The Knight Of The Golden Melice by John Turvill Adams (web based ebook reader txt) 📖

Known To The World My Protest, And, As Far As May Be, The Protest

Of This Godly Colony Against A Corrupt Church, Which Is No Church; And

Against All, Though Not Calling Themselves Of Her Communion, Who Drink

Of The Cup Of Her Abominations, Desired I To Remove From Before Our

Eyes That Which, Whenever Beheld, Only Reminded Us Of A Damning

Delusion And Daily Oppression. If This Were Sin, Then Have I Sinned;

But I Will Abide The Consequences Without Flinching, Whether In This

World Or In The World To Come."

 

  

A Deep, Stern Murmur Ran Round The Room, And It Was Evident, From The

Countenances Of The Company And From The Expressions That Could Now

And Then Be Caught, That By Far The Greater Part Of Them Entertained

The Sentiments Of The Audacious Sectary. Such, It Is Highly Probable,

Were The Sentiments Of A Majority Of The Government Of The Colony,

Notwithstanding Their Disavowal, Afterwards, Of All Sympathy, With The

Act, And Public Censure Of The Bold Puritan. Not That A Democratical

Feeling Lurked Therein, As Some May Fancy, But For The Very Reasons

Manfully Proclaimed By Endicott--Reasons, Not Of A Political, But

Entirely Of A Religious Character.

  

 

Endicott, A Sagacious And Daring Politician, As Well As Zealous

Religionist, Heard The Sounds And Beheld The Faces Of Those Around Him

With Satisfaction. It Pleased Him Publicly To Vindicate His Conduct,

And To Test The Feelings Of His Countrymen.

  

 

"Thou Hearest," He Resumed, "Those Sounds And Seest These Faces, And

Dost Thou Believe That All These Men Are Also Disloyal? Review Thy

Judgment, I Pray Thee, And Believe That Attachment To The Crown May

Not Be Inconsistent With Hatred Of Papistical Baubles."

 

  

"Capt. Endicott Will Find It Difficult, In My Judgment, To Satisfy The

Privy Council Of The Propriety Of The Outrage, As Easily As He Has

Satisfied Himself And These People," Replied Col. Mcmahon.

 

  

"Be Assured," Replied Endicott, "That Whether Here Or In

England--Before The Court Of Assistants Or The Privy Council, I Will

Avouch The Deed, Even Though It Should Build The Steps To A Scaffold."

 

  

So Saying, And Looking Deliberately Around, And With An Inclination Of

The Body, Which Hardly Amounted To A Bow, He Placed Upon His Head The

Slouched Hat He Had Taken Off On His Entrance, And Left The Apartment.

Upon His Departure, The Company Became Broken Up Again Into Various

Groups, And Began Once More To Busy Themselves With The Mugs And Cans;

And Arundel, Tired Of The Confusion, Left, With Waqua, For His Own

Chamber.

 

 

Chapter XII (Alas! For Them, Their Day Is O'er, Their Fires Are Out From Shore To Shore, No More For Them The Wild Deer Bounds-- The Plough Is On Their Hunting Grounds.)

 

 

 

Sprague.

 

 

When Arundel Awoke The Next Morning, He Found That The Indian, Who Had

Coiled Himself Upon The Floor And There Passed The Night, Was Nowhere

To Be Seen. It Was, Indeed, No Wonder, Since The Rays Of The Sun Had,

For More Than An Hour, Been Striving To Penetrate The Oiled Paper,

Which Served Instead Of Window Glass; And No Sooner Did The Young Man

Realize The Lateness Of The Hour Than He Sprang From His Couch,

Thinking All The While What Waqua Would Say To His Dilatoriness. After

Making A Hasty Toilette, He Descended The Stairs, And, Crossing The

Public Room To The Door, Looked Out Upon The Street. There Was Quite A

Number Of Persons Passing Backward And Forward, Many Of Whom Were

Dressed In The Accoutrements Of Soldiers, And At These He Stood Gazing

Awhile And Looking Round, If Perchance He Might Discover Anything Of

The Indian. But, As He Did Not Appear, The Young Man Turned Back To

Await His Coming.

