CHAPTER XX
Through the widespread woods which lay between the extensive territoryoccupied by the Mohawks and the beautiful land of the Oneidas, earlyin the morning of the day, some of the events of which have beenalready recorded, a small troop of Indians glided along in their usualstealthy manner. They were in their garments of peace. Each was fullyclothed according to the Indian mode, and the many-colored mat ofceremony hung from their shoulders as they passed along, somewhatencumbering them in their progress. They took the narrow trails; butyet it was not so easy for them to conceal themselves, if such wastheir object, as it might have been in another dress and at anothertime; for, except when passing a still brilliant maple, or a richbrown oak, the gaudy coloring of their clothing showed itself stronglyeither against the dark evergreens or the white snow.
The party had apparently traveled from night into day, for as soon asthe morning dawned the head man of the five stopped, and, withoutchanging his position--and thus avoiding the necessity of making freshprints in the snow-conversed over his shoulder with those behind him.Their conversation was brief, and might be translated into modernEnglish thus:
"Shall we halt here, or go on farther? The day's eyes are open in theeast."
"Stay here till noon," said an elder man behind him. "The Oneidasalways go to their lodge in the middle of the day. They are children.They require sleep when the sun is high."
Another voice repeated the same advice, and springing one by onefrom the trail into the thicket, they gathered together under awide-spreading hemlock, where the ground was free from snow, andseated themselves in a circle beneath the branches. There they passedtheir time nearly in silence. Some food was produced, and also somerum, the fatal gift of the English; but very few words were uttered,and the only sentences worth recording were:
"Art thou quite sure of the spot, brother?"
"Certain," answered the one who had been leading. "The intelligencewas brought by an Albany runner, a man of a true tongue."
From time to time each of the different members of the group looked uptoward the sky, and at length one of them rose, saying: "It is noon;let us onward. We can go forward for an hour, and then we shall benear enough to reach the place and return while the shadows are on theearth."
"We were told to spread out and enter by several trails," said anelder man of the party.
"It is not needful now," said the man who seemed the leader of theparty, "when it can all be done between sun and sun."
His words seemed conclusive, and they resumed the path again, walkingon stealthily in a single file, as before. They had gone about threemiles more, when a wild, fearful yell, such as no European wouldbelieve a human throat could utter, was heard upon their right.Another rose up on their left the instant after, and then another intheir front. Each man stopped in breathless silence, as if suddenlyturned to stone, but each with the first impulse had laid his handupon his tomahawk. All listened for a repetition of the well-knownwar-whoop, and each man asked himself what such a sound could mean ina land where the Indians were all at peace amongst themselves, andwhere no tidings had been received of a foreign foe; but no manuttered a word, even in a whisper, to the man close to him. Suddenly asingle figure appeared upon the trail before them, tall, powerful,commanding, and one well known to all there present. It was that ofthe Black Eagle, now feathered and painted for battle, with his riflein his hand, and his tomahawk ready.
"Are ye Mohawks?" he exclaimed, as he came near. "Are we brethren?"
"We are Mohawks and brethren," replied the leader of the party. "Weare but wandering through the forest, seeking to find something whichhas been lost."
"What is it?" asked the Black Eagle, sternly; "nothing is lost whichcannot be found. Snow may cover it for a time, but when the snowmelts, it will come to light."
"It is a young lad's coat," said the cunning Mohawk; "but why is BlackEagle on the warpath? Who has unburied the hatchet against theOneidas?"
"The Black Eagle dreamed a dream," replied the chief, round whomnumerous Oneidas, equipped for war, had by this time gathered, "and inhis dream he saw ten men come from the midday into the land of theOneida, and ten men from the side of the cold wind. They wore the garbof peace, and called themselves brothers of the children of the Stone.But the eyes of the Black Eagle were strong in his dream, and he sawthrough their bosoms, and their hearts were black, and a voicewhispered to him that they came to steal from the Oneida that whichthey cannot restore, and to put a burden upon the children of theStone that they will not carry."
"Was it not the voice of the singing bird?" asked the young Mohawkchief. "Was the dream sent by the bad spirit?"
"I know not," answered the Black Eagle, "say ye!" But the Black Eaglebelieved the dream, and starting up, he called his warriors round him,and he sent Lynx Eyes, the sachem of the Bear, to the north, and ledhis own warriors to the south, saying: "Let us go and meet these tenmen, and tell them, if they be really brethren of the Oneidas, to comewith us, and smoke the pipe of peace together, and eat and drink inour lodges and return to their own land when they are satisfied; butif their hearts are black and their tongues double, to put on thewarpaint openly, and unbury the long buried hatchet, and take thewarpath like men and warriors, and not creep to mischief like thesilent copperhead!"
These last words were spoken in a voice of thunder, while his keenblack eyes flashed, and his whole form seemed to dilate withindignation.
