 | CHAPTER XII. The deerslayer: or, The first war-path |  |
12. CHAPTER XII.
There's tricks i'the world; and hems, and beats her heart;
Spurns enviously at straws; speaks things in doubt,
That carry but half sense; her speech is nothing,
Yet the unsuspected use of it doth move
The hearers to collection;—”
Shakspeare.
We left the occupants of the castle and the ark, buried in
sleep. Once or twice, in the course of the night, it is true,
Deerslayer, or the Delaware, arose and looked out upon the
tranquil lake, when, finding all safe, they returned to their
pallets, and slept like men who were not easily deprived of
their natural rest. At the first signs of the dawn, the former
arose, however, and made his personal arrangements
for the day; though his companion, whose nights had not
been tranquil, or without disturbance, of late, continued on his
blanket until the sun had fairly risen. Judith, too, was later
than common, that morning, for the earlier hours of the
But ere the sun had shown himself over the eastern hills,
these, too, were up and afoot; even the tardy, in that region,
seldom remaining on their pallets after the appearance of
the great luminary.
Chingachgook was in the act of arranging his forest toilet,
when Deerslayer entered the cabin of the ark, and threw
him a few coarse, but light summer vestments, that belonged
to Hutter.
“Judith hath given me them for your use, chief,” said
the latter, as he cast the jacket and trousers at the feet of
the Indian; “for it's ag'in all prudence and caution to be
seen in your war-dress and paint. Wash off all them fiery
streaks from your cheeks, put on these garments, and here
is a hat, such as it is, that will give you an awful oncivilized
sort of civilization, as the missionaries call it. Remember
that Hist is at hand, and what we do for the maiden, must
be done while we are doing for others. I know its ag'in
your gifts and your natur' to wear clothes, unless they are
cut and carried in a red man's fashion, but make a vartue
of necessity, and put these on, at once, even if they do rise
a little in your throat.”
Chingachgook, or the Serpent, eyed the vestments with
strong disgust; but he saw the usefulness of the disguise, if
not its absolute necessity. Should the Iroquois discover a
red-man in or about the castle, it might, indeed, place them
more on their guard, and give their suspicions a direction towards
their female captive. Any thing was better than a failure,
as it regarded his betrothed, and, after turning the different
garments round and round, examining them with a species
of grave irony, affecting to draw them on in a way that defeated
itself, and otherwise manifesting the reluctance of a
young savage to confine his limbs in the usual applicances
of civilized life, the chief submitted to the directions of his
companion, and finally stood forth, so far as the eye could
detect, a red-man in colour alone. Little was to be apprehended
from this last peculiarity, however, the distance from
the shore, and the want of glasses, preventing any very close
scrutiny, and Deerslayer, himself, though of a brighter and
fresher tint, had a countenance that was burnt by the sun
to a hue scarcely less red than that of his Mohican companion.
attire, caused his friend to smile more than once that day,
but he carefully abstained from the use of any of those jokes
which would have been bandied among white men on such
an occasion; the habits of a chief, the dignity of a warrior
on his first path, and the gravity of the circumstances in
which they were placed, uniting to render so much levity
out of season.
The meeting, at the morning meal, of the three islanders,
if we may use the term, was silent, grave and thoughtful.
Judith showed, by her looks, that she had passed an unquiet
night, while the two men had the future before them, with its
unseen and unknown events. A few words of courtesy
passed between Deerslayer and the girl, in the course of the
breakfast, but no allusion was made to their situation. At
length Judith, whose heart was full, and whose novel feelings
disposed her to entertain sentiments more gentle and
tender than common, introduced the subject, and this in a
way to show how much of her thoughts it had occupied, in
the course of the last sleepless night.
“It would be dreadful, Deerslayer,” the girl abruptly exclaimed,
“should any thing serious befal my father and
Hetty! We cannot remain quietly here, and leave them in
the hands of the Iroquois, without bethinking us of some
means of serving them.”
“I'm ready, Judith, to sarve them, and all others who
are in trouble, could the way to do it be p'inted out. It's
no trifling matter to fall into red-skin hands, when men set
out on an a'r'n'd like that which took Hutter and Hurry
ashore; that I know as well as another; and I wouldn't
wish my worst inimy in such a strait, much less them with
whom I've journeyed, and eat, and slept. Have you any
scheme, that you would like to have the Sarpent and me,
indivour to carry out?”
