At this point in our tale we might profitably turn aside for a little to dilate1 upon the interesting—not to say exciting—proceedings of our explorers and the hunter’s family during the few days spent in the island home and its neighbourhood, were it not that incidents of a more stirring and important nature claim our attention.
We might, if time and space permitted, tell how they all went fishing in the lake with Oliver’s cod-hooks, which were, of course, greatly superior to the bone-hooks which Hendrick had been accustomed to manufacture; how they went salmon-spearing by torchlight in a neighbouring stream, in which operation Oliver soon became as expert as his entertainers, and even more enthusiastic, insomuch that he several times met what seemed to be his ordinary fate—a ducking in the water; how, in consequence, he caught a bad cold, as well as fish, and was compelled to lie up and be nursed for several days, during which time of forced inaction he learned to appreciate the excellent nursing qualities of Trueheart and her daughter Goodred. He also learned to estimate at its true value the yelling power of the family baby, whose will was iron and whose lungs were leather, besides being inflated2 by the fresh, wholesome3 air of the grand wilderness4. We might tell of the short but thrilling expeditions undertaken by the men and boys in pursuit of bears, otters5, beaver6, and deer, in which Hendrick displayed the certainty of his deadly aim, and Master Trench7 the uncertainty8 of his dreadful shooting, despite all his former “practice.” We might relate the interesting stories, anecdotes9, and narratives10 with which the explorers and the hunter sought to beguile11 the pleasant periods that used to follow supper and precede repose12, and describe the tremendous energy of Paul Burns in springing to the rescue of the self-willed baby when it fell into the fire, and the cool courage of Oliver Trench in succouring the same baby when it tumbled into the water. All this we might dilate on, and a great deal more—such as the great friendship struck up between Oscar and Oliver, and the intense interest expressed by Hendrick on finding that his friend Paul possessed13 a manuscript copy of the Gospel of John, and the frequent perusals of that Gospel over the camp-fire, and the discussions that followed on the great subjects of man’s duty, the soul’s destiny, and the love of God, as shown in and by Jesus Christ—but over all this we must unwillingly14 draw a curtain and leave it to the courteous15 reader’s imagination, while we pass on to subjects which bear more directly on the issues of our tale.
One day, some time after leaving Hendrick’s camp on the great lake, Captain Trench and his son, with Paul Burns and the hunter, halted to rest on the summit of a cliff from which they could obtain a magnificent view of the country lying beyond.
They had by that time passed over the rich grassland16 with its park-like plains, its lakes and streams and belts of woodland, and had entered upon that mountainous region which lies towards the southwesterly portion of the island.
“Hendrick,” said Paul, as he gazed with admiration17 on the wild scene before him, “I have now seen enough to know that this land is most suitable for the abode18 of man. The soil is admirable; the woods contain magnificent timber; fish, flesh, and fowl19 are plentiful20; coal exists in, I should think, extensive fields, while there are indications in many places of great mineral wealth, especially copper21. Besides this, the land, you tell me, is pierced by innumerable bays, inlets, fords, and natural harbours; and, to crown all, the climate, except on some parts of the coast, is exceedingly good. Now it seems to me that these facts ought to be made known in England, and that our King should not only take possession, but should send out colonists22 to settle all over this island and develop its resources. If permitted, it will be my part to finish this exploration and carry home the news.”
Hendrick did not reply for a few minutes, then a faint sigh escaped him as he replied—
“No doubt what you say is just, and I doubt not that these plains and hills will one day resound23 with the activities of civilised life: the plough will obliterate24 the deer-tracks, the axe25 will lay low the forests, and the lowing of cattle and the bark of dogs will replace the trumpeting26 of the wild-goose and the cry of plover27; but when the change begins to come, I will strike my tent and go to the great unknown lands of the west, for I cannot bear the clatter28 and the strife29 of men.”
Paul was about to reply, when an arrow whizzed through the air, pierced the sleeve of his coat, scratched his left arm slightly as it passed, and quivered in a tree behind them.
Leaping up, each member of the party sprang for shelter behind a neighbouring tree.
At the same moment there arose a terrible cry, as of men rushing to attack each other. The form of the ground prevented our travellers from seeing the combatants, though the sound of their strife proved them to be close at hand. Suddenly Hendrick left the tree behind which he had taken shelter, and, running towards a precipitous bank or cliff, called to his companions to follow. They obeyed at once.