The Mohawks stood silent before him, and even the young chief who hadshown himself the boldest amongst them bent down his eyes to theground. At length, however, he answered: "The Black Eagle has spokenwell, and he has done well, though he should not put too much faith insuch dreams. The Mohawk is the brother of the Oneida; the children ofthe Stone and the men of blood are one, though the Mohawk judges theOneida hasty, in deeds. He is the panther that springs upon his preyfrom on high, before he sees whether it is not the doe that nourisheshis young. He forgets hospitality----"
The eyes of the Black Eagle flashed fiercely for a moment, but thenthe fire went out in them, and a grave, and even sad look succeeded.The young man went on boldly, however, saying: "He forgetshospitality. He takes to death the son of his brother, and sheds theblood of him who has eaten of the same meat with him. He waits not topunish the guilty, but raises his tomahawk against his friend. TheFive Nations are a united people; that which brings shame upon onebrings it upon all. The Mohawk's eyes are full of fire and his headbends down, when men say 'the Oneida is inhospitable; the Oneida ishasty to slay, and repays faith, and trust, and kindness by death.'What shall we say to our white father beyond the salt waters, when heasks us, 'Where is my son Walter, who loved the Oneidas, who was theirbrother, who sat by their council fire, and smoked the pipe of peacewith them?' Shall we say, 'The Oneidas have slain him because hetrusted to the hospitality of the Five Nations and did not fly?' Whenhe asks us, 'What was his crime?' and 'Did the Oneidas judge him forit like calm and prudent men?' shall we answer, 'He had no crime, andthe Oneidas took him in haste, without judgment. He was full of loveand kindness toward them--a maple tree overrunning with honey for theOneidas, but they seized him in haste, when, in a few moons, theycould have found many others.' If we say that, what will our greatfather think of his red children? Black Eagle, judge thou of this, andwhen thou dreamest another dream, see thou forked-tongued serpentshissing at the Five Nations, and ask, 'Who made them hiss?' I havespoken."
The feeling excited by this speech in all the Oneida warriors whoheard it would be difficult to describe. There was much anger, butthere was more shame. The latter was certainly predominant in thebreast of Black Eagle. He put his hand to his shoulder, as if seekingfor his mantle to draw over his face, and after a long pause he said:"Alas! that I have no answer. Thou art a youth, and my heart is old.My people should not leave me without reply before a boy. Go in peace!I will send my answer to him who sent thee, for our brethren theMohawks have not dealt well with us in using subtlety. There are moreof you, however. Let each of them
return to his home, for the childrenof the Stone are masters of themselves."
"Of us there are no more than thou seest," answered the young man.
Black Eagle gazed at him somewhat sternly, and then answered: "Sixmen have entered the Oneida lands from this side since morningyesterday, by separate ways. Let them go back. We give them from sunto sun, and no one shall hurt them; but if they be found here afterthat, their scalps shall hang upon the warpost."
Thus saying, he turned and withdrew with his warriors, the youngMohawk and his companions glided back through the woods toward theirown district, almost as silently as they came.
The returning path of the great Oneida chief was pursued by him andhis companions with a slow and heavy tread. Not a word was spoken byanyone, for there were both deep grief and embarrassment upon each;and all felt that there was much justice in the reproof of the youngMohawk. They had come forth with feelings of indignation and anger atthe intelligence which had been received of the interference of othertribes in the affairs of the Oneida people, and they still felt muchirritation at the course which had been pursued; but still their pridewas humbled, and their native sense of justice touched by the vividpicture which had just been given of the view which might be taken byothers of their conduct toward Walter Prevost.
At this time, while the confederacy of the five powerful nationsremained entire, and a certain apprehensive sense of their danger fromthe encroachments of the Europeans was felt by all the Indian tribes,a degree of power and authority had fallen to the great chiefs whichprobably had not been attributed to them in earlier and more simpletimes. The great chief of the Mohawks called himself king, and in somedegree exercised the authority of a monarch. Black Eagle, indeed,assumed no different title from the ordinary Indian appellation ofsachem, but his great renown and his acknowledged wisdom had, perhaps,rendered his authority more generally reverenced than that of anyother chief in the confederacy. The responsibility, therefore, weighedstrongly upon him, and it was with feelings of deep gloom anddepression that he entered the great Oneida village shortly before thehour of sunset. The women and children were assembled to see thewarriors pass, excepting Otaitsa, who sat before the door of BlackEagle's great lodge, with her head bent down, under an oppressivesense of the difficulties and dangers of her coming task.
Black Eagle saw her well, and saw that she was moved by deep grief;but he gave no sign even of perceiving her, and moving slowly, andwith an unchanged countenance, to the door, he seated himself by herside, while his warriors ranged themselves round, and the women andyoung people formed another circle beyond the first. It was donewithout concert and without intimation, but all knew that the chiefwould speak before they parted. Otaitsa remained silent, in the sameposition, out of reverence for her father, and, after a short pause,the voice of the Black Eagle was heard, saying: "My children, yourfather is grieved. Were he a woman, he would weep. The reproach of hispeople, and the evil conduct of his allies, would bring water into theeyes that never were moist. But there is a storm upon us, the heavieststorm that ever has fallen. The waters of our lake are troubled, andwe have troubled them ourselves. We must have counsel. We must callthe wisdom of many men to avert the storm. Let, then, three of myswiftest warriors speed away to the heads of the eight tribes, tellingthem to come hither before the west is dark to-morrow, bringing withthem their wisest men. Then shall my children know my mind, and theBlack Eagle shall have strength again."
