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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wild Western Scenes, by John Beauchamp Jones
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Wild Western Scenes
+       A Narrative Of Adventures In The Western Wilderness, Wherein The
+       Exploits Of Daniel Boone, The Great American Pioneer Are Particularly
+       Described
+
+
+Author: John Beauchamp Jones
+
+Release Date: August 1, 2004 [EBook #13077]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILD WESTERN SCENES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Curtis Weyant, the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+and The Making of America Project
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "I saw him gasp, reel, and fall."]
+
+[Illustration: Wild Western Scenes]
+
+
+WILD WESTERN SCENES:
+
+A NARRATIVE
+OF
+ADVENTURES IN THE WESTERN WILDERNESS,
+
+WHEREIN
+
+THE EXPLOITS OF DANIEL BOONE, THE GREAT AMERICAN PIONEER ARE
+PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED
+
+ALSO,
+
+ACCOUNTS OF BEAR, DEER, AND BUFFALO HUNTS--DESPERATE CONFLICTS WITH
+THE SAVAGES--WOLF HUNTS--FISHING AND FOWLING ADVENTURES--ENCOUNTERS
+WITH SERPENTS, ETC.
+
+
+New Stereotype Edition, Altered, Revised, and Corrected
+
+
+By J.B. JONES.
+
+Author of "The War Path," "Adventures of a Country Merchant," etc.
+
+
+Illustrated with Sixteen Engravings from Original Designs
+
+Philadelphia:
+J.B. Lippincott & Co.
+
+1875
+
+Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by J.B. Jones,
+in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District
+of Pennsylvania.
+
+Stereotyped By L. Johnson & Co.,
+Philadelphia.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+When a work of fiction has reached its fortieth edition, one would
+suppose the author might congratulate himself upon having contributed
+something of an imperishable character to the literature of the
+country. But no such pretensions are asserted for this production, now
+in its fortieth thousand. Being the first essay of an impetuous youth
+in a field where giants even have not always successfully contended,
+it would be a rash assumption to suppose it could receive from those
+who confer such honors any high award of merit. It has been before the
+public some fifteen years, and has never been reviewed. Perhaps the
+forbearance of those who wield the cerebral scalpels may not be
+further prolonged, and the book remains amenable to the judgment they
+may be pleased to pronounce.
+
+To that portion of the public who have read with approbation so many
+thousands of his book, the author may speak with greater confidence.
+To this class of his friends he may make disclosures and confessions
+pertaining to the secret history of the "Wild Western Scenes," without
+the hazard of incurring their displeasure.
+
+Like the hero of his book, the author had his vicissitudes in boyhood,
+and committed such indiscretions as were incident to one of his years
+and circumstances, but nevertheless only such as might be readily
+pardoned by the charitable. Like Glenn, he submitted to a voluntary
+exile in the wilds of Missouri. Hence the description of scenery is a
+true picture, and several characters in the scenes were real persons.
+Many of the occurrences actually transpired in his presence, or had
+been enacted in the vicinity at no remote period; and the dream of the
+hero--his visit to the haunted island--was truly a dream of the
+author's.
+
+But the worst miseries of the author were felt when his work was
+completed; he could get no publisher to examine it. He then purchased
+an interest in a weekly newspaper, in the columns of which it appeared
+in consecutive chapters. The subscribers were pleased with it, and
+desired to possess it in a volume; but still no publisher would
+undertake it,--the author had no reputation in the literary world. He
+offered it for fifty dollars, but could find no purchaser at any
+price. Believing the British booksellers more accommodating, a friend
+was employed to make a fair copy in manuscript, at a certain number of
+cents per hundred words. The work was sent to a British publisher,
+with whom it remained many months, but was returned, accompanied by a
+note declining to treat for it.
+
+Undeterred by the rebuffs of two worlds, the author had his cherished
+production published on his own account, and was remunerated by the
+sale of the whole edition. After the tardy sale of several subsequent
+editions by houses of limited influence, the book had the good
+fortune, finally, to fall into the hands of the gigantic establishment
+whose imprint is now upon its title-page. And now, the author is
+informed, it is regularly and liberally ordered by the London
+booksellers, and is sold with an increasing rapidity in almost every
+section of the Union.
+
+Such are the hazards, the miseries, and sometimes the rewards, of
+authorship.
+
+J.B.J.
+
+Burlington, N.J.,
+_March_, 1856.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+Glenn and Joe--Their horses--A storm--A black stump--A rough
+tumble--Moaning--Stars--Light--A log fire--Tents, and something to
+eat--Another stranger, who turns out to be well known--Joe has a
+snack--He studies revenge against the black stump--Boone proposes a
+bear hunt.
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Boone hunts the bear--Hounds and terriers--Sneak Punk, the hatchet-
+face--Another stump--The high passes--The bear roused--The chase--A
+sight--A shot--A wound--Not yet killed--His meditations--His friend,
+the bear--The bear retreats--Joe takes courage--Joe fires--Immense
+execution--Sneak--The last struggle--Desperation of the bear--His
+death--Sneak's puppies--Joe.
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Glenn's castle--Mary--Books--A hunt--Joe and Pete--A tumble--An
+opossum--A shot--Another tumble--A doe--The return--They set out
+again--A mound--A buffalo--An encounter--Night--Terrific
+spectacle--Escape--Boone--Sneak--Indians.
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+The retreat--Joe makes a mysterious discovery--Mary--A disclosure
+--Supper--Sleep--A cat--Joe's flint--The watch--Mary--The
+bush--The attack--Joe's musket again--The repulse--The starting
+rally--The desperate alternative--Relief.
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+A strange excursion--A fairy scene--Joe is puzzled and frightened--A
+wonderful discovery--Navigation of the upper regions--A crash--No
+bones broken.
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+A hunt--A deer taken--The hounds--Joe makes a horrid discovery--Sneak
+--The exhumation.
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+Boone--The interment--Startling intelligence--Indians about--A skunk
+--Thrilling fears--Boone's device.
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+Night--Sagacity of the hounds--Reflection--The sneaking savages--Joe's
+disaster--The approach of the foe under the snow--The silent watch.
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+Sneak kills a sow that "was not all a swine"--The breathless suspense
+--The match in readiness--Joe's cool demeanour--The match ignited
+--Explosion of the mine--Defeat of the savages--The captive--His
+liberation--The repose--The kitten--Morning.
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+The dead removed--The wolves on the river--The wolf hunt--Gum fetid
+--Joe's incredulity--His conviction--His surprise--His predicament--His
+narrow escape.
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+Mary--Her meditations--Her capture--Her sad condition--Her mental
+sufferings--Her escape--Her recapture.
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+Joe's indisposition--His cure--Sneak's reformation--The pursuit--The
+captive Indian--Approach to the encampment of the savages--Joe's
+illness again--The surprise--The terrific encounter--Rescue of
+Mary--Capture of the young chief--The return.
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+The return--The young chief in confinement--Joe's fun--His reward--The
+ring--A discovery--William's recognition--Memories of childhood--A
+scene--Roughgrove's history--The children's parentage.
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+William's illness--Sneak's strange house--Joe's courage--The bee hunt
+--Joe and sneak captured by the Indians--Their sad condition
+--Preparations to burn them alive--Their miraculous escape.
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+Glenn's History.
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+Balmy Spring--Joe's curious dream--He prepares to catch a fish--Glenn
+--William and Mary--Joe's sudden and strange appearance--La-u-na, the
+trembling fawn--The fishing sport--The ducking frolic--Sneak and the
+panther.
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+The bright morning--Sneak's visit--Glenn's heart--The snake hunt--Love
+and raspberries--Joe is bitten--His terror and sufferings--Arrival
+of Boone--Joe's abrupt recovery--Preparations to leave the
+West--Conclusion.
+
+
+
+
+WILD WESTERN SCENES: A NARRATIVE OF ADVENTURES.
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+Glenn and Joe--Their horses--A storm--A black stump--A rough
+tumble--Moaning--Stars--Light--A log fire--Tents, and something to
+eat--Another stranger, who turns out to be well known--Joe has a
+snack--He studies revenge against the black stump--Boone proposes a
+bear hunt.
+
+
+"Do you see any light yet, Joe?"
+
+"Not the least speck that ever was created, except the lightning, and
+it's gone before I can turn my head to look at it."
+
+The interrogator, Charles Glenn, reclined musingly in a two-horse
+wagon, the canvas covering of which served in some measure to protect
+him from the wind and rain. His servant, Joe Beck, was perched upon
+one of the horses, his shoulders screwed under the scanty folds of an
+oil-cloth cape, and his knees drawn nearly up to the pommel of the
+saddle, to avoid the thumping bushes and briers that occasionally
+assailed him, as the team plunged along in a stumbling pace. Their
+pathway, or rather their direction, for there was no beaten road, lay
+along the northern bank of the "Mad Missouri," some two hundred miles
+above the St. Louis settlement. It was at a time when there were no
+white men in those regions save a few trappers, traders, and
+emigrants, and each new sojourner found it convenient to carry with
+him a means of shelter, as houses of any description were but few and
+far between.
+
+Our travellers had been told in the morning, when setting out from a
+temporary village which consisted of a few families of emigrants, with
+whom they had sojourned the preceding night, that they could attain
+the desired point by making the river their guide, should they be at a
+loss to distinguish the faintly-marked pathway that led in a more
+direct course to the place of destination. The storm coming up
+suddenly from the north, and showers of hail accompanying the gusts,
+caused the poor driver to incline his face to the left, to avoid the
+peltings that assailed him so frequently; and the drenched horses,
+similarly influenced, had unconsciously departed far from the right
+line of march; and now, rather than turn his front again to the
+pitiless blast, which could be the only means of regaining the road,
+Joe preferred diverging still farther, until he should find himself on
+the margin of the river, by which time he hoped the storm would abate.
+At all events, he thought there would be more safety on the beach,
+which extended out a hundred paces from the water, among the small
+switches of cotton-wood that grew thereon, than in the midst of the
+tall trees of the forest, where a heavy branch was every now and then
+torn off by the wind, and thrown to the earth with a terrible crash.
+Occasionally a deafening explosion of thunder would burst overhead;
+and Joe, prostrating himself on the neck of his horse, would, with his
+eyes closed and his teeth set, bear it out in silence. He spoke not,
+save to give an occasional word of command to his team, or a brief
+reply to a question from his master.
+
+It was an odd spectacle to see such a vehicle trudging along at such
+an hour, where no carriage had ever passed before. The two young men
+were odd characters; the horses were oddly matched, one being a little
+dumpy black pony, and the other a noble white steed; and it was an odd
+whim which induced Glenn to abandon his comfortable home in
+Philadelphia, and traverse such inclement wilds. But love can play the
+"_wild_" with any young man. Yet we will not spoil our narrative by
+introducing any of it here. Nor could it have been love that induced
+Joe to share his master's freaks; but rather a rare penchant for the
+miraculous adventures to be enjoyed in the western wilderness, and the
+gold which his master often showered upon him with a reckless hand.
+Joe's forefathers were from the Isle of Erin, and although he had lost
+the brogue, he still retained some of their superstitions.
+
+The wind continued to blow, the wolves howled, the lightning flashed,
+and the thunder rolled. Ere long the little black pony snorted aloud
+and paused abruptly.
+
+"What ails you, Pete?" said Joe from his lofty position on the steed,
+addressing his favourite little pet. "Get along," he continued,
+striking the animal gently with his whip. But Pete was as immovable
+and unconscious of the lash as would have been a stone. And the steed
+seemed likewise to be infected with the pony's stubbornness, after the
+wagon was brought to a pause.
+
+"Why have you stopped, Joe?" inquired Glen.
+
+"I don't hardly know, sir; but the stupid horses won't budge an inch
+farther!"
+
+"Very well; we can remain here till morning. Take the harness off, and
+give them the corn in the box; we can sleep in the wagon till
+daylight."
+
+"But we have no food for ourselves, sir; and I'm vastly hungry. It
+can't be much farther to the ferry," continued Joe, vexed at the
+conduct of the horses.
+
+"Very well; do as you like; drive on, if you desire to do so," said
+Glenn.
+
+"Get along, you stupid creatures!" cried Joe, applying the lash with
+some violence. But the horses regarded him no more than blocks would
+have done. Immediately in front he perceived a dark object that
+resembled a stump and turning the horses slightly to one side,
+endeavoured to urge them past it. Still they would not go, but
+continued to regard the object mentioned with dread, which was
+manifested by sundry restless pawings and unaccustomed snorts. Joe
+resolved to ascertain the cause of their alarm, and springing to the
+ground, moved cautiously in the direction of the dark obstruction,
+which still seemed to be a blackened stump, about his own height, and
+a very trifling obstacle, in his opinion, to arrest the progress of
+his redoubtable team. The darkness was intense, yet he managed to keep
+his eyes on the dim outlines of the object as he stealthily approached
+And he stepped as noiselessly as possible, notwithstanding he
+meditated an encounter with nothing more than an inanimate object. But
+his imagination was always on the alert, and as he often feared
+dangers that arose undefinable and indescribable in his mind, it was
+not without some trepidation that he had separated himself from the
+horses and groped his way toward the object that had so much terrified
+his pony. He paused within a few feet of the object, and waited for
+the next flash of lightning to scrutinize the thing more closely
+before putting his hand upon it. But no flash came, and he grew tired
+of standing. He stooped down, so as to bring the upper portion of it
+in a line with the sky beyond, but still he could not make it out. He
+ventured still nearer, and stared at it long and steadily, but to no
+avail: the black mass only was before him, seemingly inanimate, and of
+a deeper hue than the darkness around.
+
+"I've a notion to try my whip on you," said he, thinking if it should
+be a human being it would doubtless make a movement. He started back
+with a momentary conviction that he heard a rush creak under its feet.
+But as it still maintained its position, he soon concluded the noise
+to have been only imaginary, and venturing quite close gave it a smart
+blow with his whip. Instantaneously poor Joe was rolling on the earth,
+almost insensible, and the dark object disappeared rushing through the
+bushes into the woods. The noise attracted Glenn, who now approached
+the scene, and with no little surprise found his servant lying on his
+face.
+
+"What's the matter, Joe?" demanded he.
+
+"Oh, St. Peter! O preserve me!" exclaimed Joe.
+
+"What has happened? Why do you lie there?"
+
+"Oh, I'm almost killed! Didn't you see him?"
+
+"See what? I can see nothing this dark night but the flying clouds and
+yonder yellow sheet of water."
+
+"Oh, I've been struck!" said Joe, groaning piteously.
+
+"Struck by what? Has the lightning struck you?"
+
+"No--no! my head is all smashed up--it was a bear."
+
+"Pshaw! get up, and either drive on, or feed the horses," said Glenn
+with some impatience.
+
+"I call all the saints to witness that it was a wild bear--a great
+wild bear! I thought it was a stump, but just as I struck it a flash
+of lightning revealed to my eyes a big black bear standing on his hind
+feet, grinning at me, and he gave me a blow on the side of the face,
+which has entirely blinded my left eye, and set my ears to ringing
+like a thousand bells. Just feel the blood on my face."
+
+[Illustration: A dark encounter]
+
+Glenn actually felt something which might be blood, and really had
+thought he could distinguish the stump himself when the wagon halted;
+yet he did not believe that Joe had received the hurt in any other
+manner than by striking his face against some hard substance which he
+could not avoid in the darkness.
+
+"You only fancy it was a bear, Joe; so come along back to the horses
+and drive on. The rain has ceased, and the stars are appearing."
+Saying this, Glenn led the way to the wagon.
+
+"I'd be willing to swear on the altar that it was a huge bear, and
+nothing else!" replied Joe, as he mounted and drove on, the horses now
+evincing no reluctance to proceed. One after another the stars came
+out and shone in purest brightness as the mists swept away, and ere
+long the whole canopy of blue was gemmed with twinkling brilliants.
+The winds soon lulled, and the dense forest on the right reposed from
+the moaning gale which had disturbed it a short time before; and the
+waves that had been tossed into foaming ridges now spent their fury on
+the beach, each lashing the bank more gently than the last, until the
+power of the gliding current swept them all down the turbid stream.
+Soon the space between the water and the forest gradually diminished,
+and seemed to join at a point not far ahead. Joe observed this with
+some concern, being aware that to meander among the trees at such an
+hour was impossible. He therefore inclined toward the river, resolved
+to defer his re-entrance into the forest as long as possible. As he
+drove on he kept up a continual groaning, with his head hung to one
+side, as if suffering with the toothache, and occasionally reproaching
+Pete with some petulance, as if a portion of the blame attached to his
+sagacious pony.
+
+"Why do you keep up such a howling, Joe? Do you really suffer much
+pain?" inquired Glenn, annoyed by his man's lamentations.
+
+"It don't hurt as bad as it did--but then to think that I was such a
+fool as to go right into the beast's clutches, when even Pete had more
+sense!"
+
+"If it was actually a bear, Joe, you can boast of the thrilling
+encounter hereafter," said Glenn, in a joking and partly consoling
+manner.
+
+"But if I have many more such, I fear I shall never get back to relate
+them. My face is all swelled--Huzza! yonder is a light, at last! It's
+on this side of the river, and if we can't get over the ferry
+to-night, we shall have something to eat on this side, at all events.
+Ha! ha! ha! I see a living man moving before the fire, as if he were
+roasting meat." Joe forgot his wound in the joy of an anticipated
+supper, and whipping the horses into a brisk pace, they soon drew near
+the encampment, where they discovered numerous persons, male and
+female, who had been prevented from crossing the river that day, in
+consequence of the violence of the storm, and had raised their tents
+at the edge of the woods, preferring to repose thus until the
+following morning than to venture into the frail ferry-boat while the
+waves yet ran so high.
+
+There was no habitation in the immediate vicinity, save a rude hovel
+occupied by Jasper Roughgrove and his ferrymen, which was on the
+opposite shore in a narrow valley that cleft asunder the otherwise
+uniform cliff of rocks.
+
+The creaking of the wheels, when the vehicle approached within a few
+hundred paces of the encampment, attracted the watch-dogs, and their
+fierce and continued barking drew the attention of the emigrants in
+the direction indicated. Several men with guns in their hands came out
+to meet the young travellers.
+
+"We are white men, friends, strangers, lost, benighted, and hungry!"
+exclaimed Joe, stopping the horses, and addressing the men before he
+was accosted.
+
+"Come on, then, and eat and rest with us," said they, amused at Joe's
+exclamations, and leading the way to the encampment.
+
+When they arrived at the edge of the camp, Glenn dismounted from the
+wagon, and directing Joe to follow when he had taken care of the
+horses, drew near the huge log fire in company with those who had gone
+out to meet him. Several tall and spreading elms towered in majesty
+above, and their clustering leaves, yet partially green,
+notwithstanding the autumn was midway advanced, were beautifully
+tinged by the bright light thrown upward from the glaring flames. The
+view on one side was lost in the dark labyrinth of the moss-grown
+trunks of the forest. On the other swept the turbid river, bearing
+downward in its rapid current severed branches, and even whole trees,
+that had been swept away by the continual falling in of the river
+bank, for the sandy soil was always subject to the undermining of tho
+impetuous stream. A circle of tents was formed round the fire,
+constructed of thin poles bent in the shape of an arch, and the ends
+planted firmly in the earth. These were covered with buffalo skins,
+which would effectually shield the inmates from the rain; and
+quantities of leaves, after being carefully dried before the fire,
+were placed on the ground within, over which were spread buffalo robes
+with the hair uppermost, and thus in a brief space was completed
+temporary but not uncomfortable places of repose. The ends of the
+tents nearest to the fire were open, to admit the heat and a portion
+of light, that those who desired it might retire during their repast,
+or engage in pious meditation undisturbed by the more clamorous
+portion of the company.
+
+Glenn paused when within the circle, and looked with some degree of
+interest on the admirable arrangement of those independent and hardy
+people. A majority of the emigrants were seated on logs brought
+thither for that purpose, and feasting quietly from several large pans
+and well-filled camp-kettles, which were set out for all in common.
+They motioned Glenn to partake with them; and although many curious
+looks were directed toward him, yet he was not annoyed by questions
+while eating. Joe came in, and following the example of the rest,
+played his part to perfection, without complaining once of his wound.
+
+The feast was just finished, when the dogs again set up a furious
+yelping, and ran into the forest. But they returned very quickly, some
+of them whining with the hurts received from the strangers they
+encountered so roughly; and presently they were followed by several
+enormous hounds, and soon after an athletic woodsman was seen
+approaching. This personage was a tall muscular man, past the middle
+age, but agile and vigorous in all his motions. He was habited in a
+buck-skin hunting-shirt, and wore leggins of the same material.
+Although he was armed with a long knife and heavy rifle, and the
+expression of his brow and chin indicated an unusual degree of
+firmness and determination, yet there was an openness and blandness in
+the expression of his features which won the confidence of the
+beholder, and instantly dispelled every apprehension of violence. All
+of the emigrants had either seen or heard of him before, for his name
+was not only repeated by every tongue in the territory, but was
+familiar in every State in the Union, and not unknown in many parts of
+Europe. He was instantly recognised by the emigrants, and crowding
+round, they gave him a hearty welcome. They led him to a conspicuous
+seat, and forming a circle about him, were eager to catch every word
+that might escape his lips, and relied with implicit confidence on
+every species of information he imparted respecting the dangers and
+advantages of the locations they were about to visit. Boone had
+settled some three miles distant from the ferry, among the hills,
+where his people were engaged in the manufacture of salt. He had
+selected this place of abode long before the general tide of
+emigration had reached so far up the Missouri. It was said that he
+pitched his tent among the barren hills as a security against the
+intrusion of other men, who, being swayed by a love of wealth, would
+naturally seek their homes in the rich level prairies. It is true that
+Boone loved to dwell in solitude. But he was no misanthrope. And now,
+although questions were asked without number, he answered them with
+cheerfulness; advised the families what would be necessary to be done
+when their locations were selected, and even pressingly invited them
+to remain in his settlement a few days to recover from the fatigue of
+travel, and promised to accompany them afterward over the river into
+the rich plains to which they were journeying.
+
+During the brisk conversation that had been kept up for a great length
+of time, Glenn, unlike the rest of the company, sat at a distance and
+maintained a strict silence. Occasionally, as some of the
+extraordinary feats related of the person before him occurred to his
+memory, he turned his eyes in the direction of the great pioneer, and
+at each time observed the gaze of the woodsman fixed upon him.
+Nevertheless his habitual listlessness was not disturbed, and he
+pursued his peculiar train of reflections. Joe likewise treated the
+presence of the renowned Indian fighter with apparent unconcern, and
+being alone in his glory, dived the deeper into the saucepan.
+
+Boone at length advanced to where Glenn was sitting, and after
+scanning his pale features, and his costly though not
+exquisitely-fashioned habiliments, thus addressed him:--
+
+"Young man, may I inquire what brings thee to these wilds?"
+
+"I am a freeman," replied Glenn, somewhat haughtily, "and may be
+influenced by that which brings other men hither."
+
+"Nay, young man, excuse the freedom which all expect to exercise in
+this comparative wilderness; but I am very sure there is not another
+emigrant on this side of the Ohio who has been actuated by the same
+motives that brought thee hither. Others come to fell the forest oak,
+and till the soil of the prairie, that they may prepare a heritage for
+their children; but thy soft hands and slender limbs are unequal to
+the task; nor dost thou seem to have felt the want of this world's
+goods; and thou bringest no family to provide for. Thou hast committed
+that which banished thee from society, or found in society that which
+disgusted thee--speak, which of these?" said Boone, in accents, though
+not positively commanding, yet they produced a sense of reverence that
+subdued the rising indignation of Glenn, and looking upon the
+interrogator as the acknowledged host of the eternal wilds, and
+himself as a mere guest, who might be required to produce his
+testimonials of worthiness to associate with nature's most honest of
+men, he replied with calmness, though with subdued emotion--
+
+"You are right, sir--it was the latter. I had heard that you were
+happy in the solitude of the mountain-shaded valley, or on the
+interminable prairies that greet the horizon in the distance, where
+neither the derision of the proud, the malice of the envious, nor the
+deceptions of pretended love and friendship, could disturb your
+peaceful meditations: and from amid the wreck of certain hopes, which
+I once thought no circumstances could destroy, I rose with a
+determined though saddened heart, and solemnly vowed to seek such a
+wilderness, where I could pass a certain number of my days engaging in
+the pursuits that might be most congenial to my disposition. Already I
+imagine I experience the happy effects of my resolution. Here the
+whispers of vituperating foes cannot injure, nor the smiles of those
+fondly cherished deceive."
+
+"Your hand, young man," said Boone, with an earnestness which
+convinced Glenn that his tale was not imprudently divulged.
+
+"Ho! what's the matter with _you_?" Boone continued, turning to Joe,
+who had just arisen from his supper, and was stretching back his
+shoulders.
+
+"I got a licking from a bear to-night--but I don't mind it much since
+I've had a snack. But if ever I come across him in the daytime, I'll
+show him a thing or two," said Joe, with his fists doubled up.
+
+"Pshaw! do you still entertain the ridiculous belief that it was
+really a bear you encountered?" inquired Glenn, with an incredulous
+smile.
+
+"I'll swear to it!" replied Joe.
+
+"Let me see your face," remarked Boone, turning him to where there was
+more light.
+
+"Hollo! don't squeeze it so hard!" cried Joe, as Boone removed some of
+the coagulated blood that remained or the surface.
+
+"There is no doubt about it--it was a bear, most certainly," said
+Boone; and examining the wound more closely, continued: "Here are the
+marks of his claws, plain enough: he might easily be captured
+to-morrow. Who will hunt him with me?"
+
+"I will!" burst from the lips of nearly every one present.
+
+"Huzza--revenge! I'll have revenge, huzza!" cried Joe, throwing round
+his hat.
+
+"You will join us?" inquired Boone, turning to Glenn.
+
+"Yes," replied Glenn; "I came hither provided with the implements to
+hunt; and as such is to be principally my occupation during my sojourn
+in this region, I could not desire a more happy opportunity than the
+present to make a beginning. And as it is my intention to settle near
+the ferry on the opposite shore, I am pleased to find that I shall not
+be far from one whose acquaintance I hoped to make, above all others."
+
+"And you may not find me reluctant to cultivate a social intercourse,
+notwithstanding men think me a crabbed old misanthrope," replied
+Boone, pressing the extended hand of Glenn. They then separated for
+the night, retiring to the tents that had been provided for them.
+
+It was not long before a comparative silence pervaded the scene. The
+fierce yelpings of the watch-dogs gradually ceased, and the howling
+wolf was but indistinctly heard in the distance. The katydid and
+whippoorwill still sang at intervals, and these sounds, as well as the
+occasional whirlpool that could be heard rising on the surface of the
+gliding stream, had a soothing influence, and lulled to slumber the
+wandering mortals who now reclined under the forest trees, far from
+the homes of their childhood and the graves of their kindred. Glenn
+gazed from his couch through the branches above at the calm, blue sky,
+resplendent with twinkling stars; and if a sad reflection, that he
+thus lay, a lonely being, a thousand miles from those who had been
+most dear to him, dimmed his eye for an instant with a tear, he still
+felt a consciousness of innocence within, and resolving to execute his
+vow in every particular, he too was soon steeped in undisturbed
+slumber.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Boone hunts the bear--Hounds and terriers--Sneak Punk, the Hatchet-
+face--Another stump--The high passes--The bear roused--The
+chase--A sight--A shot--A wound--Joe--His meditations--His friend,
+the bear--The bear retreats--Joe takes courage--He fires--Immense
+execution--Sneak--The last struggle--Desperation of the bear--His
+death--Sneak's puppies--Joe.
+
+
+By the time the first streaks of gray twilight marked the eastern
+horizon, Boone, at the head of the party of hunters, set out from the
+encampment and proceeded down the river in the direction of the place
+where Joe had been so roughly handled by Bruin. All, with the
+exception of Glenn and his man, being accustomed to much walking, were
+on foot. Glenn rode his white steed, and Joe was mounted on his little
+black pony. The large hounds belonging to Boone, and the curs,
+spaniels, and terriers of the emigrants were all taken along. As they
+proceeded down the river, Boone proposed the plan of operations which
+was to guide their conduct in the chase, and each man was eager to
+perform his part, whatever it might be. It was arranged that a portion
+of the company should precede the rest, and cross the level woodland
+about two miles in width, to a range of hills and perpendicular cliffs
+that appeared to have once bounded the river, and select such ravines
+or outlets as in their opinion the bear would be most likely to pass
+through, if he were indeed still in the flat bottom-land. At these
+places they were to station themselves with their guns well charged,
+and either await the coming of the animal or the drivers; the first
+would be announced by the yelping of the dogs, and the last by the
+hunters' horns.
+
+Glenn and one or two others remained with Boone to hunt Bruin in his
+lair, while Joe and the remainder of the company were despatched to
+the passes among the hills. There was a narrow-featured Vermonter in
+this party, termed, by his comrades, the Hatchet-face, and, in truth,
+the extreme thinness of his chest and the slenderness of his limbs
+might as aptly have been called the hatchet-handle. But, so far from
+being unfit for the hardy pursuits of a hunter, he was gifted with the
+activity of a greyhound, and the swiftness and bottom of a race-horse.
+His name was Sneak Punk, which was always abbreviated to merely Sneak,
+for his general success in creeping up to the unsuspecting game of
+whatsoever kind he might be hunting, while others could not meet with
+such success. He had been striding along some time in silence a short
+distance in advance of Joe, who, even by dint of sundry kicks and the
+free use of his whip, could hardly keep pace with him. The rest were a
+few yards in the rear, and all had maintained a strict silence,
+implicitly relying on the guidance of Sneak, who, though he had never
+traversed these woods before, was made perfectly familiar with the
+course he was to pursue by the instructions of Boone.
+
+Although the light of morning was now apparent above, yet the thick
+growth of the trees, whose clustering branches mingled in one dense
+mass overhead, made it still dark and sombre below; and Joe, to divert
+Sneak from his unconscionable gait, which, in his endeavours to keep
+up, often subjected him to the rude blows of elastic switches, and
+many twinges of overhanging grape vines, essayed to engage his
+companion in conversation.
+
+"I say, Mr. Sneak," observed Joe, with an eager voice, as his pony
+trotted along rather roughly through the wild gooseberry bushes, and
+often stumbled over the decayed logs that lay about.
+
+"What do you want, stranger?" replied Sneak, slackening his gait until
+he fell back alongside of Joe.
+
+"I only wanted to know if you ever killed a bear before," said Joe,
+drawing an easy breath as Pete fell into a comfortable walk.
+
+"Dod rot it, I hain't killed this one yit," said Sneak.
+
+"I didn't mean any offence," said Joe.
+
+"What makes you think you have given any?"
+
+"Because you said _dod rot it_."
+
+"I nearly always say so--I've said so so often that I can't help it.
+But now, as we are on the right footing, I can tell you that I
+wintered once in Arkansaw, and that's enough to let you know I'm no
+greenhorn, no how you can fix it. And moreover, I tell you, if old
+Boone wasn't here hisself, I'd kill this bar as sure as a gun, and my
+gun is as sure as a streak of lightning run into a barrel of
+gunpowder;" and as he spoke he threw up his heavy gun and saluted the
+iron with his lips.
+
+"Is your's a rifle?" inquired Joe, to prolong the conversation, his
+companion showing symptoms of a disposition to fall into his habit of
+going ahead again.
+
+"Sartainly! Does anybody, I wonder, expect to do any thing with a
+shot-gun in sich a place as this?"
+
+"Mine's a shot-gun," said Joe.
+
+"Dod--did you ever kill any thing better than a quail with it?"
+inquired Sneak, contemptuously.
+
+"I never killed any thing in my life with it--I never shot a gun in
+all my life before to-night," said Joe.
+
+"Dod, you haven't fired it to-night, to my sartain knowledge."
+
+"I mean I never went a shooting."
+
+"Did you load her yourself?" inquired Sneak, taking hold of the musket
+and feeling the calibre.
+
+"Yes--but I'm sure I did it right. I put in a handful of powder, and
+paper on top of it, and then poured in a handful of balls," said Joe.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! I'll be busted if you don't raise a fuss if you ever get
+a shot at the bar!" said Sneak, with emphasis.
+
+"That's what I am after."
+
+"Why don't you go ahead?" demanded Sneak, as Joe's pony stopped
+suddenly, with his ears thrust forward. "Dod! whip him up," continued
+he, seeing that his companion was intently gazing at some object
+ahead, and exhibiting as many marks of alarm as Pete. "It's nothing
+but a stump!" said Sneak, going forwards and kicking the object, which
+was truly nothing more than he took it to be. Joe then related to him
+all the particulars of his nocturnal affair with the supposed stump,
+previous to his arrival at the camp, and Sneak, with a hearty laugh,
+admitted that both he and the pony were excusable for inspecting all
+the stumps they might chance to come across in the dark in future.
+They now emerged into the open space which was the boundary of the
+woods, and after clambering up a steep ascent for some minutes, they
+reached the summit of a tall range of bluffs. From this position the
+sun could be seen rising over the eastern ridges, but the flat woods
+that had been traversed still lay in darkness below, and silent as the
+tomb, save the hooting of owls as they flapped to their hollow
+habitations in the trees.
+
+The party then dispersed to their coverts under the direction of
+Sneak, who with a practised eye instantly perceived all the
+advantageous posts for the men, and the places where the bear would
+most probably run. Joe had insisted on having his revenge, and begged
+to be stationed where he would be most likely to get a shot. He was
+therefore permitted to remain at the head of the ravine they had just
+ascended, through which a deer path ran, as the most favourable
+position. After tying Pete some paces in the rear, he came forwards to
+the verge of the valley and seated himself on a dry rock, where he
+could see some distance down the path under the tall sumach bushes. He
+then commenced cogitating how he would act, should Bruin have the
+hardihood to face him in the daytime.
+
+Boone and his party drew near the spot where the bear had been seen
+the previous night. The two large hounds, Ringwood and Jowler, kept at
+their master's heels, being trained to understand and perform all the
+duties required of them, while the curs and terriers were running
+helter-skelter far ahead, or striking out into the woods without aim,
+and always returning without effecting any thing. At length the two
+hounds paused, and scented the earth, giving certain information that
+they had arrived at the desired point. The curs and terriers had
+already passed far beyond the spot, being unable to decide any thing
+by the nose, and always relying on their swiftness in the chase when
+they should be in sight of the object pursued.
+
+Now, Glenn perceived to what perfection dogs could be trained, and
+learned, what had been a matter of wonder to him, how Boone could keep
+up with them in the chase. The hounds set off at a signal from their
+master, not like an arrow from the bow, but at a moderate pace, ever
+and anon looking back and pausing until the men came up; while the
+erratic curs flew hither and thither, chasing every hare and squirrel
+they could find. As they pursued the trail they occasionally saw the
+foot-print of the animal, which was broad and deep, indicating one of
+enormous size. Presently they came to a spot thickly overgrown with
+spice-wood bushes and prickly vines, where he had made his lair, and
+from the erect tails of Ringwood and Jowler, and the intense interest
+they otherwise evinced, it was evident they were fast approaching the
+presence of Bruin. Ere long, as they ran along with their heads up,
+for the first time that morning, they commenced yelping in clear and
+distinct tones, which rang musically far and wide through the woods.
+The curs relinquished their unprofitable racing round the thickets,
+attracted by the hounds, and soon learned to keep in the rear,
+depending on the unerring trailing of the old hunters, as the object
+of pursuit was not yet in sight. The chase became more animated, and
+the men quickened their pace as the inspiring notes of the hounds rang
+out at regular intervals. Glenn soon found he possessed no advantage
+over those on foot, who were able to run under the branches of the
+trees, and glide through the thickets with but little difficulty,
+while the rush of his noble steed was often arrested by the tenacious
+vines clinging to the bushes abreast, and he was sometimes under the
+necessity of dismounting to recover his cap or whip.
+
+It was not long before the notes of Ringwood and Jowler suddenly
+increased in sharpness and quickness, and the curs and terriers,
+hitherto silent, set up a confused medley of sounds, which
+reverberated like one continuous scream. They had pounced upon the
+bear, and from the stationary position of the dogs for a few minutes,
+indicated by their peculiar baying, it was evident Bruin had turned to
+survey the enemy, and perhaps to give them battle; but it seemed that
+their number or noise soon intimidated him, and that he preferred
+seeking safety in flight. How Boone could possibly know beforehand
+which way the bear would run, was a mystery to Glenn; but that he
+often abandoned the direction taken by the dogs, turning off at almost
+right angles, and still had a sight of him was no less true. No one
+had yet been near enough to fire with effect. The bear,
+notwithstanding his many feints and novel demonstrations to get rid of
+his persecutors, had continued to make towards the hills where the
+standers were stationed. Boone falling in with Glenn, from whom he had
+been frequently separated, they continued together some time,
+following the course of the sounds towards the east.
+
+"This sport is really exciting and noble!" exclaimed Glenn, as the
+deep and melodious intonations of Ringwood and Jowler fell upon his
+ear.
+
+"Excellent! excellent!" replied Boone, listening intently, and pausing
+suddenly, as the discharge of a gun in the direction of the hills
+sounded through the woods.
+
+"He has reached the standers," remarked Glenn, reining up his steed at
+Boone's side.
+
+"No; it was one of our men who has not followed him in all his
+deviations," replied Boone, still marking the notes of the hounds.
+
+"I doubt not our company is sufficiently scattered in every direction
+through the forest to force him into the hills very speedily, if,
+indeed, that shot was not fatal," remarked Glenn.
+
+"He is not hurt--perhaps it was not fired at him, but at a bird--nor
+will he yet leave the woods," said Boone, still listening to the
+hounds. "He comes!" he exclaimed a moment after, with marks of joy in
+his face; "he will make a grand circle before quitting the lowland."
+And now the dogs could be heard more distinctly, as if they were
+gradually approaching the place from which they first started.
+
+"If you will remain here," continued Boone, "it is quite likely you
+will have a shot as he makes his final push for the hills."
+
+"Then here will I remain," replied Glenn; and fixing himself firmly in
+the saddle, resolved to await the coming of Bruin, having every
+confidence in the intimation of his friend. Boone selected a position
+a few hundred paces distant, with a view of permitting Glenn to have
+the first fire.
+
+The bear took a wide circuit towards the river, pausing at times until
+the foremost of the dogs came up, which he could easily manage to keep
+at bay; but when all of them (and the curs did good service now)
+surrounded him, he found it necessary to set forward again. When he
+had run as far as the river, and turned once more towards the hills,
+his course seemed to be in a direct line with Glenn, and the young
+man's heart fluttered with anticipation as he examined his gun, and
+turned his horse (which had been accustomed to firearms) in a
+favourable position to give the enemy a salute as he passed. Nearer
+they came, the dogs pursuing with redoubled fierceness, their blood
+heated by the exercise, and their most sanguine passions roused by
+their frequent severe skirmishes with their huge antagonist. As they
+approached, the strange and simultaneous yelpings of the curs and
+terriers resembled an embodied roar, amid which the flute-like notes
+of Ringwood and Jowler could hardly be heard. Glenn could now
+distinctly hear the bear rushing like a torrent through the bushes,
+almost directly towards the place where he was posted, and a moment
+after it emerged from a dense thicket of hazel, and the noble steed,
+instead of leaping away with affright, threw back his ears and stood
+firm, until Glenn fired. Bruin uttered a howl, and halting with a
+fierce growl, raised himself on his haunches, and displaying his array
+of white teeth, prepared to assail our hero. Glenn proceeded to reload
+his rifle with as much expedition as was in his power, though not
+without some tremor, notwithstanding he was mounted on his tall steed,
+whose nostrils dilated, and eyes flashing fire, indicated that he was
+willing to take part in the conflict. The bear was preparing for a
+dreadful encounter, and on the very eve of springing towards his
+assailant, when the hounds coming up admonished him to flee his more
+numerous foes, and turning off, he continued his route towards the
+hills. Glenn perceived that he had not missed his aim by the blood
+sprinkled on the bushes, and being ready for another fire, galloped
+after him. Just when he came in sight, Boone's gun was heard, and
+Bruin fell, remaining motionless for a moment; but ere Glenn arrived
+within shooting distance, or Boone could reload, he had risen and
+again continued his course, as if in defiance of everything that man
+could do to oppose him.
+
+"Is it possible he still survives!" exclaimed Glenn, joining his
+companion.
+
+"There is nothing more possible," replied Boone; "but I saw by his
+limping that your shot had taken effect."
+
+"And I saw him fall when you fired," said Glenn; "but he still runs."
+
+"And he _will_ run for some time yet," remarked Boone, "for they are
+extremely hard to kill, when heated by the pursuit of dogs. But we
+have done our part, and it now remains for those at the passes to
+finish the work so well begun."
+
+Joe's imagination had several times worked him into a fury, which had
+as often subsided in disappointment, during the chase below, every
+particle of which could be distinctly heard from his position. More
+than once, when a brisk breeze swept up the valley, he was convinced
+that his enemy was approaching him, and, every nerve quivering with
+the expectation of the bear coming in view the next instant, he stood
+a spectacle of eagerness, with perhaps a small portion of apprehension
+intermingled. At length, from the frequent deceptions the distance
+practiced upon him, he grew composed by degrees, and resuming his seat
+on the stone, with his musket lying across his knees, thus gave vent
+to his thoughts: "What if an Indian were to pounce upon me while I'm
+sitting here?" Here he paused, and looked carefully round in every
+direction. "No!" he continued; "if there were any at this time in the
+neighbourhood, wouldn't Boone know it? To be sure he would, and here's
+my gun--I forgot that. Let them come as soon as they please! I wonder
+if the bear _will_ come out here? Suppose he does, what's the danger?
+Didn't I grapple with him last night? And couldn't I jump on Pete and
+get away from him! But--pshaw! I keep forgetting my gun--I wish he
+_would_ come, I'd serve him worse than he served me last night! My
+face feels very sore this morning. There!" he exclaimed, when he heard
+the fire of Glenn's gun, and the report that succeeded from Boone's,
+"they've floored him as dead as a nail, I'll bet. Hang it! I should
+like to have had a word or two with him myself, to have told him I
+hadn't forgotten his ugly grin. The men must have known I would stand
+no chance of killing him when they placed me up here. I should like to
+know what part of the sport _I've_ had--ough!" exclaimed he, his hair
+standing upright, as he beheld the huge bear, panting and bleeding,
+coming towards him, and not twenty paces distant!
+
+Bruin had eluded the dogs a few minutes by climbing a bending tree at
+the mouth of the valley, from which he passed to another, and
+descending again to the earth, proceeded almost exhausted up the
+ravine. Joe's eyes grew larger and larger as the monster approached,
+and when within a few feet of him he uttered a horrible unearthly
+sound, which attracted the bear, and fearing the fatal aim of man more
+than the teeth of the dogs, he whirled about, with a determination to
+fight his way back, in preference to again risking the murderous lead.
+No sooner was the bear out of sight, and plunging down the dell amid
+the cries of the dogs, which assailed him on all sides, than Joe
+bethought him of his gun, and becoming valorous, ran a few steps down
+the path and fired in the direction of the confused melee. The moment
+after he discharged his musket, the back part of his head struck the
+earth, and the gun made two or three end-over-end revolutions up the
+path behind him. Never, perhaps, was such a rebound from overloading
+known before. Joe now thought not of the bear, nor looked to see what
+execution he had done. He thought of his own person, which he found
+prostrate on the ground. When somewhat recovered from the blow, he
+rose with his hand pressed to his nose, while the blood ran out
+between his fingers. "Oh! my goodness!" he exclaimed, seating himself
+at the root of a pecan tree, and rocking backwards and forwards.
+
+"What's your gun doing up here?" exclaimed Sneak, coming down the
+path. Joe made no answer, but continued to rock backwards and forwards
+most dolefully.
+
+"Why don't you speak? Where's the bar?"
+
+"I don't know. Oh!" murmured Joe.
+
+"What's the matter?" inquired Sneak, seeing the copious effusion of
+blood.
+
+"I shot off that outrageous musket, and it's kicked my nose to pieces!
+I shall faint!" said Joe, dropping his head between his knees.
+
+"Faint? I never saw a _man_ faint!" said Sneak, listening to the chase
+below.
+
+"Oh! can't you help me to stop this blood?"
+
+"Don't you hear _that_, down there?" replied Sneak, his attention
+entirely directed to that which was going on in the valley.
+
+"My ears are deafened by that savage gun! I can't hear a bit, hardly!
+Oh, what shall I do, Mr. Sneak?" continued Joe.
+
+"Dod rot it!" exclaimed Sneak, leaping like a wild buck down the path,
+and paying no further attention to the piteous lamentations of his
+comrade.
+
+Ere the bear reached the mouth of the glen, the hunters generally had
+come up, and poor Bruin found himself hemmed in on all sides. He could
+not ascend on either hand, the loss of blood having weakened him too
+much to climb over the almost precipitous rocks, and he made a final
+stand, determined to sell his life as dearly as possible. The dogs
+sprang upon him in a body, and it was soon evident that his desperate
+struggles were not harmless. He grasped one of the curs in his deadly
+hug, and with his teeth planted in its neck, relinquished not his hold
+until it fell from his arms a disfigured and lifeless object. He boxed
+those that were tearing his hams with his ponderous claws, sending
+them screaming to the right and left. He then stood up on his
+haunches, with his back against a rock, and with a snarl of defiance
+resolved never to retreat "from its firm base." Never were blows more
+rabidly dealt. When attacked on one side, he had no sooner turned to
+beat down his sanguine foe than he was assailed on the other. Thus he
+fought alternately from right to left, his mouth gaping open, his
+tongue hanging out, and his eyes gleaming furiously as if swimming in
+liquid fire. At times he was charged simultaneously in front and
+flank, when for an instant the whole group seemed to be one dark
+writhing mass, uttering a medly of discordant and horrid sounds. But
+determined to conquer or die on the spot he occupied, Bruin never
+relaxed his blows, until the bruised and exhausted dogs were forced to
+withdraw a moment the combat, and rush into the narrow rivulet. While
+they lay panting in the water, the bear turned his head back against
+the rocks, and lapped in the dripping moisture without moving from his
+position. But he was fast sinking under his wounds: a stream of blood,
+which constantly issued from his body and ran down and discoloured the
+water, indicated that his career was nearly finished. Yet his spirit
+was not daunted; for while the canine assailants he had withstood so
+often were bathing preparatory for a renewal of the conflict, Boone
+and Glenn, who had approached the immediate vicinity, fired, and
+Bruin, echoing the howl of death as the bullets entered his body,
+turned his eyes reproachfully towards the men for an instant, and
+then, with a growl of convulsed, expiring rage, plunged into the
+water, and, seizing the largest cur, crushed him to death. Ringwood
+and Jowler, whose sagacity had hitherto led them to keep in some
+measure aloof, knowing their efforts would be unavailing against so
+powerful an enemy without the fatal aim of their master, now sprang
+forward to the rescue, both seizing the prostrate foe by the throat.
+But he could not be made to relinquish his victim, nor did he make
+resistance. Boone, advancing at the head of the hunters, (all of whom,
+with the exception of Joe and Sneak, being there assembled,) with some
+difficulty prevented his companions from discharging their guns at the
+dark mass before them. He struck up several of their guns as they were
+endeavouring to aim at the now motionless bear, fearing that his
+hounds might suffer by their fire, and stooping down, whence he could
+distinctly see the pale gums and tongue, as his hounds grappled the
+neck of the animal, announced the death of Bruin, and the termination
+of the hunt. The hounds soon abandoned their inanimate victim, and its
+sinewy limbs relaxing, the devoted cur rolled out a lifeless body.
+
+"How like you this specimen of our wild sports?" inquired Boone,
+turning to Glenn, as the rest proceeded to skin and dress the bear
+preparatory for its conveyance to the camp.
+
+"It is exciting, if not terrific and cruel," replied Glenn, musing.
+
+"None could be more eager than yourself in the chase,' said Boone.
+
+"True," replied Glenn; "and notwithstanding the uninitiated may for an
+instant revolt at the spilling of blood, yet the chase has ever been
+considered the noblest and the most innocent of sports. The animals
+hunted are often an evil while running at large, being destructive or
+dangerous; but even if they were harmless in their nature, they are
+still necessary or desirable for the support or comfort of man. Blood
+of a similar value is spilt everywhere without the least compunction.
+The knife daily pierces the neck of the swine, and the kitchen wench
+wrings off the head of the fowl while she hums a ditty. This is far
+better than hunting down our own species on the battle-field, or
+ruining and being ruined at the gaming-table. I think I shall be
+content in this region."
+
+"And you will no doubt be an expert hunter, if I have any judgment in
+such matters," replied Boone.
+
+"I wonder that Joe has not yet made his appearance," remarked Glenn,
+approaching the bear; "I expected ere this to have seen him triumphing
+over his fallen enemy."
+
+"What kind of a gun had he?" inquired Boone.
+
+"A large musket," said Glenn, recollecting the enormous explosion that
+seemed to jar the whole woods like an earthquake; "it must have been
+Joe who fired--he had certainly overcharged the gun, and I fear it has
+burst in his hands, which may account for his absence."
+
+"Be not uneasy," replied Boone; "for I can assure you from the
+peculiar sound it made that it did nothing more than rebound
+violently; besides, those guns very rarely burst. But here comes
+Sneak, (I think they call him so,) no doubt having some tidings of
+your man. It seems he has not been idle. He has a brace of racoons in
+his hands."
+
+The tall slim form of Sneak was seen coming down the path. Ever and
+anon he cast his eyes from one hand to the other, regarding with no
+ordinary interest the dead animals he bore.
+
+"I did not hear him fire," remarked Glenn.
+
+"He may have killed them with stones," said Boone; and as Sneak drew
+near, he continued, with a smile, "they are nothing more than a brace
+of his terriers, that doubtless Bruin dispatched, and which may well
+be spared, notwithstanding Sneak's seeming sorrow."
+
+Sneak approached the place where Boone and Glenn were standing, with
+the gravest face that man ever wore. His eyes seemed to be set in his
+head, for not once did they wink, nor did his lips move for some
+length of time after he threw down the dogs at the feet of Glenn,
+although several men addressed him. He stood with his arms folded, and
+gazed mournfully at his dead dogs.
+
+"The little fellows fought bravely, and covered themselves with
+glory," said Glenn, much amused at the solemn demeanour of Sneak.
+
+"If there ain't more blood spilt on the strength of it, I wish I may
+be smashed!" said Sneak, compressing his lips.
+
+"What mean you? what's the matter?" inquired Boone, who best
+understood what the man was meditating.
+
+"I've got as good a gun as anybody here! And I'll have revenge, or
+pay!" replied Sneak, turning his eyes on Glenn.
+
+"If your remarks are intended for me," said Glenn, "rely upon it you
+shall have justice."
+
+"Tell us all about it," said Boone.
+
+"When I heard that fool up the valley shoot off his forty-four
+pounder, I ran to see what he had done, and when I came near to where
+he was, his gun was lying up the hill behind him, and he setting down
+whining like a baby, and a great gore of blood hanging to his nose. I
+wish it had blowed his head off! I got tired of staying with the
+tarnation fool, who couldn't tell me a thing, when I heard you
+shooting, and the horn blowing for the men; and knowing the bar was
+dead, I started off full tilt. I hadn't gone fifty steps before I
+began to see where his bullets had spattered the trees and bushes in
+every direction. Presently I stumbled over these dogs, my own
+puppies--and there they lay as dead as door nails. I whistled, and
+they didn't move; I then stooped down to see how the bear had killed
+'em, and I found these bullet holes in 'em!" said Sneak, turning their
+limber bodies over with his foot, until their wounds were uppermost.
+"I'll be shot if I don't have pay, or revenge!" he continued, with
+tears in his eyes.
+
+"What were they worth?" demanded Glenn, laughing.
+
+"I was offered two dollars a-piece for 'em as we came through
+Indiana," replied Sneak.
+
+"Here's the money," said Glenn, handing him the amount. After
+receiving the cash, Sneak turned away perfectly satisfied, and seemed
+not to bestow another thought upon his puppies.
+
+This affair had hardly been settled before Joe made his appearance on
+Pete. He rode slowly along down the path, as dolefully as ever man
+approached the graveyard. As he drew near, all eyes were fixed upon
+him. Never were any one's features so much disfigured. His nose was as
+large as a hen's egg, and as purple as a plum. Still it was not much
+disproportioned to the rest of his swollen face; and the whole
+resembled the unearthly phiz of the most bloated gnome that watched
+over the slumbers of Rip Van Winkle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Glenn's castle--Mary--Books--A hunt--Joe and Pete--A tumble--An
+opossum--A shot--Another tumble--A doe--The return--They set out
+again--A mound--A buffalo--An encounter--Night--Terrific
+spectacle--Escape--Boone--Sneak--Indians.
+
+
+Some weeks had passed since the bear hunt. The emigrants had crossed
+the river, and selected their future homes in the groves that bordered
+the prairie, some miles distant from the ferry. Glenn, when landed on
+the south side of the Missouri, took up his abode for a short time
+with Jasper Roughgrove, the ferryman, while some half dozen men, whose
+services his gold secured, were building him a novel habitation. And
+the location was as singular as the construction of his house. It was
+on a peak that jutted over the river, some three hundred feet high,
+whence he had a view eight or ten miles down the stream, and across
+the opposite bottom-land to the hills mentioned in the preceding
+chapter. The view was obstructed above by a sudden bend of the stream;
+but on the south, the level prairie ran out as far as the eye could
+reach, interrupted only by the young groves that were interspersed at
+intervals. His house, constructed of heavy stones, was about fifteen
+feet square, and not more than ten in height. The floor was formed of
+hewn timbers, the walls covered with a rough coat of lime, and the
+roof made of heavy boards. However uncouth this abode appeared to the
+eye of Glenn, yet he had followed the instructions of Boone, (to whom
+he had fully disclosed his plan, and repeated his odd resolution,) and
+reared a tenement not only capable of resisting the wintry winds that
+were to howl around it, but sufficiently firm to withstand the attacks
+of any foe, whether the wild beast of the forest or the prowling
+Indian. The door was very narrow and low, being made of a solid rock
+full six inches in thickness, which required the strength of a man to
+turn on its hinges, even when the ponderous bolt on the inside was
+unfastened. There was a small square window on each side containing a
+single pane of glass, and made to be secured at a moment's warning, by
+means of thick stone shutters on the inside. The fire-place was ample
+at the hearth, but the flue through which the smoke escaped was small,
+and ran in a serpentine direction up through the northern wall; while
+the ceiling was overlaid with smooth flat stones, fastened down with
+huge iron spikes, and supported by strong wooden joists. The furniture
+consisted of a few trunks, (which answered for seats,) two camp beds,
+four barrels of hard biscuit, a few dishes and cooking utensils, and a
+quantity of hunting implements. Many times did Joe shake his head in
+wonderment as this house was preparing for his reception. It seemed to
+him too much danger was apprehended from without, and it too much
+resembled a solitary, and secure prison, should one be confined
+within. Nevertheless, he was permitted to adopt his own plan in the
+construction of a shelter for the horses. And the retention of these
+animals was some relief to his otherwise gloomy forebodings, when he
+beheld the erection of his master's suspicious tenement. He
+superintended the building of a substantial and comfortable stable. He
+had stalls, a small granary, and a regular rack made for the
+accommodation of the horses, and procured, with difficulty and no
+little expense, a supply of provender. The space, including the
+buildings, which had been cleared of the roots and stones, for the
+purpose of cultivating a garden, was about one hundred feet in
+diameter, and enclosed by a circular row of posts driven firmly in the
+ground, and rising some ten feet above the surface. These were planted
+so closely together that even a squirrel would have found it difficult
+to enter without climbing over them. Indeed, Joe had an especial eye
+to this department, having heard some awful tales of the snakes that
+somewhat abounded in those regions in the warm seasons.
+
+One corner of the stable, wherein a quantity of straw was placed, was
+appropriated for the comfort of the dogs, Ringwood and Jowler, which
+had been presented to Glenn by his obliging friend, after they had
+exhibited their skill in the bear hunt.
+
+When every thing was completed, preparatory for his removal thither,
+Glenn dismissed his faithful artisans, bestowing upon them a liberal
+reward for their labour, and took possession of his castle. But,
+notwithstanding the strange manner in which he proposed to spend his
+days, and his habitual grave demeanour and taciturnity, yet his kind
+tone, when he uttered a request, or ventured a remark, on the
+transactions passing around him, and his contempt for money, which he
+squandered with a prodigal hand, had secured for him the good-will of
+the ferrymen, and the friendship of the surrounding emigrants. But
+there was one whose esteem had no venal mixture in it. This was Mary,
+the old ferryman's daughter, a fair-cheeked girl of nineteen, who
+never neglected an opportunity of performing a kind office for her
+father's temporary guest; and when he and his man departed for their
+own tenement, not venturing directly to bestow them on our hero, she
+presented Joe with divers articles for their amusement and comfort in
+their secluded abode, among which were sundry live fowls, a pet fawn,
+and a kitten.
+
+The first few days, after being installed in his solitary home, our
+hero passed with his books. But he did not realize all the
+satisfaction he anticipated from his favourite authors in his secluded
+cell. The scene around him contrasted but ill with the creations of
+Shakspeare; and if some of the heroes of Scott were identified with
+the wildest features of nature, he found it impossible to look around
+him and enjoy the magic of the page at the same time.
+
+Joe employed himself in attending to his horses, feeding the fowls and
+dogs, and playing with the fawn and a kitten. He also practiced
+loading and shooting his musket, and endeavoured to learn the mode of
+doing execution on other objects without committing violence on
+himself.
+
+"Joe," said Glenn, one bright frosty morning, "saddle the horses; we
+will make an excursion in the prairie, and see what success we can
+have without the presence and assistance of an experienced hunter. I
+designed awaiting the visit of Boone, which he promised should take
+place about this time; but we will venture out without him; if we kill
+nothing, at least we shall have the satisfaction of doing no harm."
+
+Joe set off towards the stable, smiling at Glenn's joke, and heartily
+delighted to exchange the monotony of his domestic employment, which
+was becoming irksome, for the sports of the field, particularly as he
+was now entirely recovered from the effects of his late disasters, and
+began to grow weary of wasting his ammunition in firing at a target,
+when there was an abundance of game in the vicinity.
+
+"Whoop! Bingwood--Jowler!" cried he, leading the horses briskly forth.
+The dogs came prancing and yelping round him, as well pleased as
+himself at the prospect of a day's sport; and when Glenn came out they
+exhibited palpable signs of recognition and eagerness to accompany
+their new master on his first deer-hunt. Glenn stroked their heads,
+which were constantly rubbed against his hands, and his caresses were
+gratefully received by the faithful hounds. He had been instructed by
+Boone how to manage them, so as either to keep them at his side when
+he wished to approach the game stealthily, or to send them forth when
+rapid pursuit was required, and he was now anxious to test their
+sagacity.
+
+When mounted, the young men set forward in a southern direction, the
+valley in which the ferryman's cabin was situated on one hand, and one
+about the same distance above on the other. But the space between them
+gradually widened as they progressed, and in a few minutes both
+disappeared entirely, terminating in scarcely perceptible rivulets
+running slowly down from the high and level prairie. Here Glenn paused
+to determine what course he should take. The sun shone brightly on the
+interminable expanse before him, and not a breeze ruffled the long dry
+grass around, nor disturbed the few sear leaves that yet clung to the
+diminutive clusters of bushes scattered at long intervals over the
+prairie. It was a delightful scene. From the high position of our
+hero, he could distinguish objects miles distant on the plain; and if
+the landscape was not enlivened by houses and domestic herds, he could
+at all events here and there behold parties of deer browsing
+peacefully in the distance. Ringwood and Jowler also saw or scented
+them, as their attention was pointed in that direction; but so far
+from marring the sport by prematurely running forward, they knew too
+well their duty to leave their master, even were the game within a few
+paces of them, without the word of command.
+
+"I see a deer!" cried Joe, at length, having till then been employed
+gathering some fine wild grapes from a neighbouring vine.
+
+"I see several," replied Glenn; "but how we are to get within gun shot
+of them, is the question."
+
+"I see them, too," said Joe, his eyes glistening.
+
+"I have thought of a plan, Joe; whether right or wrong, is not very
+material, as respects the exercise we are seeking; but I am inclined
+to believe it is the proper one. It will at all events give you a fair
+opportunity of killing a deer, as you will have to fire as they run,
+and the great number of bullets in your musket will make you more
+certain to do execution than if you fired a rifle. You will proceed to
+yon thicket, about a thousand yards distant, keeping the bushes all
+the time between you and the deer. When you arrive at it dismount,
+and after tying your pony in the bushes where he will be well hid,
+select a position whence you can see the deer when they run; I think
+they will go within reach of your fire. I will make a detour beyond
+them, and approach from the opposite side."
+
+"I'd rather not tie my pony," said Joe.
+
+"Why? he would not leave you, even were he to get loose," replied
+Glenn.
+
+"I don't think he would--but I'd rather not leave him yet awhile, till
+I get a little better used to hunting," said Joe, probably thinking
+there might be some danger to himself on foot in a country where
+bears, wolves, and panthers were sometimes seen.
+
+"Can you fire while sitting on your pony?" inquired Glenn.
+
+[Illustration: Glenn heard a tremendous thumping behind.--P. 37]
+
+"I suppose so," said Joe; "though I never thought to try it yet."
+
+"Suppose you try it now, while I watch the deer, and see if what I
+have been told is true, that the mere report of a gun will not alarm
+them."
+
+"Well, I will," said Joe. "I think Pete knows as well as the steed,
+that shooting on him won't hurt him."
+
+"Fire away, then," said Glenn, looking steadfastly at the deer. Joe
+fired, and none of the deer ran off. Some continued their playful
+sports, while others browsed along without lifting their heads; in all
+likelihood the report did not reach them. But Glenn heard a tremendous
+thumping behind, and on turning round, beheld his man quietly lying on
+the ground, and the pony standing about ten paces distant, with his
+head turned towards Joe, his ears thrust forwards, his nostrils
+distended and snorting, and his little blue eyes ready to burst out of
+his head.
