester on the neighboring
-mount, without the rites of sepulture; a fate but too common to the
-warriors of the woods to excite either commiseration or comment.
-
-     * The scene of the foregoing incidents is on the spot where
-     the village of Ballston now stands; one of the two principal
-     watering places of America.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 13
-
-     "I'll seek a readier path."
-     --Parnell
-
-The route taken by Hawkeye lay across those sandy plains, relived by
-occasional valleys and swells of land, which had been traversed by their
-party on the morning of the same day, with the baffled Magua for their
-guide. The sun had now fallen low toward the distant mountains; and
-as their journey lay through the interminable forest, the heat was no
-longer oppressive. Their progress, in consequence, was proportionate;
-and long before the twilight gathered about them, they had made good
-many toilsome miles on their return.
-
-The hunter, like the savage whose place he filled, seemed to select
-among the blind signs of their wild route, with a species of instinct,
-seldom abating his speed, and never pausing to deliberate. A rapid and
-oblique glance at the moss on the trees, with an occasional upward gaze
-toward the setting sun, or a steady but passing look at the direction of
-the numerous water courses, through which he waded, were sufficient
-to determine his path, and remove his greatest difficulties. In the
-meantime, the forest began to change its hues, losing that lively green
-which had embellished its arches, in the graver light which is the usual
-precursor of the close of day.
-
-While the eyes of the sisters were endeavoring to catch glimpses through
-the trees, of the flood of golden glory which formed a glittering halo
-around the sun, tinging here and there with ruby streaks, or bordering
-with narrow edgings of shining yellow, a mass of clouds that lay piled
-at no great distance above the western hills, Hawkeye turned suddenly
-and pointing upward toward the gorgeous heavens, he spoke:
-
-"Yonder is the signal given to man to seek his food and natural rest,"
-he said; "better and wiser would it be, if he could understand the signs
-of nature, and take a lesson from the fowls of the air and the beasts of
-the field! Our night, however, will soon be over, for with the moon
-we must be up and moving again. I remember to have fou't the Maquas,
-hereaways, in the first war in which I ever drew blood from man; and we
-threw up a work of blocks, to keep the ravenous varmints from handling
-our scalps. If my marks do not fail me, we shall find the place a few
-rods further to our left."
-
-Without waiting for an assent, or, indeed, for any reply, the sturdy
-hunter moved boldly into a dense thicket of young chestnuts, shoving
-aside the branches of the exuberant shoots which nearly covered the
-ground, like a man who expected, at each step, to discover some object
-he had formerly known. The recollection of the scout did not deceive
-him. After penetrating through the brush, matted as it was with briars,
-for a few hundred feet, he entered an open space, that surrounded a low,
-green hillock, which was crowned by the decayed blockhouse in question.
-This rude and neglected building was one of those deserted works, which,
-having been thrown up on an emergency, had been abandoned with the
-disappearance of danger, and was now quietly crumbling in the solitude
-of the forest, neglected and nearly forgotten, like the circumstances
-which had caused it to be reared. Such memorials of the passage and
-struggles of man are yet frequent throughout the broad barrier of
-wilderness which once separated the hostile provinces, and form a
-species of ruins that are intimately associated with the recollections
-of colonial history, and which are in appropriate keeping with the
-gloomy character of the surrounding scenery. The roof of bark had long
-since fallen, and mingled with the soil, but the huge logs of pine,
-which had been hastily thrown together, still preserved their relative
-positions, though one angle of the work had given way under the
-pressure, and threatened a speedy downfall to the remainder of the
-rustic edifice. While Heyward and his companions hesitated to approach
-a building so decayed, Hawkeye and the Indians entered within the low
-walls, not only without fear, but with obvious interest. While the
-former surveyed the ruins, both internally and externally, with the
-curiosity of one whose recollections were reviving at each moment,
-Chingachgook related to his son, in the language of the Delawares, and
-with the pride of a conqueror, the brief history of the skirmish which
-had been fought, in his youth, in that secluded spot. A strain of
-melancholy, however, blended with his triumph, rendering his voice, as
-usual, soft and musical.
-
-In the meantime, the sisters gladly dismounted, and prepared to enjoy
-their halt in the coolness of the evening, and in a security which they
-believed nothing but the beasts of the forest could invade.
-
-"Would not our resting-place have been more retired, my worthy friend,"
-demanded the more vigilant Duncan, perceiving that the scout had already
-finished his short survey, "had we chosen a spot less known, and one
-more rarely visited than this?"
-
-"Few live who know the blockhouse was ever raised," was the slow and
-musing answer; "'tis not often that books are made, and narratives
-written of such a scrimmage as was here fou't atween the Mohicans and
-the Mohawks, in a war of their own waging. I was then a younker, and
-went out with the Delawares, because I know'd they were a scandalized
-and wronged race. Forty days and forty nights did the imps crave our
-blood around this pile of logs, which I designed and partly reared,
-being, as you'll remember, no Indian myself, but a man without a cross.
-The Delawares lent themselves to the work, and we made it good, ten to
-twenty, until our numbers were nearly equal, and then we sallied out
-upon the hounds, and not a man of them ever got back to tell the fate
-of his party. Yes, yes; I was then young, and new to the sight of blood;
-and not relishing the thought that creatures who had spirits like myself
-should lay on the naked ground, to be torn asunder by beasts, or to
-bleach in the rains, I buried the dead with my own hands, under that
-very little hillock where you have placed yourselves; and no bad seat
-does it make neither, though it be raised by the bones of mortal men."
-
-Heyward and the sisters arose, on the instant, from the grassy
-sepulcher; nor could the two latter, notwithstanding the terrific scenes
-they had so recently passed through, entirely suppress an emotion of
-natural horror, when they found themselves in such familiar contact with
-the grave of the dead Mohawks. The gray light, the gloomy little area
-of dark grass, surrounded by its border of brush, beyond which the pines
-rose, in breathing silence, apparently into the very clouds, and the
-deathlike stillness of the vast forest, were all in unison to deepen
-such a sensation. "They are gone, and they are harmless," continued
-Hawkeye, waving his hand, with a melancholy smile at their manifest
-alarm; "they'll never shout the war-whoop nor strike a blow with the
-tomahawk again! And of all those who aided in placing them where they
-lie, Chingachgook and I only are living! The brothers and family of the
-Mohican formed our war party; and you see before you all that are now
-left of his race."
-
-The eyes of the listeners involuntarily sought the forms of the Indians,
-with a compassionate interest in their desolate fortune. Their dark
-persons were still to be seen within the shadows of the blockhouse,
-the son listening to the relation of his father with that sort of
-intenseness which would be created by a narrative that redounded so much
-to the honor of those whose names he had long revered for their courage
-and savage virtues.
-
-"I had thought the Delawares a pacific people," said Duncan, "and that
-they never waged war in person; trusting the defense of their hands to
-those very Mohawks that you slew!"
-
-"'Tis true in part," returned the scout, "and yet, at the bottom, 'tis
-a wicked lie. Such a treaty was made in ages gone by, through the
-deviltries of the Dutchers, who wished to disarm the natives that had
-the best right to the country, where they had settled themselves. The
-Mohicans, though a part of the same nation, having to deal with the
-English, never entered into the silly bargain, but kept to their
-manhood; as in truth did the Delawares, when their eyes were open to
-their folly. You see before you a chief of the great Mohican Sagamores!
-Once his family could chase their deer over tracts of country wider than
-that which belongs to the Albany Patteroon, without crossing brook or
-hill that was not their own; but what is left of their descendant? He
-may find his six feet of earth when God chooses, and keep it in peace,
-perhaps, if he has a friend who will take the pains to sink his head so
-low that the plowshares cannot reach it!"
-
-"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive that the subject might lead to
-a discussion that would interrupt the harmony so necessary to the
-preservation of his fair companions; "we have journeyed far, and few
-among us are blessed with forms like that of yours, which seems to know
-neither fatigue nor weakness."
-
-"The sinews and bones of a man carry me through it all," said the
-hunter, surveying his muscular limbs with a simplicity that betrayed
-the honest pleasure the compliment afforded him; "there are larger and
-heavier men to be found in the settlements, but you might travel many
-days in a city before you could meet one able to walk fifty miles
-without stopping to take breath, or who has kept the hounds within
-hearing during a chase of hours. However, as flesh and blood are not
-always the same, it is quite reasonable to suppose that the gentle ones
-are willing to rest, after all they have seen and done this day. Uncas,
-clear out the spring, while your father and I make a cover for their
-tender heads of these chestnut shoots, and a bed of grass and leaves."
-
-The dialogue ceased, while the hunter and his companions busied
-themselves in preparations for the comfort and protection of those they
-guided. A spring, which many long years before had induced the natives
-to select the place for their temporary fortification, was soon cleared
-of leaves, and a fountain of crystal gushed from the bed, diffusing
-its waters over the verdant hillock. A corner of the building was then
-roofed in such a manner as to exclude the heavy dew of the climate,
-and piles of sweet shrubs and dried leaves were laid beneath it for the
-sisters to repose on.
-
-While the diligent woodsmen were employed in this manner, Cora and
-Alice partook of that refreshment which duty required much more than
-inclination prompted them to accept. They then retired within the
-walls, and first offering up their thanksgivings for past mercies, and
-petitioning for a continuance of the Divine favor throughout the coming
-night, they laid their tender forms on the fragrant couch, and in spite
-of recollections and forebodings, soon sank into those slumbers which
-nature so imperiously demanded, and which were sweetened by hopes
-for the morrow. Duncan had prepared himself to pass the night in
-watchfulness near them, just without the ruin, but the scout, perceiving
-his intention, pointed toward Chingachgook, as he coolly disposed his
-own person on the grass, and said:
-
-"The eyes of a white man are too heavy and too blind for such a watch as
-this! The Mohican will be our sentinel, therefore let us sleep."
-
-"I proved myself a sluggard on my post during the past night," said
-Heyward, "and have less need of repose than you, who did more credit
-to the character of a soldier. Let all the party seek their rest, then,
-while I hold the guard."
-
-"If we lay among the white tents of the Sixtieth, and in front of an
-enemy like the French, I could not ask for a better watchman," returned
-the scout; "but in the darkness and among the signs of the wilderness
-your judgment would be like the folly of a child, and your vigilance
-thrown away. Do then, like Uncas and myself, sleep, and sleep in
-safety."
-
-Heyward perceived, in truth, that the younger Indian had thrown his form
-on the side of the hillock while they were talking, like one who sought
-to make the most of the time allotted to rest, and that his example had
-been followed by David, whose voice literally "clove to his jaws," with
-the fever of his wound, heightened, as it was, by their toilsome march.
-Unwilling to prolong a useless discussion, the young man affected to
-comply, by posting his back against the logs of the blockhouse, in a
-half recumbent posture, though resolutely determined, in his own mind,
-not to close an eye until he had delivered his precious charge into the
-arms of Munro himself. Hawkeye, believing he had prevailed, soon fell
-asleep, and a silence as deep as the solitude in which they had found
-it, pervaded the retired spot.
-
-For many minutes Duncan succeeded in keeping his senses on the alert,
-and alive to every moaning sound that arose from the forest. His vision
-became more acute as the shades of evening settled on the place; and
-even after the stars were glimmering above his head, he was able to
-distinguish the recumbent forms of his companions, as they lay stretched
-on the grass, and to note the person of Chingachgook, who sat upright
-and motionless as one of the trees which formed the dark barrier on
-every side. He still heard the gentle breathings of the sisters, who lay
-within a few feet of him, and not a leaf was ruffled by the passing
-air of which his ear did not detect the whispering sound. At length,
-however, the mournful notes of a whip-poor-will became blended with the
-moanings of an owl; his heavy eyes occasionally sought the bright rays
-of the stars, and he then fancied he saw them through the fallen lids.
-At instants of momentary wakefulness he mistook a bush for his associate
-sentinel; his head next sank upon his shoulder, which, in its turn,
-sought the support of the ground; and, finally, his whole person became
-relaxed and pliant, and the young man sank into a deep sleep, dreaming
-that he was a knight of ancient chivalry, holding his midnight vigils
-before the tent of a recaptured princess, whose favor he did not despair
-of gaining, by such a proof of devotion and watchfulness.
-
-How long the tired Duncan lay in this insensible state he never
-knew himself, but his slumbering visions had been long lost in total
-forgetfulness, when he was awakened by a light tap on the shoulder.
-Aroused by this signal, slight as it was, he sprang upon his feet with
-a confused recollection of the self-imposed duty he had assumed with the
-commencement of the night.
-
-"Who comes?" he demanded, feeling for his sword, at the place where it
-was usually suspended. "Speak! friend or enemy?"
-
-"Friend," replied the low voice of Chingachgook; who, pointing upward
-at the luminary which was shedding its mild light through the opening
-in the trees, directly in their bivouac, immediately added, in his rude
-English: "Moon comes and white man's fort far--far off; time to move,
-when sleep shuts both eyes of the Frenchman!"
-
-"You say true! Call up your friends, and bridle the horses while I
-prepare my own companions for the march!"
-
-"We are awake, Duncan," said the soft, silvery tones of Alice within the
-building, "and ready to travel very fast after so refreshing a sleep;
-but you have watched through the tedious night in our behalf, after
-having endured so much fatigue the livelong day!"
-
-"Say, rather, I would have watched, but my treacherous eyes betrayed me;
-twice have I proved myself unfit for the trust I bear."
-
-"Nay, Duncan, deny it not," interrupted the smiling Alice, issuing
-from the shadows of the building into the light of the moon, in all the
-loveliness of her freshened beauty; "I know you to be a heedless one,
-when self is the object of your care, and but too vigilant in favor of
-others. Can we not tarry here a little longer while you find the rest
-you need? Cheerfully, most cheerfully, will Cora and I keep the vigils,
-while you and all these brave men endeavor to snatch a little sleep!"
-
-"If shame could cure me of my drowsiness, I should never close an eye
-again," said the uneasy youth, gazing at the ingenuous countenance
-of Alice, where, however, in its sweet solicitude, he read nothing to
-confirm his half-awakened suspicion. "It is but too true, that after
-leading you into danger by my heedlessness, I have not even the merit of
-guarding your pillows as should become a soldier."
-
-"No one but Duncan himself should accuse Duncan of such a weakness. Go,
-then, and sleep; believe me, neither of us, weak girls as we are, will
-betray our watch."
-
-The young man was relieved from the awkwardness of making any further
-protestations of his own demerits, by an exclamation from Chingachgook,
-and the attitude of riveted attention assumed by his son.
-
-"The Mohicans hear an enemy!" whispered Hawkeye, who, by this time, in
-common with the whole party, was awake and stirring. "They scent danger
-in the wind!"
-
-"God forbid!" exclaimed Heyward. "Surely we have had enough of
-bloodshed!"
-
-While he spoke, however, the young soldier seized his rifle, and
-advancing toward the front, prepared to atone for his venial remissness,
-by freely exposing his life in defense of those he attended.
-
-"'Tis some creature of the forest prowling around us in quest of food,"
-he said, in a whisper, as soon as the low, and apparently distant
-sounds, which had startled the Mohicans, reached his own ears.
-
-"Hist!" returned the attentive scout; "'tis man; even I can now tell
-his tread, poor as my senses are when compared to an Indian's! That
-Scampering Huron has fallen in with one of Montcalm's outlying parties,
-and they have struck upon our trail. I shouldn't like, myself, to spill
-more human blood in this spot," he added, looking around with anxiety in
-his features, at the dim objects by which he was surrounded; "but what
-must be, must! Lead the horses into the blockhouse, Uncas; and, friends,
-do you follow to the same shelter. Poor and old as it is, it offers a
-cover, and has rung with the crack of a rifle afore to-night!"
-
-He was instantly obeyed, the Mohicans leading the Narrangansetts
-within the ruin, whither the whole party repaired with the most guarded
-silence.
-
-The sound of approaching footsteps were now too distinctly audible to
-leave any doubts as to the nature of the interruption. They were soon
-mingled with voices calling to each other in an Indian dialect, which
-the hunter, in a whisper, affirmed to Heyward was the language of the
-Hurons. When the party reached the point where the horses had entered
-the thicket which surrounded the blockhouse, they were evidently at
-fault, having lost those marks which, until that moment, had directed
-their pursuit.
-
-It would seem by the voices that twenty men were soon collected at that
-one spot, mingling their different opinions and advice in noisy clamor.
-
-"The knaves know our weakness," whispered Hawkeye, who stood by the side
-of Heyward, in deep shade, looking through an opening in the logs, "or
-they wouldn't indulge their idleness in such a squaw's march. Listen to
-the reptiles! each man among them seems to have two tongues, and but a
-single leg."
-
-Duncan, brave as he was in the combat, could not, in such a moment of
-painful suspense, make any reply to the cool and characteristic remark
-of the scout. He only grasped his rifle more firmly, and fastened his
-eyes upon the narrow opening, through which he gazed upon the moonlight
-view with increasing anxiety. The deeper tones of one who spoke as
-having authority were next heard, amid a silence that denoted the
-respect with which his orders, or rather advice, was received. After
-which, by the rustling of leaves, and crackling of dried twigs, it
-was apparent the savages were separating in pursuit of the lost trail.
-Fortunately for the pursued, the light of the moon, while it shed a
-flood of mild luster upon the little area around the ruin, was not
-sufficiently strong to penetrate the deep arches of the forest, where
-the objects still lay in deceptive shadow. The search proved fruitless;
-for so short and sudden had been the passage from the faint path the
-travelers had journeyed into the thicket, that every trace of their
-footsteps was lost in the obscurity of the woods.
-
-It was not long, however, before the restless savages were heard beating
-the brush, and gradually approaching the inner edge of that dense border
-of young chestnuts which encircled the little area.
-
-"They are coming," muttered Heyward, endeavoring to thrust his rifle
-through the chink in the logs; "let us fire on their approach."
-
-"Keep everything in the shade," returned the scout; "the snapping of
-a flint, or even the smell of a single karnel of the brimstone, would
-bring the hungry varlets upon us in a body. Should it please God that we
-must give battle for the scalps, trust to the experience of men who
-know the ways of the savages, and who are not often backward when the
-war-whoop is howled."
-
-Duncan cast his eyes behind him, and saw that the trembling sisters were
-cowering in the far corner of the building, while the Mohicans stood in
-the shadow, like two upright posts, ready, and apparently willing, to
-strike when the blow should be needed. Curbing his impatience, he again
-looked out upon the area, and awaited the result in silence. At that
-instant the thicket opened, and a tall and armed Huron advanced a few
-paces into the open space. As he gazed upon the silent blockhouse, the
-moon fell upon his swarthy countenance, and betrayed its surprise and
-curiosity. He made the exclamation which usually accompanies the former
-emotion in an Indian, and, calling in a low voice, soon drew a companion
-to his side.
-
-These children of the woods stood together for several moments pointing
-at the crumbling edifice, and conversing in the unintelligible language
-of their tribe. They then approached, though with slow and cautious
-steps, pausing every instant to look at the building, like startled deer
-whose curiosity struggled powerfully with their awakened apprehensions
-for the mastery. The foot of one of them suddenly rested on the mound,
-and he stopped to examine its nature. At this moment, Heyward observed
-that the scout loosened his knife in its sheath, and lowered the muzzle
-of his rifle. Imitating these movements, the young man prepared himself
-for the struggle which now seemed inevitable.
-
-The savages were so near, that the least motion in one of the horses, or
-even a breath louder than common, would have betrayed the fugitives. But
-in discovering the character of the mound, the attention of the Hurons
-appeared directed to a different object. They spoke together, and
-the sounds of their voices were low and solemn, as if influenced by a
-reverence that was deeply blended with awe. Then they drew warily back,
-keeping their eyes riveted on the ruin, as if they expected to see
-the apparitions of the dead issue from its silent walls, until, having
-reached the boundary of the area, they moved slowly into the thicket and
-disappeared.
-
-Hawkeye dropped the breech of his rifle to the earth, and drawing a
-long, free breath, exclaimed, in an audible whisper:
-
-"Ay! they respect the dead, and it has this time saved their own lives,
-and, it may be, the lives of better men too."
-
-Heyward lent his attention for a single moment to his companion, but
-without replying, he again turned toward those who just then interested
-him more. He heard the two Hurons leave the bushes, and it was soon
-plain that all the pursuers were gathered about them, in deep attention
-to their report. After a few minutes of earnest and solemn dialogue,
-altogether different from the noisy clamor with which they had first
-collected about the spot, the sounds grew fainter and more distant, and
-finally were lost in the depths of the forest.
-
-Hawkeye waited until a signal from the listening Chingachgook assured
-him that every sound from the retiring party was completely swallowed by
-the distance, when he motioned to Heyward to lead forth the horses, and
-to assist the sisters into their saddles. The instant this was done
-they issued through the broken gateway, and stealing out by a direction
-opposite to the one by which they entered, they quitted the spot, the
-sisters casting furtive glances at the silent, grave and crumbling ruin,
-as they left the soft light of the moon, to bury themselves in the gloom
-of the woods.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 14
-
-     "Guard.--Qui est la?
-     Puc.   --Paisans, pauvres gens de France."
-     --King Henry VI
-
-During the rapid movement from the blockhouse, and until the party was
-deeply buried in the forest, each individual was too much interested in
-the escape to hazard a word even in whispers. The scout resumed his
-post in advance, though his steps, after he had thrown a safe distance
-between himself and his enemies, were more deliberate than in their
-previous march, in consequence of his utter ignorance of the localities
-of the surrounding woods. More than once he halted to consult with his
-confederates, the Mohicans, pointing upward at the moon, and examining
-the barks of the trees with care. In these brief pauses, Heyward and the
-sisters listened, with senses rendered doubly acute by the danger, to
-detect any symptoms which might announce the proximity of their foes.
-At such moments, it seemed as if a vast range of country lay buried in
-eternal sleep; not the least sound arising from the forest, unless it
-was the distant and scarcely audible rippling of a water-course. Birds,
-beasts, and man, appeared to slumber alike, if, indeed, any of the
-latter were to be found in that wide tract of wilderness. But the sounds
-of the rivulet, feeble and murmuring as they were, relieved the guides
-at once from no trifling embarrassment, and toward it they immediately
-held their way.
-
-When the banks of the little stream were gained, Hawkeye made another
-halt; and taking the moccasins from his feet, he invited Heyward and
-Gamut to follow his example. He then entered the water, and for near an
-hour they traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no trail. The
-moon had already sunk into an immense pile of black clouds, which lay
-impending above the western horizon, when they issued from the low and
-devious water-course to rise again to the light and level of the sandy
-but wooded plain. Here the scout seemed to be once more at home, for he
-held on this way with the certainty and diligence of a man who moved in
-the security of his own knowledge. The path soon became more uneven, and
-the travelers could plainly perceive that the mountains drew nigher to
-them on each hand, and that they were, in truth, about entering one of
-their gorges. Suddenly, Hawkeye made a pause, and, waiting until he
-was joined by the whole party, he spoke, though in tones so low and
-cautious, that they added to the solemnity of his words, in the quiet
-and darkness of the place.
-
-"It is easy to know the pathways, and to find the licks and
-water-courses of the wilderness," he said; "but who that saw this spot
-could venture to say, that a mighty army was at rest among yonder silent
-trees and barren mountains?"
-
-"We are, then, at no great distance from William Henry?" said Heyward,
-advancing nigher to the scout.
-
-"It is yet a long and weary path, and when and where to strike it is
-now our greatest difficulty. See," he said, pointing through the trees
-toward a spot where a little basin of water reflected the stars from its
-placid bosom, "here is the 'bloody pond'; and I am on ground that I have
-not only often traveled, but over which I have fou't the enemy, from the
-rising to the setting sun."
-
-"Ha! that sheet of dull and dreary water, then, is the sepulcher of the
-brave men who fell in the contest. I have heard it named, but never have
-I stood on its banks before."
-
-"Three battles did we make with the Dutch-Frenchman* in a day,"
-continued Hawkeye, pursuing the train of his own thoughts, rather than
-replying to the remark of Duncan. "He met us hard by, in our outward
-march to ambush his advance, and scattered us, like driven deer, through
-the defile, to the shores of Horican. Then we rallied behind our fallen
-trees, and made head against him, under Sir William--who was made Sir
-William for that very deed; and well did we pay him for the disgrace
-of the morning! Hundreds of Frenchmen saw the sun that day for the last
-time; and even their leader, Dieskau himself, fell into our hands, so
-cut and torn with the lead, that he has gone back to his own country,
-unfit for further acts in war."
-
-     * Baron Dieskau, a German, in the service of France. A few
-     years previously to the period of the tale, this officer was
-     defeated by Sir William Johnson, of Johnstown, New York, on
-     the shores of Lake George.
-
-"'Twas a noble repulse!" exclaimed Heyward, in the heat of his youthful
-ardor; "the fame of it reached us early, in our southern army."
-
-"Ay! but it did not end there. I was sent by Major Effingham, at Sir
-William's own bidding, to outflank the French, and carry the tidings
-of their disaster across the portage, to the fort on the Hudson. Just
-hereaway, where you see the trees rise into a mountain swell, I met a
-party coming down to our aid, and I led them where the enemy were taking
-their meal, little dreaming that they had not finished the bloody work
-of the day."
-
-"And you surprised them?"
-
-"If death can be a surprise to men who are thinking only of the cravings
-of their appetites. We gave them but little breathing time, for they had
-borne hard upon us in the fight of the morning, and there were few in
-our party who had not lost friend or relative by their hands."
-
-"When all was over, the dead, and some say the dying, were cast into
-that little pond. These eyes have seen its waters colored with blood, as
-natural water never yet flowed from the bowels of the 'arth."
-
-"It was a convenient, and, I trust, will prove a peaceful grave for a
-soldier. You have then seen much service on this frontier?"
-
-"Ay!" said the scout, erecting his tall person with an air of military
-pride; "there are not many echoes among these hills that haven't rung
-with the crack of my rifle, nor is there the space of a square mile
-atwixt Horican and the river, that 'killdeer' hasn't dropped a living
-body on, be it an enemy or be it a brute beast. As for the grave there
-being as quiet as you mention, it is another matter. There are them
-in the camp who say and think, man, to lie still, should not be buried
-while the breath is in the body; and certain it is that in the hurry of
-that evening, the doctors had but little time to say who was living and
-who was dead. Hist! see you nothing walking on the shore of the pond?"
-
-"'Tis not probable that any are as houseless as ourselves in this dreary
-forest."
-
-"Such as he may care but little for house or shelter, and night dew can
-never wet a body that passes its days in the water," returned the scout,
-grasping the shoulder of Heyward with such convulsive strength as to
-make the young soldier painfully sensible how much superstitious terror
-had got the mastery of a man usually so dauntless.
-
-"By heaven, there is a human form, and it approaches! Stand to your
-arms, my friends; for we know not whom we encounter."
-
-"Qui vive?" demanded a stern, quick voice, which sounded like a
-challenge from another world, issuing out of that solitary and solemn
-place.
-
-"What says it?" whispered the scout; "it speaks neither Indian nor
-English."
-
-"Qui vive?" repeated the same voice, which was quickly followed by the
-rattling of arms, and a menacing attitude.
-
-"France!" cried Heyward, advancing from the shadow of the trees to the
-shore of the pond, within a few yards of the sentinel.
-
-"D'ou venez-vous--ou allez-vous, d'aussi bonne heure?" demanded the
-grenadier, in the language and with the accent of a man from old France.
-
-"Je viens de la decouverte, et je vais me coucher."
-
-"Etes-vous officier du roi?"
-
-"Sans doute, mon camarade; me prends-tu pour un provincial! Je suis
-capitaine de chasseurs (Heyward well knew that the other was of a
-regiment in the line); j'ai ici, avec moi, les filles du commandant
-de la fortification. Aha! tu en as entendu parler! je les ai fait
-prisonnieres pres de l'autre fort, et je les conduis au general."
-
-"Ma foi! mesdames; j'en suis fâche pour vous," exclaimed the young
-soldier, touching his cap with grace; "mais--fortune de guerre! vous
-trouverez notre general un brave homme, et bien poli avec les dames."
-
-"C'est le caractere des gens de guerre," said Cora, with admirable
-self-possession. "Adieu, mon ami; je vous souhaiterais un devoir plus
-agreable a remplir."
-
-The soldier made a low and humble acknowledgment for her civility; and
-Heyward adding a "Bonne nuit, mon camarade," they moved deliberately
-forward, leaving the sentinel pacing the banks of the silent pond,
-little suspecting an enemy of so much effrontery, and humming to himself
-those words which were recalled to his mind by the sight of women, and,
-perhaps, by recollections of his own distant and beautiful France: "Vive
-le vin, vive l'amour," etc., etc.
-
-"'Tis well you understood the knave!" whispered the scout, when they had
-gained a little distance from the place, and letting his rifle fall into
-the hollow of his arm again; "I soon saw that he was one of them uneasy
-Frenchers; and well for him it was that his speech was friendly and his
-wishes kind, or a place might have been found for his bones among those
-of his countrymen."
-
-He was interrupted by a long and heavy groan which arose from the little
-basin, as though, in truth, the spirits of the departed lingered about
-their watery sepulcher.
-
-"Surely it was of flesh," continued the scout; "no spirit could handle
-its arms so steadily."
-
-"It was of flesh; but whether the poor fellow still belongs to this
-world may well be doubted," said Heyward, glancing his eyes around him,
-and missing Chingachgook from their little band. Another groan more
-faint than the former was succeeded by a heavy and sullen plunge into
-the water, and all was still again as if the borders of the dreary pool
-had never been awakened from the silence of creation. While they yet
-hesitated in uncertainty, the form of the Indian was seen gliding out of
-the thicket. As the chief rejoined them, with one hand he attached the
-reeking scalp of the unfortunate young Frenchman to his girdle, and with
-the other he replaced the knife and tomahawk that had drunk his blood.
-He then took his wonted station, with the air of a man who believed he
-had done a deed of merit.
-
-The scout dropped one end of his rifle to the earth, and leaning his
-hands on the other, he stood musing in profound silence. Then, shaking
-his head in a mournful manner, he muttered:
-
-"'Twould have been a cruel and an unhuman act for a white-skin; but 'tis
-the gift and natur' of an Indian, and I suppose it should not be denied.
-I could wish, though, it had befallen an accursed Mingo, rather than
-that gay young boy from the old countries."
-
-"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive the unconscious sisters might
-comprehend the nature of the detention, and conquering his disgust by a
-train of reflections very much like that of the hunter; "'tis done; and
-though better it were left undone, cannot be amended. You see, we are,
-too obviously within the sentinels of the enemy; what course do you
-propose to follow?"
-
-"Yes," said Hawkeye, rousing himself again; "'tis as you say, too late
-to harbor further thoughts about it. Ay, the French have gathered around
-the fort in good earnest and we have a delicate needle to thread in
-passing them."
-
-"And but little time to do it in," added Heyward, glancing his eyes
-upwards, toward the bank of vapor that concealed the setting moon.
-
-"And little time to do it in!" repeated the scout. "The thing may be
-done in two fashions, by the help of Providence, without which it may
-not be done at all."
-
-"Name them quickly for time presses."
-
-"One would be to dismount the gentle ones, and let their beasts range
-the plain, by sending the Mohicans in front, we might then cut a lane
-through their sentries, and enter the fort over the dead bodies."
-
-"It will not do--it will not do!" interrupted the generous Heyward;
-"a soldier might force his way in this manner, but never with such a
-convoy."
-
-"'Twould be, indeed, a bloody path for such tender feet to wade in,"
-returned the equally reluctant scout; "but I thought it befitting my
-manhood to name it. We must, then, turn in our trail and get without the
-line of their lookouts, when we will bend short to the west, and enter
-the mountains; where I can hide you, so that all the devil's hounds in
-Montcalm's pay would be thrown off the scent for months to come."
-
-"Let it be done, and that instantly."
-
-Further words were unnecessary; for Hawkeye, merely uttering the mandate
-to "follow," moved along the route by which they had just entered their
-present critical and even dangerous situation. Their progress, like
-their late dialogue, was guarded, and without noise; for none knew at
-what moment a passing patrol, or a crouching picket of the enemy, might
-rise upon their path. As they held their silent way along the margin
-of the pond, again Heyward and the scout stole furtive glances at its
-appalling dreariness. They looked in vain for the form they had so
-recently seen stalking along in silent shores, while a low and regular
-wash of the little waves, by announcing that the waters were not yet
-subsided, furnished a frightful memorial of the deed of blood they had
-just witnessed. Like all that passing and gloomy scene, the low basin,
-however, quickly melted in the darkness, and became blended with the
-mass of black objects in the rear of the travelers.
-
-Hawkeye soon deviated from the line of their retreat, and striking off
-towards the mountains which form the western boundary of the narrow
-plain, he led his followers, with swift steps, deep within the shadows
-that were cast from their high and broken summits. The route was now
-painful; lying over ground ragged with rocks, and intersected with
-ravines, and their progress proportionately slow. Bleak and black
-hills lay on every side of them, compensating in some degree for the
-additional toil of the march by the sense of security they imparted. At
-length the party began slowly to rise a steep and rugged ascent, by a
-path that curiously wound among rocks and trees, avoiding the one and
-supported by the other, in a manner that showed it had been devised by
-men long practised in the arts of the wilderness. As they gradually rose
-from the level of the valleys, the thick darkness which usually precedes
-the approach of day began to disperse, and objects were seen in the
-plain and palpable colors with which they had been gifted by nature.
-When they issued from the stunted woods which clung to the barren sides
-of the mountain, upon a flat and mossy rock that formed its summit, they
-met the morning, as it came blushing above the green pines of a hill
-that lay on the opposite side of the valley of the Horican.
-
-The scout now told the sisters to dismount; and taking the bridles from
-the mouths, and the saddles off the backs of the jaded beasts, he turned
-them loose, to glean a scanty subsistence among the shrubs and meager
-herbage of that elevated region.
-
-"Go," he said, "and seek your food where natur' gives it to you; and
-beware that you become not food to ravenous wolves yourselves, among
-these hills."
-
-"Have we no further need of them?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"See, and judge with your own eyes," said the scout, advancing toward
-the eastern brow of the mountain, whither he beckoned for the whole
-party to follow; "if it was as easy to look into the heart of man as
-it is to spy out the nakedness of Montcalm's camp from this spot,
-hypocrites would grow scarce, and the cunning of a Mingo might prove a
-losing game, compared to the honesty of a Delaware."
-
-When the travelers reached the verge of the precipices they saw, at
-a glance, the truth of the scout's declaration, and the admirable
-foresight with which he had led them to their commanding station.
-
-The mountain on which they stood, elevated perhaps a thousand feet in
-the air, was a high cone that rose a little in advance of that range
-which stretches for miles along the western shores of the lake, until
-meeting its sisters miles beyond the water, it ran off toward the
-Canadas, in confused and broken masses of rock, thinly sprinkled with
-evergreens. Immediately at the feet of the party, the southern shore
-of the Horican swept in a broad semicircle from mountain to mountain,
-marking a wide strand, that soon rose into an uneven and somewhat
-elevated plain. To the north stretched the limpid, and, as it appeared
-from that dizzy height, the narrow sheet of the "holy lake," indented
-with numberless bays, embellished by fantastic headlands, and dotted
-with countless islands. At the distance of a few leagues, the bed of the
-water became lost among mountains, or was wrapped in the masses of vapor
-that came slowly rolling along their bosom, before a light morning air.
-But a narrow opening between the crests of the hills pointed out the
-passage by which they found their way still further north, to spread
-their pure and ample sheets again, before pouring out their tribute
-into the distant Champlain. To the south stretched the defile, or rather
-broken plain, so often mentioned. For several miles in this direction,
-the mountains appeared reluctant to yield their dominion, but within
-reach of the eye they diverged, and finally melted into the level and
-sandy lands, across which we have accompanied our adventurers in their
-double journey. Along both ranges of hills, which bounded the opposite
-sides of the lake and valley, clouds of light vapor were rising in
-spiral wreaths from the uninhabited woods, looking like the smoke of
-hidden cottages; or rolled lazily down the declivities, to mingle with
-the fogs of the lower land. A single, solitary, snow-white cloud floated
-above the valley, and marked the spot beneath which lay the silent pool
-of the "bloody pond."
-
-Directly on the shore of the lake, and nearer to its western than to its
-eastern margin, lay the extensive earthen ramparts and low buildings
-of William Henry. Two of the sweeping bastions appeared to rest on
-the water which washed their bases, while a deep ditch and extensive
-morasses guarded its other sides and angles. The land had been cleared
-of wood for a reasonable distance around the work, but every other part
-of the scene lay in the green livery of nature, except where the limpid
-water mellowed the view, or the bold rocks thrust their black and naked
-heads above the undulating outline of the mountain ranges. In its front
-might be seen the scattered sentinels, who held a weary watch against
-their numerous foes; and within the walls themselves, the travelers
-looked down upon men still drowsy with a night of vigilance. Toward the
-southeast, but in immediate contact with the fort, was an entrenched
-camp, posted on a rocky eminence, that would have been far more eligible
-for the work itself, in which Hawkeye pointed out the presence of
-those auxiliary regiments that had so recently left the Hudson in their
-company. From the woods, a little further to the south, rose numerous
-dark and lurid smokes, that were easily to be distinguished from the
-purer exhalations of the springs, and which the scout also showed to
-Heyward, as evidences that the enemy lay in force in that direction.
-
-But the spectacle which most concerned the young soldier was on the
-western bank of the lake, though quite near to its southern termination.
-On a strip of land, which appeared from his stand too narrow to contain
-such an army, but which, in truth, extended many hundreds of yards from
-the shores of the Horican to the base of the mountain, were to be seen
-the white tents and military engines of an encampment of ten thousand
-men. Batteries were already thrown up in their front, and even while the
-spectators above them were looking down, with such different emotions,
-on a scene which lay like a map beneath their feet, the roar of
-artillery rose from the valley, and passed off in thundering echoes
-along the eastern hills.
-
-"Morning is just touching them below," said the deliberate and musing
-scout, "and the watchers have a mind to wake up the sleepers by the
-sound of cannon. We are a few hours too late! Montcalm has already
-filled the woods with his accursed Iroquois."
-
-"The place is, indeed, invested," returned Duncan; "but is there no
-expedient by which we may enter? capture in the works would be far
-preferable to falling again into the hands of roving Indians."
-
-"See!" exclaimed the scout, unconsciously directing the attention of
-Cora to the quarters of her own father, "how that shot has made the
-stones fly from the side of the commandant's house! Ay! these Frenchers
-will pull it to pieces faster than it was put together, solid and thick
-though it be!"
-
-"Heyward, I sicken at the sight of danger that I cannot share," said
-the undaunted but anxious daughter. "Let us go to Montcalm, and demand
-admission: he dare not deny a child the boon."
-
-"You would scarce find the tent of the Frenchman with the hair on your
-head"; said the blunt scout. "If I had but one of the thousand boats
-which lie empty along that shore, it might be done! Ha! here will soon
-be an end of the firing, for yonder comes a fog that will turn day to
-night, and make an Indian arrow more dangerous than a molded cannon.
-Now, if you are equal to the work, and will follow, I will make a push;
-for I long to get down into that camp, if it be only to scatter some
-Mingo dogs that I see lurking in the skirts of yonder thicket of birch."
-
-"We are equal," said Cora, firmly; "on such an errand we will follow to
-any danger."
-
-The scout turned to her with a smile of honest and cordial approbation,
-as he answered:
-
-"I would I had a thousand men, of brawny limbs and quick eyes, that
-feared death as little as you! I'd send them jabbering Frenchers back
-into their den again, afore the week was ended, howling like so many
-fettered hounds or hungry wolves. But, sir," he added, turning from her
-to the rest of the party, "the fog comes rolling down so fast, we shall
-have but just the time to meet it on the plain, and use it as a cover.
-Remember, if any accident should befall me, to keep the air blowing on
-your left cheeks--or, rather, follow the Mohicans; they'd scent their
-way, be it in day or be it at night."
-
-He then waved his hand for them to follow, and threw himself down the
-steep declivity, with free, but careful footsteps. Heyward assisted
-the sisters to descend, and in a few minutes they were all far down a
-mountain whose sides they had climbed with so much toil and pain.
-
-The direction taken by Hawkeye soon brought the travelers to the level
-of the plain, nearly opposite to a sally-port in the western curtain of
-the fort, which lay itself at the distance of about half a mile from
-the point where he halted to allow Duncan to come up with his charge.
-In their eagerness, and favored by the nature of the ground, they had
-anticipated the fog, which was rolling heavily down the lake, and it
-became necessary to pause, until the mists had wrapped the camp of the
-enemy in their fleecy mantle. The Mohicans profited by the delay, to
-steal out of the woods, and to make a survey of surrounding objects.
-They were followed at a little distance by the scout, with a view to
-profit early by their report, and to obtain some faint knowledge for
-himself of the more immediate localities.
-
-In a very few moments he returned, his face reddened with vexation,
-while he muttered his disappointment in words of no very gentle import.
-
-"Here has the cunning Frenchman been posting a picket directly in our
-path," he said; "red-skins and whites; and we shall be as likely to fall
-into their midst as to pass them in the fog!"
-
-"Cannot we make a circuit to avoid the danger," asked Heyward, "and come
-into our path again when it is passed?"
-
-"Who that once bends from the line of his march in a fog can tell when
-or how to find it again! The mists of Horican are not like the curls
-from a peace-pipe, or the smoke which settles above a mosquito fire."
-
-He was yet speaking, when a crashing sound was heard, and a cannon-ball
-entered the thicket, striking the body of a sapling, and rebounding to
-the earth, its force being much expended by previous resistance.
-The Indians followed instantly like busy attendants on the terrible
-messenger, and Uncas commenced speaking earnestly and with much action,
-in the Delaware tongue.
-
-"It may be so, lad," muttered the scout, when he had ended; "for
-desperate fevers are not to be treated like a toothache. Come, then, the
-fog is shutting in."
-
-"Stop!" cried Heyward; "first explain your expectations."
-
-"'Tis soon done, and a small hope it is; but it is better than nothing.
-This shot that you see," added the scout, kicking the harmless iron with
-his foot, "has plowed the 'arth in its road from the fort, and we shall
-hunt for the furrow it has made, when all other signs may fail. No more
-words, but follow, or the fog may leave us in the middle of our path, a
-mark for both armies to shoot at."
-
-Heyward perceiving that, in fact, a crisis had arrived, when acts were
-more required than words, placed himself between the sisters, and drew
-them swiftly forward, keeping the dim figure of their leader in his eye.
-It was soon apparent that Hawkeye had not magnified the power of the
-fog, for before they had proceeded twenty yards, it was difficult for
-the different individuals of the party to distinguish each other in the
-vapor.
-
-They had made their little circuit to the left, and were already
-inclining again toward the right, having, as Heyward thought, got over
-nearly half the distance to the friendly works, when his ears were
-saluted with the fierce summons, apparently within twenty feet of them,
-of:
-
-"Qui va la?"
-
-"Push on!" whispered the scout, once more bending to the left.
-
-"Push on!" repeated Heyward; when the summons was renewed by a dozen
-voices, each of which seemed charged with menace.
-
-"C'est moi," cried Duncan, dragging rather than leading those he
-supported swiftly onward.
-
-"Bete!--qui?--moi!"
-
-"Ami de la France."
-
-"Tu m'as plus l'air d'un ennemi de la France; arrete ou pardieu je te
-ferai ami du diable. Non! feu, camarades, feu!"
-
-The order was instantly obeyed, and the fog was stirred by the explosion
-of fifty muskets. Happily, the aim was bad, and the bullets cut the
-air in a direction a little different from that taken by the fugitives;
-though still so nigh them, that to the unpractised ears of David and the
-two females, it appeared as if they whistled within a few inches of the
-organs. The outcry was renewed, and the order, not only to fire again,
-but to pursue, was too plainly audible. When Heyward briefly explained
-the meaning of the words they heard, Hawkeye halted and spoke with quick
-decision and great firmness.
-
-"Let us deliver our fire," he said; "they will believe it a sortie, and
-give way, or they will wait for reinforcements."
-
-The scheme was well conceived, but failed in its effects. The instant
-the French heard the pieces, it seemed as if the plain was alive with
-men, muskets rattling along its whole extent, from the shores of the
-lake to the furthest boundary of the woods.
-
-"We shall draw their entire army upon us, and bring on a general
-assault," said Duncan: "lead on, my friend, for your own life and ours."
-
-The scout seemed willing to comply; but, in the hurry of the moment, and
-in the change of position, he had lost the direction. In vain he turned
-either cheek toward the light air; they felt equally cool. In this
-dilemma, Uncas lighted on the furrow of the cannon ball, where it had
-cut the ground in three adjacent ant-hills.
-
-"Give me the range!" said Hawkeye, bending to catch a glimpse of the
-direction, and then instantly moving onward.
-
-Cries, oaths, voices calling to each other, and the reports of muskets,
-were now quick and incessant, and, apparently, on every side of them.
-Suddenly a strong glare of light flashed across the scene, the fog
-rolled upward in thick wreaths, and several cannons belched across the
-plain, and the roar was thrown heavily back from the bellowing echoes of
-the mountain.
-
-"'Tis from the fort!" exclaimed Hawkeye, turning short on his tracks;
-"and we, like stricken fools, were rushing to the woods, under the very
-knives of the Maquas."
-
-The instant their mistake was rectified, the whole party retraced the
-error with the utmost diligence. Duncan willingly relinquished the
-support of Cora to the arm of Uncas and Cora as readily accepted the
-welcome assistance. Men, hot and angry in pursuit, were evidently on
-their footsteps, and each instant threatened their capture, if not their
-destruction.
-
-"Point de quartier aux coquins!" cried an eager pursuer, who seemed to
-direct the operations of the enemy.
-
-"Stand firm, and be ready, my gallant Sixtieths!" suddenly exclaimed
-a voice above them; "wait to see the enemy, fire low and sweep the
-glacis."
-
-"Father! father!" exclaimed a piercing cry from out the mist: "it is I!
-Alice! thy own Elsie! Spare, oh! save your daughters!"
-
-"Hold!" shouted the former speaker, in the awful tones of parental
-agony, the sound reaching even to the woods, and rolling back in solemn
-echo. "'Tis she! God has restored me to my children! Throw open the
-sally-port; to the field, Sixtieths, to the field; pull not a trigger,
-lest ye kill my lambs! Drive off these dogs of France with your steel."
-
-Duncan heard the grating of the rusty hinges, and darting to the spot,
-directed by the sound, he met a long line of dark red warriors, passing
-swiftly toward the glacis. He knew them for his own battalion of the
-Royal Americans, and flying to their head, soon swept every trace of his
-pursuers from before the works.
-
-For an instant, Cora and Alice had stood trembling and bewildered by
-this unexpected desertion; but before either had leisure for speech, or
-even thought, an officer of gigantic frame, whose locks were bleached
-with years and service, but whose air of military grandeur had been
-rather softened than destroyed by time, rushed out of the body of mist,
-and folded them to his bosom, while large scalding tears rolled down his
-pale and wrinkled cheeks, and he exclaimed, in the peculiar accent of
-Scotland:
-
-"For this I thank thee, Lord! Let danger come as it will, thy servant is
-now prepared!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 15
-
-     "Then go we in, to know his embassy;
-     Which I could, with ready guess, declare,
-     Before the Frenchmen speak a word of it."
-     --King Henry V
-
-A few succeeding days were passed amid the privations, the uproar,
-and the dangers of the siege, which was vigorously pressed by a
-power, against whose approaches Munro possessed no competent means of
-resistance. It appeared as if Webb, with his army, which lay slumbering
-on the banks of the Hudson, had utterly forgotten the strait to which
-his countrymen were reduced. Montcalm had filled the woods of the
-portage with his savages, every yell and whoop from whom rang through
-the British encampment, chilling the hearts of men who were already but
-too much disposed to magnify the danger.
-
-Not so, however, with the besieged. Animated by the words, and
-stimulated by the examples of their leaders, they had found their
-courage, and maintained their ancient reputation, with a zeal that did
-justice to the stern character of their commander. As if satisfied with
-the toil of marching through the wilderness to encounter his enemy, the
-French general, though of approved skill, had neglected to seize the
-adjacent mountains; whence the besieged might have been exterminated
-with impunity, and which, in the more modern warfare of the country,
-would not have been neglected for a single hour. This sort of contempt
-for eminences, or rather dread of the labor of ascending them, might
-have been termed the besetting weakness of the warfare of the period. It
-originated in the simplicity of the Indian contests, in which, from the
-nature of the combats, and the density of the forests, fortresses were
-rare, and artillery next to useless. The carelessness engendered by
-these usages descended even to the war of the Revolution and lost the
-States the important fortress of Ticonderoga opening a way for the army
-of Burgoyne into what was then the bosom of the country. We look back at
-this ignorance, or infatuation, whichever it may be called, with wonder,
-knowing that the neglect of an eminence, whose difficulties, like those
-of Mount Defiance, have been so greatly exaggerated, would, at the
-present time, prove fatal to the reputation of the engineer who had
-planned the works at their base, or to that of the general whose lot it
-was to defend them.
-
-The tourist, the valetudinarian, or the amateur of the beauties of
-nature, who, in the train of his four-in-hand, now rolls through the
-scenes we have attempted to describe, in quest of information, health,
-or pleasure, or floats steadily toward his object on those artificial
-waters which have sprung up under the administration of a statesman* who
-has dared to stake his political character on the hazardous issue, is
-not to suppose that his ancestors traversed those hills, or struggled
-with the same currents with equal facility. The transportation of a
-single heavy gun was often considered equal to a victory gained; if
-happily, the difficulties of the passage had not so far separated it
-from its necessary concomitant, the ammunition, as to render it no more
-than a useless tube of unwieldy iron.
-
-     * Evidently the late De Witt Clinton, who died governor of
-     New York in 1828.
-
-The evils of this state of things pressed heavily on the fortunes of the
-resolute Scotsman who now defended William Henry. Though his adversary
-neglected the hills, he had planted his batteries with judgment on the
-plain, and caused them to be served with vigor and skill. Against
-this assault, the besieged could only oppose the imperfect and hasty
-preparations of a fortress in the wilderness.
-
-It was in the afternoon of the fifth day of the siege, and the fourth of
-his own service in it, that Major Heyward profited by a parley that
-had just been beaten, by repairing to the ramparts of one of the water
-bastions, to breathe the cool air from the lake, and to take a survey
-of the progress of the siege. He was alone, if the solitary sentinel who
-paced the mound be excepted; for the artillerists had hastened also to
-profit by the temporary suspension of their arduous duties. The evening
-was delightfully calm, and the light air from the limpid water fresh and
-soothing. It seemed as if, with the termination of the roar of artillery
-and the plunging of shot, nature had also seized the moment to assume
-her mildest and most captivating form. The sun poured down his parting
-glory on the scene, without the oppression of those fierce rays that
-belong to the climate and the season. The mountains looked green,
-and fresh, and lovely, tempered with the milder light, or softened in
-shadow, as thin vapors floated between them and the sun. The numerous
-islands rested on the bosom of the Horican, some low and sunken, as if
-embedded in the waters, and others appearing to hover about the element,
-in little hillocks of green velvet; among which the fishermen of the
-beleaguering army peacefully rowed their skiffs, or floated at rest on
-the glassy mirror in quiet pursuit of their employment.
-
-The scene was at once animated and still. All that pertained to nature
-was sweet, or simply grand; while those parts which depended on the
-temper and movements of man were lively and playful.
-
-Two little spotless flags were abroad, the one on a salient angle of the
-fort, and the other on the advanced battery of the besiegers; emblems of
-the truth which existed, not only to the acts, but it would seem, also,
-to the enmity of the combatants.
-
-Behind these again swung, heavily opening and closing in silken folds,
-the rival standards of England and France.
-
-A hundred gay and thoughtless young Frenchmen were drawing a net to the
-pebbly beach, within dangerous proximity to the sullen but silent cannon
-of the fort, while the eastern mountain was sending back the loud shouts
-and gay merriment that attended their sport. Some were rushing eagerly
-to enjoy the aquatic games of the lake, and others were already toiling
-their way up the neighboring hills, with the restless curiosity of their
-nation. To all these sports and pursuits, those of the enemy who watched
-the besieged, and the besieged themselves, were, however, merely the
-idle though sympathizing spectators. Here and there a picket had,
-indeed, raised a song, or mingled in a dance, which had drawn the
-dusky savages around them, from their lairs in the forest. In short,
-everything wore rather the appearance of a day of pleasure, than of
-an hour stolen from the dangers and toil of a bloody and vindictive
-warfare.
-
-Duncan had stood in a musing attitude, contemplating this scene a few
-minutes, when his eyes were directed to the glacis in front of the
-sally-port already mentioned, by the sounds of approaching footsteps. He
-walked to an angle of the bastion, and beheld the scout advancing,
-under the custody of a French officer, to the body of the fort. The
-countenance of Hawkeye was haggard and careworn, and his air dejected,
-as though he felt the deepest degradation at having fallen into the
-power of his enemies. He was without his favorite weapon, and his arms
-were even bound behind him with thongs, made of the skin of a deer. The
-arrival of flags to cover the messengers of summons, had occurred so
-often of late, that when Heyward first threw his careless glance on this
-group, he expected to see another of the officers of the enemy, charged
-with a similar office but the instant he recognized the tall person and
-still sturdy though downcast features of his friend, the woodsman, he
-started with surprise, and turned to descend from the bastion into the
-bosom of the work.
-
-The sounds of other voices, however, caught his attention, and for a
-moment caused him to forget his purpose. At the inner angle of the mound
-he met the sisters, walking along the parapet, in search, like himself,
-of air and relief from confinement. They had not met from that painful
-moment when he deserted them on the plain, only to assure their safety.
-He had parted from them worn with care, and jaded with fatigue; he now
-saw them refreshed and blooming, though timid and anxious. Under such an
-inducement it will cause no surprise that the young man lost sight for
-a time, of other objects in order to address them. He was, however,
-anticipated by the voice of the ingenuous and youthful Alice.
-
-"Ah! thou tyrant! thou recreant knight! he who abandons his damsels
-in the very lists," she cried; "here have we been days, nay, ages,
-expecting you at our feet, imploring mercy and forgetfulness of your
-craven backsliding, or I should rather say, backrunning--for verily you
-fled in the manner that no stricken deer, as our worthy friend the scout
-would say, could equal!"
-
-"You know that Alice means our thanks and our blessings," added the
-graver and more thoughtful Cora. "In truth, we have a little wonder why
-you should so rigidly absent yourself from a place where the gratitude
-of the daughters might receive the support of a parent's thanks."
-
-"Your father himself could tell you, that, though absent from your
-presence, I have not been altogether forgetful of your safety," returned
-the young man; "the mastery of yonder village of huts," pointing to the
-neighboring entrenched camp, "has been keenly disputed; and he who holds
-it is sure to be possessed of this fort, and that which it contains. My
-days and nights have all been passed there since we separated, because
-I thought that duty called me thither. But," he added, with an air of
-chagrin, which he endeavored, though unsuccessfully, to conceal, "had
-I been aware that what I then believed a soldier's conduct could be so
-construed, shame would have been added to the list of reasons."
-
-"Heyward! Duncan!" exclaimed Alice, bending forward to read his
-half-averted countenance, until a lock of her golden hair rested on her
-flushed cheek, and nearly concealed the tear that had started to her
-eye; "did I think this idle tongue of mine had pained you, I would
-silence it forever. Cora can say, if Cora would, how justly we have
-prized your services, and how deep--I had almost said, how fervent--is
-our gratitude."
-
-"And will Cora attest the truth of this?" cried Duncan, suffering the
-cloud to be chased from his countenance by a smile of open pleasure.
-"What says our graver sister? Will she find an excuse for the neglect of
-the knight in the duty of a soldier?"
-
-Cora made no immediate answer, but turned her face toward the water, as
-if looking on the sheet of the Horican. When she did bend her dark eyes
-on the young man, they were yet filled with an expression of anguish
-that at once drove every thought but that of kind solicitude from his
-mind.
-
-"You are not well, dearest Miss Munro!" he exclaimed; "we have trifled
-while you are in suffering!"
-
-"'Tis nothing," she answered, refusing his support with feminine
-reserve. "That I cannot see the sunny side of the picture of life, like
-this artless but ardent enthusiast," she added, laying her hand lightly,
-but affectionately, on the arm of her sister, "is the penalty of
-experience, and, perhaps, the misfortune of my nature. See," she
-continued, as if determined to shake off infirmity, in a sense of duty;
-"look around you, Major Heyward, and tell me what a prospect is this for
-the daughter of a soldier whose greatest happiness is his honor and his
-military renown."
-
-"Neither ought nor shall be tarnished by circumstances over which he has
-had no control," Duncan warmly replied. "But your words recall me to my
-own duty. I go now to your gallant father, to hear his determination
-in matters of the last moment to the defense. God bless you in every
-fortune, noble--Cora--I may and must call you." She frankly gave him her
-hand, though her lip quivered, and her cheeks gradually became of ashly
-paleness. "In every fortune, I know you will be an ornament and honor
-to your sex. Alice, adieu"--his voice changed from admiration to
-tenderness--"adieu, Alice; we shall soon meet again; as conquerors, I
-trust, and amid rejoicings!"
-
-Without waiting for an answer from either, the young man threw himself
-down the grassy steps of the bastion, and moving rapidly across the
-parade, he was quickly in the presence of their father. Munro was pacing
-his narrow apartment with a disturbed air and gigantic strides as Duncan
-entered.
-
-"You have anticipated my wishes, Major Heyward," he said; "I was about
-to request this favor."
-
-"I am sorry to see, sir, that the messenger I so warmly recommended has
-returned in custody of the French! I hope there is no reason to distrust
-his fidelity?"
-
-"The fidelity of 'The Long Rifle' is well known to me," returned Munro,
-"and is above suspicion; though his usual good fortune seems, at last,
-to have failed. Montcalm has got him, and with the accursed politeness
-of his nation, he has sent him in with a doleful tale, of 'knowing how
-I valued the fellow, he could not think of retaining him.' A Jesuitical
-way that, Major Duncan Heyward, of telling a man of his misfortunes!"
-
-"But the general and his succor?"
-
-"Did ye look to the south as ye entered, and could ye not see them?"
-said the old soldier, laughing bitterly.
-
-"Hoot! hoot! you're an impatient boy, sir, and cannot give the gentlemen
-leisure for their march!"
-
-"They are coming, then? The scout has said as much?"
-
-"When? and by what path? for the dunce has omitted to tell me this.
-There is a letter, it would seem, too; and that is the only agreeable
-part of the matter. For the customary attentions of your Marquis of
-Montcalm--I warrant me, Duncan, that he of Lothian would buy a dozen
-such marquisates--but if the news of the letter were bad, the gentility
-of this French monsieur would certainly compel him to let us know it."
-
-"He keeps the letter, then, while he releases the messenger?"
-
-"Ay, that does he, and all for the sake of what you call your
-'bonhommie' I would venture, if the truth was known, the fellow's
-grandfather taught the noble science of dancing."
-
-"But what says the scout? he has eyes and ears, and a tongue. What
-verbal report does he make?"
-
-"Oh! sir, he is not wanting in natural organs, and he is free to tell
-all that he has seen and heard. The whole amount is this; there is a
-fort of his majesty's on the banks of the Hudson, called Edward, in
-honor of his gracious highness of York, you'll know; and it is well
-filled with armed men, as such a work should be."
-
-"But was there no movement, no signs of any intention to advance to our
-relief?"
-
-"There were the morning and evening parades; and when one of the
-provincial loons--you'll know, Duncan, you're half a Scotsman
-yourself--when one of them dropped his powder over his porretch, if it
-touched the coals, it just burned!" Then, suddenly changing his bitter,
-ironical manner, to one more grave and thoughtful, he continued: "and
-yet there might, and must be, something in that letter which it would be
-well to know!"
-
-"Our decision should be speedy," said Duncan, gladly availing himself
-of this change of humor, to press the more important objects of their
-interview; "I cannot conceal from you, sir, that the camp will not be
-much longer tenable; and I am sorry to add, that things appear no better
-in the fort; more than half the guns are bursted."
-
-"And how should it be otherwise? Some were fished from the bottom of
-the lake; some have been rusting in woods since the discovery of
-the country; and some were never guns at all--mere privateersmen's
-playthings! Do you think, sir, you can have Woolwich Warren in the midst
-of a wilderness, three thousand miles from Great Britain?"
-
-"The walls are crumbling about our ears, and provisions begin to fail
-us," continued Heyward, without regarding the new burst of indignation;
-"even the men show signs of discontent and alarm."
-
-"Major Heyward," said Munro, turning to his youthful associate with
-the dignity of his years and superior rank; "I should have served his
-majesty for half a century, and earned these gray hairs in vain, were
-I ignorant of all you say, and of the pressing nature of our
-circumstances; still, there is everything due to the honor of the king's
-arms, and something to ourselves. While there is hope of succor, this
-fortress will I defend, though it be to be done with pebbles gathered
-on the lake shore. It is a sight of the letter, therefore, that we want,
-that we may know the intentions of the man the earl of Loudon has left
-among us as his substitute."
-
-"And can I be of service in the matter?"
-
-"Sir, you can; the marquis of Montcalm has, in addition to his other
-civilities, invited me to a personal interview between the works and his
-own camp; in order, as he says, to impart some additional information.
-Now, I think it would not be wise to show any undue solicitude to meet
-him, and I would employ you, an officer of rank, as my substitute; for
-it would but ill comport with the honor of Scotland to let it be said
-one of her gentlemen was outdone in civility by a native of any other
-country on earth."
-
-Without assuming the supererogatory task of entering into a discussion
-of the comparative merits of national courtesy, Duncan cheerfully
-assented to supply the place of the veteran in the approaching
-interview. A long and confidential communication now succeeded, during
-which the young man received some additional insight into his duty,
-from the experience and native acuteness of his commander, and then the
-former took his leave.
-
-As Duncan could only act as the representative of the commandant of the
-fort, the ceremonies which should have accompanied a meeting between the
-heads of the adverse forces were, of course, dispensed with. The truce
-still existed, and with a roll and beat of the drum, and covered by a
-little white flag, Duncan left the sally-port, within ten minutes after
-his instructions were ended. He was received by the French officer in
-advance with the usual formalities, and immediately accompanied to a
-distant marquee of the renowned soldier who led the forces of France.
-
-The general of the enemy received the youthful messenger, surrounded by
-his principal officers, and by a swarthy band of the native chiefs,
-who had followed him to the field, with the warriors of their several
-tribes. Heyward paused short, when, in glancing his eyes rapidly over
-the dark group of the latter, he beheld the malignant countenance of
-Magua, regarding him with the calm but sullen attention which marked the
-expression of that subtle savage. A slight exclamation of surprise even
-burst from the lips of the young man, but instantly, recollecting
-his errand, and the presence in which he stood, he suppressed every
-appearance of emotion, and turned to the hostile leader, who had already
-advanced a step to receive him.
-
-The marquis of Montcalm was, at the period of which we write, in the
-flower of his age, and, it may be added, in the zenith of his fortunes.
-But even in that enviable situation, he was affable, and distinguished
-as much for his attention to the forms of courtesy, as for that
-chivalrous courage which, only two short years afterward, induced him
-to throw away his life on the plains of Abraham. Duncan, in turning his
-eyes from the malign expression of Magua, suffered them to rest with
-pleasure on the smiling and polished features, and the noble military
-air, of the French general.
-
-"Monsieur," said the latter, "j'ai beaucoup de plaisir a--bah!--ou est
-cet interprete?"
-
-"Je crois, monsieur, qu'il ne sear pas necessaire," Heyward modestly
-replied; "je parle un peu francais."
-
-"Ah! j'en suis bien aise," said Montcalm, taking Duncan familiarly by
-the arm, and leading him deep into the marquee, a little out of earshot;
-"je deteste ces fripons-la; on ne sait jamais sur quel pie on est avec
-eux. Eh, bien! monsieur," he continued still speaking in French; "though
-I should have been proud of receiving your commandant, I am very happy
-that he has seen proper to employ an officer so distinguished, and who,
-I am sure, is so amiable, as yourself."
-
-Duncan bowed low, pleased with the compliment, in spite of a most heroic
-determination to suffer no artifice to allure him into forgetfulness of
-the interest of his prince; and Montcalm, after a pause of a moment, as
-if to collect his thoughts, proceeded:
-
-"Your commandant is a brave man, and well qualified to repel my
-assault. Mais, monsieur, is it not time to begin to take more counsel
-of humanity, and less of your courage? The one as strongly characterizes
-the hero as the other."
-
-"We consider the qualities as inseparable," returned Duncan, smiling;
-"but while we find in the vigor of your excellency every motive to
-stimulate the one, we can, as yet, see no particular call for the
-exercise of the other."
-
-Montcalm, in his turn, slightly bowed, but it was with the air of a
-man too practised to remember the language of flattery. After musing a
-moment, he added:
-
-"It is possible my glasses have deceived me, and that your works resist
-our cannon better than I had supposed. You know our force?"
-
-"Our accounts vary," said Duncan, carelessly; "the highest, however, has
-not exceeded twenty thousand men."
-
-The Frenchman bit his lip, and fastened his eyes keenly on the other as
-if to read his thoughts; then, with a readiness peculiar to himself, he
-continued, as if assenting to the truth of an enumeration which quite
-doubled his army:
-
-"It is a poor compliment to the vigilance of us soldiers, monsieur,
-that, do what we will, we never can conceal our numbers. If it were
-to be done at all, one would believe it might succeed in these woods.
-Though you think it too soon to listen to the calls of humanity," he
-added, smiling archly, "I may be permitted to believe that gallantry
-is not forgotten by one so young as yourself. The daughters of the
-commandant, I learn, have passed into the fort since it was invested?"
-
-"It is true, monsieur; but, so far from weakening our efforts, they
-set us an example of courage in their own fortitude. Were nothing
-but resolution necessary to repel so accomplished a soldier as M. de
-Montcalm, I would gladly trust the defense of William Henry to the elder
-of those ladies."
-
-"We have a wise ordinance in our Salique laws, which says, 'The crown
-of France shall never degrade the lance to the distaff'," said Montcalm,
-dryly, and with a little hauteur; but instantly adding, with his former
-frank and easy air: "as all the nobler qualities are hereditary, I can
-easily credit you; though, as I said before, courage has its limits, and
-humanity must not be forgotten. I trust, monsieur, you come authorized
-to treat for the surrender of the place?"
-
-"Has your excellency found our defense so feeble as to believe the
-measure necessary?"
-
-"I should be sorry to have the defense protracted in such a manner as to
-irritate my red friends there," continued Montcalm, glancing his eyes
-at the group of grave and attentive Indians, without attending to the
-other's questions; "I find it difficult, even now, to limit them to the
-usages of war."
-
-Heyward was silent; for a painful recollection of the dangers he had so
-recently escaped came over his mind, and recalled the images of those
-defenseless beings who had shared in all his sufferings.
-
-"Ces messieurs-la," said Montcalm, following up the advantage which he
-conceived he had gained, "are most formidable when baffled; and it is
-unnecessary to tell you with what difficulty they are restrained in
-their anger. Eh bien, monsieur! shall we speak of the terms?"
-
-"I fear your excellency has been deceived as to the strength of William
-Henry, and the resources of its garrison!"
-
-"I have not sat down before Quebec, but an earthen work, that is
-defended by twenty-three hundred gallant men," was the laconic reply.
-
-"Our mounds are earthen, certainly--nor are they seated on the rocks of
-Cape Diamond; but they stand on that shore which proved so destructive
-to Dieskau and his army. There is also a powerful force within a few
-hours' march of us, which we account upon as a part of our means."
-
-"Some six or eight thousand men," returned Montcalm, with much apparent
-indifference, "whom their leader wisely judges to be safer in their
-works than in the field."
-
-It was now Heyward's turn to bite his lip with vexation as the other so
-coolly alluded to a force which the young man knew to be overrated. Both
-mused a little while in silence, when Montcalm renewed the conversation,
-in a way that showed he believed the visit of his guest was solely to
-propose terms of capitulation. On the other hand, Heyward began to
-throw sundry inducements in the way of the French general, to betray the
-discoveries he had made through the intercepted letter. The artifice
-of neither, however, succeeded; and after a protracted and fruitless
-interview, Duncan took his leave, favorably impressed with an opinion of
-the courtesy and talents of the enemy's captain, but as ignorant of what
-he came to learn as when he arrived. Montcalm followed him as far as the
-entrance of the marquee, renewing his invitations to the commandant of
-the fort to give him an immediate meeting in the open ground between the
-two armies.
-
-There they separated, and Duncan returned to the advanced post of the
-French, accompanied as before; whence he instantly proceeded to the
-fort, and to the quarters of his own commander.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 16
-
-     "EDG.--Before you fight the battle ope this letter."
-     --Lear
-
-Major Heyward found Munro attended only by his daughters. Alice sat upon
-his knee, parting the gray hairs on the forehead of the old man with
-her delicate fingers; and whenever he affected to frown on her trifling,
-appeasing his assumed anger by pressing her ruby lips fondly on his
-wrinkled brow. Cora was seated nigh them, a calm and amused looker-on;
-regarding the wayward movements of her more youthful sister with that
-species of maternal fondness which characterized her love for Alice. Not
-only the dangers through which they had passed, but those which still
-impended above them, appeared to be momentarily forgotten, in the
-soothing indulgence of such a family meeting. It seemed as if they had
-profited by the short truce, to devote an instant to the purest and best
-affection; the daughters forgetting their fears, and the veteran his
-cares, in the security of the moment. Of this scene, Duncan, who, in
-his eagerness to report his arrival, had entered unannounced, stood
-many moments an unobserved and a delighted spectator. But the quick and
-dancing eyes of Alice soon caught a glimpse of his figure reflected
-from a glass, and she sprang blushing from her father's knee, exclaiming
-aloud:
-
-"Major Heyward!"
-
-"What of the lad?" demanded her father; "I have sent him to crack a
-little with the Frenchman. Ha, sir, you are young, and you're nimble!
-Away with you, ye baggage; as if there were not troubles enough for a
-soldier, without having his camp filled with such prattling hussies as
-yourself!"
-
-Alice laughingly followed her sister, who instantly led the way from an
-apartment where she perceived their presence was no longer desirable.
-Munro, instead of demanding the result of the young man's mission, paced
-the room for a few moments, with his hands behind his back, and his
-head inclined toward the floor, like a man lost in thought. At length he
-raised his eyes, glistening with a father's fondness, and exclaimed:
-
-"They are a pair of excellent girls, Heyward, and such as any one may
-boast of."
-
-"You are not now to learn my opinion of your daughters, Colonel Munro."
-
-"True, lad, true," interrupted the impatient old man; "you were about
-opening your mind more fully on that matter the day you got in, but I
-did not think it becoming in an old soldier to be talking of nuptial
-blessings and wedding jokes when the enemies of his king were likely
-to be unbidden guests at the feast. But I was wrong, Duncan, boy, I was
-wrong there; and I am now ready to hear what you have to say."
-
-"Notwithstanding the pleasure your assurance gives me, dear sir, I have
-just now, a message from Montcalm--"
-
-"Let the Frenchman and all his host go to the devil, sir!" exclaimed the
-hasty veteran. "He is not yet master of William Henry, nor shall he
-ever be, provided Webb proves himself the man he should. No, sir, thank
-Heaven we are not yet in such a strait that it can be said Munro is too
-much pressed to discharge the little domestic duties of his own family.
-Your mother was the only child of my bosom friend, Duncan; and I'll just
-give you a hearing, though all the knights of St. Louis were in a body
-at the sally-port, with the French saint at their head, crying to speak
-a word under favor. A pretty degree of knighthood, sir, is that which
-can be bought with sugar hogsheads! and then your twopenny marquisates.
-The thistle is the order for dignity and antiquity; the veritable
-'nemo me impune lacessit' of chivalry. Ye had ancestors in that degree,
-Duncan, and they were an ornament to the nobles of Scotland."
-
-Heyward, who perceived that his superior took a malicious pleasure in
-exhibiting his contempt for the message of the French general, was
-fain to humor a spleen that he knew would be short-lived; he therefore,
-replied with as much indifference as he could assume on such a subject:
-
-"My request, as you know, sir, went so far as to presume to the honor of
-being your son."
-
-"Ay, boy, you found words to make yourself very plainly comprehended.
-But, let me ask ye, sir, have you been as intelligible to the girl?"
-
-"On my honor, no," exclaimed Duncan, warmly; "there would have been an
-abuse of a confided trust, had I taken advantage of my situation for
-such a purpose."
-
-"Your notions are those of a gentleman, Major Heyward, and well enough
-in their place. But Cora Munro is a maiden too discreet, and of a mind
-too elevated and improved, to need the guardianship even of a father."
-
-"Cora!"
-
-"Ay--Cora! we are talking of your pretensions to Miss Munro, are we not,
-sir?"
-
-"I--I--I was not conscious of having mentioned her name," said Duncan,
-stammering.
-
-"And to marry whom, then, did you wish my consent, Major Heyward?"
-demanded the old soldier, erecting himself in the dignity of offended
-feeling.
-
-"You have another, and not less lovely child."
-
-"Alice!" exclaimed the father, in an astonishment equal to that with
-which Duncan had just repeated the name of her sister.
-
-"Such was the direction of my wishes, sir."
-
-The young man awaited in silence the result of the extraordinary
-effect produced by a communication, which, as it now appeared, was so
-unexpected. For several minutes Munro paced the chamber with long
-and rapid strides, his rigid features working convulsively, and every
-faculty seemingly absorbed in the musings of his own mind. At length, he
-paused directly in front of Heyward, and riveting his eyes upon those of
-the other, he said, with a lip that quivered violently:
-
-"Duncan Heyward, I have loved you for the sake of him whose blood is
-in your veins; I have loved you for your own good qualities; and I have
-loved you, because I thought you would contribute to the happiness of my
-child. But all this love would turn to hatred, were I assured that what
-I so much apprehend is true."
-
-"God forbid that any act or thought of mine should lead to such a
-change!" exclaimed the young man, whose eye never quailed under the
-penetrating look it encountered. Without adverting to the impossibility
-of the other's comprehending those feelings which were hid in his
-own bosom, Munro suffered himself to be appeased by the unaltered
-countenance he met, and with a voice sensibly softened, he continued:
-
-"You would be my son, Duncan, and you're ignorant of the history of the
-man you wish to call your father. Sit ye down, young man, and I will
-open to you the wounds of a seared heart, in as few words as may be
-suitable."
-
-By this time, the message of Montcalm was as much forgotten by him who
-bore it as by the man for whose ears it was intended. Each drew a chair,
-and while the veteran communed a few moments with his own thoughts,
-apparently in sadness, the youth suppressed his impatience in a look and
-attitude of respectful attention. At length, the former spoke:
-
-"You'll know, already, Major Heyward, that my family was both ancient
-and honorable," commenced the Scotsman; "though it might not altogether
-be endowed with that amount of wealth that should correspond with its
-degree. I was, maybe, such an one as yourself when I plighted my faith
-to Alice Graham, the only child of a neighboring laird of some estate.
-But the connection was disagreeable to her father, on more accounts than
-my poverty. I did, therefore, what an honest man should--restored the
-maiden her troth, and departed the country in the service of my king.
-I had seen many regions, and had shed much blood in different lands,
-before duty called me to the islands of the West Indies. There it was
-my lot to form a connection with one who in time became my wife, and the
-mother of Cora. She was the daughter of a gentleman of those isles, by
-a lady whose misfortune it was, if you will," said the old man, proudly,
-"to be descended, remotely, from that unfortunate class who are so
-basely enslaved to administer to the wants of a luxurious people. Ay,
-sir, that is a curse, entailed on Scotland by her unnatural union with a
-foreign and trading people. But could I find a man among them who would
-dare to reflect on my child, he should feel the weight of a father's
-anger! Ha! Major Heyward, you are yourself born at the south, where
-these unfortunate beings are considered of a race inferior to your own."
-
-"'Tis most unfortunately true, sir," said Duncan, unable any longer to
-prevent his eyes from sinking to the floor in embarrassment.
-
-"And you cast it on my child as a reproach! You scorn to mingle the
-blood of the Heywards with one so degraded--lovely and virtuous though
-she be?" fiercely demanded the jealous parent.
-
-"Heaven protect me from a prejudice so unworthy of my reason!" returned
-Duncan, at the same time conscious of such a feeling, and that as deeply
-rooted as if it had been ingrafted in his nature. "The sweetness, the
-beauty, the witchery of your younger daughter, Colonel Munro, might
-explain my motives without imputing to me this injustice."
-
-"Ye are right, sir," returned the old man, again changing his tones to
-those of gentleness, or rather softness; "the girl is the image of what
-her mother was at her years, and before she had become acquainted
-with grief. When death deprived me of my wife I returned to Scotland,
-enriched by the marriage; and, would you think it, Duncan! the suffering
-angel had remained in the heartless state of celibacy twenty long years,
-and that for the sake of a man who could forget her! She did more,
-sir; she overlooked my want of faith, and, all difficulties being now
-removed, she took me for her husband."
-
-"And became the mother of Alice?" exclaimed Duncan, with an eagerness
-that might have proved dangerous at a moment when the thoughts of Munro
-were less occupied that at present.
-
-"She did, indeed," said the old man, "and dearly did she pay for the
-blessing she bestowed. But she is a saint in heaven, sir; and it ill
-becomes one whose foot rests on the grave to mourn a lot so blessed. I
-had her but a single year, though; a short term of happiness for one who
-had seen her youth fade in hopeless pining."
-
-There was something so commanding in the distress of the old man, that
-Heyward did not dare to venture a syllable of consolation. Munro sat
-utterly unconscious of the other's presence, his features exposed and
-working with the anguish of his regrets, while heavy tears fell from
-his eyes, and rolled unheeded from his cheeks to the floor. At length
-he moved, and as if suddenly recovering his recollection; when he arose,
-and taking a single turn across the room, he approached his companion
-with an air of military grandeur, and demanded:
-
-"Have you not, Major Heyward, some communication that I should hear from
-the marquis de Montcalm?"
-
-Duncan started in his turn, and immediately commenced in an embarrassed
-voice, the half-forgotten message. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the
-evasive though polite manner with which the French general had
-eluded every attempt of Heyward to worm from him the purport of the
-communication he had proposed making, or on the decided, though still
-polished message, by which he now gave his enemy to understand, that,
-unless he chose to receive it in person, he should not receive it at
-all. As Munro listened to the detail of Duncan, the excited feelings of
-the father gradually gave way before the obligations of his station,
-and when the other was done, he saw before him nothing but the veteran,
-swelling with the wounded feelings of a soldier.
-
-"You have said enough, Major Heyward," exclaimed the angry old man;
-"enough to make a volume of commentary on French civility. Here has
-this gentleman invited me to a conference, and when I send him a capable
-substitute, for ye're all that, Duncan, though your years are but few,
-he answers me with a riddle."
-
-"He may have thought less favorably of the substitute, my dear sir; and
-you will remember that the invitation, which he now repeats, was to the
-commandant of the works, and not to his second."
-
-"Well, sir, is not a substitute clothed with all the power and dignity
-of him who grants the commission? He wishes to confer with Munro! Faith,
-sir, I have much inclination to indulge the man, if it should only be to
-let him behold the firm countenance we maintain in spite of his numbers
-and his summons. There might be not bad policy in such a stroke, young
-man."
-
-Duncan, who believed it of the last importance that they should speedily
-come to the contents of the letter borne by the scout, gladly encouraged
-this idea.
-
-"Without doubt, he could gather no confidence by witnessing our
-indifference," he said.
-
-"You never said truer word. I could wish, sir, that he would visit the
-works in open day, and in the form of a storming party; that is the
-least failing method of proving the countenance of an enemy, and would
-be far preferable to the battering system he has chosen. The beauty and
-manliness of warfare has been much deformed, Major Heyward, by the arts
-of your Monsieur Vauban. Our ancestors were far above such scientific
-cowardice!"
-
-"It may be very true, sir; but we are now obliged to repel art by art.
-What is your pleasure in the matter of the interview?"
-
-"I will meet the Frenchman, and that without fear or delay; promptly,
-sir, as becomes a servant of my royal master. Go, Major Heyward, and
-give them a flourish of the music; and send out a messenger to let them
-know who is coming. We will follow with a small guard, for such respect
-is due to one who holds the honor of his king in keeping; and hark'ee,
-Duncan," he added, in a half whisper, though they were alone, "it may be
-prudent to have some aid at hand, in case there should be treachery at
-the bottom of it all."
-
-The young man availed himself of this order to quit the apartment; and,
-as the day was fast coming to a close, he hastened without delay, to
-make the necessary arrangements. A very few minutes only were necessary
-to parade a few files, and to dispatch an orderly with a flag to
-announce the approach of the commandant of the fort. When Duncan had
-done both these, he led the guard to the sally-port, near which he
-found his superior ready, waiting his appearance. As soon as the usual
-ceremonials of a military departure were observed, the veteran and his
-more youthful companion left the fortress, attended by the escort.
-
-They had proceeded only a hundred yards from the works, when the little
-array which attended the French general to the conference was seen
-issuing from the hollow way which formed the bed of a brook that ran
-between the batteries of the besiegers and the fort. From the moment
-that Munro left his own works to appear in front of his enemy's, his
-air had been grand, and his step and countenance highly military. The
-instant he caught a glimpse of the white plume that waved in the hat
-of Montcalm, his eye lighted, and age no longer appeared to possess any
-influence over his vast and still muscular person.
-
-"Speak to the boys to be watchful, sir," he said, in an undertone, to
-Duncan; "and to look well to their flints and steel, for one is never
-safe with a servant of these Louis's; at the same time, we shall show
-them the front of men in deep security. Ye'll understand me, Major
-Heyward!"
-
-He was interrupted by the clamor of a drum from the approaching
-Frenchmen, which was immediately answered, when each party pushed an
-orderly in advance, bearing a white flag, and the wary Scotsman halted
-with his guard close at his back. As soon as this slight salutation
-had passed, Montcalm moved toward them with a quick but graceful step,
-baring his head to the veteran, and dropping his spotless plume nearly
-to the earth in courtesy. If the air of Munro was more commanding and
-manly, it wanted both the ease and insinuating polish of that of the
-Frenchman. Neither spoke for a few moments, each regarding the other
-with curious and interested eyes. Then, as became his superior rank and
-the nature of the interview, Montcalm broke the silence. After uttering
-the usual words of greeting, he turned to Duncan, and continued, with a
-smile of recognition, speaking always in French:
-
-"I am rejoiced, monsieur, that you have given us the pleasure of your
-company on this occasion. There will be no necessity to employ an
-ordinary interpreter; for, in your hands, I feel the same security as if
-I spoke your language myself."
-
-Duncan acknowledged the compliment, when Montcalm, turning to his guard,
-which in imitation of that of their enemies, pressed close upon him,
-continued:
-
-"En arriere, mes enfants--il fait chaud---retirez-vous un peu."
-
-Before Major Heyward would imitate this proof of confidence, he glanced
-his eyes around the plain, and beheld with uneasiness the numerous dusky
-groups of savages, who looked out from the margin of the surrounding
-woods, curious spectators of the interview.
-
-"Monsieur de Montcalm will readily acknowledge the difference in our
-situation," he said, with some embarrassment, pointing at the same
-time toward those dangerous foes, who were to be seen in almost every
-direction. "Were we to dismiss our guard, we should stand here at the
-mercy of our enemies."
-
-"Monsieur, you have the plighted faith of 'un gentilhomme Francais',
-for your safety," returned Montcalm, laying his hand impressively on his
-heart; "it should suffice."
-
-"It shall. Fall back," Duncan added to the officer who led the escort;
-"fall back, sir, beyond hearing, and wait for orders."
-
-Munro witnessed this movement with manifest uneasiness; nor did he fail
-to demand an instant explanation.
-
-"Is it not our interest, sir, to betray distrust?" retorted Duncan.
-"Monsieur de Montcalm pledges his word for our safety, and I have
-ordered the men to withdraw a little, in order to prove how much we
-depend on his assurance."
-
-"It may be all right, sir, but I have no overweening reliance on the
-faith of these marquesses, or marquis, as they call themselves. Their
-patents of nobility are too common to be certain that they bear the seal
-of true honor."
-
-"You forget, dear sir, that we confer with an officer, distinguished
-alike in Europe and America for his deeds. From a soldier of his
-reputation we can have nothing to apprehend."
-
-The old man made a gesture of resignation, though his rigid features
-still betrayed his obstinate adherence to a distrust, which he derived
-from a sort of hereditary contempt of his enemy, rather than from any
-present signs which might warrant so uncharitable a feeling. Montcalm
-waited patiently until this little dialogue in demi-voice was ended,
-when he drew nigher, and opened the subject of their conference.
-
-"I have solicited this interview from your superior, monsieur," he said,
-"because I believe he will allow himself to be persuaded that he has
-already done everything which is necessary for the honor of his prince,
-and will now listen to the admonitions of humanity. I will forever bear
-testimony that his resistance has been gallant, and was continued as
-long as there was hope."
-
-When this opening was translated to Munro, he answered with dignity, but
-with sufficient courtesy:
-
-"However I may prize such testimony from Monsieur Montcalm, it will be
-more valuable when it shall be better merited."
-
-The French general smiled, as Duncan gave him the purport of this reply,
-and observed:
-
-"What is now so freely accorded to approved courage, may be refused to
-useless obstinacy. Monsieur would wish to see my camp, and witness for
-himself our numbers, and the impossibility of his resisting them with
-success?"
-
-"I know that the king of France is well served," returned the unmoved
-Scotsman, as soon as Duncan ended his translation; "but my own royal
-master has as many and as faithful troops."
-
-"Though not at hand, fortunately for us," said Montcalm, without
-waiting, in his ardor, for the interpreter. "There is a destiny in war,
-to which a brave man knows how to submit with the same courage that he
-faces his foes."
-
-"Had I been conscious that Monsieur Montcalm was master of the English,
-I should have spared myself the trouble of so awkward a translation,"
-said the vexed Duncan, dryly; remembering instantly his recent by-play
-with Munro.
-
-"Your pardon, monsieur," rejoined the Frenchman, suffering a slight
-color to appear on his dark cheek. "There is a vast difference between
-understanding and speaking a foreign tongue; you will, therefore, please
-to assist me still." Then, after a short pause, he added: "These hills
-afford us every opportunity of reconnoitering your works, messieurs, and
-I am possibly as well acquainted with their weak condition as you can be
-yourselves."
-
-"Ask the French general if his glasses can reach to the Hudson," said
-Munro, proudly; "and if he knows when and where to expect the army of
-Webb."
-
-"Let General Webb be his own interpreter," returned the politic
-Montcalm, suddenly extending an open letter toward Munro as he spoke;
-"you will there learn, monsieur, that his movements are not likely to
-prove embarrassing to my army."
-
-The veteran seized the offered paper, without waiting for Duncan to
-translate the speech, and with an eagerness that betrayed how important
-he deemed its contents. As his eye passed hastily over the words, his
-countenance changed from its look of military pride to one of deep
-chagrin; his lip began to quiver; and suffering the paper to fall from
-his hand, his head dropped upon his chest, like that of a man whose
-hopes were withered at a single blow. Duncan caught the letter from the
-ground, and without apology for the liberty he took, he read at a glance
-its cruel purport. Their common superior, so far from encouraging them
-to resist, advised a speedy surrender, urging in the plainest language,
-as a reason, the utter impossibility of his sending a single man to
-their rescue.
-
-"Here is no deception!" exclaimed Duncan, examining the billet both
-inside and out; "this is the signature of Webb, and must be the captured
-letter."
-
-"The man has betrayed me!" Munro at length bitterly exclaimed; "he has
-brought dishonor to the door of one where disgrace was never before
-known to dwell, and shame has he heaped heavily on my gray hairs."
-
-"Say not so," cried Duncan; "we are yet masters of the fort, and of our
-honor. Let us, then, sell our lives at such a rate as shall make our
-enemies believe the purchase too dear."
-
-"Boy, I thank thee," exclaimed the old man, rousing himself from his
-stupor; "you have, for once, reminded Munro of his duty. We will go
-back, and dig our graves behind those ramparts."
-
-"Messieurs," said Montcalm, advancing toward them a step, in generous
-interest, "you little know Louis de St. Veran if you believe him capable
-of profiting by this letter to humble brave men, or to build up a
-dishonest reputation for himself. Listen to my terms before you leave
-me."
-
-"What says the Frenchman?" demanded the veteran, sternly; "does he make
-a merit of having captured a scout, with a note from headquarters? Sir,
-he had better raise this siege, to go and sit down before Edward if he
-wishes to frighten his enemy with words."
-
-Duncan explained the other's meaning.
-
-"Monsieur de Montcalm, we will hear you," the veteran added, more
-calmly, as Duncan ended.
-
-"To retain the fort is now impossible," said his liberal enemy; "it is
-necessary to the interests of my master that it should be destroyed; but
-as for yourselves and your brave comrades, there is no privilege dear to
-a soldier that shall be denied."
-
-"Our colors?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Carry them to England, and show them to your king."
-
-"Our arms?"
-
-"Keep them; none can use them better."
-
-"Our march; the surrender of the place?"
-
-"Shall all be done in a way most honorable to yourselves."
-
-Duncan now turned to explain these proposals to his commander, who heard
-him with amazement, and a sensibility that was deeply touched by so
-unusual and unexpected generosity.
-
-"Go you, Duncan," he said; "go with this marquess, as, indeed, marquess
-he should be; go to his marquee and arrange it all. I have lived to
-see two things in my old age that never did I expect to behold. An
-Englishman afraid to support a friend, and a Frenchman too honest to
-profit by his advantage."
-
-So saying, the veteran again dropped his head to his chest, and returned
-slowly toward the fort, exhibiting, by the dejection of his air, to the
-anxious garrison, a harbinger of evil tidings.
-
-From the shock of this unexpected blow the haughty feelings of Munro
-never recovered; but from that moment there commenced a change in his
-determined character, which accompanied him to a speedy grave. Duncan
-remained to settle the terms of the capitulation. He was seen
-to re-enter the works during the first watches of the night, and
-immediately after a private conference with the commandant, to
-leave them again. It was then openly announced that hostilities must
-cease--Munro having signed a treaty by which the place was to be yielded
-to the enemy, with the morning; the garrison to retain their arms,
-the colors and their baggage, and, consequently, according to military
-opinion, their honor.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 17
-
-     "Weave we the woof.
-     The thread is spun.
-     The web is wove.
-     The work is done."--Gray
-
-The hostile armies, which lay in the wilds of the Horican, passed the
-night of the ninth of August, 1757, much in the manner they would, had
-they encountered on the fairest field of Europe. While the conquered
-were still, sullen, and dejected, the victors triumphed. But there
-are limits alike to grief and joy; and long before the watches of the
-morning came the stillness of those boundless woods was only broken by a
-gay call from some exulting young Frenchman of the advanced pickets, or
-a menacing challenge from the fort, which sternly forbade the approach
-of any hostile footsteps before the stipulated moment. Even these
-occasional threatening sounds ceased to be heard in that dull hour which
-precedes the day, at which period a listener might have sought in vain
-any evidence of the presence of those armed powers that then slumbered
-on the shores of the "holy lake."
-
-It was during these moments of deep silence that the canvas which
-concealed the entrance to a spacious marquee in the French encampment
-was shoved aside, and a man issued from beneath the drapery into the
-open air. He was enveloped in a cloak that might have been intended as
-a protection from the chilling damps of the woods, but which served
-equally well as a mantle to conceal his person. He was permitted to pass
-the grenadier, who watched over the slumbers of the French commander,
-without interruption, the man making the usual salute which betokens
-military deference, as the other passed swiftly through the little
-city of tents, in the direction of William Henry. Whenever this unknown
-individual encountered one of the numberless sentinels who crossed his
-path, his answer was prompt, and, as it appeared, satisfactory; for he
-was uniformly allowed to proceed without further interrogation.
-
-With the exception of such repeated but brief interruptions, he
-had moved silently from the center of the camp to its most advanced
-outposts, when he drew nigh the soldier who held his watch nearest to
-the works of the enemy. As he approached he was received with the usual
-challenge:
-
-"Qui vive?"
-
-"France," was the reply.
-
-"Le mot d'ordre?"
-
-"La victorie," said the other, drawing so nigh as to be heard in a loud
-whisper.
-
-"C'est bien," returned the sentinel, throwing his musket from the charge
-to his shoulder; "vous promenez bien matin, monsieur!"
-
-"Il est necessaire d'etre vigilant, mon enfant," the other observed,
-dropping a fold of his cloak, and looking the soldier close in the
-face as he passed him, still continuing his way toward the British
-fortification. The man started; his arms rattled heavily as he threw
-them forward in the lowest and most respectful salute; and when he had
-again recovered his piece, he turned to walk his post, muttering between
-his teeth:
-
-"Il faut etre vigilant, en verite! je crois que nous avons la, un
-caporal qui ne dort jamais!"
-
-The officer proceeded, without affecting to hear the words which escaped
-the sentinel in his surprise; nor did he again pause until he had
-reached the low strand, and in a somewhat dangerous vicinity to the
-western water bastion of the fort. The light of an obscure moon was just
-sufficient to render objects, though dim, perceptible in their outlines.
-He, therefore, took the precaution to place himself against the trunk of
-a tree, where he leaned for many minutes, and seemed to contemplate the
-dark and silent mounds of the English works in profound attention. His
-gaze at the ramparts was not that of a curious or idle spectator;
-but his looks wandered from point to point, denoting his knowledge of
-military usages, and betraying that his search was not unaccompanied
-by distrust. At length he appeared satisfied; and having cast his eyes
-impatiently upward toward the summit of the eastern mountain, as if
-anticipating the approach of the morning, he was in the act of turning
-on his footsteps, when a light sound on the nearest angle of the bastion
-caught his ear, and induced him to remain.
-
-Just then a figure was seen to approach the edge of the rampart, where
-it stood, apparently contemplating in its turn the distant tents of the
-French encampment. Its head was then turned toward the east, as though
-equally anxious for the appearance of light, when the form leaned
-against the mound, and seemed to gaze upon the glassy expanse of the
-waters, which, like a submarine firmament, glittered with its thousand
-mimic stars. The melancholy air, the hour, together with the vast frame
-of the man who thus leaned, musing, against the English ramparts,
-left no doubt as to his person in the mind of the observant spectator.
-Delicacy, no less than prudence, now urged him to retire; and he had
-moved cautiously round the body of the tree for that purpose, when
-another sound drew his attention, and once more arrested his footsteps.
-It was a low and almost inaudible movement of the water, and was
-succeeded by a grating of pebbles one against the other. In a moment
-he saw a dark form rise, as it were, out of the lake, and steal without
-further noise to the land, within a few feet of the place where he
-himself stood. A rifle next slowly rose between his eyes and the watery
-mirror; but before it could be discharged his own hand was on the lock.
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the savage, whose treacherous aim was so singularly
-and so unexpectedly interrupted.
-
-Without making any reply, the French officer laid his hand on the
-shoulder of the Indian, and led him in profound silence to a distance
-from the spot, where their subsequent dialogue might have proved
-dangerous, and where it seemed that one of them, at least, sought a
-victim. Then throwing open his cloak, so as to expose his uniform and
-the cross of St. Louis which was suspended at his breast, Montcalm
-sternly demanded:
-
-"What means this? Does not my son know that the hatchet is buried
-between the English and his Canadian Father?"
-
-"What can the Hurons do?" returned the savage, speaking also, though
-imperfectly, in the French language.
-
-"Not a warrior has a scalp, and the pale faces make friends!"
-
-"Ha, Le Renard Subtil! Methinks this is an excess of zeal for a friend
-who was so late an enemy! How many suns have set since Le Renard struck
-the war-post of the English?"
-
-"Where is that sun?" demanded the sullen savage. "Behind the hill; and
-it is dark and cold. But when he comes again, it will be bright and
-warm. Le Subtil is the sun of his tribe. There have been clouds, and
-many mountains between him and his nation; but now he shines and it is a
-clear sky!"
-
-"That Le Renard has power with his people, I well know," said Montcalm;
-"for yesterday he hunted for their scalps, and to-day they hear him at
-the council-fire."
-
-"Magua is a great chief."
-
-"Let him prove it, by teaching his nation how to conduct themselves
-toward our new friends."
-
-"Why did the chief of the Canadas bring his young men into the woods,
-and fire his cannon at the earthen house?" demanded the subtle Indian.
-
-"To subdue it. My master owns the land, and your father was ordered to
-drive off these English squatters. They have consented to go, and now he
-calls them enemies no longer."
-
-"'Tis well. Magua took the hatchet to color it with blood. It is now
-bright; when it is red, it shall be buried."
-
-"But Magua is pledged not to sully the lilies of France. The enemies of
-the great king across the salt lake are his enemies; his friends, the
-friends of the Hurons."
-
-"Friends!" repeated the Indian in scorn. "Let his father give Magua a
-hand."
-
-Montcalm, who felt that his influence over the warlike tribes he had
-gathered was to be maintained by concession rather than by power,
-complied reluctantly with the other's request. The savage placed the
-fingers of the French commander on a deep scar in his bosom, and then
-exultingly demanded:
-
-"Does my father know that?"
-
-"What warrior does not? 'Tis where a leaden bullet has cut."
-
-"And this?" continued the Indian, who had turned his naked back to the
-other, his body being without its usual calico mantle.
-
-"This!--my son has been sadly injured here; who has done this?"
-
-"Magua slept hard in the English wigwams, and the sticks have left their
-mark," returned the savage, with a hollow laugh, which did not conceal
-the fierce temper that nearly choked him. Then, recollecting himself,
-with sudden and native dignity, he added: "Go; teach your young men it
-is peace. Le Renard Subtil knows how to speak to a Huron warrior."
-
-Without deigning to bestow further words, or to wait for any answer,
-the savage cast his rifle into the hollow of his arm, and moved silently
-through the encampment toward the woods where his own tribe was known to
-lie. Every few yards as he proceeded he was challenged by the sentinels;
-but he stalked sullenly onward, utterly disregarding the summons of the
-soldiers, who only spared his life because they knew the air and tread
-no less than the obstinate daring of an Indian.
-
-Montcalm lingered long and melancholy on the strand where he had
-been left by his companion, brooding deeply on the temper which his
-ungovernable ally had just discovered. Already had his fair fame been
-tarnished by one horrid scene, and in circumstances fearfully resembling
-those under which he now found himself. As he mused he became keenly
-sensible of the deep responsibility they assume who disregard the means
-to attain the end, and of all the danger of setting in motion an engine
-which it exceeds human power to control. Then shaking off a train of
-reflections that he accounted a weakness in such a moment of triumph,
-he retraced his steps toward his tent, giving the order as he passed to
-make the signal that should arouse the army from its slumbers.
-
-The first tap of the French drums was echoed from the bosom of the fort,
-and presently the valley was filled with the strains of martial music,
-rising long, thrilling and lively above the rattling accompaniment. The
-horns of the victors sounded merry and cheerful flourishes, until the
-last laggard of the camp was at his post; but the instant the British
-fifes had blown their shrill signal, they became mute. In the meantime
-the day had dawned, and when the line of the French army was ready to
-receive its general, the rays of a brilliant sun were glancing along the
-glittering array. Then that success, which was already so well known,
-was officially announced; the favored band who were selected to guard
-the gates of the fort were detailed, and defiled before their chief; the
-signal of their approach was given, and all the usual preparations for
-a change of masters were ordered and executed directly under the guns of
-the contested works.
-
-A very different scene presented itself within the lines of the
-Anglo-American army. As soon as the warning signal was given, it
-exhibited all the signs of a hurried and forced departure. The sullen
-soldiers shouldered their empty tubes and fell into their places,
-like men whose blood had been heated by the past contest, and who only
-desired the opportunity to revenge an indignity which was still wounding
-to their pride, concealed as it was under the observances of military
-etiquette.
-
-Women and children ran from place to place, some bearing the scanty
-remnants of their baggage, and others searching in the ranks for those
-countenances they looked up to for protection.
-
-Munro appeared among his silent troops firm but dejected. It was evident
-that the unexpected blow had struck deep into his heart, though he
-struggled to sustain his misfortune with the port of a man.
-
-Duncan was touched at the quiet and impressive exhibition of his grief.
-He had discharged his own duty, and he now pressed to the side of the
-old man, to know in what particular he might serve him.
-
-"My daughters," was the brief but expressive reply.
-
-"Good heavens! are not arrangements already made for their convenience?"
-
-"To-day I am only a soldier, Major Heyward," said the veteran. "All that
-you see here, claim alike to be my children."
-
-Duncan had heard enough. Without losing one of those moments which had
-now become so precious, he flew toward the quarters of Munro, in quest
-of the sisters. He found them on the threshold of the low edifice,
-already prepared to depart, and surrounded by a clamorous and weeping
-assemblage of their own sex, that had gathered about the place, with a
-sort of instinctive consciousness that it was the point most likely to
-be protected. Though the cheeks of Cora were pale and her countenance
-anxious, she had lost none of her firmness; but the eyes of Alice were
-inflamed, and betrayed how long and bitterly she had wept. They both,
-however, received the young man with undisguised pleasure; the former,
-for a novelty, being the first to speak.
-
-"The fort is lost," she said, with a melancholy smile; "though our good
-name, I trust, remains."
-
-"'Tis brighter than ever. But, dearest Miss Munro, it is time to think
-less of others, and to make some provision for yourself. Military
-usage--pride--that pride on which you so much value yourself, demands
-that your father and I should for a little while continue with the
-troops. Then where to seek a proper protector for you against the
-confusion and chances of such a scene?"
-
-"None is necessary," returned Cora; "who will dare to injure or insult
-the daughter of such a father, at a time like this?"
-
-"I would not leave you alone," continued the youth, looking about him
-in a hurried manner, "for the command of the best regiment in the pay of
-the king. Remember, our Alice is not gifted with all your firmness, and
-God only knows the terror she might endure."
-
-"You may be right," Cora replied, smiling again, but far more sadly than
-before. "Listen! chance has already sent us a friend when he is most
-needed."
-
-Duncan did listen, and on the instant comprehended her meaning. The low
-and serious sounds of the sacred music, so well known to the eastern
-provinces, caught his ear, and instantly drew him to an apartment in
-an adjacent building, which had already been deserted by its customary
-tenants. There he found David, pouring out his pious feelings through
-the only medium in which he ever indulged. Duncan waited, until, by the
-cessation of the movement of the hand, he believed the strain was ended,
-when, by touching his shoulder, he drew the attention of the other to
-himself, and in a few words explained his wishes.
-
-"Even so," replied the single-minded disciple of the King of Israel,
-when the young man had ended; "I have found much that is comely and
-melodious in the maidens, and it is fitting that we who have consorted
-in so much peril, should abide together in peace. I will attend them,
-when I have completed my morning praise, to which nothing is now wanting
-but the doxology. Wilt thou bear a part, friend? The meter is common,
-and the tune 'Southwell'."
-
-Then, extending the little volume, and giving the pitch of the air anew
-with considerate attention, David recommenced and finished his strains,
-with a fixedness of manner that it was not easy to interrupt. Heyward
-was fain to wait until the verse was ended; when, seeing David relieving
-himself from the spectacles, and replacing the book, he continued.
-
-"It will be your duty to see that none dare to approach the ladies with
-any rude intention, or to offer insult or taunt at the misfortune of
-their brave father. In this task you will be seconded by the domestics
-of their household."
-
-"Even so."
-
-"It is possible that the Indians and stragglers of the enemy may
-intrude, in which case you will remind them of the terms of the
-capitulation, and threaten to report their conduct to Montcalm. A word
-will suffice."
-
-"If not, I have that here which shall," returned David, exhibiting
-his book, with an air in which meekness and confidence were singularly
-blended. Here are words which, uttered, or rather thundered, with proper
-emphasis, and in measured time, shall quiet the most unruly temper:
-
-"'Why rage the heathen furiously'?"
-
-"Enough," said Heyward, interrupting the burst of his musical
-invocation; "we understand each other; it is time that we should now
-assume our respective duties."
-
-Gamut cheerfully assented, and together they sought the females. Cora
-received her new and somewhat extraordinary protector courteously, at
-least; and even the pallid features of Alice lighted again with some of
-their native archness as she thanked Heyward for his care. Duncan
-took occasion to assure them he had done the best that circumstances
-permitted, and, as he believed, quite enough for the security of
-their feelings; of danger there was none. He then spoke gladly of his
-intention to rejoin them the moment he had led the advance a few miles
-toward the Hudson, and immediately took his leave.
-
-By this time the signal for departure had been given, and the head of
-the English column was in motion. The sisters started at the sound, and
-glancing their eyes around, they saw the white uniforms of the French
-grenadiers, who had already taken possession of the gates of the fort.
-At that moment an enormous cloud seemed to pass suddenly above their
-heads, and, looking upward, they discovered that they stood beneath the
-wide folds of the standard of France.
-
-"Let us go," said Cora; "this is no longer a fit place for the children
-of an English officer."
-
-Alice clung to the arm of her sister, and together they left the parade,
-accompanied by the moving throng that surrounded them.
-
-As they passed the gates, the French officers, who had learned their
-rank, bowed often and low, forbearing, however, to intrude those
-attentions which they saw, with peculiar tact, might not be agreeable.
-As every vehicle and each beast of burden was occupied by the sick and
-wounded, Cora had decided to endure the fatigues of a foot march, rather
-than interfere with their comforts. Indeed, many a maimed and feeble
-soldier was compelled to drag his exhausted limbs in the rear of the
-columns, for the want of the necessary means of conveyance in that
-wilderness. The whole, however, was in motion; the weak and wounded,
-groaning and in suffering; their comrades silent and sullen; and the
-women and children in terror, they knew not of what.
-
-As the confused and timid throng left the protecting mounds of the fort,
-and issued on the open plain, the whole scene was at once presented to
-their eyes. At a little distance on the right, and somewhat in the
-rear, the French army stood to their arms, Montcalm having collected his
-parties, so soon as his guards had possession of the works. They were
-attentive but silent observers of the proceedings of the vanquished,
-failing in none of the stipulated military honors, and offering no taunt
-or insult, in their success, to their less fortunate foes. Living masses
-of the English, to the amount, in the whole, of near three thousand,
-were moving slowly across the plain, toward the common center, and
-gradually approached each other, as they converged to the point of their
-march, a vista cut through the lofty trees, where the road to the Hudson
-entered the forest. Along the sweeping borders of the woods hung a dark
-cloud of savages, eyeing the passage of their enemies, and hovering at
-a distance, like vultures who were only kept from swooping on their prey
-by the presence and restraint of a superior army. A few had straggled
-among the conquered columns, where they stalked in sullen discontent;
-attentive, though, as yet, passive observers of the moving multitude.
-
-The advance, with Heyward at its head, had already reached the defile,
-and was slowly disappearing, when the attention of Cora was drawn to
-a collection of stragglers by the sounds of contention. A truant
-provincial was paying the forfeit of his disobedience, by being
-plundered of those very effects which had caused him to desert his place
-in the ranks. The man was of powerful frame, and too avaricious to
-part with his goods without a struggle. Individuals from either party
-interfered; the one side to prevent and the other to aid in the robbery.
-Voices grew loud and angry, and a hundred savages appeared, as it were,
-by magic, where a dozen only had been seen a minute before. It was
-then that Cora saw the form of Magua gliding among his countrymen, and
-speaking with his fatal and artful eloquence. The mass of women and
-children stopped, and hovered together like alarmed and fluttering
-birds. But the cupidity of the Indian was soon gratified, and the
-different bodies again moved slowly onward.
-
-The savages now fell back, and seemed content to let their enemies
-advance without further molestation. But, as the female crowd approached
-them, the gaudy colors of a shawl attracted the eyes of a wild and
-untutored Huron. He advanced to seize it without the least hesitation.
-The woman, more in terror than through love of the ornament, wrapped her
-child in the coveted article, and folded both more closely to her bosom.
-Cora was in the act of speaking, with an intent to advise the woman to
-abandon the trifle, when the savage relinquished his hold of the shawl,
-and tore the screaming infant from her arms. Abandoning everything
-to the greedy grasp of those around her, the mother darted, with
-distraction in her mien, to reclaim her child. The Indian smiled grimly,
-and extended one hand, in sign of a willingness to exchange, while, with
-the other, he flourished the babe over his head, holding it by the feet
-as if to enhance the value of the ransom.
-
-"Here--here--there--all--any--everything!" exclaimed the breathless
-woman, tearing the lighter articles of dress from her person with
-ill-directed and trembling fingers; "take all, but give me my babe!"
-
-The savage spurned the worthless rags, and perceiving that the shawl
-had already become a prize to another, his bantering but sullen smile
-changing to a gleam of ferocity, he dashed the head of the infant
-against a rock, and cast its quivering remains to her very feet. For an
-instant the mother stood, like a statue of despair, looking wildly down
-at the unseemly object, which had so lately nestled in her bosom and
-smiled in her face; and then she raised her eyes and countenance toward
-heaven, as if calling on God to curse the perpetrator of the foul
-deed. She was spared the sin of such a prayer for, maddened at his
-disappointment, and excited at the sight of blood, the Huron mercifully
-drove his tomahawk into her own brain. The mother sank under the blow,
-and fell, grasping at her child, in death, with the same engrossing love
-that had caused her to cherish it when living.
-
-At that dangerous moment, Magua placed his hands to his mouth, and
-raised the fatal and appalling whoop. The scattered Indians started at
-the well-known cry, as coursers bound at the signal to quit the goal;
-and directly there arose such a yell along the plain, and through the
-arches of the wood, as seldom burst from human lips before. They who
-heard it listened with a curdling horror at the heart, little inferior
-to that dread which may be expected to attend the blasts of the final
-summons.
-
-More than two thousand raving savages broke from the forest at the
-signal, and threw themselves across the fatal plain with instinctive
-alacrity. We shall not dwell on the revolting horrors that succeeded.
-Death was everywhere, and in his most terrific and disgusting aspects.
-Resistance only served to inflame the murderers, who inflicted their
-furious blows long after their victims were beyond the power of their
-resentment. The flow of blood might be likened to the outbreaking of
-a torrent; and as the natives became heated and maddened by the sight,
-many among them even kneeled to the earth, and drank freely, exultingly,
-hellishly, of the crimson tide.
-
-The trained bodies of the troops threw themselves quickly into solid
-masses, endeavoring to awe their assailants by the imposing appearance
-of a military front. The experiment in some measure succeeded, though
-far too many suffered their unloaded muskets to be torn from their
-hands, in the vain hope of appeasing the savages.
-
-In such a scene none had leisure to note the fleeting moments. It might
-have been ten minutes (it seemed an age) that the sisters had stood
-riveted to one spot, horror-stricken and nearly helpless. When the first
-blow was struck, their screaming companions had pressed upon them in
-a body, rendering flight impossible; and now that fear or death had
-scattered most, if not all, from around them, they saw no avenue open,
-but such as conducted to the tomahawks of their foes. On every side
-arose shrieks, groans, exhortations and curses. At this moment, Alice
-caught a glimpse of the vast form of her father, moving rapidly across
-the plain, in the direction of the French army. He was, in truth,
-proceeding to Montcalm, fearless of every danger, to claim the tardy
-escort for which he had before conditioned. Fifty glittering axes
-and barbed spears were offered unheeded at his life, but the savages
-respected his rank and calmness, even in their fury. The dangerous
-weapons were brushed aside by the still nervous arm of the veteran, or
-fell of themselves, after menacing an act that it would seem no one had
-courage to perform. Fortunately, the vindictive Magua was searching for
-his victim in the very band the veteran had just quitted.
-
-"Father--father--we are here!" shrieked Alice, as he passed, at no great
-distance, without appearing to heed them. "Come to us, father, or we
-die!"
-
-The cry was repeated, and in terms and tones that might have melted
-a heart of stone, but it was unanswered. Once, indeed, the old man
-appeared to catch the sound, for he paused and listened; but Alice had
-dropped senseless on the earth, and Cora had sunk at her side, hovering
-in untiring tenderness over her lifeless form. Munro shook his head in
-disappointment, and proceeded, bent on the high duty of his station.
-
-"Lady," said Gamut, who, helpless and useless as he was, had not yet
-dreamed of deserting his trust, "it is the jubilee of the devils, and
-this is not a meet place for Christians to tarry in. Let us up and fly."
-
-"Go," said Cora, still gazing at her unconscious sister; "save thyself.
-To me thou canst not be of further use."
-
-David comprehended the unyielding character of her resolution, by the
-simple but expressive gesture that accompanied her words. He gazed for a
-moment at the dusky forms that were acting their hellish rites on every
-side of him, and his tall person grew more erect while his chest heaved,
-and every feature swelled, and seemed to speak with the power of the
-feelings by which he was governed.
-
-"If the Jewish boy might tame the great spirit of Saul by the sound of
-his harp, and the words of sacred song, it may not be amiss," he said,
-"to try the potency of music here."
-
-Then raising his voice to its highest tone, he poured out a strain so
-powerful as to be heard even amid the din of that bloody field. More
-than one savage rushed toward them, thinking to rifle the unprotected
-sisters of their attire, and bear away their scalps; but when they found
-this strange and unmoved figure riveted to his post, they paused to
-listen. Astonishment soon changed to admiration, and they passed on to
-other and less courageous victims, openly expressing their satisfaction
-at the firmness with which the white warrior sang his death song.
-Encouraged and deluded by his success, David exerted all his powers to
-extend what he believed so holy an influence. The unwonted sounds caught
-the ears of a distant savage, who flew raging from group to group, like
-one who, scorning to touch the vulgar herd, hunted for some victim more
-worthy of his renown. It was Magua, who uttered a yell of pleasure when
-he beheld his ancient prisoners again at his mercy.
-
-"Come," he said, laying his soiled hands on the dress of Cora, "the
-wigwam of the Huron is still open. Is it not better than this place?"
-
-"Away!" cried Cora, veiling her eyes from his revolting aspect.
-
-The Indian laughed tauntingly, as he held up his reeking hand, and
-answered: "It is red, but it comes from white veins!"
-
-"Monster! there is blood, oceans of blood, upon thy soul; thy spirit has
-moved this scene."
-
-"Magua is a great chief!" returned the exulting savage, "will the
-dark-hair go to his tribe?"
-
-"Never! strike if thou wilt, and complete thy revenge." He hesitated a
-moment, and then catching the light and senseless form of Alice in his
-arms, the subtle Indian moved swiftly across the plain toward the woods.
-
-"Hold!" shrieked Cora, following wildly on his footsteps; "release the
-child! wretch! what is't you do?"
-
-But Magua was deaf to her voice; or, rather, he knew his power, and was
-determined to maintain it.
-
-"Stay--lady--stay," called Gamut, after the unconscious Cora. "The
-holy charm is beginning to be felt, and soon shalt thou see this horrid
-tumult stilled."
-
-Perceiving that, in his turn, he was unheeded, the faithful David
-followed the distracted sister, raising his voice again in sacred song,
-and sweeping the air to the measure, with his long arm, in diligent
-accompaniment. In this manner they traversed the plain, through the
-flying, the wounded and the dead. The fierce Huron was, at any time,
-sufficient for himself and the victim that he bore; though Cora would
-have fallen more than once under the blows of her savage enemies,
-but for the extraordinary being who stalked in her rear, and who now
-appeared to the astonished natives gifted with the protecting spirit of
-madness.
-
-Magua, who knew how to avoid the more pressing dangers, and also to
-elude pursuit, entered the woods through a low ravine, where he quickly
-found the Narragansetts, which the travelers had abandoned so shortly
-before, awaiting his appearance, in custody of a savage as fierce and
-malign in his expression as himself. Laying Alice on one of the horses,
-he made a sign to Cora to mount the other.
-
-Notwithstanding the horror excited by the presence of her captor, there
-was a present relief in escaping from the bloody scene enacting on the
-plain, to which Cora could not be altogether insensible. She took her
-seat, and held forth her arms for her sister, with an air of entreaty
-and love that even the Huron could not deny. Placing Alice, then, on the
-same animal with Cora, he seized the bridle, and commenced his route
-by plunging deeper into the forest. David, perceiving that he was left
-alone, utterly disregarded as a subject too worthless even to destroy,
-threw his long limb across the saddle of the beast they had deserted,
-and made such progress in the pursuit as the difficulties of the path
-permitted.
-
-They soon began to ascend; but as the motion had a tendency to revive
-the dormant faculties of her sister, the attention of Cora was too much
-divided between the tenderest solicitude in her behalf, and in listening
-to the cries which were still too audible on the plain, to note the
-direction in which they journeyed. When, however, they gained the
-flattened surface of the mountain-top, and approached the eastern
-precipice, she recognized the spot to which she had once before been led
-under the more friendly auspices of the scout. Here Magua suffered them
-to dismount; and notwithstanding their own captivity, the curiosity
-which seems inseparable from horror, induced them to gaze at the
-sickening sight below.
-
-The cruel work was still unchecked. On every side the captured were
-flying before their relentless persecutors, while the armed columns
-of the Christian king stood fast in an apathy which has never been
-explained, and which has left an immovable blot on the otherwise fair
-escutcheon of their leader. Nor was the sword of death stayed until
-cupidity got the mastery of revenge. Then, indeed, the shrieks of the
-wounded, and the yells of their murderers grew less frequent, until,
-finally, the cries of horror were lost to their ear, or were drowned in
-the loud, long and piercing whoops of the triumphant savages.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 18
-
-     "Why, anything;
-     An honorable murderer, if you will;
-     For naught I did in hate, but all in honor."
-     --Othello
-
-The bloody and inhuman scene rather incidentally mentioned than
-described in the preceding chapter, is conspicuous in the pages of
-colonial history by the merited title of "The Massacre of William
-Henry." It so far deepened the stain which a previous and very similar
-event had left upon the reputation of the French commander that it was
-not entirely erased by his early and glorious death. It is now becoming
-obscured by time; and thousands, who know that Montcalm died like a hero
-on the plains of Abraham, have yet to learn how much he was deficient in
-that moral courage without which no man can be truly great. Pages might
-yet be written to prove, from this illustrious example, the defects of
-human excellence; to show how easy it is for generous sentiments, high
-courtesy, and chivalrous courage to lose their influence beneath the
-chilling blight of selfishness, and to exhibit to the world a man who
-was great in all the minor attributes of character, but who was found
-wanting when it became necessary to prove how much principle is superior
-to policy. But the task would exceed our prerogatives; and, as history,
-like love, is so apt to surround her heroes with an atmosphere of
-imaginary brightness, it is probable that Louis de Saint Veran will be
-viewed by posterity only as the gallant defender of his country, while
-his cruel apathy on the shores of the Oswego and of the Horican will be
-forgotten. Deeply regretting this weakness on the part of a sister muse,
-we shall at once retire from her sacred precincts, within the proper
-limits of our own humble vocation.
-
-The third day from the capture of the fort was drawing to a close, but
-the business of the narrative must still detain the reader on the shores
-of the "holy lake." When last seen, the environs of the works were
-filled with violence and uproar. They were now possessed by stillness
-and death. The blood-stained conquerors had departed; and their camp,
-which had so lately rung with the merry rejoicings of a victorious army,
-lay a silent and deserted city of huts. The fortress was a smoldering
-ruin; charred rafters, fragments of exploded artillery, and rent
-mason-work covering its earthen mounds in confused disorder.
-
-A frightful change had also occurred in the season. The sun had hid
-its warmth behind an impenetrable mass of vapor, and hundreds of human
-forms, which had blackened beneath the fierce heats of August, were
-stiffening in their deformity before the blasts of a premature November.
-The curling and spotless mists, which had been seen sailing above the
-hills toward the north, were now returning in an interminable dusky
-sheet, that was urged along by the fury of a tempest. The crowded mirror
-of the Horican was gone; and, in its place, the green and angry waters
-lashed the shores, as if indignantly casting back its impurities to
-the polluted strand. Still the clear fountain retained a portion of its
-charmed influence, but it reflected only the somber gloom that fell
-from the impending heavens. That humid and congenial atmosphere which
-commonly adorned the view, veiling its harshness, and softening its
-asperities, had disappeared, the northern air poured across the waste of
-water so harsh and unmingled, that nothing was left to be conjectured by
-the eye, or fashioned by the fancy.
-
-The fiercer element had cropped the verdure of the plain, which looked
-as though it were scathed by the consuming lightning. But, here and
-there, a dark green tuft rose in the midst of the desolation; the
-earliest fruits of a soil that had been fattened with human blood.
-The whole landscape, which, seen by a favoring light, and in a genial
-temperature, had been found so lovely, appeared now like some pictured
-allegory of life, in which objects were arrayed in their harshest but
-truest colors, and without the relief of any shadowing.
-
-The solitary and arid blades of grass arose from the passing gusts
-fearfully perceptible; the bold and rocky mountains were too distinct in
-their barrenness, and the eye even sought relief, in vain, by attempting
-to pierce the illimitable void of heaven, which was shut to its gaze by
-the dusky sheet of ragged and driving vapor.
-
-The wind blew unequally; sometimes sweeping heavily along the ground,
-seeming to whisper its moanings in the cold ears of the dead, then
-rising in a shrill and mournful whistling, it entered the forest with
-a rush that filled the air with the leaves and branches it scattered in
-its path. Amid the unnatural shower, a few hungry ravens struggled with
-the gale; but no sooner was the green ocean of woods which stretched
-beneath them, passed, than they gladly stopped, at random, to their
-hideous banquet.
-
-In short, it was a scene of wildness and desolation; and it appeared as
-if all who had profanely entered it had been stricken, at a blow, by
-the relentless arm of death. But the prohibition had ceased; and for the
-first time since the perpetrators of those foul deeds which had assisted
-to disfigure the scene were gone, living human beings had now presumed
-to approach the place.
-
-About an hour before the setting of the sun, on the day already
-mentioned, the forms of five men might have been seen issuing from the
-narrow vista of trees, where the path to the Hudson entered the forest,
-and advancing in the direction of the ruined works. At first their
-progress was slow and guarded, as though they entered with reluctance
-amid the horrors of the post, or dreaded the renewal of its frightful
-incidents. A light figure preceded the rest of the party, with
-the caution and activity of a native; ascending every hillock to
-reconnoiter, and indicating by gestures, to his companions, the route he
-deemed it most prudent to pursue. Nor were those in the rear wanting in
-every caution and foresight known to forest warfare. One among them, he
-also was an Indian, moved a little on one flank, and watched the margin
-of the woods, with eyes long accustomed to read the smallest sign
-of danger. The remaining three were white, though clad in vestments
-adapted, both in quality and color, to their present hazardous
-pursuit--that of hanging on the skirts of a retiring army in the
-wilderness.
-
-The effects produced by the appalling sights that constantly arose in
-their path to the lake shore, were as different as the characters of the
-respective individuals who composed the party. The youth in front
-threw serious but furtive glances at the mangled victims, as he stepped
-lightly across the plain, afraid to exhibit his feelings, and yet too
-inexperienced to quell entirely their sudden and powerful influence. His
-red associate, however, was superior to such a weakness. He passed the
-groups of dead with a steadiness of purpose, and an eye so calm, that
-nothing but long and inveterate practise could enable him to maintain.
-The sensations produced in the minds of even the white men were
-different, though uniformly sorrowful. One, whose gray locks and
-furrowed lineaments, blending with a martial air and tread, betrayed, in
-spite of the disguise of a woodsman's dress, a man long experienced in
-scenes of war, was not ashamed to groan aloud, whenever a spectacle of
-more than usual horror came under his view. The young man at his elbow
-shuddered, but seemed to suppress his feelings in tenderness to his
-companion. Of them all, the straggler who brought up the rear appeared
-alone to betray his real thoughts, without fear of observation or dread
-of consequences. He gazed at the most appalling sight with eyes and
-muscles that knew not how to waver, but with execrations so bitter and
-deep as to denote how much he denounced the crime of his enemies.
-
-The reader will perceive at once, in these respective characters, the
-Mohicans, and their white friend, the scout; together with Munro and
-Heyward. It was, in truth, the father in quest of his children, attended
-by the youth who felt so deep a stake in their happiness, and those
-brave and trusty foresters, who had already proved their skill and
-fidelity through the trying scenes related.
-
-When Uncas, who moved in front, had reached the center of the plain, he
-raised a cry that drew his companions in a body to the spot. The young
-warrior had halted over a group of females who lay in a cluster, a
-confused mass of dead. Notwithstanding the revolting horror of
-the exhibition, Munro and Heyward flew toward the festering heap,
-endeavoring, with a love that no unseemliness could extinguish, to
-discover whether any vestiges of those they sought were to be seen among
-the tattered and many-colored garments. The father and the lover
-found instant relief in the search; though each was condemned again
-to experience the misery of an uncertainty that was hardly less
-insupportable than the most revolting truth. They were standing, silent
-and thoughtful, around the melancholy pile, when the scout approached.
-Eyeing the sad spectacle with an angry countenance, the sturdy woodsman,
-for the first time since his entering the plain, spoke intelligibly and
-aloud:
-
-"I have been on many a shocking field, and have followed a trail of
-blood for weary miles," he said, "but never have I found the hand of the
-devil so plain as it is here to be seen! Revenge is an Indian feeling,
-and all who know me know that there is no cross in my veins; but this
-much will I say--here, in the face of heaven, and with the power of the
-Lord so manifest in this howling wilderness--that should these Frenchers
-ever trust themselves again within the range of a ragged bullet, there
-is one rifle which shall play its part so long as flint will fire or
-powder burn! I leave the tomahawk and knife to such as have a natural
-gift to use them. What say you, Chingachgook," he added, in Delaware;
-"shall the Hurons boast of this to their women when the deep snows
-come?"
-
-A gleam of resentment flashed across the dark lineaments of the Mohican
-chief; he loosened his knife in his sheath; and then turning calmly from
-the sight, his countenance settled into a repose as deep as if he knew
-the instigation of passion.
-
-"Montcalm! Montcalm!" continued the deeply resentful and less
-self-restrained scout; "they say a time must come when all the deeds
-done in the flesh will be seen at a single look; and that by eyes
-cleared from mortal infirmities. Woe betide the wretch who is born to
-behold this plain, with the judgment hanging about his soul! Ha--as I
-am a man of white blood, yonder lies a red-skin, without the hair of
-his head where nature rooted it! Look to him, Delaware; it may be one of
-your missing people; and he should have burial like a stout warrior.
-I see it in your eye, Sagamore; a Huron pays for this, afore the fall
-winds have blown away the scent of the blood!"
-
-Chingachgook approached the mutilated form, and, turning it over, he
-found the distinguishing marks of one of those six allied tribes, or
-nations, as they were called, who, while they fought in the English
-ranks, were so deadly hostile to his own people. Spurning the loathsome
-object with his foot, he turned from it with the same indifference he
-would have quitted a brute carcass. The scout comprehended the action,
-and very deliberately pursued his own way, continuing, however, his
-denunciations against the French commander in the same resentful strain.
-
-"Nothing but vast wisdom and unlimited power should dare to sweep off
-men in multitudes," he added; "for it is only the one that can know the
-necessity of the judgment; and what is there, short of the other, that
-can replace the creatures of the Lord? I hold it a sin to kill the
-second buck afore the first is eaten, unless a march in front, or
-an ambushment, be contemplated. It is a different matter with a few
-warriors in open and rugged fight, for 'tis their gift to die with the
-rifle or the tomahawk in hand; according as their natures may happen to
-be, white or red. Uncas, come this way, lad, and let the ravens settle
-upon the Mingo. I know, from often seeing it, that they have a craving
-for the flesh of an Oneida; and it is as well to let the bird follow the
-gift of its natural appetite."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the young Mohican, rising on the extremities of his
-feet, and gazing intently in his front, frightening the ravens to some
-other prey by the sound and the action.
-
-"What is it, boy?" whispered the scout, lowering his tall form into a
-crouching attitude, like a panther about to take his leap; "God send it
-be a tardy Frencher, skulking for plunder. I do believe 'killdeer' would
-take an uncommon range today!"
-
-Uncas, without making any reply, bounded away from the spot, and in the
-next instant he was seen tearing from a bush, and waving in triumph, a
-fragment of the green riding-veil of Cora. The movement, the exhibition,
-and the cry which again burst from the lips of the young Mohican,
-instantly drew the whole party about him.
-
-"My child!" said Munro, speaking quickly and wildly; "give me my child!"
-
-"Uncas will try," was the short and touching answer.
-
-The simple but meaning assurance was lost on the father, who seized
-the piece of gauze, and crushed it in his hand, while his eyes roamed
-fearfully among the bushes, as if he equally dreaded and hoped for the
-secrets they might reveal.
-
-"Here are no dead," said Heyward; "the storm seems not to have passed
-this way."
-
-"That's manifest; and clearer than the heavens above our heads,"
-returned the undisturbed scout; "but either she, or they that have
-robbed her, have passed the bush; for I remember the rag she wore to
-hide a face that all did love to look upon. Uncas, you are right; the
-dark-hair has been here, and she has fled like a frightened fawn, to the
-wood; none who could fly would remain to be murdered. Let us search
-for the marks she left; for, to Indian eyes, I sometimes think a
-humming-bird leaves his trail in the air."
-
-The young Mohican darted away at the suggestion, and the scout had
-hardly done speaking, before the former raised a cry of success from the
-margin of the forest. On reaching the spot, the anxious party perceived
-another portion of the veil fluttering on the lower branch of a beech.
-
-"Softly, softly," said the scout, extending his long rifle in front of
-the eager Heyward; "we now know our work, but the beauty of the trail
-must not be deformed. A step too soon may give us hours of trouble. We
-have them, though; that much is beyond denial."
-
-"Bless ye, bless ye, worthy man!" exclaimed Munro; "whither then, have
-they fled, and where are my babes?"
-
-"The path they have taken depends on many chances. If they have gone
-alone, they are quite as likely to move in a circle as straight, and
-they may be within a dozen miles of us; but if the Hurons, or any of the
-French Indians, have laid hands on them, 'tis probably they are now
-near the borders of the Canadas. But what matters that?" continued the
-deliberate scout, observing the powerful anxiety and disappointment
-the listeners exhibited; "here are the Mohicans and I on one end of
-the trail, and, rely on it, we find the other, though they should be a
-hundred leagues asunder! Gently, gently, Uncas, you are as impatient
-as a man in the settlements; you forget that light feet leave but faint
-marks!"
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed Chingachgook, who had been occupied in examining an
-opening that had been evidently made through the low underbrush which
-skirted the forest; and who now stood erect, as he pointed downward, in
-the attitude and with the air of a man who beheld a disgusting serpent.
-
-"Here is the palpable impression of the footstep of a man," cried
-Heyward, bending over the indicated spot; "he has trod in the margin of
-this pool, and the mark cannot be mistaken. They are captives."
-
-"Better so than left to starve in the wilderness," returned the scout;
-"and they will leave a wider trail. I would wager fifty beaver skins
-against as many flints, that the Mohicans and I enter their wigwams
-within the month! Stoop to it, Uncas, and try what you can make of the
-moccasin; for moccasin it plainly is, and no shoe."
-
-The young Mohican bent over the track, and removing the scattered leaves
-from around the place, he examined it with much of that sort of scrutiny
-that a money dealer, in these days of pecuniary doubts, would bestow on
-a suspected due-bill. At length he arose from his knees, satisfied with
-the result of the examination.
-
-"Well, boy," demanded the attentive scout; "what does it say? Can you
-make anything of the tell-tale?"
-
-"Le Renard Subtil!"
-
-"Ha! that rampaging devil again! there will never be an end of his
-loping till 'killdeer' has said a friendly word to him."
-
-Heyward reluctantly admitted the truth of this intelligence, and now
-expressed rather his hopes than his doubts by saying:
-
-"One moccasin is so much like another, it is probable there is some
-mistake."
-
-"One moccasin like another! you may as well say that one foot is like
-another; though we all know that some are long, and others short; some
-broad and others narrow; some with high, and some with low insteps; some
-intoed, and some out. One moccasin is no more like another than one book
-is like another: though they who can read in one are seldom able to tell
-the marks of the other. Which is all ordered for the best, giving to
-every man his natural advantages. Let me get down to it, Uncas; neither
-book nor moccasin is the worse for having two opinions, instead of one."
-The scout stooped to the task, and instantly added:
-
-"You are right, boy; here is the patch we saw so often in the other
-chase. And the fellow will drink when he can get an opportunity; your
-drinking Indian always learns to walk with a wider toe than the natural
-savage, it being the gift of a drunkard to straddle, whether of white or
-red skin. 'Tis just the length and breadth, too! look at it, Sagamore;
-you measured the prints more than once, when we hunted the varmints from
-Glenn's to the health springs."
-
-Chingachgook complied; and after finishing his short examination, he
-arose, and with a quiet demeanor, he merely pronounced the word:
-
-"Magua!"
-
-"Ay, 'tis a settled thing; here, then, have passed the dark-hair and
-Magua."
-
-"And not Alice?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Of her we have not yet seen the signs," returned the scout, looking
-closely around at the trees, the bushes and the ground. "What have
-we there? Uncas, bring hither the thing you see dangling from yonder
-thorn-bush."
-
-When the Indian had complied, the scout received the prize, and holding
-it on high, he laughed in his silent but heartfelt manner.
-
-"'Tis the tooting we'pon of the singer! now we shall have a trail a
-priest might travel," he said. "Uncas, look for the marks of a shoe that
-is long enough to uphold six feet two of tottering human flesh. I begin
-to have some hopes of the fellow, since he has given up squalling to
-follow some better trade."
-
-"At least he has been faithful to his trust," said Heyward. "And Cora
-and Alice are not without a friend."
-
-"Yes," said Hawkeye, dropping his rifle, and leaning on it with an air
-of visible contempt, "he will do their singing. Can he slay a buck for
-their dinner; journey by the moss on the beeches, or cut the throat of
-a Huron? If not, the first catbird* he meets is the cleverer of the two.
-Well, boy, any signs of such a foundation?"
-
-     * The powers of the American mocking-bird are generally
-     known. But the true mocking-bird is not found so far north
-     as the state of New York, where it has, however, two
-     substitutes of inferior excellence, the catbird, so often
-     named by the scout, and the bird vulgarly called ground-
-     thresher. Either of these last two birds is superior to the
-     nightingale or the lark, though, in general, the American
-     birds are less musical than those of Europe.
-
-"Here is something like the footstep of one who has worn a shoe; can it
-be that of our friend?"
-
-"Touch the leaves lightly or you'll disconsart the formation. That! that
-is the print of a foot, but 'tis the dark-hair's; and small it is, too,
-for one of such a noble height and grand appearance. The singer would
-cover it with his heel."
-
-"Where! let me look on the footsteps of my child," said Munro, shoving
-the bushes aside, and bending fondly over the nearly obliterated
-impression. Though the tread which had left the mark had been light and
-rapid, it was still plainly visible. The aged soldier examined it with
-eyes that grew dim as he gazed; nor did he rise from this stooping
-posture until Heyward saw that he had watered the trace of his
-daughter's passage with a scalding tear. Willing to divert a distress
-which threatened each moment to break through the restraint of
-appearances, by giving the veteran something to do, the young man said
-to the scout:
-
-"As we now possess these infallible signs, let us commence our march. A
-moment, at such a time, will appear an age to the captives."
-
-"It is not the swiftest leaping deer that gives the longest chase,"
-returned Hawkeye, without moving his eyes from the different marks that
-had come under his view; "we know that the rampaging Huron has passed,
-and the dark-hair, and the singer, but where is she of the yellow locks
-and blue eyes? Though little, and far from being as bold as her sister,
-she is fair to the view, and pleasant in discourse. Has she no friend,
-that none care for her?"
-
-"God forbid she should ever want hundreds! Are we not now in her
-pursuit? For one, I will never cease the search till she be found."
-
-"In that case we may have to journey by different paths; for here she
-has not passed, light and little as her footsteps would be."
-
-Heyward drew back, all his ardor to proceed seeming to vanish on the
-instant. Without attending to this sudden change in the other's humor,
-the scout after musing a moment continued:
-
-"There is no woman in this wilderness could leave such a print as that,
-but the dark-hair or her sister. We know that the first has been here,
-but where are the signs of the other? Let us push deeper on the trail,
-and if nothing offers, we must go back to the plain and strike another
-scent. Move on, Uncas, and keep your eyes on the dried leaves. I will
-watch the bushes, while your father shall run with a low nose to the
-ground. Move on, friends; the sun is getting behind the hills."
-
-"Is there nothing that I can do?" demanded the anxious Heyward.
-
-"You?" repeated the scout, who, with his red friends, was already
-advancing in the order he had prescribed; "yes, you can keep in our rear
-and be careful not to cross the trail."
-
-Before they had proceeded many rods, the Indians stopped, and appeared
-to gaze at some signs on the earth with more than their usual keenness.
-Both father and son spoke quick and loud, now looking at the object
-of their mutual admiration, and now regarding each other with the most
-unequivocal pleasure.
-
-"They have found the little foot!" exclaimed the scout, moving forward,
-without attending further to his own portion of the duty. "What have
-we here? An ambushment has been planted in the spot! No, by the truest
-rifle on the frontiers, here have been them one-sided horses again! Now
-the whole secret is out, and all is plain as the north star at midnight.
-Yes, here they have mounted. There the beasts have been bound to a
-sapling, in waiting; and yonder runs the broad path away to the north,
-in full sweep for the Canadas."
-
-"But still there are no signs of Alice, of the younger Miss Munro," said
-Duncan.
-
-"Unless the shining bauble Uncas has just lifted from the ground should
-prove one. Pass it this way, lad, that we may look at it."
-
-Heyward instantly knew it for a trinket that Alice was fond of wearing,
-and which he recollected, with the tenacious memory of a lover, to have
-seen, on the fatal morning of the massacre, dangling from the fair neck
-of his mistress. He seized the highly prized jewel; and as he proclaimed
-the fact, it vanished from the eyes of the wondering scout, who in vain
-looked for it on the ground, long after it was warmly pressed against
-the beating heart of Duncan.
-
-"Pshaw!" said the disappointed Hawkeye, ceasing to rake the leaves with
-the breech of his rifle; "'tis a certain sign of age, when the sight
-begins to weaken. Such a glittering gewgaw, and not to be seen! Well,
-well, I can squint along a clouded barrel yet, and that is enough to
-settle all disputes between me and the Mingoes. I should like to find
-the thing, too, if it were only to carry it to the right owner, and that
-would be bringing the two ends of what I call a long trail together,
-for by this time the broad St. Lawrence, or perhaps, the Great Lakes
-themselves, are between us."
-
-"So much the more reason why we should not delay our march," returned
-Heyward; "let us proceed."
-
-"Young blood and hot blood, they say, are much the same thing. We are
-not about to start on a squirrel hunt, or to drive a deer into the
-Horican, but to outlie for days and nights, and to stretch across
-a wilderness where the feet of men seldom go, and where no bookish
-knowledge would carry you through harmless. An Indian never starts on
-such an expedition without smoking over his council-fire; and, though
-a man of white blood, I honor their customs in this particular, seeing
-that they are deliberate and wise. We will, therefore, go back, and
-light our fire to-night in the ruins of the old fort, and in the morning
-we shall be fresh, and ready to undertake our work like men, and not
-like babbling women or eager boys."
-
-Heyward saw, by the manner of the scout, that altercation would be
-useless. Munro had again sunk into that sort of apathy which had beset
-him since his late overwhelming misfortunes, and from which he was
-apparently to be roused only by some new and powerful excitement. Making
-a merit of necessity, the young man took the veteran by the arm, and
-followed in the footsteps of the Indians and the scout, who had already
-begun to retrace the path which conducted them to the plain.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 19
-
-     "Salar.--Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take
-     his flesh; what's that good for?
-     Shy.--To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it
-     will feed my revenge."
-     --Merchant of Venice
-
-The shades of evening had come to increase the dreariness of the place,
-when the party entered the ruins of William Henry. The scout and his
-companions immediately made their preparations to pass the night there;
-but with an earnestness and sobriety of demeanor that betrayed how
-much the unusual horrors they had just witnessed worked on even their
-practised feelings. A few fragments of rafters were reared against a
-blackened wall; and when Uncas had covered them slightly with brush,
-the temporary accommodations were deemed sufficient. The young Indian
-pointed toward his rude hut when his labor was ended; and Heyward, who
-understood the meaning of the silent gestures, gently urged Munro to
-enter. Leaving the bereaved old man alone with his sorrows, Duncan
-immediately returned into the open air, too much excited himself to seek
-the repose he had recommended to his veteran friend.
-
-While Hawkeye and the Indians lighted their fire and took their
-evening's repast, a frugal meal of dried bear's meat, the young man paid
-a visit to that curtain of the dilapidated fort which looked out on the
-sheet of the Horican. The wind had fallen, and the waves were already
-rolling on the sandy beach beneath him, in a more regular and tempered
-succession. The clouds, as if tired of their furious chase, were
-breaking asunder; the heavier volumes, gathering in black masses about
-the horizon, while the lighter scud still hurried above the water, or
-eddied among the tops of the mountains, like broken flights of birds,
-hovering around their roosts. Here and there, a red and fiery star
-struggled through the drifting vapor, furnishing a lurid gleam of
-brightness to the dull aspect of the heavens. Within the bosom of the
-encircling hills, an impenetrable darkness had already settled; and
-the plain lay like a vast and deserted charnel-house, without omen or
-whisper to disturb the slumbers of its numerous and hapless tenants.
-
-Of this scene, so chillingly in accordance with the past, Duncan stood
-for many minutes a rapt observer. His eyes wandered from the bosom of
-the mound, where the foresters were seated around their glimmering fire,
-to the fainter light which still lingered in the skies, and then rested
-long and anxiously on the embodied gloom, which lay like a dreary
-void on that side of him where the dead reposed. He soon fancied that
-inexplicable sounds arose from the place, though so indistinct and
-stolen, as to render not only their nature but even their existence
-uncertain. Ashamed of his apprehensions, the young man turned toward the
-water, and strove to divert his attention to the mimic stars that dimly
-glimmered on its moving surface. Still, his too-conscious ears performed
-their ungrateful duty, as if to warn him of some lurking danger. At
-length, a swift trampling seemed, quite audibly, to rush athwart the
-darkness. Unable any longer to quiet his uneasiness, Duncan spoke in a
-low voice to the scout, requesting him to ascend the mound to the place
-where he stood. Hawkeye threw his rifle across an arm and complied, but
-with an air so unmoved and calm, as to prove how much he counted on the
-security of their position.
-
-"Listen!" said Duncan, when the other placed himself deliberately at his
-elbow; "there are suppressed noises on the plain which may show Montcalm
-has not yet entirely deserted his conquest."
-
-"Then ears are better than eyes," said the undisturbed scout, who,
-having just deposited a portion of a bear between his grinders, spoke
-thick and slow, like one whose mouth was doubly occupied. "I myself saw
-him caged in Ty, with all his host; for your Frenchers, when they
-have done a clever thing, like to get back, and have a dance, or a
-merry-making, with the women over their success."
-
-"I know not. An Indian seldom sleeps in war, and plunder may keep a
-Huron here after his tribe has departed. It would be well to extinguish
-the fire, and have a watch--listen! you hear the noise I mean!"
-
-"An Indian more rarely lurks about the graves. Though ready to slay, and
-not over regardful of the means, he is commonly content with the scalp,
-unless when blood is hot, and temper up; but after spirit is once fairly
-gone, he forgets his enmity, and is willing to let the dead find their
-natural rest. Speaking of spirits, major, are you of opinion that the
-heaven of a red-skin and of us whites will be of one and the same?"
-
-"No doubt--no doubt. I thought I heard it again! or was it the rustling
-of the leaves in the top of the beech?"
-
-"For my own part," continued Hawkeye, turning his face for a moment
-in the direction indicated by Heyward, but with a vacant and careless
-manner, "I believe that paradise is ordained for happiness; and that
-men will be indulged in it according to their dispositions and gifts.
-I, therefore, judge that a red-skin is not far from the truth when
-he believes he is to find them glorious hunting grounds of which his
-traditions tell; nor, for that matter, do I think it would be any
-disparagement to a man without a cross to pass his time--"
-
-"You hear it again?" interrupted Duncan.
-
-"Ay, ay; when food is scarce, and when food is plenty, a wolf grows
-bold," said the unmoved scout. "There would be picking, too, among the
-skins of the devils, if there was light and time for the sport. But,
-concerning the life that is to come, major; I have heard preachers say,
-in the settlements, that heaven was a place of rest. Now, men's minds
-differ as to their ideas of enjoyment. For myself, and I say it with
-reverence to the ordering of Providence, it would be no great indulgence
-to be kept shut up in those mansions of which they preach, having a
-natural longing for motion and the chase."
-
-Duncan, who was now made to understand the nature of the noise he had
-heard, answered, with more attention to the subject which the humor of
-the scout had chosen for discussion, by saying:
-
-"It is difficult to account for the feelings that may attend the last
-great change."
-
-"It would be a change, indeed, for a man who has passed his days in
-the open air," returned the single-minded scout; "and who has so often
-broken his fast on the head waters of the Hudson, to sleep within sound
-of the roaring Mohawk. But it is a comfort to know we serve a merciful
-Master, though we do it each after his fashion, and with great tracts of
-wilderness atween us--what goes there?"
-
-"Is it not the rushing of the wolves you have mentioned?"
-
-Hawkeye slowly shook his head, and beckoned for Duncan to follow him
-to a spot to which the glare from the fire did not extend. When he
-had taken this precaution, the scout placed himself in an attitude of
-intense attention and listened long and keenly for a repetition of the
-low sound that had so unexpectedly startled him. His vigilance, however,
-seemed exercised in vain; for after a fruitless pause, he whispered to
-Duncan:
-
-"We must give a call to Uncas. The boy has Indian senses, and he may
-hear what is hid from us; for, being a white-skin, I will not deny my
-nature."
-
-The young Mohican, who was conversing in a low voice with his father,
-started as he heard the moaning of an owl, and, springing on his feet,
-he looked toward the black mounds, as if seeking the place whence the
-sounds proceeded. The scout repeated the call, and in a few moments,
-Duncan saw the figure of Uncas stealing cautiously along the rampart, to
-the spot where they stood.
-
-Hawkeye explained his wishes in a very few words, which were spoken in
-the Delaware tongue. So soon as Uncas was in possession of the reason
-why he was summoned, he threw himself flat on the turf; where, to the
-eyes of Duncan, he appeared to lie quiet and motionless. Surprised at
-the immovable attitude of the young warrior, and curious to observe
-the manner in which he employed his faculties to obtain the desired
-information, Heyward advanced a few steps, and bent over the dark object
-on which he had kept his eye riveted. Then it was he discovered that the
-form of Uncas vanished, and that he beheld only the dark outline of an
-inequality in the embankment.
-
-"What has become of the Mohican?" he demanded of the scout, stepping
-back in amazement; "it was here that I saw him fall, and could have
-sworn that here he yet remained."
-
-"Hist! speak lower; for we know not what ears are open, and the Mingoes
-are a quick-witted breed. As for Uncas, he is out on the plain, and the
-Maquas, if any such are about us, will find their equal."
-
-"You think that Montcalm has not called off all his Indians? Let us give
-the alarm to our companions, that we may stand to our arms. Here are
-five of us, who are not unused to meet an enemy."
-
-"Not a word to either, as you value your life. Look at the Sagamore, how
-like a grand Indian chief he sits by the fire. If there are any skulkers
-out in the darkness, they will never discover, by his countenance, that
-we suspect danger at hand."
-
-"But they may discover him, and it will prove his death. His person can
-be too plainly seen by the light of that fire, and he will become the
-first and most certain victim."
-
-"It is undeniable that now you speak the truth," returned the scout,
-betraying more anxiety than was usual; "yet what can be done? A single
-suspicious look might bring on an attack before we are ready to receive
-it. He knows, by the call I gave to Uncas, that we have struck a scent;
-I will tell him that we are on the trail of the Mingoes; his Indian
-nature will teach him how to act."
-
-The scout applied his fingers to his mouth, and raised a low hissing
-sound, that caused Duncan at first to start aside, believing that he
-heard a serpent. The head of Chingachgook was resting on a hand, as he
-sat musing by himself but the moment he had heard the warning of the
-animal whose name he bore, he arose to an upright position, and his dark
-eyes glanced swiftly and keenly on every side of him. With his sudden
-and, perhaps, involuntary movement, every appearance of surprise or
-alarm ended. His rifle lay untouched, and apparently unnoticed, within
-reach of his hand. The tomahawk that he had loosened in his belt for the
-sake of ease, was even suffered to fall from its usual situation to the
-ground, and his form seemed to sink, like that of a man whose nerves
-and sinews were suffered to relax for the purpose of rest. Cunningly
-resuming his former position, though with a change of hands, as if the
-movement had been made merely to relieve the limb, the native awaited
-the result with a calmness and fortitude that none but an Indian warrior
-would have known how to exercise.
-
-But Heyward saw that while to a less instructed eye the Mohican chief
-appeared to slumber, his nostrils were expanded, his head was turned a
-little to one side, as if to assist the organs of hearing, and that his
-quick and rapid glances ran incessantly over every object within the
-power of his vision.
-
-"See the noble fellow!" whispered Hawkeye, pressing the arm of Heyward;
-"he knows that a look or a motion might disconsart our schemes, and put
-us at the mercy of them imps--"
-
-He was interrupted by the flash and report of a rifle. The air was
-filled with sparks of fire, around that spot where the eyes of Heyward
-were still fastened, with admiration and wonder. A second look told him
-that Chingachgook had disappeared in the confusion. In the meantime, the
-scout had thrown forward his rifle, like one prepared for service, and
-awaited impatiently the moment when an enemy might rise to view.
-But with the solitary and fruitless attempt made on the life of
-Chingachgook, the attack appeared to have terminated. Once or twice the
-listeners thought they could distinguish the distant rustling of bushes,
-as bodies of some unknown description rushed through them; nor was it
-long before Hawkeye pointed out the "scampering of the wolves," as they
-fled precipitately before the passage of some intruder on their proper
-domains. After an impatient and breathless pause, a plunge was heard
-in the water, and it was immediately followed by the report of another
-rifle.
-
-"There goes Uncas!" said the scout; "the boy bears a smart piece! I know
-its crack, as well as a father knows the language of his child, for I
-carried the gun myself until a better offered."
-
-"What can this mean?" demanded Duncan, "we are watched, and, as it would
-seem, marked for destruction."
-
-"Yonder scattered brand can witness that no good was intended, and this
-Indian will testify that no harm has been done," returned the scout,
-dropping his rifle across his arm again, and following Chingachgook, who
-just then reappeared within the circle of light, into the bosom of the
-work. "How is it, Sagamore? Are the Mingoes upon us in earnest, or is it
-only one of those reptiles who hang upon the skirts of a war-party,
-to scalp the dead, go in, and make their boast among the squaws of the
-valiant deeds done on the pale faces?"
-
-Chingachgook very quietly resumed his seat; nor did he make any reply,
-until after he had examined the firebrand which had been struck by
-the bullet that had nearly proved fatal to himself. After which he was
-content to reply, holding a single finger up to view, with the English
-monosyllable:
-
-"One."
-
-"I thought as much," returned Hawkeye, seating himself; "and as he had
-got the cover of the lake afore Uncas pulled upon him, it is more than
-probable the knave will sing his lies about some great ambushment,
-in which he was outlying on the trail of two Mohicans and a white
-hunter--for the officers can be considered as little better than idlers
-in such a scrimmage. Well, let him--let him. There are always some
-honest men in every nation, though heaven knows, too, that they are
-scarce among the Maquas, to look down an upstart when he brags ag'in the
-face of reason. The varlet sent his lead within whistle of your ears,
-Sagamore."
-
-Chingachgook turned a calm and incurious eye toward the place where the
-ball had struck, and then resumed his former attitude, with a composure
-that could not be disturbed by so trifling an incident. Just then Uncas
-glided into the circle, and seated himself at the fire, with the same
-appearance of indifference as was maintained by his father.
-
-Of these several moments Heyward was a deeply interested and wondering
-observer. It appeared to him as though the foresters had some secret
-means of intelligence, which had escaped the vigilance of his own
-faculties. In place of that eager and garrulous narration with which
-a white youth would have endeavored to communicate, and perhaps
-exaggerate, that which had passed out in the darkness of the plain,
-the young warrior was seemingly content to let his deeds speak for
-themselves. It was, in fact, neither the moment nor the occasion for an
-Indian to boast of his exploits; and it is probably that, had Heyward
-neglected to inquire, not another syllable would, just then, have been
-uttered on the subject.
-
-"What has become of our enemy, Uncas?" demanded Duncan; "we heard your
-rifle, and hoped you had not fired in vain."
-
-The young chief removed a fold of his hunting skirt, and quietly
-exposed the fatal tuft of hair, which he bore as the symbol of victory.
-Chingachgook laid his hand on the scalp, and considered it for a moment
-with deep attention. Then dropping it, with disgust depicted in his
-strong features, he ejaculated:
-
-"Oneida!"
-
-"Oneida!" repeated the scout, who was fast losing his interest in the
-scene, in an apathy nearly assimilated to that of his red associates,
-but who now advanced in uncommon earnestness to regard the bloody badge.
-"By the Lord, if the Oneidas are outlying upon the trail, we shall by
-flanked by devils on every side of us! Now, to white eyes there is no
-difference between this bit of skin and that of any other Indian, and
-yet the Sagamore declares it came from the poll of a Mingo; nay, he even
-names the tribe of the poor devil, with as much ease as if the scalp was
-the leaf of a book, and each hair a letter. What right have Christian
-whites to boast of their learning, when a savage can read a language
-that would prove too much for the wisest of them all! What say you, lad,
-of what people was the knave?"
-
-Uncas raised his eyes to the face of the scout, and answered, in his
-soft voice:
-
-"Oneida."
-
-"Oneida, again! when one Indian makes a declaration it is commonly true;
-but when he is supported by his people, set it down as gospel!"
-
-"The poor fellow has mistaken us for French," said Heyward; "or he would
-not have attempted the life of a friend."
-
-"He mistake a Mohican in his paint for a Huron! You would be as likely
-to mistake the white-coated grenadiers of Montcalm for the scarlet
-jackets of the Royal Americans," returned the scout. "No, no, the
-sarpent knew his errand; nor was there any great mistake in the matter,
-for there is but little love atween a Delaware and a Mingo, let their
-tribes go out to fight for whom they may, in a white quarrel. For
-that matter, though the Oneidas do serve his sacred majesty, who is
-my sovereign lord and master, I should not have deliberated long about
-letting off 'killdeer' at the imp myself, had luck thrown him in my
-way."
-
-"That would have been an abuse of our treaties, and unworthy of your
-character."
-
-"When a man consort much with a people," continued Hawkeye, "if they
-were honest and he no knave, love will grow up atwixt them. It is true
-that white cunning has managed to throw the tribes into great confusion,
-as respects friends and enemies; so that the Hurons and the Oneidas, who
-speak the same tongue, or what may be called the same, take each other's
-scalps, and the Delawares are divided among themselves; a few hanging
-about their great council-fire on their own river, and fighting on the
-same side with the Mingoes while the greater part are in the Canadas,
-out of natural enmity to the Maquas--thus throwing everything into
-disorder, and destroying all the harmony of warfare. Yet a red natur' is
-not likely to alter with every shift of policy; so that the love atwixt
-a Mohican and a Mingo is much like the regard between a white man and a
-sarpent."
-
-"I regret to hear it; for I had believed those natives who dwelt within
-our boundaries had found us too just and liberal, not to identify
-themselves fully with our quarrels."
-
-"Why, I believe it is natur' to give a preference to one's own quarrels
-before those of strangers. Now, for myself, I do love justice; and,
-therefore, I will not say I hate a Mingo, for that may be unsuitable to
-my color and my religion, though I will just repeat, it may have been
-owing to the night that 'killdeer' had no hand in the death of this
-skulking Oneida."
-
-Then, as if satisfied with the force of his own reasons, whatever might
-be their effect on the opinions of the other disputant, the honest but
-implacable woodsman turned from the fire, content to let the controversy
-slumber. Heyward withdrew to the rampart, too uneasy and too little
-accustomed to the warfare of the woods to remain at ease under the
-possibility of such insidious attacks. Not so, however, with the scout
-and the Mohicans. Those acute and long-practised senses, whose powers so
-often exceed the limits of all ordinary credulity, after having detected
-the danger, had enabled them to ascertain its magnitude and duration.
-Not one of the three appeared in the least to doubt their perfect
-security, as was indicated by the preparations that were soon made to
-sit in council over their future proceedings.
-
-The confusion of nations, and even of tribes, to which Hawkeye alluded,
-existed at that period in the fullest force. The great tie of language,
-and, of course, of a common origin, was severed in many places; and it
-was one of its consequences, that the Delaware and the Mingo (as the
-people of the Six Nations were called) were found fighting in the same
-ranks, while the latter sought the scalp of the Huron, though believed
-to be the root of his own stock. The Delawares were even divided among
-themselves. Though love for the soil which had belonged to his ancestors
-kept the Sagamore of the Mohicans with a small band of followers who
-were serving at Edward, under the banners of the English king, by far
-the largest portion of his nation were known to be in the field as
-allies of Montcalm. The reader probably knows, if enough has not already
-been gleaned form this narrative, that the Delaware, or Lenape, claimed
-to be the progenitors of that numerous people, who once were masters
-of most of the eastern and northern states of America, of whom the
-community of the Mohicans was an ancient and highly honored member.
-
-It was, of course, with a perfect understanding of the minute and
-intricate interests which had armed friend against friend, and brought
-natural enemies to combat by each other's side, that the scout and his
-companions now disposed themselves to deliberate on the measures that
-were to govern their future movements, amid so many jarring and savage
-races of men. Duncan knew enough of Indian customs to understand
-the reason that the fire was replenished, and why the warriors, not
-excepting Hawkeye, took their seats within the curl of its smoke with
-so much gravity and decorum. Placing himself at an angle of the works,
-where he might be a spectator of the scene without, he awaited the
-result with as much patience as he could summon.
-
-After a short and impressive pause, Chingachgook lighted a pipe whose
-bowl was curiously carved in one of the soft stones of the country,
-and whose stem was a tube of wood, and commenced smoking. When he had
-inhaled enough of the fragrance of the soothing weed, he passed the
-instrument into the hands of the scout. In this manner the pipe had made
-its rounds three several times, amid the most profound silence, before
-either of the party opened his lips. Then the Sagamore, as the oldest
-and highest in rank, in a few calm and dignified words, proposed the
-subject for deliberation. He was answered by the scout; and Chingachgook
-rejoined, when the other objected to his opinions. But the youthful
-Uncas continued a silent and respectful listener, until Hawkeye, in
-complaisance, demanded his opinion. Heyward gathered from the manners of
-the different speakers, that the father and son espoused one side of a
-disputed question, while the white man maintained the other. The contest
-gradually grew warmer, until it was quite evident the feelings of the
-speakers began to be somewhat enlisted in the debate.
-
-Notwithstanding the increasing warmth of the amicable contest, the
-most decorous Christian assembly, not even excepting those in which its
-reverend ministers are collected, might have learned a wholesome lesson
-of moderation from the forbearance and courtesy of the disputants. The
-words of Uncas were received with the same deep attention as those which
-fell from the maturer wisdom of his father; and so far from manifesting
-any impatience, neither spoke in reply, until a few moments of silent
-meditation were, seemingly, bestowed in deliberating on what had already
-been said.
-
-The language of the Mohicans was accompanied by gestures so direct and
-natural that Heyward had but little difficulty in following the thread
-of their argument. On the other hand, the scout was obscure; because
-from the lingering pride of color, he rather affected the cold and
-artificial manner which characterizes all classes of Anglo-Americans
-when unexcited. By the frequency with which the Indians described the
-marks of a forest trial, it was evident they urged a pursuit by land,
-while the repeated sweep of Hawkeye's arm toward the Horican denoted
-that he was for a passage across its waters.
-
-The latter was to every appearance fast losing ground, and the point was
-about to be decided against him, when he arose to his feet, and shaking
-off his apathy, he suddenly assumed the manner of an Indian, and adopted
-all the arts of native eloquence. Elevating an arm, he pointed out the
-track of the sun, repeating the gesture for every day that was necessary
-to accomplish their objects. Then he delineated a long and painful path,
-amid rocks and water-courses. The age and weakness of the slumbering and
-unconscious Munro were indicated by signs too palpable to be mistaken.
-Duncan perceived that even his own powers were spoken lightly of, as
-the scout extended his palm, and mentioned him by the appellation of
-the "Open Hand"--a name his liberality had purchased of all the friendly
-tribes. Then came a representation of the light and graceful movements
-of a canoe, set in forcible contrast to the tottering steps of one
-enfeebled and tired. He concluded by pointing to the scalp of the
-Oneida, and apparently urging the necessity of their departing speedily,
-and in a manner that should leave no trail.
-
-The Mohicans listened gravely, and with countenances that reflected the
-sentiments of the speaker. Conviction gradually wrought its influence,
-and toward the close of Hawkeye's speech, his sentences were accompanied
-by the customary exclamation of commendation. In short, Uncas and his
-father became converts to his way of thinking, abandoning their own
-previously expressed opinions with a liberality and candor that, had
-they been the representatives of some great and civilized people, would
-have infallibly worked their political ruin, by destroying forever their
-reputation for consistency.
-
-The instant the matter in discussion was decided, the debate, and
-everything connected with it, except the result appeared to be
-forgotten. Hawkeye, without looking round to read his triumph in
-applauding eyes, very composedly stretched his tall frame before the
-dying embers, and closed his own organs in sleep.
-
-Left now in a measure to themselves, the Mohicans, whose time had been
-so much devoted to the interests of others, seized the moment to devote
-some attention to themselves. Casting off at once the grave and austere
-demeanor of an Indian chief, Chingachgook commenced speaking to his
-son in the soft and playful tones of affection. Uncas gladly met the
-familiar air of his father; and before the hard breathing of the scout
-announced that he slept, a complete change was effected in the manner of
-his two associates.
-
-It is impossible to describe the music of their language, while thus
-engaged in laughter and endearments, in such a way as to render it
-intelligible to those whose ears have never listened to its melody.
-The compass of their voices, particularly that of the youth, was
-wonderful--extending from the deepest bass to tones that were even
-feminine in softness. The eyes of the father followed the plastic and
-ingenious movements of the son with open delight, and he never failed to
-smile in reply to the other's contagious but low laughter. While under
-the influence of these gentle and natural feelings, no trace of ferocity
-was to be seen in the softened features of the Sagamore. His figured
-panoply of death looked more like a disguise assumed in mockery than a
-fierce annunciation of a desire to carry destruction in his footsteps.
-
-After an hour had passed in the indulgence of their better feelings,
-Chingachgook abruptly announced his desire to sleep, by wrapping his
-head in his blanket and stretching his form on the naked earth. The
-merriment of Uncas instantly ceased; and carefully raking the coals in
-such a manner that they should impart their warmth to his father's feet,
-the youth sought his own pillow among the ruins of the place.
-
-Imbibing renewed confidence from the security of these experienced
-foresters, Heyward soon imitated their example; and long before the
-night had turned, they who lay in the bosom of the ruined work, seemed
-to slumber as heavily as the unconscious multitude whose bones were
-already beginning to bleach on the surrounding plain.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 20
-
-     "Land of Albania! let me bend mine eyes
-     On thee; thou rugged nurse of savage men!"
-     --Childe Harold
-
-The heavens were still studded with stars, when Hawkeye came to arouse
-the sleepers. Casting aside their cloaks Munro and Heyward were on their
-feet while the woodsman was still making his low calls, at the entrance
-of the rude shelter where they had passed the night. When they issued
-from beneath its concealment, they found the scout awaiting their
-appearance nigh by, and the only salutation between them was the
-significant gesture for silence, made by their sagacious leader.
-
-"Think over your prayers," he whispered, as they approached him; "for He
-to whom you make them, knows all tongues; that of the heart, as well
-as those of the mouth. But speak not a syllable; it is rare for a white
-voice to pitch itself properly in the woods, as we have seen by the
-example of that miserable devil, the singer. Come," he continued,
-turning toward a curtain of the works; "let us get into the ditch on
-this side, and be regardful to step on the stones and fragments of wood
-as you go."
-
-His companions complied, though to two of them the reasons of this
-extraordinary precaution were yet a mystery. When they were in the low
-cavity that surrounded the earthen fort on three sides, they found that
-passage nearly choked by the ruins. With care and patience, however,
-they succeeded in clambering after the scout, until they reached the
-sandy shore of the Horican.
-
-"That's a trail that nothing but a nose can follow," said the satisfied
-scout, looking back along their difficult way; "grass is a treacherous
-carpet for a flying party to tread on, but wood and stone take no print
-from a moccasin. Had you worn your armed boots, there might, indeed,
-have been something to fear; but with the deer-skin suitably prepared,
-a man may trust himself, generally, on rocks with safety. Shove in the
-canoe nigher to the land, Uncas; this sand will take a stamp as easily
-as the butter of the Jarmans on the Mohawk. Softly, lad, softly; it must
-not touch the beach, or the knaves will know by what road we have left
-the place."
-
-The young man observed the precaution; and the scout, laying a board
-from the ruins to the canoe, made a sign for the two officers to enter.
-When this was done, everything was studiously restored to its former
-disorder; and then Hawkeye succeeded in reaching his little birchen
-vessel, without leaving behind him any of those marks which he appeared
-so much to dread. Heyward was silent until the Indians had cautiously
-paddled the canoe some distance from the fort, and within the broad and
-dark shadows that fell from the eastern mountain on the glassy surface
-of the lake; then he demanded:
-
-"What need have we for this stolen and hurried departure?"
-
-"If the blood of an Oneida could stain such a sheet of pure water as
-this we float on," returned the scout, "your two eyes would answer your
-own question. Have you forgotten the skulking reptile Uncas slew?"
-
-"By no means. But he was said to be alone, and dead men give no cause
-for fear."
-
-"Ay, he was alone in his deviltry! but an Indian whose tribe counts so
-many warriors, need seldom fear his blood will run without the death
-shriek coming speedily from some of his enemies."
-
-"But our presence--the authority of Colonel Munro--would prove
-sufficient protection against the anger of our allies, especially in a
-case where the wretch so well merited his fate. I trust in Heaven you
-have not deviated a single foot from the direct line of our course with
-so slight a reason!"
-
-"Do you think the bullet of that varlet's rifle would have turned aside,
-though his sacred majesty the king had stood in its path?" returned
-the stubborn scout. "Why did not the grand Frencher, he who is
-captain-general of the Canadas, bury the tomahawks of the Hurons, if a
-word from a white can work so strongly on the natur' of an Indian?"
-
-The reply of Heyward was interrupted by a groan from Munro; but after
-he had paused a moment, in deference to the sorrow of his aged friend he
-resumed the subject.
-
-"The marquis of Montcalm can only settle that error with his God," said
-the young man solemnly.
-
-"Ay, ay, now there is reason in your words, for they are bottomed on
-religion and honesty. There is a vast difference between throwing a
-regiment of white coats atwixt the tribes and the prisoners, and coaxing
-an angry savage to forget he carries a knife and rifle, with words that
-must begin with calling him your son. No, no," continued the scout,
-looking back at the dim shore of William Henry, which was now fast
-receding, and laughing in his own silent but heartfelt manner; "I have
-put a trail of water atween us; and unless the imps can make friends
-with the fishes, and hear who has paddled across their basin this fine
-morning, we shall throw the length of the Horican behind us before they
-have made up their minds which path to take."
-
-"With foes in front, and foes in our rear, our journey is like to be one
-of danger."
-
-"Danger!" repeated Hawkeye, calmly; "no, not absolutely of danger; for,
-with vigilant ears and quick eyes, we can manage to keep a few hours
-ahead of the knaves; or, if we must try the rifle, there are three of us
-who understand its gifts as well as any you can name on the borders. No,
-not of danger; but that we shall have what you may call a brisk push of
-it, is probable; and it may happen, a brush, a scrimmage, or some such
-divarsion, but always where covers are good, and ammunition abundant."
-
-It is possible that Heyward's estimate of danger differed in some degree
-from that of the scout, for, instead of replying, he now sat in silence,
-while the canoe glided over several miles of water. Just as the day
-dawned, they entered the narrows of the lake*, and stole swiftly and
-cautiously among their numberless little islands. It was by this road
-that Montcalm had retired with his army, and the adventurers knew not
-but he had left some of his Indians in ambush, to protect the rear of
-his forces, and collect the stragglers. They, therefore, approached the
-passage with the customary silence of their guarded habits.
-
-     * The beauties of Lake George are well known to every
-     American tourist. In the height of the mountains which
-     surround it, and in artificial accessories, it is inferior
-     to the finest of the Swiss and Italian lakes, while in
-     outline and purity of water it is fully their equal; and in
-     the number and disposition of its isles and islets much
-     superior to them all together. There are said to be some
-     hundreds of islands in a sheet of water less than thirty
-     miles long. The narrows, which connect what may be called,
-     in truth, two lakes, are crowded with islands to such a
-     degree as to leave passages between them frequently of only
-     a few feet in width. The lake itself varies in breadth from
-     one to three miles.
-
-Chingachgook laid aside his paddle; while Uncas and the scout urged the
-light vessel through crooked and intricate channels, where every foot
-that they advanced exposed them to the danger of some sudden rising
-on their progress. The eyes of the Sagamore moved warily from islet to
-islet, and copse to copse, as the canoe proceeded; and, when a clearer
-sheet of water permitted, his keen vision was bent along the bald rocks
-and impending forests that frowned upon the narrow strait.
-
-Heyward, who was a doubly interested spectator, as well from the
-beauties of the place as from the apprehension natural to his situation,
-was just believing that he had permitted the latter to be excited
-without sufficient reason, when the paddle ceased moving, in obedience
-to a signal from Chingachgook.
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed Uncas, nearly at the moment that the light tap his
-father had made on the side of the canoe notified them of the vicinity
-of danger.
-
-"What now?" asked the scout; "the lake is as smooth as if the winds had
-never blown, and I can see along its sheet for miles; there is not so
-much as the black head of a loon dotting the water."
-
-The Indian gravely raised his paddle, and pointed in the direction
-in which his own steady look was riveted. Duncan's eyes followed the
-motion. A few rods in their front lay another of the wooded islets,
-but it appeared as calm and peaceful as if its solitude had never been
-disturbed by the foot of man.
-
-"I see nothing," he said, "but land and water; and a lovely scene it
-is."
-
-"Hist!" interrupted the scout. "Ay, Sagamore, there is always a reason
-for what you do. 'Tis but a shade, and yet it is not natural. You see
-the mist, major, that is rising above the island; you can't call it a
-fog, for it is more like a streak of thin cloud--"
-
-"It is vapor from the water."
-
-"That a child could tell. But what is the edging of blacker smoke
-that hangs along its lower side, and which you may trace down into the
-thicket of hazel? 'Tis from a fire; but one that, in my judgment, has
-been suffered to burn low."
-
-"Let us, then, push for the place, and relieve our doubts," said the
-impatient Duncan; "the party must be small that can lie on such a bit of
-land."
-
-"If you judge of Indian cunning by the rules you find in books, or
-by white sagacity, they will lead you astray, if not to your death,"
-returned Hawkeye, examining the signs of the place with that acuteness
-which distinguished him. "If I may be permitted to speak in this matter,
-it will be to say, that we have but two things to choose between: the
-one is, to return, and give up all thoughts of following the Hurons--"
-
-"Never!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice far too loud for their
-circumstances.
-
-"Well, well," continued Hawkeye, making a hasty sign to repress his
-impatience; "I am much of your mind myself; though I thought it becoming
-my experience to tell the whole. We must, then, make a push, and if the
-Indians or Frenchers are in the narrows, run the gauntlet through these
-toppling mountains. Is there reason in my words, Sagamore?"
-
-The Indian made no other answer than by dropping his paddle into the
-water, and urging forward the canoe. As he held the office of directing
-its course, his resolution was sufficiently indicated by the movement.
-The whole party now plied their paddles vigorously, and in a very few
-moments they had reached a point whence they might command an entire
-view of the northern shore of the island, the side that had hitherto
-been concealed.
-
-"There they are, by all the truth of signs," whispered the scout, "two
-canoes and a smoke. The knaves haven't yet got their eyes out of the
-mist, or we should hear the accursed whoop. Together, friends! we are
-leaving them, and are already nearly out of whistle of a bullet."
-
-The well-known crack of a rifle, whose ball came skipping along the
-placid surface of the strait, and a shrill yell from the island,
-interrupted his speech, and announced that their passage was discovered.
-In another instant several savages were seen rushing into canoes, which
-were soon dancing over the water in pursuit. These fearful precursors of
-a coming struggle produced no change in the countenances and movements
-of his three guides, so far as Duncan could discover, except that the
-strokes of their paddles were longer and more in unison, and caused
-the little bark to spring forward like a creature possessing life and
-volition.
-
-"Hold them there, Sagamore," said Hawkeye, looking coolly backward over
-this left shoulder, while he still plied his paddle; "keep them just
-there. Them Hurons have never a piece in their nation that will execute
-at this distance; but 'killdeer' has a barrel on which a man may
-calculate."
-
-The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were sufficient of
-themselves to maintain the requisite distance, deliberately laid aside
-his paddle, and raised the fatal rifle. Three several times he brought
-the piece to his shoulder, and when his companions were expecting its
-report, he as often lowered it to request the Indians would permit
-their enemies to approach a little nigher. At length his accurate and
-fastidious eye seemed satisfied, and, throwing out his left arm on the
-barrel, he was slowly elevating the muzzle, when an exclamation from
-Uncas, who sat in the bow, once more caused him to suspend the shot.
-
-"What, now, lad?" demanded Hawkeye; "you save a Huron from the
-death-shriek by that word; have you reason for what you do?"
-
-Uncas pointed toward a rocky shore a little in their front, whence
-another war canoe was darting directly across their course. It was too
-obvious now that their situation was imminently perilous to need the aid
-of language to confirm it. The scout laid aside his rifle, and resumed
-the paddle, while Chingachgook inclined the bows of the canoe a little
-toward the western shore, in order to increase the distance between them
-and this new enemy. In the meantime they were reminded of the presence
-of those who pressed upon their rear, by wild and exulting shouts. The
-stirring scene awakened even Munro from his apathy.
-
-"Let us make for the rocks on the main," he said, with the mien of a
-tired soldier, "and give battle to the savages. God forbid that I, or
-those attached to me and mine, should ever trust again to the faith of
-any servant of the Louis's!"
-
-"He who wishes to prosper in Indian warfare," returned the scout, "must
-not be too proud to learn from the wit of a native. Lay her more along
-the land, Sagamore; we are doubling on the varlets, and perhaps they may
-try to strike our trail on the long calculation."
-
-Hawkeye was not mistaken; for when the Hurons found their course was
-likely to throw them behind their chase they rendered it less direct,
-until, by gradually bearing more and more obliquely, the two canoes
-were, ere long, gliding on parallel lines, within two hundred yards of
-each other. It now became entirely a trial of speed. So rapid was the
-progress of the light vessels, that the lake curled in their front, in
-miniature waves, and their motion became undulating by its own velocity.
-It was, perhaps, owing to this circumstance, in addition to the
-necessity of keeping every hand employed at the paddles, that the Hurons
-had not immediate recourse to their firearms. The exertions of the
-fugitives were too severe to continue long, and the pursuers had the
-advantage of numbers. Duncan observed with uneasiness, that the scout
-began to look anxiously about him, as if searching for some further
-means of assisting their flight.
-
-"Edge her a little more from the sun, Sagamore," said the stubborn
-woodsman; "I see the knaves are sparing a man to the rifle. A single
-broken bone might lose us our scalps. Edge more from the sun and we will
-put the island between us."
-
-The expedient was not without its use. A long, low island lay at a
-little distance before them, and, as they closed with it, the chasing
-canoe was compelled to take a side opposite to that on which the pursued
-passed. The scout and his companions did not neglect this advantage, but
-the instant they were hid from observation by the bushes, they redoubled
-efforts that before had seemed prodigious. The two canoes came round
-the last low point, like two coursers at the top of their speed, the
-fugitives taking the lead. This change had brought them nigher to each
-other, however, while it altered their relative positions.
-
-"You showed knowledge in the shaping of a birchen bark, Uncas, when
-you chose this from among the Huron canoes," said the scout, smiling,
-apparently more in satisfaction at their superiority in the race than
-from that prospect of final escape which now began to open a little upon
-them. "The imps have put all their strength again at the paddles, and we
-are to struggle for our scalps with bits of flattened wood, instead of
-clouded barrels and true eyes. A long stroke, and together, friends."
-
-"They are preparing for a shot," said Heyward; "and as we are in a line
-with them, it can scarcely fail."
-
-"Get you, then, into the bottom of the canoe," returned the scout; "you
-and the colonel; it will be so much taken from the size of the mark."
-
-Heyward smiled, as he answered:
-
-"It would be but an ill example for the highest in rank to dodge, while
-the warriors were under fire."
-
-"Lord! Lord! That is now a white man's courage!" exclaimed the scout;
-"and like to many of his notions, not to be maintained by reason. Do you
-think the Sagamore, or Uncas, or even I, who am a man without a cross,
-would deliberate about finding a cover in the scrimmage, when an open
-body would do no good? For what have the Frenchers reared up their
-Quebec, if fighting is always to be done in the clearings?"
-
-"All that you say is very true, my friend," replied Heyward; "still, our
-customs must prevent us from doing as you wish."
-
-A volley from the Hurons interrupted the discourse, and as the bullets
-whistled about them, Duncan saw the head of Uncas turned, looking back
-at himself and Munro. Notwithstanding the nearness of the enemy, and
-his own great personal danger, the countenance of the young warrior
-expressed no other emotion, as the former was compelled to think, than
-amazement at finding men willing to encounter so useless an exposure.
-Chingachgook was probably better acquainted with the notions of white
-men, for he did not even cast a glance aside from the riveted look his
-eye maintained on the object by which he governed their course. A ball
-soon struck the light and polished paddle from the hands of the chief,
-and drove it through the air, far in the advance. A shout arose from
-the Hurons, who seized the opportunity to fire another volley. Uncas
-described an arc in the water with his own blade, and as the canoe
-passed swiftly on, Chingachgook recovered his paddle, and flourishing
-it on high, he gave the war-whoop of the Mohicans, and then lent his
-strength and skill again to the important task.
-
-The clamorous sounds of "Le Gros Serpent!" "La Longue Carabine!" "Le
-Cerf Agile!" burst at once from the canoes behind, and seemed to give
-new zeal to the pursuers. The scout seized "killdeer" in his left hand,
-and elevating it about his head, he shook it in triumph at his enemies.
-The savages answered the insult with a yell, and immediately another
-volley succeeded. The bullets pattered along the lake, and one even
-pierced the bark of their little vessel. No perceptible emotion could
-be discovered in the Mohicans during this critical moment, their rigid
-features expressing neither hope nor alarm; but the scout again turned
-his head, and, laughing in his own silent manner, he said to Heyward:
-
-"The knaves love to hear the sounds of their pieces; but the eye is
-not to be found among the Mingoes that can calculate a true range in a
-dancing canoe! You see the dumb devils have taken off a man to charge,
-and by the smallest measurement that can be allowed, we move three feet
-to their two!"
-
-Duncan, who was not altogether as easy under this nice estimate of
-distances as his companions, was glad to find, however, that owing to
-their superior dexterity, and the diversion among their enemies, they
-were very sensibly obtaining the advantage. The Hurons soon fired again,
-and a bullet struck the blade of Hawkeye's paddle without injury.
-
-"That will do," said the scout, examining the slight indentation with a
-curious eye; "it would not have cut the skin of an infant, much less of
-men, who, like us, have been blown upon by the heavens in their anger.
-Now, major, if you will try to use this piece of flattened wood, I'll
-let 'killdeer' take a part in the conversation."
-
-Heyward seized the paddle, and applied himself to the work with an
-eagerness that supplied the place of skill, while Hawkeye was engaged
-in inspecting the priming of his rifle. The latter then took a swift aim
-and fired. The Huron in the bows of the leading canoe had risen with a
-similar object, and he now fell backward, suffering his gun to escape
-from his hands into the water. In an instant, however, he recovered his
-feet, though his gestures were wild and bewildered. At the same moment
-his companions suspended their efforts, and the chasing canoes clustered
-together, and became stationary. Chingachgook and Uncas profited by the
-interval to regain their wind, though Duncan continued to work with
-the most persevering industry. The father and son now cast calm but
-inquiring glances at each other, to learn if either had sustained any
-injury by the fire; for both well knew that no cry or exclamation
-would, in such a moment of necessity have been permitted to betray the
-accident. A few large drops of blood were trickling down the shoulder
-of the Sagamore, who, when he perceived that the eyes of Uncas dwelt
-too long on the sight, raised some water in the hollow of his hand, and
-washing off the stain, was content to manifest, in this simple manner,
-the slightness of the injury.
-
-"Softly, softly, major," said the scout, who by this time had reloaded
-his rifle; "we are a little too far already for a rifle to put forth its
-beauties, and you see yonder imps are holding a council. Let them
-come up within striking distance--my eye may well be trusted in such
-a matter--and I will trail the varlets the length of the Horican,
-guaranteeing that not a shot of theirs shall, at the worst, more than
-break the skin, while 'killdeer' shall touch the life twice in three
-times."
-
-"We forget our errand," returned the diligent Duncan. "For God's sake
-let us profit by this advantage, and increase our distance from the
-enemy."
-
-"Give me my children," said Munro, hoarsely; "trifle no longer with a
-father's agony, but restore me my babes."
-
-Long and habitual deference to the mandates of his superiors had taught
-the scout the virtue of obedience. Throwing a last and lingering glance
-at the distant canoes, he laid aside his rifle, and, relieving the
-wearied Duncan, resumed the paddle, which he wielded with sinews that
-never tired. His efforts were seconded by those of the Mohicans and a
-very few minutes served to place such a sheet of water between them and
-their enemies, that Heyward once more breathed freely.
-
-The lake now began to expand, and their route lay along a wide reach,
-that was lined, as before, by high and ragged mountains. But the islands
-were few, and easily avoided. The strokes of the paddles grew more
-measured and regular, while they who plied them continued their labor,
-after the close and deadly chase from which they had just relieved
-themselves, with as much coolness as though their speed had been tried
-in sport, rather than under such pressing, nay, almost desperate,
-circumstances.
-
-Instead of following the western shore, whither their errand led them,
-the wary Mohican inclined his course more toward those hills behind
-which Montcalm was known to have led his army into the formidable
-fortress of Ticonderoga. As the Hurons, to every appearance, had
-abandoned the pursuit, there was no apparent reason for this excess of
-caution. It was, however, maintained for hours, until they had reached
-a bay, nigh the northern termination of the lake. Here the canoe was
-driven upon the beach, and the whole party landed. Hawkeye and Heyward
-ascended an adjacent bluff, where the former, after considering the
-expanse of water beneath him, pointed out to the latter a small black
-object, hovering under a headland, at the distance of several miles.
-
-"Do you see it?" demanded the scout. "Now, what would you account that
-spot, were you left alone to white experience to find your way through
-this wilderness?"
-
-"But for its distance and its magnitude, I should suppose it a bird. Can
-it be a living object?"
-
-"'Tis a canoe of good birchen bark, and paddled by fierce and crafty
-Mingoes. Though Providence has lent to those who inhabit the woods
-eyes that would be needless to men in the settlements, where there are
-inventions to assist the sight, yet no human organs can see all the
-dangers which at this moment circumvent us. These varlets pretend to be
-bent chiefly on their sun-down meal, but the moment it is dark they will
-be on our trail, as true as hounds on the scent. We must throw them
-off, or our pursuit of Le Renard Subtil may be given up. These lakes are
-useful at times, especially when the game take the water," continued the
-scout, gazing about him with a countenance of concern; "but they give no
-cover, except it be to the fishes. God knows what the country would
-be, if the settlements should ever spread far from the two rivers. Both
-hunting and war would lose their beauty."
-
-"Let us not delay a moment, without some good and obvious cause."
-
-"I little like that smoke, which you may see worming up along the rock
-above the canoe," interrupted the abstracted scout. "My life on it,
-other eyes than ours see it, and know its meaning. Well, words will not
-mend the matter, and it is time that we were doing."
-
-Hawkeye moved away from the lookout, and descended, musing profoundly,
-to the shore. He communicated the result of his observations to his
-companions, in Delaware, and a short and earnest consultation succeeded.
-When it terminated, the three instantly set about executing their new
-resolutions.
-
-The canoe was lifted from the water, and borne on the shoulders of the
-party, they proceeded into the wood, making as broad and obvious a trail
-as possible. They soon reached the water-course, which they crossed,
-and, continuing onward, until they came to an extensive and naked rock.
-At this point, where their footsteps might be expected to be no longer
-visible, they retraced their route to the brook, walking backward, with
-the utmost care. They now followed the bed of the little stream to the
-lake, into which they immediately launched their canoe again. A low
-point concealed them from the headland, and the margin of the lake was
-fringed for some distance with dense and overhanging bushes. Under the
-cover of these natural advantages, they toiled their way, with patient
-industry, until the scout pronounced that he believed it would be safe
-once more to land.
-
-The halt continued until evening rendered objects indistinct and
-uncertain to the eye. Then they resumed their route, and, favored by
-the darkness, pushed silently and vigorously toward the western shore.
-Although the rugged outline of mountain, to which they were steering,
-presented no distinctive marks to the eyes of Duncan, the Mohican
-entered the little haven he had selected with the confidence and
-accuracy of an experienced pilot.
-
-The boat was again lifted and borne into the woods, where it was
-carefully concealed under a pile of brush. The adventurers assumed their
-arms and packs, and the scout announced to Munro and Heyward that he and
-the Indians were at last in readiness to proceed.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 21
-
-     "If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death."
-     --Merry Wives of Windsor.
-
-The party had landed on the border of a region that is, even to this
-day, less known to the inhabitants of the States than the deserts
-of Arabia, or the steppes of Tartary. It was the sterile and rugged
-district which separates the tributaries of Champlain from those of the
-Hudson, the Mohawk, and the St. Lawrence. Since the period of our tale
-the active spirit of the country has surrounded it with a belt of rich
-and thriving settlements, though none but the hunter or the savage is
-ever known even now to penetrate its wild recesses.
-
-As Hawkeye and the Mohicans had, however, often traversed the mountains
-and valleys of this vast wilderness, they did not hesitate to plunge
-into its depth, with the freedom of men accustomed to its privations
-and difficulties. For many hours the travelers toiled on their laborious
-way, guided by a star, or following the direction of some water-course,
-until the scout called a halt, and holding a short consultation with
-the Indians, they lighted their fire, and made the usual preparations to
-pass the remainder of the night where they then were.
-
-Imitating the example, and emulating the confidence of their more
-experienced associates, Munro and Duncan slept without fear, if not
-without uneasiness. The dews were suffered to exhale, and the sun had
-dispersed the mists, and was shedding a strong and clear light in the
-forest, when the travelers resumed their journey.
-
-After proceeding a few miles, the progress of Hawkeye, who led the
-advance, became more deliberate and watchful. He often stopped to
-examine the trees; nor did he cross a rivulet without attentively
-considering the quantity, the velocity, and the color of its waters.
-Distrusting his own judgment, his appeals to the opinion of Chingachgook
-were frequent and earnest. During one of these conferences Heyward
-observed that Uncas stood a patient and silent, though, as he imagined,
-an interested listener. He was strongly tempted to address the young
-chief, and demand his opinion of their progress; but the calm and
-dignified demeanor of the native induced him to believe, that, like
-himself, the other was wholly dependent on the sagacity and intelligence
-of the seniors of the party. At last the scout spoke in English, and at
-once explained the embarrassment of their situation.
-
-"When I found that the home path of the Hurons run north," he said, "it
-did not need the judgment of many long years to tell that they would
-follow the valleys, and keep atween the waters of the Hudson and the
-Horican, until they might strike the springs of the Canada streams,
-which would lead them into the heart of the country of the Frenchers.
-Yet here are we, within a short range of the Scaroons, and not a sign of
-a trail have we crossed! Human natur' is weak, and it is possible we may
-not have taken the proper scent."
-
-"Heaven protect us from such an error!" exclaimed Duncan. "Let us
-retrace our steps, and examine as we go, with keener eyes. Has Uncas no
-counsel to offer in such a strait?"
-
-The young Mohican cast a glance at his father, but, maintaining his
-quiet and reserved mien, he continued silent. Chingachgook had caught
-the look, and motioning with his hand, he bade him speak. The moment
-this permission was accorded, the countenance of Uncas changed from its
-grave composure to a gleam of intelligence and joy. Bounding forward
-like a deer, he sprang up the side of a little acclivity, a few rods in
-advance, and stood, exultingly, over a spot of fresh earth, that looked
-as though it had been recently upturned by the passage of some heavy
-animal. The eyes of the whole party followed the unexpected movement,
-and read their success in the air of triumph that the youth assumed.
-
-"'Tis the trail!" exclaimed the scout, advancing to the spot; "the lad
-is quick of sight and keen of wit for his years."
-
-"'Tis extraordinary that he should have withheld his knowledge so long,"
-muttered Duncan, at his elbow.
-
-"It would have been more wonderful had he spoken without a bidding.
-No, no; your young white, who gathers his learning from books and can
-measure what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like
-his legs, outruns that of his fathers', but, where experience is the
-master, the scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects
-them accordingly."
-
-"See!" said Uncas, pointing north and south, at the evident marks of the
-broad trail on either side of him, "the dark-hair has gone toward the
-forest."
-
-"Hound never ran on a more beautiful scent," responded the scout,
-dashing forward, at once, on the indicated route; "we are favored,
-greatly favored, and can follow with high noses. Ay, here are both your
-waddling beasts: this Huron travels like a white general. The fellow is
-stricken with a judgment, and is mad! Look sharp for wheels, Sagamore,"
-he continued, looking back, and laughing in his newly awakened
-satisfaction; "we shall soon have the fool journeying in a coach, and
-that with three of the best pair of eyes on the borders in his rear."
-
-The spirits of the scout, and the astonishing success of the chase, in
-which a circuitous distance of more than forty miles had been passed,
-did not fail to impart a portion of hope to the whole party. Their
-advance was rapid; and made with as much confidence as a traveler would
-proceed along a wide highway. If a rock, or a rivulet, or a bit of earth
-harder than common, severed the links of the clew they followed, the
-true eye of the scout recovered them at a distance, and seldom rendered
-the delay of a single moment necessary. Their progress was much
-facilitated by the certainty that Magua had found it necessary to
-journey through the valleys; a circumstance which rendered the general
-direction of the route sure. Nor had the Huron entirely neglected the
-arts uniformly practised by the natives when retiring in front of an
-enemy. False trails and sudden turnings were frequent, wherever a brook
-or the formation of the ground rendered them feasible; but his pursuers
-were rarely deceived, and never failed to detect their error, before
-they had lost either time or distance on the deceptive track.
-
-By the middle of the afternoon they had passed the Scaroons, and were
-following the route of the declining sun. After descending an eminence
-to a low bottom, through which a swift stream glided, they suddenly came
-to a place where the party of Le Renard had made a halt. Extinguished
-brands were lying around a spring, the offals of a deer were scattered
-about the place, and the trees bore evident marks of having been
-browsed by the horses. At a little distance, Heyward discovered, and
-contemplated with tender emotion, the small bower under which he was
-fain to believe that Cora and Alice had reposed. But while the earth
-was trodden, and the footsteps of both men and beasts were so plainly
-visible around the place, the trail appeared to have suddenly ended.
-
-It was easy to follow the tracks of the Narragansetts, but they seemed
-only to have wandered without guides, or any other object than the
-pursuit of food. At length Uncas, who, with his father, had endeavored
-to trace the route of the horses, came upon a sign of their presence
-that was quite recent. Before following the clew, he communicated his
-success to his companions; and while the latter were consulting on the
-circumstance, the youth reappeared, leading the two fillies, with
-their saddles broken, and the housings soiled, as though they had been
-permitted to run at will for several days.
-
-"What should this prove?" said Duncan, turning pale, and glancing his
-eyes around him, as if he feared the brush and leaves were about to give
-up some horrid secret.
-
-"That our march is come to a quick end, and that we are in an enemy's
-country," returned the scout. "Had the knave been pressed, and the
-gentle ones wanted horses to keep up with the party, he might have taken
-their scalps; but without an enemy at his heels, and with such rugged
-beasts as these, he would not hurt a hair of their heads. I know your
-thoughts, and shame be it to our color that you have reason for them;
-but he who thinks that even a Mingo would ill-treat a woman, unless it
-be to tomahawk her, knows nothing of Indian natur', or the laws of the
-woods. No, no; I have heard that the French Indians had come into these
-hills to hunt the moose, and we are getting within scent of their camp.
-Why should they not? The morning and evening guns of Ty may be heard
-any day among these mountains; for the Frenchers are running a new line
-atween the provinces of the king and the Canadas. It is true that the
-horses are here, but the Hurons are gone; let us, then, hunt for the
-path by which they parted."
-
-Hawkeye and the Mohicans now applied themselves to their task in good
-earnest. A circle of a few hundred feet in circumference was drawn,
-and each of the party took a segment for his portion. The examination,
-however, resulted in no discovery. The impressions of footsteps were
-numerous, but they all appeared like those of men who had wandered
-about the spot, without any design to quit it. Again the scout and his
-companions made the circuit of the halting place, each slowly following
-the other, until they assembled in the center once more, no wiser than
-when they started.
-
-"Such cunning is not without its deviltry," exclaimed Hawkeye, when he
-met the disappointed looks of his assistants.
-
-"We must get down to it, Sagamore, beginning at the spring, and going
-over the ground by inches. The Huron shall never brag in his tribe that
-he has a foot which leaves no print."
-
-Setting the example himself, the scout engaged in the scrutiny with
-renewed zeal. Not a leaf was left unturned. The sticks were removed,
-and the stones lifted; for Indian cunning was known frequently to adopt
-these objects as covers, laboring with the utmost patience and industry,
-to conceal each footstep as they proceeded. Still no discovery was made.
-At length Uncas, whose activity had enabled him to achieve his portion
-of the task the soonest, raked the earth across the turbid little rill
-which ran from the spring, and diverted its course into another channel.
-So soon as its narrow bed below the dam was dry, he stooped over it with
-keen and curious eyes. A cry of exultation immediately announced the
-success of the young warrior. The whole party crowded to the spot where
-Uncas pointed out the impression of a moccasin in the moist alluvion.
-
-"This lad will be an honor to his people," said Hawkeye, regarding the
-trail with as much admiration as a naturalist would expend on the tusk
-of a mammoth or the rib of a mastodon; "ay, and a thorn in the sides of
-the Hurons. Yet that is not the footstep of an Indian! the weight is too
-much on the heel, and the toes are squared, as though one of the French
-dancers had been in, pigeon-winging his tribe! Run back, Uncas, and
-bring me the size of the singer's foot. You will find a beautiful print
-of it just opposite yon rock, agin the hillside."
-
-While the youth was engaged in this commission, the scout and
-Chingachgook were attentively considering the impressions. The
-measurements agreed, and the former unhesitatingly pronounced that the
-footstep was that of David, who had once more been made to exchange his
-shoes for moccasins.
-
-"I can now read the whole of it, as plainly as if I had seen the arts of
-Le Subtil," he added; "the singer being a man whose gifts lay chiefly in
-his throat and feet, was made to go first, and the others have trod in
-his steps, imitating their formation."
-
-"But," cried Duncan, "I see no signs of--"
-
-"The gentle ones," interrupted the scout; "the varlet has found a way to
-carry them, until he supposed he had thrown any followers off the scent.
-My life on it, we see their pretty little feet again, before many rods
-go by."
-
-The whole party now proceeded, following the course of the rill, keeping
-anxious eyes on the regular impressions. The water soon flowed into its
-bed again, but watching the ground on either side, the foresters pursued
-their way content with knowing that the trail lay beneath. More than
-half a mile was passed, before the rill rippled close around the base of
-an extensive and dry rock. Here they paused to make sure that the Hurons
-had not quitted the water.
-
-It was fortunate they did so. For the quick and active Uncas soon found
-the impression of a foot on a bunch of moss, where it would seem an
-Indian had inadvertently trodden. Pursuing the direction given by this
-discovery, he entered the neighboring thicket, and struck the trail, as
-fresh and obvious as it had been before they reached the spring. Another
-shout announced the good fortune of the youth to his companions, and at
-once terminated the search.
-
-"Ay, it has been planned with Indian judgment," said the scout, when
-the party was assembled around the place, "and would have blinded white
-eyes."
-
-"Shall we proceed?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Softly, softly, we know our path; but it is good to examine the
-formation of things. This is my schooling, major; and if one neglects
-the book, there is little chance of learning from the open land of
-Providence. All is plain but one thing, which is the manner that the
-knave contrived to get the gentle ones along the blind trail. Even a
-Huron would be too proud to let their tender feet touch the water."
-
-"Will this assist in explaining the difficulty?" said Heyward, pointing
-toward the fragments of a sort of handbarrow, that had been rudely
-constructed of boughs, and bound together with withes, and which now
-seemed carelessly cast aside as useless.
-
-"'Tis explained!" cried the delighted Hawkeye. "If them varlets have
-passed a minute, they have spent hours in striving to fabricate a lying
-end to their trail! Well, I've known them to waste a day in the same
-manner to as little purpose. Here we have three pair of moccasins, and
-two of little feet. It is amazing that any mortal beings can journey on
-limbs so small! Pass me the thong of buckskin, Uncas, and let me take
-the length of this foot. By the Lord, it is no longer than a child's and
-yet the maidens are tall and comely. That Providence is partial in its
-gifts, for its own wise reasons, the best and most contented of us must
-allow."
-
-"The tender limbs of my daughters are unequal to these hardships," said
-Munro, looking at the light footsteps of his children, with a parent's
-love; "we shall find their fainting forms in this desert."
-
-"Of that there is little cause of fear," returned the scout, slowly
-shaking his head; "this is a firm and straight, though a light step, and
-not over long. See, the heel has hardly touched the ground; and there
-the dark-hair has made a little jump, from root to root. No, no; my
-knowledge for it, neither of them was nigh fainting, hereaway. Now, the
-singer was beginning to be footsore and leg-weary, as is plain by
-his trail. There, you see, he slipped; here he has traveled wide and
-tottered; and there again it looks as though he journeyed on snowshoes.
-Ay, ay, a man who uses his throat altogether, can hardly give his legs a
-proper training."
-
-From such undeniable testimony did the practised woodsman arrive at the
-truth, with nearly as much certainty and precision as if he had been a
-witness of all those events which his ingenuity so easily elucidated.
-Cheered by these assurances, and satisfied by a reasoning that was so
-obvious, while it was so simple, the party resumed its course, after
-making a short halt, to take a hurried repast.
-
-When the meal was ended, the scout cast a glance upward at the setting
-sun, and pushed forward with a rapidity which compelled Heyward and the
-still vigorous Munro to exert all their muscles to equal. Their route
-now lay along the bottom which has already been mentioned. As the Hurons
-had made no further efforts to conceal their footsteps, the progress of
-the pursuers was no longer delayed by uncertainty. Before an hour had
-elapsed, however, the speed of Hawkeye sensibly abated, and his head,
-instead of maintaining its former direct and forward look, began to turn
-suspiciously from side to side, as if he were conscious of approaching
-danger. He soon stopped again, and waited for the whole party to come
-up.
-
-"I scent the Hurons," he said, speaking to the Mohicans; "yonder is open
-sky, through the treetops, and we are getting too nigh their encampment.
-Sagamore, you will take the hillside, to the right; Uncas will bend
-along the brook to the left, while I will try the trail. If anything
-should happen, the call will be three croaks of a crow. I saw one of the
-birds fanning himself in the air, just beyond the dead oak--another sign
-that we are approaching an encampment."
-
-The Indians departed their several ways without reply, while Hawkeye
-cautiously proceeded with the two gentlemen. Heyward soon pressed to the
-side of their guide, eager to catch an early glimpse of those enemies
-he had pursued with so much toil and anxiety. His companion told him
-to steal to the edge of the wood, which, as usual, was fringed with
-a thicket, and wait his coming, for he wished to examine certain
-suspicious signs a little on one side. Duncan obeyed, and soon found
-himself in a situation to command a view which he found as extraordinary
-as it was novel.
-
-The trees of many acres had been felled, and the glow of a mild summer's
-evening had fallen on the clearing, in beautiful contrast to the gray
-light of the forest. A short distance from the place where Duncan stood,
-the stream had seemingly expanded into a little lake, covering most of
-the low land, from mountain to mountain. The water fell out of this wide
-basin, in a cataract so regular and gentle, that it appeared rather to
-be the work of human hands than fashioned by nature. A hundred earthen
-dwellings stood on the margin of the lake, and even in its waters, as
-though the latter had overflowed its usual banks. Their rounded roofs,
-admirably molded for defense against the weather, denoted more of
-industry and foresight than the natives were wont to bestow on their
-regular habitations, much less on those they occupied for the temporary
-purposes of hunting and war. In short, the whole village or town,
-whichever it might be termed, possessed more of method and neatness of
-execution, than the white men had been accustomed to believe belonged,
-ordinarily, to the Indian habits. It appeared, however, to be deserted.
-At least, so thought Duncan for many minutes; but, at length, he fancied
-he discovered several human forms advancing toward him on all fours,
-and apparently dragging in the train some heavy, and as he was quick to
-apprehend, some formidable engine. Just then a few dark-looking heads
-gleamed out of the dwellings, and the place seemed suddenly alive with
-beings, which, however, glided from cover to cover so swiftly, as to
-allow no opportunity of examining their humors or pursuits. Alarmed at
-these suspicious and inexplicable movements, he was about to attempt the
-signal of the crows, when the rustling of leaves at hand drew his eyes
-in another direction.
-
-The young man started, and recoiled a few paces instinctively, when he
-found himself within a hundred yards of a stranger Indian. Recovering
-his recollection on the instant, instead of sounding an alarm, which
-might prove fatal to himself, he remained stationary, an attentive
-observer of the other's motions.
-
-An instant of calm observation served to assure Duncan that he was
-undiscovered. The native, like himself, seemed occupied in considering
-the low dwellings of the village, and the stolen movements of its
-inhabitants. It was impossible to discover the expression of his
-features through the grotesque mask of paint under which they were
-concealed, though Duncan fancied it was rather melancholy than savage.
-His head was shaved, as usual, with the exception of the crown, from
-whose tuft three or four faded feathers from a hawk's wing were loosely
-dangling. A ragged calico mantle half encircled his body, while his
-nether garment was composed of an ordinary shirt, the sleeves of which
-were made to perform the office that is usually executed by a much more
-commodious arrangement. His legs were, however, covered with a pair of
-good deer-skin moccasins. Altogether, the appearance of the individual
-was forlorn and miserable.
-
-Duncan was still curiously observing the person of his neighbor when the
-scout stole silently and cautiously to his side.
-
-"You see we have reached their settlement or encampment," whispered
-the young man; "and here is one of the savages himself, in a very
-embarrassing position for our further movements."
-
-Hawkeye started, and dropped his rifle, when, directed by the finger
-of his companion, the stranger came under his view. Then lowering the
-dangerous muzzle he stretched forward his long neck, as if to assist a
-scrutiny that was already intensely keen.
-
-"The imp is not a Huron," he said, "nor of any of the Canada tribes; and
-yet you see, by his clothes, the knave has been plundering a white. Ay,
-Montcalm has raked the woods for his inroad, and a whooping, murdering
-set of varlets has he gathered together. Can you see where he has put
-his rifle or his bow?"
-
-"He appears to have no arms; nor does he seem to be viciously inclined.
-Unless he communicate the alarm to his fellows, who, as you see, are
-dodging about the water, we have but little to fear from him."
-
-The scout turned to Heyward, and regarded him a moment with unconcealed
-amazement. Then opening wide his mouth, he indulged in unrestrained
-and heartfelt laughter, though in that silent and peculiar manner which
-danger had so long taught him to practise.
-
-Repeating the words, "Fellows who are dodging about the water!" he
-added, "so much for schooling and passing a boyhood in the settlements!
-The knave has long legs, though, and shall not be trusted. Do you keep
-him under your rifle while I creep in behind, through the bush, and take
-him alive. Fire on no account."
-
-Heyward had already permitted his companion to bury part of his person
-in the thicket, when, stretching forth his arm, he arrested him, in
-order to ask:
-
-"If I see you in danger, may I not risk a shot?"
-
-Hawkeye regarded him a moment, like one who knew not how to take the
-question; then, nodding his head, he answered, still laughing, though
-inaudibly:
-
-"Fire a whole platoon, major."
-
-In the next moment he was concealed by the leaves. Duncan waited several
-minutes in feverish impatience, before he caught another glimpse of
-the scout. Then he reappeared, creeping along the earth, from which his
-dress was hardly distinguishable, directly in the rear of his intended
-captive. Having reached within a few yards of the latter, he arose to
-his feet, silently and slowly. At that instant, several loud blows were
-struck on the water, and Duncan turned his eyes just in time to perceive
-that a hundred dark forms were plunging, in a body, into the troubled
-little sheet. Grasping his rifle his looks were again bent on the Indian
-near him. Instead of taking the alarm, the unconscious savage stretched
-forward his neck, as if he also watched the movements about the gloomy
-lake, with a sort of silly curiosity. In the meantime, the uplifted
-hand of Hawkeye was above him. But, without any apparent reason, it was
-withdrawn, and its owner indulged in another long, though still silent,
-fit of merriment. When the peculiar and hearty laughter of Hawkeye
-was ended, instead of grasping his victim by the throat, he tapped him
-lightly on the shoulder, and exclaimed aloud:
-
-"How now, friend! have you a mind to teach the beavers to sing?"
-
-"Even so," was the ready answer. "It would seem that the Being that gave
-them power to improve His gifts so well, would not deny them voices to
-proclaim His praise."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 22
-
-     "Bot.--Abibl we all met?
-     Qui.--Pat--pat; and here's a marvelous convenient place
-     for our rehearsal."
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-The reader may better imagine, than we describe the surprise of Heyward.
-His lurking Indians were suddenly converted into four-footed beasts; his
-lake into a beaver pond; his cataract into a dam, constructed by those
-industrious and ingenious quadrupeds; and a suspected enemy into his
-tried friend, David Gamut, the master of psalmody. The presence of the
-latter created so many unexpected hopes relative to the sisters that,
-without a moment's hesitation, the young man broke out of his ambush,
-and sprang forward to join the two principal actors in the scene.
-
-The merriment of Hawkeye was not easily appeased. Without ceremony, and
-with a rough hand, he twirled the supple Gamut around on his heel, and
-more than once affirmed that the Hurons had done themselves great credit
-in the fashion of his costume. Then, seizing the hand of the other, he
-squeezed it with a grip that brought tears into the eyes of the placid
-David, and wished him joy of his new condition.
-
-"You were about opening your throat-practisings among the beavers, were
-ye?" he said. "The cunning devils know half the trade already, for they
-beat the time with their tails, as you heard just now; and in good time
-it was, too, or 'killdeer' might have sounded the first note among
-them. I have known greater fools, who could read and write, than an
-experienced old beaver; but as for squalling, the animals are born dumb!
-What think you of such a song as this?"
-
-David shut his sensitive ears, and even Heyward apprised as he was of
-the nature of the cry, looked upward in quest of the bird, as the cawing
-of a crow rang in the air about them.
-
-"See!" continued the laughing scout, as he pointed toward the remainder
-of the party, who, in obedience to the signal, were already approaching;
-"this is music which has its natural virtues; it brings two good rifles
-to my elbow, to say nothing of the knives and tomahawks. But we see that
-you are safe; now tell us what has become of the maidens."
-
-"They are captives to the heathen," said David; "and, though greatly
-troubled in spirit, enjoying comfort and safety in the body."
-
-"Both!" demanded the breathless Heyward.
-
-"Even so. Though our wayfaring has been sore and our sustenance scanty,
-we have had little other cause for complaint, except the violence done
-our feelings, by being thus led in captivity into a far land."
-
-"Bless ye for these very words!" exclaimed the trembling Munro; "I shall
-then receive my babes, spotless and angel-like, as I lost them!"
-
-"I know not that their delivery is at hand," returned the doubting
-David; "the leader of these savages is possessed of an evil spirit that
-no power short of Omnipotence can tame. I have tried him sleeping and
-waking, but neither sounds nor language seem to touch his soul."
-
-"Where is the knave?" bluntly interrupted the scout.
-
-"He hunts the moose to-day, with his young men; and tomorrow, as I hear,
-they pass further into the forests, and nigher to the borders of Canada.
-The elder maiden is conveyed to a neighboring people, whose lodges
-are situate beyond yonder black pinnacle of rock; while the younger
-is detained among the women of the Hurons, whose dwellings are but two
-short miles hence, on a table-land, where the fire had done the office
-of the axe, and prepared the place for their reception."
-
-"Alice, my gentle Alice!" murmured Heyward; "she has lost the
-consolation of her sister's presence!"
-
-"Even so. But so far as praise and thanksgiving in psalmody can temper
-the spirit in affliction, she has not suffered."
-
-"Has she then a heart for music?"
-
-"Of the graver and more solemn character; though it must be acknowledged
-that, in spite of all my endeavors, the maiden weeps oftener than she
-smiles. At such moments I forbear to press the holy songs; but there are
-many sweet and comfortable periods of satisfactory communication,
-when the ears of the savages are astounded with the upliftings of our
-voices."
-
-"And why are you permitted to go at large, unwatched?"
-
-David composed his features into what he intended should express an air
-of modest humility, before he meekly replied:
-
-"Little be the praise to such a worm as I. But, though the power of
-psalmody was suspended in the terrible business of that field of blood
-through which we have passed, it has recovered its influence even over
-the souls of the heathen, and I am suffered to go and come at will."
-
-The scout laughed, and, tapping his own forehead significantly, he
-perhaps explained the singular indulgence more satisfactorily when he
-said:
-
-"The Indians never harm a non-composser. But why, when the path lay open
-before your eyes, did you not strike back on your own trail (it is not
-so blind as that which a squirrel would make), and bring in the tidings
-to Edward?"
-
-The scout, remembering only his own sturdy and iron nature, had probably
-exacted a task that David, under no circumstances, could have performed.
-But, without entirely losing the meekness of his air, the latter was
-content to answer:
-
-"Though my soul would rejoice to visit the habitations of Christendom
-once more, my feet would rather follow the tender spirits intrusted to
-my keeping, even into the idolatrous province of the Jesuits, than take
-one step backward, while they pined in captivity and sorrow."
-
-Though the figurative language of David was not very intelligible, the
-sincere and steady expression of his eye, and the glow of his honest
-countenance, were not easily mistaken. Uncas pressed closer to his side,
-and regarded the speaker with a look of commendation, while his
-father expressed his satisfaction by the ordinary pithy exclamation of
-approbation. The scout shook his head as he rejoined:
-
-"The Lord never intended that the man should place all his endeavors in
-his throat, to the neglect of other and better gifts! But he has fallen
-into the hands of some silly woman, when he should have been gathering
-his education under a blue sky, among the beauties of the forest. Here,
-friend; I did intend to kindle a fire with this tooting-whistle of
-thine; but, as you value the thing, take it, and blow your best on it."
-
-Gamut received his pitch-pipe with as strong an expression of pleasure
-as he believed compatible with the grave functions he exercised. After
-essaying its virtues repeatedly, in contrast with his own voice, and,
-satisfying himself that none of its melody was lost, he made a very
-serious demonstration toward achieving a few stanzas of one of the
-longest effusions in the little volume so often mentioned.
-
-Heyward, however, hastily interrupted his pious purpose by continuing
-questions concerning the past and present condition of his fellow
-captives, and in a manner more methodical than had been permitted by his
-feelings in the opening of their interview. David, though he regarded
-his treasure with longing eyes, was constrained to answer, especially
-as the venerable father took a part in the interrogatories, with an
-interest too imposing to be denied. Nor did the scout fail to throw in
-a pertinent inquiry, whenever a fitting occasion presented. In this
-manner, though with frequent interruptions which were filled with
-certain threatening sounds from the recovered instrument, the pursuers
-were put in possession of such leading circumstances as were likely to
-prove useful in accomplishing their great and engrossing object--the
-recovery of the sisters. The narrative of David was simple, and the
-facts but few.
-
-Magua had waited on the mountain until a safe moment to retire presented
-itself, when he had descended, and taken the route along the western
-side of the Horican in direction of the Canadas. As the subtle Huron was
-familiar with the paths, and well knew there was no immediate danger of
-pursuit, their progress had been moderate, and far from fatiguing.
-It appeared from the unembellished statement of David, that his own
-presence had been rather endured than desired; though even Magua had not
-been entirely exempt from that veneration with which the Indians regard
-those whom the Great Spirit had visited in their intellects. At night,
-the utmost care had been taken of the captives, both to prevent injury
-from the damps of the woods and to guard against an escape. At
-the spring, the horses were turned loose, as has been seen; and,
-notwithstanding the remoteness and length of their trail, the artifices
-already named were resorted to, in order to cut off every clue to their
-place of retreat. On their arrival at the encampment of his people,
-Magua, in obedience to a policy seldom departed from, separated his
-prisoners. Cora had been sent to a tribe that temporarily occupied an
-adjacent valley, though David was far too ignorant of the customs and
-history of the natives, to be able to declare anything satisfactory
-concerning their name or character. He only knew that they had not
-engaged in the late expedition against William Henry; that, like the
-Hurons themselves they were allies of Montcalm; and that they maintained
-an amicable, though a watchful intercourse with the warlike and
-savage people whom chance had, for a time, brought in such close and
-disagreeable contact with themselves.
-
-The Mohicans and the scout listened to his interrupted and imperfect
-narrative, with an interest that obviously increased as he proceeded;
-and it was while attempting to explain the pursuits of the community in
-which Cora was detained, that the latter abruptly demanded:
-
-"Did you see the fashion of their knives? were they of English or French
-formation?"
-
-"My thoughts were bent on no such vanities, but rather mingled in
-consolation with those of the maidens."
-
-"The time may come when you will not consider the knife of a savage such
-a despicable vanity," returned the scout, with a strong expression of
-contempt for the other's dullness. "Had they held their corn feast--or
-can you say anything of the totems of the tribe?"
-
-"Of corn, we had many and plentiful feasts; for the grain, being in
-the milk is both sweet to the mouth and comfortable to the stomach. Of
-totem, I know not the meaning; but if it appertaineth in any wise to the
-art of Indian music, it need not be inquired after at their hands. They
-never join their voices in praise, and it would seem that they are among
-the profanest of the idolatrous."
-
-"Therein you belie the natur' of an Indian. Even the Mingo adores but
-the true and loving God. 'Tis wicked fabrication of the whites, and I
-say it to the shame of my color that would make the warrior bow down
-before images of his own creation. It is true, they endeavor to make
-truces to the wicked one--as who would not with an enemy he cannot
-conquer! but they look up for favor and assistance to the Great and Good
-Spirit only."
-
-"It may be so," said David; "but I have seen strange and fantastic
-images drawn in their paint, of which their admiration and care savored
-of spiritual pride; especially one, and that, too, a foul and loathsome
-object."
-
-"Was it a sarpent?" quickly demanded the scout.
-
-"Much the same. It was in the likeness of an abject and creeping
-tortoise."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed both the attentive Mohicans in a breath; while the
-scout shook his head with the air of one who had made an important but
-by no means a pleasing discovery. Then the father spoke, in the language
-of the Delawares, and with a calmness and dignity that instantly
-arrested the attention even of those to whom his words were
-unintelligible. His gestures were impressive, and at times energetic.
-Once he lifted his arm on high; and, as it descended, the action threw
-aside the folds of his light mantle, a finger resting on his breast, as
-if he would enforce his meaning by the attitude. Duncan's eyes followed
-the movement, and he perceived that the animal just mentioned was
-beautifully, though faintly, worked in blue tint, on the swarthy breast
-of the chief. All that he had ever heard of the violent separation of
-the vast tribes of the Delawares rushed across his mind, and he awaited
-the proper moment to speak, with a suspense that was rendered nearly
-intolerable by his interest in the stake. His wish, however, was
-anticipated by the scout who turned from his red friend, saying:
-
-"We have found that which may be good or evil to us, as heaven disposes.
-The Sagamore is of the high blood of the Delawares, and is the great
-chief of their Tortoises! That some of this stock are among the people
-of whom the singer tells us, is plain by his words; and, had he but
-spent half the breath in prudent questions that he has blown away in
-making a trumpet of his throat, we might have known how many warriors
-they numbered. It is, altogether, a dangerous path we move in; for a
-friend whose face is turned from you often bears a bloodier mind than
-the enemy who seeks your scalp."
-
-"Explain," said Duncan.
-
-"'Tis a long and melancholy tradition, and one I little like to think
-of; for it is not to be denied that the evil has been mainly done by men
-with white skins. But it has ended in turning the tomahawk of brother
-against brother, and brought the Mingo and the Delaware to travel in the
-same path."
-
-"You, then, suspect it is a portion of that people among whom Cora
-resides?"
-
-The scout nodded his head in assent, though he seemed anxious to waive
-the further discussion of a subject that appeared painful. The impatient
-Duncan now made several hasty and desperate propositions to attempt
-the release of the sisters. Munro seemed to shake off his apathy, and
-listened to the wild schemes of the young man with a deference that his
-gray hairs and reverend years should have denied. But the scout, after
-suffering the ardor of the lover to expend itself a little, found means
-to convince him of the folly of precipitation, in a manner that would
-require their coolest judgment and utmost fortitude.
-
-"It would be well," he added, "to let this man go in again, as usual,
-and for him to tarry in the lodges, giving notice to the gentle ones of
-our approach, until we call him out, by signal, to consult. You know the
-cry of a crow, friend, from the whistle of the whip-poor-will?"
-
-"'Tis a pleasing bird," returned David, "and has a soft and melancholy
-note! though the time is rather quick and ill-measured."
-
-"He speaks of the wish-ton-wish," said the scout; "well, since you like
-his whistle, it shall be your signal. Remember, then, when you hear the
-whip-poor-will's call three times repeated, you are to come into the
-bushes where the bird might be supposed--"
-
-"Stop," interrupted Heyward; "I will accompany him."
-
-"You!" exclaimed the astonished Hawkeye; "are you tired of seeing the
-sun rise and set?"
-
-"David is a living proof that the Hurons can be merciful."
-
-"Ay, but David can use his throat, as no man in his senses would pervart
-the gift."
-
-"I too can play the madman, the fool, the hero; in short, any or
-everything to rescue her I love. Name your objections no longer: I am
-resolved."
-
-Hawkeye regarded the young man a moment in speechless amazement.
-But Duncan, who, in deference to the other's skill and services, had
-hitherto submitted somewhat implicitly to his dictation, now assumed the
-superior, with a manner that was not easily resisted. He waved his hand,
-in sign of his dislike to all remonstrance, and then, in more tempered
-language, he continued:
-
-"You have the means of disguise; change me; paint me, too, if you will;
-in short, alter me to anything--a fool."
-
-"It is not for one like me to say that he who is already formed by so
-powerful a hand as Providence, stands in need of a change," muttered the
-discontented scout. "When you send your parties abroad in war, you find
-it prudent, at least, to arrange the marks and places of encampment, in
-order that they who fight on your side may know when and where to expect
-a friend."
-
-"Listen," interrupted Duncan; "you have heard from this faithful
-follower of the captives, that the Indians are of two tribes, if not
-of different nations. With one, whom you think to be a branch of the
-Delawares, is she you call the 'dark-hair'; the other, and younger,
-of the ladies, is undeniably with our declared enemies, the Hurons. It
-becomes my youth and rank to attempt the latter adventure. While you,
-therefore, are negotiating with your friends for the release of one of
-the sisters, I will effect that of the other, or die."
-
-The awakened spirit of the young soldier gleamed in his eyes, and his
-form became imposing under its influence. Hawkeye, though too much
-accustomed to Indian artifices not to foresee the danger of the
-experiment, knew not well how to combat this sudden resolution.
-
-Perhaps there was something in the proposal that suited his own hardy
-nature, and that secret love of desperate adventure, which had increased
-with his experience, until hazard and danger had become, in some
-measure, necessary to the enjoyment of his existence. Instead of
-continuing to oppose the scheme of Duncan, his humor suddenly altered,
-and he lent himself to its execution.
-
-"Come," he said, with a good-humored smile; "the buck that will take
-to the water must be headed, and not followed. Chingachgook has as many
-different paints as the engineer officer's wife, who takes down natur'
-on scraps of paper, making the mountains look like cocks of rusty hay,
-and placing the blue sky in reach of your hand. The Sagamore can use
-them, too. Seat yourself on the log; and my life on it, he can soon make
-a natural fool of you, and that well to your liking."
-
-Duncan complied; and the Mohican, who had been an attentive listener to
-the discourse, readily undertook the office. Long practised in all the
-subtle arts of his race, he drew, with great dexterity and quickness,
-the fantastic shadow that the natives were accustomed to consider as the
-evidence of a friendly and jocular disposition. Every line that could
-possibly be interpreted into a secret inclination for war, was carefully
-avoided; while, on the other hand, he studied those conceits that might
-be construed into amity.
-
-In short, he entirely sacrificed every appearance of the warrior to the
-masquerade of a buffoon. Such exhibitions were not uncommon among the
-Indians, and as Duncan was already sufficiently disguised in his dress,
-there certainly did exist some reason for believing that, with his
-knowledge of French, he might pass for a juggler from Ticonderoga,
-straggling among the allied and friendly tribes.
-
-When he was thought to be sufficiently painted, the scout gave him much
-friendly advice; concerted signals, and appointed the place where they
-should meet, in the event of mutual success. The parting between Munro
-and his young friend was more melancholy; still, the former submitted
-to the separation with an indifference that his warm and honest nature
-would never have permitted in a more healthful state of mind. The scout
-led Heyward aside, and acquainted him with his intention to leave the
-veteran in some safe encampment, in charge of Chingachgook, while he and
-Uncas pursued their inquires among the people they had reason to believe
-were Delawares. Then, renewing his cautions and advice, he concluded by
-saying, with a solemnity and warmth of feeling, with which Duncan was
-deeply touched:
-
-"And, now, God bless you! You have shown a spirit that I like; for it is
-the gift of youth, more especially one of warm blood and a stout heart.
-But believe the warning of a man who has reason to know all he says to
-be true. You will have occasion for your best manhood, and for a sharper
-wit than what is to be gathered in books, afore you outdo the cunning or
-get the better of the courage of a Mingo. God bless you! if the Hurons
-master your scalp, rely on the promise of one who has two stout warriors
-to back him. They shall pay for their victory, with a life for every
-hair it holds. I say, young gentleman, may Providence bless your
-undertaking, which is altogether for good; and, remember, that to outwit
-the knaves it is lawful to practise things that may not be naturally the
-gift of a white-skin."
-
-Duncan shook his worthy and reluctant associate warmly by the hand, once
-more recommended his aged friend to his care, and returning his good
-wishes, he motioned to David to proceed. Hawkeye gazed after the
-high-spirited and adventurous young man for several moments, in open
-admiration; then, shaking his head doubtingly, he turned, and led his
-own division of the party into the concealment of the forest.
-
-The route taken by Duncan and David lay directly across the clearing of
-the beavers, and along the margin of their pond.
-
-When the former found himself alone with one so simple, and so little
-qualified to render any assistance in desperate emergencies, he first
-began to be sensible of the difficulties of the task he had undertaken.
-The fading light increased the gloominess of the bleak and savage
-wilderness that stretched so far on every side of him, and there was
-even a fearful character in the stillness of those little huts, that
-he knew were so abundantly peopled. It struck him, as he gazed at the
-admirable structures and the wonderful precautions of their sagacious
-inmates, that even the brutes of these vast wilds were possessed of
-an instinct nearly commensurate with his own reason; and he could not
-reflect, without anxiety, on the unequal contest that he had so rashly
-courted. Then came the glowing image of Alice; her distress; her actual
-danger; and all the peril of his situation was forgotten. Cheering
-David, he moved on with the light and vigorous step of youth and
-enterprise.
-
-After making nearly a semicircle around the pond, they diverged from the
-water-course, and began to ascend to the level of a slight elevation in
-that bottom land, over which they journeyed. Within half an hour they
-gained the margin of another opening that bore all the signs of having
-been also made by the beavers, and which those sagacious animals had
-probably been induced, by some accident, to abandon, for the more
-eligible position they now occupied. A very natural sensation caused
-Duncan to hesitate a moment, unwilling to leave the cover of their
-bushy path, as a man pauses to collect his energies before he essays any
-hazardous experiment, in which he is secretly conscious they will all be
-needed. He profited by the halt, to gather such information as might be
-obtained from his short and hasty glances.
-
-On the opposite side of the clearing, and near the point where the brook
-tumbled over some rocks, from a still higher level, some fifty or sixty
-lodges, rudely fabricated of logs brush, and earth intermingled, were
-to be discovered. They were arranged without any order, and seemed to be
-constructed with very little attention to neatness or beauty. Indeed,
-so very inferior were they in the two latter particulars to the village
-Duncan had just seen, that he began to expect a second surprise, no
-less astonishing that the former. This expectation was in no degree
-diminished, when, by the doubtful twilight, he beheld twenty or thirty
-forms rising alternately from the cover of the tall, coarse grass, in
-front of the lodges, and then sinking again from the sight, as it were
-to burrow in the earth. By the sudden and hasty glimpses that he caught
-of these figures, they seemed more like dark, glancing specters, or some
-other unearthly beings, than creatures fashioned with the ordinary and
-vulgar materials of flesh and blood. A gaunt, naked form was seen, for a
-single instant, tossing its arms wildly in the air, and then the spot it
-had filled was vacant; the figure appearing suddenly in some other
-and distant place, or being succeeded by another, possessing the same
-mysterious character. David, observing that his companion lingered,
-pursued the direction of his gaze, and in some measure recalled the
-recollection of Heyward, by speaking.
-
-"There is much fruitful soil uncultivated here," he said; "and, I may
-add, without the sinful leaven of self-commendation, that, since my
-short sojourn in these heathenish abodes, much good seed has been
-scattered by the wayside."
-
-"The tribes are fonder of the chase than of the arts of men of labor,"
-returned the unconscious Duncan, still gazing at the objects of his
-wonder.
-
-"It is rather joy than labor to the spirit, to lift up the voice in
-praise; but sadly do these boys abuse their gifts. Rarely have I found
-any of their age, on whom nature has so freely bestowed the elements
-of psalmody; and surely, surely, there are none who neglect them more.
-Three nights have I now tarried here, and three several times have I
-assembled the urchins to join in sacred song; and as often have they
-responded to my efforts with whoopings and howlings that have chilled my
-soul!"
-
-"Of whom speak you?"
-
-"Of those children of the devil, who waste the precious moments in
-yonder idle antics. Ah! the wholesome restraint of discipline is but
-little known among this self-abandoned people. In a country of birches,
-a rod is never seen, and it ought not to appear a marvel in my eyes,
-that the choicest blessings of Providence are wasted in such cries as
-these."
-
-David closed his ears against the juvenile pack, whose yell just then
-rang shrilly through the forest; and Duncan, suffering his lip to curl,
-as in mockery of his own superstition, said firmly:
-
-"We will proceed."
-
-Without removing the safeguards form his ears, the master of song
-complied, and together they pursued their way toward what David was
-sometimes wont to call the "tents of the Philistines."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 23
-
-     "But though the beast of game
-     The privilege of chase may claim;
-     Though space and law the stag we lend
-     Ere hound we slip, or bow we bend;
-     Whoever recked, where, how, or when
-     The prowling fox was trapped or slain?"
-     --Lady of the Lake.
-
-It is unusual to find an encampment of the natives, like those of the
-more instructed whites, guarded by the presence of armed men. Well
-informed of the approach of every danger, while it is yet at a distance,
-the Indian generally rests secure under his knowledge of the signs of
-the forest, and the long and difficult paths that separate him from
-those he has most reason to dread. But the enemy who, by any lucky
-concurrence of accidents, has found means to elude the vigilance of the
-scouts, will seldom meet with sentinels nearer home to sound the alarm.
-In addition to this general usage, the tribes friendly to the French
-knew too well the weight of the blow that had just been struck, to
-apprehend any immediate danger from the hostile nations that were
-tributary to the crown of Britain.
-
-When Duncan and David, therefore, found themselves in the center of the
-children, who played the antics already mentioned, it was without the
-least previous intimation of their approach. But so soon as they were
-observed the whole of the juvenile pack raised, by common consent, a
-shrill and warning whoop; and then sank, as it were, by magic, from
-before the sight of their visitors. The naked, tawny bodies of the
-crouching urchins blended so nicely at that hour, with the withered
-herbage, that at first it seemed as if the earth had, in truth,
-swallowed up their forms; though when surprise permitted Duncan to bend
-his look more curiously about the spot, he found it everywhere met by
-dark, quick, and rolling eyeballs.
-
-Gathering no encouragement from this startling presage of the nature of
-the scrutiny he was likely to undergo from the more mature judgments
-of the men, there was an instant when the young soldier would have
-retreated. It was, however, too late to appear to hesitate. The cry
-of the children had drawn a dozen warriors to the door of the nearest
-lodge, where they stood clustered in a dark and savage group, gravely
-awaiting the nearer approach of those who had unexpectedly come among
-them.
-
-David, in some measure familiarized to the scene, led the way with a
-steadiness that no slight obstacle was likely to disconcert, into this
-very building. It was the principal edifice of the village, though
-roughly constructed of the bark and branches of trees; being the lodge
-in which the tribe held its councils and public meetings during their
-temporary residence on the borders of the English province. Duncan found
-it difficult to assume the necessary appearance of unconcern, as he
-brushed the dark and powerful frames of the savages who thronged its
-threshold; but, conscious that his existence depended on his presence of
-mind, he trusted to the discretion of his companion, whose footsteps he
-closely followed, endeavoring, as he proceeded, to rally his thoughts
-for the occasion. His blood curdled when he found himself in absolute
-contact with such fierce and implacable enemies; but he so far mastered
-his feelings as to pursue his way into the center of the lodge, with an
-exterior that did not betray the weakness. Imitating the example of the
-deliberate Gamut, he drew a bundle of fragrant brush from beneath a pile
-that filled the corner of the hut, and seated himself in silence.
-
-So soon as their visitor had passed, the observant warriors fell back
-from the entrance, and arranging themselves about him, they seemed
-patiently to await the moment when it might comport with the dignity of
-the stranger to speak. By far the greater number stood leaning, in lazy,
-lounging attitudes, against the upright posts that supported the crazy
-building, while three or four of the oldest and most distinguished of
-the chiefs placed themselves on the earth a little more in advance.
-
-A flaring torch was burning in the place, and set its red glare from
-face to face and figure to figure, as it waved in the currents of air.
-Duncan profited by its light to read the probable character of his
-reception, in the countenances of his hosts. But his ingenuity availed
-him little, against the cold artifices of the people he had encountered.
-The chiefs in front scarce cast a glance at his person, keeping their
-eyes on the ground, with an air that might have been intended for
-respect, but which it was quite easy to construe into distrust. The men
-in the shadow were less reserved. Duncan soon detected their searching,
-but stolen, looks which, in truth, scanned his person and attire inch by
-inch; leaving no emotion of the countenance, no gesture, no line of the
-paint, nor even the fashion of a garment, unheeded, and without comment.
-
-At length one whose hair was beginning to be sprinkled with gray, but
-whose sinewy limbs and firm tread announced that he was still equal to
-the duties of manhood, advanced out of the gloom of a corner, whither he
-had probably posted himself to make his observations unseen, and
-spoke. He used the language of the Wyandots, or Hurons; his words were,
-consequently, unintelligible to Heyward, though they seemed, by the
-gestures that accompanied them, to be uttered more in courtesy than
-anger. The latter shook his head, and made a gesture indicative of his
-inability to reply.
-
-"Do none of my brothers speak the French or the English?" he said, in
-the former language, looking about him from countenance to countenance,
-in hopes of finding a nod of assent.
-
-Though more than one had turned, as if to catch the meaning of his
-words, they remained unanswered.
-
-"I should be grieved to think," continued Duncan, speaking slowly, and
-using the simplest French of which he was the master, "to believe that
-none of this wise and brave nation understand the language that the
-'Grand Monarque' uses when he talks to his children. His heart would be
-heavy did he believe his red warriors paid him so little respect!"
-
-A long and grave pause succeeded, during which no movement of a limb,
-nor any expression of an eye, betrayed the expression produced by his
-remark. Duncan, who knew that silence was a virtue among his hosts,
-gladly had recourse to the custom, in order to arrange his ideas. At
-length the same warrior who had before addressed him replied, by dryly
-demanding, in the language of the Canadas:
-
-"When our Great Father speaks to his people, is it with the tongue of a
-Huron?"
-
-"He knows no difference in his children, whether the color of the skin
-be red, or black, or white," returned Duncan, evasively; "though chiefly
-is he satisfied with the brave Hurons."
-
-"In what manner will he speak," demanded the wary chief, "when the
-runners count to him the scalps which five nights ago grew on the heads
-of the Yengeese?"
-
-"They were his enemies," said Duncan, shuddering involuntarily; "and
-doubtless, he will say, it is good; my Hurons are very gallant."
-
-"Our Canada father does not think it. Instead of looking forward to
-reward his Indians, his eyes are turned backward. He sees the dead
-Yengeese, but no Huron. What can this mean?"
-
-"A great chief, like him, has more thoughts than tongues. He looks to
-see that no enemies are on his trail."
-
-"The canoe of a dead warrior will not float on the Horican," returned
-the savage, gloomily. "His ears are open to the Delawares, who are not
-our friends, and they fill them with lies."
-
-"It cannot be. See; he has bid me, who am a man that knows the art of
-healing, to go to his children, the red Hurons of the great lakes, and
-ask if any are sick!"
-
-Another silence succeeded this annunciation of the character Duncan
-had assumed. Every eye was simultaneously bent on his person, as if
-to inquire into the truth or falsehood of the declaration, with an
-intelligence and keenness that caused the subject of their scrutiny to
-tremble for the result. He was, however, relieved again by the former
-speaker.
-
-"Do the cunning men of the Canadas paint their skins?" the Huron coldly
-continued; "we have heard them boast that their faces were pale."
-
-"When an Indian chief comes among his white fathers," returned Duncan,
-with great steadiness, "he lays aside his buffalo robe, to carry the
-shirt that is offered him. My brothers have given me paint and I wear
-it."
-
-A low murmur of applause announced that the compliment of the tribe was
-favorably received. The elderly chief made a gesture of commendation,
-which was answered by most of his companions, who each threw forth
-a hand and uttered a brief exclamation of pleasure. Duncan began to
-breathe more freely, believing that the weight of his examination was
-past; and, as he had already prepared a simple and probable tale to
-support his pretended occupation, his hopes of ultimate success grew
-brighter.
-
-After a silence of a few moments, as if adjusting his thoughts, in
-order to make a suitable answer to the declaration their guests had
-just given, another warrior arose, and placed himself in an attitude to
-speak. While his lips were yet in the act of parting, a low but fearful
-sound arose from the forest, and was immediately succeeded by a high,
-shrill yell, that was drawn out, until it equaled the longest and most
-plaintive howl of the wolf. The sudden and terrible interruption caused
-Duncan to start from his seat, unconscious of everything but the effect
-produced by so frightful a cry. At the same moment, the warriors glided
-in a body from the lodge, and the outer air was filled with loud shouts,
-that nearly drowned those awful sounds, which were still ringing beneath
-the arches of the woods. Unable to command himself any longer, the youth
-broke from the place, and presently stood in the center of a disorderly
-throng, that included nearly everything having life, within the limits
-of the encampment. Men, women, and children; the aged, the inform, the
-active, and the strong, were alike abroad, some exclaiming aloud, others
-clapping their hands with a joy that seemed frantic, and all expressing
-their savage pleasure in some unexpected event. Though astounded, at
-first, by the uproar, Heyward was soon enabled to find its solution by
-the scene that followed.
-
-There yet lingered sufficient light in the heavens to exhibit those
-bright openings among the tree-tops, where different paths left the
-clearing to enter the depths of the wilderness. Beneath one of them, a
-line of warriors issued from the woods, and advanced slowly toward the
-dwellings. One in front bore a short pole, on which, as it afterwards
-appeared, were suspended several human scalps. The startling sounds that
-Duncan had heard were what the whites have not inappropriately called
-the "death-hallo"; and each repetition of the cry was intended to
-announce to the tribe the fate of an enemy. Thus far the knowledge of
-Heyward assisted him in the explanation; and as he now knew that the
-interruption was caused by the unlooked-for return of a successful
-war-party, every disagreeable sensation was quieted in inward
-congratulation, for the opportune relief and insignificance it conferred
-on himself.
-
-When at the distance of a few hundred feet from the lodges the newly
-arrived warriors halted. Their plaintive and terrific cry, which was
-intended to represent equally the wailings of the dead and the triumph
-to the victors, had entirely ceased. One of their number now called
-aloud, in words that were far from appalling, though not more
-intelligible to those for whose ears they were intended, than their
-expressive yells. It would be difficult to convey a suitable idea of the
-savage ecstasy with which the news thus imparted was received. The whole
-encampment, in a moment, became a scene of the most violent bustle and
-commotion. The warriors drew their knives, and flourishing them, they
-arranged themselves in two lines, forming a lane that extended from
-the war-party to the lodges. The squaws seized clubs, axes, or whatever
-weapon of offense first offered itself to their hands, and rushed
-eagerly to act their part in the cruel game that was at hand. Even
-the children would not be excluded; but boys, little able to wield the
-instruments, tore the tomahawks from the belts of their fathers, and
-stole into the ranks, apt imitators of the savage traits exhibited by
-their parents.
-
-Large piles of brush lay scattered about the clearing, and a wary and
-aged squaw was occupied in firing as many as might serve to light the
-coming exhibition. As the flame arose, its power exceeded that of
-the parting day, and assisted to render objects at the same time more
-distinct and more hideous. The whole scene formed a striking picture,
-whose frame was composed of the dark and tall border of pines. The
-warriors just arrived were the most distant figures. A little in advance
-stood two men, who were apparently selected from the rest, as the
-principal actors in what was to follow. The light was not strong enough
-to render their features distinct, though it was quite evident that
-they were governed by very different emotions. While one stood erect and
-firm, prepared to meet his fate like a hero, the other bowed his head,
-as if palsied by terror or stricken with shame. The high-spirited Duncan
-felt a powerful impulse of admiration and pity toward the former, though
-no opportunity could offer to exhibit his generous emotions. He watched
-his slightest movement, however, with eager eyes; and, as he traced
-the fine outline of his admirably proportioned and active frame, he
-endeavored to persuade himself, that, if the powers of man, seconded
-by such noble resolution, could bear one harmless through so severe a
-trial, the youthful captive before him might hope for success in the
-hazardous race he was about to run. Insensibly the young man drew nigher
-to the swarthy lines of the Hurons, and scarcely breathed, so intense
-became his interest in the spectacle. Just then the signal yell was
-given, and the momentary quiet which had preceded it was broken by a
-burst of cries, that far exceeded any before heard. The more abject of
-the two victims continued motionless; but the other bounded from the
-place at the cry, with the activity and swiftness of a deer. Instead of
-rushing through the hostile lines, as had been expected, he just entered
-the dangerous defile, and before time was given for a single blow,
-turned short, and leaping the heads of a row of children, he gained at
-once the exterior and safer side of the formidable array. The artifice
-was answered by a hundred voices raised in imprecations; and the whole
-of the excited multitude broke from their order, and spread themselves
-about the place in wild confusion.
-
-A dozen blazing piles now shed their lurid brightness on the place,
-which resembled some unhallowed and supernatural arena, in which
-malicious demons had assembled to act their bloody and lawless rites.
-The forms in the background looked like unearthly beings, gliding before
-the eye, and cleaving the air with frantic and unmeaning gestures; while
-the savage passions of such as passed the flames were rendered fearfully
-distinct by the gleams that shot athwart their inflamed visages.
-
-It will easily be understood that, amid such a concourse of vindictive
-enemies, no breathing time was allowed the fugitive. There was a single
-moment when it seemed as if he would have reached the forest, but the
-whole body of his captors threw themselves before him, and drove him
-back into the center of his relentless persecutors. Turning like a
-headed deer, he shot, with the swiftness of an arrow, through a pillar
-of forked flame, and passing the whole multitude harmless, he appeared
-on the opposite side of the clearing. Here, too, he was met and turned
-by a few of the older and more subtle of the Hurons. Once more he tried
-the throng, as if seeking safety in its blindness, and then several
-moments succeeded, during which Duncan believed the active and
-courageous young stranger was lost.
-
-Nothing could be distinguished but a dark mass of human forms tossed
-and involved in inexplicable confusion. Arms, gleaming knives, and
-formidable clubs, appeared above them, but the blows were evidently
-given at random. The awful effect was heightened by the piercing shrieks
-of the women and the fierce yells of the warriors. Now and then Duncan
-caught a glimpse of a light form cleaving the air in some desperate
-bound, and he rather hoped than believed that the captive yet retained
-the command of his astonishing powers of activity. Suddenly the
-multitude rolled backward, and approached the spot where he himself
-stood. The heavy body in the rear pressed upon the women and children
-in front, and bore them to the earth. The stranger reappeared in the
-confusion. Human power could not, however, much longer endure so
-severe a trial. Of this the captive seemed conscious. Profiting by
-the momentary opening, he darted from among the warriors, and made a
-desperate, and what seemed to Duncan a final effort to gain the wood.
-As if aware that no danger was to be apprehended from the young soldier,
-the fugitive nearly brushed his person in his flight. A tall and
-powerful Huron, who had husbanded his forces, pressed close upon his
-heels, and with an uplifted arm menaced a fatal blow. Duncan thrust
-forth a foot, and the shock precipitated the eager savage headlong, many
-feet in advance of his intended victim. Thought itself is not quicker
-than was the motion with which the latter profited by the advantage; he
-turned, gleamed like a meteor again before the eyes of Duncan, and, at
-the next moment, when the latter recovered his recollection, and gazed
-around in quest of the captive, he saw him quietly leaning against a
-small painted post, which stood before the door of the principal lodge.
-
-Apprehensive that the part he had taken in the escape might prove fatal
-to himself, Duncan left the place without delay. He followed the crowd,
-which drew nigh the lodges, gloomy and sullen, like any other multitude
-that had been disappointed in an execution. Curiosity, or perhaps a
-better feeling, induced him to approach the stranger. He found him,
-standing with one arm cast about the protecting post, and breathing
-thick and hard, after his exertions, but disdaining to permit a single
-sign of suffering to escape. His person was now protected by immemorial
-and sacred usage, until the tribe in council had deliberated and
-determined on his fate. It was not difficult, however, to foretell the
-result, if any presage could be drawn from the feelings of those who
-crowded the place.
-
-There was no term of abuse known to the Huron vocabulary that the
-disappointed women did not lavishly expend on the successful stranger.
-They flouted at his efforts, and told him, with bitter scoffs, that his
-feet were better than his hands; and that he merited wings, while he
-knew not the use of an arrow or a knife. To all this the captive made
-no reply; but was content to preserve an attitude in which dignity was
-singularly blended with disdain. Exasperated as much by his composure
-as by his good-fortune, their words became unintelligible, and were
-succeeded by shrill, piercing yells. Just then the crafty squaw, who had
-taken the necessary precaution to fire the piles, made her way through
-the throng, and cleared a place for herself in front of the captive. The
-squalid and withered person of this hag might well have obtained for her
-the character of possessing more than human cunning. Throwing back her
-light vestment, she stretched forth her long, skinny arm, in derision,
-and using the language of the Lenape, as more intelligible to the
-subject of her gibes, she commenced aloud:
-
-"Look you, Delaware," she said, snapping her fingers in his face; "your
-nation is a race of women, and the hoe is better fitted to your hands
-than the gun. Your squaws are the mothers of deer; but if a bear, or
-a wildcat, or a serpent were born among you, ye would flee. The Huron
-girls shall make you petticoats, and we will find you a husband."
-
-A burst of savage laughter succeeded this attack, during which the soft
-and musical merriment of the younger females strangely chimed with
-the cracked voice of their older and more malignant companion. But the
-stranger was superior to all their efforts. His head was immovable; nor
-did he betray the slightest consciousness that any were present, except
-when his haughty eye rolled toward the dusky forms of the warriors, who
-stalked in the background silent and sullen observers of the scene.
-
-Infuriated at the self-command of the captive, the woman placed her arms
-akimbo; and, throwing herself into a posture of defiance, she broke
-out anew, in a torrent of words that no art of ours could commit
-successfully to paper. Her breath was, however, expended in vain; for,
-although distinguished in her nation as a proficient in the art of
-abuse, she was permitted to work herself into such a fury as actually to
-foam at the mouth, without causing a muscle to vibrate in the motionless
-figure of the stranger. The effect of his indifference began to extend
-itself to the other spectators; and a youngster, who was just quitting
-the condition of a boy to enter the state of manhood, attempted to
-assist the termagant, by flourishing his tomahawk before their victim,
-and adding his empty boasts to the taunts of the women. Then, indeed,
-the captive turned his face toward the light, and looked down on the
-stripling with an expression that was superior to contempt. At the next
-moment he resumed his quiet and reclining attitude against the post. But
-the change of posture had permitted Duncan to exchange glances with the
-firm and piercing eyes of Uncas.
-
-Breathless with amazement, and heavily oppressed with the critical
-situation of his friend, Heyward recoiled before the look, trembling
-lest its meaning might, in some unknown manner, hasten the prisoner's
-fate. There was not, however, any instant cause for such an
-apprehension. Just then a warrior forced his way into the exasperated
-crowd. Motioning the women and children aside with a stern gesture, he
-took Uncas by the arm, and led him toward the door of the council-lodge.
-Thither all the chiefs, and most of the distinguished warriors,
-followed; among whom the anxious Heyward found means to enter without
-attracting any dangerous attention to himself.
-
-A few minutes were consumed in disposing of those present in a manner
-suitable to their rank and influence in the tribe. An order very similar
-to that adopted in the preceding interview was observed; the aged and
-superior chiefs occupying the area of the spacious apartment, within
-the powerful light of a glaring torch, while their juniors and inferiors
-were arranged in the background, presenting a dark outline of swarthy
-and marked visages. In the very center of the lodge, immediately under
-an opening that admitted the twinkling light of one or two stars, stood
-Uncas, calm, elevated, and collected. His high and haughty carriage was
-not lost on his captors, who often bent their looks on his person, with
-eyes which, while they lost none of their inflexibility of purpose,
-plainly betrayed their admiration of the stranger's daring.
-
-The case was different with the individual whom Duncan had observed to
-stand forth with his friend, previously to the desperate trial of speed;
-and who, instead of joining in the chase, had remained, throughout
-its turbulent uproar, like a cringing statue, expressive of shame and
-disgrace. Though not a hand had been extended to greet him, nor yet an
-eye had condescended to watch his movements, he had also entered the
-lodge, as though impelled by a fate to whose decrees he submitted,
-seemingly, without a struggle. Heyward profited by the first opportunity
-to gaze in his face, secretly apprehensive he might find the features
-of another acquaintance; but they proved to be those of a stranger, and,
-what was still more inexplicable, of one who bore all the distinctive
-marks of a Huron warrior. Instead of mingling with his tribe, however,
-he sat apart, a solitary being in a multitude, his form shrinking into a
-crouching and abject attitude, as if anxious to fill as little space as
-possible. When each individual had taken his proper station, and silence
-reigned in the place, the gray-haired chief already introduced to the
-reader, spoke aloud, in the language of the Lenni Lenape.
-
-"Delaware," he said, "though one of a nation of women, you have proved
-yourself a man. I would give you food; but he who eats with a Huron
-should become his friend. Rest in peace till the morning sun, when our
-last words shall be spoken."
-
-"Seven nights, and as many summer days, have I fasted on the trail of
-the Hurons," Uncas coldly replied; "the children of the Lenape know how
-to travel the path of the just without lingering to eat."
-
-"Two of my young men are in pursuit of your companion," resumed the
-other, without appearing to regard the boast of his captive; "when they
-get back, then will our wise man say to you 'live' or 'die'."
-
-"Has a Huron no ears?" scornfully exclaimed Uncas; "twice, since he has
-been your prisoner, has the Delaware heard a gun that he knows. Your
-young men will never come back!"
-
-A short and sullen pause succeeded this bold assertion. Duncan, who
-understood the Mohican to allude to the fatal rifle of the scout, bent
-forward in earnest observation of the effect it might produce on the
-conquerors; but the chief was content with simply retorting:
-
-"If the Lenape are so skillful, why is one of their bravest warriors
-here?"
-
-"He followed in the steps of a flying coward, and fell into a snare. The
-cunning beaver may be caught."
-
-As Uncas thus replied, he pointed with his finger toward the solitary
-Huron, but without deigning to bestow any other notice on so unworthy
-an object. The words of the answer and the air of the speaker produced
-a strong sensation among his auditors. Every eye rolled sullenly toward
-the individual indicated by the simple gesture, and a low, threatening
-murmur passed through the crowd. The ominous sounds reached the outer
-door, and the women and children pressing into the throng, no gap had
-been left, between shoulder and shoulder, that was not now filled with
-the dark lineaments of some eager and curious human countenance.
-
-In the meantime, the more aged chiefs, in the center, communed with each
-other in short and broken sentences. Not a word was uttered that did not
-convey the meaning of the speaker, in the simplest and most energetic
-form. Again, a long and deeply solemn pause took place. It was known,
-by all present, to be the brave precursor of a weighty and important
-judgment. They who composed the outer circle of faces were on tiptoe to
-gaze; and even the culprit for an instant forgot his shame in a deeper
-emotion, and exposed his abject features, in order to cast an anxious
-and troubled glance at the dark assemblage of chiefs. The silence was
-finally broken by the aged warrior so often named. He arose from the
-earth, and moving past the immovable form of Uncas, placed himself in
-a dignified attitude before the offender. At that moment, the withered
-squaw already mentioned moved into the circle, in a slow, sidling sort
-of a dance, holding the torch, and muttering the indistinct words of
-what might have been a species of incantation. Though her presence was
-altogether an intrusion, it was unheeded.
-
-Approaching Uncas, she held the blazing brand in such a manner as to
-cast its red glare on his person, and to expose the slightest emotion of
-his countenance. The Mohican maintained his firm and haughty attitude;
-and his eyes, so far from deigning to meet her inquisitive look, dwelt
-steadily on the distance, as though it penetrated the obstacles
-which impeded the view and looked into futurity. Satisfied with her
-examination, she left him, with a slight expression of pleasure, and
-proceeded to practise the same trying experiment on her delinquent
-countryman.
-
-The young Huron was in his war paint, and very little of a finely molded
-form was concealed by his attire. The light rendered every limb and
-joint discernible, and Duncan turned away in horror when he saw they
-were writhing in irrepressible agony. The woman was commencing a low
-and plaintive howl at the sad and shameful spectacle, when the chief put
-forth his hand and gently pushed her aside.
-
-"Reed-that-bends," he said, addressing the young culprit by name, and in
-his proper language, "though the Great Spirit has made you pleasant to
-the eyes, it would have been better that you had not been born. Your
-tongue is loud in the village, but in battle it is still. None of my
-young men strike the tomahawk deeper into the war-post--none of them so
-lightly on the Yengeese. The enemy know the shape of your back, but they
-have never seen the color of your eyes. Three times have they called on
-you to come, and as often did you forget to answer. Your name will never
-be mentioned again in your tribe--it is already forgotten."
-
-As the chief slowly uttered these words, pausing impressively between
-each sentence, the culprit raised his face, in deference to the other's
-rank and years. Shame, horror, and pride struggled in its lineaments.
-His eye, which was contracted with inward anguish, gleamed on the
-persons of those whose breath was his fame; and the latter emotion for
-an instant predominated. He arose to his feet, and baring his bosom,
-looked steadily on the keen, glittering knife, that was already upheld
-by his inexorable judge. As the weapon passed slowly into his heart he
-even smiled, as if in joy at having found death less dreadful than he
-had anticipated, and fell heavily on his face, at the feet of the rigid
-and unyielding form of Uncas.
-
-The squaw gave a loud and plaintive yell, dashed the torch to the
-earth, and buried everything in darkness. The whole shuddering group
-of spectators glided from the lodge like troubled sprites; and Duncan
-thought that he and the yet throbbing body of the victim of an Indian
-judgment had now become its only tenants.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 24
-
-     "Thus spoke the sage: the kings without delay
-     Dissolve the council, and their chief obey."
-     --Pope's Iliad
-
-A single moment served to convince the youth that he was mistaken. A
-hand was laid, with a powerful pressure, on his arm, and the low voice
-of Uncas muttered in his ear:
-
-"The Hurons are dogs. The sight of a coward's blood can never make a
-warrior tremble. The 'Gray Head' and the Sagamore are safe, and the
-rifle of Hawkeye is not asleep. Go--Uncas and the 'Open Hand' are now
-strangers. It is enough."
-
-Heyward would gladly have heard more, but a gentle push from his friend
-urged him toward the door, and admonished him of the danger that might
-attend the discovery of their intercourse. Slowly and reluctantly
-yielding to the necessity, he quitted the place, and mingled with the
-throng that hovered nigh. The dying fires in the clearing cast a dim and
-uncertain light on the dusky figures that were silently stalking to
-and fro; and occasionally a brighter gleam than common glanced into the
-lodge, and exhibited the figure of Uncas still maintaining its upright
-attitude near the dead body of the Huron.
-
-A knot of warriors soon entered the place again, and reissuing,
-they bore the senseless remains into the adjacent woods. After this
-termination of the scene, Duncan wandered among the lodges, unquestioned
-and unnoticed, endeavoring to find some trace of her in whose behalf he
-incurred the risk he ran. In the present temper of the tribe it would
-have been easy to have fled and rejoined his companions, had such a
-wish crossed his mind. But, in addition to the never-ceasing anxiety on
-account of Alice, a fresher though feebler interest in the fate of Uncas
-assisted to chain him to the spot. He continued, therefore, to stray
-from hut to hut, looking into each only to encounter additional
-disappointment, until he had made the entire circuit of the village.
-Abandoning a species of inquiry that proved so fruitless, he retraced
-his steps to the council-lodge, resolved to seek and question David, in
-order to put an end to his doubts.
-
-On reaching the building, which had proved alike the seat of judgment
-and the place of execution, the young man found that the excitement
-had already subsided. The warriors had reassembled, and were now calmly
-smoking, while they conversed gravely on the chief incidents of their
-recent expedition to the head of the Horican. Though the return of
-Duncan was likely to remind them of his character, and the suspicious
-circumstances of his visit, it produced no visible sensation. So far,
-the terrible scene that had just occurred proved favorable to his views,
-and he required no other prompter than his own feelings to convince him
-of the expediency of profiting by so unexpected an advantage.
-
-Without seeming to hesitate, he walked into the lodge, and took his seat
-with a gravity that accorded admirably with the deportment of his hosts.
-A hasty but searching glance sufficed to tell him that, though Uncas
-still remained where he had left him, David had not reappeared. No other
-restraint was imposed on the former than the watchful looks of a young
-Huron, who had placed himself at hand; though an armed warrior leaned
-against the post that formed one side of the narrow doorway. In every
-other respect, the captive seemed at liberty; still he was excluded from
-all participation in the discourse, and possessed much more of the air
-of some finely molded statue than a man having life and volition.
-
-Heyward had too recently witnessed a frightful instance of the prompt
-punishments of the people into whose hands he had fallen to hazard an
-exposure by any officious boldness. He would greatly have preferred
-silence and meditation to speech, when a discovery of his real
-condition might prove so instantly fatal. Unfortunately for this prudent
-resolution, his entertainers appeared otherwise disposed. He had not
-long occupied the seat wisely taken a little in the shade, when another
-of the elder warriors, who spoke the French language, addressed him:
-
-"My Canada father does not forget his children," said the chief; "I
-thank him. An evil spirit lives in the wife of one of my young men. Can
-the cunning stranger frighten him away?"
-
-Heyward possessed some knowledge of the mummery practised among the
-Indians, in the cases of such supposed visitations. He saw, at a glance,
-that the circumstance might possibly be improved to further his own
-ends. It would, therefore, have been difficult, just then to have
-uttered a proposal that would have given him more satisfaction. Aware
-of the necessity of preserving the dignity of his imaginary character,
-however, he repressed his feelings, and answered with suitable mystery:
-
-"Spirits differ; some yield to the power of wisdom, while others are too
-strong."
-
-"My brother is a great medicine," said the cunning savage; "he will
-try?"
-
-A gesture of assent was the answer. The Huron was content with the
-assurance, and, resuming his pipe, he awaited the proper moment to
-move. The impatient Heyward, inwardly execrating the cold customs of
-the savages, which required such sacrifices to appearance, was fain to
-assume an air of indifference, equal to that maintained by the chief,
-who was, in truth, a near relative of the afflicted woman. The minutes
-lingered, and the delay had seemed an hour to the adventurer in
-empiricism, when the Huron laid aside his pipe and drew his robe across
-his breast, as if about to lead the way to the lodge of the invalid.
-Just then, a warrior of powerful frame, darkened the door, and stalking
-silently among the attentive group, he seated himself on one end of the
-low pile of brush which sustained Duncan. The latter cast an impatient
-look at his neighbor, and felt his flesh creep with uncontrollable
-horror when he found himself in actual contact with Magua.
-
-The sudden return of this artful and dreaded chief caused a delay in the
-departure of the Huron. Several pipes, that had been extinguished, were
-lighted again; while the newcomer, without speaking a word, drew his
-tomahawk from his girdle, and filling the bowl on its head began to
-inhale the vapors of the weed through the hollow handle, with as much
-indifference as if he had not been absent two weary days on a long and
-toilsome hunt. Ten minutes, which appeared so many ages to Duncan, might
-have passed in this manner; and the warriors were fairly enveloped in a
-cloud of white smoke before any of them spoke.
-
-"Welcome!" one at length uttered; "has my friend found the moose?"
-
-"The young men stagger under their burdens," returned Magua. "Let
-'Reed-that-bends' go on the hunting path; he will meet them."
-
-A deep and awful silence succeeded the utterance of the forbidden name.
-Each pipe dropped from the lips of its owner as though all had inhaled
-an impurity at the same instant. The smoke wreathed above their heads in
-little eddies, and curling in a spiral form it ascended swiftly through
-the opening in the roof of the lodge, leaving the place beneath clear of
-its fumes, and each dark visage distinctly visible. The looks of most of
-the warriors were riveted on the earth; though a few of the younger and
-less gifted of the party suffered their wild and glaring eyeballs to
-roll in the direction of a white-headed savage, who sat between two of
-the most venerated chiefs of the tribe. There was nothing in the air
-or attire of this Indian that would seem to entitle him to such a
-distinction. The former was rather depressed, than remarkable for the
-bearing of the natives; and the latter was such as was commonly worn
-by the ordinary men of the nation. Like most around him for more than
-a minute his look, too, was on the ground; but, trusting his eyes at
-length to steal a glance aside, he perceived that he was becoming an
-object of general attention. Then he arose and lifted his voice in the
-general silence.
-
-"It was a lie," he said; "I had no son. He who was called by that name
-is forgotten; his blood was pale, and it came not from the veins of a
-Huron; the wicked Chippewas cheated my squaw. The Great Spirit has said,
-that the family of Wiss-entush should end; he is happy who knows that
-the evil of his race dies with himself. I have done."
-
-The speaker, who was the father of the recreant young Indian, looked
-round and about him, as if seeking commendation of his stoicism in the
-eyes of the auditors. But the stern customs of his people had made too
-severe an exaction of the feeble old man. The expression of his eye
-contradicted his figurative and boastful language, while every muscle in
-his wrinkled visage was working with anguish. Standing a single minute
-to enjoy his bitter triumph, he turned away, as if sickening at the gaze
-of men, and, veiling his face in his blanket, he walked from the lodge
-with the noiseless step of an Indian seeking, in the privacy of his own
-abode, the sympathy of one like himself, aged, forlorn and childless.
-
-The Indians, who believe in the hereditary transmission of virtues and
-defects in character, suffered him to depart in silence. Then, with an
-elevation of breeding that many in a more cultivated state of society
-might profitably emulate, one of the chiefs drew the attention of the
-young men from the weakness they had just witnessed, by saying, in a
-cheerful voice, addressing himself in courtesy to Magua, as the newest
-comer:
-
-"The Delawares have been like bears after the honey pots, prowling
-around my village. But who has ever found a Huron asleep?"
-
-The darkness of the impending cloud which precedes a burst of thunder
-was not blacker than the brow of Magua as he exclaimed:
-
-"The Delawares of the Lakes!"
-
-"Not so. They who wear the petticoats of squaws, on their own river. One
-of them has been passing the tribe."
-
-"Did my young men take his scalp?"
-
-"His legs were good, though his arm is better for the hoe than the
-tomahawk," returned the other, pointing to the immovable form of Uncas.
-
-Instead of manifesting any womanish curiosity to feast his eyes with the
-sight of a captive from a people he was known to have so much reason to
-hate, Magua continued to smoke, with the meditative air that he usually
-maintained, when there was no immediate call on his cunning or his
-eloquence. Although secretly amazed at the facts communicated by the
-speech of the aged father, he permitted himself to ask no questions,
-reserving his inquiries for a more suitable moment. It was only after a
-sufficient interval that he shook the ashes from his pipe, replaced the
-tomahawk, tightened his girdle, and arose, casting for the first time a
-glance in the direction of the prisoner, who stood a little behind him.
-The wary, though seemingly abstracted Uncas, caught a glimpse of the
-movement, and turning suddenly to the light, their looks met. Near a
-minute these two bold and untamed spirits stood regarding one another
-steadily in the eye, neither quailing in the least before the fierce
-gaze he encountered. The form of Uncas dilated, and his nostrils opened
-like those of a tiger at bay; but so rigid and unyielding was his
-posture, that he might easily have been converted by the imagination
-into an exquisite and faultless representation of the warlike deity of
-his tribe. The lineaments of the quivering features of Magua proved more
-ductile; his countenance gradually lost its character of defiance in an
-expression of ferocious joy, and heaving a breath from the very bottom
-of his chest, he pronounced aloud the formidable name of:
-
-"Le Cerf Agile!"
-
-Each warrior sprang upon his feet at the utterance of the well-known
-appellation, and there was a short period during which the stoical
-constancy of the natives was completely conquered by surprise. The hated
-and yet respected name was repeated as by one voice, carrying the
-sound even beyond the limits of the lodge. The women and children, who
-lingered around the entrance, took up the words in an echo, which was
-succeeded by another shrill and plaintive howl. The latter was not yet
-ended, when the sensation among the men had entirely abated. Each one in
-presence seated himself, as though ashamed of his precipitation; but it
-was many minutes before their meaning eyes ceased to roll toward their
-captive, in curious examination of a warrior who had so often proved
-his prowess on the best and proudest of their nation. Uncas enjoyed his
-victory, but was content with merely exhibiting his triumph by a quiet
-smile--an emblem of scorn which belongs to all time and every nation.
-
-Magua caught the expression, and raising his arm, he shook it at the
-captive, the light silver ornaments attached to his bracelet rattling
-with the trembling agitation of the limb, as, in a tone of vengeance, he
-exclaimed, in English:
-
-"Mohican, you die!"
-
-"The healing waters will never bring the dead Hurons to life," returned
-Uncas, in the music of the Delawares; "the tumbling river washes their
-bones; their men are squaws: their women owls. Go! call together the
-Huron dogs, that they may look upon a warrior, My nostrils are offended;
-they scent the blood of a coward."
-
-The latter allusion struck deep, and the injury rankled. Many of the
-Hurons understood the strange tongue in which the captive spoke, among
-which number was Magua. This cunning savage beheld, and instantly
-profited by his advantage. Dropping the light robe of skin from his
-shoulder, he stretched forth his arm, and commenced a burst of his
-dangerous and artful eloquence. However much his influence among his
-people had been impaired by his occasional and besetting weakness, as
-well as by his desertion of the tribe, his courage and his fame as an
-orator were undeniable. He never spoke without auditors, and rarely
-without making converts to his opinions. On the present occasion, his
-native powers were stimulated by the thirst of revenge.
-
-He again recounted the events of the attack on the island at Glenn's,
-the death of his associates and the escape of their most formidable
-enemies. Then he described the nature and position of the mount whither
-he had led such captives as had fallen into their hands. Of his own
-bloody intentions toward the maidens, and of his baffled malice he made
-no mention, but passed rapidly on to the surprise of the party by "La
-Longue Carabine," and its fatal termination. Here he paused, and looked
-about him, in affected veneration for the departed, but, in truth,
-to note the effect of his opening narrative. As usual, every eye was
-riveted on his face. Each dusky figure seemed a breathing statue, so
-motionless was the posture, so intense the attention of the individual.
-
-Then Magua dropped his voice which had hitherto been clear, strong and
-elevated, and touched upon the merits of the dead. No quality that was
-likely to command the sympathy of an Indian escaped his notice. One
-had never been known to follow the chase in vain; another had been
-indefatigable on the trail of their enemies. This was brave, that
-generous. In short, he so managed his allusions, that in a nation which
-was composed of so few families, he contrived to strike every chord that
-might find, in its turn, some breast in which to vibrate.
-
-"Are the bones of my young men," he concluded, "in the burial-place of
-the Hurons? You know they are not. Their spirits are gone toward the
-setting sun, and are already crossing the great waters, to the happy
-hunting-grounds. But they departed without food, without guns or knives,
-without moccasins, naked and poor as they were born. Shall this be?
-Are their souls to enter the land of the just like hungry Iroquois or
-unmanly Delawares, or shall they meet their friends with arms in their
-hands and robes on their backs? What will our fathers think the tribes
-of the Wyandots have become? They will look on their children with a
-dark eye, and say, 'Go! a Chippewa has come hither with the name of a
-Huron.' Brothers, we must not forget the dead; a red-skin never ceases
-to remember. We will load the back of this Mohican until he staggers
-under our bounty, and dispatch him after my young men. They call to us
-for aid, though our ears are not open; they say, 'Forget us not.' When
-they see the spirit of this Mohican toiling after them with his burden,
-they will know we are of that mind. Then will they go on happy; and our
-children will say, 'So did our fathers to their friends, so must we do
-to them.' What is a Yengee? we have slain many, but the earth is still
-pale. A stain on the name of Huron can only be hid by blood that comes
-from the veins of an Indian. Let this Delaware die."
-
-The effect of such an harangue, delivered in the nervous language and
-with the emphatic manner of a Huron orator, could scarcely be mistaken.
-Magua had so artfully blended the natural sympathies with the religious
-superstition of his auditors, that their minds, already prepared by
-custom to sacrifice a victim to the manes of their countrymen, lost
-every vestige of humanity in a wish for revenge. One warrior in
-particular, a man of wild and ferocious mien, had been conspicuous for
-the attention he had given to the words of the speaker. His countenance
-had changed with each passing emotion, until it settled into a look
-of deadly malice. As Magua ended he arose and, uttering the yell of a
-demon, his polished little axe was seen glancing in the torchlight as
-he whirled it above his head. The motion and the cry were too sudden
-for words to interrupt his bloody intention. It appeared as if a bright
-gleam shot from his hand, which was crossed at the same moment by a
-dark and powerful line. The former was the tomahawk in its passage; the
-latter the arm that Magua darted forward to divert its aim. The quick
-and ready motion of the chief was not entirely too late. The keen weapon
-cut the war plume from the scalping tuft of Uncas, and passed through
-the frail wall of the lodge as though it were hurled from some
-formidable engine.
-
-Duncan had seen the threatening action, and sprang upon his feet, with
-a heart which, while it leaped into his throat, swelled with the most
-generous resolution in behalf of his friend. A glance told him that the
-blow had failed, and terror changed to admiration. Uncas stood still,
-looking his enemy in the eye with features that seemed superior to
-emotion. Marble could not be colder, calmer, or steadier than the
-countenance he put upon this sudden and vindictive attack. Then, as if
-pitying a want of skill which had proved so fortunate to himself, he
-smiled, and muttered a few words of contempt in his own tongue.
-
-"No!" said Magua, after satisfying himself of the safety of the captive;
-"the sun must shine on his shame; the squaws must see his flesh tremble,
-or our revenge will be like the play of boys. Go! take him where there
-is silence; let us see if a Delaware can sleep at night, and in the
-morning die."
-
-The young men whose duty it was to guard the prisoner instantly passed
-their ligaments of bark across his arms, and led him from the lodge,
-amid a profound and ominous silence. It was only as the figure of Uncas
-stood in the opening of the door that his firm step hesitated. There he
-turned, and, in the sweeping and haughty glance that he threw around
-the circle of his enemies, Duncan caught a look which he was glad to
-construe into an expression that he was not entirely deserted by hope.
-
-Magua was content with his success, or too much occupied with his secret
-purposes to push his inquiries any further. Shaking his mantle, and
-folding it on his bosom, he also quitted the place, without pursuing a
-subject which might have proved so fatal to the individual at his elbow.
-Notwithstanding his rising resentment, his natural firmness, and his
-anxiety on behalf of Uncas, Heyward felt sensibly relieved by the
-absence of so dangerous and so subtle a foe. The excitement produced
-by the speech gradually subsided. The warriors resumed their seats and
-clouds of smoke once more filled the lodge. For near half an hour, not
-a syllable was uttered, or scarcely a look cast aside; a grave and
-meditative silence being the ordinary succession to every scene of
-violence and commotion among these beings, who were alike so impetuous
-and yet so self-restrained.
-
-When the chief, who had solicited the aid of Duncan, finished his pipe,
-he made a final and successful movement toward departing. A motion of a
-finger was the intimation he gave the supposed physician to follow; and
-passing through the clouds of smoke, Duncad was glad, on more accounts
-than one, to be able at last to breathe the pure air of a cool and
-refreshing summer evening.
-
-Instead of pursuing his way among those lodges where Heyward had already
-made his unsuccessful search, his companion turned aside, and proceeded
-directly toward the base of an adjacent mountain, which overhung the
-temporary village. A thicket of brush skirted its foot, and it became
-necessary to proceed through a crooked and narrow path. The boys had
-resumed their sports in the clearing, and were enacting a mimic chase
-to the post among themselves. In order to render their games as like the
-reality as possible, one of the boldest of their number had conveyed a
-few brands into some piles of tree-tops that had hitherto escaped the
-burning. The blaze of one of these fires lighted the way of the chief
-and Duncan, and gave a character of additional wildness to the rude
-scenery. At a little distance from a bald rock, and directly in its
-front, they entered a grassy opening, which they prepared to cross. Just
-then fresh fuel was added to the fire, and a powerful light penetrated
-even to that distant spot. It fell upon the white surface of the
-mountain, and was reflected downward upon a dark and mysterious-looking
-being that arose, unexpectedly, in their path. The Indian paused, as if
-doubtful whether to proceed, and permitted his companion to approach his
-side. A large black ball, which at first seemed stationary, now began
-to move in a manner that to the latter was inexplicable. Again the fire
-brightened and its glare fell more distinctly on the object. Then even
-Duncan knew it, by its restless and sidling attitudes, which kept the
-upper part of its form in constant motion, while the animal itself
-appeared seated, to be a bear. Though it growled loudly and fiercely,
-and there were instants when its glistening eyeballs might be seen,
-it gave no other indications of hostility. The Huron, at least, seemed
-assured that the intentions of this singular intruder were peaceable,
-for after giving it an attentive examination, he quietly pursued his
-course.
-
-Duncan, who knew that the animal was often domesticated among the
-Indians, followed the example of his companion, believing that some
-favorite of the tribe had found its way into the thicket, in search
-of food. They passed it unmolested. Though obliged to come nearly
-in contact with the monster, the Huron, who had at first so warily
-determined the character of his strange visitor, was now content with
-proceeding without wasting a moment in further examination; but Heyward
-was unable to prevent his eyes from looking backward, in salutary
-watchfulness against attacks in the rear. His uneasiness was in no
-degree diminished when he perceived the beast rolling along their path,
-and following their footsteps. He would have spoken, but the Indian at
-that moment shoved aside a door of bark, and entered a cavern in the
-bosom of the mountain.
-
-Profiting by so easy a method of retreat, Duncan stepped after him,
-and was gladly closing the slight cover to the opening, when he felt it
-drawn from his hand by the beast, whose shaggy form immediately darkened
-the passage. They were now in a straight and long gallery, in a chasm of
-the rocks, where retreat without encountering the animal was impossible.
-Making the best of the circumstances, the young man pressed forward,
-keeping as close as possible to his conductor. The bear growled
-frequently at his heels, and once or twice its enormous paws were laid
-on his person, as if disposed to prevent his further passage into the
-den.
-
-How long the nerves of Heyward would have sustained him in this
-extraordinary situation, it might be difficult to decide, for, happily,
-he soon found relief. A glimmer of light had constantly been in their
-front, and they now arrived at the place whence it proceeded.
-
-A large cavity in the rock had been rudely fitted to answer the purposes
-of many apartments. The subdivisions were simple but ingenious, being
-composed of stone, sticks, and bark, intermingled. Openings above
-admitted the light by day, and at night fires and torches supplied the
-place of the sun. Hither the Hurons had brought most of their valuables,
-especially those which more particularly pertained to the nation; and
-hither, as it now appeared, the sick woman, who was believed to be
-the victim of supernatural power, had been transported also, under an
-impression that her tormentor would find more difficulty in making his
-assaults through walls of stone than through the leafy coverings of the
-lodges. The apartment into which Duncan and his guide first entered, had
-been exclusively devoted to her accommodation. The latter approached her
-bedside, which was surrounded by females, in the center of whom Heyward
-was surprised to find his missing friend David.
-
-A single look was sufficient to apprise the pretended leech that the
-invalid was far beyond his powers of healing. She lay in a sort of
-paralysis, indifferent to the objects which crowded before her sight,
-and happily unconscious of suffering. Heyward was far from regretting
-that his mummeries were to be performed on one who was much too ill
-to take an interest in their failure or success. The slight qualm
-of conscience which had been excited by the intended deception was
-instantly appeased, and he began to collect his thoughts, in order to
-enact his part with suitable spirit, when he found he was about to be
-anticipated in his skill by an attempt to prove the power of music.
-
-Gamut, who had stood prepared to pour forth his spirit in song when the
-visitors entered, after delaying a moment, drew a strain from his pipe,
-and commenced a hymn that might have worked a miracle, had faith in its
-efficacy been of much avail. He was allowed to proceed to the close, the
-Indians respecting his imaginary infirmity, and Duncan too glad of the
-delay to hazard the slightest interruption. As the dying cadence of
-his strains was falling on the ears of the latter, he started aside
-at hearing them repeated behind him, in a voice half human and half
-sepulchral. Looking around, he beheld the shaggy monster seated on end
-in a shadow of the cavern, where, while his restless body swung in
-the uneasy manner of the animal, it repeated, in a sort of low growl,
-sounds, if not words, which bore some slight resemblance to the melody
-of the singer.
-
-The effect of so strange an echo on David may better be imagined than
-described. His eyes opened as if he doubted their truth; and his voice
-became instantly mute in excess of wonder. A deep-laid scheme, of
-communicating some important intelligence to Heyward, was driven from
-his recollection by an emotion which very nearly resembled fear, but
-which he was fain to believe was admiration. Under its influence, he
-exclaimed aloud: "She expects you, and is at hand"; and precipitately
-left the cavern.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 25
-
-     "Snug.--Have you the lion's part written? Pray you, if it
-     be, give it to me, for I am slow of study.
-
-     Quince.--You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but
-     roaring."
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream.
-
-There was a strange blending of the ridiculous with that which was
-solemn in this scene. The beast still continued its rolling, and
-apparently untiring movements, though its ludicrous attempt to imitate
-the melody of David ceased the instant the latter abandoned the field.
-The words of Gamut were, as has been seen, in his native tongue; and
-to Duncan they seem pregnant with some hidden meaning, though nothing
-present assisted him in discovering the object of their allusion. A
-speedy end was, however, put to every conjecture on the subject, by the
-manner of the chief, who advanced to the bedside of the invalid, and
-beckoned away the whole group of female attendants that had clustered
-there to witness the skill of the stranger. He was implicitly, though
-reluctantly, obeyed; and when the low echo which rang along the hollow,
-natural gallery, from the distant closing door, had ceased, pointing
-toward his insensible daughter, he said:
-
-"Now let my brother show his power."
-
-Thus unequivocally called on to exercise the functions of his assumed
-character, Heyward was apprehensive that the smallest delay might prove
-dangerous. Endeavoring, then, to collect his ideas, he prepared to
-perform that species of incantation, and those uncouth rites, under
-which the Indian conjurers are accustomed to conceal their ignorance and
-impotency. It is more than probable that, in the disordered state of his
-thoughts, he would soon have fallen into some suspicious, if not fatal,
-error had not his incipient attempts been interrupted by a fierce growl
-from the quadruped. Three several times did he renew his efforts to
-proceed, and as often was he met by the same unaccountable opposition,
-each interruption seeming more savage and threatening than the
-preceding.
-
-"The cunning ones are jealous," said the Huron; "I go. Brother, the
-woman is the wife of one of my bravest young men; deal justly by her.
-Peace!" he added, beckoning to the discontented beast to be quiet; "I
-go."
-
-The chief was as good as his word, and Duncan now found himself alone
-in that wild and desolate abode with the helpless invalid and the fierce
-and dangerous brute. The latter listened to the movements of the Indian
-with that air of sagacity that a bear is known to possess, until another
-echo announced that he had also left the cavern, when it turned and
-came waddling up to Duncan before whom it seated itself in its natural
-attitude, erect like a man. The youth looked anxiously about him for
-some weapon, with which he might make a resistance against the attack he
-now seriously expected.
-
-It seemed, however, as if the humor of the animal had suddenly changed.
-Instead of continuing its discontented growls, or manifesting any
-further signs of anger, the whole of its shaggy body shook violently, as
-if agitated by some strange internal convulsion. The huge and unwieldy
-talons pawed stupidly about the grinning muzzle, and while Heyward kept
-his eyes riveted on its movements with jealous watchfulness, the grim
-head fell on one side and in its place appeared the honest sturdy
-countenance of the scout, who was indulging from the bottom of his soul
-in his own peculiar expression of merriment.
-
-"Hist!" said the wary woodsman, interrupting Heyward's exclamation of
-surprise; "the varlets are about the place, and any sounds that are not
-natural to witchcraft would bring them back upon us in a body."
-
-"Tell me the meaning of this masquerade; and why you have attempted so
-desperate an adventure?"
-
-"Ah, reason and calculation are often outdone by accident," returned the
-scout. "But, as a story should always commence at the beginning, I will
-tell you the whole in order. After we parted I placed the commandant
-and the Sagamore in an old beaver lodge, where they are safer from
-the Hurons than they would be in the garrison of Edward; for your
-high north-west Indians, not having as yet got the traders among them,
-continued to venerate the beaver. After which Uncas and I pushed for the
-other encampment as was agreed. Have you seen the lad?"
-
-"To my great grief! He is captive, and condemned to die at the rising of
-the sun."
-
-"I had misgivings that such would be his fate," resumed the scout, in
-a less confident and joyous tone. But soon regaining his naturally firm
-voice, he continued: "His bad fortune is the true reason of my being
-here, for it would never do to abandon such a boy to the Hurons. A rare
-time the knaves would have of it, could they tie 'The Bounding Elk' and
-'The Long Carabine', as they call me, to the same stake! Though why they
-have given me such a name I never knew, there being as little likeness
-between the gifts of 'killdeer' and the performance of one of your real
-Canada carabynes, as there is between the natur' of a pipe-stone and a
-flint."
-
-"Keep to your tale," said the impatient Heyward; "we know not at what
-moment the Hurons may return."
-
-"No fear of them. A conjurer must have his time, like a straggling
-priest in the settlements. We are as safe from interruption as a
-missionary would be at the beginning of a two hours' discourse. Well,
-Uncas and I fell in with a return party of the varlets; the lad was much
-too forward for a scout; nay, for that matter, being of hot blood, he
-was not so much to blame; and, after all, one of the Hurons proved a
-coward, and in fleeing led him into an ambushment."
-
-"And dearly has he paid for the weakness."
-
-The scout significantly passed his hand across his own throat, and
-nodded, as if he said, "I comprehend your meaning." After which he
-continued, in a more audible though scarcely more intelligible language:
-
-"After the loss of the boy I turned upon the Hurons, as you may judge.
-There have been scrimmages atween one or two of their outlyers and
-myself; but that is neither here nor there. So, after I had shot the
-imps, I got in pretty nigh to the lodges without further commotion. Then
-what should luck do in my favor but lead me to the very spot where one
-of the most famous conjurers of the tribe was dressing himself, as I
-well knew, for some great battle with Satan--though why should I call
-that luck, which it now seems was an especial ordering of Providence. So
-a judgmatical rap over the head stiffened the lying impostor for a time,
-and leaving him a bit of walnut for his supper, to prevent an uproar,
-and stringing him up atween two saplings, I made free with his finery,
-and took the part of the bear on myself, in order that the operations
-might proceed."
-
-"And admirably did you enact the character; the animal itself might have
-been shamed by the representation."
-
-"Lord, major," returned the flattered woodsman, "I should be but a poor
-scholar for one who has studied so long in the wilderness, did I not
-know how to set forth the movements or natur' of such a beast. Had
-it been now a catamount, or even a full-size panther, I would have
-embellished a performance for you worth regarding. But it is no such
-marvelous feat to exhibit the feats of so dull a beast; though, for that
-matter, too, a bear may be overacted. Yes, yes; it is not every imitator
-that knows natur' may be outdone easier than she is equaled. But all our
-work is yet before us. Where is the gentle one?"
-
-"Heaven knows. I have examined every lodge in the village, without
-discovering the slightest trace of her presence in the tribe."
-
-"You heard what the singer said, as he left us: 'She is at hand, and
-expects you'?"
-
-"I have been compelled to believe he alluded to this unhappy woman."
-
-"The simpleton was frightened, and blundered through his message; but
-he had a deeper meaning. Here are walls enough to separate the whole
-settlement. A bear ought to climb; therefore will I take a look above
-them. There may be honey-pots hid in these rocks, and I am a beast, you
-know, that has a hankering for the sweets."
-
-The scout looked behind him, laughing at his own conceit, while he
-clambered up the partition, imitating, as he went, the clumsy motions of
-the beast he represented; but the instant the summit was gained he made
-a gesture for silence, and slid down with the utmost precipitation.
-
-"She is here," he whispered, "and by that door you will find her. I
-would have spoken a word of comfort to the afflicted soul; but the sight
-of such a monster might upset her reason. Though for that matter, major,
-you are none of the most inviting yourself in your paint."
-
-Duncan, who had already swung eagerly forward, drew instantly back on
-hearing these discouraging words.
-
-"Am I, then, so very revolting?" he demanded, with an air of chagrin.
-
-"You might not startle a wolf, or turn the Royal Americans from a
-discharge; but I have seen the time when you had a better favored look;
-your streaked countenances are not ill-judged of by the squaws, but
-young women of white blood give the preference to their own color. See,"
-he added, pointing to a place where the water trickled from a rock,
-forming a little crystal spring, before it found an issue through the
-adjacent crevices; "you may easily get rid of the Sagamore's daub, and
-when you come back I will try my hand at a new embellishment. It's
-as common for a conjurer to alter his paint as for a buck in the
-settlements to change his finery."
-
-The deliberate woodsman had little occasion to hunt for arguments to
-enforce his advice. He was yet speaking when Duncan availed himself
-of the water. In a moment every frightful or offensive mark was
-obliterated, and the youth appeared again in the lineaments with which
-he had been gifted by nature. Thus prepared for an interview with
-his mistress, he took a hasty leave of his companion, and disappeared
-through the indicated passage. The scout witnessed his departure with
-complacency, nodding his head after him, and muttering his good wishes;
-after which he very coolly set about an examination of the state of the
-larder, among the Hurons, the cavern, among other purposes, being used
-as a receptacle for the fruits of their hunts.
-
-Duncan had no other guide than a distant glimmering light, which served,
-however, the office of a polar star to the lover. By its aid he was
-enabled to enter the haven of his hopes, which was merely another
-apartment of the cavern, that had been solely appropriated to the
-safekeeping of so important a prisoner as a daughter of the commandant
-of William Henry. It was profusely strewed with the plunder of that
-unlucky fortress. In the midst of this confusion he found her he sought,
-pale, anxious and terrified, but lovely. David had prepared her for such
-a visit.
-
-"Duncan!" she exclaimed, in a voice that seemed to tremble at the sounds
-created by itself.
-
-"Alice!" he answered, leaping carelessly among trunks, boxes, arms, and
-furniture, until he stood at her side.
-
-"I knew that you would never desert me," she said, looking up with
-a momentary glow on her otherwise dejected countenance. "But you are
-alone! Grateful as it is to be thus remembered, I could wish to think
-you are not entirely alone."
-
-Duncan, observing that she trembled in a manner which betrayed her
-inability to stand, gently induced her to be seated, while he recounted
-those leading incidents which it has been our task to accord. Alice
-listened with breathless interest; and though the young man touched
-lightly on the sorrows of the stricken father; taking care, however, not
-to wound the self-love of his auditor, the tears ran as freely down the
-cheeks of the daughter as though she had never wept before. The soothing
-tenderness of Duncan, however, soon quieted the first burst of her
-emotions, and she then heard him to the close with undivided attention,
-if not with composure.
-
-"And now, Alice," he added, "you will see how much is still expected
-of you. By the assistance of our experienced and invaluable friend, the
-scout, we may find our way from this savage people, but you will have to
-exert your utmost fortitude. Remember that you fly to the arms of your
-venerable parent, and how much his happiness, as well as your own,
-depends on those exertions."
-
-"Can I do otherwise for a father who has done so much for me?"
-
-"And for me, too," continued the youth, gently pressing the hand he held
-in both his own.
-
-The look of innocence and surprise which he received in return convinced
-Duncan of the necessity of being more explicit.
-
-"This is neither the place nor the occasion to detain you with selfish
-wishes," he added; "but what heart loaded like mine would not wish to
-cast its burden? They say misery is the closest of all ties; our common
-suffering in your behalf left but little to be explained between your
-father and myself."
-
-"And, dearest Cora, Duncan; surely Cora was not forgotten?"
-
-"Not forgotten! no; regretted, as woman was seldom mourned before. Your
-venerable father knew no difference between his children; but I--Alice,
-you will not be offended when I say, that to me her worth was in a
-degree obscured--"
-
-"Then you knew not the merit of my sister," said Alice, withdrawing her
-hand; "of you she ever speaks as of one who is her dearest friend."
-
-"I would gladly believe her such," returned Duncan, hastily; "I could
-wish her to be even more; but with you, Alice, I have the permission of
-your father to aspire to a still nearer and dearer tie."
-
-Alice trembled violently, and there was an instant during which she bent
-her face aside, yielding to the emotions common to her sex; but they
-quickly passed away, leaving her mistress of her deportment, if not of
-her affections.
-
-"Heyward," she said, looking him full in the face with a touching
-expression of innocence and dependency, "give me the sacred presence and
-the holy sanction of that parent before you urge me further."
-
-"Though more I should not, less I could not say," the youth was about to
-answer, when he was interrupted by a light tap on his shoulder. Starting
-to his feet, he turned, and, confronting the intruder, his looks fell on
-the dark form and malignant visage of Magua. The deep guttural laugh of
-the savage sounded, at such a moment, to Duncan, like the hellish taunt
-of a demon. Had he pursued the sudden and fierce impulse of the instant,
-he would have cast himself on the Huron, and committed their fortunes
-to the issue of a deadly struggle. But, without arms of any description,
-ignorant of what succor his subtle enemy could command, and charged with
-the safety of one who was just then dearer than ever to his heart, he no
-sooner entertained than he abandoned the desperate intention.
-
-"What is your purpose?" said Alice, meekly folding her arms on her
-bosom, and struggling to conceal an agony of apprehension in behalf of
-Heyward, in the usual cold and distant manner with which she received
-the visits of her captor.
-
-The exulting Indian had resumed his austere countenance, though he drew
-warily back before the menacing glance of the young man's fiery eye. He
-regarded both his captives for a moment with a steady look, and then,
-stepping aside, he dropped a log of wood across a door different from
-that by which Duncan had entered. The latter now comprehended the manner
-of his surprise, and, believing himself irretrievably lost, he drew
-Alice to his bosom, and stood prepared to meet a fate which he hardly
-regretted, since it was to be suffered in such company. But Magua
-meditated no immediate violence. His first measures were very evidently
-taken to secure his new captive; nor did he even bestow a second glance
-at the motionless forms in the center of the cavern, until he had
-completely cut off every hope of retreat through the private outlet he
-had himself used. He was watched in all his movements by Heyward, who,
-however, remained firm, still folding the fragile form of Alice to his
-heart, at once too proud and too hopeless to ask favor of an enemy
-so often foiled. When Magua had effected his object he approached his
-prisoners, and said in English:
-
-"The pale faces trap the cunning beavers; but the red-skins know how to
-take the Yengeese."
-
-"Huron, do your worst!" exclaimed the excited Heyward, forgetful that a
-double stake was involved in his life; "you and your vengeance are alike
-despised."
-
-"Will the white man speak these words at the stake?" asked Magua;
-manifesting, at the same time, how little faith he had in the other's
-resolution by the sneer that accompanied his words.
-
-"Here; singly to your face, or in the presence of your nation."
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief!" returned the Indian; "he will go
-and bring his young men, to see how bravely a pale face can laugh at
-tortures."
-
-He turned away while speaking, and was about to leave the place through
-the avenue by which Duncan had approached, when a growl caught his ear,
-and caused him to hesitate. The figure of the bear appeared in the door,
-where it sat, rolling from side to side in its customary restlessness.
-Magua, like the father of the sick woman, eyed it keenly for a moment,
-as if to ascertain its character. He was far above the more vulgar
-superstitions of his tribe, and so soon as he recognized the well-known
-attire of the conjurer, he prepared to pass it in cool contempt. But
-a louder and more threatening growl caused him again to pause. Then he
-seemed as if suddenly resolved to trifle no longer, and moved resolutely
-forward.
-
-The mimic animal, which had advanced a little, retired slowly in his
-front, until it arrived again at the pass, when, rearing on his hinder
-legs, it beat the air with its paws, in the manner practised by its
-brutal prototype.
-
-"Fool!" exclaimed the chief, in Huron, "go play with the children and
-squaws; leave men to their wisdom."
-
-He once more endeavored to pass the supposed empiric, scorning even the
-parade of threatening to use the knife, or tomahawk, that was pendent
-from his belt. Suddenly the beast extended its arms, or rather legs, and
-inclosed him in a grasp that might have vied with the far-famed power of
-the "bear's hug" itself. Heyward had watched the whole procedure, on the
-part of Hawkeye, with breathless interest. At first he relinquished his
-hold of Alice; then he caught up a thong of buckskin, which had been
-used around some bundle, and when he beheld his enemy with his two arms
-pinned to his side by the iron muscles of the scout, he rushed upon him,
-and effectually secured them there. Arms, legs, and feet were encircled
-in twenty folds of the thong, in less time than we have taken to record
-the circumstance. When the formidable Huron was completely pinioned, the
-scout released his hold, and Duncan laid his enemy on his back, utterly
-helpless.
-
-Throughout the whole of this sudden and extraordinary operation, Magua,
-though he had struggled violently, until assured he was in the hands of
-one whose nerves were far better strung than his own, had not uttered
-the slightest exclamation. But when Hawkeye, by way of making a summary
-explanation of his conduct, removed the shaggy jaws of the beast, and
-exposed his own rugged and earnest countenance to the gaze of the Huron,
-the philosophy of the latter was so far mastered as to permit him to
-utter the never failing:
-
-"Hugh!"
-
-"Ay, you've found your tongue," said his undisturbed conqueror; "now,
-in order that you shall not use it to our ruin, I must make free to stop
-your mouth."
-
-As there was no time to be lost, the scout immediately set about
-effecting so necessary a precaution; and when he had gagged the Indian,
-his enemy might safely have been considered as "hors de combat."
-
-"By what place did the imp enter?" asked the industrious scout, when his
-work was ended. "Not a soul has passed my way since you left me."
-
-Duncan pointed out the door by which Magua had come, and which now
-presented too many obstacles to a quick retreat.
-
-"Bring on the gentle one, then," continued his friend; "we must make a
-push for the woods by the other outlet."
-
-"'Tis impossible!" said Duncan; "fear has overcome her, and she is
-helpless. Alice! my sweet, my own Alice, arouse yourself; now is the
-moment to fly. 'Tis in vain! she hears, but is unable to follow. Go,
-noble and worthy friend; save yourself, and leave me to my fate."
-
-"Every trail has its end, and every calamity brings its lesson!"
-returned the scout. "There, wrap her in them Indian cloths. Conceal all
-of her little form. Nay, that foot has no fellow in the wilderness; it
-will betray her. All, every part. Now take her in your arms, and follow.
-Leave the rest to me."
-
-Duncan, as may be gathered from the words of his companion, was eagerly
-obeying; and, as the other finished speaking, he took the light person
-of Alice in his arms, and followed in the footsteps of the scout. They
-found the sick woman as they had left her, still alone, and passed
-swiftly on, by the natural gallery, to the place of entrance. As they
-approached the little door of bark, a murmur of voices without announced
-that the friends and relatives of the invalid were gathered about the
-place, patiently awaiting a summons to re-enter.
-
-"If I open my lips to speak," Hawkeye whispered, "my English, which is
-the genuine tongue of a white-skin, will tell the varlets that an enemy
-is among them. You must give 'em your jargon, major; and say that we
-have shut the evil spirit in the cave, and are taking the woman to the
-woods in order to find strengthening roots. Practise all your cunning,
-for it is a lawful undertaking."
-
-The door opened a little, as if one without was listening to the
-proceedings within, and compelled the scout to cease his directions. A
-fierce growl repelled the eavesdropper, and then the scout boldly threw
-open the covering of bark, and left the place, enacting the character of
-a bear as he proceeded. Duncan kept close at his heels, and soon found
-himself in the center of a cluster of twenty anxious relatives and
-friends.
-
-The crowd fell back a little, and permitted the father, and one who
-appeared to be the husband of the woman, to approach.
-
-"Has my brother driven away the evil spirit?" demanded the former. "What
-has he in his arms?"
-
-"Thy child," returned Duncan, gravely; "the disease has gone out of her;
-it is shut up in the rocks. I take the woman to a distance, where I will
-strengthen her against any further attacks. She will be in the wigwam of
-the young man when the sun comes again."
-
-When the father had translated the meaning of the stranger's words into
-the Huron language, a suppressed murmur announced the satisfaction with
-which this intelligence was received. The chief himself waved his hand
-for Duncan to proceed, saying aloud, in a firm voice, and with a lofty
-manner:
-
-"Go; I am a man, and I will enter the rock and fight the wicked one."
-
-Heyward had gladly obeyed, and was already past the little group, when
-these startling words arrested him.
-
-"Is my brother mad?" he exclaimed; "is he cruel? He will meet the
-disease, and it will enter him; or he will drive out the disease, and
-it will chase his daughter into the woods. No; let my children wait
-without, and if the spirit appears beat him down with clubs. He is
-cunning, and will bury himself in the mountain, when he sees how many
-are ready to fight him."
-
-This singular warning had the desired effect. Instead of entering
-the cavern, the father and husband drew their tomahawks, and posted
-themselves in readiness to deal their vengeance on the imaginary
-tormentor of their sick relative, while the women and children broke
-branches from the bushes, or seized fragments of the rock, with a
-similar intention. At this favorable moment the counterfeit conjurers
-disappeared.
-
-Hawkeye, at the same time that he had presumed so far on the nature
-of the Indian superstitions, was not ignorant that they were rather
-tolerated than relied on by the wisest of the chiefs. He well knew the
-value of time in the present emergency. Whatever might be the extent of
-the self-delusion of his enemies, and however it had tended to assist
-his schemes, the slightest cause of suspicion, acting on the subtle
-nature of an Indian, would be likely to prove fatal. Taking the path,
-therefore, that was most likely to avoid observation, he rather skirted
-than entered the village. The warriors were still to be seen in the
-distance, by the fading light of the fires, stalking from lodge to
-lodge. But the children had abandoned their sports for their beds of
-skins, and the quiet of night was already beginning to prevail over the
-turbulence and excitement of so busy and important an evening.
-
-Alice revived under the renovating influence of the open air, and,
-as her physical rather than her mental powers had been the subject of
-weakness, she stood in no need of any explanation of that which had
-occurred.
-
-"Now let me make an effort to walk," she said, when they had entered the
-forest, blushing, though unseen, that she had not been sooner able to
-quit the arms of Duncan; "I am indeed restored."
-
-"Nay, Alice, you are yet too weak."
-
-The maiden struggled gently to release herself, and Heyward was
-compelled to part with his precious burden. The representative of the
-bear had certainly been an entire stranger to the delicious emotions of
-the lover while his arms encircled his mistress; and he was, perhaps,
-a stranger also to the nature of that feeling of ingenuous shame that
-oppressed the trembling Alice. But when he found himself at a suitable
-distance from the lodges he made a halt, and spoke on a subject of which
-he was thoroughly the master.
-
-"This path will lead you to the brook," he said; "follow its northern
-bank until you come to a fall; mount the hill on your right, and you
-will see the fires of the other people. There you must go and demand
-protection; if they are true Delawares you will be safe. A distant
-flight with that gentle one, just now, is impossible. The Hurons would
-follow up our trail, and master our scalps before we had got a dozen
-miles. Go, and Providence be with you."
-
-"And you!" demanded Heyward, in surprise; "surely we part not here?"
-
-"The Hurons hold the pride of the Delawares; the last of the high blood
-of the Mohicans is in their power," returned the scout; "I go to see
-what can be done in his favor. Had they mastered your scalp, major, a
-knave should have fallen for every hair it held, as I promised; but if
-the young Sagamore is to be led to the stake, the Indians shall see also
-how a man without a cross can die."
-
-Not in the least offended with the decided preference that the sturdy
-woodsman gave to one who might, in some degree, be called the child of
-his adoption, Duncan still continued to urge such reasons against so
-desperate an effort as presented themselves. He was aided by Alice, who
-mingled her entreaties with those of Heyward that he would abandon a
-resolution that promised so much danger, with so little hope of success.
-Their eloquence and ingenuity were expended in vain. The scout heard
-them attentively, but impatiently, and finally closed the discussion,
-by answering, in a tone that instantly silenced Alice, while it told
-Heyward how fruitless any further remonstrances would be.
-
-"I have heard," he said, "that there is a feeling in youth which binds
-man to woman closer than the father is tied to the son. It may be so.
-I have seldom been where women of my color dwell; but such may be the
-gifts of nature in the settlements. You have risked life, and all that
-is dear to you, to bring off this gentle one, and I suppose that some
-such disposition is at the bottom of it all. As for me, I taught the lad
-the real character of a rifle; and well has he paid me for it. I have
-fou't at his side in many a bloody scrimmage; and so long as I could
-hear the crack of his piece in one ear, and that of the Sagamore in the
-other, I knew no enemy was on my back. Winters and summer, nights and
-days, have we roved the wilderness in company, eating of the same dish,
-one sleeping while the other watched; and afore it shall be said that
-Uncas was taken to the torment, and I at hand--There is but a single
-Ruler of us all, whatever may the color of the skin; and Him I call
-to witness, that before the Mohican boy shall perish for the want of
-a friend, good faith shall depart the 'arth, and 'killdeer' become as
-harmless as the tooting we'pon of the singer!"
-
-Duncan released his hold on the arm of the scout, who turned, and
-steadily retraced his steps toward the lodges. After pausing a moment to
-gaze at his retiring form, the successful and yet sorrowful Heyward
-and Alice took their way together toward the distant village of the
-Delawares.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 26
-
-     "Bot.--Let me play the lion too."
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-Notwithstanding the high resolution of Hawkeye he fully comprehended all
-the difficulties and danger he was about to incur. In his return to
-the camp, his acute and practised intellects were intently engaged in
-devising means to counteract a watchfulness and suspicion on the part
-of his enemies, that he knew were, in no degree, inferior to his own.
-Nothing but the color of his skin had saved the lives of Magua and the
-conjurer, who would have been the first victims sacrificed to his own
-security, had not the scout believed such an act, however congenial it
-might be to the nature of an Indian, utterly unworthy of one who boasted
-a descent from men that knew no cross of blood. Accordingly, he trusted
-to the withes and ligaments with which he had bound his captives,
-and pursued his way directly toward the center of the lodges. As he
-approached the buildings, his steps become more deliberate, and his
-vigilant eye suffered no sign, whether friendly or hostile, to escape
-him. A neglected hut was a little in advance of the others, and appeared
-as if it had been deserted when half completed--most probably on account
-of failing in some of the more important requisites; such as wood
-or water. A faint light glimmered through its cracks, however, and
-announced that, notwithstanding its imperfect structure, it was not
-without a tenant. Thither, then, the scout proceeded, like a prudent
-general, who was about to feel the advanced positions of his enemy,
-before he hazarded the main attack.
-
-Throwing himself into a suitable posture for the beast he represented,
-Hawkeye crawled to a little opening, where he might command a view of
-the interior. It proved to be the abiding place of David Gamut. Hither
-the faithful singing-master had now brought himself, together with
-all his sorrows, his apprehensions, and his meek dependence on the
-protection of Providence. At the precise moment when his ungainly person
-came under the observation of the scout, in the manner just mentioned,
-the woodsman himself, though in his assumed character, was the subject
-of the solitary being's profounded reflections.
-
-However implicit the faith of David was in the performance of ancient
-miracles, he eschewed the belief of any direct supernatural agency in
-the management of modern morality. In other words, while he had implicit
-faith in the ability of Balaam's ass to speak, he was somewhat skeptical
-on the subject of a bear's singing; and yet he had been assured of
-the latter, on the testimony of his own exquisite organs. There was
-something in his air and manner that betrayed to the scout the utter
-confusion of the state of his mind. He was seated on a pile of brush,
-a few twigs from which occasionally fed his low fire, with his head
-leaning on his arm, in a posture of melancholy musing. The costume
-of the votary of music had undergone no other alteration from that so
-lately described, except that he had covered his bald head with the
-triangular beaver, which had not proved sufficiently alluring to excite
-the cupidity of any of his captors.
-
-The ingenious Hawkeye, who recalled the hasty manner in which the other
-had abandoned his post at the bedside of the sick woman, was not without
-his suspicions concerning the subject of so much solemn deliberation.
-First making the circuit of the hut, and ascertaining that it stood
-quite alone, and that the character of its inmate was likely to protect
-it from visitors, he ventured through its low door, into the very
-presence of Gamut. The position of the latter brought the fire between
-them; and when Hawkeye had seated himself on end, near a minute elapsed,
-during which the two remained regarding each other without speaking.
-The suddenness and the nature of the surprise had nearly proved too much
-for--we will not say the philosophy--but for the pitch and resolution
-of David. He fumbled for his pitch-pipe, and arose with a confused
-intention of attempting a musical exorcism.
-
-"Dark and mysterious monster!" he exclaimed, while with trembling hands
-he disposed of his auxiliary eyes, and sought his never-failing resource
-in trouble, the gifted version of the psalms; "I know not your nature
-nor intents; but if aught you meditate against the person and rights
-of one of the humblest servants of the temple, listen to the inspired
-language of the youth of Israel, and repent."
-
-The bear shook his shaggy sides, and then a well-known voice replied:
-
-"Put up the tooting we'pon, and teach your throat modesty. Five words
-of plain and comprehendible English are worth just now an hour of
-squalling."
-
-"What art thou?" demanded David, utterly disqualified to pursue his
-original intention, and nearly gasping for breath.
-
-"A man like yourself; and one whose blood is as little tainted by the
-cross of a bear, or an Indian, as your own. Have you so soon forgotten
-from whom you received the foolish instrument you hold in your hand?"
-
-"Can these things be?" returned David, breathing more freely, as the
-truth began to dawn upon him. "I have found many marvels during my
-sojourn with the heathen, but surely nothing to excel this."
-
-"Come, come," returned Hawkeye, uncasing his honest countenance, the
-better to assure the wavering confidence of his companion; "you may see
-a skin, which, if it be not as white as one of the gentle ones, has no
-tinge of red to it that the winds of the heaven and the sun have not
-bestowed. Now let us to business."
-
-"First tell me of the maiden, and of the youth who so bravely sought
-her," interrupted David.
-
-"Ay, they are happily freed from the tomahawks of these varlets. But can
-you put me on the scent of Uncas?"
-
-"The young man is in bondage, and much I fear his death is decreed. I
-greatly mourn that one so well disposed should die in his ignorance, and
-I have sought a goodly hymn--"
-
-"Can you lead me to him?"
-
-"The task will not be difficult," returned David, hesitating; "though
-I greatly fear your presence would rather increase than mitigate his
-unhappy fortunes."
-
-"No more words, but lead on," returned Hawkeye, concealing his face
-again, and setting the example in his own person, by instantly quitting
-the lodge.
-
-As they proceeded, the scout ascertained that his companion found access
-to Uncas, under privilege of his imaginary infirmity, aided by the favor
-he had acquired with one of the guards, who, in consequence of speaking
-a little English, had been selected by David as the subject of a
-religious conversion. How far the Huron comprehended the intentions of
-his new friend may well be doubted; but as exclusive attention is
-as flattering to a savage as to a more civilized individual, it had
-produced the effect we have mentioned. It is unnecessary to repeat the
-shrewd manner with which the scout extracted these particulars from the
-simple David; neither shall we dwell in this place on the nature of the
-instruction he delivered, when completely master of all the necessary
-facts; as the whole will be sufficiently explained to the reader in the
-course of the narrative.
-
-The lodge in which Uncas was confined was in the very center of the
-village, and in a situation, perhaps, more difficult than any other to
-approach, or leave, without observation. But it was not the policy of
-Hawkeye to affect the least concealment. Presuming on his disguise, and
-his ability to sustain the character he had assumed, he took the most
-plain and direct route to the place. The hour, however, afforded him
-some little of that protection which he appeared so much to despise. The
-boys were already buried in sleep, and all the women, and most of the
-warriors, had retired to their lodges for the night. Four or five of
-the latter only lingered about the door of the prison of Uncas, wary but
-close observers of the manner of their captive.
-
-At the sight of Gamut, accompanied by one in the well-known masquerade
-of their most distinguished conjurer, they readily made way for them
-both. Still they betrayed no intention to depart. On the other hand,
-they were evidently disposed to remain bound to the place by an
-additional interest in the mysterious mummeries that they of course
-expected from such a visit.
-
-From the total inability of the scout to address the Hurons in their own
-language, he was compelled to trust the conversation entirely to David.
-Notwithstanding the simplicity of the latter, he did ample justice to
-the instructions he had received, more than fulfilling the strongest
-hopes of his teacher.
-
-"The Delawares are women!" he exclaimed, addressing himself to the
-savage who had a slight understanding of the language in which he spoke;
-"the Yengeese, my foolish countrymen, have told them to take up the
-tomahawk, and strike their fathers in the Canadas, and they have
-forgotten their sex. Does my brother wish to hear 'Le Cerf Agile' ask
-for his petticoats, and see him weep before the Hurons, at the stake?"
-
-The exclamation "Hugh!" delivered in a strong tone of assent, announced
-the gratification the savage would receive in witnessing such an
-exhibition of weakness in an enemy so long hated and so much feared.
-
-"Then let him step aside, and the cunning man will blow upon the dog.
-Tell it to my brothers."
-
-The Huron explained the meaning of David to his fellows, who, in their
-turn, listened to the project with that sort of satisfaction that
-their untamed spirits might be expected to find in such a refinement in
-cruelty. They drew back a little from the entrance and motioned to the
-supposed conjurer to enter. But the bear, instead of obeying, maintained
-the seat it had taken, and growled:
-
-"The cunning man is afraid that his breath will blow upon his brothers,
-and take away their courage too," continued David, improving the hint he
-received; "they must stand further off."
-
-The Hurons, who would have deemed such a misfortune the heaviest
-calamity that could befall them, fell back in a body, taking a position
-where they were out of earshot, though at the same time they could
-command a view of the entrance to the lodge. Then, as if satisfied of
-their safety, the scout left his position, and slowly entered the place.
-It was silent and gloomy, being tenanted solely by the captive, and
-lighted by the dying embers of a fire, which had been used for the
-purposed of cookery.
-
-Uncas occupied a distant corner, in a reclining attitude, being rigidly
-bound, both hands and feet, by strong and painful withes. When the
-frightful object first presented itself to the young Mohican, he did not
-deign to bestow a single glance on the animal. The scout, who had left
-David at the door, to ascertain they were not observed, thought it
-prudent to preserve his disguise until assured of their privacy. Instead
-of speaking, therefore, he exerted himself to enact one of the antics of
-the animal he represented. The young Mohican, who at first believed his
-enemies had sent in a real beast to torment him, and try his nerves,
-detected in those performances that to Heyward had appeared so accurate,
-certain blemishes, that at once betrayed the counterfeit. Had Hawkeye
-been aware of the low estimation in which the skillful Uncas held his
-representations, he would probably have prolonged the entertainment
-a little in pique. But the scornful expression of the young man's eye
-admitted of so many constructions, that the worthy scout was spared the
-mortification of such a discovery. As soon, therefore, as David gave the
-preconcerted signal, a low hissing sound was heard in the lodge in place
-of the fierce growlings of the bear.
-
-Uncas had cast his body back against the wall of the hut and closed
-his eyes, as if willing to exclude so contemptible and disagreeable
-an object from his sight. But the moment the noise of the serpent was
-heard, he arose, and cast his looks on each side of him, bending his
-head low, and turning it inquiringly in every direction, until his keen
-eye rested on the shaggy monster, where it remained riveted, as though
-fixed by the power of a charm. Again the same sounds were repeated,
-evidently proceeding from the mouth of the beast. Once more the eyes of
-the youth roamed over the interior of the lodge, and returning to the
-former resting place, he uttered, in a deep, suppressed voice:
-
-"Hawkeye!"
-
-"Cut his bands," said Hawkeye to David, who just then approached them.
-
-The singer did as he was ordered, and Uncas found his limbs released. At
-the same moment the dried skin of the animal rattled, and presently
-the scout arose to his feet, in proper person. The Mohican appeared to
-comprehend the nature of the attempt his friend had made, intuitively,
-neither tongue nor feature betraying another symptom of surprise. When
-Hawkeye had cast his shaggy vestment, which was done by simply loosing
-certain thongs of skin, he drew a long, glittering knife, and put it in
-the hands of Uncas.
-
-"The red Hurons are without," he said; "let us be ready." At the same
-time he laid his finger significantly on another similar weapon, both
-being the fruits of his prowess among their enemies during the evening.
-
-"We will go," said Uncas.
-
-"Whither?"
-
-"To the Tortoises; they are the children of my grandfathers."
-
-"Ay, lad," said the scout in English--a language he was apt to use
-when a little abstracted in mind; "the same blood runs in your veins,
-I believe; but time and distance has a little changed its color. What
-shall we do with the Mingoes at the door? They count six, and this
-singer is as good as nothing."
-
-"The Hurons are boasters," said Uncas, scornfully; "their 'totem' is
-a moose, and they run like snails. The Delawares are children of the
-tortoise, and they outstrip the deer."
-
-"Ay, lad, there is truth in what you say; and I doubt not, on a rush,
-you would pass the whole nation; and, in a straight race of two miles,
-would be in, and get your breath again, afore a knave of them all was
-within hearing of the other village. But the gift of a white man lies
-more in his arms than in his legs. As for myself, I can brain a Huron as
-well as a better man; but when it comes to a race the knaves would prove
-too much for me."
-
-Uncas, who had already approached the door, in readiness to lead the
-way, now recoiled, and placed himself, once more, in the bottom of the
-lodge. But Hawkeye, who was too much occupied with his own thoughts
-to note the movement, continued speaking more to himself than to his
-companion.
-
-"After all," he said, "it is unreasonable to keep one man in bondage to
-the gifts of another. So, Uncas, you had better take the lead, while I
-will put on the skin again, and trust to cunning for want of speed."
-
-The young Mohican made no reply, but quietly folded his arms, and leaned
-his body against one of the upright posts that supported the wall of the
-hut.
-
-"Well," said the scout looking up at him, "why do you tarry? There will
-be time enough for me, as the knaves will give chase to you at first."
-
-"Uncas will stay," was the calm reply.
-
-"For what?"
-
-"To fight with his father's brother, and die with the friend of the
-Delawares."
-
-"Ay, lad," returned Hawkeye, squeezing the hand of Uncas between his own
-iron fingers; "'twould have been more like a Mingo than a Mohican had
-you left me. But I thought I would make the offer, seeing that youth
-commonly loves life. Well, what can't be done by main courage, in war,
-must be done by circumvention. Put on the skin; I doubt not you can play
-the bear nearly as well as myself."
-
-Whatever might have been the private opinion of Uncas of their
-respective abilities in this particular, his grave countenance
-manifested no opinion of his superiority. He silently and expeditiously
-encased himself in the covering of the beast, and then awaited such
-other movements as his more aged companion saw fit to dictate.
-
-"Now, friend," said Hawkeye, addressing David, "an exchange of garments
-will be a great convenience to you, inasmuch as you are but little
-accustomed to the make-shifts of the wilderness. Here, take my hunting
-shirt and cap, and give me your blanket and hat. You must trust me with
-the book and spectacles, as well as the tooter, too; if we ever meet
-again, in better times, you shall have all back again, with many thanks
-into the bargain."
-
-David parted with the several articles named with a readiness that would
-have done great credit to his liberality, had he not certainly profited,
-in many particulars, by the exchange. Hawkeye was not long in assuming
-his borrowed garments; and when his restless eyes were hid behind the
-glasses, and his head was surmounted by the triangular beaver, as their
-statures were not dissimilar, he might readily have passed for the
-singer, by starlight. As soon as these dispositions were made, the scout
-turned to David, and gave him his parting instructions.
-
-"Are you much given to cowardice?" he bluntly asked, by way of obtaining
-a suitable understanding of the whole case before he ventured a
-prescription.
-
-"My pursuits are peaceful, and my temper, I humbly trust, is greatly
-given to mercy and love," returned David, a little nettled at so direct
-an attack on his manhood; "but there are none who can say that I have
-ever forgotten my faith in the Lord, even in the greatest straits."
-
-"Your chiefest danger will be at the moment when the savages find out
-that they have been deceived. If you are not then knocked on the head,
-your being a non-composser will protect you; and you'll then have a good
-reason to expect to die in your bed. If you stay, it must be to sit down
-here in the shadow, and take the part of Uncas, until such times as the
-cunning of the Indians discover the cheat, when, as I have already said,
-your times of trial will come. So choose for yourself--to make a rush or
-tarry here."
-
-"Even so," said David, firmly; "I will abide in the place of the
-Delaware. Bravely and generously has he battled in my behalf, and this,
-and more, will I dare in his service."
-
-"You have spoken as a man, and like one who, under wiser schooling,
-would have been brought to better things. Hold your head down, and
-draw in your legs; their formation might tell the truth too early. Keep
-silent as long as may be; and it would be wise, when you do speak, to
-break out suddenly in one of your shoutings, which will serve to remind
-the Indians that you are not altogether as responsible as men should be.
-If however, they take your scalp, as I trust and believe they will not,
-depend on it, Uncas and I will not forget the deed, but revenge it as
-becomes true warriors and trusty friends."
-
-"Hold!" said David, perceiving that with this assurance they were about
-to leave him; "I am an unworthy and humble follower of one who taught
-not the damnable principle of revenge. Should I fall, therefore, seek
-no victims to my manes, but rather forgive my destroyers; and if you
-remember them at all, let it be in prayers for the enlightening of their
-minds, and for their eternal welfare."
-
-The scout hesitated, and appeared to muse.
-
-"There is a principle in that," he said, "different from the law of the
-woods; and yet it is fair and noble to reflect upon." Then heaving
-a heavy sigh, probably among the last he ever drew in pining for a
-condition he had so long abandoned, he added: "it is what I would wish
-to practise myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it is not
-always easy to deal with an Indian as you would with a fellow Christian.
-God bless you, friend; I do believe your scent is not greatly wrong,
-when the matter is duly considered, and keeping eternity before the
-eyes, though much depends on the natural gifts, and the force of
-temptation."
-
-So saying, the scout returned and shook David cordially by the hand;
-after which act of friendship he immediately left the lodge, attended by
-the new representative of the beast.
-
-The instant Hawkeye found himself under the observation of the Hurons,
-he drew up his tall form in the rigid manner of David, threw out his
-arm in the act of keeping time, and commenced what he intended for an
-imitation of his psalmody. Happily for the success of this delicate
-adventure, he had to deal with ears but little practised in the concord
-of sweet sounds, or the miserable effort would infallibly have been
-detected. It was necessary to pass within a dangerous proximity of the
-dark group of the savages, and the voice of the scout grew louder as
-they drew nigher. When at the nearest point the Huron who spoke the
-English thrust out an arm, and stopped the supposed singing-master.
-
-"The Delaware dog!" he said, leaning forward, and peering through
-the dim light to catch the expression of the other's features; "is he
-afraid? Will the Hurons hear his groans?"
-
-A growl, so exceedingly fierce and natural, proceeded from the beast,
-that the young Indian released his hold and started aside, as if to
-assure himself that it was not a veritable bear, and no counterfeit,
-that was rolling before him. Hawkeye, who feared his voice would betray
-him to his subtle enemies, gladly profited by the interruption, to break
-out anew in such a burst of musical expression as would, probably, in
-a more refined state of society have been termed "a grand crash." Among
-his actual auditors, however, it merely gave him an additional claim to
-that respect which they never withhold from such as are believed to be
-the subjects of mental alienation. The little knot of Indians drew back
-in a body, and suffered, as they thought, the conjurer and his inspired
-assistant to proceed.
-
-It required no common exercise of fortitude in Uncas and the scout to
-continue the dignified and deliberate pace they had assumed in passing
-the lodge; especially as they immediately perceived that curiosity had
-so far mastered fear, as to induce the watchers to approach the hut, in
-order to witness the effect of the incantations. The least injudicious
-or impatient movement on the part of David might betray them, and time
-was absolutely necessary to insure the safety of the scout. The loud
-noise the latter conceived it politic to continue, drew many curious
-gazers to the doors of the different huts as thy passed; and once or
-twice a dark-looking warrior stepped across their path, led to the act
-by superstition and watchfulness. They were not, however, interrupted,
-the darkness of the hour, and the boldness of the attempt, proving their
-principal friends.
-
-The adventurers had got clear of the village, and were now swiftly
-approaching the shelter of the woods, when a loud and long cry arose
-from the lodge where Uncas had been confined. The Mohican started on
-his feet, and shook his shaggy covering, as though the animal he
-counterfeited was about to make some desperate effort.
-
-"Hold!" said the scout, grasping his friend by the shoulder, "let them
-yell again! 'Twas nothing but wonderment."
-
-He had no occasion to delay, for at the next instant a burst of cries
-filled the outer air, and ran along the whole extent of the village.
-Uncas cast his skin, and stepped forth in his own beautiful proportions.
-Hawkeye tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and glided ahead.
-
-"Now let the devils strike our scent!" said the scout, tearing two
-rifles, with all their attendant accouterments, from beneath a bush, and
-flourishing "killdeer" as he handed Uncas his weapon; "two, at least,
-will find it to their deaths."
-
-Then, throwing their pieces to a low trail, like sportsmen in readiness
-for their game, they dashed forward, and were soon buried in the somber
-darkness of the forest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 27
-
-     "Ant. I shall remember: When C'sar says
-     Do this, it is performed."
-     --Julius Caesar
-
-The impatience of the savages who lingered about the prison of Uncas, as
-has been seen, had overcome their dread of the conjurer's breath. They
-stole cautiously, and with beating hearts, to a crevice, through which
-the faint light of the fire was glimmering. For several minutes they
-mistook the form of David for that of the prisoner; but the very
-accident which Hawkeye had foreseen occurred. Tired of keeping the
-extremities of his long person so near together, the singer gradually
-suffered the lower limbs to extend themselves, until one of his
-misshapen feet actually came in contact with and shoved aside the embers
-of the fire. At first the Hurons believed the Delaware had been thus
-deformed by witchcraft. But when David, unconscious of being observed,
-turned his head, and exposed his simple, mild countenance, in place of
-the haughty lineaments of their prisoner, it would have exceeded the
-credulity of even a native to have doubted any longer. They rushed
-together into the lodge, and, laying their hands, with but little
-ceremony, on their captive, immediately detected the imposition. Then
-arose the cry first heard by the fugitives. It was succeeded by the most
-frantic and angry demonstrations of vengeance. David, however, firm in
-his determination to cover the retreat of his friends, was compelled to
-believe that his own final hour had come. Deprived of his book and his
-pipe, he was fain to trust to a memory that rarely failed him on such
-subjects; and breaking forth in a loud and impassioned strain, he
-endeavored to smooth his passage into the other world by singing the
-opening verse of a funeral anthem. The Indians were seasonably reminded
-of his infirmity, and, rushing into the open air, they aroused the
-village in the manner described.
-
-A native warrior fights as he sleeps, without the protection of anything
-defensive. The sounds of the alarm were, therefore, hardly uttered
-before two hundred men were afoot, and ready for the battle or the
-chase, as either might be required. The escape was soon known; and the
-whole tribe crowded, in a body, around the council-lodge, impatiently
-awaiting the instruction of their chiefs. In such a sudden demand on
-their wisdom, the presence of the cunning Magua could scarcely fail of
-being needed. His name was mentioned, and all looked round in wonder
-that he did not appear. Messengers were then despatched to his lodge
-requiring his presence.
-
-In the meantime, some of the swiftest and most discreet of the young
-men were ordered to make the circuit of the clearing, under cover of
-the woods, in order to ascertain that their suspected neighbors, the
-Delawares, designed no mischief. Women and children ran to and fro;
-and, in short, the whole encampment exhibited another scene of wild
-and savage confusion. Gradually, however, these symptoms of disorder
-diminished; and in a few minutes the oldest and most distinguished
-chiefs were assembled in the lodge, in grave consultation.
-
-The clamor of many voices soon announced that a party approached, who
-might be expected to communicate some intelligence that would explain
-the mystery of the novel surprise. The crowd without gave way, and
-several warriors entered the place, bringing with them the hapless
-conjurer, who had been left so long by the scout in duress.
-
-Notwithstanding this man was held in very unequal estimation among the
-Hurons, some believing implicitly in his power, and others deeming him
-an impostor, he was now listened to by all with the deepest attention.
-When his brief story was ended, the father of the sick woman stepped
-forth, and, in a few pithy expression, related, in his turn, what he
-knew. These two narratives gave a proper direction to the subsequent
-inquiries, which were now made with the characteristic cunning of
-savages.
-
-Instead of rushing in a confused and disorderly throng to the cavern,
-ten of the wisest and firmest among the chiefs were selected to
-prosecute the investigation. As no time was to be lost, the instant the
-choice was made the individuals appointed rose in a body and left the
-place without speaking. On reaching the entrance, the younger men in
-advance made way for their seniors; and the whole proceeded along
-the low, dark gallery, with the firmness of warriors ready to devote
-themselves to the public good, though, at the same time, secretly
-doubting the nature of the power with which they were about to contend.
-
-The outer apartment of the cavern was silent and gloomy. The woman lay
-in her usual place and posture, though there were those present who
-affirmed they had seen her borne to the woods by the supposed "medicine
-of the white men." Such a direct and palpable contradiction of the tale
-related by the father caused all eyes to be turned on him. Chafed by
-the silent imputation, and inwardly troubled by so unaccountable a
-circumstance, the chief advanced to the side of the bed, and, stooping,
-cast an incredulous look at the features, as if distrusting their
-reality. His daughter was dead.
-
-The unerring feeling of nature for a moment prevailed and the old
-warrior hid his eyes in sorrow. Then, recovering his self-possession, he
-faced his companions, and, pointing toward the corpse, he said, in the
-language of his people:
-
-"The wife of my young man has left us! The Great Spirit is angry with
-his children."
-
-The mournful intelligence was received in solemn silence. After a short
-pause, one of the elder Indians was about to speak, when a dark-looking
-object was seen rolling out of an adjoining apartment, into the very
-center of the room where they stood. Ignorant of the nature of the
-beings they had to deal with, the whole party drew back a little, and,
-rising on end, exhibited the distorted but still fierce and sullen
-features of Magua. The discovery was succeeded by a general exclamation
-of amazement.
-
-As soon, however, as the true situation of the chief was understood,
-several knives appeared, and his limbs and tongue were quickly released.
-The Huron arose, and shook himself like a lion quitting his lair. Not a
-word escaped him, though his hand played convulsively with the handle of
-his knife, while his lowering eyes scanned the whole party, as if they
-sought an object suited to the first burst of his vengeance.
-
-It was happy for Uncas and the scout, and even David, that they were
-all beyond the reach of his arm at such a moment; for, assuredly,
-no refinement in cruelty would then have deferred their deaths, in
-opposition to the promptings of the fierce temper that nearly choked
-him. Meeting everywhere faces that he knew as friends, the savage grated
-his teeth together like rasps of iron, and swallowed his passion for
-want of a victim on whom to vent it. This exhibition of anger was noted
-by all present; and from an apprehension of exasperating a temper that
-was already chafed nearly to madness, several minutes were suffered to
-pass before another word was uttered. When, however, suitable time had
-elapsed, the oldest of the party spoke.
-
-"My friend has found an enemy," he said. "Is he nigh that the Hurons
-might take revenge?"
-
-"Let the Delaware die!" exclaimed Magua, in a voice of thunder.
-
-Another longer and expressive silence was observed, and was broken, as
-before, with due precaution, by the same individual.
-
-"The Mohican is swift of foot, and leaps far," he said; "but my young
-men are on his trail."
-
-"Is he gone?" demanded Magua, in tones so deep and guttural, that they
-seemed to proceed from his inmost chest.
-
-"An evil spirit has been among us, and the Delaware has blinded our
-eyes."
-
-"An evil spirit!" repeated the other, mockingly; "'tis the spirit that
-has taken the lives of so many Hurons; the spirit that slew my young men
-at 'the tumbling river'; that took their scalps at the 'healing spring';
-and who has, now, bound the arms of Le Renard Subtil!"
-
-"Of whom does my friend speak?"
-
-"Of the dog who carries the heart and cunning of a Huron under a pale
-skin--La Longue Carabine."
-
-The pronunciation of so terrible a name produced the usual effect among
-his auditors. But when time was given for reflection, and the warriors
-remembered that their formidable and daring enemy had even been in the
-bosom of their encampment, working injury, fearful rage took the place
-of wonder, and all those fierce passions with which the bosom of Magua
-had just been struggling were suddenly transferred to his companions.
-Some among them gnashed their teeth in anger, others vented their
-feelings in yells, and some, again, beat the air as frantically as if
-the object of their resentment were suffering under their blows. But
-this sudden outbreaking of temper as quickly subsided in the still and
-sullen restraint they most affected in their moments of inaction.
-
-Magua, who had in his turn found leisure for reflection, now changed his
-manner, and assumed the air of one who knew how to think and act with a
-dignity worthy of so grave a subject.
-
-"Let us go to my people," he said; "they wait for us."
-
-His companions consented in silence, and the whole of the savage party
-left the cavern and returned to the council-lodge. When they were
-seated, all eyes turned on Magua, who understood, from such an
-indication, that, by common consent, they had devolved the duty of
-relating what had passed on him. He arose, and told his tale without
-duplicity or reservation. The whole deception practised by both Duncan
-and Hawkeye was, of course, laid naked, and no room was found, even for
-the most superstitious of the tribe, any longer to affix a doubt on the
-character of the occurrences. It was but too apparent that they had been
-insultingly, shamefully, disgracefully deceived. When he had ended, and
-resumed his seat, the collected tribe--for his auditors, in substance,
-included all the fighting men of the party--sat regarding each other
-like men astonished equally at the audacity and the success of
-their enemies. The next consideration, however, was the means and
-opportunities for revenge.
-
-Additional pursuers were sent on the trail of the fugitives; and
-then the chiefs applied themselves, in earnest, to the business of
-consultation. Many different expedients were proposed by the elder
-warriors, in succession, to all of which Magua was a silent and
-respectful listener. That subtle savage had recovered his artifice and
-self-command, and now proceeded toward his object with his customary
-caution and skill. It was only when each one disposed to speak had
-uttered his sentiments, that he prepared to advance his own opinions.
-They were given with additional weight from the circumstance that some
-of the runners had already returned, and reported that their enemies had
-been traced so far as to leave no doubt of their having sought safety in
-the neighboring camp of their suspected allies, the Delawares. With the
-advantage of possessing this important intelligence, the chief warily
-laid his plans before his fellows, and, as might have been anticipated
-from his eloquence and cunning, they were adopted without a dissenting
-voice. They were, briefly, as follows, both in opinions and in motives.
-
-It has been already stated that, in obedience to a policy rarely
-departed from, the sisters were separated so soon as they reached the
-Huron village. Magua had early discovered that in retaining the person
-of Alice, he possessed the most effectual check on Cora. When they
-parted, therefore, he kept the former within reach of his hand,
-consigning the one he most valued to the keeping of their allies. The
-arrangement was understood to be merely temporary, and was made as much
-with a view to flatter his neighbors as in obedience to the invariable
-rule of Indian policy.
-
-While goaded incessantly by these revengeful impulses that in a savage
-seldom slumber, the chief was still attentive to his more permanent
-personal interests. The follies and disloyalty committed in his youth
-were to be expiated by a long and painful penance, ere he could be
-restored to the full enjoyment of the confidence of his ancient people;
-and without confidence there could be no authority in an Indian tribe.
-In this delicate and arduous situation, the crafty native had neglected
-no means of increasing his influence; and one of the happiest of his
-expedients had been the success with which he had cultivated the favor
-of their powerful and dangerous neighbors. The result of his experiment
-had answered all the expectations of his policy; for the Hurons were in
-no degree exempt from that governing principle of nature, which induces
-man to value his gifts precisely in the degree that they are appreciated
-by others.
-
-But, while he was making this ostensible sacrifice to general
-considerations, Magua never lost sight of his individual motives. The
-latter had been frustrated by the unlooked-for events which had placed
-all his prisoners beyond his control; and he now found himself reduced
-to the necessity of suing for favors to those whom it had so lately been
-his policy to oblige.
-
-Several of the chiefs had proposed deep and treacherous schemes to
-surprise the Delawares and, by gaining possession of their camp, to
-recover their prisoners by the same blow; for all agreed that their
-honor, their interests, and the peace and happiness of their dead
-countrymen, imperiously required them speedily to immolate some victims
-to their revenge. But plans so dangerous to attempt, and of such
-doubtful issue, Magua found little difficulty in defeating. He exposed
-their risk and fallacy with his usual skill; and it was only after he
-had removed every impediment, in the shape of opposing advice, that he
-ventured to propose his own projects.
-
-He commenced by flattering the self-love of his auditors; a
-never-failing method of commanding attention. When he had enumerated the
-many different occasions on which the Hurons had exhibited their courage
-and prowess, in the punishment of insults, he digressed in a high
-encomium on the virtue of wisdom. He painted the quality as forming the
-great point of difference between the beaver and other brutes; between
-the brutes and men; and, finally, between the Hurons, in particular,
-and the rest of the human race. After he had sufficiently extolled the
-property of discretion, he undertook to exhibit in what manner its use
-was applicable to the present situation of their tribe. On the one hand,
-he said, was their great pale father, the governor of the Canadas, who
-had looked upon his children with a hard eye since their tomahawks had
-been so red; on the other, a people as numerous as themselves, who spoke
-a different language, possessed different interests, and loved them not,
-and who would be glad of any pretense to bring them in disgrace with the
-great white chief. Then he spoke of their necessities; of the gifts they
-had a right to expect for their past services; of their distance from
-their proper hunting-grounds and native villages; and of the necessity
-of consulting prudence more, and inclination less, in so critical
-circumstances. When he perceived that, while the old men applauded his
-moderation, many of the fiercest and most distinguished of the warriors
-listened to these politic plans with lowering looks, he cunningly led
-them back to the subject which they most loved. He spoke openly of the
-fruits of their wisdom, which he boldly pronounced would be a complete
-and final triumph over their enemies. He even darkly hinted that their
-success might be extended, with proper caution, in such a manner as to
-include the destruction of all whom they had reason to hate. In short,
-he so blended the warlike with the artful, the obvious with the obscure,
-as to flatter the propensities of both parties, and to leave to each
-subject of hope, while neither could say it clearly comprehended his
-intentions.
-
-The orator, or the politician, who can produce such a state of things,
-is commonly popular with his contemporaries, however he may be treated
-by posterity. All perceived that more was meant than was uttered, and
-each one believed that the hidden meaning was precisely such as his
-own faculties enabled him to understand, or his own wishes led him to
-anticipate.
-
-In this happy state of things, it is not surprising that the management
-of Magua prevailed. The tribe consented to act with deliberation, and
-with one voice they committed the direction of the whole affair to the
-government of the chief who had suggested such wise and intelligible
-expedients.
-
-Magua had now attained one great object of all his cunning and
-enterprise. The ground he had lost in the favor of his people was
-completely regained, and he found himself even placed at the head
-of affairs. He was, in truth, their ruler; and, so long as he could
-maintain his popularity, no monarch could be more despotic, especially
-while the tribe continued in a hostile country. Throwing off, therefore,
-the appearance of consultation, he assumed the grave air of authority
-necessary to support the dignity of his office.
-
-Runners were despatched for intelligence in different directions; spies
-were ordered to approach and feel the encampment of the Delawares; the
-warriors were dismissed to their lodges, with an intimation that their
-services would soon be needed; and the women and children were ordered
-to retire, with a warning that it was their province to be silent. When
-these several arrangements were made, Magua passed through the village,
-stopping here and there to pay a visit where he thought his presence
-might be flattering to the individual. He confirmed his friends in their
-confidence, fixed the wavering, and gratified all. Then he sought his
-own lodge. The wife the Huron chief had abandoned, when he was chased
-from among his people, was dead. Children he had none; and he now
-occupied a hut, without companion of any sort. It was, in fact, the
-dilapidated and solitary structure in which David had been discovered,
-and whom he had tolerated in his presence, on those few occasions when
-they met, with the contemptuous indifference of a haughty superiority.
-
-Hither, then, Magua retired, when his labors of policy were ended. While
-others slept, however, he neither knew or sought repose. Had there been
-one sufficiently curious to have watched the movements of the newly
-elected chief, he would have seen him seated in a corner of his
-lodge, musing on the subject of his future plans, from the hour of his
-retirement to the time he had appointed for the warriors to assemble
-again. Occasionally the air breathed through the crevices of the hut,
-and the low flame that fluttered about the embers of the fire threw
-their wavering light on the person of the sullen recluse. At such
-moments it would not have been difficult to have fancied the dusky
-savage the Prince of Darkness brooding on his own fancied wrongs, and
-plotting evil.
-
-Long before the day dawned, however, warrior after warrior entered the
-solitary hut of Magua, until they had collected to the number of twenty.
-Each bore his rifle, and all the other accouterments of war, though
-the paint was uniformly peaceful. The entrance of these fierce-looking
-beings was unnoticed: some seating themselves in the shadows of the
-place, and others standing like motionless statues, until the whole of
-the designated band was collected.
-
-Then Magua arose and gave the signal to proceed, marching himself in
-advance. They followed their leader singly, and in that well-known order
-which has obtained the distinguishing appellation of "Indian file."
-Unlike other men engaged in the spirit-stirring business of war, they
-stole from their camp unostentatiously and unobserved resembling a band
-of gliding specters, more than warriors seeking the bubble reputation by
-deeds of desperate daring.
-
-Instead of taking the path which led directly toward the camp of the
-Delawares, Magua led his party for some distance down the windings of
-the stream, and along the little artificial lake of the beavers. The
-day began to dawn as they entered the clearing which had been formed by
-those sagacious and industrious animals. Though Magua, who had resumed
-his ancient garb, bore the outline of a fox on the dressed skin which
-formed his robe, there was one chief of his party who carried the beaver
-as his peculiar symbol, or "totem." There would have been a species of
-profanity in the omission, had this man passed so powerful a community
-of his fancied kindred, without bestowing some evidence of his regard.
-Accordingly, he paused, and spoke in words as kind and friendly as if
-he were addressing more intelligent beings. He called the animals his
-cousins, and reminded them that his protecting influence was the reason
-they remained unharmed, while many avaricious traders were prompting the
-Indians to take their lives. He promised a continuance of his favors,
-and admonished them to be grateful. After which, he spoke of the
-expedition in which he was himself engaged, and intimated, though with
-sufficient delicacy and circumlocution, the expediency of bestowing
-on their relative a portion of that wisdom for which they were so
-renowned.*
-
-     * These harangues of the beasts were frequent among the
-     Indians. They often address their victims in this way,
-     reproaching them for cowardice or commending their
-     resolution, as they may happen to exhibit fortitude or the
-     reverse, in suffering.
-
-During the utterance of this extraordinary address, the companions of
-the speaker were as grave and as attentive to his language as though
-they were all equally impressed with its propriety. Once or twice black
-objects were seen rising to the surface of the water, and the Huron
-expressed pleasure, conceiving that his words were not bestowed in vain.
-Just as he ended his address, the head of a large beaver was thrust
-from the door of a lodge, whose earthen walls had been much injured,
-and which the party had believed, from its situation, to be uninhabited.
-Such an extraordinary sign of confidence was received by the orator as
-a highly favorable omen; and though the animal retreated a little
-precipitately, he was lavish of his thanks and commendations.
-
-When Magua thought sufficient time had been lost in gratifying the
-family affection of the warrior, he again made the signal to proceed. As
-the Indians moved away in a body, and with a step that would have been
-inaudible to the ears of any common man, the same venerable-looking
-beaver once more ventured his head from its cover. Had any of the Hurons
-turned to look behind them, they would have seen the animal watching
-their movements with an interest and sagacity that might easily have
-been mistaken for reason. Indeed, so very distinct and intelligible were
-the devices of the quadruped, that even the most experienced observer
-would have been at a loss to account for its actions, until the moment
-when the party entered the forest, when the whole would have been
-explained, by seeing the entire animal issue from the lodge, uncasing,
-by the act, the grave features of Chingachgook from his mask of fur.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 28
-
-     "Brief, I pray for you; for you see, 'tis a busy time with me."
-     --Much Ado About Nothing.
-
-The tribe, or rather half tribe, of Delawares, which has been so
-often mentioned, and whose present place of encampment was so nigh the
-temporary village of the Hurons, could assemble about an equal number of
-warriors with the latter people. Like their neighbors, they had followed
-Montcalm into the territories of the English crown, and were making
-heavy and serious inroads on the hunting-grounds of the Mohawks; though
-they had seen fit, with the mysterious reserve so common among the
-natives, to withhold their assistance at the moment when it was most
-required. The French had accounted for this unexpected defection on
-the part of their ally in various ways. It was the prevalent opinion,
-however, that they had been influenced by veneration for the ancient
-treaty, that had once made them dependent on the Six Nations for
-military protection, and now rendered them reluctant to encounter their
-former masters. As for the tribe itself, it had been content to announce
-to Montcalm, through his emissaries, with Indian brevity, that their
-hatchets were dull, and time was necessary to sharpen them. The politic
-captain of the Canadas had deemed it wiser to submit to entertain a
-passive friend, than by any acts of ill-judged severity to convert him
-into an open enemy.
-
-On that morning when Magua led his silent party from the settlement of
-the beavers into the forests, in the manner described, the sun rose upon
-the Delaware encampment as if it had suddenly burst upon a busy people,
-actively employed in all the customary avocations of high noon. The
-women ran from lodge to lodge, some engaged in preparing their morning's
-meal, a few earnestly bent on seeking the comforts necessary to their
-habits, but more pausing to exchange hasty and whispered sentences with
-their friends. The warriors were lounging in groups, musing more than
-they conversed and when a few words were uttered, speaking like men who
-deeply weighed their opinions. The instruments of the chase were to be
-seen in abundance among the lodges; but none departed. Here and there
-a warrior was examining his arms, with an attention that is rarely
-bestowed on the implements, when no other enemy than the beasts of the
-forest is expected to be encountered. And occasionally, the eyes of a
-whole group were turned simultaneously toward a large and silent lodge
-in the center of the village, as if it contained the subject of their
-common thoughts.
-
-During the existence of this scene, a man suddenly appeared at the
-furthest extremity of a platform of rock which formed the level of the
-village. He was without arms, and his paint tended rather to soften than
-increase the natural sternness of his austere countenance. When in
-full view of the Delawares he stopped, and made a gesture of amity,
-by throwing his arm upward toward heaven, and then letting it fall
-impressively on his breast. The inhabitants of the village answered
-his salute by a low murmur of welcome, and encouraged him to advance by
-similar indications of friendship. Fortified by these assurances, the
-dark figure left the brow of the natural rocky terrace, where it had
-stood a moment, drawn in a strong outline against the blushing morning
-sky, and moved with dignity into the very center of the huts. As he
-approached, nothing was audible but the rattling of the light silver
-ornaments that loaded his arms and neck, and the tinkling of the little
-bells that fringed his deerskin moccasins. He made, as he advanced, many
-courteous signs of greeting to the men he passed, neglecting to notice
-the women, however, like one who deemed their favor, in the present
-enterprise, of no importance. When he had reached the group in which it
-was evident, by the haughtiness of their common mien, that the principal
-chiefs were collected, the stranger paused, and then the Delawares saw
-that the active and erect form that stood before them was that of the
-well-known Huron chief, Le Renard Subtil.
-
-His reception was grave, silent, and wary. The warriors in front stepped
-aside, opening the way to their most approved orator by the action; one
-who spoke all those languages that were cultivated among the northern
-aborigines.
-
-"The wise Huron is welcome," said the Delaware, in the language of the
-Maquas; "he is come to eat his 'succotash'*, with his brothers of the
-lakes."
-
-     * A dish composed of cracked corn and beans. It is much used
-     also by the whites. By corn is meant maise.
-
-"He is come," repeated Magua, bending his head with the dignity of an
-eastern prince.
-
-The chief extended his arm and taking the other by the wrist, they once
-more exchanged friendly salutations. Then the Delaware invited his guest
-to enter his own lodge, and share his morning meal. The invitation was
-accepted; and the two warriors, attended by three or four of the old
-men, walked calmly away, leaving the rest of the tribe devoured by a
-desire to understand the reasons of so unusual a visit, and yet not
-betraying the least impatience by sign or word.
-
-During the short and frugal repast that followed, the conversation was
-extremely circumspect, and related entirely to the events of the hunt,
-in which Magua had so lately been engaged. It would have been impossible
-for the most finished breeding to wear more of the appearance of
-considering the visit as a thing of course, than did his hosts,
-notwithstanding every individual present was perfectly aware that
-it must be connected with some secret object and that probably of
-importance to themselves. When the appetites of the whole were appeased,
-the squaws removed the trenchers and gourds, and the two parties began
-to prepare themselves for a subtle trial of their wits.
-
-"Is the face of my great Canada father turned again toward his Huron
-children?" demanded the orator of the Delawares.
-
-"When was it ever otherwise?" returned Magua. "He calls my people 'most
-beloved'."
-
-The Delaware gravely bowed his acquiescence to what he knew to be false,
-and continued:
-
-"The tomahawks of your young men have been very red."
-
-"It is so; but they are now bright and dull; for the Yengeese are dead,
-and the Delawares are our neighbors."
-
-The other acknowledged the pacific compliment by a gesture of the hand,
-and remained silent. Then Magua, as if recalled to such a recollection,
-by the allusion to the massacre, demanded:
-
-"Does my prisoner give trouble to my brothers?"
-
-"She is welcome."
-
-"The path between the Hurons and the Delawares is short and it is open;
-let her be sent to my squaws, if she gives trouble to my brother."
-
-"She is welcome," returned the chief of the latter nation, still more
-emphatically.
-
-The baffled Magua continued silent several minutes, apparently
-indifferent, however, to the repulse he had received in this his opening
-effort to regain possession of Cora.
-
-"Do my young men leave the Delawares room on the mountains for their
-hunts?" he at length continued.
-
-"The Lenape are rulers of their own hills," returned the other a little
-haughtily.
-
-"It is well. Justice is the master of a red-skin. Why should they
-brighten their tomahawks and sharpen their knives against each other?
-Are not the pale faces thicker than the swallows in the season of
-flowers?"
-
-"Good!" exclaimed two or three of his auditors at the same time.
-
-Magua waited a little, to permit his words to soften the feelings of the
-Delawares, before he added:
-
-"Have there not been strange moccasins in the woods? Have not my
-brothers scented the feet of white men?"
-
-"Let my Canada father come," returned the other, evasively; "his
-children are ready to see him."
-
-"When the great chief comes, it is to smoke with the Indians in their
-wigwams. The Hurons say, too, he is welcome. But the Yengeese have long
-arms, and legs that never tire! My young men dreamed they had seen the
-trail of the Yengeese nigh the village of the Delawares!"
-
-"They will not find the Lenape asleep."
-
-"It is well. The warrior whose eye is open can see his enemy," said
-Magua, once more shifting his ground, when he found himself unable to
-penetrate the caution of his companion. "I have brought gifts to my
-brother. His nation would not go on the warpath, because they did not
-think it well, but their friends have remembered where they lived."
-
-When he had thus announced his liberal intention, the crafty chief
-arose, and gravely spread his presents before the dazzled eyes of his
-hosts. They consisted principally of trinkets of little value, plundered
-from the slaughtered females of William Henry. In the division of
-the baubles the cunning Huron discovered no less art than in their
-selection. While he bestowed those of greater value on the two most
-distinguished warriors, one of whom was his host, he seasoned his
-offerings to their inferiors with such well-timed and apposite
-compliments, as left them no ground of complaint. In short, the whole
-ceremony contained such a happy blending of the profitable with the
-flattering, that it was not difficult for the donor immediately to read
-the effect of a generosity so aptly mingled with praise, in the eyes of
-those he addressed.
-
-This well-judged and politic stroke on the part of Magua was not without
-instantaneous results. The Delawares lost their gravity in a much more
-cordial expression; and the host, in particular, after contemplating
-his own liberal share of the spoil for some moments with peculiar
-gratification, repeated with strong emphasis, the words:
-
-"My brother is a wise chief. He is welcome."
-
-"The Hurons love their friends the Delawares," returned Magua. "Why
-should they not? they are colored by the same sun, and their just men
-will hunt in the same grounds after death. The red-skins should be
-friends, and look with open eyes on the white men. Has not my brother
-scented spies in the woods?"
-
-The Delaware, whose name in English signified "Hard Heart," an
-appellation that the French had translated into "le Coeur-dur," forgot
-that obduracy of purpose, which had probably obtained him so significant
-a title. His countenance grew very sensibly less stern and he now
-deigned to answer more directly.
-
-"There have been strange moccasins about my camp. They have been tracked
-into my lodges."
-
-"Did my brother beat out the dogs?" asked Magua, without adverting in
-any manner to the former equivocation of the chief.
-
-"It would not do. The stranger is always welcome to the children of the
-Lenape."
-
-"The stranger, but not the spy."
-
-"Would the Yengeese send their women as spies? Did not the Huron chief
-say he took women in the battle?"
-
-"He told no lie. The Yengeese have sent out their scouts. They have been
-in my wigwams, but they found there no one to say welcome. Then they
-fled to the Delawares--for, say they, the Delawares are our friends;
-their minds are turned from their Canada father!"
-
-This insinuation was a home thrust, and one that in a more advanced
-state of society would have entitled Magua to the reputation of a
-skillful diplomatist. The recent defection of the tribe had, as they
-well knew themselves, subjected the Delawares to much reproach among
-their French allies; and they were now made to feel that their future
-actions were to be regarded with jealousy and distrust. There was no
-deep insight into causes and effects necessary to foresee that such
-a situation of things was likely to prove highly prejudicial to their
-future movements. Their distant villages, their hunting-grounds and
-hundreds of their women and children, together with a material part
-of their physical force, were actually within the limits of the French
-territory. Accordingly, this alarming annunciation was received, as
-Magua intended, with manifest disapprobation, if not with alarm.
-
-"Let my father look in my face," said Le Coeur-dur; "he will see no
-change. It is true, my young men did not go out on the war-path; they
-had dreams for not doing so. But they love and venerate the great white
-chief."
-
-"Will he think so when he hears that his greatest enemy is fed in the
-camp of his children? When he is told a bloody Yengee smokes at your
-fire? That the pale face who has slain so many of his friends goes in
-and out among the Delawares? Go! my great Canada father is not a fool!"
-
-"Where is the Yengee that the Delawares fear?" returned the other; "who
-has slain my young men? Who is the mortal enemy of my Great Father?"
-
-"La Longue Carabine!"
-
-The Delaware warriors started at the well-known name, betraying by their
-amazement, that they now learned, for the first time, one so famous
-among the Indian allies of France was within their power.
-
-"What does my brother mean?" demanded Le Coeur-dur, in a tone that, by
-its wonder, far exceeded the usual apathy of his race.
-
-"A Huron never lies!" returned Magua, coldly, leaning his head against
-the side of the lodge, and drawing his slight robe across his tawny
-breast. "Let the Delawares count their prisoners; they will find one
-whose skin is neither red nor pale."
-
-A long and musing pause succeeded. The chief consulted apart with his
-companions, and messengers despatched to collect certain others of the
-most distinguished men of the tribe.
-
-As warrior after warrior dropped in, they were each made acquainted, in
-turn, with the important intelligence that Magua had just communicated.
-The air of surprise, and the usual low, deep, guttural exclamation, were
-common to them all. The news spread from mouth to mouth, until the whole
-encampment became powerfully agitated. The women suspended their
-labors, to catch such syllables as unguardedly fell from the lips of
-the consulting warriors. The boys deserted their sports, and walking
-fearlessly among their fathers, looked up in curious admiration, as
-they heard the brief exclamations of wonder they so freely expressed the
-temerity of their hated foe. In short, every occupation was abandoned
-for the time, and all other pursuits seemed discarded in order that the
-tribe might freely indulge, after their own peculiar manner, in an open
-expression of feeling.
-
-When the excitement had a little abated, the old men disposed themselves
-seriously to consider that which it became the honor and safety of
-their tribe to perform, under circumstances of so much delicacy and
-embarrassment. During all these movements, and in the midst of the
-general commotion, Magua had not only maintained his seat, but the very
-attitude he had originally taken, against the side of the lodge, where
-he continued as immovable, and, apparently, as unconcerned, as if he
-had no interest in the result. Not a single indication of the future
-intentions of his hosts, however, escaped his vigilant eyes. With his
-consummate knowledge of the nature of the people with whom he had to
-deal, he anticipated every measure on which they decided; and it might
-almost be said, that, in many instances, he knew their intentions, even
-before they became known to themselves.
-
-The council of the Delawares was short. When it was ended, a general
-bustle announced that it was to be immediately succeeded by a solemn and
-formal assemblage of the nation. As such meetings were rare, and only
-called on occasions of the last importance, the subtle Huron, who still
-sat apart, a wily and dark observer of the proceedings, now knew that
-all his projects must be brought to their final issue. He, therefore,
-left the lodge and walked silently forth to the place, in front of the
-encampment, whither the warriors were already beginning to collect.
-
-It might have been half an hour before each individual, including even
-the women and children, was in his place. The delay had been created
-by the grave preparations that were deemed necessary to so solemn and
-unusual a conference. But when the sun was seen climbing above the tops
-of that mountain, against whose bosom the Delawares had constructed
-their encampment, most were seated; and as his bright rays darted from
-behind the outline of trees that fringed the eminence, they fell upon
-as grave, as attentive, and as deeply interested a multitude, as was
-probably ever before lighted by his morning beams. Its number somewhat
-exceeded a thousand souls.
-
-In a collection of so serious savages, there is never to be found any
-impatient aspirant after premature distinction, standing ready to move
-his auditors to some hasty, and, perhaps, injudicious discussion, in
-order that his own reputation may be the gainer. An act of so much
-precipitancy and presumption would seal the downfall of precocious
-intellect forever. It rested solely with the oldest and most experienced
-of the men to lay the subject of the conference before the people. Until
-such a one chose to make some movement, no deeds in arms, no natural
-gifts, nor any renown as an orator, would have justified the slightest
-interruption. On the present occasion, the aged warrior whose privilege
-it was to speak, was silent, seemingly oppressed with the magnitude
-of his subject. The delay had already continued long beyond the usual
-deliberative pause that always preceded a conference; but no sign of
-impatience or surprise escaped even the youngest boy. Occasionally an
-eye was raised from the earth, where the looks of most were riveted,
-and strayed toward a particular lodge, that was, however, in no manner
-distinguished from those around it, except in the peculiar care that had
-been taken to protect it against the assaults of the weather.
-
-At length one of those low murmurs, that are so apt to disturb a
-multitude, was heard, and the whole nation arose to their feet by
-a common impulse. At that instant the door of the lodge in question
-opened, and three men, issuing from it, slowly approached the place of
-consultation. They were all aged, even beyond that period to which the
-oldest present had reached; but one in the center, who leaned on his
-companions for support, had numbered an amount of years to which the
-human race is seldom permitted to attain. His frame, which had once been
-tall and erect, like the cedar, was now bending under the pressure of
-more than a century. The elastic, light step of an Indian was gone, and
-in its place he was compelled to toil his tardy way over the ground,
-inch by inch. His dark, wrinkled countenance was in singular and wild
-contrast with the long white locks which floated on his shoulders, in
-such thickness, as to announce that generations had probably passed away
-since they had last been shorn.
-
-The dress of this patriarch--for such, considering his vast age, in
-conjunction with his affinity and influence with his people, he might
-very properly be termed--was rich and imposing, though strictly after
-the simple fashions of the tribe. His robe was of the finest
-skins, which had been deprived of their fur, in order to admit of a
-hieroglyphical representation of various deeds in arms, done in former
-ages. His bosom was loaded with medals, some in massive silver, and one
-or two even in gold, the gifts of various Christian potentates during
-the long period of his life. He also wore armlets, and cinctures above
-the ankles, of the latter precious metal. His head, on the whole of
-which the hair had been permitted to grow, the pursuits of war having so
-long been abandoned, was encircled by a sort of plated diadem, which, in
-its turn, bore lesser and more glittering ornaments, that sparkled amid
-the glossy hues of three drooping ostrich feathers, dyed a deep black,
-in touching contrast to the color of his snow-white locks. His tomahawk
-was nearly hid in silver, and the handle of his knife shone like a horn
-of solid gold.
-
-So soon as the first hum of emotion and pleasure, which the sudden
-appearance of this venerated individual created, had a little subsided,
-the name of "Tamenund" was whispered from mouth to mouth. Magua had
-often heard the fame of this wise and just Delaware; a reputation that
-even proceeded so far as to bestow on him the rare gift of holding
-secret communion with the Great Spirit, and which has since transmitted
-his name, with some slight alteration, to the white usurpers of his
-ancient territory, as the imaginary tutelar saint* of a vast empire. The
-Huron chief, therefore, stepped eagerly out a little from the throng,
-to a spot whence he might catch a nearer glimpse of the features of the
-man, whose decision was likely to produce so deep an influence on his
-own fortunes.
-
-     * The Americans sometimes called their tutelar saint
-     Tamenay, a corruption of the name of the renowned chief here
-     introduced. There are many traditions which speak of the
-     character and power of Tamenund.
-
-The eyes of the old man were closed, as though the organs were wearied
-with having so long witnessed the selfish workings of the human
-passions. The color of his skin differed from that of most around him,
-being richer and darker, the latter having been produced by certain
-delicate and mazy lines of complicated and yet beautiful figures, which
-had been traced over most of his person by the operation of tattooing.
-Notwithstanding the position of the Huron, he passed the observant and
-silent Magua without notice, and leaning on his two venerable supporters
-proceeded to the high place of the multitude, where he seated himself in
-the center of his nation, with the dignity of a monarch and the air of a
-father.
-
-Nothing could surpass the reverence and affection with which this
-unexpected visit from one who belongs rather to another world than to
-this, was received by his people. After a suitable and decent pause, the
-principal chiefs arose, and, approaching the patriarch, they placed
-his hands reverently on their heads, seeming to entreat a blessing. The
-younger men were content with touching his robe, or even drawing nigh
-his person, in order to breathe in the atmosphere of one so aged, so
-just, and so valiant. None but the most distinguished among the youthful
-warriors even presumed so far as to perform the latter ceremony, the
-great mass of the multitude deeming it a sufficient happiness to look
-upon a form so deeply venerated, and so well beloved. When these acts
-of affection and respect were performed, the chiefs drew back again to
-their several places, and silence reigned in the whole encampment.
-
-After a short delay, a few of the young men, to whom instructions had
-been whispered by one of the aged attendants of Tamenund, arose, left
-the crowd, and entered the lodge which has already been noted as the
-object of so much attention throughout that morning. In a few minutes
-they reappeared, escorting the individuals who had caused all these
-solemn preparations toward the seat of judgment. The crowd opened in a
-lane; and when the party had re-entered, it closed in again, forming a
-large and dense belt of human bodies, arranged in an open circle.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 29
-
-     "The assembly seated, rising o'er the rest,
-     Achilles thus the king of men addressed."
-     --Pope's Illiad
-
-Cora stood foremost among the prisoners, entwining her arms in those of
-Alice, in the tenderness of sisterly love. Notwithstanding the fearful
-and menacing array of savages on every side of her, no apprehension on
-her own account could prevent the nobler-minded maiden from keeping her
-eyes fastened on the pale and anxious features of the trembling Alice.
-Close at their side stood Heyward, with an interest in both, that, at
-such a moment of intense uncertainty, scarcely knew a preponderance in
-favor of her whom he most loved. Hawkeye had placed himself a little in
-the rear, with a deference to the superior rank of his companions, that
-no similarity in the state of their present fortunes could induce him to
-forget. Uncas was not there.
-
-When perfect silence was again restored, and after the usual long,
-impressive pause, one of the two aged chiefs who sat at the side of the
-patriarch arose, and demanded aloud, in very intelligible English:
-
-"Which of my prisoners is La Longue Carabine?"
-
-Neither Duncan nor the scout answered. The former, however, glanced his
-eyes around the dark and silent assembly, and recoiled a pace, when they
-fell on the malignant visage of Magua. He saw, at once, that this wily
-savage had some secret agency in their present arraignment before the
-nation, and determined to throw every possible impediment in the way of
-the execution of his sinister plans. He had witnessed one instance
-of the summary punishments of the Indians, and now dreaded that his
-companion was to be selected for a second. In this dilemma, with
-little or no time for reflection, he suddenly determined to cloak his
-invaluable friend, at any or every hazard to himself. Before he had
-time, however, to speak, the question was repeated in a louder voice,
-and with a clearer utterance.
-
-"Give us arms," the young man haughtily replied, "and place us in yonder
-woods. Our deeds shall speak for us!"
-
-"This is the warrior whose name has filled our ears!" returned the
-chief, regarding Heyward with that sort of curious interest which seems
-inseparable from man, when first beholding one of his fellows to whom
-merit or accident, virtue or crime, has given notoriety. "What has
-brought the white man into the camp of the Delawares?"
-
-"My necessities. I come for food, shelter, and friends."
-
-"It cannot be. The woods are full of game. The head of a warrior needs
-no other shelter than a sky without clouds; and the Delawares are the
-enemies, and not the friends of the Yengeese. Go, the mouth has spoken,
-while the heart said nothing."
-
-Duncan, a little at a loss in what manner to proceed, remained silent;
-but the scout, who had listened attentively to all that passed, now
-advanced steadily to the front.
-
-"That I did not answer to the call for La Longue Carabine, was not owing
-either to shame or fear," he said, "for neither one nor the other is the
-gift of an honest man. But I do not admit the right of the Mingoes to
-bestow a name on one whose friends have been mindful of his gifts, in
-this particular; especially as their title is a lie, 'killdeer' being a
-grooved barrel and no carabyne. I am the man, however, that got the name
-of Nathaniel from my kin; the compliment of Hawkeye from the Delawares,
-who live on their own river; and whom the Iroquois have presumed to
-style the 'Long Rifle', without any warranty from him who is most
-concerned in the matter."
-
-The eyes of all present, which had hitherto been gravely scanning the
-person of Duncan, were now turned, on the instant, toward the upright
-iron frame of this new pretender to the distinguished appellation. It
-was in no degree remarkable that there should be found two who were
-willing to claim so great an honor, for impostors, though rare, were not
-unknown among the natives; but it was altogether material to the just
-and severe intentions of the Delawares, that there should be no mistake
-in the matter. Some of their old men consulted together in private, and
-then, as it would seem, they determined to interrogate their visitor on
-the subject.
-
-"My brother has said that a snake crept into my camp," said the chief to
-Magua; "which is he?"
-
-The Huron pointed to the scout.
-
-"Will a wise Delaware believe the barking of a wolf?" exclaimed Duncan,
-still more confirmed in the evil intentions of his ancient enemy: "a dog
-never lies, but when was a wolf known to speak the truth?"
-
-The eyes of Magua flashed fire; but suddenly recollecting the necessity
-of maintaining his presence of mind, he turned away in silent disdain,
-well assured that the sagacity of the Indians would not fail to extract
-the real merits of the point in controversy. He was not deceived; for,
-after another short consultation, the wary Delaware turned to him
-again, and expressed the determination of the chiefs, though in the most
-considerate language.
-
-"My brother has been called a liar," he said, "and his friends are
-angry. They will show that he has spoken the truth. Give my prisoners
-guns, and let them prove which is the man."
-
-Magua affected to consider the expedient, which he well knew proceeded
-from distrust of himself, as a compliment, and made a gesture of
-acquiescence, well content that his veracity should be supported by so
-skillful a marksman as the scout. The weapons were instantly placed in
-the hands of the friendly opponents, and they were bid to fire, over
-the heads of the seated multitude, at an earthen vessel, which lay, by
-accident, on a stump, some fifty yards from the place where they stood.
-
-Heyward smiled to himself at the idea of a competition with the scout,
-though he determined to persevere in the deception, until apprised of
-the real designs of Magua.
-
-Raising his rifle with the utmost care, and renewing his aim three
-several times, he fired. The bullet cut the wood within a few inches of
-the vessel; and a general exclamation of satisfaction announced that the
-shot was considered a proof of great skill in the use of a weapon.
-Even Hawkeye nodded his head, as if he would say, it was better than he
-expected. But, instead of manifesting an intention to contend with
-the successful marksman, he stood leaning on his rifle for more than
-a minute, like a man who was completely buried in thought. From this
-reverie, he was, however, awakened by one of the young Indians who
-had furnished the arms, and who now touched his shoulder, saying in
-exceedingly broken English:
-
-"Can the pale face beat it?"
-
-"Yes, Huron!" exclaimed the scout, raising the short rifle in his right
-hand, and shaking it at Magua, with as much apparent ease as if it were
-a reed; "yes, Huron, I could strike you now, and no power on earth could
-prevent the deed! The soaring hawk is not more certain of the dove than
-I am this moment of you, did I choose to send a bullet to your heart!
-Why should I not? Why!--because the gifts of my color forbid it, and I
-might draw down evil on tender and innocent heads. If you know such a
-being as God, thank Him, therefore, in your inward soul; for you have
-reason!"
-
-The flushed countenance, angry eye and swelling figure of the scout,
-produced a sensation of secret awe in all that heard him. The Delawares
-held their breath in expectation; but Magua himself, even while he
-distrusted the forbearance of his enemy, remained immovable and calm,
-where he stood wedged in by the crowd, as one who grew to the spot.
-
-"Beat it," repeated the young Delaware at the elbow of the scout.
-
-"Beat what, fool!--what?" exclaimed Hawkeye, still flourishing the
-weapon angrily above his head, though his eye no longer sought the
-person of Magua.
-
-"If the white man is the warrior he pretends," said the aged chief, "let
-him strike nigher to the mark."
-
-The scout laughed aloud--a noise that produced the startling effect of
-an unnatural sound on Heyward; then dropping the piece, heavily, into
-his extended left hand, it was discharged, apparently by the shock,
-driving the fragments of the vessel into the air, and scattering them on
-every side. Almost at the same instant, the rattling sound of the rifle
-was heard, as he suffered it to fall, contemptuously, to the earth.
-
-The first impression of so strange a scene was engrossing admiration.
-Then a low, but increasing murmur, ran through the multitude, and
-finally swelled into sounds that denoted a lively opposition in
-the sentiments of the spectators. While some openly testified their
-satisfaction at so unexampled dexterity, by far the larger portion
-of the tribe were inclined to believe the success of the shot was the
-result of accident. Heyward was not slow to confirm an opinion that was
-so favorable to his own pretensions.
-
-"It was chance!" he exclaimed; "none can shoot without an aim!"
-
-"Chance!" echoed the excited woodsman, who was now stubbornly bent on
-maintaining his identity at every hazard, and on whom the secret hints
-of Heyward to acquiesce in the deception were entirely lost. "Does
-yonder lying Huron, too, think it chance? Give him another gun, and
-place us face to face, without cover or dodge, and let Providence, and
-our own eyes, decide the matter atween us! I do not make the offer, to
-you, major; for our blood is of a color, and we serve the same master."
-
-"That the Huron is a liar, is very evident," returned Heyward, coolly;
-"you have yourself heard him assert you to be La Longue Carabine."
-
-It were impossible to say what violent assertion the stubborn Hawkeye
-would have next made, in his headlong wish to vindicate his identity,
-had not the aged Delaware once more interposed.
-
-"The hawk which comes from the clouds can return when he will," he said;
-"give them the guns."
-
-This time the scout seized the rifle with avidity; nor had Magua, though
-he watched the movements of the marksman with jealous eyes, any further
-cause for apprehension.
-
-"Now let it be proved, in the face of this tribe of Delawares, which
-is the better man," cried the scout, tapping the butt of his piece with
-that finger which had pulled so many fatal triggers.
-
-"You see that gourd hanging against yonder tree, major; if you are a
-marksman fit for the borders, let me see you break its shell!"
-
-Duncan noted the object, and prepared himself to renew the trial. The
-gourd was one of the usual little vessels used by the Indians, and
-it was suspended from a dead branch of a small pine, by a thong
-of deerskin, at the full distance of a hundred yards. So strangely
-compounded is the feeling of self-love, that the young soldier, while
-he knew the utter worthlessness of the suffrages of his savage umpires,
-forgot the sudden motives of the contest in a wish to excel. It had been
-seen, already, that his skill was far from being contemptible, and he
-now resolved to put forth its nicest qualities. Had his life depended
-on the issue, the aim of Duncan could not have been more deliberate or
-guarded. He fired; and three or four young Indians, who sprang forward
-at the report, announced with a shout, that the ball was in the tree,
-a very little on one side of the proper object. The warriors uttered a
-common ejaculation of pleasure, and then turned their eyes, inquiringly,
-on the movements of his rival.
-
-"It may do for the Royal Americans!" said Hawkeye, laughing once more in
-his own silent, heartfelt manner; "but had my gun often turned so much
-from the true line, many a marten, whose skin is now in a lady's muff,
-would still be in the woods; ay, and many a bloody Mingo, who has
-departed to his final account, would be acting his deviltries at this
-very day, atween the provinces. I hope the squaw who owns the gourd has
-more of them in her wigwam, for this will never hold water again!"
-
-The scout had shook his priming, and cocked his piece, while speaking;
-and, as he ended, he threw back a foot, and slowly raised the muzzle
-from the earth: the motion was steady, uniform, and in one direction.
-When on a perfect level, it remained for a single moment, without tremor
-or variation, as though both man and rifle were carved in stone. During
-that stationary instant, it poured forth its contents, in a bright,
-glancing sheet of flame. Again the young Indians bounded forward; but
-their hurried search and disappointed looks announced that no traces of
-the bullet were to be seen.
-
-"Go!" said the old chief to the scout, in a tone of strong disgust;
-"thou art a wolf in the skin of a dog. I will talk to the 'Long Rifle'
-of the Yengeese."
-
-"Ah! had I that piece which furnished the name you use, I would obligate
-myself to cut the thong, and drop the gourd without breaking it!"
-returned Hawkeye, perfectly undisturbed by the other's manner. "Fools,
-if you would find the bullet of a sharpshooter in these woods, you must
-look in the object, and not around it!"
-
-The Indian youths instantly comprehended his meaning--for this time he
-spoke in the Delaware tongue--and tearing the gourd from the tree, they
-held it on high with an exulting shout, displaying a hole in its bottom,
-which had been cut by the bullet, after passing through the usual
-orifice in the center of its upper side. At this unexpected exhibition,
-a loud and vehement expression of pleasure burst from the mouth of every
-warrior present. It decided the question, and effectually established
-Hawkeye in the possession of his dangerous reputation. Those curious
-and admiring eyes which had been turned again on Heyward, were finally
-directed to the weather-beaten form of the scout, who immediately became
-the principal object of attention to the simple and unsophisticated
-beings by whom he was surrounded. When the sudden and noisy commotion
-had a little subsided, the aged chief resumed his examination.
-
-"Why did you wish to stop my ears?" he said, addressing Duncan; "are
-the Delawares fools that they could not know the young panther from the
-cat?"
-
-"They will yet find the Huron a singing-bird," said Duncan, endeavoring
-to adopt the figurative language of the natives.
-
-"It is good. We will know who can shut the ears of men. Brother," added
-the chief turning his eyes on Magua, "the Delawares listen."
-
-Thus singled, and directly called on to declare his object, the Huron
-arose; and advancing with great deliberation and dignity into the very
-center of the circle, where he stood confronted by the prisoners,
-he placed himself in an attitude to speak. Before opening his mouth,
-however, he bent his eyes slowly along the whole living boundary of
-earnest faces, as if to temper his expressions to the capacities of his
-audience. On Hawkeye he cast a glance of respectful enmity; on Duncan,
-a look of inextinguishable hatred; the shrinking figure of Alice
-he scarcely deigned to notice; but when his glance met the firm,
-commanding, and yet lovely form of Cora, his eye lingered a moment, with
-an expression that it might have been difficult to define. Then, filled
-with his own dark intentions, he spoke in the language of the Canadas, a
-tongue that he well knew was comprehended by most of his auditors.
-
-"The Spirit that made men colored them differently," commenced the
-subtle Huron. "Some are blacker than the sluggish bear. These He said
-should be slaves; and He ordered them to work forever, like the beaver.
-You may hear them groan, when the south wind blows, louder than the
-lowing buffaloes, along the shores of the great salt lake, where the big
-canoes come and go with them in droves. Some He made with faces paler
-than the ermine of the forests; and these He ordered to be traders;
-dogs to their women, and wolves to their slaves. He gave this people the
-nature of the pigeon; wings that never tire; young, more plentiful than
-the leaves on the trees, and appetites to devour the earth. He gave them
-tongues like the false call of the wildcat; hearts like rabbits; the
-cunning of the hog (but none of the fox), and arms longer than the legs
-of the moose. With his tongue he stops the ears of the Indians; his
-heart teaches him to pay warriors to fight his battles; his cunning
-tells him how to get together the goods of the earth; and his arms
-inclose the land from the shores of the salt-water to the islands of the
-great lake. His gluttony makes him sick. God gave him enough, and yet he
-wants all. Such are the pale faces.
-
-"Some the Great Spirit made with skins brighter and redder than yonder
-sun," continued Magua, pointing impressively upward to the lurid
-luminary, which was struggling through the misty atmosphere of the
-horizon; "and these did He fashion to His own mind. He gave them this
-island as He had made it, covered with trees, and filled with game. The
-wind made their clearings; the sun and rain ripened their fruits; and
-the snows came to tell them to be thankful. What need had they of roads
-to journey by! They saw through the hills! When the beavers worked, they
-lay in the shade, and looked on. The winds cooled them in summer; in
-winter, skins kept them warm. If they fought among themselves, it was
-to prove that they were men. They were brave; they were just; they were
-happy."
-
-Here the speaker paused, and again looked around him to discover if his
-legend had touched the sympathies of his listeners. He met everywhere,
-with eyes riveted on his own, heads erect and nostrils expanded, as
-if each individual present felt himself able and willing, singly, to
-redress the wrongs of his race.
-
-"If the Great Spirit gave different tongues to his red children," he
-continued, in a low, still melancholy voice, "it was that all animals
-might understand them. Some He placed among the snows, with their
-cousin, the bear. Some he placed near the setting sun, on the road to
-the happy hunting grounds. Some on the lands around the great fresh
-waters; but to His greatest, and most beloved, He gave the sands of the
-salt lake. Do my brothers know the name of this favored people?"
-
-"It was the Lenape!" exclaimed twenty eager voices in a breath.
-
-"It was the Lenni Lenape," returned Magua, affecting to bend his head in
-reverence to their former greatness. "It was the tribes of the Lenape!
-The sun rose from water that was salt, and set in water that was sweet,
-and never hid himself from their eyes. But why should I, a Huron of the
-woods, tell a wise people their own traditions? Why remind them of
-their injuries; their ancient greatness; their deeds; their glory; their
-happiness; their losses; their defeats; their misery? Is there not one
-among them who has seen it all, and who knows it to be true? I have
-done. My tongue is still for my heart is of lead. I listen."
-
-As the voice of the speaker suddenly ceased, every face and all eyes
-turned, by a common movement, toward the venerable Tamenund. From the
-moment that he took his seat, until the present instant, the lips of the
-patriarch had not severed, and scarcely a sign of life had escaped him.
-He sat bent in feebleness, and apparently unconscious of the presence
-he was in, during the whole of that opening scene, in which the skill of
-the scout had been so clearly established. At the nicely graduated sound
-of Magua's voice, however, he betrayed some evidence of consciousness,
-and once or twice he even raised his head, as if to listen. But when
-the crafty Huron spoke of his nation by name, the eyelids of the old man
-raised themselves, and he looked out upon the multitude with that sort
-of dull, unmeaning expression which might be supposed to belong to the
-countenance of a specter. Then he made an effort to rise, and being
-upheld by his supporters, he gained his feet, in a posture commanding by
-its dignity, while he tottered with weakness.
-
-"Who calls upon the children of the Lenape?" he said, in a deep,
-guttural voice, that was rendered awfully audible by the breathless
-silence of the multitude; "who speaks of things gone? Does not the egg
-become a worm--the worm a fly, and perish? Why tell the Delawares of
-good that is past? Better thank the Manitou for that which remains."
-
-"It is a Wyandot," said Magua, stepping nigher to the rude platform on
-which the other stood; "a friend of Tamenund."
-
-"A friend!" repeated the sage, on whose brow a dark frown settled,
-imparting a portion of that severity which had rendered his eye so
-terrible in middle age. "Are the Mingoes rulers of the earth? What
-brings a Huron in here?"
-
-"Justice. His prisoners are with his brothers, and he comes for his
-own."
-
-Tamenund turned his head toward one of his supporters, and listened to
-the short explanation the man gave.
-
-Then, facing the applicant, he regarded him a moment with deep
-attention; after which he said, in a low and reluctant voice:
-
-"Justice is the law of the great Manitou. My children, give the stranger
-food. Then, Huron, take thine own and depart."
-
-On the delivery of this solemn judgment, the patriarch seated himself,
-and closed his eyes again, as if better pleased with the images of
-his own ripened experience than with the visible objects of the world.
-Against such a decree there was no Delaware sufficiently hardy to
-murmur, much less oppose himself. The words were barely uttered when
-four or five of the younger warriors, stepping behind Heyward and the
-scout, passed thongs so dexterously and rapidly around their arms, as
-to hold them both in instant bondage. The former was too much engrossed
-with his precious and nearly insensible burden, to be aware of their
-intentions before they were executed; and the latter, who considered
-even the hostile tribes of the Delawares a superior race of beings,
-submitted without resistance. Perhaps, however, the manner of the scout
-would not have been so passive, had he fully comprehended the language
-in which the preceding dialogue had been conducted.
-
-Magua cast a look of triumph around the whole assembly before he
-proceeded to the execution of his purpose. Perceiving that the men were
-unable to offer any resistance, he turned his looks on her he valued
-most. Cora met his gaze with an eye so calm and firm, that his
-resolution wavered. Then, recollecting his former artifice, he raised
-Alice from the arms of the warrior against whom she leaned, and
-beckoning Heyward to follow, he motioned for the encircling crowd to
-open. But Cora, instead of obeying the impulse he had expected, rushed
-to the feet of the patriarch, and, raising her voice, exclaimed aloud:
-
-"Just and venerable Delaware, on thy wisdom and power we lean for mercy!
-Be deaf to yonder artful and remorseless monster, who poisons thy ears
-with falsehoods to feed his thirst for blood. Thou that hast lived long,
-and that hast seen the evil of the world, should know how to temper its
-calamities to the miserable."
-
-The eyes of the old man opened heavily, and he once more looked upward
-at the multitude. As the piercing tones of the suppliant swelled on
-his ears, they moved slowly in the direction of her person, and finally
-settled there in a steady gaze. Cora had cast herself to her knees;
-and, with hands clenched in each other and pressed upon her bosom, she
-remained like a beauteous and breathing model of her sex, looking up in
-his faded but majestic countenance, with a species of holy reverence.
-Gradually the expression of Tamenund's features changed, and losing
-their vacancy in admiration, they lighted with a portion of that
-intelligence which a century before had been wont to communicate his
-youthful fire to the extensive bands of the Delawares. Rising without
-assistance, and seemingly without an effort, he demanded, in a voice
-that startled its auditors by its firmness:
-
-"What art thou?"
-
-"A woman. One of a hated race, if thou wilt--a Yengee. But one who has
-never harmed thee, and who cannot harm thy people, if she would; who
-asks for succor."
-
-"Tell me, my children," continued the patriarch, hoarsely, motioning to
-those around him, though his eyes still dwelt upon the kneeling form of
-Cora, "where have the Delawares camped?"
-
-"In the mountains of the Iroquois, beyond the clear springs of the
-Horican."
-
-"Many parching summers are come and gone," continued the sage, "since
-I drank of the water of my own rivers. The children of Minquon* are the
-justest white men, but they were thirsty and they took it to themselves.
-Do they follow us so far?"
-
-     * William Penn was termed Minquon by the Delawares, and, as
-     he never used violence or injustice in his dealings with
-     them, his reputation for probity passed into a proverb. The
-     American is justly proud of the origin of his nation, which
-     is perhaps unequaled in the history of the world; but the
-     Pennsylvanian and Jerseyman have more reason to value
-     themselves in their ancestors than the natives of any other
-     state, since no wrong was done the original owners of the
-     soil.
-
-"We follow none, we covet nothing," answered Cora. "Captives against our
-wills, have we been brought amongst you; and we ask but permission
-to depart to our own in peace. Art thou not Tamenund--the father, the
-judge, I had almost said, the prophet--of this people?"
-
-"I am Tamenund of many days."
-
-"'Tis now some seven years that one of thy people was at the mercy of
-a white chief on the borders of this province. He claimed to be of the
-blood of the good and just Tamenund. 'Go', said the white man, 'for
-thy parent's sake thou art free.' Dost thou remember the name of that
-English warrior?"
-
-"I remember, that when a laughing boy," returned the patriarch, with the
-peculiar recollection of vast age, "I stood upon the sands of the sea
-shore, and saw a big canoe, with wings whiter than the swan's, and wider
-than many eagles, come from the rising sun."
-
-"Nay, nay; I speak not of a time so very distant, but of favor shown to
-thy kindred by one of mine, within the memory of thy youngest warrior."
-
-"Was it when the Yengeese and the Dutchmanne fought for the
-hunting-grounds of the Delawares? Then Tamenund was a chief, and first
-laid aside the bow for the lightning of the pale faces--"
-
-"Not yet then," interrupted Cora, "by many ages; I speak of a thing of
-yesterday. Surely, surely, you forget it not."
-
-"It was but yesterday," rejoined the aged man, with touching pathos,
-"that the children of the Lenape were masters of the world. The fishes
-of the salt lake, the birds, the beasts, and the Mengee of the woods,
-owned them for Sagamores."
-
-Cora bowed her head in disappointment, and, for a bitter moment
-struggled with her chagrin. Then, elevating her rich features and
-beaming eyes, she continued, in tones scarcely less penetrating than the
-unearthly voice of the patriarch himself:
-
-"Tell me, is Tamenund a father?"
-
-The old man looked down upon her from his elevated stand, with a
-benignant smile on his wasted countenance, and then casting his eyes
-slowly over the whole assemblage, he answered:
-
-"Of a nation."
-
-"For myself I ask nothing. Like thee and thine, venerable chief," she
-continued, pressing her hands convulsively on her heart, and suffering
-her head to droop until her burning cheeks were nearly concealed in the
-maze of dark, glossy tresses that fell in disorder upon her shoulders,
-"the curse of my ancestors has fallen heavily on their child. But yonder
-is one who has never known the weight of Heaven's displeasure until now.
-She is the daughter of an old and failing man, whose days are near their
-close. She has many, very many, to love her, and delight in her; and she
-is too good, much too precious, to become the victim of that villain."
-
-"I know that the pale faces are a proud and hungry race. I know that
-they claim not only to have the earth, but that the meanest of their
-color is better than the Sachems of the red man. The dogs and crows of
-their tribes," continued the earnest old chieftain, without heeding the
-wounded spirit of his listener, whose head was nearly crushed to the
-earth in shame, as he proceeded, "would bark and caw before they would
-take a woman to their wigwams whose blood was not of the color of snow.
-But let them not boast before the face of the Manitou too loud. They
-entered the land at the rising, and may yet go off at the setting sun.
-I have often seen the locusts strip the leaves from the trees, but the
-season of blossoms has always come again."
-
-"It is so," said Cora, drawing a long breath, as if reviving from a
-trance, raising her face, and shaking back her shining veil, with
-a kindling eye, that contradicted the death-like paleness of her
-countenance; "but why--it is not permitted us to inquire. There is yet
-one of thine own people who has not been brought before thee; before
-thou lettest the Huron depart in triumph, hear him speak."
-
-Observing Tamenund to look about him doubtingly, one of his companions
-said:
-
-"It is a snake--a red-skin in the pay of the Yengeese. We keep him for
-the torture."
-
-"Let him come," returned the sage.
-
-Then Tamenund once more sank into his seat, and a silence so deep
-prevailed while the young man prepared to obey his simple mandate, that
-the leaves, which fluttered in the draught of the light morning air,
-were distinctly heard rustling in the surrounding forest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 30
-
-     "If you deny me, fie upon your law!
-     There is no force in the decrees of Venice:
-     I stand for judgment: answer, shall I have it?"
-     --Merchant of Venice
-
-The silence continued unbroken by human sounds for many anxious minutes.
-Then the waving multitude opened and shut again, and Uncas stood in the
-living circle. All those eyes, which had been curiously studying the
-lineaments of the sage, as the source of their own intelligence, turned
-on the instant, and were now bent in secret admiration on the erect,
-agile, and faultless person of the captive. But neither the presence in
-which he found himself, nor the exclusive attention that he attracted,
-in any manner disturbed the self-possession of the young Mohican. He
-cast a deliberate and observing look on every side of him, meeting
-the settled expression of hostility that lowered in the visages of
-the chiefs with the same calmness as the curious gaze of the attentive
-children. But when, last in this haughty scrutiny, the person of
-Tamenund came under his glance, his eye became fixed, as though all
-other objects were already forgotten. Then, advancing with a slow and
-noiseless step up the area, he placed himself immediately before the
-footstool of the sage. Here he stood unnoted, though keenly observant
-himself, until one of the chiefs apprised the latter of his presence.
-
-"With what tongue does the prisoner speak to the Manitou?" demanded the
-patriarch, without unclosing his eyes.
-
-"Like his fathers," Uncas replied; "with the tongue of a Delaware."
-
-At this sudden and unexpected annunciation, a low, fierce yell ran
-through the multitude, that might not inaptly be compared to the growl
-of the lion, as his choler is first awakened--a fearful omen of the
-weight of his future anger. The effect was equally strong on the sage,
-though differently exhibited. He passed a hand before his eyes, as if
-to exclude the least evidence of so shameful a spectacle, while he
-repeated, in his low, guttural tones, the words he had just heard.
-
-"A Delaware! I have lived to see the tribes of the Lenape driven from
-their council-fires, and scattered, like broken herds of deer, among the
-hills of the Iroquois! I have seen the hatchets of a strong people sweep
-woods from the valleys, that the winds of heaven have spared! The beasts
-that run on the mountains, and the birds that fly above the trees, have
-I seen living in the wigwams of men; but never before have I found a
-Delaware so base as to creep, like a poisonous serpent, into the camps
-of his nation."
-
-"The singing-birds have opened their bills," returned Uncas, in the
-softest notes of his own musical voice; "and Tamenund has heard their
-song."
-
-The sage started, and bent his head aside, as if to catch the fleeting
-sounds of some passing melody.
-
-"Does Tamenund dream!" he exclaimed. "What voice is at his ear! Have
-the winters gone backward! Will summer come again to the children of the
-Lenape!"
-
-A solemn and respectful silence succeeded this incoherent burst from
-the lips of the Delaware prophet. His people readily constructed his
-unintelligible language into one of those mysterious conferences he was
-believed to hold so frequently with a superior intelligence and they
-awaited the issue of the revelation in awe. After a patient pause,
-however, one of the aged men, perceiving that the sage had lost the
-recollection of the subject before them, ventured to remind him again of
-the presence of the prisoner.
-
-"The false Delaware trembles lest he should hear the words of Tamenund,"
-he said. "'Tis a hound that howls, when the Yengeese show him a trail."
-
-"And ye," returned Uncas, looking sternly around him, "are dogs that
-whine, when the Frenchman casts ye the offals of his deer!"
-
-Twenty knives gleamed in the air, and as many warriors sprang to their
-feet, at this biting, and perhaps merited retort; but a motion from one
-of the chiefs suppressed the outbreaking of their tempers, and restored
-the appearance of quiet. The task might probably have been more
-difficult, had not a movement made by Tamenund indicated that he was
-again about to speak.
-
-"Delaware!" resumed the sage, "little art thou worthy of thy name. My
-people have not seen a bright sun in many winters; and the warrior who
-deserts his tribe when hid in clouds is doubly a traitor. The law of the
-Manitou is just. It is so; while the rivers run and the mountains stand,
-while the blossoms come and go on the trees, it must be so. He is thine,
-my children; deal justly by him."
-
-Not a limb was moved, nor was a breath drawn louder and longer than
-common, until the closing syllable of this final decree had passed the
-lips of Tamenund. Then a cry of vengeance burst at once, as it might be,
-from the united lips of the nation; a frightful augury of their ruthless
-intentions. In the midst of these prolonged and savage yells, a chief
-proclaimed, in a high voice, that the captive was condemned to endure
-the dreadful trial of torture by fire. The circle broke its order, and
-screams of delight mingled with the bustle and tumult of preparation.
-Heyward struggled madly with his captors; the anxious eye of Hawkeye
-began to look around him, with an expression of peculiar earnestness;
-and Cora again threw herself at the feet of the patriarch, once more a
-suppliant for mercy.
-
-Throughout the whole of these trying moments, Uncas had alone preserved
-his serenity. He looked on the preparations with a steady eye, and when
-the tormentors came to seize him, he met them with a firm and upright
-attitude. One among them, if possible more fierce and savage than his
-fellows, seized the hunting-shirt of the young warrior, and at a single
-effort tore it from his body. Then, with a yell of frantic pleasure,
-he leaped toward his unresisting victim and prepared to lead him to
-the stake. But, at that moment, when he appeared most a stranger to the
-feelings of humanity, the purpose of the savage was arrested as suddenly
-as if a supernatural agency had interposed in the behalf of Uncas. The
-eyeballs of the Delaware seemed to start from their sockets; his mouth
-opened and his whole form became frozen in an attitude of amazement.
-Raising his hand with a slow and regulated motion, he pointed with a
-finger to the bosom of the captive. His companions crowded about him in
-wonder and every eye was like his own, fastened intently on the figure
-of a small tortoise, beautifully tattooed on the breast of the prisoner,
-in a bright blue tint.
-
-For a single instant Uncas enjoyed his triumph, smiling calmly on the
-scene. Then motioning the crowd away with a high and haughty sweep of
-his arm, he advanced in front of the nation with the air of a king, and
-spoke in a voice louder than the murmur of admiration that ran through
-the multitude.
-
-"Men of the Lenni Lenape!" he said, "my race upholds the earth! Your
-feeble tribe stands on my shell! What fire that a Delaware can light
-would burn the child of my fathers," he added, pointing proudly to the
-simple blazonry on his skin; "the blood that came from such a stock
-would smother your flames! My race is the grandfather of nations!"
-
-"Who art thou?" demanded Tamenund, rising at the startling tones
-he heard, more than at any meaning conveyed by the language of the
-prisoner.
-
-"Uncas, the son of Chingachgook," answered the captive modestly, turning
-from the nation, and bending his head in reverence to the other's
-character and years; "a son of the great Unamis."*
-
-     * Turtle.
-
-"The hour of Tamenund is nigh!" exclaimed the sage; "the day is come,
-at last, to the night! I thank the Manitou, that one is here to fill my
-place at the council-fire. Uncas, the child of Uncas, is found! Let the
-eyes of a dying eagle gaze on the rising sun."
-
-The youth stepped lightly, but proudly on the platform, where he became
-visible to the whole agitated and wondering multitude. Tamenund held him
-long at the length of his arm and read every turn in the fine lineaments
-of his countenance, with the untiring gaze of one who recalled days of
-happiness.
-
-"Is Tamenund a boy?" at length the bewildered prophet exclaimed. "Have
-I dreamed of so many snows--that my people were scattered like floating
-sands--of Yengeese, more plenty than the leaves on the trees! The arrow
-of Tamenund would not frighten the fawn; his arm is withered like the
-branch of a dead oak; the snail would be swifter in the race; yet is
-Uncas before him as they went to battle against the pale faces! Uncas,
-the panther of his tribe, the eldest son of the Lenape, the wisest
-Sagamore of the Mohicans! Tell me, ye Delawares, has Tamenund been a
-sleeper for a hundred winters?"
-
-The calm and deep silence which succeeded these words sufficiently
-announced the awful reverence with which his people received the
-communication of the patriarch. None dared to answer, though all
-listened in breathless expectation of what might follow. Uncas, however,
-looking in his face with the fondness and veneration of a favored child,
-presumed on his own high and acknowledged rank, to reply.
-
-"Four warriors of his race have lived and died," he said, "since the
-friend of Tamenund led his people in battle. The blood of the turtle has
-been in many chiefs, but all have gone back into the earth from whence
-they came, except Chingachgook and his son."
-
-"It is true--it is true," returned the sage, a flash of recollection
-destroying all his pleasing fancies, and restoring him at once to a
-consciousness of the true history of his nation. "Our wise men have
-often said that two warriors of the unchanged race were in the hills of
-the Yengeese; why have their seats at the council-fires of the Delawares
-been so long empty?"
-
-At these words the young man raised his head, which he had still kept
-bowed a little, in reverence; and lifting his voice so as to be heard
-by the multitude, as if to explain at once and forever the policy of his
-family, he said aloud:
-
-"Once we slept where we could hear the salt lake speak in its anger.
-Then we were rulers and Sagamores over the land. But when a pale face
-was seen on every brook, we followed the deer back to the river of our
-nation. The Delawares were gone. Few warriors of them all stayed to
-drink of the stream they loved. Then said my fathers, 'Here will we
-hunt. The waters of the river go into the salt lake. If we go toward
-the setting sun, we shall find streams that run into the great lakes of
-sweet water; there would a Mohican die, like fishes of the sea, in the
-clear springs. When the Manitou is ready and shall say "Come," we will
-follow the river to the sea, and take our own again.' Such, Delawares,
-is the belief of the children of the Turtle. Our eyes are on the rising
-and not toward the setting sun. We know whence he comes, but we know not
-whither he goes. It is enough."
-
-The men of the Lenape listened to his words with all the respect that
-superstition could lend, finding a secret charm even in the figurative
-language with which the young Sagamore imparted his ideas. Uncas himself
-watched the effect of his brief explanation with intelligent eyes, and
-gradually dropped the air of authority he had assumed, as he perceived
-that his auditors were content. Then, permitting his looks to wander
-over the silent throng that crowded around the elevated seat of
-Tamenund, he first perceived Hawkeye in his bonds. Stepping eagerly
-from his stand, he made way for himself to the side of his friend; and
-cutting his thongs with a quick and angry stroke of his own knife, he
-motioned to the crowd to divide. The Indians silently obeyed, and once
-more they stood ranged in their circle, as before his appearance among
-them. Uncas took the scout by the hand, and led him to the feet of the
-patriarch.
-
-"Father," he said, "look at this pale face; a just man, and the friend
-of the Delawares."
-
-"Is he a son of Minquon?"
-
-"Not so; a warrior known to the Yengeese, and feared by the Maquas."
-
-"What name has he gained by his deeds?"
-
-"We call him Hawkeye," Uncas replied, using the Delaware phrase; "for
-his sight never fails. The Mingoes know him better by the death he gives
-their warriors; with them he is 'The Long Rifle'."
-
-"La Longue Carabine!" exclaimed Tamenund, opening his eyes, and
-regarding the scout sternly. "My son has not done well to call him
-friend."
-
-"I call him so who proves himself such," returned the young chief, with
-great calmness, but with a steady mien. "If Uncas is welcome among the
-Delawares, then is Hawkeye with his friends."
-
-"The pale face has slain my young men; his name is great for the blows
-he has struck the Lenape."
-
-"If a Mingo has whispered that much in the ear of the Delaware, he has
-only shown that he is a singing-bird," said the scout, who now believed
-that it was time to vindicate himself from such offensive charges,
-and who spoke as the man he addressed, modifying his Indian figures,
-however, with his own peculiar notions. "That I have slain the Maquas
-I am not the man to deny, even at their own council-fires; but that,
-knowingly, my hand has never harmed a Delaware, is opposed to the reason
-of my gifts, which is friendly to them, and all that belongs to their
-nation."
-
-A low exclamation of applause passed among the warriors who exchanged
-looks with each other like men that first began to perceive their error.
-
-"Where is the Huron?" demanded Tamenund. "Has he stopped my ears?"
-
-Magua, whose feelings during that scene in which Uncas had triumphed may
-be much better imagined than described, answered to the call by stepping
-boldly in front of the patriarch.
-
-"The just Tamenund," he said, "will not keep what a Huron has lent."
-
-"Tell me, son of my brother," returned the sage, avoiding the dark
-countenance of Le Subtil, and turning gladly to the more ingenuous
-features of Uncas, "has the stranger a conqueror's right over you?"
-
-"He has none. The panther may get into snares set by the women; but he
-is strong, and knows how to leap through them."
-
-"La Longue Carabine?"
-
-"Laughs at the Mingoes. Go, Huron, ask your squaws the color of a bear."
-
-"The stranger and white maiden that come into my camp together?"
-
-"Should journey on an open path."
-
-"And the woman that Huron left with my warriors?"
-
-Uncas made no reply.
-
-"And the woman that the Mingo has brought into my camp?" repeated
-Tamenund, gravely.
-
-"She is mine," cried Magua, shaking his hand in triumph at Uncas.
-"Mohican, you know that she is mine."
-
-"My son is silent," said Tamenund, endeavoring to read the expression of
-the face that the youth turned from him in sorrow.
-
-"It is so," was the low answer.
-
-A short and impressive pause succeeded, during which it was very
-apparent with what reluctance the multitude admitted the justice of the
-Mingo's claim. At length the sage, on whom alone the decision depended,
-said, in a firm voice:
-
-"Huron, depart."
-
-"As he came, just Tamenund," demanded the wily Magua, "or with hands
-filled with the faith of the Delawares? The wigwam of Le Renard Subtil
-is empty. Make him strong with his own."
-
-The aged man mused with himself for a time; and then, bending his head
-toward one of his venerable companions, he asked:
-
-"Are my ears open?"
-
-"It is true."
-
-"Is this Mingo a chief?"
-
-"The first in his nation."
-
-"Girl, what wouldst thou? A great warrior takes thee to wife. Go! thy
-race will not end."
-
-"Better, a thousand times, it should," exclaimed the horror-struck Cora,
-"than meet with such a degradation!"
-
-"Huron, her mind is in the tents of her fathers. An unwilling maiden
-makes an unhappy wigwam."
-
-"She speaks with the tongue of her people," returned Magua, regarding
-his victim with a look of bitter irony.
-
-"She is of a race of traders, and will bargain for a bright look. Let
-Tamenund speak the words."
-
-"Take you the wampum, and our love."
-
-"Nothing hence but what Magua brought hither."
-
-"Then depart with thine own. The Great Manitou forbids that a Delaware
-should be unjust."
-
-Magua advanced, and seized his captive strongly by the arm; the
-Delawares fell back, in silence; and Cora, as if conscious that
-remonstrance would be useless, prepared to submit to her fate without
-resistance.
-
-"Hold, hold!" cried Duncan, springing forward; "Huron, have mercy! her
-ransom shall make thee richer than any of thy people were ever yet known
-to be."
-
-"Magua is a red-skin; he wants not the beads of the pale faces."
-
-"Gold, silver, powder, lead--all that a warrior needs shall be in thy
-wigwam; all that becomes the greatest chief."
-
-"Le Subtil is very strong," cried Magua, violently shaking the hand
-which grasped the unresisting arm of Cora; "he has his revenge!"
-
-"Mighty ruler of Providence!" exclaimed Heyward, clasping his hands
-together in agony, "can this be suffered! To you, just Tamenund, I
-appeal for mercy."
-
-"The words of the Delaware are said," returned the sage, closing his
-eyes, and dropping back into his seat, alike wearied with his mental and
-his bodily exertion. "Men speak not twice."
-
-"That a chief should not misspend his time in unsaying what has once
-been spoken is wise and reasonable," said Hawkeye, motioning to Duncan
-to be silent; "but it is also prudent in every warrior to consider well
-before he strikes his tomahawk into the head of his prisoner. Huron, I
-love you not; nor can I say that any Mingo has ever received much favor
-at my hands. It is fair to conclude that, if this war does not soon end,
-many more of your warriors will meet me in the woods. Put it to your
-judgment, then, whether you would prefer taking such a prisoner as that
-into your encampment, or one like myself, who am a man that it would
-greatly rejoice your nation to see with naked hands."
-
-"Will 'The Long Rifle' give his life for the woman?" demanded Magua,
-hesitatingly; for he had already made a motion toward quitting the place
-with his victim.
-
-"No, no; I have not said so much as that," returned Hawkeye, drawing
-back with suitable discretion, when he noted the eagerness with which
-Magua listened to his proposal. "It would be an unequal exchange, to
-give a warrior, in the prime of his age and usefulness, for the best
-woman on the frontiers. I might consent to go into winter quarters, now
---at least six weeks afore the leaves will turn--on condition you will
-release the maiden."
-
-Magua shook his head, and made an impatient sign for the crowd to open.
-
-"Well, then," added the scout, with the musing air of a man who had not
-half made up his mind; "I will throw 'killdeer' into the bargain. Take
-the word of an experienced hunter, the piece has not its equal atween
-the provinces."
-
-Magua still disdained to reply, continuing his efforts to disperse the
-crowd.
-
-"Perhaps," added the scout, losing his dissembled coolness exactly in
-proportion as the other manifested an indifference to the exchange,
-"if I should condition to teach your young men the real virtue of the
-we'pon, it would smoothe the little differences in our judgments."
-
-Le Renard fiercely ordered the Delawares, who still lingered in an
-impenetrable belt around him, in hopes he would listen to the amicable
-proposal, to open his path, threatening, by the glance of his eye,
-another appeal to the infallible justice of their "prophet."
-
-"What is ordered must sooner or later arrive," continued Hawkeye,
-turning with a sad and humbled look to Uncas. "The varlet knows his
-advantage and will keep it! God bless you, boy; you have found friends
-among your natural kin, and I hope they will prove as true as some you
-have met who had no Indian cross. As for me, sooner or later, I
-must die; it is, therefore, fortunate there are but few to make my
-death-howl. After all, it is likely the imps would have managed to
-master my scalp, so a day or two will make no great difference in
-the everlasting reckoning of time. God bless you," added the rugged
-woodsman, bending his head aside, and then instantly changing its
-direction again, with a wistful look toward the youth; "I loved both you
-and your father, Uncas, though our skins are not altogether of a color,
-and our gifts are somewhat different. Tell the Sagamore I never lost
-sight of him in my greatest trouble; and, as for you, think of me
-sometimes when on a lucky trail, and depend on it, boy, whether there
-be one heaven or two, there is a path in the other world by which honest
-men may come together again. You'll find the rifle in the place we hid
-it; take it, and keep it for my sake; and, harkee, lad, as your natural
-gifts don't deny you the use of vengeance, use it a little freely on the
-Mingoes; it may unburden griefs at my loss, and ease your mind. Huron, I
-accept your offer; release the woman. I am your prisoner!"
-
-A suppressed, but still distinct murmur of approbation ran through the
-crowd at this generous proposition; even the fiercest among the
-Delaware warriors manifesting pleasure at the manliness of the intended
-sacrifice. Magua paused, and for an anxious moment, it might be said,
-he doubted; then, casting his eyes on Cora, with an expression in which
-ferocity and admiration were strangely mingled, his purpose became fixed
-forever.
-
-He intimated his contempt of the offer with a backward motion of his
-head, and said, in a steady and settled voice:
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief; he has but one mind. Come," he
-added, laying his hand too familiarly on the shoulder of his captive to
-urge her onward; "a Huron is no tattler; we will go."
-
-The maiden drew back in lofty womanly reserve, and her dark eye kindled,
-while the rich blood shot, like the passing brightness of the sun, into
-her very temples, at the indignity.
-
-"I am your prisoner, and, at a fitting time shall be ready to follow,
-even to my death. But violence is unnecessary," she coldly said; and
-immediately turning to Hawkeye, added: "Generous hunter! from my soul I
-thank you. Your offer is vain, neither could it be accepted; but still
-you may serve me, even more than in your own noble intention. Look at
-that drooping humbled child! Abandon her not until you leave her in the
-habitations of civilized men. I will not say," wringing the hard hand of
-the scout, "that her father will reward you--for such as you are above
-the rewards of men--but he will thank you and bless you. And, believe
-me, the blessing of a just and aged man has virtue in the sight of
-Heaven. Would to God I could hear one word from his lips at this awful
-moment!" Her voice became choked, and, for an instant, she was silent;
-then, advancing a step nigher to Duncan, who was supporting her
-unconscious sister, she continued, in more subdued tones, but in which
-feeling and the habits of her sex maintained a fearful struggle: "I need
-not tell you to cherish the treasure you will possess. You love her,
-Heyward; that would conceal a thousand faults, though she had them. She
-is kind, gentle, sweet, good, as mortal may be. There is not a blemish
-in mind or person at which the proudest of you all would sicken. She
-is fair--oh! how surpassingly fair!" laying her own beautiful, but less
-brilliant, hand in melancholy affection on the alabaster forehead of
-Alice, and parting the golden hair which clustered about her brows; "and
-yet her soul is pure and spotless as her skin! I could say much--more,
-perhaps, than cooler reason would approve; but I will spare you and
-myself--" Her voice became inaudible, and her face was bent over the
-form of her sister. After a long and burning kiss, she arose, and with
-features of the hue of death, but without even a tear in her feverish
-eye, she turned away, and added, to the savage, with all her former
-elevation of manner: "Now, sir, if it be your pleasure, I will follow."
-
-"Ay, go," cried Duncan, placing Alice in the arms of an Indian girl;
-"go, Magua, go. These Delawares have their laws, which forbid them to
-detain you; but I--I have no such obligation. Go, malignant monster--why
-do you delay?"
-
-It would be difficult to describe the expression with which Magua
-listened to this threat to follow. There was at first a fierce and
-manifest display of joy, and then it was instantly subdued in a look of
-cunning coldness.
-
-"The words are open," he was content with answering, "'The Open Hand'
-can come."
-
-"Hold," cried Hawkeye, seizing Duncan by the arm, and detaining him by
-violence; "you know not the craft of the imp. He would lead you to an
-ambushment, and your death--"
-
-"Huron," interrupted Uncas, who submissive to the stern customs of his
-people, had been an attentive and grave listener to all that passed;
-"Huron, the justice of the Delawares comes from the Manitou. Look at the
-sun. He is now in the upper branches of the hemlock. Your path is short
-and open. When he is seen above the trees, there will be men on your
-trail."
-
-"I hear a crow!" exclaimed Magua, with a taunting laugh. "Go!" he added,
-shaking his hand at the crowd, which had slowly opened to admit his
-passage. "Where are the petticoats of the Delawares! Let them send their
-arrows and their guns to the Wyandots; they shall have venison to eat,
-and corn to hoe. Dogs, rabbits, thieves--I spit on you!"
-
-His parting gibes were listened to in a dead, boding silence, and, with
-these biting words in his mouth, the triumphant Magua passed unmolested
-into the forest, followed by his passive captive, and protected by the
-inviolable laws of Indian hospitality.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 31
-
-     "Flue.--Kill the poys and the luggage! 'Tis expressly
-     against the law of arms; 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery,
-     mark you now, as can be offered in the 'orld."
-     --King Henry V.
-
-So long as their enemy and his victim continued in sight, the multitude
-remained motionless as beings charmed to the place by some power that
-was friendly to the Huron; but, the instant he disappeared, it became
-tossed and agitated by fierce and powerful passion. Uncas maintained his
-elevated stand, keeping his eyes on the form of Cora, until the colors
-of her dress were blended with the foliage of the forest; when he
-descended, and, moving silently through the throng, he disappeared in
-that lodge from which he had so recently issued. A few of the graver and
-more attentive warriors, who caught the gleams of anger that shot from
-the eyes of the young chief in passing, followed him to the place he
-had selected for his meditations. After which, Tamenund and Alice were
-removed, and the women and children were ordered to disperse. During
-the momentous hour that succeeded, the encampment resembled a hive of
-troubled bees, who only awaited the appearance and example of their
-leader to take some distant and momentous flight.
-
-A young warrior at length issued from the lodge of Uncas; and, moving
-deliberately, with a sort of grave march, toward a dwarf pine that grew
-in the crevices of the rocky terrace, he tore the bark from its body,
-and then turned whence he came without speaking. He was soon followed
-by another, who stripped the sapling of its branches, leaving it a naked
-and blazed* trunk. A third colored the post with stripes of a dark red
-paint; all which indications of a hostile design in the leaders of the
-nation were received by the men without in a gloomy and ominous silence.
-Finally, the Mohican himself reappeared, divested of all his attire,
-except his girdle and leggings, and with one-half of his fine features
-hid under a cloud of threatening black.
-
-     * A tree which has been partially or entirely stripped of
-     its bark is said, in the language of the country, to be
-     "blazed." The term is strictly English, for a horse is said
-     to be blazed when it has a white mark.
-
-Uncas moved with a slow and dignified tread toward the post, which he
-immediately commenced encircling with a measured step, not unlike an
-ancient dance, raising his voice, at the same time, in the wild and
-irregular chant of his war song. The notes were in the extremes of
-human sounds; being sometimes melancholy and exquisitely plaintive,
-even rivaling the melody of birds--and then, by sudden and startling
-transitions, causing the auditors to tremble by their depth and energy.
-The words were few and often repeated, proceeding gradually from a sort
-of invocation, or hymn, to the Deity, to an intimation of the warrior's
-object, and terminating as they commenced with an acknowledgment of his
-own dependence on the Great Spirit. If it were possible to translate the
-comprehensive and melodious language in which he spoke, the ode might
-read something like the following: "Manitou! Manitou! Manitou! Thou art
-great, thou art good, thou art wise: Manitou! Manitou! Thou art just. In
-the heavens, in the clouds, oh, I see many spots--many dark, many red:
-In the heavens, oh, I see many clouds."
-
-"In the woods, in the air, oh, I hear the whoop, the long yell, and the
-cry: In the woods, oh, I hear the loud whoop!"
-
-"Manitou! Manitou! Manitou! I am weak--thou art strong; I am slow;
-Manitou! Manitou! Give me aid."
-
-At the end of what might be called each verse he made a pause, by
-raising a note louder and longer than common, that was peculiarly
-suited to the sentiment just expressed. The first close was solemn,
-and intended to convey the idea of veneration; the second descriptive,
-bordering on the alarming; and the third was the well-known and terrific
-war-whoop, which burst from the lips of the young warrior, like a
-combination of all the frightful sounds of battle. The last was like the
-first, humble and imploring. Three times did he repeat this song, and as
-often did he encircle the post in his dance.
-
-At the close of the first turn, a grave and highly esteemed chief of the
-Lenape followed his example, singing words of his own, however, to music
-of a similar character. Warrior after warrior enlisted in the dance,
-until all of any renown and authority were numbered in its mazes. The
-spectacle now became wildly terrific; the fierce-looking and menacing
-visages of the chiefs receiving additional power from the appalling
-strains in which they mingled their guttural tones. Just then Uncas
-struck his tomahawk deep into the post, and raised his voice in a shout,
-which might be termed his own battle cry. The act announced that he had
-assumed the chief authority in the intended expedition.
-
-It was a signal that awakened all the slumbering passions of the nation.
-A hundred youths, who had hitherto been restrained by the diffidence
-of their years, rushed in a frantic body on the fancied emblem of their
-enemy, and severed it asunder, splinter by splinter, until nothing
-remained of the trunk but its roots in the earth. During this moment of
-tumult, the most ruthless deeds of war were performed on the fragments
-of the tree, with as much apparent ferocity as if they were the living
-victims of their cruelty. Some were scalped; some received the keen and
-trembling axe; and others suffered by thrusts from the fatal knife. In
-short, the manifestations of zeal and fierce delight were so great and
-unequivocal, that the expedition was declared to be a war of the nation.
-
-The instant Uncas had struck the blow, he moved out of the circle, and
-cast his eyes up to the sun, which was just gaining the point, when
-the truce with Magua was to end. The fact was soon announced by a
-significant gesture, accompanied by a corresponding cry; and the whole
-of the excited multitude abandoned their mimic warfare, with shrill
-yells of pleasure, to prepare for the more hazardous experiment of the
-reality.
-
-The whole face of the encampment was instantly changed. The warriors,
-who were already armed and painted, became as still as if they were
-incapable of any uncommon burst of emotion. On the other hand, the women
-broke out of the lodges, with the songs of joy and those of lamentation
-so strangely mixed that it might have been difficult to have said which
-passion preponderated. None, however, was idle. Some bore their choicest
-articles, others their young, and some their aged and infirm, into
-the forest, which spread itself like a verdant carpet of bright green
-against the side of the mountain. Thither Tamenund also retired, with
-calm composure, after a short and touching interview with Uncas; from
-whom the sage separated with the reluctance that a parent would quit a
-long lost and just recovered child. In the meantime, Duncan saw Alice
-to a place of safety, and then sought the scout, with a countenance that
-denoted how eagerly he also panted for the approaching contest.
-
-But Hawkeye was too much accustomed to the war song and the enlistments
-of the natives, to betray any interest in the passing scene. He merely
-cast an occasional look at the number and quality of the warriors, who,
-from time to time, signified their readiness to accompany Uncas to
-the field. In this particular he was soon satisfied; for, as has been
-already seen, the power of the young chief quickly embraced every
-fighting man in the nation. After this material point was so
-satisfactorily decided, he despatched an Indian boy in quest of
-"killdeer" and the rifle of Uncas, to the place where they had deposited
-their weapons on approaching the camp of the Delawares; a measure of
-double policy, inasmuch as it protected the arms from their own fate,
-if detained as prisoners, and gave them the advantage of appearing among
-the strangers rather as sufferers than as men provided with means of
-defense and subsistence. In selecting another to perform the office of
-reclaiming his highly prized rifle, the scout had lost sight of none of
-his habitual caution. He knew that Magua had not come unattended, and he
-also knew that Huron spies watched the movements of their new enemies,
-along the whole boundary of the woods. It would, therefore, have been
-fatal to himself to have attempted the experiment; a warrior would have
-fared no better; but the danger of a boy would not be likely to commence
-until after his object was discovered. When Heyward joined him, the
-scout was coolly awaiting the result of this experiment.
-
-The boy, who had been well instructed, and was sufficiently crafty,
-proceeded, with a bosom that was swelling with the pride of such a
-confidence, and all the hopes of young ambition, carelessly across
-the clearing to the wood, which he entered at a point at some little
-distance from the place where the guns were secreted. The instant,
-however, he was concealed by the foliage of the bushes, his dusky form
-was to be seen gliding, like that of a serpent, toward the desired
-treasure. He was successful; and in another moment he appeared flying
-across the narrow opening that skirted the base of the terrace on which
-the village stood, with the velocity of an arrow, and bearing a prize
-in each hand. He had actually gained the crags, and was leaping up their
-sides with incredible activity, when a shot from the woods showed how
-accurate had been the judgment of the scout. The boy answered it with a
-feeble but contemptuous shout; and immediately a second bullet was
-sent after him from another part of the cover. At the next instant he
-appeared on the level above, elevating his guns in triumph, while he
-moved with the air of a conqueror toward the renowned hunter who had
-honored him by so glorious a commission.
-
-Notwithstanding the lively interest Hawkeye had taken in the fate of his
-messenger, he received "killdeer" with a satisfaction that, momentarily,
-drove all other recollections from his mind. After examining the piece
-with an intelligent eye, and opening and shutting the pan some ten or
-fifteen times, and trying sundry other equally important experiments on
-the lock, he turned to the boy and demanded with great manifestations of
-kindness, if he was hurt. The urchin looked proudly up in his face, but
-made no reply.
-
-"Ah! I see, lad, the knaves have barked your arm!" added the scout,
-taking up the limb of the patient sufferer, across which a deep flesh
-wound had been made by one of the bullets; "but a little bruised alder
-will act like a charm. In the meantime I will wrap it in a badge of
-wampum! You have commenced the business of a warrior early, my brave
-boy, and are likely to bear a plenty of honorable scars to your grave.
-I know many young men that have taken scalps who cannot show such a mark
-as this. Go!" having bound up the arm; "you will be a chief!"
-
-The lad departed, prouder of his flowing blood than the vainest courtier
-could be of his blushing ribbon; and stalked among the fellows of his
-age, an object of general admiration and envy.
-
-But, in a moment of so many serious and important duties, this single
-act of juvenile fortitude did not attract the general notice and
-commendation it would have received under milder auspices. It had,
-however, served to apprise the Delawares of the position and the
-intentions of their enemies. Accordingly a party of adventurers, better
-suited to the task than the weak though spirited boy, was ordered to
-dislodge the skulkers. The duty was soon performed; for most of the
-Hurons retired of themselves when they found they had been discovered.
-The Delawares followed to a sufficient distance from their own
-encampment, and then halted for orders, apprehensive of being led into
-an ambush. As both parties secreted themselves, the woods were again as
-still and quiet as a mild summer morning and deep solitude could render
-them.
-
-The calm but still impatient Uncas now collected his chiefs, and divided
-his power. He presented Hawkeye as a warrior, often tried, and always
-found deserving of confidence. When he found his friend met with a
-favorable reception, he bestowed on him the command of twenty men,
-like himself, active, skillful and resolute. He gave the Delawares to
-understand the rank of Heyward among the troops of the Yengeese, and
-then tendered to him a trust of equal authority. But Duncan declined the
-charge, professing his readiness to serve as a volunteer by the side of
-the scout. After this disposition, the young Mohican appointed various
-native chiefs to fill the different situations of responsibility, and,
-the time pressing, he gave forth the word to march. He was cheerfully,
-but silently obeyed by more than two hundred men.
-
-Their entrance into the forest was perfectly unmolested; nor did they
-encounter any living objects that could either give the alarm, or
-furnish the intelligence they needed, until they came upon the lairs of
-their own scouts. Here a halt was ordered, and the chiefs were assembled
-to hold a "whispering council."
-
-At this meeting divers plans of operation were suggested, though none
-of a character to meet the wishes of their ardent leader. Had Uncas
-followed the promptings of his own inclinations, he would have led his
-followers to the charge without a moment's delay, and put the conflict
-to the hazard of an instant issue; but such a course would have been in
-opposition to all the received practises and opinions of his countrymen.
-He was, therefore, fain to adopt a caution that in the present temper of
-his mind he execrated, and to listen to advice at which his fiery
-spirit chafed, under the vivid recollection of Cora's danger and Magua's
-insolence.
-
-After an unsatisfactory conference of many minutes, a solitary
-individual was seen advancing from the side of the enemy, with such
-apparent haste, as to induce the belief he might be a messenger charged
-with pacific overtures. When within a hundred yards, however, of the
-cover behind which the Delaware council had assembled, the stranger
-hesitated, appeared uncertain what course to take, and finally halted.
-All eyes were turned now on Uncas, as if seeking directions how to
-proceed.
-
-"Hawkeye," said the young chief, in a low voice, "he must never speak to
-the Hurons again."
-
-"His time has come," said the laconic scout, thrusting the long barrel
-of his rifle through the leaves, and taking his deliberate and fatal
-aim. But, instead of pulling the trigger, he lowered the muzzle again,
-and indulged himself in a fit of his peculiar mirth. "I took the imp for
-a Mingo, as I'm a miserable sinner!" he said; "but when my eye ranged
-along his ribs for a place to get the bullet in--would you think it,
-Uncas--I saw the musicianer's blower; and so, after all, it is the man
-they call Gamut, whose death can profit no one, and whose life, if this
-tongue can do anything but sing, may be made serviceable to our own
-ends. If sounds have not lost their virtue, I'll soon have a discourse
-with the honest fellow, and that in a voice he'll find more agreeable
-than the speech of 'killdeer'."
-
-So saying, Hawkeye laid aside his rifle; and, crawling through the
-bushes until within hearing of David, he attempted to repeat the musical
-effort, which had conducted himself, with so much safety and eclat,
-through the Huron encampment. The exquisite organs of Gamut could not
-readily be deceived (and, to say the truth, it would have been
-difficult for any other than Hawkeye to produce a similar noise), and,
-consequently, having once before heard the sounds, he now knew whence
-they proceeded. The poor fellow appeared relieved from a state of great
-embarrassment; for, pursuing the direction of the voice--a task that to
-him was not much less arduous that it would have been to have gone up in
-the face of a battery--he soon discovered the hidden songster.
-
-"I wonder what the Hurons will think of that!" said the scout, laughing,
-as he took his companion by the arm, and urged him toward the rear.
-"If the knaves lie within earshot, they will say there are two
-non-compossers instead of one! But here we are safe," he added, pointing
-to Uncas and his associates. "Now give us the history of the Mingo
-inventions in natural English, and without any ups and downs of voice."
-
-David gazed about him, at the fierce and wild-looking chiefs, in mute
-wonder; but assured by the presence of faces that he knew, he soon
-rallied his faculties so far as to make an intelligent reply.
-
-"The heathen are abroad in goodly numbers," said David; "and, I fear,
-with evil intent. There has been much howling and ungodly revelry,
-together with such sounds as it is profanity to utter, in their
-habitations within the past hour, so much so, in truth, that I have fled
-to the Delawares in search of peace."
-
-"Your ears might not have profited much by the exchange, had you been
-quicker of foot," returned the scout a little dryly. "But let that be as
-it may; where are the Hurons?"
-
-"They lie hid in the forest, between this spot and their village in such
-force, that prudence would teach you instantly to return."
-
-Uncas cast a glance along the range of trees which concealed his own
-band and mentioned the name of:
-
-"Magua?"
-
-"Is among them. He brought in the maiden that had sojourned with the
-Delawares; and, leaving her in the cave, has put himself, like a raging
-wolf, at the head of his savages. I know not what has troubled his
-spirit so greatly!"
-
-"He has left her, you say, in the cave!" interrupted Heyward; "'tis well
-that we know its situation! May not something be done for her instant
-relief?"
-
-Uncas looked earnestly at the scout, before he asked:
-
-"What says Hawkeye?"
-
-"Give me twenty rifles, and I will turn to the right, along the stream;
-and, passing by the huts of the beaver, will join the Sagamore and the
-colonel. You shall then hear the whoop from that quarter; with this wind
-one may easily send it a mile. Then, Uncas, do you drive in the front;
-when they come within range of our pieces, we will give them a blow
-that, I pledge the good name of an old frontiersman, shall make their
-line bend like an ashen bow. After which, we will carry the village, and
-take the woman from the cave; when the affair may be finished with the
-tribe, according to a white man's battle, by a blow and a victory;
-or, in the Indian fashion, with dodge and cover. There may be no great
-learning, major, in this plan, but with courage and patience it can all
-be done."
-
-"I like it very much," cried Duncan, who saw that the release of Cora
-was the primary object in the mind of the scout; "I like it much. Let it
-be instantly attempted."
-
-After a short conference, the plan was matured, and rendered more
-intelligible to the several parties; the different signals were
-appointed, and the chiefs separated, each to his allotted station.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 32
-
-     "But plagues shall spread, and funeral fires increase,
-     Till the great king, without a ransom paid,
-     To her own Chrysa send the black-eyed maid."
-     --Pope.
-
-During the time Uncas was making this disposition of his forces, the
-woods were as still, and, with the exception of those who had met in
-council, apparently as much untenanted as when they came fresh from
-the hands of their Almighty Creator. The eye could range, in every
-direction, through the long and shadowed vistas of the trees; but
-nowhere was any object to be seen that did not properly belong to the
-peaceful and slumbering scenery.
-
-Here and there a bird was heard fluttering among the branches of the
-beeches, and occasionally a squirrel dropped a nut, drawing the startled
-looks of the party for a moment to the place; but the instant the casual
-interruption ceased, the passing air was heard murmuring above their
-heads, along that verdant and undulating surface of forest, which spread
-itself unbroken, unless by stream or lake, over such a vast region of
-country. Across the tract of wilderness which lay between the Delawares
-and the village of their enemies, it seemed as if the foot of man had
-never trodden, so breathing and deep was the silence in which it lay.
-But Hawkeye, whose duty led him foremost in the adventure, knew the
-character of those with whom he was about to contend too well to trust
-the treacherous quiet.
-
-When he saw his little band collected, the scout threw "killdeer" into
-the hollow of his arm, and making a silent signal that he would be
-followed, he led them many rods toward the rear, into the bed of a
-little brook which they had crossed in advancing. Here he halted, and
-after waiting for the whole of his grave and attentive warriors to close
-about him, he spoke in Delaware, demanding:
-
-"Do any of my young men know whither this run will lead us?"
-
-A Delaware stretched forth a hand, with the two fingers separated,
-and indicating the manner in which they were joined at the root, he
-answered:
-
-"Before the sun could go his own length, the little water will be in
-the big." Then he added, pointing in the direction of the place he
-mentioned, "the two make enough for the beavers."
-
-"I thought as much," returned the scout, glancing his eye upward at the
-opening in the tree-tops, "from the course it takes, and the bearings of
-the mountains. Men, we will keep within the cover of its banks till we
-scent the Hurons."
-
-His companions gave the usual brief exclamation of assent, but,
-perceiving that their leader was about to lead the way in person, one
-or two made signs that all was not as it should be. Hawkeye, who
-comprehended their meaning glances, turned and perceived that his party
-had been followed thus far by the singing-master.
-
-"Do you know, friend," asked the scout, gravely, and perhaps with a
-little of the pride of conscious deserving in his manner, "that this is
-a band of rangers chosen for the most desperate service, and put under
-the command of one who, though another might say it with a better face,
-will not be apt to leave them idle. It may not be five, it cannot be
-thirty minutes, before we tread on the body of a Huron, living or dead."
-
-"Though not admonished of your intentions in words," returned David,
-whose face was a little flushed, and whose ordinarily quiet and
-unmeaning eyes glimmered with an expression of unusual fire, "your men
-have reminded me of the children of Jacob going out to battle against
-the Shechemites, for wickedly aspiring to wedlock with a woman of a race
-that was favored of the Lord. Now, I have journeyed far, and sojourned
-much in good and evil with the maiden ye seek; and, though not a man
-of war, with my loins girded and my sword sharpened, yet would I gladly
-strike a blow in her behalf."
-
-The scout hesitated, as if weighing the chances of such a strange
-enlistment in his mind before he answered:
-
-"You know not the use of any we'pon. You carry no rifle; and believe me,
-what the Mingoes take they will freely give again."
-
-"Though not a vaunting and bloodily disposed Goliath," returned David,
-drawing a sling from beneath his parti-colored and uncouth attire, "I
-have not forgotten the example of the Jewish boy. With this ancient
-instrument of war have I practised much in my youth, and peradventure
-the skill has not entirely departed from me."
-
-"Ay!" said Hawkeye, considering the deer-skin thong and apron, with a
-cold and discouraging eye; "the thing might do its work among arrows, or
-even knives; but these Mengwe have been furnished by the Frenchers with
-a good grooved barrel a man. However, it seems to be your gift to go
-unharmed amid fire; and as you have hitherto been favored--major, you
-have left your rifle at a cock; a single shot before the time would be
-just twenty scalps lost to no purpose--singer, you can follow; we may
-find use for you in the shoutings."
-
-"I thank you, friend," returned David, supplying himself, like his royal
-namesake, from among the pebbles of the brook; "though not given to
-the desire to kill, had you sent me away my spirit would have been
-troubled."
-
-"Remember," added the scout, tapping his own head significantly on that
-spot where Gamut was yet sore, "we come to fight, and not to musickate.
-Until the general whoop is given, nothing speaks but the rifle."
-
-David nodded, as much to signify his acquiescence with the terms; and
-then Hawkeye, casting another observant glance over his followers made
-the signal to proceed.
-
-Their route lay, for the distance of a mile, along the bed of the
-water-course. Though protected from any great danger of observation by
-the precipitous banks, and the thick shrubbery which skirted the stream,
-no precaution known to an Indian attack was neglected. A warrior rather
-crawled than walked on each flank so as to catch occasional glimpses
-into the forest; and every few minutes the band came to a halt, and
-listened for hostile sounds, with an acuteness of organs that would be
-scarcely conceivable to a man in a less natural state. Their march was,
-however, unmolested, and they reached the point where the lesser stream
-was lost in the greater, without the smallest evidence that their
-progress had been noted. Here the scout again halted, to consult the
-signs of the forest.
-
-"We are likely to have a good day for a fight," he said, in English,
-addressing Heyward, and glancing his eyes upward at the clouds, which
-began to move in broad sheets across the firmament; "a bright sun and a
-glittering barrel are no friends to true sight. Everything is favorable;
-they have the wind, which will bring down their noises and their smoke,
-too, no little matter in itself; whereas, with us it will be first
-a shot, and then a clear view. But here is an end to our cover; the
-beavers have had the range of this stream for hundreds of years, and
-what atween their food and their dams, there is, as you see, many a
-girdled stub, but few living trees."
-
-Hawkeye had, in truth, in these few words, given no bad description of
-the prospect that now lay in their front. The brook was irregular in its
-width, sometimes shooting through narrow fissures in the rocks, and at
-others spreading over acres of bottom land, forming little areas that
-might be termed ponds. Everywhere along its bands were the moldering
-relics of dead trees, in all the stages of decay, from those that
-groaned on their tottering trunks to such as had recently been robbed of
-those rugged coats that so mysteriously contain their principle of life.
-A few long, low, and moss-covered piles were scattered among them, like
-the memorials of a former and long-departed generation.
-
-All these minute particulars were noted by the scout, with a gravity and
-interest that they probably had never before attracted. He knew that
-the Huron encampment lay a short half mile up the brook; and, with
-the characteristic anxiety of one who dreaded a hidden danger, he was
-greatly troubled at not finding the smallest trace of the presence of
-his enemy. Once or twice he felt induced to give the order for a rush,
-and to attempt the village by surprise; but his experience quickly
-admonished him of the danger of so useless an experiment. Then he
-listened intently, and with painful uncertainty, for the sounds of
-hostility in the quarter where Uncas was left; but nothing was audible
-except the sighing of the wind, that began to sweep over the bosom of
-the forest in gusts which threatened a tempest. At length, yielding
-rather to his unusual impatience than taking counsel from his knowledge,
-he determined to bring matters to an issue, by unmasking his force, and
-proceeding cautiously, but steadily, up the stream.
-
-The scout had stood, while making his observations, sheltered by a
-brake, and his companions still lay in the bed of the ravine, through
-which the smaller stream debouched; but on hearing his low, though
-intelligible, signal the whole party stole up the bank, like so many
-dark specters, and silently arranged themselves around him. Pointing in
-the direction he wished to proceed, Hawkeye advanced, the band breaking
-off in single files, and following so accurately in his footsteps, as to
-leave it, if we except Heyward and David, the trail of but a single man.
-
-The party was, however, scarcely uncovered before a volley from a dozen
-rifles was heard in their rear; and a Delaware leaping high in to the
-air, like a wounded deer, fell at his whole length, dead.
-
-"Ah, I feared some deviltry like this!" exclaimed the scout, in English,
-adding, with the quickness of thought, in his adopted tongue: "To cover,
-men, and charge!"
-
-The band dispersed at the word, and before Heyward had well recovered
-from his surprise, he found himself standing alone with David. Luckily
-the Hurons had already fallen back, and he was safe from their fire. But
-this state of things was evidently to be of short continuance; for the
-scout set the example of pressing on their retreat, by discharging his
-rifle, and darting from tree to tree as his enemy slowly yielded ground.
-
-It would seem that the assault had been made by a very small party of
-the Hurons, which, however, continued to increase in numbers, as it
-retired on its friends, until the return fire was very nearly, if not
-quite, equal to that maintained by the advancing Delawares. Heyward
-threw himself among the combatants, and imitating the necessary caution
-of his companions, he made quick discharges with his own rifle. The
-contest now grew warm and stationary. Few were injured, as both parties
-kept their bodies as much protected as possible by the trees; never,
-indeed, exposing any part of their persons except in the act of taking
-aim. But the chances were gradually growing unfavorable to Hawkeye and
-his band. The quick-sighted scout perceived his danger without knowing
-how to remedy it. He saw it was more dangerous to retreat than to
-maintain his ground: while he found his enemy throwing out men on his
-flank; which rendered the task of keeping themselves covered so very
-difficult to the Delawares, as nearly to silence their fire. At this
-embarrassing moment, when they began to think the whole of the hostile
-tribe was gradually encircling them, they heard the yell of combatants
-and the rattling of arms echoing under the arches of the wood at the
-place where Uncas was posted, a bottom which, in a manner, lay beneath
-the ground on which Hawkeye and his party were contending.
-
-The effects of this attack were instantaneous, and to the scout and his
-friends greatly relieving. It would seem that, while his own surprise
-had been anticipated, and had consequently failed, the enemy, in their
-turn, having been deceived in its object and in his numbers, had left
-too small a force to resist the impetuous onset of the young Mohican.
-This fact was doubly apparent, by the rapid manner in which the battle
-in the forest rolled upward toward the village, and by an instant
-falling off in the number of their assailants, who rushed to assist in
-maintaining the front, and, as it now proved to be, the principal point
-of defense.
-
-Animating his followers by his voice, and his own example, Hawkeye then
-gave the word to bear down upon their foes. The charge, in that rude
-species of warfare, consisted merely in pushing from cover to cover,
-nigher to the enemy; and in this maneuver he was instantly and
-successfully obeyed. The Hurons were compelled to withdraw, and the
-scene of the contest rapidly changed from the more open ground, on which
-it had commenced, to a spot where the assailed found a thicket to
-rest upon. Here the struggle was protracted, arduous and seemingly of
-doubtful issue; the Delawares, though none of them fell, beginning to
-bleed freely, in consequence of the disadvantage at which they were
-held.
-
-In this crisis, Hawkeye found means to get behind the same tree as that
-which served for a cover to Heyward; most of his own combatants being
-within call, a little on his right, where they maintained rapid, though
-fruitless, discharges on their sheltered enemies.
-
-"You are a young man, major," said the scout, dropping the butt of
-"killdeer" to the earth, and leaning on the barrel, a little fatigued
-with his previous industry; "and it may be your gift to lead armies,
-at some future day, ag'in these imps, the Mingoes. You may here see the
-philosophy of an Indian fight. It consists mainly in ready hand, a quick
-eye and a good cover. Now, if you had a company of the Royal Americans
-here, in what manner would you set them to work in this business?"
-
-"The bayonet would make a road."
-
-"Ay, there is white reason in what you say; but a man must ask himself,
-in this wilderness, how many lives he can spare. No--horse*," continued
-the scout, shaking his head, like one who mused; "horse, I am ashamed to
-say must sooner or later decide these scrimmages. The brutes are better
-than men, and to horse must we come at last. Put a shodden hoof on the
-moccasin of a red-skin, and, if his rifle be once emptied, he will never
-stop to load it again."
-
-     * The American forest admits of the passage of horses, there
-     being little underbrush, and few tangled brakes. The plan of
-     Hawkeye is the one which has always proved the most
-     successful in the battles between the whites and the
-     Indians. Wayne, in his celebrated campaign on the Miami,
-     received the fire of his enemies in line; and then causing
-     his dragoons to wheel round his flanks, the Indians were
-     driven from their covers before they had time to load. One
-     of the most conspicuous of the chiefs who fought in the
-     battle of Miami assured the writer, that the red men could
-     not fight the warriors with "long knives and leather
-     stockings"; meaning the dragoons with their sabers and
-     boots.
-
-"This is a subject that might better be discussed at another time,"
-returned Heyward; "shall we charge?"
-
-"I see no contradiction to the gifts of any man in passing his breathing
-spells in useful reflections," the scout replied. "As to rush, I little
-relish such a measure; for a scalp or two must be thrown away in the
-attempt. And yet," he added, bending his head aside, to catch the sounds
-of the distant combat, "if we are to be of use to Uncas, these knaves in
-our front must be got rid of."
-
-Then, turning with a prompt and decided air, he called aloud to his
-Indians, in their own language. His words were answered by a shout;
-and, at a given signal, each warrior made a swift movement around his
-particular tree. The sight of so many dark bodies, glancing before their
-eyes at the same instant, drew a hasty and consequently an ineffectual
-fire from the Hurons. Without stopping to breathe, the Delawares leaped
-in long bounds toward the wood, like so many panthers springing upon
-their prey. Hawkeye was in front, brandishing his terrible rifle and
-animating his followers by his example. A few of the older and more
-cunning Hurons, who had not been deceived by the artifice which had been
-practiced to draw their fire, now made a close and deadly discharge of
-their pieces and justified the apprehensions of the scout by felling
-three of his foremost warriors. But the shock was insufficient to repel
-the impetus of the charge. The Delawares broke into the cover with the
-ferocity of their natures and swept away every trace of resistance by
-the fury of the onset.
-
-The combat endured only for an instant, hand to hand, and then the
-assailed yielded ground rapidly, until they reached the opposite
-margin of the thicket, where they clung to the cover, with the sort of
-obstinacy that is so often witnessed in hunted brutes. At this critical
-moment, when the success of the struggle was again becoming doubtful,
-the crack of a rifle was heard behind the Hurons, and a bullet came
-whizzing from among some beaver lodges, which were situated in the
-clearing, in their rear, and was followed by the fierce and appalling
-yell of the war-whoop.
-
-"There speaks the Sagamore!" shouted Hawkeye, answering the cry with his
-own stentorian voice; "we have them now in face and back!"
-
-The effect on the Hurons was instantaneous. Discouraged by an assault
-from a quarter that left them no opportunity for cover, the warriors
-uttered a common yell of disappointment, and breaking off in a
-body, they spread themselves across the opening, heedless of every
-consideration but flight. Many fell, in making the experiment, under the
-bullets and the blows of the pursuing Delawares.
-
-We shall not pause to detail the meeting between the scout and
-Chingachgook, or the more touching interview that Duncan held with
-Munro. A few brief and hurried words served to explain the state of
-things to both parties; and then Hawkeye, pointing out the Sagamore to
-his band, resigned the chief authority into the hands of the Mohican
-chief. Chingachgook assumed the station to which his birth and
-experience gave him so distinguished a claim, with the grave dignity
-that always gives force to the mandates of a native warrior. Following
-the footsteps of the scout, he led the party back through the thicket,
-his men scalping the fallen Hurons and secreting the bodies of their own
-dead as they proceeded, until they gained a point where the former was
-content to make a halt.
-
-The warriors, who had breathed themselves freely in the preceding
-struggle, were now posted on a bit of level ground, sprinkled with
-trees in sufficient numbers to conceal them. The land fell away rather
-precipitately in front, and beneath their eyes stretched, for several
-miles, a narrow, dark, and wooded vale. It was through this dense and
-dark forest that Uncas was still contending with the main body of the
-Hurons.
-
-The Mohican and his friends advanced to the brow of the hill, and
-listened, with practised ears, to the sounds of the combat. A few
-birds hovered over the leafy bosom of the valley, frightened from their
-secluded nests; and here and there a light vapory cloud, which seemed
-already blending with the atmosphere, arose above the trees, and
-indicated some spot where the struggle had been fierce and stationary.
-
-"The fight is coming up the ascent," said Duncan, pointing in the
-direction of a new explosion of firearms; "we are too much in the center
-of their line to be effective."
-
-"They will incline into the hollow, where the cover is thicker," said
-the scout, "and that will leave us well on their flank. Go, Sagamore;
-you will hardly be in time to give the whoop, and lead on the young men.
-I will fight this scrimmage with warriors of my own color. You know me,
-Mohican; not a Huron of them all shall cross the swell, into your rear,
-without the notice of 'killdeer'."
-
-The Indian chief paused another moment to consider the signs of the
-contest, which was now rolling rapidly up the ascent, a certain evidence
-that the Delawares triumphed; nor did he actually quit the place until
-admonished of the proximity of his friends, as well as enemies, by the
-bullets of the former, which began to patter among the dried leaves on
-the ground, like the bits of falling hail which precede the bursting of
-the tempest. Hawkeye and his three companions withdrew a few paces to
-a shelter, and awaited the issue with calmness that nothing but great
-practise could impart in such a scene.
-
-It was not long before the reports of the rifles began to lose the
-echoes of the woods, and to sound like weapons discharged in the open
-air. Then a warrior appeared, here and there, driven to the skirts of
-the forest, and rallying as he entered the clearing, as at the place
-where the final stand was to be made. These were soon joined by others,
-until a long line of swarthy figures was to be seen clinging to
-the cover with the obstinacy of desperation. Heyward began to
-grow impatient, and turned his eyes anxiously in the direction of
-Chingachgook. The chief was seated on a rock, with nothing visible but
-his calm visage, considering the spectacle with an eye as deliberate as
-if he were posted there merely to view the struggle.
-
-"The time has come for the Delaware to strike!" said Duncan.
-
-"Not so, not so," returned the scout; "when he scents his friends, he
-will let them know that he is here. See, see; the knaves are getting in
-that clump of pines, like bees settling after their flight. By the
-Lord, a squaw might put a bullet into the center of such a knot of dark
-skins!"
-
-At that instant the whoop was given, and a dozen Hurons fell by a
-discharge from Chingachgook and his band. The shout that followed was
-answered by a single war-cry from the forest, and a yell passed through
-the air that sounded as if a thousand throats were united in a common
-effort. The Hurons staggered, deserting the center of their line, and
-Uncas issued from the forest through the opening they left, at the head
-of a hundred warriors.
-
-Waving his hands right and left, the young chief pointed out the enemy
-to his followers, who separated in pursuit. The war now divided, both
-wings of the broken Hurons seeking protection in the woods again, hotly
-pressed by the victorious warriors of the Lenape. A minute might have
-passed, but the sounds were already receding in different directions,
-and gradually losing their distinctness beneath the echoing arches of
-the woods. One little knot of Hurons, however, had disdained to seek a
-cover, and were retiring, like lions at bay, slowly and sullenly up the
-acclivity which Chingachgook and his band had just deserted, to mingle
-more closely in the fray. Magua was conspicuous in this party, both by
-his fierce and savage mien, and by the air of haughty authority he yet
-maintained.
-
-In his eagerness to expedite the pursuit, Uncas had left himself nearly
-alone; but the moment his eye caught the figure of Le Subtil, every
-other consideration was forgotten. Raising his cry of battle, which
-recalled some six or seven warriors, and reckless of the disparity of
-their numbers, he rushed upon his enemy. Le Renard, who watched the
-movement, paused to receive him with secret joy. But at the moment when
-he thought the rashness of his impetuous young assailant had left him
-at his mercy, another shout was given, and La Longue Carabine was seen
-rushing to the rescue, attended by all his white associates. The Huron
-instantly turned, and commenced a rapid retreat up the ascent.
-
-There was no time for greetings or congratulations; for Uncas, though
-unconscious of the presence of his friends, continued the pursuit with
-the velocity of the wind. In vain Hawkeye called to him to respect the
-covers; the young Mohican braved the dangerous fire of his enemies, and
-soon compelled them to a flight as swift as his own headlong speed. It
-was fortunate that the race was of short continuance, and that the white
-men were much favored by their position, or the Delaware would soon have
-outstripped all his companions, and fallen a victim to his own temerity.
-But, ere such a calamity could happen, the pursuers and pursued entered
-the Wyandot village, within striking distance of each other.
-
-Excited by the presence of their dwellings, and tired of the chase, the
-Hurons now made a stand, and fought around their council-lodge with
-the fury of despair. The onset and the issue were like the passage and
-destruction of a whirlwind. The tomahawk of Uncas, the blows of Hawkeye,
-and even the still nervous arm of Munro were all busy for that passing
-moment, and the ground was quickly strewed with their enemies. Still
-Magua, though daring and much exposed, escaped from every effort against
-his life, with that sort of fabled protection that was made to overlook
-the fortunes of favored heroes in the legends of ancient poetry. Raising
-a yell that spoke volumes of anger and disappointment, the subtle chief,
-when he saw his comrades fallen, darted away from the place, attended
-by his two only surviving friends, leaving the Delawares engaged in
-stripping the dead of the bloody trophies of their victory.
-
-But Uncas, who had vainly sought him in the melee, bounded forward in
-pursuit; Hawkeye, Heyward and David still pressing on his footsteps. The
-utmost that the scout could effect, was to keep the muzzle of his rifle
-a little in advance of his friend, to whom, however, it answered every
-purpose of a charmed shield. Once Magua appeared disposed to make
-another and a final effort to revenge his losses; but, abandoning his
-intention as soon as demonstrated, he leaped into a thicket of bushes,
-through which he was followed by his enemies, and suddenly entered the
-mouth of the cave already known to the reader. Hawkeye, who had only
-forborne to fire in tenderness to Uncas, raised a shout of success, and
-proclaimed aloud that now they were certain of their game. The pursuers
-dashed into the long and narrow entrance, in time to catch a glimpse of
-the retreating forms of the Hurons. Their passage through the natural
-galleries and subterraneous apartments of the cavern was preceded by the
-shrieks and cries of hundreds of women and children. The place, seen by
-its dim and uncertain light, appeared like the shades of the infernal
-regions, across which unhappy ghosts and savage demons were flitting in
-multitudes.
-
-Still Uncas kept his eye on Magua, as if life to him possessed but
-a single object. Heyward and the scout still pressed on his rear,
-actuated, though possibly in a less degree, by a common feeling. But
-their way was becoming intricate, in those dark and gloomy passages, and
-the glimpses of the retiring warriors less distinct and frequent; and
-for a moment the trace was believed to be lost, when a white robe was
-seen fluttering in the further extremity of a passage that seemed to
-lead up the mountain.
-
-"'Tis Cora!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice in which horror and delight
-were wildly mingled.
-
-"Cora! Cora!" echoed Uncas, bounding forward like a deer.
-
-"'Tis the maiden!" shouted the scout. "Courage, lady; we come! we come!"
-
-The chase was renewed with a diligence rendered tenfold encouraging
-by this glimpse of the captive. But the way was rugged, broken, and in
-spots nearly impassable. Uncas abandoned his rifle, and leaped forward
-with headlong precipitation. Heyward rashly imitated his example, though
-both were, a moment afterward, admonished of his madness by hearing the
-bellowing of a piece, that the Hurons found time to discharge down the
-passage in the rocks, the bullet from which even gave the young Mohican
-a slight wound.
-
-"We must close!" said the scout, passing his friends by a desperate
-leap; "the knaves will pick us all off at this distance; and see, they
-hold the maiden so as to shield themselves!"
-
-Though his words were unheeded, or rather unheard, his example was
-followed by his companions, who, by incredible exertions, got near
-enough to the fugitives to perceive that Cora was borne along between
-the two warriors while Magua prescribed the direction and manner of
-their flight. At this moment the forms of all four were strongly drawn
-against an opening in the sky, and they disappeared. Nearly frantic with
-disappointment, Uncas and Heyward increased efforts that already seemed
-superhuman, and they issued from the cavern on the side of the mountain,
-in time to note the route of the pursued. The course lay up the ascent,
-and still continued hazardous and laborious.
-
-Encumbered by his rifle, and, perhaps, not sustained by so deep an
-interest in the captive as his companions, the scout suffered the latter
-to precede him a little, Uncas, in his turn, taking the lead of Heyward.
-In this manner, rocks, precipices and difficulties were surmounted in
-an incredibly short space, that at another time, and under other
-circumstances, would have been deemed almost insuperable. But the
-impetuous young men were rewarded by finding that, encumbered with Cora,
-the Hurons were losing ground in the race.
-
-"Stay, dog of the Wyandots!" exclaimed Uncas, shaking his bright
-tomahawk at Magua; "a Delaware girl calls stay!"
-
-"I will go no further!" cried Cora, stopping unexpectedly on a ledge
-of rock, that overhung a deep precipice, at no great distance from the
-summit of the mountain. "Kill me if thou wilt, detestable Huron; I will
-go no further."
-
-The supporters of the maiden raised their ready tomahawks with the
-impious joy that fiends are thought to take in mischief, but Magua
-stayed the uplifted arms. The Huron chief, after casting the weapons
-he had wrested from his companions over the rock, drew his knife,
-and turned to his captive, with a look in which conflicting passions
-fiercely contended.
-
-"Woman," he said, "chose; the wigwam or the knife of Le Subtil!"
-
-Cora regarded him not, but dropping on her knees, she raised her eyes
-and stretched her arms toward heaven, saying in a meek and yet confiding
-voice:
-
-"I am thine; do with me as thou seest best!"
-
-"Woman," repeated Magua, hoarsely, and endeavoring in vain to catch a
-glance from her serene and beaming eye, "choose!"
-
-But Cora neither heard nor heeded his demand. The form of the Huron
-trembled in every fibre, and he raised his arm on high, but dropped
-it again with a bewildered air, like one who doubted. Once more he
-struggled with himself and lifted the keen weapon again; but just then
-a piercing cry was heard above them, and Uncas appeared, leaping
-frantically, from a fearful height, upon the ledge. Magua recoiled a
-step; and one of his assistants, profiting by the chance, sheathed his
-own knife in the bosom of Cora.
-
-The Huron sprang like a tiger on his offending and already retreating
-country man, but the falling form of Uncas separated the unnatural
-combatants. Diverted from his object by this interruption, and maddened
-by the murder he had just witnessed, Magua buried his weapon in the back
-of the prostrate Delaware, uttering an unearthly shout as he committed
-the dastardly deed. But Uncas arose from the blow, as the wounded
-panther turns upon his foe, and struck the murderer of Cora to his feet,
-by an effort in which the last of his failing strength was expended.
-Then, with a stern and steady look, he turned to Le Subtil, and
-indicated by the expression of his eye all that he would do had not
-the power deserted him. The latter seized the nerveless arm of the
-unresisting Delaware, and passed his knife into his bosom three several
-times, before his victim, still keeping his gaze riveted on his enemy,
-with a look of inextinguishable scorn, fell dead at his feet.
-
-"Mercy! mercy! Huron," cried Heyward, from above, in tones nearly choked
-by horror; "give mercy, and thou shalt receive from it!"
-
-Whirling the bloody knife up at the imploring youth, the victorious
-Magua uttered a cry so fierce, so wild, and yet so joyous, that it
-conveyed the sounds of savage triumph to the ears of those who fought in
-the valley, a thousand feet below. He was answered by a burst from the
-lips of the scout, whose tall person was just then seen moving swiftly
-toward him, along those dangerous crags, with steps as bold and reckless
-as if he possessed the power to move in air. But when the hunter reached
-the scene of the ruthless massacre, the ledge was tenanted only by the
-dead.
-
-His keen eye took a single look at the victims, and then shot its
-glances over the difficulties of the ascent in his front. A form stood
-at the brow of the mountain, on the very edge of the giddy height,
-with uplifted arms, in an awful attitude of menace. Without stopping to
-consider his person, the rifle of Hawkeye was raised; but a rock, which
-fell on the head of one of the fugitives below, exposed the indignant
-and glowing countenance of the honest Gamut. Then Magua issued from a
-crevice, and, stepping with calm indifference over the body of the last
-of his associates, he leaped a wide fissure, and ascended the rocks at
-a point where the arm of David could not reach him. A single bound would
-carry him to the brow of the precipice, and assure his safety. Before
-taking the leap, however, the Huron paused, and shaking his hand at the
-scout, he shouted:
-
-"The pale faces are dogs! the Delawares women! Magua leaves them on the
-rocks, for the crows!"
-
-Laughing hoarsely, he made a desperate leap, and fell short of his mark,
-though his hands grasped a shrub on the verge of the height. The form
-of Hawkeye had crouched like a beast about to take its spring, and
-his frame trembled so violently with eagerness that the muzzle of the
-half-raised rifle played like a leaf fluttering in the wind. Without
-exhausting himself with fruitless efforts, the cunning Magua suffered
-his body to drop to the length of his arms, and found a fragment for his
-feet to rest on. Then, summoning all his powers, he renewed the attempt,
-and so far succeeded as to draw his knees on the edge of the mountain.
-It was now, when the body of his enemy was most collected together,
-that the agitated weapon of the scout was drawn to his shoulder. The
-surrounding rocks themselves were not steadier than the piece became,
-for the single instant that it poured out its contents. The arms of the
-Huron relaxed, and his body fell back a little, while his knees still
-kept their position. Turning a relentless look on his enemy, he shook
-a hand in grim defiance. But his hold loosened, and his dark person was
-seen cutting the air with its head downward, for a fleeting instant,
-until it glided past the fringe of shrubbery which clung to the
-mountain, in its rapid flight to destruction.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 33
-
-     "They fought, like brave men, long and well,
-     They piled that ground with Moslem slain,
-     They conquered--but Bozzaris fell,
-     Bleeding at every vein.
-     His few surviving comrades saw
-     His smile when rang their loud hurrah,
-     And the red field was won;
-     Then saw in death his eyelids close
-     Calmly, as to a night's repose,
-     Like flowers at set of sun."
-     --Halleck.
-
-The sun found the Lenape, on the succeeding day, a nation of mourners.
-The sounds of the battle were over, and they had fed fat their ancient
-grudge, and had avenged their recent quarrel with the Mengwe, by the
-destruction of a whole community. The black and murky atmosphere that
-floated around the spot where the Hurons had encamped, sufficiently
-announced of itself, the fate of that wandering tribe; while hundreds of
-ravens, that struggled above the summits of the mountains, or swept, in
-noisy flocks, across the wide ranges of the woods, furnished a frightful
-direction to the scene of the combat. In short, any eye at all practised
-in the signs of a frontier warfare might easily have traced all those
-unerring evidences of the ruthless results which attend an Indian
-vengeance.
-
-Still, the sun rose on the Lenape a nation of mourners. No shouts
-of success, no songs of triumph, were heard, in rejoicings for their
-victory. The latest straggler had returned from his fell employment,
-only to strip himself of the terrific emblems of his bloody calling,
-and to join in the lamentations of his countrymen, as a stricken people.
-Pride and exultation were supplanted by humility, and the fiercest
-of human passions was already succeeded by the most profound and
-unequivocal demonstrations of grief.
-
-The lodges were deserted; but a broad belt of earnest faces encircled a
-spot in their vicinity, whither everything possessing life had repaired,
-and where all were now collected, in deep and awful silence. Though
-beings of every rank and age, of both sexes, and of all pursuits, had
-united to form this breathing wall of bodies, they were influenced by a
-single emotion. Each eye was riveted on the center of that ring, which
-contained the objects of so much and of so common an interest.
-
-Six Delaware girls, with their long, dark, flowing tresses falling
-loosely across their bosoms, stood apart, and only gave proof of their
-existence as they occasionally strewed sweet-scented herbs and forest
-flowers on a litter of fragrant plants that, under a pall of Indian
-robes, supported all that now remained of the ardent, high-souled,
-and generous Cora. Her form was concealed in many wrappers of the same
-simple manufacture, and her face was shut forever from the gaze of
-men. At her feet was seated the desolate Munro. His aged head was
-bowed nearly to the earth, in compelled submission to the stroke of
-Providence; but a hidden anguish struggled about his furrowed brow,
-that was only partially concealed by the careless locks of gray that
-had fallen, neglected, on his temples. Gamut stood at his side, his
-meek head bared to the rays of the sun, while his eyes, wandering and
-concerned, seemed to be equally divided between that little volume,
-which contained so many quaint but holy maxims, and the being in whose
-behalf his soul yearned to administer consolation. Heyward was also
-nigh, supporting himself against a tree, and endeavoring to keep down
-those sudden risings of sorrow that it required his utmost manhood to
-subdue.
-
-But sad and melancholy as this group may easily be imagined, it was far
-less touching than another, that occupied the opposite space of the same
-area. Seated, as in life, with his form and limbs arranged in grave and
-decent composure, Uncas appeared, arrayed in the most gorgeous ornaments
-that the wealth of the tribe could furnish. Rich plumes nodded above
-his head; wampum, gorgets, bracelets, and medals, adorned his person
-in profusion; though his dull eye and vacant lineaments too strongly
-contradicted the idle tale of pride they would convey.
-
-Directly in front of the corpse Chingachgook was placed, without arms,
-paint or adornment of any sort, except the bright blue blazonry of his
-race, that was indelibly impressed on his naked bosom. During the long
-period that the tribe had thus been collected, the Mohican warrior had
-kept a steady, anxious look on the cold and senseless countenance of his
-son. So riveted and intense had been that gaze, and so changeless his
-attitude, that a stranger might not have told the living from the dead,
-but for the occasional gleamings of a troubled spirit, that shot athwart
-the dark visage of one, and the deathlike calm that had forever settled
-on the lineaments of the other. The scout was hard by, leaning in a
-pensive posture on his own fatal and avenging weapon; while Tamenund,
-supported by the elders of his nation, occupied a high place at hand,
-whence he might look down on the mute and sorrowful assemblage of his
-people.
-
-Just within the inner edge of the circle stood a soldier, in the
-military attire of a strange nation; and without it was his warhorse, in
-the center of a collection of mounted domestics, seemingly in readiness
-to undertake some distant journey. The vestments of the stranger
-announced him to be one who held a responsible situation near the person
-of the captain of the Canadas; and who, as it would now seem, finding
-his errand of peace frustrated by the fierce impetuosity of his allies,
-was content to become a silent and sad spectator of the fruits of a
-contest that he had arrived too late to anticipate.
-
-The day was drawing to the close of its first quarter, and yet had the
-multitude maintained its breathing stillness since its dawn.
-
-No sound louder than a stifled sob had been heard among them, nor had
-even a limb been moved throughout that long and painful period, except
-to perform the simple and touching offerings that were made, from time
-to time, in commemoration of the dead. The patience and forbearance of
-Indian fortitude could alone support such an appearance of abstraction,
-as seemed now to have turned each dark and motionless figure into stone.
-
-At length, the sage of the Delawares stretched forth an arm, and leaning
-on the shoulders of his attendants, he arose with an air as feeble as
-if another age had already intervened between the man who had met his
-nation the preceding day, and him who now tottered on his elevated
-stand.
-
-"Men of the Lenape!" he said, in low, hollow tones, that sounded like a
-voice charged with some prophetic mission: "the face of the Manitou
-is behind a cloud! His eye is turned from you; His ears are shut; His
-tongue gives no answer. You see him not; yet His judgments are before
-you. Let your hearts be open and your spirits tell no lie. Men of the
-Lenape! the face of the Manitou is behind a cloud."
-
-As this simple and yet terrible annunciation stole on the ears of the
-multitude, a stillness as deep and awful succeeded as if the venerated
-spirit they worshiped had uttered the words without the aid of human
-organs; and even the inanimate Uncas appeared a being of life, compared
-with the humbled and submissive throng by whom he was surrounded. As the
-immediate effect, however, gradually passed away, a low murmur of voices
-commenced a sort of chant in honor of the dead. The sounds were those of
-females, and were thrillingly soft and wailing. The words were connected
-by no regular continuation, but as one ceased another took up the
-eulogy, or lamentation, whichever it might be called, and gave vent to
-her emotions in such language as was suggested by her feelings and the
-occasion. At intervals the speaker was interrupted by general and loud
-bursts of sorrow, during which the girls around the bier of Cora plucked
-the plants and flowers blindly from her body, as if bewildered with
-grief. But, in the milder moments of their plaint, these emblems of
-purity and sweetness were cast back to their places, with every sign
-of tenderness and regret. Though rendered less connected by many and
-general interruptions and outbreakings, a translation of their language
-would have contained a regular descant, which, in substance, might have
-proved to possess a train of consecutive ideas.
-
-A girl, selected for the task by her rank and qualifications,
-commenced by modest allusions to the qualities of the deceased warrior,
-embellishing her expressions with those oriental images that the
-Indians have probably brought with them from the extremes of the other
-continent, and which form of themselves a link to connect the ancient
-histories of the two worlds. She called him the "panther of his tribe";
-and described him as one whose moccasin left no trail on the dews; whose
-bound was like the leap of a young fawn; whose eye was brighter than
-a star in the dark night; and whose voice, in battle, was loud as the
-thunder of the Manitou. She reminded him of the mother who bore him, and
-dwelt forcibly on the happiness she must feel in possessing such a son.
-She bade him tell her, when they met in the world of spirits, that the
-Delaware girls had shed tears above the grave of her child, and had
-called her blessed.
-
-Then, they who succeeded, changing their tones to a milder and still
-more tender strain, alluded, with the delicacy and sensitiveness of
-women, to the stranger maiden, who had left the upper earth at a time
-so near his own departure, as to render the will of the Great Spirit too
-manifest to be disregarded. They admonished him to be kind to her, and
-to have consideration for her ignorance of those arts which were so
-necessary to the comfort of a warrior like himself. They dwelled upon
-her matchless beauty, and on her noble resolution, without the taint of
-envy, and as angels may be thought to delight in a superior excellence;
-adding, that these endowments should prove more than equivalent for any
-little imperfection in her education.
-
-After which, others again, in due succession, spoke to the maiden
-herself, in the low, soft language of tenderness and love. They exhorted
-her to be of cheerful mind, and to fear nothing for her future welfare.
-A hunter would be her companion, who knew how to provide for her
-smallest wants; and a warrior was at her side who was able to protect
-he against every danger. They promised that her path should be pleasant,
-and her burden light. They cautioned her against unavailing regrets for
-the friends of her youth, and the scenes where her father had dwelt;
-assuring her that the "blessed hunting grounds of the Lenape," contained
-vales as pleasant, streams as pure; and flowers as sweet, as the "heaven
-of the pale faces." They advised her to be attentive to the wants of her
-companion, and never to forget the distinction which the Manitou had so
-wisely established between them. Then, in a wild burst of their chant
-they sang with united voices the temper of the Mohican's mind. They
-pronounced him noble, manly and generous; all that became a warrior, and
-all that a maid might love. Clothing their ideas in the most remote
-and subtle images, they betrayed, that, in the short period of their
-intercourse, they had discovered, with the intuitive perception of their
-sex, the truant disposition of his inclinations. The Delaware girls had
-found no favor in his eyes! He was of a race that had once been lords on
-the shores of the salt lake, and his wishes had led him back to a
-people who dwelt about the graves of his fathers. Why should not such
-a predilection be encouraged! That she was of a blood purer and richer
-than the rest of her nation, any eye might have seen; that she was
-equal to the dangers and daring of a life in the woods, her conduct
-had proved; and now, they added, the "wise one of the earth" had
-transplanted her to a place where she would find congenial spirits, and
-might be forever happy.
-
-Then, with another transition in voice and subject, allusions were
-made to the virgin who wept in the adjacent lodge. They compared her to
-flakes of snow; as pure, as white, as brilliant, and as liable to melt
-in the fierce heats of summer, or congeal in the frosts of winter. They
-doubted not that she was lovely in the eyes of the young chief, whose
-skin and whose sorrow seemed so like her own; but though far from
-expressing such a preference, it was evident they deemed her less
-excellent than the maid they mourned. Still they denied her no need
-her rare charms might properly claim. Her ringlets were compared to the
-exuberant tendrils of the vine, her eye to the blue vault of heavens,
-and the most spotless cloud, with its glowing flush of the sun, was
-admitted to be less attractive than her bloom.
-
-During these and similar songs nothing was audible but the murmurs of
-the music; relieved, as it was, or rather rendered terrible, by those
-occasional bursts of grief which might be called its choruses. The
-Delawares themselves listened like charmed men; and it was very
-apparent, by the variations of their speaking countenances, how deep and
-true was their sympathy. Even David was not reluctant to lend his ears
-to the tones of voices so sweet; and long ere the chant was ended, his
-gaze announced that his soul was enthralled.
-
-The scout, to whom alone, of all the white men, the words were
-intelligible, suffered himself to be a little aroused from his
-meditative posture, and bent his face aside, to catch their meaning, as
-the girls proceeded. But when they spoke of the future prospects of
-Cora and Uncas, he shook his head, like one who knew the error of their
-simple creed, and resuming his reclining attitude, he maintained it
-until the ceremony, if that might be called a ceremony, in which feeling
-was so deeply imbued, was finished. Happily for the self-command of both
-Heyward and Munro, they knew not the meaning of the wild sounds they
-heard.
-
-Chingachgook was a solitary exception to the interest manifested by the
-native part of the audience. His look never changed throughout the whole
-of the scene, nor did a muscle move in his rigid countenance, even at
-the wildest or the most pathetic parts of the lamentation. The cold and
-senseless remains of his son was all to him, and every other sense but
-that of sight seemed frozen, in order that his eyes might take their
-final gaze at those lineaments he had so long loved, and which were now
-about to be closed forever from his view.
-
-In this stage of the obsequies, a warrior much renowned for deed in
-arms, and more especially for services in the recent combat, a man of
-stern and grave demeanor, advanced slowly from the crowd, and placed
-himself nigh the person of the dead.
-
-"Why hast thou left us, pride of the Wapanachki?" he said, addressing
-himself to the dull ears of Uncas, as if the empty clay retained the
-faculties of the animated man; "thy time has been like that of the sun
-when in the trees; thy glory brighter than his light at noonday. Thou
-art gone, youthful warrior, but a hundred Wyandots are clearing the
-briers from thy path to the world of the spirits. Who that saw thee in
-battle would believe that thou couldst die? Who before thee has ever
-shown Uttawa the way into the fight? Thy feet were like the wings of
-eagles; thine arm heavier than falling branches from the pine; and
-thy voice like the Manitou when He speaks in the clouds. The tongue of
-Uttawa is weak," he added, looking about him with a melancholy gaze,
-"and his heart exceeding heavy. Pride of the Wapanachki, why hast thou
-left us?"
-
-He was succeeded by others, in due order, until most of the high and
-gifted men of the nation had sung or spoken their tribute of praise over
-the manes of the deceased chief. When each had ended, another deep and
-breathing silence reigned in all the place.
-
-Then a low, deep sound was heard, like the suppressed accompaniment of
-distant music, rising just high enough on the air to be audible, and
-yet so indistinctly, as to leave its character, and the place whence it
-proceeded, alike matters of conjecture. It was, however, succeeded by
-another and another strain, each in a higher key, until they grew on the
-ear, first in long drawn and often repeated interjections, and finally
-in words. The lips of Chingachgook had so far parted, as to announce
-that it was the monody of the father. Though not an eye was turned
-toward him nor the smallest sign of impatience exhibited, it was
-apparent, by the manner in which the multitude elevated their heads to
-listen, that they drank in the sounds with an intenseness of attention,
-that none but Tamenund himself had ever before commanded. But
-they listened in vain. The strains rose just so loud as to become
-intelligible, and then grew fainter and more trembling, until they
-finally sank on the ear, as if borne away by a passing breath of wind.
-The lips of the Sagamore closed, and he remained silent in his seat,
-looking with his riveted eye and motionless form, like some creature
-that had been turned from the Almighty hand with the form but without
-the spirit of a man. The Delawares who knew by these symptoms that
-the mind of their friend was not prepared for so mighty an effort of
-fortitude, relaxed in their attention; and, with an innate delicacy,
-seemed to bestow all their thoughts on the obsequies of the stranger
-maiden.
-
-A signal was given, by one of the elder chiefs, to the women who crowded
-that part of the circle near which the body of Cora lay. Obedient to
-the sign, the girls raised the bier to the elevation of their heads,
-and advanced with slow and regulated steps, chanting, as they proceeded,
-another wailing song in praise of the deceased. Gamut, who had been a
-close observer of rites he deemed so heathenish, now bent his head over
-the shoulder of the unconscious father, whispering:
-
-"They move with the remains of thy child; shall we not follow, and see
-them interred with Christian burial?"
-
-Munro started, as if the last trumpet had sounded in his ear, and
-bestowing one anxious and hurried glance around him, he arose and
-followed in the simple train, with the mien of a soldier, but bearing
-the full burden of a parent's suffering. His friends pressed around him
-with a sorrow that was too strong to be termed sympathy--even the young
-Frenchman joining in the procession, with the air of a man who was
-sensibly touched at the early and melancholy fate of one so lovely. But
-when the last and humblest female of the tribe had joined in the wild
-and yet ordered array, the men of the Lenape contracted their circle,
-and formed again around the person of Uncas, as silent, as grave, and as
-motionless as before.
-
-The place which had been chosen for the grave of Cora was a little
-knoll, where a cluster of young and healthful pines had taken root,
-forming of themselves a melancholy and appropriate shade over the spot.
-On reaching it the girls deposited their burden, and continued for many
-minutes waiting, with characteristic patience, and native timidity, for
-some evidence that they whose feelings were most concerned were content
-with the arrangement. At length the scout, who alone understood their
-habits, said, in their own language:
-
-"My daughters have done well; the white men thank them."
-
-Satisfied with this testimony in their favor, the girls proceeded
-to deposit the body in a shell, ingeniously, and not inelegantly,
-fabricated of the bark of the birch; after which they lowered it into
-its dark and final abode. The ceremony of covering the remains, and
-concealing the marks of the fresh earth, by leaves and other natural and
-customary objects, was conducted with the same simple and silent forms.
-But when the labors of the kind beings who had performed these sad and
-friendly offices were so far completed, they hesitated, in a way to show
-that they knew not how much further they might proceed. It was in this
-stage of the rites that the scout again addressed them:
-
-"My young women have done enough," he said: "the spirit of the pale
-face has no need of food or raiment, their gifts being according to the
-heaven of their color. I see," he added, glancing an eye at David, who
-was preparing his book in a manner that indicated an intention to
-lead the way in sacred song, "that one who better knows the Christian
-fashions is about to speak."
-
-The females stood modestly aside, and, from having been the principal
-actors in the scene, they now became the meek and attentive observers of
-that which followed. During the time David occupied in pouring out the
-pious feelings of his spirit in this manner, not a sign of surprise, nor
-a look of impatience, escaped them. They listened like those who knew
-the meaning of the strange words, and appeared as if they felt the
-mingled emotions of sorrow, hope, and resignation, they were intended to
-convey.
-
-Excited by the scene he had just witnessed, and perhaps influenced by
-his own secret emotions, the master of song exceeded his usual efforts.
-His full rich voice was not found to suffer by a comparison with the
-soft tones of the girls; and his more modulated strains possessed, at
-least for the ears of those to whom they were peculiarly addressed,
-the additional power of intelligence. He ended the anthem, as he had
-commenced it, in the midst of a grave and solemn stillness.
-
-When, however, the closing cadence had fallen on the ears of his
-auditors, the secret, timorous glances of the eyes, and the general
-and yet subdued movement of the assemblage, betrayed that something was
-expected from the father of the deceased. Munro seemed sensible that the
-time was come for him to exert what is, perhaps, the greatest effort
-of which human nature is capable. He bared his gray locks, and looked
-around the timid and quiet throng by which he was encircled, with a firm
-and collected countenance. Then, motioning with his hand for the scout
-to listen, he said:
-
-"Say to these kind and gentle females, that a heart-broken and failing
-man returns them his thanks. Tell them, that the Being we all worship,
-under different names, will be mindful of their charity; and that the
-time shall not be distant when we may assemble around His throne without
-distinction of sex, or rank, or color."
-
-The scout listened to the tremulous voice in which the veteran delivered
-these words, and shook his head slowly when they were ended, as one who
-doubted their efficacy.
-
-"To tell them this," he said, "would be to tell them that the snows come
-not in the winter, or that the sun shines fiercest when the trees are
-stripped of their leaves."
-
-Then turning to the women, he made such a communication of the other's
-gratitude as he deemed most suited to the capacities of his listeners.
-The head of Munro had already sunk upon his chest, and he was again
-fast relapsing into melancholy, when the young Frenchman before named
-ventured to touch him lightly on the elbow. As soon as he had gained the
-attention of the mourning old man, he pointed toward a group of young
-Indians, who approached with a light but closely covered litter, and
-then pointed upward toward the sun.
-
-"I understand you, sir," returned Munro, with a voice of forced
-firmness; "I understand you. It is the will of Heaven, and I submit.
-Cora, my child! if the prayers of a heart-broken father could avail thee
-now, how blessed shouldst thou be! Come, gentlemen," he added, looking
-about him with an air of lofty composure, though the anguish that
-quivered in his faded countenance was far too powerful to be concealed,
-"our duty here is ended; let us depart."
-
-Heyward gladly obeyed a summons that took them from a spot where, each
-instant, he felt his self-control was about to desert him. While his
-companions were mounting, however, he found time to press the hand of
-the scout, and to repeat the terms of an engagement they had made to
-meet again within the posts of the British army. Then, gladly throwing
-himself into the saddle, he spurred his charger to the side of the
-litter, whence low and stifled sobs alone announced the presence of
-Alice. In this manner, the head of Munro again drooping on his bosom,
-with Heyward and David following in sorrowing silence, and attended
-by the aide of Montcalm with his guard, all the white men, with the
-exception of Hawkeye, passed from before the eyes of the Delawares, and
-were buried in the vast forests of that region.
-
-But the tie which, through their common calamity, had united the
-feelings of these simple dwellers in the woods with the strangers who
-had thus transiently visited them, was not so easily broken. Years
-passed away before the traditionary tale of the white maiden, and of
-the young warrior of the Mohicans ceased to beguile the long nights and
-tedious marches, or to animate their youthful and brave with a desire
-for vengeance. Neither were the secondary actors in these momentous
-incidents forgotten. Through the medium of the scout, who served for
-years afterward as a link between them and civilized life, they learned,
-in answer to their inquiries, that the "Gray Head" was speedily gathered
-to his fathers--borne down, as was erroneously believed, by his military
-misfortunes; and that the "Open Hand" had conveyed his surviving
-daughter far into the settlements of the pale faces, where her tears
-had at last ceased to flow, and had been succeeded by the bright smiles
-which were better suited to her joyous nature.
-
-But these were events of a time later than that which concerns our tale.
-Deserted by all of his color, Hawkeye returned to the spot where his
-sympathies led him, with a force that no ideal bond of union could
-destroy. He was just in time to catch a parting look of the features of
-Uncas, whom the Delawares were already inclosing in his last vestment
-of skins. They paused to permit the longing and lingering gaze of the
-sturdy woodsman, and when it was ended, the body was enveloped, never to
-be unclosed again. Then came a procession like the other, and the whole
-nation was collected about the temporary grave of the chief--temporary,
-because it was proper that, at some future day, his bones should rest
-among those of his own people.
-
-The movement, like the feeling, had been simultaneous and general. The
-same grave expression of grief, the same rigid silence, and the same
-deference to the principal mourner, were observed around the place of
-interment as have been already described. The body was deposited in an
-attitude of repose, facing the rising sun, with the implements of war
-and of the chase at hand, in readiness for the final journey. An opening
-was left in the shell, by which it was protected from the soil, for the
-spirit to communicate with its earthly tenement, when necessary; and the
-whole was concealed from the instinct, and protected from the ravages
-of the beasts of prey, with an ingenuity peculiar to the natives. The
-manual rites then ceased and all present reverted to the more spiritual
-part of the ceremonies.
-
-Chingachgook became once more the object of the common attention. He had
-not yet spoken, and something consolatory and instructive was expected
-from so renowned a chief on an occasion of such interest. Conscious of
-the wishes of the people, the stern and self-restrained warrior raised
-his face, which had latterly been buried in his robe, and looked about
-him with a steady eye. His firmly compressed and expressive lips then
-severed, and for the first time during the long ceremonies his voice was
-distinctly audible. "Why do my brothers mourn?" he said, regarding the
-dark race of dejected warriors by whom he was environed; "why do my
-daughters weep? that a young man has gone to the happy hunting-grounds;
-that a chief has filled his time with honor? He was good; he was
-dutiful; he was brave. Who can deny it? The Manitou had need of such a
-warrior, and He has called him away. As for me, the son and the father
-of Uncas, I am a blazed pine, in a clearing of the pale faces. My
-race has gone from the shores of the salt lake and the hills of the
-Delawares. But who can say that the serpent of his tribe has forgotten
-his wisdom? I am alone--"
-
-"No, no," cried Hawkeye, who had been gazing with a yearning look at the
-rigid features of his friend, with something like his own self-command,
-but whose philosophy could endure no longer; "no, Sagamore, not alone.
-The gifts of our colors may be different, but God has so placed us as to
-journey in the same path. I have no kin, and I may also say, like you,
-no people. He was your son, and a red-skin by nature; and it may be that
-your blood was nearer--but, if ever I forget the lad who has so often
-fou't at my side in war, and slept at my side in peace, may He who made
-us all, whatever may be our color or our gifts, forget me! The boy has
-left us for a time; but, Sagamore, you are not alone."
-
-Chingachgook grasped the hand that, in the warmth of feeling, the scout
-had stretched across the fresh earth, and in an attitude of friendship
-these two sturdy and intrepid woodsmen bowed their heads together, while
-scalding tears fell to their feet, watering the grave of Uncas like
-drops of falling rain.
-
-In the midst of the awful stillness with which such a burst of feeling,
-coming as it did, from the two most renowned warriors of that region,
-was received, Tamenund lifted his voice to disperse the multitude.
-
-"It is enough," he said. "Go, children of the Lenape, the anger of
-the Manitou is not done. Why should Tamenund stay? The pale faces are
-masters of the earth, and the time of the red men has not yet come
-again. My day has been too long. In the morning I saw the sons of Unamis
-happy and strong; and yet, before the night has come, have I lived to
-see the last warrior of the wise race of the Mohicans."
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg's The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
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-