He paused, and Otaitsa sprang upon her feet, believing thatintelligence of what she had done had reached her father's ears. "Erethou sendest for thy chiefs, hear thy daughter!"
Black Eagle was surprised, but no sign of it was apparent on his face.He slowly bowed his head, and the Blossom went on:
"Have I not been an obedient child to thee? Have I not loved thee, andfollowed thy slightest word? I am thy child altogether. Thou hasttaken me often to the dwelling of the white man, because he is of mykindred. Thou hast often left me there whilst thou hast gone upon thewarpath, or hunted in the mountains. Thou hast said, 'They are of ourown blood. My wife, my beloved, was of high race amongst the palefacepeople of the east, the daughter of a great chief. I saved her in theday of battle, and she became mine; and true and faithful, loving andjust, was the child of the white chief to the great sachem of theOneidas. Shall I keep her daughter from all communication with herkindred?' Young was I, a mere child, when first thou tookest me there,and Edith was a sister, Walter a brother to me. They both loved mewell, and I loved them; but my love for the brother grew stronger thanfor the sister, and his for me. We told our love to each other, and hesaid, 'When I am old enough to go upon the warpath I will ask theBlack Eagle to give me Otaitsa, and the red chief and the white chiefshall again be united, and the bonds between the Oneidas and theEnglish people shall be strengthened;' and we dreamed a dream that allthis would be true, and pledged ourselves to each other forever. Now,what have I done, my father? The brethren of the Snake, and the chiefApukwa, contrary to the customs of the Oneidas, seized upon mybetrothed, carried off my husband captive four days after theirbrother was slain by a white man, but not by my Walter. It is not forme to know the laws of the Oneidas, or to speak of the traditions ofour fathers, but in this, at least, I knew that they had done evil;they had taken an innocent man before they had sought for the guilty.I found the place where they had hid him. I climbed to the top of therock above the chasm. I descended the face of the precipice. I tiedtwo ropes to the trees for his escape. I loosened the thongs from hishands, and from his feet, and I said, 'This night thou shalt flee, myhusband, and escape the wrath of thine enemies.' All this I did, andwhat is it? It may be against the law of the Oneidas, but it is thelaw of a woman's own heart, placed there by the Great Spirit. It iswhat my mother would have done for thee, my father, hadst thou been acaptive in the hands of thine enemies. Had I not done it, I should nothave been thy child, I should have been unworthy to call the BlackEagle father. The daughter of a chief must act as the daughter of achief. The child of a great warrior must have no fear. If I am to die,I am ready."
She paused for a moment, and Black Eagle raised his head, which hadbeen slightly bowed, and said, in a loud, clear voice: "Thou hast donewell, my child. So let every Indian woman do for him to whom she isbound. The women of the children of the Stone are not as other women.Like the stone, they are firm; like the rock, they are lofty. Theybear warriors for the nation. They teach them to do great deeds."
"Yet bear with me a little, my father," said Otaitsa, "and let thydaughter's fate be in thy hand before all the eyes here present.Apukwa and the brethren of the Snake had set a watch, and stole uponme and upon my white brother, and mocked thy daughter and her husband,and bound his hands and feet again, and said that he shall die!"
It is rare that an Indian interrupts the speech of anyone, but theheart of the chief had been altogether with Otaitsa's enterprise, andhe now exclaimed, with great anxiety, "Then has he not escaped?"
"He has not," replied Otaitsa. "It went as I have said. Walter Prevostis still in the hands of the brethren of the Snake and of Apukwa, andhe is not safe, my father, even until the nation shall have decidedwhat shall be his fate. When the nation speaks," she continued,emboldened by her father's approbation, "then will Otaitsa live ordie, for I tell thee, and I tell all the warriors here present, thatif my husband is slain for no offence by the hand of an Oneida, thedaughter of the chief dies, too!"
"Koui! koui!" murmured the chiefs, in a low, sad tone, as they gazedupon her, standing in her great beauty by her father's side, while thesetting sun peeped out from beneath the edge of the snow cloud andcast a gleam of rosy light around her.
"He is not safe even till the word is spoken," said Otaitsa, "for theyare bad men that hold him. They took him contrary to our customs. Theydespise our laws. They are Honontkoh, and fear nothing but thetomahawk of the Black Eagle. They drink blood. They slay their mothersand their brethren. They are Honontkoh!"
A murmur of awe and indignation at the hated name of the dark
secretorder existing amongst the Indians, but viewed with apprehension andhatred by all the more noble warriors of the tribes, ran round thecircle, and Black Eagle rose, saying: "Let them be examined, and ifthe stripe be found upon them, set honest men to guard the lad.To-morrow, at the great council, we will discuss his fate, and theGreat Spirit send us dreams of what is right. Come with me, my child.The Blossom is ever dear."
Thus saying, he turned and entered the lodge.