  

 

Hour After Hour Passed Away, But Waqua Returned Not; And Arundel Began

To Fear That His Companion Had Taken Some Offence, Either At Himself,

Or At What Had Occurred The Evening Previous. He Ransacked His Memory,

For The Purpose Of Discovering If He Had Said Or Done Anything To

Which Exception Could Be Taken, Or Had Omitted Any Courtesy Or

Attention; But He Could Find Nothing To Reproach Himself With. He Was

Unable To Believe That Waqua Would Steal Away Without Formally Taking

Leave, On Account Of Any Slight Or Impertinence From Another, After

The Command Of Himself He Had Exhibited Following The Violence Of

Spikeman; And, Finally, Tried To Avoid Thinking Of The Subject,

Expecting That The Truant Would Turn Up At Some Time During The Day,

And Explain His Absence.

 

 

Meanwhile, It Was Understood That The Expected Deputation Of The

Taranteens Had Arrived, And Been Received At The House Of The

Governor. Armed Men Had Been Constantly Coming Into Town; Their Wives

And Children, In Some Instances, Accompanying Them; Until The

Settlement Had Become A Scene Of Gay And Animated Confusion. The Place

Fixed Upon For The Reception Of The Ambassadors (There Being No

Building Sufficiently Large To Contain The Number Present, And Who

Were Anxious To Witness The Ceremony) Was An Elevation Near The

Village, Commanding A View Of The Buildings, Of The Green Rolling Bay,

And Of The Ships Tossing On Its Waves. Here, Under The Shade Of A

Patriarchal Elm, Spreading Like An Umbrella Its Immense And Gracefully

Drooping Branches Over A Wide Extent Of Green Turf, Winthrop Was To

Give Public Audience To The Dusky Delegates.

 

  

The Hour For The Reception Had Nearly Arrived, When Arundel Strolled

To The Place Appointed. He Found It Covered With A Crowd Of Five Or

Six Hundred Persons, Including The Women And Children. The Number Of

Armed Men Might Have Been Two-Thirds Of The Whole. The Women Were

Gossipping Together, And The Children Amusing Themselves In Sports

Becoming Their Age, While The Soldiers Were Ranged In Double Files,

Extending From A Large Chair Or Kind Of Throne Placed Near The Body Of

The Tree, Thus Forming A Lane, Only By Passing Through Which Could

Access Be Had To It. The Spot Where The Chair Was Placed Was Covered

To Some Little Distance Around With Scarlet Cloth--The Chair Itself As

Representative Of Majesty, With Cloth Of Gold--And On Either Side

Stood Grimly A Culverin Or Small Cannon, Capable Of Carrying A Ball Of

Seventeen Or Eighteen Pounds In Weight--Silent, But Eloquent Orators,

To Convince Of The Ability Of Him Who Might Occupy The Seat To Enforce

His Words. Other Chairs, To The Number Of Perhaps Twenty, Were Ranged

In A Semi-Circle On Either Side Of The Seat Intended For Winthrop;

While Against The Body Of The Tree Were Leaned Partisans And Halberds;

And It Was Hung About On Nails Driven In For The Occasion, With

Shining Corslets, And Swords, And Daggers.

 

  

Arundel Had Barely Time To Run His Eyes Over The Preparations, When A

Salvo Of Cannon Announced That The Governor Was Starting From His

House, And Presently Appeared The Procession, Preceded By Martial

Music. First Came The Musicians, Whose Number It Must Be Confessed Was

Not Very Large; Next Followed Twenty Stout Men Bearing Halberds Or

Staves Of About Five Feet In Length, Finished Off At The End With A

Steel Head In The Shape Of An Axe; Immediately After These Marched The

Governor, Attended By His Council Of Assistants, All Wearing Swords At

Their Sides, And Several "Ministers;" After Whom Followed The

Taranteen Embassy, Consisting Of About A Dozen Noble Looking Indians

Of Various Ages, From Thirty To Seventy; And The Whole Was Closed By

Two Or Three Hundred Men, Completely Armed With Both The Offensive And

Defensive Arms Of The Period. The Steeple-Crowned Hats, The Slashed

Sleeves, The Red Stockings, Russet Boots, And Rosettes On The Shoes,

Made A Combination Which, If It Would Be Quaint And Grotesque In Our

Eyes, Was Striking To Those Who Witnessed It.

