CHAPTER IX.
_Crusoe acts a conspicuous and humane part_--_A friend gained_--_Agreat feast_.
When the foot-race was concluded the three hunters hung about lookingon at the various games for some time, and then strolled towards thelake.
"Ye may be thankful yer neck's whole," said Joe, grinning, as Henrirubbed his shoulder with a rueful look. "An' we'll have to send thatInjun and his family a knife and some beads to make up for the frightthey got."
"Ha! an' fat is to be give to me for my broke shoulder?"
"Credit, man, credit," said Dick Varley, laughing.
"Credit! fat is dat?"
"Honour and glory, lad, and the praises of them savages."
"Ha! de praise? more probeebale de ill-vill of de rascale. I seed demscowl at me not ver' pritty."
"That's true, Henri; but sich as it is it's all ye'll git."
"I vish," remarked Henri after a pause--"I vish I could git de vampumbelt de leetle chief had on. It vas superb. Fat place do vampums comefrom?"
"They're shells--"
"Oui," interrupted Henri; "I know _fat_ dey is. Dey is shells, and deInjuns tink dem goot monish, mais I ask you _fat place_ de come from."
"They are thought to be gathered on the shores o' the Pacific," saidJoe. "The Injuns on the west o' the Rocky Mountains picks them up andexchanges them wi' the fellows hereaway for horses and skins--so I'mtold."
At this moment there was a wild cry of terror heard a short distanceahead of them. Rushing forward they observed an Indian woman flyingfrantically down the river's bank towards the waterfall, a hundredyards above which an object was seen struggling in the water.
"'Tis her child," cried Joe, as the mother's frantic cry reached hisear. "It'll be over the fall in a minute! Run, Dick, you're quickest."
They had all started forward at speed, but Dick and Crusoe were farahead, and abreast of the spot in a few seconds.
"Save it, pup," cried Dick, pointing to the child, which had beencaught in an eddy, and was for a few moments hovering on the edge ofthe stream that rushed impetuously towards the fall.
The noble Newfoundland did not require to be told what to do. It seemsa natural instinct in this sagacious species of dog to save man orbeast that chances to be struggling in the water, and many are theauthentic stories related of Newfoundland dogs saving life in casesof shipwreck. Indeed, they are regularly trained to the work in somecountries; and nobly, fearlessly, disinterestedly do they dischargetheir trust, often in the midst of appalling dangers. Crusoe sprangfrom the bank with such impetus that his broad chest ploughed upthe water like the bow of a boat, and the energetic workings of hismuscles were indicated by the force of each successive propulsion ashe shot ahead.
In a few seconds he reached the child and caught it by the hair. Thenhe turned to swim back, but the stream had got hold of him. Bravely hestruggled, and lifted the child breast-high out of the water in hispowerful efforts to stem the current. In vain. Each moment he wascarried inch by inch down until he was on the brink of the fall,which, though not high, was a large body of water and fell with aheavy roar. He raised himself high out of the stream with the vigourof his last struggle, and then fell back into the abyss.
By this time the poor mother was in a canoe as close to the fall asshe could with safety approach, and the little bark danced like acockle-shell on the turmoil of waters as she stood with upliftedpaddle and staring eyeballs awaiting the rising of the child.
Crusoe came up almost instantly, but _alone_, for the dash over thefall had wrenched the child from his teeth. He raised himself high up,and looked anxiously round for a moment. Then he caught sight of alittle hand raised above the boiling flood. In one moment he had thechild again by the hair, and just as the prow of the Indian woman'scanoe touched the shore he brought the child to land.
Springing towards him, the mother snatched her child from the flood,and gazed at its death-like face with eyeballs starting from theirsockets. Then she laid her cheek on its cold breast, and stood like astatue of despair. There was one slight pulsation of the heart anda gentle motion of the hand! The child still lived. Opening up herblanket she laid her little one against her naked, warm bosom, drewthe covering close around it, and sitting down on the bank wept aloudfor joy.
"Come--come 'way quick," cried Henri, hurrying off to hide the emotionwhich he could not crush down.
"Ay, she don't need our help now," said Joe, following his comrade.
As for Crusoe, he walked along by his master's side with his usualquiet, serene look of good-will towards all mankind. Doubtless afeeling of gladness at having saved a human life filled his shaggybreast, for he wagged his tail gently after each shake of his drippingsides; but his meek eyes were downcast, save when raised to receivethe welcome and unusually fervent caress. Crusoe did not know thatthose three men loved him as though he had been a brother.
On their way back to the village the hunters were met by a little boy,who said that a council was to be held immediately, and their presencewas requested.
