Death is busy everywhere.
SHELLEY
It was a breathless moment. The only clue the fugitives1 possessed3 to the intentions of their pursuers was in their gestures and the indications which escaped them in the fury of disappointment. That a party had returned already, on their own footsteps, by land, was pretty certain; and all the benefit expected from the artifice4 of the fire was necessarily lost. But that consideration became of little moment just then; for the party was menaced with an immediate5 discovery by those who had kept on a level with the river. All the facts presented themselves clearly, and as it might be by intuition, to the mind of Pathfinder, who perceived the necessity of immediate decision and of being in readiness to act in concert. Without making any noise, therefore, he managed to get the two Indians and Jasper near him, when he opened his communications in a whisper.
“We must be ready, we must be ready,” he said. “There are but three of the scalping devils, and we are five, four of whom may be set down as manful warriors7 for such a skrimmage. Eau-douce, do you take the fellow that is painted like death; Chingachgook, I give you the chief; and Arrowhead must keep his eye on the young one. There must be no mistake, for two bullets in the same body would be sinful waste, with one like the Sergeant’s daughter in danger. I shall hold myself in resarve against accident, lest a fourth reptile8 appear, for one of your hands may prove unsteady. By no means fire until I give the word; we must not let the crack of the rifle be heard except in the last resort, since all the rest of the miscreants9 are still within hearing. Jasper, boy, in case of any movement behind us on the bank, I trust to you to run out the canoe with the Sergeant’s daughter, and to pull for the garrison10, by God’s leave.”
The Pathfinder had no sooner given these directions than the near approach of their enemies rendered profound silence necessary. The Iroquois in the river were slowly descending12 the stream; keeping of necessity near the bushes which overhung the water, while the rustling13 of leaves and the snapping of twigs14 soon gave fearful evidence that another party was moving along the bank, at an equally graduated pace; and directly abreast15 of them. In consequence of the distance between the bushes planted by the fugitives and the true shore, the two parties became visible to each other when opposite that precise point. Both stopped, and a conversation ensued, that may be said to have passed directly over the heads of those who were concealed16. Indeed, nothing sheltered the travellers but the branches and leaves of plants, so pliant18 that they yielded to every current of air, and which a puff19 of wind a little stronger than common would have blown away. Fortunately the line of sight carried the eyes of the two parties of savages20, whether they stood in the water or on the land, above the bushes, and the leaves appeared blended in a way to excite no suspicion. Perhaps the very boldness of the expedient22 alone prevented an immediate exposure. The conversation which took place was conducted earnestly, but in guarded tones, as if those who spoke23 wished to defeat the intentions of any listeners. It was in a dialect that both the Indian warriors beneath, as well as the Pathfinder, understood. Even Jasper comprehended a portion of what was said.
“The trail is washed away by the water!” said one from below, who stood so near the artificial cover of the fugitives, that he might have been struck by the salmon24-spear that lay in the bottom of Jasper’s canoe. “Water has washed it so clear that a Yengeese hound could not follow.”
“The pale-faces have left the shore in their canoes,” answered the speaker on the bank.
“It cannot be. The rifles of our warriors below are certain.”
The Pathfinder gave a significant glance at Jasper, and he clinched25 his teeth in order to suppress the sound of his own breathing.
“Let my young men look as if their eyes were eagles’,” said the eldest26 warrior6 among those who were wading27 in the river. “We have been a whole moon on the war-path, and have found but one scalp. There is a maiden28 among them, and some of our braves want wives.”
Happily these words were lost on Mabel; but Jasper’s frown became deeper, and his face fiercely flushed.
The savages now ceased speaking, and the party which was concealed heard the slow and guarded movements of those who were on the bank, as they pushed the bushes aside in their wary29 progress. It was soon evident that the latter had passed the cover; but the group in the water still remained, scanning the shore with eyes that glared through their war-paint like coals of living fire. After a pause of two or three minutes, these three began also to descend11 the stream, though it was step by step, as men move who look for an object that has been lost. In this manner they passed the artificial screen, and Pathfinder opened his mouth in that hearty30 but noiseless laugh that nature and habit had contributed to render a peculiarity31 of the man. His triumph, however, was premature32; for the last of the retiring party, just at this moment casting a look behind him, suddenly stopped; and his fixed33 attitude and steady gaze at once betrayed the appalling34 fact that some neglected bush had awakened35 his suspicions.
