CHAPTER II.
The door of the house was open, and custom admitted every visitorfreely, whatever was his errand. It was a strange state of society, inwhich men, though taught by daily experience that precaution wasnecessary, took none. They held themselves occasionally ready to repelopen assault, which was rare, and neglected every safeguard againstinsidious attack, which was much more common. They were frank and freespirits in those olden times; and, though it be now the custom tosneer at the state of society, and the habits both of thought andaction, in days long gone, methinks it might have been better, whilewe polished away the coarseness of our ancestors, and remedied some ofthe evils of their early state, to have striven hard to retain theirhigher and finer qualities, their generous confidence, and thatexpansiveness of heart which the world so seldom sees in an age ofmere material conveniences.
The door stood open, and it was the custom of the few who visited thatsecluded spot, to enter without ceremony, and to search in any orevery room in the house for some one of the inhabitants. But, on thisoccasion, the horse that came up the road stopped at the gate of thelittle fence, and the traveller, when he reached the door, afterdismounting, knocked with his whip before he entered.
The master of the house rose and went to the door. He was somewhatimpatient of ceremony in a place where ceremony had long ceased; andhis thoughts had not been of a tranquillizing nature; but the aspectand demeanor of his visitor were not of a kind to nourish any angryfeeling. The latter was a young and very handsome man, probably notmore than thirty years of age, sinewy, and well formed in person, witha noble and commanding countenance, a broad, lofty brow, and a keen,but tranquil eye. His manner was courteous, but grave; and he said,without waiting to have his errand asked--
"I know not, sir, whether I shall intrude upon you too far in askinghospitality for the night; but the sun is going down, and I was toldby a lad whom I met in the woods just now, that there is no otherhouse for ten miles farther, and, to say the truth, I am very ignorantof the way."
"Come in," said the master of the cottage; "we never refuse to receivea visiter here; and, indeed, have sometimes to accommodate more thanthe house will well hold. We are alone, however, now, and you will nothave to put up with the inconveniences which our guests are sometimesobliged to encounter. Stay, I will order your horse to be taken careof."
Thus saying, he advanced a step or two beyond the door, and called, ina loud voice, for some one whom he named Agrippa. He had to shout morethan once, however, before a negro appeared, blind in one eye, andsomewhat lame withal, but yet, apparently, both active andintelligent.
The necessary orders were soon given; and, in a minute after, thetraveller was seated with his host in the little parlour of thecottage. The manner of the latter could not be called cordial, thoughit was polite and courteous. It spoke a man acquainted with otherscenes and other habits, but not a lover of his race; not a social ora genial spirit. The feelings, the thoughts, the memories, which hadbeen busy in his brain, if not in his heart, before the arrival of thestranger, had thrown a coldness over his manner, which was onlyrendered not repulsive by the suavity of his words.
The other seemed to feel this in some degree; and a certainstateliness appeared in his demeanor, which was not likely to warm hishost into greater familiarity.
Suddenly, however, the chilly atmosphere of the room was warmed in amoment, and a chain of sympathy was established between the two, bythe presence of youth. A boy of fifteen, and a girl a little more thana year older, entered with gay and sunshiny looks, and the cloud wasdispelled in a moment.
"My daughter Edith--my son Walter," said the master of the house,addressing the stranger, as the two young people bounded in; and thenhe added, with a slight inclination of the head, "It was an ancientand honourable custom in Scotland, when that country was almost asuncivilized as this, and possessed all the uncivilized virtues, neverto inquire the name of a guest; and therefore I cannot introduce youto my children; but, doubtless, they will soon acknowledge you astheir nameless friend."
"I am a friend of one of them already," answered the stranger, holdingout his hand to the lad. "This is the young gentleman who told me thatI should find the only house within ten miles about this spot, and hisfather willing to receive me--though he did not say that I should finda gem in the wilderness, and a gentleman in these wild woods."
"It has been a foolish fancy, perhaps," said the master of the house,"to carry, almost into the midst of savage life, some remnants ofcivilization. We keep the portraits of dead friends--a lock of hair--atrinket--a garment of the loved and departed. The habits and theornaments of another state of society are to me like those deadfriends, and I love to have some of their relics near me."
