Chapter IX.
"Yet art thou prodigal of smiles-- Smiles, sweeter than thy frowns are stern: Earth sends from all her thousand isles, A shout at thy return. The glory that comes down from thee Bathes, in deep joy, the land and sea."
Bryant, "The Firmament," 11.19-24
It may assist the reader in understanding the events we are about torecord, if he has a rapidly sketched picture of the scene, placed beforehis eyes at a single view. It will be remembered that the lake was anirregularly shaped basin, of an outline that, in the main, was oval, butwith bays and points to relieve its formality and ornament its shores.The surface of this beautiful sheet of water was now glittering like agem, in the last rays of the evening sun, and the setting of the whole,hills clothed in the richest forest verdure, was lighted up with a sortof radiant smile, that is best described in the beautiful lines we haveplaced at the head of this chapter. As the banks, with few exceptions,rose abruptly from the water, even where the mountain did notimmediately bound the view, there was a nearly unbroken fringe of leavesoverhanging the placid lake, the trees starting out of the acclivities,inclining to the light, until, in many instances they extended theirlong limbs and straight trunks some forty or fifty feet beyond the lineof the perpendicular. In these cases we allude only to the giants of theforest, pines of a hundred or a hundred and fifty feet in height, forof the smaller growth, very many inclined so far as to steep their lowerbranches in the water. In the position in which the Ark had now got, thecastle was concealed from view by the projection of a point, as indeedwas the northern extremity of the lake itself. A respectable mountain,forest clad, and rounded, like all the rest, limited the view in thatdirection, stretching immediately across the whole of the fairscene, with the exception of a deep bay that passed the western end,lengthening the basin, for more than a mile.
The manner in which the water flowed out of the lake, beneath the leafyarches of the trees that lined the sides of the stream, has already beenmentioned, and it has also been said that the rock, which was a favoriteplace of rendezvous throughout all that region, and where Deerslayernow expected to meet his friend, stood near this outlet, and at no greatdistance from the shore. It was a large, isolated stone that rested onthe bottom of the lake, apparently left there when the waters tore awaythe earth from around it, in forcing for themselves a passage down theriver, and which had obtained its shape from the action of the elements,during the slow progress of centuries. The height of this rock couldscarcely equal six feet, and, as has been said, its shape was not unlikethat which is usually given to beehives, or to a hay-cock. The latter,indeed, gives the best idea not only of its form, but of its dimensions.It stood, and still stands, for we are writing of real scenes, withinfifty feet of the bank, and in water that was only two feet in depth,though there were seasons in which its rounded apex, if such a term canproperly be used, was covered by the lake. Many of the trees stretchedso far forward, as almost to blend the rock with the shore, when seenfrom a little distance, and one tall pine in particular overhung it in away to form a noble and appropriate canopy to a seat that had held manya forest chieftain, during the long succession of unknown ages, inwhich America, and all it contained, had existed apart, in mysterioussolitude, a world by itself; equally without a familiar history, andwithout an origin that the annals of man can reach.
When distant some two or three hundred feet from the shore, Deerslayertook in his sail. He dropped his grapnel, as soon as he found the Arkhad drifted in a line that was directly to windward of the rock. Themotion of the scow was then checked, when it was brought head to wind,by the action of the breeze. As soon as this was done, Deerslayer "paidout line," and suffered the vessel to "set down" upon the rock, as fastas the light air could force it to leeward. Floating entirely on thesurface, this was soon effected, and the young man checked the driftwhen he was told that the stern of the scow was within fifteen oreighteen feet of the desired spot.
In executing this maneuver, Deerslayer had proceeded promptly, for,while he did not in the least doubt that he was both watched andfollowed by the foe, he believed he distracted their movements, by theapparent uncertainty of his own, and he knew they could have no meansof ascertaining that the rock was his aim, unless indeed one of theirprisoners had betrayed him; a chance so improbable in itself, as to givehim no concern. Notwithstanding the celerity and decision his movements,he did not, however, venture so near the shore without taking dueprecautions to effect a retreat, in the event of its becoming necessary.He held the line in his hand, and Judith was stationed at a loop, on theside of the cabin next the shore, where she could watch the beach andthe rock, and give timely notice of the approach of either friendor foe. Hetty was also placed on watch, but it was to keep the treesoverhead in view, lest some enemy might ascend one, and, by completelycommanding the interior of the scow render the defence of the hut, orcabin, useless.
