CHAPTER XII.
There are hours in the life of man when no actual grief oppresseshim--when there is no imminent peril near--when no strong passionwrings his heart; and yet those hours are amongst the most dark andpainful of his whole existence. They come on many occasions, and undervarious circumstances--often when some silent voice from within warnshim of the instability of all human joy, and a gray shadow takes theplace of the sunshine of life--often when the prophetic soul, seeingin the distant horizon a cloud no bigger than a man's hand, foretellsthe hurricane and the tempest that is to sweep away his brightesthopes for ever.
Such hours were those of Mr. Prevost during a great part of the nightwhich succeeded his parting with Lord H----. He slept but little forseveral hours, and, though he knew not why, a gloomy, oppressive fancyseized upon him, that his household would be the one to suffer fromthe event which had lately passed.
The want of sleep in the earlier part of the night protracted theslumbers of the morning. He was usually the first person up in thehouse, and enjoyed many an hour of study or of thought before even thenegroes were stirring. But this morning he was aroused by a distantknocking at the huts where the outdoor servants slept, and then by arepetition of the same sound at the door of the house itself.
Rising hastily, he got down in time to see the door opened by oldAgrippa, and found a man on horseback bearing a large official-lookingletter, addressed to Major-General Lord H----.
It proved to be a despatch from Sir William Johnson, requesting bothLord H---- and Mr. Prevost to attend a meeting of some of the chiefsof the Five Nations, which was to be held at Johnson Castle on theMohawk in the course of the following day. Though the distance was notvery great, the difficulty of travelling through that part of thecountry made it necessary to set out at once, in order to reach theplace of rendezvous before night.
"I will mount my horse as soon as it can be got ready," said LordH----, when he had read the letter and shown it to Mr. Prevost. "Isuppose, in existing circumstances, you will not think it advisable toaccompany me?"
"Most certainly I will go with you, my lord," replied his host. "As Isaid last night, the danger, though very certain, is not immediate.Weeks, months, may pass before these Indians feel assured that theycannot obtain possession of the actual slayer of their red brother;and, as many of the Oneidas will probably be present at this 'talk,'as they call it, I may, perhaps (though it is very doubtful), gainsome insight into their thoughts and intentions. I will take mydaughter with me, however, for I should not like to leave her herealtogether alone. Her preparations may delay us for half-an-hour; butwe shall have ample time, and the horse of the messenger, who will actas our guide, must have some little time to take rest and feed."
Edith was all gaiety and satisfaction at the thought of the expeditionbefore her. She knew many of the Indians well; was acquainted withtheir habits and manners, and was a great favourite with several ofthe chiefs; but she had never been present at any of their greatmeetings, and the event before her had all the recommendation ofnovelty. The keen observer before whom she stood drew from her activeeagerness an inference, partially true, though carried, perhaps, alittle too far, that she was not in reality well satisfied with herresidence in the wilderness--that it was oppressive to her, and that,though she might studiously conceal her distaste for such solitude,she was very glad to seize an opportunity of escaping from it tobusier scenes.
However that might be, she was ready the first. A very brief time wasspent at breakfast, and then the whole party set out on horseback,followed by a negro leading a packhorse, and preceded by the messengerof Sir William Johnson.
It was customary in those days in all lands for every gentleman to goarmed with the sword at least; and in those parts of America whichbordered upon the Indian territory, few people thought of going forthfor any distance without a rifle as a protection, not alone againstany hostile natives, but against wild beasts, which were then somewhatnumerous. Mr. Prevost, the messenger, and the negro, were all thusarmed; but Lord H----, who had hitherto worn nothing but the commonriding-suit in which he had first presented himself, except in hisunfortunate expedition with Captain Brooks, had now donned thesplendid uniform of a major-general in the British service, and wasmerely armed with his sword and pistols in the holsters of his saddle.
Thus equipped, and mounted on a horse full of life and spirit from afour days' rest, he was certainly as gallant-looking a cavalier asever presented himself to lady's eyes. But, to say sooth, his militarystation and his military dress were no great recommendation to Edith;for it is sad to say, but too true, that officers in the English armyin those days had made themselves anything but popular or wellesteemed in the American provinces. A more simple and more virtuousstate of society certainly existed in the northern portion of the NewWorld than in any part of the Old; and, coming from a luxurious andvicious scene to a completely different state of things, the Englishofficer, despising the simpler habits of the people, displayed noslight portion of insolence and presumption, and carried to excess theevil habits which should have been disgraceful in any country. A greatchange has since come over his manners and character in almost everyrespect; but at that period he was notorious in the colonies forblasphemy, drunkenness, and depraved morals.
