Chapter XVI
"I hear thee babbling to the vale Of sunshine and of flowers, But unto me thou bring'st a tale Of visionary hours."
Wordsworth.
One discovery mentioned at the close of the preceding chapter was ofgreat moment in the eyes of Deerslayer and his friend. In the firstplace, there was the danger, almost the certainty, that Hutter and Hurrywould make a fresh attempt on this camp, should they awake and ascertainits position. Then there was the increased risk of landing to bring offHist; and there were the general uncertainty and additional hazards thatmust follow from the circumstance that their enemies had begun to changetheir positions. As the Delaware was aware that the hour was near whenhe ought to repair to the rendezvous, he no longer thought of trophiestorn from his foes, and one of the first things arranged between him andhis associate was to permit the two others to sleep on, lest they shoulddisturb the execution of their plans by substituting some of their own.The ark moved slowly, and it would have taken fully a quarter of an hourto reach the point, at the rate at which they were going, thus affordingtime for a little forethought. The Indians, in the wish to conceal theirfire from those who were thought to be still in the castle, had placedit so near the southern side of the point as to render it extremelydifficult to shut it in by the bushes, though Deerslayer varied thedirection of the scow both to the right and to the left, in the hope ofbeing able to effect that object.
"There's one advantage, Judith, in finding that fire so near the water,"he said, while executing these little manoeuvres, "since it showsthe Mingos believe we are in the hut, and our coming on 'em from thisquarter will be an unlooked for event. But it's lucky Harry March andyour father are asleep, else we should have 'em prowling after scalpsag'in. Ha! there--the bushes are beginning to shut in the fire--and nowit can't be seen at all!"
Deerslayer waited a little to make certain that he had at lastgained the desired position, when he gave the signal agreed on, andChingachgook let go the grapnel and lowered the sail.
The situation in which the ark now lay had its advantages and itsdisadvantages. The fire had been hid by sheering towards the shore, andthe latter was nearer, perhaps, than was desirable. Still, the waterwas known to be very deep further off in the lake, and anchoring in deepwater, under the circumstances in which the party was placed, was tobe avoided, if possible. It was also believed no raft could be withinmiles; and though the trees in the darkness appeared almost to overhangthe scow, it would not be easy to get off to her without using a boat.The intense darkness that prevailed so close in with the forest, too,served as an effectual screen, and so long as care was had not to make anoise, there was little or no danger of being detected. All these thingsDeerslayer pointed out to Judith, instructing her as to the course shewas to follow in the event of an alarm; for it was thought to the lastdegree inexpedient to arouse the sleepers, unless it might be in thegreatest emergency.
"And now, Judith, as we understand one another, it is time the Sarpentand I had taken to the canoe," the hunter concluded. "The star has notrisen yet, it's true, but it soon must, though none of us are likelyto be any the wiser for it to-night, on account of the clouds. Howsever,Hist has a ready mind, and she's one of them that doesn't always need tohave a thing afore her, to see it. I'll warrant you she'll not be eithertwo minutes or two feet out of the way, unless them jealous vagabonds,the Mingos, have taken the alarm, and put her as a stool-pigeon tocatch us, or have hid her away, in order to prepare her mind for a Huroninstead of a Mohican husband."
"Deerslayer," interrupted the girl, earnestly; "this is a most dangerousservice; why do you go on it, at all?"
"Anan!--Why you know, gal, we go to bring off Hist, the Sarpent'sbetrothed--the maid he means to marry, as soon as we get back to thetribe."
"That is all right for the Indian--but you do not mean to marryHist--you are not betrothed, and why should two risk their lives andliberties, to do that which one can just as well perform?"
"Ah--now I understand you, Judith--yes, now I begin to take the idee.You think as Hist is the Sarpent's betrothed, as they call it, and notmine, it's altogether his affair; and as one man can paddle a canoe heought to be left to go after his gal alone! But you forget this is ourar'n'd here on the lake, and it would not tell well to forget an ar'n'djust as the pinch came. Then, if love does count for so much with somepeople, particularly with young women, fri'ndship counts for something,too, with other some. I dares to say, the Delaware can paddle a canoeby himself, and can bring off Hist by himself, and perhaps he would likethat quite as well, as to have me with him; but he couldn't sarcumventsarcumventions, or stir up an ambushment, or fight with the savages, andget his sweetheart at the same time, as well by himself as if he hada fri'nd with him to depend on, even if that fri'nd is no better thanmyself. No--no--Judith, you wouldn't desert one that counted on you, atsuch a moment, and you can't, in reason, expect me to do it."