+
+"How is this, Joe?" inquired Glenn, scarce able to repress a smile at
+the ridiculous posture of his man.
+
+"I hardly know myself," replied Joe, casting a silly glance at his
+treacherous pony; and after examining his limbs and finding no injury
+had been sustained, continued, "I fired as you directed, and when the
+smoke cleared away, I found myself lying just as you see me here. I
+don't know how Pete contrived to get from under me, but there he
+stands, and here I lie."
+
+"Load your gun, and try it again," said Glenn.
+
+"I'd rather not," said Joe.
+
+"Then I will," replied Glenn, whose horsemanship enabled him to retain
+the saddle in spite of the straggles of Pete, who, after several
+discharges, submitted and bore it quietly.
+
+Joe then mounted and set out for the designated thicket, while Glenn
+galloped off in another direction, followed by the hounds.
+
+When Joe arrived at the hazel thicket, he continued in the saddle, and
+otherwise he would not have been able to see over the prairie for the
+tall grass which had grown very luxuriantly in that vicinity. There
+was a path, however, running round the edge of the bushes, which had
+been made by the deer and other wild animals, and in this he
+cautiously groped his way, looking out in every direction for the
+deer. When he had progressed about halfway round, he espied them
+feeding composedly, about three hundred paces distant, on a slight
+eminence. There were at least fifteen of them, and some very large
+ones. Fearful of giving the alarm before Glenn should fire, he
+shielded himself from view behind a cluster of persimmon bushes, and
+tasted the ripe and not unpalatable fruit. And here he was destined to
+win his first trophy as a hunter. While bending down some branches
+over head, without looking up, an opossum fell upon his hat, knocking
+it over his eyes, and springing on the neck of Pete, thence leaped to
+the ground. But before it disappeared Joe had dismounted, and giving
+it a blow with the butt of his musket it rolled over on its side, with
+its eyes closed and tongue hanging out, indicating that the stroke had
+been fatal.
+
+"So much for you!" said Joe, casting a proud look at his victim; and
+then leaping on his pony, he gazed again at the deer. They seemed to
+be still entirely unconscious of danger, and several were now lying in
+the grass with their heads tip, and chewing the cud like domestic
+animals. Joe drew back once more to await the action of Glenn, and
+turning to look at the opossum, found to his surprise that it had
+vanished!
+
+"Well, I'm the biggest fool that ever breathed!" said he, recollecting
+the craftiness imputed to those animals, and searching in vain for his
+game. "If ever I come across another, he'll not come the 'possum over
+me, I'll answer for it!" he continued, somewhat vexed. At this
+juncture Glenn's gun was heard, and Joe observed a majority of the
+deer leaping affrighted in the direction of his position. The foremost
+passed within twenty yards of him, and, his limbs trembling with
+excitement, he drew his gun up to his shoulder and pulled the trigger.
+It snapped, perhaps fortunately, for his eyes were convulsively closed
+at the moment; and recovering measurably by the time the next came up,
+this trial the gun went off, and he found himself once more prostrate
+on the ground.
+
+"What in the world is the reason you won't stand still!" he exclaimed,
+rising and seizing the pony by the bit. The only answer Pete made was
+a snort of unequivocal dissatisfaction. "Plague take your little
+_hide_ of you! I should have killed that fellow to a certainty, if
+you hadn't played the fool!" continued he, still addressing his pony
+while he proceeded to load his gun. When ready for another fire, he
+mounted again, in quite an ill humour, convinced that all chance of
+killing a deer was effectually over for the present, when, to his
+utter astonishment, he beheld the deer he had fired at lying dead
+before him, and but a few paces distant. With feelings of unmixed
+delight he galloped to where it lay, and springing to the earth, one
+moment he whirled round his hat in exultation, and the next caressed
+Pete, who evinced some repugnance to approach the weltering victim,
+and snuffed the scent of blood with any other sensation than that of
+pleasure. Joe discovered that no less than a dozen balls had
+penetrated the doe's side, (for such it was,) which sufficiently
+accounted for its immediate and quiet death, that had so effectually
+deceived him into the belief that his discharge had been harmless. He
+now blew his horn, which was answered by a blast from Glenn, who soon
+came up to announce his own success in bringing down the largest buck
+in the party, and to congratulate his man on his truly remarkable
+achievement.
+
+An hour was consumed in preparing the deer to be conveyed to the
+house, and by the time they were safely deposited in our hero's
+diminutive castle, and the hunters ready to issue forth in quest of
+more sport, the day was far advanced, and a slight haziness of the
+atmosphere dimmed in a great measure the lustre of the descending sun.
+
+Animated with their excellent success, they anticipated much more
+sport, inasmuch as neither themselves nor the hounds (which hitherto
+were not required to do farther service than to watch one of the deer
+while the men were engaged with the other) were in the slightest
+degree fatigued. The hours flew past unnoticed, while the young men
+proceeded gayly outward from the river in quest of new adventures.
+
+Glenn and his man rode far beyond the scene of their late success
+without discovering any new object to gratify their undiminished zest
+for the chase. It seemed that the deer which had escaped had actually
+given intelligence to the rest of the arrival of a deadly foe in the
+vicinity, for not one could now be seen in riding several miles. The
+sun was sinking low and dim in the west, and Glenn was on the eve of
+turning homeward, when, on emerging from the flat prairie to a slight
+eminence that he had marked as boundary of his excursion, he beheld at
+no great distance an enormous mound, of pyramidical shape, which, from
+its isolated condition, he could not believe to be the formation of
+nature. Curious to inspect what he supposed to be a stupendous
+specimen of the remains of former generations of the aborigines, he
+resolved to protract his ride and ascend to the summit. The mound was
+some five hundred feet in diameter at the base, and terminated at a
+peak about one hundred and fifty feet in height. As our riders
+ascended, with some difficulty keeping in the saddle, they observed
+the earth on the sides to be mixed with flint-stones, and many of them
+apparently having once been cut in the shape of arrow-heads; and in
+several places where chasms had been formed by heavy showers, they
+remarked a great many pieces of bones, but so much broken and decayed
+they could not be certain that they were particles of human skeletons.
+When they reached the summit, which was not more than twenty feet in
+width and entirely barren, a magnificent scene burst in view. For ten
+or fifteen miles round on every side, the eye could discern oval,
+oblong, and circular groves of various dimensions, scattered over the
+rich virgin soil. The gentle undulations of the prairie resembled the
+boundless ocean entranced, as if the long swells had been suddenly
+abandoned by the wind, and yet remained stationary in their rolling
+attitude.
+
+"What think you of the view, Joe?" inquired Glenn, after regarding the
+scene many minutes in silence.
+
+"I've been watching a little speck, way out toward the, sun, which
+keeps bobbing up and down, and gets bigger and bigger," said Joe.
+
+"I mean the prospect around," said Glenn. I can't form an opinion,
+because I can't see the end of it," replied Joe, still intently
+regarding the object referred to.
+
+"That is an animal of some kind," observed Glenn, marking the object
+that attracted Joe.
+
+"And a wapper, too; when I first saw it I thought it was a rabbit, and
+now it's bigger than a deer, and still a mile or two off," said Joe.
+
+"We'll wait a few minutes, and see what it is," replied Glenn,
+checking his steed, which had proceeded a few steps downward. The
+object of their attention held its course directly towards them, and
+as it drew nearer it was easily distinguished to be a very large
+buffalo, an animal then somewhat rare so near the white man's
+settlement, and one that our hero had often expressed a wish to see.
+Its dark shaggy sides, protuberant back and bushy head, were quite
+perceptible as it careered swiftly onward, seemingly flying from some
+danger behind.
+
+"Down, Ringwood! Jowler!" exclaimed Glenn, preparing to fire.
+
+"Down, Joe, too," said Joe, slipping down from his pony, preferring
+not to risk another fall, and likewise preparing to fire.
+
+When the buffalo reached the base of the mound, it saw for the first
+time the objects above, and halted. It regarded the men with more
+symptoms of curiosity than alarm, but as it gazed, its distressed
+pantings indicated that it had been long retreating from some object
+of dread.
+
+Meantime both guns were discharged, and the contents undoubtedly
+penetrated the animal's body, for he leapt upright in the air, and on
+descending, staggered off slowly in a course at right angles from the
+one which he was first pursuing. Glenn then let the hounds go forth,
+and soon overtaking the animal, they were speedily forced to act on
+the defensive; for the enormous foe wheeled round and pursued in turn.
+Finding the hounds were too cautious and active to fall victims to his
+sharp horns, he pawed the earth, and uttered the most horrific
+bellowings. As Glenn and Joe rode by the place where he had stood when
+they fired, they perceived large quantities of frothy blood, which
+convinced them that he had received a mortal wound. They rode on and
+paused within eighty paces of where he now stood, and calling back the
+baying hounds, again discharged their guns. The buffalo roared most
+hideously, and making a few plunges towards his assailants, fell on
+his knees, and the next moment turned over on his side.
+
+"Come back, Joe!" cried Glenn to his man, who had mounted and wheeled
+when the animal rushed towards them, and was still flying away as fast
+as his pony could carry him.
+
+"No--never!" replied Joe; "I won't go nigh that awful thing! Don't you
+see it's getting dark? How'll we over find the way home again?"
+
+The latter remark startled Glenn, for he had lost all consciousness of
+the lateness of the hour in the excitement, and to his dismay had also
+lost all recollection of the direction of his dwelling, and darkness
+had now overtaken them! While pausing to reflect from which quarter
+they first approached the mound, the buffalo, to his surprise and no
+little chagrin, rose up and staggered away, the darkness seen
+obscuring him from view altogether. Glenn, by a blast of his horn,
+recalled the dogs, and joining Joe, set off much dispirited, in a
+course which he feared was not the correct one. Night came upon them
+suddenly, and before they had gone a mile the darkness was intense.
+And the breathless calm that had prevailed during the day was now
+succeeded by fitful winds that howled mournfully over the interminable
+prairie. Interminable the plain seemed to our benighted riders, for
+there was still no object to vary the monotony of the cheerless scene,
+although they had paced briskly, and, as they supposed, far enough to
+have reached the cliffs of the river. Nor was there even a sound heard
+as they rode along, save the muffled strokes of their horses' hoofs in
+the dry grass that covered the earth, the low winds, and an occasional
+cry of the dogs as they were trodden upon by the horses.
+
+Ere long a change came over the scene. About two-thirds of the
+distance round the verge of the horizon a faint light appeared,
+resembling the scene when a dense curtain of clouds hangs over head,
+and the rays of the morning sun steal under the edge of the thick
+vapour. But the stars could be seen, and the only appearance of clouds
+was immediately above the circle of light. In a very few minutes the
+terrible truth flashed upon the mind of Glenn. The dim light along the
+horizon was changed to an approaching flame! Columns of smoke could be
+seen rolling upwards, while the fire beneath imparted a lurid glare to
+them. The wind blew more fiercely, and the fire approached from almost
+every quarter with the swiftness of a race horse. The darkened vault
+above became gradually illuminated with a crimson reflection, and the
+young man shuddered with the horrid apprehension of being burnt alive!
+It was madness to proceed in a direction that must inevitably hasten
+their fate, the fire extending in one unbroken line from left to
+right, and in front of them; and they turned in a course which seemed
+to place the greatest distance between them and the furious element.
+Ever and anon a frightened deer or elk leaped past. The hounds no
+longer noticed them, but remained close to the horses. The leaping
+flames came in awful rapidity. The light increased in brilliance, and
+objects were distinguishable far over the prairie. A red glare could
+be seen on the sides of the deer as they bounded over the tall, dry
+grass, which was soon to be no longer a refuge for them. The young men
+heard a low, continued roar, that increased every moment in loudness,
+and looking in the direction whence they supposed it proceeded, they
+observed an immense, dark, moving mass, the nature of which they could
+not divine, but it threatened to annihilate every thing that opposed
+it. While gazing at this additional source of danger, the horses,
+blinded by the surrounding light, plunged into a deep ditch that the
+rain had washed in the rich soil. Neither men nor horses, fortunately,
+were injured; and after several ineffectual efforts to extricate
+themselves, they here resolved to await the coming of the fire.
+Ringwood and Jowler whined fearfully on the verge of the ditch for an
+instant, and then sprang in and crouched trembling at the feet of
+their master. The next instant the dark, thundering mass passed over
+head, being nothing less than an immense herd of buffalo driven
+forwards by the flames! The horses bowed their heads as if a
+thunderbolt was passing. The fire and the heavens were hid from view,
+and the roar above resembled the rush of mighty waters. When the last
+animal had sprung over the chasm, Glenn thanked the propitious
+accident that thus providentially prevented him from being crushed to
+atoms, and uttered a prayer to Heaven that he might by a like means be
+rescued from the fiery ordeal that awaited him. It now occurred to him
+that the accumulation of weeds and grass in the chasm, which saved
+them from injury when falling in, would prove fatal when the flames
+arrived! And after groping some distance along the trench, he found
+the depth diminished, but the fire was not three hundred paces
+distant! His heart sank within him! But when on the eve of returning
+to his former position, with a resolution to remove as much of the
+combustible matter as possible, a gleam of joy spread over his
+features, as, casting a glance in a direction from that they had
+recently pursued, he beheld the identical mound he had ascended before
+dark, and from which his unsteady and erratic riding in the night had
+fortunately prevented a distant separation. They now led their horses
+forth, and mounting without delay, whipped forward for life or death.
+Could the summit of the mound be attained they were in safety--for
+there the soil was not encumbered with decayed vegetation--and they
+spurred their animals to the top of their speed. It was a noble sight
+to see the majestic white steed flying towards the mound with the
+velocity of the wind, while the diminutive pony miraculously followed
+in the wake like an inseparable shadow. The careering flames were not
+far behind; and when the horses gained the summit and Glenn looked
+back, the fire had reached the base!
+
+"I thank all the saints at once!" exclaimed Joe, dismounting and
+falling on his knees.
+
+"Thank your pony's legs, also," remarked Glenn, smiling.
+
+"Was there ever such a blessed deliverance!" said Joe, panting.
+
+"Was there ever such a lucky tumble into a ditch!" replied Glenn, with
+spirits more buoyant than usual.
+
+"Was there ever an old hunter so much deceived!" said a voice a few
+paces down that side of the cone least exposed to the glare of the
+fire, and so much in the shadow of the peak that the speaker was not
+perceived from the position of the young men. But as soon as the words
+were uttered, Ringwood and Jowler sprang from the horses' heels where
+they had lain panting, and rushed in the direction of the speaker,
+whom they accosted with marks of joyful recognition.
+
+"It is Boone!" exclaimed Glenn, leaping from his horse, and running
+forward to his friend, who was now seen to rise up, and a moment after
+his horse, that had been prostrate and still, was likewise on his
+feet.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! You have played me a fine trick, truly," laughingly
+remarked Boone, returning their hearty salutations.
+
+"How?" inquired Glenn.
+
+"In the first place, to venture forth before my arrival; in the next
+to inspire me with the belief that I was on the eve of encountering a
+brace of Indians. But I will begin at the beginning. When I crossed
+the river and reached your hut, (which is indeed impregnable,) I was
+astonished to find you had gone forth to hunt without a guide; and not
+so much fearing you would be lost, should night overtake you, as
+apprehending serious danger from the fire, the approach of which I
+anticipated long before night, from the peculiar complexion of the
+atmosphere, I set out on your trail, in hopes of overtaking you before
+the shades of evening set in; but darkness coming on, I could trace
+you no farther than to this mound. In vain did I endeavour to
+ascertain which direction you then travelled; but resolving not to
+abandon the search, I continued cruising about the prairie until the
+near approach of the fire forced me to retreat hither. It was when
+urging my horse to his utmost speed that I beheld you and your
+bear-hunter charging from another direction, and from the partial
+view, as we were all under whip, (and knowing the Osages were not far
+off,) I was instantly convinced that you were savages. Arriving first,
+I made my sagacious horse lie down, and then concealed myself behind
+his body."
+
+"I am not only rejoiced that we were not the savages you supposed,
+(for then Joe and I must have perished in the flames somewhere,) on
+our own account, but for the sake of the only man who can possibly
+extricate us from this dilemma," replied Glenn.
+
+"You are somewhat wide of the mark as respects my jeopardy, my lad,"
+said Boone; "for had you been hostile Osages, most assuredly ere this
+you had both been killed."
+
+"Good gracious!" exclaimed Joe, whose predicament suddenly flashed
+upon his mind; "for Heaven's sake let us get home as fast as possible!
+He says the Indians are about! Do let us go, Mr. Glenn; we can travel
+now out yonder where the grass has all been burnt."
+
+"Pshaw! You seem more alarmed now, Joe, than when there really was
+danger. Are the Osages truly hostile?" continued Glenn, addressing
+Boone.
+
+"They are not at war with the whites, as a nation," replied Boone,
+ever and anon looking towards the only point from which the fire now
+approached; "but in thin settlements, where, they may easily be the
+strongest party, as roving brigands, they may be considered extremely
+dangerous. Your man's advice is not bad."
+
+"There! Don't you hear that? Now, _do_ let's go home!" continued Joe,
+with increased alarm.
+
+Fortunately, that portion of the plain over which the scathing element
+had spent its fury was the direction the party should pursue in
+retracing their way homeward.
+
+The light dry grass had been soon consumed, and the earth wore a
+blackened appearance, and was as smooth as if vegetation had never
+covered the surface. As the party rode briskly along, (and the pony
+now kept in advance,) the horses' hoofs rattled as loudly on the baked
+ground as if it were a plank floor. The reflection of the fire in the
+distance still threw a lurid glare over the extended heath. As the
+smoke gradually ascended, objects could be discerned at a great
+distance, and occasionally a half-roasted deer or elk, was seen
+plunging about, driven to madness by its tortures. And frequently they
+found the dead bodies of smaller animals that could find no safety in
+flight.
+
+"What's that?" cried Joe, reining up his pony, and gazing at a huge
+dark object ahead.
+
+"A prize, to which we are justly entitled!" exclaimed Glenn, riding
+forward, on discovering it to be the buffalo (now dead) that they had
+fired upon early in the evening, and which circumstance he was
+relating to Boone at the moment of the discovery by Joe.
+
+"You have not only been lucky as hunters," said Boone, as they
+dismounted to inspect the animal, (which was an enormous bull,) "but,
+what is extraordinary indeed, when you find your fallen game, it is
+already cooked!"
+
+"Huzza for us!" cried Joe, momentarily forgetting the Indians, in his
+extravagant joy of having aided in killing the animal, and at the same
+time leaping astride of it.
+
+"The wolves have been here before us," observed Boone, seeing a large
+quantity of the buffalo's viscera on the ground, which he supposed had
+been torn out by those ravenous animals.
+
+"Oh! oh! oh! oh!" exclaimed Joe, leaping up, and running a few steps,
+and then tumbling down and continuing his cries.
+
+"What has hurt the fellow so badly?" inquired Glenn, walking round
+from the back of the animal to the front. The words were scarcely
+uttered before he likewise sprang away, hastily, as he beheld a
+pronged instrument thrust from the orifice in the body whence the
+bowels had been extracted!
+
+"Dod! I wonder if it's wolves or Injins!" exclaimed a voice within the
+cavity of the huge body.
+
+"I've heard that voice before--it must be Sneak's," said Boone,
+laughing heartily.
+
+Now the buffalo was observed to quiver slightly, and after some
+exertion to extricate himself, the long snake-like form of the
+redoubtable "Hatchet-face" came forth and stood erect before the
+gaping mouth and staring eyes of Joe.
+
+"If I didn't hear a white man speak, I wish I may be singed!"
+exclaimed Sneak, wiping the moisture from his face, and rolling his
+eyes round.
+
+"What did you stick that sharp thing in the calf of my leg for?"
+demanded Joe, shaking his head threateningly and coming forward.
+
+"He! he! he! That's revenge for shooting my pups," replied Sneak.
+
+"But how came you here?" inquired Boone.
+
+"I was taking a hunt"--here Boone interrupted him by asking where his
+gun was. "I had no gun," said Sneak; and then stooping down and
+running his arm into the body of the buffalo, he produced a pronged
+spear, about four feet in length; "this," he continued, "is what I
+hunted with, and I was hunting after muskrats in the ponds out here,
+when the fire came like blazes, and like to 'ave ketched me! I dropped
+all the muskrats I had stuck, and streaked it for about an hour
+towards the river. But it gained on me like lightning, and I'd 'ave
+been in a purty fix if I hadn't come across this dead bull. I out with
+my knife and was into him in less than no time--but split me, if I
+didn't feel the heat of the fire as I pulled in my feet! I knew the
+Injins was about, by the buffalo; and the tarnation wolves, too, are
+always everywhere, and that accounts for my jobbing that feller's leg
+when he sot down on top of me."
+
+Glenn's laughter at the above narration was arrested by Boone, who
+placed one hand on his shoulder, and with the other pointed out
+towards the fire about a mile distant, before which and thrown in
+relief by the flames could be distinctly discerned the flitting forms
+of a band of savages! A number were mounted, and others could be seen
+on foot, and all moving about in various directions round a large herd
+of buffalo, which occasionally made a stand to resist the foe that
+harassed them on all sides, but were soon driven forward again by the
+flames. Now a mounted chief could be seen to ride boldly up within a
+few paces of the dark mass of animals, and drawing his arrow to the
+head, discharge it, shaft and all, into the defenceless side of his
+victim. The enraged animal thus pursued either fell or rushed
+furiously on its foe; but the skilful savage, by a dexterous turn or
+sudden leap, seemed to avoid him with ease, and flying round, sent
+forth another barbed messenger as he careered at full speed.
+
+"As I'm afoot, I'll go ahead!" cried Sneak, starting off at a gait
+that verified his words.
+
+"Good gracious!" exclaimed Joe, leaping on his pony and whipping after
+Sneak, while Boone and Glenn followed in a brisk gallop.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+The retreat--Joe makes a mysterious discovery--Mary--A disclosure
+--Supper--Sleep--A cat--Joe's flint--The watch--Mary--The bush--The
+attack--Joe's musket again--The repulse--The starting rally--The
+desperate alternative--Relief.
+
+
+The guidance of Sneak was infallible. Ere long the party reached the
+vicinity of the river, which was indicated by the tall trees and the
+valleys, and all apprehensions of immediate danger subsiding, they
+slackened their pace.
+
+Sneak, though not so much distressed as the panting horses, fell back,
+and entered into conversation with Boone relative to the probable
+operations of the Indians, while Joe continued some little distance in
+advance, apparently wrapped in contemplation of the recent scenes that
+had so much astonished him. When he was within about a hundred paces
+of his long-wished for home, he thought he saw an object moving about
+in front of the palisade. He checked his pony for an instant; but
+convinced that the savages could not possibly have arrived already, he
+again whipped onward, inclined to believe it to be nothing more than a
+phantom of the brain. But when he proceeded a few stops farther, his
+pony stopped suddenly and snorted, while a being, which he could not
+exactly define, was distinctly seen to rise up and glide swiftly out
+of view round the inclosure.
+
+"Who's that!" shouted he, and at the same time looking eagerly back at
+his companions, whose near approach induced him to maintain his
+position.
+
+"Go on, Joe! What's the matter?" remarked Glenn, the head of his steed
+having passed over the back of the pony as he stood across the path
+and blocked up the way.
+
+"I beg to be excused! As sure as I'm alive, I saw an Indian run round
+towards the gate!" replied Joe.
+
+"Foller me," said Sneak, poising his spear in the air, and advancing.
+
+"Thank Heaven, it's you!" exclaimed the mysterious object, coming
+forward fearlessly, on hearing the men's voices.
+
+"Dod rot your cowardly skin!" said Sneak, after looking at the
+approaching form and turning to Joe, "how dare you to be frightened at
+sich a thing as that--a female woman!"
+
+"It was not me--it was my pony, you great--"
+
+"What?" asked Sneak, sharply, turning abruptly round, as they paused
+at the gate.
+
+"You great long buffalo tapeworm!" said Joe, alighting on the side of
+the pony opposite to his quarrelsome companion, and then going forward
+and opening the gate in silence.
+
+"What brings thee hither at this late hour, Mary?" inquired Glenn, on
+recognizing the ferryman's daughter.
+
+"Nothing--only--I"--stammered the abashed girl, who had expected only
+to see our hero and his man.
+
+"Speak out, lass, if you have any thing important to say," remarked
+Boone, when they entered the inclosure, placing his hand encouragingly
+on the girl's head.
+
+Mary still hesitated, and Boone was no little puzzled to conjecture
+rightly what it was she intended to impart; but he was convinced it
+must be something of no ordinary nature that would induce a maiden of
+reputed timidity to leave her father's hut at a late hour of the
+night.
+
+"Now tell me, Mary, what it was you wished to say," remarked Glenn,
+addressing her in a playful tone, when they were seated in the house,
+and a lamp suspended against the wall was lighted.
+
+"I did not expect to find Mr. Boone and Sneak with you--and now--"
+
+"What?" inquired Glenn, much moved by her paleness, and the throbbing
+of her breast, which now seemed to be gradually subsiding.
+
+"Nothing--only you and Joe are both safe now," she replied, with her
+eyes cast down.
+
+"Were we in danger? How are we safe?" inquired Glenn, regarding her
+words as highly mysterious.
+
+"Everybody is safe where Mr. Boone is," replied Mary.
+
+"But what was the danger, my pretty lass?" inquired Boone, playfully
+taking her hand.
+
+"Why Posin, one of father's boatmen--"
+
+"Speak on, lass--I know Posin to be an unfeeling wretch, and a
+half-blood Indian; but he is also known to be a great coward, and
+surely no harm could have been feared from him," said Boone.
+
+"But I heard him speaking to himself when I was filling my pitcher at
+the spring, and he was standing behind some rocks, where he couldn't
+see me, and didn't think any one was within hearing."
+
+"What said he?" inquired Glenn, impatiently, and much interested in
+the anticipated disclosure, for he had often remarked the satanic
+expression of Posin's features.
+
+"These were his words: 'The Osages will be here before to-morrow
+morning. If Raven, the chief, will go halves with me, I'll tell him
+how much money the young men have, and help to get it!' Such were his
+very words!" continued Mary, her dark eyes assuming a brightness, and
+her voice a boldness unwonted on ordinary occasions, as she proceeded:
+"He then started off towards the prairie with his rifle, and nobody
+has seen him since. I told father about it but he wouldn't believe
+there was any danger; and when night came, he told me not to be
+uneasy, but to sleep like a good girl. I did lie down, for I never
+like to disobey my father; but I couldn't sleep, and so I got up and
+came here to wait till you returned, to tell you all about it."
+
+"Thanks, Mary--I shall never forget your kindness," said Glenn, as
+much affected by her simplicity and gentleness as at the threatened
+danger.
+
+"You're a sweet lass; God bless you, Mary!" said Boone, kissing her
+smooth forehead. "Now run home and go to sleep, child; we will be on
+our guard. As for you, your father is respected by all the Indians,
+and therefore your own safety will be best secured under his
+protection."
+
+"I will accompany you to the hut," said Glenn, as the girl bid them
+good night, and was about departing.
+
+"Oh no--I'm used to going alone," said Mary, promptly declining the
+proposition.
+
+"She speaks truly, and it is unnecessary," said Boone, as the maiden
+bowed and disappeared.
+
+The party then fastened the gate and secured themselves within the
+stone house. Joe petitioned Glenn to permit him to bring in the dogs,
+and Sneak seconded the motion, proposing to lie with them before the
+fire.
+
+After a hearty repast, Boone and Glenn retired to their couches in
+quest of repose, so much needed after the exercises of the day. Nor
+was it long before they were steeped in that deep and solemn slumber
+which throws a mysterious veil over the senses, obscuring from the
+vision all objects of an unpleasant nature, relieving the mind of the
+cares that may have pressed heavily upon it during the day, and at the
+same time by the gentlest process refreshing and reinvigorating the
+weary faculties for renewed exertion.
+
+Silence brooded over the fireside scene. The lamp threw a dim ray
+around its small flame unruffled by the confined and motionless air.
+The fawn was coiled in a sleeping posture under its master's bed,
+while the kitten purred upon its velvet back. On one side of the
+hearth lay Sneak, his head pillowed upon one of the hounds, while the
+other slept against his back. Joe was the only one present who had not
+fallen under the magic influence of slumber. Hitherto he had yielded
+to a more powerful impulse--that of the appetite--and he now sat upon
+a low stool on the corner of the hearth opposite to Sneak, his back
+leaning against the side of the fireplace, holding in his left hand a
+pewter platter, and in his right a rib of the deer he had killed, well
+cooked, which he raised to his mouth occasionally, and sometimes at
+very long intervals, between the approaches of the sleep which was
+gradually overpowering him. Once, when his eyelids sank heavily and
+closed, and the platter rested on his lap, and his right hand, still
+clenching the savoury bone, fell powerless at his side--Ringwood, in
+his hard breathing, chanced to snuff up some ashes that caused him to
+sneeze. Joe started at the sound, and after rolling his eyes round
+once or twice and finding all right, raised the bone once more to his
+mouth and set his jaws again in motion.
+
+"Dod, man! are you going to chaw all night?" asked Sneak, awakened by
+the motion of Ringwood, and looking up at the face of Joe in
+astonishment.
+
+"I had nothing to eat all day," replied Joe, fishing for a cracker
+floating in the greasy platter.
+
+"But ain't you a-going to sleep some?" asked Sneak, half
+unconsciously, the final utterance smothered in a guttural rumble as
+he again sank back on his canine pillow.
+
+"Yes, when I've got my supper," replied Joe lazily, and indistinctly,
+with one end of the bone in his mouth. But it was not long before he
+again nodded, and his hand with the bone in it was once more lowered
+softly down at his side. He was soon palpably fast asleep. And now the
+kitten, having finished its nap, came with a noiseless tread to the
+comfortable fire, humming its low unvaried song; and, rubbing its soft
+side against the head of Jowler, finally crouched down before the
+embers, with its feet drawn under it, and its eyes apparently watching
+the brilliant sparks that ever and anon flew up the chimney. But ere
+long it scented the well-flavoured viand that dangled in the vicinity,
+and after casting a glance at the face of Joe, and being satisfied
+that he was insensible to all external objects, stealthily began to
+gnaw the end of the bone that rested on the hearth. As long as it had
+in mind the fear of interruption, it was permitted to feast
+moderately; but when its ravenous propensity urged it to more active
+and vigorous operations, Joe once more opened his eyes, and after
+looking slowly around, but not down, again attempted to raise the rib
+to a is mouth.
+
+"Hello!--augh! scat!" he cried, leaping up violently.
+
+His first impression was that the Indians, about whom he had been
+dreaming, were upon him; his next that a rattlesnake clung to his
+finger; and finally, finding it to be the kitten bestowing some
+scratches on the hand that sought to bereave it of its prize, he
+uttered the latter exclamation, first in rage; but pleased that his
+condition was no worse, soon after called the poor frightened pet to
+him, and with one or two caresses gave it the bone, and then resigned
+himself to unrestrained slumber.
+
+They were all aroused in the morning by the snorting of the horses
+without, and the growling and sharp yelping of the hounds within.
+
+"What's the matter with the horses and dogs, Joe?" inquired Glenn,
+rising from his couch.
+
+"I don't know what ails the foolish things. I know that I fed the
+horses; and as for Ringwood and Jowler, I'll soon kick them out. Let
+go my ankle!" exclaimed he, turning to Sneak, who caught hold of him
+as he rose to approach the door.
+
+"Don't open the door yet," said Boone, who had been listening to the
+sounds outside, and then continued in an under tone, addressing Glenn:
+"They are certainly here; but whether or not with an evil intent I am
+unable to determine."
+
+"Oh goodness! It's the Indians!" exclaimed Joe, yielding to sudden
+alarm, having momentarily forgotten the anticipated danger when he
+proposed opening the door.
+
+"Keep your mouth shet!" said Sneak, listening with his ear placed near
+the floor behind the door.
+
+"How many do you make them out to be?" inquired Boone, when Sneak had
+occupied his position a few minutes.
+
+"It's all right!" replied Sneak, eagerly; "there is only two or three
+of 'em, and old Roughgrove's out there talking to 'em! How do you open
+the door? Let me out!"
+
+The door was opened with reluctance and cautiously by Joe, and Sneak
+going foremost all the party sallied out into the fresh air. A snow of
+several inches in depth had fallen, and within the circle enclosed by
+the palisade not a single track was to be seen. But when the gate was
+drawn back, several Osage Indians were observed standing a few paces
+distant with their tomahawks hung in their belts and instead of
+exhibiting any symptoms of hostility, they approached smiling, and
+extended the hand of friendship to the whites.
+
+"How do!" exclaimed the leader, in imperfect English, grasping the
+hands held out in salutation, while his actions were imitated by the
+others in silence.
+
+"I'm very well, I thank you," said Joe, bowing and retreating
+backwards when they accosted him, unwilling to venture his hand within
+their reach, as Glenn and the rest did.
+
+"Shake hands with them, you silly fellow," said Boone, "or they will
+think you are an enemy."
+
+"Here, Mr. Osage!" said Joe, his teeth chattering as he extended his
+hand; and the Indian, perceiving his alarm, squeezed it so tightly for
+merriment that he was on the eve of crying out; and when liberated, he
+sprang violently back, much inclined to run away, to their great
+amusement.
+
+"That is Raven, the chief," remarked Roughgrove to Glenn, pointing to
+the one that first addressed them, and who was now conversing with
+Boone, whom he seemed to know, or to have been familiar with his
+character, from his animated gestures and the excited expression of
+his features. Sneak stood in silence, a convenient distance apart,
+apparently gleaning intelligence from the conference. The chief (as
+are the members of this tribe generally) was extremely dark, tall,
+athletic, and wore a ferocious aspect, while the few followers with
+him manifested a curiosity to examine the apparel and accoutrements of
+the whites, but without betraying any signs of an evil disposition.
+
+"Are there not more of them in the vicinity?" inquired Glenn.
+
+"Yes--quite a large party," said Roughgrove; "but Raven said he did
+not wish to intimidate the whites by showing them, without first
+extending the hand of friendship himself. They profess to entertain
+the kindest feeling towards us, and propose through their chiefs to
+traffic their furs and moccasins for such goods as we may be disposed
+to give them in return."
+
+"I do not see your oarsman, Posin," remarked Glenn, the disclosure of
+Mary occurring to him--and then accosted Mary herself, who now joined
+them with her eyes cast down in apparent bashfulness.
+
+"His absence is a mystery to me," replied the old ferryman, "though I
+do not attach the same importance to it that Mary does."
+
+"Father"--uttered his daughter, and pausing in mingled timidity and
+dread, as if some undefinable forebodings of harm oppressed her.
+
+"I'll be shot if I understand all this to my liking," said Sneak,
+staring at the great number of moccasin tracks that had been made
+round the enclosure, which truly indicated that more than the four
+chiefs present had been prowling there before daylight.
+
+"Hush, Mr. Sneak!" said Joe; "they hear every word you say."
+
+"Jest let me alone a minute," replied Sneak, getting down on his knees
+and examining the various foot-prints with great minuteness. When he
+rose he made some signs to Boone, which the others did not comprehend.
+
+At this juncture several other Indians were seen to approach from the
+valley above, where the party had encamped. These painted visitors
+likewise came forward with sundry nods and gesticulations of
+friendship, at the same time exhibiting several furred articles of
+curious workmanship, and a few precious stones, as samples of what
+they wished to barter. A short conference then ensued between them and
+the head chief, which terminated in a pressing invitation for the
+whites to accompany them to their encampment.
+
+"You may all do as you like--I shall stay here," said Joe, stepping
+back towards the gate.
+
+"You are a coward, Joe!" said Glenn; "you may remain, however, to
+prevent them from pilfering any thing while we are away," and he
+turned towards the Indians for the purpose of accompanying them.
+
+"Stay!" said Mary, in a distinct and startling tone.
+
+"Why should we not go? We are armed, and could as easily withstand an
+attack in their encampment as elsewhere. If it be their determination
+to do us harm, their numbers will enable them to accomplish their
+purpose notwithstanding all the opposition we can offer," said Glenn.
+
+"There is no danger," said Roughgrove, endeavouring to extricate his
+arm from the grasp of Mary, who strenuously held him back.
+
+"I have a secret for thee, child," said Boone, beckoning the trembling
+girl to him.
+
+"Oh, what is it? You will not let him--I mean my father, go among
+them, will you? _You_ know that Posin is away--perhaps in some ambush
+--"
+
+"Hush child!" said Boone, in a low tone, and employing gestures that
+led the savages to believe he was quieting her fears, while he
+whispered a message in her ear that had a singular effect. Though very
+pale, the girl now smiled playfully, and returning to her father,
+said, in tones so low that no one else could hear, "Father, he says
+you must instantly cross the river for assistance--I will be safe,
+under _his_ protection, till you return."
+
+"I'll do it!" replied Roughgrove, setting off towards the ferry. But
+when he departed, the chief evinced much anger, and was only appeased
+by the assurance that the old ferryman was gone for some article
+desired by his child, and would return ere long.
+
+The footprint which had so much attracted Sneak was recognized by some
+peculiar marks to be that of Posin, and when the discovery was
+communicated to Boone, he at once surmised that danger lurked in the
+vicinity; and the subsequent impatience on the part of the Indians to
+urge the whites to visit their camp, convinced him that some foul
+treachery had been concocted between the half-breed and the savages.
+He had also caught a glimpse of several armed Indians behind some
+bushes at no great distance from where he stood, notwithstanding Raven
+had asserted that the rest of his party were in their encampment; and
+when the chief grew angry, and almost menacing, on the withdrawal of
+the old ferryman, he resolved to adopt the surest means of safety
+without delay. No sooner was the ferry-boat seen to shoot out from the
+land than Boone motioned the whites to enter the inclosure. As they
+turned towards the gate, the chief made a movement to intercept them;
+but Boone drew forth a brace of pistols that had been concealed under
+his hunting-shirt, one of which he pointed at Raven, and with the
+other intimidated the rest who had advanced likewise, until his
+friends were all within the palisade.
+
+[Illustration: Boone drew forth a brace of pistols that had been
+concealed under his hunting-shirt, one of which he pointed at Raven,
+and with the other intimidated the rest who had advanced on himself,
+until his friends were all within the palisade.--P. 56]
+
+Boone did not wish to be the first to shed blood, and in their own
+language asserted as much to the savages; but at the same time he
+warned them not to commit any violence in the settlement at their
+peril. The chief had not thought there would be any necessity for
+bloodshed so soon, and perhaps not at all, if Glenn could be enticed
+from his house, while Posin and his comrades might obtain his money.
+
+Nor did he expect to meet with Boone, (renowned among all the tribes
+for his wisdom and prowess,) much less to be anticipated on the very
+threshold of the enterprise. His rage grew intense on finding himself
+outwitted and defied. He drew forth his tomahawk, and though not
+venturing to throw it, (for he perceived Glenn and Sneak behind, with
+their guns in readiness to fire,) he shook it threateningly at Boone
+as he closed the gate, and then strode away sulkily in the direction
+of the bushes, where some of his followers had been seen partially
+concealed.
+
+When the gate was secured, the inmates of the little fort crowded
+about Boone and overwhelmed him with questions.
+
+"Do you think they can get over the posts?" inquired Joe.
+
+"Will they come before father returns?" asked Mary.
+
+"Do you think they will attack us at all?" interrogated Glenn.
+
+"There can be no doubt of it," replied Boone; "but if we do our duty,
+I think we shall be able to resist them. We must be ready to defend
+ourselves, at all events--and in the mean time we must watch through
+the loopholes on every side to prevent a surprise." This was hardly
+spoken before an arrow whizzed over their heads, and, striking against
+the stone wall of the house, fell at the feet of Joe.
+
+"Ugh! look at that!" cried he, leaping some ten feet away.
+
+"Go in, child--and the rest to their posts!" remarked Boone, first to
+Mary, and then addressing the men.
+
+"Yes--_do_ go in, Miss!" cried Joe, forcing Mary into the house, where
+he also seemed determined to remain himself.
+
+"Come out here!" cried Sneak, going to the door.
+
+"Wait till I screw a flint in my musket," said Joe.
+
+"You can see better out here," replied Sneak.
+
+"But I haven't found the flint yet," answered Joe.
+
+"He's a coward!" said Sneak, turning away and going to his post,
+whence he could watch the valley below.
+
+Boone's station was on the opposite side, in the direction of the
+supposed encampment of the Indians. But not a savage could now be
+seen, and the arrow that fell among them had evidently been discharged
+from a great distance above.
+
+"Shall we fire if any of them come within the range of our guns?"
+inquired Glenn, from his position on the east, which overlooked the
+cliff.
+
+"Certainly," replied Boone; "the arrow was their declaration of war,
+and if they are again seen, it will be in a hostile attitude. Watch
+close, Sneak!" he cried, as another shaft flew over the palisade from
+the valley below, and penetrated the wood but a few feet above his
+head.
+
+"Come out to your post, Joe!" cried Glenn, impatiently.
+
+"I will presently--as soon as I get my gun fixed," replied Joe.
+
+"If you do not come forth instantly, I'll thrust you out of the
+inclosure!" continued Glenn, somewhat fiercely.
+
+"Here I am," said Joe, coming out, and making an effort to assume a
+bold bearing: "I'm ready now--I only wanted to fix my gun--who's
+afraid?" saying which, he strode in a stooping posture to the loophole
+on the west of the inclosure.
+
+While the whole male force of the garrison was required to act as
+sentinels, Mary, whose trepidation had been succeeded by deliberate
+resolution, was busily employed moulding bullets.
+
+An hour passed, and no Indians had yet been seen, although an
+occasional arrow assured the besieged party that the enemy still
+remained in the immediate vicinity. They cleared away the snow at
+their posts, and placing dry straw to stand upon, prepared to continue
+the watch throughout the day and night. Nor were they to suffer for
+food; for Mary, though she had not been requested so to do, ere long,
+to their joyful surprise, came forth with a dinner handsomely
+provided, which she placed before them with a smile of satisfaction
+playing on her lips, and entirely unmindful of the shafts that
+continued to fly overhead, which either pierced the wood and remained
+stationary, or fell expended and harmless at her feet.
+
+Affairs thus remained till night, when the arrows ceased to fly. There
+was not a cloud in the heavens, and the moon rose up in purest
+brightness. A breathless stillness pervaded the air, and no sound for
+a great length of time could be heard but the hooting of owls on the
+opposite side of the river, and the howling of wolves in the flats
+about a mile above.
+
+"I'm not a bit cold--are you?" said Joe, addressing Sneak.
+
+"Dad! keep an eye out!" replied Sneak, in a low tone.
+
+"There's nothing out this way but a bush. But I declare it seems to be
+bigger and nigher than it was in the daytime," said Joe.
+
+"Don't speak so loud," remarked Boone, crossing to where Joe stood,
+and looking through at the bush.
+
+"It's nothing but a bush," said Joe.
+
+"Do you wish to kill an Indian?" inquired Boone.
+
+"I wish they were all worms, and I could get my heel on them!" said
+Joe.
+
+"That would be cruel--but as any execution we may now do, is in our
+own defence, you may fire at that bush if you like," continued Boone.
+
+"Well," said Joe; and taking deliberate aim, discharged his musket as
+directed, and was knocked down on his back in the snow by the rebound.
+
+"Plague take the gun!" said he, recovering his feet; "but I remember
+it had two loads in--I forgot it was charged, and loaded it again. Ha!
+ha! ha! but what's become of the bush?" he continued jocularly, not
+thinking he had fired at an Indian.
+
+"Look for yourself," replied Boone.
+
+"Hang me if it ain't gone!" exclaimed Joe.
+
+"Ay, truly it is; but had you hit the mark, it would have fallen. It
+was rather too far, however, even for your musket," said Boone,
+returning to his former position.
+
+"You are the poorest marksman that ever I saw, or you'd 'ave killed
+that red rascal," said Sneak, coming up to Joe, and finding where the
+bush had been.
+
+"I didn't know it was any thing but a bush--if I'd only known it was
+an Indian--"
+
+"You be hanged!" replied Sneak, vexed that such a capital opportunity
+should be lost, and petulantly resuming his own station.
+
+An intense silence succeeded the discharge of Joe's gun, after the
+tremendous report died away, in successive reverberations up and down
+the river, and over the low wood land opposite. The owls and wolves
+were hushed; and as the watchful sentinels cast their eyes over the
+snow, on which the calm rays of the moon rested in repose, there was
+not the least indication of the presence of a dangerous foe.
+
+Joe leant against the palisade, holding with one hand the breech of
+his gun, while the barrel was thrust through the loophole, and seemed
+to be indulging in a peculiar train of reflections.
+
+"Now, I'd much rather be in Philadelphia," said he, in a voice but
+little louder than a, whisper, and unconscious of giving utterance to
+his thoughts--"a great deal rather be there--in some comfortable
+oyster-cellar--than standing out here in the lone wilderness, up to my
+knees in snow, and expecting every minute to have a poisoned arrow
+shot through my head. Hang it all! I wonder what pleasure Mr. Glenn
+can enjoy here? Suppose, now, while I'm standing here thinking, an
+arrow should dart over the, other side, and stick five or six inches
+into me? I hope they keep a careful look-out. And that reminds me that
+I ought to keep an eye out myself, for fear some one may he pinked
+from my side." He applied his eye to the hole, and continued in the
+same strain: "I don't see a single living thing; maybe they've all
+gone off. If they have, I'll deserve all the credit, for I'm the only
+person that shot at them. And I don't think that long hatchet-face
+Sneak will think that I'm a coward any more. But these savages are
+strange beings; I had no more idea that the bush hid an Indian than
+that there's one not ten feet off now, under the snow. And if we
+hadn't found him out he might have crawled up and shot me in the eye
+through this hole. I won't hold my eye here all the time!" said he,
+rising, and to his astonishment Sneak stood at his elbow, whither he
+had glided softly, his quick ear having caught the hum of Joe's
+soliloquy, and his curiosity leading him to find out the meaning of
+the mysterious jargon of his companion-in-arms.
+
+"Of all the men I ever saw you are the dod-rottedest!" exclaimed
+Sneak, after staring at him a few moments in silent wonderment, and
+then striding back to his post.
+
+"I should like to hear that sentence parsed," said Joe, looking after
+him.
+
+The hours wore on in peace, until midnight, when a low chattering,
+like that of a squirrel, was heard in the valley below; while a shrill
+whistling, resembling that of quails was distinguished above.
+
+"Come hither!" exclaimed Boone in a whisper to Glenn.
+
+"Do you see any of them?" inquired Glenn, joining his friend.
+
+"Not yet--but we will see enough of them presently. The sounds in the
+valleys are signals, and they will attack us on these sides. You may
+abandon your watch on the east, and assist me here."
+
+"And you may come and spell me," said Sneak to Joe.
+
+"I must not desert my post," said Joe.
+
+"If you stay there, you'll be dead sure to be shot!" replied Sneak.
+
+"You don't think they're coming back, do you?" inquired Joe, gliding
+swiftly to Sneak's side.
+
+"They'll be on us in no time. Is your gun loaded?
+
+"I declare I have forgotten whether I loaded it again or not!" said
+Joe.
+
+"You're, a purty feller, to watch with an empty gun, now ain't you?
+Never mind blowing in her--run down a cartridge as quick as you kin;
+it makes no odds how much you have in; a big noise will do as much
+good as any thing else," said Sneak, hurriedly, evidently expecting to
+see the savage enemy every moment, while Joe did his bidding,
+asserting all the time that he believed his musket was already loaded,
+and expressing a decided dislike to being kicked over every day from
+overcharging.
+
+As Boone predicted, but a very short time elapsed before a series of
+startling and frightful yells were heard below, which were answered by
+similar horrid sounds above. Joe first ran towards Boone and Glenn,
+and then sprang back to his place at the side of Sneak, fully
+convinced there were no means of retreat, and, being effectually
+cornered, at length evinced an ardent desire to fire. When the yells
+died away in the distance, a flight of arrows from the north south
+poured upon the besieged party. Many of them pierced the outer side of
+the palisade, while others, flying over, penetrated the opposite
+timbers, and quivered above the heads of the men; and some rattled
+against the top of the house, (the snow having melted from the roof,)
+and fell harmless to the earth.
+
+There having been no shot yet fired in the direction whence the arrows
+came, (for such was the order of Boone,) the savages, emboldened by
+the absence of any demonstrations of resistance, and thinking their
+foes were shut up in the house, or killed by their numberless shafts,
+charged upon the premises simultaneously from both sides, shooting
+their arrows and yelling as they came. When they had approached within
+a hundred paces of the inclosure, Boone and Sneak fired with deadly
+aim at the foremost of the party, and the next moment Glenn followed
+the example, while Boone reloaded his gun.
+
+"Now fire!" exclaimed Sneak, shaking Joe by the shoulder, having seen
+the savages pause when one of their party uttered the death-howl and
+fell.
+
+"Here goes!" said Joe, pulling the trigger and falling over on his
+back in the snow from the rebound, for the musket had been truly twice
+charged.
+
+"Split me if you didn't accidentally throw a handful of bullets among
+their legs that crack!" said Sneak, observing the now discomfited and
+retreating Indians, as they endeavoured to bear off their wounded, and
+then firing on them again himself as they vanished down the valley.
+The like result was witnessed above, and again in a very short time
+there was not a savage to be seen.
+
+"What's the matter? Why don't you get up?" asked Sneak turning to Joe,
+who still remained prostrate on the ground.
+
+"My mouth's bleeding--I don't know but I'm wounded. Didn't an arrow
+come through the hole when I was shooting?" asked Joe, rising
+partially up and spitting out a quantity of blood on the snow.
+
+"It was nothing but the gun kicking you like it did in the bear hunt.
+If it was an arrow you must have swallered it, for I don't see the
+shaft. But maybe you did--you're sech a gormandizer," said Sneak.
+
+"Hang it all, I don't believe I'm much hurt!" exclaimed Joe, jumping
+up suddenly. "Get from before the hole!" he continued, ramming down a
+cartridge hastily, and thrusting out the muzzle of his gun.
+
+"Why don't you blaze away?" asked Sneak, laughing, observing that he
+hesitated.
+
+"Why, they're, all gone!" cried Joe, joyfully, "and it was my old
+cannon that swept them off, too."
+
+Once more silence pervaded the scene. Boone, after the repeated
+solicitations of Mary, partook of another bountiful repast, and the
+others in turn likewise refreshed themselves, and then resumed the
+watch.
+
+Nor was it long before the Osages were once more heard to howl like
+fiends, and the sound had hardly ceased to vibrate through the air
+before a singular and unexpected assault terrified the besieged party
+for a moment. This was a shower of _blazing arrows_ coming from below,
+(where all the savages now seemed to be collected,) which ignited the
+palisade in many places where the snow had fallen off. But the fire
+was easily extinguished, and all, with the exception of Boone, were
+disposed to attach but little importance to any further device of the
+enemy. Boone, on the contrary, was unusually grave, and requested his
+companions to be on the alert, or they would yet be the victims of the
+savages.
+
+"I like these kind of arrows the best," said Joe, "for I can see how
+to dodge them."
+
+"But the wooden slabs can't dodge--dod! they're afire on the outside
+now!" cried Sneak, truly discovering a flame reaching above the
+inclosure from without.
+
+"Watch well from the loopholes!" cried Boone, throwing open the gate
+and rushing out, and running round to where the fire was crackling.
+"Come, Sneak!--I want your assistance--quick!" he exclaimed, finding
+the flames making rapid progress.
+
+"Keep your eye skinned now!" said Sneak, as he left Joe alone to watch
+for the Indians, and ran out to aid in subduing the fire.
+
+The savages could evidently see what was transacting, although unseen
+themselves, for most of their arrows now seemed to be directed at
+those without.
+
+"Look sharp!" said Boone to Joe, through the loophole.
+
+"Let me assist!" cried Glenn, imprudently leaving his post in his
+eagerness to share the danger, and coming out with a spade.
+
+"Go in, my friend--we are sufficient here," said Boone, addressing
+Glenn.
+
+"Come in! come in! come in!" cried Joe.
+
+"I see no Indians," remarked Boone.
+
+"The house is on fire! Fire! fire! fire!" screamed Joe, falling into
+his old habit when in the city.
+
+Glenn ran back in this emergency, but when he arrived within the
+inclosure, he found that this service had been anticipated by Mary,
+who had quietly thrust her hands into the snow, and with balls thus
+made, easily extinguished the fire on the roof.
+
+When Boone and Sneak had effected their purpose, they repaired to
+their former positions, assured that the utmost caution must be
+observed to prevent a surprise from some unexpected quarter, while
+their attention was naturally directed to one particular point. But
+they had hardly resumed their stations before their ears were saluted
+by the joyful report of rifles in the valley. Relief was at hand.
+Roughgrove had recrossed the river, with a party of recruits, and
+fallen upon the rear of the savages, at a moment when success seemed
+to smile on their sanguinary purpose. Their shouts of exultation at
+the prospect of firing the premises were now changed to howls of
+despair, and they fled in all directions. But Roughgrove, aware of the
+impolicy of pursuit, led his men directly to the gallant little
+garrison; and the victorious huzzas of his band were answered in like
+manner by the besieged, who came forth and gave them a cordial
+welcome. Never, perhaps, when they met, did hand grasp hand more
+heartily. But Mary, who had hitherto cast aside all the weaker fears
+of the woman, no sooner beheld her aged father in safety than she
+rushed into arms and fainted on his breast.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+A strange excursion--A fairy scene--Joe is puzzled and frightened--A
+wonderful discovery--Navigation of the upper regions--A crash--No
+bones broken.
+
+
+Several weeks had elapsed since the incidents recorded in the last
+chapter. The repulse of the Osages was succeeded by the arrival of a
+war-party of Pawnees, and a deadly feud existing between these tribes,
+the latter readily joined the whites, and speedily chased the enemy
+far beyond the settlements. Boone had returned to his family on the
+other side of the river; and Sneak, having made peace with Joe, had
+likewise withdrawn to his own domicil, to pursue his avocations of
+hunting and trapping in solitude.
+
+Glenn sat before a blazing fire in his little castle, his left hand
+clasping a closed book he had been reading, while his dextral elbow
+was resting on the rude arm of a chair which he had constructed and
+cushioned with furs, and his palm supported his chin. He thus sat
+silently, looking steadfastly through one of the little square windows
+at the snow-encrusted branches of the trees beyond the inclosure, and
+apparently indulging a pleasing train of reflections.
+
+Joe, on the contrary, was engaged in boisterous and mirthful exercise
+on the deep and frozen snow without. He was playing with the kitten,
+the fawn, and the hounds, and occasionally ran into the stable to
+caress the horses.
+
+At length, with no other object than a dreamy impulse to wander among
+the wild scenes in the vicinity, Glenn started up, and donning a warm
+overcoat and seizing his rifle, set out along the cliff up the river,
+(a direction which he had never yet traversed,) accompanied by Joe,
+who seemed to look upon his master's pale composed face, and
+determined though gentle motions, with curiosity, if not mystery.
+
+"Why do you stare at me so often?" inquired Glenn, pausing, after they
+had walked some distance in silence.
+
+"Because I don't know what you're after," replied Joe.
+
+"You'll see what I'm after," said Glenn, setting forward, and
+continuing his course along the cliff.
+
+A snow of several feet in depth rested on the earth, and the sun that
+shone forth at noon had melted the surface so frequently, that the
+freezing nights which had as often succeeded had formed an icy
+incrustation quite strong enough to bear the weight of a man. Though
+it was a dreary waste, yet Glenn gleaned a satisfaction in casting his
+eyes around where his glance beheld no one striving to oppress his
+fellow being that he might acquire riches and power, to be again
+snatched from his grasp by others, but a peaceful scene, fresh from
+the hand of God, and unmarred by the workmanship of meaner creatures.
+The broad river far below was covered with a massy plate of ice, and
+the snow that rested upon it gave it the appearance of an immense
+plain, rather than an incrusted surface of the most perturbed and
+erratic stream in the world. The geese and other fowl that wandered
+over the frozen surface in quest of their native element, from the
+great distance down, seemed to be no larger than sparrows.
+
+Ere long, Glenn and his man reached the valley above, and commenced a
+descent through the timber in a diagonal direction, that would conduct
+them, after numerous windings, to the edge of the frozen stream, along
+which a narrow pathway ran northward about a mile. Glenn paused at an
+abrupt angle in his descent, after having proceeded a few paces
+through the undergrowth, and stood long in wonderment and admiration,
+gazing at the scene that suddenly burst in view. His towering position
+overlooked the whole valley. The ten thousand trees beneath, and their
+ten million branches and twigs all completely clothed in
+crystal--while not the slightest breeze was stirring--presented a view
+of fairyland, such as flits across the vision in dreams, that the
+memory fain would cling to, but which is lost in the real and
+conflicting transactions of returning day. The noonday sun was
+momentarily veiled by a listless cloud, which seemed to be stationary
+in the heavens, as if designed to enhance the effect of the beauty
+below, that outvied in brightness even the usual light above. Not a
+squirrel was seen to leap from bough to bough, nor a bird to flit
+across the opening between the lofty trees; but all was stillness,
+silence, and beauty. As Glenn stood entranced, Joe seemed to be more
+struck with the operation of the enchantment on his companion's
+features and attitude, than with any effect from the same source
+experienced on himself.
+
+"Ain't you going down to the bottom of the valley?" asked Joe.
+
+"It is a scene such as is beheld by infants in their slumbers, when
+they dream of paradise!" said Glenn, paying no attention to Joe, his
+eyes immovably riveted on the innumerable sprigs of alabaster which
+pointed out in every direction in profuse clusters, while his pale
+lips seemed to move mechanically, and his brow expressed a mournful
+serenity, as if entertaining a regret that he should ever be separated
+from the pearly labyrinths before him, amid which he would delight to
+wander forever.
+
+"I think you must be dreaming yourself," said Joe, staring at him.
+
+"How composed is every object!" continued Glenn; "such must be the
+abode of angels and departed spirits, who are not permitted longer to
+behold the strifes of earth and its contaminations, but rove
+continually with noiseless tread, or on self-poised wing, through
+devious and delightful paths, surrounded by sedges of silver
+embroidery, and shielded above by mazy fretwork spangled with
+diamonds, or gliding without effort through the pure and buoyant air,
+from bower to bower of crystal"
+
+"Ugh--talking of the icy trees makes me chilly!" said Joe.
+
+"With life everlasting and unchangeable!" continued Glenn, after a
+momentary pause from the interruption of his man, which he only
+noticed by a significant motion of the hand for him to be silent.
+
+"But I wouldn't like the eternal _frost-work_," said Joe.
+
+"Pshaw!" replied Glenn, pursuing his way downwards. When they reached
+the bottom of the valley, they were yet a hundred paces distant from
+its junction with the river, which was obscured by the many
+intervening trees that grew along the frozen rivulet. Here Glenn again
+paused to contemplate the scene. The hills that rose abruptly on
+either hand, and the thick intertwining branches above, combined to
+produce a dusky aspect scarce less dim than twilight. Glenn folded his
+arms composedly, and looked thoughtfully round, as if indulging the
+delightful fancies engendered when wandering forth on a summer's
+pleasant evening. "There seems to be a supernatural influence
+pervading the air to-day," he said, in a low-tone, "for I sometimes
+imagine that flitting spirits become partially visible. On the pendent
+icicles and jewelled twigs, me thinks I sometimes behold for an
+instant the prismatic rays of elfins' eyes--"
+
+"Don't believe it," said Joe; "or if it is so, they are weeping at the
+cold, and will soon be frozen up."
+
+"And at each sudden turn," continued Glenn, "they seem to linger an
+instant in view, and then vanish sportively, as if amused at the
+expense of impotent mortals."
+
+"I can't hear 'em laugh," said Joe.
+
+"And then," continued Glenn, "although beyond human consciousness,
+there may be heavenly sounds in the air--the melody of aerial harps
+and fairy voices--to which our ears may be sealed, when, perchance,
+our vicinity to their presence may inspire the peculiar sensation I
+now experience."
+
+"I heard a heap of curious sounds one warm sunshiny morning," said
+Joe; "but when I asked an old fellow jogging along the same road what
+they meant, he said the day before had been so cold when the
+stage-driver went by that his wind froze as it came out of the bugle,
+and was just then thawing."
+
+"If such beings do exist," continued Glenn, paying no attention to
+Joe, "it would delight me to commune with them face to face."
+
+"I see a buck's head!" cried Joe, looking down the dell, where the
+object he mentioned was distinctly observable amid a cluster of
+spicewood bushes, whence a slight jingling sound proceeded as the
+animal plucked the nutritious buds bent down by the innumerable
+icicles.
+
+"Why should not the sylvan gods"--continued Glenn.
+
+"Hush! I'm going to fire!" said Joe.
+
+"Why should they not resort hither," said Glenn, unmindful of Joe,
+"where no meaner beings abide?"
+
+Joe fired, and Glenn started in astonishment, as if he had had no
+intimation of his companion's intention.
+
+"Hang it all! Isn't he going to die, I wonder?" said Joe, after the
+buck had made one or two plunges in the snow, his sharp hoofs piercing
+through the crust on the surface, and with much struggling extricated
+himself and stood trembling, and looked imploringly at his foe.
+
+"What in the world are you about?" exclaimed Glenn, casting a listless
+glance at the deer, and then staring his companion in the face.
+
+"Whip me if there was any lead in the gun!" said Joe. "I drew the
+bullets out yesterday, and forgot to put them in again. But no
+matter--he can't run through the snow--I'll kill him with the butt of
+my musket."
+
+"Move not, at your peril!" said Glenn, authoritatively, when Joe was
+about to rush on the defenceless buck.
+
+"I do believe you are out of your head!" said Joe, staring Glenn in
+the face, and glancing at the tempting prize, alternately.
+
+"At such an hour--in such an elysian place as this--no blood shall be
+spilled. It were profanity to discolor these pearly walks with clotted
+gore."
+
+"The deuce take the pearls, say I!" said Joe.
+
+"Perhaps," continued Glenn, "a god may have put on the semblance of a
+stag to tempt us."
+
+"And hang me, if I wouldn't pretty soon spoil his physiognomy, if you
+would only say the word!" said Joe, shaking his head sullenly at the
+buck.
