—Shakspeare.
The sleep of the fugitives1 lasted for several hours. The trapper was the first to shake off its influence, as he had been the last to court its refreshment2. Rising, just as the grey light of day began to brighten that portion of the studded vault3 which rested on the eastern margin4 of the plain, he summoned his companions from their warm lairs5, and pointed6 out the necessity of their being once more on the alert. While Middleton attended to the arrangements necessary to the comforts of Inez and Ellen, in the long and painful journey which lay before them, the old man and Paul prepared the meal, which the former had advised them to take before they proceeded to horse. These several dispositions7 were not long in making, and the little group was soon seated about a repast which, though it might want the elegancies to which the bride of Middleton had been accustomed, was not deficient8 in the more important requisites9 of savour and nutriment.
“When we get lower into the hunting-grounds of the Pawnees,” said the trapper, laying a morsel10 of delicate venison before Inez, on a little trencher neatly11 made of horn, and expressly for his own use, “we shall find the buffaloes12 fatter and sweeter, the deer in more abundance, and all the gifts of the Lord abounding13 to satisfy our wants. Perhaps we may even strike a beaver14, and get a morsel from his tail[*] by way of a rare mouthful.”
[*] The American hunters consider the tail of the beaver the most
nourishing of all food.
“What course do you mean to pursue, when you have once thrown these bloodhounds from the chase?” demanded Middleton.
“If I might advise,” said Paul, “it would be to strike a water-course, and get upon its downward current, as soon as may be. Give me a cotton-wood, and I will turn you out a canoe that shall carry us all, the jackass excepted, in perhaps the work of a day and a night. Ellen, here, is a lively girl enough, but then she is no great race-rider; and it would be far more comfortable to boat six or eight hundred miles, than to go loping along like so many elks15 measuring the prairies; besides, water leaves no trail.”
“I will not swear to that,” returned the trapper; “I have often thought the eyes of a Red-skin would find a trail in air.”
“See, Middleton,” exclaimed Inez, in a sudden burst of youthful pleasure, that caused her for a moment to forget her situation, “how lovely is that sky; surely it contains a promise of happier times!”
“It is glorious!” returned her husband. “Glorious and heavenly is that streak16 of vivid red, and here is a still brighter crimson17; rarely have I seen a richer rising of the sun.
“Rising of the sun!” slowly repeated the old man, lifting his tall person from its seat with a deliberate and abstracted air, while he kept his eye riveted18 on the changing, and certainly beautiful tints19, that were garnishing20 the vault of Heaven. “Rising of the sun! I like not such risings of the sun. Ah's me! the imps21 have circumvented22 us with a vengeance24. The prairie is on fire!”
“God in Heaven protect us!” cried Middleton, catching25 Inez to his bosom26, under the instant impression of the imminence27 of their danger. “There is no time to lose, old man; each instant is a day; let us fly.”
“Whither?” demanded the trapper, motioning him, with calmness and dignity, to arrest his steps. “In this wilderness28 of grass and reeds, you are like a vessel29 in the broad lakes without a compass. A single step on the wrong course might prove the destruction of us all. It is seldom danger is so pressing, that there is not time enough for reason to do its work, young officer; therefore let us await its biddings.”
“For my own part,” said Paul Hover30, looking about him with no equivocal expression of concern, “I acknowledge, that should this dry bed of weeds get fairly in a flame, a bee would have to make a flight higher than common to prevent his wings from scorching32. Therefore, old trapper, I agree with the captain, and say mount and run.”
“Ye are wrong—ye are wrong; man is not a beast to follow the gift of instinct, and to snuff up his knowledge by a taint33 in the air, or a rumbling34 in the sound; but he must see and reason, and then conclude. So follow me a little to the left, where there is a rise in the ground, whence we may make our reconnoitrings.”
