CHAPTER 19
"Salar.--Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh; what's that good for? Shy.--To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my revenge." --Merchant of Venice
The shades of evening had come to increase the dreariness of the place,when the party entered the ruins of William Henry. The scout and hiscompanions immediately made their preparations to pass the night there;but with an earnestness and sobriety of demeanor that betrayed howmuch the unusual horrors they had just witnessed worked on even theirpractised feelings. A few fragments of rafters were reared against ablackened wall; and when Uncas had covered them slightly with brush,the temporary accommodations were deemed sufficient. The young Indianpointed toward his rude hut when his labor was ended; and Heyward, whounderstood the meaning of the silent gestures, gently urged Munro toenter. Leaving the bereaved old man alone with his sorrows, Duncanimmediately returned into the open air, too much excited himself to seekthe repose he had recommended to his veteran friend.
While Hawkeye and the Indians lighted their fire and took theirevening's repast, a frugal meal of dried bear's meat, the young man paida visit to that curtain of the dilapidated fort which looked out on thesheet of the Horican. The wind had fallen, and the waves were alreadyrolling on the sandy beach beneath him, in a more regular and temperedsuccession. The clouds, as if tired of their furious chase, werebreaking asunder; the heavier volumes, gathering in black masses aboutthe horizon, while the lighter scud still hurried above the water, oreddied among the tops of the mountains, like broken flights of birds,hovering around their roosts. Here and there, a red and fiery starstruggled through the drifting vapor, furnishing a lurid gleam ofbrightness to the dull aspect of the heavens. Within the bosom of theencircling hills, an impenetrable darkness had already settled; andthe plain lay like a vast and deserted charnel-house, without omen orwhisper to disturb the slumbers of its numerous and hapless tenants.
Of this scene, so chillingly in accordance with the past, Duncan stoodfor many minutes a rapt observer. His eyes wandered from the bosom ofthe mound, where the foresters were seated around their glimmering fire,to the fainter light which still lingered in the skies, and then restedlong and anxiously on the embodied gloom, which lay like a drearyvoid on that side of him where the dead reposed. He soon fancied thatinexplicable sounds arose from the place, though so indistinct andstolen, as to render not only their nature but even their existenceuncertain. Ashamed of his apprehensions, the young man turned toward thewater, and strove to divert his attention to the mimic stars that dimlyglimmered on its moving surface. Still, his too-conscious ears performedtheir ungrateful duty, as if to warn him of some lurking danger. Atlength, a swift trampling seemed, quite audibly, to rush athwart thedarkness. Unable any longer to quiet his uneasiness, Duncan spoke in alow voice to the scout, requesting him to ascend the mound to the placewhere he stood. Hawkeye threw his rifle across an arm and complied, butwith an air so unmoved and calm, as to prove how much he counted on thesecurity of their position.
"Listen!" said Duncan, when the other placed himself deliberately at hiselbow; "there are suppressed noises on the plain which may show Montcalmhas not yet entirely deserted his conquest."
"Then ears are better than eyes," said the undisturbed scout, who,having just deposited a portion of a bear between his grinders, spokethick and slow, like one whose mouth was doubly occupied. "I myself sawhim caged in Ty, with all his host; for your Frenchers, when theyhave done a clever thing, like to get back, and have a dance, or amerry-making, with the women over their success."
"I know not. An Indian seldom sleeps in war, and plunder may keep aHuron here after his tribe has departed. It would be well to extinguishthe fire, and have a watch--listen! you hear the noise I mean!"
"An Indian more rarely lurks about the graves. Though ready to slay, andnot over regardful of the means, he is commonly content with the scalp,unless when blood is hot, and temper up; but after spirit is once fairlygone, he forgets his enmity, and is willing to let the dead find theirnatural rest. Speaking of spirits, major, are you of opinion that theheaven of a red-skin and of us whites will be of one and the same?"
"No doubt--no doubt. I thought I heard it again! or was it the rustlingof the leaves in the top of the beech?"
"For my own part," continued Hawkeye, turning his face for a momentin the direction indicated by Heyward, but with a vacant and carelessmanner, "I believe that paradise is ordained for happiness; and thatmen will be indulged in it according to their dispositions and gifts.I, therefore, judge that a red-skin is not far from the truth whenhe believes he is to find them glorious hunting grounds of which histraditions tell; nor, for that matter, do I think it would be anydisparagement to a man without a cross to pass his time--"
"You hear it again?" interrupted Duncan.
