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

Their Young Men Have Not Come

Back Loaded With Scalps!"

 

He Was Answered By A General Howl,  And A Few Of The Boldest Of The

Furies Even Ventured To Approach Him,  Flourishing Their Knives Within

A Dangerous Proximity Of His Own Steady Eye-Balls.

 

"It Is A Warrior You See,  And No Runner Of The Long-Knives,  Whose Face

Grows Paler At The Sight Of A Tomahawk," Returned The Trapper,  Without

Moving A Muscle. "Let The Sioux Women Think; If One White-Skin Dies,  A

Hundred Spring Up Where He Falls."

 

Still The Hags Made No Other Answer,  Than By Increasing Their Speed In

The Circle,  And Occasionally Raising The Threatening Expressions Of

Their Chant,  Into Louder And More Intelligible Strains. Suddenly,  One

Of The Oldest,  And The Most Ferocious Of Them All,  Broke Out Of The

Ring,  And Skirred Away In The Direction Of Her Victims,  Like A

Rapacious Bird,  That Having Wheeled On Poised Wings,  For The Time

Necessary To Ensure Its Object,  Makes The Final Dart Upon Its Prey.

The Others Followed,  A Disorderly And Screaming Flock,  Fearful Of

Being Too Late To Reap Their Portion Of The Sanguinary Pleasure.

 

"Mighty Medicine Of My People!" Shouted The Old Man,  In The Teton

Tongue; "Lift Your Voice And Speak,  That The Sioux Nation May Hear."

 

Whether Asinus Had Acquired So Much Knowledge,  By His Recent

Experience,  As To Know The Value Of His Sonorous Properties,  Or The

Strange Spectacle Of A Dozen Hags Flitting Past Him,  Filling The Air

With Such Sounds As Were Even Grating To The Ears Of An Ass,  Most

Moved His Temper,  It Is Certain That The Animal Did That Which Obed

Was Requested To Do,  And Probably With Far Greater Effect Than If The

Naturalist Had Strove With His Mightiest Effort To Be Heard. It Was

The First Time The Strange Beast Had Spoken,  Since His Arrival In The

Encampment. Admonished By So Terrible A Warning,  The Hags Scattered

Themselves,  Like Vultures Frightened From Their Prey,  Still Screaming,

And But Half Diverted From Their Purpose.

 

In The Mean Time The Sudden Appearance,  And The Imminency Of The

Danger,  Quickened The Blood In The Veins Of Paul And Middleton,  More

Than All Their Laborious Frictions,  And Physical Expedients. The

Former Had Actually Risen To His Feet,  And Assumed An Attitude Which

Perhaps Threatened More Than The Worthy Bee-Hunter Was Able To

Perform,  And Even The Latter Had Mounted To His Knees,  And Shown A

Part 3 Chapter 29 Pg 127

Disposition To Do Good Service For His Life. The Unaccountable Release

Of The Captives From Their Bonds Was Attributed,  By The Hags,  To The

Incantations Of The Medicine; And The Mistake Was Probably Of As Much

Service,  As The Miraculous And Timely Interposition Of Asinus In Their

Favour.

 

"Now Is The Time To Come Out Of Our Ambushment," Exclaimed The Old

Man,  Hastening To Join His Friends,  "And To Make Open And Manful War.

It Would Have Been Policy To Have Kept Back The Struggle,  Until The

Captain Was In Better Condition To Join,  But As We Have Unmasked Our

Battery,  Why,  We Must Maintain The Ground--"

 

He Was Interrupted By Feeling A Gigantic Hand On His Shoulder.

Turning,  Under A Sort Of Confused Impression That Necromancy Was

Actually Abroad In The Place,  He Found That He Was In The Hands Of A

Sorcerer No Less Dangerous And Powerful Than Ishmael Bush. The File Of

The Squatter's Well-Armed Sons,  That Was Seen Issuing From Behind The

Still Standing Tent Of Mahtoree,  Explained At Once,  Not Only The

Manner In Which Their Rear Had Been Turned,  While Their Attention Had

Been So Earnestly Bestowed On Matters In Front,  But The Utter

Impossibility Of Resistance.

 

Neither Ishmael,  Nor His Sons Deemed It Necessary To Enter Into Prolix

Explanations. Middleton And Paul Were Bound Again,  With Extraordinary

Silence And Despatch,  And This Time Not Even The Aged Trapper Was

Exempt From A Similar Fortune. The Tent Was Struck,  The Females Placed

Upon The Horses,  And The Whole Were On The Way Towards The Squatter's

Encampment,  With A Celerity That Might Well Have Served To Keep Alive

The Idea Of Magic.

 

During This Summary And Brief Disposition Of Things,  The Disappointed

Agent Of Mahtoree And His Callous Associates Were Seen Flying Across

The Plain,  In The Direction Of The Retiring Families; And When Ishmael

Left The Spot With His Prisoners And His Booty,  The Ground,  Which Had

So Lately Been Alive With The Bustle And Life Of An Extensive Indian

Encampment,  Was As Still And Empty As Any Other Spot In Those

Extensive Wastes.

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               Is This Proceeding Just And Honourable?

                                                   --Shakspeare.

