CHAPTER XXVI.
"Ye midnight shades, o'er nature spread! Dumb silence of the dreary hour! In honor of th' approaching dead, Around your awful terrors pour. Yes, pour around, On this pale ground, Through all this deep surrounding gloom, The sober thought, The tear untaught, Those meetest mourners at the tomb."--MALLET.
It is a law of human nature, that the excesses of passion bring theirown rebukes. The violence of man feeds itself, until some enormitycommitted under its influence suddenly rises before the transgressor, asthe evidence of his blindness and the restorer of his senses. Guiltperforms the office of reason, staying the hand, stilling the pulses,and arousing the conscience.
Thus it seemed to be with the squatters of Mooseridge. A stillness soprofound succeeded the crack of that rifle, that I heard the stifledbreathing of Dus, as she stood over the body of her uncle, astounded,and almost converted into a statue by the suddenness of the blow. No onespoke; no one attempted to quit the place; in fact, no one moved. It wasnever known who fired that shot. At first I ascribed it to the hand ofTobit; but it was owing more to what I knew of his temper and character,than to what I knew of his acts at that particular time. Afterward Iinclined to the opinion that my friend had fallen by the hand ofThousandacres himself; though there were no means of bringing it home tohim by legal proof. If any knew who was the criminal besides the wretchwho executed the deed, the fact was never revealed. That family wasfaithful to itself, and seemed determined to stand or fall together. Inthe eye of the law, all who were present, aiding and abetting in theunlawful detention of Dus and her uncle, were equally guilty; but thehand on which the stain of blood rested in particular, was never draggedto light.
My first impulse, as soon as I could recollect myself, was to pass anarm around the waist of Dus and force her through the crowd, with a viewto escape. Had this attempt been persevered in, I think it would havesucceeded, so profound was the sensation made, even upon those rude andlawless men, by the deed of violence, that had just been done. But Duswas not one to think of self at such a moment. For a single instant herhead fell on my shoulders, and I held her to my bosom, while I whisperedmy wish for her to fly. Then raising her head, she gently extricated herperson from my arms, and knelt by the side of her uncle.
"He breathes!" she said huskily, but hastily. "God be praised, Mordaunt,he still breathes. The blow may not be as heavy as we at first supposed;let us do what we can to aid him."
Here were the characteristic decision and thoughtfulness of UrsulaMalbone! Rising quickly, she turned to the group of silent but observantsquatters, and appealed to any remains of humanity that might still befound in their bosoms, to lend their assistance. Thousandacres stoodforemost in the dark cluster at the door, looking grimly at themotionless body, over which Dus stood, pale and heart-stricken, butstill calm and collected.
"The hardest-hearted man among you will not deny a daughter's right toadminister to a parent's wants!" she said, with a pathos in her voice,and a dignity in her manner, that filled me with love and admiration,and which had a visible effect on all who heard hear. "Help me to raisemy uncle and to place him on a bed, while Major Littlepage examines hishurt. You'll not deny me this little comfort, Thousandacres, for youcannot know how soon you may want succor yourself!"
Zephaniah, who certainly had no hand in the murder of Chainbearer, nowadvanced; and he, myself, Lowiny and Dus, raised the still motionlessbody, and placed it on the bed of Prudence, which stood in the principalroom. There was a consultation among the squatters, while we were thusemployed, and one by one the family dropped off, until no one was leftin the house but Thousandacres, and his wife, and Lowiny; the latterremaining with Dus, as a useful and even an affectionate assistant. Thefather sat, in moody silence, on one side of the fire while Prudenceplaced herself on the other. I did not like the aspect of the squatter'scountenance, but he said and did nothing. It struck me he was broodingover the facts, nursing his resentments by calling up fancied wrongs tohis mind, and plotting for the future. If such was the case, hemanifested great nerve, inasmuch as neither alarm nor hurry was, in theslightest degree, apparent in his mien. Prudence was dreadfullyagitated.
She said nothing, but her body worked to and fro with nervousexcitement; and occasionally a heavy, but suppressed groan struggledthrough her efforts to resist it. Otherwise, she was as if not present.