It was perhaps fortunate for the concealed that the warrior who manifested these fearful signs of distrust was young, and had still a reputation to acquire. He knew the importance of discretion37 and modesty38 in one of his years, and most of all did he dread39 the ridicule40 and contempt that would certainly follow a false alarm. Without recalling any of his companions, therefore, he turned on his own footsteps; and, while the others continued to descend the river, he cautiously approached the bushes, on which his looks were still fastened, as by a charm. Some of the leaves which were exposed to the sun had drooped41 a little, and this slight departure from the usual natural laws had caught the quick eyes of the Indian; for so practised and acute do the senses of the savage21 become, more especially when he is on the war-path, that trifles apparently42 of the most insignificant43 sort often prove to be clues to lead him to his object.
The trifling44 nature of the change which had aroused the suspicion of this youth was an additional motive45 for not acquainting his companions with his discovery. Should he really detect anything, his glory would be the greater for being unshared; and should he not, he might hope to escape that derision which the young Indian so much dreads46. Then there were the dangers of an ambush47 and a surprise, to which every warrior of the woods is keenly alive, to render his approach slow and cautious. In consequence of the delay that proceeded from these combined causes, the two parties had descended48 some fifty or sixty yards before the young savage was again near enough to the bushes of the Pathfinder to touch them with his hand.
Notwithstanding their critical situation, the whole party behind the cover had their eyes fastened on the working countenance50 of the young Iroquois, who was agitated51 by conflicting feelings. First came the eager hope of obtaining success where some of the most experienced of his tribe had failed, and with it a degree of glory that had seldom fallen to the share of one of his years or a brave on his first war-path; then followed doubts, as the drooping52 leaves seemed to rise again and to revive in the currents of air; and distrust of hidden danger lent its exciting feeling to keep the eloquent53 features in play. So very slight, however, had been the alteration54 produced by the heat on the bushes of which the stems were in the water, that when the Iroquois actually laid his hand on the leaves, he fancied that he had been deceived. As no man ever distrusts strongly without using all convenient means of satisfying his doubts, however, the young warrior cautiously pushed aside the branches and advanced a step within the hiding-place, when the forms of the concealed party met his gaze, resembling so many breathless statues. The low exclamation55, the slight start, and the glaring eye, were hardly seen and heard, before the arm of Chingachgook was raised, and the tomahawk of the Delaware descended on the shaven head of his foe56. The Iroquois raised his hands frantically57, bounded backward, and fell into the water, at a spot where the current swept the body away, the struggling limbs still tossing and writhing58 in the agony of death. The Delaware made a vigorous but unsuccessful attempt to seize an arm, with the hope of securing the scalp; but the bloodstained waters whirled down the current, carrying with them their quivering burden.
All this passed in less than a minute, and the events were so sudden and unexpected, that men less accustomed than the Pathfinder and his associates to forest warfare59 would have been at a loss how to act.
“There is not a moment to lose,” said Jasper, tearing aside the bushes, as he spoke earnestly, but in a suppressed voice. “Do as I do, Master Cap, if you would save your niece; and you, Mabel, lie at your length in the canoe.”