The old man waved his hand with authority, and led the way without further parlance35 to the spot he had indicated, followed by the whole of his alarmed companions. An eye less practised than that of the trapper might have failed in discovering the gentle elevation36 to which he alluded37, and which looked on the surface of the meadow like a growth a little taller than common. When they reached the place, however, the stinted38 grass itself announced the absence of that moisture, which had fed the rank weeds of most of the plain, and furnished a clue to the evidence by which he had judged of the formation of the ground hidden beneath. Here a few minutes were lost in breaking down the tops of the surrounding herbage, which, notwithstanding the advantage of their position, rose even above the heads of Middleton and Paul, and in obtaining a look-out that might command a view of the surrounding sea of fire.
The frightful40 prospect41 added nothing to the hopes of those who had so fearful a stake in the result. Although the day was beginning to dawn, the vivid colours of the sky continued to deepen, as if the fierce element were bent42 on an impious rivalry44 of the light of the sun. Bright flashes of flame shot up here and there, along the margin of the waste, like the nimble coruscations of the North, but far more angry and threatening in their colour and changes. The anxiety on the rigid45 features of the trapper sensibly deepened, as he leisurely46 traced these evidences of a conflagration47, which spread in a broad belt about their place of refuge, until he had encircled the whole horizon.
Shaking his head, as he again turned his face to the point where the danger seemed nighest and most rapidly approaching, the old man said—
“Now have we been cheating ourselves with the belief, that we had thrown these Tetons from our trail, while here is proof enough that they not only know where we lie, but that they intend to smoke us out, like so many skulking48 beasts of prey49. See; they have lighted the fire around the whole bottom at the same moment, and we are as completely hemmed50 in by the devils as an island by its waters.”
“Let us mount and ride,” cried Middleton; “is life not worth a struggle?”
“Whither would ye go? Is a Teton horse a salamander that he can walk amid fiery51 flames unhurt, or do you think the Lord will show his might in your behalf, as in the days of old, and carry you harmless through such a furnace as you may see glowing beneath yonder red sky? There are Siouxes, too, hemming52 the fire with their arrows and knives on every side of us, or I am no judge of their murderous deviltries.”
“We will ride into the centre of the whole tribe,” returned the youth fiercely, “and put their manhood to the test.”
“Ay, it's well in words, but what would it prove in deeds? Here is a dealer53 in bees, who can teach you wisdom in a matter like this.”
“Now for that matter, old trapper,” said Paul, stretching his athletic54 form like a mastiff conscious of his strength, “I am on the side of the captain, and am clearly for a race against the fire, though it line me into a Teton wigwam. Here is Ellen, who will—”
“Of what use, of what use are your stout55 hearts, when the element of the Lord is to be conquered as well as human men. Look about you, friends; the wreath of smoke, that is rising from the bottoms, plainly says that there is no outlet56 from this spot, without crossing a belt of fire. Look for yourselves, my men; look for yourselves; if you can find a single opening, I will engage to follow.”
The examination, which his companions so instantly and so intently made, rather served to assure them of their desperate situation, than to appease57 their fears. Huge columns of smoke were rolling up from the plain, and thickening in gloomy masses around the horizon. The red glow, which gleamed upon their enormous folds, now lighting58 their volumes with the glare of the conflagration, and now flashing to another point, as the flame beneath glided59 ahead, leaving all behind enveloped60 in awful darkness, and proclaiming louder than words the character of the imminent61 and approaching danger.
“This is terrible!” exclaimed Middleton, folding the trembling Inez to his heart. “At such a time as this, and in such a manner!”
“The gates of Heaven are open to all who truly believe,” murmured the pious43 devotee in his bosom.
“This resignation is maddening! But we are men, and will make a struggle for our lives! how now, my brave and spirited friend, shall we yet mount and push across the flames, or shall we stand here, and see those we most love perish in this frightful manner, without an effort?”
“I am for a swarming62 time, and a flight before the hive is too hot to hold us,” said the bee-hunter, to whom it will be at once seen that Middleton addressed himself. “Come, old trapper, you must acknowledge this is but a slow way of getting out of danger. If we tarry here much longer, it will be in the fashion that the bees lie around the straw after the hive has been smoked for its honey. You may hear the fire begin to roar already, and I know by experience, that when the flame once gets fairly into the prairie grass, it is no sloth64 that can outrun it.”
