Chapter: "An oaken, broken, elbow-chair;
    A caudle-cup without an ear;
    A battered, shattered ash bedstead;
    A box of deal without a lid;
    A pair of tongs, but out of joint;
    A back-sword poker, without point;
    A dish which might good meat afford once;
    An Ovid, and an old
    Concordance."

    Thomas Sheridan, "A True and Faithful Inventory of the Goods
    belonging to Dr. Swift," II. i-6, 13-14.

No sooner did Deerslayer raise the pistols, than he turned to the
Delaware and held them up for his admiration.

"Child gun," said the Serpent, smiling, while he handled one of the
instruments as if it had been a toy.

"Not it, Sarpent; not it--'twas made for a man and would satisfy a
giant, if rightly used. But stop; white men are remarkable for their
carelessness in putting away fire arms, in chists and corners. Let me
look if care has been given to these."

As Deerslayer spoke, he took the weapon from the hand of his friend and
opened the pan. The last was filled with priming, caked like a bit of
cinder, by time, moisture and compression. An application of the ramrod
showed that both the pistols were charged, although Judith could testify
that they had probably lain for years in the chest. It is not easy to
portray the surprise of the Indian at this discovery, for he was in the
practice of renewing his priming daily, and of looking to the contents
of his piece at other short intervals.

"This is white neglect," said Deerslayer, shaking his head, "and scarce
a season goes by that some one in the settlements doesn't suffer from
it. It's extr'ornary too, Judith--yes, it's downright extr'ornary that
the owner shall fire his piece at a deer, or some other game, or perhaps
at an inimy, and twice out of three times he'll miss; but let him catch
an accident with one of these forgotten charges, and he makes it sartain
death to a child, or a brother, or a fri'nd! Well, we shall do a good
turn to the owner if we fire these pistols for him, and as they're
novelties to you and me, Sarpent, we'll try our hands at a mark. Freshen
that priming, and I'll do the same with this, and then we'll see who is
the best man with a pistol; as for the rifle, that's long been settled
atween us."

Deerslayer laughed heartily at his own conceit, and, in a minute or two,
they were both standing on the platform, selecting some object in the
Ark for their target. Judith was led by curiosity to their side.

"Stand back, gal, stand a little back; these we'pons have been
long loaded," said Deerslayer, "and some accident may happen in the
discharge." "Then you shall not fire them! Give them both to the
Delaware; or it would be better to unload them without firing."

"That's ag'in usage--and some people say, ag'in manhood; though I hold
to no such silly doctrine. We must fire 'em, Judith; yes, we must fire
'em; though I foresee that neither will have any great reason to boast
of his skill."

Judith, in the main, was a girl of great personal spirit, and her habits
prevented her from feeling any of the terror that is apt to come over
her sex at the report of fire arms. She had discharged many a rifle,
and had even been known to kill a deer, under circumstances that were
favorable to the effort. She submitted therefore, falling a little back
by the side of Deerslayer, giving the Indian the front of the platform
to himself. Chingachgook raised the weapon several times, endeavored to
steady it by using both hands, changed his attitude from one that was
awkward to another still more so, and finally drew the trigger with a
sort of desperate indifference, without having, in reality, secured any
aim at all. The consequence was, that instead of hitting the knot which
had been selected for the mark, he missed the ark altogether; the bullet
skipping along the water like a stone that was thrown by hand.

"Well done--Sarpent--well done--" cried Deerslayer laughing, with his
noiseless glee, "you've hit the lake, and that's an expl'ite for some
men! I know'd it, and as much as said it, here, to Judith; for your
short we'pons don't belong to red-skin gifts. You've hit the lake, and
that's better than only hitting the air! Now, stand back and let us see
what white gifts can do with a white we'pon. A pistol isn't a rifle, but
colour is colour."

The aim of Deerslayer was both quick and steady, and the report followed
almost as soon as the weapon rose. Still the pistol hung fire, as it is
termed, and fragments of it flew in a dozen directions, some falling on
the roof of the castle, others in the Ark, and one in the water. Judith
screamed, and when the two men turned anxiously towards the girl she was
as pale as death, trembling in every limb.

"She's wounded--yes, the poor gal's wounded, Sarpent, though one
couldn't foresee it, standing where she did. We'll lead her in to a
seat, and we must do the best for her that our knowledge and skill can
afford."

Judith allowed herself to be supported to a seat, swallowed a mouthful
of the water that the Delaware offered her in a gourd, and, after a
violent fit of trembling that seemed ready to shake her fine frame to
dissolution, she burst into tears.

"The pain must be borne, poor Judith--yes, it must be borne," said
Deerslayer, soothingly, "though I am far from wishing you not to weep;
for weeping often lightens galish feelin's. Where can she be hurt,
Sarpent? I see no signs of blood, nor any rent of skin or garments?"

"I am uninjured, Deerslayer," stammered the girl through her tears.
"It's fright--nothing more, I do assure you, and, God be praised! no
one, I find, has been harmed by the accident."

"This is extr'ornary!" exclaimed the unsuspecting and simple minded
hunter--"I thought, Judith, you'd been above settlement weaknesses,
and that you was a gal not to be frightened by the sound of a bursting
we'pon--No--I didn't think you so skeary! Hetty might well have been
startled; but you've too much judgment and reason to be frightened
when the danger's all over. They're pleasant to the eye, chief, and
changeful, but very unsartain in their feelin's!"

Shame kept Judith silent. There had been no acting in her agitation, but
all had fairly proceeded from sudden and uncontrollable alarm--an alarm
that she found almost as inexplicable to herself, as it proved to be
to her companions. Wiping away the traces of tears, however, she smiled
again, and was soon able to join in the laugh at her own folly.

"And you, Deerslayer," she at length succeeded in saying--"are you,
indeed, altogether unhurt? It seems almost miraculous that a pistol
should have burst in your hand, and you escape without the loss of a
limb, if not of life!"

"Such wonders ar'n't oncommon, at all, among worn out arms. The first
rifle they gave me play'd the same trick, and yet I liv'd through it,
though not as onharmless as I've got out of this affair. Thomas Hutter
is master of one pistol less than he was this morning, but, as it
happened in trying to sarve him, there's no ground of complaint. Now,
draw near, and let us look farther into the inside of the chist."

Judith, by this time, had so far gotten the better of her agitation as
to resume her seat, and the examination went on. The next article that
offered was enveloped in cloth, and on opening it, it proved to be one
of the mathematical instruments that were then in use among seamen,
possessing the usual ornaments and fastenings in brass. Deerslayer and
Chingachgook expressed their admiration and surprise at the appearance
of the unknown instrument, which was bright and glittering, having
apparently been well cared for.

"This goes beyond the surveyors, Judith!" Deerslayer exclaimed, after
turning the instrument several times in his hands. "I've seen all their
tools often, and wicked and heartless enough are they, for they never
come into the forest but to lead the way to waste and destruction; but
none of them have as designing a look as this! I fear me, after all,
that Thomas Hutter has journeyed into the wilderness with no fair
intentions towards its happiness. Did you ever see any of the cravings
of a surveyor about your father, gal?"

"He is no surveyor, Deerslayer, nor does he know the use of that
instrument, though he seems to own it. Do you suppose that Thomas Hutter
ever wore that coat? It is as much too large for him, as this instrument
is beyond his learning."

"That's it--that must be it, Sarpent, and the old fellow, by some
onknown means, has fallen heir to another man's goods! They say he has
been a mariner, and no doubt this chist, and all it holds--ha! What have
we here?--This far out does the brass and black wood of the tool!"

Deerslayer had opened a small bag, from which he was taking, one by one,
the pieces of a set of chessmen. They were of ivory, much larger than
common, and exquisitely wrought. Each piece represented the character
or thing after which it is named; the knights being mounted, the castles
stood on elephants, and even the pawns possessed the heads and busts of
men. The set was not complete, and a few fractures betrayed bad usage;
but all that was left had been carefully put away and preserved. Even
Judith expressed wonder, as these novel objects were placed before her
eyes, and Chingachgook fairly forgot his Indian dignity in admiration
and delight. The latter took up each piece, and examined it with never
tiring satisfaction, pointing out to the girl the more ingenious and
striking portions of the workmanship. But the elephants gave him the
greatest pleasure. The "Hughs!" that he uttered, as he passed his
fingers over their trunks, and ears, and tails, were very distinct,
nor did he fail to note the pawns, which were armed as archers. This
exhibition lasted several minutes, during which time Judith and the
Indian had all the rapture to themselves. Deerslayer sat silent,
thoughtful, and even gloomy, though his eyes followed each movement of
the two principal actors, noting every new peculiarity about the pieces
as they were held up to view. Not an exclamation of pleasure, nor a word
of condemnation passed his lips. At length his companions observed
his silence, and then, for the first time since the chessmen had been
discovered, did he speak.

