text: J Fenimore  Cooper The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2 
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 1 
           My Visor Is Philemon's Roof; Within The House Is Jove. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Trapper,  Who Had Meditated No Violence,  Dropped His Rifle Again, 
   And Laughing At The Success Of His Experiment,  With Great Seeming 
   Self-Complacency,  He Drew The Astounded Gaze Of The Naturalist From 
   The Person Of The Savage To Himself,  By Saying-- 
     
   "The Imps Will Lie For Hours,  Like Sleeping Alligators,  Brooding Their 
   Deviltries In Dreams And Other Craftiness,  Until Such Time As They See 
   Some Real Danger Is At Hand,  And Then They Look To Themselves The Same 
   As Other Mortals. But This Is A Scouter In His War-Paint! There Should 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 2 
   Be More Of His Tribe At No Great Distance. Let Us Draw The Truth Out 
   Of Him; For An Unlucky War-Party May Prove More Dangerous To Us Than A 
   Visit From The Whole Family Of The Squatter." 
     
   "It Is Truly A Desperate And A Dangerous Species!" Said The Doctor, 
   Relieving His Amazement By A Breath That Seemed To Exhaust His Lungs 
   Of Air; "A Violent Race,  And One That It Is Difficult To Define Or 
   Class,  Within The Usual Boundaries Of Definitions. Speak To Him, 
   Therefore; But Let Thy Words Be Strong In Amity." 
     
   The Old Man Cast A Keen Eye On Every Side Of Him,  To Ascertain The 
   Important Particular Whether The Stranger Was Supported By Any 
   Associates,  And Then Making The Usual Signs Of Peace,  By Exhibiting 
   The Palm Of His Naked Hand,  He Boldly Advanced. In The Mean Time,  The 
   Indian Betrayed No Evidence Of Uneasiness. He Suffered The Trapper To 
   Draw Nigh,  Maintaining By His Own Mien And Attitude A Striking Air Of 
   Dignity And Fearlessness. Perhaps The Wary Warrior Also Knew That, 
   Owing To The Difference In Their Weapons,  He Should Be Placed More On 
   An Equality,  By Being Brought Nearer To The Strangers. 
     
   As A Description Of This Individual May Furnish Some Idea Of The 
   Personal Appearance Of A Whole Race,  It May Be Well To Detain The 
   Narrative,  In Order To Present It To The Reader,  In Our Hasty And 
   Imperfect Manner. Would The Truant Eyes Of Alston Or Greenough Turn, 
   But For A Time,  From Their Gaze At The Models Of Antiquity,  To 
   Contemplate This Wronged And Humbled People,  Little Would Be Left For 
   Such Inferior Artists As Ourselves To Delineate. 
     
   The Indian In Question Was In Every Particular A Warrior Of Fine 
   Stature And Admirable Proportions. As He Cast Aside His Mask,  Composed 
   Of Such Party-Coloured Leaves,  As He Had Hurriedly Collected,  His 
   Countenance Appeared In All The Gravity,  The Dignity,  And,  It May Be 
   Added,  In The Terror Of His Profession. The Outlines Of His Lineaments 
   Were Strikingly Noble,  And Nearly Approaching To Roman,  Though The 
   Secondary Features Of His Face Were Slightly Marked With The Well- 
   Known Traces Of His Asiatic Origin. The Peculiar Tint Of The Skin, 
   Which In Itself Is So Well Designed To Aid The Effect Of A Martial 
   Expression,  Had Received An Additional Aspect Of Wild Ferocity From 
   The Colours Of The War-Paint. But,  As If He Disdained The Usual 
   Artifices Of His People,  He Bore None Of Those Strange And Horrid 
   Devices,  With Which The Children Of The Forest Are Accustomed,  Like 
   The More Civilised Heroes Of The Moustache,  To Back Their Reputation 
   For Courage,  Contenting Himself With A Broad And Deep Shadowing Of 
   Black,  That Served As A Sufficient And An Admirable Foil To The 
   Brighter Gleamings Of His Native Swarthiness. His Head Was As Usual 
   Shaved To The Crown,  Where A Large And Gallant Scalp-Lock Seemed To 
   Challenge The Grasp Of His Enemies. The Ornaments That Were Ordinarily 
   Pendant From The Cartilages Of His Ears Had Been Removed,  On Account 
   Of His Present Pursuit. His Body,  Notwithstanding The Lateness Of The 
   Season,  Was Nearly Naked,  And The Portion Which Was Clad Bore A 
   Vestment No Warmer Than A Light Robe Of The Finest Dressed Deer-Skin, 
   Beautifully Stained With The Rude Design Of Some Daring Exploit,  And 
   Which Was Carelessly Worn,  As If More In Pride Than From Any Unmanly 
   Regard To Comfort. His Leggings Were Of Bright Scarlet Cloth,  The Only 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 3 
   Evidence About His Person That He Had Held Communion With The Traders 
   Of The Pale-Faces. But As If To Furnish Some Offset To This Solitary 
   Submission To A Womanish Vanity,  They Were Fearfully Fringed,  From The 
   Gartered Knee To The Bottom Of The Moccasin,  With The Hair Of Human 
   Scalps. He Leaned Lightly With One Hand On A Short Hickory Bow,  While 
   The Other Rather Touched Than Sought Support,  From The Long,  Delicate 
   Handle Of An Ashen Lance. A Quiver Made Of The Cougar Skin,  From Which 
   The Tail Of The Animal Depended,  As A Characteristic Ornament,  Was 
   Slung At His Back,  And A Shield Of Hides,  Quaintly Emblazoned With 
   Another Of His Warlike Deeds,  Was Suspended From His Neck By A Thong 
   Of Sinews. 
     
   As The Trapper Approached,  This Warrior Maintained His Calm Upright 
   Attitude,  Discovering Neither An Eagerness To Ascertain The Character 
   Of Those Who Advanced Upon Him,  Nor The Smallest Wish To Avoid A 
   Scrutiny In His Own Person. An Eye,  That Was Darker And More Shining 
   Than That Of The Stag,  Was Incessantly Glancing,  However,  From One To 
   Another Of The Stranger Party,  Seemingly Never Knowing Rest For An 
   Instant. 
     
   "Is My Brother Far From His Village?" Demanded The Old Man,  In The 
   Pawnee Language,  After Examining The Paint,  And Those Other Little 
   Signs By Which A Practised Eye Knows The Tribe Of The Warrior He 
   Encounters In The American Deserts,  With The Same Readiness,  And By 
   The Same Sort Of Mysterious Observation,  As That By Which The Seaman 
   Knows The Distant Sail. 
     
   "It Is Farther To The Towns Of The Big-Knives," Was The Laconic Reply. 
     
   "Why Is A Pawnee-Loup So Far From The Fork Of His Own River,  Without A 
   Horse To Journey On,  And In A Spot Empty As This?" 
     
   "Can The Women And Children Of A Pale-Face Live Without The Meat Of 
   The Bison? There Was Hunger In My Lodge." 
     
   "My Brother Is Very Young To Be Already The Master Of A Lodge," 
   Returned The Trapper,  Looking Steadily Into The Unmoved Countenance Of 
   The Youthful Warrior; "But I Dare Say He Is Brave,  And That Many A 
   Chief Has Offered Him His Daughters For Wives. But He Has Been 
   Mistaken," Pointing To The Arrow,  Which Was Dangling From The Hand 
   That Held The Bow,  "In Bringing A Loose And Barbed Arrow-Head To Kill 
   The Buffaloe. Do The Pawnees Wish The Wounds They Give Their Game To 
   Rankle?" 
     
   "It Is Good To Be Ready For The Sioux. Though Not In Sight,  A Bush May 
   Hide Him." 
     
   "The Man Is A Living Proof Of The Truth Of His Words," Muttered The 
   Trapper In English,  "And A Close-Jointed And Gallant Looking Lad He 
   Is; But Far Too Young For A Chief Of Any Importance. It Is Wise, 
   However,  To Speak Him Fair,  For A Single Arm Thrown Into Either Party, 
   If We Come To Blows With The Squatter And His Brood,  May Turn The Day. 
   You See My Children Are Weary," He Continued In The Dialect Of The 
   Prairies,  Pointing,  As He Spoke,  To The Rest Of The Party,  Who,  By 
   
   
   
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   This Time,  Were Also Approaching. "We Wish To Camp And Eat. Does My 
   Brother Claim This Spot?" 
     
   "The Runners From The People On The Big-River,  Tell Us That Your 
   Nation Have Traded With The Tawney-Faces Who Live Beyond The Salt- 
   Lake,  And That The Prairies Are Now The Hunting Grounds Of The Big- 
   Knives!" 
     
   "It Is True,  As I Hear,  Also,  From The Hunters And Trappers On La 
   Platte. Though It Is With The Frenchers,  And Not With The Men Who 
   Claim To Own The Mexicos,  That My People Have Bargained." 
     
   "And Warriors Are Going Up The Long-River,  To See That They Have Not 
   Been Cheated,  In What They Have Bought?" 
     
   "Ay,  That Is Partly True,  Too,  I Fear; And It Will Not Be Long Before 
   An Accursed Band Of Choppers And Loggers Will Be Following On Their 
   Heels,  To Humble The Wilderness Which Lies So Broad And Rich On The 
   Western Banks Of The Mississippi,  And Then The Land Will Be A Peopled 
   Desert,  From The Shores Of The Main Sea To The Foot Of The Rocky 
   Mountains; Fill'd With All The Abominations And Craft Of Man,  And 
   Stript Of The Comforts And Loveliness It Received From The Hands Of 
   The Lord!" 
     
   "And Where Were The Chiefs Of The Pawnee-Loups,  When This Bargain Was 
   Made?" Suddenly Demanded The Youthful Warrior,  A Look Of Startling 
   Fierceness Gleaming,  At The Same Instant,  Athwart His Dark Visage. "Is 
   A Nation To Be Sold Like The Skin Of A Beaver?" 
     
   "Right Enough--Right Enough,  And Where Were Truth And Honesty,  Also? 
   But Might Is Right,  According To The Fashions Of The 'Arth; And What 
   The Strong Choose To Do,  The Weak Must Call Justice. If The Law Of The 
   Wahcondah Was As Much Hearkened To,  Pawnee,  As The Laws Of The Long- 
   Knives,  Your Right To The Prairies Would Be As Good As That Of The 
   Greatest Chief In The Settlements To The House Which Covers His Head." 
     
   "The Skin Of The Traveller Is White," Said The Young Native,  Laying A 
   Finger Impressively On The Hard And Wrinkled Hand Of The Trapper. 
   "Does His Heart Say One Thing And His Tongue Another?" 
     
   "The Wahcondah Of A White Man Has Ears,  And He Shuts Them To A Lie. 
   Look At My Head; It Is Like A Frosted Pine,  And Must Soon Be Laid In 
   The Ground. Why Then Should I Wish To Meet The Great Spirit,  Face To 
   Face,  While His Countenance Is Dark Upon Me." 
     
   The Pawnee Gracefully Threw His Shield Over One Shoulder,  And Placing 
   A Hand On His Chest,  He Bent His Head,  In Deference To The Grey Locks 
   Exhibited By The Trapper; After Which His Eye Became More Steady,  And 
   His Countenance Less Fierce. Still He Maintained Every Appearance Of A 
   Distrust And Watchfulness That Were Rather Tempered And Subdued,  Than 
   Forgotten. When This Equivocal Species Of Amity Was Established 
   Between The Warrior Of The Prairies And The Experienced Old Trapper, 
   The Latter Proceeded To Give His Directions To Paul,  Concerning The 
   Arrangements Of The Contemplated Halt. While Inez And Ellen Were 
   
   
   
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   Dismounting,  And Middleton And The Bee-Hunter Were Attending To Their 
   Comforts,  The Discourse Was Continued,  Sometimes In The Language Of 
   The Natives,  But Often,  As Paul And The Doctor Mingled Their Opinions 
   With The Two Principal Speakers,  In The English Tongue. There Was A 
   Keen And Subtle Trial Of Skill Between The Pawnee And The Trapper,  In 
   Which Each Endeavoured To Discover The Objects Of The Other,  Without 
   Betraying His Own Interest In The Investigation. As Might Be Expected, 
   When The Struggle Was Between Adversaries So Equal,  The Result Of The 
   Encounter Answered The Expectations Of Neither. The Latter Had Put All 
   The Interrogatories His Ingenuity And Practice Could Suggest, 
   Concerning The State Of The Tribe Of The Loups,  Their Crops,  Their 
   Store Of Provisions For The Ensuing Winter,  And Their Relations With 
   Their Different Warlike Neighbours Without Extorting Any Answer, 
   Which,  In The Slightest Degree,  Elucidated The Cause Of His Finding A 
   Solitary Warrior So Far From His People. On The Other Hand,  While The 
   Questions Of The Indian Were Far More Dignified And Delicate,  They 
   Were Equally Ingenious. He Commented On The State Of The Trade In 
   Peltries,  Spoke Of The Good Or Ill Success Of Many White Hunters,  Whom 
   He Had Either Encountered,  Or Heard Named,  And Even Alluded To The 
   Steady March,  Which The Nation Of His Great Father,  As He Cautiously 
   Termed The Government Of The States,  Was Making Towards The Hunting- 
   Grounds Of His Tribe. It Was Apparent,  However,  By The Singular 
   Mixture Of Interest,  Contempt,  And Indignation,  That Were Occasionally 
   Gleaming Through The Reserved Manner Of This Warrior,  That He Knew The 
   Strange People,  Who Were Thus Trespassing On His Native Rights,  Much 
   More By Report Than By Any Actual Intercourse. This Personal Ignorance 
   Of The Whites Was As Much Betrayed By The Manner In Which He Regarded 
   The Females,  As By The Brief,  But Energetic,  Expressions Which 
   Occasionally Escaped Him. 
     
   While Speaking To The Trapper He Suffered His Wandering Glances To 
   Stray Towards The Intellectual And Nearly Infantile Beauty Of Inez,  As 
   One Might Be Supposed To Gaze Upon The Loveliness Of An Ethereal 
   Being. It Was Very Evident That He Now Saw,  For The First Time,  One Of 
   Those Females,  Of Whom The Fathers Of His Tribe So Often Spoke,  And 
   Who Were Considered Of Such Rare Excellence As To Equal All That 
   Savage Ingenuity Could Imagine In The Way Of Loveliness. His 
   Observation Of Ellen Was Less Marked,  But Notwithstanding The Warlike 
   And Chastened Expression Of His Eye,  There Was Much Of The Homage, 
   Which Man Is Made To Pay To Woman,  Even In The More Cursory Look He 
   Sometimes Turned On Her Maturer And Perhaps More Animated Beauty. This 
   Admiration,  However,  Was So Tempered By His Habits,  And So Smothered 
   In The Pride Of A Warrior,  As Completely To Elude Every Eye But That 
   Of The Trapper,  Who Was Too Well Skilled In Indian Customs,  And Was 
   Too Well Instructed In The Importance Of Rightly Conceiving,  The 
   Character Of The Stranger,  To Let The Smallest Trait,  Or The Most 
   Trifling Of His Movements,  Escape Him. In The Mean Time,  The 
   Unconscious Ellen Herself Moved About The Feeble And Less Resolute 
   Inez,  With Her Accustomed Assiduity And Tenderness,  Exhibiting In Her 
   Frank Features Those Changing Emotions Of Joy And Regret Which 
   Occasionally Beset Her,  As Her Active Mind Dwelt On The Decided Step 
   She Had Just Taken,  With The Contending Doubts And Hopes,  And Possibly 
   With Some Of The Mental Vacillation,  That Was Natural To Her Situation 
   And Sex. 
   
   
   
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   Not So Paul; Conceiving Himself To Have Obtained The Two Things 
   Dearest To His Heart,  The Possession Of Ellen And A Triumph Over The 
   Sons Of Ishmael,  He Now Enacted His Part,  In The Business Of The 
   Moment,  With As Much Coolness As Though He Was Already Leading His 
   Willing Bride,  From Solemnising Their Nuptials Before A Border 
   Magistrate,  To The Security Of His Own Dwelling. He Had Hovered Around 
   The Moving Family,  During The Tedious Period Of Their Weary March, 
   Concealing Himself By Day,  And Seeking Interviews With His Betrothed 
   As Opportunities Offered,  In The Manner Already Described,  Until 
   Fortune And His Own Intrepidity Had United To Render Him Successful, 
   At The Very Moment When He Was Beginning To Despair,  And He Now Cared 
   Neither For Distance,  Nor Violence,  Nor Hardships. To His Sanguine 
   Fancy And Determined Resolution All The Rest Was Easily To Be 
   Achieved. Such Were His Feelings,  And Such In Truth They Seemed To Be. 
   With His Cap Cast On One Side,  And Whistling A Low Air,  He Thrashed 
   Among The Bushes,  In Order To Make A Place Suitable For The Females To 
   Repose On,  While,  From Time To Time,  He Cast An Approving Glance At 
   The Agile Form Of Ellen,  As She Tripped Past Him,  Engaged In Her Own 
   Share Of The Duty. 
     
   "And So The Wolf-Tribe Of The Pawnees Have Buried The Hatchet With 
   Their Neighbours,  The Konzas?" Said The Trapper,  Pursuing A Discourse 
   Which He Had Scarcely Permitted To Flag,  Though It Had Been 
   Occasionally Interrupted By The Different Directions With Which He 
   Occasionally Saw Fit To Interrupt It. (The Reader Will Remember That, 
   While He Spoke To The Native Warrior In His Own Tongue,  He Necessarily 
   Addressed His White Companions In English.) "The Loups And The Light- 
   Fac'd Red-Skins Are Again Friends. Doctor,  That Is A Tribe Of Which 
   I'll Engage You've Often Read,  And Of Which Many A Round Lie Has Been 
   Whispered In The Ears Of The Ignorant People,  Who Live In The 
   Settlements. There Was A Story Of A Nation Of Welshers,  That Liv'd 
   Hereaway In The Prairies,  And How They Came Into The Land Afore The 
   Uneasy Minded Man,  Who First Let In The Christians To Rob The Heathens 
   Of Their Inheritance,  Had Ever Dreamt That The Sun Set On A Country As 
   Big As That It Rose From. And How They Knew The White Ways,  And Spoke 
   With White Tongues,  And A Thousand Other Follies And Idle Conceits." 
     
   "Have I Not Heard Of Them?" Exclaimed The Naturalist,  Dropping A Piece 
   Of Jerked Bison's Meat,  Which He Was Rather Roughly Discussing,  At The 
   Moment. "I Should Be Greatly Ignorant Not To Have Often Dwelt With 
   Delight On So Beautiful A Theory,  And One Which So Triumphantly 
   Establishes Two Positions,  Which I Have Often Maintained Are 
   Unanswerable,  Even Without Such Living Testimony In Their Favour--Viz. 
   That This Continent Can Claim A More Remote Affinity With Civilisation 
   Than The Time Of Columbus,  And That Colour Is The Fruit Of Climate And 
   Condition,  And Not A Regulation Of Nature. Propound The Latter 
   Question To This Indian Gentleman,  Venerable Hunter; He Is Of A 
   Reddish Tint Himself,  And His Opinion May Be Said To Make Us Masters 
   Of The Two Sides Of The Disputed Point." 
     
   "Do You Think A Pawnee Is A Reader Of Books,  And A Believer Of Printed 
   Lies,  Like The Idlers In The Towns?" Retorted The Old Man,  Laughing. 
   "But It May Be As Well To Humour The Likings Of The Man,  Which,  After 
   
   
   
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   All,  It Is Quite Possible Are Neither More Nor Less Than His Natural 
   Gift,  And Therefore To Be Followed,  Although They May Be Pitied. What 
   Does My Brother Think? All Whom He Sees Here Have Pale Skins,  But The 
   Pawnee Warriors Are Red; Does He Believe That Man Changes With The 
   Season,  And That The Son Is Not Like His Father?" 
     
   The Young Warrior Regarded His Interrogator For A Moment With A Steady 
   And Deliberating Eye; Then Raising His Finger Upward,  He Answered With 
   Dignity-- 
     
   "The Wahcondah Pours The Rain From His Clouds; When He Speaks,  He 
   Shakes The Lulls; And The Fire,  Which Scorches The Trees,  Is The Anger 
   Of His Eye; But He Fashioned His Children With Care And Thought. What 
   He Has Thus Made,  Never Alters!" 
     
   "Ay,  'Tis In The Reason Of Natur' That It Should Be So,  Doctor," 
   Continued The Trapper,  When He Had Interpreted This Answer To The 
   Disappointed Naturalist. "The Pawnees Are A Wise And A Great People, 
   And I'll Engage They Abound In Many A Wholesome And Honest Tradition. 
   The Hunters And Trappers,  That I Sometimes See,  Speak Of A Great 
   Warrior Of Your Race." 
     
   "My Tribe Are Not Women. A Brave Is No Stranger In My Village." 
     
   "Ay; But He,  They Speak Of Most,  Is A Chief Far Beyond The Renown Of 
   Common Warriors,  And One That Might Have Done Credit To That Once 
   Mighty But Now Fallen People,  The Delawares Of The Hills." 
     
   "Such A Warrior Should Have A Name?" 
     
   "They Call Him Hard-Heart,  From The Stoutness Of His Resolution; And 
   Well Is He Named,  If All I Have Heard Of His Deeds Be True." 
     
   The Stranger Cast A Glance,  Which Seemed To Read The Guileless Soul Of 
   The Old Man,  As He Demanded-- 
     
   "Has The Pale-Face Seen The Partisan Of My People?" 
     
   "Never. It Is Not With Me Now,  As It Used To Be Some Forty Years Ago, 
   When Warfare And Bloodshed Were My Calling And My Gifts!" 
     
   A Loud Shout From The Reckless Paul Interrupted His Speech,  And At The 
   Next Moment The Bee-Hunter Appeared,  Leading An Indian War-Horse From 
   The Side Of The Thicket Opposite To The One Occupied By The Party. 
     
   "Here Is A Beast For A Red-Skin To Straddle!" He Cried,  As He Made The 
   Animal Go Through Some Of Its Wild Paces. "There's Not A Brigadier In 
   All Kentucky That Can Call Himself Master Of So Sleek And Well-Jointed 
   A Nag! A Spanish Saddle Too,  Like A Grandee Of The Mexicos! And Look 
   At The Mane And Tail,  Braided And Platted Down With Little Silver 
   Balls,  As If It Were Ellen Herself Getting Her Shining Hair Ready For 
   A Dance,  Or A Husking Frolic! Isn't This A Real Trotter,  Old Trapper, 
   To Eat Out Of The Manger Of A Savage?" 
     
   
   
   
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   "Softly,  Lad,  Softly. The Loups Are Famous For Their Horses,  And It Is 
   Often That You See A Warrior On The Prairies Far Better Mounted,  Than 
   A Congress-Man In The Settlements. But This,  Indeed,  Is A Beast That 
   None But A Powerful Chief Should Ride! The Saddle,  As You Rightly 
   Think,  Has Been Sit Upon In Its Day By A Great Spanish Captain,  Who 
   Has Lost It And His Life Together,  In Some Of The Battles Which This 
   People Often Fight Against The Southern Provinces. I Warrant Me,  I 
   Warrant Me,  The Youngster Is The Son Of A Great Chief; May Be Of The 
   Mighty Hard-Heart Himself!" 
     
   During This Rude Interruption To The Discourse,  The Young Pawnee 
   Manifested Neither Impatience Nor Displeasure; But When He Thought His 
   Beast Had Been The Subject Of Sufficient Comment,  He Very Coolly,  And 
   With The Air Of One Accustomed To Have His Will Respected,  Relieved 
   Paul Of The Bridle,  And Throwing The Reins On The Neck Of The Animal, 
   He Sprang Upon His Back,  With The Activity Of A Professor Of The 
   Equestrian Art. Nothing Could Be Finer Or Firmer Than The Seat Of The 
   Savage. The Highly Wrought And Cumbrous Saddle Was Evidently More For 
   Show Than Use. Indeed It Impeded Rather Than Aided The Action Of 
   Limbs,  Which Disdained To Seek Assistance,  Or Admit Of Restraint From 
   So Womanish Inventions As Stirrups. The Horse,  Which Immediately Began 
   To Prance,  Was,  Like Its Rider,  Wild And Untutored In All His Motions, 
   But While There Was So Little Of Art,  There Was All The Freedom And 
   Grace Of Nature In The Movements Of Both. The Animal Was Probably 
   Indebted To The Blood Of Araby For Its Excellence,  Through A Long 
   Pedigree,  That Embraced The Steed Of Mexico,  The Spanish Barb,  And The 
   Moorish Charger. The Rider,  In Obtaining His Steed From The Provinces 
   Of Central-America,  Had Also Obtained That Spirit And Grace In 
   Controlling Him,  Which Unite To Form The Most Intrepid And Perhaps The 
   Most Skilful Horseman In The World. 
     
   Notwithstanding This Sudden Occupation Of His Animal,  The Pawnee 
   Discovered No Hasty Wish To Depart. More At His Ease,  And Possibly 
   More Independent,  Now He Found Himself Secure Of The Means Of Retreat, 
   He Rode Back And Forth,  Eyeing The Different Individuals Of The Party 
   With Far Greater Freedom Than Before. But,  At Each Extremity Of His 
   Ride,  Just As The Sagacious Trapper Expected To See Him Profit By His 
   Advantage And Fly,  He Would Turn His Horse,  And Pass Over The Same 
   Ground,  Sometimes With The Rapidity Of The Flying Deer,  And At Others 
   More Slowly,  And With Greater Dignity Of Mien And Attitude. Anxious To 
   Ascertain Such Facts As Might Have An Influence On His Future 
   Movements,  The Old Man Determined To Invite Him To A Renewal Of Their 
   Conference. He Therefore Made A Gesture Expressive At The Same Time Of 
   His Wish To Resume The Interrupted Discourse,  And Of His Own Pacific 
   Intentions. The Quick Eye Of The Stranger Was Not Slow To Note The 
   Action,  But It Was Not Until A Sufficient Time Had Passed To Allow Him 
   To Debate The Prudence Of The Measure In His Own Mind,  That He Seemed 
   Willing To Trust Himself Again,  So Near A Party That Was So Much 
   Superior To Himself In Physical Power,  And Consequently One That Was 
   Able,  At Any Instant,  To Command His Life,  Or Control His Personal 
   Liberty. When He Did Approach Nigh Enough To Converse With Facility, 
   It Was With A Singular Mixture Of Haughtiness And Of Distrust. 
     
   "It Is Far To The Village Of The Loups," He Said,  Stretching His Arm 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 9 
   In A Direction Contrary To That In Which,  The Trapper Well Knew,  The 
   Tribe Dwelt,  "And The Road Is Crooked. What Has The Big-Knife To Say?" 
     
   "Ay,  Crooked Enough!" Muttered The Old Man In English,  "If You Are To 
   Set Out On Your Journey By That Path,  But Not Half So Winding As The 
   Cunning Of An Indian's Mind. Say,  My Brother; Do The Chiefs Of The 
   Pawnees Love To See Strange Faces In Their Lodges?" 
     
   The Young Warrior Bent His Body Gracefully,  Though But Slightly,  Over 
   The Saddle-Bow,  As He Replied-- 
     
   "When Have My People Forgotten To Give Food To The Stranger?" 
     
   "If I Lead My Daughters To The Doors Of The Loups,  Will The Women Take 
   Them By The Hand; And Will The Warriors Smoke With My Young Men?" 
     
   "The Country Of The Pale-Faces Is Behind Them. Why Do They Journey So 
   Far Towards The Setting Sun? Have They Lost The Path,  Or Are These The 
   Women Of The White Warriors,  That I Hear Are Wading Up The River Of 
   'The Troubled Waters?'" 
     
   "Neither. They,  Who Wade The Missouri,  Are The Warriors Of My Great 
   Father,  Who Has Sent Them On His Message; But We Are Peace-Runners. 
   The White Men And The Red Are Neighbours,  And They Wish To Be Friends. 
   --Do Not The Omahaws Visit The Loups,  When The Tomahawk Is Buried In 
   The Path Between The Two Nations?" 
     
   "The Omahaws Are Welcome." 
     
   "And The Yanktons,  And The Burnt-Wood Tetons,  Who Live In The Elbow Of 
   The River,  'With Muddy Water,' Do They Not Come Into The Lodges Of The 
   Loups And Smoke?" 
     
   "The Tetons Are Liars!" Exclaimed The Other. "They Dare Not Shut Their 
   Eyes In The Night. No; They Sleep In The Sun. See," He Added,  Pointing 
   With Fierce Triumph To The Frightful Ornaments Of His Leggings,  "Their 
   Scalps Are So Plenty,  That The Pawnees Tread On Them! Go; Let A Sioux 
   Live In Banks Of Snow; The Plains And Buffaloes Are For Men!" 
     
   "Ah! The Secret Is Out," Said The Trapper To Middleton,  Who Was An 
   Attentive,  Because A Deeply Interested,  Observer Of What Was Passing. 
   "This Good-Looking Young Indian Is Scouting On The Track Of The 
   Siouxes--You May See It By His Arrow-Heads,  And His Paint; Ay,  And By 
   His Eye,  Too; For A Red-Skin Lets His Natur' Follow The Business He Is 
   On,  Be It For Peace,  Or Be It For War,--Quiet,  Hector,  Quiet. Have You 
   Never Scented A Pawnee Afore,  Pup?--Keep Down,  Dog--Keep Down--My 
   Brother Is Right. The Siouxes Are Thieves. Men Of All Colours And 
   Nations Say It Of Them,  And Say It Truly. But The People From The 
   Rising Sun Are Not Siouxes,  And They Wish To Visit The Lodges Of The 
   Loups." 
     
   "The Head Of My Brother Is White," Returned The Pawnee,  Throwing One 
   Of Those Glances At The Trapper,  Which Were So Remarkably Expressive 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 10 
   Of Distrust,  Intelligence,  And Pride,  And Then Pointing,  As He 
   Continued,  Towards The Eastern Horizon,  "And His Eyes Have Looked On 
   Many Things--Can He Tell Me The Name Of What He Sees Yonder--Is It A 
   Buffaloe?" 
     
   "It Looks More Like A Cloud,  Peeping Above The Skirt Of The Plain With 
   The Sunshine Lighting Its Edges. It Is The Smoke Of The Heavens." 
     
   "It Is A Hill Of The Earth,  And On Its Top Are The Lodges Of Pale- 
   Faces! Let The Women Of My Brother Wash Their Feet Among The People Of 
   Their Own Colour." 
     
   "The Eyes Of A Pawnee Are Good,  If He Can See A White-Skin So Far." 
     
   The Indian Turned Slowly Towards The Speaker,  And After A Pause Of A 
   Moment He Sternly Demanded-- 
     
   "Can My Brother Hunt?" 
     
   "Alas! I Claim To Be No Better Than A Miserable Trapper!" 
     
   "When The Plain Is Covered With The Buffaloes,  Can He See Them?" 
     
   "No Doubt,  No Doubt--It Is Far Easier To See Than To Take A Scampering 
   Bull." 
     
   "And When The Birds Are Flying From The Cold,  And The Clouds Are Black 
   With Their Feathers,  Can He See Them Too?" 
     
   "Ay,  Ay,  It Is Not Hard To Find A Duck,  Or A Goose,  When Millions Are 
   Darkening The Heavens." 
     
   "When The Snow Falls,  And Covers The Lodges Of The Long-Knives,  Can 
   The Stranger See Flakes In The Air?" 
     
   "My Eyes Are None Of The Best Now," Returned The Old Man A Little 
   Resentfully,  "But The Time Has Been When I Had A Name For My Sight!" 
     
   "The Red-Skins Find The Big-Knives As Easily As The Strangers See The 
   Buffaloe,  Or The Travelling Birds,  Or The Falling Snow. Your Warriors 
   Think The Master Of Life Has Made The Whole Earth White. They Are 
   Mistaken. They Are Pale,  And It Is Their Own Faces That They See. Go! 
   A Pawnee Is Not Blind,  That He Need Look Long For Your People!" 
     
   The Warrior Suddenly Paused,  And Bent His Face Aside,  Like One Who 
   Listened With All His Faculties Absorbed In The Act. Then Turning The 
   Head Of His Horse,  He Rode To The Nearest Angle Of The Thicket,  And 
   Looked Intently Across The Bleak Prairie,  In A Direction Opposite To 
   The Side On Which The Party Stood. Returning Slowly From This 
   Unaccountable,  And To His Observers,  Startling Procedure,  He Riveted 
   His Eyes On Inez,  And Paced Back And Forth Several Times,  With The Air 
   Of One Who Maintained A Warm Struggle On Some Difficult Point,  In The 
   Recesses Of His Own Thoughts. He Had Drawn The Reins Of His Impatient 
   Steed,  And Was Seemingly About To Speak,  When His Head Again Sunk On 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 11 
   His Chest,  And He Resumed His Former Attitude Of Attention. Galloping 
   Like A Deer,  To The Place Of His Former Observations,  He Rode For A 
   Moment Swiftly,  In Short And Rapid Circles,  As If Still Uncertain Of 
   His Course,  And Then Darted Away,  Like A Bird That Had Been Fluttering 
   Around Its Nest Before It Takes A Distant Flight. After Scouring The 
   Plain For A Minute,  He Was Lost To The Eye Behind A Swell Of The Land. 
     
   The Hounds,  Who Had Also Manifested Great Uneasiness For Some Time, 
   Followed Him For A Little Distance,  And Then Terminated Their Chase By 
   Seating Themselves On The Ground,  And Raising Their Usual Low, 
   Whining,  And Warning Howls. 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 12 
                         How If He Will Not Stand? 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Several Movements,  Related In The Close Of The Preceding Chapter, 
   Had Passed In So Short A Space Of Time,  That The Old Man,  While He 
   Neglected Not To Note The Smallest Incident,  Had No Opportunity Of 
   Expressing His Opinion Concerning The Stranger's Motives. After The 
   Pawnee Had Disappeared,  However,  He Shook His Head And Muttered,  While 
   He Walked Slowly To The Angle Of The Thicket That The Indian Had Just 
   Quitted-- 
     
   "There Are Both Scents And Sounds In The Air,  Though My Miserable 
   Senses Are Not Good Enough To Hear The One,  Or To Catch The Taint Of 
   The Other." 
     
   "There Is Nothing To Be Seen," Cried Middleton,  Who Kept Close At His 
   Side. "My Eyes And My Ears Are Good,  And Yet I Can Assure You That I 
   Neither Hear Nor See Any Thing." 
     
   "Your Eyes Are Good! And You Are Not Deaf!" Returned The Other With A 
   Slight Air Of Contempt; "No,  Lad,  No; They May Be Good To See Across A 
   Church,  Or To Hear A Town-Bell,  But Afore You Had Passed A Year In 
   These Prairies You Would Find Yourself Taking A Turkey For A Buffaloe, 
   Or Conceiting,  Fifty Times,  That The Roar Of A Buffaloe Bull Was The 
   Thunder Of The Lord! There Is A Deception Of Natur' In These Naked 
   Plains,  In Which The Air Throws Up The Images Like Water,  And Then It 
   Is Hard To Tell The Prairies From A Sea. But Yonder Is A Sign That A 
   Hunter Never Fails To Know!" 
     
   The Trapper Pointed To A Flight Of Vultures,  That Were Sailing Over 
   The Plain At No Great Distance,  And Apparently In The Direction In 
   Which The Pawnee Had Riveted His Eye. At First Middleton Could Not 
   Distinguish The Small Dark Objects,  That Were Dotting The Dusky 
   Clouds,  But As They Came Swiftly Onward,  First Their Forms,  And Then 
   Their Heavy Waving Wings,  Became Distinctly Visible. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 13 
     
   "Listen," Said The Trapper,  When He Had Succeeded In Making Middleton 
   See The Moving Column Of Birds. "Now You Hear The Buffaloes,  Or 
   Bisons,  As Your Knowing Doctor Sees Fit To Call Them,  Though Buffaloes 
   Is Their Name Among All The Hunters Of These Regions. And,  I Conclude, 
   That A Hunter Is A Better Judge Of A Beast And Of Its Name," He Added, 
   Winking To The Young Soldier,  "Than Any Man Who Has Turned Over The 
   Leaves Of A Book,  Instead Of Travelling Over The Face Of The 'Arth,  In 
   Order To Find Out The Natur's Of Its Inhabitants." 
     
   "Of Their Habits,  I Will Grant You," Cried The Naturalist,  Who Rarely 
   Missed An Opportunity To Agitate Any Disputed Point In His Favourite 
   Studies. "That Is,  Provided Always,  Deference Is Had To The Proper Use 
   Of Definitions,  And That They Are Contemplated With Scientific Eyes." 
     
   "Eyes Of A Mole! As If Man's Eyes Were Not As Good For Names As The 
   Eyes Of Any Other Creatur'! Who Named The Works Of His Hand? Can You 
   Tell Me That,  With Your Books And College Wisdom? Was It Not The First 
   Man In The Garden,  And Is It Not A Plain Consequence That His Children 
   Inherit His Gifts?" 
     
   "That Is Certainly The Mosaic Account Of The Event," Said The Doctor; 
   "Though Your Reading Is By Far Too Literal!" 
     
   "My Reading! Nay,  If You Suppose,  That I Have Wasted My Time In 
   Schools,  You Do Such A Wrong To My Knowledge,  As One Mortal Should 
   Never Lay To The Door Of Another Without Sufficient Reason. If I Have 
   Ever Craved The Art Of Reading,  It Has Been That I Might Better Know 
   The Sayings Of The Book You Name,  For It Is A Book Which Speaks,  In 
   Every Line,  According To Human Feelings,  And Therein According To 
   Reason." 
     
   "And Do You Then Believe," Said The Doctor A Little Provoked By The 
   Dogmatism Of His Stubborn Adversary,  And Perhaps,  Secretly,  Too 
   Confident In His Own More Liberal,  Though Scarcely As Profitable, 
   Attainments,--"Do You Then Believe That All These Beasts Were 
   Literally Collected In A Garden,  To Be Enrolled In The Nomenclature Of 
   The First Man?" 
     
   "Why Not? I Understand Your Meaning; For It Is Not Needful To Live In 
   Towns To Hear All The Devilish Devices,  That The Conceit Of Man Can 
   Invent To Upset His Own Happiness. What Does It Prove,  Except Indeed 
   It May Be Said To Prove That The Garden He Made Was Not After The 
   Miserable Fashions Of Our Times,  Thereby Directly Giving The Lie To 
   What The World Calls Its Civilising? No,  No,  The Garden Of The Lord 
   Was The Forest Then,  And Is The Forest Now,  Where The Fruits Do Grow, 
   And The Birds Do Sing,  According To His Own Wise Ordering. Now,  Lady, 
   You May See The Mystery Of The Vultures! There Come The Buffaloes 
   Themselves,  And A Noble Herd It Is! I Warrant Me,  That Pawnee Has A 
   Troop Of His People In Some Of The Hollows,  Nigh By; And As He Has 
   Gone Scampering After Them,  You Are About To See A Glorious Chase. It 
   Will Serve To Keep The Squatter And His Brood Under Cover,  And For 
   Ourselves There Is Little Reason To Fear. A Pawnee Is Not Apt To Be A 
   Malicious Savage." 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 14 
   Every Eye Was Now Drawn To The Striking Spectacle That Succeeded. Even 
   The Timid Inez Hastened To The Side Of Middleton To Gaze At The Sight, 
   And Paul Summoned Ellen From Her Culinary Labours,  To Become A Witness 
   Of The Lively Scene. 
     
   Throughout The Whole Of Those Moving Events,  Which It Has Been Our 
   Duty To Record,  The Prairies Had Lain In The Majesty Of Perfect 
   Solitude. The Heavens Had Been Blackened With The Passage Of The 
   Migratory Birds,  It Is True,  But The Dogs Of The Party,  And The Ass Of 
   The Doctor,  Were The Only Quadrupeds That Had Enlivened The Broad 
   Surface Of The Waste Beneath. There Was Now A Sudden Exhibition Of 
   Animal Life,  Which Changed The Scene,  As It Were,  By Magic,  To The 
   Very Opposite Extreme. 
     
   A Few Enormous Bison Bulls Were First Observed,  Scouring Along The 
   Most Distant Roll Of The Prairie,  And Then Succeeded Long Files Of 
   Single Beasts,  Which,  In Their Turns,  Were Followed By A Dark Mass Of 
   Bodies,  Until The Dun-Coloured Herbage Of The Plain Was Entirely Lost, 
   In The Deeper Hue Of Their Shaggy Coats. The Herd,  As The Column 
   Spread And Thickened,  Was Like The Endless Flocks Of The Smaller 
   Birds,  Whose Extended Flanks Are So Often Seen To Heave Up Out Of The 
   Abyss Of The Heavens,  Until They Appear As Countless As The Leaves In 
   Those Forests,  Over Which They Wing Their Endless Flight. Clouds Of 
   Dust Shot Up In Little Columns From The Centre Of The Mass,  As Some 
   Animal,  More Furious Than The Rest,  Ploughed The Plain With His Horns, 
   And,  From Time To Time,  A Deep Hollow Bellowing Was Borne Along On The 
   Wind,  As If A Thousand Throats Vented Their Plaints In A Discordant 
   Murmuring. 
     
   A Long And Musing Silence Reigned In The Party,  As They Gazed On This 
   Spectacle Of Wild And Peculiar Grandeur. It Was At Length Broken By 
   The Trapper,  Who,  Having Been Long Accustomed To Similar Sights,  Felt 
   Less Of Its Influence,  Or,  Rather,  Felt It In A Less Thrilling And 
   Absorbing Manner,  Than Those To Whom The Scene Was More Novel. 
     
   "There Go Ten Thousand Oxen In One Drove,  Without Keeper Or Master, 
   Except Him Who Made Them,  And Gave Them These Open Plains For Their 
   Pasture! Ay,  It Is Here That Man May See The Proofs Of His Wantonness 
   And Folly! Can The Proudest Governor In All The States Go Into His 
   Fields,  And Slaughter A Nobler Bullock Than Is Here Offered To The 
   Meanest Hand; And When He Has Gotten His Sirloin,  Or His Steak,  Can He 
   Eat It With As Good A Relish As He Who Has Sweetened His Food With 
   Wholesome Toil,  And Earned It According To The Law Of Natur',  By 
   Honestly Mastering That Which The Lord Hath Put Before Him?" 
     
   "If The Prairie Platter Is Smoking With A Buffaloe's Hump,  I Answer, 
   No," Interrupted The Luxurious Bee-Hunter. 
     
   "Ay,  Boy,  You Have Tasted,  And You Feel The Genuine Reasoning Of The 
   Thing! But The Herd Is Heading A Little This-A-Way,  And It Behoves Us 
   To Make Ready For Their Visit. If We Hide Ourselves,  Altogether,  The 
   Horned Brutes Will Break Through The Place And Trample Us Beneath 
   Their Feet,  Like So Many Creeping Worms; So We Will Just Put The Weak 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 15 
   Ones Apart,  And Take Post,  As Becomes Men And Hunters,  In The Van." 
     
   As There Was But Little Time To Make The Necessary Arrangements,  The 
   Whole Party Set About Them In Good Earnest. Inez And Ellen Were Placed 
   In The Edge Of The Thicket On The Side Farthest From The Approaching 
   Herd. Asinus Was Posted In The Centre,  In Consideration Of His Nerves, 
   And Then The Old Man,  With His Three Male Companions,  Divided 
   Themselves In Such A Manner As They Thought Would Enable Them To Turn 
   The Head Of The Rushing Column,  Should It Chance To Approach Too Nigh 
   Their Position. By The Vacillating Movements Of Some Fifty Or A 
   Hundred Bulls,  That Led The Advance,  It Remained Questionable,  For 
   Many Moments,  What Course They Intended To Pursue. But A Tremendous 
   And Painful Roar,  Which Came From Behind The Cloud Of Dust That Rose 
   In The Centre Of The Herd,  And Which Was Horridly Answered By The 
   Screams Of The Carrion Birds,  That Were Greedily Sailing Directly 
   Above The Flying Drove,  Appeared To Give A New Impulse To Their 
   Flight,  And At Once To Remove Every Symptom Of Indecision. As If Glad 
   To Seek The Smallest Signs Of The Forest,  The Whole Of The Affrighted 
   Herd Became Steady In Its Direction,  Rushing In A Straight Line Toward 
   The Little Cover Of Bushes,  Which Has Already Been So Often Named. 
     
   The Appearance Of Danger Was Now,  In Reality,  Of A Character To Try 
   The Stoutest Nerves. The Flanks Of The Dark,  Moving Mass,  Were 
   Advanced In Such A Manner As To Make A Concave Line Of The Front,  And 
   Every Fierce Eye,  That Was Glaring From The Shaggy Wilderness Of Hair 
   In Which The Entire Heads Of The Males Were Enveloped,  Was Riveted 
   With Mad Anxiety On The Thicket. It Seemed As If Each Beast Strove To 
   Outstrip His Neighbour,  In Gaining This Desired Cover; And As 
   Thousands In The Rear Pressed Blindly On Those In Front,  There Was The 
   Appearance Of An Imminent Risk That The Leaders Of The Herd Would Be 
   Precipitated On The Concealed Party,  In Which Case The Destruction Of 
   Every One Of Them Was Certain. Each Of Our Adventurers Felt The Danger 
   Of His Situation In A Manner Peculiar To His Individual Character And 
   Circumstances. 
     
   Middleton Wavered. At Times He Felt Inclined To Rush Through The 
   Bushes,  And,  Seizing Inez,  Attempt To Fly. Then Recollecting The 
   Impossibility Of Outstripping The Furious Speed Of An Alarmed Bison, 
   He Felt For His Arms,  Determined To Make Head Against The Countless 
   Drove. The Faculties Of Dr. Battius Were Quickly Wrought Up To The 
   Very Summit Of Mental Delusion. The Dark Forms Of The Herd Lost Their 
   Distinctness,  And Then The Naturalist Began To Fancy He Beheld A Wild 
   Collection Of All The Creatures Of The World,  Rushing Upon Him In A 
   Body,  As If To Revenge The Various Injuries,  Which In The Course Of A 
   Life Of Indefatigable Labour In Behalf Of The Natural Sciences,  He Had 
   Inflicted On Their Several Genera. The Paralysis It Occasioned In His 
   System,  Was Like The Effect Of The Incubus. Equally Unable To Fly Or 
   To Advance,  He Stood Riveted To The Spot,  Until The Infatuation Became 
   So Complete,  That The Worthy Naturalist Was Beginning,  By A Desperate 
   Effort Of Scientific Resolution,  Even To Class The Different 
   Specimens. On The Other Hand,  Paul Shouted,  And Called On Ellen To 
   Come And Assist Him In Shouting,  But His Voice Was Lost In The 
   Bellowings And Trampling Of The Herd. Furious,  And Yet Strangely 
   Excited By The Obstinacy Of The Brutes And The Wildness Of The Sight, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 16 
   And Nearly Maddened By Sympathy And A Species Of Unconscious 
   Apprehension,  In Which The Claims Of Nature Were Singularly Mingled 
   With Concern For His Mistress,  He Nearly Split His Throat In Exhorting 
   His Aged Friend To Interfere. 
     
   "Come Forth,  Old Trapper," He Shouted,  "With Your Prairie Inventions! 
   Or We Shall Be All Smothered Under A Mountain Of Buffaloe Humps!" 
     
   The Old Man,  Who Had Stood All This While Leaning On His Rifle,  And 
   Regarding The Movements Of The Herd With A Steady Eye,  Now Deemed It 
   Time To Strike His Blow. Levelling His Piece At The Foremost Bull, 
   With An Agility That Would Have Done Credit To His Youth,  He Fired. 
   The Animal Received The Bullet On The Matted Hair Between His Horns, 
   And Fell To His Knees: But Shaking His Head He Instantly Arose,  The 
   Very Shock Seeming To Increase His Exertions. There Was Now No Longer 
   Time To Hesitate. Throwing Down His Rifle,  The Trapper Stretched Forth 
   His Arms,  And Advanced From The Cover With Naked Hands,  Directly 
   Towards The Rushing Column Of The Beasts. 
     
   The Figure Of A Man,  When Sustained By The Firmness And Steadiness 
   That Intellect Can Only Impart,  Rarely Fails Of Commanding Respect 
   From All The Inferior Animals Of The Creation. The Leading Bulls 
   Recoiled,  And For A Single Instant There Was A Sudden Stop To Their 
   Speed,  A Dense Mass Of Bodies Rolling Up In Front,  Until Hundreds Were 
   Seen Floundering And Tumbling On The Plain. Then Came Another Of Those 
   Hollow Bellowings From The Rear,  And Set The Herd Again In Motion. The 
   Head Of The Column,  However,  Divided. The Immovable Form Of The 
   Trapper,  Cutting It,  As It Were,  Into Two Gliding Streams Of Life. 
   Middleton And Paul Instantly Profited By His Example,  And Extended The 
   Feeble Barrier By A Similar Exhibition Of Their Own Persons. 
     
   For A Few Moments,  The New Impulse Given To The Animals In Front, 
   Served To Protect The Thicket. But,  As The Body Of The Herd Pressed 
   More And More Upon The Open Line Of Its Defenders,  And The Dust 
   Thickened,  So As To Obscure Their Persons,  There Was,  At Each Instant, 
   A Renewed Danger Of The Beasts Breaking Through. It Became Necessary 
   For The Trapper And His Companions To Become Still More And More 
   Alert; And They Were Gradually Yielding Before The Headlong Multitude, 
   When A Furious Bull Darted By Middleton,  So Near As To Brush His 
   Person,  And,  At The Next Instant,  Swept Through The Thicket With The 
   Velocity Of The Wind. 
     
   "Close,  And Die For The Ground," Shouted The Old Man,  "Or A Thousand 
   Of The Devils Will Be At His Heels!" 
     
   All Their Efforts Would Have Proved Fruitless,  However,  Against The 
   Living Torrent,  Had Not Asinus,  Whose Domains Had Just Been So Rudely 
   Entered,  Lifted His Voice,  In The Midst Of The Uproar. The Most Sturdy 
   And Furious Of The Bulls Trembled At The Alarming And Unknown Cry,  And 
   Then Each Individual Brute Was Seen Madly Pressing From That Very 
   Thicket,  Which,  The Moment Before,  He Had Endeavoured To Reach,  With 
   The Eagerness With Which The Murderer Seeks The Sanctuary. 
     
   As The Stream Divided,  The Place Became Clear; The Two Dark Columns 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 17 
   Moving Obliquely From The Copse,  To Unite Again At The Distance Of A 
   Mile,  On Its Opposite Side. The Instant The Old Man Saw The Sudden 
   Effect Which The Voice Of Asinus Had Produced,  He Coolly Commenced 
   Reloading His Rifle,  Indulging At The Same Time In A Heartfelt Fit Of 
   His Silent And Peculiar Merriment. 
     
   "There They Go,  Like Dogs With So Many Half-Filled Shot-Pouches 
   Dangling At Their Tails,  And No Fear Of Their Breaking Their Order; 
   For What The Brutes In The Rear Didn't Hear With Their Own Ears, 
   They'll Conceit They Did: Besides,  If They Change Their Minds,  It May 
   Be No Hard Matter To Get The Jack To Sing The Rest Of His Tune!" 
     
   "The Ass Has Spoken,  But Balaam Is Silent!" Cried The Bee-Hunter, 
   Catching His Breath After A Repeated Burst Of Noisy Mirth,  That Might 
   Possibly Have Added To The Panic Of The Buffaloes By Its Vociferation. 
   "The Man Is As Completely Dumb-Founded,  As If A Swarm Of Young Bees 
   Had Settled On The End Of His Tongue,  And He Not Willing To Speak,  For 
   Fear Of Their Answer." 
     
   "How Now,  Friend," Continued The Trapper,  Addressing The Still 
   Motionless And Entranced Naturalist; "How Now,  Friend; Are You,  Who 
   Make Your Livelihood By Booking The Names And Natur's Of The Beasts Of 
   The Fields And The Fowls Of The Air,  Frightened At A Herd Of 
   Scampering Buffaloes? Though,  Perhaps,  You Are Ready To Dispute My 
   Right To Call Them By A Word,  That Is In The Mouth Of Every Hunter And 
   Trader On The Frontier!" 
     
   The Old Man Was However Mistaken,  In Supposing He Could Excite The 
   Benumbed Faculties Of The Doctor,  By Provoking A Discussion. From That 
   Time,  Henceforth,  He Was Never Known,  Except On One Occasion,  To Utter 
   A Word That Indicated Either The Species,  Or The Genus,  Of The Animal. 
   He Obstinately Refused The Nutritious Food Of The Whole Ox Family,  And 
   Even To The Present Hour,  Now That He Is Established In All The 
   Scientific Dignity And Security Of A Savant In One Of The Maritime 
   Towns,  He Turns His Back With A Shudder On Those Delicious And 
   Unrivalled Viands,  That Are So Often Seen At The Suppers Of The Craft, 
   And Which Are Unequalled By Any Thing,  That Is Served Under The Same 
   Name,  At The Boasted Chop-Houses Of London,  Or At The Most Renowned Of 
   The Parisian Restaurants. In Short,  The Distaste Of The Worthy 
   Naturalist For Beef Was Not Unlike That Which The Shepherd Sometimes 
   Produces,  By First Muzzling And Fettering His Delinquent Dog,  And Then 
   Leaving Him As A Stepping Stone For The Whole Flock To Use In Its 
   Transit Over A Wall,  Or Through The Opening Of A Sheep-Fold; A Process 
   Which Is Said To Produce In The Culprit A Species Of Surfeit,  On The 
   Subject Of Mutton,  For Ever After. By The Time Paul And The Trapper 
   Saw Fit To Terminate The Fresh Bursts Of Merriment,  Which The 
   Continued Abstraction Of Their Learned Companion Did Not Fail To 
   Excite,  He Commenced Breathing Again,  As If The Suspended Action Of 
   His Lungs Had Been Renewed By The Application Of A Pair Of Artificial 
   Bellows,  And Was Heard To Make Use Of The Ever Afterwards Proscribed 
   Term,  On That Solitary Occasion,  To Which We Have Just Alluded. 
     
   "Boves Americani Horridi!" Exclaimed The Doctor,  Laying Great Stress 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 18 
   On The Latter Word; After Which He Continued Mute,  Like One Who 
   Pondered On Strange And Unaccountable Events. 
     
   "Ay,  Horrid Eyes Enough,  I Will Willingly Allow," Returned The 
   Trapper; "And Altogether The Creatur' Has A Frightful Look,  To One 
   Unused To The Sights And Bustle Of A Natural Life; But Then The 
   Courage Of The Beast Is In No Way Equal To Its Countenance. Lord,  Man, 
   If You Should Once Get Fairly Beset By A Brood Of Grizzly Bears,  As 
   Happened To Hector And I,  At The Great Falls Of The Miss--Ah,  Here 
   Comes The Tail Of The Herd,  And Yonder Goes A Pack Of Hungry Wolves, 
   Ready To Pick Up The Sick,  Or Such As Get A Disjointed Neck By A 
   Tumble. Ha! There Are Mounted Men On Their Trail,  Or I'm No Sinner! 
   Here,  Lad; You May See Them Here-Away,  Just Where The Dust Is 
   Scattering Afore The Wind. They Are Hovering Around A Wounded 
   Buffaloe,  Making An End Of The Surly Devil With Their Arrows!" 
     
   Middleton And Paul Soon Caught A Glimpse Of The Dark Group,  That The 
   Quick Eye Of The Old Man Had So Readily Detected. Some Fifteen Or 
   Twenty Horsemen Were,  In Truth,  To Be Seen Riding,  In Quick Circuits, 
   About A Noble Bull,  Which Stood At Bay,  Too Grievously Hurt To Fly, 
   And Yet Seeming To Disdain To Fall,  Notwithstanding His Hardy Body Had 
   Already Been The Target For A Hundred Arrows. A Thrust From The Lance 
   Of A Powerful Indian,  However,  Completed His Conquest,  And The Brute 
   Gave Up His Obstinate Hold Of Life With A Roar,  That Passed Bellowing 
   Over The Place Where Our Adventurers Stood,  And,  Reaching The Ears Of 
   The Affrighted Herd,  Added A New Impulse To Their Flight. 
     
   "How Well The Pawnee Knew The Philosophy Of A Buffaloe Hunt!" Said The 
   Old Man,  After He Had Stood Regarding The Animated Scene For A Few 
   Moments,  With Evident Satisfaction. "You Saw How He Went Off Like The 
   Wind Before The Drove. It Was In Order That He Might Not Taint The 
   Air,  And That He Might Turn The Flank,  And Join--Ha! How Is This! 
   Yonder Red-Skins Are No Pawnees! The Feathers In Their Heads Are From 
   The Wings And Tails Of Owls.--Ah! As I Am But A Miserable,  Half- 
   Sighted,  Trapper,  It Is A Band Of The Accursed Siouxes! To Cover, 
   Lads,  To Cover. A Single Cast Of An Eye This-A-Way,  Would Strip Us Of 
   Every Rag Of Clothes,  As Surely As The Lightning Scorches The Bush, 
   And It Might Be That Our Very Lives Would Be Far From Safe." 
     
   Middleton Had Already Turned From The Spectacle,  To Seek That Which 
   Pleased Him Better; The Sight Of His Young And Beautiful Bride. Paul 
   Seized The Doctor By The Arm; And,  As The Trapper Followed With The 
   Smallest Possible Delay,  The Whole Party Was Quickly Collected Within 
   The Cover Of The Thicket. After A Few Short Explanations Concerning 
   The Character Of This New Danger,  The Old Man,  On Whom The Whole Duty 
   Of Directing Their Movements Was Devolved,  In Deference To His Great 
   Experience,  Continued His Discourse As Follows-- 
     
   "This Is A Region,  As You Must All Know,  Where A Strong Arm Is Far 
   Better Than The Right,  And Where The White Law Is As Little Known As 
   Needed. Therefore Does Every Thing,  Now,  Depend On Judgment And Power. 
   If," He Continued,  Laying His Finger On His Cheek,  Like One Who 
   Considered Deeply All Sides Of The Embarrassing Situation In Which He 
   Found Himself,--"If An Invention Could Be Framed,  Which Would Set 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 19 
   These Siouxes And The Brood Of The Squatter By The Ears,  Then Might We 
   Come In,  Like The Buzzards After A Fight Atween The Beasts,  And Pick 
   Up The Gleanings Of The Ground--There Are Pawnees Nigh Us,  Too! It Is 
   A Certain Matter,  For Yonder Lad Is Not So Far From His Village 
   Without An Errand. Here Are Therefore Four Parties Within Sound Of A 
   Cannon,  Not One Of Whom Can Trust The Other. All Which Makes Movement 
   A Little Difficult,  In A District Where Covers Are Far From Plenty. 
   But We Are Three Well-Armed,  And I Think I May See Three Stout-Hearted 
   Men--" 
     
   "Four," Interrupted Paul. 
     
   "Anan," Said The Old Man,  Looking Up Simply At His Companion. 
     
   "Four," Repeated The Bee-Hunter,  Pointing To The Naturalist. 
     
   "Every Army Has Its Hangers-On And Idlers," Rejoined The Blunt Border- 
   Man. "Friend,  It Will Be Necessary To Slaughter This Ass." 
     
   "To Slay Asinus! Such A Deed Would Be An Act Of Supererogatory 
   Cruelty." 
     
   "I Know Nothing Of Your Words,  Which Hide Their Meaning In Sound; But 
   That Is Cruel Which Sacrifices A Christian To A Brute. This Is What I 
   Call The Reason Of Mercy. It Would Be Just As Safe To Blow A Trumpet, 
   As To Let The Animal Raise His Voice Again,  Inasmuch As It Would Prove 
   A Manifest Challenge To The Siouxes." 
     
   "I Will Answer For The Discretion Of Asinus,  Who Seldom Speaks Without 
   A Reason." 
     
   "They Say A Man Can Be Known By The Company He Keeps," Retorted The 
   Old Man,  "And Why Not A Brute? I Once Made A Forced March,  And Went 
   Through A Great Deal Of Jeopardy,  With A Companion Who Never Opened 
   His Mouth But To Sing; And Trouble Enough And Great Concern Of Mind 
   Did The Fellow Give Me. It Was In That Very Business With Your 
   Grand'ther,  Captain. But Then He Had A Human Throat,  And Well Did He 
   Know How To Use It,  On Occasion,  Though He Didn't Always Stop To 
   Regard The Time And Seasons Fit For Such Outcries. Ah's Me! If I Was 
   Now,  As I Was Then,  It Wouldn't Be A Band Of Thieving Siouxes That 
   Should Easily Drive Me From Such A Lodgment As This! But What 
   Signifies Boasting,  When Sight And Strength Are Both Failing. The 
   Warrior,  That The Delawares Once Saw Fit To Call After The Hawk,  For 
   The Goodness Of His Eyes,  Would Now Be Better Termed The Mole! In My 
   Judgment,  Therefore,  It Will Be Well To Slay The Brute." 
     
   "There's Argument And Good Logic In It," Said Paul; "Music Is Music, 
   And It's Always Noisy,  Whether It Comes From A Fiddle Or A Jackass. 
   Therefore I Agree With The Old Man,  And Say,  Kill The Beast." 
     
   "Friends," Said The Naturalist,  Looking With A Sorrowful Eye From One 
   To Another Of His Bloodily Disposed Companions,  "Slay Not Asinus; He 
   Is A Specimen Of His Kind,  Of Whom Much Good And Little Evil Can Be 
   Said. Hardy And Docile For His Genus; Abstemious And Patient,  Even For 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 20 
   His Humble Species. We Have Journeyed Much Together,  And His Death 
   Would Grieve Me. How Would It Trouble Thy Spirit,  Venerable Venator, 
   To Separate,  In Such An Untimely Manner,  From Your Faithful Hound?" 
     
   "The Animal Shall Not Die," Said The Old Man,  Suddenly Clearing His 
   Throat,  In A Manner That Proved He Felt The Force Of The Appeal; "But 
   His Voice Must Be Smothered. Bind His Jaws With The Halter,  And Then I 
   Think We May Trust The Rest To Providence." 
     
   With This Double Security For The Discretion Of Asinus,  For Paul 
   Instantly Bound The Muzzle Of The Ass In The Manner Required,  The 
   Trapper Seemed Content. After Which He Proceeded To The Margin Of The 
   Thicket To Reconnoitre. 
     
   The Uproar,  Which Attended The Passage Of The Herd,  Was Now Gone,  Or 
   Rather It Was Heard Rolling Along The Prairie,  At The Distance Of A 
   Mile. The Clouds Of Dust Were Already Blown Away By The Wind,  And A 
   Clear Range Was Left To The Eye,  In That Place Where Ten Minutes 
   Before There Existed A Scene Of So Much Wildness And Confusion. 
     
   The Siouxes Had Completed Their Conquest,  And,  Apparently Satisfied 
   With This Addition To The Numerous Previous Captures They Had Made, 
   They Now Seemed Content To Let The Remainder Of The Herd Escape. A 
   Dozen Remained Around The Carcass,  Over Which A Few Buzzards Were 
   Balancing Themselves With Steady Wings And Greedy Eyes,  While The Rest 
   Were Riding About,  In Quest Of Such Further Booty As Might Come In 
   Their Way,  On The Trail Of So Vast A Drove. The Trapper Measured The 
   Proportions,  And Scanned The Equipments Of Such Individuals As Drew 
   Nearer To The Side Of The Thicket,  With Careful Eyes. At Length He 
   Pointed Out One Among Them,  To Middleton,  As Weucha. 
     
   "Now,  Know We Not Only Who They Are,  But Their Errand," The Old Man 
   Continued,  Deliberately Shaking His Head. "They Have Lost The Trail Of 
   The Squatter,  And Are On Its Hunt. These Buffaloes Have Crossed Their 
   Path,  And In Chasing The Animals,  Bad Luck Has Led Them In Open Sight 
   Of The Hill On Which The Brood Of Ishmael Have Harboured. Do You See 
   Yon Birds Watching For The Offals Of The Beast They Have Killed? 
   Therein Is A Moral,  Which Teaches The Manner Of A Prairie Life. A Band 
   Of Pawnees Are Outlying For These Very Siouxes,  As You See The 
   Buzzards Looking Down For Their Food,  And It Behoves Us,  As Christian 
   Men Who Have So Much At Stake,  To Look Down Upon Them Both. Ha! What 
   Brings Yonder Two Skirting Reptiles To A Stand? As You Live,  They Have 
   Found The Place Where The Miserable Son Of The Squatter Met His 
   Death!" 
     
   The Old Man Was Not Mistaken. Weucha,  And A Savage Who Accompanied 
   Him,  Had Reached That Spot,  Which Has Already Been Mentioned As 
   Furnishing The Frightful Evidences Of Violence And Bloodshed. There 
   They Sat On Their Horses,  Examining The Well-Known Signs,  With The 
   Intelligence That Distinguishes The Habits Of Indians. Their Scrutiny 
   Was Long,  And Apparently Not Without Distrust. At Length They Raised A 
   Cry,  That Was Scarcely Less Piteous And Startling Than That Which The 
   Hounds Had Before Made Over The Same Fatal Signs,  And Which Did Not 
   Fail To Draw The Whole Band Immediately Around Them,  As The Fell Bark 
   Of The Jackal Is Said To Gather His Comrades To The Chase. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 21 
                          Welcome,  Ancient Pistol. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   It Was Not Long Before The Trapper Pointed Out The Commanding Person 
   Of Mahtoree,  As The Leader Of The Siouxes. This Chief,  Who Had Been 
   Among The Last To Obey The Vociferous Summons Of Weucha,  No Sooner 
   Reached The Spot Where His Whole Party Was Now Gathered,  Than He Threw 
   Himself From His Horse,  And Proceeded To Examine The Marks Of The 
   Extraordinary Trail,  With That Degree Of Dignity And Attention Which 
   Became His High And Responsible Station. The Warriors,  For It Was But 
   Too Evident That They Were To A Man Of That Fearless And Ruthless 
   Class,  Awaited The Result Of His Investigation With Patient Reserve; 
   None But A Few Of The Principal Braves,  Presuming Even To Speak,  While 
   Their Leader Was Thus Gravely Occupied. It Was Several Minutes Before 
   Mahtoree Seemed Satisfied. He Then Directed His Eyes Along The Ground 
   To Those Several Places Where Ishmael Had Found The Same Revolting 
   Evidences Of The Passage Of Some Bloody Struggle,  And Motioned To His 
   People To Follow. 
     
   The Whole Band Advanced In A Body Towards The Thicket,  Until They Came 
   To A Halt,  Within A Few Yards Of The Precise Spot,  Where Esther Had 
   Stimulated Her Sluggish Sons To Break Into The Cover. The Reader Will 
   Readily Imagine That The Trapper And His Companions Were Not 
   Indifferent Observers Of So Threatening A Movement. The Old Man 
   Summoned All Who Were Capable Of Bearing Arms To His Side,  And 
   Demanded,  In Very Unequivocal Terms,  Though In A Voice That Was 
   Suitably Lowered,  In Order To Escape The Ears Of Their Dangerous 
   Neighbours,  Whether They Were Disposed To Make Battle For Their 
   Liberty,  Or Whether They Should Try The Milder Expedient Of 
   Conciliation. As It Was A Subject In Which All Had An Equal Interest, 
   He Put The Question As To A Council Of War,  And Not Without Some 
   Slight Exhibition Of The Lingering Vestiges Of A Nearly Extinct 
   Military Pride. Paul And The Doctor Were Diametrically Opposed To Each 
   Other In Opinion; The Former Declaring For An Immediate Appeal To 
   Arms,  And The Latter Was Warmly Espousing The Policy Of Pacific 
   Measures. Middleton,  Who Saw That There Was Great Danger Of A Hot 
   Verbal Dispute Between Two Men,  Who Were Governed By Feelings So 
   Diametrically Opposed,  Saw Fit To Assume The Office Of Arbiter; Or 
   Rather To Decide The Question,  His Situation Making Him A Sort Of 
   Umpire. He Also Leaned To The Side Of Peace,  For He Evidently Saw 
   That,  In Consequence Of The Vast Superiority Of Their Enemies, 
   Violence Would Irretrievably Lead To Their Destruction. 
     
   The Trapper Listened To The Reasons Of The Young Soldier With Great 
   Attention; And,  As They Were Given With The Steadiness Of One Who Did 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 22 
   Not Suffer Apprehension To Blind His Judgment,  They Did Not Fail To 
   Produce A Suitable Impression. 
     
   "It Is Rational," Rejoined The Trapper,  When The Other Had Delivered 
   His Reasons; "It Is Very Rational,  For What Man Cannot Move With His 
   Strength He Must Circumvent With His Wits. It Is Reason That Makes Him 
   Stronger Than The Buffaloe,  And Swifter Than The Moose. Now Stay You 
   Here,  And Keep Yourselves Close. My Life And My Traps Are But Of 
   Little Value,  When The Welfare Of So Many Human Souls Are Concerned; 
   And,  Moreover,  I May Say That I Know The Windings Of Indian Cunning. 
   Therefore Will I Go Alone Upon The Prairie. It May So Happen,  That I 
   Can Yet Draw The Eyes Of A Sioux From This Spot And Give You Time And 
   Room To Fly." 
     
   As If Resolved To Listen To No Remonstrance,  The Old Man Quietly 
   Shouldered His Rifle,  And Moving Leisurely Through The Thicket,  He 
   Issued On The Plain,  At A Point Whence He Might First Appear Before 
   The Eyes Of The Siouxes,  Without Exciting Their Suspicions That He 
   Came From Its Cover. 
     
   The Instant That The Figure Of A Man Dressed In The Garb Of A Hunter, 
   And Bearing The Well Known And Much Dreaded Rifle,  Appeared Before The 
   Eyes Of The Siouxes,  There Was A Sensible,  Though A Suppressed 
   Sensation In The Band. The Artifice Of The Trapper Had So Far 
   Succeeded,  As To Render It Extremely Doubtful Whether He Came From 
   Some Point On The Open Prairie,  Or From The Thicket; Though The 
   Indians Still Continued To Cast Frequent And Suspicious Glances At The 
   Cover. They Had Made Their Halt At The Distance Of An Arrow-Flight 
   From The Bushes; But When The Stranger Came Sufficiently Nigh To Show 
   That The Deep Coating Of Red And Brown,  Which Time And Exposure Had 
   Given To His Features,  Was Laid Upon The Original Colour Of A Pale- 
   Face,  They Slowly Receded From The Spot,  Until They Reached A Distance 
   That Might Defeat The Aim Of Fire-Arms. 
     
   In The Mean Time The Old Man Continued To Advance,  Until He Had Got 
   Nigh Enough To Make Himself Heard Without Difficulty. Here He Stopped, 
   And Dropping His Rifle To The Earth,  He Raised His Hand With The Palm 
   Outward,  In Token Of Peace. After Uttering A Few Words Of Reproach To 
   His Hound,  Who Watched The Savage Group With Eyes That Seemed To 
   Recognise Them,  He Spoke In The Sioux Tongue-- 
     
   "My Brothers Are Welcome," He Said,  Cunningly Constituting Himself The 
   Master Of The Region In Which They Had Met,  And Assuming The Offices 
   Of Hospitality. "They Are Far From Their Villages,  And Are Hungry. 
   Will They Follow To My Lodge,  To Eat And Sleep?" 
     
   No Sooner Was His Voice Heard,  Than The Yell Of Pleasure,  Which Burst 
   From A Dozen Mouths,  Convinced The Sagacious Trapper,  That He Also Was 
   Recognised. Feeling That It Was Too Late To Retreat,  He Profited By 
   The Confusion Which Prevailed Among Them,  While Weucha Was Explaining 
   His Character,  To Advance,  Until He Was Again Face To Face With The 
   Redoubtable Mahtoree. The Second Interview Between These Two Men,  Each 
   Of Whom Was Extraordinary In His Way,  Was Marked By The Usual Caution 
   Of The Frontiers. They Stood,  For Nearly A Minute,  Examining Each 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 23 
   Other Without Speaking. 
     
   "Where Are Your Young Men?" Sternly Demanded The Teton Chieftain, 
   After He Found That The Immovable Features Of The Trapper Refused To 
   Betray Any Of Their Master's Secrets,  Under His Intimidating Look. 
     
   "The Long-Knives Do Not Come In Bands To Trap The Beaver? I Am Alone." 
     
   "Your Head Is White,  But You Have A Forked Tongue. Mahtoree Has Been 
   In Your Camp. He Knows That You Are Not Alone. Where Is Your Young 
   Wife,  And The Warrior That I Found Upon The Prairie?" 
     
   "I Have No Wife. I Have Told My Brother That The Woman And Her Friend 
   Were Strangers. The Words Of A Grey Head Should Be Heard,  And Not 
   Forgotten. The Dahcotahs Found Travellers Asleep,  And They Thought 
   They Had No Need Of Horses. The Women And Children Of A Pale-Face Are 
   Not Used To Go Far On Foot. Let Them Be Sought Where You Left Them." 
     
   The Eyes Of The Teton Flashed Fire As He Answered-- 
     
   "They Are Gone: But Mahtoree Is A Wise Chief,  And His Eyes Can See A 
   Great Distance!" 
     
   "Does The Partisan Of The Tetons See Men On These Naked Fields?" 
   Retorted The Trapper,  With Great Steadiness Of Mien. "I Am Very Old, 
   And My Eyes Grow Dim. Where Do They Stand?" The Chief Remained Silent 
   A Moment,  As If He Disdained To Contest Any Further The Truth Of A 
   Fact,  Concerning Which He Was Already Satisfied. Then Pointing To The 
   Traces On The Earth,  He Said,  With A Sudden Transition To Mildness,  In 
   His Eye And Manner-- 
     
   "My Father Has Learnt Wisdom,  In Many Winters; Can He Tell Me Whose 
   Moccasin Has Left This Trail?" 
     
   "There Have Been Wolves And Buffaloes On The Prairies; And There May 
   Have Been Cougars Too." 
     
