 | THE DEERSLAYER. The deerslayer: or, The first war-path |  |
1. THE DEERSLAYER.
1. CHAPTER I.
Of sunshine and of flowers,
But unto me thou bring'st a tale
Of visionary hours.”
Wordsworth.
The discovery mentioned at the close of the preceding
chapter, was of great moment in the eyes of Deerslayer and
his friend. In the first place, there was the danger, almost
the certainty, that Hutter and Hurry would make a fresh
attempt on this camp, should they awake and ascertain its
position. Then there was the increased risk of landing to
bring off Hist; and there were the general uncertainty and
additional hazards that must follow from the circumstance
that their enemies had begun to change their positions. As
the Delaware was aware that the hour was near when he
ought to repair to the rendezvous, he no longer thought of
trophies torn from his foes; and one of the first things arranged
between him and his associate, was to permit the two
others to sleep on, lest they should disturb the execution of
their plans, by substituting some of their own. The ark
moved slowly, and it would have taken fully a quarter of an
hour to reach the point, at the rate at which they were going;
thus affording time for a little forethought. The Indians, in
the wish to conceal their fire from those who were thought
to be still in the castle, had placed it so near the southern
side of the point, as to render it extremely difficult to shut it
in by the bushes, though Deerslayer varied the direction of
able to effect that object.
“There's one advantage, Judith, in finding that fire so
near the water,” he said, while executing these little manœuvres;
“since it shows the Mingos believe we are in the hut,
and our coming on 'em, from this quarter, will be an onlooked
for event. But 'tis lucky Harry March and your father
are asleep, else we should have 'em prowling after scalps
ag'in. Ha! there—the bushes are beginning to shut in the
fire—and now it can't be seen at all!”
Deerslayer waited a little to make certain that he had at
last gained the desired position, when he gave the signal
agreed on, and Chingachgook let go the grapnel, and lowered
the sail.
The situation in which the ark now lay had its advantages,
and its disadvantages. The fire had been hid by sheering
towards the shore, and the latter was nearer perhaps than
was desirable. Still, the water was known to be very deep
further off in the lake, and anchoring in deep water, under
the circumstances in which the party was placed, was to be
avoided, if possible. It was also believed no raft could be
within miles; and, though the trees in the darkness appeared
almost to overhang the scow, it would not be easy to get off
to her, without using a boat. The intense darkness that prevailed
so close in with the forest, too, served as an effectual
screen; and so long as care was had not to make a noise,
there was little or no danger of being detected. All these
things Deerslayer pointed out to Judith, instructing her as
to the course she was to follow in the event of an alarm;
for it was thought to the last degree inexpedient to arouse
the sleepers, unless it might be in the greatest emergency.
“And now, Judith, as we understand one another, it is
time the Sarpent and I had taken to the canoe,” the hunter
concluded. “The star has not risen yet, it's true; but it
soon must, though none of us are likely to be any the wiser
for it, to-night, on account of the clouds. Howsever, Hist
has a ready mind, and she's one of them that doesn't always
need to have a thing afore her, to see it. I'll warrant you
she'll not be either two minutes, or two feet, out of the way,
unless them jealous vagabonds, the Mingos, have taken the
alarm, and put her as a stool-pigeon to catch us; or have
of a Mohican husband.”
“Deerslayer,” interrupted the girl, earnestly; “this is a
most dangerous service; why do you go on it, at all?”
“Anan!—Why you know, gal, we go to bring off Hist,
the Sarpent's betrothed—the maid he means to marry, as
soon as we get back to the tribe.”
“That is all right for the Indian—but you do not mean to
marry Hist,—you are not betrothed, and why should two
risk their lives and liberties, to do that which one can just
as well perform?”
“Ah!—now I understand you, Judith—yes, now I begin
to take the idee. You think as Hist is the Sarpent's betrothed,
as they call it, and not mine, it's altogether his affair;
and as one man can paddle a canoe, he ought to be
left to go after his gal alone! But you forget this is our
ar'n'd here, on the lake, and it would not tell well to forget
an ar'n'd just as the pinch came. Then, if love does count
for so much with some people, particularly with young women,
fri'ndship counts for something, too, with other some.