"Judith," he asked earnestly, but with a concern that amounted almost to
tenderness of manner, "did your parents ever talk to you of religion?"

The girl coloured, and the flashes of crimson that passed over her
beautiful countenance were like the wayward tints of a Neapolitan sky in
November. Deerslayer had given her so strong a taste for truth,
however, that she did not waver in her answer, replying simply and with
sincerity.

"My mother did often," she said, "my father never. I thought it made my
mother sorrowful to speak of our prayers and duties, but my father has
never opened his mouth on such matters, before or since her death."

"That I can believe--that I can believe. He has no God--no such God
as it becomes a man of white skin to worship, or even a red-skin. Them
things are idols!"

Judith started, and for a moment she seemed seriously hurt. Then she
reflected, and in the end she laughed. "And you think, Deerslayer, that
these ivory toys are my father's Gods? I have heard of idols, and know
what they are."

"Them are idols!" repeated the other, positively. "Why should your
father keep 'em, if he doesn't worship 'em."

"Would he keep his gods in a bag, and locked up in a chest? No, no,
Deerslayer; my poor father carries his God with him, wherever he goes,
and that is in his own cravings. These things may really be idols--I
think they are myself, from what I have heard and read of idolatry,
but they have come from some distant country, and like all the other
articles, have fallen into Thomas Hutter's hands when he was a sailor."

"I'm glad of it--I am downright glad to hear it, Judith, for I do not
think I could have mustered the resolution to strive to help a white
idolater out of his difficulties! The old man is of my colour and nation
and I wish to sarve him, but as one who denied all his gifts, in the way
of religion, it would have come hard to do so. That animal seems to give
you great satisfaction, Sarpent, though it's an idolatrous beast at the
best."

"It is an elephant," interrupted Judith. "I've often seen pictures of
such animals, at the garrisons, and mother had a book in which there was
a printed account of the creature. Father burnt that with all the other
books, for he said Mother loved reading too well. This was not long
before mother died, and I've sometimes thought that the loss hastened
her end."

This was said equally without levity and without any very deep
feeling. It was said without levity, for Judith was saddened by her
recollections, and yet she had been too much accustomed to live for
self, and for the indulgence of her own vanities, to feel her mother's
wrongs very keenly. It required extraordinary circumstances to awaken a
proper sense of her situation, and to stimulate the better feelings of
this beautiful, but misguided girl, and those circumstances had not yet
occurred in her brief existence.

"Elephant, or no elephant, 'tis an idol," returned the hunter, "and not
fit to remain in Christian keeping."

"Good for Iroquois!" said Chingachgook, parting with one of the castles
with reluctance, as his friend took it from him to replace it in the
bag--"Elephon buy whole tribe--buy Delaware, almost!"

"Ay, that it would, as any one who comprehends red-skin natur' must
know," answered Deerslayer, "but the man that passes false money,
Sarpent, is as bad as he who makes it. Did you ever know a just Injin
that wouldn't scorn to sell a 'coon skin for the true marten, or to pass
off a mink for a beaver. I know that a few of these idols, perhaps one
of them elephants, would go far towards buying Thomas Hutter's liberty,
but it goes ag'in conscience to pass such counterfeit money. Perhaps no
Injin tribe, hereaway, is downright idolators but there's some that come
so near it, that white gifts ought to be particular about encouraging
them in their mistake."

"If idolatry is a gift, Deerslayer, and gifts are what you seem to think
them, idolatry in such people can hardly be a sin," said Judith with
more smartness than discrimination.

"God grants no such gifts to any of his creatur's, Judith," returned the
hunter, seriously. "He must be adored, under some name or other, and not
creatur's of brass or ivory. It matters not whether the Father of All is
called God, or Manitou, Deity or Great Spirit, he is none the less our
common maker and master; nor does it count for much whether the souls
of the just go to Paradise, or Happy Hunting Grounds, since He may send
each his own way, as suits his own pleasure and wisdom; but it curdles
my blood, when I find human mortals so bound up in darkness and consait,
as to fashion the 'arth, or wood, or bones, things made by their own
hands, into motionless, senseless effigies, and then fall down afore
them, and worship 'em as a Deity!"

"After all, Deerslayer, these pieces of ivory may not be idols, at all.
I remember, now, to have seen one of the officers at the garrison with
a set of fox and geese made in some such a design as these, and here is
something hard, wrapped in cloth, that may belong to your idols."

Deerslayer took the bundle the girl gave him, and unrolling it, he found
the board within. Like the pieces it was large, rich, and inlaid with
ebony and ivory. Putting the whole in conjunction the hunter, though
not without many misgivings, slowly came over to Judith's opinion, and
finally admitted that the fancied idols must be merely the curiously
carved men of some unknown game. Judith had the tact to use her victory
with great moderation, nor did she once, even in the most indirect
manner, allude to the ludicrous mistake of her companion.

This discovery of the uses of the extraordinary-looking little images
settled the affair of the proposed ransom. It was agreed generally, and
all understood the weaknesses and tastes of Indians, that nothing could
be more likely to tempt the cupidity of the Iroquois than the elephants,
in particular. Luckily the whole of the castles were among the pieces,
and these four tower-bearing animals it was finally determined should be
the ransom offered. The remainder of the men, and, indeed, all the rest
of the articles in the chest, were to be kept out of view, and to be
resorted to only as a last appeal. As soon as these preliminaries were
settled, everything but those intended for the bribe was carefully
replaced in the chest, all the covers were 'tucked in' as they had
been found, and it was quite possible, could Hutter have been put in
possession of the castle again, that he might have passed the remainder
of his days in it without even suspecting the invasion that had been
made on the privacy of the chest. The rent pistol would have been the
most likely to reveal the secret, but this was placed by the side of its
fellow, and all were pressed down as before, some half a dozen packages
in the bottom of the chest not having been opened at all. When this was
done the lid was lowered, the padlocks replaced, and the key turned. The
latter was then replaced in the pocket from which it had been taken.

More than an hour was consumed in settling the course proper to be
pursued, and in returning everything to its place. The pauses to
converse were frequent, and Judith, who experienced a lively pleasure
in the open, undisguised admiration with which Deerslayer's honest eyes
gazed at her handsome face, found the means to prolong the interview,
with a dexterity that seems to be innate in female coquetry. Deerslayer,
indeed, appeared to be the first who was conscious of the time that had
been thus wasted, and to call the attention of his companions to the
necessity of doing something towards putting the plan of ransoming into
execution. Chingachgook had remained in Hutter's bed room, where the
elephants were laid, to feast his eyes with the images of animals so
wonderful, and so novel. Perhaps an instinct told him that his presence
would not be as acceptable to his companions as this holding himself
aloof, for Judith had not much reserve in the manifestations of her
preferences, and the Delaware had not got so far as one betrothed
without acquiring some knowledge of the symptoms of the master passion.

"Well, Judith," said Deerslayer, rising, after the interview had lasted
much longer than even he himself suspected, "'tis pleasant convarsing
with you, and settling all these matters, but duty calls us another way.
All this time, Hurry and your father, not to say Hetty--" The word was
cut short in the speaker's mouth, for, at that critical moment, a light
step was heard on the platform, or 'court-yard', a human figure darkened
the doorway, and the person last mentioned stood before him. The low
exclamation that escaped Deerslayer and the slight scream of Judith were
hardly uttered, when an Indian youth, between the ages of fifteen and
seventeen, stood beside her. These two entrances had been made with
moccasined feet, and consequently almost without noise, but, unexpected
and stealthy as they were, they had not the effect to disturb
Deerslayer's self possession. His first measure was to speak rapidly in
Delaware to his friend, cautioning him to keep out of sight, while he
stood on his guard; the second was to step to the door to ascertain
the extent of the danger. No one else, however, had come, and a simple
contrivance, in the shape of a raft, that lay floating at the side of
the Ark, at once explained the means that had been used in bringing
Hetty off. Two dead and dry, and consequently buoyant, logs of pine
were bound together with pins and withes and a little platform of riven
chestnut had been rudely placed on their surfaces. Here Hetty had been
seated, on a billet of wood, while the young Iroquois had rowed the
primitive and slow-moving, but perfectly safe craft from the shore.