“I know of no other means to release the prisoners, than
by bribing the Iroquois. They are not proof against presents;
and we might offer enough, perhaps, to make them
think it better to carry away what to them will be rich gifts,
than to carry away poor prisoners; if, indeed, they should
carry them away at all!”
“This is well enough, Judith; yes, it's well enough, if
the purchase with. Your father has a convenient lodge, and
it is most cunningly placed; though it doesn't seem over-stock'd
with riches that will be likely to buy his ransom.
There's the piece he calls Killdeer, might count for something,
and I understand there's a keg of powder about, which
might be a make-weight, sartain; and yet two able-bodied
men are not to be bought off for a trifle—besides—”
“Besides what?” demanded Judith, impatiently, observing
that the other hesitated to proceed, probably from a reluctance
to distress her.
“Why, Judith, the Frenchers offer bounties as well as
our own side; and the price of two scalps would purchase a
keg of powder, and a rifle; though I'll not say one of the
latter altogether as good as Killdeer, there, which your father
va'nts as oncommon, and onequalled, like. But fair
powder, and a pretty sartain rifle; and then the red-men are
not the expartest in fire-arms, and don't always know the
difference atwixt that which is ra'al, and that which is seeming.”
“This is horrible!” muttered the girl, struck by the
homely manner in which her companion was accustomed to
state his facts. “But you overlook my own clothes, Deerslayer;
and they, I think, might go far with the women of
the Iroquois.”
“No doubt they would; no doubt they would, Judith,”
returned the other, looking at her keenly, as if he would ascertain
whether she were really capable of making such a
sacrifice. “But, are you sartain, gal, you could find it in
your heart, to part with your own finery for such a purpose?
Many is the man who has thought he was valiant till danger
stared him in the face; I've known them, too, that consaited
they were kind and ready to give away all they had to
the poor, when they've been listening to other people's hard-heartedness;
but whose fists have clench'd as tight as the
riven hickory, when it came to downright offerings of their
own. Besides, Judith, you're handsome—oncommon in
that way, one might obsarve, and do no harm to the truth;
and they that have beauty, like to have that which will adorn
it. Are you sartain you could find it in your heart to part
with your own finery?”
The soothing allusion to the personal charms of the girl,
was well-timed, to counteract the effect produced by the distrust
that the young man expressed of Judith's devotion to
her filial duties. Had another said as much as Deerslayer,
the compliment would most probably have been overlooked,
in the indignation awakened by the doubts; but even the unpolished
sincerity, that so often made this simple-minded
hunter bare his thoughts, had a charm for the girl; and,
while she coloured, and for an instant her eyes flashed fire,
she could not find it in her heart to be really angry with one
whose very soul seemed truth and manly kindness. Look
her reproaches she did; but conquering the desire to retort,
she succeeded in answering in a mild and friendly manner.
“You must keep all your favourable opinions for the
Delaware girls, Deerslayer, if you seriously think thus of
those of your own colour,” she said, affecting to laugh.
“But, try me; if you find that I regret either riband or
feather, silk or muslin, then may you think what you please
of my heart, and say what you think.”
“That's justice! The rarest thing to find on 'arth, is a
truly just man. So says Tamenund, the wisest prophet of
the Delawares; and so all must think, that have occasion to
see, and talk, and act among mankind. I love a just man,
Sarpent; his eyes are never covered with darkness towards
his inimies, while they are all sunshine and brightness towards
his fri'nds. He uses the reason that God has given
him, and he uses it with a feelin' of his being ordered to look
at, and to consider things as they are, and not as he wants
them to be. It's easy enough to find men who call themselves
just; but it's wonderful oncommon to find them that
are the thing, in fact. How often have I seen Indians, gal,
who believed they were lookin' into a matter agreeable to
the will of the Great Spirit, when, in truth, they were only
striving to act up to their own will and pleasure, and this,
half of the time, with a temptation to go wrong that could
no more be seen by themselves, than the stream that runs in
the next valley, can be seen by us through yonder mountain;
though any looker-on might have discovered it, as
plainly as we can discover the parch that are swimming
around this hut.”
“Very true, Deerslayer,” rejoined Judith, losing every
hope to see you act on this love of justice, in all matters in
which I am concerned. Above all, I hope you will judge
for yourself, and not believe every evil story that a
prating idler, like Hurry Harry, may have to tell, that goes
to touch the good name of any young woman who may not
happen to have the same opinions of his face and person
that the blustering gallant has of himself.”
“Hurry Harry's idees do not pass for gospel with me, Judith;
but even worse than he may have eyes and ears,” returned
the other gravely.
