CHAPTER XIX.
THE COUNCIL OF THE GREAT CHIEFS.
Notwithstanding the stormy conversation he had had with Eusebio, EagleHead had continued to treat the prisoners with the greatest kindness,and that extreme delicacy of proceeding which is innate in the red race,and which we should be far from expecting on the part of men whom,without any plausible reason that I am acquainted with, we brand withthe name of savages.
There is one fact worthy of being noticed, and upon which we cannot toostrongly dwell, and that is the manner in which Indians generally treattheir prisoners. Far from inflicting useless tortures upon them, ortormenting them without cause, as has been too often repeated, they takethe greatest care of them, and appear, in some sort, to compassionatetheir misfortune.
In the circumstance of which we speak, the sanguinary determinationof Eagle Head with regard to the mother of Loyal Heart was but anexception, the reason for which was naturally found in the hatred theIndian chief had sworn to the hunter.
The separation of the two prisoners was most painful and agonizing;the old servant set off, despair in his soul, in search of the hunter,whilst the poor mother, with a broken heart, followed the Comanchewarriors.
On the second day, Eagle Head arrived at the _rendez-vous_ appointed bythe great chiefs of the nation; all the tribe was assembled.
Nothing can be more picturesque and singular than the aspect presentedby an Indian camp.
When the Indians are on an expedition--whether of war or hunting--onencamping, they confine themselves to erecting, on the spot where theystop, tents of buffalo hides stretched upon poles planted cross-wise.These tents, the bottom parts of which are filled up with mounds ofearth, have all a hole at the top, to leave a free issue for the smoke,which, without that precaution, would render them uninhabitable.
The camp presented the most animated picture possible; the squaws passedhere and there, loaded with wood and meat, or guided the sledges drawnby dogs, which conveyed their wealth; the warriors, gravely squattedaround fires lighted in the open air, on account of the mildness of thetemperature, were smoking and chatting together.
And yet it was easy to guess that something extraordinary was about tohappen; for notwithstanding the early hour--the sun scarcely appearingabove the horizon--the principal chiefs were assembled in the councillodge, where, judging from the grave and reflective expression of theircountenances, they were about to discuss some serious question.
This day was the last of those granted by Eagle Head to Eusebio.
The Indian warrior, faithful to his hatred, and in haste to satisfyhis vengeance, had convoked the great chiefs in order to obtain theirauthority for the execution of his abominable project.
We repeat it here, in order that our readers may be perfectlyconvinced--Indians are not cruel for the pleasure of being so.Necessity is their first law; and never do they order the punishmentof a prisoner, particularly a woman, unless the interest of the nationrequires it.
As soon as the chiefs were assembled round the fire of council, thepipe bearer entered the circle, holding in his hand the calumet readylighted; he bowed towards the four cardinal points, murmuring a shortprayer, and then presented the calumet to the oldest chief, butretaining the bowl of the pipe in his hand.
When all the chiefs had smoked, one after the other, the pipe beareremptied the ashes of the pipe into the fire, saying--
"Chiefs of the great Comanche nation, may _Natosh_ (God) give youwisdom, so that whatever be your determination, it may be conformable tojustice."
Then, after bowing respectfully, he retired.
A moment of silence followed, in which everyone seemed meditatingseriously upon the words that had just been pronounced.
At length the most aged of the chiefs arose.
He was a venerable old man, whose body was furrowed with the scars ofinnumerable wounds, and who enjoyed among his people a great reputationfor wisdom. He was named Eshis (the Sun).
"My son Eagle Head has," he said, "an important communication to make tothe council of the chiefs; let him speak, our ears are open. Eagle Headis a warrior as wise as he is valiant; his words will be listened to byus with respect."
"Thanks!" the warrior replied; "my father is wisdom itself. Natoshconceals nothing from him."
The chiefs bowed, and Eagle Head continued.
"The palefaces, our eternal persecutors, pursue and harass us withoutintermission, forcing us to abandon to them, one by one, our besthunting grounds, and to seek refuge in the depths of the forest liketimid deer; many of them even dare to come into the prairies which serveus as places of refuge, to trap beavers and hunt elks and buffaloeswhich are our property. These faithless men, the outcasts of theirpeople, rob us and assassinate us when they can do it with impunity. Isit just that we should suffer their rapine without complaining? Shall weallow ourselves to be slaughtered like timid ashahas without seeking toavenge ourselves? Does not the law of the prairies say, 'an eye for aneye, a tooth for a tooth?' Let my father reply; let my brothers say ifthat is just?"
"Vengeance is allowable," said the Sun; "it is the undoubted right ofthe weak and the oppressed; and yet it ought to be proportioned to theinjury received."
"Good! My father has spoken like a wise man; what think you of it, mybrothers?"
"The Sun cannot lie; all that he says is right," the chiefs replied.
"Has my brother cause to complain of anyone?" the old man asked.
"Yes," Eagle Head replied; "I have been insulted by a white hunter; hehas several times attacked my camp; he has killed some of my young menin ambush; I myself have been wounded, as you may see--the scar is notyet closed. This man, in short, is the most cruel enemy the Comancheshave, for he pursues them like wild beasts, that he may enjoy theirtortures, and hear their cries of agony."