As soon as Deerslayer had taken a close survey of this raft, and
satisfied himself nothing else was near, he shook his head and muttered
in his soliloquizing way--"This comes of prying into another man's
chist! Had we been watchful, and keen eyed, such a surprise could never
have happened, and, getting this much from a boy teaches us what we
may expect when the old warriors set themselves fairly about their
sarcumventions. It opens the way, howsever, to a treaty for the ransom,
and I will hear what Hetty has to say."

Judith, as soon as her surprise and alarm had a little abated,
discovered a proper share of affectionate joy at the return of her
sister. She folded her to her bosom, and kissed her, as had been her
wont in the days of their childhood and innocence. Hetty herself was
less affected, for to her there was no surprise, and her nerves were
sustained by the purity and holiness of her purpose. At her sister's
request she took a seat, and entered into an account of her adventures
since they had parted. Her tale commenced just as Deerslayer returned,
and he also became an attentive listener, while the young Iroquois stood
near the door, seemingly as indifferent to what was passing as one of
its posts.

The narrative of the girl was sufficiently clear, until she reached the
time where we left her in the camp, after the interview with the chiefs,
and, at the moment when Hist quitted her, in the abrupt manner already
related. The sequel of the story may be told in her own language.

"When I read the texts to the chiefs, Judith, you could not have seen
that they made any changes on their minds," she said, "but if seed is
planted, it will grow. God planted the seeds of all these trees--"

"Ay that did he--that did he--" muttered Deerslayer; "and a goodly
harvest has followed."

"God planted the seeds of all these trees," continued Hetty, after a
moment's pause, "and you see to what a height and shade they have grown!
So it is with the Bible. You may read a verse this year, and forget
it, and it will come back to you a year hence, when you least expect to
remember it."

"And did you find any thing of this among the savages, poor Hetty?"

"Yes, Judith, and sooner and more fully than I had even hoped. I did not
stay long with father and Hurry, but went to get my breakfast with Hist.
As soon as we had done the chiefs came to us, and then we found the
fruits of the seed that had been planted. They said what I had read
from the good book was right--it must be right--it sounded right; like a
sweet bird singing in their ears; and they told me to come back and say
as much to the great warrior who had slain one of their braves; and to
tell it to you, and to say how happy they should be to come to church
here, in the castle, or to come out in the sun, and hear me read more
of the sacred volume--and to tell you that they wish you would lend them
some canoes that they can bring father and Hurry and their women to the
castle, that we might all sit on the platform there and listen to the
singing of the Pale-face Manitou. There, Judith; did you ever know of
any thing that so plainly shows the power of the Bible, as that!"

"If it were true 't would be a miracle, indeed, Hetty. But all this is
no more than Indian cunning and Indian treachery, striving to get the
better of us by management, when they find it is not to be done by
force."

"Do you doubt the Bible, sister, that you judge the savages so harshly!"

"I do not doubt the Bible, poor Hetty, but I much doubt an Indian and an
Iroquois. What do you say to this visit, Deerslayer?"

"First let me talk a little with Hetty," returned the party appealed to;
"Was the raft made a'ter you had got your breakfast, gal, and did you
walk from the camp to the shore opposite to us, here?"

"Oh! no, Deerslayer. The raft was ready made and in the water--could that
have been by a miracle, Judith?"

"Yes--yes--an Indian miracle," rejoined the hunter--"They're expart
enough in them sort of miracles. And you found the raft ready made to
your hands, and in the water, and in waiting like for its cargo?"

"It was all as you say. The raft was near the camp, and the Indians
put me on it, and had ropes of bark, and they dragged me to the place
opposite to the castle, and then they told that young man to row me off,
here."

"And the woods are full of the vagabonds, waiting to know what is to be
the upshot of the miracle. We comprehend this affair, now, Judith, but
I'll first get rid of this young Canada blood sucker, and then we'll
settle our own course. Do you and Hetty leave us together, first
bringing me the elephants, which the Sarpent is admiring, for 'twill
never do to let this loping deer be alone a minute, or he'll borrow a
canoe without asking."

Judith did as desired, first bringing the pieces, and retiring with her
sister into their own room. Deerslayer had acquired some knowledge of
most of the Indian dialects of that region, and he knew enough of the
Iroquois to hold a dialogue in the language. Beckoning to the lad,
therefore, he caused him to take a seat on the chest, when he placed
two of the castles suddenly before him. Up to that moment, this youthful
savage had not expressed a single intelligible emotion, or fancy. There
were many things, in and about the place, that were novelties to him,
but he had maintained his self-command with philosophical composure. It
is true, Deerslayer had detected his dark eye scanning the defences and
the arms, but the scrutiny had been made with such an air of innocence,
in such a gaping, indolent, boyish manner, that no one but a man who had
himself been taught in a similar school, would have even suspected
his object. The instant, however, the eyes of the savage fell upon the
wrought ivory, and the images of the wonderful, unknown beasts, surprise
and admiration got the mastery of him. The manner in which the natives
of the South Sea Islands first beheld the toys of civilized life has
been often described, but the reader is not to confound it with the
manner of an American Indian, under similar circumstances. In this
particular case, the young Iroquois or Huron permitted an exclamation of
rapture to escape him, and then he checked himself like one who had
been guilty of an indecorum. After this, his eyes ceased to wander, but
became riveted on the elephants, one of which, after a short hesitation,
he even presumed to handle. Deerslayer did not interrupt him for
quite ten minutes, knowing that the lad was taking such note of the
curiosities, as would enable him to give the most minute and accurate
description of their appearance to his seniors, on his return. When he
thought sufficient time had been allowed to produce the desired effect,
the hunter laid a finger on the naked knee of the youth and drew his
attention to himself.

"Listen," he said; "I want to talk with my young friend from the
Canadas. Let him forget that wonder for a minute."

"Where t'other pale brother?" demanded the boy, looking up and letting
the idea that had been most prominent in his mind, previously to the
introduction of the chess men, escape him involuntarily.

"He sleeps, or if he isn't fairly asleep, he is in the room where the
men do sleep," returned Deerslayer. "How did my young friend know there
was another?"

"See him from the shore. Iroquois have got long eyes--see beyond the
clouds--see the bottom of the Great Spring!"

"Well, the Iroquois are welcome. Two pale-faces are prisoners in the
camp of your fathers, boy."

The lad nodded, treating the circumstance with great apparent
indifference; though a moment after he laughed as if exulting in the
superior address of his own tribe.

"Can you tell me, boy, what your chiefs intend to do with these
captyves, or haven't they yet made up their minds?"

The lad looked a moment at the hunter with a little surprise. Then he
coolly put the end of his fore finger on his own head, just above the
left ear, and passed it round his crown with an accuracy and readiness
that showed how well he had been drilled in the peculiar art of his
race.

"When?" demanded Deerslayer, whose gorge rose at this cool demonstration
of indifference to human life. "And why not take them to your wigwams?"

"Road too long, and full of pale-faces. Wigwam full, and scalps sell
high. Small scalp, much gold."

"Well that explains it--yes, that does explain it. There's no need of
being any plainer. Now you know, lad, that the oldest of your prisoners
is the father of these two young women, and the other is the suitor of
one of them. The gals nat'rally wish to save the scalps of such fri'nds,
and they will give them two ivory creaturs, as ransom. One for each
scalp. Go back and tell this to your chiefs, and bring me the answer
before the sun sets."

The boy entered zealously into this project, and with a sincerity that
left no doubt of his executing his commission with intelligence and
promptitude. For a moment he forgot his love of honor, and all his
clannish hostility to the British and their Indians, in his wish to
have such a treasure in his tribe, and Deerslayer was satisfied with the
impression he had made. It is true the lad proposed to carry one of the
elephants with him, as a specimen of the other, but to this his brother
negotiator was too sagacious to consent; well knowing that it might
never reach its destination if confided to such hands. This little
difficulty was soon arranged, and the boy prepared to depart. As he
stood on the platform, ready to step aboard of the raft, he hesitated,
and turned short with a proposal to borrow a canoe, as the means most
likely to shorten the negotiations. Deerslayer quietly refused the
request, and, after lingering a little longer, the boy rowed slowly away
from the castle, taking the direction of a thicket on the shore that lay
less than half a mile distant. Deerslayer seated himself on a stool and
watched the progress of the ambassador, sometimes closely scanning the
whole line of shore, as far as eye could reach, and then placing an
elbow on a knee, he remained a long time with his chin resting on the
hand.

