Sketches of Aboriginal Life

by V. V. Vide

  THE FLIGHT OF THE KATAHBA CHIEF.

  Go not to the chase, my brave hunter, to-day, There's a mist o'er the sun--there's a snare in the way; Manitto revealed last night in my dream A deep dark shadow o'erhanging the stream; The deer, from his thicket, sprung out in thy path-- Then he changed to a tiger, and roared in his wrath-- Then the warrior hunter, so fearless and brave, Was driven away, like a captive slave; Then the smoke rolled up, and the flames curled high, And the forest rung with the foeman's cry; Then the wind swept by with a desolate wail-- The avenger of blood was on thy trail;-- Minaree looked out at the cabin door, But her bold brave hunter returned no more. Go not to the chase, my brave hunter, to-day, There's a mist o'er the sun--there's a snare in the way.

  So, in sweetly plaintive strains, chanted the beautiful young bride of aKatahba chief, as she prepared his frugal morning meal, while he wasbusying himself in examining the string of his bow, replenishing hisquiver with straight polished shafts, and renewing the edge of histrusty hatchet.

  In all the forest homes of the native tribes, there was not a fairerflower than Minaree, the loved and devoted wife of the braveAsh-te-o-lah. The only daughter of a chief of the Wateree tribe, whichwas one branch of the great family of the Katahbas, she inherited thespirit and pride of her father, with all the simple beauty, andunsophisticated womanly tenderness of her mother. She was the idol ofAsh-te-o-lah's heart; for, savage as the world would call him, andignorant of the codes of chivalry and of the courtly phrase of love, hewas as true to all the warmer and purer affections, which constitute thebliss of domestic life, as to the lofty sentiments of heroic virtue,which made him early conspicuous in the councils of his people. Thoughfearless as the lion, fleet as the roe, and adventurous, sagacious andpowerful as any that ever sounded the war-whoop, or startled the deer,in those interminable wilds--he was noble, generous, warm-hearted, anddevotedly tender to the objects of his love.

  The winning tones, and the affectionate glances of Minaree, as shechanted her simple prophetic lay, had almost won Ash-te-o-lah from hispurpose. But, half doubting whether her oracular dream was any thingmore than a little artifice of affection, and always superior to thatprevailing superstition of his people, which gave to dreams all thesanctity and force of divine revelation, and excited by the preparationshe had been making, he flung his rattling quiver to his back, whispereda gentle intimation that Ash-te-o-lah feared neither tiger nor foeman,and returning the affectionate glance of his bride, left the wigwam.

  It was a clear bright summer morning. There was a balmy sweetness in theair, and melody in all the groves; but they won not the ear, theyregaled not the sense of Minaree, whose heart sunk within her, as shesaw her beloved Ash-te-o-lah launch his canoe into the stream, and dashaway over its glassy surface, like a swallow on the wing. Ere he dippedhis paddle in the water, he turned and gracefully waved her a partingsalute, the affectionate desire to stay and soothe the troubled spiritof her dream, still struggling with that lofty pride which told him thathe had never yet shrunk from any form of danger, or known the name offear.

  The lands bordering on the Katahba, were covered, for many a league,with a dense and thriving population. More than twenty tribes wereclustered there into one powerful fraternity, capable of bringing twothousand warriors into the field. Their grounds were extensivelycultivated, their forests abounded with the choicest game, and theirrivers with fish, and they regarded themselves as the most prosperous ofthe nations.

  Nothing could exceed the romantic beauty and loveliness of some of theirvillages. Stretching along the banks of the rivers, and embowered deeplyin the luxurious forests of that favored clime, the numerous wigwams,simple enough in their construction, but adorned here and there with thetrophies of war or the chase, and often alive with the athletic sportsof the young Indians, formed a scene as animated and picturesque as everglowed on the bosom of the earth--a scene of patriarchal life, such ascannot now be found among all the families of men.

  Conspicuous among them all was the wigwam of Ash-te-o-lah. The hand ofMinaree was visible in the tasteful arrangement of a few simpleornaments about the door, and the trailing of a white flowering vineover its walls, which fell in luxuriant festoons, or floated in featherypensiles on every side.

  Minaree stood in the door of the wigwam, watching the retreating form ofher lord, as his light canoe swept down with the current of the river,till it was lost in the distance, and then pensively, and as ifunconsciously to herself, resumed her solemn chant, weaving the while awreath of her wild flowering vine.

  He has gone to the chase, my brave hunter has gone-- He will not return in the moonlight, or morn; Minaree shall look out at the cabin door, But her bold brave hunter shall come no more; There's a cloud in her wigwam--a fire in her brain, For her warrior hunter shall ne'er come again.

