chapter 23 "but though the beast of game the privilegeof chase may claim; though space and law the stag we lend ere hound we slip, or bowwe bend; whoever recked, where, how, or when theprowling fox was trapped or slain?" --lady of the lake. it is unusual to find an encampment of thenatives, like those of the more instructed whites, guarded by the presence of armedmen. well informed of the approach of everydanger, while it is yet at a distance, the indian generally rests secure under hisknowledge of the signs of the forest, and
the long and difficult paths that separatehim from those he has most reason to dread. but the enemy who, by any lucky concurrenceof accidents, has found means to elude the vigilance of the scouts, will seldom meetwith sentinels nearer home to sound the alarm. in addition to this general usage, thetribes friendly to the french knew too well the weight of the blow that had just beenstruck, to apprehend any immediate danger from the hostile nations that weretributary to the crown of britain. when duncan and david, therefore, foundthemselves in the center of the children, who played the antics already mentioned, itwas without the least previous intimation
of their approach. but so soon as they were observed the wholeof the juvenile pack raised, by common consent, a shrill and warning whoop; andthen sank, as it were, by magic, from before the sight of their visitors. the naked, tawny bodies of the crouchingurchins blended so nicely at that hour, with the withered herbage, that at first itseemed as if the earth had, in truth, swallowed up their forms; though when surprise permitted duncan to bend his lookmore curiously about the spot, he found it everywhere met by dark, quick, and rollingeyeballs.
gathering no encouragement from thisstartling presage of the nature of the scrutiny he was likely to undergo from themore mature judgments of the men, there was an instant when the young soldier wouldhave retreated. it was, however, too late to appear tohesitate. the cry of the children had drawn a dozenwarriors to the door of the nearest lodge, where they stood clustered in a dark andsavage group, gravely awaiting the nearer approach of those who had unexpectedly comeamong them. david, in some measure familiarized to thescene, led the way with a steadiness that no slight obstacle was likely todisconcert, into this very building.
it was the principal edifice of thevillage, though roughly constructed of the bark and branches of trees; being the lodgein which the tribe held its councils and public meetings during their temporary residence on the borders of the englishprovince. duncan found it difficult to assume thenecessary appearance of unconcern, as he brushed the dark and powerful frames of thesavages who thronged its threshold; but, conscious that his existence depended on his presence of mind, he trusted to thediscretion of his companion, whose footsteps he closely followed, endeavoring,as he proceeded, to rally his thoughts for
the occasion. his blood curdled when he found himself inabsolute contact with such fierce and implacable enemies; but he so far masteredhis feelings as to pursue his way into the center of the lodge, with an exterior thatdid not betray the weakness. imitating the example of the deliberategamut, he drew a bundle of fragrant brush from beneath a pile that filled the cornerof the hut, and seated himself in silence. so soon as their visitor had passed, theobservant warriors fell back from the entrance, and arranging themselves abouthim, they seemed patiently to await the moment when it might comport with thedignity of the stranger to speak.
by far the greater number stood leaning, inlazy, lounging attitudes, against the upright posts that supported the crazybuilding, while three or four of the oldest and most distinguished of the chiefs placed themselves on the earth a little more inadvance. a flaring torch was burning in the place,and set its red glare from face to face and figure to figure, as it waved in thecurrents of air. duncan profited by its light to read theprobable character of his reception, in the countenances of his hosts. but his ingenuity availed him little,against the cold artifices of the people he
had encountered. the chiefs in front scarce cast a glance athis person, keeping their eyes on the ground, with an air that might have beenintended for respect, but which it was quite easy to construe into distrust. the men in the shadow were less reserved. duncan soon detected their searching, butstolen, looks which, in truth, scanned his person and attire inch by inch; leaving noemotion of the countenance, no gesture, no line of the paint, nor even the fashion of a garment, unheeded, and without comment.
at length one whose hair was beginning tobe sprinkled with gray, but whose sinewy limbs and firm tread announced that he wasstill equal to the duties of manhood, advanced out of the gloom of a corner, whither he had probably posted himself tomake his observations unseen, and spoke. he used the language of the wyandots, orhurons; his words were, consequently, unintelligible to heyward, though theyseemed, by the gestures that accompanied them, to be uttered more in courtesy thananger. the latter shook his head, and made agesture indicative of his inability to reply.
"do none of my brothers speak the french orthe english?" he said, in the former language, looking about him fromcountenance to countenance, in hopes of finding a nod of assent. though more than one had turned, as if tocatch the meaning of his words, they remained unanswered. "i should be grieved to think," continuedduncan, speaking slowly, and using the simplest french of which he was the master,"to believe that none of this wise and brave nation understand the language that the 'grand monarque' uses when he talks tohis children.
his heart would be heavy did he believe hisred warriors paid him so little respect!" a long and grave pause succeeded, duringwhich no movement of a limb, nor any expression of an eye, betrayed theexpression produced by his remark. duncan, who knew that silence was a virtueamong his hosts, gladly had recourse to the custom, in order to arrange his ideas. at length the same warrior who had beforeaddressed him replied, by dryly demanding, in the language of the canadas:"when our great father speaks to his people, is it with the tongue of a huron?" "he knows no difference in his children,whether the color of the skin be red, or
black, or white," returned duncan,evasively; "though chiefly is he satisfied with the brave hurons." "in what manner will he speak," demandedthe wary chief, "when the runners count to him the scalps which five nights ago grewon the heads of the yengeese?" "they were his enemies," said duncan,shuddering involuntarily; "and doubtless, he will say, it is good; my hurons are verygallant." "our canada father does not think it. instead of looking forward to reward hisindians, his eyes are turned backward. he sees the dead yengeese, but no huron.what can this mean?"
"a great chief, like him, has more thoughtsthan tongues. he looks to see that no enemies are on histrail." "the canoe of a dead warrior will not floaton the horican," returned the savage, gloomily. "his ears are open to the delawares, whoare not our friends, and they fill them with lies.""it cannot be. see; he has bid me, who am a man that knowsthe art of healing, to go to his children, the red hurons of the great lakes, and askif any are sick!" another silence succeeded this annunciationof the character duncan had assumed.
every eye was simultaneously bent on hisperson, as if to inquire into the truth or falsehood of the declaration, with anintelligence and keenness that caused the subject of their scrutiny to tremble forthe result. he was, however, relieved again by theformer speaker. "do the cunning men of the canadas painttheir skins?" the huron coldly continued; "we have heard them boast that their faceswere pale." "when an indian chief comes among his whitefathers," returned duncan, with great steadiness, "he lays aside his buffalorobe, to carry the shirt that is offered him.
my brothers have given me paint and i wearit." a low murmur of applause announced that thecompliment of the tribe was favorably received. the elderly chief made a gesture ofcommendation, which was answered by most of his companions, who each threw forth a handand uttered a brief exclamation of pleasure. duncan began to breathe more freely,believing that the weight of his examination was past; and, as he hadalready prepared a simple and probable tale to support his pretended occupation, hishopes of ultimate success grew brighter.
after a silence of a few moments, as ifadjusting his thoughts, in order to make a suitable answer to the declaration theirguests had just given, another warrior arose, and placed himself in an attitude tospeak. while his lips were yet in the act ofparting, a low but fearful sound arose from the forest, and was immediately succeededby a high, shrill yell, that was drawn out, until it equaled the longest and mostplaintive howl of the wolf. the sudden and terrible interruption causedduncan to start from his seat, unconscious of everything but the effect produced by sofrightful a cry. at the same moment, the warriors glided ina body from the lodge, and the outer air
was filled with loud shouts, that nearlydrowned those awful sounds, which were still ringing beneath the arches of thewoods. unable to command himself any longer, theyouth broke from the place, and presently stood in the center of a disorderly throng,that included nearly everything having life, within the limits of the encampment. men, women, and children; the aged, theinform, the active, and the strong, were alike abroad, some exclaiming aloud, othersclapping their hands with a joy that seemed frantic, and all expressing their savagepleasure in some unexpected event. though astounded, at first, by the uproar,heyward was soon enabled to find its
solution by the scene that followed. there yet lingered sufficient light in theheavens to exhibit those bright openings among the tree-tops, where different pathsleft the clearing to enter the depths of the wilderness. beneath one of them, a line of warriorsissued from the woods, and advanced slowly toward the dwellings. one in front bore a short pole, on which,as it afterwards appeared, were suspended several human scalps. the startling sounds that duncan had heardwere what the whites have not
inappropriately called the "death-hallo";and each repetition of the cry was intended to announce to the tribe the fate of anenemy. thus far the knowledge of heyward assistedhim in the explanation; and as he now knew that the interruption was caused by theunlooked-for return of a successful war- party, every disagreeable sensation was quieted in inward congratulation, for theopportune relief and insignificance it conferred on himself. when at the distance of a few hundred feetfrom the lodges the newly arrived warriors halted.
their plaintive and terrific cry, which wasintended to represent equally the wailings of the dead and the triumph to the victors,had entirely ceased. one of their number now called aloud, inwords that were far from appalling, though not more intelligible to those for whoseears they were intended, than their expressive yells. it would be difficult to convey a suitableidea of the savage ecstasy with which the news thus imparted was received. the whole encampment, in a moment, became ascene of the most violent bustle and commotion.
the warriors drew their knives, andflourishing them, they arranged themselves in two lines, forming a lane that extendedfrom the war-party to the lodges. the squaws seized clubs, axes, or whateverweapon of offense first offered itself to their hands, and rushed eagerly to acttheir part in the cruel game that was at hand. even the children would not be excluded;but boys, little able to wield the instruments, tore the tomahawks from thebelts of their fathers, and stole into the ranks, apt imitators of the savage traitsexhibited by their parents. large piles of brush lay scattered aboutthe clearing, and a wary and aged squaw was
occupied in firing as many as might serveto light the coming exhibition. as the flame arose, its power exceeded thatof the parting day, and assisted to render objects at the same time more distinct andmore hideous. the whole scene formed a striking picture,whose frame was composed of the dark and tall border of pines.the warriors just arrived were the most distant figures. a little in advance stood two men, who wereapparently selected from the rest, as the principal actors in what was to follow. the light was not strong enough to rendertheir features distinct, though it was
quite evident that they were governed byvery different emotions. while one stood erect and firm, prepared tomeet his fate like a hero, the other bowed his head, as if palsied by terror orstricken with shame. the high-spirited duncan felt a powerfulimpulse of admiration and pity toward the former, though no opportunity could offerto exhibit his generous emotions. he watched his slightest movement, however,with eager eyes; and, as he traced the fine outline of his admirably proportioned andactive frame, he endeavored to persuade himself, that, if the powers of man, seconded by such noble resolution, couldbear one harmless through so severe a
trial, the youthful captive before himmight hope for success in the hazardous race he was about to run. insensibly the young man drew nigher to theswarthy lines of the hurons, and scarcely breathed, so intense became his interest inthe spectacle. just then the signal yell was given, andthe momentary quiet which had preceded it was broken by a burst of cries, that farexceeded any before heard. the more abject of the two victimscontinued motionless; but the other bounded from the place at the cry, with theactivity and swiftness of a deer. instead of rushing through the hostilelines, as had been expected, he just
entered the dangerous defile, and beforetime was given for a single blow, turned short, and leaping the heads of a row of children, he gained at once the exteriorand safer side of the formidable array. the artifice was answered by a hundredvoices raised in imprecations; and the whole of the excited multitude broke fromtheir order, and spread themselves about the place in wild confusion. a dozen blazing piles now shed their luridbrightness on the place, which resembled some unhallowed and supernatural arena, inwhich malicious demons had assembled to act their bloody and lawless rites.