“Think you,” returned the old man, pointing scornfully at the mazes65 of the dry and matted grass which environed them, “that mortal feet can outstrip66 the speed of fire, on such a path! If I only knew now on which side these miscreants67 lay!”
“What say you, friend Doctor,” cried the bewildered Paul, turning to the naturalist68 with that sort of helplessness with which the strong are often apt to seek aid of the weak, when human power is baffled by the hand of a mightier69 being, “what say you; have you no advice to give away, in a case of life and death?”
The naturalist stood, tablets in hand, looking at the awful spectacle with as much composure as if the conflagration had been lighted in order to solve the difficulties of some scientific problem. Aroused by the question of his companion, he turned to his equally calm though differently occupied associate, the trapper, demanding, with the most provoking insensibility to the urgent nature of their situation—
“Venerable hunter, you have often witnessed similar prismatic experiments—”
He was rudely interrupted by Paul, who struck the tablets from his hands, with a violence that betrayed the utter intellectual confusion which had overset the equanimity70 of his mind. Before time was allowed for remonstrance71, the old man, who had continued during the whole scene like one much at a loss how to proceed, though also like one who was rather perplexed72 than alarmed, suddenly assumed a decided73 air, as if he no longer doubted on the course it was most advisable to pursue.
“It is time to be doing,” he said, interrupting the controversy74 that was about to ensue between the naturalist and the bee-hunter; “it is time to leave off books and moanings, and to be doing.”
“You have come to your recollections too late, miserable75 old man,” cried Middleton; “the flames are within a quarter of a mile of us, and the wind is bringing them down in this quarter with dreadful rapidity.”
“Anan! the flames! I care but little for the flames. If I only knew how to circumvent23 the cunning of the Tetons, as I know how to cheat the fire of its prey, there would be nothing needed but thanks to the Lord for our deliverance. Do you call this a fire? If you had seen what I have witnessed in the Eastern hills, when mighty76 mountains were like the furnace of smith, you would have known what it was to fear the flames, and to be thankful that you were spared! Come, lads, come; 'tis time to be doing now, and to cease talking; for yonder curling flame is truly coming on like a trotting77 moose. Put hands upon this short and withered78 grass where we stand, and lay bare the 'arth.”
“Would you think to deprive the fire of its victims in this childish manner?” exclaimed Middleton.
A faint but solemn smile passed over the features of the old man, as he answered—
“Your grand'ther would have said, that when the enemy was nigh, a soldier could do no better than to obey.”
The captain felt the reproof80, and instantly began to imitate the industry of Paul, who was tearing the decayed herbage from the ground in a sort of desperate compliance81 with the trapper's direction. Even Ellen lent her hands to the labour, nor was it long before Inez was seen similarly employed, though none amongst them knew why or wherefore. When life is thought to be the reward of labour, men are wont82 to be industrious83. A very few moments sufficed to lay bare a spot of some twenty feet in diameter. Into one edge of this little area the trapper brought the females, directing Middleton and Paul to cover their light and inflammable dresses with the blankets of the party. So soon as this precaution was observed, the old man approached the opposite margin of the grass, which still environed them in a tall and dangerous circle, and selecting a handful of the driest of the herbage he placed it over the pan of his rifle. The light combustible84 kindled85 at the flash. Then he placed the little flame in a bed of the standing39 fog, and withdrawing from the spot to the centre of the ring, he patiently awaited the result.
The subtle element seized with avidity upon its new fuel, and in a moment forked flames were gliding86 among the grass, as the tongues of ruminating87 animals are seen rolling among their food, apparently88 in quest of its sweetest portions.
“Now,” said the old man, holding up a finger, and laughing in his peculiarly silent manner, “you shall see fire fight fire! Ah's me! many is the time I have burnt a smooty path, from wanton laziness to pick my way across a tangled89 bottom.”
“But is this not fatal?” cried the amazed Middleton; “are you not bringing the enemy nigher to us instead of avoiding it?”