The sun had disappeared from the lake and valley, when Deerslayerchecked the Ark, in the manner mentioned. Still it wanted a fewminutes to the true sunset, and he knew Indian punctuality too wellto anticipate any unmanly haste in his friend. The great question was,whether, surrounded by enemies as he was known to be, he had escapedtheir toils. The occurrences of the last twenty-four hours must be asecret to him, and like himself, Chingachgook was yet young on a path.It was true, he came prepared to encounter the party that withheldhis promised bride, but he had no means ascertaining the extent of thedanger he ran, or the precise positions occupied by either friends, orfoes. In a word, the trained sagacity, and untiring caution of an Indianwere all he had to rely on, amid the critical risks he unavoidably ran.
"Is the rock empty, Judith?" inquired Deerslayer, as soon as hehad checked the drift of the Ark, deeming it imprudent to ventureunnecessarily near the shore. "Is any thing to be seen of the Delawarechief?"
"Nothing, Deerslayer. Neither rock, shore, trees, nor lake seems to haveever held a human form."
'Keep close, Judith--keep close, Hetty--a rifle has a prying eye, animble foot, and a desperate fatal tongue. Keep close then, but keep upactyve looks, and be on the alart. 'Twould grieve me to the heart, didany harm befall either of you.'
"And you Deerslayer--" exclaimed Judith, turning her handsome face fromthe loop, to bestow a gracious and grateful look on the young man--"doyou 'keep close', and have a proper care that the savages do not catcha glimpse of you! A bullet might be as fatal to you as to one of us; andthe blow that you felt, would be felt by us all."
"No fear of me, Judith--no fear of me, my good gal. Do not lookthis-a-way, although you look so pleasant and comely, but keep your eyeson the rock, and the shore, and the--"
Deerslayer was interrupted by a slight exclamation from the girl, who,in obedience to his hurried gestures, as much as in obedience to hiswords, had immediately bent her looks again, in the opposite direction.
"What is't?--What is't, Judith?" he hastily demanded--"Is any thing tobe seen?"
"There is a man on the rock!--An Indian warrior, in his paint--andarmed!"
"Where does he wear his hawk's feather?" eagerly added Deerslayer,relaxing his hold of the line, in readiness to drift nearer to the placeof rendezvous. "Is it fast to the war-lock, or does he carry it abovethe left ear?"
"'Tis as you say, above the left ear; he smiles, too, and mutters theword 'Mohican.'"
"God be praised, 'tis the Sarpent, at last!" exclaimed the young man,suffering the line to slip through his hands, until hearing a lightbound, in the other end of the craft, he instantly checked the rope,and began to haul it in, again, under the assurance that his object waseffected. At that moment the door of the cabin was opened hastily, and,a warrior, darting through the little room, stood at Deerslayer's side,simply uttering the exclamation "Hugh!" At the next instant, Judith andHetty shrieked, and the air was filled with the yell of twenty savages,who came leaping through the branches, down the bank, some actuallyfalling headlong into the water, in their haste.
"Pull, Deerslayer," cried Ju
dith, hastily barring the door, in orderto prevent an inroad by the passage through which the Delaware had justentered; "pull, for life and death--the lake is full of savages, wadingafter us!"
The young men--for Chingachgook immediately came to his friend'sassistance--needed no second bidding, but they applied themselves totheir task in a way that showed how urgent they deemed the occasion. Thegreat difficulty was in suddenly overcoming the inertia of so largea mass, for once in motion, it was easy to cause the scow to skim thewater with all the necessary speed.
"Pull, Deerslayer, for Heaven's sake!" cried Judith, again at the loop."These wretches rush into the water like hounds following their prey!Ah--the scow moves! and now, the water deepens, to the arm-pits of theforemost, but they reach forward, and will seize the Ark!"
A slight scream, and then a joyous laugh followed from the girl; thefirst produced by a desperate effort of their pursuers, and the last byits failure; the scow, which had now got fairly in motion gliding aheadinto deep water, with a velocity that set the designs of their enemiesat nought. As the two men were prevented by the position of the cabinfrom seeing what passed astern, they were compelled to inquire of thegirls into the state of the chase.