the forms in the background looked likeunearthly beings, gliding before the eye, and cleaving the air with frantic andunmeaning gestures; while the savage passions of such as passed the flames were rendered fearfully distinct by the gleamsthat shot athwart their inflamed visages. it will easily be understood that, amidsuch a concourse of vindictive enemies, no breathing time was allowed the fugitive. there was a single moment when it seemed asif he would have reached the forest, but the whole body of his captors threwthemselves before him, and drove him back into the center of his relentlesspersecutors.
turning like a headed deer, he shot, withthe swiftness of an arrow, through a pillar of forked flame, and passing the wholemultitude harmless, he appeared on the opposite side of the clearing. here, too, he was met and turned by a fewof the older and more subtle of the hurons. once more he tried the throng, as ifseeking safety in its blindness, and then several moments succeeded, during whichduncan believed the active and courageous young stranger was lost. nothing could be distinguished but a darkmass of human forms tossed and involved in inexplicable confusion.
arms, gleaming knives, and formidableclubs, appeared above them, but the blows were evidently given at random. the awful effect was heightened by thepiercing shrieks of the women and the fierce yells of the warriors. now and then duncan caught a glimpse of alight form cleaving the air in some desperate bound, and he rather hoped thanbelieved that the captive yet retained the command of his astonishing powers ofactivity. suddenly the multitude rolled backward, andapproached the spot where he himself stood. the heavy body in the rear pressed upon thewomen and children in front, and bore them
to the earth.the stranger reappeared in the confusion. human power could not, however, much longerendure so severe a trial. of this the captive seemed conscious. profiting by the momentary opening, hedarted from among the warriors, and made a desperate, and what seemed to duncan afinal effort to gain the wood. as if aware that no danger was to beapprehended from the young soldier, the fugitive nearly brushed his person in hisflight. a tall and powerful huron, who hadhusbanded his forces, pressed close upon his heels, and with an uplifted arm menaceda fatal blow.
duncan thrust forth a foot, and the shockprecipitated the eager savage headlong, many feet in advance of his intendedvictim. thought itself is not quicker than was themotion with which the latter profited by the advantage; he turned, gleamed like ameteor again before the eyes of duncan, and, at the next moment, when the latter recovered his recollection, and gazedaround in quest of the captive, he saw him quietly leaning against a small paintedpost, which stood before the door of the principal lodge. apprehensive that the part he had taken inthe escape might prove fatal to himself,
duncan left the place without delay. he followed the crowd, which drew nigh thelodges, gloomy and sullen, like any other multitude that had been disappointed in anexecution. curiosity, or perhaps a better feeling,induced him to approach the stranger. he found him, standing with one arm castabout the protecting post, and breathing thick and hard, after his exertions, butdisdaining to permit a single sign of suffering to escape. his person was now protected by immemorialand sacred usage, until the tribe in council had deliberated and determined onhis fate.
it was not difficult, however, to foretellthe result, if any presage could be drawn from the feelings of those who crowded theplace. there was no term of abuse known to thehuron vocabulary that the disappointed women did not lavishly expend on thesuccessful stranger. they flouted at his efforts, and told him,with bitter scoffs, that his feet were better than his hands; and that he meritedwings, while he knew not the use of an arrow or a knife. to all this the captive made no reply; butwas content to preserve an attitude in which dignity was singularly blended withdisdain.
exasperated as much by his composure as byhis good-fortune, their words became unintelligible, and were succeeded byshrill, piercing yells. just then the crafty squaw, who had takenthe necessary precaution to fire the piles, made her way through the throng, andcleared a place for herself in front of the captive. the squalid and withered person of this hagmight well have obtained for her the character of possessing more than humancunning. throwing back her light vestment, shestretched forth her long, skinny arm, in derision, and using the language of thelenape, as more intelligible to the subject
of her gibes, she commenced aloud: "look you, delaware," she said, snappingher fingers in his face; "your nation is a race of women, and the hoe is better fittedto your hands than the gun. your squaws are the mothers of deer; but ifa bear, or a wildcat, or a serpent were born among you, ye would flee.the huron girls shall make you petticoats, and we will find you a husband." a burst of savage laughter succeeded thisattack, during which the soft and musical merriment of the younger females strangelychimed with the cracked voice of their older and more malignant companion.
but the stranger was superior to all theirefforts. his head was immovable; nor did he betraythe slightest consciousness that any were present, except when his haughty eye rolledtoward the dusky forms of the warriors, who stalked in the background silent and sullenobservers of the scene. infuriated at the self-command of thecaptive, the woman placed her arms akimbo; and, throwing herself into a posture ofdefiance, she broke out anew, in a torrent of words that no art of ours could commitsuccessfully to paper. her breath was, however, expended in vain;for, although distinguished in her nation as a proficient in the art of abuse, shewas permitted to work herself into such a
fury as actually to foam at the mouth, without causing a muscle to vibrate in themotionless figure of the stranger. the effect of his indifference began toextend itself to the other spectators; and a youngster, who was just quitting thecondition of a boy to enter the state of manhood, attempted to assist the termagant, by flourishing his tomahawk before theirvictim, and adding his empty boasts to the taunts of the women. then, indeed, the captive turned his facetoward the light, and looked down on the stripling with an expression that wassuperior to contempt.
at the next moment he resumed his quiet andreclining attitude against the post. but the change of posture had permittedduncan to exchange glances with the firm and piercing eyes of uncas. breathless with amazement, and heavilyoppressed with the critical situation of his friend, heyward recoiled before thelook, trembling lest its meaning might, in some unknown manner, hasten the prisoner'sfate. there was not, however, any instant causefor such an apprehension. just then a warrior forced his way into theexasperated crowd. motioning the women and children aside witha stern gesture, he took uncas by the arm,
and led him toward the door of the council-lodge. thither all the chiefs, and most of thedistinguished warriors, followed; among whom the anxious heyward found means toenter without attracting any dangerous attention to himself. a few minutes were consumed in disposing ofthose present in a manner suitable to their rank and influence in the tribe. an order very similar to that adopted inthe preceding interview was observed; the aged and superior chiefs occupying the areaof the spacious apartment, within the powerful light of a glaring torch, while
their juniors and inferiors were arrangedin the background, presenting a dark outline of swarthy and marked visages. in the very center of the lodge,immediately under an opening that admitted the twinkling light of one or two stars,stood uncas, calm, elevated, and collected. his high and haughty carriage was not loston his captors, who often bent their looks on his person, with eyes which, while theylost none of their inflexibility of purpose, plainly betrayed their admirationof the stranger's daring. the case was different with the individualwhom duncan had observed to stand forth with his friend, previously to thedesperate trial of speed; and who, instead
of joining in the chase, had remained, throughout its turbulent uproar, like acringing statue, expressive of shame and disgrace. though not a hand had been extended togreet him, nor yet an eye had condescended to watch his movements, he had also enteredthe lodge, as though impelled by a fate to whose decrees he submitted, seemingly,without a struggle. heyward profited by the first opportunityto gaze in his face, secretly apprehensive he might find the features of anotheracquaintance; but they proved to be those of a stranger, and, what was still more
inexplicable, of one who bore all thedistinctive marks of a huron warrior. instead of mingling with his tribe,however, he sat apart, a solitary being in a multitude, his form shrinking into acrouching and abject attitude, as if anxious to fill as little space aspossible. when each individual had taken his properstation, and silence reigned in the place, the gray-haired chief already introduced tothe reader, spoke aloud, in the language of the lenni lenape. "delaware," he said, "though one of anation of women, you have proved yourself a man.i would give you food; but he who eats with
a huron should become his friend. rest in peace till the morning sun, whenour last words shall be spoken." "seven nights, and as many summer days,have i fasted on the trail of the hurons," uncas coldly replied; "the children of thelenape know how to travel the path of the just without lingering to eat." "two of my young men are in pursuit of yourcompanion," resumed the other, without appearing to regard the boast of hiscaptive; "when they get back, then will our wise man say to you 'live' or 'die'." "has a huron no ears?" scornfully exclaimeduncas; "twice, since he has been your
prisoner, has the delaware heard a gun thathe knows. your young men will never come back!" a short and sullen pause succeeded thisbold assertion. duncan, who understood the mohican toallude to the fatal rifle of the scout, bent forward in earnest observation of theeffect it might produce on the conquerors; but the chief was content with simplyretorting: "if the lenape are so skillful, why is oneof their bravest warriors here?" "he followed in the steps of a flyingcoward, and fell into a snare. the cunning beaver may be caught."
as uncas thus replied, he pointed with hisfinger toward the solitary huron, but without deigning to bestow any other noticeon so unworthy an object. the words of the answer and the air of thespeaker produced a strong sensation among his auditors. every eye rolled sullenly toward theindividual indicated by the simple gesture, and a low, threatening murmur passedthrough the crowd. the ominous sounds reached the outer door,and the women and children pressing into the throng, no gap had been left, betweenshoulder and shoulder, that was not now filled with the dark lineaments of someeager and curious human countenance.
in the meantime, the more aged chiefs, inthe center, communed with each other in short and broken sentences. not a word was uttered that did not conveythe meaning of the speaker, in the simplest and most energetic form.again, a long and deeply solemn pause took place. it was known, by all present, to be thebrave precursor of a weighty and important judgment. they who composed the outer circle of faceswere on tiptoe to gaze; and even the culprit for an instant forgot his shame ina deeper emotion, and exposed his abject
features, in order to cast an anxious and troubled glance at the dark assemblage ofchiefs. the silence was finally broken by the agedwarrior so often named. he arose from the earth, and moving pastthe immovable form of uncas, placed himself in a dignified attitude before theoffender. at that moment, the withered squaw alreadymentioned moved into the circle, in a slow, sidling sort of a dance, holding the torch,and muttering the indistinct words of what might have been a species of incantation. though her presence was altogether anintrusion, it was unheeded.