I had been accustomed to seeing gunshot wounds, and possessed such ageneral knowledge of their effects as to be a tolerable judge of whatwould, and what would not, be likely to prove fatal. The first look Itook at the hurt of Chainbearer convinced me there could be no hope forhis life. The ball had passed between two of the ribs, and seemed to meto take a direction downward; but it was impossible to miss the vitalswith a wound commencing at that point on the human body. The first shockof the injury had produced insensibility; but we had hardly got thesufferer on the bed, and applied a little water to his lips, ere herevived; soon regaining his consciousness, as well as the power tospeak. Death was on him, however; and it was very obvious to me that hishours were numbered. He might live days, but it was not possible for himto survive.
"Got pless you, Mortaunt," my old friend murmured, after my efforts hadthus partially succeeded. "Got forever pless ant preserf you, poy, antrepay you for all your kintness to me ant mine. T'em squatters hafkillet me, lat; put I forgif t'em. T'ey are an ignorant, ant selfish,ant prutal preed; ant I may haf triet 'em too sorely. Put Dus can neverpecome t'e wife of any of t'e family."
As Zephaniah was in the room, though not near the bed at the moment, Iwas anxious to change the current of the wounded man's thoughts; and Iquestioned him as to the nature of his hurt, well knowing thatChainbearer had seen so many soldiers in situations similar to his ownunhappy condition, as to be a tolerable judge of his actual state.
"I'm killet, Mortaunt," old Andries answered, in a tone even firmer thanthat in which he had just spoken. "Apout t'at, t'ere can pe no mistake.T'ey haf shot t'rough my rips, and t'rough my vitals; ant life isimpossible. But t'at does not matter much to me, for I am an olt mannow, hafin' lifet my t'reescore years ant ten--no, t'at is no greatmatter, t'ough some olt people cling to life wit' a tighter grip t'ant'e young. Such ist not my case, howsefer; ant I am reaty to march whent'e great wort of commant comet'. I am fery sorry, Mortaunt, t'at t'isaccitent shoult happen pefore t'e patent has peen fully surfeyet; put Iam not pait for t'e work t'at is finishet, ant it ist a great comfort tome to know I shall not tie in tebt. I owe you, ant I owe my goot frient,t'e general, a great teal for kintnesses, I must confess; put, in t'eway of money, t'ere wilt pe no loss by t'is accitent."
"Mention nothing of this sort, I do entreat of you, Chainbearer; I knowmy father would gladly give the best farm he owns to see you standing,erect and well, as you were twenty minutes since."
"Well, I tares to say, t'at may pe true, for I haf always fount t'egeneral to pe friently and consiterate. I wilt tell you a secret,Mortaunt, t'at I haf nefer pefore revealet to mortal man, put whicht'ere ist no great use in keepin' any longer, ant which I shoult hafpeen willing to haf tolt long ago, hat not t'e general himself mate it ap'int t'at I shoult not speak of it----"
"Perhaps it might be better, my good friend, were you to tell me thissecret another time. Talking may weary and excite you; whereas, sleepand rest may possibly do you service."
"No, no, poy--t'e hope of t'at ist all itleness ant vanity. I shaltnefer sleep ag'in, tilt I sleep t'e last long sleep of teat'; I feeltsartain my wound is mortal, ant t'at my time must soon come.Nefert'eless, it doesn't gif me pain to talk; ant, Mortaunt, my tearlat, fri'nts t'at pe apout to part for so long a time, ought not to partwit'out sayin' a wort to one anot'er pefore separation. I shoult peglat, in partic'lar, to tell to a son all t'e kintness ant fri'ntship Ihaf receifet from his fat'er. You know fery well, yourself, Mortaunt,t'at I am not great at figures; and why it shoult pe so, ist a wonterant a surprise to me, for my grantfat'er Van Syce was a wonterful man atarit
'metic, and t'e first Coejemans in t'is country, t'ey say, kept allt'e tominie's accounts for him! Put, let t'at pe ast it wast, I nefercoult do anyt'ing wit' figures; ant it ist a secret not to pe concealetnow, Mortaunt, t'at I nefer coult haf helt my commission of captain sixweeks, put for your own fat'ers kintness to me. Fintin' out howimpossible it was for me to get along wit' arit'metic, he offeret to doall t'at sort of tuty for me, ant t'e whole time we was toget'er, sevenlong years ant more, Colonel Littlepage mate out t'e reports ofCoejemans' company. Capital goot reports was t'ey, too, ant t'eatmiration of all t'at see t'em; ant I often felt ashamet like, when Ihe'rt t'em praiset, and people wonterin' how an olt Tutchman everl'arnet to do his tuty so well! I shalt nefer see t'e general ag'in, antI wish you to tell him t'at Andries tit not forget his gootness to him,to t'e latest preat' t'at he trew."