   Mahtoree Glanced His Eye At The Thicket,  As If He Thought The Latter 
   Suggestion Not Impossible. Pointing To The Place,  He Ordered His Young 
   Men To Reconnoitre It More Closely,  Cautioning Them,  At The Same Time, 
   With A Stern Look At The Trapper,  To Beware Of Treachery From The Big- 
   Knives. Three Or Four Half-Naked,  Eager-Looking Youths Lashed Their 
   Horses At The Word,  And Darted Away To Obey The Mandate. The Old Man 
   Trembled A Little For The Discretion Of Paul,  When He Saw This 
   Demonstration. The Tetons Encircled The Place Two Or Three Times, 
   Approaching Nigher And Nigher At Each Circuit,  And Then Galloped Back 
   To Their Leader To Report That The Copse Seemed Empty. Notwithstanding 
   The Trapper Watched The Eye Of Mahtoree,  To Detect The Inward 
   Movements Of His Mind,  And If Possible To Anticipate,  In Order To 
   Direct His Suspicions,  The Utmost Sagacity Of One So Long Accustomed 
   To Study The Cold Habits Of The Indian Race,  Could However Detect No 
   Symptom,  Or Expression,  That Denoted How Far He Credited Or Distrusted 
   This Intelligence. Instead Of Replying To The Information Of His 
   Scouts,  He Spoke Kindly To His Horse,  And Motioning To A Youth To 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 24 
   Receive The Bridle,  Or Rather Halter,  By Which He Governed The Animal, 
   He Took The Trapper By The Arm,  And Led Him A Little Apart From The 
   Rest Of The Band. 
     
   "Has My Brother Been A Warrior?" Said The Wily Teton,  In A Tone That 
   He Intended Should Be Conciliating. 
     
   "Do The Leaves Cover The Trees In The Season Of Fruits? Go. The 
   Dahcotahs Have Not Seen As Many Warriors Living As I Have Looked On In 
   Their Blood! But What Signifies Idle Remembrancing," He Added In 
   English,  "When Limbs Grow Stiff,  And Sight Is Failing!" 
     
   The Chief Regarded Him A Moment With A Severe Look,  As If He Would Lay 
   Bare The Falsehood He Had Heard; But Meeting In The Calm Eye And 
   Steady Mien Of The Trapper A Confirmation Of The Truth Of What He 
   Said,  He Took The Hand Of The Old Man And Laid It Gently On His Head, 
   In Token Of The Respect That Was Due To The Other's Years And 
   Experience. 
     
   "Why Then Do The Big-Knives Tell Their Red Brethren To Bury The 
   Tomahawk," He Said,  "When Their Own Young Men Never Forget That They 
   Are Braves,  And Meet Each Other So Often With Bloody Hands?" 
     
   "My Nation Is More Numerous Than The Buffaloes On The Prairies,  Or The 
   Pigeons In The Air. Their Quarrels Are Frequent; Yet Their Warriors 
   Are Few. None Go Out On The War-Path But They Who Are Gifted With The 
   Qualities Of A Brave,  And Therefore Such See Many Battles." 
     
   "It Is Not So--My Father Is Mistaken," Returned Mahtoree,  Indulging In 
   A Smile Of Exulting Penetration,  At The Very Instant He Corrected The 
   Force Of His Denial,  In Deference To The Years And Services Of One So 
   Aged. "The Big-Knives Are Very Wise,  And They Are Men; All Of Them 
   Would Be Warriors. They Would Leave The Red-Skins To Dig Roots And Hoe 
   The Corn. But A Dahcotah Is Not Born To Live Like A Woman; He Must 
   Strike The Pawnee And The Omahaw,  Or He Will Lose The Name Of His 
   Fathers." 
     
   "The Master Of Life Looks With An Open Eye On His Children,  Who Die In 
   A Battle That Is Fought For The Right; But He Is Blind,  And His Ears 
   Are Shut To The Cries Of An Indian,  Who Is Killed When Plundering,  Or 
   Doing Evil To His Neighbour." 
     
   "My Father Is Old," Said Mahtoree,  Looking At His Aged Companion,  With 
   An Expression Of Irony,  That Sufficiently Denoted He Was One Of Those 
   Who Overstep The Trammels Of Education,  And Who Are Perhaps A Little 
   Given To Abuse The Mental Liberty They Thus Obtain. "He Is Very Old: 
   Has He Made A Journey To The Far Country; And Has He Been At The 
   Trouble To Come Back,  To Tell The Young Men What He Has Seen?" 
     
   "Teton," Returned The Trapper,  Throwing The Breach Of His Rifle To The 
   Earth With Startling Vehemence,  And Regarding His Companion With 
   Steady Serenity,  "I Have Heard That There Are Men,  Among My People, 
   Who Study Their Great Medicines Until They Believe Themselves To Be 
   Gods,  And Who Laugh At All Faith Except In Their Own Vanities. It May 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 25 
   Be True. It Is True; For I Have Seen Them. When Man Is Shut Up In 
   Towns And Schools,  With His Own Follies,  It May Be Easy To Believe 
   Himself Greater Than The Master Of Life; But A Warrior,  Who Lives In A 
   House With The Clouds For Its Roof,  Where He Can At Any Moment Look 
   Both At The Heavens And At The Earth,  And Who Daily Sees The Power Of 
   The Great Spirit,  Should Be More Humble. A Dahcotah Chieftain Ought To 
   Be Too Wise To Laugh At Justice." 
     
   The Crafty Mahtoree,  Who Saw That His Free-Thinking Was Not Likely To 
   Produce A Favourable Impression On The Old Man,  Instantly Changed His 
   Ground,  By Alluding To The More Immediate Subject Of Their Interview. 
   Laying His Hand Gently On The Shoulder Of The Trapper,  He Led Him 
   Forward,  Until They Both Stood Within Fifty Feet Of The Margin Of The 
   Thicket. Here He Fastened His Penetrating Eyes On The Other's Honest 
   Countenance,  And Continued The Discourse-- 
     
   "If My Father Has Hid His Young Men In The Bush,  Let Him Tell Them To 
   Come Forth. You See That A Dahcotah Is Not Afraid. Mahtoree Is A Great 
   Chief! A Warrior,  Whose Head Is White,  And Who Is About To Go To The 
   Land Of Spirits,  Cannot Have A Tongue With Two Ends,  Like A Serpent." 
     
   "Dahcotah,  I Have Told No Lie. Since The Great Spirit Made Me A Man,  I 
   Have Lived In The Wilderness,  Or On These Naked Plains,  Without Lodge 
   Or Family. I Am A Hunter And Go On My Path Alone." 
     
   "My Father Has A Good Carabine. Let Him Point It In The Bush And 
   Fire." 
     
   The Old Man Hesitated A Moment,  And Then Slowly Prepared Himself To 
   Give This Delicate Assurance Of The Truth Of What He Said,  Without 
   Which He Plainly Perceived The Suspicions Of His Crafty Companion 
   Could Not Be Lulled. As He Lowered His Rifle,  His Eye,  Although 
   Greatly Dimmed And Weakened By Age,  Ran Over The Confused Collection 
   Of Objects,  That Lay Embedded Amid The Party-Coloured Foliage Of The 
   Thicket,  Until It Succeeded In Catching A Glimpse Of The Brown 
   Covering Of The Stem Of A Small Tree. With This Object In View,  He 
   Raised The Piece To A Level And Fired. The Bullet Had No Sooner Glided 
   From The Barrel Than A Tremor Seized The Hands Of The Trapper,  Which, 
   Had It Occurred A Moment Sooner,  Would Have Utterly Disqualified Him 
   For So Hazardous An Experiment. A Frightful Silence Succeeded The 
   Report,  During Which He Expected To Hear The Shrieks Of The Females, 
   And Then,  As The Smoke Whirled Away In The Wind,  He Caught A View Of 
   The Fluttering Bark,  And Felt Assured That All His Former Skill Was 
   Not Entirely Departed From Him. Dropping The Piece To The Earth,  He 
   Turned Again To His Companion With An Air Of The Utmost Composure,  And 
   Demanded-- 
     
   "Is My Brother Satisfied?" 
     
   "Mahtoree Is A Chief Of The Dahcotahs," Returned The Cunning Teton, 
   Laying His Hand On His Chest,  In Acknowledgment Of The Other's 
   Sincerity. "He Knows That A Warrior,  Who Has Smoked At So Many 
   Council-Fires,  Until His Head Has Grown White,  Would Not Be Found In 
   Wicked Company. But Did Not My Father Once Ride On A Horse,  Like A 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 26 
   Rich Chief Of The Pale-Faces,  Instead Of Travelling On Foot Like A 
   Hungry Konza?" 
     
   "Never! The Wahcondah Has Given Me Legs,  And He Has Given Me 
   Resolution To Use Them. For Sixty Summers And Winters Did I Journey In 
   The Woods Of America,  And Ten Tiresome Years Have I Dwelt On These 
   Open Fields,  Without Finding Need To Call Often Upon The Gifts Of The 
   Other Creatur's Of The Lord To Carry Me From Place To Place." 
     
   "If My Father Has So Long Lived In The Shade,  Why Has He Come Upon The 
   Prairies? The Sun Will Scorch Him." 
     
   The Old Man Looked Sorrowfully About For A Moment,  And Then Turning 
   With A Confidential Air To The Other,  He Replied-- 
     
   "I Passed The Spring,  Summer,  And Autumn Of Life Among The Trees. The 
   Winter Of My Days Had Come,  And Found Me Where I Loved To Be,  In The 
   Quiet--Ay,  And In The Honesty Of The Woods! Teton,  Then I Slept 
   Happily,  Where My Eyes Could Look Up Through The Branches Of The Pines 
   And The Beeches,  To The Very Dwelling Of The Good Spirit Of My People. 
   If I Had Need To Open My Heart To Him,  While His Fires Were Burning 
   Above My Head,  The Door Was Open And Before My Eyes. But The Axes Of 
   The Choppers Awoke Me. For A Long Time My Ears Heard Nothing But The 
   Uproar Of Clearings. I Bore It Like A Warrior And A Man; There Was A 
   Reason That I Should Bear It: But When That Reason Was Ended,  I 
   Bethought Me To Get Beyond The Accursed Sounds. It Was Trying To The 
   Courage And To The Habits,  But I Had Heard Of These Vast And Naked 
   Fields,  And I Came Hither To Escape The Wasteful Temper Of My People. 
   Tell Me,  Dahcotah,  Have I Not Done Well?" 
     
   The Trapper Laid His Long Lean Finger On The Naked Shoulder Of The 
   Indian As He Ended,  And Seemed To Demand His Felicitations On His 
   Ingenuity And Success,  With A Ghastly Smile,  In Which Triumph Was 
   Singularly Blended With Regret. His Companion Listened Intently,  And 
   Replied To The Question By Saying,  In The Sententious Manner Of His 
   Race-- 
     
   "The Head Of My Father Is Very Grey; He Has Always Lived With Men,  And 
   He Has Seen Everything. What He Does Is Good; What He Speaks Is Wise. 
   Now Let Him Say,  Is He Sure That He Is A Stranger To The Big-Knives, 
   Who Are Looking For Their Beasts On Every Side Of The Prairies And 
   Cannot Find Them?" 
     
   "Dahcotah,  What I Have Said Is True. I Live Alone,  And Never Do I 
   Mingle With Men Whose Skins Are White,  If--" 
     
   His Mouth Was Suddenly Closed By An Interruption That Was As 
   Mortifying As It Was Unexpected. The Words Were Still On His Tongue, 
   When The Bushes On The Side Of The Thicket Where They Stood,  Opened, 
   And The Whole Of The Party Whom He Had Just Left,  And In Whose Behalf 
   He Was Endeavouring To Reconcile His Love Of Truth To The Necessity Of 
   Prevaricating,  Came Openly Into View. A Pause Of Mute Astonishment 
   Succeeded This Unlooked-For Spectacle. Then Mahtoree,  Who Did Not 
   Suffer A Muscle Or A Joint To Betray The Wonder And Surprise He 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 27 
   Actually Experienced,  Motioned Towards The Advancing Friends Of The 
   Trapper With An Air Of Assumed Civility,  And A Smile,  That Lighted His 
   Fierce,  Dark,  Visage,  As The Glare Of The Setting Sun Reveals The 
   Volume And Load Of The Cloud,  That Is Charged To Bursting With The 
   Electric Fluid. He However Disdained To Speak,  Or To Give Any Other 
   Evidence Of His Intentions Than By Calling To His Side The Distant 
   Band,  Who Sprang Forward At His Beck,  With The Alacrity Of Willing 
   Subordinates. 
     
   In The Mean Time The Friends Of The Old Man Continued To Advance. 
   Middleton Himself Was Foremost,  Supporting The Light And Aerial 
   Looking Figure Of Inez,  On Whose Anxious Countenance He Cast Such 
   Occasional Glances Of Tender Interest As,  In Similar Circumstances,  A 
   Father Would Have Given To His Child. Paul Led Ellen,  Close In Their 
   Rear. But While The Eye Of The Bee-Hunter Did Not Neglect His Blooming 
   Companion,  It Scowled Angrily,  Resembling More The Aspect Of The 
   Sullen And Retreating Bear Than The Soft Intelligence Of A Favoured 
   Suitor. Obed And Asinus Came Last,  The Former Leading His Companion 
   With A Degree Of Fondness That Could Hardly Be Said To Be Exceeded By 
   Any Other Of The Party. The Approach Of The Naturalist Was Far Less 
   Rapid Than That Of Those Who Preceded Him. His Feet Seemed Equally 
   Reluctant To Advance,  Or To Remain Stationary; His Position Bearing A 
   Great Analogy To That Of Mahomet's Coffin,  With The Exception That The 
   Quality Of Repulsion Rather Than That Of Attraction Held Him In A 
   State Of Rest. The Repulsive Power In His Rear However Appeared To 
   Predominate,  And By A Singular Exception,  As He Would Have Said 
   Himself,  To All Philosophical Principles,  It Rather Increased Than 
   Diminished By Distance. As The Eyes Of The Naturalist Steadily 
   Maintained A Position That Was The Opposite Of His Route,  They Served 
   To Give A Direction To Those Of The Observers Of All These Movements, 
   And At Once Furnished A Sufficient Clue By Which To Unravel The 
   Mystery Of So Sudden A Debouchement From The Cover. 
     
   Another Cluster Of Stout And Armed Men Was Seen At No Great Distance, 
   Just Rounding A Point Of The Thicket,  And Moving Directly Though 
   Cautiously Towards The Place Where The Band Of The Siouxes Was Posted, 
   As A Squadron Of Cruisers Is Often Seen To Steer Across The Waste Of 
   Waters,  Towards The Rich But Well-Protected Convoy. In Short,  The 
   Family Of The Squatter,  Or At Least Such Among Them As Were Capable Of 
   Bearing Arms,  Appeared In View,  On The Broad Prairie,  Evidently Bent 
   On Revenging Their Wrongs. 
     
   Mahtoree And His Party Slowly Retired From The Thicket,  The Moment 
   They Caught A View Of The Strangers,  Until They Halted On A Swell That 
   Commanded A Wide And Unobstructed View Of The Naked Fields On Which 
   They Stood. Here The Dahcotah Appeared Disposed To Make His Stand,  And 
   To Bring Matters To An Issue. Notwithstanding This Retreat,  In Which 
   He Compelled The Trapper To Accompany Him,  Middleton Still Advanced, 
   Until He Too Halted On The Same Elevation,  And Within Speaking 
   Distance Of The Warlike Siouxes. The Borderers In Their Turn Took A 
   Favourable Position,  Though At A Much Greater Distance. The Three 
   Groups Now Resembled So Many Fleets At Sea,  Lying With Their Topsails 
   To The Masts,  With The Commendable Precaution Of Reconnoitring,  Before 
   Each Could Ascertain Who Among The Strangers Might Be Considered As 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 28 
   Friends,  And Who As Foes. 
     
   During This Moment Of Suspense,  The Dark,  Threatening,  Eye Of Mahtoree 
   Rolled From One Of The Strange Parties To The Other,  In Keen And Hasty 
   Examination,  And Then It Turned Its Withering Look On The Old Man,  As 
   The Chief Said,  In A Tone Of High And Bitter Scorn-- 
     
   "The Big-Knives Are Fools! It Is Easier To Catch The Cougar Asleep, 
   Than To Find A Blind Dahcotah. Did The White Head Think To Ride On The 
   Horse Of A Sioux?" 
     
   The Trapper,  Who Had Found Time To Collect His Perplexed Faculties, 
   Saw At Once That Middleton,  Having Perceived Ishmael On The Trail By 
   Which They Had Fled,  Preferred Trusting To The Hospitality Of The 
   Savages,  Than To The Treatment He Would Be Likely To Receive From The 
   Hands Of The Squatter. He Therefore Disposed Himself To Clear The Way 
   For The Favourable Reception Of His Friends,  Since He Found That The 
   Unnatural Coalition Became Necessary To Secure The Liberty,  If Not The 
   Lives,  Of The Party. 
     
   "Did My Brother Ever Go On A War-Path To Strike My People?" He Calmly 
   Demanded Of The Indignant Chief,  Who Still Awaited His Reply. 
     
   The Lowering Aspect Of The Teton Warrior So Far Lost Its Severity,  As 
   To Suffer A Gleam Of Pleasure And Triumph To Lighten Its Ferocity,  As 
   Sweeping His Arm In An Entire Circle Around His Person He Answered-- 
     
   "What Tribe Or Nation Has Not Felt The Blows Of The Dahcotahs? 
   Mahtoree Is Their Partisan." 
     
   "And Has He Found The Big-Knives Women,  Or Has He Found Them Men?" 
     
   A Multitude Of Fierce Passions Were Struggling In The Tawny 
   Countenance Of The Indian. For A Moment Inextinguishable Hatred Seemed 
   To Hold The Mastery,  And Then A Nobler Expression,  And One That Better 
   Became The Character Of A Brave,  Got Possession Of His Features,  And 
   Maintained Itself Until,  First Throwing Aside His Light Robe Of 
   Pictured Deer-Skin,  And Pointing To The Scar Of A Bayonet In His 
   Breast,  He Replied-- 
     
   "It Was Given,  As It Was Taken,  Face To Face." 
     
   "It Is Enough. My Brother Is A Brave Chief,  And He Should Be Wise. Let 
   Him Look: Is That A Warrior Of The Pale-Faces? Was It One Such As That 
   Who Gave The Great Dahcotah His Hurt?" 
     
   The Eyes Of Mahtoree Followed The Direction Of The Old Man's Extended 
   Arm,  Until They Rested On The Drooping Form Of Inez. The Look Of The 
   Teton Was Long,  Riveted,  And Admiring. Like That Of The Young Pawnee, 
   It Resembled More The Gaze Of A Mortal On Some Heavenly Image,  Than 
   The Admiration With Which Man Is Wont To Contemplate Even The 
   Loveliness Of Woman. Starting,  As If Suddenly Self-Convicted Of 
   Forgetfulness,  The Chief Next Turned His Eyes On Ellen,  Where They 
   Lingered An Instant With A Much More Intelligible Expression Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 29 
   Admiration,  And Then Pursued Their Course Until They Had Taken Another 
   Glance At Each Individual Of The Party. 
     
   "My Brother Sees That My Tongue Is Not Forked," Continued The Trapper, 
   Watching The Emotions The Other Betrayed,  With A Readiness Of 
   Comprehension Little Inferior To That Of The Teton Himself. "The Big- 
   Knives Do Not Send Their Women To War. I Know That The Dahcotahs Will 
   Smoke With The Strangers." 
     
   "Mahtoree Is A Great Chief! The Big-Knives Are Welcome," Said The 
   Teton,  Laying His Hand On His Breast,  With An Air Of Lofty Politeness 
   That Would Have Done Credit To Any State Of Society. "The Arrows Of My 
   Young Men Are In Their Quivers." 
     
   The Trapper Motioned To Middleton To Approach,  And In A Few Moments 
   The Two Parties Were Blended In One,  Each Of The Males Having 
   Exchanged Friendly Greetings,  After The Fashions Of The Prairie 
   Warriors. But,  Even While Engaged In This Hospitable Manner,  The 
   Dahcotah Did Not Fail To Keep A Strict Watch On The More Distant Party 
   Of White Men,  As If He Still Distrusted An Artifice,  Or Sought Further 
   Explanation. The Old Man,  In His Turn,  Perceived The Necessity Of 
   Being More Explicit,  And Of Securing The Slight And Equivocal 
   Advantage He Had Already Obtained. While Affecting To Examine The 
   Group,  Which Still Lingered At The Spot Where It Had First Halted,  As 
   If To Discover The Characters Of Those Who Composed It,  He Plainly Saw 
   That Ishmael Contemplated Immediate Hostilities. The Result Of A 
   Conflict On The Open Prairie,  Between A Dozen Resolute Border Men,  And 
   The Half-Armed Natives,  Even Though Seconded By Their White Allies, 
   Was In His Experienced Judgment A Point Of Great Uncertainty,  And 
   Though Far From Reluctant To Engage In The Struggle On Account Of 
   Himself,  The Aged Trapper Thought It Far More Worthy Of His Years,  And 
   His Character,  To Avoid Than To Court The Contest. His Feelings Were, 
   For Obvious Reasons,  In Accordance With Those Of Paul And Middleton, 
   Who Had Lives Still More Precious Than Their Own To Watch Over And 
   Protect. In This Dilemma The Three Consulted On The Means Of Escaping 
   The Frightful Consequences Which Might Immediately Follow A Single Act 
   Of Hostility On The Part Of The Borderers; The Old Man Taking Care 
   That Their Communication Should,  In The Eyes Of Those Who Noted The 
   Expression Of Their Countenances With Jealous Watchfulness,  Bear The 
   Appearance Of Explanations As To The Reason Why Such A Party Of 
   Travellers Was Met So Far In The Deserts. 
     
   "I Know That The Dahcotahs Are A Wise And Great People," At Length The 
   Trapper Commenced,  Again Addressing Himself To The Chief; "But Does 
   Not Their Partisan Know A Single Brother Who Is Base?" 
     
   The Eye Of Mahtoree Wandered Proudly Around His Band,  But Rested A 
   Moment Reluctantly On Weucha,  As He Answered-- 
     
   "The Master Of Life Has Made Chiefs,  And Warriors,  And Women;" 
   Conceiving That He Thus Embraced All The Gradations Of Human 
   Excellence From The Highest To The Lowest. 
     
   "And He Has Also Made Pale-Faces,  Who Are Wicked. Such Are They Whom 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 30 
   My Brother Sees Yonder." 
     
   "Do They Go On Foot To Do Wrong?" Demanded The Teton,  With A Wild 
   Gleam From His Eyes,  That Sufficiently Betrayed How Well He Knew The 
   Reason Why They Were Reduced To So Humble An Expedient. 
     
   "Their Beasts Are Gone. But Their Powder,  And Their Lead,  And Their 
   Blankets Remain." 
     
   "Do They Carry Their Riches In Their Hands,  Like Miserable Konzas? Or 
   Are They Brave,  And Leave Them With The Women,  As Men Should Do,  Who 
   Know Where To Find What They Lose?" 
     
   "My Brother Sees The Spot Of Blue Across The Prairie; Look,  The Sun 
   Has Touched It For The Last Time To-Day." 
     
   "Mahtoree Is Not A Mole." 
     
   "It Is A Rock; On It Are The Goods Of The Big-Knives." 
     
   An Expression Of Savage Joy Shot Into The Dark Countenance Of The 
   Teton As He Listened; Turning To The Old Man He Seemed To Read His 
   Soul,  As If To Assure Himself He Was Not Deceived. Then He Bent His 
   Look On The Party Of Ishmael,  And Counted Its Number. 
     
   "One Warrior Is Wanting," He Said. 
     
   "Does My Brother See The Buzzards? There Is His Grave. Did He Find 
   Blood On The Prairie? It Was His." 
     
   "Enough! Mahtoree Is A Wise Chief. Put Your Women On The Horses Of The 
   Dahcotahs: We Shall See,  For Our Eyes Are Open Very Wide." 
     
   The Trapper Wasted No Unnecessary Words In Explanation. Familiar With 
   The Brevity And Promptitude Of The Natives,  He Immediately 
   Communicated The Result To His Companions. Paul Was Mounted In An 
   Instant,  With Ellen At His Back. A Few More Moments Were Necessary To 
   Assure Middleton Of The Security And Ease Of Inez. While He Was Thus 
   Engaged,  Mahtoree Advanced To The Side Of The Beast He Had Allotted To 
   This Service,  Which Was His Own,  And Manifested An Intention To Occupy 
   His Customary Place On Its Back. The Young Soldier Seized The Reins Of 
   The Animal,  And Glances Of Sudden Anger And Lofty Pride Were Exchanged 
   Between Them. 
     
   "No Man Takes This Seat But Myself," Said Middleton,  Sternly,  In 
   English. 
     
   "Mahtoree Is A Great Chief!" Retorted The Savage; Neither 
   Comprehending The Meaning Of The Other's Words. 
     
   "The Dahcotah Will Be Too Late," Whispered The Old Man At His Elbow; 
   "See; The Big-Knives Are Afraid,  And They Will Soon Run." 
     
   The Teton Chief Instantly Abandoned His Claim,  And Threw Himself On 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 20 Pg 31 
   Another Horse,  Directing One Of His Young Men To Furnish A Similar 
   Accommodation For The Trapper. The Warriors Who Were Dismounted,  Got 
   Up Behind As Many Of Their Companions. Doctor Battius Bestrode Asinus; 
   And,  Notwithstanding The Brief Interruption,  In Half The Time We Have 
   Taken To Relate It,  The Whole Party Was Prepared To Move. 
     
   When He Saw That All Were Ready,  Mahtoree Gave The Signal To Advance. 
   A Few Of The Best Mounted Of The Warriors,  The Chief Himself Included, 
   Moved A Little In Front,  And Made A Threatening Demonstration,  As If 
   They Intended To Attack The Strangers. The Squatter,  Who Was In Truth 
   Slowly Retiring,  Instantly Halted His Party,  And Showed A Willing 
   Front. Instead,  However,  Of Coming Within Reach Of The Dangerous Aim 
   Of The Western Rifle,  The Subtle Savages Kept Wheeling About The 
   Strangers,  Until They Had Made A Half Circuit,  Keeping The Latter In 
   Constant Expectation Of An Assault. Then,  Perfectly Secure Of Their 
   Object,  The Tetons Raised A Loud Shout,  And Darted Across The Prairie 
   In A Line For The Distant Rock,  With The Directness And Nearly With 
   The Velocity Of The Arrow,  That Has Just Been Shot From Its Bow. 
     
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 32 
                Dally Not With The Gods,  But Get Thee Gone. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   Mahtoree Had Scarcely Given The First Intimation Of His Real Design, 
   Before A General Discharge From The Borderers Proved How Well They 
   Understood It. The Distance,  And The Rapidity Of The Flight,  However, 
   Rendered The Fire Harmless. As A Proof How Little He Regarded The 
   Hostility Of Their Party,  The Dahcotah Chieftain Answered The Report 
   With A Yell; And,  Flourishing His Carabine Above His Head,  He Made A 
   Circuit On The Plain,  Followed By His Chosen Warriors,  In Scorn Of The 
   Impotent Attempt Of His Enemies. As The Main Body Continued The Direct 
   Course,  This Little Band Of The Elite,  In Returning From Its Wild 
   Exhibition Of Savage Contempt,  Took Its Place In The Rear,  With A 
   Dexterity And A Concert Of Action That Showed The Manoeuvre Had Been 
   Contemplated. 
     
   Volley Swiftly Succeeded Volley,  Until The Enraged Squatter Was 
   Reluctantly Compelled To Abandon The Idea Of Injuring His Enemies By 
   Means So Feeble. Relinquishing His Fruitless Attempt,  He Commenced A 
   Rapid Pursuit,  Occasionally Discharging A Rifle In Order To Give The 
   Alarm To The Garrison,  Which He Had Prudently Left Under The Command 
   Of The Redoubtable Esther Herself. In This Manner The Chase Was 
   Continued For Many Minutes,  The Horsemen Gradually Gaining On Their 
   Pursuers,  Who Maintained The Race,  However,  With An Incredible Power 
   Of Foot. 
     
   As The Little Speck Of Blue Rose Against The Heavens,  Like An Island 
   Issuing From The Deep,  The Savages Occasionally Raised A Yell Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 33 
   Triumph. But The Mists Of Evening Were Already Gathering Along The 
   Whole Of The Eastern Margin Of The Prairie,  And Before The Band Had 
   Made Half Of The Necessary Distance,  The Dim Outline Of The Rock Had 
   Melted Into The Haze Of The Back Ground. Indifferent To This 
   Circumstance,  Which Rather Favoured Than Disconcerted His Plans, 
   Mahtoree,  Who Had Again Ridden In Front,  Held On His Course With The 
   Accuracy Of A Hound Of The Truest Scent,  Merely Slackening His Speed A 
   Little,  As The Horses Of His Party Were By This Time Thoroughly Blown. 
   It Was At This Stage Of The Enterprise,  That The Old Man Rode Up To 
   The Side Of Middleton,  And Addressed Him As Follows In English-- 
     
   "Here Is Likely To Be A Thieving Business,  And One In Which I Must Say 
   I Have But Little Wish To Be A Partner." 
     
   "What Would You Do? It Would Be Fatal To Trust Ourselves In The Hands 
   Of The Miscreants In Our Rear." 
     
   "Tut,  For Miscreants,  Be They Red Or Be They White. Look Ahead,  Lad, 
   As If Ye Were Talking Of Our Medicines,  Or Perhaps Praising The Teton 
   Beasts. For The Knaves Love To Hear Their Horses Commended,  The Same 
   As A Foolish Mother In The Settlements Is Fond Of Hearing The Praises 
   Of Her Wilful Child. So; Pat The Animal And Lay Your Hand On The 
   Gewgaws,  With Which The Red-Skins Have Ornamented His Mane,  Giving 
   Your Eye As It Were To One Thing,  And Your Mind To Another. Listen; If 
   Matters Are Managed With Judgment,  We May Leave These Tetons As The 
   Night Sets In." 
     
   "A Blessed Thought!" Exclaimed Middleton,  Who Retained A Painful 
   Remembrance Of The Look Of Admiration,  With Which Mahtoree Had 
   Contemplated The Loveliness Of Inez,  As Well As Of His Subsequent 
   Presumption In Daring To Wish To Take The Office Of Her Protector On 
   Himself. 
     
   "Lord,  Lord! What A Weak Creatur' Is Man,  When The Gifts Of Natur' Are 
   Smothered In Bookish Knowledge,  And Womanly Manners! Such Another 
   Start Would Tell These Imps At Our Elbows That We Were Plotting 
   Against Them,  Just As Plainly As If It Were Whispered In Their Ears By 
   A Sioux Tongue. Ay,  Ay,  I Know The Devils; They Look As Innocent As So 
   Many Frisky Fawns,  But There Is Not One Among Them All That Has Not An 
   Eye On Our Smallest Motions. Therefore,  What Is To Be Done Is To Be 
   Done In Wisdom,  In Order To Circumvent Their Cunning. That Is Right; 
   Pat His Neck And Smile,  As If You Praised The Horse,  And Keep The Ear 
   On My Side Open To My Words. Be Careful Not To Worry Your Beast,  For 
   Though But Little Skilled In Horses,  Reason Teaches That Breath Is 
   Needful In A Hard Push,  And That A Weary Leg Makes A Dull Race. Be 
   Ready To Mind The Signal,  When You Hear A Whine From Old Hector. The 
   First Will Be To Make Ready; The Second,  To Edge Out Of The Crowd; And 
   The Third,  To Go--Am I Understood?" 
     
   "Perfectly,  Perfectly," Said Middleton,  Trembling In His Excessive 
   Eagerness To Put The Plan In Instant Execution,  And Pressing The 
   Little Arm,  Which Encircled His Body,  To His Heart. "Perfectly. 
   Hasten,  Hasten." 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 34 
   "Ay,  The Beast Is No Sloth," Continued The Trapper In The Teton 
   Language,  As If He Continued The Discourse,  Edging Cautiously Through 
   The Dusky Throng At The Same Time,  Until He Found Himself Riding At 
   The Side Of Paul. He Communicated His Intentions In The Same Guarded 
   Manner As Before. The High-Spirited And Fearless Bee-Hunter Received 
   The Intelligence With Delight,  Declaring His Readiness To Engage The 
   Whole Of The Savage Band,  Should It Become Necessary To Effect Their 
   Object. When The Old Man Drew Off From The Side Of This Pair Also,  He 
   Cast His Eyes About Him To Discover The Situation Occupied By The 
   Naturalist. 
     
   The Doctor,  With Infinite Labour To Himself And Asinus,  Had Maintained 
   A Position In The Very Centre Of The Siouxes,  So Long As There Existed 
   The Smallest Reason For Believing That Any Of The Missiles Of Ishmael 
   Might Arrive In Contact With His Person. After This Danger Had 
   Diminished,  Or Rather Disappeared Entirely,  His Own Courage Revived, 
   While That Of His Steed Began To Droop. To This Mutual But Very 
   Material Change Was Owing The Fact,  That The Rider And The Ass Were 
   Now To Be Sought Among That Portion Of The Band Who Formed A Sort Of 
   Rear-Guard. Hither,  Then,  The Trapper Contrived To Turn His Steed, 
   Without Exciting The Suspicions Of Any Of His Subtle Companions. 
     
   "Friend," Commenced The Old Man,  When He Found Himself In A Situation 
   Favourable To Discourse,  "Should You Like To Pass A Dozen Years Among 
   The Savages With A Shaved Head,  And A Painted Countenance,  With, 
   Perhaps,  A Couple Of Wives And Five Or Six Children Of The Half Breed, 
   To Call You Father?" 
     
   "Impossible!" Exclaimed The Startled Naturalist. "I Am Indisposed To 
   Matrimony In General,  And More Especially To All Admixture Of The 
   Varieties Of Species,  Which Only Tend To Tarnish The Beauty And To 
   Interrupt The Harmony Of Nature. Moreover,  It Is A Painful Innovation 
   On The Order Of All Nomenclatures." 
     
   "Ay,  Ay,  You Have Reason Enough For Your Distaste To Such A Life; But 
   Should These Siouxes Get You Fairly Into Their Village,  Such Would Be 
   Your Luck,  As Certain As That The Sun Rises And Sets At The Pleasure 
   Of The Lord." 
     
   "Marry Me To A Woman Who Is Not Adorned With The Comeliness Of The 
   Species!" Responded The Doctor. "Of What Crime Have I Been Guilty, 
   That So Grievous A Punishment Should Await The Offence? To Marry A Man 
   Against The Movements Of His Will,  Is To Do A Violence To Human 
   Nature!" 
     
   "Now,  That You Speak Of Natur',  I Have Hopes That The Gift Of Reason 
   Has Not Altogether Deserted Your Brain," Returned The Old Man,  With A 
   Covert Expression Playing About The Angles Of His Deep Set Eyes,  Which 
   Betrayed He Was Not Entirely Destitute Of Humour. "Nay,  They May 
   Conceive You A Remarkable Subject For Their Kindness,  And For That 
   Matter Marry You To Five Or Six. I Have Known,  In My Days,  Favoured 
   Chiefs Who Had Numberless Wives." 
     
   "But Why Should They Meditate This Vengeance?" Demanded The Doctor, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 35 
   Whose Hair Began To Rise,  As If Each Fibre Was Possessed Of 
   Sensibility; "What Evil Have I Done?" 
     
   "It Is The Fashion Of Their Kindness. When They Come To Learn That You 
   Are A Great Medicine,  They Will Adopt You In The Tribe,  And Some 
   Mighty Chief Will Give You His Name,  And Perhaps His Daughter,  Or It 
   May Be A Wife Or Two Of His Own,  Who Have Dwelt Long In His Lodge,  And 
   Of Whose Value He Is A Judge By Experience." 
     
   "The Governor And Founder Of Natural Harmony Protect Me!" Ejaculated 
   The Doctor. "I Have No Affinity To A Single Consort,  Much Less To 
   Duplicates And Triplicates Of The Class! I Shall Certainly Essay A 
   Flight From Their Abodes Before I Mingle In So Violent A Conjunction." 
     
   "There Is Reason In Your Words; But Why Not Attempt The Race You Speak 
   Of Now?" 
     
   The Naturalist Looked Fearfully Around,  As If He Had An Inclination To 
   Make An Instant Exhibition Of His Desperate Intention; But The Dusky 
   Figures,  Who Were Riding On Every Side Of Him,  Seemed Suddenly Tripled 
   In Number,  And The Darkness,  That Was Already Thickening On The 
   Prairie,  Appeared In His Eyes To Possess The Glare Of High Noon. 
     
   "It Would Be Premature,  And Reason Forbids It," He Answered. "Leave 
   Me,  Venerable Venator,  To The Council Of My Own Thoughts,  And When My 
   Plans Are Properly Classed,  I Will Advise You Of My Resolutions." 
     
   "Resolutions!" Repeated The Old Man,  Shaking His Head A Little 
   Contemptuously As He Gave The Rein To His Horse,  And Allowed Him To 
   Mingle With The Steeds Of The Savages. "Resolution Is A Word That Is 
   Talked Of In The Settlements,  And Felt On The Borders. Does My Brother 
   Know The Beast On Which The Pale-Face Rides?" He Continued,  Addressing 
   A Gloomy Looking Warrior In His Own Tongue,  And Making A Motion With 
   His Arm That At The Same Time Directed His Attention To The Naturalist 
   And The Meek Asinus. 
     
   The Teton Turned His Eyes For A Minute On The Animal,  But Disdained To 
   Manifest The Smallest Portion Of That Wonder He Had Felt,  In Common 
   With All His Companions,  On First Viewing So Rare A Quadruped. The 
   Trapper Was Not Ignorant,  That While Asses And Mules Were Beginning To 
   Be Known To Those Tribes Who Dwelt Nearest The Mexicos,  They Were Not 
   Usually Encountered So Far North As The Waters Of La Platte. He 
   Therefore Managed To Read The Mute Astonishment,  That Lay So Deeply 
   Concealed In The Tawny Visage Of The Savage,  And Took His Measures 
   Accordingly. 
     
   "Does My Brother Think That The Rider Is A Warrior Of The Pale-Faces?" 
   He Demanded,  When He Believed That Sufficient Time Had Elapsed,  For A 
   Full Examination Of The Pacific Mien Of The Naturalist. 
     
   The Flash Of Scorn,  Which Shot Across The Features Of The Teton,  Was 
   Visible,  Even By The Dim Light Of The Stars. 
     
   "Is A Dahcotah A Fool?" Was The Answer. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 36 
   "They Are A Wise Nation,  Whose Eyes Are Never Shut; Much Do I Wonder, 
   That They Have Not Seen The Great Medicine Of The Big-Knives!" 
     
   "Wagh!" Exclaimed His Companion,  Suffering The Whole Of His Amazement 
   To Burst Out Of His Dark Rigid Countenance At The Surprise,  Like A 
   Flash Of Lightning Illuminating The Gloom Of Midnight. 
     
   "The Dahcotah Knows That My Tongue Is Not Forked. Let Him Open His 
   Eyes Wider. Does He Not See A Very Great Medicine?" 
     
   The Light Was Not Necessary To Recall To The Savage Each Feature In 
   The Really Remarkable Costume And Equipage Of Dr. Battius. In Common 
   With The Rest Of The Band,  And In Conformity With The Universal 
   Practice Of The Indians,  This Warrior,  While He Had Suffered No Gaze 
   Of Idle Curiosity To Disgrace His Manhood,  Had Not Permitted A Single 
   Distinctive Mark,  Which Might Characterise Any One Of The Strangers, 
   To Escape His Vigilance. He Knew The Air,  The Stature,  The Dress,  And 
   The Features,  Even To The Colour Of The Eyes And Of The Hair,  Of Every 
   One Of The Big-Knives,  Whom He Had Thus Strangely Encountered,  And 
   Deeply Had He Ruminated On The Causes,  Which Could Have Led A Party, 
   So Singularly Constituted,  Into The Haunts Of The Rude Inhabitants Of 
   His Native Wastes. He Had Already Considered The Several Physical 
   Powers Of The Whole Party,  And Had Duly Compared Their Abilities With 
   What He Supposed Might Have Been Their Intentions. Warriors They Were 
   Not,  For The Big-Knives,  Like The Siouxes,  Left Their Women In Their 
   Villages When They Went Out On The Bloody Path. The Same Objections 
   Applied To Them As Hunters,  And Even As Traders,  The Two Characters 
   Under Which The White Men Commonly Appeared In Their Villages. He Had 
   Heard Of A Great Council,  At Which The Menahashah,  Or Long-Knives,  And 
   The Washsheomantiqua,  Or Spaniards,  Had Smoked Together,  When The 
   Latter Had Sold To The Former Their Incomprehensible Rights Over Those 
   Vast Regions,  Through Which His Nation Had Roamed,  In Freedom,  For So 
   Many Ages. His Simple Mind Had Not Been Able To Embrace The Reasons 
   Why One People Should Thus Assume A Superiority Over The Possessions 
   Of Another,  And It Will Readily Be Perceived,  That At The Hint Just 
   Received From The Trapper,  He Was Not Indisposed To Fancy That Some Of 
   The Hidden Subtilty Of That Magical Influence,  Of Which He Was So Firm 
   A Believer,  Was About To Be Practised By The Unsuspecting Subject Of 
   Their Conversation,  In Furtherance Of These Mysterious Claims. 
   Abandoning,  Therefore,  All The Reserve And Dignity Of His Manner, 
   Under The Conscious Helplessness Of Ignorance,  He Turned To The Old 
   Man,  And Stretching Forth His Arms,  As If To Denote How Much He Lay At 
   His Mercy,  He Said-- 
     
   "Let My Father Look At Me. I Am A Wild Man Of The Prairies; My Body Is 
   Naked; My Hands Empty; My Skin Red. I Have Struck The Pawnees,  The 
   Konzas,  The Omahaws,  The Osages,  And Even The Long-Knives. I Am A Man 
   Amid Warriors,  But A Woman Among The Conjurors. Let My Father Speak: 
   The Ears Of The Teton Are Open. He Listens Like A Deer To The Step Of 
   The Cougar." 
     
   "Such Are The Wise And Uns'archable Ways Of One Who Alone Knows Good 
   From Evil!" Exclaimed The Trapper,  In English. "To Some He Grants 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 37 
   Cunning,  And On Others He Bestows The Gift Of Manhood! It Is Humbling, 
   And It Is Afflicting To See So Noble A Creatur' As This,  Who Has Fou't 
   In Many A Bloody Fray,  Truckling Before His Superstition Like A Beggar 
   Asking For The Bones You Would Throw To The Dogs. The Lord Will 
   Forgive Me For Playing With The Ignorance Of The Savage,  For He Knows 
   I Do It In No Mockery Of His State,  Or In Idle Vaunting Of My Own; But 
   In Order To Save Mortal Life,  And To Give Justice To The Wronged, 
   While I Defeat The Deviltries Of The Wicked! Teton," Speaking Again In 
   The Language Of The Listener,  "I Ask You,  Is Not That A Wonderful 
   Medicine? If The Dahcotahs Are Wise,  They Will Not Breathe The Air He 
   Breathes,  Nor Touch His Robes. They Know,  That The Wahconshecheh (Bad 
   Spirit) Loves His Own Children,  And Will Not Turn His Back On Him That 
   Does Them Harm." 
     
   The Old Man Delivered This Opinion In An Ominous And Sententious 
   Manner,  And Then Rode Apart As If He Had Said Enough. The Result 
   Justified His Expectations. The Warrior,  To Whom He Had Addressed 
   Himself,  Was Not Slow To Communicate His Important Knowledge To The 
   Rest Of The Rear-Guard,  And,  In A Very Few Moments,  The Naturalist Was 
   The Object Of General Observation And Reverence. The Trapper,  Who 
   Understood That The Natives Often Worshipped,  With A View To 
   Propitiate,  The Evil Spirit,  Awaited The Workings Of His Artifice, 
   With The Coolness Of One Who Had Not The Smallest Interest In Its 
   Effects. It Was Not Long Before He Saw One Dark Figure After Another, 
   Lashing His Horse And Galloping Ahead Into The Centre Of The Band, 
   Until Weucha Alone Remained Nigh The Persons Of Himself And Obed. The 
   Very Dulness Of This Grovelling-Minded Savage,  Who Continued Gazing At 
   The Supposed Conjuror With A Sort Of Stupid Admiration,  Opposed Now 
   The Only Obstacle To The Complete Success Of His Artifice. 
     
   Thoroughly Understanding The Character Of This Indian,  The Old Man 
   Lost No Time In Getting Rid Of Him Also. Riding To His Side He Said, 
   In An Affected Whisper-- 
     
   "Has Weucha Drunk Of The Milk Of The Big-Knives,  To-Day?" 
     
   "Hugh!" Exclaimed The Savage,  Every Dull Thought Instantly Recalled 
   From Heaven To Earth By The Question. 
     
   "Because The Great Captain Of My People,  Who Rides In Front,  Has A Cow 
   That Is Never Empty. I Know It Will Not Be Long Before He Will Say, 
   Are Any Of My Red Brethren Dry?" 
     
   The Words Were Scarcely Uttered,  Before Weucha,  In His Turn,  Quickened 
   The Gait Of His Beast,  And Was Soon Blended With The Rest Of The Dark 
   Group,  Who Were Riding,  At A More Moderate Pace,  A Few Rods In 
   Advance. The Trapper,  Who Knew How Fickle And Sudden Were The Changes 
   Of A Savage Mind,  Did Not Lose A Moment In Profiting By This 
   Advantage. He Loosened The Reins Of His Own Impatient Steed,  And In An 
   Instant He Was Again At The Side Of Obed. 
     
   "Do You See The Twinkling Star,  That Is,  May Be,  The Length Of Four 
   Rifles Above The Prairie; Hereaway,  To The North I Mean?" 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 38 
   "Ay,  It Is Of The Constellation---" 
     
   "A Tut For Your Constellations,  Man; Do You See The Star I Mean? Tell 
   Me,  In The English Of The Land,  Yes Or No." 
     
   "Yes." 
     
   "The Moment My Back Is Turned,  Pull Upon The Rein Of Your Ass,  Until 
   You Lose Sight Of The Savages. Then Take The Lord For Your Dependence, 
   And Yonder Star For Your Guide. Turn Neither To The Right Hand,  Nor To 
   The Left,  But Make Diligent Use Of Your Time,  For Your Beast Is Not 
   Quick Of Foot,  And Every Inch Of Prairie You Gain,  Is A Day Added To 
   Your Liberty,  Or To Your Life." 
     
   Without Waiting To Listen To The Queries,  Which The Naturalist Was 
   About To Put,  The Old Man Again Loosened The Reins Of His Horse,  And 
   Presently He Too Was Blended With The Group In Front. 
     
   Obed Was Now Alone. Asinus Willingly Obeyed The Hint Which His Master 
   Soon Gave,  Rather In Desperation Than With Any Very Collected 
   Understanding Of The Orders He Had Received,  And Checked His Pace 
   Accordingly. As The Tetons However Rode At A Hand-Gallop,  But A Moment 
   Of Time Was Necessary,  After The Ass Began To Walk,  To Remove Them 
   Effectually From Before The Vision Of His Rider. Without Plan, 
   Expectation,  Or Hope Of Any Sort,  Except That Of Escaping From His 
   Dangerous Neighbours,  The Doctor First Feeling,  To Assure Himself That 
   The Package,  Which Contained The Miserable Remnants Of His Specimens 
   And Notes Was Safe At His Crupper,  Turned The Head Of The Beast In The 
   Required Direction,  And Kicking Him With A Species Of Fury,  He Soon 
   Succeeded In Exciting The Speed Of The Patient Animal Into A Smart 
   Run. He Had Barely Time To Descend Into A Hollow And Ascend The 
   Adjoining Swell Of The Prairie,  Before He Heard,  Or Fancied He Heard, 
   His Name Shouted,  In Good English,  From The Throats Of Twenty Tetons. 
   The Delusion Gave A New Impulse To His Ardour; And No Professor Of The 
   Saltant Art Ever Applied Himself With Greater Industry,  Than The 
   Naturalist Now Used His Heels On The Ribs Of Asinus. The Conflict 
   Endured For Several Minutes Without Interruption,  And To All 
   Appearances It Might Have Continued To The Present Moment,  Had Not The 
   Meek Temper Of The Beast Become Unduly Excited. Borrowing An Idea From 
   The Manner In Which His Master Exhibited His Agitation,  Asinus So Far 
   Changed The Application Of His Own Heels,  As To Raise Them 
   Simultaneously With A Certain Indignant Flourish Into The Air,  A 
   Measure That Instantly Decided The Controversy In His Favour. Obed 
   Took Leave Of His Seat,  As Of A Position No Longer Tenable, 
   Continuing,  However,  The Direction Of His Flight,  While The Ass,  Like 
   A Conqueror,  Took Possession Of The Field Of Battle,  Beginning To Crop 
   The Dry Herbage,  As The Fruits Of Victory. 
     
   When Doctor Battius Had Recovered His Feet,  And Rallied His Faculties, 
   Which Were In A Good Deal Of Disorder From The Hurried Manner In Which 
   He Had Abandoned His Former Situation,  He Returned In Quest Of His 
   Specimens And Of His Ass. Asinus Displayed Enough Of Magnanimity To 
   Render The Interview Amicable,  And Thenceforth The Naturalist 
   Continued The Required Route With Very Commendable Industry,  But With 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 39 
   A Much More Tempered Discretion. 
     
   In The Mean Time,  The Old Trapper Had Not Lost Sight Of The Important 
   Movements That He Had Undertaken To Control. Obed Had Not Been 
   Mistaken In Supposing That He Was Already Missed And Sought,  Though 
   His Imagination Had Corrupted Certain Savage Cries Into The Well-Known 
   Sounds That Composed His Own Latinized Name. The Truth Was Simply 
   This. The Warriors Of The Rearguard Had Not Failed To Apprise Those In 
   Front Of The Mysterious Character,  With Which It Had Pleased The 
   Trapper To Invest The Unsuspecting Naturalist. The Same Untutored 
   Admiration,  Which On The Receipt Of This Intelligence Had Driven Those 
   In The Rear To The Front,  Now Drove Many Of The Front To The Rear. The 
   Doctor Was Of Course Absent,  And The Outcry Was No More Than The Wild 
   Yells,  Which Were Raised In The First Burst Of Savage Disappointment. 
     
   But The Authority Of Mahtoree Was Prompt To Aid The Ingenuity Of The 
   Trapper,  In Suppressing These Dangerous Sounds. When Order Was 
   Restored,  And The Former Was Made Acquainted With The Reason Why His 
   Young Men Had Betrayed So Strong A Mark Of Indiscretion,  The Old Man, 
   Who Had Taken A Post At His Elbow,  Saw,  With Alarm,  The Gleam Of Keen 
   Distrust That Flashed In His Swarthy Visage. 
     
   "Where Is Your Conjuror?" Demanded The Chief,  Turning Suddenly To The 
   Trapper,  As If He Meant To Make Him Responsible For The Re-Appearance 
   Of Obed. 
     
   "Can I Tell My Brother The Number Of The Stars? The Ways Of A Great 
   Medicine Are Not Like The Ways Of Other Men." 
     
   "Listen To Me,  Grey-Head,  And Count My Words," Continued The Other, 
   Bending On His Rude Saddle-Bow,  Like Some Chevalier Of A More 
   Civilised Race,  And Speaking In The Haughty Tones Of Absolute Power; 
   "The Dahcotahs Have Not Chosen A Woman For Their Chief; When Mahtoree 
   Feels The Power Of A Great Medicine,  He Will Tremble; Until Then He 
   Will Look With His Own Eyes,  Without Borrowing Sight From A Pale-Face. 
   If Your Conjuror Is Not With His Friends In The Morning,  My Young Men 
   Shall Look For Him. Your Ears Are Open. Enough." 
     
   The Trapper Was Not Sorry To Find That So Long A Respite Was Granted. 
   He Had Before Found Reason To Believe,  That The Teton Partisan Was One 
   Of Those Bold Spirits,  Who Overstep The Limits Which Use And Education 
   Fix To The Opinions Of Man,  In Every State Of Society,  And He Now Saw 
   Plainly That He Must Adopt Some Artifice To Deceive Him,  Different 
   From That Which Had Succeeded So Well With His Followers. The Sudden 
   Appearance Of The Rock,  However,  Which Hove Up,  A Bleak And Ragged 
   Mass,  Out Of The Darkness Ahead,  Put An End For The Present To The 
   Discourse,  Mahtoree Giving All His Thoughts To The Execution Of His 
   Designs On The Rest Of The Squatter's Movables. A Murmur Ran Through 
   The Band,  As Each Dark Warrior Caught A Glimpse Of The Desired Haven, 
   After Which The Nicest Ear Might Have Listened In Vain,  To Catch A 
   Sound Louder Than The Rustling Of Feet Among The Tall Grass Of The 
   Prairie. 
     
   But The Vigilance Of Esther Was Not Easily Deceived. She Had Long 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 40 
   Listened Anxiously To The Suspicious Sounds,  Which Approached The Rock 
   Across The Naked Waste,  Nor Had The Sudden Outcry Been Unheard By The 
   Unwearied Sentinels Of The Rock. The Savages,  Who Had Dismounted At 
   Some Little Distance,  Had Not Time To Draw Around The Base Of The Hill 
   In Their Customary Silent And Insidious Manner,  Before The Voice Of 
   The Amazon Was Raised,  Demanding-- 
     
   "Who Is Beneath? Answer,  For Your Lives! Siouxes Or Devils,  I Fear Ye 
   Not!" 
     
   No Answer Was Given To This Challenge,  Every Warrior Halting Where He 
   Stood,  Confident That His Dusky Form Was Blended With The Shadows Of 
   The Plain. It Was At This Moment That The Trapper Determined To 
   Escape. He Had Been Left With The Rest Of His Friends,  Under The 
   Surveillance Of Those Who Were Assigned To The Duty Of Watching The 
   Horses,  And As They All Continued Mounted,  The Moment Appeared 
   Favourable To His Project. The Attention Of The Guards Was Drawn To 
   The Rock,  And A Heavy Cloud Driving Above Them At That Instant, 
   Obscured Even The Feeble Light Which Fell From The Stars. Leaning On 
   The Neck Of His Horse,  The Old Man Muttered-- 
     
   "Where Is My Pup? Where Is It--Hector--Where Is It,  Dog?" 
     
   The Hound Caught The Well-Known Sounds,  And Answered By A Whine Of 
   Friendship,  Which Threatened To Break Out Into One Of His Piercing 
   Howls. The Trapper Was In The Act Of Raising Himself From This 
   Successful Exploit,  When He Felt The Hand Of Weucha Grasping His 
   Throat,  As If Determined To Suppress His Voice By The Very Unequivocal 
   Process Of Strangulation. Profiting By The Circumstance,  He Raised 
   Another Low Sound,  As In The Natural Effort Of Breathing,  Which Drew A 
   Second Responsive Cry From The Faithful Hound. Weucha Instantly 
   Abandoned His Hold Of The Master In Order To Wreak His Vengeance On 
   The Dog. But The Voice Of Esther Was Again Heard,  And Every Other 
   Design Was Abandoned In Order To Listen. 
     
   "Ay,  Whine And Deform Your Throats As You May,  Ye Imps Of Darkness," 
   She Said,  With A Cracked But Scornful Laugh; "I Know Ye; Tarry,  And Ye 
   Shall Have Light For Your Misdeeds. Put In The Coal,  Phoebe; Put In 
   The Coal; Your Father And The Boys Shall See That They Are Wanted At 
   Home,  To Welcome Their Guests." 
     
   As She Spoke,  A Strong Light,  Like That Of A Brilliant Star,  Was Seen 
   On The Very Pinnacle Of The Rock; Then Followed A Forked Flame,  Which 
   Curled For A Moment Amid The Windings Of An Enormous Pile Of Brush, 
   And Flashing Upward In An United Sheet,  It Wavered To And Fro,  In The 
   Passing Air,  Shedding A Bright Glare On Every Object Within Its 
   Influence. A Taunting Laugh Was Heard From The Height,  In Which The 
   Voices Of All Ages Mingled,  As Though They Triumphed At Having So 
   Successfully Exposed The Treacherous Intentions Of The Tetons. 
     
   The Trapper Looked About Him To Ascertain In What Situations He Might 
   Find His Friends. True To The Signals,  Middleton And Paul Had Drawn A 
   Little Apart,  And Now Stood Ready,  By Every Appearance,  To Commence 
   Their Flight At The Third Repetition Of The Cry. Hector Had Escaped 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 41 
   His Savage Pursuer,  And Was Again Crouching At The Heels Of His 
   Master's Horse. But The Broad Circle Of Light Was Gradually Increasing 
   In Extent And Power,  And The Old Man,  Whose Eye And Judgment So Rarely 
   Failed Him,  Patiently Awaited A More Propitious Moment For His 
   Enterprise. 
     
   "Now,  Ishmael,  My Man,  If Sight And Hand Ar' True As Ever,  Now Is The 
   Time To Work Upon These Redskins,  Who Claim To Own All Your Property, 
   Even To Wife And Children! Now,  My Good Man,  Prove Both Breed And 
   Character!" 
     
   A Distant Shout Was Heard In The Direction Of The Approaching Party Of 
   The Squatter,  Assuring The Female Garrison That Succour Was Not Far 
   Distant. Esther Answered To The Grateful Sounds By A Cracked Cry Of 
   Her Own,  Lifting Her Form,  In The First Burst Of Exultation,  Above The 
   Rock In A Manner To Be Visible To All Below. Not Content With This 
   Dangerous Exposure Of Her Person,  She Was In The Act Of Tossing Her 
   Arms In Triumph,  When The Dark Figure Of Mahtoree Shot Into The Light 
   And Pinioned Them To Her Side. The Forms Of Three Other Warriors 
   Glided Across The Top Of The Rock,  Looking Like Naked Demons Flitting 
   Among The Clouds. The Air Was Filled With The Brands Of The Beacon, 
   And A Heavy Darkness Succeeded,  Not Unlike That Of The Appalling 
   Instant,  When The Last Rays Of The Sun Are Excluded By The Intervening 
   Mass Of The Moon. A Yell Of Triumph Burst From The Savages In Their 
   Turn,  And Was Rather Accompanied Than Followed By A Long,  Loud Whine 
   From Hector. 
     
   In An Instant The Old Man Was Between The Horses Of Middleton And 
   Paul,  Extending A Hand To The Bridle Of Each,  In Order To Check The 
   Impatience Of Their Riders. 
     
   "Softly,  Softly," He Whispered,  "Their Eyes Are As Marvellously Shut 
   For The Minute,  As If The Lord Had Stricken Them Blind; But Their Ears 
   Are Open. Softly,  Softly; For Fifty Rods,  At Least,  We Must Move No 
   Faster Than A Walk." 
     
   The Five Minutes Of Doubt That Succeeded Appeared Like An Age To All 
   But The Trapper. As Their Sight Was Gradually Restored,  It Seemed To 
   Each That The Momentary Gloom,  Which Followed The Extinction Of The 
   Beacon,  Was To Be Replaced By As Broad A Light As That Of Noon-Day. 
   Gradually The Old Man,  However,  Suffered The Animals To Quicken Their 
   Steps,  Until They Had Gained The Centre Of One Of The Prairie Bottoms. 
   Then Laughing In His Quiet Manner He Released The Reins And Said-- 
     
   "Now,  Let Them Give Play To Their Legs; But Keep On The Old Fog To 
   Deaden The Sounds." 
     
   It Is Needless To Say How Cheerfully He Was Obeyed. In A Few More 
   Minutes They Ascended And Crossed A Swell Of The Land,  After Which The 
   Flight Was Continued At The Top Of Their Horses' Speed,  Keeping The 
   Indicated Star In View,  As The Labouring Bark Steers For The Light 
   Which Points The Way To A Haven And Security. 
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 42 
                 The Clouds And Sunbeams O'er His Eye, 
                 That Once Their Shades And Glories Threw, 
                 Have Left,  In Yonder Silent Sky, 
                 No Vestige Where They Flew. 
                                                      --Montgomery. 
     
   A Stillness,  As Deep As That Which Marked The Gloomy Wastes In Their 
   Front,  Was Observed By The Fugitives To Distinguish The Spot They Had 
   Just Abandoned. Even The Trapper Lent His Practised Faculties,  In 
   Vain,  To Detect Any Of The Well-Known Signs,  Which Might Establish The 
   Important Fact That Hostilities Had Actually Commenced Between The 
   Parties Of Mahtoree And Ishmael; But Their Horses Carried Them Out Of 
   The Reach Of Sounds,  Without The Occurrence Of The Smallest Evidence 
   Of The Sort. The Old Man,  From Time To Time,  Muttered His Discontent, 
   But Manifested The Uneasiness He Actually Entertained In No Other 
   Manner,  Unless It Might Be In Exhibiting A Growing Anxiety To Urge The 
   Animals To Increase Their Speed. He Pointed Out In Passing,  The 
   Deserted Swale,  Where The Family Of The Squatter Had Encamped,  The 
   Night They Were Introduced To The Reader,  And Afterwards He Maintained 
   An Ominous Silence; Ominous,  Because His Companions Had Already Seen 
   Enough Of His Character,  To Be Convinced That The Circumstances Must 
   Be Critical Indeed,  Which Possessed The Power To Disturb The Well 
   Regulated Tranquillity Of The Old Man's Mind. 
     
   "Have We Not Done Enough," Middleton Demanded,  In Tenderness To The 
   Inability Of Inez And Ellen To Endure So Much Fatigue,  At The End Of 
   Some Hours; "We Have Ridden Hard,  And Have Crossed A Wide Tract Of 
   Plain. It Is Time To Seek A Place Of Rest." 
     
   "You Must Seek It Then In Heaven,  If You Find Yourselves Unequal To A 
   Longer March," Murmured The Old Trapper. "Had The Tetons And The 
   Squatter Come To Blows,  As Any One Might See In The Natur' Of Things 
   They Were Bound To Do,  There Would Be Time To Look About Us,  And To 
   Calculate Not Only The Chances But The Comforts Of The Journey; But As 
   The Case Actually Is,  I Should Consider It Certain Death,  Or Endless 
   Captivity,  To Trust Our Eyes With Sleep,  Until Our Heads Are Fairly 
   Hid In Some Uncommon Cover." 
     
   "I Know Not," Returned The Youth,  Who Reflected More On The Sufferings 
   Of The Fragile Being He Supported,  Than On The Experience Of His 
   Companion; "I Know Not; We Have Ridden Leagues,  And I Can See No 
   Extraordinary Signs Of Danger:--If You Fear For Yourself,  My Good 
   Friend,  Believe Me You Are Wrong,  For--" 
     
   "Your Grand'ther,  Were He Living And Here," Interrupted The Old Man, 
   Stretching Forth A Hand,  And Laying A Finger Impressively On The Arm 
   Of Middleton,  "Would Have Spared Those Words. He Had Some Reason To 
   Think That,  In The Prime Of My Days,  When My Eye Was Quicker Than The 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 43 
   Hawk's,  And My Limbs Were As Active As The Legs Of The Fallow-Deer,  I 
   Never Clung Too Eagerly And Fondly To Life: Then Why Should I Now Feel 
   Such A Childish Affection For A Thing That I Know To Be Vain,  And The 
   Companion Of Pain And Sorrow. Let The Tetons Do Their Worst; They Will 
   Not Find A Miserable And Worn Out Trapper The Loudest In His 
   Complaints,  Or His Prayers." 
     
   "Pardon Me,  My Worthy,  My Inestimable Friend," Exclaimed The Repentant 
   Young Man,  Warmly Grasping The Hand,  Which The Other Was In The Act Of 
   Withdrawing; "I Knew Not What I Said--Or Rather I Thought Only Of 
   Those Whose Tenderness We Are Most Bound To Consider." 
     
   "Enough. It Is Natur',  And It Is Right. Therein Your Grand'ther Would 
   Have Done The Very Same. Ah's Me! What A Number Of Seasons,  Hot And 
   Cold,  Wet And Dry,  Have Rolled Over My Poor Head,  Since The Time We 
   Worried It Out Together,  Among The Red Hurons Of The Lakes,  Back In 
   Those Rugged Mountains Of Old York! And Many A Noble Buck Has Since 
   That Day Fallen By My Hand; Ay,  And Many A Thieving Mingo,  Too! Tell 
   Me,  Lad,  Did The General,  For General I Know He Got To Be,  Did He Ever 
   Tell You Of The Deer We Took,  That Night The Outlyers Of The Accursed 
   Tribe Drove Us To The Caves,  On The Island,  And How We Feasted And 
   Drunk In Security?" 
     
   "I Have Often Heard Him Mention The Smallest Circumstance Of The Night 
   You Mean; But--" 
     
   "And The Singer; And His Open Throat; And His Shoutings In The 
   Fights!" Continued The Old Man,  Laughing Joyously At The Strength Of 
   His Own Recollections. 
     
   "All--All--He Forgot Nothing,  Even To The Most Trifling Incident. Do 
   You Not--" 
     
   "What! Did He Tell You Of The Imp Behind The Log And Of The Miserable 
   Devil Who Went Over The Fall--Or Of The Wretch In The Tree?" 
     
   "Of Each And All,  With Every Thing That Concerned Them.[*] I Should 
   Think--" 
     
   [*] They Who Have Read The Preceding Books,  In Which,  The Trapper 
       Appears As A Hunter And A Scout,  Will Readily Understand The 
       Allusions. 
     
   "Ay," Continued The Old Man,  In A Voice,  Which Betrayed How Powerfully 
   His Own Faculties Retained The Impression Of The Spectacle,  "I Have 
   Been A Dweller In Forests,  And In The Wilderness For Three-Score And 
   Ten Years,  And If Any Can Pretend To Know The World,  Or To Have Seen 
   Scary Sights,  It Is Myself! But Never,  Before Nor Since,  Have I Seen 
   Human Man In Such A State Of Mortal Despair As That Very Savage; And 
   Yet He Scorned To Speak,  Or To Cry Out,  Or To Own His Forlorn 
   Condition! It Is Their Gift,  And Nobly Did He Maintain It!" 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," Interrupted Paul,  Who,  Content With The 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 44 
   Knowledge That His Waist Was Grasped By One Of The Arms Of Ellen,  Had 
   Hitherto Ridden In Unusual Silence; "My Eyes Are As True And As 
   Delicate As A Humming-Bird's In The Day; But They Are Nothing Worth 
   Boasting Of By Starlight. Is That A Sick Buffaloe,  Crawling Along In 
   The Bottom,  There,  Or Is It One Of The Stray Cattle Of The Savages?" 
     
   The Whole Party Drew Up,  In Order To Examine The Object,  Which Paul 
   Had Pointed Out. During Most Of The Time,  They Had Ridden In The 
   Little Vales In Order To Seek The Protection Of The Shadows,  But Just 
   At That Moment,  They Had Ascended A Roll Of The Prairie In Order To 
   Cross Into The Very Bottom Where This Unknown Animal Was Now Seen. 
     
   "Let Us Descend," Said Middleton; "Be It Beast Or Man,  We Are Too 
   Strong To Have Any Cause Of Fear." 
     
   "Now,  If The Thing Was Not Morally Impossible," Cried The Trapper,  Who 
   The Reader Must Have Already Discovered Was Not Always Exact In The 
   Use Of Qualifying Words,  "If The Thing Was Not Morally Impossible,  I 
   Should Say,  That Was The Man,  Who Journeys In Search Of Reptiles And 
   Insects: Our Fellow-Traveller The Doctor." 
     
   "Why Impossible? Did You Not Direct Him To Pursue This Course,  In 
   Order To Rejoin Us?" 
     
   "Ay,  But I Did Not Tell Him To Make An Ass Outdo The Speed Of A Horse: 
   --You Are Right--You Are Right," Said The Trapper,  Interrupting 
   Himself,  As By Gradually Lessening The Distance Between Them,  His Eyes 
   Assured Him It Was Obed And Asinus,  Whom He Saw; "You Are Right,  As 
   Certainly As The Thing Is A Miracle. Lord,  What A Thing Is Fear! How 
   Now,  Friend; You Have Been Industrious To Have Got So Far Ahead In So 
   Short A Time. I Marvel At The Speed Of The Ass!" 
     
   "Asinus Is Overcome," Returned The Naturalist,  Mournfully. "The Animal 
   Has Certainly Not Been Idle Since We Separated,  But He Declines All My 
   Admonitions And Invitations To Proceed. I Hope There Is No Instant 
   Fear From The Savages?" 
     
   "I Cannot Say That; I Cannot Say That; Matters Are Not As They Should 
   Be,  Atween The Squatter And The Tetons,  Nor Will I Answer As Yet For 
   The Safety Of Any Scalp Among Us. The Beast Is Broken Down! You Have 
   Urged Him Beyond His Natural Gifts,  And He Is Like A Worried Hound. 
   There Is Pity And Discretion In All Things,  Even Though A Man Be 
   Riding For His Life." 
     
   "You Indicated The Star," Returned The Doctor,  "And I Deemed It 
   Expedient To Use Great Diligence In Pursuing The Direction." 
     
   "Did You Expect To Reach It,  By Such Haste? Go,  Go; You Talk Boldly Of 
   The Creatur's Of The Lord,  Though I Plainly See You Are But A Child In 
   Matters That Concern Their Gifts And Instincts. What A Plight Would 
   You Now Be In,  If There Was Need For A Long And A Quick Push With Our 
   Heels?" 
     
   "The Fault Exists In The Formation Of The Quadruped," Said Obed,  Whose 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 45 
   Placid Temper Began To Revolt Under So Many Scandalous Imputations. 
   "Had There Been Rotary Levers For Two Of The Members,  A Moiety Of The 
   Fatigue Would Have Been Saved,  For One Item--" 
     
   "That,  For Your Moiety's And Rotaries,  And Items,  Man; A Jaded Ass Is 
   A Jaded Ass,  And He Who Denies It Is But A Brother Of The Beast 
   Itself. Now,  Captain,  Are We Driven To Choose One Of Two Evils. We 
   Must Either Abandon This Man,  Who Has Been Too Much With Us Through 
   Good And Bad To Be Easily Cast Away,  Or We Must Seek A Cover To Let 
   The Animal Rest." 
     
   "Venerable Venator!" Exclaimed The Alarmed Obed; "I Conjure You By All 
   The Secret Sympathies Of Our Common Nature,  By All The Hidden--" 
     
   "Ah,  Fear Has Brought Him To Talk A Little Rational Sense! It Is Not 
   Natur',  Truly,  To Abandon A Brother In Distress; And The Lord He Knows 
   That I Have Never Yet Done The Shameful Deed. You Are Right,  Friend, 
   You Are Right; We Must All Be Hidden,  And That Speedily. But What To 
   Do With The Ass! Friend Doctor,  Do You Truly Value The Life Of The 
   Creatur'?" 
     
   "He Is An Ancient And Faithful Servant," Returned The Disconsolate 
   Obed,  "And With Pain Should I See Him Come To Any Harm. Fetter His 
   Lower Limbs,  And Leave Him To Repose In This Bed Of Herbage. I Will 
   Engage He Shall Be Found Where He Is Left,  In The Morning." 
     
   "And The Siouxes? What Would Become Of The Beast Should Any Of The Red 
   Imps Catch A Peep At His Ears,  Growing Up Out Of The Grass Like To 
   Mullein-Tops?" Cried The Bee-Hunter. "They Would Stick Him As Full Of 
   Arrows,  As A Woman's Cushion Is Full Of Pins,  And Then Believe They 
   Had Done The Job For The Father Of All Rabbits! My Word For It Out 
   They Would Find Out Their Blunder At The First Mouthful!" 
     
   Middleton,  Who Began To Grow Impatient Under The Protracted 
   Discussion,  Interposed,  And,  As A Good Deal Of Deference Was Paid To 
   His Rank,  He Quickly Prevailed In His Efforts To Effect A Sort Of 
   Compromise. The Humble Asinus,  Too Meek And Too Weary To Make Any 
   Resistance,  Was Soon Tethered And Deposited In His Bed Of Dying Grass, 
   Where He Was Left With A Perfect Confidence On The Part Of His Master 
   Of Finding Him,  Again,  At The Expiration Of A Few Hours. The Old Man 
   Strongly Remonstrated Against This Arrangement,  And More Than Once 
   Hinted That The Knife Was Much More Certain Than The Tether,  But The 
   Petitions Of Obed,  Aided Perhaps By The Secret Reluctance Of The 
   Trapper To Destroy The Beast,  Were The Means Of Saving Its Life. When 
   Asinus Was Thus Secured,  And As His Master Believed Secreted,  The 
   Whole Party Proceeded To Find Some Place Where They Might Rest 
   Themselves,  During The Time Required For The Repose Of The Animal. 
     
   According To The Calculations Of The Trapper,  They Had Ridden Twenty 
   Miles Since The Commencement Of Their Flight. The Delicate Frame Of 
   Inez Began To Droop Under The Excessive Fatigue,  Nor Was The More 
   Robust,  But Still Feminine Person Of Ellen,  Insensible To The 
   Extraordinary Effort She Had Made. Middleton Himself Was Not Sorry To 
   Repose,  Nor Did The Vigorous And High-Spirited Paul Hesitate To 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 46 
   Confess That He Should Be All The Better For A Little Rest. The Old 
   Man Alone Seemed Indifferent To The Usual Claims Of Nature. Although 
   But Little Accustomed To The Unusual Description Of Exercise He Had 
   Just Been Taking,  He Appeared To Bid Defiance To All The Usual Attacks 
   Of Human Infirmities. Though Evidently So Near Its Dissolution,  His 
   Attenuated Frame Still Stood Like The Shaft Of Seasoned Oak,  Dry, 
   Naked,  And Tempest-Driven,  But Unbending And Apparently Indurated To 
   The Consistency Of Stone. On The Present Occasion He Conducted The 
   Search For A Resting-Place,  Which Was Immediately Commenced,  With All 
   The Energy Of Youth,  Tempered By The Discretion And Experience Of His 
   Great Age. 
     