approaching uncas, she held the blazingbrand in such a manner as to cast its red glare on his person, and to expose theslightest emotion of his countenance. the mohican maintained his firm and haughtyattitude; and his eyes, so far from deigning to meet her inquisitive look,dwelt steadily on the distance, as though it penetrated the obstacles which impededthe view and looked into futurity. satisfied with her examination, she lefthim, with a slight expression of pleasure, and proceeded to practise the same tryingexperiment on her delinquent countryman. the young huron was in his war paint, andvery little of a finely molded form was concealed by his attire.
the light rendered every limb and jointdiscernible, and duncan turned away in horror when he saw they were writhing inirrepressible agony. the woman was commencing a low andplaintive howl at the sad and shameful spectacle, when the chief put forth hishand and gently pushed her aside. "reed-that-bends," he said, addressing theyoung culprit by name, and in his proper language, "though the great spirit has madeyou pleasant to the eyes, it would have been better that you had not been born. your tongue is loud in the village, but inbattle it is still. none of my young men strike the tomahawkdeeper into the war-post--none of them so
lightly on the yengeese. the enemy know the shape of your back, butthey have never seen the color of your eyes. three times have they called on you tocome, and as often did you forget to answer.your name will never be mentioned again in your tribe--it is already forgotten." as the chief slowly uttered these words,pausing impressively between each sentence, the culprit raised his face, in deferenceto the other's rank and years. shame, horror, and pride struggled in itslineaments.
his eye, which was contracted with inwardanguish, gleamed on the persons of those whose breath was his fame; and the latteremotion for an instant predominated. he arose to his feet, and baring his bosom,looked steadily on the keen, glittering knife, that was already upheld by hisinexorable judge. as the weapon passed slowly into his hearthe even smiled, as if in joy at having found death less dreadful than he hadanticipated, and fell heavily on his face, at the feet of the rigid and unyieldingform of uncas. the squaw gave a loud and plaintive yell,dashed the torch to the earth, and buried everything in darkness.
the whole shuddering group of spectatorsglided from the lodge like troubled sprites; and duncan thought that he and theyet throbbing body of the victim of an indian judgment had now become its onlytenants. > chapter 24 "thus spoke the sage: the kings withoutdelay dissolve the council, and their chief obey."--pope's iliad a single moment served to convince theyouth that he was mistaken. a hand was laid, with a powerful pressure,on his arm, and the low voice of uncas
muttered in his ear: "the hurons are dogs.the sight of a coward's blood can never make a warrior tremble.the 'gray head' and the sagamore are safe, and the rifle of hawkeye is not asleep. go--uncas and the 'open hand' are nowstrangers. it is enough." heyward would gladly have heard more, but agentle push from his friend urged him toward the door, and admonished him of thedanger that might attend the discovery of their intercourse.
slowly and reluctantly yielding to thenecessity, he quitted the place, and mingled with the throng that hovered nigh. the dying fires in the clearing cast a dimand uncertain light on the dusky figures that were silently stalking to and fro; andoccasionally a brighter gleam than common glanced into the lodge, and exhibited the figure of uncas still maintaining itsupright attitude near the dead body of the huron. a knot of warriors soon entered the placeagain, and reissuing, they bore the senseless remains into the adjacent woods.
after this termination of the scene, duncanwandered among the lodges, unquestioned and unnoticed, endeavoring to find some traceof her in whose behalf he incurred the risk he ran. in the present temper of the tribe it wouldhave been easy to have fled and rejoined his companions, had such a wish crossed hismind. but, in addition to the never-ceasinganxiety on account of alice, a fresher though feebler interest in the fate ofuncas assisted to chain him to the spot. he continued, therefore, to stray from hutto hut, looking into each only to encounter additional disappointment, until he hadmade the entire circuit of the village.
abandoning a species of inquiry that provedso fruitless, he retraced his steps to the council-lodge, resolved to seek andquestion david, in order to put an end to his doubts. on reaching the building, which had provedalike the seat of judgment and the place of execution, the young man found that theexcitement had already subsided. the warriors had reassembled, and were nowcalmly smoking, while they conversed gravely on the chief incidents of theirrecent expedition to the head of the horican. though the return of duncan was likely toremind them of his character, and the
suspicious circumstances of his visit, itproduced no visible sensation. so far, the terrible scene that had justoccurred proved favorable to his views, and he required no other prompter than his ownfeelings to convince him of the expediency of profiting by so unexpected an advantage. without seeming to hesitate, he walked intothe lodge, and took his seat with a gravity that accorded admirably with the deportmentof his hosts. a hasty but searching glance sufficed totell him that, though uncas still remained where he had left him, david had notreappeared. no other restraint was imposed on theformer than the watchful looks of a young
huron, who had placed himself at hand;though an armed warrior leaned against the post that formed one side of the narrowdoorway. in every other respect, the captive seemedat liberty; still he was excluded from all participation in the discourse, andpossessed much more of the air of some finely molded statue than a man having lifeand volition. heyward had too recently witnessed afrightful instance of the prompt punishments of the people into whose handshe had fallen to hazard an exposure by any officious boldness. he would greatly have preferred silence andmeditation to speech, when a discovery of
his real condition might prove so instantlyfatal. unfortunately for this prudent resolution,his entertainers appeared otherwise disposed. he had not long occupied the seat wiselytaken a little in the shade, when another of the elder warriors, who spoke the frenchlanguage, addressed him: "my canada father does not forget hischildren," said the chief; "i thank him. an evil spirit lives in the wife of one ofmy young men. can the cunning stranger frighten himaway?" heyward possessed some knowledge of themummery practised among the indians, in the
cases of such supposed visitations. he saw, at a glance, that the circumstancemight possibly be improved to further his own ends. it would, therefore, have been difficult,just then to have uttered a proposal that would have given him more satisfaction. aware of the necessity of preserving thedignity of his imaginary character, however, he repressed his feelings, andanswered with suitable mystery: "spirits differ; some yield to the power ofwisdom, while others are too strong." "my brother is a great medicine," said thecunning savage; "he will try?"
a gesture of assent was the answer. the huron was content with the assurance,and, resuming his pipe, he awaited the proper moment to move. the impatient heyward, inwardly execratingthe cold customs of the savages, which required such sacrifices to appearance, wasfain to assume an air of indifference, equal to that maintained by the chief, who was, in truth, a near relative of theafflicted woman. the minutes lingered, and the delay hadseemed an hour to the adventurer in empiricism, when the huron laid aside hispipe and drew his robe across his breast,
as if about to lead the way to the lodge ofthe invalid. just then, a warrior of powerful frame,darkened the door, and stalking silently among the attentive group, he seatedhimself on one end of the low pile of brush which sustained duncan. the latter cast an impatient look at hisneighbor, and felt his flesh creep with uncontrollable horror when he found himselfin actual contact with magua. the sudden return of this artful anddreaded chief caused a delay in the departure of the huron. several pipes, that had been extinguished,were lighted again; while the newcomer,
without speaking a word, drew his tomahawkfrom his girdle, and filling the bowl on its head began to inhale the vapors of the weed through the hollow handle, with asmuch indifference as if he had not been absent two weary days on a long andtoilsome hunt. ten minutes, which appeared so many ages toduncan, might have passed in this manner; and the warriors were fairly enveloped in acloud of white smoke before any of them spoke. "welcome!" one at length uttered; "has myfriend found the moose?" "the young men stagger under theirburdens," returned magua.
"let 'reed-that-bends' go on the huntingpath; he will meet them." a deep and awful silence succeeded theutterance of the forbidden name. each pipe dropped from the lips of itsowner as though all had inhaled an impurity at the same instant. the smoke wreathed above their heads inlittle eddies, and curling in a spiral form it ascended swiftly through the opening inthe roof of the lodge, leaving the place beneath clear of its fumes, and each darkvisage distinctly visible. the looks of most of the warriors wereriveted on the earth; though a few of the younger and less gifted of the partysuffered their wild and glaring eyeballs to
roll in the direction of a white-headed savage, who sat between two of the mostvenerated chiefs of the tribe. there was nothing in the air or attire ofthis indian that would seem to entitle him to such a distinction. the former was rather depressed, thanremarkable for the bearing of the natives; and the latter was such as was commonlyworn by the ordinary men of the nation. like most around him for more than a minutehis look, too, was on the ground; but, trusting his eyes at length to steal aglance aside, he perceived that he was becoming an object of general attention.
then he arose and lifted his voice in thegeneral silence. "it was a lie," he said; "i had no son. he who was called by that name isforgotten; his blood was pale, and it came not from the veins of a huron; the wickedchippewas cheated my squaw. the great spirit has said, that the familyof wiss-entush should end; he is happy who knows that the evil of his race dies withhimself. i have done." the speaker, who was the father of therecreant young indian, looked round and about him, as if seeking commendation ofhis stoicism in the eyes of the auditors.
but the stern customs of his people hadmade too severe an exaction of the feeble old man. the expression of his eye contradicted hisfigurative and boastful language, while every muscle in his wrinkled visage wasworking with anguish. standing a single minute to enjoy hisbitter triumph, he turned away, as if sickening at the gaze of men, and, veilinghis face in his blanket, he walked from the lodge with the noiseless step of an indian seeking, in the privacy of his own abode,the sympathy of one like himself, aged, forlorn and childless.
the indians, who believe in the hereditarytransmission of virtues and defects in character, suffered him to depart insilence. then, with an elevation of breeding thatmany in a more cultivated state of society might profitably emulate, one of the chiefsdrew the attention of the young men from the weakness they had just witnessed, by saying, in a cheerful voice, addressinghimself in courtesy to magua, as the newest comer:"the delawares have been like bears after the honey pots, prowling around my village. but who has ever found a huron asleep?"the darkness of the impending cloud which
precedes a burst of thunder was not blackerthan the brow of magua as he exclaimed: "the delawares of the lakes!" "not so.they who wear the petticoats of squaws, on their own river.one of them has been passing the tribe." "did my young men take his scalp?" "his legs were good, though his arm isbetter for the hoe than the tomahawk," returned the other, pointing to theimmovable form of uncas. instead of manifesting any womanishcuriosity to feast his eyes with the sight of a captive from a people he was known tohave so much reason to hate, magua
continued to smoke, with the meditative air that he usually maintained, when there wasno immediate call on his cunning or his eloquence. although secretly amazed at the factscommunicated by the speech of the aged father, he permitted himself to ask noquestions, reserving his inquiries for a more suitable moment. it was only after a sufficient intervalthat he shook the ashes from his pipe, replaced the tomahawk, tightened hisgirdle, and arose, casting for the first time a glance in the direction of theprisoner, who stood a little behind him.
the wary, though seemingly abstracteduncas, caught a glimpse of the movement, and turning suddenly to the light, theirlooks met. near a minute these two bold and untamedspirits stood regarding one another steadily in the eye, neither quailing inthe least before the fierce gaze he encountered. the form of uncas dilated, and his nostrilsopened like those of a tiger at bay; but so rigid and unyielding was his posture, thathe might easily have been converted by the imagination into an exquisite and faultless representation of the warlike deity of histribe.
