CHAPTER XIII
"I'll seek a readier path."
PARNELL.
The route taken by Hawkeye lay across those sandy plains, relieved byoccasional valleys and swells of land, which had been traversed by theirparty on the morning of the same day, with the baffled Magua for theirguide. The sun had now fallen low towards the distant mountains; and astheir journey lay through the interminable forest, the heat was nolonger oppressive. Their progress, in consequence, was proportionate;and long before the twilight gathered about them, they had made goodmany toilsome miles on their return.
The hunter, like the savage whose place he filled, seemed to selectamong the blind signs of their wild route, with a species of instinct,seldom abating his speed, and never pausing to deliberate. A rapid andoblique glance at the moss on the trees, with an occasional upward gazetowards the setting sun, or a steady but passing look at the directionof the numerous water-courses, through which he waded, were sufficientto determine his path, and remove his greatest difficulties. In themeantime, the forest began to change its hues, losing that lively greenwhich had embellished its arches, in the graver light which is the usualprecursor of the close of day.
While the eyes of the sisters were endeavoring to catch glimpses throughthe trees, of the flood of golden glory which formed a glittering haloaround the sun, tinging here and there with ruby streaks, or borderingwith narrow edgings of shining yellow, a mass of clouds that lay piledat no great distance above the western hills, Hawkeye turned suddenly,and, pointing upwards towards the gorgeous heavens, he spoke:--
"Yonder is the signal given to a man to seek his food and natural rest,"he said: "better and wiser would it be, if he could understand the signsof nature, and take a lesson from the fowls of the air and the beasts ofthe fields! Our night, however, will soon be over; for, with the moon,we must be up and moving again. I remember to have fou't the Maquas,hereaways, in the first war in which I ever drew blood from man; and wethrew up a work of blocks, to keep the ravenous varmints from handlingour scalps. If my marks do not fail me, we shall find the place a fewrods farther to our left."
Without waiting for an assent, or, indeed, for any reply, the sturdyhunter moved boldly into a dense thicket of young chestnuts, shovingaside the branches of the exuberant shoots which nearly covered theground, like a man who expected, at each step, to discover some objecthe had formerly known. The recollection of the scout did not deceivehim. After penetrating through the brush, matted as it was with briers,for a few hundred feet he entered an open space, that surrounded a low,green hillock, which was crowned by the decayed block-house in question.This rude and neglected building was one of those deserted works, which,having been thrown up on an emergency, had been abandoned with thedisappearance of danger, and was now quietly crumbling in the solitudeof the forest, neglected, and nearly forgotten, like the circumstanceswhich had caused it to be reared. Such memorials of the passage andstruggles of man are yet frequent throughout the broad barrier ofwilderness which once separated the hostile provinces, and form aspecies of ruins that are intimately associated with the recollectionsof colonial history, and which are in appropriate keeping with thegloomy character of the surrounding scenery.[19] The roof of bark hadlong since fallen, and mingled with the soil; but the huge logs of pine,which had been hastily thrown together, still preserved their relativepositions, though one angle of the work had given way under thepressure, and threatened a speedy downfall to the remainder of therustic edifice. While Heyward and his companions hesitated to approach abuilding so decayed, Hawkeye and the Indians entered within the lowwalls, not only without fear, but with obvious interest. While theformer surveyed the ruins, both internally and externally, with thecuriosity of one whose recollections were reviving at each moment,Chingachgook related to his son, in the language of the Delawares, andwith the pride of a conqueror, the brief history of the skirmish whichhad been fought, in his youth, in that secluded spot. A strain ofmelancholy, however, blended with his triumph, rendering his voice, asusual, soft and musical.
In the meantime, the sisters gladly dismounted, and prepared to enjoytheir halt in the coolness of the evening, and in a security which theybelieved nothing but the beasts of the forest could invade.
"Would not our resting-place have been more retired, my worthy friend,"demanded the more vigilant Duncan, perceiving that the scout had alreadyfinished his short survey, "had we chosen a spot less known, and onemore rarely visited than this?"
