The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2 by J Fenimore Cooper (top non fiction books of all time .TXT) 📖

With An Incredible Power

Of Foot.

 

As The Little Speck Of Blue Rose Against The Heavens,  Like An Island

Issuing From The Deep,  The Savages Occasionally Raised A Yell Of

Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 33

Triumph. But The Mists Of Evening Were Already Gathering Along The

Whole Of The Eastern Margin Of The Prairie,  And Before The Band Had

Made Half Of The Necessary Distance,  The Dim Outline Of The Rock Had

Melted Into The Haze Of The Back Ground. Indifferent To This

Circumstance,  Which Rather Favoured Than Disconcerted His Plans,

Mahtoree,  Who Had Again Ridden In Front,  Held On His Course With The

Accuracy Of A Hound Of The Truest Scent,  Merely Slackening His Speed A

Little,  As The Horses Of His Party Were By This Time Thoroughly Blown.

It Was At This Stage Of The Enterprise,  That The Old Man Rode Up To

The Side Of Middleton,  And Addressed Him As Follows In English--

 

"Here Is Likely To Be A Thieving Business,  And One In Which I Must Say

I Have But Little Wish To Be A Partner."

 

"What Would You Do? It Would Be Fatal To Trust Ourselves In The Hands

Of The Miscreants In Our Rear."

 

"Tut,  For Miscreants,  Be They Red Or Be They White. Look Ahead,  Lad,

As If Ye Were Talking Of Our Medicines,  Or Perhaps Praising The Teton

Beasts. For The Knaves Love To Hear Their Horses Commended,  The Same

As A Foolish Mother In The Settlements Is Fond Of Hearing The Praises

Of Her Wilful Child. So; Pat The Animal And Lay Your Hand On The

Gewgaws,  With Which The Red-Skins Have Ornamented His Mane,  Giving

Your Eye As It Were To One Thing,  And Your Mind To Another. Listen; If

Matters Are Managed With Judgment,  We May Leave These Tetons As The

Night Sets In."

 

"A Blessed Thought!" Exclaimed Middleton,  Who Retained A Painful

Remembrance Of The Look Of Admiration,  With Which Mahtoree Had

Contemplated The Loveliness Of Inez,  As Well As Of His Subsequent

Presumption In Daring To Wish To Take The Office Of Her Protector On

Himself.

 

"Lord,  Lord! What A Weak Creatur' Is Man,  When The Gifts Of Natur' Are

Smothered In Bookish Knowledge,  And Womanly Manners! Such Another

Start Would Tell These Imps At Our Elbows That We Were Plotting

Against Them,  Just As Plainly As If It Were Whispered In Their Ears By

A Sioux Tongue. Ay,  Ay,  I Know The Devils; They Look As Innocent As So

Many Frisky Fawns,  But There Is Not One Among Them All That Has Not An

Eye On Our Smallest Motions. Therefore,  What Is To Be Done Is To Be

Done In Wisdom,  In Order To Circumvent Their Cunning. That Is Right;

Pat His Neck And Smile,  As If You Praised The Horse,  And Keep The Ear

On My Side Open To My Words. Be Careful Not To Worry Your Beast,  For

Though But Little Skilled In Horses,  Reason Teaches That Breath Is

Needful In A Hard Push,  And That A Weary Leg Makes A Dull Race. Be

Ready To Mind The Signal,  When You Hear A Whine From Old Hector. The

First Will Be To Make Ready; The Second,  To Edge Out Of The Crowd; And

The Third,  To Go--Am I Understood?"

 

"Perfectly,  Perfectly," Said Middleton,  Trembling In His Excessive

Eagerness To Put The Plan In Instant Execution,  And Pressing The

Little Arm,  Which Encircled His Body,  To His Heart. "Perfectly.

Hasten,  Hasten."

 

Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 34

"Ay,  The Beast Is No Sloth," Continued The Trapper In The Teton

Language,  As If He Continued The Discourse,  Edging Cautiously Through

The Dusky Throng At The Same Time,  Until He Found Himself Riding At

The Side Of Paul. He Communicated His Intentions In The Same Guarded

Manner As Before. The High-Spirited And Fearless Bee-Hunter Received

The Intelligence With Delight,  Declaring His Readiness To Engage The

Whole Of The Savage Band,  Should It Become Necessary To Effect Their

Object. When The Old Man Drew Off From The Side Of This Pair Also,  He

Cast His Eyes About Him To Discover The Situation Occupied By The

Naturalist.

 

The Doctor,  With Infinite Labour To Himself And Asinus,  Had Maintained

A Position In The Very Centre Of The Siouxes,  So Long As There Existed

The Smallest Reason For Believing That Any Of The Missiles Of Ishmael

Might Arrive In Contact With His Person. After This Danger Had

Diminished,  Or Rather Disappeared Entirely,  His Own Courage Revived,

While That Of His Steed Began To Droop. To This Mutual But Very

Material Change Was Owing The Fact,  That The Rider And The Ass Were

Now To Be Sought Among That Portion Of The Band Who Formed A Sort Of

Rear-Guard. Hither,  Then,  The Trapper Contrived To Turn His Steed,

Without Exciting The Suspicions Of Any Of His Subtle Companions.