During the interview between Deerslayer and the lad, a different scene
took place in the adjoining room. Hetty had inquired for the Delaware,
and being told why and where he remained concealed, she joined him. The
reception which Chingachgook gave his visitor was respectful and gentle.
He understood her character, and, no doubt, his disposition to be kind
to such a being was increased by the hope of learning some tidings of
his betrothed. As soon as the girl entered she took a seat, and invited
the Indian to place himself near her; then she continued silent, as if
she thought it decorous for him to question her, before she consented to
speak on the subject she had on her mind. But, as Chingachgook did not
understand this feeling, he remained respectfully attentive to any thing
she might be pleased to tell him.

"You are Chingachgook, the Great Serpent of the Delawares, ar'n't
you?" the girl at length commenced, in her own simple way losing her
self-command in the desire to proceed, but anxious first to make sure
of the individual. "Chingachgook," returned the Delaware with grave
dignity. "That say Great Sarpent, in Deerslayer tongue."

"Well, that is my tongue. Deerslayer, and father, and Judith, and I,
and poor Hurry Harry--do you know Henry March, Great Serpent? I know you
don't, however, or he would have spoken of you, too."

"Did any tongue name Chingachgook, Drooping-Lily"? for so the chief had
named poor Hetty. "Was his name sung by a little bird among Iroquois?"

Hetty did not answer at first, but, with that indescribable feeling that
awakens sympathy and intelligence among the youthful and unpracticed
of her sex, she hung her head, and the blood suffused her cheek ere she
found her tongue. It would have exceeded her stock of intelligence to
explain this embarrassment, but, though poor Hetty could not reason, on
every emergency, she could always feel. The colour slowly receded from
her cheeks, and the girl looked up archly at the Indian, smiling with
the innocence of a child, mingled with the interest of a woman.

"My sister, the Drooping Lily, hear such bird!" Chingachgook added, and
this with a gentleness of tone and manner that would have astonished
those who sometimes heard the discordant cries that often came from the
same throat; these transitions from the harsh and guttural, to the soft
and melodious not being infrequent in ordinary Indian dialogues. "My
sister's ears were open--has she lost her tongue?"

"You are Chingachgook--you must be; for there is no other red man here,
and she thought Chingachgook would come."

"Chin-gach-gook," pronouncing the name slowly, and dwelling on each
syllable--"Great Sarpent, Yengeese tongue."

[It is singular there should be any question concerning the origin of
the well-known sobriquet of "Yankees." Nearly all the old writers who
speak of the Indians first known to the colonists make them
pronounce the word "English" as "Yengeese." Even at this day, it is a
provincialism of New England to say "Anglish" instead of "Inglish," and
there is a close conformity of sound between "Anglish" and "yengeese,"
more especially if the latter word, as was probably the case, be
pronounced short. The transition from "Yengeese," thus pronounced, to
"Yankees" is quite easy. If the former is pronounced "Yangis," it is
almost identical with "Yankees," and Indian words have seldom been spelt
as they are pronounced. Thus the scene of this tale is spelt "Otsego,"
and is properly pronounced "Otsago." The liquids of the Indians would
easily convert "En" into "Yen."]

"Chin-gach-gook," repeated Hetty, in the same deliberate manner. "Yes,
so Hist called it, and you must be the chief."

"Wah-ta-Wah," added the Delaware.

"Wah-ta-Wah, or Hist-oh-Hist. I think Hist prettier than Wah, and so I
call her Hist."

"Wah very sweet in Delaware ears!"

"You make it sound differently from me. But, never mind, I did hear the
bird you speak of sing, Great Serpent."

"Will my sister say words of song? What she sing most--how she
look--often she laugh?"

"She sang Chin-gach-gook oftener than any thing else; and she laughed
heartily, when I told how the Iroquois waded into the water after us,
and couldn't catch us. I hope these logs haven't ears, Serpent!"

"No fear logs; fear sister next room. No fear Iroquois; Deerslayer stuff
his eyes and ears with strange beast."

"I understand you, Serpent, and I understood Hist. Sometimes I think I'm
not half as feeble minded as they say I am. Now, do you look up at the
roof, and I'll tell you all. But you frighten me, you look so eager when
I speak of Hist."

The Indian controlled his looks, and affected to comply with the simple
request of the girl.

"Hist told me to say, in a very low voice, that you mustn't trust the
Iroquois in anything. They are more artful than any Indians she knows.
Then she says that there is a large bright star that comes over the
hill, about an hour after dark"--Hist had pointed out the planet
Jupiter, without knowing it--"and just as that star comes in sight, she
will be on the point, where I landed last night, and that you must come
for her, in a canoe."

"Good--Chingachgook understand well enough, now; but he understand
better if my sister sing him ag'in."

Hetty repeated her words, more fully explaining what star was meant, and
mentioning the part of the point where he was to venture ashore. She now
proceeded in her own unsophisticated way to relate her intercourse with
the Indian maid, and to repeat several of her expressions and opinions
that gave great delight to the heart of her betrothed. She particularly
renewed her injunctions to be on their guard against treachery, a
warning that was scarcely needed, however, as addressed to men as
wary as those to whom it was sent. She also explained with sufficient
clearness, for on all such subjects the mind of the girl seldom failed
her, the present state of the enemy, and the movements they had made
since morning. Hist had been on the raft with her until it quitted the
shore, and was now somewhere in the woods, opposite to the castle, and
did not intend to return to the camp until night approached; when she
hoped to be able to slip away from her companions, as they followed
the shore on their way home, and conceal herself on the point. No
one appeared to suspect the presence of Chingachgook, though it was
necessarily known that an Indian had entered the Ark the previous night,
and it was suspected that he had since appeared in and about the castle
in the dress of a pale-face. Still some little doubt existed on the
latter point, for, as this was the season when white men might be
expected to arrive, there was some fear that the garrison of the castle
was increasing by these ordinary means. All this had Hist communicated
to Hetty while the Indians were dragging them along shore, the distance,
which exceeded six miles, affording abundance of time.

"Hist don't know, herself, whether they suspect her or not, or whether
they suspect you, but she hopes neither is the case. And now, Serpent,
since I have told you so much from your betrothed," continued Hetty,
unconsciously taking one of the Indian's hands, and playing with the
fingers, as a child is often seen to play with those of a parent, "you
must let me tell you something from myself. When you marry Hist, you
must be kind to her, and smile on her, as you do now on me, and not look
cross as some of the chiefs do at their squaws. Will you promise this?"

"Alway good to Wah!--too tender to twist hard; else she break."

"Yes, and smile, too; you don't know how much a girl craves smiles
from them she loves. Father scarce smiled on me once, while I was with
him--and, Hurry--Yes--Hurry talked loud and laughed, but I don't think
he smiled once either. You know the difference between a smile and a
laugh?"

"Laugh, best. Hear Wah laugh, think bird sing!"

"I know that; her laugh is pleasant, but you must smile. And then,
Serpent, you mustn't make her carry burthens and hoe corn, as so many
Indians do; but treat her more as the pale-faces treat their wives."

"Wah-ta-Wah no pale-face--got red-skin; red heart, red feelin's. All
red; no pale-face. Must carry papoose."

"Every woman is willing to carry her child," said Hetty smiling, "and
there is no harm in that. But you must love Hist, and be gentle, and
good to her; for she is gentle and good herself."

Chingachgook gravely bowed, and then he seemed to think this part of the
subject might be dismissed. Before there was time for Hetty to resume
her communications, the voice of Deerslayer was heard calling on his
friend, in the outer room. At this summons the Serpent arose to obey,
and Hetty joined her sister.




    "'A stranger animal,' cries one,
    'Sure never liv'd beneath the sun;
    A lizard's body lean and long,
    A fish's head, a serpent's tongue,
    Its foot, with triple claw disjoined;
    And what a length of tail behind!'"

    James Merrick, "The Chameleon," 11.21-26.