-<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">

-  <head>

-    <title>

-      The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper

-    </title>

-    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">

-

-    body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify}

-    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }

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-    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}

-    .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }

-    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}

-    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}

-    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}

-    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}

-    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }

-    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }

-    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}

-    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}

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-

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-  </head>

-  <body>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-

-Project Gutenberg's The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper

-

-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

-almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or

-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

-

-

-Title: The Last of the Mohicans

-

-Author: James Fenimore Cooper

-

-Release Date: February 5, 2006 [EBook #940]

-[Most recently updated: January 12, 2020]

-

-Language: English

-

-Character set encoding: UTF-8

-

-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS ***

-

-

-

-

-Produced by John Horner and David Widger

-

-

-

-

-

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      <br /> <br />

-    </p>

-    <h1>

-      THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS

-    </h1>

-    <h2>

-      A Narrative of 1757

-    </h2>

-    <p>

-      <br /> <br />

-    </p>

-    <h2>

-      by James Fenimore Cooper

-    </h2>

-    <p>

-      <br /> <br />

-    </p>

-

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0005.jpg" alt="0005" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0005.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      <br /> <br />

-    </p>

-    <blockquote>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>

-      </p>

-      <p>

-        <br /> <a href="#link2H_INTR"> INTRODUCTION </a><br /> <br /> <br />

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER 1 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#linkchap2"> CHAPTER 2 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER 3 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER 4 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER 5 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER 6 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER 7 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER 8 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER 9 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER 10 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER 11 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER 12 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER 13 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER 14 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER 15 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER 16 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER 17 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER 18 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0018"> CHAPTER 19 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0019"> CHAPTER 20 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0020"> CHAPTER 21 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0021"> CHAPTER 22 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0022"> CHAPTER 23 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0023"> CHAPTER 24 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0024"> CHAPTER 25 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0025"> CHAPTER 26 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0026"> CHAPTER 27 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0027"> CHAPTER 28 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0028"> CHAPTER 29 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0029"> CHAPTER 30 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0030"> CHAPTER 31 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0031"> CHAPTER 32 </a>

-      </p>

-      <p class="toc">

-        <a href="#link2HCH0032"> CHAPTER 33 </a>

-      </p>

-    </blockquote>

-    <p>

-      <br /> <br />

-    </p>

-    <hr />

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2H_INTR" id="link2H_INTR">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a> <br /> <br />

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      INTRODUCTION

-    </h2>

-    <p>

-      It is believed that the scene of this tale, and most of the information

-      necessary to understand its allusions, are rendered sufficiently obvious

-      to the reader in the text itself, or in the accompanying notes. Still

-      there is so much obscurity in the Indian traditions, and so much confusion

-      in the Indian names, as to render some explanation useful.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Few men exhibit greater diversity, or, if we may so express it, greater

-      antithesis of character, than the native warrior of North America. In war,

-      he is daring, boastful, cunning, ruthless, self-denying, and self-devoted;

-      in peace, just, generous, hospitable, revengeful, superstitious, modest,

-      and commonly chaste. These are qualities, it is true, which do not

-      distinguish all alike; but they are so far the predominating traits of

-      these remarkable people as to be characteristic.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It is generally believed that the Aborigines of the American continent

-      have an Asiatic origin. There are many physical as well as moral facts

-      which corroborate this opinion, and some few that would seem to weigh

-      against it.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The color of the Indian, the writer believes, is peculiar to himself, and

-      while his cheek-bones have a very striking indication of a Tartar origin,

-      his eyes have not. Climate may have had great influence on the former, but

-      it is difficult to see how it can have produced the substantial difference

-      which exists in the latter. The imagery of the Indian, both in his poetry

-      and in his oratory, is oriental; chastened, and perhaps improved, by the

-      limited range of his practical knowledge. He draws his metaphors from the

-      clouds, the seasons, the birds, the beasts, and the vegetable world. In

-      this, perhaps, he does no more than any other energetic and imaginative

-      race would do, being compelled to set bounds to fancy by experience; but

-      the North American Indian clothes his ideas in a dress which is different

-      from that of the African, and is oriental in itself. His language has the

-      richness and sententious fullness of the Chinese. He will express a phrase

-      in a word, and he will qualify the meaning of an entire sentence by a

-      syllable; he will even convey different significations by the simplest

-      inflections of the voice.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Philologists have said that there are but two or three languages, properly

-      speaking, among all the numerous tribes which formerly occupied the

-      country that now composes the United States. They ascribe the known

-      difficulty one people have to understand another to corruptions and

-      dialects. The writer remembers to have been present at an interview

-      between two chiefs of the Great Prairies west of the Mississippi, and when

-      an interpreter was in attendance who spoke both their languages. The

-      warriors appeared to be on the most friendly terms, and seemingly

-      conversed much together; yet, according to the account of the interpreter,

-      each was absolutely ignorant of what the other said. They were of hostile

-      tribes, brought together by the influence of the American government; and

-      it is worthy of remark, that a common policy led them both to adopt the

-      same subject. They mutually exhorted each other to be of use in the event

-      of the chances of war throwing either of the parties into the hands of his

-      enemies. Whatever may be the truth, as respects the root and the genius of

-      the Indian tongues, it is quite certain they are now so distinct in their

-      words as to possess most of the disadvantages of strange languages; hence

-      much of the embarrassment that has arisen in learning their histories, and

-      most of the uncertainty which exists in their traditions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian gives a very

-      different account of his own tribe or race from that which is given by

-      other people. He is much addicted to overestimating his own perfections,

-      and to undervaluing those of his rival or his enemy; a trait which may

-      possibly be thought corroborative of the Mosaic account of the creation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The whites have assisted greatly in rendering the traditions of the

-      Aborigines more obscure by their own manner of corrupting names. Thus, the

-      term used in the title of this book has undergone the changes of

-      Mahicanni, Mohicans, and Mohegans; the latter being the word commonly used

-      by the whites. When it is remembered that the Dutch (who first settled New

-      York), the English, and the French, all gave appellations to the tribes

-      that dwelt within the country which is the scene of this story, and that

-      the Indians not only gave different names to their enemies, but frequently

-      to themselves, the cause of the confusion will be understood.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In these pages, Lenni-Lenape, Lenope, Delawares, Wapanachki, and Mohicans,

-      all mean the same people, or tribes of the same stock. The Mengwe, the

-      Maquas, the Mingoes, and the Iroquois, though not all strictly the same,

-      are identified frequently by the speakers, being politically confederated

-      and opposed to those just named. Mingo was a term of peculiar reproach, as

-      were Mengwe and Maqua in a less degree.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Mohicans were the possessors of the country first occupied by the

-      Europeans in this portion of the continent. They were, consequently, the

-      first dispossessed; and the seemingly inevitable fate of all these people,

-      who disappear before the advances, or it might be termed the inroads, of

-      civilization, as the verdure of their native forests falls before the

-      nipping frosts, is represented as having already befallen them. There is

-      sufficient historical truth in the picture to justify the use that has

-      been made of it.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In point of fact, the country which is the scene of the following tale has

-      undergone as little change, since the historical events alluded to had

-      place, as almost any other district of equal extent within the whole

-      limits of the United States. There are fashionable and well-attended

-      watering-places at and near the spring where Hawkeye halted to drink, and

-      roads traverse the forests where he and his friends were compelled to

-      journey without even a path. Glen's has a large village; and while William

-      Henry, and even a fortress of later date, are only to be traced as ruins,

-      there is another village on the shores of the Horican. But, beyond this,

-      the enterprise and energy of a people who have done so much in other

-      places have done little here. The whole of that wilderness, in which the

-      latter incidents of the legend occurred, is nearly a wilderness still,

-      though the red man has entirely deserted this part of the state. Of all

-      the tribes named in these pages, there exist only a few half-civilized

-      beings of the Oneidas, on the reservations of their people in New York.

-      The rest have disappeared, either from the regions in which their fathers

-      dwelt, or altogether from the earth.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      There is one point on which we would wish to say a word before closing

-      this preface. Hawkeye calls the Lac du Saint Sacrement, the &ldquo;Horican.&rdquo; As

-      we believe this to be an appropriation of the name that has its origin

-      with ourselves, the time has arrived, perhaps, when the fact should be

-      frankly admitted. While writing this book, fully a quarter of a century

-      since, it occurred to us that the French name of this lake was too

-      complicated, the American too commonplace, and the Indian too

-      unpronounceable, for either to be used familiarly in a work of fiction.

-      Looking over an ancient map, it was ascertained that a tribe of Indians,

-      called &ldquo;Les Horicans&rdquo; by the French, existed in the neighborhood of this

-      beautiful sheet of water. As every word uttered by Natty Bumppo was not to

-      be received as rigid truth, we took the liberty of putting the &ldquo;Horican&rdquo;

-       into his mouth, as the substitute for &ldquo;Lake George.&rdquo; The name has appeared

-      to find favor, and all things considered, it may possibly be quite as well

-      to let it stand, instead of going back to the House of Hanover for the

-      appellation of our finest sheet of water. We relieve our conscience by the

-      confession, at all events leaving it to exercise its authority as it may

-      see fit.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 1

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared:

-     The worst is wordly loss thou canst unfold:&mdash;

-     Say, is my kingdom lost?&rdquo;&mdash;Shakespeare

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      It was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars of North America, that the

-      toils and dangers of the wilderness were to be encountered before the

-      adverse hosts could meet. A wide and apparently an impervious boundary of

-      forests severed the possessions of the hostile provinces of France and

-      England. The hardy colonist, and the trained European who fought at his

-      side, frequently expended months in struggling against the rapids of the

-      streams, or in effecting the rugged passes of the mountains, in quest of

-      an opportunity to exhibit their courage in a more martial conflict. But,

-      emulating the patience and self-denial of the practiced native warriors,

-      they learned to overcome every difficulty; and it would seem that, in

-      time, there was no recess of the woods so dark, nor any secret place so

-      lovely, that it might claim exemption from the inroads of those who had

-      pledged their blood to satiate their vengeance, or to uphold the cold and

-      selfish policy of the distant monarchs of Europe.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Perhaps no district throughout the wide extent of the intermediate

-      frontiers can furnish a livelier picture of the cruelty and fierceness of

-      the savage warfare of those periods than the country which lies between

-      the head waters of the Hudson and the adjacent lakes.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The facilities which nature had there offered to the march of the

-      combatants were too obvious to be neglected. The lengthened sheet of the

-      Champlain stretched from the frontiers of Canada, deep within the borders

-      of the neighboring province of New York, forming a natural passage across

-      half the distance that the French were compelled to master in order to

-      strike their enemies. Near its southern termination, it received the

-      contributions of another lake, whose waters were so limpid as to have been

-      exclusively selected by the Jesuit missionaries to perform the typical

-      purification of baptism, and to obtain for it the title of lake &ldquo;du Saint

-      Sacrement.&rdquo; The less zealous English thought they conferred a sufficient

-      honor on its unsullied fountains, when they bestowed the name of their

-      reigning prince, the second of the house of Hanover. The two united to rob

-      the untutored possessors of its wooded scenery of their native right to

-      perpetuate its original appellation of &ldquo;Horican.&rdquo; *

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * As each nation of the Indians had its language or its

-     dialect, they usually gave different names to the same

-     places, though nearly all of their appellations were

-     descriptive of the object. Thus a literal translation of the

-     name of this beautiful sheet of water, used by the tribe

-     that dwelt on its banks, would be &ldquo;The Tail of the Lake.&rdquo;

-      Lake George, as it is vulgarly, and now, indeed, legally,

-     called, forms a sort of tail to Lake Champlain, when viewed

-     on the map. Hence, the name.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Winding its way among countless islands, and imbedded in mountains, the

-      &ldquo;holy lake&rdquo; extended a dozen leagues still further to the south. With the

-      high plain that there interposed itself to the further passage of the

-      water, commenced a portage of as many miles, which conducted the

-      adventurer to the banks of the Hudson, at a point where, with the usual

-      obstructions of the rapids, or rifts, as they were then termed in the

-      language of the country, the river became navigable to the tide.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While, in the pursuit of their daring plans of annoyance, the restless

-      enterprise of the French even attempted the distant and difficult gorges

-      of the Alleghany, it may easily be imagined that their proverbial

-      acuteness would not overlook the natural advantages of the district we

-      have just described. It became, emphatically, the bloody arena, in which

-      most of the battles for the mastery of the colonies were contested. Forts

-      were erected at the different points that commanded the facilities of the

-      route, and were taken and retaken, razed and rebuilt, as victory alighted

-      on the hostile banners. While the husbandman shrank back from the

-      dangerous passes, within the safer boundaries of the more ancient

-      settlements, armies larger than those that had often disposed of the

-      scepters of the mother countries, were seen to bury themselves in these

-      forests, whence they rarely returned but in skeleton bands, that were

-      haggard with care or dejected by defeat. Though the arts of peace were

-      unknown to this fatal region, its forests were alive with men; its shades

-      and glens rang with the sounds of martial music, and the echoes of its

-      mountains threw back the laugh, or repeated the wanton cry, of many a

-      gallant and reckless youth, as he hurried by them, in the noontide of his

-      spirits, to slumber in a long night of forgetfulness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we shall

-      attempt to relate occurred, during the third year of the war which England

-      and France last waged for the possession of a country that neither was

-      destined to retain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The imbecility of her military leaders abroad, and the fatal want of

-      energy in her councils at home, had lowered the character of Great Britain

-      from the proud elevation on which it had been placed by the talents and

-      enterprise of her former warriors and statesmen. No longer dreaded by her

-      enemies, her servants were fast losing the confidence of self-respect. In

-      this mortifying abasement, the colonists, though innocent of her

-      imbecility, and too humble to be the agents of her blunders, were but the

-      natural participators. They had recently seen a chosen army from that

-      country, which, reverencing as a mother, they had blindly believed

-      invincible&mdash;an army led by a chief who had been selected from a crowd

-      of trained warriors, for his rare military endowments, disgracefully

-      routed by a handful of French and Indians, and only saved from

-      annihilation by the coolness and spirit of a Virginian boy, whose riper

-      fame has since diffused itself, with the steady influence of moral truth,

-      to the uttermost confines of Christendom.* A wide frontier had been laid

-      naked by this unexpected disaster, and more substantial evils were

-      preceded by a thousand fanciful and imaginary dangers. The alarmed

-      colonists believed that the yells of the savages mingled with every fitful

-      gust of wind that issued from the interminable forests of the west. The

-      terrific character of their merciless enemies increased immeasurably the

-      natural horrors of warfare. Numberless recent massacres were still vivid

-      in their recollections; nor was there any ear in the provinces so deaf as

-      not to have drunk in with avidity the narrative of some fearful tale of

-      midnight murder, in which the natives of the forests were the principal

-      and barbarous actors. As the credulous and excited traveler related the

-      hazardous chances of the wilderness, the blood of the timid curdled with

-      terror, and mothers cast anxious glances even at those children which

-      slumbered within the security of the largest towns. In short, the

-      magnifying influence of fear began to set at naught the calculations of

-      reason, and to render those who should have remembered their manhood, the

-      slaves of the basest passions. Even the most confident and the stoutest

-      hearts began to think the issue of the contest was becoming doubtful; and

-      that abject class was hourly increasing in numbers, who thought they

-      foresaw all the possessions of the English crown in America subdued by

-      their Christian foes, or laid waste by the inroads of their relentless

-      allies.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * Washington, who, after uselessly admonishing the European

-     general of the danger into which he was heedlessly running,

-     saved the remnants of the British army, on this occasion, by

-     his decision and courage. The reputation earned by

-     Washington in this battle was the principal cause of his

-     being selected to command the American armies at a later

-     day. It is a circumstance worthy of observation, that while

-     all America rang with his well-merited reputation, his name

-     does not occur in any European account of the battle; at

-     least the author has searched for it without success. In

-     this manner does the mother country absorb even the fame,

-     under that system of rule.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      When, therefore, intelligence was received at the fort which covered the

-      southern termination of the portage between the Hudson and the lakes, that

-      Montcalm had been seen moving up the Champlain, with an army &ldquo;numerous as

-      the leaves on the trees,&rdquo; its truth was admitted with more of the craven

-      reluctance of fear than with the stern joy that a warrior should feel, in

-      finding an enemy within reach of his blow. The news had been brought,

-      toward the decline of a day in midsummer, by an Indian runner, who also

-      bore an urgent request from Munro, the commander of a work on the shore of

-      the &ldquo;holy lake,&rdquo; for a speedy and powerful reinforcement. It has already

-      been mentioned that the distance between these two posts was less than

-      five leagues. The rude path, which originally formed their line of

-      communication, had been widened for the passage of wagons; so that the

-      distance which had been traveled by the son of the forest in two hours,

-      might easily be effected by a detachment of troops, with their necessary

-      baggage, between the rising and setting of a summer sun. The loyal

-      servants of the British crown had given to one of these forest-fastnesses

-      the name of William Henry, and to the other that of Fort Edward, calling

-      each after a favorite prince of the reigning family. The veteran Scotchman

-      just named held the first, with a regiment of regulars and a few

-      provincials; a force really by far too small to make head against the

-      formidable power that Montcalm was leading to the foot of his earthen

-      mounds. At the latter, however, lay General Webb, who commanded the armies

-      of the king in the northern provinces, with a body of more than five

-      thousand men. By uniting the several detachments of his command, this

-      officer might have arrayed nearly double that number of combatants against

-      the enterprising Frenchman, who had ventured so far from his

-      reinforcements, with an army but little superior in numbers.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But under the influence of their degraded fortunes, both officers and men

-      appeared better disposed to await the approach of their formidable

-      antagonists, within their works, than to resist the progress of their

-      march, by emulating the successful example of the French at Fort du

-      Quesne, and striking a blow on their advance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After the first surprise of the intelligence had a little abated, a rumor

-      was spread through the entrenched camp, which stretched along the margin

-      of the Hudson, forming a chain of outworks to the body of the fort itself,

-      that a chosen detachment of fifteen hundred men was to depart, with the

-      dawn, for William Henry, the post at the northern extremity of the

-      portage. That which at first was only rumor, soon became certainty, as

-      orders passed from the quarters of the commander-in-chief to the several

-      corps he had selected for this service, to prepare for their speedy

-      departure. All doubts as to the intention of Webb now vanished, and an

-      hour or two of hurried footsteps and anxious faces succeeded. The novice

-      in the military art flew from point to point, retarding his own

-      preparations by the excess of his violent and somewhat distempered zeal;

-      while the more practiced veteran made his arrangements with a deliberation

-      that scorned every appearance of haste; though his sober lineaments and

-      anxious eye sufficiently betrayed that he had no very strong professional

-      relish for the, as yet, untried and dreaded warfare of the wilderness. At

-      length the sun set in a flood of glory, behind the distant western hills,

-      and as darkness drew its veil around the secluded spot the sounds of

-      preparation diminished; the last light finally disappeared from the log

-      cabin of some officer; the trees cast their deeper shadows over the mounds

-      and the rippling stream, and a silence soon pervaded the camp, as deep as

-      that which reigned in the vast forest by which it was environed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      According to the orders of the preceding night, the heavy sleep of the

-      army was broken by the rolling of the warning drums, whose rattling echoes

-      were heard issuing, on the damp morning air, out of every vista of the

-      woods, just as day began to draw the shaggy outlines of some tall pines of

-      the vicinity, on the opening brightness of a soft and cloudless eastern

-      sky. In an instant the whole camp was in motion; the meanest soldier

-      arousing from his lair to witness the departure of his comrades, and to

-      share in the excitement and incidents of the hour. The simple array of the

-      chosen band was soon completed. While the regular and trained hirelings of

-      the king marched with haughtiness to the right of the line, the less

-      pretending colonists took their humbler position on its left, with a

-      docility that long practice had rendered easy. The scouts departed; strong

-      guards preceded and followed the lumbering vehicles that bore the baggage;

-      and before the gray light of the morning was mellowed by the rays of the

-      sun, the main body of the combatants wheeled into column, and left the

-      encampment with a show of high military bearing, that served to drown the

-      slumbering apprehensions of many a novice, who was now about to make his

-      first essay in arms. While in view of their admiring comrades, the same

-      proud front and ordered array was observed, until the notes of their fifes

-      growing fainter in distance, the forest at length appeared to swallow up

-      the living mass which had slowly entered its bosom.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The deepest sounds of the retiring and invisible column had ceased to be

-      borne on the breeze to the listeners, and the latest straggler had already

-      disappeared in pursuit; but there still remained the signs of another

-      departure, before a log cabin of unusual size and accommodations, in front

-      of which those sentinels paced their rounds, who were known to guard the

-      person of the English general. At this spot were gathered some half dozen

-      horses, caparisoned in a manner which showed that two, at least, were

-      destined to bear the persons of females, of a rank that it was not usual

-      to meet so far in the wilds of the country. A third wore trappings and

-      arms of an officer of the staff; while the rest, from the plainness of the

-      housings, and the traveling mails with which they were encumbered, were

-      evidently fitted for the reception of as many menials, who were,

-      seemingly, already waiting the pleasure of those they served. At a

-      respectful distance from this unusual show, were gathered divers groups of

-      curious idlers; some admiring the blood and bone of the high-mettled

-      military charger, and others gazing at the preparations, with the dull

-      wonder of vulgar curiosity. There was one man, however, who, by his

-      countenance and actions, formed a marked exception to those who composed

-      the latter class of spectators, being neither idle, nor seemingly very

-      ignorant.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The person of this individual was to the last degree ungainly, without

-      being in any particular manner deformed. He had all the bones and joints

-      of other men, without any of their proportions. Erect, his stature

-      surpassed that of his fellows; though seated, he appeared reduced within

-      the ordinary limits of the race. The same contrariety in his members

-      seemed to exist throughout the whole man. His head was large; his

-      shoulders narrow; his arms long and dangling; while his hands were small,

-      if not delicate. His legs and thighs were thin, nearly to emaciation, but

-      of extraordinary length; and his knees would have been considered

-      tremendous, had they not been outdone by the broader foundations on which

-      this false superstructure of blended human orders was so profanely reared.

-      The ill-assorted and injudicious attire of the individual only served to

-      render his awkwardness more conspicuous. A sky-blue coat, with short and

-      broad skirts and low cape, exposed a long, thin neck, and longer and

-      thinner legs, to the worst animadversions of the evil-disposed. His nether

-      garment was a yellow nankeen, closely fitted to the shape, and tied at his

-      bunches of knees by large knots of white ribbon, a good deal sullied by

-      use. Clouded cotton stockings, and shoes, on one of the latter of which

-      was a plated spur, completed the costume of the lower extremity of this

-      figure, no curve or angle of which was concealed, but, on the other hand,

-      studiously exhibited, through the vanity or simplicity of its owner.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      From beneath the flap of an enormous pocket of a soiled vest of embossed

-      silk, heavily ornamented with tarnished silver lace, projected an

-      instrument, which, from being seen in such martial company, might have

-      been easily mistaken for some mischievous and unknown implement of war.

-      Small as it was, this uncommon engine had excited the curiosity of most of

-      the Europeans in the camp, though several of the provincials were seen to

-      handle it, not only without fear, but with the utmost familiarity. A

-      large, civil cocked hat, like those worn by clergymen within the last

-      thirty years, surmounted the whole, furnishing dignity to a good-natured

-      and somewhat vacant countenance, that apparently needed such artificial

-      aid, to support the gravity of some high and extraordinary trust.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While the common herd stood aloof, in deference to the quarters of Webb,

-      the figure we have described stalked into the center of the domestics,

-      freely expressing his censures or commendations on the merits of the

-      horses, as by chance they displeased or satisfied his judgment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This beast, I rather conclude, friend, is not of home raising, but is

-      from foreign lands, or perhaps from the little island itself over the blue

-      water?&rdquo; he said, in a voice as remarkable for the softness and sweetness

-      of its tones, as was his person for its rare proportions; &ldquo;I may speak of

-      these things, and be no braggart; for I have been down at both havens;

-      that which is situate at the mouth of Thames, and is named after the

-      capital of Old England, and that which is called 'Haven', with the

-      addition of the word 'New'; and have seen the scows and brigantines

-      collecting their droves, like the gathering to the ark, being outward

-      bound to the Island of Jamaica, for the purpose of barter and traffic in

-      four-footed animals; but never before have I beheld a beast which verified

-      the true scripture war-horse like this: 'He paweth in the valley, and

-      rejoiceth in his strength; he goeth on to meet the armed men. He saith

-      among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the

-      thunder of the captains, and the shouting' It would seem that the stock of

-      the horse of Israel had descended to our own time; would it not, friend?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Receiving no reply to this extraordinary appeal, which in truth, as it was

-      delivered with the vigor of full and sonorous tones, merited some sort of

-      notice, he who had thus sung forth the language of the holy book turned to

-      the silent figure to whom he had unwittingly addressed himself, and found

-      a new and more powerful subject of admiration in the object that

-      encountered his gaze. His eyes fell on the still, upright, and rigid form

-      of the &ldquo;Indian runner,&rdquo; who had borne to the camp the unwelcome tidings of

-      the preceding evening. Although in a state of perfect repose, and

-      apparently disregarding, with characteristic stoicism, the excitement and

-      bustle around him, there was a sullen fierceness mingled with the quiet of

-      the savage, that was likely to arrest the attention of much more

-      experienced eyes than those which now scanned him, in unconcealed

-      amazement. The native bore both the tomahawk and knife of his tribe; and

-      yet his appearance was not altogether that of a warrior. On the contrary,

-      there was an air of neglect about his person, like that which might have

-      proceeded from great and recent exertion, which he had not yet found

-      leisure to repair. The colors of the war-paint had blended in dark

-      confusion about his fierce countenance, and rendered his swarthy

-      lineaments still more savage and repulsive than if art had attempted an

-      effect which had been thus produced by chance. His eye, alone, which

-      glistened like a fiery star amid lowering clouds, was to be seen in its

-      state of native wildness. For a single instant his searching and yet wary

-      glance met the wondering look of the other, and then changing its

-      direction, partly in cunning, and partly in disdain, it remained fixed, as

-      if penetrating the distant air.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It is impossible to say what unlooked-for remark this short and silent

-      communication, between two such singular men, might have elicited from the

-      white man, had not his active curiosity been again drawn to other objects.

-      A general movement among the domestics, and a low sound of gentle voices,

-      announced the approach of those whose presence alone was wanted to enable

-      the cavalcade to move. The simple admirer of the war-horse instantly fell

-      back to a low, gaunt, switch-tailed mare, that was unconsciously gleaning

-      the faded herbage of the camp nigh by; where, leaning with one elbow on

-      the blanket that concealed an apology for a saddle, he became a spectator

-      of the departure, while a foal was quietly making its morning repast, on

-      the opposite side of the same animal.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A young man, in the dress of an officer, conducted to their steeds two

-      females, who, as it was apparent by their dresses, were prepared to

-      encounter the fatigues of a journey in the woods. One, and she was the

-      more juvenile in her appearance, though both were young, permitted

-      glimpses of her dazzling complexion, fair golden hair, and bright blue

-      eyes, to be caught, as she artlessly suffered the morning air to blow

-      aside the green veil which descended low from her beaver.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The flush which still lingered above the pines in the western sky was not

-      more bright nor delicate than the bloom on her cheek; nor was the opening

-      day more cheering than the animated smile which she bestowed on the youth,

-      as he assisted her into the saddle. The other, who appeared to share

-      equally in the attention of the young officer, concealed her charms from

-      the gaze of the soldiery with a care that seemed better fitted to the

-      experience of four or five additional years. It could be seen, however,

-      that her person, though molded with the same exquisite proportions, of

-      which none of the graces were lost by the traveling dress she wore, was

-      rather fuller and more mature than that of her companion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      No sooner were these females seated, than their attendant sprang lightly

-      into the saddle of the war-horse, when the whole three bowed to Webb, who

-      in courtesy, awaited their parting on the threshold of his cabin and

-      turning their horses' heads, they proceeded at a slow amble, followed by

-      their train, toward the northern entrance of the encampment. As they

-      traversed that short distance, not a voice was heard among them; but a

-      slight exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females, as the

-      Indian runner glided by her, unexpectedly, and led the way along the

-      military road in her front. Though this sudden and startling movement of

-      the Indian produced no sound from the other, in the surprise her veil also

-      was allowed to open its folds, and betrayed an indescribable look of pity,

-      admiration, and horror, as her dark eye followed the easy motions of the

-      savage. The tresses of this lady were shining and black, like the plumage

-      of the raven. Her complexion was not brown, but it rather appeared charged

-      with the color of the rich blood, that seemed ready to burst its bounds.

-      And yet there was neither coarseness nor want of shadowing in a

-      countenance that was exquisitely regular, and dignified and surpassingly

-      beautiful. She smiled, as if in pity at her own momentary forgetfulness,

-      discovering by the act a row of teeth that would have shamed the purest

-      ivory; when, replacing the veil, she bowed her face, and rode in silence,

-      like one whose thoughts were abstracted from the scene around her.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <br /> <br /> <a name="linkchap2" id="linkchap2"></a> <br /> <br />

-    </p>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 2

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola!&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Shakespeare

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      While one of the lovely beings we have so cursorily presented to the

-      reader was thus lost in thought, the other quickly recovered from the

-      alarm which induced the exclamation, and, laughing at her own weakness,

-      she inquired of the youth who rode by her side:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Are such specters frequent in the woods, Heyward, or is this sight an

-      especial entertainment ordered on our behalf? If the latter, gratitude

-      must close our mouths; but if the former, both Cora and I shall have need

-      to draw largely on that stock of hereditary courage which we boast, even

-      before we are made to encounter the redoubtable Montcalm.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yon Indian is a 'runner' of the army; and, after the fashion of his

-      people, he may be accounted a hero,&rdquo; returned the officer. &ldquo;He has

-      volunteered to guide us to the lake, by a path but little known, sooner

-      than if we followed the tardy movements of the column; and, by

-      consequence, more agreeably.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I like him not,&rdquo; said the lady, shuddering, partly in assumed, yet more

-      in real terror. &ldquo;You know him, Duncan, or you would not trust yourself so

-      freely to his keeping?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Say, rather, Alice, that I would not trust you. I do know him, or he

-      would not have my confidence, and least of all at this moment. He is said

-      to be a Canadian too; and yet he served with our friends the Mohawks, who,

-      as you know, are one of the six allied nations. He was brought among us,

-      as I have heard, by some strange accident in which your father was

-      interested, and in which the savage was rigidly dealt by; but I forget the

-      idle tale, it is enough, that he is now our friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If he has been my father's enemy, I like him still less!&rdquo; exclaimed the

-      now really anxious girl. &ldquo;Will you not speak to him, Major Heyward, that I

-      may hear his tones? Foolish though it may be, you have often heard me avow

-      my faith in the tones of the human voice!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It would be in vain; and answered, most probably, by an ejaculation.

-      Though he may understand it, he affects, like most of his people, to be

-      ignorant of the English; and least of all will he condescend to speak it,

-      now that the war demands the utmost exercise of his dignity. But he stops;

-      the private path by which we are to journey is, doubtless, at hand.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The conjecture of Major Heyward was true. When they reached the spot where

-      the Indian stood, pointing into the thicket that fringed the military

-      road; a narrow and blind path, which might, with some little

-      inconvenience, receive one person at a time, became visible.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here, then, lies our way,&rdquo; said the young man, in a low voice. &ldquo;Manifest

-      no distrust, or you may invite the danger you appear to apprehend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Cora, what think you?&rdquo; asked the reluctant fair one. &ldquo;If we journey with

-      the troops, though we may find their presence irksome, shall we not feel

-      better assurance of our safety?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Being little accustomed to the practices of the savages, Alice, you

-      mistake the place of real danger,&rdquo; said Heyward. &ldquo;If enemies have reached

-      the portage at all, a thing by no means probable, as our scouts are

-      abroad, they will surely be found skirting the column, where scalps abound

-      the most. The route of the detachment is known, while ours, having been

-      determined within the hour, must still be secret.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Should we distrust the man because his manners are not our manners, and

-      that his skin is dark?&rdquo; coldly asked Cora.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Alice hesitated no longer; but giving her Narrangansett* a smart cut of

-      the whip, she was the first to dash aside the slight branches of the

-      bushes, and to follow the runner along the dark and tangled pathway. The

-      young man regarded the last speaker in open admiration, and even permitted

-      her fairer, though certainly not more beautiful companion, to proceed

-      unattended, while he sedulously opened the way himself for the passage of

-      her who has been called Cora. It would seem that the domestics had been

-      previously instructed; for, instead of penetrating the thicket, they

-      followed the route of the column; a measure which Heyward stated had been

-      dictated by the sagacity of their guide, in order to diminish the marks of

-      their trail, if, haply, the Canadian savages should be lurking so far in

-      advance of their army. For many minutes the intricacy of the route

-      admitted of no further dialogue; after which they emerged from the broad

-      border of underbrush which grew along the line of the highway, and entered

-      under the high but dark arches of the forest. Here their progress was less

-      interrupted; and the instant the guide perceived that the females could

-      command their steeds, he moved on, at a pace between a trot and a walk,

-      and at a rate which kept the sure-footed and peculiar animals they rode at

-      a fast yet easy amble. The youth had turned to speak to the dark-eyed

-      Cora, when the distant sound of horses hoofs, clattering over the roots of

-      the broken way in his rear, caused him to check his charger; and, as his

-      companions drew their reins at the same instant, the whole party came to a

-      halt, in order to obtain an explanation of the unlooked-for interruption.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * In the state of Rhode Island there is a bay called

-     Narragansett, so named after a powerful tribe of Indians,

-     which formerly dwelt on its banks. Accident, or one of those

-     unaccountable freaks which nature sometimes plays in the

-     animal world, gave rise to a breed of horses which were once

-     well known in America, and distinguished by their habit of

-     pacing. Horses of this race were, and are still, in much

-     request as saddle horses, on account of their hardiness and

-     the ease of their movements. As they were also sure of foot,

-     the Narragansetts were greatly sought for by females who

-     were obliged to travel over the roots and holes in the &ldquo;new

-     countries.&rdquo;

- </pre>

-    <p>

-      In a few moments a colt was seen gliding, like a fallow deer, among the

-      straight trunks of the pines; and, in another instant, the person of the

-      ungainly man, described in the preceding chapter, came into view, with as

-      much rapidity as he could excite his meager beast to endure without coming

-      to an open rupture. Until now this personage had escaped the observation

-      of the travelers. If he possessed the power to arrest any wandering eye

-      when exhibiting the glories of his altitude on foot, his equestrian graces

-      were still more likely to attract attention.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Notwithstanding a constant application of his one armed heel to the flanks

-      of the mare, the most confirmed gait that he could establish was a

-      Canterbury gallop with the hind legs, in which those more forward assisted

-      for doubtful moments, though generally content to maintain a loping trot.

-      Perhaps the rapidity of the changes from one of these paces to the other

-      created an optical illusion, which might thus magnify the powers of the

-      beast; for it is certain that Heyward, who possessed a true eye for the

-      merits of a horse, was unable, with his utmost ingenuity, to decide by

-      what sort of movement his pursuer worked his sinuous way on his footsteps

-      with such persevering hardihood.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The industry and movements of the rider were not less remarkable than

-      those of the ridden. At each change in the evolutions of the latter, the

-      former raised his tall person in the stirrups; producing, in this manner,

-      by the undue elongation of his legs, such sudden growths and diminishings

-      of the stature, as baffled every conjecture that might be made as to his

-      dimensions. If to this be added the fact that, in consequence of the ex

-      parte application of the spur, one side of the mare appeared to journey

-      faster than the other; and that the aggrieved flank was resolutely

-      indicated by unremitted flourishes of a bushy tail, we finish the picture

-      of both horse and man.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The frown which had gathered around the handsome, open, and manly brow of

-      Heyward, gradually relaxed, and his lips curled into a slight smile, as he

-      regarded the stranger. Alice made no very powerful effort to control her

-      merriment; and even the dark, thoughtful eye of Cora lighted with a humor

-      that it would seem, the habit, rather than the nature, of its mistress

-      repressed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Seek you any here?&rdquo; demanded Heyward, when the other had arrived

-      sufficiently nigh to abate his speed; &ldquo;I trust you are no messenger of

-      evil tidings?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so,&rdquo; replied the stranger, making diligent use of his triangular

-      castor, to produce a circulation in the close air of the woods, and

-      leaving his hearers in doubt to which of the young man's questions he

-      responded; when, however, he had cooled his face, and recovered his

-      breath, he continued, &ldquo;I hear you are riding to William Henry; as I am

-      journeying thitherward myself, I concluded good company would seem

-      consistent to the wishes of both parties.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You appear to possess the privilege of a casting vote,&rdquo; returned Heyward;

-      &ldquo;we are three, while you have consulted no one but yourself.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so. The first point to be obtained is to know one's own mind. Once

-      sure of that, and where women are concerned it is not easy, the next is,

-      to act up to the decision. I have endeavored to do both, and here I am.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If you journey to the lake, you have mistaken your route,&rdquo; said Heyward,

-      haughtily; &ldquo;the highway thither is at least half a mile behind you.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so,&rdquo; returned the stranger, nothing daunted by this cold reception;

-      &ldquo;I have tarried at 'Edward' a week, and I should be dumb not to have

-      inquired the road I was to journey; and if dumb there would be an end to

-      my calling.&rdquo; After simpering in a small way, like one whose modesty

-      prohibited a more open expression of his admiration of a witticism that

-      was perfectly unintelligible to his hearers, he continued, &ldquo;It is not

-      prudent for any one of my profession to be too familiar with those he has

-      to instruct; for which reason I follow not the line of the army; besides

-      which, I conclude that a gentleman of your character has the best judgment

-      in matters of wayfaring; I have, therefore, decided to join company, in

-      order that the ride may be made agreeable, and partake of social

-      communion.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A most arbitrary, if not a hasty decision!&rdquo; exclaimed Heyward, undecided

-      whether to give vent to his growing anger, or to laugh in the other's

-      face. &ldquo;But you speak of instruction, and of a profession; are you an

-      adjunct to the provincial corps, as a master of the noble science of

-      defense and offense; or, perhaps, you are one who draws lines and angles,

-      under the pretense of expounding the mathematics?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The stranger regarded his interrogator a moment in wonder; and then,

-      losing every mark of self-satisfaction in an expression of solemn

-      humility, he answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of offense, I hope there is none, to either party: of defense, I make

-      none&mdash;by God's good mercy, having committed no palpable sin since

-      last entreating his pardoning grace. I understand not your allusions about

-      lines and angles; and I leave expounding to those who have been called and

-      set apart for that holy office. I lay claim to no higher gift than a small

-      insight into the glorious art of petitioning and thanksgiving, as

-      practiced in psalmody.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The man is, most manifestly, a disciple of Apollo,&rdquo; cried the amused

-      Alice, &ldquo;and I take him under my own especial protection. Nay, throw aside

-      that frown, Heyward, and in pity to my longing ears, suffer him to journey

-      in our train. Besides,&rdquo; she added, in a low and hurried voice, casting a

-      glance at the distant Cora, who slowly followed the footsteps of their

-      silent, but sullen guide, &ldquo;it may be a friend added to our strength, in

-      time of need.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Think you, Alice, that I would trust those I love by this secret path,

-      did I imagine such need could happen?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nay, nay, I think not of it now; but this strange man amuses me; and if

-      he 'hath music in his soul', let us not churlishly reject his company.&rdquo;

-       She pointed persuasively along the path with her riding whip, while their

-      eyes met in a look which the young man lingered a moment to prolong; then,

-      yielding to her gentle influence, he clapped his spurs into his charger,

-      and in a few bounds was again at the side of Cora.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am glad to encounter thee, friend,&rdquo; continued the maiden, waving her

-      hand to the stranger to proceed, as she urged her Narragansett to renew

-      its amble. &ldquo;Partial relatives have almost persuaded me that I am not

-      entirely worthless in a duet myself; and we may enliven our wayfaring by

-      indulging in our favorite pursuit. It might be of signal advantage to one,

-      ignorant as I, to hear the opinions and experience of a master in the

-      art.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is refreshing both to the spirits and to the body to indulge in

-      psalmody, in befitting seasons,&rdquo; returned the master of song,

-      unhesitatingly complying with her intimation to follow; &ldquo;and nothing would

-      relieve the mind more than such a consoling communion. But four parts are

-      altogether necessary to the perfection of melody. You have all the

-      manifestations of a soft and rich treble; I can, by especial aid, carry a

-      full tenor to the highest letter; but we lack counter and bass! Yon

-      officer of the king, who hesitated to admit me to his company, might fill

-      the latter, if one may judge from the intonations of his voice in common

-      dialogue.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Judge not too rashly from hasty and deceptive appearances,&rdquo; said the

-      lady, smiling; &ldquo;though Major Heyward can assume such deep notes on

-      occasion, believe me, his natural tones are better fitted for a mellow

-      tenor than the bass you heard.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is he, then, much practiced in the art of psalmody?&rdquo; demanded her simple

-      companion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Alice felt disposed to laugh, though she succeeded in suppressing her

-      merriment, ere she answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I apprehend that he is rather addicted to profane song. The chances of a

-      soldier's life are but little fitted for the encouragement of more sober

-      inclinations.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Man's voice is given to him, like his other talents, to be used, and not

-      to be abused. None can say they have ever known me to neglect my gifts! I

-      am thankful that, though my boyhood may be said to have been set apart,

-      like the youth of the royal David, for the purposes of music, no syllable

-      of rude verse has ever profaned my lips.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have, then, limited your efforts to sacred song?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so. As the psalms of David exceed all other language, so does the

-      psalmody that has been fitted to them by the divines and sages of the

-      land, surpass all vain poetry. Happily, I may say that I utter nothing but

-      the thoughts and the wishes of the King of Israel himself; for though the

-      times may call for some slight changes, yet does this version which we use

-      in the colonies of New England so much exceed all other versions, that, by

-      its richness, its exactness, and its spiritual simplicity, it approacheth,

-      as near as may be, to the great work of the inspired writer. I never abide

-      in any place, sleeping or waking, without an example of this gifted work.

-      'Tis the six-and-twentieth edition, promulgated at Boston, Anno Domini

-      1744; and is entitled, 'The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Old

-      and New Testaments; faithfully translated into English Metre, for the Use,

-      Edification, and Comfort of the Saints, in Public and Private, especially

-      in New England'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      During this eulogium on the rare production of his native poets, the

-      stranger had drawn the book from his pocket, and fitting a pair of

-      iron-rimmed spectacles to his nose, opened the volume with a care and

-      veneration suited to its sacred purposes. Then, without circumlocution or

-      apology, first pronounced the word &ldquo;Standish,&rdquo; and placing the unknown

-      engine, already described, to his mouth, from which he drew a high, shrill

-      sound, that was followed by an octave below, from his own voice, he

-      commenced singing the following words, in full, sweet, and melodious

-      tones, that set the music, the poetry, and even the uneasy motion of his

-      ill-trained beast at defiance; &ldquo;How good it is, O see, And how it pleaseth

-      well, Together e'en in unity, For brethren so to dwell. It's like the

-      choice ointment, From the head to the beard did go; Down Aaron's head,

-      that downward went His garment's skirts unto.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The delivery of these skillful rhymes was accompanied, on the part of the

-      stranger, by a regular rise and fall of his right hand, which terminated

-      at the descent, by suffering the fingers to dwell a moment on the leaves

-      of the little volume; and on the ascent, by such a flourish of the member

-      as none but the initiated may ever hope to imitate. It would seem long

-      practice had rendered this manual accompaniment necessary; for it did not

-      cease until the preposition which the poet had selected for the close of

-      his verse had been duly delivered like a word of two syllables.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Such an innovation on the silence and retirement of the forest could not

-      fail to enlist the ears of those who journeyed at so short a distance in

-      advance. The Indian muttered a few words in broken English to Heyward,

-      who, in his turn, spoke to the stranger; at once interrupting, and, for

-      the time, closing his musical efforts.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though we are not in danger, common prudence would teach us to journey

-      through this wilderness in as quiet a manner as possible. You will then,

-      pardon me, Alice, should I diminish your enjoyments, by requesting this

-      gentleman to postpone his chant until a safer opportunity.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You will diminish them, indeed,&rdquo; returned the arch girl; &ldquo;for never did I

-      hear a more unworthy conjunction of execution and language than that to

-      which I have been listening; and I was far gone in a learned inquiry into

-      the causes of such an unfitness between sound and sense, when you broke

-      the charm of my musings by that bass of yours, Duncan!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I know not what you call my bass,&rdquo; said Heyward, piqued at her remark,

-      &ldquo;but I know that your safety, and that of Cora, is far dearer to me than

-      could be any orchestra of Handel's music.&rdquo; He paused and turned his head

-      quickly toward a thicket, and then bent his eyes suspiciously on their

-      guide, who continued his steady pace, in undisturbed gravity. The young

-      man smiled to himself, for he believed he had mistaken some shining berry

-      of the woods for the glistening eyeballs of a prowling savage, and he rode

-      forward, continuing the conversation which had been interrupted by the

-      passing thought.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Major Heyward was mistaken only in suffering his youthful and generous

-      pride to suppress his active watchfulness. The cavalcade had not long

-      passed, before the branches of the bushes that formed the thicket were

-      cautiously moved asunder, and a human visage, as fiercely wild as savage

-      art and unbridled passions could make it, peered out on the retiring

-      footsteps of the travelers. A gleam of exultation shot across the

-      darkly-painted lineaments of the inhabitant of the forest, as he traced

-      the route of his intended victims, who rode unconsciously onward, the

-      light and graceful forms of the females waving among the trees, in the

-      curvatures of their path, followed at each bend by the manly figure of

-      Heyward, until, finally, the shapeless person of the singing master was

-      concealed behind the numberless trunks of trees, that rose, in dark lines,

-      in the intermediate space.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 3

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Before these fields were shorn and till'd,

-     Full to the brim our rivers flow'd;

-     The melody of waters fill'd

-     The fresh and boundless wood;

-     And torrents dash'd, and rivulets play'd,

-     And fountains spouted in the shade.&rdquo;&mdash;Bryant

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Leaving the unsuspecting Heyward and his confiding companions to penetrate

-      still deeper into a forest that contained such treacherous inmates, we

-      must use an author's privilege, and shift the scene a few miles to the

-      westward of the place where we have last seen them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      On that day, two men were lingering on the banks of a small but rapid

-      stream, within an hour's journey of the encampment of Webb, like those who

-      awaited the appearance of an absent person, or the approach of some

-      expected event. The vast canopy of woods spread itself to the margin of

-      the river, overhanging the water, and shadowing its dark current with a

-      deeper hue. The rays of the sun were beginning to grow less fierce, and

-      the intense heat of the day was lessened, as the cooler vapors of the

-      springs and fountains rose above their leafy beds, and rested in the

-      atmosphere. Still that breathing silence, which marks the drowsy

-      sultriness of an American landscape in July, pervaded the secluded spot,

-      interrupted only by the low voices of the men, the occasional and lazy tap

-      of a woodpecker, the discordant cry of some gaudy jay, or a swelling on

-      the ear, from the dull roar of a distant waterfall. These feeble and

-      broken sounds were, however, too familiar to the foresters to draw their

-      attention from the more interesting matter of their dialogue. While one of

-      these loiterers showed the red skin and wild accouterments of a native of

-      the woods, the other exhibited, through the mask of his rude and nearly

-      savage equipments, the brighter, though sun-burned and long-faced

-      complexion of one who might claim descent from a European parentage. The

-      former was seated on the end of a mossy log, in a posture that permitted

-      him to heighten the effect of his earnest language, by the calm but

-      expressive gestures of an Indian engaged in debate. His body, which was

-      nearly naked, presented a terrific emblem of death, drawn in intermingled

-      colors of white and black. His closely-shaved head, on which no other hair

-      than the well-known and chivalrous scalping tuft* was preserved, was

-      without ornament of any kind, with the exception of a solitary eagle's

-      plume, that crossed his crown, and depended over the left shoulder. A

-      tomahawk and scalping knife, of English manufacture, were in his girdle;

-      while a short military rifle, of that sort with which the policy of the

-      whites armed their savage allies, lay carelessly across his bare and

-      sinewy knee. The expanded chest, full formed limbs, and grave countenance

-      of this warrior, would denote that he had reached the vigor of his days,

-      though no symptoms of decay appeared to have yet weakened his manhood.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The North American warrior caused the hair to be plucked

-     from his whole body; a small tuft was left on the crown of

-     his head, in order that his enemy might avail himself of it,

-     in wrenching off the scalp in the event of his fall. The

-     scalp was the only admissible trophy of victory. Thus, it

-     was deemed more important to obtain the scalp than to kill

-     the man. Some tribes lay great stress on the honor of

-     striking a dead body. These practices have nearly

-     disappeared among the Indians of the Atlantic states.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The frame of the white man, judging by such parts as were not concealed by

-      his clothes, was like that of one who had known hardships and exertion

-      from his earliest youth. His person, though muscular, was rather

-      attenuated than full; but every nerve and muscle appeared strung and

-      indurated by unremitted exposure and toil. He wore a hunting shirt of

-      forest-green, fringed with faded yellow*, and a summer cap of skins which

-      had been shorn of their fur. He also bore a knife in a girdle of wampum,

-      like that which confined the scanty garments of the Indian, but no

-      tomahawk. His moccasins were ornamented after the gay fashion of the

-      natives, while the only part of his under dress which appeared below the

-      hunting-frock was a pair of buckskin leggings, that laced at the sides,

-      and which were gartered above the knees, with the sinews of a deer. A

-      pouch and horn completed his personal accouterments, though a rifle of

-      great length**, which the theory of the more ingenious whites had taught

-      them was the most dangerous of all firearms, leaned against a neighboring

-      sapling. The eye of the hunter, or scout, whichever he might be, was

-      small, quick, keen, and restless, roving while he spoke, on every side of

-      him, as if in quest of game, or distrusting the sudden approach of some

-      lurking enemy. Notwithstanding the symptoms of habitual suspicion, his

-      countenance was not only without guile, but at the moment at which he is

-      introduced, it was charged with an expression of sturdy honesty.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The hunting-shirt is a picturesque smock-frock, being

-     shorter, and ornamented with fringes and tassels. The colors

-     are intended to imitate the hues of the wood, with a view to

-     concealment. Many corps of American riflemen have been thus

-     attired, and the dress is one of the most striking of modern

-     times. The hunting-shirt is frequently white.

-

-     ** The rifle of the army is short; that of the hunter is

-     always long.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even your traditions make the case in my favor, Chingachgook,&rdquo; he said,

-      speaking in the tongue which was known to all the natives who formerly

-      inhabited the country between the Hudson and the Potomac, and of which we

-      shall give a free translation for the benefit of the reader; endeavoring,

-      at the same time, to preserve some of the peculiarities, both of the

-      individual and of the language. &ldquo;Your fathers came from the setting sun,

-      crossed the big river*, fought the people of the country, and took the

-      land; and mine came from the red sky of the morning, over the salt lake,

-      and did their work much after the fashion that had been set them by yours;

-      then let God judge the matter between us, and friends spare their words!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The Mississippi. The scout alludes to a tradition which is

-     very popular among the tribes of the Atlantic states.

-     Evidence of their Asiatic origin is deduced from the

-     circumstances, though great uncertainty hangs over the whole

-     history of the Indians.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My fathers fought with the naked red man!&rdquo; returned the Indian, sternly,

-      in the same language. &ldquo;Is there no difference, Hawkeye, between the

-      stone-headed arrow of the warrior, and the leaden bullet with which you

-      kill?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is reason in an Indian, though nature has made him with a red

-      skin!&rdquo; said the white man, shaking his head like one on whom such an

-      appeal to his justice was not thrown away. For a moment he appeared to be

-      conscious of having the worst of the argument, then, rallying again, he

-      answered the objection of his antagonist in the best manner his limited

-      information would allow:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am no scholar, and I care not who knows it; but, judging from what I

-      have seen, at deer chases and squirrel hunts, of the sparks below, I

-      should think a rifle in the hands of their grandfathers was not so

-      dangerous as a hickory bow and a good flint-head might be, if drawn with

-      Indian judgment, and sent by an Indian eye.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have the story told by your fathers,&rdquo; returned the other, coldly

-      waving his hand. &ldquo;What say your old men? Do they tell the young warriors

-      that the pale faces met the red men, painted for war and armed with the

-      stone hatchet and wooden gun?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts himself on his natural

-      privileges, though the worst enemy I have on earth, and he is an Iroquois,

-      daren't deny that I am genuine white,&rdquo; the scout replied, surveying, with

-      secret satisfaction, the faded color of his bony and sinewy hand, &ldquo;and I

-      am willing to own that my people have many ways, of which, as an honest

-      man, I can't approve. It is one of their customs to write in books what

-      they have done and seen, instead of telling them in their villages, where

-      the lie can be given to the face of a cowardly boaster, and the brave

-      soldier can call on his comrades to witness for the truth of his words. In

-      consequence of this bad fashion, a man, who is too conscientious to

-      misspend his days among the women, in learning the names of black marks,

-      may never hear of the deeds of his fathers, nor feel a pride in striving

-      to outdo them. For myself, I conclude the Bumppos could shoot, for I have

-      a natural turn with a rifle, which must have been handed down from

-      generation to generation, as, our holy commandments tell us, all good and

-      evil gifts are bestowed; though I should be loath to answer for other

-      people in such a matter. But every story has its two sides; so I ask you,

-      Chingachgook, what passed, according to the traditions of the red men,

-      when our fathers first met?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A silence of a minute succeeded, during which the Indian sat mute; then,

-      full of the dignity of his office, he commenced his brief tale, with a

-      solemnity that served to heighten its appearance of truth.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Listen, Hawkeye, and your ear shall drink no lie. 'Tis what my fathers

-      have said, and what the Mohicans have done.&rdquo; He hesitated a single

-      instant, and bending a cautious glance toward his companion, he continued,

-      in a manner that was divided between interrogation and assertion. &ldquo;Does

-      not this stream at our feet run toward the summer, until its waters grow

-      salt, and the current flows upward?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It can't be denied that your traditions tell you true in both these

-      matters,&rdquo; said the white man; &ldquo;for I have been there, and have seen them,

-      though why water, which is so sweet in the shade, should become bitter in

-      the sun, is an alteration for which I have never been able to account.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And the current!&rdquo; demanded the Indian, who expected his reply with that

-      sort of interest that a man feels in the confirmation of testimony, at

-      which he marvels even while he respects it; &ldquo;the fathers of Chingachgook

-      have not lied!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The holy Bible is not more true, and that is the truest thing in nature.

-      They call this up-stream current the tide, which is a thing soon

-      explained, and clear enough. Six hours the waters run in, and six hours

-      they run out, and the reason is this: when there is higher water in the

-      sea than in the river, they run in until the river gets to be highest, and

-      then it runs out again.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The waters in the woods, and on the great lakes, run downward until they

-      lie like my hand,&rdquo; said the Indian, stretching the limb horizontally

-      before him, &ldquo;and then they run no more.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No honest man will deny it,&rdquo; said the scout, a little nettled at the

-      implied distrust of his explanation of the mystery of the tides; &ldquo;and I

-      grant that it is true on the small scale, and where the land is level. But

-      everything depends on what scale you look at things. Now, on the small

-      scale, the 'arth is level; but on the large scale it is round. In this

-      manner, pools and ponds, and even the great fresh-water lakes, may be

-      stagnant, as you and I both know they are, having seen them; but when you

-      come to spread water over a great tract, like the sea, where the earth is

-      round, how in reason can the water be quiet? You might as well expect the

-      river to lie still on the brink of those black rocks a mile above us,

-      though your own ears tell you that it is tumbling over them at this very

-      moment.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      If unsatisfied by the philosophy of his companion, the Indian was far too

-      dignified to betray his unbelief. He listened like one who was convinced,

-      and resumed his narrative in his former solemn manner.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We came from the place where the sun is hid at night, over great plains

-      where the buffaloes live, until we reached the big river. There we fought

-      the Alligewi, till the ground was red with their blood. From the banks of

-      the big river to the shores of the salt lake, there was none to meet us.

-      The Maquas followed at a distance. We said the country should be ours from

-      the place where the water runs up no longer on this stream, to a river

-      twenty sun's journey toward the summer. We drove the Maquas into the woods

-      with the bears. They only tasted salt at the licks; they drew no fish from

-      the great lake; we threw them the bones.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;All this I have heard and believe,&rdquo; said the white man, observing that

-      the Indian paused; &ldquo;but it was long before the English came into the

-      country.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A pine grew then where this chestnut now stands. The first pale faces who

-      came among us spoke no English. They came in a large canoe, when my

-      fathers had buried the tomahawk with the red men around them. Then,

-      Hawkeye,&rdquo; he continued, betraying his deep emotion, only by permitting his

-      voice to fall to those low, guttural tones, which render his language, as

-      spoken at times, so very musical; &ldquo;then, Hawkeye, we were one people, and

-      we were happy. The salt lake gave us its fish, the wood its deer, and the

-      air its birds. We took wives who bore us children; we worshipped the Great

-      Spirit; and we kept the Maquas beyond the sound of our songs of triumph.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Know you anything of your own family at that time?&rdquo; demanded the white.

-      &ldquo;But you are just a man, for an Indian; and as I suppose you hold their

-      gifts, your fathers must have been brave warriors, and wise men at the

-      council-fire.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My tribe is the grandfather of nations, but I am an unmixed man. The

-      blood of chiefs is in my veins, where it must stay forever. The Dutch

-      landed, and gave my people the fire-water; they drank until the heavens

-      and the earth seemed to meet, and they foolishly thought they had found

-      the Great Spirit. Then they parted with their land. Foot by foot, they

-      were driven back from the shores, until I, that am a chief and a Sagamore,

-      have never seen the sun shine but through the trees, and have never

-      visited the graves of my fathers.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Graves bring solemn feelings over the mind,&rdquo; returned the scout, a good

-      deal touched at the calm suffering of his companion; &ldquo;and they often aid a

-      man in his good intentions; though, for myself, I expect to leave my own

-      bones unburied, to bleach in the woods, or to be torn asunder by the

-      wolves. But where are to be found those of your race who came to their kin

-      in the Delaware country, so many summers since?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Where are the blossoms of those summers!&mdash;fallen, one by one; so all

-      of my family departed, each in his turn, to the land of spirits. I am on

-      the hilltop and must go down into the valley; and when Uncas follows in my

-      footsteps there will no longer be any of the blood of the Sagamores, for

-      my boy is the last of the Mohicans.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas is here,&rdquo; said another voice, in the same soft, guttural tones,

-      near his elbow; &ldquo;who speaks to Uncas?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The white man loosened his knife in his leathern sheath, and made an

-      involuntary movement of the hand toward his rifle, at this sudden

-      interruption; but the Indian sat composed, and without turning his head at

-      the unexpected sounds.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At the next instant, a youthful warrior passed between them, with a

-      noiseless step, and seated himself on the bank of the rapid stream. No

-      exclamation of surprise escaped the father, nor was any question asked, or

-      reply given, for several minutes; each appearing to await the moment when

-      he might speak, without betraying womanish curiosity or childish

-      impatience. The white man seemed to take counsel from their customs, and,

-      relinquishing his grasp of the rifle, he also remained silent and

-      reserved. At length Chingachgook turned his eyes slowly toward his son,

-      and demanded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do the Maquas dare to leave the print of their moccasins in these woods?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have been on their trail,&rdquo; replied the young Indian, &ldquo;and know that

-      they number as many as the fingers of my two hands; but they lie hid like

-      cowards.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The thieves are outlying for scalps and plunder,&rdquo; said the white man,

-      whom we shall call Hawkeye, after the manner of his companions. &ldquo;That busy

-      Frenchman, Montcalm, will send his spies into our very camp, but he will

-      know what road we travel!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis enough,&rdquo; returned the father, glancing his eye toward the setting

-      sun; &ldquo;they shall be driven like deer from their bushes. Hawkeye, let us

-      eat to-night, and show the Maquas that we are men to-morrow.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am as ready to do the one as the other; but to fight the Iroquois 'tis

-      necessary to find the skulkers; and to eat, 'tis necessary to get the game&mdash;talk

-      of the devil and he will come; there is a pair of the biggest antlers I

-      have seen this season, moving the bushes below the hill! Now, Uncas,&rdquo; he

-      continued, in a half whisper, and laughing with a kind of inward sound,

-      like one who had learned to be watchful, &ldquo;I will bet my charger three

-      times full of powder, against a foot of wampum, that I take him atwixt the

-      eyes, and nearer to the right than to the left.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It cannot be!&rdquo; said the young Indian, springing to his feet with youthful

-      eagerness; &ldquo;all but the tips of his horns are hid!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He's a boy!&rdquo; said the white man, shaking his head while he spoke, and

-      addressing the father. &ldquo;Does he think when a hunter sees a part of the

-      creature', he can't tell where the rest of him should be!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Adjusting his rifle, he was about to make an exhibition of that skill on

-      which he so much valued himself, when the warrior struck up the piece with

-      his hand, saying:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hawkeye! will you fight the Maquas?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;These Indians know the nature of the woods, as it might be by instinct!&rdquo;

-       returned the scout, dropping his rifle, and turning away like a man who

-      was convinced of his error. &ldquo;I must leave the buck to your arrow, Uncas,

-      or we may kill a deer for them thieves, the Iroquois, to eat.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The instant the father seconded this intimation by an expressive gesture

-      of the hand, Uncas threw himself on the ground, and approached the animal

-      with wary movements. When within a few yards of the cover, he fitted an

-      arrow to his bow with the utmost care, while the antlers moved, as if

-      their owner snuffed an enemy in the tainted air. In another moment the

-      twang of the cord was heard, a white streak was seen glancing into the

-      bushes, and the wounded buck plunged from the cover, to the very feet of

-      his hidden enemy. Avoiding the horns of the infuriated animal, Uncas

-      darted to his side, and passed his knife across the throat, when bounding

-      to the edge of the river it fell, dyeing the waters with its blood.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0043.jpg" alt="0043" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0043.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Twas done with Indian skill,&rdquo; said the scout laughing inwardly, but with

-      vast satisfaction; &ldquo;and 'twas a pretty sight to behold! Though an arrow is

-      a near shot, and needs a knife to finish the work.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; ejaculated his companion, turning quickly, like a hound who

-      scented game.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;By the Lord, there is a drove of them!&rdquo; exclaimed the scout, whose eyes

-      began to glisten with the ardor of his usual occupation; &ldquo;if they come

-      within range of a bullet I will drop one, though the whole Six Nations

-      should be lurking within sound! What do you hear, Chingachgook? for to my

-      ears the woods are dumb.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is but one deer, and he is dead,&rdquo; said the Indian, bending his body

-      till his ear nearly touched the earth. &ldquo;I hear the sounds of feet!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Perhaps the wolves have driven the buck to shelter, and are following on

-      his trail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No. The horses of white men are coming!&rdquo; returned the other, raising

-      himself with dignity, and resuming his seat on the log with his former

-      composure. &ldquo;Hawkeye, they are your brothers; speak to them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That I will, and in English that the king needn't be ashamed to answer,&rdquo;

-       returned the hunter, speaking in the language of which he boasted; &ldquo;but I

-      see nothing, nor do I hear the sounds of man or beast; 'tis strange that

-      an Indian should understand white sounds better than a man who, his very

-      enemies will own, has no cross in his blood, although he may have lived

-      with the red skins long enough to be suspected! Ha! there goes something

-      like the cracking of a dry stick, too&mdash;now I hear the bushes move&mdash;yes,

-      yes, there is a trampling that I mistook for the falls&mdash;and&mdash;but

-      here they come themselves; God keep them from the Iroquois!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 4

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Well go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove

-     Till I torment thee for this injury.&rdquo;&mdash;Midsummer Night's Dream.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The words were still in the mouth of the scout, when the leader of the

-      party, whose approaching footsteps had caught the vigilant ear of the

-      Indian, came openly into view. A beaten path, such as those made by the

-      periodical passage of the deer, wound through a little glen at no great

-      distance, and struck the river at the point where the white man and his

-      red companions had posted themselves. Along this track the travelers, who

-      had produced a surprise so unusual in the depths of the forest, advanced

-      slowly toward the hunter, who was in front of his associates, in readiness

-      to receive them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Who comes?&rdquo; demanded the scout, throwing his rifle carelessly across his

-      left arm, and keeping the forefinger of his right hand on the trigger,

-      though he avoided all appearance of menace in the act. &ldquo;Who comes hither,

-      among the beasts and dangers of the wilderness?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Believers in religion, and friends to the law and to the king,&rdquo; returned

-      he who rode foremost. &ldquo;Men who have journeyed since the rising sun, in the

-      shades of this forest, without nourishment, and are sadly tired of their

-      wayfaring.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You are, then, lost,&rdquo; interrupted the hunter, &ldquo;and have found how

-      helpless 'tis not to know whether to take the right hand or the left?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so; sucking babes are not more dependent on those who guide them

-      than we who are of larger growth, and who may now be said to possess the

-      stature without the knowledge of men. Know you the distance to a post of

-      the crown called William Henry?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hoot!&rdquo; shouted the scout, who did not spare his open laughter, though

-      instantly checking the dangerous sounds he indulged his merriment at less

-      risk of being overheard by any lurking enemies. &ldquo;You are as much off the

-      scent as a hound would be, with Horican atwixt him and the deer! William

-      Henry, man! if you are friends to the king and have business with the

-      army, your way would be to follow the river down to Edward, and lay the

-      matter before Webb, who tarries there, instead of pushing into the

-      defiles, and driving this saucy Frenchman back across Champlain, into his

-      den again.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Before the stranger could make any reply to this unexpected proposition,

-      another horseman dashed the bushes aside, and leaped his charger into the

-      pathway, in front of his companion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What, then, may be our distance from Fort Edward?&rdquo; demanded a new

-      speaker; &ldquo;the place you advise us to seek we left this morning, and our

-      destination is the head of the lake.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then you must have lost your eyesight afore losing your way, for the road

-      across the portage is cut to a good two rods, and is as grand a path, I

-      calculate, as any that runs into London, or even before the palace of the

-      king himself.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We will not dispute concerning the excellence of the passage,&rdquo; returned

-      Heyward, smiling; for, as the reader has anticipated, it was he. &ldquo;It is

-      enough, for the present, that we trusted to an Indian guide to take us by

-      a nearer, though blinder path, and that we are deceived in his knowledge.

-      In plain words, we know not where we are.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;An Indian lost in the woods!&rdquo; said the scout, shaking his head

-      doubtingly; &ldquo;When the sun is scorching the tree tops, and the water

-      courses are full; when the moss on every beech he sees will tell him in

-      what quarter the north star will shine at night. The woods are full of

-      deer-paths which run to the streams and licks, places well known to

-      everybody; nor have the geese done their flight to the Canada waters

-      altogether! 'Tis strange that an Indian should be lost atwixt Horican and

-      the bend in the river! Is he a Mohawk?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not by birth, though adopted in that tribe; I think his birthplace was

-      farther north, and he is one of those you call a Huron.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; exclaimed the two companions of the scout, who had continued until

-      this part of the dialogue, seated immovable, and apparently indifferent to

-      what passed, but who now sprang to their feet with an activity and

-      interest that had evidently got the better of their reserve by surprise.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A Huron!&rdquo; repeated the sturdy scout, once more shaking his head in open

-      distrust; &ldquo;they are a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they are

-      adopted; you can never make anything of them but skulks and vagabonds.

-      Since you trusted yourself to the care of one of that nation, I only

-      wonder that you have not fallen in with more.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of that there is little danger, since William Henry is so many miles in

-      our front. You forget that I have told you our guide is now a Mohawk, and

-      that he serves with our forces as a friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo will die a Mingo,&rdquo; returned

-      the other positively. &ldquo;A Mohawk! No, give me a Delaware or a Mohican for

-      honesty; and when they will fight, which they won't all do, having

-      suffered their cunning enemies, the Maquas, to make them women&mdash;but

-      when they will fight at all, look to a Delaware, or a Mohican, for a

-      warrior!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Enough of this,&rdquo; said Heyward, impatiently; &ldquo;I wish not to inquire into

-      the character of a man that I know, and to whom you must be a stranger.

-      You have not yet answered my question; what is our distance from the main

-      army at Edward?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It seems that may depend on who is your guide. One would think such a

-      horse as that might get over a good deal of ground atwixt sun-up and

-      sun-down.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I wish no contention of idle words with you, friend,&rdquo; said Heyward,

-      curbing his dissatisfied manner, and speaking in a more gentle voice; &ldquo;if

-      you will tell me the distance to Fort Edward, and conduct me thither, your

-      labor shall not go without its reward.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And in so doing, how know I that I don't guide an enemy and a spy of

-      Montcalm, to the works of the army? It is not every man who can speak the

-      English tongue that is an honest subject.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If you serve with the troops, of whom I judge you to be a scout, you

-      should know of such a regiment of the king as the Sixtieth.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Sixtieth! you can tell me little of the Royal Americans that I don't

-      know, though I do wear a hunting-shirt instead of a scarlet jacket.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well, then, among other things, you may know the name of its major?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Its major!&rdquo; interrupted the hunter, elevating his body like one who was

-      proud of his trust. &ldquo;If there is a man in the country who knows Major

-      Effingham, he stands before you.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is a corps which has many majors; the gentleman you name is the

-      senior, but I speak of the junior of them all; he who commands the

-      companies in garrison at William Henry.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of vast riches, from one of

-      the provinces far south, has got the place. He is over young, too, to hold

-      such rank, and to be put above men whose heads are beginning to bleach;

-      and yet they say he is a soldier in his knowledge, and a gallant

-      gentleman!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Whatever he may be, or however he may be qualified for his rank, he now

-      speaks to you and, of course, can be no enemy to dread.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout regarded Heyward in surprise, and then lifting his cap, he

-      answered, in a tone less confident than before&mdash;though still

-      expressing doubt.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have heard a party was to leave the encampment this morning for the

-      lake shore?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have heard the truth; but I preferred a nearer route, trusting to the

-      knowledge of the Indian I mentioned.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And he deceived you, and then deserted?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter, for he is to be found in

-      the rear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I should like to look at the creature; if it is a true Iroquois I can

-      tell him by his knavish look, and by his paint,&rdquo; said the scout; stepping

-      past the charger of Heyward, and entering the path behind the mare of the

-      singing master, whose foal had taken advantage of the halt to exact the

-      maternal contribution. After shoving aside the bushes, and proceeding a

-      few paces, he encountered the females, who awaited the result of the

-      conference with anxiety, and not entirely without apprehension. Behind

-      these, the runner leaned against a tree, where he stood the close

-      examination of the scout with an air unmoved, though with a look so dark

-      and savage, that it might in itself excite fear. Satisfied with his

-      scrutiny, the hunter soon left him. As he repassed the females, he paused

-      a moment to gaze upon their beauty, answering to the smile and nod of

-      Alice with a look of open pleasure. Thence he went to the side of the

-      motherly animal, and spending a minute in a fruitless inquiry into the

-      character of her rider, he shook his head and returned to Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A Mingo is a Mingo, and God having made him so, neither the Mohawks nor

-      any other tribe can alter him,&rdquo; he said, when he had regained his former

-      position. &ldquo;If we were alone, and you would leave that noble horse at the

-      mercy of the wolves to-night, I could show you the way to Edward myself,

-      within an hour, for it lies only about an hour's journey hence; but with

-      such ladies in your company 'tis impossible!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And why? They are fatigued, but they are quite equal to a ride of a few

-      more miles.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis a natural impossibility!&rdquo; repeated the scout; &ldquo;I wouldn't walk a

-      mile in these woods after night gets into them, in company with that

-      runner, for the best rifle in the colonies. They are full of outlying

-      Iroquois, and your mongrel Mohawk knows where to find them too well to be

-      my companion.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Think you so?&rdquo; said Heyward, leaning forward in the saddle, and dropping

-      his voice nearly to a whisper; &ldquo;I confess I have not been without my own

-      suspicions, though I have endeavored to conceal them, and affected a

-      confidence I have not always felt, on account of my companions. It was

-      because I suspected him that I would follow no longer; making him, as you

-      see, follow me.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I knew he was one of the cheats as soon as I laid eyes on him!&rdquo; returned

-      the scout, placing a finger on his nose, in sign of caution.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The thief is leaning against the foot of the sugar sapling, that you can

-      see over them bushes; his right leg is in a line with the bark of the

-      tree, and,&rdquo; tapping his rifle, &ldquo;I can take him from where I stand, between

-      the angle and the knee, with a single shot, putting an end to his tramping

-      through the woods, for at least a month to come. If I should go back to

-      him, the cunning varmint would suspect something, and be dodging through

-      the trees like a frightened deer.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It will not do. He may be innocent, and I dislike the act. Though, if I

-      felt confident of his treachery&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis a safe thing to calculate on the knavery of an Iroquois,&rdquo; said the

-      scout, throwing his rifle forward, by a sort of instinctive movement.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold!&rdquo; interrupted Heyward, &ldquo;it will not do&mdash;we must think of some

-      other scheme&mdash;and yet, I have much reason to believe the rascal has

-      deceived me.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The hunter, who had already abandoned his intention of maiming the runner,

-      mused a moment, and then made a gesture, which instantly brought his two

-      red companions to his side. They spoke together earnestly in the Delaware

-      language, though in an undertone; and by the gestures of the white man,

-      which were frequently directed towards the top of the sapling, it was

-      evident he pointed out the situation of their hidden enemy. His companions

-      were not long in comprehending his wishes, and laying aside their

-      firearms, they parted, taking opposite sides of the path, and burying

-      themselves in the thicket, with such cautious movements, that their steps

-      were inaudible.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now, go you back,&rdquo; said the hunter, speaking again to Heyward, &ldquo;and hold

-      the imp in talk; these Mohicans here will take him without breaking his

-      paint.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nay,&rdquo; said Heyward, proudly, &ldquo;I will seize him myself.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hist! what could you do, mounted, against an Indian in the bushes!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I will dismount.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And, think you, when he saw one of your feet out of the stirrup, he would

-      wait for the other to be free? Whoever comes into the woods to deal with

-      the natives, must use Indian fashions, if he would wish to prosper in his

-      undertakings. Go, then; talk openly to the miscreant, and seem to believe

-      him the truest friend you have on 'arth.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward prepared to comply, though with strong disgust at the nature of

-      the office he was compelled to execute. Each moment, however, pressed upon

-      him a conviction of the critical situation in which he had suffered his

-      invaluable trust to be involved through his own confidence. The sun had

-      already disappeared, and the woods, suddenly deprived of his light*, were

-      assuming a dusky hue, which keenly reminded him that the hour the savage

-      usually chose for his most barbarous and remorseless acts of vengeance or

-      hostility, was speedily drawing near. Stimulated by apprehension, he left

-      the scout, who immediately entered into a loud conversation with the

-      stranger that had so unceremoniously enlisted himself in the party of

-      travelers that morning. In passing his gentler companions Heyward uttered

-      a few words of encouragement, and was pleased to find that, though

-      fatigued with the exercise of the day, they appeared to entertain no

-      suspicion that their present embarrassment was other than the result of

-      accident. Giving them reason to believe he was merely employed in a

-      consultation concerning the future route, he spurred his charger, and drew

-      the reins again when the animal had carried him within a few yards of the

-      place where the sullen runner still stood, leaning against the tree.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The scene of this tale was in the 42d degree of latitude,

-     where the twilight is never of long continuation.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You may see, Magua,&rdquo; he said, endeavoring to assume an air of freedom and

-      confidence, &ldquo;that the night is closing around us, and yet we are no nearer

-      to William Henry than when we left the encampment of Webb with the rising

-      sun.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have missed the way, nor have I been more fortunate. But, happily, we

-      have fallen in with a hunter, he whom you hear talking to the singer, that

-      is acquainted with the deerpaths and by-ways of the woods, and who

-      promises to lead us to a place where we may rest securely till the

-      morning.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian riveted his glowing eyes on Heyward as he asked, in his

-      imperfect English, &ldquo;Is he alone?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Alone!&rdquo; hesitatingly answered Heyward, to whom deception was too new to

-      be assumed without embarrassment. &ldquo;Oh! not alone, surely, Magua, for you

-      know that we are with him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then Le Renard Subtil will go,&rdquo; returned the runner, coolly raising his

-      little wallet from the place where it had lain at his feet; &ldquo;and the pale

-      faces will see none but their own color.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go! Whom call you Le Renard?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis the name his Canada fathers have given to Magua,&rdquo; returned the

-      runner, with an air that manifested his pride at the distinction. &ldquo;Night

-      is the same as day to Le Subtil, when Munro waits for him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And what account will Le Renard give the chief of William Henry

-      concerning his daughters? Will he dare to tell the hot-blooded Scotsman

-      that his children are left without a guide, though Magua promised to be

-      one?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though the gray head has a loud voice, and a long arm, Le Renard will not

-      hear him, nor feel him, in the woods.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But what will the Mohawks say? They will make him petticoats, and bid him

-      stay in the wigwam with the women, for he is no longer to be trusted with

-      the business of a man.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Subtil knows the path to the great lakes, and he can find the bones of

-      his fathers,&rdquo; was the answer of the unmoved runner.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Enough, Magua,&rdquo; said Heyward; &ldquo;are we not friends? Why should there be

-      bitter words between us? Munro has promised you a gift for your services

-      when performed, and I shall be your debtor for another. Rest your weary

-      limbs, then, and open your wallet to eat. We have a few moments to spare;

-      let us not waste them in talk like wrangling women. When the ladies are

-      refreshed we will proceed.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The pale faces make themselves dogs to their women,&rdquo; muttered the Indian,

-      in his native language, &ldquo;and when they want to eat, their warriors must

-      lay aside the tomahawk to feed their laziness.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What say you, Renard?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Subtil says it is good.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian then fastened his eyes keenly on the open countenance of

-      Heyward, but meeting his glance, he turned them quickly away, and seating

-      himself deliberately on the ground, he drew forth the remnant of some

-      former repast, and began to eat, though not without first bending his

-      looks slowly and cautiously around him.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This is well,&rdquo; continued Heyward; &ldquo;and Le Renard will have strength and

-      sight to find the path in the morning&rdquo;; he paused, for sounds like the

-      snapping of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose from the

-      adjacent bushes, but recollecting himself instantly, he continued, &ldquo;we

-      must be moving before the sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our path,

-      and shut us out from the fortress.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The hand of Magua dropped from his mouth to his side, and though his eyes

-      were fastened on the ground, his head was turned aside, his nostrils

-      expanded, and his ears seemed even to stand more erect than usual, giving

-      to him the appearance of a statue that was made to represent intense

-      attention.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward, who watched his movements with a vigilant eye, carelessly

-      extricated one of his feet from the stirrup, while he passed a hand toward

-      the bear-skin covering of his holsters.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Every effort to detect the point most regarded by the runner was

-      completely frustrated by the tremulous glances of his organs, which seemed

-      not to rest a single instant on any particular object, and which, at the

-      same time, could be hardly said to move. While he hesitated how to

-      proceed, Le Subtil cautiously raised himself to his feet, though with a

-      motion so slow and guarded, that not the slightest noise was produced by

-      the change. Heyward felt it had now become incumbent on him to act.

-      Throwing his leg over the saddle, he dismounted, with a determination to

-      advance and seize his treacherous companion, trusting the result to his

-      own manhood. In order, however, to prevent unnecessary alarm, he still

-      preserved an air of calmness and friendship.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Renard Subtil does not eat,&rdquo; he said, using the appellation he had

-      found most flattering to the vanity of the Indian. &ldquo;His corn is not well

-      parched, and it seems dry. Let me examine; perhaps something may be found

-      among my own provisions that will help his appetite.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua held out the wallet to the proffer of the other. He even suffered

-      their hands to meet, without betraying the least emotion, or varying his

-      riveted attitude of attention. But when he felt the fingers of Heyward

-      moving gently along his own naked arm, he struck up the limb of the young

-      man, and, uttering a piercing cry, he darted beneath it, and plunged, at a

-      single bound, into the opposite thicket. At the next instant the form of

-      Chingachgook appeared from the bushes, looking like a specter in its

-      paint, and glided across the path in swift pursuit. Next followed the

-      shout of Uncas, when the woods were lighted by a sudden flash, that was

-      accompanied by the sharp report of the hunter's rifle.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 5

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-                 ...&rdquo;In such a night

-     Did This be fearfully o'ertrip the dew;

-     And saw the lion's shadow ere himself.&rdquo;&mdash;Merchant of Venice

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The suddenness of the flight of his guide, and the wild cries of the

-      pursuers, caused Heyward to remain fixed, for a few moments, in inactive

-      surprise. Then recollecting the importance of securing the fugitive, he

-      dashed aside the surrounding bushes, and pressed eagerly forward to lend

-      his aid in the chase. Before he had, however, proceeded a hundred yards,

-      he met the three foresters already returning from their unsuccessful

-      pursuit.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why so soon disheartened!&rdquo; he exclaimed; &ldquo;the scoundrel must be concealed

-      behind some of these trees, and may yet be secured. We are not safe while

-      he goes at large.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Would you set a cloud to chase the wind?&rdquo; returned the disappointed

-      scout; &ldquo;I heard the imp brushing over the dry leaves, like a black snake,

-      and blinking a glimpse of him, just over ag'in yon big pine, I pulled as

-      it might be on the scent; but 'twouldn't do! and yet for a reasoning aim,

-      if anybody but myself had touched the trigger, I should call it a quick

-      sight; and I may be accounted to have experience in these matters, and one

-      who ought to know. Look at this sumach; its leaves are red, though

-      everybody knows the fruit is in the yellow blossom in the month of July!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis the blood of Le Subtil! he is hurt, and may yet fall!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; returned the scout, in decided disapprobation of this opinion,

-      &ldquo;I rubbed the bark off a limb, perhaps, but the creature leaped the longer

-      for it. A rifle bullet acts on a running animal, when it barks him, much

-      the same as one of your spurs on a horse; that is, it quickens motion, and

-      puts life into the flesh, instead of taking it away. But when it cuts the

-      ragged hole, after a bound or two, there is, commonly, a stagnation of

-      further leaping, be it Indian or be it deer!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are four able bodies, to one wounded man!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is life grievous to you?&rdquo; interrupted the scout. &ldquo;Yonder red devil would

-      draw you within swing of the tomahawks of his comrades, before you were

-      heated in the chase. It was an unthoughtful act in a man who has so often

-      slept with the war-whoop ringing in the air, to let off his piece within

-      sound of an ambushment! But then it was a natural temptation! 'twas very

-      natural! Come, friends, let us move our station, and in such fashion, too,

-      as will throw the cunning of a Mingo on a wrong scent, or our scalps will

-      be drying in the wind in front of Montcalm's marquee, ag'in this hour

-      to-morrow.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      This appalling declaration, which the scout uttered with the cool

-      assurance of a man who fully comprehended, while he did not fear to face

-      the danger, served to remind Heyward of the importance of the charge with

-      which he himself had been intrusted. Glancing his eyes around, with a vain

-      effort to pierce the gloom that was thickening beneath the leafy arches of

-      the forest, he felt as if, cut off from human aid, his unresisting

-      companions would soon lie at the entire mercy of those barbarous enemies,

-      who, like beasts of prey, only waited till the gathering darkness might

-      render their blows more fatally certain. His awakened imagination, deluded

-      by the deceptive light, converted each waving bush, or the fragment of

-      some fallen tree, into human forms, and twenty times he fancied he could

-      distinguish the horrid visages of his lurking foes, peering from their

-      hiding places, in never ceasing watchfulness of the movements of his

-      party. Looking upward, he found that the thin fleecy clouds, which evening

-      had painted on the blue sky, were already losing their faintest tints of

-      rose-color, while the imbedded stream, which glided past the spot where he

-      stood, was to be traced only by the dark boundary of its wooded banks.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is to be done!&rdquo; he said, feeling the utter helplessness of doubt in

-      such a pressing strait; &ldquo;desert me not, for God's sake! remain to defend

-      those I escort, and freely name your own reward!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      His companions, who conversed apart in the language of their tribe, heeded

-      not this sudden and earnest appeal. Though their dialogue was maintained

-      in low and cautious sounds, but little above a whisper, Heyward, who now

-      approached, could easily distinguish the earnest tones of the younger

-      warrior from the more deliberate speeches of his seniors. It was evident

-      that they debated on the propriety of some measure, that nearly concerned

-      the welfare of the travelers. Yielding to his powerful interest in the

-      subject, and impatient of a delay that seemed fraught with so much

-      additional danger, Heyward drew still nigher to the dusky group, with an

-      intention of making his offers of compensation more definite, when the

-      white man, motioning with his hand, as if he conceded the disputed point,

-      turned away, saying in a sort of soliloquy, and in the English tongue:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas is right! it would not be the act of men to leave such harmless

-      things to their fate, even though it breaks up the harboring place

-      forever. If you would save these tender blossoms from the fangs of the

-      worst of serpents, gentleman, you have neither time to lose nor resolution

-      to throw away!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;How can such a wish be doubted! Have I not already offered&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Offer your prayers to Him who can give us wisdom to circumvent the

-      cunning of the devils who fill these woods,&rdquo; calmly interrupted the scout,

-      &ldquo;but spare your offers of money, which neither you may live to realize,

-      nor I to profit by. These Mohicans and I will do what man's thoughts can

-      invent, to keep such flowers, which, though so sweet, were never made for

-      the wilderness, from harm, and that without hope of any other recompense

-      but such as God always gives to upright dealings. First, you must promise

-      two things, both in your own name and for your friends, or without serving

-      you we shall only injure ourselves!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Name them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The one is, to be still as these sleeping woods, let what will happen and

-      the other is, to keep the place where we shall take you, forever a secret

-      from all mortal men.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I will do my utmost to see both these conditions fulfilled.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then follow, for we are losing moments that are as precious as the

-      heart's blood to a stricken deer!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward could distinguish the impatient gesture of the scout, through the

-      increasing shadows of the evening, and he moved in his footsteps, swiftly,

-      toward the place where he had left the remainder of the party. When they

-      rejoined the expecting and anxious females, he briefly acquainted them

-      with the conditions of their new guide, and with the necessity that

-      existed for their hushing every apprehension in instant and serious

-      exertions. Although his alarming communication was not received without

-      much secret terror by the listeners, his earnest and impressive manner,

-      aided perhaps by the nature of the danger, succeeded in bracing their

-      nerves to undergo some unlooked-for and unusual trial. Silently, and

-      without a moment's delay, they permitted him to assist them from their

-      saddles, and when they descended quickly to the water's edge, where the

-      scout had collected the rest of the party, more by the agency of

-      expressive gestures than by any use of words.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What to do with these dumb creatures!&rdquo; muttered the white man, on whom

-      the sole control of their future movements appeared to devolve; &ldquo;it would

-      be time lost to cut their throats, and cast them into the river; and to

-      leave them here would be to tell the Mingoes that they have not far to

-      seek to find their owners!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then give them their bridles, and let them range the woods,&rdquo; Heyward

-      ventured to suggest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No; it would be better to mislead the imps, and make them believe they

-      must equal a horse's speed to run down their chase. Ay, ay, that will

-      blind their fireballs of eyes! Chingach&mdash;Hist! what stirs the bush?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The colt.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That colt, at least, must die,&rdquo; muttered the scout, grasping at the mane

-      of the nimble beast, which easily eluded his hand; &ldquo;Uncas, your arrows!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold!&rdquo; exclaimed the proprietor of the condemned animal, aloud, without

-      regard to the whispering tones used by the others; &ldquo;spare the foal of

-      Miriam! it is the comely offspring of a faithful dam, and would willingly

-      injure naught.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When men struggle for the single life God has given them,&rdquo; said the

-      scout, sternly, &ldquo;even their own kind seem no more than the beasts of the

-      wood. If you speak again, I shall leave you to the mercy of the Maquas!

-      Draw to your arrow's head, Uncas; we have no time for second blows.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The low, muttering sounds of his threatening voice were still audible,

-      when the wounded foal, first rearing on its hinder legs, plunged forward

-      to its knees. It was met by Chingachgook, whose knife passed across its

-      throat quicker than thought, and then precipitating the motions of the

-      struggling victim, he dashed into the river, down whose stream it glided

-      away, gasping audibly for breath with its ebbing life. This deed of

-      apparent cruelty, but of real necessity, fell upon the spirits of the

-      travelers like a terrific warning of the peril in which they stood,

-      heightened as it was by the calm though steady resolution of the actors in

-      the scene. The sisters shuddered and clung closer to each other, while

-      Heyward instinctively laid his hand on one of the pistols he had just

-      drawn from their holsters, as he placed himself between his charge and

-      those dense shadows that seemed to draw an impenetrable veil before the

-      bosom of the forest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indians, however, hesitated not a moment, but taking the bridles, they

-      led the frightened and reluctant horses into the bed of the river.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At a short distance from the shore they turned, and were soon concealed by

-      the projection of the bank, under the brow of which they moved, in a

-      direction opposite to the course of the waters. In the meantime, the scout

-      drew a canoe of bark from its place of concealment beneath some low

-      bushes, whose branches were waving with the eddies of the current, into

-      which he silently motioned for the females to enter. They complied without

-      hesitation, though many a fearful and anxious glance was thrown behind

-      them, toward the thickening gloom, which now lay like a dark barrier along

-      the margin of the stream.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      So soon as Cora and Alice were seated, the scout, without regarding the

-      element, directed Heyward to support one side of the frail vessel, and

-      posting himself at the other, they bore it up against the stream, followed

-      by the dejected owner of the dead foal. In this manner they proceeded, for

-      many rods, in a silence that was only interrupted by the rippling of the

-      water, as its eddies played around them, or the low dash made by their own

-      cautious footsteps. Heyward yielded the guidance of the canoe implicitly

-      to the scout, who approached or receded from the shore, to avoid the

-      fragments of rocks, or deeper parts of the river, with a readiness that

-      showed his knowledge of the route they held. Occasionally he would stop;

-      and in the midst of a breathing stillness, that the dull but increasing

-      roar of the waterfall only served to render more impressive, he would

-      listen with painful intenseness, to catch any sounds that might arise from

-      the slumbering forest. When assured that all was still, and unable to

-      detect, even by the aid of his practiced senses, any sign of his

-      approaching foes, he would deliberately resume his slow and guarded

-      progress. At length they reached a point in the river where the roving eye

-      of Heyward became riveted on a cluster of black objects, collected at a

-      spot where the high bank threw a deeper shadow than usual on the dark

-      waters. Hesitating to advance, he pointed out the place to the attention

-      of his companion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay,&rdquo; returned the composed scout, &ldquo;the Indians have hid the beasts with

-      the judgment of natives! Water leaves no trail, and an owl's eyes would be

-      blinded by the darkness of such a hole.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The whole party was soon reunited, and another consultation was held

-      between the scout and his new comrades, during which, they, whose fates

-      depended on the faith and ingenuity of these unknown foresters, had a

-      little leisure to observe their situation more minutely.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The river was confined between high and cragged rocks, one of which

-      impended above the spot where the canoe rested. As these, again, were

-      surmounted by tall trees, which appeared to totter on the brows of the

-      precipice, it gave the stream the appearance of running through a deep and

-      narrow dell. All beneath the fantastic limbs and ragged tree tops, which

-      were, here and there, dimly painted against the starry zenith, lay alike

-      in shadowed obscurity. Behind them, the curvature of the banks soon

-      bounded the view by the same dark and wooded outline; but in front, and

-      apparently at no great distance, the water seemed piled against the

-      heavens, whence it tumbled into caverns, out of which issued those sullen

-      sounds that had loaded the evening atmosphere. It seemed, in truth, to be

-      a spot devoted to seclusion, and the sisters imbibed a soothing impression

-      of security, as they gazed upon its romantic though not unappalling

-      beauties. A general movement among their conductors, however, soon

-      recalled them from a contemplation of the wild charms that night had

-      assisted to lend the place to a painful sense of their real peril.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The horses had been secured to some scattering shrubs that grew in the

-      fissures of the rocks, where, standing in the water, they were left to

-      pass the night. The scout directed Heyward and his disconsolate fellow

-      travelers to seat themselves in the forward end of the canoe, and took

-      possession of the other himself, as erect and steady as if he floated in a

-      vessel of much firmer materials. The Indians warily retraced their steps

-      toward the place they had left, when the scout, placing his pole against a

-      rock, by a powerful shove, sent his frail bark directly into the turbulent

-      stream. For many minutes the struggle between the light bubble in which

-      they floated and the swift current was severe and doubtful. Forbidden to

-      stir even a hand, and almost afraid to breath, lest they should expose the

-      frail fabric to the fury of the stream, the passengers watched the

-      glancing waters in feverish suspense. Twenty times they thought the

-      whirling eddies were sweeping them to destruction, when the master-hand of

-      their pilot would bring the bows of the canoe to stem the rapid. A long, a

-      vigorous, and, as it appeared to the females, a desperate effort, closed

-      the struggle. Just as Alice veiled her eyes in horror, under the

-      impression that they were about to be swept within the vortex at the foot

-      of the cataract, the canoe floated, stationary, at the side of a flat

-      rock, that lay on a level with the water.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Where are we, and what is next to be done!&rdquo; demanded Heyward, perceiving

-      that the exertions of the scout had ceased.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You are at the foot of Glenn's,&rdquo; returned the other, speaking aloud,

-      without fear of consequences within the roar of the cataract; &ldquo;and the

-      next thing is to make a steady landing, lest the canoe upset, and you

-      should go down again the hard road we have traveled faster than you came

-      up; 'tis a hard rift to stem, when the river is a little swelled; and five

-      is an unnatural number to keep dry, in a hurry-skurry, with a little

-      birchen bark and gum. There, go you all on the rock, and I will bring up

-      the Mohicans with the venison. A man had better sleep without his scalp,

-      than famish in the midst of plenty.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      His passengers gladly complied with these directions. As the last foot

-      touched the rock, the canoe whirled from its station, when the tall form

-      of the scout was seen, for an instant, gliding above the waters, before it

-      disappeared in the impenetrable darkness that rested on the bed of the

-      river. Left by their guide, the travelers remained a few minutes in

-      helpless ignorance, afraid even to move along the broken rocks, lest a

-      false step should precipitate them down some one of the many deep and

-      roaring caverns, into which the water seemed to tumble, on every side of

-      them. Their suspense, however, was soon relieved; for, aided by the skill

-      of the natives, the canoe shot back into the eddy, and floated again at

-      the side of the low rock, before they thought the scout had even time to

-      rejoin his companions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are now fortified, garrisoned, and provisioned,&rdquo; cried Heyward

-      cheerfully, &ldquo;and may set Montcalm and his allies at defiance. How, now, my

-      vigilant sentinel, can see anything of those you call the Iroquois, on the

-      main land!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I call them Iroquois, because to me every native, who speaks a foreign

-      tongue, is accounted an enemy, though he may pretend to serve the king! If

-      Webb wants faith and honesty in an Indian, let him bring out the tribes of

-      the Delawares, and send these greedy and lying Mohawks and Oneidas, with

-      their six nations of varlets, where in nature they belong, among the

-      French!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We should then exchange a warlike for a useless friend! I have heard that

-      the Delawares have laid aside the hatchet, and are content to be called

-      women!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Aye, shame on the Hollanders and Iroquois, who circumvented them by their

-      deviltries, into such a treaty! But I have known them for twenty years,

-      and I call him liar that says cowardly blood runs in the veins of a

-      Delaware. You have driven their tribes from the seashore, and would now

-      believe what their enemies say, that you may sleep at night upon an easy

-      pillow. No, no; to me, every Indian who speaks a foreign tongue is an

-      Iroquois, whether the castle* of his tribe be in Canada, or be in York.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The principal villages of the Indians are still called

-     &ldquo;castles&rdquo; by the whites of New York. &ldquo;Oneida castle&rdquo; is no

-     more than a scattered hamlet; but the name is in general

-     use.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Heyward, perceiving that the stubborn adherence of the scout to the cause

-      of his friends the Delawares, or Mohicans, for they were branches of the

-      same numerous people, was likely to prolong a useless discussion, changed

-      the subject.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Treaty or no treaty, I know full well that your two companions are brave

-      and cautious warriors! have they heard or seen anything of our enemies!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;An Indian is a mortal to be felt afore he is seen,&rdquo; returned the scout,

-      ascending the rock, and throwing the deer carelessly down. &ldquo;I trust to

-      other signs than such as come in at the eye, when I am outlying on the

-      trail of the Mingoes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do your ears tell you that they have traced our retreat?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I should be sorry to think they had, though this is a spot that stout

-      courage might hold for a smart scrimmage. I will not deny, however, but

-      the horses cowered when I passed them, as though they scented the wolves;

-      and a wolf is a beast that is apt to hover about an Indian ambushment,

-      craving the offals of the deer the savages kill.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You forget the buck at your feet! or, may we not owe their visit to the

-      dead colt? Ha! what noise is that?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Poor Miriam!&rdquo; murmured the stranger; &ldquo;thy foal was foreordained to become

-      a prey to ravenous beasts!&rdquo; Then, suddenly lifting up his voice, amid the

-      eternal din of the waters, he sang aloud: &ldquo;First born of Egypt, smite did

-      he, Of mankind, and of beast also: O, Egypt! wonders sent 'midst thee, On

-      Pharaoh and his servants too!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The death of the colt sits heavy on the heart of its owner,&rdquo; said the

-      scout; &ldquo;but it's a good sign to see a man account upon his dumb friends.

-      He has the religion of the matter, in believing what is to happen will

-      happen; and with such a consolation, it won't be long afore he submits to

-      the rationality of killing a four-footed beast to save the lives of human

-      men. It may be as you say,&rdquo; he continued, reverting to the purport of

-      Heyward's last remark; &ldquo;and the greater the reason why we should cut our

-      steaks, and let the carcass drive down the stream, or we shall have the

-      pack howling along the cliffs, begrudging every mouthful we swallow.

-      Besides, though the Delaware tongue is the same as a book to the Iroquois,

-      the cunning varlets are quick enough at understanding the reason of a

-      wolf's howl.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout, while making his remarks, was busied in collecting certain

-      necessary implements; as he concluded, he moved silently by the group of

-      travelers, accompanied by the Mohicans, who seemed to comprehend his

-      intentions with instinctive readiness, when the whole three disappeared in

-      succession, seeming to vanish against the dark face of a perpendicular

-      rock that rose to the height of a few yards, within as many feet of the

-      water's edge.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 6

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide;

-     He wales a portion with judicious care;

-     And 'Let us worship God', he says, with solemn air.&rdquo;&mdash;Burns

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Heyward and his female companions witnessed this mysterious movement with

-      secret uneasiness; for, though the conduct of the white man had hitherto

-      been above reproach, his rude equipments, blunt address, and strong

-      antipathies, together with the character of his silent associates, were

-      all causes for exciting distrust in minds that had been so recently

-      alarmed by Indian treachery.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The stranger alone disregarded the passing incidents. He seated himself on

-      a projection of the rocks, whence he gave no other signs of consciousness

-      than by the struggles of his spirit, as manifested in frequent and heavy

-      sighs. Smothered voices were next heard, as though men called to each

-      other in the bowels of the earth, when a sudden light flashed upon those

-      without, and laid bare the much-prized secret of the place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At the further extremity of a narrow, deep cavern in the rock, whose

-      length appeared much extended by the perspective and the nature of the

-      light by which it was seen, was seated the scout, holding a blazing knot

-      of pine. The strong glare of the fire fell full upon his sturdy,

-      weather-beaten countenance and forest attire, lending an air of romantic

-      wildness to the aspect of an individual, who, seen by the sober light of

-      day, would have exhibited the peculiarities of a man remarkable for the

-      strangeness of his dress, the iron-like inflexibility of his frame, and

-      the singular compound of quick, vigilant sagacity, and of exquisite

-      simplicity, that by turns usurped the possession of his muscular features.

-      At a little distance in advance stood Uncas, his whole person thrown

-      powerfully into view. The travelers anxiously regarded the upright,

-      flexible figure of the young Mohican, graceful and unrestrained in the

-      attitudes and movements of nature. Though his person was more than usually

-      screened by a green and fringed hunting-shirt, like that of the white man,

-      there was no concealment to his dark, glancing, fearless eye, alike

-      terrible and calm; the bold outline of his high, haughty features, pure in

-      their native red; or to the dignified elevation of his receding forehead,

-      together with all the finest proportions of a noble head, bared to the

-      generous scalping tuft. It was the first opportunity possessed by Duncan

-      and his companions to view the marked lineaments of either of their Indian

-      attendants, and each individual of the party felt relieved from a burden

-      of doubt, as the proud and determined, though wild expression of the

-      features of the young warrior forced itself on their notice. They felt it

-      might be a being partially benighted in the vale of ignorance, but it

-      could not be one who would willingly devote his rich natural gifts to the

-      purposes of wanton treachery. The ingenuous Alice gazed at his free air

-      and proud carriage, as she would have looked upon some precious relic of

-      the Grecian chisel, to which life had been imparted by the intervention of

-      a miracle; while Heyward, though accustomed to see the perfection of form

-      which abounds among the uncorrupted natives, openly expressed his

-      admiration at such an unblemished specimen of the noblest proportions of

-      man.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I could sleep in peace,&rdquo; whispered Alice, in reply, &ldquo;with such a fearless

-      and generous-looking youth for my sentinel. Surely, Duncan, those cruel

-      murders, those terrific scenes of torture, of which we read and hear so

-      much, are never acted in the presence of such as he!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This certainly is a rare and brilliant instance of those natural

-      qualities in which these peculiar people are said to excel,&rdquo; he answered.

-      &ldquo;I agree with you, Alice, in thinking that such a front and eye were

-      formed rather to intimidate than to deceive; but let us not practice a

-      deception upon ourselves, by expecting any other exhibition of what we

-      esteem virtue than according to the fashion of the savage. As bright

-      examples of great qualities are but too uncommon among Christians, so are

-      they singular and solitary with the Indians; though, for the honor of our

-      common nature, neither are incapable of producing them. Let us then hope

-      that this Mohican may not disappoint our wishes, but prove what his looks

-      assert him to be, a brave and constant friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now Major Heyward speaks as Major Heyward should,&rdquo; said Cora; &ldquo;who that

-      looks at this creature of nature, remembers the shade of his skin?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A short and apparently an embarrassed silence succeeded this remark, which

-      was interrupted by the scout calling to them, aloud, to enter.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This fire begins to show too bright a flame,&rdquo; he continued, as they

-      complied, &ldquo;and might light the Mingoes to our undoing. Uncas, drop the

-      blanket, and show the knaves its dark side. This is not such a supper as a

-      major of the Royal Americans has a right to expect, but I've known stout

-      detachments of the corps glad to eat their venison raw, and without a

-      relish, too*. Here, you see, we have plenty of salt, and can make a quick

-      broil. There's fresh sassafras boughs for the ladies to sit on, which may

-      not be as proud as their my-hog-guinea chairs, but which sends up a

-      sweeter flavor, than the skin of any hog can do, be it of Guinea, or be it

-      of any other land. Come, friend, don't be mournful for the colt; 'twas an

-      innocent thing, and had not seen much hardship. Its death will save the

-      creature many a sore back and weary foot!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * In vulgar parlance the condiments of a repast are called

-     by the American &ldquo;a relish,&rdquo; substituting the thing for its

-     effect. These provincial terms are frequently put in the

-     mouths of the speakers, according to their several

-     conditions in life. Most of them are of local use, and

-     others quite peculiar to the particular class of men to

-     which the character belongs. In the present instance, the

-     scout uses the word with immediate reference to the &ldquo;salt,&rdquo;

-      with which his own party was so fortunate as to be provided.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Uncas did as the other had directed, and when the voice of Hawkeye ceased,

-      the roar of the cataract sounded like the rumbling of distant thunder.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Are we quite safe in this cavern?&rdquo; demanded Heyward. &ldquo;Is there no danger

-      of surprise? A single armed man, at its entrance, would hold us at his

-      mercy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A spectral-looking figure stalked from out of the darkness behind the

-      scout, and seizing a blazing brand, held it toward the further extremity

-      of their place of retreat. Alice uttered a faint shriek, and even Cora

-      rose to her feet, as this appalling object moved into the light; but a

-      single word from Heyward calmed them, with the assurance it was only their

-      attendant, Chingachgook, who, lifting another blanket, discovered that the

-      cavern had two outlets. Then, holding the brand, he crossed a deep, narrow

-      chasm in the rocks which ran at right angles with the passage they were

-      in, but which, unlike that, was open to the heavens, and entered another

-      cave, answering to the description of the first, in every essential

-      particular.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Such old foxes as Chingachgook and myself are not often caught in a

-      barrow with one hole,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, laughing; &ldquo;you can easily see the

-      cunning of the place&mdash;the rock is black limestone, which everybody

-      knows is soft; it makes no uncomfortable pillow, where brush and pine wood

-      is scarce; well, the fall was once a few yards below us, and I dare to say

-      was, in its time, as regular and as handsome a sheet of water as any along

-      the Hudson. But old age is a great injury to good looks, as these sweet

-      young ladies have yet to l'arn! The place is sadly changed! These rocks

-      are full of cracks, and in some places they are softer than at othersome,

-      and the water has worked out deep hollows for itself, until it has fallen

-      back, ay, some hundred feet, breaking here and wearing there, until the

-      falls have neither shape nor consistency.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;In what part of them are we?&rdquo; asked Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why, we are nigh the spot that Providence first placed them at, but

-      where, it seems, they were too rebellious to stay. The rock proved softer

-      on each side of us, and so they left the center of the river bare and dry,

-      first working out these two little holes for us to hide in.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are then on an island!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay! there are the falls on two sides of us, and the river above and

-      below. If you had daylight, it would be worth the trouble to step up on

-      the height of this rock, and look at the perversity of the water. It falls

-      by no rule at all; sometimes it leaps, sometimes it tumbles; there it

-      skips; here it shoots; in one place 'tis white as snow, and in another

-      'tis green as grass; hereabouts, it pitches into deep hollows, that rumble

-      and crush the 'arth; and thereaways, it ripples and sings like a brook,

-      fashioning whirlpools and gullies in the old stone, as if 'twas no harder

-      than trodden clay. The whole design of the river seems disconcerted. First

-      it runs smoothly, as if meaning to go down the descent as things were

-      ordered; then it angles about and faces the shores; nor are there places

-      wanting where it looks backward, as if unwilling to leave the wilderness,

-      to mingle with the salt. Ay, lady, the fine cobweb-looking cloth you wear

-      at your throat is coarse, and like a fishnet, to little spots I can show

-      you, where the river fabricates all sorts of images, as if having broke

-      loose from order, it would try its hand at everything. And yet what does

-      it amount to! After the water has been suffered so to have its will, for a

-      time, like a headstrong man, it is gathered together by the hand that made

-      it, and a few rods below you may see it all, flowing on steadily toward

-      the sea, as was foreordained from the first foundation of the 'arth!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      While his auditors received a cheering assurance of the security of their

-      place of concealment from this untutored description of Glenn's,* they

-      were much inclined to judge differently from Hawkeye, of its wild

-      beauties. But they were not in a situation to suffer their thoughts to

-      dwell on the charms of natural objects; and, as the scout had not found it

-      necessary to cease his culinary labors while he spoke, unless to point

-      out, with a broken fork, the direction of some particularly obnoxious

-      point in the rebellious stream, they now suffered their attention to be

-      drawn to the necessary though more vulgar consideration of their supper.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * Glenn's Falls are on the Hudson, some forty or fifty miles

-     above the head of tide, or that place where the river

-     becomes navigable for sloops. The description of this

-     picturesque and remarkable little cataract, as given by the

-     scout, is sufficiently correct, though the application of

-     the water to uses of civilized life has materially injured

-     its beauties. The rocky island and the two caverns are known

-     to every traveler, since the former sustains the pier of a

-     bridge, which is now thrown across the river, immediately

-     above the fall. In explanation of the taste of Hawkeye, it

-     should be remembered that men always prize that most which

-     is least enjoyed. Thus, in a new country, the woods and

-     other objects, which in an old country would be maintained

-     at great cost, are got rid of, simply with a view of

-     &ldquo;improving&rdquo; as it is called.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The repast, which was greatly aided by the addition of a few delicacies

-      that Heyward had the precaution to bring with him when they left their

-      horses, was exceedingly refreshing to the weary party. Uncas acted as

-      attendant to the females, performing all the little offices within his

-      power, with a mixture of dignity and anxious grace, that served to amuse

-      Heyward, who well knew that it was an utter innovation on the Indian

-      customs, which forbid their warriors to descend to any menial employment,

-      especially in favor of their women. As the rights of hospitality were,

-      however, considered sacred among them, this little departure from the

-      dignity of manhood excited no audible comment. Had there been one there

-      sufficiently disengaged to become a close observer, he might have fancied

-      that the services of the young chief were not entirely impartial. That

-      while he tendered to Alice the gourd of sweet water, and the venison in a

-      trencher, neatly carved from the knot of the pepperidge, with sufficient

-      courtesy, in performing the same offices to her sister, his dark eye

-      lingered on her rich, speaking countenance. Once or twice he was compelled

-      to speak, to command her attention of those he served. In such cases he

-      made use of English, broken and imperfect, but sufficiently intelligible,

-      and which he rendered so mild and musical, by his deep, guttural voice,

-      that it never failed to cause both ladies to look up in admiration and

-      astonishment. In the course of these civilities, a few sentences were

-      exchanged, that served to establish the appearance of an amicable

-      intercourse between the parties.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In the meanwhile, the gravity of Chingcachgook remained immovable. He had

-      seated himself more within the circle of light, where the frequent, uneasy

-      glances of his guests were better enabled to separate the natural

-      expression of his face from the artificial terrors of the war paint. They

-      found a strong resemblance between father and son, with the difference

-      that might be expected from age and hardships. The fierceness of his

-      countenance now seemed to slumber, and in its place was to be seen the

-      quiet, vacant composure which distinguishes an Indian warrior, when his

-      faculties are not required for any of the greater purposes of his

-      existence. It was, however, easy to be seen, by the occasional gleams that

-      shot across his swarthy visage, that it was only necessary to arouse his

-      passions, in order to give full effect to the terrific device which he had

-      adopted to intimidate his enemies. On the other hand, the quick, roving

-      eye of the scout seldom rested. He ate and drank with an appetite that no

-      sense of danger could disturb, but his vigilance seemed never to desert

-      him. Twenty times the gourd or the venison was suspended before his lips,

-      while his head was turned aside, as though he listened to some distant and

-      distrusted sounds&mdash;a movement that never failed to recall his guests

-      from regarding the novelties of their situation, to a recollection of the

-      alarming reasons that had driven them to seek it. As these frequent pauses

-      were never followed by any remark, the momentary uneasiness they created

-      quickly passed away, and for a time was forgotten.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Come, friend,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, drawing out a keg from beneath a cover of

-      leaves, toward the close of the repast, and addressing the stranger who

-      sat at his elbow, doing great justice to his culinary skill, &ldquo;try a little

-      spruce; 'twill wash away all thoughts of the colt, and quicken the life in

-      your bosom. I drink to our better friendship, hoping that a little

-      horse-flesh may leave no heart-burnings atween us. How do you name

-      yourself?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Gamut&mdash;David Gamut,&rdquo; returned the singing master, preparing to wash

-      down his sorrows in a powerful draught of the woodsman's high-flavored and

-      well-laced compound.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A very good name, and, I dare say, handed down from honest forefathers.

-      I'm an admirator of names, though the Christian fashions fall far below

-      savage customs in this particular. The biggest coward I ever knew as

-      called Lyon; and his wife, Patience, would scold you out of hearing in

-      less time than a hunted deer would run a rod. With an Indian 'tis a matter

-      of conscience; what he calls himself, he generally is&mdash;not that

-      Chingachgook, which signifies Big Sarpent, is really a snake, big or

-      little; but that he understands the windings and turnings of human natur',

-      and is silent, and strikes his enemies when they least expect him. What

-      may be your calling?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am an unworthy instructor in the art of psalmody.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Anan!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I teach singing to the youths of the Connecticut levy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You might be better employed. The young hounds go laughing and singing

-      too much already through the woods, when they ought not to breathe louder

-      than a fox in his cover. Can you use the smoothbore, or handle the rifle?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Praised be God, I have never had occasion to meddle with murderous

-      implements!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Perhaps you understand the compass, and lay down the watercourses and

-      mountains of the wilderness on paper, in order that they who follow may

-      find places by their given names?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I practice no such employment.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have a pair of legs that might make a long path seem short! you

-      journey sometimes, I fancy, with tidings for the general.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Never; I follow no other than my own high vocation, which is instruction

-      in sacred music!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis a strange calling!&rdquo; muttered Hawkeye, with an inward laugh, &ldquo;to go

-      through life, like a catbird, mocking all the ups and downs that may

-      happen to come out of other men's throats. Well, friend, I suppose it is

-      your gift, and mustn't be denied any more than if 'twas shooting, or some

-      other better inclination. Let us hear what you can do in that way; 'twill

-      be a friendly manner of saying good-night, for 'tis time that these ladies

-      should be getting strength for a hard and a long push, in the pride of the

-      morning, afore the Maquas are stirring.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;With joyful pleasure do I consent&rdquo;, said David, adjusting his iron-rimmed

-      spectacles, and producing his beloved little volume, which he immediately

-      tendered to Alice. &ldquo;What can be more fitting and consolatory, than to

-      offer up evening praise, after a day of such exceeding jeopardy!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Alice smiled; but, regarding Heyward, she blushed and hesitated.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Indulge yourself,&rdquo; he whispered; &ldquo;ought not the suggestion of the worthy

-      namesake of the Psalmist to have its weight at such a moment?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Encouraged by his opinion, Alice did what her pious inclinations, and her

-      keen relish for gentle sounds, had before so strongly urged. The book was

-      open at a hymn not ill adapted to their situation, and in which the poet,

-      no longer goaded by his desire to excel the inspired King of Israel, had

-      discovered some chastened and respectable powers. Cora betrayed a

-      disposition to support her sister, and the sacred song proceeded, after

-      the indispensable preliminaries of the pitchpipe, and the tune had been

-      duly attended to by the methodical David.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The air was solemn and slow. At times it rose to the fullest compass of

-      the rich voices of the females, who hung over their little book in holy

-      excitement, and again it sank so low, that the rushing of the waters ran

-      through their melody, like a hollow accompaniment. The natural taste and

-      true ear of David governed and modified the sounds to suit the confined

-      cavern, every crevice and cranny of which was filled with the thrilling

-      notes of their flexible voices. The Indians riveted their eyes on the

-      rocks, and listened with an attention that seemed to turn them into stone.

-      But the scout, who had placed his chin in his hand, with an expression of

-      cold indifference, gradually suffered his rigid features to relax, until,

-      as verse succeeded verse, he felt his iron nature subdued, while his

-      recollection was carried back to boyhood, when his ears had been

-      accustomed to listen to similar sounds of praise, in the settlements of

-      the colony. His roving eyes began to moisten, and before the hymn was

-      ended scalding tears rolled out of fountains that had long seemed dry, and

-      followed each other down those cheeks, that had oftener felt the storms of

-      heaven than any testimonials of weakness. The singers were dwelling on one

-      of those low, dying chords, which the ear devours with such greedy

-      rapture, as if conscious that it is about to lose them, when a cry, that

-      seemed neither human nor earthly, rose in the outward air, penetrating not

-      only the recesses of the cavern, but to the inmost hearts of all who heard

-      it. It was followed by a stillness apparently as deep as if the waters had

-      been checked in their furious progress, at such a horrid and unusual

-      interruption.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; murmured Alice, after a few moments of terrible suspense.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/5095.jpg" alt="5095" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/5095.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is it?&rdquo; repeated Hewyard aloud.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Neither Hawkeye nor the Indians made any reply. They listened, as if

-      expecting the sound would be repeated, with a manner that expressed their

-      own astonishment. At length they spoke together, earnestly, in the

-      Delaware language, when Uncas, passing by the inner and most concealed

-      aperture, cautiously left the cavern. When he had gone, the scout first

-      spoke in English.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What it is, or what it is not, none here can tell, though two of us have

-      ranged the woods for more than thirty years. I did believe there was no

-      cry that Indian or beast could make, that my ears had not heard; but this

-      has proved that I was only a vain and conceited mortal.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Was it not, then, the shout the warriors make when they wish to

-      intimidate their enemies?&rdquo; asked Cora who stood drawing her veil about her

-      person, with a calmness to which her agitated sister was a stranger.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No, no; this was bad, and shocking, and had a sort of unhuman sound; but

-      when you once hear the war-whoop, you will never mistake it for anything

-      else. Well, Uncas!&rdquo; speaking in Delaware to the young chief as he

-      re-entered, &ldquo;what see you? do our lights shine through the blankets?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The answer was short, and apparently decided, being given in the same

-      tongue.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is nothing to be seen without,&rdquo; continued Hawkeye, shaking his head

-      in discontent; &ldquo;and our hiding-place is still in darkness. Pass into the

-      other cave, you that need it, and seek for sleep; we must be afoot long

-      before the sun, and make the most of our time to get to Edward, while the

-      Mingoes are taking their morning nap.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora set the example of compliance, with a steadiness that taught the more

-      timid Alice the necessity of obedience. Before leaving the place, however,

-      she whispered a request to Duncan, that he would follow. Uncas raised the

-      blanket for their passage, and as the sisters turned to thank him for this

-      act of attention, they saw the scout seated again before the dying embers,

-      with his face resting on his hands, in a manner which showed how deeply he

-      brooded on the unaccountable interruption which had broken up their

-      evening devotions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward took with him a blazing knot, which threw a dim light through the

-      narrow vista of their new apartment. Placing it in a favorable position,

-      he joined the females, who now found themselves alone with him for the

-      first time since they had left the friendly ramparts of Fort Edward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Leave us not, Duncan,&rdquo; said Alice: &ldquo;we cannot sleep in such a place as

-      this, with that horrid cry still ringing in our ears.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;First let us examine into the security of your fortress,&rdquo; he answered,

-      &ldquo;and then we will speak of rest.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He approached the further end of the cavern, to an outlet, which, like the

-      others, was concealed by blankets; and removing the thick screen, breathed

-      the fresh and reviving air from the cataract. One arm of the river flowed

-      through a deep, narrow ravine, which its current had worn in the soft

-      rock, directly beneath his feet, forming an effectual defense, as he

-      believed, against any danger from that quarter; the water, a few rods

-      above them, plunging, glancing, and sweeping along in its most violent and

-      broken manner.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nature has made an impenetrable barrier on this side,&rdquo; he continued,

-      pointing down the perpendicular declivity into the dark current before he

-      dropped the blanket; &ldquo;and as you know that good men and true are on guard

-      in front I see no reason why the advice of our honest host should be

-      disregarded. I am certain Cora will join me in saying that sleep is

-      necessary to you both.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Cora may submit to the justice of your opinion though she cannot put it

-      in practice,&rdquo; returned the elder sister, who had placed herself by the

-      side of Alice, on a couch of sassafras; &ldquo;there would be other causes to

-      chase away sleep, though we had been spared the shock of this mysterious

-      noise. Ask yourself, Heyward, can daughters forget the anxiety a father

-      must endure, whose children lodge he knows not where or how, in such a

-      wilderness, and in the midst of so many perils?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He is a soldier, and knows how to estimate the chances of the woods.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He is a father, and cannot deny his nature.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;How kind has he ever been to all my follies, how tender and indulgent to

-      all my wishes!&rdquo; sobbed Alice. &ldquo;We have been selfish, sister, in urging our

-      visit at such hazard.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I may have been rash in pressing his consent in a moment of much

-      embarrassment, but I would have proved to him, that however others might

-      neglect him in his strait his children at least were faithful.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When he heard of your arrival at Edward,&rdquo; said Heyward, kindly, &ldquo;there

-      was a powerful struggle in his bosom between fear and love; though the

-      latter, heightened, if possible, by so long a separation, quickly

-      prevailed. 'It is the spirit of my noble-minded Cora that leads them,

-      Duncan', he said, 'and I will not balk it. Would to God, that he who holds

-      the honor of our royal master in his guardianship, would show but half her

-      firmness!'&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And did he not speak of me, Heyward?&rdquo; demanded Alice, with jealous

-      affection; &ldquo;surely, he forgot not altogether his little Elsie?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That were impossible,&rdquo; returned the young man; &ldquo;he called you by a

-      thousand endearing epithets, that I may not presume to use, but to the

-      justice of which, I can warmly testify. Once, indeed, he said&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan ceased speaking; for while his eyes were riveted on those of Alice,

-      who had turned toward him with the eagerness of filial affection, to catch

-      his words, the same strong, horrid cry, as before, filled the air, and

-      rendered him mute. A long, breathless silence succeeded, during which each

-      looked at the others in fearful expectation of hearing the sound repeated.

-      At length, the blanket was slowly raised, and the scout stood in the

-      aperture with a countenance whose firmness evidently began to give way

-      before a mystery that seemed to threaten some danger, against which all

-      his cunning and experience might prove of no avail.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 7

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;They do not sleep,

-     On yonder cliffs, a grizzly band,

-     I see them sit.&rdquo;&mdash;Gray

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Twould be neglecting a warning that is given for our good to lie hid any

-      longer,&rdquo; said Hawkeye &ldquo;when such sounds are raised in the forest. These

-      gentle ones may keep close, but the Mohicans and I will watch upon the

-      rock, where I suppose a major of the Sixtieth would wish to keep us

-      company.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is, then, our danger so pressing?&rdquo; asked Cora.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He who makes strange sounds, and gives them out for man's information,

-      alone knows our danger. I should think myself wicked, unto rebellion

-      against His will, was I to burrow with such warnings in the air! Even the

-      weak soul who passes his days in singing is stirred by the cry, and, as he

-      says, is 'ready to go forth to the battle' If 'twere only a battle, it

-      would be a thing understood by us all, and easily managed; but I have

-      heard that when such shrieks are atween heaven and 'arth, it betokens

-      another sort of warfare!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If all our reasons for fear, my friend, are confined to such as proceed

-      from supernatural causes, we have but little occasion to be alarmed,&rdquo;

-       continued the undisturbed Cora, &ldquo;are you certain that our enemies have not

-      invented some new and ingenious method to strike us with terror, that

-      their conquest may become more easy?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Lady,&rdquo; returned the scout, solemnly, &ldquo;I have listened to all the sounds

-      of the woods for thirty years, as a man will listen whose life and death

-      depend on the quickness of his ears. There is no whine of the panther, no

-      whistle of the catbird, nor any invention of the devilish Mingoes, that

-      can cheat me! I have heard the forest moan like mortal men in their

-      affliction; often, and again, have I listened to the wind playing its

-      music in the branches of the girdled trees; and I have heard the lightning

-      cracking in the air like the snapping of blazing brush as it spitted forth

-      sparks and forked flames; but never have I thought that I heard more than

-      the pleasure of him who sported with the things of his hand. But neither

-      the Mohicans, nor I, who am a white man without a cross, can explain the

-      cry just heard. We, therefore, believe it a sign given for our good.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is extraordinary!&rdquo; said Heyward, taking his pistols from the place

-      where he had laid them on entering; &ldquo;be it a sign of peace or a signal of

-      war, it must be looked to. Lead the way, my friend; I follow.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      On issuing from their place of confinement, the whole party instantly

-      experienced a grateful renovation of spirits, by exchanging the pent air

-      of the hiding-place for the cool and invigorating atmosphere which played

-      around the whirlpools and pitches of the cataract. A heavy evening breeze

-      swept along the surface of the river, and seemed to drive the roar of the

-      falls into the recesses of their own cavern, whence it issued heavily and

-      constant, like thunder rumbling beyond the distant hills. The moon had

-      risen, and its light was already glancing here and there on the waters

-      above them; but the extremity of the rock where they stood still lay in

-      shadow. With the exception of the sounds produced by the rushing waters,

-      and an occasional breathing of the air, as it murmured past them in fitful

-      currents, the scene was as still as night and solitude could make it. In

-      vain were the eyes of each individual bent along the opposite shores, in

-      quest of some signs of life, that might explain the nature of the

-      interruption they had heard. Their anxious and eager looks were baffled by

-      the deceptive light, or rested only on naked rocks, and straight and

-      immovable trees.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here is nothing to be seen but the gloom and quiet of a lovely evening,&rdquo;

-       whispered Duncan; &ldquo;how much should we prize such a scene, and all this

-      breathing solitude, at any other moment, Cora! Fancy yourselves in

-      security, and what now, perhaps, increases your terror, may be made

-      conducive to enjoyment&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Listen!&rdquo; interrupted Alice.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The caution was unnecessary. Once more the same sound arose, as if from

-      the bed of the river, and having broken out of the narrow bounds of the

-      cliffs, was heard undulating through the forest, in distant and dying

-      cadences.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Can any here give a name to such a cry?&rdquo; demanded Hawkeye, when the last

-      echo was lost in the woods; &ldquo;if so, let him speak; for myself, I judge it

-      not to belong to 'arth!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here, then, is one who can undeceive you,&rdquo; said Duncan; &ldquo;I know the sound

-      full well, for often have I heard it on the field of battle, and in

-      situations which are frequent in a soldier's life. 'Tis the horrid shriek

-      that a horse will give in his agony; oftener drawn from him in pain,

-      though sometimes in terror. My charger is either a prey to the beasts of

-      the forest, or he sees his danger, without the power to avoid it. The

-      sound might deceive me in the cavern, but in the open air I know it too

-      well to be wrong.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout and his companions listened to this simple explanation with the

-      interest of men who imbibe new ideas, at the same time that they get rid

-      of old ones, which had proved disagreeable inmates. The two latter uttered

-      their usual expressive exclamation, &ldquo;hugh!&rdquo; as the truth first glanced

-      upon their minds, while the former, after a short, musing pause, took upon

-      himself to reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I cannot deny your words,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;for I am little skilled in horses,

-      though born where they abound. The wolves must be hovering above their

-      heads on the bank, and the timorsome creatures are calling on man for

-      help, in the best manner they are able. Uncas&rdquo;&mdash;he spoke in Delaware&mdash;&ldquo;Uncas,

-      drop down in the canoe, and whirl a brand among the pack; or fear may do

-      what the wolves can't get at to perform, and leave us without horses in

-      the morning, when we shall have so much need to journey swiftly!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young native had already descended to the water to comply, when a long

-      howl was raised on the edge of the river, and was borne swiftly off into

-      the depths of the forest, as though the beasts, of their own accord, were

-      abandoning their prey in sudden terror. Uncas, with instinctive quickness,

-      receded, and the three foresters held another of their low, earnest

-      conferences.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We have been like hunters who have lost the points of the heavens, and

-      from whom the sun has been hid for days,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, turning away from

-      his companions; &ldquo;now we begin again to know the signs of our course, and

-      the paths are cleared from briers! Seat yourselves in the shade which the

-      moon throws from yonder beech&mdash;'tis thicker than that of the pines&mdash;and

-      let us wait for that which the Lord may choose to send next. Let all your

-      conversation be in whispers; though it would be better, and, perhaps, in

-      the end, wiser, if each one held discourse with his own thoughts, for a

-      time.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The manner of the scout was seriously impressive, though no longer

-      distinguished by any signs of unmanly apprehension. It was evident that

-      his momentary weakness had vanished with the explanation of a mystery

-      which his own experience had not served to fathom; and though he now felt

-      all the realities of their actual condition, that he was prepared to meet

-      them with the energy of his hardy nature. This feeling seemed also common

-      to the natives, who placed themselves in positions which commanded a full

-      view of both shores, while their own persons were effectually concealed

-      from observation. In such circumstances, common prudence dictated that

-      Heyward and his companions should imitate a caution that proceeded from so

-      intelligent a source. The young man drew a pile of the sassafras from the

-      cave, and placing it in the chasm which separated the two caverns, it was

-      occupied by the sisters, who were thus protected by the rocks from any

-      missiles, while their anxiety was relieved by the assurance that no danger

-      could approach without a warning. Heyward himself was posted at hand, so

-      near that he might communicate with his companions without raising his

-      voice to a dangerous elevation; while David, in imitation of the woodsmen,

-      bestowed his person in such a manner among the fissures of the rocks, that

-      his ungainly limbs were no longer offensive to the eye.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In this manner hours passed without further interruption. The moon reached

-      the zenith, and shed its mild light perpendicularly on the lovely sight of

-      the sisters slumbering peacefully in each other's arms. Duncan cast the

-      wide shawl of Cora before a spectacle he so much loved to contemplate, and

-      then suffered his own head to seek a pillow on the rock. David began to

-      utter sounds that would have shocked his delicate organs in more wakeful

-      moments; in short, all but Hawkeye and the Mohicans lost every idea of

-      consciousness, in uncontrollable drowsiness. But the watchfulness of these

-      vigilant protectors neither tired nor slumbered. Immovable as that rock,

-      of which each appeared to form a part, they lay, with their eyes roving,

-      without intermission, along the dark margin of trees, that bounded the

-      adjacent shores of the narrow stream. Not a sound escaped them; the most

-      subtle examination could not have told they breathed. It was evident that

-      this excess of caution proceeded from an experience that no subtlety on

-      the part of their enemies could deceive. It was, however, continued

-      without any apparent consequences, until the moon had set, and a pale

-      streak above the treetops, at the bend of the river a little below,

-      announced the approach of day.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, for the first time, Hawkeye was seen to stir. He crawled along the

-      rock and shook Duncan from his heavy slumbers.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now is the time to journey,&rdquo; he whispered; &ldquo;awake the gentle ones, and be

-      ready to get into the canoe when I bring it to the landing-place.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Have you had a quiet night?&rdquo; said Heyward; &ldquo;for myself, I believe sleep

-      has got the better of my vigilance.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;All is yet still as midnight. Be silent, but be quick.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      By this time Duncan was thoroughly awake, and he immediately lifted the

-      shawl from the sleeping females. The motion caused Cora to raise her hand

-      as if to repulse him, while Alice murmured, in her soft, gentle voice,

-      &ldquo;No, no, dear father, we were not deserted; Duncan was with us!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yes, sweet innocence,&rdquo; whispered the youth; &ldquo;Duncan is here, and while

-      life continues or danger remains, he will never quit thee. Cora! Alice!

-      awake! The hour has come to move!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A loud shriek from the younger of the sisters, and the form of the other

-      standing upright before him, in bewildered horror, was the unexpected

-      answer he received.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While the words were still on the lips of Heyward, there had arisen such a

-      tumult of yells and cries as served to drive the swift currents of his own

-      blood back from its bounding course into the fountains of his heart. It

-      seemed, for near a minute, as if the demons of hell had possessed

-      themselves of the air about them, and were venting their savage humors in

-      barbarous sounds. The cries came from no particular direction, though it

-      was evident they filled the woods, and, as the appalled listeners easily

-      imagined, the caverns of the falls, the rocks, the bed of the river, and

-      the upper air. David raised his tall person in the midst of the infernal

-      din, with a hand on either ear, exclaiming:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Whence comes this discord! Has hell broke loose, that man should utter

-      sounds like these!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The bright flashes and the quick reports of a dozen rifles, from the

-      opposite banks of the stream, followed this incautious exposure of his

-      person, and left the unfortunate singing master senseless on that rock

-      where he had been so long slumbering. The Mohicans boldly sent back the

-      intimidating yell of their enemies, who raised a shout of savage triumph

-      at the fall of Gamut. The flash of rifles was then quick and close between

-      them, but either party was too well skilled to leave even a limb exposed

-      to the hostile aim. Duncan listened with intense anxiety for the strokes

-      of the paddle, believing that flight was now their only refuge. The river

-      glanced by with its ordinary velocity, but the canoe was nowhere to be

-      seen on its dark waters. He had just fancied they were cruelly deserted by

-      their scout, as a stream of flame issued from the rock beneath them, and a

-      fierce yell, blended with a shriek of agony, announced that the messenger

-      of death sent from the fatal weapon of Hawkeye, had found a victim. At

-      this slight repulse the assailants instantly withdrew, and gradually the

-      place became as still as before the sudden tumult.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan seized the favorable moment to spring to the body of Gamut, which

-      he bore within the shelter of the narrow chasm that protected the sisters.

-      In another minute the whole party was collected in this spot of

-      comparative safety.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The poor fellow has saved his scalp,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, coolly passing his

-      hand over the head of David; &ldquo;but he is a proof that a man may be born

-      with too long a tongue! 'Twas downright madness to show six feet of flesh

-      and blood, on a naked rock, to the raging savages. I only wonder he has

-      escaped with life.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is he not dead?&rdquo; demanded Cora, in a voice whose husky tones showed how

-      powerfully natural horror struggled with her assumed firmness. &ldquo;Can we do

-      aught to assist the wretched man?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No, no! the life is in his heart yet, and after he has slept awhile he

-      will come to himself, and be a wiser man for it, till the hour of his real

-      time shall come,&rdquo; returned Hawkeye, casting another oblique glance at the

-      insensible body, while he filled his charger with admirable nicety. &ldquo;Carry

-      him in, Uncas, and lay him on the sassafras. The longer his nap lasts the

-      better it will be for him, as I doubt whether he can find a proper cover

-      for such a shape on these rocks; and singing won't do any good with the

-      Iroquois.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You believe, then, the attack will be renewed?&rdquo; asked Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do I expect a hungry wolf will satisfy his craving with a mouthful! They

-      have lost a man, and 'tis their fashion, when they meet a loss, and fail

-      in the surprise, to fall back; but we shall have them on again, with new

-      expedients to circumvent us, and master our scalps. Our main hope,&rdquo; he

-      continued, raising his rugged countenance, across which a shade of anxiety

-      just then passed like a darkening cloud, &ldquo;will be to keep the rock until

-      Munro can send a party to our help! God send it may be soon and under a

-      leader that knows the Indian customs!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You hear our probable fortunes, Cora,&rdquo; said Duncan, &ldquo;and you know we have

-      everything to hope from the anxiety and experience of your father. Come,

-      then, with Alice, into this cavern, where you, at least, will be safe from

-      the murderous rifles of our enemies, and where you may bestow a care

-      suited to your gentle natures on our unfortunate comrade.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The sisters followed him into the outer cave, where David was beginning,

-      by his sighs, to give symptoms of returning consciousness, and then

-      commending the wounded man to their attention, he immediately prepared to

-      leave them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Duncan!&rdquo; said the tremulous voice of Cora, when he had reached the mouth

-      of the cavern. He turned and beheld the speaker, whose color had changed

-      to a deadly paleness, and whose lips quivered, gazing after him, with an

-      expression of interest which immediately recalled him to her side.

-      &ldquo;Remember, Duncan, how necessary your safety is to our own&mdash;how you

-      bear a father's sacred trust&mdash;how much depends on your discretion and

-      care&mdash;in short,&rdquo; she added, while the telltale blood stole over her

-      features, crimsoning her very temples, &ldquo;how very deservedly dear you are

-      to all of the name of Munro.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If anything could add to my own base love of life,&rdquo; said Heyward,

-      suffering his unconscious eyes to wander to the youthful form of the

-      silent Alice, &ldquo;it would be so kind an assurance. As major of the Sixtieth,

-      our honest host will tell you I must take my share of the fray; but our

-      task will be easy; it is merely to keep these blood-hounds at bay for a

-      few hours.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Without waiting for a reply, he tore himself from the presence of the

-      sisters, and joined the scout and his companions, who still lay within the

-      protection of the little chasm between the two caves.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I tell you, Uncas,&rdquo; said the former, as Heyward joined them, &ldquo;you are

-      wasteful of your powder, and the kick of the rifle disconcerts your aim!

-      Little powder, light lead, and a long arm, seldom fail of bringing the

-      death screech from a Mingo! At least, such has been my experience with the

-      creatur's. Come, friends: let us to our covers, for no man can tell when

-      or where a Maqua* will strike his blow.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * Mingo was the Delaware term of the Five Nations. Maquas

-     was the name given them by the Dutch. The French, from their

-     first intercourse with them, called them Iroquois.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The Indians silently repaired to their appointed stations, which were

-      fissures in the rocks, whence they could command the approaches to the

-      foot of the falls. In the center of the little island, a few short and

-      stunted pines had found root, forming a thicket, into which Hawkeye darted

-      with the swiftness of a deer, followed by the active Duncan. Here they

-      secured themselves, as well as circumstances would permit, among the

-      shrubs and fragments of stone that were scattered about the place. Above

-      them was a bare, rounded rock, on each side of which the water played its

-      gambols, and plunged into the abysses beneath, in the manner already

-      described. As the day had now dawned, the opposite shores no longer

-      presented a confused outline, but they were able to look into the woods,

-      and distinguish objects beneath a canopy of gloomy pines.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A long and anxious watch succeeded, but without any further evidences of a

-      renewed attack; and Duncan began to hope that their fire had proved more

-      fatal than was supposed, and that their enemies had been effectually

-      repulsed. When he ventured to utter this impression to his companions, it

-      was met by Hawkeye with an incredulous shake of the head.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You know not the nature of a Maqua, if you think he is so easily beaten

-      back without a scalp!&rdquo; he answered. &ldquo;If there was one of the imps yelling

-      this morning, there were forty! and they know our number and quality too

-      well to give up the chase so soon. Hist! look into the water above, just

-      where it breaks over the rocks. I am no mortal, if the risky devils

-      haven't swam down upon the very pitch, and, as bad luck would have it,

-      they have hit the head of the island. Hist! man, keep close! or the hair

-      will be off your crown in the turning of a knife!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward lifted his head from the cover, and beheld what he justly

-      considered a prodigy of rashness and skill. The river had worn away the

-      edge of the soft rock in such a manner as to render its first pitch less

-      abrupt and perpendicular than is usual at waterfalls. With no other guide

-      than the ripple of the stream where it met the head of the island, a party

-      of their insatiable foes had ventured into the current, and swam down upon

-      this point, knowing the ready access it would give, if successful, to

-      their intended victims.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As Hawkeye ceased speaking, four human heads could be seen peering above a

-      few logs of drift-wood that had lodged on these naked rocks, and which had

-      probably suggested the idea of the practicability of the hazardous

-      undertaking. At the next moment, a fifth form was seen floating over the

-      green edge of the fall, a little from the line of the island. The savage

-      struggled powerfully to gain the point of safety, and, favored by the

-      glancing water, he was already stretching forth an arm to meet the grasp

-      of his companions, when he shot away again with the shirling current,

-      appeared to rise into the air, with uplifted arms and starting eyeballs,

-      and fell, with a sudden plunge, into that deep and yawning abyss over

-      which he hovered. A single, wild, despairing shriek rose from the cavern,

-      and all was hushed again as the grave.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The first generous impulse of Duncan was to rush to the rescue of the

-      hapless wretch; but he felt himself bound to the spot by the iron grasp of

-      the immovable scout.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Would ye bring certain death upon us, by telling the Mingoes where we

-      lie?&rdquo; demanded Hawkeye, sternly; &ldquo;'Tis a charge of powder saved, and

-      ammunition is as precious now as breath to a worried deer! Freshen the

-      priming of your pistols&mdash;the midst of the falls is apt to dampen the

-      brimstone&mdash;and stand firm for a close struggle, while I fire on their

-      rush.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He placed a finger in his mouth, and drew a long, shrill whistle, which

-      was answered from the rocks that were guarded by the Mohicans. Duncan

-      caught glimpses of heads above the scattered drift-wood, as this signal

-      rose on the air, but they disappeared again as suddenly as they had

-      glanced upon his sight. A low, rustling sound next drew his attention

-      behind him, and turning his head, he beheld Uncas within a few feet,

-      creeping to his side. Hawkeye spoke to him in Delaware, when the young

-      chief took his position with singular caution and undisturbed coolness. To

-      Heyward this was a moment of feverish and impatient suspense; though the

-      scout saw fit to select it as a fit occasion to read a lecture to his more

-      youthful associates on the art of using firearms with discretion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of all we'pons,&rdquo; he commenced, &ldquo;the long barreled, true-grooved,

-      soft-metaled rifle is the most dangerous in skillful hands, though it

-      wants a strong arm, a quick eye, and great judgment in charging, to put

-      forth all its beauties. The gunsmiths can have but little insight into

-      their trade when they make their fowling-pieces and short horsemen's&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He was interrupted by the low but expressive &ldquo;hugh&rdquo; of Uncas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I see them, boy, I see them!&rdquo; continued Hawkeye; &ldquo;they are gathering for

-      the rush, or they would keep their dingy backs below the logs. Well, let

-      them,&rdquo; he added, examining his flint; &ldquo;the leading man certainly comes on

-      to his death, though it should be Montcalm himself!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      At that moment the woods were filled with another burst of cries, and at

-      the signal four savages sprang from the cover of the driftwood. Heyward

-      felt a burning desire to rush forward to meet them, so intense was the

-      delirious anxiety of the moment; but he was restrained by the deliberate

-      examples of the scout and Uncas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When their foes, who had leaped over the black rocks that divided them,

-      with long bounds, uttering the wildest yells, were within a few rods, the

-      rifle of Hawkeye slowly rose among the shrubs, and poured out its fatal

-      contents. The foremost Indian bounded like a stricken deer, and fell

-      headlong among the clefts of the island.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now, Uncas!&rdquo; cried the scout, drawing his long knife, while his quick

-      eyes began to flash with ardor, &ldquo;take the last of the screeching imps; of

-      the other two we are sartain!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He was obeyed; and but two enemies remained to be overcome. Heyward had

-      given one of his pistols to Hawkeye, and together they rushed down a

-      little declivity toward their foes; they discharged their weapons at the

-      same instant, and equally without success.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I know'd it! and I said it!&rdquo; muttered the scout, whirling the despised

-      little implement over the falls with bitter disdain. &ldquo;Come on, ye bloody

-      minded hell-hounds! ye meet a man without a cross!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The words were barely uttered, when he encountered a savage of gigantic

-      stature, of the fiercest mien. At the same moment, Duncan found himself

-      engaged with the other, in a similar contest of hand to hand. With ready

-      skill, Hawkeye and his antagonist each grasped that uplifted arm of the

-      other which held the dangerous knife. For near a minute they stood looking

-      one another in the eye, and gradually exerting the power of their muscles

-      for the mastery.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0089.jpg" alt="0089" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0089.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      At length, the toughened sinews of the white man prevailed over the less

-      practiced limbs of the native. The arm of the latter slowly gave way

-      before the increasing force of the scout, who, suddenly wresting his armed

-      hand from the grasp of the foe, drove the sharp weapon through his naked

-      bosom to the heart. In the meantime, Heyward had been pressed in a more

-      deadly struggle. His slight sword was snapped in the first encounter. As

-      he was destitute of any other means of defense, his safety now depended

-      entirely on bodily strength and resolution. Though deficient in neither of

-      these qualities, he had met an enemy every way his equal. Happily, he soon

-      succeeded in disarming his adversary, whose knife fell on the rock at

-      their feet; and from this moment it became a fierce struggle who should

-      cast the other over the dizzy height into a neighboring cavern of the

-      falls. Every successive struggle brought them nearer to the verge, where

-      Duncan perceived the final and conquering effort must be made. Each of the

-      combatants threw all his energies into that effort, and the result was,

-      that both tottered on the brink of the precipice. Heyward felt the grasp

-      of the other at his throat, and saw the grim smile the savage gave, under

-      the revengeful hope that he hurried his enemy to a fate similar to his

-      own, as he felt his body slowly yielding to a resistless power, and the

-      young man experienced the passing agony of such a moment in all its

-      horrors. At that instant of extreme danger, a dark hand and glancing knife

-      appeared before him; the Indian released his hold, as the blood flowed

-      freely from around the severed tendons of the wrist; and while Duncan was

-      drawn backward by the saving hand of Uncas, his charmed eyes still were

-      riveted on the fierce and disappointed countenance of his foe, who fell

-      sullenly and disappointed down the irrecoverable precipice.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To cover! to cover!&rdquo; cried Hawkeye, who just then had despatched the

-      enemy; &ldquo;to cover, for your lives! the work is but half ended!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Mohican gave a shout of triumph, and followed by Duncan, he

-      glided up the acclivity they had descended to the combat, and sought the

-      friendly shelter of the rocks and shrubs.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 8

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;They linger yet,

-     Avengers of their native land.&rdquo;&mdash;Gray

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The warning call of the scout was not uttered without occasion. During the

-      occurrence of the deadly encounter just related, the roar of the falls was

-      unbroken by any human sound whatever. It would seem that interest in the

-      result had kept the natives on the opposite shores in breathless suspense,

-      while the quick evolutions and swift changes in the positions of the

-      combatants effectually prevented a fire that might prove dangerous alike

-      to friend and enemy. But the moment the struggle was decided, a yell arose

-      as fierce and savage as wild and revengeful passions could throw into the

-      air. It was followed by the swift flashes of the rifles, which sent their

-      leaden messengers across the rock in volleys, as though the assailants

-      would pour out their impotent fury on the insensible scene of the fatal

-      contest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A steady, though deliberate return was made from the rifle of

-      Chingachgook, who had maintained his post throughout the fray with unmoved

-      resolution. When the triumphant shout of Uncas was borne to his ears, the

-      gratified father raised his voice in a single responsive cry, after which

-      his busy piece alone proved that he still guarded his pass with unwearied

-      diligence. In this manner many minutes flew by with the swiftness of

-      thought; the rifles of the assailants speaking, at times, in rattling

-      volleys, and at others in occasional, scattering shots. Though the rock,

-      the trees, and the shrubs, were cut and torn in a hundred places around

-      the besieged, their cover was so close, and so rigidly maintained, that,

-      as yet, David had been the only sufferer in their little band.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let them burn their powder,&rdquo; said the deliberate scout, while bullet

-      after bullet whizzed by the place where he securely lay; &ldquo;there will be a

-      fine gathering of lead when it is over, and I fancy the imps will tire of

-      the sport afore these old stones cry out for mercy! Uncas, boy, you waste

-      the kernels by overcharging; and a kicking rifle never carries a true

-      bullet. I told you to take that loping miscreant under the line of white

-      point; now, if your bullet went a hair's breadth it went two inches above

-      it. The life lies low in a Mingo, and humanity teaches us to make a quick

-      end to the sarpents.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A quiet smile lighted the haughty features of the young Mohican, betraying

-      his knowledge of the English language as well as of the other's meaning;

-      but he suffered it to pass away without vindication of reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I cannot permit you to accuse Uncas of want of judgment or of skill,&rdquo;

-       said Duncan; &ldquo;he saved my life in the coolest and readiest manner, and he

-      has made a friend who never will require to be reminded of the debt he

-      owes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas partly raised his body, and offered his hand to the grasp of

-      Heyward. During this act of friendship, the two young men exchanged looks

-      of intelligence which caused Duncan to forget the character and condition

-      of his wild associate. In the meanwhile, Hawkeye, who looked on this burst

-      of youthful feeling with a cool but kind regard made the following reply:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Life is an obligation which friends often owe each other in the

-      wilderness. I dare say I may have served Uncas some such turn myself

-      before now; and I very well remember that he has stood between me and

-      death five different times; three times from the Mingoes, once in crossing

-      Horican, and&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That bullet was better aimed than common!&rdquo; exclaimed Duncan,

-      involuntarily shrinking from a shot which struck the rock at his side with

-      a smart rebound.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye laid his hand on the shapeless metal, and shook his head, as he

-      examined it, saying, &ldquo;Falling lead is never flattened, had it come from

-      the clouds this might have happened.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      But the rifle of Uncas was deliberately raised toward the heavens,

-      directing the eyes of his companions to a point, where the mystery was

-      immediately explained. A ragged oak grew on the right bank of the river,

-      nearly opposite to their position, which, seeking the freedom of the open

-      space, had inclined so far forward that its upper branches overhung that

-      arm of the stream which flowed nearest to its own shore. Among the topmost

-      leaves, which scantily concealed the gnarled and stunted limbs, a savage

-      was nestled, partly concealed by the trunk of the tree, and partly

-      exposed, as though looking down upon them to ascertain the effect produced

-      by his treacherous aim.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;These devils will scale heaven to circumvent us to our ruin,&rdquo; said

-      Hawkeye; &ldquo;keep him in play, boy, until I can bring 'killdeer' to bear,

-      when we will try his metal on each side of the tree at once.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas delayed his fire until the scout uttered the word.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The rifles flashed, the leaves and bark of the oak flew into the air, and

-      were scattered by the wind, but the Indian answered their assault by a

-      taunting laugh, sending down upon them another bullet in return, that

-      struck the cap of Hawkeye from his head. Once more the savage yells burst

-      out of the woods, and the leaden hail whistled above the heads of the

-      besieged, as if to confine them to a place where they might become easy

-      victims to the enterprise of the warrior who had mounted the tree.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This must be looked to,&rdquo; said the scout, glancing about him with an

-      anxious eye. &ldquo;Uncas, call up your father; we have need of all our we'pons

-      to bring the cunning varmint from his roost.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The signal was instantly given; and, before Hawkeye had reloaded his

-      rifle, they were joined by Chingachgook. When his son pointed out to the

-      experienced warrior the situation of their dangerous enemy, the usual

-      exclamatory &ldquo;hugh&rdquo; burst from his lips; after which, no further expression

-      of surprise or alarm was suffered to escape him. Hawkeye and the Mohicans

-      conversed earnestly together in Delaware for a few moments, when each

-      quietly took his post, in order to execute the plan they had speedily

-      devised.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The warrior in the oak had maintained a quick, though ineffectual fire,

-      from the moment of his discovery. But his aim was interrupted by the

-      vigilance of his enemies, whose rifles instantaneously bore on any part of

-      his person that was left exposed. Still his bullets fell in the center of

-      the crouching party. The clothes of Heyward, which rendered him peculiarly

-      conspicuous, were repeatedly cut, and once blood was drawn from a slight

-      wound in his arm.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At length, emboldened by the long and patient watchfulness of his enemies,

-      the Huron attempted a better and more fatal aim. The quick eyes of the

-      Mohicans caught the dark line of his lower limbs incautiously exposed

-      through the thin foliage, a few inches from the trunk of the tree. Their

-      rifles made a common report, when, sinking on his wounded limb, part of

-      the body of the savage came into view. Swift as thought, Hawkeye seized

-      the advantage, and discharged his fatal weapon into the top of the oak.

-      The leaves were unusually agitated; the dangerous rifle fell from its

-      commanding elevation, and after a few moments of vain struggling, the form

-      of the savage was seen swinging in the wind, while he still grasped a

-      ragged and naked branch of the tree with hands clenched in desperation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Give him, in pity, give him the contents of another rifle,&rdquo; cried Duncan,

-      turning away his eyes in horror from the spectacle of a fellow creature in

-      such awful jeopardy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not a karnel!&rdquo; exclaimed the obdurate Hawkeye; &ldquo;his death is certain, and

-      we have no powder to spare, for Indian fights sometimes last for days;

-      'tis their scalps or ours! and God, who made us, has put into our natures

-      the craving to keep the skin on the head.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Against this stern and unyielding morality, supported as it was by such

-      visible policy, there was no appeal. From that moment the yells in the

-      forest once more ceased, the fire was suffered to decline, and all eyes,

-      those of friends as well as enemies, became fixed on the hopeless

-      condition of the wretch who was dangling between heaven and earth. The

-      body yielded to the currents of air, and though no murmur or groan escaped

-      the victim, there were instants when he grimly faced his foes, and the

-      anguish of cold despair might be traced, through the intervening distance,

-      in possession of his swarthy lineaments. Three several times the scout

-      raised his piece in mercy, and as often, prudence getting the better of

-      his intention, it was again silently lowered. At length one hand of the

-      Huron lost its hold, and dropped exhausted to his side. A desperate and

-      fruitless struggle to recover the branch succeeded, and then the savage

-      was seen for a fleeting instant, grasping wildly at the empty air. The

-      lightning is not quicker than was the flame from the rifle of Hawkeye; the

-      limbs of the victim trembled and contracted, the head fell to the bosom,

-      and the body parted the foaming waters like lead, when the element closed

-      above it, in its ceaseless velocity, and every vestige of the unhappy

-      Huron was lost forever.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      No shout of triumph succeeded this important advantage, but even the

-      Mohicans gazed at each other in silent horror. A single yell burst from

-      the woods, and all was again still. Hawkeye, who alone appeared to reason

-      on the occasion, shook his head at his own momentary weakness, even

-      uttering his self-disapprobation aloud.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Twas the last charge in my horn and the last bullet in my pouch, and

-      'twas the act of a boy!&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;what mattered it whether he struck the

-      rock living or dead! feeling would soon be over. Uncas, lad, go down to

-      the canoe, and bring up the big horn; it is all the powder we have left,

-      and we shall need it to the last grain, or I am ignorant of the Mingo

-      nature.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Mohican complied, leaving the scout turning over the useless

-      contents of his pouch, and shaking the empty horn with renewed discontent.

-      From this unsatisfactory examination, however, he was soon called by a

-      loud and piercing exclamation from Uncas, that sounded, even to the

-      unpracticed ears of Duncan, as the signal of some new and unexpected

-      calamity. Every thought filled with apprehension for the previous treasure

-      he had concealed in the cavern, the young man started to his feet, totally

-      regardless of the hazard he incurred by such an exposure. As if actuated

-      by a common impulse, his movement was imitated by his companions, and,

-      together they rushed down the pass to the friendly chasm, with a rapidity

-      that rendered the scattering fire of their enemies perfectly harmless. The

-      unwonted cry had brought the sisters, together with the wounded David,

-      from their place of refuge; and the whole party, at a single glance, was

-      made acquainted with the nature of the disaster that had disturbed even

-      the practiced stoicism of their youthful Indian protector.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At a short distance from the rock, their little bark was to be seen

-      floating across the eddy, toward the swift current of the river, in a

-      manner which proved that its course was directed by some hidden agent. The

-      instant this unwelcome sight caught the eye of the scout, his rifle was

-      leveled as by instinct, but the barrel gave no answer to the bright sparks

-      of the flint.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis too late, 'tis too late!&rdquo; Hawkeye exclaimed, dropping the useless

-      piece in bitter disappointment; &ldquo;the miscreant has struck the rapid; and

-      had we powder, it could hardly send the lead swifter than he now goes!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The adventurous Huron raised his head above the shelter of the canoe, and,

-      while it glided swiftly down the stream, he waved his hand, and gave forth

-      the shout, which was the known signal of success. His cry was answered by

-      a yell and a laugh from the woods, as tauntingly exulting as if fifty

-      demons were uttering their blasphemies at the fall of some Christian soul.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well may you laugh, ye children of the devil!&rdquo; said the scout, seating

-      himself on a projection of the rock, and suffering his gun to fall

-      neglected at his feet, &ldquo;for the three quickest and truest rifles in these

-      woods are no better than so many stalks of mullein, or the last year's

-      horns of a buck!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is to be done?&rdquo; demanded Duncan, losing the first feeling of

-      disappointment in a more manly desire for exertion; &ldquo;what will become of

-      us?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye made no other reply than by passing his finger around the crown of

-      his head, in a manner so significant, that none who witnessed the action

-      could mistake its meaning.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Surely, surely, our case is not so desperate!&rdquo; exclaimed the youth; &ldquo;the

-      Hurons are not here; we may make good the caverns, we may oppose their

-      landing.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;With what?&rdquo; coolly demanded the scout. &ldquo;The arrows of Uncas, or such

-      tears as women shed! No, no; you are young, and rich, and have friends,

-      and at such an age I know it is hard to die! But,&rdquo; glancing his eyes at

-      the Mohicans, &ldquo;let us remember we are men without a cross, and let us

-      teach these natives of the forest that white blood can run as freely as

-      red, when the appointed hour is come.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan turned quickly in the direction indicated by the other's eyes, and

-      read a confirmation of his worst apprehensions in the conduct of the

-      Indians. Chingachgook, placing himself in a dignified posture on another

-      fragment of the rock, had already laid aside his knife and tomahawk, and

-      was in the act of taking the eagle's plume from his head, and smoothing

-      the solitary tuft of hair in readiness to perform its last and revolting

-      office. His countenance was composed, though thoughtful, while his dark,

-      gleaming eyes were gradually losing the fierceness of the combat in an

-      expression better suited to the change he expected momentarily to undergo.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our case is not, cannot be so hopeless!&rdquo; said Duncan; &ldquo;even at this very

-      moment succor may be at hand. I see no enemies! They have sickened of a

-      struggle in which they risk so much with so little prospect of gain!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It may be a minute, or it may be an hour, afore the wily sarpents steal

-      upon us, and it is quite in natur' for them to be lying within hearing at

-      this very moment,&rdquo; said Hawkeye; &ldquo;but come they will, and in such a

-      fashion as will leave us nothing to hope! Chingachgook&rdquo;&mdash;he spoke in

-      Delaware&mdash;&ldquo;my brother, we have fought our last battle together, and

-      the Maquas will triumph in the death of the sage man of the Mohicans, and

-      of the pale face, whose eyes can make night as day, and level the clouds

-      to the mists of the springs!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let the Mingo women go weep over the slain!&rdquo; returned the Indian, with

-      characteristic pride and unmoved firmness; &ldquo;the Great Snake of the

-      Mohicans has coiled himself in their wigwams, and has poisoned their

-      triumph with the wailings of children, whose fathers have not returned!

-      Eleven warriors lie hid from the graves of their tribes since the snows

-      have melted, and none will tell where to find them when the tongue of

-      Chingachgook shall be silent! Let them draw the sharpest knife, and whirl

-      the swiftest tomahawk, for their bitterest enemy is in their hands. Uncas,

-      topmost branch of a noble trunk, call on the cowards to hasten, or their

-      hearts will soften, and they will change to women!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They look among the fishes for their dead!&rdquo; returned the low, soft voice

-      of the youthful chieftain; &ldquo;the Hurons float with the slimy eels! They

-      drop from the oaks like fruit that is ready to be eaten! and the Delawares

-      laugh!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, ay,&rdquo; muttered the scout, who had listened to this peculiar burst of

-      the natives with deep attention; &ldquo;they have warmed their Indian feelings,

-      and they'll soon provoke the Maquas to give them a speedy end. As for me,

-      who am of the whole blood of the whites, it is befitting that I should die

-      as becomes my color, with no words of scoffing in my mouth, and without

-      bitterness at the heart!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why die at all!&rdquo; said Cora, advancing from the place where natural horror

-      had, until this moment, held her riveted to the rock; &ldquo;the path is open on

-      every side; fly, then, to the woods, and call on God for succor. Go, brave

-      men, we owe you too much already; let us no longer involve you in our

-      hapless fortunes!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You but little know the craft of the Iroquois, lady, if you judge they

-      have left the path open to the woods!&rdquo; returned Hawkeye, who, however,

-      immediately added in his simplicity, &ldquo;the down stream current, it is

-      certain, might soon sweep us beyond the reach of their rifles or the sound

-      of their voices.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then try the river. Why linger to add to the number of the victims of our

-      merciless enemies?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why,&rdquo; repeated the scout, looking about him proudly; &ldquo;because it is

-      better for a man to die at peace with himself than to live haunted by an

-      evil conscience! What answer could we give Munro, when he asked us where

-      and how we left his children?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go to him, and say that you left them with a message to hasten to their

-      aid,&rdquo; returned Cora, advancing nigher to the scout in her generous ardor;

-      &ldquo;that the Hurons bear them into the northern wilds, but that by vigilance

-      and speed they may yet be rescued; and if, after all, it should please

-      heaven that his assistance come too late, bear to him,&rdquo; she continued, her

-      voice gradually lowering, until it seemed nearly choked, &ldquo;the love, the

-      blessings, the final prayers of his daughters, and bid him not mourn their

-      early fate, but to look forward with humble confidence to the Christian's

-      goal to meet his children.&rdquo; The hard, weather-beaten features of the scout

-      began to work, and when she had ended, he dropped his chin to his hand,

-      like a man musing profoundly on the nature of the proposal.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is reason in her words!&rdquo; at length broke from his compressed and

-      trembling lips; &ldquo;ay, and they bear the spirit of Christianity; what might

-      be right and proper in a red-skin, may be sinful in a man who has not even

-      a cross in blood to plead for his ignorance. Chingachgook! Uncas! hear you

-      the talk of the dark-eyed woman?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He now spoke in Delaware to his companions, and his address, though calm

-      and deliberate, seemed very decided. The elder Mohican heard with deep

-      gravity, and appeared to ponder on his words, as though he felt the

-      importance of their import. After a moment of hesitation, he waved his

-      hand in assent, and uttered the English word &ldquo;Good!&rdquo; with the peculiar

-      emphasis of his people. Then, replacing his knife and tomahawk in his

-      girdle, the warrior moved silently to the edge of the rock which was most

-      concealed from the banks of the river. Here he paused a moment, pointed

-      significantly to the woods below, and saying a few words in his own

-      language, as if indicating his intended route, he dropped into the water,

-      and sank from before the eyes of the witnesses of his movements.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout delayed his departure to speak to the generous girl, whose

-      breathing became lighter as she saw the success of her remonstrance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Wisdom is sometimes given to the young, as well as to the old,&rdquo; he said;

-      &ldquo;and what you have spoken is wise, not to call it by a better word. If you

-      are led into the woods, that is such of you as may be spared for awhile,

-      break the twigs on the bushes as you pass, and make the marks of your

-      trail as broad as you can, when, if mortal eyes can see them, depend on

-      having a friend who will follow to the ends of the 'arth afore he desarts

-      you.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He gave Cora an affectionate shake of the hand, lifted his rifle, and

-      after regarding it a moment with melancholy solicitude, laid it carefully

-      aside, and descended to the place where Chingachgook had just disappeared.

-      For an instant he hung suspended by the rock, and looking about him, with

-      a countenance of peculiar care, he added bitterly, &ldquo;Had the powder held

-      out, this disgrace could never have befallen!&rdquo; then, loosening his hold,

-      the water closed above his head, and he also became lost to view.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      All eyes now were turned on Uncas, who stood leaning against the ragged

-      rock, in immovable composure. After waiting a short time, Cora pointed

-      down the river, and said:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Your friends have not been seen, and are now, most probably, in safety.

-      Is it not time for you to follow?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas will stay,&rdquo; the young Mohican calmly answered in English.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To increase the horror of our capture, and to diminish the chances of our

-      release! Go, generous young man,&rdquo; Cora continued, lowering her eyes under

-      the gaze of the Mohican, and perhaps, with an intuitive consciousness of

-      her power; &ldquo;go to my father, as I have said, and be the most confidential

-      of my messengers. Tell him to trust you with the means to buy the freedom

-      of his daughters. Go! 'tis my wish, 'tis my prayer, that you will go!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The settled, calm look of the young chief changed to an expression of

-      gloom, but he no longer hesitated. With a noiseless step he crossed the

-      rock, and dropped into the troubled stream. Hardly a breath was drawn by

-      those he left behind, until they caught a glimpse of his head emerging for

-      air, far down the current, when he again sank, and was seen no more.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      These sudden and apparently successful experiments had all taken place in

-      a few minutes of that time which had now become so precious. After a last

-      look at Uncas, Cora turned and with a quivering lip, addressed herself to

-      Heyward:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have heard of your boasted skill in the water, too, Duncan,&rdquo; she said;

-      &ldquo;follow, then, the wise example set you by these simple and faithful

-      beings.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is such the faith that Cora Munro would exact from her protector?&rdquo; said

-      the young man, smiling mournfully, but with bitterness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This is not a time for idle subtleties and false opinions,&rdquo; she answered;

-      &ldquo;but a moment when every duty should be equally considered. To us you can

-      be of no further service here, but your precious life may be saved for

-      other and nearer friends.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He made no reply, though his eye fell wistfully on the beautiful form of

-      Alice, who was clinging to his arm with the dependency of an infant.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Consider,&rdquo; continued Cora, after a pause, during which she seemed to

-      struggle with a pang even more acute than any that her fears had excited,

-      &ldquo;that the worst to us can be but death; a tribute that all must pay at the

-      good time of God's appointment.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There are evils worse than death,&rdquo; said Duncan, speaking hoarsely, and as

-      if fretful at her importunity, &ldquo;but which the presence of one who would

-      die in your behalf may avert.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora ceased her entreaties; and veiling her face in her shawl, drew the

-      nearly insensible Alice after her into the deepest recess of the inner

-      cavern.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 9

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Be gay securely;

-     Dispel, my fair, with smiles, the tim'rous clouds,

-     That hang on thy clear brow.&rdquo;&mdash;Death of Agrippina

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The sudden and almost magical change, from the stirring incidents of the

-      combat to the stillness that now reigned around him, acted on the heated

-      imagination of Heyward like some exciting dream. While all the images and

-      events he had witnessed remained deeply impressed on his memory, he felt a

-      difficulty in persuading him of their truth. Still ignorant of the fate of

-      those who had trusted to the aid of the swift current, he at first

-      listened intently to any signal or sounds of alarm, which might announce

-      the good or evil fortune of their hazardous undertaking. His attention

-      was, however, bestowed in vain; for with the disappearance of Uncas, every

-      sign of the adventurers had been lost, leaving him in total uncertainty of

-      their fate.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In a moment of such painful doubt, Duncan did not hesitate to look around

-      him, without consulting that protection from the rocks which just before

-      had been so necessary to his safety. Every effort, however, to detect the

-      least evidence of the approach of their hidden enemies was as fruitless as

-      the inquiry after his late companions. The wooded banks of the river

-      seemed again deserted by everything possessing animal life. The uproar

-      which had so lately echoed through the vaults of the forest was gone,

-      leaving the rush of the waters to swell and sink on the currents of the

-      air, in the unmingled sweetness of nature. A fish-hawk, which, secure on

-      the topmost branches of a dead pine, had been a distant spectator of the

-      fray, now swooped from his high and ragged perch, and soared, in wide

-      sweeps, above his prey; while a jay, whose noisy voice had been stilled by

-      the hoarser cries of the savages, ventured again to open his discordant

-      throat, as though once more in undisturbed possession of his wild domains.

-      Duncan caught from these natural accompaniments of the solitary scene a

-      glimmering of hope; and he began to rally his faculties to renewed

-      exertions, with something like a reviving confidence of success.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Hurons are not to be seen,&rdquo; he said, addressing David, who had by no

-      means recovered from the effects of the stunning blow he had received;

-      &ldquo;let us conceal ourselves in the cavern, and trust the rest to

-      Providence.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I remember to have united with two comely maidens, in lifting up our

-      voices in praise and thanksgiving,&rdquo; returned the bewildered

-      singing-master; &ldquo;since which time I have been visited by a heavy judgment

-      for my sins. I have been mocked with the likeness of sleep, while sounds

-      of discord have rent my ears, such as might manifest the fullness of time,

-      and that nature had forgotten her harmony.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Poor fellow! thine own period was, in truth, near its accomplishment! But

-      arouse, and come with me; I will lead you where all other sounds but those

-      of your own psalmody shall be excluded.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is melody in the fall of the cataract, and the rushing of many

-      waters is sweet to the senses!&rdquo; said David, pressing his hand confusedly

-      on his brow. &ldquo;Is not the air yet filled with shrieks and cries, as though

-      the departed spirits of the damned&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not now, not now,&rdquo; interrupted the impatient Heyward, &ldquo;they have ceased,

-      and they who raised them, I trust in God, they are gone, too! everything

-      but the water is still and at peace; in, then, where you may create those

-      sounds you love so well to hear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David smiled sadly, though not without a momentary gleam of pleasure, at

-      this allusion to his beloved vocation. He no longer hesitated to be led to

-      a spot which promised such unalloyed gratification to his wearied senses;

-      and leaning on the arm of his companion, he entered the narrow mouth of

-      the cave. Duncan seized a pile of the sassafras, which he drew before the

-      passage, studiously concealing every appearance of an aperture. Within

-      this fragile barrier he arranged the blankets abandoned by the foresters,

-      darkening the inner extremity of the cavern, while its outer received a

-      chastened light from the narrow ravine, through which one arm of the river

-      rushed to form the junction with its sister branch a few rods below.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I like not the principle of the natives, which teaches them to submit

-      without a struggle, in emergencies that appear desperate,&rdquo; he said, while

-      busied in this employment; &ldquo;our own maxim, which says, 'while life remains

-      there is hope', is more consoling, and better suited to a soldier's

-      temperament. To you, Cora, I will urge no words of idle encouragement;

-      your own fortitude and undisturbed reason will teach you all that may

-      become your sex; but cannot we dry the tears of that trembling weeper on

-      your bosom?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am calmer, Duncan,&rdquo; said Alice, raising herself from the arms of her

-      sister, and forcing an appearance of composure through her tears; &ldquo;much

-      calmer, now. Surely, in this hidden spot we are safe, we are secret, free

-      from injury; we will hope everything from those generous men who have

-      risked so much already in our behalf.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now does our gentle Alice speak like a daughter of Munro!&rdquo; said Heyward,

-      pausing to press her hand as he passed toward the outer entrance of the

-      cavern. &ldquo;With two such examples of courage before him, a man would be

-      ashamed to prove other than a hero.&rdquo; He then seated himself in the center

-      of the cavern, grasping his remaining pistol with a hand convulsively

-      clenched, while his contracted and frowning eye announced the sullen

-      desperation of his purpose. &ldquo;The Hurons, if they come, may not gain our

-      position so easily as they think,&rdquo; he slowly muttered; and propping his

-      head back against the rock, he seemed to await the result in patience,

-      though his gaze was unceasingly bent on the open avenue to their place of

-      retreat.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      With the last sound of his voice, a deep, a long, and almost breathless

-      silence succeeded. The fresh air of the morning had penetrated the recess,

-      and its influence was gradually felt on the spirits of its inmates. As

-      minute after minute passed by, leaving them in undisturbed security, the

-      insinuating feeling of hope was gradually gaining possession of every

-      bosom, though each one felt reluctant to give utterance to expectations

-      that the next moment might so fearfully destroy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      David alone formed an exception to these varying emotions. A gleam of

-      light from the opening crossed his wan countenance, and fell upon the

-      pages of the little volume, whose leaves he was again occupied in turning,

-      as if searching for some song more fitted to their condition than any that

-      had yet met their eye. He was, most probably, acting all this time under a

-      confused recollection of the promised consolation of Duncan. At length, it

-      would seem, his patient industry found its reward; for, without

-      explanation or apology, he pronounced aloud the words &ldquo;Isle of Wight,&rdquo;

-       drew a long, sweet sound from his pitch-pipe, and then ran through the

-      preliminary modulations of the air whose name he had just mentioned, with

-      the sweeter tones of his own musical voice.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;May not this prove dangerous?&rdquo; asked Cora, glancing her dark eye at Major

-      Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Poor fellow! his voice is too feeble to be heard above the din of the

-      falls,&rdquo; was the answer; &ldquo;beside, the cavern will prove his friend. Let him

-      indulge his passions since it may be done without hazard.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Isle of Wight!&rdquo; repeated David, looking about him with that dignity with

-      which he had long been wont to silence the whispering echoes of his

-      school; &ldquo;'tis a brave tune, and set to solemn words! let it be sung with

-      meet respect!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      After allowing a moment of stillness to enforce his discipline, the voice

-      of the singer was heard, in low, murmuring syllables, gradually stealing

-      on the ear, until it filled the narrow vault with sounds rendered trebly

-      thrilling by the feeble and tremulous utterance produced by his debility.

-      The melody, which no weakness could destroy, gradually wrought its sweet

-      influence on the senses of those who heard it. It even prevailed over the

-      miserable travesty of the song of David which the singer had selected from

-      a volume of similar effusions, and caused the sense to be forgotten in the

-      insinuating harmony of the sounds. Alice unconsciously dried her tears,

-      and bent her melting eyes on the pallid features of Gamut, with an

-      expression of chastened delight that she neither affected or wished to

-      conceal. Cora bestowed an approving smile on the pious efforts of the

-      namesake of the Jewish prince, and Heyward soon turned his steady, stern

-      look from the outlet of the cavern, to fasten it, with a milder character,

-      on the face of David, or to meet the wandering beams which at moments

-      strayed from the humid eyes of Alice. The open sympathy of the listeners

-      stirred the spirit of the votary of music, whose voice regained its

-      richness and volume, without losing that touching softness which proved

-      its secret charm. Exerting his renovated powers to their utmost, he was

-      yet filling the arches of the cave with long and full tones, when a yell

-      burst into the air without, that instantly stilled his pious strains,

-      choking his voice suddenly, as though his heart had literally bounded into

-      the passage of his throat.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are lost!&rdquo; exclaimed Alice, throwing herself into the arms of Cora.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not yet, not yet,&rdquo; returned the agitated but undaunted Heyward: &ldquo;the

-      sound came from the center of the island, and it has been produced by the

-      sight of their dead companions. We are not yet discovered, and there is

-      still hope.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Faint and almost despairing as was the prospect of escape, the words of

-      Duncan were not thrown away, for it awakened the powers of the sisters in

-      such a manner that they awaited the results in silence. A second yell soon

-      followed the first, when a rush of voices was heard pouring down the

-      island, from its upper to its lower extremity, until they reached the

-      naked rock above the caverns, where, after a shout of savage triumph, the

-      air continued full of horrible cries and screams, such as man alone can

-      utter, and he only when in a state of the fiercest barbarity.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The sounds quickly spread around them in every direction. Some called to

-      their fellows from the water's edge, and were answered from the heights

-      above. Cries were heard in the startling vicinity of the chasm between the

-      two caves, which mingled with hoarser yells that arose out of the abyss of

-      the deep ravine. In short, so rapidly had the savage sounds diffused

-      themselves over the barren rock, that it was not difficult for the anxious

-      listeners to imagine they could be heard beneath, as in truth they were

-      above on every side of them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In the midst of this tumult, a triumphant yell was raised within a few

-      yards of the hidden entrance to the cave. Heyward abandoned every hope,

-      with the belief it was the signal that they were discovered. Again the

-      impression passed away, as he heard the voices collect near the spot where

-      the white man had so reluctantly abandoned his rifle. Amid the jargon of

-      Indian dialects that he now plainly heard, it was easy to distinguish not

-      only words, but sentences, in the patois of the Canadas. A burst of voices

-      had shouted simultaneously, &ldquo;La Longue Carabine!&rdquo; causing the opposite

-      woods to re-echo with a name which, Heyward well remembered, had been

-      given by his enemies to a celebrated hunter and scout of the English camp,

-      and who, he now learned for the first time, had been his late companion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;La Longue Carabine! La Longue Carabine!&rdquo; passed from mouth to mouth,

-      until the whole band appeared to be collected around a trophy which would

-      seem to announce the death of its formidable owner. After a vociferous

-      consultation, which was, at times, deafened by bursts of savage joy, they

-      again separated, filling the air with the name of a foe, whose body,

-      Heywood could collect from their expressions, they hoped to find concealed

-      in some crevice of the island.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now,&rdquo; he whispered to the trembling sisters, &ldquo;now is the moment of

-      uncertainty! if our place of retreat escape this scrutiny, we are still

-      safe! In every event, we are assured, by what has fallen from our enemies,

-      that our friends have escaped, and in two short hours we may look for

-      succor from Webb.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      There were now a few minutes of fearful stillness, during which Heyward

-      well knew that the savages conducted their search with greater vigilance

-      and method. More than once he could distinguish their footsteps, as they

-      brushed the sassafras, causing the faded leaves to rustle, and the

-      branches to snap. At length, the pile yielded a little, a corner of a

-      blanket fell, and a faint ray of light gleamed into the inner part of the

-      cave. Cora folded Alice to her bosom in agony, and Duncan sprang to his

-      feet. A shout was at that moment heard, as if issuing from the center of

-      the rock, announcing that the neighboring cavern had at length been

-      entered. In a minute, the number and loudness of the voices indicated that

-      the whole party was collected in and around that secret place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As the inner passages to the two caves were so close to each other,

-      Duncan, believing that escape was no longer possible, passed David and the

-      sisters, to place himself between the latter and the first onset of the

-      terrible meeting. Grown desperate by his situation, he drew nigh the

-      slight barrier which separated him only by a few feet from his relentless

-      pursuers, and placing his face to the casual opening, he even looked out

-      with a sort of desperate indifference, on their movements.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Within reach of his arm was the brawny shoulder of a gigantic Indian,

-      whose deep and authoritative voice appeared to give directions to the

-      proceedings of his fellows. Beyond him again, Duncan could look into the

-      vault opposite, which was filled with savages, upturning and rifling the

-      humble furniture of the scout. The wound of David had dyed the leaves of

-      sassafras with a color that the native well knew as anticipating the

-      season. Over this sign of their success, they sent up a howl, like an

-      opening from so many hounds who had recovered a lost trail. After this

-      yell of victory, they tore up the fragrant bed of the cavern, and bore the

-      branches into the chasm, scattering the boughs, as if they suspected them

-      of concealing the person of the man they had so long hated and feared. One

-      fierce and wild-looking warrior approached the chief, bearing a load of

-      the brush, and pointing exultingly to the deep red stains with which it

-      was sprinkled, uttered his joy in Indian yells, whose meaning Heyward was

-      only enabled to comprehend by the frequent repetition of the name &ldquo;La

-      Longue Carabine!&rdquo; When his triumph had ceased, he cast the brush on the

-      slight heap Duncan had made before the entrance of the second cavern, and

-      closed the view. His example was followed by others, who, as they drew the

-      branches from the cave of the scout, threw them into one pile, adding,

-      unconsciously, to the security of those they sought. The very slightness

-      of the defense was its chief merit, for no one thought of disturbing a

-      mass of brush, which all of them believed, in that moment of hurry and

-      confusion, had been accidentally raised by the hands of their own party.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As the blankets yielded before the outward pressure, and the branches

-      settled in the fissure of the rock by their own weight, forming a compact

-      body, Duncan once more breathed freely. With a light step and lighter

-      heart, he returned to the center of the cave, and took the place he had

-      left, where he could command a view of the opening next the river. While

-      he was in the act of making this movement, the Indians, as if changing

-      their purpose by a common impulse, broke away from the chasm in a body,

-      and were heard rushing up the island again, toward the point whence they

-      had originally descended. Here another wailing cry betrayed that they were

-      again collected around the bodies of their dead comrades.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan now ventured to look at his companions; for, during the most

-      critical moments of their danger, he had been apprehensive that the

-      anxiety of his countenance might communicate some additional alarm to

-      those who were so little able to sustain it.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They are gone, Cora!&rdquo; he whispered; &ldquo;Alice, they are returned whence they

-      came, and we are saved! To Heaven, that has alone delivered us from the

-      grasp of so merciless an enemy, be all the praise!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then to Heaven will I return my thanks!&rdquo; exclaimed the younger sister,

-      rising from the encircling arm of Cora, and casting herself with

-      enthusiastic gratitude on the naked rock; &ldquo;to that Heaven who has spared

-      the tears of a gray-headed father; has saved the lives of those I so much

-      love.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Both Heyward and the more temperate Cora witnessed the act of involuntary

-      emotion with powerful sympathy, the former secretly believing that piety

-      had never worn a form so lovely as it had now assumed in the youthful

-      person of Alice. Her eyes were radiant with the glow of grateful feelings;

-      the flush of her beauty was again seated on her cheeks, and her whole soul

-      seemed ready and anxious to pour out its thanksgivings through the medium

-      of her eloquent features. But when her lips moved, the words they should

-      have uttered appeared frozen by some new and sudden chill. Her bloom gave

-      place to the paleness of death; her soft and melting eyes grew hard, and

-      seemed contracting with horror; while those hands, which she had raised,

-      clasped in each other, toward heaven, dropped in horizontal lines before

-      her, the fingers pointed forward in convulsed motion. Heyward turned the

-      instant she gave a direction to his suspicions, and peering just above the

-      ledge which formed the threshold of the open outlet of the cavern, he

-      beheld the malignant, fierce and savage features of Le Renard Subtil.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In that moment of surprise, the self-possession of Heyward did not desert

-      him. He observed by the vacant expression of the Indian's countenance,

-      that his eye, accustomed to the open air had not yet been able to

-      penetrate the dusky light which pervaded the depth of the cavern. He had

-      even thought of retreating beyond a curvature in the natural wall, which

-      might still conceal him and his companions, when by the sudden gleam of

-      intelligence that shot across the features of the savage, he saw it was

-      too late, and that they were betrayed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The look of exultation and brutal triumph which announced this terrible

-      truth was irresistibly irritating. Forgetful of everything but the

-      impulses of his hot blood, Duncan leveled his pistol and fired. The report

-      of the weapon made the cavern bellow like an eruption from a volcano; and

-      when the smoke it vomited had been driven away before the current of air

-      which issued from the ravine the place so lately occupied by the features

-      of his treacherous guide was vacant. Rushing to the outlet, Heyward caught

-      a glimpse of his dark figure stealing around a low and narrow ledge, which

-      soon hid him entirely from sight.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Among the savages a frightful stillness succeeded the explosion, which had

-      just been heard bursting from the bowels of the rock. But when Le Renard

-      raised his voice in a long and intelligible whoop, it was answered by a

-      spontaneous yell from the mouth of every Indian within hearing of the

-      sound.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The clamorous noises again rushed down the island; and before Duncan had

-      time to recover from the shock, his feeble barrier of brush was scattered

-      to the winds, the cavern was entered at both its extremities, and he and

-      his companions were dragged from their shelter and borne into the day,

-      where they stood surrounded by the whole band of the triumphant Hurons.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 10

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;I fear we shall outsleep the coming morn

-     As much as we this night have overwatched!&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Midsummer Night's Dream

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The instant the shock of this sudden misfortune had abated, Duncan began

-      to make his observations on the appearance and proceedings of their

-      captors. Contrary to the usages of the natives in the wantonness of their

-      success they had respected, not only the persons of the trembling sisters,

-      but his own. The rich ornaments of his military attire had indeed been

-      repeatedly handled by different individuals of the tribes with eyes

-      expressing a savage longing to possess the baubles; but before the

-      customary violence could be resorted to, a mandate in the authoritative

-      voice of the large warrior, already mentioned, stayed the uplifted hand,

-      and convinced Heyward that they were to be reserved for some object of

-      particular moment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While, however, these manifestations of weakness were exhibited by the

-      young and vain of the party, the more experienced warriors continued their

-      search throughout both caverns, with an activity that denoted they were

-      far from being satisfied with those fruits of their conquest which had

-      already been brought to light. Unable to discover any new victim, these

-      diligent workers of vengeance soon approached their male prisoners,

-      pronouncing the name &ldquo;La Longue Carabine,&rdquo; with a fierceness that could

-      not be easily mistaken. Duncan affected not to comprehend the meaning of

-      their repeated and violent interrogatories, while his companion was spared

-      the effort of a similar deception by his ignorance of French. Wearied at

-      length by their importunities, and apprehensive of irritating his captors

-      by too stubborn a silence, the former looked about him in quest of Magua,

-      who might interpret his answers to questions which were at each moment

-      becoming more earnest and threatening.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The conduct of this savage had formed a solitary exception to that of all

-      his fellows. While the others were busily occupied in seeking to gratify

-      their childish passion for finery, by plundering even the miserable

-      effects of the scout, or had been searching with such bloodthirsty

-      vengeance in their looks for their absent owner, Le Renard had stood at a

-      little distance from the prisoners, with a demeanor so quiet and

-      satisfied, as to betray that he had already effected the grand purpose of

-      his treachery. When the eyes of Heyward first met those of his recent

-      guide, he turned them away in horror at the sinister though calm look he

-      encountered. Conquering his disgust, however, he was able, with an averted

-      face, to address his successful enemy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Renard Subtil is too much of a warrior,&rdquo; said the reluctant Heyward,

-      &ldquo;to refuse telling an unarmed man what his conquerors say.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They ask for the hunter who knows the paths through the woods,&rdquo; returned

-      Magua, in his broken English, laying his hand, at the same time, with a

-      ferocious smile, on the bundle of leaves with which a wound on his own

-      shoulder was bandaged. &ldquo;'La Longue Carabine'! His rifle is good, and his

-      eye never shut; but, like the short gun of the white chief, it is nothing

-      against the life of Le Subtil.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Renard is too brave to remember the hurts received in war, or the

-      hands that gave them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Was it war, when the tired Indian rested at the sugartree to taste his

-      corn! who filled the bushes with creeping enemies! who drew the knife,

-      whose tongue was peace, while his heart was colored with blood! Did Magua

-      say that the hatchet was out of the ground, and that his hand had dug it

-      up?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      As Duncan dared not retort upon his accuser by reminding him of his own

-      premeditated treachery, and disdained to deprecate his resentment by any

-      words of apology, he remained silent. Magua seemed also content to rest

-      the controversy as well as all further communication there, for he resumed

-      the leaning attitude against the rock from which, in momentary energy, he

-      had arisen. But the cry of &ldquo;La Longue Carabine&rdquo; was renewed the instant

-      the impatient savages perceived that the short dialogue was ended.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You hear,&rdquo; said Magua, with stubborn indifference: &ldquo;the red Hurons call

-      for the life of 'The Long Rifle', or they will have the blood of him that

-      keep him hid!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He is gone&mdash;escaped; he is far beyond their reach.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Renard smiled with cold contempt, as he answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When the white man dies, he thinks he is at peace; but the red men know

-      how to torture even the ghosts of their enemies. Where is his body? Let

-      the Hurons see his scalp.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He is not dead, but escaped.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua shook his head incredulously.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is he a bird, to spread his wings; or is he a fish, to swim without air!

-      The white chief read in his books, and he believes the Hurons are fools!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though no fish, 'The Long Rifle' can swim. He floated down the stream

-      when the powder was all burned, and when the eyes of the Hurons were

-      behind a cloud.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And why did the white chief stay?&rdquo; demanded the still incredulous Indian.

-      &ldquo;Is he a stone that goes to the bottom, or does the scalp burn his head?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That I am not stone, your dead comrade, who fell into the falls, might

-      answer, were the life still in him,&rdquo; said the provoked young man, using,

-      in his anger, that boastful language which was most likely to excite the

-      admiration of an Indian. &ldquo;The white man thinks none but cowards desert

-      their women.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua muttered a few words, inaudibly, between his teeth, before he

-      continued, aloud:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Can the Delawares swim, too, as well as crawl in the bushes? Where is 'Le

-      Gros Serpent'?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, who perceived by the use of these Canadian appellations, that his

-      late companions were much better known to his enemies than to himself,

-      answered, reluctantly: &ldquo;He also is gone down with the water.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Le Cerf Agile' is not here?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I know not whom you call 'The Nimble Deer',&rdquo; said Duncan gladly profiting

-      by any excuse to create delay.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas,&rdquo; returned Magua, pronouncing the Delaware name with even greater

-      difficulty than he spoke his English words. &ldquo;'Bounding Elk' is what the

-      white man says, when he calls to the young Mohican.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Renard,&rdquo; said Duncan,

-      hoping to provoke a discussion. &ldquo;Daim is the French for deer, and cerf for

-      stag; elan is the true term, when one would speak of an elk.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; muttered the Indian, in his native tongue; &ldquo;the pale faces are

-      prattling women! they have two words for each thing, while a red-skin will

-      make the sound of his voice speak to him.&rdquo; Then, changing his language, he

-      continued, adhering to the imperfect nomenclature of his provincial

-      instructors. &ldquo;The deer is swift, but weak; the elk is swift, but strong;

-      and the son of 'Le Serpent' is 'Le Cerf Agile.' Has he leaped the river to

-      the woods?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If you mean the younger Delaware, he, too, has gone down with the water.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      As there was nothing improbable to an Indian in the manner of the escape,

-      Magua admitted the truth of what he had heard, with a readiness that

-      afforded additional evidence how little he would prize such worthless

-      captives. With his companions, however, the feeling was manifestly

-      different.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Hurons had awaited the result of this short dialogue with

-      characteristic patience, and with a silence that increased until there was

-      a general stillness in the band. When Heyward ceased to speak, they turned

-      their eyes, as one man, on Magua, demanding, in this expressive manner, an

-      explanation of what had been said. Their interpreter pointed to the river,

-      and made them acquainted with the result, as much by the action as by the

-      few words he uttered. When the fact was generally understood, the savages

-      raised a frightful yell, which declared the extent of their

-      disappointment. Some ran furiously to the water's edge, beating the air

-      with frantic gestures, while others spat upon the element, to resent the

-      supposed treason it had committed against their acknowledged rights as

-      conquerors. A few, and they not the least powerful and terrific of the

-      band, threw lowering looks, in which the fiercest passion was only

-      tempered by habitual self-command, at those captives who still remained in

-      their power, while one or two even gave vent to their malignant feelings

-      by the most menacing gestures, against which neither the sex nor the

-      beauty of the sisters was any protection. The young soldier made a

-      desperate but fruitless effort to spring to the side of Alice, when he saw

-      the dark hand of a savage twisted in the rich tresses which were flowing

-      in volumes over her shoulders, while a knife was passed around the head

-      from which they fell, as if to denote the horrid manner in which it was

-      about to be robbed of its beautiful ornament. But his hands were bound;

-      and at the first movement he made, he felt the grasp of the powerful

-      Indian who directed the band, pressing his shoulder like a vise.

-      Immediately conscious how unavailing any struggle against such an

-      overwhelming force must prove, he submitted to his fate, encouraging his

-      gentle companions by a few low and tender assurances, that the natives

-      seldom failed to threaten more than they performed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But while Duncan resorted to these words of consolation to quiet the

-      apprehensions of the sisters, he was not so weak as to deceive himself. He

-      well knew that the authority of an Indian chief was so little

-      conventional, that it was oftener maintained by physical superiority than

-      by any moral supremacy he might possess. The danger was, therefore,

-      magnified exactly in proportion to the number of the savage spirits by

-      which they were surrounded. The most positive mandate from him who seemed

-      the acknowledged leader, was liable to be violated at each moment by any

-      rash hand that might choose to sacrifice a victim to the manes of some

-      dead friend or relative. While, therefore, he sustained an outward

-      appearance of calmness and fortitude, his heart leaped into his throat,

-      whenever any of their fierce captors drew nearer than common to the

-      helpless sisters, or fastened one of their sullen, wandering looks on

-      those fragile forms which were so little able to resist the slightest

-      assault.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      His apprehensions were, however, greatly relieved, when he saw that the

-      leader had summoned his warriors to himself in counsel. Their

-      deliberations were short, and it would seem, by the silence of most of the

-      party, the decision unanimous. By the frequency with which the few

-      speakers pointed in the direction of the encampment of Webb, it was

-      apparent they dreaded the approach of danger from that quarter. This

-      consideration probably hastened their determination, and quickened the

-      subsequent movements.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      During his short conference, Heyward, finding a respite from his gravest

-      fears, had leisure to admire the cautious manner in which the Hurons had

-      made their approaches, even after hostilities had ceased.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It has already been stated that the upper half of the island was a naked

-      rock, and destitute of any other defenses than a few scattered logs of

-      driftwood. They had selected this point to make their descent, having

-      borne the canoe through the wood around the cataract for that purpose.

-      Placing their arms in the little vessel a dozen men clinging to its sides

-      had trusted themselves to the direction of the canoe, which was controlled

-      by two of the most skillful warriors, in attitudes that enabled them to

-      command a view of the dangerous passage. Favored by this arrangement, they

-      touched the head of the island at that point which had proved so fatal to

-      their first adventurers, but with the advantages of superior numbers, and

-      the possession of firearms. That such had been the manner of their descent

-      was rendered quite apparent to Duncan; for they now bore the light bark

-      from the upper end of the rock, and placed it in the water, near the mouth

-      of the outer cavern. As soon as this change was made, the leader made

-      signs to the prisoners to descend and enter.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As resistance was impossible, and remonstrance useless, Heyward set the

-      example of submission, by leading the way into the canoe, where he was

-      soon seated with the sisters and the still wondering David.

-      Notwithstanding the Hurons were necessarily ignorant of the little

-      channels among the eddies and rapids of the stream, they knew the common

-      signs of such a navigation too well to commit any material blunder. When

-      the pilot chosen for the task of guiding the canoe had taken his station,

-      the whole band plunged again into the river, the vessel glided down the

-      current, and in a few moments the captives found themselves on the south

-      bank of the stream, nearly opposite to the point where they had struck it

-      the preceding evening.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0123.jpg" alt="0123" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0123.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      Here was held another short but earnest consultation, during which the

-      horses, to whose panic their owners ascribed their heaviest misfortune,

-      were led from the cover of the woods, and brought to the sheltered spot.

-      The band now divided. The great chief, so often mentioned, mounting the

-      charger of Heyward, led the way directly across the river, followed by

-      most of his people, and disappeared in the woods, leaving the prisoners in

-      charge of six savages, at whose head was Le Renard Subtil. Duncan

-      witnessed all their movements with renewed uneasiness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      He had been fond of believing, from the uncommon forbearance of the

-      savages, that he was reserved as a prisoner to be delivered to Montcalm.