"Ay, ay; when food is scarce, and when food is plenty, a wolf growsbold," said the unmoved scout. "There would be picking, too, among theskins of the devils, if there was light and time for the sport. But,concerning the life that is to come, major; I have heard preachers say,in the settlements, that heaven was a place of rest. Now, men's mindsdiffer as to their ideas of enjoyment. For myself, and I say it withreverence to the ordering of Providence, it would be no great indulgenceto be kept shut up in those mansions of which they preach, having anatural longing for motion and the chase."
Duncan, who was now made to understand the nature of the noise he hadheard, answered, with more attention to the subject which the humor ofthe scout had chosen for discussion, by saying:
"It is difficult to account for the feelings that may attend the lastgreat change."
"It would be a change, indeed, for a man who has passed his days inthe open air," returned the single-minded scout; "and who has so oftenbroken his fast on the head waters of the Hudson, to sleep within soundof the roaring Mohawk. But it is a comfort to know we serve a mercifulMaster, though we do it each after his fashion, and with great tracts ofwilderness atween us--what goes there?"
"Is it not the rushing of the wolves you have mentioned?"
Hawkeye slowly shook his head, and beckoned for Duncan to follow himto a spot to which the glare from the fire did not extend. When hehad taken this precaution, the scout placed himself in an attitude ofintense attention and listened long and keenly for a repetition of thelow sound that had so unexpectedly startled him. His vigilance, however,seemed exercised in vain; for after a fruitless pause, he whispered toDuncan:
"We must give a call to Uncas. The boy has Indian senses, and he mayhear what is hid from us; for, being a white-skin, I will not deny mynature."
The young Mohican, who was conversing in a low voice with his father,started as he heard the moaning of an owl, and, springing on his feet,he looked toward the black mounds, as if seeking the place whence thesounds proceeded. The scout repeated the call, and in a few moments,Duncan saw the figure of Uncas stealing cautiously along the rampart, tothe spot where they stood.
Hawkeye explained his wishes in a very few words, which were spoken inthe Delaware tongue. So soon as Uncas was in possession of the reasonwhy he was summoned, he threw himself flat on the turf; where, to theeyes of Duncan, he appeared to lie quiet and motionless. Surprised atthe immovable attitude of the young warrior, and curious to observethe manner in which he employed his faculties to obtain the desiredinformation, Heyward advanced a few steps, and bent over the dark objecton which he had kept his eye riveted. Then it was he discovered that theform of Uncas vanished, and that he beheld only the dark outline of aninequality in the embankment.
"What has become of the Mohican?" he demanded of the scout, steppingback in amazement; "it was here that I saw him fall, and could havesworn that here he yet remained."
"Hist! speak lower; for we know not what ears are open, and the Mingoesare a quick-witted breed. As for Uncas, he is out on the plain, and theMaquas, if any such are about us, will find their equal."
"You think that Montcalm has not called
off all his Indians? Let us givethe alarm to our companions, that we may stand to our arms. Here arefive of us, who are not unused to meet an enemy."
"Not a word to either, as you value your life. Look at the Sagamore, howlike a grand Indian chief he sits by the fire. If there are any skulkersout in the darkness, they will never discover, by his countenance, thatwe suspect danger at hand."
"But they may discover him, and it will prove his death. His person canbe too plainly seen by the light of that fire, and he will become thefirst and most certain victim."
"It is undeniable that now you speak the truth," returned the scout,betraying more anxiety than was usual; "yet what can be done? A singlesuspicious look might bring on an attack before we are ready to receiveit. He knows, by the call I gave to Uncas, that we have struck a scent;I will tell him that we are on the trail of the Mingoes; his Indiannature will teach him how to act."
The scout applied his fingers to his mouth, and raised a low hissingsound, that caused Duncan at first to start aside, believing that heheard a serpent. The head of Chingachgook was resting on a hand, as hesat musing by himself but the moment he had heard the warning of theanimal whose name he bore, he arose to an upright position, and his darkeyes glanced swiftly and keenly on every side of him. With his suddenand, perhaps, involuntary movement, every appearance of surprise oralarm ended. His rifle lay untouched, and apparently unnoticed, withinreach of his hand. The tomahawk that he had loosened in his belt for thesake of ease, was even suffered to fall from its usual situation to theground, and his form seemed to sink, like that of a man whose nervesand sinews were suffered to relax for the purpose of rest. Cunninglyresuming his former position, though with a change of hands, as if themovement had been made merely to relieve the limb, the native awaitedthe result with a calmness and fortitude that none but an Indian warriorwould have known how to exercise.
But Heyward saw that while to a less instructed eye the Mohican chiefappeared to slumber, his nostrils were expanded, his head was turned alittle to one side, as if to assist the organs of hearing, and that hisquick and rapid glances ran incessantly over every object within thepower of his vision.