+
+"Come," said Glenn, sternly; and, leading the way, he passed within a
+few feet of the terrified animal without turning his head aside, and
+directed his steps down the valley towards the river. Joe said nothing
+when opposite the buck, awed by the impressive tone and mysterious
+bearing of his master; but he grinned defiance at him, and resolved to
+embrace the first opportunity to steal out alone, and fully gratify
+his revenge; for such was the feeling he now harboured against the
+animal.
+
+When they reached the margin of the river, they wandered along the
+narrow path that turned to the left, and continued up the stream, with
+the ice but a few feet distant on one hand, and the precipitous
+acclivity of rocks on the other. They maintained a brisk pace for
+about thirty minutes, when the range of cliffs terminating abruptly,
+they entered a low flat forest.
+
+"_Now_, what do you say to my firing?" exclaimed Joe, staring at an
+enormous wolf, a short distance on the left, that seemed to be tearing
+the flesh from the carcass of a deer.
+
+"You must not fire," replied Glenn, viewing the scene with no
+interest.
+
+"Why not? If the deer's a sylvan god, the wolfs sure to be a black
+devil, and it's a duty to take the god's part," said Joe.
+
+"No!" replied Glenn, still striding on.
+
+"Where are you going to, I should like to know? I hope you haven't any
+idea of going closer to the haunted island!" said Joe, following
+reluctantly.
+
+"What haunted island?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Why that one right ahead of us!" replied Joe, pointing to a small
+island a few hundred paces distant.
+
+"Who says it is haunted?" demanded Glenn.
+
+"Why, everybody in the country _knows_ it's haunted. Didn't you hear
+Miss Mary telling all about it?"
+
+"What did she tell about it?"
+
+"That several years ago a man flew up the river riding on a black
+cloud of smoke, and after scaring all the Indians and everybody else
+away, took up his abode in yonder island. Not a soul, from that day to
+this, has ever been nearer to it than we are now. But strange sights
+have been seen there. Once a great big swan, as large as our house,
+was seen to come out of the willows and leap into the water. After
+seeing it paddle about an hour or two in every direction, an old
+beaver trapper and deer hunter took it into his head that it was
+nothing more than a water-fowl of some large species; and resolving to
+have a crack at it anyhow, he crept behind the rocks at the end of the
+cliff, and blazed away when it swam past the next time. Mercy on us!
+when he fired, they say the thing turned his head towards him, and
+came at him in a straight line, and as fast as lightning, blowing
+sparks of fire out of its nostrils, while the poor man stood stock
+still, spell-bound, until it seized upon him, and he has never been
+heard of since."
+
+"Nothing more?" asked Glenn, lightly, and smiling.
+
+"Good gracious! what more would you want? But there _was_ more; for
+the very next day, when the people were looking at the island from a
+distance, and wondering what had been the fate of old Odell, another
+large bird came out. But this was like an eagle, and instead of going
+into the water, it flew up into the air, and kept going higher and
+higher, until it was no bigger than a sparrow, and soon vanished
+altogether! I declare we are too near the island now, Mr. Glenn; let
+us go back; we have gone far enough!" said Joe, beseechingly, his own
+tale having roused all the terrors which his nature was capable of
+harboring.
+
+Glenn seemed to pay no attention to what his companion was saying, but
+strode onward directly towards the island.
+
+"Mr. Glenn!" continued Joe, stepping ahead, and facing him by turning
+round. "Oh, sir! you don't certainly intend to venture any closer to
+that fatal spot?"
+
+"Pshaw!" replied Glenn, pushing him aside, and continuing on. When
+they were opposite the island, Joe, whose alarm had almost deprived
+him of the power of motion, was now struck with horror as he beheld
+his master pause, and then descend to the ice, and walk deliberately
+to the haunted ground! When Glenn reached the bank, he turned to his
+pale and shivering companion, and motioned him to follow.
+
+"Oh, Heaven! we'll never be seen any more!" cried Joe, between his
+chattering teeth.
+
+"Come on, Joe! I'll take care of you," said Glenn, encouragingly, as
+his man hesitated in doubt when midway on the ice.
+
+"The holy saints preserve me!" said Joe, gliding over, quaking with
+fear, and clinging to Glenn's hand.
+
+They walked up a gentle ascent from the water's edge, whence Glenn
+expected to see nothing more than a surface of snow, and the dense
+growth of young timber incident to such a place. But what was his
+surprise, on beholding, in the midst of the island, and obscured from
+view to the surrounding country by an almost impenetrable grove of
+young willows, a round chimney-top rising over a high circular granite
+wall! Nothing daunted, he continued his steps directly towards the
+mysterious dwelling, notwithstanding the protestations and prayers of
+Joe. When they drew near, a thin slightly coloured vapor could be
+distinguished ascending from the chimney, indicating that the tenement
+was certainly inhabited. When they reached the wall, they pursued
+their way round it until they found a small iron gate.
+
+"Rap there, Joe," said Glenn. Joe only turned his head, and looked at
+him in silence.
+
+"Knock," continued Glenn.
+
+"Oh!" exclaimed Joe, falling on his knees. "If ever you were prevailed
+on not to do any thing you were doing, let me this one time persuade
+you to leave this place."
+
+"Knock!" repeated Glenn, emphatically. Joe struck the gate several
+blows with his knuckles, but so gently that he could not hear them
+himself. Glenn seemed to grow angry, and seizing his man's musket, was
+in the act of applying the end of it violently, when the gate flew
+open at one spring, and a hoary porter stood bowing and beckoning
+before him.
+
+"Do not enter!" cried Joe, throwing his arms around Glenn.
+
+"It is too late, now--you have knocked, and it is opened unto
+you--your mission must be accomplished before you turn back. Mine is
+not yet effected--I am the one who dared to face the magic swan--and
+like me, all who come hither must remain until it shall be the
+pleasure of the fire-wizard to release them," said the old attendant.
+
+"Lead me to this fire-wizard!" said Glenn, firmly, stepping into the
+inclosure. When they entered, the gate closed after them without any
+apparent agency of the old hunter, and with such force that Joe sprang
+several feet forward.
+
+"Oh, goodness! we are nothing but poor rats in the trap, now!"
+exclaimed he.
+
+"I pledged myself for your safety, and will keep my word," said Glenn.
+
+"But what will the wizard care about your veracity?" asked Joe.
+
+"Follow!" said the old porter, leading the way towards the house.
+After passing several small buildings, Glenn found himself in a
+spacious area, over which were scattered various and strange
+implements, and divers nondescript machines. Some half dozen men were
+also observed, their sleeves rolled up, and intently plying the
+chisel, the file and other tools. These men cast a momentary and
+sullen glance at the visitors, like convicts in the penitentiary, and
+resumed their labours in silence. The party soon arrived at the door
+of the main building, when the old porter entered alone, and after
+remaining a few moments within, came forth and announced his readiness
+to conduct our hero into the presence of the fire-wizard. Glenn
+motioned him to lead on, and after following through a short hall, and
+turning into a large chamber, the mysterious lord of the island was
+confronted, reclining before them on a couch of furs. He appeared to
+be an emaciated and decrepit old man, his long white beard extending
+down to his breast; and when he motioned our hero to a seat, his hand
+seemed to tremble with feebleness. Yet there was something in his eye
+that indicated no ordinary spirit, and instantly impressed Glenn with
+the respect that he conceived to be due to superior genius; for
+notwithstanding all the miraculous things told of the fire-wizard, he
+rightly conjectured the personage before him to be nothing more than a
+human being, a recluse, perhaps, and, like himself, seeking in
+solitude the enjoyments which (for peculiar reasons) could not be
+found among mankind.
+
+"What brings thee hither?" demanded the aged man, after a few minutes'
+silence, during which his brilliant eyes were closely fixed upon the
+composed features of Glenn.
+
+"That which induced thee to seek such a solitary abode," replied our
+hero.
+
+"Have you no fears?" continued the old man.
+
+"None!" replied Glenn, firmly.
+
+"Give me your hand!" exclaimed the old man; "you are the only being
+that ever confronted the fire-wizard without feeling terror--and for
+those who know not fear there is no danger. Instead of a menial, or a
+victim, I will make you my companion."
+
+"Thank him, Mr. Glenn," whispered Joe, "and perhaps he won't hurt us."
+
+"I am seeking amusement," said Glenn; "and as long as I am pleased, it
+matters not with whom or where shall be my abode. But the moment I
+desire it, I will go hence."
+
+The fire-wizard motioned the attendant to withdraw, who instantly
+obeyed, leading Joe out at the same time, the poor fellow evincing
+great reluctance to be separated from Glenn.
+
+"Before exhibiting to you the mysterious objects which have acquired
+for me the name of magician," said the old man, "I will briefly give
+you my history. I was, in youth, they termed an idle dreamer--ever on
+the alert for new discoveries--and was more laughed at than encouraged
+in my pursuit of rare inventions. More than fifty years ago I
+ascertained that steam might be made to propel machinery. I attempted
+to explain the principles of this discovery to my fellow-men, and to
+convince them of the vast benefits that might result from it. I was
+not heeded--nay, I was insulted by their indifference--and made a
+solemn vow that its advantages should never be reaped through my
+instrumentality. In secret I constructed a small steamboat, and having
+placed on board such materials as might be required, and secured the
+assistance of a requisite number of artisans, I came hither, resolved
+to prosecute my experiments to my own satisfaction in solitude, where
+the taunts of skeptics could not reach me. Follow, and you shall
+behold what has been the result of my unrestrained researches." The
+old man arose, and conducted our hero across the yard to a curtained
+shelter on one side of the inclosure.
+
+"La! if that ain't its foot!" exclaimed Joe, who joined our hero, and
+observing a large foot, resembling in shape that of the swan, under
+the folds of the curtain, while the old wizard paused a moment before
+unveiling the curious object. It was as Joe surmised: when the canvas
+was withdrawn, an artificial swan of monstrous dimensions, though
+perfect in all its proportions, was revealed to their wondering gaze.
+A little beyond, another curtain was drawn aside, and an eagle,
+holding in its beak a bloody crown, and in its talons a silken banner
+of stripes and stars, stood before them in the attitude of springing
+up in the air.
+
+"Which will you try first?" demanded the fire-wizard, while a proud
+smile played on his lips.
+
+"Can _either_ of them be set in motion by your art?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Both!" exclaimed the wizard. "If you will tarry till the ice is gone,
+the swan shall rush through the strongest current as swiftly as the
+wild horse careers over the prairie; or the eagle shall even now dart
+beyond the clouds, and transport you in a few brief hours to where you
+will see the briny waves rolling against the distant Atlantic coast!"
+
+Glenn was incredulous, and his unbelief was betrayed by a smile, in
+spite of his efforts to the contrary.
+
+"Bring hither a lamp!" said the wizard to the attendant and was
+quickly obeyed.
+
+"Oh, don't make him mad! He's going to do something now!" whispered
+Joe to Glenn. The wizard touched a spring; the breast of the eagle
+flew open, and within could be seen polished wheels and other portions
+of a complicated machinery. The old man next applied the blaze of the
+lamp to some spirits within, and in a very few minutes particles of
+steam could be seen to escape from the eagle's nostrils. The wizard
+touched another spring, and the enormous bird strode out and paused in
+the centre of the area.
+
+"If you would behold the home of your youth, be it whithersoever it
+may, so that you name it, follow me, and your eyes shall gaze upon
+that spot within a few hours," said the sage, as the wings of the
+stupendous eagle slowly unfolded, and rising to a horizontal position,
+uncovered a transparency in the side of the chest, through which could
+be seen a gorgeous couch within, sufficiently ample to contain two
+men, and separate from the fire and machinery by a partition of
+isinglass.
+
+"Come!" exclaimed the sage, opening the tortoise-shell door under the
+wing, and stepping into the couch.
+
+"Don't do any such thing!" said Joe.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! Do you think it can fly, Joe?" remarked Glenn, laughing.
+
+"It _will_ fly!" said the old man, emphatically; "and I charge you to
+be prepared to ascend beyond the clouds, if you have the courage to
+occupy a portion of my couch."
+
+"Though I cannot believe it will rise at your bidding," replied Glenn,
+"yet, should it do so, I must be permitted to regard you as being only
+flesh and blood, and as such, I do not hesitate to venture as much as
+another mortal will;" Baying which, our hero seated himself beside the
+reputed fire-wizard.
+
+The old man closed the door, and drawing forth a small compass (his
+companion intimating the course,) adjusted several screws within
+convenient reach, accordingly; he then pressed a small lever with his
+foot, and the wings, after quivering a moment, flapped quickly, and
+the great eagle darted almost perpendicularly up in the air, and was
+beyond the reach of vision in a very few seconds!
+
+When a certain height was attained, the wizard turned the bird in the
+course indicated by his companion.
+
+"What think you now of the fire-wizard!" demanded the sage, with an
+air of triumph.
+
+"Still that he is a man--but a great one--and this, the perfection of
+his art, the greatest extent the Supreme Being has permitted the mind
+of a man to attain!" replied Glenn, gazing in admiration at the
+countries far below, which he was passing with the velocity of a
+hurricane.
+
+"And still you fear not!" demanded the wizard.
+
+"And shall not!" replied Glenn, "so long as your features are
+composed." The old man pressed his hand and smiled.
+
+"Yonder is St. Louis!" cried Glenn, running his eye along the valley
+of the Missouri, down to its confluence with the Mississippi; and a
+short distance beyond, descried the town in question, though it did
+not seem to be larger than one ordinary mansion, with its garden and
+customary appendages.
+
+"We are far above the reach of vision from the earth," said the
+wizard, bounding forward to endeavour to regulate a part of the
+machinery that had for some time attracted his attention, and which
+Glenn believed to be not altogether right, from the abrupt movement of
+his companion.
+
+"How far above the earth are we?' asked Glenn.
+
+"About twenty-five miles--but should this screw give way, it may be
+less very speedily!" exclaimed the old man, almost incoherently, and
+applying all his strength to the loosened screw to keep it in its
+place.
+
+"Let me assist!" exclaimed Glenn, springing forward.
+
+"It's gone!" cried the old man; "you have knocked it out! we are
+falling--crushed!"
+
+*       *       *       *       *
+
+"That's just what I expected," said Joe, addressing the fawn, which
+had been playing with the dogs, and at length ran against Glenn's
+chair so violently as to push it over.
+
+"Oh! oh! oh!" exclaimed Glenn.
+
+"Goodness! Are you hurt?" asked Joe.
+
+"Is it possible? Am I alive, and _here_?" exclaimed Glenn, staring
+wildly round, and doubting his own identity.
+
+"Well, I never heard a dead man talk, as I know of, before; and as to
+our being _here_, if your own eyes don't convince you, I'll swear to
+it," said Joe.
+
+"Did I not go up to the island this morning?" inquired Glenn.
+
+"No," said Joe.
+
+"Did you not accompany me, and fire at the buck?" interrogated Glenn,
+resuming his seat.
+
+"No--I'll be hanged if I did!" said Joe somewhat warmly.
+
+"What have I been doing all day?"
+
+"You've been sitting there fast asleep, and I presume you were
+dreaming."
+
+"Thank Heaven, it was but a dream!" exclaimed Glenn, laughing.
+
+"A dream?" responded Joe, sitting down on his stool, and soliciting
+Glenn to relate it to him. Glenn complied, and the narration was
+nothing more than what the incredulous reader has been staring at all
+this time. But we will make amends.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+A hunt--A deer taken--The hounds--Joe makes a horrid discovery
+--Sneak--The exhumation.
+
+
+"It beats all the dreams I ever heard," said Joe, feeling his right
+shoulder with his left hand..
+
+"Why do you feel your shoulder, Joe?" asked Glenn, smiling, as he
+recollected the many times his man had suffered by the rebound of his
+musket, and diverted at the grave and thoughtful expression of his
+features.
+
+"It _was_ a dream, wasn't it?" asked Joe, with simplicity, still
+examining his shoulder.
+
+"But you know there was no lead in the gun, and it could not rebound
+with much violence," said Glenn.
+
+"I'll soon see all about it," exclaimed Joe, springing up and running
+to his gun. After a careful examination he returned to his stool
+beside the fire, and sat some minutes, with the musket lying across
+his knees, and his chin in his hand, plunged in profound meditation on
+the imaginary incidents which had just been related to him. Had the
+dream been an ordinary one, and he not an actor in it, it might have
+passed swiftly from his memory; but inasmuch as the conduct imputed to
+him was so natural, and the expressions he was made to utter so
+characteristic, he could not but regard it as a vision far more
+significant and important than a mere freak of the brain during a
+moment of slumber.
+
+"What are you studying about?" interrogated Glenn.
+
+"I can't understand it," replied Joe, shaking his head.
+
+"Neither can the most renowned philosopher," said Glenn; "but you can
+tell whether your musket has been discharged."
+
+"It hasn't been fired," said Joe. "But what distresses me is, that
+there should be only a charge of powder in it, just as you stated, and
+when I drew out the shot you were fast asleep. You must have heard me
+say I intended to do it."
+
+"Not that I remember," said Glenn.
+
+"Then there must be a wizard about, sure enough," said Joe, and he
+crossed himself.
+
+"Suppose we take our guns and walk out in the direction mentioned?"
+said Glenn; "I feel the want of exercise after my sleep, and have some
+curiosity to test the accuracy of my dream by comparing the things
+described with the real objects on the island."
+
+"Not for the world!" cried Joe, lifting both hands imploringly; "but I
+will gladly go anywhere else, just to see if the bushes are as
+beautiful as you thought they were, and if the deer can't run on the
+snow-crust as well as the dogs."
+
+"Come on, then--I care not which course we go," said Glenn, taking up
+his gun, and leading the way out of the inclosure.
+
+They pursued a westerly course until they reached nearly to the edge
+of the prairie, when they paused in the midst of a cluster of hazel
+bushes, to admire the beauty of the novel scene. The description had
+been perfect. Even Glenn surveyed the emblazenry of magic "frost
+work," around him with some misgivings as to the fallacy of his
+vision. Joe stared at his master with a curious and ludicrous
+expression.
+
+"I am not dreaming now, Joe," said he, with a smile.
+
+"How do you know?" asked Joe.
+
+"That's well put," said Glenn; "indeed, I am very sure that many of my
+lively and spirited friends in Philadelphia and New York, could they
+but see me, would swear that I have been dreaming every day for the
+last three months. However, I have not now the same reverence for the
+sylvan gods I was so much inclined to worship in my last sleep; and,
+moreover, I am the first to see the deer this time. Yonder it stands.
+It is not a buck, though; capture it as soon as you please."
+
+"Where is it?" exclaimed Joe, his superstition vanishing as he
+anticipated some sport; and, gliding quickly to Glenn's side, he
+beheld, under the branches of a low scrubby oak tree, the head and
+ears of a large doe. It was intently watching our pedestrians, and
+stood motionless in the ambush, on which it vainly relied to obscure
+it from the eyes of an enemy.
+
+"You must not fire," said Glenn, placing his hand on the shoulder of
+Joe. Joe lowered his musket reluctantly, and turning his eyes to his
+master, seemed inclined to relapse into the belief that all was not
+right and natural in their proceedings.
+
+"Now go to it," said Glenn, gently taking the gun from Joe.
+
+"I'd rather not," said Joe.
+
+"Why? A doe cannot hurt you--it has no horns."
+
+"I don't fear it--I'm only afraid it will run away," said Joe, eager
+to secure the prize.
+
+"Try it, at all events; if it should run very fast, I think I shall be
+able to arrest its career with the gun," said Glenn, who prepared to
+fire, provided the deer was likely to escape the clutches of Joe.
+
+"Here goes!" cried Joe, leaping through the small bushes towards the
+covert. The deer moved not until Joe reached within a few feet of it,
+when, making a mighty spring, it bounded over the head of its
+assailant, and its sharp feet running through the icy surface of the
+snow, penetrated so far down, from the force of its weight, that it
+was unable to escape. It now lay quite still, with its large blue eyes
+turned imploringly to its foe. Joe seized it by the hind feet, and
+exultingly exclaimed that the prize was safely his own. The trembling
+and unresisting animal appeared to be as perfectly submissive as a
+sheep in the hands of the shearer.
+
+"You have it, sure enough!" said Glenn, coming up and viewing the
+scene with interest.
+
+"Lash me if I haven't!" said Joe, much excited. "Have you got any sort
+of a string about you?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Please cut down a hickory withe, and peel the bark off for me, while
+I hold its legs."
+
+Glenn drew out his hunting knife, but paused when in the act of
+executing his man's request, and turning, with a smile playing upon
+his lip, said--
+
+"Perhaps, Joe, this is but another dream; and if so, it is folly to
+give ourselves any unnecessary trouble."
+
+"Lash me if it ain't reality!" replied Joe, as the deer at length
+began to struggle violently.
+
+Extricating its feet from his grasp, the doe bestowed a well directed
+kick on its foe's head, which tumbled him over on his back. The animal
+then sprang up, but aware there was no chance of escape by running,
+faced about and plied its bony head so furiously against Joe's breast
+and sides that he was forced to scamper away with all possible
+expedition.
+
+"Has it bruised you, Joe? If so, this is certainly no dream," remarked
+Glenn.
+
+"Oh, goodness! I'm battered almost to a jelly. I'll take my oath
+there's no dreaming about this. Let me go after Ringwood and Jowler."
+
+"It would be too cruel to let the hounds tear the poor thing," said
+Glenn; "but after you have bound its feet together, you may bring out
+one of the horses and a sled, and convey it home unhurt."
+
+"The horses can't go in this deep snow," said Joe.
+
+"True, I forgot that. Take your musket and shoot it," said Glenn,
+turning away, not wishing to witness the death of the deer.
+
+"I'd rather take him prisoner," said Joe, lowering his musket after
+taking a long aim. "I can drag it on the sled myself."
+
+"Then go for it," said Glenn; "and you may bring the hounds along; I
+will exercise them a little after that fox which keeps such a
+chattering in the next grove. But first let us secure the deer."
+
+Joe charged upon the doe once more, and when it aimed another blow at
+him, he threw himself under its body, and the animal falling over on
+its side, the combined efforts of the men sufficed to bind its feet.
+Joe then went to the house for the hounds and the sled, and Glenn
+leant against the oak, awaiting his return. It was not long before the
+hounds arrived, which was soon succeeded by the approach of Joe with
+the sled. Ringwood and Jowler evinced palpable signs of delight on
+beholding the bound captive, but their training was so perfect that
+they showed no disposition to molest it without the orders of their
+master. One word from Glenn, and the deer would have been instantly
+torn in pieces; but it was exempt from danger as long as that word was
+withheld.
+
+Joe soon came up, and in a very few minutes the doe was laid upon the
+sled. When he was in the act of starting homewards with his novel
+burden, the hounds, contrary to their usual practice, refused to
+accompany Glenn to the thicket north of their position, where the fox
+was still heard, and strangely seemed inclined to run in a contrary
+direction. And what was equally remarkable, while snuffing the air
+towards the south, they gave utterance to repeated fierce growls. Joe
+was utterly astonished, and Glenn was fast losing the equanimity of
+his temper.
+
+"There's something more than common down there; see how Ringwood
+bristles up on the back," said Joe.
+
+"Run there with the hounds, and see what it is," said Glenn.
+
+"And I'll take my musket, too," said Joe, striding in the direction
+indicated, with the hounds at his heels and his musket on his
+shoulder.
+
+When he reached a narrow rivulet about one hundred paces distant, that
+gradually widened and deepened until it formed the valley in which the
+ferry-house was situated a half mile below, he paused and suffered the
+hounds to lead the way. They ran a short distance up the ravine and
+halted at the edge of a small thicket, and commenced barking very
+fiercely as they scented the air under the bushes.
+
+"I'll bet it's another bear," said Joe, putting a fresh priming in the
+pan of his musket, and proceeding after the hounds. "If it is a bear,
+ought I to fool with him by myself?" said he, pausing at the edge of
+the thicket. "I might get my other ear boxed," he continued, "and it's
+not such a pleasant thing to be knocked down by the heavy fist of a
+big black bear. If I don't trouble him, he'll be sure to let me alone.
+What if I call the dogs off, and go back? But what tale can I
+manufacture to tell Mr. Glenn? Pshaw! What should I fear, with such a
+musket as this in my hand? I can't help it. I really believe I _am_ a
+little touched with cowardice! I'm sorry for it, but I can't help it.
+It was born with me, and it's not my fault. Confound it! I _will_
+screw up courage enough to see what it is, anyhow." Saying this, he
+strode forward desperately, and urging the hounds onward, followed
+closely in the rear in a stooping posture, under the hazel bushes.
+
+In a very few moments Joe reached the head of the ravine, but to his
+astonishment and no little satisfaction, he beheld nothing but a
+shelving rock, from under which a spring of clear smoking water
+flowed, and a large bank of snow which had drifted around it, but
+through which the gurgling stream had forced its way. Yet the mystery
+was not solved. Ringwood and Jowler continued to growl and yelp still
+more furiously, running round the embankment of snow repeatedly, and
+ever and anon snuffing its icy surface.
+
+"Whip me if I can figure out this," said Joe; "what in the world do
+the dogs keep sticking their noses in that snow for? There can't be a
+bear in it, surely. I've a notion to shoot into it. No I won't. I'll
+do this, though," and drawing out his long knife he thrust it up to
+the handle in the place which seemed the most to attract the hounds.
+
+"Freeze me if it hasn't gone into something besides the snow!"
+exclaimed he, conscious that the steel had penetrated some firm
+substance below the frozen snow-crust. "What the deuce is it?" he
+continued, pulling out the knife and examining it. "Ha! blood, by
+jingo!" he cried, springing up; "but it can't be a living bear, or it
+would have moved; and if it had moved, the stab would have killed it.
+I _won't_ be afraid!" said he, again plunging his knife into it, "It
+don't move yet--it must be dead--why, it's frozen. Pshaw! any thing
+would freeze here, in less than an hour. I'll soon see what it is."
+Saying this, he knelt down on the embankment, and commenced digging
+the snow away with all his might. The dogs crouched down beside him,
+growling and whining alternately, and otherwise exhibiting symptoms of
+restlessness and distress.
+
+"Be still, poor Ringwood, I'm coming to him; I see something dark, but
+there's no hair on it. Ugh! hallo! Oh goodness! St. Peter! Ugh! ugh!
+ugh!" cried he, springing up, his face as pale as the snow, his hair
+standing upright, his chin fallen, and his eyes almost straining out
+of their sockets. Without taking his gun, or putting on his hat, he
+ran through the bushes like a frightened antelope, leaping over
+ditches like a fox-chaser, tearing through opposing grape vines, and
+not pausing until his course was suddenly arrested by Glenn, who
+seized him by the skirt of the coat, and hurled him on his back beside
+the sled on which the deer was bound.
+
+"What is the matter?" demanded Glenn.
+
+Joe panted painfully, and was unable to answer.
+
+"What ails you, I say?" repeated Glenn in a loud voice.
+
+"Peter"--panted Joe.
+
+"Do you mean the pony?"
+
+"St. Peter!" ejaculated Joe.
+
+"Well, what of St. Peter?"
+
+"Oh, let me be off!" cried he, endeavouring to scramble to his feet.
+But he was most effectually prevented. For no sooner had he turned
+over on his hands and knees, than Glenn leaped astride of him.
+
+"Now, if you _will_ go, you shall carry me on your back, and I will
+pelt the secret out of you with my heels, as we travel!"
+
+"Just let me get in the house and fasten the door, and I will tell you
+every word," said Joe imploringly.
+
+"Tell me now, or you shall remain in the snow all day long!" said
+Glenn, with a hand grasping each side of Joe's neck.
+
+"Oh, what shall I do? I can't speak!" yelled Joe, trying outright, the
+large tear-drops falling from his nose and chin.
+
+"You have not lost your voice, I should say, at all events," implied
+Glenn, somewhat touched with pity at his man's unequivocal distress,
+though he could scarce restrain his laughter when he viewed his
+grotesque posture. "What has become of your musket and hat?" he added.
+
+"I left them both there," said Joe, gradually becoming composed under
+the weight of his master.
+
+"Where?" asked Glenn.
+
+"At the cave-spring."
+
+"Well, what made you leave them there?"
+
+"Just get off my back and I'll tell you. I'm getting over it now; I'm
+going to be mad instead of frightened," said Joe, with real composure.
+
+"Get up, then; but I won't trust you yet. You must still suffer me to
+hold your collar," said Glenn.
+
+"If you go to the cave-spring you will see a sight!"
+
+"What kind of a sight?"
+
+"Such a sight as I never dreamed of before!"
+
+"Then it has been nothing but a dream _this time_, after all your
+foolery?"
+
+"No, I'll be shot if there was any dreaming about it," replied Joe;
+and he related every thing up to the horrid discovery which caused him
+to retreat so precipitately, and then paused, as if dreading to revert
+to the subject.
+
+"What did you find there? Was it any thing that could injure you?"
+
+"No," said Joe, shaking his head solemnly.
+
+"Why did you run, then?" demanded Glenn, impatiently.
+
+"The truth is, I don't know myself, now I reflect about it. But I'd
+rather not tell what I saw just yet. I was pretty considerably
+alarmed, wasn't I?"
+
+"Ridiculous! I will not be trifled with in this manner Tell me
+instantly what you saw!" said Glenn, his vexation and anger overcoming
+his usual indulgent nature.
+
+"I'll tell you now--it was a--Didn't you see them bushes move?" asked
+Joe, staring wildly at a clump of sumach bushes a few paces distant.
+
+"What was it you saw at the cave-spring!" shouted Glenn, his face
+turning red.
+
+"I--I"--responded Joe, his eyes still fixed on the bushes. "It was
+a--Ugh!"--cried he, starting, as he beheld the little thicket open,
+and a tall man rise up, holding in his hand a bunch of dead muskrats.
+
+"Dod speak on--I want to hear what it was--I've been laying here all
+this time waiting to know what great thing it was that skeered you so
+much. I never laughed so in all my life as I did when he got
+a-straddle of you. I was coming up to the sled, when I saw you
+streaking it through the vines and briers, and then I squatted down
+awhile to see what would turn up next."
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! is it you, Sneak? I thought you was an Indian! Come on,
+I'll tell now. _It was a man's moccasin_!" said Joe, in a low,
+mysterious tone.
+
+"And you ran in that manner from an old moccasin!" said Glenn,
+reproachfully.
+
+"But there was a _foot_ in it!" continued Joe.
+
+"A _he_ man's foot?" inquired Sneak, quickly turning to Joe.
+
+"How could I tell whether it was a he man's foot, or a female woman's,
+as you call them?" replied Joe.
+
+"Are you sure it was a human being's foot?" demanded Glenn.
+
+"Well, I never saw any other animal but a man wear a buckskin
+moccasin!" replied Joe.
+
+"An Irishman can't tell any thing right, nohow you can fix it," said
+Sneak.
+
+"They can't tell how you make wooden nutmegs," retorted Joe.
+
+"Come," said Glenn, "we will go and examine for ourselves."
+
+The party set off in a brisk walk, and soon reached the scene of Joe's
+alarm. Sure enough, there was the moccasin, and a man's foot in it!
+
+"It's somebody, after all," said Sneak, giving the frozen foot a kick.
+
+"Ain't you ashamed to do that?" said Joe, knitting his brows.
+
+"He's nothing more than a stone, now. Why didn't he holler when you
+stuck your knife into him?" replied Sneak.
+
+"Dig him up, that we may see who he is," said Glenn.
+
+"I'd rather not touch him," said Joe.
+
+"You're a fool!" said Sneak. "Stand off, and let me at him--I'll soon
+see who he is." Sneak threw down his maskrats, and with his spear and
+knife soon extricated the body, which he handled as unceremoniously as
+he would have done a log of wood. "Dod rot your skin!" he exclaimed,
+when he brushed the snow from the man's face. He then threw down the
+body with great violence.
+
+"Oh don't!" cried Joe, while the cold chills ran up his back.
+
+"Who is it?" asked Glenn.
+
+"It's that copper-snake, traitor, skunk, water-dog, lizard-hawk,
+horned frog--"
+
+"Who do you mean?" interrupted Glenn.
+
+"_Posin_, the maliverous rascal who collogued with the Injins to
+murder us all! I'm glad he got his dose--and if he was alive now, I'd
+make him swaller at least two foot of my spear," said Sneak.
+
+"'Twas me--I killed him--look at the buck-shot holes in his back!"
+exclaimed Joe, now recovering from his excitement and affright.
+
+"Yes, and you're a nice chap, ain't you, to run like flugins from a
+dead man that you killed yourself!" said Sneak.
+
+"How did I know that I killed him?" retorted Joe.
+
+"Any fool might know he was dead," replied Sneak.
+
+"I'll pay you for this, some of these times," said Joe.
+
+"How shall we bury him?" asked Glenn.
+
+"That can be done real easy," said Sneak, taking hold of the dead
+man's leg and dragging him along on the snow like a sled.
+
+"What are you going to do with him?" demanded Glenn.
+
+"I'm a going to cut a hole in the ice on the river, and push him
+under," said Sneak.
+
+"You shall do no such thing!" said Glenn, firmly; "he must be buried
+in the earth."
+
+"Just as you say," said Sneak, submissively, throwing down the leg.
+
+"Run home and bring the spades, Joe," said Glenn, "and call for the
+ferrymen to assist us."
+
+"And I'll take the sled along and leave it in the yard," said Joe,
+starting in the direction of the deer and calling the hounds after
+him.
+
+"Let the hounds remain," said Glenn. "I am resolved to have my
+fox-hunt." Joe soon disappeared.
+
+"If you want to hunt, you can go on; Roughgrove and me will bury this
+robber," said Sneak.
+
+"Be it so," said Glenn; "but remember that you are not to put him in
+the river, nor must you commit any indecent outrage upon his person.
+Let his body return to the earth--his soul is already in the hands of
+Him who created it."
+
+"That's as true as gospel," said Sneak; "and I would rather be froze
+in this snow than to have his hot berth in the t'other world. I don't
+feel a bit mad at him now--he's paying for his black dagiverous
+conduct hard enough by this time, I'll be bound. I say, Mr. Glenn,
+it'll be rather late when we get through with this job--will there be
+any vacant room at your fireside to-night?"
+
+"Certainly, and something to eat--you will be welcome, provided you
+don't quarrel too much with Joe," replied Glenn.
+
+"Oh, Joe and me understand each other--the more we quarrel the more we
+love one another. We'll never fight--do you mind that--for he's a
+coward for one thing, and I won't corner him too close, because he's
+broad-shouldered enough to _lick me_, if he was to take it into his
+head to fight."
+
+Glenn called the hounds after him and set out in quest of the fox, and
+Sneak turned to the dead body and mused in silence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+Boone--The interment--Startling intelligence--Indians about--A
+skunk--Thrilling fears--Boone's device.
+
+
+Ere long Joe was on his way back to the cave-spring, with several
+spades on his shoulder, accompanied by Boone, (who had just crossed
+the river on a visit to Glenn,) and Roughgrove, with his two oarsmen.
+
+"Is Glenn at the spring with Sneak?" asked Boone, in a very thoughtful
+and grave manner.
+
+"Yes, sir, I left him there, and I now hear him with the hounds
+chasing a fox," replied Joe, in true native style.
+
+"If he is with the hounds, he is certainly not at the spring,"
+remarked Roughgrove.
+
+"I meant that he was there, or _thereabouts_" replied Joe.
+
+"Who found the dead man?" inquired Boone.
+
+"I did--that is, when the dogs scented him--and it almost frightened
+me when I dug out his foot," said Joe.
+
+"No doubt!" observed Boone.
+
+The party now moved along in silence, still permitting Joe to lead the
+way, until they suddenly emerged from the thicket in the immediate
+vicinity of the spring, when an unexpected scene attracted their
+notice. Sneak was composedly seated on the body of the dead man, and
+very deliberately searching his pockets!
+
+"Well! that beats all the mean actions I ever beheld before!" said
+Joe, pausing and staring indignantly at Sneak.
+
+"You're a fool!" replied Sneak.
+
+"What for? because I wouldn't rob the dead?" retorted Joe.
+
+"Do you call this robbing the dead? Hain't this traitor stoled this
+lump of gold from the Injins?" said Sneak, displaying a rough piece of
+the precious metal about the size of a crow's egg.
+
+"Is it gold?" asked Joe, with some anxiety.
+
+"Sartainly it is," answered Sneak, handing it to him to be examined;
+"and what good could come of burying it agin? I'll leave it to Mr.
+Boone to say if I ain't right in taking it myself."
+
+"Oh, any thing worth this much ought to be taken," said Joe,
+depositing the lump of gold in his pocket.
+
+"See here, my chap," said Sneak, rising up and casting a furious
+glance at him, "if you don't mean to hand that out again, one or the
+t'other of us must be put in the ground with the traitorious
+Posin--and if it is to be you, it'll be a purty thing for it to be
+said that you brought a spade to bury yourself with."
+
+"Didn't I find the body?" said Joe.
+
+"But burn me if you found the gold," said Sneak.
+
+"Shall I decide the matter?" interposed Roughgrove.
+
+"I'm willing," said Sneak.
+
+"And so am I," replied Joe.
+
+"Then give it to me, and I'll cut it in two, and give a half to each
+of you," said Roughgrove.
+
+The decision was final; and seizing the spades, Joe, Sneak, and the
+oarsmen began to prepare a resting-place for the dead body. Boone
+continued silent, with his eyes steadfastly gazing at the earth which
+the workmen began to throw up.
+
+"Posin's done ferrying now," said Dan Rudder, one of the defunct's old
+companions in the service of Roughgrove.
+
+"No he ain't," said Sneak, throwing up a spadeful of flint stones.
+
+"I'll keep some of these for my musket," said Joe.
+
+"Why ain't he?" demanded Dan.
+
+"Because he's got to cross the river--the river--what do they call
+it?--the river Poles," said Sneak.
+
+"Styx, you dunce," said Joe.
+
+"Well, 'twas only a slip of the tongue--what's the difference between
+poles and sticks?"
+
+"_You_ never read any thing about it; you only heard somebody say so,"
+said Joe, pausing to listen to the hounds that ever and anon yelped in
+the vicinity.
+
+"If I didn't, I don't believe the man that wrote that book ever
+crossed, or even had a squint at the river himself," replied Sneak.
+
+"Whereabouts is the river?" asked Dan.
+
+"In the lower regions," said Joe, striking his spade against a hard
+substance.
+
+"What's that you're scraping the dirt off of?" asked Sneak.
+
+"Oh, my goodness!" cried Joe, leaping out of the grave.
+
+"Let it remain!" said Boone, in a commanding tone, looking in and
+discovering a skull; "I once buried a friend here--he was shot down at
+my side by the Indians."
+
+"Fill up the hole agin! Posin shan't lay on top of any of your
+friends!" exclaimed Sneak, likewise leaping out of the grave.
+
+"It matters not--but do as you please," said Boone, turning away and
+marking the distressed yelping of the hounds, which indicated, from
+some unusual cause, that they did not enjoy the chase as much as was
+their wont.
+
+"Split me if he shan't be buried somewhere else, if I have to dig the
+hole myself," said Sneak, filling up the grave.
+
+"I'll stick by you, Sneak," said Dan.
+
+"Dan and me 'll finish the job; all the rest of you may go off," said
+Sneak, releasing the rest of the party from any further participation
+in the depositing of the remains of Posin in the earth.
+
+"Glenn does not yet understand Ringwood and Jowler," said Boone, still
+listening to the chase.
+
+"I never heard the dogs bark that way before until to-day," said Joe;
+"only that night when we killed the buffalo."
+
+"Something besides the buffalo caused them to do it then," replied
+Boone.
+
+"Yes, indeed--they must have known the fire was coming--but the fire
+can't come now."
+
+"Sneak," said Boone, "when you are done here, come to Mr. Glenn's
+house."
+
+"I will, as soon as I go to my muskrat trap out at the lake and get my
+rifle."
+
+"Be in a hurry," said Boone; and turning towards the chase, he uttered
+a "Ya-ho!" and instantly the hounds were hushed.
+
+"Dod!" exclaimed Sneak, staring a moment at Boone, while his large
+eyes seemed to increase in size, and then rolling up his sleeves, he
+delved away with extraordinary dispatch.
+
+In a very short space of time, Ringwood and Jowler rushed from the
+thicket, and leaping up against the breast of their old master,
+evinced a positive happiness in once more beholding him. They were
+soon followed by Glenn, who dashed briskly through the thicket to see
+who it was that caused his hounds to abandon him so unceremoniously.
+No sooner did he discover his aged friend than he ran forward and
+grasped his hand.
+
+"I thought not of you, and yet I could think of no one else who might
+thus entice my noble hounds away. Return with me, and we will have the
+fox in a few minutes--he is now nearly exhausted," said Glenn.
+
+"Molest him not," said Boone. "Did you not observe how reluctantly the
+hounds chased him?"
+
+"I did; what was the cause of it?" asked Glenn.
+
+"The breeze is tainted with the scent of Indians!" whispered Boone.
+
+"Again thou art my preserver!" said Glenn, in a low tone.
+
+"I came to give you intelligence that the Osages would probably be
+upon you in a few days," said Boone; "but I did not think they were
+really in the neighbourhood until I heard your unerring hounds. Col.
+Cooper, of my settlement, made an excursion southward some ten days
+ago to explore a region he had never visited; but observing a large
+war-party at a distance, coming hitherward, he retreated
+precipitately, and reached home this morning. Excessive fatigue and
+illness prevented him from accompanying me over the river; and what is
+worse, nearly every man in our settlement is at present more than a
+hundred miles up the river, trapping beaver. If we are attacked
+to-night, or even within a day or two, we have nothing to depend upon
+but our own force to defend ourselves."
+
+"Should it be so, I doubt not we will be able to withstand them as
+successfully as we did before," said Glenn.
+
+"Let us go with Roughgrove to his house, and take his daughter and his
+effects to your little fortress," said Boone, joining the old
+ferryman, whom a single word sufficed to apprize of the state of
+affairs.
+
+"I must prepare for the worst, now," said Roughgrove; "they will never
+forget or forgive the part I acted on the night of their defeat."
+
+Boone, Glenn, and Roughgrove proceeded down the valley, while Joe
+seemed disposed to loiter, undetermined what to engage in, having cast
+an occasional curious glance at Boone and his master when engaged in
+their low conversation, and rightly conjecturing that "something wrong
+was in the wind," as he expressed it.
+
+"Why don't you go home?" asked Sneak, rolling the dead body into the
+grave, and dashing the mingled earth and snow remorselessly upon it.
+
+"I'll go when I'm ready," replied Joe; "but I should like to know what
+all that whispering and nodding was about."
+
+"I can tell you," said Dan; but his speech was suddenly arrested by a
+sign from Sneak.
+
+"I wish you would tell me," continued Joe, manifesting no little
+uneasiness.
+
+"Have you got a plenty to eat at your house?" asked Sneak.
+
+"To be sure we have," said Joe; "now tell me what's in the wind."
+
+"If I was to tell you, I bet you'd be frightened half to death,"
+remarked Sneak, driving down a headstone, having filled up the grave.
+
+"No! no--I--indeed but I wouldn't, though!" said Joe, trembling at
+every joint, the true cause, for the first time, occurring to him.
+"Ain't it Indians, Mr. Sneak?"
+
+"Don't call me _Mister_ agin, if you please. There are more moccasins
+than the one you found in these parts, that's all."
+
+"I'll go home and tell Mr. Glenn!" said Joe, whirling round quickly.
+
+"Dod rot your cowardly hide of you!" said Sneak, staring at him
+contemptuously; "now don't you _know_ he knowed it before you did?"
+
+"Yes--but I was going home to tell him that some bullets must be
+run--that's what I meant."
+
+"Don't you think he knows that as well as you do?" continued Sneak.
+
+"But I--I _must_ go!" exclaimed Joe, starting in a half run, with the
+hounds (which had been forgotten by their master) following at his
+heels.
+
+"Let me have the hounds, to go after my gun--the red skins might
+waylay me, if I go alone, in spite of all my cunning woodcraft," said
+Sneak.
+
+"Go back!" cried Joe, to the hounds. They instantly obeyed, and the
+next moment Joe was scampering homeward with all the speed of which
+his legs were capable.
+
+When he reached the house, his fears were by no means allayed on
+beholding the most valuable articles of Roughgrove's dwelling already
+removed thither, and the ferryman himself, his daughter, Boone and
+Glenn, assembled in consultation within the inclosure. Joe closed the
+gate hurriedly after him, and bolted it on the inside.
+
+"Why did you shut the gate? Open it again," said Glenn.
+
+"Ain't we besieged again? ain't the Indians all around us, ready to
+rush in and take our scalps?" said Joe, obeying the command
+reluctantly.
+
+"They will not trouble us before night," said Roughgrove.
+
+"No, we need not fear them before night," remarked Boone, whose
+continued thoughtful aspect impressed Glenn with the belief that he
+apprehended more than the usual horrors of Indian warfare during the
+impending attack.
+
+"They will burn father's house, but that is nothing compared to what I
+fear will be his own fate!" murmured Mary, dejectedly.
+
+"We can soon build him another," said Glenn, moved by the evident
+distress of the pale girl; "and I am very sure that my little stone
+castle will suffice to preserve not only your father and yourself, but
+all who take shelter in it, from personal injury. So, cheer up, Mary."
+
+"Oh, I will not complain; it pained me most when I first heard they
+were coming once more; I will soon be calm again, and just as composed
+when they are shooting at us, as I was the other time. But _you_ will
+be in a great deal more danger than you were that night. Yet Boone is
+with us again--he _must_ save us," said Mary.
+
+"Why do you think there will be more danger, Mary?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Yes, why do you think so?" interposed Joe, much interested in the
+reply.
+
+"Because the snow is so deep and so firm, they will leap over the
+palisade, if there be a great many of them," replied Mary. Glenn felt
+a chill shoot through his breast, for this fact had not before
+occurred to him.
+
+"Oh, goodness!--let us all go to work and shovel it away on the
+outside," cried Joe, running about in quest of the spades. "Oh, St.
+Peter!" he continued, "the spades are out at the cave-spring!"
+
+"Run and bring them," said Glenn.
+
+"Never--not for the world! They'd take my scalp to a certainty before
+I could get back again," replied Joe, trembling all over.
+
+"There is no danger yet," said Roughgrove, the deep snow having
+occurred to him at the first announcement of the threatened attack,
+and produced many painful fears in his breast, which caused a sadness
+to rest upon his time-worn features; "but," he continued, "it would
+not be in our power to remove the snow in two whole days, and a few
+hours only are left us to prepare for the worst."
+
+"Let them come within the inclosure," said Glenn, "and even then they
+cannot harm us. The walls of my house are made of stone, and so is the
+ceiling; they can only burn the roof--I do not think they can harm our
+persons. We have food enough to last for months, and there is no
+likelihood of the siege lasting a single week."
+
+"I'll make sure of the deer," muttered Joe; and before any one could
+interpose, he struck off the head of the doe with an axe, as it still
+lay bound upon the sled. And he was brandishing the reeking steel over
+the neck of the fawn, that stood by, looking on innocently, when a cry
+from Mary arrested the blow.
+
+"If you injure a hair of Mary's gift," said Glenn, in anger, "you
+shall suffer as severe a fate yourself."
+
+"Pardon me," said Joe to Mary; "I was excited--I didn't hardly know
+what I was doing. I thought as we were going to be pent up by the
+Indians, for goodness only knows how long, that we'd better provide
+enough food to keep from starving. I love the fawn as well as you do,
+and Mr. Glenn loves it because you gave it to him; but its natural to
+prefer our own lives to the lives of dumb animals."
+
+"I forgive you," said Mary, playing with the silken ears of the pet.
+
+"Say no more about it," said Glenn; "but as you are so anxious to be
+well provided with comforts, if we are besieged, there is one thing I
+had forgotten, that is absolutely necessary for our existence, which
+you can procure."
+
+"What is it? Be quick, for we havn't a moment to lose," said Joe.
+
+"Water," replied Glenn.
+
+"That's a fact--but--its way off at the spring, by the ferry," said
+Joe, disliking the idea of exposing himself without the inclosure.
+
+"True, yet it must be had. If you can get it nearer to us, you are at
+liberty to do so," said Glenn.
+
+"Here comes Sneak," said Mary; "he will assist you."
+
+Sneak readily agreed to the proposition, and he and Joe set out, each
+with a large bucket, while the rest of the party, with the exception
+of Boone (who desired to be left alone,) retired within the house.
+
+When Sneak and Joe were filling their buckets at the spring the second
+time, the hounds (which attended them at Joe's special request)
+commenced barking.
+
+"What's that?" cried Joe, dashing his bucket, water and all, in
+Sneak's lap, and running ten or fifteen feet up the hill.
+
+"Dod rot your cowardly heart!" exclaimed Sneak, rising up and shaking
+the cold water from his clothes; "if I don't pay you for this, I wish
+I may be shot!"
+
+"I thought it was the Indians," said Joe, still staring at the small
+thicket of briers, where the hounds were yet growling and bounding
+about in a singular manner.
+
+"I'll see what it is and then pay you for this ducking," said Sneak,
+walking briskly to the edge of the thicket, while the water trickled
+down over his moccasins.
+
+"What is it?" cried Joe, leaping farther up the ascent with great
+trepidation, as he saw the hounds run out of the bushes as if pursued,
+and even Sneak retreating a few paces. But what seemed very
+unaccountable was a _smile_ on Sneak's elongated features.
+
+"What in the world can it be?" repeated Joe.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! if that ain't a purty thing to skeer a full-grown man
+into fits!" said Sneak, retreating yet farther from the thicket.
+
+"What makes _you_ back out, then?" inquired Joe. The hounds now ran to
+the men, and the next moment a small animal, not larger than a rabbit,
+of a dark colour, with long white stripes from the nose to the tail,
+made its appearance, and moved slowly toward the spring. Sneak ran up
+the hill beyond the position occupied by Joe, maintaining all the time
+a most provoking smile.
+
+"Who's scared into fits now, I should like to know?" retorted Joe.
+
+"I wish I had my gun," said Sneak.
+
+"Hang me, if I'm afraid of that little thing," said Joe. Still the
+hounds ran round, yelping, but never venturing within thirty feet of
+the animal.
+
+"I'll be whipped if I understand all this!" said Joe, in utter
+astonishment, looking at Sneak, and then at the hounds.
+
+"Why don't you _run_?" cried Sneak, as the animal continued to
+advance.
+
+"I believe you're making fun of me," said Joe; "that little thing
+can't hurt anybody. Its a pretty little pet, and I've a notion to
+catch it."
+
+"What are you talking about? You know you're afraid of it," said
+Sneak, tauntingly.
+
+"I'll show you," said Joe, springing upon the animal. The polecat (for
+such it was) gave its assailant a taste of its quality in a twinkling.
+Joe grasped his nose with both hands and wheeled away with all
+possible expedition, while the animal pursued its course towards the
+river.
+
+"My goodness, I've got it all over my coat!" exclaimed Joe, rolling on
+the snow in agony.
+
+"Didn't I say I'd pay you for spilling the cold water on me?" cried
+Sneak, in a convulsion of laughter.
+
+"Why didn't you tell me, _you rascal_?" cried Joe, flushed in the
+face, and forgetting the Indians in his increasing anger.
+
+"Oh, I'll laugh myself sore--ha! ha! ha!" continued Sneak, sitting
+down on the snow, and laughing obstreperously.
+
+"You long, lopsided scoundrel, you. My Irish blood is up now," said
+Joe, rushing towards Sneak with a resolution to fight.
+
+"I'll be whipt if you tech me with them hands," said Sneak, running
+away.
+
+"Oh, what shall I do?" cried Joe, sinking down, his rage suddenly
+subdued by his sickening condition.
+
+"If you'll say all's square betwixt us, I'll tell you what to do. If
+you don't do something right quick, they won't let you sleep in the
+house for a month."
+
+"Well. Now tell me quick!"
+
+"Pull off your coat before it soaks through."
+
+"I didn't think of that," said Joe, obeying with alacrity, and
+shivering in the cold air.
+
+"Now twist a stick into it, so you can carry it up to the house,
+without touching it with your hands, that is, if none of it got on
+'em," continued Sneak.
+
+"There ain't a bit anywhere else but on the shoulder of my coat," said
+Joe, acting according to Sneak's instructions. Filling their buckets,
+they at length started towards the house, Joe holding a bucket in one
+hand, and a long pole, on which dangled his coat, in the other. When
+they entered, the company involuntarily started; and Glenn, losing all
+control over his temper, hurled a book at his man's head, and
+commanded him not to venture in his presence again until he could by
+some means dispense with his horrid odor.
+
+"Foller me," said Sneak, leading the way to the stable, and taking
+with him one of the spades he had brought in from the burial; "now,"
+he continued, when they were with the horses, "dig a hole at this end
+of the stall, and bury your coat. If you hadn't took it in the house,
+like a dunce, they'd never 'ave known any thing about it."
+
+"Oh, my goodness! I'm sick!" said Joe, urging the spade in the earth
+with his foot, and betraying unequivocal signs of indisposition.
+However, the garment was soon covered up, and the annoyance abated.
+
+But no sooner was Joe well out of this difficulty, than the dread of
+the tomahawk and scalping knife returned in greater force than ever.
+
+Boone remained taciturn, his clear, eagle-eye scanning the palisade,
+and the direction from which the savages would be most likely to come.
+
+Joe approached the renowned pioneer for the purpose of asking his
+opinion respecting the chances of escaping with life from the expected
+struggle, but was deterred by his serious and commanding glance. But
+soon a singular change came over his stern features, and as sudden as
+strange. His countenance assumed an air of triumph, and a half-formed
+smile played upon his lip. His meditations had doubtless resulted in
+the resolution to adopt some decisive course, which, in his opinion,
+would insure the safety of the little garrison. His brow had been
+watched by the inmates of the house, and, hailing the change with joy,
+they came forth to ascertain more certainly their fate.
+
+"How much powder have you, my young friend?" asked Boone.
+
+"Five kegs," answered Glenn, promptly.
+
+"Then we are safe!" said Boone, in a pleasant and affable manner,
+which imparted confidence to the whole party.
+
+"I thought--I almost _knew_ that we were safe, with _you_ among us,"
+said Mary, playing with Boone's hand.
+
+"But you must not venture out of the house as much as you did before,
+my lass, when arrows begin to fly," replied Boone, kissing the
+maiden's forehead.
+
+"But I'll mould your bullets, and get supper for you," said Mary.
+
+"That's a good child," said Roughgrove; "go in, now, and set about
+your task."
+
+Mary bowed to her father, and glided away. The men then clustered
+round Boone, to hear the plan that was to avail them in their present
+difficulty.
+
+"In times of peril," said Boone, "my knowledge of the Indian character
+has always served me. I first reflect what I would do were I myself a
+savage; and, in taking measures to provide against the things which I
+imagine would be done by myself, I have never yet been disappointed.
+The Indians will not rashly rush upon us, and expose themselves to our
+bullets, as they storm the palisade. Had they the resolution to do
+this, not one of us would escape alive, for they would tear down the
+house. It is a very large war-party, and they could begin at the top
+and before morning remove every stone. But they shall not touch one of
+them--"
+
+"I'm so glad!" ejaculated Joe.
+
+"Hush your jaw!" said Sneak.
+
+"They will be divided into two parties," continued Boone; "one party
+will attack us from the west with their arrows, keeping at a
+respectful distance from our guns, while the other will force a
+passage to the palisade from the east without being seen, for they
+will come under the snow! We must instantly plant a keg of powder, on
+the outside of the inclosure, and blow them up when they come. Joe,
+bring out a keg of powder, and also the fishing rods I saw in the
+house. The latter must be joined together, and a communication opened
+through them. They must be filled with powder and one end placed in
+the keg, while the other reaches the inclosure, passing through an
+auger hole. You all understand now what is to be done--let us go to
+work--we have no time to spare."
+
+It was not long before every thing was executed according to the
+directions of Boone, and at nightfall each man was stationed at a
+loophole, with gun in hand, awaiting the coming of the savages.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+Night--Sagacity of the hounds--Reflection--The sneaking savages--Joe's
+disaster--The approach of the foe under the snow--The silent watch.
+
+
+The night was beautiful. The moon sailed through a cloudless sky, and
+the north wind, which had whistled loudly among the branches of the
+trees in the valley at the close of day, was hushed, and a perfect
+calm pervaded the scene.
+
+"What're you leaving your post for?" asked Sneak, as Joe suddenly
+abandoned his watch on the west side of the inclosure, and tripped
+across to Roughgrove.
+
+"Mr. Roughgrove--Mr. Roughgrove," said Joe, in a low tone.
+
+"Well, what do you want with me?" responded the old ferryman.
+
+"I wanted to tell you that your two oarsmen are forgotten, and to ask
+you if we hadn't better call to them to come up here, where they'll be
+out of danger?"
+
+"They are _not_ forgotten," said Roughgrove; "I sent them over the
+river to procure assistance, if possible."
+
+"Thank you. I'm glad they're out of danger. I couldn't rest till I
+found out something about them," said Joe, retiring; but instead of
+resuming his watch, he slipped into the house.
+
+"He's at his old tricks agin," said Sneak, when he observed him
+stealthily enter the door. "Come out, I say!" he continued, in a loud
+voice.
+
+"What is the matter?" interrogated Glenn, from his station on the
+north.
+
+"Why, that feller's crept into the house agin," replied Sneak.
+
+"Well, but he's come out again," said Joe, reappearing, and walking
+reluctantly to his loophole.
+
+"What did you go in for?" demanded Glenn.
+
+"I just wanted to tell Miss Mary that the two oarsmen that helped us
+to bury Posin were gone over the river, and were safe."
+
+"Did she ask for this information?" inquired Glenn.
+
+"No, not exactly," responded Joe; "but I thought if I was uneasy about
+the young men myself, that she, being more delicate than a man, must
+be considerably distressed."
+
+"A mere subterfuge! See that you do not leave your post in future,
+under any circumstances, without permission to do so."
+
+"I won't," replied Joe, peering through his loophole.
+
+Matters remained quiet for a great length of time, and Glenn began to
+hope that even Boone had been mistaken. But Boone himself had no
+doubts upon the subject. Yet he seemed far more affable and cheerful
+than he did before the plan of resistance was formed in his mind.
+Occasionally he would walk round from post to post, and after scanning
+the aspect without, direct the sentinels to observe closely certain
+points, trees or bushes, where he thought the enemy might first be
+seen. He never hinted once that there was a possibility of escaping an
+attack, and the little party felt that the only alternative was to
+watch with diligence and act with vigor and resolution when assailed.
+
+"Do you think they are now in this immediate neighbourhood?" inquired
+Glenn.
+
+"They are not far off, I imagine," replied Boone; and calling the
+hounds from the stable, he continued, "I can show you in which quarter
+they are." The hounds well understood their old master. At his bidding
+they snuffed the air, and whining in a peculiar manner, with their
+heads turned towards the west, the vicinity of the savages was not
+only made manifest, but their location positively pointed out.
+
+"I was not aware, before, of the inestimable value of your gift," said
+Glenn, gazing at the hounds, and completely convinced that their
+conduct was an unerring indication of the presence of the foe.
+
+"Eh! Ringwood!" exclaimed Boone, observing that his favorite hound now
+pointed his nose in a northern direction and uttered a low growl.
+"Indeed!" he continued, "they have got in motion since we have been
+observing the hounds. I was not mistaken. Even while we were speaking
+they divided their strength. One party is even now moving round to the
+east, and at a given signal the other will attack us on the west,
+precisely as I predicted. See! Ringwood turns gradually."
+
+"And you think the greatest danger is to be apprehended from those on
+the east?" said Glenn.
+
+"Yes," said Boone, "for the others cannot approach near enough to do
+much injury without exposing themselves to great peril."
+
+"But how can you ascertain that they will cut a passage under the
+snow, and the precise direction in which they will come?"
+
+"Because," said Boone, "we are situated near the cliff on the east, to
+the summit of which they can climb, without being exposed to our fire,
+and thence it is likewise the shortest distance they can find to cut a
+passage to us under the snow. Mark Ringwood!" he continued, as the
+hound having made a semicircle from the point first noticed, became at
+length stationary, and crouching down on the earth, (where the snow
+had been cleared away at Boone's post,) growled more angrily than
+before, but so low he could not have been heard twenty paces distant.
+
+"This is strange--very strange," said Glenn.
+
+A sound resembling the cry of an owl was heard in the direction of the
+cliff. It was answered on the west apparently by the shrill howl of a
+wolf.
+
+"The signal!" said Boone. "Now let us be on the alert," he continued,
+"and I think we will surprise _them_, both on and under the snow. Let
+no one fire without first consulting me, even should they venture
+within the range of your guns."
+
+The party resumed their respective stations, and once more not a sound
+of any description was heard for a considerable length of time.
+Roughgrove was at the side of Boone, and the other three men were
+posted as before described. The hounds had been sent back to their
+lair in the stable. Not a motion, animate or inanimate, save the
+occasional shooting of the stars in the begemmed firmament, could be
+observed.
+
+While Glenn rested upon his gun, attracted ever and anon by the
+twinkling host above, a throng of unwonted memories crowded upon him.