“Do you scorch31 so easily? your grand'ther had a tougher skin. But we shall live to see; we shall all live to see.”
The experience of the trapper was in the right. As the fire gained strength and heat, it began to spread on three sides, dying of itself on the fourth, for want of aliment. As it increased, and the sullen90 roaring announced its power, it cleared every thing before it, leaving the black and smoking soil far more naked than if the scythe91 had swept the place. The situation of the fugitives would have still been hazardous92 had not the area enlarged as the flame encircled them. But by advancing to the spot where the trapper had kindled the grass, they avoided the heat, and in a very few moments the flames began to recede93 in every quarter, leaving them enveloped in a cloud of smoke, but perfectly94 safe from the torrent95 of fire that was still furiously rolling onward96.
The spectators regarded the simple expedient97 of the trapper with that species of wonder, with which the courtiers of Ferdinand are said to have viewed the manner in which Columbus made his egg stand on its end, though with feelings that were filled with gratitude98 instead of envy.
“Most wonderful!” said Middleton, when he saw the complete success of the means by which they had been rescued from a danger that he had conceived to be unavoidable. “The thought was a gift from Heaven, and the hand that executed it should be immortal99!”
“Old trapper,” cried Paul, thrusting his fingers through his shaggy locks, “I have lined many a loaded bee into his hole, and know something of the nature of the woods, but this is robbing a hornet of his sting without touching100 the insect!”
“It will do—it will do,” returned the old man, who after the first moment of his success seemed to think no more of the exploit; “now get the horses in readiness. Let the flames do their work for a short half hour, and then we will mount. That time is needed to cool the meadow, for these unshod Teton beasts are as tender on the hoof101 as a barefooted girl.”
Middleton and Paul, who considered this unlooked-for escape as a species of resurrection, patiently awaited the time the trapper mentioned with renewed confidence in the infallibility of his judgment102. The Doctor regained103 his tablets, a little the worse from having fallen among the grass which had been subject to the action of the flames, and was consoling himself for this slight misfortune by recording104 uninterruptedly such different vacillations in light and shadow as he chose to consider phenomena105.
In the mean time the veteran, on whose experience they all so implicitly106 relied for protection, employed himself in reconnoitring objects in the distance, through the openings which the air occasionally made in the immense bodies of smoke, that by this time lay in enormous piles on every part of the plain.
“Look you here, lads,” the trapper said, after a long and anxious examination, “your eyes are young and may prove better than my worthless sight—though the time has been, when a wise and brave people saw reason to think me quick on a look-out; but those times are gone, and many a true and tried friend has passed away with them. Ah's me! if I could choose a change in the orderings of Providence—which I cannot, and which it would be blasphemy107 to attempt, seeing that all things are governed by a wiser mind than belongs to mortal weakness—but if I were to choose a change, it would be to say, that such as they who have lived long together in friendship and kindness, and who have proved their fitness to go in company, by many acts of suffering and daring in each other's behalf, should be permitted to give up life at such times, as when the death of one leaves the other but little reason to wish to live.”
“Is it an Indian, that you see?” demanded the impatient Middleton.
“Red-skin or White-skin it is much the same. Friendship and use can tie men as strongly together in the woods as in the towns—ay, and for that matter, stronger. Here are the young warriors109 of the prairies.—Often do they sort themselves in pairs, and set apart their lives for deeds of friendship; and well and truly do they act up to their promises. The death-blow to one is commonly mortal to the other! I have been a solitary110 man much of my time, if he can be called solitary, who has lived for seventy years in the very bosom of natur', and where he could at any instant open his heart to God, without having to strip it of the cares and wickednesses of the settlements—but making that allowance, have I been a solitary man; and yet have I always found that intercourse111 with my kind was pleasant, and painful to break off, provided that the companion was brave and honest. Brave, because a skeary comrade in the woods,” suffering his eyes inadvertently to rest a moment on the person of the abstracted naturalist, “is apt to make a short path long; and honest, inasmuch as craftiness112 is rather an instinct of the brutes113, than a gift becoming the reason of a human man.”