   The Bed Of Grass,  In Which The Doctor Had Been Met,  And In Which His 
   Ass Had Just Been Left,  Was Followed A Little Distance Until It Was 
   Found That The Rolling Swells Of The Prairie Were Melting Away Into 
   One Vast Level Plain,  That Was Covered,  For Miles On Miles,  With The 
   Same Species Of Herbage. 
     
   "Ah,  This May Do,  This May Do," Said The Old Man,  When They Arrived On 
   The Borders Of This Sea Of Withered Grass. "I Know The Spot,  And Often 
   Have I Lain In Its Secret Holes,  For Days At A Time,  While The Savages 
   Have Been Hunting The Buffaloes On The Open Ground. We Must Enter It 
   With Great Care,  For A Broad Trail Might Be Seen,  And Indian Curiosity 
   Is A Dangerous Neighbour." 
     
   Leading The Way Himself,  He Selected A Spot Where The Tall Coarse 
   Herbage Stood Most Erect,  Growing Not Unlike A Bed Of Reeds,  Both In 
   Height And Density. Here He Entered,  Singly,  Directing The Others To 
   Follow As Nearly As Possible In His Own Footsteps. When They Had 
   Paused For Some Hundred Or Two Feet Into The Wilderness Of Weeds,  He 
   Gave His Directions To Paul And Middleton,  Who Continued A Direct 
   Route Deeper Into The Place,  While He Dismounted And Returned On His 
   Tracks To The Margin Of The Meadow. Here He Passed Many Minutes In 
   Replacing The Trodden Grass,  And In Effacing,  As Far As Possible, 
   Every Evidence Of Their Passage. 
     
   In The Mean Time The Rest Of The Party Continued Their Progress,  Not 
   Without Toil,  And Consequently At A Very Moderate Gait,  Until They Had 
   Penetrated A Mile Into The Place. Here They Found A Spot Suited To 
   Their Circumstances,  And,  Dismounting,  They Began To Make Their 
   Dispositions To Pass The Remainder Of The Night. By This Time The 
   Trapper Had Rejoined The Party,  And Again Resumed The Direction Of 
   Their Proceedings. 
     
   The Weeds And Grass Were Soon Plucked And Cut From An Area Of 
   Sufficient Extent,  And A Bed For Inez And Ellen Was Speedily Made,  A 
   Little Apart,  Which For Sweetness And Ease Might Have Rivalled One Of 
   Down. The Exhausted Females,  After Receiving Some Light Refreshments 
   From The Provident Stores Of Paul And The Old Man,  Now Sought Their 
   Repose,  Leaving Their More Stout Companions At Liberty To Provide For 
   Their Own Necessities. Middleton And Paul Were Not Long In Following 
   The Example Of Their Betrothed,  Leaving The Trapper And The Naturalist 
   Still Seated Around A Savoury Dish Of Bison's Meat,  Which Had Been 
   Cooked At A Previous Halt,  And Which Was,  As Usual,  Eaten Cold. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 47 
     
   A Certain Lingering Sensation,  Which Had So Long Been Uppermost In The 
   Mind Of Obed,  Temporarily Banished Sleep; And As For The Old Man,  His 
   Wants Were Rendered,  By Habit And Necessity,  As Seemingly Subject To 
   His Will As If They Altogether Depended On The Pleasure Of The Moment. 
   Like His Companion He Chose Therefore To Watch,  Instead Of Sleeping. 
     
   "If The Children Of Ease And Security Knew The Hardships And Dangers 
   The Students Of Nature Encounter In Their Behalf," Said Obed,  After A 
   Moment Of Silence,  When Middleton Took His Leave For The Night, 
   "Pillars Of Silver,  And Statues Of Brass Would Be Reared As The 
   Everlasting Monuments Of Their Glory!" 
     
   "I Know Not,  I Know Not," Returned His Companion; "Silver Is Far From 
   Plenty,  At Least In The Wilderness,  And Your Brazen Idols Are 
   Forbidden In The Commandments Of The Lord." 
     
   "Such Indeed Was The Opinion Of The Great Lawgiver Of The Jews,  But 
   The Egyptians,  And The Chaldeans,  The Greeks,  And The Romans,  Were 
   Wont To Manifest Their Gratitude,  In These Types Of The Human Form. 
   Indeed Many Of The Illustrious Masters Of Antiquity,  Have By The Aid 
   Of Science And Skill,  Even Outdone The Works Of Nature,  And Exhibited 
   A Beauty And Perfection In The Human Form That Are Difficult To Be 
   Found In The Rarest Living Specimens Of Any Of The Species; Genus, 
   Homo." 
     
   "Can Your Idols Walk Or Speak,  Or Have They The Glorious Gift Of 
   Reason?" Demanded The Trapper,  With Some Indignation In His Voice; 
   "Though But Little Given To Run Into The Noise And Chatter Of The 
   Settlements,  Yet Have I Been Into The Towns In My Day,  To Barter The 
   Peltry For Lead And Powder,  And Often Have I Seen Your Waxen Dolls, 
   With Their Tawdry Clothes And Glass Eyes--" 
     
   "Waxen Dolls!" Interrupted Obed; "It Is Profanation,  In The View Of 
   The Arts,  To Liken The Miserable Handy-Work Of The Dealers In Wax To 
   The Pure Models Of Antiquity!" 
     
   "It Is Profanation In The Eyes Of The Lord," Retorted The Old Man,  "To 
   Liken The Works Of His Creatur's,  To The Power Of His Own Hand." 
     
   "Venerable Venator," Resumed The Naturalist,  Clearing His Throat,  Like 
   One Who Was Much In Earnest,  "Let Us Discuss Understandingly And In 
   Amity. You Speak Of The Dross Of Ignorance,  Whereas My Memory Dwells 
   On Those Precious Jewels,  Which It Was My Happy Fortune,  Formerly,  To 
   Witness,  Among The Treasured Glories Of The Old World." 
     
   "Old World!" Retorted The Trapper,  "That Is The Miserable Cry Of All 
   The Half-Starved Miscreants That Have Come Into This Blessed Land, 
   Since The Days Of My Boyhood! They Tell You Of The Old World; As If 
   The Lord Had Not The Power And The Will To Create The Universe In A 
   Day,  Or As If He Had Not Bestowed His Gifts With An Equal Hand,  Though 
   Not With An Equal Mind,  Or Equal Wisdom,  Have They Been Received And 
   Used. Were They To Say A Worn Out,  And An Abused,  And A Sacrilegious 
   World,  They Might Not Be So Far From The Truth!" 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 48 
     
   Doctor Battius,  Who Found It Quite As Arduous A Task To Maintain Any 
   Of His Favourite Positions With So Irregular An Antagonist,  As He 
   Would Have Found It Difficult To Keep His Feet Within The Hug Of A 
   Western Wrestler,  Hemmed Aloud,  And Profited By The New Opening The 
   Trapper Had Made,  To Shift The Grounds Of The Discussion-- 
     
   "By Old And New World,  My Excellent Associate," He Said,  "It Is Not To 
   Be Understood That The Hills,  And The Valleys,  The Rocks And The 
   Rivers Of Our Own Moiety Of The Earth Do Not,  Physically Speaking, 
   Bear A Date As Ancient As The Spot On Which The Bricks Of Babylon Are 
   Found; It Merely Signifies That Its Moral Existence Is Not Co-Equal 
   With Its Physical,  Or Geological Formation." 
     
   "Anan!" Said The Old Man,  Looking Up Enquiringly Into The Face Of The 
   Philosopher. 
     
   "Merely That It Has Not Been So Long Known In Morals,  As The Other 
   Countries Of Christendom." 
     
   "So Much The Better,  So Much The Better. I Am No Great Admirator Of 
   Your Old Morals,  As You Call Them,  For I Have Ever Found,  And I Have 
   Liv'd Long As It Were In The Very Heart Of Natur',  That Your Old 
   Morals Are None Of The Best. Mankind Twist And Turn The Rules Of The 
   Lord,  To Suit Their Own Wickedness,  When Their Devilish Cunning Has 
   Had Too Much Time To Trifle With His Commands." 
     
   "Nay,  Venerable Hunter,  Still Am I Not Comprehended. By Morals I Do 
   Not Mean The Limited And Literal Signification Of The Term,  Such As Is 
   Conveyed In Its Synonyme,  Morality,  But The Practices Of Men,  As 
   Connected With Their Daily Intercourse,  Their Institutions,  And Their 
   Laws." 
     
   "And Such I Call Barefaced And Downright Wantonness And Waste," 
   Interrupted His Sturdy Disputant. 
     
   "Well,  Be It So," Returned The Doctor,  Abandoning The Explanation In 
   Despair. "Perhaps I Have Conceded Too Much," He Then Instantly Added, 
   Fancying That He Still Saw The Glimmerings Of An Argument Through 
   Another Chink In The Discourse. "Perhaps I Have Conceded Too Much,  In 
   Saying That This Hemisphere Is Literally As Old In Its Formation,  As 
   That Which Embraces The Venerable Quarters Of Europe,  Asia,  And 
   Africa." 
     
   "It Is Easy To Say A Pine Is Not So Tall As An Alder,  But It Would Be 
   Hard To Prove. Can You Give A Reason For Such A Belief?" 
     
   "The Reasons Are Numerous And Powerful," Returned The Doctor, 
   Delighted By This Encouraging Opening. "Look Into The Plains Of Egypt 
   And Arabia; Their Sandy Deserts Teem With The Monuments Of Their 
   Antiquity; And Then We Have Also Recorded Documents Of Their Glory; 
   Doubling The Proofs Of Their Former Greatness,  Now That They Lie 
   Stripped Of Their Fertility; While We Look In Vain For Similar 
   Evidences That Man Has Ever Reached The Summit Of Civilisation On This 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 49 
   Continent,  Or Search,  Without Our Reward,  For The Path By Which He Has 
   Made The Downward Journey To His Present Condition Of Second 
   Childhood." 
     
   "And What See You In All This?" Demanded The Trapper,  Who,  Though A 
   Little Confused By The Terms Of His Companion,  Seized The Thread Of 
   His Ideas. 
     
   "A Demonstration Of My Problem,  That Nature Did Not Make So Vast A 
   Region To Lie An Uninhabited Waste So Many Ages. This Is Merely The 
   Moral View Of The Subject; As To The More Exact And Geological--" 
     
   "Your Morals Are Exact Enough For Me," Returned The Old Man,  "For I 
   Think I See In Them The Very Pride Of Folly. I Am But Little Gifted In 
   The Fables Of What You Call The Old World,  Seeing That My Time Has 
   Been Mainly Passed Looking Natur' Steadily In The Face,  And In 
   Reasoning On What I've Seen,  Rather Than On What I've Heard In 
   Traditions. But I Have Never Shut My Ears To The Words Of The Good 
   Book,  And Many Is The Long Winter Evening That I Have Passed In The 
   Wigwams Of The Delawares,  Listening To The Good Moravians,  As They 
   Dealt Forth The History And Doctrines Of The Elder Times,  To The 
   People Of The Lenape! It Was Pleasant To Hearken To Such Wisdom After 
   A Weary Hunt! Right Pleasant Did I Find It,  And Often Have I Talked 
   The Matter Over With The Great Serpent Of The Delawares,  In The More 
   Peaceful Hours Of Our Out-Lyings,  Whether It Might Be On The Trail Of 
   A War-Party Of The Mingoes,  Or On The Watch For A York Deer. I 
   Remember To Have Heard It,  Then And There,  Said,  That The Blessed Land 
   Was Once Fertile As The Bottoms Of The Mississippi,  And Groaning With 
   Its Stores Of Grain And Fruits; But That The Judgment Has Since Fallen 
   Upon It,  And That It Is Now More Remarkable For Its Barrenness Than 
   Any Qualities To Boast Of." 
     
   "It Is True; But Egypt--Nay Much Of Africa Furnishes Still More 
   Striking Proofs Of This Exhaustion Of Nature." 
     
   "Tell Me," Interrupted The Old Man,  "Is It A Certain Truth That 
   Buildings Are Still Standing In That Land Of Pharaoh,  Which May Be 
   Likened,  In Their Stature,  To The Hills Of The 'Arth?" 
     
   "It Is As True As That Nature Never Refuses To Bestow Her Incisores On 
   The Animals,  Mammalia; Genus,  Homo--" 
     
   "It Is Very Marvellous! And It Proves How Great He Must Be,  When His 
   Miserable Creatur's Can Accomplish Such Wonders! Many Men Must Have 
   Been Needed To Finish Such An Edifice; Ay,  And Men Gifted With 
   Strength And Skill Too! Does The Land Abound With Such A Race To This 
   Hour?" 
     
   "Far From It. Most Of The Country Is A Desert,  And But For A Mighty 
   River All Would Be So." 
     
   "Yes; Rivers Are Rare Gifts To Such As Till The Ground,  As Any One May 
   See Who Journeys Far Atween The Rocky Mountains And The Mississippi. 
   But How Do You Account For These Changes On The Face Of The 'Arth 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 50 
   Itself,  And For This Downfall Of Nations,  You Men Of The Schools?" 
     
   "It Is To Be Ascribed To Moral Cau--" 
     
   "You're Right--It Is Their Morals; Their Wickedness And Their Pride, 
   And Chiefly Their Waste That Has Done It All! Now Listen To What The 
   Experience Of An Old Man Teaches Him. I Have Lived Long,  As These Grey 
   Hairs And Wrinkled Hands Will Show,  Even Though My Tongue Should Fail 
   In The Wisdom Of My Years. And I Have Seen Much Of The Folly Of Man; 
   For His Natur' Is The Same,  Be He Born In The Wilderness,  Or Be He 
   Born In The Towns. To My Weak Judgment It Hath Ever Seemed That His 
   Gifts Are Not Equal To His Wishes. That He Would Mount Into The 
   Heavens,  With All His Deformities About Him,  If He Only Knew The Road, 
   No One Will Gainsay,  That Witnesses His Bitter Strivings Upon 'Arth. 
   If His Power Is Not Equal To His Will,  It Is Because The Wisdom Of The 
   Lord Hath Set Bounds To His Evil Workings." 
     
   "It Is Much Too Certain That Certain Facts Will Warrant A Theory, 
   Which Teaches The Natural Depravity Of The Genus; But If Science Could 
   Be Fairly Brought To Bear On A Whole Species At Once,  For Instance, 
   Education Might Eradicate The Evil Principle." 
     
   "That,  For Your Education! The Time Has Been When I Have Thought It 
   Possible To Make A Companion Of A Beast. Many Are The Cubs,  And Many 
   Are The Speckled Fawns That I Have Reared With These Old Hands,  Until 
   I Have Even Fancied Them Rational And Altered Beings--But What Did It 
   Amount To? The Bear Would Bite,  And The Deer Would Run, 
   Notwithstanding My Wicked Conceit In Fancying I Could Change A Temper 
   That The Lord Himself Had Seen Fit To Bestow. Now If Man Is So Blinded 
   In His Folly As To Go On,  Ages On Ages,  Doing Harm Chiefly To Himself, 
   There Is The Same Reason To Think That He Has Wrought His Evil Here As 
   In The Countries You Call So Old. Look About You,  Man; Where Are The 
   Multitudes That Once Peopled These Prairies; The Kings And The 
   Palaces; The Riches And The Mightinesses Of This Desert?" 
     
   "Where Are The Monuments That Would Prove The Truth Of So Vague A 
   Theory?" 
     
   "I Know Not What You Call A Monument." 
     
   "The Works Of Man! The Glories Of Thebes And Balbec--Columns, 
   Catacombs,  And Pyramids! Standing Amid The Sands Of The East,  Like 
   Wrecks On A Rocky Shore,  To Testify To The Storms Of Ages!" 
     
   "They Are Gone. Time Has Lasted Too Long For Them. For Why? Time Was 
   Made By The Lord,  And They Were Made By Man. This Very Spot Of Reeds 
   And Grass,  On Which You Now Sit,  May Once Have Been The Garden Of Some 
   Mighty King. It Is The Fate Of All Things To Ripen,  And Then To Decay. 
   The Tree Blossoms,  And Bears Its Fruit,  Which Falls,  Rots,  Withers, 
   And Even The Seed Is Lost! Go,  Count The Rings Of The Oak And Of The 
   Sycamore; They Lie In Circles,  One About Another,  Until The Eye Is 
   Blinded In Striving To Make Out Their Numbers; And Yet A Full Change 
   Of The Seasons Comes Round While The Stem Is Winding One Of These 
   Little Lines About Itself,  Like The Buffaloe Changing His Coat,  Or The 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 51 
   Buck His Horns; And What Does It All Amount To? There Does The Noble 
   Tree Fill Its Place In The Forest,  Loftier,  And Grander,  And Richer, 
   And More Difficult To Imitate,  Than Any Of Your Pitiful Pillars,  For A 
   Thousand Years,  Until The Time Which The Lord Hath Given It Is Full. 
   Then Come The Winds,  That You Cannot See,  To Rive Its Bark; And The 
   Waters From The Heavens,  To Soften Its Pores; And The Rot,  Which All 
   Can Feel And None Can Understand,  To Humble Its Pride And Bring It To 
   The Ground. From That Moment Its Beauty Begins To Perish. It Lies 
   Another Hundred Years,  A Mouldering Log,  And Then A Mound Of Moss And 
   'Arth; A Sad Effigy Of A Human Grave. This Is One Of Your Genuine 
   Monuments,  Though Made By A Very Different Power Than Such As Belongs 
   To Your Chiseling Masonry! And After All,  The Cunningest Scout Of The 
   Whole Dahcotah Nation Might Pass His Life In Searching For The Spot 
   Where It Fell,  And Be No Wiser When His Eyes Grew Dim,  Than When They 
   Were First Opened. As If That Was Not Enough To Convince Man Of His 
   Ignorance; And As Though It Were Put There In Mockery Of His Conceit, 
   A Pine Shoots Up From The Roots Of The Oak,  Just As Barrenness Comes 
   After Fertility,  Or As These Wastes Have Been Spread,  Where A Garden 
   May Have Been Created. Tell Me Not Of Your Worlds That Are Old! It Is 
   Blasphemous To Set Bounds And Seasons,  In This Manner,  To The Works Of 
   The Almighty,  Like A Woman Counting The Ages Of Her Young." 
     
   "Friend Hunter,  Or Trapper," Returned The Naturalist,  Clearing His 
   Throat In Some Intellectual Confusion At The Vigorous Attack Of His 
   Companion,  "Your Deductions,  If Admitted By The World,  Would Sadly 
   Circumscribe The Efforts Of Reason,  And Much Abridge The Boundaries Of 
   Knowledge." 
     
   "So Much The Better--So Much The Better; For I Have Always Found That 
   A Conceited Man Never Knows Content. All Things Prove It. Why Have We 
   Not The Wings Of The Pigeon,  The Eyes Of The Eagle,  And The Legs Of 
   The Moose,  If It Had Been Intended That Man Should Be Equal To All His 
   Wishes?" 
     
   "There Are Certain Physical Defects,  Venerable Trapper,  In Which I Am 
   Always Ready To Admit Great And Happy Alterations Might Be Suggested. 
   For Example,  In My Own Order Of Phalangacru--" 
     
   "Cruel Enough Would Be The Order,  That Should Come From Miserable 
   Hands Like Thine! A Touch From Such A Finger Would Destroy The Mocking 
   Deformity Of A Monkey! Go,  Go; Human Folly Is Not Needed To Fill Up 
   The Great Design Of God. There Is No Stature,  No Beauty,  No 
   Proportions,  Nor Any Colours In Which Man Himself Can Well Be 
   Fashioned,  That Is Not Already Done To His Hands." 
     
   "That Is Touching Another Great And Much Disputed Question," Exclaimed 
   The Doctor,  Who Seized Upon Every Distinct Idea That The Ardent And 
   Somewhat Dogmatic Old Man Left Exposed To His Mental Grasp,  With The 
   Vain Hope Of Inducing A Logical Discussion,  In Which He Might Bring 
   His Battery Of Syllogisms To Annihilate The Unscientific Defences Of 
   His Antagonist. 
     
   It Is,  However,  Unnecessary To Our Narrative To Relate The Erratic 
   Discourse That Ensued. The Old Man Eluded The Annihilating Blows Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 22 Pg 52 
   His Adversary,  As The Light Armed Soldier Is Wont To Escape The 
   Efforts Of The More Regular Warrior,  Even While He Annoys Him Most, 
   And An Hour Passed Away Without Bringing Any Of The Numerous Subjects, 
   On Which They Touched,  To A Satisfactory Conclusion. The Arguments 
   Acted,  However,  On The Nervous System Of The Doctor,  Like So Many 
   Soothing Soporifics,  And By The Time His Aged Companion Was Disposed 
   To Lay His Head On His Pack,  Obed,  Refreshed By His Recent Mental 
   Joust,  Was In A Condition To Seek His Natural Rest,  Without Enduring 
   The Torments Of The Incubus,  In The Shapes Of Teton Warriors And 
   Bloody Tomahawks. 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 53 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Sleep Of The Fugitives Lasted For Several Hours. The Trapper Was 
   The First To Shake Off Its Influence,  As He Had Been The Last To Court 
   Its Refreshment. Rising,  Just As The Grey Light Of Day Began To 
   Brighten That Portion Of The Studded Vault Which Rested On The Eastern 
   Margin Of The Plain,  He Summoned His Companions From Their Warm Lairs, 
   And Pointed Out The Necessity Of Their Being Once More On The Alert. 
   While Middleton Attended To The Arrangements Necessary To The Comforts 
   Of Inez And Ellen,  In The Long And Painful Journey Which Lay Before 
   Them,  The Old Man And Paul Prepared The Meal,  Which The Former Had 
   Advised Them To Take Before They Proceeded To Horse. These Several 
   Dispositions Were Not Long In Making,  And The Little Group Was Soon 
   Seated About A Repast Which,  Though It Might Want The Elegancies To 
   Which The Bride Of Middleton Had Been Accustomed,  Was Not Deficient In 
   The More Important Requisites Of Savour And Nutriment. 
     
   "When We Get Lower Into The Hunting-Grounds Of The Pawnees," Said The 
   Trapper,  Laying A Morsel Of Delicate Venison Before Inez,  On A Little 
   Trencher Neatly Made Of Horn,  And Expressly For His Own Use,  "We Shall 
   Find The Buffaloes Fatter And Sweeter,  The Deer In More Abundance,  And 
   All The Gifts Of The Lord Abounding To Satisfy Our Wants. Perhaps We 
   May Even Strike A Beaver,  And Get A Morsel From His Tail[*] By Way Of 
   A Rare Mouthful." 
     
   [*] The American Hunters Consider The Tail Of The Beaver The Most 
       Nourishing Of All Food. 
     
   "What Course Do You Mean To Pursue,  When You Have Once Thrown These 
   Bloodhounds From The Chase?" Demanded Middleton. 
     
   "If I Might Advise," Said Paul,  "It Would Be To Strike A Water-Course, 
   And Get Upon Its Downward Current,  As Soon As May Be. Give Me A 
   Cotton-Wood,  And I Will Turn You Out A Canoe That Shall Carry Us All, 
   The Jackass Excepted,  In Perhaps The Work Of A Day And A Night. Ellen, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 54 
   Here,  Is A Lively Girl Enough,  But Then She Is No Great Race-Rider; 
   And It Would Be Far More Comfortable To Boat Six Or Eight Hundred 
   Miles,  Than To Go Loping Along Like So Many Elks Measuring The 
   Prairies; Besides,  Water Leaves No Trail." 
     
   "I Will Not Swear To That," Returned The Trapper; "I Have Often 
   Thought The Eyes Of A Red-Skin Would Find A Trail In Air." 
     
   "See,  Middleton," Exclaimed Inez,  In A Sudden Burst Of Youthful 
   Pleasure,  That Caused Her For A Moment To Forget Her Situation,  "How 
   Lovely Is That Sky; Surely It Contains A Promise Of Happier Times!" 
     
   "It Is Glorious!" Returned Her Husband. "Glorious And Heavenly Is That 
   Streak Of Vivid Red,  And Here Is A Still Brighter Crimson; Rarely Have 
   I Seen A Richer Rising Of The Sun. 
     
   "Rising Of The Sun!" Slowly Repeated The Old Man,  Lifting His Tall 
   Person From Its Seat With A Deliberate Arid Abstracted Air,  While He 
   Kept His Eye Riveted On The Changing,  And Certainly Beautiful Tints, 
   That Were Garnishing The Vault Of Heaven. "Rising Of The Sun! I Like 
   Not Such Risings Of The Sun. Ah's Me! The Imps Have Circumvented Us 
   With A Vengeance. The Prairie Is On Fire!" 
     
   "God In Heaven Protect Us!" Cried Middleton,  Catching Inez To His 
   Bosom,  Under The Instant Impression Of The Imminence Of Their Danger. 
   "There Is No Time To Lose,  Old Man; Each Instant Is A Day; Let Us 
   Fly." 
     
   "Whither?" Demanded The Trapper,  Motioning Him,  With Calmness And 
   Dignity,  To Arrest His Steps. "In This Wilderness Of Grass And Reeds, 
   You Are Like A Vessel In The Broad Lakes Without A Compass. A Single 
   Step On The Wrong Course Might Prove The Destruction Of Us All. It Is 
   Seldom Danger Is So Pressing,  That There Is Not Time Enough For Reason 
   To Do Its Work,  Young Officer; Therefore Let Us Await Its Biddings." 
     
   "For My Own Part," Said Paul Hover,  Looking About Him With No 
   Equivocal Expression Of Concern,  "I Acknowledge,  That Should This Dry 
   Bed Of Weeds Get Fairly In A Flame,  A Bee Would Have To Make A Flight 
   Higher Than Common To Prevent His Wings From Scorching. Therefore,  Old 
   Trapper,  I Agree With The Captain,  And Say Mount And Run." 
     
   "Ye Are Wrong--Ye Are Wrong; Man Is Not A Beast To Follow The Gift Of 
   Instinct,  And To Snuff Up His Knowledge By A Taint In The Air,  Or A 
   Rumbling In The Sound; But He Must See And Reason,  And Then Conclude. 
   So Follow Me A Little To The Left,  Where There Is A Rise In The 
   Ground,  Whence We May Make Our Reconnoitrings." 
     
   The Old Man Waved His Hand With Authority,  And Led The Way Without 
   Further Parlance To The Spot He Had Indicated,  Followed By The Whole 
   Of His Alarmed Companions. An Eye Less Practised Than That Of The 
   Trapper Might Have Failed In Discovering The Gentle Elevation To Which 
   He Alluded,  And Which Looked On The Surface Of The Meadow Like A 
   Growth A Little Taller Than Common. When They Reached The Place, 
   However,  The Stinted Grass Itself Announced The Absence Of That 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 55 
   Moisture,  Which Had Fed The Rank Weeds Of Most Of The Plain,  And 
   Furnished A Clue To The Evidence By Which He Had Judged Of The 
   Formation Of The Ground Hidden Beneath. Here A Few Minutes Were Lost 
   In Breaking Down The Tops Of The Surrounding Herbage,  Which, 
   Notwithstanding The Advantage Of Their Position,  Rose Even Above The 
   Heads Of Middleton And Paul,  And In Obtaining A Look-Out That Might 
   Command A View Of The Surrounding Sea Of Fire. 
     
   The Frightful Prospect Added Nothing To The Hopes Of Those Who Had So 
   Fearful A Stake In The Result. Although The Day Was Beginning To Dawn, 
   The Vivid Colours Of The Sky Continued To Deepen,  As If The Fierce 
   Element Were Bent On An Impious Rivalry Of The Light Of The Sun. 
   Bright Flashes Of Flame Shot Up Here And There,  Along The Margin Of 
   The Waste,  Like The Nimble Coruscations Of The North,  But Far More 
   Angry And Threatening In Their Colour And Changes. The Anxiety On The 
   Rigid Features Of The Trapper Sensibly Deepened,  As He Leisurely 
   Traced These Evidences Of A Conflagration,  Which Spread In A Broad 
   Belt About Their Place Of Refuge,  Until He Had Encircled The Whole 
   Horizon. 
     
   Shaking His Head,  As He Again Turned His Face To The Point Where The 
   Danger Seemed Nighest And Most Rapidly Approaching,  The Old Man Said-- 
     
   "Now Have We Been Cheating Ourselves With The Belief,  That We Had 
   Thrown These Tetons From Our Trail,  While Here Is Proof Enough That 
   They Not Only Know Where We Lie,  But That They Intend To Smoke Us Out, 
   Like So Many Skulking Beasts Of Prey. See; They Have Lighted The Fire 
   Around The Whole Bottom At The Same Moment,  And We Are As Completely 
   Hemmed In By The Devils As An Island By Its Waters." 
     
   "Let Us Mount And Ride," Cried Middleton; "Is Life Not Worth A 
   Struggle?" 
     
   "Whither Would Ye Go? Is A Teton Horse A Salamander That He Can Walk 
   Amid Fiery Flames Unhurt,  Or Do You Think The Lord Will Show His Might 
   In Your Behalf,  As In The Days Of Old,  And Carry You Harmless Through 
   Such A Furnace As You May See Glowing Beneath Yonder Red Sky? There 
   Are Siouxes,  Too,  Hemming The Fire With Their Arrows And Knives On 
   Every Side Of Us,  Or I Am No Judge Of Their Murderous Deviltries." 
     
   "We Will Ride Into The Centre Of The Whole Tribe," Returned The Youth 
   Fiercely,  "And Put Their Manhood To The Test." 
     
   "Ay,  It's Well In Words,  But What Would It Prove In Deeds? Here Is A 
   Dealer In Bees,  Who Can Teach You Wisdom In A Matter Like This." 
     
   "Now For That Matter,  Old Trapper," Said Paul,  Stretching His Athletic 
   Form Like A Mastiff Conscious Of His Strength,  "I Am On The Side Of 
   The Captain,  And Am Clearly For A Race Against The Fire,  Though It 
   Line Me Into A Teton Wigwam. Here Is Ellen,  Who Will--" 
     
   "Of What Use,  Of What Use Are Your Stout Hearts,  When The Element Of 
   The Lord Is To Be Conquered As Well As Human Men. Look About You, 
   Friends; The Wreath Of Smoke,  That Is Rising From The Bottoms,  Plainly 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 56 
   Says That There Is No Outlet From This Spot,  Without Crossing A Belt 
   Of Fire. Look For Yourselves,  My Men; Look For Yourselves; If You Can 
   Find A Single Opening,  I Will Engage To Follow." 
     
   The Examination,  Which His Companions So Instantly And So Intently 
   Made,  Rather Served To Assure Them Of Their Desperate Situation,  Than 
   To Appease Their Fears. Huge Columns Of Smoke Were Rolling Up From The 
   Plain,  And Thickening In Gloomy Masses Around The Horizon. The Red 
   Glow,  Which Gleamed Upon Their Enormous Folds,  Now Lighting Their 
   Volumes With The Glare Of The Conflagration,  And Now Flashing To 
   Another Point,  As The Flame Beneath Glided Ahead,  Leaving All Behind 
   Enveloped In Awful Darkness,  And Proclaiming Louder Than Words The 
   Character Of The Imminent And Approaching Danger. 
     
   "This Is Terrible!" Exclaimed Middleton,  Folding The Trembling Inez To 
   His Heart. "At Such A Time As This,  And In Such A Manner!" 
     
   "The Gates Of Heaven Are Open To All Who Truly Believe," Murmured The 
   Pious Devotee In His Bosom. 
     
   "This Resignation Is Maddening! But We Are Men,  And Will Make A 
   Struggle For Our Lives! How Now,  My Brave And Spirited Friend,  Shall 
   We Yet Mount And Push Across The Flames,  Or Shall We Stand Here,  And 
   See Those We Most Love Perish In This Frightful Manner,  Without An 
   Effort?" 
     
   "I Am For A Swarming Time,  And A Flight Before The Hive Is Too Hot To 
   Hold Us," Said The Bee-Hunter,  To Whom It Will Be At Once Seen That 
   Middleton Addressed Himself. "Come,  Old Trapper,  You Must Acknowledge 
   This Is But A Slow Way Of Getting Out Of Danger. If We Tarry Here Much 
   Longer,  It Will Be In The Fashion That The Bees Lie Around The Straw 
   After The Hive Has Been Smoked For Its Honey. You May Hear The Fire 
   Begin To Roar Already,  And I Know By Experience,  That When The Flame 
   Once Gets Fairly Into The Prairie Grass,  It Is No Sloth That Can 
   Outrun It." 
     
   "Think You," Returned The Old Man,  Pointing Scornfully At The Mazes Of 
   The Dry And Matted Grass Which Environed Them,  "That Mortal Feet Can 
   Outstrip The Speed Of Fire,  On Such A Path! If I Only Knew Now On 
   Which Side These Miscreants Lay!" 
     
   "What Say You,  Friend Doctor," Cried The Bewildered Paul,  Turning To 
   The Naturalist With That Sort Of Helplessness With Which The Strong 
   Are Often Apt To Seek Aid Of The Weak,  When Human Power Is Baffled By 
   The Hand Of A Mightier Being,  "What Say You; Have You No Advice To 
   Give Away,  In A Case Of Life And Death?" 
     
   The Naturalist Stood,  Tablets In Hand,  Looking At The Awful Spectacle 
   With As Much Composure As If The Conflagration Had Been Lighted In 
   Order To Solve The Difficulties Of Some Scientific Problem. Aroused By 
   The Question Of His Companion,  He Turned To His Equally Calm Though 
   Differently Occupied Associate,  The Trapper,  Demanding,  With The Most 
   Provoking Insensibility To The Urgent Nature Of Their Situation-- 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 57 
   "Venerable Hunter,  You Have Often Witnessed Similar Prismatic 
   Experiments--" 
     
   He Was Rudely Interrupted By Paul,  Who Struck The Tablets From His 
   Hands,  With A Violence That Betrayed The Utter Intellectual Confusion 
   Which Had Overset The Equanimity Of His Mind. Before Time Was Allowed 
   For Remonstrance,  The Old Man,  Who Had Continued During The Whole 
   Scene Like One Much At A Loss How To Proceed,  Though Also Like One Who 
   Was Rather Perplexed Than Alarmed,  Suddenly Assumed A Decided Air,  As 
   If He No Longer Doubted On The Course It Was Most Advisable To Pursue. 
     
   "It Is Time To Be Doing," He Said,  Interrupting The Controversy That 
   Was About To Ensue Between The Naturalist And The Bee-Hunter; "It Is 
   Time To Leave Off Books And Moanings,  And To Be Doing." 
     
   "You Have Come To Your Recollections Too Late,  Miserable Old Man," 
   Cried Middleton; "The Flames Are Within A Quarter Of A Mile Of Us,  And 
   The Wind Is Bringing Them Down In This Quarter With Dreadful 
   Rapidity." 
     
   "Anan! The Flames! I Care But Little For The Flames. If I Only Knew 
   How To Circumvent The Cunning Of The Tetons,  As I Know How To Cheat 
   The Fire Of Its Prey,  There Would Be Nothing Needed But Thanks To The 
   Lord For Our Deliverance. Do You Call This A Fire? If You Had Seen 
   What I Have Witnessed In The Eastern Hills,  When Mighty Mountains Were 
   Like The Furnace Of Smith,  You Would Have Known What It Was To Fear 
   The Flames,  And To Be Thankful That You Were Spared! Come,  Lads,  Come; 
   'Tis Time To Be Doing Now,  And To Cease Talking; For Yonder Curling 
   Flame Is Truly Coming On Like A Trotting Moose. Put Hands Upon This 
   Short And Withered Grass Where We Stand,  And Lay Bare The 'Arth." 
     
   "Would You Think To Deprive The Fire Of Its Victims In This Childish 
   Manner?" Exclaimed Middleton. 
     
   A Faint But Solemn Smile Passed Over The Features Of The Old Man,  As 
   He Answered-- 
     
   "Your Grand'ther Would Have Said,  That When The Enemy Was Nigh,  A 
   Soldier Could Do No Better Than To Obey." 
     
   The Captain Felt The Reproof,  And Instantly Began To Imitate The 
   Industry Of Paul,  Who Was Tearing The Decayed Herbage From The Ground 
   In A Sort Of Desperate Compliance With The Trapper's Direction. Even 
   Ellen Lent Her Hands To The Labour,  Nor Was It Long Before Inez Was 
   Seen Similarly Employed,  Though None Amongst Them Knew Why Or 
   Wherefore. When Life Is Thought To Be The Reward Of Labour,  Men Are 
   Wont To Be Industrious. A Very Few Moments Sufficed To Lay Bare A Spot 
   Of Some Twenty Feet In Diameter. Into One Edge Of This Little Area The 
   Trapper Brought The Females,  Directing Middleton And Paul To Cover 
   Their Light And Inflammable Dresses With The Blankets Of The Party. So 
   Soon As This Precaution Was Observed,  The Old Man Approached The 
   Opposite Margin Of The Grass,  Which Still Environed Them In A Tall And 
   Dangerous Circle,  And Selecting A Handful Of The Driest Of The Herbage 
   He Placed It Over The Pan Of His Rifle. The Light Combustible Kindled 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 58 
   At The Flash. Then He Placed The Little Flame In A Bed Of The Standing 
   Fog,  And Withdrawing From The Spot To The Centre Of The Ring,  He 
   Patiently Awaited The Result. 
     
   The Subtle Element Seized With Avidity Upon Its New Fuel,  And In A 
   Moment Forked Flames Were Gliding Among The Grass,  As The Tongues Of 
   Ruminating Animals Are Seen Rolling Among Their Food,  Apparently In 
   Quest Of Its Sweetest Portions. 
     
   "Now," Said The Old Man,  Holding Up A Finger,  And Laughing In His 
   Peculiarly Silent Manner,  "You Shall See Fire Fight Fire! Ah's Me! 
   Many Is The Time I Have Burnt A Smooty Path,  From Wanton Laziness To 
   Pick My Way Across A Tangled Bottom." 
     
   "But Is This Not Fatal?" Cried The Amazed Middleton; "Are You Not 
   Bringing The Enemy Nigher To Us Instead Of Avoiding It?" 
     
   "Do You Scorch So Easily? Your Grand'ther Had A Tougher Skin. But We 
   Shall Live To See; We Shall All Live To See." 
     
   The Experience Of The Trapper Was In The Right. As The Fire Gained 
   Strength And Heat,  It Began To Spread On Three Sides,  Dying Of Itself 
   On The Fourth,  For Want Of Aliment. As It Increased,  And The Sullen 
   Roaring Announced Its Power,  It Cleared Every Thing Before It,  Leaving 
   The Black And Smoking Soil Far More Naked Than If The Scythe Had Swept 
   The Place. The Situation Of The Fugitives Would Have Still Been 
   Hazardous Had Not The Area Enlarged As The Flame Encircled Them. But 
   By Advancing To The Spot Where The Trapper Had Kindled The Grass,  They 
   Avoided The Heat,  And In A Very Few Moments The Flames Began To Recede 
   In Every Quarter,  Leaving Them Enveloped In A Cloud Of Smoke,  But 
   Perfectly Safe From The Torrent Of Fire That Was Still Furiously 
   Rolling Onward. 
     
   The Spectators Regarded The Simple Expedient Of The Trapper With That 
   Species Of Wonder,  With Which The Courtiers Of Ferdinand Are Said To 
   Have Viewed The Manner In Which Columbus Made His Egg Stand On Its 
   End,  Though With Feelings That Were Filled With Gratitude Instead Of 
   Envy. 
     
   "Most Wonderful!" Said Middleton,  When He Saw The Complete Success Of 
   The Means By Which They Had Been Rescued From A Danger That He Had 
   Conceived To Be Unavoidable. "The Thought Was A Gift From Heaven,  And 
   The Hand That Executed It Should Be Immortal!" 
     
   "Old Trapper," Cried Paul,  Thrusting His Fingers Through His Shaggy 
   Locks,  "I Have Lined Many A Loaded Bee Into His Hole,  And Know 
   Something Of The Nature Of The Woods,  But This Is Robbing A Hornet Of 
   His Sting Without Touching The Insect!" 
     
   "It Will Do--It Will Do," Returned The Old Man,  Who After The First 
   Moment Of His Success Seemed To Think No More Of The Exploit; "Now Get 
   The Horses In Readiness. Let The Flames Do Their Work For A Short Half 
   Hour,  And Then We Will Mount. That Time Is Needed To Cool The Meadow, 
   For These Unshod Teton Beasts Are As Tender On The Hoof As A 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 59 
   Barefooted Girl." 
     
   Middleton And Paul,  Who Considered This Unlooked-For Escape As A 
   Species Of Resurrection,  Patiently Awaited The Time The Trapper 
   Mentioned With Renewed Confidence In The Infallibility Of His 
   Judgment. The Doctor Regained His Tablets,  A Little The Worse From 
   Having Fallen Among The Grass Which Had Been Subject To The Action Of 
   The Flames,  And Was Consoling Himself For This Slight Misfortune By 
   Recording Uninterruptedly Such Different Vacillations In Light And 
   Shadow As He Chose To Consider Phenomena. 
     
   In The Mean Time The Veteran,  On Whose Experience They All So 
   Implicitly Relied For Protection,  Employed Himself In Reconnoitring 
   Objects In The Distance,  Through The Openings Which The Air 
   Occasionally Made In The Immense Bodies Of Smoke,  That By This Time 
   Lay In Enormous Piles On Every Part Of The Plain. 
     
   "Look You Here,  Lads," The Trapper Said,  After A Long And Anxious 
   Examination,  "Your Eyes Are Young And May Prove Better Than My 
   Worthless Sight--Though The Time Has Been,  When A Wise And Brave 
   People Saw Reason To Think Me Quick On A Look-Out; But Those Times Are 
   Gone,  And Many A True And Tried Friend Has Passed Away With Them. Ah's 
   Me! If I Could Choose A Change In The Orderings Of Providence--Which I 
   Cannot,  And Which It Would Be Blasphemy To Attempt,  Seeing That All 
   Things Are Governed By A Wiser Mind Than Belongs To Mortal Weakness-- 
   But If I Were To Choose A Change,  It Would Be To Say,  That Such As 
   They Who Have Lived Long Together In Friendship And Kindness,  And Who 
   Have Proved Their Fitness To Go In Company,  By Many Acts Of Suffering 
   And Daring In Each Other's Behalf,  Should Be Permitted To Give Up Life 
   At Such Times,  As When The Death Of One Leaves The Other But Little 
   Reason To Wish To Live." 
     
   "Is It An Indian,  That You See?" Demanded The Impatient Middleton. 
     
   "Red-Skin Or White-Skin It Is Much The Same. Friendship And Use Can 
   Tie Men As Strongly Together In The Woods As In The Towns--Ay,  And For 
   That Matter,  Stronger. Here Are The Young Warriors Of The Prairies.-- 
   Often Do They Sort Themselves In Pairs,  And Set Apart Their Lives For 
   Deeds Of Friendship; And Well And Truly Do They Act Up To Their 
   Promises. The Death-Blow To One Is Commonly Mortal To The Other! I 
   Have Been A Solitary Man Much Of My Time,  If He Can Be Called 
   Solitary,  Who Has Lived For Seventy Years In The Very Bosom Of Natur', 
   And Where He Could At Any Instant Open His Heart To God,  Without 
   Having To Strip It Of The Cares And Wickednesses Of The Settlements-- 
   But Making That Allowance,  Have I Been A Solitary Man; And Yet Have I 
   Always Found That Intercourse With My Kind Was Pleasant,  And Painful 
   To Break Off,  Provided That The Companion Was Brave And Honest. Brave, 
   Because A Skeary Comrade In The Woods," Suffering His Eyes 
   Inadvertently To Rest A Moment On The Person Of The Abstracted 
   Naturalist,  "Is Apt To Make A Short Path Long; And Honest,  Inasmuch As 
   Craftiness Is Rather An Instinct Of The Brutes,  Than A Gift Becoming 
   The Reason Of A Human Man." 
     
   "But The Object,  That You Saw--Was It A Sioux?" 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 60 
     
   "What The World Of America Is Coming To,  And Where The Machinations 
   And Inventions Of Its People Are To Have An End,  The Lord,  He Only 
   Knows. I Have Seen,  In My Day,  The Chief Who,  In His Time,  Had Beheld 
   The First Christian That Placed His Wicked Foot In The Regions Of 
   York! How Much Has The Beauty Of The Wilderness Been Deformed In Two 
   Short Lives! My Own Eyes Were First Opened On The Shores Of The 
   Eastern Sea,  And Well Do I Remember,  That I Tried The Virtues Of The 
   First Rifle I Ever Bore,  After Such A March,  From The Door Of My 
   Father To The Forest,  As A Stripling Could Make Between Sun And Sun; 
   And That Without Offence To The Rights,  Or Prejudices,  Of Any Man Who 
   Set Himself Up To Be The Owner Of The Beasts Of The Fields. Natur' 
   Then Lay In Its Glory Along The Whole Coast,  Giving A Narrow Stripe, 
   Between The Woods And The Ocean,  To The Greediness Of The Settlers. 
   And Where Am I Now? Had I The Wings Of An Eagle,  They Would Tire 
   Before A Tenth Of The Distance,  Which Separates Me From That Sea, 
   Could Be Passed; And Towns,  And Villages,  Farms,  And Highways, 
   Churches,  And Schools,  In Short,  All The Inventions And Deviltries Of 
   Man,  Are Spread Across The Region. I Have Known The Time When A Few 
   Red-Skins,  Shouting Along The Borders,  Could Set The Provinces In A 
   Fever; And Men Were To Be Armed; And Troops Were To Be Called To Aid 
   From A Distant Land; And Prayers Were Said,  And The Women Frighted, 
   And Few Slept In Quiet,  Because The Iroquois Were On The War-Path,  Or 
   The Accursed Mingo Had The Tomahawk In Hand. How Is It Now? The 
   Country Sends Out Her Ships To Foreign Lands,  To Wage Their Battles; 
   Cannon Are Plentier Than The Rifle Used To Be,  And Trained Soldiers 
   Are Never Wanting,  In Tens Of Thousands,  When Need Calls For Their 
   Services. Such Is The Difference Atween A Province And A State,  My 
   Men; And I,  Miserable And Worn Out As I Seem,  Have Lived To See It 
   All!" 
     
   "That You Must Have Seen Many A Chopper Skimming The Cream From The 
   Face Of The Earth,  And Many A Settler Getting The Very Honey Of 
   Nature,  Old Trapper," Said Paul,  "No Reasonable Man Can,  Or,  For That 
   Matter,  Shall Doubt. But Here Is Ellen Getting Uneasy About The 
   Siouxes,  And Now You Have Opened Your Mind,  So Freely,  Concerning 
   These Matters,  If You Will Just Put Us On The Line Of Our Flight,  The 
   Swarm Will Make Another Move." 
     
   "Anan!" 
     
   "I Say That Ellen Is Getting Uneasy,  And As The Smoke Is Lifting From 
   The Plain,  It May Be Prudent To Take Another Flight." 
     
   "The Boy Is Reasonable. I Had Forgotten We Were In The Midst Of A 
   Raging Fire,  And That Siouxes Were Round About Us,  Like Hungry Wolves 
   Watching A Drove Of Buffaloes. But When Memory Is At Work In My Old 
   Brain,  On Times Long Past,  It Is Apt To Overlook The Matters Of The 
   Day. You Say Right,  My Children; It Is Time To Be Moving,  And Now 
   Comes The Real Nicety Of Our Case. It Is Easy To Outwit A Furnace,  For 
   It Is Nothing But A Raging Element; And It Is Not Always Difficult To 
   Throw A Grizzly Bear From His Scent,  For The Creatur' Is Both 
   Enlightened And Blinded By His Instinct; But To Shut The Eyes Of A 
   Waking Teton Is A Matter Of Greater Judgment,  Inasmuch As His Deviltry 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 61 
   Is Backed By Reason." 
     
   Notwithstanding The Old Man Appeared So Conscious Of The Difficulty Of 
   The Undertaking,  He Set About Its Achievement With Great Steadiness 
   And Alacrity. After Completing The Examination,  Which Had Been 
   Interrupted By The Melancholy Wanderings Of His Mind,  He Gave The 
   Signal To His Companions To Mount. The Horses,  Which Had Continued 
   Passive And Trembling Amid The Raging Of The Fire,  Received Their 
   Burdens With A Satisfaction So Very Evident,  As To Furnish A 
   Favourable Augury Of Their Future Industry. The Trapper Invited The 
   Doctor To Take His Own Steed,  Declaring His Intention To Proceed On 
   Foot. 
     
   "I Am But Little Used To Journeying With The Feet Of Others," He 
   Added,  As A Reason For The Measure,  "And My Legs Are A Weary Of Doing 
   Nothing. Besides,  Should We Light Suddenly On An Ambushment,  Which Is 
   A Thing Far From Impossible,  The Horse Will Be In A Better Condition 
   For A Hard Run With One Man On His Back Than With Two. As For Me,  What 
   Matters It Whether My Time Is To Be A Day Shorter Or A Day Longer! Let 
   The Tetons Take My Scalp,  If It Be God's Pleasure: They Will Find It 
   Covered With Grey Hairs; And It Is Beyond The Craft Of Man To Cheat Me 
   Of The Knowledge And Experience By Which They Have Been Whitened." 
     
   As No One Among The Impatient Listeners Seemed Disposed To Dispute The 
   Arrangement,  It Was Acceded To In Silence. The Doctor,  Though He 
   Muttered A Few Mourning Exclamations On Behalf Of The Lost Asinus,  Was 
   By Far Too Well Pleased In Finding That His Speed Was Likely To Be 
   Sustained By Four Legs Instead Of Two,  To Be Long In Complying: And, 
   Consequently,  In A Very Few Moments The Bee-Hunter,  Who Was Never Last 
   To Speak On Such Occasions,  Vociferously Announced That They Were 
   Ready To Proceed. 
     
   "Now Look Off Yonder To The East," Said The Old Man,  As He Began To 
   Lead The Way Across The Murky And Still Smoking Plain; "Little Fear Of 
   Cold Feet In Journeying Such A Path As This: But Look You Off To The 
   East,  And If You See A Sheet Of Shining White,  Glistening Like A Plate 
   Of Beaten Silver Through The Openings Of The Smoke,  Why That Is Water. 
   A Noble Stream Is Running Thereaway,  And I Thought I Got A Glimpse Of 
   It A While Since; But Other Thoughts Came,  And I Lost It. It Is A 
   Broad And Swift River,  Such As The Lord Has Made Many Of Its Fellows 
   In This Desert. For Here May Natur' Be Seen In All Its Richness,  Trees 
   Alone Excepted. Trees,  Which Are To The 'Arth,  As Fruits Are To A 
   Garden; Without Them Nothing Can Be Pleasant,  Or Thoroughly Useful. 
   Now Watch All Of You,  With Open Eyes,  For That Stripe Of Glittering 
   Water: We Shall Not Be Safe Until It Is Flowing Between Our Trail And 
   These Sharp Sighted Tetons." 
     
   The Latter Declaration Was Enough To Ensure A Vigilant Look Out For 
   The Desired Stream,  On The Part Of All The Trapper's Followers. With 
   This Object In View,  The Party Proceeded In Profound Silence,  The Old 
   Man Having Admonished Them Of The Necessity Of Caution,  As They 
   Entered The Clouds Of Smoke,  Which Were Rolling Like Masses Of Fog 
   Along The Plain,  More Particularly Over Those Spots Where The Fire Had 
   Encountered Occasional Pools Of Stagnant Water. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 62 
     
   They Travelled Near A League In This Manner,  Without Obtaining The 
   Desired Glimpse Of The River. The Fire Was Still Raging In The 
   Distance,  And As The Air Swept Away The First Vapour Of The 
   Conflagration,  Fresh Volumes Rolled Along The Place,  Limiting The 
   View. At Length The Old Man,  Who Had Begun To Betray Some Little 
   Uneasiness,  Which Caused His Followers To Apprehend That Even His 
   Acute Faculties Were Beginning To Be Confused,  In The Mazes Of The 
   Smoke,  Made A Sudden Pause,  And Dropping His Rifle To The Ground,  He 
   Stood,  Apparently Musing Over Some Object At His Feet. Middleton And 
   The Rest Rode Up To His Side,  And Demanded The Reason Of The Halt. 
     
   "Look Ye,  Here," Returned The Trapper,  Pointing To The Mutilated 
   Carcass Of A Horse,  That Lay More Than Half Consumed In A Little 
   Hollow Of The Ground; "Here May You See The Power Of A Prairie 
   Conflagration. The 'Arth Is Moist,  Hereaway,  And The Grass Has Been 
   Taller Than Usual. This Miserable Beast Has Been Caught In His Bed. 
   You See The Bones; The Crackling And Scorched Hide,  And The Grinning 
   Teeth. A Thousand Winters Could Not Wither An Animal So Thoroughly,  As 
   The Element Has Done It In A Minute." 
     
   "And This Might Have Been Our Fate," Said Middleton,  "Had The Flames 
   Come Upon Us,  In Our Sleep!" 
     
   "Nay,  I Do Not Say That,  I Do Not Say That. Not But That Man Will Burn 
   As Well As Tinder; But,  That Being More Reasoning Than A Horse,  He 
   Would Better Know How To Avoid The Danger." 
     
   "Perhaps This Then Has Been But The Carcass Of An Animal,  Or He Too 
   Would Have Fled?" 
     
   "See You These Marks In The Damp Soil? Here Have Been His Hoofs,--And 
   There Is A Moccasin Print,  As I'm A Sinner! The Owner Of The Beast Has 
   Tried Hard To Move Him From The Place,  But It Is In The Instinct Of 
   The Creatur' To Be Faint-Hearted And Obstinate In A Fire." 
     
   "It Is A Well-Known Fact. But If The Animal Has Had A Rider,  Where Is 
   He?" 
     
   "Ay,  Therein Lies The Mystery," Returned The Trapper,  Stooping To 
   Examine The Signs In The Ground With A Closer Eye. "Yes,  Yes,  It Is 
   Plain There Has Been A Long Struggle Atween The Two. The Master Has 
   Tried Hard To Save His Beast,  And The Flames Must Have Been Very 
   Greedy,  Or He Would Have Had Better Success." 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," Interrupted Paul,  Pointing To A Little 
   Distance,  Where The Ground Was Drier,  And The Herbage Had,  In 
   Consequence,  Been Less Luxuriant; "Just Call Them Two Horses. Yonder 
   Lies Another." 
     
   "The Boy Is Right! Can It Be,  That The Tetons Have Been Caught In 
   Their Own Snares? Such Things Do Happen; And Here Is An Example To All 
   Evil-Doers. Ay,  Look You Here,  This Is Iron; There Have Been Some 
   White Inventions About The Trappings Of The Beast--It Must Be So--It 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 63 
   Must Be So--A Party Of The Knaves Have Been Skirting In The Grass 
   After Us,  While Their Friends Have Fired The Prairie,  And Look You At 
   The Consequences; They Have Lost Their Beasts,  And Happy Have They 
   Been If Their Own Souls Are Not Now Skirting Along The Path,  Which 
   Leads To The Indian Heaven." 
     
   "They Had The Same Expedient At Command As Yourself," Rejoined 
   Middleton,  As The Party Slowly Proceeded,  Approaching The Other 
   Carcass,  Which Lay Directly On Their Route. 
     
   "I Know Not That. It Is Not Every Savage That Carries His Steel And 
   Flint,  Or As Good A Rifle-Pan As This Old Friend Of Mine. It Is Slow 
   Making A Fire With Two Sticks,  And Little Time Was Given To Consider, 
   Or Invent,  Just At This Spot,  As You May See By Yon Streak Of Flame, 
   Which Is Flashing Along Afore The Wind,  As If It Were On A Trail Of 
   Powder. It Is Not Many Minutes Since The Fire Has Passed Here Away, 
   And It May Be Well To Look At Our Primings,  Not That I Would Willingly 
   Combat The Tetons,  God Forbid! But If A Fight Needs Be,  It Is Always 
   Wise To Get The First Shot." 
     
   "This Has Been A Strange Beast,  Old Man," Said Paul,  Who Had Pulled 
   The Bridle,  Or Rather Halter Of His Steed,  Over The Second Carcass, 
   While The Rest Of The Party Were Already Passing,  In Their Eagerness 
   To Proceed; "A Strange Horse Do I Call It; It Had Neither Head Nor 
   Hoofs!" 
     
   "The Fire Has Not Been Idle," Returned The Trapper,  Keeping His Eye 
   Vigilantly Employed In Profiting By Those Glimpses Of The Horizon, 
   Which The Whirling Smoke Offered To His Examination. "It Would Soon 
   Bake You A Buffaloe Whole,  Or For That Matter Powder His Hoofs And 
   Horns Into White Ashes. Shame,  Shame,  Old Hector: As For The Captain's 
   Pup,  It Is To Be Expected That He Would Show His Want Of Years,  And I 
   May Say,  I Hope Without Offence,  His Want Of Education Too; But For A 
   Hound,  Like You,  Who Have Lived So Long In The Forest Afore You Came 
   Into These Plains,  It Is Very Disgraceful,  Hector,  To Be Showing Your 
   Teeth,  And Growling At The Carcass Of A Roasted Horse,  The Same As If 
   You Were Telling Your Master That You Had Found The Trail Of A Grizzly 
   Bear." 
     
   "I Tell You,  Old Trapper,  This Is No Horse; Neither In Hoofs,  Head, 
   Nor Hide." 
     
   "Anan! Not A Horse? Your Eyes Are Good For The Bees And For The Hollow 
   Trees,  My Lad,  But--Bless Me,  The Boy Is Right! That I Should Mistake 
   The Hide Of A Buffaloe,  Scorched And Crimpled As It Is,  For The 
   Carcass Of A Horse! Ah's Me! The Time Has Been,  My Men,  When I Would 
   Tell You The Name Of A Beast,  As Far As Eye Could Reach,  And That Too 
   With Most Of The Particulars Of Colour,  Age,  And Sex." 
     
   "An Inestimable Advantage Have You Then Enjoyed,  Venerable Venator!" 
   Observed The Attentive Naturalist. "The Man Who Can Make These 
   Distinctions In A Desert,  Is Saved The Pain Of Many A Weary Walk,  And 
   Often Of An Enquiry That In Its Result Proves Useless. Pray Tell Me, 
   Did Your Exceeding Excellence Of Vision Extend So Far As To Enable You 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 23 Pg 64 
   To Decide On Their Order,  Or Genus?" 
     
   "I Know Not What You Mean By Your Orders Of Genius." 
     
   "No!" Interrupted The Bee-Hunter,  A Little Disdainfully For Him,  When 
   Speaking To His Aged Friend; "Now,  Old Trapper,  That Is Admitting Your 
   Ignorance Of The English Language,  In A Way I Should Not Expect From A 
   Man Of Your Experience And Understanding. By Order,  Our Comrade Means 
   Whether They Go In Promiscuous Droves,  Like A Swarm That Is Following 
   Its Queen-Bee,  Or In Single File,  As You Often See The Buffaloes 
   Trailing Each Other Through A Prairie. And As For Genius,  I'm Sure 
   That Is A Word Well Understood,  And In Every Body's Mouth. There Is 
   The Congress-Man In Our District,  And That Tonguey Little Fellow,  Who 
   Puts Out The Paper In Our County,  They Are Both So Called,  For Their 
   Smartness; Which Is What The Doctor Means,  As I Take It,  Seeing That 
   He Seldom Speaks Without Some Considerable Meaning." 
     
   When Paul Finished This Very Clever Explanation He Looked Behind Him 
   With An Expression,  Which,  Rightly Interpreted,  Would Have Said--"You 
   See,  Though I Don't Often Trouble Myself In These Matters,  I Am No 
   Fool." 
     
   Ellen Admired Paul For Anything But His Learning. There Was Enough In 
   His Frank,  Fearless,  And Manly Character,  Backed As It Was By Great 
   Personal Attraction,  To Awaken Her Sympathies,  Without The Necessity 
   Of Prying Into His Mental Attainments. The Poor Girl Reddened Like A 
   Rose,  Her Pretty Fingers Played With The Belt,  By Which She Sustained 
   Herself On The Horse,  And She Hurriedly Observed,  As If Anxious To 
   Direct The Attentions Of The Other Listeners From A Weakness,  On Which 
   Her Own Thoughts Could Not Bear To Dwell-- 
     
   "And This Is Not A Horse,  After All?" 
     
   "It Is Nothing More,  Nor Less,  Than The Hide Of A Buffaloe," Continued 
   The Trapper,  Who Had Been No Less Puzzled By The Explanation Of Paul, 
   Than By The Language Of The Doctor; "The Hair Is Beneath; The Fire Has 
   Run Over It As You See; For Being Fresh,  The Flames Could Take No 
   Hold. The Beast Has Not Been Long Killed,  And It May Be That Some Of 
   The Beef Is Still Hereaway." 
     
   "Lift The Corner Of The Skin,  Old Trapper," Said Paul,  With The Tone 
   Of One,  Who Felt,  As If He Had Now Proved His Right To Mingle His 
   Voice In Any Council; "If There Is A Morsel Of The Hump Left,  It Must 
   Be Well Cooked,  And It Shall Be Welcome." 
     
   The Old Man Laughed,  Heartily,  At The Conceit Of His Companion. 
   Thrusting His Foot Beneath The Skin,  It Moved. Then It Was Suddenly 
   Cast Aside,  And An Indian Warrior Sprang From Its Cover,  To His Feet, 
   With An Agility,  That Bespoke How Urgent He Deemed The Occasion. 
     
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 65 
                I Would It Were Bed-Time,  Hal,  And All Well. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   A Second Glance Sufficed To Convince The Whole Of The Startled Party, 
   That The Young Pawnee,  Whom They Had Already Encountered,  Again Stood 
   Before Them. Surprise Kept Both Sides Mute,  And More Than A Minute Was 
   Passed In Surveying Each Other,  With Eyes Of Astonishment,  If Not Of 
   Distrust. The Wonder Of The Young Warrior Was,  However,  Much More 
   Tempered And Dignified Than That Of His Christian Acquaintances. While 
   Middleton And Paul Felt The Tremor,  Which Shook The Persons Of Their 
   Dependant Companions,  Thrilling Through Their Own Quickened Blood,  The 
   Glowing Eye Of The Indian Rolled From One To Another,  As If It Could 
   Never Quail Before The Rudest Assaults. His Gaze,  After Making The 
   Circuit Of Every Wondering Countenance,  Finally Settled In A Steady 
   Look On The Equally Immovable Features Of The Trapper. The Silence Was 
   First Broken By Dr. Battius,  In The Ejaculation Of--"Order,  Primates; 
   Genus,  Homo; Species,  Prairie!" 
     
   "Ay--Ay--The Secret Is Out," Said The Old Trapper,  Shaking His Head, 
   Like One Who Congratulated Himself On Having Mastered The Mystery Of 
   Some Knotty Difficulty. "The Lad Has Been In The Grass For A Cover; 
   The Fire Has Come Upon Him In His Sleep,  And Having Lost His Horse,  He 
   Has Been Driven To Save Himself Under That Fresh Hide Of A Buffaloe. 
   No Bad Invention,  When Powder And Flint Were Wanting To Kindle A Ring. 
   I Warrant Me,  Now,  This Is A Clever Youth,  And One That It Would Be 
   Safe To Journey With! I Will Speak To Him Kindly,  For Anger Can At 
   Least Serve No Turn Of Ours. My Brother Is Welcome Again," Using The 
   Language,  Which The Other Understood; "The Tetons Have Been Smoking 
   Him,  As They Would A Racoon." 
     
   The Young Pawnee Rolled His Eye Over The Place,  As If He Were 
   Examining The Terrific Danger From Which He Had Just Escaped,  But He 
   Disdained To Betray The Smallest Emotion,  At Its Imminency. His Brow 
   Contracted,  As He Answered To The Remark Of The Trapper By Saying-- 
     
   "A Teton Is A Dog. When The Pawnee War-Whoop Is In Their Ears,  The 
   Whole Nation Howls." 
     
   "It Is True. The Imps Are On Our Trail,  And I Am Glad To Meet A 
   Warrior,  With The Tomahawk In His Hand,  Who Does Not Love Them. Will 
   My Brother Lead My Children To His Village? If The Siouxes Follow On 
   Our Path,  My Young Men Shall Help Him To Strike Them." 
     
   The Young Pawnee Turned His Eyes From One To Another Of The Strangers, 
   In A Keen Scrutiny,  Before He Saw Fit To Answer So Important An 
   Interrogatory. His Examination Of The Males Was Short,  And Apparently 
   Satisfactory. But His Gaze Was Fastened Long And Admiringly,  As In 
   Their Former Interview,  On The Surpassing And Unwonted Beauty Of A 
   Being So Fair And So Unknown As Inez. Though His Glance Wandered,  For 
   Moments,  From Her Countenance To The More Intelligible And Yet 
   Extraordinary Charms Of Ellen,  It Did Not Fail To Return Promptly To 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 66 
   The Study Of A Creature Who,  In The View Of His Unpractised Eye And 
   Untutored Imagination,  Was Formed With All That Perfection,  With Which 
   The Youthful Poet Is Apt To Endow The Glowing Images Of His Brain. 
   Nothing So Fair,  So Ideal,  So Every Way Worthy To Reward The Courage 
   And Self-Devotion Of A Warrior,  Had Ever Before Been Encountered On 
   The Prairies,  And The Young Brave Appeared To Be Deeply And 
   Intuitively Sensible To The Influence Of So Rare A Model Of The 
   Loveliness Of The Sex. Perceiving,  However,  That His Gaze Gave 
   Uneasiness To The Subject Of His Admiration,  He Withdrew His Eyes,  And 
   Laying His Hand Impressively On His Chest,  He,  Modestly,  Answered-- 
     
   "My Father Shall Be Welcome. The Young Men Of My Nation Shall Hunt 
   With His Sons; The Chiefs Shall Smoke With The Grey-Head. The Pawnee 
   Girls Will Sing In The Ears Of His Daughters." 
     
   "And If We Meet The Tetons?" Demanded The Trapper,  Who Wished To 
   Understand,  Thoroughly,  The More Important Conditions Of This New 
   Alliance. 
     
   "The Enemy Of The Big-Knives Shall Feel The Blow Of The Pawnee." 
     
   "It Is Well. Now Let My Brother And I Meet In Council,  That We May Not 
   Go On A Crooked Path,  But That Our Road To His Village May Be Like The 
   Flight Of The Pigeons." 
     
   The Young Pawnee Made A Significant Gesture Of Assent And Followed The 
   Other A Little Apart,  In Order To Be Removed From All Danger Of 
   Interruption From The Reckless Paul,  Or The Abstracted Naturalist. 
   Their Conference Was Short,  But,  As It Was Conducted In The 
   Sententious Manner Of The Natives,  It Served To Make Each Of The 
   Parties Acquainted With All The Necessary Information Of The Other. 
   When They Rejoined Their Associates,  The Old Man Saw Fit To Explain A 
   Portion Of What Had Passed Between Them,  As Follows-- 
     
   "Ay,  I Was Not Mistaken," He Said; "This Good-Looking Young Warrior-- 
   For Good-Looking And Noble-Looking He Is,  Though A Little Horrified 
   Perhaps With Paint--This Good-Looking Youth,  Then,  Tells Me He Is Out 
   On The Scout For These Very Tetons. His Party Was Not Strong Enough To 
   Strike The Devils,  Who Are Down From Their Towns In Great Numbers To 
   Hunt The Buffaloe,  And Runners Have Gone To The Pawnee Villages For 
   Aid. It Would Seem That This Lad Is A Fearless Boy,  For He Has Been 
   Hanging On Their Skirts Alone,  Until,  Like Ourselves,  He Was Driven To 
   The Grass For A Cover. But He Tells Me More,  My Men,  And What I Am 
   Mainly Sorry To Hear,  Which Is,  That The Cunning Mahtoree Instead Of 
   Going To Blows With The Squatter,  Has Become His Friend,  And That Both 
   Broods,  Red And White,  Are On Our Heels,  And Outlying Around This Very 
   Burning Plain To Circumvent Us To Our Destruction." 
     
   "How Knows He All This To Be True?" Demanded Middleton. 
     
   "Anan?" 
     
   "In What Manner Does He Know,  That These Things Are So?" 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 67 
   "In What Manner! Do You Think Newspapers And Town Criers Are Needed To 
   Tell A Scout What Is Doing On The Prairies,  As They Are In The Bosom 
   Of The States? No Gossiping Woman,  Who Hurries From House To House To 
   Spread Evil Of Her Neighbour,  Can Carry Tidings With Her Tongue,  So 
   Fast As These People Will Spread Their Meaning,  By Signs And Warnings, 
   That They Alone Understand. 'Tis Their L'arning,  And What Is Better, 
   It Is Got In The Open Air,  And Not Within The Walls Of A School. I 
   Tell You,  Captain,  That What He Says Is True." 
     
   "For That Matter," Said Paul,  "I'm Ready To Swear To It. It Is 
   Reasonable,  And Therefore It Must Be True." 
     
   "And Well You Might,  Lad; Well You Might. He Furthermore Declares, 
   That My Old Eyes For Once Were True To Me,  And That The River Lies, 
   Hereaway,  At About The Distance Of Half A League. You See The Fire Has 
   Done Most Of Its Work In That Quarter,  And Our Path Is Clouded In 
   Smoke. He Also Agrees That It Is Needful To Wash Our Trail In Water. 
   Yes,  We Must Put That River Atween Us And The Sioux Eyes,  And Then,  By 
   The Favour Of The Lord,  Not Forgetting Our Own Industry,  We May Gain 
   The Village Of The Loups." 
     
   "Words Will Not Forward Us A Foot," Said Middleton; "Let Us Move." 
     
   The Old Man Assented,  And The Party Once More Prepared To Renew Its 
   Route. The Pawnee Threw The Skin Of The Buffaloe Over His Shoulder And 
   Led The Advance,  Casting Many A Stolen Glance Behind Him As He 
   Proceeded,  In Order To Fix His Gaze On The Extraordinary And,  To Him, 
   Unaccountable Loveliness Of The Unconscious Inez. 
     
   An Hour Sufficed To Bring The Fugitives To The Bank Of The Stream, 
   Which Was One Of The Hundred Rivers That Serve To Conduct,  Through The 
   Mighty Arteries Of The Missouri And Mississippi,  The Waters Of That 
   Vast And Still Uninhabited Region To The Ocean. The River Was Not 
   Deep,  But Its Current Was Troubled And Rapid. The Flames Had Scorched 
   The Earth To Its Very Margin,  And As The Warm Streams Of The Fluid 
   Mingled,  In The Cooler Air Of The Morning,  With The Smoke Of The 
   Raging Conflagration,  Most Of Its Surface Was Wrapped In A Mantle Of 
   Moving Vapour. The Trapper Pointed Out The Circumstance With Pleasure, 
   Saying,  As He Assisted Inez To Dismount On The Margin Of The 
   Watercourse-- 
     
   "The Knaves Have Outwitted Themselves! I Am Far From Certain That I 
   Should Not Have Fired The Prairie,  To Have Got The Benefit Of This 
   Very Smoke To Hide Our Movements,  Had Not The Heartless Imps Saved Us 
   The Trouble. I've Known Such Things Done In My Day,  And Done With 
   Success. Come,  Lady,  Put Your Tender Foot Upon The Ground--For A 
   Fearful Time Has It Been To One Of Your Breeding And Skeary Qualities. 
   Ah's Me! What Have I Not Known The Young,  And The Delicate,  And The 
   Virtuous,  And The Modest,  To Undergo,  In My Time,  Among The 
   Horrifications And Circumventions Of Indian Warfare! Come,  It Is A 
   Short Quarter Of A Mile To The Other Bank,  And Then Our Trail,  At 
   Least,  Will Be Broken." 
     
   Paul Had By This Time Assisted Ellen To Dismount,  And He Now Stood 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 68 
   Looking,  With Rueful Eyes,  At The Naked Banks Of The River. Neither 
   Tree Nor Shrub Grew Along Its Borders,  With The Exception Of Here And 
   There A Solitary Thicket Of Low Bushes,  From Among Which It Would Not 
   Have Been An Easy Matter To Have Found A Dozen Stems Of A Size 
   Sufficient To Make An Ordinary Walking-Stick. 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," The Moody-Looking Bee-Hunter Exclaimed; "It Is 
   Very Well To Talk Of The Other Side Of This Ripple Of A River,  Or 
   Brook,  Or Whatever You May Call It,  But In My Judgment It Would Be A 
   Smart Rifle That Would Throw Its Lead Across It--That Is,  To Any 
   Detriment To Indian,  Or Deer." 
     
   "That It Would--That It Would; Though I Carry A Piece,  Here,  That Has 
   Done Its Work In Time Of Need,  At As Great A Distance." 
     
   "And Do You Mean To Shoot Ellen And The Captain's Lady Across; Or Do 
   You Intend Them To Go,  Trout Fashion,  With Their Mouths Under Water?" 
     
   "Is This River Too Deep To Be Forded?" Asked Middleton,  Who,  Like 
   Paul,  Began To Consider The Impossibility Of Transporting Her,  Whose 
   Safety He Valued More Than His Own,  To The Opposite Shore. 
     
   "When The Mountains Above Feed It With Their Torrents,  It Is,  As You 
   See,  A Swift And Powerful Stream. Yet Have I Crossed Its Sandy Bed,  In 
   My Time,  Without Wetting A Knee. But We Have The Sioux Horses; I 
   Warrant Me,  That The Kicking Imps Will Swim Like So Many Deer." 
     
   "Old Trapper," Said Paul,  Thrusting His Fingers Into His Mop Of A 
   Head,  As Was Usual With Him,  When Any Difficulty Confounded His 
   Philosophy,  "I Have Swam Like A Fish In My Day,  And I Can Do It Again, 
   When There Is Need; Nor Do I Much Regard The Weather; But I Question 
   If You Get Nelly To Sit A Horse,  With This Water Whirling Like A Mill- 
   Race Before Her Eyes; Besides,  It Is Manifest The Thing Is Not To Be 
   Done Dry Shod." 
     