"I will do all you ask of me, Chainbearer--surely it must give you painto talk so much?"
"Not at all, poy; not at all. It is goot to t'e poty to lighten t'e soulof its opligations. Ast I see, howsefer, t'at Dus ist trouplet, I wiltshut my eyes, and look into my own t'oughts a little, for I may not tiefor some hours yet."
It sounded fearful to me to hear one I loved so well speak so calmly,and with so much certainty, of his approaching end. I could see thatUrsula almost writhed under the agony these words produced in her; yetthat noble-minded creature wore an air of calmness that might havedeceived one who knew her less well than she was known to me. She signedfor me to quit the side of the bed, in the vain hope that her unclemight fall asleep, and placed herself silently on a chair, at hand, inreadiness to attend to his wants. As for me, I took the occasion toexamine the state of things without, and to reflect on what course Iought to take, in the novel and desperate circumstances in which we wereso unexpectedly placed; the time for something decisive having certainlyarrived.
It was now near an hour after the deed had been done--and there satThousandacres and his wife, one on each side of the fire, in silentthought. As I turned to look at the squatters, and the father ofsquatters, I saw that his countenance was set in that species of sullenmoodiness, which might well be taken as ominous in a man of hislooseness of principle and fierceness of temperament. Nor had thenervous twitchings of Prudence ceased. In a word, both of these strangebeings appeared at the end of that hour just as they had appeared at itscommencement. It struck me, as I passed them in moving toward the door,that there was even a sublimity in their steadiness in guilt. I ought,however, in some slight degree to exempt the woman, whose agitation wassome proof that she repented of what had been done. At the door itself,I found no one; but two or three of the young men were talking in a lowtone to each other at no great distance. Apparently they had an eye towhat was going on within the building. Still no one of them spoke to me,and I began to think that the crime already committed had produced sucha shock, that no further wrong to any of us was contemplated, and that Imight consider myself at liberty to do and act as I saw fit. A twitch atmy sleeve, however, drew my look aside, and I saw Lowiny cowering withinthe shadows of the house, seemingly eager to attract my attention. Shehad been absent some little time, and had probably been listening to thediscourse of those without.
"Don't think of venturing far from the house," the girl whispered. "Theevil spirit has got possession of Tobit; and he has just sworn the samegrave shall hold you, and Chainbearer and Dus. 'Graves don't turnstate's evidence,' he says. I never know'd him to be so awful as he isto-night; though he's dreadful in temper when anything goes amiss."
The girl glided past me as she ceased her hurried communication, and thenext instant she was standing quietly at the side of Dus, in readinessto offer her assistance in any necessary office for the sick. I saw thatshe had escaped notice, and then reconnoitred my own position with somelittle care.
By this time the night had got to be quite dark; and it was impossibleto recognize persons at the distance of twenty feet. It is true, onecould tell a man from a stump at twice that number of yards, or evenfurther; but the objects of the rude clearing began to be confoundedtogether in a way to deprive the vision of much of its customary power.That group of young men, as I suppose, contained the formidable Tobit;but I could be by no means certain of the fact without approaching quitenear to it. This I did not like to do, as there was nothing that Idesired particularly to say to any of the family at the moment. Couldthey have known my heart, the squatters would have felt no uneasiness onthe subject of my escaping, for were Dus quite out of the question, asshe neither was nor could be, it would be morally impossible for me todesert the Chainbearer in his dying moments. Nevertheless, Tobit and hisbrethren did not know this; and it might be dangerous for me to presumetoo far on the contrary supposition.