“Enough of this!” exclaimed Judith, with flashing eye,
and a flush that mounted to her temples; “and more of my
father and his ransom. 'T is as you say, Deerslayer; the
Indians will not be likely to give up their prisoners, without
a heavier bribe than my clothes can offer, and father's rifle
and powder. There is the chest.”
“Ay, there is the chist, as you say, Judith; and when the
question gets to be between a secret and a scalp, I should
think most men would prefar keeping the last. Did your
father ever give you any downright command consarning
that chist?”
“Never. He has always appeared to think its locks, and
its steel bands, and its strength, its best protection.”
“'T is a rare chist, and altogether of curious build,” returned
Deerslayer, rising and approaching the thing in question,
on which he seated himself, with a view to examine it
with greater ease. “Chingachgook, this is no wood that
comes of any forest that you or I have ever trailed through!
'T isn't the black walnut; and yet it's quite as comely, if
not more so, did the smoke and the treatment give it fair
play.”
The Delaware drew near, felt of the wood, examined its
grain, endeavoured to indent the surface with a nail, and
passed his hand curiously over the steel bands, the heavy
padlocks, and the other novel peculiarities of the massive
box.
“No—nothing like this grows in these regions,” resumed
Deerslayer; “I've seen all the oaks, both the maples, the
elms, the bass-wood, all the walnuts, the butternuts, and
every tree that has a substance and colour, wrought into
wood as this! Judith, the chist itself, would buy your
father's freedom; or Iroquois cur'osity isn't as strong as
red-skin cur'osity, in general; especially in the matter of
woods.”
“The purchase might be cheaper made, perhaps, Deerslayer.
The chest is full, and it would be better to part with
half, than to part with the whole. Besides, father—I know
not why—but, father values that chest highly.”
“He would seem to prize what it holds, more than the
chist itself, judging by the manner in which he treats the
outside, and secures the inside. Here are three locks, Judith;
is there no key?”
“I've never seen one; and yet key there must be, since
Hetty told us, she had often seen the chest opened.”
“Keys no more lie in the air, or float on the water, than
humans, gal; if there is a key, there must be a place in
which it is kept.”
“That is true, and it might not be difficult to find it, did
we dare to search!”
“This is for you, Judith; it is altogether for you. The
chist is your'n, or your father's; and Hutter is your father,
not mine. Cur'osity is a woman's, and not a man's failing;
and there you have got all the reasons before you. If the
chist has articles for ransom, it seems to me they would be
wisely used in redeeming their owner's life, or even in saving
his scalp; but that is a matter for your judgment, and not
for ourn. When the lawful owner of a trap, or a buck, or
a canoe, isn't present, his next of kin becomes his riprisentat
yve, by all the laws of the woods. We therefore leave
you to say whether the chist shall, or shall not be opened.”
“I hope you do not believe I can hesitate, when my father's
life's in danger, Deerslayer!”
“Why, it's pretty much putting a scolding ag'in tears
and mourning. It's not onreasonable to foretell that old
Tom may find fault with what you've done, when he sees
himself, once more, in his hut, here; but there's nothing unusual
in men's falling out with what has been done for their
own good; I dare to say that even the moon would seem a
different thing from what it now does, could we look at it
from the other side.”
“Deerslayer, if we can find the key, I will authorize you
to open the chest, and to take such things from it, as you
may think will buy father's ransom.”
“First find the key, gal; we'll talk of the rest a'terwards.
Sarpent, you've eyes like a fly, and a judgment that's seldom
out; can you help us, in calculating where Floating
Tom would be apt to keep the key of a chist that he holds to
be as private as this.”
The Delaware had taken no part in the discourse, until
he was thus directly appealed to, when he quitted the chest,
which had continued to attract his attention, and cast about
him for the place in which a key would be likely to be concealed,
under such circumstances. As Judith and Deerslayer
were not idle, the while, the whole three were soon
engaged in an anxious and spirited search. As it was certain
that the desired key was not to be found in any of the
common drawers, or closets, of which there were several in
the building, none looked there, but all turned their inquiries
to those places that struck them as ingenious hiding-places,
and more likely to be used for such a purpose. In this
manner the outer room was thoroughly but fruitlessly examined;
when they entered the sleeping apartment of Hutter.
This part of the rude building was better furnished
than the rest of the structure; containing several articles that
had been especially devoted to the service of the deceased
wife of its owner; but as Judith had all the rest of the keys,
it was soon rummaged, without bringing to light the particular
key desired.