   "Ah,  The Lad Is Right. We Must To Our Inventions,  Therefore,  Or The 
   River Cannot Be Crossed." Then,  Cutting The Discourse Short,  He Turned 
   To The Pawnee,  And Explained To Him The Difficulty Which Existed In 
   Relation To The Women. The Young Warrior Listened Gravely,  And 
   Throwing The Buffaloe-Skin From His Shoulder He Immediately Commenced, 
   Assisted By The Occasional Aid Of The Understanding Old Man,  The 
   Preparations Necessary To Effect This Desirable Object. 
     
   The Hide Was Soon Drawn Into The Shape Of An Umbrella Top,  Or An 
   Inverted Parachute,  By Thongs Of Deer-Skin,  With Which Both The 
   Labourers Were Well Provided. A Few Light Sticks Served To Keep The 
   Parts From Collapsing,  Or Falling In. When This Simple And Natural 
   Expedient Was Arranged,  It Was Placed On The Water,  The Indian Making 
   A Sign That It Was Ready To Receive Its Freight. Both Inez And Ellen 
   Hesitated To Trust Themselves In A Bark Of So Frail A Construction, 
   Nor Would Middleton Or Paul Consent That They Should Do So,  Until Each 
   Had Assured Himself,  By Actual Experiment,  That The Vessel Was Capable 
   Of Sustaining A Load Much Heavier Than It Was Destined To Receive. 
   Then,  Indeed,  Their Scruples Were Reluctantly Overcome,  And The Skin 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 69 
   Was Made To Receive Its Precious Burden. 
     
   "Now Leave The Pawnee To Be The Pilot," Said The Trapper; "My Hand Is 
   Not So Steady As It Used To Be; But He Has Limbs Like Toughened 
   Hickory. Leave All To The Wisdom Of The Pawnee." 
     
   The Husband And Lover Could Not Well Do Otherwise,  And They Were Fain 
   To Become Deeply Interested,  It Is True,  But Passive Spectators Of 
   This Primitive Species Of Ferrying. The Pawnee Selected The Beast Of 
   Mahtoree,  From Among The Three Horses,  With A Readiness That Proved He 
   Was Far From Being Ignorant Of The Properties Of That Noble Animal, 
   And Throwing Himself Upon Its Back,  He Rode Into The Margin Of The 
   River. Thrusting An End Of His Lance Into The Hide,  He Bore The Light 
   Vessel Up Against The Stream,  And Giving His Steed The Rein,  They 
   Pushed Boldly Into The Current. Middleton And Paul Followed,  Pressing 
   As Nigh The Bark As Prudence Would At All Warrant. In This Manner The 
   Young Warrior Bore His Precious Cargo To The Opposite Bank In Perfect 
   Safety,  Without The Slightest Inconvenience To The Passengers,  And 
   With A Steadiness And Celerity Which Proved That Both Horse And Rider 
   Were Not Unused To The Operation. When The Shore Was Gained,  The Young 
   Indian Undid His Work,  Threw The Skin Over His Shoulder,  Placed The 
   Sticks Under His Arm,  And Returned,  Without Speaking,  To Transfer The 
   Remainder Of The Party,  In A Similar Manner,  To What Was Very Justly 
   Considered The Safer Side Of The River. 
     
   "Now,  Friend Doctor," Said The Old Man,  When He Saw The Indian 
   Plunging Into The River A Second Time,  "Do I Know There Is Faith In 
   Yonder Red-Skin. He Is A Good-Looking,  Ay,  And An Honest-Looking 
   Youth,  But The Winds Of Heaven Are Not More Deceitful Than These 
   Savages,  When The Devil Has Fairly Beset Them. Had The Pawnee Been A 
   Teton,  Or One Of Them Heartless Mingoes,  That Used To Be Prowling 
   Through The Woods Of York,  A Time Back,  That Is,  Some Sixty Years 
   Agone,  We Should Have Seen His Back And Not His Face Turned Towards 
   Us. My Heart Had Its Misgivings When I Saw The Lad Choose The Better 
   Horse,  For It Would Be As Easy To Leave Us With That Beast,  As It 
   Would For A Nimble Pigeon To Part Company From A Flock Of Noisy And 
   Heavy Winged Crows. But You See That Truth Is In The Boy,  And Make A 
   Red-Skin Once Your Friend,  He Is Yours So Long As You Deal Honestly By 
   Him." 
     
   "What May Be The Distance To The Sources Of This Stream?" Demanded 
   Doctor Battius,  Whose Eyes Were Rolling Over The Whirling Eddies Of 
   The Current,  With A Very Portentous Expression Of Doubt. "At What 
   Distance May Its Secret Springs Be Found?" 
     
   "That May Be As The Weather Proves. I Warrant Me Your Legs Would Be 
   A-Weary Before You Had Followed Its Bed Into The Rocky Mountains; But 
   Then There Are Seasons When It Might Be Done Without Wetting A Foot." 
     
   "And In What Particular Divisions Of The Year Do These Periodical 
   Seasons Occur?" 
     
   "He That Passes This Spot A Few Months From This Time,  Will Find That 
   Foaming Water-Course A Desert Of Drifting Sand." 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 70 
   The Naturalist Pondered Deeply. Like Most Others,  Who Are Not Endowed 
   With A Superfluity Of Physical Fortitude,  The Worthy Man Had Found The 
   Danger Of Passing The River,  In So Simple A Manner,  Magnifying Itself 
   In His Eyes So Rapidly,  As The Moment Of Adventure Approached,  That He 
   Actually Contemplated The Desperate Effort Of Going Round The River, 
   In Order To Escape The Hazard Of Crossing It. It May Not Be Necessary 
   To Dwell On The Incredible Ingenuity,  With Which Terror Will At Any 
   Time Prop A Tottering Argument. The Worthy Obed Had Gone Over The 
   Whole Subject,  With Commendable Diligence,  And Had Just Arrived At The 
   Consoling Conclusion,  That There Was Nearly As Much Glory In 
   Discerning The Hidden Sources Of So Considerable A Stream,  As In 
   Adding A Plant,  Or An Insect,  To The Lists Of The Learned,  When The 
   Pawnee Reached The Shore For The Second Time. The Old Man Took His 
   Seat,  With The Utmost Deliberation,  In The Vessel Of Skin (So Soon As 
   It Had Been Duly Arranged For His Reception),  And Having Carefully 
   Disposed Of Hector Between His Legs,  He Beckoned To His Companion To 
   Occupy The Third Place. 
     
   The Naturalist Placed A Foot In The Frail Vessel,  As An Elephant Will 
   Try A Bridge,  Or A Horse Is Often Seen To Make A Similar Experiment, 
   Before He Will Trust The Whole Of His Corporeal Treasure On The 
   Dreaded Flat,  And Then Withdrew,  Just As The Old Man Believed He Was 
   About To Seat Himself. 
     
   "Venerable Venator," He Said,  Mournfully,  "This Is A Most Unscientific 
   Bark. There Is An Inward Monitor Which Bids Me Distrust Its Security!" 
     
   "Anan?" Said The Old Man,  Who Was Pinching The Ears Of The Hound,  As A 
   Father Would Play With The Same Member In A Favourite Child. 
     
   "I Incline Not To This Irregular Mode Of Experimenting On Fluids. The 
   Vessel Has Neither Form,  Nor Proportions." 
     
   "It Is Not As Handsomely Turned As I Have Seen A Canoe In Birchen 
   Bark,  But Comfort May Be Taken In A Wigwam As Well As In A Palace." 
     
   "It Is Impossible That Any Vessel Constructed On Principles So 
   Repugnant To Science Can Be Safe. This Tub,  Venerable Hunter,  Will 
   Never Reach The Opposite Shore In Safety." 
     
   "You Are A Witness Of What It Has Done." 
     
   "Ay; But It Was An Anomaly In Prosperity. If Exceptions Were To Be 
   Taken As Rules,  In The Government Of Things,  The Human Race Would 
   Speedily Be Plunged In The Abysses Of Ignorance. Venerable Trapper, 
   This Expedient,  In Which You Would Repose Your Safety,  Is,  In The 
   Annals Of Regular Inventions,  What A Lusus Naturae May Be Termed In 
   The Lists Of Natural History--A Monster!" 
     
   How Much Longer Doctor Battius Might Have Felt Disposed To Prolong The 
   Discourse,  It Is Difficult To Say,  For In Addition To The Powerful 
   Personal Considerations,  Which Induced Him To Procrastinate An 
   Experiment Which Was Certainly Not Without Its Dangers,  The Pride Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 71 
   Reason Was Beginning To Sustain Him In The Discussion. But, 
   Fortunately For The Credit Of The Old Man's Forbearance,  When The 
   Naturalist Reached The Word,  With Which He Terminated His Last Speech, 
   A Sound Arose In The Air That Seemed A Sort Of Supernatural Echo To 
   The Idea Itself. The Young Pawnee,  Who Had Awaited The Termination Of 
   The Incomprehensible Discussion,  With Grave And Characteristic 
   Patience,  Raised His Head,  And Listened To The Unknown Cry,  Like A 
   Stag,  Whose Mysterious Faculties Had Detected The Footsteps Of The 
   Distant Hounds In The Gale. The Trapper And The Doctor Were Not, 
   However,  Entirely So Uninstructed As To The Nature Of The 
   Extraordinary Sounds. The Latter Recognised In Them The Well-Known 
   Voice Of His Own Beast,  And He Was About To Rush Up The Little Bank, 
   Which Confined The Current,  With All The Longings Of Strong Affection, 
   When Asinus Himself Galloped Into View,  At No Great Distance,  Urged To 
   The Unnatural Gait By The Impatient And Brutal Weucha,  Who Bestrode 
   Him. 
     
   The Eyes Of The Teton,  And Those Of The Fugitives Met. The Former 
   Raised A Long,  Loud,  And Piercing Yell,  In Which The Notes Of 
   Exultation Were Fearfully Blended With Those Of Warning. The Signal 
   Served For A Finishing Blow To The Discussion On The Merits Of The 
   Bark,  The Doctor Stepping As Promptly To The Side Of The Old Man,  As 
   If A Mental Mist Had Been Miraculously Removed From His Eyes. In 
   Another Instant The Steed Of The Young Pawnee Was Struggling With The 
   Torrent. 
     
   The Utmost Strength Of The Horse Was Needed To Urge The Fugitives, 
   Beyond The Flight Of Arrows That Came Sailing Through The Air,  At The 
   Next Moment. The Cry Of Weucha Had Brought Fifty Of His Comrades To 
   The Shore,  But Fortunately Among Them All,  There Was Not One Of A Rank 
   Sufficient To Entitle Him To The Privilege Of Bearing A Fusee. One 
   Half The Stream,  However,  Was Not Passed,  Before The Form Of Mahtoree 
   Himself Was Seen On Its Bank,  And An Ineffectual Discharge Of Firearms 
   Announced The Rage And Disappointment Of The Chief. More Than Once The 
   Trapper Had Raised His Rifle,  As If About To Try Its Power On His 
   Enemies,  But He As Often Lowered It,  Without Firing. The Eyes Of The 
   Pawnee Warrior Glared Like Those Of The Cougar,  At The Sight Of So 
   Many Of The Hostile Tribe,  And He Answered The Impotent Effort Of 
   Their Chief,  By Tossing A Hand Into The Air In Contempt,  And Raising 
   The War-Cry Of His Nation. The Challenge Was Too Taunting To Be 
   Endured. The Tetons Dashed Into The Stream In A Body,  And The River 
   Became Dotted With The Dark Forms Of Beasts And Riders. 
     
   There Was Now A Fearful Struggle For The Friendly Bank. As The 
   Dahcotahs Advanced With Beasts,  Which Had Not,  Like That Of The 
   Pawnee,  Expended Their Strength In Former Efforts,  And As They Moved 
   Unincumbered By Any Thing But Their Riders,  The Speed Of The Pursuers 
   Greatly Outstripped That Of The Fugitives. The Trapper,  Who Clearly 
   Comprehended The Whole Danger Of Their Situation,  Calmly Turned His 
   Eyes From The Tetons To His Young Indian Associate,  In Order To 
   Examine Whether The Resolution Of The Latter Began To Falter,  As The 
   Former Lessened The Distance Between Them. Instead Of Betraying Fear, 
   However,  Or Any Of That Concern Which Might So Readily Have Been 
   Excited By The Peculiarity Of His Risk,  The Brow Of The Young Warrior 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 72 
   Contracted To A Look Which Indicated High And Deadly Hostility. 
     
   "Do You Greatly Value Life,  Friend Doctor?" Demanded The Old Man,  With 
   A Sort Of Philosophical Calmness,  Which Made The Question Doubly 
   Appalling To His Companion. 
     
   "Not For Itself," Returned The Naturalist,  Sipping Some Of The Water 
   Of The River From The Hollow Of His Hand,  In Order To Clear His Husky 
   Throat. "Not For Itself,  But Exceedingly,  Inasmuch As Natural History 
   Has So Deep A Stake In My Existence. Therefore--" 
     
   "Ay!" Resumed The Other,  Who Mused Too Deeply To Dissect The Ideas Of 
   The Doctor With His Usual Sagacity,  "'Tis In Truth The History Of 
   Natur',  And A Base And Craven Feeling It Is! Now Is Life As Precious 
   To This Young Pawnee,  As To Any Governor In The States,  And He Might 
   Save It,  Or At Least Stand Some Chance Of Saving It,  By Letting Us Go 
   Down The Stream; And Yet You See He Keeps His Faith Manfully,  And Like 
   An Indian Warrior. For Myself,  I Am Old,  And Willing To Take The 
   Fortune That The Lord May See Fit To Give,  Nor Do I Conceit That You 
   Are Of Much Benefit To Mankind; And It Is A Crying Shame,  If Not A 
   Sin,  That So Fine A Youth As This Should Lose His Scalp For Two Beings 
   So Worthless As Ourselves. I Am Therefore Disposed,  Provided That It 
   Shall Prove Agreeable To You,  To Tell The Lad To Make The Best Of His 
   Way,  And To Leave Us To The Mercy Of The Tetons." 
     
   "I Repel The Proposition,  As Repugnant To Nature,  And As Treason To 
   Science!" Exclaimed The Alarmed Naturalist. "Our Progress Is 
   Miraculous; And As This Admirable Invention Moves With So Wonderful A 
   Facility,  A Few More Minutes Will Serve To Bring Us To Land." 
     
   The Old Man Regarded Him Intently For An Instant,  And Shaking His Head 
   He Said-- 
     
   "Lord,  What A Thing Is Fear! It Transforms The Creatur's Of The World 
   And The Craft Of Man,  Making That Which Is Ugly,  Seemly In Our Eyes, 
   And That Which Is Beautiful,  Unsightly! Lord,  Lord,  What A Thing Is 
   Fear!" 
     
   A Termination Was,  However,  Put To The Discussion,  By The Increasing 
   Interest Of The Chase. The Horses Of The Dahcotahs Had,  By This Time, 
   Gained The Middle Of The Current,  And Their Riders Were Already 
   Filling The Air With Yells Of Triumph. At This Moment Middleton And 
   Paul Who Had Led The Females To A Little Thicket,  Appeared Again On 
   The Margin Of The Stream,  Menacing Their Enemies With The Rifle. 
     
   "Mount,  Mount," Shouted The Trapper,  The Instant He Beheld Them; 
   "Mount And Fly,  If You Value Those Who Lean On You For Help. Mount, 
   And Leave Us In The Hands Of The Lord." 
     
   "Stoop Your Head,  Old Trapper," Returned The Voice Of Paul,  "Down With 
   Ye Both Into Your Nest. The Teton Devil Is In Your Line; Down With 
   Your Heads And Make Way For A Kentucky Bullet." 
     
   The Old Man Turned His Head,  And Saw That The Eager Mahtoree,  Who 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 73 
   Preceded His Party Some Distance,  Had Brought Himself Nearly In A Line 
   With The Bark And The Bee-Hunter,  Who Stood Perfectly Ready To Execute 
   His Hostile Threat. Bending His Body Low,  The Rifle Was Discharged, 
   And The Swift Lead Whizzed Harmlessly Past Him,  On Its More Distant 
   Errand. But The Eye Of The Teton Chief Was Not Less Quick And Certain 
   Than That Of His Enemy. He Threw Himself From His Horse The Moment 
   Preceding The Report,  And Sunk Into The Water. The Beast Snorted With 
   Terror And Anguish,  Throwing Half His Form Out Of The River In A 
   Desperate Plunge. Then He Was Seen Drifting Away In The Torrent,  And 
   Dyeing The Turbid Waters With His Blood. 
     
   The Teton Chief Soon Re-Appeared On The Surface,  And Understanding The 
   Nature Of His Loss,  He Swam With Vigorous Strokes To The Nearest Of 
   The Young Men,  Who Relinquished His Steed,  As A Matter Of Course,  To 
   So Renowned A Warrior. The Incident,  However,  Created A Confusion In 
   The Whole Of The Dahcotah Band,  Who Appeared To Await The Intention Of 
   Their Leader,  Before They Renewed Their Efforts To Reach The Shore. In 
   The Mean Time The Vessel Of Skin Had Reached The Land,  And The 
   Fugitives Were Once More United On The Margin Of The River. 
     
   The Savages Were Now Swimming About In Indecision,  As A Flock Of 
   Pigeons Is Often Seen To Hover In Confusion After Receiving A Heavy 
   Discharge Into Its Leading Column,  Apparently Hesitating On The Risk 
   Of Storming A Bank So Formidably Defended. The Well-Known Precaution 
   Of Indian Warfare Prevailed,  And Mahtoree,  Admonished By His Recent 
   Adventure,  Led His Warriors Back To The Shore From Which They Had 
   Come,  In Order To Relieve Their Beasts,  Which Were Already Becoming 
   Unruly. 
     
   "Now Mount You,  With The Tender Ones,  And Ride For Yonder Hillock," 
   Said The Trapper; "Beyond It,  You Will Find Another Stream,  Into Which 
   You Must Enter,  And Turning To The Sun,  Follow Its Bed For A Mile, 
   Until You Reach A High And Sandy Plain; There Will I Meet You. Go; 
   Mount; This Pawnee Youth And I,  And My Stout Friend The Physician,  Who 
   Is A Desperate Warrior,  Are Men Enough To Keep The Bank,  Seeing That 
   Show And Not Use Is All That Is Needed." 
     
   Middleton And Paul Saw No Use In Wasting Their Breath In Remonstrances 
   Against This Proposal. Glad To Know That Their Rear Was To Be Covered, 
   Even In This Imperfect Manner,  They Hastily Got Their Horses In 
   Motion,  And Soon Disappeared On The Required Route. Some Twenty Or 
   Thirty Minutes Succeeded This Movement Before The Tetons On The 
   Opposite Shore Seemed Inclined To Enter On Any New Enterprise. 
   Mahtoree Was Distinctly Visible,  In The Midst Of His Warriors,  Issuing 
   His Mandates And Betraying His Desire For Vengeance,  By Occasionally 
   Shaking An Arm In The Direction Of The Fugitives; But No Step Was 
   Taken,  Which Appeared To Threaten Any Further Act Of Immediate 
   Hostility. At Length A Yell Arose Among The Savages,  Which Announced 
   The Occurrence Of Some Fresh Event. Then Ishmael And His Sluggish Sons 
   Were Seen In The Distance,  And Soon The Whole Of The United Force 
   Moved Down To The Very Limits Of The Stream. The Squatter Proceeded To 
   Examine The Position Of His Enemies,  With His Usual Coolness,  And,  As 
   If To Try The Power Of His Rifle,  He Sent A Bullet Among Them,  With A 
   Force Sufficient To Do Execution,  Even At The Distance At Which He 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 74 
   Stood. 
     
   "Now Let Us Depart!" Exclaimed Obed,  Endeavouring To Catch A Furtive 
   Glimpse Of The Lead,  Which He Fancied Was Whizzing At His Very Ear; 
   "We Have Maintained The Bank In A Gallant Manner,  For A Sufficient 
   Length Of Time; Quite As Much Military Skill Is To Be Displayed In A 
   Retreat,  As In An Advance." 
     
   The Old Man Cast A Look Behind Him,  And Seeing That The Equestrians 
   Had Reached The Cover Of The Hill,  He Made No Objections To The 
   Proposal. The Remaining Horse Was Given To The Doctor,  With 
   Instructions To Pursue The Course Just Taken By Middleton And Paul. 
   When The Naturalist Was Mounted And In Full Retreat,  The Trapper And 
   The Young Pawnee Stole From The Spot In Such A Manner As To Leave 
   Their Enemies Some Time In Doubt As To Their Movements. Instead, 
   However,  Of Proceeding Across The Plain Towards The Hill,  A Route On 
   Which They Must Have Been In Open View,  They Took A Shorter Path, 
   Covered By The Formation Of The Ground,  And Intersected The Little 
   Water-Course At The Point Where Middleton Had Been Directed To Leave 
   It,  And Just In Season To Join His Party. The Doctor Had Used So Much 
   Diligence In The Retreat,  As To Have Already Overtaken His Friends, 
   And Of Course All The Fugitives Were Again Assembled. 
     
   The Trapper Now Looked About Him For Some Convenient Spot,  Where The 
   Whole Party Might Halt,  As He Expressed It,  For Some Five Or Six 
   Hours. 
     
   "Halt!" Exclaimed The Doctor,  When The Alarming Proposal Reached His 
   Ears; "Venerable Hunter,  It Would Seem,  That On The Contrary,  Many 
   Days Should Be Passed In Industrious Flight." 
     
   Middleton And Paul Were Both Of This Opinion,  And Each In His 
   Particular Manner Expressed As Much. 
     
   The Old Man Heard Them With Patience,  But Shook His Head Like One Who 
   Was Unconvinced,  And Then Answered All Their Arguments,  In One General 
   And Positive Reply. 
     
   "Why Should We Fly?" He Asked. "Can The Legs Of Mortal Men Outstrip 
   The Speed Of Horses? Do You Think The Tetons Will Lie Down And Sleep; 
   Or Will They Cross The Water And Nose For Our Trail? Thanks Be To The 
   Lord,  We Have Washed It Well In This Stream,  And If We Leave The Place 
   With Discretion And Wisdom,  We May Yet Throw Them Off Its Track. But A 
   Prairie Is Not A Wood. There A Man May Journey Long,  Caring For 
   Nothing But The Prints His Moccasin Leaves,  Whereas In These Open 
   Plains A Runner,  Placed On Yonder Hill,  For Instance,  Could See Far On 
   Every Side Of Him,  Like A Hovering Hawk Looking Down On His Prey. No, 
   No; Night Must Come,  And Darkness Be Upon Us,  Afore We Leave This 
   Spot. But Listen To The Words Of The Pawnee; He Is A Lad Of Spirit, 
   And I Warrant Me Many Is The Hard Race That He Has Run With The Sioux 
   Bands. Does My Brother Think Our Trail Is Long Enough?" He Demanded In 
   The Indian Tongue. 
     
   "Is A Teton A Fish,  That He Can See It In The River?" 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 75 
     
   "But My Young Men Think We Should Stretch It,  Until It Reaches Across 
   The Prairie." 
     
   "Mahtoree Has Eyes; He Will See It." 
     
   "What Does My Brother Counsel?" 
     
   The Young Warrior Studied The Heavens A Moment,  And Appeared To 
   Hesitate. He Mused Some Time With Himself,  And Then He Replied,  Like 
   One Whose Opinion Was Fixed-- 
     
   "The Dahcotahs Are Not Asleep," He Said; "We Must Lie In The Grass." 
     
   "Ah! The Lad Is Of My Mind," Said The Old Man,  Briefly Explaining The 
   Opinion Of His Companion To His White Friends. Middleton Was Obliged 
   To Acquiesce,  And,  As It Was Confessedly Dangerous To Remain Upon 
   Their Feet,  Each One Set About Assisting In The Means To Be Adopted 
   For Their Security. Inez And Ellen Were Quickly Bestowed Beneath The 
   Warm And Not Uncomfortable Shelter Of The Buffaloe Skins,  Which Formed 
   A Thick Covering,  And Tall Grass Was Drawn Over The Place,  In Such A 
   Manner As To Evade Any Examination From A Common Eye. Paul And The 
   Pawnee Fettered The Beasts And Cast Them To The Earth,  Where,  After 
   Supplying Them With Food,  They Were Also Left Concealed In The Fog Of 
   The Prairie. No Time Was Lost When These Several Arrangements Were 
   Completed,  Before Each Of The Others Sought A Place Of Rest And 
   Concealment,  And Then The Plain Appeared Again Deserted To Its 
   Solitude. 
     
   The Old Man Had Advised His Companions Of The Absolute Necessity Of 
   Their Continuing For Hours In This Concealment. All Their Hopes Of 
   Escape Depended On The Success Of The Artifice. If They Might Elude 
   The Cunning Of Their Pursuers,  By This Simple And Therefore Less 
   Suspected Expedient,  They Could Renew Their Flight As The Evening 
   Approached,  And,  By Changing Their Course,  The Chance Of Final Success 
   Would Be Greatly Increased. Influenced By These Momentous 
   Considerations The Whole Party Lay,  Musing On Their Situation,  Until 
   Thoughts Grew Weary,  And Sleep Finally Settled On Them All,  One After 
   Another. 
     
   The Deepest Silence Had Prevailed For Hours,  When The Quick Ears Of 
   The Trapper And The Pawnee Were Startled By A Faint Cry Of Surprise 
   From Inez. Springing To Their Feet,  Like Men,  Who Were About To 
   Struggle For Their Lives,  They Found The Vast Plain,  The Rolling 
   Swells,  The Little Hillock,  And The Scattered Thickets,  Covered Alike 
   In One,  White,  Dazzling Sheet Of Snow. 
     
   "The Lord Have Mercy On Ye All!" Exclaimed The Old Man,  Regarding The 
   Prospect With A Rueful Eye; "Now,  Pawnee,  Do I Know The Reason Why You 
   Studied The Clouds So Closely; But It Is Too Late; It Is Too Late! A 
   Squirrel Would Leave His Trail On This Light Coating Of The 'Arth. Ha! 
   There Come The Imps To A Certainty. Down With Ye All,  Down With Ye; 
   Your Chance Is But Small,  And Yet It Must Not Be Wilfully Cast Away." 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 76 
   The Whole Party Was Instantly Concealed Again,  Though Many An Anxious 
   And Stolen Glance Was Directed Through The Tops Of The Grass,  On The 
   Movements Of Their Enemies. At The Distance Of Half A Mile,  The Teton 
   Band Was Seen Riding In A Circuit,  Which Was Gradually Contracting 
   Itself,  And Evidently Closing Upon The Very Spot Where The Fugitives 
   Lay. There Was But Little Difficulty In Solving The Mystery Of This 
   Movement. The Snow Had Fallen In Time To Assure Them That Those They 
   Sought Were In Their Rear,  And They Were Now Employed,  With The 
   Unwearied Perseverance And Patience Of Indian Warriors,  In Circling 
   The Certain Boundaries Of Their Place Of Concealment. 
     
   Each Minute Added To The Jeopardy Of The Fugitives. Paul And Middleton 
   Deliberately Prepared Their Rifles,  And As The Occupied Mahtoree Came, 
   At Length,  Within Fifty Feet Of Them,  Keeping His Eyes Riveted On The 
   Grass Through Which He Rode,  They Levelled Them Together And Pulled 
   The Triggers. The Effort Was Answered By The Mere Snapping Of The 
   Locks. 
     
   "Enough," Said The Old Man,  Rising With Dignity; "I Have Cast Away The 
   Priming; For Certain Death Would Follow Your Rashness. Now Let Us Meet 
   Our Fates Like Men. Cringing And Complaining Find No Favour In Indian 
   Eyes." 
     
   His Appearance Was Greeted By A Yell,  That Spread Far And Wide Over 
   The Plain,  And In A Moment A Hundred Savages Were Seen Riding Madly To 
   The Spot. Mahtoree Received His Prisoners With Great Self-Restraint, 
   Though A Single Gleam Of Fierce Joy Broke Through His Clouded Brow, 
   And The Heart Of Middleton Grew Cold As He Caught The Expression Of 
   That Eye,  Which The Chief Turned On The Nearly Insensible But Still 
   Lovely Inez. 
     
   The Exultation Of Receiving The White Captives Was So Great,  As For A 
   Time To Throw The Dark And Immovable Form Of Their Young Indian 
   Companion Entirely Out Of View. He Stood Apart,  Disdaining To Turn An 
   Eye On His Enemies,  As Motionless As If He Were Frozen In That 
   Attitude Of Dignity And Composure. But When A Little Time Had Passed, 
   Even This Secondary Object Attracted The Attention Of The Tetons. Then 
   It Was That The Trapper First Learned,  By The Shout Of Triumph And The 
   Long Drawn Yell Of Delight,  Which Burst At Once From A Hundred 
   Throats,  As Well As By The Terrible Name,  Which Filled The Air,  That 
   His Youthful Friend Was No Other Than That Redoubtable And Hitherto 
   Invincible Warrior,  Hard-Heart. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 77 
               What,  Are Ancient Pistol And You Friends,  Yet? 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Curtain Of Our Imperfect Drama Must Fall,  To Rise Upon Another 
   Scene. The Time Is Advanced Several Days,  During Which Very Material 
   Changes Had Occurred In The Situation Of The Actors. The Hour Is Noon, 
   And The Place An Elevated Plain,  That Rose,  At No Great Distance From 
   The Water,  Somewhat Abruptly From A Fertile Bottom,  Which Stretched 
   Along The Margin Of One Of The Numberless Water-Courses Of That 
   Region. The River Took Its Rise Near The Base Of The Rocky Mountains, 
   And,  After Washing A Vast Extent Of Plain,  It Mingled Its Waters With 
   A Still Larger Stream,  To Become Finally Lost In The Turbid Current Of 
   The Missouri. 
     
   The Landscape Was Changed Materially For The Better; Though The Hand, 
   Which Had Impressed So Much Of The Desert On The Surrounding Region, 
   Had Laid A Portion Of Its Power On This Spot. The Appearance Of 
   Vegetation Was,  However,  Less Discouraging Than In The More Sterile 
   Wastes Of The Rolling Prairies. Clusters Of Trees Were Scattered In 
   Greater Profusion,  And A Long Outline Of Ragged Forest Marked The 
   Northern Boundary Of The View. Here And There,  On The Bottom,  Were To 
   Be Seen The Evidences Of A Hasty And Imperfect Culture Of Such 
   Indigenous Vegetables As Were Of A Quick Growth,  And Which Were Known 
   To Flourish,  Without The Aid Of Art,  In Deep And Alluvial Soils. On 
   The Very Edge Of What Might Be Called The Table-Land,  Were Pitched The 
   Hundred Lodges Of A Horde Of Wandering Siouxes. Their Light Tenements 
   Were Arranged Without The Least Attention To Order. Proximity To The 
   Water Seemed To Be The Only Consideration Which Had Been Consulted In 
   Their Disposition,  Nor Had Even This Important Convenience Been Always 
   Regarded. While Most Of The Lodges Stood Along The Brow Of The Plain, 
   Many Were To Be Seen At Greater Distances,  Occupying Such Places As 
   Had First Pleased The Capricious Eyes Of Their Untutored Owners. The 
   Encampment Was Not Military,  Nor In The Slightest Degree Protected 
   From Surprise By Its Position Or Defences. It Was Open On Every Side, 
   And On Every Side As Accessible As Any Other Point In Those Wastes,  If 
   The Imperfect And Natural Obstruction Offered By The River Be 
   Excepted. In Short,  The Place Bore The Appearance Of Having Been 
   Tenanted Longer Than Its Occupants Had Originally Intended,  While It 
   Was Not Wanting In The Signs Of Readiness For A Hasty,  Or Even A 
   Compelled Departure. 
     
   This Was The Temporary Encampment Of That Portion Of His People,  Who 
   Had Long Been Hunting Under The Direction Of Mahtoree,  On Those 
   Grounds Which Separated The Stationary Abodes Of His Nation,  From 
   Those Of The Warlike Tribes Of The Pawnees. The Lodges Were Tents Of 
   Skin,  High,  Conical,  And Of The Most Simple And Primitive 
   Construction. The Shield,  The Quiver,  The Lance And The Bow Of Its 
   Master,  Were To Be Seen Suspended From A Light Post Before The 
   Opening,  Or Door,  Of Each Habitation. The Different Domestic 
   Implements Of His One,  Two,  Or Three Wives,  As The Brave Was Of 
   Greater Or Lesser Renown,  Were Carelessly Thrown At Its Side,  And Here 
   And There The Round,  Full,  Patient Countenance Of An Infant Might Be 
   Found Peeping From Its Comfortless Wrappers Of Bark,  As,  Suspended By 
   A Deer-Skin Thong From The Same Post,  It Rocked In The Passing Air. 
   Children Of A Larger Growth Were Tumbling Over Each Other In Piles, 
   The Males,  Even At That Early Age,  Making Themselves Distinguished For 
   That Species Of Domination Which,  In After Life,  Was To Mark The Vast 
   Distinction Between The Sexes. Youths Were In The Bottom,  Essaying 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 78 
   Their Juvenile Powers In Curbing The Wild Steeds Of Their Fathers, 
   While Here And There A Truant Girl Was To Be Seen,  Stealing From Her 
   Labours To Admire Their Fierce And Impatient Daring. 
     
   Thus Far The Picture Was The Daily Exhibition Of An Encampment 
   Confident In Its Security. But Immediately In Front Of The Lodges Was 
   A Gathering,  That Seemed To Forbode Some Movements Of More Than Usual 
   Interest. A Few Of The Withered And Remorseless Crones Of The Band 
   Were Clustering Together,  In Readiness To Lend Their Fell Voices,  If 
   Needed,  To Aid In Exciting Their Descendants To An Exhibition,  Which 
   Their Depraved Tastes Coveted,  As The Luxurious Roman Dame Witnessed 
   The Struggles And The Agony Of The Gladiator. The Men Were Subdivided 
   Into Groups,  Assorted According To The Deeds And Reputations Of The 
   Several Individuals Of Whom They Were Composed. 
     
   They,  Who Were Of That Equivocal Age Which Admitted Them To The Hunts, 
   While Their Discretion Was Still Too Doubtful To Permit Them To Be 
   Trusted On The War-Path,  Hung Around The Skirts Of The Whole, 
   Catching,  From The Fierce Models Before Them,  That Gravity Of 
   Demeanour And Restraint Of Manner,  Which In Time Was To Become So 
   Deeply Ingrafted In Their Own Characters. A Few Of The Still Older 
   Class,  And Who Had Heard The Whoop In Anger,  Were A Little More 
   Presuming,  Pressing Nigher To The Chiefs,  Though Far From Presuming To 
   Mingle In Their Councils,  Sufficiently Distinguished By Being 
   Permitted To Catch The Wisdom Which Fell From Lips So Venerated. The 
   Ordinary Warriors Of The Band Were Still Less Diffident,  Not 
   Hesitating To Mingle Among The Chiefs Of Lesser Note,  Though Far From 
   Assuming The Right To Dispute The Sentiments Of Any Established Brave, 
   Or To Call In Question The Prudence Of Measures,  That Were Recommended 
   By The More Gifted Counsellors Of The Nation. 
     
   Among The Chiefs Themselves There Was A Singular Compound Of Exterior. 
   They Were Divided Into Two Classes; Those Who Were Mainly Indebted For 
   Their Influence To Physical Causes,  And To Deeds In Arms,  And Those 
   Who Had Become Distinguished Rather For Their Wisdom Than For Their 
   Services In The Field. The Former Was By Far The Most Numerous And The 
   Most Important Class. They Were Men Of Stature And Mien,  Whose Stern 
   Countenances Were Often Rendered Doubly Imposing By Those Evidences Of 
   Their Valour,  Which Had Been Roughly Traced On Their Lineaments By The 
   Hands Of Their Enemies. That Class,  Which Had Gained Its Influence By 
   A Moral Ascendency Was Extremely Limited. They Were Uniformly To Be 
   Distinguished By The Quick And Lively Expression Of Their Eyes,  By The 
   Air Of Distrust That Marked Their Movements,  And Occasionally By The 
   Vehemence Of Their Utterance In Those Sudden Outbreakings Of The Mind, 
   By Which Their Present Consultations Were,  From Time To Time, 
   Distinguished. 
     
   In The Very Centre Of A Ring,  Formed By These Chosen Counsellors,  Was 
   To Be Seen The Person Of The Disquieted,  But Seemingly Calm,  Mahtoree. 
   There Was A Conjunction Of All The Several Qualities Of The Others In 
   His Person And Character. Mind As Well As Matter Had Contributed To 
   Establish His Authority. His Scars Were As Numerous And Deep As Those 
   Of The Whitest Head In His Nation; His Limbs Were In Their Greatest 
   Vigour; His Courage At Its Fullest Height. Endowed With This Rare 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 79 
   Combination Of Moral And Physical Influence,  The Keenest Eye In All 
   That Assembly Was Wont To Lower Before His Threatening Glance. Courage 
   And Cunning Had Established His Ascendency,  And It Had Been Rendered, 
   In Some Degree,  Sacred By Time. He Knew So Well How To Unite The 
   Powers Of Reason And Force,  That In A State Of Society,  Which Admitted 
   Of A Greater Display Of His Energies,  The Teton Would In All 
   Probability Have Been Both A Conqueror And A Despot. 
     
   A Little Apart From The Gathering Of The Band,  Was To Be Seen A Set Of 
   Beings Of An Entirely Different Origin. Taller And Far More Muscular 
   In Their Persons,  The Lingering Vestiges Of Their Saxon And Norman 
   Ancestry Were Yet To Be Found Beneath The Swarthy Complexions,  Which 
   Had Been Bestowed By An American Sun. It Would Have Been A Curious 
   Investigation,  For One Skilled In Such An Enquiry,  To Have Traced 
   Those Points Of Difference,  By Which The Offspring Of The Most Western 
   European Was Still To Be Distinguished From The Descendant Of The Most 
   Remote Asiatic,  Now That The Two,  In The Revolutions Of The World, 
   Were Approximating In Their Habits,  Their Residence,  And Not A Little 
   In Their Characters. The Group,  Of Whom We Write,  Was Composed Of The 
   Family Of The Squatter. They Stood Indolent,  Lounging,  And Inert,  As 
   Usual When No Immediate Demand Was Made On Their Dormant Energies, 
   Clustered In Front Of Some Four Or Five Habitations Of Skin,  For Which 
   They Were Indebted To The Hospitality Of Their Teton Allies. The Terms 
   Of Their Unexpected Confederation Were Sufficiently Explained,  By The 
   Presence Of The Horses And Domestic Cattle That Were Quietly Grazing 
   On The Bottom Beneath,  Under The Jealous Eyes Of The Spirited Hetty. 
   Their Wagons Were Drawn About The Lodges,  In A Sort Of Irregular 
   Barrier,  Which At Once Manifested That Their Confidence Was Not 
   Entirely Restored,  While,  On The Other Hand,  Their Policy Or Indolence 
   Prevented Any Very Positive Exhibition Of Distrust. There Was A 
   Singular Union Of Passive Enjoyment And Of Dull Curiosity Slumbering 
   In Every Dull Countenance,  As Each Of The Party Stood Leaning On His 
   Rifle,  Regarding The Movements Of The Sioux Conference. Still No Sign 
   Of Expectation Or Interest Escaped From The Youngest Among Them,  The 
   Whole Appearing To Emulate The Most Phlegmatic Of Their Savage Allies, 
   In An Exhibition Of Patience. They Rarely Spoke; And When They Did It 
   Was In Some Short And Contemptuous Remark,  Which Served To Put The 
   Physical Superiority Of A White Man,  And That Of An Indian,  In A 
   Sufficiently Striking Point Of View. In Short,  The Family Of Ishmael 
   Appeared Now To Be In The Plenitude Of An Enjoyment,  Which Depended On 
   Inactivity,  But Which Was Not Entirely Free From Certain Confused 
   Glimmerings Of A Perspective,  In Which Their Security Stood In Some 
   Little Danger Of A Rude Interruption From Teton Treachery. Abiram, 
   Alone,  Formed A Solitary Exception To This State Of Equivocal Repose. 
     
   After A Life Passed In The Commission Of A Thousand Mean And 
   Insignificant Villanies,  The Mind Of The Kidnapper Had Become Hardy 
   Enough To Attempt The Desperate Adventure,  Which Has Been Laid Before 
   The Reader,  In The Course Of The Narrative. His Influence Over The 
   Bolder,  But Less Active,  Spirit Of Ishmael Was Far From Great,  And Had 
   Not The Latter Been Suddenly Expelled From A Fertile Bottom,  Of Which 
   He Had Taken Possession,  With Intent To Keep It,  Without Much 
   Deference To The Forms Of Law,  He Would Never Have Succeeded In 
   Enlisting The Husband Of His Sister In An Enterprise That Required So 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 80 
   Much Decision And Forethought. Their Original Success And Subsequent 
   Disappointment Have Been Seen; And Abiram Now Sat Apart,  Plotting The 
   Means,  By Which He Might Secure To Himself The Advantages Of His 
   Undertaking,  Which He Perceived Were Each Moment Becoming More 
   Uncertain,  Through The Open Admiration Of Mahtoree For The Innocent 
   Subject Of His Villany. We Shall Leave Him To His Vacillating And 
   Confused Expedients,  In Order To Pass To The Description Of Certain 
   Other Personages In The Drama. 
     
   There Was Still Another Corner Of The Picture That Was Occupied. On A 
   Little Bank,  At The Extreme Right Of The Encampment,  Lay The Forms Of 
   Middleton And Paul. Their Limbs Were Painfully Bound With Thongs,  Cut 
   From The Skin Of A Bison,  While,  By A Sort Of Refinement In Cruelty, 
   They Were So Placed,  That Each Could See A Reflection Of His Own 
   Misery In The Case Of His Neighbour. Within A Dozen Yards Of Them A 
   Post Was Set Firmly In The Ground,  And Against It Was Bound The Light 
   And Apollo-Like Person Of Hard-Heart. Between The Two Stood The 
   Trapper,  Deprived Of His Rifle,  His Pouch And His Horn,  But Otherwise 
   Left In A Sort Of Contemptuous Liberty. Some Five Or Six Young 
   Warriors,  However,  With Quivers At Their Backs,  And Long Tough Bows 
   Dangling From Their Shoulders,  Who Stood With Grave Watchfulness At No 
   Great Distance From The Spot,  Sufficiently Proclaimed How Fruitless 
   Any Attempt To Escape,  On The Part Of One So Aged And So Feeble,  Might 
   Prove. Unlike The Other Spectators Of The Important Conference,  These 
   Individuals Were Engaged In A Discourse That For Them Contained An 
   Interest Of Its Own. 
     
   "Captain," Said The Bee-Hunter With An Expression Of Comical Concern, 
   That No Misfortune Could Depress In One Of His Buoyant Feelings,  "Do 
   You Really Find That Accursed Strap Of Untanned Leather Cutting Into 
   Your Shoulder,  Or Is It Only The Tickling In My Own Arm That I Feel?" 
     
   "When The Spirit Suffers So Deeply,  The Body Is Insensible To Pain," 
   Returned The More Refined,  Though Scarcely So Spirited Middleton; 
   "Would To Heaven That Some Of My Trusty Artillerists Might Fall Upon 
   This Accursed Encampment!" 
     
   "You Might As Well Wish That These Teton Lodges Were So Many Hives Of 
   Hornets,  And That The Insects Would Come Forth And Battle With Yonder 
   Tribe Of Half Naked Savages." Then,  Chuckling With His Own Conceit, 
   The Bee-Hunter Turned Away From His Companion,  And Sought A Momentary 
   Relief From His Misery,  By Imagining That So Wild An Idea Might Be 
   Realised,  And Fancying The Manner,  In Which The Attack Would Upset 
   Even The Well Established Patience Of An Indian. 
     
   Middleton Was Glad To Be Silent; But The Old Man,  Who Had Listened To 
   Their Words,  Drew A Little Nigher,  And Continued The Discourse. 
     
   "Here Is Likely To Be A Merciless And A Hellish Business!" He Said, 
   Shaking His Head In A Manner To Prove That Even His Experience Was At 
   A Loss For A Remedy In So Trying A Dilemma. "Our Pawnee Friend Is 
   Already Staked For The Torture,  And I Well Know,  By The Eye And The 
   Countenance Of The Great Sioux,  That He Is Leading On The Temper Of 
   His People To Further Enormities." 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 81 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," Said Paul,  Writhing In His Bonds To Catch A 
   Glimpse Of The Other's Melancholy Face; "You Ar' Skilled In Indian 
   Tongues,  And Know Somewhat Of Indian Deviltries. Go You To The 
   Council,  And Tell Their Chiefs In My Name,  That Is To Say,  In The Name 
   Of Paul Hover,  Of The State Of Kentucky,  That Provided They Will 
   Guarantee The Safe Return Of One Ellen Wade Into The States,  They Are 
   Welcome To Take His Scalp When And In Such Manner As Best Suits Their 
   Amusements; Or,  If-So-Be They Will Not Trade On These Conditions,  You 
   May Throw In An Hour Or Two Of Torture Before Hand,  In Order To 
   Sweeten The Bargain To Their Damnable Appetites." 
     
   "Ah! Lad,  It Is Little They Would Hearken To Such An Offer,  Knowing, 
   As They Do,  That You Are Already Like A Bear In A Trap,  As Little Able 
   To Fight As To Fly. But Be Not Down-Hearted,  For The Colour Of A White 
   Man Is Sometimes His Death-Warrant Among These Far Tribes Of Savages, 
   And Sometimes His Shield. Though They Love Us Not,  Cunning Often Ties 
   Their Hands. Could The Red Nations Work Their Will,  Trees Would 
   Shortly Be Growing Again On The Ploughed Fields Of America,  And Woods 
   Would Be Whitened With Christian Bones. No One Can Doubt That,  Who 
   Knows The Quality Of The Love Which A Red-Skin Bears A Pale-Face; But 
   They Have Counted Our Numbers Until Their Memories Fail Them,  And They 
   Are Not Without Their Policy. Therefore Is Our Fate Unsettled; But I 
   Fear Me There Is Small Hope Left For The Pawnee!" 
     
   As The Old Man Concluded,  He Walked Slowly Towards The Subject Of His 
   Latter Observation,  Taking His Post At No Great Distance From His 
   Side. Here He Stood,  Observing Such A Silence And Mien As Became Him 
   To Manifest,  To A Chief So Renowned And So Situated As His Captive 
   Associate. But The Eye Of Hard-Heart Was Fastened On The Distance,  And 
   His Whole Air Was That Of One Whose Thoughts Were Entirely Removed 
   From The Present Scene. 
     
   "The Siouxes Are In Council On My Brother," The Trapper At Length 
   Observed,  When He Found He Could Only Attract The Other's Attention By 
   Speaking. 
     
   The Young Partisan Turned His Head With A Calm Smile As He Answered 
   "They Are Counting The Scalps Over The Lodge Of Hard-Heart!" 
     
   "No Doubt,  No Doubt; Their Tempers Begin To Mount,  As They Remember 
   The Number Of Tetons You Have Struck,  And Better Would It Be For You 
   Now,  Had More Of Your Days Been Spent In Chasing The Deer,  And Fewer 
   On The War-Path. Then Some Childless Mother Of This Tribe Might Take 
   You In The Place Of Her Lost Son,  And Your Time Would Be Filled In 
   Peace." 
     
   "Does My Father Think That A Warrior Can Ever Die? The Master Of Life 
   Does Not Open His Hand To Take Away His Gifts Again. When He Wants His 
   Young Men He Calls Them,  And They Go. But The Red-Skin He Has Once 
   Breathed On Lives For Ever." 
     
   "Ay,  This Is A More Comfortable And A More Humble Faith Than That 
   Which Yonder Heartless Teton Harbours. There Is Something In These 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 82 
   Loups Which Opens My Inmost Heart To Them; They Seem To Have The 
   Courage,  Ay,  And The Honesty,  Too,  Of The Delawares Of The Hills. And 
   This Lad--It Is Wonderful,  It Is Very Wonderful; But The Age,  And The 
   Eye,  And The Limbs Are As If They Might Have Been Brothers! Tell Me, 
   Pawnee,  Have You Ever In Your Traditions Heard Of A Mighty People Who 
   Once Lived On The Shores Of The Salt-Lake,  Hard By The Rising Sun?" 
     
   "The Earth Is White,  By People Of The Colour Of My Father." 
     
   "Nay,  Nay,  I Speak Not Now Of Any Strollers,  Who Have Crept Into The 
   Land To Rob The Lawful Owners Of Their Birth-Right,  But Of A People 
   Who Are,  Or Rather Were,  What With Nature And What With Paint,  Red As 
   The Berry On The Bush." 
     
   "I Have Heard The Old Men Say,  That There Were Bands,  Who Hid 
   Themselves In The Woods Under The Rising Sun,  Because They Dared Not 
   Come Upon The Open Prairies To Fight With Men." 
     
   "Do Not Your Traditions Tell You Of The Greatest,  The Bravest,  And The 
   Wisest Nation Of Red-Skins That The Wahcondah Has Ever Breathed Upon?" 
     
   Hard-Heart Raised His Head,  With A Loftiness And Dignity That Even His 
   Bonds Could Not Repress,  As He Answered-- 
     
   "Has Age Blinded My Father; Or Does He See So Many Siouxes,  That He 
   Believes There Are No Longer Any Pawnees?" 
     
   "Ah! Such Is Mortal Vanity And Pride!" Exclaimed The Disappointed Old 
   Man,  In English. "Natur' Is As Strong In A Red-Skin,  As In The Bosom 
   Of A Man Of White Gifts. Now Would A Delaware Conceit Himself Far 
   Mightier Than A Pawnee,  Just As A Pawnee Boasts Himself To Be Of The 
   Princes Of The 'Arth. And So It Was Atween The Frenchers Of The 
   Canadas And The Red-Coated English,  That The King Did Use To Send Into 
   The States,  When States They Were Not,  But Outcrying And Petitioning 
   Provinces,  They Fou't And They Fou't,  And What Marvellous Boastings 
   Did They Give Forth To The World Of Their Own Valour And Victories, 
   While Both Parties Forgot To Name The Humble Soldier Of The Land,  Who 
   Did The Real Service,  But Who,  As He Was Not Privileged Then To Smoke 
   At The Great Council Fire Of His Nation,  Seldom Heard Of His Deeds, 
   After They Were Once Bravely Done." 
     
   When The Old Man Had Thus Given Vent To The Nearly Dormant,  But Far 
   From Extinct,  Military Pride,  That Had So Unconsciously Led Him Into 
   The Very Error He Deprecated,  His Eye,  Which Had Begun To Quicken And 
   Glimmer With Some Of The Ardour Of His Youth,  Softened And Turned Its 
   Anxious Look On The Devoted Captive,  Whose Countenance Was Also 
   Restored To Its Former Cold Look Of Abstraction And Thought. 
     
   "Young Warrior," He Continued In A Voice That Was Growing Tremulous, 
   "I Have Never Been Father,  Or Brother. The Wahcondah Made Me To Live 
   Alone. He Never Tied My Heart To House Or Field,  By The Cords With 
   Which The Men Of My Race Are Bound To Their Lodges; If He Had,  I 
   Should Not Have Journeyed So Far,  And Seen So Much. But I Have Tarried 
   Long Among A People,  Who Lived In Those Woods You Mention,  And Much 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 83 
   Reason Did I Find To Imitate Their Courage And Love Their Honesty. The 
   Master Of Life Has Made Us All,  Pawnee,  With A Feeling For Our Kind. I 
   Never Was A Father,  But Well Do I Know What Is The Love Of One. You 
   Are Like A Lad I Valued,  And I Had Even Begun To Fancy That Some Of 
   His Blood Might Be In Your Veins. But What Matters That? You Are A 
   True Man,  As I Know By The Way In Which You Keep Your Faith; And 
   Honesty Is A Gift Too Rare To Be Forgotten. My Heart Yearns To You, 
   Boy,  And Gladly Would I Do You Good." 
     
   The Youthful Warrior Listened To The Words,  Which Came From The Lips 
   Of The Other With A Force And Simplicity That Established Their Truth, 
   And He Bowed His Head On His Naked Bosom,  In Testimony Of The Respect 
   With Which He Met The Proffer. Then Lifting His Dark Eye To The Level 
   Of The View,  He Seemed To Be Again Considering Of Things Removed From 
   Every Personal Consideration. The Trapper,  Who Well Knew How High The 
   Pride Of A Warrior Would Sustain Him,  In Those Moments He Believed To 
   Be His Last,  Awaited The Pleasure Of His Young Friend,  With A Meekness 
   And Patience That He Had Acquired By His Association With That 
   Remarkable Race. At Length The Gaze Of The Pawnee Began To Waver; And 
   Then Quick,  Flashing Glances Were Turned From The Countenance Of The 
   Old Man To The Air,  And From The Air To His Deeply Marked Lineaments 
   Again,  As If The Spirit,  Which Governed Their Movements,  Was Beginning 
   To Be Troubled. 
     
   "Father," The Young Brave Finally Answered In A Voice Of Confidence 
   And Kindness,  "I Have Heard Your Words. They Have Gone In At My Ears, 
   And Are Now Within Me. The White-Headed Long-Knife Has No Son; The 
   Hard-Heart Of The Pawnees Is Young,  But He Is Already The Oldest Of 
   His Family. He Found The Bones Of His Father On The Hunting Ground Of 
   The Osages,  And He Has Sent Them To The Prairies Of The Good Spirits. 
   No Doubt The Great Chief,  His Father,  Has Seen Them,  And Knows What Is 
   Part Of Himself. But The Wahcondah Will Soon Call To Us Both; You, 
   Because You Have Seen All That Is To Be Seen In This Country; And 
   Hard-Heart,  Because He Has Need Of A Warrior,  Who Is Young. There Is 
   No Time For The Pawnee To Show The Pale-Face The Duty,  That A Son Owes 
   To His Father." 
     
   "Old As I Am,  And Miserable And Helpless As I Now Stand,  To What I 
   Once Was,  I May Live To See The Sun Go Down In The Prairie. Does My 
   Son Expect To Do As Much?" 
     
   "The Tetons Are Counting The Scalps On My Lodge!" Returned The Young 
   Chief,  With A Smile Whose Melancholy Was Singularly Illuminated By A 
   Gleam Of Triumph. 
     
   "And They Find Them Many. Too Many For The Safety Of Its Owner,  While 
   He Is In Their Revengeful Hands. My Son Is Not A Woman,  And He Looks 
   On The Path He Is About To Travel With A Steady Eye. Has He Nothing To 
   Whisper In The Ears Of His People,  Before He Starts? These Legs Are 
   Old,  But They May Yet Carry Me To The Forks Of The Loup River." 
     
   "Tell Them That Hard-Heart Has Tied A Knot In His Wampum For Every 
   Teton," Burst From The Lips Of The Captive,  With That Vehemence With 
   Which Sudden Passion Is Known To Break Through The Barriers Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 84 
   Artificial Restraint "If He Meets One Of Them All,  In The Prairies Of 
   The Master Of Life,  His Heart Will Become Sioux!" 
     
   "Ah That Feeling Would Be A Dangerous Companion For A Man With White 
   Gifts To Start With On So Solemn A Journey," Muttered The Old Man In 
   English. "This Is Not What The Good Moravians Said To The Councils Of 
   The Delawares,  Nor What Is So Often Preached,  To The White-Skins In 
   The Settlements,  Though,  To The Shame Of The Colour Be It Said,  It Is 
   So Little Heeded. Pawnee,  I Love You; But Being A Christian Man,  I 
   Cannot Be The Runner To Bear Such A Message." 
     
   "If My Father Is Afraid The Tetons Will Hear Him,  Let Him Whisper It 
   Softly To Our Old Men." 
     
   "As For Fear,  Young Warrior,  It Is No More The Shame Of A Pale-Face 
   Than Of A Red-Skin. The Wahcondah Teaches Us To Love The Life He 
   Gives; But It Is As Men Love Their Hunts,  And Their Dogs,  And Their 
   Carabines,  And Not With The Doting That A Mother Looks Upon Her 
   Infant. The Master Of Life Will Not Have To Speak Aloud Twice When He 
   Calls My Name. I Am As Ready To Answer To It Now,  As I Shall Be 
   To-Morrow,  Or At Any Time It May Please His Mighty Will. But What Is A 
   Warrior Without His Traditions? Mine Forbid Me To Carry Your Words." 
     
   The Chief Made A Dignified Motion Of Assent,  And Here There Was Great 
   Danger That Those Feelings Of Confidence,  Which Had Been So Singularly 
   Awakened,  Would As Suddenly Subside. But The Heart Of The Old Man Had 
   Been Too Sensibly Touched,  Through Long Dormant But Still Living 
   Recollections,  To Break Off The Communication So Rudely. He Pondered 
   For A Minute,  And Then Bending His Look Wistfully On His Young 
   Associate,  Again Continued-- 
     
   "Each Warrior Must Be Judged By His Gifts. I Have Told My Son What I 
   Cannot,  But Let Him Open His Ears To What I Can Do. An Elk Shall Not 
   Measure The Prairie Much Swifter Than These Old Legs,  If The Pawnee 
   Will Give Me A Message That A White Man May Bear." 
     
   "Let The Pale-Face Listen," Returned The Other,  After Hesitating A 
   Single Instant Longer,  Under A Lingering Sensation Of His Former 
   Disappointment. "He Will Stay Here Till The Siouxes Have Done Counting 
   The Scalps Of Their Dead Warriors. He Will Wait Until They Have Tried 
   To Cover The Heads Of Eighteen Tetons With The Skin Of One Pawnee; He 
   Will Open His Eyes Wide,  That He May See The Place Where They Bury The 
   Bones Of A Warrior." 
     
   "All This Will I,  And May I,  Do,  Noble Boy." 
     
   "He Will Mark The Spot,  That He May Know It." 
     
   "No Fear,  No Fear That I Shall Forget The Place," Interrupted The 
   Other,  Whose Fortitude Began To Give Way Under So Trying An Exhibition 
   Of Calmness And Resignation. 
     
   "Then I Know That My Father Will Go To My People. His Head Is Grey, 
   And His Words Will Not Be Blown Away With The Smoke. Let Him Get On My 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 25 Pg 85 
   Lodge,  And Call The Name Of Hard-Heart Aloud. No Pawnee Will Be Deaf. 
   Then Let My Father Ask For The Colt,  That Has Never Been Ridden,  But 
   Which Is Sleeker Than The Buck,  And Swifter Than The Elk." 
     
   "I Understand You,  Boy,  I Understand You," Interrupted The Attentive 
   Old Man; "And What You Say Shall Be Done,  Ay,  And Well Done Too,  Or 
   I'm But Little Skilled In The Wishes Of A Dying Indian." 
     
   "And When My Young Men Have Given My Father The Halter Of That Colt, 
   He Will Lead Him By A Crooked Path To The Grave Of Hard-Heart?" 
     
   "Will I! Ay,  That I Will,  Brave Youth,  Though The Winter Covers These 
   Plains In Banks Of Snow,  And The Sun Is Hidden As Much By Day As By 
   Night. To The Head Of The Holy Spot Will I Lead The Beast,  And Place 
   Him With His Eyes Looking Towards The Setting Sun." 
     
   "And My Father Will Speak To Him,  And Tell Him,  That The Master,  Who 
   Has Fed Him Since He Was Foaled,  Has Now Need Of Him." 
     
   "That,  Too,  Will I Do; Though The Lord He Knows That I Shall Hold 
   Discourse With A Horse,  Not With Any Vain Conceit That My Words Will 
   Be Understood,  But Only To Satisfy The Cravings Of Indian 
   Superstition. Hector,  My Pup,  What Think You,  Dog,  Of Talking To A 
   Horse?" 
     
   "Let The Grey-Beard Speak To Him With The Tongue Of A Pawnee," 
   Interrupted The Young Victim,  Perceiving That His Companion Had Used 
   An Unknown Language For The Preceding Speech. 
     
   "My Son's Will Shall Be Done. And With These Old Hands,  Which I Had 
   Hoped Had Nearly Done With Bloodshed,  Whether It Be Of Man Or Beast, 
   Will I Slay The Animal On Your Grave!" 
     
   "It Is Good," Returned The Other,  A Gleam Of Satisfaction Flitting 
   Across His Features. "Hard-Heart Will Ride His Horse To The Blessed 
   Prairies,  And He Will Come Before The Master Of Life Like A Chief!" 
     
   The Sudden And Striking Change,  Which Instantly Occurred In The 
   Countenance Of The Indian,  Caused The Trapper To Look Aside,  When He 
   Perceived That The Conference Of The Siouxes Had Ended,  And That 
   Mahtoree,  Attended By One Or Two Of The Principal Warriors,  Was 
   Deliberately Approaching His Intended Victim. 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 86 
                 I Am Not Prone To Weeping,  As Our Sex 
                 Commonly Are. 
                         --But I Have That Honourable 
                 Grief Lodged Here,  Which Burns Worse Than 
                 Tears Drown 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   When Within Twenty Feet Of The Prisoners,  The Tetons Stopped,  And 
   Their Leader Made A Sign To The Old Man To Draw Nigh. The Trapper 
   Obeyed,  Quitting The Young Pawnee With A Significant Look,  Which Was 
   Received,  As It Was Meant,  For An Additional Pledge That He Would 
   Never Forget His Promise. So Soon As Mahtoree Found That The Other Had 
   Stopped Within Reach Of Him,  He Stretched Forth His Arm,  And Laying A 
   Hand Upon The Shoulder Of The Attentive Old Man,  He Stood Regarding 
   Him,  A Minute,  With Eyes That Seemed Willing To Penetrate The Recesses 
   Of His Most Secret Thoughts. 
     
   "Is A Pale-Face Always Made With Two Tongues?" He Demanded,  When He 
   Found That,  As Usual,  With The Subject Of This Examination,  He Was As 
   Little Intimidated By His Present Frown,  As Moved By Any Apprehensions 
   Of The Future. 
     
   "Honesty Lies Deeper Than The Skin." 
     
   "It Is So. Now Let My Father Hear Me. Mahtoree Has But One Tongue,  The 
   Grey-Head Has Many. They May Be All Straight,  And None Of Them Forked. 
   A Sioux Is No More Than A Sioux,  But A Pale-Face Is Every Thing! He 
   Can Talk To The Pawnee,  And The Konza,  And The Omawhaw,  And He Can 
   Talk To His Own People." 
     
   "Ay,  There Are Linguists In The Settlements That Can Do Still More. 
   But What Profits It All? The Master Of Life Has An Ear For Every 
   Language!" 
     
   "The Grey-Head Has Done Wrong. He Has Said One Thing When He Meant 
   Another. He Has Looked Before Him With His Eyes,  And Behind Him With 
   His Mind. He Has Ridden The Horse Of A Sioux Too Hard; He Has Been The 
   Friend Of A Pawnee,  And The Enemy Of My People." 
     
   "Teton,  I Am Your Prisoner. Though My Words Are White,  They Will Not 
   Complain. Act Your Will." 
     
   "No. Mahtoree Will Not Make A White Hair Red. My Father Is Free. The 
   Prairie Is Open On Every Side Of Him. But Before The Grey-Head Turns 
   His Back On The Siouxes,  Let Him Look Well At Them,  That He May Tell 
   His Own Chief,  How Great Is A Dahcotah!" 
     
   "I Am Not In A Hurry To Go On My Path. You See A Man With A White 
   Head,  And No Woman,  Teton; Therefore Shall I Not Run Myself Out Of 
   Breath,  To Tell The Nations Of The Prairies What The Siouxes Are 
   Doing." 
     
   "It Is Good. My Father Has Smoked With The Chiefs At Many Councils," 
   Returned Mahtoree,  Who Now Thought Himself Sufficiently Sure Of The 
   Other's Favour To Go More Directly To His Object. "Mahtoree Will Speak 
   With The Tongue Of His Very Dear Friend And Father. A Young Pale-Face 
   Will Listen When An Old Man Of That Nation Opens His Mouth. Go; My 
   Father Will Make What A Poor Indian Says Fit For A White Ear." 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 87 
   "Speak Aloud!" Said The Trapper,  Who Readily Understood The 
   Metaphorical Manner,  In Which The Teton Expressed A Desire That He 
   Should Become An Interpreter Of His Words Into The English Language; 
   "Speak,  My Young Men Listen. Now,  Captain,  And You Too,  Friend Bee- 
   Hunter,  Prepare Yourselves To Meet The Deviltries Of This Savage,  With 
   The Stout Hearts Of White Warriors. If You Find Yourselves Giving Way 
   Under His Threats,  Just Turn Your Eyes On That Noble-Looking Pawnee, 
   Whose Time Is Measured With A Hand As Niggardly,  As That With Which A 
   Trader In The Towns Gives Forth The Fruits Of The Lord,  Inch By Inch, 
   In Order To Satisfy His Covetousness. A Single Look At The Boy Will 
   Set You Both Up In Resolution." 
     
   "My Brother Has Turned His Eyes On The Wrong Path," Interrupted 
   Mahtoree,  With A Complacency That Betrayed How Unwilling He Was To 
   Offend His Intended Interpreter. 
     
   "The Dahcotah Will Speak To My Young Men?" 
     
   "After He Has Sung In The Ear Of The Flower Of The Pale-Faces." 
     
   "The Lord Forgive The Desperate Villain!" Exclaimed The Old Man In 
   English. "There Are None So Tender,  Or So Young,  Or So Innocent,  As To 
   Escape His Ravenous. Wishes. But Hard Words And Cold Looks Will Profit 
   Nothing; Therefore It Will Be Wise To Speak Him Fair. Let Mahtoree 
   Open His Mouth." 
     
   "Would My Father Cry Out,  That The Women And Children Should Hear The 
   Wisdom Of Chiefs! We Will Go Into The Lodge And Whisper." 
     
   As The Teton Ended,  He Pointed Significantly Towards A Tent,  Vividly 
   Emblazoned With The History Of One Of His Own Boldest And Most 
   Commended Exploits,  And Which Stood A Little Apart From The Rest,  As 
   If To Denote It Was The Residence Of Some Privileged Individual Of The 
   Band. The Shield And Quiver At Its Entrance Were Richer Than Common, 
   And The High Distinction Of A Fusee,  Attested The Importance Of Its 
   Proprietor. In Every Other Particular It Was Rather Distinguished By 
   Signs Of Poverty Than Of Wealth. The Domestic Utensils Were Fewer In 
   Number And Simpler In Their Forms,  Than Those To Be Seen About The 
   Openings Of The Meanest Lodges,  Nor Was There A Single One Of Those 
   High-Prized Articles Of Civilised Life,  Which Were Occasionally Bought 
   Of The Traders,  In Bargains That Bore So Hard On The Ignorant Natives. 
   All These Had Been Bestowed,  As They Had Been Acquired,  By The 
   Generous Chief,  On His Subordinates,  To Purchase An Influence That 
   Might Render Him The Master Of Their Lives And Persons; A Species Of 
   Wealth That Was Certainly More Noble In Itself,  And Far Dearer To His 
   Ambition. 
     
   The Old Man Well Knew This To Be The Lodge Of Mahtoree,  And,  In 
   Obedience To The Sign Of The Chief,  He Held His Way Towards It With 
   Slow And Reluctant Steps. But There Were Others Present,  Who Were 
   Equally Interested In The Approaching Conference,  Whose Apprehensions 
   Were Not To Be So Easily Suppressed. The Watchful Eye And Jealous Ears 
   Of Middleton Had Taught Him Enough To Fill His Soul With Horrible 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 88 
   Forebodings. With An Incredible Effort He Succeeded In Gaining His 
   Feet,  And Called Aloud To The Retiring Trapper-- 
     
   "I Conjure You,  Old Man,  If The Love You Bore My Parents Was More Than 
   Words,  Or If The Love You Bear Your God Is That Of A Christian Man, 
   Utter Not A Syllable That May Wound The Ear Of That Innocent--" 
     
   Exhausted In Spirit And Fettered In Limbs,  He Then Fell,  Like An 
   Inanimate Log,  To The Earth,  Where He Lay Like One Dead. 
     
   Paul Had However Caught The Clue And Completed The Exhortation,  In His 
   Peculiar Manner. 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," He Shouted,  Vainly Endeavouring At The Same 
   Time To Make A Gesture Of Defiance With His Hand; "If You Ar' About To 
   Play The Interpreter,  Speak Such Words To The Ears Of That Damnable 
   Savage,  As Becomes A White Man To Use,  And A Heathen To Hear. Tell 
   Him,  From Me,  That If He Does Or Says The Thing That Is Uncivil To The 
   Girl,  Called Nelly Wade,  That I'll Curse Him With My Dying Breath; 
   That I'll Pray For All Good Christians In Kentucky To Curse Him; 
   Sitting And Standing; Eating And Drinking,  Fighting,  Praying,  Or At 
   Horse-Races; In-Doors And Outdoors; In Summer Or Winter,  Or In The 
   Month Of March In Short I'll--Ay,  It Ar' A Fact,  Morally True--I'll 
   Haunt Him,  If The Ghost Of A Pale-Face Can Contrive To Lift Itself 
   From A Grave Made By The Hands Of A Red-Skin!" 
     
   Having Thus Ventured The Most Terrible Denunciation He Could Devise, 
   And The One Which,  In The Eyes Of The Honest Bee-Hunter,  There Seemed 
   The Greatest Likelihood Of His Being Able To Put In Execution,  He Was 
   Obliged To Await The Fruits Of His Threat,  With That Resignation Which 
   Would Be Apt To Govern A Western Border-Man Who,  In Addition To The 
   Prospects Just Named,  Had The Advantage Of Contemplating Them In 
   Fetters And Bondage. We Shall Not Detain The Narrative,  To Relate The 
   Quaint Morals With Which He Next Endeavoured To Cheer The Drooping 
   Spirits Of His More Sensitive Companion,  Or The Occasional Pithy And 
   Peculiar Benedictions That He Pronounced,  On All The Bands Of The 
   Dahcotahs,  Commencing With Those Whom He Accused Of Stealing Or 
   Murdering,  On The Banks Of The Distant Mississippi,  And Concluding,  In 
   Terms Of Suitable Energy,  With The Teton Tribe. The Latter More Than 
   Once Received From His Lips Curses As Sententious And As Complicated 
   As That Celebrated Anathema Of The Church,  For A Knowledge Of Which 
   Most Unlettered Protestants Are Indebted To The Pious Researches Of 
   The Worthy Tristram Shandy. But As Middleton Recovered From His 
   Exhaustion He Was Fain To Appease The Boisterous Temper Of His 
   Associate,  By Admonishing Him Of The Uselessness Of Such 
   Denunciations,  And Of The Possibility Of Their Hastening The Very Evil 
   He Deprecated,  By Irritating The Resentments Of A Race,  Who Were 
   Sufficiently Fierce And Lawless,  Even In Their Most Pacific Moods. 
     
   In The Mean Time The Trapper And The Sioux Chief Pursued Their Way To 
   The Lodge. The Former Had Watched With Painful Interest The Expression 
   Of Mahtoree's Eye,  While The Words Of Middleton And Paul Were Pursuing 
   Their Footsteps,  But The Mien Of The Indian Was Far Too Much 
   Restrained And Self-Guarded,  To Permit The Smallest Of His Emotions To 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 89 
   Escape Through Any Of Those Ordinary Outlets,  By Which The Condition 
   Of The Human Volcano Is Commonly Betrayed. His Look Was Fastened On 
   The Little Habitation They Approached; And,  For The Moment,  His 
   Thoughts Appeared To Brood Alone On The Purposes Of This Extraordinary 
   Visit. 
     
   The Appearance Of The Interior Of The Lodge Corresponded With Its 
   Exterior. It Was Larger Than Most Of The Others,  More Finished In Its 
   Form,  And Finer In Its Materials; But There Its Superiority Ceased. 
   Nothing Could Be More Simple And Republican Than The Form Of Living 
   That The Ambitious And Powerful Teton Chose To Exhibit To The Eyes Of 
   His People. A Choice Collection Of Weapons For The Chase,  Some Three 
   Or Four Medals,  Bestowed By The Traders And Political Agents Of The 
   Canadas As A Homage To,  Or Rather As An Acknowledgment Of,  His Rank, 
   With A Few Of The Most Indispensable Articles Of Personal 
   Accommodation,  Composed Its Furniture. It Abounded In Neither Venison, 
   Nor The Wild-Beef Of The Prairies; Its Crafty Owner Having Well 
   Understood That The Liberality Of A Single Individual Would Be 
   Abundantly Rewarded By The Daily Contributions Of A Band. Although As 
   Pre-Eminent In The Chase As In War,  A Deer Or A Buffaloe Was Never 
   Seen To Enter Whole Into His Lodge. In Return,  An Animal Was Rarely 
   Brought Into The Encampment,  That Did Not Contribute To Support The 
   Family Of Mahtoree. But The Policy Of The Chief Seldom Permitted More 
   To Remain Than Sufficed For The Wants Of The Day,  Perfectly Assured 
   That All Must Suffer Before Hunger,  The Bane Of Savage Life,  Could Lay 
   Its Fell Fangs On So Important A Victim. 
     
   Immediately Beneath The Favourite Bow Of The Chief,  And Encircled In A 
   Sort Of Magical Ring Of Spears,  Shields,  Lances And Arrows,  All Of 
   Which Had In Their Time Done Good Service,  Was Suspended The 
   Mysterious And Sacred Medicine-Bag. It Was Highly-Wrought In Wampum, 
   And Profusely Ornamented With Beads And Porcupine's Quills,  After The 
   Most Cunning Devices Of Indian Ingenuity. The Peculiar Freedom Of 
   Mahtoree's Religious Creed Has Been More Than Once Intimated,  And By A 
   Singular Species Of Contradiction,  He Appeared To Have Lavished His 
   Attentions On This Emblem Of A Supernatural Agency,  In A Degree That 
   Was Precisely Inverse To His Faith. It Was Merely The Manner In Which 
   The Sioux Imitated The Well-Known Expedient Of The Pharisees,  "In 
   Order That They Might Be Seen Of Men." 
     
