But I both heard and saw, and my mind was intensely occupied with the rush of thought, the horror of all that was going on about me. How I wish I might blot9 it out,—forget forever the hellish deeds of those dancing devils who made mock of human agony and laughed at tears and prayers! It was plain, ? 270 ? as the wild cries of rejoicing rose on every side, that the Indians had swept the field. The distant sound of firing ceased, and I could hear the pitiful cries of women, the frightened shrieks10 of children, the shrill11 note of intense agony wrung12 from tortured lips. Close beside me lay a dead warrior13, his hideously15 painted face, with its wide, glaring, dead eyes, so fronting me that I had left only a narrow space through which to peer. Within that small opening I saw murder done until I closed my eyes in shuddering16 horror, crazed by my own sense of helplessness, and feeling the awful fate that must already have befallen her I loved. God knows I had then no faintest wish to live; nor did I dream that I should see the sun go down that day. Death was upon every side of me, in its most dreadful forms; and every cry that reached my ears, every sight that met my eyes, only added to the frightful18 reality of my own helplessness. The inert19 weight of the horse stifled20 me so that I drew my short breath almost in sobs21; nor did I dare venture upon the slightest attempt at release, hemmed22 about as I was by merciless fiends now hideously drunk with slaughter23. Once I heard a man plead for mercy, shrieking24 the words forth25 as if his intensity26 of agony had robbed him of all manliness27; I saw a young woman fall headlong, the haft of a tomahawk cleaving28 open her head, as a brawny29 red arm gripped her by the throat; a child, with long yellow hair, and face ? 271 ? distorted by terror, ran past my narrow outlook, a naked savage4 grasping after her scarcely a foot behind. I heard her wild scream of despair and his shout of triumph as he struck her down. Then I lost consciousness, overwhelmed by the multiplying horrors of that field of blood.
It is hard to tell how long I lay there, or by what miracle of God's great mercy I had escaped death and mutilation. It was still day, the sun was high in the heaven, and the heat almost intolerable, beating down upon the dry and glittering sand. I could distinguish no sound near at hand, not even a moan of any kind. The human forms about me were stiffening30 in death; nor did any skulking31 Indian figures appear in sight.
From away to the northward32 I could hear the echo of distant yelling; and as I lay there, every faculty33 alert, I became more and more convinced that the savages who had attacked us had withdrawn34, and that I alone of all that fated company was preserved, through some strange dispensation of Providence36, for what might prove a more terrible fate than any on that stricken field. With this thought there was suddenly born within me a fresh desire for life, a mad thirsting after revenge on those red demons37 whose merciless work I had been compelled to see. Yet if I hoped to preserve my life, I must have water and air; a single hour longer in my present situation could only result in death. Fortunately, such relief, now that ? 272 ? I felt free to exert myself and seek it, was not so difficult as it had seemed. The heavy horse rested upon other bodies as well as my own, so that, little by little, I succeeded in dragging myself out from beneath his weight, until I was finally able to lift my head and glance cautiously about me.
I pause now as I sit writing, my face buried in my hands, at the memory of that dreadful field of death. I cannot picture it, nor have I wish to try. I took one swift glimpse at the riven skulls38, the mangled39 limbs, the mutilated bodies, the upturned pleading faces white and ghastly in the sunlight, the women and children huddled40 in heaps of slain41, the seemingly endless line of disfigured, half-stripped bodies stretching far down the white beach; then I fell upon my face in the sand, sobbing42 like a baby. O God, how could such deeds be done? How could creatures shaped like men prove themselves such fiends, such hideous14 devils of malignity43? It sickened me with horror, and I shrank from those dead bodies as if each had been a grim and threatening ghost.
Necessity presently overcame the dread17 possessing me; and slowly, seeking to see no more than I must of the awful scenes about me, I struggled to my knees, and peered around cautiously for signs of skulking Indians. Not a living creature was near enough to observe me. To the northward the savages were swarming44 about the Fort, and it was evident that they ? 273 ? had left everything to search for plunder. My uncovered head throbbed46 under the hot sun, and my hair was thick with clotted47 blood; scarce a hundred feet away was the blue lake, and on my hands and knees I crawled across the beach to it, forgetful of everything else in my desire to roll in the cool sweet water.
I realized that it would be far safer for me to remain there until darkness shrouded48 my movements; but I felt so revived by the touch of the water that the old desire for action overcame considerations of personal safety. Before night came I must somehow gain possession of a rifle, with powder and ball; and I must discover, if possible, the fate of Mademoiselle. I cannot describe how, like a frightened child, I shrank from going again amid those mutilated corpses49. I started twice, only to crawl back into the water, nerveless and shaking like the leaf of a cottonwood. I knew it must be done, and that the sooner I attempted it the safer would be the trial; so at last, with set teeth and almost superhuman effort, I crept up the beach among the silent, disfigured dead once more.