The words were scarcely uttered when, seizing the bow of the light boat he dragged it along the shore, wading himself, while Cap aided behind, keeping so near the bank as to avoid being seen by the savages below, and striving to gain the turn in the river above him which would effectually conceal17 the party from the enemy. The Pathfinder’s canoe lay nearest to the bank, and was necessarily the last to quit the shore. The Delaware leaped on the narrow strand60 and plunged61 into the forest, it being his assigned duty to watch the foe in that quarter, while Arrowhead motioned to his white companion to seize the bow of the boat and to follow Jasper. All this was the work of an instant; but when the Pathfinder reached the current that was sweeping62 round the turn, he felt a sudden change in the weight he was dragging, and, looking back, he found that both the Tuscarora and his wife had deserted63 him. The thought of treachery flashed upon his mind, but there was no time to pause, for the wailing65 shout that arose from the party below proclaimed that the body of the young Iroquois had floated as low as the spot reached by his friends. The report of a rifle followed; and then the guide saw that Jasper, having doubled the bend in the river, was crossing the stream, standing49 erect66 in the stern of the canoe, while Cap was seated forward, both propelling the light boat with vigorous strokes of the paddles. A glance, a thought, and an expedient followed each other quickly in one so trained in the vicissitudes67 of the frontier warfare. Springing into the stern of his own canoe, he urged it by a vigorous shove into the current, and commenced crossing the stream himself, at a point so much lower than that of his companions as to offer his own person for a target to the enemy, well knowing that their keen desire to secure a scalp would control all other feelings.
“Keep well up the current, Jasper,” shouted the gallant68 guide, as he swept the water with long, steady, vigorous strokes of the paddle; “keep well up the current, and pull for the alder69 bushes opposite. Presarve the Sergeant’s daughter before all things, and leave these Mingo knaves71 to the Sarpent and me.”
Jasper flourished his paddle as a signal of understanding, while shot succeeded shot in quick succession, all now being aimed at the solitary72 man in the nearest canoe.
“Ay, empty your rifles like simpletons as you are,” said the Pathfinder, who had acquired a habit of speaking when alone, from passing so much of his time in the solitude73 of the forest; “empty your rifles with an unsteady aim, and give me time to put yard upon yard of river between us. I will not revile74 you like a Delaware or a Mohican; for my gifts are a white man’s gifts, and not an Indian’s; and boasting in battle is no part of a Christian75 warrior; but I may say here, all alone by myself, that you are little better than so many men from the town shooting at robins76 in the orchards77. That was well meant,” throwing back his head, as a rifle bullet cut a lock of hair from his temple; “but the lead that misses by an inch is as useless as the lead that never quits the barrel. Bravely done, Jasper! the Sergeant’s sweet child must be saved, even if we go in without our own scalps.”
By this time the Pathfinder was in the centre of the river, and almost abreast of his enemies, while the other canoe, impelled78 by the vigorous arms of Cap and Jasper, had nearly gained the opposite shore at the precise spot that had been pointed79 out to them. The old mariner80 now played his part manfully; for he was on his proper element, loved his niece sincerely, had a proper regard for his own person, and was not unused to fire, though his experience certainly lay in a very different species of warfare. A few strokes of the paddles were given, and the canoe shot into the bushes, Mabel was hurried to land by Jasper, and for the present all three of the fugitives were safe.
Not so with the Pathfinder: his hardy81 self-devotion had brought him into a situation of unusual exposure, the hazards of which were much increased by the fact that, just as he drifted nearest to the enemy the party on the shore rushed down the bank and joined their friends who still stood in the water. The Oswego was about a cable’s length in width at this point, and, the canoe being in the centre, the object was only a hundred yards from the rifles that were constantly discharged at it; or, at the usual target distance for that weapon.
In this extremity83 the steadiness and skill of the Pathfinder did him good service. He knew that his safety depended altogether on keeping in motion; for a stationary84 object at that distance, would have been hit nearly every shot. Nor was motion of itself sufficient; for, accustomed to kill the bounding deer, his enemies probably knew how to vary the line of aim so as to strike him, should he continue to move in any one direction. He was consequently compelled to change the course of the canoe — at one moment shooting down with the current, with the swiftness of an arrow; and at the next checking its progress in that direction, to glance athwart the stream. Luckily the Iroquois could not reload their pieces in the water, and the bushes that everywhere fringed the shore rendered it difficult to keep the fugitive2 in view when on the land. Aided by these circumstances, and having received the fire of all his foes85, the Pathfinder was gaining fast in distance, both downwards86 and across the current, when a new danger suddenly, if not unexpectedly, presented itself, by the appearance of the party that had been left in ambush below with a view to watch the river.