“But the object, that you saw—was it a Sioux?”
“What the world of America is coming to, and where the machinations and inventions of its people are to have an end, the Lord, he only knows. I have seen, in my day, the chief who, in his time, had beheld114 the first Christian115 that placed his wicked foot in the regions of York! How much has the beauty of the wilderness been deformed116 in two short lives! My own eyes were first opened on the shores of the Eastern sea, and well do I remember, that I tried the virtues117 of the first rifle I ever bore, after such a march, from the door of my father to the forest, as a stripling could make between sun and sun; and that without offence to the rights, or prejudices, of any man who set himself up to be the owner of the beasts of the fields. Natur' then lay in its glory along the whole coast, giving a narrow stripe, between the woods and the ocean, to the greediness of the settlers. And where am I now? Had I the wings of an eagle, they would tire before a tenth of the distance, which separates me from that sea, could be passed; and towns, and villages, farms, and highways, churches, and schools, in short, all the inventions and deviltries of man, are spread across the region. I have known the time when a few Red-skins, shouting along the borders, could set the provinces in a fever; and men were to be armed; and troops were to be called to aid from a distant land; and prayers were said, and the women frighted, and few slept in quiet, because the Iroquois were on the war-path, or the accursed Mingo had the tomahawk in hand. How is it now? The country sends out her ships to foreign lands, to wage their battles; cannon118 are plentier than the rifle used to be, and trained soldiers are never wanting, in tens of thousands, when need calls for their services. Such is the difference atween a province and a state, my men; and I, miserable and worn out as I seem, have lived to see it all!”
“That you must have seen many a chopper skimming the cream from the face of the earth, and many a settler getting the very honey of nature, old trapper,” said Paul, “no reasonable man can, or, for that matter, shall doubt. But here is Ellen getting uneasy about the Siouxes, and now you have opened your mind, so freely, concerning these matters, if you will just put us on the line of our flight, the swarm63 will make another move.”
“Anan!”
“I say that Ellen is getting uneasy, and as the smoke is lifting from the plain, it may be prudent119 to take another flight.”
“The boy is reasonable. I had forgotten we were in the midst of a raging fire, and that Siouxes were round about us, like hungry wolves watching a drove of buffaloes. But when memory is at work in my old brain, on times long past, it is apt to overlook the matters of the day. You say right, my children; it is time to be moving, and now comes the real nicety of our case. It is easy to outwit a furnace, for it is nothing but a raging element; and it is not always difficult to throw a grizzly120 bear from his scent121, for the creatur' is both enlightened and blinded by his instinct; but to shut the eyes of a waking Teton is a matter of greater judgment, inasmuch as his deviltry is backed by reason.”
Notwithstanding the old man appeared so conscious of the difficulty of the undertaking122, he set about its achievement with great steadiness and alacrity123. After completing the examination, which had been interrupted by the melancholy124 wanderings of his mind, he gave the signal to his companions to mount. The horses, which had continued passive and trembling amid the raging of the fire, received their burdens with a satisfaction so very evident, as to furnish a favourable125 augury126 of their future industry. The trapper invited the Doctor to take his own steed, declaring his intention to proceed on foot.
“I am but little used to journeying with the feet of others,” he added, as a reason for the measure, “and my legs are a weary of doing nothing. Besides, should we light suddenly on an ambushment, which is a thing far from impossible, the horse will be in a better condition for a hard run with one man on his back than with two. As for me, what matters it whether my time is to be a day shorter or a day longer! Let the Tetons take my scalp, if it be God's pleasure: they will find it covered with grey hairs; and it is beyond the craft of man to cheat me of the knowledge and experience by which they have been whitened.”
As no one among the impatient listeners seemed disposed to dispute the arrangement, it was acceded127 to in silence. The Doctor, though he muttered a few mourning exclamations128 on behalf of the lost Asinus, was by far too well pleased in finding that his speed was likely to be sustained by four legs instead of two, to be long in complying: and, consequently, in a very few moments the bee-hunter, who was never last to speak on such occasions, vociferously129 announced that they were ready to proceed.