"What now, Judith?--What next?--Do the Mingos still follow, or are wequit of 'em, for the present," demanded Deerslayer, when he felt therope yielding as if the scow was going fast ahead, and heard the screamand the laugh of the girl, almost in the same breath.
"They have vanished!--One--the last--is just burying himself in thebushes of the bank--There, he has disappeared in the shadows of thetrees! You have got your friend, and we are all safe!"
The two men now made another great effort, pulled the Ark up swiftly tothe grapnel, tripped it, and when the scow had shot some distance andlost its way, they let the anchor drop again. Then, for the first timesince their meeting, they ceased their efforts. As the floating housenow lay several hundred feet from the shore, and offered a completeprotection against bullets, there was no longer any danger or any motivefor immediate exertion.
The manner in which the two friends now recognized each other, washighly characteristic. Chingachgook, a noble, tall, handsome andathletic young Indian warrior, first examined his rifle with care,opening the pan to make sure that the priming was not wet, and, assuredof this important fact, he next cast furtive but observant glancesaround him, at the strange habitation and at the two girls. Still hespoke not, and most of all did he avoid the betrayal of a womanishcuriosity, by asking questions.
"Judith and Hetty" said Deerslayer, with an untaught, naturalcourtesy--"this is the Mohican chief of whom you've heard me speak;Chingachgook as he is called; which signifies Big Sarpent; so named forhis wisdom and prudence, and cunning, and my 'arliest and latest fri'nd.I know'd it must be he, by the hawk's feather over the left ear, mostother warriors wearing 'em on the war-lock."
As Deerslayer ceased speaking, he laughed heartily, excited moreperhaps by the delight of having got his friend safe at his side, undercircumstances so trying, than by any conceit that happened to cross hisfancy, and exhibiting this outbreaking of feeling in a manner that was alittle remarkable, since his merriment was not accompanied by anynoise. Although Chingachgook both understood and spoke English, he wasunwilling to communicate his thoughts in it, like most Indians, andwhen he had met Judith's cordial shake of the hand, and Hetty's mildersalute, in the courteous manner that became a chief, he turned away,apparently to await the moment when it might suit his friend to enterinto an explanation of his future intentions, and to give a narrativeof what had passed since their separation. The other understood hismeaning, and discovered his own mode of reasoning in the matter, byaddressing the girls.
"This wind will soon die away altogether, now the sun is down," he said,"and there is no need for rowing ag'in it. In half an hour, or so, itwill either be a flat calm, or the air will come off from the southshore, when we will begin our journey back ag'in to the castle; in themeanwhile, the Delaware and I will talk over matters, and get correctidees of each other's notions consarning the course we ought to take."
No one opposed this proposition, and the girls withdrew into the cabinto prepare the evening meal, while the two young men took their seatson the head of the scow and began to converse. The dialogue was inthe language of the Delawares. As that dialect, however, is but littleunderstood, even by the learned; we shall not only on this, but on allsubsequent occasions render such parts as it may be necessary to giveclosely, into liberal English; preserving, as far as possible, the idiomand peculiarities of the respective speakers, by way of presenting thepictures in the most graphic forms to the minds of the readers.
It is unnecessary to enter into the details first related by Deerslayer,who gave a brief narrative of the facts that are already familiar tothose who have read our pages. In relating these events, however, itmay be well to say that the speaker touched only on the outlines, moreparticularly abstaining from saying anything about his encounter with,and victory over the Iroquois, as well as to his own exertions in behalfof the two deserted young women. When Deerslayer ended, the Delawaretook up the narrative, in turn, speaking sententiously and with gravedignity. His account was both clear and short, nor was it embellished byany incidents that did not directly concern the history of his departurefrom the villages of his people, and his arrival in the valley of theSusquehannah. On reaching the latter, which was at a point only halfa mile south of the outlet, he had soon struck a trail, which gave himnotice of the probable vicinity of enemies. Being prepared for such anoccurrence, the object of the expedition calling him directly intothe neighborhood of the party of Iroquois that was known to be out, heconsidered the discovery as fortunate, rather than the reverse, and tookthe usual precautions to turn it to account. First following the riverto its source, and ascertaining the position of the rock, he met anothertrail, and had actually been hovering for hours on the flanks of hisenemies, watching equally for an opportunity to meet his mistress,and to take a scalp; and it may be questioned which he most ardentlydesired. He kept near the lake, and occasionally he ventured to somespot where he could get a view of what was passing on its surface. TheArk had been seen and watched, from the moment it hove in sight,though the young chief was necessarily ignorant that it was to be theinstrument of his effecting the desired junction with his friend. Theuncertainty of its movements, and the fact that it was unquestionablymanaged by white men, soon led him to conjecture the truth, however,and he held himself in readiness to get on board whenever a suitableoccasion might offer. As the sun drew near the horizon he repairedto the rock, where, on emerging from the forest, he was gratified infinding the Ark lying, apparently in readiness to receive him. Themanner of his appearance, and of his entrance into the craft is known.