"Oh, my dear father," said Edith, seating herself by him, and leaningher head upon his bosom, without timidity or restraint, "you couldnever do without them. I remember when we were coming hither, nowthree years ago, that you talked a great deal of the joys of free,unshackled, natural existence; but I knew quite well, even then, thatyou would not be content till you had subdued the rough things aroundyou to a more refined state."
"What made you think so, Edith?" asked her father, looking down at herwith a smile.
"Because you never could bear the parson of the parish drinking punchand smoking tobacco-pipes," answered the beautiful girl, with a laugh;"and I was quite sure that it was not more savage life you sought, butgreater refinement."
"Oh, yes, my father," added the lad, "and you often said, when we werein England, that the red Indian had much more of the real gentleman inhim than many a peer."
"Dreams, dreams!" ejaculated their father, with a melancholy smile;and then, turning to the stranger, he added, "you see, sir, how keenlyour weaknesses are read even by children. But come, Edith, our friendmust be hungry with his long ride; see and hasten the supper. Ourhabits are primeval here, sir, like our woods. We follow the sun tobed, and wake him in the morning."
"They are good habits," observed the stranger, "and such as I amaccustomed to follow myself. But do not, I pray you, hasten yoursupper for me. I am anything but a slave of times and seasons. I canfast long and fare scantily, without inconvenience."
"And yet you are an Englishman," remarked the master of the house,gravely; "a soldier, or I mistake; a man of rank and station, I amsure; though all three would generally imply, as the world goes atthis present time, a fondness for luxurious ease and an indulgence ofall the appetites."
A slight flush came into his companion's cheek, and the other hastenedto add,--
"Believe me, I meant nothing discourteous. I spoke of the Englishman,the soldier, and the man of rank and station, generally--not ofyourself. I see it is far otherwise with you."
"You hit hard, my good friend," rejoined the stranger, "and there issome truth in what you say. But, perhaps, I have seen as many lands asyou; and I boldly venture to pronounce that the fault is in the age,not in the nation, the profession, or the class. We will try to amendit. That is the best course; and, though individual effort can do butlittle, each separate man may improve several others; and thus onwardto better things and better days."
As he spoke, he rose, walked thoughtfully to the window, and gazed outfor a moment or two in silence; and then, turning round, he said,addressing his host's son--"How beautifully the setting sun shinesdown yonder glade in the forest, pouring, as it were, in a golden mistthrough the needle foliage of the pines! Runs there a road downthere?"
The boy answered in the affirmative; and, drawing close to thestranger's side, pointed out to him by the undulations of the ground,and the gaps in the tree-tops, the wavy line that the road followed,down the side of the gentle hill on which the house stood, and up theopposite ascent. His description was peculiarly clear and accurate. Heseemed to have marked every tree and stone and brook along the path;and where a by-way diverged, or where the road divided into two, henoted the marking object, saying--
"By a white oak and a great hemlock tree, there is a footpath to t
heleft: at a clump of large cedars on the edge of the swamp the roadforks out to the right and left, one branch leading eastward towardsthe river, and one out westward to the hunting-grounds."
The stranger seemed to listen to him with pleasure, often turning hiseyes to the lad's face as he spoke, rather than to the landscape towhich he pointed; and when he had done, he laid, his hand on hisshoulder, saying--
"I wish I had such a guide as you, Walter, for my onward journey."
"Will it be far?" asked the youth.
"Good faith, I cannot well tell," answered the other. "It may be asfar as Montreal, or even to Quebec, if I get not satisfaction soon."
"I could not guide you as far as that," replied the boy; "but I knowevery step towards the lakes, as well as an Indian."
"With whom he is very fond of consorting," said his father, with asmile.
But before the conversation could proceed, an elderly, respectablewoman-servant entered the room, and announced that supper was on thetable. Edith had not returned; but they found her in a large, oblongchamber, to which the master of the house led the way. There was along table in the midst, and four wooden chairs arranged round oneend, over which a snowy table-cloth was spread. The rest of the tablewas bare. But a number of other seats, and two or three benches, werein the room, while at equal distances on either side, touching thewalls, lay several bear-skins and buffalo-skins, as if spread out forbeds.