   The Tent Had Not,  However,  Been Entered By Its Owner Since His Return 
   From The Recent Expedition. As The Reader Has Already Anticipated,  It 
   Had Been Made The Prison Of Inez And Ellen. The Bride Of Middleton Was 
   Seated On A Simple Couch Of Sweet-Scented Herbs Covered With Skins. 
   She Had Already Suffered So Much,  And Witnessed So Many Wild And 
   Unlooked-For Events,  Within The Short Space Of Her Captivity. That 
   Every Additional Misfortune Fell With A Diminished Force On Her 
   Seemingly Devoted Head. Her Cheeks Were Bloodless,  Her Dark And 
   Usually Animated Eye Was Contracted In An Expression Of Settled 
   Concern,  And Her Form Appeared Shrinking And Sensitive,  Nearly To 
   Extinction. But In The Midst Of These Evidences Of Natural Weakness, 
   There Were At Times Such An Air Of Pious Resignation,  Such Gleams Of 
   Meek But Holy Hope Lighting Her Countenance,  As Might Well Have 
   Rendered It A Question Whether The Hapless Captive Was Most A Subject 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 90 
   Of Pity,  Or Of Admiration. All The Precepts Of Father Ignatius Were 
   Riveted In Her Faithful Memory,  And Not A Few Of His Pious Visions 
   Were Floating Before Her Imagination. Sustained By So Sacred 
   Resolutions,  The Mild,  The Patient And The Confiding Girl Was Bowing 
   Her Head To This New Stroke Of Providence,  With The Same Sort Of 
   Meekness As She Would Have Submitted To Any Other Prescribed Penitence 
   For Her Sins,  Though Nature,  At Moments,  Warred Powerfully,  With So 
   Compelled A Humility. 
     
   On The Other Hand,  Ellen Had Exhibited Far More Of The Woman,  And 
   Consequently Of The Passions Of The World. She Had Wept Until Her Eyes 
   Were Swollen And Red. Her Cheeks Were Flushed And Angry,  And Her Whole 
   Mien Was Distinguished By An Air Of Spirit And Resentment,  That Was 
   Not A Little,  However,  Qualified By Apprehensions For The Future. In 
   Short,  There Was That About The Eye And Step Of The Betrothed Of Paul, 
   Which Gave A Warranty That Should Happier Times Arrive,  And The 
   Constancy Of The Bee-Hunter Finally Meet With Its Reward,  He Would 
   Possess A Partner Every Way Worthy To Cope With His Own Thoughtless 
   And Buoyant Temperament. 
     
   There Was Still Another And A Third Figure In That Little Knot Of 
   Females. It Was The Youngest,  The Most Highly Gifted,  And,  Until Now, 
   The Most Favoured Of The Wives Of The Teton. Her Charms Had Not Been 
   Without The Most Powerful Attraction In The Eyes Of Her Husband,  Until 
   They Had So Unexpectedly Opened On The Surpassing Loveliness Of A 
   Woman Of The Pale-Faces. From That Hapless Moment The Graces,  The 
   Attachment,  The Fidelity Of The Young Indian,  Had Lost Their Power To 
   Please. Still The Complexion Of Tachechana,  Though Less Dazzling Than 
   That Of Her Rival,  Was,  For Her Race,  Clear And Healthy. Her Hazel Eye 
   Had The Sweetness And Playfulness Of The Antelope's; Her Voice Was 
   Soft And Joyous As The Song Of The Wren,  And Her Happy Laugh Was The 
   Very Melody Of The Forest. Of All The Sioux Girls,  Tachechana (Or The 
   Fawn) Was The Lightest-Hearted And The Most Envied. Her Father Had 
   Been A Distinguished Brave,  And Her Brothers Had Already Left Their 
   Bones On A Distant And Dreary War-Path. Numberless Were The Warriors, 
   Who Had Sent Presents To The Lodge Of Her Parents,  But None Of Them 
   Were Listened To Until A Messenger From The Great Mahtoree Had Come. 
   She Was His Third Wife,  It Is True,  But She Was Confessedly The Most 
   Favoured Of Them All. Their Union Had Existed But Two Short Seasons, 
   And Its Fruits Now Lay Sleeping At Her Feet,  Wrapped In The Customary 
   Ligatures Of Skin And Bark,  Which Form The Swaddlings Of An Indian 
   Infant. 
     
   At The Moment,  When Mahtoree And The Trapper Arrived At The Opening Of 
   The Lodge,  The Young Sioux Wife Was Seated On A Simple Stool,  Turning 
   Her Soft Eyes,  With Looks That Varied,  Like Her Emotions,  With Love 
   And Wonder,  From The Unconscious Child To Those Rare Beings,  Who Had 
   Filled Her Youthful And Uninstructed Mind With So Much Admiration And 
   Astonishment. Though Inez And Ellen Had Passed An Entire Day In Her 
   Sight,  It Seemed As If The Longings Of Her Curiosity Were Increasing 
   With Each New Gaze. She Regarded Them As Beings Of An Entirely 
   Different Nature And Condition From The Females Of The Prairie. Even 
   The Mystery Of Their Complicated Attire Had Its Secret Influence On 
   Her Simple Mind,  Though It Was The Grace And Charms Of Sex,  To Which 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 91 
   Nature Has Made Every People So Sensible,  That Most Attracted Her 
   Admiration. But While Her Ingenuous Disposition Freely Admitted The 
   Superiority Of The Strangers Over The Less Brilliant Attractions Of 
   The Dahcotah Maidens,  She Had Seen No Reason To Deprecate Their 
   Advantages. The Visit That She Was Now About To Receive,  Was The First 
   Which Her Husband Had Made To The Tent Since His Return From The 
   Recent Inroad,  And He Was Ever Present To Her Thoughts,  As A 
   Successful Warrior,  Who Was Not Ashamed,  In The Moments Of Inaction, 
   To Admit The Softer Feelings Of A Father And A Husband. 
     
   We Have Every Where Endeavoured To Show That While Mahtoree Was In All 
   Essentials A Warrior Of The Prairies,  He Was Much In Advance Of His 
   People In Those Acquirements Which Announce The Dawnings Of 
   Civilisation. He Had Held Frequent Communion With The Traders And 
   Troops Of The Canadas,  And The Intercourse Had Unsettled Many Of Those 
   Wild Opinions Which Were His Birthright,  Without Perhaps Substituting 
   Any Others Of A Nature Sufficiently Definite To Be Profitable. His 
   Reasoning Was Rather Subtle Than True,  And His Philosophy Far More 
   Audacious Than Profound. Like Thousands Of More Enlightened Beings, 
   Who Fancy They Are Able To Go Through The Trials Of Human Existence 
   Without Any Other Support Than Their Own Resolutions,  His Morals Were 
   Accommodating And His Motive Selfish. These Several Characteristics 
   Will Be Understood Always With Reference To The Situation Of The 
   Indian,  Though Little Apology Is Needed For Finding Resemblances 
   Between Men,  Who Essentially Possess The Same Nature,  However It May 
   Be Modified By Circumstances. 
     
   Notwithstanding The Presence Of Inez And Ellen,  The Entrance Of The 
   Teton Warrior Into The Lodge Of His Favourite Wife,  Was Made With The 
   Tread And Mien Of A Master. The Step Of His Moccasin Was Noiseless, 
   But The Rattling Of His Bracelets,  And Of The Silver Ornaments Of His 
   Leggings,  Sufficed To Announce His Approach,  As He Pushed Aside The 
   Skin Covering Of The Opening Of The Tent,  And Stood In The Presence Of 
   Its Inmates. A Faint Cry Of Pleasure Burst From The Lips Of Tachechana 
   In The Suddenness Of Her Surprise,  But The Emotion Was Instantly 
   Suppressed In That Subdued Demeanour Which Should Characterise A 
   Matron Of Her Tribe. Instead Of Returning The Stolen Glance Of His 
   Youthful And Secretly Rejoicing Wife,  Mahtoree Moved To The Couch, 
   Occupied By His Prisoners,  And Placed Himself In The Haughty,  Upright 
   Attitude Of An Indian Chief,  Before Their Eyes. The Old Man Had Glided 
   Past Him,  And Already Taken A Position Suited To The Office He Had 
   Been Commanded To Fill. 
     
   Surprise Kept The Females Silent And Nearly Breathless. Though 
   Accustomed To The Sight Of Savage Warriors,  In The Horrid Panoply Of 
   Their Terrible Profession,  There Was Something So Startling In The 
   Entrance,  And So Audacious In The Inexplicable Look Of Their 
   Conqueror,  That The Eyes Of Both Sunk To The Earth,  Under A Feeling Of 
   Terror And Embarrassment. Then Inez Recovered Herself,  And Addressing 
   The Trapper,  She Demanded,  With The Dignity Of An Offended 
   Gentlewoman,  Though With Her Accustomed Grace,  To What Circumstance 
   They Owed This Extraordinary And Unexpected Visit. The Old Man 
   Hesitated; But Clearing His Throat,  Like One Who Was About To Make An 
   Effort To Which He Was Little Used,  He Ventured On The Following 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 92 
   Reply-- 
     
   "Lady," He Said,  "A Savage Is A Savage,  And You Are Not To Look For 
   The Uses And Formalities Of The Settlements On A Bleak And Windy 
   Prairie. As These Indians Would Say,  Fashions And Courtesies Are 
   Things So Light,  That They Would Blow Away. As For Myself,  Though A 
   Man Of The Forest,  I Have Seen The Ways Of The Great,  In My Time,  And 
   I Am Not To Learn That They Differ From The Ways Of The Lowly. I Was 
   Long A Serving-Man In My Youth,  Not One Of Your Beck-And-Nod Runners 
   About A Household,  But A Man That Went Through The Servitude Of The 
   Forest With His Officer,  And Well Do I Know In What Manner To Approach 
   The Wife Of A Captain. Now,  Had I The Ordering Of This Visit,  I Would 
   First Have Hemmed Aloud At The Door,  In Order That You Might Hear That 
   Strangers Were Coming,  And Then I--" 
     
   "The Manner Is Indifferent," Interrupted Inez,  Too Anxious To Await 
   The Prolix Explanations Of The Old Man; "Why Is The Visit Made?" 
     
   "Therein Shall The Savage Speak For Himself. The Daughters Of The 
   Pale-Faces Wish To Know Why The Great Teton Has Come Into His Lodge?" 
     
   Mahtoree Regarded His Interrogator With A Surprise,  Which Showed How 
   Extraordinary He Deemed The Question. Then Placing Himself In A 
   Posture Of Condescension,  After A Moment's Delay,  He Answered-- 
     
   "Sing In The Ears Of The Dark-Eye. Tell Her The Lodge Of Mahtoree Is 
   Very Large,  And That It Is Not Full. She Shall Find Room In It,  And 
   None Shall Be Greater Than She. Tell The Light-Hair,  That She Too May 
   Stay In The Lodge Of A Brave,  And Eat Of His Venison. Mahtoree Is A 
   Great Chief. His Hand Is Never Shut." 
     
   "Teton," Returned The Trapper,  Shaking His Head In Evidence Of The 
   Strong Disapprobation With Which He Heard This Language,  "The Tongue 
   Of A Red-Skin Must Be Coloured White,  Before It Can Make Music In The 
   Ears Of A Pale-Face. Should Your Words Be Spoken,  My Daughters Would 
   Shut Their Ears,  And Mahtoree Would Seem A Trader To Their Eyes. Now 
   Listen To What Comes From A Grey-Head,  And Then Speak Accordingly. My 
   People Is A Mighty People. The Sun Rises On Their Eastern And Sets On 
   Their Western Border. The Land Is Filled With Bright-Eyed And Laughing 
   Girls,  Like These You See--Ay,  Teton,  I Tell No Lie," Observing His 
   Auditor To Start With An Air Of Distrust--"Bright-Eyed And Pleasant To 
   Behold,  As These Before You." 
     
   "Has My Father A Hundred Wives!" Interrupted The Savage,  Laying His 
   Finger On The Shoulder Of The Trapper,  With A Look Of Curious Interest 
   In The Reply. 
     
   "No,  Dahcotah. The Master Of Life Has Said To Me,  Live Alone; Your 
   Lodge Shall Be The Forest; The Roof Of Your Wigwam,  The Clouds. But, 
   Though Never Bound In The Secret Faith Which,  In My Nation,  Ties One 
   Man To One Woman,  Often Have I Seen The Workings Of That Kindness 
   Which Brings The Two Together. Go Into The Regions Of My People; You 
   Will See The Daughters Of The Land,  Fluttering Through The Towns Like 
   Many-Coloured And Joyful Birds In The Season Of Blossoms. You Will 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 93 
   Meet Them,  Singing And Rejoicing,  Along The Great Paths Of The 
   Country,  And You Will Hear The Woods Ringing With Their Laughter. They 
   Are Very Excellent To Behold,  And The Young Men Find Pleasure In 
   Looking At Them." 
     
   "Hugh," Ejaculated The Attentive Mahtoree. 
     
   "Ay,  Well May You Put Faith In What You Hear,  For It Is No Lie. But 
   When A Youth Has Found A Maiden To Please Him,  He Speaks To Her In A 
   Voice So Soft,  That None Else Can Hear. He Does Not Say,  My Lodge Is 
   Empty And There Is Room For Another; But Shall I Build,  And Will The 
   Virgin Show Me Near What Spring She Would Dwell? His Voice Is Sweeter 
   Than Honey From The Locust,  And Goes Into The Ear Thrilling Like The 
   Song Of A Wren. Therefore,  If My Brother Wishes His Words To Be Heard, 
   He Must Speak With A White Tongue." 
     
   Mahtoree Pondered Deeply,  And In A Wonder That He Did Not Attempt To 
   Conceal. It Was Reversing All The Order Of Society,  And,  According To 
   His Established Opinions,  Endangering The Dignity Of A Chief,  For A 
   Warrior Thus To Humble Himself Before A Woman. But As Inez Sat Before 
   Him,  Reserved And Imposing In Air,  Utterly Unconscious Of His Object, 
   And Least Of All Suspecting The True Purport Of So Extraordinary A 
   Visit,  The Savage Felt The Influence Of A Manner To Which He Was 
   Unaccustomed. Bowing His Head,  In Acknowledgment Of His Error,  He 
   Stepped A Little Back,  And Placing Himself In An Attitude Of Easy 
   Dignity,  He Began To Speak With The Confidence Of One Who Had Been No 
   Less Distinguished For Eloquence,  Than For Deeds In Arms. Keeping His 
   Eyes Riveted On The Unconscious Bride Of Middleton,  He Proceeded In 
   The Following Words-- 
     
   "I Am A Man With A Red Skin,  But My Eyes Are Dark. They Have Been Open 
   Since Many Snows. They Have Seen Many Things--They Know A Brave From A 
   Coward. When A Boy,  I Saw Nothing But The Bison And The Deer. I Went 
   To The Hunts,  And I Saw The Cougar And The Bear. This Made Mahtoree A 
   Man. He Talked With His Mother No More. His Ears Were Open To The 
   Wisdom Of The Old Men. They Told Him Every Thing--They Told Him Of The 
   Big-Knives. He Went On The War-Path. He Was Then The Last; Now,  He Is 
   The First. What Dahcotah Dare Say He Will Go Before Mahtoree Into The 
   Hunting Grounds Of The Pawnees? The Chiefs Met Him At Their Doors,  And 
   They Said,  My Son Is Without A Home. They Gave Him Their Lodges,  They 
   Gave Him Their Riches,  And They Gave Him Their Daughters. Then 
   Mahtoree Became A Chief,  As His Fathers Had Been. He Struck The 
   Warriors Of All The Nations,  And He Could Have Chosen Wives From The 
   Pawnees,  The Omawhaws,  And The Konzas; But He Looked At The Hunting 
   Grounds,  And Not At His Village. He Thought A Horse Was Pleasanter 
   Than A Dahcotah Girl. But He Found A Flower On The Prairies,  And Be 
   Plucked It,  And Brought It Into His Lodge. He Forgets That He Is The 
   Master Of A Single Horse. He Gives Them All To The Stranger,  For 
   Mahtoree Is Not A Thief; He Will Only Keep The Flower He Found On The 
   Prairie. Her Feet Are Very Tender. She Cannot Walk To The Door Of Her 
   Father; She Will Stay,  In The Lodge Of A Valiant Warrior For Ever." 
     
   When He Had Finished This Extraordinary Address,  The Teton Awaited To 
   Have It Translated,  With The Air Of A Suitor Who Entertained No Very 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 94 
   Disheartening Doubts Of His Success. The Trapper Had Not Lost A 
   Syllable Of The Speech,  And He Now Prepared Himself To Render It Into 
   English In Such A Manner As Should Leave Its Principal Idea Even More 
   Obscure Than In The Original. But As His Reluctant Lips Were In The 
   Act Of Parting,  Ellen Lifted A Finger,  And With A Keen Glance From Her 
   Quick Eye,  At The Still Attentive Inez,  She Interrupted Him. 
     
   "Spare Your Breath," She Said,  "All That A Savage Says Is Not To Be 
   Repeated Before A Christian Lady." 
     
   Inez Started,  Blushed,  And Bowed With An Air Of Reserve,  As She Coldly 
   Thanked The Old Man For His Intentions,  And Observed That She Could 
   Now Wish To Be Alone. 
     
   "My Daughters Have No Need Of Ears To Understand What A Great Dahcotah 
   Says," Returned The Trapper,  Addressing Himself To The Expecting 
   Mahtoree. "The Look He Has Given,  And The Signs He Has Made,  Are 
   Enough. They Understand Him; They Wish To Think Of His Words; For The 
   Children Of Great Braves,  Such As Their Fathers Are,  Do Nothing With 
   Out Much Thought." 
     
   With This Explanation,  So Flattering To The Energy Of His Eloquence, 
   And So Promising To His Future Hopes,  The Teton Was Every Way Content. 
   He Made The Customary Ejaculation Of Assent,  And Prepared To Retire. 
   Saluting The Females,  In The Cold But Dignified Manner Of His People, 
   He Drew His Robe About Him,  And Moved From The Spot Where He Had 
   Stood,  With An Air Of Ill-Concealed Triumph. 
     
   But There Had Been A Stricken,  Though A Motionless And Unobserved 
   Auditor Of The Foregoing Scene. Not A Syllable Had Fallen From The 
   Lips Of The Long And Anxiously Expected Husband,  That Had Not Gone 
   Directly To The Heart Of His Unoffending Wife. In This Manner Had He 
   Wooed Her From The Lodge Of Her Father,  And It Was To Listen To 
   Similar Pictures Of The Renown And Deeds Of The Greatest Brave In Her 
   Tribe,  That She Had Shut Her Ears To The Tender Tales Of So Many Of 
   The Sioux Youths. 
     
   As The Teton Turned To Leave His Lodge,  In The Manner Just Mentioned, 
   He Found This Unexpected And Half-Forgotten Object Before Him. She 
   Stood,  In The Humble Guise And With The Shrinking Air Of An Indian 
   Girl,  Holding The Pledge Of Their Former Love In Her Arms,  Directly In 
   His Path. Starting,  The Chief Regained The Marble-Like Indifference Of 
   Countenance,  Which Distinguished In So Remarkable A Degree The 
   Restrained Or More Artificial Expression Of His Features,  And Signed 
   To Her,  With An Air Of Authority To Give Place. 
     
   "Is Not Tachechana The Daughter Of A Chief?" Demanded A Subdued Voice, 
   In Which Pride Struggled With Anguish: "Were Not Her Brothers Braves?" 
     
   "Go; The Men Are Calling Their Partisan. He Has No Ears For A Woman." 
     
   "No," Replied The Supplicant; "It Is Not The Voice Of Tachechana That 
   You Hear,  But This Boy,  Speaking With The Tongue Of His Mother. He Is 
   The Son Of A Chief,  And His Words Will Go Up To His Father's Ears. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 95 
   Listen To What He Says. When Was Mahtoree Hungry And Tachechana Had 
   Not Food For Him? When Did He Go On The Path Of The Pawnees And Find 
   It Empty,  That My Mother Did Not Weep? When Did He Come Back With The 
   Marks Of Their Blows,  That She Did Not Sing? What Sioux Girl Has Given 
   A Brave A Son Like Me? Look At Me Well,  That You May Know Me. My Eyes 
   Are The Eagle's. I Look At The Sun And Laugh. In A Little Time The 
   Dahcotahs Will Follow Me To The Hunts And On The War-Path. Why Does My 
   Father Turn His Eyes From The Woman That Gives Me Milk? Why Has He So 
   Soon Forgotten The Daughter Of A Mighty Sioux?" 
     
   There Was A Single Instant,  As The Exulting Father Suffered His Cold 
   Eye To Wander To The Face Of The Laughing Boy,  That The Stern Nature 
   Of The Teton Seemed Touched. But Shaking Off The Grateful Sentiment, 
   Like One Who Would Gladly Be Rid Of Any Painful,  Because Reproachful, 
   Emotion,  He Laid His Hand Calmly On The Arm Of His Wife,  And Led Her 
   Directly In Front Of Inez. Pointing To The Sweet Countenance That Was 
   Beaming On Her Own,  With A Look Of Tenderness And Commiseration,  He 
   Paused,  To Allow His Wife To Contemplate A Loveliness,  Which Was Quite 
   As Excellent To Her Ingenuous Mind As It Had Proved Dangerous To The 
   Character Of Her Faithless Husband. When He Thought Abundant Time Had 
   Passed To Make The Contrast Sufficiently Striking,  He Suddenly Raised 
   A Small Mirror,  That Dangled At Her Breast,  An Ornament He Had Himself 
   Bestowed,  In An Hour Of Fondness,  As A Compliment To Her Beauty,  And 
   Placed Her Own Dark Image In Its Place. Wrapping His Robe Again About 
   Him,  The Teton Motioned To The Trapper To Follow,  And Stalked 
   Haughtily From The Lodge,  Muttering,  As He Went-- 
     
   "Mahtoree Is Very Wise! What Nation Has So Great A Chief As The 
   Dahcotahs?" 
     
   Tachechana Stood Frozen Into A Statue Of Humility. Her Mild And 
   Usually Joyous Countenance Worked,  As If The Struggle Within Was About 
   To Dissolve The Connection Between Her Soul And That More Material 
   Part,  Whose Deformity Was Becoming So Loathsome. Inez And Ellen Were 
   Utterly Ignorant Of The Nature Of Her Interview With Her Husband, 
   Though The Quick And Sharpened Wits Of The Latter Led Her To Suspect A 
   Truth,  To Which The Entire Innocence Of The Former Furnished No Clue. 
   They Were Both,  However,  About To Tender Those Sympathies,  Which Are 
   So Natural To,  And So Graceful In The Sex,  When Their Necessity Seemed 
   Suddenly To Cease. The Convulsions In The Features Of The Young Sioux 
   Disappeared,  And Her Countenance Became Cold And Rigid,  Like Chiselled 
   Stone. A Single Expression Of Subdued Anguish,  Which Had Made Its 
   Impression On A Brow That Had Rarely Before Contracted With Sorrow, 
   Alone Remained. It Was Never Removed,  In All The Changes Of Seasons, 
   Fortunes,  And Years,  Which,  In The Vicissitudes Of A Suffering, 
   Female,  Savage Life,  She Was Subsequently Doomed To Endure. As In The 
   Case Of A Premature Blight,  Let The Plant Quicken And Revive As It 
   May,  The Effects Of That Withering Touch Were Always Present. 
     
   Tachechana First Stripped Her Person Of Every Vestige Of Those Rude 
   But Highly Prized Ornaments,  Which The Liberality Of Her Husband Had 
   Been Wont To Lavish On Her,  And She Tendered Them Meekly,  And Without 
   A Murmur. As An Offering To The Superiority Of Inez. The Bracelets 
   Were Forced From Her Wrists,  The Complicated Mazes Of Beads From Her 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 26 Pg 96 
   Leggings,  And The Broad Silver Band From Her Brow. Then She Paused, 
   Long And Painfully. But It Would Seem,  That The Resolution,  She Had 
   Once Adopted,  Was Not To Be Conquered By The Lingering Emotions Of Any 
   Affection,  However Natural. The Boy Himself Was Next Laid At The Feet 
   Of Her Supposed Rival,  And Well Might The Self-Abased Wife Of The 
   Teton Believe That The Burden Of Her Sacrifice Was Now Full. 
     
   While Inez And Ellen Stood Regarding These Several Strange Movements 
   With Eyes Of Wonder,  A Low Soft Musical Voice Was Heard Saying In A 
   Language,  That To Them Was Unintelligible-- 
     
   "A Strange Tongue Will Tell My Boy The Manner To Become A Man. He Will 
   Hear Sounds That Are New,  But He Will Learn Them,  And Forget The Voice 
   Of His Mother. It Is The Will Of The Wahcondah,  And A Sioux Girl 
   Should Not Complain. Speak To Him Softly,  For His Ears Are Very 
   Little; When He Is Big,  Your Words May Be Louder. Let Him Not Be A 
   Girl,  For Very Sad Is The Life Of A Woman. Teach Him To Keep His Eyes 
   On The Men. Show Him How To Strike Them That Do Him Wrong,  And Let Him 
   Never Forget To Return Blow For Blow. When He Goes To Hunt,  The Flower 
   Of The Pale-Faces," She Concluded,  Using In Bitterness The Metaphor 
   Which Had Been Supplied By The Imagination Of Her Truant Husband, 
   "Will Whisper Softly In His Ears That The Skin Of His Mother Was Red, 
   And That She Was Once The Fawn Of The Dahcotahs." 
     
   Tachechana Pressed A Kiss On The Lips Of Her Son,  And Withdrew To The 
   Farther Side Of The Lodge. Here She Drew Her Light Calico Robe Over 
   Her Head,  And Took Her Seat,  In Token Of Humility,  On The Naked Earth. 
   All Efforts,  To Attract Her Attention,  Were Fruitless. She Neither 
   Heard Remonstrances,  Nor Felt The Touch. Once Or Twice Her Voice Rose, 
   In A Sort Of Wailing Song,  From Beneath Her Quivering Mantle,  But It 
   Never Mounted Into The Wildness Of Savage Music. In This Manner She 
   Remained Unseen For Hours,  While Events Were Occurring Without The 
   Lodge,  Which Not Only Materially Changed The Complexion Of Her Own 
   Fortunes,  But Left A Lasting And Deep Impression On The Future 
   Movements Of The Wandering Sioux. 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 97 
     I'll No Swaggerers: I Am In Good Name And Fame With The Very Best: 
     --Shut The Door;--There Come No Swaggerers Here: I Have Not Lived 
     All This While,  To Have Swaggering Now: Shut The Door,  I Pray You. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   Mahtoree Encountered,  At The Door Of His Lodge,  Ishmael,  Abiram,  And 
   Esther. The First Glance Of His Eye,  At The Countenance Of The Heavy- 
   Moulded Squatter,  Served To Tell The Cunning Teton,  That The 
   Treacherous Truce He Had Made,  With These Dupes Of His Superior 
   Sagacity,  Was In Some Danger Of A Violent Termination. 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 98 
   "Look You Here,  Old Grey-Beard," Said Ishmael,  Seizing The Trapper, 
   And Whirling Him Round As If He Had Been A Top; "That I Am Tired Of 
   Carrying On A Discourse With Fingers And Thumbs,  Instead Of A Tongue, 
   Ar' A Natural Fact; So You'll Play Linguister And Put My Words Into 
   Indian,  Without Much Caring Whether They Suit The Stomach Of A Red- 
   Skin Or Not." 
     
   "Say On,  Friend," Calmly Returned The Trapper; "They Shall Be Given As 
   Plainly As You Send Them." 
     
   "Friend!" Repeated The Squatter,  Eyeing The Other For An Instant,  With 
   An Expression Of Indefinable Meaning. "But It Is No More Than A Word, 
   And Sounds Break No Bones,  And Survey No Farms. Tell This Thieving 
   Sioux,  Then,  That I Come To Claim The Conditions Of Our Solemn 
   Bargain,  Made At The Foot Of The Rock." 
     
   When The Trapper Had Rendered His Meaning Into The Sioux Language, 
   Mahtoree Demanded,  With An Air Of Surprise-- 
     
   "Is My Brother Cold? Buffaloe Skins Are Plenty. Is He Hungry? Let My 
   Young Men Carry Venison Into His Lodges." 
     
   The Squatter Elevated His Clenched Fist In A Menacing Manner,  And 
   Struck It With Violence On The Palm Of His Open Hand,  By Way Of 
   Confirming His Determination,  As He Answered-- 
     
   "Tell The Deceitful Liar,  I Have Not Come Like A Beggar To Pick His 
   Bones,  But Like A Freeman Asking For His Own; And Have It I Will. And, 
   Moreover,  Tell Him I Claim That You,  Too,  Miserable Sinner As You Ar', 
   Should Be Given Up To Justice. There's No Mistake. My Prisoner,  My 
   Niece,  And You. I Demand The Three At His Hands,  According To A Sworn 
   Agreement." 
     
   The Immovable Old Man Smiled,  With An Expression Of Singular 
   Intelligence,  As He Answered-- 
     
   "Friend Squatter,  You Ask What Few Men Would Be Willing To Grant. You 
   Would First Cut The Tongue From Mouth Of The Teton,  And Then The Heart 
   From His Bosom." 
     
   "It Is Little That Ishmael Bush Regards,  Who Or What Is Damaged In 
   Claiming His Own. But Put You The Questions In Straight-Going Indian, 
   And When You Speak Of Yourself,  Make Such A Sign As A White Man Will 
   Understand,  In Order That I May Know There Is No Foul Play." 
     
   The Trapper Laughed In His Silent Fashion,  And Muttered A Few Words To 
   Himself Before He Addressed The Chief-- 
     
   "Let The Dahcotah Open His Ears Very Wide," He Said 'That Big Words 
   May Have Room To Enter. His Friend The Big-Knife Comes With An Empty 
   Hand,  And He Says That The Teton Must Fill It." 
     
   "Wagh! Mahtoree Is A Rich Chief. He Is Master Of The Prairies." 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 99 
   "He Must Give The Dark-Hair." 
     
   The Brow Of The Chief Contracted In An Ominous Frown,  That Threatened 
   Instant Destruction To The Audacious Squatter; But As Suddenly 
   Recollecting His Policy,  He Craftily Replied-- 
     
   "A Girl Is Too Light For The Hand Of Such A Brave. I Will Fill It With 
   Buffaloes." 
     
   "He Says He Has Need Of The Light-Hair,  Too; Who Has His Blood In Her 
   Veins." 
     
   "She Shall Be The Wife Of Mahtoree; Then The Long-Knife Will Be The 
   Father Of A Chief." 
     
   "And Me," Continued The Trapper,  Making One Of Those Expressive Signs, 
   By Which The Natives Communicate,  With Nearly The Same Facility As 
   With Their Tongues,  And Turning To The Squatter At The Same Time,  In 
   Order That The Latter Might See He Dealt Fairly By Him; "He Asks For A 
   Miserable And Worn-Out Trapper." 
     
   The Dahcotah Threw His Arm Over The Shoulder Of The Old Man,  With An 
   Air Of Great Affection,  Before He Replied To This Third And Last 
   Demand. 
     
   "My Friend Is Old," He Said,  "And Cannot Travel Far. He Will Stay With 
   The Tetons,  That They May Learn Wisdom From His Words. What Sioux Has 
   A Tongue Like My Father? No; Let His Words Be Very Soft,  But Let Them 
   Be Very Clear. Mahtoree Will Give Skins And Buffaloes. He Will Give 
   The Young Men Of The Pale-Faces Wives,  But He Cannot Give Away Any Who 
   Live In His Own Lodge." 
     
   Perfectly Satisfied,  Himself,  With This Laconic Reply,  The Chief Was 
   Moving Towards His Expecting Counsellors,  When Suddenly Returning,  He 
   Interrupted The Translation Of The Trapper By Adding-- 
     
   "Tell The Great Buffaloe" (A Name By Which The Tetons Had Already 
   Christened Ishmael),  "That Mahtoree Has A Hand Which Is Always Open. 
   See," He Added,  Pointing To The Hard And Wrinkled Visage Of The 
   Attentive Esther,  "His Wife Is Too Old,  For So Great A Chief. Let Him 
   Put Her Out Of His Lodge. Mahtoree Loves Him As A Brother. He Is His 
   Brother. He Shall Have The Youngest Wife Of The Teton. Tachechana,  The 
   Pride Of The Sioux Girls,  Shall Cook His Venison,  And Many Braves Will 
   Look At Him With Longing Minds. Go,  A Dahcotah Is Generous." 
     
   The Singular Coolness,  With Which The Teton Concluded This Audacious 
   Proposal,  Confounded Even The Practised Trapper. He Stared After The 
   Retiring Form Of The Indian,  With An Astonishment He Did Not Care To 
   Conceal,  Nor Did He Renew His Attempt At Interpretation. Until The 
   Person Of Mahtoree Was Blended With The Cluster Of Warriors,  Who Had 
   So Long,  And With So Characteristic Patience,  Awaited His Return. 
     
   "The Teton Chief Has Spoken Very Plainly," The Old Man Continued; "He 
   Will Not Give You The Lady,  To Whom The Lord In Heaven Knows You Have 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 100 
   No Claim,  Unless It Be Such As The Wolf Has To The Lamb. He Will Not 
   Give You The Child,  You Call Your Niece; And Therein I Acknowledge 
   That I Am Far From Certain He Has The Same Justice On His Side. 
   Moreover,  Neighbour Squatter,  He Flatly Denies Your Demand For Me, 
   Miserable And Worthless As I Am; Nor Do I Think He Has Been Unwise In 
   So Doing,  Seeing That I Should Have Many Reasons Against Journeying 
   Far In Your Company. But He Makes You An Offer,  Which It Is Right And 
   Convenient You Should Know. The Teton Says Through Me,  Who Am No More 
   Than A Mouthpiece,  And Therein Not Answerable For The Sin Of His 
   Words,  But He Says,  As This Good Woman Is Getting Past The Comely Age, 
   It Is Reasonable For You To Tire Of Such A Wife. He Therefore Tells 
   You To Turn Her Out Of Your Lodge,  And When It Is Empty,  He Will Send 
   His Own Favourite,  Or Rather She That Was His Favourite,  The 'Skipping 
   Fawn,' As The Siouxes Call Her,  To Fill Her Place. You See,  Neighbour, 
   Though The Red-Skin Is Minded To Keep Your Property,  He Is Willing To 
   Give You Wherewithal To Make Yourself Some Return!" 
     
   Ishmael Listened To These Replies,  To His Several Demands,  With That 
   Species Of Gathering Indignation,  With Which The Dullest Tempers Mount 
   Into The Most Violent Paroxysms Of Rage. He Even Affected To Laugh At 
   The Conceit Of Exchanging His Long-Tried Partner For The More Flexible 
   Support Of The Youthful Tachechana,  Though His Voice Was Hollow And 
   Unnatural In The Effort. But Esther Was Far From Giving The Proposal 
   So Facetious A Reception. Lifting Her Voice To Its Most Audible Key, 
   She Broke Forth,  After Catching Her Breath Like One Who Had Been In 
   Some Imminent Danger Of Strangulation,  As Follows-- 
     
   "Hoity-Toity; Who Set An Indian Up For A Maker And Breaker Of The 
   Rights Of Wedded Wives! Does He Think A Woman Is A Beast Of The 
   Prairie,  That She Is To Be Chased From A Village,  By Dog And Gun. Let 
   The Bravest Squaw Of Them All Come Forth And Boast Of Her Doings; Can 
   She Show Such A Brood As Mine? A Wicked Tyrant Is That Thieving Red- 
   Skin,  And A Bold Rogue I Warrant Me. He Would Be Captain In-Doors,  As 
   Well As Out! An Honest Woman Is No Better In His Eyes Than One Of Your 
   Broomstick Jumpers. And You,  Ishmael Bush,  The Father Of Seven Sons 
   And So Many Comely Daughters,  To Open Your Sinful Mouth,  Except To 
   Curse Him! Would Ye Disgrace Colour,  And Family,  And Nation,  By Mixing 
   White Blood With Red,  And Would Ye Be The Parent Of A Race Of Mules! 
   The Devil Has Often Tempted You,  My Man,  But Never Before Has He Set 
   So Cunning A Snare As This. Go Back Among Your Children,  Friend; Go, 
   And Remember That You Are Not A Prowling Bear,  But A Christian Man, 
   And Thank God That You Ar' A Lawful Husband!" 
     
   The Clamour Of Esther Was Anticipated By The Judicious Trapper. He Had 
   Easily Foreseen That Her Meek Temper Would Overflow At So Scandalous A 
   Proposal As Repudiation,  And He Now Profited By The Tempest,  To Retire 
   To A Place Where He Was At Least Safe From Any Immediate Violence On 
   The Part Of Her Less Excited,  But Certainly More Dangerous Husband. 
   Ishmael,  Who Had Made His Demands With A Stout Determination To 
   Enforce Them,  Was Diverted By The Windy Torrent,  Like Many A More 
   Obstinate Husband,  From His Purpose,  And In Order To Appease A 
   Jealousy That Resembled The Fury With Which The Bear Defends Her Cubs, 
   Was Fain To Retire To A Distance From The Lodge,  That Was Known To 
   Contain The Unoffending Object Of The Sudden Uproar. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 101 
     
   "Let Your Copper-Coloured Minx Come Forth,  And Show Her Tawney Beauty 
   Before The Face Of A Woman Who Has Heard More Than One Church Bell, 
   And Seen A Power Of Real Quality," Cried Esther,  Flourishing Her Hand 
   In Triumph,  As She Drove Ishmael And Abiram Before Her,  Like Two 
   Truant Boys,  Towards Their Own Encampment. "I Warrant Me,  I Warrant 
   Me,  Here Is One Who Would Shortly Talk Her Down! Never Think To Tarry 
   Here,  My Men; Never Think To Shut An Eye In A Camp,  Through Which The 
   Devil Walks As Openly As If He Were A Gentleman,  And Sure Of His 
   Welcome. Here,  You Abner,  Enoch,  Jesse,  Where Ar' Ye Gotten To? Put 
   To,  Put To; If That Weak-Minded,  Soft-Feeling Man,  Your Father,  Eats 
   Or Drinks Again In This Neighbourhood,  We Shall See Him Poisoned With 
   The Craft Of The Red-Skins. Not That I Care,  I,  Who Comes Into My 
   Place,  When It Is Once Lawfully Empty; But,  Ishmael,  I Never Thought 
   That You,  Who Have Had One Woman With A White Skin,  Would Find 
   Pleasure In Looking On A Brazen--Ay,  That She Is Copper Ar' A Fact; 
   You Can't Deny It,  And I Warrant Me,  Brazen Enough Is She Too!" 
     
   Against This Ebullition Of Wounded Female Pride,  The Experienced 
   Husband Made No Other Head,  Than By An Occasional Exclamation,  Which 
   He Intended To Be Precursor Of A Simple Asseveration Of His Own 
   Innocence. The Fury Of The Woman Would Not Be Appeased. She Listened 
   To Nothing But Her Own Voice,  And Consequently Nothing Was Heard But 
   Her Mandates To Depart. 
     
   The Squatter Had Collected His Beasts And Loaded His Wagons,  As A 
   Measure Of Precaution,  Before Proceeding To The Extremity He 
   Contemplated. Esther Consequently Found Every Thing Favourable To Her 
   Wishes. The Young Men Stared At Each Other,  As They Witnessed The 
   Extraordinary Excitement Of Their Mother,  But Took Little Interest In 
   An Event Which,  In The Course Of Their Experience,  Had Found So Many 
   Parallels. By Command Of Their Father,  The Tents Were Thrown Into The 
   Vehicles,  As A Sort Of Reprisal For The Want Of Faith In Their Late 
   Ally,  And Then The Train Left The Spot,  In Its Usual Listless And 
   Sluggish Order. 
     
   As A Formidable Division Of Well-Armed Borderers Protected The Rear Of 
   The Retiring Party,  The Siouxes Saw It Depart Without Manifesting The 
   Smallest Evidence Of Surprise Or Resentment. The Savage,  Like The 
   Tiger,  Rarely Makes His Attack On An Enemy Who Expects Him; And If The 
   Warriors Of The Tetons Meditated Any Hostility,  It Was In The Still 
   And Patient Manner With Which The Feline Beasts Watch For The 
   Incautious Moment,  In Order To Ensure The Blow. The Counsels Of 
   Mahtoree,  However,  On Whom So Much Of The Policy Of His People 
   Depended,  Lay Deep In The Depository Of His Own Thoughts. Perhaps He 
   Rejoiced At So Easy A Manner Of Getting Rid Of Claims So Troublesome; 
   Perhaps He Awaited A Fitting Time To Exhibit His Power; Or It Even 
   Might Be,  That Matters Of So Much Greater Importance Were Pressing On 
   His Mind,  That It Had Not Leisure To Devote Any Of Its Faculties To An 
   Event Of So Much Indifference. 
     
   But It Would Seem That While Ishmael Made Such A Concession To The 
   Awakened Feelings Of Esther,  He Was Far From Abandoning His Original 
   Intentions. His Train Followed The Course Of The River For A Mile,  And 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 102 
   Then It Came To A Halt On The Brow Of The Elevated Land,  And In A 
   Place Which Afforded The Necessary Facilities. Here He Again Pitched 
   His Tents,  Unharnessed His Teams,  Sent His Cattle On The Bottom,  And, 
   In Short,  Made All The Customary Preparations To Pass The Night,  With 
   The Same Coolness And Deliberation As If He Had Not Hurled An 
   Irritating Defiance Into The Teeth Of His Dangerous Neighbours. 
     
   In The Mean Time The Tetons Proceeded To The More Regular Business Of 
   The Hour. A Fierce And Savage Joy Had Existed In The Camp,  From The 
   Instant When It Had Been Announced That Their Own Chief Was Returning 
   With The Long-Dreaded And Hated Partisan Of Their Enemies. For Many 
   Hours The Crones Of The Tribe Had Been Going From Lodge To Lodge,  In 
   Order To Stimulate The Tempers Of The Warriors To Such A Pass,  As 
   Might Leave But Little Room For Mercy. To One They Spoke Of A Son, 
   Whose Scalp Was Drying In The Smoke Of A Pawnee Lodge. To Another, 
   They Enumerated His Own Scars,  His Disgraces,  And Defeats; With A 
   Third,  They Dwelt On His Losses Of Skins And Horses; And A Fourth Was 
   Reminded Of Vengeance By A Significant Question,  Concerning Some 
   Flagrant Adventure,  In Which He Was Known To Have Been A Sufferer. 
     
   By These Means The Men Had Been So Far Excited As To Have Assembled, 
   In The Manner Already Related,  Though It Still Remained A Matter Of 
   Doubt How Far They Intended To Carry Their Revenge. A Variety Of 
   Opinions Prevailed On The Policy Of Executing Their Prisoners; And 
   Mahtoree Had Suspended The Discussions,  In Order To Ascertain How Far 
   The Measure Might Propitiate,  Or Retard,  His Own Particular Views. 
   Hitherto The Consultations Had Merely Been Preliminary,  With A Design 
   That Each Chief Might Discover The Number Of Supporters His Particular 
   Views Would Be Likely To Obtain,  When The Important Subject Should 
   Come Before A More Solemn Council Of The Tribe. The Moment For The 
   Latter Had Now Arrived,  And The Preparations Were Made With A Dignity 
   And Solemnity Suited To The Momentous Interests Of The Occasion. 
     
   With A Refinement In Cruelty,  That None But An Indian Would Have 
   Imagined,  The Place,  Selected For This Grave Deliberation,  Was 
   Immediately About The Post To Which The Most Important Of Its Subjects 
   Was Attached. Middleton And Paul Were Brought In Their Bonds,  And Laid 
   At The Feet Of The Pawnee; Then The Men Began To Take Their Places, 
   According To Their Several Claims To Distinction. As Warrior After 
   Warrior Approached,  He Seated Himself In The Wide Circle,  With A Mien 
   As Composed And Thoughtful,  As If His Mind Were Actually In A 
   Condition To Deal Out Justice,  Tempered,  As It Should Be,  With The 
   Heavenly Quality Of Mercy. A Place Was Reserved For Three Or Four Of 
   The Principal Chiefs,  And A Few Of The Oldest Of The Women,  As 
   Withered,  As Age,  Exposure,  Hardships,  And Lives Of Savage Passions 
   Could Make Them,  Thrust Themselves Into The Foremost Circle,  With A 
   Temerity,  To Which They Were Impelled By Their Insatiable Desire For 
   Cruelty,  And Which Nothing,  But Their Years And Their Long Tried 
   Fidelity To The Nation,  Would Have Excused. 
     
   All,  But The Chiefs Already Named,  Were Now In Their Places. These Had 
   Delayed Their Appearance,  In The Vain Hope That Their Own Unanimity 
   Might Smooth The Way To That Of Their Respective Factions; For, 
   Notwithstanding The Superior Influence Of Mahtoree,  His Power Was To 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 103 
   Be Maintained Only By Constant Appeals To The Opinions Of His 
   Inferiors. As These Important Personages At Length Entered The Circle 
   In A Body,  Their Sullen Looks And Clouded Brows,  Notwithstanding The 
   Time Given To Consultation,  Sufficiently Proclaimed The Discontent 
   Which Reigned Among Them. The Eye Of Mahtoree Was Varying In Its 
   Expression,  From Sudden Gleams,  That Seemed To Kindle With The Burning 
   Impulses Of His Soul,  To That Cold And Guarded Steadiness,  Which Was 
   Thought More Peculiarly To Become A Chief In Council. He Took His 
   Seat,  With The Studied Simplicity Of A Demagogue; Though The Keen And 
   Flashing Glance,  That He Immediately Threw Around The Silent Assembly, 
   Betrayed The More Predominant Temper Of A Tyrant. 
     
   When All Were Present,  An Aged Warrior Lighted The Great Pipe Of His 
   People,  And Blew The Smoke Towards The Four Quarters Of The Heavens. 
   So Soon As This Propitiatory Offering Was Made,  He Tendered It To 
   Mahtoree,  Who,  In Affected Humility,  Passed It To A Grey-Headed Chief 
   By His Side. After The Influence Of The Soothing Weed Had Been Courted 
   By All,  A Grave Silence Succeeded,  As If Each Was Not Only Qualified 
   To,  But Actually Did,  Think More Deeply On The Matters Before Them. 
   Then An Old Indian Arose,  And Spoke As Follows:-- 
     
   "The Eagle,  At The Falls Of The Endless River,  Was In Its Egg,  Many 
   Snows After My Hand Had Struck A Pawnee. What My Tongue Says,  My Eyes 
   Have Seen. Bohrecheena Is Very Old. The Hills Have Stood Longer In 
   Their Places,  Than He Has Been In His Tribe,  And The Rivers Were Full 
   And Empty,  Before He Was Born; But Where Is The Sioux That Knows It 
   Besides Himself? What He Says,  They Will Hear. If Any Of His Words 
   Fall To The Ground,  They Will Pick Them Up And Hold Them To Their 
   Ears. If Any Blow Away In The Wind,  My Young Men,  Who Are Very Nimble, 
   Will Catch Them. Now Listen. Since Water Ran And Trees Grew,  The Sioux 
   Has Found The Pawnee On His War-Path. As The Cougar Loves The 
   Antelope,  The Dahcotah Loves His Enemy. When The Wolf Finds The Fawn, 
   Does He Lie Down And Sleep? When The Panther Sees The Doe At The 
   Spring,  Does He Shut His Eyes? You Know That He Does Not. He Drinks 
   Too; But It Is Of Blood! A Sioux Is A Leaping Panther,  A Pawnee A 
   Trembling Deer. Let My Children Hear Me. They Will Find My Words Good. 
   I Have Spoken." 
     
   A Deep Guttural Exclamation Of Assent Broke From The Lips Of All The 
   Partisans Of Mahtoree,  As They Listened To This Sanguinary Advice From 
   One,  Who Was Certainly Among The Most Aged Men Of The Nation. That 
   Deeply Seated Love Of Vengeance,  Which Formed So Prominent A Feature 
   In Their Characters,  Was Gratified By His Metaphorical Allusions,  And 
   The Chief Himself Augured Favourably Of The Success Of His Own 
   Schemes,  By The Number Of Supporters,  Who Manifested Themselves To Be 
   In Favour Of The Counsels Of His Friend. But Still Unanimity Was Far 
   From Prevailing. A Long And Decorous Pause Was Suffered To Succeed The 
   Words Of The First Speaker,  In Order That All Might Duly Deliberate On 
   Their Wisdom,  Before Another Chief Took On Himself The Office Of 
   Refutation. The Second Orator,  Though Past The Prime Of His Days,  Was 
   Far Less Aged Than The One Who Had Preceded Him. He Felt The 
   Disadvantage Of This Circumstance,  And Endeavoured To Counteract It, 
   As Far As Possible,  By The Excess Of His Humility. 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 104 
   "I Am But An Infant," He Commenced,  Looking Furtively Around Him,  In 
   Order To Detect How Far His Well-Established Character For Prudence 
   And Courage Contradicted His Assertion. "I Have Lived With The Women, 
   Since My Father Has Been A Man. If My Head Is Getting Grey,  It Is Not 
   Because I Am Old. Some Of The Snow,  Which Fell On It While I Have Been 
   Sleeping On The War-Paths,  Has Frozen There,  And The Hot Sun,  Near The 
   Osage Villages,  Has Not Been Strong Enough To Melt It." A Low Murmur 
   Was Heard,  Expressive Of Admiration Of The Services To Which He Thus 
   Artfully Alluded. The Orator Modestly Awaited For The Feeling To 
   Subside A Little,  And Then He Continued,  With Increasing Energy, 
   Encouraged By Their Commendations. "But The Eyes Of A Young Brave Are 
   Good. He Can See Very Far. He Is A Lynx. Look At Me Well. I Will Turn 
   My Back,  That You May See Both Sides Of Me. Now Do You Know I Am Your 
   Friend,  For You Look On A Part That A Pawnee Never Yet Saw. Now Look 
   At My Face; Not In This Seam,  For There Your Eyes Can Never See Into 
   My Spirit. It Is A Hole Cut By A Konza. But Here Is An Opening Made By 
   The Wahcondah,  Through Which You May Look Into The Soul. What Am I? A 
   Dahcotah,  Within And Without. You Know It. Therefore Hear Me. The 
   Blood Of Every Creature On The Prairie Is Red. Who Can Tell The Spot 
   Where A Pawnee Was Struck,  From The Place Where My Young Men Took A 
   Bison? It Is Of The Same Colour. The Master Of Life Made Them For Each 
   Other. He Made Them Alike. But Will The Grass Grow Green Where A Pale- 
   Face Is Killed? My Young Men Must Not Think That Nation So Numerous, 
   That It Will Not Miss A Warrior. They Call Them Over Often,  And Say, 
   Where Are My Sons? If They Miss One,  They Will Send Into The Prairies 
   To Look For Him. If They Cannot Find Him,  They Will Tell Their Runners 
   To Ask For Him,  Among The Siouxes. My Brethren,  The Big-Knives Are Not 
   Fools. There Is A Mighty Medicine Of Their Nation Now Among Us; Who 
   Can Tell How Loud Is His Voice,  Or How Long Is His Arm?--" 
     
   The Speech Of The Orator,  Who Was Beginning To Enter Into His Subject 
   With Warmth,  Was Cut Short By The Impatient Mahtoree,  Who Suddenly 
   Arose And Exclaimed,  In A Voice In Which Authority Was Mingled With 
   Contempt,  And At The Close With A Keen Tone Of Irony,  Also-- 
     
   "Let My Young Men Lead The Evil Spirit Of The Palefaces To The 
   Council. My Brother Shall See His Medicine,  Face To Face!" 
     
   A Death-Like And Solemn Stillness Succeeded This Extraordinary 
   Interruption. It Not Only Involved A Deep Offence Against The Sacred 
   Courtesy Of Debate,  But The Mandate Was Likely To Brave The Unknown 
   Power Of One Of Those Incomprehensible Beings,  Whom Few Indians Were 
   Enlightened Enough,  At That Day,  To Regard Without Reverence,  Or Few 
   Hardy Enough To Oppose. The Subordinates,  However,  Obeyed,  And Obed 
   Was Led Forth From The Lodge,  Mounted On Asinus,  With A Ceremony And 
   State Which Was Certainly Intended For Derision,  But Which 
   Nevertheless Was Greatly Enhanced By Fear. As They Entered The Ring, 
   Mahtoree,  Who Had Foreseen And Had Endeavoured To Anticipate The 
   Influence Of The Doctor,  By Bringing Him Into Contempt,  Cast An Eye 
   Around The Assembly,  In Order To Gather His Success In The Various 
   Dark Visages By Which He Was Encircled. 
     
   Truly,  Nature And Art Had Combined To Produce Such An Effect From The 
   Air And Appointments Of The Naturalist,  As Might Have Made Him The 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 105 
   Subject Of Wonder In Any Place. His Head Had Been Industriously 
   Shaved,  After The Most Approved Fashion Of Sioux Taste. A Gallant 
   Scalp-Lock,  Which Would Probably Not Have Been Spared Had The Doctor 
   Himself Been Consulted In The Matter,  Was All That Remained Of An 
   Exuberant,  And At That Particular Season Of The Year,  Far From 
   Uncomfortable Head Of Hair. Thick Coats Of Paint Had Been Laid On The 
   Naked Poll,  And Certain Fanciful Designs,  In The Same Material,  Had 
   Even Been Extended Into The Neighbourhood Of The Eyes And Mouth, 
   Lending To The Keen Expression Of The Former A Look Of Twinkling 
   Cunning,  And To The Dogmatism Of The Latter,  Not A Little Of The 
   Grimness Of Necromancy. He Had Been Despoiled Of His Upper Garments, 
   And,  In Their Stead,  His Body Was Sufficiently Protected From The 
   Cold,  By A Fantastically Painted Robe Of Dressed Deer-Skin. As If In 
   Mockery Of His Pursuit,  Sundry Toads,  Frogs,  Lizards,  Butterflies, 
   &C.,  All Duly Prepared To Take Their Places At Some Future Day,  In His 
   Own Private Cabinet,  Were Attached To The Solitary Lock On His Head, 
   To His Ears,  And To Various Other Conspicuous Parts Of His Person. If, 
   In Addition To The Effect Produced By These Quaint Auxiliaries To His 
   Costume,  We Add The Portentous And Troubled Gleamings Of Doubt,  Which 
   Rendered His Visage Doubly Austere,  And Proclaimed The Misgivings Of 
   The Worthy Obed's Mind,  As He Beheld His Personal Dignity Thus 
   Prostrated,  And What Was Of Far Greater Moment In His Eyes,  Himself 
   Led Forth,  As He Firmly Believed,  To Be The Victim Of Some Heathenish 
   Sacrifice,  The Reader Will Find No Difficulty In Giving Credit To The 
   Sensation Of Awe,  That Was Excited By His Appearance In A Band Already 
   More Than Half-Prepared To Worship Him,  As A Powerful Agent Of The 
   Evil Spirit. 
     
   Weucha Led Asinus Directly Into The Centre Of The Circle,  And Leaving 
   Them Together,  (For The Legs Of The Naturalist Were Attached To The 
   Beast In Such A Manner,  That The Two Animals Might Be Said To Be 
   Incorporated,  And To Form A New Order,) He Withdrew To His Proper 
   Place,  Gazing At The Conjuror,  As He Retired,  With A Wonder And 
   Admiration,  That Were Natural To The Groveling Dulness Of His Mind. 
     
   The Astonishment Seemed Mutual,  Between The Spectators And The Subject 
   Of This Strange Exhibition. If The Tetons Contemplated The Mysterious 
   Attributes Of The Medicine,  With Awe And Fear,  The Doctor Gazed On 
   Every Side Of Him,  With A Mixture Of Quite As Many Extraordinary 
   Emotions,  In Which The Latter Sensation,  However,  Formed No 
   Inconsiderable Ingredient. Every Where His Eyes,  Which Just At That 
   Moment Possessed A Secret Magnifying Quality,  Seemed To Rest On 
   Several Dark,  Savage,  And Obdurate Countenances At Once,  From None Of 
   Which Could He Extract A Solitary Gleam Of Sympathy Or Commiseration. 
   At Length His Wandering Gaze Fell On The Grave And Decent Features Of 
   The Trapper,  Who,  With Hector At His Feet,  Stood In The Edge Of The 
   Circle,  Leaning On That Rifle Which He Had Been Permitted,  As An 
   Acknowledged Friend,  To Resume,  And Apparently Musing On The Events 
   That Were Likely To Succeed A Council,  Marked By So Many And Such 
   Striking Ceremonies. 
     
   "Venerable Venator,  Or Hunter,  Or Trapper," Said The Disconsolate 
   Obed,  "I Rejoice Greatly In Meeting Thee Again. I Fear That The 
   Precious Time,  Which Had Been Allotted Me,  In Order To Complete A 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 106 
   Mighty Labour,  Is Drawing To A Premature Close,  And I Would Gladly 
   Unburden My Mind To One Who,  If Not A Pupil Of Science,  Has At Least 
   Some Of The Knowledge Which Civilisation Imparts To Its Meanest 
   Subjects. Doubtless Many And Earnest Enquiries Will Be Made After My 
   Fate,  By The Learned Societies Of The World,  And Perhaps Expeditions 
   Will Be Sent Into These Regions To Remove Any Doubts,  Which May Arise 
   On So Important A Subject. I Esteem Myself Happy That A Man,  Who 
   Speaks The Vernacular,  Is Present,  To Preserve The Record Of My End. 
   You Will Say That After A Well-Spent And Glorious Life,  I Died A 
   Martyr To Science,  And A Victim To Mental Darkness. As I Expect To Be 
   Particularly Calm And Abstracted In My Last Moments,  If You Add A Few 
   Details,  Concerning The Fortitude And Scholastic Dignity With Which I 
   Met My Death,  It May Serve To Encourage Future Aspirants For Similar 
   Honours,  And Assuredly Give Offence To No One. And Now,  Friend 
   Trapper,  As A Duty I Owe To Human Nature,  I Will Conclude By Demanding 
   If All Hope Has Deserted Me,  Or If Any Means Still Exist By Which So 
   Much Valuable Information May Be Rescued From The Grasp Of Ignorance, 
   And Preserved To The Pages Of Natural History." 
     
   The Old Man Lent An Attentive Ear To This Melancholy Appeal,  And 
   Apparently He Reflected On Every Side Of The Important Question, 
   Before He Would Presume To Answer. 
     
   "I Take It,  Friend Physicianer," He At Length Gravely Replied,  "That 
   The Chances Of Life And Death,  In Your Particular Case,  Depend 
   Altogether On The Will Of Providence,  As It May Be Pleased To Manifest 
   It,  Through The Accursed Windings Of Indian Cunning. For My Own Part, 
   I See No Great Difference In The Main End To Be Gained,  Inasmuch As It 
   Can Matter No One Greatly,  Yourself Excepted,  Whether You Live Or 
   Die." 
     
   "Would You Account The Fall Of A Corner-Stone,  From The Foundations Of 
   The Edifice Of Learning,  A Matter Of Indifference To Contemporaries Or 
   To Posterity?" Interrupted Obed. "Besides,  My Aged Associate," He 
   Reproachfully Added,  "The Interest,  That A Man Has In His Own 
   Existence,  Is By No Means Trifling,  However It May Be Eclipsed By His 
   Devotion To More General And Philanthropic Feelings." 
     
   "What I Would Say Is This," Resumed The Trapper,  Who Was Far From 
   Understanding All The Subtle Distinctions With Which His More Learned 
   Companion So Often Saw Fit To Embellish His Discourse; "There Is But 
   One Birth And One Death To All Things,  Be It Hound,  Or Be It Deer; Be 
   It Red Skin,  Or Be It White. Both Are In The Hands Of The Lord,  It 
   Being As Unlawful For Man To Strive To Hasten The One,  As Impossible 
   To Prevent The Other. But I Will Not Say That Something May Not Be 
   Done To Put The Last Moment Aside,  For A While At Least,  And Therefore 
   It Is A Question,  That Any One Has A Right To Put To His Own Wisdom, 
   How Far He Will Go,  And How Much Pain He Will Suffer,  To Lengthen Out 
   A Time That May Have Been Too Long Already. Many A Dreary Winter And 
   Scorching Summer Has Gone By Since I Have Turned,  To The Right Hand Or 
   To The Left,  To Add An Hour To A Life That Has Already Stretched 
   Beyond Fourscore Years. I Keep Myself As Ready To Answer To My Name As 
   A Soldier At Evening Roll-Call. In My Judgment,  If Your Cases Are Left 
   To Indian Tempers,  The Policy Of The Great Sioux Will Lead His People 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 107 
   To Sacrifice You All; Nor Do I Put Much Dependence On His Seeming Love 
   For Me; Therefore It Becomes A Question Whether You Are Ready For Such 
   A Journey; And If,  Being Ready,  Whether This Is Not As Good A Time To 
   Start As Another. Should My Opinion Be Asked,  Thus Far Will I Give It 
   In Your Favour; That Is To Say,  It Is My Belief Your Life Has Been 
   Innocent Enough,  Touching Any Great Offences That You May Have 
   Committed,  Though Honesty Compels Me To Add,  That I Think All You Can 
   Lay Claim To,  On The Score Of Activity In Deeds,  Will Not Amount To 
   Any Thing Worth Naming In The Great Account." 
     
   Obed Turned A Rueful Eye On The Calm,  Philosophic Countenance Of The 
   Other,  As He Answered With So Discouraging A Statement Of His Case, 
   Clearing His Throat,  As He Did So,  In Order To Conceal The Desperate 
   Concern Which Began To Beset His Faculties,  With A Vestige Of That 
   Pride,  Which Rarely Deserts Poor Human Nature,  Even In The Greatest 
   Emergencies. 
     
   "I Believe,  Venerable Hunter," He Replied,  "Considering The Question 
   In All Its Bearings,  And Assuming That Your Theory Is Just,  It Will Be 
   The Safest To Conclude That I Am Not Prepared To Make So Hasty A 
   Departure,  And That Measures Of Precaution Should Be,  Forthwith, 
   Resorted To." 
     
   "Being In That Mind," Returned The Deliberate Trapper,  "I Will Act For 
   You As I Would For Myself; Though As Time Has Begun To Roll Down The 
   Hill With You,  I Will Just Advise That You Look To Your Case Speedily, 
   For It May So Happen That Your Name Will Be Heard,  When Quite As 
   Little Prepared To Answer To It As Now." 
     
   With This Amicable Understanding,  The Old Man Drew Back Again Into The 
   Ring,  Where He Stood Musing On The Course He Should Now Adopt,  With 
   The Singular Mixture Of Decision And Resignation That Proceeded From 
   His Habits And His Humility,  And Which United To Form A Character,  In 
   Which Excessive Energy,  And The Most Meek Submission To The Will Of 
   Providence,  Were Oddly Enough Combined. 
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 108 
     The Witch,  In Smithfield,  Shall Be Burned To Ashes,  And You Three 
     Shall Be Strangled On The Gallows. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Siouxes Had Awaited The Issue Of The Foregoing Dialogue With 
   Commendable Patience. Most Of The Band Were Restrained,  By The Secret 
   Awe With Which They Regarded The Mysterious Character Of Obed; While A 
   Few Of The More Intelligent Chiefs Gladly Profited By The Opportunity, 
   To Arrange Their Thoughts For The Struggle That Was Plainly Foreseen. 
   Mahtoree,  Influenced By Neither Of These Feelings,  Was Content To Show 
   The Trapper How Much He Conceded To His Pleasure; And When The Old Man 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 109 
   Discontinued The Discourse,  He Received From The Chief A Glance,  That 
   Was Intended To Remind Him Of The Patience,  With Which He Had Awaited 
   His Movements. A Profound And Motionless Silence Succeeded The Short 
   Interruption. Then Mahtoree Arose,  Evidently Prepared To Speak. First 
   Placing Himself In An Attitude Of Dignity,  He Turned A Steady And 
   Severe Look On The Whole Assembly. The Expression Of His Eye,  However, 
   Changed As It Glanced Across The Different Countenances Of His 
   Supporters And Of His Opponents. To The Former The Look,  Though Stern, 
   Was Not Threatening,  While It Seemed To Tell The Latter All The 
   Hazards They Incurred,  In Daring To Brave The Resentment Of One So 
   Powerful. 
     
   Still,  In The Midst Of So Much Hauteur And Confidence,  The Sagacity 
   And Cunning Of The Teton Did Not Desert Him. When He Had Thrown The 
   Gauntlet,  As It Were,  To The Whole Tribe,  And Sufficiently Asserted 
   His Claim To Superiority,  His Mien Became More Affable And His Eye 
   Less Angry. Then It Was That He Raised His Voice,  In The Midst Of A 
   Death-Like Stillness,  Varying Its Tones To Suit The Changing Character 
   Of His Images,  And Of His Eloquence. 
     
   "What Is A Sioux?" The Chief Sagaciously Began; "He Is Ruler Of The 
   Prairies,  And Master Of Its Beasts. The Fishes In The 'River Of 
   Troubled Waters' Know Him,  And Come At His Call. He Is A Fox In 
   Counsel; An Eagle In Sight; A Grizzly Bear In Combat. A Dahcotah Is A 
   Man!" After Waiting For The Low Murmur Of Approbation,  Which Followed 
   This Flattering Portrait Of His People,  To Subside,  The Teton 
   Continued--"What Is A Pawnee? A Thief,  Who Only Steals From Women; A 
   Red-Skin,  Who Is Not Brave; A Hunter,  That Begs For His Venison. In 
   Counsel He Is A Squirrel,  Hopping From Place To Place; He Is An Owl, 
   That Goes On The Prairies At Night; In Battle He Is An Elk,  Whose Legs 
   Are Long. A Pawnee Is A Woman." Another Pause Succeeded,  During Which 
   A Yell Of Delight Broke From Several Mouths,  And A Demand Was Made, 
   That The Taunting Words Should Be Translated To The Unconscious 
   Subject Of Their Biting Contempt. The Old Man Took His Cue From The 
   Eyes Of Mahtoree,  And Complied. Hard-Heart Listened Gravely,  And Then, 
   As If Apprized That His Time To Speak Had Not Arrived,  He Once More 
   Bent His Look On The Vacant Air. The Orator Watched His Countenance, 
   With An Expression That Manifested How Inextinguishable Was The Hatred 
   He Felt For The Only Chief,  Far And Near,  Whose Fame Might 
   Advantageously Be Compared With His Own. Though Disappointed In Not 
   Having Touched The Pride Of One Whom He Regarded As A Boy,  He 
   Proceeded,  What He Considered As Far More Important,  To Quicken The 
   Tempers Of The Men Of His Own Tribe,  In Order That They Might Be 
   Prepared To Work His Savage Purposes. "If The Earth Was Covered With 
   Rats,  Which Are Good For Nothing," He Said,  "There Would Be No Room 
   For Buffaloes,  Which Give Food And Clothes To An Indian. If The 
   Prairies Were Covered With Pawnees,  There Would Be No Room For The 
   Foot Of A Dahcotah. A Loup Is A Rat,  A Sioux A Heavy Buffaloe; Let The 
   Buffaloes Tread Upon The Rats And Make Room For Themselves. 
     
   "My Brothers,  A Little Child Has Spoken To You. He Tells You,  His Hair 
   Is Not Grey,  But Frozen--That The Grass Will Not Grow Where A Pale- 
   Face Has Died. Does He Know The Colour Of The Blood Of A Big-Knife? 
   No! I Know He Does Not; He Has Never Seen It. What Dahcotah,  Besides 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 110 
   Mahtoree,  Has Ever Struck A Pale-Face? Not One. But Mahtoree Must Be 
   Silent. Every Teton Will Shut His Ears When He Speaks. The Scalps Over 
   His Lodge Were Taken By The Women. They Were Taken By Mahtoree,  And He 
   Is A Woman. His Mouth Is Shut; He Waits For The Feasts To Sing Among 
   The Girls!" 
     
   Notwithstanding The Exclamations Of Regret And Resentment,  Which 
   Followed So Abasing A Declaration,  The Chief Took His Seat,  As If 
   Determined To Speak No More. But The Murmurs Grew Louder And More 
   General,  And There Were Threatening Symptoms That The Council Would 
   Dissolve Itself In Confusion; And He Arose And Resumed His Speech,  By 
   Changing His Manner To The Fierce And Hurried Enunciation Of A Warrior 
   Bent On Revenge. 
     
   "Let My Young Men Go Look For Tetao!" He Cried; "They Will Find His 
   Scalp Drying In Pawnee Smoke. Where Is The Son Of Bohrecheena? His 
   Bones Are Whiter Than The Faces Of His Murderers. Is Mahhah Asleep In 
   His Lodge? You Know It Is Many Moons Since He Started For The Blessed 
   Prairies; Would He Were Here,  That He Might Say Of What Colour Was The 
   Hand That Took His Scalp!" 
     
   In This Strain The Artful Chief Continued For Many Minutes,  Calling 
   Those Warriors By Name,  Who Were Known To Have Met Their Deaths In 
   Battle With The Pawnees,  Or In Some Of Those Lawless Frays Which So 
   Often Occurred Between The Sioux Bands And A Class Of White Men,  Who 
   Were But Little Removed From Them In The Qualities Of Civilisation. 
   Time Was Not Given To Reflect On The Merits,  Or Rather The Demerits, 
   Of Most Of The Different Individuals To Whom He Alluded,  In 
   Consequence Of The Rapid Manner In Which He Ran Over Their Names; But 
   So Cunningly Did He Time His Events,  And So Thrillingly Did He Make 
   His Appeals,  Aided As They Were By The Power Of His Deep-Toned And 
   Stirring Voice,  That Each Of Them Struck An Answering Chord In The 
   Breast Of Some One Of His Auditors. 
     
   It Was In The Midst Of One Of His Highest Flights Of Eloquence,  That A 
   Man,  So Aged As To Walk With The Greatest Difficulty,  Entered The Very 
   Centre Of The Circle,  And Took His Stand Directly In Front Of The 
   Speaker. An Ear Of Great Acuteness Might Possibly Have Detected That 
   The Tones Of The Orator Faltered A Little,  As His Flashing Look First 
   Fell On This Unexpected Object,  Though The Change Was So Trifling, 
   That None,  But Such As Thoroughly Knew The Parties,  Would Have 
   Suspected It. The Stranger Had Once Been As Distinguished For His 
   Beauty And Proportions,  As Had Been His Eagle Eye For Its Irresistible 
   And Terrible Glance. But His Skin Was Now Wrinkled,  And His Features 
   Furrowed With So Many Scars,  As To Have Obtained For Him,  Half A 
   Century Before,  From The French Of The Canadas,  A Title Which Has Been 
   Borne By So Many Of The Heroes Of France,  And Which Had Now Been 
   Adopted Into The Language Of The Wild Horde Of Whom We Are Writing,  As 
   The One Most Expressive Of The Deeds Of Their Own Brave. The Murmur Of 
   Le Balafre,  That Ran Through The Assembly When He Appeared,  Announced 
   Not Only His Name And The High Estimation Of His Character,  But How 
   Extraordinary His Visit Was Considered. As He Neither Spoke Nor Moved, 
   However,  The Sensation Created By His Appearance Soon Subsided,  And 
   Then Every Eye Was Again Turned Upon The Speaker,  And Every Ear Once 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 111 
   More Drunk In The Intoxication Of His Maddening Appeals. 
     
   It Would Have Been Easy To Have Traced The Triumph Of Mahtoree,  In The 
   Reflecting Countenances Of His Auditors. It Was Not Long Before A Look 
   Of Ferocity And Of Revenge Was To Be Seen Seated On The Grim Visages 
   Of Most Of The Warriors,  And Each New And Crafty Allusion To The 
   Policy Of Extinguishing Their Enemies,  Was Followed By Fresh And Less 
   Restrained Bursts Of Approbation. In The Height Of This Success The 
   Teton Closed His Speech,  By A Rapid Appeal To The Pride And Hardihood 
   Of His Native Band,  And Suddenly Took His Seat. 
     
   In The Midst Of The Murmurs Of Applause,  Which Succeeded So Remarkable 
   An Effort Of Eloquence,  A Low,  Feeble And Hollow Voice Was Heard 
   Rising On The Ear,  As If It Rolled From The Inmost Cavities Of The 
   Human Chest,  And Gathered Strength And Energy As It Issued Into The 
   Air. A Solemn Stillness Followed The Sounds,  And Then The Lips Of The 
   Aged Man Were First Seen To Move. 
     
   "The Day Of Le Balafre Is Near Its End," Were The First Words That 
   Were Distinctly Audible. "He Is Like A Buffaloe,  On Whom The Hair Will 
   Grow No Longer. He Will Soon Be Ready To Leave His Lodge,  To Go In 
   Search Of Another,  That Is Far From The Villages Of The Siouxes; 
   Therefore,  What He Has To Say Concerns Not Him,  But Those He Leaves 
   Behind Him. His Words Are Like The Fruit On The Tree,  Ripe And Fit To 
   Be Given To Chiefs. 
     
   "Many Snows Have Fallen Since Le Balafre Has Been Found On The War- 
   Path. His Blood Has Been Very Hot,  But It Has Had Time To Cool. The 
   Wahcondah Gives Him Dreams Of War No Longer; He Sees That It Is Better 
   To Live In Peace. 
     
   "My Brothers,  One Foot Is Turned To The Happy Hunting-Grounds,  The 
   Other Will Soon Follow,  And Then An Old Chief Will Be Seen Looking For 
   The Prints Of His Father's Moccasins,  That He May Make No Mistake,  But 
   Be Sure To Come Before The Master Of Life,  By The Same Path,  As So 
   Many Good Indians Have Already Travelled. But Who Will Follow? Le 
   Balafre Has No Son. His Oldest Has Ridden Too Many Pawnee Horses; The 
   Bones Of The Youngest Have Been Gnawed By Konza Dogs! Le Balafre Has 
   Come To Look For A Young Arm,  On Which He May Lean,  And To Find A Son, 
   That When He Is Gone His Lodge May Not Be Empty. Tachechana,  The 
   Skipping Fawn Of The Tetons,  Is Too Weak,  To Prop A Warrior,  Who Is 
   Old. She Looks Before Her And Not Backwards. Her Mind Is In The Lodge 
   Of Her Husband." 
     