"I fear--I believe you are right, Deerslayer, and yet I wish you werenot to go! Promise me one thing, at least, and that is, not to trustyourself among the savages, or to do anything more than to save thegirl. That will be enough for once, and with that you ought to besatisfied."
"Lord bless you! gal; one would think it was Hetty that's talking, andnot the quick-witted and wonderful Judith Hutter! But fright makes thewise silly, and the strong weak. Yes, I've seen proofs of that, timeand ag'in! Well, it's kind and softhearted in you, Judith, to feel thisconsarn for a fellow creatur', and I shall always say that you are kindand of true feelings, let them that envy your good looks tell as manyidle stories of you as they may."
"Deerslayer!" hastily said the girl, interrupting him, though nearlychoked by her own emotions; "do you believe all you hear about a poor,motherless girl? Is the foul tongue of Hurry Harry to blast my life?"
"Not it, Judith--not it. I've told Hurry it wasn't manful to backbitethem he couldn't win by fair means; and that even an Indian is alwaystender, touching a young woman's good name."
"If I had a brother, he wouldn't dare to do it!" exclaimed Judith, witheyes flashing fire. "But, finding me without any protector but an oldman, whose ears are getting to be as dull as his feelings, he has hisway as he pleases!"
"Not exactly that, Judith; no, not exactly that, neither! No man,brother or stranger, would stand by and see as fair a gal as yourselfhunted down, without saying a word in her behalf. Hurry's in 'arnest inwanting to make you his wife, and the little he does let out ag'in you,comes more from jealousy, like, than from any thing else. Smile on himwhen he awakes, and squeeze his hand only half as hard as you squeezedmine a bit ago, and my life on it, the poor fellow will forget everything but your comeliness. Hot words don't always come from the heart,but oftener from the stomach than anywhere else. Try him, Judith, whenhe awakes, and see the virtue of a smile."
Deerslayer laughed, in his own manner, as he concluded, and then heintimated to the patient-looking, but really impatient Chingachgook, hisreadiness to proceed. As the young man entered the canoe, the girl stoodimmovable as stone, lost in the musings that the language and mannerof the other were likely to produce. The simplicity of the hunter hadcompletely put her at fault; for, in her narrow sphere, Judith was anexpert manager of the other sex; though in the present instance she wasfar more actuated by impulses, in all she had said and done, than bycalculation. We shall not deny that some of Judith's reflections werebitter, though the sequel of the tale must be referred to, in order toexplain how merited, or how keen were her sufferings.
Chingachgook and his pale-face friend set forth on their hazardous anddelicate enterprise, with a coolness and method that would have donecredit to men who were on their twentieth, instead of being on theirfirst, war-path. As suited his relation to the pretty fugitive, in whoseservice they were engaged, the Indian took his place in the head ofthe canoe; while Deerslayer guided its movements in the stern. By thisarrangement, the former would be the first to land, and of course,the first to meet his mistress. The latter had taken his post without
comment, but in secret influenced by the reflection that one who had somuch at stake as the Indian, might not possibly guide the canoe with thesame steadiness and intelligence, as another who had more command of hisfeelings. From the instant they left the side of the ark, the movementsof the two adventurers were like the manoeuvres of highly-drilledsoldiers, who, for the first time were called on to meet the enemy inthe field. As yet, Chingachgook had never fired a shot in anger, and thedebut of his companion in warfare is known to the reader. It is true,the Indian had been hanging about his enemy's camp for a few hours, onhis first arrival, and he had even once entered it, as related in thelast chapter, but no consequences had followed either experiment.Now, it was certain that an important result was to be effected, or amortifying failure was to ensue. The rescue, or the continued captivityof Hist, depended on the enterprise. In a word, it was virtually themaiden expedition of these two ambitious young forest soldiers; andwhile one of them set forth impelled by sentiments that usually carrymen so far, both had all their feelings of pride and manhood enlisted intheir success.