I dares to say, the Delaware can paddle a canoe by himself,
and can bring off Hist by himself, and perhaps he would
like that quite as well, as to have me with him; but he
couldn't sarcumvent sarcumventions, or stir up an ambushment,
or fight with the savages, and get his sweetheart at
the same time, as well by himself as if he had a fri'nd with
him, to depend on, even if that fri'nd is no better than myself.
No—no—Judith, you wouldn't desart one that counted
on you, at such a moment, and you can't, in reason, expect
me to do it.”
“I fear—I believe you are right, Deerslayer; and yet I
wish you were not to go! Promise me one thing, at least,
and that is, not to trust yourself among the savages, or to do
anything more than to save the girl. That will be enough
for once, and with that you ought to be satisfied.”
“Lord bless you! gal; one would think it was Hetty
that's talking, and not the quick-witted, and wonderful Judith
Hutter! But fright makes the wise, silly, and the strong,
weak. Yes, I've seen proofs of that, time and ag'in! Well,
it's kind, and soft-hearted in you, Judith, to feel this consarn
for a fellow creatur', and I shall always say that you are
looks, tell as many idle stories of you as they may.”
“Deerslayer!” hastily said the girl, interrupting him,
though nearly choked by her own emotions; “do you believe
all you hear about a poor, motherless girl? Is the
foul tongue of Hurry Harry to blast my life!”
“Not it, Judith—not it. I've told Hurry it wasn't manful
to backbite them he couldn't win by fair means; and
that even an Indian is always tender, touching a young woman's
good name.”
“If I had a brother, he wouldn't dare to do it!” exclaimed
Judith, with eyes flashing fire. “But, finding me without
any protector but an old man, whose ears are getting to be
as dull as his feelings, he has his way as he pleases!”
“Not exactly that, Judith; no, not exactly that, neither!
No man, brother or stranger, would stand by and see as fair
a gal as yourself hunted down, without saying a word in her
behalf. Hurry's in 'arnest in wanting to make you his
wife, and the little he does let out ag'in you, comes more
from jealousy, like, than from any thing else. Smile on him
when he awakes, and squeeze his hand only half as hard as
you squeezed mine a bit ago, and my life on it, the poor fellow
will forget every thing but your comeliness. Hot words
don't always come from the heart, but oftener from the
stomach, than anywhere else. Try him, Judith, when he
wakes, and see the vartue of a smile.”
Deerslayer laughed, in his own manner, as he concluded,
and then he intimated to the patient-looking, but really impatient
Chingachgook, his readiness to proceed. As the
young man entered the canoe, the girl stood immoveable as
stone, lost in the musings that the language and manner of
the other were likely to produce. The simplicity of the
hunter had completely put her at fault; for, in her narrow
sphere, Judith was an expert manager of the other sex;
though in the present instance she was far more actuated by
impulses, in all she had said and done, than by calculation.
We shall not deny that some of Judith's reflections were
bitter, though the sequel of the tale must be referred to, in
order to explain how merited, or how keen were her sufferings.
Chingachgook, and his pale-face friend, set forth on their
that would have done credit to men who were on their
twentieth, instead of being on their first, war-path. As suited
his relation to the pretty fugitive, in whose service they were
engaged, the Indian took his place in the head of the canoe;
while Deerslayer guided its movements in the stern. By
this arrangement, the former would be the first to land, and
of course the first to meet his mistress. The latter had taken
his post, without comment, but in secret influenced by the
reflection that one who had so much at stake as the Indian,
might not possibly guide the canoe with the same steadiness
and intelligence, as another who had more command of his
feelings. From the instant they left the side of the ark, the
movements of the two adventurers were like the manœuvres
of highly-drilled soldiers, who for the first time were called
on to meet the enemy in the field. As yet, Chingachgook
had never fired a shot in anger, and the debût of his companion
in warfare, is known to the reader. It is true, the
Indian had been hanging about his enemy's camp for a few
hours, on his first arrival, and he had even once entered it,
as related in the last chapter, but no consequences had followed
either experiment. Now, it was certain that an important
result was to be effected, or a mortifying failure was
to ensue. The rescue, or the continued captivity of Hist,
depended on the enterprise. In a word, it was virtually the
maiden expedition of these two ambitious young forest soldiers;
and while one of them set forth, impelled by sentiments
that usually carry men so far, both had all their feelings
of pride and manhood enlisted in their success.