“I fear,” he said, as Paul ran up alongside of him, “that I know the meaning of this. Some of the voices sound familiar to me. That arrow was not, I think, discharged at us. We shall be wanted here. May I count on you?”
“You may,” said Paul. “I cannot doubt that your cause must be a just one.”
“I’m with you!” exclaimed Master Trench, plucking the hatchet30 from his son’s belt—a weapon that the youngster could well spare, as the bludgeon and the bow were still left to him.
Hendrick had spoken in quick, sharp tones, for he was evidently much excited. On reaching the crest32 of a rising ground he looked cautiously over it.
“As I thought!” he said; “my wife’s relations are attacked by savages33 from Labrador. Come, follow me!”
He ran swiftly round the base of the rising ground, not giving his comrades time even to see the combatants to whom he referred.
Suddenly they came in full sight of perhaps the most terrible sight that our fallen world can present—two bands of armed men, mad with rage, engaged in the fiendish work of butchering each other.
In the immediate35 foreground two powerful Indians were struggling each to plant a short spear in the other’s heart. One, who was shorter than the other but equally powerful, was making a desperate effort to wrench36 his right hand from his foe37’s grasp, and another foe was on the point of stabbing the short man in the back, when the white men appeared on the scene. Paul, the captain, and Oliver, although ready with arrow and bolt hesitated, for they knew not which to regard as foes38, and which as friends. No such difficulty, however, interfered39 with Hendrick, who sent an arrow into the brain of the savage34 who meant to strike from behind. At the same instant the short warrior40 succeeded in his effort; his spear flashed upwards41, and the next moment his tall enemy fell to rise no more.
Hendrick, who seemed to have been transformed into a human tiger, rushed to the attack with a shout and a display of fury that for a moment arrested the fight. The short Indian, whose life he had just saved, bestowed42 on him and his companions one look of surprise, and joined him in the rush. Captain Trench, whose combative43 tendencies were easily aroused, joined them with a roar which was somewhat intensified44 by the fact that he was still a little uncertain as to which was “the enemy.” Oliver relieved his overcharged bosom45 by an involuntary shriek46 or howl, that rose high and shrill47 above the tumult48, as he followed suit, whirling his bludgeon with some difficulty round his head.
The combined effect of all this was to strike terror into the enemy who, turning short round, fled precipitately49, and were followed for a considerable distance by some of the victorious50 Indians.
On returning from the pursuit, Hendrick introduced the short Indian as his wife’s cousin, who, with a party of hunters, had been out for a supply of fresh meat when attacked by the Labrador savages.
“It is an old feud51,” remarked Hendrick, as he and Paul sat a little apart that evening, while their comrades assisted the Indians to prepare supper; “an old feud. Oh! war—war! There is no place of rest from it, I fear, in this world.”
The hunter’s tone was so sad that Paul looked at him inquiringly.
“You are surprised,” said his companion, “that I should long thus for escape from the warring passions of men, but if you knew what reason I have for hating war, you would not wonder. Listen! Many years ago I went with my wife and child to visit a kinsman52 in the Scottish Highlands. I need scarcely tell you that it was not my present wife and child. She was young, fair, faultless in person and disposition53. Our little daughter resembled her in all respects. There chanced to be a miserable54 feud existing between my relative and a neighbouring chief. It originated in some disputed boundary, and always smouldered, like a subdued55 volcano, but occasionally broke forth56 in open warfare57. At the time of my visit my kinsman, who was a bachelor, had gone to transact58 some business at a town not far distant, leaving a message for me to follow him as he required my assistance in some family arrangements, and meant to return home the same night. I went, leaving my wife and child in the castle. That very night my kinsman’s foe—knowing nothing of my arrival—came to the castle, took the small body of defenders59 by surprise, overcame them, and set the place on fire. Fiendish and revengeful though the marauders were, I believe they would not wantonly have murdered the helpless ones, had they known of their being in the place, but they knew it not until too late.
“When we returned that night the castle was a black smoking ruin, and my wife and little one had perished! Can you wonder that I fled from the horrible spot; that I left my native land for ever; and that I shudder60 at the very thought of strife?”
“Nay, brother, I wonder not,” said Paul, in a sympathetic tone; “but I fear there is no region on the face of this earth where the terrible war-spirit, or, rather, war-fiend, is not alive.”