Although Chingachgook had been closely watching his enemies for hours,their sudden and close pursuit as he reached the scow was as much amatter of surprise to himself, as it had been to his friend. He couldonly account for it by the fact of their being more numerous than he hadat first supposed, and by their having out parties of the existence ofwhich he was ignorant. Their regular, and permanent encampment, if theword permanent can be applied to the residence of a party that intendedto remain out, in all probability, but a few weeks, was not far fromthe spot where Hutter and Hurry had fallen into their hands, and, as amatter of course, near a spring.
"Well, Sarpent," asked Deerslayer, when the other had ended his briefbut spirited narrative, speaking always in the Delaware tongue, whichfor the reader's convenience only we render into the peculiar vernacularof the speaker--"Well, Sarpent, as you've been scouting around theseMingos, have you anything to tell us of their captyves, the father ofthese young women, and of another, who, I somewhat conclude, is thelovyer of one of 'em."
"Chingachgook has seen them. An old man, and a young warrior--thefalling hemlock and the tall pine."
"You're not so much out, Delaware; you're not so much out. Old Hutter isdecaying, of a sartainty, though many solid blocks might be he
wn out ofhis trunk yet, and, as for Hurry Harry, so far as height and strengthand comeliness go, he may be called the pride of the human forest. Werethe men bound, or in any manner suffering torture? I ask on account ofthe young women, who, I dare to say, would be glad to know."
"It is not so, Deerslayer. The Mingos are too many to cage their game.Some watch; some sleep; some scout; some hunt. The pale-faces aretreated like brothers to-day; to-morrow they will lose their scalps."
"Yes, that's red natur', and must be submitted to! Judith and Hetty,here's comforting tidings for you, the Delaware telling me that neitheryour father nor Hurry Harry is in suffering, but, bating the loss ofliberty, as well off as we are ourselves. Of course they are kept in thecamp; otherwise they do much as they please."
"I rejoice to hear this, Deerslayer," returned Judith, "and now we arejoined by your friend, I make no manner of question that we shall findan opportunity to ransom the prisoners. If there are any women in thecamp, I have articles of dress that will catch their eyes, and, shouldthe worst come to the worst, we can open the great chest, which I thinkwill be found to hold things that may tempt the chiefs."
"Judith," said the young man, looking up at her with a smile and anexpression of earnest curiosity, that in spite of the growing obscuritydid not escape the watchful looks of the girl, "can you find it in yourheart, to part with your own finery, to release prisoners; even thoughone be your own father, and the other is your sworn suitor and lovyer?"
The flush on the face of the girl arose in part from resentment,but more perhaps from a gentler and a novel feeling, that, with thecapricious waywardness of taste, had been rapidly rendering her moresensitive to the good opinion of the youth who questioned her, thanto that of any other person. Suppressing the angry sensation, withinstinctive quickness, she answered with a readiness and truth, thatcaused her sister to draw near to listen, though the obtuse intellectof the latter was far from comprehending the workings of a heart astreacherous, as uncertain, and as impetuous in its feelings, as that ofthe spoiled and flattered beauty.
"Deerslayer," answered Judith, after a moment's pause, "I shall behonest with you. I confess that the time has been when what you callfinery, was to me the dearest thing on earth; but I begin to feeldifferently. Though Hurry Harry is nought to me nor ever can be, Iwould give all I own to set him free. If I would do this for blustering,bullying, talking Hurry, who has nothing but good looks to recommendhim, you may judge what I would do for my own father."