-      As the thoughts of those who are in misery seldom slumber, and the

-      invention is never more lively than when it is stimulated by hope, however

-      feeble and remote, he had even imagined that the parental feelings of

-      Munro were to be made instrumental in seducing him from his duty to the

-      king. For though the French commander bore a high character for courage

-      and enterprise, he was also thought to be expert in those political

-      practises which do not always respect the nicer obligations of morality,

-      and which so generally disgraced the European diplomacy of that period.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      All those busy and ingenious speculations were now annihilated by the

-      conduct of his captors. That portion of the band who had followed the huge

-      warrior took the route toward the foot of the Horican, and no other

-      expectation was left for himself and companions, than that they were to be

-      retained as hopeless captives by their savage conquerors. Anxious to know

-      the worst, and willing, in such an emergency, to try the potency of gold

-      he overcame his reluctance to speak to Magua. Addressing himself to his

-      former guide, who had now assumed the authority and manner of one who was

-      to direct the future movements of the party, he said, in tones as friendly

-      and confiding as he could assume:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I would speak to Magua, what is fit only for so great a chief to hear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian turned his eyes on the young soldier scornfully, as he

-      answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Speak; trees have no ears.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But the red Hurons are not deaf; and counsel that is fit for the great

-      men of a nation would make the young warriors drunk. If Magua will not

-      listen, the officer of the king knows how to be silent.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The savage spoke carelessly to his comrades, who were busied, after their

-      awkward manner, in preparing the horses for the reception of the sisters,

-      and moved a little to one side, whither by a cautious gesture he induced

-      Heyward to follow.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now, speak,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;if the words are such as Magua should hear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Renard Subtil has proved himself worthy of the honorable name given to

-      him by his Canada fathers,&rdquo; commenced Heyward; &ldquo;I see his wisdom, and all

-      that he has done for us, and shall remember it when the hour to reward him

-      arrives. Yes! Renard has proved that he is not only a great chief in

-      council, but one who knows how to deceive his enemies!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What has Renard done?&rdquo; coldly demanded the Indian.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What! has he not seen that the woods were filled with outlying parties of

-      the enemies, and that the serpent could not steal through them without

-      being seen? Then, did he not lose his path to blind the eyes of the

-      Hurons? Did he not pretend to go back to his tribe, who had treated him

-      ill, and driven him from their wigwams like a dog? And when he saw what he

-      wished to do, did we not aid him, by making a false face, that the Hurons

-      might think the white man believed that his friend was his enemy? Is not

-      all this true? And when Le Subtil had shut the eyes and stopped the ears

-      of his nation by his wisdom, did they not forget that they had once done

-      him wrong, and forced him to flee to the Mohawks? And did they not leave

-      him on the south side of the river, with their prisoners, while they have

-      gone foolishly on the north? Does not Renard mean to turn like a fox on

-      his footsteps, and to carry to the rich and gray-headed Scotchman his

-      daughters? Yes, Magua, I see it all, and I have already been thinking how

-      so much wisdom and honesty should be repaid. First, the chief of William

-      Henry will give as a great chief should for such a service. The medal* of

-      Magua will no longer be of tin, but of beaten gold; his horn will run over

-      with powder; dollars will be as plenty in his pouch as pebbles on the

-      shore of Horican; and the deer will lick his hand, for they will know it

-      to be vain to fly from the rifle he will carry! As for myself, I know not

-      how to exceed the gratitude of the Scotchman, but I&mdash;yes, I will&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * It has long been a practice with the whites to conciliate

-     the important men of the Indians by presenting medals, which

-     are worn in the place of their own rude ornaments. Those

-     given by the English generally bear the impression of the

-     reigning king, and those given by the Americans that of the

-     president.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What will the young chief, who comes from toward the sun, give?&rdquo; demanded

-      the Huron, observing that Heyward hesitated in his desire to end the

-      enumeration of benefits with that which might form the climax of an

-      Indian's wishes.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He will make the fire-water from the islands in the salt lake flow before

-      the wigwam of Magua, until the heart of the Indian shall be lighter than

-      the feathers of the humming-bird, and his breath sweeter than the wild

-      honeysuckle.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Le Renard had listened gravely as Heyward slowly proceeded in this subtle

-      speech. When the young man mentioned the artifice he supposed the Indian

-      to have practised on his own nation, the countenance of the listener was

-      veiled in an expression of cautious gravity. At the allusion to the injury

-      which Duncan affected to believe had driven the Huron from his native

-      tribe, a gleam of such ungovernable ferocity flashed from the other's

-      eyes, as induced the adventurous speaker to believe he had struck the

-      proper chord. And by the time he reached the part where he so artfully

-      blended the thirst of vengeance with the desire of gain, he had, at least,

-      obtained a command of the deepest attention of the savage. The question

-      put by Le Renard had been calm, and with all the dignity of an Indian; but

-      it was quite apparent, by the thoughtful expression of the listener's

-      countenance, that the answer was most cunningly devised. The Huron mused a

-      few moments, and then laying his hand on the rude bandages of his wounded

-      shoulder, he said, with some energy:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do friends make such marks?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Would 'La Longue Carbine' cut one so slight on an enemy?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do the Delawares crawl upon those they love like snakes, twisting

-      themselves to strike?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Would 'Le Gros Serpent' have been heard by the ears of one he wished to

-      be deaf?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Does the white chief burn his powder in the faces of his brothers?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Does he ever miss his aim, when seriously bent to kill?&rdquo; returned Duncan,

-      smiling with well acted sincerity.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Another long and deliberate pause succeeded these sententious questions

-      and ready replies. Duncan saw that the Indian hesitated. In order to

-      complete his victory, he was in the act of recommencing the enumeration of

-      the rewards, when Magua made an expressive gesture and said:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Enough; Le Renard is a wise chief, and what he does will be seen. Go, and

-      keep the mouth shut. When Magua speaks, it will be the time to answer.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward, perceiving that the eyes of his companion were warily fastened on

-      the rest of the band, fell back immediately, in order to avoid the

-      appearance of any suspicious confederacy with their leader. Magua

-      approached the horses, and affected to be well pleased with the diligence

-      and ingenuity of his comrades. He then signed to Heyward to assist the

-      sisters into the saddles, for he seldom deigned to use the English tongue,

-      unless urged by some motive of more than usual moment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      There was no longer any plausible pretext for delay; and Duncan was

-      obliged, however reluctantly, to comply. As he performed this office, he

-      whispered his reviving hopes in the ears of the trembling females, who,

-      through dread of encountering the savage countenances of their captors,

-      seldom raised their eyes from the ground. The mare of David had been taken

-      with the followers of the large chief; in consequence, its owner, as well

-      as Duncan, was compelled to journey on foot. The latter did not, however,

-      so much regret this circumstance, as it might enable him to retard the

-      speed of the party; for he still turned his longing looks in the direction

-      of Fort Edward, in the vain expectation of catching some sound from that

-      quarter of the forest, which might denote the approach of succor. When all

-      were prepared, Magua made the signal to proceed, advancing in front to

-      lead the party in person. Next followed David, who was gradually coming to

-      a true sense of his condition, as the effects of the wound became less and

-      less apparent. The sisters rode in his rear, with Heyward at their side,

-      while the Indians flanked the party, and brought up the close of the

-      march, with a caution that seemed never to tire.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In this manner they proceeded in uninterrupted silence, except when

-      Heyward addressed some solitary word of comfort to the females, or David

-      gave vent to the moanings of his spirit, in piteous exclamations, which he

-      intended should express the humility of resignation. Their direction lay

-      toward the south, and in a course nearly opposite to the road to William

-      Henry. Notwithstanding this apparent adherence in Magua to the original

-      determination of his conquerors, Heyward could not believe his tempting

-      bait was so soon forgotten; and he knew the windings of an Indian's path

-      too well to suppose that its apparent course led directly to its object,

-      when artifice was at all necessary. Mile after mile was, however, passed

-      through the boundless woods, in this painful manner, without any prospect

-      of a termination to their journey. Heyward watched the sun, as he darted

-      his meridian rays through the branches of the trees, and pined for the

-      moment when the policy of Magua should change their route to one more

-      favorable to his hopes. Sometimes he fancied the wary savage, despairing

-      of passing the army of Montcalm in safety, was holding his way toward a

-      well-known border settlement, where a distinguished officer of the crown,

-      and a favored friend of the Six Nations, held his large possessions, as

-      well as his usual residence. To be delivered into the hands of Sir William

-      Johnson was far preferable to being led into the wilds of Canada; but in

-      order to effect even the former, it would be necessary to traverse the

-      forest for many weary leagues, each step of which was carrying him further

-      from the scene of the war, and, consequently, from the post, not only of

-      honor, but of duty.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora alone remembered the parting injunctions of the scout, and whenever

-      an opportunity offered, she stretched forth her arm to bend aside the

-      twigs that met her hands. But the vigilance of the Indians rendered this

-      act of precaution both difficult and dangerous. She was often defeated in

-      her purpose, by encountering their watchful eyes, when it became necessary

-      to feign an alarm she did not feel, and occupy the limb by some gesture of

-      feminine apprehension. Once, and once only, was she completely successful;

-      when she broke down the bough of a large sumach, and by a sudden thought,

-      let her glove fall at the same instant. This sign, intended for those that

-      might follow, was observed by one of her conductors, who restored the

-      glove, broke the remaining branches of the bush in such a manner that it

-      appeared to proceed from the struggling of some beast in its branches, and

-      then laid his hand on his tomahawk, with a look so significant, that it

-      put an effectual end to these stolen memorials of their passage.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As there were horses, to leave the prints of their footsteps, in both

-      bands of the Indians, this interruption cut off any probable hopes of

-      assistance being conveyed through the means of their trail.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward would have ventured a remonstrance had there been anything

-      encouraging in the gloomy reserve of Magua. But the savage, during all

-      this time, seldom turned to look at his followers, and never spoke. With

-      the sun for his only guide, or aided by such blind marks as are only known

-      to the sagacity of a native, he held his way along the barrens of pine,

-      through occasional little fertile vales, across brooks and rivulets, and

-      over undulating hills, with the accuracy of instinct, and nearly with the

-      directness of a bird. He never seemed to hesitate. Whether the path was

-      hardly distinguishable, whether it disappeared, or whether it lay beaten

-      and plain before him, made no sensible difference in his speed or

-      certainty. It seemed as if fatigue could not affect him. Whenever the eyes

-      of the wearied travelers rose from the decayed leaves over which they

-      trod, his dark form was to be seen glancing among the stems of the trees

-      in front, his head immovably fastened in a forward position, with the

-      light plume on his crest fluttering in a current of air, made solely by

-      the swiftness of his own motion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But all this diligence and speed were not without an object. After

-      crossing a low vale, through which a gushing brook meandered, he suddenly

-      ascended a hill, so steep and difficult of ascent, that the sisters were

-      compelled to alight in order to follow. When the summit was gained, they

-      found themselves on a level spot, but thinly covered with trees, under one

-      of which Magua had thrown his dark form, as if willing and ready to seek

-      that rest which was so much needed by the whole party.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 11

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Cursed be my tribe If I forgive him.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Shylock

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The Indian had selected for this desirable purpose one of those steep,

-      pyramidal hills, which bear a strong resemblance to artificial mounds, and

-      which so frequently occur in the valleys of America. The one in question

-      was high and precipitous; its top flattened, as usual; but with one of its

-      sides more than ordinarily irregular. It possessed no other apparent

-      advantage for a resting place, than in its elevation and form, which might

-      render defense easy, and surprise nearly impossible. As Heyward, however,

-      no longer expected that rescue which time and distance now rendered so

-      improbable, he regarded these little peculiarities with an eye devoid of

-      interest, devoting himself entirely to the comfort and condolence of his

-      feebler companions. The Narragansetts were suffered to browse on the

-      branches of the trees and shrubs that were thinly scattered over the

-      summit of the hill, while the remains of their provisions were spread

-      under the shade of a beech, that stretched its horizontal limbs like a

-      canopy above them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Notwithstanding the swiftness of their flight, one of the Indians had

-      found an opportunity to strike a straggling fawn with an arrow, and had

-      borne the more preferable fragments of the victim, patiently on his

-      shoulders, to the stopping place. Without any aid from the science of

-      cookery, he was immediately employed, in common with his fellows, in

-      gorging himself with this digestible sustenance. Magua alone sat apart,

-      without participating in the revolting meal, and apparently buried in the

-      deepest thought.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      This abstinence, so remarkable in an Indian, when he possessed the means

-      of satisfying hunger, at length attracted the notice of Heyward. The young

-      man willingly believed that the Huron deliberated on the most eligible

-      manner of eluding the vigilance of his associates. With a view to assist

-      his plans by any suggestion of his own, and to strengthen the temptation,

-      he left the beech, and straggled, as if without an object, to the spot

-      where Le Renard was seated.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Has not Magua kept the sun in his face long enough to escape all danger

-      from the Canadians?&rdquo; he asked, as though no longer doubtful of the good

-      intelligence established between them; &ldquo;and will not the chief of William

-      Henry be better pleased to see his daughters before another night may have

-      hardened his heart to their loss, to make him less liberal in his reward?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do the pale faces love their children less in the morning than at night?&rdquo;

-       asked the Indian, coldly.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;By no means,&rdquo; returned Heyward, anxious to recall his error, if he had

-      made one; &ldquo;the white man may, and does often, forget the burial place of

-      his fathers; he sometimes ceases to remember those he should love, and has

-      promised to cherish; but the affection of a parent for his child is never

-      permitted to die.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And is the heart of the white-headed chief soft, and will he think of the

-      babes that his squaws have given him? He is hard on his warriors and his

-      eyes are made of stone?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He is severe to the idle and wicked, but to the sober and deserving he is

-      a leader, both just and humane. I have known many fond and tender parents,

-      but never have I seen a man whose heart was softer toward his child. You

-      have seen the gray-head in front of his warriors, Magua; but I have seen

-      his eyes swimming in water, when he spoke of those children who are now in

-      your power!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward paused, for he knew not how to construe the remarkable expression

-      that gleamed across the swarthy features of the attentive Indian. At first

-      it seemed as if the remembrance of the promised reward grew vivid in his

-      mind, while he listened to the sources of parental feeling which were to

-      assure its possession; but, as Duncan proceeded, the expression of joy

-      became so fiercely malignant that it was impossible not to apprehend it

-      proceeded from some passion more sinister than avarice.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go,&rdquo; said the Huron, suppressing the alarming exhibition in an instant,

-      in a death-like calmness of countenance; &ldquo;go to the dark-haired daughter,

-      and say, 'Magua waits to speak' The father will remember what the child

-      promises.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, who interpreted this speech to express a wish for some additional

-      pledge that the promised gifts should not be withheld, slowly and

-      reluctantly repaired to the place where the sisters were now resting from

-      their fatigue, to communicate its purport to Cora.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You understand the nature of an Indian's wishes,&rdquo; he concluded, as he led

-      her toward the place where she was expected, &ldquo;and must be prodigal of your

-      offers of powder and blankets. Ardent spirits are, however, the most

-      prized by such as he; nor would it be amiss to add some boon from your own

-      hand, with that grace you so well know how to practise. Remember, Cora,

-      that on your presence of mind and ingenuity, even your life, as well as

-      that of Alice, may in some measure depend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Heyward, and yours!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Mine is of little moment; it is already sold to my king, and is a prize

-      to be seized by any enemy who may possess the power. I have no father to

-      expect me, and but few friends to lament a fate which I have courted with

-      the insatiable longings of youth after distinction. But hush! we approach

-      the Indian. Magua, the lady with whom you wish to speak, is here.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian rose slowly from his seat, and stood for near a minute silent

-      and motionless. He then signed with his hand for Heyward to retire,

-      saying, coldly:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When the Huron talks to the women, his tribe shut their ears.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, still lingering, as if refusing to comply, Cora said, with a calm

-      smile:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You hear, Heyward, and delicacy at least should urge you to retire. Go to

-      Alice, and comfort her with our reviving prospects.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      She waited until he had departed, and then turning to the native, with the

-      dignity of her sex in her voice and manner, she added: &ldquo;What would Le

-      Renard say to the daughter of Munro?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Listen,&rdquo; said the Indian, laying his hand firmly upon her arm, as if

-      willing to draw her utmost attention to his words; a movement that Cora as

-      firmly but quietly repulsed, by extricating the limb from his grasp:

-      &ldquo;Magua was born a chief and a warrior among the red Hurons of the lakes;

-      he saw the suns of twenty summers make the snows of twenty winters run off

-      in the streams before he saw a pale face; and he was happy! Then his

-      Canada fathers came into the woods, and taught him to drink the

-      fire-water, and he became a rascal. The Hurons drove him from the graves

-      of his fathers, as they would chase the hunted buffalo. He ran down the

-      shores of the lakes, and followed their outlet to the 'city of cannon'

-      There he hunted and fished, till the people chased him again through the

-      woods into the arms of his enemies. The chief, who was born a Huron, was

-      at last a warrior among the Mohawks!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Something like this I had heard before,&rdquo; said Cora, observing that he

-      paused to suppress those passions which began to burn with too bright a

-      flame, as he recalled the recollection of his supposed injuries.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Was it the fault of Le Renard that his head was not made of rock? Who

-      gave him the fire-water? who made him a villain? 'Twas the pale faces, the

-      people of your own color.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And am I answerable that thoughtless and unprincipled men exist, whose

-      shades of countenance may resemble mine?&rdquo; Cora calmly demanded of the

-      excited savage.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No; Magua is a man, and not a fool; such as you never open their lips to

-      the burning stream: the Great Spirit has given you wisdom!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What, then, have I do to, or say, in the matter of your misfortunes, not

-      to say of your errors?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Listen,&rdquo; repeated the Indian, resuming his earnest attitude; &ldquo;when his

-      English and French fathers dug up the hatchet, Le Renard struck the

-      war-post of the Mohawks, and went out against his own nation. The pale

-      faces have driven the red-skins from their hunting grounds, and now when

-      they fight, a white man leads the way. The old chief at Horican, your

-      father, was the great captain of our war-party. He said to the Mohawks do

-      this, and do that, and he was minded. He made a law, that if an Indian

-      swallowed the fire-water, and came into the cloth wigwams of his warriors,

-      it should not be forgotten. Magua foolishly opened his mouth, and the hot

-      liquor led him into the cabin of Munro. What did the gray-head? let his

-      daughter say.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He forgot not his words, and did justice, by punishing the offender,&rdquo;

-       said the undaunted daughter.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Justice!&rdquo; repeated the Indian, casting an oblique glance of the most

-      ferocious expression at her unyielding countenance; &ldquo;is it justice to make

-      evil and then punish for it? Magua was not himself; it was the fire-water

-      that spoke and acted for him! but Munro did believe it. The Huron chief

-      was tied up before all the pale-faced warriors, and whipped like a dog.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora remained silent, for she knew not how to palliate this imprudent

-      severity on the part of her father in a manner to suit the comprehension

-      of an Indian.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;See!&rdquo; continued Magua, tearing aside the slight calico that very

-      imperfectly concealed his painted breast; &ldquo;here are scars given by knives

-      and bullets&mdash;of these a warrior may boast before his nation; but the

-      gray-head has left marks on the back of the Huron chief that he must hide

-      like a squaw, under this painted cloth of the whites.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I had thought,&rdquo; resumed Cora, &ldquo;that an Indian warrior was patient, and

-      that his spirit felt not and knew not the pain his body suffered.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When the Chippewas tied Magua to the stake, and cut this gash,&rdquo; said the

-      other, laying his finger on a deep scar, &ldquo;the Huron laughed in their

-      faces, and told them, Women struck so light! His spirit was then in the

-      clouds! But when he felt the blows of Munro, his spirit lay under the

-      birch. The spirit of a Huron is never drunk; it remembers forever!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But it may be appeased. If my father has done you this injustice, show

-      him how an Indian can forgive an injury, and take back his daughters. You

-      have heard from Major Heyward&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua shook his head, forbidding the repetition of offers he so much

-      despised.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What would you have?&rdquo; continued Cora, after a most painful pause, while

-      the conviction forced itself on her mind that the too sanguine and

-      generous Duncan had been cruelly deceived by the cunning of the savage.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What a Huron loves&mdash;good for good; bad for bad!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You would, then, revenge the injury inflicted by Munro on his helpless

-      daughters. Would it not be more like a man to go before his face, and take

-      the satisfaction of a warrior?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The arms of the pale faces are long, and their knives sharp!&rdquo; returned

-      the savage, with a malignant laugh: &ldquo;why should Le Renard go among the

-      muskets of his warriors, when he holds the spirit of the gray-head in his

-      hand?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Name your intention, Magua,&rdquo; said Cora, struggling with herself to speak

-      with steady calmness. &ldquo;Is it to lead us prisoners to the woods, or do you

-      contemplate even some greater evil? Is there no reward, no means of

-      palliating the injury, and of softening your heart? At least, release my

-      gentle sister, and pour out all your malice on me. Purchase wealth by her

-      safety and satisfy your revenge with a single victim. The loss of both his

-      daughters might bring the aged man to his grave, and where would then be

-      the satisfaction of Le Renard?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Listen,&rdquo; said the Indian again. &ldquo;The light eyes can go back to the

-      Horican, and tell the old chief what has been done, if the dark-haired

-      woman will swear by the Great Spirit of her fathers to tell no lie.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What must I promise?&rdquo; demanded Cora, still maintaining a secret

-      ascendancy over the fierce native by the collected and feminine dignity of

-      her presence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When Magua left his people his wife was given to another chief; he has

-      now made friends with the Hurons, and will go back to the graves of his

-      tribe, on the shores of the great lake. Let the daughter of the English

-      chief follow, and live in his wigwam forever.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      However revolting a proposal of such a character might prove to Cora, she

-      retained, notwithstanding her powerful disgust, sufficient self-command to

-      reply, without betraying the weakness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And what pleasure would Magua find in sharing his cabin with a wife he

-      did not love; one who would be of a nation and color different from his

-      own? It would be better to take the gold of Munro, and buy the heart of

-      some Huron maid with his gifts.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian made no reply for near a minute, but bent his fierce looks on

-      the countenance of Cora, in such wavering glances, that her eyes sank with

-      shame, under an impression that for the first time they had encountered an

-      expression that no chaste female might endure. While she was shrinking

-      within herself, in dread of having her ears wounded by some proposal still

-      more shocking than the last, the voice of Magua answered, in its tones of

-      deepest malignancy:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When the blows scorched the back of the Huron, he would know where to

-      find a woman to feel the smart. The daughter of Munro would draw his

-      water, hoe his corn, and cook his venison. The body of the gray-head would

-      sleep among his cannon, but his heart would lie within reach of the knife

-      of Le Subtil.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Monster! well dost thou deserve thy treacherous name,&rdquo; cried Cora, in an

-      ungovernable burst of filial indignation. &ldquo;None but a fiend could meditate

-      such a vengeance. But thou overratest thy power! You shall find it is, in

-      truth, the heart of Munro you hold, and that it will defy your utmost

-      malice!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian answered this bold defiance by a ghastly smile, that showed an

-      unaltered purpose, while he motioned her away, as if to close the

-      conference forever. Cora, already regretting her precipitation, was

-      obliged to comply, for Magua instantly left the spot, and approached his

-      gluttonous comrades. Heyward flew to the side of the agitated female, and

-      demanded the result of a dialogue that he had watched at a distance with

-      so much interest. But, unwilling to alarm the fears of Alice, she evaded a

-      direct reply, betraying only by her anxious looks fastened on the

-      slightest movements of her captors. To the reiterated and earnest

-      questions of her sister concerning their probable destination, she made no

-      other answer than by pointing toward the dark group, with an agitation she

-      could not control, and murmuring as she folded Alice to her bosom.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There, there; read our fortunes in their faces; we shall see; we shall

-      see!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The action, and the choked utterance of Cora, spoke more impressively than

-      any words, and quickly drew the attention of her companions on that spot

-      where her own was riveted with an intenseness that nothing but the

-      importance of the stake could create.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When Magua reached the cluster of lolling savages, who, gorged with their

-      disgusting meal, lay stretched on the earth in brutal indulgence, he

-      commenced speaking with the dignity of an Indian chief. The first

-      syllables he uttered had the effect to cause his listeners to raise

-      themselves in attitudes of respectful attention. As the Huron used his

-      native language, the prisoners, notwithstanding the caution of the natives

-      had kept them within the swing of their tomahawks, could only conjecture

-      the substance of his harangue from the nature of those significant

-      gestures with which an Indian always illustrates his eloquence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At first, the language, as well as the action of Magua, appeared calm and

-      deliberative. When he had succeeded in sufficiently awakening the

-      attention of his comrades, Heyward fancied, by his pointing so frequently

-      toward the direction of the great lakes, that he spoke of the land of

-      their fathers, and of their distant tribe. Frequent indications of

-      applause escaped the listeners, who, as they uttered the expressive

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; looked at each other in commendation of the speaker. Le Renard was

-      too skillful to neglect his advantage. He now spoke of the long and

-      painful route by which they had left those spacious grounds and happy

-      villages, to come and battle against the enemies of their Canadian

-      fathers. He enumerated the warriors of the party; their several merits;

-      their frequent services to the nation; their wounds, and the number of the

-      scalps they had taken. Whenever he alluded to any present (and the subtle

-      Indian neglected none), the dark countenance of the flattered individual

-      gleamed with exultation, nor did he even hesitate to assert the truth of

-      the words, by gestures of applause and confirmation. Then the voice of the

-      speaker fell, and lost the loud, animated tones of triumph with which he

-      had enumerated their deeds of success and victory. He described the

-      cataract of Glenn's; the impregnable position of its rocky island, with

-      its caverns and its numerous rapids and whirlpools; he named the name of

-      &ldquo;La Longue Carabine,&rdquo; and paused until the forest beneath them had sent up

-      the last echo of a loud and long yell, with which the hated appellation

-      was received. He pointed toward the youthful military captive, and

-      described the death of a favorite warrior, who had been precipitated into

-      the deep ravine by his hand. He not only mentioned the fate of him who,

-      hanging between heaven and earth, had presented such a spectacle of horror

-      to the whole band, but he acted anew the terrors of his situation, his

-      resolution and his death, on the branches of a sapling; and, finally, he

-      rapidly recounted the manner in which each of their friends had fallen,

-      never failing to touch upon their courage, and their most acknowledged

-      virtues. When this recital of events was ended, his voice once more

-      changed, and became plaintive and even musical, in its low guttural

-      sounds. He now spoke of the wives and children of the slain; their

-      destitution; their misery, both physical and moral; their distance; and,

-      at last, of their unavenged wrongs. Then suddenly lifting his voice to a

-      pitch of terrific energy, he concluded by demanding:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Are the Hurons dogs to bear this? Who shall say to the wife of Menowgua

-      that the fishes have his scalp, and that his nation have not taken

-      revenge! Who will dare meet the mother of Wassawattimie, that scornful

-      woman, with his hands clean! What shall be said to the old men when they

-      ask us for scalps, and we have not a hair from a white head to give them!

-      The women will point their fingers at us. There is a dark spot on the

-      names of the Hurons, and it must be hid in blood!&rdquo; His voice was no longer

-      audible in the burst of rage which now broke into the air, as if the wood,

-      instead of containing so small a band, was filled with the nation. During

-      the foregoing address the progress of the speaker was too plainly read by

-      those most interested in his success through the medium of the

-      countenances of the men he addressed. They had answered his melancholy and

-      mourning by sympathy and sorrow; his assertions, by gestures of

-      confirmation; and his boasting, with the exultation of savages. When he

-      spoke of courage, their looks were firm and responsive; when he alluded to

-      their injuries, their eyes kindled with fury; when he mentioned the taunts

-      of the women, they dropped their heads in shame; but when he pointed out

-      their means of vengeance, he struck a chord which never failed to thrill

-      in the breast of an Indian. With the first intimation that it was within

-      their reach, the whole band sprang upon their feet as one man; giving

-      utterance to their rage in the most frantic cries, they rushed upon their

-      prisoners in a body with drawn knives and uplifted tomahawks. Heyward

-      threw himself between the sisters and the foremost, whom he grappled with

-      a desperate strength that for a moment checked his violence. This

-      unexpected resistance gave Magua time to interpose, and with rapid

-      enunciation and animated gesture, he drew the attention of the band again

-      to himself. In that language he knew so well how to assume, he diverted

-      his comrades from their instant purpose, and invited them to prolong the

-      misery of their victims. His proposal was received with acclamations, and

-      executed with the swiftness of thought.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Two powerful warriors cast themselves on Heyward, while another was

-      occupied in securing the less active singing-master. Neither of the

-      captives, however, submitted without a desperate, though fruitless,

-      struggle. Even David hurled his assailant to the earth; nor was Heyward

-      secured until the victory over his companion enabled the Indians to direct

-      their united force to that object. He was then bound and fastened to the

-      body of the sapling, on whose branches Magua had acted the pantomime of

-      the falling Huron. When the young soldier regained his recollection, he

-      had the painful certainty before his eyes that a common fate was intended

-      for the whole party. On his right was Cora in a durance similar to his

-      own, pale and agitated, but with an eye whose steady look still read the

-      proceedings of their enemies. On his left, the withes which bound her to a

-      pine, performed that office for Alice which her trembling limbs refused,

-      and alone kept her fragile form from sinking. Her hands were clasped

-      before her in prayer, but instead of looking upward toward that power

-      which alone could rescue them, her unconscious looks wandered to the

-      countenance of Duncan with infantile dependency. David had contended, and

-      the novelty of the circumstance held him silent, in deliberation on the

-      propriety of the unusual occurrence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The vengeance of the Hurons had now taken a new direction, and they

-      prepared to execute it with that barbarous ingenuity with which they were

-      familiarized by the practise of centuries. Some sought knots, to raise the

-      blazing pile; one was riving the splinters of pine, in order to pierce the

-      flesh of their captives with the burning fragments; and others bent the

-      tops of two saplings to the earth, in order to suspend Heyward by the arms

-      between the recoiling branches. But the vengeance of Magua sought a deeper

-      and more malignant enjoyment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While the less refined monsters of the band prepared, before the eyes of

-      those who were to suffer, these well-known and vulgar means of torture, he

-      approached Cora, and pointed out, with the most malign expression of

-      countenance, the speedy fate that awaited her:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ha!&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;what says the daughter of Munro? Her head is too good to

-      find a pillow in the wigwam of Le Renard; will she like it better when it

-      rolls about this hill a plaything for the wolves? Her bosom cannot nurse

-      the children of a Huron; she will see it spit upon by Indians!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What means the monster!&rdquo; demanded the astonished Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nothing!&rdquo; was the firm reply. &ldquo;He is a savage, a barbarous and ignorant

-      savage, and knows not what he does. Let us find leisure, with our dying

-      breath, to ask for him penitence and pardon.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Pardon!&rdquo; echoed the fierce Huron, mistaking in his anger, the meaning of

-      her words; &ldquo;the memory of an Indian is no longer than the arm of the pale

-      faces; his mercy shorter than their justice! Say; shall I send the yellow

-      hair to her father, and will you follow Magua to the great lakes, to carry

-      his water, and feed him with corn?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora beckoned him away, with an emotion of disgust she could not control.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Leave me,&rdquo; she said, with a solemnity that for a moment checked the

-      barbarity of the Indian; &ldquo;you mingle bitterness in my prayers; you stand

-      between me and my God!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The slight impression produced on the savage was, however, soon forgotten,

-      and he continued pointing, with taunting irony, toward Alice.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Look! the child weeps! She is too young to die! Send her to Munro, to

-      comb his gray hairs, and keep life in the heart of the old man.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora could not resist the desire to look upon her youthful sister, in

-      whose eyes she met an imploring glance, that betrayed the longings of

-      nature.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What says he, dearest Cora?&rdquo; asked the trembling voice of Alice. &ldquo;Did he

-      speak of sending me to our father?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      For many moments the elder sister looked upon the younger, with a

-      countenance that wavered with powerful and contending emotions. At length

-      she spoke, though her tones had lost their rich and calm fullness, in an

-      expression of tenderness that seemed maternal.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Alice,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;the Huron offers us both life, nay, more than both; he

-      offers to restore Duncan, our invaluable Duncan, as well as you, to our

-      friends&mdash;to our father&mdash;to our heart-stricken, childless father,

-      if I will bow down this rebellious, stubborn pride of mine, and consent&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Her voice became choked, and clasping her hands, she looked upward, as if

-      seeking, in her agony, intelligence from a wisdom that was infinite.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Say on,&rdquo; cried Alice; &ldquo;to what, dearest Cora? Oh! that the proffer were

-      made to me! to save you, to cheer our aged father, to restore Duncan, how

-      cheerfully could I die!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Die!&rdquo; repeated Cora, with a calmer and firmer voice, &ldquo;that were easy!

-      Perhaps the alternative may not be less so. He would have me,&rdquo; she

-      continued, her accents sinking under a deep consciousness of the

-      degradation of the proposal, &ldquo;follow him to the wilderness; go to the

-      habitations of the Hurons; to remain there; in short, to become his wife!

-      Speak, then, Alice; child of my affections! sister of my love! And you,

-      too, Major Heyward, aid my weak reason with your counsel. Is life to be

-      purchased by such a sacrifice? Will you, Alice, receive it at my hands at

-      such a price? And you, Duncan, guide me; control me between you; for I am

-      wholly yours!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Would I!&rdquo; echoed the indignant and astonished youth. &ldquo;Cora! Cora! you

-      jest with our misery! Name not the horrid alternative again; the thought

-      itself is worse than a thousand deaths.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That such would be your answer, I well knew!&rdquo; exclaimed Cora, her cheeks

-      flushing, and her dark eyes once more sparkling with the lingering

-      emotions of a woman. &ldquo;What says my Alice? for her will I submit without

-      another murmur.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Although both Heyward and Cora listened with painful suspense and the

-      deepest attention, no sounds were heard in reply. It appeared as if the

-      delicate and sensitive form of Alice would shrink into itself, as she

-      listened to this proposal. Her arms had fallen lengthwise before her, the

-      fingers moving in slight convulsions; her head dropped upon her bosom, and

-      her whole person seemed suspended against the tree, looking like some

-      beautiful emblem of the wounded delicacy of her sex, devoid of animation

-      and yet keenly conscious. In a few moments, however, her head began to

-      move slowly, in a sign of deep, unconquerable disapprobation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No, no, no; better that we die as we have lived, together!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/5177.jpg" alt="5177" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/5177.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then die!&rdquo; shouted Magua, hurling his tomahawk with violence at the

-      unresisting speaker, and gnashing his teeth with a rage that could no

-      longer be bridled at this sudden exhibition of firmness in the one he

-      believed the weakest of the party. The axe cleaved the air in front of

-      Heyward, and cutting some of the flowing ringlets of Alice, quivered in

-      the tree above her head. The sight maddened Duncan to desperation.

-      Collecting all his energies in one effort he snapped the twigs which bound

-      him and rushed upon another savage, who was preparing, with loud yells and

-      a more deliberate aim, to repeat the blow. They encountered, grappled, and

-      fell to the earth together. The naked body of his antagonist afforded

-      Heyward no means of holding his adversary, who glided from his grasp, and

-      rose again with one knee on his chest, pressing him down with the weight

-      of a giant. Duncan already saw the knife gleaming in the air, when a

-      whistling sound swept past him, and was rather accompanied than followed

-      by the sharp crack of a rifle. He felt his breast relieved from the load

-      it had endured; he saw the savage expression of his adversary's

-      countenance change to a look of vacant wildness, when the Indian fell dead

-      on the faded leaves by his side.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 12

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Clo.&mdash;I am gone, sire,

-            And anon, sire, I'll be with you again.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Twelfth Night

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The Hurons stood aghast at this sudden visitation of death on one of their

-      band. But as they regarded the fatal accuracy of an aim which had dared to

-      immolate an enemy at so much hazard to a friend, the name of &ldquo;La Longue

-      Carabine&rdquo; burst simultaneously from every lip, and was succeeded by a wild

-      and a sort of plaintive howl. The cry was answered by a loud shout from a

-      little thicket, where the incautious party had piled their arms; and at

-      the next moment, Hawkeye, too eager to load the rifle he had regained, was

-      seen advancing upon them, brandishing the clubbed weapon, and cutting the

-      air with wide and powerful sweeps. Bold and rapid as was the progress of

-      the scout, it was exceeded by that of a light and vigorous form which,

-      bounding past him, leaped, with incredible activity and daring, into the

-      very center of the Hurons, where it stood, whirling a tomahawk, and

-      flourishing a glittering knife, with fearful menaces, in front of Cora.

-      Quicker than the thoughts could follow those unexpected and audacious

-      movements, an image, armed in the emblematic panoply of death, glided

-      before their eyes, and assumed a threatening attitude at the other's side.

-      The savage tormentors recoiled before these warlike intruders, and

-      uttered, as they appeared in such quick succession, the often repeated and

-      peculiar exclamations of surprise, followed by the well-known and dreaded

-      appellations of:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Cerf Agile! Le Gros Serpent!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons was not so easily

-      disconcerted. Casting his keen eyes around the little plain, he

-      comprehended the nature of the assault at a glance, and encouraging his

-      followers by his voice as well as by his example, he unsheathed his long

-      and dangerous knife, and rushed with a loud whoop upon the expected

-      Chingachgook. It was the signal for a general combat. Neither party had

-      firearms, and the contest was to be decided in the deadliest manner, hand

-      to hand, with weapons of offense, and none of defense.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas answered the whoop, and leaping on an enemy, with a single,

-      well-directed blow of his tomahawk, cleft him to the brain. Heyward tore

-      the weapon of Magua from the sapling, and rushed eagerly toward the fray.

-      As the combatants were now equal in number, each singled an opponent from

-      the adverse band. The rush and blows passed with the fury of a whirlwind,

-      and the swiftness of lightning. Hawkeye soon got another enemy within

-      reach of his arm, and with one sweep of his formidable weapon he beat down

-      the slight and inartificial defenses of his antagonist, crushing him to

-      the earth with the blow. Heyward ventured to hurl the tomahawk he had

-      seized, too ardent to await the moment of closing. It struck the Indian he

-      had selected on the forehead, and checked for an instant his onward rush.

-      Encouraged by this slight advantage, the impetuous young man continued his

-      onset, and sprang upon his enemy with naked hands. A single instant was

-      enough to assure him of the rashness of the measure, for he immediately

-      found himself fully engaged, with all his activity and courage, in

-      endeavoring to ward the desperate thrusts made with the knife of the

-      Huron. Unable longer to foil an enemy so alert and vigilant, he threw his

-      arms about him, and succeeded in pinning the limbs of the other to his

-      side, with an iron grasp, but one that was far too exhausting to himself

-      to continue long. In this extremity he heard a voice near him, shouting:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Extarminate the varlets! no quarter to an accursed Mingo!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      At the next moment, the breech of Hawkeye's rifle fell on the naked head

-      of his adversary, whose muscles appeared to wither under the shock, as he

-      sank from the arms of Duncan, flexible and motionless.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When Uncas had brained his first antagonist, he turned, like a hungry

-      lion, to seek another. The fifth and only Huron disengaged at the first

-      onset had paused a moment, and then seeing that all around him were

-      employed in the deadly strife, he had sought, with hellish vengeance, to

-      complete the baffled work of revenge. Raising a shout of triumph, he

-      sprang toward the defenseless Cora, sending his keen axe as the dreadful

-      precursor of his approach. The tomahawk grazed her shoulder, and cutting

-      the withes which bound her to the tree, left the maiden at liberty to fly.

-      She eluded the grasp of the savage, and reckless of her own safety, threw

-      herself on the bosom of Alice, striving with convulsed and ill-directed

-      fingers, to tear asunder the twigs which confined the person of her

-      sister. Any other than a monster would have relented at such an act of

-      generous devotion to the best and purest affection; but the breast of the

-      Huron was a stranger to sympathy. Seizing Cora by the rich tresses which

-      fell in confusion about her form, he tore her from her frantic hold, and

-      bowed her down with brutal violence to her knees. The savage drew the

-      flowing curls through his hand, and raising them on high with an

-      outstretched arm, he passed the knife around the exquisitely molded head

-      of his victim, with a taunting and exulting laugh. But he purchased this

-      moment of fierce gratification with the loss of the fatal opportunity. It

-      was just then the sight caught the eye of Uncas. Bounding from his

-      footsteps he appeared for an instant darting through the air and

-      descending in a ball he fell on the chest of his enemy, driving him many

-      yards from the spot, headlong and prostrate. The violence of the exertion

-      cast the young Mohican at his side. They arose together, fought, and bled,

-      each in his turn. But the conflict was soon decided; the tomahawk of

-      Heyward and the rifle of Hawkeye descended on the skull of the Huron, at

-      the same moment that the knife of Uncas reached his heart.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0149.jpg" alt="0149" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0149.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      The battle was now entirely terminated with the exception of the

-      protracted struggle between &ldquo;Le Renard Subtil&rdquo; and &ldquo;Le Gros Serpent.&rdquo; Well

-      did these barbarous warriors prove that they deserved those significant

-      names which had been bestowed for deeds in former wars. When they engaged,

-      some little time was lost in eluding the quick and vigorous thrusts which

-      had been aimed at their lives. Suddenly darting on each other, they

-      closed, and came to the earth, twisted together like twining serpents, in

-      pliant and subtle folds. At the moment when the victors found themselves

-      unoccupied, the spot where these experienced and desperate combatants lay

-      could only be distinguished by a cloud of dust and leaves, which moved

-      from the center of the little plain toward its boundary, as if raised by

-      the passage of a whirlwind. Urged by the different motives of filial

-      affection, friendship and gratitude, Heyward and his companions rushed

-      with one accord to the place, encircling the little canopy of dust which

-      hung above the warriors. In vain did Uncas dart around the cloud, with a

-      wish to strike his knife into the heart of his father's foe; the

-      threatening rifle of Hawkeye was raised and suspended in vain, while

-      Duncan endeavored to seize the limbs of the Huron with hands that appeared

-      to have lost their power. Covered as they were with dust and blood, the

-      swift evolutions of the combatants seemed to incorporate their bodies into

-      one. The death-like looking figure of the Mohican, and the dark form of

-      the Huron, gleamed before their eyes in such quick and confused

-      succession, that the friends of the former knew not where to plant the

-      succoring blow. It is true there were short and fleeting moments, when the

-      fiery eyes of Magua were seen glittering, like the fabled organs of the

-      basilisk through the dusty wreath by which he was enveloped, and he read

-      by those short and deadly glances the fate of the combat in the presence

-      of his enemies; ere, however, any hostile hand could descend on his

-      devoted head, its place was filled by the scowling visage of Chingachgook.

-      In this manner the scene of the combat was removed from the center of the

-      little plain to its verge. The Mohican now found an opportunity to make a

-      powerful thrust with his knife; Magua suddenly relinquished his grasp, and

-      fell backward without motion, and seemingly without life. His adversary

-      leaped on his feet, making the arches of the forest ring with the sounds

-      of triumph.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well done for the Delawares! victory to the Mohicans!&rdquo; cried Hawkeye,

-      once more elevating the butt of the long and fatal rifle; &ldquo;a finishing

-      blow from a man without a cross will never tell against his honor, nor rob

-      him of his right to the scalp.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      But at the very moment when the dangerous weapon was in the act of

-      descending, the subtle Huron rolled swiftly from beneath the danger, over

-      the edge of the precipice, and falling on his feet, was seen leaping, with

-      a single bound, into the center of a thicket of low bushes, which clung

-      along its sides. The Delawares, who had believed their enemy dead, uttered

-      their exclamation of surprise, and were following with speed and clamor,

-      like hounds in open view of the deer, when a shrill and peculiar cry from

-      the scout instantly changed their purpose, and recalled them to the summit

-      of the hill.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Twas like himself!&rdquo; cried the inveterate forester, whose prejudices

-      contributed so largely to veil his natural sense of justice in all matters

-      which concerned the Mingoes; &ldquo;a lying and deceitful varlet as he is. An

-      honest Delaware now, being fairly vanquished, would have lain still, and

-      been knocked on the head, but these knavish Maquas cling to life like so

-      many cats-o'-the-mountain. Let him go&mdash;let him go; 'tis but one man,

-      and he without rifle or bow, many a long mile from his French commerades;

-      and like a rattler that lost his fangs, he can do no further mischief,

-      until such time as he, and we too, may leave the prints of our moccasins

-      over a long reach of sandy plain. See, Uncas,&rdquo; he added, in Delaware,

-      &ldquo;your father is flaying the scalps already. It may be well to go round and

-      feel the vagabonds that are left, or we may have another of them loping

-      through the woods, and screeching like a jay that has been winged.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      So saying the honest but implacable scout made the circuit of the dead,

-      into whose senseless bosoms he thrust his long knife, with as much

-      coolness as though they had been so many brute carcasses. He had, however,

-      been anticipated by the elder Mohican, who had already torn the emblems of

-      victory from the unresisting heads of the slain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But Uncas, denying his habits, we had almost said his nature, flew with

-      instinctive delicacy, accompanied by Heyward, to the assistance of the

-      females, and quickly releasing Alice, placed her in the arms of Cora. We

-      shall not attempt to describe the gratitude to the Almighty Disposer of

-      Events which glowed in the bosoms of the sisters, who were thus

-      unexpectedly restored to life and to each other. Their thanksgivings were

-      deep and silent; the offerings of their gentle spirits burning brightest

-      and purest on the secret altars of their hearts; and their renovated and

-      more earthly feelings exhibiting themselves in long and fervent though

-      speechless caresses. As Alice rose from her knees, where she had sunk by

-      the side of Cora, she threw herself on the bosom of the latter, and sobbed

-      aloud the name of their aged father, while her soft, dove-like eyes,

-      sparkled with the rays of hope.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are saved! we are saved!&rdquo; she murmured; &ldquo;to return to the arms of our

-      dear, dear father, and his heart will not be broken with grief. And you,

-      too, Cora, my sister, my more than sister, my mother; you, too, are

-      spared. And Duncan,&rdquo; she added, looking round upon the youth with a smile

-      of ineffable innocence, &ldquo;even our own brave and noble Duncan has escaped

-      without a hurt.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      To these ardent and nearly innocent words Cora made no other answer than

-      by straining the youthful speaker to her heart, as she bent over her in

-      melting tenderness. The manhood of Heyward felt no shame in dropping tears

-      over this spectacle of affectionate rapture; and Uncas stood, fresh and

-      blood-stained from the combat, a calm, and, apparently, an unmoved

-      looker-on, it is true, but with eyes that had already lost their

-      fierceness, and were beaming with a sympathy that elevated him far above

-      the intelligence, and advanced him probably centuries before, the

-      practises of his nation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      During this display of emotions so natural in their situation, Hawkeye,

-      whose vigilant distrust had satisfied itself that the Hurons, who

-      disfigured the heavenly scene, no longer possessed the power to interrupt

-      its harmony, approached David, and liberated him from the bonds he had,

-      until that moment, endured with the most exemplary patience.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There,&rdquo; exclaimed the scout, casting the last withe behind him, &ldquo;you are

-      once more master of your own limbs, though you seem not to use them with

-      much greater judgment than that in which they were first fashioned. If

-      advice from one who is not older than yourself, but who, having lived most

-      of his time in the wilderness, may be said to have experience beyond his

-      years, will give no offense, you are welcome to my thoughts; and these

-      are, to part with the little tooting instrument in your jacket to the

-      first fool you meet with, and buy some we'pon with the money, if it be

-      only the barrel of a horseman's pistol. By industry and care, you might

-      thus come to some prefarment; for by this time, I should think, your eyes

-      would plainly tell you that a carrion crow is a better bird than a

-      mocking-thresher. The one will, at least, remove foul sights from before

-      the face of man, while the other is only good to brew disturbances in the

-      woods, by cheating the ears of all that hear them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Arms and the clarion for the battle, but the song of thanksgiving to the

-      victory!&rdquo; answered the liberated David. &ldquo;Friend,&rdquo; he added, thrusting

-      forth his lean, delicate hand toward Hawkeye, in kindness, while his eyes

-      twinkled and grew moist, &ldquo;I thank thee that the hairs of my head still

-      grow where they were first rooted by Providence; for, though those of

-      other men may be more glossy and curling, I have ever found mine own well

-      suited to the brain they shelter. That I did not join myself to the

-      battle, was less owing to disinclination, than to the bonds of the

-      heathen. Valiant and skillful hast thou proved thyself in the conflict,

-      and I hereby thank thee, before proceeding to discharge other and more

-      important duties, because thou hast proved thyself well worthy of a

-      Christian's praise.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The thing is but a trifle, and what you may often see if you tarry long

-      among us,&rdquo; returned the scout, a good deal softened toward the man of

-      song, by this unequivocal expression of gratitude. &ldquo;I have got back my old

-      companion, 'killdeer',&rdquo; he added, striking his hand on the breech of his

-      rifle; &ldquo;and that in itself is a victory. These Iroquois are cunning, but

-      they outwitted themselves when they placed their firearms out of reach;

-      and had Uncas or his father been gifted with only their common Indian

-      patience, we should have come in upon the knaves with three bullets

-      instead of one, and that would have made a finish of the whole pack; yon

-      loping varlet, as well as his commerades. But 'twas all fore-ordered, and

-      for the best.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Thou sayest well,&rdquo; returned David, &ldquo;and hast caught the true spirit of

-      Christianity. He that is to be saved will be saved, and he that is

-      predestined to be damned will be damned. This is the doctrine of truth,

-      and most consoling and refreshing it is to the true believer.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout, who by this time was seated, examining into the state of his

-      rifle with a species of parental assiduity, now looked up at the other in

-      a displeasure that he did not affect to conceal, roughly interrupting

-      further speech.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Doctrine or no doctrine,&rdquo; said the sturdy woodsman, &ldquo;'tis the belief of

-      knaves, and the curse of an honest man. I can credit that yonder Huron was

-      to fall by my hand, for with my own eyes I have seen it; but nothing short

-      of being a witness will cause me to think he has met with any reward, or

-      that Chingachgook there will be condemned at the final day.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have no warranty for such an audacious doctrine, nor any covenant to

-      support it,&rdquo; cried David who was deeply tinctured with the subtle

-      distinctions which, in his time, and more especially in his province, had

-      been drawn around the beautiful simplicity of revelation, by endeavoring

-      to penetrate the awful mystery of the divine nature, supplying faith by

-      self-sufficiency, and by consequence, involving those who reasoned from

-      such human dogmas in absurdities and doubt; &ldquo;your temple is reared on the

-      sands, and the first tempest will wash away its foundation. I demand your

-      authorities for such an uncharitable assertion (like other advocates of a

-      system, David was not always accurate in his use of terms). Name chapter

-      and verse; in which of the holy books do you find language to support

-      you?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Book!&rdquo; repeated Hawkeye, with singular and ill-concealed disdain; &ldquo;do you

-      take me for a whimpering boy at the apronstring of one of your old gals;

-      and this good rifle on my knee for the feather of a goose's wing, my ox's

-      horn for a bottle of ink, and my leathern pouch for a cross-barred

-      handkercher to carry my dinner? Book! what have such as I, who am a

-      warrior of the wilderness, though a man without a cross, to do with books?

-      I never read but in one, and the words that are written there are too

-      simple and too plain to need much schooling; though I may boast that of

-      forty long and hard-working years.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What call you the volume?&rdquo; said David, misconceiving the other's meaning.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis open before your eyes,&rdquo; returned the scout; &ldquo;and he who owns it is

-      not a niggard of its use. I have heard it said that there are men who read

-      in books to convince themselves there is a God. I know not but man may so

-      deform his works in the settlement, as to leave that which is so clear in

-      the wilderness a matter of doubt among traders and priests. If any such

-      there be, and he will follow me from sun to sun, through the windings of

-      the forest, he shall see enough to teach him that he is a fool, and that

-      the greatest of his folly lies in striving to rise to the level of One he

-      can never equal, be it in goodness, or be it in power.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The instant David discovered that he battled with a disputant who imbibed

-      his faith from the lights of nature, eschewing all subtleties of doctrine,

-      he willingly abandoned a controversy from which he believed neither profit

-      nor credit was to be derived. While the scout was speaking, he had also

-      seated himself, and producing the ready little volume and the iron-rimmed

-      spectacles, he prepared to discharge a duty, which nothing but the

-      unexpected assault he had received in his orthodoxy could have so long

-      suspended. He was, in truth, a minstrel of the western continent&mdash;of

-      a much later day, certainly, than those gifted bards, who formerly sang

-      the profane renown of baron and prince, but after the spirit of his own

-      age and country; and he was now prepared to exercise the cunning of his

-      craft, in celebration of, or rather in thanksgiving for, the recent

-      victory. He waited patiently for Hawkeye to cease, then lifting his eyes,

-      together with his voice, he said, aloud:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I invite you, friends, to join in praise for this signal deliverance from

-      the hands of barbarians and infidels, to the comfortable and solemn tones

-      of the tune called 'Northampton'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He next named the page and verse where the rhymes selected were to be

-      found, and applied the pitch-pipe to his lips, with the decent gravity

-      that he had been wont to use in the temple. This time he was, however,

-      without any accompaniment, for the sisters were just then pouring out

-      those tender effusions of affection which have been already alluded to.

-      Nothing deterred by the smallness of his audience, which, in truth,

-      consisted only of the discontented scout, he raised his voice, commencing

-      and ending the sacred song without accident or interruption of any kind.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0161.jpg" alt="0161" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0161.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye listened while he coolly adjusted his flint and reloaded his

-      rifle; but the sounds, wanting the extraneous assistance of scene and

-      sympathy, failed to awaken his slumbering emotions. Never minstrel, or by

-      whatever more suitable name David should be known, drew upon his talents

-      in the presence of more insensible auditors; though considering the

-      singleness and sincerity of his motive, it is probable that no bard of

-      profane song ever uttered notes that ascended so near to that throne where

-      all homage and praise is due. The scout shook his head, and muttering some

-      unintelligible words, among which &ldquo;throat&rdquo; and &ldquo;Iroquois&rdquo; were alone

-      audible, he walked away, to collect and to examine into the state of the

-      captured arsenal of the Hurons. In this office he was now joined by

-      Chingachgook, who found his own, as well as the rifle of his son, among

-      the arms. Even Heyward and David were furnished with weapons; nor was

-      ammunition wanting to render them all effectual.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When the foresters had made their selection, and distributed their prizes,

-      the scout announced that the hour had arrived when it was necessary to

-      move. By this time the song of Gamut had ceased, and the sisters had

-      learned to still the exhibition of their emotions. Aided by Duncan and the

-      younger Mohican, the two latter descended the precipitous sides of that

-      hill which they had so lately ascended under so very different auspices,

-      and whose summit had so nearly proved the scene of their massacre. At the

-      foot they found the Narragansetts browsing the herbage of the bushes, and

-      having mounted, they followed the movements of a guide, who, in the most

-      deadly straits, had so often proved himself their friend. The journey was,

-      however, short. Hawkeye, leaving the blind path that the Hurons had

-      followed, turned short to his right, and entering the thicket, he crossed

-      a babbling brook, and halted in a narrow dell, under the shade of a few

-      water elms. Their distance from the base of the fatal hill was but a few

-      rods, and the steeds had been serviceable only in crossing the shallow

-      stream.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout and the Indians appeared to be familiar with the sequestered

-      place where they now were; for, leaning their rifle against the trees,

-      they commenced throwing aside the dried leaves, and opening the blue clay,

-      out of which a clear and sparkling spring of bright, glancing water,

-      quickly bubbled. The white man then looked about him, as though seeking

-      for some object, which was not to be found as readily as he expected.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Them careless imps, the Mohawks, with their Tuscarora and Onondaga

-      brethren, have been here slaking their thirst,&rdquo; he muttered, &ldquo;and the

-      vagabonds have thrown away the gourd! This is the way with benefits, when

-      they are bestowed on such disremembering hounds! Here has the Lord laid

-      his hand, in the midst of the howling wilderness, for their good, and

-      raised a fountain of water from the bowels of the 'arth, that might laugh

-      at the richest shop of apothecary's ware in all the colonies; and see! the

-      knaves have trodden in the clay, and deformed the cleanliness of the

-      place, as though they were brute beasts, instead of human men.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas silently extended toward him the desired gourd, which the spleen of

-      Hawkeye had hitherto prevented him from observing on a branch of an elm.

-      Filling it with water, he retired a short distance, to a place where the

-      ground was more firm and dry; here he coolly seated himself, and after

-      taking a long, and, apparently, a grateful draught, he commenced a very

-      strict examination of the fragments of food left by the Hurons, which had

-      hung in a wallet on his arm.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Thank you, lad!&rdquo; he continued, returning the empty gourd to Uncas; &ldquo;now

-      we will see how these rampaging Hurons lived, when outlying in

-      ambushments. Look at this! The varlets know the better pieces of the deer;

-      and one would think they might carve and roast a saddle, equal to the best

-      cook in the land! But everything is raw, for the Iroquois are thorough

-      savages. Uncas, take my steel and kindle a fire; a mouthful of a tender

-      broil will give natur' a helping hand, after so long a trail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward, perceiving that their guides now set about their repast in sober

-      earnest, assisted the ladies to alight, and placed himself at their side,

-      not unwilling to enjoy a few moments of grateful rest, after the bloody

-      scene he had just gone through. While the culinary process was in hand,

-      curiosity induced him to inquire into the circumstances which had led to

-      their timely and unexpected rescue:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;How is it that we see you so soon, my generous friend,&rdquo; he asked, &ldquo;and

-      without aid from the garrison of Edward?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Had we gone to the bend in the river, we might have been in time to rake

-      the leaves over your bodies, but too late to have saved your scalps,&rdquo;

-       coolly answered the scout. &ldquo;No, no; instead of throwing away strength and

-      opportunity by crossing to the fort, we lay by, under the bank of the

-      Hudson, waiting to watch the movements of the Hurons.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You were, then, witnesses of all that passed?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not of all; for Indian sight is too keen to be easily cheated, and we

-      kept close. A difficult matter it was, too, to keep this Mohican boy snug

-      in the ambushment. Ah! Uncas, Uncas, your behavior was more like that of a

-      curious woman than of a warrior on his scent.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas permitted his eyes to turn for an instant on the sturdy countenance

-      of the speaker, but he neither spoke nor gave any indication of

-      repentance. On the contrary, Heyward thought the manner of the young

-      Mohican was disdainful, if not a little fierce, and that he suppressed

-      passions that were ready to explode, as much in compliment to the

-      listeners, as from the deference he usually paid to his white associate.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You saw our capture?&rdquo; Heyward next demanded.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We heard it,&rdquo; was the significant answer. &ldquo;An Indian yell is plain

-      language to men who have passed their days in the woods. But when you

-      landed, we were driven to crawl like sarpents, beneath the leaves; and

-      then we lost sight of you entirely, until we placed eyes on you again

-      trussed to the trees, and ready bound for an Indian massacre.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our rescue was the deed of Providence. It was nearly a miracle that you

-      did not mistake the path, for the Hurons divided, and each band had its

-      horses.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay! there we were thrown off the scent, and might, indeed, have lost the

-      trail, had it not been for Uncas; we took the path, however, that led into

-      the wilderness; for we judged, and judged rightly, that the savages would

-      hold that course with their prisoners. But when we had followed it for

-      many miles, without finding a single twig broken, as I had advised, my

-      mind misgave me; especially as all the footsteps had the prints of

-      moccasins.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our captors had the precaution to see us shod like themselves,&rdquo; said

-      Duncan, raising a foot, and exhibiting the buckskin he wore.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Aye, 'twas judgmatical and like themselves; though we were too expart to

-      be thrown from a trail by so common an invention.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To what, then, are we indebted for our safety?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To what, as a white man who has no taint of Indian blood, I should be

-      ashamed to own; to the judgment of the young Mohican, in matters which I

-      should know better than he, but which I can now hardly believe to be true,

-      though my own eyes tell me it is so.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis extraordinary! will you not name the reason?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas was bold enough to say, that the beasts ridden by the gentle ones,&rdquo;

-       continued Hawkeye, glancing his eyes, not without curious interest, on the

-      fillies of the ladies, &ldquo;planted the legs of one side on the ground at the

-      same time, which is contrary to the movements of all trotting four-footed

-      animals of my knowledge, except the bear. And yet here are horses that

-      always journey in this manner, as my own eyes have seen, and as their

-      trail has shown for twenty long miles.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis the merit of the animal! They come from the shores of Narrangansett

-      Bay, in the small province of Providence Plantations, and are celebrated

-      for their hardihood, and the ease of this peculiar movement; though other

-      horses are not unfrequently trained to the same.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It may be&mdash;it may be,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, who had listened with singular

-      attention to this explanation; &ldquo;though I am a man who has the full blood

-      of the whites, my judgment in deer and beaver is greater than in beasts of

-      burden. Major Effingham has many noble chargers, but I have never seen one

-      travel after such a sidling gait.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;True; for he would value the animals for very different properties. Still

-      is this a breed highly esteemed and, as you witness, much honored with the

-      burdens it is often destined to bear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Mohicans had suspended their operations about the glimmering fire to

-      listen; and, when Duncan had done, they looked at each other

-      significantly, the father uttering the never-failing exclamation of

-      surprise. The scout ruminated, like a man digesting his newly-acquired

-      knowledge, and once more stole a glance at the horses.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I dare to say there are even stranger sights to be seen in the

-      settlements!&rdquo; he said, at length. &ldquo;Natur' is sadly abused by man, when he

-      once gets the mastery. But, go sidling or go straight, Uncas had seen the

-      movement, and their trail led us on to the broken bush. The outer branch,

-      near the prints of one of the horses, was bent upward, as a lady breaks a

-      flower from its stem, but all the rest were ragged and broken down, as if

-      the strong hand of a man had been tearing them! So I concluded that the

-      cunning varments had seen the twig bent, and had torn the rest, to make us

-      believe a buck had been feeling the boughs with his antlers.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I do believe your sagacity did not deceive you; for some such thing

-      occurred!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That was easy to see,&rdquo; added the scout, in no degree conscious of having

-      exhibited any extraordinary sagacity; &ldquo;and a very different matter it was

-      from a waddling horse! It then struck me the Mingoes would push for this

-      spring, for the knaves well know the vartue of its waters!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is it, then, so famous?&rdquo; demanded Heyward, examining, with a more curious

-      eye, the secluded dell, with its bubbling fountain, surrounded, as it was,

-      by earth of a deep, dingy brown.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Few red-skins, who travel south and east of the great lakes but have

-      heard of its qualities. Will you taste for yourself?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward took the gourd, and after swallowing a little of the water, threw

-      it aside with grimaces of discontent. The scout laughed in his silent but

-      heartfelt manner, and shook his head with vast satisfaction.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ah! you want the flavor that one gets by habit; the time was when I liked

-      it as little as yourself; but I have come to my taste, and I now crave it,

-      as a deer does the licks*. Your high-spiced wines are not better liked

-      than a red-skin relishes this water; especially when his natur' is ailing.

-      But Uncas has made his fire, and it is time we think of eating, for our

-      journey is long, and all before us.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * Many of the animals of the American forests resort to

-     those spots where salt springs are found. These are called

-     &ldquo;licks&rdquo; or &ldquo;salt licks,&rdquo; in the language of the country,

-     from the circumstance that the quadruped is often obliged to

-     lick the earth, in order to obtain the saline particles.

-     These licks are great places of resort with the hunters, who

-     waylay their game near the paths that lead to them.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Interrupting the dialogue by this abrupt transition, the scout had instant

-      recourse to the fragments of food which had escaped the voracity of the

-      Hurons. A very summary process completed the simple cookery, when he and

-      the Mohicans commenced their humble meal, with the silence and

-      characteristic diligence of men who ate in order to enable themselves to

-      endure great and unremitting toil.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When this necessary, and, happily, grateful duty had been performed, each

-      of the foresters stooped and took a long and parting draught at that

-      solitary and silent spring*, around which and its sister fountains, within

-      fifty years, the wealth, beauty and talents of a hemisphere were to

-      assemble in throngs, in pursuit of health and pleasure. Then Hawkeye

-      announced his determination to proceed. The sisters resumed their saddles;

-      Duncan and David grapsed their rifles, and followed on footsteps; the

-      scout leading the advance, and the Mohicans bringing up the rear. The

-      whole party moved swiftly through the narrow path, toward the north,

-      leaving the healing waters to mingle unheeded with the adjacent brooks and

-      the bodies of the dead to fester on the neighboring mount, without the

-      rites of sepulture; a fate but too common to the warriors of the woods to

-      excite either commiseration or comment.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The scene of the foregoing incidents is on the spot where

-     the village of Ballston now stands; one of the two principal

-     watering places of America.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 13

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;I'll seek a readier path.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Parnell

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The route taken by Hawkeye lay across those sandy plains, relived by

-      occasional valleys and swells of land, which had been traversed by their

-      party on the morning of the same day, with the baffled Magua for their

-      guide. The sun had now fallen low toward the distant mountains; and as

-      their journey lay through the interminable forest, the heat was no longer

-      oppressive. Their progress, in consequence, was proportionate; and long

-      before the twilight gathered about them, they had made good many toilsome

-      miles on their return.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The hunter, like the savage whose place he filled, seemed to select among

-      the blind signs of their wild route, with a species of instinct, seldom

-      abating his speed, and never pausing to deliberate. A rapid and oblique

-      glance at the moss on the trees, with an occasional upward gaze toward the

-      setting sun, or a steady but passing look at the direction of the numerous

-      water courses, through which he waded, were sufficient to determine his

-      path, and remove his greatest difficulties. In the meantime, the forest

-      began to change its hues, losing that lively green which had embellished

-      its arches, in the graver light which is the usual precursor of the close

-      of day.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While the eyes of the sisters were endeavoring to catch glimpses through

-      the trees, of the flood of golden glory which formed a glittering halo

-      around the sun, tinging here and there with ruby streaks, or bordering

-      with narrow edgings of shining yellow, a mass of clouds that lay piled at

-      no great distance above the western hills, Hawkeye turned suddenly and

-      pointing upward toward the gorgeous heavens, he spoke:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yonder is the signal given to man to seek his food and natural rest,&rdquo; he

-      said; &ldquo;better and wiser would it be, if he could understand the signs of

-      nature, and take a lesson from the fowls of the air and the beasts of the

-      field! Our night, however, will soon be over, for with the moon we must be

-      up and moving again. I remember to have fou't the Maquas, hereaways, in

-      the first war in which I ever drew blood from man; and we threw up a work

-      of blocks, to keep the ravenous varmints from handling our scalps. If my

-      marks do not fail me, we shall find the place a few rods further to our

-      left.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Without waiting for an assent, or, indeed, for any reply, the sturdy

-      hunter moved boldly into a dense thicket of young chestnuts, shoving aside

-      the branches of the exuberant shoots which nearly covered the ground, like

-      a man who expected, at each step, to discover some object he had formerly

-      known. The recollection of the scout did not deceive him. After

-      penetrating through the brush, matted as it was with briars, for a few

-      hundred feet, he entered an open space, that surrounded a low, green

-      hillock, which was crowned by the decayed blockhouse in question. This

-      rude and neglected building was one of those deserted works, which, having

-      been thrown up on an emergency, had been abandoned with the disappearance

-      of danger, and was now quietly crumbling in the solitude of the forest,

-      neglected and nearly forgotten, like the circumstances which had caused it

-      to be reared. Such memorials of the passage and struggles of man are yet

-      frequent throughout the broad barrier of wilderness which once separated

-      the hostile provinces, and form a species of ruins that are intimately

-      associated with the recollections of colonial history, and which are in

-      appropriate keeping with the gloomy character of the surrounding scenery.

-      The roof of bark had long since fallen, and mingled with the soil, but the

-      huge logs of pine, which had been hastily thrown together, still preserved

-      their relative positions, though one angle of the work had given way under

-      the pressure, and threatened a speedy downfall to the remainder of the

-      rustic edifice. While Heyward and his companions hesitated to approach a

-      building so decayed, Hawkeye and the Indians entered within the low walls,

-      not only without fear, but with obvious interest. While the former

-      surveyed the ruins, both internally and externally, with the curiosity of

-      one whose recollections were reviving at each moment, Chingachgook related

-      to his son, in the language of the Delawares, and with the pride of a

-      conqueror, the brief history of the skirmish which had been fought, in his

-      youth, in that secluded spot. A strain of melancholy, however, blended

-      with his triumph, rendering his voice, as usual, soft and musical.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In the meantime, the sisters gladly dismounted, and prepared to enjoy

-      their halt in the coolness of the evening, and in a security which they

-      believed nothing but the beasts of the forest could invade.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Would not our resting-place have been more retired, my worthy friend,&rdquo;

-       demanded the more vigilant Duncan, perceiving that the scout had already

-      finished his short survey, &ldquo;had we chosen a spot less known, and one more

-      rarely visited than this?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Few live who know the blockhouse was ever raised,&rdquo; was the slow and

-      musing answer; &ldquo;'tis not often that books are made, and narratives written

-      of such a scrimmage as was here fou't atween the Mohicans and the Mohawks,

-      in a war of their own waging. I was then a younker, and went out with the

-      Delawares, because I know'd they were a scandalized and wronged race.

-      Forty days and forty nights did the imps crave our blood around this pile

-      of logs, which I designed and partly reared, being, as you'll remember, no

-      Indian myself, but a man without a cross. The Delawares lent themselves to

-      the work, and we made it good, ten to twenty, until our numbers were

-      nearly equal, and then we sallied out upon the hounds, and not a man of

-      them ever got back to tell the fate of his party. Yes, yes; I was then

-      young, and new to the sight of blood; and not relishing the thought that

-      creatures who had spirits like myself should lay on the naked ground, to

-      be torn asunder by beasts, or to bleach in the rains, I buried the dead

-      with my own hands, under that very little hillock where you have placed

-      yourselves; and no bad seat does it make neither, though it be raised by

-      the bones of mortal men.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward and the sisters arose, on the instant, from the grassy sepulcher;

-      nor could the two latter, notwithstanding the terrific scenes they had so

-      recently passed through, entirely suppress an emotion of natural horror,

-      when they found themselves in such familiar contact with the grave of the

-      dead Mohawks. The gray light, the gloomy little area of dark grass,

-      surrounded by its border of brush, beyond which the pines rose, in

-      breathing silence, apparently into the very clouds, and the deathlike

-      stillness of the vast forest, were all in unison to deepen such a

-      sensation. &ldquo;They are gone, and they are harmless,&rdquo; continued Hawkeye,

-      waving his hand, with a melancholy smile at their manifest alarm; &ldquo;they'll

-      never shout the war-whoop nor strike a blow with the tomahawk again! And

-      of all those who aided in placing them where they lie, Chingachgook and I

-      only are living! The brothers and family of the Mohican formed our war

-      party; and you see before you all that are now left of his race.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The eyes of the listeners involuntarily sought the forms of the Indians,

-      with a compassionate interest in their desolate fortune. Their dark

-      persons were still to be seen within the shadows of the blockhouse, the

-      son listening to the relation of his father with that sort of intenseness

-      which would be created by a narrative that redounded so much to the honor

-      of those whose names he had long revered for their courage and savage

-      virtues.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I had thought the Delawares a pacific people,&rdquo; said Duncan, &ldquo;and that

-      they never waged war in person; trusting the defense of their hands to

-      those very Mohawks that you slew!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis true in part,&rdquo; returned the scout, &ldquo;and yet, at the bottom, 'tis a

-      wicked lie. Such a treaty was made in ages gone by, through the deviltries

-      of the Dutchers, who wished to disarm the natives that had the best right

-      to the country, where they had settled themselves. The Mohicans, though a

-      part of the same nation, having to deal with the English, never entered

-      into the silly bargain, but kept to their manhood; as in truth did the

-      Delawares, when their eyes were open to their folly. You see before you a

-      chief of the great Mohican Sagamores! Once his family could chase their

-      deer over tracts of country wider than that which belongs to the Albany

-      Patteroon, without crossing brook or hill that was not their own; but what

-      is left of their descendant? He may find his six feet of earth when God

-      chooses, and keep it in peace, perhaps, if he has a friend who will take

-      the pains to sink his head so low that the plowshares cannot reach it!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Enough!&rdquo; said Heyward, apprehensive that the subject might lead to a

-      discussion that would interrupt the harmony so necessary to the

-      preservation of his fair companions; &ldquo;we have journeyed far, and few among

-      us are blessed with forms like that of yours, which seems to know neither

-      fatigue nor weakness.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The sinews and bones of a man carry me through it all,&rdquo; said the hunter,

-      surveying his muscular limbs with a simplicity that betrayed the honest

-      pleasure the compliment afforded him; &ldquo;there are larger and heavier men to

-      be found in the settlements, but you might travel many days in a city

-      before you could meet one able to walk fifty miles without stopping to

-      take breath, or who has kept the hounds within hearing during a chase of

-      hours. However, as flesh and blood are not always the same, it is quite

-      reasonable to suppose that the gentle ones are willing to rest, after all

-      they have seen and done this day. Uncas, clear out the spring, while your

-      father and I make a cover for their tender heads of these chestnut shoots,

-      and a bed of grass and leaves.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The dialogue ceased, while the hunter and his companions busied themselves

-      in preparations for the comfort and protection of those they guided. A

-      spring, which many long years before had induced the natives to select the

-      place for their temporary fortification, was soon cleared of leaves, and a

-      fountain of crystal gushed from the bed, diffusing its waters over the

-      verdant hillock. A corner of the building was then roofed in such a manner

-      as to exclude the heavy dew of the climate, and piles of sweet shrubs and

-      dried leaves were laid beneath it for the sisters to repose on.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While the diligent woodsmen were employed in this manner, Cora and Alice

-      partook of that refreshment which duty required much more than inclination

-      prompted them to accept. They then retired within the walls, and first

-      offering up their thanksgivings for past mercies, and petitioning for a

-      continuance of the Divine favor throughout the coming night, they laid

-      their tender forms on the fragrant couch, and in spite of recollections

-      and forebodings, soon sank into those slumbers which nature so imperiously

-      demanded, and which were sweetened by hopes for the morrow. Duncan had

-      prepared himself to pass the night in watchfulness near them, just without

-      the ruin, but the scout, perceiving his intention, pointed toward

-      Chingachgook, as he coolly disposed his own person on the grass, and said:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The eyes of a white man are too heavy and too blind for such a watch as

-      this! The Mohican will be our sentinel, therefore let us sleep.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I proved myself a sluggard on my post during the past night,&rdquo; said

-      Heyward, &ldquo;and have less need of repose than you, who did more credit to

-      the character of a soldier. Let all the party seek their rest, then, while

-      I hold the guard.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If we lay among the white tents of the Sixtieth, and in front of an enemy

-      like the French, I could not ask for a better watchman,&rdquo; returned the

-      scout; &ldquo;but in the darkness and among the signs of the wilderness your

-      judgment would be like the folly of a child, and your vigilance thrown

-      away. Do then, like Uncas and myself, sleep, and sleep in safety.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward perceived, in truth, that the younger Indian had thrown his form

-      on the side of the hillock while they were talking, like one who sought to

-      make the most of the time allotted to rest, and that his example had been

-      followed by David, whose voice literally &ldquo;clove to his jaws,&rdquo; with the

-      fever of his wound, heightened, as it was, by their toilsome march.

-      Unwilling to prolong a useless discussion, the young man affected to

-      comply, by posting his back against the logs of the blockhouse, in a half

-      recumbent posture, though resolutely determined, in his own mind, not to

-      close an eye until he had delivered his precious charge into the arms of

-      Munro himself. Hawkeye, believing he had prevailed, soon fell asleep, and

-      a silence as deep as the solitude in which they had found it, pervaded the

-      retired spot.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      For many minutes Duncan succeeded in keeping his senses on the alert, and

-      alive to every moaning sound that arose from the forest. His vision became

-      more acute as the shades of evening settled on the place; and even after

-      the stars were glimmering above his head, he was able to distinguish the

-      recumbent forms of his companions, as they lay stretched on the grass, and

-      to note the person of Chingachgook, who sat upright and motionless as one

-      of the trees which formed the dark barrier on every side. He still heard

-      the gentle breathings of the sisters, who lay within a few feet of him,

-      and not a leaf was ruffled by the passing air of which his ear did not

-      detect the whispering sound. At length, however, the mournful notes of a

-      whip-poor-will became blended with the moanings of an owl; his heavy eyes

-      occasionally sought the bright rays of the stars, and he then fancied he

-      saw them through the fallen lids. At instants of momentary wakefulness he

-      mistook a bush for his associate sentinel; his head next sank upon his

-      shoulder, which, in its turn, sought the support of the ground; and,

-      finally, his whole person became relaxed and pliant, and the young man

-      sank into a deep sleep, dreaming that he was a knight of ancient chivalry,

-      holding his midnight vigils before the tent of a recaptured princess,

-      whose favor he did not despair of gaining, by such a proof of devotion and

-      watchfulness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      How long the tired Duncan lay in this insensible state he never knew

-      himself, but his slumbering visions had been long lost in total

-      forgetfulness, when he was awakened by a light tap on the shoulder.

-      Aroused by this signal, slight as it was, he sprang upon his feet with a

-      confused recollection of the self-imposed duty he had assumed with the

-      commencement of the night.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Who comes?&rdquo; he demanded, feeling for his sword, at the place where it was

-      usually suspended. &ldquo;Speak! friend or enemy?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Friend,&rdquo; replied the low voice of Chingachgook; who, pointing upward at

-      the luminary which was shedding its mild light through the opening in the

-      trees, directly in their bivouac, immediately added, in his rude English:

-      &ldquo;Moon comes and white man's fort far&mdash;far off; time to move, when

-      sleep shuts both eyes of the Frenchman!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You say true! Call up your friends, and bridle the horses while I prepare

-      my own companions for the march!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are awake, Duncan,&rdquo; said the soft, silvery tones of Alice within the

-      building, &ldquo;and ready to travel very fast after so refreshing a sleep; but

-      you have watched through the tedious night in our behalf, after having

-      endured so much fatigue the livelong day!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Say, rather, I would have watched, but my treacherous eyes betrayed me;

-      twice have I proved myself unfit for the trust I bear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nay, Duncan, deny it not,&rdquo; interrupted the smiling Alice, issuing from

-      the shadows of the building into the light of the moon, in all the

-      loveliness of her freshened beauty; &ldquo;I know you to be a heedless one, when

-      self is the object of your care, and but too vigilant in favor of others.

-      Can we not tarry here a little longer while you find the rest you need?

-      Cheerfully, most cheerfully, will Cora and I keep the vigils, while you

-      and all these brave men endeavor to snatch a little sleep!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If shame could cure me of my drowsiness, I should never close an eye

-      again,&rdquo; said the uneasy youth, gazing at the ingenuous countenance of

-      Alice, where, however, in its sweet solicitude, he read nothing to confirm

-      his half-awakened suspicion. &ldquo;It is but too true, that after leading you

-      into danger by my heedlessness, I have not even the merit of guarding your

-      pillows as should become a soldier.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No one but Duncan himself should accuse Duncan of such a weakness. Go,

-      then, and sleep; believe me, neither of us, weak girls as we are, will

-      betray our watch.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young man was relieved from the awkwardness of making any further

-      protestations of his own demerits, by an exclamation from Chingachgook,

-      and the attitude of riveted attention assumed by his son.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Mohicans hear an enemy!&rdquo; whispered Hawkeye, who, by this time, in

-      common with the whole party, was awake and stirring. &ldquo;They scent danger in

-      the wind!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;God forbid!&rdquo; exclaimed Heyward. &ldquo;Surely we have had enough of bloodshed!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      While he spoke, however, the young soldier seized his rifle, and advancing

-      toward the front, prepared to atone for his venial remissness, by freely

-      exposing his life in defense of those he attended.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis some creature of the forest prowling around us in quest of food,&rdquo; he

-      said, in a whisper, as soon as the low, and apparently distant sounds,

-      which had startled the Mohicans, reached his own ears.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hist!&rdquo; returned the attentive scout; &ldquo;'tis man; even I can now tell his

-      tread, poor as my senses are when compared to an Indian's! That Scampering

-      Huron has fallen in with one of Montcalm's outlying parties, and they have

-      struck upon our trail. I shouldn't like, myself, to spill more human blood

-      in this spot,&rdquo; he added, looking around with anxiety in his features, at

-      the dim objects by which he was surrounded; &ldquo;but what must be, must! Lead

-      the horses into the blockhouse, Uncas; and, friends, do you follow to the

-      same shelter. Poor and old as it is, it offers a cover, and has rung with

-      the crack of a rifle afore to-night!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He was instantly obeyed, the Mohicans leading the Narrangansetts within

-      the ruin, whither the whole party repaired with the most guarded silence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The sound of approaching footsteps were now too distinctly audible to

-      leave any doubts as to the nature of the interruption. They were soon

-      mingled with voices calling to each other in an Indian dialect, which the

-      hunter, in a whisper, affirmed to Heyward was the language of the Hurons.

-      When the party reached the point where the horses had entered the thicket

-      which surrounded the blockhouse, they were evidently at fault, having lost

-      those marks which, until that moment, had directed their pursuit.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It would seem by the voices that twenty men were soon collected at that

-      one spot, mingling their different opinions and advice in noisy clamor.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The knaves know our weakness,&rdquo; whispered Hawkeye, who stood by the side

-      of Heyward, in deep shade, looking through an opening in the logs, &ldquo;or

-      they wouldn't indulge their idleness in such a squaw's march. Listen to

-      the reptiles! each man among them seems to have two tongues, and but a

-      single leg.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, brave as he was in the combat, could not, in such a moment of

-      painful suspense, make any reply to the cool and characteristic remark of

-      the scout. He only grasped his rifle more firmly, and fastened his eyes

-      upon the narrow opening, through which he gazed upon the moonlight view

-      with increasing anxiety. The deeper tones of one who spoke as having

-      authority were next heard, amid a silence that denoted the respect with

-      which his orders, or rather advice, was received. After which, by the

-      rustling of leaves, and crackling of dried twigs, it was apparent the

-      savages were separating in pursuit of the lost trail. Fortunately for the

-      pursued, the light of the moon, while it shed a flood of mild luster upon

-      the little area around the ruin, was not sufficiently strong to penetrate

-      the deep arches of the forest, where the objects still lay in deceptive

-      shadow. The search proved fruitless; for so short and sudden had been the

-      passage from the faint path the travelers had journeyed into the thicket,

-      that every trace of their footsteps was lost in the obscurity of the

-      woods.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was not long, however, before the restless savages were heard beating

-      the brush, and gradually approaching the inner edge of that dense border

-      of young chestnuts which encircled the little area.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They are coming,&rdquo; muttered Heyward, endeavoring to thrust his rifle

-      through the chink in the logs; &ldquo;let us fire on their approach.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Keep everything in the shade,&rdquo; returned the scout; &ldquo;the snapping of a

-      flint, or even the smell of a single karnel of the brimstone, would bring

-      the hungry varlets upon us in a body. Should it please God that we must

-      give battle for the scalps, trust to the experience of men who know the

-      ways of the savages, and who are not often backward when the war-whoop is

-      howled.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan cast his eyes behind him, and saw that the trembling sisters were

-      cowering in the far corner of the building, while the Mohicans stood in

-      the shadow, like two upright posts, ready, and apparently willing, to

-      strike when the blow should be needed. Curbing his impatience, he again

-      looked out upon the area, and awaited the result in silence. At that

-      instant the thicket opened, and a tall and armed Huron advanced a few

-      paces into the open space. As he gazed upon the silent blockhouse, the

-      moon fell upon his swarthy countenance, and betrayed its surprise and

-      curiosity. He made the exclamation which usually accompanies the former

-      emotion in an Indian, and, calling in a low voice, soon drew a companion

-      to his side.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      These children of the woods stood together for several moments pointing at

-      the crumbling edifice, and conversing in the unintelligible language of

-      their tribe. They then approached, though with slow and cautious steps,

-      pausing every instant to look at the building, like startled deer whose

-      curiosity struggled powerfully with their awakened apprehensions for the

-      mastery. The foot of one of them suddenly rested on the mound, and he

-      stopped to examine its nature. At this moment, Heyward observed that the

-      scout loosened his knife in its sheath, and lowered the muzzle of his

-      rifle. Imitating these movements, the young man prepared himself for the

-      struggle which now seemed inevitable.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The savages were so near, that the least motion in one of the horses, or

-      even a breath louder than common, would have betrayed the fugitives. But

-      in discovering the character of the mound, the attention of the Hurons

-      appeared directed to a different object. They spoke together, and the

-      sounds of their voices were low and solemn, as if influenced by a

-      reverence that was deeply blended with awe. Then they drew warily back,

-      keeping their eyes riveted on the ruin, as if they expected to see the

-      apparitions of the dead issue from its silent walls, until, having reached

-      the boundary of the area, they moved slowly into the thicket and

-      disappeared.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye dropped the breech of his rifle to the earth, and drawing a long,

-      free breath, exclaimed, in an audible whisper:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay! they respect the dead, and it has this time saved their own lives,

-      and, it may be, the lives of better men too.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward lent his attention for a single moment to his companion, but

-      without replying, he again turned toward those who just then interested

-      him more. He heard the two Hurons leave the bushes, and it was soon plain

-      that all the pursuers were gathered about them, in deep attention to their

-      report. After a few minutes of earnest and solemn dialogue, altogether

-      different from the noisy clamor with which they had first collected about

-      the spot, the sounds grew fainter and more distant, and finally were lost

-      in the depths of the forest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye waited until a signal from the listening Chingachgook assured him

-      that every sound from the retiring party was completely swallowed by the

-      distance, when he motioned to Heyward to lead forth the horses, and to

-      assist the sisters into their saddles. The instant this was done they

-      issued through the broken gateway, and stealing out by a direction

-      opposite to the one by which they entered, they quitted the spot, the

-      sisters casting furtive glances at the silent, grave and crumbling ruin,

-      as they left the soft light of the moon, to bury themselves in the gloom

-      of the woods.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 14

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Guard.&mdash;Qui est la?

-     Puc.   &mdash;Paisans, pauvres gens de France.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;King Henry VI

-</pre>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/5215.jpg" alt="5215" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/5215.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      During the rapid movement from the blockhouse, and until the party was

-      deeply buried in the forest, each individual was too much interested in

-      the escape to hazard a word even in whispers. The scout resumed his post

-      in advance, though his steps, after he had thrown a safe distance between

-      himself and his enemies, were more deliberate than in their previous

-      march, in consequence of his utter ignorance of the localities of the

-      surrounding woods. More than once he halted to consult with his

-      confederates, the Mohicans, pointing upward at the moon, and examining the

-      barks of the trees with care. In these brief pauses, Heyward and the

-      sisters listened, with senses rendered doubly acute by the danger, to

-      detect any symptoms which might announce the proximity of their foes. At

-      such moments, it seemed as if a vast range of country lay buried in

-      eternal sleep; not the least sound arising from the forest, unless it was

-      the distant and scarcely audible rippling of a water-course. Birds,

-      beasts, and man, appeared to slumber alike, if, indeed, any of the latter

-      were to be found in that wide tract of wilderness. But the sounds of the

-      rivulet, feeble and murmuring as they were, relieved the guides at once

-      from no trifling embarrassment, and toward it they immediately held their

-      way.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When the banks of the little stream were gained, Hawkeye made another

-      halt; and taking the moccasins from his feet, he invited Heyward and Gamut

-      to follow his example. He then entered the water, and for near an hour

-      they traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no trail. The moon had

-      already sunk into an immense pile of black clouds, which lay impending

-      above the western horizon, when they issued from the low and devious

-      water-course to rise again to the light and level of the sandy but wooded

-      plain. Here the scout seemed to be once more at home, for he held on this

-      way with the certainty and diligence of a man who moved in the security of

-      his own knowledge. The path soon became more uneven, and the travelers

-      could plainly perceive that the mountains drew nigher to them on each

-      hand, and that they were, in truth, about entering one of their gorges.

-      Suddenly, Hawkeye made a pause, and, waiting until he was joined by the

-      whole party, he spoke, though in tones so low and cautious, that they

-      added to the solemnity of his words, in the quiet and darkness of the

-      place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is easy to know the pathways, and to find the licks and water-courses

-      of the wilderness,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;but who that saw this spot could venture to

-      say, that a mighty army was at rest among yonder silent trees and barren

-      mountains?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are, then, at no great distance from William Henry?&rdquo; said Heyward,

-      advancing nigher to the scout.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is yet a long and weary path, and when and where to strike it is now

-      our greatest difficulty. See,&rdquo; he said, pointing through the trees toward

-      a spot where a little basin of water reflected the stars from its placid

-      bosom, &ldquo;here is the 'bloody pond'; and I am on ground that I have not only

-      often traveled, but over which I have fou't the enemy, from the rising to

-      the setting sun.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ha! that sheet of dull and dreary water, then, is the sepulcher of the

-      brave men who fell in the contest. I have heard it named, but never have I

-      stood on its banks before.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Three battles did we make with the Dutch-Frenchman* in a day,&rdquo; continued

-      Hawkeye, pursuing the train of his own thoughts, rather than replying to

-      the remark of Duncan. &ldquo;He met us hard by, in our outward march to ambush

-      his advance, and scattered us, like driven deer, through the defile, to

-      the shores of Horican. Then we rallied behind our fallen trees, and made

-      head against him, under Sir William&mdash;who was made Sir William for

-      that very deed; and well did we pay him for the disgrace of the morning!

-      Hundreds of Frenchmen saw the sun that day for the last time; and even

-      their leader, Dieskau himself, fell into our hands, so cut and torn with

-      the lead, that he has gone back to his own country, unfit for further acts

-      in war.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * Baron Dieskau, a German, in the service of France. A few

-     years previously to the period of the tale, this officer was

-     defeated by Sir William Johnson, of Johnstown, New York, on

-     the shores of Lake George.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Twas a noble repulse!&rdquo; exclaimed Heyward, in the heat of his youthful

-      ardor; &ldquo;the fame of it reached us early, in our southern army.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay! but it did not end there. I was sent by Major Effingham, at Sir

-      William's own bidding, to outflank the French, and carry the tidings of

-      their disaster across the portage, to the fort on the Hudson. Just

-      hereaway, where you see the trees rise into a mountain swell, I met a

-      party coming down to our aid, and I led them where the enemy were taking

-      their meal, little dreaming that they had not finished the bloody work of

-      the day.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And you surprised them?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If death can be a surprise to men who are thinking only of the cravings

-      of their appetites. We gave them but little breathing time, for they had

-      borne hard upon us in the fight of the morning, and there were few in our

-      party who had not lost friend or relative by their hands.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When all was over, the dead, and some say the dying, were cast into that

-      little pond. These eyes have seen its waters colored with blood, as

-      natural water never yet flowed from the bowels of the 'arth.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It was a convenient, and, I trust, will prove a peaceful grave for a

-      soldier. You have then seen much service on this frontier?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay!&rdquo; said the scout, erecting his tall person with an air of military

-      pride; &ldquo;there are not many echoes among these hills that haven't rung with

-      the crack of my rifle, nor is there the space of a square mile atwixt

-      Horican and the river, that 'killdeer' hasn't dropped a living body on, be

-      it an enemy or be it a brute beast. As for the grave there being as quiet

-      as you mention, it is another matter. There are them in the camp who say

-      and think, man, to lie still, should not be buried while the breath is in

-      the body; and certain it is that in the hurry of that evening, the doctors

-      had but little time to say who was living and who was dead. Hist! see you

-      nothing walking on the shore of the pond?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis not probable that any are as houseless as ourselves in this dreary

-      forest.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Such as he may care but little for house or shelter, and night dew can

-      never wet a body that passes its days in the water,&rdquo; returned the scout,

-      grasping the shoulder of Heyward with such convulsive strength as to make

-      the young soldier painfully sensible how much superstitious terror had got

-      the mastery of a man usually so dauntless.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;By heaven, there is a human form, and it approaches! Stand to your arms,

-      my friends; for we know not whom we encounter.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; demanded a stern, quick voice, which sounded like a challenge

-      from another world, issuing out of that solitary and solemn place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What says it?&rdquo; whispered the scout; &ldquo;it speaks neither Indian nor

-      English.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo; repeated the same voice, which was quickly followed by the

-      rattling of arms, and a menacing attitude.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;France!&rdquo; cried Heyward, advancing from the shadow of the trees to the

-      shore of the pond, within a few yards of the sentinel.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;D'ou venez-vous&mdash;ou allez-vous, d'aussi bonne heure?&rdquo; demanded the

-      grenadier, in the language and with the accent of a man from old France.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Je viens de la decouverte, et je vais me coucher.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Etes-vous officier du roi?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Sans doute, mon camarade; me prends-tu pour un provincial! Je suis

-      capitaine de chasseurs (Heyward well knew that the other was of a regiment

-      in the line); j'ai ici, avec moi, les filles du commandant de la

-      fortification. Aha! tu en as entendu parler! je les ai fait prisonnieres

-      pres de l'autre fort, et je les conduis au general.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ma foi! mesdames; j'en suis fâche pour vous,&rdquo; exclaimed the young

-      soldier, touching his cap with grace; &ldquo;mais&mdash;fortune de guerre! vous

-      trouverez notre general un brave homme, et bien poli avec les dames.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;C'est le caractere des gens de guerre,&rdquo; said Cora, with admirable

-      self-possession. &ldquo;Adieu, mon ami; je vous souhaiterais un devoir plus

-      agreable a remplir.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The soldier made a low and humble acknowledgment for her civility; and

-      Heyward adding a &ldquo;Bonne nuit, mon camarade,&rdquo; they moved deliberately

-      forward, leaving the sentinel pacing the banks of the silent pond, little

-      suspecting an enemy of so much effrontery, and humming to himself those

-      words which were recalled to his mind by the sight of women, and, perhaps,

-      by recollections of his own distant and beautiful France: &ldquo;Vive le vin,

-      vive l'amour,&rdquo; etc., etc.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis well you understood the knave!&rdquo; whispered the scout, when they had

-      gained a little distance from the place, and letting his rifle fall into

-      the hollow of his arm again; &ldquo;I soon saw that he was one of them uneasy

-      Frenchers; and well for him it was that his speech was friendly and his

-      wishes kind, or a place might have been found for his bones among those of

-      his countrymen.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He was interrupted by a long and heavy groan which arose from the little

-      basin, as though, in truth, the spirits of the departed lingered about

-      their watery sepulcher.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Surely it was of flesh,&rdquo; continued the scout; &ldquo;no spirit could handle its

-      arms so steadily.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It was of flesh; but whether the poor fellow still belongs to this world

-      may well be doubted,&rdquo; said Heyward, glancing his eyes around him, and

-      missing Chingachgook from their little band. Another groan more faint than

-      the former was succeeded by a heavy and sullen plunge into the water, and

-      all was still again as if the borders of the dreary pool had never been

-      awakened from the silence of creation. While they yet hesitated in

-      uncertainty, the form of the Indian was seen gliding out of the thicket.

-      As the chief rejoined them, with one hand he attached the reeking scalp of

-      the unfortunate young Frenchman to his girdle, and with the other he

-      replaced the knife and tomahawk that had drunk his blood. He then took his

-      wonted station, with the air of a man who believed he had done a deed of

-      merit.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout dropped one end of his rifle to the earth, and leaning his hands

-      on the other, he stood musing in profound silence. Then, shaking his head

-      in a mournful manner, he muttered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Twould have been a cruel and an unhuman act for a white-skin; but 'tis

-      the gift and natur' of an Indian, and I suppose it should not be denied. I

-      could wish, though, it had befallen an accursed Mingo, rather than that

-      gay young boy from the old countries.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Enough!&rdquo; said Heyward, apprehensive the unconscious sisters might

-      comprehend the nature of the detention, and conquering his disgust by a

-      train of reflections very much like that of the hunter; &ldquo;'tis done; and

-      though better it were left undone, cannot be amended. You see, we are, too

-      obviously within the sentinels of the enemy; what course do you propose to

-      follow?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, rousing himself again; &ldquo;'tis as you say, too late to

-      harbor further thoughts about it. Ay, the French have gathered around the

-      fort in good earnest and we have a delicate needle to thread in passing

-      them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And but little time to do it in,&rdquo; added Heyward, glancing his eyes

-      upwards, toward the bank of vapor that concealed the setting moon.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And little time to do it in!&rdquo; repeated the scout. &ldquo;The thing may be done

-      in two fashions, by the help of Providence, without which it may not be

-      done at all.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Name them quickly for time presses.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;One would be to dismount the gentle ones, and let their beasts range the

-      plain, by sending the Mohicans in front, we might then cut a lane through

-      their sentries, and enter the fort over the dead bodies.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It will not do&mdash;it will not do!&rdquo; interrupted the generous Heyward;

-      &ldquo;a soldier might force his way in this manner, but never with such a

-      convoy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Twould be, indeed, a bloody path for such tender feet to wade in,&rdquo;

-       returned the equally reluctant scout; &ldquo;but I thought it befitting my

-      manhood to name it. We must, then, turn in our trail and get without the

-      line of their lookouts, when we will bend short to the west, and enter the

-      mountains; where I can hide you, so that all the devil's hounds in

-      Montcalm's pay would be thrown off the scent for months to come.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let it be done, and that instantly.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Further words were unnecessary; for Hawkeye, merely uttering the mandate

-      to &ldquo;follow,&rdquo; moved along the route by which they had just entered their

-      present critical and even dangerous situation. Their progress, like their

-      late dialogue, was guarded, and without noise; for none knew at what

-      moment a passing patrol, or a crouching picket of the enemy, might rise

-      upon their path. As they held their silent way along the margin of the

-      pond, again Heyward and the scout stole furtive glances at its appalling

-      dreariness. They looked in vain for the form they had so recently seen

-      stalking along in silent shores, while a low and regular wash of the

-      little waves, by announcing that the waters were not yet subsided,

-      furnished a frightful memorial of the deed of blood they had just

-      witnessed. Like all that passing and gloomy scene, the low basin, however,

-      quickly melted in the darkness, and became blended with the mass of black

-      objects in the rear of the travelers.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye soon deviated from the line of their retreat, and striking off

-      towards the mountains which form the western boundary of the narrow plain,

-      he led his followers, with swift steps, deep within the shadows that were

-      cast from their high and broken summits. The route was now painful; lying

-      over ground ragged with rocks, and intersected with ravines, and their

-      progress proportionately slow. Bleak and black hills lay on every side of

-      them, compensating in some degree for the additional toil of the march by

-      the sense of security they imparted. At length the party began slowly to

-      rise a steep and rugged ascent, by a path that curiously wound among rocks

-      and trees, avoiding the one and supported by the other, in a manner that

-      showed it had been devised by men long practised in the arts of the

-      wilderness. As they gradually rose from the level of the valleys, the

-      thick darkness which usually precedes the approach of day began to

-      disperse, and objects were seen in the plain and palpable colors with

-      which they had been gifted by nature. When they issued from the stunted

-      woods which clung to the barren sides of the mountain, upon a flat and

-      mossy rock that formed its summit, they met the morning, as it came

-      blushing above the green pines of a hill that lay on the opposite side of

-      the valley of the Horican.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout now told the sisters to dismount; and taking the bridles from

-      the mouths, and the saddles off the backs of the jaded beasts, he turned

-      them loose, to glean a scanty subsistence among the shrubs and meager

-      herbage of that elevated region.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and seek your food where natur' gives it to you; and

-      beware that you become not food to ravenous wolves yourselves, among these

-      hills.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Have we no further need of them?&rdquo; demanded Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;See, and judge with your own eyes,&rdquo; said the scout, advancing toward the

-      eastern brow of the mountain, whither he beckoned for the whole party to

-      follow; &ldquo;if it was as easy to look into the heart of man as it is to spy

-      out the nakedness of Montcalm's camp from this spot, hypocrites would grow

-      scarce, and the cunning of a Mingo might prove a losing game, compared to

-      the honesty of a Delaware.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      When the travelers reached the verge of the precipices they saw, at a

-      glance, the truth of the scout's declaration, and the admirable foresight

-      with which he had led them to their commanding station.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The mountain on which they stood, elevated perhaps a thousand feet in the

-      air, was a high cone that rose a little in advance of that range which

-      stretches for miles along the western shores of the lake, until meeting

-      its sisters miles beyond the water, it ran off toward the Canadas, in

-      confused and broken masses of rock, thinly sprinkled with evergreens.

-      Immediately at the feet of the party, the southern shore of the Horican

-      swept in a broad semicircle from mountain to mountain, marking a wide

-      strand, that soon rose into an uneven and somewhat elevated plain. To the

-      north stretched the limpid, and, as it appeared from that dizzy height,

-      the narrow sheet of the &ldquo;holy lake,&rdquo; indented with numberless bays,

-      embellished by fantastic headlands, and dotted with countless islands. At

-      the distance of a few leagues, the bed of the water became lost among

-      mountains, or was wrapped in the masses of vapor that came slowly rolling

-      along their bosom, before a light morning air. But a narrow opening

-      between the crests of the hills pointed out the passage by which they

-      found their way still further north, to spread their pure and ample sheets

-      again, before pouring out their tribute into the distant Champlain. To the

-      south stretched the defile, or rather broken plain, so often mentioned.

-      For several miles in this direction, the mountains appeared reluctant to

-      yield their dominion, but within reach of the eye they diverged, and

-      finally melted into the level and sandy lands, across which we have

-      accompanied our adventurers in their double journey. Along both ranges of

-      hills, which bounded the opposite sides of the lake and valley, clouds of

-      light vapor were rising in spiral wreaths from the uninhabited woods,

-      looking like the smoke of hidden cottages; or rolled lazily down the

-      declivities, to mingle with the fogs of the lower land. A single,

-      solitary, snow-white cloud floated above the valley, and marked the spot

-      beneath which lay the silent pool of the &ldquo;bloody pond.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Directly on the shore of the lake, and nearer to its western than to its

-      eastern margin, lay the extensive earthen ramparts and low buildings of

-      William Henry. Two of the sweeping bastions appeared to rest on the water

-      which washed their bases, while a deep ditch and extensive morasses

-      guarded its other sides and angles. The land had been cleared of wood for

-      a reasonable distance around the work, but every other part of the scene

-      lay in the green livery of nature, except where the limpid water mellowed

-      the view, or the bold rocks thrust their black and naked heads above the

-      undulating outline of the mountain ranges. In its front might be seen the

-      scattered sentinels, who held a weary watch against their numerous foes;

-      and within the walls themselves, the travelers looked down upon men still

-      drowsy with a night of vigilance. Toward the southeast, but in immediate

-      contact with the fort, was an entrenched camp, posted on a rocky eminence,

-      that would have been far more eligible for the work itself, in which

-      Hawkeye pointed out the presence of those auxiliary regiments that had so

-      recently left the Hudson in their company. From the woods, a little

-      further to the south, rose numerous dark and lurid smokes, that were

-      easily to be distinguished from the purer exhalations of the springs, and

-      which the scout also showed to Heyward, as evidences that the enemy lay in

-      force in that direction.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But the spectacle which most concerned the young soldier was on the

-      western bank of the lake, though quite near to its southern termination.

-      On a strip of land, which appeared from his stand too narrow to contain

-      such an army, but which, in truth, extended many hundreds of yards from

-      the shores of the Horican to the base of the mountain, were to be seen the

-      white tents and military engines of an encampment of ten thousand men.

-      Batteries were already thrown up in their front, and even while the

-      spectators above them were looking down, with such different emotions, on

-      a scene which lay like a map beneath their feet, the roar of artillery

-      rose from the valley, and passed off in thundering echoes along the

-      eastern hills.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Morning is just touching them below,&rdquo; said the deliberate and musing

-      scout, &ldquo;and the watchers have a mind to wake up the sleepers by the sound

-      of cannon. We are a few hours too late! Montcalm has already filled the

-      woods with his accursed Iroquois.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The place is, indeed, invested,&rdquo; returned Duncan; &ldquo;but is there no

-      expedient by which we may enter? capture in the works would be far

-      preferable to falling again into the hands of roving Indians.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;See!&rdquo; exclaimed the scout, unconsciously directing the attention of Cora

-      to the quarters of her own father, &ldquo;how that shot has made the stones fly

-      from the side of the commandant's house! Ay! these Frenchers will pull it

-      to pieces faster than it was put together, solid and thick though it be!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Heyward, I sicken at the sight of danger that I cannot share,&rdquo; said the

-      undaunted but anxious daughter. &ldquo;Let us go to Montcalm, and demand

-      admission: he dare not deny a child the boon.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You would scarce find the tent of the Frenchman with the hair on your

-      head&rdquo;; said the blunt scout. &ldquo;If I had but one of the thousand boats which

-      lie empty along that shore, it might be done! Ha! here will soon be an end

-      of the firing, for yonder comes a fog that will turn day to night, and

-      make an Indian arrow more dangerous than a molded cannon. Now, if you are

-      equal to the work, and will follow, I will make a push; for I long to get

-      down into that camp, if it be only to scatter some Mingo dogs that I see

-      lurking in the skirts of yonder thicket of birch.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are equal,&rdquo; said Cora, firmly; &ldquo;on such an errand we will follow to

-      any danger.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout turned to her with a smile of honest and cordial approbation, as

-      he answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I would I had a thousand men, of brawny limbs and quick eyes, that feared

-      death as little as you! I'd send them jabbering Frenchers back into their

-      den again, afore the week was ended, howling like so many fettered hounds

-      or hungry wolves. But, sir,&rdquo; he added, turning from her to the rest of the

-      party, &ldquo;the fog comes rolling down so fast, we shall have but just the

-      time to meet it on the plain, and use it as a cover. Remember, if any

-      accident should befall me, to keep the air blowing on your left cheeks&mdash;or,

-      rather, follow the Mohicans; they'd scent their way, be it in day or be it

-      at night.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He then waved his hand for them to follow, and threw himself down the

-      steep declivity, with free, but careful footsteps. Heyward assisted the

-      sisters to descend, and in a few minutes they were all far down a mountain

-      whose sides they had climbed with so much toil and pain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The direction taken by Hawkeye soon brought the travelers to the level of

-      the plain, nearly opposite to a sally-port in the western curtain of the

-      fort, which lay itself at the distance of about half a mile from the point

-      where he halted to allow Duncan to come up with his charge. In their

-      eagerness, and favored by the nature of the ground, they had anticipated

-      the fog, which was rolling heavily down the lake, and it became necessary

-      to pause, until the mists had wrapped the camp of the enemy in their

-      fleecy mantle. The Mohicans profited by the delay, to steal out of the

-      woods, and to make a survey of surrounding objects. They were followed at

-      a little distance by the scout, with a view to profit early by their

-      report, and to obtain some faint knowledge for himself of the more

-      immediate localities.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In a very few moments he returned, his face reddened with vexation, while

-      he muttered his disappointment in words of no very gentle import.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here has the cunning Frenchman been posting a picket directly in our

-      path,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;red-skins and whites; and we shall be as likely to fall

-      into their midst as to pass them in the fog!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Cannot we make a circuit to avoid the danger,&rdquo; asked Heyward, &ldquo;and come

-      into our path again when it is passed?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Who that once bends from the line of his march in a fog can tell when or

-      how to find it again! The mists of Horican are not like the curls from a

-      peace-pipe, or the smoke which settles above a mosquito fire.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He was yet speaking, when a crashing sound was heard, and a cannon-ball

-      entered the thicket, striking the body of a sapling, and rebounding to the

-      earth, its force being much expended by previous resistance. The Indians

-      followed instantly like busy attendants on the terrible messenger, and

-      Uncas commenced speaking earnestly and with much action, in the Delaware

-      tongue.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It may be so, lad,&rdquo; muttered the scout, when he had ended; &ldquo;for desperate

-      fevers are not to be treated like a toothache. Come, then, the fog is

-      shutting in.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Stop!&rdquo; cried Heyward; &ldquo;first explain your expectations.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis soon done, and a small hope it is; but it is better than nothing.

-      This shot that you see,&rdquo; added the scout, kicking the harmless iron with

-      his foot, &ldquo;has plowed the 'arth in its road from the fort, and we shall

-      hunt for the furrow it has made, when all other signs may fail. No more

-      words, but follow, or the fog may leave us in the middle of our path, a

-      mark for both armies to shoot at.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward perceiving that, in fact, a crisis had arrived, when acts were

-      more required than words, placed himself between the sisters, and drew

-      them swiftly forward, keeping the dim figure of their leader in his eye.

-      It was soon apparent that Hawkeye had not magnified the power of the fog,

-      for before they had proceeded twenty yards, it was difficult for the

-      different individuals of the party to distinguish each other in the vapor.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      They had made their little circuit to the left, and were already inclining

-      again toward the right, having, as Heyward thought, got over nearly half

-      the distance to the friendly works, when his ears were saluted with the

-      fierce summons, apparently within twenty feet of them, of:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Qui va la?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Push on!&rdquo; whispered the scout, once more bending to the left.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Push on!&rdquo; repeated Heyward; when the summons was renewed by a dozen

-      voices, each of which seemed charged with menace.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;C'est moi,&rdquo; cried Duncan, dragging rather than leading those he supported

-      swiftly onward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Bete!&mdash;qui?&mdash;moi!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ami de la France.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Tu m'as plus l'air d'un ennemi de la France; arrete ou pardieu je te

-      ferai ami du diable. Non! feu, camarades, feu!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The order was instantly obeyed, and the fog was stirred by the explosion

-      of fifty muskets. Happily, the aim was bad, and the bullets cut the air in

-      a direction a little different from that taken by the fugitives; though

-      still so nigh them, that to the unpractised ears of David and the two

-      females, it appeared as if they whistled within a few inches of the

-      organs. The outcry was renewed, and the order, not only to fire again, but

-      to pursue, was too plainly audible. When Heyward briefly explained the

-      meaning of the words they heard, Hawkeye halted and spoke with quick

-      decision and great firmness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let us deliver our fire,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;they will believe it a sortie, and

-      give way, or they will wait for reinforcements.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scheme was well conceived, but failed in its effects. The instant the

-      French heard the pieces, it seemed as if the plain was alive with men,

-      muskets rattling along its whole extent, from the shores of the lake to

-      the furthest boundary of the woods.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We shall draw their entire army upon us, and bring on a general assault,&rdquo;

-       said Duncan: &ldquo;lead on, my friend, for your own life and ours.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout seemed willing to comply; but, in the hurry of the moment, and

-      in the change of position, he had lost the direction. In vain he turned

-      either cheek toward the light air; they felt equally cool. In this

-      dilemma, Uncas lighted on the furrow of the cannon ball, where it had cut

-      the ground in three adjacent ant-hills.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Give me the range!&rdquo; said Hawkeye, bending to catch a glimpse of the

-      direction, and then instantly moving onward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Cries, oaths, voices calling to each other, and the reports of muskets,

-      were now quick and incessant, and, apparently, on every side of them.

-      Suddenly a strong glare of light flashed across the scene, the fog rolled

-      upward in thick wreaths, and several cannons belched across the plain, and

-      the roar was thrown heavily back from the bellowing echoes of the

-      mountain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis from the fort!&rdquo; exclaimed Hawkeye, turning short on his tracks; &ldquo;and

-      we, like stricken fools, were rushing to the woods, under the very knives

-      of the Maquas.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The instant their mistake was rectified, the whole party retraced the

-      error with the utmost diligence. Duncan willingly relinquished the support

-      of Cora to the arm of Uncas and Cora as readily accepted the welcome

-      assistance. Men, hot and angry in pursuit, were evidently on their

-      footsteps, and each instant threatened their capture, if not their

-      destruction.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Point de quartier aux coquins!&rdquo; cried an eager pursuer, who seemed to

-      direct the operations of the enemy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Stand firm, and be ready, my gallant Sixtieths!&rdquo; suddenly exclaimed a

-      voice above them; &ldquo;wait to see the enemy, fire low and sweep the glacis.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Father! father!&rdquo; exclaimed a piercing cry from out the mist: &ldquo;it is I!

-      Alice! thy own Elsie! Spare, oh! save your daughters!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold!&rdquo; shouted the former speaker, in the awful tones of parental agony,

-      the sound reaching even to the woods, and rolling back in solemn echo.

-      &ldquo;'Tis she! God has restored me to my children! Throw open the sally-port;

-      to the field, Sixtieths, to the field; pull not a trigger, lest ye kill my

-      lambs! Drive off these dogs of France with your steel.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan heard the grating of the rusty hinges, and darting to the spot,

-      directed by the sound, he met a long line of dark red warriors, passing

-      swiftly toward the glacis. He knew them for his own battalion of the Royal

-      Americans, and flying to their head, soon swept every trace of his

-      pursuers from before the works.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      For an instant, Cora and Alice had stood trembling and bewildered by this

-      unexpected desertion; but before either had leisure for speech, or even

-      thought, an officer of gigantic frame, whose locks were bleached with

-      years and service, but whose air of military grandeur had been rather

-      softened than destroyed by time, rushed out of the body of mist, and

-      folded them to his bosom, while large scalding tears rolled down his pale

-      and wrinkled cheeks, and he exclaimed, in the peculiar accent of Scotland:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;For this I thank thee, Lord! Let danger come as it will, thy servant is

-      now prepared!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 15

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Then go we in, to know his embassy;

-     Which I could, with ready guess, declare,

-     Before the Frenchmen speak a word of it.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;King Henry V

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      A few succeeding days were passed amid the privations, the uproar, and the

-      dangers of the siege, which was vigorously pressed by a power, against

-      whose approaches Munro possessed no competent means of resistance. It

-      appeared as if Webb, with his army, which lay slumbering on the banks of

-      the Hudson, had utterly forgotten the strait to which his countrymen were

-      reduced. Montcalm had filled the woods of the portage with his savages,

-      every yell and whoop from whom rang through the British encampment,

-      chilling the hearts of men who were already but too much disposed to

-      magnify the danger.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Not so, however, with the besieged. Animated by the words, and stimulated

-      by the examples of their leaders, they had found their courage, and

-      maintained their ancient reputation, with a zeal that did justice to the

-      stern character of their commander. As if satisfied with the toil of

-      marching through the wilderness to encounter his enemy, the French

-      general, though of approved skill, had neglected to seize the adjacent

-      mountains; whence the besieged might have been exterminated with impunity,

-      and which, in the more modern warfare of the country, would not have been

-      neglected for a single hour. This sort of contempt for eminences, or

-      rather dread of the labor of ascending them, might have been termed the

-      besetting weakness of the warfare of the period. It originated in the

-      simplicity of the Indian contests, in which, from the nature of the

-      combats, and the density of the forests, fortresses were rare, and

-      artillery next to useless. The carelessness engendered by these usages

-      descended even to the war of the Revolution and lost the States the

-      important fortress of Ticonderoga opening a way for the army of Burgoyne

-      into what was then the bosom of the country. We look back at this

-      ignorance, or infatuation, whichever it may be called, with wonder,

-      knowing that the neglect of an eminence, whose difficulties, like those of

-      Mount Defiance, have been so greatly exaggerated, would, at the present

-      time, prove fatal to the reputation of the engineer who had planned the

-      works at their base, or to that of the general whose lot it was to defend

-      them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The tourist, the valetudinarian, or the amateur of the beauties of nature,

-      who, in the train of his four-in-hand, now rolls through the scenes we

-      have attempted to describe, in quest of information, health, or pleasure,

-      or floats steadily toward his object on those artificial waters which have

-      sprung up under the administration of a statesman* who has dared to stake

-      his political character on the hazardous issue, is not to suppose that his

-      ancestors traversed those hills, or struggled with the same currents with

-      equal facility. The transportation of a single heavy gun was often

-      considered equal to a victory gained; if happily, the difficulties of the

-      passage had not so far separated it from its necessary concomitant, the

-      ammunition, as to render it no more than a useless tube of unwieldy iron.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * Evidently the late De Witt Clinton, who died governor of

-     New York in 1828.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The evils of this state of things pressed heavily on the fortunes of the

-      resolute Scotsman who now defended William Henry. Though his adversary

-      neglected the hills, he had planted his batteries with judgment on the

-      plain, and caused them to be served with vigor and skill. Against this

-      assault, the besieged could only oppose the imperfect and hasty

-      preparations of a fortress in the wilderness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was in the afternoon of the fifth day of the siege, and the fourth of

-      his own service in it, that Major Heyward profited by a parley that had

-      just been beaten, by repairing to the ramparts of one of the water

-      bastions, to breathe the cool air from the lake, and to take a survey of

-      the progress of the siege. He was alone, if the solitary sentinel who

-      paced the mound be excepted; for the artillerists had hastened also to

-      profit by the temporary suspension of their arduous duties. The evening

-      was delightfully calm, and the light air from the limpid water fresh and

-      soothing. It seemed as if, with the termination of the roar of artillery

-      and the plunging of shot, nature had also seized the moment to assume her

-      mildest and most captivating form. The sun poured down his parting glory

-      on the scene, without the oppression of those fierce rays that belong to

-      the climate and the season. The mountains looked green, and fresh, and

-      lovely, tempered with the milder light, or softened in shadow, as thin

-      vapors floated between them and the sun. The numerous islands rested on

-      the bosom of the Horican, some low and sunken, as if embedded in the

-      waters, and others appearing to hover about the element, in little

-      hillocks of green velvet; among which the fishermen of the beleaguering

-      army peacefully rowed their skiffs, or floated at rest on the glassy

-      mirror in quiet pursuit of their employment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The scene was at once animated and still. All that pertained to nature was

-      sweet, or simply grand; while those parts which depended on the temper and

-      movements of man were lively and playful.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Two little spotless flags were abroad, the one on a salient angle of the

-      fort, and the other on the advanced battery of the besiegers; emblems of

-      the truth which existed, not only to the acts, but it would seem, also, to

-      the enmity of the combatants.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Behind these again swung, heavily opening and closing in silken folds, the

-      rival standards of England and France.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A hundred gay and thoughtless young Frenchmen were drawing a net to the

-      pebbly beach, within dangerous proximity to the sullen but silent cannon

-      of the fort, while the eastern mountain was sending back the loud shouts

-      and gay merriment that attended their sport. Some were rushing eagerly to

-      enjoy the aquatic games of the lake, and others were already toiling their

-      way up the neighboring hills, with the restless curiosity of their nation.

-      To all these sports and pursuits, those of the enemy who watched the

-      besieged, and the besieged themselves, were, however, merely the idle

-      though sympathizing spectators. Here and there a picket had, indeed,

-      raised a song, or mingled in a dance, which had drawn the dusky savages

-      around them, from their lairs in the forest. In short, everything wore

-      rather the appearance of a day of pleasure, than of an hour stolen from

-      the dangers and toil of a bloody and vindictive warfare.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan had stood in a musing attitude, contemplating this scene a few

-      minutes, when his eyes were directed to the glacis in front of the

-      sally-port already mentioned, by the sounds of approaching footsteps. He

-      walked to an angle of the bastion, and beheld the scout advancing, under

-      the custody of a French officer, to the body of the fort. The countenance

-      of Hawkeye was haggard and careworn, and his air dejected, as though he

-      felt the deepest degradation at having fallen into the power of his

-      enemies. He was without his favorite weapon, and his arms were even bound

-      behind him with thongs, made of the skin of a deer. The arrival of flags

-      to cover the messengers of summons, had occurred so often of late, that

-      when Heyward first threw his careless glance on this group, he expected to

-      see another of the officers of the enemy, charged with a similar office

-      but the instant he recognized the tall person and still sturdy though

-      downcast features of his friend, the woodsman, he started with surprise,

-      and turned to descend from the bastion into the bosom of the work.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The sounds of other voices, however, caught his attention, and for a

-      moment caused him to forget his purpose. At the inner angle of the mound

-      he met the sisters, walking along the parapet, in search, like himself, of

-      air and relief from confinement. They had not met from that painful moment

-      when he deserted them on the plain, only to assure their safety. He had

-      parted from them worn with care, and jaded with fatigue; he now saw them

-      refreshed and blooming, though timid and anxious. Under such an inducement

-      it will cause no surprise that the young man lost sight for a time, of

-      other objects in order to address them. He was, however, anticipated by

-      the voice of the ingenuous and youthful Alice.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ah! thou tyrant! thou recreant knight! he who abandons his damsels in the

-      very lists,&rdquo; she cried; &ldquo;here have we been days, nay, ages, expecting you

-      at our feet, imploring mercy and forgetfulness of your craven backsliding,

-      or I should rather say, backrunning&mdash;for verily you fled in the

-      manner that no stricken deer, as our worthy friend the scout would say,

-      could equal!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You know that Alice means our thanks and our blessings,&rdquo; added the graver

-      and more thoughtful Cora. &ldquo;In truth, we have a little wonder why you

-      should so rigidly absent yourself from a place where the gratitude of the

-      daughters might receive the support of a parent's thanks.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Your father himself could tell you, that, though absent from your

-      presence, I have not been altogether forgetful of your safety,&rdquo; returned

-      the young man; &ldquo;the mastery of yonder village of huts,&rdquo; pointing to the

-      neighboring entrenched camp, &ldquo;has been keenly disputed; and he who holds

-      it is sure to be possessed of this fort, and that which it contains. My

-      days and nights have all been passed there since we separated, because I

-      thought that duty called me thither. But,&rdquo; he added, with an air of

-      chagrin, which he endeavored, though unsuccessfully, to conceal, &ldquo;had I

-      been aware that what I then believed a soldier's conduct could be so

-      construed, shame would have been added to the list of reasons.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Heyward! Duncan!&rdquo; exclaimed Alice, bending forward to read his

-      half-averted countenance, until a lock of her golden hair rested on her

-      flushed cheek, and nearly concealed the tear that had started to her eye;

-      &ldquo;did I think this idle tongue of mine had pained you, I would silence it

-      forever. Cora can say, if Cora would, how justly we have prized your

-      services, and how deep&mdash;I had almost said, how fervent&mdash;is our

-      gratitude.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And will Cora attest the truth of this?&rdquo; cried Duncan, suffering the

-      cloud to be chased from his countenance by a smile of open pleasure. &ldquo;What

-      says our graver sister? Will she find an excuse for the neglect of the

-      knight in the duty of a soldier?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora made no immediate answer, but turned her face toward the water, as if

-      looking on the sheet of the Horican. When she did bend her dark eyes on

-      the young man, they were yet filled with an expression of anguish that at

-      once drove every thought but that of kind solicitude from his mind.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You are not well, dearest Miss Munro!&rdquo; he exclaimed; &ldquo;we have trifled

-      while you are in suffering!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis nothing,&rdquo; she answered, refusing his support with feminine reserve.

-      &ldquo;That I cannot see the sunny side of the picture of life, like this

-      artless but ardent enthusiast,&rdquo; she added, laying her hand lightly, but

-      affectionately, on the arm of her sister, &ldquo;is the penalty of experience,

-      and, perhaps, the misfortune of my nature. See,&rdquo; she continued, as if

-      determined to shake off infirmity, in a sense of duty; &ldquo;look around you,

-      Major Heyward, and tell me what a prospect is this for the daughter of a

-      soldier whose greatest happiness is his honor and his military renown.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Neither ought nor shall be tarnished by circumstances over which he has

-      had no control,&rdquo; Duncan warmly replied. &ldquo;But your words recall me to my

-      own duty. I go now to your gallant father, to hear his determination in

-      matters of the last moment to the defense. God bless you in every fortune,

-      noble&mdash;Cora&mdash;I may and must call you.&rdquo; She frankly gave him her

-      hand, though her lip quivered, and her cheeks gradually became of ashly

-      paleness. &ldquo;In every fortune, I know you will be an ornament and honor to

-      your sex. Alice, adieu&rdquo;&mdash;his voice changed from admiration to

-      tenderness&mdash;&ldquo;adieu, Alice; we shall soon meet again; as conquerors, I

-      trust, and amid rejoicings!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Without waiting for an answer from either, the young man threw himself

-      down the grassy steps of the bastion, and moving rapidly across the

-      parade, he was quickly in the presence of their father. Munro was pacing

-      his narrow apartment with a disturbed air and gigantic strides as Duncan

-      entered.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have anticipated my wishes, Major Heyward,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;I was about to

-      request this favor.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am sorry to see, sir, that the messenger I so warmly recommended has

-      returned in custody of the French! I hope there is no reason to distrust

-      his fidelity?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The fidelity of 'The Long Rifle' is well known to me,&rdquo; returned Munro,

-      &ldquo;and is above suspicion; though his usual good fortune seems, at last, to

-      have failed. Montcalm has got him, and with the accursed politeness of his

-      nation, he has sent him in with a doleful tale, of 'knowing how I valued

-      the fellow, he could not think of retaining him.' A Jesuitical way that,

-      Major Duncan Heyward, of telling a man of his misfortunes!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But the general and his succor?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Did ye look to the south as ye entered, and could ye not see them?&rdquo; said

-      the old soldier, laughing bitterly.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hoot! hoot! you're an impatient boy, sir, and cannot give the gentlemen

-      leisure for their march!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They are coming, then? The scout has said as much?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When? and by what path? for the dunce has omitted to tell me this. There

-      is a letter, it would seem, too; and that is the only agreeable part of

-      the matter. For the customary attentions of your Marquis of Montcalm&mdash;I

-      warrant me, Duncan, that he of Lothian would buy a dozen such marquisates&mdash;but

-      if the news of the letter were bad, the gentility of this French monsieur

-      would certainly compel him to let us know it.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He keeps the letter, then, while he releases the messenger?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, that does he, and all for the sake of what you call your 'bonhommie'

-      I would venture, if the truth was known, the fellow's grandfather taught

-      the noble science of dancing.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But what says the scout? he has eyes and ears, and a tongue. What verbal

-      report does he make?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Oh! sir, he is not wanting in natural organs, and he is free to tell all

-      that he has seen and heard. The whole amount is this; there is a fort of

-      his majesty's on the banks of the Hudson, called Edward, in honor of his

-      gracious highness of York, you'll know; and it is well filled with armed

-      men, as such a work should be.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But was there no movement, no signs of any intention to advance to our

-      relief?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There were the morning and evening parades; and when one of the

-      provincial loons&mdash;you'll know, Duncan, you're half a Scotsman

-      yourself&mdash;when one of them dropped his powder over his porretch, if

-      it touched the coals, it just burned!&rdquo; Then, suddenly changing his bitter,

-      ironical manner, to one more grave and thoughtful, he continued: &ldquo;and yet

-      there might, and must be, something in that letter which it would be well

-      to know!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our decision should be speedy,&rdquo; said Duncan, gladly availing himself of

-      this change of humor, to press the more important objects of their

-      interview; &ldquo;I cannot conceal from you, sir, that the camp will not be much

-      longer tenable; and I am sorry to add, that things appear no better in the

-      fort; more than half the guns are bursted.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And how should it be otherwise? Some were fished from the bottom of the

-      lake; some have been rusting in woods since the discovery of the country;

-      and some were never guns at all&mdash;mere privateersmen's playthings! Do

-      you think, sir, you can have Woolwich Warren in the midst of a wilderness,

-      three thousand miles from Great Britain?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The walls are crumbling about our ears, and provisions begin to fail us,&rdquo;

-       continued Heyward, without regarding the new burst of indignation; &ldquo;even

-      the men show signs of discontent and alarm.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Major Heyward,&rdquo; said Munro, turning to his youthful associate with the

-      dignity of his years and superior rank; &ldquo;I should have served his majesty

-      for half a century, and earned these gray hairs in vain, were I ignorant

-      of all you say, and of the pressing nature of our circumstances; still,

-      there is everything due to the honor of the king's arms, and something to

-      ourselves. While there is hope of succor, this fortress will I defend,

-      though it be to be done with pebbles gathered on the lake shore. It is a

-      sight of the letter, therefore, that we want, that we may know the

-      intentions of the man the earl of Loudon has left among us as his

-      substitute.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And can I be of service in the matter?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Sir, you can; the marquis of Montcalm has, in addition to his other

-      civilities, invited me to a personal interview between the works and his

-      own camp; in order, as he says, to impart some additional information.

-      Now, I think it would not be wise to show any undue solicitude to meet

-      him, and I would employ you, an officer of rank, as my substitute; for it

-      would but ill comport with the honor of Scotland to let it be said one of

-      her gentlemen was outdone in civility by a native of any other country on

-      earth.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Without assuming the supererogatory task of entering into a discussion of

-      the comparative merits of national courtesy, Duncan cheerfully assented to

-      supply the place of the veteran in the approaching interview. A long and

-      confidential communication now succeeded, during which the young man

-      received some additional insight into his duty, from the experience and

-      native acuteness of his commander, and then the former took his leave.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As Duncan could only act as the representative of the commandant of the

-      fort, the ceremonies which should have accompanied a meeting between the

-      heads of the adverse forces were, of course, dispensed with. The truce

-      still existed, and with a roll and beat of the drum, and covered by a

-      little white flag, Duncan left the sally-port, within ten minutes after

-      his instructions were ended. He was received by the French officer in

-      advance with the usual formalities, and immediately accompanied to a

-      distant marquee of the renowned soldier who led the forces of France.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The general of the enemy received the youthful messenger, surrounded by

-      his principal officers, and by a swarthy band of the native chiefs, who

-      had followed him to the field, with the warriors of their several tribes.

-      Heyward paused short, when, in glancing his eyes rapidly over the dark

-      group of the latter, he beheld the malignant countenance of Magua,

-      regarding him with the calm but sullen attention which marked the

-      expression of that subtle savage. A slight exclamation of surprise even

-      burst from the lips of the young man, but instantly, recollecting his

-      errand, and the presence in which he stood, he suppressed every appearance

-      of emotion, and turned to the hostile leader, who had already advanced a

-      step to receive him.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The marquis of Montcalm was, at the period of which we write, in the

-      flower of his age, and, it may be added, in the zenith of his fortunes.

-      But even in that enviable situation, he was affable, and distinguished as

-      much for his attention to the forms of courtesy, as for that chivalrous

-      courage which, only two short years afterward, induced him to throw away

-      his life on the plains of Abraham. Duncan, in turning his eyes from the

-      malign expression of Magua, suffered them to rest with pleasure on the

-      smiling and polished features, and the noble military air, of the French

-      general.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Monsieur,&rdquo; said the latter, &ldquo;j'ai beaucoup de plaisir a&mdash;bah!&mdash;ou

-      est cet interprete?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Je crois, monsieur, qu'il ne sear pas necessaire,&rdquo; Heyward modestly

-      replied; &ldquo;je parle un peu francais.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ah! j'en suis bien aise,&rdquo; said Montcalm, taking Duncan familiarly by the

-      arm, and leading him deep into the marquee, a little out of earshot; &ldquo;je

-      deteste ces fripons-la; on ne sait jamais sur quel pie on est avec eux.

-      Eh, bien! monsieur,&rdquo; he continued still speaking in French; &ldquo;though I

-      should have been proud of receiving your commandant, I am very happy that

-      he has seen proper to employ an officer so distinguished, and who, I am

-      sure, is so amiable, as yourself.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan bowed low, pleased with the compliment, in spite of a most heroic

-      determination to suffer no artifice to allure him into forgetfulness of

-      the interest of his prince; and Montcalm, after a pause of a moment, as if

-      to collect his thoughts, proceeded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Your commandant is a brave man, and well qualified to repel my assault.

-      Mais, monsieur, is it not time to begin to take more counsel of humanity,

-      and less of your courage? The one as strongly characterizes the hero as

-      the other.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We consider the qualities as inseparable,&rdquo; returned Duncan, smiling; &ldquo;but

-      while we find in the vigor of your excellency every motive to stimulate

-      the one, we can, as yet, see no particular call for the exercise of the

-      other.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Montcalm, in his turn, slightly bowed, but it was with the air of a man

-      too practised to remember the language of flattery. After musing a moment,

-      he added:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is possible my glasses have deceived me, and that your works resist

-      our cannon better than I had supposed. You know our force?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our accounts vary,&rdquo; said Duncan, carelessly; &ldquo;the highest, however, has

-      not exceeded twenty thousand men.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Frenchman bit his lip, and fastened his eyes keenly on the other as if

-      to read his thoughts; then, with a readiness peculiar to himself, he

-      continued, as if assenting to the truth of an enumeration which quite

-      doubled his army:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is a poor compliment to the vigilance of us soldiers, monsieur, that,

-      do what we will, we never can conceal our numbers. If it were to be done

-      at all, one would believe it might succeed in these woods. Though you

-      think it too soon to listen to the calls of humanity,&rdquo; he added, smiling

-      archly, &ldquo;I may be permitted to believe that gallantry is not forgotten by

-      one so young as yourself. The daughters of the commandant, I learn, have

-      passed into the fort since it was invested?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is true, monsieur; but, so far from weakening our efforts, they set us

-      an example of courage in their own fortitude. Were nothing but resolution

-      necessary to repel so accomplished a soldier as M. de Montcalm, I would

-      gladly trust the defense of William Henry to the elder of those ladies.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We have a wise ordinance in our Salique laws, which says, 'The crown of

-      France shall never degrade the lance to the distaff',&rdquo; said Montcalm,

-      dryly, and with a little hauteur; but instantly adding, with his former

-      frank and easy air: &ldquo;as all the nobler qualities are hereditary, I can

-      easily credit you; though, as I said before, courage has its limits, and

-      humanity must not be forgotten. I trust, monsieur, you come authorized to

-      treat for the surrender of the place?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Has your excellency found our defense so feeble as to believe the measure

-      necessary?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I should be sorry to have the defense protracted in such a manner as to

-      irritate my red friends there,&rdquo; continued Montcalm, glancing his eyes at

-      the group of grave and attentive Indians, without attending to the other's

-      questions; &ldquo;I find it difficult, even now, to limit them to the usages of

-      war.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward was silent; for a painful recollection of the dangers he had so

-      recently escaped came over his mind, and recalled the images of those

-      defenseless beings who had shared in all his sufferings.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ces messieurs-la,&rdquo; said Montcalm, following up the advantage which he

-      conceived he had gained, &ldquo;are most formidable when baffled; and it is

-      unnecessary to tell you with what difficulty they are restrained in their

-      anger. Eh bien, monsieur! shall we speak of the terms?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I fear your excellency has been deceived as to the strength of William

-      Henry, and the resources of its garrison!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have not sat down before Quebec, but an earthen work, that is defended

-      by twenty-three hundred gallant men,&rdquo; was the laconic reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our mounds are earthen, certainly&mdash;nor are they seated on the rocks

-      of Cape Diamond; but they stand on that shore which proved so destructive

-      to Dieskau and his army. There is also a powerful force within a few

-      hours' march of us, which we account upon as a part of our means.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Some six or eight thousand men,&rdquo; returned Montcalm, with much apparent

-      indifference, &ldquo;whom their leader wisely judges to be safer in their works

-      than in the field.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      It was now Heyward's turn to bite his lip with vexation as the other so

-      coolly alluded to a force which the young man knew to be overrated. Both

-      mused a little while in silence, when Montcalm renewed the conversation,

-      in a way that showed he believed the visit of his guest was solely to

-      propose terms of capitulation. On the other hand, Heyward began to throw

-      sundry inducements in the way of the French general, to betray the

-      discoveries he had made through the intercepted letter. The artifice of

-      neither, however, succeeded; and after a protracted and fruitless

-      interview, Duncan took his leave, favorably impressed with an opinion of

-      the courtesy and talents of the enemy's captain, but as ignorant of what

-      he came to learn as when he arrived. Montcalm followed him as far as the

-      entrance of the marquee, renewing his invitations to the commandant of the

-      fort to give him an immediate meeting in the open ground between the two

-      armies.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      There they separated, and Duncan returned to the advanced post of the

-      French, accompanied as before; whence he instantly proceeded to the fort,

-      and to the quarters of his own commander.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 16

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;EDG.&mdash;Before you fight the battle ope this letter.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Lear

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Major Heyward found Munro attended only by his daughters. Alice sat upon

-      his knee, parting the gray hairs on the forehead of the old man with her

-      delicate fingers; and whenever he affected to frown on her trifling,

-      appeasing his assumed anger by pressing her ruby lips fondly on his

-      wrinkled brow. Cora was seated nigh them, a calm and amused looker-on;

-      regarding the wayward movements of her more youthful sister with that

-      species of maternal fondness which characterized her love for Alice. Not

-      only the dangers through which they had passed, but those which still

-      impended above them, appeared to be momentarily forgotten, in the soothing

-      indulgence of such a family meeting. It seemed as if they had profited by

-      the short truce, to devote an instant to the purest and best affection;

-      the daughters forgetting their fears, and the veteran his cares, in the

-      security of the moment. Of this scene, Duncan, who, in his eagerness to

-      report his arrival, had entered unannounced, stood many moments an

-      unobserved and a delighted spectator. But the quick and dancing eyes of

-      Alice soon caught a glimpse of his figure reflected from a glass, and she

-      sprang blushing from her father's knee, exclaiming aloud:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Major Heyward!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What of the lad?&rdquo; demanded her father; &ldquo;I have sent him to crack a little

-      with the Frenchman. Ha, sir, you are young, and you're nimble! Away with

-      you, ye baggage; as if there were not troubles enough for a soldier,

-      without having his camp filled with such prattling hussies as yourself!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Alice laughingly followed her sister, who instantly led the way from an

-      apartment where she perceived their presence was no longer desirable.

-      Munro, instead of demanding the result of the young man's mission, paced

-      the room for a few moments, with his hands behind his back, and his head

-      inclined toward the floor, like a man lost in thought. At length he raised

-      his eyes, glistening with a father's fondness, and exclaimed:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They are a pair of excellent girls, Heyward, and such as any one may

-      boast of.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You are not now to learn my opinion of your daughters, Colonel Munro.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;True, lad, true,&rdquo; interrupted the impatient old man; &ldquo;you were about

-      opening your mind more fully on that matter the day you got in, but I did

-      not think it becoming in an old soldier to be talking of nuptial blessings

-      and wedding jokes when the enemies of his king were likely to be unbidden

-      guests at the feast. But I was wrong, Duncan, boy, I was wrong there; and

-      I am now ready to hear what you have to say.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Notwithstanding the pleasure your assurance gives me, dear sir, I have

-      just now, a message from Montcalm&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let the Frenchman and all his host go to the devil, sir!&rdquo; exclaimed the

-      hasty veteran. &ldquo;He is not yet master of William Henry, nor shall he ever

-      be, provided Webb proves himself the man he should. No, sir, thank Heaven

-      we are not yet in such a strait that it can be said Munro is too much

-      pressed to discharge the little domestic duties of his own family. Your

-      mother was the only child of my bosom friend, Duncan; and I'll just give

-      you a hearing, though all the knights of St. Louis were in a body at the

-      sally-port, with the French saint at their head, crying to speak a word

-      under favor. A pretty degree of knighthood, sir, is that which can be

-      bought with sugar hogsheads! and then your twopenny marquisates. The

-      thistle is the order for dignity and antiquity; the veritable 'nemo me

-      impune lacessit' of chivalry. Ye had ancestors in that degree, Duncan, and

-      they were an ornament to the nobles of Scotland.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward, who perceived that his superior took a malicious pleasure in

-      exhibiting his contempt for the message of the French general, was fain to

-      humor a spleen that he knew would be short-lived; he therefore, replied

-      with as much indifference as he could assume on such a subject:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My request, as you know, sir, went so far as to presume to the honor of

-      being your son.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, boy, you found words to make yourself very plainly comprehended. But,

-      let me ask ye, sir, have you been as intelligible to the girl?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;On my honor, no,&rdquo; exclaimed Duncan, warmly; &ldquo;there would have been an

-      abuse of a confided trust, had I taken advantage of my situation for such

-      a purpose.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Your notions are those of a gentleman, Major Heyward, and well enough in

-      their place. But Cora Munro is a maiden too discreet, and of a mind too

-      elevated and improved, to need the guardianship even of a father.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Cora!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay&mdash;Cora! we are talking of your pretensions to Miss Munro, are we

-      not, sir?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I&mdash;I&mdash;I was not conscious of having mentioned her name,&rdquo; said

-      Duncan, stammering.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And to marry whom, then, did you wish my consent, Major Heyward?&rdquo;

-       demanded the old soldier, erecting himself in the dignity of offended

-      feeling.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have another, and not less lovely child.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Alice!&rdquo; exclaimed the father, in an astonishment equal to that with which

-      Duncan had just repeated the name of her sister.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Such was the direction of my wishes, sir.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young man awaited in silence the result of the extraordinary effect

-      produced by a communication, which, as it now appeared, was so unexpected.

-      For several minutes Munro paced the chamber with long and rapid strides,

-      his rigid features working convulsively, and every faculty seemingly

-      absorbed in the musings of his own mind. At length, he paused directly in

-      front of Heyward, and riveting his eyes upon those of the other, he said,

-      with a lip that quivered violently:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Duncan Heyward, I have loved you for the sake of him whose blood is in

-      your veins; I have loved you for your own good qualities; and I have loved

-      you, because I thought you would contribute to the happiness of my child.

-      But all this love would turn to hatred, were I assured that what I so much

-      apprehend is true.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;God forbid that any act or thought of mine should lead to such a change!&rdquo;

-       exclaimed the young man, whose eye never quailed under the penetrating

-      look it encountered. Without adverting to the impossibility of the other's

-      comprehending those feelings which were hid in his own bosom, Munro

-      suffered himself to be appeased by the unaltered countenance he met, and

-      with a voice sensibly softened, he continued:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You would be my son, Duncan, and you're ignorant of the history of the

-      man you wish to call your father. Sit ye down, young man, and I will open

-      to you the wounds of a seared heart, in as few words as may be suitable.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      By this time, the message of Montcalm was as much forgotten by him who

-      bore it as by the man for whose ears it was intended. Each drew a chair,

-      and while the veteran communed a few moments with his own thoughts,

-      apparently in sadness, the youth suppressed his impatience in a look and

-      attitude of respectful attention. At length, the former spoke:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You'll know, already, Major Heyward, that my family was both ancient and

-      honorable,&rdquo; commenced the Scotsman; &ldquo;though it might not altogether be

-      endowed with that amount of wealth that should correspond with its degree.

-      I was, maybe, such an one as yourself when I plighted my faith to Alice

-      Graham, the only child of a neighboring laird of some estate. But the

-      connection was disagreeable to her father, on more accounts than my

-      poverty. I did, therefore, what an honest man should&mdash;restored the

-      maiden her troth, and departed the country in the service of my king. I

-      had seen many regions, and had shed much blood in different lands, before

-      duty called me to the islands of the West Indies. There it was my lot to

-      form a connection with one who in time became my wife, and the mother of

-      Cora. She was the daughter of a gentleman of those isles, by a lady whose

-      misfortune it was, if you will,&rdquo; said the old man, proudly, &ldquo;to be

-      descended, remotely, from that unfortunate class who are so basely

-      enslaved to administer to the wants of a luxurious people. Ay, sir, that

-      is a curse, entailed on Scotland by her unnatural union with a foreign and

-      trading people. But could I find a man among them who would dare to

-      reflect on my child, he should feel the weight of a father's anger! Ha!

-      Major Heyward, you are yourself born at the south, where these unfortunate

-      beings are considered of a race inferior to your own.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis most unfortunately true, sir,&rdquo; said Duncan, unable any longer to

-      prevent his eyes from sinking to the floor in embarrassment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And you cast it on my child as a reproach! You scorn to mingle the blood

-      of the Heywards with one so degraded&mdash;lovely and virtuous though she

-      be?&rdquo; fiercely demanded the jealous parent.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Heaven protect me from a prejudice so unworthy of my reason!&rdquo; returned

-      Duncan, at the same time conscious of such a feeling, and that as deeply

-      rooted as if it had been ingrafted in his nature. &ldquo;The sweetness, the

-      beauty, the witchery of your younger daughter, Colonel Munro, might

-      explain my motives without imputing to me this injustice.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ye are right, sir,&rdquo; returned the old man, again changing his tones to

-      those of gentleness, or rather softness; &ldquo;the girl is the image of what

-      her mother was at her years, and before she had become acquainted with

-      grief. When death deprived me of my wife I returned to Scotland, enriched

-      by the marriage; and, would you think it, Duncan! the suffering angel had

-      remained in the heartless state of celibacy twenty long years, and that

-      for the sake of a man who could forget her! She did more, sir; she

-      overlooked my want of faith, and, all difficulties being now removed, she

-      took me for her husband.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And became the mother of Alice?&rdquo; exclaimed Duncan, with an eagerness that

-      might have proved dangerous at a moment when the thoughts of Munro were

-      less occupied that at present.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;She did, indeed,&rdquo; said the old man, &ldquo;and dearly did she pay for the

-      blessing she bestowed. But she is a saint in heaven, sir; and it ill

-      becomes one whose foot rests on the grave to mourn a lot so blessed. I had

-      her but a single year, though; a short term of happiness for one who had

-      seen her youth fade in hopeless pining.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      There was something so commanding in the distress of the old man, that

-      Heyward did not dare to venture a syllable of consolation. Munro sat

-      utterly unconscious of the other's presence, his features exposed and

-      working with the anguish of his regrets, while heavy tears fell from his

-      eyes, and rolled unheeded from his cheeks to the floor. At length he

-      moved, and as if suddenly recovering his recollection; when he arose, and

-      taking a single turn across the room, he approached his companion with an

-      air of military grandeur, and demanded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Have you not, Major Heyward, some communication that I should hear from

-      the marquis de Montcalm?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan started in his turn, and immediately commenced in an embarrassed

-      voice, the half-forgotten message. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the

-      evasive though polite manner with which the French general had eluded

-      every attempt of Heyward to worm from him the purport of the communication

-      he had proposed making, or on the decided, though still polished message,

-      by which he now gave his enemy to understand, that, unless he chose to

-      receive it in person, he should not receive it at all. As Munro listened

-      to the detail of Duncan, the excited feelings of the father gradually gave

-      way before the obligations of his station, and when the other was done, he

-      saw before him nothing but the veteran, swelling with the wounded feelings

-      of a soldier.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have said enough, Major Heyward,&rdquo; exclaimed the angry old man;

-      &ldquo;enough to make a volume of commentary on French civility. Here has this

-      gentleman invited me to a conference, and when I send him a capable

-      substitute, for ye're all that, Duncan, though your years are but few, he

-      answers me with a riddle.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He may have thought less favorably of the substitute, my dear sir; and

-      you will remember that the invitation, which he now repeats, was to the

-      commandant of the works, and not to his second.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well, sir, is not a substitute clothed with all the power and dignity of

-      him who grants the commission? He wishes to confer with Munro! Faith, sir,

-      I have much inclination to indulge the man, if it should only be to let

-      him behold the firm countenance we maintain in spite of his numbers and

-      his summons. There might be not bad policy in such a stroke, young man.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, who believed it of the last importance that they should speedily

-      come to the contents of the letter borne by the scout, gladly encouraged

-      this idea.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Without doubt, he could gather no confidence by witnessing our

-      indifference,&rdquo; he said.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You never said truer word. I could wish, sir, that he would visit the

-      works in open day, and in the form of a storming party; that is the least

-      failing method of proving the countenance of an enemy, and would be far

-      preferable to the battering system he has chosen. The beauty and manliness

-      of warfare has been much deformed, Major Heyward, by the arts of your

-      Monsieur Vauban. Our ancestors were far above such scientific cowardice!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It may be very true, sir; but we are now obliged to repel art by art.

-      What is your pleasure in the matter of the interview?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I will meet the Frenchman, and that without fear or delay; promptly, sir,

-      as becomes a servant of my royal master. Go, Major Heyward, and give them

-      a flourish of the music; and send out a messenger to let them know who is

-      coming. We will follow with a small guard, for such respect is due to one

-      who holds the honor of his king in keeping; and hark'ee, Duncan,&rdquo; he

-      added, in a half whisper, though they were alone, &ldquo;it may be prudent to

-      have some aid at hand, in case there should be treachery at the bottom of

-      it all.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young man availed himself of this order to quit the apartment; and, as

-      the day was fast coming to a close, he hastened without delay, to make the

-      necessary arrangements. A very few minutes only were necessary to parade a

-      few files, and to dispatch an orderly with a flag to announce the approach

-      of the commandant of the fort. When Duncan had done both these, he led the

-      guard to the sally-port, near which he found his superior ready, waiting

-      his appearance. As soon as the usual ceremonials of a military departure

-      were observed, the veteran and his more youthful companion left the

-      fortress, attended by the escort.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      They had proceeded only a hundred yards from the works, when the little

-      array which attended the French general to the conference was seen issuing

-      from the hollow way which formed the bed of a brook that ran between the

-      batteries of the besiegers and the fort. From the moment that Munro left

-      his own works to appear in front of his enemy's, his air had been grand,

-      and his step and countenance highly military. The instant he caught a

-      glimpse of the white plume that waved in the hat of Montcalm, his eye

-      lighted, and age no longer appeared to possess any influence over his vast

-      and still muscular person.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Speak to the boys to be watchful, sir,&rdquo; he said, in an undertone, to

-      Duncan; &ldquo;and to look well to their flints and steel, for one is never safe

-      with a servant of these Louis's; at the same time, we shall show them the

-      front of men in deep security. Ye'll understand me, Major Heyward!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0213.jpg" alt="0213" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0213.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      He was interrupted by the clamor of a drum from the approaching Frenchmen,

-      which was immediately answered, when each party pushed an orderly in

-      advance, bearing a white flag, and the wary Scotsman halted with his guard

-      close at his back. As soon as this slight salutation had passed, Montcalm

-      moved toward them with a quick but graceful step, baring his head to the

-      veteran, and dropping his spotless plume nearly to the earth in courtesy.

-      If the air of Munro was more commanding and manly, it wanted both the ease

-      and insinuating polish of that of the Frenchman. Neither spoke for a few

-      moments, each regarding the other with curious and interested eyes. Then,

-      as became his superior rank and the nature of the interview, Montcalm

-      broke the silence. After uttering the usual words of greeting, he turned

-      to Duncan, and continued, with a smile of recognition, speaking always in

-      French:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am rejoiced, monsieur, that you have given us the pleasure of your

-      company on this occasion. There will be no necessity to employ an ordinary

-      interpreter; for, in your hands, I feel the same security as if I spoke

-      your language myself.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan acknowledged the compliment, when Montcalm, turning to his guard,

-      which in imitation of that of their enemies, pressed close upon him,

-      continued:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;En arriere, mes enfants&mdash;il fait chaud&mdash;-retirez-vous un peu.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Before Major Heyward would imitate this proof of confidence, he glanced

-      his eyes around the plain, and beheld with uneasiness the numerous dusky

-      groups of savages, who looked out from the margin of the surrounding

-      woods, curious spectators of the interview.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Monsieur de Montcalm will readily acknowledge the difference in our

-      situation,&rdquo; he said, with some embarrassment, pointing at the same time

-      toward those dangerous foes, who were to be seen in almost every

-      direction. &ldquo;Were we to dismiss our guard, we should stand here at the

-      mercy of our enemies.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Monsieur, you have the plighted faith of 'un gentilhomme Francais', for

-      your safety,&rdquo; returned Montcalm, laying his hand impressively on his

-      heart; &ldquo;it should suffice.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It shall. Fall back,&rdquo; Duncan added to the officer who led the escort;

-      &ldquo;fall back, sir, beyond hearing, and wait for orders.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Munro witnessed this movement with manifest uneasiness; nor did he fail to

-      demand an instant explanation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is it not our interest, sir, to betray distrust?&rdquo; retorted Duncan.

-      &ldquo;Monsieur de Montcalm pledges his word for our safety, and I have ordered

-      the men to withdraw a little, in order to prove how much we depend on his

-      assurance.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It may be all right, sir, but I have no overweening reliance on the faith

-      of these marquesses, or marquis, as they call themselves. Their patents of

-      nobility are too common to be certain that they bear the seal of true

-      honor.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You forget, dear sir, that we confer with an officer, distinguished alike

-      in Europe and America for his deeds. From a soldier of his reputation we

-      can have nothing to apprehend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The old man made a gesture of resignation, though his rigid features still

-      betrayed his obstinate adherence to a distrust, which he derived from a

-      sort of hereditary contempt of his enemy, rather than from any present

-      signs which might warrant so uncharitable a feeling. Montcalm waited

-      patiently until this little dialogue in demi-voice was ended, when he drew

-      nigher, and opened the subject of their conference.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have solicited this interview from your superior, monsieur,&rdquo; he said,

-      &ldquo;because I believe he will allow himself to be persuaded that he has

-      already done everything which is necessary for the honor of his prince,

-      and will now listen to the admonitions of humanity. I will forever bear

-      testimony that his resistance has been gallant, and was continued as long

-      as there was hope.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      When this opening was translated to Munro, he answered with dignity, but

-      with sufficient courtesy:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;However I may prize such testimony from Monsieur Montcalm, it will be

-      more valuable when it shall be better merited.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The French general smiled, as Duncan gave him the purport of this reply,

-      and observed:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is now so freely accorded to approved courage, may be refused to

-      useless obstinacy. Monsieur would wish to see my camp, and witness for

-      himself our numbers, and the impossibility of his resisting them with

-      success?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I know that the king of France is well served,&rdquo; returned the unmoved

-      Scotsman, as soon as Duncan ended his translation; &ldquo;but my own royal

-      master has as many and as faithful troops.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though not at hand, fortunately for us,&rdquo; said Montcalm, without waiting,

-      in his ardor, for the interpreter. &ldquo;There is a destiny in war, to which a

-      brave man knows how to submit with the same courage that he faces his

-      foes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Had I been conscious that Monsieur Montcalm was master of the English, I

-      should have spared myself the trouble of so awkward a translation,&rdquo; said

-      the vexed Duncan, dryly; remembering instantly his recent by-play with

-      Munro.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Your pardon, monsieur,&rdquo; rejoined the Frenchman, suffering a slight color

-      to appear on his dark cheek. &ldquo;There is a vast difference between

-      understanding and speaking a foreign tongue; you will, therefore, please

-      to assist me still.&rdquo; Then, after a short pause, he added: &ldquo;These hills

-      afford us every opportunity of reconnoitering your works, messieurs, and I

-      am possibly as well acquainted with their weak condition as you can be

-      yourselves.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ask the French general if his glasses can reach to the Hudson,&rdquo; said

-      Munro, proudly; &ldquo;and if he knows when and where to expect the army of

-      Webb.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let General Webb be his own interpreter,&rdquo; returned the politic Montcalm,

-      suddenly extending an open letter toward Munro as he spoke; &ldquo;you will

-      there learn, monsieur, that his movements are not likely to prove

-      embarrassing to my army.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The veteran seized the offered paper, without waiting for Duncan to

-      translate the speech, and with an eagerness that betrayed how important he

-      deemed its contents. As his eye passed hastily over the words, his

-      countenance changed from its look of military pride to one of deep

-      chagrin; his lip began to quiver; and suffering the paper to fall from his

-      hand, his head dropped upon his chest, like that of a man whose hopes were

-      withered at a single blow. Duncan caught the letter from the ground, and

-      without apology for the liberty he took, he read at a glance its cruel

-      purport. Their common superior, so far from encouraging them to resist,

-      advised a speedy surrender, urging in the plainest language, as a reason,

-      the utter impossibility of his sending a single man to their rescue.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here is no deception!&rdquo; exclaimed Duncan, examining the billet both inside

-      and out; &ldquo;this is the signature of Webb, and must be the captured letter.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The man has betrayed me!&rdquo; Munro at length bitterly exclaimed; &ldquo;he has

-      brought dishonor to the door of one where disgrace was never before known

-      to dwell, and shame has he heaped heavily on my gray hairs.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Say not so,&rdquo; cried Duncan; &ldquo;we are yet masters of the fort, and of our

-      honor. Let us, then, sell our lives at such a rate as shall make our

-      enemies believe the purchase too dear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Boy, I thank thee,&rdquo; exclaimed the old man, rousing himself from his

-      stupor; &ldquo;you have, for once, reminded Munro of his duty. We will go back,

-      and dig our graves behind those ramparts.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Messieurs,&rdquo; said Montcalm, advancing toward them a step, in generous

-      interest, &ldquo;you little know Louis de St. Veran if you believe him capable

-      of profiting by this letter to humble brave men, or to build up a

-      dishonest reputation for himself. Listen to my terms before you leave me.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What says the Frenchman?&rdquo; demanded the veteran, sternly; &ldquo;does he make a

-      merit of having captured a scout, with a note from headquarters? Sir, he

-      had better raise this siege, to go and sit down before Edward if he wishes

-      to frighten his enemy with words.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan explained the other's meaning.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Monsieur de Montcalm, we will hear you,&rdquo; the veteran added, more calmly,

-      as Duncan ended.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To retain the fort is now impossible,&rdquo; said his liberal enemy; &ldquo;it is

-      necessary to the interests of my master that it should be destroyed; but

-      as for yourselves and your brave comrades, there is no privilege dear to a

-      soldier that shall be denied.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our colors?&rdquo; demanded Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Carry them to England, and show them to your king.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our arms?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Keep them; none can use them better.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our march; the surrender of the place?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Shall all be done in a way most honorable to yourselves.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan now turned to explain these proposals to his commander, who heard

-      him with amazement, and a sensibility that was deeply touched by so

-      unusual and unexpected generosity.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go you, Duncan,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;go with this marquess, as, indeed, marquess he

-      should be; go to his marquee and arrange it all. I have lived to see two

-      things in my old age that never did I expect to behold. An Englishman

-      afraid to support a friend, and a Frenchman too honest to profit by his

-      advantage.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      So saying, the veteran again dropped his head to his chest, and returned

-      slowly toward the fort, exhibiting, by the dejection of his air, to the

-      anxious garrison, a harbinger of evil tidings.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      From the shock of this unexpected blow the haughty feelings of Munro never

-      recovered; but from that moment there commenced a change in his determined

-      character, which accompanied him to a speedy grave. Duncan remained to

-      settle the terms of the capitulation. He was seen to re-enter the works

-      during the first watches of the night, and immediately after a private

-      conference with the commandant, to leave them again. It was then openly

-      announced that hostilities must cease&mdash;Munro having signed a treaty

-      by which the place was to be yielded to the enemy, with the morning; the

-      garrison to retain their arms, the colors and their baggage, and,

-      consequently, according to military opinion, their honor.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 17

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Weave we the woof.

-     The thread is spun.

-     The web is wove.

-     The work is done.&rdquo;&mdash;Gray

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The hostile armies, which lay in the wilds of the Horican, passed the

-      night of the ninth of August, 1757, much in the manner they would, had

-      they encountered on the fairest field of Europe. While the conquered were

-      still, sullen, and dejected, the victors triumphed. But there are limits

-      alike to grief and joy; and long before the watches of the morning came

-      the stillness of those boundless woods was only broken by a gay call from

-      some exulting young Frenchman of the advanced pickets, or a menacing

-      challenge from the fort, which sternly forbade the approach of any hostile

-      footsteps before the stipulated moment. Even these occasional threatening

-      sounds ceased to be heard in that dull hour which precedes the day, at

-      which period a listener might have sought in vain any evidence of the

-      presence of those armed powers that then slumbered on the shores of the

-      &ldquo;holy lake.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      It was during these moments of deep silence that the canvas which

-      concealed the entrance to a spacious marquee in the French encampment was

-      shoved aside, and a man issued from beneath the drapery into the open air.

-      He was enveloped in a cloak that might have been intended as a protection

-      from the chilling damps of the woods, but which served equally well as a

-      mantle to conceal his person. He was permitted to pass the grenadier, who

-      watched over the slumbers of the French commander, without interruption,

-      the man making the usual salute which betokens military deference, as the

-      other passed swiftly through the little city of tents, in the direction of

-      William Henry. Whenever this unknown individual encountered one of the

-      numberless sentinels who crossed his path, his answer was prompt, and, as

-      it appeared, satisfactory; for he was uniformly allowed to proceed without

-      further interrogation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      With the exception of such repeated but brief interruptions, he had moved

-      silently from the center of the camp to its most advanced outposts, when

-      he drew nigh the soldier who held his watch nearest to the works of the

-      enemy. As he approached he was received with the usual challenge:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Qui vive?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;France,&rdquo; was the reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le mot d'ordre?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;La victorie,&rdquo; said the other, drawing so nigh as to be heard in a loud

-      whisper.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;C'est bien,&rdquo; returned the sentinel, throwing his musket from the charge

-      to his shoulder; &ldquo;vous promenez bien matin, monsieur!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Il est necessaire d'etre vigilant, mon enfant,&rdquo; the other observed,

-      dropping a fold of his cloak, and looking the soldier close in the face as

-      he passed him, still continuing his way toward the British fortification.

-      The man started; his arms rattled heavily as he threw them forward in the

-      lowest and most respectful salute; and when he had again recovered his

-      piece, he turned to walk his post, muttering between his teeth:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Il faut etre vigilant, en verite! je crois que nous avons la, un caporal

-      qui ne dort jamais!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The officer proceeded, without affecting to hear the words which escaped

-      the sentinel in his surprise; nor did he again pause until he had reached

-      the low strand, and in a somewhat dangerous vicinity to the western water

-      bastion of the fort. The light of an obscure moon was just sufficient to

-      render objects, though dim, perceptible in their outlines. He, therefore,

-      took the precaution to place himself against the trunk of a tree, where he

-      leaned for many minutes, and seemed to contemplate the dark and silent

-      mounds of the English works in profound attention. His gaze at the

-      ramparts was not that of a curious or idle spectator; but his looks

-      wandered from point to point, denoting his knowledge of military usages,

-      and betraying that his search was not unaccompanied by distrust. At length

-      he appeared satisfied; and having cast his eyes impatiently upward toward

-      the summit of the eastern mountain, as if anticipating the approach of the

-      morning, he was in the act of turning on his footsteps, when a light sound

-      on the nearest angle of the bastion caught his ear, and induced him to

-      remain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Just then a figure was seen to approach the edge of the rampart, where it

-      stood, apparently contemplating in its turn the distant tents of the

-      French encampment. Its head was then turned toward the east, as though

-      equally anxious for the appearance of light, when the form leaned against

-      the mound, and seemed to gaze upon the glassy expanse of the waters,

-      which, like a submarine firmament, glittered with its thousand mimic

-      stars. The melancholy air, the hour, together with the vast frame of the

-      man who thus leaned, musing, against the English ramparts, left no doubt

-      as to his person in the mind of the observant spectator. Delicacy, no less

-      than prudence, now urged him to retire; and he had moved cautiously round

-      the body of the tree for that purpose, when another sound drew his

-      attention, and once more arrested his footsteps. It was a low and almost

-      inaudible movement of the water, and was succeeded by a grating of pebbles

-      one against the other. In a moment he saw a dark form rise, as it were,

-      out of the lake, and steal without further noise to the land, within a few

-      feet of the place where he himself stood. A rifle next slowly rose between

-      his eyes and the watery mirror; but before it could be discharged his own

-      hand was on the lock.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; exclaimed the savage, whose treacherous aim was so singularly and

-      so unexpectedly interrupted.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Without making any reply, the French officer laid his hand on the shoulder

-      of the Indian, and led him in profound silence to a distance from the

-      spot, where their subsequent dialogue might have proved dangerous, and

-      where it seemed that one of them, at least, sought a victim. Then throwing

-      open his cloak, so as to expose his uniform and the cross of St. Louis

-      which was suspended at his breast, Montcalm sternly demanded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What means this? Does not my son know that the hatchet is buried between

-      the English and his Canadian Father?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What can the Hurons do?&rdquo; returned the savage, speaking also, though

-      imperfectly, in the French language.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not a warrior has a scalp, and the pale faces make friends!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ha, Le Renard Subtil! Methinks this is an excess of zeal for a friend who

-      was so late an enemy! How many suns have set since Le Renard struck the

-      war-post of the English?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Where is that sun?&rdquo; demanded the sullen savage. &ldquo;Behind the hill; and it

-      is dark and cold. But when he comes again, it will be bright and warm. Le

-      Subtil is the sun of his tribe. There have been clouds, and many mountains

-      between him and his nation; but now he shines and it is a clear sky!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That Le Renard has power with his people, I well know,&rdquo; said Montcalm;

-      &ldquo;for yesterday he hunted for their scalps, and to-day they hear him at the

-      council-fire.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Magua is a great chief.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let him prove it, by teaching his nation how to conduct themselves toward

-      our new friends.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why did the chief of the Canadas bring his young men into the woods, and

-      fire his cannon at the earthen house?&rdquo; demanded the subtle Indian.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To subdue it. My master owns the land, and your father was ordered to

-      drive off these English squatters. They have consented to go, and now he

-      calls them enemies no longer.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis well. Magua took the hatchet to color it with blood. It is now

-      bright; when it is red, it shall be buried.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But Magua is pledged not to sully the lilies of France. The enemies of

-      the great king across the salt lake are his enemies; his friends, the

-      friends of the Hurons.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Friends!&rdquo; repeated the Indian in scorn. &ldquo;Let his father give Magua a

-      hand.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Montcalm, who felt that his influence over the warlike tribes he had

-      gathered was to be maintained by concession rather than by power, complied

-      reluctantly with the other's request. The savage placed the fingers of the

-      French commander on a deep scar in his bosom, and then exultingly

-      demanded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Does my father know that?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What warrior does not? 'Tis where a leaden bullet has cut.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And this?&rdquo; continued the Indian, who had turned his naked back to the

-      other, his body being without its usual calico mantle.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This!&mdash;my son has been sadly injured here; who has done this?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Magua slept hard in the English wigwams, and the sticks have left their

-      mark,&rdquo; returned the savage, with a hollow laugh, which did not conceal the

-      fierce temper that nearly choked him. Then, recollecting himself, with

-      sudden and native dignity, he added: &ldquo;Go; teach your young men it is

-      peace. Le Renard Subtil knows how to speak to a Huron warrior.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Without deigning to bestow further words, or to wait for any answer, the

-      savage cast his rifle into the hollow of his arm, and moved silently

-      through the encampment toward the woods where his own tribe was known to

-      lie. Every few yards as he proceeded he was challenged by the sentinels;

-      but he stalked sullenly onward, utterly disregarding the summons of the

-      soldiers, who only spared his life because they knew the air and tread no

-      less than the obstinate daring of an Indian.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Montcalm lingered long and melancholy on the strand where he had been left

-      by his companion, brooding deeply on the temper which his ungovernable

-      ally had just discovered. Already had his fair fame been tarnished by one

-      horrid scene, and in circumstances fearfully resembling those under which

-      he now found himself. As he mused he became keenly sensible of the deep

-      responsibility they assume who disregard the means to attain the end, and

-      of all the danger of setting in motion an engine which it exceeds human

-      power to control. Then shaking off a train of reflections that he

-      accounted a weakness in such a moment of triumph, he retraced his steps

-      toward his tent, giving the order as he passed to make the signal that

-      should arouse the army from its slumbers.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The first tap of the French drums was echoed from the bosom of the fort,

-      and presently the valley was filled with the strains of martial music,

-      rising long, thrilling and lively above the rattling accompaniment. The

-      horns of the victors sounded merry and cheerful flourishes, until the last

-      laggard of the camp was at his post; but the instant the British fifes had

-      blown their shrill signal, they became mute. In the meantime the day had

-      dawned, and when the line of the French army was ready to receive its

-      general, the rays of a brilliant sun were glancing along the glittering

-      array. Then that success, which was already so well known, was officially

-      announced; the favored band who were selected to guard the gates of the

-      fort were detailed, and defiled before their chief; the signal of their

-      approach was given, and all the usual preparations for a change of masters

-      were ordered and executed directly under the guns of the contested works.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A very different scene presented itself within the lines of the

-      Anglo-American army. As soon as the warning signal was given, it exhibited

-      all the signs of a hurried and forced departure. The sullen soldiers

-      shouldered their empty tubes and fell into their places, like men whose

-      blood had been heated by the past contest, and who only desired the

-      opportunity to revenge an indignity which was still wounding to their

-      pride, concealed as it was under the observances of military etiquette.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Women and children ran from place to place, some bearing the scanty

-      remnants of their baggage, and others searching in the ranks for those

-      countenances they looked up to for protection.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Munro appeared among his silent troops firm but dejected. It was evident

-      that the unexpected blow had struck deep into his heart, though he

-      struggled to sustain his misfortune with the port of a man.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan was touched at the quiet and impressive exhibition of his grief. He

-      had discharged his own duty, and he now pressed to the side of the old

-      man, to know in what particular he might serve him.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My daughters,&rdquo; was the brief but expressive reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Good heavens! are not arrangements already made for their convenience?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To-day I am only a soldier, Major Heyward,&rdquo; said the veteran. &ldquo;All that

-      you see here, claim alike to be my children.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan had heard enough. Without losing one of those moments which had now

-      become so precious, he flew toward the quarters of Munro, in quest of the

-      sisters. He found them on the threshold of the low edifice, already

-      prepared to depart, and surrounded by a clamorous and weeping assemblage

-      of their own sex, that had gathered about the place, with a sort of

-      instinctive consciousness that it was the point most likely to be

-      protected. Though the cheeks of Cora were pale and her countenance

-      anxious, she had lost none of her firmness; but the eyes of Alice were

-      inflamed, and betrayed how long and bitterly she had wept. They both,

-      however, received the young man with undisguised pleasure; the former, for

-      a novelty, being the first to speak.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The fort is lost,&rdquo; she said, with a melancholy smile; &ldquo;though our good

-      name, I trust, remains.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis brighter than ever. But, dearest Miss Munro, it is time to think

-      less of others, and to make some provision for yourself. Military usage&mdash;pride&mdash;that

-      pride on which you so much value yourself, demands that your father and I

-      should for a little while continue with the troops. Then where to seek a

-      proper protector for you against the confusion and chances of such a

-      scene?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;None is necessary,&rdquo; returned Cora; &ldquo;who will dare to injure or insult the

-      daughter of such a father, at a time like this?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I would not leave you alone,&rdquo; continued the youth, looking about him in a

-      hurried manner, &ldquo;for the command of the best regiment in the pay of the

-      king. Remember, our Alice is not gifted with all your firmness, and God

-      only knows the terror she might endure.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You may be right,&rdquo; Cora replied, smiling again, but far more sadly than

-      before. &ldquo;Listen! chance has already sent us a friend when he is most

-      needed.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan did listen, and on the instant comprehended her meaning. The low

-      and serious sounds of the sacred music, so well known to the eastern

-      provinces, caught his ear, and instantly drew him to an apartment in an

-      adjacent building, which had already been deserted by its customary

-      tenants. There he found David, pouring out his pious feelings through the

-      only medium in which he ever indulged. Duncan waited, until, by the

-      cessation of the movement of the hand, he believed the strain was ended,

-      when, by touching his shoulder, he drew the attention of the other to

-      himself, and in a few words explained his wishes.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so,&rdquo; replied the single-minded disciple of the King of Israel, when

-      the young man had ended; &ldquo;I have found much that is comely and melodious

-      in the maidens, and it is fitting that we who have consorted in so much

-      peril, should abide together in peace. I will attend them, when I have

-      completed my morning praise, to which nothing is now wanting but the

-      doxology. Wilt thou bear a part, friend? The meter is common, and the tune

-      'Southwell'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, extending the little volume, and giving the pitch of the air anew

-      with considerate attention, David recommenced and finished his strains,

-      with a fixedness of manner that it was not easy to interrupt. Heyward was

-      fain to wait until the verse was ended; when, seeing David relieving

-      himself from the spectacles, and replacing the book, he continued.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It will be your duty to see that none dare to approach the ladies with

-      any rude intention, or to offer insult or taunt at the misfortune of their

-      brave father. In this task you will be seconded by the domestics of their

-      household.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is possible that the Indians and stragglers of the enemy may intrude,

-      in which case you will remind them of the terms of the capitulation, and

-      threaten to report their conduct to Montcalm. A word will suffice.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If not, I have that here which shall,&rdquo; returned David, exhibiting his

-      book, with an air in which meekness and confidence were singularly

-      blended. Here are words which, uttered, or rather thundered, with proper

-      emphasis, and in measured time, shall quiet the most unruly temper:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Why rage the heathen furiously'?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Enough,&rdquo; said Heyward, interrupting the burst of his musical invocation;

-      &ldquo;we understand each other; it is time that we should now assume our

-      respective duties.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Gamut cheerfully assented, and together they sought the females. Cora

-      received her new and somewhat extraordinary protector courteously, at

-      least; and even the pallid features of Alice lighted again with some of

-      their native archness as she thanked Heyward for his care. Duncan took

-      occasion to assure them he had done the best that circumstances permitted,

-      and, as he believed, quite enough for the security of their feelings; of

-      danger there was none. He then spoke gladly of his intention to rejoin

-      them the moment he had led the advance a few miles toward the Hudson, and

-      immediately took his leave.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      By this time the signal for departure had been given, and the head of the

-      English column was in motion. The sisters started at the sound, and

-      glancing their eyes around, they saw the white uniforms of the French

-      grenadiers, who had already taken possession of the gates of the fort. At

-      that moment an enormous cloud seemed to pass suddenly above their heads,

-      and, looking upward, they discovered that they stood beneath the wide

-      folds of the standard of France.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let us go,&rdquo; said Cora; &ldquo;this is no longer a fit place for the children of

-      an English officer.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Alice clung to the arm of her sister, and together they left the parade,

-      accompanied by the moving throng that surrounded them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As they passed the gates, the French officers, who had learned their rank,

-      bowed often and low, forbearing, however, to intrude those attentions

-      which they saw, with peculiar tact, might not be agreeable. As every

-      vehicle and each beast of burden was occupied by the sick and wounded,

-      Cora had decided to endure the fatigues of a foot march, rather than

-      interfere with their comforts. Indeed, many a maimed and feeble soldier

-      was compelled to drag his exhausted limbs in the rear of the columns, for

-      the want of the necessary means of conveyance in that wilderness. The

-      whole, however, was in motion; the weak and wounded, groaning and in

-      suffering; their comrades silent and sullen; and the women and children in

-      terror, they knew not of what.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As the confused and timid throng left the protecting mounds of the fort,

-      and issued on the open plain, the whole scene was at once presented to

-      their eyes. At a little distance on the right, and somewhat in the rear,

-      the French army stood to their arms, Montcalm having collected his

-      parties, so soon as his guards had possession of the works. They were

-      attentive but silent observers of the proceedings of the vanquished,

-      failing in none of the stipulated military honors, and offering no taunt

-      or insult, in their success, to their less fortunate foes. Living masses

-      of the English, to the amount, in the whole, of near three thousand, were

-      moving slowly across the plain, toward the common center, and gradually

-      approached each other, as they converged to the point of their march, a

-      vista cut through the lofty trees, where the road to the Hudson entered

-      the forest. Along the sweeping borders of the woods hung a dark cloud of

-      savages, eyeing the passage of their enemies, and hovering at a distance,

-      like vultures who were only kept from swooping on their prey by the

-      presence and restraint of a superior army. A few had straggled among the

-      conquered columns, where they stalked in sullen discontent; attentive,

-      though, as yet, passive observers of the moving multitude.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The advance, with Heyward at its head, had already reached the defile, and

-      was slowly disappearing, when the attention of Cora was drawn to a

-      collection of stragglers by the sounds of contention. A truant provincial

-      was paying the forfeit of his disobedience, by being plundered of those

-      very effects which had caused him to desert his place in the ranks. The

-      man was of powerful frame, and too avaricious to part with his goods

-      without a struggle. Individuals from either party interfered; the one side

-      to prevent and the other to aid in the robbery. Voices grew loud and

-      angry, and a hundred savages appeared, as it were, by magic, where a dozen

-      only had been seen a minute before. It was then that Cora saw the form of

-      Magua gliding among his countrymen, and speaking with his fatal and artful

-      eloquence. The mass of women and children stopped, and hovered together

-      like alarmed and fluttering birds. But the cupidity of the Indian was soon

-      gratified, and the different bodies again moved slowly onward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The savages now fell back, and seemed content to let their enemies advance

-      without further molestation. But, as the female crowd approached them, the

-      gaudy colors of a shawl attracted the eyes of a wild and untutored Huron.

-      He advanced to seize it without the least hesitation. The woman, more in

-      terror than through love of the ornament, wrapped her child in the coveted

-      article, and folded both more closely to her bosom. Cora was in the act of

-      speaking, with an intent to advise the woman to abandon the trifle, when

-      the savage relinquished his hold of the shawl, and tore the screaming

-      infant from her arms. Abandoning everything to the greedy grasp of those

-      around her, the mother darted, with distraction in her mien, to reclaim

-      her child. The Indian smiled grimly, and extended one hand, in sign of a

-      willingness to exchange, while, with the other, he flourished the babe

-      over his head, holding it by the feet as if to enhance the value of the

-      ransom.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here&mdash;here&mdash;there&mdash;all&mdash;any&mdash;everything!&rdquo;

-       exclaimed the breathless woman, tearing the lighter articles of dress from

-      her person with ill-directed and trembling fingers; &ldquo;take all, but give me

-      my babe!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The savage spurned the worthless rags, and perceiving that the shawl had

-      already become a prize to another, his bantering but sullen smile changing

-      to a gleam of ferocity, he dashed the head of the infant against a rock,

-      and cast its quivering remains to her very feet. For an instant the mother

-      stood, like a statue of despair, looking wildly down at the unseemly

-      object, which had so lately nestled in her bosom and smiled in her face;

-      and then she raised her eyes and countenance toward heaven, as if calling

-      on God to curse the perpetrator of the foul deed. She was spared the sin

-      of such a prayer for, maddened at his disappointment, and excited at the

-      sight of blood, the Huron mercifully drove his tomahawk into her own

-      brain. The mother sank under the blow, and fell, grasping at her child, in

-      death, with the same engrossing love that had caused her to cherish it

-      when living.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At that dangerous moment, Magua placed his hands to his mouth, and raised

-      the fatal and appalling whoop. The scattered Indians started at the

-      well-known cry, as coursers bound at the signal to quit the goal; and

-      directly there arose such a yell along the plain, and through the arches

-      of the wood, as seldom burst from human lips before. They who heard it

-      listened with a curdling horror at the heart, little inferior to that

-      dread which may be expected to attend the blasts of the final summons.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      More than two thousand raving savages broke from the forest at the signal,

-      and threw themselves across the fatal plain with instinctive alacrity. We

-      shall not dwell on the revolting horrors that succeeded. Death was

-      everywhere, and in his most terrific and disgusting aspects. Resistance

-      only served to inflame the murderers, who inflicted their furious blows

-      long after their victims were beyond the power of their resentment. The

-      flow of blood might be likened to the outbreaking of a torrent; and as the

-      natives became heated and maddened by the sight, many among them even

-      kneeled to the earth, and drank freely, exultingly, hellishly, of the

-      crimson tide.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The trained bodies of the troops threw themselves quickly into solid

-      masses, endeavoring to awe their assailants by the imposing appearance of

-      a military front. The experiment in some measure succeeded, though far too

-      many suffered their unloaded muskets to be torn from their hands, in the

-      vain hope of appeasing the savages.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In such a scene none had leisure to note the fleeting moments. It might

-      have been ten minutes (it seemed an age) that the sisters had stood

-      riveted to one spot, horror-stricken and nearly helpless. When the first

-      blow was struck, their screaming companions had pressed upon them in a

-      body, rendering flight impossible; and now that fear or death had

-      scattered most, if not all, from around them, they saw no avenue open, but

-      such as conducted to the tomahawks of their foes. On every side arose

-      shrieks, groans, exhortations and curses. At this moment, Alice caught a

-      glimpse of the vast form of her father, moving rapidly across the plain,

-      in the direction of the French army. He was, in truth, proceeding to

-      Montcalm, fearless of every danger, to claim the tardy escort for which he

-      had before conditioned. Fifty glittering axes and barbed spears were

-      offered unheeded at his life, but the savages respected his rank and

-      calmness, even in their fury. The dangerous weapons were brushed aside by

-      the still nervous arm of the veteran, or fell of themselves, after

-      menacing an act that it would seem no one had courage to perform.

-      Fortunately, the vindictive Magua was searching for his victim in the very

-      band the veteran had just quitted.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Father&mdash;father&mdash;we are here!&rdquo; shrieked Alice, as he passed, at

-      no great distance, without appearing to heed them. &ldquo;Come to us, father, or

-      we die!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The cry was repeated, and in terms and tones that might have melted a

-      heart of stone, but it was unanswered. Once, indeed, the old man appeared

-      to catch the sound, for he paused and listened; but Alice had dropped

-      senseless on the earth, and Cora had sunk at her side, hovering in

-      untiring tenderness over her lifeless form. Munro shook his head in

-      disappointment, and proceeded, bent on the high duty of his station.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Lady,&rdquo; said Gamut, who, helpless and useless as he was, had not yet

-      dreamed of deserting his trust, &ldquo;it is the jubilee of the devils, and this

-      is not a meet place for Christians to tarry in. Let us up and fly.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go,&rdquo; said Cora, still gazing at her unconscious sister; &ldquo;save thyself. To

-      me thou canst not be of further use.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David comprehended the unyielding character of her resolution, by the

-      simple but expressive gesture that accompanied her words. He gazed for a

-      moment at the dusky forms that were acting their hellish rites on every

-      side of him, and his tall person grew more erect while his chest heaved,

-      and every feature swelled, and seemed to speak with the power of the

-      feelings by which he was governed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If the Jewish boy might tame the great spirit of Saul by the sound of his

-      harp, and the words of sacred song, it may not be amiss,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;to try

-      the potency of music here.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Then raising his voice to its highest tone, he poured out a strain so

-      powerful as to be heard even amid the din of that bloody field. More than

-      one savage rushed toward them, thinking to rifle the unprotected sisters

-      of their attire, and bear away their scalps; but when they found this

-      strange and unmoved figure riveted to his post, they paused to listen.

-      Astonishment soon changed to admiration, and they passed on to other and

-      less courageous victims, openly expressing their satisfaction at the

-      firmness with which the white warrior sang his death song. Encouraged and

-      deluded by his success, David exerted all his powers to extend what he

-      believed so holy an influence. The unwonted sounds caught the ears of a

-      distant savage, who flew raging from group to group, like one who,

-      scorning to touch the vulgar herd, hunted for some victim more worthy of

-      his renown. It was Magua, who uttered a yell of pleasure when he beheld

-      his ancient prisoners again at his mercy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; he said, laying his soiled hands on the dress of Cora, &ldquo;the wigwam

-      of the Huron is still open. Is it not better than this place?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Away!&rdquo; cried Cora, veiling her eyes from his revolting aspect.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian laughed tauntingly, as he held up his reeking hand, and

-      answered: &ldquo;It is red, but it comes from white veins!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Monster! there is blood, oceans of blood, upon thy soul; thy spirit has

-      moved this scene.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Magua is a great chief!&rdquo; returned the exulting savage, &ldquo;will the

-      dark-hair go to his tribe?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0233.jpg" alt="0233" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0233.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Never! strike if thou wilt, and complete thy revenge.&rdquo; He hesitated a

-      moment, and then catching the light and senseless form of Alice in his

-      arms, the subtle Indian moved swiftly across the plain toward the woods.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold!&rdquo; shrieked Cora, following wildly on his footsteps; &ldquo;release the

-      child! wretch! what is't you do?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      But Magua was deaf to her voice; or, rather, he knew his power, and was

-      determined to maintain it.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Stay&mdash;lady&mdash;stay,&rdquo; called Gamut, after the unconscious Cora.

-      &ldquo;The holy charm is beginning to be felt, and soon shalt thou see this

-      horrid tumult stilled.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Perceiving that, in his turn, he was unheeded, the faithful David followed

-      the distracted sister, raising his voice again in sacred song, and

-      sweeping the air to the measure, with his long arm, in diligent

-      accompaniment. In this manner they traversed the plain, through the

-      flying, the wounded and the dead. The fierce Huron was, at any time,

-      sufficient for himself and the victim that he bore; though Cora would have

-      fallen more than once under the blows of her savage enemies, but for the

-      extraordinary being who stalked in her rear, and who now appeared to the

-      astonished natives gifted with the protecting spirit of madness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua, who knew how to avoid the more pressing dangers, and also to elude

-      pursuit, entered the woods through a low ravine, where he quickly found

-      the Narragansetts, which the travelers had abandoned so shortly before,

-      awaiting his appearance, in custody of a savage as fierce and malign in

-      his expression as himself. Laying Alice on one of the horses, he made a

-      sign to Cora to mount the other.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Notwithstanding the horror excited by the presence of her captor, there

-      was a present relief in escaping from the bloody scene enacting on the

-      plain, to which Cora could not be altogether insensible. She took her

-      seat, and held forth her arms for her sister, with an air of entreaty and

-      love that even the Huron could not deny. Placing Alice, then, on the same

-      animal with Cora, he seized the bridle, and commenced his route by

-      plunging deeper into the forest. David, perceiving that he was left alone,

-      utterly disregarded as a subject too worthless even to destroy, threw his

-      long limb across the saddle of the beast they had deserted, and made such

-      progress in the pursuit as the difficulties of the path permitted.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      They soon began to ascend; but as the motion had a tendency to revive the

-      dormant faculties of her sister, the attention of Cora was too much

-      divided between the tenderest solicitude in her behalf, and in listening

-      to the cries which were still too audible on the plain, to note the

-      direction in which they journeyed. When, however, they gained the

-      flattened surface of the mountain-top, and approached the eastern

-      precipice, she recognized the spot to which she had once before been led

-      under the more friendly auspices of the scout. Here Magua suffered them to

-      dismount; and notwithstanding their own captivity, the curiosity which

-      seems inseparable from horror, induced them to gaze at the sickening sight

-      below.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The cruel work was still unchecked. On every side the captured were flying

-      before their relentless persecutors, while the armed columns of the

-      Christian king stood fast in an apathy which has never been explained, and

-      which has left an immovable blot on the otherwise fair escutcheon of their

-      leader. Nor was the sword of death stayed until cupidity got the mastery

-      of revenge. Then, indeed, the shrieks of the wounded, and the yells of

-      their murderers grew less frequent, until, finally, the cries of horror

-      were lost to their ear, or were drowned in the loud, long and piercing

-      whoops of the triumphant savages.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 18

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Why, anything;

-     An honorable murderer, if you will;

-     For naught I did in hate, but all in honor.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Othello

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The bloody and inhuman scene rather incidentally mentioned than described

-      in the preceding chapter, is conspicuous in the pages of colonial history

-      by the merited title of &ldquo;The Massacre of William Henry.&rdquo; It so far

-      deepened the stain which a previous and very similar event had left upon

-      the reputation of the French commander that it was not entirely erased by

-      his early and glorious death. It is now becoming obscured by time; and

-      thousands, who know that Montcalm died like a hero on the plains of

-      Abraham, have yet to learn how much he was deficient in that moral courage

-      without which no man can be truly great. Pages might yet be written to

-      prove, from this illustrious example, the defects of human excellence; to

-      show how easy it is for generous sentiments, high courtesy, and chivalrous

-      courage to lose their influence beneath the chilling blight of

-      selfishness, and to exhibit to the world a man who was great in all the

-      minor attributes of character, but who was found wanting when it became

-      necessary to prove how much principle is superior to policy. But the task

-      would exceed our prerogatives; and, as history, like love, is so apt to

-      surround her heroes with an atmosphere of imaginary brightness, it is

-      probable that Louis de Saint Veran will be viewed by posterity only as the

-      gallant defender of his country, while his cruel apathy on the shores of

-      the Oswego and of the Horican will be forgotten. Deeply regretting this

-      weakness on the part of a sister muse, we shall at once retire from her

-      sacred precincts, within the proper limits of our own humble vocation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The third day from the capture of the fort was drawing to a close, but the

-      business of the narrative must still detain the reader on the shores of

-      the &ldquo;holy lake.&rdquo; When last seen, the environs of the works were filled

-      with violence and uproar. They were now possessed by stillness and death.

-      The blood-stained conquerors had departed; and their camp, which had so

-      lately rung with the merry rejoicings of a victorious army, lay a silent

-      and deserted city of huts. The fortress was a smoldering ruin; charred

-      rafters, fragments of exploded artillery, and rent mason-work covering its

-      earthen mounds in confused disorder.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A frightful change had also occurred in the season. The sun had hid its

-      warmth behind an impenetrable mass of vapor, and hundreds of human forms,

-      which had blackened beneath the fierce heats of August, were stiffening in

-      their deformity before the blasts of a premature November. The curling and

-      spotless mists, which had been seen sailing above the hills toward the

-      north, were now returning in an interminable dusky sheet, that was urged

-      along by the fury of a tempest. The crowded mirror of the Horican was

-      gone; and, in its place, the green and angry waters lashed the shores, as

-      if indignantly casting back its impurities to the polluted strand. Still

-      the clear fountain retained a portion of its charmed influence, but it

-      reflected only the somber gloom that fell from the impending heavens. That

-      humid and congenial atmosphere which commonly adorned the view, veiling

-      its harshness, and softening its asperities, had disappeared, the northern

-      air poured across the waste of water so harsh and unmingled, that nothing

-      was left to be conjectured by the eye, or fashioned by the fancy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The fiercer element had cropped the verdure of the plain, which looked as

-      though it were scathed by the consuming lightning. But, here and there, a

-      dark green tuft rose in the midst of the desolation; the earliest fruits

-      of a soil that had been fattened with human blood. The whole landscape,

-      which, seen by a favoring light, and in a genial temperature, had been

-      found so lovely, appeared now like some pictured allegory of life, in

-      which objects were arrayed in their harshest but truest colors, and

-      without the relief of any shadowing.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The solitary and arid blades of grass arose from the passing gusts

-      fearfully perceptible; the bold and rocky mountains were too distinct in

-      their barrenness, and the eye even sought relief, in vain, by attempting

-      to pierce the illimitable void of heaven, which was shut to its gaze by

-      the dusky sheet of ragged and driving vapor.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The wind blew unequally; sometimes sweeping heavily along the ground,

-      seeming to whisper its moanings in the cold ears of the dead, then rising

-      in a shrill and mournful whistling, it entered the forest with a rush that

-      filled the air with the leaves and branches it scattered in its path. Amid

-      the unnatural shower, a few hungry ravens struggled with the gale; but no

-      sooner was the green ocean of woods which stretched beneath them, passed,

-      than they gladly stopped, at random, to their hideous banquet.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In short, it was a scene of wildness and desolation; and it appeared as if

-      all who had profanely entered it had been stricken, at a blow, by the

-      relentless arm of death. But the prohibition had ceased; and for the first

-      time since the perpetrators of those foul deeds which had assisted to

-      disfigure the scene were gone, living human beings had now presumed to

-      approach the place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      About an hour before the setting of the sun, on the day already mentioned,

-      the forms of five men might have been seen issuing from the narrow vista

-      of trees, where the path to the Hudson entered the forest, and advancing

-      in the direction of the ruined works. At first their progress was slow and

-      guarded, as though they entered with reluctance amid the horrors of the

-      post, or dreaded the renewal of its frightful incidents. A light figure

-      preceded the rest of the party, with the caution and activity of a native;

-      ascending every hillock to reconnoiter, and indicating by gestures, to his

-      companions, the route he deemed it most prudent to pursue. Nor were those

-      in the rear wanting in every caution and foresight known to forest

-      warfare. One among them, he also was an Indian, moved a little on one

-      flank, and watched the margin of the woods, with eyes long accustomed to

-      read the smallest sign of danger. The remaining three were white, though

-      clad in vestments adapted, both in quality and color, to their present

-      hazardous pursuit&mdash;that of hanging on the skirts of a retiring army

-      in the wilderness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The effects produced by the appalling sights that constantly arose in

-      their path to the lake shore, were as different as the characters of the

-      respective individuals who composed the party. The youth in front threw

-      serious but furtive glances at the mangled victims, as he stepped lightly

-      across the plain, afraid to exhibit his feelings, and yet too

-      inexperienced to quell entirely their sudden and powerful influence. His

-      red associate, however, was superior to such a weakness. He passed the

-      groups of dead with a steadiness of purpose, and an eye so calm, that

-      nothing but long and inveterate practise could enable him to maintain. The

-      sensations produced in the minds of even the white men were different,

-      though uniformly sorrowful. One, whose gray locks and furrowed lineaments,

-      blending with a martial air and tread, betrayed, in spite of the disguise

-      of a woodsman's dress, a man long experienced in scenes of war, was not

-      ashamed to groan aloud, whenever a spectacle of more than usual horror

-      came under his view. The young man at his elbow shuddered, but seemed to

-      suppress his feelings in tenderness to his companion. Of them all, the

-      straggler who brought up the rear appeared alone to betray his real

-      thoughts, without fear of observation or dread of consequences. He gazed

-      at the most appalling sight with eyes and muscles that knew not how to

-      waver, but with execrations so bitter and deep as to denote how much he

-      denounced the crime of his enemies.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The reader will perceive at once, in these respective characters, the

-      Mohicans, and their white friend, the scout; together with Munro and

-      Heyward. It was, in truth, the father in quest of his children, attended

-      by the youth who felt so deep a stake in their happiness, and those brave

-      and trusty foresters, who had already proved their skill and fidelity

-      through the trying scenes related.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When Uncas, who moved in front, had reached the center of the plain, he

-      raised a cry that drew his companions in a body to the spot. The young

-      warrior had halted over a group of females who lay in a cluster, a

-      confused mass of dead. Notwithstanding the revolting horror of the

-      exhibition, Munro and Heyward flew toward the festering heap, endeavoring,

-      with a love that no unseemliness could extinguish, to discover whether any

-      vestiges of those they sought were to be seen among the tattered and

-      many-colored garments. The father and the lover found instant relief in

-      the search; though each was condemned again to experience the misery of an

-      uncertainty that was hardly less insupportable than the most revolting

-      truth. They were standing, silent and thoughtful, around the melancholy

-      pile, when the scout approached. Eyeing the sad spectacle with an angry

-      countenance, the sturdy woodsman, for the first time since his entering

-      the plain, spoke intelligibly and aloud:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have been on many a shocking field, and have followed a trail of blood

-      for weary miles,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but never have I found the hand of the devil

-      so plain as it is here to be seen! Revenge is an Indian feeling, and all

-      who know me know that there is no cross in my veins; but this much will I

-      say&mdash;here, in the face of heaven, and with the power of the Lord so

-      manifest in this howling wilderness&mdash;that should these Frenchers ever

-      trust themselves again within the range of a ragged bullet, there is one

-      rifle which shall play its part so long as flint will fire or powder burn!

-      I leave the tomahawk and knife to such as have a natural gift to use them.

-      What say you, Chingachgook,&rdquo; he added, in Delaware; &ldquo;shall the Hurons

-      boast of this to their women when the deep snows come?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A gleam of resentment flashed across the dark lineaments of the Mohican

-      chief; he loosened his knife in his sheath; and then turning calmly from

-      the sight, his countenance settled into a repose as deep as if he knew the

-      instigation of passion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Montcalm! Montcalm!&rdquo; continued the deeply resentful and less

-      self-restrained scout; &ldquo;they say a time must come when all the deeds done

-      in the flesh will be seen at a single look; and that by eyes cleared from

-      mortal infirmities. Woe betide the wretch who is born to behold this

-      plain, with the judgment hanging about his soul! Ha&mdash;as I am a man of

-      white blood, yonder lies a red-skin, without the hair of his head where

-      nature rooted it! Look to him, Delaware; it may be one of your missing

-      people; and he should have burial like a stout warrior. I see it in your

-      eye, Sagamore; a Huron pays for this, afore the fall winds have blown away

-      the scent of the blood!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook approached the mutilated form, and, turning it over, he found

-      the distinguishing marks of one of those six allied tribes, or nations, as

-      they were called, who, while they fought in the English ranks, were so

-      deadly hostile to his own people. Spurning the loathsome object with his

-      foot, he turned from it with the same indifference he would have quitted a

-      brute carcass. The scout comprehended the action, and very deliberately

-      pursued his own way, continuing, however, his denunciations against the

-      French commander in the same resentful strain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nothing but vast wisdom and unlimited power should dare to sweep off men

-      in multitudes,&rdquo; he added; &ldquo;for it is only the one that can know the

-      necessity of the judgment; and what is there, short of the other, that can

-      replace the creatures of the Lord? I hold it a sin to kill the second buck

-      afore the first is eaten, unless a march in front, or an ambushment, be

-      contemplated. It is a different matter with a few warriors in open and

-      rugged fight, for 'tis their gift to die with the rifle or the tomahawk in

-      hand; according as their natures may happen to be, white or red. Uncas,

-      come this way, lad, and let the ravens settle upon the Mingo. I know, from

-      often seeing it, that they have a craving for the flesh of an Oneida; and

-      it is as well to let the bird follow the gift of its natural appetite.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; exclaimed the young Mohican, rising on the extremities of his

-      feet, and gazing intently in his front, frightening the ravens to some

-      other prey by the sound and the action.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is it, boy?&rdquo; whispered the scout, lowering his tall form into a

-      crouching attitude, like a panther about to take his leap; &ldquo;God send it be

-      a tardy Frencher, skulking for plunder. I do believe 'killdeer' would take

-      an uncommon range today!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas, without making any reply, bounded away from the spot, and in the

-      next instant he was seen tearing from a bush, and waving in triumph, a

-      fragment of the green riding-veil of Cora. The movement, the exhibition,

-      and the cry which again burst from the lips of the young Mohican,

-      instantly drew the whole party about him.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My child!&rdquo; said Munro, speaking quickly and wildly; &ldquo;give me my child!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas will try,&rdquo; was the short and touching answer.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The simple but meaning assurance was lost on the father, who seized the

-      piece of gauze, and crushed it in his hand, while his eyes roamed

-      fearfully among the bushes, as if he equally dreaded and hoped for the

-      secrets they might reveal.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here are no dead,&rdquo; said Heyward; &ldquo;the storm seems not to have passed this

-      way.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That's manifest; and clearer than the heavens above our heads,&rdquo; returned

-      the undisturbed scout; &ldquo;but either she, or they that have robbed her, have

-      passed the bush; for I remember the rag she wore to hide a face that all

-      did love to look upon. Uncas, you are right; the dark-hair has been here,

-      and she has fled like a frightened fawn, to the wood; none who could fly

-      would remain to be murdered. Let us search for the marks she left; for, to

-      Indian eyes, I sometimes think a humming-bird leaves his trail in the

-      air.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Mohican darted away at the suggestion, and the scout had hardly

-      done speaking, before the former raised a cry of success from the margin

-      of the forest. On reaching the spot, the anxious party perceived another

-      portion of the veil fluttering on the lower branch of a beech.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Softly, softly,&rdquo; said the scout, extending his long rifle in front of the

-      eager Heyward; &ldquo;we now know our work, but the beauty of the trail must not

-      be deformed. A step too soon may give us hours of trouble. We have them,

-      though; that much is beyond denial.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Bless ye, bless ye, worthy man!&rdquo; exclaimed Munro; &ldquo;whither then, have

-      they fled, and where are my babes?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The path they have taken depends on many chances. If they have gone

-      alone, they are quite as likely to move in a circle as straight, and they

-      may be within a dozen miles of us; but if the Hurons, or any of the French

-      Indians, have laid hands on them, 'tis probably they are now near the

-      borders of the Canadas. But what matters that?&rdquo; continued the deliberate

-      scout, observing the powerful anxiety and disappointment the listeners

-      exhibited; &ldquo;here are the Mohicans and I on one end of the trail, and, rely

-      on it, we find the other, though they should be a hundred leagues asunder!

-      Gently, gently, Uncas, you are as impatient as a man in the settlements;

-      you forget that light feet leave but faint marks!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; exclaimed Chingachgook, who had been occupied in examining an

-      opening that had been evidently made through the low underbrush which

-      skirted the forest; and who now stood erect, as he pointed downward, in

-      the attitude and with the air of a man who beheld a disgusting serpent.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here is the palpable impression of the footstep of a man,&rdquo; cried Heyward,

-      bending over the indicated spot; &ldquo;he has trod in the margin of this pool,

-      and the mark cannot be mistaken. They are captives.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Better so than left to starve in the wilderness,&rdquo; returned the scout;

-      &ldquo;and they will leave a wider trail. I would wager fifty beaver skins

-      against as many flints, that the Mohicans and I enter their wigwams within

-      the month! Stoop to it, Uncas, and try what you can make of the moccasin;

-      for moccasin it plainly is, and no shoe.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Mohican bent over the track, and removing the scattered leaves

-      from around the place, he examined it with much of that sort of scrutiny

-      that a money dealer, in these days of pecuniary doubts, would bestow on a

-      suspected due-bill. At length he arose from his knees, satisfied with the

-      result of the examination.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well, boy,&rdquo; demanded the attentive scout; &ldquo;what does it say? Can you make

-      anything of the tell-tale?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/5299.jpg" alt="5299" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/5299.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Renard Subtil!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ha! that rampaging devil again! there will never be an end of his loping

-      till 'killdeer' has said a friendly word to him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward reluctantly admitted the truth of this intelligence, and now

-      expressed rather his hopes than his doubts by saying:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;One moccasin is so much like another, it is probable there is some

-      mistake.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;One moccasin like another! you may as well say that one foot is like

-      another; though we all know that some are long, and others short; some

-      broad and others narrow; some with high, and some with low insteps; some

-      intoed, and some out. One moccasin is no more like another than one book

-      is like another: though they who can read in one are seldom able to tell

-      the marks of the other. Which is all ordered for the best, giving to every

-      man his natural advantages. Let me get down to it, Uncas; neither book nor

-      moccasin is the worse for having two opinions, instead of one.&rdquo; The scout

-      stooped to the task, and instantly added:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You are right, boy; here is the patch we saw so often in the other chase.

-      And the fellow will drink when he can get an opportunity; your drinking

-      Indian always learns to walk with a wider toe than the natural savage, it

-      being the gift of a drunkard to straddle, whether of white or red skin.

-      'Tis just the length and breadth, too! look at it, Sagamore; you measured

-      the prints more than once, when we hunted the varmints from Glenn's to the

-      health springs.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook complied; and after finishing his short examination, he

-      arose, and with a quiet demeanor, he merely pronounced the word:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Magua!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, 'tis a settled thing; here, then, have passed the dark-hair and

-      Magua.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And not Alice?&rdquo; demanded Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of her we have not yet seen the signs,&rdquo; returned the scout, looking

-      closely around at the trees, the bushes and the ground. &ldquo;What have we

-      there? Uncas, bring hither the thing you see dangling from yonder

-      thorn-bush.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      When the Indian had complied, the scout received the prize, and holding it

-      on high, he laughed in his silent but heartfelt manner.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis the tooting we'pon of the singer! now we shall have a trail a priest

-      might travel,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Uncas, look for the marks of a shoe that is long

-      enough to uphold six feet two of tottering human flesh. I begin to have

-      some hopes of the fellow, since he has given up squalling to follow some

-      better trade.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;At least he has been faithful to his trust,&rdquo; said Heyward. &ldquo;And Cora and

-      Alice are not without a friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, dropping his rifle, and leaning on it with an air of

-      visible contempt, &ldquo;he will do their singing. Can he slay a buck for their

-      dinner; journey by the moss on the beeches, or cut the throat of a Huron?

-      If not, the first catbird* he meets is the cleverer of the two. Well, boy,

-      any signs of such a foundation?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The powers of the American mocking-bird are generally

-     known. But the true mocking-bird is not found so far north

-     as the state of New York, where it has, however, two

-     substitutes of inferior excellence, the catbird, so often

-     named by the scout, and the bird vulgarly called ground-

-     thresher. Either of these last two birds is superior to the

-     nightingale or the lark, though, in general, the American

-     birds are less musical than those of Europe.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here is something like the footstep of one who has worn a shoe; can it be

-      that of our friend?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Touch the leaves lightly or you'll disconsart the formation. That! that

-      is the print of a foot, but 'tis the dark-hair's; and small it is, too,

-      for one of such a noble height and grand appearance. The singer would

-      cover it with his heel.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Where! let me look on the footsteps of my child,&rdquo; said Munro, shoving the

-      bushes aside, and bending fondly over the nearly obliterated impression.

-      Though the tread which had left the mark had been light and rapid, it was

-      still plainly visible. The aged soldier examined it with eyes that grew

-      dim as he gazed; nor did he rise from this stooping posture until Heyward

-      saw that he had watered the trace of his daughter's passage with a

-      scalding tear. Willing to divert a distress which threatened each moment

-      to break through the restraint of appearances, by giving the veteran

-      something to do, the young man said to the scout:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;As we now possess these infallible signs, let us commence our march. A

-      moment, at such a time, will appear an age to the captives.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is not the swiftest leaping deer that gives the longest chase,&rdquo;

-       returned Hawkeye, without moving his eyes from the different marks that

-      had come under his view; &ldquo;we know that the rampaging Huron has passed, and

-      the dark-hair, and the singer, but where is she of the yellow locks and

-      blue eyes? Though little, and far from being as bold as her sister, she is

-      fair to the view, and pleasant in discourse. Has she no friend, that none

-      care for her?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;God forbid she should ever want hundreds! Are we not now in her pursuit?

-      For one, I will never cease the search till she be found.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;In that case we may have to journey by different paths; for here she has

-      not passed, light and little as her footsteps would be.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward drew back, all his ardor to proceed seeming to vanish on the

-      instant. Without attending to this sudden change in the other's humor, the

-      scout after musing a moment continued:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is no woman in this wilderness could leave such a print as that,

-      but the dark-hair or her sister. We know that the first has been here, but

-      where are the signs of the other? Let us push deeper on the trail, and if

-      nothing offers, we must go back to the plain and strike another scent.

-      Move on, Uncas, and keep your eyes on the dried leaves. I will watch the

-      bushes, while your father shall run with a low nose to the ground. Move

-      on, friends; the sun is getting behind the hills.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is there nothing that I can do?&rdquo; demanded the anxious Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You?&rdquo; repeated the scout, who, with his red friends, was already

-      advancing in the order he had prescribed; &ldquo;yes, you can keep in our rear

-      and be careful not to cross the trail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Before they had proceeded many rods, the Indians stopped, and appeared to

-      gaze at some signs on the earth with more than their usual keenness. Both

-      father and son spoke quick and loud, now looking at the object of their

-      mutual admiration, and now regarding each other with the most unequivocal

-      pleasure.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They have found the little foot!&rdquo; exclaimed the scout, moving forward,

-      without attending further to his own portion of the duty. &ldquo;What have we

-      here? An ambushment has been planted in the spot! No, by the truest rifle

-      on the frontiers, here have been them one-sided horses again! Now the

-      whole secret is out, and all is plain as the north star at midnight. Yes,

-      here they have mounted. There the beasts have been bound to a sapling, in

-      waiting; and yonder runs the broad path away to the north, in full sweep

-      for the Canadas.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But still there are no signs of Alice, of the younger Miss Munro,&rdquo; said

-      Duncan.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Unless the shining bauble Uncas has just lifted from the ground should

-      prove one. Pass it this way, lad, that we may look at it.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward instantly knew it for a trinket that Alice was fond of wearing,

-      and which he recollected, with the tenacious memory of a lover, to have

-      seen, on the fatal morning of the massacre, dangling from the fair neck of

-      his mistress. He seized the highly prized jewel; and as he proclaimed the

-      fact, it vanished from the eyes of the wondering scout, who in vain looked

-      for it on the ground, long after it was warmly pressed against the beating

-      heart of Duncan.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Pshaw!&rdquo; said the disappointed Hawkeye, ceasing to rake the leaves with

-      the breech of his rifle; &ldquo;'tis a certain sign of age, when the sight

-      begins to weaken. Such a glittering gewgaw, and not to be seen! Well,

-      well, I can squint along a clouded barrel yet, and that is enough to

-      settle all disputes between me and the Mingoes. I should like to find the

-      thing, too, if it were only to carry it to the right owner, and that would

-      be bringing the two ends of what I call a long trail together, for by this

-      time the broad St. Lawrence, or perhaps, the Great Lakes themselves, are

-      between us.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;So much the more reason why we should not delay our march,&rdquo; returned

-      Heyward; &ldquo;let us proceed.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Young blood and hot blood, they say, are much the same thing. We are not

-      about to start on a squirrel hunt, or to drive a deer into the Horican,

-      but to outlie for days and nights, and to stretch across a wilderness

-      where the feet of men seldom go, and where no bookish knowledge would

-      carry you through harmless. An Indian never starts on such an expedition

-      without smoking over his council-fire; and, though a man of white blood, I

-      honor their customs in this particular, seeing that they are deliberate

-      and wise. We will, therefore, go back, and light our fire to-night in the

-      ruins of the old fort, and in the morning we shall be fresh, and ready to

-      undertake our work like men, and not like babbling women or eager boys.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward saw, by the manner of the scout, that altercation would be

-      useless. Munro had again sunk into that sort of apathy which had beset him

-      since his late overwhelming misfortunes, and from which he was apparently

-      to be roused only by some new and powerful excitement. Making a merit of

-      necessity, the young man took the veteran by the arm, and followed in the

-      footsteps of the Indians and the scout, who had already begun to retrace

-      the path which conducted them to the plain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0018" id="link2HCH0018">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 19

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Salar.&mdash;Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take

-     his flesh; what's that good for?

-     Shy.&mdash;To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it

-     will feed my revenge.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Merchant of Venice

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The shades of evening had come to increase the dreariness of the place,

-      when the party entered the ruins of William Henry. The scout and his

-      companions immediately made their preparations to pass the night there;

-      but with an earnestness and sobriety of demeanor that betrayed how much

-      the unusual horrors they had just witnessed worked on even their practised

-      feelings. A few fragments of rafters were reared against a blackened wall;

-      and when Uncas had covered them slightly with brush, the temporary

-      accommodations were deemed sufficient. The young Indian pointed toward his

-      rude hut when his labor was ended; and Heyward, who understood the meaning

-      of the silent gestures, gently urged Munro to enter. Leaving the bereaved

-      old man alone with his sorrows, Duncan immediately returned into the open

-      air, too much excited himself to seek the repose he had recommended to his

-      veteran friend.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While Hawkeye and the Indians lighted their fire and took their evening's

-      repast, a frugal meal of dried bear's meat, the young man paid a visit to

-      that curtain of the dilapidated fort which looked out on the sheet of the

-      Horican. The wind had fallen, and the waves were already rolling on the

-      sandy beach beneath him, in a more regular and tempered succession. The

-      clouds, as if tired of their furious chase, were breaking asunder; the

-      heavier volumes, gathering in black masses about the horizon, while the

-      lighter scud still hurried above the water, or eddied among the tops of

-      the mountains, like broken flights of birds, hovering around their roosts.

-      Here and there, a red and fiery star struggled through the drifting vapor,

-      furnishing a lurid gleam of brightness to the dull aspect of the heavens.

-      Within the bosom of the encircling hills, an impenetrable darkness had

-      already settled; and the plain lay like a vast and deserted charnel-house,

-      without omen or whisper to disturb the slumbers of its numerous and

-      hapless tenants.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Of this scene, so chillingly in accordance with the past, Duncan stood for

-      many minutes a rapt observer. His eyes wandered from the bosom of the

-      mound, where the foresters were seated around their glimmering fire, to

-      the fainter light which still lingered in the skies, and then rested long

-      and anxiously on the embodied gloom, which lay like a dreary void on that

-      side of him where the dead reposed. He soon fancied that inexplicable

-      sounds arose from the place, though so indistinct and stolen, as to render

-      not only their nature but even their existence uncertain. Ashamed of his

-      apprehensions, the young man turned toward the water, and strove to divert

-      his attention to the mimic stars that dimly glimmered on its moving

-      surface. Still, his too-conscious ears performed their ungrateful duty, as

-      if to warn him of some lurking danger. At length, a swift trampling

-      seemed, quite audibly, to rush athwart the darkness. Unable any longer to

-      quiet his uneasiness, Duncan spoke in a low voice to the scout, requesting

-      him to ascend the mound to the place where he stood. Hawkeye threw his

-      rifle across an arm and complied, but with an air so unmoved and calm, as

-      to prove how much he counted on the security of their position.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Listen!&rdquo; said Duncan, when the other placed himself deliberately at his

-      elbow; &ldquo;there are suppressed noises on the plain which may show Montcalm

-      has not yet entirely deserted his conquest.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then ears are better than eyes,&rdquo; said the undisturbed scout, who, having

-      just deposited a portion of a bear between his grinders, spoke thick and

-      slow, like one whose mouth was doubly occupied. &ldquo;I myself saw him caged in

-      Ty, with all his host; for your Frenchers, when they have done a clever

-      thing, like to get back, and have a dance, or a merry-making, with the

-      women over their success.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I know not. An Indian seldom sleeps in war, and plunder may keep a Huron

-      here after his tribe has departed. It would be well to extinguish the

-      fire, and have a watch&mdash;listen! you hear the noise I mean!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;An Indian more rarely lurks about the graves. Though ready to slay, and

-      not over regardful of the means, he is commonly content with the scalp,

-      unless when blood is hot, and temper up; but after spirit is once fairly

-      gone, he forgets his enmity, and is willing to let the dead find their

-      natural rest. Speaking of spirits, major, are you of opinion that the

-      heaven of a red-skin and of us whites will be of one and the same?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No doubt&mdash;no doubt. I thought I heard it again! or was it the

-      rustling of the leaves in the top of the beech?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;For my own part,&rdquo; continued Hawkeye, turning his face for a moment in the

-      direction indicated by Heyward, but with a vacant and careless manner, &ldquo;I

-      believe that paradise is ordained for happiness; and that men will be

-      indulged in it according to their dispositions and gifts. I, therefore,

-      judge that a red-skin is not far from the truth when he believes he is to

-      find them glorious hunting grounds of which his traditions tell; nor, for

-      that matter, do I think it would be any disparagement to a man without a

-      cross to pass his time&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You hear it again?&rdquo; interrupted Duncan.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, ay; when food is scarce, and when food is plenty, a wolf grows bold,&rdquo;

-       said the unmoved scout. &ldquo;There would be picking, too, among the skins of

-      the devils, if there was light and time for the sport. But, concerning the

-      life that is to come, major; I have heard preachers say, in the

-      settlements, that heaven was a place of rest. Now, men's minds differ as

-      to their ideas of enjoyment. For myself, and I say it with reverence to

-      the ordering of Providence, it would be no great indulgence to be kept

-      shut up in those mansions of which they preach, having a natural longing

-      for motion and the chase.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, who was now made to understand the nature of the noise he had

-      heard, answered, with more attention to the subject which the humor of the

-      scout had chosen for discussion, by saying:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is difficult to account for the feelings that may attend the last

-      great change.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It would be a change, indeed, for a man who has passed his days in the

-      open air,&rdquo; returned the single-minded scout; &ldquo;and who has so often broken

-      his fast on the head waters of the Hudson, to sleep within sound of the

-      roaring Mohawk. But it is a comfort to know we serve a merciful Master,

-      though we do it each after his fashion, and with great tracts of

-      wilderness atween us&mdash;what goes there?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is it not the rushing of the wolves you have mentioned?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye slowly shook his head, and beckoned for Duncan to follow him to a

-      spot to which the glare from the fire did not extend. When he had taken

-      this precaution, the scout placed himself in an attitude of intense

-      attention and listened long and keenly for a repetition of the low sound

-      that had so unexpectedly startled him. His vigilance, however, seemed

-      exercised in vain; for after a fruitless pause, he whispered to Duncan:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We must give a call to Uncas. The boy has Indian senses, and he may hear

-      what is hid from us; for, being a white-skin, I will not deny my nature.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Mohican, who was conversing in a low voice with his father,

-      started as he heard the moaning of an owl, and, springing on his feet, he

-      looked toward the black mounds, as if seeking the place whence the sounds

-      proceeded. The scout repeated the call, and in a few moments, Duncan saw

-      the figure of Uncas stealing cautiously along the rampart, to the spot

-      where they stood.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye explained his wishes in a very few words, which were spoken in the

-      Delaware tongue. So soon as Uncas was in possession of the reason why he

-      was summoned, he threw himself flat on the turf; where, to the eyes of

-      Duncan, he appeared to lie quiet and motionless. Surprised at the

-      immovable attitude of the young warrior, and curious to observe the manner

-      in which he employed his faculties to obtain the desired information,

-      Heyward advanced a few steps, and bent over the dark object on which he

-      had kept his eye riveted. Then it was he discovered that the form of Uncas

-      vanished, and that he beheld only the dark outline of an inequality in the

-      embankment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What has become of the Mohican?&rdquo; he demanded of the scout, stepping back

-      in amazement; &ldquo;it was here that I saw him fall, and could have sworn that

-      here he yet remained.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hist! speak lower; for we know not what ears are open, and the Mingoes

-      are a quick-witted breed. As for Uncas, he is out on the plain, and the

-      Maquas, if any such are about us, will find their equal.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You think that Montcalm has not called off all his Indians? Let us give

-      the alarm to our companions, that we may stand to our arms. Here are five

-      of us, who are not unused to meet an enemy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not a word to either, as you value your life. Look at the Sagamore, how

-      like a grand Indian chief he sits by the fire. If there are any skulkers

-      out in the darkness, they will never discover, by his countenance, that we

-      suspect danger at hand.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But they may discover him, and it will prove his death. His person can be

-      too plainly seen by the light of that fire, and he will become the first

-      and most certain victim.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is undeniable that now you speak the truth,&rdquo; returned the scout,

-      betraying more anxiety than was usual; &ldquo;yet what can be done? A single

-      suspicious look might bring on an attack before we are ready to receive

-      it. He knows, by the call I gave to Uncas, that we have struck a scent; I

-      will tell him that we are on the trail of the Mingoes; his Indian nature

-      will teach him how to act.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout applied his fingers to his mouth, and raised a low hissing

-      sound, that caused Duncan at first to start aside, believing that he heard

-      a serpent. The head of Chingachgook was resting on a hand, as he sat

-      musing by himself but the moment he had heard the warning of the animal

-      whose name he bore, he arose to an upright position, and his dark eyes

-      glanced swiftly and keenly on every side of him. With his sudden and,

-      perhaps, involuntary movement, every appearance of surprise or alarm

-      ended. His rifle lay untouched, and apparently unnoticed, within reach of

-      his hand. The tomahawk that he had loosened in his belt for the sake of

-      ease, was even suffered to fall from its usual situation to the ground,

-      and his form seemed to sink, like that of a man whose nerves and sinews

-      were suffered to relax for the purpose of rest. Cunningly resuming his

-      former position, though with a change of hands, as if the movement had

-      been made merely to relieve the limb, the native awaited the result with a

-      calmness and fortitude that none but an Indian warrior would have known

-      how to exercise.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But Heyward saw that while to a less instructed eye the Mohican chief

-      appeared to slumber, his nostrils were expanded, his head was turned a

-      little to one side, as if to assist the organs of hearing, and that his

-      quick and rapid glances ran incessantly over every object within the power

-      of his vision.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;See the noble fellow!&rdquo; whispered Hawkeye, pressing the arm of Heyward;

-      &ldquo;he knows that a look or a motion might disconsart our schemes, and put us

-      at the mercy of them imps&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He was interrupted by the flash and report of a rifle. The air was filled

-      with sparks of fire, around that spot where the eyes of Heyward were still

-      fastened, with admiration and wonder. A second look told him that

-      Chingachgook had disappeared in the confusion. In the meantime, the scout

-      had thrown forward his rifle, like one prepared for service, and awaited

-      impatiently the moment when an enemy might rise to view. But with the

-      solitary and fruitless attempt made on the life of Chingachgook, the

-      attack appeared to have terminated. Once or twice the listeners thought

-      they could distinguish the distant rustling of bushes, as bodies of some

-      unknown description rushed through them; nor was it long before Hawkeye

-      pointed out the &ldquo;scampering of the wolves,&rdquo; as they fled precipitately

-      before the passage of some intruder on their proper domains. After an

-      impatient and breathless pause, a plunge was heard in the water, and it

-      was immediately followed by the report of another rifle.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There goes Uncas!&rdquo; said the scout; &ldquo;the boy bears a smart piece! I know

-      its crack, as well as a father knows the language of his child, for I

-      carried the gun myself until a better offered.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What can this mean?&rdquo; demanded Duncan, &ldquo;we are watched, and, as it would

-      seem, marked for destruction.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yonder scattered brand can witness that no good was intended, and this

-      Indian will testify that no harm has been done,&rdquo; returned the scout,

-      dropping his rifle across his arm again, and following Chingachgook, who

-      just then reappeared within the circle of light, into the bosom of the

-      work. &ldquo;How is it, Sagamore? Are the Mingoes upon us in earnest, or is it

-      only one of those reptiles who hang upon the skirts of a war-party, to

-      scalp the dead, go in, and make their boast among the squaws of the

-      valiant deeds done on the pale faces?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook very quietly resumed his seat; nor did he make any reply,

-      until after he had examined the firebrand which had been struck by the

-      bullet that had nearly proved fatal to himself. After which he was content

-      to reply, holding a single finger up to view, with the English

-      monosyllable:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;One.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I thought as much,&rdquo; returned Hawkeye, seating himself; &ldquo;and as he had got

-      the cover of the lake afore Uncas pulled upon him, it is more than

-      probable the knave will sing his lies about some great ambushment, in

-      which he was outlying on the trail of two Mohicans and a white hunter&mdash;for

-      the officers can be considered as little better than idlers in such a

-      scrimmage. Well, let him&mdash;let him. There are always some honest men

-      in every nation, though heaven knows, too, that they are scarce among the

-      Maquas, to look down an upstart when he brags ag'in the face of reason.

-      The varlet sent his lead within whistle of your ears, Sagamore.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook turned a calm and incurious eye toward the place where the

-      ball had struck, and then resumed his former attitude, with a composure

-      that could not be disturbed by so trifling an incident. Just then Uncas

-      glided into the circle, and seated himself at the fire, with the same

-      appearance of indifference as was maintained by his father.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Of these several moments Heyward was a deeply interested and wondering

-      observer. It appeared to him as though the foresters had some secret means

-      of intelligence, which had escaped the vigilance of his own faculties. In

-      place of that eager and garrulous narration with which a white youth would

-      have endeavored to communicate, and perhaps exaggerate, that which had

-      passed out in the darkness of the plain, the young warrior was seemingly

-      content to let his deeds speak for themselves. It was, in fact, neither

-      the moment nor the occasion for an Indian to boast of his exploits; and it

-      is probably that, had Heyward neglected to inquire, not another syllable

-      would, just then, have been uttered on the subject.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What has become of our enemy, Uncas?&rdquo; demanded Duncan; &ldquo;we heard your

-      rifle, and hoped you had not fired in vain.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young chief removed a fold of his hunting skirt, and quietly exposed

-      the fatal tuft of hair, which he bore as the symbol of victory.

-      Chingachgook laid his hand on the scalp, and considered it for a moment

-      with deep attention. Then dropping it, with disgust depicted in his strong

-      features, he ejaculated:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Oneida!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Oneida!&rdquo; repeated the scout, who was fast losing his interest in the

-      scene, in an apathy nearly assimilated to that of his red associates, but

-      who now advanced in uncommon earnestness to regard the bloody badge. &ldquo;By

-      the Lord, if the Oneidas are outlying upon the trail, we shall by flanked

-      by devils on every side of us! Now, to white eyes there is no difference

-      between this bit of skin and that of any other Indian, and yet the

-      Sagamore declares it came from the poll of a Mingo; nay, he even names the

-      tribe of the poor devil, with as much ease as if the scalp was the leaf of

-      a book, and each hair a letter. What right have Christian whites to boast

-      of their learning, when a savage can read a language that would prove too

-      much for the wisest of them all! What say you, lad, of what people was the

-      knave?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas raised his eyes to the face of the scout, and answered, in his soft

-      voice:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Oneida.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Oneida, again! when one Indian makes a declaration it is commonly true;

-      but when he is supported by his people, set it down as gospel!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The poor fellow has mistaken us for French,&rdquo; said Heyward; &ldquo;or he would

-      not have attempted the life of a friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He mistake a Mohican in his paint for a Huron! You would be as likely to

-      mistake the white-coated grenadiers of Montcalm for the scarlet jackets of

-      the Royal Americans,&rdquo; returned the scout. &ldquo;No, no, the sarpent knew his

-      errand; nor was there any great mistake in the matter, for there is but

-      little love atween a Delaware and a Mingo, let their tribes go out to

-      fight for whom they may, in a white quarrel. For that matter, though the

-      Oneidas do serve his sacred majesty, who is my sovereign lord and master,

-      I should not have deliberated long about letting off 'killdeer' at the imp

-      myself, had luck thrown him in my way.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That would have been an abuse of our treaties, and unworthy of your

-      character.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When a man consort much with a people,&rdquo; continued Hawkeye, &ldquo;if they were

-      honest and he no knave, love will grow up atwixt them. It is true that

-      white cunning has managed to throw the tribes into great confusion, as

-      respects friends and enemies; so that the Hurons and the Oneidas, who

-      speak the same tongue, or what may be called the same, take each other's

-      scalps, and the Delawares are divided among themselves; a few hanging

-      about their great council-fire on their own river, and fighting on the

-      same side with the Mingoes while the greater part are in the Canadas, out

-      of natural enmity to the Maquas&mdash;thus throwing everything into

-      disorder, and destroying all the harmony of warfare. Yet a red natur' is

-      not likely to alter with every shift of policy; so that the love atwixt a

-      Mohican and a Mingo is much like the regard between a white man and a

-      sarpent.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I regret to hear it; for I had believed those natives who dwelt within

-      our boundaries had found us too just and liberal, not to identify

-      themselves fully with our quarrels.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why, I believe it is natur' to give a preference to one's own quarrels

-      before those of strangers. Now, for myself, I do love justice; and,

-      therefore, I will not say I hate a Mingo, for that may be unsuitable to my

-      color and my religion, though I will just repeat, it may have been owing

-      to the night that 'killdeer' had no hand in the death of this skulking

-      Oneida.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, as if satisfied with the force of his own reasons, whatever might be

-      their effect on the opinions of the other disputant, the honest but

-      implacable woodsman turned from the fire, content to let the controversy

-      slumber. Heyward withdrew to the rampart, too uneasy and too little

-      accustomed to the warfare of the woods to remain at ease under the

-      possibility of such insidious attacks. Not so, however, with the scout and

-      the Mohicans. Those acute and long-practised senses, whose powers so often

-      exceed the limits of all ordinary credulity, after having detected the

-      danger, had enabled them to ascertain its magnitude and duration. Not one

-      of the three appeared in the least to doubt their perfect security, as was

-      indicated by the preparations that were soon made to sit in council over

-      their future proceedings.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The confusion of nations, and even of tribes, to which Hawkeye alluded,

-      existed at that period in the fullest force. The great tie of language,

-      and, of course, of a common origin, was severed in many places; and it was

-      one of its consequences, that the Delaware and the Mingo (as the people of

-      the Six Nations were called) were found fighting in the same ranks, while

-      the latter sought the scalp of the Huron, though believed to be the root

-      of his own stock. The Delawares were even divided among themselves. Though

-      love for the soil which had belonged to his ancestors kept the Sagamore of

-      the Mohicans with a small band of followers who were serving at Edward,

-      under the banners of the English king, by far the largest portion of his

-      nation were known to be in the field as allies of Montcalm. The reader

-      probably knows, if enough has not already been gleaned form this

-      narrative, that the Delaware, or Lenape, claimed to be the progenitors of

-      that numerous people, who once were masters of most of the eastern and

-      northern states of America, of whom the community of the Mohicans was an

-      ancient and highly honored member.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was, of course, with a perfect understanding of the minute and

-      intricate interests which had armed friend against friend, and brought

-      natural enemies to combat by each other's side, that the scout and his

-      companions now disposed themselves to deliberate on the measures that were

-      to govern their future movements, amid so many jarring and savage races of

-      men. Duncan knew enough of Indian customs to understand the reason that

-      the fire was replenished, and why the warriors, not excepting Hawkeye,

-      took their seats within the curl of its smoke with so much gravity and

-      decorum. Placing himself at an angle of the works, where he might be a

-      spectator of the scene without, he awaited the result with as much

-      patience as he could summon.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After a short and impressive pause, Chingachgook lighted a pipe whose bowl

-      was curiously carved in one of the soft stones of the country, and whose

-      stem was a tube of wood, and commenced smoking. When he had inhaled enough

-      of the fragrance of the soothing weed, he passed the instrument into the

-      hands of the scout. In this manner the pipe had made its rounds three

-      several times, amid the most profound silence, before either of the party

-      opened his lips. Then the Sagamore, as the oldest and highest in rank, in

-      a few calm and dignified words, proposed the subject for deliberation. He

-      was answered by the scout; and Chingachgook rejoined, when the other

-      objected to his opinions. But the youthful Uncas continued a silent and

-      respectful listener, until Hawkeye, in complaisance, demanded his opinion.

-      Heyward gathered from the manners of the different speakers, that the

-      father and son espoused one side of a disputed question, while the white

-      man maintained the other. The contest gradually grew warmer, until it was

-      quite evident the feelings of the speakers began to be somewhat enlisted

-      in the debate.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Notwithstanding the increasing warmth of the amicable contest, the most

-      decorous Christian assembly, not even excepting those in which its

-      reverend ministers are collected, might have learned a wholesome lesson of

-      moderation from the forbearance and courtesy of the disputants. The words

-      of Uncas were received with the same deep attention as those which fell

-      from the maturer wisdom of his father; and so far from manifesting any

-      impatience, neither spoke in reply, until a few moments of silent

-      meditation were, seemingly, bestowed in deliberating on what had already

-      been said.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The language of the Mohicans was accompanied by gestures so direct and

-      natural that Heyward had but little difficulty in following the thread of

-      their argument. On the other hand, the scout was obscure; because from the

-      lingering pride of color, he rather affected the cold and artificial

-      manner which characterizes all classes of Anglo-Americans when unexcited.

-      By the frequency with which the Indians described the marks of a forest

-      trial, it was evident they urged a pursuit by land, while the repeated

-      sweep of Hawkeye's arm toward the Horican denoted that he was for a

-      passage across its waters.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The latter was to every appearance fast losing ground, and the point was

-      about to be decided against him, when he arose to his feet, and shaking

-      off his apathy, he suddenly assumed the manner of an Indian, and adopted

-      all the arts of native eloquence. Elevating an arm, he pointed out the

-      track of the sun, repeating the gesture for every day that was necessary

-      to accomplish their objects. Then he delineated a long and painful path,

-      amid rocks and water-courses. The age and weakness of the slumbering and

-      unconscious Munro were indicated by signs too palpable to be mistaken.

-      Duncan perceived that even his own powers were spoken lightly of, as the

-      scout extended his palm, and mentioned him by the appellation of the &ldquo;Open

-      Hand&rdquo;&mdash;a name his liberality had purchased of all the friendly

-      tribes. Then came a representation of the light and graceful movements of

-      a canoe, set in forcible contrast to the tottering steps of one enfeebled

-      and tired. He concluded by pointing to the scalp of the Oneida, and

-      apparently urging the necessity of their departing speedily, and in a

-      manner that should leave no trail.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/5015.jpg" alt="5015" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/5015.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      The Mohicans listened gravely, and with countenances that reflected the

-      sentiments of the speaker. Conviction gradually wrought its influence, and

-      toward the close of Hawkeye's speech, his sentences were accompanied by

-      the customary exclamation of commendation. In short, Uncas and his father

-      became converts to his way of thinking, abandoning their own previously

-      expressed opinions with a liberality and candor that, had they been the

-      representatives of some great and civilized people, would have infallibly

-      worked their political ruin, by destroying forever their reputation for

-      consistency.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The instant the matter in discussion was decided, the debate, and

-      everything connected with it, except the result appeared to be forgotten.

-      Hawkeye, without looking round to read his triumph in applauding eyes,

-      very composedly stretched his tall frame before the dying embers, and

-      closed his own organs in sleep.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Left now in a measure to themselves, the Mohicans, whose time had been so

-      much devoted to the interests of others, seized the moment to devote some

-      attention to themselves. Casting off at once the grave and austere

-      demeanor of an Indian chief, Chingachgook commenced speaking to his son in

-      the soft and playful tones of affection. Uncas gladly met the familiar air

-      of his father; and before the hard breathing of the scout announced that

-      he slept, a complete change was effected in the manner of his two

-      associates.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It is impossible to describe the music of their language, while thus

-      engaged in laughter and endearments, in such a way as to render it

-      intelligible to those whose ears have never listened to its melody. The

-      compass of their voices, particularly that of the youth, was wonderful&mdash;extending

-      from the deepest bass to tones that were even feminine in softness. The

-      eyes of the father followed the plastic and ingenious movements of the son

-      with open delight, and he never failed to smile in reply to the other's

-      contagious but low laughter. While under the influence of these gentle and

-      natural feelings, no trace of ferocity was to be seen in the softened

-      features of the Sagamore. His figured panoply of death looked more like a

-      disguise assumed in mockery than a fierce annunciation of a desire to

-      carry destruction in his footsteps.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After an hour had passed in the indulgence of their better feelings,

-      Chingachgook abruptly announced his desire to sleep, by wrapping his head

-      in his blanket and stretching his form on the naked earth. The merriment

-      of Uncas instantly ceased; and carefully raking the coals in such a manner

-      that they should impart their warmth to his father's feet, the youth

-      sought his own pillow among the ruins of the place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Imbibing renewed confidence from the security of these experienced

-      foresters, Heyward soon imitated their example; and long before the night

-      had turned, they who lay in the bosom of the ruined work, seemed to

-      slumber as heavily as the unconscious multitude whose bones were already

-      beginning to bleach on the surrounding plain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0019" id="link2HCH0019">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 20

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Land of Albania! let me bend mine eyes

-     On thee; thou rugged nurse of savage men!&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Childe Harold

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The heavens were still studded with stars, when Hawkeye came to arouse the

-      sleepers. Casting aside their cloaks Munro and Heyward were on their feet

-      while the woodsman was still making his low calls, at the entrance of the

-      rude shelter where they had passed the night. When they issued from

-      beneath its concealment, they found the scout awaiting their appearance

-      nigh by, and the only salutation between them was the significant gesture

-      for silence, made by their sagacious leader.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Think over your prayers,&rdquo; he whispered, as they approached him; &ldquo;for He

-      to whom you make them, knows all tongues; that of the heart, as well as

-      those of the mouth. But speak not a syllable; it is rare for a white voice

-      to pitch itself properly in the woods, as we have seen by the example of

-      that miserable devil, the singer. Come,&rdquo; he continued, turning toward a

-      curtain of the works; &ldquo;let us get into the ditch on this side, and be

-      regardful to step on the stones and fragments of wood as you go.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      His companions complied, though to two of them the reasons of this

-      extraordinary precaution were yet a mystery. When they were in the low

-      cavity that surrounded the earthen fort on three sides, they found that

-      passage nearly choked by the ruins. With care and patience, however, they

-      succeeded in clambering after the scout, until they reached the sandy

-      shore of the Horican.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That's a trail that nothing but a nose can follow,&rdquo; said the satisfied

-      scout, looking back along their difficult way; &ldquo;grass is a treacherous

-      carpet for a flying party to tread on, but wood and stone take no print

-      from a moccasin. Had you worn your armed boots, there might, indeed, have

-      been something to fear; but with the deer-skin suitably prepared, a man

-      may trust himself, generally, on rocks with safety. Shove in the canoe

-      nigher to the land, Uncas; this sand will take a stamp as easily as the

-      butter of the Jarmans on the Mohawk. Softly, lad, softly; it must not

-      touch the beach, or the knaves will know by what road we have left the

-      place.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young man observed the precaution; and the scout, laying a board from

-      the ruins to the canoe, made a sign for the two officers to enter. When

-      this was done, everything was studiously restored to its former disorder;

-      and then Hawkeye succeeded in reaching his little birchen vessel, without

-      leaving behind him any of those marks which he appeared so much to dread.

-      Heyward was silent until the Indians had cautiously paddled the canoe some

-      distance from the fort, and within the broad and dark shadows that fell

-      from the eastern mountain on the glassy surface of the lake; then he

-      demanded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What need have we for this stolen and hurried departure?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If the blood of an Oneida could stain such a sheet of pure water as this

-      we float on,&rdquo; returned the scout, &ldquo;your two eyes would answer your own

-      question. Have you forgotten the skulking reptile Uncas slew?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;By no means. But he was said to be alone, and dead men give no cause for

-      fear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, he was alone in his deviltry! but an Indian whose tribe counts so

-      many warriors, need seldom fear his blood will run without the death

-      shriek coming speedily from some of his enemies.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But our presence&mdash;the authority of Colonel Munro&mdash;would prove

-      sufficient protection against the anger of our allies, especially in a

-      case where the wretch so well merited his fate. I trust in Heaven you have

-      not deviated a single foot from the direct line of our course with so

-      slight a reason!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do you think the bullet of that varlet's rifle would have turned aside,

-      though his sacred majesty the king had stood in its path?&rdquo; returned the

-      stubborn scout. &ldquo;Why did not the grand Frencher, he who is captain-general

-      of the Canadas, bury the tomahawks of the Hurons, if a word from a white

-      can work so strongly on the natur' of an Indian?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The reply of Heyward was interrupted by a groan from Munro; but after he

-      had paused a moment, in deference to the sorrow of his aged friend he

-      resumed the subject.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The marquis of Montcalm can only settle that error with his God,&rdquo; said

-      the young man solemnly.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, ay, now there is reason in your words, for they are bottomed on

-      religion and honesty. There is a vast difference between throwing a

-      regiment of white coats atwixt the tribes and the prisoners, and coaxing

-      an angry savage to forget he carries a knife and rifle, with words that

-      must begin with calling him your son. No, no,&rdquo; continued the scout,

-      looking back at the dim shore of William Henry, which was now fast

-      receding, and laughing in his own silent but heartfelt manner; &ldquo;I have put

-      a trail of water atween us; and unless the imps can make friends with the

-      fishes, and hear who has paddled across their basin this fine morning, we

-      shall throw the length of the Horican behind us before they have made up

-      their minds which path to take.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;With foes in front, and foes in our rear, our journey is like to be one

-      of danger.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Danger!&rdquo; repeated Hawkeye, calmly; &ldquo;no, not absolutely of danger; for,

-      with vigilant ears and quick eyes, we can manage to keep a few hours ahead

-      of the knaves; or, if we must try the rifle, there are three of us who

-      understand its gifts as well as any you can name on the borders. No, not

-      of danger; but that we shall have what you may call a brisk push of it, is

-      probable; and it may happen, a brush, a scrimmage, or some such divarsion,

-      but always where covers are good, and ammunition abundant.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      It is possible that Heyward's estimate of danger differed in some degree

-      from that of the scout, for, instead of replying, he now sat in silence,

-      while the canoe glided over several miles of water. Just as the day

-      dawned, they entered the narrows of the lake*, and stole swiftly and

-      cautiously among their numberless little islands. It was by this road that

-      Montcalm had retired with his army, and the adventurers knew not but he

-      had left some of his Indians in ambush, to protect the rear of his forces,

-      and collect the stragglers. They, therefore, approached the passage with

-      the customary silence of their guarded habits.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The beauties of Lake George are well known to every

-     American tourist. In the height of the mountains which

-     surround it, and in artificial accessories, it is inferior

-     to the finest of the Swiss and Italian lakes, while in

-     outline and purity of water it is fully their equal; and in

-     the number and disposition of its isles and islets much

-     superior to them all together. There are said to be some

-     hundreds of islands in a sheet of water less than thirty

-     miles long. The narrows, which connect what may be called,

-     in truth, two lakes, are crowded with islands to such a

-     degree as to leave passages between them frequently of only

-     a few feet in width. The lake itself varies in breadth from

-     one to three miles.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook laid aside his paddle; while Uncas and the scout urged the

-      light vessel through crooked and intricate channels, where every foot that

-      they advanced exposed them to the danger of some sudden rising on their

-      progress. The eyes of the Sagamore moved warily from islet to islet, and

-      copse to copse, as the canoe proceeded; and, when a clearer sheet of water

-      permitted, his keen vision was bent along the bald rocks and impending

-      forests that frowned upon the narrow strait.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward, who was a doubly interested spectator, as well from the beauties

-      of the place as from the apprehension natural to his situation, was just

-      believing that he had permitted the latter to be excited without

-      sufficient reason, when the paddle ceased moving, in obedience to a signal

-      from Chingachgook.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; exclaimed Uncas, nearly at the moment that the light tap his

-      father had made on the side of the canoe notified them of the vicinity of

-      danger.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What now?&rdquo; asked the scout; &ldquo;the lake is as smooth as if the winds had

-      never blown, and I can see along its sheet for miles; there is not so much

-      as the black head of a loon dotting the water.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian gravely raised his paddle, and pointed in the direction in

-      which his own steady look was riveted. Duncan's eyes followed the motion.

-      A few rods in their front lay another of the wooded islets, but it

-      appeared as calm and peaceful as if its solitude had never been disturbed

-      by the foot of man.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I see nothing,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but land and water; and a lovely scene it is.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hist!&rdquo; interrupted the scout. &ldquo;Ay, Sagamore, there is always a reason for

-      what you do. 'Tis but a shade, and yet it is not natural. You see the

-      mist, major, that is rising above the island; you can't call it a fog, for

-      it is more like a streak of thin cloud&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is vapor from the water.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That a child could tell. But what is the edging of blacker smoke that

-      hangs along its lower side, and which you may trace down into the thicket

-      of hazel? 'Tis from a fire; but one that, in my judgment, has been

-      suffered to burn low.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let us, then, push for the place, and relieve our doubts,&rdquo; said the

-      impatient Duncan; &ldquo;the party must be small that can lie on such a bit of

-      land.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If you judge of Indian cunning by the rules you find in books, or by

-      white sagacity, they will lead you astray, if not to your death,&rdquo; returned

-      Hawkeye, examining the signs of the place with that acuteness which

-      distinguished him. &ldquo;If I may be permitted to speak in this matter, it will

-      be to say, that we have but two things to choose between: the one is, to

-      return, and give up all thoughts of following the Hurons&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Never!&rdquo; exclaimed Heyward, in a voice far too loud for their

-      circumstances.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well, well,&rdquo; continued Hawkeye, making a hasty sign to repress his

-      impatience; &ldquo;I am much of your mind myself; though I thought it becoming

-      my experience to tell the whole. We must, then, make a push, and if the

-      Indians or Frenchers are in the narrows, run the gauntlet through these

-      toppling mountains. Is there reason in my words, Sagamore?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian made no other answer than by dropping his paddle into the

-      water, and urging forward the canoe. As he held the office of directing

-      its course, his resolution was sufficiently indicated by the movement. The

-      whole party now plied their paddles vigorously, and in a very few moments

-      they had reached a point whence they might command an entire view of the

-      northern shore of the island, the side that had hitherto been concealed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There they are, by all the truth of signs,&rdquo; whispered the scout, &ldquo;two

-      canoes and a smoke. The knaves haven't yet got their eyes out of the mist,

-      or we should hear the accursed whoop. Together, friends! we are leaving

-      them, and are already nearly out of whistle of a bullet.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The well-known crack of a rifle, whose ball came skipping along the placid

-      surface of the strait, and a shrill yell from the island, interrupted his

-      speech, and announced that their passage was discovered. In another

-      instant several savages were seen rushing into canoes, which were soon

-      dancing over the water in pursuit. These fearful precursors of a coming

-      struggle produced no change in the countenances and movements of his three

-      guides, so far as Duncan could discover, except that the strokes of their

-      paddles were longer and more in unison, and caused the little bark to

-      spring forward like a creature possessing life and volition.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold them there, Sagamore,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, looking coolly backward over

-      this left shoulder, while he still plied his paddle; &ldquo;keep them just

-      there. Them Hurons have never a piece in their nation that will execute at

-      this distance; but 'killdeer' has a barrel on which a man may calculate.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0271.jpg" alt="0271" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0271.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were sufficient of

-      themselves to maintain the requisite distance, deliberately laid aside his

-      paddle, and raised the fatal rifle. Three several times he brought the

-      piece to his shoulder, and when his companions were expecting its report,

-      he as often lowered it to request the Indians would permit their enemies

-      to approach a little nigher. At length his accurate and fastidious eye

-      seemed satisfied, and, throwing out his left arm on the barrel, he was

-      slowly elevating the muzzle, when an exclamation from Uncas, who sat in

-      the bow, once more caused him to suspend the shot.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What, now, lad?&rdquo; demanded Hawkeye; &ldquo;you save a Huron from the

-      death-shriek by that word; have you reason for what you do?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas pointed toward a rocky shore a little in their front, whence another

-      war canoe was darting directly across their course. It was too obvious now

-      that their situation was imminently perilous to need the aid of language

-      to confirm it. The scout laid aside his rifle, and resumed the paddle,

-      while Chingachgook inclined the bows of the canoe a little toward the

-      western shore, in order to increase the distance between them and this new

-      enemy. In the meantime they were reminded of the presence of those who

-      pressed upon their rear, by wild and exulting shouts. The stirring scene

-      awakened even Munro from his apathy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let us make for the rocks on the main,&rdquo; he said, with the mien of a tired

-      soldier, &ldquo;and give battle to the savages. God forbid that I, or those

-      attached to me and mine, should ever trust again to the faith of any

-      servant of the Louis's!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He who wishes to prosper in Indian warfare,&rdquo; returned the scout, &ldquo;must

-      not be too proud to learn from the wit of a native. Lay her more along the

-      land, Sagamore; we are doubling on the varlets, and perhaps they may try

-      to strike our trail on the long calculation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye was not mistaken; for when the Hurons found their course was

-      likely to throw them behind their chase they rendered it less direct,

-      until, by gradually bearing more and more obliquely, the two canoes were,

-      ere long, gliding on parallel lines, within two hundred yards of each

-      other. It now became entirely a trial of speed. So rapid was the progress

-      of the light vessels, that the lake curled in their front, in miniature

-      waves, and their motion became undulating by its own velocity. It was,

-      perhaps, owing to this circumstance, in addition to the necessity of

-      keeping every hand employed at the paddles, that the Hurons had not

-      immediate recourse to their firearms. The exertions of the fugitives were

-      too severe to continue long, and the pursuers had the advantage of

-      numbers. Duncan observed with uneasiness, that the scout began to look

-      anxiously about him, as if searching for some further means of assisting

-      their flight.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Edge her a little more from the sun, Sagamore,&rdquo; said the stubborn

-      woodsman; &ldquo;I see the knaves are sparing a man to the rifle. A single

-      broken bone might lose us our scalps. Edge more from the sun and we will

-      put the island between us.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The expedient was not without its use. A long, low island lay at a little

-      distance before them, and, as they closed with it, the chasing canoe was

-      compelled to take a side opposite to that on which the pursued passed. The

-      scout and his companions did not neglect this advantage, but the instant

-      they were hid from observation by the bushes, they redoubled efforts that

-      before had seemed prodigious. The two canoes came round the last low

-      point, like two coursers at the top of their speed, the fugitives taking

-      the lead. This change had brought them nigher to each other, however,

-      while it altered their relative positions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You showed knowledge in the shaping of a birchen bark, Uncas, when you

-      chose this from among the Huron canoes,&rdquo; said the scout, smiling,

-      apparently more in satisfaction at their superiority in the race than from

-      that prospect of final escape which now began to open a little upon them.

-      &ldquo;The imps have put all their strength again at the paddles, and we are to

-      struggle for our scalps with bits of flattened wood, instead of clouded

-      barrels and true eyes. A long stroke, and together, friends.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They are preparing for a shot,&rdquo; said Heyward; &ldquo;and as we are in a line

-      with them, it can scarcely fail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Get you, then, into the bottom of the canoe,&rdquo; returned the scout; &ldquo;you

-      and the colonel; it will be so much taken from the size of the mark.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward smiled, as he answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It would be but an ill example for the highest in rank to dodge, while

-      the warriors were under fire.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Lord! Lord! That is now a white man's courage!&rdquo; exclaimed the scout; &ldquo;and

-      like to many of his notions, not to be maintained by reason. Do you think

-      the Sagamore, or Uncas, or even I, who am a man without a cross, would

-      deliberate about finding a cover in the scrimmage, when an open body would

-      do no good? For what have the Frenchers reared up their Quebec, if

-      fighting is always to be done in the clearings?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;All that you say is very true, my friend,&rdquo; replied Heyward; &ldquo;still, our

-      customs must prevent us from doing as you wish.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A volley from the Hurons interrupted the discourse, and as the bullets

-      whistled about them, Duncan saw the head of Uncas turned, looking back at

-      himself and Munro. Notwithstanding the nearness of the enemy, and his own

-      great personal danger, the countenance of the young warrior expressed no

-      other emotion, as the former was compelled to think, than amazement at

-      finding men willing to encounter so useless an exposure. Chingachgook was

-      probably better acquainted with the notions of white men, for he did not

-      even cast a glance aside from the riveted look his eye maintained on the

-      object by which he governed their course. A ball soon struck the light and

-      polished paddle from the hands of the chief, and drove it through the air,

-      far in the advance. A shout arose from the Hurons, who seized the

-      opportunity to fire another volley. Uncas described an arc in the water

-      with his own blade, and as the canoe passed swiftly on, Chingachgook

-      recovered his paddle, and flourishing it on high, he gave the war-whoop of

-      the Mohicans, and then lent his strength and skill again to the important

-      task.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The clamorous sounds of &ldquo;Le Gros Serpent!&rdquo; &ldquo;La Longue Carabine!&rdquo; &ldquo;Le Cerf

-      Agile!&rdquo; burst at once from the canoes behind, and seemed to give new zeal

-      to the pursuers. The scout seized &ldquo;killdeer&rdquo; in his left hand, and

-      elevating it about his head, he shook it in triumph at his enemies. The

-      savages answered the insult with a yell, and immediately another volley

-      succeeded. The bullets pattered along the lake, and one even pierced the

-      bark of their little vessel. No perceptible emotion could be discovered in

-      the Mohicans during this critical moment, their rigid features expressing

-      neither hope nor alarm; but the scout again turned his head, and, laughing

-      in his own silent manner, he said to Heyward:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The knaves love to hear the sounds of their pieces; but the eye is not to

-      be found among the Mingoes that can calculate a true range in a dancing

-      canoe! You see the dumb devils have taken off a man to charge, and by the

-      smallest measurement that can be allowed, we move three feet to their

-      two!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, who was not altogether as easy under this nice estimate of

-      distances as his companions, was glad to find, however, that owing to

-      their superior dexterity, and the diversion among their enemies, they were

-      very sensibly obtaining the advantage. The Hurons soon fired again, and a

-      bullet struck the blade of Hawkeye's paddle without injury.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That will do,&rdquo; said the scout, examining the slight indentation with a

-      curious eye; &ldquo;it would not have cut the skin of an infant, much less of

-      men, who, like us, have been blown upon by the heavens in their anger.

-      Now, major, if you will try to use this piece of flattened wood, I'll let

-      'killdeer' take a part in the conversation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward seized the paddle, and applied himself to the work with an

-      eagerness that supplied the place of skill, while Hawkeye was engaged in

-      inspecting the priming of his rifle. The latter then took a swift aim and

-      fired. The Huron in the bows of the leading canoe had risen with a similar

-      object, and he now fell backward, suffering his gun to escape from his

-      hands into the water. In an instant, however, he recovered his feet,

-      though his gestures were wild and bewildered. At the same moment his

-      companions suspended their efforts, and the chasing canoes clustered

-      together, and became stationary. Chingachgook and Uncas profited by the

-      interval to regain their wind, though Duncan continued to work with the

-      most persevering industry. The father and son now cast calm but inquiring

-      glances at each other, to learn if either had sustained any injury by the

-      fire; for both well knew that no cry or exclamation would, in such a

-      moment of necessity have been permitted to betray the accident. A few

-      large drops of blood were trickling down the shoulder of the Sagamore,

-      who, when he perceived that the eyes of Uncas dwelt too long on the sight,

-      raised some water in the hollow of his hand, and washing off the stain,

-      was content to manifest, in this simple manner, the slightness of the

-      injury.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Softly, softly, major,&rdquo; said the scout, who by this time had reloaded his

-      rifle; &ldquo;we are a little too far already for a rifle to put forth its

-      beauties, and you see yonder imps are holding a council. Let them come up

-      within striking distance&mdash;my eye may well be trusted in such a matter&mdash;and

-      I will trail the varlets the length of the Horican, guaranteeing that not

-      a shot of theirs shall, at the worst, more than break the skin, while

-      'killdeer' shall touch the life twice in three times.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We forget our errand,&rdquo; returned the diligent Duncan. &ldquo;For God's sake let

-      us profit by this advantage, and increase our distance from the enemy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Give me my children,&rdquo; said Munro, hoarsely; &ldquo;trifle no longer with a

-      father's agony, but restore me my babes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Long and habitual deference to the mandates of his superiors had taught

-      the scout the virtue of obedience. Throwing a last and lingering glance at

-      the distant canoes, he laid aside his rifle, and, relieving the wearied

-      Duncan, resumed the paddle, which he wielded with sinews that never tired.

-      His efforts were seconded by those of the Mohicans and a very few minutes

-      served to place such a sheet of water between them and their enemies, that

-      Heyward once more breathed freely.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The lake now began to expand, and their route lay along a wide reach, that

-      was lined, as before, by high and ragged mountains. But the islands were

-      few, and easily avoided. The strokes of the paddles grew more measured and

-      regular, while they who plied them continued their labor, after the close

-      and deadly chase from which they had just relieved themselves, with as

-      much coolness as though their speed had been tried in sport, rather than

-      under such pressing, nay, almost desperate, circumstances.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Instead of following the western shore, whither their errand led them, the

-      wary Mohican inclined his course more toward those hills behind which

-      Montcalm was known to have led his army into the formidable fortress of

-      Ticonderoga. As the Hurons, to every appearance, had abandoned the

-      pursuit, there was no apparent reason for this excess of caution. It was,

-      however, maintained for hours, until they had reached a bay, nigh the

-      northern termination of the lake. Here the canoe was driven upon the

-      beach, and the whole party landed. Hawkeye and Heyward ascended an

-      adjacent bluff, where the former, after considering the expanse of water

-      beneath him, pointed out to the latter a small black object, hovering

-      under a headland, at the distance of several miles.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do you see it?&rdquo; demanded the scout. &ldquo;Now, what would you account that

-      spot, were you left alone to white experience to find your way through

-      this wilderness?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But for its distance and its magnitude, I should suppose it a bird. Can

-      it be a living object?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis a canoe of good birchen bark, and paddled by fierce and crafty

-      Mingoes. Though Providence has lent to those who inhabit the woods eyes

-      that would be needless to men in the settlements, where there are

-      inventions to assist the sight, yet no human organs can see all the

-      dangers which at this moment circumvent us. These varlets pretend to be

-      bent chiefly on their sun-down meal, but the moment it is dark they will

-      be on our trail, as true as hounds on the scent. We must throw them off,

-      or our pursuit of Le Renard Subtil may be given up. These lakes are useful

-      at times, especially when the game take the water,&rdquo; continued the scout,

-      gazing about him with a countenance of concern; &ldquo;but they give no cover,

-      except it be to the fishes. God knows what the country would be, if the

-      settlements should ever spread far from the two rivers. Both hunting and

-      war would lose their beauty.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let us not delay a moment, without some good and obvious cause.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I little like that smoke, which you may see worming up along the rock

-      above the canoe,&rdquo; interrupted the abstracted scout. &ldquo;My life on it, other

-      eyes than ours see it, and know its meaning. Well, words will not mend the

-      matter, and it is time that we were doing.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye moved away from the lookout, and descended, musing profoundly, to

-      the shore. He communicated the result of his observations to his

-      companions, in Delaware, and a short and earnest consultation succeeded.

-      When it terminated, the three instantly set about executing their new

-      resolutions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The canoe was lifted from the water, and borne on the shoulders of the

-      party, they proceeded into the wood, making as broad and obvious a trail

-      as possible. They soon reached the water-course, which they crossed, and,

-      continuing onward, until they came to an extensive and naked rock. At this

-      point, where their footsteps might be expected to be no longer visible,

-      they retraced their route to the brook, walking backward, with the utmost

-      care. They now followed the bed of the little stream to the lake, into

-      which they immediately launched their canoe again. A low point concealed

-      them from the headland, and the margin of the lake was fringed for some

-      distance with dense and overhanging bushes. Under the cover of these

-      natural advantages, they toiled their way, with patient industry, until

-      the scout pronounced that he believed it would be safe once more to land.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The halt continued until evening rendered objects indistinct and uncertain

-      to the eye. Then they resumed their route, and, favored by the darkness,

-      pushed silently and vigorously toward the western shore. Although the

-      rugged outline of mountain, to which they were steering, presented no

-      distinctive marks to the eyes of Duncan, the Mohican entered the little

-      haven he had selected with the confidence and accuracy of an experienced

-      pilot.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The boat was again lifted and borne into the woods, where it was carefully

-      concealed under a pile of brush. The adventurers assumed their arms and

-      packs, and the scout announced to Munro and Heyward that he and the

-      Indians were at last in readiness to proceed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0020" id="link2HCH0020">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 21

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Merry Wives of Windsor.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The party had landed on the border of a region that is, even to this day,

-      less known to the inhabitants of the States than the deserts of Arabia, or

-      the steppes of Tartary. It was the sterile and rugged district which

-      separates the tributaries of Champlain from those of the Hudson, the

-      Mohawk, and the St. Lawrence. Since the period of our tale the active

-      spirit of the country has surrounded it with a belt of rich and thriving

-      settlements, though none but the hunter or the savage is ever known even

-      now to penetrate its wild recesses.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As Hawkeye and the Mohicans had, however, often traversed the mountains

-      and valleys of this vast wilderness, they did not hesitate to plunge into

-      its depth, with the freedom of men accustomed to its privations and

-      difficulties. For many hours the travelers toiled on their laborious way,

-      guided by a star, or following the direction of some water-course, until

-      the scout called a halt, and holding a short consultation with the

-      Indians, they lighted their fire, and made the usual preparations to pass

-      the remainder of the night where they then were.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Imitating the example, and emulating the confidence of their more

-      experienced associates, Munro and Duncan slept without fear, if not

-      without uneasiness. The dews were suffered to exhale, and the sun had

-      dispersed the mists, and was shedding a strong and clear light in the

-      forest, when the travelers resumed their journey.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After proceeding a few miles, the progress of Hawkeye, who led the

-      advance, became more deliberate and watchful. He often stopped to examine

-      the trees; nor did he cross a rivulet without attentively considering the

-      quantity, the velocity, and the color of its waters. Distrusting his own

-      judgment, his appeals to the opinion of Chingachgook were frequent and

-      earnest. During one of these conferences Heyward observed that Uncas stood

-      a patient and silent, though, as he imagined, an interested listener. He

-      was strongly tempted to address the young chief, and demand his opinion of

-      their progress; but the calm and dignified demeanor of the native induced

-      him to believe, that, like himself, the other was wholly dependent on the

-      sagacity and intelligence of the seniors of the party. At last the scout

-      spoke in English, and at once explained the embarrassment of their

-      situation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When I found that the home path of the Hurons run north,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;it

-      did not need the judgment of many long years to tell that they would

-      follow the valleys, and keep atween the waters of the Hudson and the

-      Horican, until they might strike the springs of the Canada streams, which

-      would lead them into the heart of the country of the Frenchers. Yet here

-      are we, within a short range of the Scaroons, and not a sign of a trail

-      have we crossed! Human natur' is weak, and it is possible we may not have

-      taken the proper scent.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Heaven protect us from such an error!&rdquo; exclaimed Duncan. &ldquo;Let us retrace

-      our steps, and examine as we go, with keener eyes. Has Uncas no counsel to

-      offer in such a strait?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Mohican cast a glance at his father, but, maintaining his quiet

-      and reserved mien, he continued silent. Chingachgook had caught the look,

-      and motioning with his hand, he bade him speak. The moment this permission

-      was accorded, the countenance of Uncas changed from its grave composure to

-      a gleam of intelligence and joy. Bounding forward like a deer, he sprang

-      up the side of a little acclivity, a few rods in advance, and stood,

-      exultingly, over a spot of fresh earth, that looked as though it had been

-      recently upturned by the passage of some heavy animal. The eyes of the

-      whole party followed the unexpected movement, and read their success in

-      the air of triumph that the youth assumed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis the trail!&rdquo; exclaimed the scout, advancing to the spot; &ldquo;the lad is

-      quick of sight and keen of wit for his years.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis extraordinary that he should have withheld his knowledge so long,&rdquo;

-       muttered Duncan, at his elbow.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It would have been more wonderful had he spoken without a bidding. No,

-      no; your young white, who gathers his learning from books and can measure

-      what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like his legs,

-      outruns that of his fathers', but, where experience is the master, the

-      scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects them

-      accordingly.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;See!&rdquo; said Uncas, pointing north and south, at the evident marks of the

-      broad trail on either side of him, &ldquo;the dark-hair has gone toward the

-      forest.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hound never ran on a more beautiful scent,&rdquo; responded the scout, dashing

-      forward, at once, on the indicated route; &ldquo;we are favored, greatly

-      favored, and can follow with high noses. Ay, here are both your waddling

-      beasts: this Huron travels like a white general. The fellow is stricken

-      with a judgment, and is mad! Look sharp for wheels, Sagamore,&rdquo; he

-      continued, looking back, and laughing in his newly awakened satisfaction;

-      &ldquo;we shall soon have the fool journeying in a coach, and that with three of

-      the best pair of eyes on the borders in his rear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The spirits of the scout, and the astonishing success of the chase, in

-      which a circuitous distance of more than forty miles had been passed, did

-      not fail to impart a portion of hope to the whole party. Their advance was

-      rapid; and made with as much confidence as a traveler would proceed along

-      a wide highway. If a rock, or a rivulet, or a bit of earth harder than

-      common, severed the links of the clew they followed, the true eye of the

-      scout recovered them at a distance, and seldom rendered the delay of a

-      single moment necessary. Their progress was much facilitated by the

-      certainty that Magua had found it necessary to journey through the

-      valleys; a circumstance which rendered the general direction of the route

-      sure. Nor had the Huron entirely neglected the arts uniformly practised by

-      the natives when retiring in front of an enemy. False trails and sudden

-      turnings were frequent, wherever a brook or the formation of the ground

-      rendered them feasible; but his pursuers were rarely deceived, and never

-      failed to detect their error, before they had lost either time or distance

-      on the deceptive track.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      By the middle of the afternoon they had passed the Scaroons, and were

-      following the route of the declining sun. After descending an eminence to

-      a low bottom, through which a swift stream glided, they suddenly came to a

-      place where the party of Le Renard had made a halt. Extinguished brands

-      were lying around a spring, the offals of a deer were scattered about the

-      place, and the trees bore evident marks of having been browsed by the

-      horses. At a little distance, Heyward discovered, and contemplated with

-      tender emotion, the small bower under which he was fain to believe that

-      Cora and Alice had reposed. But while the earth was trodden, and the

-      footsteps of both men and beasts were so plainly visible around the place,

-      the trail appeared to have suddenly ended.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was easy to follow the tracks of the Narragansetts, but they seemed

-      only to have wandered without guides, or any other object than the pursuit

-      of food. At length Uncas, who, with his father, had endeavored to trace

-      the route of the horses, came upon a sign of their presence that was quite

-      recent. Before following the clew, he communicated his success to his

-      companions; and while the latter were consulting on the circumstance, the

-      youth reappeared, leading the two fillies, with their saddles broken, and

-      the housings soiled, as though they had been permitted to run at will for

-      several days.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What should this prove?&rdquo; said Duncan, turning pale, and glancing his eyes

-      around him, as if he feared the brush and leaves were about to give up

-      some horrid secret.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That our march is come to a quick end, and that we are in an enemy's

-      country,&rdquo; returned the scout. &ldquo;Had the knave been pressed, and the gentle

-      ones wanted horses to keep up with the party, he might have taken their

-      scalps; but without an enemy at his heels, and with such rugged beasts as

-      these, he would not hurt a hair of their heads. I know your thoughts, and

-      shame be it to our color that you have reason for them; but he who thinks

-      that even a Mingo would ill-treat a woman, unless it be to tomahawk her,

-      knows nothing of Indian natur', or the laws of the woods. No, no; I have

-      heard that the French Indians had come into these hills to hunt the moose,

-      and we are getting within scent of their camp. Why should they not? The

-      morning and evening guns of Ty may be heard any day among these mountains;

-      for the Frenchers are running a new line atween the provinces of the king

-      and the Canadas. It is true that the horses are here, but the Hurons are

-      gone; let us, then, hunt for the path by which they parted.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye and the Mohicans now applied themselves to their task in good

-      earnest. A circle of a few hundred feet in circumference was drawn, and

-      each of the party took a segment for his portion. The examination,

-      however, resulted in no discovery. The impressions of footsteps were

-      numerous, but they all appeared like those of men who had wandered about

-      the spot, without any design to quit it. Again the scout and his

-      companions made the circuit of the halting place, each slowly following

-      the other, until they assembled in the center once more, no wiser than

-      when they started.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Such cunning is not without its deviltry,&rdquo; exclaimed Hawkeye, when he met

-      the disappointed looks of his assistants.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We must get down to it, Sagamore, beginning at the spring, and going over

-      the ground by inches. The Huron shall never brag in his tribe that he has

-      a foot which leaves no print.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Setting the example himself, the scout engaged in the scrutiny with

-      renewed zeal. Not a leaf was left unturned. The sticks were removed, and

-      the stones lifted; for Indian cunning was known frequently to adopt these

-      objects as covers, laboring with the utmost patience and industry, to

-      conceal each footstep as they proceeded. Still no discovery was made. At

-      length Uncas, whose activity had enabled him to achieve his portion of the

-      task the soonest, raked the earth across the turbid little rill which ran

-      from the spring, and diverted its course into another channel. So soon as

-      its narrow bed below the dam was dry, he stooped over it with keen and

-      curious eyes. A cry of exultation immediately announced the success of the

-      young warrior. The whole party crowded to the spot where Uncas pointed out

-      the impression of a moccasin in the moist alluvion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This lad will be an honor to his people,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, regarding the

-      trail with as much admiration as a naturalist would expend on the tusk of

-      a mammoth or the rib of a mastodon; &ldquo;ay, and a thorn in the sides of the

-      Hurons. Yet that is not the footstep of an Indian! the weight is too much

-      on the heel, and the toes are squared, as though one of the French dancers

-      had been in, pigeon-winging his tribe! Run back, Uncas, and bring me the

-      size of the singer's foot. You will find a beautiful print of it just

-      opposite yon rock, agin the hillside.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      While the youth was engaged in this commission, the scout and Chingachgook

-      were attentively considering the impressions. The measurements agreed, and

-      the former unhesitatingly pronounced that the footstep was that of David,

-      who had once more been made to exchange his shoes for moccasins.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I can now read the whole of it, as plainly as if I had seen the arts of

-      Le Subtil,&rdquo; he added; &ldquo;the singer being a man whose gifts lay chiefly in

-      his throat and feet, was made to go first, and the others have trod in his

-      steps, imitating their formation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;But,&rdquo; cried Duncan, &ldquo;I see no signs of&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The gentle ones,&rdquo; interrupted the scout; &ldquo;the varlet has found a way to

-      carry them, until he supposed he had thrown any followers off the scent.

-      My life on it, we see their pretty little feet again, before many rods go

-      by.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The whole party now proceeded, following the course of the rill, keeping

-      anxious eyes on the regular impressions. The water soon flowed into its

-      bed again, but watching the ground on either side, the foresters pursued

-      their way content with knowing that the trail lay beneath. More than half

-      a mile was passed, before the rill rippled close around the base of an

-      extensive and dry rock. Here they paused to make sure that the Hurons had

-      not quitted the water.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was fortunate they did so. For the quick and active Uncas soon found

-      the impression of a foot on a bunch of moss, where it would seem an Indian

-      had inadvertently trodden. Pursuing the direction given by this discovery,

-      he entered the neighboring thicket, and struck the trail, as fresh and

-      obvious as it had been before they reached the spring. Another shout

-      announced the good fortune of the youth to his companions, and at once

-      terminated the search.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, it has been planned with Indian judgment,&rdquo; said the scout, when the

-      party was assembled around the place, &ldquo;and would have blinded white eyes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Shall we proceed?&rdquo; demanded Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Softly, softly, we know our path; but it is good to examine the formation

-      of things. This is my schooling, major; and if one neglects the book,

-      there is little chance of learning from the open land of Providence. All

-      is plain but one thing, which is the manner that the knave contrived to

-      get the gentle ones along the blind trail. Even a Huron would be too proud

-      to let their tender feet touch the water.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Will this assist in explaining the difficulty?&rdquo; said Heyward, pointing

-      toward the fragments of a sort of handbarrow, that had been rudely

-      constructed of boughs, and bound together with withes, and which now

-      seemed carelessly cast aside as useless.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis explained!&rdquo; cried the delighted Hawkeye. &ldquo;If them varlets have

-      passed a minute, they have spent hours in striving to fabricate a lying

-      end to their trail! Well, I've known them to waste a day in the same

-      manner to as little purpose. Here we have three pair of moccasins, and two

-      of little feet. It is amazing that any mortal beings can journey on limbs

-      so small! Pass me the thong of buckskin, Uncas, and let me take the length

-      of this foot. By the Lord, it is no longer than a child's and yet the

-      maidens are tall and comely. That Providence is partial in its gifts, for

-      its own wise reasons, the best and most contented of us must allow.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The tender limbs of my daughters are unequal to these hardships,&rdquo; said

-      Munro, looking at the light footsteps of his children, with a parent's

-      love; &ldquo;we shall find their fainting forms in this desert.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of that there is little cause of fear,&rdquo; returned the scout, slowly

-      shaking his head; &ldquo;this is a firm and straight, though a light step, and

-      not over long. See, the heel has hardly touched the ground; and there the

-      dark-hair has made a little jump, from root to root. No, no; my knowledge

-      for it, neither of them was nigh fainting, hereaway. Now, the singer was

-      beginning to be footsore and leg-weary, as is plain by his trail. There,

-      you see, he slipped; here he has traveled wide and tottered; and there

-      again it looks as though he journeyed on snowshoes. Ay, ay, a man who uses

-      his throat altogether, can hardly give his legs a proper training.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      From such undeniable testimony did the practised woodsman arrive at the

-      truth, with nearly as much certainty and precision as if he had been a

-      witness of all those events which his ingenuity so easily elucidated.

-      Cheered by these assurances, and satisfied by a reasoning that was so

-      obvious, while it was so simple, the party resumed its course, after

-      making a short halt, to take a hurried repast.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When the meal was ended, the scout cast a glance upward at the setting

-      sun, and pushed forward with a rapidity which compelled Heyward and the

-      still vigorous Munro to exert all their muscles to equal. Their route now

-      lay along the bottom which has already been mentioned. As the Hurons had

-      made no further efforts to conceal their footsteps, the progress of the

-      pursuers was no longer delayed by uncertainty. Before an hour had elapsed,

-      however, the speed of Hawkeye sensibly abated, and his head, instead of

-      maintaining its former direct and forward look, began to turn suspiciously

-      from side to side, as if he were conscious of approaching danger. He soon

-      stopped again, and waited for the whole party to come up.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I scent the Hurons,&rdquo; he said, speaking to the Mohicans; &ldquo;yonder is open

-      sky, through the treetops, and we are getting too nigh their encampment.

-      Sagamore, you will take the hillside, to the right; Uncas will bend along

-      the brook to the left, while I will try the trail. If anything should

-      happen, the call will be three croaks of a crow. I saw one of the birds

-      fanning himself in the air, just beyond the dead oak&mdash;another sign

-      that we are approaching an encampment.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indians departed their several ways without reply, while Hawkeye

-      cautiously proceeded with the two gentlemen. Heyward soon pressed to the

-      side of their guide, eager to catch an early glimpse of those enemies he

-      had pursued with so much toil and anxiety. His companion told him to steal

-      to the edge of the wood, which, as usual, was fringed with a thicket, and

-      wait his coming, for he wished to examine certain suspicious signs a

-      little on one side. Duncan obeyed, and soon found himself in a situation

-      to command a view which he found as extraordinary as it was novel.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The trees of many acres had been felled, and the glow of a mild summer's

-      evening had fallen on the clearing, in beautiful contrast to the gray

-      light of the forest. A short distance from the place where Duncan stood,

-      the stream had seemingly expanded into a little lake, covering most of the

-      low land, from mountain to mountain. The water fell out of this wide

-      basin, in a cataract so regular and gentle, that it appeared rather to be

-      the work of human hands than fashioned by nature. A hundred earthen

-      dwellings stood on the margin of the lake, and even in its waters, as

-      though the latter had overflowed its usual banks. Their rounded roofs,

-      admirably molded for defense against the weather, denoted more of industry

-      and foresight than the natives were wont to bestow on their regular

-      habitations, much less on those they occupied for the temporary purposes

-      of hunting and war. In short, the whole village or town, whichever it

-      might be termed, possessed more of method and neatness of execution, than

-      the white men had been accustomed to believe belonged, ordinarily, to the

-      Indian habits. It appeared, however, to be deserted. At least, so thought

-      Duncan for many minutes; but, at length, he fancied he discovered several

-      human forms advancing toward him on all fours, and apparently dragging in

-      the train some heavy, and as he was quick to apprehend, some formidable

-      engine. Just then a few dark-looking heads gleamed out of the dwellings,

-      and the place seemed suddenly alive with beings, which, however, glided

-      from cover to cover so swiftly, as to allow no opportunity of examining

-      their humors or pursuits. Alarmed at these suspicious and inexplicable

-      movements, he was about to attempt the signal of the crows, when the

-      rustling of leaves at hand drew his eyes in another direction.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The young man started, and recoiled a few paces instinctively, when he

-      found himself within a hundred yards of a stranger Indian. Recovering his

-      recollection on the instant, instead of sounding an alarm, which might

-      prove fatal to himself, he remained stationary, an attentive observer of

-      the other's motions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      An instant of calm observation served to assure Duncan that he was

-      undiscovered. The native, like himself, seemed occupied in considering the

-      low dwellings of the village, and the stolen movements of its inhabitants.

-      It was impossible to discover the expression of his features through the

-      grotesque mask of paint under which they were concealed, though Duncan

-      fancied it was rather melancholy than savage. His head was shaved, as

-      usual, with the exception of the crown, from whose tuft three or four

-      faded feathers from a hawk's wing were loosely dangling. A ragged calico

-      mantle half encircled his body, while his nether garment was composed of

-      an ordinary shirt, the sleeves of which were made to perform the office

-      that is usually executed by a much more commodious arrangement. His legs

-      were, however, covered with a pair of good deer-skin moccasins.

-      Altogether, the appearance of the individual was forlorn and miserable.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan was still curiously observing the person of his neighbor when the

-      scout stole silently and cautiously to his side.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You see we have reached their settlement or encampment,&rdquo; whispered the

-      young man; &ldquo;and here is one of the savages himself, in a very embarrassing

-      position for our further movements.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye started, and dropped his rifle, when, directed by the finger of

-      his companion, the stranger came under his view. Then lowering the

-      dangerous muzzle he stretched forward his long neck, as if to assist a

-      scrutiny that was already intensely keen.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The imp is not a Huron,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;nor of any of the Canada tribes; and

-      yet you see, by his clothes, the knave has been plundering a white. Ay,

-      Montcalm has raked the woods for his inroad, and a whooping, murdering set

-      of varlets has he gathered together. Can you see where he has put his

-      rifle or his bow?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He appears to have no arms; nor does he seem to be viciously inclined.

-      Unless he communicate the alarm to his fellows, who, as you see, are

-      dodging about the water, we have but little to fear from him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout turned to Heyward, and regarded him a moment with unconcealed

-      amazement. Then opening wide his mouth, he indulged in unrestrained and

-      heartfelt laughter, though in that silent and peculiar manner which danger

-      had so long taught him to practise.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Repeating the words, &ldquo;Fellows who are dodging about the water!&rdquo; he added,

-      &ldquo;so much for schooling and passing a boyhood in the settlements! The knave

-      has long legs, though, and shall not be trusted. Do you keep him under

-      your rifle while I creep in behind, through the bush, and take him alive.

-      Fire on no account.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward had already permitted his companion to bury part of his person in

-      the thicket, when, stretching forth his arm, he arrested him, in order to

-      ask:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If I see you in danger, may I not risk a shot?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye regarded him a moment, like one who knew not how to take the

-      question; then, nodding his head, he answered, still laughing, though

-      inaudibly:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Fire a whole platoon, major.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      In the next moment he was concealed by the leaves. Duncan waited several

-      minutes in feverish impatience, before he caught another glimpse of the

-      scout. Then he reappeared, creeping along the earth, from which his dress

-      was hardly distinguishable, directly in the rear of his intended captive.

-      Having reached within a few yards of the latter, he arose to his feet,

-      silently and slowly. At that instant, several loud blows were struck on

-      the water, and Duncan turned his eyes just in time to perceive that a

-      hundred dark forms were plunging, in a body, into the troubled little

-      sheet. Grasping his rifle his looks were again bent on the Indian near

-      him. Instead of taking the alarm, the unconscious savage stretched forward

-      his neck, as if he also watched the movements about the gloomy lake, with

-      a sort of silly curiosity. In the meantime, the uplifted hand of Hawkeye

-      was above him. But, without any apparent reason, it was withdrawn, and its

-      owner indulged in another long, though still silent, fit of merriment.

-      When the peculiar and hearty laughter of Hawkeye was ended, instead of

-      grasping his victim by the throat, he tapped him lightly on the shoulder,

-      and exclaimed aloud:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;How now, friend! have you a mind to teach the beavers to sing?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so,&rdquo; was the ready answer. &ldquo;It would seem that the Being that gave

-      them power to improve His gifts so well, would not deny them voices to

-      proclaim His praise.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0021" id="link2HCH0021">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 22

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Bot.&mdash;Abibl we all met?

-     Qui.&mdash;Pat&mdash;pat; and here's a marvelous convenient place

-     for our rehearsal.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Midsummer Night's Dream

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The reader may better imagine, than we describe the surprise of Heyward.

-      His lurking Indians were suddenly converted into four-footed beasts; his

-      lake into a beaver pond; his cataract into a dam, constructed by those

-      industrious and ingenious quadrupeds; and a suspected enemy into his tried

-      friend, David Gamut, the master of psalmody. The presence of the latter

-      created so many unexpected hopes relative to the sisters that, without a

-      moment's hesitation, the young man broke out of his ambush, and sprang

-      forward to join the two principal actors in the scene.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The merriment of Hawkeye was not easily appeased. Without ceremony, and

-      with a rough hand, he twirled the supple Gamut around on his heel, and

-      more than once affirmed that the Hurons had done themselves great credit

-      in the fashion of his costume. Then, seizing the hand of the other, he

-      squeezed it with a grip that brought tears into the eyes of the placid

-      David, and wished him joy of his new condition.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You were about opening your throat-practisings among the beavers, were

-      ye?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The cunning devils know half the trade already, for they

-      beat the time with their tails, as you heard just now; and in good time it

-      was, too, or 'killdeer' might have sounded the first note among them. I

-      have known greater fools, who could read and write, than an experienced

-      old beaver; but as for squalling, the animals are born dumb! What think

-      you of such a song as this?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David shut his sensitive ears, and even Heyward apprised as he was of the

-      nature of the cry, looked upward in quest of the bird, as the cawing of a

-      crow rang in the air about them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;See!&rdquo; continued the laughing scout, as he pointed toward the remainder of

-      the party, who, in obedience to the signal, were already approaching;

-      &ldquo;this is music which has its natural virtues; it brings two good rifles to

-      my elbow, to say nothing of the knives and tomahawks. But we see that you

-      are safe; now tell us what has become of the maidens.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They are captives to the heathen,&rdquo; said David; &ldquo;and, though greatly

-      troubled in spirit, enjoying comfort and safety in the body.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Both!&rdquo; demanded the breathless Heyward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so. Though our wayfaring has been sore and our sustenance scanty, we

-      have had little other cause for complaint, except the violence done our

-      feelings, by being thus led in captivity into a far land.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Bless ye for these very words!&rdquo; exclaimed the trembling Munro; &ldquo;I shall

-      then receive my babes, spotless and angel-like, as I lost them!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I know not that their delivery is at hand,&rdquo; returned the doubting David;

-      &ldquo;the leader of these savages is possessed of an evil spirit that no power

-      short of Omnipotence can tame. I have tried him sleeping and waking, but

-      neither sounds nor language seem to touch his soul.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Where is the knave?&rdquo; bluntly interrupted the scout.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He hunts the moose to-day, with his young men; and tomorrow, as I hear,

-      they pass further into the forests, and nigher to the borders of Canada.

-      The elder maiden is conveyed to a neighboring people, whose lodges are

-      situate beyond yonder black pinnacle of rock; while the younger is

-      detained among the women of the Hurons, whose dwellings are but two short

-      miles hence, on a table-land, where the fire had done the office of the

-      axe, and prepared the place for their reception.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Alice, my gentle Alice!&rdquo; murmured Heyward; &ldquo;she has lost the consolation

-      of her sister's presence!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so. But so far as praise and thanksgiving in psalmody can temper the

-      spirit in affliction, she has not suffered.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Has she then a heart for music?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of the graver and more solemn character; though it must be acknowledged

-      that, in spite of all my endeavors, the maiden weeps oftener than she

-      smiles. At such moments I forbear to press the holy songs; but there are

-      many sweet and comfortable periods of satisfactory communication, when the

-      ears of the savages are astounded with the upliftings of our voices.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And why are you permitted to go at large, unwatched?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David composed his features into what he intended should express an air of

-      modest humility, before he meekly replied:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Little be the praise to such a worm as I. But, though the power of

-      psalmody was suspended in the terrible business of that field of blood

-      through which we have passed, it has recovered its influence even over the

-      souls of the heathen, and I am suffered to go and come at will.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout laughed, and, tapping his own forehead significantly, he perhaps

-      explained the singular indulgence more satisfactorily when he said:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Indians never harm a non-composser. But why, when the path lay open

-      before your eyes, did you not strike back on your own trail (it is not so

-      blind as that which a squirrel would make), and bring in the tidings to

-      Edward?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout, remembering only his own sturdy and iron nature, had probably

-      exacted a task that David, under no circumstances, could have performed.

-      But, without entirely losing the meekness of his air, the latter was

-      content to answer:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though my soul would rejoice to visit the habitations of Christendom once

-      more, my feet would rather follow the tender spirits intrusted to my

-      keeping, even into the idolatrous province of the Jesuits, than take one

-      step backward, while they pined in captivity and sorrow.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Though the figurative language of David was not very intelligible, the

-      sincere and steady expression of his eye, and the glow of his honest

-      countenance, were not easily mistaken. Uncas pressed closer to his side,

-      and regarded the speaker with a look of commendation, while his father

-      expressed his satisfaction by the ordinary pithy exclamation of

-      approbation. The scout shook his head as he rejoined:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Lord never intended that the man should place all his endeavors in

-      his throat, to the neglect of other and better gifts! But he has fallen

-      into the hands of some silly woman, when he should have been gathering his

-      education under a blue sky, among the beauties of the forest. Here,

-      friend; I did intend to kindle a fire with this tooting-whistle of thine;

-      but, as you value the thing, take it, and blow your best on it.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Gamut received his pitch-pipe with as strong an expression of pleasure as

-      he believed compatible with the grave functions he exercised. After

-      essaying its virtues repeatedly, in contrast with his own voice, and,

-      satisfying himself that none of its melody was lost, he made a very

-      serious demonstration toward achieving a few stanzas of one of the longest

-      effusions in the little volume so often mentioned.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward, however, hastily interrupted his pious purpose by continuing

-      questions concerning the past and present condition of his fellow

-      captives, and in a manner more methodical than had been permitted by his

-      feelings in the opening of their interview. David, though he regarded his

-      treasure with longing eyes, was constrained to answer, especially as the

-      venerable father took a part in the interrogatories, with an interest too

-      imposing to be denied. Nor did the scout fail to throw in a pertinent

-      inquiry, whenever a fitting occasion presented. In this manner, though

-      with frequent interruptions which were filled with certain threatening

-      sounds from the recovered instrument, the pursuers were put in possession

-      of such leading circumstances as were likely to prove useful in

-      accomplishing their great and engrossing object&mdash;the recovery of the

-      sisters. The narrative of David was simple, and the facts but few.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua had waited on the mountain until a safe moment to retire presented

-      itself, when he had descended, and taken the route along the western side

-      of the Horican in direction of the Canadas. As the subtle Huron was

-      familiar with the paths, and well knew there was no immediate danger of

-      pursuit, their progress had been moderate, and far from fatiguing. It

-      appeared from the unembellished statement of David, that his own presence

-      had been rather endured than desired; though even Magua had not been

-      entirely exempt from that veneration with which the Indians regard those

-      whom the Great Spirit had visited in their intellects. At night, the

-      utmost care had been taken of the captives, both to prevent injury from

-      the damps of the woods and to guard against an escape. At the spring, the

-      horses were turned loose, as has been seen; and, notwithstanding the

-      remoteness and length of their trail, the artifices already named were

-      resorted to, in order to cut off every clue to their place of retreat. On

-      their arrival at the encampment of his people, Magua, in obedience to a

-      policy seldom departed from, separated his prisoners. Cora had been sent

-      to a tribe that temporarily occupied an adjacent valley, though David was

-      far too ignorant of the customs and history of the natives, to be able to

-      declare anything satisfactory concerning their name or character. He only

-      knew that they had not engaged in the late expedition against William

-      Henry; that, like the Hurons themselves they were allies of Montcalm; and

-      that they maintained an amicable, though a watchful intercourse with the

-      warlike and savage people whom chance had, for a time, brought in such

-      close and disagreeable contact with themselves.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Mohicans and the scout listened to his interrupted and imperfect

-      narrative, with an interest that obviously increased as he proceeded; and

-      it was while attempting to explain the pursuits of the community in which

-      Cora was detained, that the latter abruptly demanded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Did you see the fashion of their knives? were they of English or French

-      formation?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My thoughts were bent on no such vanities, but rather mingled in

-      consolation with those of the maidens.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The time may come when you will not consider the knife of a savage such a

-      despicable vanity,&rdquo; returned the scout, with a strong expression of

-      contempt for the other's dullness. &ldquo;Had they held their corn feast&mdash;or

-      can you say anything of the totems of the tribe?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of corn, we had many and plentiful feasts; for the grain, being in the

-      milk is both sweet to the mouth and comfortable to the stomach. Of totem,

-      I know not the meaning; but if it appertaineth in any wise to the art of

-      Indian music, it need not be inquired after at their hands. They never

-      join their voices in praise, and it would seem that they are among the

-      profanest of the idolatrous.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Therein you belie the natur' of an Indian. Even the Mingo adores but the

-      true and loving God. 'Tis wicked fabrication of the whites, and I say it

-      to the shame of my color that would make the warrior bow down before

-      images of his own creation. It is true, they endeavor to make truces to

-      the wicked one&mdash;as who would not with an enemy he cannot conquer! but

-      they look up for favor and assistance to the Great and Good Spirit only.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It may be so,&rdquo; said David; &ldquo;but I have seen strange and fantastic images

-      drawn in their paint, of which their admiration and care savored of

-      spiritual pride; especially one, and that, too, a foul and loathsome

-      object.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Was it a sarpent?&rdquo; quickly demanded the scout.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Much the same. It was in the likeness of an abject and creeping

-      tortoise.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; exclaimed both the attentive Mohicans in a breath; while the scout

-      shook his head with the air of one who had made an important but by no

-      means a pleasing discovery. Then the father spoke, in the language of the

-      Delawares, and with a calmness and dignity that instantly arrested the

-      attention even of those to whom his words were unintelligible. His

-      gestures were impressive, and at times energetic. Once he lifted his arm

-      on high; and, as it descended, the action threw aside the folds of his

-      light mantle, a finger resting on his breast, as if he would enforce his

-      meaning by the attitude. Duncan's eyes followed the movement, and he

-      perceived that the animal just mentioned was beautifully, though faintly,

-      worked in blue tint, on the swarthy breast of the chief. All that he had

-      ever heard of the violent separation of the vast tribes of the Delawares

-      rushed across his mind, and he awaited the proper moment to speak, with a

-      suspense that was rendered nearly intolerable by his interest in the

-      stake. His wish, however, was anticipated by the scout who turned from his

-      red friend, saying:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We have found that which may be good or evil to us, as heaven disposes.

-      The Sagamore is of the high blood of the Delawares, and is the great chief

-      of their Tortoises! That some of this stock are among the people of whom

-      the singer tells us, is plain by his words; and, had he but spent half the

-      breath in prudent questions that he has blown away in making a trumpet of

-      his throat, we might have known how many warriors they numbered. It is,

-      altogether, a dangerous path we move in; for a friend whose face is turned

-      from you often bears a bloodier mind than the enemy who seeks your scalp.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Explain,&rdquo; said Duncan.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis a long and melancholy tradition, and one I little like to think of;

-      for it is not to be denied that the evil has been mainly done by men with

-      white skins. But it has ended in turning the tomahawk of brother against

-      brother, and brought the Mingo and the Delaware to travel in the same

-      path.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You, then, suspect it is a portion of that people among whom Cora

-      resides?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout nodded his head in assent, though he seemed anxious to waive the

-      further discussion of a subject that appeared painful. The impatient

-      Duncan now made several hasty and desperate propositions to attempt the

-      release of the sisters. Munro seemed to shake off his apathy, and listened

-      to the wild schemes of the young man with a deference that his gray hairs

-      and reverend years should have denied. But the scout, after suffering the

-      ardor of the lover to expend itself a little, found means to convince him

-      of the folly of precipitation, in a manner that would require their

-      coolest judgment and utmost fortitude.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It would be well,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;to let this man go in again, as usual, and

-      for him to tarry in the lodges, giving notice to the gentle ones of our

-      approach, until we call him out, by signal, to consult. You know the cry

-      of a crow, friend, from the whistle of the whip-poor-will?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis a pleasing bird,&rdquo; returned David, &ldquo;and has a soft and melancholy

-      note! though the time is rather quick and ill-measured.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He speaks of the wish-ton-wish,&rdquo; said the scout; &ldquo;well, since you like

-      his whistle, it shall be your signal. Remember, then, when you hear the

-      whip-poor-will's call three times repeated, you are to come into the

-      bushes where the bird might be supposed&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Stop,&rdquo; interrupted Heyward; &ldquo;I will accompany him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You!&rdquo; exclaimed the astonished Hawkeye; &ldquo;are you tired of seeing the sun

-      rise and set?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;David is a living proof that the Hurons can be merciful.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, but David can use his throat, as no man in his senses would pervart

-      the gift.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I too can play the madman, the fool, the hero; in short, any or

-      everything to rescue her I love. Name your objections no longer: I am

-      resolved.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye regarded the young man a moment in speechless amazement. But

-      Duncan, who, in deference to the other's skill and services, had hitherto

-      submitted somewhat implicitly to his dictation, now assumed the superior,

-      with a manner that was not easily resisted. He waved his hand, in sign of

-      his dislike to all remonstrance, and then, in more tempered language, he

-      continued:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have the means of disguise; change me; paint me, too, if you will; in

-      short, alter me to anything&mdash;a fool.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is not for one like me to say that he who is already formed by so

-      powerful a hand as Providence, stands in need of a change,&rdquo; muttered the

-      discontented scout. &ldquo;When you send your parties abroad in war, you find it

-      prudent, at least, to arrange the marks and places of encampment, in order

-      that they who fight on your side may know when and where to expect a

-      friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Listen,&rdquo; interrupted Duncan; &ldquo;you have heard from this faithful follower

-      of the captives, that the Indians are of two tribes, if not of different

-      nations. With one, whom you think to be a branch of the Delawares, is she

-      you call the 'dark-hair'; the other, and younger, of the ladies, is

-      undeniably with our declared enemies, the Hurons. It becomes my youth and

-      rank to attempt the latter adventure. While you, therefore, are

-      negotiating with your friends for the release of one of the sisters, I

-      will effect that of the other, or die.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The awakened spirit of the young soldier gleamed in his eyes, and his form

-      became imposing under its influence. Hawkeye, though too much accustomed

-      to Indian artifices not to foresee the danger of the experiment, knew not

-      well how to combat this sudden resolution.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Perhaps there was something in the proposal that suited his own hardy

-      nature, and that secret love of desperate adventure, which had increased

-      with his experience, until hazard and danger had become, in some measure,

-      necessary to the enjoyment of his existence. Instead of continuing to

-      oppose the scheme of Duncan, his humor suddenly altered, and he lent

-      himself to its execution.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; he said, with a good-humored smile; &ldquo;the buck that will take to

-      the water must be headed, and not followed. Chingachgook has as many

-      different paints as the engineer officer's wife, who takes down natur' on

-      scraps of paper, making the mountains look like cocks of rusty hay, and

-      placing the blue sky in reach of your hand. The Sagamore can use them,

-      too. Seat yourself on the log; and my life on it, he can soon make a

-      natural fool of you, and that well to your liking.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan complied; and the Mohican, who had been an attentive listener to

-      the discourse, readily undertook the office. Long practised in all the

-      subtle arts of his race, he drew, with great dexterity and quickness, the

-      fantastic shadow that the natives were accustomed to consider as the

-      evidence of a friendly and jocular disposition. Every line that could

-      possibly be interpreted into a secret inclination for war, was carefully

-      avoided; while, on the other hand, he studied those conceits that might be

-      construed into amity.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In short, he entirely sacrificed every appearance of the warrior to the

-      masquerade of a buffoon. Such exhibitions were not uncommon among the

-      Indians, and as Duncan was already sufficiently disguised in his dress,

-      there certainly did exist some reason for believing that, with his

-      knowledge of French, he might pass for a juggler from Ticonderoga,

-      straggling among the allied and friendly tribes.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When he was thought to be sufficiently painted, the scout gave him much

-      friendly advice; concerted signals, and appointed the place where they

-      should meet, in the event of mutual success. The parting between Munro and

-      his young friend was more melancholy; still, the former submitted to the

-      separation with an indifference that his warm and honest nature would

-      never have permitted in a more healthful state of mind. The scout led

-      Heyward aside, and acquainted him with his intention to leave the veteran

-      in some safe encampment, in charge of Chingachgook, while he and Uncas

-      pursued their inquires among the people they had reason to believe were

-      Delawares. Then, renewing his cautions and advice, he concluded by saying,

-      with a solemnity and warmth of feeling, with which Duncan was deeply

-      touched:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And, now, God bless you! You have shown a spirit that I like; for it is

-      the gift of youth, more especially one of warm blood and a stout heart.

-      But believe the warning of a man who has reason to know all he says to be

-      true. You will have occasion for your best manhood, and for a sharper wit

-      than what is to be gathered in books, afore you outdo the cunning or get

-      the better of the courage of a Mingo. God bless you! if the Hurons master

-      your scalp, rely on the promise of one who has two stout warriors to back

-      him. They shall pay for their victory, with a life for every hair it

-      holds. I say, young gentleman, may Providence bless your undertaking,

-      which is altogether for good; and, remember, that to outwit the knaves it

-      is lawful to practise things that may not be naturally the gift of a

-      white-skin.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan shook his worthy and reluctant associate warmly by the hand, once

-      more recommended his aged friend to his care, and returning his good

-      wishes, he motioned to David to proceed. Hawkeye gazed after the

-      high-spirited and adventurous young man for several moments, in open

-      admiration; then, shaking his head doubtingly, he turned, and led his own

-      division of the party into the concealment of the forest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The route taken by Duncan and David lay directly across the clearing of

-      the beavers, and along the margin of their pond.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When the former found himself alone with one so simple, and so little

-      qualified to render any assistance in desperate emergencies, he first

-      began to be sensible of the difficulties of the task he had undertaken.

-      The fading light increased the gloominess of the bleak and savage

-      wilderness that stretched so far on every side of him, and there was even

-      a fearful character in the stillness of those little huts, that he knew

-      were so abundantly peopled. It struck him, as he gazed at the admirable

-      structures and the wonderful precautions of their sagacious inmates, that

-      even the brutes of these vast wilds were possessed of an instinct nearly

-      commensurate with his own reason; and he could not reflect, without

-      anxiety, on the unequal contest that he had so rashly courted. Then came

-      the glowing image of Alice; her distress; her actual danger; and all the

-      peril of his situation was forgotten. Cheering David, he moved on with the

-      light and vigorous step of youth and enterprise.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After making nearly a semicircle around the pond, they diverged from the

-      water-course, and began to ascend to the level of a slight elevation in

-      that bottom land, over which they journeyed. Within half an hour they

-      gained the margin of another opening that bore all the signs of having

-      been also made by the beavers, and which those sagacious animals had

-      probably been induced, by some accident, to abandon, for the more eligible

-      position they now occupied. A very natural sensation caused Duncan to

-      hesitate a moment, unwilling to leave the cover of their bushy path, as a

-      man pauses to collect his energies before he essays any hazardous

-      experiment, in which he is secretly conscious they will all be needed. He

-      profited by the halt, to gather such information as might be obtained from

-      his short and hasty glances.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      On the opposite side of the clearing, and near the point where the brook

-      tumbled over some rocks, from a still higher level, some fifty or sixty

-      lodges, rudely fabricated of logs brush, and earth intermingled, were to

-      be discovered. They were arranged without any order, and seemed to be

-      constructed with very little attention to neatness or beauty. Indeed, so

-      very inferior were they in the two latter particulars to the village

-      Duncan had just seen, that he began to expect a second surprise, no less

-      astonishing that the former. This expectation was in no degree diminished,

-      when, by the doubtful twilight, he beheld twenty or thirty forms rising

-      alternately from the cover of the tall, coarse grass, in front of the

-      lodges, and then sinking again from the sight, as it were to burrow in the

-      earth. By the sudden and hasty glimpses that he caught of these figures,

-      they seemed more like dark, glancing specters, or some other unearthly

-      beings, than creatures fashioned with the ordinary and vulgar materials of

-      flesh and blood. A gaunt, naked form was seen, for a single instant,

-      tossing its arms wildly in the air, and then the spot it had filled was

-      vacant; the figure appearing suddenly in some other and distant place, or

-      being succeeded by another, possessing the same mysterious character.

-      David, observing that his companion lingered, pursued the direction of his

-      gaze, and in some measure recalled the recollection of Heyward, by

-      speaking.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is much fruitful soil uncultivated here,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;and, I may add,

-      without the sinful leaven of self-commendation, that, since my short

-      sojourn in these heathenish abodes, much good seed has been scattered by

-      the wayside.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The tribes are fonder of the chase than of the arts of men of labor,&rdquo;

-       returned the unconscious Duncan, still gazing at the objects of his

-      wonder.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is rather joy than labor to the spirit, to lift up the voice in

-      praise; but sadly do these boys abuse their gifts. Rarely have I found any

-      of their age, on whom nature has so freely bestowed the elements of

-      psalmody; and surely, surely, there are none who neglect them more. Three

-      nights have I now tarried here, and three several times have I assembled

-      the urchins to join in sacred song; and as often have they responded to my

-      efforts with whoopings and howlings that have chilled my soul!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of whom speak you?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of those children of the devil, who waste the precious moments in yonder

-      idle antics. Ah! the wholesome restraint of discipline is but little known

-      among this self-abandoned people. In a country of birches, a rod is never

-      seen, and it ought not to appear a marvel in my eyes, that the choicest

-      blessings of Providence are wasted in such cries as these.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David closed his ears against the juvenile pack, whose yell just then rang

-      shrilly through the forest; and Duncan, suffering his lip to curl, as in

-      mockery of his own superstition, said firmly:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We will proceed.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Without removing the safeguards form his ears, the master of song

-      complied, and together they pursued their way toward what David was

-      sometimes wont to call the &ldquo;tents of the Philistines.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0022" id="link2HCH0022">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 23

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;But though the beast of game

-     The privilege of chase may claim;

-     Though space and law the stag we lend

-     Ere hound we slip, or bow we bend;

-     Whoever recked, where, how, or when

-     The prowling fox was trapped or slain?&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Lady of the Lake.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      It is unusual to find an encampment of the natives, like those of the more

-      instructed whites, guarded by the presence of armed men. Well informed of

-      the approach of every danger, while it is yet at a distance, the Indian

-      generally rests secure under his knowledge of the signs of the forest, and

-      the long and difficult paths that separate him from those he has most

-      reason to dread. But the enemy who, by any lucky concurrence of accidents,

-      has found means to elude the vigilance of the scouts, will seldom meet

-      with sentinels nearer home to sound the alarm. In addition to this general

-      usage, the tribes friendly to the French knew too well the weight of the

-      blow that had just been struck, to apprehend any immediate danger from the

-      hostile nations that were tributary to the crown of Britain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When Duncan and David, therefore, found themselves in the center of the

-      children, who played the antics already mentioned, it was without the

-      least previous intimation of their approach. But so soon as they were

-      observed the whole of the juvenile pack raised, by common consent, a

-      shrill and warning whoop; and then sank, as it were, by magic, from before

-      the sight of their visitors. The naked, tawny bodies of the crouching

-      urchins blended so nicely at that hour, with the withered herbage, that at

-      first it seemed as if the earth had, in truth, swallowed up their forms;

-      though when surprise permitted Duncan to bend his look more curiously

-      about the spot, he found it everywhere met by dark, quick, and rolling

-      eyeballs.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Gathering no encouragement from this startling presage of the nature of

-      the scrutiny he was likely to undergo from the more mature judgments of

-      the men, there was an instant when the young soldier would have retreated.

-      It was, however, too late to appear to hesitate. The cry of the children

-      had drawn a dozen warriors to the door of the nearest lodge, where they

-      stood clustered in a dark and savage group, gravely awaiting the nearer

-      approach of those who had unexpectedly come among them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      David, in some measure familiarized to the scene, led the way with a

-      steadiness that no slight obstacle was likely to disconcert, into this

-      very building. It was the principal edifice of the village, though roughly

-      constructed of the bark and branches of trees; being the lodge in which

-      the tribe held its councils and public meetings during their temporary

-      residence on the borders of the English province. Duncan found it

-      difficult to assume the necessary appearance of unconcern, as he brushed

-      the dark and powerful frames of the savages who thronged its threshold;

-      but, conscious that his existence depended on his presence of mind, he

-      trusted to the discretion of his companion, whose footsteps he closely

-      followed, endeavoring, as he proceeded, to rally his thoughts for the

-      occasion. His blood curdled when he found himself in absolute contact with

-      such fierce and implacable enemies; but he so far mastered his feelings as

-      to pursue his way into the center of the lodge, with an exterior that did

-      not betray the weakness. Imitating the example of the deliberate Gamut, he

-      drew a bundle of fragrant brush from beneath a pile that filled the corner

-      of the hut, and seated himself in silence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      So soon as their visitor had passed, the observant warriors fell back from

-      the entrance, and arranging themselves about him, they seemed patiently to

-      await the moment when it might comport with the dignity of the stranger to

-      speak. By far the greater number stood leaning, in lazy, lounging

-      attitudes, against the upright posts that supported the crazy building,

-      while three or four of the oldest and most distinguished of the chiefs

-      placed themselves on the earth a little more in advance.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0307.jpg" alt="0307" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0307.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      A flaring torch was burning in the place, and set its red glare from face

-      to face and figure to figure, as it waved in the currents of air. Duncan

-      profited by its light to read the probable character of his reception, in

-      the countenances of his hosts. But his ingenuity availed him little,

-      against the cold artifices of the people he had encountered. The chiefs in

-      front scarce cast a glance at his person, keeping their eyes on the

-      ground, with an air that might have been intended for respect, but which

-      it was quite easy to construe into distrust. The men in the shadow were

-      less reserved. Duncan soon detected their searching, but stolen, looks

-      which, in truth, scanned his person and attire inch by inch; leaving no

-      emotion of the countenance, no gesture, no line of the paint, nor even the

-      fashion of a garment, unheeded, and without comment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At length one whose hair was beginning to be sprinkled with gray, but

-      whose sinewy limbs and firm tread announced that he was still equal to the

-      duties of manhood, advanced out of the gloom of a corner, whither he had

-      probably posted himself to make his observations unseen, and spoke. He

-      used the language of the Wyandots, or Hurons; his words were,

-      consequently, unintelligible to Heyward, though they seemed, by the

-      gestures that accompanied them, to be uttered more in courtesy than anger.

-      The latter shook his head, and made a gesture indicative of his inability

-      to reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do none of my brothers speak the French or the English?&rdquo; he said, in the

-      former language, looking about him from countenance to countenance, in

-      hopes of finding a nod of assent.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Though more than one had turned, as if to catch the meaning of his words,

-      they remained unanswered.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I should be grieved to think,&rdquo; continued Duncan, speaking slowly, and

-      using the simplest French of which he was the master, &ldquo;to believe that

-      none of this wise and brave nation understand the language that the 'Grand

-      Monarque' uses when he talks to his children. His heart would be heavy did

-      he believe his red warriors paid him so little respect!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A long and grave pause succeeded, during which no movement of a limb, nor

-      any expression of an eye, betrayed the expression produced by his remark.

-      Duncan, who knew that silence was a virtue among his hosts, gladly had

-      recourse to the custom, in order to arrange his ideas. At length the same

-      warrior who had before addressed him replied, by dryly demanding, in the

-      language of the Canadas:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When our Great Father speaks to his people, is it with the tongue of a

-      Huron?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He knows no difference in his children, whether the color of the skin be

-      red, or black, or white,&rdquo; returned Duncan, evasively; &ldquo;though chiefly is

-      he satisfied with the brave Hurons.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;In what manner will he speak,&rdquo; demanded the wary chief, &ldquo;when the runners

-      count to him the scalps which five nights ago grew on the heads of the

-      Yengeese?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They were his enemies,&rdquo; said Duncan, shuddering involuntarily; &ldquo;and

-      doubtless, he will say, it is good; my Hurons are very gallant.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Our Canada father does not think it. Instead of looking forward to reward

-      his Indians, his eyes are turned backward. He sees the dead Yengeese, but

-      no Huron. What can this mean?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A great chief, like him, has more thoughts than tongues. He looks to see

-      that no enemies are on his trail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The canoe of a dead warrior will not float on the Horican,&rdquo; returned the

-      savage, gloomily. &ldquo;His ears are open to the Delawares, who are not our

-      friends, and they fill them with lies.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It cannot be. See; he has bid me, who am a man that knows the art of

-      healing, to go to his children, the red Hurons of the great lakes, and ask

-      if any are sick!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Another silence succeeded this annunciation of the character Duncan had

-      assumed. Every eye was simultaneously bent on his person, as if to inquire

-      into the truth or falsehood of the declaration, with an intelligence and

-      keenness that caused the subject of their scrutiny to tremble for the

-      result. He was, however, relieved again by the former speaker.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do the cunning men of the Canadas paint their skins?&rdquo; the Huron coldly

-      continued; &ldquo;we have heard them boast that their faces were pale.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When an Indian chief comes among his white fathers,&rdquo; returned Duncan,

-      with great steadiness, &ldquo;he lays aside his buffalo robe, to carry the shirt

-      that is offered him. My brothers have given me paint and I wear it.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A low murmur of applause announced that the compliment of the tribe was

-      favorably received. The elderly chief made a gesture of commendation,

-      which was answered by most of his companions, who each threw forth a hand

-      and uttered a brief exclamation of pleasure. Duncan began to breathe more

-      freely, believing that the weight of his examination was past; and, as he

-      had already prepared a simple and probable tale to support his pretended

-      occupation, his hopes of ultimate success grew brighter.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After a silence of a few moments, as if adjusting his thoughts, in order

-      to make a suitable answer to the declaration their guests had just given,

-      another warrior arose, and placed himself in an attitude to speak. While

-      his lips were yet in the act of parting, a low but fearful sound arose

-      from the forest, and was immediately succeeded by a high, shrill yell,

-      that was drawn out, until it equaled the longest and most plaintive howl

-      of the wolf. The sudden and terrible interruption caused Duncan to start

-      from his seat, unconscious of everything but the effect produced by so

-      frightful a cry. At the same moment, the warriors glided in a body from

-      the lodge, and the outer air was filled with loud shouts, that nearly

-      drowned those awful sounds, which were still ringing beneath the arches of

-      the woods. Unable to command himself any longer, the youth broke from the

-      place, and presently stood in the center of a disorderly throng, that

-      included nearly everything having life, within the limits of the

-      encampment. Men, women, and children; the aged, the inform, the active,

-      and the strong, were alike abroad, some exclaiming aloud, others clapping

-      their hands with a joy that seemed frantic, and all expressing their

-      savage pleasure in some unexpected event. Though astounded, at first, by

-      the uproar, Heyward was soon enabled to find its solution by the scene

-      that followed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      There yet lingered sufficient light in the heavens to exhibit those bright

-      openings among the tree-tops, where different paths left the clearing to

-      enter the depths of the wilderness. Beneath one of them, a line of

-      warriors issued from the woods, and advanced slowly toward the dwellings.

-      One in front bore a short pole, on which, as it afterwards appeared, were

-      suspended several human scalps. The startling sounds that Duncan had heard

-      were what the whites have not inappropriately called the &ldquo;death-hallo&rdquo;;

-      and each repetition of the cry was intended to announce to the tribe the

-      fate of an enemy. Thus far the knowledge of Heyward assisted him in the

-      explanation; and as he now knew that the interruption was caused by the

-      unlooked-for return of a successful war-party, every disagreeable

-      sensation was quieted in inward congratulation, for the opportune relief

-      and insignificance it conferred on himself.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When at the distance of a few hundred feet from the lodges the newly

-      arrived warriors halted. Their plaintive and terrific cry, which was

-      intended to represent equally the wailings of the dead and the triumph to

-      the victors, had entirely ceased. One of their number now called aloud, in

-      words that were far from appalling, though not more intelligible to those

-      for whose ears they were intended, than their expressive yells. It would

-      be difficult to convey a suitable idea of the savage ecstasy with which

-      the news thus imparted was received. The whole encampment, in a moment,

-      became a scene of the most violent bustle and commotion. The warriors drew

-      their knives, and flourishing them, they arranged themselves in two lines,

-      forming a lane that extended from the war-party to the lodges. The squaws

-      seized clubs, axes, or whatever weapon of offense first offered itself to

-      their hands, and rushed eagerly to act their part in the cruel game that

-      was at hand. Even the children would not be excluded; but boys, little

-      able to wield the instruments, tore the tomahawks from the belts of their

-      fathers, and stole into the ranks, apt imitators of the savage traits

-      exhibited by their parents.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Large piles of brush lay scattered about the clearing, and a wary and aged

-      squaw was occupied in firing as many as might serve to light the coming

-      exhibition. As the flame arose, its power exceeded that of the parting

-      day, and assisted to render objects at the same time more distinct and

-      more hideous. The whole scene formed a striking picture, whose frame was

-      composed of the dark and tall border of pines. The warriors just arrived

-      were the most distant figures. A little in advance stood two men, who were

-      apparently selected from the rest, as the principal actors in what was to

-      follow. The light was not strong enough to render their features distinct,

-      though it was quite evident that they were governed by very different

-      emotions. While one stood erect and firm, prepared to meet his fate like a

-      hero, the other bowed his head, as if palsied by terror or stricken with

-      shame. The high-spirited Duncan felt a powerful impulse of admiration and

-      pity toward the former, though no opportunity could offer to exhibit his

-      generous emotions. He watched his slightest movement, however, with eager

-      eyes; and, as he traced the fine outline of his admirably proportioned and

-      active frame, he endeavored to persuade himself, that, if the powers of

-      man, seconded by such noble resolution, could bear one harmless through so

-      severe a trial, the youthful captive before him might hope for success in

-      the hazardous race he was about to run. Insensibly the young man drew

-      nigher to the swarthy lines of the Hurons, and scarcely breathed, so

-      intense became his interest in the spectacle. Just then the signal yell

-      was given, and the momentary quiet which had preceded it was broken by a

-      burst of cries, that far exceeded any before heard. The more abject of the

-      two victims continued motionless; but the other bounded from the place at

-      the cry, with the activity and swiftness of a deer. Instead of rushing

-      through the hostile lines, as had been expected, he just entered the

-      dangerous defile, and before time was given for a single blow, turned

-      short, and leaping the heads of a row of children, he gained at once the

-      exterior and safer side of the formidable array. The artifice was answered

-      by a hundred voices raised in imprecations; and the whole of the excited

-      multitude broke from their order, and spread themselves about the place in

-      wild confusion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A dozen blazing piles now shed their lurid brightness on the place, which

-      resembled some unhallowed and supernatural arena, in which malicious

-      demons had assembled to act their bloody and lawless rites. The forms in

-      the background looked like unearthly beings, gliding before the eye, and

-      cleaving the air with frantic and unmeaning gestures; while the savage

-      passions of such as passed the flames were rendered fearfully distinct by

-      the gleams that shot athwart their inflamed visages.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It will easily be understood that, amid such a concourse of vindictive

-      enemies, no breathing time was allowed the fugitive. There was a single

-      moment when it seemed as if he would have reached the forest, but the

-      whole body of his captors threw themselves before him, and drove him back

-      into the center of his relentless persecutors. Turning like a headed deer,

-      he shot, with the swiftness of an arrow, through a pillar of forked flame,

-      and passing the whole multitude harmless, he appeared on the opposite side

-      of the clearing. Here, too, he was met and turned by a few of the older

-      and more subtle of the Hurons. Once more he tried the throng, as if

-      seeking safety in its blindness, and then several moments succeeded,

-      during which Duncan believed the active and courageous young stranger was

-      lost.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Nothing could be distinguished but a dark mass of human forms tossed and

-      involved in inexplicable confusion. Arms, gleaming knives, and formidable

-      clubs, appeared above them, but the blows were evidently given at random.

-      The awful effect was heightened by the piercing shrieks of the women and

-      the fierce yells of the warriors. Now and then Duncan caught a glimpse of

-      a light form cleaving the air in some desperate bound, and he rather hoped

-      than believed that the captive yet retained the command of his astonishing

-      powers of activity. Suddenly the multitude rolled backward, and approached

-      the spot where he himself stood. The heavy body in the rear pressed upon

-      the women and children in front, and bore them to the earth. The stranger

-      reappeared in the confusion. Human power could not, however, much longer

-      endure so severe a trial. Of this the captive seemed conscious. Profiting

-      by the momentary opening, he darted from among the warriors, and made a

-      desperate, and what seemed to Duncan a final effort to gain the wood. As

-      if aware that no danger was to be apprehended from the young soldier, the

-      fugitive nearly brushed his person in his flight. A tall and powerful

-      Huron, who had husbanded his forces, pressed close upon his heels, and

-      with an uplifted arm menaced a fatal blow. Duncan thrust forth a foot, and

-      the shock precipitated the eager savage headlong, many feet in advance of

-      his intended victim. Thought itself is not quicker than was the motion

-      with which the latter profited by the advantage; he turned, gleamed like a

-      meteor again before the eyes of Duncan, and, at the next moment, when the

-      latter recovered his recollection, and gazed around in quest of the

-      captive, he saw him quietly leaning against a small painted post, which

-      stood before the door of the principal lodge.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Apprehensive that the part he had taken in the escape might prove fatal to

-      himself, Duncan left the place without delay. He followed the crowd, which

-      drew nigh the lodges, gloomy and sullen, like any other multitude that had

-      been disappointed in an execution. Curiosity, or perhaps a better feeling,

-      induced him to approach the stranger. He found him, standing with one arm

-      cast about the protecting post, and breathing thick and hard, after his

-      exertions, but disdaining to permit a single sign of suffering to escape.

-      His person was now protected by immemorial and sacred usage, until the

-      tribe in council had deliberated and determined on his fate. It was not

-      difficult, however, to foretell the result, if any presage could be drawn

-      from the feelings of those who crowded the place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      There was no term of abuse known to the Huron vocabulary that the

-      disappointed women did not lavishly expend on the successful stranger.

-      They flouted at his efforts, and told him, with bitter scoffs, that his

-      feet were better than his hands; and that he merited wings, while he knew

-      not the use of an arrow or a knife. To all this the captive made no reply;

-      but was content to preserve an attitude in which dignity was singularly

-      blended with disdain. Exasperated as much by his composure as by his

-      good-fortune, their words became unintelligible, and were succeeded by

-      shrill, piercing yells. Just then the crafty squaw, who had taken the

-      necessary precaution to fire the piles, made her way through the throng,

-      and cleared a place for herself in front of the captive. The squalid and

-      withered person of this hag might well have obtained for her the character

-      of possessing more than human cunning. Throwing back her light vestment,

-      she stretched forth her long, skinny arm, in derision, and using the

-      language of the Lenape, as more intelligible to the subject of her gibes,

-      she commenced aloud:

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0319.jpg" alt="0319" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0319.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Look you, Delaware,&rdquo; she said, snapping her fingers in his face; &ldquo;your

-      nation is a race of women, and the hoe is better fitted to your hands than

-      the gun. Your squaws are the mothers of deer; but if a bear, or a wildcat,

-      or a serpent were born among you, ye would flee. The Huron girls shall

-      make you petticoats, and we will find you a husband.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A burst of savage laughter succeeded this attack, during which the soft

-      and musical merriment of the younger females strangely chimed with the

-      cracked voice of their older and more malignant companion. But the

-      stranger was superior to all their efforts. His head was immovable; nor

-      did he betray the slightest consciousness that any were present, except

-      when his haughty eye rolled toward the dusky forms of the warriors, who

-      stalked in the background silent and sullen observers of the scene.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Infuriated at the self-command of the captive, the woman placed her arms

-      akimbo; and, throwing herself into a posture of defiance, she broke out

-      anew, in a torrent of words that no art of ours could commit successfully

-      to paper. Her breath was, however, expended in vain; for, although

-      distinguished in her nation as a proficient in the art of abuse, she was

-      permitted to work herself into such a fury as actually to foam at the

-      mouth, without causing a muscle to vibrate in the motionless figure of the

-      stranger. The effect of his indifference began to extend itself to the

-      other spectators; and a youngster, who was just quitting the condition of

-      a boy to enter the state of manhood, attempted to assist the termagant, by

-      flourishing his tomahawk before their victim, and adding his empty boasts

-      to the taunts of the women. Then, indeed, the captive turned his face

-      toward the light, and looked down on the stripling with an expression that

-      was superior to contempt. At the next moment he resumed his quiet and

-      reclining attitude against the post. But the change of posture had

-      permitted Duncan to exchange glances with the firm and piercing eyes of

-      Uncas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Breathless with amazement, and heavily oppressed with the critical

-      situation of his friend, Heyward recoiled before the look, trembling lest

-      its meaning might, in some unknown manner, hasten the prisoner's fate.

-      There was not, however, any instant cause for such an apprehension. Just

-      then a warrior forced his way into the exasperated crowd. Motioning the

-      women and children aside with a stern gesture, he took Uncas by the arm,

-      and led him toward the door of the council-lodge. Thither all the chiefs,

-      and most of the distinguished warriors, followed; among whom the anxious

-      Heyward found means to enter without attracting any dangerous attention to

-      himself.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A few minutes were consumed in disposing of those present in a manner

-      suitable to their rank and influence in the tribe. An order very similar

-      to that adopted in the preceding interview was observed; the aged and

-      superior chiefs occupying the area of the spacious apartment, within the

-      powerful light of a glaring torch, while their juniors and inferiors were

-      arranged in the background, presenting a dark outline of swarthy and

-      marked visages. In the very center of the lodge, immediately under an

-      opening that admitted the twinkling light of one or two stars, stood

-      Uncas, calm, elevated, and collected. His high and haughty carriage was

-      not lost on his captors, who often bent their looks on his person, with

-      eyes which, while they lost none of their inflexibility of purpose,

-      plainly betrayed their admiration of the stranger's daring.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The case was different with the individual whom Duncan had observed to

-      stand forth with his friend, previously to the desperate trial of speed;

-      and who, instead of joining in the chase, had remained, throughout its

-      turbulent uproar, like a cringing statue, expressive of shame and

-      disgrace. Though not a hand had been extended to greet him, nor yet an eye

-      had condescended to watch his movements, he had also entered the lodge, as

-      though impelled by a fate to whose decrees he submitted, seemingly,

-      without a struggle. Heyward profited by the first opportunity to gaze in

-      his face, secretly apprehensive he might find the features of another

-      acquaintance; but they proved to be those of a stranger, and, what was

-      still more inexplicable, of one who bore all the distinctive marks of a

-      Huron warrior. Instead of mingling with his tribe, however, he sat apart,

-      a solitary being in a multitude, his form shrinking into a crouching and

-      abject attitude, as if anxious to fill as little space as possible. When

-      each individual had taken his proper station, and silence reigned in the

-      place, the gray-haired chief already introduced to the reader, spoke

-      aloud, in the language of the Lenni Lenape.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Delaware,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;though one of a nation of women, you have proved

-      yourself a man. I would give you food; but he who eats with a Huron should

-      become his friend. Rest in peace till the morning sun, when our last words

-      shall be spoken.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Seven nights, and as many summer days, have I fasted on the trail of the

-      Hurons,&rdquo; Uncas coldly replied; &ldquo;the children of the Lenape know how to

-      travel the path of the just without lingering to eat.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Two of my young men are in pursuit of your companion,&rdquo; resumed the other,

-      without appearing to regard the boast of his captive; &ldquo;when they get back,

-      then will our wise man say to you 'live' or 'die'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Has a Huron no ears?&rdquo; scornfully exclaimed Uncas; &ldquo;twice, since he has

-      been your prisoner, has the Delaware heard a gun that he knows. Your young

-      men will never come back!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A short and sullen pause succeeded this bold assertion. Duncan, who

-      understood the Mohican to allude to the fatal rifle of the scout, bent

-      forward in earnest observation of the effect it might produce on the

-      conquerors; but the chief was content with simply retorting:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If the Lenape are so skillful, why is one of their bravest warriors

-      here?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He followed in the steps of a flying coward, and fell into a snare. The

-      cunning beaver may be caught.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      As Uncas thus replied, he pointed with his finger toward the solitary

-      Huron, but without deigning to bestow any other notice on so unworthy an

-      object. The words of the answer and the air of the speaker produced a

-      strong sensation among his auditors. Every eye rolled sullenly toward the

-      individual indicated by the simple gesture, and a low, threatening murmur

-      passed through the crowd. The ominous sounds reached the outer door, and

-      the women and children pressing into the throng, no gap had been left,

-      between shoulder and shoulder, that was not now filled with the dark

-      lineaments of some eager and curious human countenance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In the meantime, the more aged chiefs, in the center, communed with each

-      other in short and broken sentences. Not a word was uttered that did not

-      convey the meaning of the speaker, in the simplest and most energetic

-      form. Again, a long and deeply solemn pause took place. It was known, by

-      all present, to be the brave precursor of a weighty and important

-      judgment. They who composed the outer circle of faces were on tiptoe to

-      gaze; and even the culprit for an instant forgot his shame in a deeper

-      emotion, and exposed his abject features, in order to cast an anxious and

-      troubled glance at the dark assemblage of chiefs. The silence was finally

-      broken by the aged warrior so often named. He arose from the earth, and

-      moving past the immovable form of Uncas, placed himself in a dignified

-      attitude before the offender. At that moment, the withered squaw already

-      mentioned moved into the circle, in a slow, sidling sort of a dance,

-      holding the torch, and muttering the indistinct words of what might have

-      been a species of incantation. Though her presence was altogether an

-      intrusion, it was unheeded.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Approaching Uncas, she held the blazing brand in such a manner as to cast

-      its red glare on his person, and to expose the slightest emotion of his

-      countenance. The Mohican maintained his firm and haughty attitude; and his

-      eyes, so far from deigning to meet her inquisitive look, dwelt steadily on

-      the distance, as though it penetrated the obstacles which impeded the view

-      and looked into futurity. Satisfied with her examination, she left him,

-      with a slight expression of pleasure, and proceeded to practise the same

-      trying experiment on her delinquent countryman.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Huron was in his war paint, and very little of a finely molded

-      form was concealed by his attire. The light rendered every limb and joint

-      discernible, and Duncan turned away in horror when he saw they were

-      writhing in irrepressible agony. The woman was commencing a low and

-      plaintive howl at the sad and shameful spectacle, when the chief put forth

-      his hand and gently pushed her aside.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Reed-that-bends,&rdquo; he said, addressing the young culprit by name, and in

-      his proper language, &ldquo;though the Great Spirit has made you pleasant to the

-      eyes, it would have been better that you had not been born. Your tongue is

-      loud in the village, but in battle it is still. None of my young men

-      strike the tomahawk deeper into the war-post&mdash;none of them so lightly

-      on the Yengeese. The enemy know the shape of your back, but they have

-      never seen the color of your eyes. Three times have they called on you to

-      come, and as often did you forget to answer. Your name will never be

-      mentioned again in your tribe&mdash;it is already forgotten.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      As the chief slowly uttered these words, pausing impressively between each

-      sentence, the culprit raised his face, in deference to the other's rank

-      and years. Shame, horror, and pride struggled in its lineaments. His eye,

-      which was contracted with inward anguish, gleamed on the persons of those

-      whose breath was his fame; and the latter emotion for an instant

-      predominated. He arose to his feet, and baring his bosom, looked steadily

-      on the keen, glittering knife, that was already upheld by his inexorable

-      judge. As the weapon passed slowly into his heart he even smiled, as if in

-      joy at having found death less dreadful than he had anticipated, and fell

-      heavily on his face, at the feet of the rigid and unyielding form of

-      Uncas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The squaw gave a loud and plaintive yell, dashed the torch to the earth,

-      and buried everything in darkness. The whole shuddering group of

-      spectators glided from the lodge like troubled sprites; and Duncan thought

-      that he and the yet throbbing body of the victim of an Indian judgment had

-      now become its only tenants.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0023" id="link2HCH0023">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 24

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Thus spoke the sage: the kings without delay

-     Dissolve the council, and their chief obey.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Pope's Iliad

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      A single moment served to convince the youth that he was mistaken. A hand

-      was laid, with a powerful pressure, on his arm, and the low voice of Uncas

-      muttered in his ear:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Hurons are dogs. The sight of a coward's blood can never make a

-      warrior tremble. The 'Gray Head' and the Sagamore are safe, and the rifle

-      of Hawkeye is not asleep. Go&mdash;Uncas and the 'Open Hand' are now

-      strangers. It is enough.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward would gladly have heard more, but a gentle push from his friend

-      urged him toward the door, and admonished him of the danger that might

-      attend the discovery of their intercourse. Slowly and reluctantly yielding

-      to the necessity, he quitted the place, and mingled with the throng that

-      hovered nigh. The dying fires in the clearing cast a dim and uncertain

-      light on the dusky figures that were silently stalking to and fro; and

-      occasionally a brighter gleam than common glanced into the lodge, and

-      exhibited the figure of Uncas still maintaining its upright attitude near

-      the dead body of the Huron.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A knot of warriors soon entered the place again, and reissuing, they bore

-      the senseless remains into the adjacent woods. After this termination of

-      the scene, Duncan wandered among the lodges, unquestioned and unnoticed,

-      endeavoring to find some trace of her in whose behalf he incurred the risk

-      he ran. In the present temper of the tribe it would have been easy to have

-      fled and rejoined his companions, had such a wish crossed his mind. But,

-      in addition to the never-ceasing anxiety on account of Alice, a fresher

-      though feebler interest in the fate of Uncas assisted to chain him to the

-      spot. He continued, therefore, to stray from hut to hut, looking into each

-      only to encounter additional disappointment, until he had made the entire

-      circuit of the village. Abandoning a species of inquiry that proved so

-      fruitless, he retraced his steps to the council-lodge, resolved to seek

-      and question David, in order to put an end to his doubts.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      On reaching the building, which had proved alike the seat of judgment and

-      the place of execution, the young man found that the excitement had

-      already subsided. The warriors had reassembled, and were now calmly

-      smoking, while they conversed gravely on the chief incidents of their

-      recent expedition to the head of the Horican. Though the return of Duncan

-      was likely to remind them of his character, and the suspicious

-      circumstances of his visit, it produced no visible sensation. So far, the

-      terrible scene that had just occurred proved favorable to his views, and

-      he required no other prompter than his own feelings to convince him of the

-      expediency of profiting by so unexpected an advantage.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Without seeming to hesitate, he walked into the lodge, and took his seat

-      with a gravity that accorded admirably with the deportment of his hosts. A

-      hasty but searching glance sufficed to tell him that, though Uncas still

-      remained where he had left him, David had not reappeared. No other

-      restraint was imposed on the former than the watchful looks of a young

-      Huron, who had placed himself at hand; though an armed warrior leaned

-      against the post that formed one side of the narrow doorway. In every

-      other respect, the captive seemed at liberty; still he was excluded from

-      all participation in the discourse, and possessed much more of the air of

-      some finely molded statue than a man having life and volition.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward had too recently witnessed a frightful instance of the prompt

-      punishments of the people into whose hands he had fallen to hazard an

-      exposure by any officious boldness. He would greatly have preferred

-      silence and meditation to speech, when a discovery of his real condition

-      might prove so instantly fatal. Unfortunately for this prudent resolution,

-      his entertainers appeared otherwise disposed. He had not long occupied the

-      seat wisely taken a little in the shade, when another of the elder

-      warriors, who spoke the French language, addressed him:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My Canada father does not forget his children,&rdquo; said the chief; &ldquo;I thank

-      him. An evil spirit lives in the wife of one of my young men. Can the

-      cunning stranger frighten him away?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward possessed some knowledge of the mummery practised among the

-      Indians, in the cases of such supposed visitations. He saw, at a glance,

-      that the circumstance might possibly be improved to further his own ends.

-      It would, therefore, have been difficult, just then to have uttered a

-      proposal that would have given him more satisfaction. Aware of the

-      necessity of preserving the dignity of his imaginary character, however,

-      he repressed his feelings, and answered with suitable mystery:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Spirits differ; some yield to the power of wisdom, while others are too

-      strong.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My brother is a great medicine,&rdquo; said the cunning savage; &ldquo;he will try?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A gesture of assent was the answer. The Huron was content with the

-      assurance, and, resuming his pipe, he awaited the proper moment to move.

-      The impatient Heyward, inwardly execrating the cold customs of the

-      savages, which required such sacrifices to appearance, was fain to assume

-      an air of indifference, equal to that maintained by the chief, who was, in

-      truth, a near relative of the afflicted woman. The minutes lingered, and

-      the delay had seemed an hour to the adventurer in empiricism, when the

-      Huron laid aside his pipe and drew his robe across his breast, as if about

-      to lead the way to the lodge of the invalid. Just then, a warrior of

-      powerful frame, darkened the door, and stalking silently among the

-      attentive group, he seated himself on one end of the low pile of brush

-      which sustained Duncan. The latter cast an impatient look at his neighbor,

-      and felt his flesh creep with uncontrollable horror when he found himself

-      in actual contact with Magua.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The sudden return of this artful and dreaded chief caused a delay in the

-      departure of the Huron. Several pipes, that had been extinguished, were

-      lighted again; while the newcomer, without speaking a word, drew his

-      tomahawk from his girdle, and filling the bowl on its head began to inhale

-      the vapors of the weed through the hollow handle, with as much

-      indifference as if he had not been absent two weary days on a long and

-      toilsome hunt. Ten minutes, which appeared so many ages to Duncan, might

-      have passed in this manner; and the warriors were fairly enveloped in a

-      cloud of white smoke before any of them spoke.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Welcome!&rdquo; one at length uttered; &ldquo;has my friend found the moose?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The young men stagger under their burdens,&rdquo; returned Magua. &ldquo;Let

-      'Reed-that-bends' go on the hunting path; he will meet them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A deep and awful silence succeeded the utterance of the forbidden name.

-      Each pipe dropped from the lips of its owner as though all had inhaled an

-      impurity at the same instant. The smoke wreathed above their heads in

-      little eddies, and curling in a spiral form it ascended swiftly through

-      the opening in the roof of the lodge, leaving the place beneath clear of

-      its fumes, and each dark visage distinctly visible. The looks of most of

-      the warriors were riveted on the earth; though a few of the younger and

-      less gifted of the party suffered their wild and glaring eyeballs to roll

-      in the direction of a white-headed savage, who sat between two of the most

-      venerated chiefs of the tribe. There was nothing in the air or attire of

-      this Indian that would seem to entitle him to such a distinction. The

-      former was rather depressed, than remarkable for the bearing of the

-      natives; and the latter was such as was commonly worn by the ordinary men

-      of the nation. Like most around him for more than a minute his look, too,

-      was on the ground; but, trusting his eyes at length to steal a glance

-      aside, he perceived that he was becoming an object of general attention.

-      Then he arose and lifted his voice in the general silence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It was a lie,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;I had no son. He who was called by that name is

-      forgotten; his blood was pale, and it came not from the veins of a Huron;

-      the wicked Chippewas cheated my squaw. The Great Spirit has said, that the

-      family of Wiss-entush should end; he is happy who knows that the evil of

-      his race dies with himself. I have done.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The speaker, who was the father of the recreant young Indian, looked round

-      and about him, as if seeking commendation of his stoicism in the eyes of

-      the auditors. But the stern customs of his people had made too severe an

-      exaction of the feeble old man. The expression of his eye contradicted his

-      figurative and boastful language, while every muscle in his wrinkled

-      visage was working with anguish. Standing a single minute to enjoy his

-      bitter triumph, he turned away, as if sickening at the gaze of men, and,

-      veiling his face in his blanket, he walked from the lodge with the

-      noiseless step of an Indian seeking, in the privacy of his own abode, the

-      sympathy of one like himself, aged, forlorn and childless.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indians, who believe in the hereditary transmission of virtues and

-      defects in character, suffered him to depart in silence. Then, with an

-      elevation of breeding that many in a more cultivated state of society

-      might profitably emulate, one of the chiefs drew the attention of the

-      young men from the weakness they had just witnessed, by saying, in a

-      cheerful voice, addressing himself in courtesy to Magua, as the newest

-      comer:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Delawares have been like bears after the honey pots, prowling around

-      my village. But who has ever found a Huron asleep?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The darkness of the impending cloud which precedes a burst of thunder was

-      not blacker than the brow of Magua as he exclaimed:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Delawares of the Lakes!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not so. They who wear the petticoats of squaws, on their own river. One

-      of them has been passing the tribe.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Did my young men take his scalp?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;His legs were good, though his arm is better for the hoe than the

-      tomahawk,&rdquo; returned the other, pointing to the immovable form of Uncas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Instead of manifesting any womanish curiosity to feast his eyes with the

-      sight of a captive from a people he was known to have so much reason to

-      hate, Magua continued to smoke, with the meditative air that he usually

-      maintained, when there was no immediate call on his cunning or his

-      eloquence. Although secretly amazed at the facts communicated by the

-      speech of the aged father, he permitted himself to ask no questions,

-      reserving his inquiries for a more suitable moment. It was only after a

-      sufficient interval that he shook the ashes from his pipe, replaced the

-      tomahawk, tightened his girdle, and arose, casting for the first time a

-      glance in the direction of the prisoner, who stood a little behind him.

-      The wary, though seemingly abstracted Uncas, caught a glimpse of the

-      movement, and turning suddenly to the light, their looks met. Near a

-      minute these two bold and untamed spirits stood regarding one another

-      steadily in the eye, neither quailing in the least before the fierce gaze

-      he encountered. The form of Uncas dilated, and his nostrils opened like

-      those of a tiger at bay; but so rigid and unyielding was his posture, that

-      he might easily have been converted by the imagination into an exquisite

-      and faultless representation of the warlike deity of his tribe. The

-      lineaments of the quivering features of Magua proved more ductile; his

-      countenance gradually lost its character of defiance in an expression of

-      ferocious joy, and heaving a breath from the very bottom of his chest, he

-      pronounced aloud the formidable name of:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Cerf Agile!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Each warrior sprang upon his feet at the utterance of the well-known

-      appellation, and there was a short period during which the stoical

-      constancy of the natives was completely conquered by surprise. The hated

-      and yet respected name was repeated as by one voice, carrying the sound

-      even beyond the limits of the lodge. The women and children, who lingered

-      around the entrance, took up the words in an echo, which was succeeded by

-      another shrill and plaintive howl. The latter was not yet ended, when the

-      sensation among the men had entirely abated. Each one in presence seated

-      himself, as though ashamed of his precipitation; but it was many minutes

-      before their meaning eyes ceased to roll toward their captive, in curious

-      examination of a warrior who had so often proved his prowess on the best

-      and proudest of their nation. Uncas enjoyed his victory, but was content

-      with merely exhibiting his triumph by a quiet smile&mdash;an emblem of

-      scorn which belongs to all time and every nation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua caught the expression, and raising his arm, he shook it at the

-      captive, the light silver ornaments attached to his bracelet rattling with

-      the trembling agitation of the limb, as, in a tone of vengeance, he

-      exclaimed, in English:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Mohican, you die!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The healing waters will never bring the dead Hurons to life,&rdquo; returned

-      Uncas, in the music of the Delawares; &ldquo;the tumbling river washes their

-      bones; their men are squaws: their women owls. Go! call together the Huron

-      dogs, that they may look upon a warrior, My nostrils are offended; they

-      scent the blood of a coward.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The latter allusion struck deep, and the injury rankled. Many of the

-      Hurons understood the strange tongue in which the captive spoke, among

-      which number was Magua. This cunning savage beheld, and instantly profited

-      by his advantage. Dropping the light robe of skin from his shoulder, he

-      stretched forth his arm, and commenced a burst of his dangerous and artful

-      eloquence. However much his influence among his people had been impaired

-      by his occasional and besetting weakness, as well as by his desertion of

-      the tribe, his courage and his fame as an orator were undeniable. He never

-      spoke without auditors, and rarely without making converts to his

-      opinions. On the present occasion, his native powers were stimulated by

-      the thirst of revenge.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      He again recounted the events of the attack on the island at Glenn's, the

-      death of his associates and the escape of their most formidable enemies.

-      Then he described the nature and position of the mount whither he had led

-      such captives as had fallen into their hands. Of his own bloody intentions

-      toward the maidens, and of his baffled malice he made no mention, but

-      passed rapidly on to the surprise of the party by &ldquo;La Longue Carabine,&rdquo;

-       and its fatal termination. Here he paused, and looked about him, in

-      affected veneration for the departed, but, in truth, to note the effect of

-      his opening narrative. As usual, every eye was riveted on his face. Each

-      dusky figure seemed a breathing statue, so motionless was the posture, so

-      intense the attention of the individual.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then Magua dropped his voice which had hitherto been clear, strong and

-      elevated, and touched upon the merits of the dead. No quality that was

-      likely to command the sympathy of an Indian escaped his notice. One had

-      never been known to follow the chase in vain; another had been

-      indefatigable on the trail of their enemies. This was brave, that

-      generous. In short, he so managed his allusions, that in a nation which

-      was composed of so few families, he contrived to strike every chord that

-      might find, in its turn, some breast in which to vibrate.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Are the bones of my young men,&rdquo; he concluded, &ldquo;in the burial-place of the

-      Hurons? You know they are not. Their spirits are gone toward the setting

-      sun, and are already crossing the great waters, to the happy

-      hunting-grounds. But they departed without food, without guns or knives,

-      without moccasins, naked and poor as they were born. Shall this be? Are

-      their souls to enter the land of the just like hungry Iroquois or unmanly

-      Delawares, or shall they meet their friends with arms in their hands and

-      robes on their backs? What will our fathers think the tribes of the

-      Wyandots have become? They will look on their children with a dark eye,

-      and say, 'Go! a Chippewa has come hither with the name of a Huron.'