+He thought of his guileless youth; the uncontaminated days of
+enjoyment ere he had mingled with the designing and heartless
+associates who strove to entice him from the path of virtue; of the
+hopes of budding manhood; of ambitious schemes to win a name by great
+and honourable deeds; of parents, kindred, home; of _her_, who had
+been the angel of all his dreams of paradise below: and then he
+contemplated his present condition, and notwithstanding his resolution
+was unabated, yet in spite of all his struggles, a tear bedewed his
+cheek. He felt that his fate was hard, but he _knew_ that his course
+was proper, and he resolved to fulfil his vow. But with his sadness,
+gloomy forebodings, and deep and unusual thoughts obtruded. In the
+scene of death and carnage that was about to ensue, it occurred to him
+more than once that it might be his lot to fall. This was a painful
+thought. He was brave in conflict, and would not have hesitated to
+rush reckless into the midst of danger; but he was calm now, and the
+thought of death was appalling. He would have preferred to die on a
+nobler field, if he were to fall in battle. He did not wish to die in
+his _youth_, to be cut off, without accomplishing the many ends he had
+so often meditated, and without reaping a few of the sweets of life as
+the reward of his voluntary sacrifice. He also desired to appear once
+more in the busy and detracting world, to vindicate the character that
+might have been unjustly aspersed, to reward the true friendship of
+those whose confidence had never been shaken, and to rebuke, perhaps
+forgive, the enemies who had recklessly pursued him. But another, and
+yet a more stirring and important thought obtruded upon his
+reflections. It was one he had never seriously considered before, and
+it now operated upon him with irresistible power. It was a thought of
+things _beyond_ the grave. The stillness of midnight, the million
+stars above him, the blue eternal expanse through which they were
+distributed--the repose of the invisible winds, that late had howled
+around him--the never-ceasing flow of the ice-bound stream before him,
+and the continual change of hill and valley--now desolate, and clothed
+in frosty vestments, and anon with verdure and variegated
+beauty--constrained him to acknowledge in the secret portals of his
+breast that there was a great, ever-existing Creator. He then called
+to mind the many impressive lessons of a pious mother, which he had
+subsequently disregarded. He remembered the things she had read to him
+in the book of books--the words of prayer she taught him to utter
+every eve, ere he closed his eyes in slumber--and he _now_ repeated
+that humble petition with all the fervency of a chastened spirit. He
+felt truly convinced of the fallacy of setting the heart and the
+affections altogether on the things of this world, where mortals are
+only permitted to abide but a brief space; and a hearty repentance of
+past errors, and a firm resolve to obey the requisitions of the
+Omnipotent in future, were in that hour conceived and engraven
+indelibly upon his heart.
+
+"Mr. Boone--Mr. Boone--Mr. Boone!" cried Joe, softly.
+
+"Dod! don't make sich a fuss," said Sneak.
+
+"Be silent," whispered Boone, gliding to Joe, and gazing out on the
+snow, where he beheld about twenty savages standing erect and
+motionless, not eighty paces distant.
+
+"I came within an ace of shooting," said Joe, "before I thought of
+what you had said. I pulled the trigger with all my might before I
+remembered that you said I musn't shoot till you told me, but as good
+luck would have it, my musket wasn't cocked." Boone went to each of
+the other loopholes, and after scrutinizing every side very closely,
+he directed Sneak and Glenn to abandon their posts and join him at
+Joe's stand, for the purpose of discharging a deadly volley at the
+unsuspecting foe.
+
+"Does it not seem cruel to spill blood in this manner?" whispered
+Glenn, when he viewed the statue-like forms of the unconscious
+Indians.
+
+"Had you witnessed the barbarous deeds that _I_ have seen _them_
+perform--had you beheld the innocent babe ruthlessly butchered--your
+children--your friends maimed, tomahawked, scalped, _burned_ before
+your eyes--could you know the hellish horrors they are _now_
+meditating--you would not entertain much pity for them," said Boone,
+in a low tone, evidently moved by terrible memories, the precise
+nature of which the one addressed could not understand. But Glenn's
+scruples vanished, and as a matter of necessity he determined to
+submit without reserve to the guidance of his experienced friend.
+
+"I should like to know how them yaller rascals got up here so close
+without being eyed sooner," said Sneak to Joe.
+
+"That's what's been puzzling me, ever since I first saw them," said
+Joe, in scarce audible tones.
+
+"Split me if you havn't been asleep," said Sneak.
+
+"No indeed I havn't," said Joe. "I'll declare," he continued, looking
+out, "I never should have thought of _that_. I see now, well enough,
+how they got there without my seeing them. They've got a great big
+ball of snow, half as high as a man's head, and they've been rolling
+it all the time, and creeping along behind it. They're all standing
+before it now, and just as I looked one moved his leg, and then I saw
+what it was. This beats the old boy himself. It's a mercy they didn't
+come all the way and shoot me in the eye!"
+
+"Hush!" said Boone. "They must have heard something, or supposed they
+did, or else your neglect would have been fatal to you ere this. They
+are now waiting to ascertain whether they were mistaken or not. Move
+not, and speak no more, until I order you."
+
+"I won't," said Joe, still gazing at the erect dark forms.
+
+"See how many there is--can't you count 'em?" said Sneak, in a
+whisper, leaning against Joe, and slyly taking a cartridge from his
+belt, slipped it in the muzzle of the musket which was standing
+against the palisade.
+
+"What're you doing with my gun?" asked Joe, in a very low tone, as he
+happened to turn his head and see Sneak take his hand away from the
+muzzle of the musket.
+
+"Nothing--I was only feeling the size of the bore. It's big enough to
+kick down a cow."
+
+"What are you tittering about? you think it's a going to kick me
+again, but you're mistaken--it ain't got two loads in this time."
+
+"Didn't Mr. Boone jest tell you to keep quiet?" said Sneak.
+
+"Don't you speak--then I won't," responded Joe.
+
+The moon had not yet reached the meridian, and the dark shadow of the
+house reaching to the palisade on the west, prevented the Indians from
+observing the movements of the whites through the many slight
+apertures in the inclosure, but through which the besieged party could
+easily observe them.
+
+After a long pause, during which neither party had uttered a word or
+betrayed animation by the least movement, Glenn felt the weight of a
+hand laid gently on his shoulder, and turning beheld Mary at his side.
+Without a motion of the lips, she placed in his hand some bullets she
+had moulded, and then passing on to the other men, gave each a like
+quantity.
+
+"Retire, now, my lass," said Boone; and when she returned to the
+house, he continued, addressing Glenn--"If they do not move one way or
+the other very soon, we will give them a broadside where they are."
+
+"And we could do execution at this distance," observed Glenn.
+
+"I'd be dead sure to kill one, I know I would," said Sneak.
+
+"Let me see if I could take aim," said Joe, deliberately pointing his
+musket through the loophole. The musket had inadvertently been cocked,
+and left in that condition, and no sooner did Joe's finger gently
+press upon the trigger, than it went off, making an astounding report,
+and veiling the whole party in an immense cloud of smoke.
+
+"Who did that?" cried Boone, stamping with vexation.
+
+"Was that you, Joe?" demanded Glenn.
+
+Joe made no answer.
+
+"Oh, dod! my mouth's smashed all to pieces!" said Sneak, crawling up
+from a prostrate position, caused by the rebound of the musket, for he
+was looking over Joe's shoulder when the gun went off.
+
+"Where's Joe?" inquired Glenn, pushing Sneak aside.
+
+"He's dead, I guess--I believe the gun's busted," said Sneak.
+
+"Now, sir! why did you fire?" cried Glenn, somewhat passionately,
+stumbling against Joe, and seizing him by the collar. No answer was
+made, for poor Joe's neck was limber enough, and he quite insensible.
+
+"He's dead in yearnest, jest as I told you," said Sneak; "for that gun
+kicked him on the shoulder hard enough to kill a cow--and the hind
+side of his head struck my tooth hard enough to've kilt a horse. He's
+broke one of my upper fore-teeth smack in two."
+
+"Every man to his post!" exclaimed Boone, as a shower of arrows
+rattled about the premises.
+
+Sneak now occupied Joe's station, and the first glance in the
+direction of the savages sufficed to determine him how to act. Perhaps
+no one ever discharged a rifle more rapidly than he did. And a brisk
+and well-directed fire was kept up for some length of time, likewise,
+by the rest of the besieged.
+
+It was, perhaps, a fortunate thing that Joe _did_ fire without orders,
+and without any intention of doing so himself. It seemed that the
+savages had been meditating a desperate rush upon the fort,
+notwithstanding Boone's prediction; for no sooner did Joe fire, than
+they hastily retreated a short distance, scattering in every
+direction, and, without a moment's consultation, again appeared,
+advancing rapidly from every quarter. It was evident that this plan
+had been preconcerted among them; and had all fired, instead of Joe
+only, they might easily have scaled the palisade before the guns could
+have been reloaded. Neither had the besiegers been aware of the
+strength of the garrison. But they were soon made to understand that
+they had more than Glenn and his man to contend against. The
+discharges followed in such quick succession that they paused, when
+but a moment more would have placed them within the inclosure. But
+several of them being wounded, and Boone and Glenn still doing
+execution with their pistols, the discomfited enemy made a precipitate
+retreat. An occasional flight of arrows continued to assail the
+besieged, but they came from a great distance, for the Indians were
+not long in scampering beyond the range of the loopholes.
+
+When Glenn could no longer see any of the dark forms of the enemy, he
+turned round to contemplate the sad condition of Joe. Joe was sitting
+up, with his hands locked round his knees.
+
+"Well, split me in two!" cried Sneak, staring at his companion.
+
+"What's the matter, Sneak?" asked Joe, with much simplicity.
+
+"That's a purty question for _you_ to ask, after there for dead this
+half-hour almost"
+
+"Have the Indians been here?" asked Joe, staring round wildly.
+
+"Hain't you heard us shooting?"
+
+"My goodness," cried Joe, springing up. "Oh! am I wounded? say!" he
+continued, evincing the most lively alarm.
+
+"Well, if this don't beat every thing that ever I saw in all my life,
+I wish I may be shot!" said Sneak.
+
+"What is it?" asked Joe, his senses yet wandering.
+
+"Jest feel the back of your head," said Sneak. Joe put his hand to the
+place indicated, and winced under the pain of the touch. He then
+looked at his hand, and beholding a quantity of clotted blood upon it,
+fell down suddenly on the snow.
+
+"What's the matter now?" asked Glenn, who had seen his man sitting up,
+and came swiftly to him when he fell.
+
+"I'm a dead man!" said Joe, mournfully.
+
+"That's a lie!" said Sneak.
+
+"What ails you, Joe?" asked Glenn, his tone much softened.
+
+"I'm dying--oh! I'm shot through the head!"
+
+"Don't believe him, Mr. Glenn--I'll be smashed if its any thing but my
+tooth," said Sneak.
+
+"Oh--I'm dying!" continued Joe, pressing his hand against his head,
+while the pain and loss of blood actually produced a faintness, and
+his voice became very weak.
+
+"Are you really much hurt?" continued Glenn, stooping down, and
+feeling his pulse.
+
+"It's all over!" muttered Joe. "I'm going fast. Sancte Petre!--Pater
+noster, qui es in coelis, sanctificeter nomen tuum; adveniat regnum
+tu--"
+
+Here Joe's voice failed, and, falling into a syncope, Glenn and Sneak
+lifted him up and carried him into the house.
+
+"Is he shot?" exclaimed Mary, instantly producing some lint and
+bandages which she had prepared in anticipation of such an event.
+
+"I fear he has received a serious hurt," said Glenn, aiding Mary, who
+had proceeded at once to bind up the wound.
+
+"I'll be split if he's shot!" said Sneak, going out and returning to
+his post. Glenn did likewise when he saw the first indications of
+returning consciousness in his man; and Mary was left alone to restore
+and nurse poor Joe. But he could not have been in better hands.
+
+"I should like to know something about them curious words the feller
+was speaking when he keeled over," said Sneak, as he looked out at the
+now quiet scene from the loophole, and mused over the events of the
+night. "I begin to believe that the feller's a going to die. I don't
+believe any man could talk so, if he wasn't dying."
+
+"Have you seen any of them lately?" inquired Boone, coming to Sneak's
+post and running his eye along the horizon through the loophole.
+
+"Not a one," replied Sneak, "except that feller laying out yander by
+the snowball."
+
+"He's dead," said Boone, "and he is the only one that we are sure of
+having killed to-night. But many are wounded."
+
+"And smash me if Joe didn't kill that one when his musket went off
+before he was ready," said Sneak.
+
+"Yes, I saw him fall when Joe fired; and that accident was, after all,
+a fortunate thing for us," continued Boone.
+
+"But I'm sorry for poor Joe," said Sneak.
+
+"Pshaw!" said Boone; "he'll be well again, in an hour."
+
+"No, he's a gone chicken."
+
+"Why do you think so?"
+
+"Didn't he say so himself? and didn't he gabble out a whole parcel of
+purgatory talk? He's as sure gone as a stuck pig, I tell you,"
+continued Sneak.
+
+"He will eat as hearty a breakfast to-morrow morning as ever he did in
+his life," said Boone. "But let us attend to the business in hand. I
+hardly think we will be annoyed any more from this quarter, unless
+yonder dead Indian was a chief, and then it is more than probable they
+will try to steal him away. However, you may remain here. I, alone,
+can manage the others."
+
+"Which others?" inquired Sneak.
+
+"Those under the snow," replied Boone; "they are now within twenty
+paces of the palisade."
+
+"You don't say so?" said Sneak, cocking his gun.
+
+"I have been listening to them cutting through the snow a long while,
+and it will be a half hour yet before I spring the mine," said Boone.
+
+"I hope it will kill 'em all!" said Sneak.
+
+"Watch close, and perhaps _you_ will kill one yet from this loophole,"
+said Boone, returning to his post, where the slow-match was exposed
+through the palisade near the ground; and Roughgrove stood by, holding
+a pistol, charged with powder only, in readiness to fire the train
+when Boone should give the word of command.
+
+Boone applied his ear to a crevice between the timbers near the earth,
+where the snow had been cleared away. After remaining in this position
+a few moments, he beckoned Glenn to him.
+
+"Place your ear against this crevice," said Boone.
+
+"It is not the Indians I hear, certainly!" remarked Glenn. The sounds
+resembled the ticking of a large clock, differing only in their
+greater rapidity than the strokes of seconds.
+
+"Most certainly it is nothing else," replied Boone.
+
+"But how do they produce such singular sounds? Is it the trampling of
+feet?" continued Glenn.
+
+"It is the sound of many tomahawks cutting a passage," replied Boone.
+
+"But what disposition do they make of the snow, when it is cut loose."
+
+"A portion of them dig, while the rest convey the loose snow out and
+cast it down the cliff."
+
+While the above conversation was going on, a colloquy of a different
+nature transpired within the house. Joe, after recovering from his
+second temporary insensibility, had sunk into a gentle doze, which
+lasted many minutes. Mary had bathed his face repeatedly with sundry
+restoratives, and likewise administered a cordial that she had brought
+from her father's house, which seemed to have a most astonishing
+somniferous effect. When the contents of the bottle were exhausted,
+she sat silently by, watching Joe's apparent slumber, and felt
+rejoiced that her patient promised a speedy recovery. Once, after she
+had been gazing at the fawn, (that had been suffered to occupy a place
+near the wall, where it was now coiled up and sleeping,) on turning
+her eyes towards the face of Joe, she imagined for a moment that she
+saw him close his eyelids quickly. But calling him softly and
+receiving no answer, she concluded it was a mere fancy, and again
+resigned herself to her lonely watch. When she had been sitting thus
+some minutes, watching him patiently, she observed his eyes open
+slowly, and quickly smack to again, when he found that she was looking
+at him. But a moment after, conscious that his wakefulness was
+discovered, he opened them boldly, and found himself possessed of a
+full recollection of all the incidents of the night up to his
+disaster.
+
+"Have they whipt all the Indians away that were standing out on the
+snow, Miss Mary?"
+
+"Yes, long ago--and none have been seen, but the one you killed, for
+some time," she replied, encouragingly.
+
+"Did I kill one sure enough?" asked Joe, while his eyes sparkled
+exceedingly.
+
+"Yes, indeed," replied she; "and I heard Mr. Boone say he was glad it
+happened, and that the accident was, after all, a fortunate thing for
+us."
+
+"_Accident_!" iterated Joe; "who says it was an accident?"
+
+"Wasn't it an accident?" asked the simple girl.
+
+"No, indeed!" replied Joe. "But," he continued, "have they blown up
+the other Indians yet?"
+
+"Not yet--but I heard them say they would do it very soon. They can be
+heard digging under the snow now, very plainly," said Mary.
+
+"Indeed!" said Joe, with no little terror depicted in his face. "I
+wish you'd go and ask Mr. Boone if he thinks you'll be entirely safe,
+if you please, Miss Mary," said Joe beseechingly.
+
+"I will," responded Mary, rising to depart.
+
+"And if they ask how I am," continued Joe, "please say I am a great
+deal better, but too weak yet to go out."
+
+Mary did his bidding; and when she returned, what was her astonishment
+to find her patient running briskly across the room from the cupboard,
+with a whole roasted prairie-hen in one hand, or at least the body of
+it, while he tore away the breast with his teeth, and some half dozen
+crackers in the other! In vain did he attempt to conceal them under
+the covering of his bed, into which he jumped as quickly as possible.
+Guilt was manifest in his averted look, his trembling hand, and his
+greasy mouth! Mary gazed in silent wonder. Joe cowered under her
+glance a few moments, until the irresistible flavour of the fowl
+overcame him, and then his jaws were again set in motion.
+
+"I fear that eating will injure you," remarked Mary, at length.
+
+"Never fear," replied Joe. "When a sick person has a good appetite,
+it's a sure sign he's getting better."
+
+"If you think so you can eat as much as you please," said Mary; "and
+you needn't hide any thing from me."
+
+Joe felt a degree of shame in being so palpably detected, but his
+appetite soon got the better of his scruples, and he gratified the
+demands of his stomach without reserve.
+
+"But what did Mr. Boone say?" asked he, peeping out.
+
+"He says he thinks there is no danger. But the Indians are now within
+a few feet of the palisade, and the explosion is about to take place."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+Sneak skills a sow that "was not all a swine"--The breathless
+suspense--The match in readiness--Joe's cool demeanour--The match
+ignited--Explosion of the mine--Defeat of the savages--The
+captive--His liberation--The repose--The kitten--Morning.
+
+
+"Don't you think I know who you are, and what you're after?" said
+Sneak, as he observed a large black sow, or what seemed to be one,
+rambling about on the snow within a hundred paces of him. "If that
+ain't _my_ sow! She's gone, that's dead sure; and if I don't pepper
+the red rascal that killed her I wish I may be split. That Indian 'll
+find I'm not such a fool as he took me for. Just wait till he gits
+close enough. I ain't to be deceived by my own sow's dead skin, with a
+great big Osage in it, nohow you can fix it." Sneak's conjecture was
+right. The Indian that Joe had killed was a chief, and the apparent
+sow was nothing more than a savage enveloped in a swine's skin. The
+Indian, after reconnoitering the premises with some deliberation,
+evidently believed that his stratagem was successful, and at length
+moved in the direction of his dead comrade, with the manifest
+intention of bearing the body away.
+
+"I'll let you have it now!" said Sneak, firing his rifle, when the
+seeming sow began to drag the fallen chief from the field. The
+discharge took effect; the savage sprang upright and endeavoured to
+retreat in the manner that nature designed him to run; but he did not
+go more than a dozen paces before he sank down and expired.
+
+"That's tit for tat, for killing my sow," said Sneak, gazing at his
+postrate foe.
+
+"Come here, Sneak," said Boone, from the opposite side of the
+inclosure.
+
+"There was but one, and I fixed him," said Sneak, when they asked him
+how many of the enemy were in view when he fired.
+
+"They heard the gun," said Glenn, applying his ear to the chink, and
+remarking that the Indians had suddenly ceased to work under the snow.
+
+"Be quiet," said Boone; "they will begin again in a minute or two."
+
+"They're at it a'ready," said Sneak, a moment after, and very soon
+they were heard again, more distinctly than ever, cutting away with
+increased rapidity.
+
+"Suppose the match does not burn?" observed Glenn, in tones betraying
+a fearful apprehension.
+
+"In such an event," said Boone, "we must retreat into the house, and
+fasten the door without a moment's delay. But I do not much fear any
+such failure, for the dampness of the snow cannot so soon have
+penetrated through the dry reeds to the powder. Still we should be
+prepared--therefore, as there is no necessity that more than one of us
+should be here now, and as I am that man, withdraw, all of you, within
+the house, and remain there until your ears and eyes shall dictate
+what course to pursue." Boone's command was promptly obeyed, and when
+they reached the house and looked back, (the door was kept open,) they
+beheld the renowned pioneer standing erect, holding a pistol in his
+right hand (which he pointed at the cotton that connected with a train
+of powder running along a short plank to the reed that reached the
+buried keg,) while the moon, now midway in the heavens, "and
+beautifully bright," revealed the stern and determined expression of
+pale brow and fixed lip. Thus he stood many minutes, and they seemed
+hours to those who gazed upon the breathless scene from the house. Not
+a sound was heard, save the rapid ticking of tomahawks under the snow
+outside of the inclosure, or the occasional hasty remark of those who
+were looking on in painful and thrilling suspense. Once Boone bowed
+his head and listened an instant to the operations of the savages, and
+when he rose erect again, the party looking on confidently expected he
+would fire the train. But the fatal moment had not yet arrived. Still
+he pointed the pistol at the combustible matter, and his eye glanced
+along the barrel; but he maintained a statue-like stillness, as if
+awaiting some preconcerted signal.
+
+"Why don't he fire?" inquired Glenn, in a whisper.
+
+"It is not quite time yet," responded Roughgrove.
+
+"Dod! they'll crawl up presently, and jump over the fence," said
+Sneak.
+
+"Oh, goodness! I wish he'd shoot!" said Joe, in low, sepulchral tones,
+his head thrust between Sneak's legs, whither he had crawled
+unobserved, and was now peering out at the scene.
+
+"Who are you?" exclaimed Sneak, leaping away from Joe's bandaged head,
+which he did not recognize at the first glance.
+
+"It's nobody but me," said Joe, turning his face upward, that his
+friend might not suppose him an enemy.
+
+"Well, what are you doing here? I thought you was a dying."
+
+"I'm a good deal better, but I'm too weak to do any thing yet," said
+Joe, in piteous tones, as he looked fearfully at Boone, and listened
+to the strokes of the Indians without, which became louder and louder.
+
+"Stand back a little," said Boone to those in the door-way, "that I
+may enter when I fire--the match may burn more briskly than I
+anticipated."
+
+A passage was opened for him to enter. He pulled the trigger--the
+pistol missed fire--he deliberately poured in fresh priming from his
+horn, and once more taking aim, the pistol was discharged, and,
+running to the house, and entering a little beyond the threshold, he
+paused, and turned to behold the realization of his hopes. The light
+combustible matter flashed up brightly, and the blaze ran along the
+ground a moment in the direction of the end of the reed; but at the
+instant when all expected to see the powder ignited, the flames seemed
+to die away, and the darkness which succeeded impressed them with the
+fear that the damp snow had, indeed, defeated their purpose.
+
+"Split me if it _shan't_ go off!" cried Sneak, running out with a
+torch in his hand, that he snatched from the fireplace. When he
+reached the trench that had been dug along the palisade, and in which
+the slow match was placed, he looked down but once, and dashing his
+fire-brand behind him, sprang back to the house, with all the celerity
+of which he was capable. "Dod!" said he, "it's burning yet, but we
+couldn't see it from here. It'll set the powder off in less than no
+time!"
+
+"I trust it will!" said Boone, with much anxiety. And truly the crisis
+had arrived, beyond which, if it were delayed a single minute, it
+would be too late! The _voices_ of the Indians could now be heard, and
+the sounds of the tomahawks had ceased. They were evidently on the eve
+of breaking through the icy barrier, and rushing upon their victims.
+Boone, with a composed but livid brow, placed his hand upon the
+ponderous door, for the purpose of retreating within, and barring out
+the ruthless assailants. The rest instinctively imitated his motions,
+but at the same time their eyes were yet riveted on the dimly burning
+match. A small flash was observed to illumine the trench--another and
+a larger one succeeded! The first train of powder was ignited--the
+Indians were bursting through the snow-crust with direful yells--the
+blaze ran quickly along the plank--it reached the end of the reed--a
+shrill whizzing sound succeeded--a sharp crash under the snow--and
+then all was involved in a tremendous chaotic explosion! An enormous
+circular cloud of smoke enveloped the scene for a moment, and then
+could be seen tomahawks, bows, and arrows, and even _savages_, sailing
+through the air. The moon was darkened for the space of several
+minutes, during which time immense quantities of snow poured down from
+above. The startling report seemed to rend both the earth and the
+heavens, and rumbled far up and down the valley of the Missouri, like
+the deep bellowing of a coruscant thunder-cloud, and died away in
+successive vibrations until it finally resembled the partially
+suppressed growling of an angry lion.
+
+When the inmates of the house sallied forth, the scene was again
+quiet. After clearing away the enormous masses of snow from the
+palisade, they looked out from the inclosure through the loophole on
+the east, and all was stillness and silence. But the view was changed.
+Instead of the level and smooth surface, they now beheld a concave
+formation of snow, beginning at the earth, which was laid bare where
+the powder had been deposited, and widening, upward and outward, till
+the ring of the extreme angle reached a height of fifteen or twenty
+feet, and measured a circumference of fifty paces. But they did not
+discover a single dead body. On the contrary, they soon distinguished
+the sounds of the savages afar off, in fiendish and fearful yells, as
+they retreated in great precipitation.
+
+"Dod! none of 'em's killed!" exclaimed Sneak, looking about in
+disappointment.
+
+"Hang it all, how could they expect to kill any, without putting in
+some lead?" replied Joe, standing at his elbow, and evincing no
+symptoms of illness.
+
+"What're _you_ a doing out here? You'd better go in and finish dying,"
+said Sneak.
+
+"No, I thank you," said Joe; "my time's not come yet; and when it does
+come, I'll know what to do without your instructions. I'm well now--I
+never felt better in my life, only when I was eating."
+
+"Go to the horses, Joe, and see if they have suffered any injury,"
+said Glenn. "I don't believe a single Indian was killed by the
+explosion," he continued, addressing Boone.
+
+"The snow may have preserved them," replied Boone; "and yet," he
+continued, "I am sure I saw some of them flying up in the air."
+
+"I saw them too," said Glenn, "but I have known instances of the kind,
+when powder-mills have blown up, where men were thrown a considerable
+distance without being much injured."
+
+"It answered our purpose, at all events," said Boone, "for now, no
+inducement whatever can ever bring them back"
+
+"If I were sure of that," replied Glenn, "I would not regret the
+bloodless result of the explosion."
+
+"You may rely upon it implicitly," said Boone; "for it was a surprise
+they can never understand, and they will attach to it some
+superstitious interpretation, which will most effectually prevent them
+from meditating another attack"
+
+"Goodness gracious alive!" exclaimed Joe, nimbly springing past Boone
+and Glenn, and rushing into the house.
+
+"What can be the matter with the fellow, now?" exclaimed Glenn.
+
+"He was alarmed at something in the stable--see what it is, Sneak,"
+said Boone.
+
+"I've got you, have I? Dod! come out here!" exclaimed Sneak, when he
+had been in the stable a few moments.
+
+"Who are you talking to?" asked Glenn.
+
+"A venimirous Osage smutty-face!" said Sneak, stepping out of the
+stable door backwards, and dragging an Indian after him by the ears.
+
+"What is that?" demanded Glenn, staring at the singular object before
+him. The question was by no means an unnatural one, for no being in
+the human shape ever seemed less like a man. The unresisting and
+bewildered savage looked wildly round, displaying a face as black as
+if he had just risen from the bottom of some infernal lake. His
+tattered buckskin garments had shared the same fate in the explosion;
+his eyebrows, and the hair of his head were singed and crisped; and,
+altogether he might easily have passed for one of Pluto's scullions.
+He did not make resistance when Sneak led him forth, seeming to
+anticipate nothing else than an instantaneous and cruel death, and was
+apparently resigned to his fate. He doubtless imagined that escape and
+longer life were utterly impossible, inasmuch as, to his
+comprehension, he was in the grasp of evil spirits. If he had asked
+himself _how_ he came thither, it could not have occurred to him that
+any other means than the agency of a supernatural power threw him into
+the hands of the foe.
+
+"I thought I saw one of them plunging through the air over the
+inclosure," said Boone, smiling.
+
+"Hanged if I didn't think so too," said Joe, who had at length
+returned to gaze at the captive, when he ascertained that he was
+entirely meek and inoffensive.
+
+"Have you got over your fright already?" asked Sneak.
+
+"What fright?" demanded Joe, with affected surprise.
+
+"Now, _can_ you say you weren't skeered?"
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! I believe you really thought I _was_ frightened. Why, you
+dunce, you! I only ran in to tell Miss Mary about it."
+
+"Now go to bed. Don't speak to me agin to night," said Sneak,
+indignantly.
+
+"I'll go and get something to eat," said Joe, retreating into the
+house.
+
+"Tell Roughgrove to come here," said Boone, speaking to Joe.
+
+"I will," said Joe, vanishing through the door.
+
+When the old ferryman came out, Boone requested him (he being the most
+familiar with the Osage language,) to ask the savage by what means he
+was enabled to get inside of the inclosure. Roughgrove did his
+bidding; and the Indian replied that the Great Spirit _threw_ him over
+the palisade, because he once killed a friend of Boone's at the
+cave-spring, and was now attempting to kill another.
+
+"Why did you wish to kill us?" asked Roughgrove.
+
+The Indian said it was because they thought Glenn had a great deal of
+money, many fire weapons, and powder and bullets, which they (the
+savages) wanted.
+
+"Was it _right_ to rob the white man of these things, and then to
+murder him?" continued Roughgrove.
+
+The savage replied that the prophet (Raven) had told the war-party it
+was right. Besides, they came a long and painful journey to get
+(Glenn's) goods, and had suffered much with cold in digging under the
+snow; several of their party had been killed and wounded, and he
+thought they had a good right to every thing they could get.
+
+"Did the whites ever go to your village to rob and murder?" inquired
+the old ferryman.
+
+The Indian assumed a proud look, and replied that they _had_. He said
+that the buffalo, the bear, the deer, and the beaver--the eternal
+prairies and forests--the rivers, the air and the sky, all belonged to
+the red men. That the whites had not been _invited_ to come among
+them, but they had intruded upon their lands, stolen their game, and
+killed their warriors. Yet, he said, the Indians did not hate Boone,
+and would not have attacked the premises that night, if they had known
+he was there.
+
+"Why do they not hate Boone? He has killed more of them than any one
+else in this region," continued Roughgrove.
+
+The Indian said that Boone was a great prophet, and was loved by the
+Great Spirit.
+
+"Will the war-party return hither to-night?" asked Roughgrove.
+
+The Indian answered in the negative; and added that they would never
+attack that place again, because the Great Spirit had fought against
+them.
+
+Boone requested Roughgrove to ask what would be done with the false
+prophet who had advised them to make the attack.
+
+The savage frowned fiercely, and replied that he would be tied to a
+tree, and shot through the heart a hundred times.
+
+"What do you think we intend to do to _you_?" asked Roughgrove.
+
+The savage said he would be skinned alive and put under the ice in the
+river, or burned to death by a slow fire. He said he was ready to die.
+
+"I'll be shot if he isn't a spunky fellow!" said Sneak.
+
+"Do you desire such a fate?" continued the old ferry man.
+
+"The Indian looked at him with surprise, and answered without
+hesitation that he _did_--and then insisted upon being killed
+immediately.
+
+"Would you attempt to injure the white man again if we were not to
+kill you?"
+
+The Indian smiled, but made no answer.
+
+"I am in earnest," continued Roughgrove, "and wish to know what you
+would do if we spared your life."
+
+The Indian said such talk was only trifling, and again insisted upon
+being dispatched.
+
+After a short consultation with Boone and Glenn, Roughgrove repeated
+his question.
+
+The savage replied that he did not believe it possible for him to
+escape immediate death--but if he were not killed, he could never
+think of hurting any of those, who saved him, afterwards. Yet he
+stated very frankly that he would kill and rob any _other_ pale-faces
+he might meet with.
+
+"Let me blow his brains out," said Sneak, throwing his gun up to his
+shoulder. The Indian understood the movement, if not the words, and
+turning towards him, presented a full front, without quailing.
+
+"He speaks the truth," said Boone; "he would never injure any of us
+himself, nor permit any of his tribe to do it, so far as his influence
+extended. Yet he will die rather than make a promise not to molest
+others. His word may be strictly relied upon. It is not fear that
+extorts the promise never to war against us--it would be his gratitude
+for sparing his life. Take down your gun, Sneak. Let us decide upon
+his fate. I am in favour of liberating him."
+
+"And I," said Glenn.
+
+"And I," said Roughgrove.
+
+"I vote for killing him," said Sneak.
+
+"Hanged if I don't, too," said Joe, who had been listening from the
+door.
+
+"Spare him," said Mary, who came out, and saw what was passing.
+
+"We have the majority, Mary," said Glenn; "and when innocence pleads,
+the generous hand is stayed."
+
+Roughgrove motioned the savage to follow, and he led him to the gate.
+The prisoner did not understand what was to be done. He evidently
+supposed that his captors were about to slay him, and he looked up, as
+he thought, the last time, at the moon and the stars, and his lips
+moved in deep and silent adoration.
+
+Roughgrove opened the gate, and the savage followed him out,
+composedly awaiting his fate. But seeing no indication of violence,
+and calling to mind the many wild joys of his roving youth, and the
+horrors of a sudden death, he spoke not, yet his brilliant eyes were
+dimmed for a moment with tears. His deep gaze seemed to implore mercy
+at the hands of his captors. He would not utter a petition that his
+life might be spared, yet his breast heaved to rove free again over
+the flowery prairies, to bathe in the clear waters of running streams,
+to inhale the balmy air of midsummer morning, to chase the panting
+deer upon the dizzy peak, and to hail once more the bright smiles of
+his timid bride in the forest-shadowed glen.
+
+"Go! thou art free!" said Roughgrove.
+
+The Indian stared in doubt, and looked reproachfully at the guns in
+the hands of his captors, as if he thought they were only mocking him
+with hopes of freedom, when it was their intention to shoot him down
+the moment he should think his life was truly spared.
+
+"Go! we will not harm thee!" repeated Roughgrove.
+
+"And take this," said Mary, placing some food in his yielding hand.
+
+The Indian gazed upon the maiden's face. His features, by a magical
+transition, now beamed with confidence and hope. Mary was in
+tears--not tears of pity for his impending death, but a gush of
+generous emotion that his life was spared. The savage read her
+heart--he knew that the white woman never intercedes in vain, and that
+no victim falls when sanctified by her tears. He clasped her hand and
+pressed it to his lips; and then turning away in silence, set off in a
+stately and deliberate pace towards the west. He looked not back to
+see if a treacherous gun was pointed at him. He knew that the maiden
+had not trifled with him. He knew that she would not mock a dying man
+with bread. He neither looked back nor quickened his step. And so he
+vanished from view in the valley.
+
+"Dod! he's gone! We ought to've had his sculp!" said Sneak, betraying
+serious mortification.
+
+"We must give it up, though--we were in the minority," said Joe,
+satisfied with the decision.
+
+"In the what?" asked Sneak.
+
+"In the minority," said Joe.
+
+"Let's go in the house and git something to eat," said Sneak.
+
+"Hang me if I ain't willing to be with you there," said Joe.
+
+The whole party entered the house to partake of a collation prepared
+by the dainty hands of Mary. Mary had frequently insisted upon serving
+them with refreshments during the night, but hitherto all her
+persuasions had been unavailing, for the dangers that beset them on
+every hand had banished all other thoughts than those of determined
+defensive operations.
+
+[Illustration: He clasped her hand, and pressed it to his lips.--P.
+120]
+
+Boone was so certain that nothing farther was to be apprehended from
+the enemy, that he dispensed with the sentinels at the loopholes. He
+relied upon Ringwood and Jowler to guard them through the remainder of
+the night; and when a hearty meal was eaten he directed his gallant
+little band to enjoy their wonted repose.
+
+Ere long Mary slumbered quietly beside her father, while Boone and
+Glenn occupied the remaining couch. Sneak was seated on a low stool,
+near the blazing fire, and Joe sat in Glenn's large arm chair, on the
+opposite side of the hearth. The fawn and the kitten were coiled close
+together in the centre of the room.
+
+Save the grinding jaws of Sneak and Joe, a death-like silence reigned.
+Occasionally, when Sneak lifted his eyes from the pewter platter that
+lay upon his knees, and glanced at the bandages on his companion's
+head, his jaws would cease to move for a few moments, during which he
+gazed in astonishment at the ravenous propensity of the invalid. But
+not being inclined to converse or remonstrate, he endeavoured to get
+through with his supper with as much expedition as possible, that he
+might enjoy all the comforts of refreshing sleep. Yet he was often on
+the eve of picking a quarrel with Joe, when he suffered a sudden
+twinge from his broken tooth, while striving to tear the firmer
+portion of the venison from the bone. But when he reflected upon his
+peculiar participation in the occurrence which had caused him so
+justly to suffer, he repressed his rising anger and proceeded with his
+labour of eating.
+
+Joe, on the other hand, discussed his savoury dish with unalloyed
+satisfaction; yet he, too, paused occasionally, and fixing his eyes
+upon the glaring fire, seemed plunged in the deepest thought. But he
+did not glance at his companion. At these brief intervals he was
+apparently reflecting upon the incidents of the night. One thing in
+particular puzzled him; he could not, for the life of him, conceive
+how his musket rebounded with such violence, when he was positively
+certain that he had put but one charge in it, and that only a moderate
+one. He was sometimes inclined to think the blow he received on the
+head was dealt by Sneak; but when he reflected it would be unnatural
+for one man to strike another with his _teeth_, and that Sneak had
+likewise sustained a serious injury at the same time, conjectures were
+entirely at fault.
+
+"What are you a thinking about so hard?" asked Sneak.
+
+"I'm trying to think how I got that blow on the back of my head," said
+Joe, turning half abstractedly to Sneak.
+
+"Yes, and I'd like to know how you come to mash my mouth so
+dod-rottedly," said Sneak, in well-affected ill nature.
+
+"Hang it, Sneak, you know well enough that I wouldn't do such a thing
+on purpose, when I was obliged to almost knock out my own brains to do
+it," said Joe, apologetically.
+
+"If I hadn't thought of that," replied Sneak, "I don't know but I
+should've shot you through when I got up."
+
+"And I should never have blamed you for it," said Joe, "if it had been
+done on purpose. Does it hurt you much now?"
+
+"Don't you see how its bleeding?"
+
+"That's gravy running out of your mouth, ain't it?"
+
+"Yes, but its bloody a little," said Sneak, licking his lips.
+
+"I shall have to sit up and sleep," said Joe; "for my head's so sore I
+can't lie down."
+
+"I'm a going to lay my head on this stool and sleep; and I'm getting
+so drowsy I can't set much longer," said Sneak.
+
+"All'll be square between us, about breaking your tooth, won't it?"
+
+"Yes, I can't bear malice," said Sneak, shaking Joe's extended hand.
+
+"Oh me!" said Joe, "I shan't be able to doze a bit, hardly, for trying
+to study out how the old musket came to kick me so."
+
+"I've got a notion to tell you, jest to see if you'll sleep any
+better, then."
+
+"Do you know?" asked Joe, quickly; "if you do, I'll thank you with all
+my heart to tell me?"
+
+"Dod! if I don't!" said Sneak; "but all's square betwixt us?"
+
+"Yes, if you're willing."
+
+"Well, don't you remember when I told you to count the Indians
+standing out there, I leant agin you to look over your shoulder? I
+stole a cartrich out of your shot-bag then, and slipt it in the muzzle
+of your musket. Don't you know it was leaning agin the post?"
+
+Joe turned round and looked Sneak full in the face for several
+moments, without uttering a word.
+
+"When it went off," continued Sneak, "it made the tremendousest crack
+I ever heard in all my life, except when the keg of powder busted."
+
+"You confounded, blasted rascal you!" exclaimed Joe, doubling up his
+fists, and preparing to assault his friend.
+
+"Now don't go to waking up the folks!" said Sneak.
+
+"I'll be hanged if I hain't got a great notion to wear out the iron
+poker over your head!" continued Joe, his eyes gleaming with rage.
+
+"Look at my tooth," said Sneak, grinning in such manner that the
+remaining fragment of the member named could be distinctly seen. The
+ludicrous expression of his features was such as constrained Joe to
+smile, and his enmity vanished instantaneously.
+
+"I believe you got the worst of the bargain, after all," said Joe,
+falling back in his chair and laughing quite heartily.
+
+"You know," continued Sneak, "I didn't mean it to turn out as bad as
+it did. I jest thought it would kick you over in the snow, and not
+hurt you any, hardly."
+
+"Well, let's say no more about it," said Joe; "but when you do any
+thing of that kind hereafter, pause and reflect on the consequences,
+and forbear."
+
+"I'll keep my mouth out of the way next time," said Sneak; "and now,
+as all's square betwixt us, s'pose we agree about how we are to do
+with them dead Indians. S'pose we go halves with all the things
+they've got?"
+
+"No, I'll be hanged if I do!" said Joe quickly. "The one I shot was a
+chief, and he's sure to have some gold about him."
+
+"Yes, but you know you'd never a killed him if it hadn't been for me."
+
+"But if it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have got hurt," replied Joe,
+reproachfully.
+
+"Well, I don't care much about the chief--the one I killed maybe took
+all his silver and gold before I shot him. Anyhow, I know I can find
+something out there in the snow where they were blowed up," said
+Sneak, arranging a buffalo robe on the hearth and lying down.
+
+"And we must hereafter let each other alone, Sneak," said Joe, "for
+the fact is, we are both too much for one another in our tricks."
+
+"I'm willing," replied Sneak, lazily, as his eyes gradually closed.
+
+Joe placed his dish on the shelf over the fireplace, and folding his
+arms, and leaning back in his great chair, likewise closed his eyes.
+
+But a few moments sufficed to place them both in the land of dreams.
+And now the silence was intense. Even the consuming logs of wood
+seemed to sink by degrees into huge livid coals, without emitting the
+least sparkling sound. The embers threw a dim glare over the scene,
+such as Queen Mab delights in when she leads her fairy train through
+the chambers of sleeping mortals. A sweet smile rested upon the lips
+of Mary. A loved form flitted athwart her visions. Roughgrove's
+features wore a grave but placid cast. Boone's face was as passionless
+and calm as if he were a stranger to terrific strife. Perils could now
+make no impression on him. There was sadness on the damp brow of
+Glenn, and a tear was stealing through the corner of his lids. A scene
+of woe, or the crush of cherished hopes, was passing before his
+entranced vision. Sneak, ever and anon grasped the empty air, and
+motioned his arm, as if in the midst of deadly conflict. And Joe,
+though his bruised face betrayed not his cast of thought, still
+evinced a participation in the ideal transactions of the night, by the
+frequent involuntary motions of his body, and repeated endeavours to
+avoid visionary dangers.
+
+The kitten lay upon the soft neck of the fawn, and at intervals
+resumed its low, humming song, which had more than once been hushed in
+perfect repose. At a late hour, or rather an early one, just ere the
+first faint ray of morning appeared in the distant east, puss purred
+rather harshly on the silken ears of its companion, and its sharp
+claws producing a stinging sensation, the fawn shook its head
+violently, and threw its little bed-fellow rather rudely several feet
+away. The kitten, instead of being angry, fell into a merry mood, and
+began to frisk about in divers directions, first running under the
+bed, then springing upon some diminutive object on the floor as it
+would upon a mouse, and finally pricking again the ear of the fawn.
+The fawn then rose up, and creeping gently about the room, touched the
+cheeks or hands of the slumbering inmates with its velvet tongue, but
+so softly that none were awakened. The kitten, no longer able to annoy
+its companion by its mischievous pranks, now paced up to the fire and
+commenced playing with a dangling string attached to Joe's moccasin.
+Once it jumped up with such force against his foot that he jerked it
+quickly several inches away. But this only diverted puss the more.
+Instead of being content with the palpable demonstration thus
+effected, it followed up the advantage gained by applying both its
+claws and teeth to the foot. While it confined its operations to the
+stout buckskin, but little impression was made; but when it came in
+contact with the ankle, which was only covered with a yarn stocking,
+the result was entirely different.
+
+"Ugh! Confound the fire!" exclaimed Joe, giving a tremendous kick,
+which dashed puss most violently into Sneak's face.
+
+"Hey! Dod! What is it?" cried Sneak, tearing the kitten (whose briery
+nails had penetrated the skin of his nose) away, and throwing it
+across the room. "I say! did you do that?" continued Sneak, wiping the
+blood from his nose with his sleeve, and addressing Joe, who kept his
+eyes fast closed, though almost bursting with suppressed laughter, and
+pretending to be steeped in earnest slumber. "I won't stand this!"
+said Sneak, smarting with his wounds, and striking the chair in which
+Joe sat with his foot. "Now," continued Sneak, "if you done that, jest
+say so, that's all."
+
+"Did what?" asked Joe, opening his eyes suddenly.
+
+"Why, throwed that ere pestiverous cat on me!" said Sneak.
+
+"No. Goodness! is there a pole-cat in here?" exclaimed Joe, in such
+well-counterfeited tones of anxiety and alarm, that the real encounter
+occurring to Sneak, and his pain being now somewhat abated, he gave
+vent to a hearty fit of laughter, which awoke every person in the
+house.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+The lead removed--The wolves on the river--The wolf hunt--Gum
+fetid--Joe's incredulity--His conviction--His surprise--His
+predicament--His narrow escape.
+
+
+When Sneak opened the door, the sun had risen and was shining
+brightly. In a moment the inmates of the house were stirring. The
+horses neighed in the stable for their accustomed food and water, and
+when Joe hastened to them, he embraced the neck of each, in testimony
+of his joy that they were once more saved from the hands of the
+Indians. The hounds pranced round Boone and Glenn, manifesting their
+delight in being relieved of the presence of the enemy. The gate was
+thrown open, and the scene of the explosion minutely examined.
+Fortunately the channel cut under the snow by the savages ran a few
+feet apart from the powder, or the whole of them must inevitably have
+perished. As it was, not a single one lost his life, though many were
+blown up in the air to a considerable height. Joe and Sneak found only
+a few spears, knives, and tomahawks, that had been abandoned by the
+savages; and then they repaired to the west side of the inclosure,
+where the two dead Indians were still lying. They had scarce commenced
+searching their victims for booty, when a solitary Indian was seen
+approaching from the upper valley.
+
+"We hain't got our guns!" exclaimed Sneak, pulling out his knife.
+
+"I'll get mine!" cried Joe, running away with all his might.
+
+"What's the matter?" inquired Boone, smiling, who had also seen the
+approaching Indian, and was walking to where the dead savages lay,
+accompanied by Glenn and Roughgrove, when he met Joe running swiftly
+towards the house.
+
+[Illustration: They had scarce commenced searching their victims for
+booty, when a solitary Indian was seen approaching from the upper
+valley.--P. 126]
+
+"Hang me, if the Indians ain't coming back again," replied Joe.
+
+"There is but one, and he has a white flag," said Boone, who had
+discovered a small rag attached to a pole borne by the Indian.
+
+"What can he want?" inquired Glenn.
+
+"He wants permission to bury the dead," replied Roughgrove.
+
+"He's the very rascal we let loose last night," said Sneak.
+
+This was true. Although the singed savage had removed some of the
+black marks produced by the explosion, yet so many palpable traces of
+that event were still exhibited on his person, there could be no doubt
+of his identity.
+
+The Indian came for the purpose mentioned by Roughgrove, and his
+request was granted. He made a sign to a comrade he had left some
+distance behind, who, in a very few minutes, was seen to approach in a
+hasty though timorous pace.
+
+"Don't go to shooting out here!" exclaimed Sneak, hearing a clicking
+sound, and the next moment observing Joe pointing his musket through
+the loophole nearly in a line with the spot where he stood.
+
+"Come in! come in! come in!" cried Joe.
+
+"Put your gun away, and be silent," said Glenn.
+
+"I'll be silent," replied Joe, "but I'd rather stand here and watch
+awhile. If they ain't going to hurt any of us, it'll do no harm; and
+if they _do_ try to kill any of you, it may do some good."
+
+When the second Indian arrived, he seized the body of the savage
+enveloped in the swine-skin, (knowing that permission to do so had
+been obtained by his comrade,) and bore him away with great
+expedition, manifesting no inclination whatever to tarry at a place
+which had been so fatal to his brethren. But the other had every
+confidence in the mercy of the whites, and lingered some length of
+time, gazing at the corpse before him, as if hesitating whether to
+bear it away.
+
+"Why do you not take him up?" inquired Roughgrove.
+
+The Indian said it was the false prophet Raven, and that he hardly
+deserved to be buried.
+
+Sneak turned the dead Indian over, (he had been lying on his face,)
+and he was instantly recognized by the whole party.
+
+"I'm glad its him," said Sneak.
+
+"I think we will have peace now," said Boone, "for Raven has ever been
+the most blood-thirsty chief of the tribe."
+
+"Where is the war-party encamped? When do they return to their own
+country?" asked Roughgrove.
+
+The Indian replied that they were encamped in a small grove on the
+border of the prairie, where they intended to bury their brothers, and
+then it was their intention to set out immediately for their villages.
+He added that one of their tribe, whom they had left at home, arrived
+that morning with intelligence that a war-party of Pawnees had invaded
+their territories, and it was necessary for them to hasten back with
+all possible dispatch to defend their wives and children.
+
+Glenn asked Boone how the Indians managed to sleep in the cold
+prairie; and, Roughgrove repeating the inquiry to the savage, they
+were informed that the war-party carried with them a long but very
+light sled, in the shape of a canoe, to which was tied a rope made of
+buckskins, by which they pulled it along on the snow with great
+swiftness. This kept them warm with exercise through the day. A
+quantity of furs and buffalo skins were packed in the canoe that
+served to keep them warm at night.
+
+"Mr. Roughgrove! Mr. Roughgrove!" cried Joe, from his loophole.
+
+"What do you want with me?" responded the old man.
+
+"Why, Miss Mary's gone down to your house to see if the Indians have
+been there, and they may be there now, perhaps."
+
+"There's no danger now, you blockhead," replied Roughgrove.
+
+"Keep your mouth shet!" said Sneak.
+
+"Your mouth's mashed--recollect who did it," retorted Joe.
+
+The savage at length lifted up the dead body, and set off at a brisk
+pace towards the prairie. The party then returned to the house and
+partook of a plenteous repast that had been provided by Mary.
+
+When the breakfast was over, they repaired to the cliff, to examine
+the place where the Indians had first penetrated the snow. They had
+commenced operations at the very brow of the cliff, on a shelving
+rock, to attain which, without being seen from the garrison, they must
+have crawled on their hands and knees a considerable distance. Below
+could be seen an immense heap of snow, which had been thrown down from
+the place of entrance, just as Boone had described.
+
+"Jest look yander!" cried Sneak, pointing up the river. The scene was
+a remarkable one. They beheld a very small deer (the lightness of
+which enabled it to run on the snow that covered the ice with great
+fleetness, without breaking through the crust,) chased about on the
+river by a pack of wolves! These hungry animals had evidently been
+racing after it a great length of time, from the distressed appearance
+of the poor victim, and, having driven it upon the ice, they seemed
+resolved to prevent it from ever again entering the thickets. The plan
+they adopted was systematic, and worthy the imitation of biped
+hunters. They dispersed in various directions, and formed themselves
+in a circle of about a half mile in diameter, hemming the deer in on
+all sides, while only one or two of their number at a time chased it.
+Round and round it ran; and though its pursuers were left far in the
+rear, yet it remained entirely surrounded by the enemy. Occasionally,
+when a chasing wolf became exhausted, one of the guards (abandoning
+his post) would enter the ring, and, not being fatigued, was able to
+carry on the pursuit with redoubled vigour. Thus the chase was kept up
+with increasing fierceness by means of a succession of fresh wolves,
+until the poor deer finally sank down and surrendered its life. The
+voracious pack then rushed from their stations indiscriminately, and
+coming in contact immediately over their prey, a most frightful
+contest ensued among them. Horrific yells and screams could be heard
+by the men as they looked on from their distant position. At times the
+wolves were so closely jumbled together that nothing could be
+distinguished but one black, heaving, and echoing mass. But the
+struggle was soon over. In a very few moments, they became quiet, and
+started off in a comparatively peaceful manner towards the island,
+whence their prize had been driven, in quest of others. When they
+abandoned the spot where their victim had fallen, not so much as a
+bone remained.
+
+"That's making a clean business of it!" said Sneak.
+
+"Its no such thing!" said Joe; "it's a nasty trick to swallow hide,
+bones, and bowels, in that manner."
+
+"Its clean for wolves," said Sneak.
+
+"Oh, may be you're part wolf," said Joe.
+
+"Now, none of your gab, or I'll play some other trick on you, worse
+than that at the spring."
+
+"You be hanged," retorted Joe; "I'll give you leave to do it when you
+get a chance the next time."
+
+"It is a great pity that the deer are subject to such destruction,"
+remarked Glenn.
+
+"The wolves we saw are all on yonder island," said Boone, "and if you
+are disposed to have a hunt, I have no doubt we might kill some of
+them."
+
+"We are entirely dependent upon the deer for animal food," said
+Roughgrove; "and if we could only surround that party of wolves as
+they did the deer, we might do the settlement much good service."
+
+"I go in for it," said Sneak.
+
+"I'd rather wait a day or two, till the Indians have gone clean off,"
+said Joe.
+
+"There is nothing to fear from them now," said Boone, "unless
+something they might steal should fall in their way. But it will not
+require an hour to rout the wolves on the little island."
+
+"Then let us hasten and get our guns, and be upon them before they
+leave it," said Glenn.
+
+They returned to the house, and were all soon equipped for the
+onslaught, except Joe, who made no preparation whatever.
+
+"Get ready, Joe," said Glenn; "your redoubtable musket will do good
+service."
+
+"I'd rather not," said Joe; "I'm hardly well enough to walk so far.
+I'll take care of Miss Mary. I wonder what's become of her? Mr.
+Roughgrove, Miss Mary hasn't come back yet!"
+
+"Yes she has," replied the old ferryman; "I saw her bring this frozen
+flower up, while we were standing on the cliff, and she has only
+returned for the other pots, I hear her singing down the valley now,"
+he added, after stepping to the gate and listening a moment.
+
+"Have you any gum fetid?" asked Boone, addressing Glenn.
+
+"I've got lots of it," interposed Joe, "that I brought along for the
+horses, because an old man at St. Louis told me they would never die
+so long as I kept a lump of it in the rack."
+
+"What use do you make of it?" asked Glenn.
+
+"The scent of it will at any time collect the wolves," said Boone,
+directing Joe to bring it along.
+
+The party set out at a brisk pace, Joe with the rest, for it was
+necessary to station the men at as many points as possible. Boone,
+Roughgrove, and Glenn, when they reached the upper valley, descended
+to the river, while Sneak and Joe were directed to station themselves
+on the main-land opposite the upper and lower ends of the island. The
+party of three advanced towards the island on the ice, and Sneak and
+Joe pursued their way in a parallel direction through the narrow skirt
+of woods that bordered the range of bluffs.
+
+Ere long the two on land descended from their high position and
+entered a densely-timbered bottom, the upper part of which (a half
+mile distant) was only separated from the island by a very narrow
+channel.
+
+Here, for the first time that day, the thought that the island he was
+approaching was the haunted one of Glenn's dream occurred to Joe, and
+he paused suddenly.
+
+"What are you stopping for?" asked Sneak.
+
+"Because"--Joe hesitated, positively ashamed to tell the reason; and
+after a moment's reflection he was impressed with a thorough
+conviction that his apprehensions and scruples were ridiculous.
+
+"Don't you hear me?" continued Sneak.
+
+"I was thinking about going back for the dogs," said Joe.
+
+"Yes, and they would be torn to bits in a little less than no time,"
+said Sneak.
+
+"Come on, then," said Joe, setting forward again, and dismissing all
+fears of the fire-wizard from his mind.
+
+"Let me see how much asafoetida you've got," said Sneak, after they
+had walked a few moments in silence.
+
+"Here it is," said Joe, unwrapping a paper containing several ounces;
+"but hang me, if that ain't rather too strong a joke of Mr. Boone's
+about its collecting the wolves. I can't believe that."
+
+"Did you ever hear of Mr. Boone's telling a lie?" asked Sneak.
+
+"No, I never did, and that's a fact," said Joe; "but I'm afraid he's
+got into a scrape this time--Jingo! look yonder!" he continued,
+throwing his musket up to his face, and pointing it at a very large
+black wolf that stood in the path before them.
+
+"Don't shoot! I put two loads in your gun," cried Sneak, hastily.
+
+"Confound your long-necked gourd-head, I say!" said Joe, throwing down
+the muzzle of his musket in an instant, and the next moment the wolf
+disappeared among the tall bushes. "Why, hang me, if you didn't tell a
+lie!" continued Joe, running down his ramrod.
+
+"Don't I know it?" replied Sneak. "I jest said so to keep you from
+shooting; becaise if you had shot, you'd 'ave skeered all the other
+wolves away, and we wouldn't 'ave killed any."
+
+"It's well you didn't put in another cartridge," said Joe, "for I wish
+I may be smashed if I stand this kicking business any longer."
+
+"Now, I guess you'll believe there's something in the asafoetida,
+after all! and the wolves'll come all round you and won't go off for
+shooting at 'em, if you'll only rub it on the soles of your boots."
+
+"I'll try it!" said Joe, suiting the action to the word, and then
+striding onward, and looking in every direction for the wolves.
+
+"You'll have to tree, if they come too thick."
+
+"Pshaw!" replied Joe, "you can't scare me in that way. I don't believe
+a hat full of it would make them stand and be shot at."
+
+They were now opposite the island. Joe selected a position even with
+the upper end of it, and Sneak remained below. Boone, after stationing
+Roughgrove and Glenn to the best advantage, walked out to the
+main-land, and taking some of the gum fetid in Joe's possession,
+returned to the island; and, ere long, he, Roughgrove, and Glenn were
+heard discharging their guns with great rapidity, and the cries of the
+wolves attested that they were labouring with effect. But none of the
+beleaguered animals had yet retreated from the scene of destruction.
+On the contrary, several were seen to run across from the main-land
+and join those on the island. Presently Sneak commenced a brisk fire.
+There seemed to be a whole army of wolves congregated in the vicinity.
+Joe at first laughed, and then became confused and puzzled. He
+anxiously desired to make the roar of his musket join the melee; but
+at times he thought the ravenous enemy rather too numerous for him to
+be in perfect safety. The firing on the island continued without
+abatement. Sneak's gun was likewise still heard at regular intervals,
+and what seemed an extraordinary matter to Joe was that Sneak should
+yell out something or other about the "asafoetida," and "moccasin
+tracks," after every discharge. Joe was not long idle. He soon saw a
+huge black wolf trotting along the little deer path he had just
+traversed, with its nose down to the ground. A moment after, another,
+and then a third, were seen pursuing the same course, some distance
+behind. Joe became uneasy. His first impulse was to scamper over to
+the island: but, when he thought of the jeers and jests that would
+ensue from Sneak, he resolved to stand his ground. When the foremost
+wolf had approached within thirty paces of him, he leveled his musket
+and fired. The wolf uttered a fierce howl and expired.
+
+"Hang me, if I haven't floored you, any how," said he, exultingly, as
+he proceeded to reload his gun with as much expedition as possible.
+But the other wolves, so far from being alarmed at the fate of their
+comrade, seemed to quicken their pace towards the position of Joe.
+"Slash me, if there ain't too many of them!" ejaculated Joe, as he
+perceived several others, and all advancing upon him. "I'll settle
+your hash, by jing!" he continued, firing at the foremost one, which
+was not twenty paces distant. The leaden contents of the musket
+entered its breast, and it fell dead without a growl. Still the others
+advanced. Joe had no time to charge his gun again.
+
+"I'll make tracks!" said he, starting toward the frozen channel that
+separated him from the island. But he had not gone ten paces before he
+discovered two enormous wolves approaching from _that_ direction.
+"I'll cut dirt back again!" he continued, whirling suddenly around,
+and rushing back to his stand, where he stood not a moment, but sprang
+up in a tree, and after attaining a large limb that put out from the
+trunk, some fifteen feet above the snow, paused, and pantingly
+surveyed his assailants. There were now no less than twenty wolves in
+sight, and several were at the root of the tree yelping at him! "I'll
+be hanged if I half like this," said he. "Snap me, if I don't begin to
+believe that the asafoetida does charm them, after all. Confound
+Sneak! he's always getting me into some hobble or other! Now, if it
+wasn't for this tree, I'd be in a nice fix. Hang it! all the wolves in
+the world are broke loose to-day, surely--where the mischief could
+they all have come from? Just hear the men, how they are shooting! And
+they are killing the wild black dogs every crack--but still they won't
+back out! I'll blaze away at 'em again!" Saying this, he reloaded his
+musket as quickly as his peculiar position would allow, and, for the
+purpose of ridding himself as soon as possible of his disagreeable
+visitors, he poured in an additional charge of buckshot. "Now," he
+continued, "what if the gun should fly out of my hands? I'd be in a
+pretty condition then! I wouldn't mind the kick at all, if I was only
+on dry land--but if the gun should kick me over here, I'd tumble right
+down into their mouths! I wish I'd thought of that before I rammed
+down the wadding. I haven't got my screw along, or I might draw out
+the load again. I'll not shoot at all. I'll just watch till somebody
+comes and scares them away. Ugh! you black rascal! what're you staring
+up here for?" he continued, looking down at the largest wolf, which
+was standing upright against the tree, and tearing the bark away
+furiously with his long teeth. The number of Joe's enemies continued
+to increase. There were now perhaps twenty under the tree. And still
+the firing on the island was kept up, though not so incessantly as at
+first, which inspired Joe with a hope that they would either kill all
+the wolves in their vicinity very soon or force them to join his flock
+under the tree, when the men would surely come to his relief. Sneak's
+fire abated somewhat, likewise, and Joe's reliance upon having their
+aid in a very short time caused his fears to subside in a great
+measure.
+
+"If you're so crazy after asafoetida," said he, looking down at the
+fiercely staring animals again, "I'll give you a taste, just to see
+what you'll do." He took a small portion of the gum which he had
+retained, and rubbed it over a piece of paper that he found in his
+pocket. He then dropped the paper in their midst. They sprang upon it
+simultaneously, and in an instant it vanished, Joe knew not whither.
+"Hang me, if I couldn't pepper a half-dozen at a shot when they all
+rush up together so close, if I wasn't afraid of being kicked down.