Instead of steering in a direct line to the point, then distant
from the ark less than a quarter of a mile, Deerslayer
laid the head of his canoe diagonally towards the centre of
the lake, with a view to obtain a position, from which he
might approach the shore, having his enemies in his front
only. The spot where Hetty had landed, and where Hist
had promised to meet them, moreover, was on the upper side
of the projection, rather than on the lower; and to reach it,
would have required the adventurers to double nearly the
whole point, close in with the shore, had not this preliminary
step been taken. So well was the necessity for this
measure understood, that Chingachgook quietly paddled on,
was taking him in a direction nearly opposite to that
one might think he most wished to go. A few minutes sufficed,
however, to carry the canoe the necessary distance,
when both the young men ceased paddling as it were by
instinctive consent, and the boat became stationary.
The darkness increased rather than diminished, but it
was still possible, from the place where the adventurers lay,
to distinguish the outlines of the mountains. In vain did
the Delaware turn his head eastward, to catch a glimpse of
the promised star; for, notwithstanding the clouds broke a
little near the horizon, in that quarter of the heavens, the
curtain continued so far drawn as effectually to conceal all
behind it. In front, as was known by the formation of land
above and behind it, lay the point, at a distance of about a
thousand feet. No signs of the castle could be seen, nor
could any movement in that quarter of the lake reach the
ear. The latter circumstance might have been equally
owing to the distance, which was several miles, or to the
fact that nothing was in motion. As for the ark, though
scarcely farther from the canoe than the point, it lay so
completely buried in the shadows of the shore, that it would
not have been visible even had there been many degrees
more of light than actually existed.
The adventurers now held a conference in low voices,
consulting together as to the probable time. Deerslayer
thought it wanted yet some minutes to the rising of the star,
while the impatience of the chief caused him to fancy the
night further advanced, and to believe that his betrothed
was already waiting his appearance on the shore. As might
have been expected, the opinion of the latter prevailed, and
his friend disposed himself to steer for the place of rendezvous.
The utmost skill and precaution now became necessary
in the management of the canoe. The paddles were
lifted, and returned to the water in a noiseless manner; and
when within a hundred yards of the beach, Chingachgook
took in his, altogether, laying his hand on his rifle in its
stead. As they got still more within the belt of darkness
that girded the woods, it was seen that they were steering
too far north, and the course was altered accordingly. The
canoe now seemed to move by instinct, so cautious and deliberate
until its bows grated on the gravel of the beach, at the precise
spot where Hetty had landed, and whence her voice
had issued, the previous night, as the ark was passing.
There was, as usual, a narrow strand, but bushes fringed
the woods, and in most places overhung the water.
Chingachgook stepped upon the beach, and cautiously
examined it, for some distance, on each side of the canoe.
In order to do this, he was often obliged to wade to his
knees in the lake, but no Hist rewarded his search. When
he returned, he found his friend also on the shore. They
next conferred in whispers, the Indian apprehending that
they must have mistaken the place of rendezvous. But
Deerslayer thought it was probable they had mistaken the
hour. While he was yet speaking, he grasped the arm of
the Delaware, caused him to turn his head in the direction
of the lake, and pointed towards the summits of the eastern
mountains. The clouds had broken a little, apparently behind
rather than above the hills, and the selected star was
glittering among the branches of a pine. This was every
way a flattering omen, and the young men leaned on their
rifles, listening intently for the sound of approaching footsteps.