   The Enunciation Of The Veteran Warrior Had Been Calm,  But Distinct, 
   And Decided. His Declaration Was Received In Silence; And Though 
   Several Of The Chiefs,  Who Were In The Counsels Of Mahtoree,  Turned 
   Their Eyes On Their Leader,  None Presumed To Oppose So Aged And So 
   Venerated A Brave,  In A Resolution That Was Strictly In Conformity To 
   The Usages Of The Nation. The Teton Himself Was Content To Await The 
   Result With Seeming Composure,  Though The Gleams Of Ferocity,  That 
   Played About His Eye,  Occasionally Betrayed The Nature Of Those 
   Feelings,  With Which He Witnessed A Procedure,  That Was Likely To Rob 
   Him Of That One Of All His Intended Victims Whom He Most Hated. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 112 
     
   In The Mean Time Le Balafre Moved With A Slow And Painful Step Towards 
   The Captives. He Stopped Before The Person Of Hard-Heart,  Whose 
   Faultless Form,  Unchanging Eye,  And Lofty Mien,  He Contemplated Long, 
   With High And Evident Satisfaction. Then Making A Gesture Of 
   Authority,  He Awaited,  Until His Order Had Been Obeyed,  And The Youth 
   Was Released From The Post And His Bonds,  By The Same Blow Of The 
   Knife. When The Young Warrior Was Led Nearer To His Dimmed And Failing 
   Sight,  The Examination Was Renewed,  With Strictness Of Scrutiny,  And 
   That Admiration,  Which Physical Excellence Is So Apt To Excite In The 
   Breast Of A Savage. 
     
   "It Is Good," The Wary Veteran Murmured,  When He Found That All His 
   Skill In The Requisites Of A Brave Could Detect No Blemish; "This Is A 
   Leaping Panther! Does My Son Speak With The Tongue Of A Teton?" 
     
   The Intelligence,  Which Lighted The Eyes Of The Captive,  Betrayed How 
   Well He Understood The Question,  But Still He Was Far Too Haughty To 
   Communicate His Ideas Through The Medium Of A Language That Belonged 
   To A Hostile People. Some Of The Surrounding Warriors Explained To The 
   Old Chief,  That The Captive Was A Pawnee-Loup. 
     
   "My Son Opened His Eyes On The 'Waters Of The Wolves,'" Said Le 
   Balafre,  In The Language Of That Nation,  "But He Will Shut Them In The 
   Bend Of The 'River With A Troubled Stream.' He Was Born A Pawnee,  But 
   He Will Die A Dahcotah. Look At Me. I Am A Sycamore,  That Once Covered 
   Many With My Shadow. The Leaves Are Fallen,  And The Branches Begin To 
   Drop. But A Single Sucker Is Springing From My Roots; It Is A Little 
   Vine,  And It Winds Itself About A Tree That Is Green. I Have Long 
   Looked For One Fit To Grow By My Side. Now Have I Found Him. Le 
   Balafre Is No Longer Without A Son; His Name Will Not Be Forgotten 
   When He Is Gone! Men Of The Tetons,  I Take This Youth Into My Lodge." 
     
   No One Was Bold Enough To Dispute A Right,  That Had So Often Been 
   Exercised By Warriors Far Inferior To The Present Speaker,  And The 
   Adoption Was Listened To,  In Grave And Respectful Silence. Le Balafre 
   Took His Intended Son By The Arm,  And Leading Him Into The Very Centre 
   Of The Circle,  He Stepped Aside With An Air Of Triumph,  In Order That 
   The Spectators Might Approve Of His Choice. Mahtoree Betrayed No 
   Evidence Of His Intentions,  But Rather Seemed To Await A Moment Better 
   Suited To The Crafty Policy Of His Character. The More Experienced And 
   Sagacious Chiefs Distinctly Foresaw The Utter Impossibility Of Two 
   Partisans So Renowned,  So Hostile,  And Who Had So Long Been Rivals In 
   Fame,  As Their Prisoner And Their Native Leader,  Existing Amicably In 
   The Same Tribe. Still The Character Of Le Balafre Was So Imposing,  And 
   The Custom To Which He Had Resorted So Sacred,  That None Dared To Lift 
   A Voice In Opposition To The Measure. They Watched The Result With 
   Increasing Interest,  But With A Coldness Of Demeanour That Concealed 
   The Nature Of Their Inquietude. From This State Of Embarrassment,  And 
   As It Might Readily Have Proved Of Disorganisation,  The Tribe Was 
   Unexpectedly Relieved By The Decision Of The One Most Interested In 
   The Success Of The Aged Chief's Designs. 
     
   During The Whole Of The Foregoing Scene,  It Would Have Been Difficult 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 113 
   To Have Traced A Single Distinct Emotion In The Lineaments Of The 
   Captive. He Had Heard His Release Proclaimed,  With The Same 
   Indifference As The Order To Bind Him To The Stake. But Now,  That The 
   Moment Had Arrived When It Became Necessary To Make His Election,  He 
   Spoke In A Way To Prove That The Fortitude,  Which Had Bought Him So 
   Distinguished A Name,  Had In No Degree Deserted Him. 
     
   "My Father Is Very Old,  But He Has Not Yet Looked Upon Every Thing," 
   Said Hard-Heart,  In A Voice So Clear As To Be Heard By All In 
   Presence. "He Has Never Seen A Buffaloe Change To A Bat. He Will Never 
   See A Pawnee Become A Sioux!" 
     
   There Was A Suddenness,  And Yet A Calmness In The Manner Of Delivering 
   This Decision,  Which Assured Most Of The Auditors That It Was 
   Unalterable. The Heart Of Le Balafre,  However,  Was Yearning Towards 
   The Youth,  And The Fondness Of Age Was Not So Readily Repulsed. 
   Reproving The Burst Of Admiration And Triumph,  To Which The Boldness 
   Of The Declaration,  And The Freshened Hopes Of Revenge Had Given Rise, 
   By Turning His Gleaming Eye Around The Band,  The Veteran Again 
   Addressed His Adopted Child,  As If His Purpose Was Not To Be Denied. 
     
   "It Is Well," He Said; "Such Are The Words A Brave Should Use,  That 
   The Warriors May See His Heart. The Day Has Been When The Voice Of Le 
   Balafre Was Loudest Among The Lodges Of The Konzas. But The Root Of A 
   White Hair Is Wisdom. My Child Will Show The Tetons That He Is Brave, 
   By Striking Their Enemies. Men Of The Dahcotahs,  This Is My Son!" 
     
   The Pawnee Hesitated A Moment,  And Then Stepping In Front Of The 
   Chief,  He Took His Hard And Wrinkled Hand,  And Laid It With Reverence 
   On His Head,  As If To Acknowledge The Extent Of His Obligation. Then 
   Recoiling A Step,  He Raised His Person To Its Greatest Elevation,  And 
   Looked Upon The Hostile Band,  By Whom He Was Environed,  With An Air Of 
   Loftiness And Disdain,  As He Spoke Aloud,  In The Language Of The 
   Siouxes-- 
     
   "Hard-Heart Has Looked At Himself,  Within And Without. He Has Thought 
   Of All He Has Done In The Hunts And In The Wars. Every Where He Is The 
   Same. There Is No Change. He Is In All Things A Pawnee. He Has Struck 
   So Many Tetons That He Could Never Eat In Their Lodges. His Arrows 
   Would Fly Backwards; The Point Of His Lance Would Be On The Wrong End; 
   Their Friends Would Weep At Every Whoop He Gave; Their Enemies Would 
   Laugh. Do The Tetons Know A Loup? Let Them Look At Him Again. His Head 
   Is Painted; His Arm Is Flesh; His Heart Is Rock. When The Tetons See 
   The Sun Come From The Rocky Mountains,  And Move Towards The Land Of 
   The Pale-Faces,  The Mind Of Hard-Heart Will Soften,  And His Spirit 
   Will Become Sioux. Until That Day,  He Will Live And Die A Pawnee." 
     
   A Yell Of Delight,  In Which Admiration And Ferocity Were Strangely 
   Mingled,  Interrupted The Speaker,  And But Too Clearly Announced The 
   Character Of His Fate. The Captive Awaited A Moment,  For The Commotion 
   To Subside,  And Then Turning Again To Le Balafre,  He Continued,  In 
   Tones Conciliating And Kind,  As If He Felt The Propriety Of Softening 
   His Refusal,  In A Manner Not To Wound The Pride Of One Who Would So 
   Gladly Be His Benefactor-- 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 114 
   "Let My Father Lean Heavier On The Fawn Of The Dahcotahs," He Said: 
   "She Is Weak Now,  But As Her Lodge Fills With Young,  She Will Be 
   Stronger. See," He Added,  Directing The Eyes Of The Other To The 
   Earnest Countenance Of The Attentive Trapper; "Hard-Heart Is Not 
   Without A Grey-Head To Show Him The Path To The Blessed Prairies. If 
   He Ever Has Another Father,  It Shall Be That Just Warrior." 
     
   Le Balafre Turned Away In Disappointment From The Youth,  And 
   Approached The Stranger,  Who Had Thus Anticipated His Design. The 
   Examination Between These Two Aged Men Was Long,  Mutual,  And Curious. 
   It Was Not Easy To Detect The Real Character Of The Trapper,  Through 
   The Mask Which The Hardships Of So Many Years Had Laid Upon His 
   Features,  Especially When Aided By His Wild And Peculiar Attire. Some 
   Moments Elapsed Before The Teton Spoke,  And Then It Was In Doubt 
   Whether He Addressed One Like Himself,  Or Some Wanderer Of That Race 
   Who,  He Had Heard,  Were Spreading Themselves,  Like Hungry Locusts, 
   Throughout The Land. 
     
   "The Head Of My Brother Is Very White," He Said; "But The Eye Of Le 
   Balafre Is No Longer Like The Eagle's. Of What Colour Is His Skin?" 
     
   "The Wahcondah Made Me Like These You See Waiting For A Dahcotah 
   Judgment; But Fair And Foul Has Coloured Me Darker Than The Skin Of A 
   Fox. What Of That! Though The Bark Is Ragged And Riven,  The Heart Of 
   The Tree Is Sound." 
     
   "My Brother Is A Big-Knife! Let Him Turn His Face Towards The Setting 
   Sun,  And Open His Eyes. Does He See The Salt Lake Beyond The 
   Mountains?" 
     
   "The Time Has Been,  Teton,  When Few Could See The White On The Eagle's 
   Head Farther Than I; But The Glare Of Fourscore And Seven Winters Has 
   Dimmed My Eyes,  And But Little Can I Boast Of Sight In My Latter Days. 
   Does The Sioux Think A Pale-Face Is A God,  That He Can Look Through 
   Hills?" 
     
   "Then Let My Brother Look At Me. I Am Nigh Him,  And He Can See That I 
   Am A Foolish Red-Man. Why Cannot His People See Every Thing,  Since 
   They Crave All?" 
     
   "I Understand You,  Chief; Nor Will I Gainsay The Justice Of Your 
   Words,  Seeing That They Are Too Much Founded In Truth. But Though Born 
   Of The Race You Love So Little,  My Worst Enemy,  Not Even A Lying 
   Mingo,  Would Dare To Say That I Ever Laid Hands On The Goods Of 
   Another,  Except Such As Were Taken In Manful Warfare; Or That I Ever 
   Coveted More Ground Than The Lord Has Intended Each Man To Fill." 
     
   "And Yet My Brother Has Come Among The Red-Skins To Find A Son?" 
     
   The Trapper Laid A Finger On The Naked Shoulder Of Le Balafre,  And 
   Looked Into His Scarred Countenance With A Wistful And Confidential 
   Expression,  As He Answered-- 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 115 
   "Ay; But It Was Only That I Might Do Good To The Boy. If You Think, 
   Dahcotah,  That I Adopted The Youth In Order To Prop My Age,  You Do As 
   Much Injustice To My Goodwill,  As You Seem To Know Little Of The 
   Merciless Intentions Of Your Own People. I Have Made Him My Son,  That 
   He May Know That One Is Left Behind Him. Peace,  Hector,  Peace! Is This 
   Decent,  Pup,  When Greyheads Are Counselling Together,  To Break In Upon 
   Their Discourse With The Whinings Of A Hound! The Dog Is Old,  Teton; 
   And Though Well Taught In Respect Of Behaviour,  He Is Getting,  Like 
   Ourselves,  I Fancy,  Something Forgetful Of The Fashions Of His Youth." 
     
   Further Discourse,  Between These Veterans,  Was Interrupted By A 
   Discordant Yell,  Which Burst At That Moment From The Lips Of The Dozen 
   Withered Crones,  Who Have Already Been Mentioned As Having Forced 
   Themselves Into A Conspicuous Part Of The Circle. The Outcry Was 
   Excited By A Sudden Change In The Air Of Hard-Heart. When The Old Men 
   Turned Towards The Youth,  They Saw Him Standing In The Very Centre Of 
   The Ring,  With His Head Erect,  His Eye Fixed On Vacancy,  One Leg 
   Advanced And An Arm A Little Raised,  As If All His Faculties Were 
   Absorbed In The Act Of Listening. A Smile Lighted His Countenance,  For 
   A Single Moment,  And Then The Whole Man Sunk Again Into His Former 
   Look Of Dignity And Coldness,  Suddenly Recalled To Self-Possession. 
   The Movement Had Been Construed Into Contempt,  And Even The Tempers Of 
   The Chiefs Began To Be Excited. Unable To Restrain Their Fury,  The 
   Women Broke Into The Circle In A Body,  And Commenced Their Attack By 
   Loading The Captive With The Most Bitter Revilings. They Boasted Of 
   The Various Exploits,  Which Their Sons Had Achieved At The Expense Of 
   The Different Tribes Of The Pawnees. They Undervalued His Own 
   Reputation,  And Told Him To Look At Mahtoree,  If He Had Never Yet Seen 
   A Warrior. They Accused Him Of Having Been Suckled By A Doe,  And Of 
   Having Drunk In Cowardice With His Mother's Milk. In Short,  They 
   Lavished Upon Their Unmoved Captive A Torrent Of That Vindictive 
   Abuse,  In Which The Women Of The Savages Are So Well Known To Excel, 
   But Which Has Been Too Often Described To Need A Repetition Here. 
     
   The Effect Of This Outbreaking Was Inevitable. Le Balafre Turned Away 
   Disappointed,  And Hid Himself In The Crowd,  While The Trapper,  Whose 
   Honest Features Were Working With Inward Emotion,  Pressed Nigher To 
   His Young Friend,  As Those Who Are Linked To The Criminal,  By Ties So 
   Strong As To Brave The Opinions Of Men,  Are Often Seen To Stand About 
   The Place Of Execution To Support His Dying Moments. The Excitement 
   Soon Spread Among The Inferior Warriors,  Though The Chiefs Still 
   Forbore To Make The Signal,  Which Committed The Victim To Their Mercy. 
   Mahtoree,  Who Had Awaited Such A Movement Among His Fellows,  With The 
   Wary Design Of Concealing His Own Jealous Hatred,  Soon Grew Weary Of 
   Delay,  And,  By A Glance Of His Eye,  Encouraged The Tormentors To 
   Proceed. 
     
   Weucha,  Who,  Eager For This Sanction,  Had Long Stood Watching The 
   Countenance Of The Chief,  Bounded Forward At The Signal Like A Blood- 
   Hound Loosened From The Leash. Forcing His Way Into The Centre Of The 
   Hags,  Who Were Already Proceeding From Abuse To Violence,  He Reproved 
   Their Impatience,  And Bade Them Wait,  Until A Warrior Had Begun To 
   Torment,  And Then They Should See Their Victim Shed Tears Like A 
   Woman. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 116 
     
   The Heartless Savage Commenced His Efforts,  By Flourishing His 
   Tomahawk About The Head Of The Captive,  In Such A Manner As To Give 
   Reason To Suppose,  That Each Blow Would Bury The Weapon In The Flesh, 
   While It Was So Governed As Not To Touch The Skin. To This Customary 
   Expedient Hard-Heart Was Perfectly Insensible. His Eye Kept The Same 
   Steady,  Riveted Look On The Air,  Though The Glittering Axe Described, 
   In Its Evolutions,  A Bright Circle Of Light Before His Countenance. 
   Frustrated In This Attempt,  The Callous Sioux Laid The Cold Edge On 
   The Naked Head Of His Victim,  And Began To Describe The Different 
   Manners,  In Which A Prisoner Might Be Flayed. The Women Kept Time To 
   His Cruelties With Their Taunts,  And Endeavoured To Force Some 
   Expression Of The Lingerings Of Nature From The Insensible Features Of 
   The Pawnee. But He Evidently Reserved Himself For The Chiefs,  And For 
   Those Moments Of Extreme Anguish,  When The Loftiness Of His Spirit 
   Might Evince Itself In A Manner Better Becoming His High And 
   Untarnished Reputation. 
     
   The Eyes Of The Trapper,  Followed Every Movement Of The Tomahawk,  With 
   The Interest Of A Real Father,  Until At Length,  Unable To Command His 
   Indignation,  He Exclaimed-- 
     
   "My Son Has Forgotten His Cunning. This Is A Low-Minded Indian,  And 
   One Easily Hurried Into Folly. I Cannot Do The Thing Myself,  For My 
   Traditions Forbid A Dying Warrior To Revile His Persecutors,  But The 
   Gifts Of A Red-Skin Are Different. Let The Pawnee Say The Bitter Words 
   And Purchase An Easy Death. I Will Answer For His Success,  Provided He 
   Speaks Before The Grave Men Set Their Wisdom To Back The Folly Of This 
   Fool." 
     
   The Savage Sioux,  Who Heard His Words Without Comprehending Their 
   Meaning,  Turned To The Speaker And Menaced Him With Death,  For His 
   Temerity. 
     
   "Ay,  Work Your Will," Said The Unflinching Old Man; "I Am As Ready Now 
   As I Shall Be To-Morrow. Though It Would Be A Death That An Honest Man 
   Might Not Wish To Die. Look At That Noble Pawnee,  Teton,  And See What 
   A Red-Skin May Become,  Who Fears The Master Of Life,  And Follows His 
   Laws. How Many Of Your People Has He Sent To The Distant Prairies?" He 
   Continued In A Sort Of Pious Fraud,  Thinking,  That While The Danger 
   Menaced Himself,  There Could Surely Be No Sin In Extolling The Merits 
   Of Another; "How Many Howling Siouxes Has He Struck,  Like A Warrior In 
   Open Combat,  While Arrows Were Sailing In The Air Plentier Than Flakes 
   Of Falling Snow! Go! Will Weucha Speak The Name Of One Enemy He Has 
   Ever Struck?" 
     
   "Hard-Heart!" Shouted The Sioux,  Turning In His Fury,  And Aiming A 
   Deadly Blow At The Head Of His Victim. His Arm Fell Into The Hollow Of 
   The Captive's Hand. For A Single Moment The Two Stood,  As If Entranced 
   In That Attitude,  The One Paralysed By So Unexpected A Resistance,  And 
   The Other Bending His Head,  Not To Meet His Death,  But In The Act Of 
   The Most Intense Attention. The Women Screamed With Triumph,  For They 
   Thought The Nerves Of The Captive Had At Length Failed Him. The 
   Trapper Trembled For The Honour Of His Friend; And Hector,  As If 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 117 
   Conscious Of What Was Passing,  Raised His Nose Into The Air,  And 
   Uttered A Piteous Howl. 
     
   But The Pawnee Hesitated,  Only For That Moment. Raising The Other 
   Hand,  Like Lightning,  The Tomahawk Flashed In The Air,  And Weucha Sunk 
   To His Feet,  Brained To The Eye. Then Cutting A Way With The Bloody 
   Weapon,  He Darted Through The Opening,  Left By The Frightened Women, 
   And Seemed To Descend The Declivity At A Single Bound. 
     
   Had A Bolt From Heaven Fallen In The Midst Of The Teton Band It Would 
   Not Have Occasioned Greater Consternation,  Than This Act Of Desperate 
   Hardihood. A Shrill Plaintive Cry Burst From The Lips Of All The 
   Women,  And There Was A Moment,  That Even The Oldest Warriors Appeared 
   To Have Lost Their Faculties. This Stupor Endured Only For The 
   Instant. It Was Succeeded By A Yell Of Revenge,  That Burst From A 
   Hundred Throats,  While As Many Warriors Started Forward At The Cry, 
   Bent On The Most Bloody Retribution. But A Powerful And Authoritative 
   Call From Mahtoree Arrested Every Foot. The Chief,  In Whose 
   Countenance Disappointment And Rage Were Struggling With The Affected 
   Composure Of His Station,  Extended An Arm Towards The River,  And The 
   Whole Mystery Was Explained. 
     
   Hard-Heart Had Already Crossed Half The Bottom,  Which Lay Between The 
   Acclivity And The Water. At This Precise Moment A Band Of Armed And 
   Mounted Pawnees Turned A Swell,  And Galloped To The Margin Of The 
   Stream,  Into Which The Plunge Of The Fugitive Was Distinctly Heard. A 
   Few Minutes Sufficed For His Vigorous Arm To Conquer The Passage,  And 
   Then The Shout From The Opposite Shore Told The Humbled Tetons The 
   Whole Extent Of The Triumph Of Their Adversaries. 
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 118 
     If That Shepherd Be Not In Hand-Fast,  Let Him Fly; The Curses He 
     Shall Have,  The Tortures He Shall Feel,  Will Break The Back Of 
     Man,  The Heart Of Monster. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   It Will Readily Be Seen That The Event Just Related Was Attended By An 
   Extraordinary Sensation Among The Siouxes. In Leading The Hunters Of 
   The Band Back To The Encampment,  Their Chief Had Neglected None Of The 
   Customary Precautions Of Indian Prudence,  In Order That His Trail 
   Might Escape The Eyes Of His Enemies. It Would Seem,  However,  That The 
   Pawnees Had Not Only Made The Dangerous Discovery,  But Had Managed 
   With Great Art To Draw Nigh The Place,  By The Only Side On Which It 
   Was Thought Unnecessary To Guard The Approaches With The Usual Line Of 
   Sentinels. The Latter,  Who Were Scattered Along The Different Little 
   Eminences,  Which Lay In The Rear Of The Lodges,  Were Among The Last To 
   Be Apprized Of The Danger. 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 119 
   In Such A Crisis There Was Little Time For Deliberation. It Was By 
   Exhibiting The Force Of His Character In Scenes Of Similar Difficulty, 
   That Mahtoree Had Obtained And Strengthened His Ascendency Among His 
   People,  Nor Did He Seem Likely To Lose It By The Manifestation Of Any 
   Indecision On The Present Occasion. In The Midst Of The Screams Of The 
   Young,  The Shrieks Of The Women,  And The Wild Howlings Of The Crones, 
   Which Were Sufficient Of Themselves To Have Created A Chaos In The 
   Thoughts Of One Less Accustomed To Act In Emergencies,  He Promptly 
   Asserted His Authority,  Issuing His Orders With The Coolness Of A 
   Veteran. 
     
   While The Warriors Were Arming,  The Boys Were Despatched To The Bottom 
   For The Horses. The Tents Were Hastily Struck By The Women,  And 
   Disposed Of On Such Of The Beasts Are Were Not Deemed Fit To Be 
   Trusted In Combat. The Infants Were Cast Upon The Backs Of Their 
   Mothers,  And Those Children,  Who Were Of A Size To March,  Were Driven 
   To The Rear,  Like A Herd Of Less Reasoning Animals. Though These 
   Several Movements Were Made Amid Outcries,  And A Clamour,  That Likened 
   The Place To Another Babel,  They Were Executed With Incredible 
   Alacrity And Intelligence. 
     
   In The Mean Time,  Mahtoree Neglected No Duty That Belonged To His 
   Responsible Station. From The Elevation,  On Which He Stood,  He Could 
   Command A Perfect View Of The Force And Evolutions Of The Hostile 
   Party. A Grim Smile Lighted His Visage,  When He Found That,  In Point 
   Of Numbers,  His Own Band Was Greatly The Superior. Notwithstanding 
   This Advantage,  However,  There Were Other Points Of Inequality,  Which 
   Would Probably Have A Tendency To Render His Success,  In The 
   Approaching Conflict,  Exceedingly Doubtful. His People Were The 
   Inhabitants Of A More Northern And Less Hospitable Region Than Their 
   Enemies,  And Were Far From Being Rich In That Species Of Property, 
   Horses And Arms,  Which Constitutes The Most Highly Prized Wealth Of A 
   Western Indian. The Band In View Was Mounted To A Man; And As It Had 
   Come So Far To Rescue,  Or To Revenge,  Their Greatest Partisan,  He Had 
   No Reason To Doubt Its Being Composed Entirely Of Braves. On The Other 
   Hand,  Many Of His Followers Were Far Better In A Hunt Than In A 
   Combat; Men Who Might Serve To Divert The Attention Of His Foes,  But 
   From Whom He Could Expect Little Desperate Service. Still,  His 
   Flashing Eye Glanced Over A Body Of Warriors On Whom He Had Often 
   Relied,  And Who Had Never Deceived Him; And Though,  In The Precise 
   Position In Which He Found Himself,  He Felt No Disposition To 
   Precipitate The Conflict,  He Certainly Would Have Had No Intention To 
   Avoid It,  Had Not The Presence Of His Women And Children Placed The 
   Option Altogether In The Power Of His Adversaries. 
     
   On The Other Hand,  The Pawnees,  So Unexpectedly Successful In Their 
   First And Greatest Object,  Manifested No Intention To Drive Matters To 
   An Issue. The River Was A Dangerous Barrier To Pass,  In The Face Of A 
   Determined Foe,  And It Would Now Have Been In Perfect Accordance With 
   Their Cautious Policy,  To Have Retired For A Season,  In Order That 
   Their Onset Might Be Made In The Hours Of Darkness,  And Of Seeming 
   Security. But There Was A Spirit In Their Chief That Elevated Him,  For 
   The Moment,  Above The Ordinary Expedients Of Savage Warfare. His Bosom 
   Burned With The Desire To Wipe Out That Disgrace Of Which He Had Been 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 120 
   The Subject; And It Is Possible,  That He Believed The Retiring Camp Of 
   The Siouxes Contained A Prize,  That Began To Have A Value In His Eyes, 
   Far Exceeding Any That Could Be Found In Fifty Teton Scalps. Let That 
   Be As It Might,  Hard-Heart Had No Sooner Received The Brief 
   Congratulations Of His Band,  And Communicated To The Chiefs Such Facts 
   As Were Important To Be Known,  Than He Prepared Himself To Act Such A 
   Part In The Coming Conflict,  As Would At Once Maintain His Well-Earned 
   Reputation,  And Gratify His Secret Wishes. A Led Horse,  One That Had 
   Been Long Trained In The Hunts,  Had Been Brought To Receive His 
   Master,  With But Little Hope That His Services Would Ever Be Needed 
   Again In This Life. With A Delicacy And Consideration,  That Proved How 
   Much The Generous Qualities Of The Youth Had Touched The Feelings Of 
   His People,  A Bow,  A Lance,  And A Quiver,  Were Thrown Across The 
   Animal,  Which It Had Been Intended To Immolate On The Grave Of The 
   Young Brave; A Species Of Care That Would Have Superseded The 
   Necessity For The Pious Duty That The Trapper Had Pledged Himself To 
   Perform. 
     
   Though Hard-Heart Was Sensible Of The Kindness Of His Warriors,  And 
   Believed That A Chief,  Furnished With Such Appointments,  Might Depart 
   With Credit For The Distant Hunting-Grounds Of The Master Of Life,  He 
   Seemed Equally Disposed To Think That They Might Be Rendered Quite As 
   Useful,  In The Actual State Of Things. His Countenance Lighted With 
   Stern Pleasure,  As He Tried The Elasticity Of The Bow,  And Poised The 
   Well-Balanced Spear. The Glance He Bestowed On The Shield Was More 
   Cursory And Indifferent; But The Exultation With Which He Threw 
   Himself On The Back Of His Favoured War-Horse Was So Great,  As To 
   Break Through The Forms Of Indian Reserve. He Rode To And Fro Among 
   His Scarcely Less Delighted Warriors,  Managing The Animal With A Grace 
   And Address That No Artificial Rules Can Ever Supply; At Times 
   Flourishing His Lance,  As If To Assure Himself Of His Seat,  And At 
   Others Examining Critically Into The Condition Of The Fusee,  With 
   Which He Had Also Been Furnished,  With The Fondness Of One,  Who Was 
   Miraculously Restored To The Possession Of Treasures,  That Constituted 
   His Pride And His Happiness. 
     
   At This Particular Moment Mahtoree,  Having Completed The Necessary 
   Arrangements,  Prepared To Make A More Decisive Movement. The Teton Had 
   Found No Little Embarrassment In Disposing Of His Captives. The Tents 
   Of The Squatter Were Still In Sight,  And His Wary Cunning Did Not Fail 
   To Apprise Him,  That It Was Quite As Necessary To Guard Against An 
   Attack From That Quarter As To Watch The Motions Of His More Open And 
   More Active Foes. His First Impulse Had Been To Make The Tomahawk 
   Suffice For The Men,  And To Trust The Females Under The Same 
   Protection As The Women Of His Band; But The Manner,  In Which Many Of 
   His Braves Continued To Regard The Imaginary Medicine Of The Long- 
   Knives,  Forewarned Him Of The Danger Of So Hazardous An Experiment On 
   The Eve Of A Battle. It Might Be Deemed The Omen Of Defeat. In This 
   Dilemma He Motioned To A Superannuated Warrior,  To Whom He Had 
   Confided The Charge Of The Non-Combatants,  And Leading Him Apart,  He 
   Placed A Finger Significantly On His Shoulder,  As He Said,  In A Tone, 
   In Which Authority Was Tempered By Confidence-- 
     
   "When My Young Men Are Striking The Pawnees,  Give The Women Knives. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 121 
   Enough; My Father Is Very Old; He Does Not Want To Hear Wisdom From A 
   Boy." 
     
   The Grim Old Savage Returned A Look Of Ferocious Assent,  And Then The 
   Mind Of The Chief Appeared To Be At Rest On This Important Subject. 
   From That Moment He Bestowed All His Care On The Achievement Of His 
   Revenge,  And The Maintenance Of His Martial Character. Throwing 
   Himself On His Horse,  He Made A Sign,  With The Air Of A Prince To His 
   Followers,  To Imitate His Example,  Interrupting,  Without Ceremony,  The 
   War Songs And Solemn Rites By Which Many Among Them Were Stimulating 
   Their Spirits To Deeds Of Daring. When All Were In Order,  The Whole 
   Moved With Great Steadiness And Silence Towards The Margin Of The 
   River. 
     
   The Hostile Bands Were Now Separated By The Water. The Width Of The 
   Stream Was Too Great To Admit Of The Use Of The Ordinary Indian 
   Missiles,  But A Few Useless Shots Were Exchanged From The Fusees Of 
   The Chiefs,  More In Bravado Than With Any Expectation Of Doing 
   Execution. As Some Time Was Suffered To Elapse,  In Demonstrations And 
   Abortive Efforts,  We Shall Leave Them,  For That Period,  To Return To 
   Such Of Our Characters As Remained In The Hands Of The Savages. 
     
   We Have Shed Much Ink In Vain,  And Wasted Quires,  That Might Possibly 
   Have Been Better Employed,  If It Be Necessary Now To Tell The Reader 
   That Few Of The Foregoing Movements Escaped The Observation Of The 
   Experienced Trapper. He Had Been,  In Common With The Rest,  Astonished 
   At The Sudden Act Of Hard-Heart; And There Was A Single Moment When A 
   Feeling Of Regret And Mortification Got The Better Of His Longings To 
   Save The Life Of The Youth. The Simple And Well-Intentioned Old Man 
   Would Have Felt,  At Witnessing Any Failure Of Firmness On The Part Of 
   A Warrior,  Who Had So Strongly Excited His Sympathies,  The Same 
   Species Of Sorrow That A Christian Parent Would Suffer In Hanging Over 
   The Dying Moments Of An Impious Child. But When,  Instead Of An 
   Impotent And Unmanly Struggle For Existence,  He Found That His Friend 
   Had Forborne,  With The Customary And Dignified Submission Of An Indian 
   Warrior,  Until An Opportunity Had Offered To Escape,  And That He Had 
   Then Manifested The Spirit And Decision Of The Most Gifted Brave,  His 
   Gratification Became Nearly Too Powerful To Be Concealed. In The Midst 
   Of The Wailing And Commotion,  Which Succeeded The Death Of Weucha And 
   The Escape Of The Captive,  He Placed Himself Nigh The Persons Of His 
   White Associates,  With A Determination Of Interfering,  At Every 
   Hazard,  Should The Fury Of The Savages Take That Direction. The 
   Appearance Of The Hostile Band Spared Him,  However,  So Desperate And 
   Probably So Fruitless An Effort,  And Left Him To Pursue His 
   Observations,  And To Mature His Plans More At Leisure. 
     
   He Particularly Remarked That,  While By Far The Greater Part Of The 
   Women,  And All The Children,  Together With The Effects Of The Party, 
   Were Hurried To The Rear,  Probably With An Order To Secrete Themselves 
   In Some Of The Adjacent Woods,  The Tent Of Mahtoree Himself Was Left 
   Standing,  And Its Contents Undisturbed. Two Chosen Horses,  However, 
   Stood Near By,  Held By A Couple Of Youths,  Who Were Too Young To Go 
   Into The Conflict,  And Yet Of An Age To Understand The Management Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 122 
   The Beasts. The Trapper Perceived In This Arrangement The Reluctance 
   Of Mahtoree To Trust His Newly-Found Flowers Beyond The Reach Of His 
   Eye; And,  At The Same Time,  His Forethought In Providing Against A 
   Reverse Of Fortune. Neither Had The Manner Of The Teton,  In Giving His 
   Commission To The Old Savage,  Nor The Fierce Pleasure With Which The 
   Latter Had Received The Bloody Charge,  Escaped His Observation. From 
   All These Mysterious Movements,  The Old Man Was Aware That A Crisis 
   Was At Hand,  And He Summoned The Utmost Knowledge He Had Acquired,  In 
   So Long A Life,  To Aid Him In The Desperate Conjuncture. While Musing 
   On The Means To Be Employed,  The Doctor Again Attracted His Attention 
   To Himself,  By A Piteous Appeal For Assistance. 
     
   "Venerable Trapper,  Or,  As I May Now Say,  Liberator," Commenced The 
   Dolorous Obed,  "It Would Seem,  That A Fitting Time Has At Length 
   Arrived To Dissever The Unnatural And Altogether Irregular Connection, 
   Which Exists Between My Inferior Members And The Body Of Asinus. 
   Perhaps If Such A Portion Of My Limbs Were Released As Might Leave Me 
   Master Of The Remainder,  And This Favourable Opportunity Were Suitably 
   Improved,  By Making A Forced March Towards The Settlements,  All Hopes 
   Of Preserving The Treasures Of Knowledge,  Of Which I Am The Unworthy 
   Receptacle,  Would Not Be Lost. The Importance Of The Results Is Surely 
   Worth The Hazard Of The Experiment." 
     
   "I Know Not,  I Know Not," Returned The Deliberate Old Man; "The Vermin 
   And Reptiles,  Which You Bear About You,  Were Intended By The Lord For 
   The Prairies,  And I See No Good In Sending Them Into Regions That May 
   Not Suit Their Natur's. And,  Moreover,  You May Be Of Great And 
   Particular Use As You Now Sit On The Ass,  Though It Creates No Wonder 
   In My Mind To Perceive That You Are Ignorant Of It,  Seeing That 
   Usefulness Is Altogether A New Calling To So Bookish A Man." 
     
   "Of What Service Can I Be In This Painful Thraldom,  In Which The 
   Animal Functions Are In A Manner Suspended,  And The Spiritual,  Or 
   Intellectual,  Blinded By The Secret Sympathy That Unites Mind To 
   Matter? There Is Likely To Be Blood Spilt Between Yonder Adverse Hosts 
   Of Heathens; And,  Though But Little Desiring The Office,  It Would Be 
   Better That I Should Employ Myself In Surgical Experiments,  Than In 
   Thus Wasting The Precious Moments,  Mortifying Both Soul And Body." 
     
   "It Is Little That A Red-Skin Would Care To Have A Physician At His 
   Hurts,  While The Whoop Is Ringing In His Ears. Patience Is A Virtue In 
   An Indian,  And Can Be No Shame To A Christian White Man. Look At These 
   Hags Of Squaws,  Friend Doctor; I Have No Judgment In Savage Tempers, 
   If They Are Not Bloody Minded,  And Ready To Work Their Accursed 
   Pleasures On Us All. Now,  So Long As You Keep Upon The Ass,  And 
   Maintain The Fierce Look Which Is Far From Being Your Natural Gift, 
   Fear Of So Great A Medicine May Serve To Keep Down Their Courage. I Am 
   Placed Here,  Like A General At The Opening Of The Battle,  And It Has 
   Become My Duty To Make Such Use Of All My Force As,  In My Judgment, 
   Each Is Best Fitted To Perform. If I Know These Niceties,  You Will Be 
   More Serviceable For Your Countenance Just Now Than In Any More 
   Stirring Exploits." 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," Shouted Paul,  Whose Patience Could No Longer 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 123 
   Maintain Itself Under The Calculating And Prolix Explanations Of The 
   Other,  "Suppose You Cut Two Things I Can Name,  Short Off. That Is To 
   Say,  Your Conversation,  Which Is Agreeable Enough Over A Well Baked 
   Buffaloe's Hump,  And These Damnable Thongs Of Hide,  Which,  According 
   To My Experience,  Can Be Pleasant Nowhere. A Single Stroke Of Your 
   Knife Would Be Of More Service,  Just Now,  Than The Longest Speech That 
   Was Ever Made In A Kentucky Court-House." 
     
   "Ay,  Court-Houses Are The 'Happy Hunting-Grounds,' As A Red-Skin Would 
   Say,  For Them That Are Born With Gifts No Better Than Such As Lie In 
   The Tongue. I Was Carried Into One Of The Lawless Holes Myself Once, 
   And It Was All About A Thing Of No More Value Than The Skin Of A Deer. 
   The Lord Forgive Them!--The Lord Forgive Them!--They Knew No Better, 
   And They Did According To Their Weak Judgments,  And Therefore The More 
   Are They To Be Pitied; And Yet It Was A Solemn Sight To See An Aged 
   Man,  Who Had Always Lived In The Air,  Laid Neck And Heels By The Law, 
   And Held Up As A Spectacle For The Women And Boys Of A Wasteful 
   Settlement To Point Their Fingers At!" 
     
   "If Such Be Your Opinions Of Confinement,  Honest Friend,  You Had 
   Better Manifest The Same,  By Putting Us At Liberty With As Little 
   Delay As Possible," Said Middleton,  Who,  Like His Companion,  Began To 
   Find The Tardiness Of His Often-Tried Companion Quite As Extraordinary 
   As It Was Disagreeable. 
     
   "I Should Greatly Like To Do The Same; Especially In Your Behalf, 
   Captain,  Who,  Being A Soldier,  Might Find Not Only Pleasure But Profit 
   In Examining,  More At Your Ease,  Into The Circumventions And Cunning 
   Of An Indian Fight. As To Our Friend,  Here,  It Is Of But Little 
   Matter,  How Much Of This Affair He Examines,  Or How Little,  Seeing 
   That A Bee Is Not To Be Overcome In The Same Manner As An Indian." 
     
   "Old Man,  This Trifling With Our Misery Is Inconsiderate,  To Give It A 
   Name No Harsher--" 
     
   "Ay,  Your Grand'ther Was Of A Hot And Hurrying Mind,  And One Must Not 
   Expect,  That The Young Of A Panther Will Crawl The 'Arth Like The 
   Litter Of A Porcupine. Now Keep You Both Silent,  And What I Say Shall 
   Have The Appearance Of Being Spoken Concerning The Movements That Are 
   Going On In The Bottom; All Of Which Will Serve To Put Jealousy To 
   Sleep,  And To Shut The Eyes Of Such As Rarely Close Them On Wickedness 
   And Cruelty. In The First Place,  Then,  You Must Know That I Have 
   Reason To Think Yonder Treacherous Teton Has Left An Order To Put Us 
   All To Death,  So Soon As He Thinks The Deed May Be Done Secretly,  And 
   Without Tumult." 
     
   "Great Heaven! Will You Suffer Us To Be Butchered Like Unresisting 
   Sheep?" 
     
   "Hist,  Captain,  Hist; A Hot Temper Is None Of The Best,  When Cunning 
   Is More Needed Than Blows. Ah,  The Pawnee Is A Noble Boy! It Would Do 
   Your Heart Good To See How He Draws Off From The River,  In Order To 
   Invite His Enemies To Cross; And Yet,  According To My Failing Sight, 
   They Count Two Warriors To His One! But As I Was Saying,  Little Good 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 124 
   Comes Of Haste And Thoughtlessness. The Facts Are So Plain That Any 
   Child May See Into Their Wisdom. The Savages Are Of Many Minds As To 
   The Manner Of Our Treatment. Some Fear Us For Colour,  And Would Gladly 
   Let Us Go,  And Other Some Would Show Us The Mercy That The Doe 
   Receives From The Hungry Wolf. When Opposition Gets Fairly Into The 
   Councils Of A Tribe,  It Is Rarely That Humanity Is The Gainer. Now See 
   You These Wrinkled And Cruel-Minded Squaws--No,  You Cannot See Them As 
   You Lie,  But Nevertheless They Are Here,  Ready And Willing,  Like So 
   Many Raging She-Bears,  To Work Their Will Upon Us So Soon As The 
   Proper Time Shall Come." 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Gentleman Trapper," Interrupted Paul,  With A Little 
   Bitterness In His Manner; "Do You Tell Us These Matters For Our 
   Amusement,  Or For Your Own? If For Ours,  You May Keep Your Breath For 
   The Next Race You Run,  As I Am Tickled Nearly To Suffocation,  Already, 
   With My Part Of The Fun." 
     
   "Hist"--Said The Trapper,  Cutting With Great Dexterity And Rapidity 
   The Thong,  Which Bound One Of The Arms Of Paul To His Body,  And 
   Dropping His Knife At The Same Time Within Reach Of The Liberated 
   Hand. "Hist,  Boy,  Hist; That Was A Lucky Moment! The Yell From The 
   Bottom Drew The Eyes Of These Blood-Suckers In Another Quarter,  And So 
   Far We Are Safe. Now Make A Proper Use Of Your Advantages; But Be 
   Careful,  That What You Do,  Is Done Without Being Seen." 
     
   "Thank You For This Small Favour,  Old Deliberation," Muttered The Bee- 
   Hunter,  "Though It Comes Like A Snow In May,  Somewhat Out Of Season." 
     
   "Foolish Boy!" Reproachfully Exclaimed The Other,  Who Had Moved To A 
   Little Distance From His Friends,  And Appeared To Be Attentively 
   Regarding The Movements Of The Hostile Parties,  "Will You Never Learn 
   To Know The Wisdom Of Patience? And You,  Too,  Captain; Though A Man 
   Myself,  That Seldom Ruffles His Temper By Vain Feelings,  I See That 
   You Are Silent,  Because You Scorn To Ask Favours Any Longer From One 
   You Think Too Slow To Grant Them. No Doubt,  Ye Are Both Young,  And 
   Filled With The Pride Of Your Strength And Manhood,  And I Dare Say You 
   Thought It Only Needful To Cut The Thongs,  To Leave You Masters Of The 
   Ground. But He,  That Has Seen Much,  Is Apt To Think Much. Had I Run 
   Like A Bustling Woman To Have Given You Freedom,  These Hags Of The 
   Siouxes Would Have Seen The Same,  And Then Where Would You Both Have 
   Found Yourselves? Under The Tomahawk And The Knife,  Like Helpless And 
   Outcrying Children,  Though Gifted With The Size And Beards Of Men. Ask 
   Our Friend,  The Bee-Hunter,  In What Condition He Finds Himself To 
   Struggle With A Teton Boy,  After So Many Hours Of Bondage; Much Less 
   With A Dozen Merciless And Bloodthirsty Squaws!" 
     
   "Truly,  Old Trapper," Returned Paul,  Stretching His Limbs,  Which Were 
   By This Time Entirely Released,  And Endeavouring To Restore The 
   Suspended Circulation,  "You Have Some Judgmatical Notions In These 
   Matters. Now Here Am I,  Paul Hover,  A Man Who Will Give In To Few At 
   Wrestle Or Race,  Nearly As Helpless As The Day I Paid My First Visit 
   To The House Of Old Paul,  Who Is Dead And Gone,--The Lord Forgive Him 
   Any Little Blunders He May Have Made While He Tarried In Kentucky! Now 
   There Is My Foot On The Ground,  So Far As Eye-Sight Has Any Virtue, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 125 
   And Yet It Would Take No Great Temptation To Make Me Swear It Didn't 
   Touch The Earth By Six Inches. I Say,  Honest Friend,  Since You Have 
   Done So Much,  Have The Goodness To Keep These Damnable Squaws,  Of Whom 
   You Say So Many Interesting Things,  At A Little Distance,  Till I Have 
   Got The Blood Of This Arm In Motion,  And Am Ready To Receive Them." 
     
   The Trapper Made A Sign That He Perfectly Understood The Case; And He 
   Walked Towards The Superannuated Savage,  Who Began To Manifest An 
   Intention Of Commencing His Assigned Task,  Leaving The Bee-Hunter To 
   Recover The Use Of His Limbs As Well As He Could,  And To Put Middleton 
   In A Similar Situation To Defend Himself. 
     
   Mahtoree Had Not Mistaken His Man,  In Selecting The One He Did To 
   Execute His Bloody Purpose. He Had Chosen One Of Those Ruthless 
   Savages,  More Or Less Of Whom Are To Be Found In Every Tribe,  Who Had 
   Purchased A Certain Share Of Military Reputation,  By The Exhibition Of 
   A Hardihood That Found Its Impulses In An Innate Love Of Cruelty. 
   Contrary To The High And Chivalrous Sentiment,  Which Among The Indians 
   Of The Prairies Renders It A Deed Of Even Greater Merit To Bear Off 
   The Trophy Of Victory From A Fallen Foe,  Than To Slay Him,  He Had Been 
   Remarkable For Preferring The Pleasure Of Destroying Life,  To The 
   Glory Of Striking The Dead. While The More Self-Devoted And Ambitious 
   Braves Were Intent On Personal Honour,  He Had Always Been Seen, 
   Established Behind Some Favourable Cover,  Depriving The Wounded Of 
   Hope,  By Finishing That Which A More Gallant Warrior Had Begun. In All 
   The Cruelties Of The Tribe He Had Ever Been Foremost; And No Sioux Was 
   So Uniformly Found On The Side Of Merciless Councils. 
     
   He Had Awaited,  With An Impatience Which His Long Practised Restraint 
   Could With Difficulty Subdue,  For The Moment To Arrive When He Might 
   Proceed To Execute The Wishes Of The Great Chief,  Without Whose 
   Approbation And Powerful Protection He Would Not Have Dared To 
   Undertake A Step,  That Had So Many Opposers In The Nation. But Events 
   Had Been Hastening To An Issue,  Between The Hostile Parties; And The 
   Time Had Now Arrived,  Greatly To His Secret And Malignant Joy,  When He 
   Was Free To Act His Will. 
     
   The Trapper Found Him Distributing Knives To The Ferocious Hags,  Who 
   Received The Presents Chanting A Low Monotonous Song,  That Recalled 
   The Losses Of Their People,  In Various Conflicts With The Whites,  And 
   Which Extolled The Pleasures And Glory Of Revenge. The Appearance Of 
   Such A Group Was Enough Of Itself To Have Deterred One,  Less 
   Accustomed To Such Sights Than The Old Man,  From Trusting Himself 
   Within The Circle Of Their Wild And Repulsive Rites. 
     
   Each Of The Crones,  As She Received The Weapon,  Commenced A Slow And 
   Measured,  But Ungainly,  Step,  Around The Savage,  Until The Whole Were 
   Circling Him In A Sort Of Magic Dance. The Movements Were Timed,  In 
   Some Degree,  By The Words Of Their Songs,  As Were Their Gestures By 
   The Ideas. When They Spoke Of Their Own Losses,  They Tossed Their Long 
   Straight Locks Of Grey Into The Air,  Or Suffered Them To Fall In 
   Confusion Upon Their Withered Necks; But As The Sweetness Of Returning 
   Blow For Blow Was Touched Upon,  By Any Among Them,  It Was Answered By 
   A Common Howl,  As Well As By Gestures,  That Were Sufficiently 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 126 
   Expressive Of The Manner In Which They Were Exciting Themselves To The 
   Necessary State Of Fury. 
     
   Into The Very Centre Of This Ring Of Seeming Demons,  The Trapper Now 
   Stalked,  With The Same Calmness And Observation As He Would Have 
   Walked Into A Village Church. No Other Change Was Made By His 
   Appearance,  Than A Renewal Of The Threatening Gestures,  With,  If 
   Possible,  A Still Less Equivocal Display Of Their Remorseless 
   Intentions. Making A Sign For Them To Cease,  The Old Man Demanded-- 
     
   "Why Do The Mothers Of The Tetons Sing With Bitter Tongues? The Pawnee 
   Prisoners Are Not Yet In Their Village; Their Young Men Have Not Come 
   Back Loaded With Scalps!" 
     
   He Was Answered By A General Howl,  And A Few Of The Boldest Of The 
   Furies Even Ventured To Approach Him,  Flourishing Their Knives Within 
   A Dangerous Proximity Of His Own Steady Eye-Balls. 
     
   "It Is A Warrior You See,  And No Runner Of The Long-Knives,  Whose Face 
   Grows Paler At The Sight Of A Tomahawk," Returned The Trapper,  Without 
   Moving A Muscle. "Let The Sioux Women Think; If One White-Skin Dies,  A 
   Hundred Spring Up Where He Falls." 
     
   Still The Hags Made No Other Answer,  Than By Increasing Their Speed In 
   The Circle,  And Occasionally Raising The Threatening Expressions Of 
   Their Chant,  Into Louder And More Intelligible Strains. Suddenly,  One 
   Of The Oldest,  And The Most Ferocious Of Them All,  Broke Out Of The 
   Ring,  And Skirred Away In The Direction Of Her Victims,  Like A 
   Rapacious Bird,  That Having Wheeled On Poised Wings,  For The Time 
   Necessary To Ensure Its Object,  Makes The Final Dart Upon Its Prey. 
   The Others Followed,  A Disorderly And Screaming Flock,  Fearful Of 
   Being Too Late To Reap Their Portion Of The Sanguinary Pleasure. 
     
   "Mighty Medicine Of My People!" Shouted The Old Man,  In The Teton 
   Tongue; "Lift Your Voice And Speak,  That The Sioux Nation May Hear." 
     
   Whether Asinus Had Acquired So Much Knowledge,  By His Recent 
   Experience,  As To Know The Value Of His Sonorous Properties,  Or The 
   Strange Spectacle Of A Dozen Hags Flitting Past Him,  Filling The Air 
   With Such Sounds As Were Even Grating To The Ears Of An Ass,  Most 
   Moved His Temper,  It Is Certain That The Animal Did That Which Obed 
   Was Requested To Do,  And Probably With Far Greater Effect Than If The 
   Naturalist Had Strove With His Mightiest Effort To Be Heard. It Was 
   The First Time The Strange Beast Had Spoken,  Since His Arrival In The 
   Encampment. Admonished By So Terrible A Warning,  The Hags Scattered 
   Themselves,  Like Vultures Frightened From Their Prey,  Still Screaming, 
   And But Half Diverted From Their Purpose. 
     
   In The Mean Time The Sudden Appearance,  And The Imminency Of The 
   Danger,  Quickened The Blood In The Veins Of Paul And Middleton,  More 
   Than All Their Laborious Frictions,  And Physical Expedients. The 
   Former Had Actually Risen To His Feet,  And Assumed An Attitude Which 
   Perhaps Threatened More Than The Worthy Bee-Hunter Was Able To 
   Perform,  And Even The Latter Had Mounted To His Knees,  And Shown A 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 127 
   Disposition To Do Good Service For His Life. The Unaccountable Release 
   Of The Captives From Their Bonds Was Attributed,  By The Hags,  To The 
   Incantations Of The Medicine; And The Mistake Was Probably Of As Much 
   Service,  As The Miraculous And Timely Interposition Of Asinus In Their 
   Favour. 
     
   "Now Is The Time To Come Out Of Our Ambushment," Exclaimed The Old 
   Man,  Hastening To Join His Friends,  "And To Make Open And Manful War. 
   It Would Have Been Policy To Have Kept Back The Struggle,  Until The 
   Captain Was In Better Condition To Join,  But As We Have Unmasked Our 
   Battery,  Why,  We Must Maintain The Ground--" 
     
   He Was Interrupted By Feeling A Gigantic Hand On His Shoulder. 
   Turning,  Under A Sort Of Confused Impression That Necromancy Was 
   Actually Abroad In The Place,  He Found That He Was In The Hands Of A 
   Sorcerer No Less Dangerous And Powerful Than Ishmael Bush. The File Of 
   The Squatter's Well-Armed Sons,  That Was Seen Issuing From Behind The 
   Still Standing Tent Of Mahtoree,  Explained At Once,  Not Only The 
   Manner In Which Their Rear Had Been Turned,  While Their Attention Had 
   Been So Earnestly Bestowed On Matters In Front,  But The Utter 
   Impossibility Of Resistance. 
     
   Neither Ishmael,  Nor His Sons Deemed It Necessary To Enter Into Prolix 
   Explanations. Middleton And Paul Were Bound Again,  With Extraordinary 
   Silence And Despatch,  And This Time Not Even The Aged Trapper Was 
   Exempt From A Similar Fortune. The Tent Was Struck,  The Females Placed 
   Upon The Horses,  And The Whole Were On The Way Towards The Squatter's 
   Encampment,  With A Celerity That Might Well Have Served To Keep Alive 
   The Idea Of Magic. 
     
   During This Summary And Brief Disposition Of Things,  The Disappointed 
   Agent Of Mahtoree And His Callous Associates Were Seen Flying Across 
   The Plain,  In The Direction Of The Retiring Families; And When Ishmael 
   Left The Spot With His Prisoners And His Booty,  The Ground,  Which Had 
   So Lately Been Alive With The Bustle And Life Of An Extensive Indian 
   Encampment,  Was As Still And Empty As Any Other Spot In Those 
   Extensive Wastes. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 128 
     
                  Is This Proceeding Just And Honourable? 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   During The Occurrence Of These Events On The Upland Plain,  The 
   Warriors On The Bottom Had Not Been Idle. We Left The Adverse Bands 
   Watching One Another On The Opposite Banks Of The Stream,  Each 
   Endeavouring To Excite Its Enemy To Some Act Of Indiscretion,  By The 
   Most Reproachful Taunts And Revilings. But The Pawnee Chief Was Not 
   Slow To Discover That His Crafty Antagonist Had No Objection To Waste 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 129 
   The Time So Idly,  And,  As They Mutually Proved,  In Expedients That 
   Were So Entirely Useless. He Changed His Plans,  Accordingly,  And 
   Withdrew From The Bank,  As Has Been Already Explained Through The 
   Mouth Of The Trapper,  In Order To Invite The More Numerous Host Of The 
   Siouxes To Cross. The Challenge Was Not Accepted,  And The Loups Were 
   Compelled To Frame Some Other Method To Attain Their End. 
     
   Instead Of Any Longer Throwing Away The Precious Moments,  In Fruitless 
   Endeavours To Induce His Foe To Cross The Stream,  The Young Partisan 
   Of The Pawnees Led His Troops,  At A Swift Gallop,  Along Its Margin,  In 
   Quest Of Some Favourable Spot,  Where By A Sudden Push He Might Throw 
   His Own Band Without Loss To The Opposite Shore. The Instant His 
   Object Was Discovered,  Each Mounted Teton Received A Footman Behind 
   Him,  And Mahtoree Was Still Enabled To Concentrate His Whole Force 
   Against The Effort. Perceiving That His Design Was Anticipated,  And 
   Unwilling To Blow His Horses By A Race That Would Disqualify Them For 
   Service,  Even After They Had Succeeded In Outstripping The More 
   Heavily-Burdened Cattle Of The Siouxes,  Hard-Heart Drew Up,  And Came 
   To A Dead Halt On The Very Margin Of The Water-Course. 
     
   As The Country Was Too Open For Any Of The Usual Devices Of Savage 
   Warfare,  And Time Was So Pressing,  The Chivalrous Pawnee Resolved To 
   Bring On The Result By One Of Those Acts Of Personal Daring,  For Which 
   The Indian Braves Are So Remarkable,  And By Which They Often Purchase 
   Their Highest And Dearest Renown. The Spot He Had Selected Was 
   Favourable To Such A Project. The River,  Which Throughout Most Of Its 
   Course Was Deep And Rapid,  Had Expanded There To More Than Twice Its 
   Customary Width,  And The Rippling Of Its Waters Proved That It Flowed 
   Over A Shallow Bottom. In The Centre Of The Current There Was An 
   Extensive And Naked Bed Of Sand,  But A Little Raised Above The Level 
   Of The Stream And Of A Colour And Consistency Which Warranted,  To A 
   Practised Eye,  That It Afforded A Firm And Safe Foundation For The 
   Foot. To This Spot The Partisan Now Turned His Wistful Gaze,  Nor Was 
   He Long In Making His Decision. First Speaking To His Warriors,  And 
   Apprising Them Of His Intentions,  He Dashed Into The Current,  And 
   Partly By Swimming,  And More By The Use Of His Horse's Feet,  He 
   Reached The Island In Safety. 
     
   The Experience Of Hard-Heart Had Not Deceived Him. When His Snorting 
   Steed Issued From The Water,  He Found Himself On A Tremendous But Damp 
   And Compact Bed Of Sand,  That Was Admirably Adapted To The Exhibition 
   Of The Finest Powers Of The Animal. The Horse Seemed Conscious Of The 
   Advantage,  And Bore His Warlike Rider,  With An Elasticity Of Step And 
   A Loftiness Of Air,  That Would Have Done No Discredit To The Highest 
   Trained And Most Generous Charger. The Blood Of The Chief Himself 
   Quickened With The Excitement Of His Situation. He Sat The Beast As If 
   Conscious That The Eyes Of Two Tribes Were On His Movements; And As 
   Nothing Could Be More Acceptable And Grateful To His Own Band,  Than 
   This Display Of Native Grace And Courage,  So Nothing Could Be More 
   Taunting And Humiliating To Their Enemies. 
     
   The Sudden Appearance Of The Pawnee On The Sands Was Announced Among 
   The Tetons,  By A General Yell Of Savage Anger. A Rush Was Made To The 
   Shore,  Followed By A Discharge Of Fifty Arrows And A Few Fusees,  And, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 130 
   On The Part Of Several Braves,  There Was A Plain Manifestation Of A 
   Desire To Plunge Into The Water,  In Order To Punish The Temerity Of 
   Their Insolent Foe. But A Call And A Mandate,  From Mahtoree,  Checked 
   The Rising,  And Nearly Ungovernable,  Temper Of His Band. So Far From 
   Allowing A Single Foot To Be Wet,  Or A Repetition Of The Fruitless 
   Efforts Of His People To Drive Away Their Foe With Missiles,  The Whole 
   Of The Party Was Commanded To Retire From The Shore,  While He Himself 
   Communicated His Intentions To One Or Two Of His Most Favoured 
   Followers. 
     
   When The Pawnees Observed The Rush Of Their Enemies,  Twenty Warriors 
   Rode Into The Stream; But So Soon As They Perceived That The Tetons 
   Had Withdrawn,  They Fell Back To A Man,  Leaving The Young Chief To The 
   Support Of His Own Often-Tried Skill And Well-Established Courage. The 
   Instructions Of Hard-Heart,  On Quitting His Band,  Had Been Worthy Of 
   The Self-Devotion And Daring Of His Character. So Long As Single 
   Warriors Came Against Him,  He Was To Be Left To The Keeping Of The 
   Wahcondah And His Own Arm; But Should The Siouxes Attack Him In 
   Numbers,  He Was To Be Sustained,  Man For Man,  Even To The Extent Of 
   His Whole Force. These Generous Orders Were Strictly Obeyed; And 
   Though So Many Hearts In The Troop Panted To Share In The Glory And 
   Danger Of Their Partisan,  Not A Warrior Was Found,  Among Them All,  Who 
   Did Not Know How To Conceal His Impatience Under The Usual Mask Of 
   Indian Self-Restraint. They Watched The Issue With Quick And Jealous 
   Eyes,  Nor Did A Single Exclamation Of Surprise Escape Them,  When They 
   Saw,  As Will Soon Be Apparent,  That The Experiment Of Their Chief Was 
   As Likely To Conduce To Peace As To War. 
     
   Mahtoree Was Not Long In Communicating His Plans To His Confidants, 
   Whom He As Quickly Dismissed To Join Their Fellows In The Rear. The 
   Teton Entered A Short Distance Into The Stream And Halted. Here He 
   Raised His Hand Several Times,  With The Palm Outwards,  And Made 
   Several Of Those Other Signs,  Which Are Construed Into A Pledge Of 
   Amicable Intentions Among The Inhabitants Of Those Regions. Then,  As 
   If To Confirm The Sincerity Of His Faith,  He Cast His Fusee To The 
   Shore,  And Entered Deeper Into The Water,  Where He Again Came To A 
   Stand,  In Order To See In What Manner The Pawnee Would Receive His 
   Pledges Of Peace. 
     
   The Crafty Sioux Had Not Made His Calculations On The Noble And Honest 
   Nature Of His More Youthful Rival In Vain. Hard-Heart Had Continued 
   Galloping Across The Sands,  During The Discharge Of Missiles And The 
   Appearance Of A General Onset,  With The Same Proud And Confident Mien, 
   As That With Which He Had First Braved The Danger. When He Saw The 
   Well-Known Person Of The Teton Partisan Enter The River,  He Waved His 
   Hand In Triumph,  And Flourishing His Lance,  He Raised The Thrilling 
   War-Cry Of His People,  As A Challenge For Him To Come On. But When He 
   Saw The Signs Of A Truce,  Though Deeply Practised In The Treachery Of 
   Savage Combats,  He Disdained To Show A Less Manly Reliance On Himself, 
   Than That Which His Enemy Had Seen Fit To Exhibit. Riding To The 
   Farthest Extremity Of The Sands,  He Cast His Own Fusee From Him,  And 
   Returned To The Point Whence He Had Started. 
     
   The Two Chiefs Were Now Armed Alike. Each Had His Spear,  His Bow,  His 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 131 
   Quiver,  His Little Battle-Axe,  And His Knife; And Each Had,  Also,  A 
   Shield Of Hides,  Which Might Serve As A Means Of Defence Against A 
   Surprise From Any Of These Weapons. The Sioux No Longer Hesitated,  But 
   Advanced Deeper Into The Stream,  And Soon Landed On A Point Of The 
   Island Which His Courteous Adversary Had Left Free For That Purpose. 
   Had One Been There To Watch The Countenance Of Mahtoree,  As He Crossed 
   The Water That Separated Him From The Most Formidable And The Most 
   Hated Of All His Rivals,  He Might Have Fancied That He Could Trace The 
   Gleamings Of A Secret Joy,  Breaking Through The Cloud Which Deep 
   Cunning And Heartless Treachery Had Drawn Before His Swarthy Visage; 
   And Yet There Would Have Been Moments,  When He Might Have Believed 
   That The Flashings Of The Teton's Eye And The Expansion Of His 
   Nostrils,  Had Their Origin In A Nobler Sentiment,  And One More Worthy 
   Of An Indian Chief. 
     
   The Pawnee Awaited The Time Of His Enemy With Calmness And Dignity. 
   The Teton Made A Short Run Or Two,  To Curb The Impatience Of His 
   Steed,  And To Recover His Seat After The Effort Of Crossing,  And Then 
   He Rode Into The Centre Of The Place,  And Invited The Other,  By A 
   Courteous Gesture,  To Approach. Hard-Heart Drew Nigh,  Until He Found 
   Himself At A Distance Equally Suited To Advance Or To Retreat,  And,  In 
   His Turn,  He Came To A Stand,  Keeping His Glowing Eye Riveted On That 
   Of His Enemy. A Long And Grave Pause Succeeded This Movement,  During 
   Which These Two Distinguished Braves,  Who Were Now,  For The First 
   Time,  Confronted,  With Arms In Their Hands,  Sat Regarding Each Other, 
   Like Warriors Who Knew How To Value The Merits Of A Gallant Foe, 
   However Hated. But The Mien Of Mahtoree Was Far Less Stern And Warlike 
   Than That Of The Partisan Of The Loups. Throwing His Shield Over His 
   Shoulder,  As If To Invite The Confidence Of The Other,  He Made A 
   Gesture Of Salutation And Was The First To Speak. 
     
   "Let The Pawnees Go Upon The Hills," He Said,  "And Look From The 
   Morning To The Evening Sun,  From The Country Of Snows To The Land Of 
   Many Flowers,  And They Will See That The Earth Is Very Large. Why 
   Cannot The Red-Men Find Room On It For All Their Villages?" 
     
   "Has The Teton Ever Known A Warrior Of The Loups Come To His Towns To 
   Beg A Place For His Lodge?" Returned The Young Brave,  With A Look In 
   Which Pride And Contempt Were Not Attempted To Be Concealed,  "When The 
   Pawnees Hunt,  Do They Send Runners To Ask Mahtoree If There Are No 
   Siouxes On The Prairies?" 
     
   "When There Is Hunger In The Lodge Of A Warrior,  He Looks For The 
   Buffaloe,  Which Is Given Him For Food," The Teton Continued, 
   Struggling To Keep Down The Ire Excited By The Other's Scorn. "The 
   Wahcondah Has Made More Of Them Than He Has Made Indians. He Has Not 
   Said,  This Buffaloe Shall Be For A Pawnee,  And That For A Dahcotah; 
   This Beaver For Konza,  And That For An Omawhaw. No; He Said,  There Are 
   Enough. I Love My Red Children,  And I Have Given Them Great Riches. 
   The Swiftest Horse Shall Not Go From The Village Of The Tetons To The 
   Village Of The Loups In Many Suns. It Is Far From The Towns Of The 
   Pawnees To The River Of The Osages. There Is Room For All That I Love. 
   Why Then Should A Red-Man Strike His Brother?" 
     
   
   
   
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   Hard-Heart Dropped One End Of His Lance To The Earth,  And Having Also 
   Cast His Shield Across His Shoulder,  He Sat Leaning Lightly On The 
   Weapon,  As He Answered With A Smile Of No Doubtful Expression-- 
     
   "Are The Tetons Weary Of The Hunts,  And Of The Warpath? Do They Wish 
   To Cook The Venison,  And Not To Kill It. Do They Intend To Let The 
   Hair Cover Their Heads,  That Their Enemies Shall Not Know Where To 
   Find Their Scalps? Go; A Pawnee Warrior Will Never Come Among Such 
   Sioux Squaws For A Wife!" 
     
   A Frightful Gleam Of Ferocity Broke Out Of The Restraint Of The 
   Dahcotah's Countenance,  As He Listened To This Biting Insult; But He 
   Was Quick In Subduing The Tell-Tale Feeling,  In An Expression Much 
   Better Suited To His Present Purpose. 
     
   "This Is The Way A Young Chief Should Talk Of War," He Answered With 
   Singular Composure; "But Mahtoree Has Seen The Misery Of More Winters 
   Than His Brother. When The Nights Have Been Long,  And Darkness Has 
   Been In His Lodge,  While The Young Men Slept,  He Has Thought Of The 
   Hardships Of His People. He Has Said To Himself,  Teton,  Count The 
   Scalps In Your Smoke. They Are All Red But Two! Does The Wolf Destroy 
   The Wolf,  Or The Rattler Strike His Brother? You Know They Do Not; 
   Therefore,  Teton,  Are You Wrong To Go On A Path That Leads To The 
   Village Of A Red-Skin,  With A Tomahawk In Your Hand." 
     
   "The Sioux Would Rob The Warrior Of His Fame? He Would Say To His 
   Young Men,  Go,  Dig Roots In The Prairies,  And Find Holes To Bury Your 
   Tomahawks In; You Are No Longer Braves!" 
     
   "If The Tongue Of Mahtoree Ever Says Thus," Returned The Crafty Chief, 
   With An Appearance Of Strong Indignation,  "Let His Women Cut It Out, 
   And Burn It With The Offals Of The Buffaloe. No," He Added,  Advancing 
   A Few Feet Nigher To The Immovable Hard-Heart,  As If In The Sincerity 
   Of Confidence; "The Red-Man Can Never Want An Enemy: They Are Plentier 
   Than The Leaves On The Trees,  The Birds In The Heavens,  Or The 
   Buffaloes On The Prairies. Let My Brother Open His Eyes Wide: Does He 
   No Where See An Enemy He Would Strike?" 
     
   "How Long Is It Since The Teton Counted The Scalps Of His Warriors, 
   That Were Drying In The Smoke Of A Pawnee Lodge? The Hand That Took 
   Them Is Here,  And Ready To Make Eighteen,  Twenty." 
     
   "Now,  Let Not The Mind Of My Brother Go On A Crooked Path. If A Red- 
   Skin Strikes A Red-Skin For Ever,  Who Will Be Masters Of The Prairies, 
   When No Warriors Are Left To Say,  'They Are Mine?' Hear The Voices Of 
   The Old Men. They Tell Us That In Their Days Many Indians Have Come 
   Out Of The Woods Under The Rising Sun,  And That They Have Filled The 
   Prairies With Their Complaints Of The Robberies Of The Long-Knives. 
   Where A Pale-Face Comes,  A Red-Man Cannot Stay. The Land Is Too Small. 
   They Are Always Hungry. See,  They Are Here Already!" 
     
   As The Teton Spoke,  He Pointed Towards The Tents Of Ishmael,  Which 
   Were In Plain Sight,  And Then He Paused,  To Await The Effect Of His 
   Words On The Mind Of His Ingenuous Foe. Hard-Heart Listened Like One 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 133 
   In Whom A Train Of Novel Ideas Had Been Excited By The Reasoning Of 
   The Other. He Mused For A Minute Before He Demanded-- 
     
   "What Do The Wise Chiefs Of The Sioux Say Must Be Done?" 
     
   "They Think That The Moccasin Of Every Pale-Face Should Be Followed, 
   Like The Track Of The Bear. That The Long-Knife,  Who Comes Upon The 
   Prairie,  Should Never Go Back. That The Path Shall Be Open To Those 
   Who Come,  And Shut To Those Who Go. Yonder Are Many. They Have Horses 
   And Guns. They Are Rich,  But We Are Poor. Will The Pawnees Meet The 
   Tetons In Council? And When The Sun Is Gone Behind The Rocky 
   Mountains,  They Will Say,  This Is For A Loup And This For A Sioux." 
     
   "Teton--No! Hard-Heart Has Never Struck The Stranger. They Come Into 
   His Lodge And Eat,  And They Go Out In Safety. A Mighty Chief Is Their 
   Friend! When My People Call The Young Men To Go On The War-Path,  The 
   Moccasin Of Hard-Heart Is The Last. But His Village Is No Sooner Hid 
   By The Trees,  Than It Is The First. No,  Teton; His Arm Will Never Be 
   Lifted Against The Stranger." 
     
   "Fool; Die,  With Empty Hands!" Mahtoree Exclaimed,  Setting An Arrow To 
   His Bow,  And Sending It,  With A Sudden And Deadly Aim,  Full At The 
   Naked Bosom Of His Generous And Confiding Enemy. 
     
   The Action Of The Treacherous Teton Was Too Quick,  And Too Well 
   Matured,  To Admit Of Any Of The Ordinary Means Of Defence On The Part 
   Of The Pawnee. His Shield Was Hanging At His Shoulder,  And Even The 
   Arrow Had Been Suffered To Fall From Its Place,  And Lay In The Hollow 
   Of The Hand Which Grasped His Bow. But The Quick Eye Of The Brave Had 
   Time To See The Movement,  And His Ready Thoughts Did Not Desert Him. 
   Pulling Hard And With A Jerk Upon The Rein,  His Steed Reared His 
   Forward Legs Into The Air,  And,  As The Rider Bent His Body Low,  The 
   Horse Served For A Shield Against The Danger. So True,  However,  Was 
   The Aim,  And So Powerful The Force By Which It Was Sent,  That The 
   Arrow Entered The Neck Of The Animal,  And Broke The Skin On The 
   Opposite Side. 
     
   Quicker Than Thought Hard-Heart Sent Back An Answering Arrow. The 
   Shield Of The Teton Was Transfixed,  But His Person Was Untouched. For 
   A Few Moments The Twang Of The Bow And The Glancing Of Arrows Were 
   Incessant,  Notwithstanding The Combatants Were Compelled To Give So 
   Large A Portion Of Their Care To The Means Of Defence. The Quivers 
   Were Soon Exhausted; And Though Blood Had Been Drawn,  It Was Not In 
   Sufficient Quantities To Impair The Energy Of The Combat. 
     
   A Series Of Masterly And Rapid Evolutions With The Horses Now 
   Commenced. The Wheelings,  The Charges,  The Advances,  And The 
   Circuitous Retreats,  Were Like The Flights Of Circling Swallows. Blows 
   Were Struck With The Lance,  The Sand Was Scattered In The Air,  And The 
   Shocks Often Seemed To Be Unavoidably Fatal; But Still Each Party Kept 
   His Seat,  And Still Each Rein Was Managed With A Steady Hand. At 
   Length The Teton Was Driven To The Necessity Of Throwing Himself From 
   His Horse,  To Escape A Thrust That Would Otherwise Have Proved Fatal. 
   The Pawnee Passed His Lance Through The Beast,  Uttering A Shout Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 134 
   Triumph As He Galloped By. Turning In His Tracks,  He Was About To Push 
   The Advantage,  When His Own Mettled Steed Staggered And Fell,  Under A 
   Burden That He Could No Longer Sustain. Mahtoree Answered His 
   Premature Cry Of Victory,  And Rushed Upon The Entangled Youth,  With 
   Knife And Tomahawk. The Utmost Agility Of Hard-Heart Had Not Sufficed 
   To Extricate Himself In Season From The Fallen Beast. He Saw That His 
   Case Was Desperate. Feeling For His Knife,  He Took The Blade Between A 
   Finger And Thumb,  And Cast It With Admirable Coolness At His Advancing 
   Foe. The Keen Weapon Whirled A Few Times In The Air,  And Its Point 
   Meeting The Naked Breast Of The Impetuous Sioux,  The Blade Was Buried 
   To The Buck-Horn Haft. 
     