+I'll be teetotally smashed if I don't fix and try it, any how!" said
+he, pulling out a strong leather string from his pocket, one end of
+which he attached firmly to a small limb of the tree, and the other he
+tied as tightly round the wrist of his left arm. He then pulled out
+his bandanna, and likewise made his musket fast to a bough. "Now, my
+snapping beauties," he continued, "I'm mistaken if I don't give you a
+dose of blue pills that'll do your business in short order." Saying
+this, he tore off another piece of paper, and rubbing on the gum,
+dropped it down as near as possible to the spot where he wished the
+wolves to cluster together. No sooner did it fall than the whole gang
+sprang upon it, and he fired with precision in their midst. Joe did
+not look to see what execution was done. He was dangling in the air
+and whirling round and round at a rapid rate, like a malefactor
+suspended from the gallows, with the exception that his neck did not
+suffer, and he cried out most lustily for assistance. When the cloud
+of smoke that enveloped him cleared away a little, and he became
+better acquainted with his critical situation, his yells increased in
+rapidity and violence. His condition was truly perilous. The small
+bough to which he had attached himself had not sufficient strength to
+bear him up when his feet slipped from the larger one below, and it
+was now bent down a considerable distance, and that too in a divergent
+direction from his recent foothold, and unfortunately there was no
+limb of the tree of any strength within his reach. His legs hung
+within six feet of the surface of the snow. The discharge had killed
+four or five of the wolves, but, undismayed, the remainder assailed
+him the more furiously. The most active of them could easily spring as
+far up as his feet! Never was terror more strongly depicted in the
+human face than it was displayed in Joe's when he saw the whole pack
+rushing towards him! They sprang up with fearful snarls and yells. Joe
+yelled likewise, and doubled his knees up to his chin. They missed his
+feet by several inches, and were borne out fifteen or twenty feet to
+one side by the impetus of the leap. It was by a mighty effort that he
+thus avoided them, and no sooner had they passed under him than his
+legs again dangled downward. In a moment they whirled round and were
+again rushing at their victim. Once more Joe screamed, and drew up his
+legs while they passed under him. "Help! help! for God's sake!" cried
+he, when they whirled round again. His cry was heard. Several sharp
+reports resounded from the river bank, a few paces on the east. Three
+or four of the wolves howled and fell. The rest hesitated, their eyes
+glistening, and fixed on Joe's suspended boots. "Come quick! for
+Heaven's sake! I can't pull up my legs any more!" cried Joe. This was
+true, for his strength was fast failing. The guns were again
+discharged with deadly effect, and all but one of the largest of the
+wolves precipitately ran off, and disappeared among the bushes.
+
+"Jerk up your leg! that feller's a going to take one of your feet
+along with him, if he kin!" cried Sneak. Joe saw the wolf charging
+upon him, but he was altogether unable to avoid it in the manner he
+had done before. It was now only a few feet distant, its mouth open,
+displaying a frightful set of teeth, and springing towards him.
+Finding it impossible to prevent a collision, Joe resolved to sell his
+foot as dearly as possible. As much as he was able, he bent up his
+knee-joints, and when his assailant came, he bestowed his heels upon
+his head with all his might. The wolf was stunned, and fell under the
+blow.
+
+"Take that!" cried Sneak, running up and plunging his knife into the
+animal's side. The wolf groaned and died.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! you were born to be hanged," said Roughgrove, coming
+forward with Boone and Glenn, and laughing heartily.
+
+"He has been hung," said Boone.
+
+"And almost quartered," said Glenn.
+
+[Illustration: They sprang up with fearful snarls and yells. Joe
+yelled likewise, and doubled his knees up to his chin.--P. 136]
+
+"Oh, goodness! Jump up here, Sneak, and cut me loose," said Joe,
+beseechingly.
+
+"There's no danger of you ever dying," said Sneak.
+
+"Oh, please don't laugh at me, Sneak, but cut me down; that's a good
+fellow. The string is beginning to cut my wrist like fury!"
+
+"How did you git in such a fix?" continued Sneak.
+
+"Oh, hang it, Sneak, just get me out of the fix, and I'll tell you all
+about it."
+
+"It's hung _now_--didn't you say 'hang it, Sneak?'" continued Sneak.
+
+"Oh, come, now," continued Joe; "if you were in this way, don't you
+think I'd help you?"
+
+"Cut him down, Sneak," said Boone; and in a twinkling Sneak was up in
+the tree, and the string was severed. Joe came down with great force,
+his feet foremost, and running through the snow-crust to a great
+depth.
+
+"I wish some of you would help me out of this," said he, after
+struggling some time in vain to extricate himself.
+
+"You'll want me to carry you home next, I s'pose," said Sneak,
+assisting him up. Joe made no reply; but as soon as he could cut the
+string away from his wrist, seized Sneak by the throat, hurled him on
+his back, and springing upon him, a violent struggle ensued for a few
+moments before they could be separated.
+
+"What do you mean?" exclaimed Glenn, dragging Joe away from his
+prostrate victim.
+
+"What did you do that for?" asked Sneak, rising up and brushing the
+snow from his head and face, his fall having broken the icy surface.
+
+"You rascal, you! I'll show you what for!" cried Joe, endeavouring to
+get at him again.
+
+"Joe!" said Glenn, "if you attempt any further violence, you shall not
+remain another day under my roof!"
+
+"He boxed my ear like thunder!" said Sneak; "I didn't think the fellow
+had so much pluck in him! I like him better now than ever I did. Give
+us your paw, Joe." Joe shook hands with him reluctantly, and then
+wiped a flood of tears from his face.
+
+"He told me to put some asafetida on my hoots, and said I could then
+kill more wolves," said Joe; "and it came within an ace of making them
+kill me."
+
+"It was very wrong to do so, Sneak," said Boone, "and the boxing you
+got for it was not amiss."
+
+"I believe I think so myself," said Sneak. "But it did make him kill
+more wolves after all--jest look at 'em all around here!"
+
+Joe soon recovered entirely from the effects of his swing, his fright,
+and his anger, and looked with something like satisfaction on his many
+trophies lying round him; and when he disengaged his musket from the
+bough of the tree, he regarded it with affection.
+
+They moved homeward, entirely content with the result of the
+excursion. Boone explained the reason why so many of the wolves were
+congregated about the island. He stated that the vines and bushes on
+which the deer feed in the winter were abundant and nutritious in the
+low lands along the river, and that great numbers of them repaired
+thither at that season of the year. The wolves of course followed
+them, and having now destroyed all the large deer in the vicinity of
+the island, and the small ones being enabled to run on the snow-crust,
+they found it necessary to muster in the chase as great a number as
+possible, and thus prevent their prey from escaping to the prairies.
+He said that the wolves preferred the timber, being enabled to make
+more comfortable lairs and dens among the fallen trees than out in the
+cold prairies. But their guns had wrought a fearful destruction among
+them. Perhaps three-fourths of them fell.
+
+The party soon reached Glenn's house. As they entered the inclosure,
+they were surprised to see Ringwood running wildly about, whining and
+snarling and tearing the snow to pieces with his teeth. Jowler was
+more composed, but a low, mournful whine issued continuously from his
+mouth.
+
+"Dod! what's the dogs been after?" ejaculated Sneak.
+
+"Go in, Joe, and ask Mary what it means," said Rough grove.
+
+"I'd rather not--the house may be full of Indians," replied Joe,
+relapsing into his natural cowardice.
+
+"Mary," said Roughgrove, approaching the door and calling
+affectionately. Receiving no reply, the old man entered and called
+again. A silence succeeded. Roughgrove reappeared a moment after, with
+a changed countenance. Boone gazed at his pale features, and asked the
+cause of his distress by a look, not a word.
+
+"She's gone! gone! gone!" exclaimed Roughgrove, covering his face with
+both hands.
+
+Boone made no answer, but turning his face in the direction of the
+southern valley, he called upon the name of Mary three times, in clear
+and loud tones. He listened for her reply, in a motionless attitude,
+several minutes. But no reply came. Now a change came over _his_
+features. It was a ferocity from which even the blood-thirsty savages
+would have fled in horror!
+
+"My eternal curse upon them! They have seized her! I have been
+deceived! I will have vengeance!" said he, in a low, determined tone.
+
+"Will they kill her, or keep her for a ransom?" inquired Glenn, in
+extreme and painful excitement.
+
+"A ransom," said Boone; "but they shall pay the weight of the silver
+they demand in blood!"
+
+"May Heaven guard her!" said Roughgrove, in piteous agony.
+
+"Cheer up--we will get her again," said Boone; and then giving some
+hasty directions, preparations were made for pursuit.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+Mary--Her meditations--Her capture--Her sad condition--Her mental
+sufferings--Her escape--Her recapture.
+
+
+When the men departed for the island in quest of the wolves, Mary was
+singing over her neglected flowers, at her father's house in the
+valley, and her clear ringing notes were distinctly heard by the whole
+party. After they were gone she continued her song, and lingered long
+over every faded leaf and withered blossom, with no thought of danger
+whatever, and none of pain, save the regret that her long cherished
+plants had been forgotten in the consternation of the previous day,
+and had fallen victims to the frost-king. But nothing had been touched
+by the savages. The domestic fowls clustered about her, and received
+their food from her hands as usual. The fawn was with her, and evinced
+the delight afforded by the occasional caress bestowed upon it, by
+frequently skipping sportively around her. Mary was happy. Her wants
+were few, and she knew not that there was such a thing as a malicious
+enemy in the world, save the wild savage. Her thoughts were as pure as
+the morning dew, and all her delights were the results of innocence.
+She had never harmed any one, and her guileless heart never conceived
+the possibility of suffering ill at the hands of others. She smiled
+when the beautiful fawn touched her hand with its velvet tongue, and a
+tear dimmed her eye for an instant when she looked upon her stricken
+rose.
+
+While looking at one of the homely shelves in a corner of the deserted
+house, Mary accidentally espied a small volume of poems, the gift of
+Glenn, that had been neglected. She seized it eagerly, and after
+turning over the pages the fiftieth time, and humming over many of the
+songs, she paused suddenly, and lifting her eyes to the bright
+sun-beams that streamed through the window, long remained in a
+listless attitude. Something unusual had startled her simple
+meditations. At first a shade of painful concern seemed to pass across
+her brow, and then glancing quickly at the book she still held in her
+hand, a sweet smile animated her lips. But again and again, ever and
+anon, the abstracted gaze was repeated, and as often succeeded by the
+smile when her eyes fell upon the volume. Did her thoughts dwell upon
+the giver of that book? Undoubtedly. Did she love Glenn? This she knew
+not herself, but she would have died for him! She was ignorant of the
+terms courtship, love, and marriage. But nature had given her a heart
+abounding with noble and generous impulses.
+
+At length she drew her shawl closely round her shoulders, and, closing
+the door of the hut, was in the act of returning up the hill, when she
+was startled by the furious and sudden barking of the hounds, which
+she had left confined in the inclosure on the cliff. She paused, and
+looked steadily in every direction, and was not able to discover, or
+even conjecture, what it was that had roused the hounds. Yet an
+undefinable fear seized upon her. The fawn at her side likewise
+partook of the agitation, for the hair stood upright on its back, and
+it often snuffed the air with great violence, producing, at each time,
+a shrill, unnatural sound.
+
+Mary started briskly up the path, determined to shut herself up in
+Glenn's house until her father returned from the island. When she had
+proceeded about twenty paces, and was just passing a dense thicket of
+hazel that bordered the narrow path, she heard a slight rustling on
+the left, and the next moment she was clasped in the arms of a brawny
+savage!
+
+"Oh me! who are you?" demanded she, struggling to disengage herself,
+and unable to see the swarthy features of her captor, who stood behind
+her. No answer being made, she cast her eyes downwards, and beheld the
+colour of the arms that encircled her. "Father! Mr. Glenn! Mr. Boone!"
+she exclaimed, struggling violently. Her efforts were unavailing, and,
+overcome with exhaustion and affright, she fainted on the Indian's
+breast. The savage then lifted her on his shoulder, ran down to the
+rivulet that flowed through the valley, and fled outwards to the
+prairie. When he reached the cave-spring, a confederate, who had been
+waiting for him, seized the burden and bore it onwards, in a westerly
+direction, with increased rapidity. Thus they continued the retreat,
+bearing the insensible maiden alternately, until they came to a small
+grove some distance out in the prairie, when they slackened their
+pace, and, after creeping a short time under the pendent boughs of the
+trees, halted in the camp of the war-party.
+
+The Indians gathered round the pale captive, some with rage and deadly
+passions marked upon their faces, and others with expressions of
+triumph and satisfaction. They now made preparations for departing.
+Mary was wrapped in a large buffalo robe, enveloping her body and
+face, and placed in the snow-canoe. The party then deposited their
+tomahawks and other cumbersome articles at the feet of their captive,
+and, grasping the leather rope attached to the canoe, set off rapidly
+in a southerly direction.
+
+Ere long, Mary partially awoke from her state of insensibility, when
+all was dark and strange to her confused senses. She pulled aside the
+long hair of the buffalo skin that obscured her face, and looked out
+from her narrow place of confinement. The blue heavens alone met her
+view above. The incident of the seizure was indistinct in her memory,
+and she could not surmise the nature of her present condition. She
+turned hastily on her side, and the occasional bush she espied in the
+vicinity indicated that she was rushing along by some means with an
+almost inconceivable rapidity. She could scarce believe it was
+reality. How she came thither, and how she was propelled over the
+snow, for several moments were matters of incomprehensible mystery to
+the trembling girl. At first, she endeavoured to persuade herself that
+it was a dream; but, having a consciousness that some terrible thing
+had actually occurred, all the painful fears of which the mind is
+capable were put in active operation. The suspense was soon dispelled.
+Hearing human voices ahead, and not readily comprehending the
+language, she hastily rose on her elbow. The party of Indians dragging
+her fleetly over the smooth prairie met her chilled view. But she was
+now comparatively collected and calm. Instantly her true condition was
+apparent. She watched the swarthy forms some moments in silence,
+meditating the means of escape. Presently one of the savages turned
+partly round, and she sank back to escape his observation. Again she
+rose up a few inches, and their faces were all turned away from her.
+She gradually acquired resolution to encounter any hardship or peril
+that might be the means of effecting her escape. But what plan was she
+to adopt? The almost interminable plain of which she was in the midst
+afforded no hiding-place. Then, the speed of the flying snow-canoe,
+were she to leap out, would not only produce a hurtful collision with
+the hard snow-crust, but certainly cause her detection. The poor
+girl's heart sank within her, and, for a time, she reclined
+submissively in the canoe, and gave way to a flood of tears. She
+thought of her gray-haired father, and a piercing agony thrilled
+through her breast. And she thought, too, of others--of Boone, of
+_Glenn_, and her pangs were hopelessly poignant. Thus she lay for
+several long hours, a prey to grief and despair. But some pitying
+angel hovered over her, and kindly lessened her sufferings. By
+degrees, her mind became possessed of the power of deliberate and
+rational reflection; and she was inspired with the belief that the
+savages only designed to exact a heavy contribution from the whites by
+her capture, and would then surrender her up without outrage or
+injury. Another hope, likewise, sprang up in her breast: it was, that
+the Indian she had been instrumental in releasing from captivity might
+protect her person, and, perhaps restore her to her father. She also
+felt convinced that Boone and Glenn would join her father in the
+pursuit, and she entertained a lively hope that they would overtake
+her. But, again, when she looked out on the surface of the snow, and
+beheld the rapidity of the savages' pace, this hope was entertained
+but for a moment. She then resolved to make an effort herself to
+escape. If she was not successful, it would, at all events, retard the
+progress of her captors, and she might also ascertain, with some
+degree of certainty, their purposes with regard to her fate. She rose
+as softly as possible and sprang upon the snow. The Indians, as she
+feared, instantly felt the diminution of weight, and halted so
+abruptly that every one of them was prostrated on the slippery
+snow-crust. Mary endeavoured to take advantage of this occurrence,
+and, springing quickly to her feet, fled rapidly in the opposite
+direction. But before she had run many minutes, she heard the savages
+in close pursuit and gaining upon her at every step. It was useless to
+fly. She turned her head, and beheld the whole party within a few
+paces of her. The foremost was a tall athletic savage, bearing in his
+hand a tomahawk he had snatched from the snow-canoe, and wearing a
+demoniac scowl on his lip. Mary scanned his face and then turned her
+eyes to heaven. She felt that her end was near, and she breathed a
+prayer taught her by her buried mother. The savage rushed upon her,
+entwining his left hand in her flowing hair, and waving his tomahawk
+aloft with the other, was in the act of sinking the steel in the fair
+forehead before him, when the blow was arrested by a mere stripling,
+who came up at the head of the rest of the Indians. The Herculean
+savage whirled round and scowled passionately at the youth. The young
+Indian (the chief just elected in the place of Raven) regarded him a
+moment with gleaming eyes, and a determined expression of feature, and
+then with much dignity motioned him away. The huge savage was
+strangely submissive in a moment, and obeyed without a murmur. Mary
+was conducted back to the snow-canoe by the young chief, who led her
+by the hand, while the rest walked behind. Once the young warrior
+turned and looked searchingly in the face of his fair prize, and she
+returned the gaze with an instantaneous conviction that no personal
+harm was intended her. The chief was not half so dark as the rest of
+his tribe, and his countenance was open, generous, and noble. (It may
+seem improbable to the unthinking reader that a timid and alarmed
+maiden should be able to read the character of a foe by his features
+under such circumstances. But those very circumstances tended to
+produce such acuteness. And this is not only the case with human
+beings, but even with dumb brutes--for, at the moment they are about
+to be assailed, they invariably and instinctively look the assailant
+in the eye, mercy being the only remaining hope.) Again the young
+warrior turned to behold his captive's face, and Mary was in tears. He
+paused abruptly, and, after gazing some moments in silence and deep
+thought, resumed his pace. When they reached the snow-canoe, and while
+in the act of lifting his captive into her couch, the young chief
+observed for the first time a massive ring of curious workmanship on
+her finger (the glove she had hitherto worn being partially torn from
+her hand in the recent struggle,) and seemed to regard it with much
+interest. Mary saw that his eyes were riveted on the jewel, and
+notwithstanding it possessed a hallowed value in having been worn by
+her mother, yet she felt that she could resign it to the one who had
+saved her life, and whose noble bearing, so different from that of the
+rest, promised to shield her from future harm. But he neither asked it
+as a gift nor tore it from her, but turned away in silence, and
+ordered the party to proceed. The command was instantly obeyed.
+
+There was another Indian that had attracted the notice of Mary--one
+who studiously avoided her glance by constantly enveloping his face in
+his hairy robe whenever she turned towards him. This he continued to
+do until she was again seated in the snow-canoe, and the order was
+given to proceed on the journey. He then lingered behind the rest, and
+throwing aside his mask, she saw before her the savage that had been
+thrown within the inclosure by the explosion. He pointed to the north,
+the direction of her home, and, by sundry signs and grimaces, made
+Mary understand that he had not been a party to her capture, and that
+he would endeavour to effect her escape. He then joined the others,
+and the poor girl was once more coursing over the prairie more rapidly
+than ever.
+
+[Illustration: The savage rushed upon her, entwined his left hand in
+her flowing hair, and, waving his tomahawk aloft with the other, was
+in the act of sinking the steel in the fair forehead before him, when
+the blow was arrested by a mere stripling, who came up at the head of
+the rest of the Indians.--P. 142]
+
+There was now mingled with the captive maiden's thoughts another
+subject of contemplation. It was the young chief. His image seemed to
+be familiar to her dreamy visions, and she often thought that they had
+really met before. But when or where, her memory failed to designate.
+She was glad to find herself so unexpectedly under the protection of
+one so brave and generous, and she hoped when her father and his
+friends should overtake them, he might not be hurt in the conflict
+that must inevitably ensue.
+
+The Indians long continued their flight in silence. Scarce a word was
+uttered, until the sun was sinking low in the west. And then Mary
+heard them speaking about the place of encampment; for her frequent
+intercourse With the savages, before the arrival of Glenn in the
+vicinity, had enabled her, as well as her father, to acquire an
+imperfect knowledge of their language. But they still swept onward,
+without any diminution of speed. The chief had probably objected to
+their making, a halt by a shake of the head, for Mary did not hear him
+reply to those who desired to stop.
+
+When the shades of night fell around, and the broad red face of the
+moon peeped over the eastern horizon, the party still careered over
+the prairie. More than thirty miles had been traversed. The Indian is
+more distinguished for bottom than speed, and has been known to pursue
+a victim, or fly in the retreat, more than twenty-four hours without
+resting. But this band had suffered much from fatigue before they set
+out with their captive. The attempt to surprise the fort had cost them
+both blood and labour, and when the moon had risen midway up in the
+heavens, they again became clamorous for food and rest. The chief then
+told them to turn from their course, and in a few minutes Mary saw
+that they were approaching a grove of towering trees. Ere long they
+halted under an enormous beech, whose spreading and clustering
+branches not only greatly obscured the light from above, but had in a
+great measure prevented the snow from covering the earth at its roots.
+It was not long before a fire was struck, and the savages having
+scattered in every direction in quest of dry wood and bark, in a very
+short space of time a large bright blaze flashed up in their midst,
+around which they spread their buffalo robes and commenced preparing
+their venison. Each one cooked for himself, save the chief, who was
+provided proportionably by all. He offered Mary a part of his food,
+but she declined it. He then proffered to lift her from the
+snow-canoe, and place her nearer the fire. This too she declined,
+stating that she was warm enough. She was likewise influenced in this
+determination by the gestures of the Indian whom she had befriended
+the preceding night, who sat by in apparent unconcern, but at every
+opportunity, by looks and signs, endeavoured to cheer and encourage
+the captive maiden.
+
+After a hearty repast the savages, with the exception of the chief,
+rolled themselves in their warm, hairy robes before the glowing fire,
+and were soon steeped in profound slumber. The chief long reclined in
+a half-recumbent attitude on the couch that had been prepared for him,
+and fixing his eyes on the glaring flame, and sometimes on the pale
+sad features of Mary, seemed to be under the influence of deep and
+painful meditations. At times his features assumed a ferocity that
+caused Mary to start and tremble; but at others they wore a mournful
+expression, and ever and anon a tear rose up and glistened in his eye.
+Thus he sat for more than an hour after all the rest were sunk in
+motionless slumber. Finally his bedecked head, adorned with a
+profusion of rich and rare feathers, sunk by degrees on the rude
+pillow, and he too was soon wandering in the land of dreams.
+
+But sleep brooded not upon the watchful lids of Mary. She gazed in
+silence at the wild savage scene before her. The uncouth beings who
+had so recently hooted and yelled like sanguinary demons, with intent
+to slay and pillage, around her father, her friends and herself, now
+lay motionless, though free and still hostile, within a few feet of
+her, and she was their captive! She thought of her humble but peaceful
+home, and sighed bitterly. And she thought, too, of her distressed
+friends, and she was the more distressed from the consciousness that
+they sympathized with her sufferings. Poor girl! She looked at the
+dark brows and compressed lips of her captors as the fitful flashes of
+the flames threw a bright ray upon them, and, in despite of the many
+hopes she had entertained, she was horror-stricken to contemplate the
+reality of her sad predicament.
+
+At a late and solemn hour, the Indian who had been the captive the
+night before, suddenly ceased his snoring, which had been heard
+without intermission for a great length of time; and when Mary
+instinctively cast her eyes towards him, she was surprised to see him
+gently and slowly raise his head. He enjoined silence by placing his
+hand upon his mouth. After carefully disengaging himself from his
+comrades, he crept quietly away, and soon vanished entirely from sight
+on the northern side of the spreading beech. Mary expected he would
+soon return and assist her to escape. Although she was aware of the
+hardships and perils that would attend her flight, yet the thought of
+again meeting her friends was enough to nerve her for the undertaking,
+and she waited with anxious impatience the coming of her rescuer. But
+he came not. She could attribute no other design in his conduct but
+that of effecting her escape, and yet he neither came for her nor
+beckoned her away. She had reposed confidence in his promise, for she
+knew that the Indian, savage as he was, rarely forfeited his word; but
+when gratitude inspired a pledge, she could not believe that he would
+use deceit. The fire was now burning quite low, and its waning light
+scarce cast a beam upon the branches over head. It was evidently not
+far from morning, and every hope of present escape entirely fled from
+her bosom. But just as she was yielding to despair, she saw the Indian
+returning in a stealthy pace, bearing some dark object in his arms. He
+glided to her side, and beckoned her to leave the snow-canoe, and also
+to take with her all the robes with which she had been enveloped. She
+did his bidding, and then he carefully deposited the burden he bore in
+the place she had just occupied. A portion of the object becoming
+unwrapped, Mary discovered it to be a huge mass of snow, resembling,
+in some respects, a human form, and the Indian's stratagem was at once
+apparent to her. Relinquishing herself to his guidance, she was led
+noiselessly through the bushes about a hundred paces distant from the
+fire, to a large fallen tree that had yielded to some furious storm,
+when her conductor paused. He pointed to a spot where a curve caused
+the huge trunk to rise about a foot from the present surface, under
+which was a round hole cut through the drifted snow down to the earth,
+and in which were deposited several buffalo robes, and so arranged
+that a person could repose within without coming in contact with the
+frozen element around. Mary looked down, and then at her companion, to
+ascertain his intentions. He spoke to her in a low tone, enough of
+which she comprehended to understand that he desired her to descend
+into the pit without delay. She obeyed, and when he had carefully
+folded the robes and divers furs about her body, he stepped a few
+paces to one side, and gently lifting up a round lid of snow-crust,
+placed it over the aperture. It had been so smoothly cut, and fitted
+with such precision when replaced, that no one would have been able to
+discover that an incision had been made. He then bade Mary a "Dud by"
+in bad English, and set off in a run in a northern direction for the
+purpose of joining the whites.
+
+Long and interminable seemed Mary's confinement to her, but she was
+entirely comfortable in her hiding-place, as respected her body. Yet
+many dreadful apprehensions oppressed her still. She feared that the
+Indians would soon ascertain that she had left the canoe, and return
+and discover her place of concealment. At times she thought of the
+wild beasts prowling around, and feared they would devour her before
+assistance came. But the most harrowing fear was that the friendly
+Indian would abandon her to her fate or perhaps be _killed_, without
+making known her locality and helpless condition! Thus was she a prey
+to painful apprehensions and worrying reflections, until from
+exhaustion she sank into an unquiet and troubled slumber.
+
+With the first light of morning, the war-party sprang to their feet,
+and hastily dispatching a slight repast, they set out on their journey
+with renewed animation and increased rapidity. Before starting, the
+chief called to Mary, and again offered some food; but no reply being
+returned, or motion discovered under the robe which he imagined
+enveloped her, he supposed she was sleeping, and directed the party to
+select the most even route when they emerged in the prairie, that she
+might as much as possible enjoy her repose.
+
+The Indian who had planned and executed the escape of Mary, with the
+well-devised cunning for which the race is proverbial, had told his
+companions that he would rise before day and pursue the same direction
+they were going in advance of them, and endeavour to kill a deer for
+their next night's meal. Thus his absence created no suspicion, and
+the party continued their precipitate retreat.
+
+But, about noon, after casting many glances back at the supposed form
+of the captive reclining peacefully in the snow-canoe, the chief, with
+much excitement, betrayed by his looks, which seemed to be mingled
+with an apprehension that she was dead, abruptly ordered the party to
+halt. He sprang to the canoe, and convulsively tearing away the skins
+discovered only the roll of snow! He at first compressed his lips in
+momentary rage, and then burst into a fit of irrepressible laughter.
+But the rest raved and stamped, and uttered direful imprecations and
+threats of vengeance. Immediately they were aware of the treachery of
+the absent Indian, and resolved with one voice that his blood should
+be an atonement for the act. Their thoughts had dwelt too fondly on
+the shining gold they were to get in exchange for the maiden, for them
+ever to forgive the recreant brother who had snatched the prize from
+them. The chief soon recovered his usual grave expression, and partook
+in some measure the general disappointment and chagrin. His motives
+were not of the same mercenary cast which actuated his tribe, nor did
+he condemn the conduct of the one who had rescued the maid, being
+aware of the clemency extended him when in the power of the enemy; but
+the thought of being outwitted and thwarted roused his anger, and he
+determined to recover the lost captive, if possible.
+
+The snow was quickly thrown out, and the war-party adjusted their
+weapon's, with the expectation of encountering the whites; and then
+whirling about they retraced their steps even more swiftly than they
+had been advancing. Just as the night was setting in, they came in
+sight of the grove where they had encamped. They slackened their pace,
+and looking eagerly forward, seemed to think it not improbable that
+the whites had arrived in the vicinity, and might be lying in ambush
+awaiting their return in search of the maid. They then abandoned the
+canoe, after having concealed it under some low bushes, and entered
+the grove in a stooping and watchful posture. Ere long the chief
+attained the immediate neighbourhood of the spreading tree, and with
+an arrow drawn to its head, crept within a few paces of the spot where
+he had lain the preceding night. His party were mostly a few feet in
+the rear, while a few were approaching in the same manner from the
+opposite direction. Hearing no sound whatever, he rose up slowly, and
+with an "Ugh" of disappointment, strode carelessly across the silent
+and untenanted place of encampment.
+
+Vexation and anger were expressed by the savages in being thus
+disappointed. They hoped to wreak their vengeance on the whites, and
+had resolved to recapture the maiden. Where they expected to find
+them, the scene was silent and desolate. And they now sauntered about
+under the trees in the partial light of the moon that struggled
+through the matted branches, threatening in the most horrid manner the
+one who had thus baffled them. Some struck their tomahawks into the
+trunks of trees, while others brandished their knives, and uttered
+direful yells. The young chief stood in silence, with his arms folded
+on his breast. A small ray of light that fell upon his face exhibited
+a meditative brow, and features expressing both firmness and
+determination. He had said that the captive should be regained, and
+his followers ever and anon regarded his thoughtful attitude with the
+confidence that his decision would accelerate the accomplishment of
+their desires. Long he remained thus, motionless and dignified, and no
+one dared to address him. [He had been elected chief by acclamation,
+after the death of Raven. He was not an Osage by birth, but had been
+captured from one of the neighbouring tribes (the Pawnee) when only
+six years old. His bravery, as he grew up, had elicited the admiration
+of the whole tribe, and it had long been settled that he should
+succeed Raven. His complexion was many degrees lighter than that of
+the Osages, or even that of the Pawnees, and had it not been for the
+paint and stains with which the warriors decorate their faces, he
+might have passed, if properly attired, for an American. When taken in
+battle he was saved from the torture by a young Indian maiden. She
+procured his release and he refused to return to his own nation. He
+said that he was no Pawnee, and when asked to what nation he belonged,
+he either could not or would not reply, but said he was satisfied to
+hunt and fight with any tribe, and if the chief would give him his
+daughter (the one that saved his life,) he would be an Osage. It was
+done, and his brave exploits soon won for him the title of the "Young
+Eagle."]
+
+The young chief called one of the oldest of the party, who was
+standing a few paces distant absorbed in thought, to his side, and
+after a short conference the old savage prostrated himself on the
+snow, and endeavoured like a hound to scent the tracks of his recreant
+brother. At first he met with no success, but when making a wide
+circuit round the premises, still applying his nose to the ground
+occasionally, and minutely examining the bushes, he paused abruptly,
+and announced to the party that he had found the precise direction
+taken by the maid and her deliverer. Instantly they all clustered
+round him, evincing the most intense interest. Some smelt the surface
+of the snow, and others examined the bushes. Small twigs, not larger
+than pins, were picked up and closely scrutinized. They well knew that
+any one passing through the frozen and clustered bushes must
+inevitably sever some of the twigs and buds. Their progress was slow,
+but unerring. The course they pursued was the direction taken by Mary
+and her rescuer. It was not long before they arrived within a few feet
+of the place of the maiden's concealment. But now they were at fault.
+There were no bushes immediately around the fallen tree. They paused,
+the chief in the van, with their bows and arrows and tomahawks in
+readiness for instant use. They knew that the maiden could not return
+to her friends on foot, or the treacherous savage be able to bear her
+far on his shoulder. They thought that one or both must be concealed
+somewhere in the neighbourhood, and the fallen tree, were it hollow,
+was the place most likely to be selected for that purpose. After
+scanning the fallen trunk a few minutes in silence, and discovering
+nothing to realize their hopes, they uttered a terrific yell, and
+commenced striking their tomahawks in the wood, and ripping up the
+bark in quest of some hiding-place. But their search was in vain. The
+fallen trunk was sound and solid throughout, and the young chief sat
+down on it within three paces of Mary! Others, in passing about,
+frequently trod on the very verge of the concealed pit.
+
+Mary was awakened by the yell but knew not that the sound came from
+her enemies. The Indian had told her that he would soon return, and
+her heart now fluttered with the hope that her father and her friends
+were at hand. Yet she prudently determined not to rush from her
+concealment until she was better assured of the fact. She did not
+think the savages would suspect that she was hid under the snow, but
+yet she thought it very strange that her father did not come to her at
+once. Several minutes had elapsed since she had been startled by the
+sounds in the immediate vicinity. She heard the tramp of men almost
+directly over her head, and the strokes against the fallen trunk. She
+was several times on the eve of rising up, but was as often withheld
+by some mysterious impulse. She endeavoured to reflect calmly, but
+still she could not, by any mode of conjecture realize the probability
+of her foes having returned and traced her thither. Yet an undefinable
+fear still possessed her, and she endeavoured with patience to await
+the pleasure of her friends. But when the chief seated himself in her
+vicinity, and fell into one of his fits of abstraction, and the whole
+party became comparatively still and hushed, the poor girl's suspense
+was almost insufferable. She knew that human beings were all around
+her, and yet her situation was truly pitiable and lonely. She felt
+assured that if the war-party had returned in pursuit of her, the same
+means which enabled them to trace their victim to the fallen trunk
+would likewise have sufficed to indicate her hiding-place. Then why
+should she hesitate? The yells that awakened her had not been heard
+distinctly, and under the circumstances she could not believe that she
+was surrounded by savages. On the other hand, if they were her
+friends, why did they not relieve her? Now a sudden, but, alas!
+erroneous thought occurred to her. She was persuaded that they were
+her friends, but that the friendly Indian was not with them--he had
+perhaps directed them where she could be found, and then returned to
+his home. Might not her friends, at that moment, be anxiously
+searching for her? Would not one word suffice to dispel their
+solicitude, and restore the lost one to their arms? She resolved to
+speak. Bowing down her head slightly, so that her precise location
+might not instantly be ascertained, she uttered in a soft voice the
+word "FATHER!" The chief sprang from his seat, and the party was
+instantly in commotion. Some of the savages looked above, among the
+twining branches, and some shot their arrows in the snow, but
+fortunately not in the direction of Mary, while others ran about in
+every direction, examining all the large trees in the vicinity. The
+chief was amazed and utterly confounded. He drew not forth an arrow,
+nor brandished a tomahawk. While he thus stood, and the rest of the
+party were moving hurriedly about a few paces distant, Mary again
+repeated the word "FATHER!" As suddenly as if by enchantment every
+savage was paralyzed. Each stood as devoid of animation as a statue.
+For many moments an intense silence reigned, as if naught existed
+there but the cheerless forest trees. Slowly, at length, the tomahawk
+was returned to the belt, and the arrow to the quiver. No longer was a
+desire to spill blood manifested. The dusky children of the forest
+attributed to the mysterious sound a supernatural agency. They
+believed it was a voice from the perennial hunting-grounds. Humbly
+they bowed their heads, and whispered devotions to the Great Spirit.
+The young chief alone stood erect. He gazed at the round moon above
+him, and sighs burst from his breast, and burning tears ran down his
+stained cheek. Impatiently, by a motion of the hand, he directed the
+savages to leave him, and when they withdrew he resumed his seat on
+the fallen trunk, and reclined his brow upon his hand. One of the long
+feathers that decked his head waved forward, after he had been seated
+thus a few minutes, and when his eye rested upon it he started up
+wildly, and tearing it away, trampled it under his feet. At that
+instant the same "FATHER!" was again heard. The young chief fell upon
+his knees, and, while he panted convulsively, said, in ENGLISH,
+"_Father! Mother! I'm your poor William--you loved me much--where are
+you? Oh tell me--I will come to you--I want to see you!_" He then fell
+prostrate and groaned piteously. "Father! oh! where are you? Whose
+voice was that?" said Mary, breaking through the slight incrustation
+that obscured her, and leaping from her covert.
+
+The young chief sprang from the earth--gazed a moment at the
+maid--spoke rapidly and loudly in the language of his tribe to his
+party, who were now at the place of encampment, seated by the fire
+they had kindled--and then, seizing his tomahawk, was in the act of
+hurling it at Mary, when the yells of the war-party and the ringing
+discharges of firearms arrested his steel when brandished in the air.
+The white men had arrived! The young, chief seized Mary by her long
+flowing hair--again prepared to level the fatal blow--when she turned
+her face upwards, and he again hesitated. Discharges in quick
+succession, and nearer than before, still rang in his ears. Mary
+strove not to escape. Nor did the Indian strike. The whites were heard
+rushing through the bushes--the chief seized the trembling girl in his
+arms--a bullet whizzed by his head--but, unmindful of danger, he
+vanished among the dark bushes with his burden.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+Joe's indisposition--His cure--Sneak's reformation--The pursuit--The
+captive Indian--Approach to the encampment of the savages--Joe's
+illness again--The surprise--The terrific encounter--Rescue of
+Mary--Capture of the young chief--The return.
+
+
+We return to the white men. The grief of Roughgrove, and of all the
+party, when it was ascertained beyond a doubt that Mary had been
+carried off by the savages, was deep and poignant. The aged ferryman
+sat silent and alone, and would not be comforted, while the rest made
+the necessary arrangements to pursue the foe. The sled was so altered
+that blankets, buffalo robes, and a small quantity of food could be
+taken in it. Bullets were moulded and the guns put in order. Joe was
+ordered to give the horses water, and place a large quantity of
+provender within their reach. The hounds were fed and then led back to
+their kennel, and Glenn announced, after Roughgrove declared his
+determination to go along, that Ringwood and Jowler alone would be
+left to guard the premises.
+
+"My goodness!" said Joe, when he understood that he was expected to
+make one of the pursuing party, "I can't go! My head's so sore, and
+aches so bad, I couldn't go ten miles before I'd have to give up. Let
+me stay, Mr. Glenn, and take care of the house."
+
+"Do you forget that _Mary_ is in the hands of the Indians? Would you
+hesitate even to _die_, while striving to rescue a poor, innocent,
+helpless maiden? For shame!" replied Glenn.
+
+"I'd spill my heart's blood for her," said Joe, "if it would do any
+good. But you know how I was crippled last night, and I didn't sleep a
+bit afterwards, hardly."
+
+"Dod"--commenced Sneak.
+
+"Joe," said Boone, "from the vigorous manner in which you fought the
+wolves, I am induced to believe that your present scruples are not
+well founded. We will need every man we can obtain."
+
+"Oh, I wouldn't mind it at all," said Joe, "if it wasn't that you're a
+going to start right off now. If I only had a little sleep--"
+
+"You shall have it," said Boone. Both Glenn and Roughgrove looked
+inquiringly at the speaker. "We will not start to-night," continued
+he. "It would be useless. We could not overtake them, and if we did,
+it would cause them to put Mary to death, that they might escape our
+vengeance the more easily. I have duly considered the matter. We must
+rest here to-night, and rise refreshed in the morning. We will then
+set out on their trail, and I solemnly pledge my word never to return
+without bringing the poor child back unharmed."
+
+"I _hope_ my head'll be well by morning," said Joe.
+
+"I _know_ it will be well enough," said Glenn; "so you need entertain
+no hope of being left behind."
+
+"Now, Sneak, a word with you," said Boone. "I think you would do almost
+_any thing_ for my sake--"
+
+"If I wouldn't, I wish I may be dod--"
+
+"Stop!" continued Boone, interrupting him.
+
+"Jest ax me to cut off my little finger," said Sneak, "and if I don't
+do it, I wish I may be dod--"
+
+"Stop!" again interposed Boone. "My first request is one that poor
+_Mary_ asked me to make. I know it will be a severe trial."
+
+"Name it," cried Sneak, "and if it's to job out one of my eyes, dod
+rot me if I don't do it!"
+
+"_Hear_ me," continued Boone; "she desired me to ask you not to use
+that ugly word _dod-rot_ any more."
+
+"Hay!" exclaimed Sneak, his eyes dilating, and his mouth falling wide
+open.
+
+"I know it will be a hard matter," said Boone; "but Mary thinks you
+have a good and brave heart, and she says you are the only one among
+us that uses bad words."
+
+"I'd go my death for that gal, or any other female woman in the
+settlement, any day of my life. And as she wants me to swaller them
+words, that was born with me, dod--I mean, I wish I may be--_indeed_,
+I'll be starved to death if I don't do it! only when I'm raven mad at
+something, and then I can't help it."
+
+"Very well," said Boone. "Now I have a request of my own to make."
+
+"Sing it out! dod--no--nothing! I didn't say it--but I'll _do_ what
+you want me to," said Sneak.
+
+"I think _you_ will not suffer for the want of sleep," continued
+Boone; "and I wish you to go out and get as many of the neighbours to
+join us as possible. You can go to three or four houses by midnight,
+sleep a little, and meet us here, or in the prairie, in the morning."
+
+"I shall cut stick--if I don't I wish I may be do--I--_indeed_ I
+will!" and before he ceased speaking he was rushing through the gate.
+
+The little party then took a hasty repast, and, throwing themselves on
+the couches, endeavoured to sleep. Boone and Joe were soon wrapped in
+slumber; but neither Roughgrove nor Glenn, for a great length of time,
+could find repose.
+
+"Strive to be composed, my friend; all will be well," said Glenn, when
+the disconsolate old ferryman gave vent to numerous heart-rending
+sighs.
+
+"If you only knew"--commenced Roughgrove, in reply, and the words he
+was about to utter died upon his lips.
+
+"I can well imagine the extent of your bereavement," said Glenn; "but
+at the same time I am sure she will be returned to you unharmed."
+
+"It was not Mary alone I alluded to," said Roughgrove; "but to lose
+two children--all that we had--so cruelly--Oh! may we all meet in
+heaven!"
+
+"Then you had _two_ children, and lost them both? I never heard the
+other mentioned," said Glenn, now evincing a most lively interest in
+the subject.
+
+"No--it was my request that it should never be mentioned. Mary and he
+were twins--only six years old, when he was lost. I wished Mary to
+forget entirely that she ever had a brother--it could do no good for
+her to know it, and would distress her. But now, Heavenly Father! both
+are gone!" added the old man, in tears.
+
+"Was he, too, taken by the Indians? the Osages?" inquired Glenn.
+
+"No," said Roughgrove. "He had been playing on the margin of the
+river, and we were compelled to believe that he fell in the stream and
+was drowned--at a time when no eye was upon him. Mary was near at
+hand, but she did not see him fall, nor could she tell how he
+disappeared. His poor mother believed that an Indian stole him away.
+But the only Indians then in the neighbourhood were the Pawnees, and
+they were at that time friendly. He was surely drowned. If the Pawnees
+had taken him, they would soon have proposed a ransom. Yet his mother
+continually charged them with the deed. In her dreams she ever saw him
+among the savages. In all her thoughts it was the same. She pined
+away--she never knew a happy moment afterwards--and when she died, the
+same belief was uttered in her last words. I am now alone!" The old
+man covered his face with his hands, and sobbed audibly.
+
+"Bear with patience and resignation," said Glenn, "the dispensations
+of an all-wise Providence. All may yet be well. The son, whom you
+thought lost forever, may be living, and possibly reclaimed, and Mary
+shall be restored, if human efforts can accomplish it. Cheer up. Many
+a happy day may still be reserved for you."
+
+"Oh! my dear young friend! if you but knew _all_!" said Roughgrove.
+
+"Do I not now know all?" asked Glenn.
+
+"No," replied the old man; "but the rest must remain a secret--it
+should, perhaps, be buried in my breast forever! I will now strive to
+sleep." They ceased to speak, and silence reigned till morning.
+
+Joe was roused from his couch in the morning by a tremendous "Ya-hoy!"
+outside of the inclosure.
+
+"Run and open the gate," said Glenn.
+
+"I'd rather not," said Joe, rubbing his eyes.
+
+"Why?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Hang it, it's the Indians again!" replied Joe, seizing his musket.
+
+"It is Sneak and his men," observed Boone, when another shout was
+uttered.
+
+"Hang me, if I don't have a peep at 'em first, anyhow," said Joe,
+approaching the gate cautiously, and peering through a small crevice.
+
+"Ya-hoo!" repeated those without.
+
+"Who are you? why don't you speak out?" said Joe, still unable to see
+their faces.
+
+"Dod--I mean--plague take it! Joe, is Mr. Boone standing there with
+you?" asked Sneak.
+
+"No," replied Joe, opening the gate.
+
+"Then dod _rot_ your hide! why didn't you let us in?" said Sneak,
+rushing through the gate, and followed by five of the neighbours.
+
+"Why, Sneak, how could I tell that you wern't Indians?" said Joe.
+
+"You be dod--never mind!" continued Sneak, shaking his head, and
+passing to where Boone stood, near the house.
+
+"I am glad to see you all," said Boone, extending his hand to each of
+the hardy pioneers. "But let us not waste a moment's time. I see you
+are all armed. Seize hold of the sled-rope, and let us be off." The
+command was instantly obeyed, and the party were soon passing out of
+the inclosure. The gate was scarce fastened before another "Ya-hoo!"
+came from the valley below, and a moment after they were joined by
+Col. Cooper and Dan. The other oarsman had been sent up the river for
+reinforcements, and Col. Cooper and Dan having heard the great
+explosion, finally resolved to cross over the river, and not await the
+arrival of the trappers.
+
+The party now amounted to twelve, and no time was lost in commencing
+the march, or rather the chase; for when they reached the prairie and
+found the trail of the snow-canoe, their progress equalled that of the
+savages. But they had not gone far before Joe was taken suddenly ill,
+and begged to be permitted to return.
+
+"I declare I can hardly hold my head up!" said he still holding on to
+the rope, and keeping pace with the rest, though his head hung down.
+
+"Possomin'--dod--I mean he's jest 'possomin'," said Sneak.
+
+"No indeed I ain't--plague it, don't _you_ say any thing, Sneak," Joe,
+added, in an undertone.
+
+"I am something of a physician," said Boone, whose quick ear had
+caught the words addressed to Sneak. "Let me feel your pulse," he
+added, ordering the party to halt, and turning to Joe, whose wrist he
+seized.
+
+"I feel something better," said Joe, alarmed at the mysterious and
+severe expression of Boone's face.
+
+"I hope you will be entirely well in _two minutes_," said Boone; "and
+then it will not be necessary to apply my remedy."
+
+"I'm about well now," said Joe: "I think I can go ahead."
+
+"I believe your pulse is good now; and I think you will hardly have
+another attack to-day. If you do, just let me know it."
+
+"Oh, now I feel perfectly well," responded Joe; and, seizing the rope,
+they were all soon again flying along on the trail of the savages.
+
+A little before noon, while casting his eyes along the dim horizon in
+advance, Sneak abruptly paused, causing the rest to do likewise, and
+exclaimed, "Dod rot it."
+
+"What's the matter, Sneak? Remember the promise you made," said Boone.
+
+"Oh," replied Sneak, "in sich an extronary case as this, I can't help
+saying that word yet awhile. But look yander!" he continued, pointing
+to a slight eminence a great distance in advance.
+
+"True!" said Boone, "that is an Indian--but it is the only one
+hereabouts."
+
+"He is coming to meet us," said Glenn.
+
+"Yes! my goodness! he's looking at us now," cried Joe, retreating a
+few steps.
+
+"If there are more of them watching us," said Col. Cooper, "they are
+somewhere in our rear."
+
+"Oh! we're surrounded!" cried Joe, leaping forward again.
+
+"Come on," said Boone; "we'll soon learn what he wants with us."
+
+When they were within a few hundred yards of the solitary Indian, they
+again halted, and Joe ran to the sled and seized his musket, which he
+cocked and threw up to his shoulder.
+
+"Take down your gun!" said Boone; "that is the Indian whose life we
+spared. I was not deceived in his integrity. He was not the one that
+stole away Mary. I doubt not he brings intelligence of her."
+
+"God grant she may still be unharmed!" said Roughgrove, advancing to
+meet the Indian, who, being now within gunshot, raised his small white
+flag. "Tell me! tell me all about her!" exclaimed Roughgrove, in the
+Osage language, when he met the Indian. When the Indian informed him
+of the condition of Mary, the old man could not repress his raptures,
+his gratitude, or his tears. "She's safe! she's safe! Heaven be
+praised!" he exclaimed, turning to his companions, who now came up,
+and experienced almost as much joy at the announcement as himself.
+
+"Hang me, if you ain't a right clever fellow," said Joe, shaking the
+Indian's hand quite heartily. "Now," he continued, when all the
+particulars of Mary's escape were made known, "there won't be any use
+in fighting; we can just get Miss Mary out of the snow, and then go
+home again."
+
+"You don't know--keep your mouth shet--dod--," said Sneak, suppressing
+the last word.
+
+"We are not sure of that," said Boone; "on the contrary, I think it
+is very probable we shall have fighting yet. When the war-party
+discover the deception, (as they must have done ere this,) they will
+retrace their steps. If it was early in the day when they ascertained
+that the captive had escaped, we may expect to see them very soon. If
+it was late, we will find them in the grove where they encamped. In
+either event we must expect to fight--and fight hard too--for they
+outnumber us considerably."
+
+Joe sighed, but said nothing.
+
+"Are you getting ill again?" inquired Boone.
+
+"No--I was only blowing--I got a little tired," said Joe, in scarce
+articulate tones.
+
+"And I feel weak--very weak--but it is with joy!" said Roughgrove.
+
+"And I have observed it, too," said Boone. "Get in the sled; we will
+pull you along till your strength returns."
+
+"I will be able to use my gun when I meet the foe," said the old man,
+getting into the sled.
+
+The party set forward again, guided by the Indian, and in high
+spirits. The consciousness that Mary was in safety removed a weight
+from the breasts of all; and, as they ran along, many a light jest and
+pleasant repartee lessened the weariness of the march. Even Joe smiled
+once or twice when Boone, in a mock heroic manner alluded to his
+exploits among the wolves.
+
+"Blast me," said Joe, when Sneak mentioned a few cases of equivocal
+courage as an offset to Boone's compliments, "blast me, if I haven't
+killed more Indians than any of you, since I have been in this plagued
+country."
+
+"True--that is, your musket has," said Boone.
+
+"Joe can fight sometimes," said Glenn, smiling.
+
+"I'll be hanged if I haven't always fought, when there was any
+fighting going on," said Joe, reproachfully.
+
+"Yes, and he'll fight again, as manfully as any of us," said Boone.
+
+"Dod--why, what are you holding back for so hard?" said Sneak,
+remarking that Joe at that instant seemed to be much excited, and,
+instead of going forward, actually brought the whole party to a model
+ate walk by his counter exertion.
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Are you going to be ill?" asked Boone.
+
+"No, goodness, no! Only listen to me a minute. An idea struck me,
+which I thought it was my duty to tell. I thought this Indian might be
+deceiving us. Suppose he leads us right into an ambush when we're
+talking and laughing, and thinking there's no danger.
+
+"Dod--you're a cowardly fool!" said Sneak.
+
+"I have likewise a remedy for interruptions--I advise rot to stop
+again," said Boone, when Joe once more started forward.
+
+Just as night was setting in, the party came in sight of the grove
+where Mary was concealed. They slackened their pace and drew near the
+dark woods quite cautiously. When they entered the edge of the grove,
+they heard the war-party utter the yell which had awakened Mary. It
+was fully understood by Boone, and the friendly Indian assured them
+from the sound, that the Osages had just returned, and were at that
+moment leaving the encampment on his trail. But he stated that they
+could not find the pale-faced maiden. And he suggested to the whites a
+plan of attack, which was to station themselves near the place where
+he had emerged from the grove, after hiding Mary; so that when they
+followed on his trail they could thus be surprised without difficulty.
+This advice was adopted by Boone. The Indian then asked permission to
+depart, saying he had paid the white men for sparing his life.
+
+"Oh no!" cried Joe, when Roughgrove interpreted the Indian's request,
+"keep him as a hostage--he may be cheating us."
+
+"I do not see the impropriety of Joe's remark this time," said Glenn.
+
+"Ask him where he will go, if we suffer him to depart," said Boone. To
+Roughgrove's interrogation, the Indian made a passionate reply. He
+said the white men were liars. They were now quits. Still the white
+men were not satisfied. He had risked his life (and would probably be
+tortured) to pay back the white men's kindness. But they would not
+believe his words. He was willing to die now. The white men might
+shoot him.. He would as willingly die as live. If suffered to depart,
+it was his intention to steal his squaw away from the tribe, and join
+the Pawnees. He would never be an Osage again.
+
+"Go!" said Boone, perceiving by a ray of moonlight that reached the
+Indian's face through the clustering branches of the trees above, that
+he was in tears. The savage, without speaking another word, leaped out
+into the prairie, and from the circuitous direction he pursued, it was
+manifest that nothing could be further from his desire than to fall in
+with the war-party.
+
+Boone directed the sled to be abandoned, and, obedient to his will,
+the party entered a small covert in the immediate vicinity of the spot
+where their guide said he had emerged from the grove on his return to
+meet the whites. Here the party long remained esconced, silent and
+listening, and expecting every moment to see the foe. At length Boone
+grew impatient, and concluding they would encamp that night under the
+spreading tree, (the locality of which he was familiar with,) he
+resolved to advance and surprise them. He was strengthened in this
+determination by the repeated and painful surmises of Roughgrove
+respecting Mary's piteous condition. Glenn, and the rest, with perhaps
+one or two exceptions, likewise seemed disposed to make an
+instantaneous termination of the torturing suspense respecting the
+fate of the poor girl.
+
+Boone and Sneak led the way. The party were compelled to proceed with
+the utmost caution. Sometimes they were forced to crawl many paces on
+their hands and knees under the pendent snow-covered bushes. They drew
+near the spreading tree. A fire was burning under it, the flickering
+rays of which could be occasionally seen glimmering through the
+branches. A stick was heard to break a little distance on one side,
+and Boone and Sneak sank down on the snow, and whispered to the rest
+to follow their example. It was done without a repetition of the
+order. Joe was the hindmost of all, but after lying a few minutes in
+silence, he crept softly forward, trembling all the while. When he
+reached the side of Boone, the aged woodman did not chide him, but
+simply pointed his finger towards a small decayed log a few paces
+distant. Joe looked but a moment, and then pulling his hat over his
+eyes, laid down flat on his face, in silence and submission. An Indian
+was seated on the log, and very composedly cutting off the dry bark
+with his tomahawk. Once or twice he paused and remained a moment in a
+listening attitude. But probably thinking the sounds he heard (if he
+heard any) proceeded from some comrade like himself in quest of fuel,
+he continued to cut away, until an armful was obtained, and then very
+deliberately arose and walked with an almost noiseless step to the
+fire, which was not more than fifty yards distant. Boone rose softly
+and whispered the rest to follow. He was promptly obeyed by all except
+Joe.
+
+"Come, sir! prepare your musket to fire," said Boone, stooping down to
+Joe, who still remained apparently frozen to the snow-crust.
+
+"Oh! I'm so sick!" replied Joe.
+
+"If you do not keep with us, you will lose your scalp to a certainty,"
+said Boone. Joe was well in a second. The party were now about midway
+between the fallen trunk where Mary was concealed, and the great
+encampment-tree. Boone rose erect for an instant, and beheld the
+former, and the single Indian (the chief) who was there. One of the
+Indians again started out from the fire, in the direction of the
+whites for more fuel. Boone once more passed the word for his little
+band to lie down. The tall savage came within a few feet of them. His
+tomahawk accidentally fell from his hand, and in his endeavour to
+catch it, he knocked it within a few feet of Sneak's head. He stepped
+carelessly aside, and stooped down for it. A strangling and gushing
+sound was heard, and falling prostrate, he died without a groan. Sneak
+had nearly severed his head from his body at one blow with his
+hunting-knife.
+
+At this juncture Mary sprang from her hiding-place. Her voice reached
+the ears of her father, but before he could run to her assistance, the
+chiefs loud tones rang through the forest. Boone and the rest sprang
+forward, and fired upon the savages under the spreading tree. At the
+second discharge the Indians gave way, and while Col. Cooper, the
+oarsmen, and the neighbours that had joined the party in the morning,
+pursued the flying foe, Boone and the remainder ran towards the fallen
+trunk where Mary had been concealed, but approaching in different
+directions. Glenn was the first to rush upon the chief, and it was his
+ball that whizzed so near the Indian's head when he bore away the
+shrieking maiden. The rest only fired in the direction of the log, not
+thinking that Mary had left her covert. They soon met at the fallen
+tree, under which was the pit, all except Glenn, who sprang forward in
+pursuit of the chief, and Sneak, who had made a wide circuit for the
+purpose of reaching the scene of action from an opposite direction,
+entirely regardless of the danger of being shot by his friends.
+
+[Illustration: "It is your father, my poor child!" said Roughgrove,
+pressing the girl to his heart.--P. 165]
+
+"She's gone! she's gone!" exclaimed Roughgrove, looking aghast at the
+vacated pit under the fallen trunk. "But we will have her yet," said
+Boone, as he heard Glenn discharge a pistol a few paces apart in the
+bushes. The report was followed by a yell, not from the chief, but
+Sneak, and the next moment the rifle of the latter was likewise heard.
+Still the Indian was not dispatched, for the instant afterwards his
+tomahawk, which was hurled without effect, came sailing over the
+bushes, and penetrated a tree hard by, some fifteen or twenty feet
+above the earth, where it entered the wood with such force that it
+remained firmly fixed. Now succeeded a struggle--a violent blow was
+heard--the fall of the Indian, and all was comparatively still. A
+minute afterwards, Sneak emerged from the thicket, bearing the
+inanimate body of Mary in his arms, and followed by Glenn.
+
+"Is she dead? Oh, she's dead!" cried Roughgrove, snatching her from
+the arms of Sneak.
+
+"She has only fainted!" exclaimed Glenn, examining the body of the
+pale girl, and finding no wounds.
+
+"She is recovering!" said Boone, feeling her pulse.
+
+"God be praised!" exclaimed Roughgrove, when returning animation was
+manifest.
+
+"Oh! I know you won't kill me! For pity's sake spare me!" said Mary.
+
+"It is your father, my poor child!" said Roughgrove, pressing the girl
+to his heart.
+
+"It is! it is!" cried the happy girl, clinging rapturously to the old
+man's neck, and then, seizing the hands of the rest, she seemed to be
+half wild with delight.
+
+"Dod--I--I mean that none of the black noctilerous savages shall ever
+hurt you as long as Sneak lives," said Sneak, looking down at his gun,
+which had been broken off at the breech.
+
+"How did you break that?" asked Boone.
+
+"I broke it over the yaller feller's head," said he, "and I'd do it
+agin, before he should hurt Miss Mary, if it _is_ the only one I've
+got."
+
+"I have an extra rifle at home," said Glenn, "which shall be yours, as
+a reward for your gallant conduct."
+
+"Where is the chief? Is he dead?" asked Mary.
+
+"If he ain't dead, his head's harder than my gun, that's all," said
+Sneak.
+
+"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Mary.
+
+"Why, my child?" asked Roughgrove.
+
+"Because," said Mary, "he's a good-hearted Indian, and never would
+have harmed me. When he heard you coming, and raised his tomahawk to
+kill me, I looked in his face, and he could not strike, for there were
+tears in his eyes! I know he never would have thought of killing me,
+when calm, for he treated me very kindly before I escaped."
+
+"Maybe he ain't dead--I'll go and see," said Sneak, repairing to the
+late scene of conflict. When he arrived he found the young chief
+sitting upright, having been only stunned; a gold band that confined
+his head-dress prevented the blow from fracturing his skull. He was
+now unresisting and sullen. Sneak made him rise up, and after binding
+his hands behind him with a strong cord, led him forth.
+
+"You did not intend to kill me, did you?" asked Mary, in soothing
+tones. The chief regarded her not, but looked steadfastly downwards.
+
+"He don't understand you, Mary," said Boone.
+
+"Oh, yes he does," continued Mary; "and he can speak our language,
+too, for I heard him talking, and thought it was you, and that was the
+reason why I came out of the pit." Roughgrove addressed him in his own
+language, but with no better success. The captured chief resolved not
+to plead for his life. He would make no reply whatever to their
+questions, but still gazed downwards in reckless sullenness.
+
+"What shall we do with him?" asked Glenn, when the rest of the party,
+(with the exception of Joe,) who had chased the savages far away, came
+up and stared at the prisoner.
+
+"Let us set him free!" said Roughgrove.
+
+"Kill him!" cried several.
+
+"No!" exclaimed Mary, "what do _you_ say, Mr. Boone?"
+
+"It would be useless to kill him," said Boone.
+
+"Let him go, then," said Glenn.
+
+"No!" said Boone.
+
+"Why?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Because," replied Boone, "he is a chief, and we may make him the
+means of securing the settlement against future attacks. We will
+confine him in your garrison as a hostage, and send some friendly
+Indian to the Osages announcing his capture, and informing them that
+his life will be spared provided they keep away from the settlement
+for a certain length of time, at the expiration of which he shall be
+restored to them."
+
+"I am glad of that," said Mary, "for I don't believe he is a bad
+Indian. We will treat him kindly, and then I think he will always be
+our friend."
+
+"Take him along, and bind him fast in the sled, Sneak," said Boone;
+"but see that you do not injure him in the least."
+
+"I will. Oh, me and him are purty good friends now. Gee-whoa-haw,"
+continued he, taking hold of the string behind, and endeavouring to
+drive the silent captive like an ox. The young chief whirled round
+indignantly, and with such force as to send Sneak sprawling several
+paces to one side. He rose amid the laughter that ensued, and
+remembering the words of Boone, conducted his prisoner away in a more
+respectful manner.
+
+"Where's Joe?" at length inquired Glenn, seeing that he alone was
+missing.
+
+"Oh! I'm afraid he's dead," said Mary.