They now entered the bed-room of the daughters. Chingachgook
was immediately struck with the contrast between
the articles, and the arrangement, of that side of the room
that might be called Judith's, and that which more properly
belonged to Hetty. A slight exclamation escaped him, and
pointing in each direction, he alluded to the fact in a low
voice, speaking to his friend in the Delaware tongue.
“As you think, Sarpent,” answered Deerslayer; whose
remarks we always translate into English, preserving as
much as possible of the peculiar phraseology and manner of
the man. “'T is just so, as any one may see; and 'tis all
founded in natur'. One sister loves finery, some say, over-much;
while t'other is as meek and lowly as God ever created
Judith has her vartues, and Hetty has her failin's.”
“And the `Feeble-Mind' has seen the chest opened?” inquired
Chingachgook, with curiosity in his glance.
“Sartain; that much I've heard from her own lips; and,
for that matter, so have you. It seems her father doesn't
misgive her discretion, though he does that of his eldest
darter.”
“Then, the key is hid only from the Wild Rose?” for so
Chingachgook had begun gallantly to term Judith, in his
private discourse with his friend.
“That's it! That's just it! One he trusts, and the
other he doesn't. There's red and white in that, Sarpent;
all tribes and nations agreeing in trusting some, and refusing
to trust other some. It depends on character and judgment.”
“Where could a key be put, so little likely to be found by
the Wild Rose, as among coarse clothes?”
Deerslayer started, and turning to his friend, with admiration
expressed in every lineament of his face, he fairly
laughed, in his silent but hearty manner, at the ingenuity
and readiness of the conjecture.
“Your name's well bestowed, Sarpent—yes, 't is well bestowed!
Sure enough, where would a lover of finery be so
little likely to s'arch, as among garments as coarse and unseemly
as these of poor Hetty. I dares to say, Judith's
delicate fingers haven't touched a bit of cloth as rough and
oncomely as that petticoat, now, since she first made acquaintance
with the officers! Yet, who knows? the key
may be as likely to be on the same peg, as in any other
place. Take down the garment, Delaware, and let us see if
you are ra'ally a prophet.”
Chingachgook did as desired, but no key was found. A
coarse pocket, apparently empty, hung on the adjoining peg,
and this was next examined. By this time, the attention of
Judith was called in that direction, and she spoke hurriedly,
and like one who wished to save unnecessary trouble.
“These are only the clothes of poor Hetty, dear simple
girl!” she said; “nothing we seek, would be likely to be
there.”
The words were hardly out of the handsome mouth of the
pocket. Judith was too quick of apprehension, not to understand
the reason a hiding-place, so simple and exposed,
had been used. The blood rushed to her face, as much
with resentment, perhaps, as with shame; and she bit her
lip, though she continued silent. Deerslayer and his friend
now discovered the delicacy of men of native refinement,
neither smiling, or even by a glance betraying how completely
he understood the motives and ingenuity of this
clever artifice. The former, who had taken the key from
the Indian, led the way into the adjoining room, and applying
it to a lock, ascertained that the right instrument had
actually been found. There were three padlocks, each of
which, however, was easily opened by this single key.
Deerslayer removed them all, loosened the hasps, raised the
lid a little to make certain it was loose, and then he drew
back from the chest, several feet, signing to his friend to
follow.
“This is a family chist, Judith,” he said, “and 't is like
to hold family secrets. The Sarpent and I will go into the
ark, and look to the canoes, and paddles, and oars; while
you can examine it by yourself, and find out whether any
thing that will be a make-weight in a ransom, is, or is not,
among the articles. When you've got through, give us a
call, and we'll all sit in council, together, touching the valie
of the articles.”
“Stop, Deerslayer,” exclaimed the girl, as he was about
to withdraw; “not a single thing will I touch—I will not
even raise the lid—unless you are present. Father and
Hetty have seen fit to keep the inside of this chest a secret
from me, and I am much too proud to pry into their hidden
treasures, unless it were for their own good. But, on no
account, will I open the chest alone. Stay with me, then;
I want witnesses of what I do.”
“I rather think, Sarpent, that the gal is right! Confidence
and reliance beget security, but suspicion is like to
make us all wary. Judith has a right to ask us to be present;
and should the chist hold any of Master Hutter's secrets,
they will fall into the keeping of two as close-mouthed
young men as are to be found. We will stay with you,
for this chist will not be emptied in a minute.”
The two men now went out on the platform, and Deerslayer
swept the shore with the glass, while the Indian
gravely turned his eye on the water and the woods, in quest
of any sign that might betray the machinations of their enemies.