The darkness was intensest near the house, as a matter of course; and Iglided along close to the walls of logs until I reached an angle of thebuilding, thinking the movement might be unseen. But I got an assurancethat I was watched that would admit of no question, by a call from oneof the young men, directing me not to turn the corner to go out of sightin any direction, at the peril of my life. This was plain speaking; andit induced a short dialogue between us, in which I avowed mydetermination not to desert my friends--for the Chainbearer wouldprobably not outlive the night--and that I felt no apprehension formyself. I was heated and excited, and had merely left the house for air;if they offered no impediment I would walk to and fro near them for afew minutes, solely with a view to refresh my feverish pulses, pledgingmy word to make no attempt at escape. This explanation, with theaccompanying assurance, seemed to satisfy my guard; and I was quietlypermitted to do as I had proposed.
The walk I selected was between the group of squatters and the house,and at each turn it necessarily brought me close to the young men. Atsuch moments I profited by my position to look in through the door ofthe dwelling at the motionless form of Dus, who sat at the bedside ofher uncle in the patient, silent, tender, and attentive manner of woman,and whom I could plainly see in thus passing. Notwithstanding thefidelity of my homage to my mistress at these instants, I could perceivethat the young men uniformly suspended the low dialogue they wereholding together, as I approached them, and as uniformly renewed it as Imoved away. This induced me gradually to extend my walk, lengthening ita little on each end, until I may have gone as far as a hundred feet oneach side of the group, which I took for the centre. To have gonefarther would have been imprudent, as it might seem preparatory to anattempt at escape, and to a consequent violation of my word.
In this manner, then, I may have made eight or ten turns in as manyminutes, when I heard a low, hissing sound near me, while at theextremity of one of my short promenades. A stump stood there, and thesound came from the root of the stump. At first I fancied I hadencroached on the domain of some serpent; though animals of thatspecies, which would be likely to give forth such a menace, were eventhen very rare among us. But my uncertainty was soon relieved.
"Why you no stop at stump?" said Susquesus, in a voice so low as not tobe heard at the distance of ten feet, while it was perfectly distinctand not in a whisper. "Got sut'in' tell--glad to hear."
"Wait until I can make one or two more turns; I will come back in amoment," was my guarded answer.
Then I continued my march, placing myself against a stump that stood atthe other end of my walk, remaining leaning there for an entire minuteor two, when I returned, passing the young men as before. This I didthree several times, stopping at each turn, as if to rest or to reflect;and making each succeeding halt longer than the one that had precededit. At length I took my stand against the very stump that concealed theIndian.
"How came you here, Susquesus?" I asked; "and are you armed?"
"Yes; got good rifle. Chainbearer's gun. He no want him any longer, eh?"
"You know then what has happened? Chainbearer is mortally wounded."
"Dat bad--must take scalp to pay for _dat_! Ole fri'nd--good fri'nd.Always kill murderer."
"I beg nothing of the sort will be attempted; but how came
youhere?--and how came you armed?"
"Jaap do him--come and break open door. Nigger strong--do what he liketo. Bring rifle--say take him. Wish he come sooner--den Chainbearer noget kill. We see."
I thought it prudent to move on by the time this was said; and I made aturn or two ere I was disposed to come to another halt. The truth,however, was now apparent to me. Jaap had come in from the forest,forced the fastenings of the Onondago's prison, given him arms, and theywere both out in the darkness, prowling round the building, watching forthe moment to strike a blow, or an opportunity to communicate with me.How they had ascertained the fact of Chainbearer's being shot, I wasleft to conjecture; though Susquesus must have heard the report of therifle; and an Indian, on such a night as that, left to pursue his owncourse, would soon ascertain all the leading points of any circumstancein which he felt an interest.
My brain was in a whirl as all these details presented themselves to mymind, and I was greatly at a loss to decide on my course. In order togain time for reflection, I stopped a moment at the stump, and whisperedto the Onondago a request that he would remain where he was until Icould give him his orders. An expressive "good" was the answer Ireceived, and I observed that the Indian crouched lower in his lair,like some fierce animal of the woods, that restrained his impatience, inorder to make his leap, when it did come, more certain and fatal.