+
+"If he is, I shall mourn his loss many a day," said Glenn; "for with
+all his defects, I would not be without him for the world."
+
+"Give yourself no uneasiness," said Boone; "for he is as well at this
+moment as you or I."
+
+"I hope so," said Glenn; "but I have not seen him since we first fired
+at the Indians."
+
+"Let us repair to that spot, and there we will find him, for I saw him
+fall down when he discharged his musket. I venture to say he has not
+moved an inch since."
+
+The party repaired to the place mentioned, and there they found him,
+sure enough, lying quite still on his face beside the Indian that
+Sneak had killed.
+
+"He _is_ dead!" said Glenn, after calling to him and receiving no
+answer.
+
+"We'll soon see," said Boone, turning him over on his back. "I will
+open a vein in his arm."
+
+"Bring a torch from the fire," said Col. Cooper to one of the men.
+
+"Oh!" sighed Joe, lifting his hands to his head.
+
+"I thought he would soon come to life again," said Boone, examining
+his face with the torch that was brought, and then laughing outright.
+The spectacle was ludicrous in the extreme. Joe was besmeared with
+blood, and, when he opened his eyes and stared at the flaming light,
+he resembled some sanguinary demon.
+
+"Where in the world did all this blood come from?" exclaimed Glenn.
+
+"I'm recovered now," said Joe, rising up and assuming an air of
+importance.
+
+"What have you been doing?" asked Glenn.
+
+"I've been doing as much as any of you, I'll be bound," replied Joe,
+very gravely.
+
+"Well, what have you done?" repeated Glenn.
+
+"I've been fighting the last half hour, as hard as anybody ever fought
+in this world. Only look at the stabs in that Indian!" said he,
+pointing to the savage.
+
+"Why, you scoundrel! Sneak killed this Indian," said Glenn.
+
+"Sneak thought he did," replied Joe, "but he only wounded him. After a
+while he got up and clinched me by the throat, and we had it over and
+over on the snow, till we both got so exhausted we couldn't do any
+thing. When we rested, we went at it again, and it hasn't been five
+minutes since I stuck my knife in his breast. When he fell, I stuck
+him four or five times, and then fainted myself."
+
+"Here is a wound in the savage's breast," said Glenn.
+
+"But here's another in the throat," said Boone, showing where the
+arteries had been severed by Sneak.
+
+"Joe," said Glenn, "you must abandon this habit of lying, if indeed it
+is not a portion of your nature."
+
+"Hang it all, I ain't lying--I know Sneak did cut his throat, but he
+didn't cut it deep--I cut it deeper, myself, after the Indian got up
+again!" persisted he.
+
+The party hastily glanced at the four or five dead savages under the
+trees, that had fallen victims to their fire, and then returned to the
+sled. Mary was placed beside the captive chief, and they set out on
+their return, well satisfied with the result of the expedition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+The return--The young chief in confinement--Joe's fun--His reward--The
+ring--A discovery--William's recognition--Memories of childhood--A
+scene--Roughgrove's history--The children's parentage.
+
+
+The party on their return did not travel so rapidly as they had
+advanced. They moreover halted in a grove which they espied about
+midnight, and finding a spreading tree that had entirely shielded a
+small space of ground from the snow, they kindled a fire, arranged
+their robes, and reposed a few hours. The captive chief was still
+sullen and unresisting. He was suffered to recline in the sled
+enveloped in skins, with his hands and feet yet bound, and an extra
+cord passed round his body, the end of which Sneak held in his hand
+while he slept. When daylight appeared, they set forward again in a
+moderate pace, and arrived at Glenn's domicil at evening twilight. The
+neighbours that Sneak had enlisted departed for their homes, and Boone
+and Col. Cooper, after bidding our hero, Roughgrove, and Mary, a
+hearty adieu, without entering the inclosure, recrossed the river to
+their own settlement.
+
+The remainder of the party, except the oarsmen, accepted Glenn's
+invitation to remain with him till morning. When the gate was thrown
+open, the faithful hounds manifested great delight to behold their
+master again, and also Mary, for they pranced so much in the path
+before them that it was almost impossible to walk. They barked in
+ecstasy. The poor fawn had been forgotten, neglected, and had suffered
+much for food. Mary placed her arm round its neck and wept. Glenn
+ordered Joe, who was in the stable caressing the horses, to feed the
+drooping pet instantly.
+
+The party then entered the house, leading in the chief, and soon after
+Sneak had a bright fire blazing on the hearth.
+
+The food that remained from the last repast amply sufficed, the
+captive refusing to partake with them, and Joe having dined during the
+last twelve miles of the journey on the way.
+
+"How we'll be able to keep this Indian here, when we go out, I should
+like to know," said Joe, regarding the manly and symmetrical form of
+the young chief, who was now unbound, and sat silent and thoughtful by
+the fire.
+
+"I think he ought to be killed," said Sneak.
+
+"Oh, no!" said Mary; "he is not bad like the other Indians." The
+Indian, for the first time since his capture, raised his head while
+she spoke, and looked searchingly in her face. "Oh!" continued Mary,
+thinking of the horrors of savage warfare, and bursting into tears,
+"you will never attempt to kill any of us again, will you?"
+
+"No!" said the chief, in a low but distinct tone. Every one in the
+house but Mary started.
+
+"You understand our language, do you? Then why did you not answer my
+questions?" asked Roughgrove, turning to the captive. The young chief
+made no answer, but sat with his arms folded, and still regarding the
+features of Mary.
+
+"He's a perfect fool!" said Sneak.
+
+"He's a snake in the grass, and'll bite some of us some of these
+times, before we know any thing about it," said Joe.
+
+"Be silent," said Glenn. "If the hope that fills my breast should be
+realized, the young chief will cause more rejoicing than sorrowing
+among us. The wisdom of Providence surpasses all human understanding.
+Events that bear a frightful import to the limited comprehensions of
+mortals, may nevertheless be fraught with inestimable blessings. Even
+the circumstance of your capture, Mary, however distressing at the
+time to yourself and to all your friends, may some day be looked upon
+as a happy and fortunate occurrence."
+
+"I hope so," said Mary.
+
+"God is great--is present everywhere, and governs every thing--let us
+always submit to his just decrees without murmuring," said the old
+ferryman, his eyes brightening with fervent devotion.
+
+"They've a notion to preach a little, I believe," whispered Sneak to
+Joe.
+
+"Let 'em go ahead, then," replied Joe, who was busily engaged with a
+long switch, that he occasionally thrust in the fire, and when the end
+was burnt to a coal, slyly applied it to the heel of the young chiefs
+moccasin.
+
+"You'd better not let him ketch you at that," said Sneak.
+
+"He'll think its a tick biting him--I want to see if the Indians
+scratch like other people," said Joe.
+
+Mary, being so requested by her father, began to relate every thing
+that transpired up to her rescue, while she was in the possession of
+the savages. The Indian riveted his eyes upon her during the recital,
+and seemed to mark every word. Whether he understood all she said, or
+was enchanted with her soft and musical tones, could not be
+ascertained; but the listeners more than once observed with
+astonishment his gleaming eyes, his attentive attitude, and the
+intense interest exhibited in his face. It was during a moment when he
+was thus absorbed that he suddenly sprang erect. Joe threw down his
+switch, convulsed with internal laughter. Sneak leaned back against
+the wall, and while he grinned at the amusing scene, seemed curious to
+know what would be the result. Mary paused, and Glenn inquired the
+cause of the interruption.
+
+"Its nothing, hardly," said Sneak: "only a spark of fire got agin the
+Indian's foot. He ain't as good pluck as the other one we had--he
+could stand burning at the stake without flinching."
+
+"Did either of you _place_ the fire against his foot?" demanded Glenn,
+in something like anger. But before he could receive an answer, the
+young chief, who had whirled round furiously, and cast a fierce look
+at his tormentor, relaxing his knit brows into an expression of
+contempt, very deliberately took hold of Joe's ear, and turning on his
+heel like a pivot, forced him to make many circles round him on the
+floor.
+
+"Let go my ear!" roared Joe, pacing round in pain.
+
+"Hold your holt, my snarvilerous yaller prairie dog!" cried Sneak,
+inexpressibly amused.
+
+"Let go my ear, I say!" cried Joe, still trotting round, with both
+hands grasping the Indian's wrist. "Mr. Glenn! Mr. Glenn!" continued
+Joe, "he's pinching a hole through my ear! Shoot him down, shoot him
+down. There's my gun, standing against the wall--but its not loaded!
+Take my knife--oh, he's tearing my ear off!" When the Indian thought
+he was sufficiently punished, he led him back to his seat, and
+relinquished his hold. He then resumed his own seat, and composedly
+turning his eyes to Mary, seemed to desire her to proceed with the
+narration. She did so, but when she spoke of her attempt to escape in
+the prairie, of the young chief's noble conduct, and his admiration of
+her ring (and she pulled off her glove and exhibited it as she spoke,)
+he again rose from his seat, and walking, apparently unconsciously, to
+where she reclined upon her father's knees, fixed his eyes upon the
+jewel in a most mysterious manner. He no longer dwelt upon the
+maiden's sweet tones. He did nothing but gaze at the ring.
+
+"He's got a notion to steal that ring!" said Joe, with a sneer.
+
+"Shot your mouth!" said Sneak, observing that Mary looked
+reproachfully at Joe, and paused.
+
+"Don't talk that way, Joe!" said the offended girl. "If he wanted it,
+why did he not take it when I was his prisoner? I will freely let him
+have it now," she continued, slipping it off from her finger.
+
+"No! keep it, child--it is a family ring," said Roughgrove.
+
+"I will lend it to him--I know he will give it me again," she
+continued, placing it in the extended hand of the young chief, who
+thanked her with his eyes, and resumed his seat. He now seemed to
+disregard every thing that was said or done, and only gazed at the
+ring, which he held first in one hand and then in the other, with the
+sparkling diamond uppermost. Sometimes he would press his forehead
+with his hand and cover his eyes, and then gaze at the ring again.
+Then staring wildly around, and slightly starting, he would bite his
+fingers to ascertain whether the scene was reality or a dream.
+Finally, giving vent to a piteous sigh, while a tear ran down his
+stained cheek, he placed his elbows upon his knees, and, bending
+forward, seemed to muse over some event of the past, which the jewel
+before him had called to remembrance.
+
+Glenn narrowly watched every look and motion of the young chief, and
+when Mary finished the account of her capture, he introduced the
+subject of the lost child, Mary's brother, that Roughgrove had spoken
+about before starting in pursuit of the war-party.
+
+"I can remember him!" said Mary, "and mother, too--they are both in
+heaven now--poor brother! poor mother!"
+
+The young chief raised his head quickly, and staring at the maiden's
+face, seemed to regard her tears and her features with an interest
+similar to that of a child when it beholds a rare and curious toy.
+
+"Has it not occurred to you," said Glenn, addressing Roughgrove, "that
+this young chief might possibly be your own son?"
+
+"No!" replied the old man, promptly, and partially rising, "_he_ my
+son--_he_ Mary's brother--and once in the act of plunging the
+tomahawk--"
+
+"But, father," interrupted Mary, "he would never have harmed me--I
+know he would not--for every time he looked me in the face he seemed
+to pity me, and sometimes he almost wept to think I was away from my
+friends, among savages, cold and distressed. But I don't think he can
+be my brother--my little brother I used to love so much--yet I could
+never think how he should have fallen in the river without my knowing
+it. Sometimes I remember it all as if it were yesterday. He was
+hunting wild violets--"
+
+"Oh! oh!" screamed the young chief, springing from his seat towards
+Mary. Fear, pain, apprehension, joy and affection, all seemed to be
+mingled in his heaving breast.
+
+"He's crazy, dod"--the word died upon Sneak's lip.
+
+"I should like to know who burnt his foot then," said Joe.
+
+"Silence! both of you," said Glenn.
+
+"What does he mean?" at length asked Roughgrove, staring at the young
+chief.
+
+"Let us be patient, and see," said Glenn.
+
+Ere long the Indian turned his eyes slowly downward, and resumed his
+seat mournfully and in silence.
+
+"Oh!" said Mary, "if he _is_ my poor brother, my heart will burst to
+see him thus--a wild savage."
+
+"How old are you, Mary?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Nineteen," said she.
+
+"Your brother, then, has been lost thirteen years. He may yet be
+restored to you--re-taught our manners and speech--bless his aged
+father's declining years, and merit sister's affection."
+
+"Oh! Mr. Glenn! is he then alive? is this he?" cried Mary.
+
+"No, child!" said Roughgrove, "do not think of such a thing, for you
+will be most bitterly disappointed. Your brother was _white_--look at
+this Indian's dark face!"
+
+Glenn approached the chief, extending his hand in a friendly manner.
+It was frankly grasped. He then gently drew the furs aside and exposed
+the young man's shoulder. It was as white as his own! Roughgrove,
+Mary, and all, looked on in wonder. The young chief regarded it with
+singular emotions himself. He seemed to associate it in some manner
+with the ring he held, for he glanced from one to the other
+alternately.
+
+"Did Mary wear that ring before the child was lost?" asked Glenn.
+
+"No," replied Roughgrove, "but her mother did."
+
+"I believe he is your son!" said Glenn. "Mary," he continued, "have
+you any trinkets or toys you used to play with?"
+
+"Yes. Oh, let me get them!" she replied, and running to a corner of
+the room where her father's chests and trunks had been placed, she
+produced a small drum and a brass toy cannon. "He used to play with
+these from morning till night," she continued, placing them on the
+floor. She had not taken her hand away from them, before the young
+chief sprang to her side and cried out--
+
+"They're mine! they're mine! they're William's!"
+
+"What was the child's name?" asked Glenn, quickly.
+
+"William! William!" cried Mary. "It is my brother! it is my poor
+brother William!" and without a moment's hesitation she threw her arms
+round his neck, and sobbed upon his breast!
+
+"The poor, poor child!" said Roughgrove, in tremulous tones, embracing
+them both, his eyes filled with tears.
+
+"Sister! sister!" said the youth, gazing in partial bewilderment at
+Mary.
+
+"Brother, brother! I am your sister!" said Mary, in tones of thrilling
+tenderness.
+
+"But mother! where's mother?" asked the youth. The father and sister
+bowed their heads in silence. The youth, after clinging fondly to Mary
+a few minutes, started up abruptly and looked amazed, as if waking
+from a sweet dream to the reality of his recent dreadful condition.
+
+"Brother, why do you look so coldly at us? Why don't you press us to
+your heart?" said Mary, still clinging to him. The youth's features
+gradually assumed a grave and haughty cast, and, turning away, he
+walked to the stool he had occupied, and sat down in silence.
+
+"I will win him from the Indians," said Mary, running after him, and
+sitting down at his side.
+
+"Ugh!" exclaimed the youth in displeasure, and moved a short distance
+away.
+
+"He's not true grit--I 'most wish I had killed him," said Sneak.
+
+"Yes, and pinch me if I don't burn him again, if I get a chance," said
+Joe.
+
+"Silence!" said Glenn, sternly. For many minutes not a word was
+spoken. At length Mary, who had been sobbing, raised her head and
+looked tenderly in the face of her brother. Still he regarded her with
+indifference. She then seized the toy-drum, which with the other
+articles had been thrust out of view, and placed them before him. When
+his eyes rested upon them; the severe and wild expressions of his
+features again relaxed. The young war-chief was a child again. He
+abandoned his seat and sat down on the floor beside his sister.
+Looking her guilelessly in the face, an innocent and boyish smile
+played upon his lips.
+
+"You won't go away again and leave your poor sister; will you,
+William?" said Mary.
+
+"No, indeed. And when the Indians come we'll run away and go to
+mother, won't we, Mary?" said the youth, in a complete abandonment of
+time and condition.
+
+"He _is_ restored--restored at last!" exclaimed Roughgrove, walking
+across the room to where the brother and sister sat. The youth sprang
+to his feet, and darted a look of defiance at him. "Oh! wretched man
+that I am! the murderous savages have converted the gentle lamb into a
+wolf!" Roughgrove then repeated his words to the youth in the Osage
+language. The youth replied in the same language, his eyes flashing
+indignantly. He said it was not true; that the red man was great and
+noble, and the pale face was a beast--and added that he had another
+tomahawk and bows and arrows in his own country, and might see the day
+when this insult would be terribly resented. The old man sank down on
+his rude seat, and gave way to excruciating grief.
+
+"Brother William!" cried Mary, tapping the drum. The youth cast down
+his eyes to where she sat, and their fierceness vanished in a
+twinkling. She placed the toy in his possession, and rose to bring
+some other plaything she remembered.
+
+"Sister, don't go--I'll tell mother!" cried the youth, in infantile
+earnestness.
+
+"I'll come back presently, brother," said Mary, tripping across the
+room and searching a trunk.
+
+"Make haste--but I'm not afraid--I'll frighten all the Indians away."
+Saying this, he rattled the drum as rapidly as possible.
+
+"See what I've got, brother," said Mary, returning with a juvenile
+book, and sitting down close at his side. He thrust the drum away,
+and, laughing heartily, placed his arm round his sister and said:
+"Mother's got _my_ book; but you'll let me look at yours, won't you,
+sister?"
+
+"Yes that I will, brother--see, this is the little old woman, and
+there's her dog--"
+
+"Yes, and there's the peddler," cried the youth, pointing at the
+picture.
+
+"Now can't you read it, brother?"
+
+"To be sure I can--let me read:
+
+  "'There was a little woman
+  As I have heard tell,
+  She went to market
+  Her eggs for to sell.'
+
+"See! there she goes, with a basket on her arm and a cane in her hand."
+
+"Yes, and here she is again on this side, fast asleep, and her basket
+of eggs sitting by her," said Mary; "now let me read the next:
+
+  "'She went to market,
+  All on a market day,
+  And she fell asleep
+  On the king's highway.'"
+
+Now do you read about the peddler, brother. Mother used to say there
+was a naughty word in it."
+
+"I will," cried the youth, eagerly; but he paused and looked
+steadfastly at the picture before him.
+
+"Why don't you read?" asked Mary, endeavouring to confine his thoughts
+to the childish employment.
+
+"That's a pretty _skin_, ain't it?" said he, pointing to the red shawl
+painted on the picture.
+
+"_Skin_!" said Mary; "why, that's her shawl, brother."
+
+"I'll steal one for my squaw," said he.
+
+"_Steal_, brother!" said the trembling girl.
+
+"No I won't, either, sister--don't you know mother says we must never
+steal, nor tell stories, nor say bad words."
+
+"That's right, brother. But you haven't got an ugly _squaw_, have
+you?"
+
+"No indeed, sister, that I haven't!"
+
+"I thought you wouldn't have any thing to do with the ugly squaws."
+
+"That I wouldn't--mine's a pretty one."
+
+"Oh, heaven!" cried the weeping girl, throwing herself on her
+brother's bosom. He kissed her, and strove to comfort her, and turned
+to the book and continued to turn over the leaves, while Mary sat by
+in sadness, but ever and anon replying to his childish questions, and
+still striving to keep him thus diverted.
+
+"Have you any of the clothes you wore when he was a child?" asked
+Glenn, addressing Roughgrove.
+
+"Yes," replied the old man; and seizing upon the thought, he unlocked
+the trunk that contained them, and put them on.
+
+"Where's mother?" suddenly asked the young chief.
+
+"Oh, she's dead!" said Mary.
+
+"Dead? I know better!" said he, emphatically.
+
+"Indeed she is, brother," repeated Mary, in tears.
+
+"When did she die?" he continued, in a musing attitude.
+
+"A long time ago--when you were away," said she.
+
+"I wasn't gone away long, was I?" he asked, with much simplicity.
+
+"Oh, very long--we thought you were dead."
+
+"He was a very bad Indian to steal me away without asking mother. But
+where's father? Is he dead, too?" he continued, lifting his eyes and
+beholding Roughgrove attired in a suit of velvet, and wearing broad
+silver knee buckles. "Father! father!" he cried, eagerly clasping the
+old man in his arms.
+
+"My poor boy, I will be your father still!" said Roughgrove.
+
+"I know you will," said the youth, "for you always loved me a great
+deal, and now that my poor mother's dead, I'm sure you will love
+sister and me more than ever."
+
+"Indeed I will, poor child! But you must not go back to the naughty
+savages any more."
+
+The youth gazed round in silence, and made no reply. He was evidently
+awakening to a consciousness of his condition. A frown of horror
+darkened his brow as he contemplated the scenes of his wild abode
+among the Indians; and, when he contrasted his recent mode of life
+with the Elysian days of his childhood, now fresh in his memory,
+mingled emotions of regret, fear, and bliss seemed to be contending in
+his bosom. A cold dampness settled upon his forehead, his limbs
+trembled violently, and distressful sighs issued from his heaving
+breast. Gradually he sank down on a couch at his side, and closed his
+eyes.
+
+When some minutes had elapsed, during which a death-like silence was
+maintained, Mary approached lightly to where her father stood, and
+inquired if her brother was ill.
+
+"No," said Roughgrove, in a whisper; "he only sleeps; but it is a very
+sound slumber."
+
+"Now let us take off his Indian dress," said Glenn, "and put on him
+some of my clothes." This was speedily effected, and without awaking
+the youth, whose senses were benumbed, as if by some powerful opiate.
+
+"Now, Mary," said Roughgrove, "you must likewise have repose. You are
+almost exhausted in body and mind. Sleep at your brother's side, if
+you will, poor girl." Mary laid her head on William's pillow, and was
+soon in a deep slumber.
+
+For several moments Roughgrove stood lost in thought, gazing
+alternately at the reposing brother and sister, and Glenn. He looked
+also at Sneak and Joe reclining by the fire; both were fast asleep. He
+then resumed his seat, and motioned Glenn to do likewise. He bowed his
+head a brief length of time in silence, apparently recalling to mind
+some occurrence of more than ordinary import.
+
+"My young friend," said he, at length, while he placed his withered
+hand upon Glenn's knee, "do you remember that I said there was
+_another_ secret connected with my family?"
+
+"Distinctly," replied Glenn; "and I have since felt so much anxiety to
+be acquainted with it that I have several times been on the eve of
+asking you to gratify my curiosity; but thinking it might be
+impertinent, I have forborne. It has more than once occurred to me
+that your condition in life must have been different from what it now
+is."
+
+"It has been different--far different. I will tell you all. I am a
+native of England--a younger brother, of an ancient and honourable
+family, but much decayed in fortune. I was educated for the ministry.
+Our residence was on the Thames, a few miles distant from London, and
+I was early entered in one of the institutions of the great city.
+While attending college, it was my practice twice a month to visit my
+father's mansion on foot. I was fond of solitary musings, and the
+exercise was beneficial to my weak frame. It was during one of those
+excursions that I rescued a young lady from the rude assaults of two
+ruffians. After a brief struggle, they fled. I turned to the one I had
+so opportunely served, and was struck with her unparalleled beauty.
+Young; a form of symmetrical loveliness; dark, languishing eyes, a
+smooth forehead of lily purity, and auburn hair flowing in glossy
+ringlets--it was not strange that an impression should be made on the
+heart of a young student. She thanked me for my generous interposition
+in such sweet and musical tones, that every word thrilled pleasantly
+through my breast. She prevailed upon me to accompany her to her
+mother's cottage, but a few hundred paces distant; and during our walk
+thither, she hung confidingly on my arm. Her aged mother overwhelmed
+me with expressions of gratitude. She mildly chid her daughter for
+wandering so far away in quest of flowers, and then withdrawing, left
+us alone. Again my eyes met those of the blushing maiden--but it is
+useless to dwell upon the particulars of our mutual passion. Suffice
+it to say that she was the only child of her widowed mother, in
+moderate but independent circumstances, and being hitherto secluded
+from the society of the other sex, soon conceived (for my visits were
+frequent) an affection as ardent as my own. At length I apprized my
+father of the attachment, and asked his consent to our union. He
+refused to sanction the alliance in the most positive terms, and
+commanded me never to mention the subject again. He said that I was
+poor, and that he would not consent to my marriage with any other than
+an heiress. I returned to London, resolved to disobey his injunction,
+for I felt that my happiness entirely depended upon my union with the
+lovely Juliet. But I had never yet definitely expressed my desire to
+her. Yet there could be no doubt from her smiles that my wishes would
+willingly be acceded to. I determined to arrange every thing at our
+next interview, and a few weeks afterwards I repaired to the cottage
+for that purpose. Instead of meeting me with her ever blissful face, I
+found my Juliet in tears! She was alone; but in the adjoining chamber
+I heard a man's voice, and feared that it was my father. I was
+mistaken. Juliet soon brushed away her tears, and informed me that she
+had been _again_ assailed by the same ruffians, and on the lawn within
+sight of the cottage. She said that the gentleman in the next room was
+her deliverer. I seized her hand, and when about to propose a plan to
+secure her against such annoyances for ever, her mother entered and
+introduced the stranger to me. His name was Nicholson, and he stated
+that he was a partner in a large banking establishment in Lombard
+Street. He was past the bloom of youth, but still his fine clothes and
+his reputed wealth were displeasing to me. I was especially chagrined
+at the marked attention shown him by Juliet's mother. And my annoyance
+was increased by the frequent lascivious glances he cast at the
+maiden. The more I marked him, the more was my uneasiness. It soon
+occurred to me that I had seen him before! He resembled a person I had
+seen driving rapidly along the highway in a chariot, on the morning
+that I first beheld my Juliet. But my recollection of his features was
+indistinct. There was a condescending suavity in his manners, and
+sometimes a positive and commanding tone in his conversation, that
+almost roused my enmity in spite of my peaceful calling and friendly
+disposition. It was my intention to remain at the cottage, and propose
+to Juliet after he had departed. But my purpose was defeated, for he
+declared his intention to enjoy the country air till evening, and I
+returned, disappointed and dispirited, to the city.
+
+"A few days afterwards I visited the cottage again. What was my
+surprise and vexation to behold Mr. Nicholson there! He was seated,
+with his patronizing smile, between Juliet and her mother, and
+presenting them various richly bound books, jewels, &c., which seemed
+to me to be received with much gratification. I was welcomed with the
+usual frankness and pleasure by Juliet, but I thought her mother's
+reception was less cordial, and Mr. Nicholson regarded me with
+manifest indifference. I made an ineffectual effort at vivacity, and
+after an hour's stay, during which my remarks gradually narrowed down
+to monosyllables, (while Mr. Nicholson became excessively loquacious,)
+I rose to depart. Juliet made an endeavour to accompany me to the
+door, where I hoped to be assured of her true affection for me by her
+own lips, but some pointed inquiry (I do not now recollect what) from
+Nicholson, which was seconded in a positive manner by her mother,
+arrested her steps, and while she hesitated, I bad her adieu, and
+departed for the city, resolved never to see her again.
+
+"It was about a month after the above occurrence that my resolution
+gave way, and I was again on the road to the cottage, with my mind
+made up to forgive and forget every thing that had offended me, and to
+offer my hand where my heart seemed to be already irrevocably fixed.
+When I entered who should I see but the eternal thwarter of my
+happiness, the ever-present Nicholson! But horror! he was now the
+wedded lord of Juliet! The ceremony was just over. There were but two
+or three strangers present besides the clergyman. Bride, groom,
+guests, and all were hateful to my sight. The minister, particularly,
+I thought had a demoniac face, similar to that of one of the ruffians
+who had tested the quality of my cane. Juliet cast a look at me with
+more of sadness than joy in it. She offered me her hand in silent
+salutation, and it trembled in my grasp. The deed was done. Pity for
+the maiden who had been thus sacrificed to secure a superabundance of
+wealth which could never be enjoyed, and sorrow at my own forlorn
+condition, weighed heavily, oh, how heavily! on my heart. I returned
+to my lonely and desolate lodgings without a malicious feeling for the
+one who had robbed me of every hope of earthly enjoyment. I prayed
+that he might make Juliet happy.
+
+"But, alas! her happiness was of short duration. Scarce six months had
+passed before Mr. Nicholson began to neglect his youthful and
+confiding bride. She had still remained at her mother's cottage,
+while, as she stated, his establishment was being fitted up in town
+for their reception. He at first drove out to the cottage every
+evening; but soon afterwards fell into the habit of visiting his bride
+only two or three times a week. He neither carried her into society
+nor brought home any visitors. Yet he seemed to possess immense
+wealth, and bestowed it upon Juliet with a liberal, nay, profuse hand.
+My young friend, what kind of a character do you suppose this Mr.
+Nicholson to have been?" said the old man, pausing, and turning to
+Glenn, who had been listening to the narrative with marked attention.
+
+"He was an impostor--a gambler," replied Glenn, promptly.
+
+"He _was_ an impostor! but no adventurous gambler, as you suppose. I
+will proceed. About seven months after his marriage, he abandoned
+Juliet altogether! Yet he did not forget her entirely. He may have
+felt remorse for the ruin he had wrought--or perhaps a slight degree
+of affection for his unborn--; and costly presents, and many
+considerable sums of money, were sent by him to the cottage. But
+neither the aged mother nor the deserted wife found the consolation
+they desired in his prodigal gifts. They sent me a note, informing me
+of their distressful condition, and requesting me to ascertain the
+locality of Mr. Nicholson's establishment, and, if possible, to find
+out the cause of his unnatural conduct. I did all in my power to
+accomplish what they desired. I repaired to the cottage, unable to
+give the least intelligence of Mr. Nicholson. I had not been able to
+find any one who had ever heard of him. Juliet became almost frantic.
+She determined to seek him herself. At her urgent solicitation, I
+accompanied her to the city in an open curricle. A pitying Providence
+soon terminated her insupportable suspense. While we were driving
+through Hyde Park, we were forcibly stopped to permit, among the
+throng, the passage of a splendid equipage. The approaching carriage
+was likewise an open one. Juliet glanced at the inmates, and uttering
+a wild piercing shriek, fainted in my arms. I looked, and saw her
+quondam husband! He was decked in the magnificent insignia of ROYALTY.
+Nobles were bowing, high-born ladies smiling, and the multitude
+shouted, 'There comes his royal highness, the Prince of--'
+
+"Man cannot punish him," continued Roughgrove, "but God can. HE will
+deal justly, both with the proud and the oppressed. But to return. He
+saw Juliet. A few minutes after the gorgeous retinue swept past, one
+of the prince's attendants came with a note. Juliet was insensible. I
+took it from the messenger's hand, and started when I looked the
+villain in the face. He had been the parson! He smiled at the
+recognition! I hurled my cane at his head, and hastened back to the
+cottage with a physician in attendance. Juliet soon recovered from her
+swoon. But a frenzied desperation was manifest in her pale features. I
+left her in her mother's charge, and returned in agony to my lodgings.
+That night a raging fever seized upon my brain, and for months I was
+the victim of excruciating disease. When convalescent, but still
+confined to my room, I chanced to run my eye over one of the daily
+papers, and was petrified to see the name of Mrs. Nicholson, in the
+first article that attracted my attention, in connection with an
+attempt upon the life of the king! She had been seized with a fit of
+temporary insanity, and driving to town, sought her betrayer with the
+intention of shedding his blood. She waited at the gate of St. James's
+palace until a carriage drove up in which she expected to find the
+prince. It was the king--yet she did not discover her error until the
+blow was made. The steel did not perform its office, as you are aware
+from the history of England, in which this event is recorded. The king
+humanely pardoned her on the spot. A single word she uttered
+acquainted him with her history, and her piteous looks made an
+extraordinary impression on his mind. He too, had, perhaps, sported
+with innocent beauty. And now the spectre of the weeping maniac
+haunted his visions. Soon he became one himself. The name of Juliet
+fortunately was not published in the journals. It was by some means
+incorrectly stated that the woman who attacked the king was named
+_Margaret_ Nicholson, and so it remains on the page of history.
+
+"As soon as I was able to leave my chamber, I repaired to the cottage.
+Juliet was a _mother_. Reason had returned, and she strove to submit
+with Christian humility to her pitiable lot. She received me with the
+same sweet smile that had formerly beamed on her guileless face. Her
+mother, the promoter of the fancied advantageous alliance, now seemed
+to suffer most. They both clung to me as their only remaining friend,
+and in truth I learned that all other friends had forsaken them. I
+looked upon the deceived, outraged, but still innocent Juliet, with
+pity. Her little cherub twins--"
+
+"Twins!" echoed Glenn.
+
+"Ay, twins," replied Roughgrove, "and they lie behind you now, side by
+side, on yonder bed."
+
+Glenn turned and gazed a moment in silence on the sleeping forms of
+William, and Mary.
+
+"Her poor little ones excited my compassion. They were not blamable
+for their father's crime, nor could they enjoy the advantages of his
+exalted station. They were without a protector in the world. Juliet's
+mother was fast sinking under the calamity she had herself in a great
+measure wrought. My heart melted when I contemplated the sad condition
+of the only female I had ever loved. It was not long before the fires
+of affection again gleamed brightly in my breast. Juliet had committed
+no crime, either in the eyes of man or God. She did not intend to err.
+She had acted in good faith. She had never designed to transgress
+either the laws of earth or heaven, and although the disguised prince
+did not wholly possess her heart, yet she deemed it a duty to be
+governed by the advice of her parent. These things I explained to her,
+and when her conscience was appeased by the facts which I
+demonstrated, her peace in some measure returned, but she was still
+subject to occasional melancholy reflections. Perhaps she thought of
+me--how my heart had suffered (for, young as I was, the occurrence
+brought premature gray hairs; and even now, although my head is white,
+I have seen but little more than forty years)--and how happy we might
+have travelled life's journey together. I seized such a moment to
+renew my proposals. She declined, but declined in tears. I returned to
+the city with the intention to repeat the offer the next time we met.
+Not many weeks elapsed before her aged mother was consigned to the
+tomb. Poor Juliet's condition was now immeasurably lamentable. She had
+neither friend nor protector. I again urged my suit, and was
+successful. But she required of me a promise to retire from the world
+for ever. I cheerfully agreed, for I was disgusted with the vanity and
+wickedness of my species. We came hither. You know the rest."
+
+When Roughgrove ceased speaking, the night was far advanced, and a
+perfect silence reigned. Without uttering another word, he and Glenn
+rose from their seats, and repairing to the remaining unoccupied
+couch, ere long yielded to the influence of tranquil slumber.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+William's illness--Sneak's strange house--Joe's courage--The bee
+hunt--Joe and Sneak captured by the Indians--Their sad condition
+--Preparations to burn them alive--Their miraculous escape.
+
+
+Just before the dawn of day, Roughgrove and Glenn were awakened by
+Mary. She was weeping at the bed-side of William.
+
+"What's the matter, child?" asked Roughgrove, rising up and lighting
+the lamp.
+
+"Poor brother!" said she, and her utterance failed her.
+
+"He has a raging fever!" said Glenn, who had approached the bed and
+placed his hand upon the young man's temples.
+
+"True--and I fear it will be fatal!" said Roughgrove, in alarm, as he
+held the unresisting wrist of the panting youth.
+
+"Fear not," said Glenn; "God directs all things. This violent illness,
+too, may in the end be a blessing. Let us do all in our power to
+restore him to health, and leave the rest to Him. I was once an ardent
+student of medicine, and the knowledge I acquired may be of some
+avail."
+
+"I will pray for his recovery," said Mary, bowing down at the foot of
+the bed.
+
+"Dod--I mean--Joe, it's most daylight," said Sneak, rising up and
+rubbing his eyes.
+
+"Well, what if it is? what are you waking me up for?" replied Joe,
+turning over on his rude pallet.
+
+"Why, I'm going home."
+
+"Well, clear out them."
+
+"But you'll have to get up and shut the gate after me"'
+
+"Plague take it all, I believe you're just trying to spoil my nap!"
+said Joe, much vexed.
+
+"No I ain't, Joe; I'm in earnest, indeed I am," continued Sneak;
+"bekaise I hain't been inside of my house, now, for three or four
+days, and who knows but the dod--mean the--Indians have been there
+and stole all my muskrat skins?"
+
+"If they have, then there's no use in looking for them now."
+
+"If they have, dod--I mean, _burn_ me if I don't foller em to the
+other end of creation but I'll have 'em back agin. But I ain't much
+afeard that they saw my house--they might rub agin it without knowing
+it was a house."
+
+"That's a pretty tale," said Joe, now thoroughly awakened, and staring
+incredulously in his companion's face.
+
+"It's a fact."
+
+"Whereabouts is your house?"
+
+"Why, it's in the second valley we crossed when we went after the
+wolves on the island."
+
+"Then your skins are gone," said Joe, "for the Indians have been in
+that valley."
+
+"I know they was there well enough," said Sneak; "but didn't I say
+they couldn't find the house, even if they was to scratch their backs
+agin it?"
+
+"What kind of a house is it?"
+
+"'Spose you come along and see," said Sneak, groping about in the dim
+twilight for his cap, and the gun Glenn bad given him.
+
+"I should like to see it, just out of curiosity," replied Joe.
+
+[Illustration: "I will pray for his recovery," said Mary, bowing down
+at the foot of the bed.--P. 186]
+
+"Then go along with Sneak," said Glenn, who approached the fire to
+prepare some medicine; "it is necessary that every thing should be
+quiet and still here."
+
+"If you'll help me to feed and water the horses. Sneak, I'll go home
+with you," said Joe. Sneak readily agreed to the proposition, and by
+the time it was quite light, and yet before the sun rose, the labour
+was accomplished, and they set out together for the designated valley.
+Their course was somewhat different from that pursued when in quest of
+the wolves, for Sneak's habitation was about midway between the river
+and the prairie, and they diverged in a westerly direction. But their
+progress was slow During the night there had been a change in the
+atmosphere, and a constant breeze from the south had in a great
+measure softened the snow-crust, so that our pedestrians frequently
+broke through.
+
+"This is not the most agreeable walking I ever saw," said Joe,
+breaking through and tumbling down on his face.
+
+"That's jest as much like swimming as walking," said Sneak, smiling at
+the blunder of his companion.
+
+"Smash it, Sneak," continued Joe, rising up with some difficulty, "I
+don't half like this breaking-through business."
+
+"You must walk lighter, and then you won't break through," said Sneak;
+"tread soft like I do, and put your feet down flat. I hain't broke in
+once--" But before the sentence was uttered, Sneak had broken through
+himself, and stood half-submerged in the snow.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! you musn't count your chickens before they're hatched,"
+said Joe, laughing; "but you may score one, now you have broken the
+shell."
+
+"I got in that time," said Sneak, now winding through the bushes with
+much caution, as if it were truly in his power to diminish the weight
+of his body by a peculiar mode of walking.
+
+"This thaw 'll be good for one thing, any how," said Joe, after they
+had progressed some time in silence.
+
+"What's that?" asked Sneak.
+
+"Why, it 'll keep the Indians away; they can't travel through the
+slush when the crust is melted off."
+
+"That's as true as print," replied Sneak; and if none of 'em follered
+us back to the settlement, we needn't look for 'em agin till spring."
+
+"I wonder if any of them _did_ follow us?" asked Joe, pausing
+abruptly.
+
+"How can anybody tell till they see 'em?" replied Sneak. "What're you
+stopping for?"
+
+"I'm going back," said Joe.
+
+"Dod--you're a fool--that's jest what you are. Hain't We got our guns?
+and if there _is_ any about, ain't they in the bushes close to Mr.
+Glenn's house? and hain't we passed through 'em long ago? But I don't
+keer any thing about your cowardly company--go back, if you want to,"
+said Sneak, striding onward.
+
+"Sneak, don't go so fast. I haven't any notion of going back," said
+Joe, springing nimbly to his companion's side.
+
+"I believe you're afeard to go back by yourself," said Sneak, laughing
+heartily.
+
+"Pshaw, Sneak, I don't think any of 'em followed us, do you?"
+continued Joe, peering at the bushes and trees in the valley, which
+they were entering.
+
+"No," said Sneak; "I only wanted to skeer you a bit."
+
+"I've killed too many savages to be scared by them now," said Joe,
+carelessly striding onward.
+
+"What was you a going back for, if you wasn't skeered?"
+
+"I wonder what always makes you think I'm frightened when I talk of
+going into the house! Sneak, you're _always_ mistaken. I wasn't
+thinking about myself--I only wanted to put Mr. Glenn on his guard."
+
+"Then what made you tell that wapper for, the other night, about
+cutting that Indian's throat?"
+
+"How do you know it was a wapper?" asked Joe, somewhat what
+embarrassed by Sneak's home-thrust.
+
+"Bekaise, don't I know that I cut his juggler-vein myself? Didn't the
+blood gush all over me? and didn't he fall down dead before he had
+time to holler?" continued Sneak, with much warmth and earnestness.
+
+"Sneak," said Joe, "I've no doubt you thought he was dead--but then
+you must know it's nearly as hard to kill a man as a cat. You might
+have been mistaken; every body is liable to be deceived--even a
+person's eyes deceive him sometimes. I don't pretend to say that I
+haven't been mistaken before now, myself. It _may_ be possible that I
+was mistaken about the Indian as well as you--I might have just
+_thought_ I saw him move. But I was there longer than you, and the
+inference is that I didn't stand as good a chance to be deceived."
+
+"Well, I can't answer all that," said Sneak; "but I'll swear I felt my
+knife grit agin his neck-bone."
+
+Joe did not desire to pursue the subject any further, and they
+proceeded on their way in silence, ever and anon breaking through the
+snow-crust. The atmosphere became still more temperate when the bright
+sun beamed over the horizon. Drops of water trickled down from the
+snow-covered branches of the trees, and a few birds flitted overhead,
+and uttered imperfect lays.
+
+"Here we are," said Sneak, halting in the midst of a clump of enormous
+sycamore trees, over whose roots a sparkling rivulet glided with a
+gurgling sound.
+
+"I know we're here," said Joe; "but what are you stopping _here_ for?"
+
+"Here's where I live," replied Sneak, with a comical smile playing on
+his lips.
+
+"But where's your house?" asked Joe.
+
+"Didn't I say you couldn't find it, even if you was to rub your back
+agin it?"
+
+"I know I'm not rubbing against your house now," replied Joe, turning
+round and looking up in the huge tree he had been leaning against.
+
+"But you have been leaning agin my house," continued Sneak, amused at
+the incredulous face of his companion.
+
+"I know better," persisted Joe; "this big sycamore is the only thing
+I've leant against since we started."
+
+"Jest foller me, and I'll show you something," said Sneak, stepping
+round to the opposite side of the tree, where the ascent on the north
+rose abruptly from the roots. Here he removed a thin flat stone of
+about four feet in height, that stood in a vertical position against
+the tree.
+
+"You don't live in there, Sneak, surely; why that looks like a wolf's
+den," said Joe, perceiving a dark yawning aperture, and that the
+immense tree was but a mere shell.
+
+"Keep at my heels," said Sneak, stooping down and crawling into the
+tree.
+
+"I'd rather not," said Joe; "there may be a bear in it."
+
+Soon a clicking sound was heard within, and the next moment Joe
+perceived the flickering rays of a small lamp that Sneak held in his
+hand, illuminating the sombre recesses of the novel habitation.
+
+"Why don't you come in?" asked Sneak.
+
+"Sneak, how do you know there ain't a bear up in the hollow?" asked
+Joe, crawling in timidly and endeavouring to peer through the darkness
+far above, where even the rays of the lamp could not penetrate.
+
+"I wonder if you think I'd let a bear sleep in my house," continued
+Sneak, searching among a number of boxes and rude shelves, to see if
+any thing had been molested during his absence. Finding every thing
+safe, he handed Joe a stool, and began to kindle a fire in a small
+stone furnace. Joe sat down in silence, and looked about in
+astonishment. And the scene was enough to excite the wonder of an
+Irishman. The interior of the tree was full eight feet in diameter,
+while the eye was lost above in undeveloped regions. Below, there was
+a surface of smooth stones, which were comfortably carpeted over with
+buffalo robes. At one side was a diminutive fireplace, or furnace,
+constructed of three flat stones about three inches in thickness. The
+largest was laid horizontally on the ground, and the others placed
+upright on it, and attached to a clay chimney, that was by some means
+confined to the interior side of the tree, and ran upward until it was
+lost in the darkness. After gazing in amazement several minutes at
+this strange contrivance, Joe exclaimed:
+
+"Sneak, I don't understand this! Where does that smoke go to?"
+
+"Go out doors and see if you can't see," replied Sneak, placing more
+fuel on the blazing fire.
+
+"Go out of the _hole_ you mean to say," said Joe, creeping out.
+
+"You may call it jest what you like," said Sneak; "but I'll be
+switched if many folks lives in _higher_ houses than I does."
+
+"Well, I'll declare!" cried Joe.
+
+"What ails you now?" asked Sneak, thrusting his head out of the
+aperture, and regarding the surprise of Joe with much satisfaction.
+
+"Why, I see the smoke pouring out of a hole in a _limb_ not much
+bigger than my thigh!" cried Joe. This was true. Sneak had mounted up
+in the tree before building his chimney, and finding a hollow bough
+that communicated directly with the main trunk had cut through into
+the cavity, and thus made a vent for the escape of the smoke.
+
+"Come in now, and get something to eat," said Sneak. This was an
+invitation that Joe was never known to decline. After casting another
+admiring glance at the blue vapour that issued from the bough some
+ninety feet from the ground, he passed through the cavity with
+alacrity.
+
+"Where are you?" cried Joe, upon entering and looking round in vain
+for his host, who had vanished in a most inexplicable manner. Joe
+stared in astonishment. The lighted lamp remained on a box, that was
+designed for the breakfast-table, and on which there was in truth an
+abundance of dried venison and smoking potatoes. But where was Sneak?
+
+"Sneak, what's become of you?" continued Joe, eagerly listening for a
+reply, and anxiously scanning the tempting repast set before him. "I
+know you're at some of your tricks," he added, and sitting down at the
+table, commenced in no indifferent manner to discuss the savoury
+venison and potatoes.
+
+"I'm only up stairs," cried Sneak, in the darkness above; and throwing
+down a rope made of hides, the upper end of which was fastened to the
+tree within, he soon followed, slipping briskly down, and without
+delay sprang to Joe's assistance.
+
+When the meal was finished, or rather, when every thing set before
+them had vanished, Sneak rose up and thrust his long neck out of the
+aperture.
+
+"What are you looking at?" asked Joe.
+
+"I'm looking at the warm sun shining agin yonder side of the hill,"
+said Sneak; "how'd you like to go a bee-hunting?"
+
+"A bee-hunting!" iterated Joe. "I wonder if you think we could find a
+bee at this season of the year? and I should like to know what it'd be
+worth when we found it."
+
+"Plague take the bee--I mean the _honey_--don't you like wild honey?"
+continued Sneak.
+
+"Yes," said Joe; "but how can you find any when there's such a snow as
+this on the ground?"
+
+"When there's a snow, that's the time to find 'em," said Sneak;
+"peticuly when the sun shines warm. Jest come out here and look," he
+continued, stepping along, and followed by Joe; "don't you see yander
+big stooping limb?"
+
+"Yes," replied Joe, gazing at the bough pointed out.
+
+"Well," continued Sneak, "there's a bee's nest in that. Look here," he
+added, picking from the snow several dead bees that had been thrown
+from the hive; "now this is the way with all wild bees (but these are
+tame, for they live in my house), for when there comes a warm day
+they're sartin as fate to throw out the dead ones, and we can find
+where they are as easy as any thing in the world."
+
+"Sneak, my mouth's watering--suppose we take the axe and go and hunt
+for some honey."
+
+"Let's be off, then," said Sneak, getting his axe, and preparing to
+place the stone against the tree.
+
+"Stop, Sneak," said Joe; "let me get my gun before you shut the
+_door_."
+
+"I guess we'd better leave our guns, and then we won't be so apt to
+break through," replied Sneak, closing up the aperture.
+
+"The bees won't sting us, will they?" asked Joe, turning to his
+companion when they had attained the high-timbered ridge that ran
+parallel with the valley.
+
+"If you chaw 'em in your mouth they will," replied Sneak, striding
+along under the trees with his head bent down, and minutely examining
+every small dark object he found lying on the surface of the snow.
+
+"I know that as well as you do," continued Joe, "because that would
+thaw them."
+
+"Well, if they're froze, how _kin_ they sting you?"
+
+"You needn't be so snappish," replied Joe. "I just asked for
+information. I know as well as anybody they're frozen or torpid."
+
+"Or what?" asked Sneak.
+
+"Torpid," said Joe.
+
+"I'll try to 'member that word," continued Sneak, peeping under a
+spreading oak that was surrounded by a dense hazel thicket.
+
+"Do," continued Joe, contemptuously, "and if you'll only recollect all
+you hear me say, you may get a tolerable education after a while."
+
+"I'll be shivered if this ain't the edication I wan't," said Sneak,
+turning round with one or two dead bees in his hand, that he had found
+near the root of the tree.
+
+"Huzza!" cried Joe, "we'll have a mess of honey now. I see the hole
+where they are--its in a limb, and we won't have to cut down the
+tree," and before Sneak could interpose, Joe mounted up among the
+branches, and asked for the axe, saying he would have the bough off in
+five minutes. Sneak gave it to him, and when he reached the place,
+(which was not more than fifteen feet from the ground,) he commenced
+cutting away with great eagerness. The cavity was large, and in a few
+minutes the bough began to give way. In spite of Sneak's
+gesticulations and grimaces below, Joe did not bethink him that one of
+his feet still rested on the bough beyond the place where he was
+cutting, but continued to ply the axe with increasing rapidity.
+Presently the bough, axe, and Joe, all fell together. Sneak was
+convulsed with laughter. Joe sprang to his feet, and after feeling his
+limbs and ribs, announced that no bones were broken, and laughed very
+heartily himself. They began to split open the severed bough without
+loss of time. But just when they were in the act of lifting out the
+honeycomb, four stalwart savages rose softly from the bushes behind,
+and springing nimbly forward, seized them both before they could make
+any resistance. The surprised couple yelled and struggled to no
+purpose. Their hands were soon bound behind them, and they were driven
+forward hastily in a southerly direction.
+
+"Oh! for goodness sake, Mr. Chief, please let me go home, and I'll pay
+you whatever you ask!" said Joe, to the tallest of the savages.
+
+The Indian, if he did not understand his captive's words, seemed to
+comprehend his terrors, and was much diverted at his ludicrous
+expression of features.
+
+"Oh pray! good Mr. Chief--"
+
+"Keep your mouth shet! They'll never git through torturing us, if you
+let 'em know you're afraid," said Sneak.
+
+"That's just what I want," said Joe; "I don't want them to ever quit
+torturing us--because they'll never quit till we're both dead. But as
+long as they laugh at they'll be sure to let me live."
+
+Ere long, the savages with their captives, entered the dense grove
+where Mary had been taken, before they set out with her over the
+prairie. But it was evidently not their intention to conduct their
+present prisoners to their villages, and demand a ransom for them. Nor
+were they prepared to convey them away in the same dignified and
+comfortable manner, over the snow-clad plains. They anticipated a
+gratification of a different nature. They had been disappointed in all
+their attempts to obtain booty from the whites. The maid they had
+taken had been recaptured, and their chief was in the possession of
+the enemy. These, to say nothing of the loss of a score of their
+brethren by the fire-weapons of the white men, stimulated them with
+unerring precision to compass the destruction of their prisoners.
+Blood only could satiate their vengeful feelings. And the greater and
+longer the sufferings of their victims the more exquisite would be the
+luxury of revenge. And this caused them to smile with positive delight
+when they witnessed the painful terrors of poor Joe.
+
+When they reached their place of encampment, which was in the midst of
+a cluster of small slim trees that encircled an old spreading oak of
+huge dimensions, the savages made their prisoners stand with their
+backs against two saplings that grew some fifteen paces apart. They
+were compelled to face each other, that they might witness every thing
+that transpired. Their arms were bound round the trees behind them,
+and a cord was likewise passed round their legs to confine them more
+securely. The savages then seemed to consult about the manner of
+despatching them. The oldest and most experienced, by his hasty
+gestures and impatient replies, appeared to insist on their
+instantaneous death. And from his frequent glances northward, through
+the trees, he doubtless feared some interruption, or dreaded the
+arrival of an enemy that might inflict an ample retaliation. During a
+long pause, while the Indians seemed to hesitate, and the old crafty
+savage drew his steel tomahawk from his belt, Sneak sighed deeply, and
+said, in rather mournful tones--
+
+"The jig's up with us, Joe. If I was only loose seven seconds, you
+wouldn't ketch me dying like a coon here agin a tree." Joe made no
+other response than a blubbering sound, while the tears ran down and
+dropped briskly from his chin.
+
+[Illustration: Joe and Sneak in difficulty.--P. 194]
+
+The savages gave vent to a burst of laughter when they beheld the
+agony of fear that possessed their captive. The three that were in
+favour of the slow torture now turned a deaf ear to the old warrior,
+and advanced to Joe. They held the palms of their hands under his
+chin, and caught the tears as they fell. They then stroked his head
+gently, and appeared to sympathize with the sufferer.
+
+"Mr. Indian, if you'll let me go, I'll give you my gun and twenty
+dollars," said Joe, appealing most piteously to the one that placed
+his hand on his head. The Indian seemed to understand him, and held
+his hand out for the money, while a demoniac smile played on his dark
+lips.
+
+"Just untie my hands," said Joe, endeavouring to look behind, "and
+I'll go right straight home and get them."
+
+"You rascal--you want to run away," replied the old Indian, who not
+only understood Joe's language, but could himself speak English
+imperfectly.
+
+"Upon my sacred word and honour, I won't!" replied Joe.
+
+"You lie!" said the savage, bestowing a severe smack on Joe's face.
+
+"Oh, Lord! Come now, Mr. Indian, that hurts!"
+
+"No--don't hurt--only kill musketer," replied the savage, laughing
+heartily, and striking his prisoner on the other side of the face.
+
+"Oh! hang your skin!" cried Joe, endeavouring to break away, "if ever
+I get you in my power, I'll smash--" Here his sudden courage
+evaporated, and again the tears filled his eyes.
+
+"Poor fellow!" said the savage, patting his victim on the head. "How
+much you give for him?" he continued, pointing to Sneak.
+
+"If you'll only let _me_ go, I'll give you every thing I've got in the
+world. He don't want to live as bad as I do, and I'll give you as much
+for me alone as I will for both."
+
+"You're a purty white man, now, ain't you?" said Sneak. "But its all
+the same. My chance is jest as good as your'n. They're only fooling
+you, jest to laugh. I've made up my mind to die, and I ain't a going
+to make any fun for 'em. And you might as well say your prayers fust
+as last; they're only playing with you now like a cat with a mice."
+
+The old Indian moved towards Sneak, followed by the others.
+
+"How much you give?" asked the savage.
+
+"Not a coon's tail," replied Sneak, with firmness.
+
+"Now how much?" continued the Indian, slapping the thin lank cheek of
+his prisoner.
+
+"Not a dod-rotted cent! Now jest take your tomahawk and split my skull
+open as quick as you kin!" said Sneak; and he bowed down his head to
+receive the fatal blow.
+
+"You brave rascal," said the Indian, looking his captive in the eye,
+and hesitating whether to practice his petty annoyances any further.
+At length they turned again to Joe.
+
+"That wasn't fair, Sneak," cried Joe, when the savages abandoned his
+fellow-prisoner; "you ought to have kept them away from me as long as
+I did from you."
+
+"I'm gitting sick of this tanterlizing business," said Sneak. "I want
+'em to git through the job, without any more fooling about it. If you
+wasn't sich a coward, they'd let you alone, and kill us at once."
+
+"I don't want them to kill us--I'd rather they'd do any thing in the
+world than to kill us," replied Joe.
+
+"Me won't hurt you," said the old savage, again placing his hand on
+Joe's head; but instead of gently patting it, he wound a lock of hair
+round one of his fingers, and with a sudden jerk tore it out by the
+roots.
+
+"Oh, my gracious! Oh, St. Peter! Oh, Lord! Mr. Indian, I beg and pray
+of you not to do that any more. If you'll only untie me, I'll get down
+on my knees to you," exclaimed poor Joe.
+
+"Poor fellow, me won't hurt him any more--poor head!" said the Indian,
+tearing off another lock.
+
+"Oh! oh! goodness gracious. _Dear_ Mr. Indian, don't do that! You can
+have no idea how bad it hurts--I can't stand it. I'll faint
+presently!" said Joe, trembling at every joint.
+
+"You're a fool," said Sneak, "to mind 'em that way. If you wasn't to
+notice 'em, they wouldn't do it. See how they're laughing at you."
+
+"Oh, Sneak, I can't help it, to save my life, indeed I can't. Oh, my
+good Lord, what would I give to be away from here!" said Joe, his eyes
+fit to burst from their sockets.
+
+"I've killed many a deer in a minit--it don't hurt a man to die more
+than a deer. I wish the snarvilorous copper-skinned rascals would git
+through quick!" said Sneak.
+
+"Me try you agin," said the savage, again going to Sneak.
+
+"Well, now, what're you a going to do? I'm not afraid of you!" said
+Sneak, grinding his teeth.
+
+"Me rub your head," said the savage, seizing a tuft of hair and
+tearing it out.
+
+"Take some more," said Sneak, bowing down his head.
+
+"A little more," iterated the savage, grasping a handful, which, with
+much exertion, he severed from the head, and left the white skin
+exposed to view.
+
+"Won't you have some more?" continued Sneak, without evincing the
+least pain. "Jest take as much as you please; if you tear it off till
+my head's as bald as an egg, I won't beg you to let me alone."
+
+"You brave fellow--won't pull your hair any more," said the chief.
+
+"You be dod rot!" said Sneak, contemptuously.
+
+"You mighty brave, shake hands!" continued the laughing savage,
+holding his hand out in mockery.
+
+"If you'll untie my foot a minit, I'll bet I kick some of the ribs out
+of your body. Why don't you knock our brains out, and be done at once,
+you black wolves you!" said Sneak.
+
+"Oh, Sneak! for my sake--your poor friend's sake, don't put such an
+idea as that into their heads!" said Joe, imploringly.
+
+"You're a purty friend, ain't you? You'd give so _much_ to ransom me!
+They aint a going to quit us without killin' us, and I want it all
+over jest as soon as it kin be done."
+
+"Oh, no, Sneak! Maybe they'll take pity on us and spare our lives,"
+said Joe, assuming a most entreating look as the savage once more
+approached him.
+
+"You make good big Osage; you come with us, if we let you live?"
+demanded the old Indian.
+
+"I pledge you my most sacred word and honour I will!"
+
+"You run away, you rascal," said the savage, plucking another tuft of
+hair from Joe's head.
+
+"I'll be hanged if I stand this any longer!" said Joe, striving to
+break the cord that confined him.
+
+"Don't notice the black cowards," said Sneak.
+
+"How can I help noticing them, when they're pulling out my hair by the
+roots!" said Joe.
+
+"Look where they pulled mine out," said Sneak, turning that part of
+his head in view which had been made literally bald.
+
+"Didn't it hurt you?" asked Joe.
+
+"Sartinly it did," said Sneak, "but I grinned and bore it. And now I
+wish they'd pull it all off, and then my scalp wouldn't do 'em any
+good."
+
+"That's a fact," said Joe. "Here, Mr. Osage," he continued, "pull as
+much hair off the top of my head as you want." The savages, instead of
+paying any attention to him, seemed to be attracted by some distant
+sound. They stooped down and placed their ears near the earth, and
+listened intently for some time. At length they sprang up, and then
+ensued another dispute among them about the manner in which the
+prisoners should be disposed of. The old savage was yet in favour of
+tomahawking the captives and retreating without delay. But the others
+would not consent to it. They were not satisfied with the small amount
+of suffering yet endured by the prisoners. They were resolved to glut
+their savage vengeance. And the prisoners now observed that all traces
+of mirth had vanished from their faces. Their eyes gleamed with
+fiendish fury, and drawing forth their glittering tomahawks, they
+vanished in the thicket, and were soon heard chopping off the small
+boughs of the trees.
+
+"What are they doing Sneak?" asked Joe.
+
+"Don't you know what they're doing? ain't they cutting wood as fast as
+they kin?" replied Sneak.
+
+"Well, I'm not sorry for that." said Joe. "because its almost dark,
+and I'm getting chilly. If they'd only give me something to eat, I'd
+feel a heap more comfortable."
+
+"You varasherous fool you, they're cutting wood to burn us up with.
+Oh, I wish I was loose!"
+
+"Oh, goodness gracious!" cried Joe, "I never thought of that! Oh, I'm
+gone!"
+
+"Are you?" cried Sneak, eagerly; "I'd like to be off too, and we'd
+give them a race for it yit."
+
+"Oh! Sneak, I mean I'm ruined, lost for ever! Oh! St. Peter, pity my
+helpless condition!"
+
+"Don't think about pity now," said Sneak; "nothing of that sort is
+going to do us any good. We must git loose from these trees and run
+for it, or we'll be roasted like wild turkeys in less than an hour.
+I've got one hand loose!".
+
+"So have I almost!" cried Joe, struggling violently.
+
+"One of 'em's coming!--shove your hand back, and pertend like you're
+fast, till he goes away agin!" said Sneak, in a hurried undertone.
+
+The savage emerged from the bushes the next moment, and after
+depositing an armful of billets of wood at the feet of Joe, and
+walking round behind the prisoners to see if they were still secure,
+returned for more fuel.
+
+"Now work for your life!" said Sneak, extricating his wrist from the
+cord, and striving to get his feet loose.
+
+"Hang it, Sneak, I can't get my hand out, though the string's quite
+loose! Make haste, Sneak, and come and help me," said Joe, in a tone
+that indicated his earnestness.
+
+"Let every man look out for himself," replied Sneak, tugging away at
+the cord that bound his feet to the tree.
+
+"Oh, Sneak, don't leave me here, to be burnt by myself!" said Joe.
+
+"You wouldn't promise to give any thing to ransom me, a while
+ago--I'll cut stick as quick as I kin."
+
+"Oh, Sneak, I can't untie my hands! If you won't help me, I'll call
+the Indians." But Joe was saved the trouble. He had scarce uttered the
+word when all four of the Indians suddenly appeared, and throwing down
+their wood, proceeded with much haste to put their horrid purpose in
+execution. They heaped up the fagots around their victims, until they
+reached half way to their chins, and when all was ready, they paused,
+before applying the fire, to enjoy the terrors of their captives.