“Now look off yonder to the East,” said the old man, as he began to lead the way across the murky130 and still smoking plain; “little fear of cold feet in journeying such a path as this: but look you off to the East, and if you see a sheet of shining white, glistening131 like a plate of beaten silver through the openings of the smoke, why that is water. A noble stream is running thereaway, and I thought I got a glimpse of it a while since; but other thoughts came, and I lost it. It is a broad and swift river, such as the Lord has made many of its fellows in this desert. For here may natur' be seen in all its richness, trees alone excepted. Trees, which are to the 'arth, as fruits are to a garden; without them nothing can be pleasant, or thoroughly132 useful. Now watch all of you, with open eyes, for that stripe of glittering water: we shall not be safe until it is flowing between our trail and these sharp sighted Tetons.”
The latter declaration was enough to ensure a vigilant133 look out for the desired stream, on the part of all the trapper's followers134. With this object in view, the party proceeded in profound silence, the old man having admonished135 them of the necessity of caution, as they entered the clouds of smoke, which were rolling like masses of fog along the plain, more particularly over those spots where the fire had encountered occasional pools of stagnant136 water.
They travelled near a league in this manner, without obtaining the desired glimpse of the river. The fire was still raging in the distance, and as the air swept away the first vapour of the conflagration, fresh volumes rolled along the place, limiting the view. At length the old man, who had begun to betray some little uneasiness, which caused his followers to apprehend137 that even his acute faculties138 were beginning to be confused, in the mazes of the smoke, made a sudden pause, and dropping his rifle to the ground, he stood, apparently musing139 over some object at his feet. Middleton and the rest rode up to his side, and demanded the reason of the halt.
“Look ye, here,” returned the trapper, pointing to the mutilated carcass of a horse, that lay more than half consumed in a little hollow of the ground; “here may you see the power of a prairie conflagration. The 'arth is moist, hereaway, and the grass has been taller than usual. This miserable beast has been caught in his bed. You see the bones; the crackling and scorched140 hide, and the grinning teeth. A thousand winters could not wither79 an animal so thoroughly, as the element has done it in a minute.”
“And this might have been our fate,” said Middleton, “had the flames come upon us, in our sleep!”
“Nay, I do not say that, I do not say that. Not but that man will burn as well as tinder; but, that being more reasoning than a horse, he would better know how to avoid the danger.”
“Perhaps this then has been but the carcass of an animal, or he too would have fled?”
“See you these marks in the damp soil? Here have been his hoofs141,—and there is a moccasin print, as I'm a sinner! The owner of the beast has tried hard to move him from the place, but it is in the instinct of the creatur' to be faint-hearted and obstinate142 in a fire.”
“It is a well-known fact. But if the animal has had a rider, where is he?”
“Ay, therein lies the mystery,” returned the trapper, stooping to examine the signs in the ground with a closer eye. “Yes, yes, it is plain there has been a long struggle atween the two. The master has tried hard to save his beast, and the flames must have been very greedy, or he would have had better success.”
“Harkee, old trapper,” interrupted Paul, pointing to a little distance, where the ground was drier, and the herbage had, in consequence, been less luxuriant; “just call them two horses. Yonder lies another.”
“The boy is right! can it be, that the Tetons have been caught in their own snares143? Such things do happen; and here is an example to all evil-doers. Ay, look you here, this is iron; there have been some white inventions about the trappings of the beast—it must be so—it must be so—a party of the knaves144 have been skirting in the grass after us, while their friends have fired the prairie, and look you at the consequences; they have lost their beasts, and happy have they been if their own souls are not now skirting along the path, which leads to the Indian heaven.”
“They had the same expedient at command as yourself,” rejoined Middleton, as the party slowly proceeded, approaching the other carcass, which lay directly on their route.