Instead of steering in a direct line to the point, then distant from theark less than a quarter of a mile, Deerslayer laid the head of hiscanoe diagonally towards the centre of the lake, with a view to obtaina position from which he might approach the shore, having his enemiesin his front only. The spot where Hetty had landed, and where Hist hadpromised to meet them, moreover, was on the upper side of the projectionrather than on the lower; and to reach it would have required the twoadventurers to double nearly the whole point, close in with the shore,had not this preliminary step been taken. So well was the necessity forthis measure understood, that Chingachgook quietly paddled on, althoughit was adopted without consulting him, and apparently was taking him ina direction nearly opposite to that one might think he most wished togo. A few minutes sufficed, however, to carry the canoe the necessarydistance, when both the young men ceased paddling as it were byinstinctive consent, and the boat became stationary. The darknessincreased rather than diminished, but it was still possible, from theplace where the adventurers lay, to distinguish the outlines of themountains. In vain did the Delaware turn his head eastward, to catch aglimpse of the promised star; for, notwithstanding the clouds brokea little near the horizon in that quarter of the heavens, the curtaincontinued so far drawn as effectually to conceal all behind it. Infront, as was known by the formation of land above and behind it, laythe point, at the distance of about a thousand feet. No signs of thecastle could be seen, nor could any movement in that quarter of the lakereach the ear. The latter circumstance might have been equally owing tothe distance, which was several miles, or to the fact that nothing wasin motion. As for the ark, though scarcely farther from the canoe thanthe point, it lay so completely buried in the shadows of the shore, thatit would not have been visible even had there been many degrees more oflight than actually existed.
The adventurers now held a conference in low voices, consulting togetheras to the probable time. Deerslayer thought it wanted yet some minutesto the rising of the star, while the impatience of the chief caused himto fancy the night further advanced, and to believe that his betrothedwas already waiting his appearance on the shore. As might have beenexpected, the opinion of the latter prevailed, and his friend disposedhimself to steer for the place of rendezvous. The utmost skill andprecaution now became necessary in the management of the canoe. Thepaddles were lifted and returned to the water in a noiseless manner;and when within a hundred yards of the beach, Chingachgook took in his,altogether laying his hand on his rifle in its stead. As they got stillmore within the belt of darkness that girded the woods, it was seenthat they were steering too far north, and the course was alteredaccordingly. The canoe now seemed to move by instinct, so cautious anddeliberate were all its motions. Still it continued to advance, untilits bows grated on the gravel of the beach, at the precise spot whereHetty had landed, and whence her voice had issued, the previous night,as the ark was passing. There was, as usual, a narrow strand, but bushesfringed the woods, and in most places overhung the water.
Chingachgook stepped upon the beach, and cautiously examined it for somedistance on each side of the canoe. In order to do this, he was oftenobliged to wade to his knees in the lake, but no Hist rewarded hissearch. When he returned, he found his friend also on the shore. Theynext conferred in whispers, the Indian apprehending that they must havemistaken the place of rendezvous. But Deerslayer thought it was probablethey had mistaken the hour. While he was yet speaking, he grasped thearm of the Delaware, caused him to turn his head in the direction ofthe lake, and pointed towards the summits of the eastern mountains.The clouds had broken a little, apparently behind rather than above thehills, and the evening star was glittering among the branches of a pine.This was every way a flattering omen, and the young men leaned on theirrifles, listening intently for the sound of approaching footsteps.Voices they often heard, and mingled with them were the suppressed criesof children, and the low but sweet laugh of Indian women. As thenative Americans are habitually cautious, and seldom break out in loudconversation, the adventurers knew by these facts that they must bevery near the encampment. It was easy to perceive that there was a firewithin the woods, by the manner in which some of the upper branches ofthe trees were illuminated, but it was not possible, where they stood,to ascertain exactly how near it was to themselves. Once or twice, itseemed as if stragglers from around the fire were approaching the placeof rendezvous; but these sounds were either altogether illusion, orthose who had drawn near returned again without coming to the shore. Aquarter of an hour was passed in this state of intense expectation andanxiety, when Deerslayer proposed that they should circle the point inthe canoe; and by getting a position close in, where the camp could beseen, reconnoitre the Indians, and thus enable themselves to form someplausible conjectures for the non-appearance of Hist. The Delaware,however, resolutely refused to quit the spot, reasonably enough offeringas a reason the disappointment of the girl, should she arrive in hisabsence. Deerslayer felt for his friend's concern, and offered to makethe circuit of the point by himself, leaving the latter concealed in thebushes to await the occurrence of any fortunate event that might favourhis views. With this understanding, then, the parties separated.