-      Brothers, we must not forget the dead; a red-skin never ceases to

-      remember. We will load the back of this Mohican until he staggers under

-      our bounty, and dispatch him after my young men. They call to us for aid,

-      though our ears are not open; they say, 'Forget us not.' When they see the

-      spirit of this Mohican toiling after them with his burden, they will know

-      we are of that mind. Then will they go on happy; and our children will

-      say, 'So did our fathers to their friends, so must we do to them.' What is

-      a Yengee? we have slain many, but the earth is still pale. A stain on the

-      name of Huron can only be hid by blood that comes from the veins of an

-      Indian. Let this Delaware die.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The effect of such an harangue, delivered in the nervous language and with

-      the emphatic manner of a Huron orator, could scarcely be mistaken. Magua

-      had so artfully blended the natural sympathies with the religious

-      superstition of his auditors, that their minds, already prepared by custom

-      to sacrifice a victim to the manes of their countrymen, lost every vestige

-      of humanity in a wish for revenge. One warrior in particular, a man of

-      wild and ferocious mien, had been conspicuous for the attention he had

-      given to the words of the speaker. His countenance had changed with each

-      passing emotion, until it settled into a look of deadly malice. As Magua

-      ended he arose and, uttering the yell of a demon, his polished little axe

-      was seen glancing in the torchlight as he whirled it above his head. The

-      motion and the cry were too sudden for words to interrupt his bloody

-      intention. It appeared as if a bright gleam shot from his hand, which was

-      crossed at the same moment by a dark and powerful line. The former was the

-      tomahawk in its passage; the latter the arm that Magua darted forward to

-      divert its aim. The quick and ready motion of the chief was not entirely

-      too late. The keen weapon cut the war plume from the scalping tuft of

-      Uncas, and passed through the frail wall of the lodge as though it were

-      hurled from some formidable engine.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan had seen the threatening action, and sprang upon his feet, with a

-      heart which, while it leaped into his throat, swelled with the most

-      generous resolution in behalf of his friend. A glance told him that the

-      blow had failed, and terror changed to admiration. Uncas stood still,

-      looking his enemy in the eye with features that seemed superior to

-      emotion. Marble could not be colder, calmer, or steadier than the

-      countenance he put upon this sudden and vindictive attack. Then, as if

-      pitying a want of skill which had proved so fortunate to himself, he

-      smiled, and muttered a few words of contempt in his own tongue.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No!&rdquo; said Magua, after satisfying himself of the safety of the captive;

-      &ldquo;the sun must shine on his shame; the squaws must see his flesh tremble,

-      or our revenge will be like the play of boys. Go! take him where there is

-      silence; let us see if a Delaware can sleep at night, and in the morning

-      die.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young men whose duty it was to guard the prisoner instantly passed

-      their ligaments of bark across his arms, and led him from the lodge, amid

-      a profound and ominous silence. It was only as the figure of Uncas stood

-      in the opening of the door that his firm step hesitated. There he turned,

-      and, in the sweeping and haughty glance that he threw around the circle of

-      his enemies, Duncan caught a look which he was glad to construe into an

-      expression that he was not entirely deserted by hope.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua was content with his success, or too much occupied with his secret

-      purposes to push his inquiries any further. Shaking his mantle, and

-      folding it on his bosom, he also quitted the place, without pursuing a

-      subject which might have proved so fatal to the individual at his elbow.

-      Notwithstanding his rising resentment, his natural firmness, and his

-      anxiety on behalf of Uncas, Heyward felt sensibly relieved by the absence

-      of so dangerous and so subtle a foe. The excitement produced by the speech

-      gradually subsided. The warriors resumed their seats and clouds of smoke

-      once more filled the lodge. For near half an hour, not a syllable was

-      uttered, or scarcely a look cast aside; a grave and meditative silence

-      being the ordinary succession to every scene of violence and commotion

-      among these beings, who were alike so impetuous and yet so

-      self-restrained.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When the chief, who had solicited the aid of Duncan, finished his pipe, he

-      made a final and successful movement toward departing. A motion of a

-      finger was the intimation he gave the supposed physician to follow; and

-      passing through the clouds of smoke, Duncad was glad, on more accounts

-      than one, to be able at last to breathe the pure air of a cool and

-      refreshing summer evening.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Instead of pursuing his way among those lodges where Heyward had already

-      made his unsuccessful search, his companion turned aside, and proceeded

-      directly toward the base of an adjacent mountain, which overhung the

-      temporary village. A thicket of brush skirted its foot, and it became

-      necessary to proceed through a crooked and narrow path. The boys had

-      resumed their sports in the clearing, and were enacting a mimic chase to

-      the post among themselves. In order to render their games as like the

-      reality as possible, one of the boldest of their number had conveyed a few

-      brands into some piles of tree-tops that had hitherto escaped the burning.

-      The blaze of one of these fires lighted the way of the chief and Duncan,

-      and gave a character of additional wildness to the rude scenery. At a

-      little distance from a bald rock, and directly in its front, they entered

-      a grassy opening, which they prepared to cross. Just then fresh fuel was

-      added to the fire, and a powerful light penetrated even to that distant

-      spot. It fell upon the white surface of the mountain, and was reflected

-      downward upon a dark and mysterious-looking being that arose,

-      unexpectedly, in their path. The Indian paused, as if doubtful whether to

-      proceed, and permitted his companion to approach his side. A large black

-      ball, which at first seemed stationary, now began to move in a manner that

-      to the latter was inexplicable. Again the fire brightened and its glare

-      fell more distinctly on the object. Then even Duncan knew it, by its

-      restless and sidling attitudes, which kept the upper part of its form in

-      constant motion, while the animal itself appeared seated, to be a bear.

-      Though it growled loudly and fiercely, and there were instants when its

-      glistening eyeballs might be seen, it gave no other indications of

-      hostility. The Huron, at least, seemed assured that the intentions of this

-      singular intruder were peaceable, for after giving it an attentive

-      examination, he quietly pursued his course.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, who knew that the animal was often domesticated among the Indians,

-      followed the example of his companion, believing that some favorite of the

-      tribe had found its way into the thicket, in search of food. They passed

-      it unmolested. Though obliged to come nearly in contact with the monster,

-      the Huron, who had at first so warily determined the character of his

-      strange visitor, was now content with proceeding without wasting a moment

-      in further examination; but Heyward was unable to prevent his eyes from

-      looking backward, in salutary watchfulness against attacks in the rear.

-      His uneasiness was in no degree diminished when he perceived the beast

-      rolling along their path, and following their footsteps. He would have

-      spoken, but the Indian at that moment shoved aside a door of bark, and

-      entered a cavern in the bosom of the mountain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Profiting by so easy a method of retreat, Duncan stepped after him, and

-      was gladly closing the slight cover to the opening, when he felt it drawn

-      from his hand by the beast, whose shaggy form immediately darkened the

-      passage. They were now in a straight and long gallery, in a chasm of the

-      rocks, where retreat without encountering the animal was impossible.

-      Making the best of the circumstances, the young man pressed forward,

-      keeping as close as possible to his conductor. The bear growled frequently

-      at his heels, and once or twice its enormous paws were laid on his person,

-      as if disposed to prevent his further passage into the den.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      How long the nerves of Heyward would have sustained him in this

-      extraordinary situation, it might be difficult to decide, for, happily, he

-      soon found relief. A glimmer of light had constantly been in their front,

-      and they now arrived at the place whence it proceeded.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A large cavity in the rock had been rudely fitted to answer the purposes

-      of many apartments. The subdivisions were simple but ingenious, being

-      composed of stone, sticks, and bark, intermingled. Openings above admitted

-      the light by day, and at night fires and torches supplied the place of the

-      sun. Hither the Hurons had brought most of their valuables, especially

-      those which more particularly pertained to the nation; and hither, as it

-      now appeared, the sick woman, who was believed to be the victim of

-      supernatural power, had been transported also, under an impression that

-      her tormentor would find more difficulty in making his assaults through

-      walls of stone than through the leafy coverings of the lodges. The

-      apartment into which Duncan and his guide first entered, had been

-      exclusively devoted to her accommodation. The latter approached her

-      bedside, which was surrounded by females, in the center of whom Heyward

-      was surprised to find his missing friend David.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A single look was sufficient to apprise the pretended leech that the

-      invalid was far beyond his powers of healing. She lay in a sort of

-      paralysis, indifferent to the objects which crowded before her sight, and

-      happily unconscious of suffering. Heyward was far from regretting that his

-      mummeries were to be performed on one who was much too ill to take an

-      interest in their failure or success. The slight qualm of conscience which

-      had been excited by the intended deception was instantly appeased, and he

-      began to collect his thoughts, in order to enact his part with suitable

-      spirit, when he found he was about to be anticipated in his skill by an

-      attempt to prove the power of music.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Gamut, who had stood prepared to pour forth his spirit in song when the

-      visitors entered, after delaying a moment, drew a strain from his pipe,

-      and commenced a hymn that might have worked a miracle, had faith in its

-      efficacy been of much avail. He was allowed to proceed to the close, the

-      Indians respecting his imaginary infirmity, and Duncan too glad of the

-      delay to hazard the slightest interruption. As the dying cadence of his

-      strains was falling on the ears of the latter, he started aside at hearing

-      them repeated behind him, in a voice half human and half sepulchral.

-      Looking around, he beheld the shaggy monster seated on end in a shadow of

-      the cavern, where, while his restless body swung in the uneasy manner of

-      the animal, it repeated, in a sort of low growl, sounds, if not words,

-      which bore some slight resemblance to the melody of the singer.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The effect of so strange an echo on David may better be imagined than

-      described. His eyes opened as if he doubted their truth; and his voice

-      became instantly mute in excess of wonder. A deep-laid scheme, of

-      communicating some important intelligence to Heyward, was driven from his

-      recollection by an emotion which very nearly resembled fear, but which he

-      was fain to believe was admiration. Under its influence, he exclaimed

-      aloud: &ldquo;She expects you, and is at hand&rdquo;; and precipitately left the

-      cavern.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0024" id="link2HCH0024">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 25

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Snug.&mdash;Have you the lion's part written? Pray you, if it

-     be, give it to me, for I am slow of study.

-

-     Quince.&mdash;You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but

-     roaring.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Midsummer Night's Dream.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      There was a strange blending of the ridiculous with that which was solemn

-      in this scene. The beast still continued its rolling, and apparently

-      untiring movements, though its ludicrous attempt to imitate the melody of

-      David ceased the instant the latter abandoned the field. The words of

-      Gamut were, as has been seen, in his native tongue; and to Duncan they

-      seem pregnant with some hidden meaning, though nothing present assisted

-      him in discovering the object of their allusion. A speedy end was,

-      however, put to every conjecture on the subject, by the manner of the

-      chief, who advanced to the bedside of the invalid, and beckoned away the

-      whole group of female attendants that had clustered there to witness the

-      skill of the stranger. He was implicitly, though reluctantly, obeyed; and

-      when the low echo which rang along the hollow, natural gallery, from the

-      distant closing door, had ceased, pointing toward his insensible daughter,

-      he said:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now let my brother show his power.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Thus unequivocally called on to exercise the functions of his assumed

-      character, Heyward was apprehensive that the smallest delay might prove

-      dangerous. Endeavoring, then, to collect his ideas, he prepared to perform

-      that species of incantation, and those uncouth rites, under which the

-      Indian conjurers are accustomed to conceal their ignorance and impotency.

-      It is more than probable that, in the disordered state of his thoughts, he

-      would soon have fallen into some suspicious, if not fatal, error had not

-      his incipient attempts been interrupted by a fierce growl from the

-      quadruped. Three several times did he renew his efforts to proceed, and as

-      often was he met by the same unaccountable opposition, each interruption

-      seeming more savage and threatening than the preceding.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The cunning ones are jealous,&rdquo; said the Huron; &ldquo;I go. Brother, the woman

-      is the wife of one of my bravest young men; deal justly by her. Peace!&rdquo; he

-      added, beckoning to the discontented beast to be quiet; &ldquo;I go.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The chief was as good as his word, and Duncan now found himself alone in

-      that wild and desolate abode with the helpless invalid and the fierce and

-      dangerous brute. The latter listened to the movements of the Indian with

-      that air of sagacity that a bear is known to possess, until another echo

-      announced that he had also left the cavern, when it turned and came

-      waddling up to Duncan before whom it seated itself in its natural

-      attitude, erect like a man. The youth looked anxiously about him for some

-      weapon, with which he might make a resistance against the attack he now

-      seriously expected.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It seemed, however, as if the humor of the animal had suddenly changed.

-      Instead of continuing its discontented growls, or manifesting any further

-      signs of anger, the whole of its shaggy body shook violently, as if

-      agitated by some strange internal convulsion. The huge and unwieldy talons

-      pawed stupidly about the grinning muzzle, and while Heyward kept his eyes

-      riveted on its movements with jealous watchfulness, the grim head fell on

-      one side and in its place appeared the honest sturdy countenance of the

-      scout, who was indulging from the bottom of his soul in his own peculiar

-      expression of merriment.

-    </p>

-

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0343.jpg" alt="0343" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0343.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hist!&rdquo; said the wary woodsman, interrupting Heyward's exclamation of

-      surprise; &ldquo;the varlets are about the place, and any sounds that are not

-      natural to witchcraft would bring them back upon us in a body.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Tell me the meaning of this masquerade; and why you have attempted so

-      desperate an adventure?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ah, reason and calculation are often outdone by accident,&rdquo; returned the

-      scout. &ldquo;But, as a story should always commence at the beginning, I will

-      tell you the whole in order. After we parted I placed the commandant and

-      the Sagamore in an old beaver lodge, where they are safer from the Hurons

-      than they would be in the garrison of Edward; for your high north-west

-      Indians, not having as yet got the traders among them, continued to

-      venerate the beaver. After which Uncas and I pushed for the other

-      encampment as was agreed. Have you seen the lad?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To my great grief! He is captive, and condemned to die at the rising of

-      the sun.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I had misgivings that such would be his fate,&rdquo; resumed the scout, in a

-      less confident and joyous tone. But soon regaining his naturally firm

-      voice, he continued: &ldquo;His bad fortune is the true reason of my being here,

-      for it would never do to abandon such a boy to the Hurons. A rare time the

-      knaves would have of it, could they tie 'The Bounding Elk' and 'The Long

-      Carabine', as they call me, to the same stake! Though why they have given

-      me such a name I never knew, there being as little likeness between the

-      gifts of 'killdeer' and the performance of one of your real Canada

-      carabynes, as there is between the natur' of a pipe-stone and a flint.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Keep to your tale,&rdquo; said the impatient Heyward; &ldquo;we know not at what

-      moment the Hurons may return.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No fear of them. A conjurer must have his time, like a straggling priest

-      in the settlements. We are as safe from interruption as a missionary would

-      be at the beginning of a two hours' discourse. Well, Uncas and I fell in

-      with a return party of the varlets; the lad was much too forward for a

-      scout; nay, for that matter, being of hot blood, he was not so much to

-      blame; and, after all, one of the Hurons proved a coward, and in fleeing

-      led him into an ambushment.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And dearly has he paid for the weakness.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout significantly passed his hand across his own throat, and nodded,

-      as if he said, &ldquo;I comprehend your meaning.&rdquo; After which he continued, in a

-      more audible though scarcely more intelligible language:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;After the loss of the boy I turned upon the Hurons, as you may judge.

-      There have been scrimmages atween one or two of their outlyers and myself;

-      but that is neither here nor there. So, after I had shot the imps, I got

-      in pretty nigh to the lodges without further commotion. Then what should

-      luck do in my favor but lead me to the very spot where one of the most

-      famous conjurers of the tribe was dressing himself, as I well knew, for

-      some great battle with Satan&mdash;though why should I call that luck,

-      which it now seems was an especial ordering of Providence. So a

-      judgmatical rap over the head stiffened the lying impostor for a time, and

-      leaving him a bit of walnut for his supper, to prevent an uproar, and

-      stringing him up atween two saplings, I made free with his finery, and

-      took the part of the bear on myself, in order that the operations might

-      proceed.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And admirably did you enact the character; the animal itself might have

-      been shamed by the representation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Lord, major,&rdquo; returned the flattered woodsman, &ldquo;I should be but a poor

-      scholar for one who has studied so long in the wilderness, did I not know

-      how to set forth the movements or natur' of such a beast. Had it been now

-      a catamount, or even a full-size panther, I would have embellished a

-      performance for you worth regarding. But it is no such marvelous feat to

-      exhibit the feats of so dull a beast; though, for that matter, too, a bear

-      may be overacted. Yes, yes; it is not every imitator that knows natur' may

-      be outdone easier than she is equaled. But all our work is yet before us.

-      Where is the gentle one?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Heaven knows. I have examined every lodge in the village, without

-      discovering the slightest trace of her presence in the tribe.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You heard what the singer said, as he left us: 'She is at hand, and

-      expects you'?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have been compelled to believe he alluded to this unhappy woman.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The simpleton was frightened, and blundered through his message; but he

-      had a deeper meaning. Here are walls enough to separate the whole

-      settlement. A bear ought to climb; therefore will I take a look above

-      them. There may be honey-pots hid in these rocks, and I am a beast, you

-      know, that has a hankering for the sweets.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout looked behind him, laughing at his own conceit, while he

-      clambered up the partition, imitating, as he went, the clumsy motions of

-      the beast he represented; but the instant the summit was gained he made a

-      gesture for silence, and slid down with the utmost precipitation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;She is here,&rdquo; he whispered, &ldquo;and by that door you will find her. I would

-      have spoken a word of comfort to the afflicted soul; but the sight of such

-      a monster might upset her reason. Though for that matter, major, you are

-      none of the most inviting yourself in your paint.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, who had already swung eagerly forward, drew instantly back on

-      hearing these discouraging words.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Am I, then, so very revolting?&rdquo; he demanded, with an air of chagrin.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You might not startle a wolf, or turn the Royal Americans from a

-      discharge; but I have seen the time when you had a better favored look;

-      your streaked countenances are not ill-judged of by the squaws, but young

-      women of white blood give the preference to their own color. See,&rdquo; he

-      added, pointing to a place where the water trickled from a rock, forming a

-      little crystal spring, before it found an issue through the adjacent

-      crevices; &ldquo;you may easily get rid of the Sagamore's daub, and when you

-      come back I will try my hand at a new embellishment. It's as common for a

-      conjurer to alter his paint as for a buck in the settlements to change his

-      finery.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The deliberate woodsman had little occasion to hunt for arguments to

-      enforce his advice. He was yet speaking when Duncan availed himself of the

-      water. In a moment every frightful or offensive mark was obliterated, and

-      the youth appeared again in the lineaments with which he had been gifted

-      by nature. Thus prepared for an interview with his mistress, he took a

-      hasty leave of his companion, and disappeared through the indicated

-      passage. The scout witnessed his departure with complacency, nodding his

-      head after him, and muttering his good wishes; after which he very coolly

-      set about an examination of the state of the larder, among the Hurons, the

-      cavern, among other purposes, being used as a receptacle for the fruits of

-      their hunts.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan had no other guide than a distant glimmering light, which served,

-      however, the office of a polar star to the lover. By its aid he was

-      enabled to enter the haven of his hopes, which was merely another

-      apartment of the cavern, that had been solely appropriated to the

-      safekeeping of so important a prisoner as a daughter of the commandant of

-      William Henry. It was profusely strewed with the plunder of that unlucky

-      fortress. In the midst of this confusion he found her he sought, pale,

-      anxious and terrified, but lovely. David had prepared her for such a

-      visit.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Duncan!&rdquo; she exclaimed, in a voice that seemed to tremble at the sounds

-      created by itself.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Alice!&rdquo; he answered, leaping carelessly among trunks, boxes, arms, and

-      furniture, until he stood at her side.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I knew that you would never desert me,&rdquo; she said, looking up with a

-      momentary glow on her otherwise dejected countenance. &ldquo;But you are alone!

-      Grateful as it is to be thus remembered, I could wish to think you are not

-      entirely alone.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, observing that she trembled in a manner which betrayed her

-      inability to stand, gently induced her to be seated, while he recounted

-      those leading incidents which it has been our task to accord. Alice

-      listened with breathless interest; and though the young man touched

-      lightly on the sorrows of the stricken father; taking care, however, not

-      to wound the self-love of his auditor, the tears ran as freely down the

-      cheeks of the daughter as though she had never wept before. The soothing

-      tenderness of Duncan, however, soon quieted the first burst of her

-      emotions, and she then heard him to the close with undivided attention, if

-      not with composure.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And now, Alice,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;you will see how much is still expected of

-      you. By the assistance of our experienced and invaluable friend, the

-      scout, we may find our way from this savage people, but you will have to

-      exert your utmost fortitude. Remember that you fly to the arms of your

-      venerable parent, and how much his happiness, as well as your own, depends

-      on those exertions.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Can I do otherwise for a father who has done so much for me?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And for me, too,&rdquo; continued the youth, gently pressing the hand he held

-      in both his own.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The look of innocence and surprise which he received in return convinced

-      Duncan of the necessity of being more explicit.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This is neither the place nor the occasion to detain you with selfish

-      wishes,&rdquo; he added; &ldquo;but what heart loaded like mine would not wish to cast

-      its burden? They say misery is the closest of all ties; our common

-      suffering in your behalf left but little to be explained between your

-      father and myself.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And, dearest Cora, Duncan; surely Cora was not forgotten?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not forgotten! no; regretted, as woman was seldom mourned before. Your

-      venerable father knew no difference between his children; but I&mdash;Alice,

-      you will not be offended when I say, that to me her worth was in a degree

-      obscured&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then you knew not the merit of my sister,&rdquo; said Alice, withdrawing her

-      hand; &ldquo;of you she ever speaks as of one who is her dearest friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I would gladly believe her such,&rdquo; returned Duncan, hastily; &ldquo;I could wish

-      her to be even more; but with you, Alice, I have the permission of your

-      father to aspire to a still nearer and dearer tie.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Alice trembled violently, and there was an instant during which she bent

-      her face aside, yielding to the emotions common to her sex; but they

-      quickly passed away, leaving her mistress of her deportment, if not of her

-      affections.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Heyward,&rdquo; she said, looking him full in the face with a touching

-      expression of innocence and dependency, &ldquo;give me the sacred presence and

-      the holy sanction of that parent before you urge me further.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though more I should not, less I could not say,&rdquo; the youth was about to

-      answer, when he was interrupted by a light tap on his shoulder. Starting

-      to his feet, he turned, and, confronting the intruder, his looks fell on

-      the dark form and malignant visage of Magua. The deep guttural laugh of

-      the savage sounded, at such a moment, to Duncan, like the hellish taunt of

-      a demon. Had he pursued the sudden and fierce impulse of the instant, he

-      would have cast himself on the Huron, and committed their fortunes to the

-      issue of a deadly struggle. But, without arms of any description, ignorant

-      of what succor his subtle enemy could command, and charged with the safety

-      of one who was just then dearer than ever to his heart, he no sooner

-      entertained than he abandoned the desperate intention.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is your purpose?&rdquo; said Alice, meekly folding her arms on her bosom,

-      and struggling to conceal an agony of apprehension in behalf of Heyward,

-      in the usual cold and distant manner with which she received the visits of

-      her captor.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The exulting Indian had resumed his austere countenance, though he drew

-      warily back before the menacing glance of the young man's fiery eye. He

-      regarded both his captives for a moment with a steady look, and then,

-      stepping aside, he dropped a log of wood across a door different from that

-      by which Duncan had entered. The latter now comprehended the manner of his

-      surprise, and, believing himself irretrievably lost, he drew Alice to his

-      bosom, and stood prepared to meet a fate which he hardly regretted, since

-      it was to be suffered in such company. But Magua meditated no immediate

-      violence. His first measures were very evidently taken to secure his new

-      captive; nor did he even bestow a second glance at the motionless forms in

-      the center of the cavern, until he had completely cut off every hope of

-      retreat through the private outlet he had himself used. He was watched in

-      all his movements by Heyward, who, however, remained firm, still folding

-      the fragile form of Alice to his heart, at once too proud and too hopeless

-      to ask favor of an enemy so often foiled. When Magua had effected his

-      object he approached his prisoners, and said in English:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The pale faces trap the cunning beavers; but the red-skins know how to

-      take the Yengeese.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Huron, do your worst!&rdquo; exclaimed the excited Heyward, forgetful that a

-      double stake was involved in his life; &ldquo;you and your vengeance are alike

-      despised.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Will the white man speak these words at the stake?&rdquo; asked Magua;

-      manifesting, at the same time, how little faith he had in the other's

-      resolution by the sneer that accompanied his words.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Here; singly to your face, or in the presence of your nation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Renard Subtil is a great chief!&rdquo; returned the Indian; &ldquo;he will go and

-      bring his young men, to see how bravely a pale face can laugh at

-      tortures.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He turned away while speaking, and was about to leave the place through

-      the avenue by which Duncan had approached, when a growl caught his ear,

-      and caused him to hesitate. The figure of the bear appeared in the door,

-      where it sat, rolling from side to side in its customary restlessness.

-      Magua, like the father of the sick woman, eyed it keenly for a moment, as

-      if to ascertain its character. He was far above the more vulgar

-      superstitions of his tribe, and so soon as he recognized the well-known

-      attire of the conjurer, he prepared to pass it in cool contempt. But a

-      louder and more threatening growl caused him again to pause. Then he

-      seemed as if suddenly resolved to trifle no longer, and moved resolutely

-      forward.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The mimic animal, which had advanced a little, retired slowly in his

-      front, until it arrived again at the pass, when, rearing on his hinder

-      legs, it beat the air with its paws, in the manner practised by its brutal

-      prototype.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Fool!&rdquo; exclaimed the chief, in Huron, &ldquo;go play with the children and

-      squaws; leave men to their wisdom.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He once more endeavored to pass the supposed empiric, scorning even the

-      parade of threatening to use the knife, or tomahawk, that was pendent from

-      his belt. Suddenly the beast extended its arms, or rather legs, and

-      inclosed him in a grasp that might have vied with the far-famed power of

-      the &ldquo;bear's hug&rdquo; itself. Heyward had watched the whole procedure, on the

-      part of Hawkeye, with breathless interest. At first he relinquished his

-      hold of Alice; then he caught up a thong of buckskin, which had been used

-      around some bundle, and when he beheld his enemy with his two arms pinned

-      to his side by the iron muscles of the scout, he rushed upon him, and

-      effectually secured them there. Arms, legs, and feet were encircled in

-      twenty folds of the thong, in less time than we have taken to record the

-      circumstance. When the formidable Huron was completely pinioned, the scout

-      released his hold, and Duncan laid his enemy on his back, utterly

-      helpless.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Throughout the whole of this sudden and extraordinary operation, Magua,

-      though he had struggled violently, until assured he was in the hands of

-      one whose nerves were far better strung than his own, had not uttered the

-      slightest exclamation. But when Hawkeye, by way of making a summary

-      explanation of his conduct, removed the shaggy jaws of the beast, and

-      exposed his own rugged and earnest countenance to the gaze of the Huron,

-      the philosophy of the latter was so far mastered as to permit him to utter

-      the never failing:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, you've found your tongue,&rdquo; said his undisturbed conqueror; &ldquo;now, in

-      order that you shall not use it to our ruin, I must make free to stop your

-      mouth.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      As there was no time to be lost, the scout immediately set about effecting

-      so necessary a precaution; and when he had gagged the Indian, his enemy

-      might safely have been considered as &ldquo;hors de combat.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;By what place did the imp enter?&rdquo; asked the industrious scout, when his

-      work was ended. &ldquo;Not a soul has passed my way since you left me.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan pointed out the door by which Magua had come, and which now

-      presented too many obstacles to a quick retreat.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Bring on the gentle one, then,&rdquo; continued his friend; &ldquo;we must make a

-      push for the woods by the other outlet.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis impossible!&rdquo; said Duncan; &ldquo;fear has overcome her, and she is

-      helpless. Alice! my sweet, my own Alice, arouse yourself; now is the

-      moment to fly. 'Tis in vain! she hears, but is unable to follow. Go, noble

-      and worthy friend; save yourself, and leave me to my fate.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Every trail has its end, and every calamity brings its lesson!&rdquo; returned

-      the scout. &ldquo;There, wrap her in them Indian cloths. Conceal all of her

-      little form. Nay, that foot has no fellow in the wilderness; it will

-      betray her. All, every part. Now take her in your arms, and follow. Leave

-      the rest to me.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, as may be gathered from the words of his companion, was eagerly

-      obeying; and, as the other finished speaking, he took the light person of

-      Alice in his arms, and followed in the footsteps of the scout. They found

-      the sick woman as they had left her, still alone, and passed swiftly on,

-      by the natural gallery, to the place of entrance. As they approached the

-      little door of bark, a murmur of voices without announced that the friends

-      and relatives of the invalid were gathered about the place, patiently

-      awaiting a summons to re-enter.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If I open my lips to speak,&rdquo; Hawkeye whispered, &ldquo;my English, which is the

-      genuine tongue of a white-skin, will tell the varlets that an enemy is

-      among them. You must give 'em your jargon, major; and say that we have

-      shut the evil spirit in the cave, and are taking the woman to the woods in

-      order to find strengthening roots. Practise all your cunning, for it is a

-      lawful undertaking.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The door opened a little, as if one without was listening to the

-      proceedings within, and compelled the scout to cease his directions. A

-      fierce growl repelled the eavesdropper, and then the scout boldly threw

-      open the covering of bark, and left the place, enacting the character of a

-      bear as he proceeded. Duncan kept close at his heels, and soon found

-      himself in the center of a cluster of twenty anxious relatives and

-      friends.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The crowd fell back a little, and permitted the father, and one who

-      appeared to be the husband of the woman, to approach.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Has my brother driven away the evil spirit?&rdquo; demanded the former. &ldquo;What

-      has he in his arms?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Thy child,&rdquo; returned Duncan, gravely; &ldquo;the disease has gone out of her;

-      it is shut up in the rocks. I take the woman to a distance, where I will

-      strengthen her against any further attacks. She will be in the wigwam of

-      the young man when the sun comes again.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      When the father had translated the meaning of the stranger's words into

-      the Huron language, a suppressed murmur announced the satisfaction with

-      which this intelligence was received. The chief himself waved his hand for

-      Duncan to proceed, saying aloud, in a firm voice, and with a lofty manner:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go; I am a man, and I will enter the rock and fight the wicked one.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward had gladly obeyed, and was already past the little group, when

-      these startling words arrested him.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is my brother mad?&rdquo; he exclaimed; &ldquo;is he cruel? He will meet the disease,

-      and it will enter him; or he will drive out the disease, and it will chase

-      his daughter into the woods. No; let my children wait without, and if the

-      spirit appears beat him down with clubs. He is cunning, and will bury

-      himself in the mountain, when he sees how many are ready to fight him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      This singular warning had the desired effect. Instead of entering the

-      cavern, the father and husband drew their tomahawks, and posted themselves

-      in readiness to deal their vengeance on the imaginary tormentor of their

-      sick relative, while the women and children broke branches from the

-      bushes, or seized fragments of the rock, with a similar intention. At this

-      favorable moment the counterfeit conjurers disappeared.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye, at the same time that he had presumed so far on the nature of the

-      Indian superstitions, was not ignorant that they were rather tolerated

-      than relied on by the wisest of the chiefs. He well knew the value of time

-      in the present emergency. Whatever might be the extent of the

-      self-delusion of his enemies, and however it had tended to assist his

-      schemes, the slightest cause of suspicion, acting on the subtle nature of

-      an Indian, would be likely to prove fatal. Taking the path, therefore,

-      that was most likely to avoid observation, he rather skirted than entered

-      the village. The warriors were still to be seen in the distance, by the

-      fading light of the fires, stalking from lodge to lodge. But the children

-      had abandoned their sports for their beds of skins, and the quiet of night

-      was already beginning to prevail over the turbulence and excitement of so

-      busy and important an evening.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Alice revived under the renovating influence of the open air, and, as her

-      physical rather than her mental powers had been the subject of weakness,

-      she stood in no need of any explanation of that which had occurred.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now let me make an effort to walk,&rdquo; she said, when they had entered the

-      forest, blushing, though unseen, that she had not been sooner able to quit

-      the arms of Duncan; &ldquo;I am indeed restored.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nay, Alice, you are yet too weak.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The maiden struggled gently to release herself, and Heyward was compelled

-      to part with his precious burden. The representative of the bear had

-      certainly been an entire stranger to the delicious emotions of the lover

-      while his arms encircled his mistress; and he was, perhaps, a stranger

-      also to the nature of that feeling of ingenuous shame that oppressed the

-      trembling Alice. But when he found himself at a suitable distance from the

-      lodges he made a halt, and spoke on a subject of which he was thoroughly

-      the master.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This path will lead you to the brook,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;follow its northern bank

-      until you come to a fall; mount the hill on your right, and you will see

-      the fires of the other people. There you must go and demand protection; if

-      they are true Delawares you will be safe. A distant flight with that

-      gentle one, just now, is impossible. The Hurons would follow up our trail,

-      and master our scalps before we had got a dozen miles. Go, and Providence

-      be with you.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And you!&rdquo; demanded Heyward, in surprise; &ldquo;surely we part not here?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Hurons hold the pride of the Delawares; the last of the high blood of

-      the Mohicans is in their power,&rdquo; returned the scout; &ldquo;I go to see what can

-      be done in his favor. Had they mastered your scalp, major, a knave should

-      have fallen for every hair it held, as I promised; but if the young

-      Sagamore is to be led to the stake, the Indians shall see also how a man

-      without a cross can die.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Not in the least offended with the decided preference that the sturdy

-      woodsman gave to one who might, in some degree, be called the child of his

-      adoption, Duncan still continued to urge such reasons against so desperate

-      an effort as presented themselves. He was aided by Alice, who mingled her

-      entreaties with those of Heyward that he would abandon a resolution that

-      promised so much danger, with so little hope of success. Their eloquence

-      and ingenuity were expended in vain. The scout heard them attentively, but

-      impatiently, and finally closed the discussion, by answering, in a tone

-      that instantly silenced Alice, while it told Heyward how fruitless any

-      further remonstrances would be.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I have heard,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;that there is a feeling in youth which binds man

-      to woman closer than the father is tied to the son. It may be so. I have

-      seldom been where women of my color dwell; but such may be the gifts of

-      nature in the settlements. You have risked life, and all that is dear to

-      you, to bring off this gentle one, and I suppose that some such

-      disposition is at the bottom of it all. As for me, I taught the lad the

-      real character of a rifle; and well has he paid me for it. I have fou't at

-      his side in many a bloody scrimmage; and so long as I could hear the crack

-      of his piece in one ear, and that of the Sagamore in the other, I knew no

-      enemy was on my back. Winters and summer, nights and days, have we roved

-      the wilderness in company, eating of the same dish, one sleeping while the

-      other watched; and afore it shall be said that Uncas was taken to the

-      torment, and I at hand&mdash;There is but a single Ruler of us all,

-      whatever may the color of the skin; and Him I call to witness, that before

-      the Mohican boy shall perish for the want of a friend, good faith shall

-      depart the 'arth, and 'killdeer' become as harmless as the tooting we'pon

-      of the singer!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan released his hold on the arm of the scout, who turned, and steadily

-      retraced his steps toward the lodges. After pausing a moment to gaze at

-      his retiring form, the successful and yet sorrowful Heyward and Alice took

-      their way together toward the distant village of the Delawares.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0359.jpg" alt="0359" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0359.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0025" id="link2HCH0025">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 26

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Bot.&mdash;Let me play the lion too.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Midsummer Night's Dream

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Notwithstanding the high resolution of Hawkeye he fully comprehended all

-      the difficulties and danger he was about to incur. In his return to the

-      camp, his acute and practised intellects were intently engaged in devising

-      means to counteract a watchfulness and suspicion on the part of his

-      enemies, that he knew were, in no degree, inferior to his own. Nothing but

-      the color of his skin had saved the lives of Magua and the conjurer, who

-      would have been the first victims sacrificed to his own security, had not

-      the scout believed such an act, however congenial it might be to the

-      nature of an Indian, utterly unworthy of one who boasted a descent from

-      men that knew no cross of blood. Accordingly, he trusted to the withes and

-      ligaments with which he had bound his captives, and pursued his way

-      directly toward the center of the lodges. As he approached the buildings,

-      his steps become more deliberate, and his vigilant eye suffered no sign,

-      whether friendly or hostile, to escape him. A neglected hut was a little

-      in advance of the others, and appeared as if it had been deserted when

-      half completed&mdash;most probably on account of failing in some of the

-      more important requisites; such as wood or water. A faint light glimmered

-      through its cracks, however, and announced that, notwithstanding its

-      imperfect structure, it was not without a tenant. Thither, then, the scout

-      proceeded, like a prudent general, who was about to feel the advanced

-      positions of his enemy, before he hazarded the main attack.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Throwing himself into a suitable posture for the beast he represented,

-      Hawkeye crawled to a little opening, where he might command a view of the

-      interior. It proved to be the abiding place of David Gamut. Hither the

-      faithful singing-master had now brought himself, together with all his

-      sorrows, his apprehensions, and his meek dependence on the protection of

-      Providence. At the precise moment when his ungainly person came under the

-      observation of the scout, in the manner just mentioned, the woodsman

-      himself, though in his assumed character, was the subject of the solitary

-      being's profounded reflections.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      However implicit the faith of David was in the performance of ancient

-      miracles, he eschewed the belief of any direct supernatural agency in the

-      management of modern morality. In other words, while he had implicit faith

-      in the ability of Balaam's ass to speak, he was somewhat skeptical on the

-      subject of a bear's singing; and yet he had been assured of the latter, on

-      the testimony of his own exquisite organs. There was something in his air

-      and manner that betrayed to the scout the utter confusion of the state of

-      his mind. He was seated on a pile of brush, a few twigs from which

-      occasionally fed his low fire, with his head leaning on his arm, in a

-      posture of melancholy musing. The costume of the votary of music had

-      undergone no other alteration from that so lately described, except that

-      he had covered his bald head with the triangular beaver, which had not

-      proved sufficiently alluring to excite the cupidity of any of his captors.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The ingenious Hawkeye, who recalled the hasty manner in which the other

-      had abandoned his post at the bedside of the sick woman, was not without

-      his suspicions concerning the subject of so much solemn deliberation.

-      First making the circuit of the hut, and ascertaining that it stood quite

-      alone, and that the character of its inmate was likely to protect it from

-      visitors, he ventured through its low door, into the very presence of

-      Gamut. The position of the latter brought the fire between them; and when

-      Hawkeye had seated himself on end, near a minute elapsed, during which the

-      two remained regarding each other without speaking. The suddenness and the

-      nature of the surprise had nearly proved too much for&mdash;we will not

-      say the philosophy&mdash;but for the pitch and resolution of David. He

-      fumbled for his pitch-pipe, and arose with a confused intention of

-      attempting a musical exorcism.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Dark and mysterious monster!&rdquo; he exclaimed, while with trembling hands he

-      disposed of his auxiliary eyes, and sought his never-failing resource in

-      trouble, the gifted version of the psalms; &ldquo;I know not your nature nor

-      intents; but if aught you meditate against the person and rights of one of

-      the humblest servants of the temple, listen to the inspired language of

-      the youth of Israel, and repent.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The bear shook his shaggy sides, and then a well-known voice replied:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Put up the tooting we'pon, and teach your throat modesty. Five words of

-      plain and comprehendible English are worth just now an hour of squalling.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What art thou?&rdquo; demanded David, utterly disqualified to pursue his

-      original intention, and nearly gasping for breath.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A man like yourself; and one whose blood is as little tainted by the

-      cross of a bear, or an Indian, as your own. Have you so soon forgotten

-      from whom you received the foolish instrument you hold in your hand?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Can these things be?&rdquo; returned David, breathing more freely, as the truth

-      began to dawn upon him. &ldquo;I have found many marvels during my sojourn with

-      the heathen, but surely nothing to excel this.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Come, come,&rdquo; returned Hawkeye, uncasing his honest countenance, the

-      better to assure the wavering confidence of his companion; &ldquo;you may see a

-      skin, which, if it be not as white as one of the gentle ones, has no tinge

-      of red to it that the winds of the heaven and the sun have not bestowed.

-      Now let us to business.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;First tell me of the maiden, and of the youth who so bravely sought her,&rdquo;

-       interrupted David.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, they are happily freed from the tomahawks of these varlets. But can

-      you put me on the scent of Uncas?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The young man is in bondage, and much I fear his death is decreed. I

-      greatly mourn that one so well disposed should die in his ignorance, and I

-      have sought a goodly hymn&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Can you lead me to him?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The task will not be difficult,&rdquo; returned David, hesitating; &ldquo;though I

-      greatly fear your presence would rather increase than mitigate his unhappy

-      fortunes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No more words, but lead on,&rdquo; returned Hawkeye, concealing his face again,

-      and setting the example in his own person, by instantly quitting the

-      lodge.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As they proceeded, the scout ascertained that his companion found access

-      to Uncas, under privilege of his imaginary infirmity, aided by the favor

-      he had acquired with one of the guards, who, in consequence of speaking a

-      little English, had been selected by David as the subject of a religious

-      conversion. How far the Huron comprehended the intentions of his new

-      friend may well be doubted; but as exclusive attention is as flattering to

-      a savage as to a more civilized individual, it had produced the effect we

-      have mentioned. It is unnecessary to repeat the shrewd manner with which

-      the scout extracted these particulars from the simple David; neither shall

-      we dwell in this place on the nature of the instruction he delivered, when

-      completely master of all the necessary facts; as the whole will be

-      sufficiently explained to the reader in the course of the narrative.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The lodge in which Uncas was confined was in the very center of the

-      village, and in a situation, perhaps, more difficult than any other to

-      approach, or leave, without observation. But it was not the policy of

-      Hawkeye to affect the least concealment. Presuming on his disguise, and

-      his ability to sustain the character he had assumed, he took the most

-      plain and direct route to the place. The hour, however, afforded him some

-      little of that protection which he appeared so much to despise. The boys

-      were already buried in sleep, and all the women, and most of the warriors,

-      had retired to their lodges for the night. Four or five of the latter only

-      lingered about the door of the prison of Uncas, wary but close observers

-      of the manner of their captive.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At the sight of Gamut, accompanied by one in the well-known masquerade of

-      their most distinguished conjurer, they readily made way for them both.

-      Still they betrayed no intention to depart. On the other hand, they were

-      evidently disposed to remain bound to the place by an additional interest

-      in the mysterious mummeries that they of course expected from such a

-      visit.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      From the total inability of the scout to address the Hurons in their own

-      language, he was compelled to trust the conversation entirely to David.

-      Notwithstanding the simplicity of the latter, he did ample justice to the

-      instructions he had received, more than fulfilling the strongest hopes of

-      his teacher.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Delawares are women!&rdquo; he exclaimed, addressing himself to the savage

-      who had a slight understanding of the language in which he spoke; &ldquo;the

-      Yengeese, my foolish countrymen, have told them to take up the tomahawk,

-      and strike their fathers in the Canadas, and they have forgotten their

-      sex. Does my brother wish to hear 'Le Cerf Agile' ask for his petticoats,

-      and see him weep before the Hurons, at the stake?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The exclamation &ldquo;Hugh!&rdquo; delivered in a strong tone of assent, announced

-      the gratification the savage would receive in witnessing such an

-      exhibition of weakness in an enemy so long hated and so much feared.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then let him step aside, and the cunning man will blow upon the dog. Tell

-      it to my brothers.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Huron explained the meaning of David to his fellows, who, in their

-      turn, listened to the project with that sort of satisfaction that their

-      untamed spirits might be expected to find in such a refinement in cruelty.

-      They drew back a little from the entrance and motioned to the supposed

-      conjurer to enter. But the bear, instead of obeying, maintained the seat

-      it had taken, and growled:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The cunning man is afraid that his breath will blow upon his brothers,

-      and take away their courage too,&rdquo; continued David, improving the hint he

-      received; &ldquo;they must stand further off.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Hurons, who would have deemed such a misfortune the heaviest calamity

-      that could befall them, fell back in a body, taking a position where they

-      were out of earshot, though at the same time they could command a view of

-      the entrance to the lodge. Then, as if satisfied of their safety, the

-      scout left his position, and slowly entered the place. It was silent and

-      gloomy, being tenanted solely by the captive, and lighted by the dying

-      embers of a fire, which had been used for the purposed of cookery.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas occupied a distant corner, in a reclining attitude, being rigidly

-      bound, both hands and feet, by strong and painful withes. When the

-      frightful object first presented itself to the young Mohican, he did not

-      deign to bestow a single glance on the animal. The scout, who had left

-      David at the door, to ascertain they were not observed, thought it prudent

-      to preserve his disguise until assured of their privacy. Instead of

-      speaking, therefore, he exerted himself to enact one of the antics of the

-      animal he represented. The young Mohican, who at first believed his

-      enemies had sent in a real beast to torment him, and try his nerves,

-      detected in those performances that to Heyward had appeared so accurate,

-      certain blemishes, that at once betrayed the counterfeit. Had Hawkeye been

-      aware of the low estimation in which the skillful Uncas held his

-      representations, he would probably have prolonged the entertainment a

-      little in pique. But the scornful expression of the young man's eye

-      admitted of so many constructions, that the worthy scout was spared the

-      mortification of such a discovery. As soon, therefore, as David gave the

-      preconcerted signal, a low hissing sound was heard in the lodge in place

-      of the fierce growlings of the bear.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/5433.jpg" alt="5433" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/5433.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      Uncas had cast his body back against the wall of the hut and closed his

-      eyes, as if willing to exclude so contemptible and disagreeable an object

-      from his sight. But the moment the noise of the serpent was heard, he

-      arose, and cast his looks on each side of him, bending his head low, and

-      turning it inquiringly in every direction, until his keen eye rested on

-      the shaggy monster, where it remained riveted, as though fixed by the

-      power of a charm. Again the same sounds were repeated, evidently

-      proceeding from the mouth of the beast. Once more the eyes of the youth

-      roamed over the interior of the lodge, and returning to the former resting

-      place, he uttered, in a deep, suppressed voice:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hawkeye!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Cut his bands,&rdquo; said Hawkeye to David, who just then approached them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The singer did as he was ordered, and Uncas found his limbs released. At

-      the same moment the dried skin of the animal rattled, and presently the

-      scout arose to his feet, in proper person. The Mohican appeared to

-      comprehend the nature of the attempt his friend had made, intuitively,

-      neither tongue nor feature betraying another symptom of surprise. When

-      Hawkeye had cast his shaggy vestment, which was done by simply loosing

-      certain thongs of skin, he drew a long, glittering knife, and put it in

-      the hands of Uncas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The red Hurons are without,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;let us be ready.&rdquo; At the same time

-      he laid his finger significantly on another similar weapon, both being the

-      fruits of his prowess among their enemies during the evening.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We will go,&rdquo; said Uncas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Whither?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To the Tortoises; they are the children of my grandfathers.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, lad,&rdquo; said the scout in English&mdash;a language he was apt to use

-      when a little abstracted in mind; &ldquo;the same blood runs in your veins, I

-      believe; but time and distance has a little changed its color. What shall

-      we do with the Mingoes at the door? They count six, and this singer is as

-      good as nothing.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Hurons are boasters,&rdquo; said Uncas, scornfully; &ldquo;their 'totem' is a

-      moose, and they run like snails. The Delawares are children of the

-      tortoise, and they outstrip the deer.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, lad, there is truth in what you say; and I doubt not, on a rush, you

-      would pass the whole nation; and, in a straight race of two miles, would

-      be in, and get your breath again, afore a knave of them all was within

-      hearing of the other village. But the gift of a white man lies more in his

-      arms than in his legs. As for myself, I can brain a Huron as well as a

-      better man; but when it comes to a race the knaves would prove too much

-      for me.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas, who had already approached the door, in readiness to lead the way,

-      now recoiled, and placed himself, once more, in the bottom of the lodge.

-      But Hawkeye, who was too much occupied with his own thoughts to note the

-      movement, continued speaking more to himself than to his companion.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;After all,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;it is unreasonable to keep one man in bondage to

-      the gifts of another. So, Uncas, you had better take the lead, while I

-      will put on the skin again, and trust to cunning for want of speed.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The young Mohican made no reply, but quietly folded his arms, and leaned

-      his body against one of the upright posts that supported the wall of the

-      hut.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; said the scout looking up at him, &ldquo;why do you tarry? There will be

-      time enough for me, as the knaves will give chase to you at first.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas will stay,&rdquo; was the calm reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;For what?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To fight with his father's brother, and die with the friend of the

-      Delawares.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, lad,&rdquo; returned Hawkeye, squeezing the hand of Uncas between his own

-      iron fingers; &ldquo;'twould have been more like a Mingo than a Mohican had you

-      left me. But I thought I would make the offer, seeing that youth commonly

-      loves life. Well, what can't be done by main courage, in war, must be done

-      by circumvention. Put on the skin; I doubt not you can play the bear

-      nearly as well as myself.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Whatever might have been the private opinion of Uncas of their respective

-      abilities in this particular, his grave countenance manifested no opinion

-      of his superiority. He silently and expeditiously encased himself in the

-      covering of the beast, and then awaited such other movements as his more

-      aged companion saw fit to dictate.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now, friend,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, addressing David, &ldquo;an exchange of garments

-      will be a great convenience to you, inasmuch as you are but little

-      accustomed to the make-shifts of the wilderness. Here, take my hunting

-      shirt and cap, and give me your blanket and hat. You must trust me with

-      the book and spectacles, as well as the tooter, too; if we ever meet

-      again, in better times, you shall have all back again, with many thanks

-      into the bargain.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David parted with the several articles named with a readiness that would

-      have done great credit to his liberality, had he not certainly profited,

-      in many particulars, by the exchange. Hawkeye was not long in assuming his

-      borrowed garments; and when his restless eyes were hid behind the glasses,

-      and his head was surmounted by the triangular beaver, as their statures

-      were not dissimilar, he might readily have passed for the singer, by

-      starlight. As soon as these dispositions were made, the scout turned to

-      David, and gave him his parting instructions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Are you much given to cowardice?&rdquo; he bluntly asked, by way of obtaining a

-      suitable understanding of the whole case before he ventured a

-      prescription.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My pursuits are peaceful, and my temper, I humbly trust, is greatly given

-      to mercy and love,&rdquo; returned David, a little nettled at so direct an

-      attack on his manhood; &ldquo;but there are none who can say that I have ever

-      forgotten my faith in the Lord, even in the greatest straits.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Your chiefest danger will be at the moment when the savages find out that

-      they have been deceived. If you are not then knocked on the head, your

-      being a non-composser will protect you; and you'll then have a good reason

-      to expect to die in your bed. If you stay, it must be to sit down here in

-      the shadow, and take the part of Uncas, until such times as the cunning of

-      the Indians discover the cheat, when, as I have already said, your times

-      of trial will come. So choose for yourself&mdash;to make a rush or tarry

-      here.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Even so,&rdquo; said David, firmly; &ldquo;I will abide in the place of the Delaware.

-      Bravely and generously has he battled in my behalf, and this, and more,

-      will I dare in his service.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You have spoken as a man, and like one who, under wiser schooling, would

-      have been brought to better things. Hold your head down, and draw in your

-      legs; their formation might tell the truth too early. Keep silent as long

-      as may be; and it would be wise, when you do speak, to break out suddenly

-      in one of your shoutings, which will serve to remind the Indians that you

-      are not altogether as responsible as men should be. If however, they take

-      your scalp, as I trust and believe they will not, depend on it, Uncas and

-      I will not forget the deed, but revenge it as becomes true warriors and

-      trusty friends.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold!&rdquo; said David, perceiving that with this assurance they were about to

-      leave him; &ldquo;I am an unworthy and humble follower of one who taught not the

-      damnable principle of revenge. Should I fall, therefore, seek no victims

-      to my manes, but rather forgive my destroyers; and if you remember them at

-      all, let it be in prayers for the enlightening of their minds, and for

-      their eternal welfare.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout hesitated, and appeared to muse.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There is a principle in that,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;different from the law of the

-      woods; and yet it is fair and noble to reflect upon.&rdquo; Then heaving a heavy

-      sigh, probably among the last he ever drew in pining for a condition he

-      had so long abandoned, he added: &ldquo;it is what I would wish to practise

-      myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it is not always easy to

-      deal with an Indian as you would with a fellow Christian. God bless you,

-      friend; I do believe your scent is not greatly wrong, when the matter is

-      duly considered, and keeping eternity before the eyes, though much depends

-      on the natural gifts, and the force of temptation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      So saying, the scout returned and shook David cordially by the hand; after

-      which act of friendship he immediately left the lodge, attended by the new

-      representative of the beast.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The instant Hawkeye found himself under the observation of the Hurons, he

-      drew up his tall form in the rigid manner of David, threw out his arm in

-      the act of keeping time, and commenced what he intended for an imitation

-      of his psalmody. Happily for the success of this delicate adventure, he

-      had to deal with ears but little practised in the concord of sweet sounds,

-      or the miserable effort would infallibly have been detected. It was

-      necessary to pass within a dangerous proximity of the dark group of the

-      savages, and the voice of the scout grew louder as they drew nigher. When

-      at the nearest point the Huron who spoke the English thrust out an arm,

-      and stopped the supposed singing-master.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Delaware dog!&rdquo; he said, leaning forward, and peering through the dim

-      light to catch the expression of the other's features; &ldquo;is he afraid? Will

-      the Hurons hear his groans?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A growl, so exceedingly fierce and natural, proceeded from the beast, that

-      the young Indian released his hold and started aside, as if to assure

-      himself that it was not a veritable bear, and no counterfeit, that was

-      rolling before him. Hawkeye, who feared his voice would betray him to his

-      subtle enemies, gladly profited by the interruption, to break out anew in

-      such a burst of musical expression as would, probably, in a more refined

-      state of society have been termed &ldquo;a grand crash.&rdquo; Among his actual

-      auditors, however, it merely gave him an additional claim to that respect

-      which they never withhold from such as are believed to be the subjects of

-      mental alienation. The little knot of Indians drew back in a body, and

-      suffered, as they thought, the conjurer and his inspired assistant to

-      proceed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It required no common exercise of fortitude in Uncas and the scout to

-      continue the dignified and deliberate pace they had assumed in passing the

-      lodge; especially as they immediately perceived that curiosity had so far

-      mastered fear, as to induce the watchers to approach the hut, in order to

-      witness the effect of the incantations. The least injudicious or impatient

-      movement on the part of David might betray them, and time was absolutely

-      necessary to insure the safety of the scout. The loud noise the latter

-      conceived it politic to continue, drew many curious gazers to the doors of

-      the different huts as thy passed; and once or twice a dark-looking warrior

-      stepped across their path, led to the act by superstition and

-      watchfulness. They were not, however, interrupted, the darkness of the

-      hour, and the boldness of the attempt, proving their principal friends.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The adventurers had got clear of the village, and were now swiftly

-      approaching the shelter of the woods, when a loud and long cry arose from

-      the lodge where Uncas had been confined. The Mohican started on his feet,

-      and shook his shaggy covering, as though the animal he counterfeited was

-      about to make some desperate effort.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold!&rdquo; said the scout, grasping his friend by the shoulder, &ldquo;let them

-      yell again! 'Twas nothing but wonderment.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He had no occasion to delay, for at the next instant a burst of cries

-      filled the outer air, and ran along the whole extent of the village. Uncas

-      cast his skin, and stepped forth in his own beautiful proportions. Hawkeye

-      tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and glided ahead.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now let the devils strike our scent!&rdquo; said the scout, tearing two rifles,

-      with all their attendant accouterments, from beneath a bush, and

-      flourishing &ldquo;killdeer&rdquo; as he handed Uncas his weapon; &ldquo;two, at least, will

-      find it to their deaths.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, throwing their pieces to a low trail, like sportsmen in readiness

-      for their game, they dashed forward, and were soon buried in the somber

-      darkness of the forest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0026" id="link2HCH0026">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 27

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Ant. I shall remember: When C'sar says

-     Do this, it is performed.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Julius Caesar

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The impatience of the savages who lingered about the prison of Uncas, as

-      has been seen, had overcome their dread of the conjurer's breath. They

-      stole cautiously, and with beating hearts, to a crevice, through which the

-      faint light of the fire was glimmering. For several minutes they mistook

-      the form of David for that of the prisoner; but the very accident which

-      Hawkeye had foreseen occurred. Tired of keeping the extremities of his

-      long person so near together, the singer gradually suffered the lower

-      limbs to extend themselves, until one of his misshapen feet actually came

-      in contact with and shoved aside the embers of the fire. At first the

-      Hurons believed the Delaware had been thus deformed by witchcraft. But

-      when David, unconscious of being observed, turned his head, and exposed

-      his simple, mild countenance, in place of the haughty lineaments of their

-      prisoner, it would have exceeded the credulity of even a native to have

-      doubted any longer. They rushed together into the lodge, and, laying their

-      hands, with but little ceremony, on their captive, immediately detected

-      the imposition. Then arose the cry first heard by the fugitives. It was

-      succeeded by the most frantic and angry demonstrations of vengeance.

-      David, however, firm in his determination to cover the retreat of his

-      friends, was compelled to believe that his own final hour had come.

-      Deprived of his book and his pipe, he was fain to trust to a memory that

-      rarely failed him on such subjects; and breaking forth in a loud and

-      impassioned strain, he endeavored to smooth his passage into the other

-      world by singing the opening verse of a funeral anthem. The Indians were

-      seasonably reminded of his infirmity, and, rushing into the open air, they

-      aroused the village in the manner described.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A native warrior fights as he sleeps, without the protection of anything

-      defensive. The sounds of the alarm were, therefore, hardly uttered before

-      two hundred men were afoot, and ready for the battle or the chase, as

-      either might be required. The escape was soon known; and the whole tribe

-      crowded, in a body, around the council-lodge, impatiently awaiting the

-      instruction of their chiefs. In such a sudden demand on their wisdom, the

-      presence of the cunning Magua could scarcely fail of being needed. His

-      name was mentioned, and all looked round in wonder that he did not appear.

-      Messengers were then despatched to his lodge requiring his presence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In the meantime, some of the swiftest and most discreet of the young men

-      were ordered to make the circuit of the clearing, under cover of the

-      woods, in order to ascertain that their suspected neighbors, the

-      Delawares, designed no mischief. Women and children ran to and fro; and,

-      in short, the whole encampment exhibited another scene of wild and savage

-      confusion. Gradually, however, these symptoms of disorder diminished; and

-      in a few minutes the oldest and most distinguished chiefs were assembled

-      in the lodge, in grave consultation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The clamor of many voices soon announced that a party approached, who

-      might be expected to communicate some intelligence that would explain the

-      mystery of the novel surprise. The crowd without gave way, and several

-      warriors entered the place, bringing with them the hapless conjurer, who

-      had been left so long by the scout in duress.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Notwithstanding this man was held in very unequal estimation among the

-      Hurons, some believing implicitly in his power, and others deeming him an

-      impostor, he was now listened to by all with the deepest attention. When

-      his brief story was ended, the father of the sick woman stepped forth,

-      and, in a few pithy expression, related, in his turn, what he knew. These

-      two narratives gave a proper direction to the subsequent inquiries, which

-      were now made with the characteristic cunning of savages.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Instead of rushing in a confused and disorderly throng to the cavern, ten

-      of the wisest and firmest among the chiefs were selected to prosecute the

-      investigation. As no time was to be lost, the instant the choice was made

-      the individuals appointed rose in a body and left the place without

-      speaking. On reaching the entrance, the younger men in advance made way

-      for their seniors; and the whole proceeded along the low, dark gallery,

-      with the firmness of warriors ready to devote themselves to the public

-      good, though, at the same time, secretly doubting the nature of the power

-      with which they were about to contend.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The outer apartment of the cavern was silent and gloomy. The woman lay in

-      her usual place and posture, though there were those present who affirmed

-      they had seen her borne to the woods by the supposed &ldquo;medicine of the

-      white men.&rdquo; Such a direct and palpable contradiction of the tale related

-      by the father caused all eyes to be turned on him. Chafed by the silent

-      imputation, and inwardly troubled by so unaccountable a circumstance, the

-      chief advanced to the side of the bed, and, stooping, cast an incredulous

-      look at the features, as if distrusting their reality. His daughter was

-      dead.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The unerring feeling of nature for a moment prevailed and the old warrior

-      hid his eyes in sorrow. Then, recovering his self-possession, he faced his

-      companions, and, pointing toward the corpse, he said, in the language of

-      his people:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The wife of my young man has left us! The Great Spirit is angry with his

-      children.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The mournful intelligence was received in solemn silence. After a short

-      pause, one of the elder Indians was about to speak, when a dark-looking

-      object was seen rolling out of an adjoining apartment, into the very

-      center of the room where they stood. Ignorant of the nature of the beings

-      they had to deal with, the whole party drew back a little, and, rising on

-      end, exhibited the distorted but still fierce and sullen features of

-      Magua. The discovery was succeeded by a general exclamation of amazement.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As soon, however, as the true situation of the chief was understood,

-      several knives appeared, and his limbs and tongue were quickly released.

-      The Huron arose, and shook himself like a lion quitting his lair. Not a

-      word escaped him, though his hand played convulsively with the handle of

-      his knife, while his lowering eyes scanned the whole party, as if they

-      sought an object suited to the first burst of his vengeance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was happy for Uncas and the scout, and even David, that they were all

-      beyond the reach of his arm at such a moment; for, assuredly, no

-      refinement in cruelty would then have deferred their deaths, in opposition

-      to the promptings of the fierce temper that nearly choked him. Meeting

-      everywhere faces that he knew as friends, the savage grated his teeth

-      together like rasps of iron, and swallowed his passion for want of a

-      victim on whom to vent it. This exhibition of anger was noted by all

-      present; and from an apprehension of exasperating a temper that was

-      already chafed nearly to madness, several minutes were suffered to pass

-      before another word was uttered. When, however, suitable time had elapsed,

-      the oldest of the party spoke.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My friend has found an enemy,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Is he nigh that the Hurons might

-      take revenge?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let the Delaware die!&rdquo; exclaimed Magua, in a voice of thunder.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Another longer and expressive silence was observed, and was broken, as

-      before, with due precaution, by the same individual.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Mohican is swift of foot, and leaps far,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;but my young men

-      are on his trail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is he gone?&rdquo; demanded Magua, in tones so deep and guttural, that they

-      seemed to proceed from his inmost chest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;An evil spirit has been among us, and the Delaware has blinded our eyes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;An evil spirit!&rdquo; repeated the other, mockingly; &ldquo;'tis the spirit that has

-      taken the lives of so many Hurons; the spirit that slew my young men at

-      'the tumbling river'; that took their scalps at the 'healing spring'; and

-      who has, now, bound the arms of Le Renard Subtil!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of whom does my friend speak?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of the dog who carries the heart and cunning of a Huron under a pale skin&mdash;La

-      Longue Carabine.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The pronunciation of so terrible a name produced the usual effect among

-      his auditors. But when time was given for reflection, and the warriors

-      remembered that their formidable and daring enemy had even been in the

-      bosom of their encampment, working injury, fearful rage took the place of

-      wonder, and all those fierce passions with which the bosom of Magua had

-      just been struggling were suddenly transferred to his companions. Some

-      among them gnashed their teeth in anger, others vented their feelings in

-      yells, and some, again, beat the air as frantically as if the object of

-      their resentment were suffering under their blows. But this sudden

-      outbreaking of temper as quickly subsided in the still and sullen

-      restraint they most affected in their moments of inaction.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua, who had in his turn found leisure for reflection, now changed his

-      manner, and assumed the air of one who knew how to think and act with a

-      dignity worthy of so grave a subject.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let us go to my people,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;they wait for us.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      His companions consented in silence, and the whole of the savage party

-      left the cavern and returned to the council-lodge. When they were seated,

-      all eyes turned on Magua, who understood, from such an indication, that,

-      by common consent, they had devolved the duty of relating what had passed

-      on him. He arose, and told his tale without duplicity or reservation. The

-      whole deception practised by both Duncan and Hawkeye was, of course, laid

-      naked, and no room was found, even for the most superstitious of the

-      tribe, any longer to affix a doubt on the character of the occurrences. It

-      was but too apparent that they had been insultingly, shamefully,

-      disgracefully deceived. When he had ended, and resumed his seat, the

-      collected tribe&mdash;for his auditors, in substance, included all the

-      fighting men of the party&mdash;sat regarding each other like men

-      astonished equally at the audacity and the success of their enemies. The

-      next consideration, however, was the means and opportunities for revenge.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Additional pursuers were sent on the trail of the fugitives; and then the

-      chiefs applied themselves, in earnest, to the business of consultation.

-      Many different expedients were proposed by the elder warriors, in

-      succession, to all of which Magua was a silent and respectful listener.

-      That subtle savage had recovered his artifice and self-command, and now

-      proceeded toward his object with his customary caution and skill. It was

-      only when each one disposed to speak had uttered his sentiments, that he

-      prepared to advance his own opinions. They were given with additional

-      weight from the circumstance that some of the runners had already

-      returned, and reported that their enemies had been traced so far as to

-      leave no doubt of their having sought safety in the neighboring camp of

-      their suspected allies, the Delawares. With the advantage of possessing

-      this important intelligence, the chief warily laid his plans before his

-      fellows, and, as might have been anticipated from his eloquence and

-      cunning, they were adopted without a dissenting voice. They were, briefly,

-      as follows, both in opinions and in motives.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It has been already stated that, in obedience to a policy rarely departed

-      from, the sisters were separated so soon as they reached the Huron

-      village. Magua had early discovered that in retaining the person of Alice,

-      he possessed the most effectual check on Cora. When they parted,

-      therefore, he kept the former within reach of his hand, consigning the one

-      he most valued to the keeping of their allies. The arrangement was

-      understood to be merely temporary, and was made as much with a view to

-      flatter his neighbors as in obedience to the invariable rule of Indian

-      policy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      While goaded incessantly by these revengeful impulses that in a savage

-      seldom slumber, the chief was still attentive to his more permanent

-      personal interests. The follies and disloyalty committed in his youth were

-      to be expiated by a long and painful penance, ere he could be restored to

-      the full enjoyment of the confidence of his ancient people; and without

-      confidence there could be no authority in an Indian tribe. In this

-      delicate and arduous situation, the crafty native had neglected no means

-      of increasing his influence; and one of the happiest of his expedients had

-      been the success with which he had cultivated the favor of their powerful

-      and dangerous neighbors. The result of his experiment had answered all the

-      expectations of his policy; for the Hurons were in no degree exempt from

-      that governing principle of nature, which induces man to value his gifts

-      precisely in the degree that they are appreciated by others.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But, while he was making this ostensible sacrifice to general

-      considerations, Magua never lost sight of his individual motives. The

-      latter had been frustrated by the unlooked-for events which had placed all

-      his prisoners beyond his control; and he now found himself reduced to the

-      necessity of suing for favors to those whom it had so lately been his

-      policy to oblige.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Several of the chiefs had proposed deep and treacherous schemes to

-      surprise the Delawares and, by gaining possession of their camp, to

-      recover their prisoners by the same blow; for all agreed that their honor,

-      their interests, and the peace and happiness of their dead countrymen,

-      imperiously required them speedily to immolate some victims to their

-      revenge. But plans so dangerous to attempt, and of such doubtful issue,

-      Magua found little difficulty in defeating. He exposed their risk and

-      fallacy with his usual skill; and it was only after he had removed every

-      impediment, in the shape of opposing advice, that he ventured to propose

-      his own projects.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      He commenced by flattering the self-love of his auditors; a never-failing

-      method of commanding attention. When he had enumerated the many different

-      occasions on which the Hurons had exhibited their courage and prowess, in

-      the punishment of insults, he digressed in a high encomium on the virtue

-      of wisdom. He painted the quality as forming the great point of difference

-      between the beaver and other brutes; between the brutes and men; and,

-      finally, between the Hurons, in particular, and the rest of the human

-      race. After he had sufficiently extolled the property of discretion, he

-      undertook to exhibit in what manner its use was applicable to the present

-      situation of their tribe. On the one hand, he said, was their great pale

-      father, the governor of the Canadas, who had looked upon his children with

-      a hard eye since their tomahawks had been so red; on the other, a people

-      as numerous as themselves, who spoke a different language, possessed

-      different interests, and loved them not, and who would be glad of any

-      pretense to bring them in disgrace with the great white chief. Then he

-      spoke of their necessities; of the gifts they had a right to expect for

-      their past services; of their distance from their proper hunting-grounds

-      and native villages; and of the necessity of consulting prudence more, and

-      inclination less, in so critical circumstances. When he perceived that,

-      while the old men applauded his moderation, many of the fiercest and most

-      distinguished of the warriors listened to these politic plans with

-      lowering looks, he cunningly led them back to the subject which they most

-      loved. He spoke openly of the fruits of their wisdom, which he boldly

-      pronounced would be a complete and final triumph over their enemies. He

-      even darkly hinted that their success might be extended, with proper

-      caution, in such a manner as to include the destruction of all whom they

-      had reason to hate. In short, he so blended the warlike with the artful,

-      the obvious with the obscure, as to flatter the propensities of both

-      parties, and to leave to each subject of hope, while neither could say it

-      clearly comprehended his intentions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The orator, or the politician, who can produce such a state of things, is

-      commonly popular with his contemporaries, however he may be treated by

-      posterity. All perceived that more was meant than was uttered, and each

-      one believed that the hidden meaning was precisely such as his own

-      faculties enabled him to understand, or his own wishes led him to

-      anticipate.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In this happy state of things, it is not surprising that the management of

-      Magua prevailed. The tribe consented to act with deliberation, and with

-      one voice they committed the direction of the whole affair to the

-      government of the chief who had suggested such wise and intelligible

-      expedients.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua had now attained one great object of all his cunning and enterprise.

-      The ground he had lost in the favor of his people was completely regained,

-      and he found himself even placed at the head of affairs. He was, in truth,

-      their ruler; and, so long as he could maintain his popularity, no monarch

-      could be more despotic, especially while the tribe continued in a hostile

-      country. Throwing off, therefore, the appearance of consultation, he

-      assumed the grave air of authority necessary to support the dignity of his

-      office.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Runners were despatched for intelligence in different directions; spies

-      were ordered to approach and feel the encampment of the Delawares; the

-      warriors were dismissed to their lodges, with an intimation that their

-      services would soon be needed; and the women and children were ordered to

-      retire, with a warning that it was their province to be silent. When these

-      several arrangements were made, Magua passed through the village, stopping

-      here and there to pay a visit where he thought his presence might be

-      flattering to the individual. He confirmed his friends in their

-      confidence, fixed the wavering, and gratified all. Then he sought his own

-      lodge. The wife the Huron chief had abandoned, when he was chased from

-      among his people, was dead. Children he had none; and he now occupied a

-      hut, without companion of any sort. It was, in fact, the dilapidated and

-      solitary structure in which David had been discovered, and whom he had

-      tolerated in his presence, on those few occasions when they met, with the

-      contemptuous indifference of a haughty superiority.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Hither, then, Magua retired, when his labors of policy were ended. While

-      others slept, however, he neither knew or sought repose. Had there been

-      one sufficiently curious to have watched the movements of the newly

-      elected chief, he would have seen him seated in a corner of his lodge,

-      musing on the subject of his future plans, from the hour of his retirement

-      to the time he had appointed for the warriors to assemble again.

-      Occasionally the air breathed through the crevices of the hut, and the low

-      flame that fluttered about the embers of the fire threw their wavering

-      light on the person of the sullen recluse. At such moments it would not

-      have been difficult to have fancied the dusky savage the Prince of

-      Darkness brooding on his own fancied wrongs, and plotting evil.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Long before the day dawned, however, warrior after warrior entered the

-      solitary hut of Magua, until they had collected to the number of twenty.

-      Each bore his rifle, and all the other accouterments of war, though the

-      paint was uniformly peaceful. The entrance of these fierce-looking beings

-      was unnoticed: some seating themselves in the shadows of the place, and

-      others standing like motionless statues, until the whole of the designated

-      band was collected.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then Magua arose and gave the signal to proceed, marching himself in

-      advance. They followed their leader singly, and in that well-known order

-      which has obtained the distinguishing appellation of &ldquo;Indian file.&rdquo; Unlike

-      other men engaged in the spirit-stirring business of war, they stole from

-      their camp unostentatiously and unobserved resembling a band of gliding

-      specters, more than warriors seeking the bubble reputation by deeds of

-      desperate daring.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Instead of taking the path which led directly toward the camp of the

-      Delawares, Magua led his party for some distance down the windings of the

-      stream, and along the little artificial lake of the beavers. The day began

-      to dawn as they entered the clearing which had been formed by those

-      sagacious and industrious animals. Though Magua, who had resumed his

-      ancient garb, bore the outline of a fox on the dressed skin which formed

-      his robe, there was one chief of his party who carried the beaver as his

-      peculiar symbol, or &ldquo;totem.&rdquo; There would have been a species of profanity

-      in the omission, had this man passed so powerful a community of his

-      fancied kindred, without bestowing some evidence of his regard.

-      Accordingly, he paused, and spoke in words as kind and friendly as if he

-      were addressing more intelligent beings. He called the animals his

-      cousins, and reminded them that his protecting influence was the reason

-      they remained unharmed, while many avaricious traders were prompting the

-      Indians to take their lives. He promised a continuance of his favors, and

-      admonished them to be grateful. After which, he spoke of the expedition in

-      which he was himself engaged, and intimated, though with sufficient

-      delicacy and circumlocution, the expediency of bestowing on their relative

-      a portion of that wisdom for which they were so renowned.*

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * These harangues of the beasts were frequent among the

-     Indians. They often address their victims in this way,

-     reproaching them for cowardice or commending their

-     resolution, as they may happen to exhibit fortitude or the

-     reverse, in suffering.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      During the utterance of this extraordinary address, the companions of the

-      speaker were as grave and as attentive to his language as though they were

-      all equally impressed with its propriety. Once or twice black objects were

-      seen rising to the surface of the water, and the Huron expressed pleasure,

-      conceiving that his words were not bestowed in vain. Just as he ended his

-      address, the head of a large beaver was thrust from the door of a lodge,

-      whose earthen walls had been much injured, and which the party had

-      believed, from its situation, to be uninhabited. Such an extraordinary

-      sign of confidence was received by the orator as a highly favorable omen;

-      and though the animal retreated a little precipitately, he was lavish of

-      his thanks and commendations.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When Magua thought sufficient time had been lost in gratifying the family

-      affection of the warrior, he again made the signal to proceed. As the

-      Indians moved away in a body, and with a step that would have been

-      inaudible to the ears of any common man, the same venerable-looking beaver

-      once more ventured his head from its cover. Had any of the Hurons turned

-      to look behind them, they would have seen the animal watching their

-      movements with an interest and sagacity that might easily have been

-      mistaken for reason. Indeed, so very distinct and intelligible were the

-      devices of the quadruped, that even the most experienced observer would

-      have been at a loss to account for its actions, until the moment when the

-      party entered the forest, when the whole would have been explained, by

-      seeing the entire animal issue from the lodge, uncasing, by the act, the

-      grave features of Chingachgook from his mask of fur.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0027" id="link2HCH0027">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 28

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Brief, I pray for you; for you see, 'tis a busy time with me.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Much Ado About Nothing.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The tribe, or rather half tribe, of Delawares, which has been so often

-      mentioned, and whose present place of encampment was so nigh the temporary

-      village of the Hurons, could assemble about an equal number of warriors

-      with the latter people. Like their neighbors, they had followed Montcalm

-      into the territories of the English crown, and were making heavy and

-      serious inroads on the hunting-grounds of the Mohawks; though they had

-      seen fit, with the mysterious reserve so common among the natives, to

-      withhold their assistance at the moment when it was most required. The

-      French had accounted for this unexpected defection on the part of their

-      ally in various ways. It was the prevalent opinion, however, that they had

-      been influenced by veneration for the ancient treaty, that had once made

-      them dependent on the Six Nations for military protection, and now

-      rendered them reluctant to encounter their former masters. As for the

-      tribe itself, it had been content to announce to Montcalm, through his

-      emissaries, with Indian brevity, that their hatchets were dull, and time

-      was necessary to sharpen them. The politic captain of the Canadas had

-      deemed it wiser to submit to entertain a passive friend, than by any acts

-      of ill-judged severity to convert him into an open enemy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      On that morning when Magua led his silent party from the settlement of the

-      beavers into the forests, in the manner described, the sun rose upon the

-      Delaware encampment as if it had suddenly burst upon a busy people,

-      actively employed in all the customary avocations of high noon. The women

-      ran from lodge to lodge, some engaged in preparing their morning's meal, a

-      few earnestly bent on seeking the comforts necessary to their habits, but

-      more pausing to exchange hasty and whispered sentences with their friends.

-      The warriors were lounging in groups, musing more than they conversed and

-      when a few words were uttered, speaking like men who deeply weighed their

-      opinions. The instruments of the chase were to be seen in abundance among

-      the lodges; but none departed. Here and there a warrior was examining his

-      arms, with an attention that is rarely bestowed on the implements, when no

-      other enemy than the beasts of the forest is expected to be encountered.

-      And occasionally, the eyes of a whole group were turned simultaneously

-      toward a large and silent lodge in the center of the village, as if it

-      contained the subject of their common thoughts.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      During the existence of this scene, a man suddenly appeared at the

-      furthest extremity of a platform of rock which formed the level of the

-      village. He was without arms, and his paint tended rather to soften than

-      increase the natural sternness of his austere countenance. When in full

-      view of the Delawares he stopped, and made a gesture of amity, by throwing

-      his arm upward toward heaven, and then letting it fall impressively on his

-      breast. The inhabitants of the village answered his salute by a low murmur

-      of welcome, and encouraged him to advance by similar indications of

-      friendship. Fortified by these assurances, the dark figure left the brow

-      of the natural rocky terrace, where it had stood a moment, drawn in a

-      strong outline against the blushing morning sky, and moved with dignity

-      into the very center of the huts. As he approached, nothing was audible

-      but the rattling of the light silver ornaments that loaded his arms and

-      neck, and the tinkling of the little bells that fringed his deerskin

-      moccasins. He made, as he advanced, many courteous signs of greeting to

-      the men he passed, neglecting to notice the women, however, like one who

-      deemed their favor, in the present enterprise, of no importance. When he

-      had reached the group in which it was evident, by the haughtiness of their

-      common mien, that the principal chiefs were collected, the stranger

-      paused, and then the Delawares saw that the active and erect form that

-      stood before them was that of the well-known Huron chief, Le Renard

-      Subtil.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      His reception was grave, silent, and wary. The warriors in front stepped

-      aside, opening the way to their most approved orator by the action; one

-      who spoke all those languages that were cultivated among the northern

-      aborigines.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The wise Huron is welcome,&rdquo; said the Delaware, in the language of the

-      Maquas; &ldquo;he is come to eat his 'succotash' *, with his brothers of the

-      lakes.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * A dish composed of cracked corn and beans. It is much used

-     also by the whites. By corn is meant maise.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He is come,&rdquo; repeated Magua, bending his head with the dignity of an

-      eastern prince.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The chief extended his arm and taking the other by the wrist, they once

-      more exchanged friendly salutations. Then the Delaware invited his guest

-      to enter his own lodge, and share his morning meal. The invitation was

-      accepted; and the two warriors, attended by three or four of the old men,

-      walked calmly away, leaving the rest of the tribe devoured by a desire to

-      understand the reasons of so unusual a visit, and yet not betraying the

-      least impatience by sign or word.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      During the short and frugal repast that followed, the conversation was

-      extremely circumspect, and related entirely to the events of the hunt, in

-      which Magua had so lately been engaged. It would have been impossible for

-      the most finished breeding to wear more of the appearance of considering

-      the visit as a thing of course, than did his hosts, notwithstanding every

-      individual present was perfectly aware that it must be connected with some

-      secret object and that probably of importance to themselves. When the

-      appetites of the whole were appeased, the squaws removed the trenchers and

-      gourds, and the two parties began to prepare themselves for a subtle trial

-      of their wits.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is the face of my great Canada father turned again toward his Huron

-      children?&rdquo; demanded the orator of the Delawares.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When was it ever otherwise?&rdquo; returned Magua. &ldquo;He calls my people 'most

-      beloved'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Delaware gravely bowed his acquiescence to what he knew to be false,

-      and continued:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The tomahawks of your young men have been very red.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is so; but they are now bright and dull; for the Yengeese are dead,

-      and the Delawares are our neighbors.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The other acknowledged the pacific compliment by a gesture of the hand,

-      and remained silent. Then Magua, as if recalled to such a recollection, by

-      the allusion to the massacre, demanded:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Does my prisoner give trouble to my brothers?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;She is welcome.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The path between the Hurons and the Delawares is short and it is open;

-      let her be sent to my squaws, if she gives trouble to my brother.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;She is welcome,&rdquo; returned the chief of the latter nation, still more

-      emphatically.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The baffled Magua continued silent several minutes, apparently

-      indifferent, however, to the repulse he had received in this his opening

-      effort to regain possession of Cora.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do my young men leave the Delawares room on the mountains for their

-      hunts?&rdquo; he at length continued.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Lenape are rulers of their own hills,&rdquo; returned the other a little

-      haughtily.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is well. Justice is the master of a red-skin. Why should they brighten

-      their tomahawks and sharpen their knives against each other? Are not the

-      pale faces thicker than the swallows in the season of flowers?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Good!&rdquo; exclaimed two or three of his auditors at the same time.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua waited a little, to permit his words to soften the feelings of the

-      Delawares, before he added:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Have there not been strange moccasins in the woods? Have not my brothers

-      scented the feet of white men?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let my Canada father come,&rdquo; returned the other, evasively; &ldquo;his children

-      are ready to see him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;When the great chief comes, it is to smoke with the Indians in their

-      wigwams. The Hurons say, too, he is welcome. But the Yengeese have long

-      arms, and legs that never tire! My young men dreamed they had seen the

-      trail of the Yengeese nigh the village of the Delawares!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They will not find the Lenape asleep.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is well. The warrior whose eye is open can see his enemy,&rdquo; said Magua,

-      once more shifting his ground, when he found himself unable to penetrate

-      the caution of his companion. &ldquo;I have brought gifts to my brother. His

-      nation would not go on the warpath, because they did not think it well,

-      but their friends have remembered where they lived.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      When he had thus announced his liberal intention, the crafty chief arose,

-      and gravely spread his presents before the dazzled eyes of his hosts. They

-      consisted principally of trinkets of little value, plundered from the

-      slaughtered females of William Henry. In the division of the baubles the

-      cunning Huron discovered no less art than in their selection. While he

-      bestowed those of greater value on the two most distinguished warriors,

-      one of whom was his host, he seasoned his offerings to their inferiors

-      with such well-timed and apposite compliments, as left them no ground of

-      complaint. In short, the whole ceremony contained such a happy blending of

-      the profitable with the flattering, that it was not difficult for the

-      donor immediately to read the effect of a generosity so aptly mingled with

-      praise, in the eyes of those he addressed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      This well-judged and politic stroke on the part of Magua was not without

-      instantaneous results. The Delawares lost their gravity in a much more

-      cordial expression; and the host, in particular, after contemplating his

-      own liberal share of the spoil for some moments with peculiar

-      gratification, repeated with strong emphasis, the words:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My brother is a wise chief. He is welcome.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Hurons love their friends the Delawares,&rdquo; returned Magua. &ldquo;Why should

-      they not? they are colored by the same sun, and their just men will hunt

-      in the same grounds after death. The red-skins should be friends, and look

-      with open eyes on the white men. Has not my brother scented spies in the

-      woods?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Delaware, whose name in English signified &ldquo;Hard Heart,&rdquo; an appellation

-      that the French had translated into &ldquo;le Coeur-dur,&rdquo; forgot that obduracy

-      of purpose, which had probably obtained him so significant a title. His

-      countenance grew very sensibly less stern and he now deigned to answer

-      more directly.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There have been strange moccasins about my camp. They have been tracked

-      into my lodges.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Did my brother beat out the dogs?&rdquo; asked Magua, without adverting in any

-      manner to the former equivocation of the chief.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It would not do. The stranger is always welcome to the children of the

-      Lenape.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The stranger, but not the spy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Would the Yengeese send their women as spies? Did not the Huron chief say

-      he took women in the battle?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He told no lie. The Yengeese have sent out their scouts. They have been

-      in my wigwams, but they found there no one to say welcome. Then they fled

-      to the Delawares&mdash;for, say they, the Delawares are our friends; their

-      minds are turned from their Canada father!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      This insinuation was a home thrust, and one that in a more advanced state

-      of society would have entitled Magua to the reputation of a skillful

-      diplomatist. The recent defection of the tribe had, as they well knew

-      themselves, subjected the Delawares to much reproach among their French

-      allies; and they were now made to feel that their future actions were to

-      be regarded with jealousy and distrust. There was no deep insight into

-      causes and effects necessary to foresee that such a situation of things

-      was likely to prove highly prejudicial to their future movements. Their

-      distant villages, their hunting-grounds and hundreds of their women and

-      children, together with a material part of their physical force, were

-      actually within the limits of the French territory. Accordingly, this

-      alarming annunciation was received, as Magua intended, with manifest

-      disapprobation, if not with alarm.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let my father look in my face,&rdquo; said Le Coeur-dur; &ldquo;he will see no

-      change. It is true, my young men did not go out on the war-path; they had

-      dreams for not doing so. But they love and venerate the great white

-      chief.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Will he think so when he hears that his greatest enemy is fed in the camp

-      of his children? When he is told a bloody Yengee smokes at your fire? That

-      the pale face who has slain so many of his friends goes in and out among

-      the Delawares? Go! my great Canada father is not a fool!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Where is the Yengee that the Delawares fear?&rdquo; returned the other; &ldquo;who

-      has slain my young men? Who is the mortal enemy of my Great Father?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;La Longue Carabine!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Delaware warriors started at the well-known name, betraying by their

-      amazement, that they now learned, for the first time, one so famous among

-      the Indian allies of France was within their power.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What does my brother mean?&rdquo; demanded Le Coeur-dur, in a tone that, by its

-      wonder, far exceeded the usual apathy of his race.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A Huron never lies!&rdquo; returned Magua, coldly, leaning his head against the

-      side of the lodge, and drawing his slight robe across his tawny breast.

-      &ldquo;Let the Delawares count their prisoners; they will find one whose skin is

-      neither red nor pale.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A long and musing pause succeeded. The chief consulted apart with his

-      companions, and messengers despatched to collect certain others of the

-      most distinguished men of the tribe.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      As warrior after warrior dropped in, they were each made acquainted, in

-      turn, with the important intelligence that Magua had just communicated.

-      The air of surprise, and the usual low, deep, guttural exclamation, were

-      common to them all. The news spread from mouth to mouth, until the whole

-      encampment became powerfully agitated. The women suspended their labors,

-      to catch such syllables as unguardedly fell from the lips of the

-      consulting warriors. The boys deserted their sports, and walking

-      fearlessly among their fathers, looked up in curious admiration, as they

-      heard the brief exclamations of wonder they so freely expressed the

-      temerity of their hated foe. In short, every occupation was abandoned for

-      the time, and all other pursuits seemed discarded in order that the tribe

-      might freely indulge, after their own peculiar manner, in an open

-      expression of feeling.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When the excitement had a little abated, the old men disposed themselves

-      seriously to consider that which it became the honor and safety of their

-      tribe to perform, under circumstances of so much delicacy and

-      embarrassment. During all these movements, and in the midst of the general

-      commotion, Magua had not only maintained his seat, but the very attitude

-      he had originally taken, against the side of the lodge, where he continued

-      as immovable, and, apparently, as unconcerned, as if he had no interest in

-      the result. Not a single indication of the future intentions of his hosts,

-      however, escaped his vigilant eyes. With his consummate knowledge of the

-      nature of the people with whom he had to deal, he anticipated every

-      measure on which they decided; and it might almost be said, that, in many

-      instances, he knew their intentions, even before they became known to

-      themselves.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The council of the Delawares was short. When it was ended, a general

-      bustle announced that it was to be immediately succeeded by a solemn and

-      formal assemblage of the nation. As such meetings were rare, and only

-      called on occasions of the last importance, the subtle Huron, who still

-      sat apart, a wily and dark observer of the proceedings, now knew that all

-      his projects must be brought to their final issue. He, therefore, left the

-      lodge and walked silently forth to the place, in front of the encampment,

-      whither the warriors were already beginning to collect.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It might have been half an hour before each individual, including even the

-      women and children, was in his place. The delay had been created by the

-      grave preparations that were deemed necessary to so solemn and unusual a

-      conference. But when the sun was seen climbing above the tops of that

-      mountain, against whose bosom the Delawares had constructed their

-      encampment, most were seated; and as his bright rays darted from behind

-      the outline of trees that fringed the eminence, they fell upon as grave,

-      as attentive, and as deeply interested a multitude, as was probably ever

-      before lighted by his morning beams. Its number somewhat exceeded a

-      thousand souls.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In a collection of so serious savages, there is never to be found any

-      impatient aspirant after premature distinction, standing ready to move his

-      auditors to some hasty, and, perhaps, injudicious discussion, in order

-      that his own reputation may be the gainer. An act of so much precipitancy

-      and presumption would seal the downfall of precocious intellect forever.

-      It rested solely with the oldest and most experienced of the men to lay

-      the subject of the conference before the people. Until such a one chose to

-      make some movement, no deeds in arms, no natural gifts, nor any renown as

-      an orator, would have justified the slightest interruption. On the present

-      occasion, the aged warrior whose privilege it was to speak, was silent,

-      seemingly oppressed with the magnitude of his subject. The delay had

-      already continued long beyond the usual deliberative pause that always

-      preceded a conference; but no sign of impatience or surprise escaped even

-      the youngest boy. Occasionally an eye was raised from the earth, where the

-      looks of most were riveted, and strayed toward a particular lodge, that

-      was, however, in no manner distinguished from those around it, except in

-      the peculiar care that had been taken to protect it against the assaults

-      of the weather.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At length one of those low murmurs, that are so apt to disturb a

-      multitude, was heard, and the whole nation arose to their feet by a common

-      impulse. At that instant the door of the lodge in question opened, and

-      three men, issuing from it, slowly approached the place of consultation.

-      They were all aged, even beyond that period to which the oldest present

-      had reached; but one in the center, who leaned on his companions for

-      support, had numbered an amount of years to which the human race is seldom

-      permitted to attain. His frame, which had once been tall and erect, like

-      the cedar, was now bending under the pressure of more than a century. The

-      elastic, light step of an Indian was gone, and in its place he was

-      compelled to toil his tardy way over the ground, inch by inch. His dark,

-      wrinkled countenance was in singular and wild contrast with the long white

-      locks which floated on his shoulders, in such thickness, as to announce

-      that generations had probably passed away since they had last been shorn.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The dress of this patriarch&mdash;for such, considering his vast age, in

-      conjunction with his affinity and influence with his people, he might very

-      properly be termed&mdash;was rich and imposing, though strictly after the

-      simple fashions of the tribe. His robe was of the finest skins, which had

-      been deprived of their fur, in order to admit of a hieroglyphical

-      representation of various deeds in arms, done in former ages. His bosom

-      was loaded with medals, some in massive silver, and one or two even in

-      gold, the gifts of various Christian potentates during the long period of

-      his life. He also wore armlets, and cinctures above the ankles, of the

-      latter precious metal. His head, on the whole of which the hair had been

-      permitted to grow, the pursuits of war having so long been abandoned, was

-      encircled by a sort of plated diadem, which, in its turn, bore lesser and

-      more glittering ornaments, that sparkled amid the glossy hues of three

-      drooping ostrich feathers, dyed a deep black, in touching contrast to the

-      color of his snow-white locks. His tomahawk was nearly hid in silver, and

-      the handle of his knife shone like a horn of solid gold.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      So soon as the first hum of emotion and pleasure, which the sudden

-      appearance of this venerated individual created, had a little subsided,

-      the name of &ldquo;Tamenund&rdquo; was whispered from mouth to mouth. Magua had often

-      heard the fame of this wise and just Delaware; a reputation that even

-      proceeded so far as to bestow on him the rare gift of holding secret

-      communion with the Great Spirit, and which has since transmitted his name,

-      with some slight alteration, to the white usurpers of his ancient

-      territory, as the imaginary tutelar saint* of a vast empire. The Huron

-      chief, therefore, stepped eagerly out a little from the throng, to a spot

-      whence he might catch a nearer glimpse of the features of the man, whose

-      decision was likely to produce so deep an influence on his own fortunes.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The Americans sometimes called their tutelar saint

-     Tamenay, a corruption of the name of the renowned chief here

-     introduced. There are many traditions which speak of the

-     character and power of Tamenund.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The eyes of the old man were closed, as though the organs were wearied

-      with having so long witnessed the selfish workings of the human passions.

-      The color of his skin differed from that of most around him, being richer

-      and darker, the latter having been produced by certain delicate and mazy

-      lines of complicated and yet beautiful figures, which had been traced over

-      most of his person by the operation of tattooing. Notwithstanding the

-      position of the Huron, he passed the observant and silent Magua without

-      notice, and leaning on his two venerable supporters proceeded to the high

-      place of the multitude, where he seated himself in the center of his

-      nation, with the dignity of a monarch and the air of a father.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Nothing could surpass the reverence and affection with which this

-      unexpected visit from one who belongs rather to another world than to

-      this, was received by his people. After a suitable and decent pause, the

-      principal chiefs arose, and, approaching the patriarch, they placed his

-      hands reverently on their heads, seeming to entreat a blessing. The

-      younger men were content with touching his robe, or even drawing nigh his

-      person, in order to breathe in the atmosphere of one so aged, so just, and

-      so valiant. None but the most distinguished among the youthful warriors

-      even presumed so far as to perform the latter ceremony, the great mass of

-      the multitude deeming it a sufficient happiness to look upon a form so

-      deeply venerated, and so well beloved. When these acts of affection and

-      respect were performed, the chiefs drew back again to their several

-      places, and silence reigned in the whole encampment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After a short delay, a few of the young men, to whom instructions had been

-      whispered by one of the aged attendants of Tamenund, arose, left the

-      crowd, and entered the lodge which has already been noted as the object of

-      so much attention throughout that morning. In a few minutes they

-      reappeared, escorting the individuals who had caused all these solemn

-      preparations toward the seat of judgment. The crowd opened in a lane; and

-      when the party had re-entered, it closed in again, forming a large and

-      dense belt of human bodies, arranged in an open circle.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0028" id="link2HCH0028">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 29

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;The assembly seated, rising o'er the rest,

-     Achilles thus the king of men addressed.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Pope's Illiad

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Cora stood foremost among the prisoners, entwining her arms in those of

-      Alice, in the tenderness of sisterly love. Notwithstanding the fearful and

-      menacing array of savages on every side of her, no apprehension on her own

-      account could prevent the nobler-minded maiden from keeping her eyes

-      fastened on the pale and anxious features of the trembling Alice. Close at

-      their side stood Heyward, with an interest in both, that, at such a moment

-      of intense uncertainty, scarcely knew a preponderance in favor of her whom

-      he most loved. Hawkeye had placed himself a little in the rear, with a

-      deference to the superior rank of his companions, that no similarity in

-      the state of their present fortunes could induce him to forget. Uncas was

-      not there.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When perfect silence was again restored, and after the usual long,

-      impressive pause, one of the two aged chiefs who sat at the side of the

-      patriarch arose, and demanded aloud, in very intelligible English:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Which of my prisoners is La Longue Carabine?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Neither Duncan nor the scout answered. The former, however, glanced his

-      eyes around the dark and silent assembly, and recoiled a pace, when they

-      fell on the malignant visage of Magua. He saw, at once, that this wily

-      savage had some secret agency in their present arraignment before the

-      nation, and determined to throw every possible impediment in the way of

-      the execution of his sinister plans. He had witnessed one instance of the

-      summary punishments of the Indians, and now dreaded that his companion was

-      to be selected for a second. In this dilemma, with little or no time for

-      reflection, he suddenly determined to cloak his invaluable friend, at any

-      or every hazard to himself. Before he had time, however, to speak, the

-      question was repeated in a louder voice, and with a clearer utterance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Give us arms,&rdquo; the young man haughtily replied, &ldquo;and place us in yonder

-      woods. Our deeds shall speak for us!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This is the warrior whose name has filled our ears!&rdquo; returned the chief,

-      regarding Heyward with that sort of curious interest which seems

-      inseparable from man, when first beholding one of his fellows to whom

-      merit or accident, virtue or crime, has given notoriety. &ldquo;What has brought

-      the white man into the camp of the Delawares?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My necessities. I come for food, shelter, and friends.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It cannot be. The woods are full of game. The head of a warrior needs no

-      other shelter than a sky without clouds; and the Delawares are the

-      enemies, and not the friends of the Yengeese. Go, the mouth has spoken,

-      while the heart said nothing.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan, a little at a loss in what manner to proceed, remained silent; but

-      the scout, who had listened attentively to all that passed, now advanced

-      steadily to the front.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That I did not answer to the call for La Longue Carabine, was not owing

-      either to shame or fear,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;for neither one nor the other is the

-      gift of an honest man. But I do not admit the right of the Mingoes to

-      bestow a name on one whose friends have been mindful of his gifts, in this

-      particular; especially as their title is a lie, 'killdeer' being a grooved

-      barrel and no carabyne. I am the man, however, that got the name of

-      Nathaniel from my kin; the compliment of Hawkeye from the Delawares, who

-      live on their own river; and whom the Iroquois have presumed to style the

-      'Long Rifle', without any warranty from him who is most concerned in the

-      matter.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The eyes of all present, which had hitherto been gravely scanning the

-      person of Duncan, were now turned, on the instant, toward the upright iron

-      frame of this new pretender to the distinguished appellation. It was in no

-      degree remarkable that there should be found two who were willing to claim

-      so great an honor, for impostors, though rare, were not unknown among the

-      natives; but it was altogether material to the just and severe intentions

-      of the Delawares, that there should be no mistake in the matter. Some of

-      their old men consulted together in private, and then, as it would seem,

-      they determined to interrogate their visitor on the subject.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My brother has said that a snake crept into my camp,&rdquo; said the chief to

-      Magua; &ldquo;which is he?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Huron pointed to the scout.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Will a wise Delaware believe the barking of a wolf?&rdquo; exclaimed Duncan,

-      still more confirmed in the evil intentions of his ancient enemy: &ldquo;a dog

-      never lies, but when was a wolf known to speak the truth?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The eyes of Magua flashed fire; but suddenly recollecting the necessity of

-      maintaining his presence of mind, he turned away in silent disdain, well

-      assured that the sagacity of the Indians would not fail to extract the

-      real merits of the point in controversy. He was not deceived; for, after

-      another short consultation, the wary Delaware turned to him again, and

-      expressed the determination of the chiefs, though in the most considerate

-      language.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My brother has been called a liar,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and his friends are angry.

-      They will show that he has spoken the truth. Give my prisoners guns, and

-      let them prove which is the man.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua affected to consider the expedient, which he well knew proceeded

-      from distrust of himself, as a compliment, and made a gesture of

-      acquiescence, well content that his veracity should be supported by so

-      skillful a marksman as the scout. The weapons were instantly placed in the

-      hands of the friendly opponents, and they were bid to fire, over the heads

-      of the seated multitude, at an earthen vessel, which lay, by accident, on

-      a stump, some fifty yards from the place where they stood.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward smiled to himself at the idea of a competition with the scout,

-      though he determined to persevere in the deception, until apprised of the

-      real designs of Magua.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Raising his rifle with the utmost care, and renewing his aim three several

-      times, he fired. The bullet cut the wood within a few inches of the

-      vessel; and a general exclamation of satisfaction announced that the shot

-      was considered a proof of great skill in the use of a weapon. Even Hawkeye

-      nodded his head, as if he would say, it was better than he expected. But,

-      instead of manifesting an intention to contend with the successful

-      marksman, he stood leaning on his rifle for more than a minute, like a man

-      who was completely buried in thought. From this reverie, he was, however,

-      awakened by one of the young Indians who had furnished the arms, and who

-      now touched his shoulder, saying in exceedingly broken English:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Can the pale face beat it?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Yes, Huron!&rdquo; exclaimed the scout, raising the short rifle in his right

-      hand, and shaking it at Magua, with as much apparent ease as if it were a

-      reed; &ldquo;yes, Huron, I could strike you now, and no power on earth could

-      prevent the deed! The soaring hawk is not more certain of the dove than I

-      am this moment of you, did I choose to send a bullet to your heart! Why

-      should I not? Why!&mdash;because the gifts of my color forbid it, and I

-      might draw down evil on tender and innocent heads. If you know such a

-      being as God, thank Him, therefore, in your inward soul; for you have

-      reason!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The flushed countenance, angry eye and swelling figure of the scout,

-      produced a sensation of secret awe in all that heard him. The Delawares

-      held their breath in expectation; but Magua himself, even while he

-      distrusted the forbearance of his enemy, remained immovable and calm,

-      where he stood wedged in by the crowd, as one who grew to the spot.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Beat it,&rdquo; repeated the young Delaware at the elbow of the scout.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Beat what, fool!&mdash;what?&rdquo; exclaimed Hawkeye, still flourishing the

-      weapon angrily above his head, though his eye no longer sought the person

-      of Magua.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If the white man is the warrior he pretends,&rdquo; said the aged chief, &ldquo;let

-      him strike nigher to the mark.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout laughed aloud&mdash;a noise that produced the startling effect

-      of an unnatural sound on Heyward; then dropping the piece, heavily, into

-      his extended left hand, it was discharged, apparently by the shock,

-      driving the fragments of the vessel into the air, and scattering them on

-      every side. Almost at the same instant, the rattling sound of the rifle

-      was heard, as he suffered it to fall, contemptuously, to the earth.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The first impression of so strange a scene was engrossing admiration. Then

-      a low, but increasing murmur, ran through the multitude, and finally

-      swelled into sounds that denoted a lively opposition in the sentiments of

-      the spectators. While some openly testified their satisfaction at so

-      unexampled dexterity, by far the larger portion of the tribe were inclined

-      to believe the success of the shot was the result of accident. Heyward was

-      not slow to confirm an opinion that was so favorable to his own

-      pretensions.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It was chance!&rdquo; he exclaimed; &ldquo;none can shoot without an aim!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Chance!&rdquo; echoed the excited woodsman, who was now stubbornly bent on

-      maintaining his identity at every hazard, and on whom the secret hints of

-      Heyward to acquiesce in the deception were entirely lost. &ldquo;Does yonder

-      lying Huron, too, think it chance? Give him another gun, and place us face

-      to face, without cover or dodge, and let Providence, and our own eyes,

-      decide the matter atween us! I do not make the offer, to you, major; for

-      our blood is of a color, and we serve the same master.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That the Huron is a liar, is very evident,&rdquo; returned Heyward, coolly;

-      &ldquo;you have yourself heard him assert you to be La Longue Carabine.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      It were impossible to say what violent assertion the stubborn Hawkeye

-      would have next made, in his headlong wish to vindicate his identity, had

-      not the aged Delaware once more interposed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The hawk which comes from the clouds can return when he will,&rdquo; he said;

-      &ldquo;give them the guns.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      This time the scout seized the rifle with avidity; nor had Magua, though

-      he watched the movements of the marksman with jealous eyes, any further

-      cause for apprehension.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Now let it be proved, in the face of this tribe of Delawares, which is

-      the better man,&rdquo; cried the scout, tapping the butt of his piece with that

-      finger which had pulled so many fatal triggers.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You see that gourd hanging against yonder tree, major; if you are a

-      marksman fit for the borders, let me see you break its shell!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Duncan noted the object, and prepared himself to renew the trial. The

-      gourd was one of the usual little vessels used by the Indians, and it was

-      suspended from a dead branch of a small pine, by a thong of deerskin, at

-      the full distance of a hundred yards. So strangely compounded is the

-      feeling of self-love, that the young soldier, while he knew the utter

-      worthlessness of the suffrages of his savage umpires, forgot the sudden

-      motives of the contest in a wish to excel. It had been seen, already, that

-      his skill was far from being contemptible, and he now resolved to put

-      forth its nicest qualities. Had his life depended on the issue, the aim of

-      Duncan could not have been more deliberate or guarded. He fired; and three

-      or four young Indians, who sprang forward at the report, announced with a

-      shout, that the ball was in the tree, a very little on one side of the

-      proper object. The warriors uttered a common ejaculation of pleasure, and

-      then turned their eyes, inquiringly, on the movements of his rival.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It may do for the Royal Americans!&rdquo; said Hawkeye, laughing once more in

-      his own silent, heartfelt manner; &ldquo;but had my gun often turned so much

-      from the true line, many a marten, whose skin is now in a lady's muff,

-      would still be in the woods; ay, and many a bloody Mingo, who has departed

-      to his final account, would be acting his deviltries at this very day,

-      atween the provinces. I hope the squaw who owns the gourd has more of them

-      in her wigwam, for this will never hold water again!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout had shook his priming, and cocked his piece, while speaking;

-      and, as he ended, he threw back a foot, and slowly raised the muzzle from

-      the earth: the motion was steady, uniform, and in one direction. When on a

-      perfect level, it remained for a single moment, without tremor or

-      variation, as though both man and rifle were carved in stone. During that

-      stationary instant, it poured forth its contents, in a bright, glancing

-      sheet of flame. Again the young Indians bounded forward; but their hurried

-      search and disappointed looks announced that no traces of the bullet were

-      to be seen.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Go!&rdquo; said the old chief to the scout, in a tone of strong disgust; &ldquo;thou

-      art a wolf in the skin of a dog. I will talk to the 'Long Rifle' of the

-      Yengeese.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ah! had I that piece which furnished the name you use, I would obligate

-      myself to cut the thong, and drop the gourd without breaking it!&rdquo; returned

-      Hawkeye, perfectly undisturbed by the other's manner. &ldquo;Fools, if you would

-      find the bullet of a sharpshooter in these woods, you must look in the

-      object, and not around it!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian youths instantly comprehended his meaning&mdash;for this time

-      he spoke in the Delaware tongue&mdash;and tearing the gourd from the tree,

-      they held it on high with an exulting shout, displaying a hole in its

-      bottom, which had been cut by the bullet, after passing through the usual

-      orifice in the center of its upper side. At this unexpected exhibition, a

-      loud and vehement expression of pleasure burst from the mouth of every

-      warrior present. It decided the question, and effectually established

-      Hawkeye in the possession of his dangerous reputation. Those curious and

-      admiring eyes which had been turned again on Heyward, were finally

-      directed to the weather-beaten form of the scout, who immediately became

-      the principal object of attention to the simple and unsophisticated beings

-      by whom he was surrounded. When the sudden and noisy commotion had a

-      little subsided, the aged chief resumed his examination.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why did you wish to stop my ears?&rdquo; he said, addressing Duncan; &ldquo;are the

-      Delawares fools that they could not know the young panther from the cat?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They will yet find the Huron a singing-bird,&rdquo; said Duncan, endeavoring to

-      adopt the figurative language of the natives.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is good. We will know who can shut the ears of men. Brother,&rdquo; added

-      the chief turning his eyes on Magua, &ldquo;the Delawares listen.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Thus singled, and directly called on to declare his object, the Huron

-      arose; and advancing with great deliberation and dignity into the very

-      center of the circle, where he stood confronted by the prisoners, he

-      placed himself in an attitude to speak. Before opening his mouth, however,

-      he bent his eyes slowly along the whole living boundary of earnest faces,

-      as if to temper his expressions to the capacities of his audience. On

-      Hawkeye he cast a glance of respectful enmity; on Duncan, a look of

-      inextinguishable hatred; the shrinking figure of Alice he scarcely deigned

-      to notice; but when his glance met the firm, commanding, and yet lovely

-      form of Cora, his eye lingered a moment, with an expression that it might

-      have been difficult to define. Then, filled with his own dark intentions,

-      he spoke in the language of the Canadas, a tongue that he well knew was

-      comprehended by most of his auditors.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The Spirit that made men colored them differently,&rdquo; commenced the subtle

-      Huron. &ldquo;Some are blacker than the sluggish bear. These He said should be

-      slaves; and He ordered them to work forever, like the beaver. You may hear

-      them groan, when the south wind blows, louder than the lowing buffaloes,

-      along the shores of the great salt lake, where the big canoes come and go

-      with them in droves. Some He made with faces paler than the ermine of the

-      forests; and these He ordered to be traders; dogs to their women, and

-      wolves to their slaves. He gave this people the nature of the pigeon;

-      wings that never tire; young, more plentiful than the leaves on the trees,

-      and appetites to devour the earth. He gave them tongues like the false

-      call of the wildcat; hearts like rabbits; the cunning of the hog (but none

-      of the fox), and arms longer than the legs of the moose. With his tongue

-      he stops the ears of the Indians; his heart teaches him to pay warriors to

-      fight his battles; his cunning tells him how to get together the goods of

-      the earth; and his arms inclose the land from the shores of the salt-water

-      to the islands of the great lake. His gluttony makes him sick. God gave

-      him enough, and yet he wants all. Such are the pale faces.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Some the Great Spirit made with skins brighter and redder than yonder

-      sun,&rdquo; continued Magua, pointing impressively upward to the lurid luminary,

-      which was struggling through the misty atmosphere of the horizon; &ldquo;and

-      these did He fashion to His own mind. He gave them this island as He had

-      made it, covered with trees, and filled with game. The wind made their

-      clearings; the sun and rain ripened their fruits; and the snows came to

-      tell them to be thankful. What need had they of roads to journey by! They

-      saw through the hills! When the beavers worked, they lay in the shade, and

-      looked on. The winds cooled them in summer; in winter, skins kept them

-      warm. If they fought among themselves, it was to prove that they were men.

-      They were brave; they were just; they were happy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Here the speaker paused, and again looked around him to discover if his

-      legend had touched the sympathies of his listeners. He met everywhere,

-      with eyes riveted on his own, heads erect and nostrils expanded, as if

-      each individual present felt himself able and willing, singly, to redress

-      the wrongs of his race.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If the Great Spirit gave different tongues to his red children,&rdquo; he

-      continued, in a low, still melancholy voice, &ldquo;it was that all animals

-      might understand them. Some He placed among the snows, with their cousin,

-      the bear. Some he placed near the setting sun, on the road to the happy

-      hunting grounds. Some on the lands around the great fresh waters; but to

-      His greatest, and most beloved, He gave the sands of the salt lake. Do my

-      brothers know the name of this favored people?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It was the Lenape!&rdquo; exclaimed twenty eager voices in a breath.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It was the Lenni Lenape,&rdquo; returned Magua, affecting to bend his head in

-      reverence to their former greatness. &ldquo;It was the tribes of the Lenape! The

-      sun rose from water that was salt, and set in water that was sweet, and

-      never hid himself from their eyes. But why should I, a Huron of the woods,

-      tell a wise people their own traditions? Why remind them of their

-      injuries; their ancient greatness; their deeds; their glory; their

-      happiness; their losses; their defeats; their misery? Is there not one

-      among them who has seen it all, and who knows it to be true? I have done.

-      My tongue is still for my heart is of lead. I listen.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      As the voice of the speaker suddenly ceased, every face and all eyes

-      turned, by a common movement, toward the venerable Tamenund. From the

-      moment that he took his seat, until the present instant, the lips of the

-      patriarch had not severed, and scarcely a sign of life had escaped him. He

-      sat bent in feebleness, and apparently unconscious of the presence he was

-      in, during the whole of that opening scene, in which the skill of the

-      scout had been so clearly established. At the nicely graduated sound of

-      Magua's voice, however, he betrayed some evidence of consciousness, and

-      once or twice he even raised his head, as if to listen. But when the

-      crafty Huron spoke of his nation by name, the eyelids of the old man

-      raised themselves, and he looked out upon the multitude with that sort of

-      dull, unmeaning expression which might be supposed to belong to the

-      countenance of a specter. Then he made an effort to rise, and being upheld

-      by his supporters, he gained his feet, in a posture commanding by its

-      dignity, while he tottered with weakness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Who calls upon the children of the Lenape?&rdquo; he said, in a deep, guttural

-      voice, that was rendered awfully audible by the breathless silence of the

-      multitude; &ldquo;who speaks of things gone? Does not the egg become a worm&mdash;the

-      worm a fly, and perish? Why tell the Delawares of good that is past?

-      Better thank the Manitou for that which remains.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is a Wyandot,&rdquo; said Magua, stepping nigher to the rude platform on

-      which the other stood; &ldquo;a friend of Tamenund.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A friend!&rdquo; repeated the sage, on whose brow a dark frown settled,

-      imparting a portion of that severity which had rendered his eye so

-      terrible in middle age. &ldquo;Are the Mingoes rulers of the earth? What brings

-      a Huron in here?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Justice. His prisoners are with his brothers, and he comes for his own.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Tamenund turned his head toward one of his supporters, and listened to the

-      short explanation the man gave.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, facing the applicant, he regarded him a moment with deep attention;

-      after which he said, in a low and reluctant voice:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Justice is the law of the great Manitou. My children, give the stranger

-      food. Then, Huron, take thine own and depart.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      On the delivery of this solemn judgment, the patriarch seated himself, and

-      closed his eyes again, as if better pleased with the images of his own

-      ripened experience than with the visible objects of the world. Against

-      such a decree there was no Delaware sufficiently hardy to murmur, much

-      less oppose himself. The words were barely uttered when four or five of

-      the younger warriors, stepping behind Heyward and the scout, passed thongs

-      so dexterously and rapidly around their arms, as to hold them both in

-      instant bondage. The former was too much engrossed with his precious and

-      nearly insensible burden, to be aware of their intentions before they were

-      executed; and the latter, who considered even the hostile tribes of the

-      Delawares a superior race of beings, submitted without resistance.

-      Perhaps, however, the manner of the scout would not have been so passive,

-      had he fully comprehended the language in which the preceding dialogue had

-      been conducted.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua cast a look of triumph around the whole assembly before he proceeded

-      to the execution of his purpose. Perceiving that the men were unable to

-      offer any resistance, he turned his looks on her he valued most. Cora met

-      his gaze with an eye so calm and firm, that his resolution wavered. Then,

-      recollecting his former artifice, he raised Alice from the arms of the

-      warrior against whom she leaned, and beckoning Heyward to follow, he

-      motioned for the encircling crowd to open. But Cora, instead of obeying

-      the impulse he had expected, rushed to the feet of the patriarch, and,

-      raising her voice, exclaimed aloud:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Just and venerable Delaware, on thy wisdom and power we lean for mercy!

-      Be deaf to yonder artful and remorseless monster, who poisons thy ears

-      with falsehoods to feed his thirst for blood. Thou that hast lived long,

-      and that hast seen the evil of the world, should know how to temper its

-      calamities to the miserable.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0407.jpg" alt="0407" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0407.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      The eyes of the old man opened heavily, and he once more looked upward at

-      the multitude. As the piercing tones of the suppliant swelled on his ears,

-      they moved slowly in the direction of her person, and finally settled

-      there in a steady gaze. Cora had cast herself to her knees; and, with

-      hands clenched in each other and pressed upon her bosom, she remained like

-      a beauteous and breathing model of her sex, looking up in his faded but

-      majestic countenance, with a species of holy reverence. Gradually the

-      expression of Tamenund's features changed, and losing their vacancy in

-      admiration, they lighted with a portion of that intelligence which a

-      century before had been wont to communicate his youthful fire to the

-      extensive bands of the Delawares. Rising without assistance, and seemingly

-      without an effort, he demanded, in a voice that startled its auditors by

-      its firmness:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What art thou?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A woman. One of a hated race, if thou wilt&mdash;a Yengee. But one who

-      has never harmed thee, and who cannot harm thy people, if she would; who

-      asks for succor.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Tell me, my children,&rdquo; continued the patriarch, hoarsely, motioning to

-      those around him, though his eyes still dwelt upon the kneeling form of

-      Cora, &ldquo;where have the Delawares camped?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;In the mountains of the Iroquois, beyond the clear springs of the

-      Horican.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Many parching summers are come and gone,&rdquo; continued the sage, &ldquo;since I

-      drank of the water of my own rivers. The children of Minquon* are the

-      justest white men, but they were thirsty and they took it to themselves.

-      Do they follow us so far?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * William Penn was termed Minquon by the Delawares, and, as

-     he never used violence or injustice in his dealings with

-     them, his reputation for probity passed into a proverb. The

-     American is justly proud of the origin of his nation, which

-     is perhaps unequaled in the history of the world; but the

-     Pennsylvanian and Jerseyman have more reason to value

-     themselves in their ancestors than the natives of any other

-     state, since no wrong was done the original owners of the

-     soil.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We follow none, we covet nothing,&rdquo; answered Cora. &ldquo;Captives against our

-      wills, have we been brought amongst you; and we ask but permission to

-      depart to our own in peace. Art thou not Tamenund&mdash;the father, the

-      judge, I had almost said, the prophet&mdash;of this people?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am Tamenund of many days.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis now some seven years that one of thy people was at the mercy of a

-      white chief on the borders of this province. He claimed to be of the blood

-      of the good and just Tamenund. 'Go', said the white man, 'for thy parent's

-      sake thou art free.' Dost thou remember the name of that English warrior?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I remember, that when a laughing boy,&rdquo; returned the patriarch, with the

-      peculiar recollection of vast age, &ldquo;I stood upon the sands of the sea

-      shore, and saw a big canoe, with wings whiter than the swan's, and wider

-      than many eagles, come from the rising sun.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nay, nay; I speak not of a time so very distant, but of favor shown to

-      thy kindred by one of mine, within the memory of thy youngest warrior.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Was it when the Yengeese and the Dutchmanne fought for the

-      hunting-grounds of the Delawares? Then Tamenund was a chief, and first

-      laid aside the bow for the lightning of the pale faces&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not yet then,&rdquo; interrupted Cora, &ldquo;by many ages; I speak of a thing of

-      yesterday. Surely, surely, you forget it not.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It was but yesterday,&rdquo; rejoined the aged man, with touching pathos, &ldquo;that

-      the children of the Lenape were masters of the world. The fishes of the

-      salt lake, the birds, the beasts, and the Mengee of the woods, owned them

-      for Sagamores.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora bowed her head in disappointment, and, for a bitter moment struggled

-      with her chagrin. Then, elevating her rich features and beaming eyes, she

-      continued, in tones scarcely less penetrating than the unearthly voice of

-      the patriarch himself:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Tell me, is Tamenund a father?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The old man looked down upon her from his elevated stand, with a benignant

-      smile on his wasted countenance, and then casting his eyes slowly over the

-      whole assemblage, he answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Of a nation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;For myself I ask nothing. Like thee and thine, venerable chief,&rdquo; she

-      continued, pressing her hands convulsively on her heart, and suffering her

-      head to droop until her burning cheeks were nearly concealed in the maze

-      of dark, glossy tresses that fell in disorder upon her shoulders, &ldquo;the

-      curse of my ancestors has fallen heavily on their child. But yonder is one

-      who has never known the weight of Heaven's displeasure until now. She is

-      the daughter of an old and failing man, whose days are near their close.

-      She has many, very many, to love her, and delight in her; and she is too

-      good, much too precious, to become the victim of that villain.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I know that the pale faces are a proud and hungry race. I know that they

-      claim not only to have the earth, but that the meanest of their color is

-      better than the Sachems of the red man. The dogs and crows of their

-      tribes,&rdquo; continued the earnest old chieftain, without heeding the wounded

-      spirit of his listener, whose head was nearly crushed to the earth in

-      shame, as he proceeded, &ldquo;would bark and caw before they would take a woman

-      to their wigwams whose blood was not of the color of snow. But let them

-      not boast before the face of the Manitou too loud. They entered the land

-      at the rising, and may yet go off at the setting sun. I have often seen

-      the locusts strip the leaves from the trees, but the season of blossoms

-      has always come again.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is so,&rdquo; said Cora, drawing a long breath, as if reviving from a

-      trance, raising her face, and shaking back her shining veil, with a

-      kindling eye, that contradicted the death-like paleness of her

-      countenance; &ldquo;but why&mdash;it is not permitted us to inquire. There is

-      yet one of thine own people who has not been brought before thee; before

-      thou lettest the Huron depart in triumph, hear him speak.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Observing Tamenund to look about him doubtingly, one of his companions

-      said:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is a snake&mdash;a red-skin in the pay of the Yengeese. We keep him

-      for the torture.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Let him come,&rdquo; returned the sage.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then Tamenund once more sank into his seat, and a silence so deep

-      prevailed while the young man prepared to obey his simple mandate, that

-      the leaves, which fluttered in the draught of the light morning air, were

-      distinctly heard rustling in the surrounding forest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0029" id="link2HCH0029">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 30

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;If you deny me, fie upon your law!

-     There is no force in the decrees of Venice:

-     I stand for judgment: answer, shall I have it?&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Merchant of Venice

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The silence continued unbroken by human sounds for many anxious minutes.

-      Then the waving multitude opened and shut again, and Uncas stood in the

-      living circle. All those eyes, which had been curiously studying the

-      lineaments of the sage, as the source of their own intelligence, turned on

-      the instant, and were now bent in secret admiration on the erect, agile,

-      and faultless person of the captive. But neither the presence in which he

-      found himself, nor the exclusive attention that he attracted, in any

-      manner disturbed the self-possession of the young Mohican. He cast a

-      deliberate and observing look on every side of him, meeting the settled

-      expression of hostility that lowered in the visages of the chiefs with the

-      same calmness as the curious gaze of the attentive children. But when,

-      last in this haughty scrutiny, the person of Tamenund came under his

-      glance, his eye became fixed, as though all other objects were already

-      forgotten. Then, advancing with a slow and noiseless step up the area, he

-      placed himself immediately before the footstool of the sage. Here he stood

-      unnoted, though keenly observant himself, until one of the chiefs apprised

-      the latter of his presence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;With what tongue does the prisoner speak to the Manitou?&rdquo; demanded the

-      patriarch, without unclosing his eyes.

-    </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/5491.jpg" alt="5491" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/5491.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Like his fathers,&rdquo; Uncas replied; &ldquo;with the tongue of a Delaware.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      At this sudden and unexpected annunciation, a low, fierce yell ran through

-      the multitude, that might not inaptly be compared to the growl of the

-      lion, as his choler is first awakened&mdash;a fearful omen of the weight

-      of his future anger. The effect was equally strong on the sage, though

-      differently exhibited. He passed a hand before his eyes, as if to exclude

-      the least evidence of so shameful a spectacle, while he repeated, in his

-      low, guttural tones, the words he had just heard.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;A Delaware! I have lived to see the tribes of the Lenape driven from

-      their council-fires, and scattered, like broken herds of deer, among the

-      hills of the Iroquois! I have seen the hatchets of a strong people sweep

-      woods from the valleys, that the winds of heaven have spared! The beasts

-      that run on the mountains, and the birds that fly above the trees, have I

-      seen living in the wigwams of men; but never before have I found a

-      Delaware so base as to creep, like a poisonous serpent, into the camps of

-      his nation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The singing-birds have opened their bills,&rdquo; returned Uncas, in the

-      softest notes of his own musical voice; &ldquo;and Tamenund has heard their

-      song.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The sage started, and bent his head aside, as if to catch the fleeting

-      sounds of some passing melody.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Does Tamenund dream!&rdquo; he exclaimed. &ldquo;What voice is at his ear! Have the

-      winters gone backward! Will summer come again to the children of the

-      Lenape!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A solemn and respectful silence succeeded this incoherent burst from the

-      lips of the Delaware prophet. His people readily constructed his

-      unintelligible language into one of those mysterious conferences he was

-      believed to hold so frequently with a superior intelligence and they

-      awaited the issue of the revelation in awe. After a patient pause,

-      however, one of the aged men, perceiving that the sage had lost the

-      recollection of the subject before them, ventured to remind him again of

-      the presence of the prisoner.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The false Delaware trembles lest he should hear the words of Tamenund,&rdquo;

-       he said. &ldquo;'Tis a hound that howls, when the Yengeese show him a trail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And ye,&rdquo; returned Uncas, looking sternly around him, &ldquo;are dogs that

-      whine, when the Frenchman casts ye the offals of his deer!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Twenty knives gleamed in the air, and as many warriors sprang to their

-      feet, at this biting, and perhaps merited retort; but a motion from one of

-      the chiefs suppressed the outbreaking of their tempers, and restored the

-      appearance of quiet. The task might probably have been more difficult, had

-      not a movement made by Tamenund indicated that he was again about to

-      speak.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Delaware!&rdquo; resumed the sage, &ldquo;little art thou worthy of thy name. My

-      people have not seen a bright sun in many winters; and the warrior who

-      deserts his tribe when hid in clouds is doubly a traitor. The law of the

-      Manitou is just. It is so; while the rivers run and the mountains stand,

-      while the blossoms come and go on the trees, it must be so. He is thine,

-      my children; deal justly by him.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Not a limb was moved, nor was a breath drawn louder and longer than

-      common, until the closing syllable of this final decree had passed the

-      lips of Tamenund. Then a cry of vengeance burst at once, as it might be,

-      from the united lips of the nation; a frightful augury of their ruthless

-      intentions. In the midst of these prolonged and savage yells, a chief

-      proclaimed, in a high voice, that the captive was condemned to endure the

-      dreadful trial of torture by fire. The circle broke its order, and screams

-      of delight mingled with the bustle and tumult of preparation. Heyward

-      struggled madly with his captors; the anxious eye of Hawkeye began to look

-      around him, with an expression of peculiar earnestness; and Cora again

-      threw herself at the feet of the patriarch, once more a suppliant for

-      mercy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Throughout the whole of these trying moments, Uncas had alone preserved

-      his serenity. He looked on the preparations with a steady eye, and when

-      the tormentors came to seize him, he met them with a firm and upright

-      attitude. One among them, if possible more fierce and savage than his

-      fellows, seized the hunting-shirt of the young warrior, and at a single

-      effort tore it from his body. Then, with a yell of frantic pleasure, he

-      leaped toward his unresisting victim and prepared to lead him to the

-      stake. But, at that moment, when he appeared most a stranger to the

-      feelings of humanity, the purpose of the savage was arrested as suddenly

-      as if a supernatural agency had interposed in the behalf of Uncas. The

-      eyeballs of the Delaware seemed to start from their sockets; his mouth

-      opened and his whole form became frozen in an attitude of amazement.

-      Raising his hand with a slow and regulated motion, he pointed with a

-      finger to the bosom of the captive. His companions crowded about him in

-      wonder and every eye was like his own, fastened intently on the figure of

-      a small tortoise, beautifully tattooed on the breast of the prisoner, in a

-      bright blue tint.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      For a single instant Uncas enjoyed his triumph, smiling calmly on the

-      scene. Then motioning the crowd away with a high and haughty sweep of his

-      arm, he advanced in front of the nation with the air of a king, and spoke

-      in a voice louder than the murmur of admiration that ran through the

-      multitude.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Men of the Lenni Lenape!&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;my race upholds the earth! Your

-      feeble tribe stands on my shell! What fire that a Delaware can light would

-      burn the child of my fathers,&rdquo; he added, pointing proudly to the simple

-      blazonry on his skin; &ldquo;the blood that came from such a stock would smother

-      your flames! My race is the grandfather of nations!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Who art thou?&rdquo; demanded Tamenund, rising at the startling tones he heard,

-      more than at any meaning conveyed by the language of the prisoner.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Uncas, the son of Chingachgook,&rdquo; answered the captive modestly, turning

-      from the nation, and bending his head in reverence to the other's

-      character and years; &ldquo;a son of the great Unamis.&rdquo; *

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * Turtle.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The hour of Tamenund is nigh!&rdquo; exclaimed the sage; &ldquo;the day is come, at

-      last, to the night! I thank the Manitou, that one is here to fill my place

-      at the council-fire. Uncas, the child of Uncas, is found! Let the eyes of

-      a dying eagle gaze on the rising sun.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The youth stepped lightly, but proudly on the platform, where he became

-      visible to the whole agitated and wondering multitude. Tamenund held him

-      long at the length of his arm and read every turn in the fine lineaments

-      of his countenance, with the untiring gaze of one who recalled days of

-      happiness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is Tamenund a boy?&rdquo; at length the bewildered prophet exclaimed. &ldquo;Have I

-      dreamed of so many snows&mdash;that my people were scattered like floating

-      sands&mdash;of Yengeese, more plenty than the leaves on the trees! The

-      arrow of Tamenund would not frighten the fawn; his arm is withered like

-      the branch of a dead oak; the snail would be swifter in the race; yet is

-      Uncas before him as they went to battle against the pale faces! Uncas, the

-      panther of his tribe, the eldest son of the Lenape, the wisest Sagamore of

-      the Mohicans! Tell me, ye Delawares, has Tamenund been a sleeper for a

-      hundred winters?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The calm and deep silence which succeeded these words sufficiently

-      announced the awful reverence with which his people received the

-      communication of the patriarch. None dared to answer, though all listened

-      in breathless expectation of what might follow. Uncas, however, looking in

-      his face with the fondness and veneration of a favored child, presumed on

-      his own high and acknowledged rank, to reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Four warriors of his race have lived and died,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;since the

-      friend of Tamenund led his people in battle. The blood of the turtle has

-      been in many chiefs, but all have gone back into the earth from whence

-      they came, except Chingachgook and his son.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is true&mdash;it is true,&rdquo; returned the sage, a flash of recollection

-      destroying all his pleasing fancies, and restoring him at once to a

-      consciousness of the true history of his nation. &ldquo;Our wise men have often

-      said that two warriors of the unchanged race were in the hills of the

-      Yengeese; why have their seats at the council-fires of the Delawares been

-      so long empty?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      At these words the young man raised his head, which he had still kept

-      bowed a little, in reverence; and lifting his voice so as to be heard by

-      the multitude, as if to explain at once and forever the policy of his

-      family, he said aloud:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Once we slept where we could hear the salt lake speak in its anger. Then

-      we were rulers and Sagamores over the land. But when a pale face was seen

-      on every brook, we followed the deer back to the river of our nation. The

-      Delawares were gone. Few warriors of them all stayed to drink of the

-      stream they loved. Then said my fathers, 'Here will we hunt. The waters of

-      the river go into the salt lake. If we go toward the setting sun, we shall

-      find streams that run into the great lakes of sweet water; there would a

-      Mohican die, like fishes of the sea, in the clear springs. When the

-      Manitou is ready and shall say &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; we will follow the river to the

-      sea, and take our own again.' Such, Delawares, is the belief of the

-      children of the Turtle. Our eyes are on the rising and not toward the

-      setting sun. We know whence he comes, but we know not whither he goes. It

-      is enough.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The men of the Lenape listened to his words with all the respect that

-      superstition could lend, finding a secret charm even in the figurative

-      language with which the young Sagamore imparted his ideas. Uncas himself

-      watched the effect of his brief explanation with intelligent eyes, and

-      gradually dropped the air of authority he had assumed, as he perceived

-      that his auditors were content. Then, permitting his looks to wander over

-      the silent throng that crowded around the elevated seat of Tamenund, he

-      first perceived Hawkeye in his bonds. Stepping eagerly from his stand, he

-      made way for himself to the side of his friend; and cutting his thongs

-      with a quick and angry stroke of his own knife, he motioned to the crowd

-      to divide. The Indians silently obeyed, and once more they stood ranged in

-      their circle, as before his appearance among them. Uncas took the scout by

-      the hand, and led him to the feet of the patriarch.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Father,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;look at this pale face; a just man, and the friend of

-      the Delawares.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is he a son of Minquon?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not so; a warrior known to the Yengeese, and feared by the Maquas.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What name has he gained by his deeds?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We call him Hawkeye,&rdquo; Uncas replied, using the Delaware phrase; &ldquo;for his

-      sight never fails. The Mingoes know him better by the death he gives their

-      warriors; with them he is 'The Long Rifle'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;La Longue Carabine!&rdquo; exclaimed Tamenund, opening his eyes, and regarding

-      the scout sternly. &ldquo;My son has not done well to call him friend.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I call him so who proves himself such,&rdquo; returned the young chief, with

-      great calmness, but with a steady mien. &ldquo;If Uncas is welcome among the

-      Delawares, then is Hawkeye with his friends.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The pale face has slain my young men; his name is great for the blows he

-      has struck the Lenape.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;If a Mingo has whispered that much in the ear of the Delaware, he has

-      only shown that he is a singing-bird,&rdquo; said the scout, who now believed

-      that it was time to vindicate himself from such offensive charges, and who

-      spoke as the man he addressed, modifying his Indian figures, however, with

-      his own peculiar notions. &ldquo;That I have slain the Maquas I am not the man

-      to deny, even at their own council-fires; but that, knowingly, my hand has

-      never harmed a Delaware, is opposed to the reason of my gifts, which is

-      friendly to them, and all that belongs to their nation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A low exclamation of applause passed among the warriors who exchanged

-      looks with each other like men that first began to perceive their error.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Where is the Huron?&rdquo; demanded Tamenund. &ldquo;Has he stopped my ears?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua, whose feelings during that scene in which Uncas had triumphed may

-      be much better imagined than described, answered to the call by stepping

-      boldly in front of the patriarch.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The just Tamenund,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;will not keep what a Huron has lent.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Tell me, son of my brother,&rdquo; returned the sage, avoiding the dark

-      countenance of Le Subtil, and turning gladly to the more ingenuous

-      features of Uncas, &ldquo;has the stranger a conqueror's right over you?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He has none. The panther may get into snares set by the women; but he is

-      strong, and knows how to leap through them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;La Longue Carabine?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Laughs at the Mingoes. Go, Huron, ask your squaws the color of a bear.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The stranger and white maiden that come into my camp together?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Should journey on an open path.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And the woman that Huron left with my warriors?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas made no reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;And the woman that the Mingo has brought into my camp?&rdquo; repeated

-      Tamenund, gravely.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;She is mine,&rdquo; cried Magua, shaking his hand in triumph at Uncas.

-      &ldquo;Mohican, you know that she is mine.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My son is silent,&rdquo; said Tamenund, endeavoring to read the expression of

-      the face that the youth turned from him in sorrow.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is so,&rdquo; was the low answer.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A short and impressive pause succeeded, during which it was very apparent

-      with what reluctance the multitude admitted the justice of the Mingo's

-      claim. At length the sage, on whom alone the decision depended, said, in a

-      firm voice:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Huron, depart.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;As he came, just Tamenund,&rdquo; demanded the wily Magua, &ldquo;or with hands

-      filled with the faith of the Delawares? The wigwam of Le Renard Subtil is

-      empty. Make him strong with his own.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The aged man mused with himself for a time; and then, bending his head

-      toward one of his venerable companions, he asked:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Are my ears open?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is true.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is this Mingo a chief?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The first in his nation.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Girl, what wouldst thou? A great warrior takes thee to wife. Go! thy race

-      will not end.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Better, a thousand times, it should,&rdquo; exclaimed the horror-struck Cora,

-      &ldquo;than meet with such a degradation!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Huron, her mind is in the tents of her fathers. An unwilling maiden makes

-      an unhappy wigwam.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;She speaks with the tongue of her people,&rdquo; returned Magua, regarding his

-      victim with a look of bitter irony.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;She is of a race of traders, and will bargain for a bright look. Let

-      Tamenund speak the words.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Take you the wampum, and our love.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Nothing hence but what Magua brought hither.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Then depart with thine own. The Great Manitou forbids that a Delaware

-      should be unjust.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua advanced, and seized his captive strongly by the arm; the Delawares

-      fell back, in silence; and Cora, as if conscious that remonstrance would

-      be useless, prepared to submit to her fate without resistance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold, hold!&rdquo; cried Duncan, springing forward; &ldquo;Huron, have mercy! her

-      ransom shall make thee richer than any of thy people were ever yet known

-      to be.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Magua is a red-skin; he wants not the beads of the pale faces.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Gold, silver, powder, lead&mdash;all that a warrior needs shall be in thy

-      wigwam; all that becomes the greatest chief.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Subtil is very strong,&rdquo; cried Magua, violently shaking the hand which

-      grasped the unresisting arm of Cora; &ldquo;he has his revenge!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Mighty ruler of Providence!&rdquo; exclaimed Heyward, clasping his hands

-      together in agony, &ldquo;can this be suffered! To you, just Tamenund, I appeal

-      for mercy.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The words of the Delaware are said,&rdquo; returned the sage, closing his eyes,

-      and dropping back into his seat, alike wearied with his mental and his

-      bodily exertion. &ldquo;Men speak not twice.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;That a chief should not misspend his time in unsaying what has once been

-      spoken is wise and reasonable,&rdquo; said Hawkeye, motioning to Duncan to be

-      silent; &ldquo;but it is also prudent in every warrior to consider well before

-      he strikes his tomahawk into the head of his prisoner. Huron, I love you

-      not; nor can I say that any Mingo has ever received much favor at my

-      hands. It is fair to conclude that, if this war does not soon end, many

-      more of your warriors will meet me in the woods. Put it to your judgment,

-      then, whether you would prefer taking such a prisoner as that into your

-      encampment, or one like myself, who am a man that it would greatly rejoice

-      your nation to see with naked hands.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Will 'The Long Rifle' give his life for the woman?&rdquo; demanded Magua,

-      hesitatingly; for he had already made a motion toward quitting the place

-      with his victim.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No, no; I have not said so much as that,&rdquo; returned Hawkeye, drawing back

-      with suitable discretion, when he noted the eagerness with which Magua

-      listened to his proposal. &ldquo;It would be an unequal exchange, to give a

-      warrior, in the prime of his age and usefulness, for the best woman on the

-      frontiers. I might consent to go into winter quarters, now &mdash;at least

-      six weeks afore the leaves will turn&mdash;on condition you will release

-      the maiden.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua shook his head, and made an impatient sign for the crowd to open.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Well, then,&rdquo; added the scout, with the musing air of a man who had not

-      half made up his mind; &ldquo;I will throw 'killdeer' into the bargain. Take the

-      word of an experienced hunter, the piece has not its equal atween the

-      provinces.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Magua still disdained to reply, continuing his efforts to disperse the

-      crowd.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Perhaps,&rdquo; added the scout, losing his dissembled coolness exactly in

-      proportion as the other manifested an indifference to the exchange, &ldquo;if I

-      should condition to teach your young men the real virtue of the we'pon, it

-      would smoothe the little differences in our judgments.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Le Renard fiercely ordered the Delawares, who still lingered in an

-      impenetrable belt around him, in hopes he would listen to the amicable

-      proposal, to open his path, threatening, by the glance of his eye, another

-      appeal to the infallible justice of their &ldquo;prophet.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What is ordered must sooner or later arrive,&rdquo; continued Hawkeye, turning

-      with a sad and humbled look to Uncas. &ldquo;The varlet knows his advantage and

-      will keep it! God bless you, boy; you have found friends among your

-      natural kin, and I hope they will prove as true as some you have met who

-      had no Indian cross. As for me, sooner or later, I must die; it is,

-      therefore, fortunate there are but few to make my death-howl. After all,

-      it is likely the imps would have managed to master my scalp, so a day or

-      two will make no great difference in the everlasting reckoning of time.

-      God bless you,&rdquo; added the rugged woodsman, bending his head aside, and

-      then instantly changing its direction again, with a wistful look toward

-      the youth; &ldquo;I loved both you and your father, Uncas, though our skins are

-      not altogether of a color, and our gifts are somewhat different. Tell the

-      Sagamore I never lost sight of him in my greatest trouble; and, as for

-      you, think of me sometimes when on a lucky trail, and depend on it, boy,

-      whether there be one heaven or two, there is a path in the other world by

-      which honest men may come together again. You'll find the rifle in the

-      place we hid it; take it, and keep it for my sake; and, harkee, lad, as

-      your natural gifts don't deny you the use of vengeance, use it a little

-      freely on the Mingoes; it may unburden griefs at my loss, and ease your

-      mind. Huron, I accept your offer; release the woman. I am your prisoner!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A suppressed, but still distinct murmur of approbation ran through the

-      crowd at this generous proposition; even the fiercest among the Delaware

-      warriors manifesting pleasure at the manliness of the intended sacrifice.

-      Magua paused, and for an anxious moment, it might be said, he doubted;

-      then, casting his eyes on Cora, with an expression in which ferocity and

-      admiration were strangely mingled, his purpose became fixed forever.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      He intimated his contempt of the offer with a backward motion of his head,

-      and said, in a steady and settled voice:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Le Renard Subtil is a great chief; he has but one mind. Come,&rdquo; he added,

-      laying his hand too familiarly on the shoulder of his captive to urge her

-      onward; &ldquo;a Huron is no tattler; we will go.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The maiden drew back in lofty womanly reserve, and her dark eye kindled,

-      while the rich blood shot, like the passing brightness of the sun, into

-      her very temples, at the indignity.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am your prisoner, and, at a fitting time shall be ready to follow, even

-      to my death. But violence is unnecessary,&rdquo; she coldly said; and

-      immediately turning to Hawkeye, added: &ldquo;Generous hunter! from my soul I

-      thank you. Your offer is vain, neither could it be accepted; but still you

-      may serve me, even more than in your own noble intention. Look at that

-      drooping humbled child! Abandon her not until you leave her in the

-      habitations of civilized men. I will not say,&rdquo; wringing the hard hand of

-      the scout, &ldquo;that her father will reward you&mdash;for such as you are

-      above the rewards of men&mdash;but he will thank you and bless you. And,

-      believe me, the blessing of a just and aged man has virtue in the sight of

-      Heaven. Would to God I could hear one word from his lips at this awful

-      moment!&rdquo; Her voice became choked, and, for an instant, she was silent;

-      then, advancing a step nigher to Duncan, who was supporting her

-      unconscious sister, she continued, in more subdued tones, but in which

-      feeling and the habits of her sex maintained a fearful struggle: &ldquo;I need

-      not tell you to cherish the treasure you will possess. You love her,

-      Heyward; that would conceal a thousand faults, though she had them. She is

-      kind, gentle, sweet, good, as mortal may be. There is not a blemish in

-      mind or person at which the proudest of you all would sicken. She is fair&mdash;oh!

-      how surpassingly fair!&rdquo; laying her own beautiful, but less brilliant, hand

-      in melancholy affection on the alabaster forehead of Alice, and parting

-      the golden hair which clustered about her brows; &ldquo;and yet her soul is pure

-      and spotless as her skin! I could say much&mdash;more, perhaps, than

-      cooler reason would approve; but I will spare you and myself&mdash;&rdquo; Her

-      voice became inaudible, and her face was bent over the form of her sister.

-      After a long and burning kiss, she arose, and with features of the hue of

-      death, but without even a tear in her feverish eye, she turned away, and

-      added, to the savage, with all her former elevation of manner: &ldquo;Now, sir,

-      if it be your pleasure, I will follow.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, go,&rdquo; cried Duncan, placing Alice in the arms of an Indian girl; &ldquo;go,

-      Magua, go. These Delawares have their laws, which forbid them to detain

-      you; but I&mdash;I have no such obligation. Go, malignant monster&mdash;why

-      do you delay?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      It would be difficult to describe the expression with which Magua listened

-      to this threat to follow. There was at first a fierce and manifest display

-      of joy, and then it was instantly subdued in a look of cunning coldness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The words are open,&rdquo; he was content with answering, &ldquo;'The Open Hand' can

-      come.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hold,&rdquo; cried Hawkeye, seizing Duncan by the arm, and detaining him by

-      violence; &ldquo;you know not the craft of the imp. He would lead you to an

-      ambushment, and your death&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Huron,&rdquo; interrupted Uncas, who submissive to the stern customs of his

-      people, had been an attentive and grave listener to all that passed;

-      &ldquo;Huron, the justice of the Delawares comes from the Manitou. Look at the

-      sun. He is now in the upper branches of the hemlock. Your path is short

-      and open. When he is seen above the trees, there will be men on your

-      trail.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I hear a crow!&rdquo; exclaimed Magua, with a taunting laugh. &ldquo;Go!&rdquo; he added,

-      shaking his hand at the crowd, which had slowly opened to admit his

-      passage. &ldquo;Where are the petticoats of the Delawares! Let them send their

-      arrows and their guns to the Wyandots; they shall have venison to eat, and

-      corn to hoe. Dogs, rabbits, thieves&mdash;I spit on you!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      His parting gibes were listened to in a dead, boding silence, and, with

-      these biting words in his mouth, the triumphant Magua passed unmolested

-      into the forest, followed by his passive captive, and protected by the

-      inviolable laws of Indian hospitality.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0030" id="link2HCH0030">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 31

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;Flue.&mdash;Kill the poys and the luggage! 'Tis expressly

-     against the law of arms; 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery,

-     mark you now, as can be offered in the 'orld.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;King Henry V.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      So long as their enemy and his victim continued in sight, the multitude

-      remained motionless as beings charmed to the place by some power that was

-      friendly to the Huron; but, the instant he disappeared, it became tossed

-      and agitated by fierce and powerful passion. Uncas maintained his elevated

-      stand, keeping his eyes on the form of Cora, until the colors of her dress

-      were blended with the foliage of the forest; when he descended, and,

-      moving silently through the throng, he disappeared in that lodge from

-      which he had so recently issued. A few of the graver and more attentive

-      warriors, who caught the gleams of anger that shot from the eyes of the

-      young chief in passing, followed him to the place he had selected for his

-      meditations. After which, Tamenund and Alice were removed, and the women

-      and children were ordered to disperse. During the momentous hour that

-      succeeded, the encampment resembled a hive of troubled bees, who only

-      awaited the appearance and example of their leader to take some distant

-      and momentous flight.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A young warrior at length issued from the lodge of Uncas; and, moving

-      deliberately, with a sort of grave march, toward a dwarf pine that grew in

-      the crevices of the rocky terrace, he tore the bark from its body, and

-      then turned whence he came without speaking. He was soon followed by

-      another, who stripped the sapling of its branches, leaving it a naked and

-      blazed* trunk. A third colored the post with stripes of a dark red paint;

-      all which indications of a hostile design in the leaders of the nation

-      were received by the men without in a gloomy and ominous silence. Finally,

-      the Mohican himself reappeared, divested of all his attire, except his

-      girdle and leggings, and with one-half of his fine features hid under a

-      cloud of threatening black.

-    </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * A tree which has been partially or entirely stripped of

-     its bark is said, in the language of the country, to be

-     &ldquo;blazed.&rdquo; The term is strictly English, for a horse is said

-     to be blazed when it has a white mark.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      Uncas moved with a slow and dignified tread toward the post, which he

-      immediately commenced encircling with a measured step, not unlike an

-      ancient dance, raising his voice, at the same time, in the wild and

-      irregular chant of his war song. The notes were in the extremes of human

-      sounds; being sometimes melancholy and exquisitely plaintive, even

-      rivaling the melody of birds&mdash;and then, by sudden and startling

-      transitions, causing the auditors to tremble by their depth and energy.

-      The words were few and often repeated, proceeding gradually from a sort of

-      invocation, or hymn, to the Deity, to an intimation of the warrior's

-      object, and terminating as they commenced with an acknowledgment of his

-      own dependence on the Great Spirit. If it were possible to translate the

-      comprehensive and melodious language in which he spoke, the ode might read

-      something like the following: &ldquo;Manitou! Manitou! Manitou! Thou art great,

-      thou art good, thou art wise: Manitou! Manitou! Thou art just. In the

-      heavens, in the clouds, oh, I see many spots&mdash;many dark, many red: In

-      the heavens, oh, I see many clouds.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;In the woods, in the air, oh, I hear the whoop, the long yell, and the

-      cry: In the woods, oh, I hear the loud whoop!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Manitou! Manitou! Manitou! I am weak&mdash;thou art strong; I am slow;

-      Manitou! Manitou! Give me aid.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      At the end of what might be called each verse he made a pause, by raising

-      a note louder and longer than common, that was peculiarly suited to the

-      sentiment just expressed. The first close was solemn, and intended to

-      convey the idea of veneration; the second descriptive, bordering on the

-      alarming; and the third was the well-known and terrific war-whoop, which

-      burst from the lips of the young warrior, like a combination of all the

-      frightful sounds of battle. The last was like the first, humble and

-      imploring. Three times did he repeat this song, and as often did he

-      encircle the post in his dance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At the close of the first turn, a grave and highly esteemed chief of the

-      Lenape followed his example, singing words of his own, however, to music

-      of a similar character. Warrior after warrior enlisted in the dance, until

-      all of any renown and authority were numbered in its mazes. The spectacle

-      now became wildly terrific; the fierce-looking and menacing visages of the

-      chiefs receiving additional power from the appalling strains in which they

-      mingled their guttural tones. Just then Uncas struck his tomahawk deep

-      into the post, and raised his voice in a shout, which might be termed his

-      own battle cry. The act announced that he had assumed the chief authority

-      in the intended expedition.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was a signal that awakened all the slumbering passions of the nation. A

-      hundred youths, who had hitherto been restrained by the diffidence of

-      their years, rushed in a frantic body on the fancied emblem of their

-      enemy, and severed it asunder, splinter by splinter, until nothing

-      remained of the trunk but its roots in the earth. During this moment of

-      tumult, the most ruthless deeds of war were performed on the fragments of

-      the tree, with as much apparent ferocity as if they were the living

-      victims of their cruelty. Some were scalped; some received the keen and

-      trembling axe; and others suffered by thrusts from the fatal knife. In

-      short, the manifestations of zeal and fierce delight were so great and

-      unequivocal, that the expedition was declared to be a war of the nation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The instant Uncas had struck the blow, he moved out of the circle, and

-      cast his eyes up to the sun, which was just gaining the point, when the

-      truce with Magua was to end. The fact was soon announced by a significant

-      gesture, accompanied by a corresponding cry; and the whole of the excited

-      multitude abandoned their mimic warfare, with shrill yells of pleasure, to

-      prepare for the more hazardous experiment of the reality.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The whole face of the encampment was instantly changed. The warriors, who

-      were already armed and painted, became as still as if they were incapable

-      of any uncommon burst of emotion. On the other hand, the women broke out

-      of the lodges, with the songs of joy and those of lamentation so strangely

-      mixed that it might have been difficult to have said which passion

-      preponderated. None, however, was idle. Some bore their choicest articles,

-      others their young, and some their aged and infirm, into the forest, which

-      spread itself like a verdant carpet of bright green against the side of

-      the mountain. Thither Tamenund also retired, with calm composure, after a

-      short and touching interview with Uncas; from whom the sage separated with

-      the reluctance that a parent would quit a long lost and just recovered

-      child. In the meantime, Duncan saw Alice to a place of safety, and then

-      sought the scout, with a countenance that denoted how eagerly he also

-      panted for the approaching contest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But Hawkeye was too much accustomed to the war song and the enlistments of

-      the natives, to betray any interest in the passing scene. He merely cast

-      an occasional look at the number and quality of the warriors, who, from

-      time to time, signified their readiness to accompany Uncas to the field.

-      In this particular he was soon satisfied; for, as has been already seen,

-      the power of the young chief quickly embraced every fighting man in the

-      nation. After this material point was so satisfactorily decided, he

-      despatched an Indian boy in quest of &ldquo;killdeer&rdquo; and the rifle of Uncas, to

-      the place where they had deposited their weapons on approaching the camp

-      of the Delawares; a measure of double policy, inasmuch as it protected the

-      arms from their own fate, if detained as prisoners, and gave them the

-      advantage of appearing among the strangers rather as sufferers than as men

-      provided with means of defense and subsistence. In selecting another to

-      perform the office of reclaiming his highly prized rifle, the scout had

-      lost sight of none of his habitual caution. He knew that Magua had not

-      come unattended, and he also knew that Huron spies watched the movements

-      of their new enemies, along the whole boundary of the woods. It would,

-      therefore, have been fatal to himself to have attempted the experiment; a

-      warrior would have fared no better; but the danger of a boy would not be

-      likely to commence until after his object was discovered. When Heyward

-      joined him, the scout was coolly awaiting the result of this experiment.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The boy, who had been well instructed, and was sufficiently crafty,

-      proceeded, with a bosom that was swelling with the pride of such a

-      confidence, and all the hopes of young ambition, carelessly across the

-      clearing to the wood, which he entered at a point at some little distance

-      from the place where the guns were secreted. The instant, however, he was

-      concealed by the foliage of the bushes, his dusky form was to be seen

-      gliding, like that of a serpent, toward the desired treasure. He was

-      successful; and in another moment he appeared flying across the narrow

-      opening that skirted the base of the terrace on which the village stood,

-      with the velocity of an arrow, and bearing a prize in each hand. He had

-      actually gained the crags, and was leaping up their sides with incredible

-      activity, when a shot from the woods showed how accurate had been the

-      judgment of the scout. The boy answered it with a feeble but contemptuous

-      shout; and immediately a second bullet was sent after him from another

-      part of the cover. At the next instant he appeared on the level above,

-      elevating his guns in triumph, while he moved with the air of a conqueror

-      toward the renowned hunter who had honored him by so glorious a

-      commission.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Notwithstanding the lively interest Hawkeye had taken in the fate of his

-      messenger, he received &ldquo;killdeer&rdquo; with a satisfaction that, momentarily,

-      drove all other recollections from his mind. After examining the piece

-      with an intelligent eye, and opening and shutting the pan some ten or

-      fifteen times, and trying sundry other equally important experiments on

-      the lock, he turned to the boy and demanded with great manifestations of

-      kindness, if he was hurt. The urchin looked proudly up in his face, but

-      made no reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ah! I see, lad, the knaves have barked your arm!&rdquo; added the scout, taking

-      up the limb of the patient sufferer, across which a deep flesh wound had

-      been made by one of the bullets; &ldquo;but a little bruised alder will act like

-      a charm. In the meantime I will wrap it in a badge of wampum! You have

-      commenced the business of a warrior early, my brave boy, and are likely to

-      bear a plenty of honorable scars to your grave. I know many young men that

-      have taken scalps who cannot show such a mark as this. Go!&rdquo; having bound

-      up the arm; &ldquo;you will be a chief!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The lad departed, prouder of his flowing blood than the vainest courtier

-      could be of his blushing ribbon; and stalked among the fellows of his age,

-      an object of general admiration and envy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But, in a moment of so many serious and important duties, this single act

-      of juvenile fortitude did not attract the general notice and commendation

-      it would have received under milder auspices. It had, however, served to

-      apprise the Delawares of the position and the intentions of their enemies.

-      Accordingly a party of adventurers, better suited to the task than the

-      weak though spirited boy, was ordered to dislodge the skulkers. The duty

-      was soon performed; for most of the Hurons retired of themselves when they

-      found they had been discovered. The Delawares followed to a sufficient

-      distance from their own encampment, and then halted for orders,

-      apprehensive of being led into an ambush. As both parties secreted

-      themselves, the woods were again as still and quiet as a mild summer

-      morning and deep solitude could render them.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The calm but still impatient Uncas now collected his chiefs, and divided

-      his power. He presented Hawkeye as a warrior, often tried, and always

-      found deserving of confidence. When he found his friend met with a

-      favorable reception, he bestowed on him the command of twenty men, like

-      himself, active, skillful and resolute. He gave the Delawares to

-      understand the rank of Heyward among the troops of the Yengeese, and then

-      tendered to him a trust of equal authority. But Duncan declined the

-      charge, professing his readiness to serve as a volunteer by the side of

-      the scout. After this disposition, the young Mohican appointed various

-      native chiefs to fill the different situations of responsibility, and, the

-      time pressing, he gave forth the word to march. He was cheerfully, but

-      silently obeyed by more than two hundred men.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Their entrance into the forest was perfectly unmolested; nor did they

-      encounter any living objects that could either give the alarm, or furnish

-      the intelligence they needed, until they came upon the lairs of their own

-      scouts. Here a halt was ordered, and the chiefs were assembled to hold a

-      &ldquo;whispering council.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      At this meeting divers plans of operation were suggested, though none of a

-      character to meet the wishes of their ardent leader. Had Uncas followed

-      the promptings of his own inclinations, he would have led his followers to

-      the charge without a moment's delay, and put the conflict to the hazard of

-      an instant issue; but such a course would have been in opposition to all

-      the received practises and opinions of his countrymen. He was, therefore,

-      fain to adopt a caution that in the present temper of his mind he

-      execrated, and to listen to advice at which his fiery spirit chafed, under

-      the vivid recollection of Cora's danger and Magua's insolence.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After an unsatisfactory conference of many minutes, a solitary individual

-      was seen advancing from the side of the enemy, with such apparent haste,

-      as to induce the belief he might be a messenger charged with pacific

-      overtures. When within a hundred yards, however, of the cover behind which

-      the Delaware council had assembled, the stranger hesitated, appeared

-      uncertain what course to take, and finally halted. All eyes were turned

-      now on Uncas, as if seeking directions how to proceed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Hawkeye,&rdquo; said the young chief, in a low voice, &ldquo;he must never speak to

-      the Hurons again.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;His time has come,&rdquo; said the laconic scout, thrusting the long barrel of

-      his rifle through the leaves, and taking his deliberate and fatal aim.

-      But, instead of pulling the trigger, he lowered the muzzle again, and

-      indulged himself in a fit of his peculiar mirth. &ldquo;I took the imp for a

-      Mingo, as I'm a miserable sinner!&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;but when my eye ranged along

-      his ribs for a place to get the bullet in&mdash;would you think it, Uncas&mdash;I

-      saw the musicianer's blower; and so, after all, it is the man they call

-      Gamut, whose death can profit no one, and whose life, if this tongue can

-      do anything but sing, may be made serviceable to our own ends. If sounds

-      have not lost their virtue, I'll soon have a discourse with the honest

-      fellow, and that in a voice he'll find more agreeable than the speech of

-      'killdeer'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      So saying, Hawkeye laid aside his rifle; and, crawling through the bushes

-      until within hearing of David, he attempted to repeat the musical effort,

-      which had conducted himself, with so much safety and eclat, through the

-      Huron encampment. The exquisite organs of Gamut could not readily be

-      deceived (and, to say the truth, it would have been difficult for any

-      other than Hawkeye to produce a similar noise), and, consequently, having

-      once before heard the sounds, he now knew whence they proceeded. The poor

-      fellow appeared relieved from a state of great embarrassment; for,

-      pursuing the direction of the voice&mdash;a task that to him was not much

-      less arduous that it would have been to have gone up in the face of a

-      battery&mdash;he soon discovered the hidden songster.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I wonder what the Hurons will think of that!&rdquo; said the scout, laughing,

-      as he took his companion by the arm, and urged him toward the rear. &ldquo;If

-      the knaves lie within earshot, they will say there are two non-compossers

-      instead of one! But here we are safe,&rdquo; he added, pointing to Uncas and his

-      associates. &ldquo;Now give us the history of the Mingo inventions in natural

-      English, and without any ups and downs of voice.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David gazed about him, at the fierce and wild-looking chiefs, in mute

-      wonder; but assured by the presence of faces that he knew, he soon rallied

-      his faculties so far as to make an intelligent reply.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The heathen are abroad in goodly numbers,&rdquo; said David; &ldquo;and, I fear, with

-      evil intent. There has been much howling and ungodly revelry, together

-      with such sounds as it is profanity to utter, in their habitations within

-      the past hour, so much so, in truth, that I have fled to the Delawares in

-      search of peace.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Your ears might not have profited much by the exchange, had you been

-      quicker of foot,&rdquo; returned the scout a little dryly. &ldquo;But let that be as

-      it may; where are the Hurons?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They lie hid in the forest, between this spot and their village in such

-      force, that prudence would teach you instantly to return.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas cast a glance along the range of trees which concealed his own band

-      and mentioned the name of:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Magua?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Is among them. He brought in the maiden that had sojourned with the

-      Delawares; and, leaving her in the cave, has put himself, like a raging

-      wolf, at the head of his savages. I know not what has troubled his spirit

-      so greatly!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;He has left her, you say, in the cave!&rdquo; interrupted Heyward; &ldquo;'tis well

-      that we know its situation! May not something be done for her instant

-      relief?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Uncas looked earnestly at the scout, before he asked:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;What says Hawkeye?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Give me twenty rifles, and I will turn to the right, along the stream;

-      and, passing by the huts of the beaver, will join the Sagamore and the

-      colonel. You shall then hear the whoop from that quarter; with this wind

-      one may easily send it a mile. Then, Uncas, do you drive in the front;

-      when they come within range of our pieces, we will give them a blow that,

-      I pledge the good name of an old frontiersman, shall make their line bend

-      like an ashen bow. After which, we will carry the village, and take the

-      woman from the cave; when the affair may be finished with the tribe,

-      according to a white man's battle, by a blow and a victory; or, in the

-      Indian fashion, with dodge and cover. There may be no great learning,

-      major, in this plan, but with courage and patience it can all be done.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I like it very much,&rdquo; cried Duncan, who saw that the release of Cora was

-      the primary object in the mind of the scout; &ldquo;I like it much. Let it be

-      instantly attempted.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      After a short conference, the plan was matured, and rendered more

-      intelligible to the several parties; the different signals were appointed,

-      and the chiefs separated, each to his allotted station.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0031" id="link2HCH0031">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 32

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;But plagues shall spread, and funeral fires increase,

-     Till the great king, without a ransom paid,

-     To her own Chrysa send the black-eyed maid.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Pope.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      During the time Uncas was making this disposition of his forces, the woods

-      were as still, and, with the exception of those who had met in council,

-      apparently as much untenanted as when they came fresh from the hands of

-      their Almighty Creator. The eye could range, in every direction, through

-      the long and shadowed vistas of the trees; but nowhere was any object to

-      be seen that did not properly belong to the peaceful and slumbering

-      scenery.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Here and there a bird was heard fluttering among the branches of the

-      beeches, and occasionally a squirrel dropped a nut, drawing the startled

-      looks of the party for a moment to the place; but the instant the casual

-      interruption ceased, the passing air was heard murmuring above their

-      heads, along that verdant and undulating surface of forest, which spread

-      itself unbroken, unless by stream or lake, over such a vast region of

-      country. Across the tract of wilderness which lay between the Delawares

-      and the village of their enemies, it seemed as if the foot of man had

-      never trodden, so breathing and deep was the silence in which it lay. But

-      Hawkeye, whose duty led him foremost in the adventure, knew the character

-      of those with whom he was about to contend too well to trust the

-      treacherous quiet.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When he saw his little band collected, the scout threw &ldquo;killdeer&rdquo; into the

-      hollow of his arm, and making a silent signal that he would be followed,

-      he led them many rods toward the rear, into the bed of a little brook

-      which they had crossed in advancing. Here he halted, and after waiting for

-      the whole of his grave and attentive warriors to close about him, he spoke

-      in Delaware, demanding:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do any of my young men know whither this run will lead us?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      A Delaware stretched forth a hand, with the two fingers separated, and

-      indicating the manner in which they were joined at the root, he answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Before the sun could go his own length, the little water will be in the

-      big.&rdquo; Then he added, pointing in the direction of the place he mentioned,

-      &ldquo;the two make enough for the beavers.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I thought as much,&rdquo; returned the scout, glancing his eye upward at the

-      opening in the tree-tops, &ldquo;from the course it takes, and the bearings of

-      the mountains. Men, we will keep within the cover of its banks till we

-      scent the Hurons.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      His companions gave the usual brief exclamation of assent, but, perceiving

-      that their leader was about to lead the way in person, one or two made

-      signs that all was not as it should be. Hawkeye, who comprehended their

-      meaning glances, turned and perceived that his party had been followed

-      thus far by the singing-master.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Do you know, friend,&rdquo; asked the scout, gravely, and perhaps with a little

-      of the pride of conscious deserving in his manner, &ldquo;that this is a band of

-      rangers chosen for the most desperate service, and put under the command

-      of one who, though another might say it with a better face, will not be

-      apt to leave them idle. It may not be five, it cannot be thirty minutes,

-      before we tread on the body of a Huron, living or dead.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though not admonished of your intentions in words,&rdquo; returned David, whose

-      face was a little flushed, and whose ordinarily quiet and unmeaning eyes

-      glimmered with an expression of unusual fire, &ldquo;your men have reminded me

-      of the children of Jacob going out to battle against the Shechemites, for

-      wickedly aspiring to wedlock with a woman of a race that was favored of

-      the Lord. Now, I have journeyed far, and sojourned much in good and evil

-      with the maiden ye seek; and, though not a man of war, with my loins

-      girded and my sword sharpened, yet would I gladly strike a blow in her

-      behalf.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout hesitated, as if weighing the chances of such a strange

-      enlistment in his mind before he answered:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You know not the use of any we'pon. You carry no rifle; and believe me,

-      what the Mingoes take they will freely give again.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Though not a vaunting and bloodily disposed Goliath,&rdquo; returned David,

-      drawing a sling from beneath his parti-colored and uncouth attire, &ldquo;I have

-      not forgotten the example of the Jewish boy. With this ancient instrument

-      of war have I practised much in my youth, and peradventure the skill has

-      not entirely departed from me.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay!&rdquo; said Hawkeye, considering the deer-skin thong and apron, with a cold

-      and discouraging eye; &ldquo;the thing might do its work among arrows, or even

-      knives; but these Mengwe have been furnished by the Frenchers with a good

-      grooved barrel a man. However, it seems to be your gift to go unharmed

-      amid fire; and as you have hitherto been favored&mdash;major, you have

-      left your rifle at a cock; a single shot before the time would be just

-      twenty scalps lost to no purpose&mdash;singer, you can follow; we may find

-      use for you in the shoutings.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I thank you, friend,&rdquo; returned David, supplying himself, like his royal

-      namesake, from among the pebbles of the brook; &ldquo;though not given to the

-      desire to kill, had you sent me away my spirit would have been troubled.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Remember,&rdquo; added the scout, tapping his own head significantly on that

-      spot where Gamut was yet sore, &ldquo;we come to fight, and not to musickate.

-      Until the general whoop is given, nothing speaks but the rifle.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      David nodded, as much to signify his acquiescence with the terms; and then

-      Hawkeye, casting another observant glance over his followers made the

-      signal to proceed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Their route lay, for the distance of a mile, along the bed of the

-      water-course. Though protected from any great danger of observation by the

-      precipitous banks, and the thick shrubbery which skirted the stream, no

-      precaution known to an Indian attack was neglected. A warrior rather

-      crawled than walked on each flank so as to catch occasional glimpses into

-      the forest; and every few minutes the band came to a halt, and listened

-      for hostile sounds, with an acuteness of organs that would be scarcely

-      conceivable to a man in a less natural state. Their march was, however,

-      unmolested, and they reached the point where the lesser stream was lost in

-      the greater, without the smallest evidence that their progress had been

-      noted. Here the scout again halted, to consult the signs of the forest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We are likely to have a good day for a fight,&rdquo; he said, in English,

-      addressing Heyward, and glancing his eyes upward at the clouds, which

-      began to move in broad sheets across the firmament; &ldquo;a bright sun and a

-      glittering barrel are no friends to true sight. Everything is favorable;

-      they have the wind, which will bring down their noises and their smoke,

-      too, no little matter in itself; whereas, with us it will be first a shot,

-      and then a clear view. But here is an end to our cover; the beavers have

-      had the range of this stream for hundreds of years, and what atween their

-      food and their dams, there is, as you see, many a girdled stub, but few

-      living trees.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Hawkeye had, in truth, in these few words, given no bad description of the

-      prospect that now lay in their front. The brook was irregular in its

-      width, sometimes shooting through narrow fissures in the rocks, and at

-      others spreading over acres of bottom land, forming little areas that

-      might be termed ponds. Everywhere along its bands were the moldering

-      relics of dead trees, in all the stages of decay, from those that groaned

-      on their tottering trunks to such as had recently been robbed of those

-      rugged coats that so mysteriously contain their principle of life. A few

-      long, low, and moss-covered piles were scattered among them, like the

-      memorials of a former and long-departed generation.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      All these minute particulars were noted by the scout, with a gravity and

-      interest that they probably had never before attracted. He knew that the

-      Huron encampment lay a short half mile up the brook; and, with the

-      characteristic anxiety of one who dreaded a hidden danger, he was greatly

-      troubled at not finding the smallest trace of the presence of his enemy.

-      Once or twice he felt induced to give the order for a rush, and to attempt

-      the village by surprise; but his experience quickly admonished him of the

-      danger of so useless an experiment. Then he listened intently, and with

-      painful uncertainty, for the sounds of hostility in the quarter where

-      Uncas was left; but nothing was audible except the sighing of the wind,

-      that began to sweep over the bosom of the forest in gusts which threatened

-      a tempest. At length, yielding rather to his unusual impatience than

-      taking counsel from his knowledge, he determined to bring matters to an

-      issue, by unmasking his force, and proceeding cautiously, but steadily, up

-      the stream.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout had stood, while making his observations, sheltered by a brake,

-      and his companions still lay in the bed of the ravine, through which the

-      smaller stream debouched; but on hearing his low, though intelligible,

-      signal the whole party stole up the bank, like so many dark specters, and

-      silently arranged themselves around him. Pointing in the direction he

-      wished to proceed, Hawkeye advanced, the band breaking off in single

-      files, and following so accurately in his footsteps, as to leave it, if we

-      except Heyward and David, the trail of but a single man.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The party was, however, scarcely uncovered before a volley from a dozen

-      rifles was heard in their rear; and a Delaware leaping high in to the air,

-      like a wounded deer, fell at his whole length, dead.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ah, I feared some deviltry like this!&rdquo; exclaimed the scout, in English,

-      adding, with the quickness of thought, in his adopted tongue: &ldquo;To cover,

-      men, and charge!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The band dispersed at the word, and before Heyward had well recovered from

-      his surprise, he found himself standing alone with David. Luckily the

-      Hurons had already fallen back, and he was safe from their fire. But this

-      state of things was evidently to be of short continuance; for the scout

-      set the example of pressing on their retreat, by discharging his rifle,

-      and darting from tree to tree as his enemy slowly yielded ground.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It would seem that the assault had been made by a very small party of the

-      Hurons, which, however, continued to increase in numbers, as it retired on

-      its friends, until the return fire was very nearly, if not quite, equal to

-      that maintained by the advancing Delawares. Heyward threw himself among

-      the combatants, and imitating the necessary caution of his companions, he

-      made quick discharges with his own rifle. The contest now grew warm and

-      stationary. Few were injured, as both parties kept their bodies as much

-      protected as possible by the trees; never, indeed, exposing any part of

-      their persons except in the act of taking aim. But the chances were

-      gradually growing unfavorable to Hawkeye and his band. The quick-sighted

-      scout perceived his danger without knowing how to remedy it. He saw it was

-      more dangerous to retreat than to maintain his ground: while he found his

-      enemy throwing out men on his flank; which rendered the task of keeping

-      themselves covered so very difficult to the Delawares, as nearly to

-      silence their fire. At this embarrassing moment, when they began to think

-      the whole of the hostile tribe was gradually encircling them, they heard

-      the yell of combatants and the rattling of arms echoing under the arches

-      of the wood at the place where Uncas was posted, a bottom which, in a

-      manner, lay beneath the ground on which Hawkeye and his party were

-      contending.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The effects of this attack were instantaneous, and to the scout and his

-      friends greatly relieving. It would seem that, while his own surprise had

-      been anticipated, and had consequently failed, the enemy, in their turn,

-      having been deceived in its object and in his numbers, had left too small

-      a force to resist the impetuous onset of the young Mohican. This fact was

-      doubly apparent, by the rapid manner in which the battle in the forest

-      rolled upward toward the village, and by an instant falling off in the

-      number of their assailants, who rushed to assist in maintaining the front,

-      and, as it now proved to be, the principal point of defense.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Animating his followers by his voice, and his own example, Hawkeye then

-      gave the word to bear down upon their foes. The charge, in that rude

-      species of warfare, consisted merely in pushing from cover to cover,

-      nigher to the enemy; and in this maneuver he was instantly and

-      successfully obeyed. The Hurons were compelled to withdraw, and the scene

-      of the contest rapidly changed from the more open ground, on which it had

-      commenced, to a spot where the assailed found a thicket to rest upon. Here

-      the struggle was protracted, arduous and seemingly of doubtful issue; the

-      Delawares, though none of them fell, beginning to bleed freely, in

-      consequence of the disadvantage at which they were held.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In this crisis, Hawkeye found means to get behind the same tree as that

-      which served for a cover to Heyward; most of his own combatants being

-      within call, a little on his right, where they maintained rapid, though

-      fruitless, discharges on their sheltered enemies.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;You are a young man, major,&rdquo; said the scout, dropping the butt of

-      &ldquo;killdeer&rdquo; to the earth, and leaning on the barrel, a little fatigued with

-      his previous industry; &ldquo;and it may be your gift to lead armies, at some

-      future day, ag'in these imps, the Mingoes. You may here see the philosophy

-      of an Indian fight. It consists mainly in ready hand, a quick eye and a

-      good cover. Now, if you had a company of the Royal Americans here, in what

-      manner would you set them to work in this business?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The bayonet would make a road.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Ay, there is white reason in what you say; but a man must ask himself, in

-      this wilderness, how many lives he can spare. No&mdash;horse*,&rdquo; continued

-      the scout, shaking his head, like one who mused; &ldquo;horse, I am ashamed to

-      say must sooner or later decide these scrimmages. The brutes are better

-      than men, and to horse must we come at last. Put a shodden hoof on the

-      moccasin of a red-skin, and, if his rifle be once emptied, he will never

-      stop to load it again.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     * The American forest admits of the passage of horses, there

-     being little underbrush, and few tangled brakes. The plan of

-     Hawkeye is the one which has always proved the most

-     successful in the battles between the whites and the

-     Indians. Wayne, in his celebrated campaign on the Miami,

-     received the fire of his enemies in line; and then causing

-     his dragoons to wheel round his flanks, the Indians were

-     driven from their covers before they had time to load. One

-     of the most conspicuous of the chiefs who fought in the

-     battle of Miami assured the writer, that the red men could

-     not fight the warriors with &ldquo;long knives and leather

-     stockings&rdquo;; meaning the dragoons with their sabers and

-     boots.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;This is a subject that might better be discussed at another time,&rdquo;

-       returned Heyward; &ldquo;shall we charge?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I see no contradiction to the gifts of any man in passing his breathing

-      spells in useful reflections,&rdquo; the scout replied. &ldquo;As to rush, I little

-      relish such a measure; for a scalp or two must be thrown away in the

-      attempt. And yet,&rdquo; he added, bending his head aside, to catch the sounds

-      of the distant combat, &ldquo;if we are to be of use to Uncas, these knaves in

-      our front must be got rid of.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, turning with a prompt and decided air, he called aloud to his

-      Indians, in their own language. His words were answered by a shout; and,

-      at a given signal, each warrior made a swift movement around his

-      particular tree. The sight of so many dark bodies, glancing before their

-      eyes at the same instant, drew a hasty and consequently an ineffectual

-      fire from the Hurons. Without stopping to breathe, the Delawares leaped in

-      long bounds toward the wood, like so many panthers springing upon their

-      prey. Hawkeye was in front, brandishing his terrible rifle and animating

-      his followers by his example. A few of the older and more cunning Hurons,

-      who had not been deceived by the artifice which had been practiced to draw

-      their fire, now made a close and deadly discharge of their pieces and

-      justified the apprehensions of the scout by felling three of his foremost

-      warriors. But the shock was insufficient to repel the impetus of the

-      charge. The Delawares broke into the cover with the ferocity of their

-      natures and swept away every trace of resistance by the fury of the onset.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The combat endured only for an instant, hand to hand, and then the

-      assailed yielded ground rapidly, until they reached the opposite margin of

-      the thicket, where they clung to the cover, with the sort of obstinacy

-      that is so often witnessed in hunted brutes. At this critical moment, when

-      the success of the struggle was again becoming doubtful, the crack of a

-      rifle was heard behind the Hurons, and a bullet came whizzing from among

-      some beaver lodges, which were situated in the clearing, in their rear,

-      and was followed by the fierce and appalling yell of the war-whoop.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;There speaks the Sagamore!&rdquo; shouted Hawkeye, answering the cry with his

-      own stentorian voice; &ldquo;we have them now in face and back!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The effect on the Hurons was instantaneous. Discouraged by an assault from

-      a quarter that left them no opportunity for cover, the warriors uttered a

-      common yell of disappointment, and breaking off in a body, they spread

-      themselves across the opening, heedless of every consideration but flight.

-      Many fell, in making the experiment, under the bullets and the blows of

-      the pursuing Delawares.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      We shall not pause to detail the meeting between the scout and

-      Chingachgook, or the more touching interview that Duncan held with Munro.

-      A few brief and hurried words served to explain the state of things to

-      both parties; and then Hawkeye, pointing out the Sagamore to his band,

-      resigned the chief authority into the hands of the Mohican chief.

-      Chingachgook assumed the station to which his birth and experience gave

-      him so distinguished a claim, with the grave dignity that always gives

-      force to the mandates of a native warrior. Following the footsteps of the

-      scout, he led the party back through the thicket, his men scalping the

-      fallen Hurons and secreting the bodies of their own dead as they

-      proceeded, until they gained a point where the former was content to make

-      a halt.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The warriors, who had breathed themselves freely in the preceding

-      struggle, were now posted on a bit of level ground, sprinkled with trees

-      in sufficient numbers to conceal them. The land fell away rather

-      precipitately in front, and beneath their eyes stretched, for several

-      miles, a narrow, dark, and wooded vale. It was through this dense and dark

-      forest that Uncas was still contending with the main body of the Hurons.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Mohican and his friends advanced to the brow of the hill, and

-      listened, with practised ears, to the sounds of the combat. A few birds

-      hovered over the leafy bosom of the valley, frightened from their secluded

-      nests; and here and there a light vapory cloud, which seemed already

-      blending with the atmosphere, arose above the trees, and indicated some

-      spot where the struggle had been fierce and stationary.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The fight is coming up the ascent,&rdquo; said Duncan, pointing in the

-      direction of a new explosion of firearms; &ldquo;we are too much in the center

-      of their line to be effective.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They will incline into the hollow, where the cover is thicker,&rdquo; said the

-      scout, &ldquo;and that will leave us well on their flank. Go, Sagamore; you will

-      hardly be in time to give the whoop, and lead on the young men. I will

-      fight this scrimmage with warriors of my own color. You know me, Mohican;

-      not a Huron of them all shall cross the swell, into your rear, without the

-      notice of 'killdeer'.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The Indian chief paused another moment to consider the signs of the

-      contest, which was now rolling rapidly up the ascent, a certain evidence

-      that the Delawares triumphed; nor did he actually quit the place until

-      admonished of the proximity of his friends, as well as enemies, by the

-      bullets of the former, which began to patter among the dried leaves on the

-      ground, like the bits of falling hail which precede the bursting of the

-      tempest. Hawkeye and his three companions withdrew a few paces to a

-      shelter, and awaited the issue with calmness that nothing but great

-      practise could impart in such a scene.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      It was not long before the reports of the rifles began to lose the echoes

-      of the woods, and to sound like weapons discharged in the open air. Then a

-      warrior appeared, here and there, driven to the skirts of the forest, and

-      rallying as he entered the clearing, as at the place where the final stand

-      was to be made. These were soon joined by others, until a long line of

-      swarthy figures was to be seen clinging to the cover with the obstinacy of

-      desperation. Heyward began to grow impatient, and turned his eyes

-      anxiously in the direction of Chingachgook. The chief was seated on a

-      rock, with nothing visible but his calm visage, considering the spectacle

-      with an eye as deliberate as if he were posted there merely to view the

-      struggle.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The time has come for the Delaware to strike!&rdquo; said Duncan.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Not so, not so,&rdquo; returned the scout; &ldquo;when he scents his friends, he will

-      let them know that he is here. See, see; the knaves are getting in that

-      clump of pines, like bees settling after their flight. By the Lord, a

-      squaw might put a bullet into the center of such a knot of dark skins!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      At that instant the whoop was given, and a dozen Hurons fell by a

-      discharge from Chingachgook and his band. The shout that followed was

-      answered by a single war-cry from the forest, and a yell passed through

-      the air that sounded as if a thousand throats were united in a common

-      effort. The Hurons staggered, deserting the center of their line, and

-      Uncas issued from the forest through the opening they left, at the head of

-      a hundred warriors.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Waving his hands right and left, the young chief pointed out the enemy to

-      his followers, who separated in pursuit. The war now divided, both wings

-      of the broken Hurons seeking protection in the woods again, hotly pressed

-      by the victorious warriors of the Lenape. A minute might have passed, but

-      the sounds were already receding in different directions, and gradually

-      losing their distinctness beneath the echoing arches of the woods. One

-      little knot of Hurons, however, had disdained to seek a cover, and were

-      retiring, like lions at bay, slowly and sullenly up the acclivity which

-      Chingachgook and his band had just deserted, to mingle more closely in the

-      fray. Magua was conspicuous in this party, both by his fierce and savage

-      mien, and by the air of haughty authority he yet maintained.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In his eagerness to expedite the pursuit, Uncas had left himself nearly

-      alone; but the moment his eye caught the figure of Le Subtil, every other

-      consideration was forgotten. Raising his cry of battle, which recalled

-      some six or seven warriors, and reckless of the disparity of their

-      numbers, he rushed upon his enemy. Le Renard, who watched the movement,

-      paused to receive him with secret joy. But at the moment when he thought

-      the rashness of his impetuous young assailant had left him at his mercy,

-      another shout was given, and La Longue Carabine was seen rushing to the

-      rescue, attended by all his white associates. The Huron instantly turned,

-      and commenced a rapid retreat up the ascent.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      There was no time for greetings or congratulations; for Uncas, though

-      unconscious of the presence of his friends, continued the pursuit with the

-      velocity of the wind. In vain Hawkeye called to him to respect the covers;

-      the young Mohican braved the dangerous fire of his enemies, and soon

-      compelled them to a flight as swift as his own headlong speed. It was

-      fortunate that the race was of short continuance, and that the white men

-      were much favored by their position, or the Delaware would soon have

-      outstripped all his companions, and fallen a victim to his own temerity.

-      But, ere such a calamity could happen, the pursuers and pursued entered

-      the Wyandot village, within striking distance of each other.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Excited by the presence of their dwellings, and tired of the chase, the

-      Hurons now made a stand, and fought around their council-lodge with the

-      fury of despair. The onset and the issue were like the passage and

-      destruction of a whirlwind. The tomahawk of Uncas, the blows of Hawkeye,

-      and even the still nervous arm of Munro were all busy for that passing

-      moment, and the ground was quickly strewed with their enemies. Still

-      Magua, though daring and much exposed, escaped from every effort against

-      his life, with that sort of fabled protection that was made to overlook

-      the fortunes of favored heroes in the legends of ancient poetry. Raising a

-      yell that spoke volumes of anger and disappointment, the subtle chief,

-      when he saw his comrades fallen, darted away from the place, attended by

-      his two only surviving friends, leaving the Delawares engaged in stripping

-      the dead of the bloody trophies of their victory.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But Uncas, who had vainly sought him in the melee, bounded forward in

-      pursuit; Hawkeye, Heyward and David still pressing on his footsteps. The

-      utmost that the scout could effect, was to keep the muzzle of his rifle a

-      little in advance of his friend, to whom, however, it answered every

-      purpose of a charmed shield. Once Magua appeared disposed to make another

-      and a final effort to revenge his losses; but, abandoning his intention as

-      soon as demonstrated, he leaped into a thicket of bushes, through which he

-      was followed by his enemies, and suddenly entered the mouth of the cave

-      already known to the reader. Hawkeye, who had only forborne to fire in

-      tenderness to Uncas, raised a shout of success, and proclaimed aloud that

-      now they were certain of their game. The pursuers dashed into the long and

-      narrow entrance, in time to catch a glimpse of the retreating forms of the

-      Hurons. Their passage through the natural galleries and subterraneous

-      apartments of the cavern was preceded by the shrieks and cries of hundreds

-      of women and children. The place, seen by its dim and uncertain light,

-      appeared like the shades of the infernal regions, across which unhappy

-      ghosts and savage demons were flitting in multitudes.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Still Uncas kept his eye on Magua, as if life to him possessed but a

-      single object. Heyward and the scout still pressed on his rear, actuated,

-      though possibly in a less degree, by a common feeling. But their way was

-      becoming intricate, in those dark and gloomy passages, and the glimpses of

-      the retiring warriors less distinct and frequent; and for a moment the

-      trace was believed to be lost, when a white robe was seen fluttering in

-      the further extremity of a passage that seemed to lead up the mountain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis Cora!&rdquo; exclaimed Heyward, in a voice in which horror and delight

-      were wildly mingled.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Cora! Cora!&rdquo; echoed Uncas, bounding forward like a deer.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;'Tis the maiden!&rdquo; shouted the scout. &ldquo;Courage, lady; we come! we come!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The chase was renewed with a diligence rendered tenfold encouraging by

-      this glimpse of the captive. But the way was rugged, broken, and in spots

-      nearly impassable. Uncas abandoned his rifle, and leaped forward with

-      headlong precipitation. Heyward rashly imitated his example, though both

-      were, a moment afterward, admonished of his madness by hearing the

-      bellowing of a piece, that the Hurons found time to discharge down the

-      passage in the rocks, the bullet from which even gave the young Mohican a

-      slight wound.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;We must close!&rdquo; said the scout, passing his friends by a desperate leap;

-      &ldquo;the knaves will pick us all off at this distance; and see, they hold the

-      maiden so as to shield themselves!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Though his words were unheeded, or rather unheard, his example was

-      followed by his companions, who, by incredible exertions, got near enough

-      to the fugitives to perceive that Cora was borne along between the two

-      warriors while Magua prescribed the direction and manner of their flight.

-      At this moment the forms of all four were strongly drawn against an

-      opening in the sky, and they disappeared. Nearly frantic with

-      disappointment, Uncas and Heyward increased efforts that already seemed

-      superhuman, and they issued from the cavern on the side of the mountain,

-      in time to note the route of the pursued. The course lay up the ascent,

-      and still continued hazardous and laborious.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Encumbered by his rifle, and, perhaps, not sustained by so deep an

-      interest in the captive as his companions, the scout suffered the latter

-      to precede him a little, Uncas, in his turn, taking the lead of Heyward.

-      In this manner, rocks, precipices and difficulties were surmounted in an

-      incredibly short space, that at another time, and under other

-      circumstances, would have been deemed almost insuperable. But the

-      impetuous young men were rewarded by finding that, encumbered with Cora,

-      the Hurons were losing ground in the race.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Stay, dog of the Wyandots!&rdquo; exclaimed Uncas, shaking his bright tomahawk

-      at Magua; &ldquo;a Delaware girl calls stay!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I will go no further!&rdquo; cried Cora, stopping unexpectedly on a ledge of

-      rock, that overhung a deep precipice, at no great distance from the summit

-      of the mountain. &ldquo;Kill me if thou wilt, detestable Huron; I will go no

-      further.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The supporters of the maiden raised their ready tomahawks with the impious

-      joy that fiends are thought to take in mischief, but Magua stayed the

-      uplifted arms. The Huron chief, after casting the weapons he had wrested

-      from his companions over the rock, drew his knife, and turned to his

-      captive, with a look in which conflicting passions fiercely contended.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Woman,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;chose; the wigwam or the knife of Le Subtil!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Cora regarded him not, but dropping on her knees, she raised her eyes and

-      stretched her arms toward heaven, saying in a meek and yet confiding

-      voice:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I am thine; do with me as thou seest best!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Woman,&rdquo; repeated Magua, hoarsely, and endeavoring in vain to catch a

-      glance from her serene and beaming eye, &ldquo;choose!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      But Cora neither heard nor heeded his demand. The form of the Huron

-      trembled in every fibre, and he raised his arm on high, but dropped it

-      again with a bewildered air, like one who doubted. Once more he struggled

-      with himself and lifted the keen weapon again; but just then a piercing

-      cry was heard above them, and Uncas appeared, leaping frantically, from a

-      fearful height, upon the ledge. Magua recoiled a step; and one of his

-      assistants, profiting by the chance, sheathed his own knife in the bosom

-      of Cora.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The Huron sprang like a tiger on his offending and already retreating

-      country man, but the falling form of Uncas separated the unnatural

-      combatants. Diverted from his object by this interruption, and maddened by

-      the murder he had just witnessed, Magua buried his weapon in the back of

-      the prostrate Delaware, uttering an unearthly shout as he committed the

-      dastardly deed. But Uncas arose from the blow, as the wounded panther

-      turns upon his foe, and struck the murderer of Cora to his feet, by an

-      effort in which the last of his failing strength was expended. Then, with

-      a stern and steady look, he turned to Le Subtil, and indicated by the

-      expression of his eye all that he would do had not the power deserted him.

-      The latter seized the nerveless arm of the unresisting Delaware, and

-      passed his knife into his bosom three several times, before his victim,

-      still keeping his gaze riveted on his enemy, with a look of

-      inextinguishable scorn, fell dead at his feet.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Mercy! mercy! Huron,&rdquo; cried Heyward, from above, in tones nearly choked

-      by horror; &ldquo;give mercy, and thou shalt receive from it!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Whirling the bloody knife up at the imploring youth, the victorious Magua

-      uttered a cry so fierce, so wild, and yet so joyous, that it conveyed the

-      sounds of savage triumph to the ears of those who fought in the valley, a

-      thousand feet below. He was answered by a burst from the lips of the

-      scout, whose tall person was just then seen moving swiftly toward him,

-      along those dangerous crags, with steps as bold and reckless as if he

-      possessed the power to move in air. But when the hunter reached the scene

-      of the ruthless massacre, the ledge was tenanted only by the dead.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      His keen eye took a single look at the victims, and then shot its glances

-      over the difficulties of the ascent in his front. A form stood at the brow

-      of the mountain, on the very edge of the giddy height, with uplifted arms,

-      in an awful attitude of menace. Without stopping to consider his person,

-      the rifle of Hawkeye was raised; but a rock, which fell on the head of one

-      of the fugitives below, exposed the indignant and glowing countenance of

-      the honest Gamut. Then Magua issued from a crevice, and, stepping with

-      calm indifference over the body of the last of his associates, he leaped a

-      wide fissure, and ascended the rocks at a point where the arm of David

-      could not reach him. A single bound would carry him to the brow of the

-      precipice, and assure his safety. Before taking the leap, however, the

-      Huron paused, and shaking his hand at the scout, he shouted:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;The pale faces are dogs! the Delawares women! Magua leaves them on the

-      rocks, for the crows!&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Laughing hoarsely, he made a desperate leap, and fell short of his mark,

-      though his hands grasped a shrub on the verge of the height. The form of

-      Hawkeye had crouched like a beast about to take its spring, and his frame

-      trembled so violently with eagerness that the muzzle of the half-raised

-      rifle played like a leaf fluttering in the wind. Without exhausting

-      himself with fruitless efforts, the cunning Magua suffered his body to

-      drop to the length of his arms, and found a fragment for his feet to rest

-      on. Then, summoning all his powers, he renewed the attempt, and so far

-      succeeded as to draw his knees on the edge of the mountain. It was now,

-      when the body of his enemy was most collected together, that the agitated

-      weapon of the scout was drawn to his shoulder. The surrounding rocks

-      themselves were not steadier than the piece became, for the single instant

-      that it poured out its contents. The arms of the Huron relaxed, and his

-      body fell back a little, while his knees still kept their position.

-      Turning a relentless look on his enemy, he shook a hand in grim defiance.

-      But his hold loosened, and his dark person was seen cutting the air with

-      its head downward, for a fleeting instant, until it glided past the fringe

-      of shrubbery which clung to the mountain, in its rapid flight to

-      destruction.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      <a name="link2HCH0032" id="link2HCH0032">

-      <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>

-    </p>

-    <div style="height: 4em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-    <h2>

-      CHAPTER 33

-    </h2>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-     &ldquo;They fought, like brave men, long and well,

-     They piled that ground with Moslem slain,

-     They conquered&mdash;but Bozzaris fell,

-     Bleeding at every vein.

-     His few surviving comrades saw

-     His smile when rang their loud hurrah,

-     And the red field was won;

-     Then saw in death his eyelids close

-     Calmly, as to a night's repose,

-     Like flowers at set of sun.&rdquo;

-      &mdash;Halleck.

-</pre>

-    <p>

-      The sun found the Lenape, on the succeeding day, a nation of mourners. The

-      sounds of the battle were over, and they had fed fat their ancient grudge,

-      and had avenged their recent quarrel with the Mengwe, by the destruction

-      of a whole community. The black and murky atmosphere that floated around

-      the spot where the Hurons had encamped, sufficiently announced of itself,

-      the fate of that wandering tribe; while hundreds of ravens, that struggled

-      above the summits of the mountains, or swept, in noisy flocks, across the

-      wide ranges of the woods, furnished a frightful direction to the scene of

-      the combat. In short, any eye at all practised in the signs of a frontier

-      warfare might easily have traced all those unerring evidences of the

-      ruthless results which attend an Indian vengeance.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Still, the sun rose on the Lenape a nation of mourners. No shouts of

-      success, no songs of triumph, were heard, in rejoicings for their victory.

-      The latest straggler had returned from his fell employment, only to strip

-      himself of the terrific emblems of his bloody calling, and to join in the

-      lamentations of his countrymen, as a stricken people. Pride and exultation

-      were supplanted by humility, and the fiercest of human passions was

-      already succeeded by the most profound and unequivocal demonstrations of

-      grief.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The lodges were deserted; but a broad belt of earnest faces encircled a

-      spot in their vicinity, whither everything possessing life had repaired,

-      and where all were now collected, in deep and awful silence. Though beings

-      of every rank and age, of both sexes, and of all pursuits, had united to

-      form this breathing wall of bodies, they were influenced by a single

-      emotion. Each eye was riveted on the center of that ring, which contained

-      the objects of so much and of so common an interest.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Six Delaware girls, with their long, dark, flowing tresses falling loosely

-      across their bosoms, stood apart, and only gave proof of their existence

-      as they occasionally strewed sweet-scented herbs and forest flowers on a

-      litter of fragrant plants that, under a pall of Indian robes, supported

-      all that now remained of the ardent, high-souled, and generous Cora. Her

-      form was concealed in many wrappers of the same simple manufacture, and

-      her face was shut forever from the gaze of men. At her feet was seated the

-      desolate Munro. His aged head was bowed nearly to the earth, in compelled

-      submission to the stroke of Providence; but a hidden anguish struggled

-      about his furrowed brow, that was only partially concealed by the careless

-      locks of gray that had fallen, neglected, on his temples. Gamut stood at

-      his side, his meek head bared to the rays of the sun, while his eyes,

-      wandering and concerned, seemed to be equally divided between that little

-      volume, which contained so many quaint but holy maxims, and the being in

-      whose behalf his soul yearned to administer consolation. Heyward was also

-      nigh, supporting himself against a tree, and endeavoring to keep down

-      those sudden risings of sorrow that it required his utmost manhood to

-      subdue.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But sad and melancholy as this group may easily be imagined, it was far

-      less touching than another, that occupied the opposite space of the same

-      area. Seated, as in life, with his form and limbs arranged in grave and

-      decent composure, Uncas appeared, arrayed in the most gorgeous ornaments

-      that the wealth of the tribe could furnish. Rich plumes nodded above his

-      head; wampum, gorgets, bracelets, and medals, adorned his person in

-      profusion; though his dull eye and vacant lineaments too strongly

-      contradicted the idle tale of pride they would convey.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Directly in front of the corpse Chingachgook was placed, without arms,

-      paint or adornment of any sort, except the bright blue blazonry of his

-      race, that was indelibly impressed on his naked bosom. During the long

-      period that the tribe had thus been collected, the Mohican warrior had

-      kept a steady, anxious look on the cold and senseless countenance of his

-      son. So riveted and intense had been that gaze, and so changeless his

-      attitude, that a stranger might not have told the living from the dead,

-      but for the occasional gleamings of a troubled spirit, that shot athwart

-      the dark visage of one, and the deathlike calm that had forever settled on

-      the lineaments of the other. The scout was hard by, leaning in a pensive

-      posture on his own fatal and avenging weapon; while Tamenund, supported by

-      the elders of his nation, occupied a high place at hand, whence he might

-      look down on the mute and sorrowful assemblage of his people.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Just within the inner edge of the circle stood a soldier, in the military

-      attire of a strange nation; and without it was his warhorse, in the center

-      of a collection of mounted domestics, seemingly in readiness to undertake

-      some distant journey. The vestments of the stranger announced him to be

-      one who held a responsible situation near the person of the captain of the

-      Canadas; and who, as it would now seem, finding his errand of peace

-      frustrated by the fierce impetuosity of his allies, was content to become

-      a silent and sad spectator of the fruits of a contest that he had arrived

-      too late to anticipate.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The day was drawing to the close of its first quarter, and yet had the

-      multitude maintained its breathing stillness since its dawn.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      No sound louder than a stifled sob had been heard among them, nor had even

-      a limb been moved throughout that long and painful period, except to

-      perform the simple and touching offerings that were made, from time to

-      time, in commemoration of the dead. The patience and forbearance of Indian

-      fortitude could alone support such an appearance of abstraction, as seemed

-      now to have turned each dark and motionless figure into stone.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      At length, the sage of the Delawares stretched forth an arm, and leaning

-      on the shoulders of his attendants, he arose with an air as feeble as if

-      another age had already intervened between the man who had met his nation

-      the preceding day, and him who now tottered on his elevated stand.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Men of the Lenape!&rdquo; he said, in low, hollow tones, that sounded like a

-      voice charged with some prophetic mission: &ldquo;the face of the Manitou is

-      behind a cloud! His eye is turned from you; His ears are shut; His tongue

-      gives no answer. You see him not; yet His judgments are before you. Let

-      your hearts be open and your spirits tell no lie. Men of the Lenape! the

-      face of the Manitou is behind a cloud.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      As this simple and yet terrible annunciation stole on the ears of the

-      multitude, a stillness as deep and awful succeeded as if the venerated

-      spirit they worshiped had uttered the words without the aid of human

-      organs; and even the inanimate Uncas appeared a being of life, compared

-      with the humbled and submissive throng by whom he was surrounded. As the

-      immediate effect, however, gradually passed away, a low murmur of voices

-      commenced a sort of chant in honor of the dead. The sounds were those of

-      females, and were thrillingly soft and wailing. The words were connected

-      by no regular continuation, but as one ceased another took up the eulogy,

-      or lamentation, whichever it might be called, and gave vent to her

-      emotions in such language as was suggested by her feelings and the

-      occasion. At intervals the speaker was interrupted by general and loud

-      bursts of sorrow, during which the girls around the bier of Cora plucked

-      the plants and flowers blindly from her body, as if bewildered with grief.

-      But, in the milder moments of their plaint, these emblems of purity and

-      sweetness were cast back to their places, with every sign of tenderness

-      and regret. Though rendered less connected by many and general

-      interruptions and outbreakings, a translation of their language would have

-      contained a regular descant, which, in substance, might have proved to

-      possess a train of consecutive ideas.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A girl, selected for the task by her rank and qualifications, commenced by

-      modest allusions to the qualities of the deceased warrior, embellishing

-      her expressions with those oriental images that the Indians have probably

-      brought with them from the extremes of the other continent, and which form

-      of themselves a link to connect the ancient histories of the two worlds.

-      She called him the &ldquo;panther of his tribe&rdquo;; and described him as one whose

-      moccasin left no trail on the dews; whose bound was like the leap of a

-      young fawn; whose eye was brighter than a star in the dark night; and

-      whose voice, in battle, was loud as the thunder of the Manitou. She

-      reminded him of the mother who bore him, and dwelt forcibly on the

-      happiness she must feel in possessing such a son. She bade him tell her,

-      when they met in the world of spirits, that the Delaware girls had shed

-      tears above the grave of her child, and had called her blessed.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, they who succeeded, changing their tones to a milder and still more

-      tender strain, alluded, with the delicacy and sensitiveness of women, to

-      the stranger maiden, who had left the upper earth at a time so near his

-      own departure, as to render the will of the Great Spirit too manifest to

-      be disregarded. They admonished him to be kind to her, and to have

-      consideration for her ignorance of those arts which were so necessary to

-      the comfort of a warrior like himself. They dwelled upon her matchless

-      beauty, and on her noble resolution, without the taint of envy, and as

-      angels may be thought to delight in a superior excellence; adding, that

-      these endowments should prove more than equivalent for any little

-      imperfection in her education.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      After which, others again, in due succession, spoke to the maiden herself,

-      in the low, soft language of tenderness and love. They exhorted her to be

-      of cheerful mind, and to fear nothing for her future welfare. A hunter

-      would be her companion, who knew how to provide for her smallest wants;

-      and a warrior was at her side who was able to protect he against every

-      danger. They promised that her path should be pleasant, and her burden

-      light. They cautioned her against unavailing regrets for the friends of

-      her youth, and the scenes where her father had dwelt; assuring her that

-      the &ldquo;blessed hunting grounds of the Lenape,&rdquo; contained vales as pleasant,

-      streams as pure; and flowers as sweet, as the &ldquo;heaven of the pale faces.&rdquo;

-       They advised her to be attentive to the wants of her companion, and never

-      to forget the distinction which the Manitou had so wisely established

-      between them. Then, in a wild burst of their chant they sang with united

-      voices the temper of the Mohican's mind. They pronounced him noble, manly

-      and generous; all that became a warrior, and all that a maid might love.

-      Clothing their ideas in the most remote and subtle images, they betrayed,

-      that, in the short period of their intercourse, they had discovered, with

-      the intuitive perception of their sex, the truant disposition of his

-      inclinations. The Delaware girls had found no favor in his eyes! He was of

-      a race that had once been lords on the shores of the salt lake, and his

-      wishes had led him back to a people who dwelt about the graves of his

-      fathers. Why should not such a predilection be encouraged! That she was of

-      a blood purer and richer than the rest of her nation, any eye might have

-      seen; that she was equal to the dangers and daring of a life in the woods,

-      her conduct had proved; and now, they added, the &ldquo;wise one of the earth&rdquo;

-       had transplanted her to a place where she would find congenial spirits,

-      and might be forever happy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then, with another transition in voice and subject, allusions were made to

-      the virgin who wept in the adjacent lodge. They compared her to flakes of

-      snow; as pure, as white, as brilliant, and as liable to melt in the fierce

-      heats of summer, or congeal in the frosts of winter. They doubted not that

-      she was lovely in the eyes of the young chief, whose skin and whose sorrow

-      seemed so like her own; but though far from expressing such a preference,

-      it was evident they deemed her less excellent than the maid they mourned.

-      Still they denied her no need her rare charms might properly claim. Her

-      ringlets were compared to the exuberant tendrils of the vine, her eye to

-      the blue vault of heavens, and the most spotless cloud, with its glowing

-      flush of the sun, was admitted to be less attractive than her bloom.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      During these and similar songs nothing was audible but the murmurs of the

-      music; relieved, as it was, or rather rendered terrible, by those

-      occasional bursts of grief which might be called its choruses. The

-      Delawares themselves listened like charmed men; and it was very apparent,

-      by the variations of their speaking countenances, how deep and true was

-      their sympathy. Even David was not reluctant to lend his ears to the tones

-      of voices so sweet; and long ere the chant was ended, his gaze announced

-      that his soul was enthralled.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout, to whom alone, of all the white men, the words were

-      intelligible, suffered himself to be a little aroused from his meditative

-      posture, and bent his face aside, to catch their meaning, as the girls

-      proceeded. But when they spoke of the future prospects of Cora and Uncas,

-      he shook his head, like one who knew the error of their simple creed, and

-      resuming his reclining attitude, he maintained it until the ceremony, if

-      that might be called a ceremony, in which feeling was so deeply imbued,

-      was finished. Happily for the self-command of both Heyward and Munro, they

-      knew not the meaning of the wild sounds they heard.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook was a solitary exception to the interest manifested by the

-      native part of the audience. His look never changed throughout the whole

-      of the scene, nor did a muscle move in his rigid countenance, even at the

-      wildest or the most pathetic parts of the lamentation. The cold and

-      senseless remains of his son was all to him, and every other sense but

-      that of sight seemed frozen, in order that his eyes might take their final

-      gaze at those lineaments he had so long loved, and which were now about to

-      be closed forever from his view.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In this stage of the obsequies, a warrior much renowned for deed in arms,

-      and more especially for services in the recent combat, a man of stern and

-      grave demeanor, advanced slowly from the crowd, and placed himself nigh

-      the person of the dead.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Why hast thou left us, pride of the Wapanachki?&rdquo; he said, addressing

-      himself to the dull ears of Uncas, as if the empty clay retained the

-      faculties of the animated man; &ldquo;thy time has been like that of the sun

-      when in the trees; thy glory brighter than his light at noonday. Thou art

-      gone, youthful warrior, but a hundred Wyandots are clearing the briers

-      from thy path to the world of the spirits. Who that saw thee in battle

-      would believe that thou couldst die? Who before thee has ever shown Uttawa

-      the way into the fight? Thy feet were like the wings of eagles; thine arm

-      heavier than falling branches from the pine; and thy voice like the

-      Manitou when He speaks in the clouds. The tongue of Uttawa is weak,&rdquo; he

-      added, looking about him with a melancholy gaze, &ldquo;and his heart exceeding

-      heavy. Pride of the Wapanachki, why hast thou left us?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      He was succeeded by others, in due order, until most of the high and

-      gifted men of the nation had sung or spoken their tribute of praise over

-      the manes of the deceased chief. When each had ended, another deep and

-      breathing silence reigned in all the place.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Then a low, deep sound was heard, like the suppressed accompaniment of

-      distant music, rising just high enough on the air to be audible, and yet

-      so indistinctly, as to leave its character, and the place whence it

-      proceeded, alike matters of conjecture. It was, however, succeeded by

-      another and another strain, each in a higher key, until they grew on the

-      ear, first in long drawn and often repeated interjections, and finally in

-      words. The lips of Chingachgook had so far parted, as to announce that it

-      was the monody of the father. Though not an eye was turned toward him nor

-      the smallest sign of impatience exhibited, it was apparent, by the manner

-      in which the multitude elevated their heads to listen, that they drank in

-      the sounds with an intenseness of attention, that none but Tamenund

-      himself had ever before commanded. But they listened in vain. The strains

-      rose just so loud as to become intelligible, and then grew fainter and

-      more trembling, until they finally sank on the ear, as if borne away by a

-      passing breath of wind. The lips of the Sagamore closed, and he remained

-      silent in his seat, looking with his riveted eye and motionless form, like

-      some creature that had been turned from the Almighty hand with the form

-      but without the spirit of a man. The Delawares who knew by these symptoms

-      that the mind of their friend was not prepared for so mighty an effort of

-      fortitude, relaxed in their attention; and, with an innate delicacy,

-      seemed to bestow all their thoughts on the obsequies of the stranger

-      maiden.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      A signal was given, by one of the elder chiefs, to the women who crowded

-      that part of the circle near which the body of Cora lay. Obedient to the

-      sign, the girls raised the bier to the elevation of their heads, and

-      advanced with slow and regulated steps, chanting, as they proceeded,

-      another wailing song in praise of the deceased. Gamut, who had been a

-      close observer of rites he deemed so heathenish, now bent his head over

-      the shoulder of the unconscious father, whispering:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;They move with the remains of thy child; shall we not follow, and see

-      them interred with Christian burial?&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Munro started, as if the last trumpet had sounded in his ear, and

-      bestowing one anxious and hurried glance around him, he arose and followed

-      in the simple train, with the mien of a soldier, but bearing the full

-      burden of a parent's suffering. His friends pressed around him with a

-      sorrow that was too strong to be termed sympathy&mdash;even the young

-      Frenchman joining in the procession, with the air of a man who was

-      sensibly touched at the early and melancholy fate of one so lovely. But

-      when the last and humblest female of the tribe had joined in the wild and

-      yet ordered array, the men of the Lenape contracted their circle, and

-      formed again around the person of Uncas, as silent, as grave, and as

-      motionless as before.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The place which had been chosen for the grave of Cora was a little knoll,

-      where a cluster of young and healthful pines had taken root, forming of

-      themselves a melancholy and appropriate shade over the spot. On reaching

-      it the girls deposited their burden, and continued for many minutes

-      waiting, with characteristic patience, and native timidity, for some

-      evidence that they whose feelings were most concerned were content with

-      the arrangement. At length the scout, who alone understood their habits,

-      said, in their own language:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My daughters have done well; the white men thank them.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Satisfied with this testimony in their favor, the girls proceeded to

-      deposit the body in a shell, ingeniously, and not inelegantly, fabricated

-      of the bark of the birch; after which they lowered it into its dark and

-      final abode. The ceremony of covering the remains, and concealing the

-      marks of the fresh earth, by leaves and other natural and customary

-      objects, was conducted with the same simple and silent forms. But when the

-      labors of the kind beings who had performed these sad and friendly offices

-      were so far completed, they hesitated, in a way to show that they knew not

-      how much further they might proceed. It was in this stage of the rites

-      that the scout again addressed them:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;My young women have done enough,&rdquo; he said: &ldquo;the spirit of the pale face

-      has no need of food or raiment, their gifts being according to the heaven

-      of their color. I see,&rdquo; he added, glancing an eye at David, who was

-      preparing his book in a manner that indicated an intention to lead the way

-      in sacred song, &ldquo;that one who better knows the Christian fashions is about

-      to speak.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The females stood modestly aside, and, from having been the principal

-      actors in the scene, they now became the meek and attentive observers of

-      that which followed. During the time David occupied in pouring out the

-      pious feelings of his spirit in this manner, not a sign of surprise, nor a

-      look of impatience, escaped them. They listened like those who knew the

-      meaning of the strange words, and appeared as if they felt the mingled

-      emotions of sorrow, hope, and resignation, they were intended to convey.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Excited by the scene he had just witnessed, and perhaps influenced by his

-      own secret emotions, the master of song exceeded his usual efforts. His

-      full rich voice was not found to suffer by a comparison with the soft

-      tones of the girls; and his more modulated strains possessed, at least for

-      the ears of those to whom they were peculiarly addressed, the additional

-      power of intelligence. He ended the anthem, as he had commenced it, in the

-      midst of a grave and solemn stillness.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      When, however, the closing cadence had fallen on the ears of his auditors,

-      the secret, timorous glances of the eyes, and the general and yet subdued

-      movement of the assemblage, betrayed that something was expected from the

-      father of the deceased. Munro seemed sensible that the time was come for

-      him to exert what is, perhaps, the greatest effort of which human nature

-      is capable. He bared his gray locks, and looked around the timid and quiet

-      throng by which he was encircled, with a firm and collected countenance.

-      Then, motioning with his hand for the scout to listen, he said:

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;Say to these kind and gentle females, that a heart-broken and failing man

-      returns them his thanks. Tell them, that the Being we all worship, under

-      different names, will be mindful of their charity; and that the time shall

-      not be distant when we may assemble around His throne without distinction

-      of sex, or rank, or color.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      The scout listened to the tremulous voice in which the veteran delivered

-      these words, and shook his head slowly when they were ended, as one who

-      doubted their efficacy.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;To tell them this,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;would be to tell them that the snows come

-      not in the winter, or that the sun shines fiercest when the trees are

-      stripped of their leaves.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Then turning to the women, he made such a communication of the other's

-      gratitude as he deemed most suited to the capacities of his listeners. The

-      head of Munro had already sunk upon his chest, and he was again fast

-      relapsing into melancholy, when the young Frenchman before named ventured

-      to touch him lightly on the elbow. As soon as he had gained the attention

-      of the mourning old man, he pointed toward a group of young Indians, who

-      approached with a light but closely covered litter, and then pointed

-      upward toward the sun.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;I understand you, sir,&rdquo; returned Munro, with a voice of forced firmness;

-      &ldquo;I understand you. It is the will of Heaven, and I submit. Cora, my child!

-      if the prayers of a heart-broken father could avail thee now, how blessed

-      shouldst thou be! Come, gentlemen,&rdquo; he added, looking about him with an

-      air of lofty composure, though the anguish that quivered in his faded

-      countenance was far too powerful to be concealed, &ldquo;our duty here is ended;

-      let us depart.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      Heyward gladly obeyed a summons that took them from a spot where, each

-      instant, he felt his self-control was about to desert him. While his

-      companions were mounting, however, he found time to press the hand of the

-      scout, and to repeat the terms of an engagement they had made to meet

-      again within the posts of the British army. Then, gladly throwing himself

-      into the saddle, he spurred his charger to the side of the litter, whence

-      low and stifled sobs alone announced the presence of Alice. In this

-      manner, the head of Munro again drooping on his bosom, with Heyward and

-      David following in sorrowing silence, and attended by the aide of Montcalm

-      with his guard, all the white men, with the exception of Hawkeye, passed

-      from before the eyes of the Delawares, and were buried in the vast forests

-      of that region.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But the tie which, through their common calamity, had united the feelings

-      of these simple dwellers in the woods with the strangers who had thus

-      transiently visited them, was not so easily broken. Years passed away

-      before the traditionary tale of the white maiden, and of the young warrior

-      of the Mohicans ceased to beguile the long nights and tedious marches, or

-      to animate their youthful and brave with a desire for vengeance. Neither

-      were the secondary actors in these momentous incidents forgotten. Through

-      the medium of the scout, who served for years afterward as a link between

-      them and civilized life, they learned, in answer to their inquiries, that

-      the &ldquo;Gray Head&rdquo; was speedily gathered to his fathers&mdash;borne down, as

-      was erroneously believed, by his military misfortunes; and that the &ldquo;Open

-      Hand&rdquo; had conveyed his surviving daughter far into the settlements of the

-      pale faces, where her tears had at last ceased to flow, and had been

-      succeeded by the bright smiles which were better suited to her joyous

-      nature.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      But these were events of a time later than that which concerns our tale.

-      Deserted by all of his color, Hawkeye returned to the spot where his

-      sympathies led him, with a force that no ideal bond of union could

-      destroy. He was just in time to catch a parting look of the features of

-      Uncas, whom the Delawares were already inclosing in his last vestment of

-      skins. They paused to permit the longing and lingering gaze of the sturdy

-      woodsman, and when it was ended, the body was enveloped, never to be

-      unclosed again. Then came a procession like the other, and the whole

-      nation was collected about the temporary grave of the chief&mdash;temporary,

-      because it was proper that, at some future day, his bones should rest

-      among those of his own people.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      The movement, like the feeling, had been simultaneous and general. The

-      same grave expression of grief, the same rigid silence, and the same

-      deference to the principal mourner, were observed around the place of

-      interment as have been already described. The body was deposited in an

-      attitude of repose, facing the rising sun, with the implements of war and

-      of the chase at hand, in readiness for the final journey. An opening was

-      left in the shell, by which it was protected from the soil, for the spirit

-      to communicate with its earthly tenement, when necessary; and the whole

-      was concealed from the instinct, and protected from the ravages of the

-      beasts of prey, with an ingenuity peculiar to the natives. The manual

-      rites then ceased and all present reverted to the more spiritual part of

-      the ceremonies.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook became once more the object of the common attention. He had

-      not yet spoken, and something consolatory and instructive was expected

-      from so renowned a chief on an occasion of such interest. Conscious of the

-      wishes of the people, the stern and self-restrained warrior raised his

-      face, which had latterly been buried in his robe, and looked about him

-      with a steady eye. His firmly compressed and expressive lips then severed,

-      and for the first time during the long ceremonies his voice was distinctly

-      audible. &ldquo;Why do my brothers mourn?&rdquo; he said, regarding the dark race of

-      dejected warriors by whom he was environed; &ldquo;why do my daughters weep?

-      that a young man has gone to the happy hunting-grounds; that a chief has

-      filled his time with honor? He was good; he was dutiful; he was brave. Who

-      can deny it? The Manitou had need of such a warrior, and He has called him

-      away. As for me, the son and the father of Uncas, I am a blazed pine, in a

-      clearing of the pale faces. My race has gone from the shores of the salt

-      lake and the hills of the Delawares. But who can say that the serpent of

-      his tribe has forgotten his wisdom? I am alone&mdash;&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;No, no,&rdquo; cried Hawkeye, who had been gazing with a yearning look at the

-      rigid features of his friend, with something like his own self-command,

-      but whose philosophy could endure no longer; &ldquo;no, Sagamore, not alone. The

-      gifts of our colors may be different, but God has so placed us as to

-      journey in the same path. I have no kin, and I may also say, like you, no

-      people. He was your son, and a red-skin by nature; and it may be that your

-      blood was nearer&mdash;but, if ever I forget the lad who has so often

-      fou't at my side in war, and slept at my side in peace, may He who made us

-      all, whatever may be our color or our gifts, forget me! The boy has left

-      us for a time; but, Sagamore, you are not alone.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-<div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> <img src="images/0461.jpg" alt="0461" width="100%" /><br /> </div> <h5> <a href="images/0461.jpg"> <img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> </h5>

-

-    <p>

-      Chingachgook grasped the hand that, in the warmth of feeling, the scout

-      had stretched across the fresh earth, and in an attitude of friendship

-      these two sturdy and intrepid woodsmen bowed their heads together, while

-      scalding tears fell to their feet, watering the grave of Uncas like drops

-      of falling rain.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      In the midst of the awful stillness with which such a burst of feeling,

-      coming as it did, from the two most renowned warriors of that region, was

-      received, Tamenund lifted his voice to disperse the multitude.

-    </p>

-    <p>

-      &ldquo;It is enough,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Go, children of the Lenape, the anger of the

-      Manitou is not done. Why should Tamenund stay? The pale faces are masters

-      of the earth, and the time of the red men has not yet come again. My day

-      has been too long. In the morning I saw the sons of Unamis happy and

-      strong; and yet, before the night has come, have I lived to see the last

-      warrior of the wise race of the Mohicans.&rdquo;