These were the savages alluded87 to in the short dialogue already related. They were no less than ten in number; and, understanding all the advantages of their bloody88 occupation, they had posted themselves at a spot where the water dashed among rocks and over shallows, in a way to form a rapid which, in the language of the country, is called a rift82. The Pathfinder saw that, if he entered this rift, he should be compelled to approach a point where the Iroquois had posted themselves, for the current was irresistible89, and the rocks allowed no other safe passage, while death or captivity90 would be the probable result of the attempt. All his efforts, therefore, were turned toward reaching the western shore, the foe being all on the eastern side of the river; but the exploit surpassed human power, and to attempt to stem the stream would at once have so far diminished the motion of the canoe as to render aim certain. In this exigency91 the guide came to a decision with his usual cool promptitude, making his preparations accordingly. Instead of endeavoring to gain the channel, he steered92 towards the shallowest part of the stream, on reaching which he seized his rifle and pack, leaped into the water, and began to wade93 from rock to rock, taking the direction of the western shore. The canoe whirled about in the furious current, now rolling over some slippery stone, now filling, and then emptying itself, until it lodged94 on the shore, within a few yards of the spot where the Iroquois had posted themselves.
In the meanwhile the Pathfinder was far from being out of danger; for the first minute, admiration95 of his promptitude and daring, which are so high virtues96 in the mind of an Indian, kept his enemies motionless; but the desire of revenge, and the cravings for the much-prized trophy97, soon overcame this transient feeling, and aroused them from their stupor98. Rifle flashed after rifle, and the bullets whistled around the head of the fugitive, amid the roar of the waters. Still he proceeded like one who bore a charmed life; for, while his rude frontier garments were more than once cut, his skin was not razed100.
As the Pathfinder, in several instances, was compelled to wade in water which rose nearly to his arms, while he kept his rifle and ammunition101 elevated above the raging current, the toil102 soon fatigued103 him, and he was glad to stop at a large stone, or a small rock, which rose so high above the river that its upper surface was dry. On this stone he placed his powder-horn, getting behind it himself, so as to have the advantage of a partial cover for his body. The western shore was only fifty feet distant, but the quiet, swift, dark current that glanced through the interval104 sufficiently105 showed that here he would be compelled to swim.
A short cessation in the firing now took place on the part of the Indians, who gathered about the canoe, and, having found the paddles, were preparing to cross the river.
“Pathfinder,” called a voice from among the bushes, at the point nearest to the person addressed, on the western shore.
“What would you have, Jasper?”
“Be of good heart — friends are at hand, and not a single Mingo shall cross without suffering for his boldness. Had you not better leave the rifle on the rock, and swim to us before the rascals106 can get afloat?”
“A true woodsman never quits his piece while he has any powder in his horn or a bullet in his pouch107. I have not drawn108 a trigger this day, Eau-douce, and shouldn’t relish109 the idea of parting with those reptiles110 without causing them to remember my name. A little water will not harm my legs; and I see that blackguard, Arrowhead, among the scamps, and wish to send him the wages he has so faithfully earned. You have not brought the Sergeant’s daughter down here in a range with their bullets, I hope, Jasper?”
“She is safe for the present at least; though all depends on our keeping the river between us and the enemy. They must know our weakness now; and, should they cross, no doubt some of their party will be left on the other side.”
“This canoeing touches your gifts rather than mine, boy, though I will handle a paddle with the best Mingo that ever struck a salmon. If they cross below the rift, why can’t we cross in the still water above, and keep playing at dodge111 and turn with the wolves?”
“Because, as I have said, they will leave a party on the other shore; and then, Pathfinder, would you expose Mabel, to the rifles of the Iroquois?”
“The Sergeant’s daughter must be saved,” returned the guide, with calm energy. “You are right, Jasper; she has no gift to authorize112 her in offering her sweet face and tender body to a Mingo rifle. What can be done, then? They must be kept from crossing for an hour or two, if possible, when we must do our best in the darkness.”