Thus, to be a military man was, as I have said, no greatrecommendation in the eyes of any lady who possessed self-respect, butin the case of Lord H---- it served to heighten the good qualitieswhich were apparent in him, by showing him in a favourable contrast tothe great body of his comrades. He swore not; in eating and drinkinghe carried moderation to abstemiousness; and in manners, though firm,easy, and self-possessed, there was not the slightest touch ofoverbearingness or presumption. Occasionally his tone was grave,almost to sternness; but at other times it was mild, and even tender;and there was something peculiarly gentle as well as bright in hissmile and in his eyes.
The journey passed without incident. Deep woods succeeded each otherfor many miles, but not without interruption. Every now and then abright stream would come dancing along in its autumnal freshness, andthen the road would circle the edge of a small lake, sweet, and calm,and beautiful, reflecting the blue sky and the over-hanging branchesof the pine and hemlock. At places where the maple grew, the forestwould be all in a glow, as if with the reflection of some vast unseenfire; and then again, where the road passed through a deep valley, allwould be dark, and sombre, and gloomy.
No Indian villages were passed, and not a human being was seen forseventeen or eighteen miles; though here and there a small log-hut,apparently deserted, testified to the efforts of a new race to wresttheir hunting-grounds from an earlier race--efforts too soon, toosadly, too cruelly, to be consummated.
The softer light of early morning died away, and then succeeded awarmer period when the heat became very oppressive; for in the midstof those deep forests, with no wind stirring, the change from summerto winter is not felt so rapidly as in more open lands.
About an hour after noon Mr. Prevost proposed to stop, rest thehorses, and take some refreshment; and a spot was selected where somefine oaks spread their large limbs over a beautifully clear littlelake or pond, the view across which presented peeps of a distantcountry, some blue hills, at no very great elevation, appearing abovethe tops of the trees. It was a calm and quiet spot; and, whileresting there for an hour, the conversation, as is generally the case,was tinged by the influence of the scene.
Mr. Prevost himself, though past the age when impressions of any kindare most readily received, had preserved much of the fresh and plasticcharacter of youth, and gave himself up to any train of thought thatmight be suggested by circumstances. A casual word led his mind awayfrom those drier topics on which he was often pleased to dwell, tofriendship and to love; and he and Lord H---- discussed for some timea number of subjects which rarely arise between an elderly man and onein early middle age. Of the two, strange to say, Mr. Prevost, indealing with such topics, seemed the most enthusiastic and fanciful.He would play with t
hem, he would embellish them, he would illustratethem, as if he had been a young lover, with his imagination freshlykindled by the torch of the blind god. But in the little said by LordH---- there was a depth, and a strength, and an earnestness, whichmore than made up for the lack of figurative adornment.
Edith said little--nothing, in truth, that bore upon the subject; butperhaps she did not think--perhaps she did not feel--the less. It mustbe a strange thing to a young girl's ears, I have often thought, whenfirst in her presence are discussed, by the cool, fearless tongues ofmen, those deep sympathies, those warm affections, those tender andabsorbing passions--like the famous Amreeta cup, good or evil, life ordeath, according to the spirit in which they are received--which formfor her the keynote of the whole harmonies of her nature, thefoundation of life's happiness or woe, the talisman of her wholedestiny. Must she not shrink and thrill, as would the idolater atseeing profane and careless hands sport with the image of his god?
Needless, perhaps vain, were it to try and look into that young girl'sheart. Suffice it, she was silent, or very nearly so--suffice it, thatshe thought and felt in her silence. Was it that the portals of a newworld were opened to her, full of beauty and of interest, and that shestood on the threshold, gazing in voiceless awe?
At the end of an hour, the party again mounted, and pursued their way,still through forests and valleys, across streams, and by the side oflakes, till at length, just as the evening sun was reaching thehorizon, a visible change took place in the aspect of the country;spots were seen which had been cultivated, where harvests had grownand been reaped; and then a house gleamed here and there through thewoodland, and blue wreaths of smoke might be seen rising up. Tracks ofcart-wheels channelled the forest path; a cart or waggon was drawn upnear the road side; high piles of firewood showed preparation againstthe bitter winter; and everything indicated that the travellers wereapproaching some new but prosperous settlement.