the lineaments of the quivering features ofmagua proved more ductile; his countenance gradually lost its character of defiance inan expression of ferocious joy, and heaving a breath from the very bottom of his chest,he pronounced aloud the formidable name of: "le cerf agile!" each warrior sprang upon his feet at theutterance of the well-known appellation, and there was a short period during whichthe stoical constancy of the natives was completely conquered by surprise. the hated and yet respected name wasrepeated as by one voice, carrying the sound even beyond the limits of the lodge.
the women and children, who lingered aroundthe entrance, took up the words in an echo, which was succeeded by another shrill andplaintive howl. the latter was not yet ended, when thesensation among the men had entirely abated. each one in presence seated himself, asthough ashamed of his precipitation; but it was many minutes before their meaning eyesceased to roll toward their captive, in curious examination of a warrior who had so often proved his prowess on the best andproudest of their nation. uncas enjoyed his victory, but was contentwith merely exhibiting his triumph by a
quiet smile--an emblem of scorn whichbelongs to all time and every nation. magua caught the expression, and raisinghis arm, he shook it at the captive, the light silver ornaments attached to hisbracelet rattling with the trembling agitation of the limb, as, in a tone ofvengeance, he exclaimed, in english: "mohican, you die!" "the healing waters will never bring thedead hurons to life," returned uncas, in the music of the delawares; "the tumblingriver washes their bones; their men are squaws: their women owls. go! call together the huron dogs, that theymay look upon a warrior, my nostrils are
offended; they scent the blood of acoward." the latter allusion struck deep, and theinjury rankled. many of the hurons understood the strangetongue in which the captive spoke, among which number was magua. this cunning savage beheld, and instantlyprofited by his advantage. dropping the light robe of skin from hisshoulder, he stretched forth his arm, and commenced a burst of his dangerous andartful eloquence. however much his influence among his peoplehad been impaired by his occasional and besetting weakness, as well as by hisdesertion of the tribe, his courage and his
fame as an orator were undeniable. he never spoke without auditors, and rarelywithout making converts to his opinions. on the present occasion, his native powerswere stimulated by the thirst of revenge. he again recounted the events of the attackon the island at glenn's, the death of his associates and the escape of their mostformidable enemies. then he described the nature and positionof the mount whither he had led such captives as had fallen into their hands. of his own bloody intentions toward themaidens, and of his baffled malice he made no mention, but passed rapidly on to thesurprise of the party by "la longue
carabine," and its fatal termination. here he paused, and looked about him, inaffected veneration for the departed, but, in truth, to note the effect of his openingnarrative. as usual, every eye was riveted on hisface. each dusky figure seemed a breathingstatue, so motionless was the posture, so intense the attention of the individual. then magua dropped his voice which hadhitherto been clear, strong and elevated, and touched upon the merits of the dead.no quality that was likely to command the sympathy of an indian escaped his notice.
one had never been known to follow thechase in vain; another had been indefatigable on the trail of theirenemies. this was brave, that generous. in short, he so managed his allusions, thatin a nation which was composed of so few families, he contrived to strike everychord that might find, in its turn, some breast in which to vibrate. "are the bones of my young men," heconcluded, "in the burial-place of the hurons?you know they are not. their spirits are gone toward the settingsun, and are already crossing the great
waters, to the happy hunting-grounds. but they departed without food, withoutguns or knives, without moccasins, naked and poor as they were born.shall this be? are their souls to enter the land of thejust like hungry iroquois or unmanly delawares, or shall they meet their friendswith arms in their hands and robes on their backs? what will our fathers think the tribes ofthe wyandots have become? they will look on their children with adark eye, and say, 'go! a chippewa has come hither with the name of a huron.'
brothers, we must not forget the dead; ared-skin never ceases to remember. we will load the back of this mohican untilhe staggers under our bounty, and dispatch him after my young men. they call to us for aid, though our earsare not open; they say, 'forget us not.' when they see the spirit of this mohicantoiling after them with his burden, they will know we are of that mind. then will they go on happy; and ourchildren will say, 'so did our fathers to their friends, so must we do to them.'what is a yengee? we have slain many, but the earth is still pale.
a stain on the name of huron can only behid by blood that comes from the veins of an indian.let this delaware die." the effect of such an harangue, deliveredin the nervous language and with the emphatic manner of a huron orator, couldscarcely be mistaken. magua had so artfully blended the naturalsympathies with the religious superstition of his auditors, that their minds, alreadyprepared by custom to sacrifice a victim to the manes of their countrymen, lost everyvestige of humanity in a wish for revenge. one warrior in particular, a man of wildand ferocious mien, had been conspicuous for the attention he had given to the wordsof the speaker.
his countenance had changed with eachpassing emotion, until it settled into a look of deadly malice. as magua ended he arose and, uttering theyell of a demon, his polished little axe was seen glancing in the torchlight as hewhirled it above his head. the motion and the cry were too sudden forwords to interrupt his bloody intention. it appeared as if a bright gleam shot fromhis hand, which was crossed at the same moment by a dark and powerful line. the former was the tomahawk in its passage;the latter the arm that magua darted forward to divert its aim.the quick and ready motion of the chief was
not entirely too late. the keen weapon cut the war plume from thescalping tuft of uncas, and passed through the frail wall of the lodge as though itwere hurled from some formidable engine. duncan had seen the threatening action, andsprang upon his feet, with a heart which, while it leaped into his throat, swelledwith the most generous resolution in behalf of his friend. a glance told him that the blow had failed,and terror changed to admiration. uncas stood still, looking his enemy in theeye with features that seemed superior to emotion.
marble could not be colder, calmer, orsteadier than the countenance he put upon this sudden and vindictive attack. then, as if pitying a want of skill whichhad proved so fortunate to himself, he smiled, and muttered a few words ofcontempt in his own tongue. "no!" said magua, after satisfying himselfof the safety of the captive; "the sun must shine on his shame; the squaws must see hisflesh tremble, or our revenge will be like the play of boys. go! take him where there is silence; let ussee if a delaware can sleep at night, and in the morning die."
the young men whose duty it was to guardthe prisoner instantly passed their ligaments of bark across his arms, and ledhim from the lodge, amid a profound and ominous silence. it was only as the figure of uncas stood inthe opening of the door that his firm step hesitated. there he turned, and, in the sweeping andhaughty glance that he threw around the circle of his enemies, duncan caught a lookwhich he was glad to construe into an expression that he was not entirelydeserted by hope. magua was content with his success, or toomuch occupied with his secret purposes to
push his inquiries any further. shaking his mantle, and folding it on hisbosom, he also quitted the place, without pursuing a subject which might have provedso fatal to the individual at his elbow. notwithstanding his rising resentment, hisnatural firmness, and his anxiety on behalf of uncas, heyward felt sensibly relieved bythe absence of so dangerous and so subtle a foe. the excitement produced by the speechgradually subsided. the warriors resumed their seats and cloudsof smoke once more filled the lodge. for near half an hour, not a syllable wasuttered, or scarcely a look cast aside; a
grave and meditative silence being theordinary succession to every scene of violence and commotion among these beings, who were alike so impetuous and yet soself-restrained. when the chief, who had solicited the aidof duncan, finished his pipe, he made a final and successful movement towarddeparting. a motion of a finger was the intimation hegave the supposed physician to follow; and passing through the clouds of smoke, duncadwas glad, on more accounts than one, to be able at last to breathe the pure air of acool and refreshing summer evening. instead of pursuing his way among thoselodges where heyward had already made his
unsuccessful search, his companion turnedaside, and proceeded directly toward the base of an adjacent mountain, whichoverhung the temporary village. a thicket of brush skirted its foot, and itbecame necessary to proceed through a crooked and narrow path. the boys had resumed their sports in theclearing, and were enacting a mimic chase to the post among themselves. in order to render their games as like thereality as possible, one of the boldest of their number had conveyed a few brands intosome piles of tree-tops that had hitherto escaped the burning.
the blaze of one of these fires lighted theway of the chief and duncan, and gave a character of additional wildness to therude scenery. at a little distance from a bald rock, anddirectly in its front, they entered a grassy opening, which they prepared tocross. just then fresh fuel was added to the fire,and a powerful light penetrated even to that distant spot. it fell upon the white surface of themountain, and was reflected downward upon a dark and mysterious-looking being thatarose, unexpectedly, in their path. the indian paused, as if doubtful whetherto proceed, and permitted his companion to
approach his side. a large black ball, which at first seemedstationary, now began to move in a manner that to the latter was inexplicable.again the fire brightened and its glare fell more distinctly on the object. then even duncan knew it, by its restlessand sidling attitudes, which kept the upper part of its form in constant motion, whilethe animal itself appeared seated, to be a bear. though it growled loudly and fiercely, andthere were instants when its glistening eyeballs might be seen, it gave no otherindications of hostility.
the huron, at least, seemed assured thatthe intentions of this singular intruder were peaceable, for after giving it anattentive examination, he quietly pursued his course. duncan, who knew that the animal was oftendomesticated among the indians, followed the example of his companion, believingthat some favorite of the tribe had found its way into the thicket, in search offood. they passed it unmolested. though obliged to come nearly in contactwith the monster, the huron, who had at first so warily determined the character ofhis strange visitor, was now content with
proceeding without wasting a moment in further examination; but heyward was unableto prevent his eyes from looking backward, in salutary watchfulness against attacks inthe rear. his uneasiness was in no degree diminishedwhen he perceived the beast rolling along their path, and following their footsteps. he would have spoken, but the indian atthat moment shoved aside a door of bark, and entered a cavern in the bosom of themountain. profiting by so easy a method of retreat,duncan stepped after him, and was gladly closing the slight cover to the opening,when he felt it drawn from his hand by the
beast, whose shaggy form immediatelydarkened the passage. they were now in a straight and longgallery, in a chasm of the rocks, where retreat without encountering the animal wasimpossible. making the best of the circumstances, theyoung man pressed forward, keeping as close as possible to his conductor. the bear growled frequently at his heels,and once or twice its enormous paws were laid on his person, as if disposed toprevent his further passage into the den. how long the nerves of heyward would havesustained him in this extraordinary situation, it might be difficult to decide,for, happily, he soon found relief.
a glimmer of light had constantly been intheir front, and they now arrived at the place whence it proceeded. a large cavity in the rock had been rudelyfitted to answer the purposes of many apartments. the subdivisions were simple but ingenious,being composed of stone, sticks, and bark, intermingled. openings above admitted the light by day,and at night fires and torches supplied the place of the sun. hither the hurons had brought most of theirvaluables, especially those which more
particularly pertained to the nation; andhither, as it now appeared, the sick woman, who was believed to be the victim of supernatural power, had been transportedalso, under an impression that her tormentor would find more difficulty inmaking his assaults through walls of stone than through the leafy coverings of thelodges. the apartment into which duncan and hisguide first entered, had been exclusively devoted to her accommodation. the latter approached her bedside, whichwas surrounded by females, in the center of whom heyward was surprised to find hismissing friend david.