“I agree with you, Pathfinder, if it can be effected; but are we strong enough for such a purpose?”
“The Lord is with us, boy, the Lord is with us; and it is unreasonable113 to suppose that one like the Sergeant’s daughter will be altogether abandoned by Providence114 in such a strait. There is not a boat between the falls and the garrison, except these two canoes, to my sartain knowledge; and I think it will go beyond red-skin gifts to cross in the face of two rifles like these of yourn and mine. I will not vaunt, Jasper; but it is well known on all this frontier that Killdeer seldom fails.”
“Your skill is admitted by all, far and near, Pathfinder; but a rifle takes time to be loaded; nor are you on the land, aided by a good cover, where you can work to the advantage you are used to. If you had our canoe, might you not pass to the shore with a dry rifle?”
“Can an eagle fly, Jasper?” returned the other, laughing in his usual manner, and looking back as he spoke. “But it would be unwise to expose yourself on the water; for them miscreants are beginning to bethink them again of powder and bullets.”
“It can be done without any such chances. Master Cap has gone up to the canoe, and will cast the branch of a tree into the river to try the current, which sets from the point above in the direction of your rock. See, there it comes already; if it float fairly, you must raise your arm, when the canoe will follow. At all events, if the boat should pass you, the eddy115 below will bring it up, and I can recover it.”
While Jasper was still speaking, the floating branch came in sight; and, quickening its progress with the increasing velocity116 of the current, it swept swiftly down towards the Pathfinder, who seized it as it was passing, and held it in the air as a sign of success. Cap understood the signal, and presently the canoe was launched into the stream, with a caution and an intelligence that the habits of the mariner had fitted him to observe. It floated in the same direction as the branch, and in a minute was arrested by the Pathfinder.
“This has been done with a frontier man’s judgment117 Jasper,” said the guide, laughing; “but you have your gifts, which incline most to the water, as mine incline to the woods. Now let them Mingo knaves cock their rifles and get rests, for this is the last chance they are likely to have at a man without a cover.”
“Nay, shove the canoe towards the shore, quartering the current, and throw yourself into it as it goes off,” said Jasper eagerly. “There is little use in running any risk.”
“I love to stand up face to face with my enemies like a man, while they set me the example,” returned the Pathfinder proudly. “I am not a red-skin born, and it is more a white man’s gifts to fight openly than to lie in ambushment.”
“And Mabel?”
“True, boy, true; the Sergeant’s daughter must be saved; and, as you say, foolish risks only become boys. Think you that you can catch the canoe where you stand?”
“There can be no doubt, if you give a vigorous push.”
Pathfinder made the necessary effort; the light bark shot across the intervening space, and Jasper seized it as it came to land. To secure the canoe, and to take proper positions in the cover, occupied the friends but a moment, when they shook hands cordially, like those who had met after a long separation.
“Now, Jasper, we shall see if a Mingo of them all dares cross the Oswego in the teeth of Killdeer! You are handier with the oar99 and the paddle and the sail than with the rifle, perhaps; but you have a stout118 heart and a steady hand, and them are things that count in a fight.”
“Mabel will find me between her and her enemies,” said Jasper calmly.
“Yes, yes, the Sergeant’s daughter must be protected. I like you, boy, on your own account; but I like you all the better that you think of one so feeble at a moment when there is need of all your manhood. See, Jasper! Three of the knaves are actually getting into the canoe! They must believe we have fled, or they would not surely venture so much, directly in the very face of Killdeer.”
Sure enough the Iroquois did appear bent119 on venturing across the stream; for, as the Pathfinder and his friends now kept their persons strictly120 concealed, their enemies began to think that the latter had taken to flight. Such a course was that which most white men would have followed; but Mabel was under the care of those who were much too well skilled in forest warfare to neglect to defend the only pass that, in truth, now offered even a probable chance for protection.