The first act of the Delaware, on rejoining his friend, was to proceed
gravely to disencumber himself of his civilized attire, and to stand
forth an Indian warrior again. The protest of Deerslayer was met by his
communicating the fact that the presence of an Indian in the hut was
known to the Iroquois, and that maintaining the disguise would be more
likely to direct suspicions to his real object, than if he came out
openly as a member of a hostile tribe. When the latter understood the
truth, and was told that he had been deceived in supposing the chief had
succeeded in entering the Ark undiscovered, he cheerfully consented to
the change, since further attempt at concealment was useless. A gentler
feeling than the one avowed, however, lay at the bottom of the Indian's
desire to appear as a son of the forest. He had been told that Hist was
on the opposite shore, and nature so far triumphed over all distinctions
of habit, and tribes and people, as to reduce this young savage warrior
to the level of a feeling which would have been found in the most
refined inhabitant of a town, under similar circumstances. There was a
mild satisfaction in believing that she he loved could see him, and as
he walked out on the platform in his scanty, native attire, an Apollo
of the wilderness, a hundred of the tender fancies that fleet through
lovers' brains beset his imagination and softened his heart. All this
was lost on Deerslayer, who was no great adept in the mysteries of
Cupid, but whose mind was far more occupied with the concerns that
forced themselves on his attention, than with any of the truant fancies
of love. He soon recalled his companion, therefore, to a sense of their
actual condition, by summoning him to a sort of council of war, in which
they were to settle their future course. In the dialogue that followed,
the parties mutually made each other acquainted with what had passed
in their several interviews. Chingachgook was told the history of the
treaty about the ransom, and Deerslayer heard the whole of Hetty's
communications. The latter listened with generous interest to his
friend's hopes, and promised cheerfully all the assistance he could
lend.

"'Tis our main ar'n'd, Sarpent, as you know, this battling for the
castle and old Hutter's darters, coming in as a sort of accident.
Yes--yes--I'll be actyve in helping little Hist, who's not only one
of the best and handsomest maidens of the tribe, but the very best and
handsomest. I've always encouraged you, chief, in that liking, and it's
proper, too, that a great and ancient race like your'n shouldn't come to
an end. If a woman of red skin and red gifts could get to be near enough
to me to wish her for a wife, I'd s'arch for just such another, but that
can never be; no, that can never be. I'm glad Hetty has met with
Hist, howsever, for though the first is a little short of wit and
understanding, the last has enough for both. Yes, Sarpent," laughing
heartily--"put 'em together, and two smarter gals isn't to be found in
all York Colony!"

"I will go to the Iroquois camp," returned the Delaware, gravely. "No
one knows Chingachgook but Wah, and a treaty for lives and scalps
should be made by a chief. Give me the strange beasts, and let me take a
canoe."

Deerslayer dropped his head and played with the end of a fish-pole in
the water, as he sat dangling his legs over the edge of the platform,
like a man who was lost in thought by the sudden occurrence of a novel
idea. Instead of directly answering the proposal of his friend, he began
to soliloquize, a circumstance however that in no manner rendered
his words more true, as he was remarkable for saying what he thought,
whether the remarks were addressed to himself, or to any one else.

"Yes--yes--" he said--"this must be what they call love! I've heard
say that it sometimes upsets reason altogether, leaving a young man as
helpless, as to calculation and caution, as a brute beast. To think that
the Sarpent should be so lost to reason, and cunning, and wisdom! We
must sartainly manage to get Hist off, and have 'em married as soon
as we get back to the tribe, or this war will be of no more use to the
chief, than a hunt a little oncommon extr'ornary. Yes--Yes--he'll never
be the man he was, till this matter is off his mind, and he comes to his
senses like all the rest of mankind. Sarpent, you can't be in airnest,
and therefore I shall say but little to your offer. But you're a chief,
and will soon be sent out on the war path at head of the parties, and
I'll just ask if you'd think of putting your forces into the inimy's
hands, afore the battle is fou't?"

"Wah!" ejaculated the Indian.

"Ay--Wah--I know well enough it's Wah, and altogether Wah--Ra'ally,
Sarpent, I'm consarned and mortified about you! I never heard so weak an
idee come from a chief, and he, too, one that's already got a name for
being wise, young and inexper'enced as he is. Canoe you sha'n't have, so
long as the v'ice of fri'ndship and warning can count for any thing."

"My pale-face friend is right. A cloud came over the face of
Chingachgook, and weakness got into his mind, while his eyes were dim.
My brother has a good memory for good deeds, and a weak memory for bad.
He will forget."

"Yes, that's easy enough. Say no more about it chief, but if another
of them clouds blow near you, do your endivours to get out of its way.
Clouds are bad enough in the weather, but when they come to the reason,
it gets to be serious. Now, sit down by me here, and let us calculate
our movements a little, for we shall soon either have a truce and
a peace, or we shall come to an actyve and bloody war. You see the
vagabonds can make logs sarve their turn, as well as the best raftsmen
on the rivers, and it would be no great expl'ite for them to invade us
in a body. I've been thinking of the wisdom of putting all old Tom's
stores into the Ark, of barring and locking up the Castle, and of taking
to the Ark, altogether. That is moveable, and by keeping the sail up,
and shifting places, we might worry through a great many nights, without
them Canada wolves finding a way into our sheep fold!"

Chingachgook listened to this plan with approbation. Did the negotiation
fail, there was now little hope that the night would pass without
an assault, and the enemy had sagacity enough to understand that
in carrying the castle they would probably become masters of all it
contained, the offered ransom included, and still retain the advantages
they had hitherto gained. Some precaution of the sort appeared to be
absolutely necessary, for now the numbers of the Iroquois were known, a
night attack could scarcely be successfully met. It would be impossible
to prevent the enemy from getting possession of the canoes and the Ark,
and the latter itself would be a hold in which the assailants would be
as effectually protected against bullets as were those in the building.
For a few minutes, both the men thought of sinking the Ark in the
shallow water, of bringing the canoes into the house, and of depending
altogether on the castle for protection. But reflection satisfied them
that, in the end, this expedient would fail. It was so easy to collect
logs on the shore, and to construct a raft of almost any size, that it
was certain the Iroquois, now they had turned their attention to
such means, would resort to them seriously, so long as there was the
certainty of success by perseverance. After deliberating maturely,
and placing all the considerations fairly before them, the two young
beginners in the art of forest warfare settled down into the opinion
that the Ark offered the only available means of security. This decision
was no sooner come to, than it was communicated to Judith. The girl
had no serious objection to make, and all four set about the measures
necessary to carrying the plan into execution.

The reader will readily understand that Floating Tom's worldly goods
were of no great amount. A couple of beds, some wearing apparel, the
arms and ammunition, a few cooking utensils, with the mysterious and
but half examined chest formed the principal items. These were all soon
removed, the Ark having been hauled on the eastern side of the building,
so that the transfer could be made without being seen from the shore. It
was thought unnecessary to disturb the heavier and coarser articles of
furniture, as they were not required in the Ark, and were of but little
value in themselves. As great caution was necessary in removing the
different objects, most of which were passed out of a window with a view
to conceal what was going on, it required two or three hours before all
could be effected. By the expiration of that time, the raft made its
appearance, moving from the shore. Deerslayer immediately had recourse
to the glass, by the aid of which he perceived that two warriors were
on it, though they appeared to be unarmed. The progress of the raft was
slow, a circumstance that formed one of the great advantages that would
be possessed by the scow, in any future collision between them, the
movements of the latter being comparatively swift and light. As there
was time to make the dispositions for the reception of the two dangerous
visitors, everything was prepared for them, long before they had got
near enough to be hailed. The Serpent and the girls retired into the
building, where the former stood near the door, well provided with
rifles, while Judith watched the proceedings without through a loop. As
for Deerslayer, he had brought a stool to the edge of the platform, at
the point towards which the raft was advancing, and taken his seat with
his rifle leaning carelessly between his legs.

As the raft drew nearer, every means possessed by the party in the
castle was resorted to, in order to ascertain if their visitors had any
firearms. Neither Deerslayer nor Chingachgook could discover any, but
Judith, unwilling to trust to simple eyesight, thrust the glass through
the loop, and directed it towards the hemlock boughs that lay between
the two logs of the raft, forming a sort of flooring, as well as a seat
for the use of the rowers. When the heavy moving craft was within fifty
feet of him, Deerslayer hailed the Hurons, directing them to cease
rowing, it not being his intention to permit them to land. Compliance,
of course, was necessary, and the two grim-looking warriors instantly
quitted their seats, though the raft continued slowly to approach, until
it had driven in much nearer to the platform.

"Are ye chiefs?" demanded Deerslayer with dignity--"Are ye chiefs?--Or
have the Mingos sent me warriors without names, on such an ar'n'd? If
so, the sooner ye go back, the sooner them will be likely to come that a
warrior can talk with."

"Hugh!" exclaimed the elder of the two on the raft, rolling his glowing
eyes over the different objects that were visible in and about the
Castle, with a keenness that showed how little escaped him. "My brother
is very proud, but Rivenoak (we use the literal translation of the term,
writing as we do in English) is a name to make a Delaware turn pale."