-     </p>

-    <div style="height: 6em;">

-      <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

-    </div>

-<pre xml:space="preserve">

-

-

-

-

-

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diff --git a/old/940.txt b/old/940.txt
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-Project Gutenberg's The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-Title: The Last of the Mohicans
-
-Author: James Fenimore Cooper
-
-Release Date: February 5, 2006 [EBook #940]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ASCII
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS ***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by John Horner and David Widger
-
-
-
-
-
-THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS
-
-A Narrative of 1757
-
-by James Fenimore Cooper
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTION
-
-It is believed that the scene of this tale, and most of the information
-necessary to understand its allusions, are rendered sufficiently obvious
-to the reader in the text itself, or in the accompanying notes. Still
-there is so much obscurity in the Indian traditions, and so much
-confusion in the Indian names, as to render some explanation useful.
-
-Few men exhibit greater diversity, or, if we may so express it, greater
-antithesis of character, than the native warrior of North America.
-In war, he is daring, boastful, cunning, ruthless, self-denying,
-and self-devoted; in peace, just, generous, hospitable, revengeful,
-superstitious, modest, and commonly chaste. These are qualities, it
-is true, which do not distinguish all alike; but they are so far the
-predominating traits of these remarkable people as to be characteristic.
-
-It is generally believed that the Aborigines of the American continent
-have an Asiatic origin. There are many physical as well as moral facts
-which corroborate this opinion, and some few that would seem to weigh
-against it.
-
-The color of the Indian, the writer believes, is peculiar to himself,
-and while his cheek-bones have a very striking indication of a Tartar
-origin, his eyes have not. Climate may have had great influence on
-the former, but it is difficult to see how it can have produced the
-substantial difference which exists in the latter. The imagery of the
-Indian, both in his poetry and in his oratory, is oriental; chastened,
-and perhaps improved, by the limited range of his practical knowledge.
-He draws his metaphors from the clouds, the seasons, the birds, the
-beasts, and the vegetable world. In this, perhaps, he does no more than
-any other energetic and imaginative race would do, being compelled to
-set bounds to fancy by experience; but the North American Indian clothes
-his ideas in a dress which is different from that of the African, and
-is oriental in itself. His language has the richness and sententious
-fullness of the Chinese. He will express a phrase in a word, and he will
-qualify the meaning of an entire sentence by a syllable; he will even
-convey different significations by the simplest inflections of the
-voice.
-
-Philologists have said that there are but two or three languages,
-properly speaking, among all the numerous tribes which formerly occupied
-the country that now composes the United States. They ascribe the known
-difficulty one people have to understand another to corruptions and
-dialects. The writer remembers to have been present at an interview
-between two chiefs of the Great Prairies west of the Mississippi, and
-when an interpreter was in attendance who spoke both their languages.
-The warriors appeared to be on the most friendly terms, and seemingly
-conversed much together; yet, according to the account of the
-interpreter, each was absolutely ignorant of what the other said.
-They were of hostile tribes, brought together by the influence of the
-American government; and it is worthy of remark, that a common policy
-led them both to adopt the same subject. They mutually exhorted each
-other to be of use in the event of the chances of war throwing either of
-the parties into the hands of his enemies. Whatever may be the truth,
-as respects the root and the genius of the Indian tongues, it is quite
-certain they are now so distinct in their words as to possess most of
-the disadvantages of strange languages; hence much of the embarrassment
-that has arisen in learning their histories, and most of the uncertainty
-which exists in their traditions.
-
-Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian gives a very
-different account of his own tribe or race from that which is given by
-other people. He is much addicted to overestimating his own perfections,
-and to undervaluing those of his rival or his enemy; a trait which may
-possibly be thought corroborative of the Mosaic account of the creation.
-
-The whites have assisted greatly in rendering the traditions of the
-Aborigines more obscure by their own manner of corrupting names. Thus,
-the term used in the title of this book has undergone the changes of
-Mahicanni, Mohicans, and Mohegans; the latter being the word commonly
-used by the whites. When it is remembered that the Dutch (who first
-settled New York), the English, and the French, all gave appellations
-to the tribes that dwelt within the country which is the scene of this
-story, and that the Indians not only gave different names to their
-enemies, but frequently to themselves, the cause of the confusion will
-be understood.
-
-In these pages, Lenni-Lenape, Lenope, Delawares, Wapanachki, and
-Mohicans, all mean the same people, or tribes of the same stock. The
-Mengwe, the Maquas, the Mingoes, and the Iroquois, though not all
-strictly the same, are identified frequently by the speakers, being
-politically confederated and opposed to those just named. Mingo was a
-term of peculiar reproach, as were Mengwe and Maqua in a less degree.
-
-The Mohicans were the possessors of the country first occupied by the
-Europeans in this portion of the continent. They were, consequently,
-the first dispossessed; and the seemingly inevitable fate of all these
-people, who disappear before the advances, or it might be termed the
-inroads, of civilization, as the verdure of their native forests falls
-before the nipping frosts, is represented as having already befallen
-them. There is sufficient historical truth in the picture to justify the
-use that has been made of it.
-
-In point of fact, the country which is the scene of the following tale
-has undergone as little change, since the historical events alluded to
-had place, as almost any other district of equal extent within the whole
-limits of the United States. There are fashionable and well-attended
-watering-places at and near the spring where Hawkeye halted to drink,
-and roads traverse the forests where he and his friends were compelled
-to journey without even a path. Glen's has a large village; and while
-William Henry, and even a fortress of later date, are only to be traced
-as ruins, there is another village on the shores of the Horican. But,
-beyond this, the enterprise and energy of a people who have done so much
-in other places have done little here. The whole of that wilderness,
-in which the latter incidents of the legend occurred, is nearly a
-wilderness still, though the red man has entirely deserted this part of
-the state. Of all the tribes named in these pages, there exist only a
-few half-civilized beings of the Oneidas, on the reservations of their
-people in New York. The rest have disappeared, either from the regions
-in which their fathers dwelt, or altogether from the earth.
-
-There is one point on which we would wish to say a word before closing
-this preface. Hawkeye calls the Lac du Saint Sacrement, the "Horican."
-As we believe this to be an appropriation of the name that has its
-origin with ourselves, the time has arrived, perhaps, when the fact
-should be frankly admitted. While writing this book, fully a quarter of
-a century since, it occurred to us that the French name of this lake
-was too complicated, the American too commonplace, and the Indian too
-unpronounceable, for either to be used familiarly in a work of fiction.
-Looking over an ancient map, it was ascertained that a tribe of Indians,
-called "Les Horicans" by the French, existed in the neighborhood of this
-beautiful sheet of water. As every word uttered by Natty Bumppo was
-not to be received as rigid truth, we took the liberty of putting the
-"Horican" into his mouth, as the substitute for "Lake George." The name
-has appeared to find favor, and all things considered, it may possibly
-be quite as well to let it stand, instead of going back to the House of
-Hanover for the appellation of our finest sheet of water. We relieve our
-conscience by the confession, at all events leaving it to exercise its
-authority as it may see fit.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 1
-
-     "Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared:
-     The worst is wordly loss thou canst unfold:--
-     Say, is my kingdom lost?"--Shakespeare
-
-It was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars of North America, that
-the toils and dangers of the wilderness were to be encountered before
-the adverse hosts could meet. A wide and apparently an impervious
-boundary of forests severed the possessions of the hostile provinces
-of France and England. The hardy colonist, and the trained European who
-fought at his side, frequently expended months in struggling against
-the rapids of the streams, or in effecting the rugged passes of the
-mountains, in quest of an opportunity to exhibit their courage in a more
-martial conflict. But, emulating the patience and self-denial of the
-practiced native warriors, they learned to overcome every difficulty;
-and it would seem that, in time, there was no recess of the woods so
-dark, nor any secret place so lovely, that it might claim exemption
-from the inroads of those who had pledged their blood to satiate their
-vengeance, or to uphold the cold and selfish policy of the distant
-monarchs of Europe.
-
-Perhaps no district throughout the wide extent of the intermediate
-frontiers can furnish a livelier picture of the cruelty and fierceness
-of the savage warfare of those periods than the country which lies
-between the head waters of the Hudson and the adjacent lakes.
-
-The facilities which nature had there offered to the march of the
-combatants were too obvious to be neglected. The lengthened sheet of
-the Champlain stretched from the frontiers of Canada, deep within the
-borders of the neighboring province of New York, forming a natural
-passage across half the distance that the French were compelled to
-master in order to strike their enemies. Near its southern termination,
-it received the contributions of another lake, whose waters were so
-limpid as to have been exclusively selected by the Jesuit missionaries
-to perform the typical purification of baptism, and to obtain for it
-the title of lake "du Saint Sacrement." The less zealous English thought
-they conferred a sufficient honor on its unsullied fountains, when they
-bestowed the name of their reigning prince, the second of the house of
-Hanover. The two united to rob the untutored possessors of its wooded
-scenery of their native right to perpetuate its original appellation of
-"Horican."*
-
-     * As each nation of the Indians had its language or its
-     dialect, they usually gave different names to the same
-     places, though nearly all of their appellations were
-     descriptive of the object. Thus a literal translation of the
-     name of this beautiful sheet of water, used by the tribe
-     that dwelt on its banks, would be "The Tail of the Lake."
-     Lake George, as it is vulgarly, and now, indeed, legally,
-     called, forms a sort of tail to Lake Champlain, when viewed
-     on the map. Hence, the name.
-
-Winding its way among countless islands, and imbedded in mountains, the
-"holy lake" extended a dozen leagues still further to the south. With
-the high plain that there interposed itself to the further passage of
-the water, commenced a portage of as many miles, which conducted the
-adventurer to the banks of the Hudson, at a point where, with the usual
-obstructions of the rapids, or rifts, as they were then termed in the
-language of the country, the river became navigable to the tide.
-
-While, in the pursuit of their daring plans of annoyance, the restless
-enterprise of the French even attempted the distant and difficult
-gorges of the Alleghany, it may easily be imagined that their proverbial
-acuteness would not overlook the natural advantages of the district we
-have just described. It became, emphatically, the bloody arena, in which
-most of the battles for the mastery of the colonies were contested.
-Forts were erected at the different points that commanded the facilities
-of the route, and were taken and retaken, razed and rebuilt, as victory
-alighted on the hostile banners. While the husbandman shrank back from
-the dangerous passes, within the safer boundaries of the more ancient
-settlements, armies larger than those that had often disposed of the
-scepters of the mother countries, were seen to bury themselves in these
-forests, whence they rarely returned but in skeleton bands, that were
-haggard with care or dejected by defeat. Though the arts of peace were
-unknown to this fatal region, its forests were alive with men; its
-shades and glens rang with the sounds of martial music, and the echoes
-of its mountains threw back the laugh, or repeated the wanton cry,
-of many a gallant and reckless youth, as he hurried by them, in the
-noontide of his spirits, to slumber in a long night of forgetfulness.
-
-It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed that the incidents we
-shall attempt to relate occurred, during the third year of the war
-which England and France last waged for the possession of a country that
-neither was destined to retain.
-
-The imbecility of her military leaders abroad, and the fatal want of
-energy in her councils at home, had lowered the character of Great
-Britain from the proud elevation on which it had been placed by the
-talents and enterprise of her former warriors and statesmen. No longer
-dreaded by her enemies, her servants were fast losing the confidence
-of self-respect. In this mortifying abasement, the colonists, though
-innocent of her imbecility, and too humble to be the agents of her
-blunders, were but the natural participators. They had recently seen a
-chosen army from that country, which, reverencing as a mother, they
-had blindly believed invincible--an army led by a chief who had been
-selected from a crowd of trained warriors, for his rare military
-endowments, disgracefully routed by a handful of French and Indians, and
-only saved from annihilation by the coolness and spirit of a Virginian
-boy, whose riper fame has since diffused itself, with the steady
-influence of moral truth, to the uttermost confines of Christendom.* A
-wide frontier had been laid naked by this unexpected disaster, and more
-substantial evils were preceded by a thousand fanciful and imaginary
-dangers. The alarmed colonists believed that the yells of the savages
-mingled with every fitful gust of wind that issued from the interminable
-forests of the west. The terrific character of their merciless enemies
-increased immeasurably the natural horrors of warfare. Numberless recent
-massacres were still vivid in their recollections; nor was there any
-ear in the provinces so deaf as not to have drunk in with avidity the
-narrative of some fearful tale of midnight murder, in which the natives
-of the forests were the principal and barbarous actors. As the credulous
-and excited traveler related the hazardous chances of the wilderness,
-the blood of the timid curdled with terror, and mothers cast anxious
-glances even at those children which slumbered within the security of
-the largest towns. In short, the magnifying influence of fear began to
-set at naught the calculations of reason, and to render those who should
-have remembered their manhood, the slaves of the basest passions. Even
-the most confident and the stoutest hearts began to think the issue
-of the contest was becoming doubtful; and that abject class was hourly
-increasing in numbers, who thought they foresaw all the possessions of
-the English crown in America subdued by their Christian foes, or laid
-waste by the inroads of their relentless allies.
-
-     * Washington, who, after uselessly admonishing the European
-     general of the danger into which he was heedlessly running,
-     saved the remnants of the British army, on this occasion, by
-     his decision and courage. The reputation earned by
-     Washington in this battle was the principal cause of his
-     being selected to command the American armies at a later
-     day. It is a circumstance worthy of observation, that while
-     all America rang with his well-merited reputation, his name
-     does not occur in any European account of the battle; at
-     least the author has searched for it without success. In
-     this manner does the mother country absorb even the fame,
-     under that system of rule.
-
-When, therefore, intelligence was received at the fort which covered the
-southern termination of the portage between the Hudson and the lakes,
-that Montcalm had been seen moving up the Champlain, with an army
-"numerous as the leaves on the trees," its truth was admitted with more
-of the craven reluctance of fear than with the stern joy that a warrior
-should feel, in finding an enemy within reach of his blow. The news had
-been brought, toward the decline of a day in midsummer, by an Indian
-runner, who also bore an urgent request from Munro, the commander of
-a work on the shore of the "holy lake," for a speedy and powerful
-reinforcement. It has already been mentioned that the distance between
-these two posts was less than five leagues. The rude path, which
-originally formed their line of communication, had been widened for the
-passage of wagons; so that the distance which had been traveled by the
-son of the forest in two hours, might easily be effected by a detachment
-of troops, with their necessary baggage, between the rising and setting
-of a summer sun. The loyal servants of the British crown had given to
-one of these forest-fastnesses the name of William Henry, and to the
-other that of Fort Edward, calling each after a favorite prince of the
-reigning family. The veteran Scotchman just named held the first, with
-a regiment of regulars and a few provincials; a force really by far
-too small to make head against the formidable power that Montcalm was
-leading to the foot of his earthen mounds. At the latter, however,
-lay General Webb, who commanded the armies of the king in the northern
-provinces, with a body of more than five thousand men. By uniting the
-several detachments of his command, this officer might have arrayed
-nearly double that number of combatants against the enterprising
-Frenchman, who had ventured so far from his reinforcements, with an army
-but little superior in numbers.
-
-But under the influence of their degraded fortunes, both officers and
-men appeared better disposed to await the approach of their formidable
-antagonists, within their works, than to resist the progress of their
-march, by emulating the successful example of the French at Fort du
-Quesne, and striking a blow on their advance.
-
-After the first surprise of the intelligence had a little abated, a
-rumor was spread through the entrenched camp, which stretched along the
-margin of the Hudson, forming a chain of outworks to the body of the
-fort itself, that a chosen detachment of fifteen hundred men was to
-depart, with the dawn, for William Henry, the post at the northern
-extremity of the portage. That which at first was only rumor,
-soon became certainty, as orders passed from the quarters of the
-commander-in-chief to the several corps he had selected for this
-service, to prepare for their speedy departure. All doubts as to the
-intention of Webb now vanished, and an hour or two of hurried footsteps
-and anxious faces succeeded. The novice in the military art flew from
-point to point, retarding his own preparations by the excess of his
-violent and somewhat distempered zeal; while the more practiced veteran
-made his arrangements with a deliberation that scorned every appearance
-of haste; though his sober lineaments and anxious eye sufficiently
-betrayed that he had no very strong professional relish for the, as yet,
-untried and dreaded warfare of the wilderness. At length the sun set in
-a flood of glory, behind the distant western hills, and as darkness drew
-its veil around the secluded spot the sounds of preparation diminished;
-the last light finally disappeared from the log cabin of some officer;
-the trees cast their deeper shadows over the mounds and the rippling
-stream, and a silence soon pervaded the camp, as deep as that which
-reigned in the vast forest by which it was environed.
-
-According to the orders of the preceding night, the heavy sleep of the
-army was broken by the rolling of the warning drums, whose rattling
-echoes were heard issuing, on the damp morning air, out of every vista
-of the woods, just as day began to draw the shaggy outlines of some tall
-pines of the vicinity, on the opening brightness of a soft and cloudless
-eastern sky. In an instant the whole camp was in motion; the meanest
-soldier arousing from his lair to witness the departure of his comrades,
-and to share in the excitement and incidents of the hour. The simple
-array of the chosen band was soon completed. While the regular and
-trained hirelings of the king marched with haughtiness to the right of
-the line, the less pretending colonists took their humbler position
-on its left, with a docility that long practice had rendered easy.
-The scouts departed; strong guards preceded and followed the lumbering
-vehicles that bore the baggage; and before the gray light of the morning
-was mellowed by the rays of the sun, the main body of the combatants
-wheeled into column, and left the encampment with a show of high
-military bearing, that served to drown the slumbering apprehensions of
-many a novice, who was now about to make his first essay in arms. While
-in view of their admiring comrades, the same proud front and ordered
-array was observed, until the notes of their fifes growing fainter in
-distance, the forest at length appeared to swallow up the living mass
-which had slowly entered its bosom.
-
-The deepest sounds of the retiring and invisible column had ceased to
-be borne on the breeze to the listeners, and the latest straggler had
-already disappeared in pursuit; but there still remained the signs
-of another departure, before a log cabin of unusual size and
-accommodations, in front of which those sentinels paced their rounds,
-who were known to guard the person of the English general. At this spot
-were gathered some half dozen horses, caparisoned in a manner which
-showed that two, at least, were destined to bear the persons of females,
-of a rank that it was not usual to meet so far in the wilds of the
-country. A third wore trappings and arms of an officer of the staff;
-while the rest, from the plainness of the housings, and the traveling
-mails with which they were encumbered, were evidently fitted for the
-reception of as many menials, who were, seemingly, already waiting
-the pleasure of those they served. At a respectful distance from this
-unusual show, were gathered divers groups of curious idlers; some
-admiring the blood and bone of the high-mettled military charger,
-and others gazing at the preparations, with the dull wonder of vulgar
-curiosity. There was one man, however, who, by his countenance and
-actions, formed a marked exception to those who composed the latter
-class of spectators, being neither idle, nor seemingly very ignorant.
-
-The person of this individual was to the last degree ungainly, without
-being in any particular manner deformed. He had all the bones and joints
-of other men, without any of their proportions. Erect, his stature
-surpassed that of his fellows; though seated, he appeared reduced within
-the ordinary limits of the race. The same contrariety in his members
-seemed to exist throughout the whole man. His head was large; his
-shoulders narrow; his arms long and dangling; while his hands were
-small, if not delicate. His legs and thighs were thin, nearly to
-emaciation, but of extraordinary length; and his knees would have
-been considered tremendous, had they not been outdone by the broader
-foundations on which this false superstructure of blended human orders
-was so profanely reared. The ill-assorted and injudicious attire of the
-individual only served to render his awkwardness more conspicuous. A
-sky-blue coat, with short and broad skirts and low cape, exposed a long,
-thin neck, and longer and thinner legs, to the worst animadversions
-of the evil-disposed. His nether garment was a yellow nankeen, closely
-fitted to the shape, and tied at his bunches of knees by large knots of
-white ribbon, a good deal sullied by use. Clouded cotton stockings, and
-shoes, on one of the latter of which was a plated spur, completed the
-costume of the lower extremity of this figure, no curve or angle of
-which was concealed, but, on the other hand, studiously exhibited,
-through the vanity or simplicity of its owner.
-
-From beneath the flap of an enormous pocket of a soiled vest of embossed
-silk, heavily ornamented with tarnished silver lace, projected an
-instrument, which, from being seen in such martial company, might have
-been easily mistaken for some mischievous and unknown implement of war.
-Small as it was, this uncommon engine had excited the curiosity of most
-of the Europeans in the camp, though several of the provincials
-were seen to handle it, not only without fear, but with the utmost
-familiarity. A large, civil cocked hat, like those worn by clergymen
-within the last thirty years, surmounted the whole, furnishing dignity
-to a good-natured and somewhat vacant countenance, that apparently
-needed such artificial aid, to support the gravity of some high and
-extraordinary trust.
-
-While the common herd stood aloof, in deference to the quarters of Webb,
-the figure we have described stalked into the center of the domestics,
-freely expressing his censures or commendations on the merits of the
-horses, as by chance they displeased or satisfied his judgment.
-
-"This beast, I rather conclude, friend, is not of home raising, but is
-from foreign lands, or perhaps from the little island itself over the
-blue water?" he said, in a voice as remarkable for the softness and
-sweetness of its tones, as was his person for its rare proportions; "I
-may speak of these things, and be no braggart; for I have been down at
-both havens; that which is situate at the mouth of Thames, and is named
-after the capital of Old England, and that which is called 'Haven', with
-the addition of the word 'New'; and have seen the scows and brigantines
-collecting their droves, like the gathering to the ark, being outward
-bound to the Island of Jamaica, for the purpose of barter and traffic
-in four-footed animals; but never before have I beheld a beast which
-verified the true scripture war-horse like this: 'He paweth in the
-valley, and rejoiceth in his strength; he goeth on to meet the armed
-men. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle
-afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting' It would seem
-that the stock of the horse of Israel had descended to our own time;
-would it not, friend?"
-
-Receiving no reply to this extraordinary appeal, which in truth, as it
-was delivered with the vigor of full and sonorous tones, merited some
-sort of notice, he who had thus sung forth the language of the holy
-book turned to the silent figure to whom he had unwittingly addressed
-himself, and found a new and more powerful subject of admiration in the
-object that encountered his gaze. His eyes fell on the still, upright,
-and rigid form of the "Indian runner," who had borne to the camp the
-unwelcome tidings of the preceding evening. Although in a state of
-perfect repose, and apparently disregarding, with characteristic
-stoicism, the excitement and bustle around him, there was a sullen
-fierceness mingled with the quiet of the savage, that was likely to
-arrest the attention of much more experienced eyes than those which now
-scanned him, in unconcealed amazement. The native bore both the tomahawk
-and knife of his tribe; and yet his appearance was not altogether that
-of a warrior. On the contrary, there was an air of neglect about his
-person, like that which might have proceeded from great and recent
-exertion, which he had not yet found leisure to repair. The colors
-of the war-paint had blended in dark confusion about his fierce
-countenance, and rendered his swarthy lineaments still more savage
-and repulsive than if art had attempted an effect which had been thus
-produced by chance. His eye, alone, which glistened like a fiery star
-amid lowering clouds, was to be seen in its state of native wildness.
-For a single instant his searching and yet wary glance met the wondering
-look of the other, and then changing its direction, partly in cunning,
-and partly in disdain, it remained fixed, as if penetrating the distant
-air.
-
-It is impossible to say what unlooked-for remark this short and silent
-communication, between two such singular men, might have elicited from
-the white man, had not his active curiosity been again drawn to other
-objects. A general movement among the domestics, and a low sound of
-gentle voices, announced the approach of those whose presence alone
-was wanted to enable the cavalcade to move. The simple admirer of the
-war-horse instantly fell back to a low, gaunt, switch-tailed mare, that
-was unconsciously gleaning the faded herbage of the camp nigh by; where,
-leaning with one elbow on the blanket that concealed an apology for a
-saddle, he became a spectator of the departure, while a foal was quietly
-making its morning repast, on the opposite side of the same animal.
-
-A young man, in the dress of an officer, conducted to their steeds two
-females, who, as it was apparent by their dresses, were prepared to
-encounter the fatigues of a journey in the woods. One, and she was
-the more juvenile in her appearance, though both were young, permitted
-glimpses of her dazzling complexion, fair golden hair, and bright blue
-eyes, to be caught, as she artlessly suffered the morning air to blow
-aside the green veil which descended low from her beaver.
-
-The flush which still lingered above the pines in the western sky was
-not more bright nor delicate than the bloom on her cheek; nor was the
-opening day more cheering than the animated smile which she bestowed on
-the youth, as he assisted her into the saddle. The other, who appeared
-to share equally in the attention of the young officer, concealed her
-charms from the gaze of the soldiery with a care that seemed better
-fitted to the experience of four or five additional years. It could be
-seen, however, that her person, though molded with the same exquisite
-proportions, of which none of the graces were lost by the traveling
-dress she wore, was rather fuller and more mature than that of her
-companion.
-
-No sooner were these females seated, than their attendant sprang lightly
-into the saddle of the war-horse, when the whole three bowed to Webb,
-who in courtesy, awaited their parting on the threshold of his cabin and
-turning their horses' heads, they proceeded at a slow amble, followed
-by their train, toward the northern entrance of the encampment. As they
-traversed that short distance, not a voice was heard among them; but
-a slight exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females, as the
-Indian runner glided by her, unexpectedly, and led the way along the
-military road in her front. Though this sudden and startling movement
-of the Indian produced no sound from the other, in the surprise her veil
-also was allowed to open its folds, and betrayed an indescribable look
-of pity, admiration, and horror, as her dark eye followed the easy
-motions of the savage. The tresses of this lady were shining and black,
-like the plumage of the raven. Her complexion was not brown, but it
-rather appeared charged with the color of the rich blood, that seemed
-ready to burst its bounds. And yet there was neither coarseness nor
-want of shadowing in a countenance that was exquisitely regular, and
-dignified and surpassingly beautiful. She smiled, as if in pity at her
-own momentary forgetfulness, discovering by the act a row of teeth that
-would have shamed the purest ivory; when, replacing the veil, she bowed
-her face, and rode in silence, like one whose thoughts were abstracted
-from the scene around her.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 2
-
-     "Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola!"
-     --Shakespeare
-
-While one of the lovely beings we have so cursorily presented to the
-reader was thus lost in thought, the other quickly recovered from the
-alarm which induced the exclamation, and, laughing at her own weakness,
-she inquired of the youth who rode by her side:
-
-"Are such specters frequent in the woods, Heyward, or is this sight an
-especial entertainment ordered on our behalf? If the latter, gratitude
-must close our mouths; but if the former, both Cora and I shall have
-need to draw largely on that stock of hereditary courage which we boast,
-even before we are made to encounter the redoubtable Montcalm."
-
-"Yon Indian is a 'runner' of the army; and, after the fashion of his
-people, he may be accounted a hero," returned the officer. "He has
-volunteered to guide us to the lake, by a path but little known,
-sooner than if we followed the tardy movements of the column; and, by
-consequence, more agreeably."
-
-"I like him not," said the lady, shuddering, partly in assumed, yet more
-in real terror. "You know him, Duncan, or you would not trust yourself
-so freely to his keeping?"
-
-"Say, rather, Alice, that I would not trust you. I do know him, or he
-would not have my confidence, and least of all at this moment. He
-is said to be a Canadian too; and yet he served with our friends the
-Mohawks, who, as you know, are one of the six allied nations. He was
-brought among us, as I have heard, by some strange accident in which
-your father was interested, and in which the savage was rigidly dealt
-by; but I forget the idle tale, it is enough, that he is now our
-friend."
-
-"If he has been my father's enemy, I like him still less!" exclaimed the
-now really anxious girl. "Will you not speak to him, Major Heyward, that
-I may hear his tones? Foolish though it may be, you have often heard me
-avow my faith in the tones of the human voice!"
-
-"It would be in vain; and answered, most probably, by an ejaculation.
-Though he may understand it, he affects, like most of his people, to be
-ignorant of the English; and least of all will he condescend to speak
-it, now that the war demands the utmost exercise of his dignity. But
-he stops; the private path by which we are to journey is, doubtless, at
-hand."
-
-The conjecture of Major Heyward was true. When they reached the spot
-where the Indian stood, pointing into the thicket that fringed the
-military road; a narrow and blind path, which might, with some little
-inconvenience, receive one person at a time, became visible.
-
-"Here, then, lies our way," said the young man, in a low voice.
-"Manifest no distrust, or you may invite the danger you appear to
-apprehend."
-
-"Cora, what think you?" asked the reluctant fair one. "If we journey
-with the troops, though we may find their presence irksome, shall we not
-feel better assurance of our safety?"
-
-"Being little accustomed to the practices of the savages, Alice, you
-mistake the place of real danger," said Heyward. "If enemies have
-reached the portage at all, a thing by no means probable, as our scouts
-are abroad, they will surely be found skirting the column, where scalps
-abound the most. The route of the detachment is known, while ours,
-having been determined within the hour, must still be secret."
-
-"Should we distrust the man because his manners are not our manners, and
-that his skin is dark?" coldly asked Cora.
-
-Alice hesitated no longer; but giving her Narrangansett* a smart cut
-of the whip, she was the first to dash aside the slight branches of the
-bushes, and to follow the runner along the dark and tangled pathway.
-The young man regarded the last speaker in open admiration, and even
-permitted her fairer, though certainly not more beautiful companion, to
-proceed unattended, while he sedulously opened the way himself for
-the passage of her who has been called Cora. It would seem that the
-domestics had been previously instructed; for, instead of penetrating
-the thicket, they followed the route of the column; a measure which
-Heyward stated had been dictated by the sagacity of their guide, in
-order to diminish the marks of their trail, if, haply, the Canadian
-savages should be lurking so far in advance of their army. For many
-minutes the intricacy of the route admitted of no further dialogue;
-after which they emerged from the broad border of underbrush which
-grew along the line of the highway, and entered under the high but dark
-arches of the forest. Here their progress was less interrupted; and the
-instant the guide perceived that the females could command their steeds,
-he moved on, at a pace between a trot and a walk, and at a rate which
-kept the sure-footed and peculiar animals they rode at a fast yet easy
-amble. The youth had turned to speak to the dark-eyed Cora, when the
-distant sound of horses hoofs, clattering over the roots of the broken
-way in his rear, caused him to check his charger; and, as his companions
-drew their reins at the same instant, the whole party came to a halt, in
-order to obtain an explanation of the unlooked-for interruption.
-
-     * In the state of Rhode Island there is a bay called
-     Narragansett, so named after a powerful tribe of Indians,
-     which formerly dwelt on its banks. Accident, or one of those
-     unaccountable freaks which nature sometimes plays in the
-     animal world, gave rise to a breed of horses which were once
-     well known in America, and distinguished by their habit of
-     pacing. Horses of this race were, and are still, in much
-     request as saddle horses, on account of their hardiness and
-     the ease of their movements. As they were also sure of foot,
-     the Narragansetts were greatly sought for by females who
-     were obliged to travel over the roots and holes in the "new
-     countries."
-
-In a few moments a colt was seen gliding, like a fallow deer, among the
-straight trunks of the pines; and, in another instant, the person of the
-ungainly man, described in the preceding chapter, came into view, with
-as much rapidity as he could excite his meager beast to endure without
-coming to an open rupture. Until now this personage had escaped the
-observation of the travelers. If he possessed the power to arrest any
-wandering eye when exhibiting the glories of his altitude on foot, his
-equestrian graces were still more likely to attract attention.
-
-Notwithstanding a constant application of his one armed heel to the
-flanks of the mare, the most confirmed gait that he could establish
-was a Canterbury gallop with the hind legs, in which those more forward
-assisted for doubtful moments, though generally content to maintain a
-loping trot. Perhaps the rapidity of the changes from one of these paces
-to the other created an optical illusion, which might thus magnify the
-powers of the beast; for it is certain that Heyward, who possessed
-a true eye for the merits of a horse, was unable, with his utmost
-ingenuity, to decide by what sort of movement his pursuer worked his
-sinuous way on his footsteps with such persevering hardihood.
-
-The industry and movements of the rider were not less remarkable than
-those of the ridden. At each change in the evolutions of the latter,
-the former raised his tall person in the stirrups; producing, in this
-manner, by the undue elongation of his legs, such sudden growths and
-diminishings of the stature, as baffled every conjecture that might
-be made as to his dimensions. If to this be added the fact that, in
-consequence of the ex parte application of the spur, one side of the
-mare appeared to journey faster than the other; and that the aggrieved
-flank was resolutely indicated by unremitted flourishes of a bushy tail,
-we finish the picture of both horse and man.
-
-The frown which had gathered around the handsome, open, and manly brow
-of Heyward, gradually relaxed, and his lips curled into a slight smile,
-as he regarded the stranger. Alice made no very powerful effort to
-control her merriment; and even the dark, thoughtful eye of Cora lighted
-with a humor that it would seem, the habit, rather than the nature, of
-its mistress repressed.
-
-"Seek you any here?" demanded Heyward, when the other had arrived
-sufficiently nigh to abate his speed; "I trust you are no messenger of
-evil tidings?"
-
-"Even so," replied the stranger, making diligent use of his triangular
-castor, to produce a circulation in the close air of the woods, and
-leaving his hearers in doubt to which of the young man's questions he
-responded; when, however, he had cooled his face, and recovered his
-breath, he continued, "I hear you are riding to William Henry; as I
-am journeying thitherward myself, I concluded good company would seem
-consistent to the wishes of both parties."
-
-"You appear to possess the privilege of a casting vote," returned
-Heyward; "we are three, while you have consulted no one but yourself."
-
-"Even so. The first point to be obtained is to know one's own mind. Once
-sure of that, and where women are concerned it is not easy, the next is,
-to act up to the decision. I have endeavored to do both, and here I am."
-
-"If you journey to the lake, you have mistaken your route," said
-Heyward, haughtily; "the highway thither is at least half a mile behind
-you."
-
-"Even so," returned the stranger, nothing daunted by this cold
-reception; "I have tarried at 'Edward' a week, and I should be dumb not
-to have inquired the road I was to journey; and if dumb there would be
-an end to my calling." After simpering in a small way, like one whose
-modesty prohibited a more open expression of his admiration of
-a witticism that was perfectly unintelligible to his hearers, he
-continued, "It is not prudent for any one of my profession to be too
-familiar with those he has to instruct; for which reason I follow not
-the line of the army; besides which, I conclude that a gentleman of
-your character has the best judgment in matters of wayfaring; I have,
-therefore, decided to join company, in order that the ride may be made
-agreeable, and partake of social communion."
-
-"A most arbitrary, if not a hasty decision!" exclaimed Heyward,
-undecided whether to give vent to his growing anger, or to laugh in the
-other's face. "But you speak of instruction, and of a profession; are
-you an adjunct to the provincial corps, as a master of the noble science
-of defense and offense; or, perhaps, you are one who draws lines and
-angles, under the pretense of expounding the mathematics?"
-
-The stranger regarded his interrogator a moment in wonder; and then,
-losing every mark of self-satisfaction in an expression of solemn
-humility, he answered:
-
-"Of offense, I hope there is none, to either party: of defense, I make
-none--by God's good mercy, having committed no palpable sin since last
-entreating his pardoning grace. I understand not your allusions about
-lines and angles; and I leave expounding to those who have been called
-and set apart for that holy office. I lay claim to no higher gift than a
-small insight into the glorious art of petitioning and thanksgiving, as
-practiced in psalmody."
-
-"The man is, most manifestly, a disciple of Apollo," cried the amused
-Alice, "and I take him under my own especial protection. Nay, throw
-aside that frown, Heyward, and in pity to my longing ears, suffer him to
-journey in our train. Besides," she added, in a low and hurried voice,
-casting a glance at the distant Cora, who slowly followed the footsteps
-of their silent, but sullen guide, "it may be a friend added to our
-strength, in time of need."
-
-"Think you, Alice, that I would trust those I love by this secret path,
-did I imagine such need could happen?"
-
-"Nay, nay, I think not of it now; but this strange man amuses me; and if
-he 'hath music in his soul', let us not churlishly reject his company."
-She pointed persuasively along the path with her riding whip, while
-their eyes met in a look which the young man lingered a moment to
-prolong; then, yielding to her gentle influence, he clapped his spurs
-into his charger, and in a few bounds was again at the side of Cora.
-
-"I am glad to encounter thee, friend," continued the maiden, waving her
-hand to the stranger to proceed, as she urged her Narragansett to renew
-its amble. "Partial relatives have almost persuaded me that I am not
-entirely worthless in a duet myself; and we may enliven our wayfaring
-by indulging in our favorite pursuit. It might be of signal advantage to
-one, ignorant as I, to hear the opinions and experience of a master in
-the art."
-
-"It is refreshing both to the spirits and to the body to indulge
-in psalmody, in befitting seasons," returned the master of song,
-unhesitatingly complying with her intimation to follow; "and nothing
-would relieve the mind more than such a consoling communion. But four
-parts are altogether necessary to the perfection of melody. You have all
-the manifestations of a soft and rich treble; I can, by especial aid,
-carry a full tenor to the highest letter; but we lack counter and bass!
-Yon officer of the king, who hesitated to admit me to his company, might
-fill the latter, if one may judge from the intonations of his voice in
-common dialogue."
-
-"Judge not too rashly from hasty and deceptive appearances," said the
-lady, smiling; "though Major Heyward can assume such deep notes on
-occasion, believe me, his natural tones are better fitted for a mellow
-tenor than the bass you heard."
-
-"Is he, then, much practiced in the art of psalmody?" demanded her
-simple companion.
-
-Alice felt disposed to laugh, though she succeeded in suppressing her
-merriment, ere she answered:
-
-"I apprehend that he is rather addicted to profane song. The chances
-of a soldier's life are but little fitted for the encouragement of more
-sober inclinations."
-
-"Man's voice is given to him, like his other talents, to be used, and
-not to be abused. None can say they have ever known me to neglect my
-gifts! I am thankful that, though my boyhood may be said to have been
-set apart, like the youth of the royal David, for the purposes of music,
-no syllable of rude verse has ever profaned my lips."
-
-"You have, then, limited your efforts to sacred song?"
-
-"Even so. As the psalms of David exceed all other language, so does the
-psalmody that has been fitted to them by the divines and sages of the
-land, surpass all vain poetry. Happily, I may say that I utter nothing
-but the thoughts and the wishes of the King of Israel himself; for
-though the times may call for some slight changes, yet does this version
-which we use in the colonies of New England so much exceed all other
-versions, that, by its richness, its exactness, and its spiritual
-simplicity, it approacheth, as near as may be, to the great work of the
-inspired writer. I never abide in any place, sleeping or waking, without
-an example of this gifted work. 'Tis the six-and-twentieth edition,
-promulgated at Boston, Anno Domini 1744; and is entitled, 'The Psalms,
-Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Old and New Testaments; faithfully
-translated into English Metre, for the Use, Edification, and Comfort of
-the Saints, in Public and Private, especially in New England'."
-
-During this eulogium on the rare production of his native poets, the
-stranger had drawn the book from his pocket, and fitting a pair of
-iron-rimmed spectacles to his nose, opened the volume with a care and
-veneration suited to its sacred purposes. Then, without circumlocution
-or apology, first pronounced the word "Standish," and placing the
-unknown engine, already described, to his mouth, from which he drew a
-high, shrill sound, that was followed by an octave below, from his own
-voice, he commenced singing the following words, in full, sweet, and
-melodious tones, that set the music, the poetry, and even the uneasy
-motion of his ill-trained beast at defiance; "How good it is, O see, And
-how it pleaseth well, Together e'en in unity, For brethren so to dwell.
-It's like the choice ointment, From the head to the beard did go; Down
-Aaron's head, that downward went His garment's skirts unto."
-
-The delivery of these skillful rhymes was accompanied, on the part
-of the stranger, by a regular rise and fall of his right hand, which
-terminated at the descent, by suffering the fingers to dwell a moment on
-the leaves of the little volume; and on the ascent, by such a flourish
-of the member as none but the initiated may ever hope to imitate.
-It would seem long practice had rendered this manual accompaniment
-necessary; for it did not cease until the preposition which the poet had
-selected for the close of his verse had been duly delivered like a word
-of two syllables.
-
-Such an innovation on the silence and retirement of the forest could not
-fail to enlist the ears of those who journeyed at so short a distance in
-advance. The Indian muttered a few words in broken English to Heyward,
-who, in his turn, spoke to the stranger; at once interrupting, and, for
-the time, closing his musical efforts.
-
-"Though we are not in danger, common prudence would teach us to journey
-through this wilderness in as quiet a manner as possible. You will then,
-pardon me, Alice, should I diminish your enjoyments, by requesting this
-gentleman to postpone his chant until a safer opportunity."
-
-"You will diminish them, indeed," returned the arch girl; "for never did
-I hear a more unworthy conjunction of execution and language than that
-to which I have been listening; and I was far gone in a learned inquiry
-into the causes of such an unfitness between sound and sense, when you
-broke the charm of my musings by that bass of yours, Duncan!"
-
-"I know not what you call my bass," said Heyward, piqued at her remark,
-"but I know that your safety, and that of Cora, is far dearer to me than
-could be any orchestra of Handel's music." He paused and turned his head
-quickly toward a thicket, and then bent his eyes suspiciously on their
-guide, who continued his steady pace, in undisturbed gravity. The young
-man smiled to himself, for he believed he had mistaken some shining
-berry of the woods for the glistening eyeballs of a prowling savage, and
-he rode forward, continuing the conversation which had been interrupted
-by the passing thought.
-
-Major Heyward was mistaken only in suffering his youthful and generous
-pride to suppress his active watchfulness. The cavalcade had not long
-passed, before the branches of the bushes that formed the thicket were
-cautiously moved asunder, and a human visage, as fiercely wild as savage
-art and unbridled passions could make it, peered out on the retiring
-footsteps of the travelers. A gleam of exultation shot across the
-darkly-painted lineaments of the inhabitant of the forest, as he traced
-the route of his intended victims, who rode unconsciously onward, the
-light and graceful forms of the females waving among the trees, in the
-curvatures of their path, followed at each bend by the manly figure of
-Heyward, until, finally, the shapeless person of the singing master
-was concealed behind the numberless trunks of trees, that rose, in dark
-lines, in the intermediate space.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 3
-
-     "Before these fields were shorn and till'd,
-     Full to the brim our rivers flow'd;
-     The melody of waters fill'd
-     The fresh and boundless wood;
-     And torrents dash'd, and rivulets play'd,
-     And fountains spouted in the shade."--Bryant
-
-Leaving the unsuspecting Heyward and his confiding companions to
-penetrate still deeper into a forest that contained such treacherous
-inmates, we must use an author's privilege, and shift the scene a few
-miles to the westward of the place where we have last seen them.
-
-On that day, two men were lingering on the banks of a small but rapid
-stream, within an hour's journey of the encampment of Webb, like those
-who awaited the appearance of an absent person, or the approach of some
-expected event. The vast canopy of woods spread itself to the margin of
-the river, overhanging the water, and shadowing its dark current with a
-deeper hue. The rays of the sun were beginning to grow less fierce, and
-the intense heat of the day was lessened, as the cooler vapors of the
-springs and fountains rose above their leafy beds, and rested in
-the atmosphere. Still that breathing silence, which marks the drowsy
-sultriness of an American landscape in July, pervaded the secluded spot,
-interrupted only by the low voices of the men, the occasional and lazy
-tap of a woodpecker, the discordant cry of some gaudy jay, or a swelling
-on the ear, from the dull roar of a distant waterfall. These feeble and
-broken sounds were, however, too familiar to the foresters to draw their
-attention from the more interesting matter of their dialogue. While
-one of these loiterers showed the red skin and wild accouterments of a
-native of the woods, the other exhibited, through the mask of his
-rude and nearly savage equipments, the brighter, though sun-burned and
-long-faced complexion of one who might claim descent from a European
-parentage. The former was seated on the end of a mossy log, in a posture
-that permitted him to heighten the effect of his earnest language, by
-the calm but expressive gestures of an Indian engaged in debate. His
-body, which was nearly naked, presented a terrific emblem of death,
-drawn in intermingled colors of white and black. His closely-shaved
-head, on which no other hair than the well-known and chivalrous
-scalping tuft* was preserved, was without ornament of any kind, with
-the exception of a solitary eagle's plume, that crossed his crown,
-and depended over the left shoulder. A tomahawk and scalping knife, of
-English manufacture, were in his girdle; while a short military rifle,
-of that sort with which the policy of the whites armed their savage
-allies, lay carelessly across his bare and sinewy knee. The expanded
-chest, full formed limbs, and grave countenance of this warrior, would
-denote that he had reached the vigor of his days, though no symptoms of
-decay appeared to have yet weakened his manhood.
-
-     * The North American warrior caused the hair to be plucked
-     from his whole body; a small tuft was left on the crown of
-     his head, in order that his enemy might avail himself of it,
-     in wrenching off the scalp in the event of his fall. The
-     scalp was the only admissible trophy of victory. Thus, it
-     was deemed more important to obtain the scalp than to kill
-     the man. Some tribes lay great stress on the honor of
-     striking a dead body. These practices have nearly
-     disappeared among the Indians of the Atlantic states.
-
-The frame of the white man, judging by such parts as were not concealed
-by his clothes, was like that of one who had known hardships and
-exertion from his earliest youth. His person, though muscular, was
-rather attenuated than full; but every nerve and muscle appeared strung
-and indurated by unremitted exposure and toil. He wore a hunting shirt
-of forest-green, fringed with faded yellow*, and a summer cap of skins
-which had been shorn of their fur. He also bore a knife in a girdle of
-wampum, like that which confined the scanty garments of the Indian, but
-no tomahawk. His moccasins were ornamented after the gay fashion of the
-natives, while the only part of his under dress which appeared below the
-hunting-frock was a pair of buckskin leggings, that laced at the sides,
-and which were gartered above the knees, with the sinews of a deer. A
-pouch and horn completed his personal accouterments, though a rifle of
-great length**, which the theory of the more ingenious whites had
-taught them was the most dangerous of all firearms, leaned against a
-neighboring sapling. The eye of the hunter, or scout, whichever he might
-be, was small, quick, keen, and restless, roving while he spoke, on
-every side of him, as if in quest of game, or distrusting the sudden
-approach of some lurking enemy. Notwithstanding the symptoms of habitual
-suspicion, his countenance was not only without guile, but at the moment
-at which he is introduced, it was charged with an expression of sturdy
-honesty.
-
-     * The hunting-shirt is a picturesque smock-frock, being
-     shorter, and ornamented with fringes and tassels. The colors
-     are intended to imitate the hues of the wood, with a view to
-     concealment. Many corps of American riflemen have been thus
-     attired, and the dress is one of the most striking of modern
-     times. The hunting-shirt is frequently white.
-
-     ** The rifle of the army is short; that of the hunter is
-     always long.
-
-"Even your traditions make the case in my favor, Chingachgook," he said,
-speaking in the tongue which was known to all the natives who formerly
-inhabited the country between the Hudson and the Potomac, and of
-which we shall give a free translation for the benefit of the reader;
-endeavoring, at the same time, to preserve some of the peculiarities,
-both of the individual and of the language. "Your fathers came from the
-setting sun, crossed the big river*, fought the people of the country,
-and took the land; and mine came from the red sky of the morning, over
-the salt lake, and did their work much after the fashion that had been
-set them by yours; then let God judge the matter between us, and friends
-spare their words!"
-
-     * The Mississippi. The scout alludes to a tradition which is
-     very popular among the tribes of the Atlantic states.
-     Evidence of their Asiatic origin is deduced from the
-     circumstances, though great uncertainty hangs over the whole
-     history of the Indians.
-
-"My fathers fought with the naked red man!" returned the Indian,
-sternly, in the same language. "Is there no difference, Hawkeye, between
-the stone-headed arrow of the warrior, and the leaden bullet with which
-you kill?"
-
-"There is reason in an Indian, though nature has made him with a red
-skin!" said the white man, shaking his head like one on whom such an
-appeal to his justice was not thrown away. For a moment he appeared to
-be conscious of having the worst of the argument, then, rallying again,
-he answered the objection of his antagonist in the best manner his
-limited information would allow:
-
-"I am no scholar, and I care not who knows it; but, judging from what
-I have seen, at deer chases and squirrel hunts, of the sparks below,
-I should think a rifle in the hands of their grandfathers was not so
-dangerous as a hickory bow and a good flint-head might be, if drawn with
-Indian judgment, and sent by an Indian eye."
-
-"You have the story told by your fathers," returned the other, coldly
-waving his hand. "What say your old men? Do they tell the young warriors
-that the pale faces met the red men, painted for war and armed with the
-stone hatchet and wooden gun?"
-
-"I am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts himself on his natural
-privileges, though the worst enemy I have on earth, and he is an
-Iroquois, daren't deny that I am genuine white," the scout replied,
-surveying, with secret satisfaction, the faded color of his bony and
-sinewy hand, "and I am willing to own that my people have many ways, of
-which, as an honest man, I can't approve. It is one of their customs to
-write in books what they have done and seen, instead of telling them
-in their villages, where the lie can be given to the face of a cowardly
-boaster, and the brave soldier can call on his comrades to witness for
-the truth of his words. In consequence of this bad fashion, a man, who
-is too conscientious to misspend his days among the women, in learning
-the names of black marks, may never hear of the deeds of his fathers,
-nor feel a pride in striving to outdo them. For myself, I conclude the
-Bumppos could shoot, for I have a natural turn with a rifle, which
-must have been handed down from generation to generation, as, our holy
-commandments tell us, all good and evil gifts are bestowed; though I
-should be loath to answer for other people in such a matter. But every
-story has its two sides; so I ask you, Chingachgook, what passed,
-according to the traditions of the red men, when our fathers first met?"
-
-A silence of a minute succeeded, during which the Indian sat mute; then,
-full of the dignity of his office, he commenced his brief tale, with a
-solemnity that served to heighten its appearance of truth.
-
-"Listen, Hawkeye, and your ear shall drink no lie. 'Tis what my fathers
-have said, and what the Mohicans have done." He hesitated a single
-instant, and bending a cautious glance toward his companion, he
-continued, in a manner that was divided between interrogation and
-assertion. "Does not this stream at our feet run toward the summer,
-until its waters grow salt, and the current flows upward?"
-
-"It can't be denied that your traditions tell you true in both these
-matters," said the white man; "for I have been there, and have seen
-them, though why water, which is so sweet in the shade, should become
-bitter in the sun, is an alteration for which I have never been able to
-account."
-
-"And the current!" demanded the Indian, who expected his reply with that
-sort of interest that a man feels in the confirmation of testimony, at
-which he marvels even while he respects it; "the fathers of Chingachgook
-have not lied!"
-
-"The holy Bible is not more true, and that is the truest thing in
-nature. They call this up-stream current the tide, which is a thing soon
-explained, and clear enough. Six hours the waters run in, and six hours
-they run out, and the reason is this: when there is higher water in the
-sea than in the river, they run in until the river gets to be highest,
-and then it runs out again."
-
-"The waters in the woods, and on the great lakes, run downward
-until they lie like my hand," said the Indian, stretching the limb
-horizontally before him, "and then they run no more."
-
-"No honest man will deny it," said the scout, a little nettled at the
-implied distrust of his explanation of the mystery of the tides; "and I
-grant that it is true on the small scale, and where the land is level.
-But everything depends on what scale you look at things. Now, on the
-small scale, the 'arth is level; but on the large scale it is round. In
-this manner, pools and ponds, and even the great fresh-water lakes, may
-be stagnant, as you and I both know they are, having seen them; but when
-you come to spread water over a great tract, like the sea, where the
-earth is round, how in reason can the water be quiet? You might as well
-expect the river to lie still on the brink of those black rocks a mile
-above us, though your own ears tell you that it is tumbling over them at
-this very moment."
-
-If unsatisfied by the philosophy of his companion, the Indian was far
-too dignified to betray his unbelief. He listened like one who was
-convinced, and resumed his narrative in his former solemn manner.
-
-"We came from the place where the sun is hid at night, over great plains
-where the buffaloes live, until we reached the big river. There we
-fought the Alligewi, till the ground was red with their blood. From the
-banks of the big river to the shores of the salt lake, there was none to
-meet us. The Maquas followed at a distance. We said the country should
-be ours from the place where the water runs up no longer on this stream,
-to a river twenty sun's journey toward the summer. We drove the Maquas
-into the woods with the bears. They only tasted salt at the licks; they
-drew no fish from the great lake; we threw them the bones."
-
-"All this I have heard and believe," said the white man, observing that
-the Indian paused; "but it was long before the English came into the
-country."
-
-"A pine grew then where this chestnut now stands. The first pale faces
-who came among us spoke no English. They came in a large canoe, when
-my fathers had buried the tomahawk with the red men around them. Then,
-Hawkeye," he continued, betraying his deep emotion, only by permitting
-his voice to fall to those low, guttural tones, which render his
-language, as spoken at times, so very musical; "then, Hawkeye, we were
-one people, and we were happy. The salt lake gave us its fish, the wood
-its deer, and the air its birds. We took wives who bore us children; we
-worshipped the Great Spirit; and we kept the Maquas beyond the sound of
-our songs of triumph."
-
-"Know you anything of your own family at that time?" demanded the white.
-"But you are just a man, for an Indian; and as I suppose you hold their
-gifts, your fathers must have been brave warriors, and wise men at the
-council-fire."
-
-"My tribe is the grandfather of nations, but I am an unmixed man. The
-blood of chiefs is in my veins, where it must stay forever. The Dutch
-landed, and gave my people the fire-water; they drank until the heavens
-and the earth seemed to meet, and they foolishly thought they had found
-the Great Spirit. Then they parted with their land. Foot by foot,
-they were driven back from the shores, until I, that am a chief and a
-Sagamore, have never seen the sun shine but through the trees, and have
-never visited the graves of my fathers."
-
-"Graves bring solemn feelings over the mind," returned the scout, a good
-deal touched at the calm suffering of his companion; "and they often aid
-a man in his good intentions; though, for myself, I expect to leave my
-own bones unburied, to bleach in the woods, or to be torn asunder by the
-wolves. But where are to be found those of your race who came to their
-kin in the Delaware country, so many summers since?"
-
-"Where are the blossoms of those summers!--fallen, one by one; so all
-of my family departed, each in his turn, to the land of spirits. I am on
-the hilltop and must go down into the valley; and when Uncas follows in
-my footsteps there will no longer be any of the blood of the Sagamores,
-for my boy is the last of the Mohicans."
-
-"Uncas is here," said another voice, in the same soft, guttural tones,
-near his elbow; "who speaks to Uncas?"
-
-The white man loosened his knife in his leathern sheath, and made
-an involuntary movement of the hand toward his rifle, at this sudden
-interruption; but the Indian sat composed, and without turning his head
-at the unexpected sounds.
-
-At the next instant, a youthful warrior passed between them, with a
-noiseless step, and seated himself on the bank of the rapid stream. No
-exclamation of surprise escaped the father, nor was any question asked,
-or reply given, for several minutes; each appearing to await the moment
-when he might speak, without betraying womanish curiosity or childish
-impatience. The white man seemed to take counsel from their customs,
-and, relinquishing his grasp of the rifle, he also remained silent and
-reserved. At length Chingachgook turned his eyes slowly toward his son,
-and demanded:
-
-"Do the Maquas dare to leave the print of their moccasins in these
-woods?"
-
-"I have been on their trail," replied the young Indian, "and know that
-they number as many as the fingers of my two hands; but they lie hid
-like cowards."
-
-"The thieves are outlying for scalps and plunder," said the white man,
-whom we shall call Hawkeye, after the manner of his companions. "That
-busy Frenchman, Montcalm, will send his spies into our very camp, but he
-will know what road we travel!"
-
-"'Tis enough," returned the father, glancing his eye toward the setting
-sun; "they shall be driven like deer from their bushes. Hawkeye, let us
-eat to-night, and show the Maquas that we are men to-morrow."
-
-"I am as ready to do the one as the other; but to fight the Iroquois
-'tis necessary to find the skulkers; and to eat, 'tis necessary to get
-the game--talk of the devil and he will come; there is a pair of the
-biggest antlers I have seen this season, moving the bushes below the
-hill! Now, Uncas," he continued, in a half whisper, and laughing with a
-kind of inward sound, like one who had learned to be watchful, "I will
-bet my charger three times full of powder, against a foot of wampum,
-that I take him atwixt the eyes, and nearer to the right than to the
-left."
-
-"It cannot be!" said the young Indian, springing to his feet with
-youthful eagerness; "all but the tips of his horns are hid!"
-
-"He's a boy!" said the white man, shaking his head while he spoke, and
-addressing the father. "Does he think when a hunter sees a part of the
-creature', he can't tell where the rest of him should be!"
-
-Adjusting his rifle, he was about to make an exhibition of that skill
-on which he so much valued himself, when the warrior struck up the piece
-with his hand, saying:
-
-"Hawkeye! will you fight the Maquas?"
-
-"These Indians know the nature of the woods, as it might be by
-instinct!" returned the scout, dropping his rifle, and turning away like
-a man who was convinced of his error. "I must leave the buck to your
-arrow, Uncas, or we may kill a deer for them thieves, the Iroquois, to
-eat."
-
-The instant the father seconded this intimation by an expressive gesture
-of the hand, Uncas threw himself on the ground, and approached the
-animal with wary movements. When within a few yards of the cover, he
-fitted an arrow to his bow with the utmost care, while the antlers
-moved, as if their owner snuffed an enemy in the tainted air. In another
-moment the twang of the cord was heard, a white streak was seen glancing
-into the bushes, and the wounded buck plunged from the cover, to the
-very feet of his hidden enemy. Avoiding the horns of the infuriated
-animal, Uncas darted to his side, and passed his knife across the
-throat, when bounding to the edge of the river it fell, dyeing the
-waters with its blood.
-
-"'Twas done with Indian skill," said the scout laughing inwardly, but
-with vast satisfaction; "and 'twas a pretty sight to behold! Though an
-arrow is a near shot, and needs a knife to finish the work."
-
-"Hugh!" ejaculated his companion, turning quickly, like a hound who
-scented game.
-
-"By the Lord, there is a drove of them!" exclaimed the scout, whose eyes
-began to glisten with the ardor of his usual occupation; "if they come
-within range of a bullet I will drop one, though the whole Six Nations
-should be lurking within sound! What do you hear, Chingachgook? for to
-my ears the woods are dumb."
-
-"There is but one deer, and he is dead," said the Indian, bending his
-body till his ear nearly touched the earth. "I hear the sounds of feet!"
-
-"Perhaps the wolves have driven the buck to shelter, and are following
-on his trail."
-
-"No. The horses of white men are coming!" returned the other, raising
-himself with dignity, and resuming his seat on the log with his former
-composure. "Hawkeye, they are your brothers; speak to them."
-
-"That I will, and in English that the king needn't be ashamed to
-answer," returned the hunter, speaking in the language of which he
-boasted; "but I see nothing, nor do I hear the sounds of man or beast;
-'tis strange that an Indian should understand white sounds better than a
-man who, his very enemies will own, has no cross in his blood, although
-he may have lived with the red skins long enough to be suspected! Ha!
-there goes something like the cracking of a dry stick, too--now I hear
-the bushes move--yes, yes, there is a trampling that I mistook for
-the falls--and--but here they come themselves; God keep them from the
-Iroquois!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 4
-
-     "Well go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove
-     Till I torment thee for this injury."--Midsummer Night's Dream.
-
-The words were still in the mouth of the scout, when the leader of the
-party, whose approaching footsteps had caught the vigilant ear of the
-Indian, came openly into view. A beaten path, such as those made by the
-periodical passage of the deer, wound through a little glen at no great
-distance, and struck the river at the point where the white man and his
-red companions had posted themselves. Along this track the travelers,
-who had produced a surprise so unusual in the depths of the forest,
-advanced slowly toward the hunter, who was in front of his associates,
-in readiness to receive them.
-
-"Who comes?" demanded the scout, throwing his rifle carelessly across
-his left arm, and keeping the forefinger of his right hand on the
-trigger, though he avoided all appearance of menace in the act. "Who
-comes hither, among the beasts and dangers of the wilderness?"
-
-"Believers in religion, and friends to the law and to the king,"
-returned he who rode foremost. "Men who have journeyed since the rising
-sun, in the shades of this forest, without nourishment, and are sadly
-tired of their wayfaring."
-
-"You are, then, lost," interrupted the hunter, "and have found how
-helpless 'tis not to know whether to take the right hand or the left?"
-
-"Even so; sucking babes are not more dependent on those who guide them
-than we who are of larger growth, and who may now be said to possess the
-stature without the knowledge of men. Know you the distance to a post of
-the crown called William Henry?"
-
-"Hoot!" shouted the scout, who did not spare his open laughter, though
-instantly checking the dangerous sounds he indulged his merriment at
-less risk of being overheard by any lurking enemies. "You are as much
-off the scent as a hound would be, with Horican atwixt him and the deer!
-William Henry, man! if you are friends to the king and have business
-with the army, your way would be to follow the river down to Edward, and
-lay the matter before Webb, who tarries there, instead of pushing into
-the defiles, and driving this saucy Frenchman back across Champlain,
-into his den again."
-
-Before the stranger could make any reply to this unexpected proposition,
-another horseman dashed the bushes aside, and leaped his charger into
-the pathway, in front of his companion.
-
-"What, then, may be our distance from Fort Edward?" demanded a new
-speaker; "the place you advise us to seek we left this morning, and our
-destination is the head of the lake."
-
-"Then you must have lost your eyesight afore losing your way, for the
-road across the portage is cut to a good two rods, and is as grand a
-path, I calculate, as any that runs into London, or even before the
-palace of the king himself."
-
-"We will not dispute concerning the excellence of the passage," returned
-Heyward, smiling; for, as the reader has anticipated, it was he. "It is
-enough, for the present, that we trusted to an Indian guide to take
-us by a nearer, though blinder path, and that we are deceived in his
-knowledge. In plain words, we know not where we are."
-
-"An Indian lost in the woods!" said the scout, shaking his head
-doubtingly; "When the sun is scorching the tree tops, and the water
-courses are full; when the moss on every beech he sees will tell him in
-what quarter the north star will shine at night. The woods are full
-of deer-paths which run to the streams and licks, places well known to
-everybody; nor have the geese done their flight to the Canada waters
-altogether! 'Tis strange that an Indian should be lost atwixt Horican
-and the bend in the river! Is he a Mohawk?"
-
-"Not by birth, though adopted in that tribe; I think his birthplace was
-farther north, and he is one of those you call a Huron."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the two companions of the scout, who had continued
-until this part of the dialogue, seated immovable, and apparently
-indifferent to what passed, but who now sprang to their feet with an
-activity and interest that had evidently got the better of their reserve
-by surprise.
-
-"A Huron!" repeated the sturdy scout, once more shaking his head in
-open distrust; "they are a thievish race, nor do I care by whom they are
-adopted; you can never make anything of them but skulks and vagabonds.
-Since you trusted yourself to the care of one of that nation, I only
-wonder that you have not fallen in with more."
-
-"Of that there is little danger, since William Henry is so many miles
-in our front. You forget that I have told you our guide is now a Mohawk,
-and that he serves with our forces as a friend."
-
-"And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo will die a Mingo," returned
-the other positively. "A Mohawk! No, give me a Delaware or a Mohican
-for honesty; and when they will fight, which they won't all do, having
-suffered their cunning enemies, the Maquas, to make them women--but
-when they will fight at all, look to a Delaware, or a Mohican, for a
-warrior!"
-
-"Enough of this," said Heyward, impatiently; "I wish not to inquire into
-the character of a man that I know, and to whom you must be a stranger.
-You have not yet answered my question; what is our distance from the
-main army at Edward?"
-
-"It seems that may depend on who is your guide. One would think such
-a horse as that might get over a good deal of ground atwixt sun-up and
-sun-down."
-
-"I wish no contention of idle words with you, friend," said Heyward,
-curbing his dissatisfied manner, and speaking in a more gentle voice;
-"if you will tell me the distance to Fort Edward, and conduct me
-thither, your labor shall not go without its reward."
-
-"And in so doing, how know I that I don't guide an enemy and a spy of
-Montcalm, to the works of the army? It is not every man who can speak
-the English tongue that is an honest subject."
-
-"If you serve with the troops, of whom I judge you to be a scout, you
-should know of such a regiment of the king as the Sixtieth."
-
-"The Sixtieth! you can tell me little of the Royal Americans that
-I don't know, though I do wear a hunting-shirt instead of a scarlet
-jacket."
-
-"Well, then, among other things, you may know the name of its major?"
-
-"Its major!" interrupted the hunter, elevating his body like one who was
-proud of his trust. "If there is a man in the country who knows Major
-Effingham, he stands before you."
-
-"It is a corps which has many majors; the gentleman you name is the
-senior, but I speak of the junior of them all; he who commands the
-companies in garrison at William Henry."
-
-"Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of vast riches, from one
-of the provinces far south, has got the place. He is over young, too,
-to hold such rank, and to be put above men whose heads are beginning to
-bleach; and yet they say he is a soldier in his knowledge, and a gallant
-gentleman!"
-
-"Whatever he may be, or however he may be qualified for his rank, he now
-speaks to you and, of course, can be no enemy to dread."
-
-The scout regarded Heyward in surprise, and then lifting his cap, he
-answered, in a tone less confident than before--though still expressing
-doubt.
-
-"I have heard a party was to leave the encampment this morning for the
-lake shore?"
-
-"You have heard the truth; but I preferred a nearer route, trusting to
-the knowledge of the Indian I mentioned."
-
-"And he deceived you, and then deserted?"
-
-"Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter, for he is to be found
-in the rear."
-
-"I should like to look at the creature; if it is a true Iroquois I
-can tell him by his knavish look, and by his paint," said the scout;
-stepping past the charger of Heyward, and entering the path behind the
-mare of the singing master, whose foal had taken advantage of the halt
-to exact the maternal contribution. After shoving aside the bushes,
-and proceeding a few paces, he encountered the females, who awaited
-the result of the conference with anxiety, and not entirely without
-apprehension. Behind these, the runner leaned against a tree, where he
-stood the close examination of the scout with an air unmoved, though
-with a look so dark and savage, that it might in itself excite fear.
-Satisfied with his scrutiny, the hunter soon left him. As he repassed
-the females, he paused a moment to gaze upon their beauty, answering to
-the smile and nod of Alice with a look of open pleasure. Thence he went
-to the side of the motherly animal, and spending a minute in a fruitless
-inquiry into the character of her rider, he shook his head and returned
-to Heyward.
-
-"A Mingo is a Mingo, and God having made him so, neither the Mohawks nor
-any other tribe can alter him," he said, when he had regained his former
-position. "If we were alone, and you would leave that noble horse at the
-mercy of the wolves to-night, I could show you the way to Edward myself,
-within an hour, for it lies only about an hour's journey hence; but with
-such ladies in your company 'tis impossible!"
-
-"And why? They are fatigued, but they are quite equal to a ride of a few
-more miles."
-
-"'Tis a natural impossibility!" repeated the scout; "I wouldn't walk
-a mile in these woods after night gets into them, in company with that
-runner, for the best rifle in the colonies. They are full of outlying
-Iroquois, and your mongrel Mohawk knows where to find them too well to
-be my companion."
-
-"Think you so?" said Heyward, leaning forward in the saddle, and
-dropping his voice nearly to a whisper; "I confess I have not been
-without my own suspicions, though I have endeavored to conceal them,
-and affected a confidence I have not always felt, on account of my
-companions. It was because I suspected him that I would follow no
-longer; making him, as you see, follow me."
-
-"I knew he was one of the cheats as soon as I laid eyes on him!"
-returned the scout, placing a finger on his nose, in sign of caution.
-
-"The thief is leaning against the foot of the sugar sapling, that you
-can see over them bushes; his right leg is in a line with the bark of
-the tree, and," tapping his rifle, "I can take him from where I stand,
-between the angle and the knee, with a single shot, putting an end
-to his tramping through the woods, for at least a month to come. If I
-should go back to him, the cunning varmint would suspect something, and
-be dodging through the trees like a frightened deer."
-
-"It will not do. He may be innocent, and I dislike the act. Though, if I
-felt confident of his treachery--"
-
-"'Tis a safe thing to calculate on the knavery of an Iroquois," said the
-scout, throwing his rifle forward, by a sort of instinctive movement.
-
-"Hold!" interrupted Heyward, "it will not do--we must think of some
-other scheme--and yet, I have much reason to believe the rascal has
-deceived me."
-
-The hunter, who had already abandoned his intention of maiming the
-runner, mused a moment, and then made a gesture, which instantly brought
-his two red companions to his side. They spoke together earnestly in the
-Delaware language, though in an undertone; and by the gestures of
-the white man, which were frequently directed towards the top of the
-sapling, it was evident he pointed out the situation of their hidden
-enemy. His companions were not long in comprehending his wishes, and
-laying aside their firearms, they parted, taking opposite sides of
-the path, and burying themselves in the thicket, with such cautious
-movements, that their steps were inaudible.
-
-"Now, go you back," said the hunter, speaking again to Heyward, "and
-hold the imp in talk; these Mohicans here will take him without breaking
-his paint."
-
-"Nay," said Heyward, proudly, "I will seize him myself."
-
-"Hist! what could you do, mounted, against an Indian in the bushes!"
-
-"I will dismount."
-
-"And, think you, when he saw one of your feet out of the stirrup, he
-would wait for the other to be free? Whoever comes into the woods to
-deal with the natives, must use Indian fashions, if he would wish to
-prosper in his undertakings. Go, then; talk openly to the miscreant, and
-seem to believe him the truest friend you have on 'arth."
-
-Heyward prepared to comply, though with strong disgust at the nature of
-the office he was compelled to execute. Each moment, however, pressed
-upon him a conviction of the critical situation in which he had suffered
-his invaluable trust to be involved through his own confidence. The sun
-had already disappeared, and the woods, suddenly deprived of his light*,
-were assuming a dusky hue, which keenly reminded him that the hour the
-savage usually chose for his most barbarous and remorseless acts
-of vengeance or hostility, was speedily drawing near. Stimulated by
-apprehension, he left the scout, who immediately entered into a loud
-conversation with the stranger that had so unceremoniously enlisted
-himself in the party of travelers that morning. In passing his gentler
-companions Heyward uttered a few words of encouragement, and was
-pleased to find that, though fatigued with the exercise of the day, they
-appeared to entertain no suspicion that their present embarrassment was
-other than the result of accident. Giving them reason to believe he
-was merely employed in a consultation concerning the future route,
-he spurred his charger, and drew the reins again when the animal had
-carried him within a few yards of the place where the sullen runner
-still stood, leaning against the tree.
-
-     * The scene of this tale was in the 42d degree of latitude,
-     where the twilight is never of long continuation.
-
-"You may see, Magua," he said, endeavoring to assume an air of freedom
-and confidence, "that the night is closing around us, and yet we are no
-nearer to William Henry than when we left the encampment of Webb with
-the rising sun.
-
-"You have missed the way, nor have I been more fortunate. But, happily,
-we have fallen in with a hunter, he whom you hear talking to the singer,
-that is acquainted with the deerpaths and by-ways of the woods, and
-who promises to lead us to a place where we may rest securely till the
-morning."
-
-The Indian riveted his glowing eyes on Heyward as he asked, in his
-imperfect English, "Is he alone?"
-
-"Alone!" hesitatingly answered Heyward, to whom deception was too new to
-be assumed without embarrassment. "Oh! not alone, surely, Magua, for you
-know that we are with him."
-
-"Then Le Renard Subtil will go," returned the runner, coolly raising
-his little wallet from the place where it had lain at his feet; "and the
-pale faces will see none but their own color."
-
-"Go! Whom call you Le Renard?"
-
-"'Tis the name his Canada fathers have given to Magua," returned the
-runner, with an air that manifested his pride at the distinction. "Night
-is the same as day to Le Subtil, when Munro waits for him."
-
-"And what account will Le Renard give the chief of William Henry
-concerning his daughters? Will he dare to tell the hot-blooded Scotsman
-that his children are left without a guide, though Magua promised to be
-one?"
-
-"Though the gray head has a loud voice, and a long arm, Le Renard will
-not hear him, nor feel him, in the woods."
-
-"But what will the Mohawks say? They will make him petticoats, and bid
-him stay in the wigwam with the women, for he is no longer to be trusted
-with the business of a man."
-
-"Le Subtil knows the path to the great lakes, and he can find the bones
-of his fathers," was the answer of the unmoved runner.
-
-"Enough, Magua," said Heyward; "are we not friends? Why should there be
-bitter words between us? Munro has promised you a gift for your services
-when performed, and I shall be your debtor for another. Rest your weary
-limbs, then, and open your wallet to eat. We have a few moments to
-spare; let us not waste them in talk like wrangling women. When the
-ladies are refreshed we will proceed."
-
-"The pale faces make themselves dogs to their women," muttered the
-Indian, in his native language, "and when they want to eat, their
-warriors must lay aside the tomahawk to feed their laziness."
-
-"What say you, Renard?"
-
-"Le Subtil says it is good."
-
-The Indian then fastened his eyes keenly on the open countenance of
-Heyward, but meeting his glance, he turned them quickly away, and
-seating himself deliberately on the ground, he drew forth the remnant of
-some former repast, and began to eat, though not without first bending
-his looks slowly and cautiously around him.
-
-"This is well," continued Heyward; "and Le Renard will have strength and
-sight to find the path in the morning"; he paused, for sounds like the
-snapping of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose from the
-adjacent bushes, but recollecting himself instantly, he continued, "we
-must be moving before the sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our path,
-and shut us out from the fortress."
-
-The hand of Magua dropped from his mouth to his side, and though
-his eyes were fastened on the ground, his head was turned aside, his
-nostrils expanded, and his ears seemed even to stand more erect than
-usual, giving to him the appearance of a statue that was made to
-represent intense attention.
-
-Heyward, who watched his movements with a vigilant eye, carelessly
-extricated one of his feet from the stirrup, while he passed a hand
-toward the bear-skin covering of his holsters.
-
-Every effort to detect the point most regarded by the runner was
-completely frustrated by the tremulous glances of his organs, which
-seemed not to rest a single instant on any particular object, and which,
-at the same time, could be hardly said to move. While he hesitated how
-to proceed, Le Subtil cautiously raised himself to his feet, though with
-a motion so slow and guarded, that not the slightest noise was produced
-by the change. Heyward felt it had now become incumbent on him to act.
-Throwing his leg over the saddle, he dismounted, with a determination to
-advance and seize his treacherous companion, trusting the result to his
-own manhood. In order, however, to prevent unnecessary alarm, he still
-preserved an air of calmness and friendship.
-
-"Le Renard Subtil does not eat," he said, using the appellation he had
-found most flattering to the vanity of the Indian. "His corn is not
-well parched, and it seems dry. Let me examine; perhaps something may be
-found among my own provisions that will help his appetite."
-
-Magua held out the wallet to the proffer of the other. He even suffered
-their hands to meet, without betraying the least emotion, or varying his
-riveted attitude of attention. But when he felt the fingers of Heyward
-moving gently along his own naked arm, he struck up the limb of the
-young man, and, uttering a piercing cry, he darted beneath it, and
-plunged, at a single bound, into the opposite thicket. At the next
-instant the form of Chingachgook appeared from the bushes, looking like
-a specter in its paint, and glided across the path in swift pursuit.
-Next followed the shout of Uncas, when the woods were lighted by a
-sudden flash, that was accompanied by the sharp report of the hunter's
-rifle.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 5
-
-                 ..."In such a night
-     Did This be fearfully o'ertrip the dew;
-     And saw the lion's shadow ere himself."--Merchant of Venice
-
-The suddenness of the flight of his guide, and the wild cries of the
-pursuers, caused Heyward to remain fixed, for a few moments, in inactive
-surprise. Then recollecting the importance of securing the fugitive, he
-dashed aside the surrounding bushes, and pressed eagerly forward to lend
-his aid in the chase. Before he had, however, proceeded a hundred yards,
-he met the three foresters already returning from their unsuccessful
-pursuit.
-
-"Why so soon disheartened!" he exclaimed; "the scoundrel must be
-concealed behind some of these trees, and may yet be secured. We are not
-safe while he goes at large."
-
-"Would you set a cloud to chase the wind?" returned the disappointed
-scout; "I heard the imp brushing over the dry leaves, like a black
-snake, and blinking a glimpse of him, just over ag'in yon big pine, I
-pulled as it might be on the scent; but 'twouldn't do! and yet for a
-reasoning aim, if anybody but myself had touched the trigger, I should
-call it a quick sight; and I may be accounted to have experience in
-these matters, and one who ought to know. Look at this sumach; its
-leaves are red, though everybody knows the fruit is in the yellow
-blossom in the month of July!"
-
-"'Tis the blood of Le Subtil! he is hurt, and may yet fall!"
-
-"No, no," returned the scout, in decided disapprobation of this opinion,
-"I rubbed the bark off a limb, perhaps, but the creature leaped the
-longer for it. A rifle bullet acts on a running animal, when it barks
-him, much the same as one of your spurs on a horse; that is, it quickens
-motion, and puts life into the flesh, instead of taking it away. But
-when it cuts the ragged hole, after a bound or two, there is, commonly,
-a stagnation of further leaping, be it Indian or be it deer!"
-
-"We are four able bodies, to one wounded man!"
-
-"Is life grievous to you?" interrupted the scout. "Yonder red devil
-would draw you within swing of the tomahawks of his comrades, before you
-were heated in the chase. It was an unthoughtful act in a man who has so
-often slept with the war-whoop ringing in the air, to let off his piece
-within sound of an ambushment! But then it was a natural temptation!
-'twas very natural! Come, friends, let us move our station, and in such
-fashion, too, as will throw the cunning of a Mingo on a wrong scent, or
-our scalps will be drying in the wind in front of Montcalm's marquee,
-ag'in this hour to-morrow."
-
-This appalling declaration, which the scout uttered with the cool
-assurance of a man who fully comprehended, while he did not fear to face
-the danger, served to remind Heyward of the importance of the charge
-with which he himself had been intrusted. Glancing his eyes around, with
-a vain effort to pierce the gloom that was thickening beneath the
-leafy arches of the forest, he felt as if, cut off from human aid,
-his unresisting companions would soon lie at the entire mercy of those
-barbarous enemies, who, like beasts of prey, only waited till the
-gathering darkness might render their blows more fatally certain. His
-awakened imagination, deluded by the deceptive light, converted each
-waving bush, or the fragment of some fallen tree, into human forms, and
-twenty times he fancied he could distinguish the horrid visages of
-his lurking foes, peering from their hiding places, in never ceasing
-watchfulness of the movements of his party. Looking upward, he found
-that the thin fleecy clouds, which evening had painted on the blue
-sky, were already losing their faintest tints of rose-color, while the
-imbedded stream, which glided past the spot where he stood, was to be
-traced only by the dark boundary of its wooded banks.
-
-"What is to be done!" he said, feeling the utter helplessness of doubt
-in such a pressing strait; "desert me not, for God's sake! remain to
-defend those I escort, and freely name your own reward!"
-
-His companions, who conversed apart in the language of their tribe,
-heeded not this sudden and earnest appeal. Though their dialogue was
-maintained in low and cautious sounds, but little above a whisper,
-Heyward, who now approached, could easily distinguish the earnest tones
-of the younger warrior from the more deliberate speeches of his seniors.
-It was evident that they debated on the propriety of some measure, that
-nearly concerned the welfare of the travelers. Yielding to his powerful
-interest in the subject, and impatient of a delay that seemed fraught
-with so much additional danger, Heyward drew still nigher to the dusky
-group, with an intention of making his offers of compensation more
-definite, when the white man, motioning with his hand, as if he conceded
-the disputed point, turned away, saying in a sort of soliloquy, and in
-the English tongue:
-
-"Uncas is right! it would not be the act of men to leave such harmless
-things to their fate, even though it breaks up the harboring place
-forever. If you would save these tender blossoms from the fangs of
-the worst of serpents, gentleman, you have neither time to lose nor
-resolution to throw away!"
-
-"How can such a wish be doubted! Have I not already offered--"
-
-"Offer your prayers to Him who can give us wisdom to circumvent the
-cunning of the devils who fill these woods," calmly interrupted the
-scout, "but spare your offers of money, which neither you may live to
-realize, nor I to profit by. These Mohicans and I will do what man's
-thoughts can invent, to keep such flowers, which, though so sweet, were
-never made for the wilderness, from harm, and that without hope of
-any other recompense but such as God always gives to upright dealings.
-First, you must promise two things, both in your own name and for your
-friends, or without serving you we shall only injure ourselves!"
-
-"Name them."
-
-"The one is, to be still as these sleeping woods, let what will happen
-and the other is, to keep the place where we shall take you, forever a
-secret from all mortal men."
-
-"I will do my utmost to see both these conditions fulfilled."
-
-"Then follow, for we are losing moments that are as precious as the
-heart's blood to a stricken deer!"
-
-Heyward could distinguish the impatient gesture of the scout, through
-the increasing shadows of the evening, and he moved in his footsteps,
-swiftly, toward the place where he had left the remainder of the
-party. When they rejoined the expecting and anxious females, he briefly
-acquainted them with the conditions of their new guide, and with the
-necessity that existed for their hushing every apprehension in instant
-and serious exertions. Although his alarming communication was not
-received without much secret terror by the listeners, his earnest and
-impressive manner, aided perhaps by the nature of the danger, succeeded
-in bracing their nerves to undergo some unlooked-for and unusual trial.
-Silently, and without a moment's delay, they permitted him to assist
-them from their saddles, and when they descended quickly to the water's
-edge, where the scout had collected the rest of the party, more by the
-agency of expressive gestures than by any use of words.
-
-"What to do with these dumb creatures!" muttered the white man, on whom
-the sole control of their future movements appeared to devolve; "it
-would be time lost to cut their throats, and cast them into the river;
-and to leave them here would be to tell the Mingoes that they have not
-far to seek to find their owners!"
-
-"Then give them their bridles, and let them range the woods," Heyward
-ventured to suggest.
-
-"No; it would be better to mislead the imps, and make them believe they
-must equal a horse's speed to run down their chase. Ay, ay, that will
-blind their fireballs of eyes! Chingach--Hist! what stirs the bush?"
-
-"The colt."
-
-"That colt, at least, must die," muttered the scout, grasping at the
-mane of the nimble beast, which easily eluded his hand; "Uncas, your
-arrows!"
-
-"Hold!" exclaimed the proprietor of the condemned animal, aloud, without
-regard to the whispering tones used by the others; "spare the foal
-of Miriam! it is the comely offspring of a faithful dam, and would
-willingly injure naught."
-
-"When men struggle for the single life God has given them," said the
-scout, sternly, "even their own kind seem no more than the beasts of the
-wood. If you speak again, I shall leave you to the mercy of the Maquas!
-Draw to your arrow's head, Uncas; we have no time for second blows."
-
-The low, muttering sounds of his threatening voice were still audible,
-when the wounded foal, first rearing on its hinder legs, plunged forward
-to its knees. It was met by Chingachgook, whose knife passed across its
-throat quicker than thought, and then precipitating the motions of the
-struggling victim, he dashed into the river, down whose stream it glided
-away, gasping audibly for breath with its ebbing life. This deed of
-apparent cruelty, but of real necessity, fell upon the spirits of the
-travelers like a terrific warning of the peril in which they stood,
-heightened as it was by the calm though steady resolution of the actors
-in the scene. The sisters shuddered and clung closer to each other,
-while Heyward instinctively laid his hand on one of the pistols he had
-just drawn from their holsters, as he placed himself between his charge
-and those dense shadows that seemed to draw an impenetrable veil before
-the bosom of the forest.
-
-The Indians, however, hesitated not a moment, but taking the bridles,
-they led the frightened and reluctant horses into the bed of the river.
-
-At a short distance from the shore they turned, and were soon concealed
-by the projection of the bank, under the brow of which they moved, in
-a direction opposite to the course of the waters. In the meantime, the
-scout drew a canoe of bark from its place of concealment beneath some
-low bushes, whose branches were waving with the eddies of the current,
-into which he silently motioned for the females to enter. They complied
-without hesitation, though many a fearful and anxious glance was thrown
-behind them, toward the thickening gloom, which now lay like a dark
-barrier along the margin of the stream.
-
-So soon as Cora and Alice were seated, the scout, without regarding the
-element, directed Heyward to support one side of the frail vessel,
-and posting himself at the other, they bore it up against the stream,
-followed by the dejected owner of the dead foal. In this manner they
-proceeded, for many rods, in a silence that was only interrupted by the
-rippling of the water, as its eddies played around them, or the low dash
-made by their own cautious footsteps. Heyward yielded the guidance of
-the canoe implicitly to the scout, who approached or receded from the
-shore, to avoid the fragments of rocks, or deeper parts of the river,
-with a readiness that showed his knowledge of the route they held.
-Occasionally he would stop; and in the midst of a breathing stillness,
-that the dull but increasing roar of the waterfall only served to render
-more impressive, he would listen with painful intenseness, to catch any
-sounds that might arise from the slumbering forest. When assured that
-all was still, and unable to detect, even by the aid of his practiced
-senses, any sign of his approaching foes, he would deliberately resume
-his slow and guarded progress. At length they reached a point in the
-river where the roving eye of Heyward became riveted on a cluster of
-black objects, collected at a spot where the high bank threw a deeper
-shadow than usual on the dark waters. Hesitating to advance, he pointed
-out the place to the attention of his companion.
-
-"Ay," returned the composed scout, "the Indians have hid the beasts with
-the judgment of natives! Water leaves no trail, and an owl's eyes would
-be blinded by the darkness of such a hole."
-
-The whole party was soon reunited, and another consultation was held
-between the scout and his new comrades, during which, they, whose fates
-depended on the faith and ingenuity of these unknown foresters, had a
-little leisure to observe their situation more minutely.
-
-The river was confined between high and cragged rocks, one of which
-impended above the spot where the canoe rested. As these, again, were
-surmounted by tall trees, which appeared to totter on the brows of the
-precipice, it gave the stream the appearance of running through a deep
-and narrow dell. All beneath the fantastic limbs and ragged tree tops,
-which were, here and there, dimly painted against the starry zenith,
-lay alike in shadowed obscurity. Behind them, the curvature of the banks
-soon bounded the view by the same dark and wooded outline; but in front,
-and apparently at no great distance, the water seemed piled against
-the heavens, whence it tumbled into caverns, out of which issued those
-sullen sounds that had loaded the evening atmosphere. It seemed, in
-truth, to be a spot devoted to seclusion, and the sisters imbibed a
-soothing impression of security, as they gazed upon its romantic though
-not unappalling beauties. A general movement among their conductors,
-however, soon recalled them from a contemplation of the wild charms that
-night had assisted to lend the place to a painful sense of their real
-peril.
-
-The horses had been secured to some scattering shrubs that grew in the
-fissures of the rocks, where, standing in the water, they were left to
-pass the night. The scout directed Heyward and his disconsolate fellow
-travelers to seat themselves in the forward end of the canoe, and took
-possession of the other himself, as erect and steady as if he floated
-in a vessel of much firmer materials. The Indians warily retraced their
-steps toward the place they had left, when the scout, placing his pole
-against a rock, by a powerful shove, sent his frail bark directly into
-the turbulent stream. For many minutes the struggle between the light
-bubble in which they floated and the swift current was severe and
-doubtful. Forbidden to stir even a hand, and almost afraid to breath,
-lest they should expose the frail fabric to the fury of the stream,
-the passengers watched the glancing waters in feverish suspense.
-Twenty times they thought the whirling eddies were sweeping them to
-destruction, when the master-hand of their pilot would bring the bows of
-the canoe to stem the rapid. A long, a vigorous, and, as it appeared
-to the females, a desperate effort, closed the struggle. Just as Alice
-veiled her eyes in horror, under the impression that they were about
-to be swept within the vortex at the foot of the cataract, the canoe
-floated, stationary, at the side of a flat rock, that lay on a level
-with the water.
-
-"Where are we, and what is next to be done!" demanded Heyward,
-perceiving that the exertions of the scout had ceased.
-
-"You are at the foot of Glenn's," returned the other, speaking aloud,
-without fear of consequences within the roar of the cataract; "and the
-next thing is to make a steady landing, lest the canoe upset, and you
-should go down again the hard road we have traveled faster than you came
-up; 'tis a hard rift to stem, when the river is a little swelled; and
-five is an unnatural number to keep dry, in a hurry-skurry, with a
-little birchen bark and gum. There, go you all on the rock, and I will
-bring up the Mohicans with the venison. A man had better sleep without
-his scalp, than famish in the midst of plenty."
-
-His passengers gladly complied with these directions. As the last foot
-touched the rock, the canoe whirled from its station, when the tall form
-of the scout was seen, for an instant, gliding above the waters, before
-it disappeared in the impenetrable darkness that rested on the bed of
-the river. Left by their guide, the travelers remained a few minutes in
-helpless ignorance, afraid even to move along the broken rocks, lest a
-false step should precipitate them down some one of the many deep and
-roaring caverns, into which the water seemed to tumble, on every side
-of them. Their suspense, however, was soon relieved; for, aided by the
-skill of the natives, the canoe shot back into the eddy, and floated
-again at the side of the low rock, before they thought the scout had
-even time to rejoin his companions.
-
-"We are now fortified, garrisoned, and provisioned," cried Heyward
-cheerfully, "and may set Montcalm and his allies at defiance. How, now,
-my vigilant sentinel, can see anything of those you call the Iroquois,
-on the main land!"
-
-"I call them Iroquois, because to me every native, who speaks a foreign
-tongue, is accounted an enemy, though he may pretend to serve the king!
-If Webb wants faith and honesty in an Indian, let him bring out the
-tribes of the Delawares, and send these greedy and lying Mohawks and
-Oneidas, with their six nations of varlets, where in nature they belong,
-among the French!"
-
-"We should then exchange a warlike for a useless friend! I have heard
-that the Delawares have laid aside the hatchet, and are content to be
-called women!"
-
-"Aye, shame on the Hollanders and Iroquois, who circumvented them by
-their deviltries, into such a treaty! But I have known them for twenty
-years, and I call him liar that says cowardly blood runs in the veins
-of a Delaware. You have driven their tribes from the seashore, and would
-now believe what their enemies say, that you may sleep at night upon an
-easy pillow. No, no; to me, every Indian who speaks a foreign tongue
-is an Iroquois, whether the castle* of his tribe be in Canada, or be in
-York."
-
-     * The principal villages of the Indians are still called
-     "castles" by the whites of New York. "Oneida castle" is no
-     more than a scattered hamlet; but the name is in general
-     use.
-
-Heyward, perceiving that the stubborn adherence of the scout to the
-cause of his friends the Delawares, or Mohicans, for they were branches
-of the same numerous people, was likely to prolong a useless discussion,
-changed the subject.
-
-"Treaty or no treaty, I know full well that your two companions are
-brave and cautious warriors! have they heard or seen anything of our
-enemies!"
-
-"An Indian is a mortal to be felt afore he is seen," returned the scout,
-ascending the rock, and throwing the deer carelessly down. "I trust to
-other signs than such as come in at the eye, when I am outlying on the
-trail of the Mingoes."
-
-"Do your ears tell you that they have traced our retreat?"
-
-"I should be sorry to think they had, though this is a spot that stout
-courage might hold for a smart scrimmage. I will not deny, however,
-but the horses cowered when I passed them, as though they scented the
-wolves; and a wolf is a beast that is apt to hover about an Indian
-ambushment, craving the offals of the deer the savages kill."
-
-"You forget the buck at your feet! or, may we not owe their visit to the
-dead colt? Ha! what noise is that?"
-
-"Poor Miriam!" murmured the stranger; "thy foal was foreordained to
-become a prey to ravenous beasts!" Then, suddenly lifting up his voice,
-amid the eternal din of the waters, he sang aloud: "First born of Egypt,
-smite did he, Of mankind, and of beast also: O, Egypt! wonders sent
-'midst thee, On Pharaoh and his servants too!"
-
-"The death of the colt sits heavy on the heart of its owner," said the
-scout; "but it's a good sign to see a man account upon his dumb friends.
-He has the religion of the matter, in believing what is to happen will
-happen; and with such a consolation, it won't be long afore he submits
-to the rationality of killing a four-footed beast to save the lives of
-human men. It may be as you say," he continued, reverting to the purport
-of Heyward's last remark; "and the greater the reason why we should cut
-our steaks, and let the carcass drive down the stream, or we shall have
-the pack howling along the cliffs, begrudging every mouthful we swallow.
-Besides, though the Delaware tongue is the same as a book to the
-Iroquois, the cunning varlets are quick enough at understanding the
-reason of a wolf's howl."
-
-The scout, while making his remarks, was busied in collecting certain
-necessary implements; as he concluded, he moved silently by the group
-of travelers, accompanied by the Mohicans, who seemed to comprehend his
-intentions with instinctive readiness, when the whole three
-disappeared in succession, seeming to vanish against the dark face of
-a perpendicular rock that rose to the height of a few yards, within as
-many feet of the water's edge.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 6
-
-     "Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide;
-     He wales a portion with judicious care;
-     And 'Let us worship God', he says, with solemn air."--Burns
-
-Heyward and his female companions witnessed this mysterious movement
-with secret uneasiness; for, though the conduct of the white man had
-hitherto been above reproach, his rude equipments, blunt address,
-and strong antipathies, together with the character of his silent
-associates, were all causes for exciting distrust in minds that had been
-so recently alarmed by Indian treachery.
-
-The stranger alone disregarded the passing incidents. He seated
-himself on a projection of the rocks, whence he gave no other signs
-of consciousness than by the struggles of his spirit, as manifested in
-frequent and heavy sighs. Smothered voices were next heard, as though
-men called to each other in the bowels of the earth, when a sudden light
-flashed upon those without, and laid bare the much-prized secret of the
-place.
-
-At the further extremity of a narrow, deep cavern in the rock, whose
-length appeared much extended by the perspective and the nature of the
-light by which it was seen, was seated the scout, holding a blazing
-knot of pine. The strong glare of the fire fell full upon his sturdy,
-weather-beaten countenance and forest attire, lending an air of romantic
-wildness to the aspect of an individual, who, seen by the sober light of
-day, would have exhibited the peculiarities of a man remarkable for the
-strangeness of his dress, the iron-like inflexibility of his frame,
-and the singular compound of quick, vigilant sagacity, and of exquisite
-simplicity, that by turns usurped the possession of his muscular
-features. At a little distance in advance stood Uncas, his whole person
-thrown powerfully into view. The travelers anxiously regarded the
-upright, flexible figure of the young Mohican, graceful and unrestrained
-in the attitudes and movements of nature. Though his person was more
-than usually screened by a green and fringed hunting-shirt, like that of
-the white man, there was no concealment to his dark, glancing, fearless
-eye, alike terrible and calm; the bold outline of his high, haughty
-features, pure in their native red; or to the dignified elevation of his
-receding forehead, together with all the finest proportions of a noble
-head, bared to the generous scalping tuft. It was the first opportunity
-possessed by Duncan and his companions to view the marked lineaments of
-either of their Indian attendants, and each individual of the party felt
-relieved from a burden of doubt, as the proud and determined, though
-wild expression of the features of the young warrior forced itself on
-their notice. They felt it might be a being partially benighted in the
-vale of ignorance, but it could not be one who would willingly devote
-his rich natural gifts to the purposes of wanton treachery. The
-ingenuous Alice gazed at his free air and proud carriage, as she would
-have looked upon some precious relic of the Grecian chisel, to which
-life had been imparted by the intervention of a miracle; while Heyward,
-though accustomed to see the perfection of form which abounds among
-the uncorrupted natives, openly expressed his admiration at such an
-unblemished specimen of the noblest proportions of man.
-
-"I could sleep in peace," whispered Alice, in reply, "with such a
-fearless and generous-looking youth for my sentinel. Surely, Duncan,
-those cruel murders, those terrific scenes of torture, of which we read
-and hear so much, are never acted in the presence of such as he!"
-
-"This certainly is a rare and brilliant instance of those natural
-qualities in which these peculiar people are said to excel," he
-answered. "I agree with you, Alice, in thinking that such a front and
-eye were formed rather to intimidate than to deceive; but let us not
-practice a deception upon ourselves, by expecting any other exhibition
-of what we esteem virtue than according to the fashion of the savage.
-As bright examples of great qualities are but too uncommon among
-Christians, so are they singular and solitary with the Indians; though,
-for the honor of our common nature, neither are incapable of producing
-them. Let us then hope that this Mohican may not disappoint our wishes,
-but prove what his looks assert him to be, a brave and constant friend."
-
-"Now Major Heyward speaks as Major Heyward should," said Cora; "who that
-looks at this creature of nature, remembers the shade of his skin?"
-
-A short and apparently an embarrassed silence succeeded this remark,
-which was interrupted by the scout calling to them, aloud, to enter.
-
-"This fire begins to show too bright a flame," he continued, as they
-complied, "and might light the Mingoes to our undoing. Uncas, drop the
-blanket, and show the knaves its dark side. This is not such a supper
-as a major of the Royal Americans has a right to expect, but I've
-known stout detachments of the corps glad to eat their venison raw, and
-without a relish, too*. Here, you see, we have plenty of salt, and can
-make a quick broil. There's fresh sassafras boughs for the ladies to sit
-on, which may not be as proud as their my-hog-guinea chairs, but which
-sends up a sweeter flavor, than the skin of any hog can do, be it of
-Guinea, or be it of any other land. Come, friend, don't be mournful for
-the colt; 'twas an innocent thing, and had not seen much hardship. Its
-death will save the creature many a sore back and weary foot!"
-
-     * In vulgar parlance the condiments of a repast are called
-     by the American "a relish," substituting the thing for its
-     effect. These provincial terms are frequently put in the
-     mouths of the speakers, according to their several
-     conditions in life. Most of them are of local use, and
-     others quite peculiar to the particular class of men to
-     which the character belongs. In the present instance, the
-     scout uses the word with immediate reference to the "salt,"
-     with which his own party was so fortunate as to be provided.
-
-Uncas did as the other had directed, and when the voice of Hawkeye
-ceased, the roar of the cataract sounded like the rumbling of distant
-thunder.
-
-"Are we quite safe in this cavern?" demanded Heyward. "Is there no
-danger of surprise? A single armed man, at its entrance, would hold us
-at his mercy."
-
-A spectral-looking figure stalked from out of the darkness behind the
-scout, and seizing a blazing brand, held it toward the further extremity
-of their place of retreat. Alice uttered a faint shriek, and even Cora
-rose to her feet, as this appalling object moved into the light; but
-a single word from Heyward calmed them, with the assurance it was only
-their attendant, Chingachgook, who, lifting another blanket, discovered
-that the cavern had two outlets. Then, holding the brand, he crossed
-a deep, narrow chasm in the rocks which ran at right angles with the
-passage they were in, but which, unlike that, was open to the heavens,
-and entered another cave, answering to the description of the first, in
-every essential particular.
-
-"Such old foxes as Chingachgook and myself are not often caught in a
-barrow with one hole," said Hawkeye, laughing; "you can easily see the
-cunning of the place--the rock is black limestone, which everybody knows
-is soft; it makes no uncomfortable pillow, where brush and pine wood is
-scarce; well, the fall was once a few yards below us, and I dare to say
-was, in its time, as regular and as handsome a sheet of water as any
-along the Hudson. But old age is a great injury to good looks, as these
-sweet young ladies have yet to l'arn! The place is sadly changed! These
-rocks are full of cracks, and in some places they are softer than at
-othersome, and the water has worked out deep hollows for itself, until
-it has fallen back, ay, some hundred feet, breaking here and wearing
-there, until the falls have neither shape nor consistency."
-
-"In what part of them are we?" asked Heyward.
-
-"Why, we are nigh the spot that Providence first placed them at, but
-where, it seems, they were too rebellious to stay. The rock proved
-softer on each side of us, and so they left the center of the river bare
-and dry, first working out these two little holes for us to hide in."
-
-"We are then on an island!"
-
-"Ay! there are the falls on two sides of us, and the river above and
-below. If you had daylight, it would be worth the trouble to step up
-on the height of this rock, and look at the perversity of the water. It
-falls by no rule at all; sometimes it leaps, sometimes it tumbles;
-there it skips; here it shoots; in one place 'tis white as snow, and in
-another 'tis green as grass; hereabouts, it pitches into deep hollows,
-that rumble and crush the 'arth; and thereaways, it ripples and sings
-like a brook, fashioning whirlpools and gullies in the old stone, as if
-'twas no harder than trodden clay. The whole design of the river seems
-disconcerted. First it runs smoothly, as if meaning to go down the
-descent as things were ordered; then it angles about and faces the
-shores; nor are there places wanting where it looks backward, as if
-unwilling to leave the wilderness, to mingle with the salt. Ay, lady,
-the fine cobweb-looking cloth you wear at your throat is coarse,
-and like a fishnet, to little spots I can show you, where the river
-fabricates all sorts of images, as if having broke loose from order, it
-would try its hand at everything. And yet what does it amount to! After
-the water has been suffered so to have its will, for a time, like a
-headstrong man, it is gathered together by the hand that made it, and a
-few rods below you may see it all, flowing on steadily toward the sea,
-as was foreordained from the first foundation of the 'arth!"
-
-While his auditors received a cheering assurance of the security of
-their place of concealment from this untutored description of Glenn's,*
-they were much inclined to judge differently from Hawkeye, of its wild
-beauties. But they were not in a situation to suffer their thoughts to
-dwell on the charms of natural objects; and, as the scout had not found
-it necessary to cease his culinary labors while he spoke, unless to
-point out, with a broken fork, the direction of some particularly
-obnoxious point in the rebellious stream, they now suffered their
-attention to be drawn to the necessary though more vulgar consideration
-of their supper.
-
-     * Glenn's Falls are on the Hudson, some forty or fifty miles
-     above the head of tide, or that place where the river
-     becomes navigable for sloops. The description of this
-     picturesque and remarkable little cataract, as given by the
-     scout, is sufficiently correct, though the application of
-     the water to uses of civilized life has materially injured
-     its beauties. The rocky island and the two caverns are known
-     to every traveler, since the former sustains the pier of a
-     bridge, which is now thrown across the river, immediately
-     above the fall. In explanation of the taste of Hawkeye, it
-     should be remembered that men always prize that most which
-     is least enjoyed. Thus, in a new country, the woods and
-     other objects, which in an old country would be maintained
-     at great cost, are got rid of, simply with a view of
-     "improving" as it is called.
-
-The repast, which was greatly aided by the addition of a few delicacies
-that Heyward had the precaution to bring with him when they left their
-horses, was exceedingly refreshing to the weary party. Uncas acted as
-attendant to the females, performing all the little offices within his
-power, with a mixture of dignity and anxious grace, that served to amuse
-Heyward, who well knew that it was an utter innovation on the
-Indian customs, which forbid their warriors to descend to any menial
-employment, especially in favor of their women. As the rights of
-hospitality were, however, considered sacred among them, this little
-departure from the dignity of manhood excited no audible comment. Had
-there been one there sufficiently disengaged to become a close observer,
-he might have fancied that the services of the young chief were not
-entirely impartial. That while he tendered to Alice the gourd of sweet
-water, and the venison in a trencher, neatly carved from the knot of the
-pepperidge, with sufficient courtesy, in performing the same offices
-to her sister, his dark eye lingered on her rich, speaking countenance.
-Once or twice he was compelled to speak, to command her attention
-of those he served. In such cases he made use of English, broken and
-imperfect, but sufficiently intelligible, and which he rendered so mild
-and musical, by his deep, guttural voice, that it never failed to cause
-both ladies to look up in admiration and astonishment. In the course
-of these civilities, a few sentences were exchanged, that served to
-establish the appearance of an amicable intercourse between the parties.
-
-In the meanwhile, the gravity of Chingcachgook remained immovable. He
-had seated himself more within the circle of light, where the frequent,
-uneasy glances of his guests were better enabled to separate the natural
-expression of his face from the artificial terrors of the war paint.
-They found a strong resemblance between father and son, with the
-difference that might be expected from age and hardships. The fierceness
-of his countenance now seemed to slumber, and in its place was to be
-seen the quiet, vacant composure which distinguishes an Indian warrior,
-when his faculties are not required for any of the greater purposes
-of his existence. It was, however, easy to be seen, by the occasional
-gleams that shot across his swarthy visage, that it was only necessary
-to arouse his passions, in order to give full effect to the terrific
-device which he had adopted to intimidate his enemies. On the other
-hand, the quick, roving eye of the scout seldom rested. He ate and
-drank with an appetite that no sense of danger could disturb, but his
-vigilance seemed never to desert him. Twenty times the gourd or the
-venison was suspended before his lips, while his head was turned aside,
-as though he listened to some distant and distrusted sounds--a movement
-that never failed to recall his guests from regarding the novelties
-of their situation, to a recollection of the alarming reasons that had
-driven them to seek it. As these frequent pauses were never followed by
-any remark, the momentary uneasiness they created quickly passed away,
-and for a time was forgotten.
-
-"Come, friend," said Hawkeye, drawing out a keg from beneath a cover of
-leaves, toward the close of the repast, and addressing the stranger
-who sat at his elbow, doing great justice to his culinary skill, "try
-a little spruce; 'twill wash away all thoughts of the colt, and quicken
-the life in your bosom. I drink to our better friendship, hoping that
-a little horse-flesh may leave no heart-burnings atween us. How do you
-name yourself?"
-
-"Gamut--David Gamut," returned the singing master, preparing to wash
-down his sorrows in a powerful draught of the woodsman's high-flavored
-and well-laced compound.
-
-"A very good name, and, I dare say, handed down from honest forefathers.
-I'm an admirator of names, though the Christian fashions fall far below
-savage customs in this particular. The biggest coward I ever knew as
-called Lyon; and his wife, Patience, would scold you out of hearing
-in less time than a hunted deer would run a rod. With an Indian 'tis a
-matter of conscience; what he calls himself, he generally is--not that
-Chingachgook, which signifies Big Sarpent, is really a snake, big or
-little; but that he understands the windings and turnings of human
-natur', and is silent, and strikes his enemies when they least expect
-him. What may be your calling?"
-
-"I am an unworthy instructor in the art of psalmody."
-
-"Anan!"
-
-"I teach singing to the youths of the Connecticut levy."
-
-"You might be better employed. The young hounds go laughing and singing
-too much already through the woods, when they ought not to breathe
-louder than a fox in his cover. Can you use the smoothbore, or handle
-the rifle?"
-
-"Praised be God, I have never had occasion to meddle with murderous
-implements!"
-
-"Perhaps you understand the compass, and lay down the watercourses and
-mountains of the wilderness on paper, in order that they who follow may
-find places by their given names?"
-
-"I practice no such employment."
-
-"You have a pair of legs that might make a long path seem short! you
-journey sometimes, I fancy, with tidings for the general."
-
-"Never; I follow no other than my own high vocation, which is
-instruction in sacred music!"
-
-"'Tis a strange calling!" muttered Hawkeye, with an inward laugh, "to
-go through life, like a catbird, mocking all the ups and downs that may
-happen to come out of other men's throats. Well, friend, I suppose it
-is your gift, and mustn't be denied any more than if 'twas shooting, or
-some other better inclination. Let us hear what you can do in that way;
-'twill be a friendly manner of saying good-night, for 'tis time that
-these ladies should be getting strength for a hard and a long push, in
-the pride of the morning, afore the Maquas are stirring."
-
-"With joyful pleasure do I consent", said David, adjusting his
-iron-rimmed spectacles, and producing his beloved little volume,
-which he immediately tendered to Alice. "What can be more fitting
-and consolatory, than to offer up evening praise, after a day of such
-exceeding jeopardy!"
-
-Alice smiled; but, regarding Heyward, she blushed and hesitated.
-
-"Indulge yourself," he whispered; "ought not the suggestion of the
-worthy namesake of the Psalmist to have its weight at such a moment?"
-
-Encouraged by his opinion, Alice did what her pious inclinations, and
-her keen relish for gentle sounds, had before so strongly urged. The
-book was open at a hymn not ill adapted to their situation, and in which
-the poet, no longer goaded by his desire to excel the inspired King
-of Israel, had discovered some chastened and respectable powers. Cora
-betrayed a disposition to support her sister, and the sacred song
-proceeded, after the indispensable preliminaries of the pitchpipe, and
-the tune had been duly attended to by the methodical David.
-
-The air was solemn and slow. At times it rose to the fullest compass of
-the rich voices of the females, who hung over their little book in holy
-excitement, and again it sank so low, that the rushing of the waters ran
-through their melody, like a hollow accompaniment. The natural taste and
-true ear of David governed and modified the sounds to suit the confined
-cavern, every crevice and cranny of which was filled with the thrilling
-notes of their flexible voices. The Indians riveted their eyes on the
-rocks, and listened with an attention that seemed to turn them into
-stone. But the scout, who had placed his chin in his hand, with an
-expression of cold indifference, gradually suffered his rigid features
-to relax, until, as verse succeeded verse, he felt his iron nature
-subdued, while his recollection was carried back to boyhood, when his
-ears had been accustomed to listen to similar sounds of praise, in the
-settlements of the colony. His roving eyes began to moisten, and before
-the hymn was ended scalding tears rolled out of fountains that had long
-seemed dry, and followed each other down those cheeks, that had oftener
-felt the storms of heaven than any testimonials of weakness. The singers
-were dwelling on one of those low, dying chords, which the ear devours
-with such greedy rapture, as if conscious that it is about to lose them,
-when a cry, that seemed neither human nor earthly, rose in the outward
-air, penetrating not only the recesses of the cavern, but to the inmost
-hearts of all who heard it. It was followed by a stillness apparently
-as deep as if the waters had been checked in their furious progress, at
-such a horrid and unusual interruption.
-
-"What is it?" murmured Alice, after a few moments of terrible suspense.
-
-"What is it?" repeated Hewyard aloud.
-
-Neither Hawkeye nor the Indians made any reply. They listened, as if
-expecting the sound would be repeated, with a manner that expressed
-their own astonishment. At length they spoke together, earnestly, in the
-Delaware language, when Uncas, passing by the inner and most concealed
-aperture, cautiously left the cavern. When he had gone, the scout first
-spoke in English.
-
-"What it is, or what it is not, none here can tell, though two of us
-have ranged the woods for more than thirty years. I did believe there
-was no cry that Indian or beast could make, that my ears had not heard;
-but this has proved that I was only a vain and conceited mortal."
-
-"Was it not, then, the shout the warriors make when they wish to
-intimidate their enemies?" asked Cora who stood drawing her veil about
-her person, with a calmness to which her agitated sister was a stranger.
-
-"No, no; this was bad, and shocking, and had a sort of unhuman sound;
-but when you once hear the war-whoop, you will never mistake it for
-anything else. Well, Uncas!" speaking in Delaware to the young chief as
-he re-entered, "what see you? do our lights shine through the blankets?"
-
-The answer was short, and apparently decided, being given in the same
-tongue.
-
-"There is nothing to be seen without," continued Hawkeye, shaking his
-head in discontent; "and our hiding-place is still in darkness. Pass
-into the other cave, you that need it, and seek for sleep; we must
-be afoot long before the sun, and make the most of our time to get to
-Edward, while the Mingoes are taking their morning nap."
-
-Cora set the example of compliance, with a steadiness that taught the
-more timid Alice the necessity of obedience. Before leaving the place,
-however, she whispered a request to Duncan, that he would follow. Uncas
-raised the blanket for their passage, and as the sisters turned to thank
-him for this act of attention, they saw the scout seated again before
-the dying embers, with his face resting on his hands, in a manner which
-showed how deeply he brooded on the unaccountable interruption which had
-broken up their evening devotions.
-
-Heyward took with him a blazing knot, which threw a dim light through
-the narrow vista of their new apartment. Placing it in a favorable
-position, he joined the females, who now found themselves alone with
-him for the first time since they had left the friendly ramparts of Fort
-Edward.
-
-"Leave us not, Duncan," said Alice: "we cannot sleep in such a place as
-this, with that horrid cry still ringing in our ears."
-
-"First let us examine into the security of your fortress," he answered,
-"and then we will speak of rest."
-
-He approached the further end of the cavern, to an outlet, which, like
-the others, was concealed by blankets; and removing the thick screen,
-breathed the fresh and reviving air from the cataract. One arm of the
-river flowed through a deep, narrow ravine, which its current had
-worn in the soft rock, directly beneath his feet, forming an effectual
-defense, as he believed, against any danger from that quarter; the
-water, a few rods above them, plunging, glancing, and sweeping along in
-its most violent and broken manner.
-
-"Nature has made an impenetrable barrier on this side," he continued,
-pointing down the perpendicular declivity into the dark current before
-he dropped the blanket; "and as you know that good men and true are on
-guard in front I see no reason why the advice of our honest host should
-be disregarded. I am certain Cora will join me in saying that sleep is
-necessary to you both."
-
-"Cora may submit to the justice of your opinion though she cannot put it
-in practice," returned the elder sister, who had placed herself by the
-side of Alice, on a couch of sassafras; "there would be other causes to
-chase away sleep, though we had been spared the shock of this mysterious
-noise. Ask yourself, Heyward, can daughters forget the anxiety a father
-must endure, whose children lodge he knows not where or how, in such a
-wilderness, and in the midst of so many perils?"
-
-"He is a soldier, and knows how to estimate the chances of the woods."
-
-"He is a father, and cannot deny his nature."
-
-"How kind has he ever been to all my follies, how tender and indulgent
-to all my wishes!" sobbed Alice. "We have been selfish, sister, in
-urging our visit at such hazard."
-
-"I may have been rash in pressing his consent in a moment of much
-embarrassment, but I would have proved to him, that however others might
-neglect him in his strait his children at least were faithful."
-
-"When he heard of your arrival at Edward," said Heyward, kindly, "there
-was a powerful struggle in his bosom between fear and love; though
-the latter, heightened, if possible, by so long a separation, quickly
-prevailed. 'It is the spirit of my noble-minded Cora that leads them,
-Duncan', he said, 'and I will not balk it. Would to God, that he who
-holds the honor of our royal master in his guardianship, would show but
-half her firmness!'"
-
-"And did he not speak of me, Heyward?" demanded Alice, with jealous
-affection; "surely, he forgot not altogether his little Elsie?"
-
-"That were impossible," returned the young man; "he called you by a
-thousand endearing epithets, that I may not presume to use, but to the
-justice of which, I can warmly testify. Once, indeed, he said--"
-
-Duncan ceased speaking; for while his eyes were riveted on those of
-Alice, who had turned toward him with the eagerness of filial affection,
-to catch his words, the same strong, horrid cry, as before, filled the
-air, and rendered him mute. A long, breathless silence succeeded, during
-which each looked at the others in fearful expectation of hearing the
-sound repeated. At length, the blanket was slowly raised, and the scout
-stood in the aperture with a countenance whose firmness evidently
-began to give way before a mystery that seemed to threaten some danger,
-against which all his cunning and experience might prove of no avail.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 7
-
-     "They do not sleep,
-     On yonder cliffs, a grizzly band,
-     I see them sit."--Gray
-
-"'Twould be neglecting a warning that is given for our good to lie hid
-any longer," said Hawkeye "when such sounds are raised in the forest.
-These gentle ones may keep close, but the Mohicans and I will watch upon
-the rock, where I suppose a major of the Sixtieth would wish to keep us
-company."
-
-"Is, then, our danger so pressing?" asked Cora.
-
-"He who makes strange sounds, and gives them out for man's information,
-alone knows our danger. I should think myself wicked, unto rebellion
-against His will, was I to burrow with such warnings in the air! Even
-the weak soul who passes his days in singing is stirred by the cry,
-and, as he says, is 'ready to go forth to the battle' If 'twere only a
-battle, it would be a thing understood by us all, and easily managed;
-but I have heard that when such shrieks are atween heaven and 'arth, it
-betokens another sort of warfare!"
-
-"If all our reasons for fear, my friend, are confined to such as proceed
-from supernatural causes, we have but little occasion to be alarmed,"
-continued the undisturbed Cora, "are you certain that our enemies have
-not invented some new and ingenious method to strike us with terror,
-that their conquest may become more easy?"
-
-"Lady," returned the scout, solemnly, "I have listened to all the sounds
-of the woods for thirty years, as a man will listen whose life and death
-depend on the quickness of his ears. There is no whine of the panther,
-no whistle of the catbird, nor any invention of the devilish Mingoes,
-that can cheat me! I have heard the forest moan like mortal men in their
-affliction; often, and again, have I listened to the wind playing
-its music in the branches of the girdled trees; and I have heard the
-lightning cracking in the air like the snapping of blazing brush as it
-spitted forth sparks and forked flames; but never have I thought that I
-heard more than the pleasure of him who sported with the things of his
-hand. But neither the Mohicans, nor I, who am a white man without a
-cross, can explain the cry just heard. We, therefore, believe it a sign
-given for our good."
-
-"It is extraordinary!" said Heyward, taking his pistols from the place
-where he had laid them on entering; "be it a sign of peace or a signal
-of war, it must be looked to. Lead the way, my friend; I follow."
-
-On issuing from their place of confinement, the whole party instantly
-experienced a grateful renovation of spirits, by exchanging the pent
-air of the hiding-place for the cool and invigorating atmosphere which
-played around the whirlpools and pitches of the cataract. A heavy
-evening breeze swept along the surface of the river, and seemed to drive
-the roar of the falls into the recesses of their own cavern, whence it
-issued heavily and constant, like thunder rumbling beyond the distant
-hills. The moon had risen, and its light was already glancing here and
-there on the waters above them; but the extremity of the rock where they
-stood still lay in shadow. With the exception of the sounds produced
-by the rushing waters, and an occasional breathing of the air, as it
-murmured past them in fitful currents, the scene was as still as night
-and solitude could make it. In vain were the eyes of each individual
-bent along the opposite shores, in quest of some signs of life, that
-might explain the nature of the interruption they had heard. Their
-anxious and eager looks were baffled by the deceptive light, or rested
-only on naked rocks, and straight and immovable trees.
-
-"Here is nothing to be seen but the gloom and quiet of a lovely
-evening," whispered Duncan; "how much should we prize such a scene, and
-all this breathing solitude, at any other moment, Cora! Fancy yourselves
-in security, and what now, perhaps, increases your terror, may be made
-conducive to enjoyment--"
-
-"Listen!" interrupted Alice.
-
-The caution was unnecessary. Once more the same sound arose, as if from
-the bed of the river, and having broken out of the narrow bounds of the
-cliffs, was heard undulating through the forest, in distant and dying
-cadences.
-
-"Can any here give a name to such a cry?" demanded Hawkeye, when the
-last echo was lost in the woods; "if so, let him speak; for myself, I
-judge it not to belong to 'arth!"
-
-"Here, then, is one who can undeceive you," said Duncan; "I know the
-sound full well, for often have I heard it on the field of battle, and
-in situations which are frequent in a soldier's life. 'Tis the horrid
-shriek that a horse will give in his agony; oftener drawn from him in
-pain, though sometimes in terror. My charger is either a prey to the
-beasts of the forest, or he sees his danger, without the power to avoid
-it. The sound might deceive me in the cavern, but in the open air I know
-it too well to be wrong."
-
-The scout and his companions listened to this simple explanation with
-the interest of men who imbibe new ideas, at the same time that they get
-rid of old ones, which had proved disagreeable inmates. The two latter
-uttered their usual expressive exclamation, "hugh!" as the truth first
-glanced upon their minds, while the former, after a short, musing pause,
-took upon himself to reply.
-
-"I cannot deny your words," he said, "for I am little skilled in horses,
-though born where they abound. The wolves must be hovering above their
-heads on the bank, and the timorsome creatures are calling on man
-for help, in the best manner they are able. Uncas"--he spoke in
-Delaware--"Uncas, drop down in the canoe, and whirl a brand among the
-pack; or fear may do what the wolves can't get at to perform, and leave
-us without horses in the morning, when we shall have so much need to
-journey swiftly!"
-
-The young native had already descended to the water to comply, when a
-long howl was raised on the edge of the river, and was borne swiftly
-off into the depths of the forest, as though the beasts, of their
-own accord, were abandoning their prey in sudden terror. Uncas, with
-instinctive quickness, receded, and the three foresters held another of
-their low, earnest conferences.
-
-"We have been like hunters who have lost the points of the heavens, and
-from whom the sun has been hid for days," said Hawkeye, turning away
-from his companions; "now we begin again to know the signs of our
-course, and the paths are cleared from briers! Seat yourselves in the
-shade which the moon throws from yonder beech--'tis thicker than that
-of the pines--and let us wait for that which the Lord may choose to
-send next. Let all your conversation be in whispers; though it would be
-better, and, perhaps, in the end, wiser, if each one held discourse with
-his own thoughts, for a time."
-
-The manner of the scout was seriously impressive, though no longer
-distinguished by any signs of unmanly apprehension. It was evident that
-his momentary weakness had vanished with the explanation of a mystery
-which his own experience had not served to fathom; and though he now
-felt all the realities of their actual condition, that he was prepared
-to meet them with the energy of his hardy nature. This feeling seemed
-also common to the natives, who placed themselves in positions which
-commanded a full view of both shores, while their own persons were
-effectually concealed from observation. In such circumstances, common
-prudence dictated that Heyward and his companions should imitate a
-caution that proceeded from so intelligent a source. The young man drew
-a pile of the sassafras from the cave, and placing it in the chasm which
-separated the two caverns, it was occupied by the sisters, who were
-thus protected by the rocks from any missiles, while their anxiety
-was relieved by the assurance that no danger could approach without
-a warning. Heyward himself was posted at hand, so near that he might
-communicate with his companions without raising his voice to a dangerous
-elevation; while David, in imitation of the woodsmen, bestowed his
-person in such a manner among the fissures of the rocks, that his
-ungainly limbs were no longer offensive to the eye.
-
-In this manner hours passed without further interruption. The moon
-reached the zenith, and shed its mild light perpendicularly on the
-lovely sight of the sisters slumbering peacefully in each other's arms.
-Duncan cast the wide shawl of Cora before a spectacle he so much loved
-to contemplate, and then suffered his own head to seek a pillow on the
-rock. David began to utter sounds that would have shocked his delicate
-organs in more wakeful moments; in short, all but Hawkeye and the
-Mohicans lost every idea of consciousness, in uncontrollable drowsiness.
-But the watchfulness of these vigilant protectors neither tired nor
-slumbered. Immovable as that rock, of which each appeared to form a
-part, they lay, with their eyes roving, without intermission, along the
-dark margin of trees, that bounded the adjacent shores of the narrow
-stream. Not a sound escaped them; the most subtle examination could
-not have told they breathed. It was evident that this excess of caution
-proceeded from an experience that no subtlety on the part of their
-enemies could deceive. It was, however, continued without any apparent
-consequences, until the moon had set, and a pale streak above the
-treetops, at the bend of the river a little below, announced the
-approach of day.
-
-Then, for the first time, Hawkeye was seen to stir. He crawled along the
-rock and shook Duncan from his heavy slumbers.
-
-"Now is the time to journey," he whispered; "awake the gentle ones, and
-be ready to get into the canoe when I bring it to the landing-place."
-
-"Have you had a quiet night?" said Heyward; "for myself, I believe sleep
-has got the better of my vigilance."
-
-"All is yet still as midnight. Be silent, but be quick."
-
-By this time Duncan was thoroughly awake, and he immediately lifted the
-shawl from the sleeping females. The motion caused Cora to raise her
-hand as if to repulse him, while Alice murmured, in her soft, gentle
-voice, "No, no, dear father, we were not deserted; Duncan was with us!"
-
-"Yes, sweet innocence," whispered the youth; "Duncan is here, and while
-life continues or danger remains, he will never quit thee. Cora! Alice!
-awake! The hour has come to move!"
-
-A loud shriek from the younger of the sisters, and the form of the other
-standing upright before him, in bewildered horror, was the unexpected
-answer he received.
-
-While the words were still on the lips of Heyward, there had arisen such
-a tumult of yells and cries as served to drive the swift currents of his
-own blood back from its bounding course into the fountains of his heart.
-It seemed, for near a minute, as if the demons of hell had possessed
-themselves of the air about them, and were venting their savage humors
-in barbarous sounds. The cries came from no particular direction, though
-it was evident they filled the woods, and, as the appalled listeners
-easily imagined, the caverns of the falls, the rocks, the bed of the
-river, and the upper air. David raised his tall person in the midst of
-the infernal din, with a hand on either ear, exclaiming:
-
-"Whence comes this discord! Has hell broke loose, that man should utter
-sounds like these!"
-
-The bright flashes and the quick reports of a dozen rifles, from the
-opposite banks of the stream, followed this incautious exposure of his
-person, and left the unfortunate singing master senseless on that rock
-where he had been so long slumbering. The Mohicans boldly sent back the
-intimidating yell of their enemies, who raised a shout of savage triumph
-at the fall of Gamut. The flash of rifles was then quick and close
-between them, but either party was too well skilled to leave even a limb
-exposed to the hostile aim. Duncan listened with intense anxiety for the
-strokes of the paddle, believing that flight was now their only refuge.
-The river glanced by with its ordinary velocity, but the canoe was
-nowhere to be seen on its dark waters. He had just fancied they were
-cruelly deserted by their scout, as a stream of flame issued from the
-rock beneath them, and a fierce yell, blended with a shriek of agony,
-announced that the messenger of death sent from the fatal weapon of
-Hawkeye, had found a victim. At this slight repulse the assailants
-instantly withdrew, and gradually the place became as still as before
-the sudden tumult.
-
-Duncan seized the favorable moment to spring to the body of Gamut,
-which he bore within the shelter of the narrow chasm that protected the
-sisters. In another minute the whole party was collected in this spot of
-comparative safety.
-
-"The poor fellow has saved his scalp," said Hawkeye, coolly passing his
-hand over the head of David; "but he is a proof that a man may be born
-with too long a tongue! 'Twas downright madness to show six feet of
-flesh and blood, on a naked rock, to the raging savages. I only wonder
-he has escaped with life."
-
-"Is he not dead?" demanded Cora, in a voice whose husky tones showed how
-powerfully natural horror struggled with her assumed firmness. "Can we
-do aught to assist the wretched man?"
-
-"No, no! the life is in his heart yet, and after he has slept awhile he
-will come to himself, and be a wiser man for it, till the hour of his
-real time shall come," returned Hawkeye, casting another oblique glance
-at the insensible body, while he filled his charger with admirable
-nicety. "Carry him in, Uncas, and lay him on the sassafras. The longer
-his nap lasts the better it will be for him, as I doubt whether he can
-find a proper cover for such a shape on these rocks; and singing won't
-do any good with the Iroquois."
-
-"You believe, then, the attack will be renewed?" asked Heyward.
-
-"Do I expect a hungry wolf will satisfy his craving with a mouthful!
-They have lost a man, and 'tis their fashion, when they meet a loss,
-and fail in the surprise, to fall back; but we shall have them on again,
-with new expedients to circumvent us, and master our scalps. Our main
-hope," he continued, raising his rugged countenance, across which a
-shade of anxiety just then passed like a darkening cloud, "will be to
-keep the rock until Munro can send a party to our help! God send it may
-be soon and under a leader that knows the Indian customs!"
-
-"You hear our probable fortunes, Cora," said Duncan, "and you know we
-have everything to hope from the anxiety and experience of your father.
-Come, then, with Alice, into this cavern, where you, at least, will be
-safe from the murderous rifles of our enemies, and where you may bestow
-a care suited to your gentle natures on our unfortunate comrade."
-
-The sisters followed him into the outer cave, where David was beginning,
-by his sighs, to give symptoms of returning consciousness, and then
-commending the wounded man to their attention, he immediately prepared
-to leave them.
-
-"Duncan!" said the tremulous voice of Cora, when he had reached the
-mouth of the cavern. He turned and beheld the speaker, whose color had
-changed to a deadly paleness, and whose lips quivered, gazing after him,
-with an expression of interest which immediately recalled him to her
-side. "Remember, Duncan, how necessary your safety is to our own--how
-you bear a father's sacred trust--how much depends on your discretion
-and care--in short," she added, while the telltale blood stole over her
-features, crimsoning her very temples, "how very deservedly dear you are
-to all of the name of Munro."
-
-"If anything could add to my own base love of life," said Heyward,
-suffering his unconscious eyes to wander to the youthful form of
-the silent Alice, "it would be so kind an assurance. As major of the
-Sixtieth, our honest host will tell you I must take my share of the
-fray; but our task will be easy; it is merely to keep these blood-hounds
-at bay for a few hours."
-
-Without waiting for a reply, he tore himself from the presence of the
-sisters, and joined the scout and his companions, who still lay within
-the protection of the little chasm between the two caves.
-
-"I tell you, Uncas," said the former, as Heyward joined them, "you are
-wasteful of your powder, and the kick of the rifle disconcerts your aim!
-Little powder, light lead, and a long arm, seldom fail of bringing the
-death screech from a Mingo! At least, such has been my experience with
-the creatur's. Come, friends: let us to our covers, for no man can tell
-when or where a Maqua* will strike his blow."
-
-     * Mingo was the Delaware term of the Five Nations. Maquas
-     was the name given them by the Dutch. The French, from their
-     first intercourse with them, called them Iroquois.
-
-The Indians silently repaired to their appointed stations, which were
-fissures in the rocks, whence they could command the approaches to the
-foot of the falls. In the center of the little island, a few short and
-stunted pines had found root, forming a thicket, into which Hawkeye
-darted with the swiftness of a deer, followed by the active Duncan. Here
-they secured themselves, as well as circumstances would permit, among
-the shrubs and fragments of stone that were scattered about the place.
-Above them was a bare, rounded rock, on each side of which the water
-played its gambols, and plunged into the abysses beneath, in the manner
-already described. As the day had now dawned, the opposite shores no
-longer presented a confused outline, but they were able to look into the
-woods, and distinguish objects beneath a canopy of gloomy pines.
-
-A long and anxious watch succeeded, but without any further evidences
-of a renewed attack; and Duncan began to hope that their fire had
-proved more fatal than was supposed, and that their enemies had been
-effectually repulsed. When he ventured to utter this impression to his
-companions, it was met by Hawkeye with an incredulous shake of the head.
-
-"You know not the nature of a Maqua, if you think he is so easily
-beaten back without a scalp!" he answered. "If there was one of the imps
-yelling this morning, there were forty! and they know our number and
-quality too well to give up the chase so soon. Hist! look into the water
-above, just where it breaks over the rocks. I am no mortal, if the risky
-devils haven't swam down upon the very pitch, and, as bad luck would
-have it, they have hit the head of the island. Hist! man, keep close! or
-the hair will be off your crown in the turning of a knife!"
-
-Heyward lifted his head from the cover, and beheld what he justly
-considered a prodigy of rashness and skill. The river had worn away the
-edge of the soft rock in such a manner as to render its first pitch
-less abrupt and perpendicular than is usual at waterfalls. With no other
-guide than the ripple of the stream where it met the head of the island,
-a party of their insatiable foes had ventured into the current, and
-swam down upon this point, knowing the ready access it would give, if
-successful, to their intended victims.
-
-As Hawkeye ceased speaking, four human heads could be seen peering above
-a few logs of drift-wood that had lodged on these naked rocks, and which
-had probably suggested the idea of the practicability of the hazardous
-undertaking. At the next moment, a fifth form was seen floating over the
-green edge of the fall, a little from the line of the island. The savage
-struggled powerfully to gain the point of safety, and, favored by the
-glancing water, he was already stretching forth an arm to meet the grasp
-of his companions, when he shot away again with the shirling current,
-appeared to rise into the air, with uplifted arms and starting eyeballs,
-and fell, with a sudden plunge, into that deep and yawning abyss over
-which he hovered. A single, wild, despairing shriek rose from the
-cavern, and all was hushed again as the grave.
-
-The first generous impulse of Duncan was to rush to the rescue of the
-hapless wretch; but he felt himself bound to the spot by the iron grasp
-of the immovable scout.
-
-"Would ye bring certain death upon us, by telling the Mingoes where we
-lie?" demanded Hawkeye, sternly; "'Tis a charge of powder saved, and
-ammunition is as precious now as breath to a worried deer! Freshen the
-priming of your pistols--the midst of the falls is apt to dampen the
-brimstone--and stand firm for a close struggle, while I fire on their
-rush."
-
-He placed a finger in his mouth, and drew a long, shrill whistle, which
-was answered from the rocks that were guarded by the Mohicans. Duncan
-caught glimpses of heads above the scattered drift-wood, as this signal
-rose on the air, but they disappeared again as suddenly as they had
-glanced upon his sight. A low, rustling sound next drew his attention
-behind him, and turning his head, he beheld Uncas within a few feet,
-creeping to his side. Hawkeye spoke to him in Delaware, when the young
-chief took his position with singular caution and undisturbed coolness.
-To Heyward this was a moment of feverish and impatient suspense; though
-the scout saw fit to select it as a fit occasion to read a lecture
-to his more youthful associates on the art of using firearms with
-discretion.
-
-"Of all we'pons," he commenced, "the long barreled, true-grooved,
-soft-metaled rifle is the most dangerous in skillful hands, though it
-wants a strong arm, a quick eye, and great judgment in charging, to put
-forth all its beauties. The gunsmiths can have but little insight into
-their trade when they make their fowling-pieces and short horsemen's--"
-
-He was interrupted by the low but expressive "hugh" of Uncas.
-
-"I see them, boy, I see them!" continued Hawkeye; "they are gathering
-for the rush, or they would keep their dingy backs below the logs. Well,
-let them," he added, examining his flint; "the leading man certainly
-comes on to his death, though it should be Montcalm himself!"
-
-At that moment the woods were filled with another burst of cries, and at
-the signal four savages sprang from the cover of the driftwood. Heyward
-felt a burning desire to rush forward to meet them, so intense was the
-delirious anxiety of the moment; but he was restrained by the deliberate
-examples of the scout and Uncas.
-
-When their foes, who had leaped over the black rocks that divided them,
-with long bounds, uttering the wildest yells, were within a few rods,
-the rifle of Hawkeye slowly rose among the shrubs, and poured out its
-fatal contents. The foremost Indian bounded like a stricken deer, and
-fell headlong among the clefts of the island.
-
-"Now, Uncas!" cried the scout, drawing his long knife, while his quick
-eyes began to flash with ardor, "take the last of the screeching imps;
-of the other two we are sartain!"
-
-He was obeyed; and but two enemies remained to be overcome. Heyward had
-given one of his pistols to Hawkeye, and together they rushed down a
-little declivity toward their foes; they discharged their weapons at the
-same instant, and equally without success.
-
-"I know'd it! and I said it!" muttered the scout, whirling the despised
-little implement over the falls with bitter disdain. "Come on, ye bloody
-minded hell-hounds! ye meet a man without a cross!"
-
-The words were barely uttered, when he encountered a savage of gigantic
-stature, of the fiercest mien. At the same moment, Duncan found himself
-engaged with the other, in a similar contest of hand to hand. With ready
-skill, Hawkeye and his antagonist each grasped that uplifted arm of
-the other which held the dangerous knife. For near a minute they stood
-looking one another in the eye, and gradually exerting the power of
-their muscles for the mastery.
-
-At length, the toughened sinews of the white man prevailed over the less
-practiced limbs of the native. The arm of the latter slowly gave way
-before the increasing force of the scout, who, suddenly wresting his
-armed hand from the grasp of the foe, drove the sharp weapon through his
-naked bosom to the heart. In the meantime, Heyward had been pressed in
-a more deadly struggle. His slight sword was snapped in the first
-encounter. As he was destitute of any other means of defense, his
-safety now depended entirely on bodily strength and resolution. Though
-deficient in neither of these qualities, he had met an enemy every way
-his equal. Happily, he soon succeeded in disarming his adversary, whose
-knife fell on the rock at their feet; and from this moment it became a
-fierce struggle who should cast the other over the dizzy height into a
-neighboring cavern of the falls. Every successive struggle brought them
-nearer to the verge, where Duncan perceived the final and conquering
-effort must be made. Each of the combatants threw all his energies into
-that effort, and the result was, that both tottered on the brink of the
-precipice. Heyward felt the grasp of the other at his throat, and
-saw the grim smile the savage gave, under the revengeful hope that he
-hurried his enemy to a fate similar to his own, as he felt his body
-slowly yielding to a resistless power, and the young man experienced the
-passing agony of such a moment in all its horrors. At that instant of
-extreme danger, a dark hand and glancing knife appeared before him; the
-Indian released his hold, as the blood flowed freely from around the
-severed tendons of the wrist; and while Duncan was drawn backward by the
-saving hand of Uncas, his charmed eyes still were riveted on the
-fierce and disappointed countenance of his foe, who fell sullenly and
-disappointed down the irrecoverable precipice.
-
-"To cover! to cover!" cried Hawkeye, who just then had despatched the
-enemy; "to cover, for your lives! the work is but half ended!"
-
-The young Mohican gave a shout of triumph, and followed by Duncan, he
-glided up the acclivity they had descended to the combat, and sought the
-friendly shelter of the rocks and shrubs.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 8
-
-     "They linger yet,
-     Avengers of their native land."--Gray
-
-The warning call of the scout was not uttered without occasion. During
-the occurrence of the deadly encounter just related, the roar of the
-falls was unbroken by any human sound whatever. It would seem that
-interest in the result had kept the natives on the opposite shores in
-breathless suspense, while the quick evolutions and swift changes in
-the positions of the combatants effectually prevented a fire that might
-prove dangerous alike to friend and enemy. But the moment the struggle
-was decided, a yell arose as fierce and savage as wild and revengeful
-passions could throw into the air. It was followed by the swift flashes
-of the rifles, which sent their leaden messengers across the rock in
-volleys, as though the assailants would pour out their impotent fury on
-the insensible scene of the fatal contest.
-
-A steady, though deliberate return was made from the rifle of
-Chingachgook, who had maintained his post throughout the fray with
-unmoved resolution. When the triumphant shout of Uncas was borne to his
-ears, the gratified father raised his voice in a single responsive cry,
-after which his busy piece alone proved that he still guarded his pass
-with unwearied diligence. In this manner many minutes flew by with the
-swiftness of thought; the rifles of the assailants speaking, at times,
-in rattling volleys, and at others in occasional, scattering shots.
-Though the rock, the trees, and the shrubs, were cut and torn in a
-hundred places around the besieged, their cover was so close, and so
-rigidly maintained, that, as yet, David had been the only sufferer in
-their little band.
-
-"Let them burn their powder," said the deliberate scout, while bullet
-after bullet whizzed by the place where he securely lay; "there will be
-a fine gathering of lead when it is over, and I fancy the imps will tire
-of the sport afore these old stones cry out for mercy! Uncas, boy, you
-waste the kernels by overcharging; and a kicking rifle never carries a
-true bullet. I told you to take that loping miscreant under the line
-of white point; now, if your bullet went a hair's breadth it went two
-inches above it. The life lies low in a Mingo, and humanity teaches us
-to make a quick end to the sarpents."
-
-A quiet smile lighted the haughty features of the young Mohican,
-betraying his knowledge of the English language as well as of the
-other's meaning; but he suffered it to pass away without vindication of
-reply.
-
-"I cannot permit you to accuse Uncas of want of judgment or of skill,"
-said Duncan; "he saved my life in the coolest and readiest manner, and
-he has made a friend who never will require to be reminded of the debt
-he owes."
-
-Uncas partly raised his body, and offered his hand to the grasp of
-Heyward. During this act of friendship, the two young men exchanged
-looks of intelligence which caused Duncan to forget the character and
-condition of his wild associate. In the meanwhile, Hawkeye, who looked
-on this burst of youthful feeling with a cool but kind regard made the
-following reply:
-
-"Life is an obligation which friends often owe each other in the
-wilderness. I dare say I may have served Uncas some such turn myself
-before now; and I very well remember that he has stood between me
-and death five different times; three times from the Mingoes, once in
-crossing Horican, and--"
-
-"That bullet was better aimed than common!" exclaimed Duncan,
-involuntarily shrinking from a shot which struck the rock at his side
-with a smart rebound.
-
-Hawkeye laid his hand on the shapeless metal, and shook his head, as he
-examined it, saying, "Falling lead is never flattened, had it come from
-the clouds this might have happened."
-
-But the rifle of Uncas was deliberately raised toward the heavens,
-directing the eyes of his companions to a point, where the mystery was
-immediately explained. A ragged oak grew on the right bank of the river,
-nearly opposite to their position, which, seeking the freedom of the
-open space, had inclined so far forward that its upper branches overhung
-that arm of the stream which flowed nearest to its own shore. Among the
-topmost leaves, which scantily concealed the gnarled and stunted limbs,
-a savage was nestled, partly concealed by the trunk of the tree, and
-partly exposed, as though looking down upon them to ascertain the effect
-produced by his treacherous aim.
-
-"These devils will scale heaven to circumvent us to our ruin," said
-Hawkeye; "keep him in play, boy, until I can bring 'killdeer' to bear,
-when we will try his metal on each side of the tree at once."
-
-Uncas delayed his fire until the scout uttered the word.
-
-The rifles flashed, the leaves and bark of the oak flew into the air,
-and were scattered by the wind, but the Indian answered their assault by
-a taunting laugh, sending down upon them another bullet in return, that
-struck the cap of Hawkeye from his head. Once more the savage yells
-burst out of the woods, and the leaden hail whistled above the heads of
-the besieged, as if to confine them to a place where they might become
-easy victims to the enterprise of the warrior who had mounted the tree.
-
-"This must be looked to," said the scout, glancing about him with
-an anxious eye. "Uncas, call up your father; we have need of all our
-we'pons to bring the cunning varmint from his roost."
-
-The signal was instantly given; and, before Hawkeye had reloaded his
-rifle, they were joined by Chingachgook. When his son pointed out to the
-experienced warrior the situation of their dangerous enemy, the
-usual exclamatory "hugh" burst from his lips; after which, no further
-expression of surprise or alarm was suffered to escape him. Hawkeye and
-the Mohicans conversed earnestly together in Delaware for a few moments,
-when each quietly took his post, in order to execute the plan they had
-speedily devised.
-
-The warrior in the oak had maintained a quick, though ineffectual fire,
-from the moment of his discovery. But his aim was interrupted by the
-vigilance of his enemies, whose rifles instantaneously bore on any
-part of his person that was left exposed. Still his bullets fell in the
-center of the crouching party. The clothes of Heyward, which rendered
-him peculiarly conspicuous, were repeatedly cut, and once blood was
-drawn from a slight wound in his arm.
-
-At length, emboldened by the long and patient watchfulness of his
-enemies, the Huron attempted a better and more fatal aim. The quick eyes
-of the Mohicans caught the dark line of his lower limbs incautiously
-exposed through the thin foliage, a few inches from the trunk of the
-tree. Their rifles made a common report, when, sinking on his wounded
-limb, part of the body of the savage came into view. Swift as thought,
-Hawkeye seized the advantage, and discharged his fatal weapon into the
-top of the oak. The leaves were unusually agitated; the dangerous rifle
-fell from its commanding elevation, and after a few moments of vain
-struggling, the form of the savage was seen swinging in the wind,
-while he still grasped a ragged and naked branch of the tree with hands
-clenched in desperation.
-
-"Give him, in pity, give him the contents of another rifle," cried
-Duncan, turning away his eyes in horror from the spectacle of a fellow
-creature in such awful jeopardy.
-
-"Not a karnel!" exclaimed the obdurate Hawkeye; "his death is certain,
-and we have no powder to spare, for Indian fights sometimes last for
-days; 'tis their scalps or ours! and God, who made us, has put into our
-natures the craving to keep the skin on the head."
-
-Against this stern and unyielding morality, supported as it was by such
-visible policy, there was no appeal. From that moment the yells in the
-forest once more ceased, the fire was suffered to decline, and all
-eyes, those of friends as well as enemies, became fixed on the hopeless
-condition of the wretch who was dangling between heaven and earth.
-The body yielded to the currents of air, and though no murmur or groan
-escaped the victim, there were instants when he grimly faced his foes,
-and the anguish of cold despair might be traced, through the intervening
-distance, in possession of his swarthy lineaments. Three several times
-the scout raised his piece in mercy, and as often, prudence getting the
-better of his intention, it was again silently lowered. At length one
-hand of the Huron lost its hold, and dropped exhausted to his side. A
-desperate and fruitless struggle to recover the branch succeeded, and
-then the savage was seen for a fleeting instant, grasping wildly at
-the empty air. The lightning is not quicker than was the flame from the
-rifle of Hawkeye; the limbs of the victim trembled and contracted, the
-head fell to the bosom, and the body parted the foaming waters like
-lead, when the element closed above it, in its ceaseless velocity, and
-every vestige of the unhappy Huron was lost forever.
-
-No shout of triumph succeeded this important advantage, but even the
-Mohicans gazed at each other in silent horror. A single yell burst
-from the woods, and all was again still. Hawkeye, who alone appeared to
-reason on the occasion, shook his head at his own momentary weakness,
-even uttering his self-disapprobation aloud.
-
-"'Twas the last charge in my horn and the last bullet in my pouch, and
-'twas the act of a boy!" he said; "what mattered it whether he struck
-the rock living or dead! feeling would soon be over. Uncas, lad, go down
-to the canoe, and bring up the big horn; it is all the powder we have
-left, and we shall need it to the last grain, or I am ignorant of the
-Mingo nature."
-
-The young Mohican complied, leaving the scout turning over the
-useless contents of his pouch, and shaking the empty horn with renewed
-discontent. From this unsatisfactory examination, however, he was soon
-called by a loud and piercing exclamation from Uncas, that sounded,
-even to the unpracticed ears of Duncan, as the signal of some new and
-unexpected calamity. Every thought filled with apprehension for the
-previous treasure he had concealed in the cavern, the young man started
-to his feet, totally regardless of the hazard he incurred by such an
-exposure. As if actuated by a common impulse, his movement was imitated
-by his companions, and, together they rushed down the pass to the
-friendly chasm, with a rapidity that rendered the scattering fire of
-their enemies perfectly harmless. The unwonted cry had brought the
-sisters, together with the wounded David, from their place of refuge;
-and the whole party, at a single glance, was made acquainted with the
-nature of the disaster that had disturbed even the practiced stoicism of
-their youthful Indian protector.
-
-At a short distance from the rock, their little bark was to be seen
-floating across the eddy, toward the swift current of the river, in a
-manner which proved that its course was directed by some hidden agent.
-The instant this unwelcome sight caught the eye of the scout, his rifle
-was leveled as by instinct, but the barrel gave no answer to the bright
-sparks of the flint.
-
-"'Tis too late, 'tis too late!" Hawkeye exclaimed, dropping the useless
-piece in bitter disappointment; "the miscreant has struck the rapid; and
-had we powder, it could hardly send the lead swifter than he now goes!"
-
-The adventurous Huron raised his head above the shelter of the canoe,
-and, while it glided swiftly down the stream, he waved his hand, and
-gave forth the shout, which was the known signal of success. His cry was
-answered by a yell and a laugh from the woods, as tauntingly exulting
-as if fifty demons were uttering their blasphemies at the fall of some
-Christian soul.
-
-"Well may you laugh, ye children of the devil!" said the scout, seating
-himself on a projection of the rock, and suffering his gun to fall
-neglected at his feet, "for the three quickest and truest rifles in
-these woods are no better than so many stalks of mullein, or the last
-year's horns of a buck!"
-
-"What is to be done?" demanded Duncan, losing the first feeling of
-disappointment in a more manly desire for exertion; "what will become of
-us?"
-
-Hawkeye made no other reply than by passing his finger around the crown
-of his head, in a manner so significant, that none who witnessed the
-action could mistake its meaning.
-
-"Surely, surely, our case is not so desperate!" exclaimed the youth;
-"the Hurons are not here; we may make good the caverns, we may oppose
-their landing."
-
-"With what?" coolly demanded the scout. "The arrows of Uncas, or such
-tears as women shed! No, no; you are young, and rich, and have friends,
-and at such an age I know it is hard to die! But," glancing his eyes at
-the Mohicans, "let us remember we are men without a cross, and let us
-teach these natives of the forest that white blood can run as freely as
-red, when the appointed hour is come."
-
-Duncan turned quickly in the direction indicated by the other's eyes,
-and read a confirmation of his worst apprehensions in the conduct of the
-Indians. Chingachgook, placing himself in a dignified posture on another
-fragment of the rock, had already laid aside his knife and tomahawk, and
-was in the act of taking the eagle's plume from his head, and smoothing
-the solitary tuft of hair in readiness to perform its last and revolting
-office. His countenance was composed, though thoughtful, while his dark,
-gleaming eyes were gradually losing the fierceness of the combat in
-an expression better suited to the change he expected momentarily to
-undergo.
-
-"Our case is not, cannot be so hopeless!" said Duncan; "even at this
-very moment succor may be at hand. I see no enemies! They have sickened
-of a struggle in which they risk so much with so little prospect of
-gain!"
-
-"It may be a minute, or it may be an hour, afore the wily sarpents steal
-upon us, and it is quite in natur' for them to be lying within hearing
-at this very moment," said Hawkeye; "but come they will, and in such
-a fashion as will leave us nothing to hope! Chingachgook"--he spoke in
-Delaware--"my brother, we have fought our last battle together, and the
-Maquas will triumph in the death of the sage man of the Mohicans, and of
-the pale face, whose eyes can make night as day, and level the clouds to
-the mists of the springs!"
-
-"Let the Mingo women go weep over the slain!" returned the Indian,
-with characteristic pride and unmoved firmness; "the Great Snake of the
-Mohicans has coiled himself in their wigwams, and has poisoned their
-triumph with the wailings of children, whose fathers have not returned!
-Eleven warriors lie hid from the graves of their tribes since the snows
-have melted, and none will tell where to find them when the tongue of
-Chingachgook shall be silent! Let them draw the sharpest knife, and
-whirl the swiftest tomahawk, for their bitterest enemy is in their
-hands. Uncas, topmost branch of a noble trunk, call on the cowards to
-hasten, or their hearts will soften, and they will change to women!"
-
-"They look among the fishes for their dead!" returned the low, soft
-voice of the youthful chieftain; "the Hurons float with the slimy eels!
-They drop from the oaks like fruit that is ready to be eaten! and the
-Delawares laugh!"
-
-"Ay, ay," muttered the scout, who had listened to this peculiar burst
-of the natives with deep attention; "they have warmed their Indian
-feelings, and they'll soon provoke the Maquas to give them a speedy end.
-As for me, who am of the whole blood of the whites, it is befitting that
-I should die as becomes my color, with no words of scoffing in my mouth,
-and without bitterness at the heart!"
-
-"Why die at all!" said Cora, advancing from the place where natural
-horror had, until this moment, held her riveted to the rock; "the path
-is open on every side; fly, then, to the woods, and call on God for
-succor. Go, brave men, we owe you too much already; let us no longer
-involve you in our hapless fortunes!"
-
-"You but little know the craft of the Iroquois, lady, if you judge they
-have left the path open to the woods!" returned Hawkeye, who, however,
-immediately added in his simplicity, "the down stream current, it is
-certain, might soon sweep us beyond the reach of their rifles or the
-sound of their voices."
-
-"Then try the river. Why linger to add to the number of the victims of
-our merciless enemies?"
-
-"Why," repeated the scout, looking about him proudly; "because it is
-better for a man to die at peace with himself than to live haunted by an
-evil conscience! What answer could we give Munro, when he asked us where
-and how we left his children?"
-
-"Go to him, and say that you left them with a message to hasten to
-their aid," returned Cora, advancing nigher to the scout in her generous
-ardor; "that the Hurons bear them into the northern wilds, but that
-by vigilance and speed they may yet be rescued; and if, after all, it
-should please heaven that his assistance come too late, bear to him,"
-she continued, her voice gradually lowering, until it seemed nearly
-choked, "the love, the blessings, the final prayers of his daughters,
-and bid him not mourn their early fate, but to look forward with humble
-confidence to the Christian's goal to meet his children." The hard,
-weather-beaten features of the scout began to work, and when she had
-ended, he dropped his chin to his hand, like a man musing profoundly on
-the nature of the proposal.
-
-"There is reason in her words!" at length broke from his compressed
-and trembling lips; "ay, and they bear the spirit of Christianity; what
-might be right and proper in a red-skin, may be sinful in a man who
-has not even a cross in blood to plead for his ignorance. Chingachgook!
-Uncas! hear you the talk of the dark-eyed woman?"
-
-He now spoke in Delaware to his companions, and his address, though calm
-and deliberate, seemed very decided. The elder Mohican heard with deep
-gravity, and appeared to ponder on his words, as though he felt the
-importance of their import. After a moment of hesitation, he waved his
-hand in assent, and uttered the English word "Good!" with the peculiar
-emphasis of his people. Then, replacing his knife and tomahawk in his
-girdle, the warrior moved silently to the edge of the rock which was
-most concealed from the banks of the river. Here he paused a moment,
-pointed significantly to the woods below, and saying a few words in his
-own language, as if indicating his intended route, he dropped into the
-water, and sank from before the eyes of the witnesses of his movements.
-
-The scout delayed his departure to speak to the generous girl, whose
-breathing became lighter as she saw the success of her remonstrance.
-
-"Wisdom is sometimes given to the young, as well as to the old," he
-said; "and what you have spoken is wise, not to call it by a better
-word. If you are led into the woods, that is such of you as may be
-spared for awhile, break the twigs on the bushes as you pass, and make
-the marks of your trail as broad as you can, when, if mortal eyes can
-see them, depend on having a friend who will follow to the ends of the
-'arth afore he desarts you."
-
-He gave Cora an affectionate shake of the hand, lifted his rifle,
-and after regarding it a moment with melancholy solicitude, laid it
-carefully aside, and descended to the place where Chingachgook had just
-disappeared. For an instant he hung suspended by the rock, and looking
-about him, with a countenance of peculiar care, he added bitterly, "Had
-the powder held out, this disgrace could never have befallen!" then,
-loosening his hold, the water closed above his head, and he also became
-lost to view.
-
-All eyes now were turned on Uncas, who stood leaning against the ragged
-rock, in immovable composure. After waiting a short time, Cora pointed
-down the river, and said:
-
-"Your friends have not been seen, and are now, most probably, in safety.
-Is it not time for you to follow?"
-
-"Uncas will stay," the young Mohican calmly answered in English.
-
-"To increase the horror of our capture, and to diminish the chances of
-our release! Go, generous young man," Cora continued, lowering her
-eyes under the gaze of the Mohican, and perhaps, with an intuitive
-consciousness of her power; "go to my father, as I have said, and be the
-most confidential of my messengers. Tell him to trust you with the means
-to buy the freedom of his daughters. Go! 'tis my wish, 'tis my prayer,
-that you will go!"
-
-The settled, calm look of the young chief changed to an expression of
-gloom, but he no longer hesitated. With a noiseless step he crossed the
-rock, and dropped into the troubled stream. Hardly a breath was drawn by
-those he left behind, until they caught a glimpse of his head emerging
-for air, far down the current, when he again sank, and was seen no more.
-
-These sudden and apparently successful experiments had all taken place
-in a few minutes of that time which had now become so precious. After
-a last look at Uncas, Cora turned and with a quivering lip, addressed
-herself to Heyward:
-
-"I have heard of your boasted skill in the water, too, Duncan," she
-said; "follow, then, the wise example set you by these simple and
-faithful beings."
-
-"Is such the faith that Cora Munro would exact from her protector?" said
-the young man, smiling mournfully, but with bitterness.
-
-"This is not a time for idle subtleties and false opinions," she
-answered; "but a moment when every duty should be equally considered. To
-us you can be of no further service here, but your precious life may be
-saved for other and nearer friends."
-
-He made no reply, though his eye fell wistfully on the beautiful form of
-Alice, who was clinging to his arm with the dependency of an infant.
-
-"Consider," continued Cora, after a pause, during which she seemed
-to struggle with a pang even more acute than any that her fears had
-excited, "that the worst to us can be but death; a tribute that all must
-pay at the good time of God's appointment."
-
-"There are evils worse than death," said Duncan, speaking hoarsely, and
-as if fretful at her importunity, "but which the presence of one who
-would die in your behalf may avert."
-
-Cora ceased her entreaties; and veiling her face in her shawl, drew the
-nearly insensible Alice after her into the deepest recess of the inner
-cavern.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 9
-
-     "Be gay securely;
-     Dispel, my fair, with smiles, the tim'rous clouds,
-     That hang on thy clear brow."--Death of Agrippina
-
-The sudden and almost magical change, from the stirring incidents of the
-combat to the stillness that now reigned around him, acted on the heated
-imagination of Heyward like some exciting dream. While all the images
-and events he had witnessed remained deeply impressed on his memory, he
-felt a difficulty in persuading him of their truth. Still ignorant of
-the fate of those who had trusted to the aid of the swift current, he
-at first listened intently to any signal or sounds of alarm, which might
-announce the good or evil fortune of their hazardous undertaking. His
-attention was, however, bestowed in vain; for with the disappearance of
-Uncas, every sign of the adventurers had been lost, leaving him in total
-uncertainty of their fate.
-
-In a moment of such painful doubt, Duncan did not hesitate to look
-around him, without consulting that protection from the rocks which just
-before had been so necessary to his safety. Every effort, however, to
-detect the least evidence of the approach of their hidden enemies was as
-fruitless as the inquiry after his late companions. The wooded banks of
-the river seemed again deserted by everything possessing animal life.
-The uproar which had so lately echoed through the vaults of the forest
-was gone, leaving the rush of the waters to swell and sink on the
-currents of the air, in the unmingled sweetness of nature. A fish-hawk,
-which, secure on the topmost branches of a dead pine, had been a distant
-spectator of the fray, now swooped from his high and ragged perch, and
-soared, in wide sweeps, above his prey; while a jay, whose noisy voice
-had been stilled by the hoarser cries of the savages, ventured again
-to open his discordant throat, as though once more in undisturbed
-possession of his wild domains. Duncan caught from these natural
-accompaniments of the solitary scene a glimmering of hope; and he began
-to rally his faculties to renewed exertions, with something like a
-reviving confidence of success.
-
-"The Hurons are not to be seen," he said, addressing David, who had
-by no means recovered from the effects of the stunning blow he had
-received; "let us conceal ourselves in the cavern, and trust the rest to
-Providence."
-
-"I remember to have united with two comely maidens, in lifting up
-our voices in praise and thanksgiving," returned the bewildered
-singing-master; "since which time I have been visited by a heavy
-judgment for my sins. I have been mocked with the likeness of sleep,
-while sounds of discord have rent my ears, such as might manifest the
-fullness of time, and that nature had forgotten her harmony."
-
-"Poor fellow! thine own period was, in truth, near its accomplishment!
-But arouse, and come with me; I will lead you where all other sounds but
-those of your own psalmody shall be excluded."
-
-"There is melody in the fall of the cataract, and the rushing of many
-waters is sweet to the senses!" said David, pressing his hand confusedly
-on his brow. "Is not the air yet filled with shrieks and cries, as
-though the departed spirits of the damned--"
-
-"Not now, not now," interrupted the impatient Heyward, "they have
-ceased, and they who raised them, I trust in God, they are gone, too!
-everything but the water is still and at peace; in, then, where you may
-create those sounds you love so well to hear."
-
-David smiled sadly, though not without a momentary gleam of pleasure, at
-this allusion to his beloved vocation. He no longer hesitated to be led
-to a spot which promised such unalloyed gratification to his wearied
-senses; and leaning on the arm of his companion, he entered the narrow
-mouth of the cave. Duncan seized a pile of the sassafras, which he
-drew before the passage, studiously concealing every appearance of an
-aperture. Within this fragile barrier he arranged the blankets abandoned
-by the foresters, darkening the inner extremity of the cavern, while its
-outer received a chastened light from the narrow ravine, through which
-one arm of the river rushed to form the junction with its sister branch
-a few rods below.
-
-"I like not the principle of the natives, which teaches them to submit
-without a struggle, in emergencies that appear desperate," he said,
-while busied in this employment; "our own maxim, which says, 'while
-life remains there is hope', is more consoling, and better suited to
-a soldier's temperament. To you, Cora, I will urge no words of idle
-encouragement; your own fortitude and undisturbed reason will teach
-you all that may become your sex; but cannot we dry the tears of that
-trembling weeper on your bosom?"
-
-"I am calmer, Duncan," said Alice, raising herself from the arms of her
-sister, and forcing an appearance of composure through her tears; "much
-calmer, now. Surely, in this hidden spot we are safe, we are secret,
-free from injury; we will hope everything from those generous men who
-have risked so much already in our behalf."
-
-"Now does our gentle Alice speak like a daughter of Munro!" said
-Heyward, pausing to press her hand as he passed toward the outer
-entrance of the cavern. "With two such examples of courage before him, a
-man would be ashamed to prove other than a hero." He then seated himself
-in the center of the cavern, grasping his remaining pistol with a hand
-convulsively clenched, while his contracted and frowning eye announced
-the sullen desperation of his purpose. "The Hurons, if they come, may
-not gain our position so easily as they think," he slowly muttered; and
-propping his head back against the rock, he seemed to await the result
-in patience, though his gaze was unceasingly bent on the open avenue to
-their place of retreat.
-
-With the last sound of his voice, a deep, a long, and almost breathless
-silence succeeded. The fresh air of the morning had penetrated the
-recess, and its influence was gradually felt on the spirits of its
-inmates. As minute after minute passed by, leaving them in undisturbed
-security, the insinuating feeling of hope was gradually gaining
-possession of every bosom, though each one felt reluctant to give
-utterance to expectations that the next moment might so fearfully
-destroy.
-
-David alone formed an exception to these varying emotions. A gleam of
-light from the opening crossed his wan countenance, and fell upon
-the pages of the little volume, whose leaves he was again occupied in
-turning, as if searching for some song more fitted to their condition
-than any that had yet met their eye. He was, most probably, acting all
-this time under a confused recollection of the promised consolation of
-Duncan. At length, it would seem, his patient industry found its reward;
-for, without explanation or apology, he pronounced aloud the words "Isle
-of Wight," drew a long, sweet sound from his pitch-pipe, and then ran
-through the preliminary modulations of the air whose name he had just
-mentioned, with the sweeter tones of his own musical voice.
-
-"May not this prove dangerous?" asked Cora, glancing her dark eye at
-Major Heyward.
-
-"Poor fellow! his voice is too feeble to be heard above the din of the
-falls," was the answer; "beside, the cavern will prove his friend. Let
-him indulge his passions since it may be done without hazard."
-
-"Isle of Wight!" repeated David, looking about him with that dignity
-with which he had long been wont to silence the whispering echoes of his
-school; "'tis a brave tune, and set to solemn words! let it be sung with
-meet respect!"
-
-After allowing a moment of stillness to enforce his discipline, the
-voice of the singer was heard, in low, murmuring syllables, gradually
-stealing on the ear, until it filled the narrow vault with sounds
-rendered trebly thrilling by the feeble and tremulous utterance produced
-by his debility. The melody, which no weakness could destroy, gradually
-wrought its sweet influence on the senses of those who heard it. It even
-prevailed over the miserable travesty of the song of David which the
-singer had selected from a volume of similar effusions, and caused the
-sense to be forgotten in the insinuating harmony of the sounds. Alice
-unconsciously dried her tears, and bent her melting eyes on the pallid
-features of Gamut, with an expression of chastened delight that she
-neither affected or wished to conceal. Cora bestowed an approving smile
-on the pious efforts of the namesake of the Jewish prince, and Heyward
-soon turned his steady, stern look from the outlet of the cavern, to
-fasten it, with a milder character, on the face of David, or to meet the
-wandering beams which at moments strayed from the humid eyes of Alice.
-The open sympathy of the listeners stirred the spirit of the votary of
-music, whose voice regained its richness and volume, without losing that
-touching softness which proved its secret charm. Exerting his renovated
-powers to their utmost, he was yet filling the arches of the cave
-with long and full tones, when a yell burst into the air without, that
-instantly stilled his pious strains, choking his voice suddenly, as
-though his heart had literally bounded into the passage of his throat.
-
-"We are lost!" exclaimed Alice, throwing herself into the arms of Cora.
-
-"Not yet, not yet," returned the agitated but undaunted Heyward: "the
-sound came from the center of the island, and it has been produced by
-the sight of their dead companions. We are not yet discovered, and there
-is still hope."
-
-Faint and almost despairing as was the prospect of escape, the words of
-Duncan were not thrown away, for it awakened the powers of the sisters
-in such a manner that they awaited the results in silence. A second yell
-soon followed the first, when a rush of voices was heard pouring down
-the island, from its upper to its lower extremity, until they reached
-the naked rock above the caverns, where, after a shout of savage
-triumph, the air continued full of horrible cries and screams, such
-as man alone can utter, and he only when in a state of the fiercest
-barbarity.
-
-The sounds quickly spread around them in every direction. Some called to
-their fellows from the water's edge, and were answered from the heights
-above. Cries were heard in the startling vicinity of the chasm between
-the two caves, which mingled with hoarser yells that arose out of the
-abyss of the deep ravine. In short, so rapidly had the savage sounds
-diffused themselves over the barren rock, that it was not difficult
-for the anxious listeners to imagine they could be heard beneath, as in
-truth they were above on every side of them.
-
-In the midst of this tumult, a triumphant yell was raised within a few
-yards of the hidden entrance to the cave. Heyward abandoned every hope,
-with the belief it was the signal that they were discovered. Again the
-impression passed away, as he heard the voices collect near the spot
-where the white man had so reluctantly abandoned his rifle. Amid the
-jargon of Indian dialects that he now plainly heard, it was easy to
-distinguish not only words, but sentences, in the patois of the Canadas.
-A burst of voices had shouted simultaneously, "La Longue Carabine!"
-causing the opposite woods to re-echo with a name which, Heyward well
-remembered, had been given by his enemies to a celebrated hunter and
-scout of the English camp, and who, he now learned for the first time,
-had been his late companion.
-
-"La Longue Carabine! La Longue Carabine!" passed from mouth to mouth,
-until the whole band appeared to be collected around a trophy which
-would seem to announce the death of its formidable owner. After a
-vociferous consultation, which was, at times, deafened by bursts of
-savage joy, they again separated, filling the air with the name of a
-foe, whose body, Heywood could collect from their expressions, they
-hoped to find concealed in some crevice of the island.
-
-"Now," he whispered to the trembling sisters, "now is the moment of
-uncertainty! if our place of retreat escape this scrutiny, we are
-still safe! In every event, we are assured, by what has fallen from our
-enemies, that our friends have escaped, and in two short hours we may
-look for succor from Webb."
-
-There were now a few minutes of fearful stillness, during which Heyward
-well knew that the savages conducted their search with greater vigilance
-and method. More than once he could distinguish their footsteps, as
-they brushed the sassafras, causing the faded leaves to rustle, and the
-branches to snap. At length, the pile yielded a little, a corner of a
-blanket fell, and a faint ray of light gleamed into the inner part of
-the cave. Cora folded Alice to her bosom in agony, and Duncan sprang
-to his feet. A shout was at that moment heard, as if issuing from the
-center of the rock, announcing that the neighboring cavern had at
-length been entered. In a minute, the number and loudness of the voices
-indicated that the whole party was collected in and around that secret
-place.
-
-As the inner passages to the two caves were so close to each other,
-Duncan, believing that escape was no longer possible, passed David and
-the sisters, to place himself between the latter and the first onset of
-the terrible meeting. Grown desperate by his situation, he drew nigh
-the slight barrier which separated him only by a few feet from his
-relentless pursuers, and placing his face to the casual opening, he even
-looked out with a sort of desperate indifference, on their movements.
-
-Within reach of his arm was the brawny shoulder of a gigantic Indian,
-whose deep and authoritative voice appeared to give directions to the
-proceedings of his fellows. Beyond him again, Duncan could look into the
-vault opposite, which was filled with savages, upturning and rifling the
-humble furniture of the scout. The wound of David had dyed the leaves
-of sassafras with a color that the native well knew as anticipating the
-season. Over this sign of their success, they sent up a howl, like an
-opening from so many hounds who had recovered a lost trail. After this
-yell of victory, they tore up the fragrant bed of the cavern, and bore
-the branches into the chasm, scattering the boughs, as if they suspected
-them of concealing the person of the man they had so long hated and
-feared. One fierce and wild-looking warrior approached the chief,
-bearing a load of the brush, and pointing exultingly to the deep red
-stains with which it was sprinkled, uttered his joy in Indian yells,
-whose meaning Heyward was only enabled to comprehend by the frequent
-repetition of the name "La Longue Carabine!" When his triumph had
-ceased, he cast the brush on the slight heap Duncan had made before
-the entrance of the second cavern, and closed the view. His example was
-followed by others, who, as they drew the branches from the cave of the
-scout, threw them into one pile, adding, unconsciously, to the security
-of those they sought. The very slightness of the defense was its chief
-merit, for no one thought of disturbing a mass of brush, which all
-of them believed, in that moment of hurry and confusion, had been
-accidentally raised by the hands of their own party.
-
-As the blankets yielded before the outward pressure, and the branches
-settled in the fissure of the rock by their own weight, forming a
-compact body, Duncan once more breathed freely. With a light step and
-lighter heart, he returned to the center of the cave, and took the
-place he had left, where he could command a view of the opening next the
-river. While he was in the act of making this movement, the Indians, as
-if changing their purpose by a common impulse, broke away from the chasm
-in a body, and were heard rushing up the island again, toward the point
-whence they had originally descended. Here another wailing cry betrayed
-that they were again collected around the bodies of their dead comrades.
-
-Duncan now ventured to look at his companions; for, during the most
-critical moments of their danger, he had been apprehensive that the
-anxiety of his countenance might communicate some additional alarm to
-those who were so little able to sustain it.
-
-"They are gone, Cora!" he whispered; "Alice, they are returned whence
-they came, and we are saved! To Heaven, that has alone delivered us from
-the grasp of so merciless an enemy, be all the praise!"
-
-"Then to Heaven will I return my thanks!" exclaimed the younger sister,
-rising from the encircling arm of Cora, and casting herself with
-enthusiastic gratitude on the naked rock; "to that Heaven who has spared
-the tears of a gray-headed father; has saved the lives of those I so
-much love."
-
-Both Heyward and the more temperate Cora witnessed the act of
-involuntary emotion with powerful sympathy, the former secretly
-believing that piety had never worn a form so lovely as it had now
-assumed in the youthful person of Alice. Her eyes were radiant with the
-glow of grateful feelings; the flush of her beauty was again seated on
-her cheeks, and her whole soul seemed ready and anxious to pour out its
-thanksgivings through the medium of her eloquent features. But when her
-lips moved, the words they should have uttered appeared frozen by some
-new and sudden chill. Her bloom gave place to the paleness of death;
-her soft and melting eyes grew hard, and seemed contracting with horror;
-while those hands, which she had raised, clasped in each other, toward
-heaven, dropped in horizontal lines before her, the fingers pointed
-forward in convulsed motion. Heyward turned the instant she gave a
-direction to his suspicions, and peering just above the ledge which
-formed the threshold of the open outlet of the cavern, he beheld the
-malignant, fierce and savage features of Le Renard Subtil.
-
-In that moment of surprise, the self-possession of Heyward did not
-desert him. He observed by the vacant expression of the Indian's
-countenance, that his eye, accustomed to the open air had not yet
-been able to penetrate the dusky light which pervaded the depth of the
-cavern. He had even thought of retreating beyond a curvature in the
-natural wall, which might still conceal him and his companions, when by
-the sudden gleam of intelligence that shot across the features of the
-savage, he saw it was too late, and that they were betrayed.
-
-The look of exultation and brutal triumph which announced this terrible
-truth was irresistibly irritating. Forgetful of everything but the
-impulses of his hot blood, Duncan leveled his pistol and fired. The
-report of the weapon made the cavern bellow like an eruption from a
-volcano; and when the smoke it vomited had been driven away before the
-current of air which issued from the ravine the place so lately occupied
-by the features of his treacherous guide was vacant. Rushing to the
-outlet, Heyward caught a glimpse of his dark figure stealing around a
-low and narrow ledge, which soon hid him entirely from sight.
-
-Among the savages a frightful stillness succeeded the explosion, which
-had just been heard bursting from the bowels of the rock. But when
-Le Renard raised his voice in a long and intelligible whoop, it was
-answered by a spontaneous yell from the mouth of every Indian within
-hearing of the sound.
-
-The clamorous noises again rushed down the island; and before Duncan
-had time to recover from the shock, his feeble barrier of brush was
-scattered to the winds, the cavern was entered at both its extremities,
-and he and his companions were dragged from their shelter and borne into
-the day, where they stood surrounded by the whole band of the triumphant
-Hurons.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 10
-
-     "I fear we shall outsleep the coming morn
-     As much as we this night have overwatched!"
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-The instant the shock of this sudden misfortune had abated, Duncan began
-to make his observations on the appearance and proceedings of their
-captors. Contrary to the usages of the natives in the wantonness of
-their success they had respected, not only the persons of the trembling
-sisters, but his own. The rich ornaments of his military attire had
-indeed been repeatedly handled by different individuals of the tribes
-with eyes expressing a savage longing to possess the baubles; but
-before the customary violence could be resorted to, a mandate in the
-authoritative voice of the large warrior, already mentioned, stayed the
-uplifted hand, and convinced Heyward that they were to be reserved for
-some object of particular moment.
-
-While, however, these manifestations of weakness were exhibited by the
-young and vain of the party, the more experienced warriors continued
-their search throughout both caverns, with an activity that denoted they
-were far from being satisfied with those fruits of their conquest which
-had already been brought to light. Unable to discover any new victim,
-these diligent workers of vengeance soon approached their male
-prisoners, pronouncing the name "La Longue Carabine," with a fierceness
-that could not be easily mistaken. Duncan affected not to comprehend
-the meaning of their repeated and violent interrogatories, while his
-companion was spared the effort of a similar deception by his ignorance
-of French. Wearied at length by their importunities, and apprehensive
-of irritating his captors by too stubborn a silence, the former
-looked about him in quest of Magua, who might interpret his answers
-to questions which were at each moment becoming more earnest and
-threatening.
-
-The conduct of this savage had formed a solitary exception to that of
-all his fellows. While the others were busily occupied in seeking
-to gratify their childish passion for finery, by plundering even
-the miserable effects of the scout, or had been searching with such
-bloodthirsty vengeance in their looks for their absent owner, Le Renard
-had stood at a little distance from the prisoners, with a demeanor so
-quiet and satisfied, as to betray that he had already effected the grand
-purpose of his treachery. When the eyes of Heyward first met those of
-his recent guide, he turned them away in horror at the sinister though
-calm look he encountered. Conquering his disgust, however, he was able,
-with an averted face, to address his successful enemy.
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is too much of a warrior," said the reluctant Heyward,
-"to refuse telling an unarmed man what his conquerors say."
-
-"They ask for the hunter who knows the paths through the woods,"
-returned Magua, in his broken English, laying his hand, at the same
-time, with a ferocious smile, on the bundle of leaves with which a wound
-on his own shoulder was bandaged. "'La Longue Carabine'! His rifle
-is good, and his eye never shut; but, like the short gun of the white
-chief, it is nothing against the life of Le Subtil."
-
-"Le Renard is too brave to remember the hurts received in war, or the
-hands that gave them."
-
-"Was it war, when the tired Indian rested at the sugartree to taste his
-corn! who filled the bushes with creeping enemies! who drew the knife,
-whose tongue was peace, while his heart was colored with blood! Did
-Magua say that the hatchet was out of the ground, and that his hand had
-dug it up?"
-
-As Duncan dared not retort upon his accuser by reminding him of his own
-premeditated treachery, and disdained to deprecate his resentment by any
-words of apology, he remained silent. Magua seemed also content to
-rest the controversy as well as all further communication there, for he
-resumed the leaning attitude against the rock from which, in momentary
-energy, he had arisen. But the cry of "La Longue Carabine" was renewed
-the instant the impatient savages perceived that the short dialogue was
-ended.
-
-"You hear," said Magua, with stubborn indifference: "the red Hurons call
-for the life of 'The Long Rifle', or they will have the blood of him
-that keep him hid!"
-
-"He is gone--escaped; he is far beyond their reach."
-
-Renard smiled with cold contempt, as he answered:
-
-"When the white man dies, he thinks he is at peace; but the red men know
-how to torture even the ghosts of their enemies. Where is his body? Let
-the Hurons see his scalp."
-
-"He is not dead, but escaped."
-
-Magua shook his head incredulously.
-
-"Is he a bird, to spread his wings; or is he a fish, to swim without
-air! The white chief read in his books, and he believes the Hurons are
-fools!"
-
-"Though no fish, 'The Long Rifle' can swim. He floated down the stream
-when the powder was all burned, and when the eyes of the Hurons were
-behind a cloud."
-
-"And why did the white chief stay?" demanded the still incredulous
-Indian. "Is he a stone that goes to the bottom, or does the scalp burn
-his head?"
-
-"That I am not stone, your dead comrade, who fell into the falls, might
-answer, were the life still in him," said the provoked young man, using,
-in his anger, that boastful language which was most likely to excite the
-admiration of an Indian. "The white man thinks none but cowards desert
-their women."
-
-Magua muttered a few words, inaudibly, between his teeth, before he
-continued, aloud:
-
-"Can the Delawares swim, too, as well as crawl in the bushes? Where is
-'Le Gros Serpent'?"
-
-Duncan, who perceived by the use of these Canadian appellations, that
-his late companions were much better known to his enemies than to
-himself, answered, reluctantly: "He also is gone down with the water."
-
-"'Le Cerf Agile' is not here?"
-
-"I know not whom you call 'The Nimble Deer'," said Duncan gladly
-profiting by any excuse to create delay.
-
-"Uncas," returned Magua, pronouncing the Delaware name with even greater
-difficulty than he spoke his English words. "'Bounding Elk' is what the
-white man says, when he calls to the young Mohican."
-
-"Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Renard," said Duncan,
-hoping to provoke a discussion. "Daim is the French for deer, and cerf
-for stag; elan is the true term, when one would speak of an elk."
-
-"Yes," muttered the Indian, in his native tongue; "the pale faces are
-prattling women! they have two words for each thing, while a red-skin
-will make the sound of his voice speak to him." Then, changing his
-language, he continued, adhering to the imperfect nomenclature of his
-provincial instructors. "The deer is swift, but weak; the elk is swift,
-but strong; and the son of 'Le Serpent' is 'Le Cerf Agile.' Has he
-leaped the river to the woods?"
-
-"If you mean the younger Delaware, he, too, has gone down with the
-water."
-
-As there was nothing improbable to an Indian in the manner of the
-escape, Magua admitted the truth of what he had heard, with a readiness
-that afforded additional evidence how little he would prize such
-worthless captives. With his companions, however, the feeling was
-manifestly different.
-
-The Hurons had awaited the result of this short dialogue with
-characteristic patience, and with a silence that increased until there
-was a general stillness in the band. When Heyward ceased to speak, they
-turned their eyes, as one man, on Magua, demanding, in this expressive
-manner, an explanation of what had been said. Their interpreter pointed
-to the river, and made them acquainted with the result, as much by
-the action as by the few words he uttered. When the fact was generally
-understood, the savages raised a frightful yell, which declared the
-extent of their disappointment. Some ran furiously to the water's
-edge, beating the air with frantic gestures, while others spat upon the
-element, to resent the supposed treason it had committed against
-their acknowledged rights as conquerors. A few, and they not the least
-powerful and terrific of the band, threw lowering looks, in which the
-fiercest passion was only tempered by habitual self-command, at those
-captives who still remained in their power, while one or two even gave
-vent to their malignant feelings by the most menacing gestures, against
-which neither the sex nor the beauty of the sisters was any protection.
-The young soldier made a desperate but fruitless effort to spring to the
-side of Alice, when he saw the dark hand of a savage twisted in the rich
-tresses which were flowing in volumes over her shoulders, while a knife
-was passed around the head from which they fell, as if to denote the
-horrid manner in which it was about to be robbed of its beautiful
-ornament. But his hands were bound; and at the first movement he made,
-he felt the grasp of the powerful Indian who directed the band, pressing
-his shoulder like a vise. Immediately conscious how unavailing any
-struggle against such an overwhelming force must prove, he submitted
-to his fate, encouraging his gentle companions by a few low and tender
-assurances, that the natives seldom failed to threaten more than they
-performed.
-
-But while Duncan resorted to these words of consolation to quiet the
-apprehensions of the sisters, he was not so weak as to deceive himself.
-He well knew that the authority of an Indian chief was so little
-conventional, that it was oftener maintained by physical superiority
-than by any moral supremacy he might possess. The danger was, therefore,
-magnified exactly in proportion to the number of the savage spirits
-by which they were surrounded. The most positive mandate from him who
-seemed the acknowledged leader, was liable to be violated at each moment
-by any rash hand that might choose to sacrifice a victim to the manes of
-some dead friend or relative. While, therefore, he sustained an outward
-appearance of calmness and fortitude, his heart leaped into his throat,
-whenever any of their fierce captors drew nearer than common to the
-helpless sisters, or fastened one of their sullen, wandering looks on
-those fragile forms which were so little able to resist the slightest
-assault.
-
-His apprehensions were, however, greatly relieved, when he saw that
-the leader had summoned his warriors to himself in counsel. Their
-deliberations were short, and it would seem, by the silence of most of
-the party, the decision unanimous. By the frequency with which the few
-speakers pointed in the direction of the encampment of Webb, it was
-apparent they dreaded the approach of danger from that quarter. This
-consideration probably hastened their determination, and quickened the
-subsequent movements.
-
-During his short conference, Heyward, finding a respite from his gravest
-fears, had leisure to admire the cautious manner in which the Hurons had
-made their approaches, even after hostilities had ceased.
-
-It has already been stated that the upper half of the island was a naked
-rock, and destitute of any other defenses than a few scattered logs of
-driftwood. They had selected this point to make their descent, having
-borne the canoe through the wood around the cataract for that purpose.
-Placing their arms in the little vessel a dozen men clinging to its
-sides had trusted themselves to the direction of the canoe, which was
-controlled by two of the most skillful warriors, in attitudes that
-enabled them to command a view of the dangerous passage. Favored by this
-arrangement, they touched the head of the island at that point which had
-proved so fatal to their first adventurers, but with the advantages of
-superior numbers, and the possession of firearms. That such had been the
-manner of their descent was rendered quite apparent to Duncan; for they
-now bore the light bark from the upper end of the rock, and placed it
-in the water, near the mouth of the outer cavern. As soon as this change
-was made, the leader made signs to the prisoners to descend and enter.
-
-As resistance was impossible, and remonstrance useless, Heyward set the
-example of submission, by leading the way into the canoe, where he
-was soon seated with the sisters and the still wondering David.
-Notwithstanding the Hurons were necessarily ignorant of the little
-channels among the eddies and rapids of the stream, they knew the common
-signs of such a navigation too well to commit any material blunder.
-When the pilot chosen for the task of guiding the canoe had taken his
-station, the whole band plunged again into the river, the vessel glided
-down the current, and in a few moments the captives found themselves on
-the south bank of the stream, nearly opposite to the point where they
-had struck it the preceding evening.
-
-Here was held another short but earnest consultation, during which the
-horses, to whose panic their owners ascribed their heaviest misfortune,
-were led from the cover of the woods, and brought to the sheltered spot.
-The band now divided. The great chief, so often mentioned, mounting the
-charger of Heyward, led the way directly across the river, followed by
-most of his people, and disappeared in the woods, leaving the prisoners
-in charge of six savages, at whose head was Le Renard Subtil. Duncan
-witnessed all their movements with renewed uneasiness.
-
-He had been fond of believing, from the uncommon forbearance of the
-savages, that he was reserved as a prisoner to be delivered to Montcalm.
-As the thoughts of those who are in misery seldom slumber, and the
-invention is never more lively than when it is stimulated by hope,
-however feeble and remote, he had even imagined that the parental
-feelings of Munro were to be made instrumental in seducing him from his
-duty to the king. For though the French commander bore a high character
-for courage and enterprise, he was also thought to be expert in those
-political practises which do not always respect the nicer obligations
-of morality, and which so generally disgraced the European diplomacy of
-that period.
-
-All those busy and ingenious speculations were now annihilated by the
-conduct of his captors. That portion of the band who had followed the
-huge warrior took the route toward the foot of the Horican, and no other
-expectation was left for himself and companions, than that they were to
-be retained as hopeless captives by their savage conquerors. Anxious to
-know the worst, and willing, in such an emergency, to try the potency of
-gold he overcame his reluctance to speak to Magua. Addressing himself
-to his former guide, who had now assumed the authority and manner of one
-who was to direct the future movements of the party, he said, in tones
-as friendly and confiding as he could assume:
-
-"I would speak to Magua, what is fit only for so great a chief to hear."
-
-The Indian turned his eyes on the young soldier scornfully, as he
-answered:
-
-"Speak; trees have no ears."
-
-"But the red Hurons are not deaf; and counsel that is fit for the great
-men of a nation would make the young warriors drunk. If Magua will not
-listen, the officer of the king knows how to be silent."
-
-The savage spoke carelessly to his comrades, who were busied, after
-their awkward manner, in preparing the horses for the reception of the
-sisters, and moved a little to one side, whither by a cautious gesture
-he induced Heyward to follow.
-
-"Now, speak," he said; "if the words are such as Magua should hear."
-
-"Le Renard Subtil has proved himself worthy of the honorable name given
-to him by his Canada fathers," commenced Heyward; "I see his wisdom,
-and all that he has done for us, and shall remember it when the hour to
-reward him arrives. Yes! Renard has proved that he is not only a great
-chief in council, but one who knows how to deceive his enemies!"
-
-"What has Renard done?" coldly demanded the Indian.
-
-"What! has he not seen that the woods were filled with outlying parties
-of the enemies, and that the serpent could not steal through them
-without being seen? Then, did he not lose his path to blind the eyes of
-the Hurons? Did he not pretend to go back to his tribe, who had treated
-him ill, and driven him from their wigwams like a dog? And when he saw
-what he wished to do, did we not aid him, by making a false face, that
-the Hurons might think the white man believed that his friend was his
-enemy? Is not all this true? And when Le Subtil had shut the eyes and
-stopped the ears of his nation by his wisdom, did they not forget that
-they had once done him wrong, and forced him to flee to the Mohawks?
-And did they not leave him on the south side of the river, with their
-prisoners, while they have gone foolishly on the north? Does not Renard
-mean to turn like a fox on his footsteps, and to carry to the rich and
-gray-headed Scotchman his daughters? Yes, Magua, I see it all, and I
-have already been thinking how so much wisdom and honesty should be
-repaid. First, the chief of William Henry will give as a great chief
-should for such a service. The medal* of Magua will no longer be of tin,
-but of beaten gold; his horn will run over with powder; dollars will be
-as plenty in his pouch as pebbles on the shore of Horican; and the deer
-will lick his hand, for they will know it to be vain to fly from
-the rifle he will carry! As for myself, I know not how to exceed the
-gratitude of the Scotchman, but I--yes, I will--"
-
-     * It has long been a practice with the whites to conciliate
-     the important men of the Indians by presenting medals, which
-     are worn in the place of their own rude ornaments. Those
-     given by the English generally bear the impression of the
-     reigning king, and those given by the Americans that of the
-     president.
-
-"What will the young chief, who comes from toward the sun, give?"
-demanded the Huron, observing that Heyward hesitated in his desire to
-end the enumeration of benefits with that which might form the climax of
-an Indian's wishes.
-
-"He will make the fire-water from the islands in the salt lake flow
-before the wigwam of Magua, until the heart of the Indian shall be
-lighter than the feathers of the humming-bird, and his breath sweeter
-than the wild honeysuckle."
-
-Le Renard had listened gravely as Heyward slowly proceeded in this
-subtle speech. When the young man mentioned the artifice he supposed
-the Indian to have practised on his own nation, the countenance of
-the listener was veiled in an expression of cautious gravity. At the
-allusion to the injury which Duncan affected to believe had driven
-the Huron from his native tribe, a gleam of such ungovernable ferocity
-flashed from the other's eyes, as induced the adventurous speaker to
-believe he had struck the proper chord. And by the time he reached
-the part where he so artfully blended the thirst of vengeance with the
-desire of gain, he had, at least, obtained a command of the deepest
-attention of the savage. The question put by Le Renard had been calm,
-and with all the dignity of an Indian; but it was quite apparent, by the
-thoughtful expression of the listener's countenance, that the answer was
-most cunningly devised. The Huron mused a few moments, and then laying
-his hand on the rude bandages of his wounded shoulder, he said, with
-some energy:
-
-"Do friends make such marks?"
-
-"Would 'La Longue Carbine' cut one so slight on an enemy?"
-
-"Do the Delawares crawl upon those they love like snakes, twisting
-themselves to strike?"
-
-"Would 'Le Gros Serpent' have been heard by the ears of one he wished to
-be deaf?"
-
-"Does the white chief burn his powder in the faces of his brothers?"
-
-"Does he ever miss his aim, when seriously bent to kill?" returned
-Duncan, smiling with well acted sincerity.
-
-Another long and deliberate pause succeeded these sententious questions
-and ready replies. Duncan saw that the Indian hesitated. In order to
-complete his victory, he was in the act of recommencing the enumeration
-of the rewards, when Magua made an expressive gesture and said:
-
-"Enough; Le Renard is a wise chief, and what he does will be seen.
-Go, and keep the mouth shut. When Magua speaks, it will be the time to
-answer."
-
-Heyward, perceiving that the eyes of his companion were warily fastened
-on the rest of the band, fell back immediately, in order to avoid
-the appearance of any suspicious confederacy with their leader.
-Magua approached the horses, and affected to be well pleased with the
-diligence and ingenuity of his comrades. He then signed to Heyward to
-assist the sisters into the saddles, for he seldom deigned to use the
-English tongue, unless urged by some motive of more than usual moment.
-
-There was no longer any plausible pretext for delay; and Duncan was
-obliged, however reluctantly, to comply. As he performed this office, he
-whispered his reviving hopes in the ears of the trembling females, who,
-through dread of encountering the savage countenances of their captors,
-seldom raised their eyes from the ground. The mare of David had been
-taken with the followers of the large chief; in consequence, its owner,
-as well as Duncan, was compelled to journey on foot. The latter did not,
-however, so much regret this circumstance, as it might enable him to
-retard the speed of the party; for he still turned his longing looks in
-the direction of Fort Edward, in the vain expectation of catching some
-sound from that quarter of the forest, which might denote the approach
-of succor. When all were prepared, Magua made the signal to proceed,
-advancing in front to lead the party in person. Next followed David, who
-was gradually coming to a true sense of his condition, as the effects of
-the wound became less and less apparent. The sisters rode in his rear,
-with Heyward at their side, while the Indians flanked the party, and
-brought up the close of the march, with a caution that seemed never to
-tire.
-
-In this manner they proceeded in uninterrupted silence, except when
-Heyward addressed some solitary word of comfort to the females, or David
-gave vent to the moanings of his spirit, in piteous exclamations, which
-he intended should express the humility of resignation. Their direction
-lay toward the south, and in a course nearly opposite to the road to
-William Henry. Notwithstanding this apparent adherence in Magua to the
-original determination of his conquerors, Heyward could not believe
-his tempting bait was so soon forgotten; and he knew the windings of an
-Indian's path too well to suppose that its apparent course led directly
-to its object, when artifice was at all necessary. Mile after mile was,
-however, passed through the boundless woods, in this painful manner,
-without any prospect of a termination to their journey. Heyward watched
-the sun, as he darted his meridian rays through the branches of the
-trees, and pined for the moment when the policy of Magua should change
-their route to one more favorable to his hopes. Sometimes he fancied the
-wary savage, despairing of passing the army of Montcalm in safety,
-was holding his way toward a well-known border settlement, where a
-distinguished officer of the crown, and a favored friend of the Six
-Nations, held his large possessions, as well as his usual residence. To
-be delivered into the hands of Sir William Johnson was far preferable
-to being led into the wilds of Canada; but in order to effect even the
-former, it would be necessary to traverse the forest for many weary
-leagues, each step of which was carrying him further from the scene of
-the war, and, consequently, from the post, not only of honor, but of
-duty.
-
-Cora alone remembered the parting injunctions of the scout, and whenever
-an opportunity offered, she stretched forth her arm to bend aside the
-twigs that met her hands. But the vigilance of the Indians rendered this
-act of precaution both difficult and dangerous. She was often defeated
-in her purpose, by encountering their watchful eyes, when it became
-necessary to feign an alarm she did not feel, and occupy the limb by
-some gesture of feminine apprehension. Once, and once only, was she
-completely successful; when she broke down the bough of a large sumach,
-and by a sudden thought, let her glove fall at the same instant. This
-sign, intended for those that might follow, was observed by one of her
-conductors, who restored the glove, broke the remaining branches of the
-bush in such a manner that it appeared to proceed from the struggling of
-some beast in its branches, and then laid his hand on his tomahawk,
-with a look so significant, that it put an effectual end to these stolen
-memorials of their passage.
-
-As there were horses, to leave the prints of their footsteps, in both
-bands of the Indians, this interruption cut off any probable hopes of
-assistance being conveyed through the means of their trail.
-
-Heyward would have ventured a remonstrance had there been anything
-encouraging in the gloomy reserve of Magua. But the savage, during all
-this time, seldom turned to look at his followers, and never spoke. With
-the sun for his only guide, or aided by such blind marks as are only
-known to the sagacity of a native, he held his way along the barrens
-of pine, through occasional little fertile vales, across brooks and
-rivulets, and over undulating hills, with the accuracy of instinct,
-and nearly with the directness of a bird. He never seemed to hesitate.
-Whether the path was hardly distinguishable, whether it disappeared, or
-whether it lay beaten and plain before him, made no sensible difference
-in his speed or certainty. It seemed as if fatigue could not affect him.
-Whenever the eyes of the wearied travelers rose from the decayed leaves
-over which they trod, his dark form was to be seen glancing among the
-stems of the trees in front, his head immovably fastened in a forward
-position, with the light plume on his crest fluttering in a current of
-air, made solely by the swiftness of his own motion.
-
-But all this diligence and speed were not without an object. After
-crossing a low vale, through which a gushing brook meandered, he
-suddenly ascended a hill, so steep and difficult of ascent, that the
-sisters were compelled to alight in order to follow. When the summit was
-gained, they found themselves on a level spot, but thinly covered with
-trees, under one of which Magua had thrown his dark form, as if willing
-and ready to seek that rest which was so much needed by the whole party.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 11
-
-     "Cursed be my tribe If I forgive him."
-     --Shylock
-
-The Indian had selected for this desirable purpose one of those steep,
-pyramidal hills, which bear a strong resemblance to artificial mounds,
-and which so frequently occur in the valleys of America. The one in
-question was high and precipitous; its top flattened, as usual; but with
-one of its sides more than ordinarily irregular. It possessed no other
-apparent advantage for a resting place, than in its elevation and form,
-which might render defense easy, and surprise nearly impossible. As
-Heyward, however, no longer expected that rescue which time and distance
-now rendered so improbable, he regarded these little peculiarities with
-an eye devoid of interest, devoting himself entirely to the comfort and
-condolence of his feebler companions. The Narragansetts were suffered
-to browse on the branches of the trees and shrubs that were thinly
-scattered over the summit of the hill, while the remains of their
-provisions were spread under the shade of a beech, that stretched its
-horizontal limbs like a canopy above them.
-
-Notwithstanding the swiftness of their flight, one of the Indians had
-found an opportunity to strike a straggling fawn with an arrow, and
-had borne the more preferable fragments of the victim, patiently on his
-shoulders, to the stopping place. Without any aid from the science of
-cookery, he was immediately employed, in common with his fellows, in
-gorging himself with this digestible sustenance. Magua alone sat apart,
-without participating in the revolting meal, and apparently buried in
-the deepest thought.
-
-This abstinence, so remarkable in an Indian, when he possessed the means
-of satisfying hunger, at length attracted the notice of Heyward. The
-young man willingly believed that the Huron deliberated on the most
-eligible manner of eluding the vigilance of his associates. With a view
-to assist his plans by any suggestion of his own, and to strengthen the
-temptation, he left the beech, and straggled, as if without an object,
-to the spot where Le Renard was seated.
-
-"Has not Magua kept the sun in his face long enough to escape all danger
-from the Canadians?" he asked, as though no longer doubtful of the
-good intelligence established between them; "and will not the chief
-of William Henry be better pleased to see his daughters before another
-night may have hardened his heart to their loss, to make him less
-liberal in his reward?"
-
-"Do the pale faces love their children less in the morning than at
-night?" asked the Indian, coldly.
-
-"By no means," returned Heyward, anxious to recall his error, if he had
-made one; "the white man may, and does often, forget the burial place of
-his fathers; he sometimes ceases to remember those he should love, and
-has promised to cherish; but the affection of a parent for his child is
-never permitted to die."
-
-"And is the heart of the white-headed chief soft, and will he think of
-the babes that his squaws have given him? He is hard on his warriors and
-his eyes are made of stone?"
-
-"He is severe to the idle and wicked, but to the sober and deserving
-he is a leader, both just and humane. I have known many fond and tender
-parents, but never have I seen a man whose heart was softer toward his
-child. You have seen the gray-head in front of his warriors, Magua; but
-I have seen his eyes swimming in water, when he spoke of those children
-who are now in your power!"
-
-Heyward paused, for he knew not how to construe the remarkable
-expression that gleamed across the swarthy features of the attentive
-Indian. At first it seemed as if the remembrance of the promised reward
-grew vivid in his mind, while he listened to the sources of parental
-feeling which were to assure its possession; but, as Duncan proceeded,
-the expression of joy became so fiercely malignant that it was
-impossible not to apprehend it proceeded from some passion more sinister
-than avarice.
-
-"Go," said the Huron, suppressing the alarming exhibition in an
-instant, in a death-like calmness of countenance; "go to the dark-haired
-daughter, and say, 'Magua waits to speak' The father will remember what
-the child promises."
-
-Duncan, who interpreted this speech to express a wish for some
-additional pledge that the promised gifts should not be withheld, slowly
-and reluctantly repaired to the place where the sisters were now resting
-from their fatigue, to communicate its purport to Cora.
-
-"You understand the nature of an Indian's wishes," he concluded, as he
-led her toward the place where she was expected, "and must be prodigal
-of your offers of powder and blankets. Ardent spirits are, however, the
-most prized by such as he; nor would it be amiss to add some boon
-from your own hand, with that grace you so well know how to practise.
-Remember, Cora, that on your presence of mind and ingenuity, even your
-life, as well as that of Alice, may in some measure depend."
-
-"Heyward, and yours!"
-
-"Mine is of little moment; it is already sold to my king, and is a prize
-to be seized by any enemy who may possess the power. I have no father
-to expect me, and but few friends to lament a fate which I have courted
-with the insatiable longings of youth after distinction. But hush! we
-approach the Indian. Magua, the lady with whom you wish to speak, is
-here."
-
-The Indian rose slowly from his seat, and stood for near a minute silent
-and motionless. He then signed with his hand for Heyward to retire,
-saying, coldly:
-
-"When the Huron talks to the women, his tribe shut their ears."
-
-Duncan, still lingering, as if refusing to comply, Cora said, with a
-calm smile:
-
-"You hear, Heyward, and delicacy at least should urge you to retire. Go
-to Alice, and comfort her with our reviving prospects."
-
-She waited until he had departed, and then turning to the native, with
-the dignity of her sex in her voice and manner, she added: "What would
-Le Renard say to the daughter of Munro?"
-
-"Listen," said the Indian, laying his hand firmly upon her arm, as if
-willing to draw her utmost attention to his words; a movement that Cora
-as firmly but quietly repulsed, by extricating the limb from his grasp:
-"Magua was born a chief and a warrior among the red Hurons of the lakes;
-he saw the suns of twenty summers make the snows of twenty winters run
-off in the streams before he saw a pale face; and he was happy! Then
-his Canada fathers came into the woods, and taught him to drink the
-fire-water, and he became a rascal. The Hurons drove him from the graves
-of his fathers, as they would chase the hunted buffalo. He ran down the
-shores of the lakes, and followed their outlet to the 'city of cannon'
-There he hunted and fished, till the people chased him again through the
-woods into the arms of his enemies. The chief, who was born a Huron, was
-at last a warrior among the Mohawks!"
-
-"Something like this I had heard before," said Cora, observing that he
-paused to suppress those passions which began to burn with too bright a
-flame, as he recalled the recollection of his supposed injuries.
-
-"Was it the fault of Le Renard that his head was not made of rock? Who
-gave him the fire-water? who made him a villain? 'Twas the pale faces,
-the people of your own color."
-
-"And am I answerable that thoughtless and unprincipled men exist, whose
-shades of countenance may resemble mine?" Cora calmly demanded of the
-excited savage.
-
-"No; Magua is a man, and not a fool; such as you never open their lips
-to the burning stream: the Great Spirit has given you wisdom!"
-
-"What, then, have I do to, or say, in the matter of your misfortunes,
-not to say of your errors?"
-
-"Listen," repeated the Indian, resuming his earnest attitude; "when
-his English and French fathers dug up the hatchet, Le Renard struck the
-war-post of the Mohawks, and went out against his own nation. The pale
-faces have driven the red-skins from their hunting grounds, and now when
-they fight, a white man leads the way. The old chief at Horican, your
-father, was the great captain of our war-party. He said to the Mohawks
-do this, and do that, and he was minded. He made a law, that if an
-Indian swallowed the fire-water, and came into the cloth wigwams of his
-warriors, it should not be forgotten. Magua foolishly opened his
-mouth, and the hot liquor led him into the cabin of Munro. What did the
-gray-head? let his daughter say."
-
-"He forgot not his words, and did justice, by punishing the offender,"
-said the undaunted daughter.
-
-"Justice!" repeated the Indian, casting an oblique glance of the most
-ferocious expression at her unyielding countenance; "is it justice to
-make evil and then punish for it? Magua was not himself; it was the
-fire-water that spoke and acted for him! but Munro did believe it. The
-Huron chief was tied up before all the pale-faced warriors, and whipped
-like a dog."
-
-Cora remained silent, for she knew not how to palliate this imprudent
-severity on the part of her father in a manner to suit the comprehension
-of an Indian.
-
-"See!" continued Magua, tearing aside the slight calico that very
-imperfectly concealed his painted breast; "here are scars given by
-knives and bullets--of these a warrior may boast before his nation; but
-the gray-head has left marks on the back of the Huron chief that he must
-hide like a squaw, under this painted cloth of the whites."
-
-"I had thought," resumed Cora, "that an Indian warrior was patient, and
-that his spirit felt not and knew not the pain his body suffered."
-
-"When the Chippewas tied Magua to the stake, and cut this gash," said
-the other, laying his finger on a deep scar, "the Huron laughed in their
-faces, and told them, Women struck so light! His spirit was then in the
-clouds! But when he felt the blows of Munro, his spirit lay under the
-birch. The spirit of a Huron is never drunk; it remembers forever!"
-
-"But it may be appeased. If my father has done you this injustice, show
-him how an Indian can forgive an injury, and take back his daughters.
-You have heard from Major Heyward--"
-
-Magua shook his head, forbidding the repetition of offers he so much
-despised.
-
-"What would you have?" continued Cora, after a most painful pause,
-while the conviction forced itself on her mind that the too sanguine and
-generous Duncan had been cruelly deceived by the cunning of the savage.
-
-"What a Huron loves--good for good; bad for bad!"
-
-"You would, then, revenge the injury inflicted by Munro on his helpless
-daughters. Would it not be more like a man to go before his face, and
-take the satisfaction of a warrior?"
-
-"The arms of the pale faces are long, and their knives sharp!" returned
-the savage, with a malignant laugh: "why should Le Renard go among the
-muskets of his warriors, when he holds the spirit of the gray-head in
-his hand?"
-
-"Name your intention, Magua," said Cora, struggling with herself to
-speak with steady calmness. "Is it to lead us prisoners to the woods, or
-do you contemplate even some greater evil? Is there no reward, no means
-of palliating the injury, and of softening your heart? At least, release
-my gentle sister, and pour out all your malice on me. Purchase wealth
-by her safety and satisfy your revenge with a single victim. The loss
-of both his daughters might bring the aged man to his grave, and where
-would then be the satisfaction of Le Renard?"
-
-"Listen," said the Indian again. "The light eyes can go back to the
-Horican, and tell the old chief what has been done, if the dark-haired
-woman will swear by the Great Spirit of her fathers to tell no lie."
-
-"What must I promise?" demanded Cora, still maintaining a secret
-ascendancy over the fierce native by the collected and feminine dignity
-of her presence.
-
-"When Magua left his people his wife was given to another chief; he has
-now made friends with the Hurons, and will go back to the graves of his
-tribe, on the shores of the great lake. Let the daughter of the English
-chief follow, and live in his wigwam forever."
-
-However revolting a proposal of such a character might prove to
-Cora, she retained, notwithstanding her powerful disgust, sufficient
-self-command to reply, without betraying the weakness.
-
-"And what pleasure would Magua find in sharing his cabin with a wife he
-did not love; one who would be of a nation and color different from his
-own? It would be better to take the gold of Munro, and buy the heart of
-some Huron maid with his gifts."
-
-The Indian made no reply for near a minute, but bent his fierce looks
-on the countenance of Cora, in such wavering glances, that her eyes
-sank with shame, under an impression that for the first time they had
-encountered an expression that no chaste female might endure. While she
-was shrinking within herself, in dread of having her ears wounded by
-some proposal still more shocking than the last, the voice of Magua
-answered, in its tones of deepest malignancy:
-
-"When the blows scorched the back of the Huron, he would know where to
-find a woman to feel the smart. The daughter of Munro would draw his
-water, hoe his corn, and cook his venison. The body of the gray-head
-would sleep among his cannon, but his heart would lie within reach of
-the knife of Le Subtil."
-
-"Monster! well dost thou deserve thy treacherous name," cried Cora, in
-an ungovernable burst of filial indignation. "None but a fiend could
-meditate such a vengeance. But thou overratest thy power! You shall find
-it is, in truth, the heart of Munro you hold, and that it will defy your
-utmost malice!"
-
-The Indian answered this bold defiance by a ghastly smile, that showed
-an unaltered purpose, while he motioned her away, as if to close the
-conference forever. Cora, already regretting her precipitation, was
-obliged to comply, for Magua instantly left the spot, and approached his
-gluttonous comrades. Heyward flew to the side of the agitated female,
-and demanded the result of a dialogue that he had watched at a distance
-with so much interest. But, unwilling to alarm the fears of Alice, she
-evaded a direct reply, betraying only by her anxious looks fastened on
-the slightest movements of her captors. To the reiterated and earnest
-questions of her sister concerning their probable destination, she
-made no other answer than by pointing toward the dark group, with an
-agitation she could not control, and murmuring as she folded Alice to
-her bosom.
-
-"There, there; read our fortunes in their faces; we shall see; we shall
-see!"
-
-The action, and the choked utterance of Cora, spoke more impressively
-than any words, and quickly drew the attention of her companions on that
-spot where her own was riveted with an intenseness that nothing but the
-importance of the stake could create.
-
-When Magua reached the cluster of lolling savages, who, gorged with
-their disgusting meal, lay stretched on the earth in brutal indulgence,
-he commenced speaking with the dignity of an Indian chief. The first
-syllables he uttered had the effect to cause his listeners to raise
-themselves in attitudes of respectful attention. As the Huron used
-his native language, the prisoners, notwithstanding the caution of the
-natives had kept them within the swing of their tomahawks, could only
-conjecture the substance of his harangue from the nature of those
-significant gestures with which an Indian always illustrates his
-eloquence.
-
-At first, the language, as well as the action of Magua, appeared calm
-and deliberative. When he had succeeded in sufficiently awakening
-the attention of his comrades, Heyward fancied, by his pointing so
-frequently toward the direction of the great lakes, that he spoke of the
-land of their fathers, and of their distant tribe. Frequent indications
-of applause escaped the listeners, who, as they uttered the expressive
-"Hugh!" looked at each other in commendation of the speaker. Le Renard
-was too skillful to neglect his advantage. He now spoke of the long and
-painful route by which they had left those spacious grounds and happy
-villages, to come and battle against the enemies of their Canadian
-fathers. He enumerated the warriors of the party; their several merits;
-their frequent services to the nation; their wounds, and the number of
-the scalps they had taken. Whenever he alluded to any present (and the
-subtle Indian neglected none), the dark countenance of the flattered
-individual gleamed with exultation, nor did he even hesitate to assert
-the truth of the words, by gestures of applause and confirmation. Then
-the voice of the speaker fell, and lost the loud, animated tones of
-triumph with which he had enumerated their deeds of success and victory.
-He described the cataract of Glenn's; the impregnable position of its
-rocky island, with its caverns and its numerous rapids and whirlpools;
-he named the name of "La Longue Carabine," and paused until the forest
-beneath them had sent up the last echo of a loud and long yell, with
-which the hated appellation was received. He pointed toward the youthful
-military captive, and described the death of a favorite warrior, who
-had been precipitated into the deep ravine by his hand. He not only
-mentioned the fate of him who, hanging between heaven and earth, had
-presented such a spectacle of horror to the whole band, but he acted
-anew the terrors of his situation, his resolution and his death, on the
-branches of a sapling; and, finally, he rapidly recounted the manner
-in which each of their friends had fallen, never failing to touch upon
-their courage, and their most acknowledged virtues. When this recital of
-events was ended, his voice once more changed, and became plaintive and
-even musical, in its low guttural sounds. He now spoke of the wives and
-children of the slain; their destitution; their misery, both physical
-and moral; their distance; and, at last, of their unavenged wrongs. Then
-suddenly lifting his voice to a pitch of terrific energy, he concluded
-by demanding:
-
-"Are the Hurons dogs to bear this? Who shall say to the wife of Menowgua
-that the fishes have his scalp, and that his nation have not taken
-revenge! Who will dare meet the mother of Wassawattimie, that scornful
-woman, with his hands clean! What shall be said to the old men when
-they ask us for scalps, and we have not a hair from a white head to give
-them! The women will point their fingers at us. There is a dark spot on
-the names of the Hurons, and it must be hid in blood!" His voice was no
-longer audible in the burst of rage which now broke into the air, as
-if the wood, instead of containing so small a band, was filled with the
-nation. During the foregoing address the progress of the speaker was too
-plainly read by those most interested in his success through the medium
-of the countenances of the men he addressed. They had answered his
-melancholy and mourning by sympathy and sorrow; his assertions, by
-gestures of confirmation; and his boasting, with the exultation of
-savages. When he spoke of courage, their looks were firm and responsive;
-when he alluded to their injuries, their eyes kindled with fury; when
-he mentioned the taunts of the women, they dropped their heads in shame;
-but when he pointed out their means of vengeance, he struck a chord
-which never failed to thrill in the breast of an Indian. With the first
-intimation that it was within their reach, the whole band sprang upon
-their feet as one man; giving utterance to their rage in the most
-frantic cries, they rushed upon their prisoners in a body with drawn
-knives and uplifted tomahawks. Heyward threw himself between the sisters
-and the foremost, whom he grappled with a desperate strength that for a
-moment checked his violence. This unexpected resistance gave Magua time
-to interpose, and with rapid enunciation and animated gesture, he drew
-the attention of the band again to himself. In that language he knew so
-well how to assume, he diverted his comrades from their instant purpose,
-and invited them to prolong the misery of their victims. His proposal
-was received with acclamations, and executed with the swiftness of
-thought.
-
-Two powerful warriors cast themselves on Heyward, while another was
-occupied in securing the less active singing-master. Neither of the
-captives, however, submitted without a desperate, though fruitless,
-struggle. Even David hurled his assailant to the earth; nor was Heyward
-secured until the victory over his companion enabled the Indians to
-direct their united force to that object. He was then bound and fastened
-to the body of the sapling, on whose branches Magua had acted the
-pantomime of the falling Huron. When the young soldier regained his
-recollection, he had the painful certainty before his eyes that a
-common fate was intended for the whole party. On his right was Cora in
-a durance similar to his own, pale and agitated, but with an eye whose
-steady look still read the proceedings of their enemies. On his left,
-the withes which bound her to a pine, performed that office for Alice
-which her trembling limbs refused, and alone kept her fragile form from
-sinking. Her hands were clasped before her in prayer, but instead of
-looking upward toward that power which alone could rescue them, her
-unconscious looks wandered to the countenance of Duncan with infantile
-dependency. David had contended, and the novelty of the circumstance
-held him silent, in deliberation on the propriety of the unusual
-occurrence.
-
-The vengeance of the Hurons had now taken a new direction, and they
-prepared to execute it with that barbarous ingenuity with which they
-were familiarized by the practise of centuries. Some sought knots, to
-raise the blazing pile; one was riving the splinters of pine, in order
-to pierce the flesh of their captives with the burning fragments; and
-others bent the tops of two saplings to the earth, in order to suspend
-Heyward by the arms between the recoiling branches. But the vengeance of
-Magua sought a deeper and more malignant enjoyment.
-
-While the less refined monsters of the band prepared, before the eyes of
-those who were to suffer, these well-known and vulgar means of torture,
-he approached Cora, and pointed out, with the most malign expression of
-countenance, the speedy fate that awaited her:
-
-"Ha!" he added, "what says the daughter of Munro? Her head is too good
-to find a pillow in the wigwam of Le Renard; will she like it better
-when it rolls about this hill a plaything for the wolves? Her bosom
-cannot nurse the children of a Huron; she will see it spit upon by
-Indians!"
-
-"What means the monster!" demanded the astonished Heyward.
-
-"Nothing!" was the firm reply. "He is a savage, a barbarous and ignorant
-savage, and knows not what he does. Let us find leisure, with our dying
-breath, to ask for him penitence and pardon."
-
-"Pardon!" echoed the fierce Huron, mistaking in his anger, the meaning
-of her words; "the memory of an Indian is no longer than the arm of the
-pale faces; his mercy shorter than their justice! Say; shall I send the
-yellow hair to her father, and will you follow Magua to the great lakes,
-to carry his water, and feed him with corn?"
-
-Cora beckoned him away, with an emotion of disgust she could not
-control.
-
-"Leave me," she said, with a solemnity that for a moment checked the
-barbarity of the Indian; "you mingle bitterness in my prayers; you stand
-between me and my God!"
-
-The slight impression produced on the savage was, however, soon
-forgotten, and he continued pointing, with taunting irony, toward Alice.
-
-"Look! the child weeps! She is too young to die! Send her to Munro, to
-comb his gray hairs, and keep life in the heart of the old man."
-
-Cora could not resist the desire to look upon her youthful sister, in
-whose eyes she met an imploring glance, that betrayed the longings of
-nature.
-
-"What says he, dearest Cora?" asked the trembling voice of Alice. "Did
-he speak of sending me to our father?"
-
-For many moments the elder sister looked upon the younger, with a
-countenance that wavered with powerful and contending emotions.
-At length she spoke, though her tones had lost their rich and calm
-fullness, in an expression of tenderness that seemed maternal.
-
-"Alice," she said, "the Huron offers us both life, nay, more than both;
-he offers to restore Duncan, our invaluable Duncan, as well as you, to
-our friends--to our father--to our heart-stricken, childless father, if
-I will bow down this rebellious, stubborn pride of mine, and consent--"
-
-Her voice became choked, and clasping her hands, she looked upward, as
-if seeking, in her agony, intelligence from a wisdom that was infinite.
-
-"Say on," cried Alice; "to what, dearest Cora? Oh! that the proffer were
-made to me! to save you, to cheer our aged father, to restore Duncan,
-how cheerfully could I die!"
-
-"Die!" repeated Cora, with a calmer and firmer voice, "that were easy!
-Perhaps the alternative may not be less so. He would have me," she
-continued, her accents sinking under a deep consciousness of the
-degradation of the proposal, "follow him to the wilderness; go to the
-habitations of the Hurons; to remain there; in short, to become his
-wife! Speak, then, Alice; child of my affections! sister of my love! And
-you, too, Major Heyward, aid my weak reason with your counsel. Is life
-to be purchased by such a sacrifice? Will you, Alice, receive it at my
-hands at such a price? And you, Duncan, guide me; control me between
-you; for I am wholly yours!"
-
-"Would I!" echoed the indignant and astonished youth. "Cora! Cora! you
-jest with our misery! Name not the horrid alternative again; the thought
-itself is worse than a thousand deaths."
-
-"That such would be your answer, I well knew!" exclaimed Cora, her
-cheeks flushing, and her dark eyes once more sparkling with the
-lingering emotions of a woman. "What says my Alice? for her will I
-submit without another murmur."
-
-Although both Heyward and Cora listened with painful suspense and the
-deepest attention, no sounds were heard in reply. It appeared as if the
-delicate and sensitive form of Alice would shrink into itself, as she
-listened to this proposal. Her arms had fallen lengthwise before her,
-the fingers moving in slight convulsions; her head dropped upon her
-bosom, and her whole person seemed suspended against the tree, looking
-like some beautiful emblem of the wounded delicacy of her sex, devoid of
-animation and yet keenly conscious. In a few moments, however, her head
-began to move slowly, in a sign of deep, unconquerable disapprobation.
-
-"No, no, no; better that we die as we have lived, together!"
-
-"Then die!" shouted Magua, hurling his tomahawk with violence at the
-unresisting speaker, and gnashing his teeth with a rage that could no
-longer be bridled at this sudden exhibition of firmness in the one he
-believed the weakest of the party. The axe cleaved the air in front of
-Heyward, and cutting some of the flowing ringlets of Alice, quivered
-in the tree above her head. The sight maddened Duncan to desperation.
-Collecting all his energies in one effort he snapped the twigs which
-bound him and rushed upon another savage, who was preparing, with loud
-yells and a more deliberate aim, to repeat the blow. They encountered,
-grappled, and fell to the earth together. The naked body of his
-antagonist afforded Heyward no means of holding his adversary, who
-glided from his grasp, and rose again with one knee on his chest,
-pressing him down with the weight of a giant. Duncan already saw the
-knife gleaming in the air, when a whistling sound swept past him, and
-was rather accompanied than followed by the sharp crack of a rifle. He
-felt his breast relieved from the load it had endured; he saw the savage
-expression of his adversary's countenance change to a look of vacant
-wildness, when the Indian fell dead on the faded leaves by his side.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 12
-
-     "Clo.--I am gone, sire,
-            And anon, sire, I'll be with you again."
-     --Twelfth Night
-
-The Hurons stood aghast at this sudden visitation of death on one of
-their band. But as they regarded the fatal accuracy of an aim which had
-dared to immolate an enemy at so much hazard to a friend, the name
-of "La Longue Carabine" burst simultaneously from every lip, and was
-succeeded by a wild and a sort of plaintive howl. The cry was answered
-by a loud shout from a little thicket, where the incautious party had
-piled their arms; and at the next moment, Hawkeye, too eager to load
-the rifle he had regained, was seen advancing upon them, brandishing the
-clubbed weapon, and cutting the air with wide and powerful sweeps. Bold
-and rapid as was the progress of the scout, it was exceeded by that of
-a light and vigorous form which, bounding past him, leaped, with
-incredible activity and daring, into the very center of the Hurons,
-where it stood, whirling a tomahawk, and flourishing a glittering knife,
-with fearful menaces, in front of Cora. Quicker than the thoughts could
-follow those unexpected and audacious movements, an image, armed in the
-emblematic panoply of death, glided before their eyes, and assumed a
-threatening attitude at the other's side. The savage tormentors recoiled
-before these warlike intruders, and uttered, as they appeared in such
-quick succession, the often repeated and peculiar exclamations of
-surprise, followed by the well-known and dreaded appellations of:
-
-"Le Cerf Agile! Le Gros Serpent!"
-
-But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons was not so easily
-disconcerted. Casting his keen eyes around the little plain, he
-comprehended the nature of the assault at a glance, and encouraging his
-followers by his voice as well as by his example, he unsheathed his
-long and dangerous knife, and rushed with a loud whoop upon the expected
-Chingachgook. It was the signal for a general combat. Neither party had
-firearms, and the contest was to be decided in the deadliest manner,
-hand to hand, with weapons of offense, and none of defense.
-
-Uncas answered the whoop, and leaping on an enemy, with a single,
-well-directed blow of his tomahawk, cleft him to the brain. Heyward
-tore the weapon of Magua from the sapling, and rushed eagerly toward
-the fray. As the combatants were now equal in number, each singled an
-opponent from the adverse band. The rush and blows passed with the fury
-of a whirlwind, and the swiftness of lightning. Hawkeye soon got another
-enemy within reach of his arm, and with one sweep of his formidable
-weapon he beat down the slight and inartificial defenses of his
-antagonist, crushing him to the earth with the blow. Heyward ventured
-to hurl the tomahawk he had seized, too ardent to await the moment
-of closing. It struck the Indian he had selected on the forehead,
-and checked for an instant his onward rush. Encouraged by this slight
-advantage, the impetuous young man continued his onset, and sprang upon
-his enemy with naked hands. A single instant was enough to assure him
-of the rashness of the measure, for he immediately found himself fully
-engaged, with all his activity and courage, in endeavoring to ward the
-desperate thrusts made with the knife of the Huron. Unable longer to
-foil an enemy so alert and vigilant, he threw his arms about him, and
-succeeded in pinning the limbs of the other to his side, with an iron
-grasp, but one that was far too exhausting to himself to continue long.
-In this extremity he heard a voice near him, shouting:
-
-"Extarminate the varlets! no quarter to an accursed Mingo!"
-
-At the next moment, the breech of Hawkeye's rifle fell on the naked head
-of his adversary, whose muscles appeared to wither under the shock, as
-he sank from the arms of Duncan, flexible and motionless.
-
-When Uncas had brained his first antagonist, he turned, like a hungry
-lion, to seek another. The fifth and only Huron disengaged at the first
-onset had paused a moment, and then seeing that all around him were
-employed in the deadly strife, he had sought, with hellish vengeance,
-to complete the baffled work of revenge. Raising a shout of triumph, he
-sprang toward the defenseless Cora, sending his keen axe as the dreadful
-precursor of his approach. The tomahawk grazed her shoulder, and cutting
-the withes which bound her to the tree, left the maiden at liberty to
-fly. She eluded the grasp of the savage, and reckless of her own
-safety, threw herself on the bosom of Alice, striving with convulsed
-and ill-directed fingers, to tear asunder the twigs which confined the
-person of her sister. Any other than a monster would have relented at
-such an act of generous devotion to the best and purest affection; but
-the breast of the Huron was a stranger to sympathy. Seizing Cora by the
-rich tresses which fell in confusion about her form, he tore her from
-her frantic hold, and bowed her down with brutal violence to her knees.
-The savage drew the flowing curls through his hand, and raising them
-on high with an outstretched arm, he passed the knife around the
-exquisitely molded head of his victim, with a taunting and exulting
-laugh. But he purchased this moment of fierce gratification with the
-loss of the fatal opportunity. It was just then the sight caught the eye
-of Uncas. Bounding from his footsteps he appeared for an instant darting
-through the air and descending in a ball he fell on the chest of his
-enemy, driving him many yards from the spot, headlong and prostrate. The
-violence of the exertion cast the young Mohican at his side. They arose
-together, fought, and bled, each in his turn. But the conflict was soon
-decided; the tomahawk of Heyward and the rifle of Hawkeye descended
-on the skull of the Huron, at the same moment that the knife of Uncas
-reached his heart.
-
-The battle was now entirely terminated with the exception of the
-protracted struggle between "Le Renard Subtil" and "Le Gros Serpent."
-Well did these barbarous warriors prove that they deserved those
-significant names which had been bestowed for deeds in former wars.
-When they engaged, some little time was lost in eluding the quick and
-vigorous thrusts which had been aimed at their lives. Suddenly darting
-on each other, they closed, and came to the earth, twisted together like
-twining serpents, in pliant and subtle folds. At the moment when the
-victors found themselves unoccupied, the spot where these experienced
-and desperate combatants lay could only be distinguished by a cloud of
-dust and leaves, which moved from the center of the little plain toward
-its boundary, as if raised by the passage of a whirlwind. Urged by the
-different motives of filial affection, friendship and gratitude, Heyward
-and his companions rushed with one accord to the place, encircling the
-little canopy of dust which hung above the warriors. In vain did Uncas
-dart around the cloud, with a wish to strike his knife into the heart
-of his father's foe; the threatening rifle of Hawkeye was raised and
-suspended in vain, while Duncan endeavored to seize the limbs of the
-Huron with hands that appeared to have lost their power. Covered as they
-were with dust and blood, the swift evolutions of the combatants seemed
-to incorporate their bodies into one. The death-like looking figure of
-the Mohican, and the dark form of the Huron, gleamed before their eyes
-in such quick and confused succession, that the friends of the former
-knew not where to plant the succoring blow. It is true there were short
-and fleeting moments, when the fiery eyes of Magua were seen glittering,
-like the fabled organs of the basilisk through the dusty wreath by which
-he was enveloped, and he read by those short and deadly glances the fate
-of the combat in the presence of his enemies; ere, however, any hostile
-hand could descend on his devoted head, its place was filled by the
-scowling visage of Chingachgook. In this manner the scene of the combat
-was removed from the center of the little plain to its verge. The
-Mohican now found an opportunity to make a powerful thrust with his
-knife; Magua suddenly relinquished his grasp, and fell backward without
-motion, and seemingly without life. His adversary leaped on his feet,
-making the arches of the forest ring with the sounds of triumph.
-
-"Well done for the Delawares! victory to the Mohicans!" cried Hawkeye,
-once more elevating the butt of the long and fatal rifle; "a finishing
-blow from a man without a cross will never tell against his honor, nor
-rob him of his right to the scalp."
-
-But at the very moment when the dangerous weapon was in the act of
-descending, the subtle Huron rolled swiftly from beneath the danger,
-over the edge of the precipice, and falling on his feet, was seen
-leaping, with a single bound, into the center of a thicket of low
-bushes, which clung along its sides. The Delawares, who had believed
-their enemy dead, uttered their exclamation of surprise, and were
-following with speed and clamor, like hounds in open view of the deer,
-when a shrill and peculiar cry from the scout instantly changed their
-purpose, and recalled them to the summit of the hill.
-
-"'Twas like himself!" cried the inveterate forester, whose prejudices
-contributed so largely to veil his natural sense of justice in all
-matters which concerned the Mingoes; "a lying and deceitful varlet as
-he is. An honest Delaware now, being fairly vanquished, would have lain
-still, and been knocked on the head, but these knavish Maquas cling to
-life like so many cats-o'-the-mountain. Let him go--let him go; 'tis but
-one man, and he without rifle or bow, many a long mile from his French
-commerades; and like a rattler that lost his fangs, he can do no further
-mischief, until such time as he, and we too, may leave the prints of our
-moccasins over a long reach of sandy plain. See, Uncas," he added, in
-Delaware, "your father is flaying the scalps already. It may be well to
-go round and feel the vagabonds that are left, or we may have another of
-them loping through the woods, and screeching like a jay that has been
-winged."
-
-So saying the honest but implacable scout made the circuit of the dead,
-into whose senseless bosoms he thrust his long knife, with as much
-coolness as though they had been so many brute carcasses. He had,
-however, been anticipated by the elder Mohican, who had already torn the
-emblems of victory from the unresisting heads of the slain.
-
-But Uncas, denying his habits, we had almost said his nature, flew with
-instinctive delicacy, accompanied by Heyward, to the assistance of the
-females, and quickly releasing Alice, placed her in the arms of Cora. We
-shall not attempt to describe the gratitude to the Almighty Disposer
-of Events which glowed in the bosoms of the sisters, who were thus
-unexpectedly restored to life and to each other. Their thanksgivings
-were deep and silent; the offerings of their gentle spirits burning
-brightest and purest on the secret altars of their hearts; and their
-renovated and more earthly feelings exhibiting themselves in long and
-fervent though speechless caresses. As Alice rose from her knees, where
-she had sunk by the side of Cora, she threw herself on the bosom of the
-latter, and sobbed aloud the name of their aged father, while her soft,
-dove-like eyes, sparkled with the rays of hope.
-
-"We are saved! we are saved!" she murmured; "to return to the arms of
-our dear, dear father, and his heart will not be broken with grief. And
-you, too, Cora, my sister, my more than sister, my mother; you, too,
-are spared. And Duncan," she added, looking round upon the youth with a
-smile of ineffable innocence, "even our own brave and noble Duncan has
-escaped without a hurt."
-
-To these ardent and nearly innocent words Cora made no other answer than
-by straining the youthful speaker to her heart, as she bent over her
-in melting tenderness. The manhood of Heyward felt no shame in dropping
-tears over this spectacle of affectionate rapture; and Uncas stood,
-fresh and blood-stained from the combat, a calm, and, apparently, an
-unmoved looker-on, it is true, but with eyes that had already lost their
-fierceness, and were beaming with a sympathy that elevated him far
-above the intelligence, and advanced him probably centuries before, the
-practises of his nation.
-
-During this display of emotions so natural in their situation, Hawkeye,
-whose vigilant distrust had satisfied itself that the Hurons, who
-disfigured the heavenly scene, no longer possessed the power to
-interrupt its harmony, approached David, and liberated him from the
-bonds he had, until that moment, endured with the most exemplary
-patience.
-
-"There," exclaimed the scout, casting the last withe behind him, "you
-are once more master of your own limbs, though you seem not to use them
-with much greater judgment than that in which they were first fashioned.
-If advice from one who is not older than yourself, but who, having
-lived most of his time in the wilderness, may be said to have experience
-beyond his years, will give no offense, you are welcome to my thoughts;
-and these are, to part with the little tooting instrument in your jacket
-to the first fool you meet with, and buy some we'pon with the money, if
-it be only the barrel of a horseman's pistol. By industry and care, you
-might thus come to some prefarment; for by this time, I should think,
-your eyes would plainly tell you that a carrion crow is a better bird
-than a mocking-thresher. The one will, at least, remove foul sights
-from before the face of man, while the other is only good to brew
-disturbances in the woods, by cheating the ears of all that hear them."
-
-"Arms and the clarion for the battle, but the song of thanksgiving
-to the victory!" answered the liberated David. "Friend," he added,
-thrusting forth his lean, delicate hand toward Hawkeye, in kindness,
-while his eyes twinkled and grew moist, "I thank thee that the hairs
-of my head still grow where they were first rooted by Providence; for,
-though those of other men may be more glossy and curling, I have ever
-found mine own well suited to the brain they shelter. That I did not
-join myself to the battle, was less owing to disinclination, than to the
-bonds of the heathen. Valiant and skillful hast thou proved thyself in
-the conflict, and I hereby thank thee, before proceeding to discharge
-other and more important duties, because thou hast proved thyself well
-worthy of a Christian's praise."
-
-"The thing is but a trifle, and what you may often see if you tarry long
-among us," returned the scout, a good deal softened toward the man of
-song, by this unequivocal expression of gratitude. "I have got back my
-old companion, 'killdeer'," he added, striking his hand on the breech of
-his rifle; "and that in itself is a victory. These Iroquois are cunning,
-but they outwitted themselves when they placed their firearms out of
-reach; and had Uncas or his father been gifted with only their common
-Indian patience, we should have come in upon the knaves with three
-bullets instead of one, and that would have made a finish of the whole
-pack; yon loping varlet, as well as his commerades. But 'twas all
-fore-ordered, and for the best."
-
-"Thou sayest well," returned David, "and hast caught the true spirit
-of Christianity. He that is to be saved will be saved, and he that is
-predestined to be damned will be damned. This is the doctrine of truth,
-and most consoling and refreshing it is to the true believer."
-
-The scout, who by this time was seated, examining into the state of his
-rifle with a species of parental assiduity, now looked up at the other
-in a displeasure that he did not affect to conceal, roughly interrupting
-further speech.
-
-"Doctrine or no doctrine," said the sturdy woodsman, "'tis the belief of
-knaves, and the curse of an honest man. I can credit that yonder Huron
-was to fall by my hand, for with my own eyes I have seen it; but nothing
-short of being a witness will cause me to think he has met with any
-reward, or that Chingachgook there will be condemned at the final day."
-
-"You have no warranty for such an audacious doctrine, nor any covenant
-to support it," cried David who was deeply tinctured with the subtle
-distinctions which, in his time, and more especially in his province,
-had been drawn around the beautiful simplicity of revelation, by
-endeavoring to penetrate the awful mystery of the divine nature,
-supplying faith by self-sufficiency, and by consequence, involving those
-who reasoned from such human dogmas in absurdities and doubt; "your
-temple is reared on the sands, and the first tempest will wash away its
-foundation. I demand your authorities for such an uncharitable assertion
-(like other advocates of a system, David was not always accurate in his
-use of terms). Name chapter and verse; in which of the holy books do you
-find language to support you?"
-
-"Book!" repeated Hawkeye, with singular and ill-concealed disdain; "do
-you take me for a whimpering boy at the apronstring of one of your old
-gals; and this good rifle on my knee for the feather of a goose's
-wing, my ox's horn for a bottle of ink, and my leathern pouch for a
-cross-barred handkercher to carry my dinner? Book! what have such as I,
-who am a warrior of the wilderness, though a man without a cross, to
-do with books? I never read but in one, and the words that are written
-there are too simple and too plain to need much schooling; though I may
-boast that of forty long and hard-working years."
-
-"What call you the volume?" said David, misconceiving the other's
-meaning.
-
-"'Tis open before your eyes," returned the scout; "and he who owns it
-is not a niggard of its use. I have heard it said that there are men who
-read in books to convince themselves there is a God. I know not but man
-may so deform his works in the settlement, as to leave that which is so
-clear in the wilderness a matter of doubt among traders and priests. If
-any such there be, and he will follow me from sun to sun, through the
-windings of the forest, he shall see enough to teach him that he is a
-fool, and that the greatest of his folly lies in striving to rise to the
-level of One he can never equal, be it in goodness, or be it in power."
-
-The instant David discovered that he battled with a disputant who
-imbibed his faith from the lights of nature, eschewing all subtleties
-of doctrine, he willingly abandoned a controversy from which he believed
-neither profit nor credit was to be derived. While the scout was
-speaking, he had also seated himself, and producing the ready little
-volume and the iron-rimmed spectacles, he prepared to discharge a
-duty, which nothing but the unexpected assault he had received in his
-orthodoxy could have so long suspended. He was, in truth, a minstrel of
-the western continent--of a much later day, certainly, than those gifted
-bards, who formerly sang the profane renown of baron and prince, but
-after the spirit of his own age and country; and he was now prepared
-to exercise the cunning of his craft, in celebration of, or rather in
-thanksgiving for, the recent victory. He waited patiently for Hawkeye to
-cease, then lifting his eyes, together with his voice, he said, aloud:
-
-"I invite you, friends, to join in praise for this signal deliverance
-from the hands of barbarians and infidels, to the comfortable and solemn
-tones of the tune called 'Northampton'."
-
-He next named the page and verse where the rhymes selected were to be
-found, and applied the pitch-pipe to his lips, with the decent gravity
-that he had been wont to use in the temple. This time he was, however,
-without any accompaniment, for the sisters were just then pouring out
-those tender effusions of affection which have been already alluded
-to. Nothing deterred by the smallness of his audience, which, in
-truth, consisted only of the discontented scout, he raised his voice,
-commencing and ending the sacred song without accident or interruption
-of any kind.
-
-Hawkeye listened while he coolly adjusted his flint and reloaded his
-rifle; but the sounds, wanting the extraneous assistance of scene and
-sympathy, failed to awaken his slumbering emotions. Never minstrel,
-or by whatever more suitable name David should be known, drew upon his
-talents in the presence of more insensible auditors; though considering
-the singleness and sincerity of his motive, it is probable that no bard
-of profane song ever uttered notes that ascended so near to that throne
-where all homage and praise is due. The scout shook his head, and
-muttering some unintelligible words, among which "throat" and "Iroquois"
-were alone audible, he walked away, to collect and to examine into the
-state of the captured arsenal of the Hurons. In this office he was now
-joined by Chingachgook, who found his own, as well as the rifle of his
-son, among the arms. Even Heyward and David were furnished with weapons;
-nor was ammunition wanting to render them all effectual.
-
-When the foresters had made their selection, and distributed their
-prizes, the scout announced that the hour had arrived when it was
-necessary to move. By this time the song of Gamut had ceased, and the
-sisters had learned to still the exhibition of their emotions. Aided by
-Duncan and the younger Mohican, the two latter descended the precipitous
-sides of that hill which they had so lately ascended under so very
-different auspices, and whose summit had so nearly proved the scene of
-their massacre. At the foot they found the Narragansetts browsing the
-herbage of the bushes, and having mounted, they followed the movements
-of a guide, who, in the most deadly straits, had so often proved himself
-their friend. The journey was, however, short. Hawkeye, leaving the
-blind path that the Hurons had followed, turned short to his right,
-and entering the thicket, he crossed a babbling brook, and halted in a
-narrow dell, under the shade of a few water elms. Their distance from
-the base of the fatal hill was but a few rods, and the steeds had been
-serviceable only in crossing the shallow stream.
-
-The scout and the Indians appeared to be familiar with the sequestered
-place where they now were; for, leaning their rifle against the trees,
-they commenced throwing aside the dried leaves, and opening the blue
-clay, out of which a clear and sparkling spring of bright, glancing
-water, quickly bubbled. The white man then looked about him, as though
-seeking for some object, which was not to be found as readily as he
-expected.
-
-"Them careless imps, the Mohawks, with their Tuscarora and Onondaga
-brethren, have been here slaking their thirst," he muttered, "and the
-vagabonds have thrown away the gourd! This is the way with benefits,
-when they are bestowed on such disremembering hounds! Here has the Lord
-laid his hand, in the midst of the howling wilderness, for their good,
-and raised a fountain of water from the bowels of the 'arth, that might
-laugh at the richest shop of apothecary's ware in all the colonies; and
-see! the knaves have trodden in the clay, and deformed the cleanliness
-of the place, as though they were brute beasts, instead of human men."
-
-Uncas silently extended toward him the desired gourd, which the spleen
-of Hawkeye had hitherto prevented him from observing on a branch of
-an elm. Filling it with water, he retired a short distance, to a place
-where the ground was more firm and dry; here he coolly seated himself,
-and after taking a long, and, apparently, a grateful draught, he
-commenced a very strict examination of the fragments of food left by the
-Hurons, which had hung in a wallet on his arm.
-
-"Thank you, lad!" he continued, returning the empty gourd to Uncas;
-"now we will see how these rampaging Hurons lived, when outlying in
-ambushments. Look at this! The varlets know the better pieces of the
-deer; and one would think they might carve and roast a saddle, equal to
-the best cook in the land! But everything is raw, for the Iroquois are
-thorough savages. Uncas, take my steel and kindle a fire; a mouthful of
-a tender broil will give natur' a helping hand, after so long a trail."
-
-Heyward, perceiving that their guides now set about their repast in
-sober earnest, assisted the ladies to alight, and placed himself at
-their side, not unwilling to enjoy a few moments of grateful rest, after
-the bloody scene he had just gone through. While the culinary process
-was in hand, curiosity induced him to inquire into the circumstances
-which had led to their timely and unexpected rescue:
-
-"How is it that we see you so soon, my generous friend," he asked, "and
-without aid from the garrison of Edward?"
-
-"Had we gone to the bend in the river, we might have been in time
-to rake the leaves over your bodies, but too late to have saved your
-scalps," coolly answered the scout. "No, no; instead of throwing away
-strength and opportunity by crossing to the fort, we lay by, under the
-bank of the Hudson, waiting to watch the movements of the Hurons."
-
-"You were, then, witnesses of all that passed?"
-
-"Not of all; for Indian sight is too keen to be easily cheated, and we
-kept close. A difficult matter it was, too, to keep this Mohican boy
-snug in the ambushment. Ah! Uncas, Uncas, your behavior was more like
-that of a curious woman than of a warrior on his scent."
-
-Uncas permitted his eyes to turn for an instant on the sturdy
-countenance of the speaker, but he neither spoke nor gave any indication
-of repentance. On the contrary, Heyward thought the manner of the young
-Mohican was disdainful, if not a little fierce, and that he suppressed
-passions that were ready to explode, as much in compliment to the
-listeners, as from the deference he usually paid to his white associate.
-
-"You saw our capture?" Heyward next demanded.
-
-"We heard it," was the significant answer. "An Indian yell is plain
-language to men who have passed their days in the woods. But when you
-landed, we were driven to crawl like sarpents, beneath the leaves; and
-then we lost sight of you entirely, until we placed eyes on you again
-trussed to the trees, and ready bound for an Indian massacre."
-
-"Our rescue was the deed of Providence. It was nearly a miracle that you
-did not mistake the path, for the Hurons divided, and each band had its
-horses."
-
-"Ay! there we were thrown off the scent, and might, indeed, have lost
-the trail, had it not been for Uncas; we took the path, however, that
-led into the wilderness; for we judged, and judged rightly, that the
-savages would hold that course with their prisoners. But when we had
-followed it for many miles, without finding a single twig broken, as I
-had advised, my mind misgave me; especially as all the footsteps had the
-prints of moccasins."
-
-"Our captors had the precaution to see us shod like themselves," said
-Duncan, raising a foot, and exhibiting the buckskin he wore.
-
-"Aye, 'twas judgmatical and like themselves; though we were too expart
-to be thrown from a trail by so common an invention."
-
-"To what, then, are we indebted for our safety?"
-
-"To what, as a white man who has no taint of Indian blood, I should be
-ashamed to own; to the judgment of the young Mohican, in matters which
-I should know better than he, but which I can now hardly believe to be
-true, though my own eyes tell me it is so."
-
-"'Tis extraordinary! will you not name the reason?"
-
-"Uncas was bold enough to say, that the beasts ridden by the gentle
-ones," continued Hawkeye, glancing his eyes, not without curious
-interest, on the fillies of the ladies, "planted the legs of one side on
-the ground at the same time, which is contrary to the movements of all
-trotting four-footed animals of my knowledge, except the bear. And yet
-here are horses that always journey in this manner, as my own eyes have
-seen, and as their trail has shown for twenty long miles."
-
-"'Tis the merit of the animal! They come from the shores of
-Narrangansett Bay, in the small province of Providence Plantations,
-and are celebrated for their hardihood, and the ease of this peculiar
-movement; though other horses are not unfrequently trained to the same."
-
-"It may be--it may be," said Hawkeye, who had listened with singular
-attention to this explanation; "though I am a man who has the full blood
-of the whites, my judgment in deer and beaver is greater than in beasts
-of burden. Major Effingham has many noble chargers, but I have never
-seen one travel after such a sidling gait."
-
-"True; for he would value the animals for very different properties.
-Still is this a breed highly esteemed and, as you witness, much honored
-with the burdens it is often destined to bear."
-
-The Mohicans had suspended their operations about the glimmering fire
-to listen; and, when Duncan had done, they looked at each other
-significantly, the father uttering the never-failing exclamation of
-surprise. The scout ruminated, like a man digesting his newly-acquired
-knowledge, and once more stole a glance at the horses.
-
-"I dare to say there are even stranger sights to be seen in the
-settlements!" he said, at length. "Natur' is sadly abused by man, when
-he once gets the mastery. But, go sidling or go straight, Uncas had seen
-the movement, and their trail led us on to the broken bush. The outer
-branch, near the prints of one of the horses, was bent upward, as a lady
-breaks a flower from its stem, but all the rest were ragged and broken
-down, as if the strong hand of a man had been tearing them! So I
-concluded that the cunning varments had seen the twig bent, and had torn
-the rest, to make us believe a buck had been feeling the boughs with his
-antlers."
-
-"I do believe your sagacity did not deceive you; for some such thing
-occurred!"
-
-"That was easy to see," added the scout, in no degree conscious of
-having exhibited any extraordinary sagacity; "and a very different
-matter it was from a waddling horse! It then struck me the Mingoes
-would push for this spring, for the knaves well know the vartue of its
-waters!"
-
-"Is it, then, so famous?" demanded Heyward, examining, with a more
-curious eye, the secluded dell, with its bubbling fountain, surrounded,
-as it was, by earth of a deep, dingy brown.
-
-"Few red-skins, who travel south and east of the great lakes but have
-heard of its qualities. Will you taste for yourself?"
-
-Heyward took the gourd, and after swallowing a little of the water,
-threw it aside with grimaces of discontent. The scout laughed in his
-silent but heartfelt manner, and shook his head with vast satisfaction.
-
-"Ah! you want the flavor that one gets by habit; the time was when I
-liked it as little as yourself; but I have come to my taste, and I now
-crave it, as a deer does the licks*. Your high-spiced wines are not
-better liked than a red-skin relishes this water; especially when his
-natur' is ailing. But Uncas has made his fire, and it is time we think
-of eating, for our journey is long, and all before us."
-
-     * Many of the animals of the American forests resort to
-     those spots where salt springs are found. These are called
-     "licks" or "salt licks," in the language of the country,
-     from the circumstance that the quadruped is often obliged to
-     lick the earth, in order to obtain the saline particles.
-     These licks are great places of resort with the hunters, who
-     waylay their game near the paths that lead to them.
-
-Interrupting the dialogue by this abrupt transition, the scout had
-instant recourse to the fragments of food which had escaped the voracity
-of the Hurons. A very summary process completed the simple cookery, when
-he and the Mohicans commenced their humble meal, with the silence and
-characteristic diligence of men who ate in order to enable themselves to
-endure great and unremitting toil.
-
-When this necessary, and, happily, grateful duty had been performed,
-each of the foresters stooped and took a long and parting draught at
-that solitary and silent spring*, around which and its sister fountains,
-within fifty years, the wealth, beauty and talents of a hemisphere were
-to assemble in throngs, in pursuit of health and pleasure. Then Hawkeye
-announced his determination to proceed. The sisters resumed their
-saddles; Duncan and David grapsed their rifles, and followed on
-footsteps; the scout leading the advance, and the Mohicans bringing up
-the rear. The whole party moved swiftly through the narrow path, toward
-the north, leaving the healing waters to mingle unheeded with the
-adjacent brooks and the bodies of the dead to fester on the neighboring
-mount, without the rites of sepulture; a fate but too common to the
-warriors of the woods to excite either commiseration or comment.
-
-     * The scene of the foregoing incidents is on the spot where
-     the village of Ballston now stands; one of the two principal
-     watering places of America.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 13
-
-     "I'll seek a readier path."
-     --Parnell
-
-The route taken by Hawkeye lay across those sandy plains, relived by
-occasional valleys and swells of land, which had been traversed by their
-party on the morning of the same day, with the baffled Magua for their
-guide. The sun had now fallen low toward the distant mountains; and
-as their journey lay through the interminable forest, the heat was no
-longer oppressive. Their progress, in consequence, was proportionate;
-and long before the twilight gathered about them, they had made good
-many toilsome miles on their return.
-
-The hunter, like the savage whose place he filled, seemed to select
-among the blind signs of their wild route, with a species of instinct,
-seldom abating his speed, and never pausing to deliberate. A rapid and
-oblique glance at the moss on the trees, with an occasional upward gaze
-toward the setting sun, or a steady but passing look at the direction of
-the numerous water courses, through which he waded, were sufficient
-to determine his path, and remove his greatest difficulties. In the
-meantime, the forest began to change its hues, losing that lively green
-which had embellished its arches, in the graver light which is the usual
-precursor of the close of day.
-
-While the eyes of the sisters were endeavoring to catch glimpses through
-the trees, of the flood of golden glory which formed a glittering halo
-around the sun, tinging here and there with ruby streaks, or bordering
-with narrow edgings of shining yellow, a mass of clouds that lay piled
-at no great distance above the western hills, Hawkeye turned suddenly
-and pointing upward toward the gorgeous heavens, he spoke:
-
-"Yonder is the signal given to man to seek his food and natural rest,"
-he said; "better and wiser would it be, if he could understand the signs
-of nature, and take a lesson from the fowls of the air and the beasts of
-the field! Our night, however, will soon be over, for with the moon
-we must be up and moving again. I remember to have fou't the Maquas,
-hereaways, in the first war in which I ever drew blood from man; and we
-threw up a work of blocks, to keep the ravenous varmints from handling
-our scalps. If my marks do not fail me, we shall find the place a few
-rods further to our left."
-
-Without waiting for an assent, or, indeed, for any reply, the sturdy
-hunter moved boldly into a dense thicket of young chestnuts, shoving
-aside the branches of the exuberant shoots which nearly covered the
-ground, like a man who expected, at each step, to discover some object
-he had formerly known. The recollection of the scout did not deceive
-him. After penetrating through the brush, matted as it was with briars,
-for a few hundred feet, he entered an open space, that surrounded a low,
-green hillock, which was crowned by the decayed blockhouse in question.
-This rude and neglected building was one of those deserted works, which,
-having been thrown up on an emergency, had been abandoned with the
-disappearance of danger, and was now quietly crumbling in the solitude
-of the forest, neglected and nearly forgotten, like the circumstances
-which had caused it to be reared. Such memorials of the passage and
-struggles of man are yet frequent throughout the broad barrier of
-wilderness which once separated the hostile provinces, and form a
-species of ruins that are intimately associated with the recollections
-of colonial history, and which are in appropriate keeping with the
-gloomy character of the surrounding scenery. The roof of bark had long
-since fallen, and mingled with the soil, but the huge logs of pine,
-which had been hastily thrown together, still preserved their relative
-positions, though one angle of the work had given way under the
-pressure, and threatened a speedy downfall to the remainder of the
-rustic edifice. While Heyward and his companions hesitated to approach
-a building so decayed, Hawkeye and the Indians entered within the low
-walls, not only without fear, but with obvious interest. While the
-former surveyed the ruins, both internally and externally, with the
-curiosity of one whose recollections were reviving at each moment,
-Chingachgook related to his son, in the language of the Delawares, and
-with the pride of a conqueror, the brief history of the skirmish which
-had been fought, in his youth, in that secluded spot. A strain of
-melancholy, however, blended with his triumph, rendering his voice, as
-usual, soft and musical.
-
-In the meantime, the sisters gladly dismounted, and prepared to enjoy
-their halt in the coolness of the evening, and in a security which they
-believed nothing but the beasts of the forest could invade.
-
-"Would not our resting-place have been more retired, my worthy friend,"
-demanded the more vigilant Duncan, perceiving that the scout had already
-finished his short survey, "had we chosen a spot less known, and one
-more rarely visited than this?"
-
-"Few live who know the blockhouse was ever raised," was the slow and
-musing answer; "'tis not often that books are made, and narratives
-written of such a scrimmage as was here fou't atween the Mohicans and
-the Mohawks, in a war of their own waging. I was then a younker, and
-went out with the Delawares, because I know'd they were a scandalized
-and wronged race. Forty days and forty nights did the imps crave our
-blood around this pile of logs, which I designed and partly reared,
-being, as you'll remember, no Indian myself, but a man without a cross.
-The Delawares lent themselves to the work, and we made it good, ten to
-twenty, until our numbers were nearly equal, and then we sallied out
-upon the hounds, and not a man of them ever got back to tell the fate
-of his party. Yes, yes; I was then young, and new to the sight of blood;
-and not relishing the thought that creatures who had spirits like myself
-should lay on the naked ground, to be torn asunder by beasts, or to
-bleach in the rains, I buried the dead with my own hands, under that
-very little hillock where you have placed yourselves; and no bad seat
-does it make neither, though it be raised by the bones of mortal men."
-
-Heyward and the sisters arose, on the instant, from the grassy
-sepulcher; nor could the two latter, notwithstanding the terrific scenes
-they had so recently passed through, entirely suppress an emotion of
-natural horror, when they found themselves in such familiar contact with
-the grave of the dead Mohawks. The gray light, the gloomy little area
-of dark grass, surrounded by its border of brush, beyond which the pines
-rose, in breathing silence, apparently into the very clouds, and the
-deathlike stillness of the vast forest, were all in unison to deepen
-such a sensation. "They are gone, and they are harmless," continued
-Hawkeye, waving his hand, with a melancholy smile at their manifest
-alarm; "they'll never shout the war-whoop nor strike a blow with the
-tomahawk again! And of all those who aided in placing them where they
-lie, Chingachgook and I only are living! The brothers and family of the
-Mohican formed our war party; and you see before you all that are now
-left of his race."
-
-The eyes of the listeners involuntarily sought the forms of the Indians,
-with a compassionate interest in their desolate fortune. Their dark
-persons were still to be seen within the shadows of the blockhouse,
-the son listening to the relation of his father with that sort of
-intenseness which would be created by a narrative that redounded so much
-to the honor of those whose names he had long revered for their courage
-and savage virtues.
-
-"I had thought the Delawares a pacific people," said Duncan, "and that
-they never waged war in person; trusting the defense of their hands to
-those very Mohawks that you slew!"
-
-"'Tis true in part," returned the scout, "and yet, at the bottom, 'tis
-a wicked lie. Such a treaty was made in ages gone by, through the
-deviltries of the Dutchers, who wished to disarm the natives that had
-the best right to the country, where they had settled themselves. The
-Mohicans, though a part of the same nation, having to deal with the
-English, never entered into the silly bargain, but kept to their
-manhood; as in truth did the Delawares, when their eyes were open to
-their folly. You see before you a chief of the great Mohican Sagamores!
-Once his family could chase their deer over tracts of country wider than
-that which belongs to the Albany Patteroon, without crossing brook or
-hill that was not their own; but what is left of their descendant? He
-may find his six feet of earth when God chooses, and keep it in peace,
-perhaps, if he has a friend who will take the pains to sink his head so
-low that the plowshares cannot reach it!"
-
-"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive that the subject might lead to
-a discussion that would interrupt the harmony so necessary to the
-preservation of his fair companions; "we have journeyed far, and few
-among us are blessed with forms like that of yours, which seems to know
-neither fatigue nor weakness."
-
-"The sinews and bones of a man carry me through it all," said the
-hunter, surveying his muscular limbs with a simplicity that betrayed
-the honest pleasure the compliment afforded him; "there are larger and
-heavier men to be found in the settlements, but you might travel many
-days in a city before you could meet one able to walk fifty miles
-without stopping to take breath, or who has kept the hounds within
-hearing during a chase of hours. However, as flesh and blood are not
-always the same, it is quite reasonable to suppose that the gentle ones
-are willing to rest, after all they have seen and done this day. Uncas,
-clear out the spring, while your father and I make a cover for their
-tender heads of these chestnut shoots, and a bed of grass and leaves."
-
-The dialogue ceased, while the hunter and his companions busied
-themselves in preparations for the comfort and protection of those they
-guided. A spring, which many long years before had induced the natives
-to select the place for their temporary fortification, was soon cleared
-of leaves, and a fountain of crystal gushed from the bed, diffusing
-its waters over the verdant hillock. A corner of the building was then
-roofed in such a manner as to exclude the heavy dew of the climate,
-and piles of sweet shrubs and dried leaves were laid beneath it for the
-sisters to repose on.
-
-While the diligent woodsmen were employed in this manner, Cora and
-Alice partook of that refreshment which duty required much more than
-inclination prompted them to accept. They then retired within the
-walls, and first offering up their thanksgivings for past mercies, and
-petitioning for a continuance of the Divine favor throughout the coming
-night, they laid their tender forms on the fragrant couch, and in spite
-of recollections and forebodings, soon sank into those slumbers which
-nature so imperiously demanded, and which were sweetened by hopes
-for the morrow. Duncan had prepared himself to pass the night in
-watchfulness near them, just without the ruin, but the scout, perceiving
-his intention, pointed toward Chingachgook, as he coolly disposed his
-own person on the grass, and said:
-
-"The eyes of a white man are too heavy and too blind for such a watch as
-this! The Mohican will be our sentinel, therefore let us sleep."
-
-"I proved myself a sluggard on my post during the past night," said
-Heyward, "and have less need of repose than you, who did more credit
-to the character of a soldier. Let all the party seek their rest, then,
-while I hold the guard."
-
-"If we lay among the white tents of the Sixtieth, and in front of an
-enemy like the French, I could not ask for a better watchman," returned
-the scout; "but in the darkness and among the signs of the wilderness
-your judgment would be like the folly of a child, and your vigilance
-thrown away. Do then, like Uncas and myself, sleep, and sleep in
-safety."
-
-Heyward perceived, in truth, that the younger Indian had thrown his form
-on the side of the hillock while they were talking, like one who sought
-to make the most of the time allotted to rest, and that his example had
-been followed by David, whose voice literally "clove to his jaws," with
-the fever of his wound, heightened, as it was, by their toilsome march.
-Unwilling to prolong a useless discussion, the young man affected to
-comply, by posting his back against the logs of the blockhouse, in a
-half recumbent posture, though resolutely determined, in his own mind,
-not to close an eye until he had delivered his precious charge into the
-arms of Munro himself. Hawkeye, believing he had prevailed, soon fell
-asleep, and a silence as deep as the solitude in which they had found
-it, pervaded the retired spot.
-
-For many minutes Duncan succeeded in keeping his senses on the alert,
-and alive to every moaning sound that arose from the forest. His vision
-became more acute as the shades of evening settled on the place; and
-even after the stars were glimmering above his head, he was able to
-distinguish the recumbent forms of his companions, as they lay stretched
-on the grass, and to note the person of Chingachgook, who sat upright
-and motionless as one of the trees which formed the dark barrier on
-every side. He still heard the gentle breathings of the sisters, who lay
-within a few feet of him, and not a leaf was ruffled by the passing
-air of which his ear did not detect the whispering sound. At length,
-however, the mournful notes of a whip-poor-will became blended with the
-moanings of an owl; his heavy eyes occasionally sought the bright rays
-of the stars, and he then fancied he saw them through the fallen lids.
-At instants of momentary wakefulness he mistook a bush for his associate
-sentinel; his head next sank upon his shoulder, which, in its turn,
-sought the support of the ground; and, finally, his whole person became
-relaxed and pliant, and the young man sank into a deep sleep, dreaming
-that he was a knight of ancient chivalry, holding his midnight vigils
-before the tent of a recaptured princess, whose favor he did not despair
-of gaining, by such a proof of devotion and watchfulness.
-
-How long the tired Duncan lay in this insensible state he never
-knew himself, but his slumbering visions had been long lost in total
-forgetfulness, when he was awakened by a light tap on the shoulder.
-Aroused by this signal, slight as it was, he sprang upon his feet with
-a confused recollection of the self-imposed duty he had assumed with the
-commencement of the night.
-
-"Who comes?" he demanded, feeling for his sword, at the place where it
-was usually suspended. "Speak! friend or enemy?"
-
-"Friend," replied the low voice of Chingachgook; who, pointing upward
-at the luminary which was shedding its mild light through the opening
-in the trees, directly in their bivouac, immediately added, in his rude
-English: "Moon comes and white man's fort far--far off; time to move,
-when sleep shuts both eyes of the Frenchman!"
-
-"You say true! Call up your friends, and bridle the horses while I
-prepare my own companions for the march!"
-
-"We are awake, Duncan," said the soft, silvery tones of Alice within the
-building, "and ready to travel very fast after so refreshing a sleep;
-but you have watched through the tedious night in our behalf, after
-having endured so much fatigue the livelong day!"
-
-"Say, rather, I would have watched, but my treacherous eyes betrayed me;
-twice have I proved myself unfit for the trust I bear."
-
-"Nay, Duncan, deny it not," interrupted the smiling Alice, issuing
-from the shadows of the building into the light of the moon, in all the
-loveliness of her freshened beauty; "I know you to be a heedless one,
-when self is the object of your care, and but too vigilant in favor of
-others. Can we not tarry here a little longer while you find the rest
-you need? Cheerfully, most cheerfully, will Cora and I keep the vigils,
-while you and all these brave men endeavor to snatch a little sleep!"
-
-"If shame could cure me of my drowsiness, I should never close an eye
-again," said the uneasy youth, gazing at the ingenuous countenance
-of Alice, where, however, in its sweet solicitude, he read nothing to
-confirm his half-awakened suspicion. "It is but too true, that after
-leading you into danger by my heedlessness, I have not even the merit of
-guarding your pillows as should become a soldier."
-
-"No one but Duncan himself should accuse Duncan of such a weakness. Go,
-then, and sleep; believe me, neither of us, weak girls as we are, will
-betray our watch."
-
-The young man was relieved from the awkwardness of making any further
-protestations of his own demerits, by an exclamation from Chingachgook,
-and the attitude of riveted attention assumed by his son.
-
-"The Mohicans hear an enemy!" whispered Hawkeye, who, by this time, in
-common with the whole party, was awake and stirring. "They scent danger
-in the wind!"
-
-"God forbid!" exclaimed Heyward. "Surely we have had enough of
-bloodshed!"
-
-While he spoke, however, the young soldier seized his rifle, and
-advancing toward the front, prepared to atone for his venial remissness,
-by freely exposing his life in defense of those he attended.
-
-"'Tis some creature of the forest prowling around us in quest of food,"
-he said, in a whisper, as soon as the low, and apparently distant
-sounds, which had startled the Mohicans, reached his own ears.
-
-"Hist!" returned the attentive scout; "'tis man; even I can now tell
-his tread, poor as my senses are when compared to an Indian's! That
-Scampering Huron has fallen in with one of Montcalm's outlying parties,
-and they have struck upon our trail. I shouldn't like, myself, to spill
-more human blood in this spot," he added, looking around with anxiety in
-his features, at the dim objects by which he was surrounded; "but what
-must be, must! Lead the horses into the blockhouse, Uncas; and, friends,
-do you follow to the same shelter. Poor and old as it is, it offers a
-cover, and has rung with the crack of a rifle afore to-night!"
-
-He was instantly obeyed, the Mohicans leading the Narrangansetts
-within the ruin, whither the whole party repaired with the most guarded
-silence.
-
-The sound of approaching footsteps were now too distinctly audible to
-leave any doubts as to the nature of the interruption. They were soon
-mingled with voices calling to each other in an Indian dialect, which
-the hunter, in a whisper, affirmed to Heyward was the language of the
-Hurons. When the party reached the point where the horses had entered
-the thicket which surrounded the blockhouse, they were evidently at
-fault, having lost those marks which, until that moment, had directed
-their pursuit.
-
-It would seem by the voices that twenty men were soon collected at that
-one spot, mingling their different opinions and advice in noisy clamor.
-
-"The knaves know our weakness," whispered Hawkeye, who stood by the side
-of Heyward, in deep shade, looking through an opening in the logs, "or
-they wouldn't indulge their idleness in such a squaw's march. Listen to
-the reptiles! each man among them seems to have two tongues, and but a
-single leg."
-
-Duncan, brave as he was in the combat, could not, in such a moment of
-painful suspense, make any reply to the cool and characteristic remark
-of the scout. He only grasped his rifle more firmly, and fastened his
-eyes upon the narrow opening, through which he gazed upon the moonlight
-view with increasing anxiety. The deeper tones of one who spoke as
-having authority were next heard, amid a silence that denoted the
-respect with which his orders, or rather advice, was received. After
-which, by the rustling of leaves, and crackling of dried twigs, it
-was apparent the savages were separating in pursuit of the lost trail.
-Fortunately for the pursued, the light of the moon, while it shed a
-flood of mild luster upon the little area around the ruin, was not
-sufficiently strong to penetrate the deep arches of the forest, where
-the objects still lay in deceptive shadow. The search proved fruitless;
-for so short and sudden had been the passage from the faint path the
-travelers had journeyed into the thicket, that every trace of their
-footsteps was lost in the obscurity of the woods.
-
-It was not long, however, before the restless savages were heard beating
-the brush, and gradually approaching the inner edge of that dense border
-of young chestnuts which encircled the little area.
-
-"They are coming," muttered Heyward, endeavoring to thrust his rifle
-through the chink in the logs; "let us fire on their approach."
-
-"Keep everything in the shade," returned the scout; "the snapping of
-a flint, or even the smell of a single karnel of the brimstone, would
-bring the hungry varlets upon us in a body. Should it please God that we
-must give battle for the scalps, trust to the experience of men who
-know the ways of the savages, and who are not often backward when the
-war-whoop is howled."
-
-Duncan cast his eyes behind him, and saw that the trembling sisters were
-cowering in the far corner of the building, while the Mohicans stood in
-the shadow, like two upright posts, ready, and apparently willing, to
-strike when the blow should be needed. Curbing his impatience, he again
-looked out upon the area, and awaited the result in silence. At that
-instant the thicket opened, and a tall and armed Huron advanced a few
-paces into the open space. As he gazed upon the silent blockhouse, the
-moon fell upon his swarthy countenance, and betrayed its surprise and
-curiosity. He made the exclamation which usually accompanies the former
-emotion in an Indian, and, calling in a low voice, soon drew a companion
-to his side.
-
-These children of the woods stood together for several moments pointing
-at the crumbling edifice, and conversing in the unintelligible language
-of their tribe. They then approached, though with slow and cautious
-steps, pausing every instant to look at the building, like startled deer
-whose curiosity struggled powerfully with their awakened apprehensions
-for the mastery. The foot of one of them suddenly rested on the mound,
-and he stopped to examine its nature. At this moment, Heyward observed
-that the scout loosened his knife in its sheath, and lowered the muzzle
-of his rifle. Imitating these movements, the young man prepared himself
-for the struggle which now seemed inevitable.
-
-The savages were so near, that the least motion in one of the horses, or
-even a breath louder than common, would have betrayed the fugitives. But
-in discovering the character of the mound, the attention of the Hurons
-appeared directed to a different object. They spoke together, and
-the sounds of their voices were low and solemn, as if influenced by a
-reverence that was deeply blended with awe. Then they drew warily back,
-keeping their eyes riveted on the ruin, as if they expected to see
-the apparitions of the dead issue from its silent walls, until, having
-reached the boundary of the area, they moved slowly into the thicket and
-disappeared.
-
-Hawkeye dropped the breech of his rifle to the earth, and drawing a
-long, free breath, exclaimed, in an audible whisper:
-
-"Ay! they respect the dead, and it has this time saved their own lives,
-and, it may be, the lives of better men too."
-
-Heyward lent his attention for a single moment to his companion, but
-without replying, he again turned toward those who just then interested
-him more. He heard the two Hurons leave the bushes, and it was soon
-plain that all the pursuers were gathered about them, in deep attention
-to their report. After a few minutes of earnest and solemn dialogue,
-altogether different from the noisy clamor with which they had first
-collected about the spot, the sounds grew fainter and more distant, and
-finally were lost in the depths of the forest.
-
-Hawkeye waited until a signal from the listening Chingachgook assured
-him that every sound from the retiring party was completely swallowed by
-the distance, when he motioned to Heyward to lead forth the horses, and
-to assist the sisters into their saddles. The instant this was done
-they issued through the broken gateway, and stealing out by a direction
-opposite to the one by which they entered, they quitted the spot, the
-sisters casting furtive glances at the silent, grave and crumbling ruin,
-as they left the soft light of the moon, to bury themselves in the gloom
-of the woods.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 14
-
-     "Guard.--Qui est la?
-     Puc.   --Paisans, pauvres gens de France."
-     --King Henry VI
-
-During the rapid movement from the blockhouse, and until the party was
-deeply buried in the forest, each individual was too much interested in
-the escape to hazard a word even in whispers. The scout resumed his
-post in advance, though his steps, after he had thrown a safe distance
-between himself and his enemies, were more deliberate than in their
-previous march, in consequence of his utter ignorance of the localities
-of the surrounding woods. More than once he halted to consult with his
-confederates, the Mohicans, pointing upward at the moon, and examining
-the barks of the trees with care. In these brief pauses, Heyward and the
-sisters listened, with senses rendered doubly acute by the danger, to
-detect any symptoms which might announce the proximity of their foes.
-At such moments, it seemed as if a vast range of country lay buried in
-eternal sleep; not the least sound arising from the forest, unless it
-was the distant and scarcely audible rippling of a water-course. Birds,
-beasts, and man, appeared to slumber alike, if, indeed, any of the
-latter were to be found in that wide tract of wilderness. But the sounds
-of the rivulet, feeble and murmuring as they were, relieved the guides
-at once from no trifling embarrassment, and toward it they immediately
-held their way.
-
-When the banks of the little stream were gained, Hawkeye made another
-halt; and taking the moccasins from his feet, he invited Heyward and
-Gamut to follow his example. He then entered the water, and for near an
-hour they traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no trail. The
-moon had already sunk into an immense pile of black clouds, which lay
-impending above the western horizon, when they issued from the low and
-devious water-course to rise again to the light and level of the sandy
-but wooded plain. Here the scout seemed to be once more at home, for he
-held on this way with the certainty and diligence of a man who moved in
-the security of his own knowledge. The path soon became more uneven, and
-the travelers could plainly perceive that the mountains drew nigher to
-them on each hand, and that they were, in truth, about entering one of
-their gorges. Suddenly, Hawkeye made a pause, and, waiting until he
-was joined by the whole party, he spoke, though in tones so low and
-cautious, that they added to the solemnity of his words, in the quiet
-and darkness of the place.
-
-"It is easy to know the pathways, and to find the licks and
-water-courses of the wilderness," he said; "but who that saw this spot
-could venture to say, that a mighty army was at rest among yonder silent
-trees and barren mountains?"
-
-"We are, then, at no great distance from William Henry?" said Heyward,
-advancing nigher to the scout.
-
-"It is yet a long and weary path, and when and where to strike it is
-now our greatest difficulty. See," he said, pointing through the trees
-toward a spot where a little basin of water reflected the stars from its
-placid bosom, "here is the 'bloody pond'; and I am on ground that I have
-not only often traveled, but over which I have fou't the enemy, from the
-rising to the setting sun."
-
-"Ha! that sheet of dull and dreary water, then, is the sepulcher of the
-brave men who fell in the contest. I have heard it named, but never have
-I stood on its banks before."
-
-"Three battles did we make with the Dutch-Frenchman* in a day,"
-continued Hawkeye, pursuing the train of his own thoughts, rather than
-replying to the remark of Duncan. "He met us hard by, in our outward
-march to ambush his advance, and scattered us, like driven deer, through
-the defile, to the shores of Horican. Then we rallied behind our fallen
-trees, and made head against him, under Sir William--who was made Sir
-William for that very deed; and well did we pay him for the disgrace
-of the morning! Hundreds of Frenchmen saw the sun that day for the last
-time; and even their leader, Dieskau himself, fell into our hands, so
-cut and torn with the lead, that he has gone back to his own country,
-unfit for further acts in war."
-
-     * Baron Dieskau, a German, in the service of France. A few
-     years previously to the period of the tale, this officer was
-     defeated by Sir William Johnson, of Johnstown, New York, on
-     the shores of Lake George.
-
-"'Twas a noble repulse!" exclaimed Heyward, in the heat of his youthful
-ardor; "the fame of it reached us early, in our southern army."
-
-"Ay! but it did not end there. I was sent by Major Effingham, at Sir
-William's own bidding, to outflank the French, and carry the tidings
-of their disaster across the portage, to the fort on the Hudson. Just
-hereaway, where you see the trees rise into a mountain swell, I met a
-party coming down to our aid, and I led them where the enemy were taking
-their meal, little dreaming that they had not finished the bloody work
-of the day."
-
-"And you surprised them?"
-
-"If death can be a surprise to men who are thinking only of the cravings
-of their appetites. We gave them but little breathing time, for they had
-borne hard upon us in the fight of the morning, and there were few in
-our party who had not lost friend or relative by their hands."
-
-"When all was over, the dead, and some say the dying, were cast into
-that little pond. These eyes have seen its waters colored with blood, as
-natural water never yet flowed from the bowels of the 'arth."
-
-"It was a convenient, and, I trust, will prove a peaceful grave for a
-soldier. You have then seen much service on this frontier?"
-
-"Ay!" said the scout, erecting his tall person with an air of military
-pride; "there are not many echoes among these hills that haven't rung
-with the crack of my rifle, nor is there the space of a square mile
-atwixt Horican and the river, that 'killdeer' hasn't dropped a living
-body on, be it an enemy or be it a brute beast. As for the grave there
-being as quiet as you mention, it is another matter. There are them
-in the camp who say and think, man, to lie still, should not be buried
-while the breath is in the body; and certain it is that in the hurry of
-that evening, the doctors had but little time to say who was living and
-who was dead. Hist! see you nothing walking on the shore of the pond?"
-
-"'Tis not probable that any are as houseless as ourselves in this dreary
-forest."
-
-"Such as he may care but little for house or shelter, and night dew can
-never wet a body that passes its days in the water," returned the scout,
-grasping the shoulder of Heyward with such convulsive strength as to
-make the young soldier painfully sensible how much superstitious terror
-had got the mastery of a man usually so dauntless.
-
-"By heaven, there is a human form, and it approaches! Stand to your
-arms, my friends; for we know not whom we encounter."
-
-"Qui vive?" demanded a stern, quick voice, which sounded like a
-challenge from another world, issuing out of that solitary and solemn
-place.
-
-"What says it?" whispered the scout; "it speaks neither Indian nor
-English."
-
-"Qui vive?" repeated the same voice, which was quickly followed by the
-rattling of arms, and a menacing attitude.
-
-"France!" cried Heyward, advancing from the shadow of the trees to the
-shore of the pond, within a few yards of the sentinel.
-
-"D'ou venez-vous--ou allez-vous, d'aussi bonne heure?" demanded the
-grenadier, in the language and with the accent of a man from old France.
-
-"Je viens de la decouverte, et je vais me coucher."
-
-"Etes-vous officier du roi?"
-
-"Sans doute, mon camarade; me prends-tu pour un provincial! Je suis
-capitaine de chasseurs (Heyward well knew that the other was of a
-regiment in the line); j'ai ici, avec moi, les filles du commandant
-de la fortification. Aha! tu en as entendu parler! je les ai fait
-prisonnieres pres de l'autre fort, et je les conduis au general."
-
-"Ma foi! mesdames; j'en suis fache pour vous," exclaimed the young
-soldier, touching his cap with grace; "mais--fortune de guerre! vous
-trouverez notre general un brave homme, et bien poli avec les dames."
-
-"C'est le caractere des gens de guerre," said Cora, with admirable
-self-possession. "Adieu, mon ami; je vous souhaiterais un devoir plus
-agreable a remplir."
-
-The soldier made a low and humble acknowledgment for her civility; and
-Heyward adding a "Bonne nuit, mon camarade," they moved deliberately
-forward, leaving the sentinel pacing the banks of the silent pond,
-little suspecting an enemy of so much effrontery, and humming to himself
-those words which were recalled to his mind by the sight of women, and,
-perhaps, by recollections of his own distant and beautiful France: "Vive
-le vin, vive l'amour," etc., etc.
-
-"'Tis well you understood the knave!" whispered the scout, when they had
-gained a little distance from the place, and letting his rifle fall into
-the hollow of his arm again; "I soon saw that he was one of them uneasy
-Frenchers; and well for him it was that his speech was friendly and his
-wishes kind, or a place might have been found for his bones among those
-of his countrymen."
-
-He was interrupted by a long and heavy groan which arose from the little
-basin, as though, in truth, the spirits of the departed lingered about
-their watery sepulcher.
-
-"Surely it was of flesh," continued the scout; "no spirit could handle
-its arms so steadily."
-
-"It was of flesh; but whether the poor fellow still belongs to this
-world may well be doubted," said Heyward, glancing his eyes around him,
-and missing Chingachgook from their little band. Another groan more
-faint than the former was succeeded by a heavy and sullen plunge into
-the water, and all was still again as if the borders of the dreary pool
-had never been awakened from the silence of creation. While they yet
-hesitated in uncertainty, the form of the Indian was seen gliding out of
-the thicket. As the chief rejoined them, with one hand he attached the
-reeking scalp of the unfortunate young Frenchman to his girdle, and with
-the other he replaced the knife and tomahawk that had drunk his blood.
-He then took his wonted station, with the air of a man who believed he
-had done a deed of merit.
-
-The scout dropped one end of his rifle to the earth, and leaning his
-hands on the other, he stood musing in profound silence. Then, shaking
-his head in a mournful manner, he muttered:
-
-"'Twould have been a cruel and an unhuman act for a white-skin; but 'tis
-the gift and natur' of an Indian, and I suppose it should not be denied.
-I could wish, though, it had befallen an accursed Mingo, rather than
-that gay young boy from the old countries."
-
-"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive the unconscious sisters might
-comprehend the nature of the detention, and conquering his disgust by a
-train of reflections very much like that of the hunter; "'tis done; and
-though better it were left undone, cannot be amended. You see, we are,
-too obviously within the sentinels of the enemy; what course do you
-propose to follow?"
-
-"Yes," said Hawkeye, rousing himself again; "'tis as you say, too late
-to harbor further thoughts about it. Ay, the French have gathered around
-the fort in good earnest and we have a delicate needle to thread in
-passing them."
-
-"And but little time to do it in," added Heyward, glancing his eyes
-upwards, toward the bank of vapor that concealed the setting moon.
-
-"And little time to do it in!" repeated the scout. "The thing may be
-done in two fashions, by the help of Providence, without which it may
-not be done at all."
-
-"Name them quickly for time presses."
-
-"One would be to dismount the gentle ones, and let their beasts range
-the plain, by sending the Mohicans in front, we might then cut a lane
-through their sentries, and enter the fort over the dead bodies."
-
-"It will not do--it will not do!" interrupted the generous Heyward;
-"a soldier might force his way in this manner, but never with such a
-convoy."
-
-"'Twould be, indeed, a bloody path for such tender feet to wade in,"
-returned the equally reluctant scout; "but I thought it befitting my
-manhood to name it. We must, then, turn in our trail and get without the
-line of their lookouts, when we will bend short to the west, and enter
-the mountains; where I can hide you, so that all the devil's hounds in
-Montcalm's pay would be thrown off the scent for months to come."
-
-"Let it be done, and that instantly."
-
-Further words were unnecessary; for Hawkeye, merely uttering the mandate
-to "follow," moved along the route by which they had just entered their
-present critical and even dangerous situation. Their progress, like
-their late dialogue, was guarded, and without noise; for none knew at
-what moment a passing patrol, or a crouching picket of the enemy, might
-rise upon their path. As they held their silent way along the margin
-of the pond, again Heyward and the scout stole furtive glances at its
-appalling dreariness. They looked in vain for the form they had so
-recently seen stalking along in silent shores, while a low and regular
-wash of the little waves, by announcing that the waters were not yet
-subsided, furnished a frightful memorial of the deed of blood they had
-just witnessed. Like all that passing and gloomy scene, the low basin,
-however, quickly melted in the darkness, and became blended with the
-mass of black objects in the rear of the travelers.
-
-Hawkeye soon deviated from the line of their retreat, and striking off
-towards the mountains which form the western boundary of the narrow
-plain, he led his followers, with swift steps, deep within the shadows
-that were cast from their high and broken summits. The route was now
-painful; lying over ground ragged with rocks, and intersected with
-ravines, and their progress proportionately slow. Bleak and black
-hills lay on every side of them, compensating in some degree for the
-additional toil of the march by the sense of security they imparted. At
-length the party began slowly to rise a steep and rugged ascent, by a
-path that curiously wound among rocks and trees, avoiding the one and
-supported by the other, in a manner that showed it had been devised by
-men long practised in the arts of the wilderness. As they gradually rose
-from the level of the valleys, the thick darkness which usually precedes
-the approach of day began to disperse, and objects were seen in the
-plain and palpable colors with which they had been gifted by nature.
-When they issued from the stunted woods which clung to the barren sides
-of the mountain, upon a flat and mossy rock that formed its summit, they
-met the morning, as it came blushing above the green pines of a hill
-that lay on the opposite side of the valley of the Horican.
-
-The scout now told the sisters to dismount; and taking the bridles from
-the mouths, and the saddles off the backs of the jaded beasts, he turned
-them loose, to glean a scanty subsistence among the shrubs and meager
-herbage of that elevated region.
-
-"Go," he said, "and seek your food where natur' gives it to you; and
-beware that you become not food to ravenous wolves yourselves, among
-these hills."
-
-"Have we no further need of them?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"See, and judge with your own eyes," said the scout, advancing toward
-the eastern brow of the mountain, whither he beckoned for the whole
-party to follow; "if it was as easy to look into the heart of man as
-it is to spy out the nakedness of Montcalm's camp from this spot,
-hypocrites would grow scarce, and the cunning of a Mingo might prove a
-losing game, compared to the honesty of a Delaware."
-
-When the travelers reached the verge of the precipices they saw, at
-a glance, the truth of the scout's declaration, and the admirable
-foresight with which he had led them to their commanding station.
-
-The mountain on which they stood, elevated perhaps a thousand feet in
-the air, was a high cone that rose a little in advance of that range
-which stretches for miles along the western shores of the lake, until
-meeting its sisters miles beyond the water, it ran off toward the
-Canadas, in confused and broken masses of rock, thinly sprinkled with
-evergreens. Immediately at the feet of the party, the southern shore
-of the Horican swept in a broad semicircle from mountain to mountain,
-marking a wide strand, that soon rose into an uneven and somewhat
-elevated plain. To the north stretched the limpid, and, as it appeared
-from that dizzy height, the narrow sheet of the "holy lake," indented
-with numberless bays, embellished by fantastic headlands, and dotted
-with countless islands. At the distance of a few leagues, the bed of the
-water became lost among mountains, or was wrapped in the masses of vapor
-that came slowly rolling along their bosom, before a light morning air.
-But a narrow opening between the crests of the hills pointed out the
-passage by which they found their way still further north, to spread
-their pure and ample sheets again, before pouring out their tribute
-into the distant Champlain. To the south stretched the defile, or rather
-broken plain, so often mentioned. For several miles in this direction,
-the mountains appeared reluctant to yield their dominion, but within
-reach of the eye they diverged, and finally melted into the level and
-sandy lands, across which we have accompanied our adventurers in their
-double journey. Along both ranges of hills, which bounded the opposite
-sides of the lake and valley, clouds of light vapor were rising in
-spiral wreaths from the uninhabited woods, looking like the smoke of
-hidden cottages; or rolled lazily down the declivities, to mingle with
-the fogs of the lower land. A single, solitary, snow-white cloud floated
-above the valley, and marked the spot beneath which lay the silent pool
-of the "bloody pond."
-
-Directly on the shore of the lake, and nearer to its western than to its
-eastern margin, lay the extensive earthen ramparts and low buildings
-of William Henry. Two of the sweeping bastions appeared to rest on
-the water which washed their bases, while a deep ditch and extensive
-morasses guarded its other sides and angles. The land had been cleared
-of wood for a reasonable distance around the work, but every other part
-of the scene lay in the green livery of nature, except where the limpid
-water mellowed the view, or the bold rocks thrust their black and naked
-heads above the undulating outline of the mountain ranges. In its front
-might be seen the scattered sentinels, who held a weary watch against
-their numerous foes; and within the walls themselves, the travelers
-looked down upon men still drowsy with a night of vigilance. Toward the
-southeast, but in immediate contact with the fort, was an entrenched
-camp, posted on a rocky eminence, that would have been far more eligible
-for the work itself, in which Hawkeye pointed out the presence of
-those auxiliary regiments that had so recently left the Hudson in their
-company. From the woods, a little further to the south, rose numerous
-dark and lurid smokes, that were easily to be distinguished from the
-purer exhalations of the springs, and which the scout also showed to
-Heyward, as evidences that the enemy lay in force in that direction.
-
-But the spectacle which most concerned the young soldier was on the
-western bank of the lake, though quite near to its southern termination.
-On a strip of land, which appeared from his stand too narrow to contain
-such an army, but which, in truth, extended many hundreds of yards from
-the shores of the Horican to the base of the mountain, were to be seen
-the white tents and military engines of an encampment of ten thousand
-men. Batteries were already thrown up in their front, and even while the
-spectators above them were looking down, with such different emotions,
-on a scene which lay like a map beneath their feet, the roar of
-artillery rose from the valley, and passed off in thundering echoes
-along the eastern hills.
-
-"Morning is just touching them below," said the deliberate and musing
-scout, "and the watchers have a mind to wake up the sleepers by the
-sound of cannon. We are a few hours too late! Montcalm has already
-filled the woods with his accursed Iroquois."
-
-"The place is, indeed, invested," returned Duncan; "but is there no
-expedient by which we may enter? capture in the works would be far
-preferable to falling again into the hands of roving Indians."
-
-"See!" exclaimed the scout, unconsciously directing the attention of
-Cora to the quarters of her own father, "how that shot has made the
-stones fly from the side of the commandant's house! Ay! these Frenchers
-will pull it to pieces faster than it was put together, solid and thick
-though it be!"
-
-"Heyward, I sicken at the sight of danger that I cannot share," said
-the undaunted but anxious daughter. "Let us go to Montcalm, and demand
-admission: he dare not deny a child the boon."
-
-"You would scarce find the tent of the Frenchman with the hair on your
-head"; said the blunt scout. "If I had but one of the thousand boats
-which lie empty along that shore, it might be done! Ha! here will soon
-be an end of the firing, for yonder comes a fog that will turn day to
-night, and make an Indian arrow more dangerous than a molded cannon.
-Now, if you are equal to the work, and will follow, I will make a push;
-for I long to get down into that camp, if it be only to scatter some
-Mingo dogs that I see lurking in the skirts of yonder thicket of birch."
-
-"We are equal," said Cora, firmly; "on such an errand we will follow to
-any danger."
-
-The scout turned to her with a smile of honest and cordial approbation,
-as he answered:
-
-"I would I had a thousand men, of brawny limbs and quick eyes, that
-feared death as little as you! I'd send them jabbering Frenchers back
-into their den again, afore the week was ended, howling like so many
-fettered hounds or hungry wolves. But, sir," he added, turning from her
-to the rest of the party, "the fog comes rolling down so fast, we shall
-have but just the time to meet it on the plain, and use it as a cover.
-Remember, if any accident should befall me, to keep the air blowing on
-your left cheeks--or, rather, follow the Mohicans; they'd scent their
-way, be it in day or be it at night."
-
-He then waved his hand for them to follow, and threw himself down the
-steep declivity, with free, but careful footsteps. Heyward assisted
-the sisters to descend, and in a few minutes they were all far down a
-mountain whose sides they had climbed with so much toil and pain.
-
-The direction taken by Hawkeye soon brought the travelers to the level
-of the plain, nearly opposite to a sally-port in the western curtain of
-the fort, which lay itself at the distance of about half a mile from
-the point where he halted to allow Duncan to come up with his charge.
-In their eagerness, and favored by the nature of the ground, they had
-anticipated the fog, which was rolling heavily down the lake, and it
-became necessary to pause, until the mists had wrapped the camp of the
-enemy in their fleecy mantle. The Mohicans profited by the delay, to
-steal out of the woods, and to make a survey of surrounding objects.
-They were followed at a little distance by the scout, with a view to
-profit early by their report, and to obtain some faint knowledge for
-himself of the more immediate localities.
-
-In a very few moments he returned, his face reddened with vexation,
-while he muttered his disappointment in words of no very gentle import.
-
-"Here has the cunning Frenchman been posting a picket directly in our
-path," he said; "red-skins and whites; and we shall be as likely to fall
-into their midst as to pass them in the fog!"
-
-"Cannot we make a circuit to avoid the danger," asked Heyward, "and come
-into our path again when it is passed?"
-
-"Who that once bends from the line of his march in a fog can tell when
-or how to find it again! The mists of Horican are not like the curls
-from a peace-pipe, or the smoke which settles above a mosquito fire."
-
-He was yet speaking, when a crashing sound was heard, and a cannon-ball
-entered the thicket, striking the body of a sapling, and rebounding to
-the earth, its force being much expended by previous resistance.
-The Indians followed instantly like busy attendants on the terrible
-messenger, and Uncas commenced speaking earnestly and with much action,
-in the Delaware tongue.
-
-"It may be so, lad," muttered the scout, when he had ended; "for
-desperate fevers are not to be treated like a toothache. Come, then, the
-fog is shutting in."
-
-"Stop!" cried Heyward; "first explain your expectations."
-
-"'Tis soon done, and a small hope it is; but it is better than nothing.
-This shot that you see," added the scout, kicking the harmless iron with
-his foot, "has plowed the 'arth in its road from the fort, and we shall
-hunt for the furrow it has made, when all other signs may fail. No more
-words, but follow, or the fog may leave us in the middle of our path, a
-mark for both armies to shoot at."
-
-Heyward perceiving that, in fact, a crisis had arrived, when acts were
-more required than words, placed himself between the sisters, and drew
-them swiftly forward, keeping the dim figure of their leader in his eye.
-It was soon apparent that Hawkeye had not magnified the power of the
-fog, for before they had proceeded twenty yards, it was difficult for
-the different individuals of the party to distinguish each other in the
-vapor.
-
-They had made their little circuit to the left, and were already
-inclining again toward the right, having, as Heyward thought, got over
-nearly half the distance to the friendly works, when his ears were
-saluted with the fierce summons, apparently within twenty feet of them,
-of:
-
-"Qui va la?"
-
-"Push on!" whispered the scout, once more bending to the left.
-
-"Push on!" repeated Heyward; when the summons was renewed by a dozen
-voices, each of which seemed charged with menace.
-
-"C'est moi," cried Duncan, dragging rather than leading those he
-supported swiftly onward.
-
-"Bete!--qui?--moi!"
-
-"Ami de la France."
-
-"Tu m'as plus l'air d'un ennemi de la France; arrete ou pardieu je te
-ferai ami du diable. Non! feu, camarades, feu!"
-
-The order was instantly obeyed, and the fog was stirred by the explosion
-of fifty muskets. Happily, the aim was bad, and the bullets cut the
-air in a direction a little different from that taken by the fugitives;
-though still so nigh them, that to the unpractised ears of David and the
-two females, it appeared as if they whistled within a few inches of the
-organs. The outcry was renewed, and the order, not only to fire again,
-but to pursue, was too plainly audible. When Heyward briefly explained
-the meaning of the words they heard, Hawkeye halted and spoke with quick
-decision and great firmness.
-
-"Let us deliver our fire," he said; "they will believe it a sortie, and
-give way, or they will wait for reinforcements."
-
-The scheme was well conceived, but failed in its effects. The instant
-the French heard the pieces, it seemed as if the plain was alive with
-men, muskets rattling along its whole extent, from the shores of the
-lake to the furthest boundary of the woods.
-
-"We shall draw their entire army upon us, and bring on a general
-assault," said Duncan: "lead on, my friend, for your own life and ours."
-
-The scout seemed willing to comply; but, in the hurry of the moment, and
-in the change of position, he had lost the direction. In vain he turned
-either cheek toward the light air; they felt equally cool. In this
-dilemma, Uncas lighted on the furrow of the cannon ball, where it had
-cut the ground in three adjacent ant-hills.
-
-"Give me the range!" said Hawkeye, bending to catch a glimpse of the
-direction, and then instantly moving onward.
-
-Cries, oaths, voices calling to each other, and the reports of muskets,
-were now quick and incessant, and, apparently, on every side of them.
-Suddenly a strong glare of light flashed across the scene, the fog
-rolled upward in thick wreaths, and several cannons belched across the
-plain, and the roar was thrown heavily back from the bellowing echoes of
-the mountain.
-
-"'Tis from the fort!" exclaimed Hawkeye, turning short on his tracks;
-"and we, like stricken fools, were rushing to the woods, under the very
-knives of the Maquas."
-
-The instant their mistake was rectified, the whole party retraced the
-error with the utmost diligence. Duncan willingly relinquished the
-support of Cora to the arm of Uncas and Cora as readily accepted the
-welcome assistance. Men, hot and angry in pursuit, were evidently on
-their footsteps, and each instant threatened their capture, if not their
-destruction.
-
-"Point de quartier aux coquins!" cried an eager pursuer, who seemed to
-direct the operations of the enemy.
-
-"Stand firm, and be ready, my gallant Sixtieths!" suddenly exclaimed
-a voice above them; "wait to see the enemy, fire low and sweep the
-glacis."
-
-"Father! father!" exclaimed a piercing cry from out the mist: "it is I!
-Alice! thy own Elsie! Spare, oh! save your daughters!"
-
-"Hold!" shouted the former speaker, in the awful tones of parental
-agony, the sound reaching even to the woods, and rolling back in solemn
-echo. "'Tis she! God has restored me to my children! Throw open the
-sally-port; to the field, Sixtieths, to the field; pull not a trigger,
-lest ye kill my lambs! Drive off these dogs of France with your steel."
-
-Duncan heard the grating of the rusty hinges, and darting to the spot,
-directed by the sound, he met a long line of dark red warriors, passing
-swiftly toward the glacis. He knew them for his own battalion of the
-Royal Americans, and flying to their head, soon swept every trace of his
-pursuers from before the works.
-
-For an instant, Cora and Alice had stood trembling and bewildered by
-this unexpected desertion; but before either had leisure for speech, or
-even thought, an officer of gigantic frame, whose locks were bleached
-with years and service, but whose air of military grandeur had been
-rather softened than destroyed by time, rushed out of the body of mist,
-and folded them to his bosom, while large scalding tears rolled down his
-pale and wrinkled cheeks, and he exclaimed, in the peculiar accent of
-Scotland:
-
-"For this I thank thee, Lord! Let danger come as it will, thy servant is
-now prepared!"
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 15
-
-     "Then go we in, to know his embassy;
-     Which I could, with ready guess, declare,
-     Before the Frenchmen speak a word of it."
-     --King Henry V
-
-A few succeeding days were passed amid the privations, the uproar,
-and the dangers of the siege, which was vigorously pressed by a
-power, against whose approaches Munro possessed no competent means of
-resistance. It appeared as if Webb, with his army, which lay slumbering
-on the banks of the Hudson, had utterly forgotten the strait to which
-his countrymen were reduced. Montcalm had filled the woods of the
-portage with his savages, every yell and whoop from whom rang through
-the British encampment, chilling the hearts of men who were already but
-too much disposed to magnify the danger.
-
-Not so, however, with the besieged. Animated by the words, and
-stimulated by the examples of their leaders, they had found their
-courage, and maintained their ancient reputation, with a zeal that did
-justice to the stern character of their commander. As if satisfied with
-the toil of marching through the wilderness to encounter his enemy, the
-French general, though of approved skill, had neglected to seize the
-adjacent mountains; whence the besieged might have been exterminated
-with impunity, and which, in the more modern warfare of the country,
-would not have been neglected for a single hour. This sort of contempt
-for eminences, or rather dread of the labor of ascending them, might
-have been termed the besetting weakness of the warfare of the period. It
-originated in the simplicity of the Indian contests, in which, from the
-nature of the combats, and the density of the forests, fortresses were
-rare, and artillery next to useless. The carelessness engendered by
-these usages descended even to the war of the Revolution and lost the
-States the important fortress of Ticonderoga opening a way for the army
-of Burgoyne into what was then the bosom of the country. We look back at
-this ignorance, or infatuation, whichever it may be called, with wonder,
-knowing that the neglect of an eminence, whose difficulties, like those
-of Mount Defiance, have been so greatly exaggerated, would, at the
-present time, prove fatal to the reputation of the engineer who had
-planned the works at their base, or to that of the general whose lot it
-was to defend them.
-
-The tourist, the valetudinarian, or the amateur of the beauties of
-nature, who, in the train of his four-in-hand, now rolls through the
-scenes we have attempted to describe, in quest of information, health,
-or pleasure, or floats steadily toward his object on those artificial
-waters which have sprung up under the administration of a statesman* who
-has dared to stake his political character on the hazardous issue, is
-not to suppose that his ancestors traversed those hills, or struggled
-with the same currents with equal facility. The transportation of a
-single heavy gun was often considered equal to a victory gained; if
-happily, the difficulties of the passage had not so far separated it
-from its necessary concomitant, the ammunition, as to render it no more
-than a useless tube of unwieldy iron.
-
-     * Evidently the late De Witt Clinton, who died governor of
-     New York in 1828.
-
-The evils of this state of things pressed heavily on the fortunes of the
-resolute Scotsman who now defended William Henry. Though his adversary
-neglected the hills, he had planted his batteries with judgment on the
-plain, and caused them to be served with vigor and skill. Against
-this assault, the besieged could only oppose the imperfect and hasty
-preparations of a fortress in the wilderness.
-
-It was in the afternoon of the fifth day of the siege, and the fourth of
-his own service in it, that Major Heyward profited by a parley that
-had just been beaten, by repairing to the ramparts of one of the water
-bastions, to breathe the cool air from the lake, and to take a survey
-of the progress of the siege. He was alone, if the solitary sentinel who
-paced the mound be excepted; for the artillerists had hastened also to
-profit by the temporary suspension of their arduous duties. The evening
-was delightfully calm, and the light air from the limpid water fresh and
-soothing. It seemed as if, with the termination of the roar of artillery
-and the plunging of shot, nature had also seized the moment to assume
-her mildest and most captivating form. The sun poured down his parting
-glory on the scene, without the oppression of those fierce rays that
-belong to the climate and the season. The mountains looked green,
-and fresh, and lovely, tempered with the milder light, or softened in
-shadow, as thin vapors floated between them and the sun. The numerous
-islands rested on the bosom of the Horican, some low and sunken, as if
-embedded in the waters, and others appearing to hover about the element,
-in little hillocks of green velvet; among which the fishermen of the
-beleaguering army peacefully rowed their skiffs, or floated at rest on
-the glassy mirror in quiet pursuit of their employment.
-
-The scene was at once animated and still. All that pertained to nature
-was sweet, or simply grand; while those parts which depended on the
-temper and movements of man were lively and playful.
-
-Two little spotless flags were abroad, the one on a salient angle of the
-fort, and the other on the advanced battery of the besiegers; emblems of
-the truth which existed, not only to the acts, but it would seem, also,
-to the enmity of the combatants.
-
-Behind these again swung, heavily opening and closing in silken folds,
-the rival standards of England and France.
-
-A hundred gay and thoughtless young Frenchmen were drawing a net to the
-pebbly beach, within dangerous proximity to the sullen but silent cannon
-of the fort, while the eastern mountain was sending back the loud shouts
-and gay merriment that attended their sport. Some were rushing eagerly
-to enjoy the aquatic games of the lake, and others were already toiling
-their way up the neighboring hills, with the restless curiosity of their
-nation. To all these sports and pursuits, those of the enemy who watched
-the besieged, and the besieged themselves, were, however, merely the
-idle though sympathizing spectators. Here and there a picket had,
-indeed, raised a song, or mingled in a dance, which had drawn the
-dusky savages around them, from their lairs in the forest. In short,
-everything wore rather the appearance of a day of pleasure, than of
-an hour stolen from the dangers and toil of a bloody and vindictive
-warfare.
-
-Duncan had stood in a musing attitude, contemplating this scene a few
-minutes, when his eyes were directed to the glacis in front of the
-sally-port already mentioned, by the sounds of approaching footsteps. He
-walked to an angle of the bastion, and beheld the scout advancing,
-under the custody of a French officer, to the body of the fort. The
-countenance of Hawkeye was haggard and careworn, and his air dejected,
-as though he felt the deepest degradation at having fallen into the
-power of his enemies. He was without his favorite weapon, and his arms
-were even bound behind him with thongs, made of the skin of a deer. The
-arrival of flags to cover the messengers of summons, had occurred so
-often of late, that when Heyward first threw his careless glance on this
-group, he expected to see another of the officers of the enemy, charged
-with a similar office but the instant he recognized the tall person and
-still sturdy though downcast features of his friend, the woodsman, he
-started with surprise, and turned to descend from the bastion into the
-bosom of the work.
-
-The sounds of other voices, however, caught his attention, and for a
-moment caused him to forget his purpose. At the inner angle of the mound
-he met the sisters, walking along the parapet, in search, like himself,
-of air and relief from confinement. They had not met from that painful
-moment when he deserted them on the plain, only to assure their safety.
-He had parted from them worn with care, and jaded with fatigue; he now
-saw them refreshed and blooming, though timid and anxious. Under such an
-inducement it will cause no surprise that the young man lost sight for
-a time, of other objects in order to address them. He was, however,
-anticipated by the voice of the ingenuous and youthful Alice.
-
-"Ah! thou tyrant! thou recreant knight! he who abandons his damsels
-in the very lists," she cried; "here have we been days, nay, ages,
-expecting you at our feet, imploring mercy and forgetfulness of your
-craven backsliding, or I should rather say, backrunning--for verily you
-fled in the manner that no stricken deer, as our worthy friend the scout
-would say, could equal!"
-
-"You know that Alice means our thanks and our blessings," added the
-graver and more thoughtful Cora. "In truth, we have a little wonder why
-you should so rigidly absent yourself from a place where the gratitude
-of the daughters might receive the support of a parent's thanks."
-
-"Your father himself could tell you, that, though absent from your
-presence, I have not been altogether forgetful of your safety," returned
-the young man; "the mastery of yonder village of huts," pointing to the
-neighboring entrenched camp, "has been keenly disputed; and he who holds
-it is sure to be possessed of this fort, and that which it contains. My
-days and nights have all been passed there since we separated, because
-I thought that duty called me thither. But," he added, with an air of
-chagrin, which he endeavored, though unsuccessfully, to conceal, "had
-I been aware that what I then believed a soldier's conduct could be so
-construed, shame would have been added to the list of reasons."
-
-"Heyward! Duncan!" exclaimed Alice, bending forward to read his
-half-averted countenance, until a lock of her golden hair rested on her
-flushed cheek, and nearly concealed the tear that had started to her
-eye; "did I think this idle tongue of mine had pained you, I would
-silence it forever. Cora can say, if Cora would, how justly we have
-prized your services, and how deep--I had almost said, how fervent--is
-our gratitude."
-
-"And will Cora attest the truth of this?" cried Duncan, suffering the
-cloud to be chased from his countenance by a smile of open pleasure.
-"What says our graver sister? Will she find an excuse for the neglect of
-the knight in the duty of a soldier?"
-
-Cora made no immediate answer, but turned her face toward the water, as
-if looking on the sheet of the Horican. When she did bend her dark eyes
-on the young man, they were yet filled with an expression of anguish
-that at once drove every thought but that of kind solicitude from his
-mind.
-
-"You are not well, dearest Miss Munro!" he exclaimed; "we have trifled
-while you are in suffering!"
-
-"'Tis nothing," she answered, refusing his support with feminine
-reserve. "That I cannot see the sunny side of the picture of life, like
-this artless but ardent enthusiast," she added, laying her hand lightly,
-but affectionately, on the arm of her sister, "is the penalty of
-experience, and, perhaps, the misfortune of my nature. See," she
-continued, as if determined to shake off infirmity, in a sense of duty;
-"look around you, Major Heyward, and tell me what a prospect is this for
-the daughter of a soldier whose greatest happiness is his honor and his
-military renown."
-
-"Neither ought nor shall be tarnished by circumstances over which he has
-had no control," Duncan warmly replied. "But your words recall me to my
-own duty. I go now to your gallant father, to hear his determination
-in matters of the last moment to the defense. God bless you in every
-fortune, noble--Cora--I may and must call you." She frankly gave him her
-hand, though her lip quivered, and her cheeks gradually became of ashly
-paleness. "In every fortune, I know you will be an ornament and honor
-to your sex. Alice, adieu"--his voice changed from admiration to
-tenderness--"adieu, Alice; we shall soon meet again; as conquerors, I
-trust, and amid rejoicings!"
-
-Without waiting for an answer from either, the young man threw himself
-down the grassy steps of the bastion, and moving rapidly across the
-parade, he was quickly in the presence of their father. Munro was pacing
-his narrow apartment with a disturbed air and gigantic strides as Duncan
-entered.
-
-"You have anticipated my wishes, Major Heyward," he said; "I was about
-to request this favor."
-
-"I am sorry to see, sir, that the messenger I so warmly recommended has
-returned in custody of the French! I hope there is no reason to distrust
-his fidelity?"
-
-"The fidelity of 'The Long Rifle' is well known to me," returned Munro,
-"and is above suspicion; though his usual good fortune seems, at last,
-to have failed. Montcalm has got him, and with the accursed politeness
-of his nation, he has sent him in with a doleful tale, of 'knowing how
-I valued the fellow, he could not think of retaining him.' A Jesuitical
-way that, Major Duncan Heyward, of telling a man of his misfortunes!"
-
-"But the general and his succor?"
-
-"Did ye look to the south as ye entered, and could ye not see them?"
-said the old soldier, laughing bitterly.
-
-"Hoot! hoot! you're an impatient boy, sir, and cannot give the gentlemen
-leisure for their march!"
-
-"They are coming, then? The scout has said as much?"
-
-"When? and by what path? for the dunce has omitted to tell me this.
-There is a letter, it would seem, too; and that is the only agreeable
-part of the matter. For the customary attentions of your Marquis of
-Montcalm--I warrant me, Duncan, that he of Lothian would buy a dozen
-such marquisates--but if the news of the letter were bad, the gentility
-of this French monsieur would certainly compel him to let us know it."
-
-"He keeps the letter, then, while he releases the messenger?"
-
-"Ay, that does he, and all for the sake of what you call your
-'bonhommie' I would venture, if the truth was known, the fellow's
-grandfather taught the noble science of dancing."
-
-"But what says the scout? he has eyes and ears, and a tongue. What
-verbal report does he make?"
-
-"Oh! sir, he is not wanting in natural organs, and he is free to tell
-all that he has seen and heard. The whole amount is this; there is a
-fort of his majesty's on the banks of the Hudson, called Edward, in
-honor of his gracious highness of York, you'll know; and it is well
-filled with armed men, as such a work should be."
-
-"But was there no movement, no signs of any intention to advance to our
-relief?"
-
-"There were the morning and evening parades; and when one of the
-provincial loons--you'll know, Duncan, you're half a Scotsman
-yourself--when one of them dropped his powder over his porretch, if it
-touched the coals, it just burned!" Then, suddenly changing his bitter,
-ironical manner, to one more grave and thoughtful, he continued: "and
-yet there might, and must be, something in that letter which it would be
-well to know!"
-
-"Our decision should be speedy," said Duncan, gladly availing himself
-of this change of humor, to press the more important objects of their
-interview; "I cannot conceal from you, sir, that the camp will not be
-much longer tenable; and I am sorry to add, that things appear no better
-in the fort; more than half the guns are bursted."
-
-"And how should it be otherwise? Some were fished from the bottom of
-the lake; some have been rusting in woods since the discovery of
-the country; and some were never guns at all--mere privateersmen's
-playthings! Do you think, sir, you can have Woolwich Warren in the midst
-of a wilderness, three thousand miles from Great Britain?"
-
-"The walls are crumbling about our ears, and provisions begin to fail
-us," continued Heyward, without regarding the new burst of indignation;
-"even the men show signs of discontent and alarm."
-
-"Major Heyward," said Munro, turning to his youthful associate with
-the dignity of his years and superior rank; "I should have served his
-majesty for half a century, and earned these gray hairs in vain, were
-I ignorant of all you say, and of the pressing nature of our
-circumstances; still, there is everything due to the honor of the king's
-arms, and something to ourselves. While there is hope of succor, this
-fortress will I defend, though it be to be done with pebbles gathered
-on the lake shore. It is a sight of the letter, therefore, that we want,
-that we may know the intentions of the man the earl of Loudon has left
-among us as his substitute."
-
-"And can I be of service in the matter?"
-
-"Sir, you can; the marquis of Montcalm has, in addition to his other
-civilities, invited me to a personal interview between the works and his
-own camp; in order, as he says, to impart some additional information.
-Now, I think it would not be wise to show any undue solicitude to meet
-him, and I would employ you, an officer of rank, as my substitute; for
-it would but ill comport with the honor of Scotland to let it be said
-one of her gentlemen was outdone in civility by a native of any other
-country on earth."
-
-Without assuming the supererogatory task of entering into a discussion
-of the comparative merits of national courtesy, Duncan cheerfully
-assented to supply the place of the veteran in the approaching
-interview. A long and confidential communication now succeeded, during
-which the young man received some additional insight into his duty,
-from the experience and native acuteness of his commander, and then the
-former took his leave.
-
-As Duncan could only act as the representative of the commandant of the
-fort, the ceremonies which should have accompanied a meeting between the
-heads of the adverse forces were, of course, dispensed with. The truce
-still existed, and with a roll and beat of the drum, and covered by a
-little white flag, Duncan left the sally-port, within ten minutes after
-his instructions were ended. He was received by the French officer in
-advance with the usual formalities, and immediately accompanied to a
-distant marquee of the renowned soldier who led the forces of France.
-
-The general of the enemy received the youthful messenger, surrounded by
-his principal officers, and by a swarthy band of the native chiefs,
-who had followed him to the field, with the warriors of their several
-tribes. Heyward paused short, when, in glancing his eyes rapidly over
-the dark group of the latter, he beheld the malignant countenance of
-Magua, regarding him with the calm but sullen attention which marked the
-expression of that subtle savage. A slight exclamation of surprise even
-burst from the lips of the young man, but instantly, recollecting
-his errand, and the presence in which he stood, he suppressed every
-appearance of emotion, and turned to the hostile leader, who had already
-advanced a step to receive him.
-
-The marquis of Montcalm was, at the period of which we write, in the
-flower of his age, and, it may be added, in the zenith of his fortunes.
-But even in that enviable situation, he was affable, and distinguished
-as much for his attention to the forms of courtesy, as for that
-chivalrous courage which, only two short years afterward, induced him
-to throw away his life on the plains of Abraham. Duncan, in turning his
-eyes from the malign expression of Magua, suffered them to rest with
-pleasure on the smiling and polished features, and the noble military
-air, of the French general.
-
-"Monsieur," said the latter, "j'ai beaucoup de plaisir a--bah!--ou est
-cet interprete?"
-
-"Je crois, monsieur, qu'il ne sear pas necessaire," Heyward modestly
-replied; "je parle un peu francais."
-
-"Ah! j'en suis bien aise," said Montcalm, taking Duncan familiarly by
-the arm, and leading him deep into the marquee, a little out of earshot;
-"je deteste ces fripons-la; on ne sait jamais sur quel pie on est avec
-eux. Eh, bien! monsieur," he continued still speaking in French; "though
-I should have been proud of receiving your commandant, I am very happy
-that he has seen proper to employ an officer so distinguished, and who,
-I am sure, is so amiable, as yourself."
-
-Duncan bowed low, pleased with the compliment, in spite of a most heroic
-determination to suffer no artifice to allure him into forgetfulness of
-the interest of his prince; and Montcalm, after a pause of a moment, as
-if to collect his thoughts, proceeded:
-
-"Your commandant is a brave man, and well qualified to repel my
-assault. Mais, monsieur, is it not time to begin to take more counsel
-of humanity, and less of your courage? The one as strongly characterizes
-the hero as the other."
-
-"We consider the qualities as inseparable," returned Duncan, smiling;
-"but while we find in the vigor of your excellency every motive to
-stimulate the one, we can, as yet, see no particular call for the
-exercise of the other."
-
-Montcalm, in his turn, slightly bowed, but it was with the air of a
-man too practised to remember the language of flattery. After musing a
-moment, he added:
-
-"It is possible my glasses have deceived me, and that your works resist
-our cannon better than I had supposed. You know our force?"
-
-"Our accounts vary," said Duncan, carelessly; "the highest, however, has
-not exceeded twenty thousand men."
-
-The Frenchman bit his lip, and fastened his eyes keenly on the other as
-if to read his thoughts; then, with a readiness peculiar to himself, he
-continued, as if assenting to the truth of an enumeration which quite
-doubled his army:
-
-"It is a poor compliment to the vigilance of us soldiers, monsieur,
-that, do what we will, we never can conceal our numbers. If it were
-to be done at all, one would believe it might succeed in these woods.
-Though you think it too soon to listen to the calls of humanity," he
-added, smiling archly, "I may be permitted to believe that gallantry
-is not forgotten by one so young as yourself. The daughters of the
-commandant, I learn, have passed into the fort since it was invested?"
-
-"It is true, monsieur; but, so far from weakening our efforts, they
-set us an example of courage in their own fortitude. Were nothing
-but resolution necessary to repel so accomplished a soldier as M. de
-Montcalm, I would gladly trust the defense of William Henry to the elder
-of those ladies."
-
-"We have a wise ordinance in our Salique laws, which says, 'The crown
-of France shall never degrade the lance to the distaff'," said Montcalm,
-dryly, and with a little hauteur; but instantly adding, with his former
-frank and easy air: "as all the nobler qualities are hereditary, I can
-easily credit you; though, as I said before, courage has its limits, and
-humanity must not be forgotten. I trust, monsieur, you come authorized
-to treat for the surrender of the place?"
-
-"Has your excellency found our defense so feeble as to believe the
-measure necessary?"
-
-"I should be sorry to have the defense protracted in such a manner as to
-irritate my red friends there," continued Montcalm, glancing his eyes
-at the group of grave and attentive Indians, without attending to the
-other's questions; "I find it difficult, even now, to limit them to the
-usages of war."
-
-Heyward was silent; for a painful recollection of the dangers he had so
-recently escaped came over his mind, and recalled the images of those
-defenseless beings who had shared in all his sufferings.
-
-"Ces messieurs-la," said Montcalm, following up the advantage which he
-conceived he had gained, "are most formidable when baffled; and it is
-unnecessary to tell you with what difficulty they are restrained in
-their anger. Eh bien, monsieur! shall we speak of the terms?"
-
-"I fear your excellency has been deceived as to the strength of William
-Henry, and the resources of its garrison!"
-
-"I have not sat down before Quebec, but an earthen work, that is
-defended by twenty-three hundred gallant men," was the laconic reply.
-
-"Our mounds are earthen, certainly--nor are they seated on the rocks of
-Cape Diamond; but they stand on that shore which proved so destructive
-to Dieskau and his army. There is also a powerful force within a few
-hours' march of us, which we account upon as a part of our means."
-
-"Some six or eight thousand men," returned Montcalm, with much apparent
-indifference, "whom their leader wisely judges to be safer in their
-works than in the field."
-
-It was now Heyward's turn to bite his lip with vexation as the other so
-coolly alluded to a force which the young man knew to be overrated. Both
-mused a little while in silence, when Montcalm renewed the conversation,
-in a way that showed he believed the visit of his guest was solely to
-propose terms of capitulation. On the other hand, Heyward began to
-throw sundry inducements in the way of the French general, to betray the
-discoveries he had made through the intercepted letter. The artifice
-of neither, however, succeeded; and after a protracted and fruitless
-interview, Duncan took his leave, favorably impressed with an opinion of
-the courtesy and talents of the enemy's captain, but as ignorant of what
-he came to learn as when he arrived. Montcalm followed him as far as the
-entrance of the marquee, renewing his invitations to the commandant of
-the fort to give him an immediate meeting in the open ground between the
-two armies.
-
-There they separated, and Duncan returned to the advanced post of the
-French, accompanied as before; whence he instantly proceeded to the
-fort, and to the quarters of his own commander.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 16
-
-     "EDG.--Before you fight the battle ope this letter."
-     --Lear
-
-Major Heyward found Munro attended only by his daughters. Alice sat upon
-his knee, parting the gray hairs on the forehead of the old man with
-her delicate fingers; and whenever he affected to frown on her trifling,
-appeasing his assumed anger by pressing her ruby lips fondly on his
-wrinkled brow. Cora was seated nigh them, a calm and amused looker-on;
-regarding the wayward movements of her more youthful sister with that
-species of maternal fondness which characterized her love for Alice. Not
-only the dangers through which they had passed, but those which still
-impended above them, appeared to be momentarily forgotten, in the
-soothing indulgence of such a family meeting. It seemed as if they had
-profited by the short truce, to devote an instant to the purest and best
-affection; the daughters forgetting their fears, and the veteran his
-cares, in the security of the moment. Of this scene, Duncan, who, in
-his eagerness to report his arrival, had entered unannounced, stood
-many moments an unobserved and a delighted spectator. But the quick and
-dancing eyes of Alice soon caught a glimpse of his figure reflected
-from a glass, and she sprang blushing from her father's knee, exclaiming
-aloud:
-
-"Major Heyward!"
-
-"What of the lad?" demanded her father; "I have sent him to crack a
-little with the Frenchman. Ha, sir, you are young, and you're nimble!
-Away with you, ye baggage; as if there were not troubles enough for a
-soldier, without having his camp filled with such prattling hussies as
-yourself!"
-
-Alice laughingly followed her sister, who instantly led the way from an
-apartment where she perceived their presence was no longer desirable.
-Munro, instead of demanding the result of the young man's mission, paced
-the room for a few moments, with his hands behind his back, and his
-head inclined toward the floor, like a man lost in thought. At length he
-raised his eyes, glistening with a father's fondness, and exclaimed:
-
-"They are a pair of excellent girls, Heyward, and such as any one may
-boast of."
-
-"You are not now to learn my opinion of your daughters, Colonel Munro."
-
-"True, lad, true," interrupted the impatient old man; "you were about
-opening your mind more fully on that matter the day you got in, but I
-did not think it becoming in an old soldier to be talking of nuptial
-blessings and wedding jokes when the enemies of his king were likely
-to be unbidden guests at the feast. But I was wrong, Duncan, boy, I was
-wrong there; and I am now ready to hear what you have to say."
-
-"Notwithstanding the pleasure your assurance gives me, dear sir, I have
-just now, a message from Montcalm--"
-
-"Let the Frenchman and all his host go to the devil, sir!" exclaimed the
-hasty veteran. "He is not yet master of William Henry, nor shall he
-ever be, provided Webb proves himself the man he should. No, sir, thank
-Heaven we are not yet in such a strait that it can be said Munro is too
-much pressed to discharge the little domestic duties of his own family.
-Your mother was the only child of my bosom friend, Duncan; and I'll just
-give you a hearing, though all the knights of St. Louis were in a body
-at the sally-port, with the French saint at their head, crying to speak
-a word under favor. A pretty degree of knighthood, sir, is that which
-can be bought with sugar hogsheads! and then your twopenny marquisates.
-The thistle is the order for dignity and antiquity; the veritable
-'nemo me impune lacessit' of chivalry. Ye had ancestors in that degree,
-Duncan, and they were an ornament to the nobles of Scotland."
-
-Heyward, who perceived that his superior took a malicious pleasure in
-exhibiting his contempt for the message of the French general, was
-fain to humor a spleen that he knew would be short-lived; he therefore,
-replied with as much indifference as he could assume on such a subject:
-
-"My request, as you know, sir, went so far as to presume to the honor of
-being your son."
-
-"Ay, boy, you found words to make yourself very plainly comprehended.
-But, let me ask ye, sir, have you been as intelligible to the girl?"
-
-"On my honor, no," exclaimed Duncan, warmly; "there would have been an
-abuse of a confided trust, had I taken advantage of my situation for
-such a purpose."
-
-"Your notions are those of a gentleman, Major Heyward, and well enough
-in their place. But Cora Munro is a maiden too discreet, and of a mind
-too elevated and improved, to need the guardianship even of a father."
-
-"Cora!"
-
-"Ay--Cora! we are talking of your pretensions to Miss Munro, are we not,
-sir?"
-
-"I--I--I was not conscious of having mentioned her name," said Duncan,
-stammering.
-
-"And to marry whom, then, did you wish my consent, Major Heyward?"
-demanded the old soldier, erecting himself in the dignity of offended
-feeling.
-
-"You have another, and not less lovely child."
-
-"Alice!" exclaimed the father, in an astonishment equal to that with
-which Duncan had just repeated the name of her sister.
-
-"Such was the direction of my wishes, sir."
-
-The young man awaited in silence the result of the extraordinary
-effect produced by a communication, which, as it now appeared, was so
-unexpected. For several minutes Munro paced the chamber with long
-and rapid strides, his rigid features working convulsively, and every
-faculty seemingly absorbed in the musings of his own mind. At length, he
-paused directly in front of Heyward, and riveting his eyes upon those of
-the other, he said, with a lip that quivered violently:
-
-"Duncan Heyward, I have loved you for the sake of him whose blood is
-in your veins; I have loved you for your own good qualities; and I have
-loved you, because I thought you would contribute to the happiness of my
-child. But all this love would turn to hatred, were I assured that what
-I so much apprehend is true."
-
-"God forbid that any act or thought of mine should lead to such a
-change!" exclaimed the young man, whose eye never quailed under the
-penetrating look it encountered. Without adverting to the impossibility
-of the other's comprehending those feelings which were hid in his
-own bosom, Munro suffered himself to be appeased by the unaltered
-countenance he met, and with a voice sensibly softened, he continued:
-
-"You would be my son, Duncan, and you're ignorant of the history of the
-man you wish to call your father. Sit ye down, young man, and I will
-open to you the wounds of a seared heart, in as few words as may be
-suitable."
-
-By this time, the message of Montcalm was as much forgotten by him who
-bore it as by the man for whose ears it was intended. Each drew a chair,
-and while the veteran communed a few moments with his own thoughts,
-apparently in sadness, the youth suppressed his impatience in a look and
-attitude of respectful attention. At length, the former spoke:
-
-"You'll know, already, Major Heyward, that my family was both ancient
-and honorable," commenced the Scotsman; "though it might not altogether
-be endowed with that amount of wealth that should correspond with its
-degree. I was, maybe, such an one as yourself when I plighted my faith
-to Alice Graham, the only child of a neighboring laird of some estate.
-But the connection was disagreeable to her father, on more accounts than
-my poverty. I did, therefore, what an honest man should--restored the
-maiden her troth, and departed the country in the service of my king.
-I had seen many regions, and had shed much blood in different lands,
-before duty called me to the islands of the West Indies. There it was
-my lot to form a connection with one who in time became my wife, and the
-mother of Cora. She was the daughter of a gentleman of those isles, by
-a lady whose misfortune it was, if you will," said the old man, proudly,
-"to be descended, remotely, from that unfortunate class who are so
-basely enslaved to administer to the wants of a luxurious people. Ay,
-sir, that is a curse, entailed on Scotland by her unnatural union with a
-foreign and trading people. But could I find a man among them who would
-dare to reflect on my child, he should feel the weight of a father's
-anger! Ha! Major Heyward, you are yourself born at the south, where
-these unfortunate beings are considered of a race inferior to your own."
-
-"'Tis most unfortunately true, sir," said Duncan, unable any longer to
-prevent his eyes from sinking to the floor in embarrassment.
-
-"And you cast it on my child as a reproach! You scorn to mingle the
-blood of the Heywards with one so degraded--lovely and virtuous though
-she be?" fiercely demanded the jealous parent.
-
-"Heaven protect me from a prejudice so unworthy of my reason!" returned
-Duncan, at the same time conscious of such a feeling, and that as deeply
-rooted as if it had been ingrafted in his nature. "The sweetness, the
-beauty, the witchery of your younger daughter, Colonel Munro, might
-explain my motives without imputing to me this injustice."
-
-"Ye are right, sir," returned the old man, again changing his tones to
-those of gentleness, or rather softness; "the girl is the image of what
-her mother was at her years, and before she had become acquainted
-with grief. When death deprived me of my wife I returned to Scotland,
-enriched by the marriage; and, would you think it, Duncan! the suffering
-angel had remained in the heartless state of celibacy twenty long years,
-and that for the sake of a man who could forget her! She did more,
-sir; she overlooked my want of faith, and, all difficulties being now
-removed, she took me for her husband."
-
-"And became the mother of Alice?" exclaimed Duncan, with an eagerness
-that might have proved dangerous at a moment when the thoughts of Munro
-were less occupied that at present.
-
-"She did, indeed," said the old man, "and dearly did she pay for the
-blessing she bestowed. But she is a saint in heaven, sir; and it ill
-becomes one whose foot rests on the grave to mourn a lot so blessed. I
-had her but a single year, though; a short term of happiness for one who
-had seen her youth fade in hopeless pining."
-
-There was something so commanding in the distress of the old man, that
-Heyward did not dare to venture a syllable of consolation. Munro sat
-utterly unconscious of the other's presence, his features exposed and
-working with the anguish of his regrets, while heavy tears fell from
-his eyes, and rolled unheeded from his cheeks to the floor. At length
-he moved, and as if suddenly recovering his recollection; when he arose,
-and taking a single turn across the room, he approached his companion
-with an air of military grandeur, and demanded:
-
-"Have you not, Major Heyward, some communication that I should hear from
-the marquis de Montcalm?"
-
-Duncan started in his turn, and immediately commenced in an embarrassed
-voice, the half-forgotten message. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the
-evasive though polite manner with which the French general had
-eluded every attempt of Heyward to worm from him the purport of the
-communication he had proposed making, or on the decided, though still
-polished message, by which he now gave his enemy to understand, that,
-unless he chose to receive it in person, he should not receive it at
-all. As Munro listened to the detail of Duncan, the excited feelings of
-the father gradually gave way before the obligations of his station,
-and when the other was done, he saw before him nothing but the veteran,
-swelling with the wounded feelings of a soldier.
-
-"You have said enough, Major Heyward," exclaimed the angry old man;
-"enough to make a volume of commentary on French civility. Here has
-this gentleman invited me to a conference, and when I send him a capable
-substitute, for ye're all that, Duncan, though your years are but few,
-he answers me with a riddle."
-
-"He may have thought less favorably of the substitute, my dear sir; and
-you will remember that the invitation, which he now repeats, was to the
-commandant of the works, and not to his second."
-
-"Well, sir, is not a substitute clothed with all the power and dignity
-of him who grants the commission? He wishes to confer with Munro! Faith,
-sir, I have much inclination to indulge the man, if it should only be to
-let him behold the firm countenance we maintain in spite of his numbers
-and his summons. There might be not bad policy in such a stroke, young
-man."
-
-Duncan, who believed it of the last importance that they should speedily
-come to the contents of the letter borne by the scout, gladly encouraged
-this idea.
-
-"Without doubt, he could gather no confidence by witnessing our
-indifference," he said.
-
-"You never said truer word. I could wish, sir, that he would visit the
-works in open day, and in the form of a storming party; that is the
-least failing method of proving the countenance of an enemy, and would
-be far preferable to the battering system he has chosen. The beauty and
-manliness of warfare has been much deformed, Major Heyward, by the arts
-of your Monsieur Vauban. Our ancestors were far above such scientific
-cowardice!"
-
-"It may be very true, sir; but we are now obliged to repel art by art.
-What is your pleasure in the matter of the interview?"
-
-"I will meet the Frenchman, and that without fear or delay; promptly,
-sir, as becomes a servant of my royal master. Go, Major Heyward, and
-give them a flourish of the music; and send out a messenger to let them
-know who is coming. We will follow with a small guard, for such respect
-is due to one who holds the honor of his king in keeping; and hark'ee,
-Duncan," he added, in a half whisper, though they were alone, "it may be
-prudent to have some aid at hand, in case there should be treachery at
-the bottom of it all."
-
-The young man availed himself of this order to quit the apartment; and,
-as the day was fast coming to a close, he hastened without delay, to
-make the necessary arrangements. A very few minutes only were necessary
-to parade a few files, and to dispatch an orderly with a flag to
-announce the approach of the commandant of the fort. When Duncan had
-done both these, he led the guard to the sally-port, near which he
-found his superior ready, waiting his appearance. As soon as the usual
-ceremonials of a military departure were observed, the veteran and his
-more youthful companion left the fortress, attended by the escort.
-
-They had proceeded only a hundred yards from the works, when the little
-array which attended the French general to the conference was seen
-issuing from the hollow way which formed the bed of a brook that ran
-between the batteries of the besiegers and the fort. From the moment
-that Munro left his own works to appear in front of his enemy's, his
-air had been grand, and his step and countenance highly military. The
-instant he caught a glimpse of the white plume that waved in the hat
-of Montcalm, his eye lighted, and age no longer appeared to possess any
-influence over his vast and still muscular person.
-
-"Speak to the boys to be watchful, sir," he said, in an undertone, to
-Duncan; "and to look well to their flints and steel, for one is never
-safe with a servant of these Louis's; at the same time, we shall show
-them the front of men in deep security. Ye'll understand me, Major
-Heyward!"
-
-He was interrupted by the clamor of a drum from the approaching
-Frenchmen, which was immediately answered, when each party pushed an
-orderly in advance, bearing a white flag, and the wary Scotsman halted
-with his guard close at his back. As soon as this slight salutation
-had passed, Montcalm moved toward them with a quick but graceful step,
-baring his head to the veteran, and dropping his spotless plume nearly
-to the earth in courtesy. If the air of Munro was more commanding and
-manly, it wanted both the ease and insinuating polish of that of the
-Frenchman. Neither spoke for a few moments, each regarding the other
-with curious and interested eyes. Then, as became his superior rank and
-the nature of the interview, Montcalm broke the silence. After uttering
-the usual words of greeting, he turned to Duncan, and continued, with a
-smile of recognition, speaking always in French:
-
-"I am rejoiced, monsieur, that you have given us the pleasure of your
-company on this occasion. There will be no necessity to employ an
-ordinary interpreter; for, in your hands, I feel the same security as if
-I spoke your language myself."
-
-Duncan acknowledged the compliment, when Montcalm, turning to his guard,
-which in imitation of that of their enemies, pressed close upon him,
-continued:
-
-"En arriere, mes enfants--il fait chaud---retirez-vous un peu."
-
-Before Major Heyward would imitate this proof of confidence, he glanced
-his eyes around the plain, and beheld with uneasiness the numerous dusky
-groups of savages, who looked out from the margin of the surrounding
-woods, curious spectators of the interview.
-
-"Monsieur de Montcalm will readily acknowledge the difference in our
-situation," he said, with some embarrassment, pointing at the same
-time toward those dangerous foes, who were to be seen in almost every
-direction. "Were we to dismiss our guard, we should stand here at the
-mercy of our enemies."
-
-"Monsieur, you have the plighted faith of 'un gentilhomme Francais',
-for your safety," returned Montcalm, laying his hand impressively on his
-heart; "it should suffice."
-
-"It shall. Fall back," Duncan added to the officer who led the escort;
-"fall back, sir, beyond hearing, and wait for orders."
-
-Munro witnessed this movement with manifest uneasiness; nor did he fail
-to demand an instant explanation.
-
-"Is it not our interest, sir, to betray distrust?" retorted Duncan.
-"Monsieur de Montcalm pledges his word for our safety, and I have
-ordered the men to withdraw a little, in order to prove how much we
-depend on his assurance."
-
-"It may be all right, sir, but I have no overweening reliance on the
-faith of these marquesses, or marquis, as they call themselves. Their
-patents of nobility are too common to be certain that they bear the seal
-of true honor."
-
-"You forget, dear sir, that we confer with an officer, distinguished
-alike in Europe and America for his deeds. From a soldier of his
-reputation we can have nothing to apprehend."
-
-The old man made a gesture of resignation, though his rigid features
-still betrayed his obstinate adherence to a distrust, which he derived
-from a sort of hereditary contempt of his enemy, rather than from any
-present signs which might warrant so uncharitable a feeling. Montcalm
-waited patiently until this little dialogue in demi-voice was ended,
-when he drew nigher, and opened the subject of their conference.
-
-"I have solicited this interview from your superior, monsieur," he said,
-"because I believe he will allow himself to be persuaded that he has
-already done everything which is necessary for the honor of his prince,
-and will now listen to the admonitions of humanity. I will forever bear
-testimony that his resistance has been gallant, and was continued as
-long as there was hope."
-
-When this opening was translated to Munro, he answered with dignity, but
-with sufficient courtesy:
-
-"However I may prize such testimony from Monsieur Montcalm, it will be
-more valuable when it shall be better merited."
-
-The French general smiled, as Duncan gave him the purport of this reply,
-and observed:
-
-"What is now so freely accorded to approved courage, may be refused to
-useless obstinacy. Monsieur would wish to see my camp, and witness for
-himself our numbers, and the impossibility of his resisting them with
-success?"
-
-"I know that the king of France is well served," returned the unmoved
-Scotsman, as soon as Duncan ended his translation; "but my own royal
-master has as many and as faithful troops."
-
-"Though not at hand, fortunately for us," said Montcalm, without
-waiting, in his ardor, for the interpreter. "There is a destiny in war,
-to which a brave man knows how to submit with the same courage that he
-faces his foes."
-
-"Had I been conscious that Monsieur Montcalm was master of the English,
-I should have spared myself the trouble of so awkward a translation,"
-said the vexed Duncan, dryly; remembering instantly his recent by-play
-with Munro.
-
-"Your pardon, monsieur," rejoined the Frenchman, suffering a slight
-color to appear on his dark cheek. "There is a vast difference between
-understanding and speaking a foreign tongue; you will, therefore, please
-to assist me still." Then, after a short pause, he added: "These hills
-afford us every opportunity of reconnoitering your works, messieurs, and
-I am possibly as well acquainted with their weak condition as you can be
-yourselves."
-
-"Ask the French general if his glasses can reach to the Hudson," said
-Munro, proudly; "and if he knows when and where to expect the army of
-Webb."
-
-"Let General Webb be his own interpreter," returned the politic
-Montcalm, suddenly extending an open letter toward Munro as he spoke;
-"you will there learn, monsieur, that his movements are not likely to
-prove embarrassing to my army."
-
-The veteran seized the offered paper, without waiting for Duncan to
-translate the speech, and with an eagerness that betrayed how important
-he deemed its contents. As his eye passed hastily over the words, his
-countenance changed from its look of military pride to one of deep
-chagrin; his lip began to quiver; and suffering the paper to fall from
-his hand, his head dropped upon his chest, like that of a man whose
-hopes were withered at a single blow. Duncan caught the letter from the
-ground, and without apology for the liberty he took, he read at a glance
-its cruel purport. Their common superior, so far from encouraging them
-to resist, advised a speedy surrender, urging in the plainest language,
-as a reason, the utter impossibility of his sending a single man to
-their rescue.
-
-"Here is no deception!" exclaimed Duncan, examining the billet both
-inside and out; "this is the signature of Webb, and must be the captured
-letter."
-
-"The man has betrayed me!" Munro at length bitterly exclaimed; "he has
-brought dishonor to the door of one where disgrace was never before
-known to dwell, and shame has he heaped heavily on my gray hairs."
-
-"Say not so," cried Duncan; "we are yet masters of the fort, and of our
-honor. Let us, then, sell our lives at such a rate as shall make our
-enemies believe the purchase too dear."
-
-"Boy, I thank thee," exclaimed the old man, rousing himself from his
-stupor; "you have, for once, reminded Munro of his duty. We will go
-back, and dig our graves behind those ramparts."
-
-"Messieurs," said Montcalm, advancing toward them a step, in generous
-interest, "you little know Louis de St. Veran if you believe him capable
-of profiting by this letter to humble brave men, or to build up a
-dishonest reputation for himself. Listen to my terms before you leave
-me."
-
-"What says the Frenchman?" demanded the veteran, sternly; "does he make
-a merit of having captured a scout, with a note from headquarters? Sir,
-he had better raise this siege, to go and sit down before Edward if he
-wishes to frighten his enemy with words."
-
-Duncan explained the other's meaning.
-
-"Monsieur de Montcalm, we will hear you," the veteran added, more
-calmly, as Duncan ended.
-
-"To retain the fort is now impossible," said his liberal enemy; "it is
-necessary to the interests of my master that it should be destroyed; but
-as for yourselves and your brave comrades, there is no privilege dear to
-a soldier that shall be denied."
-
-"Our colors?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Carry them to England, and show them to your king."
-
-"Our arms?"
-
-"Keep them; none can use them better."
-
-"Our march; the surrender of the place?"
-
-"Shall all be done in a way most honorable to yourselves."
-
-Duncan now turned to explain these proposals to his commander, who heard
-him with amazement, and a sensibility that was deeply touched by so
-unusual and unexpected generosity.
-
-"Go you, Duncan," he said; "go with this marquess, as, indeed, marquess
-he should be; go to his marquee and arrange it all. I have lived to
-see two things in my old age that never did I expect to behold. An
-Englishman afraid to support a friend, and a Frenchman too honest to
-profit by his advantage."
-
-So saying, the veteran again dropped his head to his chest, and returned
-slowly toward the fort, exhibiting, by the dejection of his air, to the
-anxious garrison, a harbinger of evil tidings.
-
-From the shock of this unexpected blow the haughty feelings of Munro
-never recovered; but from that moment there commenced a change in his
-determined character, which accompanied him to a speedy grave. Duncan
-remained to settle the terms of the capitulation. He was seen
-to re-enter the works during the first watches of the night, and
-immediately after a private conference with the commandant, to
-leave them again. It was then openly announced that hostilities must
-cease--Munro having signed a treaty by which the place was to be yielded
-to the enemy, with the morning; the garrison to retain their arms,
-the colors and their baggage, and, consequently, according to military
-opinion, their honor.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 17
-
-     "Weave we the woof.
-     The thread is spun.
-     The web is wove.
-     The work is done."--Gray
-
-The hostile armies, which lay in the wilds of the Horican, passed the
-night of the ninth of August, 1757, much in the manner they would, had
-they encountered on the fairest field of Europe. While the conquered
-were still, sullen, and dejected, the victors triumphed. But there
-are limits alike to grief and joy; and long before the watches of the
-morning came the stillness of those boundless woods was only broken by a
-gay call from some exulting young Frenchman of the advanced pickets, or
-a menacing challenge from the fort, which sternly forbade the approach
-of any hostile footsteps before the stipulated moment. Even these
-occasional threatening sounds ceased to be heard in that dull hour which
-precedes the day, at which period a listener might have sought in vain
-any evidence of the presence of those armed powers that then slumbered
-on the shores of the "holy lake."
-
-It was during these moments of deep silence that the canvas which
-concealed the entrance to a spacious marquee in the French encampment
-was shoved aside, and a man issued from beneath the drapery into the
-open air. He was enveloped in a cloak that might have been intended as
-a protection from the chilling damps of the woods, but which served
-equally well as a mantle to conceal his person. He was permitted to pass
-the grenadier, who watched over the slumbers of the French commander,
-without interruption, the man making the usual salute which betokens
-military deference, as the other passed swiftly through the little
-city of tents, in the direction of William Henry. Whenever this unknown
-individual encountered one of the numberless sentinels who crossed his
-path, his answer was prompt, and, as it appeared, satisfactory; for he
-was uniformly allowed to proceed without further interrogation.
-
-With the exception of such repeated but brief interruptions, he
-had moved silently from the center of the camp to its most advanced
-outposts, when he drew nigh the soldier who held his watch nearest to
-the works of the enemy. As he approached he was received with the usual
-challenge:
-
-"Qui vive?"
-
-"France," was the reply.
-
-"Le mot d'ordre?"
-
-"La victorie," said the other, drawing so nigh as to be heard in a loud
-whisper.
-
-"C'est bien," returned the sentinel, throwing his musket from the charge
-to his shoulder; "vous promenez bien matin, monsieur!"
-
-"Il est necessaire d'etre vigilant, mon enfant," the other observed,
-dropping a fold of his cloak, and looking the soldier close in the
-face as he passed him, still continuing his way toward the British
-fortification. The man started; his arms rattled heavily as he threw
-them forward in the lowest and most respectful salute; and when he had
-again recovered his piece, he turned to walk his post, muttering between
-his teeth:
-
-"Il faut etre vigilant, en verite! je crois que nous avons la, un
-caporal qui ne dort jamais!"
-
-The officer proceeded, without affecting to hear the words which escaped
-the sentinel in his surprise; nor did he again pause until he had
-reached the low strand, and in a somewhat dangerous vicinity to the
-western water bastion of the fort. The light of an obscure moon was just
-sufficient to render objects, though dim, perceptible in their outlines.
-He, therefore, took the precaution to place himself against the trunk of
-a tree, where he leaned for many minutes, and seemed to contemplate the
-dark and silent mounds of the English works in profound attention. His
-gaze at the ramparts was not that of a curious or idle spectator;
-but his looks wandered from point to point, denoting his knowledge of
-military usages, and betraying that his search was not unaccompanied
-by distrust. At length he appeared satisfied; and having cast his eyes
-impatiently upward toward the summit of the eastern mountain, as if
-anticipating the approach of the morning, he was in the act of turning
-on his footsteps, when a light sound on the nearest angle of the bastion
-caught his ear, and induced him to remain.
-
-Just then a figure was seen to approach the edge of the rampart, where
-it stood, apparently contemplating in its turn the distant tents of the
-French encampment. Its head was then turned toward the east, as though
-equally anxious for the appearance of light, when the form leaned
-against the mound, and seemed to gaze upon the glassy expanse of the
-waters, which, like a submarine firmament, glittered with its thousand
-mimic stars. The melancholy air, the hour, together with the vast frame
-of the man who thus leaned, musing, against the English ramparts,
-left no doubt as to his person in the mind of the observant spectator.
-Delicacy, no less than prudence, now urged him to retire; and he had
-moved cautiously round the body of the tree for that purpose, when
-another sound drew his attention, and once more arrested his footsteps.
-It was a low and almost inaudible movement of the water, and was
-succeeded by a grating of pebbles one against the other. In a moment
-he saw a dark form rise, as it were, out of the lake, and steal without
-further noise to the land, within a few feet of the place where he
-himself stood. A rifle next slowly rose between his eyes and the watery
-mirror; but before it could be discharged his own hand was on the lock.
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the savage, whose treacherous aim was so singularly
-and so unexpectedly interrupted.
-
-Without making any reply, the French officer laid his hand on the
-shoulder of the Indian, and led him in profound silence to a distance
-from the spot, where their subsequent dialogue might have proved
-dangerous, and where it seemed that one of them, at least, sought a
-victim. Then throwing open his cloak, so as to expose his uniform and
-the cross of St. Louis which was suspended at his breast, Montcalm
-sternly demanded:
-
-"What means this? Does not my son know that the hatchet is buried
-between the English and his Canadian Father?"
-
-"What can the Hurons do?" returned the savage, speaking also, though
-imperfectly, in the French language.
-
-"Not a warrior has a scalp, and the pale faces make friends!"
-
-"Ha, Le Renard Subtil! Methinks this is an excess of zeal for a friend
-who was so late an enemy! How many suns have set since Le Renard struck
-the war-post of the English?"
-
-"Where is that sun?" demanded the sullen savage. "Behind the hill; and
-it is dark and cold. But when he comes again, it will be bright and
-warm. Le Subtil is the sun of his tribe. There have been clouds, and
-many mountains between him and his nation; but now he shines and it is a
-clear sky!"
-
-"That Le Renard has power with his people, I well know," said Montcalm;
-"for yesterday he hunted for their scalps, and to-day they hear him at
-the council-fire."
-
-"Magua is a great chief."
-
-"Let him prove it, by teaching his nation how to conduct themselves
-toward our new friends."
-
-"Why did the chief of the Canadas bring his young men into the woods,
-and fire his cannon at the earthen house?" demanded the subtle Indian.
-
-"To subdue it. My master owns the land, and your father was ordered to
-drive off these English squatters. They have consented to go, and now he
-calls them enemies no longer."
-
-"'Tis well. Magua took the hatchet to color it with blood. It is now
-bright; when it is red, it shall be buried."
-
-"But Magua is pledged not to sully the lilies of France. The enemies of
-the great king across the salt lake are his enemies; his friends, the
-friends of the Hurons."
-
-"Friends!" repeated the Indian in scorn. "Let his father give Magua a
-hand."
-
-Montcalm, who felt that his influence over the warlike tribes he had
-gathered was to be maintained by concession rather than by power,
-complied reluctantly with the other's request. The savage placed the
-fingers of the French commander on a deep scar in his bosom, and then
-exultingly demanded:
-
-"Does my father know that?"
-
-"What warrior does not? 'Tis where a leaden bullet has cut."
-
-"And this?" continued the Indian, who had turned his naked back to the
-other, his body being without its usual calico mantle.
-
-"This!--my son has been sadly injured here; who has done this?"
-
-"Magua slept hard in the English wigwams, and the sticks have left their
-mark," returned the savage, with a hollow laugh, which did not conceal
-the fierce temper that nearly choked him. Then, recollecting himself,
-with sudden and native dignity, he added: "Go; teach your young men it
-is peace. Le Renard Subtil knows how to speak to a Huron warrior."
-
-Without deigning to bestow further words, or to wait for any answer,
-the savage cast his rifle into the hollow of his arm, and moved silently
-through the encampment toward the woods where his own tribe was known to
-lie. Every few yards as he proceeded he was challenged by the sentinels;
-but he stalked sullenly onward, utterly disregarding the summons of the
-soldiers, who only spared his life because they knew the air and tread
-no less than the obstinate daring of an Indian.
-
-Montcalm lingered long and melancholy on the strand where he had
-been left by his companion, brooding deeply on the temper which his
-ungovernable ally had just discovered. Already had his fair fame been
-tarnished by one horrid scene, and in circumstances fearfully resembling
-those under which he now found himself. As he mused he became keenly
-sensible of the deep responsibility they assume who disregard the means
-to attain the end, and of all the danger of setting in motion an engine
-which it exceeds human power to control. Then shaking off a train of
-reflections that he accounted a weakness in such a moment of triumph,
-he retraced his steps toward his tent, giving the order as he passed to
-make the signal that should arouse the army from its slumbers.
-
-The first tap of the French drums was echoed from the bosom of the fort,
-and presently the valley was filled with the strains of martial music,
-rising long, thrilling and lively above the rattling accompaniment. The
-horns of the victors sounded merry and cheerful flourishes, until the
-last laggard of the camp was at his post; but the instant the British
-fifes had blown their shrill signal, they became mute. In the meantime
-the day had dawned, and when the line of the French army was ready to
-receive its general, the rays of a brilliant sun were glancing along the
-glittering array. Then that success, which was already so well known,
-was officially announced; the favored band who were selected to guard
-the gates of the fort were detailed, and defiled before their chief; the
-signal of their approach was given, and all the usual preparations for
-a change of masters were ordered and executed directly under the guns of
-the contested works.
-
-A very different scene presented itself within the lines of the
-Anglo-American army. As soon as the warning signal was given, it
-exhibited all the signs of a hurried and forced departure. The sullen
-soldiers shouldered their empty tubes and fell into their places,
-like men whose blood had been heated by the past contest, and who only
-desired the opportunity to revenge an indignity which was still wounding
-to their pride, concealed as it was under the observances of military
-etiquette.
-
-Women and children ran from place to place, some bearing the scanty
-remnants of their baggage, and others searching in the ranks for those
-countenances they looked up to for protection.
-
-Munro appeared among his silent troops firm but dejected. It was evident
-that the unexpected blow had struck deep into his heart, though he
-struggled to sustain his misfortune with the port of a man.
-
-Duncan was touched at the quiet and impressive exhibition of his grief.
-He had discharged his own duty, and he now pressed to the side of the
-old man, to know in what particular he might serve him.
-
-"My daughters," was the brief but expressive reply.
-
-"Good heavens! are not arrangements already made for their convenience?"
-
-"To-day I am only a soldier, Major Heyward," said the veteran. "All that
-you see here, claim alike to be my children."
-
-Duncan had heard enough. Without losing one of those moments which had
-now become so precious, he flew toward the quarters of Munro, in quest
-of the sisters. He found them on the threshold of the low edifice,
-already prepared to depart, and surrounded by a clamorous and weeping
-assemblage of their own sex, that had gathered about the place, with a
-sort of instinctive consciousness that it was the point most likely to
-be protected. Though the cheeks of Cora were pale and her countenance
-anxious, she had lost none of her firmness; but the eyes of Alice were
-inflamed, and betrayed how long and bitterly she had wept. They both,
-however, received the young man with undisguised pleasure; the former,
-for a novelty, being the first to speak.
-
-"The fort is lost," she said, with a melancholy smile; "though our good
-name, I trust, remains."
-
-"'Tis brighter than ever. But, dearest Miss Munro, it is time to think
-less of others, and to make some provision for yourself. Military
-usage--pride--that pride on which you so much value yourself, demands
-that your father and I should for a little while continue with the
-troops. Then where to seek a proper protector for you against the
-confusion and chances of such a scene?"
-
-"None is necessary," returned Cora; "who will dare to injure or insult
-the daughter of such a father, at a time like this?"
-
-"I would not leave you alone," continued the youth, looking about him
-in a hurried manner, "for the command of the best regiment in the pay of
-the king. Remember, our Alice is not gifted with all your firmness, and
-God only knows the terror she might endure."
-
-"You may be right," Cora replied, smiling again, but far more sadly than
-before. "Listen! chance has already sent us a friend when he is most
-needed."
-
-Duncan did listen, and on the instant comprehended her meaning. The low
-and serious sounds of the sacred music, so well known to the eastern
-provinces, caught his ear, and instantly drew him to an apartment in
-an adjacent building, which had already been deserted by its customary
-tenants. There he found David, pouring out his pious feelings through
-the only medium in which he ever indulged. Duncan waited, until, by the
-cessation of the movement of the hand, he believed the strain was ended,
-when, by touching his shoulder, he drew the attention of the other to
-himself, and in a few words explained his wishes.
-
-"Even so," replied the single-minded disciple of the King of Israel,
-when the young man had ended; "I have found much that is comely and
-melodious in the maidens, and it is fitting that we who have consorted
-in so much peril, should abide together in peace. I will attend them,
-when I have completed my morning praise, to which nothing is now wanting
-but the doxology. Wilt thou bear a part, friend? The meter is common,
-and the tune 'Southwell'."
-
-Then, extending the little volume, and giving the pitch of the air anew
-with considerate attention, David recommenced and finished his strains,
-with a fixedness of manner that it was not easy to interrupt. Heyward
-was fain to wait until the verse was ended; when, seeing David relieving
-himself from the spectacles, and replacing the book, he continued.
-
-"It will be your duty to see that none dare to approach the ladies with
-any rude intention, or to offer insult or taunt at the misfortune of
-their brave father. In this task you will be seconded by the domestics
-of their household."
-
-"Even so."
-
-"It is possible that the Indians and stragglers of the enemy may
-intrude, in which case you will remind them of the terms of the
-capitulation, and threaten to report their conduct to Montcalm. A word
-will suffice."
-
-"If not, I have that here which shall," returned David, exhibiting
-his book, with an air in which meekness and confidence were singularly
-blended. Here are words which, uttered, or rather thundered, with proper
-emphasis, and in measured time, shall quiet the most unruly temper:
-
-"'Why rage the heathen furiously'?"
-
-"Enough," said Heyward, interrupting the burst of his musical
-invocation; "we understand each other; it is time that we should now
-assume our respective duties."
-
-Gamut cheerfully assented, and together they sought the females. Cora
-received her new and somewhat extraordinary protector courteously, at
-least; and even the pallid features of Alice lighted again with some of
-their native archness as she thanked Heyward for his care. Duncan
-took occasion to assure them he had done the best that circumstances
-permitted, and, as he believed, quite enough for the security of
-their feelings; of danger there was none. He then spoke gladly of his
-intention to rejoin them the moment he had led the advance a few miles
-toward the Hudson, and immediately took his leave.
-
-By this time the signal for departure had been given, and the head of
-the English column was in motion. The sisters started at the sound, and
-glancing their eyes around, they saw the white uniforms of the French
-grenadiers, who had already taken possession of the gates of the fort.
-At that moment an enormous cloud seemed to pass suddenly above their
-heads, and, looking upward, they discovered that they stood beneath the
-wide folds of the standard of France.
-
-"Let us go," said Cora; "this is no longer a fit place for the children
-of an English officer."
-
-Alice clung to the arm of her sister, and together they left the parade,
-accompanied by the moving throng that surrounded them.
-
-As they passed the gates, the French officers, who had learned their
-rank, bowed often and low, forbearing, however, to intrude those
-attentions which they saw, with peculiar tact, might not be agreeable.
-As every vehicle and each beast of burden was occupied by the sick and
-wounded, Cora had decided to endure the fatigues of a foot march, rather
-than interfere with their comforts. Indeed, many a maimed and feeble
-soldier was compelled to drag his exhausted limbs in the rear of the
-columns, for the want of the necessary means of conveyance in that
-wilderness. The whole, however, was in motion; the weak and wounded,
-groaning and in suffering; their comrades silent and sullen; and the
-women and children in terror, they knew not of what.
-
-As the confused and timid throng left the protecting mounds of the fort,
-and issued on the open plain, the whole scene was at once presented to
-their eyes. At a little distance on the right, and somewhat in the
-rear, the French army stood to their arms, Montcalm having collected his
-parties, so soon as his guards had possession of the works. They were
-attentive but silent observers of the proceedings of the vanquished,
-failing in none of the stipulated military honors, and offering no taunt
-or insult, in their success, to their less fortunate foes. Living masses
-of the English, to the amount, in the whole, of near three thousand,
-were moving slowly across the plain, toward the common center, and
-gradually approached each other, as they converged to the point of their
-march, a vista cut through the lofty trees, where the road to the Hudson
-entered the forest. Along the sweeping borders of the woods hung a dark
-cloud of savages, eyeing the passage of their enemies, and hovering at
-a distance, like vultures who were only kept from swooping on their prey
-by the presence and restraint of a superior army. A few had straggled
-among the conquered columns, where they stalked in sullen discontent;
-attentive, though, as yet, passive observers of the moving multitude.
-
-The advance, with Heyward at its head, had already reached the defile,
-and was slowly disappearing, when the attention of Cora was drawn to
-a collection of stragglers by the sounds of contention. A truant
-provincial was paying the forfeit of his disobedience, by being
-plundered of those very effects which had caused him to desert his place
-in the ranks. The man was of powerful frame, and too avaricious to
-part with his goods without a struggle. Individuals from either party
-interfered; the one side to prevent and the other to aid in the robbery.
-Voices grew loud and angry, and a hundred savages appeared, as it were,
-by magic, where a dozen only had been seen a minute before. It was
-then that Cora saw the form of Magua gliding among his countrymen, and
-speaking with his fatal and artful eloquence. The mass of women and
-children stopped, and hovered together like alarmed and fluttering
-birds. But the cupidity of the Indian was soon gratified, and the
-different bodies again moved slowly onward.
-
-The savages now fell back, and seemed content to let their enemies
-advance without further molestation. But, as the female crowd approached
-them, the gaudy colors of a shawl attracted the eyes of a wild and
-untutored Huron. He advanced to seize it without the least hesitation.
-The woman, more in terror than through love of the ornament, wrapped her
-child in the coveted article, and folded both more closely to her bosom.
-Cora was in the act of speaking, with an intent to advise the woman to
-abandon the trifle, when the savage relinquished his hold of the shawl,
-and tore the screaming infant from her arms. Abandoning everything
-to the greedy grasp of those around her, the mother darted, with
-distraction in her mien, to reclaim her child. The Indian smiled grimly,
-and extended one hand, in sign of a willingness to exchange, while, with
-the other, he flourished the babe over his head, holding it by the feet
-as if to enhance the value of the ransom.
-
-"Here--here--there--all--any--everything!" exclaimed the breathless
-woman, tearing the lighter articles of dress from her person with
-ill-directed and trembling fingers; "take all, but give me my babe!"
-
-The savage spurned the worthless rags, and perceiving that the shawl
-had already become a prize to another, his bantering but sullen smile
-changing to a gleam of ferocity, he dashed the head of the infant
-against a rock, and cast its quivering remains to her very feet. For an
-instant the mother stood, like a statue of despair, looking wildly down
-at the unseemly object, which had so lately nestled in her bosom and
-smiled in her face; and then she raised her eyes and countenance toward
-heaven, as if calling on God to curse the perpetrator of the foul
-deed. She was spared the sin of such a prayer for, maddened at his
-disappointment, and excited at the sight of blood, the Huron mercifully
-drove his tomahawk into her own brain. The mother sank under the blow,
-and fell, grasping at her child, in death, with the same engrossing love
-that had caused her to cherish it when living.
-
-At that dangerous moment, Magua placed his hands to his mouth, and
-raised the fatal and appalling whoop. The scattered Indians started at
-the well-known cry, as coursers bound at the signal to quit the goal;
-and directly there arose such a yell along the plain, and through the
-arches of the wood, as seldom burst from human lips before. They who
-heard it listened with a curdling horror at the heart, little inferior
-to that dread which may be expected to attend the blasts of the final
-summons.
-
-More than two thousand raving savages broke from the forest at the
-signal, and threw themselves across the fatal plain with instinctive
-alacrity. We shall not dwell on the revolting horrors that succeeded.
-Death was everywhere, and in his most terrific and disgusting aspects.
-Resistance only served to inflame the murderers, who inflicted their
-furious blows long after their victims were beyond the power of their
-resentment. The flow of blood might be likened to the outbreaking of
-a torrent; and as the natives became heated and maddened by the sight,
-many among them even kneeled to the earth, and drank freely, exultingly,
-hellishly, of the crimson tide.
-
-The trained bodies of the troops threw themselves quickly into solid
-masses, endeavoring to awe their assailants by the imposing appearance
-of a military front. The experiment in some measure succeeded, though
-far too many suffered their unloaded muskets to be torn from their
-hands, in the vain hope of appeasing the savages.
-
-In such a scene none had leisure to note the fleeting moments. It might
-have been ten minutes (it seemed an age) that the sisters had stood
-riveted to one spot, horror-stricken and nearly helpless. When the first
-blow was struck, their screaming companions had pressed upon them in
-a body, rendering flight impossible; and now that fear or death had
-scattered most, if not all, from around them, they saw no avenue open,
-but such as conducted to the tomahawks of their foes. On every side
-arose shrieks, groans, exhortations and curses. At this moment, Alice
-caught a glimpse of the vast form of her father, moving rapidly across
-the plain, in the direction of the French army. He was, in truth,
-proceeding to Montcalm, fearless of every danger, to claim the tardy
-escort for which he had before conditioned. Fifty glittering axes
-and barbed spears were offered unheeded at his life, but the savages
-respected his rank and calmness, even in their fury. The dangerous
-weapons were brushed aside by the still nervous arm of the veteran, or
-fell of themselves, after menacing an act that it would seem no one had
-courage to perform. Fortunately, the vindictive Magua was searching for
-his victim in the very band the veteran had just quitted.
-
-"Father--father--we are here!" shrieked Alice, as he passed, at no great
-distance, without appearing to heed them. "Come to us, father, or we
-die!"
-
-The cry was repeated, and in terms and tones that might have melted
-a heart of stone, but it was unanswered. Once, indeed, the old man
-appeared to catch the sound, for he paused and listened; but Alice had
-dropped senseless on the earth, and Cora had sunk at her side, hovering
-in untiring tenderness over her lifeless form. Munro shook his head in
-disappointment, and proceeded, bent on the high duty of his station.
-
-"Lady," said Gamut, who, helpless and useless as he was, had not yet
-dreamed of deserting his trust, "it is the jubilee of the devils, and
-this is not a meet place for Christians to tarry in. Let us up and fly."
-
-"Go," said Cora, still gazing at her unconscious sister; "save thyself.
-To me thou canst not be of further use."
-
-David comprehended the unyielding character of her resolution, by the
-simple but expressive gesture that accompanied her words. He gazed for a
-moment at the dusky forms that were acting their hellish rites on every
-side of him, and his tall person grew more erect while his chest heaved,
-and every feature swelled, and seemed to speak with the power of the
-feelings by which he was governed.
-
-"If the Jewish boy might tame the great spirit of Saul by the sound of
-his harp, and the words of sacred song, it may not be amiss," he said,
-"to try the potency of music here."
-
-Then raising his voice to its highest tone, he poured out a strain so
-powerful as to be heard even amid the din of that bloody field. More
-than one savage rushed toward them, thinking to rifle the unprotected
-sisters of their attire, and bear away their scalps; but when they found
-this strange and unmoved figure riveted to his post, they paused to
-listen. Astonishment soon changed to admiration, and they passed on to
-other and less courageous victims, openly expressing their satisfaction
-at the firmness with which the white warrior sang his death song.
-Encouraged and deluded by his success, David exerted all his powers to
-extend what he believed so holy an influence. The unwonted sounds caught
-the ears of a distant savage, who flew raging from group to group, like
-one who, scorning to touch the vulgar herd, hunted for some victim more
-worthy of his renown. It was Magua, who uttered a yell of pleasure when
-he beheld his ancient prisoners again at his mercy.
-
-"Come," he said, laying his soiled hands on the dress of Cora, "the
-wigwam of the Huron is still open. Is it not better than this place?"
-
-"Away!" cried Cora, veiling her eyes from his revolting aspect.
-
-The Indian laughed tauntingly, as he held up his reeking hand, and
-answered: "It is red, but it comes from white veins!"
-
-"Monster! there is blood, oceans of blood, upon thy soul; thy spirit has
-moved this scene."
-
-"Magua is a great chief!" returned the exulting savage, "will the
-dark-hair go to his tribe?"
-
-"Never! strike if thou wilt, and complete thy revenge." He hesitated a
-moment, and then catching the light and senseless form of Alice in his
-arms, the subtle Indian moved swiftly across the plain toward the woods.
-
-"Hold!" shrieked Cora, following wildly on his footsteps; "release the
-child! wretch! what is't you do?"
-
-But Magua was deaf to her voice; or, rather, he knew his power, and was
-determined to maintain it.
-
-"Stay--lady--stay," called Gamut, after the unconscious Cora. "The
-holy charm is beginning to be felt, and soon shalt thou see this horrid
-tumult stilled."
-
-Perceiving that, in his turn, he was unheeded, the faithful David
-followed the distracted sister, raising his voice again in sacred song,
-and sweeping the air to the measure, with his long arm, in diligent
-accompaniment. In this manner they traversed the plain, through the
-flying, the wounded and the dead. The fierce Huron was, at any time,
-sufficient for himself and the victim that he bore; though Cora would
-have fallen more than once under the blows of her savage enemies,
-but for the extraordinary being who stalked in her rear, and who now
-appeared to the astonished natives gifted with the protecting spirit of
-madness.
-
-Magua, who knew how to avoid the more pressing dangers, and also to
-elude pursuit, entered the woods through a low ravine, where he quickly
-found the Narragansetts, which the travelers had abandoned so shortly
-before, awaiting his appearance, in custody of a savage as fierce and
-malign in his expression as himself. Laying Alice on one of the horses,
-he made a sign to Cora to mount the other.
-
-Notwithstanding the horror excited by the presence of her captor, there
-was a present relief in escaping from the bloody scene enacting on the
-plain, to which Cora could not be altogether insensible. She took her
-seat, and held forth her arms for her sister, with an air of entreaty
-and love that even the Huron could not deny. Placing Alice, then, on the
-same animal with Cora, he seized the bridle, and commenced his route
-by plunging deeper into the forest. David, perceiving that he was left
-alone, utterly disregarded as a subject too worthless even to destroy,
-threw his long limb across the saddle of the beast they had deserted,
-and made such progress in the pursuit as the difficulties of the path