+
+"You cold--me make some fire to warm--huh," said the old Indian,
+addressing Joe, while the others looked on with unmixed satisfaction.
+
+"Oh! my dear Mr. Osage, if you only knew how much money you'd lose by
+killing me, I know you'd let me go!" said Joe, in tremulous but
+supplicating tones.
+
+"You lie--you got no money," replied the savage; and, stooping down,
+he began to split some dry wood into very small pieces to kindle with.
+Joe looked on in despair, and seemed to anticipate a blister from
+every splinter he saw. It was different with Sneak. Almost hid by the
+wood heaped around him, he embraced every opportunity, when the eyes
+of the savages were turned away, to endeavour to extricate himself
+from the cords that bound him to the tree. Hope had not yet forsaken
+him, and he resolved to struggle to the last. When the old savage had
+split off a large quantity of splinters and chips, he gathered them up
+and began to arrange them in various parts of the pile of green timber
+preparatory for a simultaneous ignition. While he was thus engaged,
+Sneak remained motionless, and assumed a stoical expression of
+features. But when he turned to Joe, Sneak again began to tug at the
+cord.
+
+"Oh pray, Mr. Indian!" exclaimed Joe, when he saw the savage carefully
+placing the combustible matter in all the crevices of the pile around
+him--"just only let me off this time, and I'll be your best friend all
+the rest of your life."
+
+"Me warm you little--don't cry--poor fellow!" replied the Indian,
+striking a light with flint and steel.
+
+"Oh, Sneak, if you've got a knife, run here and cut me loose, before
+I'm burnt to death!" said Joe, in the most heart-moving manner.
+
+"Keep your mouth shet!" said Sneak; "jest wait till they go to put
+some fire here, and I'll show you a thing or two," he continued,
+pouring a handful of _powder_ among the dry splinters. The effect of
+the explosion when the Indians attempted to surprise Glenn's premises
+occurring to Sneak, and recollecting that he had a quantity of powder
+in his pockets, he resolved in his extremity to try its virtue on this
+occasion.
+
+"But they're going to burn me first! Oh, Lord!" exclaimed Joe, as he
+beheld the savage applying the fire to the splinters near his feet.
+
+"Don't say nor do nothing--jest wait till they come to me," said
+Sneak, with great composure. "Do you jess keep your mouth shet--it'll
+be a long while a kindling--it won't begin to burn your legs for an
+hour."
+
+"Oh, goodness gracious! My knees begin to feel warm now. Oh, pray have
+mercy on me, good Mr. Osage!" cried Joe, before the flame was as large
+as his hand, and yet full three feet distant from him. The greater
+portion of the fagots being green, the fire made very slow progress,
+and it was necessary for the savages to procure a constant supply of
+dry splinters to prevent it from going out.
+
+At length, after the combustible material had burned out, and been
+replenished several times, the more substantial billets of Joe's pile
+began to ignite slowly, and the old Indian then took up a flaming
+brand and moved towards Sneak.
+
+"Come on! you snarvilerous rattlesnake you, I'll show you sights
+presently!" said Sneak.
+
+"You brave fellow--me burn you _quick_," said the savage, applying the
+torch, and, stooping down, placed his face within a few inches of the
+crackling blaze, and began to blow it gently. Sneak twisted his head
+round the tree as far as possible, and the next moment the powder
+exploded, throwing down the pile of wood, and dashing the savage
+several paces distant violently on the ground, and blackening and
+scorching his face and hair in a terrible manner. The other Indians
+instantly prostrated themselves on their faces, and uttered the most
+doleful lamentations. Thus they remained a few minutes, evidently
+impressed with the belief that the Great Spirit had interfered to
+prevent the destruction of the prisoners. Hastily gathering up their
+arms, they fled precipitately in the direction of their distant home,
+and their yells of disappointment and defeat rang in the ears of their
+captives until they died away in the distance.
+
+"Sneak! make haste! they may come back again!" said Joe.
+
+"They've tied my feet so tight I'm afraid I can't undo it in a hurry,"
+replied Sneak, endeavouring to break the cord by thrusting a stick
+(that he had slipped from the pile to knock out the brains of one of
+the Indians should his gun-powder plot not succeed,) between it and
+the tree, and forcing it out until the pain produced became
+insufferable. By this means the cord was loosened gradually, and
+moving it a little higher up where the muscles had not yet been
+bruised, he repeated the process. In this manner he laboured with
+certain but tardy success. But while he was thus engaged, Joe's
+predicament became each moment more critical. The wood being by this
+time pretty well seasoned, began to burn more freely. The blaze was
+making formidable advances, and the heat was becoming intolerable.
+
+"For heaven's sake, Sneak!" cried Joe, "make haste and come here, or
+I'll be roasted alive!"
+
+"Wait till I get away from my own tree," replied Sneak.
+
+"Oh Lord! I can't wait a minute more! My shins are getting blistered!"
+cried Joe, writhing under the heat of the blaze, which now reached
+within a few inches of him, and increased in magnitude with awful
+rapidity.
+
+"Well, if you won't wait till I git there, just go ahead yourself,"
+said Sneak, at last extricating his feet by a violent effort, and
+hopping to Joe's assistance, with some difficulty, for his nether
+limbs were considerably bruised.
+
+"Hang it, Sneak, pull these burning sticks away from my knees!" said
+Joe, his face flushed with pain.
+
+"I'll be bursted with powder, if you didn't like to git into a purty
+tight fix," said Sneak, dashing down the consuming billets of wood.
+
+"Now, Sneak, cut me loose, and then let's run home as soon as
+possible."
+
+"I hain't got my knife with me, or I wouldn't 'ave been so long
+gitting loose myself," said Sneak, slowly untying Joe's hands.
+
+"My goodness, how my arms ache!" said Joe, when his hands were
+released. "Now, Sneak, undo my feet, and then we'll be off in a
+hurry."
+
+"I'll be slit if your feet ain't tied like mine was, in rich a hard
+knot that no mortal being can git it undone. I'll take a chunk, and
+burn the tarnation string in two," said Sneak, applying the fire.
+
+"Take care you don't burn _me_," said Joe, looking at the operation
+with much concern.
+
+Sneak's plan of severing his companion's bonds was successful. Joe
+sprang in delight from his place of confinement, and, without uttering
+another word, or pausing a single moment, the liberated companions
+retreated from grove with all possible expedition.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+Glenn's History.
+
+
+The young chief, or rather the restored youth, awoke in a few days
+from the delirium into which the fever had plunged him, to a state of
+convalescence and a consciousness of his altered condition. He now
+uttered with earnest tenderness the endearing terms of "sister" and
+"father," when he addressed Mary and Roughgrove. He spoke freely of
+the many things he had witnessed while living with the Indians,
+expressing his abhorrence of their habits and nature, and declared it
+was his intention never to have any further intercourse with them. He
+promised, when he should be able to leave his bed, to read and study
+with Mary and Glenn, until he had made amends for the neglect of his
+education. These symptoms, and the tractable disposition accompanying
+them, caused Mary and Roughgrove to rejoice over the return of the
+long-lost youth, and to bow in humble thankfulness to the Disposer of
+events for the singular and providential circumstances attending his
+restoration.
+
+Joe had arrived in due course of time, (which was brief,) after his
+almost miraculous escape from the savages and the flames, and told his
+story with various embellishments. The Indians were hunted the next
+day by Sneak and a few of the neighbours, but they had doubtless
+abandoned the settlement, for no traces of them remained after their
+mysterious flight from the grove.
+
+A few mild days, during which frequent showers had fallen, had in a
+great measure removed the snow from the earth. And Joe having soon
+forgotten his late perilous adventure, amused himself with the horses.
+He resolved to make some amends for their long confinement in the
+stable, and to effect it he galloped them several hours each day over
+the grounds in the vicinity. The hounds, too, seemed delighted to
+place their feet once more on the bare earth, and they were permitted
+to accompany the horses in all their excursions.
+
+One night, when William, Mary, and Joe were all quietly sleeping,
+Roughgrove took occasion to express his gratitude to Glenn for the
+many and important services rendered his family.
+
+"Whatever good may have attended my efforts," said Glenn, "you may
+rest assured that I have been amply repaid in the satisfaction enjoyed
+myself."
+
+"I am sure of it!" exclaimed Roughgrove; "and it was a conviction that
+you harboured such sentiments that induced me to confide in you, and
+to disclose things which I intended should remain for ever locked
+within my own breast."
+
+"Your confidence shall not be abused," said Glenn; and to prove that I
+am not averse to an exchange of secrets, if you will listen to my
+recital, I will endeavour briefly to give you a sketch of _my_
+history."
+
+"I will listen attentively, my young friend, even were it as sad a
+tale as mine, which can hardly be the case," said Roughgrove, drawing
+his chair close to Glenn's side, and placing more fuel on the fire.
+
+"Would to Heaven it had not been!" said Glenn, after reclining his
+head on his hands a few minutes, and recalling transactions which he
+could have wished to be blotted from his memory for ever. "I am a
+native of New York," he continued, heaving a sigh and folding his
+arms, "and was left an orphan at a very early age. My father was once
+reputed one of the wealthiest merchants in Broadway; but repeated and
+enormous losses, necessarily inexplicable to one of my age, suddenly
+reduced him to comparative poverty. Neither he nor my mother survived
+the blow many months, and before I was ten years old, I was left (with
+the exception of an uncle in Philadelphia) alone in the world,
+possessed of only a few hundred dollars. My uncle placed me with an
+eminent physician, who had been my father's friend, after my education
+was completed. He told me that he was rich, and would see that I
+should not suffer for means until I had acquired a profession, which,
+with energy and diligence, would enable me to procure an honourable
+support. But he informed me that he had a family of his own, and that
+I must not depend upon his assistance further than to accomplish a
+profession.
+
+"It was during my studies, and when about seventeen years old, that my
+misfortunes began. My preceptor had another student, named Henry Wold,
+several years my senior, whose parents were wealthy. Wold and I
+entertained the highest esteem for each other. But our circumstances
+being different, I could not indulge in all the excesses of
+extravagance that he did, but made better progress in my studies. He
+attended all the gay parties and fashionable places of amusement,
+while I seldom spent an evening from home. He was tall, manly, and
+possessed of regular and beautiful features--these, with his unlimited
+wealth, made him a welcome guest in every circle, and extremely
+popular with the ladies.
+
+"One Sabbath morning, while sitting in church, (which I attended
+regularly,) I was struck with the appearance of a stranger in an
+opposite pew across the aisle that belonged to a family with whom I
+was on the most intimate terms. The stranger was the most beautiful
+young lady I ever beheld. Dark, languishing eyes, glossy ringlets,
+pale, smooth forehead--oh! I will not describe her--let it suffice
+that she was an angel in my eyes! It was impossible to remove my gaze
+from her, and I fancied that she sometimes returned an approving
+glance. Before the service was over, I was delighted to observe that
+she whispered something to Mrs. Arras, (the name of the lady whose pew
+she was in,) for this assured me that they were acquainted, and that I
+might obtain some information about the fair being who had made such a
+sudden and deep impression on my heart, and perhaps procure an
+introduction to her. When I retired to my couch that night, it was not
+to sleep. The image of the fair stranger haunted my restless and
+imperfect slumbers. Nor could I study by day, for my thoughts wandered
+continually from the page to the same bright vision. Such was my
+condition throughout the week. The next Sunday I found her seated in
+the same pew. Our eyes met, and a slight blush that mantled her fair
+face encouraged me to hope that she might likewise have bestowed some
+thoughts on me during the preceding week. It was in vain that I
+uttered the responses during the service, or knelt down when the
+clergyman offered up his prayers. I could think of nothing but the
+angelic stranger. I resolved that another week should not pass without
+my calling at Mrs. Arras's. But my object was obtained sooner than I
+expected. When the congregation was dismissed, Mrs. Arras beckoned me
+across the aisle to her.
+
+"'Charles,' whispered she, 'don't you want an introduction to my
+niece? I saw your eyes riveted on her several times.'
+
+"'I--if you please,' I replied, with feelings of mingled delight and
+embarrassment.
+
+"'Laura,' she continued, turning to the young lady who lingered
+behind, but seemed to be conscious of what was passing, 'let me
+introduce you to my young friend, Charles Glenn.' The bland and
+accomplished Mrs. Arras then moved onward, while I attended at the
+side of Laura, and continued with her until I assisted her up, the
+marble steps of her aunt's stately mansion.
+
+"I then bowed, and strode rapidly onward, I knew not whither,
+(completely bewildered with the enchanting spell that the fair Laura
+had thrown over me,) until I reached the extremity of Broadway, and
+found myself in Castle Garden, gazing like a very maniac at the bright
+water below me. I wandered about alone, enjoying the exhilarating
+fancies of my teeming brain, until the sun sunk beneath the horizon,
+and the bright stars twinkled in the blue vault above. Oh! the
+thoughts, the hopes, the bliss of that hour! The dark curtain that
+veils the rankling corruptions of mortality had not yet been lifted
+before my staring eyes, and I felt as one gazing at a beautiful world,
+and regarded the fair maid as the angel destined to unfold all its
+brilliance to my vision, and to hold the chalice to my lips while I
+sipped the nectar of perennial felicity. Alas, that such moments are
+brief! They fly like the dreams of a startled slumberer, and when they
+vanish once, they are gone forever!
+
+"Without calling at my lodgings for the usual refreshments, I hovered
+about the mansion of Mrs. Arras till lights were gleaming in the
+parlour, and then entered. Laura received me with a smile, and the
+complaisant matron gave me an encouraging welcome.
+
+"'You are pale this evening, Mr. Glenn,' said Mrs. Arras, in a
+good-humoured, though bantering manner. 'Are you subject to sudden
+attacks of illness?'
+
+"'I assure you I never enjoyed better health in my life, and feel no
+symptoms of indisposition whatever,' I replied, but at that moment I
+chanced to gaze at a mirror, and was startled at my haggard
+appearance. But when Mrs. Arras withdrew, (which she did soon after my
+arrival,) the affable and lovely Laura banished every thought of my
+condition. My wan cheek was soon animated with the flush of unbounded
+admiration, and my sunken eye sparkled with the effervescence of
+enraptured delight. Deep and ineradicable passion was engendering in
+my bosom. And from the pleasure indicated in the glitter of Laura's
+lustrous eyes, the exquisite smile that dwelt upon her coral lips, and
+the gentle though unconscious swellings of her breast, a conviction
+thrilled through my soul that my sudden affection was reciprocated.
+Hours flew like minutes, and I was surprised by the clock striking ONE
+before it occurred to me that it was time to depart. Again I traversed
+the streets at that solemn hour, insensible to every feeling, and
+regardless of every object but the flaming torch lit up in my heart
+and the seraphic image of Laura. At length I was warned by the
+scrutinizing gaze of a watchman to repair to my lodgings. But my
+pillow afforded no rest. All night long I pondered on the exhilarating
+events of the day. Many were the endearing accents that escaped my
+lips as I addressed in fancy my beloved Laura. I resolved to declare
+my passion ere many weeks should pass. I began to settle in my mind
+the plans of life, and then, for the first time, the future presented
+a dark spot to my view. I was poor! Laura was rich and her family
+proud and aristocratic. Her father was a distinguished judge. And the
+most high-born and haughty of the land would doubtless (if they had
+not already) sigh at her feet! I sprang upright on my couch when this
+discordant thought passed across my mind. But the next moment I was
+consoled with the belief that I already possessed her heart. And with
+a determination to have her, in spite of every obstacle, should this
+be the case, I sank back through weariness, and was soon steeped in
+deep, though unquiet slumber.
+
+"The two next succeeding Sundays I attended Laura to church. The
+evenings of both days, and nearly all the intervening ones, I was with
+her at the mansion of Mrs. Arras. But the evening of the last Sunday
+was to me a memorable one. That evening I opened all my heart to
+Laura, and found that every pulsation met a responding throb in
+hers--such, at least, I believed to be the case--and so she asserted.
+During the short time she remained in New York, I was her accredited
+lover, and ever, when together, the attachment she manifested was as
+ardent as mine. Indeed, at times, her passion seemed unbounded, and I
+was more than once tempted to propose a clandestine and immediate
+union. I was the more inclined to this, inasmuch as her father (who
+had now returned from a trip to Washington) began to regard my visits
+with displeasure. But he soon passed on to Boston to attend to the
+duties of his office, and again I had unrestrained access to Laura.
+But I am dwelling too long on this part of my story.
+
+"One day Henry Wold, my fellow-student, inquired the cause of the
+palpable change in my bearing and disposition. Would that my lips had
+been sealed to him forever! I knew that he was honest and generous by
+nature, but I knew not to what extent his dissolute habits (gradually
+acquired by having ample means, and yielding by degrees to the
+temptations of vice) had perverted his good qualities. I told him of
+my love, and while describing the charms of Laura, I was pleased to
+attribute the interest he evinced at the recital to his disinterested
+friendship for me, without the thought that _he_ could be captivated
+himself with the bare description. He begged me to introduce him.
+This, too, gratified my pride, for I knew he would admire her. The
+perfect form, rare beauty, intelligence, and wealth of Wold did not
+startle an apprehension in my breast. But I knew not--alas! who can
+know?--the impulses that govern woman. Wold accompanied me that night
+to Mrs. Arras's. He seated himself at Laura's side, and poured forth a
+flood of flattery. They smiled in unison and returned glance for
+glance. Wold exhibited his fine person and exerted all his captivating
+powers of intellect. Laura scanned the one and listened attentively to
+the other. Still I sat by in satisfaction, and strove to repress every
+rising fear that my supremacy in Laura's heart might be endangered.
+That evening, as we returned homeward, in answer to my questions, Wold
+stated that my 'intended' was _pretty enough_ for any young man, and
+would, without doubt, make a _very good wife_. So far from exhibiting
+the extravagant admiration I expected, he seemed to speak of the
+object of my adoration with comparative indifference. But a few
+evenings afterwards, I found him with Laura when I arrived! I started
+back on beholding them seated on the same sofa as I entered the
+parlour. Mrs. Arras was present, and wore a thoughtful expression of
+features. Laura smiled on me, but I thought it was not a happy smile.
+It did not render me happy. Wold bowed familiarly, and made some witty
+remark about taking time by the forelock. I sat down in silence, with
+a compressed lip, and an icy chillness in my breast. An embarrassing
+pause ensued. At length Mrs. Arras rose, and opening a folding-door,
+beckoned me into the adjoining room. After we had been seated a few
+moments, during which her brow assumed a more grave and thoughtful
+cast, she observed--
+
+"'You seem to be excited to-night, Charles.'
+
+"'I have cause to be so,' I replied.
+
+"'I cannot deny it,' said she, 'when I consider every thing that has
+transpired. You doubtless have an attachment for Laura--I have _seen_
+it--and I confess it was and _would_ be with my goodwill had I control
+of the matter. I was acquainted with your family, and acted with the
+best of motives when I permitted, perhaps encouraged, the intimacy.
+But I thought not of the austere and passionate nature of my
+brother-in-law. Neither did I think that any man could object to your
+addresses to his daughter. But I was mistaken. Judge ____ has written
+that your interviews with Laura must terminate.'
+
+"'Has he given any reason why?' I asked, in tremulous tones.
+
+"'Yes,' she replied, 'but such as mortify me as much as they must pain
+you. He says that your fortune and family connections are not
+sufficient to permit the alliance. Oh, I implore you not to suppose
+these to be my sentiments. I know your family is devoid of ignoble
+stain, and that your fortune was once second to none. Had I the
+disposal of Laura's hand it should be yours!'
+
+"'I believe it, Mrs. Arras!' said I. 'But do you net think these
+objections of Judge ____ may be overcome?'
+
+"'Alas, never!' she replied; 'he is immovable when any thing of moment
+is decided in his mind.'
+
+"'But,' I continued, while the pulsations of my heart were distinctly
+audible, 'what says Laura?'
+
+"'Would I had been spared this question! You saw her a few minutes
+since. HE who sees all things knows how my heart ached while I sat by.
+I can only tell you she had just finished reading her father's letter
+when Mr. Wold was announced. Spare me, now, I beseech you!' I folded
+my arms and gazed, I know not how long, at the flame ascending from
+the hearth. Oh! the agony described of the dying were bliss to that
+moment. What could I think or do? I sat like one whose heart has been
+rudely torn from his breast, and who was yet debarred the relief of
+death. Existence to me at that moment was a hell, and my sufferings
+were those of the damned! I thank God I have survived them.
+
+"I was aroused from my lethargy by hearing the street door close after
+Wold, and I desired Mrs. Arras to permit me to have an interview with
+Laura alone. It was granted, and I was soon in the presence of the
+lovely maid. She was aware of my perturbation and its cause. She sat
+with her eyes cast down in silence. I looked upon her form and her
+features of perfect beauty, and oh! what tongue can describe the
+mingled and contending emotions that convulsed my breast! I repressed
+every violent or boisterous inclination of my spirits, however, and
+taking her unresisting hand, sat down in sorrow at her side.
+
+"'Laura,' said I, with difficulty finding utterance, 'do we thus part,
+and for ever?' She made no answer, but gazed steadfastly at the rich
+carpet, while her face, though somewhat paler than usual, betrayed no
+change of muscle.
+
+"'Laura,' I repeated, in tones more distinct, 'are we _now_ to part,
+and _for ever_?'
+
+"'Father says so,' she replied. Her hand fell from my grasp. The
+unmoved, _indifferent_ manner of her reply froze my blood in my veins!
+I again stared at her composed features in astonishment allied to
+contempt.
+
+"'But what do _you_ say?' I asked, with a bluntness that startled her.
+
+"'Father knows best, perhaps!' she replied, turning her eyes to mine,
+I thought, with calmness.
+
+"'Laura,' said I, again taking her hand, for I was once more subdued
+by her beauty, 'I love you with my whole soul, and must continue to
+love you. Ay, were you even to spurn me with your foot, so
+indissolubly have my affections grown to your image, that my bleeding
+heart would turn in adoration to the smiter. And I fondly hoped and
+believed that the passion was returned--indeed, I had your assurance
+of the fact; nay, think not I design to reproach you. It were
+bootless, had I the heart to do it. Be assured that were you not only
+cruel to me, but steeped in crime and guilty of injustice to the whole
+human race, I would still be your friend were all others to forsake
+you. Deem me never your foe, or capable of ever becoming such. May
+heaven bless you! We part--but, under _any_ circumstances, should
+adverse fortune overtake you and I can be of service, I beg you not to
+hesitate to apply to me. You will find me still your friend. I will
+not attempt to reverse the decision which you have made. However
+humiliating and poignant the thought may be that I was unconsciously
+the means of introducing the _object_ that influenced your decision,
+yet I will not murmur, neither will I become _his_ enemy, for your
+sake. I hope you will be happy. I pray that heaven may incline your
+heart to be true and _constant_ to Wold.'
+
+"'I hope so,' said she in a low tone.
+
+"'Laura,' said I, rising, 'you confess, then, that Wold possesses your
+love?'
+
+"'Yes,' said she; 'but I cannot help it!'
+
+"'Farewell!' said I, kissing her yielding hand, and turning
+deliberately away, though with the sensation of one stunned by a
+thunderbolt. I returned home, and threw myself like a loathsome
+carcass upon my couch. I could not even think. My mind seemed like
+some untenanted recess in the unfathomable depths below. Instantaneous
+death, and even eternal perdition afterwards, could have presented no
+new horrors then. It was haply the design of Providence that the
+thought of self-destruction should not occur to me. With the means in
+my reach, I would in all probability have rushed, uncalled and
+unprepared, into the presence of an offended Creator.
+
+"A fever and delirium, such as possessed the poor youth lying there,
+ensued. Under the kind care of my preceptor, my malady abated in a few
+weeks; and, as I recovered, a change took place in my sentiments
+regarding the events that produced my illness. My pride rose up to my
+relief, and I resolved to overcome the effects of my disappointment.
+Yet my heart melted in tenderness when I recalled the blissful moments
+I had known with Laura. But I determined to prosecute my plans of life
+as if no such occurrence had transpired.
+
+"A few days after bidding Laura adieu, she returned to Boston,
+accompanied by Wold. Wold obtained his diploma while I was writhing
+with disease. Even the loss of my degree was now borne with patience
+and resignation. I forgave Wold, and implored him to make Laura happy.
+He promised faithfully to do so when on the eve of setting out with
+her. I did not desire to see her myself, but sent my forgiveness and
+blessing.
+
+"In a few months my diploma was obtained, and I commenced the practice
+under the most favourable circumstances. My late preceptor was now my
+partner. Nearly a year elapsed before Wold returned to New York. But a
+rumor preceded him which again opened all the fountains of bitterness
+in my heart. It was said (and only two or three were possessed of the
+secret) that he had betrayed and ruined the lovely Laura! I sought
+him, to ascertain from his own lips if he had truly committed the act
+imputed to him. I resolved to avenge her! But Wold avoided me. I could
+not obtain his ear, and all my notes to him remained unanswered.
+Despairing of getting an immediate answer from him, I repaired to Mrs.
+Arras. Her house was in gloom and sorrow. When she appeared, my heart
+sank within me to behold her sad and mournful brow. She pressed my
+extended hand, while a flood of tears gushed from her eyes.
+
+"I knew by the disconsolate aspect of the aunt that the niece had been
+dragged down from her high estate of virtue, fortune, and fame. I sat
+down, and bowed my head in sorrow many minutes before the first word
+was spoken. I still loved Laura. What could I say? how begin?
+
+"'It is true!' I at length exclaimed, rising up, and pacing the floor
+rapidly, while many a tear ran down my cheek.
+
+"'Alas! it is too true,' iterated Mrs. Arras.
+
+"'The black-hearted villain!' I continued.
+
+"'Ah, Mr. Glenn, her fate would have been different, if your addresses
+had not been so cruelly spurned! God knows I was not to blame!' said
+she.
+
+"'No, Mrs. Arras,' said I; 'had your will been done, I had not been
+made miserable by the bereavement, nor the beautiful, the
+innocent--the--Laura, with all her errors, dishonoured, ruined,
+crushed! But the betrayer, the viper that stung her, still breathes. I
+loved her--I love her yet--and I will be her avenger!' Saying this, I
+rushed away, heedless of the matron's half-uttered entreaties to
+remain and to desist from my plan of vengeance.
+
+"There was a young student of my acquaintance, a brave, chivalrous,
+noble Virginian, to whom I imparted Laura's sad story. He frankly
+agreed with me that the venomous reptile in the human shape that could
+beguile an unsuspecting and lovely girl to minister to his unhallowed
+desires, and then, without hesitation or remorse, abandon her to the
+dark, despairing shades of a frowning world, while he crawled on to
+insinuate his poison into the breasts of new victims, should be
+pursued, hunted down, and exterminated. Yet there was but one way for
+me to punish Wold. The ignominy of the act, and the indignation of a
+virtuous community were to him matters of indifference. The circle in
+which he moved would smile at the misfortune of his victim, and
+applaud his address, were the affair published. I resolved that he
+should answer it to me alone. I had sworn in my heart to be Laura's
+avenger.
+
+"I penned a message which was delivered by my young Virginian friend
+in person. Wold said he had no quarrel with me, and strove to evade
+the subject. He sent me a note, demanding wherein he had ever wronged
+me, and stating that he was ready and willing to _explain_ any thing
+that might have offended me. I returned his note, with a line on the
+same sheet, informing him that I was the friend of Laura; and that he
+must either meet me in the manner indicated in my message, or I would
+publicly brand him as a dastardly scoundrel. He bit his lip, and
+referred my friend to one of his companions in iniquity, a Mr. Knabb,
+who lived by the _profession_ of cards and dice. It was arranged that
+we should meet on one of the islands near the city, and that it should
+be the next morning. This was what I desired, and I had urged my
+friend to effect as speedy a consummation of the affair as possible.
+All the tumult and perturbation that raged in my bosom on parting with
+Laura had returned, and the throbbing of my brain was almost
+insufferable. It was with difficulty that my young friend prevailed
+upon me to embrace the few intermediate hours before the meeting to
+practice with the pistol. I heeded not his declaration that Wold was
+an excellent shot, because I felt convinced that justice was on my
+side. I thought that the criminal must inevitably fall. However, I
+consented to practice a little to quiet his importunity. Truly, it
+seemed that his urgent solicitation was reasonable enough, for the
+first fire my ball was several feet wide of the mark. I had never
+fired a pistol before in my life. But there was no quivering of nerve,
+no misgiving as to my fate; for notwithstanding I was aware of being a
+novice, yet I entertained a conviction, a presentiment, that the
+destroyer of my Laura's innocence would fall beneath my hand. The next
+fire I did better, and soon learned to strike the centre.
+
+"We were all on the ground at the hour appointed. While the seconds
+were arranging the necessary preliminaries, Wold, finding that my eyes
+rested steadily upon him, endeavoured to intimidate me. There was a
+bush some thirty paces distant, from which a slim, solitary sprout ran
+up several feet above the rest of the branches. He gazed an instant at
+it while I was marking him, and then raised his pistol, and fired in
+the direction. The sprout fell. Turning, his eyes met mine, while a
+slight smile was visible on his lip. The effect did not realize his
+hopes. I looked upon the act with such cold indifference that he at
+first betrayed surprise at my calmness, and then exhibited palpable
+signs of trepidation himself. He beckoned Knabb to him, and, after a
+brief conference in a low tone, his second returned to my friend, and
+inquired if no amends, no reconciliation, could avert the exchange of
+shots. My friend reported his words to me, and my reply was that
+nothing but the restitution of the maiden's honour--instant
+marriage--would be satisfaction. Wold protested--marriage was utterly
+impossible under existing circumstances--but he would do any thing
+else. But nothing else would answer; and I insisted on proceeding to
+business without further delay. Wold heard me, and became pale. When
+we were placed at our respective stations, and while the final
+arrangements were being adjusted, I thought his replies to his
+friend's observations betrayed much alarm. But there was no retreat. I
+was never calmer in my life, I even smiled when my careful friend told
+me that he had detected and prevented a concerted plan that would have
+given Wold the advantage. The word was given. Wold's ball struck the
+earth before me, and threw some sand in my face. Mine entered the
+seducer's side! I saw him gasp, reel, and fall, while the blood gushed
+out on the beach. My friend hurried me away, and paused not until he
+had placed me in a stage just starting for Philadelphia. I clasped his
+hand in silence, and the next moment the horses plunged away at the
+crack of the driver's whip, and we were soon far on the road.
+Reflection ere long convinced me that I had been guilty of an
+unjustifiable act. If it was no crime in the estimation of men, it was
+certainly a grievous transgression in the eyes of God! I then
+trembled. The bleeding form and reproachful stare of Wold haunted my
+vision when the darkness set in. Oh, the errors, in act and deed, of
+an impetuous youth thrown upon the world with no considerate friend to
+advise him! The pity I felt for Laura was soon forgotten in the
+horrible thought that I was a MURDERER! Oh, the anguish of that night!
+Why did I not leave Wold to the judgment of an offended God? Why did I
+not permit him to suffer the gnawing of the canker that must ever
+abide in his heart, instead of staining my hands with his blood?
+Freely would I have abandoned every hope of pleasure in the world to
+have washed his blood away!
+
+"When I arrived in Philadelphia, with a heavy heart, I sought a quiet
+hotel, not daring to confront my uncle with such a tale of woe and
+crime. For several days I remained in my chamber without seeing any
+one but the servant that brought my food. At length I asked for a New
+York paper. For more than an hour after it was brought I could not
+summon courage to peruse the hated tragedy. Finally I snatched up the
+sheet convulsively and glanced along the columns. When my eyes rested
+upon the paragraph I was in quest of, I sprang to my feet in ecstasy.
+The wound had not been fatal! Wold still lived!
+
+"In a twinkling I was dressed and on my way to my uncle's residence.
+Notwithstanding there was a dreadful epidemic in the city, and hearses
+and mourners were passing every few minutes, I felt within a buoyancy
+that defied the terrors of disease and death.
+
+"But it seemed that disaster and desolation were fated to attend me
+whithersoever I turned. A gloom brooded upon my heart when I
+approached my uncle's mansion, and found the badge of mourning at the
+door. I paused and asked the servant who was dead. He informed me that
+my uncle alone remained. His wife and children, all had been consigned
+to the tomb the day before, and he himself now lay writhing with the
+fell disease. I rushed in and entered the sick chamber. It was the
+chamber of death. My uncle pressed my hand and died. I followed him to
+the grave, the chief and almost only mourner.
+
+"I returned and shut myself up in the mansion, bewildered and
+stupefied. I was now the possessor of immense wealth. But I was
+unhappy. I knew not what to do to enjoy life. Gradually the pestilence
+abated and disappeared, and by degrees the gloom that oppressed me
+subsided. At the end of a few months, I was informed by my young
+Virginian friend that Wold had entirely recovered. I likewise received
+a letter from Mrs. Arras, stating that Judge ____ had sought out
+Laura, (who had been enticed to an obscure part of the city,) and, as
+her misfortune had been kept a profound secret among the few, he
+forgave the offence, and once more extended to her a father's love and
+a father's protection. I need not say that a blissful thrill bounded
+through my veins. Wold was living, and Laura not irrecoverably lost.
+Yet I did not then deem it possible that I could, under such
+circumstances, ever desire to possess the once adored, but since truly
+fallen, Laura. But I experienced a sweet gratification to be thus
+informed of the prospect of her being reinstated in society. My love
+was not yet wholly extinguished!
+
+"When it was generally known that I possessed great riches, a crowd of
+flatterers and sycophants hovered around me. I was a distinguished
+guest at the mansions of the fashionable and great, and had in turn
+many brilliant parties at my residence. But among the tinsel and
+glitter of the gay world I sought in vain for peace and happiness.
+Many beautiful and bewitching belles lavished their sweetest smiles
+upon me, but they could not re-ignite the smothered flame in my bosom.
+Wine could only exhilarate for a moment, to be succeeded by a gnawing
+nausea. Cards could only excite while I lost, to be succeeded by
+irritability and disgust.
+
+"Thus my time was spent for twelve months, when I suddenly conceived
+the resolution to seek a union with the ill-fated Laura,
+notwithstanding all the obloquy the world might attach to the act. I
+still loved her in spite of myself. I could not live in peace without
+her, and I determined without delay to offer her my hand, heart, and
+fortune. I set out for Boston, and on my arrival instantly proceeded
+to the residence of Judge ____. Again my evil star was in the
+ascendant. Desolation and death presided in Judge ____'s family. The
+ominous badge of mourning greeted me at the threshold; Laura's mother
+had just been consigned, broken-hearted, to the cold grave. The
+venerable Judge bowed his hoary head to the blows that Providence
+inflicted. He could not speak to me. His reply to my offer in relation
+to his child was only a flood of tears. He then retreated into his
+library and locked the door. An aged domestic told me all. Laura had
+abandoned her parental roof, and voluntarily entered one of those
+sinks of pollution that so much degrade human nature! I stood upon an
+awful abyss. The whirlpools of deceit, ingratitude, indifference, and
+calumny, howled around me, and the dark floods of sensual corruption
+roared below. Turn whithersoever I might (alas, I thought not of
+heaven!) gloom, discord, and misery seemed to be my portion.
+
+"I hurried back to Philadelphia, and strove to mitigate my grief in
+the vortex of unrestrained dissipation. I lavished my gold on
+undeserving and unthankful objects. I cared not for life, much less
+for fortune. I was the victim of a frenzy that rendered me reckless,
+and bereft me of calm meditation. My frantic laughter was heard at the
+gaming-table, and my plaudits were boisterous at the theatre, but I
+was a stranger to enjoyment. There was no pleasure for me. My brawling
+companions swore I was the happiest and noblest being on earth. But I
+knew too well there was not a more miserable fiend in hell.
+
+"At length disease fortunately arrested my demoniac career before my
+wealth was expended. It was my good fortune to secure the services of
+a distinguished and skillful physician. He was a benevolent and
+universally esteemed _Quaker_. His attention was not only constant,
+but soothing and parental. His earnest and tender tones often made me
+weep. When I recovered, I resolved to amend my life. This _friend_ had
+applied a healing balm to my aching heart. I determined to prosecute
+my profession, and before a year elapsed my exertions began to be
+crowned with success.
+
+"I was a frequent attendant at the lectures, and on terms of the
+closest intimacy with the professors. Indeed, I had a prospect of a
+professorship myself. I devoted my attention particularly to the
+anatomical department of my studies, which I preferred; and it was in
+this department of the institution that I would probably be installed
+in a few months. The gentleman who occupied that chair was about to
+resign, and, being my friend, used his influence to procure my
+election.
+
+"My medical friend invited me one evening to be present at a
+dissection, which promised to be one of extreme interest. He described
+the subject as one that had elicited the admiration of the class. He
+said it was a female of perfect proportions, but who had recently been
+an inmate of a brothel of the lowest description. She had, in a state
+of beastly inebriation, fallen into the fire. Yet, with the exception
+of a small but fatal orifice in the side, her form and features
+remained unaltered. I consented to meet him at the hour appointed, and
+made my arrangements accordingly.
+
+"That evening there were many more persons in the dissecting-room than
+usual. I had now become much more cheerful, and enjoyed the frank
+greetings of my many friends with a relish and an ardour that had
+hitherto been unknown to me. Many flippant remarks and careless
+observations were exchanged in relation to the business before us. We
+had become accustomed to such scenes, and habit had rendered us
+callous to the reflections and impressions generally produced when
+gazing upon the cold lineaments of the dead. Dissection was an
+indispensable act. It had been resorted to under the deliberate
+conviction that it was necessary to the perfection of science, and in
+a great degree redounded to the welfare and preservation of the
+living. To us the pale inanimate limbs, and the attenuated, insensible
+bodies of the dead brought no disagreeable sensations. We cut and
+sawed them with the same composed indifference with which the sculptor
+hews the marble.
+
+"'This is a beautiful subject we have to-night, Glenn,' observed one
+of my friends, as we approached the dead body. He then threw up the
+white cloth, and exposed the corpse, the head being still obscured. A
+breathless silence reigned, while all gazed at the lifeless form in
+admiration. She was a perfect Venus! Not having been wasted and
+shrivelled by disease, the symmetry of her lineaments was preserved in
+all the exactness of life and health. Her bust was full, plump, and
+the skin of the most exquisite whiteness, except where it had been
+marred by the fire that caused her death. Her limbs surpassed any
+model I had ever beheld, round and tapering, smooth and white as
+ivory. Her ankles were most admirably turned, and her feet of the
+smallest dimensions. Her handsome and gently swelling arms were
+covered with a slight gauze of short, dark hair, through which the
+snowy whiteness of her skin was displayed to greater advantage. Her
+hands were extremely delicate, and indicated that she had been
+accustomed to ease and luxury.
+
+"I was requested to open her breast and exhibit to the students the
+formation and functions of the heart. She was lying on her back, on a
+long narrow table, around which the students stood gazing at her fair
+proportions. Some reflected in sorrow that so beautiful and lovely a
+being should die and be conveyed to the dissecting-room; while others
+joked and laughed in a light unfeeling manner. When about to make an
+incision with the sharp glittering steel in my hand, for the first
+time since I had graduated, I confessed that my nerves were too much
+affected by the sight of the subject to proceed, and I begged my
+friends to be patient a few minutes, during which I would doubtless
+regain my accustomed composure.
+
+"'What was her name?' I inquired of the friend who had accosted me on
+my entrance.
+
+"'Haven't you heard?' said he, smiling--'I thought you all knew her.
+Nearly every person in the city has heard of her, for she was the most
+celebrated and notorious "fallen angel" in the city--celebrated for
+her unrivalled beauty and many triumphs, and notorious for her
+heartless deceit and reckless disregard of her own welfare. She has
+led captive many an unguarded swain by a passing smile in the street,
+and then unceremoniously deserted him to join some drunken and beastly
+party in an obscure and degraded alley.'
+
+"'Her name--what was her name?' I again asked, once more taking up the
+knife, my nerves sufficiently braced by the above recital.
+
+"'Anne R____,' he replied; 'I thought,' he continued, 'no one could be
+ignorant of her name, after hearing a description of her habits.'
+
+"'_All_ of us,' I continued, rallying, 'are not familiar with the
+persons and names of the "fallen angels" about town. But let us look
+at her face.' Saying this, I endeavoured to lift the white cloth from
+her head, but finding that the resurrectionist had tied a cord tightly
+round the muslin enclosing her neck and head, I desisted.
+
+"'Her face is in keeping with her body and limbs,' said my merry
+friend; 'she was a perfect beauty. I have seen her in Chestnut Street
+every fair day for the last six months, until she got drunk and fell
+in the fire.'
+
+"I now proceeded to business, but my flesh quivered as my knife
+penetrated the smooth fair breast of the subject. Soon the skin and
+the flesh were removed, and the saw grated harshly as it severed the
+ribs. When the heart was exposed, all bent forward instinctively,
+scanning it minutely, and seemingly with a curiosity to ascertain if
+it differed from those of others whose lives were different.
+
+[Illustration: It was Laura, the loved, adored Laura!--P. 221]
+
+"When the operation was over, my anxiety to see her face returned.
+After an ineffectual effort to untie the cord, I became impatient, and
+seizing the knife that lay on the table, ripped open the muslin that
+hid her features! My God! The knife dropped from my hand, and
+penetrating the floor, quivered upright at my feet, while every member
+of my body trembled in unison with it! I raised my hands with my
+fingers spread out to the utmost tension. My mouth fell open, and my
+eyes felt as if they were straining to leap from my head. _It was
+Laura_--the loved, adored Laura--_my_ Laura! My friends heard me
+repeat the name, and marked with surprise and concern my inexplicably
+miserable condition. They gathered round me, and endeavoured to divert
+my attention from the dead and now gory body. It was in vain. I heeded
+not their words, but gazed steadfastly at the sad features of Laura,
+with my hands still uplifted. I was speechless, deaf, and immovable.
+No tear moistened my eyes, but burning thoughts rushed through my
+brain. My heart was cold, cold. Ah, I remembered how I had loved her
+once! I thought of the time when I was happy to bow down at her feet,
+and in good faith attribute to her many of the pure qualities
+pertaining to _risen_ angels. And this was her end! The beautiful and
+innocent--the loving and beloved--the high born and wealthy--the light
+and joy of fond and indulgent parents--had been beguiled by the
+infernal tempter to make one step aside from the straight and
+narrow-path of duty--and this was the result! The sensitive and
+guileless girl became an incarnate fiend, callous to every modest and
+virtuous impulse--scorned by the honest and good, and hating and
+undermining the redeeming principles of her species--rushing from the
+high station which her ancestors had arduously laboured for
+generations to attain, and voluntarily taking up her abode in the dens
+of squalid misery and indelible pollution--closing her eyes to the
+might and majesty of a merciful God, beckoning her to his eternal
+throne in heaven, and giving heed to the fatal devices of the enemy of
+mankind, till she was dragged down, down to the innermost depths of a
+raging and roaring hell! Such was the fate of Laura. Such is the fate
+of thousands who willingly err, though it be ever so slight, for the
+sake of enjoying an impious gratification. Poor Laura! Oh, how I loved
+her! But it is bootless to think of her now.
+
+"I was gently forced from the dissecting-room by my friends, and
+conducted to my home in silence--in silence, because I had no words
+for any one. I pressed their hands at the door of my mansion, and
+bowing, they departed for their homes to muse over the incidents of
+the evening. I entered my silent chamber, but not to rest. I threw
+open the casement and gazed out at the genial rays of the moon. The
+dark green leaves of the linden trees were motionless, and the silvery
+rays struggling through them cast a checkered and faint tint of
+mingled light and shade on the pavement beneath. The cool fresh air
+soothed my throbbing temples. I sank back in my seat and gazed up at
+the innumerable stars in the boundless sky. I thought the stellar host
+glittered with unusual brilliance, as if there were a joyous and holy
+revelry going on in heaven. My heart grew calm. I felt a conviction
+that true happiness, and purity of thought and purpose were
+inseparable. I knew that the contaminations of the world had
+overthrown many a righteous resolve, and linked the noblest minded
+with infamy. I thought of Laura. The seductions of the world had
+literally prostrated an angel before my eyes. I determined to _leave_
+the world, if not for ever, at least as long as its temptations to
+err, in the remotest degree, were liable to beset my path. I came
+hither."
+
+When Glenn finished his narrative, Roughgrove rose in silence, and
+producing a small Bible that he always carried about his person, read
+in a low, but distinct and impressive tone, several passages which
+were peculiarly applicable to the state of their feelings. Glenn then
+approached the couch where William slumbered peacefully. A healthful
+perspiration rested on his forehead, and a sweet smile played upon his
+lips, indicating that his dreams were not among the savage scenes in
+which he had so lately mingled. Mary, who had fallen asleep while
+seated at his side, overcome with silent watching, yet rested with her
+head on the same pillow, precisely in the same attitude she reclined
+when Glenn began his recital. Roughgrove took her in his arms, and
+placing her softy at her brother's feet, bestowed a kiss upon her
+brow, and retired with Glenn to rest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+Balmy spring--Joe's curious dream--He prepares to catch a fish--Glenn
+--William and Mary--Joe's sudden and strange appearance--La-u-na--The
+trembling fawn--The fishing sport--The ducking frolic--Sneak and the
+panther.
+
+
+It was now the first week in May. Every vestige of winter had long
+since disappeared, and the verdure of a rich soil and mild temperature
+was fast enrobing the earth with the freshest and most pleasing of
+colours. Instead of the dreary expanse of ice that had covered the
+river, its waters now murmured musically by in the early morn--its
+curling eddies running along the sedgy shore, while the rising sun
+slowly dissipated the floating mists; and the inspiring notes of all
+the wild variety of birds, contributed to invest the scene with such
+charms as the God of nature only can impart, and which may only be
+fully enjoyed and justly appreciated by guileless and unsophisticated
+mortals.
+
+Glenn rambled forth, and, partaking the harmony that pervaded the
+earth, air, and waters, his breast swelled with a blissful exultation
+that can never be known amid the grating voices of contending men, or
+experienced in crowded cities, where many confused sounds vibrate
+harshly and distracting on the ear. He stood in his little garden
+among the flowers that Mary had planted, and watched the humming-birds
+poised among the trembling leaves, their tiny wings still unruffled by
+the dew, while their slender beaks inhaled the sweet moisture of the
+variegated blossoms. Long he regarded the enchanting scene,
+unconscious of the flight of time, and alike regardless of the past
+and the future in his all-absorbing admiration of the present, wherein
+he deemed he was not far remote from that Presence to which time and
+eternity are obedient--when his phantasm was abruptly and
+unceremoniously put to flight by his man Joe, who rushed out of the
+house with a long rod in his hand; yawning and rubbing his eyes, as if
+he had been startled from his morning slumber but a moment before.
+
+"What's the matter?" demanded Glenn.
+
+"It was a wapper!" said Joe.
+
+"What was?"
+
+"The fish."
+
+"Where?" asked Glenn.
+
+"I'll tell you. I dreamt I was sitting on a rock, down at the ferry,
+with this rod in my hand, fishing for perch, when a thundering big
+catfish, as long as I am, took hold. I dreamt he pulled and I
+pulled--sometimes he had me in the water up to my knees, and sometimes
+I got him out on dry land. But he always flounced and kicked back
+again. Yet he couldn't escape, because the hook was still in his
+mouth, and when he jumped into the river I jumped to the rod, and so
+we had it over and over--"
+
+"And now have done with it," said Glenn, interrupting him. "What are
+you holding the rod now for?"
+
+"I'm going to try to catch him," said Joe, with unaffected simplicity.
+
+"Merely because you had this dream!" continued Glenn, his features
+relaxing into a smile.
+
+"Yes--I believe in dreams," said Joe. "Once, when we were living in
+Philadelphia, I had one of these same dreams. It was just about the
+same hour--"
+
+"How do you know what hour it was you dreamt about the fish?" again
+interrupted Glenn.
+
+"Why--I--," stammered Joe, "I'm sure it was about daybreak, because
+the sun rose a little while after I got out."
+
+"That might be the case," said Glenn, "if you were to dream about the
+same thing from sun-down till sun-up. And I believe the fish was
+running in your head last night before I went to bed, for you were
+then snoring and jerking your arms about."
+
+"Well, I'll tell you my other dream, anyhow. I dreamt I was walking
+along Spruce Street wharf with my head down, when all at once my toe
+struck against a red morocco pocket-wallet; I stooped down and picked
+it up and put it in my pocket, and went home before I looked to see
+what was in it."
+
+"Well, what was in it when you did look?" asked Glenn.
+
+"There was a one thousand dollar note on the Bank of the United
+States, with the president's and cashier's names on it, all genuine.
+Oh, I was so happy! I put it in my vest-pocket and sewed it up."
+
+"But what have you done with it since?" asked Glenn.
+
+"I--Hang it! it was only a dream!"[1] said Joe, unconsciously feeling
+in his empty pocket.
+
+[1] Thousands have had similar dreams about similar notes since Joe's
+dream.--_Printer's Devil_.
+
+"But what has that dream to do with the fish?" pursued Glenn.
+
+"I'll tell you," said Joe. "When I got up in the morning and
+discovered it was a dream, I slipped on my clothes as quickly as
+possible and set off for the wharf. When I got there, I walked along
+slowly with my head down till at length my toe struck against an
+oyster-shell. I picked it up, and while I was looking at it, the
+captain of a schooner invited me on board of his vessel to look at his
+cargo of oysters, just stolen from Deep Creek, Virginia. He gave me at
+least six dozen to eat!"
+
+"And this makes you have faith in such dreams?" asked Glenn, striving
+in vain to repress his laughter.
+
+"I got _something_ by the dream," said Joe. "I had a first rate
+oyster-breakfast."
+
+"But what has all this to do with the fish?" continued Glenn;
+"perhaps, instead of the fish, you expect to catch a _frog_ this time.
+You will still be an Irishman, Joe. Go and try your luck."
+
+"St. Patrick forbid that I should be any thing else but an Irishman! I
+should like to know if an Irishman ain't as good as anybody else,
+particularly when he's born in America, as I was? But the dream in
+Philadelphia _did_ have something to do with a fish. Didn't I catch a
+fish? Isn't an oyster a fish? And it had something to do with _this_
+fish, too. I've been bothering my head ever since I got up about what
+kind of _bait_ to catch him with, and I'm sure I never would have
+thought of the right kind if you hadn't mentioned that _frog_ just
+now. I recollect they say that's the very best thing in the world to
+bait with for a catfish. I'll go straight to the brook and hunt up a
+frog!" Saying this, Joe set out to execute his purpose, while Glenn
+proceeded to Roughgrove's house to see how William progressed in his
+studies.
+
+The intelligent youth, under the guidance of Roughgrove, Glenn, and
+his unwearying and affectionate sister, was now rapidly making amends
+for the long neglect of his education while abiding with the
+unlettered Indians. He had already gone through the English grammar,
+and was entering the higher branches of study. The great poets of his
+own country, and the most approved novelists were his companions
+during the hours of relaxation; for when the illimitable fields of
+intellect were opened to his vision, he would scarce for a moment
+consent to withdraw his admiring gaze. Thus, when it was necessary for
+a season to cease his toil in the path of learning, he delighted to
+recline in some cool shade with a pleasing book in his hand, and
+regale his senses with the flowers and refreshing streams of
+imaginative authors. And thus sweetly glided his days. Could such
+halcyon moments last, it were worse than madness to seek the wealth
+and honours of this world! In that secluded retreat, though far from
+the land of his nativity, with no community but the companionship of
+his three or four friends and the joyous myriads of birds--no palaces
+but the eternal hills of nature, and no pageantry but the rays of the
+rising and setting sun streaming in prismatic dies upon them, the
+smiling youth was far happier than he would have been in the princely
+halls of his fathers, where the sycophant only bent the knee to
+receive a load of gold, and the friend that might protect him on the
+throne would be the first to stab him on the highway.
+
+A spreading elm stood near the door of Roughgrove's house, and beneath
+its clustering boughs William and Mary were seated on a rude bench,
+entirely screened from the glaring light of the sun. A few paces
+distant the brook glided in low murmurs between the green flags and
+water violets over its pebbly bed. The morning dew yet rested on the
+grass in the shade. The soft sigh of the fresh breeze, as it passed
+through the motionless branches of the towering elm, could scarce be
+heard, but yet sufficed ever and anon to lift aside the glossy
+ringlets that hung pendent to the maiden's shoulders. The paroquet and
+the thrush, the bluebird and goldfinch, fluttered among the thick
+foliage and trilled their melodies in sweetest cadence. Both the
+brother and sister wore a happy smile. Happy, because the innocence of
+angels dwelt in the bosom of the one, and the memory of his guileless
+and blissful days of childhood possessed the other. Occasionally they
+read some passages in a book that lay open on Mary's lap, describing
+the last days of Charles I., and then the bright smile would be dimmed
+for a moment by a shade of sadness.
+
+"Oh! poor man!" exclaimed Mary, when William read of the axe of the
+executioner descending on the neck of the prostrate monarch.
+
+"It is far better to dwell in peace in such a quiet and lonely place
+as this, than to be where so many cruel men abide," said William,
+pondering.
+
+"Ah me! I did not think that Christian men could be so cruel," said
+Mary, a bright tear dropping from her long eyelash.
+
+"But the book says he was a tyrant and deserved to die," continued the
+youth, his lips compressed with firmness.
+
+"He's coming!" exclaimed Mary, suddenly, and the pitying thought of
+the unfortunate Charles vanished from her mind. But as she steadily
+gazed up the path a crimson flush suffused her smooth brow and cheek,
+and she rose gracefully, and with a smile of delight, welcomed Glenn
+to the cool and refreshing shade of the majestic elm.
+
+"You have come too late. William has already said his lesson, and I'm
+sure he knew it perfectly," said Mary, half-reproachfully and
+half-playfully.
+
+"Mary don't know, Mr. Glenn; because I am now further advanced than
+she is," said William.
+
+"But what kept you away so long this beautiful morning?" continued the
+innocent girl. "Don't you see the dew is almost dried away in the sun,
+and the morning-glories are nearly all closed?"
+
+"I was lingering in the garden among the delicate flowers you gave me
+Mary; and the green and golden humming-birds charmed me so that I
+could not tear myself away," replied our hero, as he sat down between
+the brother and sister.
+
+"I shall go with brother William on the cliff and get some wild roses
+and hare-bells, and then all your humming-birds will leave you and
+stay here with me," said Mary, smiling archly.
+
+"But you will be the prettiest bird among them, and flower too, to my
+eyes," said Glenn, gazing at the clear and brilliant though laughing
+eyes of the pleased girl.
+
+"If that were the case, why did you linger so long in the garden?"
+asked the maid, with some seriousness.
+
+"I should not have done so, Mary, but for Joe, who, you know, will
+always be heard when he has any thing to say; and this morning he had
+a ludicrous dream to tell me."
+
+"I like Joe a great deal--he makes me laugh every time I see him. And
+you must tell me what he said, and how he looked and acted, that I may
+know whether you did right to stay away so long," said the thoughtless
+and happy girl, eager to listen to the accents of the one whose
+approach had illumined her features with the mystical fires of the
+heart.
+
+Glenn faithfully repeated every word and gesture of his dialogue with
+Joe, and the unsophisticated girl's joyous laugh rang merrily up the
+echoing vale in sweet accompaniment with the carols of the feathered
+songsters.
+
+When the narration ended, they both turned with surprise to William,
+who, instead of partaking their hilarity as usual, sat perfectly
+motionless in deep thought, regarding with apparent intensity the
+straggling spears of grass that grew at his feet. The book he had
+taken up, which had dropped from Mary's lap when she hastily rose at
+the approach of Glenn, now fell unobserved by him from his relaxed
+hand. His face became unusually pale. His limbs seemed to be strangely
+agitated, and the pulsations of his heart were audible.
+
+"What's the matter, dear brother?" cried Mary, in alarm.
+
+"La-u-na--LA-U-NA!" he exclaimed, and, sinking softly down on his
+knees, applied his ear close to the ground in a listening attitude.
+
+"Dear brother William! _do_ tell Mary what ails you! What is La-u-na!"
+said the startled and distressed girl, with affectionate concern.
+
+"_La-u-na_--THE TREMBLING FAWN!" cried William, pantingly.
+
+"Listen" said Glenn, checking Mary when she was about to repeat her
+inquiry. A plaintive flute-like sound was heard at intervals, floating
+on the balmy and almost motionless air down the green-fringed vale. At
+times it resembled the mournful plaint of the lonely dove, and then
+died away like the last notes of the expiring swan.
+
+Before many minutes elapsed another sound of quite a different
+character saluted their ears. This was a rustling among the bushes,
+heard indistinctly at first, while the object was far up the valley,
+but as it approached with fearful rapidity, the rushing noise became
+tremendous, and a few moments after, when the trembling sumachs parted
+in view, they beheld Joe! He dashed through the briers interspersed
+among the undergrowth, and plunged through the winding brook that
+occasionally crossed his path, as if all surrounding obstacles and
+obstructions were contemptible in comparison with the danger behind!
+Leaping over intervening rocks, and flying through dense clusters of
+young trees that ever and anon threatened to impede his progress, he
+at length reached the spot where the little group still remained
+seated. Without hat or coat, and panting so violently that he was
+unable to explain distinctly the cause of his alarm, poor Joe threw
+himself down on the earth in the most distressed and pitiable
+condition.
+
+"What have you seen? What is the cause of this affright?" asked Glenn.
+
+"I--oh--they--coming!" cried Joe, incoherently.
+
+"What is coming?" continued Glenn.
+
+"I--Indians!" exclaimed he, springing up and rushing into the house.
+
+"They are friendly Indians, then," said Mary; "because the hostile
+ones never come upon us at this season of the year."
+
+"So I have been told," said Glenn; "but even the sight of a friendly
+Indian would scare Joe."
+
+"It is La-u-na!" said William, still attentively listening.
+
+"What is _La-u-na_?" interrogated Mary, again.
+
+"The _Trembling Fawn_!" repeated William, with emphasis, in a
+mysterious and abstracted manner. Presently he stood up and intently
+regarded the dim path over-shadowed by the luxuriant foliage that Joe
+had so recently traversed, and an animated smile played upon his lips,
+and dark, clear eyes sparkled with a thrill of ecstasy.
+
+A slight female form, emerged from the dark green thicket, and glided
+more like a spirit of the air than a human being towards the wondering
+group. Her light steps produced no sound. In each hand she held a rich
+bouquet of fresh wild flowers, and leaves and blossoms were
+fantastically, though tastefully, arranged in her hair and on her
+breast. A broad, shining gold band decked her temples, but many of her
+raven ringlets had escaped from their confinement, and floated out on
+the wind as she sped towards her beloved.
+
+"La-u-na! La-u-na!" cried William, darting forward frantically and
+catching the girl in his arms. He pressed her closely and fondly to
+his heart, and she hid her face on his breast. Thus they clung
+together several minutes in silence, when they were interrupted by
+Roughgrove, whose attention had been attracted by the sudden affright
+of Joe.
+
+"William, my dear boy," said the grieved old man, "you must not have
+any thing to do with the Indians--you promised us that you would
+not--"
+
+"Leave us!" said the youth, sternly, and stamping impatiently.
+
+"Do, father!" cried Mary, who looked on in tears, a few paces apart;
+"brother won't leave us again--I'm sure he won't--will you, William?"
+
+"No, I will not!" exclaimed the youth. The Indian girl comprehended
+the meaning of his words, and, tearing, away from his embrace, stood
+with folded arms at his side, with her penetrating and reproachful
+eyes fixed full upon him, while her lips quivered and her breast
+heaved in agitation. All now regarded her in silence and admiration.
+Her form was a perfect model of beauty. Her complexion was but a shade
+darker than that of the maidens of Spain. Her brows were most
+admirably arched, and her long silken lashes would have been envied by
+an Italian beauty. Her forehead and cheeks were smooth, and all her
+features as regular as those of a Venus. The mould of her face was
+strictly Grecian, and on her delicate lips rested a half-formed
+expression of sad regret and firm resolution. Her vestments were rich,
+and highly ornamented with pearls and diamonds. She wore a light snowy
+mantle made of swan skins, on which a portion of the fleecy down
+remained. Beneath, the dress was composed of skins of the finest
+finish, descending midway between her knees and ankles, where it was
+met by the tops of the buckskin moccasins, that confined her small and
+delicately-formed feet. Her arms, which were mostly concealed under
+her mantle, were bare from the elbows down, and adorned at the wrists
+with silver bands.
+
+"Why, hang it all! Was there nothing running after me but this squaw?"
+asked Joe, who had ventured forth again unobserved, and now stood
+beside Glenn and Mary.
+
+"Silence!" said Glenn.
+
+"Oh, don't call _her_ a squaw, Joe--she's more like an angel than a
+squaw," said Mary, gazing tenderly at the lovers, while tears were yet
+standing in her eyes.
+
+"I won't do so again," said Joe, "because she's the prettiest wild
+thing I ever saw; and if Mr. William don't marry her, I will."
+
+"Keep silent, Joe, or else leave us," again interposed Glenn.
+
+"I'll go catch my fish. I had just found a frog, and was in the act of
+catching it, when I saw the sq--the--_her_--and I thought then that I
+would just run home and let you know she was coming before I took it.
+But I remember where it was, and I'll have it now in less than no
+time." Saying this, Joe set off up the valley again, though not very
+well pleased with himself for betraying so much alarm when there was
+so little danger.
+
+"La-u-na, I am no Indian," said William, at length, in the language of
+her tribe, and much affected by her searching stare.
+
+"But you were once the young chief that led our warriors to battle,
+and caught La-u-na's heart. I heard you were a pale-face after you
+were taken away from us; and I thought if you would not fly back to
+La-u-na, like the pigeon that escapes from the talons of the eagle and
+returns to its mate, then I would lose you--forget you--hate you. I
+tried, but I could not do it. When the white moon ran up to the top of
+the sky, and shone down through the tall trees in my face, I would
+ever meet you in the land of dreams, with the bright smile you used to
+have when you were wont to put your arm around me and draw me so
+gently to your breast. I was happy in those dreams. But they would not
+stay. The night-hawk flew low and touched my eyes with his wings as he
+flapped by, and I awoke. Then my breast was cold and my cheeks were
+wet. The katydids gathered in the sweet rose-bushes about me and sung
+mournfully. La-u-na was unhappy. La-u-na must see her Young Eagle, or
+go to the land of spirits. She called her wild steed to her side, and,
+plucking these flowers to test his fleetness, sprang upon him and flew
+hither. He is now grazing in the prairie at the head of the valley;
+and here are the blossoms, still alive, fresh and sweet." The
+trembling and tearful girl then gently and sadly strewed the flowers
+over the grass at her feet.