Voices they often heard, and mingled with them
were the suppressed cries of children, and the low but sweet
laugh of Indian women. As the native Americans are habitually
cautious, and seldom break out in loud conversation,
the adventurers knew by these facts, that they must
be very near the encampment. It was easy to perceive that
there was a fire within the woods, by the manner in which
some of the upper branches of the trees were illuminated,
but it was not possible, where they stood, to ascertain exactly
how near it was to themselves. Once or twice, it
seemed as if stragglers from around the fire, were approaching
the place of rendezvous; but these sounds were either
altogether illusion, or those who had drawn near, returned
again without coming to the shore. A quarter of an hour
was passed in this state of intense expectation and anxiety,
when Deerslayer proposed that they should circle the point
in the canoe; and by getting a position close in, where the
camp could be seen, reconnoitre the Indians, and thus enable
themselves to form some plausible conjectures for the
refused to quit the spot, reasonably enough offering
as a reason, the disappointment of the girl, should she arrive
in his absence. Deerslayer felt for his friend's concern,
and offered to make the circuit of the point by himself, leaving
the latter concealed in the bushes to await the occurrence
of any fortunate event that might favour his views. With
this understanding, then, the parties separated.
As soon as Deerslayer was at his post again, in the stern
of the canoe, he left the shore with the same precautions, and
in the same noiseless manner, as he had approached it. On
this occasion he did not go far from the land, the bushes
affording a sufficient cover, by keeping as close in as possible.
Indeed, it would not have been easy to devise any
means more favourable to reconnoitring round an Indian
camp, than those afforded by the actual state of things.
The formation of the point permitted the place to be circled
on three of its sides, and the progress of the boat was so
noiseless as to remove any apprehensions from an alarm
through sound. The most practised and guarded foot might
stir a bunch of leaves, or snap a dried stick, in the dark,
but a bark canoe could be made to float over the surface of
smooth water, almost with the instinctive readiness, and certainly
with the noiseless movements, of an aquatic bird.
Deerslayer had got nearly in a line between the camp
and the ark, before he caught a glimpse of the fire. This
came upon him suddenly, and a little unexpectedly, at first
causing an alarm, lest he had incautiously ventured within
the circle of light it cast. But, perceiving at a second
glance, that he was certainly safe from detection, so long as
the Indians kept near the centre of the illumination, he
brought the canoe to a state of rest, in the most favourable
position he could find, and commenced his observations.
We have written much, but in vain, concerning this extraordinary
being, if the reader requires now to be told,
that, untutored as he was in the learning of the world, and
simple as he ever showed himself to be in all matters touching
the subtleties of conventional taste, he was a man of
strong, native, poetical feeling. He loved the woods for
their freshness, their sublime solitudes, their vastness, and
the impress that they everywhere bore of the divine hand
pausing to dwell on some peculiar beauty that gave him
pleasure, though seldom attempting to investigate the causes;
and never did a day pass without his communing in spirit,
and this, too, without the aid of forms or language, with the
infinite source of all he saw, felt, and beheld. Thus constituted,
in a moral sense, and of a steadiness that no danger
could appal, or any crisis disturb, it is not surprising
that the hunter felt a pleasure at looking on the scene he
now beheld, that momentarily caused him to forget the object
of his visit. This will more fully appear when we describe
the scene.
The canoe lay in front of a natural vista, not only through
the bushes that lined the shore, but of the trees also, that
afforded a clear view of the camp. It was by means of this
same opening that the light had been first seen from the ark.
In consequence of their recent change of ground, the Indians
had not yet retired to their huts, but had been delayed
by their preparations, which included lodging as well as
food. A large fire had been made, as much to answer the
purpose of torches, as for the use of their simple cookery;
and at this precise moment it was blazing high and bright,
having recently received a large supply of dried brush.
The effect was to illuminate the arches of the forest, and to
render the whole area occupied by the camp as light as if
hundreds of tapers were burning. Most of the toil had
ceased, and even the hungriest child had satisfied its appetite.
In a word, the time was that moment of relaxation
and general indolence which is apt to succeed a hearty
meal, and when the labours of the day have ended. The
hunters and the fishermen had been equally successful; and
food, that one great requisite of savage life, being abundant,
every other care appeared to have subsided in the sense of
enjoyment dependent on this all-important fact.
