 | CHAPTER IX. The wigwam and the cabin |  |
9. CHAPTER IX.
But a little time had passed after Mingo had left the camp
when Knuckles returned to it. He approached with stealthy
pace, keeping himself under cover until he found that the enemy
had departed. During the search which the Driver had
made after himself and wife, he had been a quiet observer of all
his movements. He fancied that the search was instituted for
the recovery of the hunting shirt, and did not dream that his
wife had left the ground as well as himself to the single possession
of the visitor. When he returned and found her gone,
his first impression was that she had departed with the negro.
But a brief examination of their several footsteps, soon removed
his suspicions and enabled him to pursue the route which the
woman had taken on leaving the camp. He found her without
difficulty, as she came forward, at his approach, from the copse
in which she had concealed herself. He encountered her with
the bitterest language of suspicion and denunciation. His jealousy
had suffered no decrease in consequence of his failure to
find cause for it; but fattening from what it fed on—his own consciousness
of unworthiness—the conviction that he did not deserve
and could not please one, so far superior and so much
younger than himself—vented itself in coarse charges and vindictive
threats. With the patience of Griselda, the Catawba
woman followed him in silence to the camp, where they soon
found cause for new affliction in the discovery which they there
made, of the manner in which the disappointed Driver had vented
his fury upon their wares. The wrath of Knuckles increased at
this discovery, though it did not, as it should have done, lead to
any abatement of his jealous feeling towards his wife. Perhaps,
on the contrary, it led to the farther proceeding of extremity,
which he now meditated, and which he began to unfold to her
ears. We forbear the unnecessary preliminaries in the conversation
which followed between them, and which were given simply
and on hers of a simple and effortless denial of them. Her final
reply, spoken of course in her own language, to the reiterated
accusation, was such as to show that even the exemplary patience
which she had hitherto manifested was beginning to waver.
There was something in it to sting the worthless old sinner, not
with a feeling of remorse, but of shame and vexation.
“If Enefisto loves not the black man, wherefore does he take
the meat which he brings, and the poison drink from his bottle?
If he loves not the black man, wherefore takes he the garment
which wrapt his limbs? Caloya loves not the black man, and
has eaten none of his meat, has drank none of his poison water,
and has stolen none of his garments. Let Enefisto cast the shirt
over the myrtles, and now, now, let the woman go back to seek
her people that camp on the waters of the Edisto. Caloya looks
not where the black man sits; Caloya sees not where he stands,
and hears not when he speaks. Caloya hears only a snake's hissing
in her ears. Enefisto believes not the woman, and she cares not
much to speak;—but let him take up the hatchet and the bow, and
she will follow where he leads. Let her go to her people, where
there is no black man. She would not stay at the `Red Gulley,'
where the black man comes.”
“But she would go to the Edisto where is Chickawa? Hah!
Caloya shall stay by the `Red Gulley,' where is Enefisto—she
shall not go to the Edisto where is Chickawa. Enefisto sees;
Enefisto knows.”
“Ah, and Caloya knows! Caloya knows! Enefisto sees
Chickawa and the nigger Mingo every where. But let Enefisto
take up his hatchet and go from this place. See,” pointing to
the broken pottery, “there is nothing to stay for. The nigger
will break the pans when she makes them.”
“Enefisto will take up the hatchet,—he will drive it into the
head of the nigger. He will not go where Caloya may see Chickawa.
She shall stay by the `Red Gulley,' and when Mingo, the
nigger comes, she shall smile upon him. She shall go into the
wigwam. Then will he go to her in the wigwam—Hah?”
“What would Enefisto?” demanded the squaw in some consternation
of her spouse.
“Mingo will say to Caloya, `come, old man is gone hunting,
come. Am I not here for Caloya, come. I love Caloya, let
Caloya love Mingo, come!' ”
“But Caloya hates Mingo, Caloya will spit upon the nigger!”
was the indignant exclamation.
“Oh, no, no!” was the almost musical and certainly wild reply
of the husband, while a savage smile of scorn and suspicion
covered his features. “Caloya knows not what she says—she
means not what she says. Nigger is young man—Enefisto is old
man. Nigger hab good meat—Enefisto is old hunter, he cannot
see where the deer sleep, he cannot follow the deer in a long
chase, for his legs grow weary. Caloya loves young man who
can bring her 'nough venison and fine clothes, hah? Let Caloya
go into the wigwam, and nigger will say `come,' and Caloya will
come.”
“Never!' was the indignant answer. “Caloya will never
come to the nigger—Caloya will never come to Chickawa. Let
Enefisto strike the hatchet into the head of Caloya, for his words
make her very wretched. It is better she should die.”
“Caloya shall live to do the will of Enefisto. She shall go
where Mingo comes into the wigwam, and when he shall follow
her, she shall stay and look upon him face to face. Mingo is
young,—Caloya loves to look upon young man. When he shall
put his hand upon the shoulder of Caloya then shall Caloya put
her hand upon his. So shall it be—thus says Enefisto.”
“Wherefore shall it be so?”
“Thus says Enefisto. Will Caloya say no?”
“Let Enefisto kill Caloya ere her hand rests upon the shoulder
of Mingo. The hatchet of Enefisto—”
“Shall sink into the head of the nigger, when his hand is upon
the shoulder of Caloya.”
“Ha!”
“It is done. Does Caloya hear?”
“She hears.”
“Will she go into the wigwam when Mingo comes?”
“She will go.”
“And when he follows her,—when he puts his hand upon her
shoulder, and looks, Ha! ha! ha!—looks thus, thus, into her
eyes”—his own assumed an expression, or he strove at that moment
to make them assume an expression of the most wilful love,
—an attempt in which he signally failed, for hate, scorn and
jealousy predominating still, gave him a most ghastly aspect,
from which the woman shrunk with horror—“when he looks
thus into her eyes, then will Caloya put her hand upon the shoulder
of Mingo and hold him fast till the hatchet of Enefisto goes
deep into his head. Will Caloya do this,—Ha? Will Caloya
look on him thus, and grasp him thus, until Enefisto shall strike
him thus, thus, thus, till there shall be no more life in his forehead?”
A moment's pause ensued, ere the woman spoke.
“Let Enefisto give the hatchet to Caloya. Caloya will herself
strike him in the head if he goes after her into the wigwam.”
“No! Caloya shall not. Enefisto will strike. Caloya shall
grasp him on the shoulder. Enefisto will see by this if Caloya
loves not that the black man should seek her always in the wigwam
of the chief. Is Caloya ready—will she do this thing?”
“Caloya is ready—she will do it.”
“Ha! ha!—black man is foolish to come to the camp of Enefisto,
and look on the woman of Enefisto. He shall die.”
| CHAPTER IX. The wigwam and the cabin | |