  

 

As The Procession Came Nearer, Arundel Could See Among Those In The

Immediate Neighborhood Of Winthrop, The Knight Of The Golden Melice,

Conspicuous For The Richness Of His Habiliments, Adopted Either To

Heighten The General Effect Of The Ceremonial, Or To Increase His

Authority With The Indians, Over Some Tribes Of Whom It Was Known That

He Possessed Considerable Influence. The Knight, Indeed, Well

Understood How Much Manner And External Adornment Affect Not Only The

Savage But The Civilized Man. A Perfect Master Of The Former, He Was

Uniformly Courteous. No Frown Ever Deformed His Face, Nor Even Wrinkle

Ruffled Its Placid Surface, On Which Was Stamped The Expression Of A

Sweet And Confiding Nature; And, When Circumstances Required, He Knew

How To Resort To The Latter With An Effect Which Seldom Failed Of

Achieving Its Purpose.

  

 

When The Procession Reached The Files Extending From The Throne, The

Soldiery Composing Them Presented Arms, And The Musicians Stepping On

One Side, The Governor, Preceded By His Halbadiers, And Accompanied By

The Knight, His Council, And The Indians, Walked Between, And Seated

Himself On The Chair Of State, While Those Who Were With Him Occupied

The Other Seats, And The Halbadiers Posted Themselves Around.

 

  

As Winthrop Took His Place, The Ranks In Front Were Further Opened,

And The Two Culverins Belched Out With Fire And Smoke A Loud And

Sudden Welcome. So Near Were The Indians To The Guns, And So

Unexpected To Them Was The Discharge, That Some Of The Younger Sprung

To Their Feet, As If To Repel An Attack, Dropping Again Into Their

Places With Abashed Looks, As Their Eyes Met The Reproving Glances Of

Their Elders.

  

 

Arundel, At This Moment, Felt A Hand Upon His Shoulder, And Turning

Round, Beheld Waqua. He Was Instantly Struck With The Changed

Appearance Of The Indian. Instead Of The Few Dashes Of Paint Of The

Day Before, Exactly One-Half Of Those Portions Of His Face And Person,

Which Were Visible, Beginning At The Top Of The Forehead, And

Descending Down The Middle Of The Nose, Was Painted With Bright

Vermillion, The Other Half Remaining Of Its Natural Color; His Hair

Was Gathered Carefully Up Into A Knot On The Top Of His Head, And Bore

A Single Eagle's Feather, And In Addition To The Light Tomahawk Which

He Had Worn Before, A Heavier One Was Hanging At His Girdle.

  

 

"Welcome, My Brother, Exclaimed Arundel, I Did Not Know But That I Had

Lost Thee. Where Hast Thou Been, And What Means The Change In Thy

Appearance?"

 

  

"The Great White Chief Invited Waqua To Listen To His Talk With The

Taranteens, (May The Wolf Crunch Their Bones,) And Waqua Is Here. He

Has Painted Himself According To The Custom Of His Tribe. This

(Touching The Paint) Is For My Enemies, And This (In Like Manner

Touching The Unpainted Portion) Is For My Friends. 

 

 

Arundel Remembering The Strong Expressions Of Dislike Towards The

Taranteens Which Fell From The Indian The Day Before, And Connecting

Them With His Present Preparation, Felt Some Apprehension For What

Might Happen From His Boldly Uttered Aversion, And Determined To Keep

Close By Him, In Order To Restrain Him From Imprudences, And To

Protect Him, If Need Should Arise, From Danger. He Took Care,

Therefore, During The Rest Of The Day, To Carry Waqua With Him

Wherever He Moved, Or To Follow The Indian, When The Latter's

Curiosity Tempted Him Into Different Parts Of The Assemblage.

  

 

It Was Seldom, If Ever, That The Puritans Undertook Anything Of

Importance, Either Of A Private Or Public Character, Without Invoking

The Blessing And Guidance Of A Superior Power. There Was Good Policy

As Well As Piety In The Practice; For By Admitting The Ministers Into

Their Councils, And Giving Them Conspicuous Parts To Perform Therein,

The Magistrates Secured Their Good Will And Powerful Influence With

The People; And, Indeed, It May Well Be Imagined, That This Spiritual

Aid In A Theocratical Commonwealth Was A Part Of The System. On The

Present Occasion, The Whole Assembly Rose At A Signal From Winthrop,

And Mr. Eliot, Afterwards Known As The Indian Apostle, Asked For A

Blessing. The Prayer Was Like The Man Himself, Earnest And Simple, And

Listened To With A Fixed Attention, That Indicated The Religious

Reverence Of The Hardy Men Who Were Gathered Around. The Taranteens

Themselves, Following The Example Of The Others, Stood Up And Fastened

Their Dyes Intently On The Speaker, As If, Though Not Understanding A

Word He Uttered, They Expected To Gather Some Meaning From The Motion

Of