a single look was sufficient to apprise thepretended leech that the invalid was far beyond his powers of healing. she lay in a sort of paralysis, indifferentto the objects which crowded before her sight, and happily unconscious ofsuffering. heyward was far from regretting that hismummeries were to be performed on one who was much too ill to take an interest intheir failure or success. the slight qualm of conscience which hadbeen excited by the intended deception was instantly appeased, and he began to collecthis thoughts, in order to enact his part with suitable spirit, when he found he was
about to be anticipated in his skill by anattempt to prove the power of music. gamut, who had stood prepared to pour forthhis spirit in song when the visitors entered, after delaying a moment, drew astrain from his pipe, and commenced a hymn that might have worked a miracle, had faithin its efficacy been of much avail. he was allowed to proceed to the close, theindians respecting his imaginary infirmity, and duncan too glad of the delay to hazardthe slightest interruption. as the dying cadence of his strains wasfalling on the ears of the latter, he started aside at hearing them repeatedbehind him, in a voice half human and half sepulchral.
looking around, he beheld the shaggymonster seated on end in a shadow of the cavern, where, while his restless bodyswung in the uneasy manner of the animal, it repeated, in a sort of low growl, sounds, if not words, which bore someslight resemblance to the melody of the singer.the effect of so strange an echo on david may better be imagined than described. his eyes opened as if he doubted theirtruth; and his voice became instantly mute in excess of wonder. a deep-laid scheme, of communicating someimportant intelligence to heyward, was
driven from his recollection by an emotionwhich very nearly resembled fear, but which he was fain to believe was admiration. under its influence, he exclaimed aloud:"she expects you, and is at hand"; and precipitately left the cavern. chapter 25 "snug.--have you the lion's part written?pray you, if it be, give it to me, for i am slow of study. quince.--you may do it extempore, for it isnothing but roaring." --midsummer night's dream.
there was a strange blending of theridiculous with that which was solemn in this scene. the beast still continued its rolling, andapparently untiring movements, though its ludicrous attempt to imitate the melody ofdavid ceased the instant the latter abandoned the field. the words of gamut were, as has been seen,in his native tongue; and to duncan they seem pregnant with some hidden meaning,though nothing present assisted him in discovering the object of their allusion. a speedy end was, however, put to everyconjecture on the subject, by the manner of
the chief, who advanced to the bedside ofthe invalid, and beckoned away the whole group of female attendants that had clustered there to witness the skill of thestranger. he was implicitly, though reluctantly,obeyed; and when the low echo which rang along the hollow, natural gallery, from thedistant closing door, had ceased, pointing toward his insensible daughter, he said: "now let my brother show his power."thus unequivocally called on to exercise the functions of his assumed character,heyward was apprehensive that the smallest delay might prove dangerous.
endeavoring, then, to collect his ideas, heprepared to perform that species of incantation, and those uncouth rites, underwhich the indian conjurers are accustomed to conceal their ignorance and impotency. it is more than probable that, in thedisordered state of his thoughts, he would soon have fallen into some suspicious, ifnot fatal, error had not his incipient attempts been interrupted by a fierce growlfrom the quadruped. three several times did he renew hisefforts to proceed, and as often was he met by the same unaccountable opposition, eachinterruption seeming more savage and threatening than the preceding.
"the cunning ones are jealous," said thehuron; "i go. brother, the woman is the wife of one of mybravest young men; deal justly by her. peace!" he added, beckoning to thediscontented beast to be quiet; "i go." the chief was as good as his word, andduncan now found himself alone in that wild and desolate abode with the helplessinvalid and the fierce and dangerous brute. the latter listened to the movements of theindian with that air of sagacity that a bear is known to possess, until anotherecho announced that he had also left the cavern, when it turned and came waddling up to duncan before whom it seated itself inits natural attitude, erect like a man.
the youth looked anxiously about him forsome weapon, with which he might make a resistance against the attack he nowseriously expected. it seemed, however, as if the humor of theanimal had suddenly changed. instead of continuing its discontentedgrowls, or manifesting any further signs of anger, the whole of its shaggy body shookviolently, as if agitated by some strange internal convulsion. the huge and unwieldy talons pawed stupidlyabout the grinning muzzle, and while heyward kept his eyes riveted on itsmovements with jealous watchfulness, the grim head fell on one side and in its place
appeared the honest sturdy countenance ofthe scout, who was indulging from the bottom of his soul in his own peculiarexpression of merriment. "hist!" said the wary woodsman,interrupting heyward's exclamation of surprise; "the varlets are about the place,and any sounds that are not natural to witchcraft would bring them back upon us ina body." "tell me the meaning of this masquerade;and why you have attempted so desperate an adventure?" "ah, reason and calculation are oftenoutdone by accident," returned the scout. "but, as a story should always commence atthe beginning, i will tell you the whole in
order. after we parted i placed the commandant andthe sagamore in an old beaver lodge, where they are safer from the hurons than theywould be in the garrison of edward; for your high north-west indians, not having as yet got the traders among them, continuedto venerate the beaver. after which uncas and i pushed for theother encampment as was agreed. have you seen the lad?" "to my great grief!he is captive, and condemned to die at the rising of the sun."
"i had misgivings that such would be hisfate," resumed the scout, in a less confident and joyous tone. but soon regaining his naturally firmvoice, he continued: "his bad fortune is the true reason of my being here, for itwould never do to abandon such a boy to the hurons. a rare time the knaves would have of it,could they tie 'the bounding elk' and 'the long carabine', as they call me, to thesame stake! though why they have given me such a name inever knew, there being as little likeness between the gifts of 'killdeer' and theperformance of one of your real canada
carabynes, as there is between the natur'of a pipe-stone and a flint." "keep to your tale," said the impatientheyward; "we know not at what moment the hurons may return." "no fear of them.a conjurer must have his time, like a straggling priest in the settlements. we are as safe from interruption as amissionary would be at the beginning of a two hours' discourse. well, uncas and i fell in with a returnparty of the varlets; the lad was much too forward for a scout; nay, for that matter,being of hot blood, he was not so much to
blame; and, after all, one of the hurons proved a coward, and in fleeing led himinto an ambushment." "and dearly has he paid for the weakness." the scout significantly passed his handacross his own throat, and nodded, as if he said, "i comprehend your meaning."after which he continued, in a more audible though scarcely more intelligible language: "after the loss of the boy i turned uponthe hurons, as you may judge. there have been scrimmages atween one ortwo of their outlyers and myself; but that is neither here nor there.
so, after i had shot the imps, i got inpretty nigh to the lodges without further then what should luck do in my favor butlead me to the very spot where one of the most famous conjurers of the tribe wasdressing himself, as i well knew, for some great battle with satan--though why should i call that luck, which it now seems was anespecial ordering of providence. so a judgmatical rap over the headstiffened the lying impostor for a time, and leaving him a bit of walnut for hissupper, to prevent an uproar, and stringing him up atween two saplings, i made free with his finery, and took the part of thebear on myself, in order that the
operations might proceed." "and admirably did you enact the character;the animal itself might have been shamed by the representation." "lord, major," returned the flatteredwoodsman, "i should be but a poor scholar for one who has studied so long in thewilderness, did i not know how to set forth the movements or natur' of such a beast. had it been now a catamount, or even afull-size panther, i would have embellished a performance for you worth regarding. but it is no such marvelous feat to exhibitthe feats of so dull a beast; though, for
that matter, too, a bear may be overacted. yes, yes; it is not every imitator thatknows natur' may be outdone easier than she is equaled.but all our work is yet before us. where is the gentle one?" "heaven knows.i have examined every lodge in the village, without discovering the slightest trace ofher presence in the tribe." "you heard what the singer said, as he leftus: 'she is at hand, and expects you'?" "i have been compelled to believe healluded to this unhappy woman." "the simpleton was frightened, andblundered through his message; but he had a
deeper meaning.here are walls enough to separate the whole settlement. a bear ought to climb; therefore will itake a look above them. there may be honey-pots hid in these rocks,and i am a beast, you know, that has a hankering for the sweets." the scout looked behind him, laughing athis own conceit, while he clambered up the partition, imitating, as he went, theclumsy motions of the beast he represented; but the instant the summit was gained he made a gesture for silence, and slid downwith the utmost precipitation.
"she is here," he whispered, "and by thatdoor you will find her. i would have spoken a word of comfort tothe afflicted soul; but the sight of such a monster might upset her reason. though for that matter, major, you are noneof the most inviting yourself in your paint." duncan, who had already swung eagerlyforward, drew instantly back on hearing these discouraging words."am i, then, so very revolting?" he demanded, with an air of chagrin. "you might not startle a wolf, or turn theroyal americans from a discharge; but i
have seen the time when you had a betterfavored look; your streaked countenances are not ill-judged of by the squaws, but young women of white blood give thepreference to their own color. see," he added, pointing to a place wherethe water trickled from a rock, forming a little crystal spring, before it found anissue through the adjacent crevices; "you may easily get rid of the sagamore's daub, and when you come back i will try my handat a new embellishment. it's as common for a conjurer to alter hispaint as for a buck in the settlements to change his finery."
the deliberate woodsman had little occasionto hunt for arguments to enforce his advice.he was yet speaking when duncan availed himself of the water. in a moment every frightful or offensivemark was obliterated, and the youth appeared again in the lineaments with whichhe had been gifted by nature. thus prepared for an interview with hismistress, he took a hasty leave of his companion, and disappeared through theindicated passage. the scout witnessed his departure withcomplacency, nodding his head after him, and muttering his good wishes; after whichhe very coolly set about an examination of
the state of the larder, among the hurons, the cavern, among other purposes, beingused as a receptacle for the fruits of their hunts. duncan had no other guide than a distantglimmering light, which served, however, the office of a polar star to the lover. by its aid he was enabled to enter thehaven of his hopes, which was merely another apartment of the cavern, that hadbeen solely appropriated to the safekeeping of so important a prisoner as a daughter ofthe commandant of william henry. it was profusely strewed with the plunderof that unlucky fortress.