Nothing was visible, and assured of their temporary
security, the three collected around the chest, again, with
the avowed object of opening it.
Judith had held this chest, and its unknown contents, in a
species of reverence as long as she could remember. Neither
her father, nor her mother, ever mentioned it in her
presence; and there appeared to be a silent convention, that
in naming the different objects that occasionally stood near it,
or even lay on its lid, care should be had to avoid any allusion
to the chest itself. Habit had rendered this so easy, and so
much a matter of course, that it was only quite recently the
girl had begun even to muse on the singularity of the circumstance.
But there had never been sufficient intimacy
between Hutter and his eldest daughter, to invite confidence.
At times, he was kind, but in general, with her more especially,
he was stern and morose. Least of all had his authority
been exercised in a way to embolden his child to venture on
the liberty she was about to take, without many misgivings
of the consequences, although the liberty proceeded from
a desire to serve himself. Then Judith was not altogether
free from a little superstition, on the subject of this chest,
which had stood a sort of tabooed relic before her eyes, from
childhood to the present hour. Nevertheless the time had
come, when it would seem that this mystery was to be explained,
and that under circumstances, too, which left her
very little choice in the matter.
Finding that both her companions were watching her
movements, in grave silence, Judith placed a hand on the
lid, and endeavoured to raise it. Her strength, however, was
insufficient, and it appeared to the girl, who was fully aware
that all the fastenings were removed, that she was resisted
in an unhallowed attempt, by some supernatural power.
“I cannot raise the lid, Deerslayer,” she said: “had we
not better give up the attempt, and find some other means
of releasing the prisoners?”
“Not so, Judith; not so, gal. No means are as sartain
and easy, as a good bribe,” answered the other. “As for
the lid, 't is held by nothing but its own weight, which is
prodigious for so small a piece of wood, loaded with iron as
it is.”
As Deerslayer spoke, he applied his own strength to the
effort, and succeeded in raising the lid against the timbers of
the house, where he took care to secure it, by a sufficient
prop. Judith fairly trembled, as she cast her first glance at
the interior; and she felt a temporary relief in discovering
that a piece of canvass, that was carefully tucked in, around
the edges, effectually concealed all beneath it. The chest
was apparently well stored, however, the canvass lying
within an inch of the lid.
“Here 's a full cargo,” said Deerslayer, eyeing the arrangement;
“and we had needs go to work leisurely, and
at our ease. Sarpent, bring some stools, while I spread this
blanket on the floor, and then we 'll begin work orderly, and
in comfort.”
The Delaware complied; Deerslayer civilly placed a stool
for Judith, took one himself, and commenced the removal of
the canvass covering. This was done deliberately, and in
as cautious a manner, as if it were believed that fabrics of a
delicate construction lay hidden beneath. When the canvass
was removed, the first articles that came in view were some
of the habiliments of the male sex. These were of fine materials,
and, according to the fashions of the age, were gay
in colours, and rich in ornaments. One coat, in particular,
was of scarlet, and had button-holes worked in gold thread.
Still it was not military, but was part of the attire of a civilian
of condition, at a period when social rank was rigidly
respected in dress. Chingachgook could not refrain from an
exclamation of pleasure, as soon as Deerslayer opened this
coat, and held it up to view; for, notwithstanding all his
trained self-command, the splendour of the vestment was
too much for the philosophy of an Indian. Deerslayer
turned quickly, and he regarded his friend with momentary
displeasure, as this burst of weakness escaped him; and then
he soliloquized, as was his practice, whenever any strong
feeling suddenly got the ascendancy.
“T is his gift!—yes, 't is the gift of a red-skin to love
garment, too; and extr'ornary things get up extr'ornary
feelin's. I think this will do, Judith, for the Indian heart is
hardly to be found in all America, that can withstand
colours like these, and glitter like that. If this coat was
ever made for your father, you've come honestly by the
taste for finery, you have.”
“That coat was never made for father,” answered the
girl, quickly; “it is much too long; while father is short
and square.”
“Cloth was plenty, if it was, and glitter cheap,” answered
Deerslayer, with his silent, joyous laugh. “Sarpent, this
garment was made for a man of your size, and I should like
to see it on your shoulders.”
Chingachgook, nothing loth, submitted to the trial; throwing
aside the coarse and thread-bare jacket of Hutter, to
deck his person in a coat that was originally intended for a
gentleman. The transformation was ludicrous; but as men
are seldom struck with incongruities in their own appearance,
any more than in their own conduct, the Delaware
studied this change in a common glass, by which Hutter was
in the habit of shaving, with grave interest. At that moment
he thought of Hist, and we owe it to truth to say,
though it may militate a little against the stern character of
a warrior to own it, that he wished he could be seen by her,
in his present improved aspect.