The council was held in the tent of the principal chief, towards whichall the other chiefs and many of the noted braves hurried. Like allIndian councils, it was preceded by smoking the "medicine pipe,"and was followed by speeches from several of the best orators. Thesubstance of the discourse differed little from what has been alreadyrelated in reference to the treaty between the Pale-faces, and uponthe whole it was satisfactory. But Joe Blunt could not fail to noticethat Mahtawa maintained sullen silence during the whole course of themeeting.
He observed also that there was a considerable change in the toneof the meeting when he informed them that he was bound on a similarerrand of peace to several of the other tribes, especially to one ortwo tribes which were the Pawnees' bitter enemies at that time. Thesegrasping savages having quite made up their minds that they wereto obtain the entire contents of the two bales of goods, were muchmortified on hearing that part was to go to other Indian tribes. Someof them even hinted that this would not be allowed, and Joe feared atone time that things were going to take an unfavourable turn. The hairof his scalp, as he afterwards said, "began to lift a little and feeloneasy." But San-it-sa-rish stood honestly to his word, said that itwould be well that the Pale-faces and the Pawnees should be brothers,and hoped that they would not forget the promise of annual presentsfrom the hand of the great chief who lived in the big village near therising sun.
Having settled this matter amicably, Joe distributed among the Indiansthe proportion of his goods designed for them; and then they alladjourned to another tent, where a great feast was prepared for them.
"Are ye hungry?" inquired Joe of Dick as they walked along.
"Ay, that am I. I feel as if I could eat a buffalo alive. Why, it's my'pinion we've tasted nothin' since daybreak-this mornin'."
"Well, I've often told ye that them Redskins think it a disgrace togive in eatin' till all that's set before them at a feast is bolted.We'll ha' to stretch oursel's, we will."
"I'se got a plenty room," remarked Henri.
"Ye have, but ye'll wish ye had more in a little."
"Bien, I not care!"
In quarter of an hour all the guests invited to this great "medicinefeast" were assembled. No women were admitted. They never are atIndian feasts.
We may remark in passing that the word "medicine," as used among theNorth American Indians, has a very much wider signification than ithas with us. It is an almost inexplicable word. When asked, theycannot give a full or satisfactory explanation of it themselves. Inthe general, we may say that whatever is mysterious is "medicine."Jugglery and conjuring, of a noisy, mysterious, and, we must add,rather silly nature, is "medicine," and the juggler is a "medicineman." These medicine men undertake cures; but they are regularcharlatans, and know nothing whatever of the diseases they pretendto cure or their remedies. They carry bags containing sundry relics;these are "medicine bags." Every brave has his own private medicinebag. Everything that is incomprehensible, or supposed to besupernatural
, religious, or medical, is "medicine." This feast, beingan unusual one, in honour of strangers, and in connection with apeculiar and unexpected event, was "medicine." Even Crusoe, since hisgallant conduct in saving the Indian child, was "medicine;" and DickVarley's double-barrelled rifle, which had been an object of wonderever since his arrival at the village, was tremendous "medicine!"
Of course the Indians were arrayed in their best. Several worenecklaces of the claws of the grizzly bear, of which they areextremely proud; and a gaudily picturesque group they were. The chief,however, had undergone a transformation that well-nigh upset thegravity of our hunters, and rendered Dick's efforts to look solemnquite abortive. San-it-sa-rish had once been to the trading-forts ofthe Pale-faces, and while there had received the customary gift ofa blue surtout with brass buttons, and an ordinary hat, such asgentlemen wear at home. As the coat was a good deal too small for him,a terrible length of dark, bony wrist appeared below the cuffs. Thewaist was too high, and it was with great difficulty that he managedto button the garment across his broad chest. Being ignorant of thenature of a hat, the worthy savage had allowed the paper and stringwith which it had been originally covered to remain on, supposing themto be part and parcel of the hat; and this, together with the highcollar of the coat, which gave him a crushed-up appearance, thelong black naked legs, and the painted visage, gave to him a _toutensemble_ which we can compare to nothing, as there was nothing innature comparable to it.
Those guests who assembled first passed their time in smoking themedicine pipe until the others should arrive, for so long as a singleinvited guest is absent the feast cannot begin. Dignified silence wasmaintained while the pipe thus circulated from hand to hand. When thelast guest arrived they began.
The men were seated in two rows, face to face. Feasts of this kindusually consist of but one species of food, and on the presentoccasion it was an enormous caldron full of maize which had to bedevoured. About fifty sat down to eat a quantity of what may be termedthick porridge that would have been ample allowance for a hundredordinary men. Before commencing, San-it-sa-rish desired an agedmedicine man to make an oration, which he did fluently and poetically.Its subject was the praise of the giver of the feast. At the end ofeach period there was a general "hou! hou!" of assent--equivalent tothe "hear! hear!" of civilized men.