Deerslayer saw at a glance that many of the warriors
were absent. His acquaintance, Rivenoak, however, was
present, being seated in the foreground of a picture that Salvator
Rosa would have delighted to draw, his swarthy features
illuminated as much by pleasure, as by the torch-like
flame, while he showed another of the tribe one of the elephants
that had caused so much sensation among his people.
the group. More in the back-ground, eight or ten
warriors lay half recumbent on the ground, or sat with their
backs inclining against trees, so many types of indolent repose.
Their arms were near them all, sometimes leaning
against the same trees as themselves, or were lying across
their bodies, in careless preparation. But the group that
most attracted the attention of Deerslayer was that composed
of the women and children. All the females appeared to be
collected together, and, almost as a matter of course, their
young were near them. The former laughed and chatted,
in their rebuked and quiet manner, though one who knew
the habits of the people might have detected that every thing
was not going on in its usual train. Most of the young women
seemed to be light-hearted enough; but one old hag was
seated apart, with a watchful, soured aspect, which, the hunter
at once knew, betokened that some duty of an unpleasant
character had been assigned her by the chiefs. What that
duty was, he had no means of knowing; but he felt satisfied
it must be, in some measure, connected with her own sex,
the aged among the women generally being chosen for
such offices, and no other.
As a matter of course, Deerslayer looked eagerly and
anxiously for the form of Hist. She was nowhere visible,
though the light penetrated to considerable distances, in all
directions around the fire. Once, or twice, he started, as he
thought he recognized her laugh; but his ears were deceived
by the soft melody that is so common to the Indian female
voice. At length the old woman spoke loud and angrily,
and then he caught a glimpse of one or two dark figures, in
the back-ground of trees, which turned as if obedient to the
rebuke, and walked more within the circle of the light. A
young warrior's form first came fairly into view; then
followed two youthful females, one of whom proved to be the
Delaware girl. Deerslayer now comprehended it all. Hist
was watched, possibly by her young companion, certainly
by the old woman. The youth was probably some suitor of
either her, or her companion; but even his discretion was
distrusted under the influence of his admiration. The known
vicinity of those who might be supposed to be her friends,
and the arrival of a strange red-man on the lake, had induced
slip away from those who watched her, in order to keep her
appointment. Deerslayer traced her uneasiness, by her attempting,
once or twice, to look up through the branches of
the trees, as if endeavouring to get glimpses of the star she
had herself named, as the sign for meeting. All was vain,
however, and after strolling about the camp a little longer,
in affected indifference, the two girls quitted their male escort,
and took seats among their own sex. As soon as this was
done, the old sentinel changed her place to one more agreeable
to herself, a certain proof that she had hitherto been
exclusively on watch.
Deerslayer now felt greatly at a loss how to proceed. He
well knew that Chingachgook could never be persuaded to return
to the ark, without making some desperate effort for the
recovery of his mistress, and his own generous feelings well
disposed him to aid in such an undertaking. He thought he
saw the signs of an intention among the females to retire for
the night; and should he remain, and the fire continue to
give out its light, he might discover the particular hut, or
arbour, under which Hist reposed; a circumstance that
would be of infinite use, in their future proceedings. Should
he remain, however, much longer where he was, there was
great danger that the impatience of his friend, would drive
him into some act of imprudence. At each instant, indeed,
he expected to see the swarthy form of the Delaware, appearing
in the back-ground, like the tiger prowling around the
fold. Taking all things into consideration, therefore, he
came to the conclusion it would be better to rejoin his friend,
and endeavour to temper his impetuosity by some of his
own coolness and discretion. It required but a minute or
two to put this plan in execution, the canoe returning to
the strand some ten or fifteen minutes after it had left it.
Contrary to his expectations, perhaps, Deerslayer found the
Indian at his post, from which he had not stirred, fearful that
his betrothed might arrive during his absence. A conference
followed, in which Chingachgook was made acquainted with
the state of things in the camp. When Hist named the
point as the place of meeting, it was with the expectation of
making her escape from the old position, and of repairing to
a spot that she expected to find without any occupants; but
plans. A much greater degree of vigilance than had been
previously required, was now necessary; and the circumstance
that an aged woman was on watch, also denoted
some special grounds of alarm. All these considerations,
and many more that will readily suggest themselves to the
reader, were briefly discussed, before the young men came
to any decision. The occasion, however, being one that
required acts instead of words, the course to be pursued was
soon chosen.