“Off with it, Sarpent—off with it,” resumed the inflexible
Deerslayer; “such garments as little become you, as they
would become me. Your gifts are for paint, and hawk's
feathers, and blankets, and wampum; and mine are for
doublets of skin, tough leggings, and sarviceable moccasins.
I say moccasins, Judith; for though white, living as I do, in
the woods, it's necessary to take to some of the practyces
of the woods, for comfort's sake, and cheapness.”
“I see no reason, Deerslayer, why one man may not
wear a scarlet coat, as well as another,” returned the girl.
“I wish I could see you in this handsome garment.”
“See me in a coat fit for a lord! Well, Judith, if you
wait till that day, you'll wait until you see me beyond reason
and memory. No—no—gal, my gifts are my gifts, and
I'll live and die in 'em, though I never bring down another
should wish to see me in such a flaunting coat, Judith!”
“Because I think, Deerslayer, that the false-tongued and
false-hearted young gallants of the garrison, ought not alone
to appear in fine feathers; but that truth and honesty have
their claims to be honoured and exalted.”
“And what exaltification—” The reader will have remarked
that Deerslayer had not very critically studied his
dictionary—“And what exaltification would it be to me,
Judith, to be bedizzened and bescarleted, like a Mingo chief
that has just got his presents up from Quebec? No—no—
I'm well as I am; and if not, I can be no better. Lay the
coat down on the blanket, Sarpent, and let us look further
into the chist.”
The tempting garment, one surely that was never intended
for Hutter, was laid aside, and the examination proceeded.
The male attire, all of which corresponded with the coat in
quality, was soon exhausted, and then succeeded female. A
beautiful dress of brocade, a little the worse from negligent
treatment, followed; and this time open exclamations of delight
escaped the lips of Judith. Much as the girl had been
addicted to dress, and favourable as had been her opportunities
of seeing some little pretension in that way, among the
wives of the different commandants, and other ladies of the
forts, never before had she beheld a tissue, or tints to equal
those that were now so unexpectedly placed before her eyes.
Her rapture was almost childish; nor would she allow the
inquiry to proceed until she had attired her person in a robe
so unsuited to her habits and her abode. With this end, she
withdrew into her own room, where, with hands practised
in such offices, she soon got rid of her own neat gown of
linen, and stood forth in the gay tints of the brocade. The
dress happened to fit the fine, full, person of Judith, and
certainly it had never adorned a being better qualified by
natural gifts, to do credit to its really rich hues and fine
texture. When she returned, both Deerslayer and Chingachgook,
who had passed the brief time of her absence, in
taking a second look at the male garments, arose in surprise,
each permitting exclamations of wonder and pleasure to escape
him, in a way so unequivocal as to add new lustre to
the eyes of Judith, by flushing her cheeks with a glow of
she had made, the girl seated herself with the stateliness
of a queen, desiring that the chest might be looked into,
further.
“I don't know a better way to treat with the Mingos,
gal,” cried Deerslayer, “than to send you ashore, as you
be, and to tell'em that a queen has arrived among'em!
They'll give up old Hutter, and Hurry, and Hetty, too, at
such a spectacle!”
“I thought your tongue too honest to flatter, Deerslayer,”
returned the girl, gratified at this admiration more than she
would have cared to own. “One of the chief reasons of
my respect for you, was your love for truth.”
“And 't is truth, and solemn truth, Judith, and nothing
else. Never did eyes of mine gaze on as glorious a lookin'
creatur', as you be yourself, at this very moment! I've
seen beauties in my time, too, both white and red; and them
that was renowned and talk'd of, far and near; but, never
have I beheld one that could hold any comparison with what
you are at this blessed instant, Judith; never.”
The glance of delight which the girl bestowed on the
frank-speaking hunter, in no degree lessened the effect of
her charms; and as the humid eyes blended with it a look
of sensibility, perhaps Judith never appeared more truly
lovely, than at what the young man had called that “blessed
instant.” He shook his head, held it suspended a moment
over the open chest, like one in doubt, and then proceeded
with the examination.