"See the noble fellow!" whispered Hawkeye, pressing the arm of Heyward;"he knows that a look or a motion might disconsart our schemes, and putus at the mercy of them imps--"
He was interrupted by the flash and report of a rifle. The air wasfilled with sparks of fire, around that spot where the eyes of Heywardwere still fastened, with admiration and wonder. A second look told himthat Chingachgook had disappeared in the confusion. In the meantime, thescout had thrown forward his rifle, like one prepared for service, andawaited impatiently the moment when an enemy might rise to view.But with the solitary and fruitless attempt made on the life ofChingachgook, the attack appeared to have terminated. Once or twice thelisteners thought they could distinguish the distant rustling of bushes,as bodies of some unknown description rushed through them; nor was itlong before Hawkeye pointed out the "scampering of the wolves," as theyfled precipitately before the passage of some intruder on their properdomains. After an impatient and breathless pause, a plunge was heardin the water, and it was immediately followed by the report of anotherrifle.
"There goes Uncas!" said the scout; "the boy bears a smart piece! I knowits crack, as well as a father knows the language of his child, for Icarried the gun myself until a better offered."
"What can this mean?" demanded Duncan, "we are watched, and, as it wouldseem, marked for destruction."
"Yonder scattered brand can witness that no good was intended, and thisIndian will testify that no harm has been done," returned the scout,dropping his rifle across his arm again, and following Chingachgook, whojust then reappeared within the circle of light, into the bosom of thework. "How is it, Sagamore? Are the Mingoes upon us in earnest, or is itonly one of those reptiles who hang upon the skirts of a war-party,to scalp the dead, go in, and make their boast among the squaws of thevaliant deeds done on the pale faces?"
Chingachgook very quietly resumed his seat; nor did he make any reply,until after he had examined the firebrand which had been struck bythe bullet that had nearly proved fatal to himself. After which he wascontent to reply, holding a single finger up to view, with the Englishmonosyllable:
"One."
"I thought as much," returned Hawkeye, seating himself; "and as he hadgot the cover of the lake afore Uncas pulled upon him, it is more thanprobable the knave will sing his lies about some great ambushment,in which he was outlying on the trail of two Mohicans and a whitehunter--for the officers can be considered as little better than idlersin such a scrimmage. Well, let him--let him. There are always somehonest men in every nation, though heaven knows, too, that they arescarce among the Maquas, to look down an upstart when he brags ag'in theface of reason. The varlet sent his lead within whistle of your ears,Sagamore."
Chingachgook turned a calm and incurious eye toward the place where theball had struck, and then resumed his former attitude, with a composurethat could not be disturbed by so trifling an incident. Just then Uncasglided into the circle, and seated himself at the fire, with the sameappearance of indifference as was maintained by his father.
Of these several moments Heyward was a deeply interested and wonderingobserver. It appeared to him as though the foresters had some secretmeans of intelligence, which had escaped the vigilance of his ownfaculties. In place of that eager and garrulous narration with whicha white youth would have endeavored to communicate, and perhapsexaggerate, that which had passed out in the darkness of the plain,the young warrior was seemingly content to let his deeds speak forthemselves. It was, in fact, neither the moment nor the occasion for anIndian to boast of his exploits; and it is probably that, had Heywardneglected to inquire, not another syllable would, just then, have beenuttered on the subject.
"What has become of our enemy, Uncas?" demanded Duncan; "we heard yourrifle, and hoped you had not fired in vain."
The young chief removed a fold of his hunting skirt, and quietlyexposed the fatal tuft of hair, which he bore as the symbol of victory.Chingachgook laid his hand on the scalp, and considered it for a momentwith deep attention. Then dropping it, with disgust depicted in hisstrong features, he ejaculated:
"Oneida!"
"Oneida!" repeated the scout, who was fast losing his interest in thescene, in an apathy nearly assimilated to that of his red associates,but who now advanced in uncommon earnestness to regard the bloody badge."By the Lord, if the Oneidas are outlying upon the trail, we shall byflanked by devils on every side of us! Now, to white eyes there is nodifference between this bit of skin and that of any other Indian, andyet the Sagamore declares it came from the poll of a Mingo; nay, he evennames the tribe of the poor devil, with as much ease as if the scalp wasthe leaf of a book, and each hair a letter. What right have Christianwhites to boast of their learning, when a savage can read a languagethat would prove too much for the wisest of them all! What say you, lad,of what people was the knave?"
Uncas raised his eyes to the face of the scout, and answered, in hissoft voice:
"Oneida."
"Oneida, again! when one Indian makes a declaration it is commonly true;but when he is supported by his people, set it down as gospel!"