I had now a little leisure for reflection. There lay poor Chainbearer,stretched on his death-pallet, as motionless as if the breath hadalready left his body. Dus maintained her post, nearly as immovable asher uncle; while Lowiny stood at hand, manifesting the sympathy of hersex in the mourning scene before her. I caught glimpses, too, inpassing, of Thousandacres and Prudence. It appeared to me as if thefirst had not stirred from the moment when he had taken his seat on thehearth. His countenance was as set, his air as moody, and his attitudeas stubborn, as each had been in the first five minutes after theChainbearer fell. Prudence, too, was as unchanged as her husband. Herbody continued to rock, in nervous excitement, but not once had I seenher raise her eyes from the stone of the rude hearth that covered nearlyone-half of the room. The fire had nearly burned down, and no onereplenishing the brush which fed it, a flickering flame aloneremained to cast its wavering light over the forms of these twoconscience-stricken creatures, rendering them still more mysterious andforbidding. Lowiny had indeed lighted a thin, miserable candle oftallow, such as one usually sees in the lowest habitations; but it wasplaced aside, in order to be removed from before the sight of thesupposed slumberer, and added but little to the light of the room.Notwithstanding, I could and did see all I have described, stopping forsome little time at a point that commanded a view of the interior of thehouse.
Of Dus, I could ascertain but little. She was nearly immovable at thebedside of her uncle, but her countenance was veiled from view.Suddenly, and it was at one of those moments when I had stopped in frontof the building, she dropped on her knees, buried her face in thecoverlet, and became lost in prayer. Prudence started as she saw thisact; then she arose, after the fashion of those who imagine they havecontributed to the simplicity, and consequently to the beauty ofworship, by avoiding the ceremony of kneeling to Almighty God, and stooderect, moving to and fro, as before, her tall, gaunt figure, resemblingsome half-decayed hemlock of the adjacent forest, that has lost thegreater portion of its verdure, rocked by a tempest. I was touched,notwithstanding, at this silent evidence that the woman retained some ofthe respect and feeling for the services of the Deity, which, thoughstrangely blended with fanaticism and a pertinacious self-righteousness,no doubt had a large influence in bringing those who belonged to herrace, across the Atlantic, some five or six generations previously toher own.
It was just at this instant that I recognized the voice of Tobit, as headvanced toward the group composed of his brethren; and speaking to hiswife, who accompanied him as far as his father's habitation, and thereleft him, apparently to return to her own. I did not distinguish whatwas said, but the squatter spoke sullenly, and in the tone of one whosehumor was menacing. Believing that I might meet with some rudeness of aprovoking character from this man, should he see me walking about in themanner I had now been doing for near a quarter of an hour, ere he hadthe matter explained, I thought it wisest to enter the building, andeffect an object I had in view, by holding a brief conversation withThousandacres.
This determination was no sooner formed than I put it in execution;trusting that the patience of the Indian, and Jaap's habits ofobedience, would prevent anything like an outbreak from them, withoutorders. As I re-entered the room, Dus was still on her knees, andPrudence continued erect, oscillating as before, with her eyes rivetedon the hearth. Lowiny stood near the bed, and I thought, like hermother, she was in some measure mingling in spirit with the prayer.
"Thousandacres," I commenced in a low voice, drawing quite near thesquatter, and succeeding in causing him to look at me, by myaddress--"Thousandacres, this has been a most melancholy business, buteverything should be done that can be done, to repair the evil. Will younot send a messenger through to the 'Nest, to obtain the aid of thephysician?"
"Doctors can do but little good to a wound made by a rifle that wasfired so cluss, young man. I want no doctors here, to betray me and mineto the law."
"Nay, your messenger can keep your secret; and I will give him gold toinduce the physician to come, and come at once. He can be told that I amaccidentally hurt, and might still reach us to be of service inalleviating pain; I confess there is no hope for anything else."
"Men must take their chances," coldly returned that obdurate being."Them that live in the woods, take woodsmen's luck; and them that livein the open country, the open country luck. My family and lumber must bepresarved at all risks; and no doctor shall come here."