   Mahtoree Laid His Hand On The Weapon,  And Seemed To Hesitate Whether 
   To Withdraw It Or Not. For A Moment His Countenance Darkened With The 
   Most Inextinguishable Hatred And Ferocity,  And Then,  As If Inwardly 
   Admonished How Little Time He Had To Lose,  He Staggered To The Edge Of 
   The Sands,  And Halted With His Feet In The Water. The Cunning And 
   Duplicity,  Which Had So Long Obscured The Brighter And Nobler Traits 
   Of His Character,  Were Lost In The Never Dying Sentiment Of Pride, 
   Which He Had Imbibed In Youth. 
     
   "Boy Of The Loups!" He Said With A Smile Of Grim Satisfaction,  "The 
   Scalp Of A Mighty Dahcotah Shall Never Dry In Pawnee Smoke!" 
     
   Drawing The Knife From The Wound,  He Hurled It Towards The Enemy In 
   Disdain. Then Shaking His Arm At His Successful Foe,  His Swarthy 
   Countenance Appearing To Struggle With Volumes Of Scorn And Hatred, 
   That He Could Not Utter With The Tongue,  He Cast Himself Headlong Into 
   One Of The Most Rapid Veins Of The Current,  His Hand Still Waving In 
   Triumph Above The Fluid,  Even After His Body Had Sunk Into The Tide 
   For Ever. Hard-Heart Was By This Time Free. The Silence,  Which Had 
   Hitherto Reigned In The Bands,  Was Suddenly Broken By General And 
   Tumultuous Shouts. Fifty Of The Adverse Warriors Were Already In The 
   River,  Hastening To Destroy Or To Defend The Conqueror,  And The Combat 
   Was Rather On The Eve Of Its Commencement Than Near Its Termination. 
   But To All These Signs Of Danger And Need,  The Young Victor Was 
   Insensible. He Sprang For The Knife,  And Bounded With The Foot Of An 
   Antelope Along The Sands,  Looking For The Receding Fluid Which 
   Concealed His Prize. A Dark,  Bloody Spot Indicated The Place,  And, 
   Armed With The Knife,  He Plunged Into The Stream,  Resolute To Die In 
   The Flood,  Or To Return With His Trophy. 
     
   In The Mean Time,  The Sands Became A Scene Of Bloodshed And Violence. 
   Better Mounted And Perhaps More Ardent,  The Pawnees Had,  However, 
   Reached The Spot In Sufficient Numbers To Force Their Enemies To 
   Retire. The Victors Pushed Their Success To The Opposite Shore,  And 
   Gained The Solid Ground In The Melee Of The Fight. Here They Were Met 
   By All The Unmounted Tetons,  And,  In Their Turn,  They Were Forced To 
   Give Way. 
     
   The Combat Now Became More Characteristic And Circumspect. As The Hot 
   Impulses,  Which Had Driven Both Parties To Mingle In So Deadly A 
   Struggle,  Began To Cool,  The Chiefs Were Enabled To Exercise Their 
   Influence,  And To Temper The Assaults With Prudence. In Consequence Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 135 
   The Admonitions Of Their Leaders,  The Siouxes Sought Such Covers As 
   The Grass Afforded,  Or Here And There Some Bush Or Slight Inequality 
   Of The Ground,  And The Charges Of The Pawnee Warriors Necessarily 
   Became More Wary,  And Of Course Less Fatal. 
     
   In This Manner The Contest Continued With A Varied Success,  And 
   Without Much Loss. The Siouxes Had Succeeded In Forcing Themselves 
   Into A Thick Growth Of Rank Grass,  Where The Horses Of Their Enemies 
   Could Not Enter,  Or Where,  When Entered,  They Were Worse Than Useless. 
   It Became Necessary To Dislodge The Tetons From This Cover,  Or The 
   Object Of The Combat Must Be Abandoned. Several Desperate Efforts Had 
   Been Repulsed,  And The Disheartened Pawnees Were Beginning To Think Of 
   A Retreat,  When The Well-Known War-Cry Of Hard-Heart Was Heard At 
   Hand,  And At The Next Instant The Chief Appeared In Their Centre, 
   Flourishing The Scalp Of The Great Sioux,  As A Banner That Would Lead 
   To Victory. 
     
   He Was Greeted By A Shout Of Delight,  And Followed Into The Cover, 
   With An Impetuosity That,  For The Moment,  Drove All Before It. But The 
   Bloody Trophy In The Hand Of The Partisan Served As An Incentive To 
   The Attacked,  As Well As To The Assailants. Mahtoree Had Left Many A 
   Daring Brave Behind Him In His Band,  And The Orator,  Who In The 
   Debates Of That Day Had Manifested Such Pacific Thoughts,  Now 
   Exhibited The Most Generous Self-Devotion,  In Order To Wrest The 
   Memorial Of A Man He Had Never Loved,  From The Hands Of The Avowed 
   Enemies Of His People. 
     
   The Result Was In Favour Of Numbers. After A Severe Struggle,  In Which 
   The Finest Displays Of Personal Intrepidity Were Exhibited By All The 
   Chiefs,  The Pawnees Were Compelled To Retire Upon The Open Bottom, 
   Closely Pressed By The Siouxes,  Who Failed Not To Seize Each Foot Of 
   Ground Ceded By Their Enemies. Had The Tetons Stayed Their Efforts On 
   The Margin Of The Grass,  It Is Probable That The Honour Of The Day 
   Would Have Been Theirs,  Notwithstanding The Irretrievable Loss They 
   Had Sustained In The Death Of Mahtoree. But The More Reckless Braves 
   Of The Band Were Guilty Of An Indiscretion,  That Entirely Changed The 
   Fortunes Of The Fight,  And Suddenly Stripped Them Of Their Hard-Earned 
   Advantages. 
     
   A Pawnee Chief Had Sunk Under The Numerous Wounds He Had Received,  And 
   He Fell,  A Target For A Dozen Arrows,  In The Very Last Group Of His 
   Retiring Party. Regardless Alike Of Inflicting Further Injury On Their 
   Foes,  And Of The Temerity Of The Act,  The Sioux Braves Bounded Forward 
   With A Whoop,  Each Man Burning With The Wish To Reap The High Renown 
   Of Striking The Body Of The Dead. They Were Met By Hard-Heart And A 
   Chosen Knot Of Warriors,  All Of Whom Were Just As Stoutly Bent On 
   Saving The Honour Of Their Nation,  From So Foul A Stain. The Struggle 
   Was Hand To Hand,  And Blood Began To Flow More Freely. As The Pawnees 
   Retired With The Body,  The Siouxes Pressed Upon Their Footsteps,  And 
   At Length The Whole Of The Latter Broke Out Of The Cover With A Common 
   Yell,  And Threatened To Bear Down All Opposition By Sheer Physical 
   Superiority. 
     
   The Fate Of Hard-Heart And His Companions,  All Of Whom Would Have Died 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 136 
   Rather Than Relinquish Their Object,  Would Have Been Quickly Sealed, 
   But For A Powerful And Unlooked-For Interposition In Their Favour. A 
   Shout Was Heard From A Little Brake On The Left,  And A Volley From The 
   Fatal Western Rifle Immediately Succeeded. Some Five Or Six Siouxes 
   Leaped Forward In The Death Agony,  And Every Arm Among Them Was As 
   Suddenly Suspended,  As If The Lightning Had Flashed From The Clouds To 
   Aid The Cause Of The Loups. Then Came Ishmael And His Stout Sons In 
   Open View,  Bearing Down Upon Their Late Treacherous Allies,  With Looks 
   And Voices That Proclaimed The Character Of The Succour. 
     
   The Shock Was Too Much For The Fortitude Of The Tetons. Several Of 
   Their Bravest Chiefs Had Already Fallen,  And Those That Remained Were 
   Instantly Abandoned By The Whole Of The Inferior Herd. A Few Of The 
   Most Desperate Braves Still Lingered Nigh The Fatal Symbol Of Their 
   Honour,  And There Nobly Met Their Deaths,  Under The Blows Of The 
   Re-Encouraged Pawnees. A Second Discharge From The Rifles Of The 
   Squatter And His Party Completed The Victory. 
     
   The Siouxes Were Now To Be Seen Flying To More Distant Covers,  With 
   The Same Eagerness And Desperation As,  A Few Moments Before,  They Had 
   Been Plunging Into The Fight. The Triumphant Pawnees Bounded Forward 
   In Chase,  Like So Many High-Blooded And Well-Trained Hounds. On Every 
   Side Were Heard The Cries Of Victory,  Or The Yell Of Revenge. A Few Of 
   The Fugitives Endeavoured To Bear Away The Bodies Of Their Fallen 
   Warriors,  But The Hot Pursuit Quickly Compelled Them To Abandon The 
   Slain,  In Order To Preserve The Living. Among All The Struggles,  Which 
   Were Made On That Occasion,  To Guard The Honour Of The Siouxes From 
   The Stain Which Their Peculiar Opinions Attached To The Possession Of 
   The Scalp Of A Fallen Brave,  But One Solitary Instance Of Success 
   Occurred. 
     
   The Opposition Of A Particular Chief To The Hostile Proceedings In The 
   Councils Of That Morning Has Been Already Seen. But,  After Having 
   Raised His Voice In Vain,  In Support Of Peace,  His Arm Was Not 
   Backward In Doing Its Duty In The War. His Prowess Has Been Mentioned; 
   And It Was Chiefly By His Courage And Example,  That The Tetons 
   Sustained Themselves In The Heroic Manner They Did,  When The Death Of 
   Mahtoree Was Known. This Warrior,  Who,  In The Figurative Language Of 
   His People,  Was Called "The Swooping Eagle," Had Been The Last To 
   Abandon The Hopes Of Victory. When He Found That The Support Of The 
   Dreaded Rifle Had Robbed His Band Of The Hard-Earned Advantages,  He 
   Sullenly Retired Amid A Shower Of Missiles,  To The Secret Spot Where 
   He Had Hid His Horse,  In The Mazes Of The Highest Grass. Here He Found 
   A New And An Entirely Unexpected Competitor,  Ready To Dispute With Him 
   For The Possession Of The Beast. It Was Bohrecheena,  The Aged Friend 
   Of Mahtoree; He Whose Voice Had Been Given In Opposition To His Own 
   Wiser Opinions,  Transfixed With An Arrow,  And Evidently Suffering 
   Under The Pangs Of Approaching Death. 
     
   "I Have Been On My Last War-Path," Said The Grim Old Warrior,  When He 
   Found That The Real Owner Of The Animal Had Come To Claim His 
   Property; "Shall A Pawnee Carry The White Hairs Of A Sioux Into His 
   Village,  To Be A Scorn To His Women And Children?" 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 30 Pg 137 
   The Other Grasped His Hand,  Answering To The Appeal With The Stern 
   Look Of Inflexible Resolution. With This Silent Pledge,  He Assisted 
   The Wounded Man To Mount. So Soon As He Had Led The Horse To The 
   Margin Of The Cover,  He Threw Himself Also On Its Back,  And Securing 
   His Companion To His Belt,  He Issued On The Open Plain,  Trusting 
   Entirely To The Well-Known Speed Of The Beast For Their Mutual Safety. 
   The Pawnees Were Not Long In Catching A View Of These New Objects,  And 
   Several Turned Their Steeds To Pursue. The Race Continued For A Mile 
   Without A Murmur From The Sufferer,  Though In Addition To The Agony Of 
   His Body,  He Had The Pain Of Seeing His Enemies Approach At Every Leap 
   Of Their Horses. 
     
   "Stop," He Said,  Raising A Feeble Arm To Check The Speed Of His 
   Companion; "The Eagle Of My Tribe Must Spread His Wings Wider. Let Him 
   Carry The White Hairs Of An Old Warrior Into The Burnt-Wood Village!" 
     
   Few Words Were Necessary,  Between Men Who Were Governed By The Same 
   Feelings Of Glory,  And Who Were So Well Trained In The Principles Of 
   Their Romantic Honour. The Swooping Eagle Threw Himself From The Back 
   Of The Horse,  And Assisted The Other To Alight. The Old Man Raised His 
   Tottering Frame To Its Knees,  And First Casting A Glance Upward At The 
   Countenance Of His Countryman,  As If To Bid Him Adieu,  He Stretched 
   Out His Neck To The Blow He Himself Invited. A Few Strokes Of The 
   Tomahawk,  With A Circling Gash Of The Knife,  Sufficed To Sever The 
   Head From The Less Valued Trunk. The Teton Mounted Again,  Just In 
   Season To Escape A Flight Of Arrows Which Came From His Eager And 
   Disappointed Pursuers. Flourishing The Grim And Bloody Visage,  He 
   Darted Away From The Spot With A Shout Of Triumph,  And Was Seen 
   Scouring The Plains,  As If He Were Actually Borne Along On The Wings 
   Of The Powerful Bird From Whose Qualities He Had Received His 
   Flattering Name. The Swooping Eagle Reached His Village In Safety. He 
   Was One Of The Few Siouxes Who Escaped From The Massacre Of That Fatal 
   Day; And For A Long Time He Alone Of The Saved Was Able To Lift His 
   Voice,  In The Councils Of His Nation,  With Undiminished Confidence. 
     
   The Knife And The Lance Cut Short The Retreat Of The Larger Portion Of 
   The Vanquished. Even The Retiring Party Of The Women And Children Were 
   Scattered By The Conquerors; And The Sun Had Long Sunk Behind The 
   Rolling Outline Of The Western Horizon,  Before The Fell Business Of 
   That Disastrous Defeat Was Entirely Ended. 
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 138 
               Which Is The Merchant Here,  And Which The Jew? 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Day Dawned,  The Following Morning,  On A More,  Tranquil Scene. The 
   Work Of Blood Had Entirely Ceased; And As The Sun Arose,  Its Light Was 
   Shed On A Broad Expanse Of Quiet And Solitude. The Tents Of Ishmael 
   Were Still Standing,  Where They Had Been Last Seen,  But Not Another 
   Vestige Of Human Existence Could Be Traced In Any Other Part Of The 
   Waste. Here And There Little Flocks Of Ravenous Birds Were Sailing And 
   Screaming Above Those Spots Where Some Heavy-Footed Teton Had Met His 
   Death,  But Every Other Sign Of The Recent Combat Had Passed Away. The 
   River Was To Be Traced Far Through The Endless Meadows,  By Its 
   Serpentine And Smoking Bed; And The Little Silvery Clouds Of Vapour, 
   Which Hung Above The Pools And Springs,  Were Beginning To Melt In Air, 
   As They Felt The Quickening Warmth,  Which,  Pouring From The Glowing 
   Sky,  Shed Its Bland And Subtle Influence On Every Object Of The Vast 
   And Unshadowed Region. The Prairie Was Like The Heavens After The 
   Passage Of The Gust,  Soft,  Calm,  And Soothing. 
     
   It Was In The Midst Of Such A Scene That The Family Of The Squatter 
   Assembled To Make Their Final Decision,  Concerning The Several 
   Individuals Who Had Been Thrown Into Their Power,  By The Fluctuating 
   Chances Of The Incidents Related. Every Being Possessing Life And 
   Liberty Had Been Afoot,  Since The First Streak Of Grey Had Lighted The 
   East; And Even The Youngest Of The Erratic Brood Seemed Conscious That 
   The Moment Had Arrived,  When Circumstances Were About To Transpire 
   That Might Leave A Lasting Impression On The Wild Fortunes Of Their 
   Semi-Barbarous Condition. 
     
   Ishmael Moved Through His Little Encampment,  With The Seriousness Of 
   One Who Had Been Unexpectedly Charged With Matters Of A Gravity, 
   Exceeding Any Of The Ordinary Occurrences Of His Irregular Existence. 
   His Sons However,  Who Had So Often Found Occasions To Prove The 
   Inexorable Severity Of Their Father's Character,  Saw,  In His Sullen 
   Mien And Cold Eye,  Rather A Determination To Adhere To His 
   Resolutions,  Which Usually Were As Obstinately Enforced As They Were 
   Harshly Conceived,  Than Any Evidences Of Wavering Or Doubt. Even 
   Esther Was Sensibly Affected By The Important Matters That Pressed So 
   Heavily On The Interests Of Her Family. While She Neglected None Of 
   Those Domestic Offices,  Which Would Probably Have Proceeded Under Any 
   Conceivable Circumstances,  Just As The World Turns Round With 
   Earthquakes Rending Its Crust And Volcanoes Consuming Its Vitals,  Yet 
   Her Voice Was Pitched To A Lower And More Foreboding Key Than Common, 
   And The Still Frequent Chidings Of Her Children Were Tempered By 
   Something Like The Milder Dignity Of Parental Authority. 
     
   Abiram,  As Usual,  Seemed The One Most Given To Solicitude And Doubt. 
   There Were Certain Misgivings,  In The Frequent Glances That He Turned 
   On The Unyielding Countenance Of Ishmael,  Which Might Have Betrayed 
   How Little Of Their Former Confidence And Good Understanding Existed 
   Between Them. His Looks Appeared To Be Vacillating Between Hope And 
   Fear. At Times,  His Countenance Lighted With The Gleamings Of A Sordid 
   Joy,  As He Bent His Look On The Tent Which Contained His Recovered 
   Prisoner,  And Then,  Again,  The Impression Seemed Unaccountably Chased 
   Away By The Shadows Of Intense Apprehension. When Under The Influence 
   Of The Latter Feeling,  His Eye Never Failed To Seek The Visage Of His 
   Dull And Impenetrable Kinsman. But There He Rather Found Reason For 
   Alarm Than Grounds Of Encouragement,  For The Whole Character Of The 
   Squatter's Countenance Expressed The Fearful Truth,  That He Had 
   Redeemed His Dull Faculties From The Influence Of The Kidnapper,  And 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 139 
   That His Thoughts Were Now Brooding Only On The Achievement Of His Own 
   Stubborn Intentions. 
     
   It Was In This State Of Things That The Sons Of Ishmael,  In Obedience 
   To An Order From Their Father,  Conducted The Several Subjects Of His 
   Contemplated Decisions,  From Their Places Of Confinement Into The Open 
   Air. No One Was Exempted From This Arrangement. Middleton And Inez, 
   Paul And Ellen,  Obed And The Trapper,  Were All Brought Forth And 
   Placed In Situations That Were Deemed Suitable To Receive The Sentence 
   Of Their Arbitrary Judge. The Younger Children Gathered Around The 
   Spot,  In Momentary But Engrossing Curiosity,  And Even Esther Quitted 
   Her Culinary Labours,  And Drew Nigh To Listen. 
     
   Hard-Heart Alone,  Of All His Band,  Was Present To Witness The Novel 
   And Far From Unimposing Spectacle. He Stood Leaning,  Gravely,  On His 
   Lance,  While The Smoking Steed,  That Grazed Nigh,  Showed That He Had 
   Ridden Far And Hard To Be A Spectator,  On The Occasion. 
     
   Ishmael Had Received His New Ally With A Coldness That Showed His 
   Entire Insensibility To That Delicacy,  Which Had Induced The Young 
   Chief To Come Alone,  In Order That The Presence Of His Warriors Might 
   Not Create Uneasiness,  Or Distrust. He Neither Courted Their 
   Assistance,  Nor Dreaded Their Enmity,  And He Now Proceeded To The 
   Business Of The Hour With As Much Composure,  As If The Species Of 
   Patriarchal Power,  He Wielded,  Was Universally Recognised. 
     
   There Is Something Elevating In The Possession Of Authority,  However 
   It May Be Abused. The Mind Is Apt To Make Some Efforts To Prove The 
   Fitness Between Its Qualities And The Condition Of Its Owner,  Though 
   It May Often Fail,  And Render That Ridiculous Which Was Only Hated 
   Before. But The Effect On Ishmael Bush Was Not So Disheartening. Grave 
   In Exterior,  Saturnine By Temperament,  Formidable By His Physical 
   Means,  And Dangerous From His Lawless Obstinacy,  His Self-Constituted 
   Tribunal Excited A Degree Of Awe,  To Which Even The Intelligent 
   Middleton Could Not Bring Himself To Be Entirely Insensible. Little 
   Time,  However,  Was Given To Arrange His Thoughts; For The Squatter, 
   Though Unaccustomed To Haste,  Having Previously Made Up His Mind,  Was 
   Not Disposed To Waste The Moments In Delay. When He Saw That All Were 
   In Their Places,  He Cast A Dull Look Over His Prisoners,  And Addressed 
   Himself To The Captain,  As The Principal Man Among The Imaginary 
   Delinquents. 
     
   "I Am Called Upon This Day,  To Fill The Office Which In The 
   Settlements You Give Unto Judges,  Who Are Set Apart To Decide On 
   Matters That Arise Between Man And Man. I Have But Little Knowledge Of 
   The Ways Of The Courts,  Though There Is A Rule That Is Known Unto All, 
   And Which Teaches,  That An 'Eye Must Be Returned For An Eye,' And A 
   'Tooth For A Tooth.' I Am No Troubler Of Countyhouses,  And Least Of 
   All Do I Like Living On A Plantation That The Sheriff Has Surveyed; 
   Yet There Is A Reason In Such A Law,  That Makes It A Safe Rule To 
   Journey By,  And Therefore It Ar' A Solemn Fact That This Day Shall I 
   Abide By It,  And Give Unto All And Each That Which Is His Due And No 
   More." 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 140 
   When Ishmael Had Delivered His Mind Thus Far,  He Paused And Looked 
   About Him,  As If He Would Trace The Effects In The Countenances Of His 
   Hearers. When His Eye Met That Of Middleton,  He Was Answered By The 
   Latter-- 
     
   "If The Evil-Doer Is To Be Punished,  And He That Has Offended None To 
   He Left To Go At Large,  You Must Change Situations With Me,  And Become 
   A Prisoner Instead Of A Judge." 
     
   "You Mean To Say That I Have Done You Wrong,  In Taking The Lady From 
   Her Father's House,  And Leading Her So Far Against Her Will Into These 
   Wild Districts," Returned The Unmoved Squatter,  Who Manifested As 
   Little Resentment As He Betrayed Compunction At The Charge. "I Shall 
   Not Put The Lie On The Back Of An Evil Deed,  And Deny Your Words. 
   Since Things Have Come To This Pass Between Us,  I Have Found Time To 
   Think The Matter Over At My Leisure,  And Though None Of Your Swift 
   Thinkers,  Who Can See,  Or Who Pretend To See,  Into The Nature Of All 
   Things,  By A Turn Of The Eye,  Yet Am I A Man Open To Reason,  And Give 
   Me My Time,  One Who Is Not Given To Deny The Truth. Therefore Have I 
   Mainly Concluded,  That It Was A Mistake To Take A Child From Its 
   Parent,  And The Lady Shall Be Returned Whence She Has Been Brought,  As 
   Tenderly And As Safely As Man Can Do It." 
     
   "Ay,  Ay," Added Esther,  "The Man Is Right. Poverty And Labour Bore 
   Hard Upon Him,  Especially As County Officers Were Getting Troublesome, 
   And In A Weak Moment He Did The Wicked Act; But He Has Listened To My 
   Words,  And His Mind Has Got Round Again Into Its Honest Corner. An 
   Awful And A Dangerous Thing It Is To Be Bringing The Daughters Of 
   Other People Into A Peaceable And Well-Governed Family!" 
     
   "And Who Will Thank You For The Same,  After What Has Been Already 
   Done?" Muttered Abiram,  With A Grin Of Disappointed Cupidity,  In Which 
   Malignity And Terror Were Disgustingly United; "When The Devil Has 
   Once Made Out His Account,  You May Look For Your Receipt In Full Only 
   At His Hands." 
     
   "Peace!" Said Ishmael,  Stretching His Heavy Hand Towards His Kinsman, 
   In A Manner That Instantly Silenced The Speaker. "Your Voice Is Like A 
   Raven's In My Ears. If You Had Never Spoken,  I Should Have Been Spared 
   This Shame." 
     
   "Since Then You Are Beginning To Lose Sight Of Your Errors,  And To See 
   The Truth," Said Middleton,  "Do Not Things By Halves,  But,  By The 
   Generosity Of Your Conduct,  Purchase Friends Who May Be Of Use In 
   Warding Off Any Future Danger From The Law--" 
     
   "Young Man," Interrupted The Squatter,  With A Dark Frown,  "You,  Too, 
   Have Said Enough. If Fear Of The Law Had Come Over Me,  You Would Not 
   Be Here To Witness The Manner In Which Ishmael Bush Deals Out 
   Justice." 
     
   "Smother Not Your Good Intentions; And Remember,  If You Contemplate 
   Violence To Any Among Us,  That The Arm Of That Law You Affect To 
   Despise,  Reaches Far,  And That Though Its Movements Are Sometimes 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 141 
   Slow,  They Are Not The Less Certain!" 
     
   "Yes,  There Is Too Much Truth In His Words,  Squatter," Said The 
   Trapper,  Whose Attentive Ears Rarely Suffered A Syllable To Be Utterly 
   Unheeded In His Presence. "A Busy And A Troublesome Arm It Often 
   Proves To Be Here,  In This Land Of America; Where,  As They Say,  Man Is 
   Left Greatly To The Following Of His Own Wishes,  Compared To Other 
   Countries; And Happier,  Ay,  And More Manly And More Honest,  Too,  Is He 
   For The Privilege! Why Do You Know,  My Men,  That There Are Regions 
   Where The Law Is So Busy As To Say,  In This Fashion Shall You Live,  In 
   That Fashion Shall You Die,  And In Such Another Fashion Shall You Take 
   Leave Of The World,  To Be Sent Before The Judgment-Seat Of The Lord! A 
   Wicked And A Troublesome Meddling Is That,  With The Business Of One 
   Who Has Not Made His Creatures To Be Herded,  Like Oxen,  And Driven 
   From Field To Field,  As Their Stupid And Selfish Keepers May Judge Of 
   Their Need And Wants. A Miserable Land Must That Be,  Where They Fetter 
   The Mind As Well As The Body,  And Where The Creatures Of God,  Being 
   Born Children,  Are Kept So By The Wicked Inventions Of Men Who Would 
   Take Upon Themselves The Office Of The Great Governor Of All!" 
     
   During The Delivery Of This Pertinent Opinion,  Ishmael Was Content To 
   Be Silent,  Though The Look,  With Which He Regarded The Speaker, 
   Manifested Any Other Feeling Than That Of Amity. When The Old Man Was 
   Done,  He Turned To Middleton,  And Continued The Subject Which The 
   Other Had Interrupted. 
     
   "As To Ourselves,  Young Captain,  There Has Been Wrong On Both Sides. 
   If I Have Borne Hard Upon Your Feelings,  In Taking Away Your Wife With 
   An Honest Intention Of Giving Her Back To You,  When The Plans Of That 
   Devil Incarnate Were Answered,  So Have You Broken Into My Encampment, 
   Aiding And Abetting,  As They Have Called Many An Honester Bargain,  In 
   Destroying My Property." 
     
   "But What I Did Was To Liberate--" 
     
   "The Matter Is Settled Between Us," Interrupted Ishmael,  With The Air 
   Of One Who,  Having Made Up His Own Opinion On The Merits Of The 
   Question,  Cared Very Little For Those Of Other People; "You And Your 
   Wife Are Free To Go And Come,  When And How You Please. Abner,  Set The 
   Captain At Liberty; And Now,  If You Will Tarry Until I Am Ready To 
   Draw Nigher To The Settlements,  You Shall Both Have The Benefit Of 
   Carriage; If Not,  Never Say That You Did Not Get A Friendly Offer." 
     
   "Now,  May The Strong Oppress Me,  And My Sins Be Visited Harshly On My 
   Own Head,  If I Forget Your Honesty,  However Slow It Has Been In 
   Showing Itself," Cried Middleton,  Hastening To The Side Of The Weeping 
   Inez,  The Instant He Was Released; "And,  Friend,  I Pledge You The 
   Honour Of A Soldier,  That Your Own Part Of This Transaction Shall Be 
   Forgotten,  Whatever I May Deem Fit To Have Done,  When I Reach A Place 
   Where The Arm Of Government Can Make Itself Felt." 
     
   The Dull Smile,  With Which The Squatter Answered To This Assurance, 
   Proved How Little He Valued The Pledge That The Youth,  In The First 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 142 
   Revulsion Of His Feelings,  Was So Free To Make. 
     
   "Neither Fear Nor Favour,  But What I Call Justice,  Has Brought Me To 
   This Judgment," He Said,  "Do You That Which May Seem Right In Your 
   Eyes,  And Believe That The World Is Wide Enough To Hold Us Both, 
   Without Our Crossing Each Other's Path Again! If You Ar' Content, 
   Well; If You Ar' Not Content,  Seek To Ease Your Feelings In Your Own 
   Fashion. I Shall Not Ask To Be Let Up,  When You Once Put Me Fairly 
   Down. And Now,  Doctor,  Have I Come To Your Leaf In My Accounts. It Is 
   Time To Foot Up The Small Reckoning,  That Has Been Running On,  For 
   Some Time,  Atwixt Us. With You,  I Entered Into Open And Manly Faith; 
   In What Manner Have You Kept It?" 
     
   The Singular Felicity,  With Which Ishmael Had Contrived To Shift The 
   Responsibility Of All That Had Passed,  From His Own Shoulders To Those 
   Of His Prisoners,  Backed As It Was By Circumstances That Hardly 
   Admitted Of A Very Philosophical Examination Of Any Mooted Point In 
   Ethics,  Was Sufficiently Embarrassing To The Several Individuals,  Who 
   Were So Unexpectedly Required To Answer For A Conduct Which,  In Their 
   Simplicity,  They Had Deemed So Meritorious. The Life Of Obed Had Been 
   So Purely Theoretic,  That His Amazement Was Not The Least Embarrassing 
   At A State Of Things Which Might Not Have Proved So Very Remarkable 
   Had He Been A Little More Practised In The Ways Of The World. The 
   Worthy Naturalist Was Not The First By Many,  Who Found Himself,  At The 
   Precise Moment When He Was Expecting Praise,  Suddenly Arraigned,  To 
   Answer For The Very Conduct On Which He Rested All His Claims To 
   Commendation. Though Not A Little Scandalised,  At The Unexpected Turn 
   Of The Transaction,  He Was Fain To Make The Best Of Circumstances,  And 
   To Bring Forth Such Matter In Justification,  As First Presented Itself 
   To His Disordered Faculties. 
     
   "That There Did Exist A Certain Compactum,  Or Agreement,  Between Obed 
   Batt,  M.D.,  And Ishmael Bush,  Viator,  Or Erratic Husbandman," He Said, 
   Endeavouring To Avoid All Offence In The Use Of Terms,  "I Am Not 
   Disposed To Deny. I Will Admit That It Was Therein Conditioned,  Or 
   Stipulated,  That A Certain Journey Should Be Performed Conjointly,  Or 
   In Company,  Until So Many Days Had Been Numbered. But As The Said Time 
   Has Fully Expired,  I Presume It Fair To Infer That The Bargain May Now 
   Be Said To Be Obsolete." 
     
   "Ishmael!" Interrupted The Impatient Esther,  "Make No Words With A Man 
   Who Can Break Your Bones As Easily As Set Them,  And Let The Poisoning 
   Devil Go! He's A Cheat,  From Box To Phial. Give Him Half The Prairie, 
   And Take The Other Half Yourself. He An Acclimator! I Will Engage To 
   Get The Brats Acclimated To A Fever-And-Ague Bottom In A Week,  And Not 
   A Word Shall Be Uttered Harder To Pronounce Than The Bark Of A Cherry- 
   Tree,  With Perhaps A Drop Or Two Of Western Comfort. One Thing Ar' A 
   Fact,  Ishmael; I Like No Fellow-Travellers Who Can Give A Heavy Feel 
   To An Honest Woman's Tongue,  I--And That Without Caring Whether Her 
   Household Is In Order,  Or Out Of Order." 
     
   The Air Of Settled Gloom,  Which Had Taken Possession Of The Squatter's 
   Countenance,  Lighted For An Instant With A Look Of Dull Drollery,  As 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 143 
   He Answered-- 
     
   "Different People Might Judge Differently,  Esther,  Of The Virtue Of 
   The Man's Art. But Sin' It Is Your Wish To Let Him Depart,  I Will Not 
   Plough The Prairie To Make The Walking Rough. Friend,  You Are At 
   Liberty To Go Into The Settlements,  And There I Would Advise You To 
   Tarry,  As Men Like Me Who Make But Few Contracts,  Do Not Relish The 
   Custom Of Breaking Them So Easily." 
     
   "And Now,  Ishmael," Resumed His Conquering Wife,  "In Order To Keep A 
   Quiet Family And To Smother All Heart-Burnings Between Us,  Show Yonder 
   Red-Skin And His Daughter," Pointing To The Aged Le Balafre And The 
   Widowed Tachechana,  "The Way To Their Village,  And Let Us Say To Them 
   --God Bless You,  And Farewell,  In The Same Breath!" 
     
   "They Are The Captives Of The Pawnee,  According To The Rules Of Indian 
   Warfare,  And I Cannot Meddle With His Rights." 
     
   "Beware The Devil,  My Man! He's A Cheat And A Tempter,  And None Can 
   Say They Ar' Safe With His Awful Delusions Before Their Eyes! Take The 
   Advice Of One Who Has The Honour Of Your Name At Heart,  And Send The 
   Tawny Jezebel Away." 
     
   The Squatter Laid His Broad Hand On Her Shoulder,  And Looking Her 
   Steadily In The Eye,  He Answered,  In Tones That Were Both Stern And 
   Solemn-- 
     
   "Woman,  We Have That Before Us Which Calls Our Thoughts To Other 
   Matters Than The Follies You Mean. Remember What Is To Come,  And Put 
   Your Silly Jealousy To Sleep." 
     
   "It Is True,  It Is True," Murmured His Wife,  Moving Back Among Her 
   Daughters; "God Forgive Me,  That I Should Forget It!" 
     
   "And Now,  Young Man; You,  Who Have So Often Come Into My Clearing, 
   Under The Pretence Of Lining The Bee Into His Hole," Resumed Ishmael, 
   After A Momentary Pause,  As If To Recover The Equilibrium Of His Mind, 
   "With You There Is A Heavier Account To Settle. Not Satisfied With 
   Rummaging My Camp,  You Have Stolen A Girl Who Is Akin To My Wife,  And 
   Who I Had Calculated To Make One Day A Daughter Of My Own." 
     
   A Stronger Sensation Was Produced By This,  Than By Any Of The 
   Preceding Interrogations. All The Young Men Bent Their Curious Eyes On 
   Paul And Ellen,  The Former Of Whom Seemed In No Small Mental 
   Confusion,  While The Latter Bent Her Face On Her Bosom In Shame. 
     
   "Harkee,  Friend Ishmael Bush," Returned The Bee-Hunter,  Who Found That 
   He Was Expected To Answer To The Charge Of Burglary,  As Well As To 
   That Of Abduction; "That I Did Not Give The Most Civil Treatment To 
   Your Pots And Pails,  I Am Not Going To Gainsay. If You Will Name The 
   Price You Put Upon The Articles,  It Is Possible The Damage May Be 
   Quietly Settled Between Us,  And All Hard Feelings Forgotten. I Was Not 
   In A Church-Going Humour When We Got Upon Your Rock,  And It Is More 
   Than Probable There Was Quite As Much Kicking As Preaching Among Your 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 144 
   Wares; But A Hole In The Best Man's Coat Can Be Mended By Money. As To 
   The Matter Of Ellen Wade,  Here,  It May Not Be Got Over So Easily. 
   Different People Have Different Opinions On The Subject Of Matrimony. 
   Some Think It Is Enough To Say Yes And No,  To The Questions Of The 
   Magistrate,  Or Of The Parson,  If One Happens To Be Handy,  In Order To 
   Make A Quiet House; But I Think That Where A Young Woman's Mind Is 
   Fairly Bent On Going In A Certain Direction,  It Will Be Quite As 
   Prudent To Let Her Body Follow. Not That I Mean To Say Ellen Was Not 
   Altogether Forced To What She Did,  And Therefore She Is Just As 
   Innocent,  In This Matter,  As Yonder Jackass,  Who Was Made To Carry 
   Her,  And Greatly Against His Will,  Too,  As I Am Ready To Swear He 
   Would Say Himself,  If He Could Speak As Loud As He Can Bray." 
     
   "Nelly," Resumed The Squatter,  Who Paid Very Little Attention To What 
   Paul Considered A Highly Creditable And Ingenious Vindication,  "Nelly, 
   This Is A Wide And A Wicked World,  On Which You Have Been In Such A 
   Hurry To Cast Yourself. You Have Fed And You Have Slept In My Camp For 
   A Year,  And I Did Hope That You Had Found The Free Air Of The Borders, 
   Enough To Your Mind To Wish To Remain Among Us." 
     
   "Let The Girl Have Her Will," Muttered Esther,  From The Rear; "He,  Who 
   Might Have Persuaded Her To Stay,  Is Sleeping In The Cold And Naked 
   Prairie,  And Little Hope Is Left Of Changing Her Humour; Besides,  A 
   Woman's Mind Is A Wilful Thing,  And Not Easily Turned From Its 
   Waywardness,  As You Know Yourself,  My Man,  Or I Should Not Be Here The 
   Mother Of Your Sons And Daughters." 
     
   The Squatter Seemed Reluctant To Abandon His Views Of The Abashed 
   Girl,  So Easily; And Before He Answered To The Suggestion Of His Wife, 
   He Turned His Usual Dull Look Along The Line Of The Curious 
   Countenances Of His Boys,  As If To See Whether There Was Not One Among 
   Them Fit To Fill The Place Of The Deceased. Paul Was Not Slow To 
   Observe The Expression,  And Hitting Nigher Than Usual On The Secret 
   Thoughts Of The Other,  He Believed He Had Fallen On An Expedient Which 
   Might Remove Every Difficulty. 
     
   "It Is Quite Plain,  Friend Bush," He Said,  "That There Are Two 
   Opinions In This Matter; Yours For Your Sons,  And Mine For Myself. I 
   See But One Amicable Way Of Settling This Dispute,  Which Is As 
   Follows:--Do You Make A Choice Among Your Boys Of Any You Will,  And 
   Let Us Walk Off Together For The Matter Of A Few Miles Into The 
   Prairies; The One Who Stays Behind,  Can Never Trouble Any Man's House 
   Or His Fixen,  And The One Who Comes Back May Make The Best Of His Way 
   He Can,  In The Good Wishes Of The Young Woman." 
     
   "Paul!" Exclaimed The Reproachful,  But Smothered Voice Of Ellen. 
     
   "Never Fear,  Nelly," Whispered The Literal Bee-Hunter,  Whose Straight- 
   Going Mind Suggested No Other Motive Of Uneasiness,  On The Part Of His 
   Mistress,  Than Concern For Himself; "I Have Taken The Measure Of Them 
   All,  And You May Trust An Eye That Has Seen To Line Many A Bee Into 
   His Hole!" 
     
   "I Am Not About To Set Myself Up As A Ruler Of Inclinations," Observed 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 145 
   The Squatter. "If The Heart Of The Child Is Truly In The Settlements, 
   Let Her Declare It; She Shall Have No Let Or Hinderance From Me. 
   Speak,  Nelly,  And Let What You Say Come From Your Wishes,  Without Fear 
   Or Favour. Would You Leave Us To Go With This Young Man Into The 
   Settled Countries,  Or Will You Tarry And Share The Little We Have To 
   Give,  But Which To You We Give So Freely?" 
     
   Thus Called Upon To Decide,  Ellen Could No Longer Hesitate. The Glance 
   Of Her Eye Was At First Timid And Furtive. But As The Colour Flushed 
   Her Features,  And Her Breathing Became Quick And Excited,  It Was 
   Apparent That The Native Spirit Of The Girl Was Gaining The Ascendency 
   Over The Bashfulness Of Sex. 
     
   "You Took Me A Fatherless,  Impoverished,  And Friendless Orphan," She 
   Said,  Struggling To Command Her Voice,  "When Others,  Who Live In What 
   May Be Called Affluence Compared To Your State,  Chose To Forget Me; 
   And May Heaven In Its Goodness Bless You For It! The Little I Have 
   Done,  Will Never Pay You For That One Act Of Kindness. I Like Not Your 
   Manner Of Life; It Is Different From The Ways Of My Childhood,  And It 
   Is Different From My Wishes; Still,  Had You Not Led This Sweet And 
   Unoffending Lady From Her Friends,  I Should Never Have Quitted You, 
   Until You Yourself Had Said,   Go,  And The Blessing Of God Go With 
   You!'" 
     
   "The Act Was Not Wise,  But It Is Repented Of; And So Far As It Can Be 
   Done,  In Safety,  It Shall Be Repaired. Now,  Speak Freely,  Will You 
   Tarry,  Or Will You Go?" 
     
   "I Have Promised The Lady," Said Ellen,  Dropping Her Eyes Again To The 
   Earth,  "Not To Leave Her; And After She Has Received So Much Wrong 
   From Our Hands,  She May Have A Right To Claim That I Keep My Word." 
     
   "Take The Cords From The Young Man," Said Ishmael. When The Order Was 
   Obeyed,  He Motioned For All His Sons To Advance,  And He Placed Them In 
   A Row Before The Eyes Of Ellen. "Now Let There Be No Trifling,  But 
   Open Your Heart. Here Ar' All I Have To Offer,  Besides A Hearty 
   Welcome." 
     
   The Distressed Girl Turned Her Abashed Look From The Countenance Of 
   One Of The Young Men To That Of Another,  Until Her Eye Met The 
   Troubled And Working Features Of Paul. Then Nature Got The Better Of 
   Forms. She Threw Herself Into The Arms Of The Bee-Hunter,  And 
   Sufficiently Proclaimed Her Choice By Sobbing Aloud. Ishmael Signed To 
   His Sons To Fall Back,  And Evidently Mortified,  Though Perhaps Not 
   Disappointed By The Result,  He No Longer Hesitated. 
     
   "Take Her," He Said,  "And Deal Honestly And Kindly By Her. The Girl 
   Has That In Her Which Should Make Her Welcome,  In Any Man's House,  And 
   I Should Be Loth To Hear She Ever Came To Harm. And Now I Have Settled 
   With You All,  On Terms That I Hope You Will Not Find Hard,  But,  On The 
   Contrary,  Just And Manly. I Have Only Another Question To Ask,  And 
   That Is Of The Captain; Do You Choose To Profit By My Teams In Going 
   Into The Settlements,  Or Not?" 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 146 
   "I Hear,  That Some Soldiers Of My Party Are Looking For Me Near The 
   Villages Of The Pawnees," Said Middleton,  "And I Intend To Accompany 
   This Chief,  In Order To Join My Men." 
     
   "Then The Sooner We Part The Better. Horses Are Plenty On The Bottom. 
   Go; Make Your Choice,  And Leave Us In Peace." 
     
   "That Is Impossible,  While The Old Man,  Who Has Been A Friend Of My 
   Family Near Half A Century,  Is Left A Prisoner. What Has He Done,  That 
   He Too Is Not Released? 
     
   "Ask No Questions That May Lead To Deceitful Answers," Sullenly 
   Returned The Squatter; "I Have Dealings Of My Own With That Trapper, 
   That It May Not Befit An Officer Of The States To Meddle With. Go, 
   While Your Road Is Open." 
     
   "The Man May Be Giving You Honest Counsel,  And That Which It Concerns 
   You All To Hearken To," Observed The Old Captive,  Who Seemed In No 
   Uneasiness At The Extraordinary Condition In Which He Found Himself. 
   "The Siouxes Are A Numberless And Bloody-Minded Race,  And No One Can 
   Say How Long It May Be,  Afore They Will Be Out Again On The Scent Of 
   Revenge. Therefore I Say To You,  Go,  Also; And Take Especial Heed,  In 
   Crossing The Bottoms,  That You Get Not Entangled Again In The Fires, 
   For The Honest Hunters Often Burn The Grass At This Season,  In Order 
   That The Buffaloes May Find A Sweeter And A Greener Pasturage In The 
   Spring." 
     
   "I Should Forget Not Only My Gratitude,  But My Duty To The Laws,  Were 
   I To Leave This Prisoner In Your Hands,  Even By His Own Consent, 
   Without Knowing The Nature Of His Crime,  In Which We May Have All Been 
   His Innocent Accessaries." 
     
   "Will It Satisfy You To Know,  That He Merits All He Will Receive?" 
     
   "It Will At Least Change My Opinion Of His Character." 
     
   "Look Then At This," Said Ishmael,  Placing Before The Eyes Of The 
   Captain The Bullet That Had Been Found About The Person Of The Dead 
   Asa; "With This Morsel Of Lead Did He Lay Low As Fine A Boy As Ever 
   Gave Joy To A Parent's Eyes!" 
     
   "I Cannot Believe That He Has Done This Deed,  Unless In Self-Defence, 
   Or On Some Justifiable Provocation. That He Knew Of The Death Of Your 
   Son,  I Confess,  For He Pointed Out The Brake In Which The Body Lay, 
   But That He Has Wrongfully Taken His Life,  Nothing But His Own 
   Acknowledgment Shall Persuade Me To Believe." 
     
   "I Have Lived Long," Commenced The Trapper,  Who Found,  By The General 
   Pause,  That He Was Expected To Vindicate Himself From The Heavy 
   Imputation,  "And Much Evil Have I Seen In My Day. Many Are The 
   Prowling Bears And Leaping Panthers That I Have Met,  Fighting For The 
   Morsel Which Has Been Thrown In Their Way; And Many Are The Reasoning 
   Men,  That I Have Looked On Striving Against Each Other Unto Death,  In 
   Order That Human Madness Might Also Have Its Hour. For Myself,  I Hope, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 147 
   There Is No Boasting In Saying,  That Though My Hand Has Been Needed In 
   Putting Down Wickedness And Oppression,  It Has Never Struck A Blow Of 
   Which Its Owner Will Be Ashamed To Hear,  At A Reckoning That Shall Be 
   Far Mightier Than This." 
     
   "If My Father Has Taken Life From One Of His Tribe," Said The Young 
   Pawnee,  Whose Quick Eye Had Read The Meaning Of What Was Passing,  In 
   The Bullet And In The Countenances Of The Others,  "Let Him Give 
   Himself Up To The Friends Of The Dead,  Like A Warrior. He Is Too Just 
   To Need Thongs To Lead Him To Judgment." 
     
   "Boy,  I Hope You Do Me Justice. If I Had Done The Foul Deed,  With 
   Which They Charge Me,  I Should Have Manhood Enough To Come And Offer 
   My Head To The Blow Of Punishment,  As All Good And Honest Red-Men Do 
   The Same." Then Giving His Anxious Indian Friend A Look,  To Re-Assure 
   Him Of His Innocence,  He Turned To The Rest Of His Attentive And 
   Interested Listeners,  As He Continued In English,  "I Have A Short 
   Story To Tell,  And He That Believes It Will Believe The Truth,  And He 
   That Disbelieves It Will Only Lead Himself Astray,  And Perhaps His 
   Neighbour Too. We Were All Out-Lying About Your Camp,  Friend Squatter, 
   As By This Time You May Begin To Suspect,  When We Found That It 
   Contained A Wronged And Imprisoned Lady,  With Intentions Neither More 
   Honest Nor Dishonest Than To Set Her Free,  As In Nature And Justice 
   She Had A Right To Be. Seeing That I Was More Skilled In Scouting Than 
   The Others,  While They Lay Back In The Cover,  I Was Sent Upon The 
   Plain,  On The Business Of The Reconnoitrings. You Little Thought That 
   One Was So Nigh,  Who Saw Into All The Circumventions Of Your Hunt; But 
   There Was I,  Sometimes Flat Behind A Bush Or A Tuft Of Grass, 
   Sometimes Rolling Down A Hill Into A Bottom,  And Little Did You Dream 
   That Your Motions Were Watched,  As The Panther Watches The Drinking 
   Deer. Lord,  Squatter,  When I Was A Man In The Pride And Strength Of My 
   Days,  I Have Looked In At The Tent Door Of The Enemy,  And They 
   Sleeping,  Ay,  And Dreaming Too,  Of Being At Home And In Peace! I Wish 
   There Was Time To Give You The Partic--" 
     
   "Proceed With Your Explanation," Interrupted Middleton. 
     
   "Ah! And A Bloody And Wicked Sight It Was. There I Lay In A Low Bed Of 
   Grass,  As Two Of The Hunters Came Nigh Each Other. Their Meeting Was 
   Not Cordial,  Nor Such As Men,  Who Meet In A Desert,  Should Give Each 
   Other; But I Thought They Would Have Parted In Peace,  Until I Saw One 
   Put His Rifle To The Other's Back,  And Do What I Call A Treacherous 
   And Sinful Murder. It Was A Noble And A Manly Youth,  That Boy--Though 
   The Powder Burnt His Coat,  He Stood The Shock For More Than A Minute, 
   Before He Fell. Then Was He Brought To His Knees,  And A Desperate And 
   Manful Fight He Made To The Brake,  Like A Wounded Bear Seeking A 
   Cover!" 
     
   "And Why,  In The Name Of Heavenly Justice,  Did You Conceal This?" 
   Cried Middleton. 
     
   "What! Think You,  Captain,  That A Man,  Who Has Spent More Than 
   Threescore Years In The Wilderness,  Has Not Learned The Virtue Of 
   Discretion. What Red Warrior Runs To Tell The Sights He Has Seen, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 31 Pg 148 
   Until A Fitting Time? I Took The Doctor To The Place,  In Order To See 
   Whether His Skill Might Not Come In Use; And Our Friend,  The Bee- 
   Hunter,  Being In Company,  Was Knowing To The Fact That The Bushes Held 
   The Body." 
     
   "Ay; It Ar' True," Said Paul; "But Not Knowing What Private Reasons 
   Might Make The Old Trapper Wish To Hush The Matter Up,  I Said As 
   Little About The Thing As Possible,  Which Was Just Nothing At All." 
     
   "And Who Was The Perpetrator Of This Deed?" Demanded Middleton. 
     
   "If By Perpetrator You Mean Him Who Did The Act,  Yonder Stands The 
   Man; And A Shame,  And A Disgrace Is It To Our Race,  That He Is Of The 
   Blood And Family Of The Dead." 
     
   "He Lies! He Lies!" Shrieked Abiram. "I Did No Murder; I Gave But Blow 
   For Blow." 
     
   The Voice Of Ishmael Was Deep,  And Even Awful,  As He Answered-- 
     
   "It Is Enough. Let The Old Man Go. Boys,  Put The Brother Of Your 
   Mother In His Place." 
     
   "Touch Me Not!" Cried Abiram. "I'll Call On God To Curse You If You 
   Touch Me!" 
     
   The Wild And Disordered Gleam Of His Eye,  At First Induced The Young 
   Men To Arrest Their Steps; But When Abner,  Older And More Resolute 
   Than The Rest,  Advanced Full Upon Him,  With A Countenance That Bespoke 
   The Hostile State Of His Mind,  The Affrighted Criminal Turned,  And, 
   Making An Abortive Effort To Fly,  Fell With His Face To The Earth,  To 
   All Appearance Perfectly Dead. Amid The Low Exclamations Of Horror 
   Which Succeeded,  Ishmael Made A Gesture Which Commanded His Sons To 
   Bear The Body Into The Tent. 
     
   "Now," He Said,  Turning To Those Who Were Strangers In His Camp, 
   "Nothing Is Left To Be Done,  But For Each To Go His Own Road. I Wish 
   You All Well; And To You,  Ellen,  Though You May Not Prize The Gift,  I 
   Say,  God Bless You!" 
     
   Middleton,  Awe-Struck By What He Believed A Manifest Judgment Of 
   Heaven,  Made No Further Resistance,  But Prepared To Depart. The 
   Arrangements Were Brief,  And Soon Completed. When They Were All Ready, 
   They Took A Short And Silent Leave Of The Squatter And His Family; And 
   Then The Whole Of The Singularly Constituted Party Were Seen Slowly 
   And Silently Following The Victorious Pawnee Towards His Distant 
   Villages. 
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 149 
     
                          And I Beseech You, 
                  Wrest Once The Law,  To Your Authority: 
                  To Do A Great Right,  Do A Little Wrong. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   Ishmael Awaited Long And Patiently For The Motley Train Of Hard-Heart 
   To Disappear. When His Scout Reported That The Last Straggler Of The 
   Indians,  Who Had Joined Their Chief So Soon As He Was At Such A 
   Distance From The Encampment As To Excite No Jealousy By Their 
   Numbers,  Had Gone Behind The Most Distant Swell Of The Prairie,  He 
   Gave Forth The Order To Strike His Tents. The Cattle Were Already In 
   The Gears,  And The Movables Were Soon Transferred To Their Usual 
   Places In The Different Vehicles. When All These Arrangements Were 
   Completed,  The Little Wagon,  Which Had So Long Been The Tenement Of 
   Inez,  Was Drawn Before The Tent,  Into Which The Insensible Body Of The 
   Kidnapper Had Been Borne,  And Preparations Were Evidently Made For The 
   Reception Of Another Prisoner. Then It Was,  As Abiram Appeared,  Pale, 
   Terrified,  And Tottering Beneath A Load Of Detected Guilt,  That The 
   Younger Members Of The Family Were First Apprised That He Still 
   Belonged To The Class Of The Living. A General And Superstitious 
   Impression Had Spread Among Them,  That His Crime Had Been Visited By A 
   Terrible Retribution From Heaven; And They Now Gazed At Him,  As At A 
   Being Who Belonged Rather To Another World,  Than As A Mortal,  Who, 
   Like Themselves,  Had Still To Endure The Last Agony Before The Great 
   Link Of Human Existence Could Be Broken. The Criminal Himself Appeared 
   To Be In A State,  In Which The Most Sensitive And Startling Terror Was 
   Singularly Combined With Total Physical Apathy. The Truth Was,  That 
   While His Person Had Been Numbed By The Shock,  His Susceptibility To 
   Apprehension Kept His Agitated Mind In Unrelieved Distress. When He 
   Found Himself In The Open Air,  He Looked About Him,  In Order To 
   Gather,  If Possible,  Some Evidences Of His Future Fate,  From The 
   Countenances Of Those Gathered Round. Seeing Every Where Grave But 
   Composed Features,  And Meeting In No Eye Any Expression That 
   Threatened Immediate Violence,  The Miserable Man Began To Revive; And, 
   By The Time He Was Seated In The Wagon,  His Artful Faculties Were 
   Beginning To Plot The Expedients Of Parrying The Just Resentment Of 
   His Kinsmen,  Or,  If These Should Fail Him,  The Means Of Escaping From 
   A Punishment That His Forebodings Told Him Would Be Terrible. 
     
   Throughout The Whole Of These Preparations Ishmael Rarely Spoke. A 
   Gesture,  Or A Glance Of The Eye,  Served To Indicate His Pleasure To 
   His Sons,  And With These Simple Methods Of Communication,  All Parties 
   Appeared Content. When The Signal Was Made To Proceed,  The Squatter 
   Threw His Rifle Into The Hollow Of His Arm,  And His Axe Across His 
   Shoulder,  Taking The Lead As Usual. Esther Buried Herself In The Wagon 
   Which Contained Her Daughters; The Young Men Took Their Customary 
   Places Among The Cattle,  Or Nigh The Teams,  And The Whole Proceeded, 
   At Their Ordinary,  Dull,  But Unremitted Gait. 
     
   For The First Time,  In Many A Day,  The Squatter Turned His Back 
   Towards The Setting Sun. The Route He Held Was In The Direction Of The 
   Settled Country,  And The Manner In Which He Moved Sufficed To Tell His 
   Children,  Who Had Learned To Read Their Father's Determinations In His 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 150 
   Mien,  That Their Journey On The Prairie Was Shortly To Have An End. 
   Still Nothing Else Transpired For Hours,  That Might Denote The 
   Existence Of Any Sudden,  Or Violent,  Revolution In The Purposes Or 
   Feelings Of Ishmael. During All That Time He Marched Alone,  Keeping A 
   Few Hundred Rods In Front Of His Teams,  Seldom Giving Any Sign Of 
   Extraordinary Excitement. Once Or Twice,  Indeed,  His Huge Figure Was 
   Seen Standing On The Summit Of Some Distant Swell,  With The Head Bent 
   Towards The Earth,  As He Leaned On His Rifle; But Then These Moments 
   Of Intense Thought Were Rare,  And Of Short Continuance. The Train Had 
   Long Thrown Its Shadows Towards The East,  Before Any Material 
   Alteration Was Made In The Disposition Of Their March. Water-Courses 
   Were Waded,  Plains Were Passed,  And Rolling Ascents Risen And 
   Descended,  Without Producing The Smallest Change. Long Practised In 
   The Difficulties Of That Peculiar Species Of Travelling In Which He 
   Was Engaged,  The Squatter Avoided The More Impracticable Obstacles Of 
   Their Route By A Sort Of Instinct,  Invariably Inclining To The Right 
   Or Left In Season,  As The Formation Of The Land,  The Presence Of 
   Trees,  Or The Signs Of Rivers Forewarned Him Of The Necessity Of Such 
   Movements. 
     
   At Length The Hour Arrived When Charity To Man And Beast Required A 
   Temporary Suspension Of Labour. Ishmael Chose The Required Spot With 
   His Customary Sagacity. The Regular Formation Of The Country,  Such As 
   It Has Been Described In The Earlier Pages Of Our Book,  Had Long Been 
   Interrupted By A More Unequal And Broken Surface. There Were,  It Is 
   True,  In General,  The Same Wide And Empty Wastes,  The Same Rich And 
   Extensive Bottoms,  And That Wild And Singular Combination Of Swelling 
   Fields And Of Nakedness. Which Gives That Region The Appearance Of An 
   Ancient Country,  Incomprehensibly Stripped Of Its People And Their 
   Dwellings. But These Distinguishing Features Of The Rolling Prairies 
   Had Long Been Interrupted By Irregular Hillocks,  Occasional Masses Of 
   Rock,  And Broad Belts Of Forest. 
     
   Ishmael Chose A Spring,  That Broke Out Of The Base Of A Rock Some 
   Forty Or Fifty Feet In Elevation,  As A Place Well Suited To The Wants 
   Of His Herds. The Water Moistened A Small Swale That Lay Beneath The 
   Spot,  Which Yielded,  In Return For The Fecund Gift,  A Scanty Growth Of 
   Grass. A Solitary Willow Had Taken Root In The Alluvion,  And Profiting 
   By Its Exclusive Possession Of The Soil,  The Tree Had Sent Up Its Stem 
   Far Above The Crest Of The Adjacent Rock,  Whose Peaked Summit Had Once 
   Been Shadowed By Its Branches. But Its Loveliness Had Gone With The 
   Mysterious Principle Of Life. As If In Mockery Of The Meagre Show Of 
   Verdure That The Spot Exhibited,  It Remained A Noble And Solemn 
   Monument Of Former Fertility. The Larger,  Ragged,  And Fantastic 
   Branches Still Obtruded Themselves Abroad,  While The White And Hoary 
   Trunk Stood Naked And Tempest-Riven. Not A Leaf,  Nor A Sign Of 
   Vegetation,  Was To Be Seen About It. In All Things It Proclaimed The 
   Frailty Of Existence,  And The Fulfilment Of Time. 
     
   Here Ishmael,  After Making The Customary Signal For The Train To 
   Approach,  Threw His Vast Frame Upon The Earth,  And Seemed To Muse On 
   The Deep Responsibility Of His Present Situation. His Sons Were Not 
   Long In Arriving; For The Cattle No Sooner Scented The Food And Water 
   Than They Quickened Their Pace,  And Then Succeeded The Usual Bustle 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 151 
   And Avocations Of A Halt. 
     
   The Impression Made By The Scene Of That Morning Was Not So Deep,  Or 
   Lasting,  On The Children Of Ishmael And Esther,  As To Induce Them To 
   Forget The Wants Of Nature. But While The Sons Were Searching Among 
   Their Stores,  For Something Substantial To Appease Their Hunger,  And 
   The Younger Fry Were Wrangling About Their Simple Dishes,  The Parents 
   Of The Unnurtured Family Were Differently Employed. 
     
   When The Squatter Saw That All,  Even To The Reviving Abiram,  Were Busy 
   In Administering To Their Appetites,  He Gave His Downcast Partner A 
   Glance Of His Eye,  And Withdrew Towards A Distant Roll Of The Land, 
   Which Bounded The View Towards The East. The Meeting Of The Pair,  In 
   This Naked Spot,  Was Like An Interview Held Above The Grave Of Their 
   Murdered Son. Ishmael Signed To His Wife To Take A Seat Beside Him On 
   A Fragment Of Rock,  And Then Followed A Space,  During Which Neither 
   Seemed Disposed To Speak. 
     
   "We Have Journeyed Together Long,  Through Good And Bad," Ishmael At 
   Length Commenced: "Much Have We Had To Try Us,  And Some Bitter Cups 
   Have We Been Made To Swallow,  My Woman; But Nothing Like This Has Ever 
   Before Lain In My Path." 
     
   "It Is A Heavy Cross For A Poor,  Misguided,  And Sinful Woman To Bear!" 
   Returned Esther,  Bowing Her Head To Her Knees,  And Partly Concealing 
   Her Face In Her Dress. "A Heavy And A Burdensome Weight Is This To Be 
   Laid Upon The Shoulders Of A Sister And A Mother!" 
     
   "Ay; Therein Lies The Hardship Of The Case. I Had Brought My Mind To 
   The Punishment Of That Houseless Trapper,  With No Great Strivings,  For 
   The Man Had Done Me Few Favours,  And God Forgive Me If I Suspected Him 
   Wrongfully Of Much Evil! This Is,  However,  Bringing Shame In At One 
   Door Of My Cabin,  In Order To Drive It Out At The Other. But Shall A 
   Son Of Mine Be Murdered,  And He Who Did It Go At Large?--The Boy Would 
   Never Rest!" 
     
   "Oh,  Ishmael,  We Pushed The Matter Far. Had Little Been Said,  Who 
   Would Have Been The Wiser? Our Consciences Might Then Have Been 
   Quiet." 
     
   "Eest'er," Said The Husband,  Turning On Her A Reproachful But Still A 
   Dull Regard,  "The Hour Has Been,  My Woman,  When You Thought Another 
   Hand Had Done This Wickedness." 
     
   "I Did,  I Did The Lord Gave Me The Feeling,  As A Punishment For My 
   Sins! But His Mercy Was Not Slow In Lifting The Veil; I Looked Into 
   The Book,  Ishmael,  And There I Found The Words Of Comfort." 
     
   "Have You That Book At Hand,  Woman; It May Happen To Advise In Such A 
   Dreary Business." 
     
   Esther Fumbled In Her Pocket,  And Was Not Long In Producing The 
   Fragment Of A Bible,  Which Had Been Thumbed And Smoke-Dried Till The 
   Print Was Nearly Illegible. It Was The Only Article,  In The Nature Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 152 
   A Book,  That Was To Be Found Among The Chattels Of The Squatter,  And 
   It Had Been Preserved By His Wife,  As A Melancholy Relic Of More 
   Prosperous,  And Possibly Of More Innocent,  Days. She Had Long Been In 
   The Habit Of Resorting To It,  Under The Pressure Of Such Circumstances 
   As Were Palpably Beyond Human Redress,  Though Her Spirit And 
   Resolution Rarely Needed Support Under Those That Admitted Of 
   Reparation Through Any Of The Ordinary Means Of Reprisal. In This 
   Manner Esther Had Made A Sort Of Convenient Ally Of The Word Of God; 
   Rarely Troubling It For Counsel,  However,  Except When Her Own 
   Incompetency To Avert An Evil Was Too Apparent To Be Disputed. We 
   Shall Leave Casuists To Determine How Far She Resembled Any Other 
   Believers In This Particular,  And Proceed Directly With The Matter 
   Before Us. 
     
   "There Are Many Awful Passages In These Pages,  Ishmael," She Said, 
   When The Volume Was Opened,  And The Leaves Were Slowly Turning Under 
   Her Finger,  "And Some There Ar' That Teach The Rules Of Punishment." 
     
   Her Husband Made A Gesture For Her To Find One Of Those Brief Rules Of 
   Conduct,  Which Have Been Received Among All Christian Nations As The 
   Direct Mandates Of The Creator,  And Which Have Been Found So Just, 
   That Even They,  Who Deny Their High Authority,  Admit Their Wisdom. 
   Ishmael Listened With Grave Attention,  As His Companion Read All Those 
   Verses,  Which Her Memory Suggested,  And Which Were Thought Applicable 
   To The Situation In Which They Found Themselves. He Made Her Show Him 
   The Words,  Which He Regarded With A Sort Of Strange Reverence. A 
   Resolution Once Taken Was Usually Irrevocable,  In One Who Was Moved 
   With So Much Difficulty. He Put His Hand Upon The Book,  And Closed The 
   Pages Himself,  As Much As To Apprise His Wife That He Was Satisfied. 
   Esther,  Who So Well Knew His Character,  Trembled At The Action,  And 
   Casting A Glance At His Steady Eye,  She Said-- 
     
   "And Yet,  Ishmael,  My Blood,  And The Blood Of My Children,  Is In His 
   Veins,  Cannot Mercy Be Shown?" 
     
   "Woman," He Answered Sternly,  "When We Believed That Miserable Old 
   Trapper Had Done This Deed,  Nothing Was Said Of Mercy!" 
     
   Esther Made No Reply,  But Folding Her Arms Upon Her Breast,  She Sat 
   Silent And Thoughtful For Many Minutes. Then She Once More Turned Her 
   Anxious Gaze Upon The Countenance Of Her Husband,  Where She Found All 
   Passion And Care Apparently Buried In The Coldest Apathy. Satisfied 
   Now,  That The Fate Of Her Brother Was Sealed,  And Possibly Conscious 
   How Well He Merited The Punishment That Was Meditated,  She No Longer 
   Thought Of Mediation. No More Words Passed Between Them. Their Eyes 
   Met For An Instant,  And Then Both Arose And Walked In Profound Silence 
   Towards The Encampment. 
     
   The Squatter Found His Children Expecting His Return In The Usual 
   Listless Manner With Which They Awaited All Coming Events. The Cattle 
   Were Already Herded,  And The Horses In Their Gears,  In Readiness To 
   Proceed,  So Soon As He Should Indicate That Such Was His Pleasure. The 
   Children Were Already In Their Proper Vehicle,  And,  In Short,  Nothing 
   Delayed The Departure But The Absence Of The Parents Of The Wild 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 153 
   Brood. 
     
   "Abner," Said The Father,  With The Deliberation With Which All His 
   Proceedings Were Characterised,  "Take The Brother Of Your Mother From 
   The Wagon,  And Let Him Stand On The 'Arth." 
     
   Abiram Issued From His Place Of Concealment,  Trembling,  It Is True, 
   But Far From Destitute Of Hopes,  As To His Final Success In Appeasing 
   The Just Resentment Of His Kinsman. After Throwing A Glance Around 
   Him,  With The Vain Wish Of Finding A Single Countenance In Which He 
   Might Detect A Solitary Gleam Of Sympathy,  He Endeavoured To Smother 
   Those Apprehensions,  That Were By This Time Reviving In Their Original 
   Violence,  By Forcing A Sort Of Friendly Communication Between Himself 
   And The Squatter-- 
     
   "The Beasts Are Getting Jaded,  Brother," He Said,  "And As We Have Made 
   So Good A March Already,  Is It Not Time To Camp. To My Eye You May Go 
   Far,  Before A Better Place Than This Is Found To Pass The Night In." 
     
   "Tis Well You Like It. Your Tarry Here Ar' Likely To Be Long. My Sons, 
   Draw Nigh And Listen. Abiram White," He Added,  Lifting His Cap,  And 
   Speaking With A Solemnity And Steadiness,  That Rendered Even His Dull 
   Mien Imposing,  "You Have Slain My First-Born,  And According To The 
   Laws Of God And Man Must You Die!" 
     
   The Kidnapper Started At This Terrible And Sudden Sentence,  With The 
   Terror That One Would Exhibit Who Unexpectedly Found Himself In The 
   Grasp Of A Monster,  From Whose Power There Was No Retreat. Although 
   Filled With The Most Serious Forebodings Of What Might Be His Lot,  His 
   Courage Had Not Been Equal To Look His Danger In The Face,  And With 
   The Deceitful Consolation,  With Which Timid Tempers Are Apt To Conceal 
   Their Desperate Condition From Themselves,  He Had Rather Courted A 
   Treacherous Relief In His Cunning,  Than Prepared Himself For The 
   Worst. 
     
   "Die!" He Repeated,  In A Voice That Scarcely Issued From His Chest; "A 
   Man Is Surely Safe Among His Kinsmen!" 
     
   "So Thought My Boy," Returned The Squatter,  Motioning For The Team, 
   That Contained His Wife And The Girls,  To Proceed,  As He Very Coolly 
   Examined The Priming Of His Piece. "By The Rifle Did You Destroy My 
   Son; It Is Fit And Just That You Meet Your End By The Same Weapon." 
     
   Abiram Stared About Him With A Gaze That Bespoke An Unsettled Reason. 
   He Even Laughed,  As If He Would Not Only Persuade Himself But Others 
   That What He Heard Was Some Pleasantry,  Intended To Try His Nerves. 
   But Nowhere Did His Frightful Merriment Meet With An Answering Echo. 
   All Around Was Solemn And Still. The Visages Of His Nephews Were 
   Excited,  But Cold Towards Him,  And That Of His Former Confederate 
   Frightfully Determined. This Very Steadiness Of Mien Was A Thousand 
   Times More Alarming And Hopeless Than Any Violence Could Have Proved. 
   The Latter Might Possibly Have Touched His Spirit And Awakened 
   Resistance,  But The Former Threw Him Entirely On The Feeble Resources 
   Of Himself. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 154 
     
   "Brother," He Said,  In A Hurried,  Unnatural Whisper,  "Did I Hear You?" 
     
   "My Words Are Plain,  Abiram White: Thou Hast Done Murder,  And For The 
   Same Must Thou Die!" 
     
   "Esther! Sister,  Sister,  Will You Leave Me! Oh Sister! Do You Hear My 
   Call?" 
     
   "I Hear One Speak From The Grave!" Returned The Husky Tones Of Esther, 
   As The Wagon Passed The Spot Where The Criminal Stood. "It Is The 
   Voice Of My Firstborn,  Calling Aloud For Justice! God Have Mercy,  God 
   Have Mercy,  On Your Soul!" 
     
   The Team Slowly Pursued Its Route,  And The Deserted Abiram Now Found 
   Himself Deprived Of The Smallest Vestige Of Hope. Still He Could Not 
   Summon Fortitude To Meet His Death,  And Had Not His Limbs Refused To 
   Aid Him,  He Would Yet Have Attempted To Fly. Then,  By A Sudden 
   Revolution From Hope To Utter Despair,  He Fell Upon His Knees,  And 
   Commenced A Prayer,  In Which Cries For Mercy To God And To His Kinsman 
   Were Wildly And Blasphemously Mingled. The Sons Of Ishmael Turned Away 
   In Horror At The Disgusting Spectacle,  And Even The Stern Nature Of 
   The Squatter Began To Bend Before So Abject Misery. 
     
   "May That,  Which You Ask Of Him,  Be Granted," He Said; "But A Father 
   Can Never Forget A Murdered Child." 
     
   He Was Answered By The Most Humble Appeals For Time. A Week,  A Day,  An 
   Hour,  Were Each Implored,  With An Earnestness Commensurate To The 
   Value They Receive,  When A Whole Life Is Compressed Into Their Short 
   Duration. The Squatter Was Troubled,  And At Length He Yielded In Part 
   To The Petitions Of The Criminal. His Final Purpose Was Not Altered, 
   Though He Changed The Means. "Abner," He Said,  "Mount The Rock,  And 
   Look On Every Side,  That We May Be Sure None Are Nigh." 
     
   While His Nephew Was Obeying This Order,  Gleams Of Reviving Hope Were 
   Seen Shooting Across The Quivering Features Of The Kidnapper. The 
   Report Was Favourable,  Nothing Having Life,  The Retiring Teams 
   Excepted,  Was To Be Seen. A Messenger Was,  However,  Coming From The 
   Latter,  In Great Apparent Haste. Ishmael Awaited Its Arrival. He 
   Received From The Hands Of One Of His Wondering And Frighted Girls A 
   Fragment Of That Book,  Which Esther Had Preserved With So Much Care. 
   The Squatter Beckoned The Child Away,  And Placed The Leaves In The 
   Hands Of The Criminal. 
     
   "Eest'er Has Sent You This," He Said,  "That,  In Your Last Moments,  You 
   May Remember God." 
     
   "Bless Her,  Bless Her! A Good And Kind Sister Has She Been To Me. But 
   Time Must Be Given,  That I May Read; Time,  My Brother,  Time!" 
     
   "Time Shall Not Be Wanting. You Shall Be Your Own Executioner,  And 
   This Miserable Office Shall Pass Away From My Hands." 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 155 
   Ishmael Proceeded To Put His New Resolution In Force. The Immediate 
   Apprehensions Of The Kidnapper Were Quieted,  By An Assurance That He 
   Might Yet Live For Days,  Though His Punishment Was Inevitable. A 
   Reprieve,  To One Abject And Wretched As Abiram,  Temporarily Produced 
   The Same Effects As A Pardon. He Was Even Foremost In Assisting In The 
   Appalling Arrangements,  And Of All The Actors,  In That Solemn Tragedy, 
   His Voice Alone Was Facetious And Jocular. 
     