"Few live who know the block-house was ever raised," was the slow andmusing answer; "'tis not often that books are made, and narrativeswritten, of such a scrimmage as was here fou't atween the Mohicans andthe Mohawks, in a war of their own waging. I was then a younker, andwent out with the Delawares, because I know'd they were a scandalizedand wronged race. Forty days and forty nights did the imps crave ourblood around this pile of logs, which I designed and partly reared,being, as you'll remember, no Indian myself, but a man without a cross.The Delawares lent themselves to the work, and we made it good, ten totwenty, until our numbers were nearly equal, and then we sallied outupon the hounds, and not a man of them ever got back to tell the fate ofhis party. Yes, yes; I was then young, and new to the sight of blood;and not relishing the thought that creatures who had spirits like myselfshould lay on the naked ground, to be torn asunder by beasts, or tobleach in the rains, I buried the dead with my own hands, under thatvery little hillock where you have placed yourselves; and no bad seatdoes it make neither, though it be raised by the bones of mortal men."
Heyward and the sisters arose, on the instant, from the grassysepulchre; nor could the two latter, notwithstanding the terrific scenesthey had so recently passed through, entirely suppress an emotion ofnatural horror, when they found themselves in such familiar contact withthe grave of the dead Mohawks. The gray light, the gloomy little area ofdark grass, surrounded by its border of brush, beyond which the pinesrose, in breathing silence, apparently, into the very clouds, and thedeath-like stillness of the vast forest, were all in unison to deepensuch a sensation.
"They are gone, and they are harmless," continued Hawkeye, waving hishand, with a melancholy smile, at their manifest alarm: "they'll nevershout the war-whoop nor strike a blow with the tomahawk again! And ofall those who aided in placing them where they lie, Chingachgook and Ionly are living! The brothers and family of the Mohican formed ourwar-party; and you see before you all that are now left of his race."
The eyes of the listeners involuntarily sought the forms of the Indians,with a compassionate interest in their desolate fortune. The darkpersons were still to be seen within the shadows of the block-house, theson listening to the relation of his father with that sort ofintenseness which would be created by a narrative that redounded so muchto the honor of those whose names he had long revered for their courageand savage virtues.
"I had thought the Delawares a pacific people," said Duncan, "and thatthey never waged war in person; trusting the defence of their lands tothose very Mohawks that you slew!"
"'Tis true in part," returned the scout, "and yet, at the bottom, 'tis awicked lie. Such a treaty was made in ages gone by, through thedeviltries of the Dutchers, who wished to disarm the natives that hadthe best right to the country where they had settled themselves. TheMohicans, though a part of the same nation, having to deal with theEnglish, never entered into the silly bargain, but kept to theirmanhood; as in truth did the Delawares, when their eyes were opened totheir folly. You see before you a chief of the great Mohican Sagamores!Once his family could chase their deer over tracts of country wider thanthat which belongs to the Albany Patteroon, without crossing brook orhill that was not their own; but what is left to their descendant! Hemay find his six feet of earth when God chooses, and keep it in peace,perhaps, if he has a friend who will take the pains to sink his head solow that the ploughshares cannot reach it!"
"Enough!" said Heyward, apprehensive that the subject might lead to adiscussion that would interrupt the harmony so necessary to thepreservat
ion of his fair companions: "we have journeyed far, and fewamong us are blessed with forms like that of yours, which seems to knowneither fatigue nor weakness."
"The sinews and bones of a man carry me through it all," said thehunter, surveying his muscular limbs with a simplicity that betrayed thehonest pleasure the compliment afforded him: "there are larger andheavier men to be found in the settlements, but you might travel manydays in a city before you could meet one able to walk fifty mileswithout stopping to take breath, or who has kept the hounds withinhearing during a chase of hours. However, as flesh and blood are notalways the same, it is quite reasonable to suppose that the gentle onesare willing to rest, after all they have seen and done this day. Uncas,clear out the spring, while your father and I make a cover for theirtender heads of these chestnut shoots, and a bed of grass and leaves."