What was to be done--what _could_ be done, with such a being? Allprinciple, all sense of right, was concentrated in self--in his moralsystem. It was as impossible to make him see the side of any questionthat was opposed to his interests, fancied or real, as it was to givesight to the physically blind. I had hoped contrition was at work uponhim, and that some advantage might be obtained through the agency of sopowerful a mediator; but no sooner was his dull nature aroused intoanything like action, than it took the direction of selfishness, as theneedle points to the pole.
Disgusted at this exhibition of the most confirmed trait of thesquatter's character, I was in the act of moving from him, when a loudshout arose around the building, and the flashes and reports of three orfour rifles were heard. Rushing to the door, I was in time to hear thetramp of men, who seemed to me to be pushing forward in all directions;and the crack of the rifle was occasionally heard, apparently retiringtoward the woods. Men called to each other, in the excitement of a chaseand conflict; but I could gain no information, the body of darknesswhich had settled on the place having completely hidden everything fromview, at any distance.
In this state of most painful doubt I continued for five or six minutes,the noise of the chase receding the whole time, when a man came rushingup to the door of the hut where I stood, and, seizing my hand, I foundit was Frank Malbone. The succor, then, had arrived, and I was no longera captive.
"God be praised! you at least are safe," cried Malbone. "But my dearsister?"
"Is there unharmed, watching by the side of her uncle's dying bed. Isany one hurt without?"
"That is more than I can tell you. Your black acted as guide, andbrought us down on the place so skilfully, that it was not my intentionto resort to arms at all, since we might have captured all the squatterswithout firing a shot, had my orders been observed. But a rifle _was_discharged from behind a stump, and this drew a volley from the enemy.Some of our side returned the discharge, and the squatters then took toflight. The firing you have just heard is scattered discharges that havecome from both sides, and can be only sound, as any aim is impossible inthis obscurity. My own piece has not even been cocked, and I regret arifle has been fired."
"Perhaps all is then w
ell, and we have driven off our enemies withoutdoing them any harm. Are you strong enough to keep them at a distance?"
"Perfectly so; we are a posse of near thirty men, led by anunder-sheriff and a magistrate. All we wanted was a direction to thisspot, to have arrived some hours earlier."
I groaned in spirit at hearing this, since those few hours might havesaved the life of poor Chainbearer. As it was, however, this rescue wasthe subject of grateful rejoicing, and one of the happiest moments of mylife was that in which I saw Dus fall on her brother's bosom and burstinto tears. I was at their side, in the doorway of the hut, when thismeeting took place; and Dus held out a hand affectionately to me, as shewithdrew herself from her brother's arms. Frank Malbone looked a littlesurprised at this act; but, anxious to see and speak to Chainbearer, hepassed into the building, and approached the bed. Dus and I followed;for the shouts and firing had reached the ears of the wounded man, andAndries was anxious to learn their meaning. The sight of Malbone let himinto a general knowledge of the state of the facts; but a strong anxietywas depicted in his falling countenance, as he looked toward me forinformation.
"What is it, Mortaunt?" he asked, with considerable strength of voice,his interest in the answer probably stimulating his physical powers."What is it, poy? I hope t'ere hast peen no useless fightin' on accountof a poor olt man like me, who hast seen his t'reescore years ant ten,ant who owest to his Maker t'e life t'at wast grantet to him seventylong years ago. I hope no one hast peen injuret in so poor a cause."
"We know of no one beside yourself, Chainbearer, who has been hurtto-night. The firing you have heard, comes from the party of FrankMalbone, which has just arrived, and which has driven off the squattersby noise more than by any harm that has been done them."
"Got pe praiset! Got pe praiset! I am glat to see Frank pefore I tie,first to take leaf of him, as an olt frient, ant secontly to place hissister, Dus, in his care. T'ey haf wantet to gif Dus one of t'esesquatters for a huspant, by way of making peace petween t'ieves andhonest people. T'at woult nefer do, Frank, as you well know Dus ist t'eta'ghter of a gentleman, ant t'e ta'ghter of a laty; ant she ist agentlewoman herself, ant ist not to pe marriet to a coarse, rute,illiterate, vulgar squatter. Wast I young, ant wast I not t'e gal'suncle, I shoult not venture to s'pose I coult make her a fit companionmyself, peing too little edicated ant instructed to pe the huspant ofone like Dus Malpone."