   A Thin Shelf Of The Rock Projected Beneath One Of The Ragged Arms Of 
   The Willow. It Was Many Feet From The Ground,  And Admirably Adapted To 
   The Purpose Which,  In Fact,  Its Appearance Had Suggested. On This 
   Little Platform The Criminal Was Placed,  His Arms Bound At The Elbows 
   Behind His Back,  Beyond The Possibility Of Liberation,  With A Proper 
   Cord Leading From His Neck To The Limb Of The Tree. The Latter Was So 
   Placed,  That When Suspended The Body Could Find No Foot-Hold. The 
   Fragment Of The Bible Was Placed In His Hands,  And He Was Left To Seek 
   His Consolation As He Might From Its Pages. 
     
   "And Now,  Abiram White," Said The Squatter,  When His Sons Had 
   Descended From Completing This Arrangement,  "I Give You A Last And 
   Solemn Asking. Death Is Before You In Two Shapes. With This Rifle Can 
   Your Misery Be Cut Short,  Or By That Cord,  Sooner Or Later,  Must You 
   Meet Your End." 
     
   "Let Me Yet Live! Oh,  Ishmael,  You Know Not How Sweet Life Is,  When 
   The Last Moment Draws So Nigh!" 
     
   "'Tis Done," Said The Squatter,  Motioning For His Assistants To Follow 
   The Herds And Teams. "And Now,  Miserable Man,  That It May Prove A 
   Consolation To Your End,  I Forgive You My Wrongs,  And Leave You To 
   Your God." 
     
   Ishmael Turned And Pursued His Way Across The Plain,  At His Ordinary 
   Sluggish And Ponderous Gait. Though His Head Was Bent A Little Towards 
   The Earth,  His Inactive Mind Did Not Prompt Him To Cast A Look Behind. 
   Once,  Indeed,  He Thought He Heard His Name Called,  In Tones That Were 
   A Little Smothered,  But They Failed To Make Him Pause. 
     
   At The Spot Where He And Esther Had Conferred,  He Reached The Boundary 
   Of The Visible Horizon From The Rock. Here He Stopped,  And Ventured A 
   Glance In The Direction Of The Place He Had Just Quitted. The Sun Was 
   Near Dipping Into The Plains Beyond,  And Its Last Rays Lighted The 
   Naked Branches Of The Willow. He Saw The Ragged Outline Of The Whole 
   Drawn Against The Glowing Heavens,  And He Even Traced The Still 
   Upright Form Of The Being He Had Left To His Misery. Turning The Roll 
   Of The Swell,  He Proceeded With The Feelings Of One,  Who Had Been 
   Suddenly And Violently Separated From A Recent Confederate,  For Ever. 
     
   Within A Mile,  The Squatter Overtook His Teams. His Sons Had Found A 
   Place Suited To The Encampment For The Night,  And Merely Awaited His 
   Approach To Confirm Their Choice. Few Words Were Necessary To Express 
   His Acquiescence. Every Thing Passed In A Silence More General And 
   Remarkable Than Ever. The Chidings Of Esther Were Not Heard Among Her 
   Young,  Or If Heard,  They Were More In The Tones Of Softened 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 156 
   Admonition,  Than In Her Usual,  Upbraiding,  Key. 
     
   No Questions Nor Explanations Passed Between The Husband And His Wife. 
   It Was Only As The Latter Was About To Withdraw Among Her Children, 
   For The Night,  That The Former Saw Her Taking A Furtive Look At The 
   Pan Of His Rifle. Ishmael Bade His Sons Seek Their Rest,  Announcing 
   His Intention To Look To The Safety Of The Camp In Person. When All 
   Was Still,  He Walked Out Upon The Prairie,  With A Sort Of Sensation 
   That He Found His Breathing Among The Tents Too Straitened. The Night 
   Was Well Adapted To Heighten The Feelings,  Which Had Been Created By 
   The Events Of The Day. 
     
   The Wind Had Risen With The Moon,  And It Was Occasionally Sweeping 
   Over The Plain,  In A Manner That Made It Not Difficult For The 
   Sentinel To Imagine Strange And Unearthly Sounds Were Mingling In The 
   Blasts. Yielding To The Extraordinary Impulses Of Which He Was The 
   Subject,  He Cast A Glance Around,  To See That All Were Slumbering In 
   Security,  And Then He Strayed Towards The Swell Of Land Already 
   Mentioned. Here The Squatter Found Himself At A Point That Commanded A 
   View To The East And To The West. Light Fleecy Clouds Were Driving 
   Before The Moon,  Which Was Cold And Watery Though There Were Moments, 
   When Its Placid Rays Were Shed From Clear Blue Fields,  Seeming To 
   Soften Objects To Its Own Mild Loveliness. 
     
   For The First Time,  In A Life Of So Much Wild Adventure,  Ishmael Felt 
   A Keen Sense Of Solitude. The Naked Prairies Began To Assume The Forms 
   Of Illimitable And Dreary Wastes And The Rushing Of The Wind Sounded 
   Like The Whisperings Of The Dead. It Was Not Long Before He Thought A 
   Shriek Was Borne Past Him On A Blast. It Did Not Sound Like A Call 
   From Earth But It Swept Frightfully Through The Upper Air Mingled With 
   The Hoarse Accompaniment Of The Wind. The Teeth Of The Squatter Were 
   Compressed,  And His Huge Hand Grasped The Rifle,  As If It Would Crush 
   The Metal. Then Came A Lull,  A Fresher Blast,  And A Cry Of Horror That 
   Seemed To Have Been Uttered At The Very Portals Of His Ears. A Sort Of 
   Echo Burst Involuntarily From His Own Lips,  As Men Shout Under 
   Unnatural Excitement,  And Throwing His Rifle Across His Shoulder He 
   Proceeded Towards The Rock With The Strides Of A Giant. 
     
   It Was Not Often That The Blood Of Ishmael Moved At The Rate With 
   Which The Fluid Circulates In The Veins Of Ordinary Men; But Now He 
   Felt It Ready To Gush From Every Pore In His Body. The Animal Was 
   Aroused,  In His Most Latent Energies. Ever As He Advanced He Heard 
   Those Shrieks,  Which Sometimes Seemed Ringing Among The Clouds,  And 
   Sometimes Passed So Nigh,  As To Appear To Brush The Earth. At Length 
   There Came A Cry,  In Which There Could Be No Delusion,  Or To Which The 
   Imagination Could Lend No Horror. It Appeared To Fill Each Cranny Of 
   The Air,  As The Visible Horizon Is Often Charged To Fulness By One 
   Dazzling Flash Of The Electric Fluid. The Name Of God Was Distinctly 
   Audible,  But It Was Awfully And Blasphemously Blended With Sounds That 
   May Not Be Repeated. The Squatter Stopped,  And For A Moment He Covered 
   His Ears With His Hands. When He Withdrew The Latter,  A Low And Husky 
   Voice At His Elbow Asked In Smothered Tones-- 
     
   "Ishmael,  My Man,  Heard Ye Nothing?" 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 157 
     
   "Hist," Returned The Husband,  Laying A Powerful Arm On Esther,  Without 
   Manifesting The Smallest Surprise At The Unlooked-For Presence Of His 
   Wife. "Hist,  Woman! If You Have The Fear Of Heaven,  Be Still!" 
     
   A Profound Silence Succeeded. Though The Wind Rose And Fell As Before, 
   Its Rushing Was No Longer Mingled With Those Fearful Cries. The Sounds 
   Were Imposing And Solemn,  But It Was The Solemnity And Majesty Of 
   Nature. 
     
   "Let Us Go On," Said Esther; "All Is Hushed." 
     
   "Woman,  What Has Brought You Here?" Demanded Her Husband,  Whose Blood 
   Had Returned Into Its Former Channels,  And Whose Thoughts Had Already 
   Lost A Portion Of Their Excitement. 
     
   "Ishmael,  He Murdered Our First-Born; But It Is Not Meet That The Son 
   Of My Mother Should Lie Upon The Ground,  Like The Carrion Of A Dog!" 
     
   "Follow," Returned The Squatter,  Again Grasping His Rifle,  And 
   Striding Towards The Rock. The Distance Was Still Considerable; And 
   Their Approach,  As They Drew Nigh The Place Of Execution,  Was 
   Moderated By Awe. Many Minutes Had Passed,  Before They Reached A Spot 
   Where They Might Distinguish The Outlines Of The Dusky Objects. 
     
   "Where Have You Put The Body?" Whispered Esther. "See,  Here Are Pick 
   And Spade,  That A Brother Of Mine May Sleep In The Bosom Of The 
   Earth!" 
     
   The Moon Broke From Behind A Mass Of Clouds,  And The Eye Of The Woman 
   Was Enabled To Follow The Finger Of Ishmael. It Pointed To A Human 
   Form Swinging In The Wind,  Beneath The Ragged And Shining Arm Of The 
   Willow. Esther Bent Her Head And Veiled Her Eyes From The Sight. But 
   Ishmael Drew Nigher,  And Long Contemplated His Work In Awe,  Though Not 
   In Compunction. The Leaves Of The Sacred Book Were Scattered On The 
   Ground,  And Even A Fragment Of The Shelf Had Been Displaced By The 
   Kidnapper In His Agony. But All Was Now In The Stillness Of Death. The 
   Grim And Convulsed Countenance Of The Victim Was At Times Brought Full 
   Into The Light Of The Moon,  And Again As The Wind Lulled,  The Fatal 
   Rope Drew A Dark Line Across Its Bright Disk. The Squatter Raised His 
   Rifle,  With Extreme Care,  And Fired. The Cord Was Cut And The Body 
   Came Lumbering To The Earth A Heavy And Insensible Mass. 
     
   Until Now Esther Had Not Moved Nor Spoken. But Her Hand Was Not Slow 
   To Assist In The Labour Of The Hour. The Grave Was Soon Dug. It Was 
   Instantly Made To Receive Its Miserable Tenant. As The Lifeless Form 
   Descended,  Esther,  Who Sustained The Head,  Looked Up Into The Face Of 
   Her Husband With An Expression Of Anguish,  And Said-- 
     
   "Ishmael,  My Man,  It Is Very Terrible! I Cannot Kiss The Corpse Of My 
   Father's Child!" 
     
   The Squatter Laid His Broad Hand On The Bosom Of The Dead,  And Said-- 
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 32 Pg 158 
   "Abiram White,  We All Have Need Of Mercy; From My Soul Do I Forgive 
   You! May God In Heaven Have Pity On Your Sins!" 
     
   The Woman Bowed Her Face And Imprinted Her Lips Long And Fervently On 
   The Pallid Forehead Of Her Brother. After This Came The Falling Clods 
   And All The Solemn Sounds Of Filling A Grave. Esther Lingered On Her 
   Knees,  And Ishmael Stood Uncovered While The Woman Muttered A Prayer. 
   All Was Then Finished. 
     
   On The Following Morning The Teams And Herds Of The Squatter Were Seen 
   Pursuing Their Course Towards The Settlements. As They Approached The 
   Confines Of Society The Train Was Blended Among A Thousand Others. 
   Though Some Of The Numerous Descendants Of This Peculiar Pair Were 
   Reclaimed From Their Lawless And Semi-Barbarous Lives,  The Principals 
   Of The Family,  Themselves,  Were Never Heard Of More. 
     
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 159 
                 --No Leave Take I; For I Will Ride 
                 As Far As Land Will Let Me,  By Your Side. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Passage Of The Pawnee To His Village Was Interrupted By No Scene 
   Of Violence. His Vengeance Had Been As Complete As It Was Summary. Not 
   Even A Solitary Scout Of The Siouxes Was Left On The Hunting Grounds 
   He Was Obliged To Traverse,  And Of Course The Journey Of Middleton's 
   Party Was As Peaceful As If Made In The Bosom Of The States. The 
   Marches Were Timed To Meet The Weakness Of The Females. In Short,  The 
   Victors Seemed To Have Lost Every Trace Of Ferocity With Their 
   Success,  And Appeared Disposed To Consult The Most Trifling Of The 
   Wants Of That Engrossing People,  Who Were Daily Encroaching On Their 
   Rights,  And Reducing The Red-Men Of The West,  From Their State Of 
   Proud Independence To The Condition Of Fugitives And Wanderers. 
     
   Our Limits Will Not Permit A Detail Of The Triumphal Entry Of The 
   Conquerors. The Exultation Of The Tribe Was Proportioned To Its 
   Previous Despondency. Mothers Boasted Of The Honourable Deaths Of 
   Their Sons; Wives Proclaimed The Honour And Pointed To The Scars Of 
   Their Husbands,  And Indian Girls Rewarded The Young Braves With Songs 
   Of Triumph. The Trophies Of Their Fallen Enemies Were Exhibited,  As 
   Conquered Standards Are Displayed In More Civilised Regions. The Deeds 
   Of Former Warriors Were Recounted By The Aged Men,  And Declared To Be 
   Eclipsed By The Glory Of This Victory. While Hard-Heart Himself,  So 
   Distinguished For His Exploits From Boyhood To That Hour,  Was 
   Unanimously Proclaimed And Re-Proclaimed The Worthiest Chief And The 
   Stoutest Brave That The Wahcondah Had Ever Bestowed On His Most 
   Favoured Children,  The Pawnees Of The Loup. 
     
   Notwithstanding The Comparative Security In Which Middleton Found His 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 160 
   Recovered Treasure,  He Was Not Sorry To See His Faithful And Sturdy 
   Artillerists Standing Among The Throng,  As He Entered In The Wild 
   Train,  And Lifting Their Voices,  In A Martial Shout,  To Greet His 
   Return. The Presence Of This Force,  Small As It Was,  Removed Every 
   Shadow Of Uneasiness From His Mind. It Made Him Master Of His 
   Movements,  Gave Him Dignity And Importance In The Eyes Of His New 
   Friends,  And Would Enable Him To Overcome The Difficulties Of The Wide 
   Region Which Still Lay Between The Village Of The Pawnees And The 
   Nearest Fortress Of His Countrymen. A Lodge Was Yielded To The 
   Exclusive Possession Of Inez And Ellen; And Even Paul,  When He Saw An 
   Armed Sentinel In The Uniform Of The States,  Pacing Before Its 
   Entrance,  Was Content To Stray Among The Dwellings Of The "Red-Skins," 
   Prying With But Little Reserve Into Their Domestic Economy,  Commenting 
   Sometimes Jocularly,  Sometimes Gravely,  And Always Freely,  On Their 
   Different Expedients,  Or Endeavouring To Make The Wondering Housewives 
   Comprehend His Quaint Explanations Of What He Conceived To Be The 
   Better Customs Of The Whites. 
     
   This Enquiring And Troublesome Spirit Found No Imitators Among The 
   Indians. The Delicacy And Reserve Of Hard-Heart Were Communicated To 
   His People. When Every Attention,  That Could Be Suggested By Their 
   Simple Manners And Narrow Wants,  Had Been Fulfilled,  No Intrusive Foot 
   Presumed To Approach The Cabins Devoted To The Service Of The 
   Strangers. They Were Left To Seek Their Repose In The Manner Which 
   Most Comported With Their Habits And Inclinations. The Songs And 
   Rejoicings Of The Tribe,  However,  Ran Far Into The Night,  During The 
   Deepest Hours Of Which,  The Voice Of More Than One Warrior Was Heard, 
   Recounting From The Top Of His Lodge,  The Deeds Of His People And The 
   Glory Of Their Triumphs. 
     
   Every Thing Having Life,  Notwithstanding The Excesses Of The Night, 
   Was Abroad With The Appearance Of The Sun. The Expression Of 
   Exultation,  Which Had So Lately Been Seen On Every Countenance,  Was 
   Now Changed To One Better Suited To The Feeling Of The Moment. It Was 
   Understood By All,  That The Pale-Faces,  Who Had Befriended Their Chief 
   Were About To Take Their Final Leave Of The Tribe. The Soldiers Of 
   Middleton,  In Anticipation Of His Arrival,  Had Bargained With An 
   Unsuccessful Trader For The Use Of His Boat,  Which Lay In The Stream 
   Ready To Receive Its Cargo,  And Nothing Remained To Complete The 
   Arrangements For The Long Journey. 
     
   Middleton Did Not See This Moment Arrive Entirely Without Distrust. 
   The Admiration With Which Hard-Heart Regarded Inez,  Had Not Escaped 
   His Jealous Eye,  Any More Than Had The Lawless Wishes Of Mahtoree. He 
   Knew The Consummate Manner In Which A Savage Could Conceal His 
   Designs,  And He Felt That It Would Be A Culpable Weakness To Be 
   Unprepared For The Worst. Secret Instructions Were Therefore Given To 
   His Men,  While The Preparations They Made Were Properly Masked Behind 
   The Show Of Military Parade,  With Which It Was Intended To Signalise 
   Their Departure. 
     
   The Conscience Of The Young Soldier Reproached Him,  When He Saw The 
   Whole Tribe Accompanying His Party To The Margin Of The Stream,  With 
   Unarmed Hands And Sorrowful Countenances. They Gathered In A Circle 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 161 
   Around The Strangers And Their Chief,  And Became Not Only Peaceful, 
   But Highly Interested Observers Of What Was Passing. As It Was Evident 
   That Hard-Heart Intended To Speak,  The Former Stopped,  And Manifested 
   Their Readiness To Listen,  The Trapper Performing The Office Of 
   Interpreter. Then The Young Chief Addressed His People,  In The Usual 
   Metaphorical Language Of An Indian. He Commenced By Alluding To The 
   Antiquity And Renown Of His Own Nation. He Spoke Of Their Successes In 
   The Hunts And On The War-Path; Of The Manner In Which They Had Always 
   Known How To Defend Their Rights And To Chastise Their Enemies. After 
   He Had Said Enough To Manifest His Respect For The Greatness Of The 
   Loups,  And To Satisfy The Pride Of The Listeners,  He Made A Sudden 
   Transition To The Race Of Whom The Strangers Were Members. He Compared 
   Their Countless Numbers To The Flights Of Migratory Birds In The 
   Season Of Blossoms,  Or In The Fall Of The Year. With A Delicacy,  That 
   None Know Better How To Practise Than An Indian Warrior,  He Made No 
   Direct Mention Of The Rapacious Temper,  That So Many Of Them Had 
   Betrayed,  In Their Dealings With The Red-Men. Feeling That The 
   Sentiment Of Distrust Was Strongly Engrafted In The Tempers Of His 
   Tribe,  He Rather Endeavoured To Soothe Any Just Resentment They Might 
   Entertain,  By Indirect Excuses And Apologies. He Reminded The 
   Listeners That Even The Pawnee Loups Had Been Obliged To Chase Many 
   Unworthy Individuals From Their Villages. The Wahcondah Sometimes 
   Veiled His Countenance From A Red-Man. No Doubt The Great Spirit Of 
   The Pale-Faces Often Looked Darkly On His Children. Such As Were 
   Abandoned To The Worker Of Evil Could Never Be Brave Or Virtuous,  Let 
   The Colour Of The Skin Be What It Might. He Bade His Young Men Look At 
   The Hands Of The Big-Knives. They Were Not Empty,  Like Those Of Hungry 
   Beggars. Neither Were They Filled With Goods,  Like Those Of Knavish 
   Traders. They Were,  Like Themselves,  Warriors,  And They Carried Arms 
   Which They Knew Well How To Use--They Were Worthy To Be Called 
   Brothers! 
     
   Then He Directed The Attention Of All To The Chief Of The Strangers. 
   He Was A Son Of Their Great White Father. He Had Not Come Upon The 
   Prairies To Frighten The Buffaloes From Their Pastures,  Or To Seek The 
   Game Of The Indians. Wicked Men Had Robbed Him Of One Of His Wives; No 
   Doubt She Was The Most Obedient,  The Meekest,  The Loveliest Of Them 
   All. They Had Only To Open Their Eyes To See That His Words Must Be 
   True. Now,  That The White Chief Had Found His Wife,  He Was About To 
   Return To His Own People In Peace. He Would Tell Them That The Pawnees 
   Were Just,  And There Would Be A Line Of Wampum Between The Two 
   Nations. Let All His People Wish The Strangers A Safe Return To Their 
   Towns. The Warriors Of The Loups Knew Both How To Receive Their 
   Enemies,  And How To Clear The Briars From The Path Of Their Friends. 
     
   The Heart Of Middleton Beat Quick,  As The Young Partisan[*] Alluded To 
   The Charms Of Inez,  And For An Instant He Cast An Impatient Glance At 
   His Little Line Of Artillerists; But The Chief From That Moment 
   Appeared To Forget He Had Ever Seen So Fair A Being. His Feelings,  If 
   He Had Any On The Subject,  Were Veiled Behind The Cold Mask Of Indian 
   Self-Denial. He Took Each Warrior By The Hand,  Not Forgetting The 
   Meanest Soldier,  But His Cold And Collected Eye Never Wandered,  For An 
   Instant,  Towards Either Of The Females. Arrangements Had Been Made For 
   Their Comfort,  With A Prodigality And Care That Had Not Failed To 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 162 
   Excite Some Surprise In His Young Men,  But In No Other Particular Did 
   He Shock Their Manly Pride,  By Betraying Any Solicitude In Behalf Of 
   The Weaker Sex. 
     
   [*] The Americans And The Indians Have Adopted Several Words,  Which 
       Each Believe Peculiar To The Language Of The Others. Thus "Squaw," 
       "Papoose," Or Child,  Wigwam,  &C. &C.,  Though It Is Doubtful 
       Whether They Belonged At All To Any Indian Dialect,  Are Much Used 
       By Both White And Red Men In Their Intercourse. Many Words Are 
       Derived From The French,  In This Species Of Prairie Nomaic. 
       Partisan,  Brave,  &C. Are Of The Number. 
     
   The Leave-Taking Was General And Imposing. Each Male Pawnee Was 
   Sedulous To Omit No One Of The Strange Warriors In His Attentions,  And 
   Of Course The Ceremony Occupied Some Time. The Only Exception,  And 
   That Was Not General,  Was In The Case Of Dr. Battius. Not A Few Of The 
   Young Men,  It Is True,  Were Indifferent About Lavishing Civilities On 
   One Of So Doubtful A Profession,  But The Worthy Naturalist Found Some 
   Consolation In The More Matured Politeness Of The Old Men,  Who Had 
   Inferred,  That Though Not Of Much Use In War,  The Medicine Of The Big- 
   Knives Might Possibly Be Made Serviceable In Peace. 
     
   When All Of Middleton's Party Had Embarked,  The Trapper Lifted A Small 
   Bundle,  Which Had Lain At His Feet During The Previous Proceedings, 
   And Whistling Hector To His Side,  He Was The Last To Take His Seat. 
   The Artillerists Gave The Usual Cheers,  Which Were Answered By A Shout 
   From The Tribe,  And Then The Boat Was Shoved Into The Current,  And 
   Began To Glide Swiftly Down Its Stream. 
     
   A Long And A Musing,  If Not A Melancholy,  Silence Succeeded This 
   Departure. It Was First Broken By The Trapper,  Whose Regret Was Not 
   The Least Visible In His Dejected And Sorrowful Eye-- 
     
   "They Are A Valiant And An Honest Tribe," He Said; "That Will I Say 
   Boldly In Their Favour; And Second Only Do I Take Them To Be To That 
   Once Mighty But Now Scattered People,  The Delawares Of The Hills. Ah's 
   Me,  Captain,  If You Had Seen As Much Good And Evil As I Have Seen In 
   These Nations Of Red-Skins,  You Would Know Of How Much Value Was A 
   Brave And Simple-Minded Warrior. I Know That Some Are To Be Found,  Who 
   Both Think And Say That An Indian Is But Little Better Than The Beasts 
   Of These Naked Plains. But It Is Needful To Be Honest In One's Self, 
   To Be A Fitting Judge Of Honesty In Others. No Doubt,  No Doubt They 
   Know Their Enemies,  And Little Do They Care To Show To Such Any Great 
   Confidence,  Or Love." 
     
   "It Is The Way Of Man," Returned The Captain; "And It Is Probable They 
   Are Not Wanting In Any Of His Natural Qualities." 
     
   "No,  No; It Is Little That They Want,  That Natur' Has Had To Give. But 
   As Little Does He Know Of The Temper Of A Red-Skin,  Who Has Seen But 
   One Indian,  Or One Tribe,  As He Knows Of The Colour Of Feathers Who 
   Has Only Looked Upon A Crow. Now,  Friend Steersman,  Just Give The Boat 
   A Sheer Towards Yonder,  Low,  Sandy Point,  And A Favour Will Be Granted 
   At A Short Asking." 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 163 
   "For What?" Demanded Middleton; "We Are Now In The Swiftest Of The 
   Current,  And By Drawing To The Shore We Shall Lose The Force Of The 
   Stream." 
     
   "Your Tarry Will Not Be Long," Returned The Old Man,  Applying His Own 
   Hand To The Execution Of That Which He Had Requested. The Oarsmen Had 
   Seen Enough Of His Influence,  With Their Leader,  Not To Dispute His 
   Wishes,  And Before Time Was Given For Further Discussion On The 
   Subject,  The Bow Of The Boat Had Touched The Land. 
     
   "Captain," Resumed The Other,  Untying His Little Wallet With Great 
   Deliberation,  And Even In A Manner To Show He Found Satisfaction In 
   The Delay,  "I Wish To Offer You A Small Matter Of Trade. No Great 
   Bargain,  Mayhap; But Still The Best That One,  Of Whose Hand The Skill 
   Of The Rifle Has Taken Leave,  And Who Has Become No Better Than A 
   Miserable Trapper,  Can Offer Before We Part." 
     
   "Part!" Was Echoed From Every Mouth,  Among Those Who Had So Recently 
   Shared His Dangers,  And Profited By His Care. 
     
   "What The Devil,  Old Trapper,  Do You Mean To Foot It To The 
   Settlements,  When Here Is A Boat That Will Float The Distance In Half 
   The Time,  That The Jackass,  The Doctor Has Given The Pawnee,  Could 
   Trot Along The Same." 
     
   "Settlements,  Boy! It Is Long Sin' I Took My Leave Of The Waste And 
   Wickedness Of The Settlements And The Villages. If I Live In A 
   Clearing,  Here,  It Is One Of The Lord's Making,  And I Have No Hard 
   Thoughts On The Matter; But Never Again Shall I Be Seen Running 
   Wilfully Into The Danger Of Immoralities." 
     
   "I Had Not Thought Of Parting," Answered Middleton,  Endeavouring To 
   Seek Some Relief From The Uneasiness He Felt,  By Turning His Eyes On 
   The Sympathising Countenances Of His Friends; "On The Contrary,  I Had 
   Hoped And Believed That You Would Have Accompanied Us Below,  Where I 
   Give You A Sacred Pledge,  Nothing Shall Be Wanting To Make Your Days 
   Comfortable." 
     
   "Yes,  Lad,  Yes; You Would Do Your Endeavours; But What Are The 
   Strivings Of Man Against The Working Of The Devil! Ay,  If Kind Offers 
   And Good Wishes Could Have Done The Thing,  I Might Have Been A 
   Congress Man,  Or Perhaps A Governor,  Years Agone. Your Grand'ther 
   Wished The Same,  And There Are Them Still Lying In The Otsego 
   Mountains,  As I Hope,  Who Would Gladly Have Given Me A Palace For My 
   Dwelling. But What Are Riches Without Content! My Time Must Now Be 
   Short,  At Any Rate,  And I Hope It's No Mighty Sin For One,  Who Has 
   Acted His Part Honestly Near Ninety Winters And Summers,  To Wish To 
   Pass The Few Hours That Remain In Comfort. If You Think I Have Done 
   Wrong In Coming Thus Far To Quit You Again,  Captain,  I Will Own The 
   Reason Of The Act,  Without Shame Or Backwardness. Though I Have Seen 
   So Much Of The Wilderness,  It Is Not To Be Gainsayed,  That My 
   Feelings,  As Well As My Skin,  Are White. Now It Would Not Be A Fitting 
   Spectacle,  That Yonder Pawnee Loups Should Look Upon The Weakness Of 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 164 
   An Old Warrior,  If Weakness He Should Happen To Show In Parting For 
   Ever From Those He Has Reason To Love,  Though He May Not Set His Heart 
   So Strongly On Them,  As To Wish To Go Into The Settlements In Their 
   Company." 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," Said Paul,  Clearing His Throat With A Desperate 
   Effort,  As If Determined To Give His Voice A Clear Exit; "I Have Just 
   One Bargain To Make,  Since You Talk Of Trading,  Which Is Neither More 
   Or Less Than This. I Offer You,  As My Side Of The Business,  One Half 
   Of My Shanty,  Nor Do I Much Care If It Be The Biggest Half; The 
   Sweetest And The Purest Honey That Can Be Made Of The Wild Locust; 
   Always Enough To Eat,  With Now And Then A Mouthful Of Venison,  Or,  For 
   That Matter,  A Morsel Of Buffaloe's Hump,  Seeing That I Intend To Push 
   My Acquaintance With The Animal,  And As Good And As Tidy Cooking As 
   Can Come From The Hands Of One Like Ellen Wade,  Here,  Who Will Shortly 
   Be Nelly Somebody-Else,  And Altogether Such General Treatment As A 
   Decent Man Might Be Supposed To Pay To His Best Friend,  Or For That 
   Matter,  To His Own Father; In Return For The Same,  You Ar' To Give Us 
   At Odd Moments Some Of Your Ancient Traditions,  Perhaps A Little 
   Wholesome Advice On Occasions,  In Small Quantities At A Time,  And As 
   Much Of Your Agreeable Company As You Please." 
     
   "It Is Well--It Is Well,  Boy," Returned The Old Man,  Fumbling At His 
   Wallet; "Honestly Offered,  And Not Unthankfully Declined--But It 
   Cannot Be; No,  It Can Never Be." 
     
   "Venerable Venator," Said Dr. Battius; "There Are Obligations,  Which 
   Every Man Owes To Society And To Human Nature. It Is Time That You 
   Should Return To Your Countrymen,  To Deliver Up Some Of Those Stores 
   Of Experimental Knowledge That You Have Doubtless Obtained By So Long 
   A Sojourn In The Wilds,  Which,  However They May Be Corrupted By 
   Preconceived Opinions,  Will Prove Acceptable Bequests To Those Whom, 
   As You Say,  You Must Shortly Leave For Ever." 
     
   "Friend Physicianer," Returned The Trapper,  Looking The Other Steadily 
   In The Face,  "As It Would Be No Easy Matter To Judge Of The Temper Of 
   The Rattler By Considering The Fashions Of The Moose,  So It Would Be 
   Hard To Speak Of The Usefulness Of One Man By Thinking Too Much Of The 
   Deeds Of Another. You Have Your Gifts Like Others,  I Suppose,  And 
   Little Do I Wish To Disturb Them. But As To Me,  The Lord Has Made Me 
   For A Doer And Not A Talker,  And Therefore Do I Consider It No Harm To 
   Shut My Ears To Your Invitation." 
     
   "It Is Enough," Interrupted Middleton,  "I Have Seen And Heard So Much 
   Of This Extraordinary Man,  As To Know That Persuasions Will Not Change 
   His Purpose. First We Will Hear Your Request,  My Friend,  And Then We 
   Will Consider What May Be Best Done For Your Advantage." 
     
   "It Is A Small Matter,  Captain," Returned The Old Man,  Succeeding At 
   Length In Opening His Bundle. "A Small And Trifling Matter Is It,  To 
   What I Once Used To Offer In The Way Of Bargain; But Then It Is The 
   Best I Have,  And Therein Not To Be Despised. Here Are The Skins Of 
   Four Beavers,  That I Took,  It Might Be A Month Afore We Met,  And Here 
   Is Another From A Racoon,  That Is Of No Great Matter To Be Sure,  But 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 165 
   Which May Serve To Make Weight Atween Us." 
     
   "And What Do You Propose To Do With Them?" 
     
   "I Offer Them In Lawful Barter. Them Knaves The Siouxes,  The Lord 
   Forgive Me For Ever Believing It Was The Konzas! Have Stolen The Best 
   Of My Traps,  And Driven Me Altogether To Make-Shift Inventions,  Which 
   Might Foretell A Dreary Winter For Me,  Should My Time Stretch Into 
   Another Season. I Wish You Therefore To Take The Skins,  And To Offer 
   Them To Some Of The Trappers You Will Not Fail To Meet Below In 
   Exchange For A Few Traps,  And To Send The Same Into The Pawnee Village 
   In My Name. Be Careful To Have My Mark Painted On Them; A Letter N, 
   With A Hound's Ear,  And The Lock Of A Rifle. There Is No Red-Skin Who 
   Will Then Dispute My Right. For All Which Trouble I Have Little More 
   To Offer Than My Thanks,  Unless My Friend,  The Bee-Hunter Here,  Will 
   Accept Of The Racoon,  And Take On Himself The Special Charge Of The 
   Whole Matter." 
     
   "If I Do,  May I B--!" The Mouth Of Paul Was Stopped By The Hand Of 
   Ellen,  And He Was Obliged To Swallow The Rest Of The Sentence,  Which 
   He Did With A Species Of Emotion That Bore No Slight Resemblance To 
   The Process Of Strangulation. 
     
   "Well,  Well," Returned The Old Man,  Meekly; "I Hope There Is No Heavy 
   Offence In The Offer. I Know That The Skin Of A Racoon Is Of Small 
   Price,  But Then It Was No Mighty Labour That I Asked In Return." 
     
   "You Entirely Mistake The Meaning Of Our Friend," Interrupted 
   Middleton,  Who Observed,  That The Bee-Hunter Was Looking In Every 
   Direction But The Right One,  And That He Was Utterly Unable To Make 
   His Own Vindication. "He Did Not Mean To Say That He Declined The 
   Charge,  But Merely That He Refused All Compensation. It Is 
   Unnecessary,  However,  To Say More Of This; It Shall Be My Office To 
   See That The Debt We Owe,  Is Properly Discharged,  And That All Your 
   Necessities Shall Be Anticipated." 
     
   "Anan!" Said The Old Man,  Looking Up Enquiringly Into The Other's 
   Face,  As If To Ask An Explanation. 
     
   "It Shall All Be As You Wish. Lay The Skins With My Baggage. We Will 
   Bargain For You As For Ourselves." 
     
   "Thankee,  Thankee,  Captain; You Grand'ther Was Of A Free And Generous 
   Mind. So Much So,  In Truth,  That Those Just People,  The Delawares, 
   Called Him The 'Openhand.' I Wish,  Now,  I Was As I Used To Be,  In 
   Order That I Might Send In The Lady A Few Delicate Martens For Her 
   Tippets And Overcoats,  Just To Show You That I Know How To Give 
   Courtesy For Courtesy. But Do Not Expect The Same,  For I Am Too Old To 
   Give A Promise! It Will All Be Just As The Lord Shall See Fit. I Can 
   Offer You Nothing Else,  For I Haven't Liv'd So Long In The Wilderness, 
   Not To Know The Scrupulous Ways Of A Gentleman." 
     
   "Harkee,  Old Trapper," Cried The Bee-Hunter,  Striking His Own Hand 
   Into The Open Palm Which The Other Had Extended,  With A Report But 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 166 
   Little Below The Crack Of A Rifle,  "I Have Just Two Things To Say-- 
   Firstly,  That The Captain Has Told You My Meaning Better Than I Can 
   Myself; And,  Secondly,  If You Want A Skin,  Either For Your Private Use 
   Or To Send Abroad,  I Have It At Your Service,  And That Is The Skin Of 
   One Paul Hover." 
     
   The Old Man Returned The Grasp He Received,  And Opened His Mouth To 
   The Utmost,  In His Extraordinary,  Silent,  Laugh. 
     
   "You Couldn't Have Given Such A Squeeze,  Boy,  When The Teton Squaws 
   Were About You With Their Knives! Ah! You Are In Your Prime,  And In 
   Your Vigour And Happiness,  If Honesty Lies In Your Path." Then The 
   Expression Of His Rugged Features Suddenly Changed To A Look Of 
   Seriousness And Thought. "Come Hither,  Lad," He Said,  Leading The Bee- 
   Hunter By A Button To The Land,  And Speaking Apart In A Tone Of 
   Admonition And Confidence; "Much Has Passed Atween Us On The Pleasures 
   And Respectableness Of A Life In The Woods,  Or On The Borders. I Do 
   Not Now Mean To Say That All You Have Heard Is Not True,  But Different 
   Tempers Call For Different Employments. You Have Taken To Your Bosom, 
   There,  A Good And Kind Child,  And It Has Become Your Duty To Consider 
   Her,  As Well As Yourself,  In Setting Forth In Life. You Are A Little 
   Given To Skirting The Settlements But,  To My Poor Judgment,  The Girl 
   Would Be More Like A Flourishing Flower In The Sun Of A Clearing,  Than 
   In The Winds Of A Prairie. Therefore Forget Any Thing You May Have 
   Heard From Me,  Which Is Nevertheless True,  And Turn Your Mind On The 
   Ways Of The Inner Country." 
     
   Paul Could Only Answer With A Squeeze,  That Would Have Brought Tears 
   From The Eyes Of Most Men,  But Which Produced No Other Effect On The 
   Indurated Muscles Of The Other,  Than To Make Him Laugh And Nod,  As If 
   He Received The Same As A Pledge That The Bee-Hunter Would Remember 
   His Advice. The Trapper Then Turned Away From His Rough But Warm- 
   Hearted Companion; And,  Having Called Hector From The Boat,  He Seemed 
   Anxious Still To Utter A Few Words More. 
     
   "Captain," He At Length Resumed,  "I Know When A Poor Man Talks Of 
   Credit,  He Deals In A Delicate Word,  According To The Fashions Of The 
   World; And When An Old Man Talks Of Life,  He Speaks Of That Which He 
   May Never See; Nevertheless There Is One Thing I Will Say,  And That Is 
   Not So Much On My Own Behalf As On That Of Another Person. Here Is 
   Hector,  A Good And Faithful Pup,  That Has Long Outlived The Time Of A 
   Dog; And,  Like His Master,  He Looks More To Comfort Now,  Than To Any 
   Deeds In Running. But The Creatur' Has His Feelings As Well As A 
   Christian. He Has Consorted Latterly With His Kinsman,  There,  In Such 
   A Sort As To Find Great Pleasure In His Company,  And I Will 
   Acknowledge That It Touches My Feelings To Part The Pair So Soon. If 
   You Will Set A Value On Your Hound,  I Will Endeavour To Send It To You 
   In The Spring,  More Especially Should Them Same Traps Come Safe To 
   Hand; Or,  If You Dislike Parting With The Animal Altogether,  I Will 
   Just Ask You For His Loan Through The Winter. I Think I Can See My Pup 
   Will Not Last Beyond That Time,  For I Have Judgment In These Matters, 
   Since Many Is The Friend,  Both Hound And Red-Skin,  That I Have Seen 
   Depart In My Day,  Though The Lord Hath Not Yet Seen Fit To Order His 
   Angels To Sound Forth My Name." 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 167 
     
   "Take Him,  Take Him," Cried Middleton; "Take All,  Or Any Thing!" 
     
   The Old Man Whistled The Younger Dog To The Land; And Then He 
   Proceeded To The Final Adieus. Little Was Said On Either Side. The 
   Trapper Took Each Person Solemnly By The Hand,  And Uttered Something 
   Friendly And Kind To All. Middleton Was Perfectly Speechless,  And Was 
   Driven To Affect Busying Himself Among The Baggage. Paul Whistled With 
   All His Might,  And Even Obed Took His Leave With An Effort That Bore 
   The Appearance Of Desperate Philosophical Resolution. When He Had Made 
   The Circuit Of The Whole,  The Old Man,  With His Own Hands,  Shoved The 
   Boat Into The Current,  Wishing God To Speed Them. Not A Word Was 
   Spoken,  Nor A Stroke Of The Oar Given,  Until The Travellers Bad 
   Floated Past A Knoll That Hid The Trapper From Their View. He Was Last 
   Seen Standing On The Low Point,  Leaning On His Rifle,  With Hector 
   Crouched At His Feet,  And The Younger Dog Frisking Along The Sands,  In 
   The Playfulness Of Youth And Vigour. 
     
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 168 
     
                       --Methought,  I Heard A Voice. 
                                                      --Shakspeare. 
     
   The Water-Courses Were At Their Height,  And The Boat Went Down The 
   Swift Current Like A Bird. The Passage Proved Prosperous And Speedy. 
   In Less Than A Third Of The Time,  That Would Have Been Necessary For 
   The Same Journey By Land,  It Was Accomplished By The Favour Of Those 
   Rapid Rivers. Issuing From One Stream Into Another,  As The Veins Of 
   The Human Body Communicate With The Larger Channels Of Life,  They Soon 
   Entered The Grand Artery Of The Western Waters,  And Landed Safely At 
   The Very Door Of The Father Of Inez. 
     
   The Joy Of Don Augustin,  And The Embarrassment Of The Worthy Father 
   Ignatius,  May Be Imagined. The Former Wept And Returned Thanks To 
   Heaven; The Latter Returned Thanks,  And Did Not Weep. The Mild 
   Provincials Were Too Happy To Raise Any Questions On The Character Of 
   So Joyful A Restoration; And,  By A Sort Of General Consent,  It Soon 
   Came To Be An Admitted Opinion That The Bride Of Middleton Had Been 
   Kidnapped By A Villain,  And That She Was Restored To Her Friends By 
   Human Agency. There Were,  As Respects This Belief,  Certainly A Few 
   Sceptics,  But Then They Enjoyed Their Doubts In Private,  With That 
   Species Of Sublimated And Solitary Gratification That A Miser Finds In 
   Gazing At His Growing,  But Useless,  Hoards. 
     
   In Order To Give The Worthy Priest Something To Employ His Mind, 
   Middleton Made Him The Instrument Of Uniting Paul And Ellen. The 
   Former Consented To The Ceremony,  Because He Found That All His 
   Friends Laid Great Stress On The Matter; But Shortly After He Led His 
   Bride Into The Plains Of Kentucky,  Under The Pretence Of Paying 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 169 
   Certain Customary Visits To Sundry Members Of The Family Of Hover. 
   While There,  He Took Occasion To Have The Marriage Properly 
   Solemnised,  By A Justice Of The Peace Of His Acquaintance,  In Whose 
   Ability To Forge The Nuptial Chain He Had Much More Faith Than In That 
   Of All The Gownsmen Within The Pale Of Rome. Ellen,  Who Appeared 
   Conscious That Some Extraordinary Preventives Might Prove Necessary To 
   Keep One Of So Erratic A Temper As Her Partner,  Within The Proper 
   Matrimonial Boundaries,  Raised No Objections To These Double Knots, 
   And All Parties Were Content. 
     
   The Local Importance Middleton Had Acquired,  By His Union With The 
   Daughter Of So Affluent A Proprietor As Don Augustin,  United To His 
   Personal Merit,  Attracted The Attention Of The Government. He Was Soon 
   Employed In Various Situations Of Responsibility And Confidence,  Which 
   Both Served To Elevate His Character In The Public Estimation,  And To 
   Afford The Means Of Patronage. The Bee-Hunter Was Among The First Of 
   Those To Whom He Saw Fit To Extend His Favour. It Was Far From 
   Difficult To Find Situations Suited To The Abilities Of Paul,  In The 
   State Of Society That Existed Three-And-Twenty Years Ago In Those 
   Regions. The Efforts Of Middleton And Inez,  In Behalf Of Her Husband, 
   Were Warmly And Sagaciously Seconded By Ellen,  And They Succeeded,  In 
   Process Of Time,  In Working A Great And Beneficial Change In His 
   Character. He Soon Became A Land-Holder,  Then A Prosperous Cultivator 
   Of The Soil,  And Shortly After A Town-Officer. By That Progressive 
   Change In Fortune,  Which In The Republic Is Often Seen To Be So 
   Singularly Accompanied By A Corresponding Improvement In Knowledge And 
   Self-Respect,  He Went On,  From Step To Step,  Until His Wife Enjoyed 
   The Maternal Delight Of Seeing Her Children Placed Far Beyond The 
   Danger Of Returning To That State From Which Both Their Parents Had 
   Issued. Paul Is Actually At This Moment A Member Of The Lower Branch 
   Of The Legislature Of The State Where He Has Long Resided; And He Is 
   Even Notorious For Making Speeches That Have A Tendency To Put That 
   Deliberative Body In Good Humour,  And Which,  As They Are Based On 
   Great Practical Knowledge Suited To The Condition Of The Country, 
   Possess A Merit That Is Much Wanted In Many More Subtle And Fine-Spun 
   Theories,  That Are Daily Heard In Similar Assemblies,  To Issue From 
   The Lips Of Certain Instinctive Politicians. But All These Happy 
   Fruits Were The Results Of Much Care,  And Of A Long Period Of Time. 
   Middleton,  Who Fills,  With A Credit Better Suited To The Difference In 
   Their Educations,  A Seat In A Far Higher Branch Of Legislative 
   Authority,  Is The Source From Which We Have Derived Most Of The 
   Intelligence Necessary To Compose Our Legend. In Addition To What He 
   Has Related Of Paul,  And Of His Own Continued Happiness,  He Has Added 
   A Short Narrative Of What Took Place In A Subsequent Visit To The 
   Prairies,  With Which,  As We Conceive It A Suitable Termination To What 
   Has Gone Before,  We Shall Judge It Wise To Conclude Our Labours. 
     
   In The Autumn Of The Year,  That Succeeded The Season,  In Which The 
   Preceding Events Occurred,  The Young Man,  Still In The Military 
   Service,  Found Himself On The Waters Of The Missouri,  At A Point Not 
   Far Remote From The Pawnee Towns. Released From Any Immediate Calls Of 
   Duty,  And Strongly Urged To The Measure By Paul,  Who Was In His 
   Company,  He Determined To Take Horse,  And Cross The Country To Visit 
   The Partisan,  And To Enquire Into The Fate Of His Friend The Trapper. 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 170 
   As His Train Was Suited To His Functions And Rank,  The Journey Was 
   Effected,  With The Privations And Hardships That Are The 
   Accompaniments Of All Travelling In A Wild,  But Without Any Of Those 
   Dangers And Alarms That Marked His Former Passage Through The Same 
   Regions. When Within A Proper Distance,  He Despatched An Indian 
   Runner,  Belonging To A Friendly Tribe,  To Announce The Approach Of 
   Himself And Party,  Continuing His Route At A Deliberate Pace,  In Order 
   That The Intelligence Might,  As Was Customary,  Precede His Arrival. To 
   The Surprise Of The Travellers Their Message Was Unanswered. Hour 
   Succeeded Hour,  And Mile After Mile Was Passed,  Without Bringing 
   Either The Signs Of An Honourable Reception,  Or The More Simple 
   Assurances Of A Friendly Welcome. At Length The Cavalcade,  At Whose 
   Head Rode Middleton And Paul,  Descended From The Elevated Plain,  On 
   Which They Had Long Been Journeying,  To A Luxuriant Bottom,  That 
   Brought Them To The Level Of The Village Of The Loups. The Sun Was 
   Beginning To Fall,  And A Sheet Of Golden Light Was Spread Over The 
   Placid Plain,  Lending To Its Even Surface Those Glorious Tints And 
   Hues,  That,  The Human Imagination Is Apt To Conceive,  Forms The 
   Embellishment Of Still More Imposing Scenes. The Verdure Of The Year 
   Yet Remained,  And Herds Of Horses And Mules Were Grazing Peacefully In 
   The Vast Natural Pasture,  Under The Keeping Of Vigilant Pawnee Boys. 
   Paul Pointed Out Among Them,  The Well-Known Form Of Asinus,  Sleek, 
   Fat,  And Luxuriating In The Fulness Of Content,  As He Stood With 
   Reclining Ears And Closed Eye-Lids,  Seemingly Musing On The Exquisite 
   Nature Of His Present Indolent Enjoyment. 
     
   The Route Of The Party Led Them At No Great Distance From One Of Those 
   Watchful Youths,  Who Was Charged With A Trust Heavy As The Principal 
   Wealth Of His Tribe. He Heard The Trampling Of The Horses,  And Cast 
   His Eye Aside,  But Instead Of Manifesting Curiosity Or Alarm,  His Look 
   Instantly Returned Whence It Had Been Withdrawn,  To The Spot Where The 
   Village Was Known To Stand. 
     
   "There Is Something Remarkable In All This," Muttered Middleton,  Half 
   Offended At What He Conceived To Be Not Only A Slight To His Rank,  But 
   Offensive To Himself,  Personally; "Yonder Boy Has Heard Of Our 
   Approach,  Or He Would Not Fail To Notify His Tribe; And Yet He 
   Scarcely Deigns To Favour Us With A Glance. Look To Your Arms,  Men; It 
   May Be Necessary To Let These Savages Feel Our Strength." 
     
   "Therein,  Captain,  I Think You're In An Error," Returned Paul,  "If 
   Honesty Is To Be Met On The Prairies At All,  You Will Find It In Our 
   Old Friend Hard-Heart; Neither Is An Indian To Be Judged Of By The 
   Rules Of A White. See! We Are Not Altogether Slighted,  For Here Comes 
   A Party At Last To Meet Us,  Though It Is A Little Pitiful As To Show 
   And Numbers." 
     
   Paul Was Right In Both Particulars. A Group Of Horsemen Were At Length 
   Seen Wheeling Round A Little Copse,  And Advancing Across The Plain 
   Directly Towards Them. The Advance Of This Party Was Slow And 
   Dignified. As It Drew Nigh,  The Partisan Of The Loups Was Seen At Its 
   Head,  Followed By A Dozen Younger Warriors Of His Tribe. They Were All 
   Unarmed,  Nor Did They Even Wear Any Of Those Ornaments Or Feathers, 
   Which Are Considered Testimonials Of Respect To The Guest An Indian 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 171 
   Receives,  As Well As Evidence Of His Own Importance. 
     
   The Meeting Was Friendly,  Though A Little Restrained On Both Sides. 
   Middleton,  Jealous Of His Own Consideration No Less Than Of The 
   Authority Of His Government,  Suspected Some Undue Influence On The 
   Part Of The Agents Of The Canadas; And,  As He Was Determined To 
   Maintain The Authority Of Which He Was The Representative,  He Felt 
   Himself Constrained To Manifest A Hauteur,  That He Was Far From 
   Feeling. It Was Not So Easy To Penetrate The Motives Of The Pawnees. 
   Calm,  Dignified,  And Yet Far From Repulsive,  They Set An Example Of 
   Courtesy,  Blended With Reserve,  That Many A Diplomatist Of The Most 
   Polished Court Might Have Strove In Vain To Imitate. 
     
   In This Manner The Two Parties Continued Their Course To The Town. 
   Middleton Had Time,  During The Remainder Of The Ride,  To Revolve In 
   His Mind,  All The Probable Reasons Which His Ingenuity Could Suggest 
   For This Strange Reception. Although He Was Accompanied By A Regular 
   Interpreter,  The Chiefs Made Their Salutations In A Manner That 
   Dispensed With His Services. Twenty Times The Captain Turned His 
   Glance On His Former Friend,  Endeavouring To Read The Expression Of 
   His Rigid Features. But Every Effort And All Conjectures Proved 
   Equally Futile. The Eye Of Hard-Heart Was Fixed,  Composed,  And A 
   Little Anxious; But As To Every Other Emotion,  Impenetrable. He 
   Neither Spoke Himself,  Nor Seemed Willing To Invite Discourse In His 
   Visiters; It Was Therefore Necessary For Middleton To Adopt The 
   Patient Manners Of His Companions,  And To Await The Issue For The 
   Explanation. 
     
   When They Entered The Town,  Its Inhabitants Were Seen Collected In An 
   Open Space,  Where They Were Arranged With The Customary Deference To 
   Age And Rank. The Whole Formed A Large Circle,  In The Centre Of Which, 
   Were Perhaps A Dozen Of The Principal Chiefs. Hard-Heart Waved His 
   Hand As He Approached,  And,  As The Mass Of Bodies Opened,  He Rode 
   Through,  Followed By His Companions. Here They Dismounted; And As The 
   Beasts Were Led Apart,  The Strangers Found Themselves Environed By A 
   Thousand,  Grave,  Composed,  But Solicitous Faces. 
     
   Middleton Gazed About Him,  In Growing Concern,  For No Cry,  No Song,  No 
   Shout Welcomed Him Among A People,  From Whom He Had So Lately Parted 
   With Regret. His Uneasiness,  Not To Say Apprehensions,  Was Shared By 
   All His Followers. Determination And Stern Resolution Began To Assume 
   The Place Of Anxiety In Every Eye,  As Each Man Silently Felt For His 
   Arms,  And Assured Himself,  That His Several Weapons Were In A State 
   For Service. But There Was No Answering Symptom Of Hostility On The 
   Part Of Their Hosts. Hard-Heart Beckoned For Middleton And Paul To 
   Follow,  Leading The Way Towards The Cluster Of Forms,  That Occupied 
   The Centre Of The Circle. Here The Visiters Found A Solution Of All 
   The Movements,  Which Had Given Them So Much Reason For Apprehension. 
     
   The Trapper Was Placed On A Rude Seat,  Which Had Been Made,  With 
   Studied Care,  To Support His Frame In An Upright And Easy Attitude. 
   The First Glance Of The Eye Told His Former Friends,  That The Old Man 
   Was At Length Called Upon To Pay The Last Tribute Of Nature. His Eye 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 172 
   Was Glazed,  And Apparently As Devoid Of Sight As Of Expression. His 
   Features Were A Little More Sunken And Strongly Marked Than Formerly; 
   But There,  All Change,  So Far As Exterior Was Concerned,  Might Be Said 
   To Have Ceased. His Approaching End Was Not To Be Ascribed To Any 
   Positive Disease,  But Had Been A Gradual And Mild Decay Of The 
   Physical Powers. Life,  It Is True,  Still Lingered In His System; But 
   It Was As If At Times Entirely Ready To Depart,  And Then It Would 
   Appear To Re-Animate The Sinking Form,  Reluctant To Give Up The 
   Possession Of A Tenement,  That Had Never Been Corrupted By Vice,  Or 
   Undermined By Disease. It Would Have Been No Violent Fancy To Have 
   Imagined,  That The Spirit Fluttered About The Placid Lips Of The Old 
   Woodsman,  Reluctant To Depart From A Shell,  That Had So Long Given It 
   An Honest And An Honourable Shelter. 
     
   His Body Was Placed So As To Let The Light Of The Setting Sun Fall 
   Full Upon The Solemn Features. His Head Was Bare,  The Long,  Thin, 
   Locks Of Grey Fluttering Lightly In The Evening Breeze. His Rifle Lay 
   Upon His Knee,  And The Other Accoutrements Of The Chase Were Placed At 
   His Side,  Within Reach Of His Hand. Between His Feet Lay The Figure Of 
   A Hound,  With Its Head Crouching To The Earth As If It Slumbered; And 
   So Perfectly Easy And Natural Was Its Position,  That A Second Glance 
   Was Necessary To Tell Middleton,  He Saw Only The Skin Of Hector, 
   Stuffed By Indian Tenderness And Ingenuity In A Manner To Represent 
   The Living Animal. His Own Dog Was Playing At A Distance,  With The 
   Child Of Tachechana And Mahtoree. The Mother Herself Stood At Hand, 
   Holding In Her Arms A Second Offspring,  That Might Boast Of A 
   Parentage No Less Honourable,  Than That Which Belonged To The Son Of 
   Hard-Heart. Le Balafre Was Seated Nigh The Dying Trapper,  With Every 
   Mark About His Person,  That The Hour Of His Own Departure Was Not Far 
   Distant. The Rest Of Those Immediately In The Centre Were Aged Men, 
   Who Had Apparently Drawn Near,  In Order To Observe The Manner,  In 
   Which A Just And Fearless Warrior Would Depart On The Greatest Of His 
   Journeys. 
     
   The Old Man Was Reaping The Rewards Of A Life Remarkable For 
   Temperance And Activity,  In A Tranquil And Placid Death. His Vigour In 
   A Manner Endured To The Very Last. Decay,  When It Did Occur,  Was 
   Rapid,  But Free From Pain. He Had Hunted With The Tribe In The Spring, 
   And Even Throughout Most Of The Summer,  When His Limbs Suddenly 
   Refused To Perform Their Customary Offices. A Sympathising Weakness 
   Took Possession Of All His Faculties; And The Pawnees Believed,  That 
   They Were Going To Lose,  In This Unexpected Manner,  A Sage And 
   Counsellor,  Whom They Had Begun Both To Love And Respect. But As We 
   Have Already Said,  The Immortal Occupant Seemed Unwilling To Desert 
   Its Tenement. The Lamp Of Life Flickered Without Becoming 
   Extinguished. On The Morning Of The Day,  On Which Middleton Arrived, 
   There Was A General Reviving Of The Powers Of The Whole Man. His 
   Tongue Was Again Heard In Wholesome Maxims,  And His Eye From Time To 
   Time Recognised The Persons Of His Friends. It Merely Proved To Be A 
   Brief And Final Intercourse With The World On The Part Of One,  Who Had 
   Already Been Considered,  As To Mental Communion,  To Have Taken His 
   Leave Of It For Ever. 
     
   When He Had Placed His Guests In Front Of The Dying Man,  Hard-Heart, 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 173 
   After A Pause,  That Proceeded As Much From Sorrow As Decorum,  Leaned A 
   Little Forward And Demanded-- 
     
   "Does My Father Hear The Words Of His Son?" 
     
   "Speak," Returned The Trapper,  In Tones That Issued From His Chest, 
   But Which Were Rendered Awfully Distinct By The Stillness That Reigned 
   In The Place. "I Am About To Depart From The Village Of The Loups,  And 
   Shortly Shall Be Beyond The Reach Of Your Voice." 
     
   "Let The Wise Chief Have No Cares For His Journey," Continued Hard- 
   Heart With An Earnest Solicitude,  That Led Him To Forget,  For The 
   Moment,  That Others Were Waiting To Address His Adopted Parent; "A 
   Hundred Loups Shall Clear His Path From Briars." 
     
   "Pawnee,  I Die As I Have Lived,  A Christian Man," Resumed The Trapper 
   With A Force Of Voice That Had The Same Startling Effect Upon His 
   Hearers,  As Is Produced By The Trumpet,  When Its Blast Rises Suddenly 
   And Freely On The Air,  After Its Obstructed Sounds Have Been Heard 
   Struggling In The Distance: "As I Came Into Life So Will I Leave It. 
   Horses And Arms Are Not Needed To Stand In The Presence Of The Great 
   Spirit Of My People. He Knows My Colour,  And According To My Gifts 
   Will He Judge My Deeds." 
     
   "My Father Will Tell My Young Men,  How Many Mingoes He Has Struck,  And 
   What Acts Of Valour And Justice He Has Done,  That They May Know How To 
   Imitate Him." 
     
   "A Boastful Tongue Is Not Heard In The Heaven Of A White Man," 
   Solemnly Returned The Old Man. "What I Have Done,  He Has Seen. His 
   Eyes Are Always Open. That,  Which Has Been Well Done,  Will He 
   Remember; Wherein I Have Been Wrong Will He Not Forget To Chastise, 
   Though He Will Do The Same In Mercy. No,  My Son; A Pale-Face May Not 
   Sing His Own Praises,  And Hope To Have Them Acceptable Before His 
   God." 
     
   A Little Disappointed,  The Young Partisan Stepped Modestly Back, 
   Making Way For The Recent Comers To Approach. Middleton Took One Of 
   The Meagre Hands Of The Trapper,  And Struggling To Command His Voice, 
   He Succeeded In Announcing His Presence. The Old Man Listened Like One 
   Whose Thoughts Were Dwelling On A Very Different Subject,  But When The 
   Other Had Succeeded In Making Him Understand,  That He Was Present,  An 
   Expression Of Joyful Recognition Passed Over His Faded Features--"I 
   Hope You Have Not So Soon Forgotten Those,  Whom You So Materially 
   Served!" Middleton Concluded. "It Would Pain Me To Think My Hold On 
   Your Memory Was So Light." 
     
   "Little That I Have Ever Seen Is Forgotten," Returned The Trapper: "I 
   Am At The Close Of Many Weary Days,  But There Is Not One Among Them 
   All,  That I Could Wish To Overlook. I Remember You With The Whole Of 
   Your Company; Ay,  And Your Grand'ther,  That Went Before You. I Am 
   Glad,  That You Have Come Back Upon These Plains,  For I Had Need Of 
   One,  Who Speaks The English,  Since Little Faith Can Be Put In The 
   Traders Of These Regions. Will You Do A Favour To An Old And Dying 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 174 
   Man?" 
     
   "Name It," Said Middleton; "It Shall Be Done." 
     
   "It Is A Far Journey To Send Such Trifles," Resumed The Old Man,  Who 
   Spoke At Short Intervals,  As Strength And Breath Permitted; "A Far And 
   Weary Journey Is The Same; But Kindnesses And Friendships Are Things 
   Not To Be Forgotten. There Is A Settlement Among The Otsego Hills--" 
     
   "I Know The Place," Interrupted Middleton,  Observing That He Spoke 
   With Increasing Difficulty; "Proceed To Tell Me,  What You Would Have 
   Done." 
     
   "Take This Rifle,  And Pouch,  And Horn,  And Send Them To The Person, 
   Whose Name Is Graven On The Plates Of The Stock,--A Trader Cut The 
   Letters With His Knife,--For It Is Long,  That I Have Intended To Send 
   Him Such A Token Of My Love." 
     
   "It Shall Be So. Is There More That You Could Wish?" 
     
   "Little Else Have I To Bestow. My Traps I Give To My Indian Son; For 
   Honestly And Kindly Has He Kept His Faith. Let Him Stand Before Me." 
     
   Middleton Explained To The Chief What The Trapper Had Said And 
   Relinquished His Own Place To The Other. 
     
   "Pawnee," Continued The Old Man,  Always Changing His Language To Suit 
   The Person He Addressed,  And Not Unfrequently According To The Ideas 
   He Expressed,  "It Is A Custom Of My People For The Father To Leave His 
   Blessing With The Son,  Before He Shuts His Eves For Ever. This 
   Blessing I Give To You; Take It,  For The Prayers Of A Christian Man 
   Will Never Make The Path Of A Just Warrior,  To The Blessed Prairies, 
   Either Longer,  Or More Tangled. May The God Of A White Man Look On 
   Your Deeds With Friendly Eyes,  And May You Never Commit An Act,  That 
   Shall Cause Him To Darken His Face. I Know Not Whether We Shall Ever 
   Meet Again. There Are Many Traditions Concerning The Place Of Good 
   Spirits. It Is Not For One Like Me,  Old And Experienced Though I Am, 
   To Set Up My Opinions Against A Nation's. You Believe In The Blessed 
   Prairies,  And I Have Faith In The Sayings Of My Fathers. If Both Are 
   True,  Our Parting Will Be Final; But If It Should Prove,  That The Same 
   Meaning Is Hid Under Different Words,  We Shall Yet Stand Together, 
   Pawnee,  Before The Face Of Your Wahcondah,  Who Will Then Be No Other 
   Than My God. There Is Much To Be Said In Favour Of Both Religions,  For 
   Each Seems Suited To Its Own People,  And No Doubt It Was So Intended. 
   I Fear,  I Have Not Altogether Followed The Gifts Of My Colour, 
   Inasmuch As I Find It A Little Painful To Give Up For Ever The Use Of 
   The Rifle,  And The Comforts Of The Chase. But Then The Fault Has Been 
   My Own,  Seeing That It Could Not Have Been His. Ay,  Hector," He 
   Continued,  Leaning Forward A Little,  And Feeling For The Ears Of The 
   Hound,  "Our Parting Has Come At Last,  Dog,  And It Will Be A Long Hunt. 
   You Have Been An Honest,  And A Bold,  And A Faithful Hound. Pawnee,  You 
   Cannot Slay The Pup On My Grave,  For Where A Christian Dog Falls, 
   There He Lies For Ever; But You Can Be Kind To Him,  After I Am Gone, 
   For The Love You Bear His Master." 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 175 
   "The Words Of My Father Are In My Ears," Returned The Young Partisan, 
   Making A Grave And Respectful Gesture Of Assent. 
     
   "Do You Hear,  What The Chief Has Promised,  Dog?" Demanded The Trapper, 
   Making An Effort To Attract The Notice Of The Insensible Effigy Of His 
   Hound. Receiving No Answering Look,  Nor Hearing Any Friendly Whine, 
   The Old Man Felt For The Mouth And Endeavoured To Force His Hand 
   Between The Cold Lips. The Truth Then Flashed Upon Him,  Although He 
   Was Far From Perceiving The Whole Extent Of The Deception. Falling 
   Back In His Seat,  He Hung His Head,  Like One Who Felt A Severe And 
   Unexpected Shock. Profiting By This Momentary Forgetfulness,  Two Young 
   Indians Removed The Skin With The Same Delicacy Of Feeling,  That Had 
   Induced Them To Attempt The Pious Fraud. 
     
   "The Dog Is Dead!" Muttered The Trapper,  After A Pause Of Many 
   Minutes; "A Hound Has His Time As Well As A Man And Well Has He Filled 
   His Days! Captain," He Added,  Making An Effort To Wave His Hand For 
   Middleton,  "I Am Glad You Have Come; For Though Kind,  And Well Meaning 
   According To The Gifts Of Their Colour,  These Indians Are Not The Men, 
   To Lay The Head Of A White Man In His Grave. I Have Been Thinking Too, 
   Of This Dog At My Feet; It Will Not Do To Set Forth The Opinion,  That 
   A Christian Can Expect To Meet His Hound Again; Still There Can Be 
   Little Harm In Placing What Is Left Of So Faithful A Servant Nigh The 
   Bones Of His Master." 
     
   "It Shall Be As You Desire." 
     
   "I'm Glad,  You Think With Me In This Matter. In Order Then To Save 
   Labour,  Lay The Pup At My Feet,  Or For That Matter Put Him,  Side By 
   Side. A Hunter Need Never Be Ashamed To Be Found In Company With His 
   Dog!" 
     
   "I Charge Myself With Your Wish." 
     
   The Old Man Made A Long,  And Apparently A Musing Pause. At Times He 
   Raised His Eyes Wistfully,  As If He Would Again Address Middleton,  But 
   Some Innate Feeling Appeared Always To Suppress His Words. The Other, 
   Who Observed His Hesitation,  Enquired In A Way Most Likely To 
   Encourage Him To Proceed,  Whether There Was Aught Else That He Could 
   Wish To Have Done. 
     
   "I Am Without Kith Or Kin In The Wide World!" The Trapper Answered: 
   "When I Am Gone,  There Will Be An End Of My Race. We Have Never Been 
   Chiefs; But Honest And Useful In Our Way,  I Hope It Cannot Be Denied, 
   We Have Always Proved Ourselves. My Father Lies Buried Near The Sea, 
   And The Bones Of His Son Will Whiten On The Prairies--" 
     
   "Name The Spot,  And Your Remains Shall Be Placed By The Side Of Your 
   Father," Interrupted Middleton. 
     
   "Not So,  Not So,  Captain. Let Me Sleep,  Where I Have Lived,  Beyond The 
   Din Of The Settlements! Still I See No Need,  Why The Grave Of An 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 176 
   Honest Man Should Be Hid,  Like A Red-Skin In His Ambushment. I Paid A 
   Man In The Settlements To Make And Put A Graven Stone At The Head Of 
   My Father's Resting Place. It Was Of The Value Of Twelve Beaver-Skins, 
   And Cunningly And Curiously Was It Carved! Then It Told To All Comers 
   That The Body Of Such A Christian Lay Beneath; And It Spoke Of His 
   Manner Of Life,  Of His Years,  And Of His Honesty. When We Had Done 
   With The Frenchers In The Old War,  I Made A Journey To The Spot,  In 
   Order To See That All Was Rightly Performed,  And Glad I Am To Say,  The 
   Workman Had Not Forgotten His Faith." 
     
   "And Such A Stone You Would Have At Your Grave?" 
     
   "I! No,  No,  I Have No Son,  But Hard-Heart,  And It Is Little That An 
   Indian Knows Of White Fashions And Usages. Besides I Am His Debtor, 
   Already,  Seeing It Is So Little I Have Done,  Since I Have Lived In His 
   Tribe. The Rifle Might Bring The Value Of Such A Thing--But Then I 
   Know,  It Will Give The Boy Pleasure To Hang The Piece In His Hall,  For 
   Many Is The Deer And The Bird That He Has Seen It Destroy. No,  No,  The 
   Gun Must Be Sent To Him,  Whose Name Is Graven On The Lock!" 
     
   "But There Is One,  Who Would Gladly Prove His Affection In The Way You 
   Wish; He,  Who Owes You Not Only His Own Deliverance From So Many 
   Dangers,  But Who Inherits A Heavy Debt Of Gratitude From His 
   Ancestors. The Stone Shall Be Put At The Head Of Your Grave" 
     
   The Old Man Extended His Emaciated Hand,  And Gave The Other A Squeeze 
   Of Thanks. 
     
   "I Thought,  You Might Be Willing To Do It,  But I Was Backward In 
   Asking The Favour," He Said,  "Seeing That You Are Not Of My Kin. Put 
   No Boastful Words On The Same,  But Just The Name,  The Age,  And The 
   Time Of The Death,  With Something From The Holy Book; No More No More. 
   My Name Will Then Not Be Altogether Lost On 'Arth; I Need No More." 
     
   Middleton Intimated His Assent,  And Then Followed A Pause,  That Was 
   Only Broken By Distant And Broken Sentences From The Dying Man. He 
   Appeared Now To Have Closed His Accounts With The World,  And To Await 
   Merely For The Final Summons To Quit It. Middleton And Hard-Heart 
   Placed Themselves On The Opposite Sides Of His Seat,  And Watched With 
   Melancholy Solicitude,  The Variations Of His Countenance. For Two 
   Hours There Was No Very Sensible Alteration. The Expression Of His 
   Faded And Time-Worn Features Was That Of A Calm And Dignified Repose. 
   From Time To Time He Spoke,  Uttering Some Brief Sentence In The Way Of 
   Advice,  Or Asking Some Simple Questions Concerning Those In Whose 
   Fortunes He Still Took A Friendly Interest. During The Whole Of That 
   Solemn And Anxious Period Each Individual Of The Tribe Kept His Place, 
   In The Most Self-Restrained Patience. When The Old Man Spoke,  All Bent 
   Their Heads To Listen; And When His Words Were Uttered,  They Seemed To 
   Ponder On Their Wisdom And Usefulness. 
     
   As The Flame Drew Nigher To The Socket,  His Voice Was Hushed,  And 
   There Were Moments,  When His Attendants Doubted Whether He Still 
   Belonged To The Living. Middleton,  Who Watched Each Wavering 
   Expression Of His Weather-Beaten Visage,  With The Interest Of A Keen 
   
   
   
   Part 3 Chapter 34 Pg 177 
   Observer Of Human Nature,  Softened By The Tenderness Of Personal 
   Regard,  Fancied He Could Read The Workings Of The Old Man's Soul In 
   The Strong Lineaments Of His Countenance. Perhaps What The Enlightened 
   Soldier Took For The Delusion Of Mistaken Opinion Did Actually Occur, 
   For Who Has Returned From That Unknown World To Explain By What Forms, 
   And In What Manner,  He Was Introduced Into Its Awful Precincts? 
   Without Pretending To Explain What Must Ever Be A Mystery To The 
   Quick,  We Shall Simply Relate Facts As They Occurred. 
     
   The Trapper Had Remained Nearly Motionless For An Hour. His Eyes, 
   Alone,  Had Occasionally Opened And Shut. When Opened,  His Gaze Seemed 
   Fastened On The Clouds,  Which Hung Around The Western Horizon, 
   Reflecting The Bright Colours,  And Giving Form And Loveliness To The 
   Glorious Tints Of An American Sunset. The Hour--The Calm Beauty Of The 
   Season--The Occasion,  All Conspired To Fill The Spectators With Solemn 
   Awe. Suddenly,  While Musing On The Remarkable Position,  In Which He 
   Was Placed,  Middleton Felt The Hand,  Which He Held,  Grasp His Own With 
   Incredible Power,  And The Old Man,  Supported On Either Side By His 
   Friends,  Rose Upright To His Feet. For A Moment,  He Looked About Him, 
   As If To Invite All In Presence To Listen (The Lingering Remnant Of 
   Human Frailty),  And Then,  With A Fine Military Elevation Of The Head, 
   And With A Voice,  That Might Be Heard In Every Part Of That Numerous 
   Assembly The Word-- 
     
   "Here!" 
     
   A Movement So Entirely Unexpected,  And The Air Of Grandeur And 
   Humility,  Which Were So Remarkably United In The Mien Of The Trapper, 
   Together With The Clear And Uncommon Force Of His Utterance,  Produced 
   A Short Period Of Confusion In The Faculties Of All Present. When 
   Middleton And Hard-Heart,  Each Of Whom Had Involuntarily Extended A 
   Hand To Support The Form Of The Old Man,  Turned To Him Again,  They 
   Found,  That The Subject Of Their Interest Was Removed For Ever Beyond 
   The Necessity Of Their Care. They Mournfully Placed The Body In Its 
   Seat,  And Le Balafre Arose To Announce The Termination Of The Scene, 
   To The Tribe. The Voice Of The Old Indian Seemed A Sort Of Echo From 
   That Invisible World,  To Which The Meek Spirit Of The Trapper Had Just 
   Departed. 
     
   "A Valiant,  A Just,  And A Wise Warrior Has Gone On The Path,  Which 
   Will Lead Him To The Blessed Grounds Of His People!" He Said. "When 
   The Voice Of The Wahcondah Called Him,  He Was Ready To Answer. Go,  My 
   Children; Remember The Just Chief Of The Pale-Faces,  And Clear Your 
   Own Tracks From Briars." 
     
   The Grave Was Made Beneath The Shade Of Some Noble Oaks. It Has Been 
   Carefully Watched To The Present Hour By The Pawnees Of The Loop,  And 
   Is Often Shown To The Traveller And The Trader As A Spot Where A Just 
   Whiteman Sleeps. In Due Time The Stone Was Placed At Its Head,  With 
   The Simple Inscription,  Which The Trapper Had Himself Requested. The 
   Only Liberty,  Taken By Middleton,  Was To Add--"May No Wanton Hand Ever 
   Disturb His Remains!" 
     
     
   
   
   Publication Date: June 19th 2014 https://www.bookrix.com/-azbdcf75988b535