Other orators then followed, all of whom spoke with great ease andfluency, and some in the most impassioned strains, working themselvesand their audience up to the highest pitch of excitement, now shoutingwith frenzied violence till their eyes glared from their sockets andthe veins of their foreheads swelled almost to bursting as they spokeof war and chase, anon breaking into soft modulated and pleasing toneswhile they dilated upon the pleasures of peace and hospitality.
After these had finished, a number of wooden bowls full of maizeporridge were put down between the guests--one bowl to each couplefacing each other. But before commencing a portion was laid aside anddedicated to their gods, with various mysterious ceremonies; for here,as in other places where the gospel is not known, the poor savagesfancied that they could propitiate God with sacrifices. They had neverheard of the "sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart." Thisoffering being made, the feast began in earnest. Not only was it arule in this feast that every mouthful should be swallowed by eachguest, however unwilling and unable he should be to do so, but hewho could dispose of it with greatest speed was deemed the greatestman--at least on that occasion--while the last to conclude his supperwas looked upon with some degree of contempt!
It seems strange that such a custom should ever have arisen, and oneis not a little puzzled in endeavouring to guess at the origin of it.There is one fact that occurs to us as the probable cause. The Indianis, as we have before hinted, frequently reduced to a statebordering on starvation, and in a day after he may be burdened withsuperabundance of food. He oftentimes therefore eats as much as he canstuff into his body when he is blessed with plenty, so as to be thebetter able to withstand the attacks of hunger that may possibly bein store for him. The amount that an Indian will thus eat at a singlemeal is incredible. He seems to have the power of distending himselffor the reception of a quantity that would kill a civilized man.Children in particular become like tightly inflated little balloonsafter a feast, and as they wear no clothing, the extraordinaryrotundity is very obvious, not to say ridiculous. We concludetherefore that unusual powers of gormandizing, being useful, come atlast to be cultivated as praiseworthy.
By good fortune Dick and Joe Blunt happened to have such enormousgluttons as _vis-a-vis_ that the portions of their respective bowlswhich they could not devour were gobbled up for them. By good capacityand digestion, with no small amount of effort, Henri managed todispose of his own share; but he was last of being done, and fell inthe savages' esteem greatly. The way in which that sticky compost ofboiled maize went down was absolutely amazing. The man opposite Dick,in particular, was a human boa-constrictor. He well-nigh suffocatedDick with suppressed laughter. He was a great raw-boned savage, with athroat of indiarubber, and went quickly and quietly on swallowing massafter mass with the solemn gravity of an owl. It mattered not a strawto him that Dick took comparatively small mouthfuls, and nearly chokedon them too for want of liquid to wash them down. Had Dick eaten noneat all he would have uncomplainingly disposed of the whole. Jack theGiant-Killer's feats were nothing to his; and when at last the bowlwas empty, he stopped short like a machine from which the steam hadbeen suddenly cut off, and laid down his buffalo horn-spoon _without_a sigh.
Dick sighed, though with relief and gratitude, when his bowl wasempty.
"I hope I may never have to do it again," said Joe that night as theywended their way back to the chief's tent after supper. "I wouldn't befit for anything for a week arter it."
Dick could only laugh, for any allusion to the feast instantly broughtback that owl-like gourmand to whom he was so deeply indebted.
Henri groaned. "Oh! mes boy, I am speechless! I am ready for bust!Oui--hah! I veesh it vas to-morrow."
Many a time that night did Henri "veesh it vas to-morrow," as he layhelpless on his back, looking up through the roof of the chief's tentat the stars, and listening enviously to the plethoric snoring of JoeBlunt.
He was entertained, however, during those waking hours with a serenadesuch as few civilized ears ever listen to. This was nothing else thana vocal concert performed by all the dogs of the village, and as theyamounted to nearly two thousand the orchestra was a pretty full one.
These wretches howled as if they had all gone mad. Yet there was"method in their madness;" for they congregated in a crowd beforebeginning, and sat down on their haunches. Then one, which seemed tobe the conductor, raised his snout to the sky and uttered a long, low,melancholy wail. The others took it up by twos and threes, until thewhole pack had their noses pointing to the stars and their throatsdistended to the uttermost, while a prolonged yell filled the air.Then it sank gradually, one or two (bad performers probably) makinga yelping attempt to get it up again at the wrong time. Again theconductor raised his nose, and out it came--full swing. There was novociferous barking. It was simple wolfish howling increased in fervourto an electric yell, with slight barks running continuously through itlike an obbligato accompaniment.
When Crusoe first heard the unwonted sound he sprang to his feet,bristled up like a hyena, showed all his teeth, and bounded out of thetent blazing with indignation and astonishment. When he found out whatit was he returned quite sleek, and with a look of profound contempton his countenance as he resumed his place by his master's side andwent to sleep.