Several of the minor articles of female dress came next,
all of a quality to correspond with the gown. These were
laid at Judith's feet, in silence, as if she had a natural claim
to their possession. One or two, such as gloves, and lace,
the girl caught up, and appended to her already rich attire,
in affected playfulness, but with the real design of decorating
her person as far as circumstances would allow. When
these two remarkable suits, male and female they might be
termed, were removed, another canvass covering separated
the remainder of the articles from the part of the chest which
they had occupied. As soon as Deerslayer perceived this
arrangement, he paused, doubtful of the propriety of proceeding
any further.
“Every man has his secrets, I suppose,” he said, “and
all men have a right to their enj'yment; we've got low
enough in this chist, in my judgment, to answer our wants,
and it seems to me we should do well by going no farther;
and by letting Master Hutter have to himself, and his own
feelin's, all that's beneath this cover.”
“Do you mean, Deerslayer, to offer these clothes to the
Iroquois, as ransom?” demanded Judith, quickly.
“Sartain. What are we prying into another man's chist
for, but to sarve its owner, in the best way we can. This
coat, alone, would be very apt to gain over the head-chief of
the riptyles; and if his wife or darter should happen to be
out with him, that there gownd would soften the heart of
any woman that is to be found atween Albany and Montreal.
I do not see that we want a larger stock in trade than
these two articles.”
“To you it may seem so, Deerslayer,” returned the disappointed
girl; “but of what use could a dress like this be
to any Indian woman? She could not wear it among the
branches of the trees; the dirt and smoke of the wigwam
would soon soil it; and how would a pair of red arms appear,
thrust through these short, laced sleeves!”
“All very true, gal; and you might go on and say, it is
altogether out of time, and place, and season, in this region
at all. What is it to us how the finery is treated, so long as
it answers our wishes? I do not see that your father can
make any use of such clothes; and it's lucky he has things
that are of no valie to himself, that will bear a high price with
others. We can make no better trade for him, than to offer
these duds for his liberty. We'll throw in the light frivol'ties,
and get Hurry off in the bargain!”
“Then you think, Deerslayer, that Thomas Hutter has
no one in his family—no child—no daughter, to whom this
dress may be thought becoming, and whom you could wish
to see in it, once and awhile, even though it should be at
long intervals, and only in playfulness?”
“I understand you, Judith—yes, I now understand your
meaning; and I think I can say, your wishes. That you
are as glorious, in that dress, as the sun when it rises, or
sets, in a soft October day, I'm ready to allow; and that
you greatly become it, is a good deal more sartain than that
things. Now I do not think that a warrior on his first path,
ought to lay on the same awful paints as a chief that has
had his virtue tried, and knows from exper'ence he will not
disgrace his pretensions. So it is with all of us, red or
white. You are Thomas Hutter's darter, and that gownd
was made for the child of some governor, or a lady of high
station; and it was intended to be worn among fine furniture,
and in rich company. In my eyes, Judith, a modest
maiden never looks more becoming, than when becomingly
clad, and nothing is suitable that is out of character. Besides,
gal, if there's a creatur' in the colony that can afford
to do without finery, and to trust to her own good looks,
and sweet countenance, it's yourself.”
“I'll take off the rubbish this instant, Deerslayer,” cried
the girl, springing up to leave the room; “and never do I
wish to see it on any human being, again.”
“So it is with 'em all, Sarpent,” said the other, turning
to his friend and laughing, as soon as the beauty had disappeared.
“They like finery, but they like their natyve charms
most of all. I'm glad the gal has consented to lay aside her
furbelow, howsever, for it's ag'in reason for one of her class
to wear 'em; and then she is handsome enough, as I call it,
to go alone. Hist would show oncommon likely, too, in
such a gownd, Delaware!”
“Wah-ta!-Wah is a red-skin girl, Deerslayer,” returned
the Indian; “like the young of the pigeon, she is to be
known by her own feathers. I should pass by without
knowing her, were she dressed in such a skin. It's wisest
always to be so clad that our friends need not ask us for
our names. The `Wild Rose' is very pleasant, but she is
no sweeter for so many colours.”
“That's it!—that's natur', and the true foundation for
love and protection. When a man stops to pick a wild strawberry,
he does not expect to find a melon; and when he
wishes to gather a melon, he's disapp'inted if it prove to be
a squash; though squashes be often brighter to the eye
than melons. That's it, and it means, stick to your gifts,
and your gifts will stick to you.”
The two men had now a little discussion together, touching
the propriety of penetrating any farther into the chest of
in her own simple, linen frock again.