in the midst of this confusion he found herhe sought, pale, anxious and terrified, but lovely.david had prepared her for such a visit. "duncan!" she exclaimed, in a voice thatseemed to tremble at the sounds created by itself. "alice!" he answered, leaping carelesslyamong trunks, boxes, arms, and furniture, until he stood at her side. "i knew that you would never desert me,"she said, looking up with a momentary glow on her otherwise dejected countenance."but you are alone! grateful as it is to be thus remembered, icould wish to think you are not entirely
alone." duncan, observing that she trembled in amanner which betrayed her inability to stand, gently induced her to be seated,while he recounted those leading incidents which it has been our task to accord. alice listened with breathless interest;and though the young man touched lightly on the sorrows of the stricken father; takingcare, however, not to wound the self-love of his auditor, the tears ran as freely down the cheeks of the daughter as thoughshe had never wept before. the soothing tenderness of duncan, however,soon quieted the first burst of her
emotions, and she then heard him to theclose with undivided attention, if not with composure. "and now, alice," he added, "you will seehow much is still expected of you. by the assistance of our experienced andinvaluable friend, the scout, we may find our way from this savage people, but youwill have to exert your utmost fortitude. remember that you fly to the arms of yourvenerable parent, and how much his happiness, as well as your own, depends onthose exertions." "can i do otherwise for a father who hasdone so much for me?" "and for me, too," continued the youth,gently pressing the hand he held in both
his own. the look of innocence and surprise which hereceived in return convinced duncan of the necessity of being more explicit. "this is neither the place nor the occasionto detain you with selfish wishes," he added; "but what heart loaded like minewould not wish to cast its burden? they say misery is the closest of all ties;our common suffering in your behalf left but little to be explained between yourfather and myself." "and, dearest cora, duncan; surely cora wasnot forgotten?" "not forgotten! no; regretted, as woman wasseldom mourned before.
your venerable father knew no differencebetween his children; but i--alice, you will not be offended when i say, that to meher worth was in a degree obscured--" "then you knew not the merit of my sister,"said alice, withdrawing her hand; "of you she ever speaks as of one who is herdearest friend." "i would gladly believe her such," returnedduncan, hastily; "i could wish her to be even more; but with you, alice, i have thepermission of your father to aspire to a still nearer and dearer tie." alice trembled violently, and there was aninstant during which she bent her face aside, yielding to the emotions common toher sex; but they quickly passed away,
leaving her mistress of her deportment, ifnot of her affections. "heyward," she said, looking him full inthe face with a touching expression of innocence and dependency, "give me thesacred presence and the holy sanction of that parent before you urge me further." "though more i should not, less i could notsay," the youth was about to answer, when he was interrupted by a light tap on hisshoulder. starting to his feet, he turned, and,confronting the intruder, his looks fell on the dark form and malignant visage ofmagua. the deep guttural laugh of the savagesounded, at such a moment, to duncan, like
the hellish taunt of a demon. had he pursued the sudden and fierceimpulse of the instant, he would have cast himself on the huron, and committed theirfortunes to the issue of a deadly struggle. but, without arms of any description,ignorant of what succor his subtle enemy could command, and charged with the safetyof one who was just then dearer than ever to his heart, he no sooner entertained thanhe abandoned the desperate intention. "what is your purpose?" said alice, meeklyfolding her arms on her bosom, and struggling to conceal an agony ofapprehension in behalf of heyward, in the usual cold and distant manner with whichshe received the visits of her captor.
the exulting indian had resumed his austerecountenance, though he drew warily back before the menacing glance of the youngman's fiery eye. he regarded both his captives for a momentwith a steady look, and then, stepping aside, he dropped a log of wood across adoor different from that by which duncan had entered. the latter now comprehended the manner ofhis surprise, and, believing himself irretrievably lost, he drew alice to hisbosom, and stood prepared to meet a fate which he hardly regretted, since it was tobe suffered in such company. but magua meditated no immediate violence.
his first measures were very evidentlytaken to secure his new captive; nor did he even bestow a second glance at themotionless forms in the center of the cavern, until he had completely cut off every hope of retreat through the privateoutlet he had himself used. he was watched in all his movements byheyward, who, however, remained firm, still folding the fragile form of alice to hisheart, at once too proud and too hopeless to ask favor of an enemy so often foiled. when magua had effected his object heapproached his prisoners, and said in english:
"the pale faces trap the cunning beavers;but the red-skins know how to take the yengeese." "huron, do your worst!" exclaimed theexcited heyward, forgetful that a double stake was involved in his life; "you andyour vengeance are alike despised." "will the white man speak these words atthe stake?" asked magua; manifesting, at the same time, how little faith he had inthe other's resolution by the sneer that accompanied his words. "here; singly to your face, or in thepresence of your nation." "le renard subtil is a great chief!"returned the indian; "he will go and bring
his young men, to see how bravely a paleface can laugh at tortures." he turned away while speaking, and wasabout to leave the place through the avenue by which duncan had approached, when agrowl caught his ear, and caused him to hesitate. the figure of the bear appeared in thedoor, where it sat, rolling from side to side in its customary restlessness. magua, like the father of the sick woman,eyed it keenly for a moment, as if to ascertain its character. he was far above the more vulgarsuperstitions of his tribe, and so soon as
he recognized the well-known attire of theconjurer, he prepared to pass it in cool contempt. but a louder and more threatening growlcaused him again to pause. then he seemed as if suddenly resolved totrifle no longer, and moved resolutely forward. the mimic animal, which had advanced alittle, retired slowly in his front, until it arrived again at the pass, when, rearingon his hinder legs, it beat the air with its paws, in the manner practised by itsbrutal prototype. "fool!" exclaimed the chief, in huron, "goplay with the children and squaws; leave
men to their wisdom." he once more endeavored to pass thesupposed empiric, scorning even the parade of threatening to use the knife, ortomahawk, that was pendent from his belt. suddenly the beast extended its arms, orrather legs, and inclosed him in a grasp that might have vied with the far-famedpower of the "bear's hug" itself. heyward had watched the whole procedure, onthe part of hawkeye, with breathless interest. at first he relinquished his hold of alice;then he caught up a thong of buckskin, which had been used around some bundle, andwhen he beheld his enemy with his two arms
pinned to his side by the iron muscles of the scout, he rushed upon him, andeffectually secured them there. arms, legs, and feet were encircled intwenty folds of the thong, in less time than we have taken to record thecircumstance. when the formidable huron was completelypinioned, the scout released his hold, and duncan laid his enemy on his back, utterlyhelpless. throughout the whole of this sudden andextraordinary operation, magua, though he had struggled violently, until assured hewas in the hands of one whose nerves were far better strung than his own, had notuttered the slightest exclamation.
but when hawkeye, by way of making asummary explanation of his conduct, removed the shaggy jaws of the beast, and exposedhis own rugged and earnest countenance to the gaze of the huron, the philosophy of the latter was so far mastered as to permithim to utter the never failing: "hugh!" "ay, you've found your tongue," said hisundisturbed conqueror; "now, in order that you shall not use it to our ruin, i mustmake free to stop your mouth." as there was no time to be lost, the scoutimmediately set about effecting so necessary a precaution; and when he hadgagged the indian, his enemy might safely
have been considered as "hors de combat." "by what place did the imp enter?" askedthe industrious scout, when his work was ended."not a soul has passed my way since you left me." duncan pointed out the door by which maguahad come, and which now presented too many obstacles to a quick retreat. "bring on the gentle one, then," continuedhis friend; "we must make a push for the woods by the other outlet.""'tis impossible!" said duncan; "fear has overcome her, and she is helpless.
alice! my sweet, my own alice, arouseyourself; now is the moment to fly. 'tis in vain! she hears, but is unable tofollow. go, noble and worthy friend; save yourself,and leave me to my fate." "every trail has its end, and everycalamity brings its lesson!" returned the scout. "there, wrap her in them indian cloths.conceal all of her little form. nay, that foot has no fellow in thewilderness; it will betray her. all, every part. now take her in your arms, and follow.leave the rest to me."
duncan, as may be gathered from the wordsof his companion, was eagerly obeying; and, as the other finished speaking, he took thelight person of alice in his arms, and followed in the footsteps of the scout. they found the sick woman as they had lefther, still alone, and passed swiftly on, by the natural gallery, to the place ofentrance. as they approached the little door of bark,a murmur of voices without announced that the friends and relatives of the invalidwere gathered about the place, patiently awaiting a summons to re-enter. "if i open my lips to speak," hawkeyewhispered, "my english, which is the
genuine tongue of a white-skin, will tellthe varlets that an enemy is among them. you must give 'em your jargon, major; andsay that we have shut the evil spirit in the cave, and are taking the woman to thewoods in order to find strengthening roots. practise all your cunning, for it is alawful undertaking." the door opened a little, as if one withoutwas listening to the proceedings within, and compelled the scout to cease hisdirections. a fierce growl repelled the eavesdropper,and then the scout boldly threw open the covering of bark, and left the place,enacting the character of a bear as he proceeded.
duncan kept close at his heels, and soonfound himself in the center of a cluster of twenty anxious relatives and friends. the crowd fell back a little, and permittedthe father, and one who appeared to be the husband of the woman, to approach."has my brother driven away the evil spirit?" demanded the former. "what has he in his arms?""thy child," returned duncan, gravely; "the disease has gone out of her; it is shut upin the rocks. i take the woman to a distance, where iwill strengthen her against any further attacks.she will be in the wigwam of the young man
when the sun comes again." when the father had translated the meaningof the stranger's words into the huron language, a suppressed murmur announced thesatisfaction with which this intelligence was received. the chief himself waved his hand for duncanto proceed, saying aloud, in a firm voice, and with a lofty manner:"go; i am a man, and i will enter the rock and fight the wicked one." heyward had gladly obeyed, and was alreadypast the little group, when these startling words arrested him."is my brother mad?" he exclaimed; "is he
cruel? he will meet the disease, and it will enterhim; or he will drive out the disease, and it will chase his daughter into the woods. no; let my children wait without, and ifthe spirit appears beat him down with clubs. he is cunning, and will bury himself in themountain, when he sees how many are ready to fight him."this singular warning had the desired effect. instead of entering the cavern, the fatherand husband drew their tomahawks, and
posted themselves in readiness to dealtheir vengeance on the imaginary tormentor of their sick relative, while the women and children broke branches from the bushes, orseized fragments of the rock, with a similar intention.at this favorable moment the counterfeit conjurers disappeared. hawkeye, at the same time that he hadpresumed so far on the nature of the indian superstitions, was not ignorant that theywere rather tolerated than relied on by the wisest of the chiefs. he well knew the value of time in thepresent emergency.
whatever might be the extent of the self-delusion of his enemies, and however it had tended to assist his schemes, the slightestcause of suspicion, acting on the subtle nature of an indian, would be likely toprove fatal. taking the path, therefore, that was mostlikely to avoid observation, he rather skirted than entered the village. the warriors were still to be seen in thedistance, by the fading light of the fires, stalking from lodge to lodge. but the children had abandoned their sportsfor their beds of skins, and the quiet of night was already beginning to prevail overthe turbulence and excitement of so busy
and important an evening. alice revived under the renovatinginfluence of the open air, and, as her physical rather than her mental powers hadbeen the subject of weakness, she stood in no need of any explanation of that whichhad occurred. "now let me make an effort to walk," shesaid, when they had entered the forest, blushing, though unseen, that she had notbeen sooner able to quit the arms of duncan; "i am indeed restored." "nay, alice, you are yet too weak."the maiden struggled gently to release herself, and heyward was compelled to partwith his precious burden.