"That's true, or it's a lie, Rivenoak, as it may be; but I am not likely
to turn pale, seeing that I was born pale. What's your ar'n'd, and why
do you come among light bark canoes, on logs that are not even dug out?"

"The Iroquois are not ducks, to walk on water! Let the pale-faces give
them a canoe, and they'll come in a canoe."

"That's more rational, than likely to come to pass. We have but four
canoes, and being four persons that's only one for each of us. We thank
you for the offer, howsever, though we ask leave not to accept it. You
are welcome, Iroquois, on your logs."

"Thanks--My young pale-face warrior--he has got a name--how do the
chiefs call him?"

Deerslayer hesitated a moment, and a gleam of pride and human weakness
came over him. He smiled, muttered between his teeth, and then looking
up proudly, he said--"Mingo, like all who are young and actyve, I've
been known by different names, at different times. One of your warriors
whose spirit started for the Happy Grounds of your people, as lately
as yesterday morning, thought I desarved to be known by the name of
Hawkeye, and this because my sight happened to be quicker than his own,
when it got to be life or death atween us."

Chingachgook, who was attentively listening to all that passed, heard
and understood this proof of passing weakness in his friend, and on
a future occasion he questioned him more closely concerning the
transaction on the point, where Deerslayer had first taken human life.
When he had got the whole truth, he did not fail to communicate it to
the tribe, from which time the young hunter was universally known among
the Delawares by an appellation so honorably earned. As this, however,
was a period posterior to all the incidents of this tale, we shall
continue to call the young hunter by the name under which he has been
first introduced to the reader. Nor was the Iroquois less struck with
the vaunt of the white man. He knew of the death of his comrade, and had
no difficulty in understanding the allusion, the intercourse between the
conqueror and his victim on that occasion having been seen by several
savages on the shore of the lake, who had been stationed at different
points just within the margin of bushes to watch the drifting canoes,
and who had not time to reach the scene of action, ere the victor had
retired. The effect on this rude being of the forest was an exclamation
of surprise; then such a smile of courtesy, and wave of the hand,
succeeded, as would have done credit to Asiatic diplomacy. The two
Iroquois spoke to each other in low tones, and both drew near the end of
the raft that was closest to the platform.

"My brother, Hawkeye, has sent a message to the Hurons," resumed
Rivenoak, "and it has made their hearts very glad. They hear he has
images of beasts with two tails! Will he show them to his friends?"

"Inimies would be truer," returned Deerslayer, "but sound isn't sense,
and does little harm. Here is one of the images; I toss it to you under
faith of treaties. If it's not returned, the rifle will settle the p'int
atween us."

The Iroquois seemed to acquiesce in the conditions, and Deerslayer arose
and prepared to toss one of the elephants to the raft, both parties
using all the precaution that was necessary to prevent its loss. As
practice renders men expert in such things, the little piece of ivory
was soon successfully transferred from one hand to the other, and then
followed another scene on the raft, in which astonishment and delight
got the mastery of Indian stoicism. These two grim old warriors
manifested even more feeling, as they examined the curiously wrought
chessman, than had been betrayed by the boy; for, in the case of the
latter, recent schooling had interposed its influence; while the men,
like all who are sustained by well established characters, were not
ashamed to let some of their emotions be discovered. For a few minutes
they apparently lost the consciousness of their situation, in the
intense scrutiny they bestowed on a material so fine, work so highly
wrought, and an animal so extraordinary. The lip of the moose is,
perhaps, the nearest approach to the trunk of the elephant that is to
be found in the American forest, but this resemblance was far from being
sufficiently striking to bring the new creature within the range of
their habits and ideas, and the more they studied the image, the greater
was their astonishment. Nor did these children of the forest mistake
the structure on the back of the elephant for a part of the animal. They
were familiar with horses and oxen, and had seen towers in the Canadas,
and found nothing surprising in creatures of burthen. Still, by a very
natural association, they supposed the carving meant to represent that
the animal they saw was of a strength sufficient to carry a fort on its
back; a circumstance that in no degree lessened their wonder.

"Has my pale-face brother any more such beasts?" at last the senior of
the Iroquois asked, in a sort of petitioning manner.

"There's more where them came from, Mingo," was the answer; "one is
enough, howsever, to buy off fifty scalps."

"One of my prisoners is a great warrior--tall as a pine--strong as the
moose--active as a deer--fierce as the panther! Some day he'll be a
great chief, and lead the army of King George!"

"Tut-tut Mingo; Hurry Harry is Hurry Harry, and you'll never make
more than a corporal of him, if you do that. He's tall enough, of a
sartainty; but that's of no use, as he only hits his head ag'in the
branches as he goes through the forest. He's strong too, but a strong
body isn't a strong head, and the king's generals are not chosen for
their sinews; he's swift, if you will, but a rifle bullet is swifter;
and as for f'erceness, it's no great ricommend to a soldier; they that
think they feel the stoutest often givin' out at the pinch. No, no,
you'll niver make Hurry's scalp pass for more than a good head of curly
hair, and a rattle pate beneath it!"

"My old prisoner very wise--king of the lake--great warrior, wise
counsellor!"

"Well, there's them that might gainsay all this, too, Mingo. A very wise
man wouldn't be apt to be taken in so foolish a manner as befell Master
Hutter, and if he gives good counsel, he must have listened to very bad
in that affair. There's only one king of this lake, and he's a long way
off, and isn't likely ever to see it. Floating Tom is some such king of
this region, as the wolf that prowls through the woods is king of the
forest. A beast with two tails is well worth two such scalps!"

"But my brother has another beast?--He will give two"--holding up as
many fingers, "for old father?"

"Floating Tom is no father of mine, but he'll fare none the worse for
that. As for giving two beasts for his scalp, and each beast with two
tails, it is quite beyond reason. Think yourself well off, Mingo, if you
make a much worse trade."

By this time the self-command of Rivenoak had got the better of his
wonder, and he began to fall back on his usual habits of cunning, in
order to drive the best bargain he could. It would be useless to relate
more than the substance of the desultory dialogue that followed, in
which the Indian manifested no little management, in endeavoring
to recover the ground lost under the influence of surprise. He even
affected to doubt whether any original for the image of the beast
existed, and asserted that the oldest Indian had never heard a tradition
of any such animal. Little did either of them imagine at the time that
long ere a century elapsed, the progress of civilization would bring
even much more extraordinary and rare animals into that region, as
curiosities to be gazed at by the curious, and that the particular
beast, about which the disputants contended, would be seen laving its
sides and swimming in the very sheet of water, on which they had met.

[The Otsego is a favorite place for the caravan keepers to let
their elephants bathe. The writer has seen two at a time, since the
publication of this book, swimming about in company.]

As is not uncommon on such occasions, one of the parties got a little
warm in the course of the discussion, for Deerslayer met all the
arguments and prevarication of his subtle opponent with his own cool
directness of manner, and unmoved love of truth. What an elephant was he
knew little better than the savage, but he perfectly understood that
the carved pieces of ivory must have some such value in the eyes of an
Iroquois as a bag of gold or a package of beaver skins would in those of
a trader. Under the circumstances, therefore, he felt it to be
prudent not to concede too much at first, since there existed a
nearly unconquerable obstacle to making the transfers, even after the
contracting parties had actually agreed upon the terms. Keeping this
difficulty in view, he held the extra chessmen in reserve, as a means of
smoothing any difficulty in the moment of need.

At length the savage pretended that further negotiation was useless,
since he could not be so unjust to his tribe as to part with the
honor and emoluments of two excellent, full grown male scalps for
a consideration so trifling as a toy like that he had seen, and he
prepared to take his departure. Both parties now felt as men are wont to
feel, when a bargain that each is anxious to conclude is on the eve of
being broken off, in consequence of too much pertinacity in the way
of management. The effect of the disappointment was very different,
however, on the respective individuals. Deerslayer was mortified, and
filled with regret, for he not only felt for the prisoners, but he also
felt deeply for the two girls. The conclusion of the treaty, therefore,
left him melancholy and full of regret. With the savage, his defeat
produced the desire of revenge. In a moment of excitement, he had loudly
announced his intention to say no more, and he felt equally enraged with
himself and with his cool opponent, that he had permitted a pale face to
manifest more indifference and self-command than an Indian chief. When
he began to urge his raft away from the platform his countenance lowered
and his eye glowed, even while he affected a smile of amity and a
gesture of courtesy at parting.