+
+"Sweet La-u-na!" cried William, snatching up the blossoms and pressing
+them to his lips, "forgive the young chief; he will still love you and
+never leave you again."
+
+"No--no--no!" said the girl, shaking her head in despair; "the pale
+face youth will not creep through the silent and shady forest with
+La-u-na any more. He will gather no more ripe grapes for the Trembling
+Fawn. He will not bathe again in the clear waters with La-u-na. He
+will give her no more rings of roses to put on her breast. The
+Trembling Fawn is wounded. She must find a cool shade and lie down.
+The dove will perch over her and wail. She will sing a low song. She
+will close her eyes and die."
+
+[Illustration: "Oh, no!" cried William, placing his arms around her
+tenderly; "La-u-na must not die; or, if she does, she shall not die
+alone. Why will not La-u-na dwell with me, among my friends?" The girl
+started, and exhibited signs of mingled delight and doubt.--P. 232]
+
+"Oh, no!" cried William, placing his arms around her tenderly,
+"La-u-na must not die, or if she does, she shall not die alone. Why
+will not La-u-na dwell with me among my friends?" The girl started and
+exhibited signs of mingled delight and doubt, and then replied--
+
+"The pale maiden would hate La-u-na, and the gray-head would drive her
+away."
+
+"No, La-u-na," said William; "they would all love you, and we would be
+so happy! Say you will stay with me here, and you shall be my wife,
+and I will have no other love. My sister is sweet and mild as La-u-na,
+and my father will always be kind."
+
+The dark eyes of the girl assumed an unwonted lustre, and she turned
+imploringly to Mary, Glenn, and Roughgrove.
+
+"Oh!" cried William, in his native tongue, addressing his white
+friends; "let La-u-na dwell with us! She is as innocent as the lily by
+the brook, and as noble as a queen. Father," he continued, stepping
+forward and taking Roughgrove's hand, "you won't refuse my request!
+And you, sister Mary, I know you will love her as dearly as you do me.
+And you, my friend," said he, turning to Glenn, "will soon hear her
+speak our own language, and she will cull many beautiful flowers for
+you that the white man never yet beheld. Grant this," added the youth,
+after pausing a few moments, while his friends hung their heads in
+silence, "and I will remain with you always; but if you refuse, I must
+fly to the forest again."
+
+"Stay! Oh, brother, you shall not go!" cried Mary, and rushing
+forward, she threw her arms round his neck. The Indian girl kissed her
+pale brow, and smiled joyfully, when the youth told her that Mary was
+his dear sister.
+
+"He loves her, and her affection for him is imperishable!" said Glenn.
+
+"And why may they not be happy together, if they dwell with us?" asked
+Roughgrove, pondering.
+
+"There is no reason why they should not be. Let us tell them to remain
+and be happy," said Glenn.
+
+When fully informed that she might abide with them and still love her
+Young Eagle, La-u-na was almost frantic with ecstasy. She looked
+gratefully and fondly on her new friends, and pressed their hands in
+turn. She seemed to be more especially fond of Mary, and repeatedly
+wound her smooth and soft arms affectionately about her waist and
+neck.
+
+William led his Indian bride to the seat under the spreading green
+tree, and signified a desire to commune with her alone. When seated
+together on the rude bench, the maiden's hand clasped in William's,
+Mary fondly kissed them both and withdrew in company with Roughgrove
+and Glenn. Roughgrove prostrated himself in prayer when within the
+house. Mary ran up to the top of the beetling cliff to cull flowers,
+and Glenn directed his steps down the valley towards the river,
+whither Joe had preceded him with the frog he had succeeded in
+capturing.
+
+Glenn was met about midway by Joe, who was returning slowly, with
+peculiar marks of agitation on his face. He had neither frog, rod, nor
+fish in his hand.
+
+"I thought you were fishing," remarked Glenn.
+
+"So I am," replied Joe; "and I've had the greatest luck you ever heard
+of."
+
+"Well, tell me your success."
+
+"I had a bite," continued he, "in less than three minutes after I
+threw in my hook. It was a wapper! When he took hold I let him play
+about awhile with a slack line, to be certain and get it well fixed in
+his mouth. But when I went to draw up, the monster made a splash or
+two, and then whizzed out into the middle of the river!"
+
+"Where was the hook?" asked Glenn.
+
+"In his mouth, to be sure," replied Joe.
+
+"And the line?"
+
+"Fast to the rod."
+
+"And the rod?"
+
+"Fast to the line!" said Joe, "and following the fish at the rate of
+ten knots, while I stood on the bank staring in utter astonishment."
+
+"Then, where was your great success?" demanded Glenn.
+
+"It was a noble _bite_," said Joe.
+
+"But you were the _bitten_ one," remarked Glenn, scanning Joe's
+visage, which began to assume a disconsolate cast.
+
+"If I'd only been thinking about such a wapper, and had been on my
+guard," said Joe, "splash me if he should ever have got my rod away in
+that manner--I'd have taken a ducking first!"
+
+"Have you no more lines?" asked Glenn.
+
+"No," replied Joe, "none but your's."
+
+"You are welcome to it--but be quick, and I will look on while you
+have your revenge."
+
+Joe sprang nimbly up the hill, and in a few minutes returned with
+fresh tackle and another frog that he found on his way. They then
+repaired to the margin of the river; but before Joe ventured to cast
+out his line again he made the end of the rod fast to his wrist by
+means of a strong cord he had provided for that purpose. But now his
+precaution seemed to have been unnecessary, for many minutes elapsed
+without any symptoms of success.
+
+Glenn grew impatient and retired a few paces to the base of the cliff,
+where he reclined in an easy posture on some huge rocks that had
+tumbled down from a great height, and lay half-imbedded in the earth.
+Here he long remained with his eyes fixed abstractedly on the curling
+water, and meditated on the occurrence he had recently witnessed.
+While his thoughts were dwelling on the singular affection and
+constancy of the Indian girl, and the probable future happiness of her
+young lord, his reflections more than once turned upon his _own_
+condition. The simple pleasantries that had so often occurred between
+Mary and himself never failed to produce many unconscious smiles on
+his lips, and being reciprocated and repeated day after day with
+increased delight, it was no wonder that he found himself heaving
+tender sighs as he occasionally pictured her happy features in his
+mind's eye. He now endeavoured to bestow some grave consideration on
+the tender subject, and to think seriously about the proper mode of
+conducting himself in future, when he heard the innocent maiden's
+clear and inspiring voice ringing down the valley and sinking in soft
+murmuring echoes on the gliding stream. Soon his quick ear caught the
+words, which he recognised to be a short ballad of his own composing,
+that had been written at Mary's request. He then listened in silence,
+without moving from his recumbent position.
+
+  THE CRUEL MAIDEN.
+
+  I.
+
+  She heard his prayer and sweetly smiled,
+  Then frown'd, and laughing fled away;
+  But the poor youth, e'en thus beguiled,
+      Still would pray.
+
+  II.
+
+  He'd won her heart, but still she fled,
+  And laugh'd and mock'd from dell and peak
+  While his sad heart, that inward bled,
+      Was fit to break!
+
+  III.
+
+  Where the bright waters lead adown
+  The moss-green rocks and flags among,
+  He paused--and on his brow a frown
+      Darkly hung!
+
+  IV.
+
+  A shriek came down the peaceful vale,
+  Full soon the maid was at his side,
+  Her ringlets flowing, and cheeks all pale,
+      A _willing_ bride!
+
+Glenn long remained motionless after the sounds died away, as if
+endeavouring to retain the soothing effect of the ringing notes that
+had so sweetly reverberated along the jutting peaks of the towering
+cliff!
+
+"I've got a bite!" exclaimed Joe, bending over the verge of the bank
+and stretching his arms as far as possible over the water, while his
+line moved about in various directions, indicating truly that a fish
+had taken the hook.
+
+"Hold fast to the rod this time, Joe," remarked Glenn, who became
+interested in the scene.
+
+"Won't I? Its tied fast to my wrist."
+
+"Is it not time to pull him up?" asked Glenn, seeing that the fish, so
+far from being conscious of peril, inclined towards the shore with the
+line in quest of more food.
+
+"Here goes!" said Joe, jerking the rod up violently with both hands.
+No sooner did the fish feel the piercing hook in his mouth than he
+rose to the surface, and splashing the water several feet round in
+every direction, darted quickly downwards, in spite of the strenuous
+efforts of Joe to the contrary.
+
+Nevertheless, Joe entertained no fears about the result; and the fish,
+as if apprized of the impossibility of capturing the rod, ran along
+parallel with the shore, gradually approaching the brink of the water,
+and seemingly with the intention to surrender himself at the feet of
+the piscator. But this was not his purpose. When Joe made another
+strong pull, in the endeavour to strand him in the shallow water, the
+fish again threw up the spray (some of which reached his adversary's
+face,) and, turning his head outwards, ran directly away from the
+shore.
+
+"Pull him back, Joe!" said Glenn.
+
+"I am trying with all my might," replied Joe, "but he's so plaguy
+strong he won't come, hang him!"
+
+"He'll get away if you don't mind!" continued Glenn, evincing much
+animation in his tones and gestures.
+
+"I'll be drenched if he does!" said Joe, with his arm, to which the
+rod was lashed, stretched out, while he endeavoured to plant his feet
+firmly in the sand.
+
+"He'll have you in the water--cut the rod loose from your wrist!"
+cried Glenn, as Joe's foothold gave way and he was truly drawn into
+the water.
+
+"Oh, good gracious! I've got no knife! Give me your hand!" cried Joe,
+vainly striving to untie the cord. "Help me! Oh, St. Peter!" he
+continued, imploringly, as the fish drew him on in the water, in quick
+but reluctant strides. "Oh! I'm gone!" he cried, when the water was
+midway to his chin, and the fish pulling him along with increasing
+rapidity.
+
+"You are a good swimmer, Joe--be not alarmed, and you will not be
+hurt," said Glenn, half inclined to laugh at his man's indescribable
+contortions and grimaces, and apprehending no serious result.
+
+"Ugh!" cried Joe, the water now up to his chin, and the next moment,
+when in the act of making a hasty and piteous entreaty, his head
+quickly dipped under the turbid surface and disappeared entirely.
+Glenn now became alarmed; but, when in the act of divesting himself of
+his clothing for the purpose of plunging in to his rescue, Joe rose
+again some forty paces out in the current, and by the exertion of the
+arm that was free he was enabled to keep his head above the water. The
+current was very strong, and the fish, in endeavouring; to run up the
+stream with his prize in tow, made but little headway, and a very few
+minutes sufficed to prove that it was altogether unequal to the
+attempt. After having progressed about six rods, Joe's head became
+quite stationary like a buoy, or a cork at anchor, and then, by
+degrees, was carried downward by the strong flow as the fish at length
+became quite exhausted.
+
+"Now for it, Joe--swim towards the shore with him!" cried Glenn.
+
+"He's almost got my shoulder out of place!" replied Joe, blowing a
+large quantity of water out of his mouth.
+
+"I see his fin above the water," said Glenn; "struggle manfully, Joe,
+and you will capture him yet!"
+
+"I'll die but I'll have him now--after such a ducking as this!" said
+Joe, approaching the shore with the almost inanimate fish, that was no
+longer able to contend against his superior strength. When he drew
+near enough to touch the bottom, he turned his head and beheld his
+prize floating close behind, and obedient to his will.
+
+It required the strength of both Glenn and Joe to drag the immense
+catfish (for such it proved to be) from its native element. It was
+about the length and weight of Joe, and had a mouth of sufficient
+dimensions to have swallowed a man's head. It was given to the
+ferrymen, who had witnessed the immersion, and were attracted thither
+to render assistance.
+
+"I suppose you have now had enough of the fish?" remarked Glenn, as
+they retraced their steps homeward.
+
+"I'll acknowledge that I'm satisfied for the present; but I was
+resolved to have satisfaction!" replied Joe.
+
+"Yes, but you have had it with a vengeance; and I doubt not that your
+apparent contentment is but cold comfort," continued Glenn.
+
+"I'm not a bit cold--I shan't change my clothes, and I'm ready for any
+other sport you like," said Joe.
+
+"If you really suffer no inconvenience from the wet--and this fine
+warm day inclines me to believe you--we will take our guns and walk
+out to the small lakes on the borders of the prairie."
+
+"Splash it"--began Joe.
+
+"No--_duck_ it," interrupted Glenn.
+
+"Well, I should like to know exactly what you mean--whether you are in
+earnest about going to the ponds, or whether you are joking me for
+getting _ducked_--as there's nothing in them now to shoot but _ducks_,
+and it may have popped into your head just because I had the
+_ducking_," said Joe.
+
+"I am in earnest," said Glenn; "I do not wish to annoy William, or to
+meet Roughgrove and Mary until their domestic arrangements are all
+completed."
+
+"That's strange," said Joe.
+
+"What's strange?" asked Glenn, quickly.
+
+"Why, your not wanting to meet Miss Mary. I say it is most
+mysteriously strange," replied Joe.
+
+"Say nothing more about it, and think less," said Glenn, striding in
+advance, while a smile played upon his lip.
+
+"But I can't help dreaming about it--and my dreams all come true,"
+said Joe.
+
+"What have you been dreaming--but never mind--bring out the guns,"
+said Glenn, pausing at the gate of the inclosure, and not venturing to
+hear Joe recite the dream about himself and Mary.
+
+When possessed of the necessary implements, they set out towards the
+groves that bordered the prairie, among which were several lakes of
+clear water, not more than fifty or sixty paces in diameter, where the
+various wild fowl, as well as the otter and the muskrat, usually
+abounded. Our hero had previously anticipated some sport of this
+nature, and constructed blinds on the verge of the lakes, and cut
+paths through the clustering bushes to reach them stealthily. The lake
+they now approached was bounded on one side by the green meadow-like
+prairie, and fringed on the other by hazel thickets, with an
+occasional towering elm that had survived the autumnal fires.
+
+The morning breeze had subsided, and a delightful calm prevailed. A
+thousand wild flowers, comprising every hue, filled the air with
+delicious fragrance, while no sound was heard but the melody of happy
+birds.
+
+"I think I see a duck!" whispered Joe, as they moved slowly along the
+path in a stooping posture.
+
+"Where?" asked Glenn, as they crept softly to the blind and cast their
+eyes over the clear unruffled water.
+
+"I thought I saw one on the muskrat house; but he must have gone to
+the other side," responded Joe, now looking in vain for it, and
+closely scanning the little hillocks that had been thrown up in the
+lake by the muskrats.
+
+"You must have been mistaken," said Glenn; "suppose we go to the other
+lakes."
+
+"No, I wasn't mistaken--I'd swear to it--be quiet and keep a bright
+look-out, and we'll see him again in a minute or two," replied Joe,
+who stood in an attitude of readiness to fire at an instant's warning.
+
+"What is that?" asked Glenn, just then actually observing a small
+brown object moving behind the hillock.
+
+"Wait till I see a little more of it," said Joe, with his finger on
+the trigger.
+
+"Don't fire, Joe! its a man's _cap_!" exclaimed Glenn, detecting under
+the dark brim the large staring eyes of a human being, apparently
+evincing a sense of imminent peril; and the next moment the muzzle of
+a gun pointing above their heads came in view.
+
+"Dod rot it, look up that tree!"
+
+The smile that began to play on our hero's features on recognizing the
+voice of Sneak was quickly dispelled and succeeded by horror when he
+cast his eyes upward and beheld an enormous panther, stooping, and on
+the eve of springing upon him!
+
+"Oh!" exclaimed Joe, letting his gun fall, and falling down himself,
+bereft alike of the power of escape and the ability to resist.
+
+"Be quiet!" said Glenn, endeavouring to raise his gun, which had
+become entangled in the bushes; but before he could execute his
+purpose Sneak fired, and the ferocious animal came tumbling down
+through the branches and fell at his feet.
+
+"Ugh! Goodness!" exclaimed Joe, his hat striken down over his eyes by
+the descending panther, and, leaping over the frail barrier of bushes
+into the water, he plunged forward and executed a series of diving
+evolutions, as if still endeavouring to elude the clutches of the
+carnivorous beast, which he imagined was after him.
+
+"Dod--come out of the pond! Its dead--didn't you hear _me_ shoot?"
+said Sneak, who had by this time paddled a little canoe in which he
+had been seated to the shore. But Joe continued his exercises, his
+crushed hat not only depriving him of sight, but rendering him deaf to
+the laughter that burst from Glenn and Sneak. Sneak ran round to the
+opposite side of the lake to a point that Joe was approaching, (though
+all unconscious of his destination,) and remained there till the poor
+fellow pushed his half-submerged head against the grass, when he
+seized him furiously and bore him a few paces from the water, in spite
+of his cries and struggles.
+
+"_I_ ain't the painter!" said Sneak, at length weary of the illusion,
+and dragging Joe's hat from his head.
+
+"Ha! hang it! ha!" cried Joe, staring at Sneak and Glenn in
+bewilderment. "Where is it?" he cried, when in some degree recovered
+from his great perturbation.
+
+"Didn't you hear _me_ shoot? Of course its dead!" replied Sneak.
+
+"Which do you prefer, Joe, _ducking_ or _fishing_?" asked Glenn.
+
+"I never saw a feller _duck_ his head so," said Sneak.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! you thought I was frightened, and trying to get away from
+the panther! But you were _much_ mistaken. I was chasing a muskrat--I
+got wet in the river, and was determined to see--"
+
+"You couldn't see your own nose!" interrupted Sneak.
+
+[Illustration: He plunged forward, and executed a series of diving
+evolutions.--P. 240]
+
+"If I couldn't see, I suppose I could hear him run!" replied Joe.
+
+"You couldn't 'ave heard thunder!" said Sneak.
+
+"Did you ever try it?" asked Joe.
+
+"No," replied Sneak.
+
+"Then you don't know," replied Joe; "and now I'm ready to kill a
+duck," he continued, looking up at a number of water-fowl sailing
+round and awaiting their departure to dip into the water.
+
+"I will leave you here, Joe. When you hear me fire at the other lake,
+you may expect the ducks that escape me to visit you," observed Glenn,
+and immediately after disappeared in the bushes.
+
+"And I'll take the painter's hide off," said Sneak, going with Joe to
+the blind, where he quietly commenced his labour, that Joe's sport
+might not be interrupted.
+
+Several flocks of geese and ducks yet flew round above, and gradually
+drew nearer to the earth, but still fearful of danger and cautiously
+reconnoitering the premises.
+
+"Suppose I pink one of them on the wing?" said Joe, looking up.
+
+"I don't believe you _kin_," said Sneak, as he tugged at the panther's
+hide.
+
+"Wait till they come round the next time, and I'll show you--so look
+out," said Joe.
+
+"I'll not look--there's no occasion for my seeing--_I'm_ not after a
+muskrat," responded Sneak, stripping the skin from the animal, and
+laughing at his own remark. When the ducks came round again, Joe
+fired, and sure enough one of them fell--descending in a curve which
+brought it directly on Sneak's cap, knocking it over his eyes.
+
+"Dod rot it! hands off, or I'll walk into you!" exclaimed Sneak,
+rising up in a hostile attitude.
+
+"Good! that's tit for tat," cried Joe, laughing, as he loaded his gun.
+
+"You didn't do it a purpose," said Sneak, "nor I won't jump into the
+water nother."
+
+"Yes I did!" continued Joe, much pleased at the occurrence.
+
+"You didn't do any sich thing--or we'd have to fight; but nobody could
+do sich a thing only by accident. You'd better load your gun, and be
+ready by the time the next comes," added Sneak, again tearing asunder
+the panther's skin.
+
+"I thought I _had_ loaded," said Joe, forgetting he had performed that
+operation, and depositing another charge in his old musket.
+
+Presently Glenn's gun was heard, and in a few minutes an immense flock
+of geese and ducks, mingled together, flew over the bushes and covered
+the face of the lake. Joe very deliberately fired in the midst of
+them, and the rebound of his gun throwing him against Sneak, who was
+still in a stooping posture, they both fell to the ground.
+
+"I did that on purpose, I'll take my oath--I knew you had put in two
+loads," said Sneak, rising up.
+
+"Yes, but I ain't hurt--falling over you saved me, or else I'd a
+thrashed you or got a thrashing," replied Joe, his good humour
+recovered on beholding some fifteen or twenty dead and wounded ducks
+and geese on the surface of the water. By the time he had collected
+his birds, by means of Sneak's canoe, Glenn, who had met with the like
+success, emerged from the bushes on the opposite verge of the lake,
+bearing with him his game. Being well satisfied with the sport, he and
+Joe retraced their steps homeward.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+The bright morning--Sneak's visit--Glenn's heart--The snake hunt--Love
+and raspberries--Joe is bitten--His terror and sufferings--Arrival
+of Boone--Joe's abrupt recovery--Preparations to leave the west
+--Conclusion.
+
+
+The sun rose the next morning in unusual glory. Not a breath of air
+stirred the entranced foliage of the dark green trees in the valleys,
+and the fresh flowers around exhaled a sweet perfume that remained
+stationary over them. The fawn stood perfectly still in the grassy
+yard, and seemed to contemplate the grandeur of the enchanting scene.
+The atmosphere was as translucent as fancy paints the realms of the
+blest, and quite minute objects could be distinctly seen far over the
+river many miles eastward. Nor were any sounds heard save the
+occasional chattering of the paroquet in the dense forest across the
+river, a mile distant, and yet they appeared to be in the immediate
+vicinity. The hounds lay extended on the ground with their eyes open,
+more in a listless than a watchful attitude. The kitten was couched on
+the threshold (the door having been left open to admit the pure air,)
+and looked thoughtfully at the rising sun. The large blue chanticleer
+was balanced on one foot with an eye turned upwards as if scanning the
+heavens to guard against the sudden attack of the far-seeing eagle.
+Nature seemed to be indulging in a last sweet morning slumber, if
+indeed not over-sleeping herself, while the sun rose stealthily up and
+smiled at all her charms exposed!
+
+"Hillo! ain't you all up yit? Git up, Joe, and feed your hosses,"
+cried Sneak, approaching the gate on the outside, and thus most
+unceremoniously dispelling the charm that enwrapped the premises.
+
+"Who's there?" cried Joe, springing up and rubbing his eyes.
+
+"It's me--dod, you know who I am. Come, open the gate and let me in."
+
+"What's the matter, Sneak? Are the Indians after you?" said Joe,
+running out, but pausing at the gate for an answer before he drew back
+the bolt.
+
+"No--I thought-you had sense enough by this time to know no Indians
+ain't going to come this time a-year. Let me in!" added he,
+impatiently.
+
+"What are you doing with them long sticks?" asked Joe, opening the
+gate and observing two hickory poles in Sneak's hand. "Are you going
+to try your luck fishing?"
+
+"No, nor _ducking_ nother," replied he, sarcastically.
+
+"Plague it, Sneak," said Joe, deprecatingly, "never mind that affair;
+you were mistaken about my being frightened. The next chance I get
+I'll let you see that I'm not afraid of any thing."
+
+"Well, I want you to go with me on a spree this morning that'll try
+you."
+
+"What are you going to do?" asked Joe, with some curiosity in his
+looks.
+
+"I'm going a _snaking_," said Sneak.
+
+At this juncture the dialogue was arrested by the appearance of Glenn,
+whose brow was somewhat paler than usual, and wore an absent and
+thoughtful cast; yet his abstract meditations did not seem altogether
+of a painful nature.
+
+"Joe," said he, "I want you to exercise the horses more in the
+prairie. They are getting too fat and lazy. If they cannot be got on
+the boat when we leave here, we will have to send them by land to St.
+Louis."
+
+"Dod--you ain't a going to leave us?" cried Sneak.
+
+"Well, I thought something was in the wind," said Joe, pondering, "but
+it'll break Miss Mary's--"
+
+"Pshaw!" replied Glenn, quickly interrupting him; "you don't know what
+you are talking about."
+
+"Well, I can't say I do exactly," said Joe; "but I know its a very
+mysterious matter."
+
+"_What_ is such a mysterious matter?" asked Glenn, smiling.
+
+"Why, you--Miss Mary"--stammered Joe.
+
+"Well, what is there mysterious about us?"
+
+"Hang it, _you_ know!" replied Joe.
+
+"Pshaw!" repeated Glenn, striding out of the inclosure, and descending
+the path leading to Roughgrove's house, whither he directed Joe to
+follow when he had galloped the horses.
+
+"Have you got any licker in the house?" asked Sneak, staring at the
+retreating form of Glenn.
+
+"No--its all gone. Why do you ask?" returned Joe.
+
+"Becaise that feller's drunk," said Sneak, with a peculiar nod.
+
+"No he ain't--he hasn't drunk a drop for a month."
+
+"Then he's going crazy, and you'd better keep a sharp look-out."
+
+"I know what's the matter with him--he's in love!" said Joe.
+
+"Then why don't he take her?" asked Sneak.
+
+"I don't know," replied Joe; "maybe he will, some day. Now for a
+ride--how are you, Pete?" he continued, opening the stable door and
+rubbing the pony's head that was instantly thrust out in salutation.
+
+"I'll ride the hoss," said Sneak.
+
+"Will you? I'm glad of it," said Joe, "for that'll save me the trouble
+of leading him."
+
+"That's jest what I come for," said Sneak, "becaise this hot morning
+the snakes are too thick to fight 'em on foot."
+
+"Can you see many of them at a time?"
+
+"Well, I reckon you kin."
+
+"Won't they bite the horses?"
+
+"No, the hosses knows what a snake is as well as a man, and they'll
+keep a bright eye for 'emselves, while we stave out their brains with
+our poles," said Sneak.
+
+In a few minutes the companions were mounted, and with the fawn
+skipping in advance, and the hounds in the rear, they proceeded gayly
+out toward the prairie on a _snaking_ expedition.
+
+The sunlight was now intensely brilliant, and the atmosphere, though
+laden with the sweet perfume of the countless millions of wild
+flowers, began to assume a sultriness that soon caused the horses and
+hounds to loll out their tongues and pant as they bounded through the
+rank grass. Ere long the riders drew near a partially barren spot in
+the prairie, where from some singular cause the grass was not more
+than three inches high. This spot was circular, about fifty paces in
+diameter, and in the centre was a pool of bright water, some fifty
+feet in circumference. The grass growing round this spot was tall and
+luxuriant, and terminated as abruptly at the edge of the circle as if
+a mower had passed along with his sharp scythe.
+
+"Sneak, I never saw that before," said Joe, as they approached, while
+yet some forty paces distant. "What does it mean?"
+
+"You'll see presently," said his companion, grasping more firmly the
+thick end of his rod, as if preparing to deal a blow. "When I was out
+here this morning," he continued, "they were too thick for me, and I
+had to make tracks."
+
+"What were too thick for you?" asked Joe, with a singular anxiety, and
+at the same time reining in his pony.
+
+"Why, the _snakes_," said Sneak with much deliberation. "I was a-foot
+then, and from the style in which they whizzed through the grass, I
+was afraid too many might git on me at a time and choke me to death.
+But now I'm ready for 'em; they can't git us if we manage korect."
+
+"I won't go!" said Joe.
+
+"Dod, they ain't pisen!" said Sneak; "they're nearly all _black
+racers_, and they don't bite. Come on, don't be such a tarnation
+coward; the rattlesnakes, and copper-heads, and wipers, won't run
+after us; and if they was to, they couldn't reach up to our legs. This
+is a glorious day for _snaking_--come on, Joe!"
+
+Joe followed at a very slow and cautious pace a few steps farther, and
+then halted again.
+
+"What're you stopping for agin?" asked Sneak.
+
+"Sneak, the pony ain't tall enough!"
+
+"That's all the better," replied Sneak; "you can whack 'em easier as
+they run--and then they can't see you as fur as they kin me. I'll swap
+hosses with you."
+
+"No you won't!" replied Joe, whipping forward again. But he had not
+advanced many seconds before he drew up once more. This time he was
+attracted by the unaccountable motions of the fawn, a short distance
+ahead. That animal was apparently striking some object on the ground
+with its feet, and ever and anon springing violently to one side or
+the other. Its hair stood erect on its back, and it assumed a most
+ferocious aspect. Now it would run back toward the men a moment, and,
+wheeling suddenly, again leap upon the foe, when its feet could be
+heard to strike against the ground; then it plunged forward, and after
+making a spring beyond, would return to the attach.
+
+"Here, Ringwood! Jowler!" cried Joe, and the hounds ran forward to the
+spot pointed out to them. But no sooner had they gone far enough to
+see the nature of the enemy that the fawn was attacking, than they
+turned away affrighted, and with their tails hanging down retreated
+from the scene of action.
+
+They rode up and surveyed more closely the strange battle. The fawn,
+becoming more and more enraged, did not suspend hostilities at their
+approach. They paused involuntarily when, within a few feet of the
+object, which proved to be a tremendous rattlesnake, some five feet in
+length, and as thick as a man's arm. It was nearly dead, its body,
+neck, and head, exhibited many bloody gashes cut by the sharp hoofs of
+the fawn. Every time the fawn sprang upon it, it endeavoured in vain
+to strike its fangs into its active foe, which sprang away in a
+twinkling, and before it could prepare to strike again, the fatal
+hoofs would inflict another wound on its devoted head. It grew weaker
+and weaker, and finally turned over on its back, when the infuriated
+deer, no longer compelled to observe cautionary measures, soon severed
+its head entirely from the body and stood over it in triumph.
+
+[Illustration: It grew weaker and weaker, and finally turned over on
+its back.--P. 247]
+
+"Pete can do that if a deer can!" said Joe, somewhat emboldened at the
+death of so formidable a reptile, and beholding the fixed though
+composed gaze of the pony as he stood with his head turned sideways
+towards the weltering snake.
+
+"Sartinly he kin," said Sneak, standing up in his stirrups, and
+stretching his long neck to its utmost tension to see if any snakes
+were in the open area before them.
+
+"Do you see any, Sneak?" asked Joe, now grasping his rod and anxious
+for the fray.
+
+"I see a few--about forty, I guess, lying in the sun at the edge of
+the water."
+
+"Sneak, there's too many of them," said Joe.
+
+"Dod--you ain't a going to back out now, I hope. Don't you see your
+pony snuffing at 'em? He wants to dash right in among 'em."
+
+"No he don't," said Joe--"he don't like the smell, nor I
+either--faugh!"
+
+"Why, it smells like May-apples--I like it," said Sneak; "but there
+ain't more than one or two copper-heads there--they're most all
+racers. Come on, Joe--we must gallop right through and mash their
+heads with our sticks as we pass. Then after a little while we must
+turn and dash back agin--that's the way to fix 'em."
+
+"You must go before," said Joe.
+
+The number that Sneak mentioned was not exaggerated. On the contrary,
+additions were constantly made to the number. The surface of the pool
+was continually agitated by the darting serpents striking at the
+tadpoles and frogs, while on the margin many were writhing in various
+fantastic contortions in their sports. Nearly all of them were large,
+and some could not have been less than eleven feet long. They were
+evidently enjoying the warm rays of the sun, and at times skipped
+about with unwonted animation. Now one of the largest would elevate
+his black head some four feet from the ground, while the others
+wrapped themselves around him, and thus formed the dark and horrid
+spectacle of a pyramid of snakes! Then falling prostrate with their
+own weight, in less than a twinkling they were dispersed and flying
+over the smooth short grass in every direction, their innumerable
+scales all the time emitting a low buzzing sound as they ran along.
+Every moment others glided into the area from the tall grass, and
+those assembled thither rushed towards them in a body to manifest a
+welcome.
+
+"Now's the time!" cried Sneak, rushing forward, followed by Joe. When
+Joe's eyes fell upon the black mass of serpents, he made a convulsive
+grasp at the reins with an involuntary resolution to retreat without
+delay from such a frightful scene. But the violence of his grasp
+severed the reins from the bit, and the pony sprang forward after the
+steed, being no longer subject to his control! There was no retreating
+now! Sneak levelled his rod at a cluster just forming in a mass two
+feet above the ground, and crushed the hydra at a blow! Joe closed his
+eyes, and struck he knew not what--but Sneak knew, for the blow
+descended on his head--though with feeble force. In an instant the
+horsemen had passed to the opposite side of the area and halted in the
+tall grass. Looking back, they beheld a great commotion among the
+surviving snakes. Some glided into the pool, and with bodies
+submerged, elevated their heads above the surface and darted out their
+tongues fiercely. Others raced round the scene of slaughter with their
+heads full four feet high, or gathered about the dead and dying, and
+lashed the air with their sharp tails, producing sounds like the
+cracking of whips. The few copper-heads and rattlesnakes present
+coiled themselves up with their heads in the centre in readiness to
+strike their poison into whatever object came within their reach.
+
+So sudden had been the onset of the horsemen that the surprised
+serpents seemed to be ignorant of the nature of the foe, and instead
+of flying to the long grass to avoid a recurrence of bloodshed, they
+continued to glide round the pool, while their number increased every
+moment.
+
+"What'd you hit me on the head for?" asked Sneak, after regarding the
+snakes a moment, and then turning to Joe, the pony having still kept
+at the heels of the steed in spite of his rider's efforts to the
+contrary.
+
+"Oh, Sneak," cried Joe, in tones somewhat tremulous, "do, for
+goodness' sake, let us go away from here!"
+
+"I sha'n't do any such thing--what'd you hit me on the head for?"
+
+"I thought I was a killing a snake," replied Joe.
+
+"Do I look like a snake?" continued Sneak, turning round, when for the
+first time he discovered the condition of his companion's bridle.
+
+"Sneak, let's ride away!" said Joe.
+
+"And leave all them black sarpents yander poking out their tongues at
+us? I won't go till I wear out this pole on 'em. Ha! ha! ha! I thought
+you hadn't spunk enough to gallup through 'em on your own accord,"
+said Sneak, looking at the pony, and knowing that he would follow the
+steed always, if left to his own inclination.
+
+"Come, Sneak, let's go home!" continued Joe, in a supplicating tone.
+
+"Come! let's charge on the snakes agin!" said Sneak, raising the rod,
+and fixing his feet in the stirrups.
+
+"Hang me if I go there again!" said Joe, throwing down his rod.
+
+"You're a tarnation coward, that's what you are! But you can't help
+yourself," replied Sneak.
+
+"I'll jump off and run!" said Joe, preparing to leap to the ground.
+
+"You jest do now, and you'll have forty sarpents wrapped round you in
+less than no time."
+
+At that moment two or three racers swept between them with their heads
+elevated as high as Joe's knees, and entered the area.
+
+"Oh goodness!" cried Joe, drawing up his legs.
+
+"Git down and git your pole," said Sneak.
+
+"I wouldn't do it if it was made of gold!"
+
+"If you say you'll fight the snakes, I'll git it for you--I'm a going
+to stay here till they're all killed," continued Sneak.
+
+"Give it to me, then--I'll smash their brains out the next time!" said
+Joe, with desperate determination.
+
+"But you musn't hit me agin!" said Sneak, dismounting and handing up
+the weapon to Joe, and then leaping on the steed again.
+
+"Sneak, you're no better than a snake, to bring me into such a scrape
+as this!" said Joe, leaning forward and scanning the black mass of
+serpents at the pool.
+
+In a few minutes they whipped forward, Sneak in advance, and again
+they were passing through the army of snakes. This time Joe did good
+service. He massacred one of the coiled rattlesnakes at a blow, and
+his pony kicked a puffing viper to atoms. Sneak paused a moment at the
+pool, and dealt his blows with such rapidity that nearly all the black
+racers that survived glided swiftly into the tall grass, and one of
+the largest was seen by Joe to run up the trunk of a solitary blasted
+tree that stood near the pool, and enter a round hole about ten feet
+from the ground.
+
+But if the serpents were mostly dispersed from the area around the
+pool, they were by no means all destroyed; and when the equestrians
+were again in the tall grass, they found them whizzing furiously about
+the hoofs of their horses. Once or twice Sneak's horse sprang suddenly
+forward in pain, being stung on the ham or shoulder by the tails of
+the racers as they flew past with almost inconceivable rapidity.
+
+"Oh! St. Peter! Sneak!" cried Joe, throwing back his head, and lifting
+up his knees nearly to his chin.
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! did one of 'em cut you, Joe? They hurt like fury, but
+their tails ain't pisen. Look what a whelk they've made on the hoss."
+
+"Sneak, why don't you get away from this nasty place! One of them shot
+right over the pony's neck a while ago, and came very near hitting me
+on the chin."
+
+"You must hit 'em as they come. Yander comes one--now watch me!"
+Saying this, Sneak turned the steed so as to face a tremendous racer
+about forty paces distant, that was approaching with the celerity of
+the wind with its head above the tall grass. When it came within reach
+of his rod, he bestowed upon it a blow that entirely severed the head,
+and the impetus with which it came caused the body to fly over the
+steed, and falling upon the neck of the pony, with the life yet
+remaining (for they are constrictors,) instantly wrapped in a half
+dozen folds around it! Pete snorted aloud, and, springing forward, ran
+a hundred paces with all the fleetness of which he was capable. But
+being unable to shake off the terrible incumbrance, with his tongue
+hanging out in agony, he turned back and ran directly for the horse.
+When he came up to the steed, he pushed his head under his neck,
+manifesting the greatest distress, and stamping and groaning as if
+becoming crazed.
+
+"Dod! let me git hold of him!" cried Sneak, bending forward and
+seizing the snake by the tail. The long head-less body gave way
+gradually, and becoming quite relaxed fell powerless and dead to the
+earth.
+
+"Oh, Sneak, let's go!" said Joe, trembling, his face having turned as
+pale as death while Pete was dashing about in choking agony under the
+tight folds of the serpent.
+
+"Smash me if I go as long as there's a snake left!" replied Sneak,
+striking down another huge racer; but this one, having its back
+broken, remained stationary.
+
+Thus he continued to strike down the snakes as long as any remained on
+the field; and, as they became scarce, Joe grew quite valorous, and
+did signal service. At length the combat ceased, and not a living
+serpent could be seen running.
+
+"Sneak, we've killed them all--huzza!" cried Joe, flourishing his rod.
+
+"Yes, but you didn't do much--you're as big a coward as ever."
+
+"Oh, I wasn't _afraid_ of them, Sneak," said Joe; "I was only a little
+cautious, because it was the first time I ever went a snaking."
+
+"Yes, you was mighty cautious! if your bridle hadn't broke, you'd have
+been home long ago."
+
+"Pshaw, Sneak!" said Joe; "you're much mistaken. But how many do you
+think we've killed?"
+
+"I suppose about a quarter of a cord--but I've heard tell of men's
+killing a cord a day, easy."
+
+"You don't say so! But how does it happen so many are found together?
+When I go out I can never find more than a dozen or so."
+
+"There's a _snake den_ under that clear place," said Sneak, "where
+they stay all winter--but its not as big a den as some I've seen."
+
+"I don't want to see more than I have to-day!" said Joe, whipping past
+the steed as they started homewards, having mended his bridle. But as
+he paced along by the decayed tree mentioned above, he saw the
+glistening eyes of the large racer peering from the hole it had
+entered, and he gave it a smart blow on the head with his rod and
+spurred forward. The next moment, when Sneak came up, the enraged
+serpent sprang down upon him, and in a twinkling wound himself tightly
+round his neck! Sneak's eyes started out of his head, and being nearly
+strangled he soon fell to the earth. Joe looked on in amazement, but
+was too much frightened to assist him. And Sneak, unable to ask his
+aid, only turned his large eyes imploringly towards him, while in
+silence he vainly strove to tear away the serpent with his fingers. He
+thrust one hand in his pocket for his knife, but it had been left
+behind! He then held out his hand to Joe, and in this dumb and piteous
+manner begged him to lend him his knife. Joe drew it from his pocket,
+but could not brace his nerves sufficiently to venture within the
+suffocating man's reach. At length he bethought him of his pole, and
+opening the blade thrust it in the end of it and cautiously handed it
+to Sneak. Sneak immediately ran the sharp steel through the many folds
+of the snake, and it fell to the ground in a dozen pieces! The poor
+man's strength then completely failed him, and he rolled over on his
+back in breathless exhaustion. Joe rendered all the assistance in his
+power, and his companion soon revived.
+
+"Dod rot your skin!" exclaimed Sneak, getting up and seizing Joe by
+the collar.
+
+"Hang it, it wasn't _me_! it was the _snake!_" said Joe, extricating
+his neck from his companion's grasp.
+
+"What'd you _hit_ the sarpent for?"
+
+"Why, I wanted to kill him."
+
+"Then why didn't you help me to get it away from my neck?"
+
+"You didn't _ask_ me," said Joe, with something like ingenuousness,
+though with a most provoking application.
+
+"I couldn't speak! The tarnation thing was squeezing my neck so tight
+I couldn't say a word. But I _looked_ at you, and you might 'ave
+understood me. Never mind, you'll git a snake hold of you some of
+these days."
+
+"I'll keep a sharp look out after this," said Joe. "But Sneak, I'll
+swear now you were not born to be hung."
+
+"You be dod rot!" replied Sneak, leaping on the steed, and turning
+towards the river.
+
+"I would have cut him off myself, Sneak," said Joe, musing on the odd
+affair as they rode briskly along, "if I hadn't been afraid of cutting
+your throat. I knew you wasn't born to be hung."
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! that was the tightest place that ever I was in," said
+Sneak, regaining his good humour, and diverted at the strange
+occurrence.
+
+"Didn't he bite you?" asked Joe.
+
+"No, a black snake can't bite--they havn't got any fangs. If it had
+been a rattlesnake or a viper, I'd been a gone chicken. I don't think
+I'll ever leave my knife behind again, even if I wasn't to go ten
+steps from home. Dod--my neck's very sore."
+
+The companions continued the rest of the way in silence. When they
+reached home, and returned the horses to the stable, they proceeded
+down the path to Roughgrove's house to report their adventure.
+
+Glenn and Mary, William and La-u-na, were seated under the spreading
+elm-tree, engaged in some felicitous conference, that produced a most
+pleasing animation in their features.
+
+Mary immediately demanded of Joe a recital of his adventures that
+morning. He complied without reluctance, and his hearers were
+frequently convulsed with laughter as he proceeded, for he added many
+embellishments not narrated by the author. Sneak bore their merriment
+with stoical fortitude, and then laughed as heartily as themselves at
+his own recent novel predicament.
+
+La-u-na asked Sneak if he had been bitten by any of the poisonous
+snakes. Sneak of course replied in the negative, but at the same time
+desired to know the name of the plant that was used by the Indians
+with universal success when wounded by the fangs of the rattlesnake.
+The girl told him it was the _white plantain_ that grew in the
+prairies.
+
+"I'll go and get some right straight," said Joe, "because I don't know
+what moment I may be bitten."
+
+"Never mind it, Joe," said Glenn, rising. "We are now going to gather
+wild raspberries on the cliff south of and we want you and Sneak to
+assist us."
+
+"Well--I like raspberries, and they must be ripe by this time, if the
+chickens havn't picked them all before us."
+
+"Dod--if the chickens have ett 'em can that make 'em _green_ agin?"
+replied Sneak to Joe's Irishism.
+
+"You'd better learn how to read before you turn critic," said Joe,
+taking up the baskets that had been brought out of the house. He then
+led the way, quarrelling all the time with Sneak, while Glenn, placing
+Mary's arm in his, and William imitating the example, followed at a
+distance behind.
+
+When the party reached the raspberry thicket, they found truly that
+the fowls were there before them, though quite an abundance of the
+delicious berry still remained untouched. A few moments sufficed to
+drive the feathered gatherers away, and then without delay they began
+to fill their baskets.
+
+Many were the hearty peals of joyous laughter that rang from the
+innocent lovers while momentarily obscured by the green clustering
+bushes. Ere long they were dispersed in various parts of the thicket,
+and Glenn and Mary being separated from the rest, our hero seized the
+opportunity to broach a tender subject.
+
+"Mary," said he, and then most unaccountably paused.
+
+"Well," said she turning her glorious dark blue eyes full upon him.
+
+"I have something of moment to say to you, if you will listen
+attentively--and I know not a more fitting time and place than this to
+tell it. Here is a natural bower surrounded by sweet berries, and
+shielded from the sun by the fragrant myrtle. Let us sit on this mossy
+rock. Will you listen?" he continued, drawing her close to his side on
+the seat in the cool retreat.
+
+"Have I ever refused to listen to you? do I not love to hear your
+voice?" said the confiding and happy girl.
+
+"Bless you, Mary--my whole heart is yours!" exclaimed our hero,
+seizing a rapturous kiss from the coral lips of the maiden. Mary
+resisted not, nor replied; while tears, but not of grief, glistened on
+her dark lashes.
+
+"You will not reject my love, Mary? Why do you weep?"
+
+"It is with joy--my heart is so happy that tears gush out in spite of
+me!"
+
+"Will you then be mine?" continued Glenn, winding his arm round her
+yielding waist.
+
+"Forever!" she replied, and, bowing her head slightly, a shower of
+dark silken tresses obscured her blushing face, and covered our hero's
+panting breast. Thus they remained many moments in silence, for their
+feelings were too blissful for utterance.
+
+"Are you always happy, Mary?" said Glenn, at length, taking her little
+white hand in his.
+
+"No!" she replied, with a sigh.
+
+"Why?"
+
+"When you are away, I sometimes fear the Indians--or a snake--or--or
+something may harm you," said she, falteringly.
+
+"I thank thee, Mary, for thinking of me when I am away."
+
+"I always think of thee!" said she.
+
+"Always, Mary?"
+
+"Ay, by day--and thou art ever with me in my dreams."
+
+"And I _will_ be with thee always!"
+
+"Do!" said she.
+
+"But dost thou not sometimes repine that thy life is thus spent in the
+wilderness far from the busy world?"
+
+"I sometimes wish I could see the beautiful cities I read of--but when
+I think of the treacheries and miseries of the world, I look at the
+pure fresh flowers, and list to the sweet birds around me, and then I
+think there is more happiness to be enjoyed here than anywhere else."
+
+"And such is truly the case," said Glenn, pondering "But then, Mary,
+we all have obligations to discharge. We were created for society--to
+associate with our species, and while mingling with kindred beings, it
+is our duty to bestow as many benefits on them as may be within the
+scope of our power."
+
+"You think, then, we should leave our western home?" she asked, with
+undisguised interest.
+
+"Wilt thou not consent to go?"
+
+"If you go, I will go!" said she.
+
+"And now I declare I will not go unless thou art willing."
+
+"But is it a _duty_?" she asked.
+
+"Your fa--Mr. Roughgrove says so."
+
+"Then let us go! But why did you not say _father_?"
+
+"He is not your father."
+
+"No!" exclaimed the maid, turning pale.
+
+"I will tell thee all, Mary." And Glenn related the story of the
+maiden's birth. "Now, Mary," he continued, "thou knowest thine own
+history. Thou art of a noble race, according to the rules of men--nay,
+thy blood is royal--if thou wouldst retract thy plighted faith (I
+should have told thee this before,) speak, and thy will shall be
+done!"
+
+"Oh! Charles! I am thine, THINE ONLY, were I born an angel!" she
+cried, throwing herself into his arms. At this juncture a violent
+rustling was heard in the bushes not far distant, and the next moment
+Joe's voice rang out.
+
+"Oh me! Oh St. Peter! Oh murder! murder! murder!" cried he. Instantly
+all the party were collected round him. He lay in a small open space
+on the grass, with his basket bottom upward at his side, and all the
+berries scattered on the ground.
+
+"What is the matter?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Oh, I'm snake-bitten! I'm a dead man! I'm dying!" cried he,
+piteously.
+
+"That's a fib," said Sneak, "bekaise a dead man can't be a dying."
+
+"Let me see," said William, stooping down to examine the place on
+which Joe's hands were convulsively pressed. With some difficulty he
+pulled them away, and tearing down the stocking, actually saw a small
+bleeding puncture over the ankle bone!
+
+"What kind of a snake was it?" asked Glenn in alarm. "A rattlesnake--Oh!"
+
+"Did you _see_ it?" continued Glenn, knowing Joe's foible, though it
+was apparent he suffered from some kind of a wound.
+
+"I heard it rattle. Oh, my goodness! I'm going fast! I'm turning
+blind!"
+
+La-u-na told him to run to the house and cover the wound with salt,
+and remain quiet till Sneak could obtain some plantain leaves from the
+prairie. Joe sprang up and rushed down the hill. Sneak set out in
+quest of the antidote, and the rest directed their steps homeward.
+
+When they reached Roughgrove's house, they found Joe lying in the
+middle of the floor on his back, and groaning most dolefully. He had
+applied the salt to the wound as directed, and covered it and his
+whole leg so plentifully with bandages that the latter seemed to be as
+thick as his body.
+
+"How do you feel now, Joe?" asked Glenn.
+
+"I'm a dead man!" said he.
+
+La-u-na told him not to be alarmed, and assured him there was no
+danger.
+
+"But I'll die before Sneak can get back!"
+
+"Your voice is too strong to fear that," said William; "but do you
+suffer much pain?"
+
+"Oh, I'm in agony!" said he, rolling back his eyes.
+
+"Where does the pain lie?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Oh, St. Peter! all over me! In my toes, ankles, legs, arms, heart,
+throat, mouth, nose, and eyes! Oh, I'm in tortures! I'm blind--I can't
+see any of you!"
+
+At this moment Roughgrove, who had been over the river on a visit to
+Boone, entered the apartment with the renowned hunter at his side.
+When fully informed of the circumstances, Boone stooped down and felt
+Joe's pulse.
+
+"The strokes are irregular," said Boone.
+
+"Oh heaven!" exclaimed Joe.
+
+"But that may be caused by fright," continued Boone.
+
+"Oh goodness! it ain't that--I'm a dying man!"
+
+"Is the leg much swollen?" asked Boone, endeavouring to ascertain
+without taking off the bandages.
+
+"Oh! oh! don't do that! it'll kill me in a minute--for its swelled fit
+to burst!" cried Joe, shrinking from Boone's grasp.
+
+"All the cases of snake-bite that I have seen differ from this. I have
+always found the swollen limb nearly devoid of feeling. Did you kill
+the snake?"
+
+"No--Oh!"
+
+"Tell me precisely the place where you were standing when it bit
+you--there is a mystery about it that I must solve."
+
+"Oh--it was--I can't speak! my breath's going fast! Oh! Paternoster--"
+
+William then described the spot to Boone in such precise terms that
+the old woodman declared he would immediately repair thither and
+endeavour to find the snake. He accordingly set out in the direction
+indicated without further delay; while Roughgrove, believing that poor
+Joe was really on the verge of eternity, strove to comfort his
+departing spirit with the consolation that religion affords.
+
+"Oh! that ain't the right one!" exclaimed Joe, pushing away the
+Episcopal prayer-book held by Roughgrove.
+
+"Then here is one you cannot object to," said Roughgrove, opening the
+Bible.
+
+"Oh, that's not it, either!" cried Joe, in great distress. "Is there
+no priest in this region? I'm a Roman Catholic--oh!"
+
+"Can you not confess your sins _directly_ to God--the God who is
+everywhere, and governs all things?" said the aged man, impressively,
+and with animation.
+
+"I have prayed," said Joe; "but now I want the ointment!"
+
+"Your body, which must be placed in the damp cold earth, needs no oil.
+It is far better to purify the soul, which perishes not," said
+Roughgrove, in fervent and tremulous tones.
+
+"Oh!--Oh! Ugh!" cried Joe, in a deep guttural voice, and turning over
+on his face. His fears had evidently been increased by the solemn tone
+and look of Roughgrove.
+
+"Don't be alarmed, Joe," said Glenn, turning him again on his back.
+"Sneak will soon be here, and La-u-na says the plantain will be sure
+to cure you. William tells me that he has seen the Indians permit the
+snakes to bite them for a mere trifle in money, so certain were they
+of being restored by the plant. And indeed he never knew a bite to
+terminate fatally."
+
+"But I'm afraid Sneak won't come in time," replied Joe, somewhat
+comforted.
+
+"Pshaw! he won't loiter in a case of this kind--he knows it is no
+joke," continued Glenn.
+
+"But suppose he can't _find_ any plantain--then I'm dead to a
+certainty! Oh me!"
+
+"Does the pain increase much?" asked Mary.
+
+"Oh, yes! its ten times worse than it was ten minutes ago! I'm going
+fast--I can't move either leg now," he continued, in a weak utterance.
+
+Glenn grew uneasy. Joe was pale--very pale, and breathed hard.
+
+Boone entered, with a smile on his lip.
+
+"Have you got the plantain?" asked Joe, in feeble accents, with his
+languid eyes nearly closed, thinking it was Sneak.
+
+"Sit up and tell me how you feel," said Boone, in vain striving to
+repress his smile.
+
+"Oh, St. Peter! I haven't strength enough to lift my hand," said Joe,
+his eyes still closed.
+
+"Did you find the snake?" asked Glenn.
+
+"Yes," replied Boone. Joe groaned audibly. "I will tell you all about
+it," he continued; "I found the spot where Joe had been gathering the
+berries, and tracked him without difficulty to every bush he visited
+by the bruised grass under his foot-prints. At length I came to the
+cluster of bushes where he received the wound. I stood in his cracks
+and saw where he had plucked the raspberries. When about to cast down
+my eyes in quest of the snake, suddenly I felt a blow on my own
+ankle!"
+
+"Did the same snake bite you?" asked Mary, quickly.
+
+"Yes," replied Boone, still smiling. Joe opened his eyes, and after
+gazing a moment at Boone, asked him if he did not suffer much pain.
+
+"Fully as much as you do--but hear me through. I sprang back with some
+violence, I admit, but I did not run away. Lifting my cane, I returned
+with a determination to kill the snake. I stooped down very low to
+ascertain the precise position of its head, which was concealed by a
+large mullen leaf--I saw its eyes and its _bill_--"
+
+"What!" exclaimed Joe, rising up on his elbow with unwonted vigour,
+and his eyes riveted on the speaker.
+
+"Yes, its _bill_", continued Boone. "And while my cane was brandished
+in the air and about descending on its devoted head, a low clucking
+arrested my arm, and approaching closer to it than before, and gazing
+steadfastly a moment, I lowered my cane to its usual position, and
+fell back laughing on the grass among the raspberries you had
+dropped."
+
+"Mr. Boone--Mr. Boone!" cried Joe, springing up in a sitting attitude,
+and seizing the hand of the veteran, "for Heaven's sake tell me what
+it was?"
+
+"It was an old SITTING HEN!" said Boone.
+
+"Upon your honour?" continued Joe, leaping upon his feet, and staring
+the aged hunter in the face, while his eyes gleamed with irrepressible
+hope and anxiety.
+
+"It was nothing else, upon my honour," replied Boone, laughing in
+concert with the rest.
+
+"Huzza! huzza!! huzza!!!" shouted Joe, casting the bandages hither and
+thither, and dancing nimbly over the floor. "Fal-de-lal--tider-e-i--
+tider-e-o-- tider-e-um!" he continued, in frenzied delight, and,
+observing Sneak at the door with an armful of plantain (who had
+returned in time to witness his abrupt recovery, and now continued to
+regard him with wonder and doubt--at times thinking he was delirious,)
+skipped up and held out both hands, as if inviting him to dance.
+
+"Dod rot it, your leg ain't swelled a bit!" said Sneak.
+
+"Don't use that bad word, Sneak," said Mary.
+
+"I won't--but dod--he's had me running all over--"
+
+"Tider-e-i--tider-e-um!" continued Joe, still dancing, while the
+perspiration streamed over his face.
+
+"Have done with this nonsense, Joe!" said Glenn, "or else continue
+your ridiculous exercises on the grass in the yard. You may rejoice
+now, but this affair will be sport for others all your life. You will
+not relish it so much to-morrow."
+
+"I'd rather all the world would laugh at me alive and kicking, than
+that one of you should mourn over my dead body," replied Joe, leaping
+over Sneak, who was sitting in the door, and striding to the grass
+plot under the elm, where he continued his rejoicings. Sneak followed,
+and, sitting down on the bench in the shade, seemed to muse with
+unusual gravity at the strange spectacle presented by Joe.
+
+This was Joe's last wild western adventure. The incident was soon
+forgotten by the party in the house. Serious and sad thoughts
+succeeded the mirthful scene described above. Roughgrove had brought
+Boone thither to receive their last farewell! The renowned woodman and
+warrior wore marks of painful regret on his pale features. The rest
+were in tears.
+
+"William," said Roughgrove, "listen to a tale concerning thy birth and
+parentage, which I feel it to be my duty to unfold. Your sister has
+already learned the story from your friend, who sits beside her. But I
+will repeat it to all present. You who are the most interested can
+then determine whether it shall ever be disclosed to other ears. The
+secret was long locked in my bosom, and it was once my purpose to bury
+it with my body in the grave. I pondered long on the subject, and
+prayed to Heaven to be instructed. I have satisfactory evidence in my
+own heart that I have acted correctly." He then related the history of
+the twins, as we have given it to the reader. When he concluded,
+La-u-na, who had betrayed much painful interest during the recital,
+threw her arms round William's neck, and wept upon his breast.
+
+"Why do you weep, La-u-na?" asked the youth.
+
+"La-u-na must die!" said she; "her William will leave her and forget
+her. The wild rose will bend over her grave--the brook will murmur low
+at her cold feet--the rabbit will nip the tender grass by her
+tombstone at night-fall--the katydid will chirp over her, and the
+whippor-will will sing in vain. William will forget her! Poor
+La-u-na!"
+
+"No--La-u-na! no! Thou shalt go with me and be my bride, or else I
+will remain with thee! Death only shall separate us!" said the youth,
+drawing the slight form of the Indian maiden closer to his heart, and
+imprinting a rapturous kiss on her smooth forehead.
+
+"We will all go together," continued Roughgrove, "save our beloved
+friend here, who tells me that no earthly consideration could induce
+him to dwell in cities among civilized men."
+
+"True," said Boone; "I would not exchange my residence in the western
+wilds for the gorgeous palaces of the east. Yet I think you do right
+in returning to the society which you were destined to adorn. I shall
+grieve when I miss you, but I will not persuade you to remain. Every
+one should act according to the dictates of his conscience. It is my
+belief that Providence guides our actions. You, my friends, were
+fitted and designed to move in refined society, and by your example
+and influence to benefit the world around you. The benefits bestowed
+by _me_ will not be immediate, nor altogether in my day. I am a
+PIONEER, formed by nature. Where I struggle with the savage and the
+wild beast, my great grandchildren will reside in cities, I must
+fulfil my mission."
+
+At this moment Joe and Sneak appeared at the door.
+
+"There's a covered flat-boat just landed down at the ferry," said Joe.
+
+"It is from the island above," said Roughgrove, "and the one I have
+had constructed for our voyage down the river."
+
+"Are we going, sure enough?" asked Joe.
+
+"Yes; to-morrow," said Glenn.
+
+"Dod--are you _all_ going off?" asked Sneak, rolling round his large
+eyes, and stretching out his neck to an unusual length.
+
+"All but me, Sneak," said Boone.
+
+"And you won't be any company for me. Dod--I've a notion to go too! If
+I could foller any thing to make a living in Fillydelfa--"
+
+"If you go with us, you shall never want--I will see that you are
+provided for," said Glenn.
+
+"It's a bargain!" said Sneak, with the eager emphasis characteristic
+of the trading Yankee.
+
+"But poor Pete--the horses!" said Joe.
+
+"There are stalls in the boat for them," said Roughgrove.
+
+"Huzza! I'm glad. Huzza!" cried Joe.
+
+*       *       *       *       *
+
+The next morning beamed upon them in beauty--and in sadness. The sun
+rose in majesty, and poured his brilliant and inspiring rays on peak
+and valley and plain. But the hearts of the peaceful wanderers
+throbbed in sorrow as they gazed for the last time on the scene before
+them. Though it had been identified with the many perilous and painful
+encounters with savages, yet the quivering green leaves above, the
+sparkling brook below, and the soft melody of happy birds around, were
+intimately associated with some of the most blissful moments of their
+lives.
+
+La-u-na retired to a lonely spot, and poured forth a farewell song to
+the whispering spirits of her fathers. Long her steadfast gaze was
+fixed on the blue sky, as if communing with the departed kings from
+whom she descended. At length her tears vanished like a shower in the
+sunshine, and a bright smile rested upon her features, as if her
+prayer had been heard and all she asked were granted! Prophetic
+vision! While the race from which she separated is doomed to
+extinction in the forest, the blood she mingled with the Anglo-Saxon
+race may yet be destined to sway the councils of a mighty empire.
+
+William mused in silence, guarding at a distance the bride of his
+heart, and not venturing to intrude upon her devotions. The past was
+like a dream to him--the present a bright vision--the future a
+paradise!
+
+Glenn and Mary were seated together, regarding with impatience the
+brief preparations to embark. Boone, Roughgrove, Sneak, and Joe were
+busily engaged lading the vessel. Sneak had hastily brought thither
+his effects, and without a throe of regret abandoned his _house_ for
+ever to the owls. Joe succeeded with but little difficulty in getting
+the horses on board. The fawn, the kitten, the hounds, and the
+chickens were likewise taken along.
+
+And now all was ready to push out into the current. All were on board.
+Boone bid them an affectionate adieu in silence--in silence, but in
+tears. The cable was loosened, and the boat was wafted down on its
+journey eastward. William and La-u-na sat upon the deck, and gazed at
+the receding shore, rendered dear by hallowed recollections. Glenn and
+Mary stood at the prow, and as they marked the fleeting waters, their
+thoughts dwelt on the happy future. Roughgrove was praying. Joe was
+caressing the pony. Sneak was counting his muskrat skins. And thus we
+must bid them adieu.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Wild Western Scenes, by John Beauchamp Jones
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