As soon as Deerslayer was at his post again, in the stern of the canoe,he left the shore with the same precautions, and in the same noiselessmanner, as he had approached it. On this occasion he did not go far fromthe land, the bushes affording a sufficient cover, by keeping as closein as possible. Indeed, it would not have been easy to devise any meansmore favourable to reconnoitering round an Indian camp, than thoseafforded by the actual state of things. The formation of the pointpermitted the place to be circled on three of its sides, and theprogress of the boat was so noiseless as to remove any apprehensionsfrom an alarm through sound. The most practised and guarded foot mightstir a bunch of leaves, or snap a dried stick in the dark, but a barkcanoe could be made to float over the surface of smooth water, almostwith the instinctive readiness, and certainly with the noiselessmovements of an aquatic bird.
Deerslayer had got nearly in a line between the camp and the ark beforehe caught a glimpse of the fire. This came upon him suddenly, and alittle unexpectedly, at first causing an alarm, lest he had incautiouslyventured within the circle of light it cast. But perceiving at a secondglance that he was certainly safe from detection, so long as the Indianskept near the centre of the illumination, he brought the canoe toa state of rest in the most favourable position he could find, andcommenced his observations.
We have written much, but in vain, concerning this extraordinary being,if the reader requires now to be told, that, untutored as he was in thelearning of the world, and simple as he ever showed himself to be in allmatters touching the subtleties of conventional taste, he was a manof strong, native, poetical feeling. He loved the woods for theirfreshness, their sublime solitudes, their vastness, and the impressthat they everywhere bore of the divine hand of their creator. He seldommove
d through them, without pausing to dwell on some peculiar beautythat gave him pleasure, though seldom attempting to investigate thecauses; and never did a day pass without his communing in spirit, andthis, too, without the aid of forms or language, with the infinitesource of all he saw, felt, and beheld. Thus constituted, in a moralsense, and of a steadiness that no danger could appall, or any crisisdisturb, it is not surprising that the hunter felt a pleasure at lookingon the scene he now beheld, that momentarily caused him to forget theobject of his visit. This will more fully appear when we describe it.
The canoe lay in front of a natural vista, not only through the bushesthat lined the shore, but of the trees also, that afforded a clear viewof the camp. It was by means of this same opening that the light hadbeen first seen from the ark. In consequence of their recent changeof ground, the Indians had not yet retired to their huts, but had beendelayed by their preparations, which included lodging as well as food.A large fire had been made, as much to answer the purpose of torches asfor the use of their simple cookery; and at this precise moment it wasblazing high and bright, having recently received a large supply ofdried brush. The effect was to illuminate the arches of the forest, andto render the whole area occupied by the camp as light as if hundreds oftapers were burning. Most of the toil had ceased, and even the hungriestchild had satisfied its appetite. In a word, the time was that moment ofrelaxation and general indolence which is apt to succeed a heartymeal, and when the labours of the day have ended. The hunters andthe fishermen had been totally successful; and food, that one greatrequisite of savage life, being abundant, every other care appeared tohave subsided in the sense of enjoyment dependent on this all-importantfact.