Disposing of the canoe in such a manner that Hist must
see it, should she come to the place of meeting previously to
their return, the young men looked to their arms, and prepared
to enter the wood. The whole projection into the lake
contained about two acres of land; and the part that formed
the point, and on which the camp was placed, did not compose
a surface of more than half that size. It was principally
covered with oaks, which, as is usual in the American
forests, grew to a great height without throwing out a
branch, and then arched in a dense and rich foliage. Beneath,
except the fringe of thick bushes along the shore, there
was very little underbrush; though, in consequence of their
shape, the trees were closer together than is common in regions
where the axe has been freely used, resembling tall,
straight, rustic columns, upholding the usual canopy of
leaves. The surface of the land was tolerably even, but it
had a small rise near its centre, which divided it into a
northern and southern half. On the latter the Hurons had
built their fire, profiting by the formation to conceal it from
their enemies, who, it will be remembered, were supposed to
be in the castle, which bore northerly. A brook also came
brawling down the sides of the adjacent hills, and found its
way into the lake, on the southern side of the point. It had
cut for itself a deep passage through some of the higher portions
of the ground, and, in later days, when this spot has
become subjected to the uses of civilization, by its windings
and shaded banks, it has become no mean accessory in contributing
to the beauty of the place. This brook lay west of
the encampment, and its waters found their way into the
great reservoir of that region on the same side, and quite
near to the spot chosen for the fire. All these peculiarities,
and explained to his friend.
The reader will understand that the little rise in the
ground, that lay behind the Indian encampment, greatly favoured
the secret advance of the two adventurers. It prevented
the light of the fire diffusing itself on the ground
directly in the rear, although the land fell away towards the
water, so as to leave what might be termed the left, or eastern
flank of the position, unprotected by this covering. We have
said “unprotected,” though that is not properly the word,
since the knoll behind the huts and the fire, offered a cover
for those who were now stealthily approaching, rather than
any protection to the Indians. Deerslayer did not break
through the fringe of bushes immediately abreast of the
canoe, which might have brought him too suddenly within
the influence of the light, since the hillock did not extend to the
water; but he followed the beach northerly until he had got
nearly on the opposite side of the tongue of land, which
brought him under the shelter of the low acclivity, and consequently
more in shadow.
As soon as the friends emerged from the bushes, they
stopped to reconnoitre. The fire was still blazing, behind
the little ridge, casting its light upward, into the tops of the
trees, producing an effect that was more pleasing than advantageous.
Still the glare had its uses; for, while the
back-ground was in obscurity, the fore-ground was in strong
light; exposing the savages and concealing their foes. Profiting
by the latter circumstance, the young men advanced
cautiously towards the ridge, Deerslayer in front, for he insisted
on this arrangement, lest the Delaware should be led
by his feelings into some indiscretion. It required but a moment
to reach the foot of the little ascent, and then commenced
the most critical part of the enterprise. Moving
with exceeding caution, and trailing his rifle, both to keep
its barrel out of view, and in readiness for service, the hunter
put foot before foot, until he had got sufficiently high to overlook
the summit, his own head being alone brought into the
light. Chingachgook was at his side, and both paused to
take another close examination of the camp. In order, however,
to protect themselves against any straggler in the rear,
on the side next the fire.
The view that Deerslayer now obtained of the camp, was
exactly the reverse of that he had perceived from the water.
The dim figures which he had formerly discovered must have
been on the summit of the ridge, a few feet in advance of
the spot where he was now posted. The fire was still blazing
brightly, and around it were seated on logs, thirteen
warriors, which accounted for all whom he had seen from
the canoe. They were conversing, with much earnestness
among themselves, the image of the elephant passing from
hand to hand. The first burst of savage wonder had abated,
and the question now under discussion, was the probable
existence, the history and the habits of so extraordinary an
animal. We have not leisure to record the opinions of
these rude men on a subject so consonant to their lives and
experience; but little is hazarded in saying that they were
quite as plausible, and far more ingenious, than half the
conjectures that precede the demonstrations of science.