“I know not that. It is not every savage145 that carries his steel and flint, or as good a rifle-pan as this old friend of mine. It is slow making a fire with two sticks, and little time was given to consider, or invent, just at this spot, as you may see by yon streak of flame, which is flashing along afore the wind, as if it were on a trail of powder. It is not many minutes since the fire has passed here away, and it may be well to look at our primings, not that I would willingly combat the Tetons, God forbid! but if a fight needs be, it is always wise to get the first shot.”
“This has been a strange beast, old man,” said Paul, who had pulled the bridle146, or rather halter of his steed, over the second carcass, while the rest of the party were already passing, in their eagerness to proceed; “a strange horse do I call it; it had neither head nor hoofs!”
“The fire has not been idle,” returned the trapper, keeping his eye vigilantly147 employed in profiting by those glimpses of the horizon, which the whirling smoke offered to his examination. “It would soon bake you a buffaloe whole, or for that matter powder his hoofs and horns into white ashes. Shame, shame, old Hector: as for the captain's pup, it is to be expected that he would show his want of years, and I may say, I hope without offence, his want of education too; but for a hound, like you, who have lived so long in the forest afore you came into these plains, it is very disgraceful, Hector, to be showing your teeth, and growling148 at the carcass of a roasted horse, the same as if you were telling your master that you had found the trail of a grizzly bear.”
“I tell you, old trapper, this is no horse; neither in hoofs, head, nor hide.”
“Anan! Not a horse? Your eyes are good for the bees and for the hollow trees, my lad, but—bless me, the boy is right! That I should mistake the hide of a buffaloe, scorched and crimpled as it is, for the carcass of a horse! Ah's me! The time has been, my men, when I would tell you the name of a beast, as far as eye could reach, and that too with most of the particulars of colour, age, and sex.”
“An inestimable advantage have you then enjoyed, venerable venator!” observed the attentive149 naturalist. “The man who can make these distinctions in a desert, is saved the pain of many a weary walk, and often of an enquiry that in its result proves useless. Pray tell me, did your exceeding excellence150 of vision extend so far as to enable you to decide on their order, or genus?”
“I know not what you mean by your orders of genius.”
“No!” interrupted the bee-hunter, a little disdainfully for him, when speaking to his aged151 friend; “now, old trapper, that is admitting your ignorance of the English language, in a way I should not expect from a man of your experience and understanding. By order, our comrade means whether they go in promiscuous152 droves, like a swarm that is following its queen-bee, or in single file, as you often see the buffaloes trailing each other through a prairie. And as for genius, I'm sure that is a word well understood, and in every body's mouth. There is the congress-man in our district, and that tonguey little fellow, who puts out the paper in our county, they are both so called, for their smartness; which is what the Doctor means, as I take it, seeing that he seldom speaks without some considerable meaning.”
When Paul finished this very clever explanation he looked behind him with an expression, which, rightly interpreted, would have said—“You see, though I don't often trouble myself in these matters, I am no fool.”
Ellen admired Paul for anything but his learning. There was enough in his frank, fearless, and manly153 character, backed as it was by great personal attraction, to awaken154 her sympathies, without the necessity of prying155 into his mental attainments156. The poor girl reddened like a rose, her pretty fingers played with the belt, by which she sustained herself on the horse, and she hurriedly observed, as if anxious to direct the attentions of the other listeners from a weakness, on which her own thoughts could not bear to dwell—
“And this is not a horse, after all?”
“It is nothing more, nor less, than the hide of a buffaloe,” continued the trapper, who had been no less puzzled by the explanation of Paul, than by the language of the Doctor; “the hair is beneath; the fire has run over it as you see; for being fresh, the flames could take no hold. The beast has not been long killed, and it may be that some of the beef is still hereaway.”
“Lift the corner of the skin, old trapper,” said Paul, with the tone of one, who felt, as if he had now proved his right to mingle157 his voice in any council; “if there is a morsel of the hump left, it must be well cooked, and it shall be welcome.”
The old man laughed, heartily158, at the conceit159 of his companion. Thrusting his foot beneath the skin, it moved. Then it was suddenly cast aside, and an Indian warrior108 sprang from its cover, to his feet, with an agility160, that bespoke161 how urgent he deemed the occasion.