Soon all traces of the primeval woods, except those which thelittle party left behind them, disappeared, and a broad tract ofwell-cultivated country spread out before them, with a fine riverbounding it at the distance of more than a mile. The road, too, wascomparatively good and broad, and half-way between the forest and theriver, that road divided into two, one branch going straight on, andanother leading up the course of the stream.
"Is Sir William at the Hall, or at his castle?" asked Mr. Prevost,raising his voice to reach the ears of his guide, who kept a little infront.
"He told me, sir, to take you to the Hall if you should come on, sir,"replied the messenger. "There is a great number of Indians up at thecastle already, and he thought you might, perhaps, not like to be withthem altogether."
"Probably not," returned Mr. Prevost, drily; and they rode on upon thedirect road, till, passing two or three smaller houses, they came insight of a very large and handsome edifice, built of wood, indeed, butsomewhat in the style of a European house of the eighteenth century.
As they approached the gates, Sir William Johnson himself, now in fullcostume of an officer of the British army, came down the steps to meetand welcome them; and little less ceremonious politeness did hedisplay, in the midst of the wild woods of America, than if he hadbeen, at the moment, in the halls of St. James's. With stately grace,he lifted Edith from her horse, greeted Lord H---- with a deferentialbow, shook Mr. Prevost by the hand, and then led them himself to roomswhich seemed to have been prepared for them.
"Where is my friend Walter?" he asked, as he was about to leave Mr.Prevost to some short repose; "what has induced him to deny his oldacquaintance the pleasure of his society? Ha, Mr. Prevost, does hethink to find metal more attractive at your lonely dwelling? Perhapshe may be mistaken; for, let me tell you, the beautiful Otaitsa ishere--here, in this very house; for our good friend Gore has socompletely Anglified her, that, what between her Christianity, herbeauty, and her delicacy, I believe she is afraid to trust herselfwith four or five hundred red warriors at the castle."
He spoke in a gay and jesting tone; and every one knows the blessedfacility which parents have of shutting their eyes to the love affairsof their children. Mr. Prevost did not, in the least, perceiveanything in the worthy general's speech, but a good-humored joke atthe boyish fondness of his son for a pretty Indian girl; and hehastened to excuse Walter's absence by telling Sir William that he hadbeen sent to Albany on business by Lord H----. He then inquired,somewhat anxiously, "Is our friend the Black Eagle here, with hisdaughter?"
"He is here on the ground," replied Sir William, "but not in thehouse. His Indian habits are of too old standing to be rooted out likeOtaitsa's, and he prefers a bear-skin and his own blue blanket to thebest bed and quilt in the house. I offered him such accommodation asit afforded; but he declined with the dignity of a prince refusing thehospitality of a cottage."
"Does he seem in a good humour to-day?" asked Mr. Prevost, hesitatingwhether he should tell Sir William, at a moment when they were likelyto be soon interrupted, the event which had caused so muchapprehension in his own mind; "you know he is somewhat variable in hismood."
"I never remarked it," replied the other. "I think he is the mostcivilized savage I ever saw; far more than King Hendrick, though theone, since his father's death, wears a blue coat, and the other doesnot. He did seem a little grave, indeed; but the shadows of Indianmirth and gravity are so faint, it is difficult to distinguish them."
While these few words were passing, Mr. Prevost had decided upon hiscourse, and he merely replied,--
"Well, Sir William, pray let Otaitsa know that Edith is here. Theywill soon be in each other's arms, for the two girls love likesisters."
A few words sprang to Sir William Johnson's lips, which, had they beenuttered, might, perhaps, have opened Mr. Prevost's eyes, at least, tothe suspicions of his friend. He was on the eve of answering, "And,some day, they may be sisters." But he checked himself, and nothingbut the smile which should have accompanied the words made any reply.
When left alone, the thoughts of Mr. Prevost reverted at once to morepressing considerations.
"The old chief knows this event," he said to himself; "he has heard ofit--heard the whole, probably. It is wonderful how rapidlyintelligence is circulated amongst this people from mouth to mouth!"
He was well nigh led into speculations regarding the strange celeritywith which news can be carried orally, and was beginning to calculatehow much distance would be saved in a given space, by one man shoutingout the tidings to another afar off, when he forced back his mind intothe track it had left, and came to the conclusion, from a knowledge ofthe character of the parties, and from all he had heard, thatcertainly the Black Eagle was cognizant of the death of one of histribe by the hand of Captain Brooks, and that probably--though notcertainly--he might have communicated the facts, though not his viewsand purposes, to his daughter, whose keen eyes were likely to discovermuch of that which he intended to conceal.
The Black Eagle; or, Ticonderoga Page 12