  Gently and placidly flowed the Katahba--every tree and shrub mirrored inits beautiful waters. Not a sound disturbed the perfect stillness; noteven the hum of the cricket, or the song of the bird. It seemed an uttersolitude. Then a light canoe was seen slowly gliding down the stream. Anoble looking Indian was standing in it, erect and tall, with his paddlepoised, as if wrapped in meditation, or unwilling to disturb the quietand charm of the silence. It was a scene to awaken a sense of poeticbeauty, even in the mind of an untutored savage. It thrilled the soul ofAsh-te-o-lah, and held him some moments in admiring contemplation.Suddenly starting from his unwonted reverie, he rounded a juttingpromontory, and moored his skiff, carefully concealing it amid theoverhanging shrubs.

  There was something surpassingly graceful and majestic in the figure ofthis noble son of the forest. Formed by nature in her most perfectmould, tall, sinewy, athletic, yet with every feature and every limbrounded to absolute grace, he was a fine subject for a painter orsculptor. His dress consisted of a beautiful robe, gracefully flung overone shoulder, and confined at the waist by a richly ornamented belt. Hishair was wrought into a kind of crown, and ornamented with a tuft offeathers. Equipped with bow and quiver, he seemed intent on game; andyet one might have imagined, from his keen glance and cautious manner,that he expected a foe in ambush.

  Ash-te-o-lah was soon on the track of the deer, which, starting from thethicket, bounded away with the speed of the wind. Pursuing with equalpace, the bold hunter dashed into the depths of the forest, watching fora favorable moment to take the deadly aim. The arrow was on the string,and about to be raised to fly at his panting victim, when the shrillwar-whoop burst suddenly on his ear. It arrested his step, for a moment,but not his arm; for the arrow sped as if nothing had occurred to divertits course, and buried itself in the heart of the flying deer.

  Perceiving, at a glance, that a party of the Senecas, the old and deadlyenemies of the Katahbas, were down upon him, and had cut off his retreatto the river, he held on his course, as before, but with redoubledspeed, intending, if possible, to secure a refuge from his pursuers, ina cavern about five miles distant. Fleet as the wind, he would havegained his purpose, if the course had been direct, for there was not ared man in the wide forests of America, who could outrun Ash-te-o-lah.Dividing themselves into several parties, and taking different coursesto intercept his flight, his enemies gave instant chase to the fugitive.One party followed close on his trail, but he was soon lost to theirview. Another struck off northwardly, towards a bend in the West Branch,where the rapids afforded an opportunity for crossing the stream withoutimpeding his flight. A third made for a deep cut, or ravine, about amile further down, where a fallen tree, extending from bank to bank,served the purpose of a bridge.

  Ash-te-o-lah soon perceived that his enemies were divided, and resolvedthat, if they _did_ intercept or overtake him, it should cost them dear.Halting a little in his flight, and taking to the covert of a tree, hedrew upon the foremost of his pursuers, and laid him dead in the path.The next in the pursuit, pausing a moment over his fallen brother,shared the same fate. Knowing, as by instinct, that the other partieswould
endeavor to cut him off at the rapids and the bridge, he dashedforward, in a straight line for the stream, plunged into the water, andholding his bow aloft, struggled with a powerful arm to reach the otherside. He gained the bank, just as his pursuers made their appearance onthe opposite shore. Turning suddenly upon them, he levelled anothershaft with such unerring aim, that one of their number fell bleedinginto the stream. Another and another, in the act of leaping over thebank, received the fatal shaft into his heart. Hearing the distantwhoop, which indicated that the other party had reached the bridge,Ash-te-o-lah waited not for another victim, but bounded away for hismountain fastness. The little delay which had been necessary to cut offfive of his pursuers, had given an advantage to the other parties, whowere now on the same side of the stream with himself, and gaining uponhis steps. No sooner was this perceived, than the heroic fugitive turnedupon the nearest of them, and, with the same infallible aim, laid himdead in the path. Still another had fallen before his sure aim, and hisbow was strained for another shot, when one of the other party, who hadmade a circuit, and come up behind him unperceived, leaped upon, andheld him pinioned in his powerful grasp. His struggles were terrible;but he was immediately surrounded, overpowered and disarmed.

  Though seven of their number had fallen in this brief chase, the braveSenecas were so struck with admiration at the wonderful skill and noblebearing of their captive, that they did not, as usual, instantly avengethe slain, by taking the life of the slayer; but resolved to take himalong with them, and to lead him in triumph into the midst of thecouncil of their nation, there to be disposed of by the united voices oftheir chiefs.