"The poor fellow has mistaken us for French," said Heyward; "or he wouldnot have attempted the life of a friend."
"He mistake a Mohican in his paint for a Huron! You would be as likelyto mistake the white-coated grenadiers of Montcalm for the scarletjackets of the Royal Americans," returned the scout. "No, no, thesarpent knew his errand; nor was there any great mistake in the matter,for there is but little love atween a Delaware and a Mingo, let theirtribes go out to fight for whom they may, in a white quarrel. Forthat matter, though the Oneidas do serve his sacred majesty, who ismy sovereign lord and master, I should not have deliberated long aboutletting off 'killdeer' at the imp myself, had luck thrown him in myway."
"That would have been an abuse of our treaties, and unworthy of yourcharacter."
"When a man consort much with a people," continued Hawkeye, "if theywere honest and he no knave, love will grow up atwixt them. It is truethat white cunning has managed to throw the tribes into great confusion,as respects friends and enemies; so that the Hurons and the Oneidas, whospeak the same tongue, or what may be called the same, take each other'sscalps, and the Delawares are divided among themselves; a few hangingabout their great council-fire on their own river, and fighting on thesame side with the Mingoes while the greater part are in the Canadas,out of natural enmity to the Maquas--thus throwing everything intodisorder, and destroying all the harmony of warfare. Yet a red natur' isnot likely to alter with every shift of policy; so that the love atwixta Mohican and a Mingo is much like the regard between a white man and asarpent."
"I regret to hear it; for I had believed those natives who dwelt withinour boundaries had found us too just and liberal, not to identifythemselves fully with our quarrels."
"Why, I believe it is natur' to give a preference to one's own quarrelsbefore those of strangers. Now, for myself, I do love justice; and,therefore, I will not say I hate a Mingo, for that may be unsuitable tomy color and my religion, though I will just repeat, it may have beenowing to the night that 'killdeer' had no hand in the death of thisskulking Oneida."
Then, as if satisfied with the force of his own reasons, whatever mightbe their effect on the opinions of the other disputant, the honest butimplacable woodsman turned from the fire, content to let the controversyslumber. Heyward withdrew to the rampart, too uneasy and too littleaccustomed to the warfare of the woods to remain at ease under thepossibility of such insidious attacks. Not so, however, with the scoutand the Mohicans. Those acute and long-practised senses, whose powers sooften exceed the limits of all ordinary credulity, after having detectedthe danger, had enabled them to ascertain its magnitude and duration.Not one of the three appeared in the least to doubt their perfectsecurity, as was indicated by the preparations that were soon made tosit in council over their future proceedings.
The confusion of nations, and even of tribes, to which Hawkeye alluded,existed at that period in the fullest force. The great tie of language,and, of course, of a common origin, was severed in many places; and itwas one of its consequences, that the Delaware and the Mingo (as thepeople of the Six Nations were called) were found fighting in the sameranks, while the latter sought the scalp of the Huron, though believedto be the root of his own stock. The Delawares were even divided amongthemselves. Though love for the soil which had belonged to his ancestorskept the Sagamore of the Mohicans with a small band of followers whowere serving at Edward, under the banners of the English king, by farthe largest portion of his nation were known to be in the field asallies of Montcalm. The reader probably knows, if enough has not alreadybeen gleaned form this narrative, that the Delaware, or Lenape, claimedto be the progenitors of that numerous people, who once were mastersof most of the eastern and northern states of America, of whom thecommunity of the Mohicans was an ancient and highly honored member.
It was, of course, with a perfect understanding of the minute andintricate interests which had armed friend against friend, and broughtnatural enemies to combat by each other's side, that the scout and hiscompanions now disposed themselves to deliberate on the measures thatwere to govern their future movements, amid so many jarring and savageraces of men. Duncan knew enough of Indian customs to understandthe reason that the fire was replenished, and why the warriors, notexcepting Hawkeye, took their seats within the curl of its smoke withso much gravity and decorum. Placing himself at an angle of the works,where he might be a spectator of the scene without, he awaited theresult with as much patience as he could summon.
After a short and impressive pause, Chingachgook lighted a pipe whosebowl was curiously carved in one of the soft stones of the country,and whose stem was a tube of wood, and commenced smoking. When he hadinhaled enough of the fragrance of the soothing weed, he passed theinstrument into the hands of the scout. In this manner the pipe had madeits rounds three several times, amid the most profound silence, beforeeither of the party opened his lips. Then the Sagamore, as the oldestand highest in rank, in a few calm and dignified words, proposed thesubject for deliberation. He was answered by the scout; and Chingachgookrejoined, when the other objected to his opinions. But the youthfulUncas continued a silent and respectful listener, until Hawkeye, incomplaisance, demanded his opinion. Heyward gathered from the manners ofthe different speakers, that the father and son espoused one side of adisputed question, while the white man maintained the other. The contestgradually grew warmer, until it was quite evident the feelings of thespeakers began to be somewhat enlisted in the debate.