With little trouble I found the wagon50 against which I had seen Mademoiselle draw back her horse in that last desperate defence. It was overturned, scorched51 with flame, its contents widely scattered; while about it lay the bodies of men, women, and children. A single hasty glance at most of these was sufficient; but a few were so huddled and hidden that ? 274 ? I was compelled to move them before I thoroughly52 convinced myself that Mademoiselle was not there. I finally found her horse, several rods away, lying against the sand-ridge; but she whose body I sought with such fond persistency53 was not among those mangled forms. Faint and sick from the awful scene, with head throbbing54 painfully, I sank down upon a slope of sand where I was able to command a clear view in either direction, and thought rapidly. I was alone with the dead. Of all those lying silent before me, none would stir again. Not a savage roamed the stricken field,—though doubtless they would again swarm45 down upon it as soon as the sacking of the Fort had been completed. I must plan, and plan quickly, if I would preserve my own life and be of service to others. And life was worth preserving now, for there was a possibility,—faint, to be sure, yet a possibility,—that Toinette still lived. How the mere55 hope thrilled and animated56 me! how like a trumpet-sound it called to action! She had told me once of friendships between her and these blood-stained warriors57; of weeks passed in Indian camps on the great plains, both with her father and alone; of being called the White Queen in the lodges58 of Sacs, Wyandots, and Pottawattomies. Perchance some such friendship may have intervened to save her, even in that fierce mêlée, that carnival59 of lust60 and murder. Some chief, with sufficient power to dare the deed, may have snatched her from out the ? 275 ? jaws61 of death, actuated by motives62 of mercy,—or, more likely still, have saved her from the stroke of the tomahawk for a far more terrible fate.
This was the thought that brought me again to my feet with burning face and tightly clinched63 teeth. If she lived, a helpless prisoner in those black lodges yonder, there was work to be done,—stern, desperate work, that would require all my courage and resourcefulness. Firm in manly64 resolve, and rendered reckless now of contact with the dead, I crept back among the bodies in eager search for gun and ammunition65. For a long time I sought vainly; the field had been stripped by many a vandal hand. At last, however, I turned over a painted giant of a savage whose head had been crushed with a blow, and beneath him discovered a long rifle with powder-horn half filled. As I drew it forth, uttering a cry of delight at my precious find, my eyes fell upon a pair of bronze boots, with long narrow toes, protruding66 from beneath a tangled67 mass of the slain. It was no doubt the tomb of De Croix; and without so much as a thought that he could be alive, I drew the bodies off him and dragged his form forth into the sunlight.
Merciful Heaven! his heart still beat,—so faintly, indeed, that I could barely note it with my ear at his chest. But life was surely there, and with a hasty glance about to assure me that I was unobserved, I ran to the lake shore. I returned with hat ? 276 ? full of water, with which I thoroughly drenched68 him, rubbing his numbed69 hands fiercely, and thumping70 his chest until at last the closed eyes partially71 opened, and he looked up into my anxious face, gasping72 painfully for breath. His lips moved as I lifted his head in my arms; and I bent73 lower, not certain but he was dying and had some last message he would whisper in my ear.
"Wayland," he faltered74 feebly, "is this you? Lord, how my head aches! Send Sam to me with the hand-mirror and the perfumed soap."
"Hush75!" I answered, almost angry at his flippant utterance76. "Sam is no doubt dead, and you and I alone are spared of all the company. Do you suffer greatly? Think you it would be possible to walk?"
"I have much pain here in the side," he said slowly, "and am yet weak from loss of blood. All dead, you say? Is Toinette dead?"
"I know not, but I have not found her body among the others, and believe her to be a prisoner to the savages. But, come, De Croix," I urged, anxiously, "we run great risk loitering here; there is but one safe spot for us until after dark,—yonder, crouched77 in the waters of the lake. The Indians may return at any moment to complete their foul78 work; and for us to be found alive means torture,—most likely the stake, and will remove the last hope for Mademoiselle. Think you it can be made if you lean hard on me?"
? 277 ?
"Sacre! 'twill not be because I do not try, Master Wayland," he answered, his voice stronger now that he could breathe more freely, and with much of his old audacity79 returned. "Help me to make the start, friend, for every joint80 in my body seems rusty81."
His face was white and drawn35 from agony, and he pressed one hand upon his side, while perspiration82 stood in beads83 upon his forehead. But no moan came from his set lips; and when he rested a moment on his knees, looking about him upon the dead, a look of grim approval swept into his eyes.
"Saint Guise84, Wayland," he said soberly, "'twas a master fight, and the savages had it not all their own way!"
It made me sick to hear such boasting amidst the horror that yet overwhelmed me, and I drew the fellow up to his feet with but little tenderness.
"God knows 'tis sad enough!" I answered, shortly. "Come, there are parties of Indians already straying this way from the Fort yonder, and it behooves85 us to get in hiding."
He made the distance between us and the water with far less difficulty than I had expected, and with a better use of his limbs at each step. In spite of vigorous protest on his part, I forced him out from the shore until the water entirely86 covered us, save only our faces; and there we waited for the merciful coming of the night.
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1
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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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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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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6
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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7
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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8
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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10
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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12
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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13
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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14
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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15
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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16
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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18
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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19
inert
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| adj.无活动能力的，惰性的；迟钝的 | |
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20
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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21
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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22
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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23
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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24
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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25
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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27
manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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28
cleaving
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| v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的现在分词 ) | |
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29
brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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30
stiffening
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| n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式 | |
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31
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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32
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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33
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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34
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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35
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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36
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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37
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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38
skulls
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| 颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜 | |
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39
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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40
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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41
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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42
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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43
malignity
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| n.极度的恶意，恶毒；（病的）恶性 | |
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44
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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45
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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46
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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47
clotted
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| adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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49
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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50
wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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51
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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52
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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53
persistency
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| n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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54
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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55
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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56
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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57
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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58
lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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59
carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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60
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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61
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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62
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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63
clinched
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| v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的过去式和过去分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议） | |
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64
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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65
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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66
protruding
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的现在分词 )；凸 | |
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67
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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68
drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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69
numbed
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| v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
thumping
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| adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持 | |
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71
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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72
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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73
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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74
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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75
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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76
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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77
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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79
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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81
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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82
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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83
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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85
behooves
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| n.利益，好处( behoof的名词复数 )v.适宜( behoove的第三人称单数 ) | |
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86
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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