The Lily and the Totem; or, The Huguenots in Florida

by William Gilmore Simms

  XIX.

  Of the captivity of the Great Paracoussi--Olata Ouvae Utina, and the war which followed between his people and the French.

  CHAPTER I.

  It being determined by Laudonniere, in the necessities of his people,to seize upon the person of the great Paracoussi, Olata Ouvae Utina,in order, by the ransom which he should extort, to relieve thefamine which prevailed among the garrison, he proceeded to make hispreparations for the event. Two of his barks were put in order for thispurpose, and a select body of fifty men was chosen from his ranks toaccompany him on the expedition. But this select body, though the verybest men of the garrison, exhibited but few external proofs of theiradequacy for the enterprise. So lean of flesh, so shrunk of sinew, sohollow-eyed were they, that their picture recals to us the descriptiongiven by Shakspeare of the famished and skeleton regiments of Henry ofMonmouth at the famous field of Agincourt--'A poor and starved band,'the very 'shales and husks of men,' with scarcely blood enough in alltheir veins, to stain the Indian hatchet, which they travel to provoke.But famine endows the sinews with a vigor of its own. Hunger enforcedto the last extremities of nature, clothes the spirit of the man in thepassions of the wolf and tiger. Lean and feeble as are our Frenchmen,they are desperate. They are in the mood to brave the forest chief inhis fastnesses, and to seize upon his own heart, in the lack of otherfood. The very desperation of their case secures them against anymisgivings.

  The dominions of Holata Utina were distant from La Caroline, betweenforty and fifty leagues up the river. His chief town, where he dwelt,lay some six more leagues inland, a space over which our Frenchmen hadto march. Leaving a sufficient guard in their vessels, Laudonniereand his company landed and proceeded in this quarter. He marched withcaution, for he knew his enemy. His advance was conducted by AlphonseD'Erlach, his standard-bearer--one, whose experience and skill had beentoo frequently tried to leave it doubtful that his conduct would bea safe one. He had traversed the space before, and he knew the routethoroughly. The progress was urged with as much secrecy as caution. Thecover of the woods was carefully maintained, the object of the partybeing a surprise. They well knew that Utina had but little expectationof seeing them, at this juncture, in his own abodes. None, so well ashimself, knew how feeble was their condition, how little competent toany courageous enterprise. They succeeded in appearing at the village ofthe chief without provoking alarm. He himself was at home, sitting instate in the royal wigwam, with but few warriors about him. The fashionof the Indian, with less royal magnificence, in other words, with lessart and civilization--is not greatly unlike that of the Turk. OlataUtina sat crossed legs upon a _dais_ prepared of dressed skins of thedeer, the bear and panther. The spotted hides hung over the raisedportions of the seat which he kept, upon which also might be seencoverlets of cotton ingeniously manufactured, and richly stained withthe bright crimson, scarlet, and yellow, of native dye-woods. This artof dyeing, the savages had brought to a comparatively high state ofperfection. His house itself stood upon an artificial eminence of earth,raised in the very centre of his village, and overlooking it on everyhand. It was an airy structure, with numerous openings, and the breezeplayed sweetly and capriciously among the coverlets which hung ascurtains before the several places of egress and entrance. Utina himselfwas a savage of noble size and appearance. He carried himself with theease and dignity of one born to the purple. His form, though an old man,was still unbending and tall. His countenance was one of great spiritand nobleness. With forehead equally large and high, with a dark eyethat flashed with all the fires of youth, with lips that opened only todiscourse in tones of a sweet but majestic eloquence, and with a shrewdsagacity, that made him, among a cunning people, a recognised masterof all the arts of the serpent, he was necessarily a person to impresswith respect and admiration those even who came with hostility.

  It is probable that Utina knew nothing of the approach of the Frenchmen,until it was too late to escape them. But, before they entered theopened space assigned to the settlement, he was advised of their coming.Then it was that he threw aside his domestic habit and assumed hisstate. Then it was that he resumed his dignity and ascended the _dais_of stained cotton and flowing deer-skin. His turban of purple and yellowcotton was bound skilfully about his brow, his bow and quiver lay besidehim, while at his feet was extended his huge macana, or war-club, whichit scarcely seemed possible that his aged hands should now grasp withvigor sufficient for its formidable use. His hands, when the Frenchmenentered the dwelling, held nothing more formidable than the earthenpipe, and the long tubulated reed which he busied himself in insertingwithin the bowl. Two of his attendant warriors retired at the samemoment. These, Laudonniere did not think proper to arrest, thoughcounselled to do so by D'Erlach. He knew not that they had beendespatched by the wily Paracoussi for the purpose of gathering hispowers for resistance.

  Laudonniere appeared in the royal wigwam with but ten companions. Fortyothers had been dispersed by D'Erlach at proper points around thevillage. Of their proximity the king knew nothing. His eye took in,at a single glance, the persons of his visitors; and a slight smile,that looked derisive, was seen to overspread his visage. It was withsomething like good humor in his tones that he gave them welcome. A pageat the same time brought forth a basket of wicker-work, which containeda large collection of pipes of all sorts and sizes. Another basketafforded a sufficient quantity of dried leaves of the tobacco andvanilla. The Paracoussi nodded to his guests as the boy presentedboth baskets, and Laudonniere, with two others of his company, helpedthemselves to pipes and weed. Thus far nothing had been said but"_Ami_," and "_Bonjour_." The welcome of the Indians was simple always,and a word sufficed among them as amply as the most studied and verbosecompliment. The French had learned to imitate them in this respect, tobe sparing of words, and to restrain the expression of their emotions,particularly when these indicated want or suffering.