the representative of the bear hadcertainly been an entire stranger to the delicious emotions of the lover while hisarms encircled his mistress; and he was, perhaps, a stranger also to the nature of that feeling of ingenuous shame thatoppressed the trembling alice. but when he found himself at a suitabledistance from the lodges he made a halt, and spoke on a subject of which he wasthoroughly the master. "this path will lead you to the brook," hesaid; "follow its northern bank until you come to a fall; mount the hill on yourright, and you will see the fires of the other people.
there you must go and demand protection; ifthey are true delawares you will be safe. a distant flight with that gentle one, justnow, is impossible. the hurons would follow up our trail, andmaster our scalps before we had got a dozen miles.go, and providence be with you." "and you!" demanded heyward, in surprise;"surely we part not here?" "the hurons hold the pride of thedelawares; the last of the high blood of the mohicans is in their power," returnedthe scout; "i go to see what can be done in his favor. had they mastered your scalp, major, aknave should have fallen for every hair it
held, as i promised; but if the youngsagamore is to be led to the stake, the indians shall see also how a man without across can die." not in the least offended with the decidedpreference that the sturdy woodsman gave to one who might, in some degree, be calledthe child of his adoption, duncan still continued to urge such reasons against so desperate an effort as presentedthemselves. he was aided by alice, who mingled herentreaties with those of heyward that he would abandon a resolution that promised somuch danger, with so little hope of success.
their eloquence and ingenuity were expendedin vain. the scout heard them attentively, butimpatiently, and finally closed the discussion, by answering, in a tone thatinstantly silenced alice, while it told heyward how fruitless any furtherremonstrances would be. "i have heard," he said, "that there is afeeling in youth which binds man to woman closer than the father is tied to the son. it may be so.i have seldom been where women of my color dwell; but such may be the gifts of naturein the settlements. you have risked life, and all that is dearto you, to bring off this gentle one, and i
suppose that some such disposition is atthe bottom of it all. as for me, i taught the lad the realcharacter of a rifle; and well has he paid me for it. i have fou't at his side in many a bloodyscrimmage; and so long as i could hear the crack of his piece in one ear, and that ofthe sagamore in the other, i knew no enemy was on my back. winters and summer, nights and days, havewe roved the wilderness in company, eating of the same dish, one sleeping while theother watched; and afore it shall be said that uncas was taken to the torment, and i
at hand--there is but a single ruler of usall, whatever may the color of the skin; and him i call to witness, that before themohican boy shall perish for the want of a friend, good faith shall depart the 'arth, and 'killdeer' become as harmless as thetooting we'pon of the singer!" duncan released his hold on the arm of thescout, who turned, and steadily retraced his steps toward the lodges. after pausing a moment to gaze at hisretiring form, the successful and yet sorrowful heyward and alice took their waytogether toward the distant village of the delawares.
chapter 26 "bot.--let me play the lion too."--midsummer night's dream notwithstanding the high resolution ofhawkeye he fully comprehended all the difficulties and danger he was about toincur. in his return to the camp, his acute andpractised intellects were intently engaged in devising means to counteract awatchfulness and suspicion on the part of his enemies, that he knew were, in nodegree, inferior to his own. nothing but the color of his skin had savedthe lives of magua and the conjurer, who would have been the first victimssacrificed to his own security, had not the
scout believed such an act, however congenial it might be to the nature of anindian, utterly unworthy of one who boasted a descent from men that knew no cross ofblood. accordingly, he trusted to the withes andligaments with which he had bound his captives, and pursued his way directlytoward the center of the lodges. as he approached the buildings, his stepsbecome more deliberate, and his vigilant eye suffered no sign, whether friendly orhostile, to escape him. a neglected hut was a little in advance ofthe others, and appeared as if it had been deserted when half completed--most probablyon account of failing in some of the more
important requisites; such as wood orwater. a faint light glimmered through its cracks,however, and announced that, notwithstanding its imperfect structure, itwas not without a tenant. thither, then, the scout proceeded, like aprudent general, who was about to feel the advanced positions of his enemy, before hehazarded the main attack. throwing himself into a suitable posturefor the beast he represented, hawkeye crawled to a little opening, where he mightcommand a view of the interior. it proved to be the abiding place of davidgamut. hither the faithful singing-master had nowbrought himself, together with all his
sorrows, his apprehensions, and his meekdependence on the protection of providence. at the precise moment when his ungainlyperson came under the observation of the scout, in the manner just mentioned, thewoodsman himself, though in his assumed character, was the subject of the solitarybeing's profounded reflections. however implicit the faith of david was inthe performance of ancient miracles, he eschewed the belief of any directsupernatural agency in the management of modern morality. in other words, while he had implicit faithin the ability of balaam's ass to speak, he was somewhat skeptical on the subject of abear's singing; and yet he had been assured
of the latter, on the testimony of his ownexquisite organs. there was something in his air and mannerthat betrayed to the scout the utter confusion of the state of his mind. he was seated on a pile of brush, a fewtwigs from which occasionally fed his low fire, with his head leaning on his arm, ina posture of melancholy musing. the costume of the votary of music hadundergone no other alteration from that so lately described, except that he hadcovered his bald head with the triangular beaver, which had not proved sufficiently alluring to excite the cupidity of any ofhis captors.
the ingenious hawkeye, who recalled thehasty manner in which the other had abandoned his post at the bedside of thesick woman, was not without his suspicions concerning the subject of so much solemndeliberation. first making the circuit of the hut, andascertaining that it stood quite alone, and that the character of its inmate was likelyto protect it from visitors, he ventured through its low door, into the verypresence of gamut. the position of the latter brought the firebetween them; and when hawkeye had seated himself on end, near a minute elapsed,during which the two remained regarding each other without speaking.
the suddenness and the nature of thesurprise had nearly proved too much for--we will not say the philosophy--but for thepitch and resolution of david. he fumbled for his pitch-pipe, and arosewith a confused intention of attempting a musical exorcism. "dark and mysterious monster!" heexclaimed, while with trembling hands he disposed of his auxiliary eyes, and soughthis never-failing resource in trouble, the gifted version of the psalms; "i know not your nature nor intents; but if aught youmeditate against the person and rights of one of the humblest servants of the temple,listen to the inspired language of the
youth of israel, and repent." the bear shook his shaggy sides, and then awell-known voice replied: "put up the tooting we'pon, and teach yourthroat modesty. five words of plain and comprehendibleenglish are worth just now an hour of squalling." "what art thou?" demanded david, utterlydisqualified to pursue his original intention, and nearly gasping for breath. "a man like yourself; and one whose bloodis as little tainted by the cross of a bear, or an indian, as your own.
have you so soon forgotten from whom youreceived the foolish instrument you hold in your hand?" "can these things be?" returned david,breathing more freely, as the truth began to dawn upon him. "i have found many marvels during mysojourn with the heathen, but surely nothing to excel this." "come, come," returned hawkeye, uncasinghis honest countenance, the better to assure the wavering confidence of hiscompanion; "you may see a skin, which, if it be not as white as one of the gentle
ones, has no tinge of red to it that thewinds of the heaven and the sun have not bestowed.now let us to business." "first tell me of the maiden, and of theyouth who so bravely sought her," interrupted david."ay, they are happily freed from the tomahawks of these varlets. but can you put me on the scent of uncas?""the young man is in bondage, and much i fear his death is decreed. i greatly mourn that one so well disposedshould die in his ignorance, and i have sought a goodly hymn--""can you lead me to him?"
"the task will not be difficult," returneddavid, hesitating; "though i greatly fear your presence would rather increase thanmitigate his unhappy fortunes." "no more words, but lead on," returnedhawkeye, concealing his face again, and setting the example in his own person, byinstantly quitting the lodge. as they proceeded, the scout ascertainedthat his companion found access to uncas, under privilege of his imaginary infirmity,aided by the favor he had acquired with one of the guards, who, in consequence of speaking a little english, had beenselected by david as the subject of a religious conversion.
how far the huron comprehended theintentions of his new friend may well be doubted; but as exclusive attention is asflattering to a savage as to a more civilized individual, it had produced theeffect we have mentioned. it is unnecessary to repeat the shrewdmanner with which the scout extracted these particulars from the simple david; neithershall we dwell in this place on the nature of the instruction he delivered, when completely master of all the necessaryfacts; as the whole will be sufficiently explained to the reader in the course ofthe narrative. the lodge in which uncas was confined wasin the very center of the village, and in a
situation, perhaps, more difficult than anyother to approach, or leave, without observation. but it was not the policy of hawkeye toaffect the least concealment. presuming on his disguise, and his abilityto sustain the character he had assumed, he took the most plain and direct route to theplace. the hour, however, afforded him some littleof that protection which he appeared so much to despise. the boys were already buried in sleep, andall the women, and most of the warriors, had retired to their lodges for the night.
four or five of the latter only lingeredabout the door of the prison of uncas, wary but close observers of the manner of theircaptive. at the sight of gamut, accompanied by onein the well-known masquerade of their most distinguished conjurer, they readily madeway for them both. still they betrayed no intention to depart. on the other hand, they were evidentlydisposed to remain bound to the place by an additional interest in the mysteriousmummeries that they of course expected from such a visit. from the total inability of the scout toaddress the hurons in their own language,
he was compelled to trust the conversationentirely to david. notwithstanding the simplicity of thelatter, he did ample justice to the instructions he had received, more thanfulfilling the strongest hopes of his teacher. "the delawares are women!" he exclaimed,addressing himself to the savage who had a slight understanding of the language inwhich he spoke; "the yengeese, my foolish countrymen, have told them to take up the tomahawk, and strike their fathers in thecanadas, and they have forgotten their sex. does my brother wish to hear 'le cerfagile' ask for his petticoats, and see him
weep before the hurons, at the stake?" the exclamation "hugh!" delivered in astrong tone of assent, announced the gratification the savage would receive inwitnessing such an exhibition of weakness in an enemy so long hated and so muchfeared. "then let him step aside, and the cunningman will blow upon the dog. tell it to my brothers." the huron explained the meaning of david tohis fellows, who, in their turn, listened to the project with that sort ofsatisfaction that their untamed spirits might be expected to find in such arefinement in cruelty.