-permitted.
-
-They soon began to ascend; but as the motion had a tendency to revive
-the dormant faculties of her sister, the attention of Cora was too much
-divided between the tenderest solicitude in her behalf, and in listening
-to the cries which were still too audible on the plain, to note the
-direction in which they journeyed. When, however, they gained the
-flattened surface of the mountain-top, and approached the eastern
-precipice, she recognized the spot to which she had once before been led
-under the more friendly auspices of the scout. Here Magua suffered them
-to dismount; and notwithstanding their own captivity, the curiosity
-which seems inseparable from horror, induced them to gaze at the
-sickening sight below.
-
-The cruel work was still unchecked. On every side the captured were
-flying before their relentless persecutors, while the armed columns
-of the Christian king stood fast in an apathy which has never been
-explained, and which has left an immovable blot on the otherwise fair
-escutcheon of their leader. Nor was the sword of death stayed until
-cupidity got the mastery of revenge. Then, indeed, the shrieks of the
-wounded, and the yells of their murderers grew less frequent, until,
-finally, the cries of horror were lost to their ear, or were drowned in
-the loud, long and piercing whoops of the triumphant savages.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 18
-
-     "Why, anything;
-     An honorable murderer, if you will;
-     For naught I did in hate, but all in honor."
-     --Othello
-
-The bloody and inhuman scene rather incidentally mentioned than
-described in the preceding chapter, is conspicuous in the pages of
-colonial history by the merited title of "The Massacre of William
-Henry." It so far deepened the stain which a previous and very similar
-event had left upon the reputation of the French commander that it was
-not entirely erased by his early and glorious death. It is now becoming
-obscured by time; and thousands, who know that Montcalm died like a hero
-on the plains of Abraham, have yet to learn how much he was deficient in
-that moral courage without which no man can be truly great. Pages might
-yet be written to prove, from this illustrious example, the defects of
-human excellence; to show how easy it is for generous sentiments, high
-courtesy, and chivalrous courage to lose their influence beneath the
-chilling blight of selfishness, and to exhibit to the world a man who
-was great in all the minor attributes of character, but who was found
-wanting when it became necessary to prove how much principle is superior
-to policy. But the task would exceed our prerogatives; and, as history,
-like love, is so apt to surround her heroes with an atmosphere of
-imaginary brightness, it is probable that Louis de Saint Veran will be
-viewed by posterity only as the gallant defender of his country, while
-his cruel apathy on the shores of the Oswego and of the Horican will be
-forgotten. Deeply regretting this weakness on the part of a sister muse,
-we shall at once retire from her sacred precincts, within the proper
-limits of our own humble vocation.
-
-The third day from the capture of the fort was drawing to a close, but
-the business of the narrative must still detain the reader on the shores
-of the "holy lake." When last seen, the environs of the works were
-filled with violence and uproar. They were now possessed by stillness
-and death. The blood-stained conquerors had departed; and their camp,
-which had so lately rung with the merry rejoicings of a victorious army,
-lay a silent and deserted city of huts. The fortress was a smoldering
-ruin; charred rafters, fragments of exploded artillery, and rent
-mason-work covering its earthen mounds in confused disorder.
-
-A frightful change had also occurred in the season. The sun had hid
-its warmth behind an impenetrable mass of vapor, and hundreds of human
-forms, which had blackened beneath the fierce heats of August, were
-stiffening in their deformity before the blasts of a premature November.
-The curling and spotless mists, which had been seen sailing above the
-hills toward the north, were now returning in an interminable dusky
-sheet, that was urged along by the fury of a tempest. The crowded mirror
-of the Horican was gone; and, in its place, the green and angry waters
-lashed the shores, as if indignantly casting back its impurities to
-the polluted strand. Still the clear fountain retained a portion of its
-charmed influence, but it reflected only the somber gloom that fell
-from the impending heavens. That humid and congenial atmosphere which
-commonly adorned the view, veiling its harshness, and softening its
-asperities, had disappeared, the northern air poured across the waste of
-water so harsh and unmingled, that nothing was left to be conjectured by
-the eye, or fashioned by the fancy.
-
-The fiercer element had cropped the verdure of the plain, which looked
-as though it were scathed by the consuming lightning. But, here and
-there, a dark green tuft rose in the midst of the desolation; the
-earliest fruits of a soil that had been fattened with human blood.
-The whole landscape, which, seen by a favoring light, and in a genial
-temperature, had been found so lovely, appeared now like some pictured
-allegory of life, in which objects were arrayed in their harshest but
-truest colors, and without the relief of any shadowing.
-
-The solitary and arid blades of grass arose from the passing gusts
-fearfully perceptible; the bold and rocky mountains were too distinct in
-their barrenness, and the eye even sought relief, in vain, by attempting
-to pierce the illimitable void of heaven, which was shut to its gaze by
-the dusky sheet of ragged and driving vapor.
-
-The wind blew unequally; sometimes sweeping heavily along the ground,
-seeming to whisper its moanings in the cold ears of the dead, then
-rising in a shrill and mournful whistling, it entered the forest with
-a rush that filled the air with the leaves and branches it scattered in
-its path. Amid the unnatural shower, a few hungry ravens struggled with
-the gale; but no sooner was the green ocean of woods which stretched
-beneath them, passed, than they gladly stopped, at random, to their
-hideous banquet.
-
-In short, it was a scene of wildness and desolation; and it appeared as
-if all who had profanely entered it had been stricken, at a blow, by
-the relentless arm of death. But the prohibition had ceased; and for the
-first time since the perpetrators of those foul deeds which had assisted
-to disfigure the scene were gone, living human beings had now presumed
-to approach the place.
-
-About an hour before the setting of the sun, on the day already
-mentioned, the forms of five men might have been seen issuing from the
-narrow vista of trees, where the path to the Hudson entered the forest,
-and advancing in the direction of the ruined works. At first their
-progress was slow and guarded, as though they entered with reluctance
-amid the horrors of the post, or dreaded the renewal of its frightful
-incidents. A light figure preceded the rest of the party, with
-the caution and activity of a native; ascending every hillock to
-reconnoiter, and indicating by gestures, to his companions, the route he
-deemed it most prudent to pursue. Nor were those in the rear wanting in
-every caution and foresight known to forest warfare. One among them, he
-also was an Indian, moved a little on one flank, and watched the margin
-of the woods, with eyes long accustomed to read the smallest sign
-of danger. The remaining three were white, though clad in vestments
-adapted, both in quality and color, to their present hazardous
-pursuit--that of hanging on the skirts of a retiring army in the
-wilderness.
-
-The effects produced by the appalling sights that constantly arose in
-their path to the lake shore, were as different as the characters of the
-respective individuals who composed the party. The youth in front
-threw serious but furtive glances at the mangled victims, as he stepped
-lightly across the plain, afraid to exhibit his feelings, and yet too
-inexperienced to quell entirely their sudden and powerful influence. His
-red associate, however, was superior to such a weakness. He passed the
-groups of dead with a steadiness of purpose, and an eye so calm, that
-nothing but long and inveterate practise could enable him to maintain.
-The sensations produced in the minds of even the white men were
-different, though uniformly sorrowful. One, whose gray locks and
-furrowed lineaments, blending with a martial air and tread, betrayed, in
-spite of the disguise of a woodsman's dress, a man long experienced in
-scenes of war, was not ashamed to groan aloud, whenever a spectacle of
-more than usual horror came under his view. The young man at his elbow
-shuddered, but seemed to suppress his feelings in tenderness to his
-companion. Of them all, the straggler who brought up the rear appeared
-alone to betray his real thoughts, without fear of observation or dread
-of consequences. He gazed at the most appalling sight with eyes and
-muscles that knew not how to waver, but with execrations so bitter and
-deep as to denote how much he denounced the crime of his enemies.
-
-The reader will perceive at once, in these respective characters, the
-Mohicans, and their white friend, the scout; together with Munro and
-Heyward. It was, in truth, the father in quest of his children, attended
-by the youth who felt so deep a stake in their happiness, and those
-brave and trusty foresters, who had already proved their skill and
-fidelity through the trying scenes related.
-
-When Uncas, who moved in front, had reached the center of the plain, he
-raised a cry that drew his companions in a body to the spot. The young
-warrior had halted over a group of females who lay in a cluster, a
-confused mass of dead. Notwithstanding the revolting horror of
-the exhibition, Munro and Heyward flew toward the festering heap,
-endeavoring, with a love that no unseemliness could extinguish, to
-discover whether any vestiges of those they sought were to be seen among
-the tattered and many-colored garments. The father and the lover
-found instant relief in the search; though each was condemned again
-to experience the misery of an uncertainty that was hardly less
-insupportable than the most revolting truth. They were standing, silent
-and thoughtful, around the melancholy pile, when the scout approached.
-Eyeing the sad spectacle with an angry countenance, the sturdy woodsman,
-for the first time since his entering the plain, spoke intelligibly and
-aloud:
-
-"I have been on many a shocking field, and have followed a trail of
-blood for weary miles," he said, "but never have I found the hand of the
-devil so plain as it is here to be seen! Revenge is an Indian feeling,
-and all who know me know that there is no cross in my veins; but this
-much will I say--here, in the face of heaven, and with the power of the
-Lord so manifest in this howling wilderness--that should these Frenchers
-ever trust themselves again within the range of a ragged bullet, there
-is one rifle which shall play its part so long as flint will fire or
-powder burn! I leave the tomahawk and knife to such as have a natural
-gift to use them. What say you, Chingachgook," he added, in Delaware;
-"shall the Hurons boast of this to their women when the deep snows
-come?"
-
-A gleam of resentment flashed across the dark lineaments of the Mohican
-chief; he loosened his knife in his sheath; and then turning calmly from
-the sight, his countenance settled into a repose as deep as if he knew
-the instigation of passion.
-
-"Montcalm! Montcalm!" continued the deeply resentful and less
-self-restrained scout; "they say a time must come when all the deeds
-done in the flesh will be seen at a single look; and that by eyes
-cleared from mortal infirmities. Woe betide the wretch who is born to
-behold this plain, with the judgment hanging about his soul! Ha--as I
-am a man of white blood, yonder lies a red-skin, without the hair of
-his head where nature rooted it! Look to him, Delaware; it may be one of
-your missing people; and he should have burial like a stout warrior.
-I see it in your eye, Sagamore; a Huron pays for this, afore the fall
-winds have blown away the scent of the blood!"
-
-Chingachgook approached the mutilated form, and, turning it over, he
-found the distinguishing marks of one of those six allied tribes, or
-nations, as they were called, who, while they fought in the English
-ranks, were so deadly hostile to his own people. Spurning the loathsome
-object with his foot, he turned from it with the same indifference he
-would have quitted a brute carcass. The scout comprehended the action,
-and very deliberately pursued his own way, continuing, however, his
-denunciations against the French commander in the same resentful strain.
-
-"Nothing but vast wisdom and unlimited power should dare to sweep off
-men in multitudes," he added; "for it is only the one that can know the
-necessity of the judgment; and what is there, short of the other, that
-can replace the creatures of the Lord? I hold it a sin to kill the
-second buck afore the first is eaten, unless a march in front, or
-an ambushment, be contemplated. It is a different matter with a few
-warriors in open and rugged fight, for 'tis their gift to die with the
-rifle or the tomahawk in hand; according as their natures may happen to
-be, white or red. Uncas, come this way, lad, and let the ravens settle
-upon the Mingo. I know, from often seeing it, that they have a craving
-for the flesh of an Oneida; and it is as well to let the bird follow the
-gift of its natural appetite."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the young Mohican, rising on the extremities of his
-feet, and gazing intently in his front, frightening the ravens to some
-other prey by the sound and the action.
-
-"What is it, boy?" whispered the scout, lowering his tall form into a
-crouching attitude, like a panther about to take his leap; "God send it
-be a tardy Frencher, skulking for plunder. I do believe 'killdeer' would
-take an uncommon range today!"
-
-Uncas, without making any reply, bounded away from the spot, and in the
-next instant he was seen tearing from a bush, and waving in triumph, a
-fragment of the green riding-veil of Cora. The movement, the exhibition,
-and the cry which again burst from the lips of the young Mohican,
-instantly drew the whole party about him.
-
-"My child!" said Munro, speaking quickly and wildly; "give me my child!"
-
-"Uncas will try," was the short and touching answer.
-
-The simple but meaning assurance was lost on the father, who seized
-the piece of gauze, and crushed it in his hand, while his eyes roamed
-fearfully among the bushes, as if he equally dreaded and hoped for the
-secrets they might reveal.
-
-"Here are no dead," said Heyward; "the storm seems not to have passed
-this way."
-
-"That's manifest; and clearer than the heavens above our heads,"
-returned the undisturbed scout; "but either she, or they that have
-robbed her, have passed the bush; for I remember the rag she wore to
-hide a face that all did love to look upon. Uncas, you are right; the
-dark-hair has been here, and she has fled like a frightened fawn, to the
-wood; none who could fly would remain to be murdered. Let us search
-for the marks she left; for, to Indian eyes, I sometimes think a
-humming-bird leaves his trail in the air."
-
-The young Mohican darted away at the suggestion, and the scout had
-hardly done speaking, before the former raised a cry of success from the
-margin of the forest. On reaching the spot, the anxious party perceived
-another portion of the veil fluttering on the lower branch of a beech.
-
-"Softly, softly," said the scout, extending his long rifle in front of
-the eager Heyward; "we now know our work, but the beauty of the trail
-must not be deformed. A step too soon may give us hours of trouble. We
-have them, though; that much is beyond denial."
-
-"Bless ye, bless ye, worthy man!" exclaimed Munro; "whither then, have
-they fled, and where are my babes?"
-
-"The path they have taken depends on many chances. If they have gone
-alone, they are quite as likely to move in a circle as straight, and
-they may be within a dozen miles of us; but if the Hurons, or any of the
-French Indians, have laid hands on them, 'tis probably they are now
-near the borders of the Canadas. But what matters that?" continued the
-deliberate scout, observing the powerful anxiety and disappointment
-the listeners exhibited; "here are the Mohicans and I on one end of
-the trail, and, rely on it, we find the other, though they should be a
-hundred leagues asunder! Gently, gently, Uncas, you are as impatient
-as a man in the settlements; you forget that light feet leave but faint
-marks!"
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed Chingachgook, who had been occupied in examining an
-opening that had been evidently made through the low underbrush which
-skirted the forest; and who now stood erect, as he pointed downward, in
-the attitude and with the air of a man who beheld a disgusting serpent.
-
-"Here is the palpable impression of the footstep of a man," cried
-Heyward, bending over the indicated spot; "he has trod in the margin of
-this pool, and the mark cannot be mistaken. They are captives."
-
-"Better so than left to starve in the wilderness," returned the scout;
-"and they will leave a wider trail. I would wager fifty beaver skins
-against as many flints, that the Mohicans and I enter their wigwams
-within the month! Stoop to it, Uncas, and try what you can make of the
-moccasin; for moccasin it plainly is, and no shoe."
-
-The young Mohican bent over the track, and removing the scattered leaves
-from around the place, he examined it with much of that sort of scrutiny
-that a money dealer, in these days of pecuniary doubts, would bestow on
-a suspected due-bill. At length he arose from his knees, satisfied with
-the result of the examination.
-
-"Well, boy," demanded the attentive scout; "what does it say? Can you
-make anything of the tell-tale?"
-
-"Le Renard Subtil!"
-
-"Ha! that rampaging devil again! there will never be an end of his
-loping till 'killdeer' has said a friendly word to him."
-
-Heyward reluctantly admitted the truth of this intelligence, and now
-expressed rather his hopes than his doubts by saying:
-
-"One moccasin is so much like another, it is probable there is some
-mistake."
-
-"One moccasin like another! you may as well say that one foot is like
-another; though we all know that some are long, and others short; some
-broad and others narrow; some with high, and some with low insteps; some
-intoed, and some out. One moccasin is no more like another than one book
-is like another: though they who can read in one are seldom able to tell
-the marks of the other. Which is all ordered for the best, giving to
-every man his natural advantages. Let me get down to it, Uncas; neither
-book nor moccasin is the worse for having two opinions, instead of one."
-The scout stooped to the task, and instantly added:
-
-"You are right, boy; here is the patch we saw so often in the other
-chase. And the fellow will drink when he can get an opportunity; your
-drinking Indian always learns to walk with a wider toe than the natural
-savage, it being the gift of a drunkard to straddle, whether of white or
-red skin. 'Tis just the length and breadth, too! look at it, Sagamore;
-you measured the prints more than once, when we hunted the varmints from
-Glenn's to the health springs."
-
-Chingachgook complied; and after finishing his short examination, he
-arose, and with a quiet demeanor, he merely pronounced the word:
-
-"Magua!"
-
-"Ay, 'tis a settled thing; here, then, have passed the dark-hair and
-Magua."
-
-"And not Alice?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Of her we have not yet seen the signs," returned the scout, looking
-closely around at the trees, the bushes and the ground. "What have
-we there? Uncas, bring hither the thing you see dangling from yonder
-thorn-bush."
-
-When the Indian had complied, the scout received the prize, and holding
-it on high, he laughed in his silent but heartfelt manner.
-
-"'Tis the tooting we'pon of the singer! now we shall have a trail a
-priest might travel," he said. "Uncas, look for the marks of a shoe that
-is long enough to uphold six feet two of tottering human flesh. I begin
-to have some hopes of the fellow, since he has given up squalling to
-follow some better trade."
-
-"At least he has been faithful to his trust," said Heyward. "And Cora
-and Alice are not without a friend."
-
-"Yes," said Hawkeye, dropping his rifle, and leaning on it with an air
-of visible contempt, "he will do their singing. Can he slay a buck for
-their dinner; journey by the moss on the beeches, or cut the throat of
-a Huron? If not, the first catbird* he meets is the cleverer of the two.
-Well, boy, any signs of such a foundation?"
-
-     * The powers of the American mocking-bird are generally
-     known. But the true mocking-bird is not found so far north
-     as the state of New York, where it has, however, two
-     substitutes of inferior excellence, the catbird, so often
-     named by the scout, and the bird vulgarly called ground-
-     thresher. Either of these last two birds is superior to the
-     nightingale or the lark, though, in general, the American
-     birds are less musical than those of Europe.
-
-"Here is something like the footstep of one who has worn a shoe; can it
-be that of our friend?"
-
-"Touch the leaves lightly or you'll disconsart the formation. That! that
-is the print of a foot, but 'tis the dark-hair's; and small it is, too,
-for one of such a noble height and grand appearance. The singer would
-cover it with his heel."
-
-"Where! let me look on the footsteps of my child," said Munro, shoving
-the bushes aside, and bending fondly over the nearly obliterated
-impression. Though the tread which had left the mark had been light and
-rapid, it was still plainly visible. The aged soldier examined it with
-eyes that grew dim as he gazed; nor did he rise from this stooping
-posture until Heyward saw that he had watered the trace of his
-daughter's passage with a scalding tear. Willing to divert a distress
-which threatened each moment to break through the restraint of
-appearances, by giving the veteran something to do, the young man said
-to the scout:
-
-"As we now possess these infallible signs, let us commence our march. A
-moment, at such a time, will appear an age to the captives."
-
-"It is not the swiftest leaping deer that gives the longest chase,"
-returned Hawkeye, without moving his eyes from the different marks that
-had come under his view; "we know that the rampaging Huron has passed,
-and the dark-hair, and the singer, but where is she of the yellow locks
-and blue eyes? Though little, and far from being as bold as her sister,
-she is fair to the view, and pleasant in discourse. Has she no friend,
-that none care for her?"
-
-"God forbid she should ever want hundreds! Are we not now in her
-pursuit? For one, I will never cease the search till she be found."
-
-"In that case we may have to journey by different paths; for here she
-has not passed, light and little as her footsteps would be."
-
-Heyward drew back, all his ardor to proceed seeming to vanish on the
-instant. Without attending to this sudden change in the other's humor,
-the scout after musing a moment continued:
-
-"There is no woman in this wilderness could leave such a print as that,
-but the dark-hair or her sister. We know that the first has been here,
-but where are the signs of the other? Let us push deeper on the trail,
-and if nothing offers, we must go back to the plain and strike another
-scent. Move on, Uncas, and keep your eyes on the dried leaves. I will
-watch the bushes, while your father shall run with a low nose to the
-ground. Move on, friends; the sun is getting behind the hills."
-
-"Is there nothing that I can do?" demanded the anxious Heyward.
-
-"You?" repeated the scout, who, with his red friends, was already
-advancing in the order he had prescribed; "yes, you can keep in our rear
-and be careful not to cross the trail."
-
-Before they had proceeded many rods, the Indians stopped, and appeared
-to gaze at some signs on the earth with more than their usual keenness.
-Both father and son spoke quick and loud, now looking at the object
-of their mutual admiration, and now regarding each other with the most
-unequivocal pleasure.
-
-"They have found the little foot!" exclaimed the scout, moving forward,
-without attending further to his own portion of the duty. "What have
-we here? An ambushment has been planted in the spot! No, by the truest
-rifle on the frontiers, here have been them one-sided horses again! Now
-the whole secret is out, and all is plain as the north star at midnight.
-Yes, here they have mounted. There the beasts have been bound to a
-sapling, in waiting; and yonder runs the broad path away to the north,
-in full sweep for the Canadas."
-
-"But still there are no signs of Alice, of the younger Miss Munro," said
-Duncan.
-
-"Unless the shining bauble Uncas has just lifted from the ground should
-prove one. Pass it this way, lad, that we may look at it."
-
-Heyward instantly knew it for a trinket that Alice was fond of wearing,
-and which he recollected, with the tenacious memory of a lover, to have
-seen, on the fatal morning of the massacre, dangling from the fair neck
-of his mistress. He seized the highly prized jewel; and as he proclaimed
-the fact, it vanished from the eyes of the wondering scout, who in vain
-looked for it on the ground, long after it was warmly pressed against
-the beating heart of Duncan.
-
-"Pshaw!" said the disappointed Hawkeye, ceasing to rake the leaves with
-the breech of his rifle; "'tis a certain sign of age, when the sight
-begins to weaken. Such a glittering gewgaw, and not to be seen! Well,
-well, I can squint along a clouded barrel yet, and that is enough to
-settle all disputes between me and the Mingoes. I should like to find
-the thing, too, if it were only to carry it to the right owner, and that
-would be bringing the two ends of what I call a long trail together,
-for by this time the broad St. Lawrence, or perhaps, the Great Lakes
-themselves, are between us."
-
-"So much the more reason why we should not delay our march," returned
-Heyward; "let us proceed."
-
-"Young blood and hot blood, they say, are much the same thing. We are
-not about to start on a squirrel hunt, or to drive a deer into the
-Horican, but to outlie for days and nights, and to stretch across
-a wilderness where the feet of men seldom go, and where no bookish
-knowledge would carry you through harmless. An Indian never starts on
-such an expedition without smoking over his council-fire; and, though
-a man of white blood, I honor their customs in this particular, seeing
-that they are deliberate and wise. We will, therefore, go back, and
-light our fire to-night in the ruins of the old fort, and in the morning
-we shall be fresh, and ready to undertake our work like men, and not
-like babbling women or eager boys."
-
-Heyward saw, by the manner of the scout, that altercation would be
-useless. Munro had again sunk into that sort of apathy which had beset
-him since his late overwhelming misfortunes, and from which he was
-apparently to be roused only by some new and powerful excitement. Making
-a merit of necessity, the young man took the veteran by the arm, and
-followed in the footsteps of the Indians and the scout, who had already
-begun to retrace the path which conducted them to the plain.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 19
-
-     "Salar.--Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take
-     his flesh; what's that good for?
-     Shy.--To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it
-     will feed my revenge."
-     --Merchant of Venice
-
-The shades of evening had come to increase the dreariness of the place,
-when the party entered the ruins of William Henry. The scout and his
-companions immediately made their preparations to pass the night there;
-but with an earnestness and sobriety of demeanor that betrayed how
-much the unusual horrors they had just witnessed worked on even their
-practised feelings. A few fragments of rafters were reared against a
-blackened wall; and when Uncas had covered them slightly with brush,
-the temporary accommodations were deemed sufficient. The young Indian
-pointed toward his rude hut when his labor was ended; and Heyward, who
-understood the meaning of the silent gestures, gently urged Munro to
-enter. Leaving the bereaved old man alone with his sorrows, Duncan
-immediately returned into the open air, too much excited himself to seek
-the repose he had recommended to his veteran friend.
-
-While Hawkeye and the Indians lighted their fire and took their
-evening's repast, a frugal meal of dried bear's meat, the young man paid
-a visit to that curtain of the dilapidated fort which looked out on the
-sheet of the Horican. The wind had fallen, and the waves were already
-rolling on the sandy beach beneath him, in a more regular and tempered
-succession. The clouds, as if tired of their furious chase, were
-breaking asunder; the heavier volumes, gathering in black masses about
-the horizon, while the lighter scud still hurried above the water, or
-eddied among the tops of the mountains, like broken flights of birds,
-hovering around their roosts. Here and there, a red and fiery star
-struggled through the drifting vapor, furnishing a lurid gleam of
-brightness to the dull aspect of the heavens. Within the bosom of the
-encircling hills, an impenetrable darkness had already settled; and
-the plain lay like a vast and deserted charnel-house, without omen or
-whisper to disturb the slumbers of its numerous and hapless tenants.
-
-Of this scene, so chillingly in accordance with the past, Duncan stood
-for many minutes a rapt observer. His eyes wandered from the bosom of
-the mound, where the foresters were seated around their glimmering fire,
-to the fainter light which still lingered in the skies, and then rested
-long and anxiously on the embodied gloom, which lay like a dreary
-void on that side of him where the dead reposed. He soon fancied that
-inexplicable sounds arose from the place, though so indistinct and
-stolen, as to render not only their nature but even their existence
-uncertain. Ashamed of his apprehensions, the young man turned toward the
-water, and strove to divert his attention to the mimic stars that dimly
-glimmered on its moving surface. Still, his too-conscious ears performed
-their ungrateful duty, as if to warn him of some lurking danger. At
-length, a swift trampling seemed, quite audibly, to rush athwart the
-darkness. Unable any longer to quiet his uneasiness, Duncan spoke in a
-low voice to the scout, requesting him to ascend the mound to the place
-where he stood. Hawkeye threw his rifle across an arm and complied, but
-with an air so unmoved and calm, as to prove how much he counted on the
-security of their position.
-
-"Listen!" said Duncan, when the other placed himself deliberately at his
-elbow; "there are suppressed noises on the plain which may show Montcalm
-has not yet entirely deserted his conquest."
-
-"Then ears are better than eyes," said the undisturbed scout, who,
-having just deposited a portion of a bear between his grinders, spoke
-thick and slow, like one whose mouth was doubly occupied. "I myself saw
-him caged in Ty, with all his host; for your Frenchers, when they
-have done a clever thing, like to get back, and have a dance, or a
-merry-making, with the women over their success."
-
-"I know not. An Indian seldom sleeps in war, and plunder may keep a
-Huron here after his tribe has departed. It would be well to extinguish
-the fire, and have a watch--listen! you hear the noise I mean!"
-
-"An Indian more rarely lurks about the graves. Though ready to slay, and
-not over regardful of the means, he is commonly content with the scalp,
-unless when blood is hot, and temper up; but after spirit is once fairly
-gone, he forgets his enmity, and is willing to let the dead find their
-natural rest. Speaking of spirits, major, are you of opinion that the
-heaven of a red-skin and of us whites will be of one and the same?"
-
-"No doubt--no doubt. I thought I heard it again! or was it the rustling
-of the leaves in the top of the beech?"
-
-"For my own part," continued Hawkeye, turning his face for a moment
-in the direction indicated by Heyward, but with a vacant and careless
-manner, "I believe that paradise is ordained for happiness; and that
-men will be indulged in it according to their dispositions and gifts.
-I, therefore, judge that a red-skin is not far from the truth when
-he believes he is to find them glorious hunting grounds of which his
-traditions tell; nor, for that matter, do I think it would be any
-disparagement to a man without a cross to pass his time--"
-
-"You hear it again?" interrupted Duncan.
-
-"Ay, ay; when food is scarce, and when food is plenty, a wolf grows
-bold," said the unmoved scout. "There would be picking, too, among the
-skins of the devils, if there was light and time for the sport. But,
-concerning the life that is to come, major; I have heard preachers say,
-in the settlements, that heaven was a place of rest. Now, men's minds
-differ as to their ideas of enjoyment. For myself, and I say it with
-reverence to the ordering of Providence, it would be no great indulgence
-to be kept shut up in those mansions of which they preach, having a
-natural longing for motion and the chase."
-
-Duncan, who was now made to understand the nature of the noise he had
-heard, answered, with more attention to the subject which the humor of
-the scout had chosen for discussion, by saying:
-
-"It is difficult to account for the feelings that may attend the last
-great change."
-
-"It would be a change, indeed, for a man who has passed his days in
-the open air," returned the single-minded scout; "and who has so often
-broken his fast on the head waters of the Hudson, to sleep within sound
-of the roaring Mohawk. But it is a comfort to know we serve a merciful
-Master, though we do it each after his fashion, and with great tracts of
-wilderness atween us--what goes there?"
-
-"Is it not the rushing of the wolves you have mentioned?"
-
-Hawkeye slowly shook his head, and beckoned for Duncan to follow him
-to a spot to which the glare from the fire did not extend. When he
-had taken this precaution, the scout placed himself in an attitude of
-intense attention and listened long and keenly for a repetition of the
-low sound that had so unexpectedly startled him. His vigilance, however,
-seemed exercised in vain; for after a fruitless pause, he whispered to
-Duncan:
-
-"We must give a call to Uncas. The boy has Indian senses, and he may
-hear what is hid from us; for, being a white-skin, I will not deny my
-nature."
-
-The young Mohican, who was conversing in a low voice with his father,
-started as he heard the moaning of an owl, and, springing on his feet,
-he looked toward the black mounds, as if seeking the place whence the
-sounds proceeded. The scout repeated the call, and in a few moments,
-Duncan saw the figure of Uncas stealing cautiously along the rampart, to
-the spot where they stood.
-
-Hawkeye explained his wishes in a very few words, which were spoken in
-the Delaware tongue. So soon as Uncas was in possession of the reason
-why he was summoned, he threw himself flat on the turf; where, to the
-eyes of Duncan, he appeared to lie quiet and motionless. Surprised at
-the immovable attitude of the young warrior, and curious to observe
-the manner in which he employed his faculties to obtain the desired
-information, Heyward advanced a few steps, and bent over the dark object
-on which he had kept his eye riveted. Then it was he discovered that the
-form of Uncas vanished, and that he beheld only the dark outline of an
-inequality in the embankment.
-
-"What has become of the Mohican?" he demanded of the scout, stepping
-back in amazement; "it was here that I saw him fall, and could have
-sworn that here he yet remained."
-
-"Hist! speak lower; for we know not what ears are open, and the Mingoes
-are a quick-witted breed. As for Uncas, he is out on the plain, and the
-Maquas, if any such are about us, will find their equal."
-
-"You think that Montcalm has not called off all his Indians? Let us give
-the alarm to our companions, that we may stand to our arms. Here are
-five of us, who are not unused to meet an enemy."
-
-"Not a word to either, as you value your life. Look at the Sagamore, how
-like a grand Indian chief he sits by the fire. If there are any skulkers
-out in the darkness, they will never discover, by his countenance, that
-we suspect danger at hand."
-
-"But they may discover him, and it will prove his death. His person can
-be too plainly seen by the light of that fire, and he will become the
-first and most certain victim."
-
-"It is undeniable that now you speak the truth," returned the scout,
-betraying more anxiety than was usual; "yet what can be done? A single
-suspicious look might bring on an attack before we are ready to receive
-it. He knows, by the call I gave to Uncas, that we have struck a scent;
-I will tell him that we are on the trail of the Mingoes; his Indian
-nature will teach him how to act."
-
-The scout applied his fingers to his mouth, and raised a low hissing
-sound, that caused Duncan at first to start aside, believing that he
-heard a serpent. The head of Chingachgook was resting on a hand, as he
-sat musing by himself but the moment he had heard the warning of the
-animal whose name he bore, he arose to an upright position, and his dark
-eyes glanced swiftly and keenly on every side of him. With his sudden
-and, perhaps, involuntary movement, every appearance of surprise or
-alarm ended. His rifle lay untouched, and apparently unnoticed, within
-reach of his hand. The tomahawk that he had loosened in his belt for the
-sake of ease, was even suffered to fall from its usual situation to the
-ground, and his form seemed to sink, like that of a man whose nerves
-and sinews were suffered to relax for the purpose of rest. Cunningly
-resuming his former position, though with a change of hands, as if the
-movement had been made merely to relieve the limb, the native awaited
-the result with a calmness and fortitude that none but an Indian warrior
-would have known how to exercise.
-
-But Heyward saw that while to a less instructed eye the Mohican chief
-appeared to slumber, his nostrils were expanded, his head was turned a
-little to one side, as if to assist the organs of hearing, and that his
-quick and rapid glances ran incessantly over every object within the
-power of his vision.
-
-"See the noble fellow!" whispered Hawkeye, pressing the arm of Heyward;
-"he knows that a look or a motion might disconsart our schemes, and put
-us at the mercy of them imps--"
-
-He was interrupted by the flash and report of a rifle. The air was
-filled with sparks of fire, around that spot where the eyes of Heyward
-were still fastened, with admiration and wonder. A second look told him
-that Chingachgook had disappeared in the confusion. In the meantime, the
-scout had thrown forward his rifle, like one prepared for service, and
-awaited impatiently the moment when an enemy might rise to view.
-But with the solitary and fruitless attempt made on the life of
-Chingachgook, the attack appeared to have terminated. Once or twice the
-listeners thought they could distinguish the distant rustling of bushes,
-as bodies of some unknown description rushed through them; nor was it
-long before Hawkeye pointed out the "scampering of the wolves," as they
-fled precipitately before the passage of some intruder on their proper
-domains. After an impatient and breathless pause, a plunge was heard
-in the water, and it was immediately followed by the report of another
-rifle.
-
-"There goes Uncas!" said the scout; "the boy bears a smart piece! I know
-its crack, as well as a father knows the language of his child, for I
-carried the gun myself until a better offered."
-
-"What can this mean?" demanded Duncan, "we are watched, and, as it would
-seem, marked for destruction."
-
-"Yonder scattered brand can witness that no good was intended, and this
-Indian will testify that no harm has been done," returned the scout,
-dropping his rifle across his arm again, and following Chingachgook, who
-just then reappeared within the circle of light, into the bosom of the
-work. "How is it, Sagamore? Are the Mingoes upon us in earnest, or is it
-only one of those reptiles who hang upon the skirts of a war-party,
-to scalp the dead, go in, and make their boast among the squaws of the
-valiant deeds done on the pale faces?"
-
-Chingachgook very quietly resumed his seat; nor did he make any reply,
-until after he had examined the firebrand which had been struck by
-the bullet that had nearly proved fatal to himself. After which he was
-content to reply, holding a single finger up to view, with the English
-monosyllable:
-
-"One."
-
-"I thought as much," returned Hawkeye, seating himself; "and as he had
-got the cover of the lake afore Uncas pulled upon him, it is more than
-probable the knave will sing his lies about some great ambushment,
-in which he was outlying on the trail of two Mohicans and a white
-hunter--for the officers can be considered as little better than idlers
-in such a scrimmage. Well, let him--let him. There are always some
-honest men in every nation, though heaven knows, too, that they are
-scarce among the Maquas, to look down an upstart when he brags ag'in the
-face of reason. The varlet sent his lead within whistle of your ears,
-Sagamore."
-
-Chingachgook turned a calm and incurious eye toward the place where the
-ball had struck, and then resumed his former attitude, with a composure
-that could not be disturbed by so trifling an incident. Just then Uncas
-glided into the circle, and seated himself at the fire, with the same
-appearance of indifference as was maintained by his father.
-
-Of these several moments Heyward was a deeply interested and wondering
-observer. It appeared to him as though the foresters had some secret
-means of intelligence, which had escaped the vigilance of his own
-faculties. In place of that eager and garrulous narration with which
-a white youth would have endeavored to communicate, and perhaps
-exaggerate, that which had passed out in the darkness of the plain,
-the young warrior was seemingly content to let his deeds speak for
-themselves. It was, in fact, neither the moment nor the occasion for an
-Indian to boast of his exploits; and it is probably that, had Heyward
-neglected to inquire, not another syllable would, just then, have been
-uttered on the subject.
-
-"What has become of our enemy, Uncas?" demanded Duncan; "we heard your
-rifle, and hoped you had not fired in vain."
-
-The young chief removed a fold of his hunting skirt, and quietly
-exposed the fatal tuft of hair, which he bore as the symbol of victory.
-Chingachgook laid his hand on the scalp, and considered it for a moment
-with deep attention. Then dropping it, with disgust depicted in his
-strong features, he ejaculated:
-
-"Oneida!"
-
-"Oneida!" repeated the scout, who was fast losing his interest in the
-scene, in an apathy nearly assimilated to that of his red associates,
-but who now advanced in uncommon earnestness to regard the bloody badge.
-"By the Lord, if the Oneidas are outlying upon the trail, we shall by
-flanked by devils on every side of us! Now, to white eyes there is no
-difference between this bit of skin and that of any other Indian, and
-yet the Sagamore declares it came from the poll of a Mingo; nay, he even
-names the tribe of the poor devil, with as much ease as if the scalp was
-the leaf of a book, and each hair a letter. What right have Christian
-whites to boast of their learning, when a savage can read a language
-that would prove too much for the wisest of them all! What say you, lad,
-of what people was the knave?"
-
-Uncas raised his eyes to the face of the scout, and answered, in his
-soft voice:
-
-"Oneida."
-
-"Oneida, again! when one Indian makes a declaration it is commonly true;
-but when he is supported by his people, set it down as gospel!"
-
-"The poor fellow has mistaken us for French," said Heyward; "or he would
-not have attempted the life of a friend."
-
-"He mistake a Mohican in his paint for a Huron! You would be as likely
-to mistake the white-coated grenadiers of Montcalm for the scarlet
-jackets of the Royal Americans," returned the scout. "No, no, the
-sarpent knew his errand; nor was there any great mistake in the matter,
-for there is but little love atween a Delaware and a Mingo, let their
-tribes go out to fight for whom they may, in a white quarrel. For
-that matter, though the Oneidas do serve his sacred majesty, who is
-my sovereign lord and master, I should not have deliberated long about
-letting off 'killdeer' at the imp myself, had luck thrown him in my
-way."
-
-"That would have been an abuse of our treaties, and unworthy of your
-character."
-
-"When a man consort much with a people," continued Hawkeye, "if they
-were honest and he no knave, love will grow up atwixt them. It is true
-that white cunning has managed to throw the tribes into great confusion,
-as respects friends and enemies; so that the Hurons and the Oneidas, who
-speak the same tongue, or what may be called the same, take each other's
-scalps, and the Delawares are divided among themselves; a few hanging
-about their great council-fire on their own river, and fighting on the
-same side with the Mingoes while the greater part are in the Canadas,
-out of natural enmity to the Maquas--thus throwing everything into
-disorder, and destroying all the harmony of warfare. Yet a red natur' is
-not likely to alter with every shift of policy; so that the love atwixt
-a Mohican and a Mingo is much like the regard between a white man and a
-sarpent."
-
-"I regret to hear it; for I had believed those natives who dwelt within
-our boundaries had found us too just and liberal, not to identify
-themselves fully with our quarrels."
-
-"Why, I believe it is natur' to give a preference to one's own quarrels
-before those of strangers. Now, for myself, I do love justice; and,
-therefore, I will not say I hate a Mingo, for that may be unsuitable to
-my color and my religion, though I will just repeat, it may have been
-owing to the night that 'killdeer' had no hand in the death of this
-skulking Oneida."
-
-Then, as if satisfied with the force of his own reasons, whatever might
-be their effect on the opinions of the other disputant, the honest but
-implacable woodsman turned from the fire, content to let the controversy
-slumber. Heyward withdrew to the rampart, too uneasy and too little
-accustomed to the warfare of the woods to remain at ease under the
-possibility of such insidious attacks. Not so, however, with the scout
-and the Mohicans. Those acute and long-practised senses, whose powers so
-often exceed the limits of all ordinary credulity, after having detected
-the danger, had enabled them to ascertain its magnitude and duration.
-Not one of the three appeared in the least to doubt their perfect
-security, as was indicated by the preparations that were soon made to
-sit in council over their future proceedings.
-
-The confusion of nations, and even of tribes, to which Hawkeye alluded,
-existed at that period in the fullest force. The great tie of language,
-and, of course, of a common origin, was severed in many places; and it
-was one of its consequences, that the Delaware and the Mingo (as the
-people of the Six Nations were called) were found fighting in the same
-ranks, while the latter sought the scalp of the Huron, though believed
-to be the root of his own stock. The Delawares were even divided among
-themselves. Though love for the soil which had belonged to his ancestors
-kept the Sagamore of the Mohicans with a small band of followers who
-were serving at Edward, under the banners of the English king, by far
-the largest portion of his nation were known to be in the field as
-allies of Montcalm. The reader probably knows, if enough has not already
-been gleaned form this narrative, that the Delaware, or Lenape, claimed
-to be the progenitors of that numerous people, who once were masters
-of most of the eastern and northern states of America, of whom the
-community of the Mohicans was an ancient and highly honored member.
-
-It was, of course, with a perfect understanding of the minute and
-intricate interests which had armed friend against friend, and brought
-natural enemies to combat by each other's side, that the scout and his
-companions now disposed themselves to deliberate on the measures that
-were to govern their future movements, amid so many jarring and savage
-races of men. Duncan knew enough of Indian customs to understand
-the reason that the fire was replenished, and why the warriors, not
-excepting Hawkeye, took their seats within the curl of its smoke with
-so much gravity and decorum. Placing himself at an angle of the works,
-where he might be a spectator of the scene without, he awaited the
-result with as much patience as he could summon.
-
-After a short and impressive pause, Chingachgook lighted a pipe whose
-bowl was curiously carved in one of the soft stones of the country,
-and whose stem was a tube of wood, and commenced smoking. When he had
-inhaled enough of the fragrance of the soothing weed, he passed the
-instrument into the hands of the scout. In this manner the pipe had made
-its rounds three several times, amid the most profound silence, before
-either of the party opened his lips. Then the Sagamore, as the oldest
-and highest in rank, in a few calm and dignified words, proposed the
-subject for deliberation. He was answered by the scout; and Chingachgook
-rejoined, when the other objected to his opinions. But the youthful
-Uncas continued a silent and respectful listener, until Hawkeye, in
-complaisance, demanded his opinion. Heyward gathered from the manners of
-the different speakers, that the father and son espoused one side of a
-disputed question, while the white man maintained the other. The contest
-gradually grew warmer, until it was quite evident the feelings of the
-speakers began to be somewhat enlisted in the debate.
-
-Notwithstanding the increasing warmth of the amicable contest, the
-most decorous Christian assembly, not even excepting those in which its
-reverend ministers are collected, might have learned a wholesome lesson
-of moderation from the forbearance and courtesy of the disputants. The
-words of Uncas were received with the same deep attention as those which
-fell from the maturer wisdom of his father; and so far from manifesting
-any impatience, neither spoke in reply, until a few moments of silent
-meditation were, seemingly, bestowed in deliberating on what had already
-been said.
-
-The language of the Mohicans was accompanied by gestures so direct and
-natural that Heyward had but little difficulty in following the thread
-of their argument. On the other hand, the scout was obscure; because
-from the lingering pride of color, he rather affected the cold and
-artificial manner which characterizes all classes of Anglo-Americans
-when unexcited. By the frequency with which the Indians described the
-marks of a forest trial, it was evident they urged a pursuit by land,
-while the repeated sweep of Hawkeye's arm toward the Horican denoted
-that he was for a passage across its waters.
-
-The latter was to every appearance fast losing ground, and the point was
-about to be decided against him, when he arose to his feet, and shaking
-off his apathy, he suddenly assumed the manner of an Indian, and adopted
-all the arts of native eloquence. Elevating an arm, he pointed out the
-track of the sun, repeating the gesture for every day that was necessary
-to accomplish their objects. Then he delineated a long and painful path,
-amid rocks and water-courses. The age and weakness of the slumbering and
-unconscious Munro were indicated by signs too palpable to be mistaken.
-Duncan perceived that even his own powers were spoken lightly of, as
-the scout extended his palm, and mentioned him by the appellation of
-the "Open Hand"--a name his liberality had purchased of all the friendly
-tribes. Then came a representation of the light and graceful movements
-of a canoe, set in forcible contrast to the tottering steps of one
-enfeebled and tired. He concluded by pointing to the scalp of the
-Oneida, and apparently urging the necessity of their departing speedily,
-and in a manner that should leave no trail.
-
-The Mohicans listened gravely, and with countenances that reflected the
-sentiments of the speaker. Conviction gradually wrought its influence,
-and toward the close of Hawkeye's speech, his sentences were accompanied
-by the customary exclamation of commendation. In short, Uncas and his
-father became converts to his way of thinking, abandoning their own
-previously expressed opinions with a liberality and candor that, had
-they been the representatives of some great and civilized people, would
-have infallibly worked their political ruin, by destroying forever their
-reputation for consistency.
-
-The instant the matter in discussion was decided, the debate, and
-everything connected with it, except the result appeared to be
-forgotten. Hawkeye, without looking round to read his triumph in
-applauding eyes, very composedly stretched his tall frame before the
-dying embers, and closed his own organs in sleep.
-
-Left now in a measure to themselves, the Mohicans, whose time had been
-so much devoted to the interests of others, seized the moment to devote
-some attention to themselves. Casting off at once the grave and austere
-demeanor of an Indian chief, Chingachgook commenced speaking to his
-son in the soft and playful tones of affection. Uncas gladly met the
-familiar air of his father; and before the hard breathing of the scout
-announced that he slept, a complete change was effected in the manner of
-his two associates.
-
-It is impossible to describe the music of their language, while thus
-engaged in laughter and endearments, in such a way as to render it
-intelligible to those whose ears have never listened to its melody.
-The compass of their voices, particularly that of the youth, was
-wonderful--extending from the deepest bass to tones that were even
-feminine in softness. The eyes of the father followed the plastic and
-ingenious movements of the son with open delight, and he never failed to
-smile in reply to the other's contagious but low laughter. While under
-the influence of these gentle and natural feelings, no trace of ferocity
-was to be seen in the softened features of the Sagamore. His figured
-panoply of death looked more like a disguise assumed in mockery than a
-fierce annunciation of a desire to carry destruction in his footsteps.
-
-After an hour had passed in the indulgence of their better feelings,
-Chingachgook abruptly announced his desire to sleep, by wrapping his
-head in his blanket and stretching his form on the naked earth. The
-merriment of Uncas instantly ceased; and carefully raking the coals in
-such a manner that they should impart their warmth to his father's feet,
-the youth sought his own pillow among the ruins of the place.
-
-Imbibing renewed confidence from the security of these experienced
-foresters, Heyward soon imitated their example; and long before the
-night had turned, they who lay in the bosom of the ruined work, seemed
-to slumber as heavily as the unconscious multitude whose bones were
-already beginning to bleach on the surrounding plain.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 20
-
-     "Land of Albania! let me bend mine eyes
-     On thee; thou rugged nurse of savage men!"
-     --Childe Harold
-
-The heavens were still studded with stars, when Hawkeye came to arouse
-the sleepers. Casting aside their cloaks Munro and Heyward were on their
-feet while the woodsman was still making his low calls, at the entrance
-of the rude shelter where they had passed the night. When they issued
-from beneath its concealment, they found the scout awaiting their
-appearance nigh by, and the only salutation between them was the
-significant gesture for silence, made by their sagacious leader.
-
-"Think over your prayers," he whispered, as they approached him; "for He
-to whom you make them, knows all tongues; that of the heart, as well
-as those of the mouth. But speak not a syllable; it is rare for a white
-voice to pitch itself properly in the woods, as we have seen by the
-example of that miserable devil, the singer. Come," he continued,
-turning toward a curtain of the works; "let us get into the ditch on
-this side, and be regardful to step on the stones and fragments of wood
-as you go."
-
-His companions complied, though to two of them the reasons of this
-extraordinary precaution were yet a mystery. When they were in the low
-cavity that surrounded the earthen fort on three sides, they found that
-passage nearly choked by the ruins. With care and patience, however,
-they succeeded in clambering after the scout, until they reached the
-sandy shore of the Horican.
-
-"That's a trail that nothing but a nose can follow," said the satisfied
-scout, looking back along their difficult way; "grass is a treacherous
-carpet for a flying party to tread on, but wood and stone take no print
-from a moccasin. Had you worn your armed boots, there might, indeed,
-have been something to fear; but with the deer-skin suitably prepared,
-a man may trust himself, generally, on rocks with safety. Shove in the
-canoe nigher to the land, Uncas; this sand will take a stamp as easily
-as the butter of the Jarmans on the Mohawk. Softly, lad, softly; it must
-not touch the beach, or the knaves will know by what road we have left
-the place."
-
-The young man observed the precaution; and the scout, laying a board
-from the ruins to the canoe, made a sign for the two officers to enter.
-When this was done, everything was studiously restored to its former
-disorder; and then Hawkeye succeeded in reaching his little birchen
-vessel, without leaving behind him any of those marks which he appeared
-so much to dread. Heyward was silent until the Indians had cautiously
-paddled the canoe some distance from the fort, and within the broad and
-dark shadows that fell from the eastern mountain on the glassy surface
-of the lake; then he demanded:
-
-"What need have we for this stolen and hurried departure?"
-
-"If the blood of an Oneida could stain such a sheet of pure water as
-this we float on," returned the scout, "your two eyes would answer your
-own question. Have you forgotten the skulking reptile Uncas slew?"
-
-"By no means. But he was said to be alone, and dead men give no cause
-for fear."
-
-"Ay, he was alone in his deviltry! but an Indian whose tribe counts so
-many warriors, need seldom fear his blood will run without the death
-shriek coming speedily from some of his enemies."
-
-"But our presence--the authority of Colonel Munro--would prove
-sufficient protection against the anger of our allies, especially in a
-case where the wretch so well merited his fate. I trust in Heaven you
-have not deviated a single foot from the direct line of our course with
-so slight a reason!"
-
-"Do you think the bullet of that varlet's rifle would have turned aside,
-though his sacred majesty the king had stood in its path?" returned
-the stubborn scout. "Why did not the grand Frencher, he who is
-captain-general of the Canadas, bury the tomahawks of the Hurons, if a
-word from a white can work so strongly on the natur' of an Indian?"
-
-The reply of Heyward was interrupted by a groan from Munro; but after
-he had paused a moment, in deference to the sorrow of his aged friend he
-resumed the subject.
-
-"The marquis of Montcalm can only settle that error with his God," said
-the young man solemnly.
-
-"Ay, ay, now there is reason in your words, for they are bottomed on
-religion and honesty. There is a vast difference between throwing a
-regiment of white coats atwixt the tribes and the prisoners, and coaxing
-an angry savage to forget he carries a knife and rifle, with words that
-must begin with calling him your son. No, no," continued the scout,
-looking back at the dim shore of William Henry, which was now fast
-receding, and laughing in his own silent but heartfelt manner; "I have
-put a trail of water atween us; and unless the imps can make friends
-with the fishes, and hear who has paddled across their basin this fine
-morning, we shall throw the length of the Horican behind us before they
-have made up their minds which path to take."
-
-"With foes in front, and foes in our rear, our journey is like to be one
-of danger."
-
-"Danger!" repeated Hawkeye, calmly; "no, not absolutely of danger; for,
-with vigilant ears and quick eyes, we can manage to keep a few hours
-ahead of the knaves; or, if we must try the rifle, there are three of us
-who understand its gifts as well as any you can name on the borders. No,
-not of danger; but that we shall have what you may call a brisk push of
-it, is probable; and it may happen, a brush, a scrimmage, or some such
-divarsion, but always where covers are good, and ammunition abundant."
-
-It is possible that Heyward's estimate of danger differed in some degree
-from that of the scout, for, instead of replying, he now sat in silence,
-while the canoe glided over several miles of water. Just as the day
-dawned, they entered the narrows of the lake*, and stole swiftly and
-cautiously among their numberless little islands. It was by this road
-that Montcalm had retired with his army, and the adventurers knew not
-but he had left some of his Indians in ambush, to protect the rear of
-his forces, and collect the stragglers. They, therefore, approached the
-passage with the customary silence of their guarded habits.
-
-     * The beauties of Lake George are well known to every
-     American tourist. In the height of the mountains which
-     surround it, and in artificial accessories, it is inferior
-     to the finest of the Swiss and Italian lakes, while in
-     outline and purity of water it is fully their equal; and in
-     the number and disposition of its isles and islets much
-     superior to them all together. There are said to be some
-     hundreds of islands in a sheet of water less than thirty
-     miles long. The narrows, which connect what may be called,
-     in truth, two lakes, are crowded with islands to such a
-     degree as to leave passages between them frequently of only
-     a few feet in width. The lake itself varies in breadth from
-     one to three miles.
-
-Chingachgook laid aside his paddle; while Uncas and the scout urged the
-light vessel through crooked and intricate channels, where every foot
-that they advanced exposed them to the danger of some sudden rising
-on their progress. The eyes of the Sagamore moved warily from islet to
-islet, and copse to copse, as the canoe proceeded; and, when a clearer
-sheet of water permitted, his keen vision was bent along the bald rocks
-and impending forests that frowned upon the narrow strait.
-
-Heyward, who was a doubly interested spectator, as well from the
-beauties of the place as from the apprehension natural to his situation,
-was just believing that he had permitted the latter to be excited
-without sufficient reason, when the paddle ceased moving, in obedience
-to a signal from Chingachgook.
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed Uncas, nearly at the moment that the light tap his
-father had made on the side of the canoe notified them of the vicinity
-of danger.
-
-"What now?" asked the scout; "the lake is as smooth as if the winds had
-never blown, and I can see along its sheet for miles; there is not so
-much as the black head of a loon dotting the water."
-
-The Indian gravely raised his paddle, and pointed in the direction
-in which his own steady look was riveted. Duncan's eyes followed the
-motion. A few rods in their front lay another of the wooded islets,
-but it appeared as calm and peaceful as if its solitude had never been
-disturbed by the foot of man.
-
-"I see nothing," he said, "but land and water; and a lovely scene it
-is."
-
-"Hist!" interrupted the scout. "Ay, Sagamore, there is always a reason
-for what you do. 'Tis but a shade, and yet it is not natural. You see
-the mist, major, that is rising above the island; you can't call it a
-fog, for it is more like a streak of thin cloud--"
-
-"It is vapor from the water."
-
-"That a child could tell. But what is the edging of blacker smoke
-that hangs along its lower side, and which you may trace down into the
-thicket of hazel? 'Tis from a fire; but one that, in my judgment, has
-been suffered to burn low."
-
-"Let us, then, push for the place, and relieve our doubts," said the
-impatient Duncan; "the party must be small that can lie on such a bit of
-land."
-
-"If you judge of Indian cunning by the rules you find in books, or
-by white sagacity, they will lead you astray, if not to your death,"
-returned Hawkeye, examining the signs of the place with that acuteness
-which distinguished him. "If I may be permitted to speak in this matter,
-it will be to say, that we have but two things to choose between: the
-one is, to return, and give up all thoughts of following the Hurons--"
-
-"Never!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice far too loud for their
-circumstances.
-
-"Well, well," continued Hawkeye, making a hasty sign to repress his
-impatience; "I am much of your mind myself; though I thought it becoming
-my experience to tell the whole. We must, then, make a push, and if the
-Indians or Frenchers are in the narrows, run the gauntlet through these
-toppling mountains. Is there reason in my words, Sagamore?"
-
-The Indian made no other answer than by dropping his paddle into the
-water, and urging forward the canoe. As he held the office of directing
-its course, his resolution was sufficiently indicated by the movement.
-The whole party now plied their paddles vigorously, and in a very few
-moments they had reached a point whence they might command an entire
-view of the northern shore of the island, the side that had hitherto
-been concealed.
-
-"There they are, by all the truth of signs," whispered the scout, "two
-canoes and a smoke. The knaves haven't yet got their eyes out of the
-mist, or we should hear the accursed whoop. Together, friends! we are
-leaving them, and are already nearly out of whistle of a bullet."
-
-The well-known crack of a rifle, whose ball came skipping along the
-placid surface of the strait, and a shrill yell from the island,
-interrupted his speech, and announced that their passage was discovered.
-In another instant several savages were seen rushing into canoes, which
-were soon dancing over the water in pursuit. These fearful precursors of
-a coming struggle produced no change in the countenances and movements
-of his three guides, so far as Duncan could discover, except that the
-strokes of their paddles were longer and more in unison, and caused
-the little bark to spring forward like a creature possessing life and
-volition.
-
-"Hold them there, Sagamore," said Hawkeye, looking coolly backward over
-this left shoulder, while he still plied his paddle; "keep them just
-there. Them Hurons have never a piece in their nation that will execute
-at this distance; but 'killdeer' has a barrel on which a man may
-calculate."
-
-The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were sufficient of
-themselves to maintain the requisite distance, deliberately laid aside
-his paddle, and raised the fatal rifle. Three several times he brought
-the piece to his shoulder, and when his companions were expecting its
-report, he as often lowered it to request the Indians would permit
-their enemies to approach a little nigher. At length his accurate and
-fastidious eye seemed satisfied, and, throwing out his left arm on the
-barrel, he was slowly elevating the muzzle, when an exclamation from
-Uncas, who sat in the bow, once more caused him to suspend the shot.
-
-"What, now, lad?" demanded Hawkeye; "you save a Huron from the
-death-shriek by that word; have you reason for what you do?"
-
-Uncas pointed toward a rocky shore a little in their front, whence
-another war canoe was darting directly across their course. It was too
-obvious now that their situation was imminently perilous to need the aid
-of language to confirm it. The scout laid aside his rifle, and resumed
-the paddle, while Chingachgook inclined the bows of the canoe a little
-toward the western shore, in order to increase the distance between them
-and this new enemy. In the meantime they were reminded of the presence
-of those who pressed upon their rear, by wild and exulting shouts. The
-stirring scene awakened even Munro from his apathy.
-
-"Let us make for the rocks on the main," he said, with the mien of a
-tired soldier, "and give battle to the savages. God forbid that I, or
-those attached to me and mine, should ever trust again to the faith of
-any servant of the Louis's!"
-
-"He who wishes to prosper in Indian warfare," returned the scout, "must
-not be too proud to learn from the wit of a native. Lay her more along
-the land, Sagamore; we are doubling on the varlets, and perhaps they may
-try to strike our trail on the long calculation."
-
-Hawkeye was not mistaken; for when the Hurons found their course was
-likely to throw them behind their chase they rendered it less direct,
-until, by gradually bearing more and more obliquely, the two canoes
-were, ere long, gliding on parallel lines, within two hundred yards of
-each other. It now became entirely a trial of speed. So rapid was the
-progress of the light vessels, that the lake curled in their front, in
-miniature waves, and their motion became undulating by its own velocity.
-It was, perhaps, owing to this circumstance, in addition to the
-necessity of keeping every hand employed at the paddles, that the Hurons
-had not immediate recourse to their firearms. The exertions of the
-fugitives were too severe to continue long, and the pursuers had the
-advantage of numbers. Duncan observed with uneasiness, that the scout
-began to look anxiously about him, as if searching for some further
-means of assisting their flight.
-
-"Edge her a little more from the sun, Sagamore," said the stubborn
-woodsman; "I see the knaves are sparing a man to the rifle. A single
-broken bone might lose us our scalps. Edge more from the sun and we will
-put the island between us."
-
-The expedient was not without its use. A long, low island lay at a
-little distance before them, and, as they closed with it, the chasing
-canoe was compelled to take a side opposite to that on which the pursued
-passed. The scout and his companions did not neglect this advantage, but
-the instant they were hid from observation by the bushes, they redoubled
-efforts that before had seemed prodigious. The two canoes came round
-the last low point, like two coursers at the top of their speed, the
-fugitives taking the lead. This change had brought them nigher to each
-other, however, while it altered their relative positions.
-
-"You showed knowledge in the shaping of a birchen bark, Uncas, when
-you chose this from among the Huron canoes," said the scout, smiling,
-apparently more in satisfaction at their superiority in the race than
-from that prospect of final escape which now began to open a little upon
-them. "The imps have put all their strength again at the paddles, and we
-are to struggle for our scalps with bits of flattened wood, instead of
-clouded barrels and true eyes. A long stroke, and together, friends."
-
-"They are preparing for a shot," said Heyward; "and as we are in a line
-with them, it can scarcely fail."
-
-"Get you, then, into the bottom of the canoe," returned the scout; "you
-and the colonel; it will be so much taken from the size of the mark."
-
-Heyward smiled, as he answered:
-
-"It would be but an ill example for the highest in rank to dodge, while
-the warriors were under fire."
-
-"Lord! Lord! That is now a white man's courage!" exclaimed the scout;
-"and like to many of his notions, not to be maintained by reason. Do you
-think the Sagamore, or Uncas, or even I, who am a man without a cross,
-would deliberate about finding a cover in the scrimmage, when an open
-body would do no good? For what have the Frenchers reared up their
-Quebec, if fighting is always to be done in the clearings?"
-
-"All that you say is very true, my friend," replied Heyward; "still, our
-customs must prevent us from doing as you wish."
-
-A volley from the Hurons interrupted the discourse, and as the bullets
-whistled about them, Duncan saw the head of Uncas turned, looking back
-at himself and Munro. Notwithstanding the nearness of the enemy, and
-his own great personal danger, the countenance of the young warrior
-expressed no other emotion, as the former was compelled to think, than
-amazement at finding men willing to encounter so useless an exposure.
-Chingachgook was probably better acquainted with the notions of white
-men, for he did not even cast a glance aside from the riveted look his
-eye maintained on the object by which he governed their course. A ball
-soon struck the light and polished paddle from the hands of the chief,
-and drove it through the air, far in the advance. A shout arose from
-the Hurons, who seized the opportunity to fire another volley. Uncas
-described an arc in the water with his own blade, and as the canoe
-passed swiftly on, Chingachgook recovered his paddle, and flourishing
-it on high, he gave the war-whoop of the Mohicans, and then lent his
-strength and skill again to the important task.
-
-The clamorous sounds of "Le Gros Serpent!" "La Longue Carabine!" "Le
-Cerf Agile!" burst at once from the canoes behind, and seemed to give
-new zeal to the pursuers. The scout seized "killdeer" in his left hand,
-and elevating it about his head, he shook it in triumph at his enemies.
-The savages answered the insult with a yell, and immediately another
-volley succeeded. The bullets pattered along the lake, and one even
-pierced the bark of their little vessel. No perceptible emotion could
-be discovered in the Mohicans during this critical moment, their rigid
-features expressing neither hope nor alarm; but the scout again turned
-his head, and, laughing in his own silent manner, he said to Heyward:
-
-"The knaves love to hear the sounds of their pieces; but the eye is
-not to be found among the Mingoes that can calculate a true range in a
-dancing canoe! You see the dumb devils have taken off a man to charge,
-and by the smallest measurement that can be allowed, we move three feet
-to their two!"
-
-Duncan, who was not altogether as easy under this nice estimate of
-distances as his companions, was glad to find, however, that owing to
-their superior dexterity, and the diversion among their enemies, they
-were very sensibly obtaining the advantage. The Hurons soon fired again,
-and a bullet struck the blade of Hawkeye's paddle without injury.
-
-"That will do," said the scout, examining the slight indentation with a
-curious eye; "it would not have cut the skin of an infant, much less of
-men, who, like us, have been blown upon by the heavens in their anger.
-Now, major, if you will try to use this piece of flattened wood, I'll
-let 'killdeer' take a part in the conversation."
-
-Heyward seized the paddle, and applied himself to the work with an
-eagerness that supplied the place of skill, while Hawkeye was engaged
-in inspecting the priming of his rifle. The latter then took a swift aim
-and fired. The Huron in the bows of the leading canoe had risen with a
-similar object, and he now fell backward, suffering his gun to escape
-from his hands into the water. In an instant, however, he recovered his
-feet, though his gestures were wild and bewildered. At the same moment
-his companions suspended their efforts, and the chasing canoes clustered
-together, and became stationary. Chingachgook and Uncas profited by the
-interval to regain their wind, though Duncan continued to work with
-the most persevering industry. The father and son now cast calm but
-inquiring glances at each other, to learn if either had sustained any
-injury by the fire; for both well knew that no cry or exclamation
-would, in such a moment of necessity have been permitted to betray the
-accident. A few large drops of blood were trickling down the shoulder
-of the Sagamore, who, when he perceived that the eyes of Uncas dwelt
-too long on the sight, raised some water in the hollow of his hand, and
-washing off the stain, was content to manifest, in this simple manner,
-the slightness of the injury.
-
-"Softly, softly, major," said the scout, who by this time had reloaded
-his rifle; "we are a little too far already for a rifle to put forth its
-beauties, and you see yonder imps are holding a council. Let them
-come up within striking distance--my eye may well be trusted in such
-a matter--and I will trail the varlets the length of the Horican,
-guaranteeing that not a shot of theirs shall, at the worst, more than
-break the skin, while 'killdeer' shall touch the life twice in three
-times."
-
-"We forget our errand," returned the diligent Duncan. "For God's sake
-let us profit by this advantage, and increase our distance from the
-enemy."
-
-"Give me my children," said Munro, hoarsely; "trifle no longer with a
-father's agony, but restore me my babes."
-
-Long and habitual deference to the mandates of his superiors had taught
-the scout the virtue of obedience. Throwing a last and lingering glance
-at the distant canoes, he laid aside his rifle, and, relieving the
-wearied Duncan, resumed the paddle, which he wielded with sinews that
-never tired. His efforts were seconded by those of the Mohicans and a
-very few minutes served to place such a sheet of water between them and
-their enemies, that Heyward once more breathed freely.
-
-The lake now began to expand, and their route lay along a wide reach,
-that was lined, as before, by high and ragged mountains. But the islands
-were few, and easily avoided. The strokes of the paddles grew more
-measured and regular, while they who plied them continued their labor,
-after the close and deadly chase from which they had just relieved
-themselves, with as much coolness as though their speed had been tried
-in sport, rather than under such pressing, nay, almost desperate,
-circumstances.
-
-Instead of following the western shore, whither their errand led them,
-the wary Mohican inclined his course more toward those hills behind
-which Montcalm was known to have led his army into the formidable
-fortress of Ticonderoga. As the Hurons, to every appearance, had
-abandoned the pursuit, there was no apparent reason for this excess of
-caution. It was, however, maintained for hours, until they had reached
-a bay, nigh the northern termination of the lake. Here the canoe was
-driven upon the beach, and the whole party landed. Hawkeye and Heyward
-ascended an adjacent bluff, where the former, after considering the
-expanse of water beneath him, pointed out to the latter a small black
-object, hovering under a headland, at the distance of several miles.
-
-"Do you see it?" demanded the scout. "Now, what would you account that
-spot, were you left alone to white experience to find your way through
-this wilderness?"
-
-"But for its distance and its magnitude, I should suppose it a bird. Can
-it be a living object?"
-
-"'Tis a canoe of good birchen bark, and paddled by fierce and crafty
-Mingoes. Though Providence has lent to those who inhabit the woods
-eyes that would be needless to men in the settlements, where there are
-inventions to assist the sight, yet no human organs can see all the
-dangers which at this moment circumvent us. These varlets pretend to be
-bent chiefly on their sun-down meal, but the moment it is dark they will
-be on our trail, as true as hounds on the scent. We must throw them
-off, or our pursuit of Le Renard Subtil may be given up. These lakes are
-useful at times, especially when the game take the water," continued the
-scout, gazing about him with a countenance of concern; "but they give no
-cover, except it be to the fishes. God knows what the country would
-be, if the settlements should ever spread far from the two rivers. Both
-hunting and war would lose their beauty."
-
-"Let us not delay a moment, without some good and obvious cause."
-
-"I little like that smoke, which you may see worming up along the rock
-above the canoe," interrupted the abstracted scout. "My life on it,
-other eyes than ours see it, and know its meaning. Well, words will not
-mend the matter, and it is time that we were doing."
-
-Hawkeye moved away from the lookout, and descended, musing profoundly,
-to the shore. He communicated the result of his observations to his
-companions, in Delaware, and a short and earnest consultation succeeded.
-When it terminated, the three instantly set about executing their new
-resolutions.
-
-The canoe was lifted from the water, and borne on the shoulders of the
-party, they proceeded into the wood, making as broad and obvious a trail
-as possible. They soon reached the water-course, which they crossed,
-and, continuing onward, until they came to an extensive and naked rock.
-At this point, where their footsteps might be expected to be no longer
-visible, they retraced their route to the brook, walking backward, with
-the utmost care. They now followed the bed of the little stream to the
-lake, into which they immediately launched their canoe again. A low
-point concealed them from the headland, and the margin of the lake was
-fringed for some distance with dense and overhanging bushes. Under the
-cover of these natural advantages, they toiled their way, with patient
-industry, until the scout pronounced that he believed it would be safe
-once more to land.
-
-The halt continued until evening rendered objects indistinct and
-uncertain to the eye. Then they resumed their route, and, favored by
-the darkness, pushed silently and vigorously toward the western shore.
-Although the rugged outline of mountain, to which they were steering,
-presented no distinctive marks to the eyes of Duncan, the Mohican
-entered the little haven he had selected with the confidence and
-accuracy of an experienced pilot.
-
-The boat was again lifted and borne into the woods, where it was
-carefully concealed under a pile of brush. The adventurers assumed their
-arms and packs, and the scout announced to Munro and Heyward that he and
-the Indians were at last in readiness to proceed.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 21
-
-     "If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death."
-     --Merry Wives of Windsor.
-
-The party had landed on the border of a region that is, even to this
-day, less known to the inhabitants of the States than the deserts
-of Arabia, or the steppes of Tartary. It was the sterile and rugged
-district which separates the tributaries of Champlain from those of the
-Hudson, the Mohawk, and the St. Lawrence. Since the period of our tale
-the active spirit of the country has surrounded it with a belt of rich
-and thriving settlements, though none but the hunter or the savage is
-ever known even now to penetrate its wild recesses.
-
-As Hawkeye and the Mohicans had, however, often traversed the mountains
-and valleys of this vast wilderness, they did not hesitate to plunge
-into its depth, with the freedom of men accustomed to its privations
-and difficulties. For many hours the travelers toiled on their laborious
-way, guided by a star, or following the direction of some water-course,
-until the scout called a halt, and holding a short consultation with
-the Indians, they lighted their fire, and made the usual preparations to
-pass the remainder of the night where they then were.
-
-Imitating the example, and emulating the confidence of their more
-experienced associates, Munro and Duncan slept without fear, if not
-without uneasiness. The dews were suffered to exhale, and the sun had
-dispersed the mists, and was shedding a strong and clear light in the
-forest, when the travelers resumed their journey.
-
-After proceeding a few miles, the progress of Hawkeye, who led the
-advance, became more deliberate and watchful. He often stopped to
-examine the trees; nor did he cross a rivulet without attentively
-considering the quantity, the velocity, and the color of its waters.
-Distrusting his own judgment, his appeals to the opinion of Chingachgook
-were frequent and earnest. During one of these conferences Heyward
-observed that Uncas stood a patient and silent, though, as he imagined,
-an interested listener. He was strongly tempted to address the young
-chief, and demand his opinion of their progress; but the calm and
-dignified demeanor of the native induced him to believe, that, like
-himself, the other was wholly dependent on the sagacity and intelligence
-of the seniors of the party. At last the scout spoke in English, and at
-once explained the embarrassment of their situation.
-
-"When I found that the home path of the Hurons run north," he said, "it
-did not need the judgment of many long years to tell that they would
-follow the valleys, and keep atween the waters of the Hudson and the
-Horican, until they might strike the springs of the Canada streams,
-which would lead them into the heart of the country of the Frenchers.
-Yet here are we, within a short range of the Scaroons, and not a sign of
-a trail have we crossed! Human natur' is weak, and it is possible we may
-not have taken the proper scent."
-
-"Heaven protect us from such an error!" exclaimed Duncan. "Let us
-retrace our steps, and examine as we go, with keener eyes. Has Uncas no
-counsel to offer in such a strait?"
-
-The young Mohican cast a glance at his father, but, maintaining his
-quiet and reserved mien, he continued silent. Chingachgook had caught
-the look, and motioning with his hand, he bade him speak. The moment
-this permission was accorded, the countenance of Uncas changed from its
-grave composure to a gleam of intelligence and joy. Bounding forward
-like a deer, he sprang up the side of a little acclivity, a few rods in
-advance, and stood, exultingly, over a spot of fresh earth, that looked
-as though it had been recently upturned by the passage of some heavy
-animal. The eyes of the whole party followed the unexpected movement,
-and read their success in the air of triumph that the youth assumed.
-
-"'Tis the trail!" exclaimed the scout, advancing to the spot; "the lad
-is quick of sight and keen of wit for his years."
-
-"'Tis extraordinary that he should have withheld his knowledge so long,"
-muttered Duncan, at his elbow.
-
-"It would have been more wonderful had he spoken without a bidding.
-No, no; your young white, who gathers his learning from books and can
-measure what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like
-his legs, outruns that of his fathers', but, where experience is the
-master, the scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects
-them accordingly."
-
-"See!" said Uncas, pointing north and south, at the evident marks of the
-broad trail on either side of him, "the dark-hair has gone toward the
-forest."
-
-"Hound never ran on a more beautiful scent," responded the scout,
-dashing forward, at once, on the indicated route; "we are favored,
-greatly favored, and can follow with high noses. Ay, here are both your
-waddling beasts: this Huron travels like a white general. The fellow is
-stricken with a judgment, and is mad! Look sharp for wheels, Sagamore,"
-he continued, looking back, and laughing in his newly awakened
-satisfaction; "we shall soon have the fool journeying in a coach, and
-that with three of the best pair of eyes on the borders in his rear."
-
-The spirits of the scout, and the astonishing success of the chase, in
-which a circuitous distance of more than forty miles had been passed,
-did not fail to impart a portion of hope to the whole party. Their
-advance was rapid; and made with as much confidence as a traveler would
-proceed along a wide highway. If a rock, or a rivulet, or a bit of earth
-harder than common, severed the links of the clew they followed, the
-true eye of the scout recovered them at a distance, and seldom rendered
-the delay of a single moment necessary. Their progress was much
-facilitated by the certainty that Magua had found it necessary to
-journey through the valleys; a circumstance which rendered the general
-direction of the route sure. Nor had the Huron entirely neglected the
-arts uniformly practised by the natives when retiring in front of an
-enemy. False trails and sudden turnings were frequent, wherever a brook
-or the formation of the ground rendered them feasible; but his pursuers
-were rarely deceived, and never failed to detect their error, before
-they had lost either time or distance on the deceptive track.
-
-By the middle of the afternoon they had passed the Scaroons, and were
-following the route of the declining sun. After descending an eminence
-to a low bottom, through which a swift stream glided, they suddenly came
-to a place where the party of Le Renard had made a halt. Extinguished
-brands were lying around a spring, the offals of a deer were scattered
-about the place, and the trees bore evident marks of having been
-browsed by the horses. At a little distance, Heyward discovered, and
-contemplated with tender emotion, the small bower under which he was
-fain to believe that Cora and Alice had reposed. But while the earth
-was trodden, and the footsteps of both men and beasts were so plainly
-visible around the place, the trail appeared to have suddenly ended.
-
-It was easy to follow the tracks of the Narragansetts, but they seemed
-only to have wandered without guides, or any other object than the
-pursuit of food. At length Uncas, who, with his father, had endeavored
-to trace the route of the horses, came upon a sign of their presence
-that was quite recent. Before following the clew, he communicated his
-success to his companions; and while the latter were consulting on the
-circumstance, the youth reappeared, leading the two fillies, with
-their saddles broken, and the housings soiled, as though they had been
-permitted to run at will for several days.
-
-"What should this prove?" said Duncan, turning pale, and glancing his
-eyes around him, as if he feared the brush and leaves were about to give
-up some horrid secret.
-
-"That our march is come to a quick end, and that we are in an enemy's
-country," returned the scout. "Had the knave been pressed, and the
-gentle ones wanted horses to keep up with the party, he might have taken
-their scalps; but without an enemy at his heels, and with such rugged
-beasts as these, he would not hurt a hair of their heads. I know your
-thoughts, and shame be it to our color that you have reason for them;
-but he who thinks that even a Mingo would ill-treat a woman, unless it
-be to tomahawk her, knows nothing of Indian natur', or the laws of the
-woods. No, no; I have heard that the French Indians had come into these
-hills to hunt the moose, and we are getting within scent of their camp.
-Why should they not? The morning and evening guns of Ty may be heard
-any day among these mountains; for the Frenchers are running a new line
-atween the provinces of the king and the Canadas. It is true that the
-horses are here, but the Hurons are gone; let us, then, hunt for the
-path by which they parted."
-
-Hawkeye and the Mohicans now applied themselves to their task in good
-earnest. A circle of a few hundred feet in circumference was drawn,
-and each of the party took a segment for his portion. The examination,
-however, resulted in no discovery. The impressions of footsteps were
-numerous, but they all appeared like those of men who had wandered
-about the spot, without any design to quit it. Again the scout and his
-companions made the circuit of the halting place, each slowly following
-the other, until they assembled in the center once more, no wiser than
-when they started.
-
-"Such cunning is not without its deviltry," exclaimed Hawkeye, when he
-met the disappointed looks of his assistants.
-
-"We must get down to it, Sagamore, beginning at the spring, and going
-over the ground by inches. The Huron shall never brag in his tribe that
-he has a foot which leaves no print."
-
-Setting the example himself, the scout engaged in the scrutiny with
-renewed zeal. Not a leaf was left unturned. The sticks were removed,
-and the stones lifted; for Indian cunning was known frequently to adopt
-these objects as covers, laboring with the utmost patience and industry,
-to conceal each footstep as they proceeded. Still no discovery was made.
-At length Uncas, whose activity had enabled him to achieve his portion
-of the task the soonest, raked the earth across the turbid little rill
-which ran from the spring, and diverted its course into another channel.
-So soon as its narrow bed below the dam was dry, he stooped over it with
-keen and curious eyes. A cry of exultation immediately announced the
-success of the young warrior. The whole party crowded to the spot where
-Uncas pointed out the impression of a moccasin in the moist alluvion.
-
-"This lad will be an honor to his people," said Hawkeye, regarding the
-trail with as much admiration as a naturalist would expend on the tusk
-of a mammoth or the rib of a mastodon; "ay, and a thorn in the sides of
-the Hurons. Yet that is not the footstep of an Indian! the weight is too
-much on the heel, and the toes are squared, as though one of the French
-dancers had been in, pigeon-winging his tribe! Run back, Uncas, and
-bring me the size of the singer's foot. You will find a beautiful print
-of it just opposite yon rock, agin the hillside."
-
-While the youth was engaged in this commission, the scout and
-Chingachgook were attentively considering the impressions. The
-measurements agreed, and the former unhesitatingly pronounced that the
-footstep was that of David, who had once more been made to exchange his
-shoes for moccasins.
-
-"I can now read the whole of it, as plainly as if I had seen the arts of
-Le Subtil," he added; "the singer being a man whose gifts lay chiefly in
-his throat and feet, was made to go first, and the others have trod in
-his steps, imitating their formation."
-
-"But," cried Duncan, "I see no signs of--"
-
-"The gentle ones," interrupted the scout; "the varlet has found a way to
-carry them, until he supposed he had thrown any followers off the scent.
-My life on it, we see their pretty little feet again, before many rods
-go by."
-
-The whole party now proceeded, following the course of the rill, keeping
-anxious eyes on the regular impressions. The water soon flowed into its
-bed again, but watching the ground on either side, the foresters pursued
-their way content with knowing that the trail lay beneath. More than
-half a mile was passed, before the rill rippled close around the base of
-an extensive and dry rock. Here they paused to make sure that the Hurons
-had not quitted the water.
-
-It was fortunate they did so. For the quick and active Uncas soon found
-the impression of a foot on a bunch of moss, where it would seem an
-Indian had inadvertently trodden. Pursuing the direction given by this
-discovery, he entered the neighboring thicket, and struck the trail, as
-fresh and obvious as it had been before they reached the spring. Another
-shout announced the good fortune of the youth to his companions, and at
-once terminated the search.
-
-"Ay, it has been planned with Indian judgment," said the scout, when
-the party was assembled around the place, "and would have blinded white
-eyes."
-
-"Shall we proceed?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Softly, softly, we know our path; but it is good to examine the
-formation of things. This is my schooling, major; and if one neglects
-the book, there is little chance of learning from the open land of
-Providence. All is plain but one thing, which is the manner that the
-knave contrived to get the gentle ones along the blind trail. Even a
-Huron would be too proud to let their tender feet touch the water."
-
-"Will this assist in explaining the difficulty?" said Heyward, pointing
-toward the fragments of a sort of handbarrow, that had been rudely
-constructed of boughs, and bound together with withes, and which now
-seemed carelessly cast aside as useless.
-
-"'Tis explained!" cried the delighted Hawkeye. "If them varlets have
-passed a minute, they have spent hours in striving to fabricate a lying
-end to their trail! Well, I've known them to waste a day in the same
-manner to as little purpose. Here we have three pair of moccasins, and
-two of little feet. It is amazing that any mortal beings can journey on
-limbs so small! Pass me the thong of buckskin, Uncas, and let me take
-the length of this foot. By the Lord, it is no longer than a child's and
-yet the maidens are tall and comely. That Providence is partial in its
-gifts, for its own wise reasons, the best and most contented of us must
-allow."
-
-"The tender limbs of my daughters are unequal to these hardships," said
-Munro, looking at the light footsteps of his children, with a parent's
-love; "we shall find their fainting forms in this desert."
-
-"Of that there is little cause of fear," returned the scout, slowly
-shaking his head; "this is a firm and straight, though a light step, and
-not over long. See, the heel has hardly touched the ground; and there
-the dark-hair has made a little jump, from root to root. No, no; my
-knowledge for it, neither of them was nigh fainting, hereaway. Now, the
-singer was beginning to be footsore and leg-weary, as is plain by
-his trail. There, you see, he slipped; here he has traveled wide and
-tottered; and there again it looks as though he journeyed on snowshoes.
-Ay, ay, a man who uses his throat altogether, can hardly give his legs a
-proper training."
-
-From such undeniable testimony did the practised woodsman arrive at the
-truth, with nearly as much certainty and precision as if he had been a
-witness of all those events which his ingenuity so easily elucidated.
-Cheered by these assurances, and satisfied by a reasoning that was so
-obvious, while it was so simple, the party resumed its course, after
-making a short halt, to take a hurried repast.
-
-When the meal was ended, the scout cast a glance upward at the setting
-sun, and pushed forward with a rapidity which compelled Heyward and the
-still vigorous Munro to exert all their muscles to equal. Their route
-now lay along the bottom which has already been mentioned. As the Hurons
-had made no further efforts to conceal their footsteps, the progress of
-the pursuers was no longer delayed by uncertainty. Before an hour had
-elapsed, however, the speed of Hawkeye sensibly abated, and his head,
-instead of maintaining its former direct and forward look, began to turn
-suspiciously from side to side, as if he were conscious of approaching
-danger. He soon stopped again, and waited for the whole party to come
-up.
-
-"I scent the Hurons," he said, speaking to the Mohicans; "yonder is open
-sky, through the treetops, and we are getting too nigh their encampment.
-Sagamore, you will take the hillside, to the right; Uncas will bend
-along the brook to the left, while I will try the trail. If anything
-should happen, the call will be three croaks of a crow. I saw one of the
-birds fanning himself in the air, just beyond the dead oak--another sign
-that we are approaching an encampment."
-
-The Indians departed their several ways without reply, while Hawkeye
-cautiously proceeded with the two gentlemen. Heyward soon pressed to the
-side of their guide, eager to catch an early glimpse of those enemies
-he had pursued with so much toil and anxiety. His companion told him
-to steal to the edge of the wood, which, as usual, was fringed with
-a thicket, and wait his coming, for he wished to examine certain
-suspicious signs a little on one side. Duncan obeyed, and soon found
-himself in a situation to command a view which he found as extraordinary
-as it was novel.
-
-The trees of many acres had been felled, and the glow of a mild summer's
-evening had fallen on the clearing, in beautiful contrast to the gray
-light of the forest. A short distance from the place where Duncan stood,
-the stream had seemingly expanded into a little lake, covering most of
-the low land, from mountain to mountain. The water fell out of this wide
-basin, in a cataract so regular and gentle, that it appeared rather to
-be the work of human hands than fashioned by nature. A hundred earthen
-dwellings stood on the margin of the lake, and even in its waters, as
-though the latter had overflowed its usual banks. Their rounded roofs,
-admirably molded for defense against the weather, denoted more of
-industry and foresight than the natives were wont to bestow on their
-regular habitations, much less on those they occupied for the temporary
-purposes of hunting and war. In short, the whole village or town,
-whichever it might be termed, possessed more of method and neatness of
-execution, than the white men had been accustomed to believe belonged,
-ordinarily, to the Indian habits. It appeared, however, to be deserted.
-At least, so thought Duncan for many minutes; but, at length, he fancied
-he discovered several human forms advancing toward him on all fours,
-and apparently dragging in the train some heavy, and as he was quick to
-apprehend, some formidable engine. Just then a few dark-looking heads
-gleamed out of the dwellings, and the place seemed suddenly alive with
-beings, which, however, glided from cover to cover so swiftly, as to
-allow no opportunity of examining their humors or pursuits. Alarmed at
-these suspicious and inexplicable movements, he was about to attempt the
-signal of the crows, when the rustling of leaves at hand drew his eyes
-in another direction.
-
-The young man started, and recoiled a few paces instinctively, when he
-found himself within a hundred yards of a stranger Indian. Recovering
-his recollection on the instant, instead of sounding an alarm, which
-might prove fatal to himself, he remained stationary, an attentive
-observer of the other's motions.
-
-An instant of calm observation served to assure Duncan that he was
-undiscovered. The native, like himself, seemed occupied in considering
-the low dwellings of the village, and the stolen movements of its
-inhabitants. It was impossible to discover the expression of his
-features through the grotesque mask of paint under which they were
-concealed, though Duncan fancied it was rather melancholy than savage.
-His head was shaved, as usual, with the exception of the crown, from
-whose tuft three or four faded feathers from a hawk's wing were loosely
-dangling. A ragged calico mantle half encircled his body, while his
-nether garment was composed of an ordinary shirt, the sleeves of which
-were made to perform the office that is usually executed by a much more
-commodious arrangement. His legs were, however, covered with a pair of
-good deer-skin moccasins. Altogether, the appearance of the individual
-was forlorn and miserable.
-
-Duncan was still curiously observing the person of his neighbor when the
-scout stole silently and cautiously to his side.
-
-"You see we have reached their settlement or encampment," whispered
-the young man; "and here is one of the savages himself, in a very
-embarrassing position for our further movements."
-
-Hawkeye started, and dropped his rifle, when, directed by the finger
-of his companion, the stranger came under his view. Then lowering the
-dangerous muzzle he stretched forward his long neck, as if to assist a
-scrutiny that was already intensely keen.
-
-"The imp is not a Huron," he said, "nor of any of the Canada tribes; and
-yet you see, by his clothes, the knave has been plundering a white. Ay,
-Montcalm has raked the woods for his inroad, and a whooping, murdering
-set of varlets has he gathered together. Can you see where he has put
-his rifle or his bow?"
-
-"He appears to have no arms; nor does he seem to be viciously inclined.
-Unless he communicate the alarm to his fellows, who, as you see, are
-dodging about the water, we have but little to fear from him."
-
-The scout turned to Heyward, and regarded him a moment with unconcealed
-amazement. Then opening wide his mouth, he indulged in unrestrained
-and heartfelt laughter, though in that silent and peculiar manner which
-danger had so long taught him to practise.
-
-Repeating the words, "Fellows who are dodging about the water!" he
-added, "so much for schooling and passing a boyhood in the settlements!
-The knave has long legs, though, and shall not be trusted. Do you keep
-him under your rifle while I creep in behind, through the bush, and take
-him alive. Fire on no account."
-
-Heyward had already permitted his companion to bury part of his person
-in the thicket, when, stretching forth his arm, he arrested him, in
-order to ask:
-
-"If I see you in danger, may I not risk a shot?"
-
-Hawkeye regarded him a moment, like one who knew not how to take the
-question; then, nodding his head, he answered, still laughing, though
-inaudibly:
-
-"Fire a whole platoon, major."
-
-In the next moment he was concealed by the leaves. Duncan waited several
-minutes in feverish impatience, before he caught another glimpse of
-the scout. Then he reappeared, creeping along the earth, from which his
-dress was hardly distinguishable, directly in the rear of his intended
-captive. Having reached within a few yards of the latter, he arose to
-his feet, silently and slowly. At that instant, several loud blows were
-struck on the water, and Duncan turned his eyes just in time to perceive
-that a hundred dark forms were plunging, in a body, into the troubled
-little sheet. Grasping his rifle his looks were again bent on the Indian
-near him. Instead of taking the alarm, the unconscious savage stretched
-forward his neck, as if he also watched the movements about the gloomy
-lake, with a sort of silly curiosity. In the meantime, the uplifted
-hand of Hawkeye was above him. But, without any apparent reason, it was
-withdrawn, and its owner indulged in another long, though still silent,
-fit of merriment. When the peculiar and hearty laughter of Hawkeye
-was ended, instead of grasping his victim by the throat, he tapped him
-lightly on the shoulder, and exclaimed aloud:
-
-"How now, friend! have you a mind to teach the beavers to sing?"
-
-"Even so," was the ready answer. "It would seem that the Being that gave
-them power to improve His gifts so well, would not deny them voices to
-proclaim His praise."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 22
-
-     "Bot.--Abibl we all met?
-     Qui.--Pat--pat; and here's a marvelous convenient place
-     for our rehearsal."
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-The reader may better imagine, than we describe the surprise of Heyward.
-His lurking Indians were suddenly converted into four-footed beasts; his
-lake into a beaver pond; his cataract into a dam, constructed by those
-industrious and ingenious quadrupeds; and a suspected enemy into his
-tried friend, David Gamut, the master of psalmody. The presence of the
-latter created so many unexpected hopes relative to the sisters that,
-without a moment's hesitation, the young man broke out of his ambush,
-and sprang forward to join the two principal actors in the scene.
-
-The merriment of Hawkeye was not easily appeased. Without ceremony, and
-with a rough hand, he twirled the supple Gamut around on his heel, and
-more than once affirmed that the Hurons had done themselves great credit
-in the fashion of his costume. Then, seizing the hand of the other, he
-squeezed it with a grip that brought tears into the eyes of the placid
-David, and wished him joy of his new condition.
-
-"You were about opening your throat-practisings among the beavers, were
-ye?" he said. "The cunning devils know half the trade already, for they
-beat the time with their tails, as you heard just now; and in good time
-it was, too, or 'killdeer' might have sounded the first note among
-them. I have known greater fools, who could read and write, than an
-experienced old beaver; but as for squalling, the animals are born dumb!
-What think you of such a song as this?"
-
-David shut his sensitive ears, and even Heyward apprised as he was of
-the nature of the cry, looked upward in quest of the bird, as the cawing
-of a crow rang in the air about them.
-
-"See!" continued the laughing scout, as he pointed toward the remainder
-of the party, who, in obedience to the signal, were already approaching;
-"this is music which has its natural virtues; it brings two good rifles
-to my elbow, to say nothing of the knives and tomahawks. But we see that
-you are safe; now tell us what has become of the maidens."
-
-"They are captives to the heathen," said David; "and, though greatly
-troubled in spirit, enjoying comfort and safety in the body."
-
-"Both!" demanded the breathless Heyward.
-
-"Even so. Though our wayfaring has been sore and our sustenance scanty,
-we have had little other cause for complaint, except the violence done
-our feelings, by being thus led in captivity into a far land."
-
-"Bless ye for these very words!" exclaimed the trembling Munro; "I shall
-then receive my babes, spotless and angel-like, as I lost them!"
-
-"I know not that their delivery is at hand," returned the doubting
-David; "the leader of these savages is possessed of an evil spirit that
-no power short of Omnipotence can tame. I have tried him sleeping and
-waking, but neither sounds nor language seem to touch his soul."
-
-"Where is the knave?" bluntly interrupted the scout.
-
-"He hunts the moose to-day, with his young men; and tomorrow, as I hear,
-they pass further into the forests, and nigher to the borders of Canada.
-The elder maiden is conveyed to a neighboring people, whose lodges
-are situate beyond yonder black pinnacle of rock; while the younger
-is detained among the women of the Hurons, whose dwellings are but two
-short miles hence, on a table-land, where the fire had done the office
-of the axe, and prepared the place for their reception."
-
-"Alice, my gentle Alice!" murmured Heyward; "she has lost the
-consolation of her sister's presence!"
-
-"Even so. But so far as praise and thanksgiving in psalmody can temper
-the spirit in affliction, she has not suffered."
-
-"Has she then a heart for music?"
-
-"Of the graver and more solemn character; though it must be acknowledged
-that, in spite of all my endeavors, the maiden weeps oftener than she
-smiles. At such moments I forbear to press the holy songs; but there are
-many sweet and comfortable periods of satisfactory communication,
-when the ears of the savages are astounded with the upliftings of our
-voices."
-
-"And why are you permitted to go at large, unwatched?"
-
-David composed his features into what he intended should express an air
-of modest humility, before he meekly replied:
-
-"Little be the praise to such a worm as I. But, though the power of
-psalmody was suspended in the terrible business of that field of blood
-through which we have passed, it has recovered its influence even over
-the souls of the heathen, and I am suffered to go and come at will."
-
-The scout laughed, and, tapping his own forehead significantly, he
-perhaps explained the singular indulgence more satisfactorily when he
-said:
-
-"The Indians never harm a non-composser. But why, when the path lay open
-before your eyes, did you not strike back on your own trail (it is not
-so blind as that which a squirrel would make), and bring in the tidings
-to Edward?"
-
-The scout, remembering only his own sturdy and iron nature, had probably
-exacted a task that David, under no circumstances, could have performed.
-But, without entirely losing the meekness of his air, the latter was
-content to answer:
-
-"Though my soul would rejoice to visit the habitations of Christendom
-once more, my feet would rather follow the tender spirits intrusted to
-my keeping, even into the idolatrous province of the Jesuits, than take
-one step backward, while they pined in captivity and sorrow."
-
-Though the figurative language of David was not very intelligible, the
-sincere and steady expression of his eye, and the glow of his honest
-countenance, were not easily mistaken. Uncas pressed closer to his side,
-and regarded the speaker with a look of commendation, while his
-father expressed his satisfaction by the ordinary pithy exclamation of
-approbation. The scout shook his head as he rejoined:
-
-"The Lord never intended that the man should place all his endeavors in
-his throat, to the neglect of other and better gifts! But he has fallen
-into the hands of some silly woman, when he should have been gathering
-his education under a blue sky, among the beauties of the forest. Here,
-friend; I did intend to kindle a fire with this tooting-whistle of
-thine; but, as you value the thing, take it, and blow your best on it."
-
-Gamut received his pitch-pipe with as strong an expression of pleasure
-as he believed compatible with the grave functions he exercised. After
-essaying its virtues repeatedly, in contrast with his own voice, and,
-satisfying himself that none of its melody was lost, he made a very
-serious demonstration toward achieving a few stanzas of one of the
-longest effusions in the little volume so often mentioned.
-
-Heyward, however, hastily interrupted his pious purpose by continuing
-questions concerning the past and present condition of his fellow
-captives, and in a manner more methodical than had been permitted by his
-feelings in the opening of their interview. David, though he regarded
-his treasure with longing eyes, was constrained to answer, especially
-as the venerable father took a part in the interrogatories, with an
-interest too imposing to be denied. Nor did the scout fail to throw in
-a pertinent inquiry, whenever a fitting occasion presented. In this
-manner, though with frequent interruptions which were filled with
-certain threatening sounds from the recovered instrument, the pursuers
-were put in possession of such leading circumstances as were likely to
-prove useful in accomplishing their great and engrossing object--the
-recovery of the sisters. The narrative of David was simple, and the
-facts but few.
-
-Magua had waited on the mountain until a safe moment to retire presented
-itself, when he had descended, and taken the route along the western
-side of the Horican in direction of the Canadas. As the subtle Huron was
-familiar with the paths, and well knew there was no immediate danger of
-pursuit, their progress had been moderate, and far from fatiguing.
-It appeared from the unembellished statement of David, that his own
-presence had been rather endured than desired; though even Magua had not
-been entirely exempt from that veneration with which the Indians regard
-those whom the Great Spirit had visited in their intellects. At night,
-the utmost care had been taken of the captives, both to prevent injury
-from the damps of the woods and to guard against an escape. At
-the spring, the horses were turned loose, as has been seen; and,
-notwithstanding the remoteness and length of their trail, the artifices
-already named were resorted to, in order to cut off every clue to their
-place of retreat. On their arrival at the encampment of his people,
-Magua, in obedience to a policy seldom departed from, separated his
-prisoners. Cora had been sent to a tribe that temporarily occupied an
-adjacent valley, though David was far too ignorant of the customs and
-history of the natives, to be able to declare anything satisfactory
-concerning their name or character. He only knew that they had not
-engaged in the late expedition against William Henry; that, like the
-Hurons themselves they were allies of Montcalm; and that they maintained
-an amicable, though a watchful intercourse with the warlike and
-savage people whom chance had, for a time, brought in such close and
-disagreeable contact with themselves.
-
-The Mohicans and the scout listened to his interrupted and imperfect
-narrative, with an interest that obviously increased as he proceeded;
-and it was while attempting to explain the pursuits of the community in
-which Cora was detained, that the latter abruptly demanded:
-
-"Did you see the fashion of their knives? were they of English or French
-formation?"
-
-"My thoughts were bent on no such vanities, but rather mingled in
-consolation with those of the maidens."
-
-"The time may come when you will not consider the knife of a savage such
-a despicable vanity," returned the scout, with a strong expression of
-contempt for the other's dullness. "Had they held their corn feast--or
-can you say anything of the totems of the tribe?"
-
-"Of corn, we had many and plentiful feasts; for the grain, being in
-the milk is both sweet to the mouth and comfortable to the stomach. Of
-totem, I know not the meaning; but if it appertaineth in any wise to the
-art of Indian music, it need not be inquired after at their hands. They
-never join their voices in praise, and it would seem that they are among
-the profanest of the idolatrous."
-
-"Therein you belie the natur' of an Indian. Even the Mingo adores but
-the true and loving God. 'Tis wicked fabrication of the whites, and I
-say it to the shame of my color that would make the warrior bow down
-before images of his own creation. It is true, they endeavor to make
-truces to the wicked one--as who would not with an enemy he cannot
-conquer! but they look up for favor and assistance to the Great and Good
-Spirit only."
-
-"It may be so," said David; "but I have seen strange and fantastic
-images drawn in their paint, of which their admiration and care savored
-of spiritual pride; especially one, and that, too, a foul and loathsome
-object."
-
-"Was it a sarpent?" quickly demanded the scout.
-
-"Much the same. It was in the likeness of an abject and creeping
-tortoise."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed both the attentive Mohicans in a breath; while the
-scout shook his head with the air of one who had made an important but
-by no means a pleasing discovery. Then the father spoke, in the language
-of the Delawares, and with a calmness and dignity that instantly
-arrested the attention even of those to whom his words were
-unintelligible. His gestures were impressive, and at times energetic.
-Once he lifted his arm on high; and, as it descended, the action threw
-aside the folds of his light mantle, a finger resting on his breast, as
-if he would enforce his meaning by the attitude. Duncan's eyes followed
-the movement, and he perceived that the animal just mentioned was
-beautifully, though faintly, worked in blue tint, on the swarthy breast
-of the chief. All that he had ever heard of the violent separation of
-the vast tribes of the Delawares rushed across his mind, and he awaited
-the proper moment to speak, with a suspense that was rendered nearly
-intolerable by his interest in the stake. His wish, however, was
-anticipated by the scout who turned from his red friend, saying:
-
-"We have found that which may be good or evil to us, as heaven disposes.
-The Sagamore is of the high blood of the Delawares, and is the great
-chief of their Tortoises! That some of this stock are among the people
-of whom the singer tells us, is plain by his words; and, had he but
-spent half the breath in prudent questions that he has blown away in
-making a trumpet of his throat, we might have known how many warriors
-they numbered. It is, altogether, a dangerous path we move in; for a
-friend whose face is turned from you often bears a bloodier mind than
-the enemy who seeks your scalp."
-
-"Explain," said Duncan.
-
-"'Tis a long and melancholy tradition, and one I little like to think
-of; for it is not to be denied that the evil has been mainly done by men
-with white skins. But it has ended in turning the tomahawk of brother
-against brother, and brought the Mingo and the Delaware to travel in the
-same path."
-
-"You, then, suspect it is a portion of that people among whom Cora
-resides?"
-
-The scout nodded his head in assent, though he seemed anxious to waive
-the further discussion of a subject that appeared painful. The impatient
-Duncan now made several hasty and desperate propositions to attempt
-the release of the sisters. Munro seemed to shake off his apathy, and
-listened to the wild schemes of the young man with a deference that his
-gray hairs and reverend years should have denied. But the scout, after
-suffering the ardor of the lover to expend itself a little, found means
-to convince him of the folly of precipitation, in a manner that would
-require their coolest judgment and utmost fortitude.
-
-"It would be well," he added, "to let this man go in again, as usual,
-and for him to tarry in the lodges, giving notice to the gentle ones of
-our approach, until we call him out, by signal, to consult. You know the
-cry of a crow, friend, from the whistle of the whip-poor-will?"
-
-"'Tis a pleasing bird," returned David, "and has a soft and melancholy
-note! though the time is rather quick and ill-measured."
-
-"He speaks of the wish-ton-wish," said the scout; "well, since you like
-his whistle, it shall be your signal. Remember, then, when you hear the
-whip-poor-will's call three times repeated, you are to come into the
-bushes where the bird might be supposed--"
-
-"Stop," interrupted Heyward; "I will accompany him."
-
-"You!" exclaimed the astonished Hawkeye; "are you tired of seeing the
-sun rise and set?"
-
-"David is a living proof that the Hurons can be merciful."
-
-"Ay, but David can use his throat, as no man in his senses would pervart
-the gift."
-
-"I too can play the madman, the fool, the hero; in short, any or
-everything to rescue her I love. Name your objections no longer: I am
-resolved."
-
-Hawkeye regarded the young man a moment in speechless amazement.
-But Duncan, who, in deference to the other's skill and services, had
-hitherto submitted somewhat implicitly to his dictation, now assumed the
-superior, with a manner that was not easily resisted. He waved his hand,
-in sign of his dislike to all remonstrance, and then, in more tempered
-language, he continued:
-
-"You have the means of disguise; change me; paint me, too, if you will;
-in short, alter me to anything--a fool."
-
-"It is not for one like me to say that he who is already formed by so
-powerful a hand as Providence, stands in need of a change," muttered the
-discontented scout. "When you send your parties abroad in war, you find
-it prudent, at least, to arrange the marks and places of encampment, in
-order that they who fight on your side may know when and where to expect
-a friend."
-
-"Listen," interrupted Duncan; "you have heard from this faithful
-follower of the captives, that the Indians are of two tribes, if not
-of different nations. With one, whom you think to be a branch of the
-Delawares, is she you call the 'dark-hair'; the other, and younger,
-of the ladies, is undeniably with our declared enemies, the Hurons. It
-becomes my youth and rank to attempt the latter adventure. While you,
-therefore, are negotiating with your friends for the release of one of
-the sisters, I will effect that of the other, or die."
-
-The awakened spirit of the young soldier gleamed in his eyes, and his
-form became imposing under its influence. Hawkeye, though too much
-accustomed to Indian artifices not to foresee the danger of the
-experiment, knew not well how to combat this sudden resolution.
-
-Perhaps there was something in the proposal that suited his own hardy
-nature, and that secret love of desperate adventure, which had increased
-with his experience, until hazard and danger had become, in some
-measure, necessary to the enjoyment of his existence. Instead of
-continuing to oppose the scheme of Duncan, his humor suddenly altered,
-and he lent himself to its execution.
-
-"Come," he said, with a good-humored smile; "the buck that will take
-to the water must be headed, and not followed. Chingachgook has as many
-different paints as the engineer officer's wife, who takes down natur'
-on scraps of paper, making the mountains look like cocks of rusty hay,
-and placing the blue sky in reach of your hand. The Sagamore can use
-them, too. Seat yourself on the log; and my life on it, he can soon make
-a natural fool of you, and that well to your liking."
-
-Duncan complied; and the Mohican, who had been an attentive listener to
-the discourse, readily undertook the office. Long practised in all the
-subtle arts of his race, he drew, with great dexterity and quickness,
-the fantastic shadow that the natives were accustomed to consider as the
-evidence of a friendly and jocular disposition. Every line that could
-possibly be interpreted into a secret inclination for war, was carefully
-avoided; while, on the other hand, he studied those conceits that might
-be construed into amity.
-
-In short, he entirely sacrificed every appearance of the warrior to the
-masquerade of a buffoon. Such exhibitions were not uncommon among the
-Indians, and as Duncan was already sufficiently disguised in his dress,
-there certainly did exist some reason for believing that, with his
-knowledge of French, he might pass for a juggler from Ticonderoga,
-straggling among the allied and friendly tribes.
-
-When he was thought to be sufficiently painted, the scout gave him much
-friendly advice; concerted signals, and appointed the place where they
-should meet, in the event of mutual success. The parting between Munro
-and his young friend was more melancholy; still, the former submitted
-to the separation with an indifference that his warm and honest nature
-would never have permitted in a more healthful state of mind. The scout
-led Heyward aside, and acquainted him with his intention to leave the
-veteran in some safe encampment, in charge of Chingachgook, while he and
-Uncas pursued their inquires among the people they had reason to believe
-were Delawares. Then, renewing his cautions and advice, he concluded by
-saying, with a solemnity and warmth of feeling, with which Duncan was
-deeply touched:
-
-"And, now, God bless you! You have shown a spirit that I like; for it is
-the gift of youth, more especially one of warm blood and a stout heart.
-But believe the warning of a man who has reason to know all he says to
-be true. You will have occasion for your best manhood, and for a sharper
-wit than what is to be gathered in books, afore you outdo the cunning or
-get the better of the courage of a Mingo. God bless you! if the Hurons
-master your scalp, rely on the promise of one who has two stout warriors
-to back him. They shall pay for their victory, with a life for every
-hair it holds. I say, young gentleman, may Providence bless your
-undertaking, which is altogether for good; and, remember, that to outwit
-the knaves it is lawful to practise things that may not be naturally the
-gift of a white-skin."
-
-Duncan shook his worthy and reluctant associate warmly by the hand, once
-more recommended his aged friend to his care, and returning his good
-wishes, he motioned to David to proceed. Hawkeye gazed after the
-high-spirited and adventurous young man for several moments, in open
-admiration; then, shaking his head doubtingly, he turned, and led his
-own division of the party into the concealment of the forest.
-
-The route taken by Duncan and David lay directly across the clearing of
-the beavers, and along the margin of their pond.
-
-When the former found himself alone with one so simple, and so little
-qualified to render any assistance in desperate emergencies, he first
-began to be sensible of the difficulties of the task he had undertaken.
-The fading light increased the gloominess of the bleak and savage
-wilderness that stretched so far on every side of him, and there was
-even a fearful character in the stillness of those little huts, that
-he knew were so abundantly peopled. It struck him, as he gazed at the
-admirable structures and the wonderful precautions of their sagacious
-inmates, that even the brutes of these vast wilds were possessed of
-an instinct nearly commensurate with his own reason; and he could not
-reflect, without anxiety, on the unequal contest that he had so rashly
-courted. Then came the glowing image of Alice; her distress; her actual
-danger; and all the peril of his situation was forgotten. Cheering
-David, he moved on with the light and vigorous step of youth and
-enterprise.
-
-After making nearly a semicircle around the pond, they diverged from the
-water-course, and began to ascend to the level of a slight elevation in
-that bottom land, over which they journeyed. Within half an hour they
-gained the margin of another opening that bore all the signs of having
-been also made by the beavers, and which those sagacious animals had
-probably been induced, by some accident, to abandon, for the more
-eligible position they now occupied. A very natural sensation caused
-Duncan to hesitate a moment, unwilling to leave the cover of their
-bushy path, as a man pauses to collect his energies before he essays any
-hazardous experiment, in which he is secretly conscious they will all be
-needed. He profited by the halt, to gather such information as might be
-obtained from his short and hasty glances.
-
-On the opposite side of the clearing, and near the point where the brook
-tumbled over some rocks, from a still higher level, some fifty or sixty
-lodges, rudely fabricated of logs brush, and earth intermingled, were
-to be discovered. They were arranged without any order, and seemed to be
-constructed with very little attention to neatness or beauty. Indeed,
-so very inferior were they in the two latter particulars to the village
-Duncan had just seen, that he began to expect a second surprise, no
-less astonishing that the former. This expectation was in no degree
-diminished, when, by the doubtful twilight, he beheld twenty or thirty
-forms rising alternately from the cover of the tall, coarse grass, in
-front of the lodges, and then sinking again from the sight, as it were
-to burrow in the earth. By the sudden and hasty glimpses that he caught
-of these figures, they seemed more like dark, glancing specters, or some
-other unearthly beings, than creatures fashioned with the ordinary and
-vulgar materials of flesh and blood. A gaunt, naked form was seen, for a
-single instant, tossing its arms wildly in the air, and then the spot it
-had filled was vacant; the figure appearing suddenly in some other
-and distant place, or being succeeded by another, possessing the same
-mysterious character. David, observing that his companion lingered,
-pursued the direction of his gaze, and in some measure recalled the
-recollection of Heyward, by speaking.
-
-"There is much fruitful soil uncultivated here," he said; "and, I may
-add, without the sinful leaven of self-commendation, that, since my
-short sojourn in these heathenish abodes, much good seed has been
-scattered by the wayside."
-
-"The tribes are fonder of the chase than of the arts of men of labor,"
-returned the unconscious Duncan, still gazing at the objects of his
-wonder.
-
-"It is rather joy than labor to the spirit, to lift up the voice in
-praise; but sadly do these boys abuse their gifts. Rarely have I found
-any of their age, on whom nature has so freely bestowed the elements
-of psalmody; and surely, surely, there are none who neglect them more.
-Three nights have I now tarried here, and three several times have I
-assembled the urchins to join in sacred song; and as often have they
-responded to my efforts with whoopings and howlings that have chilled my
-soul!"
-
-"Of whom speak you?"
-
-"Of those children of the devil, who waste the precious moments in
-yonder idle antics. Ah! the wholesome restraint of discipline is but
-little known among this self-abandoned people. In a country of birches,
-a rod is never seen, and it ought not to appear a marvel in my eyes,
-that the choicest blessings of Providence are wasted in such cries as
-these."
-
-David closed his ears against the juvenile pack, whose yell just then
-rang shrilly through the forest; and Duncan, suffering his lip to curl,
-as in mockery of his own superstition, said firmly:
-
-"We will proceed."
-
-Without removing the safeguards form his ears, the master of song
-complied, and together they pursued their way toward what David was
-sometimes wont to call the "tents of the Philistines."
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 23
-
-     "But though the beast of game
-     The privilege of chase may claim;
-     Though space and law the stag we lend
-     Ere hound we slip, or bow we bend;
-     Whoever recked, where, how, or when
-     The prowling fox was trapped or slain?"
-     --Lady of the Lake.
-
-It is unusual to find an encampment of the natives, like those of the
-more instructed whites, guarded by the presence of armed men. Well
-informed of the approach of every danger, while it is yet at a distance,
-the Indian generally rests secure under his knowledge of the signs of
-the forest, and the long and difficult paths that separate him from
-those he has most reason to dread. But the enemy who, by any lucky
-concurrence of accidents, has found means to elude the vigilance of the
-scouts, will seldom meet with sentinels nearer home to sound the alarm.
-In addition to this general usage, the tribes friendly to the French
-knew too well the weight of the blow that had just been struck, to
-apprehend any immediate danger from the hostile nations that were
-tributary to the crown of Britain.
-
-When Duncan and David, therefore, found themselves in the center of the
-children, who played the antics already mentioned, it was without the
-least previous intimation of their approach. But so soon as they were
-observed the whole of the juvenile pack raised, by common consent, a
-shrill and warning whoop; and then sank, as it were, by magic, from
-before the sight of their visitors. The naked, tawny bodies of the
-crouching urchins blended so nicely at that hour, with the withered
-herbage, that at first it seemed as if the earth had, in truth,
-swallowed up their forms; though when surprise permitted Duncan to bend
-his look more curiously about the spot, he found it everywhere met by
-dark, quick, and rolling eyeballs.
-
-Gathering no encouragement from this startling presage of the nature of
-the scrutiny he was likely to undergo from the more mature judgments
-of the men, there was an instant when the young soldier would have
-retreated. It was, however, too late to appear to hesitate. The cry
-of the children had drawn a dozen warriors to the door of the nearest
-lodge, where they stood clustered in a dark and savage group, gravely
-awaiting the nearer approach of those who had unexpectedly come among
-them.
-
-David, in some measure familiarized to the scene, led the way with a
-steadiness that no slight obstacle was likely to disconcert, into this
-very building. It was the principal edifice of the village, though
-roughly constructed of the bark and branches of trees; being the lodge
-in which the tribe held its councils and public meetings during their
-temporary residence on the borders of the English province. Duncan found
-it difficult to assume the necessary appearance of unconcern, as he
-brushed the dark and powerful frames of the savages who thronged its
-threshold; but, conscious that his existence depended on his presence of
-mind, he trusted to the discretion of his companion, whose footsteps he
-closely followed, endeavoring, as he proceeded, to rally his thoughts
-for the occasion. His blood curdled when he found himself in absolute
-contact with such fierce and implacable enemies; but he so far mastered
-his feelings as to pursue his way into the center of the lodge, with an
-exterior that did not betray the weakness. Imitating the example of the
-deliberate Gamut, he drew a bundle of fragrant brush from beneath a pile
-that filled the corner of the hut, and seated himself in silence.
-
-So soon as their visitor had passed, the observant warriors fell back
-from the entrance, and arranging themselves about him, they seemed
-patiently to await the moment when it might comport with the dignity of
-the stranger to speak. By far the greater number stood leaning, in lazy,
-lounging attitudes, against the upright posts that supported the crazy
-building, while three or four of the oldest and most distinguished of
-the chiefs placed themselves on the earth a little more in advance.
-
-A flaring torch was burning in the place, and set its red glare from
-face to face and figure to figure, as it waved in the currents of air.
-Duncan profited by its light to read the probable character of his
-reception, in the countenances of his hosts. But his ingenuity availed
-him little, against the cold artifices of the people he had encountered.
-The chiefs in front scarce cast a glance at his person, keeping their
-eyes on the ground, with an air that might have been intended for
-respect, but which it was quite easy to construe into distrust. The men
-in the shadow were less reserved. Duncan soon detected their searching,
-but stolen, looks which, in truth, scanned his person and attire inch by
-inch; leaving no emotion of the countenance, no gesture, no line of the
-paint, nor even the fashion of a garment, unheeded, and without comment.
-
-At length one whose hair was beginning to be sprinkled with gray, but
-whose sinewy limbs and firm tread announced that he was still equal to
-the duties of manhood, advanced out of the gloom of a corner, whither he
-had probably posted himself to make his observations unseen, and
-spoke. He used the language of the Wyandots, or Hurons; his words were,
-consequently, unintelligible to Heyward, though they seemed, by the
-gestures that accompanied them, to be uttered more in courtesy than
-anger. The latter shook his head, and made a gesture indicative of his
-inability to reply.
-
-"Do none of my brothers speak the French or the English?" he said, in
-the former language, looking about him from countenance to countenance,
-in hopes of finding a nod of assent.
-
-Though more than one had turned, as if to catch the meaning of his
-words, they remained unanswered.
-
-"I should be grieved to think," continued Duncan, speaking slowly, and
-using the simplest French of which he was the master, "to believe that
-none of this wise and brave nation understand the language that the
-'Grand Monarque' uses when he talks to his children. His heart would be
-heavy did he believe his red warriors paid him so little respect!"
-
-A long and grave pause succeeded, during which no movement of a limb,
-nor any expression of an eye, betrayed the expression produced by his
-remark. Duncan, who knew that silence was a virtue among his hosts,
-gladly had recourse to the custom, in order to arrange his ideas. At
-length the same warrior who had before addressed him replied, by dryly
-demanding, in the language of the Canadas:
-
-"When our Great Father speaks to his people, is it with the tongue of a
-Huron?"
-
-"He knows no difference in his children, whether the color of the skin
-be red, or black, or white," returned Duncan, evasively; "though chiefly
-is he satisfied with the brave Hurons."
-
-"In what manner will he speak," demanded the wary chief, "when the
-runners count to him the scalps which five nights ago grew on the heads
-of the Yengeese?"
-
-"They were his enemies," said Duncan, shuddering involuntarily; "and
-doubtless, he will say, it is good; my Hurons are very gallant."
-
-"Our Canada father does not think it. Instead of looking forward to
-reward his Indians, his eyes are turned backward. He sees the dead
-Yengeese, but no Huron. What can this mean?"
-
-"A great chief, like him, has more thoughts than tongues. He looks to
-see that no enemies are on his trail."
-
-"The canoe of a dead warrior will not float on the Horican," returned
-the savage, gloomily. "His ears are open to the Delawares, who are not
-our friends, and they fill them with lies."
-
-"It cannot be. See; he has bid me, who am a man that knows the art of
-healing, to go to his children, the red Hurons of the great lakes, and
-ask if any are sick!"
-
-Another silence succeeded this annunciation of the character Duncan
-had assumed. Every eye was simultaneously bent on his person, as if
-to inquire into the truth or falsehood of the declaration, with an
-intelligence and keenness that caused the subject of their scrutiny to
-tremble for the result. He was, however, relieved again by the former
-speaker.
-
-"Do the cunning men of the Canadas paint their skins?" the Huron coldly
-continued; "we have heard them boast that their faces were pale."
-
-"When an Indian chief comes among his white fathers," returned Duncan,
-with great steadiness, "he lays aside his buffalo robe, to carry the
-shirt that is offered him. My brothers have given me paint and I wear
-it."
-
-A low murmur of applause announced that the compliment of the tribe was
-favorably received. The elderly chief made a gesture of commendation,
-which was answered by most of his companions, who each threw forth
-a hand and uttered a brief exclamation of pleasure. Duncan began to
-breathe more freely, believing that the weight of his examination was
-past; and, as he had already prepared a simple and probable tale to
-support his pretended occupation, his hopes of ultimate success grew
-brighter.
-
-After a silence of a few moments, as if adjusting his thoughts, in
-order to make a suitable answer to the declaration their guests had
-just given, another warrior arose, and placed himself in an attitude to
-speak. While his lips were yet in the act of parting, a low but fearful
-sound arose from the forest, and was immediately succeeded by a high,
-shrill yell, that was drawn out, until it equaled the longest and most
-plaintive howl of the wolf. The sudden and terrible interruption caused
-Duncan to start from his seat, unconscious of everything but the effect
-produced by so frightful a cry. At the same moment, the warriors glided
-in a body from the lodge, and the outer air was filled with loud shouts,
-that nearly drowned those awful sounds, which were still ringing beneath
-the arches of the woods. Unable to command himself any longer, the youth
-broke from the place, and presently stood in the center of a disorderly
-throng, that included nearly everything having life, within the limits
-of the encampment. Men, women, and children; the aged, the inform, the
-active, and the strong, were alike abroad, some exclaiming aloud, others
-clapping their hands with a joy that seemed frantic, and all expressing
-their savage pleasure in some unexpected event. Though astounded, at
-first, by the uproar, Heyward was soon enabled to find its solution by
-the scene that followed.
-
-There yet lingered sufficient light in the heavens to exhibit those
-bright openings among the tree-tops, where different paths left the
-clearing to enter the depths of the wilderness. Beneath one of them, a
-line of warriors issued from the woods, and advanced slowly toward the
-dwellings. One in front bore a short pole, on which, as it afterwards
-appeared, were suspended several human scalps. The startling sounds that
-Duncan had heard were what the whites have not inappropriately called
-the "death-hallo"; and each repetition of the cry was intended to
-announce to the tribe the fate of an enemy. Thus far the knowledge of
-Heyward assisted him in the explanation; and as he now knew that the
-interruption was caused by the unlooked-for return of a successful
-war-party, every disagreeable sensation was quieted in inward
-congratulation, for the opportune relief and insignificance it conferred
-on himself.
-
-When at the distance of a few hundred feet from the lodges the newly
-arrived warriors halted. Their plaintive and terrific cry, which was
-intended to represent equally the wailings of the dead and the triumph
-to the victors, had entirely ceased. One of their number now called
-aloud, in words that were far from appalling, though not more
-intelligible to those for whose ears they were intended, than their
-expressive yells. It would be difficult to convey a suitable idea of the
-savage ecstasy with which the news thus imparted was received. The whole
-encampment, in a moment, became a scene of the most violent bustle and
-commotion. The warriors drew their knives, and flourishing them, they
-arranged themselves in two lines, forming a lane that extended from
-the war-party to the lodges. The squaws seized clubs, axes, or whatever
-weapon of offense first offered itself to their hands, and rushed
-eagerly to act their part in the cruel game that was at hand. Even
-the children would not be excluded; but boys, little able to wield the
-instruments, tore the tomahawks from the belts of their fathers, and
-stole into the ranks, apt imitators of the savage traits exhibited by
-their parents.
-
-Large piles of brush lay scattered about the clearing, and a wary and
-aged squaw was occupied in firing as many as might serve to light the
-coming exhibition. As the flame arose, its power exceeded that of
-the parting day, and assisted to render objects at the same time more
-distinct and more hideous. The whole scene formed a striking picture,
-whose frame was composed of the dark and tall border of pines. The
-warriors just arrived were the most distant figures. A little in advance
-stood two men, who were apparently selected from the rest, as the
-principal actors in what was to follow. The light was not strong enough
-to render their features distinct, though it was quite evident that
-they were governed by very different emotions. While one stood erect and
-firm, prepared to meet his fate like a hero, the other bowed his head,
-as if palsied by terror or stricken with shame. The high-spirited Duncan
-felt a powerful impulse of admiration and pity toward the former, though
-no opportunity could offer to exhibit his generous emotions. He watched
-his slightest movement, however, with eager eyes; and, as he traced
-the fine outline of his admirably proportioned and active frame, he
-endeavored to persuade himself, that, if the powers of man, seconded
-by such noble resolution, could bear one harmless through so severe a
-trial, the youthful captive before him might hope for success in the
-hazardous race he was about to run. Insensibly the young man drew nigher
-to the swarthy lines of the Hurons, and scarcely breathed, so intense
-became his interest in the spectacle. Just then the signal yell was
-given, and the momentary quiet which had preceded it was broken by a
-burst of cries, that far exceeded any before heard. The more abject of
-the two victims continued motionless; but the other bounded from the
-place at the cry, with the activity and swiftness of a deer. Instead of
-rushing through the hostile lines, as had been expected, he just entered
-the dangerous defile, and before time was given for a single blow,
-turned short, and leaping the heads of a row of children, he gained at
-once the exterior and safer side of the formidable array. The artifice
-was answered by a hundred voices raised in imprecations; and the whole
-of the excited multitude broke from their order, and spread themselves
-about the place in wild confusion.
-
-A dozen blazing piles now shed their lurid brightness on the place,
-which resembled some unhallowed and supernatural arena, in which
-malicious demons had assembled to act their bloody and lawless rites.
-The forms in the background looked like unearthly beings, gliding before
-the eye, and cleaving the air with frantic and unmeaning gestures; while
-the savage passions of such as passed the flames were rendered fearfully
-distinct by the gleams that shot athwart their inflamed visages.
-
-It will easily be understood that, amid such a concourse of vindictive
-enemies, no breathing time was allowed the fugitive. There was a single
-moment when it seemed as if he would have reached the forest, but the
-whole body of his captors threw themselves before him, and drove him
-back into the center of his relentless persecutors. Turning like a
-headed deer, he shot, with the swiftness of an arrow, through a pillar
-of forked flame, and passing the whole multitude harmless, he appeared
-on the opposite side of the clearing. Here, too, he was met and turned
-by a few of the older and more subtle of the Hurons. Once more he tried
-the throng, as if seeking safety in its blindness, and then several
-moments succeeded, during which Duncan believed the active and
-courageous young stranger was lost.
-
-Nothing could be distinguished but a dark mass of human forms tossed
-and involved in inexplicable confusion. Arms, gleaming knives, and
-formidable clubs, appeared above them, but the blows were evidently
-given at random. The awful effect was heightened by the piercing shrieks
-of the women and the fierce yells of the warriors. Now and then Duncan
-caught a glimpse of a light form cleaving the air in some desperate
-bound, and he rather hoped than believed that the captive yet retained
-the command of his astonishing powers of activity. Suddenly the
-multitude rolled backward, and approached the spot where he himself
-stood. The heavy body in the rear pressed upon the women and children
-in front, and bore them to the earth. The stranger reappeared in the
-confusion. Human power could not, however, much longer endure so
-severe a trial. Of this the captive seemed conscious. Profiting by
-the momentary opening, he darted from among the warriors, and made a
-desperate, and what seemed to Duncan a final effort to gain the wood.
-As if aware that no danger was to be apprehended from the young soldier,
-the fugitive nearly brushed his person in his flight. A tall and
-powerful Huron, who had husbanded his forces, pressed close upon his
-heels, and with an uplifted arm menaced a fatal blow. Duncan thrust
-forth a foot, and the shock precipitated the eager savage headlong, many
-feet in advance of his intended victim. Thought itself is not quicker
-than was the motion with which the latter profited by the advantage; he
-turned, gleamed like a meteor again before the eyes of Duncan, and, at
-the next moment, when the latter recovered his recollection, and gazed
-around in quest of the captive, he saw him quietly leaning against a
-small painted post, which stood before the door of the principal lodge.
-
-Apprehensive that the part he had taken in the escape might prove fatal
-to himself, Duncan left the place without delay. He followed the crowd,
-which drew nigh the lodges, gloomy and sullen, like any other multitude
-that had been disappointed in an execution. Curiosity, or perhaps a
-better feeling, induced him to approach the stranger. He found him,
-standing with one arm cast about the protecting post, and breathing
-thick and hard, after his exertions, but disdaining to permit a single
-sign of suffering to escape. His person was now protected by immemorial
-and sacred usage, until the tribe in council had deliberated and
-determined on his fate. It was not difficult, however, to foretell the
-result, if any presage could be drawn from the feelings of those who
-crowded the place.
-
-There was no term of abuse known to the Huron vocabulary that the
-disappointed women did not lavishly expend on the successful stranger.
-They flouted at his efforts, and told him, with bitter scoffs, that his
-feet were better than his hands; and that he merited wings, while he
-knew not the use of an arrow or a knife. To all this the captive made
-no reply; but was content to preserve an attitude in which dignity was
-singularly blended with disdain. Exasperated as much by his composure
-as by his good-fortune, their words became unintelligible, and were
-succeeded by shrill, piercing yells. Just then the crafty squaw, who had
-taken the necessary precaution to fire the piles, made her way through
-the throng, and cleared a place for herself in front of the captive. The
-squalid and withered person of this hag might well have obtained for her
-the character of possessing more than human cunning. Throwing back her
-light vestment, she stretched forth her long, skinny arm, in derision,
-and using the language of the Lenape, as more intelligible to the
-subject of her gibes, she commenced aloud:
-
-"Look you, Delaware," she said, snapping her fingers in his face; "your
-nation is a race of women, and the hoe is better fitted to your hands
-than the gun. Your squaws are the mothers of deer; but if a bear, or
-a wildcat, or a serpent were born among you, ye would flee. The Huron
-girls shall make you petticoats, and we will find you a husband."
-
-A burst of savage laughter succeeded this attack, during which the soft
-and musical merriment of the younger females strangely chimed with
-the cracked voice of their older and more malignant companion. But the
-stranger was superior to all their efforts. His head was immovable; nor
-did he betray the slightest consciousness that any were present, except
-when his haughty eye rolled toward the dusky forms of the warriors, who
-stalked in the background silent and sullen observers of the scene.
-
-Infuriated at the self-command of the captive, the woman placed her arms
-akimbo; and, throwing herself into a posture of defiance, she broke
-out anew, in a torrent of words that no art of ours could commit
-successfully to paper. Her breath was, however, expended in vain; for,
-although distinguished in her nation as a proficient in the art of
-abuse, she was permitted to work herself into such a fury as actually to
-foam at the mouth, without causing a muscle to vibrate in the motionless
-figure of the stranger. The effect of his indifference began to extend
-itself to the other spectators; and a youngster, who was just quitting
-the condition of a boy to enter the state of manhood, attempted to
-assist the termagant, by flourishing his tomahawk before their victim,
-and adding his empty boasts to the taunts of the women. Then, indeed,
-the captive turned his face toward the light, and looked down on the
-stripling with an expression that was superior to contempt. At the next
-moment he resumed his quiet and reclining attitude against the post. But
-the change of posture had permitted Duncan to exchange glances with the
-firm and piercing eyes of Uncas.
-
-Breathless with amazement, and heavily oppressed with the critical
-situation of his friend, Heyward recoiled before the look, trembling
-lest its meaning might, in some unknown manner, hasten the prisoner's
-fate. There was not, however, any instant cause for such an
-apprehension. Just then a warrior forced his way into the exasperated
-crowd. Motioning the women and children aside with a stern gesture, he
-took Uncas by the arm, and led him toward the door of the council-lodge.
-Thither all the chiefs, and most of the distinguished warriors,
-followed; among whom the anxious Heyward found means to enter without
-attracting any dangerous attention to himself.
-
-A few minutes were consumed in disposing of those present in a manner
-suitable to their rank and influence in the tribe. An order very similar
-to that adopted in the preceding interview was observed; the aged and
-superior chiefs occupying the area of the spacious apartment, within
-the powerful light of a glaring torch, while their juniors and inferiors
-were arranged in the background, presenting a dark outline of swarthy
-and marked visages. In the very center of the lodge, immediately under
-an opening that admitted the twinkling light of one or two stars, stood
-Uncas, calm, elevated, and collected. His high and haughty carriage was
-not lost on his captors, who often bent their looks on his person, with
-eyes which, while they lost none of their inflexibility of purpose,
-plainly betrayed their admiration of the stranger's daring.
-
-The case was different with the individual whom Duncan had observed to
-stand forth with his friend, previously to the desperate trial of speed;
-and who, instead of joining in the chase, had remained, throughout
-its turbulent uproar, like a cringing statue, expressive of shame and
-disgrace. Though not a hand had been extended to greet him, nor yet an
-eye had condescended to watch his movements, he had also entered the
-lodge, as though impelled by a fate to whose decrees he submitted,
-seemingly, without a struggle. Heyward profited by the first opportunity
-to gaze in his face, secretly apprehensive he might find the features
-of another acquaintance; but they proved to be those of a stranger, and,
-what was still more inexplicable, of one who bore all the distinctive
-marks of a Huron warrior. Instead of mingling with his tribe, however,
-he sat apart, a solitary being in a multitude, his form shrinking into a
-crouching and abject attitude, as if anxious to fill as little space as
-possible. When each individual had taken his proper station, and silence
-reigned in the place, the gray-haired chief already introduced to the
-reader, spoke aloud, in the language of the Lenni Lenape.
-
-"Delaware," he said, "though one of a nation of women, you have proved
-yourself a man. I would give you food; but he who eats with a Huron
-should become his friend. Rest in peace till the morning sun, when our
-last words shall be spoken."
-
-"Seven nights, and as many summer days, have I fasted on the trail of
-the Hurons," Uncas coldly replied; "the children of the Lenape know how
-to travel the path of the just without lingering to eat."
-
-"Two of my young men are in pursuit of your companion," resumed the
-other, without appearing to regard the boast of his captive; "when they
-get back, then will our wise man say to you 'live' or 'die'."
-
-"Has a Huron no ears?" scornfully exclaimed Uncas; "twice, since he has
-been your prisoner, has the Delaware heard a gun that he knows. Your
-young men will never come back!"
-
-A short and sullen pause succeeded this bold assertion. Duncan, who
-understood the Mohican to allude to the fatal rifle of the scout, bent
-forward in earnest observation of the effect it might produce on the
-conquerors; but the chief was content with simply retorting:
-
-"If the Lenape are so skillful, why is one of their bravest warriors
-here?"
-
-"He followed in the steps of a flying coward, and fell into a snare. The
-cunning beaver may be caught."
-
-As Uncas thus replied, he pointed with his finger toward the solitary
-Huron, but without deigning to bestow any other notice on so unworthy
-an object. The words of the answer and the air of the speaker produced
-a strong sensation among his auditors. Every eye rolled sullenly toward
-the individual indicated by the simple gesture, and a low, threatening
-murmur passed through the crowd. The ominous sounds reached the outer
-door, and the women and children pressing into the throng, no gap had
-been left, between shoulder and shoulder, that was not now filled with
-the dark lineaments of some eager and curious human countenance.
-
-In the meantime, the more aged chiefs, in the center, communed with each
-other in short and broken sentences. Not a word was uttered that did not
-convey the meaning of the speaker, in the simplest and most energetic
-form. Again, a long and deeply solemn pause took place. It was known,
-by all present, to be the brave precursor of a weighty and important
-judgment. They who composed the outer circle of faces were on tiptoe to
-gaze; and even the culprit for an instant forgot his shame in a deeper
-emotion, and exposed his abject features, in order to cast an anxious
-and troubled glance at the dark assemblage of chiefs. The silence was
-finally broken by the aged warrior so often named. He arose from the
-earth, and moving past the immovable form of Uncas, placed himself in
-a dignified attitude before the offender. At that moment, the withered
-squaw already mentioned moved into the circle, in a slow, sidling sort
-of a dance, holding the torch, and muttering the indistinct words of
-what might have been a species of incantation. Though her presence was
-altogether an intrusion, it was unheeded.
-
-Approaching Uncas, she held the blazing brand in such a manner as to
-cast its red glare on his person, and to expose the slightest emotion of
-his countenance. The Mohican maintained his firm and haughty attitude;
-and his eyes, so far from deigning to meet her inquisitive look, dwelt
-steadily on the distance, as though it penetrated the obstacles
-which impeded the view and looked into futurity. Satisfied with her
-examination, she left him, with a slight expression of pleasure, and
-proceeded to practise the same trying experiment on her delinquent
-countryman.
-
-The young Huron was in his war paint, and very little of a finely molded
-form was concealed by his attire. The light rendered every limb and
-joint discernible, and Duncan turned away in horror when he saw they
-were writhing in irrepressible agony. The woman was commencing a low
-and plaintive howl at the sad and shameful spectacle, when the chief put
-forth his hand and gently pushed her aside.
-
-"Reed-that-bends," he said, addressing the young culprit by name, and in
-his proper language, "though the Great Spirit has made you pleasant to
-the eyes, it would have been better that you had not been born. Your
-tongue is loud in the village, but in battle it is still. None of my
-young men strike the tomahawk deeper into the war-post--none of them so
-lightly on the Yengeese. The enemy know the shape of your back, but they
-have never seen the color of your eyes. Three times have they called on
-you to come, and as often did you forget to answer. Your name will never
-be mentioned again in your tribe--it is already forgotten."
-
-As the chief slowly uttered these words, pausing impressively between
-each sentence, the culprit raised his face, in deference to the other's
-rank and years. Shame, horror, and pride struggled in its lineaments.
-His eye, which was contracted with inward anguish, gleamed on the
-persons of those whose breath was his fame; and the latter emotion for
-an instant predominated. He arose to his feet, and baring his bosom,
-looked steadily on the keen, glittering knife, that was already upheld
-by his inexorable judge. As the weapon passed slowly into his heart he
-even smiled, as if in joy at having found death less dreadful than he
-had anticipated, and fell heavily on his face, at the feet of the rigid
-and unyielding form of Uncas.
-
-The squaw gave a loud and plaintive yell, dashed the torch to the
-earth, and buried everything in darkness. The whole shuddering group
-of spectators glided from the lodge like troubled sprites; and Duncan
-thought that he and the yet throbbing body of the victim of an Indian
-judgment had now become its only tenants.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 24
-
-     "Thus spoke the sage: the kings without delay
-     Dissolve the council, and their chief obey."
-     --Pope's Iliad
-
-A single moment served to convince the youth that he was mistaken. A
-hand was laid, with a powerful pressure, on his arm, and the low voice
-of Uncas muttered in his ear:
-
-"The Hurons are dogs. The sight of a coward's blood can never make a
-warrior tremble. The 'Gray Head' and the Sagamore are safe, and the
-rifle of Hawkeye is not asleep. Go--Uncas and the 'Open Hand' are now
-strangers. It is enough."
-
-Heyward would gladly have heard more, but a gentle push from his friend
-urged him toward the door, and admonished him of the danger that might
-attend the discovery of their intercourse. Slowly and reluctantly
-yielding to the necessity, he quitted the place, and mingled with the
-throng that hovered nigh. The dying fires in the clearing cast a dim and
-uncertain light on the dusky figures that were silently stalking to
-and fro; and occasionally a brighter gleam than common glanced into the
-lodge, and exhibited the figure of Uncas still maintaining its upright
-attitude near the dead body of the Huron.
-
-A knot of warriors soon entered the place again, and reissuing,
-they bore the senseless remains into the adjacent woods. After this
-termination of the scene, Duncan wandered among the lodges, unquestioned
-and unnoticed, endeavoring to find some trace of her in whose behalf he
-incurred the risk he ran. In the present temper of the tribe it would
-have been easy to have fled and rejoined his companions, had such a
-wish crossed his mind. But, in addition to the never-ceasing anxiety on
-account of Alice, a fresher though feebler interest in the fate of Uncas
-assisted to chain him to the spot. He continued, therefore, to stray
-from hut to hut, looking into each only to encounter additional
-disappointment, until he had made the entire circuit of the village.
-Abandoning a species of inquiry that proved so fruitless, he retraced
-his steps to the council-lodge, resolved to seek and question David, in
-order to put an end to his doubts.
-
-On reaching the building, which had proved alike the seat of judgment
-and the place of execution, the young man found that the excitement
-had already subsided. The warriors had reassembled, and were now calmly
-smoking, while they conversed gravely on the chief incidents of their
-recent expedition to the head of the Horican. Though the return of
-Duncan was likely to remind them of his character, and the suspicious
-circumstances of his visit, it produced no visible sensation. So far,
-the terrible scene that had just occurred proved favorable to his views,
-and he required no other prompter than his own feelings to convince him
-of the expediency of profiting by so unexpected an advantage.
-
-Without seeming to hesitate, he walked into the lodge, and took his seat
-with a gravity that accorded admirably with the deportment of his hosts.
-A hasty but searching glance sufficed to tell him that, though Uncas
-still remained where he had left him, David had not reappeared. No other
-restraint was imposed on the former than the watchful looks of a young
-Huron, who had placed himself at hand; though an armed warrior leaned
-against the post that formed one side of the narrow doorway. In every
-other respect, the captive seemed at liberty; still he was excluded from
-all participation in the discourse, and possessed much more of the air
-of some finely molded statue than a man having life and volition.
-
-Heyward had too recently witnessed a frightful instance of the prompt
-punishments of the people into whose hands he had fallen to hazard an
-exposure by any officious boldness. He would greatly have preferred
-silence and meditation to speech, when a discovery of his real
-condition might prove so instantly fatal. Unfortunately for this prudent
-resolution, his entertainers appeared otherwise disposed. He had not
-long occupied the seat wisely taken a little in the shade, when another
-of the elder warriors, who spoke the French language, addressed him:
-
-"My Canada father does not forget his children," said the chief; "I
-thank him. An evil spirit lives in the wife of one of my young men. Can
-the cunning stranger frighten him away?"
-
-Heyward possessed some knowledge of the mummery practised among the
-Indians, in the cases of such supposed visitations. He saw, at a glance,
-that the circumstance might possibly be improved to further his own
-ends. It would, therefore, have been difficult, just then to have
-uttered a proposal that would have given him more satisfaction. Aware
-of the necessity of preserving the dignity of his imaginary character,
-however, he repressed his feelings, and answered with suitable mystery:
-
-"Spirits differ; some yield to the power of wisdom, while others are too
-strong."
-
-"My brother is a great medicine," said the cunning savage; "he will
-try?"
-
-A gesture of assent was the answer. The Huron was content with the
-assurance, and, resuming his pipe, he awaited the proper moment to
-move. The impatient Heyward, inwardly execrating the cold customs of
-the savages, which required such sacrifices to appearance, was fain to
-assume an air of indifference, equal to that maintained by the chief,
-who was, in truth, a near relative of the afflicted woman. The minutes
-lingered, and the delay had seemed an hour to the adventurer in
-empiricism, when the Huron laid aside his pipe and drew his robe across
-his breast, as if about to lead the way to the lodge of the invalid.
-Just then, a warrior of powerful frame, darkened the door, and stalking
-silently among the attentive group, he seated himself on one end of the
-low pile of brush which sustained Duncan. The latter cast an impatient
-look at his neighbor, and felt his flesh creep with uncontrollable
-horror when he found himself in actual contact with Magua.
-
-The sudden return of this artful and dreaded chief caused a delay in the
-departure of the Huron. Several pipes, that had been extinguished, were
-lighted again; while the newcomer, without speaking a word, drew his
-tomahawk from his girdle, and filling the bowl on its head began to
-inhale the vapors of the weed through the hollow handle, with as much
-indifference as if he had not been absent two weary days on a long and
-toilsome hunt. Ten minutes, which appeared so many ages to Duncan, might
-have passed in this manner; and the warriors were fairly enveloped in a
-cloud of white smoke before any of them spoke.
-
-"Welcome!" one at length uttered; "has my friend found the moose?"
-
-"The young men stagger under their burdens," returned Magua. "Let
-'Reed-that-bends' go on the hunting path; he will meet them."
-
-A deep and awful silence succeeded the utterance of the forbidden name.
-Each pipe dropped from the lips of its owner as though all had inhaled
-an impurity at the same instant. The smoke wreathed above their heads in
-little eddies, and curling in a spiral form it ascended swiftly through
-the opening in the roof of the lodge, leaving the place beneath clear of
-its fumes, and each dark visage distinctly visible. The looks of most of
-the warriors were riveted on the earth; though a few of the younger and
-less gifted of the party suffered their wild and glaring eyeballs to
-roll in the direction of a white-headed savage, who sat between two of
-the most venerated chiefs of the tribe. There was nothing in the air
-or attire of this Indian that would seem to entitle him to such a
-distinction. The former was rather depressed, than remarkable for the
-bearing of the natives; and the latter was such as was commonly worn
-by the ordinary men of the nation. Like most around him for more than
-a minute his look, too, was on the ground; but, trusting his eyes at
-length to steal a glance aside, he perceived that he was becoming an
-object of general attention. Then he arose and lifted his voice in the
-general silence.
-
-"It was a lie," he said; "I had no son. He who was called by that name
-is forgotten; his blood was pale, and it came not from the veins of a
-Huron; the wicked Chippewas cheated my squaw. The Great Spirit has said,
-that the family of Wiss-entush should end; he is happy who knows that
-the evil of his race dies with himself. I have done."
-
-The speaker, who was the father of the recreant young Indian, looked
-round and about him, as if seeking commendation of his stoicism in the
-eyes of the auditors. But the stern customs of his people had made too
-severe an exaction of the feeble old man. The expression of his eye
-contradicted his figurative and boastful language, while every muscle in
-his wrinkled visage was working with anguish. Standing a single minute
-to enjoy his bitter triumph, he turned away, as if sickening at the gaze
-of men, and, veiling his face in his blanket, he walked from the lodge
-with the noiseless step of an Indian seeking, in the privacy of his own
-abode, the sympathy of one like himself, aged, forlorn and childless.
-
-The Indians, who believe in the hereditary transmission of virtues and
-defects in character, suffered him to depart in silence. Then, with an
-elevation of breeding that many in a more cultivated state of society
-might profitably emulate, one of the chiefs drew the attention of the
-young men from the weakness they had just witnessed, by saying, in a
-cheerful voice, addressing himself in courtesy to Magua, as the newest
-comer:
-
-"The Delawares have been like bears after the honey pots, prowling
-around my village. But who has ever found a Huron asleep?"
-
-The darkness of the impending cloud which precedes a burst of thunder
-was not blacker than the brow of Magua as he exclaimed:
-
-"The Delawares of the Lakes!"
-
-"Not so. They who wear the petticoats of squaws, on their own river. One
-of them has been passing the tribe."
-
-"Did my young men take his scalp?"
-
-"His legs were good, though his arm is better for the hoe than the
-tomahawk," returned the other, pointing to the immovable form of Uncas.
-
-Instead of manifesting any womanish curiosity to feast his eyes with the
-sight of a captive from a people he was known to have so much reason to
-hate, Magua continued to smoke, with the meditative air that he usually
-maintained, when there was no immediate call on his cunning or his
-eloquence. Although secretly amazed at the facts communicated by the
-speech of the aged father, he permitted himself to ask no questions,
-reserving his inquiries for a more suitable moment. It was only after a
-sufficient interval that he shook the ashes from his pipe, replaced the
-tomahawk, tightened his girdle, and arose, casting for the first time a
-glance in the direction of the prisoner, who stood a little behind him.
-The wary, though seemingly abstracted Uncas, caught a glimpse of the
-movement, and turning suddenly to the light, their looks met. Near a
-minute these two bold and untamed spirits stood regarding one another
-steadily in the eye, neither quailing in the least before the fierce
-gaze he encountered. The form of Uncas dilated, and his nostrils opened
-like those of a tiger at bay; but so rigid and unyielding was his
-posture, that he might easily have been converted by the imagination
-into an exquisite and faultless representation of the warlike deity of
-his tribe. The lineaments of the quivering features of Magua proved more
-ductile; his countenance gradually lost its character of defiance in an
-expression of ferocious joy, and heaving a breath from the very bottom
-of his chest, he pronounced aloud the formidable name of:
-
-"Le Cerf Agile!"
-
-Each warrior sprang upon his feet at the utterance of the well-known
-appellation, and there was a short period during which the stoical
-constancy of the natives was completely conquered by surprise. The hated
-and yet respected name was repeated as by one voice, carrying the
-sound even beyond the limits of the lodge. The women and children, who
-lingered around the entrance, took up the words in an echo, which was
-succeeded by another shrill and plaintive howl. The latter was not yet
-ended, when the sensation among the men had entirely abated. Each one in
-presence seated himself, as though ashamed of his precipitation; but it
-was many minutes before their meaning eyes ceased to roll toward their
-captive, in curious examination of a warrior who had so often proved
-his prowess on the best and proudest of their nation. Uncas enjoyed his
-victory, but was content with merely exhibiting his triumph by a quiet
-smile--an emblem of scorn which belongs to all time and every nation.
-
-Magua caught the expression, and raising his arm, he shook it at the
-captive, the light silver ornaments attached to his bracelet rattling
-with the trembling agitation of the limb, as, in a tone of vengeance, he
-exclaimed, in English:
-
-"Mohican, you die!"
-
-"The healing waters will never bring the dead Hurons to life," returned
-Uncas, in the music of the Delawares; "the tumbling river washes their
-bones; their men are squaws: their women owls. Go! call together the
-Huron dogs, that they may look upon a warrior, My nostrils are offended;
-they scent the blood of a coward."
-
-The latter allusion struck deep, and the injury rankled. Many of the
-Hurons understood the strange tongue in which the captive spoke, among
-which number was Magua. This cunning savage beheld, and instantly
-profited by his advantage. Dropping the light robe of skin from his
-shoulder, he stretched forth his arm, and commenced a burst of his
-dangerous and artful eloquence. However much his influence among his
-people had been impaired by his occasional and besetting weakness, as
-well as by his desertion of the tribe, his courage and his fame as an
-orator were undeniable. He never spoke without auditors, and rarely
-without making converts to his opinions. On the present occasion, his
-native powers were stimulated by the thirst of revenge.
-
-He again recounted the events of the attack on the island at Glenn's,
-the death of his associates and the escape of their most formidable
-enemies. Then he described the nature and position of the mount whither
-he had led such captives as had fallen into their hands. Of his own
-bloody intentions toward the maidens, and of his baffled malice he made
-no mention, but passed rapidly on to the surprise of the party by "La
-Longue Carabine," and its fatal termination. Here he paused, and looked
-about him, in affected veneration for the departed, but, in truth,
-to note the effect of his opening narrative. As usual, every eye was
-riveted on his face. Each dusky figure seemed a breathing statue, so
-motionless was the posture, so intense the attention of the individual.
-
-Then Magua dropped his voice which had hitherto been clear, strong and
-elevated, and touched upon the merits of the dead. No quality that was
-likely to command the sympathy of an Indian escaped his notice. One
-had never been known to follow the chase in vain; another had been
-indefatigable on the trail of their enemies. This was brave, that
-generous. In short, he so managed his allusions, that in a nation which
-was composed of so few families, he contrived to strike every chord that
-might find, in its turn, some breast in which to vibrate.
-
-"Are the bones of my young men," he concluded, "in the burial-place of
-the Hurons? You know they are not. Their spirits are gone toward the
-setting sun, and are already crossing the great waters, to the happy
-hunting-grounds. But they departed without food, without guns or knives,
-without moccasins, naked and poor as they were born. Shall this be?
-Are their souls to enter the land of the just like hungry Iroquois or
-unmanly Delawares, or shall they meet their friends with arms in their
-hands and robes on their backs? What will our fathers think the tribes
-of the Wyandots have become? They will look on their children with a
-dark eye, and say, 'Go! a Chippewa has come hither with the name of a
-Huron.' Brothers, we must not forget the dead; a red-skin never ceases
-to remember. We will load the back of this Mohican until he staggers
-under our bounty, and dispatch him after my young men. They call to us
-for aid, though our ears are not open; they say, 'Forget us not.' When
-they see the spirit of this Mohican toiling after them with his burden,
-they will know we are of that mind. Then will they go on happy; and our
-children will say, 'So did our fathers to their friends, so must we do
-to them.' What is a Yengee? we have slain many, but the earth is still
-pale. A stain on the name of Huron can only be hid by blood that comes
-from the veins of an Indian. Let this Delaware die."
-
-The effect of such an harangue, delivered in the nervous language and
-with the emphatic manner of a Huron orator, could scarcely be mistaken.
-Magua had so artfully blended the natural sympathies with the religious
-superstition of his auditors, that their minds, already prepared by
-custom to sacrifice a victim to the manes of their countrymen, lost
-every vestige of humanity in a wish for revenge. One warrior in
-particular, a man of wild and ferocious mien, had been conspicuous for
-the attention he had given to the words of the speaker. His countenance
-had changed with each passing emotion, until it settled into a look
-of deadly malice. As Magua ended he arose and, uttering the yell of a
-demon, his polished little axe was seen glancing in the torchlight as
-he whirled it above his head. The motion and the cry were too sudden
-for words to interrupt his bloody intention. It appeared as if a bright
-gleam shot from his hand, which was crossed at the same moment by a
-dark and powerful line. The former was the tomahawk in its passage; the
-latter the arm that Magua darted forward to divert its aim. The quick
-and ready motion of the chief was not entirely too late. The keen weapon
-cut the war plume from the scalping tuft of Uncas, and passed through
-the frail wall of the lodge as though it were hurled from some
-formidable engine.
-
-Duncan had seen the threatening action, and sprang upon his feet, with
-a heart which, while it leaped into his throat, swelled with the most
-generous resolution in behalf of his friend. A glance told him that the
-blow had failed, and terror changed to admiration. Uncas stood still,
-looking his enemy in the eye with features that seemed superior to
-emotion. Marble could not be colder, calmer, or steadier than the
-countenance he put upon this sudden and vindictive attack. Then, as if
-pitying a want of skill which had proved so fortunate to himself, he
-smiled, and muttered a few words of contempt in his own tongue.
-
-"No!" said Magua, after satisfying himself of the safety of the captive;
-"the sun must shine on his shame; the squaws must see his flesh tremble,
-or our revenge will be like the play of boys. Go! take him where there
-is silence; let us see if a Delaware can sleep at night, and in the
-morning die."
-
-The young men whose duty it was to guard the prisoner instantly passed
-their ligaments of bark across his arms, and led him from the lodge,
-amid a profound and ominous silence. It was only as the figure of Uncas
-stood in the opening of the door that his firm step hesitated. There he
-turned, and, in the sweeping and haughty glance that he threw around
-the circle of his enemies, Duncan caught a look which he was glad to
-construe into an expression that he was not entirely deserted by hope.
-
-Magua was content with his success, or too much occupied with his secret
-purposes to push his inquiries any further. Shaking his mantle, and
-folding it on his bosom, he also quitted the place, without pursuing a
-subject which might have proved so fatal to the individual at his elbow.
-Notwithstanding his rising resentment, his natural firmness, and his
-anxiety on behalf of Uncas, Heyward felt sensibly relieved by the
-absence of so dangerous and so subtle a foe. The excitement produced
-by the speech gradually subsided. The warriors resumed their seats and
-clouds of smoke once more filled the lodge. For near half an hour, not
-a syllable was uttered, or scarcely a look cast aside; a grave and
-meditative silence being the ordinary succession to every scene of
-violence and commotion among these beings, who were alike so impetuous
-and yet so self-restrained.
-
-When the chief, who had solicited the aid of Duncan, finished his pipe,
-he made a final and successful movement toward departing. A motion of a
-finger was the intimation he gave the supposed physician to follow; and
-passing through the clouds of smoke, Duncad was glad, on more accounts
-than one, to be able at last to breathe the pure air of a cool and
-refreshing summer evening.
-
-Instead of pursuing his way among those lodges where Heyward had already
-made his unsuccessful search, his companion turned aside, and proceeded
-directly toward the base of an adjacent mountain, which overhung the
-temporary village. A thicket of brush skirted its foot, and it became
-necessary to proceed through a crooked and narrow path. The boys had
-resumed their sports in the clearing, and were enacting a mimic chase
-to the post among themselves. In order to render their games as like the
-reality as possible, one of the boldest of their number had conveyed a
-few brands into some piles of tree-tops that had hitherto escaped the
-burning. The blaze of one of these fires lighted the way of the chief
-and Duncan, and gave a character of additional wildness to the rude
-scenery. At a little distance from a bald rock, and directly in its
-front, they entered a grassy opening, which they prepared to cross. Just
-then fresh fuel was added to the fire, and a powerful light penetrated
-even to that distant spot. It fell upon the white surface of the
-mountain, and was reflected downward upon a dark and mysterious-looking
-being that arose, unexpectedly, in their path. The Indian paused, as if
-doubtful whether to proceed, and permitted his companion to approach his
-side. A large black ball, which at first seemed stationary, now began
-to move in a manner that to the latter was inexplicable. Again the fire
-brightened and its glare fell more distinctly on the object. Then even
-Duncan knew it, by its restless and sidling attitudes, which kept the
-upper part of its form in constant motion, while the animal itself
-appeared seated, to be a bear. Though it growled loudly and fiercely,
-and there were instants when its glistening eyeballs might be seen,
-it gave no other indications of hostility. The Huron, at least, seemed
-assured that the intentions of this singular intruder were peaceable,
-for after giving it an attentive examination, he quietly pursued his
-course.
-
-Duncan, who knew that the animal was often domesticated among the
-Indians, followed the example of his companion, believing that some
-favorite of the tribe had found its way into the thicket, in search
-of food. They passed it unmolested. Though obliged to come nearly
-in contact with the monster, the Huron, who had at first so warily
-determined the character of his strange visitor, was now content with
-proceeding without wasting a moment in further examination; but Heyward
-was unable to prevent his eyes from looking backward, in salutary
-watchfulness against attacks in the rear. His uneasiness was in no
-degree diminished when he perceived the beast rolling along their path,
-and following their footsteps. He would have spoken, but the Indian at
-that moment shoved aside a door of bark, and entered a cavern in the
-bosom of the mountain.
-
-Profiting by so easy a method of retreat, Duncan stepped after him,
-and was gladly closing the slight cover to the opening, when he felt it
-drawn from his hand by the beast, whose shaggy form immediately darkened
-the passage. They were now in a straight and long gallery, in a chasm of
-the rocks, where retreat without encountering the animal was impossible.
-Making the best of the circumstances, the young man pressed forward,
-keeping as close as possible to his conductor. The bear growled
-frequently at his heels, and once or twice its enormous paws were laid
-on his person, as if disposed to prevent his further passage into the
-den.
-
-How long the nerves of Heyward would have sustained him in this
-extraordinary situation, it might be difficult to decide, for, happily,
-he soon found relief. A glimmer of light had constantly been in their
-front, and they now arrived at the place whence it proceeded.
-
-A large cavity in the rock had been rudely fitted to answer the purposes
-of many apartments. The subdivisions were simple but ingenious, being
-composed of stone, sticks, and bark, intermingled. Openings above
-admitted the light by day, and at night fires and torches supplied the
-place of the sun. Hither the Hurons had brought most of their valuables,
-especially those which more particularly pertained to the nation; and
-hither, as it now appeared, the sick woman, who was believed to be
-the victim of supernatural power, had been transported also, under an
-impression that her tormentor would find more difficulty in making his
-assaults through walls of stone than through the leafy coverings of the
-lodges. The apartment into which Duncan and his guide first entered, had
-been exclusively devoted to her accommodation. The latter approached her
-bedside, which was surrounded by females, in the center of whom Heyward
-was surprised to find his missing friend David.
-
-A single look was sufficient to apprise the pretended leech that the
-invalid was far beyond his powers of healing. She lay in a sort of
-paralysis, indifferent to the objects which crowded before her sight,
-and happily unconscious of suffering. Heyward was far from regretting
-that his mummeries were to be performed on one who was much too ill
-to take an interest in their failure or success. The slight qualm
-of conscience which had been excited by the intended deception was
-instantly appeased, and he began to collect his thoughts, in order to
-enact his part with suitable spirit, when he found he was about to be
-anticipated in his skill by an attempt to prove the power of music.
-
-Gamut, who had stood prepared to pour forth his spirit in song when the
-visitors entered, after delaying a moment, drew a strain from his pipe,
-and commenced a hymn that might have worked a miracle, had faith in its
-efficacy been of much avail. He was allowed to proceed to the close, the
-Indians respecting his imaginary infirmity, and Duncan too glad of the
-delay to hazard the slightest interruption. As the dying cadence of
-his strains was falling on the ears of the latter, he started aside
-at hearing them repeated behind him, in a voice half human and half
-sepulchral. Looking around, he beheld the shaggy monster seated on end
-in a shadow of the cavern, where, while his restless body swung in
-the uneasy manner of the animal, it repeated, in a sort of low growl,
-sounds, if not words, which bore some slight resemblance to the melody
-of the singer.
-
-The effect of so strange an echo on David may better be imagined than
-described. His eyes opened as if he doubted their truth; and his voice
-became instantly mute in excess of wonder. A deep-laid scheme, of
-communicating some important intelligence to Heyward, was driven from
-his recollection by an emotion which very nearly resembled fear, but
-which he was fain to believe was admiration. Under its influence, he
-exclaimed aloud: "She expects you, and is at hand"; and precipitately
-left the cavern.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 25
-
-     "Snug.--Have you the lion's part written? Pray you, if it
-     be, give it to me, for I am slow of study.
-
-     Quince.--You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but
-     roaring."
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream.
-
-There was a strange blending of the ridiculous with that which was
-solemn in this scene. The beast still continued its rolling, and
-apparently untiring movements, though its ludicrous attempt to imitate
-the melody of David ceased the instant the latter abandoned the field.
-The words of Gamut were, as has been seen, in his native tongue; and
-to Duncan they seem pregnant with some hidden meaning, though nothing
-present assisted him in discovering the object of their allusion. A
-speedy end was, however, put to every conjecture on the subject, by the
-manner of the chief, who advanced to the bedside of the invalid, and
-beckoned away the whole group of female attendants that had clustered
-there to witness the skill of the stranger. He was implicitly, though
-reluctantly, obeyed; and when the low echo which rang along the hollow,
-natural gallery, from the distant closing door, had ceased, pointing
-toward his insensible daughter, he said:
-
-"Now let my brother show his power."
-
-Thus unequivocally called on to exercise the functions of his assumed
-character, Heyward was apprehensive that the smallest delay might prove
-dangerous. Endeavoring, then, to collect his ideas, he prepared to
-perform that species of incantation, and those uncouth rites, under
-which the Indian conjurers are accustomed to conceal their ignorance and
-impotency. It is more than probable that, in the disordered state of his
-thoughts, he would soon have fallen into some suspicious, if not fatal,
-error had not his incipient attempts been interrupted by a fierce growl
-from the quadruped. Three several times did he renew his efforts to
-proceed, and as often was he met by the same unaccountable opposition,
-each interruption seeming more savage and threatening than the
-preceding.
-
-"The cunning ones are jealous," said the Huron; "I go. Brother, the
-woman is the wife of one of my bravest young men; deal justly by her.
-Peace!" he added, beckoning to the discontented beast to be quiet; "I
-go."
-
-The chief was as good as his word, and Duncan now found himself alone
-in that wild and desolate abode with the helpless invalid and the fierce
-and dangerous brute. The latter listened to the movements of the Indian
-with that air of sagacity that a bear is known to possess, until another
-echo announced that he had also left the cavern, when it turned and
-came waddling up to Duncan before whom it seated itself in its natural
-attitude, erect like a man. The youth looked anxiously about him for
-some weapon, with which he might make a resistance against the attack he
-now seriously expected.
-
-It seemed, however, as if the humor of the animal had suddenly changed.
-Instead of continuing its discontented growls, or manifesting any
-further signs of anger, the whole of its shaggy body shook violently, as
-if agitated by some strange internal convulsion. The huge and unwieldy
-talons pawed stupidly about the grinning muzzle, and while Heyward kept
-his eyes riveted on its movements with jealous watchfulness, the grim
-head fell on one side and in its place appeared the honest sturdy
-countenance of the scout, who was indulging from the bottom of his soul
-in his own peculiar expression of merriment.
-
-"Hist!" said the wary woodsman, interrupting Heyward's exclamation of
-surprise; "the varlets are about the place, and any sounds that are not
-natural to witchcraft would bring them back upon us in a body."
-
-"Tell me the meaning of this masquerade; and why you have attempted so
-desperate an adventure?"
-
-"Ah, reason and calculation are often outdone by accident," returned the
-scout. "But, as a story should always commence at the beginning, I will
-tell you the whole in order. After we parted I placed the commandant
-and the Sagamore in an old beaver lodge, where they are safer from
-the Hurons than they would be in the garrison of Edward; for your
-high north-west Indians, not having as yet got the traders among them,
-continued to venerate the beaver. After which Uncas and I pushed for the
-other encampment as was agreed. Have you seen the lad?"
-
-"To my great grief! He is captive, and condemned to die at the rising of
-the sun."
-
-"I had misgivings that such would be his fate," resumed the scout, in
-a less confident and joyous tone. But soon regaining his naturally firm
-voice, he continued: "His bad fortune is the true reason of my being
-here, for it would never do to abandon such a boy to the Hurons. A rare
-time the knaves would have of it, could they tie 'The Bounding Elk' and
-'The Long Carabine', as they call me, to the same stake! Though why they
-have given me such a name I never knew, there being as little likeness
-between the gifts of 'killdeer' and the performance of one of your real
-Canada carabynes, as there is between the natur' of a pipe-stone and a
-flint."
-
-"Keep to your tale," said the impatient Heyward; "we know not at what
-moment the Hurons may return."
-
-"No fear of them. A conjurer must have his time, like a straggling
-priest in the settlements. We are as safe from interruption as a
-missionary would be at the beginning of a two hours' discourse. Well,
-Uncas and I fell in with a return party of the varlets; the lad was much
-too forward for a scout; nay, for that matter, being of hot blood, he
-was not so much to blame; and, after all, one of the Hurons proved a
-coward, and in fleeing led him into an ambushment."
-
-"And dearly has he paid for the weakness."
-
-The scout significantly passed his hand across his own throat, and
-nodded, as if he said, "I comprehend your meaning." After which he
-continued, in a more audible though scarcely more intelligible language:
-
-"After the loss of the boy I turned upon the Hurons, as you may judge.
-There have been scrimmages atween one or two of their outlyers and
-myself; but that is neither here nor there. So, after I had shot the
-imps, I got in pretty nigh to the lodges without further commotion. Then
-what should luck do in my favor but lead me to the very spot where one
-of the most famous conjurers of the tribe was dressing himself, as I
-well knew, for some great battle with Satan--though why should I call
-that luck, which it now seems was an especial ordering of Providence. So
-a judgmatical rap over the head stiffened the lying impostor for a time,
-and leaving him a bit of walnut for his supper, to prevent an uproar,
-and stringing him up atween two saplings, I made free with his finery,
-and took the part of the bear on myself, in order that the operations
-might proceed."
-
-"And admirably did you enact the character; the animal itself might have
-been shamed by the representation."
-
-"Lord, major," returned the flattered woodsman, "I should be but a poor
-scholar for one who has studied so long in the wilderness, did I not
-know how to set forth the movements or natur' of such a beast. Had
-it been now a catamount, or even a full-size panther, I would have
-embellished a performance for you worth regarding. But it is no such
-marvelous feat to exhibit the feats of so dull a beast; though, for that
-matter, too, a bear may be overacted. Yes, yes; it is not every imitator
-that knows natur' may be outdone easier than she is equaled. But all our
-work is yet before us. Where is the gentle one?"
-
-"Heaven knows. I have examined every lodge in the village, without
-discovering the slightest trace of her presence in the tribe."
-
-"You heard what the singer said, as he left us: 'She is at hand, and
-expects you'?"
-
-"I have been compelled to believe he alluded to this unhappy woman."
-
-"The simpleton was frightened, and blundered through his message; but
-he had a deeper meaning. Here are walls enough to separate the whole
-settlement. A bear ought to climb; therefore will I take a look above
-them. There may be honey-pots hid in these rocks, and I am a beast, you
-know, that has a hankering for the sweets."
-
-The scout looked behind him, laughing at his own conceit, while he
-clambered up the partition, imitating, as he went, the clumsy motions of
-the beast he represented; but the instant the summit was gained he made
-a gesture for silence, and slid down with the utmost precipitation.
-
-"She is here," he whispered, "and by that door you will find her. I
-would have spoken a word of comfort to the afflicted soul; but the sight
-of such a monster might upset her reason. Though for that matter, major,
-you are none of the most inviting yourself in your paint."
-
-Duncan, who had already swung eagerly forward, drew instantly back on
-hearing these discouraging words.
-
-"Am I, then, so very revolting?" he demanded, with an air of chagrin.
-
-"You might not startle a wolf, or turn the Royal Americans from a
-discharge; but I have seen the time when you had a better favored look;
-your streaked countenances are not ill-judged of by the squaws, but
-young women of white blood give the preference to their own color. See,"
-he added, pointing to a place where the water trickled from a rock,
-forming a little crystal spring, before it found an issue through the
-adjacent crevices; "you may easily get rid of the Sagamore's daub, and
-when you come back I will try my hand at a new embellishment. It's
-as common for a conjurer to alter his paint as for a buck in the
-settlements to change his finery."
-
-The deliberate woodsman had little occasion to hunt for arguments to
-enforce his advice. He was yet speaking when Duncan availed himself
-of the water. In a moment every frightful or offensive mark was
-obliterated, and the youth appeared again in the lineaments with which
-he had been gifted by nature. Thus prepared for an interview with
-his mistress, he took a hasty leave of his companion, and disappeared
-through the indicated passage. The scout witnessed his departure with
-complacency, nodding his head after him, and muttering his good wishes;
-after which he very coolly set about an examination of the state of the
-larder, among the Hurons, the cavern, among other purposes, being used
-as a receptacle for the fruits of their hunts.
-
-Duncan had no other guide than a distant glimmering light, which served,
-however, the office of a polar star to the lover. By its aid he was
-enabled to enter the haven of his hopes, which was merely another
-apartment of the cavern, that had been solely appropriated to the
-safekeeping of so important a prisoner as a daughter of the commandant
-of William Henry. It was profusely strewed with the plunder of that
-unlucky fortress. In the midst of this confusion he found her he sought,
-pale, anxious and terrified, but lovely. David had prepared her for such
-a visit.
-
-"Duncan!" she exclaimed, in a voice that seemed to tremble at the sounds
-created by itself.
-
-"Alice!" he answered, leaping carelessly among trunks, boxes, arms, and
-furniture, until he stood at her side.
-
-"I knew that you would never desert me," she said, looking up with
-a momentary glow on her otherwise dejected countenance. "But you are
-alone! Grateful as it is to be thus remembered, I could wish to think
-you are not entirely alone."
-
-Duncan, observing that she trembled in a manner which betrayed her
-inability to stand, gently induced her to be seated, while he recounted
-those leading incidents which it has been our task to accord. Alice
-listened with breathless interest; and though the young man touched
-lightly on the sorrows of the stricken father; taking care, however, not
-to wound the self-love of his auditor, the tears ran as freely down the
-cheeks of the daughter as though she had never wept before. The soothing
-tenderness of Duncan, however, soon quieted the first burst of her
-emotions, and she then heard him to the close with undivided attention,
-if not with composure.
-
-"And now, Alice," he added, "you will see how much is still expected
-of you. By the assistance of our experienced and invaluable friend, the
-scout, we may find our way from this savage people, but you will have to
-exert your utmost fortitude. Remember that you fly to the arms of your
-venerable parent, and how much his happiness, as well as your own,
-depends on those exertions."
-
-"Can I do otherwise for a father who has done so much for me?"
-
-"And for me, too," continued the youth, gently pressing the hand he held
-in both his own.
-
-The look of innocence and surprise which he received in return convinced
-Duncan of the necessity of being more explicit.
-
-"This is neither the place nor the occasion to detain you with selfish
-wishes," he added; "but what heart loaded like mine would not wish to
-cast its burden? They say misery is the closest of all ties; our common
-suffering in your behalf left but little to be explained between your
-father and myself."
-
-"And, dearest Cora, Duncan; surely Cora was not forgotten?"
-
-"Not forgotten! no; regretted, as woman was seldom mourned before. Your
-venerable father knew no difference between his children; but I--Alice,
-you will not be offended when I say, that to me her worth was in a
-degree obscured--"
-
-"Then you knew not the merit of my sister," said Alice, withdrawing her
-hand; "of you she ever speaks as of one who is her dearest friend."
-
-"I would gladly believe her such," returned Duncan, hastily; "I could
-wish her to be even more; but with you, Alice, I have the permission of
-your father to aspire to a still nearer and dearer tie."
-
-Alice trembled violently, and there was an instant during which she bent
-her face aside, yielding to the emotions common to her sex; but they
-quickly passed away, leaving her mistress of her deportment, if not of
-her affections.
-
-"Heyward," she said, looking him full in the face with a touching
-expression of innocence and dependency, "give me the sacred presence and
-the holy sanction of that parent before you urge me further."
-
-"Though more I should not, less I could not say," the youth was about to
-answer, when he was interrupted by a light tap on his shoulder. Starting
-to his feet, he turned, and, confronting the intruder, his looks fell on
-the dark form and malignant visage of Magua. The deep guttural laugh of
-the savage sounded, at such a moment, to Duncan, like the hellish taunt
-of a demon. Had he pursued the sudden and fierce impulse of the instant,
-he would have cast himself on the Huron, and committed their fortunes
-to the issue of a deadly struggle. But, without arms of any description,
-ignorant of what succor his subtle enemy could command, and charged with
-the safety of one who was just then dearer than ever to his heart, he no
-sooner entertained than he abandoned the desperate intention.
-
-"What is your purpose?" said Alice, meekly folding her arms on her
-bosom, and struggling to conceal an agony of apprehension in behalf of
-Heyward, in the usual cold and distant manner with which she received
-the visits of her captor.
-
-The exulting Indian had resumed his austere countenance, though he drew
-warily back before the menacing glance of the young man's fiery eye. He
-regarded both his captives for a moment with a steady look, and then,
-stepping aside, he dropped a log of wood across a door different from
-that by which Duncan had entered. The latter now comprehended the manner
-of his surprise, and, believing himself irretrievably lost, he drew
-Alice to his bosom, and stood prepared to meet a fate which he hardly
-regretted, since it was to be suffered in such company. But Magua
-meditated no immediate violence. His first measures were very evidently
-taken to secure his new captive; nor did he even bestow a second glance
-at the motionless forms in the center of the cavern, until he had
-completely cut off every hope of retreat through the private outlet he
-had himself used. He was watched in all his movements by Heyward, who,
-however, remained firm, still folding the fragile form of Alice to his
-heart, at once too proud and too hopeless to ask favor of an enemy
-so often foiled. When Magua had effected his object he approached his
-prisoners, and said in English:
-
-"The pale faces trap the cunning beavers; but the red-skins know how to
-take the Yengeese."
-
-"Huron, do your worst!" exclaimed the excited Heyward, forgetful that a
-double stake was involved in his life; "you and your vengeance are alike
-despised."
-
-"Will the white man speak these words at the stake?" asked Magua;
-manifesting, at the same time, how little faith he had in the other's
-resolution by the sneer that accompanied his words.
-
-"Here; singly to your face, or in the presence of your nation."
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief!" returned the Indian; "he will go
-and bring his young men, to see how bravely a pale face can laugh at
-tortures."
-
-He turned away while speaking, and was about to leave the place through
-the avenue by which Duncan had approached, when a growl caught his ear,
-and caused him to hesitate. The figure of the bear appeared in the door,
-where it sat, rolling from side to side in its customary restlessness.
-Magua, like the father of the sick woman, eyed it keenly for a moment,
-as if to ascertain its character. He was far above the more vulgar
-superstitions of his tribe, and so soon as he recognized the well-known
-attire of the conjurer, he prepared to pass it in cool contempt. But
-a louder and more threatening growl caused him again to pause. Then he
-seemed as if suddenly resolved to trifle no longer, and moved resolutely
-forward.
-
-The mimic animal, which had advanced a little, retired slowly in his
-front, until it arrived again at the pass, when, rearing on his hinder
-legs, it beat the air with its paws, in the manner practised by its
-brutal prototype.
-
-"Fool!" exclaimed the chief, in Huron, "go play with the children and
-squaws; leave men to their wisdom."
-
-He once more endeavored to pass the supposed empiric, scorning even the
-parade of threatening to use the knife, or tomahawk, that was pendent
-from his belt. Suddenly the beast extended its arms, or rather legs, and
-inclosed him in a grasp that might have vied with the far-famed power of
-the "bear's hug" itself. Heyward had watched the whole procedure, on the
-part of Hawkeye, with breathless interest. At first he relinquished his
-hold of Alice; then he caught up a thong of buckskin, which had been
-used around some bundle, and when he beheld his enemy with his two arms
-pinned to his side by the iron muscles of the scout, he rushed upon him,
-and effectually secured them there. Arms, legs, and feet were encircled
-in twenty folds of the thong, in less time than we have taken to record
-the circumstance. When the formidable Huron was completely pinioned, the
-scout released his hold, and Duncan laid his enemy on his back, utterly
-helpless.
-
-Throughout the whole of this sudden and extraordinary operation, Magua,
-though he had struggled violently, until assured he was in the hands of
-one whose nerves were far better strung than his own, had not uttered
-the slightest exclamation. But when Hawkeye, by way of making a summary
-explanation of his conduct, removed the shaggy jaws of the beast, and
-exposed his own rugged and earnest countenance to the gaze of the Huron,
-the philosophy of the latter was so far mastered as to permit him to
-utter the never failing:
-
-"Hugh!"
-
-"Ay, you've found your tongue," said his undisturbed conqueror; "now,
-in order that you shall not use it to our ruin, I must make free to stop
-your mouth."
-
-As there was no time to be lost, the scout immediately set about
-effecting so necessary a precaution; and when he had gagged the Indian,
-his enemy might safely have been considered as "hors de combat."
-
-"By what place did the imp enter?" asked the industrious scout, when his
-work was ended. "Not a soul has passed my way since you left me."
-
-Duncan pointed out the door by which Magua had come, and which now
-presented too many obstacles to a quick retreat.
-
-"Bring on the gentle one, then," continued his friend; "we must make a
-push for the woods by the other outlet."
-
-"'Tis impossible!" said Duncan; "fear has overcome her, and she is
-helpless. Alice! my sweet, my own Alice, arouse yourself; now is the
-moment to fly. 'Tis in vain! she hears, but is unable to follow. Go,
-noble and worthy friend; save yourself, and leave me to my fate."
-
-"Every trail has its end, and every calamity brings its lesson!"
-returned the scout. "There, wrap her in them Indian cloths. Conceal all
-of her little form. Nay, that foot has no fellow in the wilderness; it
-will betray her. All, every part. Now take her in your arms, and follow.
-Leave the rest to me."
-
-Duncan, as may be gathered from the words of his companion, was eagerly
-obeying; and, as the other finished speaking, he took the light person
-of Alice in his arms, and followed in the footsteps of the scout. They
-found the sick woman as they had left her, still alone, and passed
-swiftly on, by the natural gallery, to the place of entrance. As they
-approached the little door of bark, a murmur of voices without announced
-that the friends and relatives of the invalid were gathered about the
-place, patiently awaiting a summons to re-enter.
-
-"If I open my lips to speak," Hawkeye whispered, "my English, which is
-the genuine tongue of a white-skin, will tell the varlets that an enemy
-is among them. You must give 'em your jargon, major; and say that we
-have shut the evil spirit in the cave, and are taking the woman to the
-woods in order to find strengthening roots. Practise all your cunning,
-for it is a lawful undertaking."
-
-The door opened a little, as if one without was listening to the
-proceedings within, and compelled the scout to cease his directions. A
-fierce growl repelled the eavesdropper, and then the scout boldly threw
-open the covering of bark, and left the place, enacting the character of
-a bear as he proceeded. Duncan kept close at his heels, and soon found
-himself in the center of a cluster of twenty anxious relatives and
-friends.
-
-The crowd fell back a little, and permitted the father, and one who
-appeared to be the husband of the woman, to approach.
-
-"Has my brother driven away the evil spirit?" demanded the former. "What
-has he in his arms?"
-
-"Thy child," returned Duncan, gravely; "the disease has gone out of her;
-it is shut up in the rocks. I take the woman to a distance, where I will
-strengthen her against any further attacks. She will be in the wigwam of
-the young man when the sun comes again."
-
-When the father had translated the meaning of the stranger's words into
-the Huron language, a suppressed murmur announced the satisfaction with
-which this intelligence was received. The chief himself waved his hand
-for Duncan to proceed, saying aloud, in a firm voice, and with a lofty
-manner:
-
-"Go; I am a man, and I will enter the rock and fight the wicked one."
-
-Heyward had gladly obeyed, and was already past the little group, when
-these startling words arrested him.
-
-"Is my brother mad?" he exclaimed; "is he cruel? He will meet the
-disease, and it will enter him; or he will drive out the disease, and
-it will chase his daughter into the woods. No; let my children wait
-without, and if the spirit appears beat him down with clubs. He is
-cunning, and will bury himself in the mountain, when he sees how many
-are ready to fight him."
-
-This singular warning had the desired effect. Instead of entering
-the cavern, the father and husband drew their tomahawks, and posted
-themselves in readiness to deal their vengeance on the imaginary
-tormentor of their sick relative, while the women and children broke
-branches from the bushes, or seized fragments of the rock, with a
-similar intention. At this favorable moment the counterfeit conjurers
-disappeared.
-
-Hawkeye, at the same time that he had presumed so far on the nature
-of the Indian superstitions, was not ignorant that they were rather
-tolerated than relied on by the wisest of the chiefs. He well knew the
-value of time in the present emergency. Whatever might be the extent of
-the self-delusion of his enemies, and however it had tended to assist
-his schemes, the slightest cause of suspicion, acting on the subtle
-nature of an Indian, would be likely to prove fatal. Taking the path,
-therefore, that was most likely to avoid observation, he rather skirted
-than entered the village. The warriors were still to be seen in the
-distance, by the fading light of the fires, stalking from lodge to
-lodge. But the children had abandoned their sports for their beds of
-skins, and the quiet of night was already beginning to prevail over the
-turbulence and excitement of so busy and important an evening.
-
-Alice revived under the renovating influence of the open air, and,
-as her physical rather than her mental powers had been the subject of
-weakness, she stood in no need of any explanation of that which had
-occurred.
-
-"Now let me make an effort to walk," she said, when they had entered the
-forest, blushing, though unseen, that she had not been sooner able to
-quit the arms of Duncan; "I am indeed restored."
-
-"Nay, Alice, you are yet too weak."
-
-The maiden struggled gently to release herself, and Heyward was
-compelled to part with his precious burden. The representative of the
-bear had certainly been an entire stranger to the delicious emotions of
-the lover while his arms encircled his mistress; and he was, perhaps,
-a stranger also to the nature of that feeling of ingenuous shame that
-oppressed the trembling Alice. But when he found himself at a suitable
-distance from the lodges he made a halt, and spoke on a subject of which
-he was thoroughly the master.
-
-"This path will lead you to the brook," he said; "follow its northern
-bank until you come to a fall; mount the hill on your right, and you
-will see the fires of the other people. There you must go and demand
-protection; if they are true Delawares you will be safe. A distant
-flight with that gentle one, just now, is impossible. The Hurons would
-follow up our trail, and master our scalps before we had got a dozen
-miles. Go, and Providence be with you."
-
-"And you!" demanded Heyward, in surprise; "surely we part not here?"
-
-"The Hurons hold the pride of the Delawares; the last of the high blood
-of the Mohicans is in their power," returned the scout; "I go to see
-what can be done in his favor. Had they mastered your scalp, major, a
-knave should have fallen for every hair it held, as I promised; but if
-the young Sagamore is to be led to the stake, the Indians shall see also
-how a man without a cross can die."
-
-Not in the least offended with the decided preference that the sturdy
-woodsman gave to one who might, in some degree, be called the child of
-his adoption, Duncan still continued to urge such reasons against so
-desperate an effort as presented themselves. He was aided by Alice, who
-mingled her entreaties with those of Heyward that he would abandon a
-resolution that promised so much danger, with so little hope of success.
-Their eloquence and ingenuity were expended in vain. The scout heard
-them attentively, but impatiently, and finally closed the discussion,
-by answering, in a tone that instantly silenced Alice, while it told
-Heyward how fruitless any further remonstrances would be.
-
-"I have heard," he said, "that there is a feeling in youth which binds
-man to woman closer than the father is tied to the son. It may be so.
-I have seldom been where women of my color dwell; but such may be the
-gifts of nature in the settlements. You have risked life, and all that
-is dear to you, to bring off this gentle one, and I suppose that some
-such disposition is at the bottom of it all. As for me, I taught the lad
-the real character of a rifle; and well has he paid me for it. I have
-fou't at his side in many a bloody scrimmage; and so long as I could
-hear the crack of his piece in one ear, and that of the Sagamore in the
-other, I knew no enemy was on my back. Winters and summer, nights and
-days, have we roved the wilderness in company, eating of the same dish,
-one sleeping while the other watched; and afore it shall be said that
-Uncas was taken to the torment, and I at hand--There is but a single
-Ruler of us all, whatever may the color of the skin; and Him I call
-to witness, that before the Mohican boy shall perish for the want of
-a friend, good faith shall depart the 'arth, and 'killdeer' become as
-harmless as the tooting we'pon of the singer!"
-
-Duncan released his hold on the arm of the scout, who turned, and
-steadily retraced his steps toward the lodges. After pausing a moment to
-gaze at his retiring form, the successful and yet sorrowful Heyward
-and Alice took their way together toward the distant village of the
-Delawares.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 26
-
-     "Bot.--Let me play the lion too."
-     --Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-Notwithstanding the high resolution of Hawkeye he fully comprehended all
-the difficulties and danger he was about to incur. In his return to
-the camp, his acute and practised intellects were intently engaged in
-devising means to counteract a watchfulness and suspicion on the part
-of his enemies, that he knew were, in no degree, inferior to his own.
-Nothing but the color of his skin had saved the lives of Magua and the
-conjurer, who would have been the first victims sacrificed to his own
-security, had not the scout believed such an act, however congenial it
-might be to the nature of an Indian, utterly unworthy of one who boasted
-a descent from men that knew no cross of blood. Accordingly, he trusted
-to the withes and ligaments with which he had bound his captives,
-and pursued his way directly toward the center of the lodges. As he
-approached the buildings, his steps become more deliberate, and his
-vigilant eye suffered no sign, whether friendly or hostile, to escape
-him. A neglected hut was a little in advance of the others, and appeared
-as if it had been deserted when half completed--most probably on account
-of failing in some of the more important requisites; such as wood
-or water. A faint light glimmered through its cracks, however, and
-announced that, notwithstanding its imperfect structure, it was not
-without a tenant. Thither, then, the scout proceeded, like a prudent
-general, who was about to feel the advanced positions of his enemy,
-before he hazarded the main attack.
-
-Throwing himself into a suitable posture for the beast he represented,
-Hawkeye crawled to a little opening, where he might command a view of
-the interior. It proved to be the abiding place of David Gamut. Hither
-the faithful singing-master had now brought himself, together with
-all his sorrows, his apprehensions, and his meek dependence on the
-protection of Providence. At the precise moment when his ungainly person
-came under the observation of the scout, in the manner just mentioned,
-the woodsman himself, though in his assumed character, was the subject
-of the solitary being's profounded reflections.
-
-However implicit the faith of David was in the performance of ancient
-miracles, he eschewed the belief of any direct supernatural agency in
-the management of modern morality. In other words, while he had implicit
-faith in the ability of Balaam's ass to speak, he was somewhat skeptical
-on the subject of a bear's singing; and yet he had been assured of
-the latter, on the testimony of his own exquisite organs. There was
-something in his air and manner that betrayed to the scout the utter
-confusion of the state of his mind. He was seated on a pile of brush,
-a few twigs from which occasionally fed his low fire, with his head
-leaning on his arm, in a posture of melancholy musing. The costume
-of the votary of music had undergone no other alteration from that so
-lately described, except that he had covered his bald head with the
-triangular beaver, which had not proved sufficiently alluring to excite
-the cupidity of any of his captors.
-
-The ingenious Hawkeye, who recalled the hasty manner in which the other
-had abandoned his post at the bedside of the sick woman, was not without
-his suspicions concerning the subject of so much solemn deliberation.
-First making the circuit of the hut, and ascertaining that it stood
-quite alone, and that the character of its inmate was likely to protect
-it from visitors, he ventured through its low door, into the very
-presence of Gamut. The position of the latter brought the fire between
-them; and when Hawkeye had seated himself on end, near a minute elapsed,
-during which the two remained regarding each other without speaking.
-The suddenness and the nature of the surprise had nearly proved too much
-for--we will not say the philosophy--but for the pitch and resolution
-of David. He fumbled for his pitch-pipe, and arose with a confused
-intention of attempting a musical exorcism.
-
-"Dark and mysterious monster!" he exclaimed, while with trembling hands
-he disposed of his auxiliary eyes, and sought his never-failing resource
-in trouble, the gifted version of the psalms; "I know not your nature
-nor intents; but if aught you meditate against the person and rights
-of one of the humblest servants of the temple, listen to the inspired
-language of the youth of Israel, and repent."
-
-The bear shook his shaggy sides, and then a well-known voice replied:
-
-"Put up the tooting we'pon, and teach your throat modesty. Five words
-of plain and comprehendible English are worth just now an hour of
-squalling."
-
-"What art thou?" demanded David, utterly disqualified to pursue his
-original intention, and nearly gasping for breath.
-
-"A man like yourself; and one whose blood is as little tainted by the
-cross of a bear, or an Indian, as your own. Have you so soon forgotten
-from whom you received the foolish instrument you hold in your hand?"
-
-"Can these things be?" returned David, breathing more freely, as the
-truth began to dawn upon him. "I have found many marvels during my
-sojourn with the heathen, but surely nothing to excel this."
-
-"Come, come," returned Hawkeye, uncasing his honest countenance, the
-better to assure the wavering confidence of his companion; "you may see
-a skin, which, if it be not as white as one of the gentle ones, has no
-tinge of red to it that the winds of the heaven and the sun have not
-bestowed. Now let us to business."
-
-"First tell me of the maiden, and of the youth who so bravely sought
-her," interrupted David.
-
-"Ay, they are happily freed from the tomahawks of these varlets. But can
-you put me on the scent of Uncas?"
-
-"The young man is in bondage, and much I fear his death is decreed. I
-greatly mourn that one so well disposed should die in his ignorance, and
-I have sought a goodly hymn--"
-
-"Can you lead me to him?"
-
-"The task will not be difficult," returned David, hesitating; "though
-I greatly fear your presence would rather increase than mitigate his
-unhappy fortunes."
-
-"No more words, but lead on," returned Hawkeye, concealing his face
-again, and setting the example in his own person, by instantly quitting
-the lodge.
-
-As they proceeded, the scout ascertained that his companion found access
-to Uncas, under privilege of his imaginary infirmity, aided by the favor
-he had acquired with one of the guards, who, in consequence of speaking
-a little English, had been selected by David as the subject of a
-religious conversion. How far the Huron comprehended the intentions of
-his new friend may well be doubted; but as exclusive attention is
-as flattering to a savage as to a more civilized individual, it had
-produced the effect we have mentioned. It is unnecessary to repeat the
-shrewd manner with which the scout extracted these particulars from the
-simple David; neither shall we dwell in this place on the nature of the
-instruction he delivered, when completely master of all the necessary
-facts; as the whole will be sufficiently explained to the reader in the
-course of the narrative.
-
-The lodge in which Uncas was confined was in the very center of the
-village, and in a situation, perhaps, more difficult than any other to
-approach, or leave, without observation. But it was not the policy of
-Hawkeye to affect the least concealment. Presuming on his disguise, and
-his ability to sustain the character he had assumed, he took the most
-plain and direct route to the place. The hour, however, afforded him
-some little of that protection which he appeared so much to despise. The
-boys were already buried in sleep, and all the women, and most of the
-warriors, had retired to their lodges for the night. Four or five of
-the latter only lingered about the door of the prison of Uncas, wary but
-close observers of the manner of their captive.
-
-At the sight of Gamut, accompanied by one in the well-known masquerade
-of their most distinguished conjurer, they readily made way for them
-both. Still they betrayed no intention to depart. On the other hand,
-they were evidently disposed to remain bound to the place by an
-additional interest in the mysterious mummeries that they of course
-expected from such a visit.
-
-From the total inability of the scout to address the Hurons in their own
-language, he was compelled to trust the conversation entirely to David.
-Notwithstanding the simplicity of the latter, he did ample justice to
-the instructions he had received, more than fulfilling the strongest
-hopes of his teacher.
-
-"The Delawares are women!" he exclaimed, addressing himself to the
-savage who had a slight understanding of the language in which he spoke;
-"the Yengeese, my foolish countrymen, have told them to take up the
-tomahawk, and strike their fathers in the Canadas, and they have
-forgotten their sex. Does my brother wish to hear 'Le Cerf Agile' ask
-for his petticoats, and see him weep before the Hurons, at the stake?"
-
-The exclamation "Hugh!" delivered in a strong tone of assent, announced
-the gratification the savage would receive in witnessing such an
-exhibition of weakness in an enemy so long hated and so much feared.
-
-"Then let him step aside, and the cunning man will blow upon the dog.
-Tell it to my brothers."
-
-The Huron explained the meaning of David to his fellows, who, in their
-turn, listened to the project with that sort of satisfaction that
-their untamed spirits might be expected to find in such a refinement in
-cruelty. They drew back a little from the entrance and motioned to the
-supposed conjurer to enter. But the bear, instead of obeying, maintained
-the seat it had taken, and growled:
-
-"The cunning man is afraid that his breath will blow upon his brothers,
-and take away their courage too," continued David, improving the hint he
-received; "they must stand further off."
-
-The Hurons, who would have deemed such a misfortune the heaviest
-calamity that could befall them, fell back in a body, taking a position
-where they were out of earshot, though at the same time they could
-command a view of the entrance to the lodge. Then, as if satisfied of
-their safety, the scout left his position, and slowly entered the place.
-It was silent and gloomy, being tenanted solely by the captive, and
-lighted by the dying embers of a fire, which had been used for the
-purposed of cookery.
-
-Uncas occupied a distant corner, in a reclining attitude, being rigidly
-bound, both hands and feet, by strong and painful withes. When the
-frightful object first presented itself to the young Mohican, he did not
-deign to bestow a single glance on the animal. The scout, who had left
-David at the door, to ascertain they were not observed, thought it
-prudent to preserve his disguise until assured of their privacy. Instead
-of speaking, therefore, he exerted himself to enact one of the antics of
-the animal he represented. The young Mohican, who at first believed his
-enemies had sent in a real beast to torment him, and try his nerves,
-detected in those performances that to Heyward had appeared so accurate,
-certain blemishes, that at once betrayed the counterfeit. Had Hawkeye
-been aware of the low estimation in which the skillful Uncas held his
-representations, he would probably have prolonged the entertainment
-a little in pique. But the scornful expression of the young man's eye
-admitted of so many constructions, that the worthy scout was spared the
-mortification of such a discovery. As soon, therefore, as David gave the
-preconcerted signal, a low hissing sound was heard in the lodge in place
-of the fierce growlings of the bear.
-
-Uncas had cast his body back against the wall of the hut and closed
-his eyes, as if willing to exclude so contemptible and disagreeable
-an object from his sight. But the moment the noise of the serpent was
-heard, he arose, and cast his looks on each side of him, bending his
-head low, and turning it inquiringly in every direction, until his keen
-eye rested on the shaggy monster, where it remained riveted, as though
-fixed by the power of a charm. Again the same sounds were repeated,
-evidently proceeding from the mouth of the beast. Once more the eyes of
-the youth roamed over the interior of the lodge, and returning to the
-former resting place, he uttered, in a deep, suppressed voice:
-
-"Hawkeye!"
-
-"Cut his bands," said Hawkeye to David, who just then approached them.
-
-The singer did as he was ordered, and Uncas found his limbs released. At
-the same moment the dried skin of the animal rattled, and presently
-the scout arose to his feet, in proper person. The Mohican appeared to
-comprehend the nature of the attempt his friend had made, intuitively,
-neither tongue nor feature betraying another symptom of surprise. When
-Hawkeye had cast his shaggy vestment, which was done by simply loosing
-certain thongs of skin, he drew a long, glittering knife, and put it in
-the hands of Uncas.
-
-"The red Hurons are without," he said; "let us be ready." At the same
-time he laid his finger significantly on another similar weapon, both
-being the fruits of his prowess among their enemies during the evening.
-
-"We will go," said Uncas.
-
-"Whither?"
-
-"To the Tortoises; they are the children of my grandfathers."
-
-"Ay, lad," said the scout in English--a language he was apt to use
-when a little abstracted in mind; "the same blood runs in your veins,
-I believe; but time and distance has a little changed its color. What
-shall we do with the Mingoes at the door? They count six, and this
-singer is as good as nothing."
-
-"The Hurons are boasters," said Uncas, scornfully; "their 'totem' is
-a moose, and they run like snails. The Delawares are children of the
-tortoise, and they outstrip the deer."
-
-"Ay, lad, there is truth in what you say; and I doubt not, on a rush,
-you would pass the whole nation; and, in a straight race of two miles,
-would be in, and get your breath again, afore a knave of them all was
-within hearing of the other village. But the gift of a white man lies
-more in his arms than in his legs. As for myself, I can brain a Huron as
-well as a better man; but when it comes to a race the knaves would prove
-too much for me."
-
-Uncas, who had already approached the door, in readiness to lead the
-way, now recoiled, and placed himself, once more, in the bottom of the
-lodge. But Hawkeye, who was too much occupied with his own thoughts
-to note the movement, continued speaking more to himself than to his
-companion.
-
-"After all," he said, "it is unreasonable to keep one man in bondage to
-the gifts of another. So, Uncas, you had better take the lead, while I
-will put on the skin again, and trust to cunning for want of speed."
-
-The young Mohican made no reply, but quietly folded his arms, and leaned
-his body against one of the upright posts that supported the wall of the
-hut.
-
-"Well," said the scout looking up at him, "why do you tarry? There will
-be time enough for me, as the knaves will give chase to you at first."
-
-"Uncas will stay," was the calm reply.
-
-"For what?"
-
-"To fight with his father's brother, and die with the friend of the
-Delawares."
-
-"Ay, lad," returned Hawkeye, squeezing the hand of Uncas between his own
-iron fingers; "'twould have been more like a Mingo than a Mohican had
-you left me. But I thought I would make the offer, seeing that youth
-commonly loves life. Well, what can't be done by main courage, in war,
-must be done by circumvention. Put on the skin; I doubt not you can play
-the bear nearly as well as myself."
-
-Whatever might have been the private opinion of Uncas of their
-respective abilities in this particular, his grave countenance
-manifested no opinion of his superiority. He silently and expeditiously
-encased himself in the covering of the beast, and then awaited such
-other movements as his more aged companion saw fit to dictate.
-
-"Now, friend," said Hawkeye, addressing David, "an exchange of garments
-will be a great convenience to you, inasmuch as you are but little
-accustomed to the make-shifts of the wilderness. Here, take my hunting
-shirt and cap, and give me your blanket and hat. You must trust me with
-the book and spectacles, as well as the tooter, too; if we ever meet
-again, in better times, you shall have all back again, with many thanks
-into the bargain."
-
-David parted with the several articles named with a readiness that would
-have done great credit to his liberality, had he not certainly profited,
-in many particulars, by the exchange. Hawkeye was not long in assuming
-his borrowed garments; and when his restless eyes were hid behind the
-glasses, and his head was surmounted by the triangular beaver, as their
-statures were not dissimilar, he might readily have passed for the
-singer, by starlight. As soon as these dispositions were made, the scout
-turned to David, and gave him his parting instructions.
-
-"Are you much given to cowardice?" he bluntly asked, by way of obtaining
-a suitable understanding of the whole case before he ventured a
-prescription.
-
-"My pursuits are peaceful, and my temper, I humbly trust, is greatly
-given to mercy and love," returned David, a little nettled at so direct
-an attack on his manhood; "but there are none who can say that I have
-ever forgotten my faith in the Lord, even in the greatest straits."
-
-"Your chiefest danger will be at the moment when the savages find out
-that they have been deceived. If you are not then knocked on the head,
-your being a non-composser will protect you; and you'll then have a good
-reason to expect to die in your bed. If you stay, it must be to sit down
-here in the shadow, and take the part of Uncas, until such times as the
-cunning of the Indians discover the cheat, when, as I have already said,
-your times of trial will come. So choose for yourself--to make a rush or
-tarry here."
-
-"Even so," said David, firmly; "I will abide in the place of the
-Delaware. Bravely and generously has he battled in my behalf, and this,
-and more, will I dare in his service."
-
-"You have spoken as a man, and like one who, under wiser schooling,
-would have been brought to better things. Hold your head down, and
-draw in your legs; their formation might tell the truth too early. Keep
-silent as long as may be; and it would be wise, when you do speak, to
-break out suddenly in one of your shoutings, which will serve to remind
-the Indians that you are not altogether as responsible as men should be.
-If however, they take your scalp, as I trust and believe they will not,
-depend on it, Uncas and I will not forget the deed, but revenge it as
-becomes true warriors and trusty friends."
-
-"Hold!" said David, perceiving that with this assurance they were about
-to leave him; "I am an unworthy and humble follower of one who taught
-not the damnable principle of revenge. Should I fall, therefore, seek
-no victims to my manes, but rather forgive my destroyers; and if you
-remember them at all, let it be in prayers for the enlightening of their
-minds, and for their eternal welfare."
-
-The scout hesitated, and appeared to muse.
-
-"There is a principle in that," he said, "different from the law of the
-woods; and yet it is fair and noble to reflect upon." Then heaving
-a heavy sigh, probably among the last he ever drew in pining for a
-condition he had so long abandoned, he added: "it is what I would wish
-to practise myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it is not
-always easy to deal with an Indian as you would with a fellow Christian.
-God bless you, friend; I do believe your scent is not greatly wrong,
-when the matter is duly considered, and keeping eternity before the
-eyes, though much depends on the natural gifts, and the force of
-temptation."
-
-So saying, the scout returned and shook David cordially by the hand;
-after which act of friendship he immediately left the lodge, attended by
-the new representative of the beast.
-
-The instant Hawkeye found himself under the observation of the Hurons,
-he drew up his tall form in the rigid manner of David, threw out his
-arm in the act of keeping time, and commenced what he intended for an
-imitation of his psalmody. Happily for the success of this delicate
-adventure, he had to deal with ears but little practised in the concord
-of sweet sounds, or the miserable effort would infallibly have been
-detected. It was necessary to pass within a dangerous proximity of the
-dark group of the savages, and the voice of the scout grew louder as
-they drew nigher. When at the nearest point the Huron who spoke the
-English thrust out an arm, and stopped the supposed singing-master.
-
-"The Delaware dog!" he said, leaning forward, and peering through
-the dim light to catch the expression of the other's features; "is he
-afraid? Will the Hurons hear his groans?"
-
-A growl, so exceedingly fierce and natural, proceeded from the beast,
-that the young Indian released his hold and started aside, as if to
-assure himself that it was not a veritable bear, and no counterfeit,
-that was rolling before him. Hawkeye, who feared his voice would betray
-him to his subtle enemies, gladly profited by the interruption, to break
-out anew in such a burst of musical expression as would, probably, in
-a more refined state of society have been termed "a grand crash." Among
-his actual auditors, however, it merely gave him an additional claim to
-that respect which they never withhold from such as are believed to be
-the subjects of mental alienation. The little knot of Indians drew back
-in a body, and suffered, as they thought, the conjurer and his inspired
-assistant to proceed.
-
-It required no common exercise of fortitude in Uncas and the scout to
-continue the dignified and deliberate pace they had assumed in passing
-the lodge; especially as they immediately perceived that curiosity had
-so far mastered fear, as to induce the watchers to approach the hut, in
-order to witness the effect of the incantations. The least injudicious
-or impatient movement on the part of David might betray them, and time
-was absolutely necessary to insure the safety of the scout. The loud
-noise the latter conceived it politic to continue, drew many curious
-gazers to the doors of the different huts as thy passed; and once or
-twice a dark-looking warrior stepped across their path, led to the act
-by superstition and watchfulness. They were not, however, interrupted,
-the darkness of the hour, and the boldness of the attempt, proving their
-principal friends.
-
-The adventurers had got clear of the village, and were now swiftly
-approaching the shelter of the woods, when a loud and long cry arose
-from the lodge where Uncas had been confined. The Mohican started on
-his feet, and shook his shaggy covering, as though the animal he
-counterfeited was about to make some desperate effort.
-
-"Hold!" said the scout, grasping his friend by the shoulder, "let them
-yell again! 'Twas nothing but wonderment."
-
-He had no occasion to delay, for at the next instant a burst of cries
-filled the outer air, and ran along the whole extent of the village.
-Uncas cast his skin, and stepped forth in his own beautiful proportions.
-Hawkeye tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and glided ahead.
-
-"Now let the devils strike our scent!" said the scout, tearing two
-rifles, with all their attendant accouterments, from beneath a bush, and
-flourishing "killdeer" as he handed Uncas his weapon; "two, at least,
-will find it to their deaths."
-
-Then, throwing their pieces to a low trail, like sportsmen in readiness
-for their game, they dashed forward, and were soon buried in the somber
-darkness of the forest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 27
-
-     "Ant. I shall remember: When C'sar says
-     Do this, it is performed."
-     --Julius Caesar
-
-The impatience of the savages who lingered about the prison of Uncas, as
-has been seen, had overcome their dread of the conjurer's breath. They
-stole cautiously, and with beating hearts, to a crevice, through which
-the faint light of the fire was glimmering. For several minutes they
-mistook the form of David for that of the prisoner; but the very
-accident which Hawkeye had foreseen occurred. Tired of keeping the
-extremities of his long person so near together, the singer gradually
-suffered the lower limbs to extend themselves, until one of his
-misshapen feet actually came in contact with and shoved aside the embers
-of the fire. At first the Hurons believed the Delaware had been thus
-deformed by witchcraft. But when David, unconscious of being observed,
-turned his head, and exposed his simple, mild countenance, in place of
-the haughty lineaments of their prisoner, it would have exceeded the
-credulity of even a native to have doubted any longer. They rushed
-together into the lodge, and, laying their hands, with but little
-ceremony, on their captive, immediately detected the imposition. Then
-arose the cry first heard by the fugitives. It was succeeded by the most
-frantic and angry demonstrations of vengeance. David, however, firm in
-his determination to cover the retreat of his friends, was compelled to
-believe that his own final hour had come. Deprived of his book and his
-pipe, he was fain to trust to a memory that rarely failed him on such
-subjects; and breaking forth in a loud and impassioned strain, he
-endeavored to smooth his passage into the other world by singing the
-opening verse of a funeral anthem. The Indians were seasonably reminded
-of his infirmity, and, rushing into the open air, they aroused the
-village in the manner described.
-
-A native warrior fights as he sleeps, without the protection of anything
-defensive. The sounds of the alarm were, therefore, hardly uttered
-before two hundred men were afoot, and ready for the battle or the
-chase, as either might be required. The escape was soon known; and the
-whole tribe crowded, in a body, around the council-lodge, impatiently
-awaiting the instruction of their chiefs. In such a sudden demand on
-their wisdom, the presence of the cunning Magua could scarcely fail of
-being needed. His name was mentioned, and all looked round in wonder
-that he did not appear. Messengers were then despatched to his lodge
-requiring his presence.
-
-In the meantime, some of the swiftest and most discreet of the young
-men were ordered to make the circuit of the clearing, under cover of
-the woods, in order to ascertain that their suspected neighbors, the
-Delawares, designed no mischief. Women and children ran to and fro;
-and, in short, the whole encampment exhibited another scene of wild
-and savage confusion. Gradually, however, these symptoms of disorder
-diminished; and in a few minutes the oldest and most distinguished
-chiefs were assembled in the lodge, in grave consultation.
-
-The clamor of many voices soon announced that a party approached, who
-might be expected to communicate some intelligence that would explain
-the mystery of the novel surprise. The crowd without gave way, and
-several warriors entered the place, bringing with them the hapless
-conjurer, who had been left so long by the scout in duress.
-
-Notwithstanding this man was held in very unequal estimation among the
-Hurons, some believing implicitly in his power, and others deeming him
-an impostor, he was now listened to by all with the deepest attention.
-When his brief story was ended, the father of the sick woman stepped
-forth, and, in a few pithy expression, related, in his turn, what he
-knew. These two narratives gave a proper direction to the subsequent
-inquiries, which were now made with the characteristic cunning of
-savages.
-
-Instead of rushing in a confused and disorderly throng to the cavern,
-ten of the wisest and firmest among the chiefs were selected to
-prosecute the investigation. As no time was to be lost, the instant the
-choice was made the individuals appointed rose in a body and left the
-place without speaking. On reaching the entrance, the younger men in
-advance made way for their seniors; and the whole proceeded along
-the low, dark gallery, with the firmness of warriors ready to devote
-themselves to the public good, though, at the same time, secretly
-doubting the nature of the power with which they were about to contend.
-
-The outer apartment of the cavern was silent and gloomy. The woman lay
-in her usual place and posture, though there were those present who
-affirmed they had seen her borne to the woods by the supposed "medicine
-of the white men." Such a direct and palpable contradiction of the tale
-related by the father caused all eyes to be turned on him. Chafed by
-the silent imputation, and inwardly troubled by so unaccountable a
-circumstance, the chief advanced to the side of the bed, and, stooping,
-cast an incredulous look at the features, as if distrusting their
-reality. His daughter was dead.
-
-The unerring feeling of nature for a moment prevailed and the old
-warrior hid his eyes in sorrow. Then, recovering his self-possession, he
-faced his companions, and, pointing toward the corpse, he said, in the
-language of his people:
-
-"The wife of my young man has left us! The Great Spirit is angry with
-his children."
-
-The mournful intelligence was received in solemn silence. After a short
-pause, one of the elder Indians was about to speak, when a dark-looking
-object was seen rolling out of an adjoining apartment, into the very
-center of the room where they stood. Ignorant of the nature of the
-beings they had to deal with, the whole party drew back a little, and,
-rising on end, exhibited the distorted but still fierce and sullen
-features of Magua. The discovery was succeeded by a general exclamation
-of amazement.
-
-As soon, however, as the true situation of the chief was understood,
-several knives appeared, and his limbs and tongue were quickly released.
-The Huron arose, and shook himself like a lion quitting his lair. Not a
-word escaped him, though his hand played convulsively with the handle of
-his knife, while his lowering eyes scanned the whole party, as if they
-sought an object suited to the first burst of his vengeance.
-
-It was happy for Uncas and the scout, and even David, that they were
-all beyond the reach of his arm at such a moment; for, assuredly,
-no refinement in cruelty would then have deferred their deaths, in
-opposition to the promptings of the fierce temper that nearly choked
-him. Meeting everywhere faces that he knew as friends, the savage grated
-his teeth together like rasps of iron, and swallowed his passion for
-want of a victim on whom to vent it. This exhibition of anger was noted
-by all present; and from an apprehension of exasperating a temper that
-was already chafed nearly to madness, several minutes were suffered to
-pass before another word was uttered. When, however, suitable time had
-elapsed, the oldest of the party spoke.
-
-"My friend has found an enemy," he said. "Is he nigh that the Hurons
-might take revenge?"
-
-"Let the Delaware die!" exclaimed Magua, in a voice of thunder.
-
-Another longer and expressive silence was observed, and was broken, as
-before, with due precaution, by the same individual.
-
-"The Mohican is swift of foot, and leaps far," he said; "but my young
-men are on his trail."
-
-"Is he gone?" demanded Magua, in tones so deep and guttural, that they
-seemed to proceed from his inmost chest.
-
-"An evil spirit has been among us, and the Delaware has blinded our
-eyes."
-
-"An evil spirit!" repeated the other, mockingly; "'tis the spirit that
-has taken the lives of so many Hurons; the spirit that slew my young men
-at 'the tumbling river'; that took their scalps at the 'healing spring';
-and who has, now, bound the arms of Le Renard Subtil!"
-
-"Of whom does my friend speak?"
-
-"Of the dog who carries the heart and cunning of a Huron under a pale
-skin--La Longue Carabine."
-
-The pronunciation of so terrible a name produced the usual effect among
-his auditors. But when time was given for reflection, and the warriors
-remembered that their formidable and daring enemy had even been in the
-bosom of their encampment, working injury, fearful rage took the place
-of wonder, and all those fierce passions with which the bosom of Magua
-had just been struggling were suddenly transferred to his companions.
-Some among them gnashed their teeth in anger, others vented their
-feelings in yells, and some, again, beat the air as frantically as if
-the object of their resentment were suffering under their blows. But
-this sudden outbreaking of temper as quickly subsided in the still and
-sullen restraint they most affected in their moments of inaction.
-
-Magua, who had in his turn found leisure for reflection, now changed his
-manner, and assumed the air of one who knew how to think and act with a
-dignity worthy of so grave a subject.
-
-"Let us go to my people," he said; "they wait for us."
-
-His companions consented in silence, and the whole of the savage party
-left the cavern and returned to the council-lodge. When they were
-seated, all eyes turned on Magua, who understood, from such an
-indication, that, by common consent, they had devolved the duty of
-relating what had passed on him. He arose, and told his tale without
-duplicity or reservation. The whole deception practised by both Duncan
-and Hawkeye was, of course, laid naked, and no room was found, even for
-the most superstitious of the tribe, any longer to affix a doubt on the
-character of the occurrences. It was but too apparent that they had been
-insultingly, shamefully, disgracefully deceived. When he had ended, and
-resumed his seat, the collected tribe--for his auditors, in substance,
-included all the fighting men of the party--sat regarding each other
-like men astonished equally at the audacity and the success of
-their enemies. The next consideration, however, was the means and
-opportunities for revenge.
-
-Additional pursuers were sent on the trail of the fugitives; and
-then the chiefs applied themselves, in earnest, to the business of
-consultation. Many different expedients were proposed by the elder
-warriors, in succession, to all of which Magua was a silent and
-respectful listener. That subtle savage had recovered his artifice and
-self-command, and now proceeded toward his object with his customary
-caution and skill. It was only when each one disposed to speak had
-uttered his sentiments, that he prepared to advance his own opinions.
-They were given with additional weight from the circumstance that some
-of the runners had already returned, and reported that their enemies had
-been traced so far as to leave no doubt of their having sought safety in
-the neighboring camp of their suspected allies, the Delawares. With the
-advantage of possessing this important intelligence, the chief warily
-laid his plans before his fellows, and, as might have been anticipated
-from his eloquence and cunning, they were adopted without a dissenting
-voice. They were, briefly, as follows, both in opinions and in motives.
-
-It has been already stated that, in obedience to a policy rarely
-departed from, the sisters were separated so soon as they reached the
-Huron village. Magua had early discovered that in retaining the person
-of Alice, he possessed the most effectual check on Cora. When they
-parted, therefore, he kept the former within reach of his hand,
-consigning the one he most valued to the keeping of their allies. The
-arrangement was understood to be merely temporary, and was made as much
-with a view to flatter his neighbors as in obedience to the invariable
-rule of Indian policy.
-
-While goaded incessantly by these revengeful impulses that in a savage
-seldom slumber, the chief was still attentive to his more permanent
-personal interests. The follies and disloyalty committed in his youth
-were to be expiated by a long and painful penance, ere he could be
-restored to the full enjoyment of the confidence of his ancient people;
-and without confidence there could be no authority in an Indian tribe.
-In this delicate and arduous situation, the crafty native had neglected
-no means of increasing his influence; and one of the happiest of his
-expedients had been the success with which he had cultivated the favor
-of their powerful and dangerous neighbors. The result of his experiment
-had answered all the expectations of his policy; for the Hurons were in
-no degree exempt from that governing principle of nature, which induces
-man to value his gifts precisely in the degree that they are appreciated
-by others.
-
-But, while he was making this ostensible sacrifice to general
-considerations, Magua never lost sight of his individual motives. The
-latter had been frustrated by the unlooked-for events which had placed
-all his prisoners beyond his control; and he now found himself reduced
-to the necessity of suing for favors to those whom it had so lately been
-his policy to oblige.
-
-Several of the chiefs had proposed deep and treacherous schemes to
-surprise the Delawares and, by gaining possession of their camp, to
-recover their prisoners by the same blow; for all agreed that their
-honor, their interests, and the peace and happiness of their dead
-countrymen, imperiously required them speedily to immolate some victims
-to their revenge. But plans so dangerous to attempt, and of such
-doubtful issue, Magua found little difficulty in defeating. He exposed
-their risk and fallacy with his usual skill; and it was only after he
-had removed every impediment, in the shape of opposing advice, that he
-ventured to propose his own projects.
-
-He commenced by flattering the self-love of his auditors; a
-never-failing method of commanding attention. When he had enumerated the
-many different occasions on which the Hurons had exhibited their courage
-and prowess, in the punishment of insults, he digressed in a high
-encomium on the virtue of wisdom. He painted the quality as forming the
-great point of difference between the beaver and other brutes; between
-the brutes and men; and, finally, between the Hurons, in particular,
-and the rest of the human race. After he had sufficiently extolled the
-property of discretion, he undertook to exhibit in what manner its use
-was applicable to the present situation of their tribe. On the one hand,
-he said, was their great pale father, the governor of the Canadas, who
-had looked upon his children with a hard eye since their tomahawks had
-been so red; on the other, a people as numerous as themselves, who spoke
-a different language, possessed different interests, and loved them not,
-and who would be glad of any pretense to bring them in disgrace with the
-great white chief. Then he spoke of their necessities; of the gifts they
-had a right to expect for their past services; of their distance from
-their proper hunting-grounds and native villages; and of the necessity
-of consulting prudence more, and inclination less, in so critical
-circumstances. When he perceived that, while the old men applauded his
-moderation, many of the fiercest and most distinguished of the warriors
-listened to these politic plans with lowering looks, he cunningly led
-them back to the subject which they most loved. He spoke openly of the
-fruits of their wisdom, which he boldly pronounced would be a complete
-and final triumph over their enemies. He even darkly hinted that their
-success might be extended, with proper caution, in such a manner as to
-include the destruction of all whom they had reason to hate. In short,
-he so blended the warlike with the artful, the obvious with the obscure,
-as to flatter the propensities of both parties, and to leave to each
-subject of hope, while neither could say it clearly comprehended his
-intentions.
-
-The orator, or the politician, who can produce such a state of things,
-is commonly popular with his contemporaries, however he may be treated
-by posterity. All perceived that more was meant than was uttered, and
-each one believed that the hidden meaning was precisely such as his
-own faculties enabled him to understand, or his own wishes led him to
-anticipate.
-
-In this happy state of things, it is not surprising that the management
-of Magua prevailed. The tribe consented to act with deliberation, and
-with one voice they committed the direction of the whole affair to the
-government of the chief who had suggested such wise and intelligible
-expedients.
-
-Magua had now attained one great object of all his cunning and
-enterprise. The ground he had lost in the favor of his people was
-completely regained, and he found himself even placed at the head
-of affairs. He was, in truth, their ruler; and, so long as he could
-maintain his popularity, no monarch could be more despotic, especially
-while the tribe continued in a hostile country. Throwing off, therefore,
-the appearance of consultation, he assumed the grave air of authority
-necessary to support the dignity of his office.
-
-Runners were despatched for intelligence in different directions; spies
-were ordered to approach and feel the encampment of the Delawares; the
-warriors were dismissed to their lodges, with an intimation that their
-services would soon be needed; and the women and children were ordered
-to retire, with a warning that it was their province to be silent. When
-these several arrangements were made, Magua passed through the village,
-stopping here and there to pay a visit where he thought his presence
-might be flattering to the individual. He confirmed his friends in their
-confidence, fixed the wavering, and gratified all. Then he sought his
-own lodge. The wife the Huron chief had abandoned, when he was chased
-from among his people, was dead. Children he had none; and he now
-occupied a hut, without companion of any sort. It was, in fact, the
-dilapidated and solitary structure in which David had been discovered,
-and whom he had tolerated in his presence, on those few occasions when
-they met, with the contemptuous indifference of a haughty superiority.
-
-Hither, then, Magua retired, when his labors of policy were ended. While
-others slept, however, he neither knew or sought repose. Had there been
-one sufficiently curious to have watched the movements of the newly
-elected chief, he would have seen him seated in a corner of his
-lodge, musing on the subject of his future plans, from the hour of his
-retirement to the time he had appointed for the warriors to assemble
-again. Occasionally the air breathed through the crevices of the hut,
-and the low flame that fluttered about the embers of the fire threw
-their wavering light on the person of the sullen recluse. At such
-moments it would not have been difficult to have fancied the dusky
-savage the Prince of Darkness brooding on his own fancied wrongs, and
-plotting evil.
-
-Long before the day dawned, however, warrior after warrior entered the
-solitary hut of Magua, until they had collected to the number of twenty.
-Each bore his rifle, and all the other accouterments of war, though
-the paint was uniformly peaceful. The entrance of these fierce-looking
-beings was unnoticed: some seating themselves in the shadows of the
-place, and others standing like motionless statues, until the whole of
-the designated band was collected.
-
-Then Magua arose and gave the signal to proceed, marching himself in
-advance. They followed their leader singly, and in that well-known order
-which has obtained the distinguishing appellation of "Indian file."
-Unlike other men engaged in the spirit-stirring business of war, they
-stole from their camp unostentatiously and unobserved resembling a band
-of gliding specters, more than warriors seeking the bubble reputation by
-deeds of desperate daring.
-
-Instead of taking the path which led directly toward the camp of the
-Delawares, Magua led his party for some distance down the windings of
-the stream, and along the little artificial lake of the beavers. The
-day began to dawn as they entered the clearing which had been formed by
-those sagacious and industrious animals. Though Magua, who had resumed
-his ancient garb, bore the outline of a fox on the dressed skin which
-formed his robe, there was one chief of his party who carried the beaver
-as his peculiar symbol, or "totem." There would have been a species of
-profanity in the omission, had this man passed so powerful a community
-of his fancied kindred, without bestowing some evidence of his regard.
-Accordingly, he paused, and spoke in words as kind and friendly as if
-he were addressing more intelligent beings. He called the animals his
-cousins, and reminded them that his protecting influence was the reason
-they remained unharmed, while many avaricious traders were prompting the
-Indians to take their lives. He promised a continuance of his favors,
-and admonished them to be grateful. After which, he spoke of the
-expedition in which he was himself engaged, and intimated, though with
-sufficient delicacy and circumlocution, the expediency of bestowing
-on their relative a portion of that wisdom for which they were so
-renowned.*
-
-     * These harangues of the beasts were frequent among the
-     Indians. They often address their victims in this way,
-     reproaching them for cowardice or commending their
-     resolution, as they may happen to exhibit fortitude or the
-     reverse, in suffering.
-
-During the utterance of this extraordinary address, the companions of
-the speaker were as grave and as attentive to his language as though
-they were all equally impressed with its propriety. Once or twice black
-objects were seen rising to the surface of the water, and the Huron
-expressed pleasure, conceiving that his words were not bestowed in vain.
-Just as he ended his address, the head of a large beaver was thrust
-from the door of a lodge, whose earthen walls had been much injured,
-and which the party had believed, from its situation, to be uninhabited.
-Such an extraordinary sign of confidence was received by the orator as
-a highly favorable omen; and though the animal retreated a little
-precipitately, he was lavish of his thanks and commendations.
-
-When Magua thought sufficient time had been lost in gratifying the
-family affection of the warrior, he again made the signal to proceed. As
-the Indians moved away in a body, and with a step that would have been
-inaudible to the ears of any common man, the same venerable-looking
-beaver once more ventured his head from its cover. Had any of the Hurons
-turned to look behind them, they would have seen the animal watching
-their movements with an interest and sagacity that might easily have
-been mistaken for reason. Indeed, so very distinct and intelligible were
-the devices of the quadruped, that even the most experienced observer
-would have been at a loss to account for its actions, until the moment
-when the party entered the forest, when the whole would have been
-explained, by seeing the entire animal issue from the lodge, uncasing,
-by the act, the grave features of Chingachgook from his mask of fur.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 28
-
-     "Brief, I pray for you; for you see, 'tis a busy time with me."
-     --Much Ado About Nothing.
-
-The tribe, or rather half tribe, of Delawares, which has been so
-often mentioned, and whose present place of encampment was so nigh the
-temporary village of the Hurons, could assemble about an equal number of
-warriors with the latter people. Like their neighbors, they had followed
-Montcalm into the territories of the English crown, and were making
-heavy and serious inroads on the hunting-grounds of the Mohawks; though
-they had seen fit, with the mysterious reserve so common among the
-natives, to withhold their assistance at the moment when it was most
-required. The French had accounted for this unexpected defection on
-the part of their ally in various ways. It was the prevalent opinion,
-however, that they had been influenced by veneration for the ancient
-treaty, that had once made them dependent on the Six Nations for
-military protection, and now rendered them reluctant to encounter their
-former masters. As for the tribe itself, it had been content to announce
-to Montcalm, through his emissaries, with Indian brevity, that their
-hatchets were dull, and time was necessary to sharpen them. The politic
-captain of the Canadas had deemed it wiser to submit to entertain a
-passive friend, than by any acts of ill-judged severity to convert him
-into an open enemy.
-
-On that morning when Magua led his silent party from the settlement of
-the beavers into the forests, in the manner described, the sun rose upon
-the Delaware encampment as if it had suddenly burst upon a busy people,
-actively employed in all the customary avocations of high noon. The
-women ran from lodge to lodge, some engaged in preparing their morning's
-meal, a few earnestly bent on seeking the comforts necessary to their
-habits, but more pausing to exchange hasty and whispered sentences with
-their friends. The warriors were lounging in groups, musing more than
-they conversed and when a few words were uttered, speaking like men who
-deeply weighed their opinions. The instruments of the chase were to be
-seen in abundance among the lodges; but none departed. Here and there
-a warrior was examining his arms, with an attention that is rarely
-bestowed on the implements, when no other enemy than the beasts of the
-forest is expected to be encountered. And occasionally, the eyes of a
-whole group were turned simultaneously toward a large and silent lodge
-in the center of the village, as if it contained the subject of their
-common thoughts.
-
-During the existence of this scene, a man suddenly appeared at the
-furthest extremity of a platform of rock which formed the level of the
-village. He was without arms, and his paint tended rather to soften than
-increase the natural sternness of his austere countenance. When in
-full view of the Delawares he stopped, and made a gesture of amity,
-by throwing his arm upward toward heaven, and then letting it fall
-impressively on his breast. The inhabitants of the village answered
-his salute by a low murmur of welcome, and encouraged him to advance by
-similar indications of friendship. Fortified by these assurances, the
-dark figure left the brow of the natural rocky terrace, where it had
-stood a moment, drawn in a strong outline against the blushing morning
-sky, and moved with dignity into the very center of the huts. As he
-approached, nothing was audible but the rattling of the light silver
-ornaments that loaded his arms and neck, and the tinkling of the little
-bells that fringed his deerskin moccasins. He made, as he advanced, many
-courteous signs of greeting to the men he passed, neglecting to notice
-the women, however, like one who deemed their favor, in the present
-enterprise, of no importance. When he had reached the group in which it
-was evident, by the haughtiness of their common mien, that the principal
-chiefs were collected, the stranger paused, and then the Delawares saw
-that the active and erect form that stood before them was that of the
-well-known Huron chief, Le Renard Subtil.
-
-His reception was grave, silent, and wary. The warriors in front stepped
-aside, opening the way to their most approved orator by the action; one
-who spoke all those languages that were cultivated among the northern
-aborigines.
-
-"The wise Huron is welcome," said the Delaware, in the language of the
-Maquas; "he is come to eat his 'succotash'*, with his brothers of the
-lakes."
-
-     * A dish composed of cracked corn and beans. It is much used
-     also by the whites. By corn is meant maise.
-
-"He is come," repeated Magua, bending his head with the dignity of an
-eastern prince.
-
-The chief extended his arm and taking the other by the wrist, they once
-more exchanged friendly salutations. Then the Delaware invited his guest
-to enter his own lodge, and share his morning meal. The invitation was
-accepted; and the two warriors, attended by three or four of the old
-men, walked calmly away, leaving the rest of the tribe devoured by a
-desire to understand the reasons of so unusual a visit, and yet not
-betraying the least impatience by sign or word.
-
-During the short and frugal repast that followed, the conversation was
-extremely circumspect, and related entirely to the events of the hunt,
-in which Magua had so lately been engaged. It would have been impossible
-for the most finished breeding to wear more of the appearance of
-considering the visit as a thing of course, than did his hosts,
-notwithstanding every individual present was perfectly aware that
-it must be connected with some secret object and that probably of
-importance to themselves. When the appetites of the whole were appeased,
-the squaws removed the trenchers and gourds, and the two parties began
-to prepare themselves for a subtle trial of their wits.
-
-"Is the face of my great Canada father turned again toward his Huron
-children?" demanded the orator of the Delawares.
-
-"When was it ever otherwise?" returned Magua. "He calls my people 'most
-beloved'."
-
-The Delaware gravely bowed his acquiescence to what he knew to be false,
-and continued:
-
-"The tomahawks of your young men have been very red."
-
-"It is so; but they are now bright and dull; for the Yengeese are dead,
-and the Delawares are our neighbors."
-
-The other acknowledged the pacific compliment by a gesture of the hand,
-and remained silent. Then Magua, as if recalled to such a recollection,
-by the allusion to the massacre, demanded:
-
-"Does my prisoner give trouble to my brothers?"
-
-"She is welcome."
-
-"The path between the Hurons and the Delawares is short and it is open;
-let her be sent to my squaws, if she gives trouble to my brother."
-
-"She is welcome," returned the chief of the latter nation, still more
-emphatically.
-
-The baffled Magua continued silent several minutes, apparently
-indifferent, however, to the repulse he had received in this his opening
-effort to regain possession of Cora.
-
-"Do my young men leave the Delawares room on the mountains for their
-hunts?" he at length continued.
-
-"The Lenape are rulers of their own hills," returned the other a little
-haughtily.
-
-"It is well. Justice is the master of a red-skin. Why should they
-brighten their tomahawks and sharpen their knives against each other?
-Are not the pale faces thicker than the swallows in the season of
-flowers?"
-
-"Good!" exclaimed two or three of his auditors at the same time.
-
-Magua waited a little, to permit his words to soften the feelings of the
-Delawares, before he added:
-
-"Have there not been strange moccasins in the woods? Have not my
-brothers scented the feet of white men?"
-
-"Let my Canada father come," returned the other, evasively; "his
-children are ready to see him."
-
-"When the great chief comes, it is to smoke with the Indians in their
-wigwams. The Hurons say, too, he is welcome. But the Yengeese have long
-arms, and legs that never tire! My young men dreamed they had seen the
-trail of the Yengeese nigh the village of the Delawares!"
-
-"They will not find the Lenape asleep."
-
-"It is well. The warrior whose eye is open can see his enemy," said
-Magua, once more shifting his ground, when he found himself unable to
-penetrate the caution of his companion. "I have brought gifts to my
-brother. His nation would not go on the warpath, because they did not
-think it well, but their friends have remembered where they lived."
-
-When he had thus announced his liberal intention, the crafty chief
-arose, and gravely spread his presents before the dazzled eyes of his
-hosts. They consisted principally of trinkets of little value, plundered
-from the slaughtered females of William Henry. In the division of
-the baubles the cunning Huron discovered no less art than in their
-selection. While he bestowed those of greater value on the two most
-distinguished warriors, one of whom was his host, he seasoned his
-offerings to their inferiors with such well-timed and apposite
-compliments, as left them no ground of complaint. In short, the whole
-ceremony contained such a happy blending of the profitable with the
-flattering, that it was not difficult for the donor immediately to read
-the effect of a generosity so aptly mingled with praise, in the eyes of
-those he addressed.
-
-This well-judged and politic stroke on the part of Magua was not without
-instantaneous results. The Delawares lost their gravity in a much more
-cordial expression; and the host, in particular, after contemplating
-his own liberal share of the spoil for some moments with peculiar
-gratification, repeated with strong emphasis, the words:
-
-"My brother is a wise chief. He is welcome."
-
-"The Hurons love their friends the Delawares," returned Magua. "Why
-should they not? they are colored by the same sun, and their just men
-will hunt in the same grounds after death. The red-skins should be
-friends, and look with open eyes on the white men. Has not my brother
-scented spies in the woods?"
-
-The Delaware, whose name in English signified "Hard Heart," an
-appellation that the French had translated into "le Coeur-dur," forgot
-that obduracy of purpose, which had probably obtained him so significant
-a title. His countenance grew very sensibly less stern and he now
-deigned to answer more directly.
-
-"There have been strange moccasins about my camp. They have been tracked
-into my lodges."
-
-"Did my brother beat out the dogs?" asked Magua, without adverting in
-any manner to the former equivocation of the chief.
-
-"It would not do. The stranger is always welcome to the children of the
-Lenape."
-
-"The stranger, but not the spy."
-
-"Would the Yengeese send their women as spies? Did not the Huron chief
-say he took women in the battle?"
-
-"He told no lie. The Yengeese have sent out their scouts. They have been
-in my wigwams, but they found there no one to say welcome. Then they
-fled to the Delawares--for, say they, the Delawares are our friends;
-their minds are turned from their Canada father!"
-
-This insinuation was a home thrust, and one that in a more advanced
-state of society would have entitled Magua to the reputation of a
-skillful diplomatist. The recent defection of the tribe had, as they
-well knew themselves, subjected the Delawares to much reproach among
-their French allies; and they were now made to feel that their future
-actions were to be regarded with jealousy and distrust. There was no
-deep insight into causes and effects necessary to foresee that such
-a situation of things was likely to prove highly prejudicial to their
-future movements. Their distant villages, their hunting-grounds and
-hundreds of their women and children, together with a material part
-of their physical force, were actually within the limits of the French
-territory. Accordingly, this alarming annunciation was received, as
-Magua intended, with manifest disapprobation, if not with alarm.
-
-"Let my father look in my face," said Le Coeur-dur; "he will see no
-change. It is true, my young men did not go out on the war-path; they
-had dreams for not doing so. But they love and venerate the great white
-chief."
-
-"Will he think so when he hears that his greatest enemy is fed in the
-camp of his children? When he is told a bloody Yengee smokes at your
-fire? That the pale face who has slain so many of his friends goes in
-and out among the Delawares? Go! my great Canada father is not a fool!"
-
-"Where is the Yengee that the Delawares fear?" returned the other; "who
-has slain my young men? Who is the mortal enemy of my Great Father?"
-
-"La Longue Carabine!"
-
-The Delaware warriors started at the well-known name, betraying by their
-amazement, that they now learned, for the first time, one so famous
-among the Indian allies of France was within their power.
-
-"What does my brother mean?" demanded Le Coeur-dur, in a tone that, by
-its wonder, far exceeded the usual apathy of his race.
-
-"A Huron never lies!" returned Magua, coldly, leaning his head against
-the side of the lodge, and drawing his slight robe across his tawny
-breast. "Let the Delawares count their prisoners; they will find one
-whose skin is neither red nor pale."
-
-A long and musing pause succeeded. The chief consulted apart with his
-companions, and messengers despatched to collect certain others of the
-most distinguished men of the tribe.
-
-As warrior after warrior dropped in, they were each made acquainted, in
-turn, with the important intelligence that Magua had just communicated.
-The air of surprise, and the usual low, deep, guttural exclamation, were
-common to them all. The news spread from mouth to mouth, until the whole
-encampment became powerfully agitated. The women suspended their
-labors, to catch such syllables as unguardedly fell from the lips of
-the consulting warriors. The boys deserted their sports, and walking
-fearlessly among their fathers, looked up in curious admiration, as
-they heard the brief exclamations of wonder they so freely expressed the
-temerity of their hated foe. In short, every occupation was abandoned
-for the time, and all other pursuits seemed discarded in order that the
-tribe might freely indulge, after their own peculiar manner, in an open
-expression of feeling.
-
-When the excitement had a little abated, the old men disposed themselves
-seriously to consider that which it became the honor and safety of
-their tribe to perform, under circumstances of so much delicacy and
-embarrassment. During all these movements, and in the midst of the
-general commotion, Magua had not only maintained his seat, but the very
-attitude he had originally taken, against the side of the lodge, where
-he continued as immovable, and, apparently, as unconcerned, as if he
-had no interest in the result. Not a single indication of the future
-intentions of his hosts, however, escaped his vigilant eyes. With his
-consummate knowledge of the nature of the people with whom he had to
-deal, he anticipated every measure on which they decided; and it might
-almost be said, that, in many instances, he knew their intentions, even
-before they became known to themselves.
-
-The council of the Delawares was short. When it was ended, a general
-bustle announced that it was to be immediately succeeded by a solemn and
-formal assemblage of the nation. As such meetings were rare, and only
-called on occasions of the last importance, the subtle Huron, who still
-sat apart, a wily and dark observer of the proceedings, now knew that
-all his projects must be brought to their final issue. He, therefore,
-left the lodge and walked silently forth to the place, in front of the
-encampment, whither the warriors were already beginning to collect.
-
-It might have been half an hour before each individual, including even
-the women and children, was in his place. The delay had been created
-by the grave preparations that were deemed necessary to so solemn and
-unusual a conference. But when the sun was seen climbing above the tops
-of that mountain, against whose bosom the Delawares had constructed
-their encampment, most were seated; and as his bright rays darted from
-behind the outline of trees that fringed the eminence, they fell upon
-as grave, as attentive, and as deeply interested a multitude, as was
-probably ever before lighted by his morning beams. Its number somewhat
-exceeded a thousand souls.
-
-In a collection of so serious savages, there is never to be found any
-impatient aspirant after premature distinction, standing ready to move
-his auditors to some hasty, and, perhaps, injudicious discussion, in
-order that his own reputation may be the gainer. An act of so much
-precipitancy and presumption would seal the downfall of precocious
-intellect forever. It rested solely with the oldest and most experienced
-of the men to lay the subject of the conference before the people. Until
-such a one chose to make some movement, no deeds in arms, no natural
-gifts, nor any renown as an orator, would have justified the slightest
-interruption. On the present occasion, the aged warrior whose privilege
-it was to speak, was silent, seemingly oppressed with the magnitude
-of his subject. The delay had already continued long beyond the usual
-deliberative pause that always preceded a conference; but no sign of
-impatience or surprise escaped even the youngest boy. Occasionally an
-eye was raised from the earth, where the looks of most were riveted,
-and strayed toward a particular lodge, that was, however, in no manner
-distinguished from those around it, except in the peculiar care that had
-been taken to protect it against the assaults of the weather.
-
-At length one of those low murmurs, that are so apt to disturb a
-multitude, was heard, and the whole nation arose to their feet by
-a common impulse. At that instant the door of the lodge in question
-opened, and three men, issuing from it, slowly approached the place of
-consultation. They were all aged, even beyond that period to which the
-oldest present had reached; but one in the center, who leaned on his
-companions for support, had numbered an amount of years to which the
-human race is seldom permitted to attain. His frame, which had once been
-tall and erect, like the cedar, was now bending under the pressure of
-more than a century. The elastic, light step of an Indian was gone, and
-in its place he was compelled to toil his tardy way over the ground,
-inch by inch. His dark, wrinkled countenance was in singular and wild
-contrast with the long white locks which floated on his shoulders, in
-such thickness, as to announce that generations had probably passed away
-since they had last been shorn.
-
-The dress of this patriarch--for such, considering his vast age, in
-conjunction with his affinity and influence with his people, he might
-very properly be termed--was rich and imposing, though strictly after
-the simple fashions of the tribe. His robe was of the finest
-skins, which had been deprived of their fur, in order to admit of a
-hieroglyphical representation of various deeds in arms, done in former
-ages. His bosom was loaded with medals, some in massive silver, and one
-or two even in gold, the gifts of various Christian potentates during
-the long period of his life. He also wore armlets, and cinctures above
-the ankles, of the latter precious metal. His head, on the whole of
-which the hair had been permitted to grow, the pursuits of war having so
-long been abandoned, was encircled by a sort of plated diadem, which, in
-its turn, bore lesser and more glittering ornaments, that sparkled amid
-the glossy hues of three drooping ostrich feathers, dyed a deep black,
-in touching contrast to the color of his snow-white locks. His tomahawk
-was nearly hid in silver, and the handle of his knife shone like a horn
-of solid gold.
-
-So soon as the first hum of emotion and pleasure, which the sudden
-appearance of this venerated individual created, had a little subsided,
-the name of "Tamenund" was whispered from mouth to mouth. Magua had
-often heard the fame of this wise and just Delaware; a reputation that
-even proceeded so far as to bestow on him the rare gift of holding
-secret communion with the Great Spirit, and which has since transmitted
-his name, with some slight alteration, to the white usurpers of his
-ancient territory, as the imaginary tutelar saint* of a vast empire. The
-Huron chief, therefore, stepped eagerly out a little from the throng,
-to a spot whence he might catch a nearer glimpse of the features of the
-man, whose decision was likely to produce so deep an influence on his
-own fortunes.
-
-     * The Americans sometimes called their tutelar saint
-     Tamenay, a corruption of the name of the renowned chief here
-     introduced. There are many traditions which speak of the
-     character and power of Tamenund.
-
-The eyes of the old man were closed, as though the organs were wearied
-with having so long witnessed the selfish workings of the human
-passions. The color of his skin differed from that of most around him,
-being richer and darker, the latter having been produced by certain
-delicate and mazy lines of complicated and yet beautiful figures, which
-had been traced over most of his person by the operation of tattooing.
-Notwithstanding the position of the Huron, he passed the observant and
-silent Magua without notice, and leaning on his two venerable supporters
-proceeded to the high place of the multitude, where he seated himself in
-the center of his nation, with the dignity of a monarch and the air of a
-father.
-
-Nothing could surpass the reverence and affection with which this
-unexpected visit from one who belongs rather to another world than to
-this, was received by his people. After a suitable and decent pause, the
-principal chiefs arose, and, approaching the patriarch, they placed
-his hands reverently on their heads, seeming to entreat a blessing. The
-younger men were content with touching his robe, or even drawing nigh
-his person, in order to breathe in the atmosphere of one so aged, so
-just, and so valiant. None but the most distinguished among the youthful
-warriors even presumed so far as to perform the latter ceremony, the
-great mass of the multitude deeming it a sufficient happiness to look
-upon a form so deeply venerated, and so well beloved. When these acts
-of affection and respect were performed, the chiefs drew back again to
-their several places, and silence reigned in the whole encampment.
-
-After a short delay, a few of the young men, to whom instructions had
-been whispered by one of the aged attendants of Tamenund, arose, left
-the crowd, and entered the lodge which has already been noted as the
-object of so much attention throughout that morning. In a few minutes
-they reappeared, escorting the individuals who had caused all these
-solemn preparations toward the seat of judgment. The crowd opened in a
-lane; and when the party had re-entered, it closed in again, forming a
-large and dense belt of human bodies, arranged in an open circle.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 29
-
-     "The assembly seated, rising o'er the rest,
-     Achilles thus the king of men addressed."
-     --Pope's Illiad
-
-Cora stood foremost among the prisoners, entwining her arms in those of
-Alice, in the tenderness of sisterly love. Notwithstanding the fearful
-and menacing array of savages on every side of her, no apprehension on
-her own account could prevent the nobler-minded maiden from keeping her
-eyes fastened on the pale and anxious features of the trembling Alice.
-Close at their side stood Heyward, with an interest in both, that, at
-such a moment of intense uncertainty, scarcely knew a preponderance in
-favor of her whom he most loved. Hawkeye had placed himself a little in
-the rear, with a deference to the superior rank of his companions, that
-no similarity in the state of their present fortunes could induce him to
-forget. Uncas was not there.
-
-When perfect silence was again restored, and after the usual long,
-impressive pause, one of the two aged chiefs who sat at the side of the
-patriarch arose, and demanded aloud, in very intelligible English:
-
-"Which of my prisoners is La Longue Carabine?"
-
-Neither Duncan nor the scout answered. The former, however, glanced his
-eyes around the dark and silent assembly, and recoiled a pace, when they
-fell on the malignant visage of Magua. He saw, at once, that this wily
-savage had some secret agency in their present arraignment before the
-nation, and determined to throw every possible impediment in the way of
-the execution of his sinister plans. He had witnessed one instance
-of the summary punishments of the Indians, and now dreaded that his
-companion was to be selected for a second. In this dilemma, with
-little or no time for reflection, he suddenly determined to cloak his
-invaluable friend, at any or every hazard to himself. Before he had
-time, however, to speak, the question was repeated in a louder voice,
-and with a clearer utterance.
-
-"Give us arms," the young man haughtily replied, "and place us in yonder
-woods. Our deeds shall speak for us!"
-
-"This is the warrior whose name has filled our ears!" returned the
-chief, regarding Heyward with that sort of curious interest which seems
-inseparable from man, when first beholding one of his fellows to whom
-merit or accident, virtue or crime, has given notoriety. "What has
-brought the white man into the camp of the Delawares?"
-
-"My necessities. I come for food, shelter, and friends."
-
-"It cannot be. The woods are full of game. The head of a warrior needs
-no other shelter than a sky without clouds; and the Delawares are the
-enemies, and not the friends of the Yengeese. Go, the mouth has spoken,
-while the heart said nothing."
-
-Duncan, a little at a loss in what manner to proceed, remained silent;
-but the scout, who had listened attentively to all that passed, now
-advanced steadily to the front.
-
-"That I did not answer to the call for La Longue Carabine, was not owing
-either to shame or fear," he said, "for neither one nor the other is the
-gift of an honest man. But I do not admit the right of the Mingoes to
-bestow a name on one whose friends have been mindful of his gifts, in
-this particular; especially as their title is a lie, 'killdeer' being a
-grooved barrel and no carabyne. I am the man, however, that got the name
-of Nathaniel from my kin; the compliment of Hawkeye from the Delawares,
-who live on their own river; and whom the Iroquois have presumed to
-style the 'Long Rifle', without any warranty from him who is most
-concerned in the matter."
-
-The eyes of all present, which had hitherto been gravely scanning the
-person of Duncan, were now turned, on the instant, toward the upright
-iron frame of this new pretender to the distinguished appellation. It
-was in no degree remarkable that there should be found two who were
-willing to claim so great an honor, for impostors, though rare, were not
-unknown among the natives; but it was altogether material to the just
-and severe intentions of the Delawares, that there should be no mistake
-in the matter. Some of their old men consulted together in private, and
-then, as it would seem, they determined to interrogate their visitor on
-the subject.
-
-"My brother has said that a snake crept into my camp," said the chief to
-Magua; "which is he?"
-
-The Huron pointed to the scout.
-
-"Will a wise Delaware believe the barking of a wolf?" exclaimed Duncan,
-still more confirmed in the evil intentions of his ancient enemy: "a dog
-never lies, but when was a wolf known to speak the truth?"
-
-The eyes of Magua flashed fire; but suddenly recollecting the necessity
-of maintaining his presence of mind, he turned away in silent disdain,
-well assured that the sagacity of the Indians would not fail to extract
-the real merits of the point in controversy. He was not deceived; for,
-after another short consultation, the wary Delaware turned to him
-again, and expressed the determination of the chiefs, though in the most
-considerate language.
-
-"My brother has been called a liar," he said, "and his friends are
-angry. They will show that he has spoken the truth. Give my prisoners
-guns, and let them prove which is the man."
-
-Magua affected to consider the expedient, which he well knew proceeded
-from distrust of himself, as a compliment, and made a gesture of
-acquiescence, well content that his veracity should be supported by so
-skillful a marksman as the scout. The weapons were instantly placed in
-the hands of the friendly opponents, and they were bid to fire, over
-the heads of the seated multitude, at an earthen vessel, which lay, by
-accident, on a stump, some fifty yards from the place where they stood.
-
-Heyward smiled to himself at the idea of a competition with the scout,
-though he determined to persevere in the deception, until apprised of
-the real designs of Magua.
-
-Raising his rifle with the utmost care, and renewing his aim three
-several times, he fired. The bullet cut the wood within a few inches of
-the vessel; and a general exclamation of satisfaction announced that the
-shot was considered a proof of great skill in the use of a weapon.
-Even Hawkeye nodded his head, as if he would say, it was better than he
-expected. But, instead of manifesting an intention to contend with
-the successful marksman, he stood leaning on his rifle for more than
-a minute, like a man who was completely buried in thought. From this
-reverie, he was, however, awakened by one of the young Indians who
-had furnished the arms, and who now touched his shoulder, saying in
-exceedingly broken English:
-
-"Can the pale face beat it?"
-
-"Yes, Huron!" exclaimed the scout, raising the short rifle in his right
-hand, and shaking it at Magua, with as much apparent ease as if it were
-a reed; "yes, Huron, I could strike you now, and no power on earth could
-prevent the deed! The soaring hawk is not more certain of the dove than
-I am this moment of you, did I choose to send a bullet to your heart!
-Why should I not? Why!--because the gifts of my color forbid it, and I
-might draw down evil on tender and innocent heads. If you know such a
-being as God, thank Him, therefore, in your inward soul; for you have
-reason!"
-
-The flushed countenance, angry eye and swelling figure of the scout,
-produced a sensation of secret awe in all that heard him. The Delawares
-held their breath in expectation; but Magua himself, even while he
-distrusted the forbearance of his enemy, remained immovable and calm,
-where he stood wedged in by the crowd, as one who grew to the spot.
-
-"Beat it," repeated the young Delaware at the elbow of the scout.
-
-"Beat what, fool!--what?" exclaimed Hawkeye, still flourishing the
-weapon angrily above his head, though his eye no longer sought the
-person of Magua.
-
-"If the white man is the warrior he pretends," said the aged chief, "let
-him strike nigher to the mark."
-
-The scout laughed aloud--a noise that produced the startling effect of
-an unnatural sound on Heyward; then dropping the piece, heavily, into
-his extended left hand, it was discharged, apparently by the shock,
-driving the fragments of the vessel into the air, and scattering them on
-every side. Almost at the same instant, the rattling sound of the rifle
-was heard, as he suffered it to fall, contemptuously, to the earth.
-
-The first impression of so strange a scene was engrossing admiration.
-Then a low, but increasing murmur, ran through the multitude, and
-finally swelled into sounds that denoted a lively opposition in
-the sentiments of the spectators. While some openly testified their
-satisfaction at so unexampled dexterity, by far the larger portion
-of the tribe were inclined to believe the success of the shot was the
-result of accident. Heyward was not slow to confirm an opinion that was
-so favorable to his own pretensions.
-
-"It was chance!" he exclaimed; "none can shoot without an aim!"
-
-"Chance!" echoed the excited woodsman, who was now stubbornly bent on
-maintaining his identity at every hazard, and on whom the secret hints
-of Heyward to acquiesce in the deception were entirely lost. "Does
-yonder lying Huron, too, think it chance? Give him another gun, and
-place us face to face, without cover or dodge, and let Providence, and
-our own eyes, decide the matter atween us! I do not make the offer, to
-you, major; for our blood is of a color, and we serve the same master."
-
-"That the Huron is a liar, is very evident," returned Heyward, coolly;
-"you have yourself heard him assert you to be La Longue Carabine."
-
-It were impossible to say what violent assertion the stubborn Hawkeye
-would have next made, in his headlong wish to vindicate his identity,
-had not the aged Delaware once more interposed.
-
-"The hawk which comes from the clouds can return when he will," he said;
-"give them the guns."
-
-This time the scout seized the rifle with avidity; nor had Magua, though
-he watched the movements of the marksman with jealous eyes, any further
-cause for apprehension.
-
-"Now let it be proved, in the face of this tribe of Delawares, which
-is the better man," cried the scout, tapping the butt of his piece with
-that finger which had pulled so many fatal triggers.
-
-"You see that gourd hanging against yonder tree, major; if you are a
-marksman fit for the borders, let me see you break its shell!"
-
-Duncan noted the object, and prepared himself to renew the trial. The
-gourd was one of the usual little vessels used by the Indians, and
-it was suspended from a dead branch of a small pine, by a thong
-of deerskin, at the full distance of a hundred yards. So strangely
-compounded is the feeling of self-love, that the young soldier, while
-he knew the utter worthlessness of the suffrages of his savage umpires,
-forgot the sudden motives of the contest in a wish to excel. It had been
-seen, already, that his skill was far from being contemptible, and he
-now resolved to put forth its nicest qualities. Had his life depended
-on the issue, the aim of Duncan could not have been more deliberate or
-guarded. He fired; and three or four young Indians, who sprang forward
-at the report, announced with a shout, that the ball was in the tree,
-a very little on one side of the proper object. The warriors uttered a
-common ejaculation of pleasure, and then turned their eyes, inquiringly,
-on the movements of his rival.
-
-"It may do for the Royal Americans!" said Hawkeye, laughing once more in
-his own silent, heartfelt manner; "but had my gun often turned so much
-from the true line, many a marten, whose skin is now in a lady's muff,
-would still be in the woods; ay, and many a bloody Mingo, who has
-departed to his final account, would be acting his deviltries at this
-very day, atween the provinces. I hope the squaw who owns the gourd has
-more of them in her wigwam, for this will never hold water again!"
-
-The scout had shook his priming, and cocked his piece, while speaking;
-and, as he ended, he threw back a foot, and slowly raised the muzzle
-from the earth: the motion was steady, uniform, and in one direction.
-When on a perfect level, it remained for a single moment, without tremor
-or variation, as though both man and rifle were carved in stone. During
-that stationary instant, it poured forth its contents, in a bright,
-glancing sheet of flame. Again the young Indians bounded forward; but
-their hurried search and disappointed looks announced that no traces of
-the bullet were to be seen.
-
-"Go!" said the old chief to the scout, in a tone of strong disgust;
-"thou art a wolf in the skin of a dog. I will talk to the 'Long Rifle'
-of the Yengeese."
-
-"Ah! had I that piece which furnished the name you use, I would obligate
-myself to cut the thong, and drop the gourd without breaking it!"
-returned Hawkeye, perfectly undisturbed by the other's manner. "Fools,
-if you would find the bullet of a sharpshooter in these woods, you must
-look in the object, and not around it!"
-
-The Indian youths instantly comprehended his meaning--for this time he
-spoke in the Delaware tongue--and tearing the gourd from the tree, they
-held it on high with an exulting shout, displaying a hole in its bottom,
-which had been cut by the bullet, after passing through the usual
-orifice in the center of its upper side. At this unexpected exhibition,
-a loud and vehement expression of pleasure burst from the mouth of every
-warrior present. It decided the question, and effectually established
-Hawkeye in the possession of his dangerous reputation. Those curious
-and admiring eyes which had been turned again on Heyward, were finally
-directed to the weather-beaten form of the scout, who immediately became
-the principal object of attention to the simple and unsophisticated
-beings by whom he was surrounded. When the sudden and noisy commotion
-had a little subsided, the aged chief resumed his examination.
-
-"Why did you wish to stop my ears?" he said, addressing Duncan; "are
-the Delawares fools that they could not know the young panther from the
-cat?"
-
-"They will yet find the Huron a singing-bird," said Duncan, endeavoring
-to adopt the figurative language of the natives.
-
-"It is good. We will know who can shut the ears of men. Brother," added
-the chief turning his eyes on Magua, "the Delawares listen."
-
-Thus singled, and directly called on to declare his object, the Huron
-arose; and advancing with great deliberation and dignity into the very
-center of the circle, where he stood confronted by the prisoners,
-he placed himself in an attitude to speak. Before opening his mouth,
-however, he bent his eyes slowly along the whole living boundary of
-earnest faces, as if to temper his expressions to the capacities of his
-audience. On Hawkeye he cast a glance of respectful enmity; on Duncan,
-a look of inextinguishable hatred; the shrinking figure of Alice
-he scarcely deigned to notice; but when his glance met the firm,
-commanding, and yet lovely form of Cora, his eye lingered a moment, with
-an expression that it might have been difficult to define. Then, filled
-with his own dark intentions, he spoke in the language of the Canadas, a
-tongue that he well knew was comprehended by most of his auditors.
-
-"The Spirit that made men colored them differently," commenced the
-subtle Huron. "Some are blacker than the sluggish bear. These He said
-should be slaves; and He ordered them to work forever, like the beaver.
-You may hear them groan, when the south wind blows, louder than the
-lowing buffaloes, along the shores of the great salt lake, where the big
-canoes come and go with them in droves. Some He made with faces paler
-than the ermine of the forests; and these He ordered to be traders;
-dogs to their women, and wolves to their slaves. He gave this people the
-nature of the pigeon; wings that never tire; young, more plentiful than
-the leaves on the trees, and appetites to devour the earth. He gave them
-tongues like the false call of the wildcat; hearts like rabbits; the
-cunning of the hog (but none of the fox), and arms longer than the legs
-of the moose. With his tongue he stops the ears of the Indians; his
-heart teaches him to pay warriors to fight his battles; his cunning
-tells him how to get together the goods of the earth; and his arms
-inclose the land from the shores of the salt-water to the islands of the
-great lake. His gluttony makes him sick. God gave him enough, and yet he
-wants all. Such are the pale faces.
-
-"Some the Great Spirit made with skins brighter and redder than yonder
-sun," continued Magua, pointing impressively upward to the lurid
-luminary, which was struggling through the misty atmosphere of the
-horizon; "and these did He fashion to His own mind. He gave them this
-island as He had made it, covered with trees, and filled with game. The
-wind made their clearings; the sun and rain ripened their fruits; and
-the snows came to tell them to be thankful. What need had they of roads
-to journey by! They saw through the hills! When the beavers worked, they
-lay in the shade, and looked on. The winds cooled them in summer; in
-winter, skins kept them warm. If they fought among themselves, it was
-to prove that they were men. They were brave; they were just; they were
-happy."
-
-Here the speaker paused, and again looked around him to discover if his
-legend had touched the sympathies of his listeners. He met everywhere,
-with eyes riveted on his own, heads erect and nostrils expanded, as
-if each individual present felt himself able and willing, singly, to
-redress the wrongs of his race.
-
-"If the Great Spirit gave different tongues to his red children," he
-continued, in a low, still melancholy voice, "it was that all animals
-might understand them. Some He placed among the snows, with their
-cousin, the bear. Some he placed near the setting sun, on the road to
-the happy hunting grounds. Some on the lands around the great fresh
-waters; but to His greatest, and most beloved, He gave the sands of the
-salt lake. Do my brothers know the name of this favored people?"
-
-"It was the Lenape!" exclaimed twenty eager voices in a breath.
-
-"It was the Lenni Lenape," returned Magua, affecting to bend his head in
-reverence to their former greatness. "It was the tribes of the Lenape!
-The sun rose from water that was salt, and set in water that was sweet,
-and never hid himself from their eyes. But why should I, a Huron of the
-woods, tell a wise people their own traditions? Why remind them of
-their injuries; their ancient greatness; their deeds; their glory; their
-happiness; their losses; their defeats; their misery? Is there not one
-among them who has seen it all, and who knows it to be true? I have
-done. My tongue is still for my heart is of lead. I listen."
-
-As the voice of the speaker suddenly ceased, every face and all eyes
-turned, by a common movement, toward the venerable Tamenund. From the
-moment that he took his seat, until the present instant, the lips of the
-patriarch had not severed, and scarcely a sign of life had escaped him.
-He sat bent in feebleness, and apparently unconscious of the presence
-he was in, during the whole of that opening scene, in which the skill of
-the scout had been so clearly established. At the nicely graduated sound
-of Magua's voice, however, he betrayed some evidence of consciousness,
-and once or twice he even raised his head, as if to listen. But when
-the crafty Huron spoke of his nation by name, the eyelids of the old man
-raised themselves, and he looked out upon the multitude with that sort
-of dull, unmeaning expression which might be supposed to belong to the
-countenance of a specter. Then he made an effort to rise, and being
-upheld by his supporters, he gained his feet, in a posture commanding by
-its dignity, while he tottered with weakness.
-
-"Who calls upon the children of the Lenape?" he said, in a deep,
-guttural voice, that was rendered awfully audible by the breathless
-silence of the multitude; "who speaks of things gone? Does not the egg
-become a worm--the worm a fly, and perish? Why tell the Delawares of
-good that is past? Better thank the Manitou for that which remains."
-
-"It is a Wyandot," said Magua, stepping nigher to the rude platform on
-which the other stood; "a friend of Tamenund."
-
-"A friend!" repeated the sage, on whose brow a dark frown settled,
-imparting a portion of that severity which had rendered his eye so
-terrible in middle age. "Are the Mingoes rulers of the earth? What
-brings a Huron in here?"
-
-"Justice. His prisoners are with his brothers, and he comes for his
-own."
-
-Tamenund turned his head toward one of his supporters, and listened to
-the short explanation the man gave.
-
-Then, facing the applicant, he regarded him a moment with deep
-attention; after which he said, in a low and reluctant voice:
-
-"Justice is the law of the great Manitou. My children, give the stranger
-food. Then, Huron, take thine own and depart."
-
-On the delivery of this solemn judgment, the patriarch seated himself,
-and closed his eyes again, as if better pleased with the images of
-his own ripened experience than with the visible objects of the world.
-Against such a decree there was no Delaware sufficiently hardy to
-murmur, much less oppose himself. The words were barely uttered when
-four or five of the younger warriors, stepping behind Heyward and the
-scout, passed thongs so dexterously and rapidly around their arms, as
-to hold them both in instant bondage. The former was too much engrossed
-with his precious and nearly insensible burden, to be aware of their
-intentions before they were executed; and the latter, who considered
-even the hostile tribes of the Delawares a superior race of beings,
-submitted without resistance. Perhaps, however, the manner of the scout
-would not have been so passive, had he fully comprehended the language
-in which the preceding dialogue had been conducted.
-
-Magua cast a look of triumph around the whole assembly before he
-proceeded to the execution of his purpose. Perceiving that the men were
-unable to offer any resistance, he turned his looks on her he valued
-most. Cora met his gaze with an eye so calm and firm, that his
-resolution wavered. Then, recollecting his former artifice, he raised
-Alice from the arms of the warrior against whom she leaned, and
-beckoning Heyward to follow, he motioned for the encircling crowd to
-open. But Cora, instead of obeying the impulse he had expected, rushed
-to the feet of the patriarch, and, raising her voice, exclaimed aloud:
-
-"Just and venerable Delaware, on thy wisdom and power we lean for mercy!
-Be deaf to yonder artful and remorseless monster, who poisons thy ears
-with falsehoods to feed his thirst for blood. Thou that hast lived long,
-and that hast seen the evil of the world, should know how to temper its
-calamities to the miserable."
-
-The eyes of the old man opened heavily, and he once more looked upward
-at the multitude. As the piercing tones of the suppliant swelled on
-his ears, they moved slowly in the direction of her person, and finally
-settled there in a steady gaze. Cora had cast herself to her knees;
-and, with hands clenched in each other and pressed upon her bosom, she
-remained like a beauteous and breathing model of her sex, looking up in
-his faded but majestic countenance, with a species of holy reverence.
-Gradually the expression of Tamenund's features changed, and losing
-their vacancy in admiration, they lighted with a portion of that
-intelligence which a century before had been wont to communicate his
-youthful fire to the extensive bands of the Delawares. Rising without
-assistance, and seemingly without an effort, he demanded, in a voice
-that startled its auditors by its firmness:
-
-"What art thou?"
-
-"A woman. One of a hated race, if thou wilt--a Yengee. But one who has
-never harmed thee, and who cannot harm thy people, if she would; who
-asks for succor."
-
-"Tell me, my children," continued the patriarch, hoarsely, motioning to
-those around him, though his eyes still dwelt upon the kneeling form of
-Cora, "where have the Delawares camped?"
-
-"In the mountains of the Iroquois, beyond the clear springs of the
-Horican."
-
-"Many parching summers are come and gone," continued the sage, "since
-I drank of the water of my own rivers. The children of Minquon* are the
-justest white men, but they were thirsty and they took it to themselves.
-Do they follow us so far?"
-
-     * William Penn was termed Minquon by the Delawares, and, as
-     he never used violence or injustice in his dealings with
-     them, his reputation for probity passed into a proverb. The
-     American is justly proud of the origin of his nation, which
-     is perhaps unequaled in the history of the world; but the
-     Pennsylvanian and Jerseyman have more reason to value
-     themselves in their ancestors than the natives of any other
-     state, since no wrong was done the original owners of the
-     soil.
-
-"We follow none, we covet nothing," answered Cora. "Captives against our
-wills, have we been brought amongst you; and we ask but permission
-to depart to our own in peace. Art thou not Tamenund--the father, the
-judge, I had almost said, the prophet--of this people?"
-
-"I am Tamenund of many days."
-
-"'Tis now some seven years that one of thy people was at the mercy of
-a white chief on the borders of this province. He claimed to be of the
-blood of the good and just Tamenund. 'Go', said the white man, 'for
-thy parent's sake thou art free.' Dost thou remember the name of that
-English warrior?"
-
-"I remember, that when a laughing boy," returned the patriarch, with the
-peculiar recollection of vast age, "I stood upon the sands of the sea
-shore, and saw a big canoe, with wings whiter than the swan's, and wider
-than many eagles, come from the rising sun."
-
-"Nay, nay; I speak not of a time so very distant, but of favor shown to
-thy kindred by one of mine, within the memory of thy youngest warrior."
-
-"Was it when the Yengeese and the Dutchmanne fought for the
-hunting-grounds of the Delawares? Then Tamenund was a chief, and first
-laid aside the bow for the lightning of the pale faces--"
-
-"Not yet then," interrupted Cora, "by many ages; I speak of a thing of
-yesterday. Surely, surely, you forget it not."
-
-"It was but yesterday," rejoined the aged man, with touching pathos,
-"that the children of the Lenape were masters of the world. The fishes
-of the salt lake, the birds, the beasts, and the Mengee of the woods,
-owned them for Sagamores."
-
-Cora bowed her head in disappointment, and, for a bitter moment
-struggled with her chagrin. Then, elevating her rich features and
-beaming eyes, she continued, in tones scarcely less penetrating than the
-unearthly voice of the patriarch himself:
-
-"Tell me, is Tamenund a father?"
-
-The old man looked down upon her from his elevated stand, with a
-benignant smile on his wasted countenance, and then casting his eyes
-slowly over the whole assemblage, he answered:
-
-"Of a nation."
-
-"For myself I ask nothing. Like thee and thine, venerable chief," she
-continued, pressing her hands convulsively on her heart, and suffering
-her head to droop until her burning cheeks were nearly concealed in the
-maze of dark, glossy tresses that fell in disorder upon her shoulders,
-"the curse of my ancestors has fallen heavily on their child. But yonder
-is one who has never known the weight of Heaven's displeasure until now.
-She is the daughter of an old and failing man, whose days are near their
-close. She has many, very many, to love her, and delight in her; and she
-is too good, much too precious, to become the victim of that villain."
-
-"I know that the pale faces are a proud and hungry race. I know that
-they claim not only to have the earth, but that the meanest of their
-color is better than the Sachems of the red man. The dogs and crows of
-their tribes," continued the earnest old chieftain, without heeding the
-wounded spirit of his listener, whose head was nearly crushed to the
-earth in shame, as he proceeded, "would bark and caw before they would
-take a woman to their wigwams whose blood was not of the color of snow.
-But let them not boast before the face of the Manitou too loud. They
-entered the land at the rising, and may yet go off at the setting sun.
-I have often seen the locusts strip the leaves from the trees, but the
-season of blossoms has always come again."
-
-"It is so," said Cora, drawing a long breath, as if reviving from a
-trance, raising her face, and shaking back her shining veil, with
-a kindling eye, that contradicted the death-like paleness of her
-countenance; "but why--it is not permitted us to inquire. There is yet
-one of thine own people who has not been brought before thee; before
-thou lettest the Huron depart in triumph, hear him speak."
-
-Observing Tamenund to look about him doubtingly, one of his companions
-said:
-
-"It is a snake--a red-skin in the pay of the Yengeese. We keep him for
-the torture."
-
-"Let him come," returned the sage.
-
-Then Tamenund once more sank into his seat, and a silence so deep
-prevailed while the young man prepared to obey his simple mandate, that
-the leaves, which fluttered in the draught of the light morning air,
-were distinctly heard rustling in the surrounding forest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 30
-
-     "If you deny me, fie upon your law!
-     There is no force in the decrees of Venice:
-     I stand for judgment: answer, shall I have it?"
-     --Merchant of Venice
-
-The silence continued unbroken by human sounds for many anxious minutes.
-Then the waving multitude opened and shut again, and Uncas stood in the
-living circle. All those eyes, which had been curiously studying the
-lineaments of the sage, as the source of their own intelligence, turned
-on the instant, and were now bent in secret admiration on the erect,
-agile, and faultless person of the captive. But neither the presence in
-which he found himself, nor the exclusive attention that he attracted,
-in any manner disturbed the self-possession of the young Mohican. He
-cast a deliberate and observing look on every side of him, meeting
-the settled expression of hostility that lowered in the visages of
-the chiefs with the same calmness as the curious gaze of the attentive
-children. But when, last in this haughty scrutiny, the person of
-Tamenund came under his glance, his eye became fixed, as though all
-other objects were already forgotten. Then, advancing with a slow and
-noiseless step up the area, he placed himself immediately before the
-footstool of the sage. Here he stood unnoted, though keenly observant
-himself, until one of the chiefs apprised the latter of his presence.
-
-"With what tongue does the prisoner speak to the Manitou?" demanded the
-patriarch, without unclosing his eyes.
-
-"Like his fathers," Uncas replied; "with the tongue of a Delaware."
-
-At this sudden and unexpected annunciation, a low, fierce yell ran
-through the multitude, that might not inaptly be compared to the growl
-of the lion, as his choler is first awakened--a fearful omen of the
-weight of his future anger. The effect was equally strong on the sage,
-though differently exhibited. He passed a hand before his eyes, as if
-to exclude the least evidence of so shameful a spectacle, while he
-repeated, in his low, guttural tones, the words he had just heard.
-
-"A Delaware! I have lived to see the tribes of the Lenape driven from
-their council-fires, and scattered, like broken herds of deer, among the
-hills of the Iroquois! I have seen the hatchets of a strong people sweep
-woods from the valleys, that the winds of heaven have spared! The beasts
-that run on the mountains, and the birds that fly above the trees, have
-I seen living in the wigwams of men; but never before have I found a
-Delaware so base as to creep, like a poisonous serpent, into the camps
-of his nation."
-
-"The singing-birds have opened their bills," returned Uncas, in the
-softest notes of his own musical voice; "and Tamenund has heard their
-song."
-
-The sage started, and bent his head aside, as if to catch the fleeting
-sounds of some passing melody.
-
-"Does Tamenund dream!" he exclaimed. "What voice is at his ear! Have
-the winters gone backward! Will summer come again to the children of the
-Lenape!"
-
-A solemn and respectful silence succeeded this incoherent burst from
-the lips of the Delaware prophet. His people readily constructed his
-unintelligible language into one of those mysterious conferences he was
-believed to hold so frequently with a superior intelligence and they
-awaited the issue of the revelation in awe. After a patient pause,
-however, one of the aged men, perceiving that the sage had lost the
-recollection of the subject before them, ventured to remind him again of
-the presence of the prisoner.
-
-"The false Delaware trembles lest he should hear the words of Tamenund,"
-he said. "'Tis a hound that howls, when the Yengeese show him a trail."
-
-"And ye," returned Uncas, looking sternly around him, "are dogs that
-whine, when the Frenchman casts ye the offals of his deer!"
-
-Twenty knives gleamed in the air, and as many warriors sprang to their
-feet, at this biting, and perhaps merited retort; but a motion from one
-of the chiefs suppressed the outbreaking of their tempers, and restored
-the appearance of quiet. The task might probably have been more
-difficult, had not a movement made by Tamenund indicated that he was
-again about to speak.
-
-"Delaware!" resumed the sage, "little art thou worthy of thy name. My
-people have not seen a bright sun in many winters; and the warrior who
-deserts his tribe when hid in clouds is doubly a traitor. The law of the
-Manitou is just. It is so; while the rivers run and the mountains stand,
-while the blossoms come and go on the trees, it must be so. He is thine,
-my children; deal justly by him."
-
-Not a limb was moved, nor was a breath drawn louder and longer than
-common, until the closing syllable of this final decree had passed the
-lips of Tamenund. Then a cry of vengeance burst at once, as it might be,
-from the united lips of the nation; a frightful augury of their ruthless
-intentions. In the midst of these prolonged and savage yells, a chief
-proclaimed, in a high voice, that the captive was condemned to endure
-the dreadful trial of torture by fire. The circle broke its order, and
-screams of delight mingled with the bustle and tumult of preparation.
-Heyward struggled madly with his captors; the anxious eye of Hawkeye
-began to look around him, with an expression of peculiar earnestness;
-and Cora again threw herself at the feet of the patriarch, once more a
-suppliant for mercy.
-
-Throughout the whole of these trying moments, Uncas had alone preserved
-his serenity. He looked on the preparations with a steady eye, and when
-the tormentors came to seize him, he met them with a firm and upright
-attitude. One among them, if possible more fierce and savage than his
-fellows, seized the hunting-shirt of the young warrior, and at a single
-effort tore it from his body. Then, with a yell of frantic pleasure,
-he leaped toward his unresisting victim and prepared to lead him to
-the stake. But, at that moment, when he appeared most a stranger to the
-feelings of humanity, the purpose of the savage was arrested as suddenly
-as if a supernatural agency had interposed in the behalf of Uncas. The
-eyeballs of the Delaware seemed to start from their sockets; his mouth
-opened and his whole form became frozen in an attitude of amazement.
-Raising his hand with a slow and regulated motion, he pointed with a
-finger to the bosom of the captive. His companions crowded about him in
-wonder and every eye was like his own, fastened intently on the figure
-of a small tortoise, beautifully tattooed on the breast of the prisoner,
-in a bright blue tint.
-
-For a single instant Uncas enjoyed his triumph, smiling calmly on the
-scene. Then motioning the crowd away with a high and haughty sweep of
-his arm, he advanced in front of the nation with the air of a king, and
-spoke in a voice louder than the murmur of admiration that ran through
-the multitude.
-
-"Men of the Lenni Lenape!" he said, "my race upholds the earth! Your
-feeble tribe stands on my shell! What fire that a Delaware can light
-would burn the child of my fathers," he added, pointing proudly to the
-simple blazonry on his skin; "the blood that came from such a stock
-would smother your flames! My race is the grandfather of nations!"
-
-"Who art thou?" demanded Tamenund, rising at the startling tones
-he heard, more than at any meaning conveyed by the language of the
-prisoner.
-
-"Uncas, the son of Chingachgook," answered the captive modestly, turning
-from the nation, and bending his head in reverence to the other's
-character and years; "a son of the great Unamis."*
-
-     * Turtle.
-
-"The hour of Tamenund is nigh!" exclaimed the sage; "the day is come,
-at last, to the night! I thank the Manitou, that one is here to fill my
-place at the council-fire. Uncas, the child of Uncas, is found! Let the
-eyes of a dying eagle gaze on the rising sun."
-
-The youth stepped lightly, but proudly on the platform, where he became
-visible to the whole agitated and wondering multitude. Tamenund held him
-long at the length of his arm and read every turn in the fine lineaments
-of his countenance, with the untiring gaze of one who recalled days of
-happiness.
-
-"Is Tamenund a boy?" at length the bewildered prophet exclaimed. "Have
-I dreamed of so many snows--that my people were scattered like floating
-sands--of Yengeese, more plenty than the leaves on the trees! The arrow
-of Tamenund would not frighten the fawn; his arm is withered like the
-branch of a dead oak; the snail would be swifter in the race; yet is
-Uncas before him as they went to battle against the pale faces! Uncas,
-the panther of his tribe, the eldest son of the Lenape, the wisest
-Sagamore of the Mohicans! Tell me, ye Delawares, has Tamenund been a
-sleeper for a hundred winters?"
-
-The calm and deep silence which succeeded these words sufficiently
-announced the awful reverence with which his people received the
-communication of the patriarch. None dared to answer, though all
-listened in breathless expectation of what might follow. Uncas, however,
-looking in his face with the fondness and veneration of a favored child,
-presumed on his own high and acknowledged rank, to reply.
-
-"Four warriors of his race have lived and died," he said, "since the
-friend of Tamenund led his people in battle. The blood of the turtle has
-been in many chiefs, but all have gone back into the earth from whence
-they came, except Chingachgook and his son."
-
-"It is true--it is true," returned the sage, a flash of recollection
-destroying all his pleasing fancies, and restoring him at once to a
-consciousness of the true history of his nation. "Our wise men have
-often said that two warriors of the unchanged race were in the hills of
-the Yengeese; why have their seats at the council-fires of the Delawares
-been so long empty?"
-
-At these words the young man raised his head, which he had still kept
-bowed a little, in reverence; and lifting his voice so as to be heard
-by the multitude, as if to explain at once and forever the policy of his
-family, he said aloud:
-
-"Once we slept where we could hear the salt lake speak in its anger.
-Then we were rulers and Sagamores over the land. But when a pale face
-was seen on every brook, we followed the deer back to the river of our
-nation. The Delawares were gone. Few warriors of them all stayed to
-drink of the stream they loved. Then said my fathers, 'Here will we
-hunt. The waters of the river go into the salt lake. If we go toward
-the setting sun, we shall find streams that run into the great lakes of
-sweet water; there would a Mohican die, like fishes of the sea, in the
-clear springs. When the Manitou is ready and shall say "Come," we will
-follow the river to the sea, and take our own again.' Such, Delawares,
-is the belief of the children of the Turtle. Our eyes are on the rising
-and not toward the setting sun. We know whence he comes, but we know not
-whither he goes. It is enough."
-
-The men of the Lenape listened to his words with all the respect that
-superstition could lend, finding a secret charm even in the figurative
-language with which the young Sagamore imparted his ideas. Uncas himself
-watched the effect of his brief explanation with intelligent eyes, and
-gradually dropped the air of authority he had assumed, as he perceived
-that his auditors were content. Then, permitting his looks to wander
-over the silent throng that crowded around the elevated seat of
-Tamenund, he first perceived Hawkeye in his bonds. Stepping eagerly
-from his stand, he made way for himself to the side of his friend; and
-cutting his thongs with a quick and angry stroke of his own knife, he
-motioned to the crowd to divide. The Indians silently obeyed, and once
-more they stood ranged in their circle, as before his appearance among
-them. Uncas took the scout by the hand, and led him to the feet of the
-patriarch.
-
-"Father," he said, "look at this pale face; a just man, and the friend
-of the Delawares."
-
-"Is he a son of Minquon?"
-
-"Not so; a warrior known to the Yengeese, and feared by the Maquas."
-
-"What name has he gained by his deeds?"
-
-"We call him Hawkeye," Uncas replied, using the Delaware phrase; "for
-his sight never fails. The Mingoes know him better by the death he gives
-their warriors; with them he is 'The Long Rifle'."
-
-"La Longue Carabine!" exclaimed Tamenund, opening his eyes, and
-regarding the scout sternly. "My son has not done well to call him
-friend."
-
-"I call him so who proves himself such," returned the young chief, with
-great calmness, but with a steady mien. "If Uncas is welcome among the
-Delawares, then is Hawkeye with his friends."
-
-"The pale face has slain my young men; his name is great for the blows
-he has struck the Lenape."
-
-"If a Mingo has whispered that much in the ear of the Delaware, he has
-only shown that he is a singing-bird," said the scout, who now believed
-that it was time to vindicate himself from such offensive charges,
-and who spoke as the man he addressed, modifying his Indian figures,
-however, with his own peculiar notions. "That I have slain the Maquas
-I am not the man to deny, even at their own council-fires; but that,
-knowingly, my hand has never harmed a Delaware, is opposed to the reason
-of my gifts, which is friendly to them, and all that belongs to their
-nation."
-
-A low exclamation of applause passed among the warriors who exchanged
-looks with each other like men that first began to perceive their error.
-
-"Where is the Huron?" demanded Tamenund. "Has he stopped my ears?"
-
-Magua, whose feelings during that scene in which Uncas had triumphed may
-be much better imagined than described, answered to the call by stepping
-boldly in front of the patriarch.
-
-"The just Tamenund," he said, "will not keep what a Huron has lent."
-
-"Tell me, son of my brother," returned the sage, avoiding the dark
-countenance of Le Subtil, and turning gladly to the more ingenuous
-features of Uncas, "has the stranger a conqueror's right over you?"
-
-"He has none. The panther may get into snares set by the women; but he
-is strong, and knows how to leap through them."
-
-"La Longue Carabine?"
-
-"Laughs at the Mingoes. Go, Huron, ask your squaws the color of a bear."
-
-"The stranger and white maiden that come into my camp together?"
-
-"Should journey on an open path."
-
-"And the woman that Huron left with my warriors?"
-
-Uncas made no reply.
-
-"And the woman that the Mingo has brought into my camp?" repeated
-Tamenund, gravely.
-
-"She is mine," cried Magua, shaking his hand in triumph at Uncas.
-"Mohican, you know that she is mine."
-
-"My son is silent," said Tamenund, endeavoring to read the expression of
-the face that the youth turned from him in sorrow.
-
-"It is so," was the low answer.
-
-A short and impressive pause succeeded, during which it was very
-apparent with what reluctance the multitude admitted the justice of the
-Mingo's claim. At length the sage, on whom alone the decision depended,
-said, in a firm voice:
-
-"Huron, depart."
-
-"As he came, just Tamenund," demanded the wily Magua, "or with hands
-filled with the faith of the Delawares? The wigwam of Le Renard Subtil
-is empty. Make him strong with his own."
-
-The aged man mused with himself for a time; and then, bending his head
-toward one of his venerable companions, he asked:
-
-"Are my ears open?"
-
-"It is true."
-
-"Is this Mingo a chief?"
-
-"The first in his nation."
-
-"Girl, what wouldst thou? A great warrior takes thee to wife. Go! thy
-race will not end."
-
-"Better, a thousand times, it should," exclaimed the horror-struck Cora,
-"than meet with such a degradation!"
-
-"Huron, her mind is in the tents of her fathers. An unwilling maiden
-makes an unhappy wigwam."
-
-"She speaks with the tongue of her people," returned Magua, regarding
-his victim with a look of bitter irony.
-
-"She is of a race of traders, and will bargain for a bright look. Let
-Tamenund speak the words."
-
-"Take you the wampum, and our love."
-
-"Nothing hence but what Magua brought hither."
-
-"Then depart with thine own. The Great Manitou forbids that a Delaware
-should be unjust."
-
-Magua advanced, and seized his captive strongly by the arm; the
-Delawares fell back, in silence; and Cora, as if conscious that
-remonstrance would be useless, prepared to submit to her fate without
-resistance.
-
-"Hold, hold!" cried Duncan, springing forward; "Huron, have mercy! her
-ransom shall make thee richer than any of thy people were ever yet known
-to be."
-
-"Magua is a red-skin; he wants not the beads of the pale faces."
-
-"Gold, silver, powder, lead--all that a warrior needs shall be in thy
-wigwam; all that becomes the greatest chief."
-
-"Le Subtil is very strong," cried Magua, violently shaking the hand
-which grasped the unresisting arm of Cora; "he has his revenge!"
-
-"Mighty ruler of Providence!" exclaimed Heyward, clasping his hands
-together in agony, "can this be suffered! To you, just Tamenund, I
-appeal for mercy."
-
-"The words of the Delaware are said," returned the sage, closing his
-eyes, and dropping back into his seat, alike wearied with his mental and
-his bodily exertion. "Men speak not twice."
-
-"That a chief should not misspend his time in unsaying what has once
-been spoken is wise and reasonable," said Hawkeye, motioning to Duncan
-to be silent; "but it is also prudent in every warrior to consider well
-before he strikes his tomahawk into the head of his prisoner. Huron, I
-love you not; nor can I say that any Mingo has ever received much favor
-at my hands. It is fair to conclude that, if this war does not soon end,
-many more of your warriors will meet me in the woods. Put it to your
-judgment, then, whether you would prefer taking such a prisoner as that
-into your encampment, or one like myself, who am a man that it would
-greatly rejoice your nation to see with naked hands."
-
-"Will 'The Long Rifle' give his life for the woman?" demanded Magua,
-hesitatingly; for he had already made a motion toward quitting the place
-with his victim.
-
-"No, no; I have not said so much as that," returned Hawkeye, drawing
-back with suitable discretion, when he noted the eagerness with which
-Magua listened to his proposal. "It would be an unequal exchange, to
-give a warrior, in the prime of his age and usefulness, for the best
-woman on the frontiers. I might consent to go into winter quarters, now
---at least six weeks afore the leaves will turn--on condition you will
-release the maiden."
-
-Magua shook his head, and made an impatient sign for the crowd to open.
-
-"Well, then," added the scout, with the musing air of a man who had not
-half made up his mind; "I will throw 'killdeer' into the bargain. Take
-the word of an experienced hunter, the piece has not its equal atween
-the provinces."
-
-Magua still disdained to reply, continuing his efforts to disperse the
-crowd.
-
-"Perhaps," added the scout, losing his dissembled coolness exactly in
-proportion as the other manifested an indifference to the exchange,
-"if I should condition to teach your young men the real virtue of the
-we'pon, it would smoothe the little differences in our judgments."
-
-Le Renard fiercely ordered the Delawares, who still lingered in an
-impenetrable belt around him, in hopes he would listen to the amicable
-proposal, to open his path, threatening, by the glance of his eye,
-another appeal to the infallible justice of their "prophet."
-
-"What is ordered must sooner or later arrive," continued Hawkeye,
-turning with a sad and humbled look to Uncas. "The varlet knows his
-advantage and will keep it! God bless you, boy; you have found friends
-among your natural kin, and I hope they will prove as true as some you
-have met who had no Indian cross. As for me, sooner or later, I
-must die; it is, therefore, fortunate there are but few to make my
-death-howl. After all, it is likely the imps would have managed to
-master my scalp, so a day or two will make no great difference in
-the everlasting reckoning of time. God bless you," added the rugged
-woodsman, bending his head aside, and then instantly changing its
-direction again, with a wistful look toward the youth; "I loved both you
-and your father, Uncas, though our skins are not altogether of a color,
-and our gifts are somewhat different. Tell the Sagamore I never lost
-sight of him in my greatest trouble; and, as for you, think of me
-sometimes when on a lucky trail, and depend on it, boy, whether there
-be one heaven or two, there is a path in the other world by which honest
-men may come together again. You'll find the rifle in the place we hid
-it; take it, and keep it for my sake; and, harkee, lad, as your natural
-gifts don't deny you the use of vengeance, use it a little freely on the
-Mingoes; it may unburden griefs at my loss, and ease your mind. Huron, I
-accept your offer; release the woman. I am your prisoner!"
-
-A suppressed, but still distinct murmur of approbation ran through the
-crowd at this generous proposition; even the fiercest among the
-Delaware warriors manifesting pleasure at the manliness of the intended
-sacrifice. Magua paused, and for an anxious moment, it might be said,
-he doubted; then, casting his eyes on Cora, with an expression in which
-ferocity and admiration were strangely mingled, his purpose became fixed
-forever.
-
-He intimated his contempt of the offer with a backward motion of his
-head, and said, in a steady and settled voice:
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief; he has but one mind. Come," he
-added, laying his hand too familiarly on the shoulder of his captive to
-urge her onward; "a Huron is no tattler; we will go."
-
-The maiden drew back in lofty womanly reserve, and her dark eye kindled,
-while the rich blood shot, like the passing brightness of the sun, into
-her very temples, at the indignity.
-
-"I am your prisoner, and, at a fitting time shall be ready to follow,
-even to my death. But violence is unnecessary," she coldly said; and
-immediately turning to Hawkeye, added: "Generous hunter! from my soul I
-thank you. Your offer is vain, neither could it be accepted; but still
-you may serve me, even more than in your own noble intention. Look at
-that drooping humbled child! Abandon her not until you leave her in the
-habitations of civilized men. I will not say," wringing the hard hand of
-the scout, "that her father will reward you--for such as you are above
-the rewards of men--but he will thank you and bless you. And, believe
-me, the blessing of a just and aged man has virtue in the sight of
-Heaven. Would to God I could hear one word from his lips at this awful
-moment!" Her voice became choked, and, for an instant, she was silent;
-then, advancing a step nigher to Duncan, who was supporting her
-unconscious sister, she continued, in more subdued tones, but in which
-feeling and the habits of her sex maintained a fearful struggle: "I need
-not tell you to cherish the treasure you will possess. You love her,
-Heyward; that would conceal a thousand faults, though she had them. She
-is kind, gentle, sweet, good, as mortal may be. There is not a blemish
-in mind or person at which the proudest of you all would sicken. She
-is fair--oh! how surpassingly fair!" laying her own beautiful, but less
-brilliant, hand in melancholy affection on the alabaster forehead of
-Alice, and parting the golden hair which clustered about her brows; "and
-yet her soul is pure and spotless as her skin! I could say much--more,
-perhaps, than cooler reason would approve; but I will spare you and
-myself--" Her voice became inaudible, and her face was bent over the
-form of her sister. After a long and burning kiss, she arose, and with
-features of the hue of death, but without even a tear in her feverish
-eye, she turned away, and added, to the savage, with all her former
-elevation of manner: "Now, sir, if it be your pleasure, I will follow."
-
-"Ay, go," cried Duncan, placing Alice in the arms of an Indian girl;
-"go, Magua, go. These Delawares have their laws, which forbid them to
-detain you; but I--I have no such obligation. Go, malignant monster--why
-do you delay?"
-
-It would be difficult to describe the expression with which Magua
-listened to this threat to follow. There was at first a fierce and
-manifest display of joy, and then it was instantly subdued in a look of
-cunning coldness.
-
-"The words are open," he was content with answering, "'The Open Hand'
-can come."
-
-"Hold," cried Hawkeye, seizing Duncan by the arm, and detaining him by
-violence; "you know not the craft of the imp. He would lead you to an
-ambushment, and your death--"
-
-"Huron," interrupted Uncas, who submissive to the stern customs of his
-people, had been an attentive and grave listener to all that passed;
-"Huron, the justice of the Delawares comes from the Manitou. Look at the
-sun. He is now in the upper branches of the hemlock. Your path is short
-and open. When he is seen above the trees, there will be men on your
-trail."
-
-"I hear a crow!" exclaimed Magua, with a taunting laugh. "Go!" he added,
-shaking his hand at the crowd, which had slowly opened to admit his
-passage. "Where are the petticoats of the Delawares! Let them send their
-arrows and their guns to the Wyandots; they shall have venison to eat,
-and corn to hoe. Dogs, rabbits, thieves--I spit on you!"
-
-His parting gibes were listened to in a dead, boding silence, and, with
-these biting words in his mouth, the triumphant Magua passed unmolested
-into the forest, followed by his passive captive, and protected by the
-inviolable laws of Indian hospitality.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 31
-
-     "Flue.--Kill the poys and the luggage! 'Tis expressly
-     against the law of arms; 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery,
-     mark you now, as can be offered in the 'orld."
-     --King Henry V.
-
-So long as their enemy and his victim continued in sight, the multitude
-remained motionless as beings charmed to the place by some power that
-was friendly to the Huron; but, the instant he disappeared, it became
-tossed and agitated by fierce and powerful passion. Uncas maintained his
-elevated stand, keeping his eyes on the form of Cora, until the colors
-of her dress were blended with the foliage of the forest; when he
-descended, and, moving silently through the throng, he disappeared in
-that lodge from which he had so recently issued. A few of the graver and
-more attentive warriors, who caught the gleams of anger that shot from
-the eyes of the young chief in passing, followed him to the place he
-had selected for his meditations. After which, Tamenund and Alice were
-removed, and the women and children were ordered to disperse. During
-the momentous hour that succeeded, the encampment resembled a hive of
-troubled bees, who only awaited the appearance and example of their
-leader to take some distant and momentous flight.
-
-A young warrior at length issued from the lodge of Uncas; and, moving
-deliberately, with a sort of grave march, toward a dwarf pine that grew
-in the crevices of the rocky terrace, he tore the bark from its body,
-and then turned whence he came without speaking. He was soon followed
-by another, who stripped the sapling of its branches, leaving it a naked
-and blazed* trunk. A third colored the post with stripes of a dark red
-paint; all which indications of a hostile design in the leaders of the
-nation were received by the men without in a gloomy and ominous silence.
-Finally, the Mohican himself reappeared, divested of all his attire,
-except his girdle and leggings, and with one-half of his fine features
-hid under a cloud of threatening black.
-
-     * A tree which has been partially or entirely stripped of
-     its bark is said, in the language of the country, to be
-     "blazed." The term is strictly English, for a horse is said
-     to be blazed when it has a white mark.
-
-Uncas moved with a slow and dignified tread toward the post, which he
-immediately commenced encircling with a measured step, not unlike an
-ancient dance, raising his voice, at the same time, in the wild and
-irregular chant of his war song. The notes were in the extremes of
-human sounds; being sometimes melancholy and exquisitely plaintive,
-even rivaling the melody of birds--and then, by sudden and startling
-transitions, causing the auditors to tremble by their depth and energy.
-The words were few and often repeated, proceeding gradually from a sort
-of invocation, or hymn, to the Deity, to an intimation of the warrior's
-object, and terminating as they commenced with an acknowledgment of his
-own dependence on the Great Spirit. If it were possible to translate the
-comprehensive and melodious language in which he spoke, the ode might
-read something like the following: "Manitou! Manitou! Manitou! Thou art
-great, thou art good, thou art wise: Manitou! Manitou! Thou art just. In
-the heavens, in the clouds, oh, I see many spots--many dark, many red:
-In the heavens, oh, I see many clouds."
-
-"In the woods, in the air, oh, I hear the whoop, the long yell, and the
-cry: In the woods, oh, I hear the loud whoop!"
-
-"Manitou! Manitou! Manitou! I am weak--thou art strong; I am slow;
-Manitou! Manitou! Give me aid."
-
-At the end of what might be called each verse he made a pause, by
-raising a note louder and longer than common, that was peculiarly
-suited to the sentiment just expressed. The first close was solemn,
-and intended to convey the idea of veneration; the second descriptive,
-bordering on the alarming; and the third was the well-known and terrific
-war-whoop, which burst from the lips of the young warrior, like a
-combination of all the frightful sounds of battle. The last was like the
-first, humble and imploring. Three times did he repeat this song, and as
-often did he encircle the post in his dance.
-
-At the close of the first turn, a grave and highly esteemed chief of the
-Lenape followed his example, singing words of his own, however, to music
-of a similar character. Warrior after warrior enlisted in the dance,
-until all of any renown and authority were numbered in its mazes. The
-spectacle now became wildly terrific; the fierce-looking and menacing
-visages of the chiefs receiving additional power from the appalling
-strains in which they mingled their guttural tones. Just then Uncas
-struck his tomahawk deep into the post, and raised his voice in a shout,
-which might be termed his own battle cry. The act announced that he had
-assumed the chief authority in the intended expedition.
-
-It was a signal that awakened all the slumbering passions of the nation.
-A hundred youths, who had hitherto been restrained by the diffidence
-of their years, rushed in a frantic body on the fancied emblem of their
-enemy, and severed it asunder, splinter by splinter, until nothing
-remained of the trunk but its roots in the earth. During this moment of
-tumult, the most ruthless deeds of war were performed on the fragments
-of the tree, with as much apparent ferocity as if they were the living
-victims of their cruelty. Some were scalped; some received the keen and
-trembling axe; and others suffered by thrusts from the fatal knife. In
-short, the manifestations of zeal and fierce delight were so great and
-unequivocal, that the expedition was declared to be a war of the nation.
-
-The instant Uncas had struck the blow, he moved out of the circle, and
-cast his eyes up to the sun, which was just gaining the point, when
-the truce with Magua was to end. The fact was soon announced by a
-significant gesture, accompanied by a corresponding cry; and the whole
-of the excited multitude abandoned their mimic warfare, with shrill
-yells of pleasure, to prepare for the more hazardous experiment of the
-reality.
-
-The whole face of the encampment was instantly changed. The warriors,
-who were already armed and painted, became as still as if they were
-incapable of any uncommon burst of emotion. On the other hand, the women
-broke out of the lodges, with the songs of joy and those of lamentation
-so strangely mixed that it might have been difficult to have said which
-passion preponderated. None, however, was idle. Some bore their choicest
-articles, others their young, and some their aged and infirm, into
-the forest, which spread itself like a verdant carpet of bright green
-against the side of the mountain. Thither Tamenund also retired, with
-calm composure, after a short and touching interview with Uncas; from
-whom the sage separated with the reluctance that a parent would quit a
-long lost and just recovered child. In the meantime, Duncan saw Alice
-to a place of safety, and then sought the scout, with a countenance that
-denoted how eagerly he also panted for the approaching contest.
-
-But Hawkeye was too much accustomed to the war song and the enlistments
-of the natives, to betray any interest in the passing scene. He merely
-cast an occasional look at the number and quality of the warriors, who,
-from time to time, signified their readiness to accompany Uncas to
-the field. In this particular he was soon satisfied; for, as has been
-already seen, the power of the young chief quickly embraced every
-fighting man in the nation. After this material point was so
-satisfactorily decided, he despatched an Indian boy in quest of
-"killdeer" and the rifle of Uncas, to the place where they had deposited
-their weapons on approaching the camp of the Delawares; a measure of
-double policy, inasmuch as it protected the arms from their own fate,
-if detained as prisoners, and gave them the advantage of appearing among
-the strangers rather as sufferers than as men provided with means of
-defense and subsistence. In selecting another to perform the office of
-reclaiming his highly prized rifle, the scout had lost sight of none of
-his habitual caution. He knew that Magua had not come unattended, and he
-also knew that Huron spies watched the movements of their new enemies,
-along the whole boundary of the woods. It would, therefore, have been
-fatal to himself to have attempted the experiment; a warrior would have
-fared no better; but the danger of a boy would not be likely to commence
-until after his object was discovered. When Heyward joined him, the
-scout was coolly awaiting the result of this experiment.
-
-The boy, who had been well instructed, and was sufficiently crafty,
-proceeded, with a bosom that was swelling with the pride of such a
-confidence, and all the hopes of young ambition, carelessly across
-the clearing to the wood, which he entered at a point at some little
-distance from the place where the guns were secreted. The instant,
-however, he was concealed by the foliage of the bushes, his dusky form
-was to be seen gliding, like that of a serpent, toward the desired
-treasure. He was successful; and in another moment he appeared flying
-across the narrow opening that skirted the base of the terrace on which
-the village stood, with the velocity of an arrow, and bearing a prize
-in each hand. He had actually gained the crags, and was leaping up their
-sides with incredible activity, when a shot from the woods showed how
-accurate had been the judgment of the scout. The boy answered it with a
-feeble but contemptuous shout; and immediately a second bullet was
-sent after him from another part of the cover. At the next instant he
-appeared on the level above, elevating his guns in triumph, while he
-moved with the air of a conqueror toward the renowned hunter who had
-honored him by so glorious a commission.
-
-Notwithstanding the lively interest Hawkeye had taken in the fate of his
-messenger, he received "killdeer" with a satisfaction that, momentarily,
-drove all other recollections from his mind. After examining the piece
-with an intelligent eye, and opening and shutting the pan some ten or
-fifteen times, and trying sundry other equally important experiments on
-the lock, he turned to the boy and demanded with great manifestations of
-kindness, if he was hurt. The urchin looked proudly up in his face, but
-made no reply.
-
-"Ah! I see, lad, the knaves have barked your arm!" added the scout,
-taking up the limb of the patient sufferer, across which a deep flesh
-wound had been made by one of the bullets; "but a little bruised alder
-will act like a charm. In the meantime I will wrap it in a badge of
-wampum! You have commenced the business of a warrior early, my brave
-boy, and are likely to bear a plenty of honorable scars to your grave.
-I know many young men that have taken scalps who cannot show such a mark
-as this. Go!" having bound up the arm; "you will be a chief!"
-
-The lad departed, prouder of his flowing blood than the vainest courtier
-could be of his blushing ribbon; and stalked among the fellows of his
-age, an object of general admiration and envy.
-
-But, in a moment of so many serious and important duties, this single
-act of juvenile fortitude did not attract the general notice and
-commendation it would have received under milder auspices. It had,
-however, served to apprise the Delawares of the position and the
-intentions of their enemies. Accordingly a party of adventurers, better
-suited to the task than the weak though spirited boy, was ordered to
-dislodge the skulkers. The duty was soon performed; for most of the
-Hurons retired of themselves when they found they had been discovered.
-The Delawares followed to a sufficient distance from their own
-encampment, and then halted for orders, apprehensive of being led into
-an ambush. As both parties secreted themselves, the woods were again as
-still and quiet as a mild summer morning and deep solitude could render
-them.
-
-The calm but still impatient Uncas now collected his chiefs, and divided
-his power. He presented Hawkeye as a warrior, often tried, and always
-found deserving of confidence. When he found his friend met with a
-favorable reception, he bestowed on him the command of twenty men,
-like himself, active, skillful and resolute. He gave the Delawares to
-understand the rank of Heyward among the troops of the Yengeese, and
-then tendered to him a trust of equal authority. But Duncan declined the
-charge, professing his readiness to serve as a volunteer by the side of
-the scout. After this disposition, the young Mohican appointed various
-native chiefs to fill the different situations of responsibility, and,
-the time pressing, he gave forth the word to march. He was cheerfully,
-but silently obeyed by more than two hundred men.
-
-Their entrance into the forest was perfectly unmolested; nor did they
-encounter any living objects that could either give the alarm, or
-furnish the intelligence they needed, until they came upon the lairs of
-their own scouts. Here a halt was ordered, and the chiefs were assembled
-to hold a "whispering council."
-
-At this meeting divers plans of operation were suggested, though none
-of a character to meet the wishes of their ardent leader. Had Uncas
-followed the promptings of his own inclinations, he would have led his
-followers to the charge without a moment's delay, and put the conflict
-to the hazard of an instant issue; but such a course would have been in
-opposition to all the received practises and opinions of his countrymen.
-He was, therefore, fain to adopt a caution that in the present temper of
-his mind he execrated, and to listen to advice at which his fiery
-spirit chafed, under the vivid recollection of Cora's danger and Magua's
-insolence.
-
-After an unsatisfactory conference of many minutes, a solitary
-individual was seen advancing from the side of the enemy, with such
-apparent haste, as to induce the belief he might be a messenger charged
-with pacific overtures. When within a hundred yards, however, of the
-cover behind which the Delaware council had assembled, the stranger
-hesitated, appeared uncertain what course to take, and finally halted.
-All eyes were turned now on Uncas, as if seeking directions how to
-proceed.
-
-"Hawkeye," said the young chief, in a low voice, "he must never speak to
-the Hurons again."
-
-"His time has come," said the laconic scout, thrusting the long barrel
-of his rifle through the leaves, and taking his deliberate and fatal
-aim. But, instead of pulling the trigger, he lowered the muzzle again,
-and indulged himself in a fit of his peculiar mirth. "I took the imp for
-a Mingo, as I'm a miserable sinner!" he said; "but when my eye ranged
-along his ribs for a place to get the bullet in--would you think it,
-Uncas--I saw the musicianer's blower; and so, after all, it is the man
-they call Gamut, whose death can profit no one, and whose life, if this
-tongue can do anything but sing, may be made serviceable to our own
-ends. If sounds have not lost their virtue, I'll soon have a discourse
-with the honest fellow, and that in a voice he'll find more agreeable
-than the speech of 'killdeer'."
-
-So saying, Hawkeye laid aside his rifle; and, crawling through the
-bushes until within hearing of David, he attempted to repeat the musical
-effort, which had conducted himself, with so much safety and eclat,
-through the Huron encampment. The exquisite organs of Gamut could not
-readily be deceived (and, to say the truth, it would have been
-difficult for any other than Hawkeye to produce a similar noise), and,
-consequently, having once before heard the sounds, he now knew whence
-they proceeded. The poor fellow appeared relieved from a state of great
-embarrassment; for, pursuing the direction of the voice--a task that to
-him was not much less arduous that it would have been to have gone up in
-the face of a battery--he soon discovered the hidden songster.
-
-"I wonder what the Hurons will think of that!" said the scout, laughing,
-as he took his companion by the arm, and urged him toward the rear.
-"If the knaves lie within earshot, they will say there are two
-non-compossers instead of one! But here we are safe," he added, pointing
-to Uncas and his associates. "Now give us the history of the Mingo
-inventions in natural English, and without any ups and downs of voice."
-
-David gazed about him, at the fierce and wild-looking chiefs, in mute
-wonder; but assured by the presence of faces that he knew, he soon
-rallied his faculties so far as to make an intelligent reply.
-
-"The heathen are abroad in goodly numbers," said David; "and, I fear,
-with evil intent. There has been much howling and ungodly revelry,
-together with such sounds as it is profanity to utter, in their
-habitations within the past hour, so much so, in truth, that I have fled
-to the Delawares in search of peace."
-
-"Your ears might not have profited much by the exchange, had you been
-quicker of foot," returned the scout a little dryly. "But let that be as
-it may; where are the Hurons?"
-
-"They lie hid in the forest, between this spot and their village in such
-force, that prudence would teach you instantly to return."
-
-Uncas cast a glance along the range of trees which concealed his own
-band and mentioned the name of:
-
-"Magua?"
-
-"Is among them. He brought in the maiden that had sojourned with the
-Delawares; and, leaving her in the cave, has put himself, like a raging
-wolf, at the head of his savages. I know not what has troubled his
-spirit so greatly!"
-
-"He has left her, you say, in the cave!" interrupted Heyward; "'tis well
-that we know its situation! May not something be done for her instant
-relief?"
-
-Uncas looked earnestly at the scout, before he asked:
-
-"What says Hawkeye?"
-
-"Give me twenty rifles, and I will turn to the right, along the stream;
-and, passing by the huts of the beaver, will join the Sagamore and the
-colonel. You shall then hear the whoop from that quarter; with this wind
-one may easily send it a mile. Then, Uncas, do you drive in the front;
-when they come within range of our pieces, we will give them a blow
-that, I pledge the good name of an old frontiersman, shall make their
-line bend like an ashen bow. After which, we will carry the village, and
-take the woman from the cave; when the affair may be finished with the
-tribe, according to a white man's battle, by a blow and a victory;
-or, in the Indian fashion, with dodge and cover. There may be no great
-learning, major, in this plan, but with courage and patience it can all
-be done."
-
-"I like it very much," cried Duncan, who saw that the release of Cora
-was the primary object in the mind of the scout; "I like it much. Let it
-be instantly attempted."
-
-After a short conference, the plan was matured, and rendered more
-intelligible to the several parties; the different signals were
-appointed, and the chiefs separated, each to his allotted station.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 32
-
-     "But plagues shall spread, and funeral fires increase,
-     Till the great king, without a ransom paid,
-     To her own Chrysa send the black-eyed maid."
-     --Pope.
-
-During the time Uncas was making this disposition of his forces, the
-woods were as still, and, with the exception of those who had met in
-council, apparently as much untenanted as when they came fresh from
-the hands of their Almighty Creator. The eye could range, in every
-direction, through the long and shadowed vistas of the trees; but
-nowhere was any object to be seen that did not properly belong to the
-peaceful and slumbering scenery.
-
-Here and there a bird was heard fluttering among the branches of the
-beeches, and occasionally a squirrel dropped a nut, drawing the startled
-looks of the party for a moment to the place; but the instant the casual
-interruption ceased, the passing air was heard murmuring above their
-heads, along that verdant and undulating surface of forest, which spread
-itself unbroken, unless by stream or lake, over such a vast region of
-country. Across the tract of wilderness which lay between the Delawares
-and the village of their enemies, it seemed as if the foot of man had
-never trodden, so breathing and deep was the silence in which it lay.
-But Hawkeye, whose duty led him foremost in the adventure, knew the
-character of those with whom he was about to contend too well to trust
-the treacherous quiet.
-
-When he saw his little band collected, the scout threw "killdeer" into
-the hollow of his arm, and making a silent signal that he would be
-followed, he led them many rods toward the rear, into the bed of a
-little brook which they had crossed in advancing. Here he halted, and
-after waiting for the whole of his grave and attentive warriors to close
-about him, he spoke in Delaware, demanding:
-
-"Do any of my young men know whither this run will lead us?"
-
-A Delaware stretched forth a hand, with the two fingers separated,
-and indicating the manner in which they were joined at the root, he
-answered:
-
-"Before the sun could go his own length, the little water will be in
-the big." Then he added, pointing in the direction of the place he
-mentioned, "the two make enough for the beavers."
-
-"I thought as much," returned the scout, glancing his eye upward at the
-opening in the tree-tops, "from the course it takes, and the bearings of
-the mountains. Men, we will keep within the cover of its banks till we
-scent the Hurons."
-
-His companions gave the usual brief exclamation of assent, but,
-perceiving that their leader was about to lead the way in person, one
-or two made signs that all was not as it should be. Hawkeye, who
-comprehended their meaning glances, turned and perceived that his party
-had been followed thus far by the singing-master.
-
-"Do you know, friend," asked the scout, gravely, and perhaps with a
-little of the pride of conscious deserving in his manner, "that this is
-a band of rangers chosen for the most desperate service, and put under
-the command of one who, though another might say it with a better face,
-will not be apt to leave them idle. It may not be five, it cannot be
-thirty minutes, before we tread on the body of a Huron, living or dead."
-
-"Though not admonished of your intentions in words," returned David,
-whose face was a little flushed, and whose ordinarily quiet and
-unmeaning eyes glimmered with an expression of unusual fire, "your men
-have reminded me of the children of Jacob going out to battle against
-the Shechemites, for wickedly aspiring to wedlock with a woman of a race
-that was favored of the Lord. Now, I have journeyed far, and sojourned
-much in good and evil with the maiden ye seek; and, though not a man
-of war, with my loins girded and my sword sharpened, yet would I gladly
-strike a blow in her behalf."
-
-The scout hesitated, as if weighing the chances of such a strange
-enlistment in his mind before he answered:
-
-"You know not the use of any we'pon. You carry no rifle; and believe me,
-what the Mingoes take they will freely give again."
-
-"Though not a vaunting and bloodily disposed Goliath," returned David,
-drawing a sling from beneath his parti-colored and uncouth attire, "I
-have not forgotten the example of the Jewish boy. With this ancient
-instrument of war have I practised much in my youth, and peradventure
-the skill has not entirely departed from me."
-
-"Ay!" said Hawkeye, considering the deer-skin thong and apron, with a
-cold and discouraging eye; "the thing might do its work among arrows, or
-even knives; but these Mengwe have been furnished by the Frenchers with
-a good grooved barrel a man. However, it seems to be your gift to go
-unharmed amid fire; and as you have hitherto been favored--major, you
-have left your rifle at a cock; a single shot before the time would be
-just twenty scalps lost to no purpose--singer, you can follow; we may
-find use for you in the shoutings."
-
-"I thank you, friend," returned David, supplying himself, like his royal
-namesake, from among the pebbles of the brook; "though not given to
-the desire to kill, had you sent me away my spirit would have been
-troubled."
-
-"Remember," added the scout, tapping his own head significantly on that
-spot where Gamut was yet sore, "we come to fight, and not to musickate.
-Until the general whoop is given, nothing speaks but the rifle."
-
-David nodded, as much to signify his acquiescence with the terms; and
-then Hawkeye, casting another observant glance over his followers made
-the signal to proceed.
-
-Their route lay, for the distance of a mile, along the bed of the
-water-course. Though protected from any great danger of observation by
-the precipitous banks, and the thick shrubbery which skirted the stream,
-no precaution known to an Indian attack was neglected. A warrior rather
-crawled than walked on each flank so as to catch occasional glimpses
-into the forest; and every few minutes the band came to a halt, and
-listened for hostile sounds, with an acuteness of organs that would be
-scarcely conceivable to a man in a less natural state. Their march was,
-however, unmolested, and they reached the point where the lesser stream
-was lost in the greater, without the smallest evidence that their
-progress had been noted. Here the scout again halted, to consult the
-signs of the forest.
-
-"We are likely to have a good day for a fight," he said, in English,
-addressing Heyward, and glancing his eyes upward at the clouds, which
-began to move in broad sheets across the firmament; "a bright sun and a
-glittering barrel are no friends to true sight. Everything is favorable;
-they have the wind, which will bring down their noises and their smoke,
-too, no little matter in itself; whereas, with us it will be first
-a shot, and then a clear view. But here is an end to our cover; the
-beavers have had the range of this stream for hundreds of years, and
-what atween their food and their dams, there is, as you see, many a
-girdled stub, but few living trees."
-
-Hawkeye had, in truth, in these few words, given no bad description of
-the prospect that now lay in their front. The brook was irregular in its
-width, sometimes shooting through narrow fissures in the rocks, and at
-others spreading over acres of bottom land, forming little areas that
-might be termed ponds. Everywhere along its bands were the moldering
-relics of dead trees, in all the stages of decay, from those that
-groaned on their tottering trunks to such as had recently been robbed of
-those rugged coats that so mysteriously contain their principle of life.
-A few long, low, and moss-covered piles were scattered among them, like
-the memorials of a former and long-departed generation.
-
-All these minute particulars were noted by the scout, with a gravity and
-interest that they probably had never before attracted. He knew that
-the Huron encampment lay a short half mile up the brook; and, with
-the characteristic anxiety of one who dreaded a hidden danger, he was
-greatly troubled at not finding the smallest trace of the presence of
-his enemy. Once or twice he felt induced to give the order for a rush,
-and to attempt the village by surprise; but his experience quickly
-admonished him of the danger of so useless an experiment. Then he
-listened intently, and with painful uncertainty, for the sounds of
-hostility in the quarter where Uncas was left; but nothing was audible
-except the sighing of the wind, that began to sweep over the bosom of
-the forest in gusts which threatened a tempest. At length, yielding
-rather to his unusual impatience than taking counsel from his knowledge,
-he determined to bring matters to an issue, by unmasking his force, and
-proceeding cautiously, but steadily, up the stream.
-
-The scout had stood, while making his observations, sheltered by a
-brake, and his companions still lay in the bed of the ravine, through
-which the smaller stream debouched; but on hearing his low, though
-intelligible, signal the whole party stole up the bank, like so many
-dark specters, and silently arranged themselves around him. Pointing in
-the direction he wished to proceed, Hawkeye advanced, the band breaking
-off in single files, and following so accurately in his footsteps, as to
-leave it, if we except Heyward and David, the trail of but a single man.
-
-The party was, however, scarcely uncovered before a volley from a dozen
-rifles was heard in their rear; and a Delaware leaping high in to the
-air, like a wounded deer, fell at his whole length, dead.
-
-"Ah, I feared some deviltry like this!" exclaimed the scout, in English,
-adding, with the quickness of thought, in his adopted tongue: "To cover,
-men, and charge!"
-
-The band dispersed at the word, and before Heyward had well recovered
-from his surprise, he found himself standing alone with David. Luckily
-the Hurons had already fallen back, and he was safe from their fire. But
-this state of things was evidently to be of short continuance; for the
-scout set the example of pressing on their retreat, by discharging his
-rifle, and darting from tree to tree as his enemy slowly yielded ground.
-
-It would seem that the assault had been made by a very small party of
-the Hurons, which, however, continued to increase in numbers, as it
-retired on its friends, until the return fire was very nearly, if not
-quite, equal to that maintained by the advancing Delawares. Heyward
-threw himself among the combatants, and imitating the necessary caution
-of his companions, he made quick discharges with his own rifle. The
-contest now grew warm and stationary. Few were injured, as both parties
-kept their bodies as much protected as possible by the trees; never,
-indeed, exposing any part of their persons except in the act of taking
-aim. But the chances were gradually growing unfavorable to Hawkeye and
-his band. The quick-sighted scout perceived his danger without knowing
-how to remedy it. He saw it was more dangerous to retreat than to
-maintain his ground: while he found his enemy throwing out men on his
-flank; which rendered the task of keeping themselves covered so very
-difficult to the Delawares, as nearly to silence their fire. At this
-embarrassing moment, when they began to think the whole of the hostile
-tribe was gradually encircling them, they heard the yell of combatants
-and the rattling of arms echoing under the arches of the wood at the
-place where Uncas was posted, a bottom which, in a manner, lay beneath
-the ground on which Hawkeye and his party were contending.
-
-The effects of this attack were instantaneous, and to the scout and his
-friends greatly relieving. It would seem that, while his own surprise
-had been anticipated, and had consequently failed, the enemy, in their
-turn, having been deceived in its object and in his numbers, had left
-too small a force to resist the impetuous onset of the young Mohican.
-This fact was doubly apparent, by the rapid manner in which the battle
-in the forest rolled upward toward the village, and by an instant
-falling off in the number of their assailants, who rushed to assist in
-maintaining the front, and, as it now proved to be, the principal point
-of defense.
-
-Animating his followers by his voice, and his own example, Hawkeye then
-gave the word to bear down upon their foes. The charge, in that rude
-species of warfare, consisted merely in pushing from cover to cover,
-nigher to the enemy; and in this maneuver he was instantly and
-successfully obeyed. The Hurons were compelled to withdraw, and the
-scene of the contest rapidly changed from the more open ground, on which
-it had commenced, to a spot where the assailed found a thicket to
-rest upon. Here the struggle was protracted, arduous and seemingly of
-doubtful issue; the Delawares, though none of them fell, beginning to
-bleed freely, in consequence of the disadvantage at which they were
-held.
-
-In this crisis, Hawkeye found means to get behind the same tree as that
-which served for a cover to Heyward; most of his own combatants being
-within call, a little on his right, where they maintained rapid, though
-fruitless, discharges on their sheltered enemies.
-
-"You are a young man, major," said the scout, dropping the butt of
-"killdeer" to the earth, and leaning on the barrel, a little fatigued
-with his previous industry; "and it may be your gift to lead armies,
-at some future day, ag'in these imps, the Mingoes. You may here see the
-philosophy of an Indian fight. It consists mainly in ready hand, a quick
-eye and a good cover. Now, if you had a company of the Royal Americans
-here, in what manner would you set them to work in this business?"
-
-"The bayonet would make a road."
-
-"Ay, there is white reason in what you say; but a man must ask himself,
-in this wilderness, how many lives he can spare. No--horse*," continued
-the scout, shaking his head, like one who mused; "horse, I am ashamed to
-say must sooner or later decide these scrimmages. The brutes are better
-than men, and to horse must we come at last. Put a shodden hoof on the
-moccasin of a red-skin, and, if his rifle be once emptied, he will never
-stop to load it again."
-
-     * The American forest admits of the passage of horses, there
-     being little underbrush, and few tangled brakes. The plan of
-     Hawkeye is the one which has always proved the most
-     successful in the battles between the whites and the
-     Indians. Wayne, in his celebrated campaign on the Miami,
-     received the fire of his enemies in line; and then causing
-     his dragoons to wheel round his flanks, the Indians were
-     driven from their covers before they had time to load. One
-     of the most conspicuous of the chiefs who fought in the
-     battle of Miami assured the writer, that the red men could
-     not fight the warriors with "long knives and leather
-     stockings"; meaning the dragoons with their sabers and
-     boots.
-
-"This is a subject that might better be discussed at another time,"
-returned Heyward; "shall we charge?"
-
-"I see no contradiction to the gifts of any man in passing his breathing
-spells in useful reflections," the scout replied. "As to rush, I little
-relish such a measure; for a scalp or two must be thrown away in the
-attempt. And yet," he added, bending his head aside, to catch the sounds
-of the distant combat, "if we are to be of use to Uncas, these knaves in
-our front must be got rid of."
-
-Then, turning with a prompt and decided air, he called aloud to his
-Indians, in their own language. His words were answered by a shout;
-and, at a given signal, each warrior made a swift movement around his
-particular tree. The sight of so many dark bodies, glancing before their
-eyes at the same instant, drew a hasty and consequently an ineffectual
-fire from the Hurons. Without stopping to breathe, the Delawares leaped
-in long bounds toward the wood, like so many panthers springing upon
-their prey. Hawkeye was in front, brandishing his terrible rifle and
-animating his followers by his example. A few of the older and more
-cunning Hurons, who had not been deceived by the artifice which had been
-practiced to draw their fire, now made a close and deadly discharge of
-their pieces and justified the apprehensions of the scout by felling
-three of his foremost warriors. But the shock was insufficient to repel
-the impetus of the charge. The Delawares broke into the cover with the
-ferocity of their natures and swept away every trace of resistance by
-the fury of the onset.
-
-The combat endured only for an instant, hand to hand, and then the
-assailed yielded ground rapidly, until they reached the opposite
-margin of the thicket, where they clung to the cover, with the sort of
-obstinacy that is so often witnessed in hunted brutes. At this critical
-moment, when the success of the struggle was again becoming doubtful,
-the crack of a rifle was heard behind the Hurons, and a bullet came
-whizzing from among some beaver lodges, which were situated in the
-clearing, in their rear, and was followed by the fierce and appalling
-yell of the war-whoop.
-
-"There speaks the Sagamore!" shouted Hawkeye, answering the cry with his
-own stentorian voice; "we have them now in face and back!"
-
-The effect on the Hurons was instantaneous. Discouraged by an assault
-from a quarter that left them no opportunity for cover, the warriors
-uttered a common yell of disappointment, and breaking off in a
-body, they spread themselves across the opening, heedless of every
-consideration but flight. Many fell, in making the experiment, under the
-bullets and the blows of the pursuing Delawares.
-
-We shall not pause to detail the meeting between the scout and
-Chingachgook, or the more touching interview that Duncan held with
-Munro. A few brief and hurried words served to explain the state of
-things to both parties; and then Hawkeye, pointing out the Sagamore to
-his band, resigned the chief authority into the hands of the Mohican
-chief. Chingachgook assumed the station to which his birth and
-experience gave him so distinguished a claim, with the grave dignity
-that always gives force to the mandates of a native warrior. Following
-the footsteps of the scout, he led the party back through the thicket,
-his men scalping the fallen Hurons and secreting the bodies of their own
-dead as they proceeded, until they gained a point where the former was
-content to make a halt.
-
-The warriors, who had breathed themselves freely in the preceding
-struggle, were now posted on a bit of level ground, sprinkled with
-trees in sufficient numbers to conceal them. The land fell away rather
-precipitately in front, and beneath their eyes stretched, for several
-miles, a narrow, dark, and wooded vale. It was through this dense and
-dark forest that Uncas was still contending with the main body of the
-Hurons.
-
-The Mohican and his friends advanced to the brow of the hill, and
-listened, with practised ears, to the sounds of the combat. A few
-birds hovered over the leafy bosom of the valley, frightened from their
-secluded nests; and here and there a light vapory cloud, which seemed
-already blending with the atmosphere, arose above the trees, and
-indicated some spot where the struggle had been fierce and stationary.
-
-"The fight is coming up the ascent," said Duncan, pointing in the
-direction of a new explosion of firearms; "we are too much in the center
-of their line to be effective."
-
-"They will incline into the hollow, where the cover is thicker," said
-the scout, "and that will leave us well on their flank. Go, Sagamore;
-you will hardly be in time to give the whoop, and lead on the young men.
-I will fight this scrimmage with warriors of my own color. You know me,
-Mohican; not a Huron of them all shall cross the swell, into your rear,
-without the notice of 'killdeer'."
-
-The Indian chief paused another moment to consider the signs of the
-contest, which was now rolling rapidly up the ascent, a certain evidence
-that the Delawares triumphed; nor did he actually quit the place until
-admonished of the proximity of his friends, as well as enemies, by the
-bullets of the former, which began to patter among the dried leaves on
-the ground, like the bits of falling hail which precede the bursting of
-the tempest. Hawkeye and his three companions withdrew a few paces to
-a shelter, and awaited the issue with calmness that nothing but great
-practise could impart in such a scene.
-
-It was not long before the reports of the rifles began to lose the
-echoes of the woods, and to sound like weapons discharged in the open
-air. Then a warrior appeared, here and there, driven to the skirts of
-the forest, and rallying as he entered the clearing, as at the place
-where the final stand was to be made. These were soon joined by others,
-until a long line of swarthy figures was to be seen clinging to
-the cover with the obstinacy of desperation. Heyward began to
-grow impatient, and turned his eyes anxiously in the direction of
-Chingachgook. The chief was seated on a rock, with nothing visible but
-his calm visage, considering the spectacle with an eye as deliberate as
-if he were posted there merely to view the struggle.
-
-"The time has come for the Delaware to strike!" said Duncan.
-
-"Not so, not so," returned the scout; "when he scents his friends, he
-will let them know that he is here. See, see; the knaves are getting in
-that clump of pines, like bees settling after their flight. By the
-Lord, a squaw might put a bullet into the center of such a knot of dark
-skins!"
-
-At that instant the whoop was given, and a dozen Hurons fell by a
-discharge from Chingachgook and his band. The shout that followed was
-answered by a single war-cry from the forest, and a yell passed through
-the air that sounded as if a thousand throats were united in a common
-effort. The Hurons staggered, deserting the center of their line, and
-Uncas issued from the forest through the opening they left, at the head
-of a hundred warriors.
-
-Waving his hands right and left, the young chief pointed out the enemy
-to his followers, who separated in pursuit. The war now divided, both
-wings of the broken Hurons seeking protection in the woods again, hotly
-pressed by the victorious warriors of the Lenape. A minute might have
-passed, but the sounds were already receding in different directions,
-and gradually losing their distinctness beneath the echoing arches of
-the woods. One little knot of Hurons, however, had disdained to seek a
-cover, and were retiring, like lions at bay, slowly and sullenly up the
-acclivity which Chingachgook and his band had just deserted, to mingle
-more closely in the fray. Magua was conspicuous in this party, both by
-his fierce and savage mien, and by the air of haughty authority he yet
-maintained.
-
-In his eagerness to expedite the pursuit, Uncas had left himself nearly
-alone; but the moment his eye caught the figure of Le Subtil, every
-other consideration was forgotten. Raising his cry of battle, which
-recalled some six or seven warriors, and reckless of the disparity of
-their numbers, he rushed upon his enemy. Le Renard, who watched the
-movement, paused to receive him with secret joy. But at the moment when
-he thought the rashness of his impetuous young assailant had left him
-at his mercy, another shout was given, and La Longue Carabine was seen
-rushing to the rescue, attended by all his white associates. The Huron
-instantly turned, and commenced a rapid retreat up the ascent.
-
-There was no time for greetings or congratulations; for Uncas, though
-unconscious of the presence of his friends, continued the pursuit with
-the velocity of the wind. In vain Hawkeye called to him to respect the
-covers; the young Mohican braved the dangerous fire of his enemies, and
-soon compelled them to a flight as swift as his own headlong speed. It
-was fortunate that the race was of short continuance, and that the white
-men were much favored by their position, or the Delaware would soon have
-outstripped all his companions, and fallen a victim to his own temerity.
-But, ere such a calamity could happen, the pursuers and pursued entered
-the Wyandot village, within striking distance of each other.
-
-Excited by the presence of their dwellings, and tired of the chase, the
-Hurons now made a stand, and fought around their council-lodge with
-the fury of despair. The onset and the issue were like the passage and
-destruction of a whirlwind. The tomahawk of Uncas, the blows of Hawkeye,
-and even the still nervous arm of Munro were all busy for that passing
-moment, and the ground was quickly strewed with their enemies. Still
-Magua, though daring and much exposed, escaped from every effort against
-his life, with that sort of fabled protection that was made to overlook
-the fortunes of favored heroes in the legends of ancient poetry. Raising
-a yell that spoke volumes of anger and disappointment, the subtle chief,
-when he saw his comrades fallen, darted away from the place, attended
-by his two only surviving friends, leaving the Delawares engaged in
-stripping the dead of the bloody trophies of their victory.
-
-But Uncas, who had vainly sought him in the melee, bounded forward in
-pursuit; Hawkeye, Heyward and David still pressing on his footsteps. The
-utmost that the scout could effect, was to keep the muzzle of his rifle
-a little in advance of his friend, to whom, however, it answered every
-purpose of a charmed shield. Once Magua appeared disposed to make
-another and a final effort to revenge his losses; but, abandoning his
-intention as soon as demonstrated, he leaped into a thicket of bushes,
-through which he was followed by his enemies, and suddenly entered the
-mouth of the cave already known to the reader. Hawkeye, who had only
-forborne to fire in tenderness to Uncas, raised a shout of success, and
-proclaimed aloud that now they were certain of their game. The pursuers
-dashed into the long and narrow entrance, in time to catch a glimpse of
-the retreating forms of the Hurons. Their passage through the natural
-galleries and subterraneous apartments of the cavern was preceded by the
-shrieks and cries of hundreds of women and children. The place, seen by
-its dim and uncertain light, appeared like the shades of the infernal
-regions, across which unhappy ghosts and savage demons were flitting in
-multitudes.
-
-Still Uncas kept his eye on Magua, as if life to him possessed but
-a single object. Heyward and the scout still pressed on his rear,
-actuated, though possibly in a less degree, by a common feeling. But
-their way was becoming intricate, in those dark and gloomy passages, and
-the glimpses of the retiring warriors less distinct and frequent; and
-for a moment the trace was believed to be lost, when a white robe was
-seen fluttering in the further extremity of a passage that seemed to
-lead up the mountain.
-
-"'Tis Cora!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice in which horror and delight
-were wildly mingled.
-
-"Cora! Cora!" echoed Uncas, bounding forward like a deer.
-
-"'Tis the maiden!" shouted the scout. "Courage, lady; we come! we come!"
-
-The chase was renewed with a diligence rendered tenfold encouraging
-by this glimpse of the captive. But the way was rugged, broken, and in
-spots nearly impassable. Uncas abandoned his rifle, and leaped forward
-with headlong precipitation. Heyward rashly imitated his example, though
-both were, a moment afterward, admonished of his madness by hearing the
-bellowing of a piece, that the Hurons found time to discharge down the
-passage in the rocks, the bullet from which even gave the young Mohican
-a slight wound.
-
-"We must close!" said the scout, passing his friends by a desperate
-leap; "the knaves will pick us all off at this distance; and see, they
-hold the maiden so as to shield themselves!"
-
-Though his words were unheeded, or rather unheard, his example was
-followed by his companions, who, by incredible exertions, got near
-enough to the fugitives to perceive that Cora was borne along between
-the two warriors while Magua prescribed the direction and manner of
-their flight. At this moment the forms of all four were strongly drawn
-against an opening in the sky, and they disappeared. Nearly frantic with
-disappointment, Uncas and Heyward increased efforts that already seemed
-superhuman, and they issued from the cavern on the side of the mountain,
-in time to note the route of the pursued. The course lay up the ascent,
-and still continued hazardous and laborious.
-
-Encumbered by his rifle, and, perhaps, not sustained by so deep an
-interest in the captive as his companions, the scout suffered the latter
-to precede him a little, Uncas, in his turn, taking the lead of Heyward.
-In this manner, rocks, precipices and difficulties were surmounted in
-an incredibly short space, that at another time, and under other
-circumstances, would have been deemed almost insuperable. But the
-impetuous young men were rewarded by finding that, encumbered with Cora,
-the Hurons were losing ground in the race.
-
-"Stay, dog of the Wyandots!" exclaimed Uncas, shaking his bright
-tomahawk at Magua; "a Delaware girl calls stay!"
-
-"I will go no further!" cried Cora, stopping unexpectedly on a ledge
-of rock, that overhung a deep precipice, at no great distance from the
-summit of the mountain. "Kill me if thou wilt, detestable Huron; I will
-go no further."
-
-The supporters of the maiden raised their ready tomahawks with the
-impious joy that fiends are thought to take in mischief, but Magua
-stayed the uplifted arms. The Huron chief, after casting the weapons
-he had wrested from his companions over the rock, drew his knife,
-and turned to his captive, with a look in which conflicting passions
-fiercely contended.
-
-"Woman," he said, "chose; the wigwam or the knife of Le Subtil!"
-
-Cora regarded him not, but dropping on her knees, she raised her eyes
-and stretched her arms toward heaven, saying in a meek and yet confiding
-voice:
-
-"I am thine; do with me as thou seest best!"
-
-"Woman," repeated Magua, hoarsely, and endeavoring in vain to catch a
-glance from her serene and beaming eye, "choose!"
-
-But Cora neither heard nor heeded his demand. The form of the Huron
-trembled in every fibre, and he raised his arm on high, but dropped
-it again with a bewildered air, like one who doubted. Once more he
-struggled with himself and lifted the keen weapon again; but just then
-a piercing cry was heard above them, and Uncas appeared, leaping
-frantically, from a fearful height, upon the ledge. Magua recoiled a
-step; and one of his assistants, profiting by the chance, sheathed his
-own knife in the bosom of Cora.
-
-The Huron sprang like a tiger on his offending and already retreating
-country man, but the falling form of Uncas separated the unnatural
-combatants. Diverted from his object by this interruption, and maddened
-by the murder he had just witnessed, Magua buried his weapon in the back
-of the prostrate Delaware, uttering an unearthly shout as he committed
-the dastardly deed. But Uncas arose from the blow, as the wounded
-panther turns upon his foe, and struck the murderer of Cora to his feet,
-by an effort in which the last of his failing strength was expended.
-Then, with a stern and steady look, he turned to Le Subtil, and
-indicated by the expression of his eye all that he would do had not
-the power deserted him. The latter seized the nerveless arm of the
-unresisting Delaware, and passed his knife into his bosom three several
-times, before his victim, still keeping his gaze riveted on his enemy,
-with a look of inextinguishable scorn, fell dead at his feet.
-
-"Mercy! mercy! Huron," cried Heyward, from above, in tones nearly choked
-by horror; "give mercy, and thou shalt receive from it!"
-
-Whirling the bloody knife up at the imploring youth, the victorious
-Magua uttered a cry so fierce, so wild, and yet so joyous, that it
-conveyed the sounds of savage triumph to the ears of those who fought in
-the valley, a thousand feet below. He was answered by a burst from the
-lips of the scout, whose tall person was just then seen moving swiftly
-toward him, along those dangerous crags, with steps as bold and reckless
-as if he possessed the power to move in air. But when the hunter reached
-the scene of the ruthless massacre, the ledge was tenanted only by the
-dead.
-
-His keen eye took a single look at the victims, and then shot its
-glances over the difficulties of the ascent in his front. A form stood
-at the brow of the mountain, on the very edge of the giddy height,
-with uplifted arms, in an awful attitude of menace. Without stopping to
-consider his person, the rifle of Hawkeye was raised; but a rock, which
-fell on the head of one of the fugitives below, exposed the indignant
-and glowing countenance of the honest Gamut. Then Magua issued from a
-crevice, and, stepping with calm indifference over the body of the last
-of his associates, he leaped a wide fissure, and ascended the rocks at
-a point where the arm of David could not reach him. A single bound would
-carry him to the brow of the precipice, and assure his safety. Before
-taking the leap, however, the Huron paused, and shaking his hand at the
-scout, he shouted:
-
-"The pale faces are dogs! the Delawares women! Magua leaves them on the
-rocks, for the crows!"
-
-Laughing hoarsely, he made a desperate leap, and fell short of his mark,
-though his hands grasped a shrub on the verge of the height. The form
-of Hawkeye had crouched like a beast about to take its spring, and
-his frame trembled so violently with eagerness that the muzzle of the
-half-raised rifle played like a leaf fluttering in the wind. Without
-exhausting himself with fruitless efforts, the cunning Magua suffered
-his body to drop to the length of his arms, and found a fragment for his
-feet to rest on. Then, summoning all his powers, he renewed the attempt,
-and so far succeeded as to draw his knees on the edge of the mountain.
-It was now, when the body of his enemy was most collected together,
-that the agitated weapon of the scout was drawn to his shoulder. The
-surrounding rocks themselves were not steadier than the piece became,
-for the single instant that it poured out its contents. The arms of the
-Huron relaxed, and his body fell back a little, while his knees still
-kept their position. Turning a relentless look on his enemy, he shook
-a hand in grim defiance. But his hold loosened, and his dark person was
-seen cutting the air with its head downward, for a fleeting instant,
-until it glided past the fringe of shrubbery which clung to the
-mountain, in its rapid flight to destruction.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 33
-
-     "They fought, like brave men, long and well,
-     They piled that ground with Moslem slain,
-     They conquered--but Bozzaris fell,
-     Bleeding at every vein.
-     His few surviving comrades saw
-     His smile when rang their loud hurrah,
-     And the red field was won;
-     Then saw in death his eyelids close
-     Calmly, as to a night's repose,
-     Like flowers at set of sun."
-     --Halleck.
-
-The sun found the Lenape, on the succeeding day, a nation of mourners.
-The sounds of the battle were over, and they had fed fat their ancient
-grudge, and had avenged their recent quarrel with the Mengwe, by the
-destruction of a whole community. The black and murky atmosphere that
-floated around the spot where the Hurons had encamped, sufficiently
-announced of itself, the fate of that wandering tribe; while hundreds of
-ravens, that struggled above the summits of the mountains, or swept, in
-noisy flocks, across the wide ranges of the woods, furnished a frightful
-direction to the scene of the combat. In short, any eye at all practised
-in the signs of a frontier warfare might easily have traced all those
-unerring evidences of the ruthless results which attend an Indian
-vengeance.
-
-Still, the sun rose on the Lenape a nation of mourners. No shouts
-of success, no songs of triumph, were heard, in rejoicings for their
-victory. The latest straggler had returned from his fell employment,
-only to strip himself of the terrific emblems of his bloody calling,
-and to join in the lamentations of his countrymen, as a stricken people.
-Pride and exultation were supplanted by humility, and the fiercest
-of human passions was already succeeded by the most profound and
-unequivocal demonstrations of grief.
-
-The lodges were deserted; but a broad belt of earnest faces encircled a
-spot in their vicinity, whither everything possessing life had repaired,
-and where all were now collected, in deep and awful silence. Though
-beings of every rank and age, of both sexes, and of all pursuits, had
-united to form this breathing wall of bodies, they were influenced by a
-single emotion. Each eye was riveted on the center of that ring, which
-contained the objects of so much and of so common an interest.
-
-Six Delaware girls, with their long, dark, flowing tresses falling
-loosely across their bosoms, stood apart, and only gave proof of their
-existence as they occasionally strewed sweet-scented herbs and forest
-flowers on a litter of fragrant plants that, under a pall of Indian
-robes, supported all that now remained of the ardent, high-souled,
-and generous Cora. Her form was concealed in many wrappers of the same
-simple manufacture, and her face was shut forever from the gaze of
-men. At her feet was seated the desolate Munro. His aged head was
-bowed nearly to the earth, in compelled submission to the stroke of
-Providence; but a hidden anguish struggled about his furrowed brow,
-that was only partially concealed by the careless locks of gray that
-had fallen, neglected, on his temples. Gamut stood at his side, his
-meek head bared to the rays of the sun, while his eyes, wandering and
-concerned, seemed to be equally divided between that little volume,
-which contained so many quaint but holy maxims, and the being in whose
-behalf his soul yearned to administer consolation. Heyward was also
-nigh, supporting himself against a tree, and endeavoring to keep down
-those sudden risings of sorrow that it required his utmost manhood to
-subdue.
-
-But sad and melancholy as this group may easily be imagined, it was far
-less touching than another, that occupied the opposite space of the same
-area. Seated, as in life, with his form and limbs arranged in grave and
-decent composure, Uncas appeared, arrayed in the most gorgeous ornaments
-that the wealth of the tribe could furnish. Rich plumes nodded above
-his head; wampum, gorgets, bracelets, and medals, adorned his person
-in profusion; though his dull eye and vacant lineaments too strongly
-contradicted the idle tale of pride they would convey.
-
-Directly in front of the corpse Chingachgook was placed, without arms,
-paint or adornment of any sort, except the bright blue blazonry of his
-race, that was indelibly impressed on his naked bosom. During the long
-period that the tribe had thus been collected, the Mohican warrior had
-kept a steady, anxious look on the cold and senseless countenance of his
-son. So riveted and intense had been that gaze, and so changeless his
-attitude, that a stranger might not have told the living from the dead,
-but for the occasional gleamings of a troubled spirit, that shot athwart
-the dark visage of one, and the deathlike calm that had forever settled
-on the lineaments of the other. The scout was hard by, leaning in a
-pensive posture on his own fatal and avenging weapon; while Tamenund,
-supported by the elders of his nation, occupied a high place at hand,
-whence he might look down on the mute and sorrowful assemblage of his
-people.
-
-Just within the inner edge of the circle stood a soldier, in the
-military attire of a strange nation; and without it was his warhorse, in
-the center of a collection of mounted domestics, seemingly in readiness
-to undertake some distant journey. The vestments of the stranger
-announced him to be one who held a responsible situation near the person
-of the captain of the Canadas; and who, as it would now seem, finding
-his errand of peace frustrated by the fierce impetuosity of his allies,
-was content to become a silent and sad spectator of the fruits of a
-contest that he had arrived too late to anticipate.
-
-The day was drawing to the close of its first quarter, and yet had the
-multitude maintained its breathing stillness since its dawn.
-
-No sound louder than a stifled sob had been heard among them, nor had
-even a limb been moved throughout that long and painful period, except
-to perform the simple and touching offerings that were made, from time
-to time, in commemoration of the dead. The patience and forbearance of
-Indian fortitude could alone support such an appearance of abstraction,
-as seemed now to have turned each dark and motionless figure into stone.
-
-At length, the sage of the Delawares stretched forth an arm, and leaning
-on the shoulders of his attendants, he arose with an air as feeble as
-if another age had already intervened between the man who had met his
-nation the preceding day, and him who now tottered on his elevated
-stand.
-
-"Men of the Lenape!" he said, in low, hollow tones, that sounded like a
-voice charged with some prophetic mission: "the face of the Manitou
-is behind a cloud! His eye is turned from you; His ears are shut; His
-tongue gives no answer. You see him not; yet His judgments are before
-you. Let your hearts be open and your spirits tell no lie. Men of the
-Lenape! the face of the Manitou is behind a cloud."
-
-As this simple and yet terrible annunciation stole on the ears of the
-multitude, a stillness as deep and awful succeeded as if the venerated
-spirit they worshiped had uttered the words without the aid of human
-organs; and even the inanimate Uncas appeared a being of life, compared
-with the humbled and submissive throng by whom he was surrounded. As the
-immediate effect, however, gradually passed away, a low murmur of voices
-commenced a sort of chant in honor of the dead. The sounds were those of
-females, and were thrillingly soft and wailing. The words were connected
-by no regular continuation, but as one ceased another took up the
-eulogy, or lamentation, whichever it might be called, and gave vent to
-her emotions in such language as was suggested by her feelings and the
-occasion. At intervals the speaker was interrupted by general and loud
-bursts of sorrow, during which the girls around the bier of Cora plucked
-the plants and flowers blindly from her body, as if bewildered with
-grief. But, in the milder moments of their plaint, these emblems of
-purity and sweetness were cast back to their places, with every sign
-of tenderness and regret. Though rendered less connected by many and
-general interruptions and outbreakings, a translation of their language
-would have contained a regular descant, which, in substance, might have
-proved to possess a train of consecutive ideas.
-
-A girl, selected for the task by her rank and qualifications,
-commenced by modest allusions to the qualities of the deceased warrior,
-embellishing her expressions with those oriental images that the
-Indians have probably brought with them from the extremes of the other
-continent, and which form of themselves a link to connect the ancient
-histories of the two worlds. She called him the "panther of his tribe";
-and described him as one whose moccasin left no trail on the dews; whose
-bound was like the leap of a young fawn; whose eye was brighter than
-a star in the dark night; and whose voice, in battle, was loud as the
-thunder of the Manitou. She reminded him of the mother who bore him, and
-dwelt forcibly on the happiness she must feel in possessing such a son.
-She bade him tell her, when they met in the world of spirits, that the
-Delaware girls had shed tears above the grave of her child, and had
-called her blessed.
-
-Then, they who succeeded, changing their tones to a milder and still
-more tender strain, alluded, with the delicacy and sensitiveness of
-women, to the stranger maiden, who had left the upper earth at a time
-so near his own departure, as to render the will of the Great Spirit too
-manifest to be disregarded. They admonished him to be kind to her, and
-to have consideration for her ignorance of those arts which were so
-necessary to the comfort of a warrior like himself. They dwelled upon
-her matchless beauty, and on her noble resolution, without the taint of
-envy, and as angels may be thought to delight in a superior excellence;
-adding, that these endowments should prove more than equivalent for any
-little imperfection in her education.
-
-After which, others again, in due succession, spoke to the maiden
-herself, in the low, soft language of tenderness and love. They exhorted
-her to be of cheerful mind, and to fear nothing for her future welfare.
-A hunter would be her companion, who knew how to provide for her
-smallest wants; and a warrior was at her side who was able to protect
-he against every danger. They promised that her path should be pleasant,
-and her burden light. They cautioned her against unavailing regrets for
-the friends of her youth, and the scenes where her father had dwelt;
-assuring her that the "blessed hunting grounds of the Lenape," contained
-vales as pleasant, streams as pure; and flowers as sweet, as the "heaven
-of the pale faces." They advised her to be attentive to the wants of her
-companion, and never to forget the distinction which the Manitou had so
-wisely established between them. Then, in a wild burst of their chant
-they sang with united voices the temper of the Mohican's mind. They
-pronounced him noble, manly and generous; all that became a warrior, and
-all that a maid might love. Clothing their ideas in the most remote
-and subtle images, they betrayed, that, in the short period of their
-intercourse, they had discovered, with the intuitive perception of their
-sex, the truant disposition of his inclinations. The Delaware girls had
-found no favor in his eyes! He was of a race that had once been lords on
-the shores of the salt lake, and his wishes had led him back to a
-people who dwelt about the graves of his fathers. Why should not such
-a predilection be encouraged! That she was of a blood purer and richer
-than the rest of her nation, any eye might have seen; that she was
-equal to the dangers and daring of a life in the woods, her conduct
-had proved; and now, they added, the "wise one of the earth" had
-transplanted her to a place where she would find congenial spirits, and
-might be forever happy.
-
-Then, with another transition in voice and subject, allusions were
-made to the virgin who wept in the adjacent lodge. They compared her to
-flakes of snow; as pure, as white, as brilliant, and as liable to melt
-in the fierce heats of summer, or congeal in the frosts of winter. They
-doubted not that she was lovely in the eyes of the young chief, whose
-skin and whose sorrow seemed so like her own; but though far from
-expressing such a preference, it was evident they deemed her less
-excellent than the maid they mourned. Still they denied her no need
-her rare charms might properly claim. Her ringlets were compared to the
-exuberant tendrils of the vine, her eye to the blue vault of heavens,
-and the most spotless cloud, with its glowing flush of the sun, was
-admitted to be less attractive than her bloom.
-
-During these and similar songs nothing was audible but the murmurs of
-the music; relieved, as it was, or rather rendered terrible, by those
-occasional bursts of grief which might be called its choruses. The
-Delawares themselves listened like charmed men; and it was very
-apparent, by the variations of their speaking countenances, how deep and
-true was their sympathy. Even David was not reluctant to lend his ears
-to the tones of voices so sweet; and long ere the chant was ended, his
-gaze announced that his soul was enthralled.
-
-The scout, to whom alone, of all the white men, the words were
-intelligible, suffered himself to be a little aroused from his
-meditative posture, and bent his face aside, to catch their meaning, as
-the girls proceeded. But when they spoke of the future prospects of
-Cora and Uncas, he shook his head, like one who knew the error of their
-simple creed, and resuming his reclining attitude, he maintained it
-until the ceremony, if that might be called a ceremony, in which feeling
-was so deeply imbued, was finished. Happily for the self-command of both
-Heyward and Munro, they knew not the meaning of the wild sounds they
-heard.
-
-Chingachgook was a solitary exception to the interest manifested by the
-native part of the audience. His look never changed throughout the whole
-of the scene, nor did a muscle move in his rigid countenance, even at
-the wildest or the most pathetic parts of the lamentation. The cold and
-senseless remains of his son was all to him, and every other sense but
-that of sight seemed frozen, in order that his eyes might take their
-final gaze at those lineaments he had so long loved, and which were now
-about to be closed forever from his view.
-
-In this stage of the obsequies, a warrior much renowned for deed in
-arms, and more especially for services in the recent combat, a man of
-stern and grave demeanor, advanced slowly from the crowd, and placed
-himself nigh the person of the dead.
-
-"Why hast thou left us, pride of the Wapanachki?" he said, addressing
-himself to the dull ears of Uncas, as if the empty clay retained the
-faculties of the animated man; "thy time has been like that of the sun
-when in the trees; thy glory brighter than his light at noonday. Thou
-art gone, youthful warrior, but a hundred Wyandots are clearing the
-briers from thy path to the world of the spirits. Who that saw thee in
-battle would believe that thou couldst die? Who before thee has ever
-shown Uttawa the way into the fight? Thy feet were like the wings of
-eagles; thine arm heavier than falling branches from the pine; and
-thy voice like the Manitou when He speaks in the clouds. The tongue of
-Uttawa is weak," he added, looking about him with a melancholy gaze,
-"and his heart exceeding heavy. Pride of the Wapanachki, why hast thou
-left us?"
-
-He was succeeded by others, in due order, until most of the high and
-gifted men of the nation had sung or spoken their tribute of praise over
-the manes of the deceased chief. When each had ended, another deep and
-breathing silence reigned in all the place.
-
-Then a low, deep sound was heard, like the suppressed accompaniment of
-distant music, rising just high enough on the air to be audible, and
-yet so indistinctly, as to leave its character, and the place whence it
-proceeded, alike matters of conjecture. It was, however, succeeded by
-another and another strain, each in a higher key, until they grew on the
-ear, first in long drawn and often repeated interjections, and finally
-in words. The lips of Chingachgook had so far parted, as to announce
-that it was the monody of the father. Though not an eye was turned
-toward him nor the smallest sign of impatience exhibited, it was
-apparent, by the manner in which the multitude elevated their heads to
-listen, that they drank in the sounds with an intenseness of attention,
-that none but Tamenund himself had ever before commanded. But
-they listened in vain. The strains rose just so loud as to become
-intelligible, and then grew fainter and more trembling, until they
-finally sank on the ear, as if borne away by a passing breath of wind.
-The lips of the Sagamore closed, and he remained silent in his seat,
-looking with his riveted eye and motionless form, like some creature
-that had been turned from the Almighty hand with the form but without
-the spirit of a man. The Delawares who knew by these symptoms that
-the mind of their friend was not prepared for so mighty an effort of
-fortitude, relaxed in their attention; and, with an innate delicacy,
-seemed to bestow all their thoughts on the obsequies of the stranger
-maiden.
-
-A signal was given, by one of the elder chiefs, to the women who crowded
-that part of the circle near which the body of Cora lay. Obedient to
-the sign, the girls raised the bier to the elevation of their heads,
-and advanced with slow and regulated steps, chanting, as they proceeded,
-another wailing song in praise of the deceased. Gamut, who had been a
-close observer of rites he deemed so heathenish, now bent his head over
-the shoulder of the unconscious father, whispering:
-
-"They move with the remains of thy child; shall we not follow, and see
-them interred with Christian burial?"
-
-Munro started, as if the last trumpet had sounded in his ear, and
-bestowing one anxious and hurried glance around him, he arose and
-followed in the simple train, with the mien of a soldier, but bearing
-the full burden of a parent's suffering. His friends pressed around him
-with a sorrow that was too strong to be termed sympathy--even the young
-Frenchman joining in the procession, with the air of a man who was
-sensibly touched at the early and melancholy fate of one so lovely. But
-when the last and humblest female of the tribe had joined in the wild
-and yet ordered array, the men of the Lenape contracted their circle,
-and formed again around the person of Uncas, as silent, as grave, and as
-motionless as before.
-
-The place which had been chosen for the grave of Cora was a little
-knoll, where a cluster of young and healthful pines had taken root,
-forming of themselves a melancholy and appropriate shade over the spot.
-On reaching it the girls deposited their burden, and continued for many
-minutes waiting, with characteristic patience, and native timidity, for
-some evidence that they whose feelings were most concerned were content
-with the arrangement. At length the scout, who alone understood their
-habits, said, in their own language:
-
-"My daughters have done well; the white men thank them."
-
-Satisfied with this testimony in their favor, the girls proceeded
-to deposit the body in a shell, ingeniously, and not inelegantly,
-fabricated of the bark of the birch; after which they lowered it into
-its dark and final abode. The ceremony of covering the remains, and
-concealing the marks of the fresh earth, by leaves and other natural and
-customary objects, was conducted with the same simple and silent forms.
-But when the labors of the kind beings who had performed these sad and
-friendly offices were so far completed, they hesitated, in a way to show
-that they knew not how much further they might proceed. It was in this
-stage of the rites that the scout again addressed them:
-
-"My young women have done enough," he said: "the spirit of the pale
-face has no need of food or raiment, their gifts being according to the
-heaven of their color. I see," he added, glancing an eye at David, who
-was preparing his book in a manner that indicated an intention to
-lead the way in sacred song, "that one who better knows the Christian
-fashions is about to speak."
-
-The females stood modestly aside, and, from having been the principal
-actors in the scene, they now became the meek and attentive observers of
-that which followed. During the time David occupied in pouring out the
-pious feelings of his spirit in this manner, not a sign of surprise, nor
-a look of impatience, escaped them. They listened like those who knew
-the meaning of the strange words, and appeared as if they felt the
-mingled emotions of sorrow, hope, and resignation, they were intended to
-convey.
-
-Excited by the scene he had just witnessed, and perhaps influenced by
-his own secret emotions, the master of song exceeded his usual efforts.
-His full rich voice was not found to suffer by a comparison with the
-soft tones of the girls; and his more modulated strains possessed, at
-least for the ears of those to whom they were peculiarly addressed,
-the additional power of intelligence. He ended the anthem, as he had
-commenced it, in the midst of a grave and solemn stillness.
-
-When, however, the closing cadence had fallen on the ears of his
-auditors, the secret, timorous glances of the eyes, and the general
-and yet subdued movement of the assemblage, betrayed that something was
-expected from the father of the deceased. Munro seemed sensible that the
-time was come for him to exert what is, perhaps, the greatest effort
-of which human nature is capable. He bared his gray locks, and looked
-around the timid and quiet throng by which he was encircled, with a firm
-and collected countenance. Then, motioning with his hand for the scout
-to listen, he said:
-
-"Say to these kind and gentle females, that a heart-broken and failing
-man returns them his thanks. Tell them, that the Being we all worship,
-under different names, will be mindful of their charity; and that the
-time shall not be distant when we may assemble around His throne without
-distinction of sex, or rank, or color."
-
-The scout listened to the tremulous voice in which the veteran delivered
-these words, and shook his head slowly when they were ended, as one who
-doubted their efficacy.
-
-"To tell them this," he said, "would be to tell them that the snows come
-not in the winter, or that the sun shines fiercest when the trees are
-stripped of their leaves."
-
-Then turning to the women, he made such a communication of the other's
-gratitude as he deemed most suited to the capacities of his listeners.
-The head of Munro had already sunk upon his chest, and he was again
-fast relapsing into melancholy, when the young Frenchman before named
-ventured to touch him lightly on the elbow. As soon as he had gained the
-attention of the mourning old man, he pointed toward a group of young
-Indians, who approached with a light but closely covered litter, and
-then pointed upward toward the sun.
-
-"I understand you, sir," returned Munro, with a voice of forced
-firmness; "I understand you. It is the will of Heaven, and I submit.
-Cora, my child! if the prayers of a heart-broken father could avail thee
-now, how blessed shouldst thou be! Come, gentlemen," he added, looking
-about him with an air of lofty composure, though the anguish that
-quivered in his faded countenance was far too powerful to be concealed,
-"our duty here is ended; let us depart."
-
-Heyward gladly obeyed a summons that took them from a spot where, each
-instant, he felt his self-control was about to desert him. While his
-companions were mounting, however, he found time to press the hand of
-the scout, and to repeat the terms of an engagement they had made to
-meet again within the posts of the British army. Then, gladly throwing
-himself into the saddle, he spurred his charger to the side of the
-litter, whence low and stifled sobs alone announced the presence of
-Alice. In this manner, the head of Munro again drooping on his bosom,
-with Heyward and David following in sorrowing silence, and attended
-by the aide of Montcalm with his guard, all the white men, with the
-exception of Hawkeye, passed from before the eyes of the Delawares, and
-were buried in the vast forests of that region.
-
-But the tie which, through their common calamity, had united the
-feelings of these simple dwellers in the woods with the strangers who
-had thus transiently visited them, was not so easily broken. Years
-passed away before the traditionary tale of the white maiden, and of
-the young warrior of the Mohicans ceased to beguile the long nights and
-tedious marches, or to animate their youthful and brave with a desire
-for vengeance. Neither were the secondary actors in these momentous
-incidents forgotten. Through the medium of the scout, who served for
-years afterward as a link between them and civilized life, they learned,
-in answer to their inquiries, that the "Gray Head" was speedily gathered
-to his fathers--borne down, as was erroneously believed, by his military
-misfortunes; and that the "Open Hand" had conveyed his surviving
-daughter far into the settlements of the pale faces, where her tears
-had at last ceased to flow, and had been succeeded by the bright smiles
-which were better suited to her joyous nature.
-
-But these were events of a time later than that which concerns our tale.
-Deserted by all of his color, Hawkeye returned to the spot where his
-sympathies led him, with a force that no ideal bond of union could
-destroy. He was just in time to catch a parting look of the features of
-Uncas, whom the Delawares were already inclosing in his last vestment
-of skins. They paused to permit the longing and lingering gaze of the
-sturdy woodsman, and when it was ended, the body was enveloped, never to
-be unclosed again. Then came a procession like the other, and the whole
-nation was collected about the temporary grave of the chief--temporary,
-because it was proper that, at some future day, his bones should rest
-among those of his own people.
-
-The movement, like the feeling, had been simultaneous and general. The
-same grave expression of grief, the same rigid silence, and the same
-deference to the principal mourner, were observed around the place of
-interment as have been already described. The body was deposited in an
-attitude of repose, facing the rising sun, with the implements of war
-and of the chase at hand, in readiness for the final journey. An opening
-was left in the shell, by which it was protected from the soil, for the
-spirit to communicate with its earthly tenement, when necessary; and the
-whole was concealed from the instinct, and protected from the ravages
-of the beasts of prey, with an ingenuity peculiar to the natives. The
-manual rites then ceased and all present reverted to the more spiritual
-part of the ceremonies.
-
-Chingachgook became once more the object of the common attention. He had
-not yet spoken, and something consolatory and instructive was expected
-from so renowned a chief on an occasion of such interest. Conscious of
-the wishes of the people, the stern and self-restrained warrior raised
-his face, which had latterly been buried in his robe, and looked about
-him with a steady eye. His firmly compressed and expressive lips then
-severed, and for the first time during the long ceremonies his voice was
-distinctly audible. "Why do my brothers mourn?" he said, regarding the
-dark race of dejected warriors by whom he was environed; "why do my
-daughters weep? that a young man has gone to the happy hunting-grounds;
-that a chief has filled his time with honor? He was good; he was
-dutiful; he was brave. Who can deny it? The Manitou had need of such a
-warrior, and He has called him away. As for me, the son and the father
-of Uncas, I am a blazed pine, in a clearing of the pale faces. My
-race has gone from the shores of the salt lake and the hills of the
-Delawares. But who can say that the serpent of his tribe has forgotten
-his wisdom? I am alone--"
-
-"No, no," cried Hawkeye, who had been gazing with a yearning look at the
-rigid features of his friend, with something like his own self-command,
-but whose philosophy could endure no longer; "no, Sagamore, not alone.
-The gifts of our colors may be different, but God has so placed us as to
-journey in the same path. I have no kin, and I may also say, like you,
-no people. He was your son, and a red-skin by nature; and it may be that
-your blood was nearer--but, if ever I forget the lad who has so often
-fou't at my side in war, and slept at my side in peace, may He who made
-us all, whatever may be our color or our gifts, forget me! The boy has
-left us for a time; but, Sagamore, you are not alone."
-
-Chingachgook grasped the hand that, in the warmth of feeling, the scout
-had stretched across the fresh earth, and in an attitude of friendship
-these two sturdy and intrepid woodsmen bowed their heads together, while
-scalding tears fell to their feet, watering the grave of Uncas like
-drops of falling rain.
-
-In the midst of the awful stillness with which such a burst of feeling,
-coming as it did, from the two most renowned warriors of that region,
-was received, Tamenund lifted his voice to disperse the multitude.
-
-"It is enough," he said. "Go, children of the Lenape, the anger of
-the Manitou is not done. Why should Tamenund stay? The pale faces are
-masters of the earth, and the time of the red men has not yet come
-again. My day has been too long. In the morning I saw the sons of Unamis
-happy and strong; and yet, before the night has come, have I lived to
-see the last warrior of the wise race of the Mohicans."
-
-
-
-
-
-End of Project Gutenberg's The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
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diff --git a/old/940.zip b/old/940.zip
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-Project Gutenberg's The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
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-Title: The Last of the Mohicans
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-Author: James Fenimore Cooper
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-Release Date: June, 1997  [Etext #940]
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-The Last of the Mohicans
-A Narrative of 1757
-
-by James Fenimore Cooper
-
-
-
-
-INTRODUCTION
-
-It is believed that the scene of this tale, and most of the
-information necessary to understand its allusions, are
-rendered sufficiently obvious to the reader in the text
-itself, or in the accompanying notes.  Still there is so
-much obscurity in the Indian traditions, and so much
-confusion in the Indian names, as to render some explanation
-useful.
-
-Few men exhibit greater diversity, or, if we may so express
-it, greater antithesis of character, than the native warrior
-of North America.  In war, he is daring, boastful, cunning,
-ruthless, self-denying, and self-devoted; in peace, just,
-generous, hospitable, revengeful, superstitious, modest, and
-commonly chaste.  These are qualities, it is true, which do
-not distinguish all alike; but they are so far the
-predominating traits of these remarkable people as to be
-characteristic.
-
-It is generally believed that the Aborigines of the American
-continent have an Asiatic origin.  There are many physical
-as well as moral facts which corroborate this opinion, and
-some few that would seem to weigh against it.
-
-The color of the Indian, the writer believes, is peculiar to
-himself, and while his cheek-bones have a very striking
-indication of a Tartar origin, his eyes have not.  Climate
