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

Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 100

No Claim,  Unless It Be Such As The Wolf Has To The Lamb. He Will Not

Give You The Child,  You Call Your Niece; And Therein I Acknowledge

That I Am Far From Certain He Has The Same Justice On His Side.

Moreover,  Neighbour Squatter,  He Flatly Denies Your Demand For Me,

Miserable And Worthless As I Am; Nor Do I Think He Has Been Unwise In

So Doing,  Seeing That I Should Have Many Reasons Against Journeying

Far In Your Company. But He Makes You An Offer,  Which It Is Right And

Convenient You Should Know. The Teton Says Through Me,  Who Am No More

Than A Mouthpiece,  And Therein Not Answerable For The Sin Of His

Words,  But He Says,  As This Good Woman Is Getting Past The Comely Age,

It Is Reasonable For You To Tire Of Such A Wife. He Therefore Tells

You To Turn Her Out Of Your Lodge,  And When It Is Empty,  He Will Send

His Own Favourite,  Or Rather She That Was His Favourite,  The 'Skipping

Fawn,' As The Siouxes Call Her,  To Fill Her Place. You See,  Neighbour,

Though The Red-Skin Is Minded To Keep Your Property,  He Is Willing To

Give You Wherewithal To Make Yourself Some Return!"

 

Ishmael Listened To These Replies,  To His Several Demands,  With That

Species Of Gathering Indignation,  With Which The Dullest Tempers Mount

Into The Most Violent Paroxysms Of Rage. He Even Affected To Laugh At

The Conceit Of Exchanging His Long-Tried Partner For The More Flexible

Support Of The Youthful Tachechana,  Though His Voice Was Hollow And

Unnatural In The Effort. But Esther Was Far From Giving The Proposal

So Facetious A Reception. Lifting Her Voice To Its Most Audible Key,

She Broke Forth,  After Catching Her Breath Like One Who Had Been In

Some Imminent Danger Of Strangulation,  As Follows--

 

"Hoity-Toity; Who Set An Indian Up For A Maker And Breaker Of The

Rights Of Wedded Wives! Does He Think A Woman Is A Beast Of The

Prairie,  That She Is To Be Chased From A Village,  By Dog And Gun. Let

The Bravest Squaw Of Them All Come Forth And Boast Of Her Doings; Can

She Show Such A Brood As Mine? A Wicked Tyrant Is That Thieving Red-

Skin,  And A Bold Rogue I Warrant Me. He Would Be Captain In-Doors,  As

Well As Out! An Honest Woman Is No Better In His Eyes Than One Of Your

Broomstick Jumpers. And You,  Ishmael Bush,  The Father Of Seven Sons

And So Many Comely Daughters,  To Open Your Sinful Mouth,  Except To

Curse Him! Would Ye Disgrace Colour,  And Family,  And Nation,  By Mixing

White Blood With Red,  And Would Ye Be The Parent Of A Race Of Mules!

The Devil Has Often Tempted You,  My Man,  But Never Before Has He Set

So Cunning A Snare As This. Go Back Among Your Children,  Friend; Go,

And Remember That You Are Not A Prowling Bear,  But A Christian Man,

And Thank God That You Ar' A Lawful Husband!"

 

The Clamour Of Esther Was Anticipated By The Judicious Trapper. He Had

Easily Foreseen That Her Meek Temper Would Overflow At So Scandalous A

Proposal As Repudiation,  And He Now Profited By The Tempest,  To Retire

To A Place Where He Was At Least Safe From Any Immediate Violence On

The Part Of Her Less Excited,  But Certainly More Dangerous Husband.

Ishmael,  Who Had Made His Demands With A Stout Determination To

Enforce Them,  Was Diverted By The Windy Torrent,  Like Many A More

Obstinate Husband,  From His Purpose,  And In Order To Appease A

Jealousy That Resembled The Fury With Which The Bear Defends Her Cubs,

Was Fain To Retire To A Distance From The Lodge,  That Was Known To

Contain The Unoffending Object Of The Sudden Uproar.

Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 101

 

"Let Your Copper-Coloured Minx Come Forth,  And Show Her Tawney Beauty

Before The Face Of A Woman Who Has Heard More Than One Church Bell,

And Seen A Power Of Real Quality," Cried Esther,  Flourishing Her Hand

In Triumph,  As She Drove Ishmael And Abiram Before Her,  Like Two

Truant Boys,  Towards Their Own Encampment. "I Warrant Me,  I Warrant

Me,  Here Is One Who Would Shortly Talk Her Down! Never Think To Tarry

Here,  My Men; Never Think To Shut An Eye In A Camp,  Through Which The

Devil Walks As Openly As If He Were A Gentleman,  And Sure Of His

Welcome. Here,  You Abner,  Enoch,  Jesse,  Where Ar' Ye Gotten To? Put

To,  Put To; If That Weak-Minded,  Soft-Feeling Man,  Your Father,  Eats

Or Drinks Again In This Neighbourhood,  We Shall See Him Poisoned With

The Craft Of The Red-Skins. Not That I Care,  I,  Who Comes Into My

Place,  When It Is Once Lawfully Empty; But,  Ishmael,  I Never Thought

That You,  Who Have Had One Woman With A White Skin,  Would Find

Pleasure In Looking On A Brazen--Ay,  That She Is Copper Ar' A Fact;

You Can't Deny It,  And I Warrant Me,  Brazen Enough Is She Too!"

 

Against This Ebullition Of Wounded Female Pride,  The Experienced

Husband Made No Other Head,  Than By An Occasional Exclamation,  Which

He Intended To Be Precursor Of A Simple Asseveration Of His Own

Innocence. The Fury Of The Woman Would Not Be Appeased. She Listened

To Nothing But Her Own Voice,  And Consequently Nothing Was Heard But

Her Mandates To Depart.