"There is no fear now, that any such calamity can befall my sister, mydear Chainbearer," answered Frank Malbone. "Nor do I think any threatsor dangers could so far intimidate Dus, as to cause her to plight herfaith to any man she did not love or respect. They would have found mysister difficult to coerce."
"It ist pest as it ist, Frank--yes, it ist pest as it ist. T'esesquatters are fery sat rascals, ant woult not pe apt to stop at trifles.Ant, now we are on t'is supject, I wilt say a wort more consarnin' yoursister. I see she hast gone out of t'e hut to weep, ant she wilt nothear what I haf to say. Here ist Mortaunt Littlepage, who says he lofesDus more ast man efer lovet woman pefore--" Frank started, and I fanciedthat his countenance grew dark--"ant what ist nat'ral enough, when a mandost truly lofe a woman in t'at tegree, he wishes fery, fery much tomarry her"--Frank's countenance brightened immediately, and seeing myhand extended toward him, he grasped it and gave it a most cordialpressure. "Now, Mortaunt woult pe an excellent match for Dus--a mostcapital match, for he ist young ant goot lookin', ant prave, anthonoraple, ant sensiple, ant rich, all of which pe fery goot t'ings inmatrimony; put, on t'e ot'er hant, he has a fat'er, ant a mot'er, antsisters, ant it ist nat'ral, too, t'at t'ey shoult not like, overmuch,to haf a son ant a prot'er marry a gal t'at hasn't anyt'ing put a set ofchains, a new compass, ant a few fielt articles t'at wilt fall to hershare a'ter my teat'. No, no; we must t'ink of t'e honor of t'eCoejemans ant t'e Malpones, ant not let our peloved gal go into a familyt'at may not want her."
I could see that Frank Malbone smiled, though sadly, as he listened tothis warning; for, on him, it made little or no impression, since he wasgenerous enough to judge me by himself, and did not believe any suchmercenary considerations would influence my course. I felt differently,however. Obstinacy in opinion, was one of the weak points inChainbearer's character, and I saw the danger of his leaving thesesentiments as a legacy to Dus. She, indeed, had been the first toentertain them, and to communicate them to her uncle, and they mightrevive in her when she came to reflect on the true condition of things,and become confirmed by the dying requests of her uncle. It is true,that in our own interview, when I obtained from the dear girl theprecious confession of her love, no such obstacle seemed to exist, butboth of us appeared to look forward with confidence to our future unionas to a thing certain; but at that moment, Dus was excited by mydeclarations of the most ardent and unutterable attachment, and led awayby the strength of her own feelings. We were in the delirium of delightproduced by mutual confidence, and the full assurance of mutual love,when Thousandacres came upon us, to carry us to the scenes of woe bywhich we had been, and were still, in a degree, surrounded. Under suchcircumstances, one might well fall under the influence of feelings andemotions that would prove to be more controllable in cooler moments. Itwas all-important, then, for me to set Chainbearer right in the matter,and to have a care he did not quit us, leaving the two persons he mostloved on earth, very unnecessarily miserable, and that solely on accountof the strength of his own prejudices. Nevertheless, the moment was notfavorable to pursue such a purpose, and I was reflecting bitterly on thefuture, when we were all startled by a heavy groan that seemed to comeout of the very depths of the chest of the squatter.
Frank and I turned instinctively toward the chimney, on hearing thisunlooked-for interruption. The chair of Prudence was vacant, the womanhaving rushed from the hut at the first sound of the recent alarm; mostprobably in quest of her younger children. But Thousandacres remained inthe very seat he had now occupied nearly, if not quite, two hours. Iobserved, however, that his form was not as erect as when previouslyseen. It had sunk lower in the chair, while his chin hung down upon hisbreast. Advancing nearer, a small pool of blood was seen on the stonesbeneath him, and a short examination told Malbone and myself, that arifle-bullet had passed directly through his body, in a straight line,and that only three inches above the hips!