The dialogue ceased, while the hunter and his companions busiedthemselves in preparations for the comfort and protection of those theyguided. A spring, which many long years before had induced the nativesto select the place for their temporary fortification, was soon clearedof leaves, and a fountain of crystal gushed from the bed, diffusing itswaters over the verdant hillock. A corner of the building was thenroofed in such a manner as to exclude the heavy dew of the climate, andpiles of sweet shrubs and dried leaves were laid beneath it for thesisters to repose on.
While the diligent woodsmen were employed in this manner, Cora and Alicepartook of that refreshment which duty required much more thaninclination prompted them to accept. They then retired within the walls,and first offering up their thanksgivings for past mercies, andpetitioning for a continuance of the divine favor throughout the comingnight, they laid their tender forms on the fragrant couch, and in spiteof recollections and forebodings, soon sank into those slumbers whichnature so imperiously demanded, and which were sweetened by hopes forthe morrow. Duncan had prepared himself to pass the night inwatchfulness near them, just without the ruin, but the scout, perceivinghis intention, pointed towards Chingachgook, as he coolly disposed hisown person on the grass, and said--
"The eyes of a white man are too heavy and too blind for such a watch asthis! The Mohican will be our sentinel, therefore let us sleep."
"I proved myself a sluggard on my post during the past night," saidHeyward, "and have less need of repose than you, who did more credit tothe character of a soldier. Let all the party seek their rest, then,while I hold guard."
"If we lay among the white tents of the 60th, and in front of an enemylike the French, I could not ask for a better watchman," returned thescout; "but in the darkness and among the signs of the wilderness yourjudgment would be like the folly of a child, and your vigilance thrownaway. Do then, like Uncas and myself, sleep, and sleep in safety."
Heyward perceived, in truth, that the younger Indian had thrown his formon the side of the hillock while they were talking, like one who soughtto make the most of the time allotted to rest, and that his example hadbeen followed by David, whose voice literally "clove to his jaws," withthe fever of his wound, heightened, as it was, by their toilsome march.Unwilling to prolong a useless discussion, the young man affected tocomply, by posting his back against the logs of the block-house, in ahalf-recumbent posture, though resolutely determined, in his own mind,not to close an eye until he had delivered his precious charge into thearms of Munro himself. Hawkeye, believing he had prevailed, soon fellasleep, and a silence as deep as the solitude in which they had foundit, pervaded the retired spot.
For many minutes Duncan succeeded in keeping his senses on the alert,and alive to every moaning sound that arose from the forest. His visionbecame more acute as the shades of evening settled on the place; andeven after the stars were glimmering above his head, he was able todistinguish the recumbent forms of his companions, as they lay stretchedon the grass, and to note the person of Chingachgook, who sat uprightand motionless as one of the trees which formed the dark barrier onevery side. He still heard the gentle breathings of the sisters, who laywithin a few feet of him, and not a leaf was ruffled by the passing air,of which his ear did not detect the whispering sound. At length,however, the mournful notes of a whippoorwill became blended with themoanings of an owl; his heavy eyes occasionally sought the bright raysof the stars, and then he fancied he saw them through the fallen lids.At instants of momentary wakefulness he mistook a bush for his associatesentinel; his head next sank upon his shoulder, which, in its turn,sought the support of the ground; and, finally, his whole person becomerelaxed and pliant, and the young man sank into a deep sleep, dreamingthat he was a knight of ancient chivalry, holding his midnight vigilsbefore the tent of a recaptured princess, whose favor he did not despairof gaining, by such a proof of devotion and watchfulness.
How long the tired Duncan lay in this insensible state he never knewhimself, but his slumbering visions had been long lost in totalforgetfulness, when he was awakened by a light tap on the shoulder.Aroused by this signal, slight as it was, he sprang upon his feet with aconfused recollection of the self-imposed duty he had assumed with thecommencement of the night.
"Who comes?" he demanded, feeling for his sword at the place where itwas usually suspended, "Speak! friend or enemy?"