Deerslayer saw at a glance that many of the warriors were absent.His acquaintance Rivenoak, however, was present, being seated in theforeground of a picture that Salvator Rosa would have delighted to draw,his swarthy features illuminated as much by pleasure as by the torchlikeflame, while he showed another of the tribe one of the elephants thathad caused so much sensation among his people. A boy was looking overhis shoulder, in dull curiosity, completing the group. More in thebackground eight or ten warriors lay half recumbent on the ground, orsat with their backs reclining against trees, so many types of indolentrepose. Their arms were near them all, sometimes leaning against thesame trees as themselves, or were lying across their bodies in carelesspreparation. But the group that most attracted the attention ofDeerslayer was that composed of the women and children. All the femalesappeared to be collected together, and, almost as a matter of course,their young were near them. The former laughed and chatted in theirrebuked and quiet manner, though one who knew the habits of the peoplemight have detected that everything was not going on in its usual train.Most of the young women seemed to be light-hearted enough; but one oldhag was seated apart with a watchful soured aspect, which the hunter atonce knew betokened that some duty of an unpleasant character had beenassigned her by the chiefs. What that duty was, he had no means ofknowing; but he felt satisfied it must be in some measure connected withher own sex, the aged among the women generally being chosen for suchoffices and no other.
As a matter of course, Deerslayer looked eagerly and anxiously for theform of Hist. She was nowhere visible though the light penetrated toconsiderable distances in all directions around the fire. Once or twicehe started, as he thought he recognized her laugh; but his ears weredeceived by the soft melody that is so common to the Indian femalevoice. At length the old woman spoke loud and angrily, and then hecaught a glimpse of one or two dark figures in the background of trees,which turned as if obedient to the rebuke, and walked more within thecircle of the light. A young warrior's form first came fairly intoview; then followed two youthful females, one of whom proved to be theDelaware girl. Deerslayer now comprehended it all. Hist was watched,possibly by her young companion, certainly by the old woman. The youthwas probably some suitor of either her or her companion; but even hisdiscretion was distrusted under the influence of his admiration. Theknown vicinity of those who might be supposed to be her friends, and thearrival of a strange red man on the lake had induced more than the usualcare, and the girl had not been able to slip away from those who watchedher in order to keep her appointment. Deerslayer traced her uneasinessby her attempting once or twice to look up through the branches of thetrees, as if endeavouring to get glimpses of the star she had herselfnamed as the sign for meeting. All was vain, however, and afterstrolling about the camp a little longer, in affected indifference, thetwo girls quitted their male escort, and took seats among their own sex.As soon as this was done, the old sentinel changed her place to onemore agreeable to herself, a certain proof that she had hitherto beenexclusively on watch.
Deerslayer now felt greatly at a loss how to proceed. He well knewthat Chingachgook could never be persuaded to return to the ark withoutmaking some desperate effort for the recovery of his mistress, and hisown generous feelings well disposed him to aid in such an undertaking.He thought he saw the signs of an intention among the females to retirefor the night; and should he remain, and the fire continue to give outits light, he might discover the particular hut or arbour under whichHist reposed; a circumstance that would be of infinite use in theirfuture proceedings. Should he remain, however, much longer where he was,there was great danger that the impatience of his friend would drive himinto some act of imprudence. At each instant, indeed, he expected to seethe swarthy form of the Delaware appearing in the background, like thetiger prowling around the fold. Taking all things into consideration,therefore, he came to the conclusion it would be better to rejoin hisfriend, and endeavour to temper his impetuosity by some of his owncoolness and discretion. It required but a minute or two to put thisplan in execution, the canoe returning to the strand some ten or fifteenminutes after it had left it.
Contrary to his expectations, perhaps, Deerslayer found the Indian athis post, from which he had not stirred, fearful that his betrothedmight arrive during his absence. A conference followed, in whichChingachgook was made acquainted with the state of things in the camp.When Hist named the point as the place of meeting, it was with theexpectation of making her escape from the old position, and of repairingto a spot that she expected to find without any occupants; but thesudden change of localities had disconcerted all her plans. A muchgreater degree of vigilance than had been previously required was nownecessary; and the circumstance that an aged woman was on watch alsodenoted some special grounds of alarm. All these considerations, andmany more that will readily suggest themselves to the reader, werebriefly discussed before the young men came to any decision. Theoccasion, however, being one that required acts instead of words, thecourse to be pursued was soon chosen.