-may have had great influence on the former, but it is
-difficult to see how it can have produced the substantial
-difference which exists in the latter.  The imagery of the
-Indian, both in his poetry and in his oratory, is oriental;
-chastened, and perhaps improved, by the limited range of his
-practical knowledge.  He draws his metaphors from the
-clouds, the seasons, the birds, the beasts, and the
-vegetable world.  In this, perhaps, he does no more than any
-other energetic and imaginative race would do, being
-compelled to set bounds to fancy by experience; but the
-North American Indian clothes his ideas in a dress which is
-different from that of the African, and is oriental in
-itself.  His language has the richness and sententious
-fullness of the Chinese.  He will express a phrase in a
-word, and he will qualify the meaning of an entire sentence
-by a syllable; he will even convey different significations
-by the simplest inflections of the voice.
-
-Philologists have said that there are but two or three
-languages, properly speaking, among all the numerous tribes
-which formerly occupied the country that now composes the
-United States.  They ascribe the known difficulty one people
-have to understand another to corruptions and dialects.  The
-writer remembers to have been present at an interview
-between two chiefs of the Great Prairies west of the
-Mississippi, and when an interpreter was in attendance who
-spoke both their languages.  The warriors appeared to be on
-the most friendly terms, and seemingly conversed much
-together; yet, according to the account of the interpreter,
-each was absolutely ignorant of what the other said.  They
-were of hostile tribes, brought together by the influence of
-the American government; and it is worthy of remark, that a
-common policy led them both to adopt the same subject.  They
-mutually exhorted each other to be of use in the event of
-the chances of war throwing either of the parties into the
-hands of his enemies.  Whatever may be the truth, as
-respects the root and the genius of the Indian tongues, it
-is quite certain they are now so distinct in their words as
-to possess most of the disadvantages of strange languages;
-hence much of the embarrassment that has arisen in learning
-their histories, and most of the uncertainty which exists in
-their traditions.
-
-Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian
-gives a very different account of his own tribe or race from
-that which is given by other people.  He is much addicted to
-overestimating his own perfections, and to undervaluing
-those of his rival or his enemy; a trait which may possibly
-be thought corroborative of the Mosaic account of the
-creation.
-
-The whites have assisted greatly in rendering the traditions
-of the Aborigines more obscure by their own manner of
-corrupting names.  Thus, the term used in the title of this
-book has undergone the changes of Mahicanni, Mohicans, and
-Mohegans; the latter being the word commonly used by the
-whites.  When it is remembered that the Dutch (who first
-settled New York), the English, and the French, all gave
-appellations to the tribes that dwelt within the country
-which is the scene of this story, and that the Indians not
-only gave different names to their enemies, but frequently
-to themselves, the cause of the confusion will be
-understood.
-
-In these pages, Lenni-Lenape, Lenope, Delawares, Wapanachki,
-and Mohicans, all mean the same people, or tribes of the
-same stock.  The Mengwe, the Maquas, the Mingoes, and the
-Iroquois, though not all strictly the same, are identified
-frequently by the speakers, being politically confederated
-and opposed to those just named.  Mingo was a term of
-peculiar reproach, as were Mengwe and Maqua in a less
-degree.
-
-The Mohicans were the possessors of the country first
-occupied by the Europeans in this portion of the continent.
-They were, consequently, the first dispossessed; and the
-seemingly inevitable fate of all these people, who disappear
-before the advances, or it might be termed the inroads, of
-civilization, as the verdure of their native forests falls
-before the nipping frosts, is represented as having already
-befallen them.  There is sufficient historical truth in the
-picture to justify the use that has been made of it.
-
-In point of fact, the country which is the scene of the
-following tale has undergone as little change, since the
-historical events alluded to had place, as almost any other
-district of equal extent within the whole limits of the
-United States.  There are fashionable and well-attended
-watering-places at and near the spring where Hawkeye halted
-to drink, and roads traverse the forests where he and his
-friends were compelled to journey without even a path.
-Glen's has a large village; and while William Henry, and
-even a fortress of later date, are only to be traced as
-ruins, there is another village on the shores of the
-Horican.  But, beyond this, the enterprise and energy of a
-people who have done so much in other places have done
-little here.  The whole of that wilderness, in which the
-latter incidents of the legend occurred, is nearly a
-wilderness still, though the red man has entirely deserted
-this part of the state.  Of all the tribes named in these
-pages, there exist only a few half-civilized beings of the
-Oneidas, on the reservations of their people in New York.
-The rest have disappeared, either from the regions in which
-their fathers dwelt, or altogether from the earth.
-
-There is one point on which we would wish to say a word
-before closing this preface.  Hawkeye calls the Lac du Saint
-Sacrement, the "Horican."  As we believe this to be an
-appropriation of the name that has its origin with
-ourselves, the time has arrived, perhaps, when the fact
-should be frankly admitted.  While writing this book, fully
-a quarter of a century since, it occurred to us that the
-French name of this lake was too complicated, the American
-too commonplace, and the Indian too unpronounceable, for
-either to be used familiarly in a work of fiction.  Looking
-over an ancient map, it was ascertained that a tribe of
-Indians, called "Les Horicans" by the French, existed in the
-neighborhood of this beautiful sheet of water.  As every
-word uttered by Natty Bumppo was not to be received as rigid
-truth, we took the liberty of putting the "Horican" into his
-mouth, as the substitute for "Lake George."  The name has
-appeared to find favor, and all things considered, it may
-possibly be quite as well to let it stand, instead of going
-back to the House of Hanover for the appellation of our
-finest sheet of water.  We relieve our conscience by the
-confession, at all events leaving it to exercise its
-authority as it may see fit.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 1
-
-"Mine ear is open, and my heart prepared: The worst is
-wordly loss thou canst unfold:--Say, is my kingdom lost?"
---Shakespeare
-
-It was a feature peculiar to the colonial wars of North
-America, that the toils and dangers of the wilderness were
-to be encountered before the adverse hosts could meet.  A
-wide and apparently an impervious boundary of forests
-severed the possessions of the hostile provinces of France
-and England.  The hardy colonist, and the trained European
-who fought at his side, frequently expended months in
-struggling against the rapids of the streams, or in
-effecting the rugged passes of the mountains, in quest of an
-opportunity to exhibit their courage in a more martial
-conflict.  But, emulating the patience and self-denial of
-the practiced native warriors, they learned to overcome
-every difficulty; and it would seem that, in time, there was
-no recess of the woods so dark, nor any secret place so
-lovely, that it might claim exemption from the inroads of
-those who had pledged their blood to satiate their
-vengeance, or to uphold the cold and selfish policy of the
-distant monarchs of Europe.
-
-Perhaps no district throughout the wide extent of the
-intermediate frontiers can furnish a livelier picture of the
-cruelty and fierceness of the savage warfare of those
-periods than the country which lies between the head waters
-of the Hudson and the adjacent lakes.
-
-The facilities which nature had there offered to the march
-of the combatants were too obvious to be neglected.  The
-lengthened sheet of the Champlain stretched from the
-frontiers of Canada, deep within the borders of the
-neighboring province of New York, forming a natural passage
-across half the distance that the French were compelled to
-master in order to strike their enemies.  Near its southern
-termination, it received the contributions of another lake,
-whose waters were so limpid as to have been exclusively
-selected by the Jesuit missionaries to perform the typical
-purification of baptism, and to obtain for it the title of
-lake "du Saint Sacrement."  The less zealous English thought
-they conferred a sufficient honor on its unsullied
-fountains, when they bestowed the name of their reigning
-prince, the second of the house of Hanover.  The two united
-to rob the untutored possessors of its wooded scenery of
-their native right to perpetuate its original appellation of
-"Horican."*
-
-* As each nation of the Indians had its language or
-its dialect, they usually gave different names to the same
-places, though nearly all of their appellations were
-descriptive of the object.  Thus a literal translation of
-the name of this beautiful sheet of water, used by the tribe
-that dwelt on its banks, would be "The Tail of the Lake."
-Lake George, as it is vulgarly, and now, indeed, legally,
-called, forms a sort of tail to Lake Champlain, when viewed
-on the map.  Hence, the name.
-
-Winding its way among countless islands, and imbedded in
-mountains, the "holy lake" extended a dozen leagues still
-further to the south.  With the high plain that there
-interposed itself to the further passage of the water,
-commenced a portage of as many miles, which conducted the
-adventurer to the banks of the Hudson, at a point where,
-with the usual obstructions of the rapids, or rifts, as they
-were then termed in the language of the country, the river
-became navigable to the tide.
-
-While, in the pursuit of their daring plans of annoyance,
-the restless enterprise of the French even attempted the
-distant and difficult gorges of the Alleghany, it may easily
-be imagined that their proverbial acuteness would not
-overlook the natural advantages of the district we have just
-described.  It became, emphatically, the bloody arena, in
-which most of the battles for the mastery of the colonies
-were contested.  Forts were erected at the different points
-that commanded the facilities of the route, and were taken
-and retaken, razed and rebuilt, as victory alighted on the
-hostile banners.  While the husbandman shrank back from the
-dangerous passes, within the safer boundaries of the more
-ancient settlements, armies larger than those that had often
-disposed of the scepters of the mother countries, were seen
-to bury themselves in these forests, whence they rarely
-returned but in skeleton bands, that were haggard with care
-or dejected by defeat.  Though the arts of peace were
-unknown to this fatal region, its forests were alive with
-men; its shades and glens rang with the sounds of martial
-music, and the echoes of its mountains threw back the laugh,
-or repeated the wanton cry, of many a gallant and reckless
-youth, as he hurried by them, in the noontide of his
-spirits, to slumber in a long night of forgetfulness.
-
-It was in this scene of strife and bloodshed that the
-incidents we shall attempt to relate occurred, during the
-third year of the war which England and France last waged
-for the possession of a country that neither was destined to
-retain.
-
-The imbecility of her military leaders abroad, and the fatal
-want of energy in her councils at home, had lowered the
-character of Great Britain from the proud elevation on which
-it had been placed by the talents and enterprise of her
-former warriors and statesmen.  No longer dreaded by her
-enemies, her servants were fast losing the confidence of
-self-respect.  In this mortifying abasement, the colonists,
-though innocent of her imbecility, and too humble to be the
-agents of her blunders, were but the natural participators.
-They had recently seen a chosen army from that country,
-which, reverencing as a mother, they had blindly believed
-invincible--an army led by a chief who had been selected
-from a crowd of trained warriors, for his rare military
-endowments, disgracefully routed by a handful of French and
-Indians, and only saved from annihilation by the coolness
-and spirit of a Virginian boy, whose riper fame has since
-diffused itself, with the steady influence of moral truth,
-to the uttermost confines of Christendom.* A wide frontier
-had been laid naked by this unexpected disaster, and more
-substantial evils were preceded by a thousand fanciful and
-imaginary dangers.  The alarmed colonists believed that the
-yells of the savages mingled with every fitful gust of wind
-that issued from the interminable forests of the west.  The
-terrific character of their merciless enemies increased
-immeasurably the natural horrors of warfare.  Numberless
-recent massacres were still vivid in their recollections;
-nor was there any ear in the provinces so deaf as not to
-have drunk in with avidity the narrative of some fearful
-tale of midnight murder, in which the natives of the forests
-were the principal and barbarous actors.  As the credulous
-and excited traveler related the hazardous chances of the
-wilderness, the blood of the timid curdled with terror, and
-mothers cast anxious glances even at those children which
-slumbered within the security of the largest towns.  In
-short, the magnifying influence of fear began to set at
-naught the calculations of reason, and to render those who
-should have remembered their manhood, the slaves of the
-basest passions.  Even the most confident and the stoutest
-hearts began to think the issue of the contest was becoming
-doubtful; and that abject class was hourly increasing in
-numbers, who thought they foresaw all the possessions of the
-English crown in America subdued by their Christian foes, or
-laid waste by the inroads of their relentless allies.
-
-* Washington, who, after uselessly admonishing the
-European general of the danger into which he was heedlessly
-running, saved the remnants of the British army, on this
-occasion, by his decision and courage.  The reputation
-earned by Washington in this battle was the principal cause
-of his being selected to command the American armies at a
-later day.  It is a circumstance worthy of observation, that
-while all America rang with his well-merited reputation, his
-name does not occur in any European account of the battle;
-at least the author has searched for it without success.  In
-this manner does the mother country absorb even the fame,
-under that system of rule.
-
-When, therefore, intelligence was received at the fort which
-covered the southern termination of the portage between the
-Hudson and the lakes, that Montcalm had been seen moving up
-the Champlain, with an army "numerous as the leaves on the
-trees," its truth was admitted with more of the craven
-reluctance of fear than with the stern joy that a warrior
-should feel, in finding an enemy within reach of his blow.
-The news had been brought, toward the decline of a day in
-midsummer, by an Indian runner, who also bore an urgent
-request from Munro, the commander of a work on the shore of
-the "holy lake," for a speedy and powerful reinforcement.
-It has already been mentioned that the distance between
-these two posts was less than five leagues.  The rude path,
-which originally formed their line of communication, had
-been widened for the passage of wagons; so that the distance
-which had been traveled by the son of the forest in two
-hours, might easily be effected by a detachment of troops,
-with their necessary baggage, between the rising and setting
-of a summer sun.  The loyal servants of the British crown
-had given to one of these forest-fastnesses the name of
-William Henry, and to the other that of Fort Edward, calling
-each after a favorite prince of the reigning family.  The
-veteran Scotchman just named held the first, with a regiment
-of regulars and a few provincials; a force really by far too
-small to make head against the formidable power that
-Montcalm was leading to the foot of his earthen mounds.  At
-the latter, however, lay General Webb, who commanded the
-armies of the king in the northern provinces, with a body of
-more than five thousand men.  By uniting the several
-detachments of his command, this officer might have arrayed
-nearly double that number of combatants against the
-enterprising Frenchman, who had ventured so far from his
-reinforcements, with an army but little superior in numbers.
-
-But under the influence of their degraded fortunes, both
-officers and men appeared better disposed to await the
-approach of their formidable antagonists, within their
-works, than to resist the progress of their march, by
-emulating the successful example of the French at Fort du
-Quesne, and striking a blow on their advance.
-
-After the first surprise of the intelligence had a little
-abated, a rumor was spread through the entrenched camp,
-which stretched along the margin of the Hudson, forming a
-chain of outworks to the body of the fort itself, that a
-chosen detachment of fifteen hundred men was to depart, with
-the dawn, for William Henry, the post at the northern
-extremity of the portage.  That which at first was only
-rumor, soon became certainty, as orders passed from the
-quarters of the commander-in-chief to the several corps he
-had selected for this service, to prepare for their speedy
-departure.  All doubts as to the intention of Webb now
-vanished, and an hour or two of hurried footsteps and
-anxious faces succeeded.  The novice in the military art
-flew from point to point, retarding his own preparations by
-the excess of his violent and somewhat distempered zeal;
-while the more practiced veteran made his arrangements with
-a deliberation that scorned every appearance of haste;
-though his sober lineaments and anxious eye sufficiently
-betrayed that he had no very strong professional relish for
-the, as yet, untried and dreaded warfare of the wilderness.
-At length the sun set in a flood of glory, behind the
-distant western hills, and as darkness drew its veil around
-the secluded spot the sounds of preparation diminished; the
-last light finally disappeared from the log cabin of some
-officer; the trees cast their deeper shadows over the mounds
-and the rippling stream, and a silence soon pervaded the
-camp, as deep as that which reigned in the vast forest by
-which it was environed.
-
-According to the orders of the preceding night, the heavy
-sleep of the army was broken by the rolling of the warning
-drums, whose rattling echoes were heard issuing, on the damp
-morning air, out of every vista of the woods, just as day
-began to draw the shaggy outlines of some tall pines of the
-vicinity, on the opening brightness of a soft and cloudless
-eastern sky.  In an instant the whole camp was in motion;
-the meanest soldier arousing from his lair to witness the
-departure of his comrades, and to share in the excitement
-and incidents of the hour.  The simple array of the chosen
-band was soon completed.  While the regular and trained
-hirelings of the king marched with haughtiness to the right
-of the line, the less pretending colonists took their
-humbler position on its left, with a docility that long
-practice had rendered easy.  The scouts departed; strong
-guards preceded and followed the lumbering vehicles that
-bore the baggage; and before the gray light of the morning
-was mellowed by the rays of the sun, the main body of the
-combatants wheeled into column, and left the encampment with
-a show of high military bearing, that served to drown the
-slumbering apprehensions of many a novice, who was now about
-to make his first essay in arms.  While in view of their
-admiring comrades, the same proud front and ordered array
-was observed, until the notes of their fifes growing fainter
-in distance, the forest at length appeared to swallow up the
-living mass which had slowly entered its bosom.
-
-The deepest sounds of the retiring and invisible column
-had ceased to be borne on the breeze to the listeners, and
-the latest straggler had already disappeared in pursuit; but
-there still remained the signs of another departure, before
-a log cabin of unusual size and accommodations, in front of
-which those sentinels paced their rounds, who were known to
-guard the person of the English general.  At this spot were
-gathered some half dozen horses, caparisoned in a manner
-which showed that two, at least, were destined to bear the
-persons of females, of a rank that it was not usual to meet
-so far in the wilds of the country.  A third wore trappings
-and arms of an officer of the staff; while the rest, from
-the plainness of the housings, and the traveling mails with
-which they were encumbered, were evidently fitted for the
-reception of as many menials, who were, seemingly, already
-waiting the pleasure of those they served.  At a respectful
-distance from this unusual show, were gathered divers groups
-of curious idlers; some admiring the blood and bone of the
-high-mettled military charger, and others gazing at the
-preparations, with the dull wonder of vulgar curiosity.
-There was one man, however, who, by his countenance and
-actions, formed a marked exception to those who composed the
-latter class of spectators, being neither idle, nor
-seemingly very ignorant.
-
-The person of this individual was to the last degree
-ungainly, without being in any particular manner deformed.
-He had all the bones and joints of other men, without any of
-their proportions.  Erect, his stature surpassed that of his
-fellows; though seated, he appeared reduced within the
-ordinary limits of the race.  The same contrariety in his
-members seemed to exist throughout the whole man.  His head
-was large; his shoulders narrow; his arms long and dangling;
-while his hands were small, if not delicate.  His legs and
-thighs were thin, nearly to emaciation, but of extraordinary
-length; and his knees would have been considered tremendous,
-had they not been outdone by the broader foundations on
-which this false superstructure of blended human orders was
-so profanely reared.  The ill-assorted and injudicious
-attire of the individual only served to render his
-awkwardness more conspicuous.  A sky-blue coat, with short
-and broad skirts and low cape, exposed a long, thin neck,
-and longer and thinner legs, to the worst animadversions of
-the evil-disposed.  His nether garment was a yellow nankeen,
-closely fitted to the shape, and tied at his bunches of
-knees by large knots of white ribbon, a good deal sullied by
-use.  Clouded cotton stockings, and shoes, on one of the
-latter of which was a plated spur, completed the costume of
-the lower extremity of this figure, no curve or angle of
-which was concealed, but, on the other hand, studiously
-exhibited, through the vanity or simplicity of its owner.
-
-From beneath the flap of an enormous pocket of a soiled vest
-of embossed silk, heavily ornamented with tarnished silver
-lace, projected an instrument, which, from being seen in
-such martial company, might have been easily mistaken for
-some mischievous and unknown implement of war.  Small as it
-was, this uncommon engine had excited the curiosity of most
-of the Europeans in the camp, though several of the
-provincials were seen to handle it, not only without fear,
-but with the utmost familiarity.  A large, civil cocked hat,
-like those worn by clergymen within the last thirty years,
-surmounted the whole, furnishing dignity to a good-natured
-and somewhat vacant countenance, that apparently needed such
-artificial aid, to support the gravity of some high and
-extraordinary trust.
-
-While the common herd stood aloof, in deference to the
-quarters of Webb, the figure we have described stalked into
-the center of the domestics, freely expressing his censures
-or commendations on the merits of the horses, as by chance
-they displeased or satisfied his judgment.
-
-"This beast, I rather conclude, friend, is not of home
-raising, but is from foreign lands, or perhaps from the
-little island itself over the blue water?" he said, in a
-voice as remarkable for the softness and sweetness of its
-tones, as was his person for its rare proportions; "I may
-speak of these things, and be no braggart; for I have been
-down at both havens; that which is situate at the mouth of
-Thames, and is named after the capital of Old England, and
-that which is called 'Haven', with the addition of the word
-'New'; and have seen the scows and brigantines collecting
-their droves, like the gathering to the ark, being outward
-bound to the Island of Jamaica, for the purpose of barter
-and traffic in four-footed animals; but never before have I
-beheld a beast which verified the true scripture war-horse
-like this: 'He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his
-strength; he goeth on to meet the armed men.  He saith among
-the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off,
-the thunder of the captains, and the shouting' It would seem
-that the stock of the horse of Israel had descended to our
-own time; would it not, friend?"
-
-Receiving no reply to this extraordinary appeal, which in
-truth, as it was delivered with the vigor of full and
-sonorous tones, merited some sort of notice, he who had thus
-sung forth the language of the holy book turned to the
-silent figure to whom he had unwittingly addressed himself,
-and found a new and more powerful subject of admiration in
-the object that encountered his gaze.  His eyes fell on the
-still, upright, and rigid form of the "Indian runner," who
-had borne to the camp the unwelcome tidings of the preceding
-evening.  Although in a state of perfect repose, and
-apparently disregarding, with characteristic stoicism, the
-excitement and bustle around him, there was a sullen
-fierceness mingled with the quiet of the savage, that was
-likely to arrest the attention of much more experienced eyes
-than those which now scanned him, in unconcealed amazement.
-The native bore both the tomahawk and knife of his tribe;
-and yet his appearance was not altogether that of a warrior.
-On the contrary, there was an air of neglect about his
-person, like that which might have proceeded from great and
-recent exertion, which he had not yet found leisure to
-repair.  The colors of the war-paint had blended in dark
-confusion about his fierce countenance, and rendered his
-swarthy lineaments still more savage and repulsive than if
-art had attempted an effect which had been thus produced by
-chance.  His eye, alone, which glistened like a fiery star
-amid lowering clouds, was to be seen in its state of native
-wildness.  For a single instant his searching and yet wary
-glance met the wondering look of the other, and then
-changing its direction, partly in cunning, and partly in
-disdain, it remained fixed, as if penetrating the distant
-air.
-
-It is impossible to say what unlooked-for remark this short
-and silent communication, between two such singular men,
-might have elicited from the white man, had not his active
-curiosity been again drawn to other objects.  A general
-movement among the domestics, and a low sound of gentle
-voices, announced the approach of those whose presence alone
-was wanted to enable the cavalcade to move.  The simple
-admirer of the war-horse instantly fell back to a low,
-gaunt, switch-tailed mare, that was unconsciously gleaning
-the faded herbage of the camp nigh by; where, leaning with
-one elbow on the blanket that concealed an apology for a
-saddle, he became a spectator of the departure, while a foal
-was quietly making its morning repast, on the opposite side
-of the same animal.
-
-A young man, in the dress of an officer, conducted to their
-steeds two females, who, as it was apparent by their
-dresses, were prepared to encounter the fatigues of a
-journey in the woods.  One, and she was the more juvenile in
-her appearance, though both were young, permitted glimpses
-of her dazzling complexion, fair golden hair, and bright
-blue eyes, to be caught, as she artlessly suffered the
-morning air to blow aside the green veil which descended low
-from her beaver.
-
-The flush which still lingered above the pines in the
-western sky was not more bright nor delicate than the bloom
-on her cheek; nor was the opening day more cheering than the
-animated smile which she bestowed on the youth, as he
-assisted her into the saddle.  The other, who appeared to
-share equally in the attention of the young officer,
-concealed her charms from the gaze of the soldiery with a
-care that seemed better fitted to the experience of four or
-five additional years.  It could be seen, however, that her
-person, though molded with the same exquisite proportions,
-of which none of the graces were lost by the traveling dress
-she wore, was rather fuller and more mature than that of her
-companion.
-
-No sooner were these females seated, than their attendant
-sprang lightly into the saddle of the war-horse, when the
-whole three bowed to Webb, who in courtesy, awaited their
-parting on the threshold of his cabin and turning their
-horses' heads, they proceeded at a slow amble, followed by
-their train, toward the northern entrance of the encampment.
-As they traversed that short distance, not a voice was heard
-among them; but a slight exclamation proceeded from the
-younger of the females, as the Indian runner glided by her,
-unexpectedly, and led the way along the military road in her
-front.  Though this sudden and startling movement of the
-Indian produced no sound from the other, in the surprise her
-veil also was allowed to open its folds, and betrayed an
-indescribable look of pity, admiration, and horror, as her
-dark eye followed the easy motions of the savage.  The
-tresses of this lady were shining and black, like the
-plumage of the raven.  Her complexion was not brown, but it
-rather appeared charged with the color of the rich blood,
-that seemed ready to burst its bounds.  And yet there was
-neither coarseness nor want of shadowing in a countenance
-that was exquisitely regular, and dignified and surpassingly
-beautiful.  She smiled, as if in pity at her own momentary
-forgetfulness, discovering by the act a row of teeth that
-would have shamed the purest ivory; when, replacing the
-veil, she bowed her face, and rode in silence, like one
-whose thoughts were abstracted from the scene around her.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 2
-
-"Sola, sola, wo ha, ho, sola!"--Shakespeare
-
-While one of the lovely beings we have so cursorily
-presented to the reader was thus lost in thought, the other
-quickly recovered from the alarm which induced the
-exclamation, and, laughing at her own weakness, she inquired
-of the youth who rode by her side:
-
-"Are such specters frequent in the woods, Heyward, or is
-this sight an especial entertainment ordered on our behalf?
-If the latter, gratitude must close our mouths; but if the
-former, both Cora and I shall have need to draw largely on
-that stock of hereditary courage which we boast, even before
-we are made to encounter the redoubtable Montcalm."
-
-"Yon Indian is a 'runner' of the army; and, after the
-fashion of his people, he may be accounted a hero," returned
-the officer.  "He has volunteered to guide us to the lake,
-by a path but little known, sooner than if we followed the
-tardy movements of the column; and, by consequence, more
-agreeably."
-
-"I like him not," said the lady, shuddering, partly in
-assumed, yet more in real terror.  "You know him, Duncan, or
-you would not trust yourself so freely to his keeping?"
-
-"Say, rather, Alice, that I would not trust you.  I do know
-him, or he would not have my confidence, and least of all at
-this moment.  He is said to be a Canadian too; and yet he
-served with our friends the Mohawks, who, as you know, are
-one of the six allied nations.  He was brought among us, as
-I have heard, by some strange accident in which your father
-was interested, and in which the savage was rigidly dealt
-by; but I forget the idle tale, it is enough, that he is now
-our friend."
-
-"If he has been my father's enemy, I like him still less!"
-exclaimed the now really anxious girl.  "Will you not speak
-to him, Major Heyward, that I may hear his tones?  Foolish
-though it may be, you have often heard me avow my faith in
-the tones of the human voice!"
-
-"It would be in vain; and answered, most probably, by an
-ejaculation.  Though he may understand it, he affects, like
-most of his people, to be ignorant of the English; and least
-of all will he condescend to speak it, now that the war
-demands the utmost exercise of his dignity.  But he stops;
-the private path by which we are to journey is, doubtless,
-at hand."
-
-The conjecture of Major Heyward was true.  When they reached
-the spot where the Indian stood, pointing into the thicket
-that fringed the military road; a narrow and blind path,
-which might, with some little inconvenience, receive one
-person at a time, became visible.
-
-"Here, then, lies our way," said the young man, in a low
-voice.  "Manifest no distrust, or you may invite the danger
-you appear to apprehend."
-
-"Cora, what think you?" asked the reluctant fair one.  "If
-we journey with the troops, though we may find their
-presence irksome, shall we not feel better assurance of our
-safety?"
-
-"Being little accustomed to the practices of the savages,
-Alice, you mistake the place of real danger," said Heyward.
-"If enemies have reached the portage at all, a thing by no
-means probable, as our scouts are abroad, they will surely
-be found skirting the column, where scalps abound the most.
-The route of the detachment is known, while ours, having
-been determined within the hour, must still be secret."
-
-"Should we distrust the man because his manners are not our
-manners, and that his skin is dark?" coldly asked Cora.
-
-Alice hesitated no longer; but giving her Narrangansett* a
-smart cut of the whip, she was the first to dash aside the
-slight branches of the bushes, and to follow the runner
-along the dark and tangled pathway.  The young man regarded
-the last speaker in open admiration, and even permitted her
-fairer, though certainly not more beautiful companion, to
-proceed unattended, while he sedulously opened the way
-himself for the passage of her who has been called Cora.  It
-would seem that the domestics had been previously
-instructed; for, instead of penetrating the thicket, they
-followed the route of the column; a measure which Heyward
-stated had been dictated by the sagacity of their guide, in
-order to diminish the marks of their trail, if, haply, the
-Canadian savages should be lurking so far in advance of
-their army.  For many minutes the intricacy of the route
-admitted of no further dialogue; after which they emerged
-from the broad border of underbrush which grew along the
-line of the highway, and entered under the high but dark
-arches of the forest.  Here their progress was less
-interrupted; and the instant the guide perceived that the
-females could command their steeds, he moved on, at a pace
-between a trot and a walk, and at a rate which kept the sure-
-footed and peculiar animals they rode at a fast yet easy
-amble.  The youth had turned to speak to the dark-eyed Cora,
-when the distant sound of horses hoofs, clattering over the
-roots of the broken way in his rear, caused him to check his
-charger; and, as his companions drew their reins at the same
-instant, the whole party came to a halt, in order to obtain
-an explanation of the unlooked-for interruption.
-
-* In the state of Rhode Island there is a bay called
-Narragansett, so named after a powerful tribe of Indians,
-which formerly dwelt on its banks.  Accident, or one of
-those unaccountable freaks which nature sometimes plays in
-the animal world, gave rise to a breed of horses which were
-once well known in America, and distinguished by their habit
-of pacing.  Horses of this race were, and are still, in much
-request as saddle horses, on account of their hardiness and
-the ease of their movements.  As they were also sure of
-foot, the Narragansetts were greatly sought for by females
-who were obliged to travel over the roots and holes in the
-"new countries."
-
-In a few moments a colt was seen gliding, like a fallow
-deer, among the straight trunks of the pines; and, in
-another instant, the person of the ungainly man, described
-in the preceding chapter, came into view, with as much
-rapidity as he could excite his meager beast to endure
-without coming to an open rupture.  Until now this personage
-had escaped the observation of the travelers.  If he
-possessed the power to arrest any wandering eye when
-exhibiting the glories of his altitude on foot, his
-equestrian graces were still more likely to attract
-attention.
-
-Notwithstanding a constant application of his one armed heel
-to the flanks of the mare, the most confirmed gait that he
-could establish was a Canterbury gallop with the hind legs,
-in which those more forward assisted for doubtful moments,
-though generally content to maintain a loping trot.  Perhaps
-the rapidity of the changes from one of these paces to the
-other created an optical illusion, which might thus magnify
-the powers of the beast; for it is certain that Heyward, who
-possessed a true eye for the merits of a horse, was unable,
-with his utmost ingenuity, to decide by what sort of
-movement his pursuer worked his sinuous way on his footsteps
-with such persevering hardihood.
-
-The industry and movements of the rider were not less
-remarkable than those of the ridden.  At each change in the
-evolutions of the latter, the former raised his tall person
-in the stirrups; producing, in this manner, by the undue
-elongation of his legs, such sudden growths and diminishings
-of the stature, as baffled every conjecture that might be
-made as to his dimensions.  If to this be added the fact
-that, in consequence of the ex parte application of the
-spur, one side of the mare appeared to journey faster than
-the other; and that the aggrieved flank was resolutely
-indicated by unremitted flourishes of a bushy tail, we
-finish the picture of both horse and man.
-
-The frown which had gathered around the handsome, open, and
-manly brow of Heyward, gradually relaxed, and his lips
-curled into a slight smile, as he regarded the stranger.
-Alice made no very powerful effort to control her merriment;
-and even the dark, thoughtful eye of Cora lighted with a
-humor that it would seem, the habit, rather than the nature,
-of its mistress repressed.
-
-"Seek you any here?" demanded Heyward, when the other had
-arrived sufficiently nigh to abate his speed; "I trust you
-are no messenger of evil tidings?"
-
-"Even so," replied the stranger, making diligent use of his
-triangular castor, to produce a circulation in the close air
-of the woods, and leaving his hearers in doubt to which of
-the young man's questions he responded; when, however, he
-had cooled his face, and recovered his breath, he continued,
-"I hear you are riding to William Henry; as I am journeying
-thitherward myself, I concluded good company would seem
-consistent to the wishes of both parties."
-
-"You appear to possess the privilege of a casting vote,"
-returned Heyward; "we are three, while you have consulted no
-one but yourself."
-
-"Even so.  The first point to be obtained is to know one's
-own mind.  Once sure of that, and where women are concerned
-it is not easy, the next is, to act up to the decision.  I
-have endeavored to do both, and here I am."
-
-"If you journey to the lake, you have mistaken your route,"
-said Heyward, haughtily; "the highway thither is at least
-half a mile behind you."
-
-"Even so," returned the stranger, nothing daunted by this
-cold reception; "I have tarried at 'Edward' a week, and I
-should be dumb not to have inquired the road I was to
-journey; and if dumb there would be an end to my calling."
-After simpering in a small way, like one whose modesty
-prohibited a more open expression of his admiration of a
-witticism that was perfectly unintelligible to his hearers,
-he continued, "It is not prudent for any one of my
-profession to be too familiar with those he has to instruct;
-for which reason I follow not the line of the army; besides
-which, I conclude that a gentleman of your character has the
-best judgment in matters of wayfaring; I have, therefore,
-decided to join company, in order that the ride may be made
-agreeable, and partake of social communion."
-
-"A most arbitrary, if not a hasty decision!" exclaimed
-Heyward, undecided whether to give vent to his growing
-anger, or to laugh in the other's face.  "But you speak of
-instruction, and of a profession; are you an adjunct to the
-provincial corps, as a master of the noble science of
-defense and offense; or, perhaps, you are one who draws
-lines and angles, under the pretense of expounding the
-mathematics?"
-
-The stranger regarded his interrogator a moment in wonder;
-and then, losing every mark of self-satisfaction in an
-expression of solemn humility, he answered:
-
-"Of offense, I hope there is none, to either party: of
-defense, I make none--by God's good mercy, having
-committed no palpable sin since last entreating his
-pardoning grace.  I understand not your allusions about
-lines and angles; and I leave expounding to those who have
-been called and set apart for that holy office.  I lay claim
-to no higher gift than a small insight into the glorious art
-of petitioning and thanksgiving, as practiced in psalmody."
-
-"The man is, most manifestly, a disciple of Apollo," cried
-the amused Alice, "and I take him under my own especial
-protection.  Nay, throw aside that frown, Heyward, and in
-pity to my longing ears, suffer him to journey in our train.
-Besides," she added, in a low and hurried voice, casting a
-glance at the distant Cora, who slowly followed the
-footsteps of their silent, but sullen guide, "it may be a
-friend added to our strength, in time of need."
-
-"Think you, Alice, that I would trust those I love by this
-secret path, did I imagine such need could happen?"
-
-"Nay, nay, I think not of it now; but this strange man
-amuses me; and if he 'hath music in his soul', let us not
-churlishly reject his company."  She pointed persuasively
-along the path with her riding whip, while their eyes met in
-a look which the young man lingered a moment to prolong;
-then, yielding to her gentle influence, he clapped his spurs
-into his charger, and in a few bounds was again at the side
-of Cora.
-
-"I am glad to encounter thee, friend," continued the maiden,
-waving her hand to the stranger to proceed, as she urged her
-Narragansett to renew its amble.  "Partial relatives have
-almost persuaded me that I am not entirely worthless in a
-duet myself; and we may enliven our wayfaring by indulging
-in our favorite pursuit.  It might be of signal advantage to
-one, ignorant as I, to hear the opinions and experience of a
-master in the art."
-
-"It is refreshing both to the spirits and to the body to
-indulge in psalmody, in befitting seasons," returned the
-master of song, unhesitatingly complying with her intimation
-to follow; "and nothing would relieve the mind more than
-such a consoling communion.  But four parts are altogether
-necessary to the perfection of melody.  You have all the
-manifestations of a soft and rich treble; I can, by especial
-aid, carry a full tenor to the highest letter; but we lack
-counter and bass!  Yon officer of the king, who hesitated to
-admit me to his company, might fill the latter, if one may
-judge from the intonations of his voice in common dialogue."
-
-"Judge not too rashly from hasty and deceptive appearances,"
-said the lady, smiling; "though Major Heyward can assume
-such deep notes on occasion, believe me, his natural tones
-are better fitted for a mellow tenor than the bass you
-heard."
-
-"Is he, then, much practiced in the art of psalmody?"
-demanded her simple companion.
-
-Alice felt disposed to laugh, though she succeeded in
-suppressing her merriment, ere she answered:
-
-"I apprehend that he is rather addicted to profane song.
-The chances of a soldier's life are but little fitted for
-the encouragement of more sober inclinations."
-
-"Man's voice is given to him, like his other talents, to be
-used, and not to be abused.  None can say they have ever
-known me to neglect my gifts!  I am thankful that, though my
-boyhood may be said to have been set apart, like the youth
-of the royal David, for the purposes of music, no syllable
-of rude verse has ever profaned my lips."
-
-"You have, then, limited your efforts to sacred song?"
-
-"Even so.  As the psalms of David exceed all other language,
-so does the psalmody that has been fitted to them by the
-divines and sages of the land, surpass all vain poetry.
-Happily, I may say that I utter nothing but the thoughts and
-the wishes of the King of Israel himself; for though the
-times may call for some slight changes, yet does this
-version which we use in the colonies of New England so much
-exceed all other versions, that, by its richness, its
-exactness, and its spiritual simplicity, it approacheth, as
-near as may be, to the great work of the inspired writer.
-I never abide in any place, sleeping or waking, without an
-example of this gifted work.  'Tis the six-and-twentieth
-edition, promulgated at Boston, Anno Domini 1744; and is
-entitled, 'The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of the Old
-and New Testaments; faithfully translated into English
-Metre, for the Use, Edification, and Comfort of the Saints,
-in Public and Private, especially in New England'."
-
-During this eulogium on the rare production of his native
-poets, the stranger had drawn the book from his pocket, and
-fitting a pair of iron-rimmed spectacles to his nose, opened
-the volume with a care and veneration suited to its sacred
-purposes.  Then, without circumlocution or apology, first
-pronounced the word "Standish," and placing the unknown
-engine, already described, to his mouth, from which he drew
-a high, shrill sound, that was followed by an octave below,
-from his own voice, he commenced singing the following
-words, in full, sweet, and melodious tones, that set the
-music, the poetry, and even the uneasy motion of his ill-
-trained beast at defiance; "How good it is, O see, And how
-it pleaseth well, Together e'en in unity, For brethren so to
-dwell.  It's like the choice ointment, From the head to the
-beard did go; Down Aaron's head, that downward went His
-garment's skirts unto."
-
-The delivery of these skillful rhymes was accompanied, on
-the part of the stranger, by a regular rise and fall of his
-right hand, which terminated at the descent, by suffering
-the fingers to dwell a moment on the leaves of the little
-volume; and on the ascent, by such a flourish of the member
-as none but the initiated may ever hope to imitate.  It
-would seem long practice had rendered this manual
-accompaniment necessary; for it did not cease until the
-preposition which the poet had selected for the close of his
-verse had been duly delivered like a word of two syllables.
-
-Such an innovation on the silence and retirement of the
-forest could not fail to enlist the ears of those who
-journeyed at so short a distance in advance.  The Indian
-muttered a few words in broken English to Heyward, who, in
-his turn, spoke to the stranger; at once interrupting, and,
-for the time, closing his musical efforts.
-
-"Though we are not in danger, common prudence would teach us
-to journey through this wilderness in as quiet a manner as
-possible.  You will then, pardon me, Alice, should I
-diminish your enjoyments, by requesting this gentleman to
-postpone his chant until a safer opportunity."
-
-"You will diminish them, indeed," returned the arch girl;
-"for never did I hear a more unworthy conjunction of
-execution and language than that to which I have been
-listening; and I was far gone in a learned inquiry into the
-causes of such an unfitness between sound and sense, when
-you broke the charm of my musings by that bass of yours,
-Duncan!"
-
-"I know not what you call my bass," said Heyward, piqued at
-her remark, "but I know that your safety, and that of Cora,
-is far dearer to me than could be any orchestra of Handel's
-music."  He paused and turned his head quickly toward a
-thicket, and then bent his eyes suspiciously on their guide,
-who continued his steady pace, in undisturbed gravity.  The
-young man smiled to himself, for he believed he had mistaken
-some shining berry of the woods for the glistening eyeballs
-of a prowling savage, and he rode forward, continuing the
-conversation which had been interrupted by the passing
-thought.
-
-Major Heyward was mistaken only in suffering his youthful
-and generous pride to suppress his active watchfulness.  The
-cavalcade had not long passed, before the branches of the
-bushes that formed the thicket were cautiously moved
-asunder, and a human visage, as fiercely wild as savage art
-and unbridled passions could make it, peered out on the
-retiring footsteps of the travelers.  A gleam of exultation
-shot across the darkly-painted lineaments of the inhabitant
-of the forest, as he traced the route of his intended
-victims, who rode unconsciously onward, the light and
-graceful forms of the females waving among the trees, in the
-curvatures of their path, followed at each bend by the manly
-figure of Heyward, until, finally, the shapeless person of
-the singing master was concealed behind the numberless
-trunks of trees, that rose, in dark lines, in the
-intermediate space.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 3
-
-"Before these fields were shorn and till'd, Full to the brim
-our rivers flow'd; The melody of waters fill'd The fresh and
-boundless wood; And torrents dash'd, and rivulets play'd,
-And fountains spouted in the shade."--Bryant
-
-Leaving the unsuspecting Heyward and his confiding
-companions to penetrate still deeper into a forest that
-contained such treacherous inmates, we must use an author's
-privilege, and shift the scene a few miles to the westward
-of the place where we have last seen them.
-
-On that day, two men were lingering on the banks of a small
-but rapid stream, within an hour's journey of the encampment
-of Webb, like those who awaited the appearance of an absent
-person, or the approach of some expected event.  The vast
-canopy of woods spread itself to the margin of the river,
-overhanging the water, and shadowing its dark current with a
-deeper hue.  The rays of the sun were beginning to grow less
-fierce, and the intense heat of the day was lessened, as the
-cooler vapors of the springs and fountains rose above their
-leafy beds, and rested in the atmosphere.  Still that
-breathing silence, which marks the drowsy sultriness of an
-American landscape in July, pervaded the secluded spot,
-interrupted only by the low voices of the men, the
-occasional and lazy tap of a woodpecker, the discordant cry
-of some gaudy jay, or a swelling on the ear, from the dull
-roar of a distant waterfall.  These feeble and broken sounds
-were, however, too familiar to the foresters to draw their
-attention from the more interesting matter of their
-dialogue.  While one of these loiterers showed the red skin
-and wild accouterments of a native of the woods, the other
-exhibited, through the mask of his rude and nearly savage
-equipments, the brighter, though sun-burned and long-faced
-complexion of one who might claim descent from a European
-parentage.  The former was seated on the end of a mossy log,
-in a posture that permitted him to heighten the effect of
-his earnest language, by the calm but expressive gestures of
-an Indian engaged in debate.  His body, which was nearly
-naked, presented a terrific emblem of death, drawn in
-intermingled colors of white and black.  His closely-shaved
-head, on which no other hair than the well-known and
-chivalrous scalping tuft* was preserved, was without
-ornament of any kind, with the exception of a solitary
-eagle's plume, that crossed his crown, and depended over the
-left shoulder.  A tomahawk and scalping knife, of English
-manufacture, were in his girdle; while a short military
-rifle, of that sort with which the policy of the whites
-armed their savage allies, lay carelessly across his bare
-and sinewy knee.  The expanded chest, full formed limbs, and
-grave countenance of this warrior, would denote that he had
-reached the vigor of his days, though no symptoms of decay
-appeared to have yet weakened his manhood.
-
-* The North American warrior caused the hair to be
-plucked from his whole body; a small tuft was left on the
-crown of his head, in order that his enemy might avail
-himself of it, in wrenching off the scalp in the event of
-his fall.  The scalp was the only admissible trophy of
-victory.  Thus, it was deemed more important to obtain the
-scalp than to kill the man.  Some tribes lay great stress on
-the honor of striking a dead body.  These practices have
-nearly disappeared among the Indians of the Atlantic states.
-
-The frame of the white man, judging by such parts as were
-not concealed by his clothes, was like that of one who had
-known hardships and exertion from his earliest youth.  His
-person, though muscular, was rather attenuated than full;
-but every nerve and muscle appeared strung and indurated by
-unremitted exposure and toil.  He wore a hunting shirt of
-forest-green, fringed with faded yellow*, and a summer cap
-of skins which had been shorn of their fur.  He also bore a
-knife in a girdle of wampum, like that which confined the
-scanty garments of the Indian, but no tomahawk.  His
-moccasins were ornamented after the gay fashion of the
-natives, while the only part of his under dress which
-appeared below the hunting-frock was a pair of buckskin
-leggings, that laced at the sides, and which were gartered
-above the knees, with the sinews of a deer.  A pouch and
-horn completed his personal accouterments, though a rifle of
-great length**, which the theory of the more ingenious whites
-had taught them was the most dangerous of all firearms,
-leaned against a neighboring sapling.  The eye of the
-hunter, or scout, whichever he might be, was small, quick,
-keen, and restless, roving while he spoke, on every side of
-him, as if in quest of game, or distrusting the sudden
-approach of some lurking enemy.  Notwithstanding the
-symptoms of habitual suspicion, his countenance was not only
-without guile, but at the moment at which he is introduced,
-it was charged with an expression of sturdy honesty.
-
-* The hunting-shirt is a picturesque smock-frock,
-being shorter, and ornamented with fringes and tassels.  The
-colors are intended to imitate the hues of the wood, with a
-view to concealment.  Many corps of American riflemen have
-been thus attired, and the dress is one of the most striking
-of modern times.  The hunting-shirt is frequently white.
-
-** The rifle of the army is short; that of the hunter
-is always long.
-
-"Even your traditions make the case in my favor,
-Chingachgook," he said, speaking in the tongue which was
-known to all the natives who formerly inhabited the country
-between the Hudson and the Potomac, and of which we shall
-give a free translation for the benefit of the reader;
-endeavoring, at the same time, to preserve some of the
-peculiarities, both of the individual and of the language.
-"Your fathers came from the setting sun, crossed the big
-river*, fought the people of the country, and took the land;
-and mine came from the red sky of the morning, over the salt
-lake, and did their work much after the fashion that had
-been set them by yours; then let God judge the matter
-between us, and friends spare their words!"
-
-* The Mississippi.  The scout alludes to a tradition
-which is very popular among the tribes of the Atlantic
-states.  Evidence of their Asiatic origin is deduced from
-the circumstances, though great uncertainty hangs over the
-whole history of the Indians.
-
-"My fathers fought with the naked red man!" returned the
-Indian, sternly, in the same language.  "Is there no
-difference, Hawkeye, between the stone-headed arrow of the
-warrior, and the leaden bullet with which you kill?"
-
-"There is reason in an Indian, though nature has made him
-with a red skin!" said the white man, shaking his head like
-one on whom such an appeal to his justice was not thrown
-away.  For a moment he appeared to be conscious of having
-the worst of the argument, then, rallying again, he answered
-the objection of his antagonist in the best manner his
-limited information would allow:
-
-"I am no scholar, and I care not who knows it; but, judging
-from what I have seen, at deer chases and squirrel hunts, of
-the sparks below, I should think a rifle in the hands of
-their grandfathers was not so dangerous as a hickory bow and
-a good flint-head might be, if drawn with Indian judgment,
-and sent by an Indian eye."
-
-"You have the story told by your fathers," returned the
-other, coldly waving his hand.  "What say your old men?  Do
-they tell the young warriors that the pale faces met the red
-men, painted for war and armed with the stone hatchet and
-wooden gun?"
-
-"I am not a prejudiced man, nor one who vaunts himself on
-his natural privileges, though the worst enemy I have on
-earth, and he is an Iroquois, daren't deny that I am genuine
-white," the scout replied, surveying, with secret
-satisfaction, the faded color of his bony and sinewy hand,
-"and I am willing to own that my people have many ways, of
-which, as an honest man, I can't approve.  It is one of
-their customs to write in books what they have done and
-seen, instead of telling them in their villages, where the
-lie can be given to the face of a cowardly boaster, and the
-brave soldier can call on his comrades to witness for the
-truth of his words.  In consequence of this bad fashion, a
-man, who is too conscientious to misspend his days among the
-women, in learning the names of black marks, may never hear
-of the deeds of his fathers, nor feel a pride in striving to
-outdo them.  For myself, I conclude the Bumppos could shoot,
-for I have a natural turn with a rifle, which must have been
-handed down from generation to generation, as, our holy
-commandments tell us, all good and evil gifts are bestowed;
-though I should be loath to answer for other people in such
-a matter.  But every story has its two sides; so I ask you,
-Chingachgook, what passed, according to the traditions of
-the red men, when our fathers first met?"
-
-A silence of a minute succeeded, during which the Indian sat
-mute; then, full of the dignity of his office, he commenced
-his brief tale, with a solemnity that served to heighten its
-appearance of truth.
-
-"Listen, Hawkeye, and your ear shall drink no lie.  'Tis
-what my fathers have said, and what the Mohicans have done."
-He hesitated a single instant, and bending a cautious glance
-toward his companion, he continued, in a manner that was
-divided between interrogation and assertion.  "Does not this
-stream at our feet run toward the summer, until its waters
-grow salt, and the current flows upward?"
-
-"It can't be denied that your traditions tell you true in
-both these matters," said the white man; "for I have been
-there, and have seen them, though why water, which is so
-sweet in the shade, should become bitter in the sun, is an
-alteration for which I have never been able to account."
-
-"And the current!" demanded the Indian, who expected his
-reply with that sort of interest that a man feels in the
-confirmation of testimony, at which he marvels even while he
-respects it; "the fathers of Chingachgook have not lied!"
-
-"The holy Bible is not more true, and that is the truest
-thing in nature.  They call this up-stream current the tide,
-which is a thing soon explained, and clear enough.  Six
-hours the waters run in, and six hours they run out, and the
-reason is this: when there is higher water in the sea than
-in the river, they run in until the river gets to be
-highest, and then it runs out again."
-
-"The waters in the woods, and on the great lakes, run
-downward until they lie like my hand," said the Indian,
-stretching the limb horizontally before him, "and then they
-run no more."
-
-"No honest man will deny it," said the scout, a little
-nettled at the implied distrust of his explanation of the
-mystery of the tides; "and I grant that it is true on the
-small scale, and where the land is level.  But everything
-depends on what scale you look at things.  Now, on the small
-scale, the 'arth is level; but on the large scale it is
-round.  In this manner, pools and ponds, and even the great
-fresh-water lakes, may be stagnant, as you and I both know
-they are, having seen them; but when you come to spread
-water over a great tract, like the sea, where the earth is
-round, how in reason can the water be quiet?  You might as
-well expect the river to lie still on the brink of those
-black rocks a mile above us, though your own ears tell you
-that it is tumbling over them at this very moment."
-
-If unsatisfied by the philosophy of his companion, the
-Indian was far too dignified to betray his unbelief.  He
-listened like one who was convinced, and resumed his
-narrative in his former solemn manner.
-
-"We came from the place where the sun is hid at night, over
-great plains where the buffaloes live, until we reached the
-big river.  There we fought the Alligewi, till the ground
-was red with their blood.  From the banks of the big river
-to the shores of the salt lake, there was none to meet us.
-The Maquas followed at a distance.  We said the country
-should be ours from the place where the water runs up no
-longer on this stream, to a river twenty sun's journey
-toward the summer.  We drove the Maquas into the woods with
-the bears.  They only tasted salt at the licks; they drew no
-fish from the great lake; we threw them the bones."
-
-"All this I have heard and believe," said the white man,
-observing that the Indian paused; "but it was long before
-the English came into the country."
-
-"A pine grew then where this chestnut now stands.  The first
-pale faces who came among us spoke no English.  They came in
-a large canoe, when my fathers had buried the tomahawk with
-the red men around them.  Then, Hawkeye," he continued,
-betraying his deep emotion, only by permitting his voice to
-fall to those low, guttural tones, which render his
-language, as spoken at times, so very musical; "then,
-Hawkeye, we were one people, and we were happy.  The salt
-lake gave us its fish, the wood its deer, and the air its
-birds.  We took wives who bore us children; we worshipped
-the Great Spirit; and we kept the Maquas beyond the sound of
-our songs of triumph."
-
-"Know you anything of your own family at that time?"
-demanded the white.  "But you are just a man, for an Indian;
-and as I suppose you hold their gifts, your fathers must
-have been brave warriors, and wise men at the council-fire."
-
-"My tribe is the grandfather of nations, but I am an unmixed
-man.  The blood of chiefs is in my veins, where it must stay
-forever.  The Dutch landed, and gave my people the fire-
-water; they drank until the heavens and the earth seemed to
-meet, and they foolishly thought they had found the Great
-Spirit.  Then they parted with their land.  Foot by foot,
-they were driven back from the shores, until I, that am a
-chief and a Sagamore, have never seen the sun shine but
-through the trees, and have never visited the graves of my
-fathers."
-
-"Graves bring solemn feelings over the mind," returned the
-scout, a good deal touched at the calm suffering of his
-companion; "and they often aid a man in his good intentions;
-though, for myself, I expect to leave my own bones unburied,
-to bleach in the woods, or to be torn asunder by the wolves.
-But where are to be found those of your race who came to
-their kin in the Delaware country, so many summers since?"
-
-"Where are the blossoms of those summers!--fallen, one by
-one; so all of my family departed, each in his turn, to the
-land of spirits.  I am on the hilltop and must go down into
-the valley; and when Uncas follows in my footsteps there
-will no longer be any of the blood of the Sagamores, for my
-boy is the last of the Mohicans."
-
-"Uncas is here," said another voice, in the same soft,
-guttural tones, near his elbow; "who speaks to Uncas?"
-
-The white man loosened his knife in his leathern sheath, and
-made an involuntary movement of the hand toward his rifle,
-at this sudden interruption; but the Indian sat composed,
-and without turning his head at the unexpected sounds.
-
-At the next instant, a youthful warrior passed between them,
-with a noiseless step, and seated himself on the bank of the
-rapid stream.  No exclamation of surprise escaped the
-father, nor was any question asked, or reply given, for
-several minutes; each appearing to await the moment when he
-might speak, without betraying womanish curiosity or
-childish impatience.  The white man seemed to take counsel
-from their customs, and, relinquishing his grasp of the
-rifle, he also remained silent and reserved.  At length
-Chingachgook turned his eyes slowly toward his son, and
-demanded:
-
-"Do the Maquas dare to leave the print of their moccasins in
-these woods?"
-
-"I have been on their trail," replied the young Indian, "and
-know that they number as many as the fingers of my two
-hands; but they lie hid like cowards."
-
-"The thieves are outlying for scalps and plunder," said the
-white man, whom we shall call Hawkeye, after the manner of
-his companions.  "That busy Frenchman, Montcalm, will send
-his spies into our very camp, but he will know what road we
-travel!"
-
-"'Tis enough," returned the father, glancing his eye toward
-the setting sun; "they shall be driven like deer from their
-bushes.  Hawkeye, let us eat to-night, and show the Maquas
-that we are men to-morrow."
-
-"I am as ready to do the one as the other; but to fight the
-Iroquois 'tis necessary to find the skulkers; and to eat,
-'tis necessary to get the game--talk of the devil and he
-will come; there is a pair of the biggest antlers I have
-seen this season, moving the bushes below the hill!  Now,
-Uncas," he continued, in a half whisper, and laughing with a
-kind of inward sound, like one who had learned to be
-watchful, "I will bet my charger three times full of powder,
-against a foot of wampum, that I take him atwixt the eyes,
-and nearer to the right than to the left."
-
-"It cannot be!" said the young Indian, springing to his feet
-with youthful eagerness; "all but the tips of his horns are
-hid!"
-
-"He's a boy!" said the white man, shaking his head while he
-spoke, and addressing the father.  "Does he think when a
-hunter sees a part of the creature', he can't tell where the
-rest of him should be!"
-
-Adjusting his rifle, he was about to make an exhibition of
-that skill on which he so much valued himself, when the
-warrior struck up the piece with his hand, saying:
-
-"Hawkeye! will you fight the Maquas?"
-
-"These Indians know the nature of the woods, as it might be
-by instinct!" returned the scout, dropping his rifle, and
-turning away like a man who was convinced of his error.  "I
-must leave the buck to your arrow, Uncas, or we may kill a
-deer for them thieves, the Iroquois, to eat."
-
-The instant the father seconded this intimation by an
-expressive gesture of the hand, Uncas threw himself on the
-ground, and approached the animal with wary movements.  When
-within a few yards of the cover, he fitted an arrow to his
-bow with the utmost care, while the antlers moved, as if
-their owner snuffed an enemy in the tainted air.  In another
-moment the twang of the cord was heard, a white streak was
-seen glancing into the bushes, and the wounded buck plunged
-from the cover, to the very feet of his hidden enemy.
-Avoiding the horns of the infuriated animal, Uncas darted to
-his side, and passed his knife across the throat, when
-bounding to the edge of the river it fell, dyeing the waters
-with its blood.
-
-"'Twas done with Indian skill," said the scout laughing
-inwardly, but with vast satisfaction; "and 'twas a pretty
-sight to behold!  Though an arrow is a near shot, and needs
-a knife to finish the work."
-
-"Hugh!" ejaculated his companion, turning quickly, like a
-hound who scented game.
-
-"By the Lord, there is a drove of them!" exclaimed the
-scout, whose eyes began to glisten with the ardor of his
-usual occupation; "if they come within range of a bullet I
-will drop one, though the whole Six Nations should be
-lurking within sound!  What do you hear, Chingachgook? for
-to my ears the woods are dumb."
-
-"There is but one deer, and he is dead," said the Indian,
-bending his body till his ear nearly touched the earth.  "I
-hear the sounds of feet!"
-
-"Perhaps the wolves have driven the buck to shelter, and are
-following on his trail."
-
-"No.  The horses of white men are coming!" returned the
-other, raising himself with dignity, and resuming his seat
-on the log with his former composure.  "Hawkeye, they are
-your brothers; speak to them."
-
-"That I will, and in English that the king needn't be
-ashamed to answer," returned the hunter, speaking in the
-language of which he boasted; "but I see nothing, nor do I
-hear the sounds of man or beast; 'tis strange that an Indian
-should understand white sounds better than a man who, his
-very enemies will own, has no cross in his blood, although
-he may have lived with the red skins long enough to be
-suspected!  Ha!  there goes something like the cracking of a
-dry stick, too--now I hear the bushes move--yes, yes,
-there is a trampling that I mistook for the falls--and--
-but here they come themselves; God keep them from the
-Iroquois!"
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 4
-
-"Well go thy way: thou shalt not from this grove Till I
-torment thee for this injury."--Midsummer Night's Dream.
-
-
-The words were still in the mouth of the scout, when the
-leader of the party, whose approaching footsteps had caught
-the vigilant ear of the Indian, came openly into view.  A
-beaten path, such as those made by the periodical passage of
-the deer, wound through a little glen at no great distance,
-and struck the river at the point where the white man and
-his red companions had posted themselves.  Along this track
-the travelers, who had produced a surprise so unusual in the
-depths of the forest, advanced slowly toward the hunter, who
-was in front of his associates, in readiness to receive
-them.
-
-"Who comes?" demanded the scout, throwing his rifle
-carelessly across his left arm, and keeping the forefinger
-of his right hand on the trigger, though he avoided all
-appearance of menace in the act.  "Who comes hither, among
-the beasts and dangers of the wilderness?"
-
-"Believers in religion, and friends to the law and to the
-king," returned he who rode foremost.  "Men who have
-journeyed since the rising sun, in the shades of this
-forest, without nourishment, and are sadly tired of their
-wayfaring."
-
-"You are, then, lost," interrupted the hunter, "and have
-found how helpless 'tis not to know whether to take the
-right hand or the left?"
-
-"Even so; sucking babes are not more dependent on those who
-guide them than we who are of larger growth, and who may now
-be said to possess the stature without the knowledge of men.
-Know you the distance to a post of the crown called William
-Henry?"
-
-"Hoot!" shouted the scout, who did not spare his open
-laughter, though instantly checking the dangerous sounds he
-indulged his merriment at less risk of being overheard by
-any lurking enemies.  "You are as much off the scent as a
-hound would be, with Horican atwixt him and the deer!
-William Henry, man! if you are friends to the king and have
-business with the army, your way would be to follow the
-river down to Edward, and lay the matter before Webb, who
-tarries there, instead of pushing into the defiles, and
-driving this saucy Frenchman back across Champlain, into his
-den again."
-
-Before the stranger could make any reply to this unexpected
-proposition, another horseman dashed the bushes aside, and
-leaped his charger into the pathway, in front of his
-companion.
-
-"What, then, may be our distance from Fort Edward?" demanded
-a new speaker; "the place you advise us to seek we left this
-morning, and our destination is the head of the lake."
-
-"Then you must have lost your eyesight afore losing your
-way, for the road across the portage is cut to a good two
-rods, and is as grand a path, I calculate, as any that runs
-into London, or even before the palace of the king himself."
-
-"We will not dispute concerning the excellence of the
-passage," returned Heyward, smiling; for, as the reader has
-anticipated, it was he.  "It is enough, for the present,
-that we trusted to an Indian guide to take us by a nearer, though
-blinder path, and that we are deceived in his knowledge.  In
-plain words, we know not where we are."
-
-"An Indian lost in the woods!" said the scout, shaking his
-head doubtingly; "When the sun is scorching the tree tops,
-and the water courses are full; when the moss on every beech
-he sees will tell him in what quarter the north star will
-shine at night.  The woods are full of deer-paths which run
-to the streams and licks, places well known to everybody;
-nor have the geese done their flight to the Canada waters
-altogether!  'Tis strange that an Indian should be lost
-atwixt Horican and the bend in the river!  Is he a Mohawk?"
-
-"Not by birth, though adopted in that tribe; I think his
-birthplace was farther north, and he is one of those you
-call a Huron."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the two companions of the scout, who had
-continued until this part of the dialogue, seated immovable,
-and apparently indifferent to what passed, but who now
-sprang to their feet with an activity and interest that had
-evidently got the better of their reserve by surprise.
-
-"A Huron!" repeated the sturdy scout, once more shaking his
-head in open distrust; "they are a thievish race, nor do I
-care by whom they are adopted; you can never make anything
-of them but skulls and vagabonds.  Since you trusted
-yourself to the care of one of that nation, I only wonder
-that you have not fallen in with more."
-
-"Of that there is little danger, since William Henry is so
-many miles in our front.  You forget that I have told you
-our guide is now a Mohawk, and that he serves with our
-forces as a friend."
-
-"And I tell you that he who is born a Mingo will die a
-Mingo," returned the other positively.  "A Mohawk!  No, give
-me a Delaware or a Mohican for honesty; and when 
-they will fight, which they won't all do, having suffered
-their cunning enemies, the Maquas, to make them women--but
-when they will fight at all, look to a Delaware, or a
-Mohican, for a warrior!"
-
-"Enough of this," said Heyward, impatiently; "I wish not to
-inquire into the character of a man that I know, and to whom
-you must be a stranger.  You have not yet answered my
-question; what is our distance from the main army at
-Edward?"
-
-"It seems that may depend on who is your guide.  One would
-think such a horse as that might get over a good deal of
-ground atwixt sun-up and sun-down."
-
-"I wish no contention of idle words with you, friend," said
-Heyward, curbing his dissatisfied manner, and speaking in a
-more gentle voice; "if you will tell me the distance to Fort
-Edward, and conduct me thither, your labor shall not go
-without its reward."
-
-"And in so doing, how know I that I don't guide an enemy and
-a spy of Montcalm, to the works of the army? It is not every
-man who can speak the English tongue that is an honest
-subject."
-
-"If you serve with the troops, of whom I judge you to be a
-scout, you should know of such a regiment of the king as the
-Sixtieth."
-
-"The Sixtieth! you can tell me little of the Royal Americans
-that I don't know, though I do wear a hunting-shirt instead
-of a scarlet jacket."
-
-"Well, then, among other things, you may know the name of
-its major?"
-
-"Its major!" interrupted the hunter, elevating his body like
-one who was proud of his trust.  "If there is a man in the
-country who knows Major Effingham, he stands before you."
-
-"It is a corps which has many majors; the gentleman you
-name is the senior, but I speak of the junior of them all;
-he who commands the companies in garrison at William Henry."
-
-"Yes, yes, I have heard that a young gentleman of vast
-riches, from one of the provinces far south, has got the
-place.  He is over young, too, to hold such rank, and to be
-put above men whose heads are beginning to bleach; and yet
-they say he is a soldier in his knowledge, and a gallant
-gentleman!"
-
-"Whatever he may be, or however he may be qualified for his
-rank, he now speaks to you and, of course, can be no enemy
-to dread."
-
-The scout regarded Heyward in surprise, and then lifting his
-cap, he answered, in a tone less confident than before--
-though still expressing doubt.
-
-"I have heard a party was to leave the encampment this
-morning for the lake shore?"
-
-"You have heard the truth; but I preferred a nearer route,
-trusting to the knowledge of the Indian I mentioned."
-
-"And he deceived you, and then deserted?"
-
-"Neither, as I believe; certainly not the latter, for he is
-to be found in the rear."
-
-"I should like to look at the creature; if it is a true
-Iroquois I can tell him by his knavish look, and by his
-paint," said the scout; stepping past the charger of
-Heyward, and entering the path behind the mare of the
-singing master, whose foal had taken advantage of the halt
-to exact the maternal contribution.  After shoving aside the
-bushes, and proceeding a few paces, he encountered the
-females, who awaited the result of the conference with
-anxiety, and not entirely without apprehension.  Behind
-these, the runner leaned against a tree, where he stood the
-close examination of the scout with an air unmoved, though
-with a look so dark and savage, that it might in itself
-excite fear.  Satisfied with his scrutiny, the hunter soon
-left him.  As he repassed the females, he paused a moment to
-gaze upon their beauty, answering to the smile and nod of
-Alice with a look of open pleasure.  Thence he went to the
-side of the motherly animal, and spending a minute in a
-fruitless inquiry into the character of her rider, he shook
-his head and returned to Heyward.
-
-"A Mingo is a Mingo, and God having made him so, neither the
-Mohawks nor any other tribe can alter him," he said, when he
-had regained his former position.  "If we were alone, and
-you would leave that noble horse at the mercy of the wolves
-to-night, I could show you the way to Edward myself, within
-an hour, for it lies only about an hour's journey hence; but
-with such ladies in your company 'tis impossible!"
-
-"And why? They are fatigued, but they are quite equal to a
-ride of a few more miles."
-
-"'Tis a natural impossibility!" repeated the scout; "I
-wouldn't walk a mile in these woods after night gets into
-them, in company with that runner, for the best rifle in the
-colonies.  They are full of outlying Iroquois, and your
-mongrel Mohawk knows where to find them too well to be my
-companion."
-
-"Think you so?" said Heyward, leaning forward in the saddle,
-and dropping his voice nearly to a whisper; "I confess I
-have not been without my own suspicions, though I have
-endeavored to conceal them, and affected a confidence I have
-not always felt, on account of my companions.  It was
-because I suspected him that I would follow no longer;
-making him, as you see, follow me."
-
-"I knew he was one of the cheats as soon as I laid eyes on
-him!" returned the scout, placing a finger on his nose, in
-sign of caution.
-
-"The thief is leaning against the foot of the sugar sapling,
-that you can see over them bushes; his right leg is in a
-line with the bark of the tree, and," tapping his rifle, "I
-can take him from where I stand, between the angle and the
-knee, with a single shot, putting an end to his tramping
-through the woods, for at least a month to come.  If I
-should go back to him, the cunning varmint would suspect
-something, and be dodging through the trees like a
-frightened deer."
-
-"It will not do.  He may be innocent, and I dislike the act.
-Though, if I felt confident of his treachery--"
-
-"'Tis a safe thing to calculate on the knavery of an
-Iroquois," said the scout, throwing his rifle forward, by a
-sort of instinctive movement.
-
-"Hold!" interrupted Heyward, "it will not do--we must
-think of some other scheme--and yet, I have much reason to
-believe the rascal has deceived me."
-
-The hunter, who had already abandoned his intention of
-maiming the runner, mused a moment, and then made a gesture,
-which instantly brought his two red companions to his side.
-They spoke together earnestly in the Delaware language,
-though in an undertone; and by the gestures of the white
-man, which were frequently directed towards the top of the
-sapling, it was evident he pointed out the situation of
-their hidden enemy.  His companions were not long in
-comprehending his wishes, and laying aside their firearms,
-they parted, taking opposite sides of the path, and burying
-themselves in the thicket, with such cautious movements,
-that their steps were inaudible.
-
-"Now, go you back," said the hunter, speaking again to
-Heyward, "and hold the imp in talk; these Mohicans here will
-take him without breaking his paint."
-
-"Nay," said Heyward, proudly, "I will seize him myself."
-
-"Hist! what could you do, mounted, against an Indian in the
-bushes!"
-
-"I will dismount."
-
-"And, think you, when he saw one of your feet out of the
-stirrup, he would wait for the other to be free? Whoever
-comes into the woods to deal with the natives, must use
-Indian fashions, if he would wish to prosper in his
-undertakings.  Go, then; talk openly to the miscreant, and
-seem to believe him the truest friend you have on 'arth."
-
-Heyward prepared to comply, though with strong disgust at
-the nature of the office he was compelled to execute.  Each
-moment, however, pressed upon him a conviction of the
-critical situation in which he had suffered his invaluable
-trust to be involved through his own confidence.  The sun
-had already disappeared, and the woods, suddenly deprived of
-his light*, were assuming a dusky hue, which keenly reminded
-him that the hour the savage usually chose for his most
-barbarous and remorseless acts of vengeance or hostility,
-was speedily drawing near.  Stimulated by apprehension, he
-left the scout, who immediately entered into a loud
-conversation with the stranger that had so unceremoniously
-enlisted himself in the party of travelers that morning.  In
-passing his gentler companions Heyward uttered a few words
-of encouragement, and was pleased to find that, though
-fatigued with the exercise of the day, they appeared to
-entertain no suspicion that their present embarrassment was
-other than the result of accident.  Giving them reason to
-believe he was merely employed in a consultation concerning
-the future route, he spurred his charger, and drew the reins
-again when the animal had carried him within a few yards of
-the place where the sullen runner still stood, leaning
-against the tree.
-
-* The scene of this tale was in the 42d degree of
-latitude, where the twilight is never of long continuation.
-
-"You may see, Magua," he said, endeavoring to assume an air
-of freedom and confidence, "that the night is closing around
-us, and yet we are no nearer to William Henry than when we
-left the encampment of Webb with the rising sun.
-
-"You have missed the way, nor have I been more fortunate.
-But, happily, we have fallen in with a hunter, he whom you
-hear talking to the singer, that is acquainted with the
-deerpaths and by-ways of the woods, and who promises to lead
-us to a place where we may rest securely till the morning."
-
-The Indian riveted his glowing eyes on Heyward as he asked,
-in his imperfect English, "Is he alone?"
-
-"Alone!" hesitatingly answered Heyward, to whom deception
-was too new to be assumed without embarrassment.  "Oh! not
-alone, surely, Magua, for you know that we are with him."
-
-"Then Le Renard Subtil will go," returned the runner, coolly
-raising his little wallet from the place where it had lain
-at his feet; "and the pale faces will see none but their own
-color."
-
-"Go! Whom call you Le Renard?"
-
-"'Tis the name his Canada fathers have given to Magua,"
-returned the runner, with an air that manifested his pride
-at the distinction.  "Night is the same as day to Le Subtil,
-when Munro waits for him."
-
-"And what account will Le Renard give the chief of William
-Henry concerning his daughters? Will he dare to tell the hot-
-blooded Scotsman that his children are left without a guide,
-though Magua promised to be one?"
-
-"Though the gray head has a loud voice, and a long arm, Le
-Renard will not hear him, nor feel him, in the woods."
-
-"But what will the Mohawks say? They will make him
-petticoats, and bid him stay in the wigwam with the women,
-for he is no longer to be trusted with the business of a
-man."
-
-"Le Subtil knows the path to the great lakes, and he can
-find the bones of his fathers," was the answer of the
-unmoved runner.
-
-"Enough, Magua," said Heyward; "are we not friends?
-Why should there be bitter words between us? Munro has
-promised you a gift for your services when performed, and I
-shall be your debtor for another.  Rest your weary limbs,
-then, and open your wallet to eat.  We have a few moments to
-spare; let us not waste them in talk like wrangling women.
-When the ladies are refreshed we will proceed."
-
-"The pale faces make themselves dogs to their women,"
-muttered the Indian, in his native language, "and when they
-want to eat, their warriors must lay aside the tomahawk to
-feed their laziness."
-
-"What say you, Renard?"
-
-"Le Subtil says it is good."
-
-The Indian then fastened his eyes keenly on the open
-countenance of Heyward, but meeting his glance, he turned
-them quickly away, and seating himself deliberately on the
-ground, he drew forth the remnant of some former repast, and
-began to eat, though not without first bending his looks
-slowly and cautiously around him.
-
-"This is well," continued Heyward; "and Le Renard will have
-strength and sight to find the path in the morning"; he
-paused, for sounds like the snapping of a dried stick, and
-the rustling of leaves, rose from the adjacent bushes, but
-recollecting himself instantly, he continued, "we must be
-moving before the sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our
-path, and shut us out from the fortress."
-
-The hand of Magua dropped from his mouth to his side, and
-though his eyes were fastened on the ground, his head was
-turned aside, his nostrils expanded, and his ears seemed
-even to stand more erect than usual, giving to him the
-appearance of a statue that was made to represent intense
-attention.
-
-Heyward, who watched his movements with a vigilant eye,
-carelessly extricated one of his feet from the stirrup,
-while he passed a hand toward the bear-skin covering of his
-holsters.
-
-Every effort to detect the point most regarded by the runner
-was completely frustrated by the tremulous glances of his
-organs, which seemed not to rest a single instant on any
-particular object, and which, at the same time, could be
-hardly said to move.  While he hesitated how to proceed, Le
-Subtil cautiously raised himself to his feet, though with a
-motion so slow and guarded, that not the slightest noise was
-produced by the change.  Heyward felt it had now become
-incumbent on him to act.  Throwing his leg over the saddle,
-he dismounted, with a determination to advance and seize his
-treacherous companion, trusting the result to his own
-manhood.  In order, however, to prevent unnecessary alarm,
-he still preserved an air of calmness and friendship.
-
-"Le Renard Subtil does not eat," he said, using the
-appellation he had found most flattering to the vanity of
-the Indian.  "His corn is not well parched, and it seems
-dry.  Let me examine; perhaps something may be found among
-my own provisions that will help his appetite."
-
-Magua held out the wallet to the proffer of the other.  He
-even suffered their hands to meet, without betraying the
-least emotion, or varying his riveted attitude of attention.
-But when he felt the fingers of Heyward moving gently along
-his own naked arm, he struck up the limb of the young man,
-and, uttering a piercing cry, he darted beneath it, and
-plunged, at a single bound, into the opposite thicket.  At
-the next instant the form of Chingachgook appeared from the
-bushes, looking like a specter in its paint, and glided
-across the path in swift pursuit.  Next followed the shout
-of Uncas, when the woods were lighted by a sudden flash,
-that was accompanied by the sharp report of the hunter's
-rifle.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 5
-
-..."In such a night Did Thisbe fearfully o'ertrip the dew;
-And saw the lion's shadow ere himself."  Merchant of Venice
-
-The suddenness of the flight of his guide, and the wild
-cries of the pursuers, caused Heyward to remain fixed, for a
-few moments, in inactive surprise.  Then recollecting the
-importance of securing the fugitive, he dashed aside the
-surrounding bushes, and pressed eagerly forward to lend his
-aid in the chase.  Before he had, however, proceeded a
-hundred yards, he met the three foresters already returning
-from their unsuccessful pursuit.
-
-"Why so soon disheartened!" he exclaimed; "the scoundrel
-must be concealed behind some of these trees, and may yet be
-secured.  We are not safe while he goes at large."
-
-"Would you set a cloud to chase the wind?" returned the
-disappointed scout; "I heard the imp brushing over the dry
-leaves, like a black snake, and blinking a glimpse of him,
-just over ag'in yon big pine, I pulled as it might be on the
-scent; but 'twouldn't do! and yet for a reasoning aim, if
-anybody but myself had touched the trigger, I should call it
-a quick sight; and I may be accounted to have experience in
-these matters, and one who ought to know.  Look at this
-sumach; its leaves are red, though everybody knows the fruit
-is in the yellow blossom in the month of July!"
-
-"'Tis the blood of Le Subtil! he is hurt, and may yet fall!"
-
-"No, no," returned the scout, in decided disapprobation of
-this opinion, "I rubbed the bark off a limb, perhaps, but
-the creature leaped the longer for it.  A rifle bullet acts
-on a running animal, when it barks him, much the same as one
-of your spurs on a horse; that is, it quickens motion, and
-puts life into the flesh, instead of taking it away.  But
-when it cuts the ragged hole, after a bound or two, there
-is, commonly, a stagnation of further leaping, be it Indian
-or be it deer!"
-
-"We are four able bodies, to one wounded man!"
-
-"Is life grievous to you?" interrupted the scout.  "Yonder
-red devil would draw you within swing of the tomahawks of
-his comrades, before you were heated in the chase.  It was
-an unthoughtful act in a man who has so often slept with the
-war-whoop ringing in the air, to let off his piece within
-sound of an ambushment!  But then it was a natural
-temptation! 'twas very natural!  Come, friends, let us move
-our station, and in such fashion, too, as will throw the
-cunning of a Mingo on a wrong scent, or our scalps will be
-drying in the wind in front of Montcalm's marquee, ag'in
-this hour to-morrow."
-
-This appalling declaration, which the scout uttered with the
-cool assurance of a man who fully comprehended, while he did
-not fear to face the danger, served to remind Heyward of the
-importance of the charge with which he himself had been
-intrusted.  Glancing his eyes around, with a vain effort to
-pierce the gloom that was thickening beneath the leafy
-arches of the forest, he felt as if, cut off from human aid,
-his unresisting companions would soon lie at the entire
-mercy of those barbarous enemies, who, like beasts of prey,
-only waited till the gathering darkness might render their
-blows more fatally certain.  His awakened imagination,
-deluded by the deceptive light, converted each waving bush,
-or the fragment of some fallen tree, into human forms, and
-twenty times he fancied he could distinguish the horrid
-visages of his lurking foes, peering from their hiding
-places, in never ceasing watchfulness of the movements of
-his party.  Looking upward, he found that the thin fleecy
-clouds, which evening had painted on the blue sky, were
-already losing their faintest tints of rose-color, while the
-imbedded stream, which glided past the spot where he stood,
-was to be traced only by the dark boundary of its wooded
-banks.
-
-"What is to be done!" he said, feeling the utter
-helplessness of doubt in such a pressing strait; "desert me
-not, for God's sake! remain to defend those I escort, and
-freely name your own reward!"
-
-His companions, who conversed apart in the language of their
-tribe, heeded not this sudden and earnest appeal.  Though
-their dialogue was maintained in low and cautious sounds,
-but little above a whisper, Heyward, who now approached,
-could easily distinguish the earnest tones of the younger
-warrior from the more deliberate speeches of his seniors.
-It was evident that they debated on the propriety of some
-measure, that nearly concerned the welfare of the travelers.
-Yielding to his powerful interest in the subject, and
-impatient of a delay that seemed fraught with so much
-additional danger, Heyward drew still nigher to the dusky
-group, with an intention of making his offers of
-compensation more definite, when the white man, motioning
-with his hand, as if he conceded the disputed point, turned
-away, saying in a sort of soliloquy, and in the English
-tongue:
-
-"Uncas is right! it would not be the act of men to leave
-such harmless things to their fate, even though it breaks up
-the harboring place forever.  If you would save these tender
-blossoms from the fangs of the worst of serpents, gentleman,
-you have neither time to lose nor resolution to throw away!"
-
-"How can such a wish be doubted!  Have I not already offered
---"
-
-"Offer your prayers to Him who can give us wisdom to
-circumvent the cunning of the devils who fill these woods,"
-calmly interrupted the scout, "but spare your offers of
-money, which neither you may live to realize, nor I to
-profit by.  These Mohicans and I will do what man's thoughts
-can invent, to keep such flowers, which, though so sweet,
-were never made for the wilderness, from harm, and that
-without hope of any other recompense but such as God always
-gives to upright dealings.  First, you must promise two
-things, both in your own name and for your friends, or
-without serving you we shall only injure ourselves!"
-
-"Name them."
-
-"The one is, to be still as these sleeping woods, let what
-will happen and the other is, to keep the place where we
-shall take you, forever a secret from all mortal men."
-
-"I will do my utmost to see both these conditions
-fulfilled."
-
-"Then follow, for we are losing moments that are as precious
-as the heart's blood to a stricken deer!"
-
-Heyward could distinguish the impatient gesture of the
-scout, through the increasing shadows of the evening, and he
-moved in his footsteps, swiftly, toward the place where he
-had left the remainder of the party.  When they rejoined the
-expecting and anxious females, he briefly acquainted them
-with the conditions of their new guide, and with the
-necessity that existed for their hushing every apprehension
-in instant and serious exertions.  Although his alarming
-communication was not received without much secret terror by
-the listeners, his earnest and impressive manner, aided
-perhaps by the nature of the danger, succeeded in bracing
-their nerves to undergo some unlooked-for and unusual trial.
-Silently, and without a moment's delay, they permitted him
-to assist them from their saddles, and when they descended
-quickly to the water's edge, where the scout had collected
-the rest of the party, more by the agency of expressive
-gestures than by any use of words.
-
-"What to do with these dumb creatures!" muttered the white
-man, on whom the sole control of their future movements
-appeared to devolve; "it would be time lost to cut their
-throats, and cast them into the river; and to leave them
-here would be to tell the Mingoes that they have not far to
-seek to find their owners!"
-
-"Then give them their bridles, and let them range the
-woods," Heyward ventured to suggest.
-
-"No; it would be better to mislead the imps, and make them
-believe they must equal a horse's speed to run down their
-chase.  Ay, ay, that will blind their fireballs of eyes!
-Chingach--Hist! what stirs the bush?"
-
-"The colt."
-
-"That colt, at least, must die," muttered the scout,
-grasping at the mane of the nimble beast, which easily
-eluded his hand; "Uncas, your arrows!"
-
-"Hold!" exclaimed the proprietor of the condemned animal,
-aloud, without regard to the whispering tones used by the
-others; "spare the foal of Miriam! it is the comely
-offspring of a faithful dam, and would willingly injure
-naught."
-
-"When men struggle for the single life God has given them,"
-said the scout, sternly, "even their own kind seem no more
-than the beasts of the wood.  If you speak again, I shall
-leave you to the mercy of the Maquas!  Draw to your arrow's
-head, Uncas; we have no time for second blows."
-
-The low, muttering sounds of his threatening voice were
-still audible, when the wounded foal, first rearing on its
-hinder legs, plunged forward to its knees.  It was met by
-Chingachgook, whose knife passed across its throat quicker
-than thought, and then precipitating the motions of the
-struggling victim, he dashed into the river, down whose
-stream it glided away, gasping audibly for breath with its
-ebbing life.  This deed of apparent cruelty, but of real
-necessity, fell upon the spirits of the travelers like a
-terrific warning of the peril in which they stood,
-heightened as it was by the calm though steady resolution of
-the actors in the scene.  The sisters shuddered and clung
-closer to each other, while Heyward instinctively laid his
-hand on one of the pistols he had just drawn from their
-holsters, as he placed himself between his charge and those
-dense shadows that seemed to draw an impenetrable veil
-before the bosom of the forest.
-
-The Indians, however, hesitated not a moment, but taking the
-bridles, they led the frightened and reluctant horses into
-the bed of the river.
-
-At a short distance from the shore they turned, and were
-soon concealed by the projection of the bank, under the brow
-of which they moved, in a direction opposite to the course
-of the waters.  In the meantime, the scout drew a canoe of
-bark from its place of concealment beneath some low bushes,
-whose branches were waving with the eddies of the current,
-into which he silently motioned for the females to enter.
-They complied without hesitation, though many a fearful and
-anxious glance was thrown behind them, toward the thickening
-gloom, which now lay like a dark barrier along the margin of
-the stream.
-
-So soon as Cora and Alice were seated, the scout, without
-regarding the element, directed Heyward to support one side
-of the frail vessel, and posting himself at the other, they
-bore it up against the stream, followed by the dejected
-owner of the dead foal.  In this manner they proceeded, for
-many rods, in a silence that was only interrupted by the
-rippling of the water, as its eddies played around them, or
-the low dash made by their own cautious footsteps.  Heyward
-yielded the guidance of the canoe implicitly to the scout,
-who approached or receded from the shore, to avoid the
-fragments of rocks, or deeper parts of the river, with a
-readiness that showed his knowledge of the route they held.
-Occasionally he would stop; and in the midst of a breathing
-stillness, that the dull but increasing roar of the
-waterfall only served to render more impressive, he would
-listen with painful intenseness, to catch any sounds that
-might arise from the slumbering forest.  When assured that
-all was still, and unable to detect, even by the aid of his
-practiced senses, any sign of his approaching foes, he would
-deliberately resume his slow and guarded progress.  At
-length they reached a point in the river where the roving
-eye of Heyward became riveted on a cluster of black objects,
-collected at a spot where the high bank threw a deeper
-shadow than usual on the dark waters.  Hesitating to
-advance, he pointed out the place to the attention of his
-companion.
-
-"Ay," returned the composed scout, "the Indians have hid the
-beasts with the judgment of natives!  Water leaves no trail,
-and an owl's eyes would be blinded by the darkness of such a
-hole."
-
-The whole party was soon reunited, and another consultation
-was held between the scout and his new comrades, during
-which, they, whose fates depended on the faith and ingenuity
-of these unknown foresters, had a little leisure to observe
-their situation more minutely.
-
-The river was confined between high and cragged rocks, one
-of which impended above the spot where the canoe rested.  As
-these, again, were surmounted by tall trees, which appeared
-to totter on the brows of the precipice, it gave the stream
-the appearance of running through a deep and narrow dell.
-All beneath the fantastic limbs and ragged tree tops, which
-were, here and there, dimly painted against the starry
-zenith, lay alike in shadowed obscurity.  Behind them, the
-curvature of the banks soon bounded the view by the same
-dark and wooded outline; but in front, and apparently at no
-great distance, the water seemed piled against the heavens,
-whence it tumbled into caverns, out of which issued those
-sullen sounds that had loaded the evening atmosphere.  It
-seemed, in truth, to be a spot devoted to seclusion, and the
-sisters imbibed a soothing impression of security, as they
-gazed upon its romantic though not unappalling beauties.  A
-general movement among their conductors, however, soon
-recalled them from a contemplation of the wild charms that
-night had assisted to lend the place to a painful sense of
-their real peril.
-
-The horses had been secured to some scattering shrubs that
-grew in the fissures of the rocks, where, standing in the
-water, they were left to pass the night.  The scout directed
-Heyward and his disconsolate fellow travelers to seat
-themselves in the forward end of the canoe, and took
-possession of the other himself, as erect and steady as if
-he floated in a vessel of much firmer materials.  The
-Indians warily retraced their steps toward the place they
-had left, when the scout, placing his pole against a rock,
-by a powerful shove, sent his frail bark directly into the
-turbulent stream.  For many minutes the struggle between the
-light bubble in which they floated and the swift current was
-severe and doubtful.  Forbidden to stir even a hand, and
-almost afraid to breath, lest they should expose the frail
-fabric to the fury of the stream, the passengers watched the
-glancing waters in feverish suspense.  Twenty times they
-thought the whirling eddies were sweeping them to
-destruction, when the master-hand of their pilot would
-bring the bows of the canoe to stem the rapid.  A long, a
-vigorous, and, as it appeared to the females, a desperate
-effort, closed the struggle.  Just as Alice veiled her eyes
-in horror, under the impression that they were about to be
-swept within the vortex at the foot of the cataract, the
-canoe floated, stationary, at the side of a flat rock, that
-lay on a level with the water.
-
-"Where are we, and what is next to be done!" demanded
-Heyward, perceiving that the exertions of the scout had
-ceased.
-
-"You are at the foot of Glenn's," returned the other,
-speaking aloud, without fear of consequences within the roar
-of the cataract; "and the next thing is to make a steady
-landing, lest the canoe upset, and you should go down again
-the hard road we have traveled faster than you came up; 'tis
-a hard rift to stem, when the river is a little swelled; and
-five is an unnatural number to keep dry, in a hurry-skurry,
-with a little birchen bark and gum.  There, go you all on
-the rock, and I will bring up the Mohicans with the venison.
-A man had better sleep without his scalp, than famish in the
-midst of plenty."
-
-His passengers gladly complied with these directions.  As
-the last foot touched the rock, the canoe whirled from its
-station, when the tall form of the scout was seen, for an
-instant, gliding above the waters, before it disappeared in
-the impenetrable darkness that rested on the bed of the
-river.  Left by their guide, the travelers remained a few
-minutes in helpless ignorance, afraid even to move along the
-broken rocks, lest a false step should precipitate them down
-some one of the many deep and roaring caverns, into which
-the water seemed to tumble, on every side of them.  Their
-suspense, however, was soon relieved; for, aided by the
-skill of the natives, the canoe shot back into the eddy, and
-floated again at the side of the low rock, before they
-thought the scout had even time to rejoin his companions.
-
-"We are now fortified, garrisoned, and provisioned," cried
-Heyward cheerfully, "and may set Montcalm and his allies at
-defiance.  How, now, my vigilant sentinel, can see anything
-of those you call the Iroquois, on the main land!"
-
-"I call them Iroquois, because to me every native, who
-speaks a foreign tongue, is accounted an enemy, though he
-may pretend to serve the king!  If Webb wants faith and
-honesty in an Indian, let him bring out the tribes of the
-Delawares, and send these greedy and lying Mohawks and
-Oneidas, with their six nations of varlets, where in nature
-they belong, among the French!"
-
-"We should then exchange a warlike for a useless friend!  I
-have heard that the Delawares have laid aside the hatchet,
-and are content to be called women!"
-
-"Aye, shame on the Hollanders and Iroquois, who circumvented
-them by their deviltries, into such a treaty!  But I have
-known them for twenty years, and I call him liar that says
-cowardly blood runs in the veins of a Delaware.  You have
-driven their tribes from the seashore, and would now believe
-what their enemies say, that you may sleep at night upon an
-easy pillow.  No, no; to me, every Indian who speaks a
-foreign tongue is an Iroquois, whether the castle* of his
-tribe be in Canada, or be in York."
-
-* The principal villages of the Indians are still
-called "castles" by the whites of New York.  "Oneida castle"
-is no more than a scattered hamlet; but the name is in
-general use.
-
-Heyward, perceiving that the stubborn adherence of the scout
-to the cause of his friends the Delawares, or Mohicans, for
-they were branches of the same numerous people, was likely
-to prolong a useless discussion, changed the subject.
-
-"Treaty or no treaty, I know full well that your two
-companions are brave and cautious warriors! have they heard
-or seen anything of our enemies!"
-
-"An Indian is a mortal to be felt afore he is seen,"
-returned the scout, ascending the rock, and throwing the
-deer carelessly down.  "I trust to other signs than such as
-come in at the eye, when I am outlying on the trail of the
-Mingoes."
-
-"Do your ears tell you that they have traced our retreat?"
-
-"I should be sorry to think they had, though this is a spot
-that stout courage might hold for a smart scrimmage.  I will
-not deny, however, but the horses cowered when I passed
-them, as though they scented the wolves; and a wolf is a
-beast that is apt to hover about an Indian ambushment,
-craving the offals of the deer the savages kill."
-
-"You forget the buck at your feet! or, may we not owe their
-visit to the dead colt? Ha! what noise is that?"
-
-"Poor Miriam!" murmured the stranger; "thy foal was
-foreordained to become a prey to ravenous beasts!"  Then,
-suddenly lifting up his voice, amid the eternal din of the
-waters, he sang aloud: "First born of Egypt, smite did he,
-Of mankind, and of beast also: O, Egypt! wonders sent 'midst
-thee, On Pharaoh and his servants too!"
-
-"The death of the colt sits heavy on the heart of its
-owner," said the scout; "but it's a good sign to see a man
-account upon his dumb friends.  He has the religion of the
-matter, in believing what is to happen will happen; and with
-such a consolation, it won't be long afore he submits to the
-rationality of killing a four-footed beast to save the lives
-of human men.  It may be as you say," he continued,
-reverting to the purport of Heyward's last remark; "and the
-greater the reason why we should cut our steaks, and let the
-carcass drive down the stream, or we shall have the pack
-howling along the cliffs, begrudging every mouthful we
-swallow.  Besides, though the Delaware tongue is the same as
-a book to the Iroquois, the cunning varlets are quick enough
-at understanding the reason of a wolf's howl."
-
-The scout, while making his remarks, was busied in
-collecting certain necessary implements; as he concluded, he
-moved silently by the group of travelers, accompanied by the
-Mohicans, who seemed to comprehend his intentions with
-instinctive readiness, when the whole three disappeared in
-succession, seeming to vanish against the dark face of a
-perpendicular rock that rose to the height of a few yards,
-within as many feet of the water's edge.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 6
-
-"Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide; He wales a
-portion with judicious care; And 'Let us worship God', he
-says, with solemn air."--Burns
-
-Heyward and his female companions witnessed this mysterious
-movement with secret uneasiness; for, though the conduct of
-the white man had hitherto been above reproach, his rude
-equipments, blunt address, and strong antipathies, together
-with the character of his silent associates, were all causes
-for exciting distrust in minds that had been so recently
-alarmed by Indian treachery.
-
-The stranger alone disregarded the passing incidents.  He
-seated himself on a projection of the rocks, whence he gave
-no other signs of consciousness than by the struggles of his
-spirit, as manifested in frequent and heavy sighs.
-Smothered voices were next heard, as though men called to
-each other in the bowels of the earth, when a sudden light
-flashed upon those without, and laid bare the much-prized
-secret of the place.
-
-At the further extremity of a narrow, deep cavern in the
-rock, whose length appeared much extended by the perspective
-and the nature of the light by which it was seen, was seated
-the scout, holding a blazing knot of pine.  The strong glare
-of the fire fell full upon his sturdy, weather-beaten
-countenance and forest attire, lending an air of romantic
-wildness to the aspect of an individual, who, seen by the
-sober light of day, would have exhibited the peculiarities
-of a man remarkable for the strangeness of his dress, the
-iron-like inflexibility of his frame, and the singular
-compound of quick, vigilant sagacity, and of exquisite
-simplicity, that by turns usurped the possession of his
-muscular features.  At a little distance in advance stood
-Uncas, his whole person thrown powerfully into view.  The
-travelers anxiously regarded the upright, flexible figure of
-the young Mohican, graceful and unrestrained in the
-attitudes and movements of nature.  Though his person was
-more than usually screened by a green and fringed hunting-
-shirt, like that of the white man, there was no concealment
-to his dark, glancing, fearless eye, alike terrible and
-calm; the bold outline of his high, haughty features, pure
-in their native red; or to the dignified elevation of his
-receding forehead, together with all the finest proportions
-of a noble head, bared to the generous scalping tuft.  It
-was the first opportunity possessed by Duncan and his
-companions to view the marked lineaments of either of their
-Indian attendants, and each individual of the party felt
-relieved from a burden of doubt, as the proud and
-determined, though wild expression of the features of the
-young warrior forced itself on their notice.  They felt it
-might be a being partially benighted in the vale of
-ignorance, but it could not be one who would willingly
-devote his rich natural gifts to the purposes of wanton
-treachery.  The ingenuous Alice gazed at his free air and
-proud carriage, as she would have looked upon some precious
-relic of the Grecian chisel, to which life had been imparted
-by the intervention of a miracle; while Heyward, though
-accustomed to see the perfection of form which abounds among
-the uncorrupted natives, openly expressed his admiration at
-such an unblemished specimen of the noblest proportions of
-man.
-
-"I could sleep in peace," whispered Alice, in reply, "with
-such a fearless and generous-looking youth for my sentinel.
-Surely, Duncan, those cruel murders, those terrific scenes
-of torture, of which we read and hear so much, are never
-acted in the presence of such as he!"
-
-"This certainly is a rare and brilliant instance of those
-natural qualities in which these peculiar people are said to
-excel," he answered.  "I agree with you, Alice, in thinking
-that such a front and eye were formed rather to intimidate
-than to deceive; but let us not practice a deception upon
-ourselves, by expecting any other exhibition of what we
-esteem virtue than according to the fashion of the savage.
-As bright examples of great qualities are but too uncommon
-among Christians, so are they singular and solitary with the
-Indians; though, for the honor of our common nature, neither
-are incapable of producing them.  Let us then hope that this
-Mohican may not disappoint our wishes, but prove what his
-looks assert him to be, a brave and constant friend."
-
-"Now Major Heyward speaks as Major Heyward should," said
-Cora; "who that looks at this creature of nature, remembers
-the shade of his skin?"
-
-A short and apparently an embarrassed silence succeeded this
-remark, which was interrupted by the scout calling to them,
-aloud, to enter.
-
-"This fire begins to show too bright a flame," he continued,
-as they complied, "and might light the Mingoes to our
-undoing.  Uncas, drop the blanket, and show the knaves its
-dark side.  This is not such a supper as a major of the
-Royal Americans has a right to expect, but I've known stout
-detachments of the corps glad to eat their venison raw, and
-without a relish, too*.  Here, you see, we have plenty of
-salt, and can make a quick broil.  There's fresh sassafras
-boughs for the ladies to sit on, which may not be as proud
-as their my-hog-guinea chairs, but which sends up a sweeter
-flavor, than the skin of any hog can do, be it of Guinea, or
-be it of any other land.  Come, friend, don't be mournful
-for the colt; 'twas an innocent thing, and had not seen much
-hardship.  Its death will save the creature many a sore back
-and weary foot!"
-
-* In vulgar parlance the condiments of a repast are
-called by the American "a relish," substituting the thing
-for its effect.  These provincial terms are frequently put
-in the mouths of the speakers, according to their several
-conditions in life.  Most of them are of local use, and
-others quite peculiar to the particular class of men to
-which the character belongs.  In the present instance, the
-scout uses the word with immediate reference to the "salt,"
-with which his own party was so fortunate as to be provided.
-
-Uncas did as the other had directed, and when the voice of
-Hawkeye ceased, the roar of the cataract sounded like the
-rumbling of distant thunder.
-
-"Are we quite safe in this cavern?" demanded Heyward.  "Is
-there no danger of surprise?  A single armed man, at its
-entrance, would hold us at his mercy."
-
-A spectral-looking figure stalked from out of the darkness
-behind the scout, and seizing a blazing brand, held it
-toward the further extremity of their place of retreat.
-Alice uttered a faint shriek, and even Cora rose to her
-feet, as this appalling object moved into the light; but a
-single word from Heyward calmed them, with the assurance it
-was only their attendant, Chingachgook, who, lifting another
-blanket, discovered that the cavern had two outlets.  Then,
-holding the brand, he crossed a deep, narrow chasm in the
-rocks which ran at right angles with the passage they were
-in, but which, unlike that, was open to the heavens, and
-entered another cave, answering to the description of the
-first, in every essential particular.
-
-"Such old foxes as Chingachgook and myself are not often
-caught in a barrow with one hole," said Hawkeye, laughing;
-"you can easily see the cunning of the place--the rock is
-black limestone, which everybody knows is soft; it makes no
-uncomfortable pillow, where brush and pine wood is scarce;
-well, the fall was once a few yards below us, and I dare to
-say was, in its time, as regular and as handsome a sheet of
-water as any along the Hudson.  But old age is a great
-injury to good looks, as these sweet young ladies have yet
-to l'arn!  The place is sadly changed!  These rocks are full
-of cracks, and in some places they are softer than at
-othersome, and the water has worked out deep hollows for
-itself, until it has fallen back, ay, some hundred feet,
-breaking here and wearing there, until the falls have
-neither shape nor consistency."
-
-"In what part of them are we?" asked Heyward.
-
-"Why, we are nigh the spot that Providence first placed them
-at, but where, it seems, they were too rebellious to stay.
-The rock proved softer on each side of us, and so they left
-the center of the river bare and dry, first working out
-these two little holes for us to hide in."
-
-"We are then on an island!"
-
-"Ay! there are the falls on two sides of us, and the river
-above and below.  If you had daylight, it would be worth the
-trouble to step up on the height of this rock, and look at
-the perversity of the water.  It falls by no rule at all;
-sometimes it leaps, sometimes it tumbles; there it skips;
-here it shoots; in one place 'tis white as snow, and in
-another 'tis green as grass; hereabouts, it pitches into
-deep hollows, that rumble and crush the 'arth; and
-thereaways, it ripples and sings like a brook, fashioning
-whirlpools and gullies in the old stone, as if 'twas no
-harder than trodden clay.  The whole design of the river
-seems disconcerted.  First it runs smoothly, as if meaning
-to go down the descent as things were ordered; then it
-angles about and faces the shores; nor are there places
-wanting where it looks backward, as if unwilling to leave
-the wilderness, to mingle with the salt.  Ay, lady, the fine
-cobweb-looking cloth you wear at your throat is coarse, and
-like a fishnet, to little spots I can show you, where the
-river fabricates all sorts of images, as if having broke
-loose from order, it would try its hand at everything.  And
-yet what does it amount to!  After the water has been
-suffered so to have its will, for a time, like a headstrong
-man, it is gathered together by the hand that made it, and a
-few rods below you may see it all, flowing on steadily
-toward the sea, as was foreordained from the first
-foundation of the 'arth!"
-
-While his auditors received a cheering assurance of the
-security of their place of concealment from this untutored
-description of Glenn's,* they were much inclined to judge
-differently from Hawkeye, of its wild beauties.  But they
-were not in a situation to suffer their thoughts to dwell on
-the charms of natural objects; and, as the scout had not
-found it necessary to cease his culinary labors while he
-spoke, unless to point out, with a broken fork, the
-direction of some particularly obnoxious point in the
-rebellious stream, they now suffered their attention to be
-drawn to the necessary though more vulgar consideration of
-their supper.
-
-* Glenn's Falls are on the Hudson, some forty or fifty
-miles above the head of tide, or that place where the river
-becomes navigable for sloops.  The description of this
-picturesque and remarkable little cataract, as given by the
-scout, is sufficiently correct, though the application of
-the water to uses of civilized life has materially injured
-its beauties.  The rocky island and the two caverns are
-known to every traveler, since the former sustains the pier
-of a bridge, which is now thrown across the river,
-immediately above the fall.  In explanation of the taste of
-Hawkeye, it should be remembered that men always prize that
-most which is least enjoyed.  Thus, in a new country, the
-woods and other objects, which in an old country would be
-maintained at great cost, are got rid of, simply with a view
-of "improving" as it is called.
-
-The repast, which was greatly aided by the addition of a few
-delicacies that Heyward had the precaution to bring with him
-when they left their horses, was exceedingly refreshing to
-the weary party.  Uncas acted as attendant to the females,
-performing all the little offices within his power, with a
-mixture of dignity and anxious grace, that served to amuse
-Heyward, who well knew that it was an utter innovation on
-the Indian customs, which forbid their warriors to descend
-to any menial employment, especially in favor of their
-women.  As the rights of hospitality were, however,
-considered sacred among them, this little departure from the
-dignity of manhood excited no audible comment.  Had there
-been one there sufficiently disengaged to become a close
-observer, he might have fancied that the services of the
-young chief were not entirely impartial.  That while he
-tendered to Alice the gourd of sweet water, and the venison
-in a trencher, neatly carved from the knot of the
-pepperidge, with sufficient courtesy, in performing the same
-offices to her sister, his dark eye lingered on her rich,
-speaking countenance.  Once or twice he was compelled to
-speak, to command her attention of those he served.  In such
-cases he made use of English, broken and imperfect, but
-sufficiently intelligible, and which he rendered so mild and
-musical, by his deep, guttural voice, that it never failed
-to cause both ladies to look up in admiration and
-astonishment.  In the course of these civilities, a few
-sentences were exchanged, that served to establish the
-appearance of an amicable intercourse between the parties.
-
-In the meanwhile, the gravity of Chingcachgook remained
-immovable.  He had seated himself more within the circle of
-light, where the frequent, uneasy glances of his guests were
-better enabled to separate the natural expression of his
-face from the artificial terrors of the war paint.  They
-found a strong resemblance between father and son, with the
-difference that might be expected from age and hardships.
-The fierceness of his countenance now seemed to slumber, and
-in its place was to be seen the quiet, vacant composure
-which distinguishes an Indian warrior, when his faculties
-are not required for any of the greater purposes of his
-existence.  It was, however, easy to be seen, by the
-occasional gleams that shot across his swarthy visage, that
-it was only necessary to arouse his passions, in order to
-give full effect to the terrific device which he had adopted
-to intimidate his enemies.  On the other hand, the quick,
-roving eye of the scout seldom rested.  He ate and drank
-with an appetite that no sense of danger could disturb, but
-his vigilance seemed never to desert him.  Twenty times the
-gourd or the venison was suspended before his lips, while
-his head was turned aside, as though he listened to some
-distant and distrusted sounds--a movement that never
-failed to recall his guests from regarding the novelties of
-their situation, to a recollection of the alarming reasons
-that had driven them to seek it.  As these frequent pauses
-were never followed by any remark, the momentary uneasiness
-they created quickly passed away, and for a time was
-forgotten.
-
-"Come, friend," said Hawkeye, drawing out a keg from beneath
-a cover of leaves, toward the close of the repast, and
-addressing the stranger who sat at his elbow, doing great
-justice to his culinary skill, "try a little spruce; 'twill
-wash away all thoughts of the colt, and quicken the life in
-your bosom.  I drink to our better friendship, hoping that a
-little horse-flesh may leave no heart-burnings atween us.
-How do you name yourself?"
-
-"Gamut--David Gamut," returned the singing master,
-preparing to wash down his sorrows in a powerful draught of
-the woodsman's high-flavored and well-laced compound.
-
-"A very good name, and, I dare say, handed down from honest
-forefathers.  I'm an admirator of names, though the
-Christian fashions fall far below savage customs in this
-particular.  The biggest coward I ever knew as called Lyon;
-and his wife, Patience, would scold you out of hearing in
-less time than a hunted deer would run a rod.  With an
-Indian 'tis a matter of conscience; what he calls himself,
-he generally is--not that Chingachgook, which signifies
-Big Sarpent, is really a snake, big or little; but that he
-understands the windings and turnings of human natur', and
-is silent, and strikes his enemies when they least expect
-him.  What may be your calling?"
-
-"I am an unworthy instructor in the art of psalmody."
-
-"Anan!"
-
-"I teach singing to the youths of the Connecticut levy."
-
-"You might be better employed.  The young hounds go laughing
-and singing too much already through the woods, when they
-ought not to breathe louder than a fox in his cover.  Can
-you use the smoothbore, or handle the rifle?"
-
-"Praised be God, I have never had occasion to meddle with
-murderous implements!"
-
-"Perhaps you understand the compass, and lay down the
-watercourses and mountains of the wilderness on paper, in
-order that they who follow may find places by their given
-names?"
-
-"I practice no such employment."
-
-"You have a pair of legs that might make a long path seem
-short! you journey sometimes, I fancy, with tidings for the
-general."
-
-"Never; I follow no other than my own high vocation, which
-is instruction in sacred music!"
-
-"'Tis a strange calling!" muttered Hawkeye, with an inward
-laugh, "to go through life, like a catbird, mocking all the
-ups and downs that may happen to come out of other men's
-throats.  Well, friend, I suppose it is your gift, and
-mustn't be denied any more than if 'twas shooting, or some
-other better inclination.  Let us hear what you can do in
-that way; 'twill be a friendly manner of saying good-night,
-for 'tis time that these ladies should be getting strength
-for a hard and a long push, in the pride of the morning,
-afore the Maquas are stirring."
-
-"With joyful pleasure do I consent", said David, adjusting
-his iron-rimmed spectacles, and producing his beloved little
-volume, which he immediately tendered to Alice.  "What can
-be more fitting and consolatory, than to offer up evening
-praise, after a day of such exceeding jeopardy!"
-
-Alice smiled; but, regarding Heyward, she blushed and
-hesitated.
-
-"Indulge yourself," he whispered; "ought not the suggestion
-of the worthy namesake of the Psalmist to have its weight at
-such a moment?"
-
-Encouraged by his opinion, Alice did what her pious
-inclinations, and her keen relish for gentle sounds, had
-before so strongly urged.  The book was open at a hymn not
-ill adapted to their situation, and in which the poet, no
-longer goaded by his desire to excel the inspired King of
-Israel, had discovered some chastened and respectable
-powers.  Cora betrayed a disposition to support her sister,
-and the sacred song proceeded, after the indispensable
-preliminaries of the pitchpipe, and the tune had been duly
-attended to by the methodical David.
-
-The air was solemn and slow.  At times it rose to the
-fullest compass of the rich voices of the females, who hung
-over their little book in holy excitement, and again it sank
-so low, that the rushing of the waters ran through their
-melody, like a hollow accompaniment.  The natural taste and
-true ear of David governed and modified the sounds to suit
-the confined cavern, every crevice and cranny of which was
-filled with the thrilling notes of their flexible voices.
-The Indians riveted their eyes on the rocks, and listened
-with an attention that seemed to turn them into stone.  But
-the scout, who had placed his chin in his hand, with an
-expression of cold indifference, gradually suffered his
-rigid features to relax, until, as verse succeeded verse, he
-felt his iron nature subdued, while his recollection was
-carried back to boyhood, when his ears had been accustomed
-to listen to similar sounds of praise, in the settlements of
-the colony.  His roving eyes began to moisten, and before
-the hymn was ended scalding tears rolled out of fountains
-that had long seemed dry, and followed each other down those
-cheeks, that had oftener felt the storms of heaven than any
-testimonials of weakness.  The singers were dwelling on one
-of those low, dying chords, which the ear devours with such
-greedy rapture, as if conscious that it is about to lose
-them, when a cry, that seemed neither human nor earthly,
-rose in the outward air, penetrating not only the recesses
-of the cavern, but to the inmost hearts of all who heard it.
-It was followed by a stillness apparently as deep as if the
-waters had been checked in their furious progress, at such a
-horrid and unusual interruption.
-
-"What is it?" murmured Alice, after a few moments of
-terrible suspense.
-
-"What is it?" repeated Hewyard aloud.
-
-Neither Hawkeye nor the Indians made any reply.  They
-listened, as if expecting the sound would be repeated, with
-a manner that expressed their own astonishment.  At length
-they spoke together, earnestly, in the Delaware language,
-when Uncas, passing by the inner and most concealed
-aperture, cautiously left the cavern.  When he had gone, the
-scout first spoke in English.
-
-"What it is, or what it is not, none here can tell, though
-two of us have ranged the woods for more than thirty years.
-I did believe there was no cry that Indian or beast could
-make, that my ears had not heard; but this has proved that I
-was only a vain and conceited mortal."
-
-"Was it not, then, the shout the warriors make when they
-wish to intimidate their enemies?" asked Cora who stood
-drawing her veil about her person, with a calmness to which
-her agitated sister was a stranger.
-
-"No, no; this was bad, and shocking, and had a sort of
-unhuman sound; but when you once hear the war-whoop, you
-will never mistake it for anything else.  Well, Uncas!"
-speaking in Delaware to the young chief as he re-entered,
-"what see you? do our lights shine through the blankets?"
-
-The answer was short, and apparently decided, being given in
-the same tongue.
-
-"There is nothing to be seen without," continued Hawkeye,
-shaking his head in discontent; "and our hiding-place is
-still in darkness.  Pass into the other cave, you that need
-it, and seek for sleep; we must be afoot long before the
-sun, and make the most of our time to get to Edward, while
-the Mingoes are taking their morning nap."
-
-Cora set the example of compliance, with a steadiness that
-taught the more timid Alice the necessity of obedience.
-Before leaving the place, however, she whispered a request
-to Duncan, that he would follow.  Uncas raised the blanket
-for their passage, and as the sisters turned to thank him
-for this act of attention, they saw the scout seated again
-before the dying embers, with his face resting on his hands,
-in a manner which showed how deeply he brooded on the
-unaccountable interruption which had broken up their evening
-devotions.
-
-Heyward took with him a blazing knot, which threw a dim
-light through the narrow vista of their new apartment.
-Placing it in a favorable position, he joined the females,
-who now found themselves alone with him for the first time
-since they had left the friendly ramparts of Fort Edward.
-
-"Leave us not, Duncan," said Alice: "we cannot sleep in such
-a place as this, with that horrid cry still ringing in our
-ears."
-
-"First let us examine into the security of your fortress,"
-he answered, "and then we will speak of rest."
-
-He approached the further end of the cavern, to an outlet,
-which, like the others, was concealed by blankets; and
-removing the thick screen, breathed the fresh and reviving
-air from the cataract.  One arm of the river flowed through
-a deep, narrow ravine, which its current had worn in the
-soft rock, directly beneath his feet, forming an effectual
-defense, as he believed, against any danger from that
-quarter; the water, a few rods above them, plunging,
-glancing, and sweeping along in its most violent and broken
-manner.
-
-"Nature has made an impenetrable barrier on this side," he
-continued, pointing down the perpendicular declivity into
-the dark current before he dropped the blanket; "and as you
-know that good men and true are on guard in front I see no
-reason why the advice of our honest host should be
-disregarded.  I am certain Cora will join me in saying that
-sleep is necessary to you both."
-
-"Cora may submit to the justice of your opinion though she
-cannot put it in practice," returned the elder sister, who
-had placed herself by the side of Alice, on a couch of
-sassafras; "there would be other causes to chase away sleep,
-though we had been spared the shock of this mysterious
-noise.  Ask yourself, Heyward, can daughters forget the
-anxiety a father must endure, whose children lodge he knows
-not where or how, in such a wilderness, and in the midst of
-so many perils?"
-
-"He is a soldier, and knows how to estimate the chances of
-the woods."
-
-"He is a father, and cannot deny his nature."
-
-"How kind has he ever been to all my follies, how tender and
-indulgent to all my wishes!" sobbed Alice.  "We have been
-selfish, sister, in urging our visit at such hazard."
-
-"I may have been rash in pressing his consent in a moment of
-much embarrassment, but I would have proved to him, that
-however others might neglect him in his strait his children
-at least were faithful."
-
-"When he heard of your arrival at Edward," said Heyward,
-kindly, "there was a powerful struggle in his bosom between
-fear and love; though the latter, heightened, if possible,
-by so long a separation, quickly prevailed.  'It is the
-spirit of my noble-minded Cora that leads them, Duncan', he
-said, 'and I will not balk it.  Would to God, that he who
-holds the honor of our royal master in his guardianship,
-would show but half her firmness!'"
-
-"And did he not speak of me, Heyward?" demanded Alice, with
-jealous affection; "surely, he forgot not altogether his
-little Elsie?"
-
-"That were impossible," returned the young man; "he called
-you by a thousand endearing epithets, that I may not presume
-to use, but to the justice of which, I can warmly testify.
-Once, indeed, he said--"
-
-Duncan ceased speaking; for while his eyes were riveted on
-those of Alice, who had turned toward him with the eagerness
-of filial affection, to catch his words, the same strong,
-horrid cry, as before, filled the air, and rendered him
-mute.  A long, breathless silence succeeded, during which
-each looked at the others in fearful expectation of hearing
-the sound repeated.  At length, the blanket was slowly
-raised, and the scout stood in the aperture with a
-countenance whose firmness evidently began to give way
-before a mystery that seemed to threaten some danger,
-against which all his cunning and experience might prove of
-no avail.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 7
-
-"They do not sleep, On yonder cliffs, a grizzly band, I see
-them sit."  Gray
-
-"'Twould be neglecting a warning that is given for our good
-to lie hid any longer," said Hawkeye "when such sounds are
-raised in the forest.  These gentle ones may keep close, but
-the Mohicans and I will watch upon the rock, where I suppose
-a major of the Sixtieth would wish to keep us company."
-
-"Is, then, our danger so pressing?" asked Cora.
-
-"He who makes strange sounds, and gives them out for man's
-information, alone knows our danger.  I should think myself
-wicked, unto rebellion against His will, was I to burrow
-with such warnings in the air!  Even the weak soul who
-passes his days in singing is stirred by the cry, and, as he
-says, is 'ready to go forth to the battle' If 'twere only a
-battle, it would be a thing understood by us all, and easily
-managed; but I have heard that when such shrieks are atween
-heaven and 'arth, it betokens another sort of warfare!"
-
-"If all our reasons for fear, my friend, are confined to
-such as proceed from supernatural causes, we have but little
-occasion to be alarmed," continued the undisturbed Cora,
-"are you certain that our enemies have not invented some new
-and ingenious method to strike us with terror, that their
-conquest may become more easy?"
-
-"Lady," returned the scout, solemnly, "I have listened to
-all the sounds of the woods for thirty years, as a man will
-listen whose life and death depend on the quickness of his
-ears.  There is no whine of the panther, no whistle of the
-catbird, nor any invention of the devilish Mingoes, that can
-cheat me!  I have heard the forest moan like mortal men in
-their affliction; often, and again, have I listened to the
-wind playing its music in the branches of the girdled trees;
-and I have heard the lightning cracking in the air like the
-snapping of blazing brush as it spitted forth sparks and
-forked flames; but never have I thought that I heard more
-than the pleasure of him who sported with the things of his
-hand.  But neither the Mohicans, nor I, who am a white man
-without a cross, can explain the cry just heard.  We,
-therefore, believe it a sign given for our good."
-
-"It is extraordinary!" said Heyward, taking his pistols from
-the place where he had laid them on entering; "be it a sign
-of peace or a signal of war, it must be looked to.  Lead the
-way, my friend; I follow."
-
-On issuing from their place of confinement, the whole party
-instantly experienced a grateful renovation of spirits, by
-exchanging the pent air of the hiding-place for the cool and
-invigorating atmosphere which played around the whirlpools
-and pitches of the cataract.  A heavy evening breeze swept
-along the surface of the river, and seemed to drive the roar
-of the falls into the recesses of their own cavern, whence
-it issued heavily and constant, like thunder rumbling beyond
-the distant hills.  The moon had risen, and its light was
-already glancing here and there on the waters above them;
-but the extremity of the rock where they stood still lay in
-shadow.  With the exception of the sounds produced by the
-rushing waters, and an occasional breathing of the air, as
-it murmured past them in fitful currents, the scene was as
-still as night and solitude could make it.  In vain were the
-eyes of each individual bent along the opposite shores, in
-quest of some signs of life, that might explain the nature
-of the interruption they had heard.  Their anxious and eager
-looks were baffled by the deceptive light, or rested only on
-naked rocks, and straight and immovable trees.
-
-"Here is nothing to be seen but the gloom and quiet of a
-lovely evening," whispered Duncan; "how much should we prize
-such a scene, and all this breathing solitude, at any other
-moment, Cora!  Fancy yourselves in security, and what now,
-perhaps, increases your terror, may be made conducive to
-enjoyment--"
-
-"Listen!" interrupted Alice.
-
-The caution was unnecessary.  Once more the same sound arose,
-as if from the bed of the river, and having broken out of
-the narrow bounds of the cliffs, was heard undulating
-through the forest, in distant and dying cadences.
-
-"Can any here give a name to such a cry?" demanded Hawkeye,
-when the last echo was lost in the woods; "if so, let him
-speak; for myself, I judge it not to belong to 'arth!"
-
-"Here, then, is one who can undeceive you," said Duncan; "I
-know the sound full well, for often have I heard it on the
-field of battle, and in situations which are frequent in a
-soldier's life.  'Tis the horrid shriek that a horse will
-give in his agony; oftener drawn from him in pain, though
-sometimes in terror.  My charger is either a prey to the
-beasts of the forest, or he sees his danger, without the
-power to avoid it.  The sound might deceive me in the
-cavern, but in the open air I know it too well to be wrong."
-
-The scout and his companions listened to this simple
-explanation with the interest of men who imbibe new ideas,
-at the same time that they get rid of old ones, which had
-proved disagreeable inmates.  The two latter uttered their
-usual expressive exclamation, "hugh!" as the truth first
-glanced upon their minds, while the former, after a short,
-musing pause, took upon himself to reply.
-
-"I cannot deny your words," he said, "for I am little
-skilled in horses, though born where they abound.  The
-wolves must be hovering above their heads on the bank, and
-the timorsome creatures are calling on man for help, in the
-best manner they are able.  Uncas" -- he spoke in Delaware
--- "Uncas, drop down in the canoe, and whirl a brand among
-the pack; or fear may do what the wolves can't get at to
-perform, and leave us without horses in the morning, when we
-shall have so much need to journey swiftly!"
-
-The young native had already descended to the water to
-comply, when a long howl was raised on the edge of the
-river, and was borne swiftly off into the depths of the
-forest, as though the beasts, of their own accord, were
-abandoning their prey in sudden terror.  Uncas, with
-instinctive quickness, receded, and the three foresters held
-another of their low, earnest conferences.
-
-"We have been like hunters who have lost the points of the
-heavens, and from whom the sun has been hid for days," said
-Hawkeye, turning away from his companions; "now we begin
-again to know the signs of our course, and the paths are
-cleared from briers!  Seat yourselves in the shade which the
-moon throws from yonder beech -- 'tis thicker than that of
-the pines -- and let us wait for that which the Lord may
-choose to send next.  Let all your conversation be in
-whispers; though it would be better, and, perhaps, in the
-end, wiser, if each one held discourse with his own
-thoughts, for a time."
-
-The manner of the scout was seriously impressive, though no
-longer distinguished by any signs of unmanly apprehension.
-It was evident that his momentary weakness had vanished with
-the explanation of a mystery which his own experience had
-not served to fathom; and though he now felt all the
-realities of their actual condition, that he was prepared to
-meet them with the energy of his hardy nature.  This feeling
-seemed also common to the natives, who placed themselves in
-positions which commanded a full view of both shores, while
-their own persons were effectually concealed from
-observation.  In such circumstances, common prudence
-dictated that Heyward and his companions should imitate a
-caution that proceeded from so intelligent a source.  The
-young man drew a pile of the sassafras from the cave, and
-placing it in the chasm which separated the two caverns, it
-was occupied by the sisters, who were thus protected by the
-rocks from any missiles, while their anxiety was relieved by
-the assurance that no danger could approach without a
-warning.  Heyward himself was posted at hand, so near that
-he might communicate with his companions without raising his
-voice to a dangerous elevation; while David, in imitation of
-the woodsmen, bestowed his person in such a manner among the
-fissures of the rocks, that his ungainly limbs were no
-longer offensive to the eye.
-
-In this manner hours passed without further interruption.
-The moon reached the zenith, and shed its mild light
-perpendicularly on the lovely sight of the sisters
-slumbering peacefully in each other's arms.  Duncan cast the
-wide shawl of Cora before a spectacle he so much loved to
-contemplate, and then suffered his own head to seek a pillow
-on the rock.  David began to utter sounds that would have
-shocked his delicate organs in more wakeful moments; in
-short, all but Hawkeye and the Mohicans lost every idea of
-consciousness, in uncontrollable drowsiness.  But the
-watchfulness of these vigilant protectors neither tired nor
-slumbered.  Immovable as that rock, of which each appeared
-to form a part, they lay, with their eyes roving, without
-intermission, along the dark margin of trees, that bounded
-the adjacent shores of the narrow stream.  Not a sound
-escaped them; the most subtle examination could not have
-told they breathed.  It was evident that this excess of
-caution proceeded from an experience that no subtlety on the
-part of their enemies could deceive.  It was, however,
-continued without any apparent consequences, until the moon
-had set, and a pale streak above the treetops, at the bend
-of the river a little below, announced the approach of day.
-
-Then, for the first time, Hawkeye was seen to stir.  He
-crawled along the rock and shook Duncan from his heavy
-slumbers.
-
-"Now is the time to journey," he whispered; "awake the
-gentle ones, and be ready to get into the canoe when I bring
-it to the landing-place."
-
-"Have you had a quiet night?" said Heyward; "for myself, I
-believe sleep has got the better of my vigilance."
-
-"All is yet still as midnight.  Be silent, but be quick."
-
-By this time Duncan was thoroughly awake, and he immediately
-lifted the shawl from the sleeping females.  The motion
-caused Cora to raise her hand as if to repulse him, while
-Alice murmured, in her soft, gentle voice, "No, no, dear
-father, we were not deserted; Duncan was with us!"
-
-"Yes, sweet innocence," whispered the youth; "Duncan is
-here, and while life continues or danger remains, he will
-never quit thee.  Cora! Alice! awake!  The hour has come to
-move!"
-
-A loud shriek from the younger of the sisters, and the form
-of the other standing upright before him, in bewildered
-horror, was the unexpected answer he received.
-
-While the words were still on the lips of Heyward, there had
-arisen such a tumult of yells and cries as served to drive
-the swift currents of his own blood back from its bounding
-course into the fountains of his heart.  It seemed, for near
-a minute, as if the demons of hell had possessed themselves
-of the air about them, and were venting their savage humors
-in barbarous sounds.  The cries came from no particular
-direction, though it was evident they filled the woods, and,
-as the appalled listeners easily imagined, the caverns of
-the falls, the rocks, the bed of the river, and the upper
-air.  David raised his tall person in the midst of the
-infernal din, with a hand on either ear, exclaiming:
-
-"Whence comes this discord!  Has hell broke loose, that man
-should utter sounds like these!"
-
-The bright flashes and the quick reports of a dozen rifles,
-from the opposite banks of the stream, followed this
-incautious exposure of his person, and left the unfortunate
-singing master senseless on that rock where he had been so
-long slumbering.  The Mohicans boldly sent back the
-intimidating yell of their enemies, who raised a shout of
-savage triumph at the fall of Gamut.  The flash of rifles
-was then quick and close between them, but either party was
-too well skilled to leave even a limb exposed to the hostile
-aim.  Duncan listened with intense anxiety for the strokes
-of the paddle, believing that flight was now their only
-refuge.  The river glanced by with its ordinary velocity,
-but the canoe was nowhere to be seen on its dark waters.  He
-had just fancied they were cruelly deserted by their scout,
-as a stream of flame issued from the rock beneath them, and
-a fierce yell, blended with a shriek of agony, announced
-that the messenger of death sent from the fatal weapon of
-Hawkeye, had found a victim.  At this slight repulse the
-assailants instantly withdrew, and gradually the place
-became as still as before the sudden tumult.
-
-Duncan seized the favorable moment to spring to the body of
-Gamut, which he bore within the shelter of the narrow chasm
-that protected the sisters.  In another minute the whole
-party was collected in this spot of comparative safety.
-
-"The poor fellow has saved his scalp," said Hawkeye, coolly
-passing his hand over the head of David; "but he is a proof
-that a man may be born with too long a tongue!  'Twas
-downright madness to show six feet of flesh and blood, on a
-naked rock, to the raging savages.  I only wonder he has
-escaped with life."
-
-"Is he not dead?" demanded Cora, in a voice whose husky
-tones showed how powerfully natural horror struggled with
-her assumed firmness.  "Can we do aught to assist the
-wretched man?"
-
-"No, no! the life is in his heart yet, and after he has
-slept awhile he will come to himself, and be a wiser man for
-it, till the hour of his real time shall come," returned
-Hawkeye, casting another oblique glance at the insensible
-body, while he filled his charger with admirable nicety.
-"Carry him in, Uncas, and lay him on the sassafras.  The
-longer his nap lasts the better it will be for him, as I
-doubt whether he can find a proper cover for such a shape on
-these rocks; and singing won't do any good with the
-Iroquois."
-
-"You believe, then, the attack will be renewed?" asked
-Heyward.
-
-"Do I expect a hungry wolf will satisfy his craving with a
-mouthful!  They have lost a man, and 'tis their fashion,
-when they meet a loss, and fail in the surprise, to fall
-back; but we shall have them on again, with new expedients
-to circumvent us, and master our scalps.  Our main hope," he
-continued, raising his rugged countenance, across which a
-shade of anxiety just then passed like a darkening cloud,
-"will be to keep the rock until Munro can send a party to
-our help!  God send it may be soon and under a leader that
-knows the Indian customs!"
-
-"You hear our probable fortunes, Cora," said Duncan, "and
-you know we have everything to hope from the anxiety and
-experience of your father.  Come, then, with Alice, into
-this cavern, where you, at least, will be safe from the
-murderous rifles of our enemies, and where you may bestow a
-care suited to your gentle natures on our unfortunate
-comrade."
-
-The sisters followed him into the outer cave, where David
-was beginning, by his sighs, to give symptoms of returning
-consciousness, and then commending the wounded man to their
-attention, he immediately prepared to leave them.
-
-"Duncan!" said the tremulous voice of Cora, when he had
-reached the mouth of the cavern.  He turned and beheld the
-speaker, whose color had changed to a deadly paleness, and
-whose lips quivered, gazing after him, with an expression of
-interest which immediately recalled him to her side.
-"Remember, Duncan, how necessary your safety is to our own
--- how you bear a father's sacred trust -- how much depends
-on your discretion and care -- in short," she added, while
-the telltale blood stole over her features, crimsoning her
-very temples, "how very deservedly dear you are to all of
-the name of Munro."
-
-"If anything could add to my own base love of life," said
-Heyward, suffering his unconscious eyes to wander to the
-youthful form of the silent Alice, "it would be so kind an
-assurance.  As major of the Sixtieth, our honest host will
-tell you I must take my share of the fray; but our task will
-be easy; it is merely to keep these blood-hounds at bay for
-a few hours."
-
-Without waiting for a reply, he tore himself from the
-presence of the sisters, and joined the scout and his
-companions, who still lay within the protection of the
-little chasm between the two caves.
-
-"I tell you, Uncas," said the former, as Heyward joined
-them, "you are wasteful of your powder, and the kick of the
-rifle disconcerts your aim!  Little powder, light lead, and
-a long arm, seldom fail of bringing the death screech from a
-Mingo!  At least, such has been my experience with the
-creatur's.  Come, friends: let us to our covers, for no man
-can tell when or where a Maqua* will strike his blow."
-
-* Mingo was the Delaware term of the Five Nations.
-Maquas was the name given them by the Dutch.  The French,
-from their first intercourse with them, called them
-Iroquois.
-
-The Indians silently repaired to their appointed stations,
-which were fissures in the rocks, whence they could command
-the approaches to the foot of the falls.  In the center of
-the little island, a few short and stunted pines had found
-root, forming a thicket, into which Hawkeye darted with the
-swiftness of a deer, followed by the active Duncan.  Here
-they secured themselves, as well as circumstances would
-permit, among the shrubs and fragments of stone that were
-scattered about the place.  Above them was a bare, rounded
-rock, on each side of which the water played its gambols,
-and plunged into the abysses beneath, in the manner already
-described.  As the day had now dawned, the opposite shores
-no longer presented a confused outline, but they were able
-to look into the woods, and distinguish objects beneath a
-canopy of gloomy pines.
-
-A long and anxious watch succeeded, but without any further
-evidences of a renewed attack; and Duncan began to hope that
-their fire had proved more fatal than was supposed, and that
-their enemies had been effectually repulsed.  When he
-ventured to utter this impression to his companions, it was
-met by Hawkeye with an incredulous shake of the head.
-
-"You know not the nature of a Maqua, if you think he is so
-easily beaten back without a scalp!" he answered.  "If there
-was one of the imps yelling this morning, there were forty!
-and they know our number and quality too well to give up the
-chase so soon.  Hist! look into the water above, just where
-it breaks over the rocks.  I am no mortal, if the risky
-devils haven't swam down upon the very pitch, and, as bad
-luck would have it, they have hit the head of the island.
-Hist! man, keep close! or the hair will be off your crown in
-the turning of a knife!"
-
-Heyward lifted his head from the cover, and beheld what he
-justly considered a prodigy of rashness and skill.  The
-river had worn away the edge of the soft rock in such a
-manner as to render its first pitch less abrupt and
-perpendicular than is usual at waterfalls.  With no other
-guide than the ripple of the stream where it met the head of
-the island, a party of their insatiable foes had ventured
-into the current, and swam down upon this point, knowing the
-ready access it would give, if successful, to their intended
-victims.
-
-As Hawkeye ceased speaking, four human heads could be seen
-peering above a few logs of drift-wood that had lodged on
-these naked rocks, and which had probably suggested the idea
-of the practicability of the hazardous undertaking.  At the
-next moment, a fifth form was seen floating over the green
-edge of the fall, a little from the line of the island.  The
-savage struggled powerfully to gain the point of safety,
-and, favored by the glancing water, he was already
-stretching forth an arm to meet the grasp of his companions,
-when he shot away again with the shirling current, appeared
-to rise into the air, with uplifted arms and starting
-eyeballs, and fell, with a sudden plunge, into that deep and
-yawning abyss over which he hovered.  A single, wild,
-despairing shriek rose from the cavern, and all was hushed
-again as the grave.
-
-The first generous impulse of Duncan was to rush to the
-rescue of the hapless wretch; but he felt himself bound to
-the spot by the iron grasp of the immovable scout.
-
-"Would ye bring certain death upon us, by telling the
-Mingoes where we lie?" demanded Hawkeye, sternly; "'Tis a
-charge of powder saved, and ammunition is as precious now as
-breath to a worried deer!  Freshen the priming of your
-pistols--the midst of the falls is apt to dampen the
-brimstone--and stand firm for a close struggle, while I
-fire on their rush."
-
-He placed a finger in his mouth, and drew a long, shrill
-whistle, which was answered from the rocks that were guarded
-by the Mohicans.  Duncan caught glimpses of heads above the
-scattered drift-wood, as this signal rose on the air, but
-they disappeared again as suddenly as they had glanced upon
-his sight.  A low, rustling sound next drew his attention
-behind him, and turning his head, he beheld Uncas within a
-few feet, creeping to his side.  Hawkeye spoke to him in
-Delaware, when the young chief took his position with
-singular caution and undisturbed coolness.  To Heyward this
-was a moment of feverish and impatient suspense; though the
-scout saw fit to select it as a fit occasion to read a
-lecture to his more youthful associates on the art of using
-firearms with discretion.
-
-"Of all we'pons," he commenced, "the long barreled,
-true-grooved, soft-metaled rifle is the most dangerous in
-skillful hands, though it wants a strong arm, a quick eye,
-and great judgment in charging, to put forth all its
-beauties.  The gunsmiths can have but little insight into
-their trade when they make their fowling-pieces and short
-horsemen's --"
-
-He was interrupted by the low but expressive "hugh" of
-Uncas.
-
-"I see them, boy, I see them!" continued Hawkeye; "they are
-gathering for the rush, or they would keep their dingy backs
-below the logs.  Well, let them," he added, examining his
-flint; "the leading man certainly comes on to his death,
-though it should be Montcalm himself!"
-
-At that moment the woods were filled with another burst of
-cries, and at the signal four savages sprang from the cover
-of the driftwood.  Heyward felt a burning desire to rush
-forward to meet them, so intense was the delirious anxiety
-of the moment; but he was restrained by the deliberate
-examples of the scout and Uncas.
-
-When their foes, who had leaped over the black rocks that
-divided them, with long bounds, uttering the wildest yells,
-were within a few rods, the rifle of Hawkeye slowly rose
-among the shrubs, and poured out its fatal contents.  The
-foremost Indian bounded like a stricken deer, and fell
-headlong among the clefts of the island.
-
-"Now, Uncas!" cried the scout, drawing his long knife, while
-his quick eyes began to flash with ardor, "take the last of
-the screeching imps; of the other two we are sartain!"
-
-He was obeyed; and but two enemies remained to be overcome.
-Heyward had given one of his pistols to Hawkeye, and
-together they rushed down a little declivity toward their
-foes; they discharged their weapons at the same instant, and
-equally without success.
-
-"I know'd it! and I said it!" muttered the scout, whirling
-the despised little implement over the falls with bitter
-disdain.  "Come on, ye bloody minded hell-hounds! ye meet a
-man without a cross!"
-
-The words were barely uttered, when he encountered a savage
-of gigantic stature, of the fiercest mien.  At the same
-moment, Duncan found himself engaged with the other, in a
-similar contest of hand to hand.  With ready skill, Hawkeye
-and his antagonist each grasped that uplifted arm of the
-other which held the dangerous knife.  For near a minute
-they stood looking one another in the eye, and gradually
-exerting the power of their muscles for the mastery.
-
-At length, the toughened sinews of the white man prevailed
-over the less practiced limbs of the native.  The arm of the
-latter slowly gave way before the increasing force of the
-scout, who, suddenly wresting his armed hand from the grasp
-of the foe, drove the sharp weapon through his naked bosom
-to the heart.  In the meantime, Heyward had been pressed in
-a more deadly struggle.  His slight sword was snapped in the
-first encounter.  As he was destitute of any other means of
-defense, his safety now depended entirely on bodily strength
-and resolution.  Though deficient in neither of these
-qualities, he had met an enemy every way his equal.
-Happily, he soon succeeded in disarming his adversary, whose
-knife fell on the rock at their feet; and from this moment
-it became a fierce struggle who should cast the other over
-the dizzy height into a neighboring cavern of the falls.
-Every successive struggle brought them nearer to the verge,
-where Duncan perceived the final and conquering effort must
-be made.  Each of the combatants threw all his energies into
-that effort, and the result was, that both tottered on the
-brink of the precipice.  Heyward felt the grasp of the other
-at his throat, and saw the grim smile the savage gave, under
-the revengeful hope that he hurried his enemy to a fate
-similar to his own, as he felt his body slowly yielding to a
-resistless power, and the young man experienced the passing
-agony of such a moment in all its horrors.  At that instant
-of extreme danger, a dark hand and glancing knife appeared
-before him; the Indian released his hold, as the blood
-flowed freely from around the severed tendons of the wrist;
-and while Duncan was drawn backward by the saving hand of
-Uncas, his charmed eyes still were riveted on the fierce and
-disappointed countenance of his foe, who fell sullenly and
-disappointed down the irrecoverable precipice.
-
-"To cover! to cover!" cried Hawkeye, who just then had
-despatched the enemy; "to cover, for your lives! the work is
-but half ended!"
-
-The young Mohican gave a shout of triumph, and followed by
-Duncan, he glided up the acclivity they had descended to the
-combat, and sought the friendly shelter of the rocks and
-shrubs.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 8
-
-"They linger yet, Avengers of their native land."--Gray
-
-The warning call of the scout was not uttered without
-occasion.  During the occurrence of the deadly encounter
-just related, the roar of the falls was unbroken by any
-human sound whatever.  It would seem that interest in the
-result had kept the natives on the opposite shores in
-breathless suspense, while the quick evolutions and swift
-changes in the positions of the combatants effectually
-prevented a fire that might prove dangerous alike to friend
-and enemy.  But the moment the struggle was decided, a yell
-arose as fierce and savage as wild and revengeful passions
-could throw into the air.  It was followed by the swift
-flashes of the rifles, which sent their leaden messengers
-across the rock in volleys, as though the assailants would
-pour out their impotent fury on the insensible scene of the
-fatal contest.
-
-A steady, though deliberate return was made from the rifle
-of Chingachgook, who had maintained his post throughout the
-fray with unmoved resolution.  When the triumphant shout of
-Uncas was borne to his ears, the gratified father raised his
-voice in a single responsive cry, after which his busy piece
-alone proved that he still guarded his pass with unwearied
-diligence.  In this manner many minutes flew by with the
-swiftness of thought; the rifles of the assailants speaking,
-at times, in rattling volleys, and at others in occasional,
-scattering shots.  Though the rock, the trees, and the
-shrubs, were cut and torn in a hundred places around the
-besieged, their cover was so close, and so rigidly
-maintained, that, as yet, David had been the only sufferer
-in their little band.
-
-"Let them burn their powder," said the deliberate scout,
-while bullet after bullet whizzed by the place where he
-securely lay; "there will be a fine gathering of lead when
-it is over, and I fancy the imps will tire of the sport
-afore these old stones cry out for mercy!  Uncas, boy, you
-waste the kernels by overcharging; and a kicking rifle never
-carries a true bullet.  I told you to take that loping
-miscreant under the line of white point; now, if your bullet
-went a hair's breadth it went two inches above it.  The life
-lies low in a Mingo, and humanity teaches us to make a quick
-end to the sarpents."
-
-A quiet smile lighted the haughty features of the young
-Mohican, betraying his knowledge of the English language as
-well as of the other's meaning; but he suffered it to pass
-away without vindication of reply.
-
-"I cannot permit you to accuse Uncas of want of judgment or
-of skill," said Duncan; "he saved my life in the coolest and
-readiest manner, and he has made a friend who never will
-require to be reminded of the debt he owes."
-
-Uncas partly raised his body, and offered his hand to the
-grasp of Heyward.  During this act of friendship, the two
-young men exchanged looks of intelligence which caused
-Duncan to forget the character and condition of his wild
-associate.  In the meanwhile, Hawkeye, who looked on this
-burst of youthful feeling with a cool but kind regard made
-the following reply:
-
-"Life is an obligation which friends often owe each other in
-the wilderness.  I dare say I may have served Uncas some
-such turn myself before now; and I very well remember that
-he has stood between me and death five different times;
-three times from the Mingoes, once in crossing Horican, and
---"
-
-"That bullet was better aimed than common!" exclaimed
-Duncan, involuntarily shrinking from a shot which struck the
-rock at his side with a smart rebound.
-
-Hawkeye laid his hand on the shapeless metal, and shook his
-head, as he examined it, saying, "Falling lead is never
-flattened, had it come from the clouds this might have
-happened."
-
-But the rifle of Uncas was deliberately raised toward the
-heavens, directing the eyes of his companions to a point,
-where the mystery was immediately explained.  A ragged oak
-grew on the right bank of the river, nearly opposite to
-their position, which, seeking the freedom of the open
-space, had inclined so far forward that its upper branches
-overhung that arm of the stream which flowed nearest to its
-own shore.  Among the topmost leaves, which scantily
-concealed the gnarled and stunted limbs, a savage was
-nestled, partly concealed by the trunk of the tree, and
-partly exposed, as though looking down upon them to
-ascertain the effect produced by his treacherous aim.
-
-"These devils will scale heaven to circumvent us to our
-ruin," said Hawkeye; "keep him in play, boy, until I can
-bring 'killdeer' to bear, when we will try his metal on each
-side of the tree at once."
-
-Uncas delayed his fire until the scout uttered the word.
-
-The rifles flashed, the leaves and bark of the oak flew into
-the air, and were scattered by the wind, but the Indian
-answered their assault by a taunting laugh, sending down
-upon them another bullet in return, that struck the cap of
-Hawkeye from his head.  Once more the savage yells burst out
-of the woods, and the leaden hail whistled above the heads
-of the besieged, as if to confine them to a place where they
-might become easy victims to the enterprise of the warrior
-who had mounted the tree.
-
-"This must be looked to," said the scout, glancing about him
-with an anxious eye.  "Uncas, call up your father; we have
-need of all our we'pons to bring the cunning varmint from
-his roost."
-
-The signal was instantly given; and, before Hawkeye had
-reloaded his rifle, they were joined by Chingachgook.  When
-his son pointed out to the experienced warrior the situation
-of their dangerous enemy, the usual exclamatory "hugh" burst
-from his lips; after which, no further expression of
-surprise or alarm was suffered to escape him.  Hawkeye and
-the Mohicans conversed earnestly together in Delaware for a
-few moments, when each quietly took his post, in order to
-execute the plan they had speedily devised.
-
-The warrior in the oak had maintained a quick, though
-ineffectual fire, from the moment of his discovery.  But his
-aim was interrupted by the vigilance of his enemies, whose
-rifles instantaneously bore on any part of his person that
-was left exposed.  Still his bullets fell in the center of
-the crouching party.  The clothes of Heyward, which rendered
-him peculiarly conspicuous, were repeatedly cut, and once
-blood was drawn from a slight wound in his arm.
-
-At length, emboldened by the long and patient watchfulness
-of his enemies, the Huron attempted a better and more fatal
-aim.  The quick eyes of the Mohicans caught the dark line of
-his lower limbs incautiously exposed through the thin
-foliage, a few inches from the trunk of the tree.  Their
-rifles made a common report, when, sinking on his wounded
-limb, part of the body of the savage came into view.  Swift
-as thought, Hawkeye seized the advantage, and discharged his
-fatal weapon into the top of the oak.  The leaves were
-unusually agitated; the dangerous rifle fell from its
-commanding elevation, and after a few moments of vain
-struggling, the form of the savage was seen swinging in the
-wind, while he still grasped a ragged and naked branch of
-the tree with hands clenched in desperation.
-
-"Give him, in pity, give him the contents of another rifle,"
-cried Duncan, turning away his eyes in horror from the
-spectacle of a fellow creature in such awful jeopardy.
-
-"Not a karnel!" exclaimed the obdurate Hawkeye; "his death
-is certain, and we have no powder to spare, for Indian
-fights sometimes last for days; 'tis their scalps or ours!
-and God, who made us, has put into our natures the craving
-to keep the skin on the head."
-
-Against this stern and unyielding morality, supported as it
-was by such visible policy, there was no appeal.  From that
-moment the yells in the forest once more ceased, the fire
-was suffered to decline, and all eyes, those of friends as
-well as enemies, became fixed on the hopeless condition of
-the wretch who was dangling between heaven and earth.  The
-body yielded to the currents of air, and though no murmur or
-groan escaped the victim, there were instants when he grimly
-faced his foes, and the anguish of cold despair might be
-traced, through the intervening distance, in possession of
-his swarthy lineaments.  Three several times the scout
-raised his piece in mercy, and as often, prudence getting
-the better of his intention, it was again silently lowered.
-At length one hand of the Huron lost its hold, and dropped
-exhausted to his side.  A desperate and fruitless struggle
-to recover the branch succeeded, and then the savage was
-seen for a fleeting instant, grasping wildly at the empty
-air.  The lightning is not quicker than was the flame from
-the rifle of Hawkeye; the limbs of the victim trembled and
-contracted, the head fell to the bosom, and the body parted
-the foaming waters like lead, when the element closed above
-it, in its ceaseless velocity, and every vestige of the
-unhappy Huron was lost forever.
-
-No shout of triumph succeeded this important advantage, but
-even the Mohicans gazed at each other in silent horror.  A
-single yell burst from the woods, and all was again still.
-Hawkeye, who alone appeared to reason on the occasion, shook
-his head at his own momentary weakness, even uttering his
-self-disapprobation aloud.
-
-"'Twas the last charge in my horn and the last bullet in my
-pouch, and 'twas the act of a boy!" he said; "what mattered
-it whether he struck the rock living or dead! feeling would
-soon be over.  Uncas, lad, go down to the canoe, and bring
-up the big horn; it is all the powder we have left, and we
-shall need it to the last grain, or I am ignorant of the
-Mingo nature."
-
-The young Mohican complied, leaving the scout turning over
-the useless contents of his pouch, and shaking the empty
-horn with renewed discontent.  From this unsatisfactory
-examination, however, he was soon called by a loud and
-piercing exclamation from Uncas, that sounded, even to the
-unpracticed ears of Duncan, as the signal of some new and
-unexpected calamity.  Every thought filled with apprehension
-for the previous treasure he had concealed in the cavern,
-the young man started to his feet, totally regardless of the
-hazard he incurred by such an exposure.  As if actuated by a
-common impulse, his movement was imitated by his companions,
-and, together they rushed down the pass to the friendly
-chasm, with a rapidity that rendered the scattering fire of
-their enemies perfectly harmless.  The unwonted cry had
-brought the sisters, together with the wounded David, from
-their place of refuge; and the whole party, at a single
-glance, was made acquainted with the nature of the disaster
-that had disturbed even the practiced stoicism of their
-youthful Indian protector.
-
-At a short distance from the rock, their little bark was to
-be seen floating across the eddy, toward the swift current
-of the river, in a manner which proved that its course was
-directed by some hidden agent.  The instant this unwelcome
-sight caught the eye of the scout, his rifle was leveled as
-by instinct, but the barrel gave no answer to the bright
-sparks of the flint.
-
-"'Tis too late, 'tis too late!" Hawkeye exclaimed, dropping
-the useless piece in bitter disappointment; "the miscreant
-has struck the rapid; and had we powder, it could hardly
-send the lead swifter than he now goes!"
-
-The adventurous Huron raised his head above the shelter of
-the canoe, and, while it glided swiftly down the stream, he
-waved his hand, and gave forth the shout, which was the
-known signal of success.  His cry was answered by a yell and
-a laugh from the woods, as tauntingly exulting as if fifty
-demons were uttering their blasphemies at the fall of some
-Christian soul.
-
-"Well may you laugh, ye children of the devil!" said the
-scout, seating himself on a projection of the rock, and
-suffering his gun to fall neglected at his feet, "for the
-three quickest and truest rifles in these woods are no
-better than so many stalks of mullein, or the last year's
-horns of a buck!"
-
-"What is to be done?" demanded Duncan, losing the first
-feeling of disappointment in a more manly desire for
-exertion; "what will become of us?"
-
-Hawkeye made no other reply than by passing his finger
-around the crown of his head, in a manner so significant,
-that none who witnessed the action could mistake its
-meaning.
-
-"Surely, surely, our case is not so desperate!" exclaimed
-the youth; "the Hurons are not here; we may make good the
-caverns, we may oppose their landing."
-
-"With what?" coolly demanded the scout.  "The arrows of
-Uncas, or such tears as women shed!  No, no; you are young,
-and rich, and have friends, and at such an age I know it is
-hard to die!  But," glancing his eyes at the Mohicans, "let
-us remember we are men without a cross, and let us teach
-these natives of the forest that white blood can run as
-freely as red, when the appointed hour is come."
-
-Duncan turned quickly in the direction indicated by the
-other's eyes, and read a confirmation of his worst
-apprehensions in the conduct of the Indians.  Chingachgook,
-placing himself in a dignified posture on another fragment
-of the rock, had already laid aside his knife and tomahawk,
-and was in the act of taking the eagle's plume from his
-head, and smoothing the solitary tuft of hair in readiness
-to perform its last and revolting office.  His countenance
-was composed, though thoughtful, while his dark, gleaming
-eyes were gradually losing the fierceness of the combat in
-an expression better suited to the change he expected
-momentarily to undergo.
-
-"Our case is not, cannot be so hopeless!" said Duncan; "even
-at this very moment succor may be at hand.  I see no
-enemies!  They have sickened of a struggle in which they
-risk so much with so little prospect of gain!"
-
-"It may be a minute, or it may be an hour, afore the wily
-sarpents steal upon us, and it is quite in natur' for them
-to be lying within hearing at this very moment," said
-Hawkeye; "but come they will, and in such a fashion as will
-leave us nothing to hope! Chingachgook"--he spoke in
-Delaware--"my brother, we have fought our last battle
-together, and the Maquas will triumph in the death of the
-sage man of the Mohicans, and of the pale face, whose eyes
-can make night as day, and level the clouds to the mists of
-the springs!"
-
-"Let the Mingo women go weep over the slain!" returned the
-Indian, with characteristic pride and unmoved firmness; "the
-Great Snake of the Mohicans has coiled himself in their
-wigwams, and has poisoned their triumph with the wailings of
-children, whose fathers have not returned!  Eleven warriors
-lie hid from the graves of their tribes since the snows have
-melted, and none will tell where to find them when the
-tongue of Chingachgook shall be silent!  Let them draw the
-sharpest knife, and whirl the swiftest tomahawk, for their
-bitterest enemy is in their hands.  Uncas, topmost branch of
-a noble trunk, call on the cowards to hasten, or their
-hearts will soften, and they will change to women!"
-
-"They look among the fishes for their dead!" returned the
-low, soft voice of the youthful chieftain; "the Hurons float
-with the slimy eels!  They drop from the oaks like fruit
-that is ready to be eaten! and the Delawares laugh!"
-
-"Ay, ay," muttered the scout, who had listened to this
-peculiar burst of the natives with deep attention; "they
-have warmed their Indian feelings, and they'll soon provoke
-the Maquas to give them a speedy end.  As for me, who am of
-the whole blood of the whites, it is befitting that I should
-die as becomes my color, with no words of scoffing in my
-mouth, and without bitterness at the heart!"
-
-"Why die at all!" said Cora, advancing from the place where
-natural horror had, until this moment, held her riveted to
-the rock; "the path is open on every side; fly, then, to the
-woods, and call on God for succor.  Go, brave men, we owe
-you too much already; let us no longer involve you in our
-hapless fortunes!"
-
-"You but little know the craft of the Iroquois, lady, if you
-judge they have left the path open to the woods!" returned
-Hawkeye, who, however, immediately added in his simplicity,
-"the down stream current, it is certain, might soon sweep us
-beyond the reach of their rifles or the sound of their
-voices."
-
-"Then try the river.  Why linger to add to the number of the
-victims of our merciless enemies?"
-
-"Why," repeated the scout, looking about him proudly;
-"because it is better for a man to die at peace with himself
-than to live haunted by an evil conscience!  What answer
-could we give Munro, when he asked us where and how we left
-his children?"
-
-"Go to him, and say that you left them with a message to
-hasten to their aid," returned Cora, advancing nigher to the
-scout in her generous ardor; "that the Hurons bear them into
-the northern wilds, but that by vigilance and speed they may
-yet be rescued; and if, after all, it should please heaven
-that his assistance come too late, bear to him," she
-continued, her voice gradually lowering, until it seemed
-nearly choked, "the love, the blessings, the final prayers
-of his daughters, and bid him not mourn their early fate,
-but to look forward with humble confidence to the
-Christian's goal to meet his children."  The hard, weather-
-beaten features of the scout began to work, and when she had
-ended, he dropped his chin to his hand, like a man musing
-profoundly on the nature of the proposal.
-
-"There is reason in her words!" at length broke from his
-compressed and trembling lips; "ay, and they bear the spirit
-of Christianity; what might be right and proper in a red-
-skin, may be sinful in a man who has not even a cross in
-blood to plead for his ignorance.  Chingachgook! Uncas! hear
-you the talk of the dark-eyed woman?"
-
-He now spoke in Delaware to his companions, and his address,
-though calm and deliberate, seemed very decided.  The elder
-Mohican heard with deep gravity, and appeared to ponder on
-his words, as though he felt the importance of their import.
-After a moment of hesitation, he waved his hand in assent,
-and uttered the English word "Good!" with the peculiar
-emphasis of his people.  Then, replacing his knife and
-tomahawk in his girdle, the warrior moved silently to the
-edge of the rock which was most concealed from the banks of
-the river.  Here he paused a moment, pointed significantly
-to the woods below, and saying a few words in his own
-language, as if indicating his intended route, he dropped
-into the water, and sank from before the eyes of the
-witnesses of his movements.
-
-The scout delayed his departure to speak to the generous
-girl, whose breathing became lighter as she saw the success
-of her remonstrance.
-
-"Wisdom is sometimes given to the young, as well as to the
-old," he said; "and what you have spoken is wise, not to
-call it by a better word.  If you are led into the woods,
-that is such of you as may be spared for awhile, break the
-twigs on the bushes as you pass, and make the marks of your
-trail as broad as you can, when, if mortal eyes can see
-them, depend on having a friend who will follow to the ends
-of the 'arth afore he desarts you."
-
-He gave Cora an affectionate shake of the hand, lifted his
-rifle, and after regarding it a moment with melancholy
-solicitude, laid it carefully aside, and descended to the
-place where Chingachgook had just disappeared.  For an
-instant he hung suspended by the rock, and looking about
-him, with a countenance of peculiar care, he added bitterly,
-"Had the powder held out, this disgrace could never have
-befallen!" then, loosening his hold, the water closed above
-his head, and he also became lost to view.
-
-All eyes now were turned on Uncas, who stood leaning against
-the ragged rock, in immovable composure.  After waiting a
-short time, Cora pointed down the river, and said:
-
-"Your friends have not been seen, and are now, most
-probably, in safety.  Is it not time for you to follow?"
-
-"Uncas will stay," the young Mohican calmly answered in
-English.
-
-"To increase the horror of our capture, and to diminish the
-chances of our release!  Go, generous young man," Cora
-continued, lowering her eyes under the gaze of the Mohican,
-and perhaps, with an intuitive consciousness of her power;
-"go to my father, as I have said, and be the most
-confidential of my messengers.  Tell him to trust you with
-the means to buy the freedom of his daughters.  Go! 'tis my
-wish, 'tis my prayer, that you will go!"
-
-The settled, calm look of the young chief changed to an
-expression of gloom, but he no longer hesitated.  With a
-noiseless step he crossed the rock, and dropped into the
-troubled stream.  Hardly a breath was drawn by those he left
-behind, until they caught a glimpse of his head emerging for
-air, far down the current, when he again sank, and was seen
-no more.
-
-These sudden and apparently successful experiments had all
-taken place in a few minutes of that time which had now
-become so precious.  After a last look at Uncas, Cora
-turned and with a quivering lip, addressed herself to
-Heyward:
-
-"I have heard of your boasted skill in the water, too,
-Duncan," she said; "follow, then, the wise example set you
-by these simple and faithful beings."
-
-"Is such the faith that Cora Munro would exact from her
-protector?" said the young man, smiling mournfully, but with
-bitterness.
-
-"This is not a time for idle subtleties and false opinions,"
-she answered; "but a moment when every duty should be
-equally considered.  To us you can be of no further service
-here, but your precious life may be saved for other and
-nearer friends."
-
-He made no reply, though his eye fell wistfully on the
-beautiful form of Alice, who was clinging to his arm with
-the dependency of an infant.
-
-"Consider," continued Cora, after a pause, during which she
-seemed to struggle with a pang even more acute than any that
-her fears had excited, "that the worst to us can be but
-death; a tribute that all must pay at the good time of God's
-appointment."
-
-"There are evils worse than death," said Duncan, speaking
-hoarsely, and as if fretful at her importunity, "but which
-the presence of one who would die in your behalf may avert."
-
-Cora ceased her entreaties; and veiling her face in her
-shawl, drew the nearly insensible Alice after her into the
-deepest recess of the inner cavern.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 9
-
-"Be gay securely; Dispel, my fair, with smiles, the tim'rous
-clouds, That hang on thy clear brow."--Death of Agrippina
-
-The sudden and almost magical change, from the stirring
-incidents of the combat to the stillness that now reigned
-around him, acted on the heated imagination of Heyward like
-some exciting dream.  While all the images and events he had
-witnessed remained deeply impressed on his memory, he felt a
-difficulty in persuading him of their truth.  Still ignorant
-of the fate of those who had trusted to the aid of the swift
-current, he at first listened intently to any signal or
-sounds of alarm, which might announce the good or evil
-fortune of their hazardous undertaking.  His attention was,
-however, bestowed in vain; for with the disappearance of
-Uncas, every sign of the adventurers had been lost, leaving
-him in total uncertainty of their fate.
-
-In a moment of such painful doubt, Duncan did not hesitate
-to look around him, without consulting that protection from
-the rocks which just before had been so necessary to his
-safety.  Every effort, however, to detect the least evidence
-of the approach of their hidden enemies was as fruitless as
-the inquiry after his late companions.  The wooded banks of
-the river seemed again deserted by everything possessing
-animal life.  The uproar which had so lately echoed through
-the vaults of the forest was gone, leaving the rush of the
-waters to swell and sink on the currents of the air, in the
-unmingled sweetness of nature.  A fish-hawk, which, secure
-on the topmost branches of a dead pine, had been a distant
-spectator of the fray, now swooped from his high and ragged
-perch, and soared, in wide sweeps, above his prey; while a
-jay, whose noisy voice had been stilled by the hoarser cries
-of the savages, ventured again to open his discordant
-throat, as though once more in undisturbed possession of his
-wild domains.  Duncan caught from these natural
-accompaniments of the solitary scene a glimmering of hope;
-and he began to rally his faculties to renewed exertions,
-with something like a reviving confidence of success.
-
-"The Hurons are not to be seen," he said, addressing David,
-who had by no means recovered from the effects of the
-stunning blow he had received; "let us conceal ourselves in
-the cavern, and trust the rest to Providence."
-
-"I remember to have united with two comely maidens, in
-lifting up our voices in praise and thanksgiving," returned
-the bewildered singing-master; "since which time I have been
-visited by a heavy judgment for my sins.  I have been mocked
-with the likeness of sleep, while sounds of discord have
-rent my ears, such as might manifest the fullness of time,
-and that nature had forgotten her harmony."
-
-"Poor fellow! thine own period was, in truth, near its
-accomplishment!  But arouse, and come with me; I will lead
-you where all other sounds but those of your own psalmody
-shall be excluded."
-
-"There is melody in the fall of the cataract, and the
-rushing of many waters is sweet to the senses!" said David,
-pressing his hand confusedly on his brow.  "Is not the air
-yet filled with shrieks and cries, as though the departed
-spirits of the damned--"
-
-"Not now, not now," interrupted the impatient Heyward, "they
-have ceased, and they who raised them, I trust in God, they
-are gone, too! everything but the water is still and at
-peace; in, then, where you may create those sounds you love
-so well to hear."
-
-David smiled sadly, though not without a momentary gleam of
-pleasure, at this allusion to his beloved vocation.  He no
-longer hesitated to be led to a spot which promised such
-unalloyed gratification to his wearied senses; and leaning
-on the arm of his companion, he entered the narrow mouth of
-the cave.  Duncan seized a pile of the sassafras, which he
-drew before the passage, studiously concealing every
-appearance of an aperture.  Within this fragile barrier he
-arranged the blankets abandoned by the foresters, darkening
-the inner extremity of the cavern, while its outer received
-a chastened light from the narrow ravine, through which one
-arm of the river rushed to form the junction with its sister
-branch a few rods below.
-
-"I like not the principle of the natives, which teaches them
-to submit without a struggle, in emergencies that appear
-desperate," he said, while busied in this employment; "our
-own maxim, which says, 'while life remains there is hope',
-is more consoling, and better suited to a soldier's
-temperament.  To you, Cora, I will urge no words of idle
-encouragement; your own fortitude and undisturbed reason
-will teach you all that may become your sex; but cannot we
-dry the tears of that trembling weeper on your bosom?"
-
-"I am calmer, Duncan," said Alice, raising herself from the
-arms of her sister, and forcing an appearance of composure
-through her tears; "much calmer, now.  Surely, in this
-hidden spot we are safe, we are secret, free from injury; we
-will hope everything from those generous men who have risked
-so much already in our behalf."
-
-"Now does our gentle Alice speak like a daughter of Munro!"
-said Heyward, pausing to press her hand as he passed toward
-the outer entrance of the cavern.  "With two such examples
-of courage before him, a man would be ashamed to prove other
-than a hero."  He then seated himself in the center of the
-cavern, grasping his remaining pistol with a hand
-convulsively clenched, while his contracted and frowning eye
-announced the sullen desperation of his purpose.  "The
-Hurons, if they come, may not gain our position so easily as
-they think," he slowly muttered; and propping his head back
-against the rock, he seemed to await the result in patience,
-though his gaze was unceasingly bent on the open avenue to
-their place of retreat.
-
-With the last sound of his voice, a deep, a long, and almost
-breathless silence succeeded.  The fresh air of the morning
-had penetrated the recess, and its influence was gradually
-felt on the spirits of its inmates.  As minute after minute
-passed by, leaving them in undisturbed security, the
-insinuating feeling of hope was gradually gaining possession
-of every bosom, though each one felt reluctant to give
-utterance to expectations that the next moment might so
-fearfully destroy.
-
-David alone formed an exception to these varying emotions.
-A gleam of light from the opening crossed his wan
-countenance, and fell upon the pages of the little volume,
-whose leaves he was again occupied in turning, as if
-searching for some song more fitted to their condition than
-any that had yet met their eye.  He was, most probably,
-acting all this time under a confused recollection of the
-promised consolation of Duncan.  At length, it would seem,
-his patient industry found its reward; for, without
-explanation or apology, he pronounced aloud the words "Isle
-of Wight," drew a long, sweet sound from his pitch-pipe, and
-then ran through the preliminary modulations of the air
-whose name he had just mentioned, with the sweeter tones of
-his own musical voice.
-
-"May not this prove dangerous?" asked Cora, glancing her
-dark eye at Major Heyward.
-
-"Poor fellow! his voice is too feeble to be heard above the
-din of the falls," was the answer; "beside, the cavern will
-prove his friend.  Let him indulge his passions since it may
-be done without hazard."
-
-"Isle of Wight!" repeated David, looking about him with that
-dignity with which he had long been wont to silence the
-whispering echoes of his school; "'tis a brave tune, and set
-to solemn words! let it be sung with meet respect!"
-
-After allowing a moment of stillness to enforce his
-discipline, the voice of the singer was heard, in low,
-murmuring syllables, gradually stealing on the ear, until it
-filled the narrow vault with sounds rendered trebly
-thrilling by the feeble and tremulous utterance produced by
-his debility.  The melody, which no weakness could destroy,
-gradually wrought its sweet influence on the senses of those
-who heard it.  It even prevailed over the miserable travesty
-of the song of David which the singer had selected from a
-volume of similar effusions, and caused the sense to be
-forgotten in the insinuating harmony of the sounds.  Alice
-unconsciously dried her tears, and bent her melting eyes on
-the pallid features of Gamut, with an expression of
-chastened delight that she neither affected or wished to
-conceal.  Cora bestowed an approving smile on the pious
-efforts of the namesake of the Jewish prince, and Heyward
-soon turned his steady, stern look from the outlet of the
-cavern, to fasten it, with a milder character, on the face
-of David, or to meet the wandering beams which at moments
-strayed from the humid eyes of Alice.  The open sympathy of
-the listeners stirred the spirit of the votary of music,
-whose voice regained its richness and volume, without losing
-that touching softness which proved its secret charm.
-Exerting his renovated powers to their utmost, he was yet
-filling the arches of the cave with long and full tones,
-when a yell burst into the air without, that instantly
-stilled his pious strains, choking his voice suddenly, as
-though his heart had literally bounded into the passage of
-his throat.
-
-"We are lost!" exclaimed Alice, throwing herself into the
-arms of Cora.
-
-"Not yet, not yet," returned the agitated but undaunted
-Heyward: "the sound came from the center of the island, and
-it has been produced by the sight of their dead companions.
-We are not yet discovered, and there is still hope."
-
-Faint and almost despairing as was the prospect of escape,
-the words of Duncan were not thrown away, for it awakened
-the powers of the sisters in such a manner that they awaited
-the results in silence.  A second yell soon followed the
-first, when a rush of voices was heard pouring down the
-island, from its upper to its lower extremity, until they
-reached the naked rock above the caverns, where, after a
-shout of savage triumph, the air continued full of horrible
-cries and screams, such as man alone can utter, and he only
-when in a state of the fiercest barbarity.
-
-The sounds quickly spread around them in every direction.
-Some called to their fellows from the water's edge, and were
-answered from the heights above.  Cries were heard in the
-startling vicinity of the chasm between the two caves, which
-mingled with hoarser yells that arose out of the abyss of
-the deep ravine.  In short, so rapidly had the savage sounds
-diffused themselves over the barren rock, that it was not
-difficult for the anxious listeners to imagine they could be
-heard beneath, as in truth they were above on every side of
-them.
-
-In the midst of this tumult, a triumphant yell was raised
-within a few yards of the hidden entrance to the cave.
-Heyward abandoned every hope, with the belief it was the
-signal that they were discovered.  Again the impression
-passed away, as he heard the voices collect near the spot
-where the white man had so reluctantly abandoned his rifle.
-Amid the jargon of Indian dialects that he now plainly
-heard, it was easy to distinguish not only words, but
-sentences, in the patois of the Canadas.  A burst of voices
-had shouted simultaneously, "La Longue Carabine!" causing
-the opposite woods to re-echo with a name which, Heyward
-well remembered, had been given by his enemies to a
-celebrated hunter and scout of the English camp, and who, he
-now learned for the first time, had been his late companion.
-
-"La Longue Carabine! La Longue Carabine!" passed from mouth
-to mouth, until the whole band appeared to be collected
-around a trophy which would seem to announce the death of
-its formidable owner.  After a vociferous consultation,
-which was, at times, deafened by bursts of savage joy, they
-again separated, filling the air with the name of a foe,
-whose body, Heywood could collect from their expressions,
-they hoped to find concealed in some crevice of the island.
-
-"Now," he whispered to the trembling sisters, "now is the
-moment of uncertainty! if our place of retreat escape this
-scrutiny, we are still safe!  In every event, we are
-assured, by what has fallen from our enemies, that our
-friends have escaped, and in two short hours we may look for
-succor from Webb."
-
-There were now a few minutes of fearful stillness, during
-which Heyward well knew that the savages conducted their
-search with greater vigilance and method.  More than once he
-could distinguish their footsteps, as they brushed the
-sassafras, causing the faded leaves to rustle, and the
-branches to snap.  At length, the pile yielded a little, a
-corner of a blanket fell, and a faint ray of light gleamed
-into the inner part of the cave.  Cora folded Alice to her
-bosom in agony, and Duncan sprang to his feet.  A shout was
-at that moment heard, as if issuing from the center of the
-rock, announcing that the neighboring cavern had at length
-been entered.  In a minute, the number and loudness of the
-voices indicated that the whole party was collected in and
-around that secret place.
-
-As the inner passages to the two caves were so close to each
-other, Duncan, believing that escape was no longer possible,
-passed David and the sisters, to place himself between the
-latter and the first onset of the terrible meeting.  Grown
-desperate by his situation, he drew nigh the slight barrier
-which separated him only by a few feet from his relentless
-pursuers, and placing his face to the casual opening, he
-even looked out with a sort of desperate indifference, on
-their movements.
-
-Within reach of his arm was the brawny shoulder of a
-gigantic Indian, whose deep and authoritative voice appeared
-to give directions to the proceedings of his fellows.
-Beyond him again, Duncan could look into the vault opposite,
-which was filled with savages, upturning and rifling the
-humble furniture of the scout.  The wound of David had dyed
-the leaves of sassafras with a color that the native well
-knew as anticipating the season.  Over this sign of their
-success, they sent up a howl, like an opening from so many
-hounds who had recovered a lost trail.  After this yell of
-victory, they tore up the fragrant bed of the cavern, and
-bore the branches into the chasm, scattering the boughs, as
-if they suspected them of concealing the person of the man
-they had so long hated and feared.  One fierce and wild-
-looking warrior approached the chief, bearing a load of the
-brush, and pointing exultingly to the deep red stains with
-which it was sprinkled, uttered his joy in Indian yells,
-whose meaning Heyward was only enabled to comprehend by the
-frequent repetition of the name "La Longue Carabine!"  When
-his triumph had ceased, he cast the brush on the slight heap
-Duncan had made before the entrance of the second cavern,
-and closed the view.  His example was followed by others,
-who, as they drew the branches from the cave of the scout,
-threw them into one pile, adding, unconsciously, to the
-security of those they sought.  The very slightness of the
-defense was its chief merit, for no one thought of
-disturbing a mass of brush, which all of them believed, in
-that moment of hurry and confusion, had been accidentally
-raised by the hands of their own party.
-
-As the blankets yielded before the outward pressure, and the
-branches settled in the fissure of the rock by their own
-weight, forming a compact body, Duncan once more breathed
-freely.  With a light step and lighter heart, he returned to
-the center of the cave, and took the place he had left,
-where he could command a view of the opening next the river.
-While he was in the act of making this movement, the
-Indians, as if changing their purpose by a common impulse,
-broke away from the chasm in a body, and were heard rushing
-up the island again, toward the point whence they had
-originally descended.  Here another wailing cry betrayed
-that they were again collected around the bodies of their
-dead comrades.
-
-Duncan now ventured to look at his companions; for, during
-the most critical moments of their danger, he had been
-apprehensive that the anxiety of his countenance might
-communicate some additional alarm to those who were so
-little able to sustain it.
-
-"They are gone, Cora!" he whispered; "Alice, they are
-returned whence they came, and we are saved!  To Heaven,
-that has alone delivered us from the grasp of so merciless
-an enemy, be all the praise!"
-
-"Then to Heaven will I return my thanks!" exclaimed the
-younger sister, rising from the encircling arm of Cora, and
-casting herself with enthusiastic gratitude on the naked rock;
-"to that Heaven who has spared the tears of a gray-headed
-father; has saved the lives of those I so much love."
-
-Both Heyward and the more temperate Cora witnessed the act
-of involuntary emotion with powerful sympathy, the former
-secretly believing that piety had never worn a form so
-lovely as it had now assumed in the youthful person of
-Alice.  Her eyes were radiant with the glow of grateful
-feelings; the flush of her beauty was again seated on her
-cheeks, and her whole soul seemed ready and anxious to pour
-out its thanksgivings through the medium of her eloquent
-features.  But when her lips moved, the words they should
-have uttered appeared frozen by some new and sudden chill.
-Her bloom gave place to the paleness of death; her soft and
-melting eyes grew hard, and seemed contracting with horror;
-while those hands, which she had raised, clasped in each
-other, toward heaven, dropped in horizontal lines before
-her, the fingers pointed forward in convulsed motion.
-Heyward turned the instant she gave a direction to his
-suspicions, and peering just above the ledge which formed
-the threshold of the open outlet of the cavern, he beheld
-the malignant, fierce and savage features of Le Renard
-Subtil.
-
-In that moment of surprise, the self-possession of Heyward
-did not desert him.  He observed by the vacant expression of
-the Indian's countenance, that his eye, accustomed to the
-open air had not yet been able to penetrate the dusky light
-which pervaded the depth of the cavern.  He had even thought
-of retreating beyond a curvature in the natural wall, which
-might still conceal him and his companions, when by the
-sudden gleam of intelligence that shot across the features
-of the savage, he saw it was too late, and that they were
-betrayed.
-
-The look of exultation and brutal triumph which announced
-this terrible truth was irresistibly irritating.  Forgetful
-of everything but the impulses of his hot blood, Duncan
-leveled his pistol and fired.  The report of the weapon made
-the cavern bellow like an eruption from a volcano; and when
-the smoke it vomited had been driven away before the current
-of air which issued from the ravine the place so lately
-occupied by the features of his treacherous guide was
-vacant.  Rushing to the outlet, Heyward caught a glimpse of
-his dark figure stealing around a low and narrow ledge,
-which soon hid him entirely from sight.
-
-Among the savages a frightful stillness succeeded the
-explosion, which had just been heard bursting from the
-bowels of the rock.  But when Le Renard raised his voice in
-a long and intelligible whoop, it was answered by a
-spontaneous yell from the mouth of every Indian within
-hearing of the sound.
-
-The clamorous noises again rushed down the island; and
-before Duncan had time to recover from the shock, his feeble
-barrier of brush was scattered to the winds, the cavern was
-entered at both its extremities, and he and his companions
-were dragged from their shelter and borne into the day,
-where they stood surrounded by the whole band of the
-triumphant Hurons.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 10
-
-"I fear we shall outsleep the coming morn As much as we this
-night have overwatched!"--Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-The instant the shock of this sudden misfortune had abated,
-Duncan began to make his observations on the appearance and
-proceedings of their captors.  Contrary to the usages of the
-natives in the wantonness of their success they had
-respected, not only the persons of the trembling sisters,
-but his own.  The rich ornaments of his military attire had
-indeed been repeatedly handled by different individuals of
-the tribes with eyes expressing a savage longing to possess
-the baubles; but before the customary violence could be
-resorted to, a mandate in the authoritative voice of the
-large warrior, already mentioned, stayed the uplifted hand,
-and convinced Heyward that they were to be reserved for some
-object of particular moment.
-
-While, however, these manifestations of weakness were
-exhibited by the young and vain of the party, the more
-experienced warriors continued their search throughout both
-caverns, with an activity that denoted they were far from
-being satisfied with those fruits of their conquest which
-had already been brought to light.  Unable to discover any
-new victim, these diligent workers of vengeance soon
-approached their male prisoners, pronouncing the name "La
-Longue Carabine," with a fierceness that could not be easily
-mistaken.  Duncan affected not to comprehend the meaning of
-their repeated and violent interrogatories, while his
-companion was spared the effort of a similar deception by
-his ignorance of French.  Wearied at length by their
-importunities, and apprehensive of irritating his captors by
-too stubborn a silence, the former looked about him in quest
-of Magua, who might interpret his answers to questions which
-were at each moment becoming more earnest and threatening.
-
-The conduct of this savage had formed a solitary exception
-to that of all his fellows.  While the others were busily
-occupied in seeking to gratify their childish passion for
-finery, by plundering even the miserable effects of the
-scout, or had been searching with such bloodthirsty
-vengeance in their looks for their absent owner, Le Renard
-had stood at a little distance from the prisoners, with a
-demeanor so quiet and satisfied, as to betray that he had
-already effected the grand purpose of his treachery.  When
-the eyes of Heyward first met those of his recent guide, he
-turned them away in horror at the sinister though calm look
-he encountered.  Conquering his disgust, however, he was
-able, with an averted face, to address his successful enemy.
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is too much of a warrior," said the
-reluctant Heyward, "to refuse telling an unarmed man what
-his conquerors say."
-
-"They ask for the hunter who knows the paths through the
-woods," returned Magua, in his broken English, laying his
-hand, at the same time, with a ferocious smile, on the
-bundle of leaves with which a wound on his own shoulder was
-bandaged.  "'La Longue Carabine'!  His rifle is good, and his
-eye never shut; but, like the short gun of the white chief,
-it is nothing against the life of Le Subtil."
-
-"Le Renard is too brave to remember the hurts received in
-war, or the hands that gave them."
-
-"Was it war, when the tired Indian rested at the sugartree
-to taste his corn! who filled the bushes with creeping
-enemies! who drew the knife, whose tongue was peace, while
-his heart was colored with blood!  Did Magua say that the
-hatchet was out of the ground, and that his hand had dug it
-up?"
-
-As Duncan dared not retort upon his accuser by reminding him
-of his own premeditated treachery, and disdained to
-deprecate his resentment by any words of apology, he
-remained silent.  Magua seemed also content to rest the
-controversy as well as all further communication there, for
-he resumed the leaning attitude against the rock from which,
-in momentary energy, he had arisen.  But the cry of "La
-Longue Carabine" was renewed the instant the impatient
-savages perceived that the short dialogue was ended.
-
-"You hear," said Magua, with stubborn indifference: "the red
-Hurons call for the life of 'The Long Rifle', or they will
-have the blood of him that keep him hid!"
-
-"He is gone -- escaped; he is far beyond their reach."
-
-Renard smiled with cold contempt, as he answered:
-
-"When the white man dies, he thinks he is at peace; but the
-red men know how to torture even the ghosts of their
-enemies.  Where is his body? Let the Hurons see his scalp."
-
-"He is not dead, but escaped."
-
-Magua shook his head incredulously.
-
-"Is he a bird, to spread his wings; or is he a fish, to swim
-without air!  The white chief read in his books, and he
-believes the Hurons are fools!"
-
-"Though no fish, 'The Long Rifle' can swim.  He floated down
-the stream when the powder was all burned, and when the eyes
-of the Hurons were behind a cloud."
-
-"And why did the white chief stay?" demanded the still
-incredulous Indian.  "Is he a stone that goes to the bottom,
-or does the scalp burn his head?"
-
-"That I am not stone, your dead comrade, who fell into the
-falls, might answer, were the life still in him," said the
-provoked young man, using, in his anger, that boastful
-language which was most likely to excite the admiration of
-an Indian.  "The white man thinks none but cowards desert
-their women."
-
-Magua muttered a few words, inaudibly, between his teeth,
-before he continued, aloud:
-
-"Can the Delawares swim, too, as well as crawl in the
-bushes? Where is 'Le Gros Serpent'?"
-
-Duncan, who perceived by the use of these Canadian
-appellations, that his late companions were much better
-known to his enemies than to himself, answered, reluctantly:
-"He also is gone down with the water."
-
-"'Le Cerf Agile' is not here?"
-
-"I know not whom you call 'The Nimble Deer'," said Duncan
-gladly profiting by any excuse to create delay.
-
-"Uncas," returned Magua, pronouncing the Delaware name with
-even greater difficulty than he spoke his English words.
-"'Bounding Elk' is what the white man says, when he calls to
-the young Mohican."
-
-"Here is some confusion in names between us, Le Renard,"
-said Duncan, hoping to provoke a discussion.  "Daim is the
-French for deer, and cerf for stag; elan is the true term,
-when one would speak of an elk."
-
-"Yes," muttered the Indian, in his native tongue; "the pale
-faces are prattling women! they have two words for each
-thing, while a red-skin will make the sound of his voice
-speak to him."  Then, changing his language, he continued,
-adhering to the imperfect nomenclature of his provincial
-instructors.  "The deer is swift, but weak; the elk is
-swift, but strong; and the son of 'Le Serpent' is 'Le Cerf
-Agile.'  Has he leaped the river to the woods?"
-
-"If you mean the younger Delaware, he, too, has gone down
-with the water."
-
-As there was nothing improbable to an Indian in the manner
-of the escape, Magua admitted the truth of what he had
-heard, with a readiness that afforded additional evidence
-how little he would prize such worthless captives.  With his
-companions, however, the feeling was manifestly different.
-
-The Hurons had awaited the result of this short dialogue
-with characteristic patience, and with a silence that
-increased until there was a general stillness in the band.
-When Heyward ceased to speak, they turned their eyes, as one
-man, on Magua, demanding, in this expressive manner, an
-explanation of what had been said.  Their interpreter
-pointed to the river, and made them acquainted with the
-result, as much by the action as by the few words he
-uttered.  When the fact was generally understood, the
-savages raised a frightful yell, which declared the extent
-of their disappointment.  Some ran furiously to the water's
-edge, beating the air with frantic gestures, while others
-spat upon the element, to resent the supposed treason it had
-committed against their acknowledged rights as conquerors.
-A few, and they not the least powerful and terrific of the
-band, threw lowering looks, in which the fiercest passion
-was only tempered by habitual self-command, at those
-captives who still remained in their power, while one or two
-even gave vent to their malignant feelings by the most
-menacing gestures, against which neither the sex nor the
-beauty of the sisters was any protection.  The young soldier
-made a desperate but fruitless effort to spring to the side
-of Alice, when he saw the dark hand of a savage twisted in
-the rich tresses which were flowing in volumes over her
-shoulders, while a knife was passed around the head from
-which they fell, as if to denote the horrid manner in which
-it was about to be robbed of its beautiful ornament.  But
-his hands were bound; and at the first movement he made, he
-felt the grasp of the powerful Indian who directed the band,
-pressing his shoulder like a vise.  Immediately conscious
-how unavailing any struggle against such an overwhelming
-force must prove, he submitted to his fate, encouraging his
-gentle companions by a few low and tender assurances, that
-the natives seldom failed to threaten more than they
-performed.
-
-But while Duncan resorted to these words of consolation to
-quiet the apprehensions of the sisters, he was not so weak
-as to deceive himself.  He well knew that the authority of
-an Indian chief was so little conventional, that it was
-oftener maintained by physical superiority than by any moral
-supremacy he might possess.  The danger was, therefore,
-magnified exactly in proportion to the number of the savage
-spirits by which they were surrounded.  The most positive
-mandate from him who seemed the acknowledged leader, was
-liable to be violated at each moment by any rash hand that
-might choose to sacrifice a victim to the manes of some dead
-friend or relative.  While, therefore, he sustained an
-outward appearance of calmness and fortitude, his heart
-leaped into his throat, whenever any of their fierce captors
-drew nearer than common to the helpless sisters, or fastened
-one of their sullen, wandering looks on those fragile forms
-which were so little able to resist the slightest assault.
-
-His apprehensions were, however, greatly relieved, when he
-saw that the leader had summoned his warriors to himself in
-counsel.  Their deliberations were short, and it would seem,
-by the silence of most of the party, the decision unanimous.
-By the frequency with which the few speakers pointed in the
-direction of the encampment of Webb, it was apparent they
-dreaded the approach of danger from that quarter.  This
-consideration probably hastened their determination, and
-quickened the subsequent movements.
-
-During his short conference, Heyward, finding a respite from
-his gravest fears, had leisure to admire the cautious manner
-in which the Hurons had made their approaches, even after
-hostilities had ceased.
-
-It has already been stated that the upper half of the island
-was a naked rock, and destitute of any other defenses than a
-few scattered logs of driftwood.  They had selected this
-point to make their descent, having borne the canoe through
-the wood around the cataract for that purpose.  Placing
-their arms in the little vessel a dozen men clinging to its
-sides had trusted themselves to the direction of the canoe,
-which was controlled by two of the most skillful warriors,
-in attitudes that enabled them to command a view of the
-dangerous passage.  Favored by this arrangement, they
-touched the head of the island at that point which had
-proved so fatal to their first adventurers, but with the
-advantages of superior numbers, and the possession of
-firearms.  That such had been the manner of their descent
-was rendered quite apparent to Duncan; for they now bore the
-light bark from the upper end of the rock, and placed it in
-the water, near the mouth of the outer cavern.  As soon as
-this change was made, the leader made signs to the prisoners
-to descend and enter.
-
-As resistance was impossible, and remonstrance useless,
-Heyward set the example of submission, by leading the way
-into the canoe, where he was soon seated with the sisters
-and the still wondering David.  Notwithstanding the Hurons
-were necessarily ignorant of the little channels among the
-eddies and rapids of the stream, they knew the common signs
-of such a navigation too well to commit any material
-blunder.  When the pilot chosen for the task of guiding the
-canoe had taken his station, the whole band plunged again
-into the river, the vessel glided down the current, and in a
-few moments the captives found themselves on the south bank
-of the stream, nearly opposite to the point where they had
-struck it the preceding evening.
-
-Here was held another short but earnest consultation, during
-which the horses, to whose panic their owners ascribed their
-heaviest misfortune, were led from the cover of the woods,
-and brought to the sheltered spot.  The band now divided.
-The great chief, so often mentioned, mounting the charger of
-Heyward, led the way directly across the river, followed by
-most of his people, and disappeared in the woods, leaving
-the prisoners in charge of six savages, at whose head was Le
-Renard Subtil.  Duncan witnessed all their movements with
-renewed uneasiness.
-
-He had been fond of believing, from the uncommon forbearance
-of the savages, that he was reserved as a prisoner to be
-delivered to Montcalm.  As the thoughts of those who are in
-misery seldom slumber, and the invention is never more
-lively than when it is stimulated by hope, however feeble
-and remote, he had even imagined that the parental feelings
-of Munro were to be made instrumental in seducing him from
-his duty to the king.  For though the French commander bore
-a high character for courage and enterprise, he was also
-thought to be expert in those political practises which do
-not always respect the nicer obligations of morality, and
-which so generally disgraced the European diplomacy of that
-period.
-
-All those busy and ingenious speculations were now
-annihilated by the conduct of his captors.  That portion of
-the band who had followed the huge warrior took the route
-toward the foot of the Horican, and no other expectation was
-left for himself and companions, than that they were to be
-retained as hopeless captives by their savage conquerors.
-Anxious to know the worst, and willing, in such an
-emergency, to try the potency of gold he overcame his
-reluctance to speak to Magua.  Addressing himself to his
-former guide, who had now assumed the authority and manner
-of one who was to direct the future movements of the party,
-he said, in tones as friendly and confiding as he could
-assume:
-
-"I would speak to Magua, what is fit only for so great a
-chief to hear."
-
-The Indian turned his eyes on the young soldier scornfully,
-as he answered:
-
-"Speak; trees have no ears."
-
-"But the red Hurons are not deaf; and counsel that is fit
-for the great men of a nation would make the young warriors
-drunk.  If Magua will not listen, the officer of the king
-knows how to be silent."
-
-The savage spoke carelessly to his comrades, who were
-busied, after their awkward manner, in preparing the horses
-for the reception of the sisters, and moved a little to one
-side, whither by a cautious gesture he induced Heyward to
-follow.
-
-"Now, speak," he said; "if the words are such as Magua
-should hear."
-
-"Le Renard Subtil has proved himself worthy of the honorable
-name given to him by his Canada fathers," commenced Heyward;
-"I see his wisdom, and all that he has done for us, and
-shall remember it when the hour to reward him arrives.  Yes!
-Renard has proved that he is not only a great chief in
-council, but one who knows how to deceive his enemies!"
-
-"What has Renard done?" coldly demanded the Indian.
-
-"What!  has he not seen that the woods were filled with
-outlying parties of the enemies, and that the serpent could
-not steal through them without being seen? Then, did he not
-lose his path to blind the eyes of the Hurons?  Did he not
-pretend to go back to his tribe, who had treated him ill,
-and driven him from their wigwams like a dog?  And when he
-saw what he wished to do, did we not aid him, by making a
-false face, that the Hurons might think the white man
-believed that his friend was his enemy? Is not all this
-true?  And when Le Subtil had shut the eyes and stopped the
-ears of his nation by his wisdom, did they not forget that
-they had once done him wrong, and forced him to flee to the
-Mohawks? And did they not leave him on the south side of the
-river, with their prisoners, while they have gone foolishly
-on the north? Does not Renard mean to turn like a fox on his
-footsteps, and to carry to the rich and gray-headed
-Scotchman his daughters?  Yes, Magua, I see it all, and I
-have already been thinking how so much wisdom and honesty
-should be repaid.  First, the chief of William Henry will
-give as a great chief should for such a service.  The medal*
-of Magua will no longer be of tin, but of beaten gold; his
-horn will run over with powder; dollars will be as plenty in
-his pouch as pebbles on the shore of Horican; and the deer
-will lick his hand, for they will know it to be vain to fly
-from the rifle he will carry! As for myself, I know not how
-to exceed the gratitude of the Scotchman, but I--yes, I
-will--"
-
-* It has long been a practice with the whites to
-conciliate the important men of the Indians by presenting
-medals, which are worn in the place of their own rude
-ornaments.  Those given by the English generally bear the
-impression of the reigning king, and those given by the
-Americans that of the president.
-
-"What will the young chief, who comes from toward the sun,
-give?" demanded the Huron, observing that Heyward hesitated
-in his desire to end the enumeration of benefits with that
-which might form the climax of an Indian's wishes.
-
-"He will make the fire-water from the islands in the salt
-lake flow before the wigwam of Magua, until the heart of the
-Indian shall be lighter than the feathers of the humming-bird,
-and his breath sweeter than the wild honeysuckle."
-
-Le Renard had listened gravely as Heyward slowly proceeded
-in this subtle speech.  When the young man mentioned the
-artifice he supposed the Indian to have practised on his own
-nation, the countenance of the listener was veiled in an
-expression of cautious gravity.  At the allusion to the
-injury which Duncan affected to believe had driven the Huron
-from his native tribe, a gleam of such ungovernable ferocity
-flashed from the other's eyes, as induced the adventurous
-speaker to believe he had struck the proper chord.  And by
-the time he reached the part where he so artfully blended
-the thirst of vengeance with the desire of gain, he had, at
-least, obtained a command of the deepest attention of the
-savage.  The question put by Le Renard had been calm, and
-with all the dignity of an Indian; but it was quite
-apparent, by the thoughtful expression of the listener's
-countenance, that the answer was most cunningly devised.
-The Huron mused a few moments, and then laying his hand on
-the rude bandages of his wounded shoulder, he said, with
-some energy:
-
-"Do friends make such marks?"
-
-"Would 'La Longue Carbine' cut one so slight on an enemy?"
-
-"Do the Delawares crawl upon those they love like snakes,
-twisting themselves to strike?"
-
-"Would 'Le Gros Serpent' have been heard by the ears of one
-he wished to be deaf?"
-
-"Does the white chief burn his powder in the faces of his
-brothers?"
-
-"Does he ever miss his aim, when seriously bent to kill?"
-returned Duncan, smiling with well acted sincerity.
-
-Another long and deliberate pause succeeded these
-sententious questions and ready replies.  Duncan saw that
-the Indian hesitated.  In order to complete his victory, he
-was in the act of recommencing the enumeration of the
-rewards, when Magua made an expressive gesture and said:
-
-"Enough; Le Renard is a wise chief, and what he does will be
-seen.  Go, and keep the mouth shut.  When Magua speaks, it
-will be the time to answer."
-
-Heyward, perceiving that the eyes of his companion were
-warily fastened on the rest of the band, fell back
-immediately, in order to avoid the appearance of any
-suspicious confederacy with their leader.  Magua approached
-the horses, and affected to be well pleased with the
-diligence and ingenuity of his comrades.  He then signed to
-Heyward to assist the sisters into the saddles, for he
-seldom deigned to use the English tongue, unless urged by
-some motive of more than usual moment.
-
-There was no longer any plausible pretext for delay; and
-Duncan was obliged, however reluctantly, to comply.  As he
-performed this office, he whispered his reviving hopes in
-the ears of the trembling females, who, through dread of
-encountering the savage countenances of their captors,
-seldom raised their eyes from the ground.  The mare of David
-had been taken with the followers of the large chief; in
-consequence, its owner, as well as Duncan, was compelled to
-journey on foot.  The latter did not, however, so much
-regret this circumstance, as it might enable him to retard
-the speed of the party; for he still turned his longing
-looks in the direction of Fort Edward, in the vain
-expectation of catching some sound from that quarter of the
-forest, which might denote the approach of succor.  When all
-were prepared, Magua made the signal to proceed, advancing
-in front to lead the party in person.  Next followed David,
-who was gradually coming to a true sense of his condition,
-as the effects of the wound became less and less apparent.
-The sisters rode in his rear, with Heyward at their side,
-while the Indians flanked the party, and brought up the
-close of the march, with a caution that seemed never to
-tire.
-
-In this manner they proceeded in uninterrupted silence,
-except when Heyward addressed some solitary word of comfort
-to the females, or David gave vent to the moanings of his
-spirit, in piteous exclamations, which he intended should
-express the humility of resignation.  Their direction lay
-toward the south, and in a course nearly opposite to the
-road to William Henry.  Notwithstanding this apparent
-adherence in Magua to the original determination of his
-conquerors, Heyward could not believe his tempting bait was
-so soon forgotten; and he knew the windings of an Indian's
-path too well to suppose that its apparent course led
-directly to its object, when artifice was at all necessary.
-Mile after mile was, however, passed through the boundless
-woods, in this painful manner, without any prospect of a
-termination to their journey.  Heyward watched the sun, as
-he darted his meridian rays through the branches of the
-trees, and pined for the moment when the policy of Magua
-should change their route to one more favorable to his
-hopes.  Sometimes he fancied the wary savage, despairing of
-passing the army of Montcalm in safety, was holding his way
-toward a well-known border settlement, where a distinguished
-officer of the crown, and a favored friend of the Six
-Nations, held his large possessions, as well as his usual
-residence.  To be delivered into the hands of Sir William
-Johnson was far preferable to being led into the wilds of
-Canada; but in order to effect even the former, it would be
-necessary to traverse the forest for many weary leagues,
-each step of which was carrying him further from the scene
-of the war, and, consequently, from the post, not only of
-honor, but of duty.
-
-Cora alone remembered the parting injunctions of the scout,
-and whenever an opportunity offered, she stretched forth her
-arm to bend aside the twigs that met her hands.  But the
-vigilance of the Indians rendered this act of precaution
-both difficult and dangerous.  She was often defeated in her
-purpose, by encountering their watchful eyes, when it became
-necessary to feign an alarm she did not feel, and occupy the
-limb by some gesture of feminine apprehension.  Once, and
-once only, was she completely successful; when she broke
-down the bough of a large sumach, and by a sudden thought,
-let her glove fall at the same instant.  This sign, intended
-for those that might follow, was observed by one of her
-conductors, who restored the glove, broke the remaining
-branches of the bush in such a manner that it appeared to
-proceed from the struggling of some beast in its branches,
-and then laid his hand on his tomahawk, with a look so
-significant, that it put an effectual end to these stolen
-memorials of their passage.
-
-As there were horses, to leave the prints of their
-footsteps, in both bands of the Indians, this interruption
-cut off any probable hopes of assistance being conveyed
-through the means of their trail.
-
-Heyward would have ventured a remonstrance had there been
-anything encouraging in the gloomy reserve of Magua.  But
-the savage, during all this time, seldom turned to look at
-his followers, and never spoke.  With the sun for his only
-guide, or aided by such blind marks as are only known to the
-sagacity of a native, he held his way along the barrens of
-pine, through occasional little fertile vales, across brooks
-and rivulets, and over undulating hills, with the accuracy
-of instinct, and nearly with the directness of a bird.  He
-never seemed to hesitate.  Whether the path was hardly
-distinguishable, whether it disappeared, or whether it lay
-beaten and plain before him, made no sensible difference in
-his speed or certainty. It seemed as if fatigue could not
-affect him.  Whenever the eyes of the wearied travelers rose
-from the decayed leaves over which they trod, his dark form
-was to be seen glancing among the stems of the trees in
-front, his head immovably fastened in a forward position,
-with the light plume on his crest fluttering in a current of
-air, made solely by the swiftness of his own motion.
-
-But all this diligence and speed were not without an object.
-After crossing a low vale, through which a gushing brook
-meandered, he suddenly ascended a hill, so steep and
-difficult of ascent, that the sisters were compelled to
-alight in order to follow.  When the summit was gained, they
-found themselves on a level spot, but thinly covered with
-trees, under one of which Magua had thrown his dark form, as
-if willing and ready to seek that rest which was so much
-needed by the whole party.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 11
-
-"Cursed be my tribe If I forgive him."--Shylock
-
-The Indian had selected for this desirable purpose one of
-those steep, pyramidal hills, which bear a strong
-resemblance to artificial mounds, and which so frequently
-occur in the valleys of America.  The one in question was
-high and precipitous; its top flattened, as usual; but with
-one of its sides more than ordinarily irregular.  It
-possessed no other apparent advantage for a resting place,
-than in its elevation and form, which might render defense
-easy, and surprise nearly impossible.  As Heyward, however,
-no longer expected that rescue which time and distance now
-rendered so improbable, he regarded these little
-peculiarities with an eye devoid of interest, devoting
-himself entirely to the comfort and condolence of his
-feebler companions.  The Narragansetts were suffered to
-browse on the branches of the trees and shrubs that were
-thinly scattered over the summit of the hill, while the
-remains of their provisions were spread under the shade of a
-beech, that stretched its horizontal limbs like a canopy
-above them.
-
-Notwithstanding the swiftness of their flight, one of the
-Indians had found an opportunity to strike a straggling fawn
-with an arrow, and had borne the more preferable fragments
-of the victim, patiently on his shoulders, to the stopping
-place.  Without any aid from the science of cookery, he was
-immediately employed, in common with his fellows, in gorging
-himself with this digestible sustenance.  Magua alone sat
-apart, without participating in the revolting meal, and
-apparently buried in the deepest thought.
-
-This abstinence, so remarkable in an Indian, when he
-possessed the means of satisfying hunger, at length
-attracted the notice of Heyward.  The young man willingly
-believed that the Huron deliberated on the most eligible
-manner of eluding the vigilance of his associates.  With a
-view to assist his plans by any suggestion of his own, and
-to strengthen the temptation, he left the beech, and
-straggled, as if without an object, to the spot where Le
-Renard was seated.
-
-"Has not Magua kept the sun in his face long enough to
-escape all danger from the Canadians?" he asked, as though
-no longer doubtful of the good intelligence established
-between them; "and will not the chief of William Henry be
-better pleased to see his daughters before another night may
-have hardened his heart to their loss, to make him less
-liberal in his reward?"
-
-"Do the pale faces love their children less in the morning
-than at night?" asked the Indian, coldly.
-
-"By no means," returned Heyward, anxious to recall his
-error, if he had made one; "the white man may, and does
-often, forget the burial place of his fathers; he sometimes
-ceases to remember those he should love, and has promised to
-cherish; but the affection of a parent for his child is
-never permitted to die."
-
-"And is the heart of the white-headed chief soft, and will
-he think of the babes that his squaws have given him? He is
-hard on his warriors and his eyes are made of stone?"
-
-"He is severe to the idle and wicked, but to the sober and
-deserving he is a leader, both just and humane.  I have
-known many fond and tender parents, but never have I seen a
-man whose heart was softer toward his child.  You have seen
-the gray-head in front of his warriors, Magua; but I have
-seen his eyes swimming in water, when he spoke of those
-children who are now in your power!"
-
-Heyward paused, for he knew not how to construe the
-remarkable expression that gleamed across the swarthy
-features of the attentive Indian.  At first it seemed as if
-the remembrance of the promised reward grew vivid in his
-mind, while he listened to the sources of parental feeling
-which were to assure its possession; but, as Duncan
-proceeded, the expression of joy became so fiercely
-malignant that it was impossible not to apprehend it
-proceeded from some passion more sinister than avarice.
-
-"Go," said the Huron, suppressing the alarming exhibition in
-an instant, in a death-like calmness of countenance; "go to
-the dark-haired daughter, and say, 'Magua waits to speak'
-The father will remember what the child promises."
-
-Duncan, who interpreted this speech to express a wish for
-some additional pledge that the promised gifts should not be
-withheld, slowly and reluctantly repaired to the place where
-the sisters were now resting from their fatigue, to
-communicate its purport to Cora.
-
-"You understand the nature of an Indian's wishes," he
-concluded, as he led her toward the place where she was
-expected, "and must be prodigal of your offers of powder and
-blankets.  Ardent spirits are, however, the most prized by
-such as he; nor would it be amiss to add some boon from your
-own hand, with that grace you so well know how to practise.
-Remember, Cora, that on your presence of mind and ingenuity,
-even your life, as well as that of Alice, may in some
-measure depend."
-
-"Heyward, and yours!"
-
-"Mine is of little moment; it is already sold to my king,
-and is a prize to be seized by any enemy who may possess the
-power.  I have no father to expect me, and but few friends
-to lament a fate which I have courted with the insatiable
-longings of youth after distinction.  But hush! we approach
-the Indian.  Magua, the lady with whom you wish to speak, is
-here."
-
-The Indian rose slowly from his seat, and stood for near a
-minute silent and motionless.  He then signed with his hand
-for Heyward to retire, saying, coldly:
-
-"When the Huron talks to the women, his tribe shut their
-ears."
-
-Duncan, still lingering, as if refusing to comply, Cora
-said, with a calm smile:
-
-"You hear, Heyward, and delicacy at least should urge you to
-retire.  Go to Alice, and comfort her with our reviving
-prospects."
-
-She waited until he had departed, and then turning to the
-native, with the dignity of her sex in her voice and manner,
-she added: "What would Le Renard say to the daughter of
-Munro?"
-
-"Listen," said the Indian, laying his hand firmly upon her
-arm, as if willing to draw her utmost attention to his
-words; a movement that Cora as firmly but quietly repulsed,
-by extricating the limb from his grasp: "Magua was born a
-chief and a warrior among the red Hurons of the lakes; he
-saw the suns of twenty summers make the snows of twenty
-winters run off in the streams before he saw a pale face;
-and he was happy!  Then his Canada fathers came into the
-woods, and taught him to drink the fire-water, and he became
-a rascal.  The Hurons drove him from the graves of his
-fathers, as they would chase the hunted buffalo.  He ran
-down the shores of the lakes, and followed their outlet to
-the 'city of cannon' There he hunted and fished, till the
-people chased him again through the woods into the arms of
-his enemies.  The chief, who was born a Huron, was at last a
-warrior among the Mohawks!"
-
-"Something like this I had heard before," said Cora,
-observing that he paused to suppress those passions which
-began to burn with too bright a flame, as he recalled the
-recollection of his supposed injuries.
-
-"Was it the fault of Le Renard that his head was not made of
-rock? Who gave him the fire-water? who made him a villain?
-'Twas the pale faces, the people of your own color."
-
-"And am I answerable that thoughtless and unprincipled men
-exist, whose shades of countenance may resemble mine?" Cora
-calmly demanded of the excited savage.
-
-"No; Magua is a man, and not a fool; such as you never open
-their lips to the burning stream: the Great Spirit has given
-you wisdom!"
-
-"What, then, have I do to, or say, in the matter of your
-misfortunes, not to say of your errors?"
-
-"Listen," repeated the Indian, resuming his earnest
-attitude; "when his English and French fathers dug up the
-hatchet, Le Renard struck the war-post of the Mohawks, and
-went out against his own nation.  The pale faces have driven
-the red-skins from their hunting grounds, and now when they
-fight, a white man leads the way.  The old chief at Horican,
-your father, was the great captain of our war-party.  He
-said to the Mohawks do this, and do that, and he was minded.
-He made a law, that if an Indian swallowed the fire-water,
-and came into the cloth wigwams of his warriors, it should
-not be forgotten.  Magua foolishly opened his mouth, and the
-hot liquor led him into the cabin of Munro.  What did the
-gray-head? let his daughter say."
-
-"He forgot not his words, and did justice, by punishing the
-offender," said the undaunted daughter.
-
-"Justice!" repeated the Indian, casting an oblique glance of
-the most ferocious expression at her unyielding countenance;
-"is it justice to make evil and then punish for it? Magua
-was not himself; it was the fire-water that spoke and acted
-for him! but Munro did believe it.  The Huron chief was tied
-up before all the pale-faced warriors, and whipped like a
-dog."
-
-Cora remained silent, for she knew not how to palliate this
-imprudent severity on the part of her father in a manner to
-suit the comprehension of an Indian.
-
-"See!" continued Magua, tearing aside the slight calico that
-very imperfectly concealed his painted breast; "here are
-scars given by knives and bullets--of these a warrior may
-boast before his nation; but the gray-head has left marks on
-the back of the Huron chief that he must hide like a squaw,
-under this painted cloth of the whites."
-
-"I had thought," resumed Cora, "that an Indian warrior was
-patient, and that his spirit felt not and knew not the pain
-his body suffered."
-
-"When the Chippewas tied Magua to the stake, and cut this
-gash," said the other, laying his finger on a deep scar,
-"the Huron laughed in their faces, and told them, Women
-struck so light!  His spirit was then in the clouds!  But
-when he felt the blows of Munro, his spirit lay under the
-birch.  The spirit of a Huron is never drunk; it remembers
-forever!"
-
-"But it may be appeased.  If my father has done you this
-injustice, show him how an Indian can forgive an injury, and
-take back his daughters.  You have heard from Major Heyward
---"
-
-Magua shook his head, forbidding the repetition of offers he
-so much despised.
-
-"What would you have?" continued Cora, after a most painful
-pause, while the conviction forced itself on her mind that
-the too sanguine and generous Duncan had been cruelly
-deceived by the cunning of the savage.
-
-"What a Huron loves -- good for good; bad for bad!"
-
-"You would, then, revenge the injury inflicted by Munro on
-his helpless daughters.  Would it not be more like a man to
-go before his face, and take the satisfaction of a warrior?"
-
-"The arms of the pale faces are long, and their knives
-sharp!" returned the savage, with a malignant laugh: "why
-should Le Renard go among the muskets of his warriors, when
-he holds the spirit of the gray-head in his hand?"
-
-"Name your intention, Magua," said Cora, struggling with
-herself to speak with steady calmness.  "Is it to lead us
-prisoners to the woods, or do you contemplate even some
-greater evil? Is there no reward, no means of palliating the
-injury, and of softening your heart? At least, release my
-gentle sister, and pour out all your malice on me.  Purchase
-wealth by her safety and satisfy your revenge with a single
-victim.  The loss of both his daughters might bring the aged
-man to his grave, and where would then be the satisfaction
-of Le Renard?"
-
-"Listen," said the Indian again.  "The light eyes can go
-back to the Horican, and tell the old chief what has been
-done, if the dark-haired woman will swear by the Great
-Spirit of her fathers to tell no lie."
-
-"What must I promise?" demanded Cora, still maintaining a
-secret ascendancy over the fierce native by the collected
-and feminine dignity of her presence.
-
-"When Magua left his people his wife was given to another
-chief; he has now made friends with the Hurons, and will go
-back to the graves of his tribe, on the shores of the great
-lake.  Let the daughter of the English chief follow, and
-live in his wigwam forever."
-
-However revolting a proposal of such a character might prove
-to Cora, she retained, notwithstanding her powerful disgust,
-sufficient self-command to reply, without betraying the
-weakness.
-
-"And what pleasure would Magua find in sharing his cabin
-with a wife he did not love; one who would be of a nation
-and color different from his own? It would be better to take
-the gold of Munro, and buy the heart of some Huron maid with
-his gifts."
-
-The Indian made no reply for near a minute, but bent his
-fierce looks on the countenance of Cora, in such wavering
-glances, that her eyes sank with shame, under an impression
-that for the first time they had encountered an expression
-that no chaste female might endure.  While she was shrinking
-within herself, in dread of having her ears wounded by some
-proposal still more shocking than the last, the voice of
-Magua answered, in its tones of deepest malignancy:
-
-"When the blows scorched the back of the Huron, he would
-know where to find a woman to feel the smart.  The daughter
-of Munro would draw his water, hoe his corn, and cook his
-venison.  The body of the gray-head would sleep among his
-cannon, but his heart would lie within reach of the knife of
-Le Subtil."
-
-"Monster! well dost thou deserve thy treacherous name,"
-cried Cora, in an ungovernable burst of filial indignation.
-"None but a fiend could meditate such a vengeance.  But thou
-overratest thy power!  You shall find it is, in truth, the
-heart of Munro you hold, and that it will defy your utmost
-malice!"
-
-The Indian answered this bold defiance by a ghastly smile,
-that showed an unaltered purpose, while he motioned her
-away, as if to close the conference forever.  Cora, already
-regretting her precipitation, was obliged to comply, for
-Magua instantly left the spot, and approached his gluttonous
-comrades.  Heyward flew to the side of the agitated female,
-and demanded the result of a dialogue that he had watched at
-a distance with so much interest.  But, unwilling to alarm
-the fears of Alice, she evaded a direct reply, betraying
-only by her anxious looks fastened on the slightest
-movements of her captors.  To the reiterated and earnest
-questions of her sister concerning their probable
-destination, she made no other answer than by pointing
-toward the dark group, with an agitation she could not
-control, and murmuring as she folded Alice to her bosom.
-
-"There, there; read our fortunes in their faces; we shall
-see; we shall see!"
-
-The action, and the choked utterance of Cora, spoke more
-impressively than any words, and quickly drew the attention
-of her companions on that spot where her own was riveted
-with an intenseness that nothing but the importance of the
-stake could create.
-
-When Magua reached the cluster of lolling savages, who,
-gorged with their disgusting meal, lay stretched on the
-earth in brutal indulgence, he commenced speaking with the
-dignity of an Indian chief.  The first syllables he uttered
-had the effect to cause his listeners to raise themselves in
-attitudes of respectful attention.  As the Huron used his
-native language, the prisoners, notwithstanding the caution
-of the natives had kept them within the swing of their
-tomahawks, could only conjecture the substance of his
-harangue from the nature of those significant gestures with
-which an Indian always illustrates his eloquence.
-
-At first, the language, as well as the action of Magua,
-appeared calm and deliberative.  When he had succeeded in
-sufficiently awakening the attention of his comrades,
-Heyward fancied, by his pointing so frequently toward the
-direction of the great lakes, that he spoke of the land of
-their fathers, and of their distant tribe.  Frequent
-indications of applause escaped the listeners, who, as they
-uttered the expressive "Hugh!" looked at each other in
-commendation of the speaker.  Le Renard was too skillful to
-neglect his advantage.  He now spoke of the long and painful
-route by which they had left those spacious grounds and
-happy villages, to come and battle against the enemies of
-their Canadian fathers.  He enumerated the warriors of the
-party; their several merits; their frequent services to the
-nation; their wounds, and the number of the scalps they had
-taken.  Whenever he alluded to any present (and the subtle
-Indian neglected none), the dark countenance of the
-flattered individual gleamed with exultation, nor did he
-even hesitate to assert the truth of the words, by gestures
-of applause and confirmation.  Then the voice of the speaker
-fell, and lost the loud, animated tones of triumph with
-which he had enumerated their deeds of success and victory.
-He described the cataract of Glenn's; the impregnable
-position of its rocky island, with its caverns and its
-numerous rapids and whirlpools; he named the name of "La
-Longue Carabine," and paused until the forest beneath them
-had sent up the last echo of a loud and long yell, with
-which the hated appellation was received.  He pointed toward
-the youthful military captive, and described the death of a
-favorite warrior, who had been precipitated into the deep
-ravine by his hand.  He not only mentioned the fate of him
-who, hanging between heaven and earth, had presented such a
-spectacle of horror to the whole band, but he acted anew the
-terrors of his situation, his resolution and his death, on
-the branches of a sapling; and, finally, he rapidly
-recounted the manner in which each of their friends had
-fallen, never failing to touch upon their courage, and their
-most acknowledged virtues.  When this recital of events was
-ended, his voice once more changed, and became plaintive and
-even musical, in its low guttural sounds.  He now spoke of
-the wives and children of the slain; their destitution;
-their misery, both physical and moral; their distance; and,
-at last, of their unavenged wrongs.  Then suddenly lifting
-his voice to a pitch of terrific energy, he concluded by
-demanding:
-
-"Are the Hurons dogs to bear this? Who shall say to the wife
-of Menowgua that the fishes have his scalp, and that his
-nation have not taken revenge!  Who will dare meet the
-mother of Wassawattimie, that scornful woman, with his hands
-clean!  What shall be said to the old men when they ask us
-for scalps, and we have not a hair from a white head to give
-them!  The women will point their fingers at us.  There is a
-dark spot on the names of the Hurons, and it must be hid in
-blood!"  His voice was no longer audible in the burst of
-rage which now broke into the air, as if the wood, instead
-of containing so small a band, was filled with the nation.
-During the foregoing address the progress of the speaker was
-too plainly read by those most interested in his success
-through the medium of the countenances of the men he
-addressed.  They had answered his melancholy and mourning by
-sympathy and sorrow; his assertions, by gestures of
-confirmation; and his boasting, with the exultation of
-savages.  When he spoke of courage, their looks were firm
-and responsive; when he alluded to their injuries, their
-eyes kindled with fury; when he mentioned the taunts of the
-women, they dropped their heads in shame; but when he
-pointed out their means of vengeance, he struck a chord
-which never failed to thrill in the breast of an Indian.
-With the first intimation that it was within their reach,
-the whole band sprang upon their feet as one man; giving
-utterance to their rage in the most frantic cries, they
-rushed upon their prisoners in a body with drawn knives and
-uplifted tomahawks.  Heyward threw himself between the
-sisters and the foremost, whom he grappled with a desperate
-strength that for a moment checked his violence.  This
-unexpected resistance gave Magua time to interpose, and with
-rapid enunciation and animated gesture, he drew the
-attention of the band again to himself.  In that language he
-knew so well how to assume, he diverted his comrades from
-their instant purpose, and invited them to prolong the
-misery of their victims.  His proposal was received with
-acclamations, and executed with the swiftness of thought.
-
-Two powerful warriors cast themselves on Heyward, while
-another was occupied in securing the less active singing-master.
-Neither of the captives, however, submitted without a
-desperate, though fruitless, struggle.  Even David hurled
-his assailant to the earth; nor was Heyward secured until
-the victory over his companion enabled the Indians to direct
-their united force to that object.  He was then bound and
-fastened to the body of the sapling, on whose branches Magua
-had acted the pantomime of the falling Huron.  When the
-young soldier regained his recollection, he had the painful
-certainty before his eyes that a common fate was intended
-for the whole party.  On his right was Cora in a durance
-similar to his own, pale and agitated, but with an eye whose
-steady look still read the proceedings of their enemies.  On
-his left, the withes which bound her to a pine, performed
-that office for Alice which her trembling limbs refused, and
-alone kept her fragile form from sinking.  Her hands were
-clasped before her in prayer, but instead of looking upward
-toward that power which alone could rescue them, her
-unconscious looks wandered to the countenance of Duncan with
-infantile dependency.  David had contended, and the novelty
-of the circumstance held him silent, in deliberation on the
-propriety of the unusual occurrence.
-
-The vengeance of the Hurons had now taken a new direction,
-and they prepared to execute it with that barbarous
-ingenuity with which they were familiarized by the practise
-of centuries.  Some sought knots, to raise the blazing pile;
-one was riving the splinters of pine, in order to pierce the
-flesh of their captives with the burning fragments; and
-others bent the tops of two saplings to the earth, in order
-to suspend Heyward by the arms between the recoiling
-branches.  But the vengeance of Magua sought a deeper and
-more malignant enjoyment.
-
-While the less refined monsters of the band prepared, before
-the eyes of those who were to suffer, these well-known and
-vulgar means of torture, he approached Cora, and pointed
-out, with the most malign expression of countenance, the
-speedy fate that awaited her:
-
-"Ha!" he added, "what says the daughter of Munro?  Her head
-is too good to find a pillow in the wigwam of Le Renard;
-will she like it better when it rolls about this hill a
-plaything for the wolves? Her bosom cannot nurse the
-children of a Huron; she will see it spit upon by Indians!"
-
-"What means the monster!" demanded the astonished Heyward.
-
-"Nothing!" was the firm reply.  "He is a savage, a barbarous
-and ignorant savage, and knows not what he does.  Let us
-find leisure, with our dying breath, to ask for him
-penitence and pardon."
-
-"Pardon!" echoed the fierce Huron, mistaking in his anger,
-the meaning of her words; "the memory of an Indian is no
-longer than the arm of the pale faces; his mercy shorter
-than their justice!  Say; shall I send the yellow hair to
-her father, and will you follow Magua to the great lakes, to
-carry his water, and feed him with corn?"
-
-Cora beckoned him away, with an emotion of disgust she could
-not control.
-
-"Leave me," she said, with a solemnity that for a moment
-checked the barbarity of the Indian; "you mingle bitterness
-in my prayers; you stand between me and my God!"
-
-The slight impression produced on the savage was, however,
-soon forgotten, and he continued pointing, with taunting
-irony, toward Alice.
-
-"Look! the child weeps!  She is too young to die!  Send her
-to Munro, to comb his gray hairs, and keep life in the heart
-of the old man."
-
-Cora could not resist the desire to look upon her youthful
-sister, in whose eyes she met an imploring glance, that
-betrayed the longings of nature.
-
-"What says he, dearest Cora?" asked the trembling voice of
-Alice.  "Did he speak of sending me to our father?"
-
-For many moments the elder sister looked upon the younger,
-with a countenance that wavered with powerful and contending
-emotions.  At length she spoke, though her tones had lost
-their rich and calm fullness, in an expression of tenderness
-that seemed maternal.
-
-"Alice," she said, "the Huron offers us both life, nay, more
-than both; he offers to restore Duncan, our invaluable
-Duncan, as well as you, to our friends -- to our father --
-to our heart-stricken, childless father, if I will bow down
-this rebellious, stubborn pride of mine, and consent --"
-
-Her voice became choked, and clasping her hands, she looked
-upward, as if seeking, in her agony, intelligence from a
-wisdom that was infinite.
-
-"Say on," cried Alice; "to what, dearest Cora? Oh! that the
-proffer were made to me! to save you, to cheer our aged
-father, to restore Duncan, how cheerfully could I die!"
-
-"Die!" repeated Cora, with a calmer and firmer voice, "that
-were easy! Perhaps the alternative may not be less so.  He
-would have me," she continued, her accents sinking under a
-deep consciousness of the degradation of the proposal,
-"follow him to the wilderness; go to the habitations of the
-Hurons; to remain there; in short, to become his wife!
-Speak, then, Alice; child of my affections! sister of my
-love!  And you, too, Major Heyward, aid my weak reason with
-your counsel.  Is life to be purchased by such a sacrifice?
-Will you, Alice, receive it at my hands at such a price?
-And you, Duncan, guide me; control me between you; for I am
-wholly yours!"
-
-"Would I!" echoed the indignant and astonished youth.
-"Cora! Cora! you jest with our misery!  Name not the horrid
-alternative again; the thought itself is worse than a
-thousand deaths."
-
-"That such would be your answer, I well knew!" exclaimed
-Cora, her cheeks flushing, and her dark eyes once more
-sparkling with the lingering emotions of a woman.  "What
-says my Alice? for her will I submit without another
-murmur."
-
-Although both Heyward and Cora listened with painful
-suspense and the deepest attention, no sounds were heard in
-reply.  It appeared as if the delicate and sensitive form of
-Alice would shrink into itself, as she listened to this
-proposal.  Her arms had fallen lengthwise before her, the
-fingers moving in slight convulsions; her head dropped upon
-her bosom, and her whole person seemed suspended against the
-tree, looking like some beautiful emblem of the wounded
-delicacy of her sex, devoid of animation and yet keenly
-conscious.  In a few moments, however, her head began to
-move slowly, in a sign of deep, unconquerable
-disapprobation.
-
-"No, no, no; better that we die as we have lived, together!"
-
-"Then die!" shouted Magua, hurling his tomahawk with
-violence at the unresisting speaker, and gnashing his teeth
-with a rage that could no longer be bridled at this sudden
-exhibition of firmness in the one he believed the weakest of
-the party.  The axe cleaved the air in front of Heyward, and
-cutting some of the flowing ringlets of Alice, quivered in
-the tree above her head.  The sight maddened Duncan to
-desperation.  Collecting all his energies in one effort he
-snapped the twigs which bound him and rushed upon another
-savage, who was preparing, with loud yells and a more
-deliberate aim, to repeat the blow.  They encountered,
-grappled, and fell to the earth together.  The naked body of
-his antagonist afforded Heyward no means of holding his
-adversary, who glided from his grasp, and rose again with
-one knee on his chest, pressing him down with the weight of
-a giant.  Duncan already saw the knife gleaming in the air,
-when a whistling sound swept past him, and was rather
-accompanied than followed by the sharp crack of a rifle.  He
-felt his breast relieved from the load it had endured; he
-saw the savage expression of his adversary's countenance
-change to a look of vacant wildness, when the Indian fell
-dead on the faded leaves by his side.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 12
-
-"Clo.--I am gone, sire, And anon, sire, I'll be with you
-again."--Twelfth Night
-
-The Hurons stood aghast at this sudden visitation of death
-on one of their band.  But as they regarded the fatal
-accuracy of an aim which had dared to immolate an enemy at
-so much hazard to a friend, the name of "La Longue Carabine"
-burst simultaneously from every lip, and was succeeded by a
-wild and a sort of plaintive howl.  The cry was answered by
-a loud shout from a little thicket, where the incautious
-party had piled their arms; and at the next moment, Hawkeye,
-too eager to load the rifle he had regained, was seen
-advancing upon them, brandishing the clubbed weapon, and
-cutting the air with wide and powerful sweeps.  Bold and
-rapid as was the progress of the scout, it was exceeded by
-that of a light and vigorous form which, bounding past him,
-leaped, with incredible activity and daring, into the very
-center of the Hurons, where it stood, whirling a tomahawk,
-and flourishing a glittering knife, with fearful menaces, in
-front of Cora.  Quicker than the thoughts could follow those
-unexpected and audacious movements, an image, armed in the
-emblematic panoply of death, glided before their eyes, and
-assumed a threatening attitude at the other's side.  The
-savage tormentors recoiled before these warlike intruders,
-and uttered, as they appeared in such quick succession, the
-often repeated and peculiar exclamations of surprise,
-followed by the well-known and dreaded appellations of:
-
-"Le Cerf Agile!  Le Gros Serpent!"
-
-But the wary and vigilant leader of the Hurons was not so
-easily disconcerted.  Casting his keen eyes around the
-little plain, he comprehended the nature of the assault at a
-glance, and encouraging his followers by his voice as well
-as by his example, he unsheathed his long and dangerous
-knife, and rushed with a loud whoop upon the expected
-Chingachgook.  It was the signal for a general combat.
-Neither party had firearms, and the contest was to be
-decided in the deadliest manner, hand to hand, with weapons
-of offense, and none of defense.
-
-Uncas answered the whoop, and leaping on an enemy, with a
-single, well-directed blow of his tomahawk, cleft him to the
-brain.  Heyward tore the weapon of Magua from the sapling,
-and rushed eagerly toward the fray.  As the combatants were
-now equal in number, each singled an opponent from the
-adverse band.  The rush and blows passed with the fury of a
-whirlwind, and the swiftness of lightning.  Hawkeye soon got
-another enemy within reach of his arm, and with one sweep of
-his formidable weapon he beat down the slight and
-inartificial defenses of his antagonist, crushing him to the
-earth with the blow.  Heyward ventured to hurl the tomahawk
-he had seized, too ardent to await the moment of closing.
-It struck the Indian he had selected on the forehead, and
-checked for an instant his onward rush.  Encouraged by this
-slight advantage, the impetuous young man continued his
-onset, and sprang upon his enemy with naked hands.  A single
-instant was enough to assure him of the rashness of the
-measure, for he immediately found himself fully engaged,
-with all his activity and courage, in endeavoring to ward
-the desperate thrusts made with the knife of the Huron.
-Unable longer to foil an enemy so alert and vigilant, he
-threw his arms about him, and succeeded in pinning the limbs
-of the other to his side, with an iron grasp, but one that
-was far too exhausting to himself to continue long.  In this
-extremity he heard a voice near him, shouting:
-
-"Extarminate the varlets! no quarter to an accursed Mingo!"
-
-At the next moment, the breech of Hawkeye's rifle fell on
-the naked head of his adversary, whose muscles appeared to
-wither under the shock, as he sank from the arms of Duncan,
-flexible and motionless.
-
-When Uncas had brained his first antagonist, he turned, like
-a hungry lion, to seek another.  The fifth and only Huron
-disengaged at the first onset had paused a moment, and then
-seeing that all around him were employed in the deadly
-strife, he had sought, with hellish vengeance, to complete
-the baffled work of revenge.  Raising a shout of triumph, he
-sprang toward the defenseless Cora, sending his keen axe as
-the dreadful precursor of his approach.  The tomahawk grazed
-her shoulder, and cutting the withes which bound her to the
-tree, left the maiden at liberty to fly.  She eluded the
-grasp of the savage, and reckless of her own safety, threw
-herself on the bosom of Alice, striving with convulsed and
-ill-directed fingers, to tear asunder the twigs which
-confined the person of her sister.  Any other than a monster
-would have relented at such an act of generous devotion to
-the best and purest affection; but the breast of the Huron
-was a stranger to sympathy.  Seizing Cora by the rich
-tresses which fell in confusion about her form, he tore her
-from her frantic hold, and bowed her down with brutal
-violence to her knees.  The savage drew the flowing curls
-through his hand, and raising them on high with an
-outstretched arm, he passed the knife around the exquisitely
-molded head of his victim, with a taunting and exulting
-laugh.  But he purchased this moment of fierce gratification
-with the loss of the fatal opportunity.  It was just then
-the sight caught the eye of Uncas.  Bounding from his
-footsteps he appeared for an instant darting through the air
-and descending in a ball he fell on the chest of his enemy,
-driving him many yards from the spot, headlong and
-prostrate.  The violence of the exertion cast the young
-Mohican at his side.  They arose together, fought, and bled,
-each in his turn.  But the conflict was soon decided; the
-tomahawk of Heyward and the rifle of Hawkeye descended on
-the skull of the Huron, at the same moment that the knife of
-Uncas reached his heart.
-
-The battle was now entirely terminated with the exception of
-the protracted struggle between "Le Renard Subtil" and "Le
-Gros Serpent."  Well did these barbarous warriors prove that
-they deserved those significant names which had been
-bestowed for deeds in former wars.  When they engaged, some
-little time was lost in eluding the quick and vigorous
-thrusts which had been aimed at their lives.  Suddenly
-darting on each other, they closed, and came to the earth,
-twisted together like twining serpents, in pliant and subtle
-folds.  At the moment when the victors found themselves
-unoccupied, the spot where these experienced and desperate
-combatants lay could only be distinguished by a cloud of
-dust and leaves, which moved from the center of the little
-plain toward its boundary, as if raised by the passage of a
-whirlwind.  Urged by the different motives of filial
-affection, friendship and gratitude, Heyward and his
-companions rushed with one accord to the place, encircling
-the little canopy of dust which hung above the warriors.  In
-vain did Uncas dart around the cloud, with a wish to strike
-his knife into the heart of his father's foe; the
-threatening rifle of Hawkeye was raised and suspended in
-vain, while Duncan endeavored to seize the limbs of the
-Huron with hands that appeared to have lost their power.
-Covered as they were with dust and blood, the swift
-evolutions of the combatants seemed to incorporate their
-bodies into one.  The death-like looking figure of the
-Mohican, and the dark form of the Huron, gleamed before
-their eyes in such quick and confused succession, that the
-friends of the former knew not where to plant the succoring
-blow.  It is true there were short and fleeting moments,
-when the fiery eyes of Magua were seen glittering, like the
-fabled organs of the basilisk through the dusty wreath by
-which he was enveloped, and he read by those short and
-deadly glances the fate of the combat in the presence of his
-enemies; ere, however, any hostile hand could descend on his
-devoted head, its place was filled by the scowling visage of
-Chingachgook.  In this manner the scene of the combat was
-removed from the center of the little plain to its verge.
-The Mohican now found an opportunity to make a powerful
-thrust with his knife; Magua suddenly relinquished his
-grasp, and fell backward without motion, and seemingly
-without life.  His adversary leaped on his feet, making the
-arches of the forest ring with the sounds of triumph.
-
-"Well done for the Delawares! victory to the Mohicans!"
-cried Hawkeye, once more elevating the butt of the long and
-fatal rifle; "a finishing blow from a man without a cross
-will never tell against his honor, nor rob him of his right
-to the scalp."
-
-But at the very moment when the dangerous weapon was in the
-act of descending, the subtle Huron rolled swiftly from
-beneath the danger, over the edge of the precipice, and
-falling on his feet, was seen leaping, with a single bound,
-into the center of a thicket of low bushes, which clung
-along its sides.  The Delawares, who had believed their
-enemy dead, uttered their exclamation of surprise, and were
-following with speed and clamor, like hounds in open view of
-the deer, when a shrill and peculiar cry from the scout
-instantly changed their purpose, and recalled them to the
-summit of the hill.
-
-"'Twas like himself!" cried the inveterate forester, whose
-prejudices contributed so largely to veil his natural sense
-of justice in all matters which concerned the Mingoes; "a
-lying and deceitful varlet as he is.  An honest Delaware
-now, being fairly vanquished, would have lain still, and
-been knocked on the head, but these knavish Maquas cling to
-life like so many cats-o'-the-mountain.  Let him go -- let
-him go; 'tis but one man, and he without rifle or bow, many
-a long mile from his French commerades; and like a rattler
-that lost his fangs, he can do no further mischief, until
-such time as he, and we too, may leave the prints of our
-moccasins over a long reach of sandy plain.  See, Uncas," he
-added, in Delaware, "your father is flaying the scalps
-already.  It may be well to go round and feel the vagabonds
-that are left, or we may have another of them loping through
-the woods, and screeching like a jay that has been winged."
-
-So saying the honest but implacable scout made the circuit
-of the dead, into whose senseless bosoms he thrust his long
-knife, with as much coolness as though they had been so many
-brute carcasses.  He had, however, been anticipated by the
-elder Mohican, who had already torn the emblems of victory
-from the unresisting heads of the slain.
-
-But Uncas, denying his habits, we had almost said his
-nature, flew with instinctive delicacy, accompanied by
-Heyward, to the assistance of the females, and quickly
-releasing Alice, placed her in the arms of Cora.  We shall
-not attempt to describe the gratitude to the Almighty
-Disposer of Events which glowed in the bosoms of the
-sisters, who were thus unexpectedly restored to life and to
-each other.  Their thanksgivings were deep and silent; the
-offerings of their gentle spirits burning brightest and
-purest on the secret altars of their hearts; and their
-renovated and more earthly feelings exhibiting themselves in
-long and fervent though speechless caresses.  As Alice rose
-from her knees, where she had sunk by the side of Cora, she
-threw herself on the bosom of the latter, and sobbed aloud
-the name of their aged father, while her soft, dove-like
-eyes, sparkled with the rays of hope.
-
-"We are saved! we are saved!" she murmured; "to return to
-the arms of our dear, dear father, and his heart will not be
-broken with grief.  And you, too, Cora, my sister, my more
-than sister, my mother; you, too, are spared.  And Duncan,"
-she added, looking round upon the youth with a smile of
-ineffable innocence, "even our own brave and noble Duncan
-has escaped without a hurt."
-
-To these ardent and nearly innocent words Cora made no other
-answer than by straining the youthful speaker to her heart,
-as she bent over her in melting tenderness.  The manhood of
-Heyward felt no shame in dropping tears over this spectacle of
-affectionate rapture; and Uncas stood, fresh and blood-stained
-from the combat, a calm, and, apparently, an unmoved
-looker-on, it is true, but with eyes that had already lost
-their fierceness, and were beaming with a sympathy that
-elevated him far above the intelligence, and advanced him
-probably centuries before, the practises of his nation.
-
-During this display of emotions so natural in their
-situation, Hawkeye, whose vigilant distrust had satisfied
-itself that the Hurons, who disfigured the heavenly scene,
-no longer possessed the power to interrupt its harmony,
-approached David, and liberated him from the bonds he had,
-until that moment, endured with the most exemplary patience.
-
-"There," exclaimed the scout, casting the last withe behind
-him, "you are once more master of your own limbs, though you
-seem not to use them with much greater judgment than that in
-which they were first fashioned.  If advice from one who is
-not older than yourself, but who, having lived most of his
-time in the wilderness, may be said to have experience
-beyond his years, will give no offense, you are welcome to
-my thoughts; and these are, to part with the little tooting
-instrument in your jacket to the first fool you meet with,
-and buy some we'pon with the money, if it be only the barrel
-of a horseman's pistol.  By industry and care, you might
-thus come to some prefarment; for by this time, I should
-think, your eyes would plainly tell you that a carrion crow
-is a better bird than a mocking-thresher.  The one will, at
-least, remove foul sights from before the face of man, while
-the other is only good to brew disturbances in the woods, by
-cheating the ears of all that hear them."
-
-"Arms and the clarion for the battle, but the song of
-thanksgiving to the victory!" answered the liberated David.
-"Friend," he added, thrusting forth his lean, delicate hand
-toward Hawkeye, in kindness, while his eyes twinkled and
-grew moist, "I thank thee that the hairs of my head still
-grow where they were first rooted by Providence; for, though
-those of other men may be more glossy and curling, I have
-ever found mine own well suited to the brain they shelter.
-That I did not join myself to the battle, was less owing to
-disinclination, than to the bonds of the heathen.  Valiant
-and skillful hast thou proved thyself in the conflict, and I
-hereby thank thee, before proceeding to discharge other and
-more important duties, because thou hast proved thyself well
-worthy of a Christian's praise."
-
-"The thing is but a trifle, and what you may often see if
-you tarry long among us," returned the scout, a good deal
-softened toward the man of song, by this unequivocal
-expression of gratitude.  "I have got back my old companion,
-'killdeer'," he added, striking his hand on the breech of
-his rifle; "and that in itself is a victory.  These Iroquois
-are cunning, but they outwitted themselves when they placed
-their firearms out of reach; and had Uncas or his father
-been gifted with only their common Indian patience, we
-should have come in upon the knaves with three bullets
-instead of one, and that would have made a finish of the
-whole pack; yon loping varlet, as well as his commerades.
-But 'twas all fore-ordered, and for the best."
-
-"Thou sayest well," returned David, "and hast caught the
-true spirit of Christianity.  He that is to be saved will be
-saved, and he that is predestined to be damned will be
-damned.  This is the doctrine of truth, and most consoling
-and refreshing it is to the true believer."
-
-The scout, who by this time was seated, examining into the
-state of his rifle with a species of parental assiduity, now
-looked up at the other in a displeasure that he did not
-affect to conceal, roughly interrupting further speech.
-
-"Doctrine or no doctrine," said the sturdy woodsman, "'tis
-the belief of knaves, and the curse of an honest man.  I can
-credit that yonder Huron was to fall by my hand, for with my
-own eyes I have seen it; but nothing short of being a
-witness will cause me to think he has met with any reward,
-or that Chingachgook there will be condemned at the final
-day."
-
-"You have no warranty for such an audacious doctrine, nor
-any covenant to support it," cried David who was deeply
-tinctured with the subtle distinctions which, in his time,
-and more especially in his province, had been drawn around
-the beautiful simplicity of revelation, by endeavoring to
-penetrate the awful mystery of the divine nature, supplying
-faith by self-sufficiency, and by consequence, involving
-those who reasoned from such human dogmas in absurdities and
-doubt; "your temple is reared on the sands, and the first
-tempest will wash away its foundation.  I demand your
-authorities for such an uncharitable assertion (like other
-advocates of a system, David was not always accurate in his
-use of terms).  Name chapter and verse; in which of the holy
-books do you find language to support you?"
-
-"Book!" repeated Hawkeye, with singular and ill-concealed
-disdain; "do you take me for a whimpering boy at the
-apronstring of one of your old gals; and this good rifle on
-my knee for the feather of a goose's wing, my ox's horn for
-a bottle of ink, and my leathern pouch for a cross-barred
-handkercher to carry my dinner?  Book! what have such as I,
-who am a warrior of the wilderness, though a man without a
-cross, to do with books?  I never read but in one, and the
-words that are written there are too simple and too plain to
-need much schooling; though I may boast that of forty long
-and hard-working years."
-
-"What call you the volume?" said David, misconceiving the
-other's meaning.
-
-"'Tis open before your eyes," returned the scout; "and he
-who owns it is not a niggard of its use.  I have heard it
-said that there are men who read in books to convince
-themselves there is a God.  I know not but man may so deform
-his works in the settlement, as to leave that which is so
-clear in the wilderness a matter of doubt among traders and
-priests.  If any such there be, and he will follow me from
-sun to sun, through the windings of the forest, he shall see
-enough to teach him that he is a fool, and that the greatest
-of his folly lies in striving to rise to the level of One he
-can never equal, be it in goodness, or be it in power."
-
-The instant David discovered that he battled with a
-disputant who imbibed his faith from the lights of nature,
-eschewing all subtleties of doctrine, he willingly abandoned
-a controversy from which he believed neither profit nor
-credit was to be derived.  While the scout was speaking, he
-had also seated himself, and producing the ready little
-volume and the iron-rimmed spectacles, he prepared to
-discharge a duty, which nothing but the unexpected assault
-he had received in his orthodoxy could have so long
-suspended.  He was, in truth, a minstrel of the western
-continent -- of a much later day, certainly, than those
-gifted bards, who formerly sang the profane renown of baron
-and prince, but after the spirit of his own age and country;
-and he was now prepared to exercise the cunning of his
-craft, in celebration of, or rather in thanksgiving for, the
-recent victory.  He waited patiently for Hawkeye to cease,
-then lifting his eyes, together with his voice, he said,
-aloud:
-
-"I invite you, friends, to join in praise for this signal
-deliverance from the hands of barbarians and infidels, to the
-comfortable and solemn tones of the tune called 'Northampton'."
-
-He next named the page and verse where the rhymes selected
-were to be found, and applied the pitch-pipe to his lips,
-with the decent gravity that he had been wont to use in the
-temple.  This time he was, however, without any
-accompaniment, for the sisters were just then pouring out
-those tender effusions of affection which have been already
-alluded to.  Nothing deterred by the smallness of his
-audience, which, in truth, consisted only of the
-discontented scout, he raised his voice, commencing and
-ending the sacred song without accident or interruption of
-any kind.
-
-Hawkeye listened while he coolly adjusted his flint and
-reloaded his rifle; but the sounds, wanting the extraneous
-assistance of scene and sympathy, failed to awaken his
-slumbering emotions.  Never minstrel, or by whatever more
-suitable name David should be known, drew upon his talents
-in the presence of more insensible auditors; though
-considering the singleness and sincerity of his motive, it
-is probable that no bard of profane song ever uttered notes
-that ascended so near to that throne where all homage and
-praise is due.  The scout shook his head, and muttering some
-unintelligible words, among which "throat" and "Iroquois"
-were alone audible, he walked away, to collect and to
-examine into the state of the captured arsenal of the
-Hurons.  In this office he was now joined by Chingachgook,
-who found his own, as well as the rifle of his son, among
-the arms.  Even Heyward and David were furnished with
-weapons; nor was ammunition wanting to render them all
-effectual.
-
-When the foresters had made their selection, and distributed
-their prizes, the scout announced that the hour had arrived
-when it was necessary to move.  By this time the song of
-Gamut had ceased, and the sisters had learned to still the
-exhibition of their emotions.  Aided by Duncan and the
-younger Mohican, the two latter descended the precipitous
-sides of that hill which they had so lately ascended under
-so very different auspices, and whose summit had so nearly
-proved the scene of their massacre.  At the foot they found
-the Narragansetts browsing the herbage of the bushes, and
-having mounted, they followed the movements of a guide, who,
-in the most deadly straits, had so often proved himself
-their friend.  The journey was, however, short.  Hawkeye,
-leaving the blind path that the Hurons had followed, turned
-short to his right, and entering the thicket, he crossed a
-babbling brook, and halted in a narrow dell, under the shade
-of a few water elms.  Their distance from the base of the
-fatal hill was but a few rods, and the steeds had been
-serviceable only in crossing the shallow stream.
-
-The scout and the Indians appeared to be familiar with the
-sequestered place where they now were; for, leaning their
-rifle against the trees, they commenced throwing aside the
-dried leaves, and opening the blue clay, out of which a
-clear and sparkling spring of bright, glancing water,
-quickly bubbled.  The white man then looked about him, as
-though seeking for some object, which was not to be found as
-readily as he expected.
-
-"Them careless imps, the Mohawks, with their Tuscarora and
-Onondaga brethren, have been here slaking their thirst," he
-muttered, "and the vagabonds have thrown away the gourd!
-This is the way with benefits, when they are bestowed on
-such disremembering hounds!  Here has the Lord laid his
-hand, in the midst of the howling wilderness, for their
-good, and raised a fountain of water from the bowels of the
-'arth, that might laugh at the richest shop of apothecary's
-ware in all the colonies; and see! the knaves have trodden
-in the clay, and deformed the cleanliness of the place, as
-though they were brute beasts, instead of human men."
-
-Uncas silently extended toward him the desired gourd, which
-the spleen of Hawkeye had hitherto prevented him from
-observing on a branch of an elm.  Filling it with water, he
-retired a short distance, to a place where the ground was
-more firm and dry; here he coolly seated himself, and after
-taking a long, and, apparently, a grateful draught, he
-commenced a very strict examination of the fragments of food
-left by the Hurons, which had hung in a wallet on his arm.
-
-"Thank you, lad!" he continued, returning the empty gourd to
-Uncas; "now we will see how these rampaging Hurons lived,
-when outlying in ambushments.  Look at this!  The varlets
-know the better pieces of the deer; and one would think they
-might carve and roast a saddle, equal to the best cook in
-the land!  But everything is raw, for the Iroquois are
-thorough savages.  Uncas, take my steel and kindle a fire; a
-mouthful of a tender broil will give natur' a helping hand,
-after so long a trail."
-
-Heyward, perceiving that their guides now set about their
-repast in sober earnest, assisted the ladies to alight, and
-placed himself at their side, not unwilling to enjoy a few
-moments of grateful rest, after the bloody scene he had just
-gone through.  While the culinary process was in hand,
-curiosity induced him to inquire into the circumstances
-which had led to their timely and unexpected rescue:
-
-"How is it that we see you so soon, my generous friend," he
-asked, "and without aid from the garrison of Edward?"
-
-"Had we gone to the bend in the river, we might have been in
-time to rake the leaves over your bodies, but too late to
-have saved your scalps," coolly answered the scout.  "No,
-no; instead of throwing away strength and opportunity by
-crossing to the fort, we lay by, under the bank of the
-Hudson, waiting to watch the movements of the Hurons."
-
-"You were, then, witnesses of all that passed?"
-
-"Not of all; for Indian sight is too keen to be easily
-cheated, and we kept close.  A difficult matter it was, too,
-to keep this Mohican boy snug in the ambushment.  Ah! Uncas,
-Uncas, your behavior was more like that of a curious woman
-than of a warrior on his scent."
-
-Uncas permitted his eyes to turn for an instant on the
-sturdy countenance of the speaker, but he neither spoke nor
-gave any indication of repentance.  On the contrary, Heyward
-thought the manner of the young Mohican was disdainful, if
-not a little fierce, and that he suppressed passions that
-were ready to explode, as much in compliment to the
-listeners, as from the deference he usually paid to his
-white associate.
-
-"You saw our capture?" Heyward next demanded.
-
-"We heard it," was the significant answer.  "An Indian yell
-is plain language to men who have passed their days in the
-woods.  But when you landed, we were driven to crawl like
-sarpents, beneath the leaves; and then we lost sight of you
-entirely, until we placed eyes on you again trussed to the
-trees, and ready bound for an Indian massacre."
-
-"Our rescue was the deed of Providence.  It was nearly a
-miracle that you did not mistake the path, for the Hurons
-divided, and each band had its horses."
-
-"Ay! there we were thrown off the scent, and might, indeed,
-have lost the trail, had it not been for Uncas; we took the
-path, however, that led into the wilderness; for we judged,
-and judged rightly, that the savages would hold that course
-with their prisoners.  But when we had followed it for many
-miles, without finding a single twig broken, as I had
-advised, my mind misgave me; especially as all the footsteps
-had the prints of moccasins."
-
-"Our captors had the precaution to see us shod like
-themselves," said Duncan, raising a foot, and exhibiting the
-buckskin he wore.
-
-"Aye, 'twas judgmatical and like themselves; though we were
-too expart to be thrown from a trail by so common an
-invention."
-
-"To what, then, are we indebted for our safety?"
-
-"To what, as a white man who has no taint of Indian blood, I
-should be ashamed to own; to the judgment of the young
-Mohican, in matters which I should know better than he, but
-which I can now hardly believe to be true, though my own
-eyes tell me it is so."
-
-"'Tis extraordinary! will you not name the reason?"
-
-"Uncas was bold enough to say, that the beasts ridden by the
-gentle ones," continued Hawkeye, glancing his eyes, not
-without curious interest, on the fillies of the ladies,
-"planted the legs of one side on the ground at the same
-time, which is contrary to the movements of all trotting
-four-footed animals of my knowledge, except the bear.  And
-yet here are horses that always journey in this manner, as
-my own eyes have seen, and as their trail has shown for
-twenty long miles."
-
-"'Tis the merit of the animal!  They come from the shores of
-Narrangansett Bay, in the small province of Providence
-Plantations, and are celebrated for their hardihood, and the
-ease of this peculiar movement; though other horses are not
-unfrequently trained to the same."
-
-"It may be--it may be," said Hawkeye, who had listened
-with singular attention to this explanation; "though I am a
-man who has the full blood of the whites, my judgment in
-deer and beaver is greater than in beasts of burden.  Major
-Effingham has many noble chargers, but I have never seen one
-travel after such a sidling gait."
-
-"True; for he would value the animals for very different
-properties.  Still is this a breed highly esteemed and, as
-you witness, much honored with the burdens it is often
-destined to bear."
-
-The Mohicans had suspended their operations about the
-glimmering fire to listen; and, when Duncan had done, they
-looked at each other significantly, the father uttering the
-never-failing exclamation of surprise.  The scout ruminated,
-like a man digesting his newly-acquired knowledge, and once
-more stole a glance at the horses.
-
-"I dare to say there are even stranger sights to be seen in
-the settlements!" he said, at length.  "Natur' is sadly abused
-by man, when he once gets the mastery.  But, go sidling or
-go straight, Uncas had seen the movement, and their trail
-led us on to the broken bush.  The outer branch, near the
-prints of one of the horses, was bent upward, as a lady
-breaks a flower from its stem, but all the rest were ragged
-and broken down, as if the strong hand of a man had been
-tearing them!  So I concluded that the cunning varments had
-seen the twig bent, and had torn the rest, to make us
-believe a buck had been feeling the boughs with his
-antlers."
-
-"I do believe your sagacity did not deceive you; for some
-such thing occurred!"
-
-"That was easy to see," added the scout, in no degree
-conscious of having exhibited any extraordinary sagacity;
-"and a very different matter it was from a waddling horse!
-It then struck me the Mingoes would push for this spring,
-for the knaves well know the vartue of its waters!"
-
-"Is it, then, so famous?" demanded Heyward, examining, with
-a more curious eye, the secluded dell, with its bubbling
-fountain, surrounded, as it was, by earth of a deep, dingy
-brown.
-
-"Few red-skins, who travel south and east of the great lakes
-but have heard of its qualities.  Will you taste for
-yourself?"
-
-Heyward took the gourd, and after swallowing a little of the
-water, threw it aside with grimaces of discontent.  The
-scout laughed in his silent but heartfelt manner, and shook
-his head with vast satisfaction.
-
-"Ah! you want the flavor that one gets by habit; the time
-was when I liked it as little as yourself; but I have come
-to my taste, and I now crave it, as a deer does the licks*.
-Your high-spiced wines are not better liked than a red-skin
-relishes this water; especially when his natur' is ailing.
-But Uncas has made his fire, and it is time we think of
-eating, for our journey is long, and all before us."
-
-* Many of the animals of the American forests resort
-to those spots where salt springs are found.  These are
-called "licks" or "salt licks," in the language of the
-country, from the circumstance that the quadruped is often
-obliged to lick the earth, in order to obtain the saline
-particles.  These licks are great places of resort with the
-hunters, who waylay their game near the paths that lead to
-them.
-
-Interrupting the dialogue by this abrupt transition, the
-scout had instant recourse to the fragments of food which
-had escaped the voracity of the Hurons.  A very summary
-process completed the simple cookery, when he and the
-Mohicans commenced their humble meal, with the silence and
-characteristic diligence of men who ate in order to enable
-themselves to endure great and unremitting toil.
-
-When this necessary, and, happily, grateful duty had been
-performed, each of the foresters stooped and took a long and
-parting draught at that solitary and silent spring*, around
-which and its sister fountains, within fifty years, the
-wealth, beauty and talents of a hemisphere were to assemble
-in throngs, in pursuit of health and pleasure.  Then Hawkeye
-announced his determination to proceed.  The sisters resumed
-their saddles; Duncan and David grapsed their rifles, and
-followed on footsteps; the scout leading the advance, and
-the Mohicans bringing up the rear.  The whole party moved
-swiftly through the narrow path, toward the north, leaving
-the healing waters to mingle unheeded with the adjacent
-brooks and the bodies of the dead to fester on the
-neighboring mount, without the rites of sepulture; a fate
-but too common to the warriors of the woods to excite either
-commiseration or comment.
-
-* The scene of the foregoing incidents is on the spot
-where the village of Ballston now stands; one of the two
-principal watering places of America.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 13
-
-"I'll seek a readier path."--Parnell
-
-The route taken by Hawkeye lay across those sandy plains,
-relived by occasional valleys and swells of land, which had
-been traversed by their party on the morning of the same
-day, with the baffled Magua for their guide.  The sun had
-now fallen low toward the distant mountains; and as their
-journey lay through the interminable forest, the heat was no
-longer oppressive.  Their progress, in consequence, was
-proportionate; and long before the twilight gathered about
-them, they had made good many toilsome miles on their
-return.
-
-The hunter, like the savage whose place he filled, seemed to
-select among the blind signs of their wild route, with a
-species of instinct, seldom abating his speed, and never
-pausing to deliberate.  A rapid and oblique glance at the
-moss on the trees, with an occasional upward gaze toward the
-setting sun, or a steady but passing look at the direction
-of the numerous water courses, through which he waded, were
-sufficient to determine his path, and remove his greatest
-difficulties.  In the meantime, the forest began to change
-its hues, losing that lively green which had embellished its
-arches, in the graver light which is the usual precursor of
-the close of day.
-
-While the eyes of the sisters were endeavoring to catch
-glimpses through the trees, of the flood of golden glory
-which formed a glittering halo around the sun, tinging here
-and there with ruby streaks, or bordering with narrow
-edgings of shining yellow, a mass of clouds that lay piled
-at no great distance above the western hills, Hawkeye turned
-suddenly and pointing upward toward the gorgeous heavens, he
-spoke:
-
-"Yonder is the signal given to man to seek his food and
-natural rest," he said; "better and wiser would it be, if he
-could understand the signs of nature, and take a lesson from
-the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field!  Our
-night, however, will soon be over, for with the moon we must
-be up and moving again.  I remember to have fou't the
-Maquas, hereaways, in the first war in which I ever drew
-blood from man; and we threw up a work of blocks, to keep
-the ravenous varmints from handling our scalps.  If my marks
-do not fail me, we shall find the place a few rods further
-to our left."
-
-Without waiting for an assent, or, indeed, for any reply,
-the sturdy hunter moved boldly into a dense thicket of young
-chestnuts, shoving aside the branches of the exuberant
-shoots which nearly covered the ground, like a man who
-expected, at each step, to discover some object he had
-formerly known.  The recollection of the scout did not
-deceive him.  After penetrating through the brush, matted as
-it was with briars, for a few hundred feet, he entered an
-open space, that surrounded a low, green hillock, which was
-crowned by the decayed blockhouse in question.  This rude
-and neglected building was one of those deserted works,
-which, having been thrown up on an emergency, had been
-abandoned with the disappearance of danger, and was now
-quietly crumbling in the solitude of the forest, neglected
-and nearly forgotten, like the circumstances which had
-caused it to be reared.  Such memorials of the passage and
-struggles of man are yet frequent throughout the broad
-barrier of wilderness which once separated the hostile
-provinces, and form a species of ruins that are intimately
-associated with the recollections of colonial history, and
-which are in appropriate keeping with the gloomy character
-of the surrounding scenery.  The roof of bark had long since
-fallen, and mingled with the soil, but the huge logs of
-pine, which had been hastily thrown together, still
-preserved their relative positions, though one angle of the
-work had given way under the pressure, and threatened a
-speedy downfall to the remainder of the rustic edifice.
-While Heyward and his companions hesitated to approach a
-building so decayed, Hawkeye and the Indians entered within
-the low walls, not only without fear, but with obvious
-interest.  While the former surveyed the ruins, both
-internally and externally, with the curiosity of one whose
-recollections were reviving at each moment, Chingachgook
-related to his son, in the language of the Delawares, and
-with the pride of a conqueror, the brief history of the
-skirmish which had been fought, in his youth, in that
-secluded spot.  A strain of melancholy, however, blended
-with his triumph, rendering his voice, as usual, soft and
-musical.
-
-In the meantime, the sisters gladly dismounted, and prepared
-to enjoy their halt in the coolness of the evening, and in a
-security which they believed nothing but the beasts of the
-forest could invade.
-
-"Would not our resting-place have been more retired, my
-worthy friend," demanded the more vigilant Duncan,
-perceiving that the scout had already finished his short
-survey, "had we chosen a spot less known, and one more
-rarely visited than this?"
-
-"Few live who know the blockhouse was ever raised," was the
-slow and musing answer; "'tis not often that books are made,
-and narratives written of such a scrimmage as was here fou't
-atween the Mohicans and the Mohawks, in a war of their own
-waging.  I was then a younker, and went out with the
-Delawares, because I know'd they were a scandalized and
-wronged race.  Forty days and forty nights did the imps
-crave our blood around this pile of logs, which I designed
-and partly reared, being, as you'll remember, no Indian
-myself, but a man without a cross.  The Delawares lent
-themselves to the work, and we made it good, ten to twenty,
-until our numbers were nearly equal, and then we sallied out
-upon the hounds, and not a man of them ever got back to tell
-the fate of his party.  Yes, yes; I was then young, and new
-to the sight of blood; and not relishing the thought that
-creatures who had spirits like myself should lay on the
-naked ground, to be torn asunder by beasts, or to bleach in
-the rains, I buried the dead with my own hands, under that
-very little hillock where you have placed yourselves; and no
-bad seat does it make neither, though it be raised by the
-bones of mortal men."
-
-Heyward and the sisters arose, on the instant, from the
-grassy sepulcher; nor could the two latter, notwithstanding
-the terrific scenes they had so recently passed through,
-entirely suppress an emotion of natural horror, when they
-found themselves in such familiar contact with the grave of
-the dead Mohawks.  The gray light, the gloomy little area of
-dark grass, surrounded by its border of brush, beyond which
-the pines rose, in breathing silence, apparently into the
-very clouds, and the deathlike stillness of the vast forest,
-were all in unison to deepen such a sensation.  "They are
-gone, and they are harmless," continued Hawkeye, waving his
-hand, with a melancholy smile at their manifest alarm;
-"they'll never shout the war-whoop nor strike a blow with
-the tomahawk again!  And of all those who aided in placing
-them where they lie, Chingachgook and I only are living!
-The brothers and family of the Mohican formed our war party;
-and you see before you all that are now left of his race."
-
-The eyes of the listeners involuntarily sought the forms of
-the Indians, with a compassionate interest in their desolate
-fortune.  Their dark persons were still to be seen within
-the shadows of the blockhouse, the son listening to the
-relation of his father with that sort of intenseness which
-would be created by a narrative that redounded so much to
-the honor of those whose names he had long revered for their
-courage and savage virtues.
-
-"I had thought the Delawares a pacific people," said Duncan,
-"and that they never waged war in person; trusting the
-defense of their hands to those very Mohawks that you slew!"
-
-"'Tis true in part," returned the scout, "and yet, at the
-bottom, 'tis a wicked lie.  Such a treaty was made in ages
-gone by, through the deviltries of the Dutchers, who wished
-to disarm the natives that had the best right to the
-country, where they had settled themselves.  The Mohicans,
-though a part of the same nation, having to deal with the
-English, never entered into the silly bargain, but kept to
-their manhood; as in truth did the Delawares, when their
-eyes were open to their folly.  You see before you a chief
-of the great Mohican Sagamores!  Once his family could chase
-their deer over tracts of country wider than that which
-belongs to the Albany Patteroon, without crossing brook or
-hill that was not their own; but what is left of their
-descendant?  He may find his six feet of earth when God
-chooses, and keep it in peace, perhaps, if he has a friend
-who will take the pains to sink his head so low that the
-plowshares cannot reach it!"
-
-"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive that the subject might
-lead to a discussion that would interrupt the harmony so
-necessary to the preservation of his fair companions; "we
-have journeyed far, and few among us are blessed with forms
-like that of yours, which seems to know neither fatigue nor
-weakness."
-
-"The sinews and bones of a man carry me through it all,"
-said the hunter, surveying his muscular limbs with a
-simplicity that betrayed the honest pleasure the compliment
-afforded him; "there are larger and heavier men to be found
-in the settlements, but you might travel many days in a city
-before you could meet one able to walk fifty miles without
-stopping to take breath, or who has kept the hounds within
-hearing during a chase of hours.  However, as flesh and
-blood are not always the same, it is quite reasonable to
-suppose that the gentle ones are willing to rest, after all
-they have seen and done this day.  Uncas, clear out the
-spring, while your father and I make a cover for their
-tender heads of these chestnut shoots, and a bed of grass
-and leaves."
-
-The dialogue ceased, while the hunter and his companions
-busied themselves in preparations for the comfort and
-protection of those they guided.  A spring, which many long
-years before had induced the natives to select the place for
-their temporary fortification, was soon cleared of leaves,
-and a fountain of crystal gushed from the bed, diffusing its
-waters over the verdant hillock.  A corner of the building
-was then roofed in such a manner as to exclude the heavy dew
-of the climate, and piles of sweet shrubs and dried leaves
-were laid beneath it for the sisters to repose on.
-
-While the diligent woodsmen were employed in this manner,
-Cora and Alice partook of that refreshment which duty
-required much more than inclination prompted them to accept.
-They then retired within the walls, and first offering up
-their thanksgivings for past mercies, and petitioning for a
-continuance of the Divine favor throughout the coming night,
-they laid their tender forms on the fragrant couch, and in
-spite of recollections and forebodings, soon sank into those
-slumbers which nature so imperiously demanded, and which
-were sweetened by hopes for the morrow.  Duncan had prepared
-himself to pass the night in watchfulness near them, just
-without the ruin, but the scout, perceiving his intention,
-pointed toward Chingachgook, as he coolly disposed his own
-person on the grass, and said:
-
-"The eyes of a white man are too heavy and too blind for
-such a watch as this!  The Mohican will be our sentinel,
-therefore let us sleep."
-
-"I proved myself a sluggard on my post during the past
-night," said Heyward, "and have less need of repose than
-you, who did more credit to the character of a soldier.  Let
-all the party seek their rest, then, while I hold the
-guard."
-
-"If we lay among the white tents of the Sixtieth, and in
-front of an enemy like the French, I could not ask for a
-better watchman," returned the scout; "but in the darkness
-and among the signs of the wilderness your judgment would be
-like the folly of a child, and your vigilance thrown away.
-Do then, like Uncas and myself, sleep, and sleep in safety."
-
-Heyward perceived, in truth, that the younger Indian had
-thrown his form on the side of the hillock while they were
-talking, like one who sought to make the most of the time
-allotted to rest, and that his example had been followed by
-David, whose voice literally "clove to his jaws," with the
-fever of his wound, heightened, as it was, by their toilsome
-march.  Unwilling to prolong a useless discussion, the young
-man affected to comply, by posting his back against the logs
-of the blockhouse, in a half recumbent posture, though
-resolutely determined, in his own mind, not to close an eye
-until he had delivered his precious charge into the arms of
-Munro himself.  Hawkeye, believing he had prevailed, soon
-fell asleep, and a silence as deep as the solitude in which
-they had found it, pervaded the retired spot.
-
-For many minutes Duncan succeeded in keeping his senses on
-the alert, and alive to every moaning sound that arose from
-the forest.  His vision became more acute as the shades of
-evening settled on the place; and even after the stars were
-glimmering above his head, he was able to distinguish the
-recumbent forms of his companions, as they lay stretched on
-the grass, and to note the person of Chingachgook, who sat
-upright and motionless as one of the trees which formed the
-dark barrier on every side.  He still heard the gentle
-breathings of the sisters, who lay within a few feet of him,
-and not a leaf was ruffled by the passing air of which his
-ear did not detect the whispering sound.  At length,
-however, the mournful notes of a whip-poor-will became
-blended with the moanings of an owl; his heavy eyes
-occasionally sought the bright rays of the stars, and he
-then fancied he saw them through the fallen lids.  At
-instants of momentary wakefulness he mistook a bush for his
-associate sentinel; his head next sank upon his shoulder,
-which, in its turn, sought the support of the ground; and,
-finally, his whole person became relaxed and pliant, and the
-young man sank into a deep sleep, dreaming that he was a
-knight of ancient chivalry, holding his midnight vigils
-before the tent of a recaptured princess, whose favor he did
-not despair of gaining, by such a proof of devotion and
-watchfulness.
-
-How long the tired Duncan lay in this insensible state he
-never knew himself, but his slumbering visions had been long
-lost in total forgetfulness, when he was awakened by a light
-tap on the shoulder.  Aroused by this signal, slight as it
-was, he sprang upon his feet with a confused recollection of
-the self-imposed duty he had assumed with the commencement
-of the night.
-
-"Who comes?" he demanded, feeling for his sword, at the
-place where it was usually suspended.  "Speak! friend or
-enemy?"
-
-"Friend," replied the low voice of Chingachgook; who,
-pointing upward at the luminary which was shedding its mild
-light through the opening in the trees, directly in their
-bivouac, immediately added, in his rude English: "Moon comes
-and white man's fort far -- far off; time to move, when
-sleep shuts both eyes of the Frenchman!"
-
-"You say true!  Call up your friends, and bridle the horses
-while I prepare my own companions for the march!"
-
-"We are awake, Duncan," said the soft, silvery tones of
-Alice within the building, "and ready to travel very fast
-after so refreshing a sleep; but you have watched through
-the tedious night in our behalf, after having endured so
-much fatigue the livelong day!"
-
-"Say, rather, I would have watched, but my treacherous eyes
-betrayed me; twice have I proved myself unfit for the trust
-I bear."
-
-"Nay, Duncan, deny it not," interrupted the smiling Alice,
-issuing from the shadows of the building into the light of
-the moon, in all the loveliness of her freshened beauty; "I
-know you to be a heedless one, when self is the object of
-your care, and but too vigilant in favor of others.  Can we
-not tarry here a little longer while you find the rest you
-need?  Cheerfully, most cheerfully, will Cora and I keep the
-vigils, while you and all these brave men endeavor to snatch
-a little sleep!"
-
-"If shame could cure me of my drowsiness, I should never
-close an eye again," said the uneasy youth, gazing at the
-ingenuous countenance of Alice, where, however, in its sweet
-solicitude, he read nothing to confirm his half-awakened
-suspicion.  "It is but too true, that after leading you into
-danger by my heedlessness, I have not even the merit of
-guarding your pillows as should become a soldier."
-
-"No one but Duncan himself should accuse Duncan of such a
-weakness.  Go, then, and sleep; believe me, neither of us,
-weak girls as we are, will betray our watch."
-
-The young man was relieved from the awkwardness of making
-any further protestations of his own demerits, by an
-exclamation from Chingachgook, and the attitude of riveted
-attention assumed by his son.
-
-"The Mohicans hear an enemy!" whispered Hawkeye, who, by
-this time, in common with the whole party, was awake and
-stirring.  "They scent danger in the wind!"
-
-"God forbid!" exclaimed Heyward.  "Surely we have had enough
-of bloodshed!"
-
-While he spoke, however, the young soldier seized his rifle,
-and advancing toward the front, prepared to atone for his
-venial remissness, by freely exposing his life in defense of
-those he attended.
-
-"'Tis some creature of the forest prowling around us in
-quest of food," he said, in a whisper, as soon as the low,
-and apparently distant sounds, which had startled the
-Mohicans, reached his own ears.
-
-"Hist!" returned the attentive scout; "'tis man; even I can
-now tell his tread, poor as my senses are when compared to
-an Indian's!  That Scampering Huron has fallen in with one
-of Montcalm's outlying parties, and they have struck upon
-our trail.  I shouldn't like, myself, to spill more human
-blood in this spot," he added, looking around with anxiety
-in his features, at the dim objects by which he was
-surrounded; "but what must be, must!  Lead the horses into
-the blockhouse, Uncas; and, friends, do you follow to the
-same shelter.  Poor and old as it is, it offers a cover, and
-has rung with the crack of a rifle afore to-night!"
-
-He was instantly obeyed, the Mohicans leading the
-Narrangansetts within the ruin, whither the whole party
-repaired with the most guarded silence.
-
-The sound of approaching footsteps were now too distinctly
-audible to leave any doubts as to the nature of the
-interruption.  They were soon mingled with voices calling to
-each other in an Indian dialect, which the hunter, in a
-whisper, affirmed to Heyward was the language of the Hurons.
-When the party reached the point where the horses had
-entered the thicket which surrounded the blockhouse, they
-were evidently at fault, having lost those marks which,
-until that moment, had directed their pursuit.
-
-It would seem by the voices that twenty men were soon
-collected at that one spot, mingling their different
-opinions and advice in noisy clamor.
-
-"The knaves know our weakness," whispered Hawkeye, who stood
-by the side of Heyward, in deep shade, looking through an
-opening in the logs, "or they wouldn't indulge their
-idleness in such a squaw's march.  Listen to the reptiles!
-each man among them seems to have two tongues, and but a
-single leg."
-
-Duncan, brave as he was in the combat, could not, in such a
-moment of painful suspense, make any reply to the cool and
-characteristic remark of the scout.  He only grasped his
-rifle more firmly, and fastened his eyes upon the narrow
-opening, through which he gazed upon the moonlight view with
-increasing anxiety.  The deeper tones of one who spoke as
-having authority were next heard, amid a silence that
-denoted the respect with which his orders, or rather advice,
-was received.  After which, by the rustling of leaves, and
-crackling of dried twigs, it was apparent the savages were
-separating in pursuit of the lost trail.  Fortunately for
-the pursued, the light of the moon, while it shed a flood of
-mild luster upon the little area around the ruin, was not
-sufficiently strong to penetrate the deep arches of the
-forest, where the objects still lay in deceptive shadow.
-The search proved fruitless; for so short and sudden had
-been the passage from the faint path the travelers had
-journeyed into the thicket, that every trace of their
-footsteps was lost in the obscurity of the woods.
-
-It was not long, however, before the restless savages were
-heard beating the brush, and gradually approaching the inner
-edge of that dense border of young chestnuts which encircled
-the little area.
-
-"They are coming," muttered Heyward, endeavoring to thrust
-his rifle through the chink in the logs; "let us fire on
-their approach."
-
-"Keep everything in the shade," returned the scout; "the
-snapping of a flint, or even the smell of a single karnel of the
-brimstone, would bring the hungry varlets upon us in a body.
-Should it please God that we must give battle for the scalps,
-trust to the experience of men who know the ways of the savages,
-and who are not often backward when the war-whoop is howled."
-
-Duncan cast his eyes behind him, and saw that the trembling
-sisters were cowering in the far corner of the building,
-while the Mohicans stood in the shadow, like two upright
-posts, ready, and apparently willing, to strike when the
-blow should be needed.  Curbing his impatience, he again
-looked out upon the area, and awaited the result in silence.
-At that instant the thicket opened, and a tall and armed
-Huron advanced a few paces into the open space.  As he gazed
-upon the silent blockhouse, the moon fell upon his swarthy
-countenance, and betrayed its surprise and curiosity.  He
-made the exclamation which usually accompanies the former
-emotion in an Indian, and, calling in a low voice, soon drew
-a companion to his side.
-
-These children of the woods stood together for several
-moments pointing at the crumbling edifice, and conversing in
-the unintelligible language of their tribe.  They then
-approached, though with slow and cautious steps, pausing
-every instant to look at the building, like startled deer
-whose curiosity struggled powerfully with their awakened
-apprehensions for the mastery.  The foot of one of them
-suddenly rested on the mound, and he stopped to examine its
-nature.  At this moment, Heyward observed that the scout
-loosened his knife in its sheath, and lowered the muzzle of
-his rifle.  Imitating these movements, the young man
-prepared himself for the struggle which now seemed
-inevitable.
-
-The savages were so near, that the least motion in one of
-the horses, or even a breath louder than common, would have
-betrayed the fugitives.  But in discovering the character of
-the mound, the attention of the Hurons appeared directed to
-a different object.  They spoke together, and the sounds of
-their voices were low and solemn, as if influenced by a
-reverence that was deeply blended with awe.  Then they drew
-warily back, keeping their eyes riveted on the ruin, as if
-they expected to see the apparitions of the dead issue from
-its silent walls, until, having reached the boundary of the
-area, they moved slowly into the thicket and disappeared.
-
-Hawkeye dropped the breech of his rifle to the earth, and
-drawing a long, free breath, exclaimed, in an audible
-whisper:
-
-"Ay! they respect the dead, and it has this time saved their
-own lives, and, it may be, the lives of better men too."
-
-Heyward lent his attention for a single moment to his
-companion, but without replying, he again turned toward
-those who just then interested him more.  He heard the two
-Hurons leave the bushes, and it was soon plain that all the
-pursuers were gathered about them, in deep attention to
-their report.  After a few minutes of earnest and solemn
-dialogue, altogether different from the noisy clamor with
-which they had first collected about the spot, the sounds
-grew fainter and more distant, and finally were lost in the
-depths of the forest.
-
-Hawkeye waited until a signal from the listening
-Chingachgook assured him that every sound from the retiring
-party was completely swallowed by the distance, when he
-motioned to Heyward to lead forth the horses, and to assist
-the sisters into their saddles.  The instant this was done
-they issued through the broken gateway, and stealing out by
-a direction opposite to the one by which they entered, they
-quitted the spot, the sisters casting furtive glances at the
-silent, grave and crumbling ruin, as they left the soft
-light of the moon, to bury themselves in the gloom of the
-woods.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 14
-
-"Guard.--Qui est la?  Puc.--Paisans, pauvres gens de
-France."--King Henry VI
-
-During the rapid movement from the blockhouse, and until the
-party was deeply buried in the forest, each individual was
-too much interested in the escape to hazard a word even in
-whispers.  The scout resumed his post in advance, though his
-steps, after he had thrown a safe distance between himself
-and his enemies, were more deliberate than in their previous
-march, in consequence of his utter ignorance of the
-localities of the surrounding woods.  More than once he
-halted to consult with his confederates, the Mohicans,
-pointing upward at the moon, and examining the barks of the
-trees with care.  In these brief pauses, Heyward and the
-sisters listened, with senses rendered doubly acute by the
-danger, to detect any symptoms which might announce the
-proximity of their foes.  At such moments, it seemed as if a
-vast range of country lay buried in eternal sleep; not the
-least sound arising from the forest, unless it was the
-distant and scarcely audible rippling of a water-course.
-Birds, beasts, and man, appeared to slumber alike, if,
-indeed, any of the latter were to be found in that wide
-tract of wilderness.  But the sounds of the rivulet, feeble
-and murmuring as they were, relieved the guides at once from
-no trifling embarrassment, and toward it they immediately
-held their way.
-
-When the banks of the little stream were gained, Hawkeye
-made another halt; and taking the moccasins from his feet,
-he invited Heyward and Gamut to follow his example.  He then
-entered the water, and for near an hour they traveled in the
-bed of the brook, leaving no trail.  The moon had already
-sunk into an immense pile of black clouds, which lay
-impending above the western horizon, when they issued from
-the low and devious water-course to rise again to the light
-and level of the sandy but wooded plain.  Here the scout
-seemed to be once more at home, for he held on this way with
-the certainty and diligence of a man who moved in the
-security of his own knowledge.  The path soon became more
-uneven, and the travelers could plainly perceive that the
-mountains drew nigher to them on each hand, and that they
-were, in truth, about entering one of their gorges.
-Suddenly, Hawkeye made a pause, and, waiting until he was
-joined by the whole party, he spoke, though in tones so low
-and cautious, that they added to the solemnity of his words,
-in the quiet and darkness of the place.
-
-"It is easy to know the pathways, and to find the licks and
-water-courses of the wilderness," he said; "but who that saw
-this spot could venture to say, that a mighty army was at
-rest among yonder silent trees and barren mountains?"
-
-"We are, then, at no great distance from William Henry?"
-said Heyward, advancing nigher to the scout.
-
-"It is yet a long and weary path, and when and where to
-strike it is now our greatest difficulty.  See," he said,
-pointing through the trees toward a spot where a little
-basin of water reflected the stars from its placid bosom,
-"here is the 'bloody pond'; and I am on ground that I have
-not only often traveled, but over which I have fou't the
-enemy, from the rising to the setting sun."
-
-"Ha! that sheet of dull and dreary water, then, is the
-sepulcher of the brave men who fell in the contest.  I have
-heard it named, but never have I stood on its banks before."
-
-"Three battles did we make with the Dutch-Frenchman* in a
-day," continued Hawkeye, pursuing the train of his own
-thoughts, rather than replying to the remark of Duncan.  "He
-met us hard by, in our outward march to ambush his advance,
-and scattered us, like driven deer, through the defile, to
-the shores of Horican.  Then we rallied behind our fallen
-trees, and made head against him, under Sir William--who
-was made Sir William for that very deed; and well did we pay
-him for the disgrace of the morning!  Hundreds of Frenchmen
-saw the sun that day for the last time; and even their
-leader, Dieskau himself, fell into our hands, so cut and
-torn with the lead, that he has gone back to his own
-country, unfit for further acts in war."
-
-* Baron Dieskau, a German, in the service of France.
-A few years previously to the period of the tale, this
-officer was defeated by Sir William Johnson, of Johnstown,
-New York, on the shores of Lake George.
-
-"'Twas a noble repulse!" exclaimed Heyward, in the heat of
-his youthful ardor; "the fame of it reached us early, in our
-southern army."
-
-"Ay! but it did not end there.  I was sent by Major
-Effingham, at Sir William's own bidding, to outflank the
-French, and carry the tidings of their disaster across the
-portage, to the fort on the Hudson.  Just hereaway, where
-you see the trees rise into a mountain swell, I met a party
-coming down to our aid, and I led them where the enemy were
-taking their meal, little dreaming that they had not
-finished the bloody work of the day."
-
-"And you surprised them?"
-
-"If death can be a surprise to men who are thinking only of
-the cravings of their appetites.  We gave them but little
-breathing time, for they had borne hard upon us in the fight
-of the morning, and there were few in our party who had not
-lost friend or relative by their hands."
-
-"When all was over, the dead, and some say the dying, were
-cast into that little pond.  These eyes have seen its waters
-colored with blood, as natural water never yet flowed from
-the bowels of the 'arth."
-
-"It was a convenient, and, I trust, will prove a peaceful
-grave for a soldier.  You have then seen much service on
-this frontier?"
-
-"Ay!" said the scout, erecting his tall person with an air
-of military pride; "there are not many echoes among these
-hills that haven't rung with the crack of my rifle, nor is
-there the space of a square mile atwixt Horican and the
-river, that 'killdeer' hasn't dropped a living body on, be
-it an enemy or be it a brute beast.  As for the grave there
-being as quiet as you mention, it is another matter.  There
-are them in the camp who say and think, man, to lie still,
-should not be buried while the breath is in the body; and
-certain it is that in the hurry of that evening, the doctors
-had but little time to say who was living and who was dead.
-Hist! see you nothing walking on the shore of the pond?"
-
-"'Tis not probable that any are as houseless as ourselves in
-this dreary forest."
-
-"Such as he may care but little for house or shelter, and
-night dew can never wet a body that passes its days in the
-water," returned the scout, grasping the shoulder of Heyward
-with such convulsive strength as to make the young soldier
-painfully sensible how much superstitious terror had got the
-mastery of a man usually so dauntless.
-
-"By heaven, there is a human form, and it approaches!  Stand
-to your arms, my friends; for we know not whom we
-encounter."
-
-"Qui vive?" demanded a stern, quick voice, which sounded
-like a challenge from another world, issuing out of that
-solitary and solemn place.
-
-"What says it?" whispered the scout; "it speaks neither
-Indian nor English."
-
-"Qui vive?" repeated the same voice, which was quickly
-followed by the rattling of arms, and a menacing attitude.
-
-"France!" cried Heyward, advancing from the shadow of the
-trees to the shore of the pond, within a few yards of the
-sentinel.
-
-"D'ou venez-vous--ou allez-vous, d'aussi bonne heure?"
-demanded the grenadier, in the language and with the accent
-of a man from old France.
-
-"Je viens de la decouverte, et je vais me coucher."
-
-"Etes-vous officier du roi?"
-
-"Sans doute, mon camarade; me prends-tu pour un provincial!
-Je suis capitaine de chasseurs (Heyward well knew that the
-other was of a regiment in the line); j'ai ici, avec moi,
-les filles du commandant de la fortification.  Aha! tu en as
-entendu parler! je les ai fait prisonnieres pres de l'autre
-fort, et je les conduis au general."
-
-"Ma foi! mesdames; j'en suis fâche pour vous," exclaimed the
-young soldier, touching his cap with grace; "mais -- fortune
-de guerre! vous trouverez notre general un brave homme, et
-bien poli avec les dames."
-
-"C'est le caractere des gens de guerre," said Cora, with
-admirable self-possession.  "Adieu, mon ami; je vous
-souhaiterais un devoir plus agreable a remplir."
-
-The soldier made a low and humble acknowledgment for her
-civility; and Heyward adding a "Bonne nuit, mon camarade,"
-they moved deliberately forward, leaving the sentinel pacing
-the banks of the silent pond, little suspecting an enemy of
-so much effrontery, and humming to himself those words which
-were recalled to his mind by the sight of women, and,
-perhaps, by recollections of his own distant and beautiful
-France: "Vive le vin, vive l'amour," etc., etc.
-
-"'Tis well you understood the knave!" whispered the scout,
-when they had gained a little distance from the place, and
-letting his rifle fall into the hollow of his arm again; "I
-soon saw that he was one of them uneasy Frenchers; and well
-for him it was that his speech was friendly and his wishes
-kind, or a place might have been found for his bones among
-those of his countrymen."
-
-He was interrupted by a long and heavy groan which arose
-from the little basin, as though, in truth, the spirits of
-the departed lingered about their watery sepulcher.
-
-"Surely it was of flesh," continued the scout; "no spirit
-could handle its arms so steadily."
-
-"It was of flesh; but whether the poor fellow still belongs
-to this world may well be doubted," said Heyward, glancing
-his eyes around him, and missing Chingachgook from their
-little band.  Another groan more faint than the former was
-succeeded by a heavy and sullen plunge into the water, and
-all was still again as if the borders of the dreary pool had
-never been awakened from the silence of creation.  While
-they yet hesitated in uncertainty, the form of the Indian
-was seen gliding out of the thicket.  As the chief rejoined
-them, with one hand he attached the reeking scalp of the
-unfortunate young Frenchman to his girdle, and with the
-other he replaced the knife and tomahawk that had drunk his
-blood.  He then took his wonted station, with the air of a
-man who believed he had done a deed of merit.
-
-The scout dropped one end of his rifle to the earth, and
-leaning his hands on the other, he stood musing in profound
-silence.  Then, shaking his head in a mournful manner, he
-muttered:
-
-"'Twould have been a cruel and an unhuman act for a white-skin;
-but 'tis the gift and natur' of an Indian, and I suppose it
-should not be denied.  I could wish, though, it had befallen an
-accursed Mingo, rather than that gay young boy from the old countries."
-
-"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive the unconscious sisters
-might comprehend the nature of the detention, and conquering
-his disgust by a train of reflections very much like that of
-the hunter; "'tis done; and though better it were left
-undone, cannot be amended.  You see, we are, too obviously
-within the sentinels of the enemy; what course do you
-propose to follow?"
-
-"Yes," said Hawkeye, rousing himself again; "'tis as you
-say, too late to harbor further thoughts about it.  Ay, the
-French have gathered around the fort in good earnest and we
-have a delicate needle to thread in passing them."
-
-"And but little time to do it in," added Heyward, glancing
-his eyes upwards, toward the bank of vapor that concealed
-the setting moon.
-
-"And little time to do it in!" repeated the scout.  "The
-thing may be done in two fashions, by the help of
-Providence, without which it may not be done at all."
-
-"Name them quickly for time presses."
-
-"One would be to dismount the gentle ones, and let their
-beasts range the plain, by sending the Mohicans in front, we
-might then cut a lane through their sentries, and enter the
-fort over the dead bodies."
-
-"It will not do -- it will not do!" interrupted the generous
-Heyward; "a soldier might force his way in this manner, but
-never with such a convoy."
-
-"'Twould be, indeed, a bloody path for such tender feet to
-wade in," returned the equally reluctant scout; "but I
-thought it befitting my manhood to name it.  We must, then,
-turn in our trail and get without the line of their
-lookouts, when we will bend short to the west, and enter the
-mountains; where I can hide you, so that all the devil's
-hounds in Montcalm's pay would be thrown off the scent for
-months to come."
-
-"Let it be done, and that instantly."
-
-Further words were unnecessary; for Hawkeye, merely uttering
-the mandate to "follow," moved along the route by which they
-had just entered their present critical and even dangerous
-situation.  Their progress, like their late dialogue, was
-guarded, and without noise; for none knew at what moment a
-passing patrol, or a crouching picket of the enemy, might
-rise upon their path.  As they held their silent way along
-the margin of the pond, again Heyward and the scout stole
-furtive glances at its appalling dreariness.  They looked in
-vain for the form they had so recently seen stalking along
-in silent shores, while a low and regular wash of the little
-waves, by announcing that the waters were not yet subsided,
-furnished a frightful memorial of the deed of blood they had
-just witnessed.  Like all that passing and gloomy scene, the
-low basin, however, quickly melted in the darkness, and
-became blended with the mass of black objects in the rear of
-the travelers.
-
-Hawkeye soon deviated from the line of their retreat, and
-striking off towards the mountains which form the western
-boundary of the narrow plain, he led his followers, with
-swift steps, deep within the shadows that were cast from
-their high and broken summits.  The route was now painful;
-lying over ground ragged with rocks, and intersected with
-ravines, and their progress proportionately slow.  Bleak and
-black hills lay on every side of them, compensating in some
-degree for the additional toil of the march by the sense of
-security they imparted.  At length the party began slowly to
-rise a steep and rugged ascent, by a path that curiously
-wound among rocks and trees, avoiding the one and supported
-by the other, in a manner that showed it had been devised by
-men long practised in the arts of the wilderness.  As they
-gradually rose from the level of the valleys, the thick
-darkness which usually precedes the approach of day began to
-disperse, and objects were seen in the plain and palpable
-colors with which they had been gifted by nature.  When they
-issued from the stunted woods which clung to the barren
-sides of the mountain, upon a flat and mossy rock that
-formed its summit, they met the morning, as it came blushing
-above the green pines of a hill that lay on the opposite
-side of the valley of the Horican.
-
-The scout now told the sisters to dismount; and taking the
-bridles from the mouths, and the saddles off the backs of
-the jaded beasts, he turned them loose, to glean a scanty
-subsistence among the shrubs and meager herbage of that
-elevated region.
-
-"Go," he said, "and seek your food where natur' gives it to
-you; and beware that you become not food to ravenous wolves
-yourselves, among these hills."
-
-"Have we no further need of them?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"See, and judge with your own eyes," said the scout,
-advancing toward the eastern brow of the mountain, whither
-he beckoned for the whole party to follow; "if it was as
-easy to look into the heart of man as it is to spy out the
-nakedness of Montcalm's camp from this spot, hypocrites
-would grow scarce, and the cunning of a Mingo might prove a
-losing game, compared to the honesty of a Delaware."
-
-When the travelers reached the verge of the precipices they
-saw, at a glance, the truth of the scout's declaration, and
-the admirable foresight with which he had led them to their
-commanding station.
-
-The mountain on which they stood, elevated perhaps a
-thousand feet in the air, was a high cone that rose a little
-in advance of that range which stretches for miles along the
-western shores of the lake, until meeting its sisters miles
-beyond the water, it ran off toward the Canadas, in confused
-and broken masses of rock, thinly sprinkled with evergreens.
-Immediately at the feet of the party, the southern shore of
-the Horican swept in a broad semicircle from mountain to
-mountain, marking a wide strand, that soon rose into an
-uneven and somewhat elevated plain.  To the north stretched
-the limpid, and, as it appeared from that dizzy height, the
-narrow sheet of the "holy lake," indented with numberless
-bays, embellished by fantastic headlands, and dotted with
-countless islands.  At the distance of a few leagues, the
-bed of the water became lost among mountains, or was wrapped
-in the masses of vapor that came slowly rolling along their
-bosom, before a light morning air.  But a narrow opening
-between the crests of the hills pointed out the passage by
-which they found their way still further north, to spread
-their pure and ample sheets again, before pouring out their
-tribute into the distant Champlain.  To the south stretched
-the defile, or rather broken plain, so often mentioned.  For
-several miles in this direction, the mountains appeared
-reluctant to yield their dominion, but within reach of the
-eye they diverged, and finally melted into the level and
-sandy lands, across which we have accompanied our
-adventurers in their double journey.  Along both ranges of
-hills, which bounded the opposite sides of the lake and
-valley, clouds of light vapor were rising in spiral wreaths
-from the uninhabited woods, looking like the smoke of hidden
-cottages; or rolled lazily down the declivities, to mingle
-with the fogs of the lower land.  A single, solitary, snow-white
-cloud floated above the valley, and marked the spot beneath
-which lay the silent pool of the "bloody pond."
-
-Directly on the shore of the lake, and nearer to its western
-than to its eastern margin, lay the extensive earthen
-ramparts and low buildings of William Henry.  Two of the
-sweeping bastions appeared to rest on the water which washed
-their bases, while a deep ditch and extensive morasses
-guarded its other sides and angles.  The land had been
-cleared of wood for a reasonable distance around the work,
-but every other part of the scene lay in the green livery of
-nature, except where the limpid water mellowed the view, or
-the bold rocks thrust their black and naked heads above the
-undulating outline of the mountain ranges.  In its front
-might be seen the scattered sentinels, who held a weary
-watch against their numerous foes; and within the walls
-themselves, the travelers looked down upon men still drowsy
-with a night of vigilance.  Toward the southeast, but in
-immediate contact with the fort, was an entrenched camp,
-posted on a rocky eminence, that would have been far more
-eligible for the work itself, in which Hawkeye pointed out
-the presence of those auxiliary regiments that had so
-recently left the Hudson in their company.  From the woods,
-a little further to the south, rose numerous dark and lurid
-smokes, that were easily to be distinguished from the purer
-exhalations of the springs, and which the scout also showed
-to Heyward, as evidences that the enemy lay in force in that
-direction.
-
-But the spectacle which most concerned the young soldier was
-on the western bank of the lake, though quite near to its
-southern termination.  On a strip of land, which appeared
-from his stand too narrow to contain such an army, but
-which, in truth, extended many hundreds of yards from the
-shores of the Horican to the base of the mountain, were to
-be seen the white tents and military engines of an
-encampment of ten thousand men.  Batteries were already
-thrown up in their front, and even while the spectators
-above them were looking down, with such different emotions,
-on a scene which lay like a map beneath their feet, the roar
-of artillery rose from the valley, and passed off in
-thundering echoes along the eastern hills.
-
-"Morning is just touching them below," said the deliberate
-and musing scout, "and the watchers have a mind to wake up
-the sleepers by the sound of cannon.  We are a few hours too
-late!  Montcalm has already filled the woods with his
-accursed Iroquois."
-
-"The place is, indeed, invested," returned Duncan; "but is
-there no expedient by which we may enter? capture in the
-works would be far preferable to falling again into the
-hands of roving Indians."
-
-"See!" exclaimed the scout, unconsciously directing the
-attention of Cora to the quarters of her own father, "how
-that shot has made the stones fly from the side of the
-commandant's house!  Ay! these Frenchers will pull it to
-pieces faster than it was put together, solid and thick
-though it be!"
-
-"Heyward, I sicken at the sight of danger that I cannot
-share," said the undaunted but anxious daughter.  "Let us go
-to Montcalm, and demand admission: he dare not deny a child
-the boon."
-
-"You would scarce find the tent of the Frenchman with the
-hair on your head"; said the blunt scout.  "If I had but one
-of the thousand boats which lie empty along that shore, it
-might be done!  Ha! here will soon be an end of the firing,
-for yonder comes a fog that will turn day to night, and make
-an Indian arrow more dangerous than a molded cannon.  Now,
-if you are equal to the work, and will follow, I will make a
-push; for I long to get down into that camp, if it be only
-to scatter some Mingo dogs that I see lurking in the skirts
-of yonder thicket of birch."
-
-"We are equal," said Cora, firmly; "on such an errand we
-will follow to any danger."
-
-The scout turned to her with a smile of honest and cordial
-approbation, as he answered:
-
-"I would I had a thousand men, of brawny limbs and quick
-eyes, that feared death as little as you!  I'd send them
-jabbering Frenchers back into their den again, afore the
-week was ended, howling like so many fettered hounds or
-hungry wolves.  But, sir," he added, turning from her to the
-rest of the party, "the fog comes rolling down so fast, we
-shall have but just the time to meet it on the plain, and
-use it as a cover.  Remember, if any accident should befall
-me, to keep the air blowing on your left cheeks--or,
-rather, follow the Mohicans; they'd scent their way, be it
-in day or be it at night."
-
-He then waved his hand for them to follow, and threw himself
-down the steep declivity, with free, but careful footsteps.
-Heyward assisted the sisters to descend, and in a few
-minutes they were all far down a mountain whose sides they
-had climbed with so much toil and pain.
-
-The direction taken by Hawkeye soon brought the travelers to
-the level of the plain, nearly opposite to a sally-port in
-the western curtain of the fort, which lay itself at the
-distance of about half a mile from the point where he halted
-to allow Duncan to come up with his charge.  In their
-eagerness, and favored by the nature of the ground, they had
-anticipated the fog, which was rolling heavily down the
-lake, and it became necessary to pause, until the mists had
-wrapped the camp of the enemy in their fleecy mantle.  The
-Mohicans profited by the delay, to steal out of the woods,
-and to make a survey of surrounding objects.  They were
-followed at a little distance by the scout, with a view to
-profit early by their report, and to obtain some faint
-knowledge for himself of the more immediate localities.
-
-In a very few moments he returned, his face reddened with
-vexation, while he muttered his disappointment in words of
-no very gentle import.
-
-"Here has the cunning Frenchman been posting a picket
-directly in our path," he said; "red-skins and whites; and
-we shall be as likely to fall into their midst as to pass
-them in the fog!"
-
-"Cannot we make a circuit to avoid the danger," asked
-Heyward, "and come into our path again when it is passed?"
-
-"Who that once bends from the line of his march in a fog can
-tell when or how to find it again!  The mists of Horican are
-not like the curls from a peace-pipe, or the smoke which
-settles above a mosquito fire."
-
-He was yet speaking, when a crashing sound was heard, and a
-cannon-ball entered the thicket, striking the body of a
-sapling, and rebounding to the earth, its force being much
-expended by previous resistance.  The Indians followed
-instantly like busy attendants on the terrible messenger,
-and Uncas commenced speaking earnestly and with much action,
-in the Delaware tongue.
-
-"It may be so, lad," muttered the scout, when he had ended;
-"for desperate fevers are not to be treated like a
-toothache.  Come, then, the fog is shutting in."
-
-"Stop!" cried Heyward; "first explain your expectations."
-
-"'Tis soon done, and a small hope it is; but it is better
-than nothing.  This shot that you see," added the scout,
-kicking the harmless iron with his foot, "has plowed the
-'arth in its road from the fort, and we shall hunt for the
-furrow it has made, when all other signs may fail.  No more
-words, but follow, or the fog may leave us in the middle of
-our path, a mark for both armies to shoot at."
-
-Heyward perceiving that, in fact, a crisis had arrived, when
-acts were more required than words, placed himself between
-the sisters, and drew them swiftly forward, keeping the dim
-figure of their leader in his eye.  It was soon apparent
-that Hawkeye had not magnified the power of the fog, for
-before they had proceeded twenty yards, it was difficult for
-the different individuals of the party to distinguish each
-other in the vapor.
-
-They had made their little circuit to the left, and were
-already inclining again toward the right, having, as Heyward
-thought, got over nearly half the distance to the friendly
-works, when his ears were saluted with the fierce summons,
-apparently within twenty feet of them, of:
-
-"Qui va la?"
-
-"Push on!" whispered the scout, once more bending to the
-left.
-
-"Push on!" repeated Heyward; when the summons was renewed by
-a dozen voices, each of which seemed charged with menace.
-
-"C'est moi," cried Duncan, dragging rather than leading
-those he supported swiftly onward.
-
-"Bete!--qui?--moi!"
-
-"Ami de la France."
-
-"Tu m'as plus l'air d'un ennemi de la France; arrete ou
-pardieu je te ferai ami du diable.  Non! feu, camarades,
-feu!"
-
-The order was instantly obeyed, and the fog was stirred by
-the explosion of fifty muskets.  Happily, the aim was bad,
-and the bullets cut the air in a direction a little
-different from that taken by the fugitives; though still so
-nigh them, that to the unpractised ears of David and the two
-females, it appeared as if they whistled within a few inches
-of the organs.  The outcry was renewed, and the order, not
-only to fire again, but to pursue, was too plainly audible.
-When Heyward briefly explained the meaning of the words they
-heard, Hawkeye halted and spoke with quick decision and
-great firmness.
-
-"Let us deliver our fire," he said; "they will believe it a
-sortie, and give way, or they will wait for reinforcements."
-
-The scheme was well conceived, but failed in its effects.
-The instant the French heard the pieces, it seemed as if the
-plain was alive with men, muskets rattling along its whole
-extent, from the shores of the lake to the furthest boundary
-of the woods.
-
-"We shall draw their entire army upon us, and bring on a
-general assault," said Duncan: "lead on, my friend, for your
-own life and ours."
-
-The scout seemed willing to comply; but, in the hurry of the
-moment, and in the change of position, he had lost the
-direction.  In vain he turned either cheek toward the light
-air; they felt equally cool.  In this dilemma, Uncas lighted
-on the furrow of the cannon ball, where it had cut the
-ground in three adjacent ant-hills.
-
-"Give me the range!" said Hawkeye, bending to catch a
-glimpse of the direction, and then instantly moving onward.
-
-Cries, oaths, voices calling to each other, and the reports
-of muskets, were now quick and incessant, and, apparently,
-on every side of them.  Suddenly a strong glare of light
-flashed across the scene, the fog rolled upward in thick
-wreaths, and several cannons belched across the plain, and
-the roar was thrown heavily back from the bellowing echoes
-of the mountain.
-
-"'Tis from the fort!" exclaimed Hawkeye, turning short on
-his tracks; "and we, like stricken fools, were rushing to
-the woods, under the very knives of the Maquas."
-
-The instant their mistake was rectified, the whole party
-retraced the error with the utmost diligence.  Duncan
-willingly relinquished the support of Cora to the arm of
-Uncas and Cora as readily accepted the welcome assistance.
-Men, hot and angry in pursuit, were evidently on their
-footsteps, and each instant threatened their capture, if not
-their destruction.
-
-"Point de quartier aux coquins!" cried an eager pursuer, who
-seemed to direct the operations of the enemy.
-
-"Stand firm, and be ready, my gallant Sixtieths!" suddenly
-exclaimed a voice above them; "wait to see the enemy, fire
-low and sweep the glacis."
-
-"Father! father!" exclaimed a piercing cry from out the
-mist: "it is I!  Alice!  thy own Elsie!  Spare, oh! save
-your daughters!"
-
-"Hold!" shouted the former speaker, in the awful tones of
-parental agony, the sound reaching even to the woods, and
-rolling back in solemn echo.  "'Tis she!  God has restored
-me to my children!  Throw open the sally-port; to the field,
-Sixtieths, to the field; pull not a trigger, lest ye kill my
-lambs!  Drive off these dogs of France with your steel."
-
-Duncan heard the grating of the rusty hinges, and darting to
-the spot, directed by the sound, he met a long line of dark
-red warriors, passing swiftly toward the glacis.  He knew
-them for his own battalion of the Royal Americans, and
-flying to their head, soon swept every trace of his pursuers
-from before the works.
-
-For an instant, Cora and Alice had stood trembling and
-bewildered by this unexpected desertion; but before either
-had leisure for speech, or even thought, an officer of
-gigantic frame, whose locks were bleached with years and
-service, but whose air of military grandeur had been rather
-softened than destroyed by time, rushed out of the body of
-mist, and folded them to his bosom, while large scalding
-tears rolled down his pale and wrinkled cheeks, and he
-exclaimed, in the peculiar accent of Scotland:
-
-"For this I thank thee, Lord!  Let danger come as it will,
-thy servant is now prepared!"
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 15
-
-"Then go we in, to know his embassy; Which I could, with
-ready guess, declare, Before the Frenchmen speak a word of
-it,"--King Henry V
-
-A few succeeding days were passed amid the privations, the
-uproar, and the dangers of the siege, which was vigorously
-pressed by a power, against whose approaches Munro possessed
-no competent means of resistance.  It appeared as if Webb,
-with his army, which lay slumbering on the banks of the
-Hudson, had utterly forgotten the strait to which his
-countrymen were reduced.  Montcalm had filled the woods of
-the portage with his savages, every yell and whoop from whom
-rang through the British encampment, chilling the hearts of
-men who were already but too much disposed to magnify the
-danger.
-
-Not so, however, with the besieged.  Animated by the words,
-and stimulated by the examples of their leaders, they had
-found their courage, and maintained their ancient
-reputation, with a zeal that did justice to the stern
-character of their commander.  As if satisfied with the toil
-of marching through the wilderness to encounter his enemy,
-the French general, though of approved skill, had neglected
-to seize the adjacent mountains; whence the besieged might
-have been exterminated with impunity, and which, in the more
-modern warfare of the country, would not have been neglected
-for a single hour.  This sort of contempt for eminences, or
-rather dread of the labor of ascending them, might have been
-termed the besetting weakness of the warfare of the period.
-It originated in the simplicity of the Indian contests, in
-which, from the nature of the combats, and the density of
-the forests, fortresses were rare, and artillery next to
-useless.  The carelessness engendered by these usages
-descended even to the war of the Revolution and lost the
-States the important fortress of Ticonderoga opening a way
-for the army of Burgoyne into what was then the bosom of the
-country.  We look back at this ignorance, or infatuation,
-whichever it may be called, with wonder, knowing that the
-neglect of an eminence, whose difficulties, like those of
-Mount Defiance, have been so greatly exaggerated, would, at
-the present time, prove fatal to the reputation of the
-engineer who had planned the works at their base, or to that
-of the general whose lot it was to defend them.
-
-The tourist, the valetudinarian, or the amateur of the
-beauties of nature, who, in the train of his four-in-hand,
-now rolls through the scenes we have attempted to describe,
-in quest of information, health, or pleasure, or floats
-steadily toward his object on those artificial waters which
-have sprung up under the administration of a statesman* who
-has dared to stake his political character on the hazardous
-issue, is not to suppose that his ancestors traversed those
-hills, or struggled with the same currents with equal
-facility.  The transportation of a single heavy gun was
-often considered equal to a victory gained; if happily, the
-difficulties of the passage had not so far separated it from
-its necessary concomitant, the ammunition, as to render it
-no more than a useless tube of unwieldy iron.
-
-* Evidently the late De Witt Clinton, who died
-governor of New York in 1828.
-
-The evils of this state of things pressed heavily on the
-fortunes of the resolute Scotsman who now defended William
-Henry.  Though his adversary neglected the hills, he had
-planted his batteries with judgment on the plain, and caused
-them to be served with vigor and skill.  Against this
-assault, the besieged could only oppose the imperfect and
-hasty preparations of a fortress in the wilderness.
-
-It was in the afternoon of the fifth day of the siege, and
-the fourth of his own service in it, that Major Heyward
-profited by a parley that had just been beaten, by repairing
-to the ramparts of one of the water bastions, to breathe the
-cool air from the lake, and to take a survey of the progress
-of the siege.  He was alone, if the solitary sentinel who
-paced the mound be excepted; for the artillerists had
-hastened also to profit by the temporary suspension of their
-arduous duties.  The evening was delightfully calm, and the
-light air from the limpid water fresh and soothing.  It
-seemed as if, with the termination of the roar of artillery
-and the plunging of shot, nature had also seized the moment
-to assume her mildest and most captivating form.  The sun
-poured down his parting glory on the scene, without the
-oppression of those fierce rays that belong to the climate
-and the season.  The mountains looked green, and fresh, and
-lovely, tempered with the milder light, or softened in
-shadow, as thin vapors floated between them and the sun.
-The numerous islands rested on the bosom of the Horican,
-some low and sunken, as if embedded in the waters, and
-others appearing to hover about the element, in little
-hillocks of green velvet; among which the fishermen of the
-beleaguering army peacefully rowed their skiffs, or floated
-at rest on the glassy mirror in quiet pursuit of their
-employment.
-
-The scene was at once animated and still.  All that
-pertained to nature was sweet, or simply grand; while those
-parts which depended on the temper and movements of man were
-lively and playful.
-
-Two little spotless flags were abroad, the one on a salient
-angle of the fort, and the other on the advanced battery of
-the besiegers; emblems of the truth which existed, not only
-to the acts, but it would seem, also, to the enmity of the
-combatants.
-
-Behind these again swung, heavily opening and closing in
-silken folds, the rival standards of England and France.
-
-A hundred gay and thoughtless young Frenchmen were drawing a
-net to the pebbly beach, within dangerous proximity to the
-sullen but silent cannon of the fort, while the eastern
-mountain was sending back the loud shouts and gay merriment
-that attended their sport.  Some were rushing eagerly to
-enjoy the aquatic games of the lake, and others were already
-toiling their way up the neighboring hills, with the
-restless curiosity of their nation.  To all these sports and
-pursuits, those of the enemy who watched the besieged, and
-the besieged themselves, were, however, merely the idle
-though sympathizing spectators.  Here and there a picket
-had, indeed, raised a song, or mingled in a dance, which had
-drawn the dusky savages around them, from their lairs in the
-forest.  In short, everything wore rather the appearance of
-a day of pleasure, than of an hour stolen from the dangers
-and toil of a bloody and vindictive warfare.
-
-Duncan had stood in a musing attitude, contemplating this
-scene a few minutes, when his eyes were directed to the
-glacis in front of the sally-port already mentioned, by the
-sounds of approaching footsteps.  He walked to an angle of
-the bastion, and beheld the scout advancing, under the
-custody of a French officer, to the body of the fort.  The
-countenance of Hawkeye was haggard and careworn, and his air
-dejected, as though he felt the deepest degradation at
-having fallen into the power of his enemies.  He was without
-his favorite weapon, and his arms were even bound behind him
-with thongs, made of the skin of a deer.  The arrival of
-flags to cover the messengers of summons, had occurred so
-often of late, that when Heyward first threw his careless
-glance on this group, he expected to see another of the
-officers of the enemy, charged with a similar office but the
-instant he recognized the tall person and still sturdy
-though downcast features of his friend, the woodsman, he
-started with surprise, and turned to descend from the
-bastion into the bosom of the work.
-
-The sounds of other voices, however, caught his attention,
-and for a moment caused him to forget his purpose.  At the
-inner angle of the mound he met the sisters, walking along
-the parapet, in search, like himself, of air and relief from
-confinement.  They had not met from that painful moment when
-he deserted them on the plain, only to assure their safety.
-He had parted from them worn with care, and jaded with
-fatigue; he now saw them refreshed and blooming, though
-timid and anxious.  Under such an inducement it will cause
-no surprise that the young man lost sight for a time, of
-other objects in order to address them.  He was, however,
-anticipated by the voice of the ingenuous and youthful
-Alice.
-
-"Ah! thou tyrant! thou recreant knight! he who abandons his
-damsels in the very lists," she cried; "here have we been
-days, nay, ages, expecting you at our feet, imploring mercy
-and forgetfulness of your craven backsliding, or I should
-rather say, backrunning--for verily you fled in the manner
-that no stricken deer, as our worthy friend the scout would
-say, could equal!"
-
-"You know that Alice means our thanks and our blessings,"
-added the graver and more thoughtful Cora.  "In truth, we
-have a little wonder why you should so rigidly absent
-yourself from a place where the gratitude of the daughters
-might receive the support of a parent's thanks."
-
-"Your father himself could tell you, that, though absent
-from your presence, I have not been altogether forgetful of
-your safety," returned the young man; "the mastery of yonder
-village of huts," pointing to the neighboring entrenched
-camp, "has been keenly disputed; and he who holds it is sure
-to be possessed of this fort, and that which it contains.
-My days and nights have all been passed there since we
-separated, because I thought that duty called me thither.
-But," he added, with an air of chagrin, which he endeavored,
-though unsuccessfully, to conceal, "had I been aware that
-what I then believed a soldier's conduct could be so
-construed, shame would have been added to the list of
-reasons."
-
-"Heyward! Duncan!" exclaimed Alice, bending forward to read
-his half-averted countenance, until a lock of her golden
-hair rested on her flushed cheek, and nearly concealed the
-tear that had started to her eye; "did I think this idle
-tongue of mine had pained you, I would silence it forever.
-Cora can say, if Cora would, how justly we have prized your
-services, and how deep -- I had almost said, how fervent --
-is our gratitude."
-
-"And will Cora attest the truth of this?" cried Duncan,
-suffering the cloud to be chased from his countenance by
-a smile of open pleasure.  "What says our graver sister?
-Will she find an excuse for the neglect of the knight in
-the duty of a soldier?"
-
-Cora made no immediate answer, but turned her face toward
-the water, as if looking on the sheet of the Horican.  When
-she did bend her dark eyes on the young man, they were yet
-filled with an expression of anguish that at once drove
-every thought but that of kind solicitude from his mind.
-
-"You are not well, dearest Miss Munro!" he exclaimed; "we
-have trifled while you are in suffering!"
-
-"'Tis nothing," she answered, refusing his support with
-feminine reserve.  "That I cannot see the sunny side of the
-picture of life, like this artless but ardent enthusiast,"
-she added, laying her hand lightly, but affectionately, on
-the arm of her sister, "is the penalty of experience, and,
-perhaps, the misfortune of my nature.  See," she continued,
-as if determined to shake off infirmity, in a sense of duty;
-"look around you, Major Heyward, and tell me what a prospect
-is this for the daughter of a soldier whose greatest
-happiness is his honor and his military renown."
-
-"Neither ought nor shall be tarnished by circumstances over
-which he has had no control," Duncan warmly replied.  "But
-your words recall me to my own duty.  I go now to your
-gallant father, to hear his determination in matters of the
-last moment to the defense.  God bless you in every fortune,
-noble -- Cora -- I may and must call you."  She frankly gave
-him her hand, though her lip quivered, and her cheeks
-gradually became of ashly paleness.  "In every fortune, I
-know you will be an ornament and honor to your sex.  Alice,
-adieu" -- his voice changed from admiration to tenderness --
-"adieu, Alice; we shall soon meet again; as conquerors, I
-trust, and amid rejoicings!"
-
-Without waiting for an answer from either, the young man
-threw himself down the grassy steps of the bastion, and
-moving rapidly across the parade, he was quickly in the
-presence of their father.  Munro was pacing his narrow
-apartment with a disturbed air and gigantic strides as
-Duncan entered.
-
-"You have anticipated my wishes, Major Heyward," he said; "I
-was about to request this favor."
-
-"I am sorry to see, sir, that the messenger I so warmly
-recommended has returned in custody of the French!  I hope
-there is no reason to distrust his fidelity?"
-
-"The fidelity of 'The Long Rifle' is well known to me,"
-returned Munro, "and is above suspicion; though his usual
-good fortune seems, at last, to have failed.  Montcalm has
-got him, and with the accursed politeness of his nation, he
-has sent him in with a doleful tale, of 'knowing how I
-valued the fellow, he could not think of retaining him.'  A
-Jesuitical way that, Major Duncan Heyward, of telling a man
-of his misfortunes!"
-
-"But the general and his succor?"
-
-"Did ye look to the south as ye entered, and could ye not
-see them?" said the old soldier, laughing bitterly.
-
-"Hoot! hoot! you're an impatient boy, sir, and cannot give
-the gentlemen leisure for their march!"
-
-"They are coming, then? The scout has said as much?"
-
-"When? and by what path? for the dunce has omitted to tell
-me this.  There is a letter, it would seem, too; and that is
-the only agreeable part of the matter.  For the customary
-attentions of your Marquis of Montcalm -- I warrant me,
-Duncan, that he of Lothian would buy a dozen such
-marquisates -- but if the news of the letter were bad, the
-gentility of this French monsieur would certainly compel him
-to let us know it."
-
-"He keeps the letter, then, while he releases the
-messenger?"
-
-"Ay, that does he, and all for the sake of what you call
-your 'bonhommie' I would venture, if the truth was known,
-the fellow's grandfather taught the noble science of
-dancing."
-
-"But what says the scout? he has eyes and ears, and a
-tongue.  What verbal report does he make?"
-
-"Oh! sir, he is not wanting in natural organs, and he is
-free to tell all that he has seen and heard.  The whole
-amount is this; there is a fort of his majesty's on the
-banks of the Hudson, called Edward, in honor of his gracious
-highness of York, you'll know; and it is well filled with
-armed men, as such a work should be."
-
-"But was there no movement, no signs of any intention to
-advance to our relief?"
-
-"There were the morning and evening parades; and when one of
-the provincial loons -- you'll know, Duncan, you're half a
-Scotsman yourself -- when one of them dropped his powder
-over his porretch, if it touched the coals, it just burned!"
-Then, suddenly changing his bitter, ironical manner, to one
-more grave and thoughtful, he continued: "and yet there
-might, and must be, something in that letter which it would
-be well to know!"
-
-"Our decision should be speedy," said Duncan, gladly
-availing himself of this change of humor, to press the more
-important objects of their interview; "I cannot conceal from
-you, sir, that the camp will not be much longer tenable; and
-I am sorry to add, that things appear no better in the fort;
-more than half the guns are bursted."
-
-"And how should it be otherwise?  Some were fished from the
-bottom of the lake; some have been rusting in woods since
-the discovery of the country; and some were never guns at
-all--mere privateersmen's playthings!  Do you think, sir,
-you can have Woolwich Warren in the midst of a wilderness,
-three thousand miles from Great Britain?"
-
-"The walls are crumbling about our ears, and provisions
-begin to fail us," continued Heyward, without regarding the
-new burst of indignation; "even the men show signs of
-discontent and alarm."
-
-"Major Heyward," said Munro, turning to his youthful
-associate with the dignity of his years and superior rank;
-"I should have served his majesty for half a century, and
-earned these gray hairs in vain, were I ignorant of all you
-say, and of the pressing nature of our circumstances; still,
-there is everything due to the honor of the king's arms, and
-something to ourselves.  While there is hope of succor, this
-fortress will I defend, though it be to be done with pebbles
-gathered on the lake shore.  It is a sight of the letter,
-therefore, that we want, that we may know the intentions of
-the man the earl of Loudon has left among us as his
-substitute."
-
-"And can I be of service in the matter?"
-
-"Sir, you can; the marquis of Montcalm has, in addition to
-his other civilities, invited me to a personal interview
-between the works and his own camp; in order, as he says, to
-impart some additional information.  Now, I think it would
-not be wise to show any undue solicitude to meet him, and I
-would employ you, an officer of rank, as my substitute; for
-it would but ill comport with the honor of Scotland to let
-it be said one of her gentlemen was outdone in civility by a
-native of any other country on earth."
-
-Without assuming the supererogatory task of entering into a
-discussion of the comparative merits of national courtesy,
-Duncan cheerfully assented to supply the place of the
-veteran in the approaching interview.  A long and
-confidential communication now succeeded, during which the
-young man received some additional insight into his duty,
-from the experience and native acuteness of his commander,
-and then the former took his leave.
-
-As Duncan could only act as the representative of the
-commandant of the fort, the ceremonies which should have
-accompanied a meeting between the heads of the adverse
-forces were, of course, dispensed with.  The truce still
-existed, and with a roll and beat of the drum, and covered
-by a little white flag, Duncan left the sally-port, within
-ten minutes after his instructions were ended.  He was
-received by the French officer in advance with the usual
-formalities, and immediately accompanied to a distant
-marquee of the renowned soldier who led the forces of
-France.
-
-The general of the enemy received the youthful messenger,
-surrounded by his principal officers, and by a swarthy band
-of the native chiefs, who had followed him to the field,
-with the warriors of their several tribes.  Heyward paused
-short, when, in glancing his eyes rapidly over the dark
-group of the latter, he beheld the malignant countenance of
-Magua, regarding him with the calm but sullen attention
-which marked the expression of that subtle savage.  A slight
-exclamation of surprise even burst from the lips of the
-young man, but instantly, recollecting his errand, and the
-presence in which he stood, he suppressed every appearance
-of emotion, and turned to the hostile leader, who had
-already advanced a step to receive him.
-
-The marquis of Montcalm was, at the period of which we
-write, in the flower of his age, and, it may be added, in
-the zenith of his fortunes.  But even in that enviable
-situation, he was affable, and distinguished as much for his
-attention to the forms of courtesy, as for that chivalrous
-courage which, only two short years afterward, induced him
-to throw away his life on the plains of Abraham.  Duncan, in
-turning his eyes from the malign expression of Magua,
-suffered them to rest with pleasure on the smiling and
-polished features, and the noble military air, of the French
-general.
-
-"Monsieur," said the latter, "j'ai beaucoup de plaisir a --
-bah! -- ou est cet interprete?"
-
-"Je crois, monsieur, qu'il ne sear pas necessaire," Heyward
-modestly replied; "je parle un peu francais."
-
-"Ah! j'en suis bien aise," said Montcalm, taking Duncan
-familiarly by the arm, and leading him deep into the
-marquee, a little out of earshot; "je deteste ces fripons-la;
-on ne sait jamais sur quel pie on est avec eux.  Eh,
-bien! monsieur," he continued still speaking in French;
-"though I should have been proud of receiving your
-commandant, I am very happy that he has seen proper to
-employ an officer so distinguished, and who, I am sure, is
-so amiable, as yourself."
-
-Duncan bowed low, pleased with the compliment, in spite of a
-most heroic determination to suffer no artifice to allure
-him into forgetfulness of the interest of his prince; and
-Montcalm, after a pause of a moment, as if to collect his
-thoughts, proceeded:
-
-"Your commandant is a brave man, and well qualified to repel
-my assault.  Mais, monsieur, is it not time to begin to take
-more counsel of humanity, and less of your courage?  The one
-as strongly characterizes the hero as the other."
-
-"We consider the qualities as inseparable," returned Duncan,
-smiling; "but while we find in the vigor of your excellency
-every motive to stimulate the one, we can, as yet, see no
-particular call for the exercise of the other."
-
-Montcalm, in his turn, slightly bowed, but it was with the
-air of a man too practised to remember the language of
-flattery.  After musing a moment, he added:
-
-"It is possible my glasses have deceived me, and that your
-works resist our cannon better than I had supposed.  You
-know our force?"
-
-"Our accounts vary," said Duncan, carelessly; "the highest,
-however, has not exceeded twenty thousand men."
-
-The Frenchman bit his lip, and fastened his eyes keenly on
-the other as if to read his thoughts; then, with a readiness
-peculiar to himself, he continued, as if assenting to the
-truth of an enumeration which quite doubled his army:
-
-"It is a poor compliment to the vigilance of us soldiers,
-monsieur, that, do what we will, we never can conceal our
-numbers.  If it were to be done at all, one would believe it
-might succeed in these woods.  Though you think it too soon
-to listen to the calls of humanity," he added, smiling
-archly, "I may be permitted to believe that gallantry is not
-forgotten by one so young as yourself.  The daughters of the
-commandant, I learn, have passed into the fort since it was
-invested?"
-
-"It is true, monsieur; but, so far from weakening our
-efforts, they set us an example of courage in their own
-fortitude.  Were nothing but resolution necessary to repel
-so accomplished a soldier as M.  de Montcalm, I would gladly
-trust the defense of William Henry to the elder of those
-ladies."
-
-"We have a wise ordinance in our Salique laws, which says,
-'The crown of France shall never degrade the lance to the
-distaff'," said Montcalm, dryly, and with a little hauteur;
-but instantly adding, with his former frank and easy air:
-"as all the nobler qualities are hereditary, I can easily
-credit you; though, as I said before, courage has its
-limits, and humanity must not be forgotten.  I trust,
-monsieur, you come authorized to treat for the surrender of
-the place?"
-
-"Has your excellency found our defense so feeble as to
-believe the measure necessary?"
-
-"I should be sorry to have the defense protracted in such a
-manner as to irritate my red friends there," continued
-Montcalm, glancing his eyes at the group of grave and
-attentive Indians, without attending to the other's
-questions; "I find it difficult, even now, to limit them to
-the usages of war."
-
-Heyward was silent; for a painful recollection of the
-dangers he had so recently escaped came over his mind, and
-recalled the images of those defenseless beings who had
-shared in all his sufferings.
-
-"Ces messieurs-la," said Montcalm, following up the
-advantage which he conceived he had gained, "are most
-formidable when baffled; and it is unnecessary to tell you
-with what difficulty they are restrained in their anger.  Eh
-bien, monsieur! shall we speak of the terms?"
-
-"I fear your excellency has been deceived as to the strength
-of William Henry, and the resources of its garrison!"
-
-"I have not sat down before Quebec, but an earthen work,
-that is defended by twenty-three hundred gallant men," was
-the laconic reply.
-
-"Our mounds are earthen, certainly--nor are they seated on
-the rocks of Cape Diamond; but they stand on that shore
-which proved so destructive to Dieskau and his army.  There
-is also a powerful force within a few hours' march of us,
-which we account upon as a part of our means."
-
-"Some six or eight thousand men," returned Montcalm, with
-much apparent indifference, "whom their leader wisely judges
-to be safer in their works than in the field."
-
-It was now Heyward's turn to bite his lip with vexation as
-the other so coolly alluded to a force which the young man
-knew to be overrated.  Both mused a little while in silence,
-when Montcalm renewed the conversation, in a way that showed
-he believed the visit of his guest was solely to propose
-terms of capitulation.  On the other hand, Heyward began to
-throw sundry inducements in the way of the French general,
-to betray the discoveries he had made through the
-intercepted letter.  The artifice of neither, however,
-succeeded; and after a protracted and fruitless interview,
-Duncan took his leave, favorably impressed with an opinion
-of the courtesy and talents of the enemy's captain, but as
-ignorant of what he came to learn as when he arrived.
-Montcalm followed him as far as the entrance of the marquee,
-renewing his invitations to the commandant of the fort to
-give him an immediate meeting in the open ground between the
-two armies.
-
-There they separated, and Duncan returned to the advanced
-post of the French, accompanied as before; whence he
-instantly proceeded to the fort, and to the quarters of his
-own commander.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 16
-
-"EDG.--Before you fight the battle ope this letter."--
-Lear
-
-Major Heyward found Munro attended only by his daughters.
-Alice sat upon his knee, parting the gray hairs on the
-forehead of the old man with her delicate fingers; and
-whenever he affected to frown on her trifling, appeasing his
-assumed anger by pressing her ruby lips fondly on his
-wrinkled brow.  Cora was seated nigh them, a calm and amused
-looker-on; regarding the wayward movements of her more
-youthful sister with that species of maternal fondness which
-characterized her love for Alice.  Not only the dangers
-through which they had passed, but those which still
-impended above them, appeared to be momentarily forgotten,
-in the soothing indulgence of such a family meeting.  It
-seemed as if they had profited by the short truce, to devote
-an instant to the purest and best affection; the daughters
-forgetting their fears, and the veteran his cares, in the
-security of the moment.  Of this scene, Duncan, who, in his
-eagerness to report his arrival, had entered unannounced,
-stood many moments an unobserved and a delighted spectator.
-But the quick and dancing eyes of Alice soon caught a
-glimpse of his figure reflected from a glass, and she sprang
-blushing from her father's knee, exclaiming aloud:
-
-"Major Heyward!"
-
-"What of the lad?" demanded her father; "I have sent him to
-crack a little with the Frenchman.  Ha, sir, you are young,
-and you're nimble!  Away with you, ye baggage; as if there
-were not troubles enough for a soldier, without having his
-camp filled with such prattling hussies as yourself!"
-
-Alice laughingly followed her sister, who instantly led the
-way from an apartment where she perceived their presence was
-no longer desirable.  Munro, instead of demanding the result
-of the young man's mission, paced the room for a few
-moments, with his hands behind his back, and his head
-inclined toward the floor, like a man lost in thought.  At
-length he raised his eyes, glistening with a father's
-fondness, and exclaimed:
-
-"They are a pair of excellent girls, Heyward, and such as
-any one may boast of."
-
-"You are not now to learn my opinion of your daughters,
-Colonel Munro."
-
-"True, lad, true," interrupted the impatient old man; "you
-were about opening your mind more fully on that matter the
-day you got in, but I did not think it becoming in an old
-soldier to be talking of nuptial blessings and wedding jokes
-when the enemies of his king were likely to be unbidden
-guests at the feast.  But I was wrong, Duncan, boy, I was
-wrong there; and I am now ready to hear what you have to
-say."
-
-"Notwithstanding the pleasure your assurance gives me, dear
-sir, I have just now, a message from Montcalm --"
-
-"Let the Frenchman and all his host go to the devil, sir!"
-exclaimed the hasty veteran.  "He is not yet master of
-William Henry, nor shall he ever be, provided Webb proves
-himself the man he should.  No, sir, thank Heaven we are not
-yet in such a strait that it can be said Munro is too much
-pressed to discharge the little domestic duties of his own
-family.  Your mother was the only child of my bosom friend,
-Duncan; and I'll just give you a hearing, though all the
-knights of St.  Louis were in a body at the sally-port, with
-the French saint at their head, crying to speak a word under
-favor.  A pretty degree of knighthood, sir, is that which
-can be bought with sugar hogsheads! and then your twopenny
-marquisates.  The thistle is the order for dignity and
-antiquity; the veritable 'nemo me impune lacessit' of
-chivalry.  Ye had ancestors in that degree, Duncan, and
-they were an ornament to the nobles of Scotland."
-
-Heyward, who perceived that his superior took a malicious
-pleasure in exhibiting his contempt for the message of the
-French general, was fain to humor a spleen that he knew
-would be short-lived; he therefore, replied with as much
-indifference as he could assume on such a subject:
-
-"My request, as you know, sir, went so far as to presume to
-the honor of being your son."
-
-"Ay, boy, you found words to make yourself very plainly
-comprehended.  But, let me ask ye, sir, have you been as
-intelligible to the girl?"
-
-"On my honor, no," exclaimed Duncan, warmly; "there would
-have been an abuse of a confided trust, had I taken
-advantage of my situation for such a purpose."
-
-"Your notions are those of a gentleman, Major Heyward, and
-well enough in their place.  But Cora Munro is a maiden too
-discreet, and of a mind too elevated and improved, to need
-the guardianship even of a father."
-
-"Cora!"
-
-"Ay -- Cora! we are talking of your pretensions to Miss
-Munro, are we not, sir?"
-
-"I -- I -- I was not conscious of having mentioned her
-name," said Duncan, stammering.
-
-"And to marry whom, then, did you wish my consent, Major
-Heyward?" demanded the old soldier, erecting himself in the
-dignity of offended feeling.
-
-"You have another, and not less lovely child."
-
-"Alice!" exclaimed the father, in an astonishment equal to
-that with which Duncan had just repeated the name of her
-sister.
-
-"Such was the direction of my wishes, sir."
-
-The young man awaited in silence the result of the
-extraordinary effect produced by a communication, which, as
-it now appeared, was so unexpected.  For several minutes
-Munro paced the chamber with long and rapid strides, his
-rigid features working convulsively, and every faculty
-seemingly absorbed in the musings of his own mind.  At
-length, he paused directly in front of Heyward, and riveting
-his eyes upon those of the other, he said, with a lip that
-quivered violently:
-
-"Duncan Heyward, I have loved you for the sake of him whose
-blood is in your veins; I have loved you for your own good
-qualities; and I have loved you, because I thought you would
-contribute to the happiness of my child.  But all this love
-would turn to hatred, were I assured that what I so much
-apprehend is true."
-
-"God forbid that any act or thought of mine should lead to
-such a change!" exclaimed the young man, whose eye never
-quailed under the penetrating look it encountered.  Without
-adverting to the impossibility of the other's comprehending
-those feelings which were hid in his own bosom, Munro
-suffered himself to be appeased by the unaltered countenance
-he met, and with a voice sensibly softened, he continued:
-
-"You would be my son, Duncan, and you're ignorant of the
-history of the man you wish to call your father.  Sit ye
-down, young man, and I will open to you the wounds of a
-seared heart, in as few words as may be suitable."
-
-By this time, the message of Montcalm was as much forgotten
-by him who bore it as by the man for whose ears it was
-intended.  Each drew a chair, and while the veteran communed
-a few moments with his own thoughts, apparently in sadness,
-the youth suppressed his impatience in a look and attitude
-of respectful attention.  At length, the former spoke:
-
-"You'll know, already, Major Heyward, that my family was
-both ancient and honorable," commenced the Scotsman; "though
-it might not altogether be endowed with that amount of
-wealth that should correspond with its degree.  I was,
-maybe, such an one as yourself when I plighted my faith to
-Alice Graham, the only child of a neighboring laird of some
-estate.  But the connection was disagreeable to her father,
-on more accounts than my poverty.  I did, therefore, what an
-honest man should -- restored the maiden her troth, and
-departed the country in the service of my king.  I had seen
-many regions, and had shed much blood in different lands,
-before duty called me to the islands of the West Indies.
-There it was my lot to form a connection with one who in
-time became my wife, and the mother of Cora.  She was the
-daughter of a gentleman of those isles, by a lady whose
-misfortune it was, if you will," said the old man, proudly,
-"to be descended, remotely, from that unfortunate class who
-are so basely enslaved to administer to the wants of a
-luxurious people.  Ay, sir, that is a curse, entailed on
-Scotland by her unnatural union with a foreign and trading
-people.  But could I find a man among them who would dare to
-reflect on my child, he should feel the weight of a father's
-anger!  Ha!  Major Heyward, you are yourself born at the
-south, where these unfortunate beings are considered of a
-race inferior to your own."
-
-"'Tis most unfortunately true, sir," said Duncan, unable any
-longer to prevent his eyes from sinking to the floor in
-embarrassment.
-
-"And you cast it on my child as a reproach!  You scorn to
-mingle the blood of the Heywards with one so degraded --
-lovely and virtuous though she be?" fiercely demanded the
-jealous parent.
-
-"Heaven protect me from a prejudice so unworthy of my
-reason!" returned Duncan, at the same time conscious of such
-a feeling, and that as deeply rooted as if it had been
-ingrafted in his nature.  "The sweetness, the beauty, the
-witchery of your younger daughter, Colonel Munro, might
-explain my motives without imputing to me this injustice."
-
-"Ye are right, sir," returned the old man, again changing
-his tones to those of gentleness, or rather softness; "the
-girl is the image of what her mother was at her years, and
-before she had become acquainted with grief.  When death
-deprived me of my wife I returned to Scotland, enriched by
-the marriage; and, would you think it, Duncan! the suffering
-angel had remained in the heartless state of celibacy twenty
-long years, and that for the sake of a man who could forget
-her!  She did more, sir; she overlooked my want of faith,
-and, all difficulties being now removed, she took me for her
-husband."
-
-"And became the mother of Alice?" exclaimed Duncan, with an
-eagerness that might have proved dangerous at a moment when
-the thoughts of Munro were less occupied that at present.
-
-"She did, indeed," said the old man, "and dearly did she pay
-for the blessing she bestowed.  But she is a saint in
-heaven, sir; and it ill becomes one whose foot rests on the
-grave to mourn a lot so blessed.  I had her but a single
-year, though; a short term of happiness for one who had seen
-her youth fade in hopeless pining."
-
-There was something so commanding in the distress of the old
-man, that Heyward did not dare to venture a syllable of
-consolation.  Munro sat utterly unconscious of the other's
-presence, his features exposed and working with the anguish
-of his regrets, while heavy tears fell from his eyes, and
-rolled unheeded from his cheeks to the floor.  At length he
-moved, and as if suddenly recovering his recollection; when
-he arose, and taking a single turn across the room, he
-approached his companion with an air of military grandeur,
-and demanded:
-
-"Have you not, Major Heyward, some communication that I
-should hear from the marquis de Montcalm?"
-
-Duncan started in his turn, and immediately commenced in an
-embarrassed voice, the half-forgotten message.  It is
-unnecessary to dwell upon the evasive though polite manner
-with which the French general had eluded every attempt of
-Heyward to worm from him the purport of the communication he
-had proposed making, or on the decided, though still
-polished message, by which he now gave his enemy to
-understand, that, unless he chose to receive it in person,
-he should not receive it at all.  As Munro listened to the
-detail of Duncan, the excited feelings of the father
-gradually gave way before the obligations of his station,
-and when the other was done, he saw before him nothing but
-the veteran, swelling with the wounded feelings of a
-soldier.
-
-"You have said enough, Major Heyward," exclaimed the angry
-old man; "enough to make a volume of commentary on French
-civility.  Here has this gentleman invited me to a
-conference, and when I send him a capable substitute, for
-ye're all that, Duncan, though your years are but few, he
-answers me with a riddle."
-
-"He may have thought less favorably of the substitute, my
-dear sir; and you will remember that the invitation, which
-he now repeats, was to the commandant of the works, and not
-to his second."
-
-"Well, sir, is not a substitute clothed with all the power
-and dignity of him who grants the commission?  He wishes to
-confer with Munro!  Faith, sir, I have much inclination to
-indulge the man, if it should only be to let him behold the
-firm countenance we maintain in spite of his numbers and his
-summons.  There might be not bad policy in such a stroke,
-young man."
-
-Duncan, who believed it of the last importance that they
-should speedily come to the contents of the letter borne by
-the scout, gladly encouraged this idea.
-
-"Without doubt, he could gather no confidence by witnessing
-our indifference," he said.
-
-"You never said truer word.  I could wish, sir, that he
-would visit the works in open day, and in the form of a
-storming party; that is the least failing method of proving
-the countenance of an enemy, and would be far preferable to
-the battering system he has chosen.  The beauty and
-manliness of warfare has been much deformed, Major Heyward,
-by the arts of your Monsieur Vauban.  Our ancestors were far
-above such scientific cowardice!"
-
-"It may be very true, sir; but we are now obliged to repel
-art by art.  What is your pleasure in the matter of the
-interview?"
-
-"I will meet the Frenchman, and that without fear or delay;
-promptly, sir, as becomes a servant of my royal master.  Go,
-Major Heyward, and give them a flourish of the music; and
-send out a messenger to let them know who is coming.  We
-will follow with a small guard, for such respect is due to
-one who holds the honor of his king in keeping; and hark'ee,
-Duncan," he added, in a half whisper, though they were
-alone, "it may be prudent to have some aid at hand, in case
-there should be treachery at the bottom of it all."
-
-The young man availed himself of this order to quit the
-apartment; and, as the day was fast coming to a close, he
-hastened without delay, to make the necessary arrangements.
-A very few minutes only were necessary to parade a few
-files, and to dispatch an orderly with a flag to announce
-the approach of the commandant of the fort.  When Duncan had
-done both these, he led the guard to the sally-port, near
-which he found his superior ready, waiting his appearance.
-As soon as the usual ceremonials of a military departure
-were observed, the veteran and his more youthful companion
-left the fortress, attended by the escort.
-
-They had proceeded only a hundred yards from the works, when
-the little array which attended the French general to the
-conference was seen issuing from the hollow way which formed
-the bed of a brook that ran between the batteries of the
-besiegers and the fort.  From the moment that Munro left his
-own works to appear in front of his enemy's, his air had
-been grand, and his step and countenance highly military.
-The instant he caught a glimpse of the white plume that
-waved in the hat of Montcalm, his eye lighted, and age no
-longer appeared to possess any influence over his vast and
-still muscular person.
-
-"Speak to the boys to be watchful, sir," he said, in an
-undertone, to Duncan; "and to look well to their flints and
-steel, for one is never safe with a servant of these
-Louis's; at the same time, we shall show them the front of
-men in deep security.  Ye'll understand me, Major Heyward!"
-
-He was interrupted by the clamor of a drum from the
-approaching Frenchmen, which was immediately answered, when
-each party pushed an orderly in advance, bearing a white
-flag, and the wary Scotsman halted with his guard close at
-his back.  As soon as this slight salutation had passed,
-Montcalm moved toward them with a quick but graceful step,
-baring his head to the veteran, and dropping his spotless
-plume nearly to the earth in courtesy.  If the air of Munro
-was more commanding and manly, it wanted both the ease and
-insinuating polish of that of the Frenchman.  Neither spoke
-for a few moments, each regarding the other with curious and
-interested eyes.  Then, as became his superior rank and the
-nature of the interview, Montcalm broke the silence.  After
-uttering the usual words of greeting, he turned to Duncan,
-and continued, with a smile of recognition, speaking always
-in French:
-
-"I am rejoiced, monsieur, that you have given us the
-pleasure of your company on this occasion.  There will be no
-necessity to employ an ordinary interpreter; for, in your
-hands, I feel the same security as if I spoke your language
-myself."
-
-Duncan acknowledged the compliment, when Montcalm, turning
-to his guard, which in imitation of that of their enemies,
-pressed close upon him, continued:
-
-"En arriere, mes enfants -- il fait chaud ---retirez-vous un
-peu."
-
-Before Major Heyward would imitate this proof of confidence,
-he glanced his eyes around the plain, and beheld with
-uneasiness the numerous dusky groups of savages, who looked
-out from the margin of the surrounding woods, curious
-spectators of the interview.
-
-"Monsieur de Montcalm will readily acknowledge the
-difference in our situation," he said, with some
-embarrassment, pointing at the same time toward those
-dangerous foes, who were to be seen in almost every
-direction.  "Were we to dismiss our guard, we should stand
-here at the mercy of our enemies."
-
-"Monsieur, you have the plighted faith of 'un gentilhomme
-Francais', for your safety," returned Montcalm, laying his
-hand impressively on his heart; "it should suffice."
-
-"It shall.  Fall back," Duncan added to the officer who led
-the escort; "fall back, sir, beyond hearing, and wait for
-orders."
-
-Munro witnessed this movement with manifest uneasiness; nor
-did he fail to demand an instant explanation.
-
-"Is it not our interest, sir, to betray distrust?" retorted
-Duncan.  "Monsieur de Montcalm pledges his word for our
-safety, and I have ordered the men to withdraw a little, in
-order to prove how much we depend on his assurance."
-
-"It may be all right, sir, but I have no overweening
-reliance on the faith of these marquesses, or marquis, as
-they call themselves.  Their patents of nobility are too
-common to be certain that they bear the seal of true honor."
-
-"You forget, dear sir, that we confer with an officer,
-distinguished alike in Europe and America for his deeds.
-From a soldier of his reputation we can have nothing to
-apprehend."
-
-The old man made a gesture of resignation, though his rigid
-features still betrayed his obstinate adherence to a
-distrust, which he derived from a sort of hereditary
-contempt of his enemy, rather than from any present signs
-which might warrant so uncharitable a feeling.  Montcalm
-waited patiently until this little dialogue in demi-voice
-was ended, when he drew nigher, and opened the subject of
-their conference.
-
-"I have solicited this interview from your superior,
-monsieur," he said, "because I believe he will allow himself
-to be persuaded that he has already done everything which is
-necessary for the honor of his prince, and will now listen
-to the admonitions of humanity.  I will forever bear
-testimony that his resistance has been gallant, and was
-continued as long as there was hope."
-
-When this opening was translated to Munro, he answered with
-dignity, but with sufficient courtesy:
-
-"However I may prize such testimony from Monsieur Montcalm,
-it will be more valuable when it shall be better merited."
-
-The French general smiled, as Duncan gave him the purport of
-this reply, and observed:
-
-"What is now so freely accorded to approved courage, may be
-refused to useless obstinacy.  Monsieur would wish to see my
-camp, and witness for himself our numbers, and the
-impossibility of his resisting them with success?"
-
-"I know that the king of France is well served," returned
-the unmoved Scotsman, as soon as Duncan ended his
-translation; "but my own royal master has as many and as
-faithful troops."
-
-"Though not at hand, fortunately for us," said Montcalm,
-without waiting, in his ardor, for the interpreter.  "There
-is a destiny in war, to which a brave man knows how to
-submit with the same courage that he faces his foes."
-
-"Had I been conscious that Monsieur Montcalm was master of
-the English, I should have spared myself the trouble of so
-awkward a translation," said the vexed Duncan, dryly;
-remembering instantly his recent by-play with Munro.
-
-"Your pardon, monsieur," rejoined the Frenchman, suffering a
-slight color to appear on his dark cheek.  "There is a vast
-difference between understanding and speaking a foreign
-tongue; you will, therefore, please to assist me still."
-Then, after a short pause, he added: "These hills afford us
-every opportunity of reconnoitering your works, messieurs,
-and I am possibly as well acquainted with their weak
-condition as you can be yourselves."
-
-"Ask the French general if his glasses can reach to the
-Hudson," said Munro, proudly; "and if he knows when and
-where to expect the army of Webb."
-
-"Let General Webb be his own interpreter," returned the
-politic Montcalm, suddenly extending an open letter toward
-Munro as he spoke; "you will there learn, monsieur, that his
-movements are not likely to prove embarrassing to my army."
-
-The veteran seized the offered paper, without waiting for
-Duncan to translate the speech, and with an eagerness that
-betrayed how important he deemed its contents.  As his eye
-passed hastily over the words, his countenance changed from
-its look of military pride to one of deep chagrin; his lip
-began to quiver; and suffering the paper to fall from his
-hand, his head dropped upon his chest, like that of a man
-whose hopes were withered at a single blow.  Duncan caught
-the letter from the ground, and without apology for the
-liberty he took, he read at a glance its cruel purport.
-Their common superior, so far from encouraging them to
-resist, advised a speedy surrender, urging in the plainest
-language, as a reason, the utter impossibility of his
-sending a single man to their rescue.
-
-"Here is no deception!" exclaimed Duncan, examining the
-billet both inside and out; "this is the signature of Webb,
-and must be the captured letter."
-
-"The man has betrayed me!"  Munro at length bitterly
-exclaimed; "he has brought dishonor to the door of one where
-disgrace was never before known to dwell, and shame has he
-heaped heavily on my gray hairs."
-
-"Say not so," cried Duncan; "we are yet masters of the fort,
-and of our honor.  Let us, then, sell our lives at such a
-rate as shall make our enemies believe the purchase too
-dear."
-
-"Boy, I thank thee," exclaimed the old man, rousing himself
-from his stupor; "you have, for once, reminded Munro of his
-duty.  We will go back, and dig our graves behind those
-ramparts."
-
-"Messieurs," said Montcalm, advancing toward them a step, in
-generous interest, "you little know Louis de St.  Veran if
-you believe him capable of profiting by this letter to
-humble brave men, or to build up a dishonest reputation for
-himself.  Listen to my terms before you leave me."
-
-"What says the Frenchman?" demanded the veteran, sternly;
-"does he make a merit of having captured a scout, with a
-note from headquarters?  Sir, he had better raise this
-siege, to go and sit down before Edward if he wishes to
-frighten his enemy with words."
-
-Duncan explained the other's meaning.
-
-"Monsieur de Montcalm, we will hear you," the veteran added,
-more calmly, as Duncan ended.
-
-"To retain the fort is now impossible," said his liberal
-enemy; "it is necessary to the interests of my master that
-it should be destroyed; but as for yourselves and your brave
-comrades, there is no privilege dear to a soldier that shall
-be denied."
-
-"Our colors?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Carry them to England, and show them to your king."
-
-"Our arms?"
-
-"Keep them; none can use them better."
-
-"Our march; the surrender of the place?"
-
-"Shall all be done in a way most honorable to yourselves."
-
-Duncan now turned to explain these proposals to his
-commander, who heard him with amazement, and a sensibility
-that was deeply touched by so unusual and unexpected
-generosity.
-
-"Go you, Duncan," he said; "go with this marquess, as,
-indeed, marquess he should be; go to his marquee and arrange
-it all.  I have lived to see two things in my old age that
-never did I expect to behold.  An Englishman afraid to
-support a friend, and a Frenchman too honest to profit by
-his advantage."
-
-So saying, the veteran again dropped his head to his chest,
-and returned slowly toward the fort, exhibiting, by the
-dejection of his air, to the anxious garrison, a harbinger
-of evil tidings.
-
-From the shock of this unexpected blow the haughty feelings
-of Munro never recovered; but from that moment there
-commenced a change in his determined character, which
-accompanied him to a speedy grave.  Duncan remained to
-settle the terms of the capitulation.  He was seen to re-
-enter the works during the first watches of the night, and
-immediately after a private conference with the commandant,
-to leave them again.  It was then openly announced that
-hostilities must cease -- Munro having signed a treaty by
-which the place was to be yielded to the enemy, with the
-morning; the garrison to retain their arms, the colors and
-their baggage, and, consequently, according to military
-opinion, their honor.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 17
-
-"Weave we the woof.  The thread is spun.  The web is wove.
-The work is done."--Gray
-
-The hostile armies, which lay in the wilds of the Horican,
-passed the night of the ninth of August, 1757, much in the
-manner they would, had they encountered on the fairest field
-of Europe.  While the conquered were still, sullen, and
-dejected, the victors triumphed.  But there are limits alike
-to grief and joy; and long before the watches of the morning
-came the stillness of those boundless woods was only broken
-by a gay call from some exulting young Frenchman of the
-advanced pickets, or a menacing challenge from the fort,
-which sternly forbade the approach of any hostile footsteps
-before the stipulated moment.  Even these occasional
-threatening sounds ceased to be heard in that dull hour
-which precedes the day, at which period a listener might
-have sought in vain any evidence of the presence of those
-armed powers that then slumbered on the shores of the "holy
-lake."
-
-It was during these moments of deep silence that the canvas
-which concealed the entrance to a spacious marquee in the
-French encampment was shoved aside, and a man issued from
-beneath the drapery into the open air.  He was enveloped in
-a cloak that might have been intended as a protection from
-the chilling damps of the woods, but which served equally
-well as a mantle to conceal his person.  He was permitted to
-pass the grenadier, who watched over the slumbers of the
-French commander, without interruption, the man making the
-usual salute which betokens military deference, as the other
-passed swiftly through the little city of tents, in the
-direction of William Henry.  Whenever this unknown
-individual encountered one of the numberless sentinels who
-crossed his path, his answer was prompt, and, as it
-appeared, satisfactory; for he was uniformly allowed to
-proceed without further interrogation.
-
-With the exception of such repeated but brief interruptions,
-he had moved silently from the center of the camp to its
-most advanced outposts, when he drew nigh the soldier who
-held his watch nearest to the works of the enemy.  As he
-approached he was received with the usual challenge:
-
-"Qui vive?"
-
-"France," was the reply.
-
-"Le mot d'ordre?"
-
-"La victorie," said the other, drawing so nigh as to be
-heard in a loud whisper.
-
-"C'est bien," returned the sentinel, throwing his musket
-from the charge to his shoulder; "vous promenez bien matin,
-monsieur!"
-
-"Il est necessaire d'etre vigilant, mon enfant," the other
-observed, dropping a fold of his cloak, and looking the
-soldier close in the face as he passed him, still continuing
-his way toward the British fortification.  The man started;
-his arms rattled heavily as he threw them forward in the
-lowest and most respectful salute; and when he had again
-recovered his piece, he turned to walk his post, muttering
-between his teeth:
-
-"Il faut etre vigilant, en verite! je crois que nous avons
-la, un caporal qui ne dort jamais!"
-
-The officer proceeded, without affecting to hear the words
-which escaped the sentinel in his surprise; nor did he again
-pause until he had reached the low strand, and in a somewhat
-dangerous vicinity to the western water bastion of the fort.
-The light of an obscure moon was just sufficient to render
-objects, though dim, perceptible in their outlines.  He,
-therefore, took the precaution to place himself against the
-trunk of a tree, where he leaned for many minutes, and
-seemed to contemplate the dark and silent mounds of the
-English works in profound attention.  His gaze at the
-ramparts was not that of a curious or idle spectator; but
-his looks wandered from point to point, denoting his
-knowledge of military usages, and betraying that his search
-was not unaccompanied by distrust.  At length he appeared
-satisfied; and having cast his eyes impatiently upward
-toward the summit of the eastern mountain, as if
-anticipating the approach of the morning, he was in the act
-of turning on his footsteps, when a light sound on the
-nearest angle of the bastion caught his ear, and induced him
-to remain.
-
-Just then a figure was seen to approach the edge of the
-rampart, where it stood, apparently contemplating in its
-turn the distant tents of the French encampment.  Its head
-was then turned toward the east, as though equally anxious
-for the appearance of light, when the form leaned against
-the mound, and seemed to gaze upon the glassy expanse of the
-waters, which, like a submarine firmament, glittered with
-its thousand mimic stars.  The melancholy air, the hour,
-together with the vast frame of the man who thus leaned,
-musing, against the English ramparts, left no doubt as to
-his person in the mind of the observant spectator.
-Delicacy, no less than prudence, now urged him to retire;
-and he had moved cautiously round the body of the tree for
-that purpose, when another sound drew his attention, and
-once more arrested his footsteps.  It was a low and almost
-inaudible movement of the water, and was succeeded by a
-grating of pebbles one against the other.  In a moment he
-saw a dark form rise, as it were, out of the lake, and steal
-without further noise to the land, within a few feet of the
-place where he himself stood.  A rifle next slowly rose
-between his eyes and the watery mirror; but before it could
-be discharged his own hand was on the lock.
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the savage, whose treacherous aim was so
-singularly and so unexpectedly interrupted.
-
-Without making any reply, the French officer laid his hand
-on the shoulder of the Indian, and led him in profound
-silence to a distance from the spot, where their subsequent
-dialogue might have proved dangerous, and where it seemed
-that one of them, at least, sought a victim.  Then throwing
-open his cloak, so as to expose his uniform and the cross of
-St.  Louis which was suspended at his breast, Montcalm
-sternly demanded:
-
-"What means this?  Does not my son know that the hatchet is
-buried between the English and his Canadian Father?"
-
-"What can the Hurons do?" returned the savage, speaking
-also, though imperfectly, in the French language.
-
-"Not a warrior has a scalp, and the pale faces make
-friends!"
-
-"Ha, Le Renard Subtil! Methinks this is an excess of zeal
-for a friend who was so late an enemy!  How many suns have
-set since Le Renard struck the war-post of the English?"
-
-"Where is that sun?" demanded the sullen savage.  "Behind
-the hill; and it is dark and cold.  But when he comes again,
-it will be bright and warm.  Le Subtil is the sun of his
-tribe.  There have been clouds, and many mountains between
-him and his nation; but now he shines and it is a clear
-sky!"
-
-"That Le Renard has power with his people, I well know,"
-said Montcalm; "for yesterday he hunted for their scalps,
-and to-day they hear him at the council-fire."
-
-"Magua is a great chief."
-
-"Let him prove it, by teaching his nation how to conduct
-themselves toward our new friends."
-
-"Why did the chief of the Canadas bring his young men into
-the woods, and fire his cannon at the earthen house?"
-demanded the subtle Indian.
-
-"To subdue it.  My master owns the land, and your father was
-ordered to drive off these English squatters.  They have
-consented to go, and now he calls them enemies no longer."
-
-"'Tis well.  Magua took the hatchet to color it with blood.
-It is now bright; when it is red, it shall be buried."
-
-"But Magua is pledged not to sully the lilies of France.
-The enemies of the great king across the salt lake are his
-enemies; his friends, the friends of the Hurons."
-
-"Friends!" repeated the Indian in scorn.  "Let his father
-give Magua a hand."
-
-Montcalm, who felt that his influence over the warlike
-tribes he had gathered was to be maintained by concession
-rather than by power, complied reluctantly with the other's
-request.  The savage placed the fingers of the French
-commander on a deep scar in his bosom, and then exultingly
-demanded:
-
-"Does my father know that?"
-
-"What warrior does not? 'Tis where a leaden bullet has cut."
-
-"And this?" continued the Indian, who had turned his naked
-back to the other, his body being without its usual calico
-mantle.
-
-"This! -- my son has been sadly injured here; who has done
-this?"
-
-"Magua slept hard in the English wigwams, and the sticks
-have left their mark," returned the savage, with a hollow
-laugh, which did not conceal the fierce temper that nearly
-choked him.  Then, recollecting himself, with sudden and
-native dignity, he added: "Go; teach your young men it is
-peace.  Le Renard Subtil knows how to speak to a Huron
-warrior."
-
-Without deigning to bestow further words, or to wait for any
-answer, the savage cast his rifle into the hollow of his
-arm, and moved silently through the encampment toward the
-woods where his own tribe was known to lie.  Every few yards
-as he proceeded he was challenged by the sentinels; but he
-stalked sullenly onward, utterly disregarding the summons of
-the soldiers, who only spared his life because they knew the
-air and tread no less than the obstinate daring of an
-Indian.
-
-Montcalm lingered long and melancholy on the strand where he
-had been left by his companion, brooding deeply on the
-temper which his ungovernable ally had just discovered.
-Already had his fair fame been tarnished by one horrid
-scene, and in circumstances fearfully resembling those under
-which he now found himself.  As he mused he became keenly
-sensible of the deep responsibility they assume who
-disregard the means to attain the end, and of all the danger
-of setting in motion an engine which it exceeds human power
-to control.  Then shaking off a train of reflections that he
-accounted a weakness in such a moment of triumph, he
-retraced his steps toward his tent, giving the order as he
-passed to make the signal that should arouse the army from
-its slumbers.
-
-The first tap of the French drums was echoed from the bosom
-of the fort, and presently the valley was filled with the
-strains of martial music, rising long, thrilling and lively
-above the rattling accompaniment.  The horns of the victors
-sounded merry and cheerful flourishes, until the last
-laggard of the camp was at his post; but the instant the
-British fifes had blown their shrill signal, they became
-mute.  In the meantime the day had dawned, and when the line
-of the French army was ready to receive its general, the
-rays of a brilliant sun were glancing along the glittering
-array.  Then that success, which was already so well known,
-was officially announced; the favored band who were selected
-to guard the gates of the fort were detailed, and defiled
-before their chief; the signal of their approach was given,
-and all the usual preparations for a change of masters were
-ordered and executed directly under the guns of the
-contested works.
-
-A very different scene presented itself within the lines of
-the Anglo-American army.  As soon as the warning signal was
-given, it exhibited all the signs of a hurried and forced
-departure.  The sullen soldiers shouldered their empty tubes
-and fell into their places, like men whose blood had been
-heated by the past contest, and who only desired the
-opportunity to revenge an indignity which was still wounding
-to their pride, concealed as it was under the observances of
-military etiquette.
-
-Women and children ran from place to place, some bearing the
-scanty remnants of their baggage, and others searching in
-the ranks for those countenances they looked up to for
-protection.
-
-Munro appeared among his silent troops firm but dejected.
-It was evident that the unexpected blow had struck deep into
-his heart, though he struggled to sustain his misfortune
-with the port of a man.
-
-Duncan was touched at the quiet and impressive exhibition of
-his grief.  He had discharged his own duty, and he now
-pressed to the side of the old man, to know in what
-particular he might serve him.
-
-"My daughters," was the brief but expressive reply.
-
-"Good heavens! are not arrangements already made for their
-convenience?"
-
-"To-day I am only a soldier, Major Heyward," said the
-veteran.  "All that you see here, claim alike to be my
-children."
-
-Duncan had heard enough.  Without losing one of those
-moments which had now become so precious, he flew toward the
-quarters of Munro, in quest of the sisters.  He found them
-on the threshold of the low edifice, already prepared to
-depart, and surrounded by a clamorous and weeping assemblage
-of their own sex, that had gathered about the place, with a
-sort of instinctive consciousness that it was the point most
-likely to be protected.  Though the cheeks of Cora were pale
-and her countenance anxious, she had lost none of her
-firmness; but the eyes of Alice were inflamed, and betrayed
-how long and bitterly she had wept.  They both, however,
-received the young man with undisguised pleasure; the
-former, for a novelty, being the first to speak.
-
-"The fort is lost," she said, with a melancholy smile;
-"though our good name, I trust, remains."
-
-"'Tis brighter than ever.  But, dearest Miss Munro, it is
-time to think less of others, and to make some provision for
-yourself.  Military usage -- pride -- that pride on which
-you so much value yourself, demands that your father and I
-should for a little while continue with the troops.  Then
-where to seek a proper protector for you against the
-confusion and chances of such a scene?"
-
-"None is necessary," returned Cora; "who will dare to injure
-or insult the daughter of such a father, at a time like
-this?"
-
-"I would not leave you alone," continued the youth, looking
-about him in a hurried manner, "for the command of the best
-regiment in the pay of the king.  Remember, our Alice is not
-gifted with all your firmness, and God only knows the terror
-she might endure."
-
-"You may be right," Cora replied, smiling again, but far
-more sadly than before.  "Listen! chance has already sent us
-a friend when he is most needed."
-
-Duncan did listen, and on the instant comprehended her
-meaning.  The low and serious sounds of the sacred music, so
-well known to the eastern provinces, caught his ear, and
-instantly drew him to an apartment in an adjacent building,
-which had already been deserted by its customary tenants.
-There he found David, pouring out his pious feelings through
-the only medium in which he ever indulged.  Duncan waited,
-until, by the cessation of the movement of the hand, he
-believed the strain was ended, when, by touching his
-shoulder, he drew the attention of the other to himself, and
-in a few words explained his wishes.
-
-"Even so," replied the single-minded disciple of the King of
-Israel, when the young man had ended; "I have found much
-that is comely and melodious in the maidens, and it is
-fitting that we who have consorted in so much peril, should
-abide together in peace.  I will attend them, when I have
-completed my morning praise, to which nothing is now wanting
-but the doxology.  Wilt thou bear a part, friend? The meter
-is common, and the tune 'Southwell'."
-
-Then, extending the little volume, and giving the pitch of
-the air anew with considerate attention, David recommenced
-and finished his strains, with a fixedness of manner that it
-was not easy to interrupt.  Heyward was fain to wait until
-the verse was ended; when, seeing David relieving himself
-from the spectacles, and replacing the book, he continued.
-
-"It will be your duty to see that none dare to approach the
-ladies with any rude intention, or to offer insult or taunt
-at the misfortune of their brave father.  In this task you
-will be seconded by the domestics of their household."
-
-"Even so."
-
-"It is possible that the Indians and stragglers of the enemy
-may intrude, in which case you will remind them of the terms
-of the capitulation, and threaten to report their conduct to
-Montcalm.  A word will suffice."
-
-"If not, I have that here which shall," returned David,
-exhibiting his book, with an air in which meekness and
-confidence were singularly blended.  Here are words which,
-uttered, or rather thundered, with proper emphasis, and in
-measured time, shall quiet the most unruly temper:
-
-"'Why rage the heathen furiously'?"
-
-"Enough," said Heyward, interrupting the burst of his
-musical invocation; "we understand each other; it is time
-that we should now assume our respective duties."
-
-Gamut cheerfully assented, and together they sought the
-females.  Cora received her new and somewhat extraordinary
-protector courteously, at least; and even the pallid
-features of Alice lighted again with some of their native
-archness as she thanked Heyward for his care.  Duncan took
-occasion to assure them he had done the best that
-circumstances permitted, and, as he believed, quite enough
-for the security of their feelings; of danger there was
-none.  He then spoke gladly of his intention to rejoin them
-the moment he had led the advance a few miles toward the
-Hudson, and immediately took his leave.
-
-By this time the signal for departure had been given, and
-the head of the English column was in motion.  The sisters
-started at the sound, and glancing their eyes around, they
-saw the white uniforms of the French grenadiers, who had
-already taken possession of the gates of the fort.  At that
-moment an enormous cloud seemed to pass suddenly above their
-heads, and, looking upward, they discovered that they stood
-beneath the wide folds of the standard of France.
-
-"Let us go," said Cora; "this is no longer a fit place for
-the children of an English officer."
-
-Alice clung to the arm of her sister, and together they left
-the parade, accompanied by the moving throng that surrounded
-them.
-
-As they passed the gates, the French officers, who had
-learned their rank, bowed often and low, forbearing,
-however, to intrude those attentions which they saw, with
-peculiar tact, might not be agreeable.  As every vehicle and
-each beast of burden was occupied by the sick and wounded,
-Cora had decided to endure the fatigues of a foot march,
-rather than interfere with their comforts.  Indeed, many a
-maimed and feeble soldier was compelled to drag his
-exhausted limbs in the rear of the columns, for the want of
-the necessary means of conveyance in that wilderness.  The
-whole, however, was in motion; the weak and wounded,
-groaning and in suffering; their comrades silent and sullen;
-and the women and children in terror, they knew not of what.
-
-As the confused and timid throng left the protecting mounds
-of the fort, and issued on the open plain, the whole scene
-was at once presented to their eyes.  At a little distance
-on the right, and somewhat in the rear, the French army
-stood to their arms, Montcalm having collected his parties,
-so soon as his guards had possession of the works.  They
-were attentive but silent observers of the proceedings of
-the vanquished, failing in none of the stipulated military
-honors, and offering no taunt or insult, in their success,
-to their less fortunate foes.  Living masses of the English,
-to the amount, in the whole, of near three thousand, were
-moving slowly across the plain, toward the common center,
-and gradually approached each other, as they converged to
-the point of their march, a vista cut through the lofty
-trees, where the road to the Hudson entered the forest.
-Along the sweeping borders of the woods hung a dark cloud of
-savages, eyeing the passage of their enemies, and hovering
-at a distance, like vultures who were only kept from
-swooping on their prey by the presence and restraint of a
-superior army.  A few had straggled among the conquered
-columns, where they stalked in sullen discontent; attentive,
-though, as yet, passive observers of the moving multitude.
-
-The advance, with Heyward at its head, had already reached
-the defile, and was slowly disappearing, when the attention
-of Cora was drawn to a collection of stragglers by the
-sounds of contention.  A truant provincial was paying the
-forfeit of his disobedience, by being plundered of those
-very effects which had caused him to desert his place in the
-ranks.  The man was of powerful frame, and too avaricious to
-part with his goods without a struggle.  Individuals from
-either party interfered; the one side to prevent and the
-other to aid in the robbery.  Voices grew loud and angry,
-and a hundred savages appeared, as it were, by magic, where
-a dozen only had been seen a minute before.  It was then
-that Cora saw the form of Magua gliding among his
-countrymen, and speaking with his fatal and artful
-eloquence.  The mass of women and children stopped, and
-hovered together like alarmed and fluttering birds.  But the
-cupidity of the Indian was soon gratified, and the different
-bodies again moved slowly onward.
-
-The savages now fell back, and seemed content to let their
-enemies advance without further molestation.  But, as the
-female crowd approached them, the gaudy colors of a shawl
-attracted the eyes of a wild and untutored Huron.  He
-advanced to seize it without the least hesitation.  The
-woman, more in terror than through love of the ornament,
-wrapped her child in the coveted article, and folded both
-more closely to her bosom.  Cora was in the act of speaking,
-with an intent to advise the woman to abandon the trifle,
-when the savage relinquished his hold of the shawl, and tore
-the screaming infant from her arms.  Abandoning everything
-to the greedy grasp of those around her, the mother darted,
-with distraction in her mien, to reclaim her child.  The
-Indian smiled grimly, and extended one hand, in sign of a
-willingness to exchange, while, with the other, he
-flourished the babe over his head, holding it by the feet as
-if to enhance the value of the ransom.
-
-"Here -- here -- there -- all -- any -- everything!"
-exclaimed the breathless woman, tearing the lighter articles
-of dress from her person with ill-directed and trembling
-fingers; "take all, but give me my babe!"
-
-The savage spurned the worthless rags, and perceiving that
-the shawl had already become a prize to another, his
-bantering but sullen smile changing to a gleam of ferocity,
-he dashed the head of the infant against a rock, and cast
-its quivering remains to her very feet.  For an instant the
-mother stood, like a statue of despair, looking wildly down
-at the unseemly object, which had so lately nestled in her
-bosom and smiled in her face; and then she raised her eyes
-and countenance toward heaven, as if calling on God to curse
-the perpetrator of the foul deed.  She was spared the sin of
-such a prayer for, maddened at his disappointment, and
-excited at the sight of blood, the Huron mercifully drove
-his tomahawk into her own brain.  The mother sank under the
-blow, and fell, grasping at her child, in death, with the
-same engrossing love that had caused her to cherish it when
-living.
-
-At that dangerous moment, Magua placed his hands to his
-mouth, and raised the fatal and appalling whoop.  The
-scattered Indians started at the well-known cry, as coursers
-bound at the signal to quit the goal; and directly there
-arose such a yell along the plain, and through the arches of
-the wood, as seldom burst from human lips before.  They who
-heard it listened with a curdling horror at the heart,
-little inferior to that dread which may be expected to
-attend the blasts of the final summons.
-
-More than two thousand raving savages broke from the forest
-at the signal, and threw themselves across the fatal plain
-with instinctive alacrity.  We shall not dwell on the
-revolting horrors that succeeded.  Death was everywhere, and
-in his most terrific and disgusting aspects.  Resistance
-only served to inflame the murderers, who inflicted their
-furious blows long after their victims were beyond the power
-of their resentment.  The flow of blood might be likened to
-the outbreaking of a torrent; and as the natives became
-heated and maddened by the sight, many among them even
-kneeled to the earth, and drank freely, exultingly,
-hellishly, of the crimson tide.
-
-The trained bodies of the troops threw themselves quickly
-into solid masses, endeavoring to awe their assailants by
-the imposing appearance of a military front.  The experiment
-in some measure succeeded, though far too many suffered
-their unloaded muskets to be torn from their hands, in the
-vain hope of appeasing the savages.
-
-In such a scene none had leisure to note the fleeting moments.
-It might have been ten minutes (it seemed an age) that the
-sisters had stood riveted to one spot, horror-stricken and
-nearly helpless.  When the first blow was struck, their
-screaming companions had pressed upon them in a body, rendering
-flight impossible; and now that fear or death had scattered
-most, if not all, from around them, they saw no avenue open,
-but such as conducted to the tomahawks of their foes. On every
-side arose shrieks, groans, exhortations and curses.  At this
-moment, Alice caught a glimpse of the vast form of her father,
-moving rapidly across the plain, in the direction of the French
-army.  He was, in truth, proceeding to Montcalm, fearless of
-every danger, to claim the tardy escort for which he had before
-conditioned.  Fifty glittering axes and barbed spears were
-offered unheeded at his life, but the savages respected his
-rank and calmness, even in their fury.  The dangerous weapons
-were brushed aside by the still nervous arm of the veteran, or
-fell of themselves, after menacing an act that it would seem no
-one had courage to perform.  Fortunately, the vindictive Magua
-was searching for his victim in the very band the veteran had
-just quitted.
-
-"Father -- father -- we are here!" shrieked Alice, as he
-passed, at no great distance, without appearing to heed
-them.  "Come to us, father, or we die!"
-
-The cry was repeated, and in terms and tones that might have
-melted a heart of stone, but it was unanswered.  Once,
-indeed, the old man appeared to catch the sound, for he
-paused and listened; but Alice had dropped senseless on the
-earth, and Cora had sunk at her side, hovering in untiring
-tenderness over her lifeless form.  Munro shook his head in
-disappointment, and proceeded, bent on the high duty of his
-station.
-
-"Lady," said Gamut, who, helpless and useless as he was, had
-not yet dreamed of deserting his trust, "it is the jubilee
-of the devils, and this is not a meet place for Christians
-to tarry in.  Let us up and fly."
-
-"Go," said Cora, still gazing at her unconscious sister;
-"save thyself.  To me thou canst not be of further use."
-
-David comprehended the unyielding character of her
-resolution, by the simple but expressive gesture that
-accompanied her words.  He gazed for a moment at the dusky
-forms that were acting their hellish rites on every side of
-him, and his tall person grew more erect while his chest
-heaved, and every feature swelled, and seemed to speak with
-the power of the feelings by which he was governed.
-
-"If the Jewish boy might tame the great spirit of Saul by
-the sound of his harp, and the words of sacred song, it may
-not be amiss," he said, "to try the potency of music here."
-
-Then raising his voice to its highest tone, he poured out a
-strain so powerful as to be heard even amid the din of that
-bloody field.  More than one savage rushed toward them,
-thinking to rifle the unprotected sisters of their attire,
-and bear away their scalps; but when they found this strange
-and unmoved figure riveted to his post, they paused to
-listen.  Astonishment soon changed to admiration, and they
-passed on to other and less courageous victims, openly
-expressing their satisfaction at the firmness with which the
-white warrior sang his death song.  Encouraged and deluded
-by his success, David exerted all his powers to extend what
-he believed so holy an influence.  The unwonted sounds
-caught the ears of a distant savage, who flew raging from
-group to group, like one who, scorning to touch the vulgar
-herd, hunted for some victim more worthy of his renown.  It
-was Magua, who uttered a yell of pleasure when he beheld his
-ancient prisoners again at his mercy.
-
-"Come," he said, laying his soiled hands on the dress of
-Cora, "the wigwam of the Huron is still open.  Is it not
-better than this place?"
-
-"Away!" cried Cora, veiling her eyes from his revolting
-aspect.
-
-The Indian laughed tauntingly, as he held up his reeking
-hand, and answered: "It is red, but it comes from white
-veins!"
-
-"Monster! there is blood, oceans of blood, upon thy soul;
-thy spirit has moved this scene."
-
-"Magua is a great chief!" returned the exulting savage,
-"will the dark-hair go to his tribe?"
-
-"Never! strike if thou wilt, and complete thy revenge."  He
-hesitated a moment, and then catching the light and
-senseless form of Alice in his arms, the subtle Indian moved
-swiftly across the plain toward the woods.
-
-"Hold!" shrieked Cora, following wildly on his footsteps;
-"release the child! wretch! what is't you do?"
-
-But Magua was deaf to her voice; or, rather, he knew his
-power, and was determined to maintain it.
-
-"Stay -- lady -- stay," called Gamut, after the unconscious
-Cora.  "The holy charm is beginning to be felt, and soon
-shalt thou see this horrid tumult stilled."
-
-Perceiving that, in his turn, he was unheeded, the faithful
-David followed the distracted sister, raising his voice
-again in sacred song, and sweeping the air to the measure,
-with his long arm, in diligent accompaniment.  In this
-manner they traversed the plain, through the flying, the
-wounded and the dead.  The fierce Huron was, at any time,
-sufficient for himself and the victim that he bore; though
-Cora would have fallen more than once under the blows of her
-savage enemies, but for the extraordinary being who stalked
-in her rear, and who now appeared to the astonished natives
-gifted with the protecting spirit of madness.
-
-Magua, who knew how to avoid the more pressing dangers, and
-also to elude pursuit, entered the woods through a low
-ravine, where he quickly found the Narragansetts, which the
-travelers had abandoned so shortly before, awaiting his
-appearance, in custody of a savage as fierce and malign in
-his expression as himself.  Laying Alice on one of the
-horses, he made a sign to Cora to mount the other.
-
-Notwithstanding the horror excited by the presence of her
-captor, there was a present relief in escaping from the
-bloody scene enacting on the plain, to which Cora could not
-be altogether insensible.  She took her seat, and held forth
-her arms for her sister, with an air of entreaty and love
-that even the Huron could not deny.  Placing Alice, then, on
-the same animal with Cora, he seized the bridle, and
-commenced his route by plunging deeper into the forest.
-David, perceiving that he was left alone, utterly
-disregarded as a subject too worthless even to destroy,
-threw his long limb across the saddle of the beast they had
-deserted, and made such progress in the pursuit as the
-difficulties of the path permitted.
-
-They soon began to ascend; but as the motion had a tendency
-to revive the dormant faculties of her sister, the attention
-of Cora was too much divided between the tenderest
-solicitude in her behalf, and in listening to the cries
-which were still too audible on the plain, to note the
-direction in which they journeyed.  When, however, they
-gained the flattened surface of the mountain-top, and