  But the necessities of our Frenchmen were too great and pressing, at thepresent time, to be silenced wholly by convention; and when, as if inmockery, a small trencher of parched corn was set before them, with avessel of water, the impatience of Laudonniere broke into utterance.

  "Paracoussi Utina," said he, "you have long known the want which haspreyed upon our people."

  "My brother is hungry," replied Utina, with a smile more full of scornthan sweetness--"let my brother eat. Let his young men eat. There isnever famine among the people of Utina."

  "And if there be no want among the people of Utina, wherefore is it thathe suffers the French to want? Why has he forgotten his allies? Did notmy young men fight the battles of Utina against the warriors of themighty Potanou? Did not many captives grace the triumph of Utina? Hasthe Paracoussi forgotten these services? Why does he turn away from hisfriends, and show himself cold to their necessities?"

  "Why will my pale brother be talking?" said the other, with a mostlordly air of indifference. "The people of Utina have fought against thewarriors of Potanou for more than a hundred winters. My French brotheris but a child in the land of the red-people. What does he know of thetriumphs of my warriors? He saw them do battle once with the tribes ofPotanou, and he makes account because he then fought on behalf of mypeople. My people have fought with the people of Potanou more than ahundred battles. Our triumphs have been witnessed by every bird thatflies, every beast that runs, every fish that swims, between thevillages of Potanou and the strong house of the Frenchman where hestarves below. What more will our pale brother say, being thus a childamong the red-men?"

  "Why parley with the savage?" said Alphonse D'Erlach, "if you mean totake him? I care not for his insolence which chafes me nothing; but welose time. You have suffered some of his warriors to depart. They aregone, doubtless, to gather the host together. We shall need all the timeto carry our captive safely to the boats."

  These words were spoken aloud, directly in the rear of Utina, D'Erlachhaving taken a place behind him in the conference. The Paracoussi wasstartled by the language. Some of it was beyond his compreh
ension. Buthe could not misunderstand the tone and manner of the speaker. D'Erlachwas standing above him, with his hand stretched over him, and ready tograsp his victim the moment the word should be spoken. His slight formand youthful features, contrasted with the cold, inflexible expressionof his eyes and face, very forcibly impressed the imagination of theIndian monarch, as, turning at the interruption, he looked up at theperson of the speaker. But, beyond the first single start which followedthe interruption, Utina gave no sign of surprise or apprehension.

  "Awhile, awhile, Alphonse--be not too hasty, my son;" was the reply ofLaudonniere. He continued, addressing himself to the Paracoussi:

  "My red brother thinks he understands the French. He is mistaken. Hewill grow wiser before he grows much older. But it will be time thenthat I should teach him. It matters now only, that I should say to theParacoussi Utina, _we want, and you have plenty_. We have fought yourbattles. We are your friends. We will trade with you for mil and beanes.Give us of these, according to our need, and you shall have of themerchandize of the French in just proportion. Let it be so, brother,that peace may still flourish between our people."

  "There is mil and beanes before my white brother. Let him take anddivide among his people."

  "But this will not suffice for a single meal. Does the Paracoussi laughto scorn the sufferings of my people?"

  "The Paracoussi laughs because the granaries of the red-men are full.There is no famine among _his_ people. Hath the Great Spirit writtenthat the red-man shall gather food in the proper season that the whiteman may sleep like the drowsy buffalo in the green pasture? Let mywhite brother drive from his ear the lying bird that sings to him:'Sleep--take thy slumber under the pleasant shade tree, while the peopleof Utina get thee food!'"

  "Would the Paracoussi make the Frenchmen his enemies? Is their angernothing? Is their power not a thing to be feared?"

  "And what is the Paracoussi Olata Ovae Utina? Hath he not many thousandwarriors? The crane that rises in the east in the morning, though heflies all day, compasses not the land at sunset, which belongs to mydominions. East and west my people whoop like the crane, and hear nobirds that answer but their own. Let my pale brother hush, for he speaksa foolish thing of his warriors. Did I dream, or did any runners tell methat the bones of the Frenchmen break through the skin, lacking food,and their sinews are so shrunken that they can never more strive inbattle? Who shall fear them? I had pity on my brother when I heard thesethings. I sent him food, and bade my people say--'take this food whichthou needest; the great Paracoussi asks for nothing in recompense, butthy guns, thy swords, and thy lances; weapons which they tell me thouhast strength to use no longer.'"

  "Did they tell thee so, Utina? But thou shalt see. Once more, mybrother, I implore thee to give us of thy abundance, and we willcheerfully impart to thee from our store of knives, reap-hooks,hatchets, mirrors, and lovely beads, such as will delight thy women.Here, behold,--this is some of the treasure which I have brought theefor the purposes of barter."

  The lordly chieftain deigned not a single glance to the European wares,which, at a word from Laudonniere, one of the French soldiers laid athis feet. The French captain, as if loth to proceed to extremities,continued to entreat; while every new appeal was only answered, on thepart of the savage prince, with a new speech of scorn, and new gesturesof contempt. At length, Laudonniere's patience was exhausted, and hegave the signal which had been agreed upon with his lieutenant. In thenext moment, the quick grasp of Alphonse D'Erlach was laid upon theParacoussi's shoulders. He attempted to rise, and to grasp, at the sametime, the macana which lay at his feet. But D'Erlach kept him down withhis hands, while his foot was struck down upon the macana. In thatmoment, the war-conch was sounded at the entrance by several Indianswho had been in waiting. It was caught up and echoed by the bugles ofD'Erlach; the blast of which had scarcely been heard throughout thevillage, before it had been replied to, four several times, from as manydifferent points where the French force had been stationed, ten soldiersin each. One desperate personal struggle which the Paracoussi made,proved fruitless to extricate him from the grasp of his captor; and hethen sat quietly, without a word, coldly looking his enemies in theface.