It took some little time to overcome the inertia of the logs, and while
this was being done by the silent Indian, Rivenoak stalked over the
hemlock boughs that lay between the logs in sullen ferocity, eyeing
keenly the while the hut, the platform and the person of his late
disputant. Once he spoke in low, quick tones to his companion, and he
stirred the boughs with his feet like an animal that is restive. At that
moment the watchfulness of Deerslayer had a little abated, for he sat
musing on the means of renewing the negotiation without giving too much
advantage to the other side. It was perhaps fortunate for him that the
keen and bright eyes of Judith were as vigilant as ever. At the instant
when the young man was least on his guard, and his enemy was the most
on the alert, she called out in a warning voice to the former, most
opportunely giving the alarm.

"Be on your guard, Deerslayer," the girl cried--"I see rifles with the
glass, beneath the hemlock brush, and the Iroquois is loosening them
with his feet!"

It would seem that the enemy had carried their artifices so far as to
employ an agent who understood English. The previous dialogue had taken
place in his own language, but it was evident by the sudden manner in
which his feet ceased their treacherous occupation, and in which the
countenance of Rivenoak changed from sullen ferocity to a smile of
courtesy, that the call of the girl was understood. Signing to his
companion to cease his efforts to set the logs in motion, he advanced to
the end of the raft which was nearest to the platform, and spoke.

"Why should Rivenoak and his brother leave any cloud between them," he
said. "They are both wise, both brave, and both generous; they ought to
part friends. One beast shall be the price of one prisoner."

"And, Mingo," answered the other, delighted to renew the negotiations on
almost any terms, and determined to clinch the bargain if possible by a
little extra liberality, "you'll see that a pale-face knows how to pay
a full price, when he trades with an open heart, and an open hand. Keep
the beast that you had forgotten to give back to me, as you was about to
start, and which I forgot to ask for, on account of consarn at parting
in anger. Show it to your chiefs. When you bring us our fri'nds, two
more shall be added to it, and," hesitating a moment in distrust of the
expediency of so great a concession; then, deciding in its favor--"and,
if we see them afore the sun sets, we may find a fourth to make up an
even number."

This settled the matter. Every gleam of discontent vanished from the
dark countenance of the Iroquois, and he smiled as graciously, if not as
sweetly, as Judith Hutter, herself. The piece already in his possession
was again examined, and an ejaculation of pleasure showed how much he
was pleased with this unexpected termination of the affair. In point of
fact, both he and Deerslayer had momentarily forgotten what had become
of the subject of their discussion, in the warmth of their feelings, but
such had not been the case with Rivenoak's companion. This man retained
the piece, and had fully made up his mind, were it claimed under such
circumstances as to render its return necessary, to drop it in the lake,
trusting to his being able to find it again at some future day. This
desperate expedient, however, was no longer necessary, and after
repeating the terms of agreement, and professing to understand them,
the two Indians finally took their departure, moving slowly towards the
shore.

"Can any faith be put in such wretches?" asked Judith, when she and
Hetty had come out on the platform, and were standing at the side of
Deerslayer, watching the dull movement of the logs. "Will they not
rather keep the toy they have, and send us off some bloody proofs of
their getting the better of us in cunning, by way of boasting? I've
heard of acts as bad as this."

"No doubt, Judith; no manner of doubt, if it wasn't for Indian natur'.
But I'm no judge of a red-skin, if that two tail'd beast doesn't set
the whole tribe in some such stir as a stick raises in a beehive! Now,
there's the Sarpent; a man with narves like flint, and no more cur'osity
in every day consarns than is befitting prudence; why he was so overcome
with the sight of the creatur', carved as it is in bone, that I felt
ashamed for him! That's just their gifts, howsever, and one can't well
quarrel with a man for his gifts, when they are lawful. Chingachgook
will soon get over his weakness and remember that he's a chief, and
that he comes of a great stock, and has a renowned name to support and
uphold; but as for yonder scamps, there'll be no peace among 'em until
they think they've got possession of every thing of the natur' of that
bit of carved bone that's to be found among Thomas Hutter's stores!"

"They only know of the elephants, and can have no hopes about the other
things."

"That's true, Judith; still, covetousness is a craving feelin'! They'll
say, if the pale-faces have these cur'ous beasts with two tails, who
knows but they've got some with three, or for that matter with four!
That's what the schoolmasters call nat'ral arithmetic, and 'twill be
sartain to beset the feelin's of savages. They'll never be easy, till
the truth is known."

"Do you think, Deerslayer," inquired Hetty, in her simple and innocent
manner, "that the Iroquois won't let father and Hurry go? I read to them
several of the very best verses in the whole Bible, and you see what
they have done, already."

The hunter, as he always did, listened kindly and even affectionately to
Hetty's remarks; then he mused a moment in silence. There was something
like a flush on his cheek as he answered, after quite a minute had
passed.

"I don't know whether a white man ought to be ashamed, or not, to own he
can't read, but such is my case, Judith. You are skilful, I find, in all
such matters, while I have only studied the hand of God as it is seen in
the hills and the valleys, the mountain-tops, the streams, the forests
and the springs. Much l'arning may be got in this way, as well as out
of books; and, yet, I sometimes think it is a white man's gift to read!
When I hear from the mouths of the Moravians the words of which Hetty
speaks, they raise a longing in my mind, and I then think I will know
how to read 'em myself; but the game in summer, and the traditions, and
lessons in war, and other matters, have always kept me behind hand."

"Shall I teach you, Deerslayer?" asked Hetty, earnestly. "I'm
weak-minded, they say, but I can read as well as Judith. It might save
your life to know how to read the Bible to the savages, and it will
certainly save your soul; for mother told me that, again and again!"

"Thankee, Hetty--yes, thankee, with all my heart. These are like to be
too stirring times for much idleness, but after it's peace, and I come
to see you ag'in on this lake, then I'll give myself up to it, as if
'twas pleasure and profit in a single business. Perhaps I ought to
be ashamed, Judith, that 'tis so; but truth is truth. As for these
Iroquois, 'tisn't very likely they'll forget a beast with two tails, on
account of a varse or two from the Bible. I rather expect they'll give
up the prisoners, and trust to some sarcumvenion or other to get 'em
back ag'in, with us and all in the castle and the Ark in the bargain.
Howsever, we must humour the vagabonds, first to get your father and
Hurry out of their hands, and next to keep the peace atween us, until
such time as the Sarpent there can make out to get off his betrothed
wife. If there's any sudden outbreakin' of anger and ferocity, the
Indians will send off all their women and children to the camp at once,
whereas, by keeping 'em calm and trustful we may manage to meet Hist at
the spot she has mentioned. Rather than have the bargain fall through,
now, I'd throw in half a dozen of them effigy bow-and-arrow men, such as
we've in plenty in the chist."

Judith cheerfully assented, for she would have resigned even the
flowered brocade, rather than not redeem her father and please
Deerslayer. The prospects of success were now so encouraging as to
raise the spirits of all in the castle, though a due watchfulness of
the movements of the enemy was maintained. Hour passed after hour,
notwithstanding, and the sun had once more begun to fall towards the
summits of the western hills, and yet no signs were seen of the return
of the raft. By dint of sweeping the shore with the glass, Deerslayer
at length discovered a place in the dense and dark woods where, he
entertained no doubt, the Iroquois were assembled in considerable
numbers. It was near the thicket whence the raft had issued, and a
little rill that trickled into the lake announced the vicinity of
a spring. Here, then, the savages were probably holding their
consultation, and the decision was to be made that went to settle the
question of life or death for the prisoners. There was one ground for
hope in spite of the delay, however, that Deerslayer did not fail to
place before his anxious companions. It was far more probable that
the Indians had left their prisoners in the camp, than that they had
encumbered themselves by causing them to follow through the woods a
party that was out on a merely temporary excursion. If such was the
fact, it required considerable time to send a messenger the necessary
distance, and to bring the two white men to the spot where they were
to embark. Encouraged by these reflections, a new stock of patience was
gathered, and the declension of the sun was viewed with less alarm.

The result justified Deerslayer's conjecture. Not long before the
sun had finally disappeared, the two logs were seen coming out of the
thicket, again, and as it drew near, Judith announced that her father
and Hurry, both of them pinioned, lay on the bushes in the centre. As
before, the two Indians were rowing. The latter seemed to be conscious
that the lateness of the hour demanded unusual exertions, and contrary
to the habits of their people, who are ever averse to toil, they labored
hard at the rude substitutes for oars. In consequence of this diligence,
the raft occupied its old station in about half the time that had been
taken in the previous visits.