-approached the eastern precipice, she recognized the spot to
-which she had once before been led under the more friendly
-auspices of the scout.  Here Magua suffered them to
-dismount; and notwithstanding their own captivity, the
-curiosity which seems inseparable from horror, induced them
-to gaze at the sickening sight below.
-
-The cruel work was still unchecked.  On every side the
-captured were flying before their relentless persecutors,
-while the armed columns of the Christian king stood fast in
-an apathy which has never been explained, and which has left
-an immovable blot on the otherwise fair escutcheon of their
-leader.  Nor was the sword of death stayed until cupidity
-got the mastery of revenge.  Then, indeed, the shrieks of
-the wounded, and the yells of their murderers grew less
-frequent, until, finally, the cries of horror were lost to
-their ear, or were drowned in the loud, long and piercing
-whoops of the triumphant savages.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 18
-
-"Why, anything; An honorable murderer, if you will; For
-naught I did in hate, but all in honor."--Othello
-
-The bloody and inhuman scene rather incidentally mentioned
-than described in the preceding chapter, is conspicuous in
-the pages of colonial history by the merited title of "The
-Massacre of William Henry."  It so far deepened the stain
-which a previous and very similar event had left upon the
-reputation of the French commander that it was not entirely
-erased by his early and glorious death.  It is now becoming
-obscured by time; and thousands, who know that Montcalm died
-like a hero on the plains of Abraham, have yet to learn how
-much he was deficient in that moral courage without which no
-man can be truly great. Pages might yet be written to prove,
-from this illustrious example, the defects of human
-excellence; to show how easy it is for generous sentiments,
-high courtesy, and chivalrous courage to lose their
-influence beneath the chilling blight of selfishness, and to
-exhibit to the world a man who was great in all the minor
-attributes of character, but who was found wanting when it
-became necessary to prove how much principle is superior to
-policy.  But the task would exceed our prerogatives; and, as
-history, like love, is so apt to surround her heroes with an
-atmosphere of imaginary brightness, it is probable that
-Louis de Saint Veran will be viewed by posterity only as the
-gallant defender of his country, while his cruel apathy on
-the shores of the Oswego and of the Horican will be
-forgotten.  Deeply regretting this weakness on the part of a
-sister muse, we shall at once retire from her sacred
-precincts, within the proper limits of our own humble
-vocation.
-
-The third day from the capture of the fort was drawing to a
-close, but the business of the narrative must still detain
-the reader on the shores of the "holy lake."  When last
-seen, the environs of the works were filled with violence
-and uproar.  They were now possessed by stillness and death.
-The blood-stained conquerors had departed; and their camp,
-which had so lately rung with the merry rejoicings of a
-victorious army, lay a silent and deserted city of huts.
-The fortress was a smoldering ruin; charred rafters,
-fragments of exploded artillery, and rent mason-work
-covering its earthen mounds in confused disorder.
-
-A frightful change had also occurred in the season.  The sun
-had hid its warmth behind an impenetrable mass of vapor, and
-hundreds of human forms, which had blackened beneath the
-fierce heats of August, were stiffening in their deformity
-before the blasts of a premature November.  The curling and
-spotless mists, which had been seen sailing above the hills
-toward the north, were now returning in an interminable
-dusky sheet, that was urged along by the fury of a tempest.
-The crowded mirror of the Horican was gone; and, in its
-place, the green and angry waters lashed the shores, as if
-indignantly casting back its impurities to the polluted
-strand.  Still the clear fountain retained a portion of its
-charmed influence, but it reflected only the somber gloom
-that fell from the impending heavens.  That humid and
-congenial atmosphere which commonly adorned the view,
-veiling its harshness, and softening its asperities, had
-disappeared, the northern air poured across the waste of
-water so harsh and unmingled, that nothing was left to be
-conjectured by the eye, or fashioned by the fancy.
-
-The fiercer element had cropped the verdure of the plain,
-which looked as though it were scathed by the consuming
-lightning.  But, here and there, a dark green tuft rose in
-the midst of the desolation; the earliest fruits of a soil
-that had been fattened with human blood.  The whole
-landscape, which, seen by a favoring light, and in a genial
-temperature, had been found so lovely, appeared now like
-some pictured allegory of life, in which objects were
-arrayed in their harshest but truest colors, and without the
-relief of any shadowing.
-
-The solitary and arid blades of grass arose from the passing
-gusts fearfully perceptible; the bold and rocky mountains
-were too distinct in their barrenness, and the eye even
-sought relief, in vain, by attempting to pierce the
-illimitable void of heaven, which was shut to its gaze by
-the dusky sheet of ragged and driving vapor.
-
-The wind blew unequally; sometimes sweeping heavily along
-the ground, seeming to whisper its moanings in the cold ears
-of the dead, then rising in a shrill and mournful whistling,
-it entered the forest with a rush that filled the air with
-the leaves and branches it scattered in its path.  Amid the
-unnatural shower, a few hungry ravens struggled with the
-gale; but no sooner was the green ocean of woods which
-stretched beneath them, passed, than they gladly stopped, at
-random, to their hideous banquet.
-
-In short, it was a scene of wildness and desolation; and it
-appeared as if all who had profanely entered it had been
-stricken, at a blow, by the relentless arm of death.  But
-the prohibition had ceased; and for the first time since the
-perpetrators of those foul deeds which had assisted to
-disfigure the scene were gone, living human beings had now
-presumed to approach the place.
-
-About an hour before the setting of the sun, on the day
-already mentioned, the forms of five men might have been
-seen issuing from the narrow vista of trees, where the path
-to the Hudson entered the forest, and advancing in the
-direction of the ruined works.  At first their progress was
-slow and guarded, as though they entered with reluctance
-amid the horrors of the post, or dreaded the renewal of its
-frightful incidents.  A light figure preceded the rest of
-the party, with the caution and activity of a native;
-ascending every hillock to reconnoiter, and indicating by
-gestures, to his companions, the route he deemed it most
-prudent to pursue.  Nor were those in the rear wanting in
-every caution and foresight known to forest warfare.  One
-among them, he also was an Indian, moved a little on one
-flank, and watched the margin of the woods, with eyes long
-accustomed to read the smallest sign of danger.  The
-remaining three were white, though clad in vestments
-adapted, both in quality and color, to their present
-hazardous pursuit--that of hanging on the skirts of a
-retiring army in the wilderness.
-
-The effects produced by the appalling sights that constantly
-arose in their path to the lake shore, were as different as
-the characters of the respective individuals who composed
-the party.  The youth in front threw serious but furtive
-glances at the mangled victims, as he stepped lightly across
-the plain, afraid to exhibit his feelings, and yet too
-inexperienced to quell entirely their sudden and powerful
-influence.  His red associate, however, was superior to such
-a weakness.  He passed the groups of dead with a steadiness
-of purpose, and an eye so calm, that nothing but long and
-inveterate practise could enable him to maintain.  The
-sensations produced in the minds of even the white men were
-different, though uniformly sorrowful.  One, whose gray
-locks and furrowed lineaments, blending with a martial air
-and tread, betrayed, in spite of the disguise of a
-woodsman's dress, a man long experienced in scenes of war,
-was not ashamed to groan aloud, whenever a spectacle of more
-than usual horror came under his view.  The young man at his
-elbow shuddered, but seemed to suppress his feelings in
-tenderness to his companion.  Of them all, the straggler who
-brought up the rear appeared alone to betray his real
-thoughts, without fear of observation or dread of
-consequences.  He gazed at the most appalling sight with
-eyes and muscles that knew not how to waver, but with
-execrations so bitter and deep as to denote how much he
-denounced the crime of his enemies.
-
-The reader will perceive at once, in these respective
-characters, the Mohicans, and their white friend, the scout;
-together with Munro and Heyward.  It was, in truth, the
-father in quest of his children, attended by the youth who
-felt so deep a stake in their happiness, and those brave and
-trusty foresters, who had already proved their skill and
-fidelity through the trying scenes related.
-
-When Uncas, who moved in front, had reached the center of
-the plain, he raised a cry that drew his companions in a
-body to the spot.  The young warrior had halted over a group
-of females who lay in a cluster, a confused mass of dead.
-Notwithstanding the revolting horror of the exhibition,
-Munro and Heyward flew toward the festering heap,
-endeavoring, with a love that no unseemliness could
-extinguish, to discover whether any vestiges of those they
-sought were to be seen among the tattered and many-colored
-garments.  The father and the lover found instant relief in
-the search; though each was condemned again to experience
-the misery of an uncertainty that was hardly less
-insupportable than the most revolting truth.  They were
-standing, silent and thoughtful, around the melancholy pile,
-when the scout approached.  Eyeing the sad spectacle with an
-angry countenance, the sturdy woodsman, for the first time
-since his entering the plain, spoke intelligibly and aloud:
-
-"I have been on many a shocking field, and have followed a
-trail of blood for weary miles," he said, "but never have I
-found the hand of the devil so plain as it is here to be
-seen!  Revenge is an Indian feeling, and all who know me
-know that there is no cross in my veins; but this much will
-I say -- here, in the face of heaven, and with the power of
-the Lord so manifest in this howling wilderness -- that
-should these Frenchers ever trust themselves again within
-the range of a ragged bullet, there is one rifle which shall
-play its part so long as flint will fire or powder burn!  I
-leave the tomahawk and knife to such as have a natural gift
-to use them.  What say you, Chingachgook," he added, in
-Delaware; "shall the Hurons boast of this to their women
-when the deep snows come?"
-
-A gleam of resentment flashed across the dark lineaments of
-the Mohican chief; he loosened his knife in his sheath; and
-then turning calmly from the sight, his countenance settled
-into a repose as deep as if he knew the instigation of
-passion.
-
-"Montcalm! Montcalm!" continued the deeply resentful and
-less self-restrained scout; "they say a time must come when
-all the deeds done in the flesh will be seen at a single
-look; and that by eyes cleared from mortal infirmities.  Woe
-betide the wretch who is born to behold this plain, with the
-judgment hanging about his soul!  Ha -- as I am a man of
-white blood, yonder lies a red-skin, without the hair of his
-head where nature rooted it!  Look to him, Delaware; it may
-be one of your missing people; and he should have burial
-like a stout warrior.  I see it in your eye, Sagamore; a
-Huron pays for this, afore the fall winds have blown away
-the scent of the blood!"
-
-Chingachgook approached the mutilated form, and, turning it
-over, he found the distinguishing marks of one of those six
-allied tribes, or nations, as they were called, who, while
-they fought in the English ranks, were so deadly hostile to
-his own people.  Spurning the loathsome object with his
-foot, he turned from it with the same indifference he would
-have quitted a brute carcass.  The scout comprehended the
-action, and very deliberately pursued his own way,
-continuing, however, his denunciations against the French
-commander in the same resentful strain.
-
-"Nothing but vast wisdom and unlimited power should dare to
-sweep off men in multitudes," he added; "for it is only the
-one that can know the necessity of the judgment; and what is
-there, short of the other, that can replace the creatures of
-the Lord?  I hold it a sin to kill the second buck afore the
-first is eaten, unless a march in front, or an ambushment,
-be contemplated.  It is a different matter with a few
-warriors in open and rugged fight, for 'tis their gift to
-die with the rifle or the tomahawk in hand; according as
-their natures may happen to be, white or red.  Uncas, come
-this way, lad, and let the ravens settle upon the Mingo.  I
-know, from often seeing it, that they have a craving for the
-flesh of an Oneida; and it is as well to let the bird follow
-the gift of its natural appetite."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed the young Mohican, rising on the
-extremities of his feet, and gazing intently in his front,
-frightening the ravens to some other prey by the sound and
-the action.
-
-"What is it, boy?" whispered the scout, lowering his tall
-form into a crouching attitude, like a panther about to take
-his leap; "God send it be a tardy Frencher, skulking for
-plunder.  I do believe 'killdeer' would take an uncommon
-range today!"
-
-Uncas, without making any reply, bounded away from the spot,
-and in the next instant he was seen tearing from a bush, and
-waving in triumph, a fragment of the green riding-veil of
-Cora.  The movement, the exhibition, and the cry which again
-burst from the lips of the young Mohican, instantly drew the
-whole party about him.
-
-"My child!" said Munro, speaking quickly and wildly; "give
-me my child!"
-
-"Uncas will try," was the short and touching answer.
-
-The simple but meaning assurance was lost on the father, who
-seized the piece of gauze, and crushed it in his hand, while
-his eyes roamed fearfully among the bushes, as if he equally
-dreaded and hoped for the secrets they might reveal.
-
-"Here are no dead," said Heyward; "the storm seems not to
-have passed this way."
-
-"That's manifest; and clearer than the heavens above our
-heads," returned the undisturbed scout; "but either she, or
-they that have robbed her, have passed the bush; for I
-remember the rag she wore to hide a face that all did love
-to look upon.  Uncas, you are right; the dark-hair has been
-here, and she has fled like a frightened fawn, to the wood;
-none who could fly would remain to be murdered.  Let us
-search for the marks she left; for, to Indian eyes, I
-sometimes think a humming-bird leaves his trail in the air."
-
-The young Mohican darted away at the suggestion, and the
-scout had hardly done speaking, before the former raised a
-cry of success from the margin of the forest.  On reaching
-the spot, the anxious party perceived another portion of the
-veil fluttering on the lower branch of a beech.
-
-"Softly, softly," said the scout, extending his long rifle
-in front of the eager Heyward; "we now know our work, but
-the beauty of the trail must not be deformed.  A step too
-soon may give us hours of trouble.  We have them, though;
-that much is beyond denial."
-
-"Bless ye, bless ye, worthy man!" exclaimed Munro; "whither
-then, have they fled, and where are my babes?"
-
-"The path they have taken depends on many chances.  If they
-have gone alone, they are quite as likely to move in a
-circle as straight, and they may be within a dozen miles of
-us; but if the Hurons, or any of the French Indians, have
-laid hands on them, 'tis probably they are now near the
-borders of the Canadas.  But what matters that?" continued
-the deliberate scout, observing the powerful anxiety and
-disappointment the listeners exhibited; "here are the
-Mohicans and I on one end of the trail, and, rely on it, we
-find the other, though they should be a hundred leagues
-asunder!  Gently, gently, Uncas, you are as impatient as a
-man in the settlements; you forget that light feet leave but
-faint marks!"
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed Chingachgook, who had been occupied in
-examining an opening that had been evidently made through
-the low underbrush which skirted the forest; and who now
-stood erect, as he pointed downward, in the attitude and
-with the air of a man who beheld a disgusting serpent.
-
-"Here is the palpable impression of the footstep of a man,"
-cried Heyward, bending over the indicated spot; "he has trod
-in the margin of this pool, and the mark cannot be mistaken.
-They are captives."
-
-"Better so than left to starve in the wilderness," returned
-the scout; "and they will leave a wider trail.  I would
-wager fifty beaver skins against as many flints, that the
-Mohicans and I enter their wigwams within the month!  Stoop
-to it, Uncas, and try what you can make of the moccasin; for
-moccasin it plainly is, and no shoe."
-
-The young Mohican bent over the track, and removing the
-scattered leaves from around the place, he examined it with
-much of that sort of scrutiny that a money dealer, in these
-days of pecuniary doubts, would bestow on a suspected due-bill.
-At length he arose from his knees, satisfied with the result
-of the examination.
-
-"Well, boy," demanded the attentive scout; "what does it
-say?  Can you make anything of the tell-tale?"
-
-"Le Renard Subtil!"
-
-"Ha! that rampaging devil again! there will never be an end
-of his loping till 'killdeer' has said a friendly word to
-him."
-
-Heyward reluctantly admitted the truth of this intelligence,
-and now expressed rather his hopes than his doubts by
-saying:
-
-"One moccasin is so much like another, it is probable there
-is some mistake."
-
-"One moccasin like another! you may as well say that one
-foot is like another; though we all know that some are long,
-and others short; some broad and others narrow; some with
-high, and some with low insteps; some intoed, and some out.
-One moccasin is no more like another than one book is like
-another: though they who can read in one are seldom able to
-tell the marks of the other.  Which is all ordered for the
-best, giving to every man his natural advantages.  Let me
-get down to it, Uncas; neither book nor moccasin is the
-worse for having two opinions, instead of one."  The scout
-stooped to the task, and instantly added:
-
-"You are right, boy; here is the patch we saw so often in
-the other chase.  And the fellow will drink when he can get
-an opportunity; your drinking Indian always learns to walk
-with a wider toe than the natural savage, it being the gift
-of a drunkard to straddle, whether of white or red skin.
-'Tis just the length and breadth, too! look at it, Sagamore;
-you measured the prints more than once, when we hunted the
-varmints from Glenn's to the health springs."
-
-Chingachgook complied; and after finishing his short
-examination, he arose, and with a quiet demeanor, he merely
-pronounced the word:
-
-"Magua!"
-
-"Ay, 'tis a settled thing; here, then, have passed the
-dark-hair and Magua."
-
-"And not Alice?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Of her we have not yet seen the signs," returned the scout,
-looking closely around at the trees, the bushes and the
-ground.  "What have we there?  Uncas, bring hither the thing
-you see dangling from yonder thorn-bush."
-
-When the Indian had complied, the scout received the prize,
-and holding it on high, he laughed in his silent but
-heartfelt manner.
-
-"'Tis the tooting we'pon of the singer! now we shall have a
-trail a priest might travel," he said.  "Uncas, look for the
-marks of a shoe that is long enough to uphold six feet two
-of tottering human flesh.  I begin to have some hopes of the
-fellow, since he has given up squalling to follow some
-better trade."
-
-"At least he has been faithful to his trust," said Heyward.
-"And Cora and Alice are not without a friend."
-
-"Yes," said Hawkeye, dropping his rifle, and leaning on it
-with an air of visible contempt, "he will do their singing.
-Can he slay a buck for their dinner; journey by the moss on
-the beeches, or cut the throat of a Huron?  If not, the
-first catbird* he meets is the cleverer of the two.  Well,
-boy, any signs of such a foundation?"
-
-* The powers of the American mocking-bird are
-generally known.  But the true mocking-bird is not found so
-far north as the state of New York, where it has, however,
-two substitutes of inferior excellence, the catbird, so
-often named by the scout, and the bird vulgarly called
-ground-thresher.  Either of these last two birds is superior
-to the nightingale or the lark, though, in general, the
-American birds are less musical than those of Europe.
-
-"Here is something like the footstep of one who has worn a
-shoe; can it be that of our friend?"
-
-"Touch the leaves lightly or you'll disconsart the
-formation.  That! that is the print of a foot, but 'tis the
-dark-hair's; and small it is, too, for one of such a noble
-height and grand appearance.  The singer would cover it with
-his heel."
-
-"Where! let me look on the footsteps of my child," said
-Munro, shoving the bushes aside, and bending fondly over the
-nearly obliterated impression.  Though the tread which had
-left the mark had been light and rapid, it was still plainly
-visible.  The aged soldier examined it with eyes that grew
-dim as he gazed; nor did he rise from this stooping posture
-until Heyward saw that he had watered the trace of his
-daughter's passage with a scalding tear.  Willing to divert
-a distress which threatened each moment to break through the
-restraint of appearances, by giving the veteran something to
-do, the young man said to the scout:
-
-"As we now possess these infallible signs, let us commence
-our march.  A moment, at such a time, will appear an age to
-the captives."
-
-"It is not the swiftest leaping deer that gives the longest
-chase," returned Hawkeye, without moving his eyes from the
-different marks that had come under his view; "we know that
-the rampaging Huron has passed, and the dark-hair, and the
-singer, but where is she of the yellow locks and blue eyes?
-Though little, and far from being as bold as her sister, she
-is fair to the view, and pleasant in discourse.  Has she no
-friend, that none care for her?"
-
-"God forbid she should ever want hundreds!  Are we not now
-in her pursuit?  For one, I will never cease the search till
-she be found."
-
-"In that case we may have to journey by different paths; for
-here she has not passed, light and little as her footsteps
-would be."
-
-Heyward drew back, all his ardor to proceed seeming to
-vanish on the instant.  Without attending to this sudden
-change in the other's humor, the scout after musing a moment
-continued:
-
-"There is no woman in this wilderness could leave such a
-print as that, but the dark-hair or her sister.  We know
-that the first has been here, but where are the signs of the
-other?  Let us push deeper on the trail, and if nothing
-offers, we must go back to the plain and strike another
-scent.  Move on, Uncas, and keep your eyes on the dried
-leaves.  I will watch the bushes, while your father shall
-run with a low nose to the ground.  Move on, friends; the
-sun is getting behind the hills."
-
-"Is there nothing that I can do?" demanded the anxious
-Heyward.
-
-"You?" repeated the scout, who, with his red friends, was
-already advancing in the order he had prescribed; "yes, you
-can keep in our rear and be careful not to cross the trail."
-
-Before they had proceeded many rods, the Indians stopped,
-and appeared to gaze at some signs on the earth with more
-than their usual keenness.  Both father and son spoke quick
-and loud, now looking at the object of their mutual
-admiration, and now regarding each other with the most
-unequivocal pleasure.
-
-"They have found the little foot!" exclaimed the scout,
-moving forward, without attending further to his own portion
-of the duty.  "What have we here?  An ambushment has been
-planted in the spot!  No, by the truest rifle on the
-frontiers, here have been them one-sided horses again!  Now
-the whole secret is out, and all is plain as the north star
-at midnight.  Yes, here they have mounted.  There the beasts
-have been bound to a sapling, in waiting; and yonder runs
-the broad path away to the north, in full sweep for the
-Canadas."
-
-"But still there are no signs of Alice, of the younger Miss
-Munro," said Duncan.
-
-"Unless the shining bauble Uncas has just lifted from the
-ground should prove one.  Pass it this way, lad, that we may
-look at it."
-
-Heyward instantly knew it for a trinket that Alice was fond
-of wearing, and which he recollected, with the tenacious
-memory of a lover, to have seen, on the fatal morning of the
-massacre, dangling from the fair neck of his mistress.  He
-seized the highly prized jewel; and as he proclaimed the
-fact, it vanished from the eyes of the wondering scout, who
-in vain looked for it on the ground, long after it was
-warmly pressed against the beating heart of Duncan.
-
-"Pshaw!" said the disappointed Hawkeye, ceasing to rake the
-leaves with the breech of his rifle; "'tis a certain sign of
-age, when the sight begins to weaken.  Such a glittering
-gewgaw, and not to be seen!  Well, well, I can squint along
-a clouded barrel yet, and that is enough to settle all
-disputes between me and the Mingoes.  I should like to find
-the thing, too, if it were only to carry it to the right
-owner, and that would be bringing the two ends of what I
-call a long trail together, for by this time the broad St.
-Lawrence, or perhaps, the Great Lakes themselves, are
-between us."
-
-"So much the more reason why we should not delay our march,"
-returned Heyward; "let us proceed."
-
-"Young blood and hot blood, they say, are much the same
-thing.  We are not about to start on a squirrel hunt, or to
-drive a deer into the Horican, but to outlie for days and
-nights, and to stretch across a wilderness where the feet of
-men seldom go, and where no bookish knowledge would carry
-you through harmless.  An Indian never starts on such an
-expedition without smoking over his council-fire; and,
-though a man of white blood, I honor their customs in this
-particular, seeing that they are deliberate and wise.  We
-will, therefore, go back, and light our fire to-night in the
-ruins of the old fort, and in the morning we shall be fresh,
-and ready to undertake our work like men, and not like
-babbling women or eager boys."
-
-Heyward saw, by the manner of the scout, that altercation
-would be useless.  Munro had again sunk into that sort of
-apathy which had beset him since his late overwhelming
-misfortunes, and from which he was apparently to be roused
-only by some new and powerful excitement.  Making a merit of
-necessity, the young man took the veteran by the arm, and
-followed in the footsteps of the Indians and the scout, who
-had already begun to retrace the path which conducted them
-to the plain.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 19
-
-"Salar.--Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not
-take his flesh; what's that good for?  Shy.--To bait fish
-withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my
-revenge."--Merchant of Venice
-
-The shades of evening had come to increase the dreariness of
-the place, when the party entered the ruins of William
-Henry.  The scout and his companions immediately made their
-preparations to pass the night there; but with an
-earnestness and sobriety of demeanor that betrayed how much
-the unusual horrors they had just witnessed worked on even
-their practised feelings.  A few fragments of rafters were
-reared against a blackened wall; and when Uncas had covered
-them slightly with brush, the temporary accommodations were
-deemed sufficient.  The young Indian pointed toward his
-rude hut when his labor was ended; and Heyward, who
-understood the meaning of the silent gestures, gently urged
-Munro to enter.  Leaving the bereaved old man alone with his
-sorrows, Duncan immediately returned into the open air, too
-much excited himself to seek the repose he had recommended
-to his veteran friend.
-
-While Hawkeye and the Indians lighted their fire and took
-their evening's repast, a frugal meal of dried bear's meat,
-the young man paid a visit to that curtain of the
-dilapidated fort which looked out on the sheet of the
-Horican.  The wind had fallen, and the waves were already
-rolling on the sandy beach beneath him, in a more regular
-and tempered succession.  The clouds, as if tired of their
-furious chase, were breaking asunder; the heavier volumes,
-gathering in black masses about the horizon, while the
-lighter scud still hurried above the water, or eddied among
-the tops of the mountains, like broken flights of birds,
-hovering around their roosts.  Here and there, a red and
-fiery star struggled through the drifting vapor, furnishing
-a lurid gleam of brightness to the dull aspect of the
-heavens.  Within the bosom of the encircling hills, an
-impenetrable darkness had already settled; and the plain lay
-like a vast and deserted charnel-house, without omen or
-whisper to disturb the slumbers of its numerous and hapless
-tenants.
-
-Of this scene, so chillingly in accordance with the past,
-Duncan stood for many minutes a rapt observer.  His eyes
-wandered from the bosom of the mound, where the foresters
-were seated around their glimmering fire, to the fainter
-light which still lingered in the skies, and then rested
-long and anxiously on the embodied gloom, which lay like a
-dreary void on that side of him where the dead reposed.  He
-soon fancied that inexplicable sounds arose from the place,
-though so indistinct and stolen, as to render not only their
-nature but even their existence uncertain.  Ashamed of his
-apprehensions, the young man turned toward the water, and
-strove to divert his attention to the mimic stars that dimly
-glimmered on its moving surface.  Still, his too-conscious
-ears performed their ungrateful duty, as if to warn him of
-some lurking danger.  At length, a swift trampling seemed,
-quite audibly, to rush athwart the darkness.  Unable any
-longer to quiet his uneasiness, Duncan spoke in a low voice
-to the scout, requesting him to ascend the mound to the
-place where he stood. Hawkeye threw his rifle across an arm
-and complied, but with an air so unmoved and calm, as to
-prove how much he counted on the security of their position.
-
-"Listen!" said Duncan, when the other placed himself
-deliberately at his elbow; "there are suppressed noises on
-the plain which may show Montcalm has not yet entirely
-deserted his conquest."
-
-"Then ears are better than eyes," said the undisturbed
-scout, who, having just deposited a portion of a bear
-between his grinders, spoke thick and slow, like one whose
-mouth was doubly occupied.  "I myself saw him caged in Ty,
-with all his host; for your Frenchers, when they have done a
-clever thing, like to get back, and have a dance, or a
-merry-making, with the women over their success."
-
-"I know not.  An Indian seldom sleeps in war, and plunder
-may keep a Huron here after his tribe has departed.  It
-would be well to extinguish the fire, and have a watch --
-listen! you hear the noise I mean!"
-
-"An Indian more rarely lurks about the graves.  Though ready
-to slay, and not over regardful of the means, he is commonly
-content with the scalp, unless when blood is hot, and temper
-up; but after spirit is once fairly gone, he forgets his
-enmity, and is willing to let the dead find their natural
-rest.  Speaking of spirits, major, are you of opinion that
-the heaven of a red-skin and of us whites will be of one and
-the same?"
-
-"No doubt -- no doubt.  I thought I heard it again! or was
-it the rustling of the leaves in the top of the beech?"
-
-"For my own part," continued Hawkeye, turning his face for a
-moment in the direction indicated by Heyward, but with a
-vacant and careless manner, "I believe that paradise is
-ordained for happiness; and that men will be indulged in it
-according to their dispositions and gifts.  I, therefore,
-judge that a red-skin is not far from the truth when he
-believes he is to find them glorious hunting grounds of
-which his traditions tell; nor, for that matter, do I think
-it would be any disparagement to a man without a cross to
-pass his time --"
-
-"You hear it again?" interrupted Duncan.
-
-"Ay, ay; when food is scarce, and when food is plenty, a
-wolf grows bold," said the unmoved scout.  "There would be
-picking, too, among the skins of the devils, if there was
-light and time for the sport.  But, concerning the life that
-is to come, major; I have heard preachers say, in the
-settlements, that heaven was a place of rest.  Now, men's
-minds differ as to their ideas of enjoyment.  For myself,
-and I say it with reverence to the ordering of Providence,
-it would be no great indulgence to be kept shut up in those
-mansions of which they preach, having a natural longing for
-motion and the chase."
-
-Duncan, who was now made to understand the nature of the
-noise he had heard, answered, with more attention to the
-subject which the humor of the scout had chosen for
-discussion, by saying:
-
-"It is difficult to account for the feelings that may attend
-the last great change."
-
-"It would be a change, indeed, for a man who has passed his
-days in the open air," returned the single-minded scout;
-"and who has so often broken his fast on the head waters of
-the Hudson, to sleep within sound of the roaring Mohawk.
-But it is a comfort to know we serve a merciful Master,
-though we do it each after his fashion, and with great
-tracts of wilderness atween us -- what goes there?"
-
-"Is it not the rushing of the wolves you have mentioned?"
-
-Hawkeye slowly shook his head, and beckoned for Duncan to
-follow him to a spot to which the glare from the fire did
-not extend.  When he had taken this precaution, the scout
-placed himself in an attitude of intense attention and
-listened long and keenly for a repetition of the low sound
-that had so unexpectedly startled him.  His vigilance,
-however, seemed exercised in vain; for after a fruitless
-pause, he whispered to Duncan:
-
-"We must give a call to Uncas.  The boy has Indian senses,
-and he may hear what is hid from us; for, being a white-skin,
-I will not deny my nature."
-
-The young Mohican, who was conversing in a low voice with
-his father, started as he heard the moaning of an owl, and,
-springing on his feet, he looked toward the black mounds, as
-if seeking the place whence the sounds proceeded.  The scout
-repeated the call, and in a few moments, Duncan saw the
-figure of Uncas stealing cautiously along the rampart, to
-the spot where they stood.
-
-Hawkeye explained his wishes in a very few words, which were
-spoken in the Delaware tongue.  So soon as Uncas was in
-possession of the reason why he was summoned, he threw
-himself flat on the turf; where, to the eyes of Duncan, he
-appeared to lie quiet and motionless.  Surprised at the
-immovable attitude of the young warrior, and curious to
-observe the manner in which he employed his faculties to
-obtain the desired information, Heyward advanced a few
-steps, and bent over the dark object on which he had kept
-his eye riveted.  Then it was he discovered that the form of
-Uncas vanished, and that he beheld only the dark outline of
-an inequality in the embankment.
-
-"What has become of the Mohican?" he demanded of the scout,
-stepping back in amazement; "it was here that I saw him
-fall, and could have sworn that here he yet remained."
-
-"Hist! speak lower; for we know not what ears are open, and
-the Mingoes are a quick-witted breed.  As for Uncas, he is
-out on the plain, and the Maquas, if any such are about us,
-will find their equal."
-
-"You think that Montcalm has not called off all his Indians?
-Let us give the alarm to our companions, that we may stand
-to our arms.  Here are five of us, who are not unused to
-meet an enemy."
-
-"Not a word to either, as you value your life.  Look at the
-Sagamore, how like a grand Indian chief he sits by the fire.
-If there are any skulkers out in the darkness, they will
-never discover, by his countenance, that we suspect danger
-at hand."
-
-"But they may discover him, and it will prove his death.
-His person can be too plainly seen by the light of that
-fire, and he will become the first and most certain victim."
-
-"It is undeniable that now you speak the truth," returned
-the scout, betraying more anxiety than was usual; "yet what
-can be done?  A single suspicious look might bring on an
-attack before we are ready to receive it.  He knows, by the
-call I gave to Uncas, that we have struck a scent; I will
-tell him that we are on the trail of the Mingoes; his Indian
-nature will teach him how to act."
-
-The scout applied his fingers to his mouth, and raised a low
-hissing sound, that caused Duncan at first to start aside,
-believing that he heard a serpent.  The head of Chingachgook
-was resting on a hand, as he sat musing by himself but the
-moment he had heard the warning of the animal whose name he
-bore, he arose to an upright position, and his dark eyes
-glanced swiftly and keenly on every side of him.  With his
-sudden and, perhaps, involuntary movement, every appearance
-of surprise or alarm ended.  His rifle lay untouched, and
-apparently unnoticed, within reach of his hand.  The
-tomahawk that he had loosened in his belt for the sake of
-ease, was even suffered to fall from its usual situation to
-the ground, and his form seemed to sink, like that of a man
-whose nerves and sinews were suffered to relax for the
-purpose of rest.  Cunningly resuming his former position,
-though with a change of hands, as if the movement had been
-made merely to relieve the limb, the native awaited the
-result with a calmness and fortitude that none but an Indian
-warrior would have known how to exercise.
-
-But Heyward saw that while to a less instructed eye the
-Mohican chief appeared to slumber, his nostrils were
-expanded, his head was turned a little to one side, as if to
-assist the organs of hearing, and that his quick and rapid
-glances ran incessantly over every object within the power
-of his vision.
-
-"See the noble fellow!" whispered Hawkeye, pressing the arm
-of Heyward; "he knows that a look or a motion might
-disconsart our schemes, and put us at the mercy of them imps --"
-
-He was interrupted by the flash and report of a rifle.  The
-air was filled with sparks of fire, around that spot where
-the eyes of Heyward were still fastened, with admiration and
-wonder.  A second look told him that Chingachgook had
-disappeared in the confusion.  In the meantime, the scout
-had thrown forward his rifle, like one prepared for service,
-and awaited impatiently the moment when an enemy might rise
-to view.  But with the solitary and fruitless attempt made
-on the life of Chingachgook, the attack appeared to have
-terminated.  Once or twice the listeners thought they could
-distinguish the distant rustling of bushes, as bodies of
-some unknown description rushed through them; nor was it
-long before Hawkeye pointed out the "scampering of the
-wolves," as they fled precipitately before the passage of
-some intruder on their proper domains.  After an impatient
-and breathless pause, a plunge was heard in the water, and
-it was immediately followed by the report of another rifle.
-
-"There goes Uncas!" said the scout; "the boy bears a smart
-piece!  I know its crack, as well as a father knows the
-language of his child, for I carried the gun myself until a
-better offered."
-
-"What can this mean?" demanded Duncan, "we are watched, and,
-as it would seem, marked for destruction."
-
-"Yonder scattered brand can witness that no good was
-intended, and this Indian will testify that no harm has been
-done," returned the scout, dropping his rifle across his arm
-again, and following Chingachgook, who just then reappeared
-within the circle of light, into the bosom of the work.
-"How is it, Sagamore?  Are the Mingoes upon us in earnest,
-or is it only one of those reptiles who hang upon the skirts
-of a war-party, to scalp the dead, go in, and make their
-boast among the squaws of the valiant deeds done on the pale
-faces?"
-
-Chingachgook very quietly resumed his seat; nor did he make
-any reply, until after he had examined the firebrand which
-had been struck by the bullet that had nearly proved fatal
-to himself.  After which he was content to reply, holding a
-single finger up to view, with the English monosyllable:
-
-"One."
-
-"I thought as much," returned Hawkeye, seating himself; "and
-as he had got the cover of the lake afore Uncas pulled upon
-him, it is more than probable the knave will sing his lies
-about some great ambushment, in which he was outlying on the
-trail of two Mohicans and a white hunter -- for the officers
-can be considered as little better than idlers in such a
-scrimmage.  Well, let him -- let him.  There are always some
-honest men in every nation, though heaven knows, too, that
-they are scarce among the Maquas, to look down an upstart
-when he brags ag'in the face of reason.  The varlet sent his
-lead within whistle of your ears, Sagamore."
-
-Chingachgook turned a calm and incurious eye toward the
-place where the ball had struck, and then resumed his former
-attitude, with a composure that could not be disturbed by so
-trifling an incident.  Just then Uncas glided into the
-circle, and seated himself at the fire, with the same
-appearance of indifference as was maintained by his father.
-
-Of these several moments Heyward was a deeply interested and
-wondering observer.  It appeared to him as though the
-foresters had some secret means of intelligence, which had
-escaped the vigilance of his own faculties.  In place of
-that eager and garrulous narration with which a white youth
-would have endeavored to communicate, and perhaps
-exaggerate, that which had passed out in the darkness of the
-plain, the young warrior was seemingly content to let his
-deeds speak for themselves.  It was, in fact, neither the
-moment nor the occasion for an Indian to boast of his
-exploits; and it is probably that, had Heyward neglected to
-inquire, not another syllable would, just then, have been
-uttered on the subject.
-
-"What has become of our enemy, Uncas?" demanded Duncan; "we
-heard your rifle, and hoped you had not fired in vain."
-
-The young chief removed a fold of his hunting skirt, and
-quietly exposed the fatal tuft of hair, which he bore as the
-symbol of victory.  Chingachgook laid his hand on the scalp,
-and considered it for a moment with deep attention.  Then
-dropping it, with disgust depicted in his strong features,
-he ejaculated:
-
-"Oneida!"
-
-"Oneida!" repeated the scout, who was fast losing his
-interest in the scene, in an apathy nearly assimilated to
-that of his red associates, but who now advanced in uncommon
-earnestness to regard the bloody badge.  "By the Lord, if
-the Oneidas are outlying upon the trail, we shall by flanked
-by devils on every side of us!  Now, to white eyes there is
-no difference between this bit of skin and that of any other
-Indian, and yet the Sagamore declares it came from the poll
-of a Mingo; nay, he even names the tribe of the poor devil,
-with as much ease as if the scalp was the leaf of a book,
-and each hair a letter.  What right have Christian whites to
-boast of their learning, when a savage can read a language
-that would prove too much for the wisest of them all!  What
-say you, lad, of what people was the knave?"
-
-Uncas raised his eyes to the face of the scout, and
-answered, in his soft voice:
-
-"Oneida."
-
-"Oneida, again! when one Indian makes a declaration it is
-commonly true; but when he is supported by his people, set
-it down as gospel!"
-
-"The poor fellow has mistaken us for French," said Heyward;
-"or he would not have attempted the life of a friend."
-
-"He mistake a Mohican in his paint for a Huron!  You would
-be as likely to mistake the white-coated grenadiers of
-Montcalm for the scarlet jackets of the Royal Americans,"
-returned the scout.  "No, no, the sarpent knew his errand;
-nor was there any great mistake in the matter, for there is
-but little love atween a Delaware and a Mingo, let their
-tribes go out to fight for whom they may, in a white
-quarrel.  For that matter, though the Oneidas do serve his
-sacred majesty, who is my sovereign lord and master, I
-should not have deliberated long about letting off
-'killdeer' at the imp myself, had luck thrown him in my
-way."
-
-"That would have been an abuse of our treaties, and unworthy
-of your character."
-
-"When a man consort much with a people," continued Hawkeye,
-"if they were honest and he no knave, love will grow up
-atwixt them.  It is true that white cunning has managed to
-throw the tribes into great confusion, as respects friends
-and enemies; so that the Hurons and the Oneidas, who speak
-the same tongue, or what may be called the same, take each
-other's scalps, and the Delawares are divided among
-themselves; a few hanging about their great council-fire on
-their own river, and fighting on the same side with the
-Mingoes while the greater part are in the Canadas, out of
-natural enmity to the Maquas -- thus throwing everything
-into disorder, and destroying all the harmony of warfare.
-Yet a red natur' is not likely to alter with every shift of
-policy; so that the love atwixt a Mohican and a Mingo is
-much like the regard between a white man and a sarpent."
-
-"I regret to hear it; for I had believed those natives who
-dwelt within our boundaries had found us too just and
-liberal, not to identify themselves fully with our
-quarrels."
-
-"Why, I believe it is natur' to give a preference to one's
-own quarrels before those of strangers.  Now, for myself, I
-do love justice; and, therefore, I will not say I hate a
-Mingo, for that may be unsuitable to my color and my
-religion, though I will just repeat, it may have been owing
-to the night that 'killdeer' had no hand in the death of
-this skulking Oneida."
-
-Then, as if satisfied with the force of his own reasons,
-whatever might be their effect on the opinions of the other
-disputant, the honest but implacable woodsman turned from
-the fire, content to let the controversy slumber.  Heyward
-withdrew to the rampart, too uneasy and too little
-accustomed to the warfare of the woods to remain at ease
-under the possibility of such insidious attacks.  Not so,
-however, with the scout and the Mohicans.  Those acute and
-long-practised senses, whose powers so often exceed the
-limits of all ordinary credulity, after having detected the
-danger, had enabled them to ascertain its magnitude and
-duration.  Not one of the three appeared in the least to
-doubt their perfect security, as was indicated by the
-preparations that were soon made to sit in council over
-their future proceedings.
-
-The confusion of nations, and even of tribes, to which
-Hawkeye alluded, existed at that period in the fullest
-force.  The great tie of language, and, of course, of a
-common origin, was severed in many places; and it was one of
-its consequences, that the Delaware and the Mingo (as the
-people of the Six Nations were called) were found fighting
-in the same ranks, while the latter sought the scalp of the
-Huron, though believed to be the root of his own stock.  The
-Delawares were even divided among themselves.  Though love
-for the soil which had belonged to his ancestors kept the
-Sagamore of the Mohicans with a small band of followers who
-were serving at Edward, under the banners of the English
-king, by far the largest portion of his nation were known to
-be in the field as allies of Montcalm.  The reader probably
-knows, if enough has not already been gleaned form this
-narrative, that the Delaware, or Lenape, claimed to be the
-progenitors of that numerous people, who once were masters
-of most of the eastern and northern states of America, of
-whom the community of the Mohicans was an ancient and highly
-honored member.
-
-It was, of course, with a perfect understanding of the
-minute and intricate interests which had armed friend
-against friend, and brought natural enemies to combat by
-each other's side, that the scout and his companions now
-disposed themselves to deliberate on the measures that were
-to govern their future movements, amid so many jarring and
-savage races of men.  Duncan knew enough of Indian customs
-to understand the reason that the fire was replenished, and
-why the warriors, not excepting Hawkeye, took their seats
-within the curl of its smoke with so much gravity and
-decorum.  Placing himself at an angle of the works, where he
-might be a spectator of the scene without, he awaited the
-result with as much patience as he could summon.
-
-After a short and impressive pause, Chingachgook lighted a
-pipe whose bowl was curiously carved in one of the soft
-stones of the country, and whose stem was a tube of wood,
-and commenced smoking.  When he had inhaled enough of the
-fragrance of the soothing weed, he passed the instrument
-into the hands of the scout.  In this manner the pipe had
-made its rounds three several times, amid the most profound
-silence, before either of the party opened his lips.  Then
-the Sagamore, as the oldest and highest in rank, in a few
-calm and dignified words, proposed the subject for
-deliberation.  He was answered by the scout; and
-Chingachgook rejoined, when the other objected to his
-opinions.  But the youthful Uncas continued a silent and
-respectful listener, until Hawkeye, in complaisance,
-demanded his opinion.  Heyward gathered from the manners of
-the different speakers, that the father and son espoused one
-side of a disputed question, while the white man maintained
-the other.  The contest gradually grew warmer, until it was
-quite evident the feelings of the speakers began to be
-somewhat enlisted in the debate.
-
-Notwithstanding the increasing warmth of the amicable
-contest, the most decorous Christian assembly, not even
-excepting those in which its reverend ministers are
-collected, might have learned a wholesome lesson of
-moderation from the forbearance and courtesy of the
-disputants.  The words of Uncas were received with the same
-deep attention as those which fell from the maturer wisdom
-of his father; and so far from manifesting any impatience,
-neither spoke in reply, until a few moments of silent
-meditation were, seemingly, bestowed in deliberating on what
-had already been said.
-
-The language of the Mohicans was accompanied by gestures so
-direct and natural that Heyward had but little difficulty in
-following the thread of their argument.  On the other hand,
-the scout was obscure; because from the lingering pride of
-color, he rather affected the cold and artificial manner
-which characterizes all classes of Anglo-Americans when
-unexcited.  By the frequency with which the Indians
-described the marks of a forest trial, it was evident they
-urged a pursuit by land, while the repeated sweep of
-Hawkeye's arm toward the Horican denoted that he was for a
-passage across its waters.
-
-The latter was to every appearance fast losing ground, and
-the point was about to be decided against him, when he arose
-to his feet, and shaking off his apathy, he suddenly assumed
-the manner of an Indian, and adopted all the arts of native
-eloquence.  Elevating an arm, he pointed out the track of
-the sun, repeating the gesture for every day that was
-necessary to accomplish their objects.  Then he delineated a
-long and painful path, amid rocks and water-courses.  The
-age and weakness of the slumbering and unconscious Munro
-were indicated by signs too palpable to be mistaken.  Duncan
-perceived that even his own powers were spoken lightly of,
-as the scout extended his palm, and mentioned him by the
-appellation of the "Open Hand" -- a name his liberality had
-purchased of all the friendly tribes.  Then came a
-representation of the light and graceful movements of a
-canoe, set in forcible contrast to the tottering steps of
-one enfeebled and tired.  He concluded by pointing to the
-scalp of the Oneida, and apparently urging the necessity of
-their departing speedily, and in a manner that should leave
-no trail.
-
-The Mohicans listened gravely, and with countenances that
-reflected the sentiments of the speaker.  Conviction
-gradually wrought its influence, and toward the close of
-Hawkeye's speech, his sentences were accompanied by the
-customary exclamation of commendation.  In short, Uncas and
-his father became converts to his way of thinking,
-abandoning their own previously expressed opinions with a
-liberality and candor that, had they been the
-representatives of some great and civilized people, would
-have infallibly worked their political ruin, by destroying
-forever their reputation for consistency.
-
-The instant the matter in discussion was decided, the
-debate, and everything connected with it, except the result
-appeared to be forgotten.  Hawkeye, without looking round to
-read his triumph in applauding eyes, very composedly
-stretched his tall frame before the dying embers, and closed
-his own organs in sleep.
-
-Left now in a measure to themselves, the Mohicans, whose
-time had been so much devoted to the interests of others,
-seized the moment to devote some attention to themselves.
-Casting off at once the grave and austere demeanor of an
-Indian chief, Chingachgook commenced speaking to his son in
-the soft and playful tones of affection.  Uncas gladly met
-the familiar air of his father; and before the hard
-breathing of the scout announced that he slept, a complete
-change was effected in the manner of his two associates.
-
-It is impossible to describe the music of their language,
-while thus engaged in laughter and endearments, in such a
-way as to render it intelligible to those whose ears have
-never listened to its melody.  The compass of their voices,
-particularly that of the youth, was wonderful--extending
-from the deepest bass to tones that were even feminine in
-softness.  The eyes of the father followed the plastic and
-ingenious movements of the son with open delight, and he
-never failed to smile in reply to the other's contagious but
-low laughter.  While under the influence of these gentle and
-natural feelings, no trace of ferocity was to be seen in the
-softened features of the Sagamore.  His figured panoply of
-death looked more like a disguise assumed in mockery than a
-fierce annunciation of a desire to carry destruction in his
-footsteps.
-
-After an hour had passed in the indulgence of their better
-feelings, Chingachgook abruptly announced his desire to
-sleep, by wrapping his head in his blanket and stretching
-his form on the naked earth.  The merriment of Uncas
-instantly ceased; and carefully raking the coals in such a
-manner that they should impart their warmth to his father's
-feet, the youth sought his own pillow among the ruins of the
-place.
-
-Imbibing renewed confidence from the security of these
-experienced foresters, Heyward soon imitated their example;
-and long before the night had turned, they who lay in the
-bosom of the ruined work, seemed to slumber as heavily as
-the unconscious multitude whose bones were already beginning
-to bleach on the surrounding plain.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 20
-
-"Land of Albania! let me bend mine eyes On thee; thou rugged
-nurse of savage men!"--Childe Harold
-
-The heavens were still studded with stars, when Hawkeye came
-to arouse the sleepers.  Casting aside their cloaks Munro
-and Heyward were on their feet while the woodsman was still
-making his low calls, at the entrance of the rude shelter
-where they had passed the night.  When they issued from
-beneath its concealment, they found the scout awaiting their
-appearance nigh by, and the only salutation between them was
-the significant gesture for silence, made by their sagacious
-leader.
-
-"Think over your prayers," he whispered, as they approached
-him; "for He to whom you make them, knows all tongues; that
-of the heart, as well as those of the mouth.  But speak not
-a syllable; it is rare for a white voice to pitch itself
-properly in the woods, as we have seen by the example of
-that miserable devil, the singer.  Come," he continued,
-turning toward a curtain of the works; "let us get into the
-ditch on this side, and be regardful to step on the stones
-and fragments of wood as you go."
-
-His companions complied, though to two of them the reasons
-of this extraordinary precaution were yet a mystery.  When
-they were in the low cavity that surrounded the earthen fort
-on three sides, they found that passage nearly choked by the
-ruins.  With care and patience, however, they succeeded in
-clambering after the scout, until they reached the sandy
-shore of the Horican.
-
-"That's a trail that nothing but a nose can follow," said
-the satisfied scout, looking back along their difficult way;
-"grass is a treacherous carpet for a flying party to tread
-on, but wood and stone take no print from a moccasin.  Had
-you worn your armed boots, there might, indeed, have been
-something to fear; but with the deer-skin suitably prepared,
-a man may trust himself, generally, on rocks with safety.
-Shove in the canoe nigher to the land, Uncas; this sand will
-take a stamp as easily as the butter of the Jarmans on the
-Mohawk.  Softly, lad, softly; it must not touch the beach,
-or the knaves will know by what road we have left the
-place."
-
-The young man observed the precaution; and the scout, laying
-a board from the ruins to the canoe, made a sign for the two
-officers to enter.  When this was done, everything was
-studiously restored to its former disorder; and then Hawkeye
-succeeded in reaching his little birchen vessel, without
-leaving behind him any of those marks which he appeared so
-much to dread.  Heyward was silent until the Indians had
-cautiously paddled the canoe some distance from the fort,
-and within the broad and dark shadows that fell from the
-eastern mountain on the glassy surface of the lake; then he
-demanded:
-
-"What need have we for this stolen and hurried departure?"
-
-"If the blood of an Oneida could stain such a sheet of pure
-water as this we float on," returned the scout, "your two
-eyes would answer your own question.  Have you forgotten the
-skulking reptile Uncas slew?"
-
-"By no means.  But he was said to be alone, and dead men
-give no cause for fear."
-
-"Ay, he was alone in his deviltry! but an Indian whose tribe
-counts so many warriors, need seldom fear his blood will run
-without the death shriek coming speedily from some of his
-enemies."
-
-"But our presence -- the authority of Colonel Munro -- would
-prove sufficient protection against the anger of our allies,
-especially in a case where the wretch so well merited his
-fate.  I trust in Heaven you have not deviated a single foot
-from the direct line of our course with so slight a reason!"
-
-"Do you think the bullet of that varlet's rifle would have
-turned aside, though his sacred majesty the king had stood
-in its path?" returned the stubborn scout.  "Why did not the
-grand Frencher, he who is captain-general of the Canadas,
-bury the tomahawks of the Hurons, if a word from a white can
-work so strongly on the natur' of an Indian?"
-
-The reply of Heyward was interrupted by a groan from Munro;
-but after he had paused a moment, in deference to the sorrow
-of his aged friend he resumed the subject.
-
-"The marquis of Montcalm can only settle that error with his
-God," said the young man solemnly.
-
-"Ay, ay, now there is reason in your words, for they are
-bottomed on religion and honesty.  There is a vast
-difference between throwing a regiment of white coats atwixt
-the tribes and the prisoners, and coaxing an angry savage to
-forget he carries a knife and rifle, with words that must
-begin with calling him your son.  No, no," continued the
-scout, looking back at the dim shore of William Henry, which
-was now fast receding, and laughing in his own silent but
-heartfelt manner; "I have put a trail of water atween us;
-and unless the imps can make friends with the fishes, and
-hear who has paddled across their basin this fine morning,
-we shall throw the length of the Horican behind us before
-they have made up their minds which path to take."
-
-"With foes in front, and foes in our rear, our journey is
-like to be one of danger."
-
-"Danger!" repeated Hawkeye, calmly; "no, not absolutely of
-danger; for, with vigilant ears and quick eyes, we can
-manage to keep a few hours ahead of the knaves; or, if we
-must try the rifle, there are three of us who understand its
-gifts as well as any you can name on the borders.  No, not
-of danger; but that we shall have what you may call a brisk
-push of it, is probable; and it may happen, a brush, a
-scrimmage, or some such divarsion, but always where covers
-are good, and ammunition abundant."
-
-It is possible that Heyward's estimate of danger differed in
-some degree from that of the scout, for, instead of
-replying, he now sat in silence, while the canoe glided over
-several miles of water.  Just as the day dawned, they
-entered the narrows of the lake*, and stole swiftly and
-cautiously among their numberless little islands.  It was by
-this road that Montcalm had retired with his army, and the
-adventurers knew not but he had left some of his Indians in
-ambush, to protect the rear of his forces, and collect the
-stragglers.  They, therefore, approached the passage with
-the customary silence of their guarded habits.
-
-* The beauties of Lake George are well known to every
-American tourist.  In the height of the mountains which
-surround it, and in artificial accessories, it is inferior
-to the finest of the Swiss and Italian lakes, while in
-outline and purity of water it is fully their equal; and in
-the number and disposition of its isles and islets much
-superior to them all together.  There are said to be some
-hundreds of islands in a sheet of water less than thirty
-miles long.  The narrows, which connect what may be called,
-in truth, two lakes, are crowded with islands to such a
-degree as to leave passages between them frequently of only
-a few feet in width.  The lake itself varies in breadth from
-one to three miles.
-
-Chingachgook laid aside his paddle; while Uncas and the
-scout urged the light vessel through crooked and intricate
-channels, where every foot that they advanced exposed them
-to the danger of some sudden rising on their progress.  The
-eyes of the Sagamore moved warily from islet to islet, and
-copse to copse, as the canoe proceeded; and, when a clearer
-sheet of water permitted, his keen vision was bent along the
-bald rocks and impending forests that frowned upon the
-narrow strait.
-
-Heyward, who was a doubly interested spectator, as well from
-the beauties of the place as from the apprehension natural
-to his situation, was just believing that he had permitted
-the latter to be excited without sufficient reason, when the
-paddle ceased moving, in obedience to a signal from
-Chingachgook.
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed Uncas, nearly at the moment that the light
-tap his father had made on the side of the canoe notified
-them of the vicinity of danger.
-
-"What now?" asked the scout; "the lake is as smooth as if
-the winds had never blown, and I can see along its sheet for
-miles; there is not so much as the black head of a loon
-dotting the water."
-
-The Indian gravely raised his paddle, and pointed in the
-direction in which his own steady look was riveted.
-Duncan's eyes followed the motion.  A few rods in their
-front lay another of the wooded islets, but it appeared as
-calm and peaceful as if its solitude had never been
-disturbed by the foot of man.
-
-"I see nothing," he said, "but land and water; and a lovely
-scene it is."
-
-"Hist!" interrupted the scout.  "Ay, Sagamore, there is
-always a reason for what you do.  'Tis but a shade, and yet
-it is not natural.  You see the mist, major, that is rising
-above the island; you can't call it a fog, for it is more
-like a streak of thin cloud --"
-
-"It is vapor from the water."
-
-"That a child could tell.  But what is the edging of blacker
-smoke that hangs along its lower side, and which you may
-trace down into the thicket of hazel?  'Tis from a fire; but
-one that, in my judgment, has been suffered to burn low."
-
-"Let us, then, push for the place, and relieve our doubts,"
-said the impatient Duncan; "the party must be small that can
-lie on such a bit of land."
-
-"If you judge of Indian cunning by the rules you find in
-books, or by white sagacity, they will lead you astray, if
-not to your death," returned Hawkeye, examining the signs of
-the place with that acuteness which distinguished him.  "If
-I may be permitted to speak in this matter, it will be to
-say, that we have but two things to choose between: the one
-is, to return, and give up all thoughts of following the
-Hurons --"
-
-"Never!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice far too loud for
-their circumstances.
-
-"Well, well," continued Hawkeye, making a hasty sign to
-repress his impatience; "I am much of your mind myself;
-though I thought it becoming my experience to tell the
-whole.  We must, then, make a push, and if the Indians or
-Frenchers are in the narrows, run the gauntlet through these
-toppling mountains.  Is there reason in my words, Sagamore?"
-
-The Indian made no other answer than by dropping his paddle
-into the water, and urging forward the canoe.  As he held
-the office of directing its course, his resolution was
-sufficiently indicated by the movement.  The whole party now
-plied their paddles vigorously, and in a very few moments
-they had reached a point whence they might command an entire
-view of the northern shore of the island, the side that had
-hitherto been concealed.
-
-"There they are, by all the truth of signs," whispered the
-scout, "two canoes and a smoke.  The knaves haven't yet got
-their eyes out of the mist, or we should hear the accursed
-whoop.  Together, friends! we are leaving them, and are
-already nearly out of whistle of a bullet."
-
-The well-known crack of a rifle, whose ball came skipping
-along the placid surface of the strait, and a shrill yell
-from the island, interrupted his speech, and announced that
-their passage was discovered.  In another instant several
-savages were seen rushing into canoes, which were soon
-dancing over the water in pursuit.  These fearful precursors
-of a coming struggle produced no change in the countenances
-and movements of his three guides, so far as Duncan could
-discover, except that the strokes of their paddles were
-longer and more in unison, and caused the little bark to
-spring forward like a creature possessing life and volition.
-
-"Hold them there, Sagamore," said Hawkeye, looking coolly
-backward over this left shoulder, while he still plied his
-paddle; "keep them just there.  Them Hurons have never a
-piece in their nation that will execute at this distance;
-but 'killdeer' has a barrel on which a man may calculate."
-
-The scout having ascertained that the Mohicans were
-sufficient of themselves to maintain the requisite distance,
-deliberately laid aside his paddle, and raised the fatal
-rifle.  Three several times he brought the piece to his
-shoulder, and when his companions were expecting its report,
-he as often lowered it to request the Indians would permit
-their enemies to approach a little nigher.  At length his
-accurate and fastidious eye seemed satisfied, and, throwing
-out his left arm on the barrel, he was slowly elevating the
-muzzle, when an exclamation from Uncas, who sat in the bow,
-once more caused him to suspend the shot.
-
-"What, now, lad?" demanded Hawkeye; "you save a Huron from
-the death-shriek by that word; have you reason for what you
-do?"
-
-Uncas pointed toward a rocky shore a little in their front,
-whence another war canoe was darting directly across their
-course.  It was too obvious now that their situation was
-imminently perilous to need the aid of language to confirm
-it.  The scout laid aside his rifle, and resumed the paddle,
-while Chingachgook inclined the bows of the canoe a little
-toward the western shore, in order to increase the distance
-between them and this new enemy.  In the meantime they were
-reminded of the presence of those who pressed upon their
-rear, by wild and exulting shouts.  The stirring scene
-awakened even Munro from his apathy.
-
-"Let us make for the rocks on the main," he said, with the
-mien of a tired soldier, "and give battle to the savages.
-God forbid that I, or those attached to me and mine, should
-ever trust again to the faith of any servant of the
-Louis's!"
-
-"He who wishes to prosper in Indian warfare," returned the
-scout, "must not be too proud to learn from the wit of a
-native.  Lay her more along the land, Sagamore; we are
-doubling on the varlets, and perhaps they may try to strike
-our trail on the long calculation."
-
-Hawkeye was not mistaken; for when the Hurons found their
-course was likely to throw them behind their chase they
-rendered it less direct, until, by gradually bearing more
-and more obliquely, the two canoes were, ere long, gliding
-on parallel lines, within two hundred yards of each other.
-It now became entirely a trial of speed.  So rapid was the
-progress of the light vessels, that the lake curled in their
-front, in miniature waves, and their motion became
-undulating by its own velocity.  It was, perhaps, owing to
-this circumstance, in addition to the necessity of keeping
-every hand employed at the paddles, that the Hurons had not
-immediate recourse to their firearms.  The exertions of the
-fugitives were too severe to continue long, and the pursuers
-had the advantage of numbers.  Duncan observed with
-uneasiness, that the scout began to look anxiously about
-him, as if searching for some further means of assisting
-their flight.
-
-"Edge her a little more from the sun, Sagamore," said the
-stubborn woodsman; "I see the knaves are sparing a man to
-the rifle.  A single broken bone might lose us our scalps.
-Edge more from the sun and we will put the island between
-us."
-
-The expedient was not without its use.  A long, low island
-lay at a little distance before them, and, as they closed
-with it, the chasing canoe was compelled to take a side
-opposite to that on which the pursued passed.  The scout and
-his companions did not neglect this advantage, but the
-instant they were hid from observation by the bushes, they
-redoubled efforts that before had seemed prodigious.  The
-two canoes came round the last low point, like two coursers
-at the top of their speed, the fugitives taking the lead.
-This change had brought them nigher to each other, however,
-while it altered their relative positions.
-
-"You showed knowledge in the shaping of a birchen bark,
-Uncas, when you chose this from among the Huron canoes,"
-said the scout, smiling, apparently more in satisfaction at
-their superiority in the race than from that prospect of
-final escape which now began to open a little upon them.
-"The imps have put all their strength again at the paddles,
-and we are to struggle for our scalps with bits of flattened
-wood, instead of clouded barrels and true eyes.  A long
-stroke, and together, friends."
-
-"They are preparing for a shot," said Heyward; "and as we
-are in a line with them, it can scarcely fail."
-
-"Get you, then, into the bottom of the canoe," returned the
-scout; "you and the colonel; it will be so much taken from
-the size of the mark."
-
-Heyward smiled, as he answered:
-
-"It would be but an ill example for the highest in rank to
-dodge, while the warriors were under fire."
-
-"Lord! Lord! That is now a white man's courage!" exclaimed
-the scout; "and like to many of his notions, not to be
-maintained by reason.  Do you think the Sagamore, or Uncas,
-or even I, who am a man without a cross, would deliberate
-about finding a cover in the scrimmage, when an open body
-would do no good?  For what have the Frenchers reared up
-their Quebec, if fighting is always to be done in the
-clearings?"
-
-"All that you say is very true, my friend," replied Heyward;
-"still, our customs must prevent us from doing as you wish."
-
-A volley from the Hurons interrupted the discourse, and as
-the bullets whistled about them, Duncan saw the head of
-Uncas turned, looking back at himself and Munro.
-Notwithstanding the nearness of the enemy, and his own great
-personal danger, the countenance of the young warrior
-expressed no other emotion, as the former was compelled to
-think, than amazement at finding men willing to encounter so
-useless an exposure.  Chingachgook was probably better
-acquainted with the notions of white men, for he did not
-even cast a glance aside from the riveted look his eye
-maintained on the object by which he governed their course.
-A ball soon struck the light and polished paddle from the
-hands of the chief, and drove it through the air, far in the
-advance.  A shout arose from the Hurons, who seized the
-opportunity to fire another volley.  Uncas described an arc
-in the water with his own blade, and as the canoe passed
-swiftly on, Chingachgook recovered his paddle, and
-flourishing it on high, he gave the war-whoop of the
-Mohicans, and then lent his strength and skill again to the
-important task.
-
-The clamorous sounds of "Le Gros Serpent!"  "La Longue
-Carabine!"  "Le Cerf Agile!"  burst at once from the canoes
-behind, and seemed to give new zeal to the pursuers.  The
-scout seized "killdeer" in his left hand, and elevating it
-about his head, he shook it in triumph at his enemies.  The
-savages answered the insult with a yell, and immediately
-another volley succeeded.  The bullets pattered along the
-lake, and one even pierced the bark of their little vessel.
-No perceptible emotion could be discovered in the Mohicans
-during this critical moment, their rigid features expressing
-neither hope nor alarm; but the scout again turned his head,
-and, laughing in his own silent manner, he said to Heyward:
-
-"The knaves love to hear the sounds of their pieces; but the
-eye is not to be found among the Mingoes that can calculate
-a true range in a dancing canoe!  You see the dumb devils
-have taken off a man to charge, and by the smallest
-measurement that can be allowed, we move three feet to their
-two!"
-
-Duncan, who was not altogether as easy under this nice
-estimate of distances as his companions, was glad to find,
-however, that owing to their superior dexterity, and the
-diversion among their enemies, they were very sensibly
-obtaining the advantage.  The Hurons soon fired again, and a
-bullet struck the blade of Hawkeye's paddle without injury.
-
-"That will do," said the scout, examining the slight
-indentation with a curious eye; "it would not have cut the
-skin of an infant, much less of men, who, like us, have been
-blown upon by the heavens in their anger.  Now, major, if
-you will try to use this piece of flattened wood, I'll let
-'killdeer' take a part in the conversation."
-
-Heyward seized the paddle, and applied himself to the work
-with an eagerness that supplied the place of skill, while
-Hawkeye was engaged in inspecting the priming of his rifle.
-The latter then took a swift aim and fired.  The Huron in
-the bows of the leading canoe had risen with a similar
-object, and he now fell backward, suffering his gun to
-escape from his hands into the water.  In an instant,
-however, he recovered his feet, though his gestures were
-wild and bewildered.  At the same moment his companions
-suspended their efforts, and the chasing canoes clustered
-together, and became stationary.  Chingachgook and Uncas
-profited by the interval to regain their wind, though Duncan
-continued to work with the most persevering industry.  The
-father and son now cast calm but inquiring glances at each
-other, to learn if either had sustained any injury by the
-fire; for both well knew that no cry or exclamation would,
-in such a moment of necessity have been permitted to betray
-the accident.  A few large drops of blood were trickling
-down the shoulder of the Sagamore, who, when he perceived
-that the eyes of Uncas dwelt too long on the sight, raised
-some water in the hollow of his hand, and washing off the
-stain, was content to manifest, in this simple manner, the
-slightness of the injury.
-
-"Softly, softly, major," said the scout, who by this time
-had reloaded his rifle; "we are a little too far already for
-a rifle to put forth its beauties, and you see yonder imps
-are holding a council.  Let them come up within striking
-distance -- my eye may well be trusted in such a matter --
-and I will trail the varlets the length of the Horican,
-guaranteeing that not a shot of theirs shall, at the worst,
-more than break the skin, while 'killdeer' shall touch the
-life twice in three times."
-
-"We forget our errand," returned the diligent Duncan.  "For
-God's sake let us profit by this advantage, and increase our
-distance from the enemy."
-
-"Give me my children," said Munro, hoarsely; "trifle no
-longer with a father's agony, but restore me my babes."
-
-Long and habitual deference to the mandates of his superiors
-had taught the scout the virtue of obedience.  Throwing a
-last and lingering glance at the distant canoes, he laid
-aside his rifle, and, relieving the wearied Duncan, resumed
-the paddle, which he wielded with sinews that never tired.
-His efforts were seconded by those of the Mohicans and a
-very few minutes served to place such a sheet of water
-between them and their enemies, that Heyward once more
-breathed freely.
-
-The lake now began to expand, and their route lay along a
-wide reach, that was lined, as before, by high and ragged
-mountains.  But the islands were few, and easily avoided.
-The strokes of the paddles grew more measured and regular,
-while they who plied them continued their labor, after the
-close and deadly chase from which they had just relieved
-themselves, with as much coolness as though their speed had
-been tried in sport, rather than under such pressing, nay,
-almost desperate, circumstances.
-
-Instead of following the western shore, whither their errand
-led them, the wary Mohican inclined his course more toward
-those hills behind which Montcalm was known to have led his
-army into the formidable fortress of Ticonderoga.  As the
-Hurons, to every appearance, had abandoned the pursuit,
-there was no apparent reason for this excess of caution.  It
-was, however, maintained for hours, until they had reached a
-bay, nigh the northern termination of the lake.  Here the
-canoe was driven upon the beach, and the whole party landed.
-Hawkeye and Heyward ascended an adjacent bluff, where the
-former, after considering the expanse of water beneath him,
-pointed out to the latter a small black object, hovering
-under a headland, at the distance of several miles.
-
-"Do you see it?" demanded the scout.  "Now, what would you
-account that spot, were you left alone to white experience
-to find your way through this wilderness?"
-
-"But for its distance and its magnitude, I should suppose it
-a bird.  Can it be a living object?"
-
-"'Tis a canoe of good birchen bark, and paddled by fierce
-and crafty Mingoes.  Though Providence has lent to those who
-inhabit the woods eyes that would be needless to men in the
-settlements, where there are inventions to assist the sight,
-yet no human organs can see all the dangers which at this
-moment circumvent us.  These varlets pretend to be bent
-chiefly on their sun-down meal, but the moment it is dark
-they will be on our trail, as true as hounds on the scent.
-We must throw them off, or our pursuit of Le Renard Subtil
-may be given up.  These lakes are useful at times,
-especially when the game take the water," continued the
-scout, gazing about him with a countenance of concern; "but
-they give no cover, except it be to the fishes.  God knows
-what the country would be, if the settlements should ever
-spread far from the two rivers.  Both hunting and war would
-lose their beauty."
-
-"Let us not delay a moment, without some good and obvious
-cause."
-
-"I little like that smoke, which you may see worming up
-along the rock above the canoe," interrupted the abstracted
-scout.  "My life on it, other eyes than ours see it, and
-know its meaning.  Well, words will not mend the matter, and
-it is time that we were doing."
-
-Hawkeye moved away from the lookout, and descended, musing
-profoundly, to the shore.  He communicated the result of his
-observations to his companions, in Delaware, and a short and
-earnest consultation succeeded.  When it terminated, the
-three instantly set about executing their new resolutions.
-
-The canoe was lifted from the water, and borne on the
-shoulders of the party, they proceeded into the wood, making
-as broad and obvious a trail as possible.  They soon reached
-the water-course, which they crossed, and, continuing
-onward, until they came to an extensive and naked rock.  At
-this point, where their footsteps might be expected to be no
-longer visible, they retraced their route to the brook,
-walking backward, with the utmost care.  They now followed
-the bed of the little stream to the lake, into which they
-immediately launched their canoe again.  A low point
-concealed them from the headland, and the margin of the lake
-was fringed for some distance with dense and overhanging
-bushes.  Under the cover of these natural advantages, they
-toiled their way, with patient industry, until the scout
-pronounced that he believed it would be safe once more to
-land.
-
-The halt continued until evening rendered objects indistinct
-and uncertain to the eye.  Then they resumed their route,
-and, favored by the darkness, pushed silently and vigorously
-toward the western shore.  Although the rugged outline of
-mountain, to which they were steering, presented no
-distinctive marks to the eyes of Duncan, the Mohican entered
-the little haven he had selected with the confidence and
-accuracy of an experienced pilot.
-
-The boat was again lifted and borne into the woods, where it
-was carefully concealed under a pile of brush.  The
-adventurers assumed their arms and packs, and the scout
-announced to Munro and Heyward that he and the Indians were
-at last in readiness to proceed.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 21
-
-"If you find a man there, he shall die a flea's death."--
-Merry Wives of Windsor
-
-The party had landed on the border of a region that is, even
-to this day, less known to the inhabitants of the States
-than the deserts of Arabia, or the steppes of Tartary.  It
-was the sterile and rugged district which separates the
-tributaries of Champlain from those of the Hudson, the
-Mohawk, and the St.  Lawrence.  Since the period of our tale
-the active spirit of the country has surrounded it with a
-belt of rich and thriving settlements, though none but the
-hunter or the savage is ever known even now to penetrate its
-wild recesses.
-
-As Hawkeye and the Mohicans had, however, often traversed
-the mountains and valleys of this vast wilderness, they did
-not hesitate to plunge into its depth, with the freedom of
-men accustomed to its privations and difficulties.  For many
-hours the travelers toiled on their laborious way, guided by
-a star, or following the direction of some water-course,
-until the scout called a halt, and holding a short
-consultation with the Indians, they lighted their fire, and
-made the usual preparations to pass the remainder of the
-night where they then were.
-
-Imitating the example, and emulating the confidence of their
-more experienced associates, Munro and Duncan slept without
-fear, if not without uneasiness.  The dews were suffered to
-exhale, and the sun had dispersed the mists, and was
-shedding a strong and clear light in the forest, when the
-travelers resumed their journey.
-
-After proceeding a few miles, the progress of Hawkeye, who
-led the advance, became more deliberate and watchful.  He
-often stopped to examine the trees; nor did he cross a
-rivulet without attentively considering the quantity, the
-velocity, and the color of its waters.  Distrusting his own
-judgment, his appeals to the opinion of Chingachgook were
-frequent and earnest.  During one of these conferences
-Heyward observed that Uncas stood a patient and silent,
-though, as he imagined, an interested listener.  He was
-strongly tempted to address the young chief, and demand his
-opinion of their progress; but the calm and dignified
-demeanor of the native induced him to believe, that, like
-himself, the other was wholly dependent on the sagacity and
-intelligence of the seniors of the party.  At last the scout
-spoke in English, and at once explained the embarrassment of
-their situation.
-
-"When I found that the home path of the Hurons run north,"
-he said, "it did not need the judgment of many long years to
-tell that they would follow the valleys, and keep atween the
-waters of the Hudson and the Horican, until they might
-strike the springs of the Canada streams, which would lead
-them into the heart of the country of the Frenchers.  Yet
-here are we, within a short range of the Scaroons, and not a
-sign of a trail have we crossed!  Human natur' is weak, and
-it is possible we may not have taken the proper scent."
-
-"Heaven protect us from such an error!" exclaimed Duncan.
-"Let us retrace our steps, and examine as we go, with keener
-eyes.  Has Uncas no counsel to offer in such a strait?"
-
-The young Mohican cast a glance at his father, but,
-maintaining his quiet and reserved mien, he continued
-silent.  Chingachgook had caught the look, and motioning
-with his hand, he bade him speak.  The moment this
-permission was accorded, the countenance of Uncas changed
-from its grave composure to a gleam of intelligence and joy.
-Bounding forward like a deer, he sprang up the side of a
-little acclivity, a few rods in advance, and stood,
-exultingly, over a spot of fresh earth, that looked as
-though it had been recently upturned by the passage of some
-heavy animal.  The eyes of the whole party followed the
-unexpected movement, and read their success in the air of
-triumph that the youth assumed.
-
-"'Tis the trail!" exclaimed the scout, advancing to the
-spot; "the lad is quick of sight and keen of wit for his
-years."
-
-"'Tis extraordinary that he should have withheld his
-knowledge so long," muttered Duncan, at his elbow.
-
-"It would have been more wonderful had he spoken without a
-bidding.  No, no; your young white, who gathers his learning
-from books and can measure what he knows by the page, may
-conceit that his knowledge, like his legs, outruns that of
-his fathers', but, where experience is the master, the
-scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects
-them accordingly."
-
-"See!" said Uncas, pointing north and south, at the evident
-marks of the broad trail on either side of him, "the
-dark-hair has gone toward the forest."
-
-"Hound never ran on a more beautiful scent," responded the
-scout, dashing forward, at once, on the indicated route; "we
-are favored, greatly favored, and can follow with high
-noses.  Ay, here are both your waddling beasts: this Huron
-travels like a white general.  The fellow is stricken with a
-judgment, and is mad!  Look sharp for wheels, Sagamore," he
-continued, looking back, and laughing in his newly awakened
-satisfaction; "we shall soon have the fool journeying in a
-coach, and that with three of the best pair of eyes on the
-borders in his rear."
-
-The spirits of the scout, and the astonishing success of the
-chase, in which a circuitous distance of more than forty
-miles had been passed, did not fail to impart a portion of
-hope to the whole party.  Their advance was rapid; and made
-with as much confidence as a traveler would proceed along a
-wide highway.  If a rock, or a rivulet, or a bit of earth
-harder than common, severed the links of the clew they
-followed, the true eye of the scout recovered them at a
-distance, and seldom rendered the delay of a single moment
-necessary.  Their progress was much facilitated by the
-certainty that Magua had found it necessary to journey
-through the valleys; a circumstance which rendered the
-general direction of the route sure.  Nor had the Huron
-entirely neglected the arts uniformly practised by the
-natives when retiring in front of an enemy.  False trails
-and sudden turnings were frequent, wherever a brook or the
-formation of the ground rendered them feasible; but his
-pursuers were rarely deceived, and never failed to detect
-their error, before they had lost either time or distance on
-the deceptive track.
-
-By the middle of the afternoon they had passed the Scaroons,
-and were following the route of the declining sun.  After
-descending an eminence to a low bottom, through which a
-swift stream glided, they suddenly came to a place where the
-party of Le Renard had made a halt.  Extinguished brands
-were lying around a spring, the offals of a deer were
-scattered about the place, and the trees bore evident marks
-of having been browsed by the horses.  At a little distance,
-Heyward discovered, and contemplated with tender emotion,
-the small bower under which he was fain to believe that Cora
-and Alice had reposed.  But while the earth was trodden, and
-the footsteps of both men and beasts were so plainly visible
-around the place, the trail appeared to have suddenly ended.
-
-It was easy to follow the tracks of the Narragansetts, but
-they seemed only to have wandered without guides, or any
-other object than the pursuit of food.  At length Uncas,
-who, with his father, had endeavored to trace the route of
-the horses, came upon a sign of their presence that was
-quite recent.  Before following the clew, he communicated
-his success to his companions; and while the latter were
-consulting on the circumstance, the youth reappeared,
-leading the two fillies, with their saddles broken, and the
-housings soiled, as though they had been permitted to run at
-will for several days.
-
-"What should this prove?" said Duncan, turning pale, and
-glancing his eyes around him, as if he feared the brush and
-leaves were about to give up some horrid secret.
-
-"That our march is come to a quick end, and that we are in
-an enemy's country," returned the scout.  "Had the knave
-been pressed, and the gentle ones wanted horses to keep up
-with the party, he might have taken their scalps; but
-without an enemy at his heels, and with such rugged beasts
-as these, he would not hurt a hair of their heads.  I know
-your thoughts, and shame be it to our color that you have
-reason for them; but he who thinks that even a Mingo would
-ill-treat a woman, unless it be to tomahawk her, knows
-nothing of Indian natur', or the laws of the woods.  No, no;
-I have heard that the French Indians had come into these
-hills to hunt the moose, and we are getting within scent of
-their camp.  Why should they not?  The morning and evening
-guns of Ty may be heard any day among these mountains; for
-the Frenchers are running a new line atween the provinces of
-the king and the Canadas.  It is true that the horses are
-here, but the Hurons are gone; let us, then, hunt for the
-path by which they parted."
-
-Hawkeye and the Mohicans now applied themselves to their
-task in good earnest.  A circle of a few hundred feet in
-circumference was drawn, and each of the party took a
-segment for his portion.  The examination, however, resulted
-in no discovery.  The impressions of footsteps were
-numerous, but they all appeared like those of men who had
-wandered about the spot, without any design to quit it.
-Again the scout and his companions made the circuit of the
-halting place, each slowly following the other, until they
-assembled in the center once more, no wiser than when they
-started.
-
-"Such cunning is not without its deviltry," exclaimed
-Hawkeye, when he met the disappointed looks of his
-assistants.
-
-"We must get down to it, Sagamore, beginning at the spring,
-and going over the ground by inches.  The Huron shall never
-brag in his tribe that he has a foot which leaves no print."
-
-Setting the example himself, the scout engaged in the
-scrutiny with renewed zeal.  Not a leaf was left unturned.
-The sticks were removed, and the stones lifted; for Indian
-cunning was known frequently to adopt these objects as
-covers, laboring with the utmost patience and industry, to
-conceal each footstep as they proceeded.  Still no discovery
-was made.  At length Uncas, whose activity had enabled him
-to achieve his portion of the task the soonest, raked the
-earth across the turbid little rill which ran from the
-spring, and diverted its course into another channel.  So
-soon as its narrow bed below the dam was dry, he stooped
-over it with keen and curious eyes.  A cry of exultation
-immediately announced the success of the young warrior.  The
-whole party crowded to the spot where Uncas pointed out the
-impression of a moccasin in the moist alluvion.
-
-"This lad will be an honor to his people," said Hawkeye,
-regarding the trail with as much admiration as a naturalist
-would expend on the tusk of a mammoth or the rib of a
-mastodon; "ay, and a thorn in the sides of the Hurons.  Yet
-that is not the footstep of an Indian! the weight is too
-much on the heel, and the toes are squared, as though one of
-the French dancers had been in, pigeon-winging his tribe!
-Run back, Uncas, and bring me the size of the singer's foot.
-You will find a beautiful print of it just opposite yon
-rock, agin the hillside."
-
-While the youth was engaged in this commission, the scout
-and Chingachgook were attentively considering the
-impressions.  The measurements agreed, and the former
-unhesitatingly pronounced that the footstep was that of
-David, who had once more been made to exchange his shoes for
-moccasins.
-
-"I can now read the whole of it, as plainly as if I had seen
-the arts of Le Subtil," he added; "the singer being a man
-whose gifts lay chiefly in his throat and feet, was made to
-go first, and the others have trod in his steps, imitating
-their formation."
-
-"But," cried Duncan, "I see no signs of --"
-
-"The gentle ones," interrupted the scout; "the varlet has
-found a way to carry them, until he supposed he had thrown
-any followers off the scent.  My life on it, we see their
-pretty little feet again, before many rods go by."
-
-The whole party now proceeded, following the course of the
-rill, keeping anxious eyes on the regular impressions.  The
-water soon flowed into its bed again, but watching the
-ground on either side, the foresters pursued their way
-content with knowing that the trail lay beneath.  More than
-half a mile was passed, before the rill rippled close around
-the base of an extensive and dry rock.  Here they paused to
-make sure that the Hurons had not quitted the water.
-
-It was fortunate they did so.  For the quick and active
-Uncas soon found the impression of a foot on a bunch of
-moss, where it would seem an Indian had inadvertently
-trodden.  Pursuing the direction given by this discovery, he
-entered the neighboring thicket, and struck the trail, as
-fresh and obvious as it had been before they reached the
-spring.  Another shout announced the good fortune of the
-youth to his companions, and at once terminated the search.
-
-"Ay, it has been planned with Indian judgment," said the
-scout, when the party was assembled around the place, "and
-would have blinded white eyes."
-
-"Shall we proceed?" demanded Heyward.
-
-"Softly, softly, we know our path; but it is good to examine
-the formation of things.  This is my schooling, major; and
-if one neglects the book, there is little chance of learning
-from the open land of Providence.  All is plain but one
-thing, which is the manner that the knave contrived to get
-the gentle ones along the blind trail.  Even a Huron would
-be too proud to let their tender feet touch the water."
-
-"Will this assist in explaining the difficulty?" said
-Heyward, pointing toward the fragments of a sort of
-handbarrow, that had been rudely constructed of boughs, and
-bound together with withes, and which now seemed carelessly
-cast aside as useless.
-
-"'Tis explained!" cried the delighted Hawkeye.  "If them
-varlets have passed a minute, they have spent hours in
-striving to fabricate a lying end to their trail!  Well,
-I've known them to waste a day in the same manner to as
-little purpose.  Here we have three pair of moccasins, and
-two of little feet.  It is amazing that any mortal beings
-can journey on limbs so small!  Pass me the thong of
-buckskin, Uncas, and let me take the length of this foot.
-By the Lord, it is no longer than a child's and yet the
-maidens are tall and comely.  That Providence is partial in
-its gifts, for its own wise reasons, the best and most
-contented of us must allow."
-
-"The tender limbs of my daughters are unequal to these
-hardships," said Munro, looking at the light footsteps of
-his children, with a parent's love; "we shall find their
-fainting forms in this desert."
-
-"Of that there is little cause of fear," returned the scout,
-slowly shaking his head; "this is a firm and straight,
-though a light step, and not over long.  See, the heel has
-hardly touched the ground; and there the dark-hair has made
-a little jump, from root to root.  No, no; my knowledge for
-it, neither of them was nigh fainting, hereaway.  Now, the
-singer was beginning to be footsore and leg-weary, as is
-plain by his trail.  There, you see, he slipped; here he has
-traveled wide and tottered; and there again it looks as
-though he journeyed on snowshoes.  Ay, ay, a man who uses
-his throat altogether, can hardly give his legs a proper
-training."
-
-From such undeniable testimony did the practised woodsman
-arrive at the truth, with nearly as much certainty and
-precision as if he had been a witness of all those events
-which his ingenuity so easily elucidated.  Cheered by these
-assurances, and satisfied by a reasoning that was so
-obvious, while it was so simple, the party resumed its
-course, after making a short halt, to take a hurried repast.
-
-When the meal was ended, the scout cast a glance upward at
-the setting sun, and pushed forward with a rapidity which
-compelled Heyward and the still vigorous Munro to exert all
-their muscles to equal.  Their route now lay along the
-bottom which has already been mentioned.  As the Hurons had
-made no further efforts to conceal their footsteps, the
-progress of the pursuers was no longer delayed by
-uncertainty.  Before an hour had elapsed, however, the speed
-of Hawkeye sensibly abated, and his head, instead of
-maintaining its former direct and forward look, began to
-turn suspiciously from side to side, as if he were conscious
-of approaching danger.  He soon stopped again, and waited
-for the whole party to come up.
-
-"I scent the Hurons," he said, speaking to the Mohicans;
-"yonder is open sky, through the treetops, and we are
-getting too nigh their encampment.  Sagamore, you will take
-the hillside, to the right; Uncas will bend along the brook
-to the left, while I will try the trail.  If anything should
-happen, the call will be three croaks of a crow.  I saw one
-of the birds fanning himself in the air, just beyond the
-dead oak -- another sign that we are approaching an
-encampment."
-
-The Indians departed their several ways without reply, while
-Hawkeye cautiously proceeded with the two gentlemen.
-Heyward soon pressed to the side of their guide, eager to
-catch an early glimpse of those enemies he had pursued with
-so much toil and anxiety.  His companion told him to steal
-to the edge of the wood, which, as usual, was fringed with a
-thicket, and wait his coming, for he wished to examine
-certain suspicious signs a little on one side.  Duncan
-obeyed, and soon found himself in a situation to command a
-view which he found as extraordinary as it was novel.
-
-The trees of many acres had been felled, and the glow of a
-mild summer's evening had fallen on the clearing, in
-beautiful contrast to the gray light of the forest.  A short
-distance from the place where Duncan stood, the stream had
-seemingly expanded into a little lake, covering most of the
-low land, from mountain to mountain.  The water fell out of
-this wide basin, in a cataract so regular and gentle, that
-it appeared rather to be the work of human hands than
-fashioned by nature.  A hundred earthen dwellings stood on
-the margin of the lake, and even in its waters, as though
-the latter had overflowed its usual banks.  Their rounded
-roofs, admirably molded for defense against the weather,
-denoted more of industry and foresight than the natives were
-wont to bestow on their regular habitations, much less on
-those they occupied for the temporary purposes of hunting
-and war.  In short, the whole village or town, whichever it
-might be termed, possessed more of method and neatness of
-execution, than the white men had been accustomed to believe
-belonged, ordinarily, to the Indian habits.  It appeared,
-however, to be deserted.  At least, so thought Duncan for
-many minutes; but, at length, he fancied he discovered
-several human forms advancing toward him on all fours, and
-apparently dragging in the train some heavy, and as he was
-quick to apprehend, some formidable engine.  Just then a few
-dark-looking heads gleamed out of the dwellings, and the
-place seemed suddenly alive with beings, which, however,
-glided from cover to cover so swiftly, as to allow no
-opportunity of examining their humors or pursuits.  Alarmed
-at these suspicious and inexplicable movements, he was about
-to attempt the signal of the crows, when the rustling of
-leaves at hand drew his eyes in another direction.
-
-The young man started, and recoiled a few paces
-instinctively, when he found himself within a hundred yards
-of a stranger Indian.  Recovering his recollection on the
-instant, instead of sounding an alarm, which might prove
-fatal to himself, he remained stationary, an attentive
-observer of the other's motions.
-
-An instant of calm observation served to assure Duncan that
-he was undiscovered.  The native, like himself, seemed
-occupied in considering the low dwellings of the village,
-and the stolen movements of its inhabitants.  It was
-impossible to discover the expression of his features
-through the grotesque mask of paint under which they were
-concealed, though Duncan fancied it was rather melancholy
-than savage.  His head was shaved, as usual, with the
-exception of the crown, from whose tuft three or four faded
-feathers from a hawk's wing were loosely dangling.  A ragged
-calico mantle half encircled his body, while his nether
-garment was composed of an ordinary shirt, the sleeves of
-which were made to perform the office that is usually
-executed by a much more commodious arrangement.  His legs
-were, however, covered with a pair of good deer-skin
-moccasins.  Altogether, the appearance of the individual was
-forlorn and miserable.
-
-Duncan was still curiously observing the person of his
-neighbor when the scout stole silently and cautiously to his
-side.
-
-"You see we have reached their settlement or encampment,"
-whispered the young man; "and here is one of the savages
-himself, in a very embarrassing position for our further
-movements."
-
-Hawkeye started, and dropped his rifle, when, directed by
-the finger of his companion, the stranger came under his
-view.  Then lowering the dangerous muzzle he stretched
-forward his long neck, as if to assist a scrutiny that was
-already intensely keen.
-
-"The imp is not a Huron," he said, "nor of any of the Canada
-tribes; and yet you see, by his clothes, the knave has been
-plundering a white.  Ay, Montcalm has raked the woods for
-his inroad, and a whooping, murdering set of varlets has he
-gathered together.  Can you see where he has put his rifle
-or his bow?"
-
-"He appears to have no arms; nor does he seem to be
-viciously inclined.  Unless he communicate the alarm to his
-fellows, who, as you see, are dodging about the water, we
-have but little to fear from him."
-
-The scout turned to Heyward, and regarded him a moment with
-unconcealed amazement.  Then opening wide his mouth, he
-indulged in unrestrained and heartfelt laughter, though in
-that silent and peculiar manner which danger had so long
-taught him to practise.
-
-Repeating the words, "Fellows who are dodging about the
-water!" he added, "so much for schooling and passing a
-boyhood in the settlements!  The knave has long legs,
-though, and shall not be trusted.  Do you keep him under
-your rifle while I creep in behind, through the bush, and
-take him alive.  Fire on no account."
-
-Heyward had already permitted his companion to bury part of
-his person in the thicket, when, stretching forth his arm,
-he arrested him, in order to ask:
-
-"If I see you in danger, may I not risk a shot?"
-
-Hawkeye regarded him a moment, like one who knew not how to
-take the question; then, nodding his head, he answered,
-still laughing, though inaudibly:
-
-"Fire a whole platoon, major."
-
-In the next moment he was concealed by the leaves.  Duncan
-waited several minutes in feverish impatience, before he
-caught another glimpse of the scout.  Then he reappeared,
-creeping along the earth, from which his dress was hardly
-distinguishable, directly in the rear of his intended
-captive.  Having reached within a few yards of the latter,
-he arose to his feet, silently and slowly.  At that instant,
-several loud blows were struck on the water, and Duncan
-turned his eyes just in time to perceive that a hundred dark
-forms were plunging, in a body, into the troubled little
-sheet.  Grasping his rifle his looks were again bent on the
-Indian near him.  Instead of taking the alarm, the
-unconscious savage stretched forward his neck, as if he also
-watched the movements about the gloomy lake, with a sort of
-silly curiosity.  In the meantime, the uplifted hand of
-Hawkeye was above him.  But, without any apparent reason, it
-was withdrawn, and its owner indulged in another long,
-though still silent, fit of merriment.  When the peculiar
-and hearty laughter of Hawkeye was ended, instead of
-grasping his victim by the throat, he tapped him lightly on
-the shoulder, and exclaimed aloud:
-
-"How now, friend! have you a mind to teach the beavers to
-sing?"
-
-"Even so," was the ready answer.  "It would seem that the
-Being that gave them power to improve His gifts so well,
-would not deny them voices to proclaim His praise."
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 22
-
-"Bot.--Abibl we all met? Qui.--Pat--pat; and here's
-a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal."--
-Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-The reader may better imagine, than we describe the surprise
-of Heyward.  His lurking Indians were suddenly converted
-into four-footed beasts; his lake into a beaver pond; his
-cataract into a dam, constructed by those industrious and
-ingenious quadrupeds; and a suspected enemy into his tried
-friend, David Gamut, the master of psalmody.  The presence
-of the latter created so many unexpected hopes relative to
-the sisters that, without a moment's hesitation, the young
-man broke out of his ambush, and sprang forward to join the
-two principal actors in the scene.
-
-The merriment of Hawkeye was not easily appeased.  Without
-ceremony, and with a rough hand, he twirled the supple Gamut
-around on his heel, and more than once affirmed that the
-Hurons had done themselves great credit in the fashion of
-his costume.  Then, seizing the hand of the other, he
-squeezed it with a grip that brought tears into the eyes of
-the placid David, and wished him joy of his new condition.
-
-"You were about opening your throat-practisings among the
-beavers, were ye?" he said.  "The cunning devils know half
-the trade already, for they beat the time with their tails,
-as you heard just now; and in good time it was, too, or
-'killdeer' might have sounded the first note among them.  I
-have known greater fools, who could read and write, than an
-experienced old beaver; but as for squalling, the animals
-are born dumb!  What think you of such a song as this?"
-
-David shut his sensitive ears, and even Heyward apprised as
-he was of the nature of the cry, looked upward in quest of
-the bird, as the cawing of a crow rang in the air about
-them.
-
-"See!" continued the laughing scout, as he pointed toward
-the remainder of the party, who, in obedience to the signal,
-were already approaching; "this is music which has its
-natural virtues; it brings two good rifles to my elbow, to
-say nothing of the knives and tomahawks.  But we see that
-you are safe; now tell us what has become of the maidens."
-
-"They are captives to the heathen," said David; "and, though
-greatly troubled in spirit, enjoying comfort and safety in
-the body."
-
-"Both!" demanded the breathless Heyward.
-
-"Even so.  Though our wayfaring has been sore and our
-sustenance scanty, we have had little other cause for
-complaint, except the violence done our feelings, by being
-thus led in captivity into a far land."
-
-"Bless ye for these very words!" exclaimed the trembling
-Munro; "I shall then receive my babes, spotless and
-angel-like, as I lost them!"
-
-"I know not that their delivery is at hand," returned the
-doubting David; "the leader of these savages is possessed of
-an evil spirit that no power short of Omnipotence can tame.
-I have tried him sleeping and waking, but neither sounds nor
-language seem to touch his soul."
-
-"Where is the knave?" bluntly interrupted the scout.
-
-"He hunts the moose to-day, with his young men; and
-tomorrow, as I hear, they pass further into the forests, and
-nigher to the borders of Canada.  The elder maiden is
-conveyed to a neighboring people, whose lodges are situate
-beyond yonder black pinnacle of rock; while the younger is
-detained among the women of the Hurons, whose dwellings are
-but two short miles hence, on a table-land, where the fire
-had done the office of the axe, and prepared the place for
-their reception."
-
-"Alice, my gentle Alice!" murmured Heyward; "she has lost
-the consolation of her sister's presence!"
-
-"Even so.  But so far as praise and thanksgiving in psalmody
-can temper the spirit in affliction, she has not suffered."
-
-"Has she then a heart for music?"
-
-"Of the graver and more solemn character; though it must be
-acknowledged that, in spite of all my endeavors, the maiden
-weeps oftener than she smiles.  At such moments I forbear to
-press the holy songs; but there are many sweet and
-comfortable periods of satisfactory communication, when the
-ears of the savages are astounded with the upliftings of our
-voices."
-
-"And why are you permitted to go at large, unwatched?"
-
-David composed his features into what he intended should
-express an air of modest humility, before he meekly replied:
-
-"Little be the praise to such a worm as I.  But, though the
-power of psalmody was suspended in the terrible business of
-that field of blood through which we have passed, it has
-recovered its influence even over the souls of the heathen,
-and I am suffered to go and come at will."
-
-The scout laughed, and, tapping his own forehead
-significantly, he perhaps explained the singular indulgence
-more satisfactorily when he said:
-
-"The Indians never harm a non-composser.  But why, when the
-path lay open before your eyes, did you not strike back on
-your own trail (it is not so blind as that which a squirrel
-would make), and bring in the tidings to Edward?"
-
-The scout, remembering only his own sturdy and iron nature,
-had probably exacted a task that David, under no
-circumstances, could have performed.  But, without entirely
-losing the meekness of his air, the latter was content to
-answer:
-
-"Though my soul would rejoice to visit the habitations of
-Christendom once more, my feet would rather follow the
-tender spirits intrusted to my keeping, even into the
-idolatrous province of the Jesuits, than take one step
-backward, while they pined in captivity and sorrow."
-
-Though the figurative language of David was not very
-intelligible, the sincere and steady expression of his eye,
-and the glow of his honest countenance, were not easily
-mistaken.  Uncas pressed closer to his side, and regarded
-the speaker with a look of commendation, while his father
-expressed his satisfaction by the ordinary pithy exclamation
-of approbation.  The scout shook his head as he rejoined:
-
-"The Lord never intended that the man should place all his
-endeavors in his throat, to the neglect of other and better
-gifts!  But he has fallen into the hands of some silly
-woman, when he should have been gathering his education
-under a blue sky, among the beauties of the forest.  Here,
-friend; I did intend to kindle a fire with this tooting-whistle
-of thine; but, as you value the thing, take it, and blow your
-best on it."
-
-Gamut received his pitch-pipe with as strong an expression
-of pleasure as he believed compatible with the grave
-functions he exercised.  After essaying its virtues
-repeatedly, in contrast with his own voice, and, satisfying
-himself that none of its melody was lost, he made a very
-serious demonstration toward achieving a few stanzas of one
-of the longest effusions in the little volume so often
-mentioned.
-
-Heyward, however, hastily interrupted his pious purpose by
-continuing questions concerning the past and present
-condition of his fellow captives, and in a manner more
-methodical than had been permitted by his feelings in the
-opening of their interview.  David, though he regarded his
-treasure with longing eyes, was constrained to answer,
-especially as the venerable father took a part in the
-interrogatories, with an interest too imposing to be denied.
-Nor did the scout fail to throw in a pertinent inquiry,
-whenever a fitting occasion presented.  In this manner,
-though with frequent interruptions which were filled with
-certain threatening sounds from the recovered instrument,
-the pursuers were put in possession of such leading
-circumstances as were likely to prove useful in
-accomplishing their great and engrossing object -- the
-recovery of the sisters.  The narrative of David was simple,
-and the facts but few.
-
-Magua had waited on the mountain until a safe moment to
-retire presented itself, when he had descended, and taken
-the route along the western side of the Horican in direction
-of the Canadas.  As the subtle Huron was familiar with the
-paths, and well knew there was no immediate danger of
-pursuit, their progress had been moderate, and far from
-fatiguing.  It appeared from the unembellished statement of
-David, that his own presence had been rather endured than
-desired; though even Magua had not been entirely exempt from
-that veneration with which the Indians regard those whom the
-Great Spirit had visited in their intellects.  At night, the
-utmost care had been taken of the captives, both to prevent
-injury from the damps of the woods and to guard against an
-escape.  At the spring, the horses were turned loose, as has
-been seen; and, notwithstanding the remoteness and length of
-their trail, the artifices already named were resorted to,
-in order to cut off every clue to their place of retreat.
-On their arrival at the encampment of his people, Magua, in
-obedience to a policy seldom departed from, separated his
-prisoners.  Cora had been sent to a tribe that temporarily
-occupied an adjacent valley, though David was far too
-ignorant of the customs and history of the natives, to be
-able to declare anything satisfactory concerning their name
-or character.  He only knew that they had not engaged in the
-late expedition against William Henry; that, like the Hurons
-themselves they were allies of Montcalm; and that they
-maintained an amicable, though a watchful intercourse with
-the warlike and savage people whom chance had, for a time,
-brought in such close and disagreeable contact with
-themselves.
-
-The Mohicans and the scout listened to his interrupted and
-imperfect narrative, with an interest that obviously
-increased as he proceeded; and it was while attempting to
-explain the pursuits of the community in which Cora was
-detained, that the latter abruptly demanded:
-
-"Did you see the fashion of their knives? were they of
-English or French formation?"
-
-"My thoughts were bent on no such vanities, but rather
-mingled in consolation with those of the maidens."
-
-"The time may come when you will not consider the knife of a
-savage such a despicable vanity," returned the scout, with a
-strong expression of contempt for the other's dullness.
-"Had they held their corn feast -- or can you say anything
-of the totems of the tribe?"
-
-"Of corn, we had many and plentiful feasts; for the grain,
-being in the milk is both sweet to the mouth and comfortable
-to the stomach.  Of totem, I know not the meaning; but if it
-appertaineth in any wise to the art of Indian music, it need
-not be inquired after at their hands.  They never join their
-voices in praise, and it would seem that they are among the
-profanest of the idolatrous."
-
-"Therein you belie the natur' of an Indian.  Even the Mingo
-adores but the true and loving God.  'Tis wicked fabrication
-of the whites, and I say it to the shame of my color that
-would make the warrior bow down before images of his own
-creation.  It is true, they endeavor to make truces to the
-wicked one -- as who would not with an enemy he cannot
-conquer! but they look up for favor and assistance to the
-Great and Good Spirit only."
-
-"It may be so," said David; "but I have seen strange and
-fantastic images drawn in their paint, of which their
-admiration and care savored of spiritual pride; especially
-one, and that, too, a foul and loathsome object."
-
-"Was it a sarpent?" quickly demanded the scout.
-
-"Much the same.  It was in the likeness of an abject and
-creeping tortoise."
-
-"Hugh!" exclaimed both the attentive Mohicans in a breath;
-while the scout shook his head with the air of one who had
-made an important but by no means a pleasing discovery.
-Then the father spoke, in the language of the Delawares, and
-with a calmness and dignity that instantly arrested the
-attention even of those to whom his words were
-unintelligible.  His gestures were impressive, and at times
-energetic.  Once he lifted his arm on high; and, as it
-descended, the action threw aside the folds of his light
-mantle, a finger resting on his breast, as if he would
-enforce his meaning by the attitude.  Duncan's eyes followed
-the movement, and he perceived that the animal just
-mentioned was beautifully, though faintly, worked in blue
-tint, on the swarthy breast of the chief.  All that he had
-ever heard of the violent separation of the vast tribes of
-the Delawares rushed across his mind, and he awaited the
-proper moment to speak, with a suspense that was rendered
-nearly intolerable by his interest in the stake.  His wish,
-however, was anticipated by the scout who turned from his
-red friend, saying:
-
-"We have found that which may be good or evil to us, as
-heaven disposes.  The Sagamore is of the high blood of the
-Delawares, and is the great chief of their Tortoises!  That
-some of this stock are among the people of whom the singer
-tells us, is plain by his words; and, had he but spent half
-the breath in prudent questions that he has blown away in
-making a trumpet of his throat, we might have known how many
-warriors they numbered.  It is, altogether, a dangerous path
-we move in; for a friend whose face is turned from you often
-bears a bloodier mind than the enemy who seeks your scalp."
-
-"Explain," said Duncan.
-
-"'Tis a long and melancholy tradition, and one I little like
-to think of; for it is not to be denied that the evil has
-been mainly done by men with white skins.  But it has ended
-in turning the tomahawk of brother against brother, and
-brought the Mingo and the Delaware to travel in the same
-path."
-
-"You, then, suspect it is a portion of that people among
-whom Cora resides?"
-
-The scout nodded his head in assent, though he seemed
-anxious to waive the further discussion of a subject that
-appeared painful.  The impatient Duncan now made several
-hasty and desperate propositions to attempt the release of
-the sisters.  Munro seemed to shake off his apathy, and
-listened to the wild schemes of the young man with a
-deference that his gray hairs and reverend years should have
-denied.  But the scout, after suffering the ardor of the
-lover to expend itself a little, found means to convince him
-of the folly of precipitation, in a manner that would
-require their coolest judgment and utmost fortitude.
-
-"It would be well," he added, "to let this man go in again,
-as usual, and for him to tarry in the lodges, giving notice
-to the gentle ones of our approach, until we call him out,
-by signal, to consult.  You know the cry of a crow, friend,
-from the whistle of the whip-poor-will?"
-
-"'Tis a pleasing bird," returned David, "and has a soft and
-melancholy note! though the time is rather quick and ill-measured."
-
-"He speaks of the wish-ton-wish," said the scout; "well,
-since you like his whistle, it shall be your signal.
-Remember, then, when you hear the whip-poor-will's call
-three times repeated, you are to come into the bushes where
-the bird might be supposed --"
-
-"Stop," interrupted Heyward; "I will accompany him."
-
-"You!" exclaimed the astonished Hawkeye; "are you tired of
-seeing the sun rise and set?"
-
-"David is a living proof that the Hurons can be merciful."
-
-"Ay, but David can use his throat, as no man in his senses
-would pervart the gift."
-
-"I too can play the madman, the fool, the hero; in short,
-any or everything to rescue her I love.  Name your
-objections no longer: I am resolved."
-
-Hawkeye regarded the young man a moment in speechless
-amazement.  But Duncan, who, in deference to the other's
-skill and services, had hitherto submitted somewhat
-implicitly to his dictation, now assumed the superior, with
-a manner that was not easily resisted.  He waved his hand,
-in sign of his dislike to all remonstrance, and then, in
-more tempered language, he continued:
-
-"You have the means of disguise; change me; paint me, too,
-if you will; in short, alter me to anything -- a fool."
-
-"It is not for one like me to say that he who is already
-formed by so powerful a hand as Providence, stands in need
-of a change," muttered the discontented scout.  "When you
-send your parties abroad in war, you find it prudent, at
-least, to arrange the marks and places of encampment, in
-order that they who fight on your side may know when and
-where to expect a friend."
-
-"Listen," interrupted Duncan; "you have heard from this
-faithful follower of the captives, that the Indians are of
-two tribes, if not of different nations.  With one, whom you
-think to be a branch of the Delawares, is she you call the
-'dark-hair'; the other, and younger, of the ladies, is
-undeniably with our declared enemies, the Hurons.  It
-becomes my youth and rank to attempt the latter adventure.
-While you, therefore, are negotiating with your friends for
-the release of one of the sisters, I will effect that of the
-other, or die."
-
-The awakened spirit of the young soldier gleamed in his
-eyes, and his form became imposing under its influence.
-Hawkeye, though too much accustomed to Indian artifices not
-to foresee the danger of the experiment, knew not well how
-to combat this sudden resolution.
-
-Perhaps there was something in the proposal that suited his
-own hardy nature, and that secret love of desperate
-adventure, which had increased with his experience, until
-hazard and danger had become, in some measure, necessary to
-the enjoyment of his existence.  Instead of continuing to
-oppose the scheme of Duncan, his humor suddenly altered, and
-he lent himself to its execution.
-
-"Come," he said, with a good-humored smile; "the buck that
-will take to the water must be headed, and not followed.
-Chingachgook has as many different paints as the engineer
-officer's wife, who takes down natur' on scraps of paper,
-making the mountains look like cocks of rusty hay, and
-placing the blue sky in reach of your hand.  The Sagamore
-can use them, too.  Seat yourself on the log; and my life on
-it, he can soon make a natural fool of you, and that well to
-your liking."
-
-Duncan complied; and the Mohican, who had been an attentive
-listener to the discourse, readily undertook the office.
-Long practised in all the subtle arts of his race, he drew,
-with great dexterity and quickness, the fantastic shadow
-that the natives were accustomed to consider as the evidence
-of a friendly and jocular disposition.  Every line that
-could possibly be interpreted into a secret inclination for
-war, was carefully avoided; while, on the other hand, he
-studied those conceits that might be construed into amity.
-
-In short, he entirely sacrificed every appearance of the
-warrior to the masquerade of a buffoon.  Such exhibitions
-were not uncommon among the Indians, and as Duncan was
-already sufficiently disguised in his dress, there certainly
-did exist some reason for believing that, with his knowledge
-of French, he might pass for a juggler from Ticonderoga,
-straggling among the allied and friendly tribes.
-
-When he was thought to be sufficiently painted, the scout
-gave him much friendly advice; concerted signals, and
-appointed the place where they should meet, in the event of
-mutual success.  The parting between Munro and his young
-friend was more melancholy; still, the former submitted to
-the separation with an indifference that his warm and honest
-nature would never have permitted in a more healthful state
-of mind.  The scout led Heyward aside, and acquainted him
-with his intention to leave the veteran in some safe
-encampment, in charge of Chingachgook, while he and Uncas
-pursued their inquires among the people they had reason to
-believe were Delawares.  Then, renewing his cautions and
-advice, he concluded by saying, with a solemnity and warmth
-of feeling, with which Duncan was deeply touched:
-
-"And, now, God bless you!  You have shown a spirit that I
-like; for it is the gift of youth, more especially one of
-warm blood and a stout heart.  But believe the warning of a
-man who has reason to know all he says to be true.  You will
-have occasion for your best manhood, and for a sharper wit
-than what is to be gathered in books, afore you outdo the
-cunning or get the better of the courage of a Mingo.  God
-bless you! if the Hurons master your scalp, rely on the
-promise of one who has two stout warriors to back him.  They
-shall pay for their victory, with a life for every hair it
-holds.  I say, young gentleman, may Providence bless your
-undertaking, which is altogether for good; and, remember,
-that to outwit the knaves it is lawful to practise things
-that may not be naturally the gift of a white-skin."
-
-Duncan shook his worthy and reluctant associate warmly by
-the hand, once more recommended his aged friend to his care,
-and returning his good wishes, he motioned to David to
-proceed.  Hawkeye gazed after the high-spirited and
-adventurous young man for several moments, in open
-admiration; then, shaking his head doubtingly, he turned,
-and led his own division of the party into the concealment
-of the forest.
-
-The route taken by Duncan and David lay directly across the
-clearing of the beavers, and along the margin of their pond.
-
-When the former found himself alone with one so simple, and
-so little qualified to render any assistance in desperate
-emergencies, he first began to be sensible of the
-difficulties of the task he had undertaken.  The fading
-light increased the gloominess of the bleak and savage
-wilderness that stretched so far on every side of him, and
-there was even a fearful character in the stillness of those
-little huts, that he knew were so abundantly peopled.  It
-struck him, as he gazed at the admirable structures and the
-wonderful precautions of their sagacious inmates, that even
-the brutes of these vast wilds were possessed of an instinct
-nearly commensurate with his own reason; and he could not
-reflect, without anxiety, on the unequal contest that he had
-so rashly courted.  Then came the glowing image of Alice;
-her distress; her actual danger; and all the peril of his
-situation was forgotten.  Cheering David, he moved on with
-the light and vigorous step of youth and enterprise.
-
-After making nearly a semicircle around the pond, they
-diverged from the water-course, and began to ascend to the
-level of a slight elevation in that bottom land, over which
-they journeyed.  Within half an hour they gained the margin
-of another opening that bore all the signs of having been
-also made by the beavers, and which those sagacious animals
-had probably been induced, by some accident, to abandon, for
-the more eligible position they now occupied.  A very
-natural sensation caused Duncan to hesitate a moment,
-unwilling to leave the cover of their bushy path, as a man
-pauses to collect his energies before he essays any
-hazardous experiment, in which he is secretly conscious they
-will all be needed.  He profited by the halt, to gather such
-information as might be obtained from his short and hasty
-glances.
-
-On the opposite side of the clearing, and near the point
-where the brook tumbled over some rocks, from a still higher
-level, some fifty or sixty lodges, rudely fabricated of logs
-brush, and earth intermingled, were to be discovered.  They
-were arranged without any order, and seemed to be
-constructed with very little attention to neatness or
-beauty.  Indeed, so very inferior were they in the two
-latter particulars to the village Duncan had just seen, that
-he began to expect a second surprise, no less astonishing
-that the former.  This expectation was in no degree
-diminished, when, by the doubtful twilight, he beheld twenty
-or thirty forms rising alternately from the cover of the
-tall, coarse grass, in front of the lodges, and then sinking
-again from the sight, as it were to burrow in the earth.  By
-the sudden and hasty glimpses that he caught of these
-figures, they seemed more like dark, glancing specters, or
-some other unearthly beings, than creatures fashioned with
-the ordinary and vulgar materials of flesh and blood.  A
-gaunt, naked form was seen, for a single instant, tossing
-its arms wildly in the air, and then the spot it had filled
-was vacant; the figure appearing suddenly in some other and
-distant place, or being succeeded by another, possessing the
-same mysterious character.  David, observing that his
-companion lingered, pursued the direction of his gaze, and
-in some measure recalled the recollection of Heyward, by
-speaking.
-
-"There is much fruitful soil uncultivated here," he said;
-"and, I may add, without the sinful leaven of self-commendation,
-that, since my short sojourn in these heathenish abodes, much
-good seed has been scattered by the wayside."
-
-"The tribes are fonder of the chase than of the arts of men
-of labor," returned the unconscious Duncan, still gazing at
-the objects of his wonder.
-
-"It is rather joy than labor to the spirit, to lift up the
-voice in praise; but sadly do these boys abuse their gifts.
-Rarely have I found any of their age, on whom nature has so
-freely bestowed the elements of psalmody; and surely,
-surely, there are none who neglect them more.  Three nights
-have I now tarried here, and three several times have I
-assembled the urchins to join in sacred song; and as often
-have they responded to my efforts with whoopings and
-howlings that have chilled my soul!"
-
-"Of whom speak you?"
-
-"Of those children of the devil, who waste the precious
-moments in yonder idle antics.  Ah! the wholesome restraint
-of discipline is but little known among this self-abandoned
-people.  In a country of birches, a rod is never seen, and
-it ought not to appear a marvel in my eyes, that the
-choicest blessings of Providence are wasted in such cries as
-these."
-
-David closed his ears against the juvenile pack, whose yell
-just then rang shrilly through the forest; and Duncan,
-suffering his lip to curl, as in mockery of his own
-superstition, said firmly:
-
-"We will proceed."
-
-Without removing the safeguards form his ears, the master of
-song complied, and together they pursued their way toward
-what David was sometimes wont to call the "tents of the
-Philistines."
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 23
-
-"But though the beast of game The privilege of chase may
-claim; Though space and law the stag we lend Ere hound we
-slip, or bow we bend; Whoever recked, where, how, or when
-The prowling fox was trapped or slain?"--Lady of the Lake
-
-It is unusual to find an encampment of the natives, like
-those of the more instructed whites, guarded by the presence
-of armed men.  Well informed of the approach of every
-danger, while it is yet at a distance, the Indian generally
-rests secure under his knowledge of the signs of the forest,
-and the long and difficult paths that separate him from
-those he has most reason to dread.  But the enemy who, by
-any lucky concurrence of accidents, has found means to elude
-the vigilance of the scouts, will seldom meet with sentinels
-nearer home to sound the alarm.  In addition to this general
-usage, the tribes friendly to the French knew too well the
-weight of the blow that had just been struck, to apprehend
-any immediate danger from the hostile nations that were
-tributary to the crown of Britain.
-
-When Duncan and David, therefore, found themselves in the
-center of the children, who played the antics already
-mentioned, it was without the least previous intimation of
-their approach.  But so soon as they were observed the whole
-of the juvenile pack raised, by common consent, a shrill and
-warning whoop; and then sank, as it were, by magic, from
-before the sight of their visitors.  The naked, tawny bodies
-of the crouching urchins blended so nicely at that hour,
-with the withered herbage, that at first it seemed as if the
-earth had, in truth, swallowed up their forms; though when
-surprise permitted Duncan to bend his look more curiously
-about the spot, he found it everywhere met by dark, quick,
-and rolling eyeballs.
-
-Gathering no encouragement from this startling presage of
-the nature of the scrutiny he was likely to undergo from the
-more mature judgments of the men, there was an instant when
-the young soldier would have retreated.  It was, however,
-too late to appear to hesitate.  The cry of the children had
-drawn a dozen warriors to the door of the nearest lodge,
-where they stood clustered in a dark and savage group,
-gravely awaiting the nearer approach of those who had
-unexpectedly come among them.
-
-David, in some measure familiarized to the scene, led the
-way with a steadiness that no slight obstacle was likely to
-disconcert, into this very building.  It was the principal
-edifice of the village, though roughly constructed of the
-bark and branches of trees; being the lodge in which the
-tribe held its councils and public meetings during their
-temporary residence on the borders of the English province.
-Duncan found it difficult to assume the necessary appearance
-of unconcern, as he brushed the dark and powerful frames of
-the savages who thronged its threshold; but, conscious that
-his existence depended on his presence of mind, he trusted
-to the discretion of his companion, whose footsteps he
-closely followed, endeavoring, as he proceeded, to rally his
-thoughts for the occasion.  His blood curdled when he found
-himself in absolute contact with such fierce and implacable
-enemies; but he so far mastered his feelings as to pursue
-his way into the center of the lodge, with an exterior that
-did not betray the weakness.  Imitating the example of the
-deliberate Gamut, he drew a bundle of fragrant brush from
-beneath a pile that filled the corner of the hut, and seated
-himself in silence.
-
-So soon as their visitor had passed, the observant warriors
-fell back from the entrance, and arranging themselves about
-him, they seemed patiently to await the moment when it might
-comport with the dignity of the stranger to speak.  By far
-the greater number stood leaning, in lazy, lounging
-attitudes, against the upright posts that supported the
-crazy building, while three or four of the oldest and most
-distinguished of the chiefs placed themselves on the earth a
-little more in advance.
-
-A flaring torch was burning in the place, and set its red
-glare from face to face and figure to figure, as it waved in
-the currents of air.  Duncan profited by its light to read
-the probable character of his reception, in the countenances
-of his hosts.  But his ingenuity availed him little, against
-the cold artifices of the people he had encountered.  The
-chiefs in front scarce cast a glance at his person, keeping
-their eyes on the ground, with an air that might have been
-intended for respect, but which it was quite easy to
-construe into distrust.  The men in the shadow were less
-reserved.  Duncan soon detected their searching, but stolen,
-looks which, in truth, scanned his person and attire inch by
-inch; leaving no emotion of the countenance, no gesture, no
-line of the paint, nor even the fashion of a garment,
-unheeded, and without comment.
-
-At length one whose hair was beginning to be sprinkled with
-gray, but whose sinewy limbs and firm tread announced that
-he was still equal to the duties of manhood, advanced out of
-the gloom of a corner, whither he had probably posted
-himself to make his observations unseen, and spoke.  He used
-the language of the Wyandots, or Hurons; his words were,
-consequently, unintelligible to Heyward, though they seemed,
-by the gestures that accompanied them, to be uttered more in
-courtesy than anger.  The latter shook his head, and made a
-gesture indicative of his inability to reply.
-
-"Do none of my brothers speak the French or the English?" he
-said, in the former language, looking about him from
-countenance to countenance, in hopes of finding a nod of
-assent.
-
-Though more than one had turned, as if to catch the meaning
-of his words, they remained unanswered.
-
-"I should be grieved to think," continued Duncan, speaking
-slowly, and using the simplest French of which he was the
-master, "to believe that none of this wise and brave nation
-understand the language that the 'Grand Monarque' uses when
-he talks to his children.  His heart would be heavy did he
-believe his red warriors paid him so little respect!"
-
-A long and grave pause succeeded, during which no movement
-of a limb, nor any expression of an eye, betrayed the
-expression produced by his remark.  Duncan, who knew that
-silence was a virtue among his hosts, gladly had recourse to
-the custom, in order to arrange his ideas.  At length the
-same warrior who had before addressed him replied, by dryly
-demanding, in the language of the Canadas:
-
-"When our Great Father speaks to his people, is it with the
-tongue of a Huron?"
-
-"He knows no difference in his children, whether the color
-of the skin be red, or black, or white," returned Duncan,
-evasively; "though chiefly is he satisfied with the brave
-Hurons."
-
-"In what manner will he speak," demanded the wary chief,
-"when the runners count to him the scalps which five nights
-ago grew on the heads of the Yengeese?"
-
-"They were his enemies," said Duncan, shuddering
-involuntarily; "and doubtless, he will say, it is good; my
-Hurons are very gallant."
-
-"Our Canada father does not think it.  Instead of looking
-forward to reward his Indians, his eyes are turned backward.
-He sees the dead Yengeese, but no Huron.  What can this
-mean?"
-
-"A great chief, like him, has more thoughts than tongues.
-He looks to see that no enemies are on his trail."
-
-"The canoe of a dead warrior will not float on the Horican,"
-returned the savage, gloomily.  "His ears are open to the
-Delawares, who are not our friends, and they fill them with
-lies."
-
-"It cannot be.  See; he has bid me, who am a man that knows
-the art of healing, to go to his children, the red Hurons of
-the great lakes, and ask if any are sick!"
-
-Another silence succeeded this annunciation of the character
-Duncan had assumed.  Every eye was simultaneously bent on
-his person, as if to inquire into the truth or falsehood of
-the declaration, with an intelligence and keenness that
-caused the subject of their scrutiny to tremble for the
-result.  He was, however, relieved again by the former
-speaker.
-
-"Do the cunning men of the Canadas paint their skins?" the
-Huron coldly continued; "we have heard them boast that their
-faces were pale."
-
-"When an Indian chief comes among his white fathers,"
-returned Duncan, with great steadiness, "he lays aside his
-buffalo robe, to carry the shirt that is offered him.  My
-brothers have given me paint and I wear it."
-
-A low murmur of applause announced that the compliment of
-the tribe was favorably received.  The elderly chief made a
-gesture of commendation, which was answered by most of his
-companions, who each threw forth a hand and uttered a brief
-exclamation of pleasure.  Duncan began to breathe more
-freely, believing that the weight of his examination was
-past; and, as he had already prepared a simple and probable
-tale to support his pretended occupation, his hopes of
-ultimate success grew brighter.
-
-After a silence of a few moments, as if adjusting his
-thoughts, in order to make a suitable answer to the
-declaration their guests had just given, another warrior
-arose, and placed himself in an attitude to speak.  While
-his lips were yet in the act of parting, a low but fearful
-sound arose from the forest, and was immediately succeeded
-by a high, shrill yell, that was drawn out, until it equaled
-the longest and most plaintive howl of the wolf.  The sudden
-and terrible interruption caused Duncan to start from his
-seat, unconscious of everything but the effect produced by
-so frightful a cry.  At the same moment, the warriors glided
-in a body from the lodge, and the outer air was filled with
-loud shouts, that nearly drowned those awful sounds, which
-were still ringing beneath the arches of the woods.  Unable
-to command himself any longer, the youth broke from the
-place, and presently stood in the center of a disorderly
-throng, that included nearly everything having life, within
-the limits of the encampment.  Men, women, and children; the
-aged, the inform, the active, and the strong, were alike
-abroad, some exclaiming aloud, others clapping their hands
-with a joy that seemed frantic, and all expressing their
-savage pleasure in some unexpected event.  Though astounded,
-at first, by the uproar, Heyward was soon enabled to find
-its solution by the scene that followed.
-
-There yet lingered sufficient light in the heavens to
-exhibit those bright openings among the tree-tops, where
-different paths left the clearing to enter the depths of the
-wilderness.  Beneath one of them, a line of warriors issued
-from the woods, and advanced slowly toward the dwellings.
-One in front bore a short pole, on which, as it afterwards
-appeared, were suspended several human scalps.  The
-startling sounds that Duncan had heard were what the whites
-have not inappropriately called the "death-hallo"; and each
-repetition of the cry was intended to announce to the tribe
-the fate of an enemy.  Thus far the knowledge of Heyward
-assisted him in the explanation; and as he now knew that the
-interruption was caused by the unlooked-for return of a
-successful war-party, every disagreeable sensation was
-quieted in inward congratulation, for the opportune relief
-and insignificance it conferred on himself.
-
-When at the distance of a few hundred feet from the lodges
-the newly arrived warriors halted.  Their plaintive and
-terrific cry, which was intended to represent equally the
-wailings of the dead and the triumph to the victors, had
-entirely ceased.  One of their number now called aloud, in
-words that were far from appalling, though not more
-intelligible to those for whose ears they were intended,
-than their expressive yells.  It would be difficult to
-convey a suitable idea of the savage ecstasy with which the
-news thus imparted was received.  The whole encampment, in a
-moment, became a scene of the most violent bustle and
-commotion.  The warriors drew their knives, and flourishing
-them, they arranged themselves in two lines, forming a lane
-that extended from the war-party to the lodges.  The squaws
-seized clubs, axes, or whatever weapon of offense first
-offered itself to their hands, and rushed eagerly to act
-their part in the cruel game that was at hand.  Even the
-children would not be excluded; but boys, little able to
-wield the instruments, tore the tomahawks from the belts of
-their fathers, and stole into the ranks, apt imitators of
-the savage traits exhibited by their parents.
-
-Large piles of brush lay scattered about the clearing, and a
-wary and aged squaw was occupied in firing as many as might
-serve to light the coming exhibition.  As the flame arose,
-its power exceeded that of the parting day, and assisted to
-render objects at the same time more distinct and more
-hideous.  The whole scene formed a striking picture, whose
-frame was composed of the dark and tall border of pines.
-The warriors just arrived were the most distant figures.  A
-little in advance stood two men, who were apparently
-selected from the rest, as the principal actors in what was
-to follow.  The light was not strong enough to render their
-features distinct, though it was quite evident that they
-were governed by very different emotions.  While one stood
-erect and firm, prepared to meet his fate like a hero, the
-other bowed his head, as if palsied by terror or stricken
-with shame.  The high-spirited Duncan felt a powerful
-impulse of admiration and pity toward the former, though no
-opportunity could offer to exhibit his generous emotions.
-He watched his slightest movement, however, with eager eyes;
-and, as he traced the fine outline of his admirably
-proportioned and active frame, he endeavored to persuade
-himself, that, if the powers of man, seconded by such noble
-resolution, could bear one harmless through so severe a
-trial, the youthful captive before him might hope for
-success in the hazardous race he was about to run.
-Insensibly the young man drew nigher to the swarthy lines of
-the Hurons, and scarcely breathed, so intense became his
-interest in the spectacle.  Just then the signal yell was
-given, and the momentary quiet which had preceded it was
-broken by a burst of cries, that far exceeded any before
-heard.  The more abject of the two victims continued
-motionless; but the other bounded from the place at the cry,
-with the activity and swiftness of a deer.  Instead of
-rushing through the hostile lines, as had been expected, he
-just entered the dangerous defile, and before time was given
-for a single blow, turned short, and leaping the heads of a
-row of children, he gained at once the exterior and safer
-side of the formidable array.  The artifice was answered by
-a hundred voices raised in imprecations; and the whole of
-the excited multitude broke from their order, and spread
-themselves about the place in wild confusion.
-
-A dozen blazing piles now shed their lurid brightness on the
-place, which resembled some unhallowed and supernatural
-arena, in which malicious demons had assembled to act their
-bloody and lawless rites.  The forms in the background
-looked like unearthly beings, gliding before the eye, and
-cleaving the air with frantic and unmeaning gestures; while
-the savage passions of such as passed the flames were
-rendered fearfully distinct by the gleams that shot athwart
-their inflamed visages.
-
-It will easily be understood that, amid such a concourse of
-vindictive enemies, no breathing time was allowed the
-fugitive.  There was a single moment when it seemed as if he
-would have reached the forest, but the whole body of his
-captors threw themselves before him, and drove him back into
-the center of his relentless persecutors.  Turning like a
-headed deer, he shot, with the swiftness of an arrow,
-through a pillar of forked flame, and passing the whole
-multitude harmless, he appeared on the opposite side of the
-clearing.  Here, too, he was met and turned by a few of the
-older and more subtle of the Hurons.  Once more he tried the
-throng, as if seeking safety in its blindness, and then
-several moments succeeded, during which Duncan believed the
-active and courageous young stranger was lost.
-
-Nothing could be distinguished but a dark mass of human
-forms tossed and involved in inexplicable confusion.  Arms,
-gleaming knives, and formidable clubs, appeared above them,
-but the blows were evidently given at random.  The awful
-effect was heightened by the piercing shrieks of the women
-and the fierce yells of the warriors.  Now and then Duncan
-caught a glimpse of a light form cleaving the air in some
-desperate bound, and he rather hoped than believed that the
-captive yet retained the command of his astonishing powers
-of activity.  Suddenly the multitude rolled backward, and
-approached the spot where he himself stood.  The heavy body
-in the rear pressed upon the women and children in front,
-and bore them to the earth.  The stranger reappeared in the
-confusion.  Human power could not, however, much longer
-endure so severe a trial.  Of this the captive seemed
-conscious.  Profiting by the momentary opening, he darted
-from among the warriors, and made a desperate, and what
-seemed to Duncan a final effort to gain the wood.  As if
-aware that no danger was to be apprehended from the young
-soldier, the fugitive nearly brushed his person in his
-flight.  A tall and powerful Huron, who had husbanded his
-forces, pressed close upon his heels, and with an uplifted
-arm menaced a fatal blow.  Duncan thrust forth a foot, and
-the shock precipitated the eager savage headlong, many feet
-in advance of his intended victim.  Thought itself is not
-quicker than was the motion with which the latter profited
-by the advantage; he turned, gleamed like a meteor again
-before the eyes of Duncan, and, at the next moment, when the
-latter recovered his recollection, and gazed around in quest
-of the captive, he saw him quietly leaning against a small
-painted post, which stood before the door of the principal
-lodge.
-
-Apprehensive that the part he had taken in the escape might
-prove fatal to himself, Duncan left the place without delay.
-He followed the crowd, which drew nigh the lodges, gloomy
-and sullen, like any other multitude that had been
-disappointed in an execution.  Curiosity, or perhaps a
-better feeling, induced him to approach the stranger.  He
-found him, standing with one arm cast about the protecting
-post, and breathing thick and hard, after his exertions, but
-disdaining to permit a single sign of suffering to escape.
-His person was now protected by immemorial and sacred usage,
-until the tribe in council had deliberated and determined on
-his fate.  It was not difficult, however, to foretell the
-result, if any presage could be drawn from the feelings of
-those who crowded the place.
-
-There was no term of abuse known to the Huron vocabulary
-that the disappointed women did not lavishly expend on the
-successful stranger.  They flouted at his efforts, and told
-him, with bitter scoffs, that his feet were better than his
-hands; and that he merited wings, while he knew not the use
-of an arrow or a knife.  To all this the captive made no
-reply; but was content to preserve an attitude in which
-dignity was singularly blended with disdain.  Exasperated as
-much by his composure as by his good-fortune, their words
-became unintelligible, and were succeeded by shrill,
-piercing yells.  Just then the crafty squaw, who had taken
-the necessary precaution to fire the piles, made her way
-through the throng, and cleared a place for herself in front
-of the captive.  The squalid and withered person of this hag
-might well have obtained for her the character of possessing
-more than human cunning.  Throwing back her light vestment,
-she stretched forth her long, skinny arm, in derision, and
-using the language of the Lenape, as more intelligible to
-the subject of her gibes, she commenced aloud:
-
-"Look you, Delaware," she said, snapping her fingers in his
-face; "your nation is a race of women, and the hoe is better
-fitted to your hands than the gun.  Your squaws are the
-mothers of deer; but if a bear, or a wildcat, or a serpent
-were born among you, ye would flee.  The Huron girls shall
-make you petticoats, and we will find you a husband."
-
-A burst of savage laughter succeeded this attack, during
-which the soft and musical merriment of the younger females
-strangely chimed with the cracked voice of their older and
-more malignant companion.  But the stranger was superior to
-all their efforts.  His head was immovable; nor did he
-betray the slightest consciousness that any were present,
-except when his haughty eye rolled toward the dusky forms of
-the warriors, who stalked in the background silent and
-sullen observers of the scene.
-
-Infuriated at the self-command of the captive, the woman
-placed her arms akimbo; and, throwing herself into a posture
-of defiance, she broke out anew, in a torrent of words that
-no art of ours could commit successfully to paper.  Her
-breath was, however, expended in vain; for, although
-distinguished in her nation as a proficient in the art of
-abuse, she was permitted to work herself into such a fury as
-actually to foam at the mouth, without causing a muscle to
-vibrate in the motionless figure of the stranger.  The
-effect of his indifference began to extend itself to the
-other spectators; and a youngster, who was just quitting the
-condition of a boy to enter the state of manhood, attempted
-to assist the termagant, by flourishing his tomahawk before
-their victim, and adding his empty boasts to the taunts of
-the women.  Then, indeed, the captive turned his face toward
-the light, and looked down on the stripling with an
-expression that was superior to contempt.  At the next
-moment he resumed his quiet and reclining attitude against
-the post.  But the change of posture had permitted Duncan to
-exchange glances with the firm and piercing eyes of Uncas.
-
-Breathless with amazement, and heavily oppressed with the
-critical situation of his friend, Heyward recoiled before
-the look, trembling lest its meaning might, in some unknown
-manner, hasten the prisoner's fate.  There was not, however,
-any instant cause for such an apprehension.  Just then a
-warrior forced his way into the exasperated crowd.
-Motioning the women and children aside with a stern gesture,
-he took Uncas by the arm, and led him toward the door of the
-council-lodge.  Thither all the chiefs, and most of the
-distinguished warriors, followed; among whom the anxious
-Heyward found means to enter without attracting any
-dangerous attention to himself.
-
-A few minutes were consumed in disposing of those present in
-a manner suitable to their rank and influence in the tribe.
-An order very similar to that adopted in the preceding
-interview was observed; the aged and superior chiefs
-occupying the area of the spacious apartment, within the
-powerful light of a glaring torch, while their juniors and
-inferiors were arranged in the background, presenting a dark
-outline of swarthy and marked visages.  In the very center
-of the lodge, immediately under an opening that admitted the
-twinkling light of one or two stars, stood Uncas, calm,
-elevated, and collected.  His high and haughty carriage was
-not lost on his captors, who often bent their looks on his
-person, with eyes which, while they lost none of their
-inflexibility of purpose, plainly betrayed their admiration
-of the stranger's daring.
-
-The case was different with the individual whom Duncan had
-observed to stand forth with his friend, previously to the
-desperate trial of speed; and who, instead of joining in the
-chase, had remained, throughout its turbulent uproar, like a
-cringing statue, expressive of shame and disgrace.  Though
-not a hand had been extended to greet him, nor yet an eye
-had condescended to watch his movements, he had also entered
-the lodge, as though impelled by a fate to whose decrees he
-submitted, seemingly, without a struggle.  Heyward profited
-by the first opportunity to gaze in his face, secretly
-apprehensive he might find the features of another
-acquaintance; but they proved to be those of a stranger,
-and, what was still more inexplicable, of one who bore all
-the distinctive marks of a Huron warrior.  Instead of
-mingling with his tribe, however, he sat apart, a solitary
-being in a multitude, his form shrinking into a crouching
-and abject attitude, as if anxious to fill as little space
-as possible.  When each individual had taken his proper
-station, and silence reigned in the place, the gray-haired
-chief already introduced to the reader, spoke aloud, in the
-language of the Lenni Lenape.
-
-"Delaware," he said, "though one of a nation of women, you
-have proved yourself a man.  I would give you food; but he
-who eats with a Huron should become his friend.  Rest in
-peace till the morning sun, when our last words shall be
-spoken."
-
-"Seven nights, and as many summer days, have I fasted on the
-trail of the Hurons," Uncas coldly replied; "the children of
-the Lenape know how to travel the path of the just without
-lingering to eat."
-
-"Two of my young men are in pursuit of your companion,"
-resumed the other, without appearing to regard the boast of
-his captive; "when they get back, then will our wise man say
-to you 'live' or 'die'."
-
-"Has a Huron no ears?" scornfully exclaimed Uncas; "twice,
-since he has been your prisoner, has the Delaware heard a
-gun that he knows.  Your young men will never come back!"
-
-A short and sullen pause succeeded this bold assertion.
-Duncan, who understood the Mohican to allude to the fatal
-rifle of the scout, bent forward in earnest observation of
-the effect it might produce on the conquerors; but the chief
-was content with simply retorting:
-
-"If the Lenape are so skillful, why is one of their bravest
-warriors here?"
-
-"He followed in the steps of a flying coward, and fell into
-a snare.  The cunning beaver may be caught."
-
-As Uncas thus replied, he pointed with his finger toward the
-solitary Huron, but without deigning to bestow any other
-notice on so unworthy an object.  The words of the answer
-and the air of the speaker produced a strong sensation among
-his auditors.  Every eye rolled sullenly toward the
-individual indicated by the simple gesture, and a low,
-threatening murmur passed through the crowd.  The ominous
-sounds reached the outer door, and the women and children
-pressing into the throng, no gap had been left, between
-shoulder and shoulder, that was not now filled with the dark
-lineaments of some eager and curious human countenance.
-
-In the meantime, the more aged chiefs, in the center,
-communed with each other in short and broken sentences.  Not
-a word was uttered that did not convey the meaning of the
-speaker, in the simplest and most energetic form.  Again, a
-long and deeply solemn pause took place.  It was known, by
-all present, to be the brave precursor of a weighty and
-important judgment.  They who composed the outer circle of
-faces were on tiptoe to gaze; and even the culprit for an
-instant forgot his shame in a deeper emotion, and exposed
-his abject features, in order to cast an anxious and
-troubled glance at the dark assemblage of chiefs.  The
-silence was finally broken by the aged warrior so often
-named.  He arose from the earth, and moving past the
-immovable form of Uncas, placed himself in a dignified
-attitude before the offender.  At that moment, the withered
-squaw already mentioned moved into the circle, in a slow,
-sidling sort of a dance, holding the torch, and muttering
-the indistinct words of what might have been a species of
-incantation.  Though her presence was altogether an
-intrusion, it was unheeded.
-
-Approaching Uncas, she held the blazing brand in such a
-manner as to cast its red glare on his person, and to expose
-the slightest emotion of his countenance.  The Mohican
-maintained his firm and haughty attitude; and his eyes, so
-far from deigning to meet her inquisitive look, dwelt
-steadily on the distance, as though it penetrated the
-obstacles which impeded the view and looked into futurity.
-Satisfied with her examination, she left him, with a slight
-expression of pleasure, and proceeded to practise the same
-trying experiment on her delinquent countryman.
-
-The young Huron was in his war paint, and very little of a
-finely molded form was concealed by his attire.  The light
-rendered every limb and joint discernible, and Duncan turned
-away in horror when he saw they were writhing in
-irrepressible agony.  The woman was commencing a low and
-plaintive howl at the sad and shameful spectacle, when the
-chief put forth his hand and gently pushed her aside.
-
-"Reed-that-bends," he said, addressing the young culprit by
-name, and in his proper language, "though the Great Spirit
-has made you pleasant to the eyes, it would have been better
-that you had not been born.  Your tongue is loud in the
-village, but in battle it is still.  None of my young men
-strike the tomahawk deeper into the war-post -- none of
-them so lightly on the Yengeese.  The enemy know the shape
-of your back, but they have never seen the color of your
-eyes.  Three times have they called on you to come, and as
-often did you forget to answer.  Your name will never be
-mentioned again in your tribe -- it is already forgotten."
-
-As the chief slowly uttered these words, pausing
-impressively between each sentence, the culprit raised his
-face, in deference to the other's rank and years.  Shame,
-horror, and pride struggled in its lineaments.  His eye,
-which was contracted with inward anguish, gleamed on the
-persons of those whose breath was his fame; and the latter
-emotion for an instant predominated.  He arose to his feet,
-and baring his bosom, looked steadily on the keen,
-glittering knife, that was already upheld by his inexorable
-judge.  As the weapon passed slowly into his heart he even
-smiled, as if in joy at having found death less dreadful
-than he had anticipated, and fell heavily on his face, at
-the feet of the rigid and unyielding form of Uncas.
-
-The squaw gave a loud and plaintive yell, dashed the torch
-to the earth, and buried everything in darkness.  The whole
-shuddering group of spectators glided from the lodge like
-troubled sprites; and Duncan thought that he and the yet
-throbbing body of the victim of an Indian judgment had now
-become its only tenants.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 24
-
-"Thus spoke the sage: the kings without delay Dissolve the
-council, and their chief obey."--Pope's Iliad
-
-A single moment served to convince the youth that he was
-mistaken.  A hand was laid, with a powerful pressure, on his
-arm, and the low voice of Uncas muttered in his ear:
-
-"The Hurons are dogs.  The sight of a coward's blood can
-never make a warrior tremble.  The 'Gray Head' and the
-Sagamore are safe, and the rifle of Hawkeye is not asleep.
-Go -- Uncas and the 'Open Hand' are now strangers.  It is
-enough."
-
-Heyward would gladly have heard more, but a gentle push from
-his friend urged him toward the door, and admonished him of
-the danger that might attend the discovery of their
-intercourse.  Slowly and reluctantly yielding to the
-necessity, he quitted the place, and mingled with the throng
-that hovered nigh.  The dying fires in the clearing cast a
-dim and uncertain light on the dusky figures that were
-silently stalking to and fro; and occasionally a brighter
-gleam than common glanced into the lodge, and exhibited the
-figure of Uncas still maintaining its upright attitude near
-the dead body of the Huron.
-
-A knot of warriors soon entered the place again, and
-reissuing, they bore the senseless remains into the adjacent
-woods.  After this termination of the scene, Duncan wandered
-among the lodges, unquestioned and unnoticed, endeavoring to
-find some trace of her in whose behalf he incurred the risk
-he ran.  In the present temper of the tribe it would have
-been easy to have fled and rejoined his companions, had such
-a wish crossed his mind.  But, in addition to the never-ceasing
-anxiety on account of Alice, a fresher though feebler interest
-in the fate of Uncas assisted to chain him to the spot.  He
-continued, therefore, to stray from hut to hut, looking into
-each only to encounter additional disappointment, until he had
-made the entire circuit of the village.  Abandoning a species of
-inquiry that proved so fruitless, he retraced his steps to the
-council-lodge, resolved to seek and question David, in order to
-put an end to his doubts.
-
-On reaching the building, which had proved alike the seat of
-judgment and the place of execution, the young man found
-that the excitement had already subsided.  The warriors had
-reassembled, and were now calmly smoking, while they
-conversed gravely on the chief incidents of their recent
-expedition to the head of the Horican.  Though the return of
-Duncan was likely to remind them of his character, and the
-suspicious circumstances of his visit, it produced no
-visible sensation.  So far, the terrible scene that had just
-occurred proved favorable to his views, and he required no
-other prompter than his own feelings to convince him of the
-expediency of profiting by so unexpected an advantage.
-
-Without seeming to hesitate, he walked into the lodge, and
-took his seat with a gravity that accorded admirably with
-the deportment of his hosts.  A hasty but searching glance
-sufficed to tell him that, though Uncas still remained where
-he had left him, David had not reappeared.  No other
-restraint was imposed on the former than the watchful looks
-of a young Huron, who had placed himself at hand; though an
-armed warrior leaned against the post that formed one side
-of the narrow doorway.  In every other respect, the captive
-seemed at liberty; still he was excluded from all
-participation in the discourse, and possessed much more of
-the air of some finely molded statue than a man having life
-and volition.
-
-Heyward had too recently witnessed a frightful instance of
-the prompt punishments of the people into whose hands he had
-fallen to hazard an exposure by any officious boldness.  He
-would greatly have preferred silence and meditation to
-speech, when a discovery of his real condition might prove
-so instantly fatal.  Unfortunately for this prudent
-resolution, his entertainers appeared otherwise disposed.
-He had not long occupied the seat wisely taken a little in
-the shade, when another of the elder warriors, who spoke the
-French language, addressed him:
-
-"My Canada father does not forget his children," said the
-chief; "I thank him.  An evil spirit lives in the wife of
-one of my young men.  Can the cunning stranger frighten him
-away?"
-
-Heyward possessed some knowledge of the mummery practised
-among the Indians, in the cases of such supposed
-visitations.  He saw, at a glance, that the circumstance
-might possibly be improved to further his own ends.  It
-would, therefore, have been difficult, just then to have
-uttered a proposal that would have given him more
-satisfaction.  Aware of the necessity of preserving the
-dignity of his imaginary character, however, he repressed
-his feelings, and answered with suitable mystery:
-
-"Spirits differ; some yield to the power of wisdom, while
-others are too strong."
-
-"My brother is a great medicine," said the cunning savage;
-"he will try?"
-
-A gesture of assent was the answer.  The Huron was content
-with the assurance, and, resuming his pipe, he awaited the
-proper moment to move.  The impatient Heyward, inwardly
-execrating the cold customs of the savages, which required
-such sacrifices to appearance, was fain to assume an air of
-indifference, equal to that maintained by the chief, who
-was, in truth, a near relative of the afflicted woman.  The
-minutes lingered, and the delay had seemed an hour to the
-adventurer in empiricism, when the Huron laid aside his pipe
-and drew his robe across his breast, as if about to lead the
-way to the lodge of the invalid.  Just then, a warrior of
-powerful frame, darkened the door, and stalking silently
-among the attentive group, he seated himself on one end of
-the low pile of brush which sustained Duncan.  The latter
-cast an impatient look at his neighbor, and felt his flesh
-creep with uncontrollable horror when he found himself in
-actual contact with Magua.
-
-The sudden return of this artful and dreaded chief caused a
-delay in the departure of the Huron.  Several pipes, that
-had been extinguished, were lighted again; while the
-newcomer, without speaking a word, drew his tomahawk from
-his girdle, and filling the bowl on its head began to inhale
-the vapors of the weed through the hollow handle, with as
-much indifference as if he had not been absent two weary
-days on a long and toilsome hunt.  Ten minutes, which
-appeared so many ages to Duncan, might have passed in this
-manner; and the warriors were fairly enveloped in a cloud of
-white smoke before any of them spoke.
-
-"Welcome!" one at length uttered; "has my friend found the
-moose?"
-
-"The young men stagger under their burdens," returned Magua.
-"Let 'Reed-that-bends' go on the hunting path; he will meet
-them."
-
-A deep and awful silence succeeded the utterance of the
-forbidden name.  Each pipe dropped from the lips of its
-owner as though all had inhaled an impurity at the same
-instant.  The smoke wreathed above their heads in little
-eddies, and curling in a spiral form it ascended swiftly
-through the opening in the roof of the lodge, leaving the
-place beneath clear of its fumes, and each dark visage
-distinctly visible.  The looks of most of the warriors were
-riveted on the earth; though a few of the younger and less
-gifted of the party suffered their wild and glaring eyeballs
-to roll in the direction of a white-headed savage, who sat
-between two of the most venerated chiefs of the tribe.
-There was nothing in the air or attire of this Indian that
-would seem to entitle him to such a distinction.  The former
-was rather depressed, than remarkable for the bearing of the
-natives; and the latter was such as was commonly worn by the
-ordinary men of the nation.  Like most around him for more
-than a minute his look, too, was on the ground; but,
-trusting his eyes at length to steal a glance aside, he
-perceived that he was becoming an object of general
-attention.  Then he arose and lifted his voice in the
-general silence.
-
-"It was a lie," he said; "I had no son.  He who was called
-by that name is forgotten; his blood was pale, and it came
-not from the veins of a Huron; the wicked Chippewas cheated
-my squaw.  The Great Spirit has said, that the family of
-Wiss-entush should end; he is happy who knows that the evil
-of his race dies with himself.  I have done."
-
-The speaker, who was the father of the recreant young
-Indian, looked round and about him, as if seeking
-commendation of his stoicism in the eyes of the auditors.
-But the stern customs of his people had made too severe an
-exaction of the feeble old man.  The expression of his eye
-contradicted his figurative and boastful language, while
-every muscle in his wrinkled visage was working with
-anguish.  Standing a single minute to enjoy his bitter
-triumph, he turned away, as if sickening at the gaze of men,
-and, veiling his face in his blanket, he walked from the
-lodge with the noiseless step of an Indian seeking, in the
-privacy of his own abode, the sympathy of one like himself,
-aged, forlorn and childless.
-
-The Indians, who believe in the hereditary transmission of
-virtues and defects in character, suffered him to depart in
-silence.  Then, with an elevation of breeding that many in a
-more cultivated state of society might profitably emulate,
-one of the chiefs drew the attention of the young men from
-the weakness they had just witnessed, by saying, in a
-cheerful voice, addressing himself in courtesy to Magua, as
-the newest comer:
-
-"The Delawares have been like bears after the honey pots,
-prowling around my village.  But who has ever found a Huron
-asleep?"
-
-The darkness of the impending cloud which precedes a burst
-of thunder was not blacker than the brow of Magua as he
-exclaimed:
-
-"The Delawares of the Lakes!"
-
-"Not so.  They who wear the petticoats of squaws, on their
-own river.  One of them has been passing the tribe."
-
-"Did my young men take his scalp?"
-
-"His legs were good, though his arm is better for the hoe
-than the tomahawk," returned the other, pointing to the
-immovable form of Uncas.
-
-Instead of manifesting any womanish curiosity to feast his
-eyes with the sight of a captive from a people he was known
-to have so much reason to hate, Magua continued to smoke,
-with the meditative air that he usually maintained, when
-there was no immediate call on his cunning or his eloquence.
-Although secretly amazed at the facts communicated by the
-speech of the aged father, he permitted himself to ask no
-questions, reserving his inquiries for a more suitable
-moment.  It was only after a sufficient interval that he
-shook the ashes from his pipe, replaced the tomahawk,
-tightened his girdle, and arose, casting for the first time
-a glance in the direction of the prisoner, who stood a
-little behind him.  The wary, though seemingly abstracted
-Uncas, caught a glimpse of the movement, and turning
-suddenly to the light, their looks met.  Near a minute these
-two bold and untamed spirits stood regarding one another
-steadily in the eye, neither quailing in the least before
-the fierce gaze he encountered.  The form of Uncas dilated,
-and his nostrils opened like those of a tiger at bay; but so
-rigid and unyielding was his posture, that he might easily
-have been converted by the imagination into an exquisite and
-faultless representation of the warlike deity of his tribe.
-The lineaments of the quivering features of Magua proved
-more ductile; his countenance gradually lost its character
-of defiance in an expression of ferocious joy, and heaving a
-breath from the very bottom of his chest, he pronounced
-aloud the formidable name of:
-
-"Le Cerf Agile!"
-
-Each warrior sprang upon his feet at the utterance of the
-well-known appellation, and there was a short period during
-which the stoical constancy of the natives was completely
-conquered by surprise.  The hated and yet respected name was
-repeated as by one voice, carrying the sound even beyond the
-limits of the lodge.  The women and children, who lingered
-around the entrance, took up the words in an echo, which was
-succeeded by another shrill and plaintive howl.  The latter
-was not yet ended, when the sensation among the men had
-entirely abated.  Each one in presence seated himself, as
-though ashamed of his precipitation; but it was many minutes
-before their meaning eyes ceased to roll toward their
-captive, in curious examination of a warrior who had so
-often proved his prowess on the best and proudest of their
-nation.  Uncas enjoyed his victory, but was content with
-merely exhibiting his triumph by a quiet smile -- an emblem
-of scorn which belongs to all time and every nation.
-
-Magua caught the expression, and raising his arm, he shook
-it at the captive, the light silver ornaments attached to
-his bracelet rattling with the trembling agitation of the
-limb, as, in a tone of vengeance, he exclaimed, in English:
-
-"Mohican, you die!"
-
-"The healing waters will never bring the dead Hurons to
-life," returned Uncas, in the music of the Delawares; "the
-tumbling river washes their bones; their men are squaws:
-their women owls.  Go! call together the Huron dogs, that
-they may look upon a warrior, My nostrils are offended; they
-scent the blood of a coward."
-
-The latter allusion struck deep, and the injury rankled.
-Many of the Hurons understood the strange tongue in which
-the captive spoke, among which number was Magua.  This
-cunning savage beheld, and instantly profited by his
-advantage.  Dropping the light robe of skin from his
-shoulder, he stretched forth his arm, and commenced a burst
-of his dangerous and artful eloquence.  However much his
-influence among his people had been impaired by his
-occasional and besetting weakness, as well as by his
-desertion of the tribe, his courage and his fame as an
-orator were undeniable.  He never spoke without auditors,
-and rarely without making converts to his opinions.  On the
-present occasion, his native powers were stimulated by the
-thirst of revenge.
-
-He again recounted the events of the attack on the island at
-Glenn's, the death of his associates and the escape of their
-most formidable enemies.  Then he described the nature and
-position of the mount whither he had led such captives as
-had fallen into their hands.  Of his own bloody intentions
-toward the maidens, and of his baffled malice he made no
-mention, but passed rapidly on to the surprise of the party
-by "La Longue Carabine," and its fatal termination.  Here he
-paused, and looked about him, in affected veneration for the
-departed, but, in truth, to note the effect of his opening
-narrative.  As usual, every eye was riveted on his face.
-Each dusky figure seemed a breathing statue, so motionless
-was the posture, so intense the attention of the individual.
-
-Then Magua dropped his voice which had hitherto been clear,
-strong and elevated, and touched upon the merits of the
-dead.  No quality that was likely to command the sympathy of
-an Indian escaped his notice.  One had never been known to
-follow the chase in vain; another had been indefatigable on
-the trail of their enemies.  This was brave, that generous.
-In short, he so managed his allusions, that in a nation
-which was composed of so few families, he contrived to
-strike every chord that might find, in its turn, some breast
-in which to vibrate.
-
-"Are the bones of my young men," he concluded, "in the
-burial-place of the Hurons?  You know they are not.  Their
-spirits are gone toward the setting sun, and are already
-crossing the great waters, to the happy hunting-grounds.
-But they departed without food, without guns or knives,
-without moccasins, naked and poor as they were born.  Shall
-this be?  Are their souls to enter the land of the just like
-hungry Iroquois or unmanly Delawares, or shall they meet
-their friends with arms in their hands and robes on their
-backs?  What will our fathers think the tribes of the
-Wyandots have become?  They will look on their children with
-a dark eye, and say, 'Go! a Chippewa has come hither with
-the name of a Huron.' Brothers, we must not forget the dead;
-a red-skin never ceases to remember.  We will load the back
-of this Mohican until he staggers under our bounty, and
-dispatch him after my young men.  They call to us for aid,
-though our ears are not open; they say, 'Forget us not.'  When
-they see the spirit of this Mohican toiling after them with
-his burden, they will know we are of that mind.  Then will
-they go on happy; and our children will say, 'So did our
-fathers to their friends, so must we do to them.'  What is a
-Yengee?  we have slain many, but the earth is still pale.  A
-stain on the name of Huron can only be hid by blood that
-comes from the veins of an Indian.  Let this Delaware die."
-
-The effect of such an harangue, delivered in the nervous
-language and with the emphatic manner of a Huron orator,
-could scarcely be mistaken.  Magua had so artfully blended
-the natural sympathies with the religious superstition of
-his auditors, that their minds, already prepared by custom
-to sacrifice a victim to the manes of their countrymen, lost
-every vestige of humanity in a wish for revenge.  One
-warrior in particular, a man of wild and ferocious mien, had
-been conspicuous for the attention he had given to the words
-of the speaker.  His countenance had changed with each
-passing emotion, until it settled into a look of deadly
-malice.  As Magua ended he arose and, uttering the yell of a
-demon, his polished little axe was seen glancing in the
-torchlight as he whirled it above his head.  The motion and
-the cry were too sudden for words to interrupt his bloody
-intention.  It appeared as if a bright gleam shot from his
-hand, which was crossed at the same moment by a dark and
-powerful line.  The former was the tomahawk in its passage;
-the latter the arm that Magua darted forward to divert its
-aim.  The quick and ready motion of the chief was not
-entirely too late.  The keen weapon cut the war plume from
-the scalping tuft of Uncas, and passed through the frail
-wall of the lodge as though it were hurled from some
-formidable engine.
-
-Duncan had seen the threatening action, and sprang upon his
-feet, with a heart which, while it leaped into his throat,
-swelled with the most generous resolution in behalf of his
-friend.  A glance told him that the blow had failed, and
-terror changed to admiration.  Uncas stood still, looking
-his enemy in the eye with features that seemed superior to
-emotion.  Marble could not be colder, calmer, or steadier
-than the countenance he put upon this sudden and vindictive
-attack.  Then, as if pitying a want of skill which had
-proved so fortunate to himself, he smiled, and muttered a
-few words of contempt in his own tongue.
-
-"No!" said Magua, after satisfying himself of the safety of
-the captive; "the sun must shine on his shame; the squaws
-must see his flesh tremble, or our revenge will be like the
-play of boys.  Go! take him where there is silence; let us
-see if a Delaware can sleep at night, and in the morning
-die."
-
-The young men whose duty it was to guard the prisoner
-instantly passed their ligaments of bark across his arms,
-and led him from the lodge, amid a profound and ominous
-silence.  It was only as the figure of Uncas stood in the
-opening of the door that his firm step hesitated.  There he
-turned, and, in the sweeping and haughty glance that he
-threw around the circle of his enemies, Duncan caught a look
-which he was glad to construe into an expression that he was
-not entirely deserted by hope.
-
-Magua was content with his success, or too much occupied
-with his secret purposes to push his inquiries any further.
-Shaking his mantle, and folding it on his bosom, he also
-quitted the place, without pursuing a subject which might
-have proved so fatal to the individual at his elbow.
-Notwithstanding his rising resentment, his natural firmness,
-and his anxiety on behalf of Uncas, Heyward felt sensibly
-relieved by the absence of so dangerous and so subtle a foe.
-The excitement produced by the speech gradually subsided.
-The warriors resumed their seats and clouds of smoke once
-more filled the lodge.  For near half an hour, not a
-syllable was uttered, or scarcely a look cast aside; a grave
-and meditative silence being the ordinary succession to
-every scene of violence and commotion among these beings,
-who were alike so impetuous and yet so self-restrained.
-
-When the chief, who had solicited the aid of Duncan,
-finished his pipe, he made a final and successful movement
-toward departing.  A motion of a finger was the intimation
-he gave the supposed physician to follow; and passing
-through the clouds of smoke, Duncad was glad, on more
-accounts than one, to be able at last to breathe the pure
-air of a cool and refreshing summer evening.
-
-Instead of pursuing his way among those lodges where Heyward
-had already made his unsuccessful search, his companion
-turned aside, and proceeded directly toward the base of an
-adjacent mountain, which overhung the temporary village.  A
-thicket of brush skirted its foot, and it became necessary
-to proceed through a crooked and narrow path.  The boys had
-resumed their sports in the clearing, and were enacting a
-mimic chase to the post among themselves.  In order to
-render their games as like the reality as possible, one of
-the boldest of their number had conveyed a few brands into
-some piles of tree-tops that had hitherto escaped the
-burning.  The blaze of one of these fires lighted the way of
-the chief and Duncan, and gave a character of additional
-wildness to the rude scenery.  At a little distance from a
-bald rock, and directly in its front, they entered a grassy
-opening, which they prepared to cross.  Just then fresh fuel
-was added to the fire, and a powerful light penetrated even
-to that distant spot.  It fell upon the white surface of the
-mountain, and was reflected downward upon a dark and
-mysterious-looking being that arose, unexpectedly, in their
-path.  The Indian paused, as if doubtful whether to proceed,
-and permitted his companion to approach his side.  A large
-black ball, which at first seemed stationary, now began to
-move in a manner that to the latter was inexplicable.  Again
-the fire brightened and its glare fell more distinctly on
-the object.  Then even Duncan knew it, by its restless and
-sidling attitudes, which kept the upper part of its form in
-constant motion, while the animal itself appeared seated, to
-be a bear.  Though it growled loudly and fiercely, and there
-were instants when its glistening eyeballs might be seen, it
-gave no other indications of hostility.  The Huron, at
-least, seemed assured that the intentions of this singular
-intruder were peaceable, for after giving it an attentive
-examination, he quietly pursued his course.
-
-Duncan, who knew that the animal was often domesticated
-among the Indians, followed the example of his companion,
-believing that some favorite of the tribe had found its way
-into the thicket, in search of food.  They passed it
-unmolested.  Though obliged to come nearly in contact with
-the monster, the Huron, who had at first so warily
-determined the character of his strange visitor, was now
-content with proceeding without wasting a moment in further
-examination; but Heyward was unable to prevent his eyes from
-looking backward, in salutary watchfulness against attacks
-in the rear.  His uneasiness was in no degree diminished
-when he perceived the beast rolling along their path, and
-following their footsteps.  He would have spoken, but the
-Indian at that moment shoved aside a door of bark, and
-entered a cavern in the bosom of the mountain.
-
-Profiting by so easy a method of retreat, Duncan stepped
-after him, and was gladly closing the slight cover to the
-opening, when he felt it drawn from his hand by the beast,
-whose shaggy form immediately darkened the passage.  They
-were now in a straight and long gallery, in a chasm of the
-rocks, where retreat without encountering the animal was
-impossible.  Making the best of the circumstances, the young
-man pressed forward, keeping as close as possible to his
-conductor.  The bear growled frequently at his heels, and
-once or twice its enormous paws were laid on his person, as
-if disposed to prevent his further passage into the den.
-
-How long the nerves of Heyward would have sustained him in
-this extraordinary situation, it might be difficult to
-decide, for, happily, he soon found relief.  A glimmer of
-light had constantly been in their front, and they now
-arrived at the place whence it proceeded.
-
-A large cavity in the rock had been rudely fitted to answer
-the purposes of many apartments.  The subdivisions were
-simple but ingenious, being composed of stone, sticks, and
-bark, intermingled.  Openings above admitted the light by
-day, and at night fires and torches supplied the place of
-the sun.  Hither the Hurons had brought most of their
-valuables, especially those which more particularly
-pertained to the nation; and hither, as it now appeared, the
-sick woman, who was believed to be the victim of
-supernatural power, had been transported also, under an
-impression that her tormentor would find more difficulty in
-making his assaults through walls of stone than through the
-leafy coverings of the lodges.  The apartment into which
-Duncan and his guide first entered, had been exclusively
-devoted to her accommodation.  The latter approached her
-bedside, which was surrounded by females, in the center of
-whom Heyward was surprised to find his missing friend David.
-
-A single look was sufficient to apprise the pretended leech
-that the invalid was far beyond his powers of healing.  She
-lay in a sort of paralysis, indifferent to the objects which
-crowded before her sight, and happily unconscious of
-suffering.  Heyward was far from regretting that his
-mummeries were to be performed on one who was much too ill
-to take an interest in their failure or success.  The slight
-qualm of conscience which had been excited by the intended
-deception was instantly appeased, and he began to collect
-his thoughts, in order to enact his part with suitable
-spirit, when he found he was about to be anticipated in his
-skill by an attempt to prove the power of music.
-
-Gamut, who had stood prepared to pour forth his spirit in
-song when the visitors entered, after delaying a moment,
-drew a strain from his pipe, and commenced a hymn that might
-have worked a miracle, had faith in its efficacy been of much
-avail.  He was allowed to proceed to the close, the Indians
-respecting his imaginary infirmity, and Duncan too glad of
-the delay to hazard the slightest interruption.  As the
-dying cadence of his strains was falling on the ears of the
-latter, he started aside at hearing them repeated behind
-him, in a voice half human and half sepulchral.  Looking
-around, he beheld the shaggy monster seated on end in a
-shadow of the cavern, where, while his restless body swung
-in the uneasy manner of the animal, it repeated, in a sort
-of low growl, sounds, if not words, which bore some slight
-resemblance to the melody of the singer.
-
-The effect of so strange an echo on David may better be
-imagined than described.  His eyes opened as if he doubted
-their truth; and his voice became instantly mute in excess
-of wonder.  A deep-laid scheme, of communicating some
-important intelligence to Heyward, was driven from his
-recollection by an emotion which very nearly resembled fear,
-but which he was fain to believe was admiration.  Under its
-influence, he exclaimed aloud: "She expects you, and is at
-hand"; and precipitately left the cavern.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 25
-
-"Snug.--Have you the lion's part written?  Pray you, if
-it be, give it to me, for I am slow of study.
-Quince.--You may do it extempore, for it is nothing
-but roaring."--Midsummer Night's Dream
-
-There was a strange blending of the ridiculous with that
-which was solemn in this scene.  The beast still continued
-its rolling, and apparently untiring movements, though its
-ludicrous attempt to imitate the melody of David ceased the
-instant the latter abandoned the field.  The words of Gamut
-were, as has been seen, in his native tongue; and to Duncan
-they seem pregnant with some hidden meaning, though nothing
-present assisted him in discovering the object of their
-allusion.  A speedy end was, however, put to every
-conjecture on the subject, by the manner of the chief, who
-advanced to the bedside of the invalid, and beckoned away
-the whole group of female attendants that had clustered
-there to witness the skill of the stranger.  He was
-implicitly, though reluctantly, obeyed; and when the low
-echo which rang along the hollow, natural gallery, from the
-distant closing door, had ceased, pointing toward his
-insensible daughter, he said:
-
-"Now let my brother show his power."
-
-Thus unequivocally called on to exercise the functions of
-his assumed character, Heyward was apprehensive that the
-smallest delay might prove dangerous.  Endeavoring, then, to
-collect his ideas, he prepared to perform that species of
-incantation, and those uncouth rites, under which the Indian
-conjurers are accustomed to conceal their ignorance and
-impotency.  It is more than probable that, in the disordered
-state of his thoughts, he would soon have fallen into some
-suspicious, if not fatal, error had not his incipient
-attempts been interrupted by a fierce growl from the
-quadruped.  Three several times did he renew his efforts to
-proceed, and as often was he met by the same unaccountable
-opposition, each interruption seeming more savage and
-threatening than the preceding.
-
-"The cunning ones are jealous," said the Huron; "I go.  
-Brother, the woman is the wife of one of my bravest young
-men; deal justly by her.  Peace!" he added, beckoning to the
-discontented beast to be quiet; "I go."
-
-The chief was as good as his word, and Duncan now found
-himself alone in that wild and desolate abode with the
-helpless invalid and the fierce and dangerous brute.  The
-latter listened to the movements of the Indian with that air
-of sagacity that a bear is known to possess, until another
-echo announced that he had also left the cavern, when it
-turned and came waddling up to Duncan before whom it seated
-itself in its natural attitude, erect like a man.  The youth
-looked anxiously about him for some weapon, with which he
-might make a resistance against the attack he now seriously
-expected.
-
-It seemed, however, as if the humor of the animal had
-suddenly changed.  Instead of continuing its discontented
-growls, or manifesting any further signs of anger, the whole
-of its shaggy body shook violently, as if agitated by some
-strange internal convulsion.  The huge and unwieldy talons
-pawed stupidly about the grinning muzzle, and while Heyward
-kept his eyes riveted on its movements with jealous
-watchfulness, the grim head fell on one side and in its
-place appeared the honest sturdy countenance of the scout,
-who was indulging from the bottom of his soul in his own
-peculiar expression of merriment.
-
-"Hist!" said the wary woodsman, interrupting Heyward's
-exclamation of surprise; "the varlets are about the place,
-and any sounds that are not natural to witchcraft would
-bring them back upon us in a body."
-
-"Tell me the meaning of this masquerade; and why you have
-attempted so desperate an adventure?"
-
-"Ah, reason and calculation are often outdone by accident,"
-returned the scout.  "But, as a story should always commence
-at the beginning, I will tell you the whole in order.  After
-we parted I placed the commandant and the Sagamore in an old
-beaver lodge, where they are safer from the Hurons than they
-would be in the garrison of Edward; for your high north-west
-Indians, not having as yet got the traders among them,
-continued to venerate the beaver.  After which Uncas and I
-pushed for the other encampment as was agreed.  Have you
-seen the lad?"
-
-"To my great grief!  He is captive, and condemned to die at
-the rising of the sun."
-
-"I had misgivings that such would be his fate," resumed the
-scout, in a less confident and joyous tone.  But soon
-regaining his naturally firm voice, he continued: "His bad
-fortune is the true reason of my being here, for it would
-never do to abandon such a boy to the Hurons.  A rare time
-the knaves would have of it, could they tie 'The Bounding
-Elk' and 'The Long Carabine', as they call me, to the same
-stake!  Though why they have given me such a name I never
-knew, there being as little likeness between the gifts of
-'killdeer' and the performance of one of your real Canada
-carabynes, as there is between the natur' of a pipe-stone
-and a flint."
-
-"Keep to your tale," said the impatient Heyward; "we know
-not at what moment the Hurons may return."
-
-"No fear of them.  A conjurer must have his time, like a
-straggling priest in the settlements.  We are as safe from
-interruption as a missionary would be at the beginning of a
-two hours' discourse.  Well, Uncas and I fell in with a
-return party of the varlets; the lad was much too forward
-for a scout; nay, for that matter, being of hot blood, he
-was not so much to blame; and, after all, one of the Hurons
-proved a coward, and in fleeing led him into an ambushment."
-
-"And dearly has he paid for the weakness."
-
-The scout significantly passed his hand across his own
-throat, and nodded, as if he said, "I comprehend your
-meaning."  After which he continued, in a more audible
-though scarcely more intelligible language:
-
-"After the loss of the boy I turned upon the Hurons, as you
-may judge.  There have been scrimmages atween one or two of
-their outlyers and myself; but that is neither here nor
-there.  So, after I had shot the imps, I got in pretty nigh
-to the lodges without further commotion.  Then what should
-luck do in my favor but lead me to the very spot where one
-of the most famous conjurers of the tribe was dressing
-himself, as I well knew, for some great battle with Satan --
-though why should I call that luck, which it now seems was
-an especial ordering of Providence.  So a judgmatical rap
-over the head stiffened the lying impostor for a time, and
-leaving him a bit of walnut for his supper, to prevent an
-uproar, and stringing him up atween two saplings, I made
-free with his finery, and took the part of the bear on
-myself, in order that the operations might proceed."
-
-"And admirably did you enact the character; the animal
-itself might have been shamed by the representation."
-
-"Lord, major," returned the flattered woodsman, "I should be
-but a poor scholar for one who has studied so long in the
-wilderness, did I not know how to set forth the movements or
-natur' of such a beast.  Had it been now a catamount, or
-even a full-size panther, I would have embellished a
-performance for you worth regarding.  But it is no such
-marvelous feat to exhibit the feats of so dull a beast;
-though, for that matter, too, a bear may be overacted.  Yes,
-yes; it is not every imitator that knows natur' may be
-outdone easier than she is equaled.  But all our work is yet
-before us.  Where is the gentle one?"
-
-"Heaven knows.  I have examined every lodge in the village,
-without discovering the slightest trace of her presence in
-the tribe."
-
-"You heard what the singer said, as he left us: 'She is at
-hand, and expects you'?"
-
-"I have been compelled to believe he alluded to this unhappy
-woman."
-
-"The simpleton was frightened, and blundered through his
-message; but he had a deeper meaning.  Here are walls enough
-to separate the whole settlement.  A bear ought to climb;
-therefore will I take a look above them.  There may be honey-pots
-hid in these rocks, and I am a beast, you know, that has a
-hankering for the sweets."
-
-The scout looked behind him, laughing at his own conceit,
-while he clambered up the partition, imitating, as he went,
-the clumsy motions of the beast he represented; but the
-instant the summit was gained he made a gesture for silence,
-and slid down with the utmost precipitation.
-
-"She is here," he whispered, "and by that door you will find
-her.  I would have spoken a word of comfort to the afflicted
-soul; but the sight of such a monster might upset her
-reason.  Though for that matter, major, you are none of the
-most inviting yourself in your paint."
-
-Duncan, who had already swung eagerly forward, drew
-instantly back on hearing these discouraging words.
-
-"Am I, then, so very revolting?" he demanded, with an air of
-chagrin.
-
-"You might not startle a wolf, or turn the Royal Americans
-from a discharge; but I have seen the time when you had a
-better favored look; your streaked countenances are not
-ill-judged of by the squaws, but young women of white blood give
-the preference to their own color.  See," he added, pointing
-to a place where the water trickled from a rock, forming a
-little crystal spring, before it found an issue through the
-adjacent crevices; "you may easily get rid of the Sagamore's
-daub, and when you come back I will try my hand at a new
-embellishment.  It's as common for a conjurer to alter his
-paint as for a buck in the settlements to change his
-finery."
-
-The deliberate woodsman had little occasion to hunt for
-arguments to enforce his advice.  He was yet speaking when
-Duncan availed himself of the water.  In a moment every
-frightful or offensive mark was obliterated, and the youth
-appeared again in the lineaments with which he had been
-gifted by nature.  Thus prepared for an interview with his
-mistress, he took a hasty leave of his companion, and
-disappeared through the indicated passage.  The scout
-witnessed his departure with complacency, nodding his head
-after him, and muttering his good wishes; after which he
-very coolly set about an examination of the state of the
-larder, among the Hurons, the cavern, among other purposes,
-being used as a receptacle for the fruits of their hunts.
-
-Duncan had no other guide than a distant glimmering light,
-which served, however, the office of a polar star to the
-lover.  By its aid he was enabled to enter the haven of his
-hopes, which was merely another apartment of the cavern,
-that had been solely appropriated to the safekeeping of so
-important a prisoner as a daughter of the commandant of
-William Henry.  It was profusely strewed with the plunder of
-that unlucky fortress.  In the midst of this confusion he
-found her he sought, pale, anxious and terrified, but
-lovely.  David had prepared her for such a visit.
-
-"Duncan!" she exclaimed, in a voice that seemed to tremble
-at the sounds created by itself.
-
-"Alice!" he answered, leaping carelessly among trunks,
-boxes, arms, and furniture, until he stood at her side.
-
-"I knew that you would never desert me," she said, looking
-up with a momentary glow on her otherwise dejected
-countenance.  "But you are alone!  Grateful as it is to be
-thus remembered, I could wish to think you are not entirely
-alone."
-
-Duncan, observing that she trembled in a manner which
-betrayed her inability to stand, gently induced her to be
-seated, while he recounted those leading incidents which it
-has been our task to accord.  Alice listened with breathless
-interest; and though the young man touched lightly on the
-sorrows of the stricken father; taking care, however, not to
-wound the self-love of his auditor, the tears ran as freely
-down the cheeks of the daughter as though she had never wept
-before.  The soothing tenderness of Duncan, however, soon
-quieted the first burst of her emotions, and she then heard
-him to the close with undivided attention, if not with
-composure.
-
-"And now, Alice," he added, "you will see how much is still
-expected of you.  By the assistance of our experienced and
-invaluable friend, the scout, we may find our way from this
-savage people, but you will have to exert your utmost
-fortitude.  Remember that you fly to the arms of your
-venerable parent, and how much his happiness, as well as
-your own, depends on those exertions."
-
-"Can I do otherwise for a father who has done so much for
-me?"
-
-"And for me, too," continued the youth, gently pressing the
-hand he held in both his own.
-
-The look of innocence and surprise which he received in
-return convinced Duncan of the necessity of being more
-explicit.
-
-"This is neither the place nor the occasion to detain you
-with selfish wishes," he added; "but what heart loaded like
-mine would not wish to cast its burden?  They say misery is
-the closest of all ties; our common suffering in your behalf
-left but little to be explained between your father and
-myself."
-
-"And, dearest Cora, Duncan; surely Cora was not forgotten?"
-
-"Not forgotten! no; regretted, as woman was seldom mourned
-before.  Your venerable father knew no difference between
-his children; but I -- Alice, you will not be offended when
-I say, that to me her worth was in a degree obscured --"
-
-"Then you knew not the merit of my sister," said Alice,
-withdrawing her hand; "of you she ever speaks as of one who
-is her dearest friend."
-
-"I would gladly believe her such," returned Duncan, hastily;
-"I could wish her to be even more; but with you, Alice, I
-have the permission of your father to aspire to a still
-nearer and dearer tie."
-
-Alice trembled violently, and there was an instant during
-which she bent her face aside, yielding to the emotions
-common to her sex; but they quickly passed away, leaving her
-mistress of her deportment, if not of her affections.
-
-"Heyward," she said, looking him full in the face with a
-touching expression of innocence and dependency, "give me
-the sacred presence and the holy sanction of that parent
-before you urge me further."
-
-"Though more I should not, less I could not say," the youth
-was about to answer, when he was interrupted by a light tap
-on his shoulder.  Starting to his feet, he turned, and,
-confronting the intruder, his looks fell on the dark form
-and malignant visage of Magua.  The deep guttural laugh of
-the savage sounded, at such a moment, to Duncan, like the
-hellish taunt of a demon.  Had he pursued the sudden and
-fierce impulse of the instant, he would have cast himself on
-the Huron, and committed their fortunes to the issue of a
-deadly struggle.  But, without arms of any description,
-ignorant of what succor his subtle enemy could command, and
-charged with the safety of one who was just then dearer than
-ever to his heart, he no sooner entertained than he
-abandoned the desperate intention.
-
-"What is your purpose?" said Alice, meekly folding her arms
-on her bosom, and struggling to conceal an agony of
-apprehension in behalf of Heyward, in the usual cold and
-distant manner with which she received the visits of her
-captor.
-
-The exulting Indian had resumed his austere countenance,
-though he drew warily back before the menacing glance of the
-young man's fiery eye.  He regarded both his captives for a
-moment with a steady look, and then, stepping aside, he
-dropped a log of wood across a door different from that by
-which Duncan had entered.  The latter now comprehended the
-manner of his surprise, and, believing himself irretrievably
-lost, he drew Alice to his bosom, and stood prepared to meet
-a fate which he hardly regretted, since it was to be
-suffered in such company.  But Magua meditated no immediate
-violence.  His first measures were very evidently taken to
-secure his new captive; nor did he even bestow a second
-glance at the motionless forms in the center of the cavern,
-until he had completely cut off every hope of retreat
-through the private outlet he had himself used.  He was
-watched in all his movements by Heyward, who, however,
-remained firm, still folding the fragile form of Alice to
-his heart, at once too proud and too hopeless to ask favor
-of an enemy so often foiled.  When Magua had effected his
-object he approached his prisoners, and said in English:
-
-"The pale faces trap the cunning beavers; but the red-skins
-know how to take the Yengeese."
-
-"Huron, do your worst!" exclaimed the excited Heyward,
-forgetful that a double stake was involved in his life; "you
-and your vengeance are alike despised."
-
-"Will the white man speak these words at the stake?" asked
-Magua; manifesting, at the same time, how little faith he
-had in the other's resolution by the sneer that accompanied
-his words.
-
-"Here; singly to your face, or in the presence of your
-nation."
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief!" returned the Indian;
-"he will go and bring his young men, to see how bravely a
-pale face can laugh at tortures."
-
-He turned away while speaking, and was about to leave the
-place through the avenue by which Duncan had approached,
-when a growl caught his ear, and caused him to hesitate.
-The figure of the bear appeared in the door, where it sat,
-rolling from side to side in its customary restlessness.
-Magua, like the father of the sick woman, eyed it keenly for
-a moment, as if to ascertain its character.  He was far
-above the more vulgar superstitions of his tribe, and so
-soon as he recognized the well-known attire of the conjurer,
-he prepared to pass it in cool contempt.  But a louder and
-more threatening growl caused him again to pause.  Then he
-seemed as if suddenly resolved to trifle no longer, and
-moved resolutely forward.
-
-The mimic animal, which had advanced a little, retired
-slowly in his front, until it arrived again at the pass,
-when, rearing on his hinder legs, it beat the air with its
-paws, in the manner practised by its brutal prototype.
-
-"Fool!" exclaimed the chief, in Huron, "go play with the
-children and squaws; leave men to their wisdom."
-
-He once more endeavored to pass the supposed empiric,
-scorning even the parade of threatening to use the knife, or
-tomahawk, that was pendent from his belt.  Suddenly the
-beast extended its arms, or rather legs, and inclosed him in
-a grasp that might have vied with the far-famed power of the
-"bear's hug" itself.  Heyward had watched the whole
-procedure, on the part of Hawkeye, with breathless interest.
-At first he relinquished his hold of Alice; then he caught
-up a thong of buckskin, which had been used around some
-bundle, and when he beheld his enemy with his two arms
-pinned to his side by the iron muscles of the scout, he
-rushed upon him, and effectually secured them there.  Arms,
-legs, and feet were encircled in twenty folds of the thong,
-in less time than we have taken to record the circumstance.
-When the formidable Huron was completely pinioned, the scout
-released his hold, and Duncan laid his enemy on his back,
-utterly helpless.
-
-Throughout the whole of this sudden and extraordinary
-operation, Magua, though he had struggled violently, until
-assured he was in the hands of one whose nerves were far
-better strung than his own, had not uttered the slightest
-exclamation.  But when Hawkeye, by way of making a summary
-explanation of his conduct, removed the shaggy jaws of the
-beast, and exposed his own rugged and earnest countenance to
-the gaze of the Huron, the philosophy of the latter was so
-far mastered as to permit him to utter the never failing:
-
-"Hugh!"
-
-"Ay, you've found your tongue," said his undisturbed
-conqueror; "now, in order that you shall not use it to our
-ruin, I must make free to stop your mouth."
-
-As there was no time to be lost, the scout immediately set
-about effecting so necessary a precaution; and when he had
-gagged the Indian, his enemy might safely have been
-considered as "hors de combat."
-
-"By what place did the imp enter?" asked the industrious
-scout, when his work was ended.  "Not a soul has passed my
-way since you left me."
-
-Duncan pointed out the door by which Magua had come, and
-which now presented too many obstacles to a quick retreat.
-
-"Bring on the gentle one, then," continued his friend; "we
-must make a push for the woods by the other outlet."
-
-"'Tis impossible!" said Duncan; "fear has overcome her, and
-she is helpless.  Alice! my sweet, my own Alice, arouse
-yourself; now is the moment to fly.  'Tis in vain! she
-hears, but is unable to follow.  Go, noble and worthy
-friend; save yourself, and leave me to my fate."
-
-"Every trail has its end, and every calamity brings its
-lesson!" returned the scout.  "There, wrap her in them
-Indian cloths.  Conceal all of her little form.  Nay, that
-foot has no fellow in the wilderness; it will betray her.
-All, every part.  Now take her in your arms, and follow.
-Leave the rest to me."
-
-Duncan, as may be gathered from the words of his companion,
-was eagerly obeying; and, as the other finished speaking, he
-took the light person of Alice in his arms, and followed in
-the footsteps of the scout.  They found the sick woman as
-they had left her, still alone, and passed swiftly on, by
-the natural gallery, to the place of entrance.  As they
-approached the little door of bark, a murmur of voices
-without announced that the friends and relatives of the
-invalid were gathered about the place, patiently awaiting a
-summons to re-enter.
-
-"If I open my lips to speak," Hawkeye whispered, "my
-English, which is the genuine tongue of a white-skin, will
-tell the varlets that an enemy is among them.  You must give
-'em your jargon, major; and say that we have shut the evil
-spirit in the cave, and are taking the woman to the woods in
-order to find strengthening roots.  Practise all your
-cunning, for it is a lawful undertaking."
-
-The door opened a little, as if one without was listening to
-the proceedings within, and compelled the scout to cease his
-directions.  A fierce growl repelled the eavesdropper, and
-then the scout boldly threw open the covering of bark, and
-left the place, enacting the character of a bear as he
-proceeded.  Duncan kept close at his heels, and soon found
-himself in the center of a cluster of twenty anxious
-relatives and friends.
-
-The crowd fell back a little, and permitted the father, and
-one who appeared to be the husband of the woman, to
-approach.
-
-"Has my brother driven away the evil spirit?" demanded the
-former.  "What has he in his arms?"
-
-"Thy child," returned Duncan, gravely; "the disease has gone
-out of her; it is shut up in the rocks.  I take the woman to
-a distance, where I will strengthen her against any further
-attacks.  She will be in the wigwam of the young man when
-the sun comes again."
-
-When the father had translated the meaning of the stranger's
-words into the Huron language, a suppressed murmur announced
-the satisfaction with which this intelligence was received.
-The chief himself waved his hand for Duncan to proceed,
-saying aloud, in a firm voice, and with a lofty manner:
-
-"Go; I am a man, and I will enter the rock and fight the
-wicked one."
-
-Heyward had gladly obeyed, and was already past the little
-group, when these startling words arrested him.
-
-"Is my brother mad?" he exclaimed; "is he cruel?  He will
-meet the disease, and it will enter him; or he will drive
-out the disease, and it will chase his daughter into the
-woods.  No; let my children wait without, and if the spirit
-appears beat him down with clubs.  He is cunning, and will
-bury himself in the mountain, when he sees how many are
-ready to fight him."
-
-This singular warning had the desired effect.  Instead of
-entering the cavern, the father and husband drew their
-tomahawks, and posted themselves in readiness to deal their
-vengeance on the imaginary tormentor of their sick relative,
-while the women and children broke branches from the bushes,
-or seized fragments of the rock, with a similar intention.
-At this favorable moment the counterfeit conjurers
-disappeared.
-
-Hawkeye, at the same time that he had presumed so far on the
-nature of the Indian superstitions, was not ignorant that
-they were rather tolerated than relied on by the wisest of
-the chiefs.  He well knew the value of time in the present
-emergency.  Whatever might be the extent of the self-delusion
-of his enemies, and however it had tended to assist his
-schemes, the slightest cause of suspicion, acting on the
-subtle nature of an Indian, would be likely to prove fatal.
-Taking the path, therefore, that was most likely to avoid
-observation, he rather skirted than entered the village.
-The warriors were still to be seen in the distance, by the
-fading light of the fires, stalking from lodge to lodge.
-But the children had abandoned their sports for their beds
-of skins, and the quiet of night was already beginning to
-prevail over the turbulence and excitement of so busy and
-important an evening.
-
-Alice revived under the renovating influence of the open
-air, and, as her physical rather than her mental powers had
-been the subject of weakness, she stood in no need of any
-explanation of that which had occurred.
-
-"Now let me make an effort to walk," she said, when they had
-entered the forest, blushing, though unseen, that she had
-not been sooner able to quit the arms of Duncan; "I am
-indeed restored."
-
-"Nay, Alice, you are yet too weak."
-
-The maiden struggled gently to release herself, and Heyward
-was compelled to part with his precious burden.  The
-representative of the bear had certainly been an entire
-stranger to the delicious emotions of the lover while his
-arms encircled his mistress; and he was, perhaps, a stranger
-also to the nature of that feeling of ingenuous shame that
-oppressed the trembling Alice.  But when he found himself at
-a suitable distance from the lodges he made a halt, and
-spoke on a subject of which he was thoroughly the master.
-
-"This path will lead you to the brook," he said; "follow its
-northern bank until you come to a fall; mount the hill on
-your right, and you will see the fires of the other people.
-There you must go and demand protection; if they are true
-Delawares you will be safe.  A distant flight with that
-gentle one, just now, is impossible.  The Hurons would
-follow up our trail, and master our scalps before we had got
-a dozen miles.  Go, and Providence be with you."
-
-"And you!" demanded Heyward, in surprise; "surely we part
-not here?"
-
-"The Hurons hold the pride of the Delawares; the last of the
-high blood of the Mohicans is in their power," returned the
-scout; "I go to see what can be done in his favor.  Had they
-mastered your scalp, major, a knave should have fallen for
-every hair it held, as I promised; but if the young Sagamore
-is to be led to the stake, the Indians shall see also how a
-man without a cross can die."
-
-Not in the least offended with the decided preference that
-the sturdy woodsman gave to one who might, in some degree,
-be called the child of his adoption, Duncan still continued
-to urge such reasons against so desperate an effort as
-presented themselves.  He was aided by Alice, who mingled
-her entreaties with those of Heyward that he would abandon a
-resolution that promised so much danger, with so little hope
-of success.  Their eloquence and ingenuity were expended in
-vain.  The scout heard them attentively, but impatiently,
-and finally closed the discussion, by answering, in a tone
-that instantly silenced Alice, while it told Heyward how
-fruitless any further remonstrances would be.
-
-"I have heard," he said, "that there is a feeling in youth
-which binds man to woman closer than the father is tied to
-the son.  It may be so.  I have seldom been where women of
-my color dwell; but such may be the gifts of nature in the
-settlements.  You have risked life, and all that is dear to
-you, to bring off this gentle one, and I suppose that some
-such disposition is at the bottom of it all.  As for me, I
-taught the lad the real character of a rifle; and well has
-he paid me for it.  I have fou't at his side in many a
-bloody scrimmage; and so long as I could hear the crack of
-his piece in one ear, and that of the Sagamore in the other,
-I knew no enemy was on my back.  Winters and summer, nights
-and days, have we roved the wilderness in company, eating of
-the same dish, one sleeping while the other watched; and
-afore it shall be said that Uncas was taken to the torment,
-and I at hand -- There is but a single Ruler of us all,
-whatever may the color of the skin; and Him I call to
-witness, that before the Mohican boy shall perish for the
-want of a friend, good faith shall depart the 'arth, and
-'killdeer' become as harmless as the tooting we'pon of the
-singer!"
-
-Duncan released his hold on the arm of the scout, who
-turned, and steadily retraced his steps toward the lodges.
-After pausing a moment to gaze at his retiring form, the
-successful and yet sorrowful Heyward and Alice took their
-way together toward the distant village of the Delawares.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 26
-
-"Bot.--Let me play the lion too."--Midsummer Night's
-Dream
-
-Notwithstanding the high resolution of Hawkeye he fully
-comprehended all the difficulties and danger he was about to
-incur.  In his return to the camp, his acute and practised
-intellects were intently engaged in devising means to
-counteract a watchfulness and suspicion on the part of his
-enemies, that he knew were, in no degree, inferior to his
-own.  Nothing but the color of his skin had saved the lives
-of Magua and the conjurer, who would have been the first
-victims sacrificed to his own security, had not the scout
-believed such an act, however congenial it might be to the
-nature of an Indian, utterly unworthy of one who boasted a
-descent from men that knew no cross of blood.  Accordingly,
-he trusted to the withes and ligaments with which he had
-bound his captives, and pursued his way directly toward the
-center of the lodges.  As he approached the buildings, his
-steps become more deliberate, and his vigilant eye suffered
-no sign, whether friendly or hostile, to escape him.  A
-neglected hut was a little in advance of the others, and
-appeared as if it had been deserted when half completed --
-most probably on account of failing in some of the more
-important requisites; such as wood or water.  A faint light
-glimmered through its cracks, however, and announced that,
-notwithstanding its imperfect structure, it was not without
-a tenant.  Thither, then, the scout proceeded, like a
-prudent general, who was about to feel the advanced
-positions of his enemy, before he hazarded the main attack.
-
-Throwing himself into a suitable posture for the beast he
-represented, Hawkeye crawled to a little opening, where he
-might command a view of the interior.  It proved to be the
-abiding place of David Gamut.  Hither the faithful singing-master
-had now brought himself, together with all his sorrows, his
-apprehensions, and his meek dependence on the protection of
-Providence.  At the precise moment when his ungainly person
-came under the observation of the scout, in the manner just
-mentioned, the woodsman himself, though in his assumed character,
-was the subject of the solitary being's profounded reflections.
-
-However implicit the faith of David was in the performance
-of ancient miracles, he eschewed the belief of any direct
-supernatural agency in the management of modern morality.
-In other words, while he had implicit faith in the ability
-of Balaam's ass to speak, he was somewhat skeptical on the
-subject of a bear's singing; and yet he had been assured of
-the latter, on the testimony of his own exquisite organs.
-There was something in his air and manner that betrayed to
-the scout the utter confusion of the state of his mind.  He
-was seated on a pile of brush, a few twigs from which
-occasionally fed his low fire, with his head leaning on his
-arm, in a posture of melancholy musing.  The costume of the
-votary of music had undergone no other alteration from that
-so lately described, except that he had covered his bald
-head with the triangular beaver, which had not proved
-sufficiently alluring to excite the cupidity of any of his
-captors.
-
-The ingenious Hawkeye, who recalled the hasty manner in
-which the other had abandoned his post at the bedside of the
-sick woman, was not without his suspicions concerning the
-subject of so much solemn deliberation.  First making the
-circuit of the hut, and ascertaining that it stood quite
-alone, and that the character of its inmate was likely to
-protect it from visitors, he ventured through its low door,
-into the very presence of Gamut.  The position of the latter
-brought the fire between them; and when Hawkeye had seated
-himself on end, near a minute elapsed, during which the two
-remained regarding each other without speaking.  The
-suddenness and the nature of the surprise had nearly proved
-too much for -- we will not say the philosophy -- but for
-the pitch and resolution of David.  He fumbled for his pitch-pipe,
-and arose with a confused intention of attempting a musical exorcism.
-
-"Dark and mysterious monster!" he exclaimed, while with
-trembling hands he disposed of his auxiliary eyes, and
-sought his never-failing resource in trouble, the gifted
-version of the psalms; "I know not your nature nor intents;
-but if aught you meditate against the person and rights of
-one of the humblest servants of the temple, listen to the
-inspired language of the youth of Israel, and repent."
-
-The bear shook his shaggy sides, and then a well-known voice
-replied:
-
-"Put up the tooting we'pon, and teach your throat modesty.
-Five words of plain and comprehendible English are worth
-just now an hour of squalling."
-
-"What art thou?" demanded David, utterly disqualified to
-pursue his original intention, and nearly gasping for
-breath.
-
-"A man like yourself; and one whose blood is as little
-tainted by the cross of a bear, or an Indian, as your own.
-Have you so soon forgotten from whom you received the
-foolish instrument you hold in your hand?"
-
-"Can these things be?" returned David, breathing more
-freely, as the truth began to dawn upon him.  "I have found
-many marvels during my sojourn with the heathen, but surely
-nothing to excel this."
-
-"Come, come," returned Hawkeye, uncasing his honest
-countenance, the better to assure the wavering confidence of
-his companion; "you may see a skin, which, if it be not as
-white as one of the gentle ones, has no tinge of red to it
-that the winds of the heaven and the sun have not bestowed.
-Now let us to business."
-
-"First tell me of the maiden, and of the youth who so
-bravely sought her," interrupted David.
-
-"Ay, they are happily freed from the tomahawks of these
-varlets.  But can you put me on the scent of Uncas?"
-
-"The young man is in bondage, and much I fear his death is
-decreed.  I greatly mourn that one so well disposed should
-die in his ignorance, and I have sought a goodly hymn --"
-
-"Can you lead me to him?"
-
-"The task will not be difficult," returned David,
-hesitating; "though I greatly fear your presence would
-rather increase than mitigate his unhappy fortunes."
-
-"No more words, but lead on," returned Hawkeye, concealing
-his face again, and setting the example in his own person,
-by instantly quitting the lodge.
-
-As they proceeded, the scout ascertained that his companion
-found access to Uncas, under privilege of his imaginary
-infirmity, aided by the favor he had acquired with one of
-the guards, who, in consequence of speaking a little
-English, had been selected by David as the subject of a
-religious conversion.  How far the Huron comprehended the
-intentions of his new friend may well be doubted; but as
-exclusive attention is as flattering to a savage as to a
-more civilized individual, it had produced the effect we
-have mentioned.  It is unnecessary to repeat the shrewd
-manner with which the scout extracted these particulars from
-the simple David; neither shall we dwell in this place on
-the nature of the instruction he delivered, when completely
-master of all the necessary facts; as the whole will be
-sufficiently explained to the reader in the course of the
-narrative.
-
-The lodge in which Uncas was confined was in the very center
-of the village, and in a situation, perhaps, more difficult
-than any other to approach, or leave, without observation.
-But it was not the policy of Hawkeye to affect the least
-concealment.  Presuming on his disguise, and his ability to
-sustain the character he had assumed, he took the most plain
-and direct route to the place.  The hour, however, afforded
-him some little of that protection which he appeared so much
-to despise.  The boys were already buried in sleep, and all
-the women, and most of the warriors, had retired to their
-lodges for the night.  Four or five of the latter only
-lingered about the door of the prison of Uncas, wary but
-close observers of the manner of their captive.
-
-At the sight of Gamut, accompanied by one in the well-known
-masquerade of their most distinguished conjurer, they
-readily made way for them both.  Still they betrayed no
-intention to depart.  On the other hand, they were evidently
-disposed to remain bound to the place by an additional
-interest in the mysterious mummeries that they of course
-expected from such a visit.
-
-From the total inability of the scout to address the Hurons
-in their own language, he was compelled to trust the
-conversation entirely to David.  Notwithstanding the
-simplicity of the latter, he did ample justice to the
-instructions he had received, more than fulfilling the
-strongest hopes of his teacher.
-
-"The Delawares are women!" he exclaimed, addressing himself
-to the savage who had a slight understanding of the language
-in which he spoke; "the Yengeese, my foolish countrymen,
-have told them to take up the tomahawk, and strike their
-fathers in the Canadas, and they have forgotten their sex.
-Does my brother wish to hear 'Le Cerf Agile' ask for his
-petticoats, and see him weep before the Hurons, at the
-stake?"
-
-The exclamation "Hugh!" delivered in a strong tone of
-assent, announced the gratification the savage would receive
-in witnessing such an exhibition of weakness in an enemy so
-long hated and so much feared.
-
-"Then let him step aside, and the cunning man will blow upon
-the dog.  Tell it to my brothers."
-
-The Huron explained the meaning of David to his fellows,
-who, in their turn, listened to the project with that sort
-of satisfaction that their untamed spirits might be expected
-to find in such a refinement in cruelty.  They drew back a
-little from the entrance and motioned to the supposed
-conjurer to enter.  But the bear, instead of obeying,
-maintained the seat it had taken, and growled:
-
-"The cunning man is afraid that his breath will blow upon
-his brothers, and take away their courage too," continued
-David, improving the hint he received; "they must stand
-further off."
-
-The Hurons, who would have deemed such a misfortune the
-heaviest calamity that could befall them, fell back in a
-body, taking a position where they were out of earshot,
-though at the same time they could command a view of the
-entrance to the lodge.  Then, as if satisfied of their
-safety, the scout left his position, and slowly entered the
-place.  It was silent and gloomy, being tenanted solely by
-the captive, and lighted by the dying embers of a fire,
-which had been used for the purposed of cookery.
-
-Uncas occupied a distant corner, in a reclining attitude,
-being rigidly bound, both hands and feet, by strong and
-painful withes.  When the frightful object first presented
-itself to the young Mohican, he did not deign to bestow a
-single glance on the animal.  The scout, who had left David
-at the door, to ascertain they were not observed, thought it
-prudent to preserve his disguise until assured of their
-privacy.  Instead of speaking, therefore, he exerted himself
-to enact one of the antics of the animal he represented.
-The young Mohican, who at first believed his enemies had
-sent in a real beast to torment him, and try his nerves,
-detected in those performances that to Heyward had appeared
-so accurate, certain blemishes, that at once betrayed the
-counterfeit.  Had Hawkeye been aware of the low estimation
-in which the skillful Uncas held his representations, he
-would probably have prolonged the entertainment a little in
-pique.  But the scornful expression of the young man's eye
-admitted of so many constructions, that the worthy scout was
-spared the mortification of such a discovery.  As soon,
-therefore, as David gave the preconcerted signal, a low
-hissing sound was heard in the lodge in place of the fierce
-growlings of the bear.
-
-Uncas had cast his body back against the wall of the hut and
-closed his eyes, as if willing to exclude so contemptible
-and disagreeable an object from his sight.  But the moment
-the noise of the serpent was heard, he arose, and cast his
-looks on each side of him, bending his head low, and turning
-it inquiringly in every direction, until his keen eye rested
-on the shaggy monster, where it remained riveted, as though
-fixed by the power of a charm.  Again the same sounds were
-repeated, evidently proceeding from the mouth of the beast.
-Once more the eyes of the youth roamed over the interior of
-the lodge, and returning to the former resting place, he
-uttered, in a deep, suppressed voice:
-
-"Hawkeye!"
-
-"Cut his bands," said Hawkeye to David, who just then
-approached them.
-
-The singer did as he was ordered, and Uncas found his limbs
-released.  At the same moment the dried skin of the animal
-rattled, and presently the scout arose to his feet, in
-proper person.  The Mohican appeared to comprehend the
-nature of the attempt his friend had made, intuitively,
-neither tongue nor feature betraying another symptom of
-surprise.  When Hawkeye had cast his shaggy vestment, which
-was done by simply loosing certain thongs of skin, he drew a
-long, glittering knife, and put it in the hands of Uncas.
-
-"The red Hurons are without," he said; "let us be ready."
-At the same time he laid his finger significantly on another
-similar weapon, both being the fruits of his prowess among
-their enemies during the evening.
-
-"We will go," said Uncas.
-
-"Whither?"
-
-"To the Tortoises; they are the children of my
-grandfathers."
-
-"Ay, lad," said the scout in English -- a language he was
-apt to use when a little abstracted in mind; "the same blood
-runs in your veins, I believe; but time and distance has a
-little changed its color.  What shall we do with the Mingoes
-at the door?  They count six, and this singer is as good as
-nothing."
-
-"The Hurons are boasters," said Uncas, scornfully; "their
-'totem' is a moose, and they run like snails.  The Delawares
-are children of the tortoise, and they outstrip the deer."
-
-"Ay, lad, there is truth in what you say; and I doubt not,
-on a rush, you would pass the whole nation; and, in a
-straight race of two miles, would be in, and get your breath
-again, afore a knave of them all was within hearing of the
-other village.  But the gift of a white man lies more in his
-arms than in his legs.  As for myself, I can brain a Huron
-as well as a better man; but when it comes to a race the
-knaves would prove too much for me."
-
-Uncas, who had already approached the door, in readiness to
-lead the way, now recoiled, and placed himself, once more,
-in the bottom of the lodge.  But Hawkeye, who was too much
-occupied with his own thoughts to note the movement,
-continued speaking more to himself than to his companion.
-
-"After all," he said, "it is unreasonable to keep one man in
-bondage to the gifts of another.  So, Uncas, you had better
-take the lead, while I will put on the skin again, and trust
-to cunning for want of speed."
-
-The young Mohican made no reply, but quietly folded his
-arms, and leaned his body against one of the upright posts
-that supported the wall of the hut.
-
-"Well," said the scout looking up at him, "why do you tarry?
-There will be time enough for me, as the knaves will give
-chase to you at first."
-
-"Uncas will stay," was the calm reply.
-
-"For what?"
-
-"To fight with his father's brother, and die with the friend
-of the Delawares."
-
-"Ay, lad," returned Hawkeye, squeezing the hand of Uncas
-between his own iron fingers; "'twould have been more like a
-Mingo than a Mohican had you left me.  But I thought I would
-make the offer, seeing that youth commonly loves life.
-Well, what can't be done by main courage, in war, must be
-done by circumvention.  Put on the skin; I doubt not you can
-play the bear nearly as well as myself."
-
-Whatever might have been the private opinion of Uncas of
-their respective abilities in this particular, his grave
-countenance manifested no opinion of his superiority.  He
-silently and expeditiously encased himself in the covering
-of the beast, and then awaited such other movements as his
-more aged companion saw fit to dictate.
-
-"Now, friend," said Hawkeye, addressing David, "an exchange
-of garments will be a great convenience to you, inasmuch as
-you are but little accustomed to the make-shifts of the
-wilderness.  Here, take my hunting shirt and cap, and give
-me your blanket and hat.  You must trust me with the book
-and spectacles, as well as the tooter, too; if we ever meet
-again, in better times, you shall have all back again, with
-many thanks into the bargain."
-
-David parted with the several articles named with a
-readiness that would have done great credit to his
-liberality, had he not certainly profited, in many
-particulars, by the exchange.  Hawkeye was not long in
-assuming his borrowed garments; and when his restless eyes
-were hid behind the glasses, and his head was surmounted by
-the triangular beaver, as their statures were not
-dissimilar, he might readily have passed for the singer, by
-starlight.  As soon as these dispositions were made, the
-scout turned to David, and gave him his parting
-instructions.
-
-"Are you much given to cowardice?" he bluntly asked, by way
-of obtaining a suitable understanding of the whole case
-before he ventured a prescription.
-
-"My pursuits are peaceful, and my temper, I humbly trust, is
-greatly given to mercy and love," returned David, a little
-nettled at so direct an attack on his manhood; "but there
-are none who can say that I have ever forgotten my faith in
-the Lord, even in the greatest straits."
-
-"Your chiefest danger will be at the moment when the savages
-find out that they have been deceived.  If you are not then
-knocked on the head, your being a non-composser will protect
-you; and you'll then have a good reason to expect to die in
-your bed.  If you stay, it must be to sit down here in the
-shadow, and take the part of Uncas, until such times as the
-cunning of the Indians discover the cheat, when, as I have
-already said, your times of trial will come.  So choose for
-yourself -- to make a rush or tarry here."
-
-"Even so," said David, firmly; "I will abide in the place of
-the Delaware.  Bravely and generously has he battled in my
-behalf, and this, and more, will I dare in his service."
-
-"You have spoken as a man, and like one who, under wiser
-schooling, would have been brought to better things.  Hold
-your head down, and draw in your legs; their formation might
-tell the truth too early.  Keep silent as long as may be;
-and it would be wise, when you do speak, to break out
-suddenly in one of your shoutings, which will serve to
-remind the Indians that you are not altogether as
-responsible as men should be.  If however, they take your
-scalp, as I trust and believe they will not, depend on it,
-Uncas and I will not forget the deed, but revenge it as
-becomes true warriors and trusty friends."
-
-"Hold!" said David, perceiving that with this assurance they
-were about to leave him; "I am an unworthy and humble
-follower of one who taught not the damnable principle of
-revenge.  Should I fall, therefore, seek no victims to my
-manes, but rather forgive my destroyers; and if you remember
-them at all, let it be in prayers for the enlightening of
-their minds, and for their eternal welfare."
-
-The scout hesitated, and appeared to muse.
-
-"There is a principle in that," he said, "different from the
-law of the woods; and yet it is fair and noble to reflect
-upon."  Then heaving a heavy sigh, probably among the last
-he ever drew in pining for a condition he had so long
-abandoned, he added: "it is what I would wish to practise
-myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it is not
-always easy to deal with an Indian as you would with a
-fellow Christian.  God bless you, friend; I do believe your
-scent is not greatly wrong, when the matter is duly
-considered, and keeping eternity before the eyes, though
-much depends on the natural gifts, and the force of
-temptation."
-
-So saying, the scout returned and shook David cordially by
-the hand; after which act of friendship he immediately left
-the lodge, attended by the new representative of the beast.
-
-The instant Hawkeye found himself under the observation of
-the Hurons, he drew up his tall form in the rigid manner of
-David, threw out his arm in the act of keeping time, and
-commenced what he intended for an imitation of his psalmody.
-Happily for the success of this delicate adventure, he had
-to deal with ears but little practised in the concord of
-sweet sounds, or the miserable effort would infallibly have
-been detected.  It was necessary to pass within a dangerous
-proximity of the dark group of the savages, and the voice of
-the scout grew louder as they drew nigher.  When at the
-nearest point the Huron who spoke the English thrust out an
-arm, and stopped the supposed singing-master.
-
-"The Delaware dog!" he said, leaning forward, and peering
-through the dim light to catch the expression of the other's
-features; "is he afraid?  Will the Hurons hear his groans?"
-
-A growl, so exceedingly fierce and natural, proceeded from
-the beast, that the young Indian released his hold and
-started aside, as if to assure himself that it was not a
-veritable bear, and no counterfeit, that was rolling before
-him.  Hawkeye, who feared his voice would betray him to his
-subtle enemies, gladly profited by the interruption, to
-break out anew in such a burst of musical expression as
-would, probably, in a more refined state of society have
-been termed "a grand crash."  Among his actual auditors,
-however, it merely gave him an additional claim to that
-respect which they never withhold from such as are believed
-to be the subjects of mental alienation.  The little knot of
-Indians drew back in a body, and suffered, as they thought,
-the conjurer and his inspired assistant to proceed.
-
-It required no common exercise of fortitude in Uncas and the
-scout to continue the dignified and deliberate pace they had
-assumed in passing the lodge; especially as they immediately
-perceived that curiosity had so far mastered fear, as to
-induce the watchers to approach the hut, in order to witness
-the effect of the incantations.  The least injudicious or
-impatient movement on the part of David might betray them,
-and time was absolutely necessary to insure the safety of
-the scout.  The loud noise the latter conceived it politic
-to continue, drew many curious gazers to the doors of the
-different huts as thy passed; and once or twice a dark-looking
-warrior stepped across their path, led to the act by
-superstition and watchfulness.  They were not, however,
-interrupted, the darkness of the hour, and the boldness of
-the attempt, proving their principal friends.
-
-The adventurers had got clear of the village, and were now
-swiftly approaching the shelter of the woods, when a loud
-and long cry arose from the lodge where Uncas had been
-confined.  The Mohican started on his feet, and shook his
-shaggy covering, as though the animal he counterfeited was
-about to make some desperate effort.
-
-"Hold!" said the scout, grasping his friend by the shoulder,
-"let them yell again!  'Twas nothing but wonderment."
-
-He had no occasion to delay, for at the next instant a burst
-of cries filled the outer air, and ran along the whole
-extent of the village.  Uncas cast his skin, and stepped
-forth in his own beautiful proportions.  Hawkeye tapped him
-lightly on the shoulder, and glided ahead.
-
-"Now let the devils strike our scent!" said the scout,
-tearing two rifles, with all their attendant accouterments,
-from beneath a bush, and flourishing "killdeer" as he handed
-Uncas his weapon; "two, at least, will find it to their
-deaths."
-
-Then, throwing their pieces to a low trail, like sportsmen
-in readiness for their game, they dashed forward, and were
-soon buried in the somber darkness of the forest.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 27
-
-"Ant.  I shall remember: When C'sar says Do this, it is
-performed."--Julius Caesar
-
-The impatience of the savages who lingered about the prison
-of Uncas, as has been seen, had overcome their dread of the
-conjurer's breath.  They stole cautiously, and with beating
-hearts, to a crevice, through which the faint light of the
-fire was glimmering.  For several minutes they mistook the
-form of David for that of the prisoner; but the very
-accident which Hawkeye had foreseen occurred.  Tired of
-keeping the extremities of his long person so near together,
-the singer gradually suffered the lower limbs to extend
-themselves, until one of his misshapen feet actually came in
-contact with and shoved aside the embers of the fire.  At
-first the Hurons believed the Delaware had been thus
-deformed by witchcraft.  But when David, unconscious of
-being observed, turned his head, and exposed his simple,
-mild countenance, in place of the haughty lineaments of
-their prisoner, it would have exceeded the credulity of even
-a native to have doubted any longer.  They rushed together
-into the lodge, and, laying their hands, with but little
-ceremony, on their captive, immediately detected the
-imposition.  Then arose the cry first heard by the
-fugitives.  It was succeeded by the most frantic and angry
-demonstrations of vengeance.  David, however, firm in his
-determination to cover the retreat of his friends, was
-compelled to believe that his own final hour had come.
-Deprived of his book and his pipe, he was fain to trust to a
-memory that rarely failed him on such subjects; and breaking
-forth in a loud and impassioned strain, he endeavored to
-smooth his passage into the other world by singing the
-opening verse of a funeral anthem.  The Indians were
-seasonably reminded of his infirmity, and, rushing into the
-open air, they aroused the village in the manner described.
-
-A native warrior fights as he sleeps, without the protection
-of anything defensive.  The sounds of the alarm were,
-therefore, hardly uttered before two hundred men were afoot,
-and ready for the battle or the chase, as either might be
-required.  The escape was soon known; and the whole tribe
-crowded, in a body, around the council-lodge, impatiently
-awaiting the instruction of their chiefs.  In such a sudden
-demand on their wisdom, the presence of the cunning Magua
-could scarcely fail of being needed.  His name was
-mentioned, and all looked round in wonder that he did not
-appear.  Messengers were then despatched to his lodge
-requiring his presence.
-
-In the meantime, some of the swiftest and most discreet of
-the young men were ordered to make the circuit of the
-clearing, under cover of the woods, in order to ascertain
-that their suspected neighbors, the Delawares, designed no
-mischief.  Women and children ran to and fro; and, in short,
-the whole encampment exhibited another scene of wild and
-savage confusion.  Gradually, however, these symptoms of
-disorder diminished; and in a few minutes the oldest and
-most distinguished chiefs were assembled in the lodge, in
-grave consultation.
-
-The clamor of many voices soon announced that a party
-approached, who might be expected to communicate some
-intelligence that would explain the mystery of the novel
-surprise.  The crowd without gave way, and several warriors
-entered the place, bringing with them the hapless conjurer,
-who had been left so long by the scout in duress.
-
-Notwithstanding this man was held in very unequal estimation
-among the Hurons, some believing implicitly in his power,
-and others deeming him an impostor, he was now listened to
-by all with the deepest attention.  When his brief story was
-ended, the father of the sick woman stepped forth, and, in a
-few pithy expression, related, in his turn, what he knew.
-These two narratives gave a proper direction to the
-subsequent inquiries, which were now made with the
-characteristic cunning of savages.
-
-Instead of rushing in a confused and disorderly throng to
-the cavern, ten of the wisest and firmest among the chiefs
-were selected to prosecute the investigation.  As no time
-was to be lost, the instant the choice was made the
-individuals appointed rose in a body and left the place
-without speaking.  On reaching the entrance, the younger men
-in advance made way for their seniors; and the whole
-proceeded along the low, dark gallery, with the firmness of
-warriors ready to devote themselves to the public good,
-though, at the same time, secretly doubting the nature of
-the power with which they were about to contend.
-
-The outer apartment of the cavern was silent and gloomy.
-The woman lay in her usual place and posture, though there
-were those present who affirmed they had seen her borne to
-the woods by the supposed "medicine of the white men."  Such
-a direct and palpable contradiction of the tale related by
-the father caused all eyes to be turned on him.  Chafed by
-the silent imputation, and inwardly troubled by so
-unaccountable a circumstance, the chief advanced to the side
-of the bed, and, stooping, cast an incredulous look at the
-features, as if distrusting their reality.  His daughter was
-dead.
-
-The unerring feeling of nature for a moment prevailed and
-the old warrior hid his eyes in sorrow.  Then, recovering
-his self-possession, he faced his companions, and, pointing
-toward the corpse, he said, in the language of his people:
-
-"The wife of my young man has left us!  The Great Spirit is
-angry with his children."
-
-The mournful intelligence was received in solemn silence.
-After a short pause, one of the elder Indians was about to
-speak, when a dark-looking object was seen rolling out of an
-adjoining apartment, into the very center of the room where
-they stood.  Ignorant of the nature of the beings they had
-to deal with, the whole party drew back a little, and,
-rising on end, exhibited the distorted but still fierce and
-sullen features of Magua.  The discovery was succeeded by a
-general exclamation of amazement.
-
-As soon, however, as the true situation of the chief was
-understood, several knives appeared, and his limbs and
-tongue were quickly released.  The Huron arose, and shook
-himself like a lion quitting his lair.  Not a word escaped
-him, though his hand played convulsively with the handle of
-his knife, while his lowering eyes scanned the whole party,
-as if they sought an object suited to the first burst of his
-vengeance.
-
-It was happy for Uncas and the scout, and even David, that
-they were all beyond the reach of his arm at such a moment;
-for, assuredly, no refinement in cruelty would then have
-deferred their deaths, in opposition to the promptings of
-the fierce temper that nearly choked him.  Meeting
-everywhere faces that he knew as friends, the savage grated
-his teeth together like rasps of iron, and swallowed his
-passion for want of a victim on whom to vent it.  This
-exhibition of anger was noted by all present; and from an
-apprehension of exasperating a temper that was already
-chafed nearly to madness, several minutes were suffered to
-pass before another word was uttered.  When, however,
-suitable time had elapsed, the oldest of the party spoke.
-
-"My friend has found an enemy," he said.  "Is he nigh that
-the Hurons might take revenge?"
-
-"Let the Delaware die!" exclaimed Magua, in a voice of
-thunder.
-
-Another longer and expressive silence was observed, and was
-broken, as before, with due precaution, by the same
-individual.
-
-"The Mohican is swift of foot, and leaps far," he said; "but
-my young men are on his trail."
-
-"Is he gone?" demanded Magua, in tones so deep and guttural,
-that they seemed to proceed from his inmost chest.
-
-"An evil spirit has been among us, and the Delaware has
-blinded our eyes."
-
-"An evil spirit!" repeated the other, mockingly; "'tis the
-spirit that has taken the lives of so many Hurons; the
-spirit that slew my young men at 'the tumbling river'; that
-took their scalps at the 'healing spring'; and who has, now,
-bound the arms of Le Renard Subtil!"
-
-"Of whom does my friend speak?"
-
-"Of the dog who carries the heart and cunning of a Huron
-under a pale skin -- La Longue Carabine."
-
-The pronunciation of so terrible a name produced the usual
-effect among his auditors.  But when time was given for
-reflection, and the warriors remembered that their
-formidable and daring enemy had even been in the bosom of
-their encampment, working injury, fearful rage took the
-place of wonder, and all those fierce passions with which
-the bosom of Magua had just been struggling were suddenly
-transferred to his companions.  Some among them gnashed
-their teeth in anger, others vented their feelings in yells,
-and some, again, beat the air as frantically as if the
-object of their resentment were suffering under their blows.
-But this sudden outbreaking of temper as quickly subsided in
-the still and sullen restraint they most affected in their
-moments of inaction.
-
-Magua, who had in his turn found leisure for reflection, now
-changed his manner, and assumed the air of one who knew how
-to think and act with a dignity worthy of so grave a
-subject.
-
-"Let us go to my people," he said; "they wait for us."
-
-His companions consented in silence, and the whole of the
-savage party left the cavern and returned to the council-lodge.
-When they were seated, all eyes turned on Magua, who
-understood, from such an indication, that, by common
-consent, they had devolved the duty of relating what had
-passed on him.  He arose, and told his tale without
-duplicity or reservation.  The whole deception practised by
-both Duncan and Hawkeye was, of course, laid naked, and no
-room was found, even for the most superstitious of the
-tribe, any longer to affix a doubt on the character of the
-occurrences.  It was but too apparent that they had been
-insultingly, shamefully, disgracefully deceived.  When he
-had ended, and resumed his seat, the collected tribe -- for
-his auditors, in substance, included all the fighting men of
-the party -- sat regarding each other like men astonished
-equally at the audacity and the success of their enemies.
-The next consideration, however, was the means and
-opportunities for revenge.
-
-Additional pursuers were sent on the trail of the fugitives;
-and then the chiefs applied themselves, in earnest, to the
-business of consultation.  Many different expedients were
-proposed by the elder warriors, in succession, to all of
-which Magua was a silent and respectful listener.  That
-subtle savage had recovered his artifice and self-command,
-and now proceeded toward his object with his customary
-caution and skill.  It was only when each one disposed to
-speak had uttered his sentiments, that he prepared to
-advance his own opinions.  They were given with additional
-weight from the circumstance that some of the runners had
-already returned, and reported that their enemies had been
-traced so far as to leave no doubt of their having sought
-safety in the neighboring camp of their suspected allies,
-the Delawares.  With the advantage of possessing this
-important intelligence, the chief warily laid his plans
-before his fellows, and, as might have been anticipated from
-his eloquence and cunning, they were adopted without a
-dissenting voice.  They were, briefly, as follows, both in
-opinions and in motives.
-
-It has been already stated that, in obedience to a policy
-rarely departed from, the sisters were separated so soon as
-they reached the Huron village.  Magua had early discovered
-that in retaining the person of Alice, he possessed the most
-effectual check on Cora.  When they parted, therefore, he
-kept the former within reach of his hand, consigning the one
-he most valued to the keeping of their allies.  The
-arrangement was understood to be merely temporary, and was
-made as much with a view to flatter his neighbors as in
-obedience to the invariable rule of Indian policy.
-
-While goaded incessantly by these revengeful impulses that
-in a savage seldom slumber, the chief was still attentive to
-his more permanent personal interests.  The follies and
-disloyalty committed in his youth were to be expiated by a
-long and painful penance, ere he could be restored to the
-full enjoyment of the confidence of his ancient people; and
-without confidence there could be no authority in an Indian
-tribe.  In this delicate and arduous situation, the crafty
-native had neglected no means of increasing his influence;
-and one of the happiest of his expedients had been the
-success with which he had cultivated the favor of their
-powerful and dangerous neighbors.  The result of his
-experiment had answered all the expectations of his policy;
-for the Hurons were in no degree exempt from that governing
-principle of nature, which induces man to value his gifts
-precisely in the degree that they are appreciated by others.
-
-But, while he was making this ostensible sacrifice to
-general considerations, Magua never lost sight of his
-individual motives.  The latter had been frustrated by the
-unlooked-for events which had placed all his prisoners
-beyond his control; and he now found himself reduced to the
-necessity of suing for favors to those whom it had so lately
-been his policy to oblige.
-
-Several of the chiefs had proposed deep and treacherous
-schemes to surprise the Delawares and, by gaining possession
-of their camp, to recover their prisoners by the same blow;
-for all agreed that their honor, their interests, and the
-peace and happiness of their dead countrymen, imperiously
-required them speedily to immolate some victims to their
-revenge.  But plans so dangerous to attempt, and of such
-doubtful issue, Magua found little difficulty in defeating.
-He exposed their risk and fallacy with his usual skill; and
-it was only after he had removed every impediment, in the
-shape of opposing advice, that he ventured to propose his
-own projects.
-
-He commenced by flattering the self-love of his auditors; a
-never-failing method of commanding attention.  When he had
-enumerated the many different occasions on which the Hurons
-had exhibited their courage and prowess, in the punishment
-of insults, he digressed in a high encomium on the virtue of
-wisdom.  He painted the quality as forming the great point
-of difference between the beaver and other brutes; between
-the brutes and men; and, finally, between the Hurons, in
-particular, and the rest of the human race.  After he had
-sufficiently extolled the property of discretion, he
-undertook to exhibit in what manner its use was applicable
-to the present situation of their tribe.  On the one hand,
-he said, was their great pale father, the governor of the
-Canadas, who had looked upon his children with a hard eye
-since their tomahawks had been so red; on the other, a
-people as numerous as themselves, who spoke a different
-language, possessed different interests, and loved them not,
-and who would be glad of any pretense to bring them in
-disgrace with the great white chief.  Then he spoke of their
-necessities; of the gifts they had a right to expect for
-their past services; of their distance from their proper
-hunting-grounds and native villages; and of the necessity of
-consulting prudence more, and inclination less, in so
-critical circumstances.  When he perceived that, while the
-old men applauded his moderation, many of the fiercest and
-most distinguished of the warriors listened to these politic
-plans with lowering looks, he cunningly led them back to the
-subject which they most loved.  He spoke openly of the
-fruits of their wisdom, which he boldly pronounced would be
-a complete and final triumph over their enemies.  He even
-darkly hinted that their success might be extended, with
-proper caution, in such a manner as to include the
-destruction of all whom they had reason to hate.  In short,
-he so blended the warlike with the artful, the obvious with
-the obscure, as to flatter the propensities of both parties,
-and to leave to each subject of hope, while neither could
-say it clearly comprehended his intentions.
-
-The orator, or the politician, who can produce such a state
-of things, is commonly popular with his contemporaries,
-however he may be treated by posterity.  All perceived that
-more was meant than was uttered, and each one believed that
-the hidden meaning was precisely such as his own faculties
-enabled him to understand, or his own wishes led him to
-anticipate.
-
-In this happy state of things, it is not surprising that the
-management of Magua prevailed.  The tribe consented to act
-with deliberation, and with one voice they committed the
-direction of the whole affair to the government of the chief
-who had suggested such wise and intelligible expedients.
-
-Magua had now attained one great object of all his cunning
-and enterprise.  The ground he had lost in the favor of his
-people was completely regained, and he found himself even
-placed at the head of affairs.  He was, in truth, their
-ruler; and, so long as he could maintain his popularity, no
-monarch could be more despotic, especially while the tribe
-continued in a hostile country.  Throwing off, therefore,
-the appearance of consultation, he assumed the grave air of
-authority necessary to support the dignity of his office.
-
-Runners were despatched for intelligence in different
-directions; spies were ordered to approach and feel the
-encampment of the Delawares; the warriors were dismissed to
-their lodges, with an intimation that their services would
-soon be needed; and the women and children were ordered to
-retire, with a warning that it was their province to be
-silent.  When these several arrangements were made, Magua
-passed through the village, stopping here and there to pay a
-visit where he thought his presence might be flattering to
-the individual.  He confirmed his friends in their
-confidence, fixed the wavering, and gratified all.  Then he
-sought his own lodge.  The wife the Huron chief had
-abandoned, when he was chased from among his people, was
-dead.  Children he had none; and he now occupied a hut,
-without companion of any sort.  It was, in fact, the
-dilapidated and solitary structure in which David had been
-discovered, and whom he had tolerated in his presence, on
-those few occasions when they met, with the contemptuous
-indifference of a haughty superiority.
-
-Hither, then, Magua retired, when his labors of policy were
-ended.  While others slept, however, he neither knew or
-sought repose.  Had there been one sufficiently curious to
-have watched the movements of the newly elected chief, he
-would have seen him seated in a corner of his lodge, musing
-on the subject of his future plans, from the hour of his
-retirement to the time he had appointed for the warriors to
-assemble again.  Occasionally the air breathed through the
-crevices of the hut, and the low flame that fluttered about
-the embers of the fire threw their wavering light on the
-person of the sullen recluse.  At such moments it would not
-have been difficult to have fancied the dusky savage the
-Prince of Darkness brooding on his own fancied wrongs, and
-plotting evil.
-
-Long before the day dawned, however, warrior after warrior
-entered the solitary hut of Magua, until they had collected
-to the number of twenty.  Each bore his rifle, and all the
-other accouterments of war, though the paint was uniformly
-peaceful.  The entrance of these fierce-looking beings was
-unnoticed: some seating themselves in the shadows of the
-place, and others standing like motionless statues, until
-the whole of the designated band was collected.
-
-Then Magua arose and gave the signal to proceed, marching
-himself in advance.  They followed their leader singly, and
-in that well-known order which has obtained the
-distinguishing appellation of "Indian file."  Unlike other
-men engaged in the spirit-stirring business of war, they
-stole from their camp unostentatiously and unobserved
-resembling a band of gliding specters, more than warriors
-seeking the bubble reputation by deeds of desperate daring.
-
-Instead of taking the path which led directly toward the
-camp of the Delawares, Magua led his party for some distance
-down the windings of the stream, and along the little
-artificial lake of the beavers.  The day began to dawn as
-they entered the clearing which had been formed by those
-sagacious and industrious animals.  Though Magua, who had
-resumed his ancient garb, bore the outline of a fox on the
-dressed skin which formed his robe, there was one chief of
-his party who carried the beaver as his peculiar symbol, or
-"totem."  There would have been a species of profanity in
-the omission, had this man passed so powerful a community of
-his fancied kindred, without bestowing some evidence of his
-regard.  Accordingly, he paused, and spoke in words as kind
-and friendly as if he were addressing more intelligent
-beings.  He called the animals his cousins, and reminded
-them that his protecting influence was the reason they
-remained unharmed, while many avaricious traders were
-prompting the Indians to take their lives.  He promised a
-continuance of his favors, and admonished them to be
-grateful.  After which, he spoke of the expedition in which
-he was himself engaged, and intimated, though with
-sufficient delicacy and circumlocution, the expediency of
-bestowing on their relative a portion of that wisdom for
-which they were so renowned.*
-
-* These harangues of the beasts were frequent among
-the Indians.  They often address their victims in this way,
-reproaching them for cowardice or commending their
-resolution, as they may happen to exhibit fortitude or the
-reverse, in suffering.
-
-During the utterance of this extraordinary address, the
-companions of the speaker were as grave and as attentive to
-his language as though they were all equally impressed with
-its propriety.  Once or twice black objects were seen rising
-to the surface of the water, and the Huron expressed
-pleasure, conceiving that his words were not bestowed in
-vain.  Just as he ended his address, the head of a large
-beaver was thrust from the door of a lodge, whose earthen
-walls had been much injured, and which the party had
-believed, from its situation, to be uninhabited.  Such an
-extraordinary sign of confidence was received by the orator
-as a highly favorable omen; and though the animal retreated
-a little precipitately, he was lavish of his thanks and
-commendations.
-
-When Magua thought sufficient time had been lost in
-gratifying the family affection of the warrior, he again
-made the signal to proceed.  As the Indians moved away in a
-body, and with a step that would have been inaudible to the
-ears of any common man, the same venerable-looking beaver
-once more ventured his head from its cover.  Had any of the
-Hurons turned to look behind them, they would have seen the
-animal watching their movements with an interest and
-sagacity that might easily have been mistaken for reason.
-Indeed, so very distinct and intelligible were the devices
-of the quadruped, that even the most experienced observer
-would have been at a loss to account for its actions, until
-the moment when the party entered the forest, when the whole
-would have been explained, by seeing the entire animal issue
-from the lodge, uncasing, by the act, the grave features of
-Chingachgook from his mask of fur.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 28
-
-"Brief, I pray for you; for you see, 'tis a busy time with
-me."--Much Ado About Nothing
-
-The tribe, or rather half tribe, of Delawares, which has
-been so often mentioned, and whose present place of
-encampment was so nigh the temporary village of the Hurons,
-could assemble about an equal number of warriors with the
-latter people.  Like their neighbors, they had followed
-Montcalm into the territories of the English crown, and were
-making heavy and serious inroads on the hunting-grounds of
-the Mohawks; though they had seen fit, with the mysterious
-reserve so common among the natives, to withhold their
-assistance at the moment when it was most required.  The
-French had accounted for this unexpected defection on the
-part of their ally in various ways.  It was the prevalent
-opinion, however, that they had been influenced by
-veneration for the ancient treaty, that had once made them
-dependent on the Six Nations for military protection, and
-now rendered them reluctant to encounter their former
-masters.  As for the tribe itself, it had been content to
-announce to Montcalm, through his emissaries, with Indian
-brevity, that their hatchets were dull, and time was
-necessary to sharpen them.  The politic captain of the
-Canadas had deemed it wiser to submit to entertain a passive
-friend, than by any acts of ill-judged severity to convert
-him into an open enemy.
-
-On that morning when Magua led his silent party from the
-settlement of the beavers into the forests, in the manner
-described, the sun rose upon the Delaware encampment as if
-it had suddenly burst upon a busy people, actively employed
-in all the customary avocations of high noon.  The women ran
-from lodge to lodge, some engaged in preparing their
-morning's meal, a few earnestly bent on seeking the comforts
-necessary to their habits, but more pausing to exchange
-hasty and whispered sentences with their friends.  The
-warriors were lounging in groups, musing more than they
-conversed and when a few words were uttered, speaking like
-men who deeply weighed their opinions.  The instruments of
-the chase were to be seen in abundance among the lodges; but
-none departed.  Here and there a warrior was examining his
-arms, with an attention that is rarely bestowed on the
-implements, when no other enemy than the beasts of the
-forest is expected to be encountered.  And occasionally, the
-eyes of a whole group were turned simultaneously toward a
-large and silent lodge in the center of the village, as if
-it contained the subject of their common thoughts.
-
-During the existence of this scene, a man suddenly appeared
-at the furthest extremity of a platform of rock which formed
-the level of the village.  He was without arms, and his
-paint tended rather to soften than increase the natural
-sternness of his austere countenance.  When in full view of
-the Delawares he stopped, and made a gesture of amity, by
-throwing his arm upward toward heaven, and then letting it
-fall impressively on his breast.  The inhabitants of the
-village answered his salute by a low murmur of welcome, and
-encouraged him to advance by similar indications of
-friendship.  Fortified by these assurances, the dark figure
-left the brow of the natural rocky terrace, where it had
-stood a moment, drawn in a strong outline against the
-blushing morning sky, and moved with dignity into the very
-center of the huts.  As he approached, nothing was audible
-but the rattling of the light silver ornaments that loaded
-his arms and neck, and the tinkling of the little bells that
-fringed his deerskin moccasins.  He made, as he advanced,
-many courteous signs of greeting to the men he passed,
-neglecting to notice the women, however, like one who deemed
-their favor, in the present enterprise, of no importance.
-When he had reached the group in which it was evident, by
-the haughtiness of their common mien, that the principal
-chiefs were collected, the stranger paused, and then the
-Delawares saw that the active and erect form that stood
-before them was that of the well-known Huron chief, Le
-Renard Subtil.
-
-His reception was grave, silent, and wary.  The warriors in
-front stepped aside, opening the way to their most approved
-orator by the action; one who spoke all those languages that
-were cultivated among the northern aborigines.
-
-"The wise Huron is welcome," said the Delaware, in the
-language of the Maquas; "he is come to eat his 'succotash'*,
-with his brothers of the lakes."
-
-* A dish composed of cracked corn and beans.  It is
-much used also by the whites.  By corn is meant maise.
-
-"He is come," repeated Magua, bending his head with the
-dignity of an eastern prince.
-
-The chief extended his arm and taking the other by the
-wrist, they once more exchanged friendly salutations.  Then
-the Delaware invited his guest to enter his own lodge, and
-share his morning meal.  The invitation was accepted; and
-the two warriors, attended by three or four of the old men,
-walked calmly away, leaving the rest of the tribe devoured
-by a desire to understand the reasons of so unusual a visit,
-and yet not betraying the least impatience by sign or word.
-
-During the short and frugal repast that followed, the
-conversation was extremely circumspect, and related entirely
-to the events of the hunt, in which Magua had so lately been
-engaged.  It would have been impossible for the most
-finished breeding to wear more of the appearance of
-considering the visit as a thing of course, than did his
-hosts, notwithstanding every individual present was
-perfectly aware that it must be connected with some secret
-object and that probably of importance to themselves.  When
-the appetites of the whole were appeased, the squaws removed
-the trenchers and gourds, and the two parties began to
-prepare themselves for a subtle trial of their wits.
-
-"Is the face of my great Canada father turned again toward
-his Huron children?" demanded the orator of the Delawares.
-
-"When was it ever otherwise?" returned Magua.  "He calls my
-people 'most beloved'."
-
-The Delaware gravely bowed his acquiescence to what he knew
-to be false, and continued:
-
-"The tomahawks of your young men have been very red."
-
-"It is so; but they are now bright and dull; for the
-Yengeese are dead, and the Delawares are our neighbors."
-
-The other acknowledged the pacific compliment by a gesture
-of the hand, and remained silent.  Then Magua, as if
-recalled to such a recollection, by the allusion to the
-massacre, demanded:
-
-"Does my prisoner give trouble to my brothers?"
-
-"She is welcome."
-
-"The path between the Hurons and the Delawares is short and
-it is open; let her be sent to my squaws, if she gives
-trouble to my brother."
-
-"She is welcome," returned the chief of the latter nation,
-still more emphatically.
-
-The baffled Magua continued silent several minutes,
-apparently indifferent, however, to the repulse he had
-received in this his opening effort to regain possession of
-Cora.
-
-"Do my young men leave the Delawares room on the mountains
-for their hunts?"  he at length continued.
-
-"The Lenape are rulers of their own hills," returned the
-other a little haughtily.
-
-"It is well.  Justice is the master of a red-skin.  Why
-should they brighten their tomahawks and sharpen their
-knives against each other?  Are not the pale faces thicker
-than the swallows in the season of flowers?"
-
-"Good!" exclaimed two or three of his auditors at the same
-time.
-
-Magua waited a little, to permit his words to soften the
-feelings of the Delawares, before he added:
-
-"Have there not been strange moccasins in the woods?  Have
-not my brothers scented the feet of white men?"
-
-"Let my Canada father come," returned the other, evasively;
-"his children are ready to see him."
-
-"When the great chief comes, it is to smoke with the Indians
-in their wigwams.  The Hurons say, too, he is welcome.  But
-the Yengeese have long arms, and legs that never tire!  My
-young men dreamed they had seen the trail of the Yengeese
-nigh the village of the Delawares!"
-
-"They will not find the Lenape asleep."
-
-"It is well.  The warrior whose eye is open can see his
-enemy," said Magua, once more shifting his ground, when he
-found himself unable to penetrate the caution of his
-companion.  "I have brought gifts to my brother.  His nation
-would not go on the warpath, because they did not think it
-well, but their friends have remembered where they lived."
-
-When he had thus announced his liberal intention, the crafty
-chief arose, and gravely spread his presents before the
-dazzled eyes of his hosts.  They consisted principally of
-trinkets of little value, plundered from the slaughtered
-females of William Henry.  In the division of the baubles
-the cunning Huron discovered no less art than in their
-selection.  While he bestowed those of greater value on the
-two most distinguished warriors, one of whom was his host,
-he seasoned his offerings to their inferiors with such well-timed
-and apposite compliments, as left them no ground of complaint.
-In short, the whole ceremony contained such a happy blending of
-the profitable with the flattering, that it was not difficult for
-the donor immediately to read the effect of a generosity so aptly
-mingled with praise, in the eyes of those he addressed.
-
-This well-judged and politic stroke on the part of Magua was
-not without instantaneous results.  The Delawares lost their
-gravity in a much more cordial expression; and the host, in
-particular, after contemplating his own liberal share of the
-spoil for some moments with peculiar gratification, repeated
-with strong emphasis, the words:
-
-"My brother is a wise chief.  He is welcome."
-
-"The Hurons love their friends the Delawares," returned
-Magua.  "Why should they not? they are colored by the same
-sun, and their just men will hunt in the same grounds after
-death.  The red-skins should be friends, and look with open
-eyes on the white men.  Has not my brother scented spies in
-the woods?"
-
-The Delaware, whose name in English signified "Hard Heart,"
-an appellation that the French had translated into "le Coeur-
-dur," forgot that obduracy of purpose, which had probably
-obtained him so significant a title.  His countenance grew
-very sensibly less stern and he now deigned to answer more
-directly.
-
-"There have been strange moccasins about my camp.  They have
-been tracked into my lodges."
-
-"Did my brother beat out the dogs?" asked Magua, without
-adverting in any manner to the former equivocation of the
-chief.
-
-"It would not do.  The stranger is always welcome to the
-children of the Lenape."
-
-"The stranger, but not the spy."
-
-"Would the Yengeese send their women as spies?  Did not the
-Huron chief say he took women in the battle?"
-
-"He told no lie.  The Yengeese have sent out their scouts.
-They have been in my wigwams, but they found there no one to
-say welcome.  Then they fled to the Delawares -- for, say
-they, the Delawares are our friends; their minds are turned
-from their Canada father!"
-
-This insinuation was a home thrust, and one that in a more
-advanced state of society would have entitled Magua to the
-reputation of a skillful diplomatist.  The recent defection
-of the tribe had, as they well knew themselves, subjected
-the Delawares to much reproach among their French allies;
-and they were now made to feel that their future actions
-were to be regarded with jealousy and distrust.  There was
-no deep insight into causes and effects necessary to foresee
-that such a situation of things was likely to prove highly
-prejudicial to their future movements.  Their distant
-villages, their hunting-grounds and hundreds of their women
-and children, together with a material part of their
-physical force, were actually within the limits of the
-French territory.  Accordingly, this alarming annunciation
-was received, as Magua intended, with manifest
-disapprobation, if not with alarm.
-
-"Let my father look in my face," said Le Coeur-dur; "he will
-see no change.  It is true, my young men did not go out on
-the war-path; they had dreams for not doing so.  But they
-love and venerate the great white chief."
-
-"Will he think so when he hears that his greatest enemy is
-fed in the camp of his children?  When he is told a bloody
-Yengee smokes at your fire?  That the pale face who has
-slain so many of his friends goes in and out among the
-Delawares?  Go! my great Canada father is not a fool!"
-
-"Where is the Yengee that the Delawares fear?" returned the
-other; "who has slain my young men?  Who is the mortal enemy
-of my Great Father?"
-
-"La Longue Carabine!"
-
-The Delaware warriors started at the well-known name,
-betraying by their amazement, that they now learned, for the
-first time, one so famous among the Indian allies of France
-was within their power.
-
-"What does my brother mean?" demanded Le Coeur-dur, in a
-tone that, by its wonder, far exceeded the usual apathy of
-his race.
-
-"A Huron never lies!" returned Magua, coldly, leaning his
-head against the side of the lodge, and drawing his slight
-robe across his tawny breast.  "Let the Delawares count
-their prisoners; they will find one whose skin is neither
-red nor pale."
-
-A long and musing pause succeeded.  The chief consulted
-apart with his companions, and messengers despatched to
-collect certain others of the most distinguished men of the
-tribe.
-
-As warrior after warrior dropped in, they were each made
-acquainted, in turn, with the important intelligence that
-Magua had just communicated.  The air of surprise, and the
-usual low, deep, guttural exclamation, were common to them
-all.  The news spread from mouth to mouth, until the whole
-encampment became powerfully agitated.  The women suspended
-their labors, to catch such syllables as unguardedly fell
-from the lips of the consulting warriors.  The boys deserted
-their sports, and walking fearlessly among their fathers,
-looked up in curious admiration, as they heard the brief
-exclamations of wonder they so freely expressed the temerity
-of their hated foe.  In short, every occupation was
-abandoned for the time, and all other pursuits seemed
-discarded in order that the tribe might freely indulge,
-after their own peculiar manner, in an open expression of
-feeling.
-
-When the excitement had a little abated, the old men
-disposed themselves seriously to consider that which it
-became the honor and safety of their tribe to perform, under
-circumstances of so much delicacy and embarrassment.  During
-all these movements, and in the midst of the general
-commotion, Magua had not only maintained his seat, but the
-very attitude he had originally taken, against the side of
-the lodge, where he continued as immovable, and, apparently,
-as unconcerned, as if he had no interest in the result.  Not
-a single indication of the future intentions of his hosts,
-however, escaped his vigilant eyes.  With his consummate
-knowledge of the nature of the people with whom he had to
-deal, he anticipated every measure on which they decided;
-and it might almost be said, that, in many instances, he
-knew their intentions, even before they became known to
-themselves.
-
-The council of the Delawares was short.  When it was ended,
-a general bustle announced that it was to be immediately
-succeeded by a solemn and formal assemblage of the nation.
-As such meetings were rare, and only called on occasions of
-the last importance, the subtle Huron, who still sat apart,
-a wily and dark observer of the proceedings, now knew that
-all his projects must be brought to their final issue.  He,
-therefore, left the lodge and walked silently forth to the
-place, in front of the encampment, whither the warriors were
-already beginning to collect.
-
-It might have been half an hour before each individual,
-including even the women and children, was in his place.
-The delay had been created by the grave preparations that
-were deemed necessary to so solemn and unusual a conference.
-But when the sun was seen climbing above the tops of that
-mountain, against whose bosom the Delawares had constructed
-their encampment, most were seated; and as his bright rays
-darted from behind the outline of trees that fringed the
-eminence, they fell upon as grave, as attentive, and as
-deeply interested a multitude, as was probably ever before
-lighted by his morning beams.  Its number somewhat exceeded
-a thousand souls.
-
-In a collection of so serious savages, there is never to be
-found any impatient aspirant after premature distinction,
-standing ready to move his auditors to some hasty, and,
-perhaps, injudicious discussion, in order that his own
-reputation may be the gainer.  An act of so much
-precipitancy and presumption would seal the downfall of
-precocious intellect forever.  It rested solely with the
-oldest and most experienced of the men to lay the subject of
-the conference before the people.  Until such a one chose to
-make some movement, no deeds in arms, no natural gifts, nor
-any renown as an orator, would have justified the slightest
-interruption.  On the present occasion, the aged warrior
-whose privilege it was to speak, was silent, seemingly
-oppressed with the magnitude of his subject.  The delay had
-already continued long beyond the usual deliberative pause
-that always preceded a conference; but no sign of impatience
-or surprise escaped even the youngest boy.  Occasionally an
-eye was raised from the earth, where the looks of most were
-riveted, and strayed toward a particular lodge, that was,
-however, in no manner distinguished from those around it,
-except in the peculiar care that had been taken to protect
-it against the assaults of the weather.
-
-At length one of those low murmurs, that are so apt to
-disturb a multitude, was heard, and the whole nation arose
-to their feet by a common impulse.  At that instant the door
-of the lodge in question opened, and three men, issuing from
-it, slowly approached the place of consultation.  They were
-all aged, even beyond that period to which the oldest
-present had reached; but one in the center, who leaned on
-his companions for support, had numbered an amount of years
-to which the human race is seldom permitted to attain.  His
-frame, which had once been tall and erect, like the cedar,
-was now bending under the pressure of more than a century.
-The elastic, light step of an Indian was gone, and in its
-place he was compelled to toil his tardy way over the
-ground, inch by inch.  His dark, wrinkled countenance was in
-singular and wild contrast with the long white locks which
-floated on his shoulders, in such thickness, as to announce
-that generations had probably passed away since they had
-last been shorn.
-
-The dress of this patriarch -- for such, considering his
-vast age, in conjunction with his affinity and influence
-with his people, he might very properly be termed -- was
-rich and imposing, though strictly after the simple fashions
-of the tribe.  His robe was of the finest skins, which had
-been deprived of their fur, in order to admit of a
-hieroglyphical representation of various deeds in arms, done
-in former ages.  His bosom was loaded with medals, some in
-massive silver, and one or two even in gold, the gifts of
-various Christian potentates during the long period of his
-life.  He also wore armlets, and cinctures above the ankles,
-of the latter precious metal.  His head, on the whole of
-which the hair had been permitted to grow, the pursuits of
-war having so long been abandoned, was encircled by a sort
-of plated diadem, which, in its turn, bore lesser and more
-glittering ornaments, that sparkled amid the glossy hues of
-three drooping ostrich feathers, dyed a deep black, in
-touching contrast to the color of his snow-white locks.  His
-tomahawk was nearly hid in silver, and the handle of his
-knife shone like a horn of solid gold.
-
-So soon as the first hum of emotion and pleasure, which the
-sudden appearance of this venerated individual created, had
-a little subsided, the name of "Tamenund" was whispered from
-mouth to mouth.  Magua had often heard the fame of this wise
-and just Delaware; a reputation that even proceeded so far
-as to bestow on him the rare gift of holding secret
-communion with the Great Spirit, and which has since
-transmitted his name, with some slight alteration, to the
-white usurpers of his ancient territory, as the imaginary
-tutelar saint* of a vast empire.  The Huron chief,
-therefore, stepped eagerly out a little from the throng, to
-a spot whence he might catch a nearer glimpse of the
-features of the man, whose decision was likely to produce so
-deep an influence on his own fortunes.
-
-* The Americans sometimes called their tutelar saint
-Tamenay, a corruption of the name of the renowned chief here
-introduced.  There are many traditions which speak of the
-character and power of Tamenund.
-
-The eyes of the old man were closed, as though the organs
-were wearied with having so long witnessed the selfish
-workings of the human passions.  The color of his skin
-differed from that of most around him, being richer and
-darker, the latter having been produced by certain delicate
-and mazy lines of complicated and yet beautiful figures,
-which had been traced over most of his person by the
-operation of tattooing.  Notwithstanding the position of the
-Huron, he passed the observant and silent Magua without
-notice, and leaning on his two venerable supporters
-proceeded to the high place of the multitude, where he
-seated himself in the center of his nation, with the dignity
-of a monarch and the air of a father.
-
-Nothing could surpass the reverence and affection with which
-this unexpected visit from one who belongs rather to another
-world than to this, was received by his people.  After a
-suitable and decent pause, the principal chiefs arose, and,
-approaching the patriarch, they placed his hands reverently
-on their heads, seeming to entreat a blessing.  The younger
-men were content with touching his robe, or even drawing
-nigh his person, in order to breathe in the atmosphere of
-one so aged, so just, and so valiant.  None but the most
-distinguished among the youthful warriors even presumed so
-far as to perform the latter ceremony, the great mass of the
-multitude deeming it a sufficient happiness to look upon a
-form so deeply venerated, and so well beloved.  When these
-acts of affection and respect were performed, the chiefs
-drew back again to their several places, and silence reigned
-in the whole encampment.
-
-After a short delay, a few of the young men, to whom
-instructions had been whispered by one of the aged
-attendants of Tamenund, arose, left the crowd, and entered
-the lodge which has already been noted as the object of so
-much attention throughout that morning.  In a few minutes
-they reappeared, escorting the individuals who had caused
-all these solemn preparations toward the seat of judgment.
-The crowd opened in a lane; and when the party had re-entered,
-it closed in again, forming a large and dense belt of human
-bodies, arranged in an open circle.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 29
-
-
-"The assembly seated, rising o'er the rest, Achilles thus
-the king of men addressed."--Pope's Illiad
-
-Cora stood foremost among the prisoners, entwining her arms
-in those of Alice, in the tenderness of sisterly love.
-Notwithstanding the fearful and menacing array of savages on
-every side of her, no apprehension on her own account could
-prevent the nobler-minded maiden from keeping her eyes
-fastened on the pale and anxious features of the trembling
-Alice.  Close at their side stood Heyward, with an interest
-in both, that, at such a moment of intense uncertainty,
-scarcely knew a preponderance in favor of her whom he most
-loved.  Hawkeye had placed himself a little in the rear,
-with a deference to the superior rank of his companions,
-that no similarity in the state of their present fortunes
-could induce him to forget.  Uncas was not there.
-
-When perfect silence was again restored, and after the usual
-long, impressive pause, one of the two aged chiefs who sat
-at the side of the patriarch arose, and demanded aloud, in
-very intelligible English:
-
-"Which of my prisoners is La Longue Carabine?"
-
-Neither Duncan nor the scout answered.  The former, however,
-glanced his eyes around the dark and silent assembly, and
-recoiled a pace, when they fell on the malignant visage of
-Magua.  He saw, at once, that this wily savage had some
-secret agency in their present arraignment before the
-nation, and determined to throw every possible impediment in
-the way of the execution of his sinister plans.  He had
-witnessed one instance of the summary punishments of the
-Indians, and now dreaded that his companion was to be
-selected for a second.  In this dilemma, with little or no
-time for reflection, he suddenly determined to cloak his
-invaluable friend, at any or every hazard to himself.
-Before he had time, however, to speak, the question was
-repeated in a louder voice, and with a clearer utterance.
-
-"Give us arms," the young man haughtily replied, "and place
-us in yonder woods.  Our deeds shall speak for us!"
-
-"This is the warrior whose name has filled our ears!"
-returned the chief, regarding Heyward with that sort of
-curious interest which seems inseparable from man, when
-first beholding one of his fellows to whom merit or
-accident, virtue or crime, has given notoriety.  "What has
-brought the white man into the camp of the Delawares?"
-
-"My necessities.  I come for food, shelter, and friends."
-
-"It cannot be.  The woods are full of game.  The head of a
-warrior needs no other shelter than a sky without clouds;
-and the Delawares are the enemies, and not the friends of
-the Yengeese.  Go, the mouth has spoken, while the heart
-said nothing."
-
-Duncan, a little at a loss in what manner to proceed,
-remained silent; but the scout, who had listened attentively
-to all that passed, now advanced steadily to the front.
-
-"That I did not answer to the call for La Longue Carabine,
-was not owing either to shame or fear," he said, "for
-neither one nor the other is the gift of an honest man.  But
-I do not admit the right of the Mingoes to bestow a name on
-one whose friends have been mindful of his gifts, in this
-particular; especially as their title is a lie, 'killdeer'
-being a grooved barrel and no carabyne.  I am the man,
-however, that got the name of Nathaniel from my kin; the
-compliment of Hawkeye from the Delawares, who live on their
-own river; and whom the Iroquois have presumed to style the
-'Long Rifle', without any warranty from him who is most
-concerned in the matter."
-
-The eyes of all present, which had hitherto been gravely
-scanning the person of Duncan, were now turned, on the
-instant, toward the upright iron frame of this new pretender
-to the distinguished appellation.  It was in no degree
-remarkable that there should be found two who were willing
-to claim so great an honor, for impostors, though rare, were
-not unknown among the natives; but it was altogether
-material to the just and severe intentions of the Delawares,
-that there should be no mistake in the matter.  Some of
-their old men consulted together in private, and then, as it
-would seem, they determined to interrogate their visitor on
-the subject.
-
-"My brother has said that a snake crept into my camp," said
-the chief to Magua; "which is he?"
-
-The Huron pointed to the scout.
-
-"Will a wise Delaware believe the barking of a wolf?"
-exclaimed Duncan, still more confirmed in the evil
-intentions of his ancient enemy: "a dog never lies, but
-when was a wolf known to speak the truth?"
-
-The eyes of Magua flashed fire; but suddenly recollecting
-the necessity of maintaining his presence of mind, he turned
-away in silent disdain, well assured that the sagacity of
-the Indians would not fail to extract the real merits of the
-point in controversy.  He was not deceived; for, after
-another short consultation, the wary Delaware turned to him
-again, and expressed the determination of the chiefs, though
-in the most considerate language.
-
-"My brother has been called a liar," he said, "and his
-friends are angry.  They will show that he has spoken the
-truth.  Give my prisoners guns, and let them prove which is
-the man."
-
-Magua affected to consider the expedient, which he well knew
-proceeded from distrust of himself, as a compliment, and
-made a gesture of acquiescence, well content that his
-veracity should be supported by so skillful a marksman as
-the scout.  The weapons were instantly placed in the hands
-of the friendly opponents, and they were bid to fire, over
-the heads of the seated multitude, at an earthen vessel,
-which lay, by accident, on a stump, some fifty yards from
-the place where they stood.
-
-Heyward smiled to himself at the idea of a competition with
-the scout, though he determined to persevere in the
-deception, until apprised of the real designs of Magua.
-
-Raising his rifle with the utmost care, and renewing his aim
-three several times, he fired.  The bullet cut the wood
-within a few inches of the vessel; and a general exclamation
-of satisfaction announced that the shot was considered a
-proof of great skill in the use of a weapon.  Even Hawkeye
-nodded his head, as if he would say, it was better than he
-expected.  But, instead of manifesting an intention to
-contend with the successful marksman, he stood leaning on
-his rifle for more than a minute, like a man who was
-completely buried in thought.  From this reverie, he was,
-however, awakened by one of the young Indians who had
-furnished the arms, and who now touched his shoulder, saying
-in exceedingly broken English:
-
-"Can the pale face beat it?"
-
-"Yes, Huron!" exclaimed the scout, raising the short rifle
-in his right hand, and shaking it at Magua, with as much
-apparent ease as if it were a reed; "yes, Huron, I could
-strike you now, and no power on earth could prevent the
-deed!  The soaring hawk is not more certain of the dove than
-I am this moment of you, did I choose to send a bullet to
-your heart!  Why should I not?  Why! -- because the gifts of
-my color forbid it, and I might draw down evil on tender and
-innocent heads.  If you know such a being as God, thank Him,
-therefore, in your inward soul; for you have reason!"
-
-The flushed countenance, angry eye and swelling figure of
-the scout, produced a sensation of secret awe in all that
-heard him.  The Delawares held their breath in expectation;
-but Magua himself, even while he distrusted the forbearance
-of his enemy, remained immovable and calm, where he stood
-wedged in by the crowd, as one who grew to the spot.
-
-"Beat it," repeated the young Delaware at the elbow of the
-scout.
-
-"Beat what, fool! -- what?" exclaimed Hawkeye, still
-flourishing the weapon angrily above his head, though his
-eye no longer sought the person of Magua.
-
-"If the white man is the warrior he pretends," said the aged
-chief, "let him strike nigher to the mark."
-
-The scout laughed aloud -- a noise that produced the
-startling effect of an unnatural sound on Heyward; then
-dropping the piece, heavily, into his extended left hand, it
-was discharged, apparently by the shock, driving the
-fragments of the vessel into the air, and scattering them on
-every side.  Almost at the same instant, the rattling sound
-of the rifle was heard, as he suffered it to fall,
-contemptuously, to the earth.
-
-The first impression of so strange a scene was engrossing
-admiration.  Then a low, but increasing murmur, ran through
-the multitude, and finally swelled into sounds that denoted
-a lively opposition in the sentiments of the spectators.
-While some openly testified their satisfaction at so
-unexampled dexterity, by far the larger portion of the tribe
-were inclined to believe the success of the shot was the
-result of accident.  Heyward was not slow to confirm an
-opinion that was so favorable to his own pretensions.
-
-"It was chance!" he exclaimed; "none can shoot without an
-aim!"
-
-"Chance!" echoed the excited woodsman, who was now
-stubbornly bent on maintaining his identity at every hazard,
-and on whom the secret hints of Heyward to acquiesce in the
-deception were entirely lost.  "Does yonder lying Huron,
-too, think it chance?  Give him another gun, and place us
-face to face, without cover or dodge, and let Providence,
-and our own eyes, decide the matter atween us!  I do not
-make the offer, to you, major; for our blood is of a color,
-and we serve the same master."
-
-"That the Huron is a liar, is very evident," returned
-Heyward, coolly; "you have yourself heard him assert you
-to be La Longue Carabine."
-
-It were impossible to say what violent assertion the
-stubborn Hawkeye would have next made, in his headlong wish
-to vindicate his identity, had not the aged Delaware once
-more interposed.
-
-"The hawk which comes from the clouds can return when he
-will," he said; "give them the guns."
-
-This time the scout seized the rifle with avidity; nor had
-Magua, though he watched the movements of the marksman with
-jealous eyes, any further cause for apprehension.
-
-"Now let it be proved, in the face of this tribe of
-Delawares, which is the better man," cried the scout,
-tapping the butt of his piece with that finger which had
-pulled so many fatal triggers.
-
-"You see that gourd hanging against yonder tree, major; if
-you are a marksman fit for the borders, let me see you break
-its shell!"
-
-Duncan noted the object, and prepared himself to renew the
-trial.  The gourd was one of the usual little vessels used
-by the Indians, and it was suspended from a dead branch of a
-small pine, by a thong of deerskin, at the full distance of
-a hundred yards.  So strangely compounded is the feeling of
-self-love, that the young soldier, while he knew the utter
-worthlessness of the suffrages of his savage umpires, forgot
-the sudden motives of the contest in a wish to excel.  It
-had been seen, already, that his skill was far from being
-contemptible, and he now resolved to put forth its nicest
-qualities.  Had his life depended on the issue, the aim of
-Duncan could not have been more deliberate or guarded.  He
-fired; and three or four young Indians, who sprang forward
-at the report, announced with a shout, that the ball was in
-the tree, a very little on one side of the proper object.
-The warriors uttered a common ejaculation of pleasure, and
-then turned their eyes, inquiringly, on the movements of his
-rival.
-
-"It may do for the Royal Americans!" said Hawkeye, laughing
-once more in his own silent, heartfelt manner; "but had my
-gun often turned so much from the true line, many a marten,
-whose skin is now in a lady's muff, would still be in the
-woods; ay, and many a bloody Mingo, who has departed to his
-final account, would be acting his deviltries at this very
-day, atween the provinces.  I hope the squaw who owns the
-gourd has more of them in her wigwam, for this will never
-hold water again!"
-
-The scout had shook his priming, and cocked his piece, while
-speaking; and, as he ended, he threw back a foot, and slowly
-raised the muzzle from the earth: the motion was steady,
-uniform, and in one direction.  When on a perfect level, it
-remained for a single moment, without tremor or variation,
-as though both man and rifle were carved in stone.  During
-that stationary instant, it poured forth its contents, in a
-bright, glancing sheet of flame.  Again the young Indians
-bounded forward; but their hurried search and disappointed
-looks announced that no traces of the bullet were to be
-seen.
-
-"Go!" said the old chief to the scout, in a tone of strong
-disgust; "thou art a wolf in the skin of a dog.  I will talk
-to the 'Long Rifle' of the Yengeese."
-
-"Ah! had I that piece which furnished the name you use, I
-would obligate myself to cut the thong, and drop the gourd
-without breaking it!" returned Hawkeye, perfectly
-undisturbed by the other's manner.  "Fools, if you would
-find the bullet of a sharpshooter in these woods, you must
-look in the object, and not around it!"
-
-The Indian youths instantly comprehended his meaning -- for
-this time he spoke in the Delaware tongue -- and tearing the
-gourd from the tree, they held it on high with an exulting
-shout, displaying a hole in its bottom, which had been cut
-by the bullet, after passing through the usual orifice in
-the center of its upper side.  At this unexpected
-exhibition, a loud and vehement expression of pleasure burst
-from the mouth of every warrior present.  It decided the
-question, and effectually established Hawkeye in the
-possession of his dangerous reputation.  Those curious and
-admiring eyes which had been turned again on Heyward, were
-finally directed to the weather-beaten form of the scout,
-who immediately became the principal object of attention to
-the simple and unsophisticated beings by whom he was
-surrounded.  When the sudden and noisy commotion had a
-little subsided, the aged chief resumed his examination.
-
-"Why did you wish to stop my ears?" he said, addressing
-Duncan; "are the Delawares fools that they could not know
-the young panther from the cat?"
-
-"They will yet find the Huron a singing-bird," said Duncan,
-endeavoring to adopt the figurative language of the natives.
-
-"It is good.  We will know who can shut the ears of men.
-Brother," added the chief turning his eyes on Magua, "the
-Delawares listen."
-
-Thus singled, and directly called on to declare his object,
-the Huron arose; and advancing with great deliberation and
-dignity into the very center of the circle, where he stood
-confronted by the prisoners, he placed himself in an
-attitude to speak.  Before opening his mouth, however, he
-bent his eyes slowly along the whole living boundary of
-earnest faces, as if to temper his expressions to the
-capacities of his audience.  On Hawkeye he cast a glance of
-respectful enmity; on Duncan, a look of inextinguishable
-hatred; the shrinking figure of Alice he scarcely deigned to
-notice; but when his glance met the firm, commanding, and
-yet lovely form of Cora, his eye lingered a moment, with an
-expression that it might have been difficult to define.
-Then, filled with his own dark intentions, he spoke in the
-language of the Canadas, a tongue that he well knew was
-comprehended by most of his auditors.
-
-"The Spirit that made men colored them differently,"
-commenced the subtle Huron.  "Some are blacker than the
-sluggish bear.  These He said should be slaves; and He
-ordered them to work forever, like the beaver.  You may hear
-them groan, when the south wind blows, louder than the
-lowing buffaloes, along the shores of the great salt lake,
-where the big canoes come and go with them in droves.  Some
-He made with faces paler than the ermine of the forests; and
-these He ordered to be traders; dogs to their women, and
-wolves to their slaves.  He gave this people the nature of
-the pigeon; wings that never tire; young, more plentiful
-than the leaves on the trees, and appetites to devour the
-earth.  He gave them tongues like the false call of the
-wildcat; hearts like rabbits; the cunning of the hog (but
-none of the fox), and arms longer than the legs of the
-moose.  With his tongue he stops the ears of the Indians;
-his heart teaches him to pay warriors to fight his battles;
-his cunning tells him how to get together the goods of the
-earth; and his arms inclose the land from the shores of the
-salt-water to the islands of the great lake.  His gluttony
-makes him sick.  God gave him enough, and yet he wants all.
-Such are the pale faces.
-
-"Some the Great Spirit made with skins brighter and redder
-than yonder sun," continued Magua, pointing impressively
-upward to the lurid luminary, which was struggling through
-the misty atmosphere of the horizon; "and these did He
-fashion to His own mind.  He gave them this island as He had
-made it, covered with trees, and filled with game.  The wind
-made their clearings; the sun and rain ripened their fruits;
-and the snows came to tell them to be thankful.  What need
-had they of roads to journey by!  They saw through the
-hills!  When the beavers worked, they lay in the shade, and
-looked on.  The winds cooled them in summer; in winter,
-skins kept them warm.  If they fought among themselves, it
-was to prove that they were men.  They were brave; they were
-just; they were happy."
-
-Here the speaker paused, and again looked around him to
-discover if his legend had touched the sympathies of his
-listeners.  He met everywhere, with eyes riveted on his own,
-heads erect and nostrils expanded, as if each individual
-present felt himself able and willing, singly, to redress
-the wrongs of his race.
-
-"If the Great Spirit gave different tongues to his red
-children," he continued, in a low, still melancholy voice,
-"it was that all animals might understand them.  Some He
-placed among the snows, with their cousin, the bear.  Some
-he placed near the setting sun, on the road to the happy
-hunting grounds.  Some on the lands around the great fresh
-waters; but to His greatest, and most beloved, He gave the
-sands of the salt lake.  Do my brothers know the name of
-this favored people?"
-
-"It was the Lenape!" exclaimed twenty eager voices in a
-breath.
-
-"It was the Lenni Lenape," returned Magua, affecting to bend
-his head in reverence to their former greatness.  "It was
-the tribes of the Lenape!  The sun rose from water that was
-salt, and set in water that was sweet, and never hid himself
-from their eyes.  But why should I, a Huron of the woods,
-tell a wise people their own traditions?  Why remind them of
-their injuries; their ancient greatness; their deeds; their
-glory; their happiness; their losses; their defeats; their
-misery?  Is there not one among them who has seen it all,
-and who knows it to be true?  I have done.  My tongue is
-still for my heart is of lead.  I listen."
-
-As the voice of the speaker suddenly ceased, every face and
-all eyes turned, by a common movement, toward the venerable
-Tamenund.  From the moment that he took his seat, until the
-present instant, the lips of the patriarch had not severed,
-and scarcely a sign of life had escaped him.  He sat bent in
-feebleness, and apparently unconscious of the presence he
-was in, during the whole of that opening scene, in which the
-skill of the scout had been so clearly established.  At the
-nicely graduated sound of Magua's voice, however, he
-betrayed some evidence of consciousness, and once or twice
-he even raised his head, as if to listen.  But when the
-crafty Huron spoke of his nation by name, the eyelids of the
-old man raised themselves, and he looked out upon the
-multitude with that sort of dull, unmeaning expression which
-might be supposed to belong to the countenance of a specter.
-Then he made an effort to rise, and being upheld by his
-supporters, he gained his feet, in a posture commanding by
-its dignity, while he tottered with weakness.
-
-"Who calls upon the children of the Lenape?" he said, in a
-deep, guttural voice, that was rendered awfully audible by
-the breathless silence of the multitude; "who speaks of
-things gone?  Does not the egg become a worm -- the worm a
-fly, and perish?  Why tell the Delawares of good that is
-past?  Better thank the Manitou for that which remains."
-
-"It is a Wyandot," said Magua, stepping nigher to the rude
-platform on which the other stood; "a friend of Tamenund."
-
-"A friend!" repeated the sage, on whose brow a dark frown
-settled, imparting a portion of that severity which had
-rendered his eye so terrible in middle age.  "Are the
-Mingoes rulers of the earth?  What brings a Huron in here?"
-
-"Justice.  His prisoners are with his brothers, and he comes
-for his own."
-
-Tamenund turned his head toward one of his supporters, and
-listened to the short explanation the man gave.
-
-Then, facing the applicant, he regarded him a moment with
-deep attention; after which he said, in a low and reluctant
-voice:
-
-"Justice is the law of the great Manitou.  My children, give
-the stranger food.  Then, Huron, take thine own and depart."
-
-On the delivery of this solemn judgment, the patriarch
-seated himself, and closed his eyes again, as if better
-pleased with the images of his own ripened experience than
-with the visible objects of the world.  Against such a
-decree there was no Delaware sufficiently hardy to murmur,
-much less oppose himself.  The words were barely uttered
-when four or five of the younger warriors, stepping behind
-Heyward and the scout, passed thongs so dexterously and
-rapidly around their arms, as to hold them both in instant
-bondage.  The former was too much engrossed with his
-precious and nearly insensible burden, to be aware of their
-intentions before they were executed; and the latter, who
-considered even the hostile tribes of the Delawares a
-superior race of beings, submitted without resistance.
-Perhaps, however, the manner of the scout would not have
-been so passive, had he fully comprehended the language in
-which the preceding dialogue had been conducted.
-
-Magua cast a look of triumph around the whole assembly
-before he proceeded to the execution of his purpose.
-Perceiving that the men were unable to offer any resistance,
-he turned his looks on her he valued most.  Cora met his
-gaze with an eye so calm and firm, that his resolution
-wavered.  Then, recollecting his former artifice, he raised
-Alice from the arms of the warrior against whom she leaned,
-and beckoning Heyward to follow, he motioned for the
-encircling crowd to open.  But Cora, instead of obeying the
-impulse he had expected, rushed to the feet of the
-patriarch, and, raising her voice, exclaimed aloud:
-
-"Just and venerable Delaware, on thy wisdom and power we
-lean for mercy!  Be deaf to yonder artful and remorseless
-monster, who poisons thy ears with falsehoods to feed his
-thirst for blood.  Thou that hast lived long, and that hast
-seen the evil of the world, should know how to temper its
-calamities to the miserable."
-
-The eyes of the old man opened heavily, and he once more
-looked upward at the multitude.  As the piercing tones of
-the suppliant swelled on his ears, they moved slowly in the
-direction of her person, and finally settled there in a
-steady gaze.  Cora had cast herself to her knees; and, with
-hands clenched in each other and pressed upon her bosom, she
-remained like a beauteous and breathing model of her sex,
-looking up in his faded but majestic countenance, with a
-species of holy reverence.  Gradually the expression of
-Tamenund's features changed, and losing their vacancy in
-admiration, they lighted with a portion of that intelligence
-which a century before had been wont to communicate his
-youthful fire to the extensive bands of the Delawares.
-Rising without assistance, and seemingly without an effort,
-he demanded, in a voice that startled its auditors by its
-firmness:
-
-"What art thou?"
-
-"A woman.  One of a hated race, if thou wilt -- a Yengee.
-But one who has never harmed thee, and who cannot harm thy
-people, if she would; who asks for succor."
-
-"Tell me, my children," continued the patriarch, hoarsely,
-motioning to those around him, though his eyes still dwelt
-upon the kneeling form of Cora, "where have the Delawares
-camped?"
-
-"In the mountains of the Iroquois, beyond the clear springs
-of the Horican."
-
-"Many parching summers are come and gone," continued the
-sage, "since I drank of the water of my own rivers.  The
-children of Minquon* are the justest white men, but they
-were thirsty and they took it to themselves.  Do they follow
-us so far?"
-
-* William Penn was termed Minquon by the Delawares,
-and, as he never used violence or injustice in his dealings
-with them, his reputation for probity passed into a proverb.
-The American is justly proud of the origin of his nation,
-which is perhaps unequaled in the history of the world; but
-the Pennsylvanian and Jerseyman have more reason to value
-themselves in their ancestors than the natives of any other
-state, since no wrong was done the original owners of the
-soil.
-
-"We follow none, we covet nothing," answered Cora.
-"Captives against our wills, have we been brought amongst
-you; and we ask but permission to depart to our own in
-peace.  Art thou not Tamenund -- the father, the judge, I
-had almost said, the prophet -- of this people?"
-
-"I am Tamenund of many days."
-
-"'Tis now some seven years that one of thy people was at the
-mercy of a white chief on the borders of this province.  He
-claimed to be of the blood of the good and just Tamenund.
-'Go', said the white man, 'for thy parent's sake thou art
-free.'  Dost thou remember the name of that English warrior?"
-
-"I remember, that when a laughing boy," returned the
-patriarch, with the peculiar recollection of vast age, "I
-stood upon the sands of the sea shore, and saw a big canoe,
-with wings whiter than the swan's, and wider than many
-eagles, come from the rising sun."
-
-"Nay, nay; I speak not of a time so very distant, but of
-favor shown to thy kindred by one of mine, within the memory
-of thy youngest warrior."
-
-"Was it when the Yengeese and the Dutchmanne fought for the
-hunting-grounds of the Delawares?  Then Tamenund was a
-chief, and first laid aside the bow for the lightning of the
-pale faces --"
-
-"Not yet then," interrupted Cora, "by many ages; I speak of
-a thing of yesterday.  Surely, surely, you forget it not."
-
-"It was but yesterday," rejoined the aged man, with touching
-pathos, "that the children of the Lenape were masters of the
-world.  The fishes of the salt lake, the birds, the beasts,
-and the Mengee of the woods, owned them for Sagamores."
-
-Cora bowed her head in disappointment, and, for a bitter
-moment struggled with her chagrin.  Then, elevating her rich
-features and beaming eyes, she continued, in tones scarcely
-less penetrating than the unearthly voice of the patriarch
-himself:
-
-"Tell me, is Tamenund a father?"
-
-The old man looked down upon her from his elevated stand,
-with a benignant smile on his wasted countenance, and then
-casting his eyes slowly over the whole assemblage, he
-answered:
-
-"Of a nation."
-
-"For myself I ask nothing.  Like thee and thine, venerable
-chief," she continued, pressing her hands convulsively on
-her heart, and suffering her head to droop until her burning
-cheeks were nearly concealed in the maze of dark, glossy
-tresses that fell in disorder upon her shoulders, "the curse
-of my ancestors has fallen heavily on their child.  But
-yonder is one who has never known the weight of Heaven's
-displeasure until now.  She is the daughter of an old and
-failing man, whose days are near their close.  She has many,
-very many, to love her, and delight in her; and she is too
-good, much too precious, to become the victim of that
-villain."
-
-"I know that the pale faces are a proud and hungry race.  I
-know that they claim not only to have the earth, but that
-the meanest of their color is better than the Sachems of the
-red man.  The dogs and crows of their tribes," continued the
-earnest old chieftain, without heeding the wounded spirit of
-his listener, whose head was nearly crushed to the earth in
-shame, as he proceeded, "would bark and caw before they
-would take a woman to their wigwams whose blood was not of
-the color of snow.  But let them not boast before the face
-of the Manitou too loud.  They entered the land at the
-rising, and may yet go off at the setting sun.  I have often
-seen the locusts strip the leaves from the trees, but the
-season of blossoms has always come again."
-
-"It is so," said Cora, drawing a long breath, as if reviving
-from a trance, raising her face, and shaking back her
-shining veil, with a kindling eye, that contradicted the
-death-like paleness of her countenance; "but why -- it is
-not permitted us to inquire.  There is yet one of thine own
-people who has not been brought before thee; before thou
-lettest the Huron depart in triumph, hear him speak."
-
-Observing Tamenund to look about him doubtingly, one of his
-companions said:
-
-"It is a snake -- a red-skin in the pay of the Yengeese.  We
-keep him for the torture."
-
-"Let him come," returned the sage.
-
-Then Tamenund once more sank into his seat, and a silence so
-deep prevailed while the young man prepared to obey his
-simple mandate, that the leaves, which fluttered in the
-draught of the light morning air, were distinctly heard
-rustling in the surrounding forest.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 30
-
-"If you deny me, fie upon your law!  There is no force in
-the decrees of Venice: I stand for judgment: answer, shall I
-have it?"--Merchant of Venice
-
-The silence continued unbroken by human sounds for many
-anxious minutes.  Then the waving multitude opened and shut
-again, and Uncas stood in the living circle.  All those
-eyes, which had been curiously studying the lineaments of
-the sage, as the source of their own intelligence, turned on
-the instant, and were now bent in secret admiration on the
-erect, agile, and faultless person of the captive.  But
-neither the presence in which he found himself, nor the
-exclusive attention that he attracted, in any manner
-disturbed the self-possession of the young Mohican.  He cast
-a deliberate and observing look on every side of him,
-meeting the settled expression of hostility that lowered in
-the visages of the chiefs with the same calmness as the
-curious gaze of the attentive children.  But when, last in
-this haughty scrutiny, the person of Tamenund came under his
-glance, his eye became fixed, as though all other objects
-were already forgotten.  Then, advancing with a slow and
-noiseless step up the area, he placed himself immediately
-before the footstool of the sage.  Here he stood unnoted,
-though keenly observant himself, until one of the chiefs
-apprised the latter of his presence.
-
-"With what tongue does the prisoner speak to the Manitou?"
-demanded the patriarch, without unclosing his eyes.
-
-"Like his fathers," Uncas replied; "with the tongue of a
-Delaware."
-
-At this sudden and unexpected annunciation, a low, fierce
-yell ran through the multitude, that might not inaptly be
-compared to the growl of the lion, as his choler is first
-awakened -- a fearful omen of the weight of his future
-anger.  The effect was equally strong on the sage, though
-differently exhibited.  He passed a hand before his eyes, as
-if to exclude the least evidence of so shameful a spectacle,
-while he repeated, in his low, guttural tones, the words he
-had just heard.
-
-"A Delaware!  I have lived to see the tribes of the Lenape
-driven from their council-fires, and scattered, like broken
-herds of deer, among the hills of the Iroquois!  I have seen
-the hatchets of a strong people sweep woods from the
-valleys, that the winds of heaven have spared!  The beasts
-that run on the mountains, and the birds that fly above the
-trees, have I seen living in the wigwams of men; but never
-before have I found a Delaware so base as to creep, like a
-poisonous serpent, into the camps of his nation."
-
-"The singing-birds have opened their bills," returned Uncas,
-in the softest notes of his own musical voice; "and Tamenund
-has heard their song."
-
-The sage started, and bent his head aside, as if to catch
-the fleeting sounds of some passing melody.
-
-"Does Tamenund dream!" he exclaimed.  "What voice is at his
-ear!  Have the winters gone backward!  Will summer come
-again to the children of the Lenape!"
-
-A solemn and respectful silence succeeded this incoherent
-burst from the lips of the Delaware prophet.  His people
-readily constructed his unintelligible language into one of
-those mysterious conferences he was believed to hold so
-frequently with a superior intelligence and they awaited the
-issue of the revelation in awe.  After a patient pause,
-however, one of the aged men, perceiving that the sage had
-lost the recollection of the subject before them, ventured
-to remind him again of the presence of the prisoner.
-
-"The false Delaware trembles lest he should hear the words
-of Tamenund," he said.  "'Tis a hound that howls, when the
-Yengeese show him a trail."
-
-"And ye," returned Uncas, looking sternly around him, "are
-dogs that whine, when the Frenchman casts ye the offals of
-his deer!"
-
-Twenty knives gleamed in the air, and as many warriors
-sprang to their feet, at this biting, and perhaps merited
-retort; but a motion from one of the chiefs suppressed the
-outbreaking of their tempers, and restored the appearance of
-quiet.  The task might probably have been more difficult,
-had not a movement made by Tamenund indicated that he was
-again about to speak.
-
-"Delaware!" resumed the sage, "little art thou worthy of thy
-name.  My people have not seen a bright sun in many winters;
-and the warrior who deserts his tribe when hid in clouds is
-doubly a traitor.  The law of the Manitou is just.  It is
-so; while the rivers run and the mountains stand, while the
-blossoms come and go on the trees, it must be so.  He is
-thine, my children; deal justly by him."
-
-Not a limb was moved, nor was a breath drawn louder and
-longer than common, until the closing syllable of this final
-decree had passed the lips of Tamenund.  Then a cry of
-vengeance burst at once, as it might be, from the united
-lips of the nation; a frightful augury of their ruthless
-intentions.  In the midst of these prolonged and savage
-yells, a chief proclaimed, in a high voice, that the captive
-was condemned to endure the dreadful trial of torture by
-fire.  The circle broke its order, and screams of delight
-mingled with the bustle and tumult of preparation.  Heyward
-struggled madly with his captors; the anxious eye of Hawkeye
-began to look around him, with an expression of peculiar
-earnestness; and Cora again threw herself at the feet of the
-patriarch, once more a suppliant for mercy.
-
-Throughout the whole of these trying moments, Uncas had
-alone preserved his serenity.  He looked on the preparations
-with a steady eye, and when the tormentors came to seize
-him, he met them with a firm and upright attitude.  One
-among them, if possible more fierce and savage than his
-fellows, seized the hunting-shirt of the young warrior, and
-at a single effort tore it from his body.  Then, with a yell
-of frantic pleasure, he leaped toward his unresisting victim
-and prepared to lead him to the stake.  But, at that moment,
-when he appeared most a stranger to the feelings of
-humanity, the purpose of the savage was arrested as suddenly
-as if a supernatural agency had interposed in the behalf of
-Uncas.  The eyeballs of the Delaware seemed to start from
-their sockets; his mouth opened and his whole form became
-frozen in an attitude of amazement.  Raising his hand with a
-slow and regulated motion, he pointed with a finger to the
-bosom of the captive.  His companions crowded about him in
-wonder and every eye was like his own, fastened intently on
-the figure of a small tortoise, beautifully tattooed on the
-breast of the prisoner, in a bright blue tint.
-
-For a single instant Uncas enjoyed his triumph, smiling
-calmly on the scene.  Then motioning the crowd away with a
-high and haughty sweep of his arm, he advanced in front of
-the nation with the air of a king, and spoke in a voice
-louder than the murmur of admiration that ran through the
-multitude.
-
-"Men of the Lenni Lenape!" he said, "my race upholds the
-earth!  Your feeble tribe stands on my shell!  What fire
-that a Delaware can light would burn the child of my
-fathers," he added, pointing proudly to the simple blazonry
-on his skin; "the blood that came from such a stock would
-smother your flames!  My race is the grandfather of
-nations!"
-
-"Who art thou?" demanded Tamenund, rising at the startling
-tones he heard, more than at any meaning conveyed by the
-language of the prisoner.
-
-"Uncas, the son of Chingachgook," answered the captive
-modestly, turning from the nation, and bending his head in
-reverence to the other's character and years; "a son of the
-great Unamis."*
-
-* Turtle.
-
-"The hour of Tamenund is nigh!" exclaimed the sage; "the day
-is come, at last, to the night!  I thank the Manitou, that
-one is here to fill my place at the council-fire.  Uncas,
-the child of Uncas, is found!  Let the eyes of a dying eagle
-gaze on the rising sun."
-
-The youth stepped lightly, but proudly on the platform,
-where he became visible to the whole agitated and wondering
-multitude.  Tamenund held him long at the length of his arm
-and read every turn in the fine lineaments of his
-countenance, with the untiring gaze of one who recalled days
-of happiness.
-
-"Is Tamenund a boy?" at length the bewildered prophet
-exclaimed.  "Have I dreamed of so many snows -- that my
-people were scattered like floating sands -- of Yengeese,
-more plenty than the leaves on the trees!  The arrow of
-Tamenund would not frighten the fawn; his arm is withered
-like the branch of a dead oak; the snail would be swifter in
-the race; yet is Uncas before him as they went to battle
-against the pale faces!  Uncas, the panther of his tribe,
-the eldest son of the Lenape, the wisest Sagamore of the
-Mohicans!  Tell me, ye Delawares, has Tamenund been a sleeper
-for a hundred winters?"
-
-The calm and deep silence which succeeded these words
-sufficiently announced the awful reverence with which his
-people received the communication of the patriarch.  None
-dared to answer, though all listened in breathless
-expectation of what might follow.  Uncas, however, looking
-in his face with the fondness and veneration of a favored
-child, presumed on his own high and acknowledged rank, to
-reply.
-
-"Four warriors of his race have lived and died," he said,
-"since the friend of Tamenund led his people in battle.  The
-blood of the turtle has been in many chiefs, but all have
-gone back into the earth from whence they came, except
-Chingachgook and his son."
-
-"It is true -- it is true," returned the sage, a flash of
-recollection destroying all his pleasing fancies, and
-restoring him at once to a consciousness of the true history
-of his nation.  "Our wise men have often said that two
-warriors of the unchanged race were in the hills of the
-Yengeese; why have their seats at the council-fires of the
-Delawares been so long empty?"
-
-At these words the young man raised his head, which he had
-still kept bowed a little, in reverence; and lifting his
-voice so as to be heard by the multitude, as if to explain
-at once and forever the policy of his family, he said aloud:
-
-"Once we slept where we could hear the salt lake speak in
-its anger.  Then we were rulers and Sagamores over the land.
-But when a pale face was seen on every brook, we followed
-the deer back to the river of our nation.  The Delawares
-were gone.  Few warriors of them all stayed to drink of the
-stream they loved.  Then said my fathers, 'Here will we
-hunt.  The waters of the river go into the salt lake.  If we
-go toward the setting sun, we shall find streams that run
-into the great lakes of sweet water; there would a Mohican
-die, like fishes of the sea, in the clear springs.  When the
-Manitou is ready and shall say "Come," we will follow the
-river to the sea, and take our own again.'  Such, Delawares,
-is the belief of the children of the Turtle.  Our eyes are
-on the rising and not toward the setting sun.  We know
-whence he comes, but we know not whither he goes.  It is
-enough."
-
-The men of the Lenape listened to his words with all the
-respect that superstition could lend, finding a secret charm
-even in the figurative language with which the young
-Sagamore imparted his ideas.  Uncas himself watched the
-effect of his brief explanation with intelligent eyes, and
-gradually dropped the air of authority he had assumed, as he
-perceived that his auditors were content.  Then, permitting
-his looks to wander over the silent throng that crowded
-around the elevated seat of Tamenund, he first perceived
-Hawkeye in his bonds.  Stepping eagerly from his stand, he
-made way for himself to the side of his friend; and cutting
-his thongs with a quick and angry stroke of his own knife,
-he motioned to the crowd to divide.  The Indians silently
-obeyed, and once more they stood ranged in their circle, as
-before his appearance among them.  Uncas took the scout by
-the hand, and led him to the feet of the patriarch.
-
-"Father," he said, "look at this pale face; a just man, and
-the friend of the Delawares."
-
-"Is he a son of Minquon?"
-
-"Not so; a warrior known to the Yengeese, and feared by the
-Maquas."
-
-"What name has he gained by his deeds?"
-
-"We call him Hawkeye," Uncas replied, using the Delaware
-phrase; "for his sight never fails.  The Mingoes know him
-better by the death he gives their warriors; with them he is
-'The Long Rifle'."
-
-"La Longue Carabine!" exclaimed Tamenund, opening his eyes,
-and regarding the scout sternly.  "My son has not done well
-to call him friend."
-
-"I call him so who proves himself such," returned the young
-chief, with great calmness, but with a steady mien.  "If
-Uncas is welcome among the Delawares, then is Hawkeye with
-his friends."
-
-"The pale face has slain my young men; his name is great for
-the blows he has struck the Lenape."
-
-"If a Mingo has whispered that much in the ear of the
-Delaware, he has only shown that he is a singing-bird," said
-the scout, who now believed that it was time to vindicate
-himself from such offensive charges, and who spoke as the
-man he addressed, modifying his Indian figures, however,
-with his own peculiar notions.  "That I have slain the Maquas
-I am not the man to deny, even at their own council-fires;
-but that, knowingly, my hand has never harmed a Delaware, is
-opposed to the reason of my gifts, which is friendly to them,
-and all that belongs to their nation."
-
-A low exclamation of applause passed among the warriors who
-exchanged looks with each other like men that first began to
-perceive their error.
-
-"Where is the Huron?" demanded Tamenund.  "Has he stopped my
-ears?"
-
-Magua, whose feelings during that scene in which Uncas had
-triumphed may be much better imagined than described,
-answered to the call by stepping boldly in front of the
-patriarch.
-
-"The just Tamenund," he said, "will not keep what a Huron
-has lent."
-
-"Tell me, son of my brother," returned the sage, avoiding
-the dark countenance of Le Subtil, and turning gladly to the
-more ingenuous features of Uncas, "has the stranger a
-conqueror's right over you?"
-
-"He has none.  The panther may get into snares set by the
-women; but he is strong, and knows how to leap through
-them."
-
-"La Longue Carabine?"
-
-"Laughs at the Mingoes.  Go, Huron, ask your squaws the
-color of a bear."
-
-"The stranger and white maiden that come into my camp
-together?"
-
-"Should journey on an open path."
-
-"And the woman that Huron left with my warriors?"
-
-Uncas made no reply.
-
-"And the woman that the Mingo has brought into my camp?"
-repeated Tamenund, gravely.
-
-"She is mine," cried Magua, shaking his hand in triumph at
-Uncas.  "Mohican, you know that she is mine."
-
-"My son is silent," said Tamenund, endeavoring to read the
-expression of the face that the youth turned from him in
-sorrow.
-
-"It is so," was the low answer.
-
-A short and impressive pause succeeded, during which it was
-very apparent with what reluctance the multitude admitted
-the justice of the Mingo's claim.  At length the sage, on
-whom alone the decision depended, said, in a firm voice:
-
-"Huron, depart."
-
-"As he came, just Tamenund," demanded the wily Magua, "or
-with hands filled with the faith of the Delawares?  The
-wigwam of Le Renard Subtil is empty.  Make him strong with
-his own."
-
-The aged man mused with himself for a time; and then,
-bending his head toward one of his venerable companions, he
-asked:
-
-"Are my ears open?"
-
-"It is true."
-
-"Is this Mingo a chief?"
-
-"The first in his nation."
-
-"Girl, what wouldst thou?  A great warrior takes thee to
-wife.  Go! thy race will not end."
-
-"Better, a thousand times, it should," exclaimed the
-horror-struck Cora, "than meet with such a degradation!"
-
-"Huron, her mind is in the tents of her fathers.  An
-unwilling maiden makes an unhappy wigwam."
-
-"She speaks with the tongue of her people," returned Magua,
-regarding his victim with a look of bitter irony.
-
-"She is of a race of traders, and will bargain for a bright
-look.  Let Tamenund speak the words."
-
-"Take you the wampum, and our love."
-
-"Nothing hence but what Magua brought hither."
-
-"Then depart with thine own.  The Great Manitou forbids that
-a Delaware should be unjust."
-
-Magua advanced, and seized his captive strongly by the arm;
-the Delawares fell back, in silence; and Cora, as if
-conscious that remonstrance would be useless, prepared to
-submit to her fate without resistance.
-
-"Hold, hold!" cried Duncan, springing forward; "Huron, have
-mercy! her ransom shall make thee richer than any of thy
-people were ever yet known to be."
-
-"Magua is a red-skin; he wants not the beads of the pale
-faces."
-
-"Gold, silver, powder, lead -- all that a warrior needs
-shall be in thy wigwam; all that becomes the greatest
-chief."
-
-"Le Subtil is very strong," cried Magua, violently shaking
-the hand which grasped the unresisting arm of Cora; "he has
-his revenge!"
-
-"Mighty ruler of Providence!" exclaimed Heyward, clasping
-his hands together in agony, "can this be suffered!  To you,
-just Tamenund, I appeal for mercy."
-
-"The words of the Delaware are said," returned the sage,
-closing his eyes, and dropping back into his seat, alike
-wearied with his mental and his bodily exertion.  "Men speak
-not twice."
-
-"That a chief should not misspend his time in unsaying what
-has once been spoken is wise and reasonable," said Hawkeye,
-motioning to Duncan to be silent; "but it is also prudent in
-every warrior to consider well before he strikes his
-tomahawk into the head of his prisoner.  Huron, I love you
-not; nor can I say that any Mingo has ever received much
-favor at my hands.  It is fair to conclude that, if this war
-does not soon end, many more of your warriors will meet me
-in the woods.  Put it to your judgment, then, whether you
-would prefer taking such a prisoner as that into your
-encampment, or one like myself, who am a man that it would
-greatly rejoice your nation to see with naked hands."
-
-"Will 'The Long Rifle' give his life for the woman?"
-demanded Magua, hesitatingly; for he had already made a
-motion toward quitting the place with his victim.
-
-"No, no; I have not said so much as that," returned Hawkeye,
-drawing back with suitable discretion, when he noted the
-eagerness with which Magua listened to his proposal.  "It
-would be an unequal exchange, to give a warrior, in the
-prime of his age and usefulness, for the best woman on the
-frontiers.  I might consent to go into winter quarters, now
--- at least six weeks afore the leaves will turn -- on
-condition you will release the maiden."
-
-Magua shook his head, and made an impatient sign for the
-crowd to open.
-
-"Well, then," added the scout, with the musing air of a man
-who had not half made up his mind; "I will throw 'killdeer'
-into the bargain.  Take the word of an experienced hunter,
-the piece has not its equal atween the provinces."
-
-Magua still disdained to reply, continuing his efforts to
-disperse the crowd.
-
-"Perhaps," added the scout, losing his dissembled coolness
-exactly in proportion as the other manifested an
-indifference to the exchange, "if I should condition to
-teach your young men the real virtue of the we'pon, it would
-smoothe the little differences in our judgments."
-
-Le Renard fiercely ordered the Delawares, who still lingered
-in an impenetrable belt around him, in hopes he would listen
-to the amicable proposal, to open his path, threatening, by
-the glance of his eye, another appeal to the infallible
-justice of their "prophet."
-
-"What is ordered must sooner or later arrive," continued
-Hawkeye, turning with a sad and humbled look to Uncas.  "The
-varlet knows his advantage and will keep it!  God bless you,
-boy; you have found friends among your natural kin, and I
-hope they will prove as true as some you have met who had no
-Indian cross.  As for me, sooner or later, I must die; it
-is, therefore, fortunate there are but few to make my death-howl.
-After all, it is likely the imps would have managed to master my
-scalp, so a day or two will make no great difference in the
-everlasting reckoning of time.  God bless you," added the rugged
-woodsman, bending his head aside, and then instantly changing its
-direction again, with a wistful look toward the youth; "I loved
-both you and your father, Uncas, though our skins are not
-altogether of a color, and our gifts are somewhat different.
-Tell the Sagamore I never lost sight of him in my greatest
-trouble; and, as for you, think of me sometimes when on a lucky
-trail, and depend on it, boy, whether there be one heaven or two,
-there is a path in the other world by which honest men may come
-together again.  You'll find the rifle in the place we hid it;
-take it, and keep it for my sake; and, harkee, lad, as your
-natural gifts don't deny you the use of vengeance, use it a
-little freely on the Mingoes; it may unburden griefs at my
-loss, and ease your mind.  Huron, I accept your offer;
-release the woman.  I am your prisoner!"
-
-A suppressed, but still distinct murmur of approbation ran
-through the crowd at this generous proposition; even the
-fiercest among the Delaware warriors manifesting pleasure at
-the manliness of the intended sacrifice.  Magua paused, and
-for an anxious moment, it might be said, he doubted; then,
-casting his eyes on Cora, with an expression in which
-ferocity and admiration were strangely mingled, his purpose
-became fixed forever.
-
-He intimated his contempt of the offer with a backward
-motion of his head, and said, in a steady and settled voice:
-
-"Le Renard Subtil is a great chief; he has but one mind.
-Come," he added, laying his hand too familiarly on the
-shoulder of his captive to urge her onward; "a Huron is no
-tattler; we will go."
-
-The maiden drew back in lofty womanly reserve, and her dark
-eye kindled, while the rich blood shot, like the passing
-brightness of the sun, into her very temples, at the
-indignity.
-
-"I am your prisoner, and, at a fitting time shall be ready
-to follow, even to my death.  But violence is unnecessary,"
-she coldly said; and immediately turning to Hawkeye, added:
-"Generous hunter! from my soul I thank you.  Your offer is
-vain, neither could it be accepted; but still you may serve
-me, even more than in your own noble intention.  Look at
-that drooping humbled child!  Abandon her not until you
-leave her in the habitations of civilized men.  I will not
-say," wringing the hard hand of the scout, "that her father
-will reward you -- for such as you are above the rewards of
-men -- but he will thank you and bless you.  And, believe
-me, the blessing of a just and aged man has virtue in the
-sight of Heaven.  Would to God I could hear one word from
-his lips at this awful moment!"  Her voice became choked,
-and, for an instant, she was silent; then, advancing a step
-nigher to Duncan, who was supporting her unconscious sister,
-she continued, in more subdued tones, but in which feeling
-and the habits of her sex maintained a fearful struggle: "I
-need not tell you to cherish the treasure you will possess.
-You love her, Heyward; that would conceal a thousand faults,
-though she had them.  She is kind, gentle, sweet, good, as
-mortal may be.  There is not a blemish in mind or person at
-which the proudest of you all would sicken.  She is fair --
-oh! how surpassingly fair!" laying her own beautiful, but
-less brilliant, hand in melancholy affection on the
-alabaster forehead of Alice, and parting the golden hair
-which clustered about her brows; "and yet her soul is pure
-and spotless as her skin!  I could say much -- more,
-perhaps, than cooler reason would approve; but I will spare
-you and myself --" Her voice became inaudible, and her face
-was bent over the form of her sister.  After a long and
-burning kiss, she arose, and with features of the hue of
-death, but without even a tear in her feverish eye, she
-turned away, and added, to the savage, with all her former
-elevation of manner: "Now, sir, if it be your pleasure, I
-will follow."
-
-"Ay, go," cried Duncan, placing Alice in the arms of an
-Indian girl; "go, Magua, go.  These Delawares have their
-laws, which forbid them to detain you; but I -- I have no
-such obligation.  Go, malignant monster -- why do you
-delay?"
-
-It would be difficult to describe the expression with which
-Magua listened to this threat to follow.  There was at first
-a fierce and manifest display of joy, and then it was
-instantly subdued in a look of cunning coldness.
-
-"The words are open," he was content with answering, "'The
-Open Hand' can come."
-
-"Hold," cried Hawkeye, seizing Duncan by the arm, and
-detaining him by violence; "you know not the craft of the
-imp.  He would lead you to an ambushment, and your death --"
-
-"Huron," interrupted Uncas, who submissive to the stern
-customs of his people, had been an attentive and grave
-listener to all that passed; "Huron, the justice of the
-Delawares comes from the Manitou.  Look at the sun.  He is
-now in the upper branches of the hemlock.  Your path is
-short and open.  When he is seen above the trees, there will
-be men on your trail."
-
-"I hear a crow!" exclaimed Magua, with a taunting laugh.
-"Go!" he added, shaking his hand at the crowd, which had
-slowly opened to admit his passage.  "Where are the
-petticoats of the Delawares!  Let them send their arrows and
-their guns to the Wyandots; they shall have venison to eat,
-and corn to hoe.  Dogs, rabbits, thieves -- I spit on you!"
-
-His parting gibes were listened to in a dead, boding
-silence, and, with these biting words in his mouth, the
-triumphant Magua passed unmolested into the forest, followed
-by his passive captive, and protected by the inviolable laws
-of Indian hospitality.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 31
-
-"Flue.--Kill the poys and the luggage!  'Tis expressly
-against the law of arms; 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery,
-mark you now, as can be offered in the 'orld."--King
-Henry V
-
-So long as their enemy and his victim continued in sight,
-the multitude remained motionless as beings charmed to the
-place by some power that was friendly to the Huron; but, the
-instant he disappeared, it became tossed and agitated by
-fierce and powerful passion.  Uncas maintained his elevated
-stand, keeping his eyes on the form of Cora, until the
-colors of her dress were blended with the foliage of the
-forest; when he descended, and, moving silently through the
-throng, he disappeared in that lodge from which he had so
-recently issued.  A few of the graver and more attentive
-warriors, who caught the gleams of anger that shot from the
-eyes of the young chief in passing, followed him to the
-place he had selected for his meditations.  After which,
-Tamenund and Alice were removed, and the women and children
-were ordered to disperse.  During the momentous hour that
-succeeded, the encampment resembled a hive of troubled bees,
-who only awaited the appearance and example of their leader
-to take some distant and momentous flight.
-
-A young warrior at length issued from the lodge of Uncas;
-and, moving deliberately, with a sort of grave march, toward
-a dwarf pine that grew in the crevices of the rocky terrace,
-he tore the bark from its body, and then turned whence he
-came without speaking.  He was soon followed by another, who
-stripped the sapling of its branches, leaving it a naked and
-blazed* trunk.  A third colored the post with stripes of a
-dark red paint; all which indications of a hostile design in
-the leaders of the nation were received by the men without
-in a gloomy and ominous silence.  Finally, the Mohican
-himself reappeared, divested of all his attire, except his
-girdle and leggings, and with one-half of his fine features
-hid under a cloud of threatening black.
-
-* A tree which has been partially or entirely stripped
-of its bark is said, in the language of the country, to be
-"blazed."  The term is strictly English, for a horse is said
-to be blazed when it has a white mark.
-
-Uncas moved with a slow and dignified tread toward the post,
-which he immediately commenced encircling with a measured
-step, not unlike an ancient dance, raising his voice, at the
-same time, in the wild and irregular chant of his war song.
-The notes were in the extremes of human sounds; being
-sometimes melancholy and exquisitely plaintive, even
-rivaling the melody of birds -- and then, by sudden and
-startling transitions, causing the auditors to tremble by
-their depth and energy.  The words were few and often
-repeated, proceeding gradually from a sort of invocation, or
-hymn, to the Deity, to an intimation of the warrior's
-object, and terminating as they commenced with an
-acknowledgment of his own dependence on the Great Spirit.
-If it were possible to translate the comprehensive and
-melodious language in which he spoke, the ode might read
-something like the following: "Manitou!  Manitou!  Manitou!
-Thou art great, thou art good, thou art wise: Manitou!
-Manitou!  Thou art just.  In the heavens, in the clouds,
-oh, I see many spots -- many dark, many red: In the heavens,
-oh, I see many clouds."
-
-"In the woods, in the air, oh, I
-hear the whoop, the long yell, and the cry:  In the woods,
-oh, I hear the loud whoop!"
-
-"Manitou!  Manitou!  Manitou!  I am weak -- thou art strong;
-I am slow; Manitou!  Manitou!  Give me aid."
-
-At the end of what might be called each verse he made a
-pause, by raising a note louder and longer than common, that
-was peculiarly suited to the sentiment just expressed.  The
-first close was solemn, and intended to convey the idea of
-veneration; the second descriptive, bordering on the alarming;
-and the third was the well-known and terrific war-whoop, which
-burst from the lips of the young warrior, like a combination
-of all the frightful sounds of battle.  The last was like the
-first, humble and imploring.  Three times did he repeat this
-song, and as often did he encircle the post in his dance.
-
-At the close of the first turn, a grave and highly esteemed
-chief of the Lenape followed his example, singing words of
-his own, however, to music of a similar character.  Warrior
-after warrior enlisted in the dance, until all of any renown
-and authority were numbered in its mazes.  The spectacle now
-became wildly terrific; the fierce-looking and menacing
-visages of the chiefs receiving additional power from the
-appalling strains in which they mingled their guttural
-tones.  Just then Uncas struck his tomahawk deep into the
-post, and raised his voice in a shout, which might be termed
-his own battle cry.  The act announced that he had assumed
-the chief authority in the intended expedition.
-
-It was a signal that awakened all the slumbering passions of
-the nation.  A hundred youths, who had hitherto been
-restrained by the diffidence of their years, rushed in a
-frantic body on the fancied emblem of their enemy, and
-severed it asunder, splinter by splinter, until nothing
-remained of the trunk but its roots in the earth.  During
-this moment of tumult, the most ruthless deeds of war were
-performed on the fragments of the tree, with as much
-apparent ferocity as if they were the living victims of
-their cruelty.  Some were scalped; some received the keen
-and trembling axe; and others suffered by thrusts from the
-fatal knife.  In short, the manifestations of zeal and
-fierce delight were so great and unequivocal, that the
-expedition was declared to be a war of the nation.
-
-The instant Uncas had struck the blow, he moved out of the
-circle, and cast his eyes up to the sun, which was just
-gaining the point, when the truce with Magua was to end.
-The fact was soon announced by a significant gesture,
-accompanied by a corresponding cry; and the whole of the
-excited multitude abandoned their mimic warfare, with shrill
-yells of pleasure, to prepare for the more hazardous
-experiment of the reality.
-
-The whole face of the encampment was instantly changed.  The
-warriors, who were already armed and painted, became as
-still as if they were incapable of any uncommon burst of
-emotion.  On the other hand, the women broke out of the
-lodges, with the songs of joy and those of lamentation so
-strangely mixed that it might have been difficult to have
-said which passion preponderated.  None, however, was idle.
-Some bore their choicest articles, others their young, and
-some their aged and infirm, into the forest, which spread
-itself like a verdant carpet of bright green against the
-side of the mountain.  Thither Tamenund also retired, with
-calm composure, after a short and touching interview with
-Uncas; from whom the sage separated with the reluctance that
-a parent would quit a long lost and just recovered child.
-In the meantime, Duncan saw Alice to a place of safety, and
-then sought the scout, with a countenance that denoted how
-eagerly he also panted for the approaching contest.
-
-But Hawkeye was too much accustomed to the war song and the
-enlistments of the natives, to betray any interest in the
-passing scene.  He merely cast an occasional look at the
-number and quality of the warriors, who, from time to time,
-signified their readiness to accompany Uncas to the field.
-In this particular he was soon satisfied; for, as has been
-already seen, the power of the young chief quickly embraced
-every fighting man in the nation.  After this material point
-was so satisfactorily decided, he despatched an Indian boy
-in quest of "killdeer" and the rifle of Uncas, to the place
-where they had deposited their weapons on approaching the
-camp of the Delawares; a measure of double policy, inasmuch
-as it protected the arms from their own fate, if detained as
-prisoners, and gave them the advantage of appearing among
-the strangers rather as sufferers than as men provided with
-means of defense and subsistence.  In selecting another to
-perform the office of reclaiming his highly prized rifle,
-the scout had lost sight of none of his habitual caution.
-He knew that Magua had not come unattended, and he also knew
-that Huron spies watched the movements of their new enemies,
-along the whole boundary of the woods.  It would, therefore,
-have been fatal to himself to have attempted the experiment;
-a warrior would have fared no better; but the danger of a
-boy would not be likely to commence until after his object
-was discovered.  When Heyward joined him, the scout was
-coolly awaiting the result of this experiment.
-
-The boy, who had been well instructed, and was sufficiently
-crafty, proceeded, with a bosom that was swelling with the
-pride of such a confidence, and all the hopes of young
-ambition, carelessly across the clearing to the wood, which
-he entered at a point at some little distance from the place
-where the guns were secreted.  The instant, however, he was
-concealed by the foliage of the bushes, his dusky form was
-to be seen gliding, like that of a serpent, toward the
-desired treasure.  He was successful; and in another moment
-he appeared flying across the narrow opening that skirted
-the base of the terrace on which the village stood, with the
-velocity of an arrow, and bearing a prize in each hand.  He
-had actually gained the crags, and was leaping up their
-sides with incredible activity, when a shot from the woods
-showed how accurate had been the judgment of the scout.  The
-boy answered it with a feeble but contemptuous shout; and
-immediately a second bullet was sent after him from another
-part of the cover.  At the next instant he appeared on the
-level above, elevating his guns in triumph, while he moved
-with the air of a conqueror toward the renowned hunter who
-had honored him by so glorious a commission.
-
-Notwithstanding the lively interest Hawkeye had taken in the
-fate of his messenger, he received "killdeer" with a
-satisfaction that, momentarily, drove all other
-recollections from his mind.  After examining the piece with
-an intelligent eye, and opening and shutting the pan some
-ten or fifteen times, and trying sundry other equally
-important experiments on the lock, he turned to the boy and
-demanded with great manifestations of kindness, if he was
-hurt.  The urchin looked proudly up in his face, but made no
-reply.
-
-"Ah! I see, lad, the knaves have barked your arm!" added the
-scout, taking up the limb of the patient sufferer, across
-which a deep flesh wound had been made by one of the
-bullets; "but a little bruised alder will act like a charm.
-In the meantime I will wrap it in a badge of wampum!  You
-have commenced the business of a warrior early, my brave
-boy, and are likely to bear a plenty of honorable scars to
-your grave.  I know many young men that have taken scalps
-who cannot show such a mark as this.  Go! " having bound up
-the arm; "you will be a chief!"
-
-The lad departed, prouder of his flowing blood than the
-vainest courtier could be of his blushing ribbon; and
-stalked among the fellows of his age, an object of general
-admiration and envy.
-
-But, in a moment of so many serious and important duties,
-this single act of juvenile fortitude did not attract the
-general notice and commendation it would have received under
-milder auspices.  It had, however, served to apprise the
-Delawares of the position and the intentions of their
-enemies.  Accordingly a party of adventurers, better suited
-to the task than the weak though spirited boy, was ordered
-to dislodge the skulkers.  The duty was soon performed; for
-most of the Hurons retired of themselves when they found
-they had been discovered.  The Delawares followed to a
-sufficient distance from their own encampment, and then
-halted for orders, apprehensive of being led into an ambush.
-As both parties secreted themselves, the woods were again as
-still and quiet as a mild summer morning and deep solitude
-could render them.
-
-The calm but still impatient Uncas now collected his chiefs,
-and divided his power.  He presented Hawkeye as a warrior,
-often tried, and always found deserving of confidence.  When
-he found his friend met with a favorable reception, he
-bestowed on him the command of twenty men, like himself,
-active, skillful and resolute.  He gave the Delawares to
-understand the rank of Heyward among the troops of the
-Yengeese, and then tendered to him a trust of equal
-authority.  But Duncan declined the charge, professing his
-readiness to serve as a volunteer by the side of the scout.
-After this disposition, the young Mohican appointed various
-native chiefs to fill the different situations of
-responsibility, and, the time pressing, he gave forth the
-word to march.  He was cheerfully, but silently obeyed by
-more than two hundred men.
-
-Their entrance into the forest was perfectly unmolested; nor
-did they encounter any living objects that could either give
-the alarm, or furnish the intelligence they needed, until
-they came upon the lairs of their own scouts.  Here a halt
-was ordered, and the chiefs were assembled to hold a
-"whispering council."
-
-At this meeting divers plans of operation were suggested,
-though none of a character to meet the wishes of their
-ardent leader.  Had Uncas followed the promptings of his own
-inclinations, he would have led his followers to the charge
-without a moment's delay, and put the conflict to the hazard
-of an instant issue; but such a course would have been in
-opposition to all the received practises and opinions of his
-countrymen.  He was, therefore, fain to adopt a caution that
-in the present temper of his mind he execrated, and to
-listen to advice at which his fiery spirit chafed, under the
-vivid recollection of Cora's danger and Magua's insolence.
-
-After an unsatisfactory conference of many minutes, a
-solitary individual was seen advancing from the side of the
-enemy, with such apparent haste, as to induce the belief he
-might be a messenger charged with pacific overtures.  When
-within a hundred yards, however, of the cover behind which
-the Delaware council had assembled, the stranger hesitated,
-appeared uncertain what course to take, and finally halted.
-All eyes were turned now on Uncas, as if seeking directions
-how to proceed.
-
-"Hawkeye," said the young chief, in a low voice, "he must
-never speak to the Hurons again."
-
-"His time has come," said the laconic scout, thrusting the
-long barrel of his rifle through the leaves, and taking his
-deliberate and fatal aim.  But, instead of pulling the
-trigger, he lowered the muzzle again, and indulged himself
-in a fit of his peculiar mirth.  "I took the imp for a
-Mingo, as I'm a miserable sinner!" he said; "but when my eye
-ranged along his ribs for a place to get the bullet in --
-would you think it, Uncas -- I saw the musicianer's blower;
-and so, after all, it is the man they call Gamut, whose
-death can profit no one, and whose life, if this tongue can
-do anything but sing, may be made serviceable to our own
-ends.  If sounds have not lost their virtue, I'll soon have
-a discourse with the honest fellow, and that in a voice
-he'll find more agreeable than the speech of 'killdeer'."
-
-So saying, Hawkeye laid aside his rifle; and, crawling
-through the bushes until within hearing of David, he
-attempted to repeat the musical effort, which had conducted
-himself, with so much safety and eclat, through the Huron
-encampment.  The exquisite organs of Gamut could not readily
-be deceived (and, to say the truth, it would have been
-difficult for any other than Hawkeye to produce a similar
-noise), and, consequently, having once before heard the
-sounds, he now knew whence they proceeded.  The poor fellow
-appeared relieved from a state of great embarrassment; for,
-pursuing the direction of the voice -- a task that to him
-was not much less arduous that it would have been to have
-gone up in the face of a battery -- he soon discovered the
-hidden songster.
-
-"I wonder what the Hurons will think of that!" said the
-scout, laughing, as he took his companion by the arm, and
-urged him toward the rear.  "If the knaves lie within
-earshot, they will say there are two non-compossers instead
-of one!  But here we are safe," he added, pointing to Uncas
-and his associates.  "Now give us the history of the Mingo
-inventions in natural English, and without any ups and downs
-of voice."
-
-David gazed about him, at the fierce and wild-looking
-chiefs, in mute wonder; but assured by the presence of faces
-that he knew, he soon rallied his faculties so far as to
-make an intelligent reply.
-
-"The heathen are abroad in goodly numbers," said David;
-"and, I fear, with evil intent.  There has been much howling
-and ungodly revelry, together with such sounds as it is
-profanity to utter, in their habitations within the past
-hour, so much so, in truth, that I have fled to the
-Delawares in search of peace."
-
-"Your ears might not have profited much by the exchange, had
-you been quicker of foot," returned the scout a little
-dryly.  "But let that be as it may; where are the Hurons?"
-
-"They lie hid in the forest, between this spot and their
-village in such force, that prudence would teach you
-instantly to return."
-
-Uncas cast a glance along the range of trees which concealed
-his own band and mentioned the name of:
-
-"Magua?"
-
-"Is among them.  He brought in the maiden that had sojourned
-with the Delawares; and, leaving her in the cave, has put
-himself, like a raging wolf, at the head of his savages.  I
-know not what has troubled his spirit so greatly!"
-
-"He has left her, you say, in the cave!" interrupted
-Heyward; "'tis well that we know its situation!  May not
-something be done for her instant relief?"
-
-Uncas looked earnestly at the scout, before he asked:
-
-"What says Hawkeye?"
-
-"Give me twenty rifles, and I will turn to the right, along
-the stream; and, passing by the huts of the beaver, will
-join the Sagamore and the colonel.  You shall then hear the
-whoop from that quarter; with this wind one may easily send
-it a mile.  Then, Uncas, do you drive in the front; when
-they come within range of our pieces, we will give them a
-blow that, I pledge the good name of an old frontiersman,
-shall make their line bend like an ashen bow.  After which,
-we will carry the village, and take the woman from the cave;
-when the affair may be finished with the tribe, according to
-a white man's battle, by a blow and a victory; or, in the
-Indian fashion, with dodge and cover.  There may be no great
-learning, major, in this plan, but with courage and patience
-it can all be done."
-
-"I like it very much," cried Duncan, who saw that the
-release of Cora was the primary object in the mind of the
-scout; "I like it much.  Let it be instantly attempted."
-
-After a short conference, the plan was matured, and rendered
-more intelligible to the several parties; the different
-signals were appointed, and the chiefs separated, each to
-his allotted station.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 32
-
-"But plagues shall spread, and funeral fires increase, Till
-the great king, without a ransom paid, To her own Chrysa
-send the black-eyed maid."--Pope
-
-During the time Uncas was making this disposition of his
-forces, the woods were as still, and, with the exception of
-those who had met in council, apparently as much untenanted
-as when they came fresh from the hands of their Almighty
-Creator.  The eye could range, in every direction, through
-the long and shadowed vistas of the trees; but nowhere was
-any object to be seen that did not properly belong to the
-peaceful and slumbering scenery.
-
-Here and there a bird was heard fluttering among the
-branches of the beeches, and occasionally a squirrel dropped
-a nut, drawing the startled looks of the party for a moment
-to the place; but the instant the casual interruption
-ceased, the passing air was heard murmuring above their
-heads, along that verdant and undulating surface of forest,
-which spread itself unbroken, unless by stream or lake, over
-such a vast region of country.  Across the tract of
-wilderness which lay between the Delawares and the village
-of their enemies, it seemed as if the foot of man had never
-trodden, so breathing and deep was the silence in which it
-lay.  But Hawkeye, whose duty led him foremost in the
-adventure, knew the character of those with whom he was
-about to contend too well to trust the treacherous quiet.
-
-When he saw his little band collected, the scout threw
-"killdeer" into the hollow of his arm, and making a silent
-signal that he would be followed, he led them many rods
-toward the rear, into the bed of a little brook which they
-had crossed in advancing.  Here he halted, and after waiting
-for the whole of his grave and attentive warriors to close
-about him, he spoke in Delaware, demanding:
-
-"Do any of my young men know whither this run will lead us?"
-
-A Delaware stretched forth a hand, with the two fingers
-separated, and indicating the manner in which they were
-joined at the root, he answered:
-
-"Before the sun could go his own length, the little water
-will be in the big."  Then he added, pointing in the
-direction of the place he mentioned, "the two make enough
-for the beavers."
-
-"I thought as much," returned the scout, glancing his eye
-upward at the opening in the tree-tops, "from the course it
-takes, and the bearings of the mountains.  Men, we will keep
-within the cover of its banks till we scent the Hurons."
-
-His companions gave the usual brief exclamation of assent,
-but, perceiving that their leader was about to lead the way
-in person, one or two made signs that all was not as it
-should be.  Hawkeye, who comprehended their meaning glances,
-turned and perceived that his party had been followed thus
-far by the singing-master.
-
-"Do you know, friend," asked the scout, gravely, and perhaps
-with a little of the pride of conscious deserving in his
-manner, "that this is a band of rangers chosen for the most
-desperate service, and put under the command of one who,
-though another might say it with a better face, will not be
-apt to leave them idle.  It may not be five, it cannot be
-thirty minutes, before we tread on the body of a Huron,
-living or dead."
-
-"Though not admonished of your intentions in words,"
-returned David, whose face was a little flushed, and whose
-ordinarily quiet and unmeaning eyes glimmered with an
-expression of unusual fire, "your men have reminded me of
-the children of Jacob going out to battle against the
-Shechemites, for wickedly aspiring to wedlock with a woman
-of a race that was favored of the Lord.  Now, I have
-journeyed far, and sojourned much in good and evil with the
-maiden ye seek; and, though not a man of war, with my loins
-girded and my sword sharpened, yet would I gladly strike a
-blow in her behalf."
-
-The scout hesitated, as if weighing the chances of such a
-strange enlistment in his mind before he answered:
-
-"You know not the use of any we'pon.  You carry no rifle;
-and believe me, what the Mingoes take they will freely give
-again."
-
-"Though not a vaunting and bloodily disposed Goliath,"
-returned David, drawing a sling from beneath his parti-
-colored and uncouth attire, "I have not forgotten the
-example of the Jewish boy.  With this ancient instrument of
-war have I practised much in my youth, and peradventure the
-skill has not entirely departed from me."
-
-"Ay!" said Hawkeye, considering the deer-skin thong and
-apron, with a cold and discouraging eye; "the thing might do
-its work among arrows, or even knives; but these Mengwe have
-been furnished by the Frenchers with a good grooved barrel a
-man.  However, it seems to be your gift to go unharmed amid
-fire; and as you have hitherto been favored -- major, you
-have left your rifle at a cock; a single shot before the
-time would be just twenty scalps lost to no purpose --
-singer, you can follow; we may find use for you in the
-shoutings."
-
-"I thank you, friend," returned David, supplying himself,
-like his royal namesake, from among the pebbles of the
-brook; "though not given to the desire to kill, had you sent
-me away my spirit would have been troubled."
-
-"Remember," added the scout, tapping his own head
-significantly on that spot where Gamut was yet sore, "we
-come to fight, and not to musickate.  Until the general
-whoop is given, nothing speaks but the rifle."
-
-David nodded, as much to signify his acquiescence with the
-terms; and then Hawkeye, casting another observant glance
-over his followers made the signal to proceed.
-
-Their route lay, for the distance of a mile, along the bed
-of the water-course.  Though protected from any great danger
-of observation by the precipitous banks, and the thick
-shrubbery which skirted the stream, no precaution known to
-an Indian attack was neglected.  A warrior rather crawled
-than walked on each flank so as to catch occasional glimpses
-into the forest; and every few minutes the band came to a
-halt, and listened for hostile sounds, with an acuteness of
-organs that would be scarcely conceivable to a man in a less
-natural state.  Their march was, however, unmolested, and
-they reached the point where the lesser stream was lost in
-the greater, without the smallest evidence that their
-progress had been noted.  Here the scout again halted, to
-consult the signs of the forest.
-
-"We are likely to have a good day for a fight," he said, in
-English, addressing Heyward, and glancing his eyes upward at
-the clouds, which began to move in broad sheets across the
-firmament; "a bright sun and a glittering barrel are no
-friends to true sight.  Everything is favorable; they have
-the wind, which will bring down their noises and their
-smoke, too, no little matter in itself; whereas, with us it
-will be first a shot, and then a clear view.  But here is an
-end to our cover; the beavers have had the range of this
-stream for hundreds of years, and what atween their food and
-their dams, there is, as you see, many a girdled stub, but
-few living trees."
-
-Hawkeye had, in truth, in these few words, given no bad
-description of the prospect that now lay in their front.
-The brook was irregular in its width, sometimes shooting
-through narrow fissures in the rocks, and at others
-spreading over acres of bottom land, forming little areas
-that might be termed ponds.  Everywhere along its bands were
-the moldering relics of dead trees, in all the stages of
-decay, from those that groaned on their tottering trunks to
-such as had recently been robbed of those rugged coats that
-so mysteriously contain their principle of life.  A few
-long, low, and moss-covered piles were scattered among them,
-like the memorials of a former and long-departed generation.
-
-All these minute particulars were noted by the scout, with a
-gravity and interest that they probably had never before
-attracted.  He knew that the Huron encampment lay a short
-half mile up the brook; and, with the characteristic anxiety
-of one who dreaded a hidden danger, he was greatly troubled
-at not finding the smallest trace of the presence of his
-enemy.  Once or twice he felt induced to give the order for
-a rush, and to attempt the village by surprise; but his
-experience quickly admonished him of the danger of so
-useless an experiment.  Then he listened intently, and with
-painful uncertainty, for the sounds of hostility in the
-quarter where Uncas was left; but nothing was audible except
-the sighing of the wind, that began to sweep over the bosom
-of the forest in gusts which threatened a tempest.  At
-length, yielding rather to his unusual impatience than
-taking counsel from his knowledge, he determined to bring
-matters to an issue, by unmasking his force, and proceeding
-cautiously, but steadily, up the stream.
-
-The scout had stood, while making his observations,
-sheltered by a brake, and his companions still lay in the
-bed of the ravine, through which the smaller stream
-debouched; but on hearing his low, though intelligible,
-signal the whole party stole up the bank, like so many dark
-specters, and silently arranged themselves around him.
-Pointing in the direction he wished to proceed, Hawkeye
-advanced, the band breaking off in single files, and
-following so accurately in his footsteps, as to leave it, if
-we except Heyward and David, the trail of but a single man.
-
-The party was, however, scarcely uncovered before a volley
-from a dozen rifles was heard in their rear; and a Delaware
-leaping high in to the air, like a wounded deer, fell at his
-whole length, dead.
-
-"Ah, I feared some deviltry like this!" exclaimed the scout,
-in English, adding, with the quickness of thought, in his
-adopted tongue: "To cover, men, and charge!"
-
-The band dispersed at the word, and before Heyward had well
-recovered from his surprise, he found himself standing alone
-with David.  Luckily the Hurons had already fallen back, and
-he was safe from their fire.  But this state of things was
-evidently to be of short continuance; for the scout set the
-example of pressing on their retreat, by discharging his
-rifle, and darting from tree to tree as his enemy slowly
-yielded ground.
-
-It would seem that the assault had been made by a very small
-party of the Hurons, which, however, continued to increase
-in numbers, as it retired on its friends, until the return
-fire was very nearly, if not quite, equal to that maintained
-by the advancing Delawares.  Heyward threw himself among the
-combatants, and imitating the necessary caution of his
-companions, he made quick discharges with his own rifle.
-The contest now grew warm and stationary.  Few were injured,
-as both parties kept their bodies as much protected as
-possible by the trees; never, indeed, exposing any part of
-their persons except in the act of taking aim.  But the
-chances were gradually growing unfavorable to Hawkeye and
-his band.  The quick-sighted scout perceived his danger
-without knowing how to remedy it.  He saw it was more
-dangerous to retreat than to maintain his ground: while he
-found his enemy throwing out men on his flank; which
-rendered the task of keeping themselves covered so very
-difficult to the Delawares, as nearly to silence their fire.
-At this embarrassing moment, when they began to think the
-whole of the hostile tribe was gradually encircling them,
-they heard the yell of combatants and the rattling of arms
-echoing under the arches of the wood at the place where
-Uncas was posted, a bottom which, in a manner, lay beneath
-the ground on which Hawkeye and his party were contending.
-
-The effects of this attack were instantaneous, and to the
-scout and his friends greatly relieving.  It would seem
-that, while his own surprise had been anticipated, and had
-consequently failed, the enemy, in their turn, having been
-deceived in its object and in his numbers, had left too
-small a force to resist the impetuous onset of the young
-Mohican.  This fact was doubly apparent, by the rapid manner
-in which the battle in the forest rolled upward toward the
-village, and by an instant falling off in the number of
-their assailants, who rushed to assist in maintaining the
-front, and, as it now proved to be, the principal point of
-defense.
-
-Animating his followers by his voice, and his own example,
-Hawkeye then gave the word to bear down upon their foes.
-The charge, in that rude species of warfare, consisted
-merely in pushing from cover to cover, nigher to the enemy;
-and in this maneuver he was instantly and successfully
-obeyed.  The Hurons were compelled to withdraw, and the
-scene of the contest rapidly changed from the more open
-ground, on which it had commenced, to a spot where the
-assailed found a thicket to rest upon.  Here the struggle
-was protracted, arduous and seemingly of doubtful issue; the
-Delawares, though none of them fell, beginning to bleed
-freely, in consequence of the disadvantage at which they
-were held.
-
-In this crisis, Hawkeye found means to get behind the same
-tree as that which served for a cover to Heyward; most of
-his own combatants being within call, a little on his right,
-where they maintained rapid, though fruitless, discharges on
-their sheltered enemies.
-
-"You are a young man, major," said the scout, dropping the
-butt of "killdeer" to the earth, and leaning on the barrel,
-a little fatigued with his previous industry; "and it may be
-your gift to lead armies, at some future day, ag'in these
-imps, the Mingoes.  You may here see the philosophy of an
-Indian fight.  It consists mainly in ready hand, a quick eye
-and a good cover.  Now, if you had a company of the Royal
-Americans here, in what manner would you set them to work in
-this business?"
-
-"The bayonet would make a road."
-
-"Ay, there is white reason in what you say; but a man must
-ask himself, in this wilderness, how many lives he can
-spare.  No -- horse*," continued the scout, shaking his
-head, like one who mused; "horse, I am ashamed to say must
-sooner or later decide these scrimmages.  The brutes are
-better than men, and to horse must we come at last.  Put a
-shodden hoof on the moccasin of a red-skin, and, if his
-rifle be once emptied, he will never stop to load it again."
-
-* The American forest admits of the passage of horses,
-there being little underbrush, and few tangled brakes.  The
-plan of Hawkeye is the one which has always proved the most
-successful in the battles between the whites and the
-Indians.  Wayne, in his celebrated campaign on the Miami,
-received the fire of his enemies in line; and then causing
-his dragoons to wheel round his flanks, the Indians were
-driven from their covers before they had time to load.  One
-of the most conspicuous of the chiefs who fought in the
-battle of Miami assured the writer, that the red men could
-not fight the warriors with "long knives and leather
-stockings"; meaning the dragoons with their sabers and
-boots.
-
-"This is a subject that might better be discussed at another
-time," returned Heyward; "shall we charge?"
-
-"I see no contradiction to the gifts of any man in passing
-his breathing spells in useful reflections," the scout
-replied.  "As to rush, I little relish such a measure; for a
-scalp or two must be thrown away in the attempt.  And yet,"
-he added, bending his head aside, to catch the sounds of the
-distant combat, "if we are to be of use to Uncas, these
-knaves in our front must be got rid of."
-
-Then, turning with a prompt and decided air, he called aloud
-to his Indians, in their own language.  His words were
-answered by a shout; and, at a given signal, each warrior
-made a swift movement around his particular tree.  The sight
-of so many dark bodies, glancing before their eyes at the
-same instant, drew a hasty and consequently an ineffectual
-fire from the Hurons.  Without stopping to breathe, the
-Delawares leaped in long bounds toward the wood, like so
-many panthers springing upon their prey.  Hawkeye was in
-front, brandishing his terrible rifle and animating his
-followers by his example.  A few of the older and more
-cunning Hurons, who had not been deceived by the artifice
-which had been practiced to draw their fire, now made a
-close and deadly discharge of their pieces and justified the
-apprehensions of the scout by felling three of his foremost
-warriors.  But the shock was insufficient to repel the
-impetus of the charge.  The Delawares broke into the cover
-with the ferocity of their natures and swept away every
-trace of resistance by the fury of the onset.
-
-The combat endured only for an instant, hand to hand, and
-then the assailed yielded ground rapidly, until they reached
-the opposite margin of the thicket, where they clung to the
-cover, with the sort of obstinacy that is so often witnessed
-in hunted brutes.  At this critical moment, when the success
-of the struggle was again becoming doubtful, the crack of a
-rifle was heard behind the Hurons, and a bullet came
-whizzing from among some beaver lodges, which were situated
-in the clearing, in their rear, and was followed by the
-fierce and appalling yell of the war-whoop.
-
-"There speaks the Sagamore!" shouted Hawkeye, answering the
-cry with his own stentorian voice; "we have them now in face
-and back!"
-
-The effect on the Hurons was instantaneous.  Discouraged by
-an assault from a quarter that left them no opportunity for
-cover, the warriors uttered a common yell of disappointment,
-and breaking off in a body, they spread themselves across
-the opening, heedless of every consideration but flight.
-Many fell, in making the experiment, under the bullets and
-the blows of the pursuing Delawares.
-
-We shall not pause to detail the meeting between the scout
-and Chingachgook, or the more touching interview that Duncan
-held with Munro.  A few brief and hurried words served to
-explain the state of things to both parties; and then
-Hawkeye, pointing out the Sagamore to his band, resigned the
-chief authority into the hands of the Mohican chief.
-Chingachgook assumed the station to which his birth and
-experience gave him so distinguished a claim, with the grave
-dignity that always gives force to the mandates of a native
-warrior.  Following the footsteps of the scout, he led the
-party back through the thicket, his men scalping the fallen
-Hurons and secreting the bodies of their own dead as they
-proceeded, until they gained a point where the former was
-content to make a halt.
-
-The warriors, who had breathed themselves freely in the
-preceding struggle, were now posted on a bit of level
-ground, sprinkled with trees in sufficient numbers to
-conceal them.  The land fell away rather precipitately in
-front, and beneath their eyes stretched, for several miles,
-a narrow, dark, and wooded vale.  It was through this dense
-and dark forest that Uncas was still contending with the
-main body of the Hurons.
-
-The Mohican and his friends advanced to the brow of the
-hill, and listened, with practised ears, to the sounds of
-the combat.  A few birds hovered over the leafy bosom of the
-valley, frightened from their secluded nests; and here and
-there a light vapory cloud, which seemed already blending
-with the atmosphere, arose above the trees, and indicated
-some spot where the struggle had been fierce and stationary.
-
-"The fight is coming up the ascent," said Duncan, pointing
-in the direction of a new explosion of firearms; "we are too
-much in the center of their line to be effective."
-
-"They will incline into the hollow, where the cover is
-thicker," said the scout, "and that will leave us well on
-their flank.  Go, Sagamore; you will hardly be in time to
-give the whoop, and lead on the young men.  I will fight
-this scrimmage with warriors of my own color.  You know me,
-Mohican; not a Huron of them all shall cross the swell, into
-your rear, without the notice of 'killdeer'."
-
-The Indian chief paused another moment to consider the signs
-of the contest, which was now rolling rapidly up the ascent,
-a certain evidence that the Delawares triumphed; nor did he
-actually quit the place until admonished of the proximity of
-his friends, as well as enemies, by the bullets of the
-former, which began to patter among the dried leaves on the
-ground, like the bits of falling hail which precede the
-bursting of the tempest.  Hawkeye and his three companions
-withdrew a few paces to a shelter, and awaited the issue
-with calmness that nothing but great practise could impart
-in such a scene.
-
-It was not long before the reports of the rifles began to
-lose the echoes of the woods, and to sound like weapons
-discharged in the open air.  Then a warrior appeared, here
-and there, driven to the skirts of the forest, and rallying
-as he entered the clearing, as at the place where the final
-stand was to be made.  These were soon joined by others,
-until a long line of swarthy figures was to be seen clinging
-to the cover with the obstinacy of desperation.  Heyward
-began to grow impatient, and turned his eyes anxiously in
-the direction of Chingachgook.  The chief was seated on a
-rock, with nothing visible but his calm visage, considering
-the spectacle with an eye as deliberate as if he were posted
-there merely to view the struggle.
-
-"The time has come for the Delaware to strike!" said Duncan.
-
-"Not so, not so," returned the scout; "when he scents his
-friends, he will let them know that he is here.  See, see;
-the knaves are getting in that clump of pines, like bees
-settling after their flight.  By the Lord, a squaw might put
-a bullet into the center of such a knot of dark skins!"
-
-At that instant the whoop was given, and a dozen Hurons fell
-by a discharge from Chingachgook and his band.  The shout
-that followed was answered by a single war-cry from the
-forest, and a yell passed through the air that sounded as if
-a thousand throats were united in a common effort.  The
-Hurons staggered, deserting the center of their line, and
-Uncas issued from the forest through the opening they left,
-at the head of a hundred warriors.
-
-Waving his hands right and left, the young chief pointed out
-the enemy to his followers, who separated in pursuit.  The
-war now divided, both wings of the broken Hurons seeking
-protection in the woods again, hotly pressed by the
-victorious warriors of the Lenape.  A minute might have
-passed, but the sounds were already receding in different
-directions, and gradually losing their distinctness beneath
-the echoing arches of the woods.  One little knot of Hurons,
-however, had disdained to seek a cover, and were retiring,
-like lions at bay, slowly and sullenly up the acclivity
-which Chingachgook and his band had just deserted, to mingle
-more closely in the fray.  Magua was conspicuous in this
-party, both by his fierce and savage mien, and by the air of
-haughty authority he yet maintained.
-
-In his eagerness to expedite the pursuit, Uncas had left
-himself nearly alone; but the moment his eye caught the
-figure of Le Subtil, every other consideration was
-forgotten.  Raising his cry of battle, which recalled some
-six or seven warriors, and reckless of the disparity of
-their numbers, he rushed upon his enemy.  Le Renard, who
-watched the movement, paused to receive him with secret joy.
-But at the moment when he thought the rashness of his
-impetuous young assailant had left him at his mercy, another
-shout was given, and La Longue Carabine was seen rushing to
-the rescue, attended by all his white associates.  The Huron
-instantly turned, and commenced a rapid retreat up the
-ascent.
-
-There was no time for greetings or congratulations; for
-Uncas, though unconscious of the presence of his friends,
-continued the pursuit with the velocity of the wind.  In
-vain Hawkeye called to him to respect the covers; the young
-Mohican braved the dangerous fire of his enemies, and soon
-compelled them to a flight as swift as his own headlong
-speed.  It was fortunate that the race was of short
-continuance, and that the white men were much favored by
-their position, or the Delaware would soon have outstripped
-all his companions, and fallen a victim to his own temerity.
-But, ere such a calamity could happen, the pursuers and
-pursued entered the Wyandot village, within striking
-distance of each other.
-
-Excited by the presence of their dwellings, and tired of the
-chase, the Hurons now made a stand, and fought around their
-council-lodge with the fury of despair.  The onset and the
-issue were like the passage and destruction of a whirlwind.
-The tomahawk of Uncas, the blows of Hawkeye, and even the
-still nervous arm of Munro were all busy for that passing
-moment, and the ground was quickly strewed with their
-enemies.  Still Magua, though daring and much exposed,
-escaped from every effort against his life, with that sort
-of fabled protection that was made to overlook the fortunes
-of favored heroes in the legends of ancient poetry.  Raising
-a yell that spoke volumes of anger and disappointment, the
-subtle chief, when he saw his comrades fallen, darted away
-from the place, attended by his two only surviving friends,
-leaving the Delawares engaged in stripping the dead of the
-bloody trophies of their victory.
-
-But Uncas, who had vainly sought him in the melee, bounded
-forward in pursuit; Hawkeye, Heyward and David still
-pressing on his footsteps.  The utmost that the scout could
-effect, was to keep the muzzle of his rifle a little in
-advance of his friend, to whom, however, it answered every
-purpose of a charmed shield.  Once Magua appeared disposed
-to make another and a final effort to revenge his losses;
-but, abandoning his intention as soon as demonstrated, he
-leaped into a thicket of bushes, through which he was
-followed by his enemies, and suddenly entered the mouth of
-the cave already known to the reader.  Hawkeye, who had only
-forborne to fire in tenderness to Uncas, raised a shout of
-success, and proclaimed aloud that now they were certain of
-their game.  The pursuers dashed into the long and narrow
-entrance, in time to catch a glimpse of the retreating forms
-of the Hurons.  Their passage through the natural galleries
-and subterraneous apartments of the cavern was preceded by
-the shrieks and cries of hundreds of women and children.
-The place, seen by its dim and uncertain light, appeared
-like the shades of the infernal regions, across which
-unhappy ghosts and savage demons were flitting in
-multitudes.
-
-Still Uncas kept his eye on Magua, as if life to him
-possessed but a single object.  Heyward and the scout still
-pressed on his rear, actuated, though possibly in a less
-degree, by a common feeling.  But their way was becoming
-intricate, in those dark and gloomy passages, and the
-glimpses of the retiring warriors less distinct and
-frequent; and for a moment the trace was believed to be
-lost, when a white robe was seen fluttering in the further
-extremity of a passage that seemed to lead up the mountain.
-
-"'Tis Cora!" exclaimed Heyward, in a voice in which horror
-and delight were wildly mingled.
-
-"Cora! Cora!" echoed Uncas, bounding forward like a deer.
-
-"'Tis the maiden!" shouted the scout.  "Courage, lady; we
-come! we come!"
-
-The chase was renewed with a diligence rendered tenfold
-encouraging by this glimpse of the captive.  But the way was
-rugged, broken, and in spots nearly impassable.  Uncas
-abandoned his rifle, and leaped forward with headlong
-precipitation.  Heyward rashly imitated his example, though
-both were, a moment afterward, admonished of his madness by
-hearing the bellowing of a piece, that the Hurons found time
-to discharge down the passage in the rocks, the bullet from
-which even gave the young Mohican a slight wound.
-
-"We must close!" said the scout, passing his friends by a
-desperate leap; "the knaves will pick us all off at this
-distance; and see, they hold the maiden so as to shield
-themselves!"
-
-Though his words were unheeded, or rather unheard, his
-example was followed by his companions, who, by incredible
-exertions, got near enough to the fugitives to perceive that
-Cora was borne along between the two warriors while Magua
-prescribed the direction and manner of their flight.  At
-this moment the forms of all four were strongly drawn
-against an opening in the sky, and they disappeared.  Nearly
-frantic with disappointment, Uncas and Heyward increased
-efforts that already seemed superhuman, and they issued from
-the cavern on the side of the mountain, in time to note the
-route of the pursued.  The course lay up the ascent, and
-still continued hazardous and laborious.
-
-Encumbered by his rifle, and, perhaps, not sustained by so
-deep an interest in the captive as his companions, the scout
-suffered the latter to precede him a little, Uncas, in his
-turn, taking the lead of Heyward.  In this manner, rocks,
-precipices and difficulties were surmounted in an incredibly
-short space, that at another time, and under other
-circumstances, would have been deemed almost insuperable.
-But the impetuous young men were rewarded by finding that,
-encumbered with Cora, the Hurons were losing ground in the
-race.
-
-"Stay, dog of the Wyandots!" exclaimed Uncas, shaking his
-bright tomahawk at Magua; "a Delaware girl calls stay!"
-
-"I will go no further!" cried Cora, stopping unexpectedly on
-a ledge of rock, that overhung a deep precipice, at no great
-distance from the summit of the mountain.  "Kill me if thou
-wilt, detestable Huron; I will go no further."
-
-The supporters of the maiden raised their ready tomahawks
-with the impious joy that fiends are thought to take in
-mischief, but Magua stayed the uplifted arms.  The Huron
-chief, after casting the weapons he had wrested from his
-companions over the rock, drew his knife, and turned to his
-captive, with a look in which conflicting passions fiercely
-contended.
-
-"Woman," he said, "chose; the wigwam or the knife of Le
-Subtil!"
-
-Cora regarded him not, but dropping on her knees, she raised
-her eyes and stretched her arms toward heaven, saying in a
-meek and yet confiding voice:
-
-"I am thine; do with me as thou seest best!"
-
-"Woman," repeated Magua, hoarsely, and endeavoring in vain
-to catch a glance from her serene and beaming eye, "choose!"
-
-But Cora neither heard nor heeded his demand.  The form of
-the Huron trembled in every fibre, and he raised his arm on
-high, but dropped it again with a bewildered air, like one
-who doubted.  Once more he struggled with himself and lifted
-the keen weapon again; but just then a piercing cry was
-heard above them, and Uncas appeared, leaping frantically,
-from a fearful height, upon the ledge.  Magua recoiled a
-step; and one of his assistants, profiting by the chance,
-sheathed his own knife in the bosom of Cora.
-
-The Huron sprang like a tiger on his offending and already
-retreating country man, but the falling form of Uncas
-separated the unnatural combatants.  Diverted from his
-object by this interruption, and maddened by the murder he
-had just witnessed, Magua buried his weapon in the back of
-the prostrate Delaware, uttering an unearthly shout as he
-committed the dastardly deed.  But Uncas arose from the
-blow, as the wounded panther turns upon his foe, and struck
-the murderer of Cora to his feet, by an effort in which the
-last of his failing strength was expended.  Then, with a
-stern and steady look, he turned to Le Subtil, and indicated
-by the expression of his eye all that he would do had not
-the power deserted him.  The latter seized the nerveless arm
-of the unresisting Delaware, and passed his knife into his
-bosom three several times, before his victim, still keeping
-his gaze riveted on his enemy, with a look of
-inextinguishable scorn, fell dead at his feet.
-
-"Mercy! mercy! Huron," cried Heyward, from above, in tones
-nearly choked by horror; "give mercy, and thou shalt receive
-from it!"
-
-Whirling the bloody knife up at the imploring youth, the
-victorious Magua uttered a cry so fierce, so wild, and yet
-so joyous, that it conveyed the sounds of savage triumph to
-the ears of those who fought in the valley, a thousand feet
-below.  He was answered by a burst from the lips of the
-scout, whose tall person was just then seen moving swiftly
-toward him, along those dangerous crags, with steps as bold
-and reckless as if he possessed the power to move in air.
-But when the hunter reached the scene of the ruthless
-massacre, the ledge was tenanted only by the dead.
-
-His keen eye took a single look at the victims, and then
-shot its glances over the difficulties of the ascent in his
-front.  A form stood at the brow of the mountain, on the
-very edge of the giddy height, with uplifted arms, in an
-awful attitude of menace.  Without stopping to consider his
-person, the rifle of Hawkeye was raised; but a rock, which
-fell on the head of one of the fugitives below, exposed the
-indignant and glowing countenance of the honest Gamut.  Then
-Magua issued from a crevice, and, stepping with calm
-indifference over the body of the last of his associates, he
-leaped a wide fissure, and ascended the rocks at a point
-where the arm of David could not reach him.  A single bound
-would carry him to the brow of the precipice, and assure his
-safety.  Before taking the leap, however, the Huron paused,
-and shaking his hand at the scout, he shouted:
-
-"The pale faces are dogs! the Delawares women!  Magua leaves
-them on the rocks, for the crows!"
-
-Laughing hoarsely, he made a desperate leap, and fell short
-of his mark, though his hands grasped a shrub on the verge
-of the height.  The form of Hawkeye had crouched like a
-beast about to take its spring, and his frame trembled so
-violently with eagerness that the muzzle of the half-raised
-rifle played like a leaf fluttering in the wind.  Without
-exhausting himself with fruitless efforts, the cunning Magua
-suffered his body to drop to the length of his arms, and
-found a fragment for his feet to rest on.  Then, summoning
-all his powers, he renewed the attempt, and so far succeeded
-as to draw his knees on the edge of the mountain.  It was
-now, when the body of his enemy was most collected together,
-that the agitated weapon of the scout was drawn to his
-shoulder.  The surrounding rocks themselves were not
-steadier than the piece became, for the single instant that
-it poured out its contents.  The arms of the Huron relaxed,
-and his body fell back a little, while his knees still kept
-their position.  Turning a relentless look on his enemy, he
-shook a hand in grim defiance.  But his hold loosened, and
-his dark person was seen cutting the air with its head
-downward, for a fleeting instant, until it glided past the
-fringe of shrubbery which clung to the mountain, in its
-rapid flight to destruction.
-
-
-
-CHAPTER 33
-
-"They fought, like brave men, long and well, They piled that
-ground with Moslem slain, They conquered--but Bozzaris
-fell, Bleeding at every vein.  His few surviving comrades
-saw His smile when rang their loud hurrah, And the red field
-was won; Then saw in death his eyelids close Calmly, as to a
-night's repose, Like flowers at set of sun."--Halleck
-
-The sun found the Lenape, on the succeeding day, a nation of
-mourners.  The sounds of the battle were over, and they had
-fed fat their ancient grudge, and had avenged their recent
-quarrel with the Mengwe, by the destruction of a whole
-community.  The black and murky atmosphere that floated
-around the spot where the Hurons had encamped, sufficiently
-announced of itself, the fate of that wandering tribe; while
-hundreds of ravens, that struggled above the summits of the
-mountains, or swept, in noisy flocks, across the wide ranges
-of the woods, furnished a frightful direction to the scene
-of the combat.  In short, any eye at all practised in the
-signs of a frontier warfare might easily have traced all
-those unerring evidences of the ruthless results which
-attend an Indian vengeance.
-
-Still, the sun rose on the Lenape a nation of mourners.  No
-shouts of success, no songs of triumph, were heard, in
-rejoicings for their victory.  The latest straggler had
-returned from his fell employment, only to strip himself of
-the terrific emblems of his bloody calling, and to join in
-the lamentations of his countrymen, as a stricken people.
-Pride and exultation were supplanted by humility, and the
-fiercest of human passions was already succeeded by the most
-profound and unequivocal demonstrations of grief.
-
-The lodges were deserted; but a broad belt of earnest faces
-encircled a spot in their vicinity, whither everything
-possessing life had repaired, and where all were now
-collected, in deep and awful silence.  Though beings of
-every rank and age, of both sexes, and of all pursuits, had
-united to form this breathing wall of bodies, they were
-influenced by a single emotion.  Each eye was riveted on the
-center of that ring, which contained the objects of so much
-and of so common an interest.
-
-Six Delaware girls, with their long, dark, flowing tresses
-falling loosely across their bosoms, stood apart, and only
-gave proof of their existence as they occasionally strewed
-sweet-scented herbs and forest flowers on a litter of
-fragrant plants that, under a pall of Indian robes,
-supported all that now remained of the ardent, high-souled,
-and generous Cora.  Her form was concealed in many wrappers
-of the same simple manufacture, and her face was shut
-forever from the gaze of men.  At her feet was seated the
-desolate Munro.  His aged head was bowed nearly to the
-earth, in compelled submission to the stroke of Providence;
-but a hidden anguish struggled about his furrowed brow, that
-was only partially concealed by the careless locks of gray
-that had fallen, neglected, on his temples.  Gamut stood at
-his side, his meek head bared to the rays of the sun, while
-his eyes, wandering and concerned, seemed to be equally
-divided between that little volume, which contained so many
-quaint but holy maxims, and the being in whose behalf his
-soul yearned to administer consolation.  Heyward was also
-nigh, supporting himself against a tree, and endeavoring to
-keep down those sudden risings of sorrow that it required
-his utmost manhood to subdue.
-
-But sad and melancholy as this group may easily be imagined,
-it was far less touching than another, that occupied the
-opposite space of the same area.  Seated, as in life, with
-his form and limbs arranged in grave and decent composure,
-Uncas appeared, arrayed in the most gorgeous ornaments that
-the wealth of the tribe could furnish.  Rich plumes nodded
-above his head; wampum, gorgets, bracelets, and medals,
-adorned his person in profusion; though his dull eye and
-vacant lineaments too strongly contradicted the idle tale of
-pride they would convey.
-
-Directly in front of the corpse Chingachgook was placed,
-without arms, paint or adornment of any sort, except the
-bright blue blazonry of his race, that was indelibly
-impressed on his naked bosom.  During the long period that
-the tribe had thus been collected, the Mohican warrior had
-kept a steady, anxious look on the cold and senseless
-countenance of his son.  So riveted and intense had been
-that gaze, and so changeless his attitude, that a stranger
-might not have told the living from the dead, but for the
-occasional gleamings of a troubled spirit, that shot athwart
-the dark visage of one, and the deathlike calm that had
-forever settled on the lineaments of the other.  The scout
-was hard by, leaning in a pensive posture on his own fatal
-and avenging weapon; while Tamenund, supported by the elders
-of his nation, occupied a high place at hand, whence he
-might look down on the mute and sorrowful assemblage of his
-people.
-
-Just within the inner edge of the circle stood a soldier, in
-the military attire of a strange nation; and without it was
-his warhorse, in the center of a collection of mounted
-domestics, seemingly in readiness to undertake some distant
-journey.  The vestments of the stranger announced him to be
-one who held a responsible situation near the person of the
-captain of the Canadas; and who, as it would now seem,
-finding his errand of peace frustrated by the fierce
-impetuosity of his allies, was content to become a silent
-and sad spectator of the fruits of a contest that he had
-arrived too late to anticipate.
-
-The day was drawing to the close of its first quarter, and
-yet had the multitude maintained its breathing stillness
-since its dawn.
-
-No sound louder than a stifled sob had been heard among
-them, nor had even a limb been moved throughout that long
-and painful period, except to perform the simple and
-touching offerings that were made, from time to time, in
-commemoration of the dead.  The patience and forbearance of
-Indian fortitude could alone support such an appearance of
-abstraction, as seemed now to have turned each dark and
-motionless figure into stone.
-
-At length, the sage of the Delawares stretched forth an arm,
-and leaning on the shoulders of his attendants, he arose
-with an air as feeble as if another age had already
-intervened between the man who had met his nation the
-preceding day, and him who now tottered on his elevated
-stand.
-
-"Men of the Lenape!" he said, in low, hollow tones, that
-sounded like a voice charged with some prophetic mission:
-"the face of the Manitou is behind a cloud!  His eye is
-turned from you; His ears are shut; His tongue gives no
-answer.  You see him not; yet His judgments are before you.
-Let your hearts be open and your spirits tell no lie.  Men
-of the Lenape! the face of the Manitou is behind a cloud."
-
-As this simple and yet terrible annunciation stole on the
-ears of the multitude, a stillness as deep and awful
-succeeded as if the venerated spirit they worshiped had
-uttered the words without the aid of human organs; and even
-the inanimate Uncas appeared a being of life, compared with
-the humbled and submissive throng by whom he was surrounded.
-As the immediate effect, however, gradually passed away, a
-low murmur of voices commenced a sort of chant in honor of
-the dead.  The sounds were those of females, and were
-thrillingly soft and wailing.  The words were connected by
-no regular continuation, but as one ceased another took up
-the eulogy, or lamentation, whichever it might be called,
-and gave vent to her emotions in such language as was
-suggested by her feelings and the occasion.  At intervals
-the speaker was interrupted by general and loud bursts of
-sorrow, during which the girls around the bier of Cora
-plucked the plants and flowers blindly from her body, as if
-bewildered with grief.  But, in the milder moments of their
-plaint, these emblems of purity and sweetness were cast back
-to their places, with every sign of tenderness and regret.
-Though rendered less connected by many and general
-interruptions and outbreakings, a translation of their
-language would have contained a regular descant, which, in
-substance, might have proved to possess a train of
-consecutive ideas.
-
-A girl, selected for the task by her rank and
-qualifications, commenced by modest allusions to the
-qualities of the deceased warrior, embellishing her
-expressions with those oriental images that the Indians have
-probably brought with them from the extremes of the other
-continent, and which form of themselves a link to connect
-the ancient histories of the two worlds.  She called him the
-"panther of his tribe"; and described him as one whose
-moccasin left no trail on the dews; whose bound was like the
-leap of a young fawn; whose eye was brighter than a star in
-the dark night; and whose voice, in battle, was loud as the
-thunder of the Manitou.  She reminded him of the mother who
-bore him, and dwelt forcibly on the happiness she must feel
-in possessing such a son.  She bade him tell her, when they
-met in the world of spirits, that the Delaware girls had
-shed tears above the grave of her child, and had called her
-blessed.
-
-Then, they who succeeded, changing their tones to a milder
-and still more tender strain, alluded, with the delicacy and
-sensitiveness of women, to the stranger maiden, who had left
-the upper earth at a time so near his own departure, as to
-render the will of the Great Spirit too manifest to be
-disregarded.  They admonished him to be kind to her, and to
-have consideration for her ignorance of those arts which
-were so necessary to the comfort of a warrior like himself.
-They dwelled upon her matchless beauty, and on her noble
-resolution, without the taint of envy, and as angels may be
-thought to delight in a superior excellence; adding, that
-these endowments should prove more than equivalent for any
-little imperfection in her education.
-
-After which, others again, in due succession, spoke to the
-maiden herself, in the low, soft language of tenderness and
-love.  They exhorted her to be of cheerful mind, and to fear
-nothing for her future welfare.  A hunter would be her
-companion, who knew how to provide for her smallest wants;
-and a warrior was at her side who was able to protect he
-against every danger.  They promised that her path should be
-pleasant, and her burden light.  They cautioned her against
-unavailing regrets for the friends of her youth, and the
-scenes where her father had dwelt; assuring her that the
-"blessed hunting grounds of the Lenape," contained vales as
-pleasant, streams as pure; and flowers as sweet, as the
-"heaven of the pale faces."  They advised her to be
-attentive to the wants of her companion, and never to forget
-the distinction which the Manitou had so wisely established
-between them.  Then, in a wild burst of their chant they
-sang with united voices the temper of the Mohican's mind.
-They pronounced him noble, manly and generous; all that
-became a warrior, and all that a maid might love.  Clothing
-their ideas in the most remote and subtle images, they
-betrayed, that, in the short period of their intercourse,
-they had discovered, with the intuitive perception of their
-sex, the truant disposition of his inclinations.  The
-Delaware girls had found no favor in his eyes!  He was of a
-race that had once been lords on the shores of the salt
-lake, and his wishes had led him back to a people who dwelt
-about the graves of his fathers.  Why should not such a
-predilection be encouraged!  That she was of a blood purer
-and richer than the rest of her nation, any eye might have
-seen; that she was equal to the dangers and daring of a life
-in the woods, her conduct had proved; and now, they added,
-the "wise one of the earth" had transplanted her to a place
-where she would find congenial spirits, and might be forever
-happy.
-
-Then, with another transition in voice and subject,
-allusions were made to the virgin who wept in the adjacent
-lodge.  They compared her to flakes of snow; as pure, as
-white, as brilliant, and as liable to melt in the fierce
-heats of summer, or congeal in the frosts of winter.  They
-doubted not that she was lovely in the eyes of the young
-chief, whose skin and whose sorrow seemed so like her own;
-but though far from expressing such a preference, it was
-evident they deemed her less excellent than the maid they
-mourned.  Still they denied her no need her rare charms
-might properly claim.  Her ringlets were compared to the
-exuberant tendrils of the vine, her eye to the blue vault of
-heavens, and the most spotless cloud, with its glowing flush
-of the sun, was admitted to be less attractive than her
-bloom.
-
-During these and similar songs nothing was audible but the
-murmurs of the music; relieved, as it was, or rather
-rendered terrible, by those occasional bursts of grief which
-might be called its choruses.  The Delawares themselves
-listened like charmed men; and it was very apparent, by the
-variations of their speaking countenances, how deep and true
-was their sympathy.  Even David was not reluctant to lend
-his ears to the tones of voices so sweet; and long ere the
-chant was ended, his gaze announced that his soul was
-enthralled.
-
-The scout, to whom alone, of all the white men, the words
-were intelligible, suffered himself to be a little aroused
-from his meditative posture, and bent his face aside, to
-catch their meaning, as the girls proceeded.  But when they
-spoke of the future prospects of Cora and Uncas, he shook
-his head, like one who knew the error of their simple creed,
-and resuming his reclining attitude, he maintained it until
-the ceremony, if that might be called a ceremony, in which
-feeling was so deeply imbued, was finished.  Happily for the
-self-command of both Heyward and Munro, they knew not the
-meaning of the wild sounds they heard.
-
-Chingachgook was a solitary exception to the interest
-manifested by the native part of the audience.  His look
-never changed throughout the whole of the scene, nor did a
-muscle move in his rigid countenance, even at the wildest or
-the most pathetic parts of the lamentation.  The cold and
-senseless remains of his son was all to him, and every other
-sense but that of sight seemed frozen, in order that his
-eyes might take their final gaze at those lineaments he had
-so long loved, and which were now about to be closed forever
-from his view.
-
-In this stage of the obsequies, a warrior much renowned for
-deed in arms, and more especially for services in the recent
-combat, a man of stern and grave demeanor, advanced slowly
-from the crowd, and placed himself nigh the person of the
-dead.
-
-"Why hast thou left us, pride of the Wapanachki?" he said,
-addressing himself to the dull ears of Uncas, as if the
-empty clay retained the faculties of the animated man; "thy
-time has been like that of the sun when in the trees; thy
-glory brighter than his light at noonday.  Thou art gone,
-youthful warrior, but a hundred Wyandots are clearing the
-briers from thy path to the world of the spirits.  Who that
-saw thee in battle would believe that thou couldst die?  Who
-before thee has ever shown Uttawa the way into the fight?
-Thy feet were like the wings of eagles; thine arm heavier
-than falling branches from the pine; and thy voice like the
-Manitou when He speaks in the clouds.  The tongue of Uttawa
-is weak," he added, looking about him with a melancholy
-gaze, "and his heart exceeding heavy.  Pride of the
-Wapanachki, why hast thou left us?"
-
-He was succeeded by others, in due order, until most of the
-high and gifted men of the nation had sung or spoken their
-tribute of praise over the manes of the deceased chief.
-When each had ended, another deep and breathing silence
-reigned in all the place.
-
-Then a low, deep sound was heard, like the suppressed
-accompaniment of distant music, rising just high enough on
-the air to be audible, and yet so indistinctly, as to leave
-its character, and the place whence it proceeded, alike
-matters of conjecture.  It was, however, succeeded by
-another and another strain, each in a higher key, until they
-grew on the ear, first in long drawn and often repeated
-interjections, and finally in words.  The lips of
-Chingachgook had so far parted, as to announce that it was
-the monody of the father.  Though not an eye was turned
-toward him nor the smallest sign of impatience exhibited, it
-was apparent, by the manner in which the multitude elevated
-their heads to listen, that they drank in the sounds with an
-intenseness of attention, that none but Tamenund himself had
-ever before commanded.  But they listened in vain.  The
-strains rose just so loud as to become intelligible, and
-then grew fainter and more trembling, until they finally
-sank on the ear, as if borne away by a passing breath of
-wind.  The lips of the Sagamore closed, and he remained
-silent in his seat, looking with his riveted eye and
-motionless form, like some creature that had been turned
-from the Almighty hand with the form but without the spirit
-of a man.  The Delawares who knew by these symptoms that the
-mind of their friend was not prepared for so mighty an
-effort of fortitude, relaxed in their attention; and, with
-an innate delicacy, seemed to bestow all their thoughts on
-the obsequies of the stranger maiden.
-
-A signal was given, by one of the elder chiefs, to the women
-who crowded that part of the circle near which the body of
-Cora lay.  Obedient to the sign, the girls raised the bier
-to the elevation of their heads, and advanced with slow and
-regulated steps, chanting, as they proceeded, another
-wailing song in praise of the deceased.  Gamut, who had been
-a close observer of rites he deemed so heathenish, now bent
-his head over the shoulder of the unconscious father,
-whispering:
-
-"They move with the remains of thy child; shall we not
-follow, and see them interred with Christian burial?"
-
-Munro started, as if the last trumpet had sounded in his
-ear, and bestowing one anxious and hurried glance around
-him, he arose and followed in the simple train, with the
-mien of a soldier, but bearing the full burden of a parent's
-suffering.  His friends pressed around him with a sorrow
-that was too strong to be termed sympathy -- even the young
-Frenchman joining in the procession, with the air of a man
-who was sensibly touched at the early and melancholy fate of
-one so lovely.  But when the last and humblest female of the
-tribe had joined in the wild and yet ordered array, the men
-of the Lenape contracted their circle, and formed again
-around the person of Uncas, as silent, as grave, and as
-motionless as before.
-
-The place which had been chosen for the grave of Cora was a
-little knoll, where a cluster of young and healthful pines
-had taken root, forming of themselves a melancholy and
-appropriate shade over the spot.  On reaching it the girls
-deposited their burden, and continued for many minutes
-waiting, with characteristic patience, and native timidity,
-for some evidence that they whose feelings were most
-concerned were content with the arrangement.  At length the
-scout, who alone understood their habits, said, in their own
-language:
-
-"My daughters have done well; the white men thank them."
-
-Satisfied with this testimony in their favor, the girls
-proceeded to deposit the body in a shell, ingeniously, and
-not inelegantly, fabricated of the bark of the birch; after
-which they lowered it into its dark and final abode.  The
-ceremony of covering the remains, and concealing the marks
-of the fresh earth, by leaves and other natural and
-customary objects, was conducted with the same simple and
-silent forms.  But when the labors of the kind beings who
-had performed these sad and friendly offices were so far
-completed, they hesitated, in a way to show that they knew
-not how much further they might proceed.  It was in this
-stage of the rites that the scout again addressed them:
-
-"My young women have done enough," he said: "the spirit of
-the pale face has no need of food or raiment, their gifts
-being according to the heaven of their color.  I see," he
-added, glancing an eye at David, who was preparing his book
-in a manner that indicated an intention to lead the way in
-sacred song, "that one who better knows the Christian
-fashions is about to speak."
-
-The females stood modestly aside, and, from having been the
-principal actors in the scene, they now became the meek and
-attentive observers of that which followed.  During the time
-David occupied in pouring out the pious feelings of his
-spirit in this manner, not a sign of surprise, nor a look of
-impatience, escaped them.  They listened like those who knew
-the meaning of the strange words, and appeared as if they
-felt the mingled emotions of sorrow, hope, and resignation,
-they were intended to convey.
-
-Excited by the scene he had just witnessed, and perhaps
-influenced by his own secret emotions, the master of song
-exceeded his usual efforts.  His full rich voice was not
-found to suffer by a comparison with the soft tones of the
-girls; and his more modulated strains possessed, at least
-for the ears of those to whom they were peculiarly
-addressed, the additional power of intelligence.  He ended
-the anthem, as he had commenced it, in the midst of a grave
-and solemn stillness.
-
-When, however, the closing cadence had fallen on the ears of
-his auditors, the secret, timorous glances of the eyes, and
-the general and yet subdued movement of the assemblage,
-betrayed that something was expected from the father of the
-deceased.  Munro seemed sensible that the time was come for
-him to exert what is, perhaps, the greatest effort of which
-human nature is capable.  He bared his gray locks, and
-looked around the timid and quiet throng by which he was
-encircled, with a firm and collected countenance.  Then,
-motioning with his hand for the scout to listen, he said:
-
-"Say to these kind and gentle females, that a heart-broken
-and failing man returns them his thanks.  Tell them, that
-the Being we all worship, under different names, will be
-mindful of their charity; and that the time shall not be
-distant when we may assemble around His throne without
-distinction of sex, or rank, or color."
-
-The scout listened to the tremulous voice in which the
-veteran delivered these words, and shook his head slowly
-when they were ended, as one who doubted their efficacy.
-
-"To tell them this," he said, "would be to tell them that
-the snows come not in the winter, or that the sun shines
-fiercest when the trees are stripped of their leaves."
-
-Then turning to the women, he made such a communication of
-the other's gratitude as he deemed most suited to the
-capacities of his listeners.  The head of Munro had already
-sunk upon his chest, and he was again fast relapsing into
-melancholy, when the young Frenchman before named ventured
-to touch him lightly on the elbow.  As soon as he had gained
-the attention of the mourning old man, he pointed toward a
-group of young Indians, who approached with a light but
-closely covered litter, and then pointed upward toward the
-sun.
-
-"I understand you, sir," returned Munro, with a voice of
-forced firmness; "I understand you.  It is the will of
-Heaven, and I submit.  Cora, my child! if the prayers of a
-heart-broken father could avail thee now, how blessed
-shouldst thou be!  Come, gentlemen," he added, looking about
-him with an air of lofty composure, though the anguish that
-quivered in his faded countenance was far too powerful to be
-concealed, "our duty here is ended; let us depart."
-
-Heyward gladly obeyed a summons that took them from a spot
-where, each instant, he felt his self-control was about to
-desert him.  While his companions were mounting, however, he
-found time to press the hand of the scout, and to repeat the
-terms of an engagement they had made to meet again within
-the posts of the British army.  Then, gladly throwing
-himself into the saddle, he spurred his charger to the side
-of the litter, whence low and stifled sobs alone announced
-the presence of Alice.  In this manner, the head of Munro
-again drooping on his bosom, with Heyward and David
-following in sorrowing silence, and attended by the aide of
-Montcalm with his guard, all the white men, with the
-exception of Hawkeye, passed from before the eyes of the
-Delawares, and were buried in the vast forests of that
-region.
-
-But the tie which, through their common calamity, had united
-the feelings of these simple dwellers in the woods with the
-strangers who had thus transiently visited them, was not so
-easily broken.  Years passed away before the traditionary
-tale of the white maiden, and of the young warrior of the
-Mohicans ceased to beguile the long nights and tedious
-marches, or to animate their youthful and brave with a
-desire for vengeance.  Neither were the secondary actors in
-these momentous incidents forgotten.  Through the medium of
-the scout, who served for years afterward as a link between
-them and civilized life, they learned, in answer to their
-inquiries, that the "Gray Head" was speedily gathered to his
-fathers -- borne down, as was erroneously believed, by his
-military misfortunes; and that the "Open Hand" had conveyed
-his surviving daughter far into the settlements of the pale
-faces, where her tears had at last ceased to flow, and had
-been succeeded by the bright smiles which were better suited
-to her joyous nature.
-
-But these were events of a time later than that which
-concerns our tale.  Deserted by all of his color, Hawkeye
-returned to the spot where his sympathies led him, with a
-force that no ideal bond of union could destroy.  He was
-just in time to catch a parting look of the features of
-Uncas, whom the Delawares were already inclosing in his last
-vestment of skins.  They paused to permit the longing and
-lingering gaze of the sturdy woodsman, and when it was
-ended, the body was enveloped, never to be unclosed again.
-Then came a procession like the other, and the whole nation
-was collected about the temporary grave of the chief --
-temporary, because it was proper that, at some future day,
-his bones should rest among those of his own people.
-
-The movement, like the feeling, had been simultaneous and
-general.  The same grave expression of grief, the same rigid
-silence, and the same deference to the principal mourner,
-were observed around the place of interment as have been
-already described.  The body was deposited in an attitude of
-repose, facing the rising sun, with the implements of war
-and of the chase at hand, in readiness for the final
-journey.  An opening was left in the shell, by which it was
-protected from the soil, for the spirit to communicate with
-its earthly tenement, when necessary; and the whole was
-concealed from the instinct, and protected from the ravages
-of the beasts of prey, with an ingenuity peculiar to the
-natives.  The manual rites then ceased and all present
-reverted to the more spiritual part of the ceremonies.
-
-Chingachgook became once more the object of the common
-attention.  He had not yet spoken, and something consolatory
-and instructive was expected from so renowned a chief on an
-occasion of such interest.  Conscious of the wishes of the
-people, the stern and self-restrained warrior raised his
-face, which had latterly been buried in his robe, and looked
-about him with a steady eye.  His firmly compressed and
-expressive lips then severed, and for the first time during
-the long ceremonies his voice was distinctly audible.  "Why
-do my brothers mourn?" he said, regarding the dark race of
-dejected warriors by whom he was environed; "why do my
-daughters weep? that a young man has gone to the happy
-hunting-grounds; that a chief has filled his time with
-honor? He was good; he was dutiful; he was brave.  Who can
-deny it?  The Manitou had need of such a warrior, and He has
-called him away.  As for me, the son and the father of
-Uncas, I am a blazed pine, in a clearing of the pale faces.
-My race has gone from the shores of the salt lake and the
-hills of the Delawares.  But who can say that the serpent of
-his tribe has forgotten his wisdom?  I am alone --"
-
-"No, no," cried Hawkeye, who had been gazing with a yearning
-look at the rigid features of his friend, with something
-like his own self-command, but whose philosophy could endure
-no longer; "no, Sagamore, not alone.  The gifts of our
-colors may be different, but God has so placed us as to
-journey in the same path.  I have no kin, and I may also
-say, like you, no people.  He was your son, and a red-skin
-by nature; and it may be that your blood was nearer -- but,
-if ever I forget the lad who has so often fou't at my side
-in war, and slept at my side in peace, may He who made us
-all, whatever may be our color or our gifts, forget me!  The
-boy has left us for a time; but, Sagamore, you are not
-alone."
-
-Chingachgook grasped the hand that, in the warmth of
-feeling, the scout had stretched across the fresh earth, and
-in an attitude of friendship these two sturdy and intrepid
-woodsmen bowed their heads together, while scalding tears
-fell to their feet, watering the grave of Uncas like drops
-of falling rain.
-
-In the midst of the awful stillness with which such a burst
-of feeling, coming as it did, from the two most renowned
-warriors of that region, was received, Tamenund lifted his
-voice to disperse the multitude.
-
-"It is enough," he said.  "Go, children of the Lenape, the
-anger of the Manitou is not done.  Why should Tamenund stay?
-The pale faces are masters of the earth, and the time of the
-red men has not yet come again.  My day has been too long.
-In the morning I saw the sons of Unamis happy and strong;
-and yet, before the night has come, have I lived to see the
-last warrior of the wise race of the Mohicans."
-
-
-
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-End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Last of the Mohicans
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