 

During The Occurrence Of These Events On The Upland Plain,  The

Warriors On The Bottom Had Not Been Idle. We Left The Adverse Bands

Watching One Another On The Opposite Banks Of The Stream,  Each

Endeavouring To Excite Its Enemy To Some Act Of Indiscretion,  By The

Most Reproachful Taunts And Revilings. But The Pawnee Chief Was Not

Slow To Discover That His Crafty Antagonist Had No Objection To Waste

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The Time So Idly,  And,  As They Mutually Proved,  In Expedients That

Were So Entirely Useless. He Changed His Plans,  Accordingly,  And

Withdrew From The Bank,  As Has Been Already Explained Through The

Mouth Of The Trapper,  In Order To Invite The More Numerous Host Of The

Siouxes To Cross. The Challenge Was Not Accepted,  And The Loups Were

Compelled To Frame Some Other Method To Attain Their End.

 

Instead Of Any Longer Throwing Away The Precious Moments,  In Fruitless

Endeavours To Induce His Foe To Cross The Stream,  The Young Partisan

Of The Pawnees Led His Troops,  At A Swift Gallop,  Along Its Margin,  In

Quest Of Some Favourable Spot,  Where By A Sudden Push He Might Throw

His Own Band Without Loss To The Opposite Shore. The Instant His

Object Was Discovered,  Each Mounted Teton Received A Footman Behind

Him,  And Mahtoree Was Still Enabled To Concentrate His Whole Force

Against The Effort. Perceiving That His Design Was Anticipated,  And

Unwilling To Blow His Horses By A Race That Would Disqualify Them For

Service,  Even After They Had Succeeded In Outstripping The More

Heavily-Burdened Cattle Of The Siouxes,  Hard-Heart Drew Up,  And Came

To A Dead Halt On The Very Margin Of The Water-Course.

 

As The Country Was Too Open For Any Of The Usual Devices Of Savage

Warfare,  And Time Was So Pressing,  The Chivalrous Pawnee Resolved To

Bring On The Result By One Of Those Acts Of Personal Daring,  For Which

The Indian Braves Are So Remarkable,  And By Which They Often Purchase

Their Highest And Dearest Renown. The Spot He Had Selected Was

Favourable To Such A Project. The River,  Which Throughout Most Of Its

Course Was Deep And Rapid,  Had Expanded There To More Than Twice Its

Customary Width,  And The Rippling Of Its Waters Proved That It Flowed

Over A Shallow Bottom. In The Centre Of The Current There Was An

Extensive And Naked Bed Of Sand,  But A Little Raised Above The Level

Of The Stream And Of A Colour And Consistency Which Warranted,  To A

Practised Eye,  That It Afforded A Firm And Safe Foundation For The

Foot. To This Spot The Partisan Now Turned His Wistful Gaze,  Nor Was

He Long In Making His Decision. First Speaking To His Warriors,  And

Apprising Them Of His Intentions,  He Dashed Into The Current,  And

Partly By Swimming,  And More By The Use Of His Horse's Feet,  He

Reached The Island In Safety.

 

The Experience Of Hard-Heart Had Not Deceived Him. When His Snorting

Steed Issued From The Water,  He Found Himself On A Tremendous But Damp

And Compact Bed Of Sand,  That Was Admirably Adapted To The Exhibition

Of The Finest Powers Of The Animal. The Horse Seemed Conscious Of The

Advantage,  And Bore His Warlike Rider,  With An Elasticity Of Step And

A Loftiness Of Air,  That Would Have Done No Discredit To The Highest

Trained And Most Generous Charger. The Blood Of The Chief Himself

Quickened With The Excitement Of His Situation. He Sat The Beast As If

Conscious That The Eyes Of Two Tribes Were On His Movements; And As

Nothing Could Be More Acceptable And Grateful To His Own Band,  Than

This Display Of Native Grace And Courage,  So Nothing Could Be More

Taunting And Humiliating To Their Enemies.

 

The Sudden Appearance Of The Pawnee On The Sands Was Announced Among

The Tetons,  By A General Yell Of Savage Anger. A Rush Was Made To The

Shore,  Followed By A Discharge Of Fifty Arrows And A Few Fusees,  And,

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On The Part Of Several Braves,  There Was A Plain Manifestation Of A

Desire To Plunge Into The Water,  In Order To Punish The Temerity Of

Their Insolent Foe. But A Call And A Mandate,  From Mahtoree,  Checked

The Rising,  And Nearly Ungovernable,  Temper Of His Band. So Far From

Allowing A Single Foot To Be Wet,  Or A Repetition Of The Fruitless

Efforts Of His People To Drive Away Their Foe With Missiles,  The Whole

Of The Party Was Commanded To Retire From The Shore,  While He Himself

Communicated His Intentions To One Or Two Of His Most Favoured

Followers.

 

When The Pawnees Observed The Rush Of Their Enemies,  Twenty Warriors

Rode Into The Stream; But So Soon As They Perceived That The Tetons

Had Withdrawn,  They Fell Back To A Man,  Leaving The Young Chief To The

Support Of His Own Often-Tried Skill And Well-Established Courage. The

Instructions Of Hard-Heart,  On Quitting His Band,  Had Been Worthy Of

The Self-Devotion And Daring Of His Character. So Long As Single

Warriors Came Against Him,  He Was To Be Left To The Keeping Of The

Wahcondah And His Own Arm; But Should The Siouxes Attack Him In

Numbers,