“Why, the man whose life I took this very day,” resumed Hendrick, clenching61 his right hand almost fiercely, “has doubtless left a woman at home who is now a widow, and it may be children, whom I have rendered fatherless! No rest—no rest anywhere from this constant slaying62 of our fellow-men; yet I was forced to do it to save the life of my wife’s kinsman! Oh! is there no deliverance, no hope for this poor world?”
“Hendrick,” said Paul, laying his hand impressively on his friend’s arm, “there is deliverance—there is hope. See here.”
He pulled out the manuscript Gospel as he spoke31, and turning over the well-thumbed leaves, read the words—
“‘Jesus saith... A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another... Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In My Father’s house are many mansions63.’ Hendrick, this same Jesus, who is Immanuel, God with us, has said, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden64, and I will give you rest.’ ‘Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.’ These latter words are not here, but they are in other scriptures65 which I have often heard read.”
“But how shall I know,” said the hunter earnestly, “that these words are true—that they are the words of God?”
For some time Paul made no reply, then suddenly, to the surprise of his friend, he looked upwards, and, in a low voice, said—
“O Holy Spirit of God, convince my friend that these words are Thine,—in Jesus’ name!”
Then, turning to the hunter, he continued: “Come, let us examine this writing together.”
“Something of this have I heard before,” said Hendrick, “and, as I thirst for light and truth, I will gladly examine it with you.”
Need we say that those two earnest men were soon engrossed66 in the study of the Word, and that the interruption of the evening meal did not prevent them from afterwards poring over the manuscript far into the night by the light of the camp-fire. Hendrick was well able to do so, for, like Paul, he had received a better education than fell to the lot of most men in those days.
At first Captain Trench and his son had listened to the conversation and discussion of the students with much interest and the sturdy matter-of-fact mariner67 even ventured to put one or two puzzling questions to them; but by degrees their interest flagged, and at last taking example by the Indians, they rolled themselves in deerskin robes and sought repose.
Continuing their journey next day, they were about to part from their Indian friends on the mountain ridge68, from which a view of the Western ocean could be obtained, when they observed a band of Indians in the far distance travelling eastward69.
“On the war-path!” suggested Hendrick.
After a prolonged gaze the kinsman of Trueheart came to the same conclusion, and said he felt sure that they were not from Labrador, but were evidently men of the Island.
“Can you guess what they are going to do?” asked Hendrick.
The Indian shook his head solemnly. “No, he did not know—he could not guess, and as they were separated by some miles of valleys, precipices70, and mountain gorges71, there was no possibility of finding out.”
After some time spent in speculation72 and guessing as to the intention of the war party, our explorers, bidding farewell to their red friends, proceeded on their journey, while the latter diverged73 to the southward, and continued their hunt after fresh meat.
If Paul Burns and his friends had known the purpose of the warriors74 whom they had just seen, it is probable that they might not have slept quite as soundly as they did that night under the greenwood trees.
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1
dilate
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| vt.使膨胀，使扩大 | |
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inflated
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| adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
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wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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otters
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| n.（水）獭( otter的名词复数 )；獭皮 | |
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beaver
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| n.海狸，河狸 | |
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trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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anecdotes
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| n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 ) | |
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narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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beguile
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| vt.欺骗，消遣 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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grassland
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| n.牧场，草地，草原 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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18
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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resound
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| v.回响 | |
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obliterate
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| v.擦去，涂抹，去掉...痕迹，消失，除去 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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trumpeting
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| 大声说出或宣告（trumpet的现在分词形式） | |
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plover
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| n.珩，珩科鸟，千鸟 | |
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28
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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31
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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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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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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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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39
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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40
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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41
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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42
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
combative
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| adj.好战的；好斗的 | |
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44
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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46
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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47
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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48
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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49
precipitately
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| adv.猛进地 | |
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50
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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51
feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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52
kinsman
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| n.男亲属 | |
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53
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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54
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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55
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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56
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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57
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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58
transact
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| v.处理；做交易；谈判 | |
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59
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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61
clenching
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的现在分词 ) | |
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62
slaying
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| 杀戮。 | |
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63
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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65
scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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66
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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67
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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69
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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70
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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71
gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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72
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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73
diverged
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| 分开( diverge的过去式和过去分词 )； 偏离； 分歧； 分道扬镳 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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