As the Pathfinder had said, three warriors were in the canoe, two holding their rifles at a poise121, as they knelt in readiness to aim the deadly weapons, and the other standing erect in the stern to wield122 the paddle. In this manner they left the shore, having had the precaution to haul the canoe, previously123 to entering it, so far up the stream as to have got into the comparatively still water above the rift. It was apparent at a glance that the savage who guided the boat was skilled in the art; for the long steady sweep of his paddle sent the light bark over the glassy surface of the tranquil124 river as if it were a feather floating in air.
“Shall I fire?” demanded Jasper in a whisper, trembling with eagerness to engage.
“Not yet, boy, not yet. There are but three of them, and if Master Cap yonder knows how to use the popguns he carries in his belt, we may even let them land, and then we shall recover the canoe.”
“But Mabel —?”
“No fear for the Sergeant’s daughter. She is safe in the hollow stump125, you say, with the opening judgmatically hid by the brambles. If what you tell me of the manner in which you concealed the trail be true, the sweet one might lie there a month and laugh at the Mingos.”
“We are never certain. I wish we had brought her nearer to our own cover!”
“What for, Eau-douce? To place her pretty little head and leaping heart among flying bullets? No, no: she is better where she is, because she is safer.”
“We are never certain. We thought ourselves safe behind the bushes, and yet you saw that we were discovered.”
“And the Mingo imp36 paid for his curiosity, as these knaves are about to do.”
The Pathfinder ceased speaking; for at that instant the sharp report of a rifle was heard, when the Indian in the stern of the canoe leaped high into the air, and fell into the water, holding the paddle in his hand. A small wreath of smoke floated out from among the bushes of the eastern shore, and was soon absorbed by the atmosphere.
“That is the Sarpent hissing126!” exclaimed the Pathfinder exultingly127. “A bolder or a truer heart never beat in the breast of a Delaware. I am sorry that he interfered128; but he could not have known our condition.”
The canoe had no sooner lost its guide than it floated with the stream, and was soon sucked into the rapids of the rift. Perfectly129 helpless, the two remaining savages gazed wildly about them, but could offer no resistance to the power of the element. It was perhaps fortunate for Chingachgook that the attention of most of the Iroquois was intently given to the situation of those in the boat, else would his escape have been to the last degree difficult, if not totally impracticable. But not a foe moved, except to conceal his person behind some cover; and every eye was riveted130 on the two remaining adventurers. In less time than has been necessary to record these occurrences, the canoe was whirling and tossing in the rift, while both the savages had stretched themselves in its bottom, as the only means of preserving the equilibrium131. This natural expedient soon failed them; for, striking a rock, the light draft rolled over, and the two warriors were thrown into the river. The water is seldom deep on a rift, except in particular places where it may have worn channels; and there was little to be apprehended132 from drowning, though their arms were lost; and the two savages were fain to make the best of their way to the friendly shore, swimming and wading as circumstances required. The canoe itself lodged on a rock in the centre of the stream, where for the moment it became useless to both parties.
“Now is our time, Pathfinder,” cried Jasper, as the two Iroquois exposed most of their persons while wading in the shallowest part of the rapids: “the fellow up stream is mine, and you can take the lower.”
So excited had the young man become by all the incidents of the stirring scene, that the bullet sped from his rifle as he spoke, but uselessly, as it would seem, for both the fugitives tossed their arms in disdain133. The Pathfinder did not fire.
“No, no, Eau-douce,” he answered; “I do not seek blood without a cause; and my bullet is well leathered and carefully driven down, for the time of need. I love no Mingo, as is just, seeing how much I have consorted134 with the Delawares, who are their mortal and natural enemies; but I never pull trigger on one of the miscreants unless it be plain that his death will lead to some good end. The deer never leaped that fell by my hand wantonly. By living much alone with God in the wilderness135 a man gets to feel the justice of such opinions. One life is sufficient for our present wants; and there may yet be occasion to use Killdeer in behalf of the Sarpent, who has done an untimorsome thing to let them rampant136 devils so plainly know that he is in their neighborhood. As I’m a wicked sinner, there is one of them prowling along the bank this very moment, like one of the boys of the garrison skulking137 behind a fallen tree to get a shot at a squirrel!”