they drew back a little from the entranceand motioned to the supposed conjurer to enter. but the bear, instead of obeying,maintained the seat it had taken, and growled: "the cunning man is afraid that his breathwill blow upon his brothers, and take away their courage too," continued david,improving the hint he received; "they must stand further off." the hurons, who would have deemed such amisfortune the heaviest calamity that could befall them, fell back in a body, taking aposition where they were out of earshot,
though at the same time they could commanda view of the entrance to the lodge. then, as if satisfied of their safety, thescout left his position, and slowly entered the place. it was silent and gloomy, being tenantedsolely by the captive, and lighted by the dying embers of a fire, which had been usedfor the purposed of cookery. uncas occupied a distant corner, in areclining attitude, being rigidly bound, both hands and feet, by strong and painfulwithes. when the frightful object first presenteditself to the young mohican, he did not deign to bestow a single glance on theanimal.
the scout, who had left david at the door,to ascertain they were not observed, thought it prudent to preserve his disguiseuntil assured of their privacy. instead of speaking, therefore, he exertedhimself to enact one of the antics of the animal he represented. the young mohican, who at first believedhis enemies had sent in a real beast to torment him, and try his nerves, detectedin those performances that to heyward had appeared so accurate, certain blemishes,that at once betrayed the counterfeit. had hawkeye been aware of the lowestimation in which the skillful uncas held his representations, he would probably haveprolonged the entertainment a little in
pique. but the scornful expression of the youngman's eye admitted of so many constructions, that the worthy scout wasspared the mortification of such a discovery. as soon, therefore, as david gave thepreconcerted signal, a low hissing sound was heard in the lodge in place of thefierce growlings of the bear. uncas had cast his body back against thewall of the hut and closed his eyes, as if willing to exclude so contemptible anddisagreeable an object from his sight. but the moment the noise of the serpent washeard, he arose, and cast his looks on each
side of him, bending his head low, andturning it inquiringly in every direction, until his keen eye rested on the shaggy monster, where it remained riveted, asthough fixed by the power of a charm. again the same sounds were repeated,evidently proceeding from the mouth of the beast. once more the eyes of the youth roamed overthe interior of the lodge, and returning to the former resting place, he uttered, in adeep, suppressed voice: "hawkeye!" "cut his bands," said hawkeye to david, whojust then approached them.
the singer did as he was ordered, and uncasfound his limbs released. at the same moment the dried skin of theanimal rattled, and presently the scout arose to his feet, in proper person. the mohican appeared to comprehend thenature of the attempt his friend had made, intuitively, neither tongue nor featurebetraying another symptom of surprise. when hawkeye had cast his shaggy vestment,which was done by simply loosing certain thongs of skin, he drew a long, glitteringknife, and put it in the hands of uncas. "the red hurons are without," he said; "letus be ready." at the same time he laid his fingersignificantly on another similar weapon,
both being the fruits of his prowess amongtheir enemies during the evening. "we will go," said uncas. "whither?""to the tortoises; they are the children of my grandfathers." "ay, lad," said the scout in english--alanguage he was apt to use when a little abstracted in mind; "the same blood runs inyour veins, i believe; but time and distance has a little changed its color. what shall we do with the mingoes at thedoor? they count six, and this singer is as goodas nothing."
"the hurons are boasters," said uncas,scornfully; "their 'totem' is a moose, and they run like snails.the delawares are children of the tortoise, and they outstrip the deer." "ay, lad, there is truth in what you say;and i doubt not, on a rush, you would pass the whole nation; and, in a straight raceof two miles, would be in, and get your breath again, afore a knave of them all waswithin hearing of the other village. but the gift of a white man lies more inhis arms than in his legs. as for myself, i can brain a huron as wellas a better man; but when it comes to a race the knaves would prove too much forme."
uncas, who had already approached the door,in readiness to lead the way, now recoiled, and placed himself, once more, in thebottom of the lodge. but hawkeye, who was too much occupied withhis own thoughts to note the movement, continued speaking more to himself than tohis companion. "after all," he said, "it is unreasonableto keep one man in bondage to the gifts of another. so, uncas, you had better take the lead,while i will put on the skin again, and trust to cunning for want of speed." the young mohican made no reply, butquietly folded his arms, and leaned his
body against one of the upright posts thatsupported the wall of the hut. "well," said the scout looking up at him,"why do you tarry? there will be time enough for me, as theknaves will give chase to you at first." "uncas will stay," was the calm reply. "for what?""to fight with his father's brother, and die with the friend of the delawares." "ay, lad," returned hawkeye, squeezing thehand of uncas between his own iron fingers; "'twould have been more like a mingo than amohican had you left me. but i thought i would make the offer,seeing that youth commonly loves life.
well, what can't be done by main courage,in war, must be done by circumvention. put on the skin; i doubt not you can playthe bear nearly as well as myself." whatever might have been the privateopinion of uncas of their respective abilities in this particular, his gravecountenance manifested no opinion of his superiority. he silently and expeditiously encasedhimself in the covering of the beast, and then awaited such other movements as hismore aged companion saw fit to dictate. "now, friend," said hawkeye, addressingdavid, "an exchange of garments will be a great convenience to you, inasmuch as youare but little accustomed to the make-
shifts of the wilderness. here, take my hunting shirt and cap, andgive me your blanket and hat. you must trust me with the book andspectacles, as well as the tooter, too; if we ever meet again, in better times, youshall have all back again, with many thanks into the bargain." david parted with the several articlesnamed with a readiness that would have done great credit to his liberality, had he notcertainly profited, in many particulars, by the exchange. hawkeye was not long in assuming hisborrowed garments; and when his restless
eyes were hid behind the glasses, and hishead was surmounted by the triangular beaver, as their statures were not dissimilar, he might readily have passedfor the singer, by starlight. as soon as these dispositions were made,the scout turned to david, and gave him his parting instructions. "are you much given to cowardice?" hebluntly asked, by way of obtaining a suitable understanding of the whole casebefore he ventured a prescription. "my pursuits are peaceful, and my temper,i humbly trust, is greatly given to mercy and love," returned david, a little nettledat so direct an attack on his manhood; "but
there are none who can say that i have ever forgotten my faith in the lord, even in thegreatest straits." "your chiefest danger will be at the momentwhen the savages find out that they have been deceived. if you are not then knocked on the head,your being a non-composser will protect you; and you'll then have a good reason toexpect to die in your bed. if you stay, it must be to sit down here inthe shadow, and take the part of uncas, until such times as the cunning of theindians discover the cheat, when, as i have already said, your times of trial willcome.
so choose for yourself--to make a rush ortarry here." "even so," said david, firmly; "i willabide in the place of the delaware. bravely and generously has he battled in mybehalf, and this, and more, will i dare in his service." "you have spoken as a man, and like onewho, under wiser schooling, would have been brought to better things. hold your head down, and draw in your legs;their formation might tell the truth too early. keep silent as long as may be; and it wouldbe wise, when you do speak, to break out
suddenly in one of your shoutings, whichwill serve to remind the indians that you are not altogether as responsible as menshould be. if however, they take your scalp, as itrust and believe they will not, depend on it, uncas and i will not forget the deed,but revenge it as becomes true warriors and trusty friends." "hold!" said david, perceiving that withthis assurance they were about to leave him; "i am an unworthy and humble followerof one who taught not the damnable principle of revenge. should i fall, therefore, seek no victimsto my manes, but rather forgive my
destroyers; and if you remember them atall, let it be in prayers for the enlightening of their minds, and for theireternal welfare." the scout hesitated, and appeared to muse. "there is a principle in that," he said,"different from the law of the woods; and yet it is fair and noble to reflect upon." then heaving a heavy sigh, probably amongthe last he ever drew in pining for a condition he had so long abandoned, headded: "it is what i would wish to practise myself, as one without a cross of blood, though it is not always easy to deal withan indian as you would with a fellow
christian. god bless you, friend; i do believe yourscent is not greatly wrong, when the matter is duly considered, and keeping eternitybefore the eyes, though much depends on the natural gifts, and the force oftemptation." so saying, the scout returned and shookdavid cordially by the hand; after which act of friendship he immediately left thelodge, attended by the new representative of the beast. the instant hawkeye found himself under theobservation of the hurons, he drew up his tall form in the rigid manner of david,threw out his arm in the act of keeping
time, and commenced what he intended for animitation of his psalmody. happily for the success of this delicateadventure, he had to deal with ears but little practised in the concord of sweetsounds, or the miserable effort would infallibly have been detected. it was necessary to pass within a dangerousproximity of the dark group of the savages, and the voice of the scout grew louder asthey drew nigher. when at the nearest point the huron whospoke the english thrust out an arm, and stopped the supposed singing-master. "the delaware dog!" he said, leaningforward, and peering through the dim light
to catch the expression of the other'sfeatures; "is he afraid? will the hurons hear his groans?" a growl, so exceedingly fierce and natural,proceeded from the beast, that the young indian released his hold and started aside,as if to assure himself that it was not a veritable bear, and no counterfeit, thatwas rolling before him. hawkeye, who feared his voice would betrayhim to his subtle enemies, gladly profited by the interruption, to break out anew insuch a burst of musical expression as would, probably, in a more refined state ofsociety have been termed "a grand crash." among his actual auditors, however, itmerely gave him an additional claim to that
respect which they never withhold from suchas are believed to be the subjects of mental alienation. the little knot of indians drew back in abody, and suffered, as they thought, the conjurer and his inspired assistant toproceed. it required no common exercise of fortitudein uncas and the scout to continue the dignified and deliberate pace they hadassumed in passing the lodge; especially as they immediately perceived that curiosity had so far mastered fear, as to induce thewatchers to approach the hut, in order to witness the effect of the incantations.
the least injudicious or impatient movementon the part of david might betray them, and time was absolutely necessary to insure thesafety of the scout. the loud noise the latter conceived itpolitic to continue, drew many curious gazers to the doors of the different hutsas thy passed; and once or twice a dark- looking warrior stepped across their path, led to the act by superstition andwatchfulness. they were not, however, interrupted, thedarkness of the hour, and the boldness of the attempt, proving their principalfriends. the adventurers had got clear of thevillage, and were now swiftly approaching
the shelter of the woods, when a loud andlong cry arose from the lodge where uncas had been confined. the mohican started on his feet, and shookhis shaggy covering, as though the animal he counterfeited was about to make somedesperate effort. "hold!" said the scout, grasping his friendby the shoulder, "let them yell again! 'twas nothing but wonderment." he had no occasion to delay, for at thenext instant a burst of cries filled the outer air, and ran along the whole extentof the village. uncas cast his skin, and stepped forth inhis own beautiful proportions.
hawkeye tapped him lightly on the shoulder,and glided ahead. "now let the devils strike our scent!" saidthe scout, tearing two rifles, with all their attendant accouterments, from beneatha bush, and flourishing "killdeer" as he handed uncas his weapon; "two, at least,will find it to their deaths." then, throwing their pieces to a low trail,like sportsmen in readiness for their game, they dashed forward, and were soon buriedin the somber darkness of the forest.