"This sounds well, and is according to woman's gifts. Ah's, me! The samefeelin's is to be found among the young women of the Delawares. I'veknown 'em, often and often, sacrifice their vanity to their hearts. 'Tisas it should be--'tis as it should be I suppose, in both colours. Womanwas created for the feelin's, and is pretty much ruled by feelin'."
"Would the savages let father go, if Judith and I give them all our bestthings?" demanded Hetty, in her innocent, mild, manner.
"Their women might interfere, good Hetty; yes, their women mightinterfere with such an ind in view. But, tell me, Sarpent, how is itas to squaws among the knaves; have they many of their own women in thecamp?"
The Delaware heard and understood all that passed, though with Indiangravity and finesse he had sat with averted face, seemingly inattentiveto a discourse in which he had no direct concern. Thus appealed to,however, he answered his friend in his ordinary sententious manner.
"Six--" he said, holding up all the fingers of one hand, and the thumbof the other, "besides this." The last number denoted his betrothed,whom, with the poetry and truth of nature, he described by laying hishand on his own heart.
"Did you see her, chief--did you get a glimpse of her pleasantcountenance, or come close enough to her ear, to sing in it the song sheloves to hear?"
"No, Deerslayer--the trees were too many, and leaves covered theirboughs like clouds hiding the heavens in a storm. But"--and the youngwarrior turned his dark face towards his friend, with a smile on it thatilluminated its fierce-looking paint and naturally stern lineamentswith a bright gleam of human feeling, "Chingachgook heard the laugh ofWah-ta-Wah, and knew it from the laugh of the women of the Iroquois. Itsounded in his ears, like the chirp of the wren."
"Ay, trust a lovyer's ear for that, and a Delaware's ear for all soundsthat are ever heard in the woods. I know not why it is so, Judith, butwhen young men--and I dares to say it may be all the same with youngwomen, too--but when they get to have kind feelin's towards each other,it's wonderful how pleasant the laugh, or the speech becomes, to theother person. I've seen grim warriors listening to the chattering andthe laughing of young gals, as if it was church music, such as is heardin the old Dutch church that stands in the great street of Albany, whereI've been, more than once, with peltry and game."
"And you, Deerslayer," said Judith quickly, and with more sensibilitythan marked her usually light and thoughtless manner,--"have you neverfelt how pleasant it is to listen to the laugh of the girl you love?"
"Lord bless you gal!--Why I've never lived enough among my own colourto drop into them sort of feelin's,--no never! I dares to say, they arenat'ral and right, but to me there's no music so sweet as the sighingof the wind in the tree tops, and the rippling of a stream from a full,sparkling, natyve fountain of pure forest water--unless, indeed,"he continued, dropping his head for an instant in a thoughtfulmanner--"unless indeed it be the open mouth of a sartain hound, whenI'm on the track of a fat buck. As for unsartain dogs, I care little fortheir cries, seein' they are as likely to speak when the deer is not insight, as when it is."
Judith walked slowly and pensively away, nor was there any of herordinary calculating coquetry in the light tremulous sigh that,unconsciously to herself, arose to her lips. On the other hand Hettylistened with guileless attention, though it struck her simple mind assingular that the young man should prefer the melody of the woods,to the songs of girls, or even to the laugh of innocence and joy.Accustomed, however, to defer in most things to her sister, she soonfollowed Judith into the cabin, where she took a seat and remainedpondering intensely over some occurrence, or resolution, oropinion--which was a secret to all but herself. Left alone, Deerslayerand his friend resumed their discourse.
"Has the young pale-face hunter been long on this lake?" demanded theDelaware, after courteously waiting for the other to speak first.
"Only since yesterday noon, Sarpent, though that has been long enough tosee and do much." The gaze that the Indian fastened on his companion wasso keen that it seemed to mock the gathering darkness of the night.As the other furtively returned his look, he saw the two black eyesglistening on him, like the balls of the panther, or those of the pennedwolf. He understood the meaning of this glowing gaze, and answeredevasively, as he fancied would best become the modesty of a white man'sgifts.
"'Tis as you suspect, Sarpent; yes, 'tis somewhat that-a-way. I havefell in with the inimy, and I suppose it may be said I've fou't them,too."