Disposing of the canoe in such a manner that Hist must see it, shouldshe come to the place of meeting previously to their return, the youngmen looked to their arms and prepared to enter the wood. The wholeprojection into the lake contained about two acres of land; and the partthat formed the point, and on which the camp was placed, did not composea surface of more than half that size. It was principally covered withoaks, which, as is usual in the American forests, grew to a great heightwithout throwing out a branch, and then arched in a dense and richfoliage. Beneath, except the fringe of thick bushes along the shore,there was very little underbrush; though, in consequence of their shape,the trees were closer together than is common in regions where theaxe has been freely used, resembling tall, straight, rustic columns,upholding the usual canopy of leaves. The surface of the land wastolerably even, but it had a small rise near its centre, which dividedit into a northern and southern half. On the latter, the Hurons hadbuilt their fire, profiting by the formation to conceal it from theirenemies, who, it will be remembered, were supposed to be in the castle,which bore northerly. A brook also came brawling down the sides of theadjacent hills, and found its way into the lake on the southern sideof the point. It had cut for itself a deep passage through some of thehigher portions of the ground, and, in later days, when this spot hasbecome sub
jected to the uses of civilization, by its windings and shadedbanks, it has become no mean accessory in contributing to the beauty ofthe place. This brook lay west of the encampment, and its waters foundtheir way into the great reservoir of that region on the same side, andquite near to the spot chosen for the fire. All these peculiarities,so far as circumstances allowed, had been noted by Deerslayer, andexplained to his friend.
The reader will understand that the little rise in the ground, that laybehind the Indian encampment, greatly favoured the secret advance of thetwo adventurers. It prevented the light of the fire diffusing itself onthe ground directly in the rear, although the land fell away towards thewater, so as to leave what might be termed the left, or eastern flankof the position unprotected by this covering. We have said unprotected,though that is not properly the word, since the knoll behind thehuts and the fire offered a cover for those who were now stealthilyapproaching, rather than any protection to the Indians. Deerslayer didnot break through the fringe of bushes immediately abreast of the canoe,which might have brought him too suddenly within the influence of thelight, since the hillock did not extend to the water; but he followedthe beach northerly until he had got nearly on the opposite side ofthe tongue of land, which brought him under the shelter of the lowacclivity, and consequently more in the shadow.
As soon as the friends emerged from the bushes, they stopped toreconnoitre. The fire was still blazing behind the little ridge, castingits light upward into the tops of the trees, producing an effect thatwas more pleasing than advantageous. Still the glare had its uses; for,while the background was in obscurity, the foreground was in stronglight; exposing the savages and concealing their foes. Profiting bythe latter circumstance, the young men advanced cautiously towards theridge, Deerslayer in front, for he insisted on this arrangement, lestthe Delaware should be led by his feelings into some indiscretion. Itrequired but a moment to reach the foot of the little ascent, andthen commenced the most critical part of the enterprise. Moving withexceeding caution, and trailing his rifle, both to keep its barrel outof view, and in readiness for service, the hunter put foot before foot,until he had got sufficiently high to overlook the summit, his own headbeing alone brought into the light. Chingachgook was at his side andboth paused to take another close examination of the camp. In order,however, to protect themselves against any straggler in the rear, theyplaced their bodies against the trunk of an oak, standing on the sidenext the fire.
The view that Deerslayer now obtained of the camp was exactly thereverse of that he had perceived from the water. The dim figures whichhe had formerly discovered must have been on the summit of the ridge,a few feet in advance of the spot where he was now posted. The firewas still blazing brightly, and around it were seated on logs thirteenwarriors, which accounted for all whom he had seen from the canoe. Theywere conversing, with much earnestness among themselves, the image ofthe elephant passing from hand to hand. The first burst of savage wonderhad abated, and the question now under discussion was the probableexistence, the history and the habits of so extraordinary an animal. Wehave not leisure to record the opinions of these rude men on a subjectso consonant to their lives and experience; but little is hazarded insaying that they were quite as plausible, and far more ingenious, thanhalf the conjectures that precede the demonstrations of science. Howevermuch they may have been at fault as to their conclusions and inferences,it is certain that they discussed the questions with a zealous and mostundivided attention. For the time being all else was forgotten, and ouradventurers could not have approached at a more fortunate instant.