Even after the conditions were so well understood, and matters had
proceeded so far, the actual transfer of the prisoners was not a duty
to be executed without difficulty. The Iroquois were compelled to
place great reliance on the good faith of their foes, though it
was reluctantly given; and was yielded to necessity rather than to
confidence. As soon as Hutter and Hurry should be released, the party
in the castle numbered two to one, as opposed to those on the raft, and
escape by flight was out of the question, as the former had three bark
canoes, to say nothing of the defences of the house and the Ark. All
this was understood by both parties, and it is probable the arrangement
never could have been completed, had not the honest countenance and
manner of Deerslayer wrought their usual effect on Rivenoak.

"My brother knows I put faith in him," said the latter, as he advanced
with Hutter, whose legs had been released to enable the old man to
ascend to the platform. "One scalp--one more beast."

"Stop, Mingo," interrupted the hunter, "keep your prisoner a moment. I
have to go and seek the means of payment."

This excuse, however, though true in part, was principally a fetch.
Deerslayer left the platform, and entering the house, he directed Judith
to collect all the arms and to conceal them in her own room. He then
spoke earnestly to the Delaware, who stood on guard as before, near the
entrance of the building, put the three remaining castles in his pocket,
and returned.

"You are welcome back to your old abode, Master Hutter," said
Deerslayer, as he helped the other up on the platform, slyly passing
into the hand of Rivenoak, at the same time, another of the castles.
"You'll find your darters right glad to see you, and here's Hetty come
herself to say as much in her own behalf."

Here the hunter stopped speaking and broke out into a hearty fit of his
silent and peculiar laughter. Hurry's legs were just released, and he
had been placed on his feet. So tightly had the ligatures been drawn,
that the use of his limbs was not immediately recovered, and the young
giant presented, in good sooth, a very helpless and a somewhat ludicrous
picture. It was this unusual spectacle, particularly the bewildered
countenance, that excited the merriment of Deerslayer.

"You look like a girdled pine in a clearin', Hurry Harry, that is
rocking in a gale," said Deerslayer, checking his unseasonable mirth,
more from delicacy to the others than from any respect to the liberated
captive. "I'm glad, howsever, to see that you haven't had your hair
dressed by any of the Iroquois barbers, in your late visit to their
camp."

"Harkee, Deerslayer," returned the other a little fiercely, "it will
be prudent for you to deal less in mirth and more in friendship on this
occasion. Act like a Christian, for once, and not like a laughing gal
in a country school when the master's back is turned, and just tell me
whether there's any feet, or not, at the end of these legs of mine. I
think I can see them, but as for feelin' they might as well be down on
the banks of the Mohawk, as be where they seem to be."

"You've come off whole, Hurry, and that's not a little," answered the
other, secretly passing to the Indian the remainder of the stipulated
ransom, and making an earnest sign at the same moment for him to
commence his retreat. "You've come off whole, feet and all, and are
only a little numb from a tight fit of the withes. Natur'll soon set the
blood in motion, and then you may begin to dance, to celebrate what I
call a most wonderful and onexpected deliverance from a den of wolves."

Deerslayer released the arms of his friends, as each landed, and the
two were now stamping and limping about on the platform, growling
and uttering denunciations as they endeavored to help the returning
circulation. They had been tethered too long, however, to regain the use
of their limbs in a moment, and the Indians being quite as diligent on
their return as on their advance, the raft was fully a hundred yards
from the castle when Hurry, turning accidentally in that direction,
discovered how fast it was getting beyond the reach of his vengeance. By
this time he could move with tolerable facility, though still numb and
awkward. Without considering his own situation, however, he seized the
rifle that leaned against the shoulder of Deerslayer, and attempted to
cock and present it. The young hunter was too quick for him. Seizing the
piece he wrenched it from the hands of the giant, not, however, until
it had gone off in the struggle, when pointed directly upward. It is
probable that Deerslayer could have prevailed in such a contest, on
account of the condition of Hurry's limbs, but the instant the gun went
off, the latter yielded, and stumped towards the house, raising his legs
at each step quite a foot from the ground, from an uncertainty of the
actual position of his feet. But he had been anticipated by Judith. The
whole stock of Hutter's arms, which had been left in the building as a
resource in the event of a sudden outbreaking of hostilities, had
been removed, and were already secreted, agreeably to Deerslayer's
directions. In consequence of this precaution, no means offered by which
March could put his designs in execution.

Disappointed in his vengeance, Hurry seated himself, and like Hutter,
for half an hour, he was too much occupied in endeavoring to restore the
circulation, and in regaining the use of his limbs, to indulge in any
other reflections. By the end of this time the raft had disappeared, and
night was beginning to throw her shadows once more over the whole sylvan
scene. Before darkness had completely set in, and while the girls were
preparing the evening meal, Deerslayer related to Hutter an outline of
events that had taken place, and gave him a history of the means he had
adopted for the security of his children and property.

 Because the pistols are old and have not been primed or cleaned for a long time, Deerslayer suggests that he and Chingachgook practice firing them. Deerslayer proves his superior marksmanship, but his pistol explodes accidentally -- exactly what he had feared because of Hutter's long neglect of the loaded weapons. No one is hurt, but Judith is very frightened by the incident. They continue their search of the chest where they find a sextant, another proof that the uneducated Tom Hutter was not the original owner of many of the items, and finally some carved ivory chess pieces. These figures, for the first time, evoke a surprised response from the usually stoical Chingachgook, and Judith joins the Indian in admiration of the delicately wrought pieces. Deerslayer, however, is singularly unimpressed, and becomes very serious and concerned. He finally states his cause for anxiety: He believes that the figures are idols which Tom Hutter has worshipped. Indeed, the apparent evidence of paganism almost repels Deerslayer from attempting to rescue the captive. Judith, explaining that she has seen officers at the fort playing a game with the figures, convinces Deerslayer of his wrong interpretation when she finds the chess board. The group agree that some of the chess pieces can be used to bargain with the Mingos for the prisoners' release. The sound of steps surprises the group, and Hetty's appearance with an Indian stuns the three people. Deerslayer quickly makes Chingachgook hide. Hetty, telling about her adventures among the Mingos, believes that the Indians are willing to attend church services aboard the ark. Judith and Deerslayer are skeptical. Noticing the poorly constructed raft in which Hetty and the Mingo guide arrived, Deerslayer realizes that the Indians are in no position to attack the ark. He shows one ivory chess piece, a rook carved like an elephant, to the Mingo, who is elated by it. Deerslayer explains that two of these figures will be given in exchange for the prisoners. The Mingo departs happily with the message, and Deerslayer ponders about possible arguments in the coming negotiations. Hetty's news about Hist makes Chingachgook optimistic about rescuing the Indian girl: Hist will be waiting at the place where Hetty landed on the previous night, and Chingachgook should come for her about an hour after dark. Chingachgook takes off his white man's clothes and stands proudly on the deck in his rightful image as an Indian. Anxious to see Hist, Chingachgook proposes to go in person to the Mingo camp as an emissary, an offer which Deerslayer immediately rejects as being motivated by emotion rather than by reason. Despite their hopes that the Mingos will negotiate for the prisoners' release, the defenders of the ark take no chances and prepare defenses. But the raft appears with two Mingos. Rivenoak, the chief, and Deerslayer discuss terms, and the Indian is visibly moved by the latter's directness and honesty. Deerslayer, for instance, tosses one of the ivory pieces to Rivenoak for inspection although Hawkeye, as he now identifies himself to the Mingo leader, warns that he will shoot if the piece is not returned. The negotiations drag on, the Indians haggle for more than two chess pieces, and Deerslayer insists that his first offer is a fair bargain. The discussions are close to failure, and Judith warns Deerslayer that one of the Mingos is reaching for a rifle hidden in the bottom of the raft. Deerslayer, however, is on his guard, and Rivenoak continues talking about an agreement. Deerslayer quickly takes advantage of this critical moment: He proposes that, if the Indians bring the prisoners, they can keep the ivory token already in their possession, with two more chess pieces added for the bargain and an extra one for speed in returning the captives. The Indians, overjoyed by this generosity, leave hastily, and return before sunset with Tom Hutter and Hurry Harry. Deerslayer, of course, keeps his promise about the bargain; but Hurry Harry is no sooner on board the ark than be seizes Deerslayer's rifle to shoot the Indians. Fearing this reaction from the impetuous Hurry, Deerslayer had asked Judith to hide all the other firearms; Natty wrenches his own gun from Hurry's grasp. A shot is fired into the air without any harm done. After the Mingos return to the shore, the exiles on the ark sit down to eat, exchange information, and discuss their situation.