However much they may have been at fault, as to their
conclusions and inferences, it is certain that they discussed
the questions with a zealous and most undivided attention.
For the time being, all else was forgotten, and our adventurers
could not have approached at a more fortunate instant.
The females were collected near each other, much as
Deerslayer had last seen them, nearly in a line between the
place where he now stood and the fire. The distance from
the oak against which the young men leaned, and the warriors,
was about thirty yards; the women may have been
half that number of yards nigher. The latter, indeed, were
so near as to make the utmost circumspection, as to motion
and noise, indispensable. Although they conversed in their
low, soft voices, it was possible, in the profound stillness of
the woods, even to catch passages of the discourse; and the
light-hearted laugh that escaped the girls, might occasionally
have reached the canoe. Deerslayer felt the tremour that
passed through the frame of his friend, when the latter first
caught the sweet sounds that issued from the plump, pretty
lips of Hist. He even laid a hand on the shoulder of the
Indian, as a sort of admonition to command himself. As
listen.
“The Hurons have more curious beasts than that,” said
one of the girls, contemptuously, for, like the men, they conversed
of the elephant and his qualities. “The Delawares
will think this creature wonderful, but to-morrow, no Huron
tongue will talk of it. Our young men will find him, if the
animal dares to come near our wigwams!”
This was in fact addressed to Wah-tal-Wah, though she
who spoke uttered her words with an assumed diffidence
and humility, that prevented her looking at the other.
“The Delawares are so far from letting such creatures
come into their country,” returned Hist, “that no one has
even seen their images there! Their young men would
frighten away the images as well as the beasts.”
“The Delaware young men!—the nation is women,—
even the deer walk when they hear their hunters coming!
Who has ever heard the name of a young Delaware warrior?”
This was said in good-humour, and with a laugh; but it
was also said, bitingly. That Hist so felt it, was apparent
by the spirit betrayed in her answer.
“Who has ever heard the name of a young Delaware!”
she repeated earnestly. “Tamenund, himself, though now
as old as the pines on the hill, or as the eagles in the air,
was once young; his name was heard from the great salt
lake, to the sweet waters of the west. What is the family
of Uncas? Where is another as great, though the pale-faces
have ploughed up its graves, and trodden on its bones? Do
the eagles fly as high, is the deer as swift, or the panther as
brave? Is there no young warrior of that race? Let the
Huron maidens open their eyes wider, and they may see
one called Chingachgook, who is as stately as a young ash,
and as tough as the hickory.”
As the girl used her figurative language, and told her
companions to “open their eyes, and they would see” the
Delaware, Deerslayer thrust his fingers into the sides of his
friend, and indulged in a fit of his hearty, benevolent laughter.
The other smiled; but the language of the speaker
was too flattering, and the tones of her voice too sweet for
him to be led away, by any accidental coincidence, however
the dispute, though conducted in good-humour, and without
any of the coarse violence of tone and gesture that often
impairs the charms of the sex in what is called civilized
life, grew warm and slightly clamorous. In the midst of
this scene, the Delaware caused his friend to stoop, so as
completely to conceal himself, and then he made a noise so
closely resembling the little chirrup of the smallest species
of the American squirrel, that Deerslayer himself, though
he had heard the imitation a hundred times, actually thought
it came from one of the little animals, skipping about, over
his head. The sound is so familiar in the woods, that none
of the Hurons paid it the least attention. Hist, however,
instantly ceased talking, and sate motionless. Still, she had
sufficient self-command to abstain from turning her head.
She had heard the signal, by which her lover so often
called her from the wigwam, to the stolen interview, and it
came over her senses and her heart, as the serenade affects
the maiden in the land of song.