As the Pathfinder pointed with his finger while speaking, the quick eye of Jasper soon caught the object towards which it was directed. One of the young warriors of the enemy, burning with a desire to distinguish himself, had stolen from his party towards the cover in which Chingachgook had concealed himself; and as the latter was deceived by the apparent apathy138 of his foes, as well as engaged in some further preparations of his own, he had evidently obtained a position where he got a sight of the Delaware. This circumstance was apparent by the arrangements the Iroquois was making to fire, for Chingachgook himself was not visible from the western side of the river. The rift was at a bend in the Oswego, and the sweep of the eastern shore formed a curve so wide that Chingachgook was quite near to his enemies in a straight direction, though separated by several hundred feet on the land, owing to which fact air lines brought both parties nearly equidistant from the Pathfinder and Jasper. The general width of the river being a little less than two hundred yards, such necessarily was about the distance between his two observers and the skulking Iroquois.
“The Sarpent must be thereabouts,” observed Pathfinder, who never turned his eye for an instant from the young warrior; “and yet he must be strangely off his guard to allow a Mingo devil to get his stand so near, with manifest signs of bloodshed in his heart.”
“See!” interrupted Jasper —“there is the body of the Indian the Delaware shot! It has drifted on a rock, and the current has forced the head and face above the water.”
“Quite likely, boy, quite likely. Human natur’ is little better than a log of driftwood, when the life that was breathed into its nostrils139 is departed. That Iroquois will never harm any one more; but yonder skulking savage is bent on taking the scalp of my best and most tried friend.”
The Pathfinder suddenly interrupted himself by raising his rifle, a weapon of unusual length, with admirable precision, and firing the instant it had got its level. The Iroquois on the opposite shore was in the act of aiming when the fatal messenger from Killdeer arrived. His rifle was discharged, it is true, but it was with the muzzle140 in the air, while the man himself plunged into the bushes, quite evidently hurt, if not slain141.
“The skulking reptyle brought it on himself,” muttered Pathfinder sternly, as, dropping the butt142 of his rifle, he carefully commenced reloading it. “Chingachgook and I have consorted together since we were boys, and have fi’t in company on the Horican, the Mohawk, the Ontario, and all the other bloody passes between the country of the Frenchers and our own; and did the foolish knave70 believe that I would stand by and see my best friend cut off in an ambushment?”
“We have served the Sarpent as good a turn as he served us. Those rascals are troubled, Pathfinder, and are falling back into their covers, since they find we can reach them across the river.”
“The shot is no great matter, Jasper, no great matter. Ask any of the 60th, and they can tell you what Killdeer can do, and has done, and that, too, when the bullets were flying about our heads like hailstones. No, no! this is no great matter, and the unthoughtful vagabond drew it down on himself.”
“Is that a dog, or a deer, swimming towards this shore?” Pathfinder started, for sure enough an object was crossing the stream, above the rift, towards which, however, it was gradually setting by the force of the current. A second look satisfied both the observers that it was a man, and an Indian, though so concealed as at first to render it doubtful. Some stratagem143 was apprehended, and the closest attention was given to the movements of the stranger.
“He is pushing something before him as he swims, and his head resembles a drifting bush,” said Jasper.
“’Tis Indian devilry, boy; but Christian honesty shall circumvent144 their arts.”
As the man slowly approached, the observers began to doubt the accuracy of their first impressions, and it was only when two-thirds of the stream were passed that the truth was really known.
“The Big Sarpent, as I live!” exclaimed Pathfinder, looking at his companion, and laughing until the tears came into his eyes with pure delight at the success of the artifice. “He has tied bushes to his head, so as to hide it, put the horn on top, lashed64 the rifle to that bit of log he is pushing before him, and has come over to join his friends. Ah’s me! The times and times that he and I have cut such pranks145, right in the teeth of Mingos raging for our blood, in the great thoroughfare round and about Ty!”