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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2
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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3
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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4
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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5
lairs
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| n.（野兽的）巢穴，窝( lair的名词复数 )；（人的）藏身处 | |
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6
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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7
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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8
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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9
requisites
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| n.必要的事物( requisite的名词复数 ) | |
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10
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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11
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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12
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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13
abounding
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| adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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14
beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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15
elks
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| n.麋鹿( elk的名词复数 ) | |
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16
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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17
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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18
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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19
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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20
garnishing
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| v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的现在分词 ) | |
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21
imps
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| n.（故事中的）小恶魔( imp的名词复数 )；小魔鬼；小淘气；顽童 | |
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22
circumvented
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| v.设法克服或避免（某事物），回避( circumvent的过去式和过去分词 )；绕过，绕行，绕道旅行 | |
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23
circumvent
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| vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜 | |
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24
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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25
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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26
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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27
imminence
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| n.急迫，危急 | |
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28
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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29
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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30
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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31
scorch
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| v.烧焦，烤焦；高速疾驶；n.烧焦处，焦痕 | |
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32
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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33
taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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34
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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35
parlance
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| n.说法；语调 | |
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36
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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37
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
stinted
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| v.限制，节省（stint的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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39
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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40
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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41
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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42
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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43
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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44
rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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45
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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46
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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47
conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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48
skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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49
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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50
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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51
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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52
hemming
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| 卷边 | |
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53
dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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54
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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56
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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57
appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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58
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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59
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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60
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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62
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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63
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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64
sloth
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| n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散 | |
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65
mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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66
outstrip
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| v.超过，跑过 | |
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67
miscreants
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| n.恶棍，歹徒( miscreant的名词复数 ) | |
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68
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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69
mightier
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| adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其 | |
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70
equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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71
remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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72
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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73
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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74
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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75
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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76
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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77
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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78
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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79
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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80
reproof
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| n.斥责，责备 | |
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81
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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82
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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83
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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84
combustible
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| a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物 | |
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85
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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86
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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87
ruminating
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| v.沉思( ruminate的现在分词 )；反复考虑；反刍；倒嚼 | |
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88
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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89
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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90
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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91
scythe
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| n. 长柄的大镰刀，战车镰； v. 以大镰刀割 | |
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92
hazardous
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| adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的 | |
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93
recede
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| vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进 | |
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94
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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95
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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96
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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97
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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98
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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99
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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100
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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101
hoof
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| n.(马，牛等的)蹄 | |
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102
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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103
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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104
recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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105
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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106
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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107
blasphemy
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| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
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108
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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109
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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110
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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111
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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112
craftiness
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| 狡猾，狡诈 | |
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113
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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114
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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115
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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116
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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117
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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118
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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119
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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120
grizzly
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| adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊 | |
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121
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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122
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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123
alacrity
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| n.敏捷，轻快，乐意 | |
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124
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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125
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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126
augury
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| n.预言，征兆，占卦 | |
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127
acceded
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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128
exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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129
vociferously
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| adv.喊叫地，吵闹地 | |
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130
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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131
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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132
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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133
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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134
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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135
admonished
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| v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
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136
stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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137
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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138
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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139
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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140
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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141
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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142
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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143
snares
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| n.陷阱( snare的名词复数 )；圈套；诱人遭受失败（丢脸、损失等）的东西；诱惑物v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的第三人称单数 ) | |
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144
knaves
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| n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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145
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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146
bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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147
vigilantly
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| adv.警觉地，警惕地 | |
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148
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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149
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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150
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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151
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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152
promiscuous
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| adj.杂乱的，随便的 | |
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153
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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154
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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155
prying
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| adj.爱打听的v.打听，刺探（他人的私事）( pry的现在分词 )；撬开 | |
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156
attainments
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| 成就，造诣； 获得( attainment的名词复数 )； 达到； 造诣； 成就 | |
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157
mingle
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| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
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158
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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159
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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160
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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161
bespoke
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| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
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