An exclamation of delight and exultation escaped the Indian, and thenlaying his hand eagerly on the arm of his friend, he asked if there wereany scalps taken.
"That I will maintain in the face of all the Delaware tribe, oldTamenund, and your own father the great Uncas, as well as the rest, isag'in white gifts! My scalp is on my head, as you can see, Sarpent, andthat was the only scalp that was in danger, when one side was altogetherChristian and white."
"Did no warrior fall?--Deerslayer did not get his name by being slow ofsight, or clumsy with the rifle!"
"In that particular, chief, you're nearer reason, and therefore nearerbeing right. I may say one Mingo fell."
"A chief!" demanded the other with startling vehemence.
"Nay, that's more than I know, or can say. He was artful, andtreacherous, and stout-hearted, and may well have gained popularityenough with his people to be named to that rank. The man fou't well,though his eye was'n't quick enough for one who had had his schooling inyour company, Delaware."
"My brother and friend struck the body?"
&n
bsp; "That was uncalled for, seeing that the Mingo died in my arms. The truthmay as well be said, at once; he fou't like a man of red gifts, and Ifou't like a man with gifts of my own colour. God gave me the victory;I coul'n't fly in the face of his Providence by forgetting my birth andnatur'. White he made me, and white I shall live and die."
"Good! Deerslayer is a pale-face, and has pale-face hands. A Delawarewill look for the scalp, and hang it on a pole, and sing a song in hishonour, when we go back to our people. The glory belongs to the tribe;it must not be lost."
"This is easy talking, but 'twill not be as easy doing. The Mingo's bodyis in the hands of his fri'nds and, no doubt, is hid in some hole whereDelaware cunning will never be able to get at the scalp."
The young man then gave his friend a succinct, but clear account, of theevent of the morning, concealing nothing of any moment, and yet touchingon every thing modestly and with a careful attention to avoid the Indianhabit of boasting. Chingachgook again expressed his satisfaction at thehonour won by his friend, and then both arose, the hour having arrivedwhen it became prudent to move the Ark further from the land.
It was now quite dark, the heavens having become clouded, and the starshid. The north wind had ceased--as was usual with the setting of thesun, and a light air arose from the south. This change favoring thedesign of Deerslayer, he lifted his grapnel, and the scow immediatelyand quite perceptibly began to drift more into the lake. The sail wasset, when the motion of the craft increased to a rate not much less thantwo miles in the hour. As this superseded the necessity of rowing, anoccupation that an Indian would not be likely to desire, Deerslayer,Chingachgook and Judith seated themselves in the stern of the scow,where they first governed its movements by holding the oar. Here theydiscoursed on their future movements, and on the means that ought to beused in order to effect the liberation of their friends.
In this dialogue Judith held a material part, the Delaware readilyunderstanding all she said, while his own replies and remarks, both ofwhich were few and pithy, were occasionally rendered into English by hisfriend. Judith rose greatly in the estimation of her companions, in thehalf hour that followed. Prompt of resolution and firm of purpose, hersuggestions and expedients partook of her spirit and sagacity, both ofwhich were of a character to find favor with men of the frontier. Theevents that had occurred since their meeting, as well as her isolatedand dependant situation, induced the girl to feel towards Deerslayerlike the friend of a year instead of an acquaintance of a day, and socompletely had she been won by his guileless truth of character and offeeling, pure novelties in our sex, as respected her own experience,that his peculiarities excited her curiosity, and created a confidencethat had never been awakened by any other man. Hitherto she had beencompelled to stand on the defensive in her intercourse with men, withwhat success was best known to herself, but here had she been suddenlythrown into the society and under the protection of a youth, whoevidently as little contemplated evil towards herself as if he had beenher brother. The freshness of his integrity, the poetry and truth of hisfeelings, and even the quaintness of his forms of speech, all had theirinfluence, and aided in awakening an interest that she found as pureas it was sudden and deep. Hurry's fine face and manly form had nevercompensated for his boisterous and vulgar tone, and her intercourse withthe officers had prepared her to make comparisons under which even hisgreat natural advantages suffered. But this very intercourse with theofficers who occasionally came upon the lake to fish and hunt, had aneffect in producing her present sentiments towards the young stranger.With them, while her vanity had been gratified, and her self-lovestrongly awakened, she had many causes deeply to regret theacquaintance--if not to mourn over it, in secret sorrow--for it wasimpossible for one of her quick intellect not to perceive how hollow wasthe association between superior and inferior, and that she was regardedas the play thing of an idle hour, rather than as an equal and a friend,by even the best intentioned and least designing of her scarlet-cladadmirers. Deerslayer, on the other hand, had a window in his breastthrough which the light of his honesty was ever shining; and even hisindifference to charms that so rarely failed to produce a sensation,piqued the pride of the girl, and gave him an interest that another,seemingly more favored by nature, might have failed to excite.