The females were collected near each other, much as Deerslayer had lastseen them, nearly in a line between the place where he now stood and thefire. The distance from the oak against which the young men leaned andthe warriors was about thirty yards; the women may have been half thatnumber of yards nigher. The latter, indeed, were so near as to make theutmost circumspection, as to motion and noise, indispensable. Althoughthey conversed in their low, soft voices it was possible, in theprofound stillness of the woods, even to catch passages of thediscourse; and the light-hearted laugh that escaped the girls mightoccasionally have reached the canoe. Deerslayer felt the tremolo thatpassed through the frame of his friend when the latter first caught thesweet sounds that issued from the plump, pretty lips of Hist. He evenlaid a hand on the shoulder of the Indian, as a sort of admonition tocommand himself. As the conversation grew more earnest, each leanedforward to listen.
"The Hurons have more curious beasts than that," said one of the girls,contemptuously, for, like the men, they conversed of the elephant andhis qualities. "The Delawares will think this creature wonderful, butto-morrow no Huron tongue will talk of it. Our young men will find him ifthe animals dare to come near our wigwams!"
This was, in fact, addressed to Wah-ta-Wah, though she who spoke utteredher words with an assumed diffidence and humility that prevented herlooking at the other.
"The Delawares are so far from letting such creatures come into theircountry," returned Hist, "that no one has even seen their images there!Their young men would frighten away the images as well as the beasts."
"The Delaware young men!--the nation is women--even the deer walk whenthey hear their hunters coming! Who has ever heard the name of a youngDelaware warrior?"
This was said in good-humour, and with a laugh; but it was also saidbitingly. That Hist so felt it, was apparent by the spirit betrayed inher answer.
"Who has ever heard the name of a young Delaware?" she repeatedearnestly. "Tamenund, himself, though now as old as the pines on thehill, or as the eagles in the air, was once young; his name was heardfrom the great salt lake to the sweet waters of the west. What is thefamily of Uncas? Where is another as great, though the pale-faces haveploughed up its grates, and trodden on its bones? Do the eagles fly ashigh, is the deer as swift or the panther as brave? Is there no youngwarrior of that race? Let the Huron maidens open their eyes wider, andthey may see one called Chingachgook, who is as stately as a young ash,and as tough as the hickory."
As the girl used her figurative language and told her companions to"open their eyes, and they would see" the Delaware, Deerslayer thrusthis fingers into the sides of his friend, and indulged in a fit of hishearty, benevolent laughter. The other smiled; but the language of thespeaker was too flattering, and the tones of her voice too sweet forhim to be led away by any accidental coincidence, however ludicrous. Thespeech of Hist produced a retort, and the dispute, though conducted ingood-humour, and without any of the coarse violence of tone and gesturethat often impairs the charms of the sex in what is called civilizedlife, grew warm and slightly clamorous. In the midst of this scene,the Delaware caused his friend to stoop, so as completely to concealhimself, and then he made a noise so closely resembling the littlechirrup of the smallest species of the American squirrel, thatDeerslayer himself, though he had heard the imitation a hundred times,actually thought it came from one of the little animals skipping aboutover his head. The sound is so familiar in the woods, that none of theHurons paid it the least attention. Hist, however, instantly ceasedtalking, and sat motionless. Still she had sufficient self-command toabstain from turning her head. She had heard the signal by which herlover so often called her from the wigwam to the stolen interview,and it came over her senses and her heart, as the serenade affects themaiden in the land of song.