At these words, pronounced with an imposing expression, a shudder ofanger ran through the assembly. The astute chief, perceiving that hiscause was gained in the minds of his auditors, continued, withoutshowing the internal joy he experienced--
"I might have been able, if it had only concerned myself," he said, "topardon these injuries, however serious they may be; but we have now todeal with a public enemy, with a man who has sworn the destruction ofour nation. Hence, however painful be the necessity which constrainsme, I ought not to hesitate to strike him in that which is dearest tohim. His mother is in my hands. I have hesitated to sacrifice her; Ihave not allowed myself to be carried away by my hatred. I have wishedto be just; and though it would have been so easy for me to kill thiswoman, I have preferred waiting till you, revered chiefs of our nation,should yourselves give me the order to do so. I have done still more: sorepugnant was it to me to shed blood uselessly, and punish the innocentfor the guilty, that I have granted this woman a respite of four days,in order to give her son the power of saving her, by presenting himselfto suffer in her place. A paleface made prisoner by me is gone in searchof him; but that man is a rabbit's heart--he has only the courage toassassinate unarmed enemies. He is not come! he will not come! Thismorning, at sunrise, expires the delay granted by me. Where is this man?He has not appeared! What say my brothers? Is my conduct just? OughtI to be blamed? Or shall this woman be tied to the stake, so that thepalefaced robbers, terrified by her death, may acknowledge that theComanches are formidable warriors, who never leave an insult unpunished?Have I spoken well, men of power?"
After having pronounced this long speech, Eagle Head resumed his seat,and crossing his arms on his breast, he awaited, with his head castdown, the decision of the chiefs.
A tolerably long silence followed this speech. At length the Sun arose.
"My brother has spoken well," he said. "His words are those of a manwho does not allow himself to be governed by his passions; all he hassaid is just; the whites, our ferocious enemies, are eager for ourdestruction; however painful for us may be the punishment of this woman,it is necessary."
"It is necessary!" the chiefs repeated, bowing their heads.
"Go!" the
Sun resumed, "make the preparations; give to this executionthe appearance of an expiation, and not that of a vengeance; everybodymust be convinced that the Comanches do not torture women for pleasure,but that they know how to punish the guilty. I have spoken."
The chiefs arose, and after respectfully bowing to the old man, theyretired.
Eagle Head had succeeded; he was about to avenge himself, withoutassuming the responsibility of an action of which he comprehended allthe hideousness, but in which he had had the heart to implicate allthe chiefs of his nation under an appearance of justice, for which,inwardly, he cared but very little.
The preparations for the punishment were hurried on as fast as possible.
The women cut thin splinters of ash to be introduced under the nails,others prepared elder pith to make sulphur matches, whilst the youngestwent into the forest to seek for armfuls of green wood destined to burnthe condemned woman slowly, while stifling her with the smoke it wouldproduce.
In the meantime, the men had completely stripped the bark off a treewhich they had chosen to serve as the stake of torture; they had thenrubbed it well with elk fat mixed with red ochre; round its base theyhad placed the wood of the pyre, and this done, the sorcerer had come toconjure the tree by means of mysterious words, in order to render it fitfor the purpose to which they destined it.
These preparations terminated, the condemned was brought to the footof the stake, and seated, without being tied, upon the pile of woodintended to burn her; and the scalp dance commenced.
The unfortunate woman was, in appearance, impassible. She had made thesacrifice of her life; nothing that passed around her could any longeraffect her.
Her eyes, burning with fever and swollen with tears, wandered withoutpurpose, over the vast crowd that enveloped her with the roarings ofwild beasts. Her mind watched, nevertheless, as keenly and as lucidlyas in her happiest days. The poor mother had a fear which wrung herheart and made her endure a torture, compared with which those which theIndians were preparing to inflict upon her were as nothing; she trembledlest her son, warned of the horrid fate that awaited her, should hastento save her, and give himself up to his ferocious enemies.
With her ear attentive to the least noise, she seemed to hear everyinstant the precipitate steps of her son flying to her assistance. Herheart bounded with fear. She prayed God from the very depths of her soulto permit her to die instead of her beloved child.
The scalp dance whirled ferociously around her.
A crowd of warriors, tall, handsome, magnificently dressed, but withtheir faces blackened, danced, two by two, round the stake, led by sevenmusicians armed with drums and chicikoues, who were striped with blackand red, and wore upon their heads feathers of the screech owl, fallingdown behind.
The warriors had in their hands guns and clubs, ornamented with blackfeathers and red cloth, of which they brought the butts to the ground asthey danced.
These men formed a vast semicircle around the stake; in face of them,and completing the circle, the women danced.
Eagle Head, who led the warriors, carried a long staff, at the end ofwhich was suspended a human scalp, surmounted by a stuffed pie with itswings out-spread; a little lower on the same stick were a second scalp,the skin of a lynx, and some feathers.
When they had danced thus for an instant, the musicians placedthemselves by the side of the condemned, and made a deafening noise,singing, whilst beating the drums with all their force, and shaking thechicikoues.
This dance continued a considerable time, accompanied by atrocioushowlings, enough to madden with terror the unfortunate woman to whomthey presaged the frightful tortures that awaited her.
At length Eagle Head touched the condemned lightly with his stick. Atthis signal the tumult ceased as if by enchantment, the ranks werebroken, and everyone seized his weapons.
The punishment was about to begin!