“Thank you, Judith,” said Deerslayer, taking her kindly
by the hand; “for I know it went a little ag'in the nat'ral
cravings of woman, to lay aside so much finery, as it might
be in a lump. But you're more pleasing to the eye as you
stand, you be, than if you had a crown on your head, and
jewels dangling from your hair. The question now is,
whether to lift this covering, to see what will be ra'ally the
best bargain we can make for Master Hutter; for we must
do as we think he would be willing to do, did he stand here
in our places.”
Judith looked very happy. Accustomed as she was to
adulation, the humble homage of Deerslayer had given her
more true satisfaction, than she had ever yet received from
the tongue of man. It was not the terms in which this admiration
had been expressed, for they were simple enough,
that produced so strong an impression; nor yet their novelty,
or their warmth of manner, nor any of those peculiarities
that usually give value to praise; but the unflinching truth
of the speaker, that carried his words so directly to the heart
of the listener. This is one of the great advantages of plain
dealing and frankness. The habitual and wily flatterer may
succeed until his practices recoil on himself; and like other
sweets, his aliment cloys by its excess; but he who deals
honestly, though he often necessarily offend, possesses a
power of praising that no quality but sincerity can bestow;
since his words go directly to the heart, finding their support
in the understanding. Thus it was with Deerslayer
and Judith; so soon and so deeply did this simple hunter
impress all who knew him, with a conviction of his unbending
honesty, that all he uttered in commendation was as certain
to please, as all he uttered in the way of rebuke was
certain to rankle and excite enmity, where his character had
not awakened a respect and affection, that in another sense
rendered it painful. In after life, when the career of this
untutored being brought him in contact with officers of rank,
and others entrusted with the care of the interests of the
state, this same influence was exerted on a wider field; even
generals listening to his commendations with a glow of
pleasure, that it was not always in the power of their official
of his own colour, who fairly submitted to this
natural consequence of truth and fair-dealing, on the part of
Deerslayer. She had actually pined for his praise, and she
had now received it; and that in the form which was most
agreeable to her weaknesses and habits of thought. The
result will appear in the course of the narrative.
“If we knew all that chest holds, Deerslayer,” returned
the girl, when she had a little recovered from the immediate
effect produced by his commendations of her personal appearance;
“we could better determine on the course we
ought to take.”
“That's not onreasonable, gal, though it's more a paleface
than a red-skin gift, to be prying into other people's
secrets.”
“Curiosity is natural, and it is expected that all human
beings should have human failings. Whenever I've been
at the garrisons, I've found that most, in and about them,
had a longing to learn their neighbour's secrets.”
“Yes, and sometimes to fancy them, when they couldn't
find'em out! That's the difference atween an Indian gentleman,
and a white gentleman. The Sarpent, here, would
turn his head aside, if he found himself onknowingly lookin'
into another chief's wigwam; whereas, in the settlements,
while all pretend to be great people, most prove they've got
betters, by the manner in which they talk of their consarns.
I'll be bound, Judith, you wouldn't get the Sarpent, there,
to confess there was another in the tribe so much greater
than himself, as to become the subject of his idees, and to
empl'y his tongue in conversations about his movements,
and ways, and food, and all the other little matters that occupy
a man when he's not empl'y'd in his greater duties.
He who does this, is but little better than a blackguard in
the grain, and them that encourages him, is pretty much of
the same kidney, let them wear coats as fine as they may,
or of what dye they please.”
“But this is not another man's wigwam; it belongs to my
father; these are his things, and they are wanted in his
service.”
“That's true, gal, that's true; and it carries weight with
which to offer for the ransom, and which to withhold.”
Judith was not altogether as disinterested in her feelings,
as she affected to be. She remembered that the curiosity of
Hetty had been indulged, in connection with this chest,
while her own had been disregarded; and she was not sorry
to possess an opportunity of being placed on a level with her
less gifted sister, in this one particular. It appearing to be
admitted all round, that the inquiry into the contents of the
chest ought to be pushed further, Deerslayer proceeded to
remove the second covering of canvass.
The articles that lay uppermost, when the curtain was
again raised on the secrets of the chest, were a pair of pistols,
curiously inlaid with silver. Their value would have
been considerable, in one of the towns, though as weapons,
in the woods, they were a species of arms seldom employed;
never, indeed, unless it might be by some officer from Europe,
who visited the colonies, as many were then wont to
do, so much impressed with the superiority of the usages of
London, as to fancy they were not to be laid aside on the
frontier of America. What occurred on the discovery of
these weapons, will appear, in the succeeding chapter.
| CHAPTER XII. The deerslayer: or, The first war-path | |