The eye of the stranger glanced over them as he entered; but his hostreplied to his thoughts with a smile, saying--
"We will lodge you somewhat better than that, sir. We have, just now,more than one room vacant; but you must know there is no such thing asprivacy in this land, and when we have a visit from our Indianfriends, those skins make them supremely happy. I often smile to thinkhow a red man would feel in Holland sheets. I tried it once, but itdid not succeed. He pulled the blankets off the bed, and slept uponthe floor."
When the companions were seated at table the conversation turned tomany subjects, general, of course; yet personally interesting to boththe elder members of the party--at least, so it seemed from theeagerness with which they discussed them. The state of the colonieswas spoken of; the state of England; the relation of the two to eachother; and the dangers which were then apprehended from theencroaching spirit of the French, who were pushing forward posts onevery point of their frontier, into territories undoubtedly British.No mention was ever made of even the probability of the separation ofEngland from her North American colonies; for at that time the ideahad never entered into the imagination of any, except some of thosequiet students of the past, who sometimes derive, from the verydissimilar history of former days, a foresight regarding the future,which partakes of, without being wholly, intuition, and whosewarnings, like Cassandra's, are always scoffed at till the time forremedial action is passed. The danger to the British possessions inNorth America seemed, to the eyes of almost all men, to lie in thepower, the eager activity, and the grasping spirit of France; and thelittle cloud of dissatisfaction, no bigger than a man's hand, whichhung upon the horizon of British interests in the transatlantic world,was little supposed to forebode the storm and the earthquake whichshould rend the colonies from the mother-country. Alas, for man'scalculations, and for his foresight! How rarely, how very rarely, dothey penetrate below the surface of the present or the future!
Both the host and his guest had travelled far, and had seen much.Both, also, had thought much; but experience was, of course, on theside of the elder. The other, however, had one advantage--he had seenthe European countries of which they spoke, at a much later periodthan his companion; and many great changes had taken place, of whichthe latter had no personal knowledge. Thus, they viewed the state ofsociety in the old world from different points, and, of course, helddifferent opinions, especially regarding France. Nevertheless, theviews of him who had not been in that land for many years were, uponthe whole, more accurate than those of the other. He was a man ofsingular acuteness of perception, who judged less from broad andglittering surfaces than from small but fundamental facts; while theother, a man of action and quick intelligence, though clear andaccurate in his perception of all with which he had immediately to do,judged it a waste of time to carry his thoughts far into the future,over which he could have no control. Somewhat dazzled by the militarydisplay, and, apparently, well-cemented power of government which hehad beheld in France just before he quitted Europe, he entertainedgreat apprehensions regarding her progress in America, and expressedthem.
"I entertain but little fear," replied the other, "and will neverremove a steer from my stall till I see the French at my door. Theymay advance for some short distance, and for some short time, but theywill be forced to recoil."
"God grant it!" ejaculated the guest; "but more energetic measuresmust be taken to repel them than have been hitherto employed. TheFrench force at this time in Canada, I am assured, outnumbers, by manythousands, the whole disposable forces of our colonies. They are of adifferent material, too, from our armies, and officered by verydifferent men. The Frenchman accommodates himself better tocircumstances than the Englishman; is as brave, though lesspersevering; is more agile, though less vigorous. The French troopshere, too, are accustomed to the march through the forest, and theskirmish in the wood; and their officers know far better than ours howto carry on their operations with, or against, the Indians. We are toorigid in our notions of discipline, too pedantic in our system oftactics. In one set of circumstances, we follow the rules that areonly applicable to another; and in planning our operations, though wemay consider the local features of the country, and the force opposedto us, we refuse to take into calculation the character and habits ofour enemy. We may be victorious in the end, and I trust in God that weshall; but depend upon it, my good sir, we require, and shall have,probably more than one good drubbing, before we learn our lessoncompletely. Now, we cannot afford many drubbings, for our small islandcannot afford many men. Already, to contend with the enemies we havein Europe, we have to subsidize fifty thousand foreigners, a practicemuch to be deprecated, and which I should be sorry to see introducedhere; for though, by blood, not wholly English, I know that theintrinsic value of the British soldier is superior to that of anyother on the face of the earth. We cannot, however, supply thiscountry with reinforcements to meet many checks; while France, fromher much larger population, can pour a continuous stream of troopsinto her colonies."