 

"Friend," Commenced The Old Man,  When He Found Himself In A Situation

Favourable To Discourse,  "Should You Like To Pass A Dozen Years Among

The Savages With A Shaved Head,  And A Painted Countenance,  With,

Perhaps,  A Couple Of Wives And Five Or Six Children Of The Half Breed,

To Call You Father?"

 

"Impossible!" Exclaimed The Startled Naturalist. "I Am Indisposed To

Matrimony In General,  And More Especially To All Admixture Of The

Varieties Of Species,  Which Only Tend To Tarnish The Beauty And To

Interrupt The Harmony Of Nature. Moreover,  It Is A Painful Innovation

On The Order Of All Nomenclatures."

 

"Ay,  Ay,  You Have Reason Enough For Your Distaste To Such A Life; But

Should These Siouxes Get You Fairly Into Their Village,  Such Would Be

Your Luck,  As Certain As That The Sun Rises And Sets At The Pleasure

Of The Lord."

 

"Marry Me To A Woman Who Is Not Adorned With The Comeliness Of The

Species!" Responded The Doctor. "Of What Crime Have I Been Guilty,

That So Grievous A Punishment Should Await The Offence? To Marry A Man

Against The Movements Of His Will,  Is To Do A Violence To Human

Nature!"

 

"Now,  That You Speak Of Natur',  I Have Hopes That The Gift Of Reason

Has Not Altogether Deserted Your Brain," Returned The Old Man,  With A

Covert Expression Playing About The Angles Of His Deep Set Eyes,  Which

Betrayed He Was Not Entirely Destitute Of Humour. "Nay,  They May

Conceive You A Remarkable Subject For Their Kindness,  And For That

Matter Marry You To Five Or Six. I Have Known,  In My Days,  Favoured

Chiefs Who Had Numberless Wives."

 

"But Why Should They Meditate This Vengeance?" Demanded The Doctor,

Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 35

Whose Hair Began To Rise,  As If Each Fibre Was Possessed Of

Sensibility; "What Evil Have I Done?"

 

"It Is The Fashion Of Their Kindness. When They Come To Learn That You

Are A Great Medicine,  They Will Adopt You In The Tribe,  And Some

Mighty Chief Will Give You His Name,  And Perhaps His Daughter,  Or It

May Be A Wife Or Two Of His Own,  Who Have Dwelt Long In His Lodge,  And

Of Whose Value He Is A Judge By Experience."

 

"The Governor And Founder Of Natural Harmony Protect Me!" Ejaculated

The Doctor. "I Have No Affinity To A Single Consort,  Much Less To

Duplicates And Triplicates Of The Class! I Shall Certainly Essay A

Flight From Their Abodes Before I Mingle In So Violent A Conjunction."

 

"There Is Reason In Your Words; But Why Not Attempt The Race You Speak

Of Now?"

 

The Naturalist Looked Fearfully Around,  As If He Had An Inclination To

Make An Instant Exhibition Of His Desperate Intention; But The Dusky

Figures,  Who Were Riding On Every Side Of Him,  Seemed Suddenly Tripled

In Number,  And The Darkness,  That Was Already Thickening On The

Prairie,  Appeared In His Eyes To Possess The Glare Of High Noon.

 

"It Would Be Premature,  And Reason Forbids It," He Answered. "Leave

Me,  Venerable Venator,  To The Council Of My Own Thoughts,  And When My

Plans Are Properly Classed,  I Will Advise You Of My Resolutions."

 

"Resolutions!" Repeated The Old Man,  Shaking His Head A Little

Contemptuously As He Gave The Rein To His Horse,  And Allowed Him To

Mingle With The Steeds Of The Savages. "Resolution Is A Word That Is

Talked Of In The Settlements,  And Felt On The Borders. Does My Brother

Know The Beast On Which The Pale-Face Rides?" He Continued,  Addressing

A Gloomy Looking Warrior In His Own Tongue,  And Making A Motion With

His Arm That At The Same Time Directed His Attention To The Naturalist

And The Meek Asinus.

 

The Teton Turned His Eyes For A Minute On The Animal,  But Disdained To

Manifest The Smallest Portion Of That Wonder He Had Felt,  In Common

With All His Companions,  On First Viewing So Rare A Quadruped. The

Trapper Was Not Ignorant,  That While Asses And Mules Were Beginning To

Be Known To Those Tribes Who Dwelt Nearest The Mexicos,  They Were Not

Usually Encountered So Far North As The Waters Of La Platte. He

Therefore Managed To Read The Mute Astonishment,  That Lay So Deeply

Concealed In The Tawny Visage Of The Savage,  And Took His Measures

Accordingly.

 

"Does My Brother Think That The Rider Is A Warrior Of The Pale-Faces?"

He Demanded,  When He Believed That Sufficient Time Had Elapsed,  For A

Full Examination Of The Pacific Mien Of The Naturalist.

 

The Flash Of Scorn,  Which Shot Across The Features Of The Teton,  Was

Visible,  Even By The Dim Light Of The Stars.

 

"Is A Dahcotah A Fool?" Was The Answer.

Part 3 Chapter 21 Pg 36

"They Are A Wise Nation,  Whose Eyes Are Never Shut; Much Do I Wonder,

That They Have Not Seen The Great Medicine Of The Big-Knives!"

 

"Wagh!" Exclaimed His Companion,  Suffering The Whole Of His Amazement

To Burst Out Of His Dark Rigid Countenance At The Surprise,  Like A

Flash Of Lightning Illuminating The