In this manner half an hour passed, during which time the Ark had beenslowly stealing over the water, the darkness thickening around it;though it was easy to see that the gloom of the forest at the southernend of the lake was getting to be distant, while the mountains thatlined the sides of the beautiful basin were overshadowing it, nearlyfrom side to side. There was, indeed, a narrow stripe of water, in thecentre of the lake where the dim light that was still shed from theheavens, fell upon its surface in a line extending north and south;and along this faint track, a sort of inverted milky way, in which theobscurity was not quite as dense as in other places, the scow held hercourse, he who steered well knowing that it led in the direction hewished to go. The reader is not to suppose, however, that any difficultycould exist as to the course. This would have been determined by that ofthe air, had it not been possible to distinguish the mountains, as wellas by the dim opening to the south, which marked the position of thevalley in that quarter, above the plain of tall trees, by a sort oflessened obscurity; the difference between the darkness of the forest,and that of the night, as seen only in the air. The peculiaritiesat length caught the attention of Judith and the Deerslayer, and theconversation ceased, to allow each to gaze at the solemn stillness anddeep repose of nature.
"'Tis a gloomy night--" observed the girl, after a pause of severalminutes--"I hope we may be able to find the castle."
"Little fear of our missing that, if we keep this path in the middle ofthe lake," returned the young man. "Natur' has made us a road here, and,dim as it is, there'll be little difficulty following it."
"Do you hear nothing, Deerslayer?--It seemed as if the water wasstirring quite near us!"
"Sartainly something did move the water, oncommon like; must have beena fish. Them creatur's prey upon each other like men and animals on theland; one has leaped into the air and fallen hard, back into his ownelement. 'Tis of little use Judith, for any to strive to get out oftheir elements, since it's natur' to stay in 'em, and natur' will haveits way. Ha! That sounds like a paddle, used with more than commoncaution!"
At this moment the Delaware bent forward and pointed significantly intothe boundary of gloom, as if some object had suddenly caught his eye.Both Deerslayer and Judith followed the direction of his gesture, andeach got a view of a canoe at the same instant. The glimpse of thisstartling neighbor was dim, and to eyes less practised it might havebeen uncertain, though to those in the Ark the object was evidentlya canoe with a single individual in it; the latter standing erect andpaddling. How many lay concealed in its bottom, of course could not beknown. Flight, by means of oars, from a bark canoe impelled by vigorousand skilful hands, was utterly impracticable, and each of the men seizedhis rifle in expectation of a conflict.
"I can easily bring down the paddler," whispered Deerslayer, "butwe'll first hail him, and ask his arrn'd." Then raising his voice, hecontinued in a solemn manner--"hold! If ye come nearer, I must fire,though contrary to my wishes, and then sartain death will follow. Stoppaddling, and answer."
"Fire, and slay a poor defenseless girl," returned a soft tremulousfemale voice. "And God will never forgive you! Go your way, Deerslayer,and let me go mine."
"Hetty!" exclaimed the young man and Judith in a breath; and the formersprang instantly to the spot where he had left the canoe they had beentowing. It was gone, and he understood the whole affair. As for thefugitive, frightened at the menace she ceased paddling, and remaineddimly visible, resembling a spectral outline of a human form, standingon the water. At the next moment the sail was lowered, to prevent theArk from passing the spot where the canoe lay. This last expedient,however, was not taken in time, for the momentum of so heavy a craft,and the impulsion of the air, soon set her by, bringing Hetty direc
tlyto windward, though still visible, as the change in the positions ofthe two boats now placed her in that species of milky way which has beenmentioned.
"What can this mean, Judith?" demanded Deerslayer--"Why has your sistertaken the canoe, and left us?"