"Not for long," answered his host. "The fabric of her power isundermined at the foundation; the base is rotten; and the building,though imposing without, is crumbling to decay. It is well, however,to see as you do the utmost extent of a danger--perhaps, even tooverestimate it, in order to meet it the more vigorously. Depend uponit, however, the present state of things in France is not destined forlong duration. I judge not by the feebleness she has shown of lateyears in many most important efforts. Beset as she is by enemies, andenemies close at her gates, distant endeavours may well be paralyzedwithout there being any real diminution of her power. But I judgefrom what I myself saw in that country a good many years ago. Thepeople--the energetic, active, though volatile people, in whom liesher real strength--were everywhere oppressed and suffering. Miserymight drive them into her armies, and give them the courage ofdespair; but, at the same time, it severed all ties between them andthose above them--substituted contempt and hatred for love andreverence, in the case of the nobility, and fear, doubt, and aninclination to resist, for affection, confidence, and obedience,towards the throne. Corruption, spreading through every class ofsociety, could only appear more disgusting when clad in the robes ofroyalty, or tricked out in the frippery of aristocracy; and nationsspeedily learn to resist powers which they have ceased to respect. Astate of society cannot long endure, in which, on the one side,boundless luxury, gross depravity, and empty frivolity, in acomparatively small body, and grinding want, fierce passions, andeager, unsated desires on the other side, are brought into closecontiguity, without one moral principle, or one religious
light--wherethere is nothing but the darkness of superstition, or the deeperdarkness of infidelity. Ere many years have passed, the crown ofFrance will have need of all her troops at home."
The stranger mused much upon his companion's words, and seemed to feelthat they were prophetical. The same, or very nearly the same, werewritten by another; but they were not given to the world for severalyears after, on the eve of the great catastrophe; and in the year onethousand seven hundred and fifty-seven, few seemed to dream that thepower of France could ever be shaken, except by an external enemy. Menate, and drank, and danced, and sang, in the Parisian capital, asgaily as they did in the palace of Sardanapalus, with as great a fallat hand.
The conversation then assumed a lighter tone. Each asked the other ofhis travels, and commented on many objects of interest which both hadseen on the broad high-ways of the world. Both were men of thought,according to their several characters--both men of taste andrefinement; and the two young people, who had sat silent, listening totheir graver discourse, now joined in, from time to time, with happyfreedom and unchecked ease. Their father's presence was no restraintupon them; for, in all that they had known of life, he had been theircompanion and their friend--the one to whom their hearts had been everopened--the one chiefly reverenced from love. The stranger, too,though he was grave, was in no degree stern, and there was somethingwinning even in his very gravity. He listened, too, when theyspoke--heard the brief comment--answered the eager question; and akindly smile would, ever and anon, pass over his lip, at the strangemixture of refinement and simplicity which he found in those two youngbeings, who passed many a month of every year without seeing any one,except the wild Indians of the friendly tribes surrounding them, or anoccasional trader wending his way, with his wares, up the stream ofthe Mohawk.
More than an hour was beguiled at the table--a longer period thanordinary--and then the bright purple hues, which spread over theeastern wall of the room, opposite to the windows, told that theautumnal sun had reached the horizon. The master of the house rose tolead the way into the other room again; but ere he moved from thetable, an additional figure was added to the group around it, thoughthe foot was so noiseless that no one heard its first entrance intothe chamber.
The person who had joined the little party was a man of the middleage, of a tall, commanding figure, upright and dignified carriage, andfine, but somewhat strongly-marked, features. The expression of hiscountenance was grave and noble; but there was a certain strangenessin it--a touch of wildness perhaps I might call it--very difficult todefine.
It was not in the eyes; for they were good, calm, and steadfast,gazing straight at any object of contemplation, and fixed full uponthe face of any one he addressed. It was not in the lips; for, exceptwhen speaking, they were firm and motionless. Perhaps it was in theeyebrow, which, thick and strongly marked, was, every now and then,suddenly raised or depressed, without any apparent cause.