“It may not be the Serpent after all, Pathfinder; I can see no feature that I remember.”
“Feature! Who looks for features in an Indian? No, no, boy; ’tis the paint that speaks, and none but a Delaware would wear that paint: them are his colors, Jasper, just as your craft on the lake wears St. George’s Cross, and the Frenchers set their tablecloths146 to fluttering in the wind, with all the stains of fish-bones and venison steaks upon them. Now, you see the eye, lad, and it is the eye of a chief. But, Eau-douce, fierce as it is in battle, and glassy as it looks from among the leaves,"— here the Pathfinder laid his fingers lightly but impressively on his companion’s arm — “I have seen it shed tears like rain. There is a soul and a heart under that red skin, rely on it; although they are a soul and a heart with gifts different from our own.”
“No one who is acquainted with the chief ever doubted that.”
“I know it,” returned the other proudly, “for I have consorted with him in sorrow and in joy: in one I have found him a man, however stricken; in the other, a chief who knows that the women of his tribe are the most seemly in light merriment. But hist! It is too much like the people of the settlements to pour soft speeches into another’s ear; and the Sarpent has keen senses. He knows I love him, and that I speak well of him behind his back; but a Delaware has modesty in his inmost natur’, though he will brag147 like a sinner when tied to a stake.”
The Serpent now reached the shore, directly in the front of his two comrades, with whose precise position he must have been acquainted before leaving the eastern side of the river, and rising from the water he shook himself like a dog, and made the usual exclamation —“Hugh!”
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1
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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2
fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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3
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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4
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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5
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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6
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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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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8
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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9
miscreants
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| n.恶棍，歹徒( miscreant的名词复数 ) | |
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10
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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11
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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12
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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13
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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14
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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15
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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16
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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17
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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18
pliant
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| adj.顺从的；可弯曲的 | |
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19
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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20
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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21
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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22
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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23
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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24
salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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25
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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26
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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27
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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28
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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29
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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30
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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31
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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32
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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33
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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34
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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35
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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36
imp
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| n.顽童 | |
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37
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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38
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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39
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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40
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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41
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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43
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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44
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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45
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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46
dreads
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| n.恐惧，畏惧( dread的名词复数 )；令人恐惧的事物v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的第三人称单数 ) | |
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47
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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48
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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49
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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50
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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51
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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52
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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53
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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54
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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55
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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56
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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57
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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58
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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59
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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60
strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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61
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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62
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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63
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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64
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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65
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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66
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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67
vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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68
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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69
alder
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| n.赤杨树 | |
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70
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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71
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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72
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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73
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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74
revile
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| v.辱骂，谩骂 | |
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75
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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76
robins
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| n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书） | |
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77
orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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78
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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80
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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81
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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82
rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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83
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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84
stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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85
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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86
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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87
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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89
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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90
captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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91
exigency
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| n.紧急；迫切需要 | |
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92
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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93
wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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94
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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95
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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96
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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97
trophy
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| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
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98
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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99
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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100
razed
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| v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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102
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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103
fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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104
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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105
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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106
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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107
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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108
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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109
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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110
reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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111
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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112
authorize
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| v.授权，委任；批准，认可 | |
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113
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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114
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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115
eddy
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| n.漩涡，涡流 | |
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116
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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117
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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119
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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120
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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121
poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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122
wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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123
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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125
stump
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| n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走 | |
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126
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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127
exultingly
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| 兴高采烈地，得意地 | |
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128
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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129
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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130
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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131
equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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132
apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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133
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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134
consorted
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| v.结伴( consort的过去式和过去分词 )；交往；相称；调和 | |
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135
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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136
rampant
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| adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的 | |
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137
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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138
apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 | |
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139
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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140
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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141
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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142
butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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143
stratagem
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| n.诡计，计谋 | |
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circumvent
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| vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜 | |
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pranks
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| n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 ) | |
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146
tablecloths
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| n.桌布，台布( tablecloth的名词复数 ) | |
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brag
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| v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的 | |
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