 

The Squatter Had Collected His Beasts And Loaded His Wagons,  As A

Measure Of Precaution,  Before Proceeding To The Extremity He

Contemplated. Esther Consequently Found Every Thing Favourable To Her

Wishes. The Young Men Stared At Each Other,  As They Witnessed The

Extraordinary Excitement Of Their Mother,  But Took Little Interest In

An Event Which,  In The Course Of Their Experience,  Had Found So Many

Parallels. By Command Of Their Father,  The Tents Were Thrown Into The

Vehicles,  As A Sort Of Reprisal For The Want Of Faith In Their Late

Ally,  And Then The Train Left The Spot,  In Its Usual Listless And

Sluggish Order.

 

As A Formidable Division Of Well-Armed Borderers Protected The Rear Of

The Retiring Party,  The Siouxes Saw It Depart Without Manifesting The

Smallest Evidence Of Surprise Or Resentment. The Savage,  Like The

Tiger,  Rarely Makes His Attack On An Enemy Who Expects Him; And If The

Warriors Of The Tetons Meditated Any Hostility,  It Was In The Still

And Patient Manner With Which The Feline Beasts Watch For The

Incautious Moment,  In Order To Ensure The Blow. The Counsels Of

Mahtoree,  However,  On Whom So Much Of The Policy Of His People

Depended,  Lay Deep In The Depository Of His Own Thoughts. Perhaps He

Rejoiced At So Easy A Manner Of Getting Rid Of Claims So Troublesome;

Perhaps He Awaited A Fitting Time To Exhibit His Power; Or It Even

Might Be,  That Matters Of So Much Greater Importance Were Pressing On

His Mind,  That It Had Not Leisure To Devote Any Of Its Faculties To An

Event Of So Much Indifference.

 

But It Would Seem That While Ishmael Made Such A Concession To The

Awakened Feelings Of Esther,  He Was Far From Abandoning His Original

Intentions. His Train Followed The Course Of The River For A Mile,  And

Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 102

Then It Came To A Halt On The Brow Of The Elevated Land,  And In A

Place Which Afforded The Necessary Facilities. Here He Again Pitched

His Tents,  Unharnessed His Teams,  Sent His Cattle On The Bottom,  And,

In Short,  Made All The Customary Preparations To Pass The Night,  With

The Same Coolness And Deliberation As If He Had Not Hurled An

Irritating Defiance Into The Teeth Of His Dangerous Neighbours.

 

In The Mean Time The Tetons Proceeded To The More Regular Business Of

The Hour. A Fierce And Savage Joy Had Existed In The Camp,  From The

Instant When It Had Been Announced That Their Own Chief Was Returning

With The Long-Dreaded And Hated Partisan Of Their Enemies. For Many

Hours The Crones Of The Tribe Had Been Going From Lodge To Lodge,  In

Order To Stimulate The Tempers Of The Warriors To Such A Pass,  As

Might Leave But Little Room For Mercy. To One They Spoke Of A Son,

Whose Scalp Was Drying In The Smoke Of A Pawnee Lodge. To Another,

They Enumerated His Own Scars,  His Disgraces,  And Defeats; With A

Third,  They Dwelt On His Losses Of Skins And Horses; And A Fourth Was

Reminded Of Vengeance By A Significant Question,  Concerning Some

Flagrant Adventure,  In Which He Was Known To Have Been A Sufferer.

 

By These Means The Men Had Been So Far Excited As To Have Assembled,

In The Manner Already Related,  Though It Still Remained A Matter Of

Doubt How Far They Intended To Carry Their Revenge. A Variety Of

Opinions Prevailed On The Policy Of Executing Their Prisoners; And

Mahtoree Had Suspended The Discussions,  In Order To Ascertain How Far

The Measure Might Propitiate,  Or Retard,  His Own Particular Views.

Hitherto The Consultations Had Merely Been Preliminary,  With A Design

That Each Chief Might Discover The Number Of Supporters His Particular

Views Would Be Likely To Obtain,  When The Important Subject Should

Come Before A More Solemn Council Of The Tribe. The Moment For The

Latter Had Now Arrived,  And The Preparations Were Made With A Dignity

And Solemnity Suited To The Momentous Interests Of The Occasion.

 

With A Refinement In Cruelty,  That None But An Indian Would Have

Imagined,  The Place,  Selected For This Grave Deliberation,  Was

Immediately About The Post To Which The Most Important Of Its Subjects

Was Attached. Middleton And Paul Were Brought In Their Bonds,  And Laid

At The Feet Of The Pawnee; Then The Men Began To Take Their Places,

According To Their Several Claims To Distinction. As Warrior After

Warrior Approached,  He Seated Himself In The Wide Circle,  With A Mien

As Composed And Thoughtful,  As If His Mind Were Actually In A

Condition To Deal Out Justice,  Tempered,  As It Should Be,  With The

Heavenly Quality Of Mercy. A Place Was Reserved For Three Or Four Of

The Principal Chiefs,  And A Few Of The Oldest Of The Women,  As

Withered,  As Age,  Exposure,  Hardships,  And Lives Of Savage Passions

Could Make Them,  Thrust Themselves Into The Foremost Circle,  With A

Temerity,  To Which They Were Impelled By Their Insatiable Desire For

Cruelty,  And Which Nothing,  But Their Years And Their Long Tried

Fidelity To The Nation,  Would Have Excused.

 

All,  But The Chiefs Already Named,  Were Now In Their Places. These Had

Delayed Their Appearance,  In The Vain Hope That Their Own Unanimity

Might Smooth The Way To That Of Their Respective Factions; For,

Notwithstanding The Superior Influence Of Mahtoree,  His Power Was To