His dress was very strange. He was evidently of European blood,although his skin was embrowned by much exposure to sun and weather.Yet he wore not altogether either the European costume, the garb ofthe American back-woodsman, or that of the Indian. There was a mixtureof all, which gave him a wild and fantastic appearance. His coat wasevidently English, and had stripes of gold lace upon the shoulders;his knee-breeches and high riding-boots would have looked Englishalso, had not the latter being destitute of soles, properly so called;for they were made somewhat like a stocking, and the part beneath thefoot was of the same leather as the rest. Over his shoulder was a beltof rattlesnake skin, and round his waist a sort of girdle, formedfrom the claws of the bear, from which depended a string of wampum,while two or three knives and a small tomahawk appeared on eitherside. No other weapon had he whatever. But under his left arm hung acommon powder-flask, made of cow's horn, and, beside it, a sort ofwallet, such as the trappers commonly used for carrying their littlestore of Indian corn. A round fur cap, of bear-skin, without anyornament whatever, completed his habiliments.
It would seem that in that house he was well known; for its masterinstantly held forth his hand to him, and the young people sprangforward and greeted him warmly. A full minute elapsed before he spoke;but nobody uttered a word till he did so, all seeming to understandhis habits.
"Well, Mr. Prevost," he said, at length, "I have been a stranger toyour wigwam for some time. How art thou, Walter? Not a man yet, inspite of all thou canst do. Edith, my sweet lady, time dealsdifferently with thee from thy brother. He makes thee a woman againstthy will." Then, turning suddenly to the stranger, he said, "Sir, I amglad to see you; were you ever at Kielmansegge?"
"Once," replied the stranger, laconically.
"Then we will confer presently," observed the new comer. "How have youbeen this many a day, Mr. Prevost? You must give me food; for I haveridden far--I will have that bear-skin, too, for my night's lodgingplace, if it be not pre-engaged. No, not that one; the next. I havetold Agrippa to see to my horse, for I ever count upon your courtesy."
There was something extremely stately and dignified in his whole tone,and, with frank straightforwardness, but without any indecorous haste,he seated himself at the table, drew towards him a large dish of coldmeat, and, while Edith and her brother hastened to supply him witheverything else he needed, proceeded to help himself liberally towhatever was within his reach. Not a word more did he speak forseveral minutes, while Mr. Prevost and his guest stood looking on insilence, and the two young people attended the new comer at the table.
As soon as he had done, he rose abruptly, and then, looking first toMr. Prevost, and next to the stranger, said--
"Now, gentlemen, if you please, we will to council."
The stranger hesitated; and Mr. Prevost answered, with a smile--
"I am not of the initiated, Sir William, so I and the children willleave you with my guest, whom you seem to know, but of whose name andstation I am ignorant."
"Stay, stay," interposed the other, to whom he spoke, "we shall neednot only your advice but your concurrence. This gentleman, my lord, Iwill answer for, as a faithful and loyal subject of his MajestyKing George. He has been treated with that hardest of all hardtreatment--neglect. But his is a spirit in which not even neglect candrown out loyalty to his king and love to his country. Moreover, I maysay, that the neglect which he has met with has proceeded from adeficiency in his own nature. God, unfortunately, did not make him agrumbler, or he would have been a peer long ago. The Almighty endowedhim with all the qualities that could benefit his fellow-creatures,but denied him those which were necessary to advance himself. Othershave wondered that he never met with honours, or distinction, orreward. I wonder not at all; for he is neither a charlatan, nor acoxcomb, nor a pertinacious beggar. He cannot stoop to slabber thehand of power, nor lick the spittle of the man in office. How can sucha man have advancement? It is contrary to the course of the things ofthis world. But as he has loved his fellow-men, so will he love them.As he has served his country, so will he serve it. As he has soughthonour and truth more than promotion, honour and truth will be hisreward. Alas, that it should be the only one! But when he dies, if hedies unrecompensed, it will not be unregretted or unvenerated. He mustbe of our council."
Mr. Prevost had stood by in silence, with his eyes bent upon theground, and, perhaps, some self-reproach at his heart for the bitterwords that he had written only a few hours before. But Edith sprangforward, and caught Sir William Johnson's hand, as he ended thepraises of her father; and, bending her head with exquisite grace,pressed her lips upon it. Her brother seemed inclined to linger for amoment; but saying, "Come, Walter," she glided out of the room, andthe young lad, following, closed the door behind him.