From that moment, Chingachgook felt certain that his presence was known.This was effecting much, and he could now hope for a bolder line ofconduct on the part of his mistress than she might dare to adopt underan uncertainty of his situation. It left no doubt of her endeavouringto aid him in his effort to release her. Deerslayer arose as soon asthe signal was given, and though he had never held that sweet communionwhich is known only to lovers, he was not slow to detect the greatchange that had come over the manner of the girl. She still affected todispute, though it was no longer with spirit and ingenuity, but what shesaid was uttered more as a lure to draw her antagonists on to an easyconquest, than wit
h any hopes of succeeding herself. Once or twice, itis true, her native readiness suggested a retort, or an argument thatraised a laugh, and gave her a momentary advantage; but these littlesallies, the offspring of mother-wit, served the better to conceal herreal feelings, and to give to the triumph of the other party a morenatural air than it might have possessed without them. At length thedisputants became wearied, and they rose in a body as if about toseparate. It was now that Hist, for the first time, ventured to turnher face in the direction whence the signal had come. In doing this,her movements were natural, but guarded, and she stretched her arm andyawned, as if overcome with a desire to sleep. The chirrup was againheard, and the girl felt satisfied as to the position of her lover,though the strong light in which she herself was placed, and thecomparative darkness in which the adventurers stood, prevented her fromseeing their heads, the only portions of their forms that appeared abovethe ridge at all. The tree against which they were posted had a darkshadow cast upon it by the intervention of an enormous pine that grewbetween it and the fire, a circumstance which alone would have renderedobjects within its cloud invisible at any distance. This Deerslayer wellknew, and it was one of the reasons why he had selected this particulartree.
The moment was near when it became necessary for Hist to act. She wasto sleep in a small hut, or bower, that had been built near where shestood, and her companion was the aged hag already mentioned. Once withinthe hut, with this sleepless old woman stretched across the entrance, aswas her nightly practice, the hope of escape was nearly destroyed, andshe might at any moment be summoned to her bed. Luckily, at this instantone of the warriors called to the old woman by name, and bade her bringhim water to drink. There was a delicious spring on the northern side ofthe point, and the hag took a gourd from a branch and, summoning Histto her side, she moved towards the summit of the ridge, intending todescend and cross the point to the natural fountain. All this wasseen and understood by the adventurers, and they fell back into theobscurity, concealing their persons by trees, until the two females hadpassed them. In walking, Hist was held tightly by the hand. As she movedby the tree that hid Chingachgook and his friend the former felt for histomahawk, with the intention to bury it in the brain of the woman. Butthe other saw the hazard of such a measure, since a single screammight bring all the warriors upon them, and he was averse to the acton considerations of humanity. His hand, therefore, prevented the blow.Still as the two moved past, the chirrup was repeated, and the Huronwoman stopped and faced the tree whence the sounds seemed to proceed,standing, at the moment, within six feet of her enemies. She expressedher surprise that a squirrel should be in motion at so late an hour, andsaid it boded evil. Hist answered that she had heard the same squirrelthree times within the last twenty minutes, and that she supposed itwas waiting to obtain some of the crumbs left from the late supper. Thisexplanation appeared satisfactory, and they moved towards the spring,the men following stealthily and closely. The gourd was filled, and theold woman was hurrying back, her hand still grasping the wrist of thegirl, when she was suddenly seized so violently by the throat as tocause her to release her captive, and to prevent her making any othersound than a sort of gurgling, suffocating noise. The Serpent passed hisarm round the waist of his mistress and dashed through the bushes withher, on the north side of the point. Here he immediately turned alongthe beach and ran towards the canoe. A more direct course could havebeen taken, but it might have led to a discovery of the place ofembarking.
Deerslayer kept playing on the throat of the old woman like the keys ofan organ, occasionally allowing her to breathe, and then compressinghis fingers again nearly to strangling. The brief intervals for breath,however, were well improved, and the hag succeeded in letting out ascreech or two that served to alarm the camp. The tramp of the warriors,as they sprang from the fire, was plainly audible, and at the nextmoment three or four of them appeared on the top of the ridge, drawnagainst the background of light, resembling the dim shadows of thephantasmagoria. It was now quite time for the hunter to retreat.Tripping up the heels of his captive, and giving her throat a partingsqueeze, quite as much in resentment at her indomitable efforts to soundthe alarm as from any policy, he left her on her back, and moved towardsthe bushes, his rifle at a poise, and his head over his shoulders, likea lion at bay.