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CHAPTER 25
(quote) "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." (unquote)
—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
***, 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 ***, 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.
End of Chapter 25
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 *** 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.
End of Chapter 26
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
*** of their encampment, working injury, fearful rage took the place
of wonder, and all those fierce passions with which the *** 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.
End of Chapter 27 