  It was a sad triumph, for they were filled with grief and mortificationfor the loss of so many of their brave kindred, all fallen by the handof one of the hated Katahbas, and he now completely in their power.Though stung with shame, and thirsting for a worthy revenge, yet suchwas their love of martial virtue, that, during all their long journeyhomeward, they treated their haughty captive with far greater respectand kindness than if he had acted the part of a coward, and sufferedhimself to fall into their hands without any attempt at resistance. Asfor him, with an unsubdued spirit, and an air of proud superiority, hemarched in the midst of his enemies, as if defying their power, andscorning the vengeance from which it was impossible to escape. To oneunaccustomed to the modes of Indian warfare, and the code of Indianetiquette, who might have witnessed that triumphant procession,Ash-te-o-lah would have appeared the proud and absolute prince,surrounded by his admiring and subservient life-guard, rather than thesubdued and helpless captive, escorted by his enemies to an ignominiousexecution.

  Arrived within the territories of their own tribe, the triumph of thecaptors began. The whole nation was roused to revenge the death of theirlost heroes. In every village, as they passed along, the women andchildren were permitted to beat and insult the unresisting captive, whobore every indignity with stoical indifference, and proud disdain, neverindicating by word or look, the slightest sense of mortification orpain, nor bating one jot of his lofty and scornful bearing.

  Before the great council of assembled chiefs, he maintained the sametone of fearless dignity and self-respect. His very look was defiance,that quailed not before the proudest glance of his enemy, nor showed theslightest symptom of disquietude, when the decision of the council wasannounced, condemning him to die by the fiery torture. It mightreasonably be imagined that his past sufferings, his tedious marches,his scanty fare, lying at night on the bare ground, exposed to thechanges of the weather, with his arms and legs extended and cramped in apair of rough stocks, the insulting treatment, and cruel scourgings ofthe exasperated women and children, who were taught to consider it avirtue to torment an enemy, along with the anticipation of those morebitter sufferings which he was yet to endure, would have impaired hishealth, and subdued his hitherto proud and unyielding spirit. Such wouldhave been the effect of similar circumstances upon the physical frame,and stout-hearted fortitude of the great majority of the heroes of thatpale-faced race, who boast of a proud superiority over the unletteredchildren of the forest. There are few so hardy, that they could endure,not only without a murmur, but without shrinking, what Ash-te-o-lah hadalready suffered--few so courageous, that they could hear, with anunmoved countenance, the terrible doom which his enemies had preparedfor him, or witness undisturbed the fearful arrangements, and horridceremonies, that were designed to give intensity and effect to itsinfliction.

  Ash-te-o-lah was insensible to fear, and would sooner have undergone athousand torturing deaths, than permit his enemies to see that he wasconscious even of suffering. So nobly did he sustain his courage amidthe trial, so well did he act his heroic part, that his enemies, whoadmired and inculcated the same unflinching fortitude, were surprisedand vexed at his lofty superiority, and resolved, by every possibleaggravation of his sufferings, to break down and subdue his proudindomitable spirit.

  The hour of execution had arrived. The pile was ready for its victim.Every engine of torture, which savage ingenuity could invent, wasexhibited in dreadful array, within the area selected for the tryingscene. The whole nation was assembled to witness, and take part in theceremony, which had, in their view, all the solemnity and sacredness ofa religious rite. Ash-te-o-lah was led forth, unpinioned, into themidst--for the red man would scorn the weakness of leading a victim inchains to the altar.

  The place of sacrifice was an open space near the bank of the river, thedark forest frowning over it on every side, the entire foreground beingfilled and crowded with an eager, angry multitude, to whom a sacrificewas a feast, and revenge the sweetest luxury that could be offered totheir taste. Their wild parade, their savage dances, their hideous yellsand demoniacal looks and gestures, designed to terrify, only fired thesoul of Ash-te-o-lah to a yet prouder and more majestic bearing. Hisfirm step, his unblenching eye, his fearless and lofty port, touchedeven his executioners with admiration, and struck his guards with amomentary awe.

  Suddenly, as with a bolt from the cloud, he dashed down those who stoodin his way, sprung out, and plunged into the water, swimming underneath,like an otter, only rising occasionally to take breath, till he reachedthe opposite shore. He ascended the steep bank at a bound; and then,though the arrows had been flying thick as hail about him from the timethat he took to the water, and though many of the fleetest of hisenemies were, like very blood-hounds, close in pursuit of him, he turneddeliberately around, and with a graceful and becoming dignity, took aformal leave of them, as if he would acknowledge the extraordinaryfavors they had shown him. Then, raising the shrill war-whoop ofdefiance, as his last salute, till some more convenient opportunityshould be afforded him to do them a warrior's homage, he darted off,like a beast broke loose from its torturing enemies. Inspired with newstrength by his sudden release, and the returning hope of life, he flewwith a winged speed, so as entirely to distance the fleetest of hiseager pursuers. Confident in his speed, and assured that his enemiescould neither overtake nor surprise him, he rested nearly a whole day,to recruit his wasted strength, and watch an opportunity to gain, ifpossible, some further advantage over those who were scenting his track,and thirsting for his blood.