From that moment, Chingachgook felt certain that his
presence was known. This was effecting much, and he
could now hope for a bolder line of conduct on the part of
his mistress, than she might dare to adopt under an uncertainty
of his situation. It left no doubt of her endeavouring
to aid him in his effort to release her. Deerslayer arose, as
soon as the signal was given, and though he had never held
that sweet communion which is known only to lovers, he
was not slow to detect the great change that had come over
the manner of the girl. She still affected to dispute, though
it was no longer with spirit and ingenuity, but what she
said was uttered more as a lure to draw her antagonists on
to an easy conquest, than with any hopes of succeeding
herself. Once or twice, it is true, her native readiness
suggested a retort, or an argument that raised a laugh, and
gave her a momentary advantage; but these little sallies,
the offspring of mother-wit, served the better to conceal her
real feelings, and to give to the triumph of the other party,
a more natural air than it might have possessed without
them. At length the disputants became wearied, and they
rose in a body, as if about to separate. It was now that Hist,
for the first time, ventured to turn her face in the direction
were natural but guarded, and she stretched her arm and
yawned, as if overcome with a desire to sleep. The chirrup
was again heard, and the girl felt satisfied as to the position
of her lover, though the strong light in which she herself
was placed, and the comparative darkness in which the adventurers
stood, prevented her from seeing their heads, the
only portions of their forms that appeared above the ridge
at all. The tree against which they were posted, had a
dark shadow cast upon it by the intervention of an enormous
pine that grew between it and the fire, a circumstance
which alone would have rendered objects within its cloud invisible
at any distance. This Deerslayer well knew, and it
was one of the reasons why he had selected this particular tree.
The moment was near when it became necessary for
Hist to act. She was to sleep in a small hut, or bower,
that had been built near the spot where she stood, and her
companion was the aged hag, already mentioned. Once
within the hut, with this sleepless old woman stretched across
the entrance, as was her nightly practice, the hope of escape
was nearly destroyed, and she might, at any moment, be
summoned to her bed. Luckily, at this instant, one of the
warriors called to the old woman by name, and bade her
bring him water to drink. There was a delicious spring on
the northern side of the point, and the hag took a gourd
from a branch, and summoning Hist to her side, she moved
towards the summit of the ridge, intending to descend and
cross the point to the natural fountain. All this was seen
and understood by the adventurers, and they fell back into
the obscurity, concealing their persons by trees, until the two
females had passed them. In walking, Hist was held tightly
by the hand. As she moved by the tree, that hid Chingachgook
and his friend, the former felt for his tomahawk,
with the intention to bury it in the brain of the woman.
But the other saw the hazard of such a measure, since a
single scream might bring all the warriors upon them, and
he was averse to the act on considerations of humanity.
His hand, therefore, prevented the blow. Still as the two
moved past, the chirrup was repeated, and the Huron woman
stopped and faced the tree whence the sounds seemed to
proceed, standing, at the moment, within six feet of her enemies.
in motion at so late an hour, and said it boded evil. Hist
answered that she had heard the same squirrel three times
within the last twenty minutes, and that she supposed it was
waiting to obtain some of the crums left from the late
supper. This explanation appeared satisfactory, and they
moved towards the spring, the men following stealthily and
closely. The gourd was filled, and the old woman was
hurrying back, her hand still grasping the wrist of the girl,
when she was suddenly seized so violently by the throat,
as to cause her to release her captive, and to prevent her
making any other sound than a sort of gurgling, suffocating
noise. The Serpent passed his arm round the waist of his
mistress, and dashed through the bushes with her, on the
north side of the point. Here he immediately turned along
the beach, and ran towards the canoe. A more direct course
could have been taken, but it might have led to a discovery
of the place of embarking.
Deerslayer kept playing on the throat of the old woman,
like the keys of an organ, occasionally allowing her to
breathe, and then compressing his fingers again, nearly to
strangling. The brief intervals for breath, however, were
well improved, and the hag succeeded in letting out a
screech or two that served to alarm the camp. The tramp
of the warriors, as they sprang from the fire, was plainly
audible; and, at the next moment, three or four of them
appeared on the top of the ridge, drawn against the background
of light, resembling the dim shadows of the phantasmagoria.
It was now quite time for the hunter to retreat.
Tripping up the heels of his captive, and giving her throat
a parting squeeze, quite as much in resentment at her indomitable
efforts to sound the alarm, as from any policy, he
left her on her back, and moved towards the bushes; his rifle
at a poise, and his head over his shoulders, like a lion at
bay.
| THE DEERSLAYER. The deerslayer: or, The first war-path | |