Notwithstanding the increasing warmth of the amicable contest, themost decorous Christian assembly, not even excepting those in which itsreverend ministers are collected, might have learned a wholesome lessonof moderation from the forbearance and courtesy of the disputants. Thewords of Uncas were received with the same deep attention as those whichfell from the maturer wisdom of his father; and so far from manifestingany impatience, neither spoke in reply, until a few moments of silentmeditation were, seemingly, bestowed in deliberating on what had alreadybeen said.
The language of the Mohicans was accompanied by gestures so direct andnatural that Heyward had but little difficulty in following the threadof their argument. On the other hand, the scout was obscure; becausefrom the lingering pride of color, he rather affected the cold andartificial manner which characterizes all classes of Anglo-Americanswhen unexcited. By the frequency with which the Indians described themarks of a forest trial, it was evident they urged a pursuit by land,while the repeated sweep of Hawkeye's arm toward the Horican denotedthat he was for a passage across its waters.
The latter was to every appearance fast losing ground, and the point wasabout to be decided against him, when he arose to his feet, and shakingoff his apathy, he suddenly assumed the manner of an Indian, and adoptedall the arts of native eloquence. Elevating an arm, he pointed out thetrack of the sun, repeating the gesture for every day that was necessaryto accomplish their objects. Then he delineated a long and painful path,amid rocks and water-courses. The age and weakness of the slumbering andunconscious Munro were indicated by signs too palpable to be mistaken.Duncan perceived that even his own powers were spoken lightly of, asthe scout extended his palm, and mentioned him by the appellation ofthe "Open Hand"--a name his liberality had purchased of all the friendlytribes. Then came a representation of the light and graceful movementsof a canoe, set in forcible contrast to the tottering steps of oneenfeebled and tired. He concluded by pointing to the scalp of theOneida, and apparently urging the necessity of their departing speedily,and in a manner that should leave no trail.
The Mohicans listened gravely, and with countenances that reflected thesentiments of the speaker. Conviction gradually wrought its influence,and toward the close of Hawkeye's speech, his sentences were accompaniedby the customary exclamation of commendation. In short, Uncas and hisfather became converts to his way of thinking, abandoning their ownpreviously expressed opinions with a liberality and candor that, hadthey been the representatives of some great and civilized people, wouldhave infallibly worked their political ruin, by destroying forever theirreputation for consistency.
The instant the matter in discussion was decided, the debate, andeverything connected with it, except the result appeared to beforgotten. Hawkeye, without looking round to read his triumph inapplauding eyes, very composedly stretched his tall frame before thedying embers, and closed his own organs in sleep.
Left now in a measure to themselves, the Mohicans, whose time had beenso much devoted to the interests of others, seized the moment to devotesome attention to themselves. Casting off at once the grave and austeredemeanor of an Indian chief, Chingachgook commenced speaking to hisson in the soft and playful tones of affection. Uncas gladly met thefamiliar air of his father; and before the hard breathing of the scoutannounced that he slept, a complete change was
effected in the manner ofhis two associates.
It is impossible to describe the music of their language, while thusengaged in laughter and endearments, in such a way as to render itintelligible to those whose ears have never listened to its melody.The compass of their voices, particularly that of the youth, waswonderful--extending from the deepest bass to tones that were evenfeminine in softness. The eyes of the father followed the plastic andingenious movements of the son with open delight, and he never failed tosmile in reply to the other's contagious but low laughter. While underthe influence of these gentle and natural feelings, no trace of ferocitywas to be seen in the softened features of the Sagamore. His figuredpanoply of death looked more like a disguise assumed in mockery than afierce annunciation of a desire to carry destruction in his footsteps.
After an hour had passed in the indulgence of their better feelings,Chingachgook abruptly announced his desire to sleep, by wrapping hishead in his blanket and stretching his form on the naked earth. Themerriment of Uncas instantly ceased; and carefully raking the coals insuch a manner that they should impart their warmth to his father's feet,the youth sought his own pillow among the ruins of the place.
Imbibing renewed confidence from the security of these experiencedforesters, Heyward soon imitated their example; and long before thenight had turned, they who lay in the bosom of the ruined work, seemedto slumber as heavily as the unconscious multitude whose bones werealready beginning to bleach on the surrounding plain.