"Friend," replied the low voice of Chingachgook; who, pointing upwardsat the luminary which was shedding its mild light through the opening inthe trees, directly in their bivouac, immediately added, in his rudeEnglish, "moon comes, and white man's fort far--far off; time to move,when sleep shuts both eyes of the Frenchman!"
"You say true! call up your friends, and bridle the horses, while Iprepare my own companions for the march!"
"We are awake, Duncan," said the soft, silvery tones of Alice within thebuilding, "and ready to travel very fast after so refreshing a sleep;but you have watched through the tedious night in our behalf, afterhaving endured so much fatigue the live-long day!"
"Say, rather, I would have watched, but my treacherous eyes betrayed me;twice have I proved myself unfit for the trust I bear."
"Nay, Duncan, deny it not," interrupted the smiling Alice, issuing fromthe shadows of the building into the light of the moon, in all theloveliness of her freshened beauty; "I know you to be a heedless one,when self is the object of your care, and but too vigilant in favor ofothers. Can we not tarry here a little longer, while you find the restyou need? Cheerfully, most cheerfully, will Cora and I keep the vigils,while you, and all these brave men, endeavor to snatch a little sleep!"
"If shame could cure me of my drowsiness, I should never close an eyeagain," said the uneasy youth, gazing at the ingenuous countenance ofAlice, where, however, in its sweet solicitude, he read nothing toconfirm his half awakened suspicion. "It is but too true, that afterleading you into danger by my heedlessness, I have not even the merit ofguarding your pillows as should become a soldier."
"No one but Duncan himself should accuse Duncan of such a weakness. Go,then, and sleep; believe me, neither of us, weak girls as we are, willbetray our watch."
The young man was relieved from the awkwardness of making any furtherprotestations of his own demerits, by an exclamation from Chingachgook,and the attitude of riveted attention assumed by his son.
"The Mohicans hear an enemy!" whispered Hawkeye, who, by this time, incommon with the whole party, was awake and stirring. "They scent dangerin the wind!"
"God forbid!" exclaimed Heyward. "Surely we have had enough ofbloodshed!"
While he spoke, however, the young soldier seized his rifle, andadvancing towards the front, prepared to atone for his venialremissness, by freely exposing his life in defence of those he attended.
"'Tis some creature of the forest prowling around us in quest of food,"he said, in a whisper, as soon as the low, and apparently distantsounds, which had startled the Mohicans, reached his own ears.
"Hist!" returned the attentive scout; "'tis man; even I can now tell histread, poor as my senses are when compared to an Indian's! Thatscampering Huron has fallen in with one of Montcalm's outlying parties,and they have stru
ck upon our trail. I shouldn't like, myself, to spillmore human blood in this spot," he added, looking around with anxiety inhis features, at the dim objects by which he was surrounded; "but whatmust be, must! Lead the horses into the block-house, Uncas; and,friends, do you follow to the same shelter. Poor and old as it is, itoffers a cover, and has rung with the crack of a rifle afore to-night!"
He was instantly obeyed, the Mohicans leading the Narragansetts withinthe ruin, whither the whole party repaired with the most guardedsilence.
The sounds of approaching footsteps were now too distinctly audible toleave any doubts as to the nature of the interruption. They were soonmingled with voices calling to each other in an Indian dialect, whichthe hunter, in a whisper, affirmed to Heyward was the language of theHurons. When the party reached the point where the horses had enteredthe thicket which surrounded the block-house, they were evidently atfault, having lost those marks which, until that moment, had directedtheir pursuit.
It would seem by the voices that twenty men were soon collected at thatone spot, mingling their different opinions and advice in noisy clamor.
"The knaves know our weakness," whispered Hawkeye, who stood by the sideof Heyward, in deep shade, looking through an opening in the logs, "orthey wouldn't indulge their idleness in such a squaw's march. Listen tothe reptiles! each man among them seems to have two tongues, and but asingle leg."