"You know she is feeble-minded, poor girl!--and she has her own ideas ofwhat ought to be done. She loves her father more than most children lovetheir parents--and--then--"
"Then, what, gal? This is a trying moment; one in which truth must bespoken!"
Judith felt a generous and womanly regret at betraying her sister, andshe hesitated ere she spoke again. But once more urged by Deerslayer,and conscious herself of all the risks the whole party was running bythe indiscretion of Hetty, she could refrain no longer.
"Then, I fear, poor, weak-minded Hetty has not been altogether ableto see all the vanity, and rudeness and folly, that lie hid behind thehandsome face and fine form of Hurry Harry. She talks of him in hersleep, and sometimes betrays the inclination in her waking moments."
"You think, Judith, that your sister is now bent on some mad scheme toserve her father and Hurry, which will, in all likelihood, give themriptyles the Mingos, the mastership of a canoe?"
"Such, I fear, will turn out to be the fact, Deerslayer. Poor Hetty hashardly sufficient cunning to outwit a savage."
All this while the canoe, with the form of Hetty erect in one end of it,was dimly perceptible, though the greater drift of the Ark rendered it,at each instant, less and less distinct. It was evident no time was tobe lost, lest it should altogether disappear. The rifles were now laidaside as useless, the two men seizing the oars and sweeping the head ofthe scow round in the direction of the canoe. Judith, accustomed to theoffice, flew to the other end of the Ark, and placed herself at whatmight be called the helm. Hetty took the alarm at these preparations,which could not be made without noise, and started off like a bird thathad been suddenly put up by the approach of unexpected danger.
As Deerslayer and his companion rowed with the energy of those whofelt the necessity of straining every nerve, and Hetty's strength wasimpaired by a nervous desire to escape, the chase would have quicklyterminated in the capture of the fugitive, had not the girl made severalshort and unlooked-for deviations in her course. These turnings gave hertime, and they had also the effect of gradually bringing both canoe andArk within the deeper gloom, cast by the shadows from the hills. Theyalso gradually increased the distance between the fugitive and herpursuers, until Judith called out to her companions to cease rowing, forshe had completely lost sight of the canoe.
When this mortifying announcement was made, Hetty was actually so nearas to understand every syllable her sister uttered, though the latterhad used the precaution of speaking as low as circumstances would allowher to do, and to make herself heard. Hetty stopped paddling at the samemoment, and waited the result with an impatience that was breathless,equally from her late exertions, and her desire to land. A dead silenceimmediately fell on the lake, during which the three in the Ark wereusing their senses differently, in order to detect the position of thecanoe. Judith bent forward to listen, in the hope of catching some soundthat might betray the direction in which her sister was stealing away,while her two companions brought their eyes as near as possible toa level with the water, in order to detect any object that might befloating on its surface. All was vain, however, for neither sound norsight rewarded their efforts. All this time Hetty, who had not thecunning to sink into the canoe, stood erect, a finger pressed on herlips, gazing in the direction in which the voices had last been heard,resembling a statue of profound and timid attention. Her ingenuity hadbarely sufficed to enable her to seize the canoe and to quit the Ark,in the noiseless manner related, and then it appeared to be momentarilyexhausted. Even the doublings of the canoe had been as much theconsequence of an uncertain hand and of nervous agitation, as of anycraftiness or calculation.
The pause continued several minutes, during which Deerslayer and theDelaware conferred together in the language of the latter. Then the oarsdipped, again, and the Ark moved away, rowing with as little noise aspossible. It steered westward, a little southerly, or in the directionof the encampment of the enemy. Having reached a point at no greatdistance from the shore, and where the obscurity was intense on accountof the proximity of the land, it lay there near an hour, in waiting forthe expected approach of Hetty, who, it was thought, would make the bestof her way to that spot as soon as she believed herself releasedfrom the danger of pursuit. No success rewarded this little blockade,however, neither appearance nor sound denoting the passage of the canoe.Disappointed at this failure, and conscious of the importance of gettingpossession of the fortress before it could be seized by the enemy,Deerslayer now took his way towards the castle, with the apprehensionthat all his foresight in securing the canoes would be defeated by thisunguarded and alarming movement on the part of the feeble-minded Hetty.
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