  Passing a considerable distance beyond a spot, which his well-trainedsagacity told him would be the natural resting place of his pursuers, heretraced his steps, walking carefully backwards, and planting each stepwith great precision, in the very tracks he had just made, so aseffectually to conceal the artifice of his return. In this way, he cameto a high rock, in which there was a considerable fissure, very narrowat the top, but widening toward the ground, and so concealed by thedense shrubbery that grew around, that it could only be discovered bythe most careful scrutiny. Into this fissure he thrust himself,scrupulously replacing every leaf that had been disturbed by hisentrance, and adjusting the whole so as not to excite the slightestsuspicion in his keen-sighted enemies. Here he awaited their approach.

  It was near night of the second day, when the Senecas reached the springwhere Ash-te-o-lah lay con
cealed, and where he had already rested nearlya whole day. Following his track some distance beyond, and not doubtinghe was yet in advance, they returned without suspicion to the spring,lighted their fires, partook hastily of their simple meal, and laidthemselves down to sleep, in perfect security. They were five in number,powerful men, and thoroughly armed, after their own peculiar fashion.Ash-te-o-lah, from his narrow cavern, had watched all their movements.He well knew that they slept soundly, for they had satisfied themselvesthat no danger was near. But he also knew equally well how wakeful isthe sleep of an Indian, and how almost impossible it is to surprise him,even in his soundest sleep. Every circumstance of his situation occurredto him, to inspire him with heroism, and urge him to attempt animpossibility, though his life was the certain forfeit of a failure. Hewas naked, torn, and hungry. His enraged enemies, who had so recentlyheld him in their toils, and made him ready for a sacrifice, were nowcome up with him. In their little camp was every thing to relieve hiswants. He would not only save his own life, but get great honor andsweet revenge, if he should succeed in cutting them off.

  Resolution, a convenient spot, and a sudden surprise, might effect thismain object of all his wishes and hopes. Creeping cautiously out fromhis covert, and approaching the sleepers with the noiseless and stealthycunning of a fox, he seized one of their tomahawks, and wielding it withinconceivable power and rapidity, left four of them in an eternal sleep,before the fifth had time to awake and spring to his feet. The strugglethat ensued was terrible; but Ash-te-o-lah had the advantage in everyrespect, and the conflict ended in a very few minutes, by leaving himalone in the camp of his enemies.

  Selecting from the spoils of the fallen a suitable dress for himself,with the choicest of their bows, a well-stored quiver, a tomahawk, andan ample pouch of provisions, and securing to his belt the scalps of hisyet breathing victims, Ash-te-o-lah set off afresh, with a light heart,and a bounding step, for the sunny vales of the Katahba. Resolved not tohazard any of the advantage he had gained, he did not allow himself anysleep, for several successive nights, only as he reclined, for a fewmoments, a little before day, with his back to a tree, and a clear spaceabout him, where he could not be taken by surprise. Growing more secure,as he approached his home, and discovered no sign of his pursuing enemy,he sought out the spot where he had killed seven of the chase, in thefirst day of his flight, opened their yet fresh graves, added theirscalps to the five then hanging to his belt, burnt their bodies toashes, and returned in safety, laden with his hard earned trophies, togladden his humble wigwam, and thrill the council of his people with thestory of his singular adventures.

  Her prophetic dream had made so deep an impression upon the mind ofMinaree, that, from the first, she did not expect "the bold hunter'sreturn." His lengthened absence troubled, but did not surprise her. Sheyielded him to a stern fate, from which there was no escape; and with acalmness which we, of another race, too often regard as coldness andinsensibility, prepared to follow him to the spirit land. His return wasto her soul like a visit from that land--a gift from the GreatSpirit--and ever after, to the deep devotion of her early love, wasadded that peculiar reverence, that tender, holy affection, which theIndians every where cherish for the departed.

  When the second party of the Senecas, in the course of the third day ofthe pursuit, arrived at the camp of their slaughtered people, the sightgave them a greater shock than they had ever known before. In theirchilled war council they concluded, that he who had performed suchsurprising feats in his defence, before he was captured, and since thatin his naked and unarmed condition, would, now that he was well armedand free, be a match for them all, if they should continue the pursuit.They regarded him as a wizard enemy, whose charmed life it was vain andwicked to attempt. They, accordingly, buried their comrades, andreturned, with heavy hearts, to their homes.