Duncan, brave as he was in the combat, could not, in such a moment ofpainful suspense, make any reply to the cool and characteristic remarkof the scout. He only grasped his rifle more firmly, and fastened hiseyes upon the narrow opening, through which he gazed upon the moonlightview with increasing anxiety. The deeper tones of one who spoke ashaving authority were next heard, amid a silence that denoted therespect with which his orders, or rather advice, was received. Afterwhich, by the rustling of leaves, and cracking of dried twigs, it wasapparent the savages were separating in pursuit of the lost trail.Fortunately for the pursued, the light of the moon, while it shed aflood of mild lustre upon the little area around the ruin, was notsufficiently strong to penetrate the deep arches of the forest, wherethe objects still lay in deceptive shadow. The search proved fruitless;for so short and sudden had been the passage from the faint path thetravellers had journeyed into the thicket, that every trace of theirfootsteps was lost in the obscurity of the woods.
It was not long, however, before the restless savages were heard beatingthe brush, and gradually approaching the inner edge of that dense borderof young chestnuts which encircled the little area.
"They are coming," muttered Heyward, endeavoring to thrust his riflethrough the chink in the logs; "let us fire on their approach."
"Keep everything in the shade," returned the scout; "the snapping of aflint, or even the smell of a single karnel of the brimstone, wouldbring the hungry varlets upon us in a body. Should it please God that wemust give battle for the scalps, trust to the experience of men who knowthe ways of the savages, and who are not often backward when thewar-whoop is howled."
Duncan cast his eyes behind him, and saw that the trembling sisters werecowering in the far corner of the building, while the Mohicans stood inthe shadow, like two upright posts, ready, and apparently willing, tostrike when the blow should be needed. Curbing his impatience, he againlooked out upon the area, and awaited the result in silence. At thatinstant the thicket opened, and a tall and armed Huron advanced a fewpaces into the open space. As he gazed upon the silent block-house, themoon fell upon his swarthy countenance, and betrayed its surprise andcuriosity. He made the exclamation which usually accompanies the formeremotion in an Indian, and, calling in a low voice, soon drew a companionto his side.
These children of the woods stood together for several moments pointingat the crumbling edifice, and conversing in the unintelligible languageof their tribe. They then approached, though with slow and cautioussteps, pausing every instant to look at the building, like startleddeer, whose curiosity struggled powerfully with their awakenedapprehensions for the mastery. The foot of one of them suddenly restedon the mound, and he stooped to examine its nature. At this moment,Heyward observed that the scout loosened his knife in his sheath, andlowered the muzzle of his rifle. Imitating these movements, the youngman prepared himself for the struggle, which now seemed inevitable.
The savages were so near, that the least motion in one of the horses, oreven a breath louder than common, would have betrayed the fugitives.But, in discovering the character of the mound, the attention of theHurons appeared directed to a different object. They spoke together, andthe sounds of their voices were low and solemn, as if influenced by areverence that was deeply blended with awe. Then they drew warily back,keeping their eyes riveted on the ruin, as if they expected to see theapparitions of the dead issue from its silent walls, until havingreached the boundary of the area, they moved slowly into the thicket,and disappeared.
Hawkeye dropped the breech of his rifle to the earth, and drawing along, free breath, exclaimed, in an audible whisper,--
"Ay! they respect the dead, and it has this time saved their own lives,and, it may be, the lives of better men too."
Heyward lent his attention for a single moment to his companion, butwithout replying, he again turned towards those who just then interestedhim more. He heard the two Hurons leave the bushes, and it was soonplain that all the pursuers were gathered about them, in deep attentionto their report. After a few minutes of earnest and solemn dialogue,altogether different from the noisy clamor with which they had firstcollected about the spot, the sounds grew fainter and more distant, andfinally were lost in the depths of the forest.
Hawkeye waited until a signal from the listening Chingachgook assuredhim that every sound from the retiring party was completely swallowed bythe distance, when he motioned to Heyward to lead forth the horses, andto assist the sisters into their saddles. The instant this was done,they issued through the broken gateway, and stealing out by a directionopposite to the one by which they had entered, they quitted the spot,the sisters casting furtive glances at the silent grave and crumblingruin, as they left the soft light of the moon, to bury themselves in thegloom of the woods.