The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2 - J Fenimore Cooper (books to improve english TXT) 📗

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Foaming Water-Course A Desert Of Drifting Sand."

Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 70

The Naturalist Pondered Deeply. Like Most Others,  Who Are Not Endowed

With A Superfluity Of Physical Fortitude,  The Worthy Man Had Found The

Danger Of Passing The River,  In So Simple A Manner,  Magnifying Itself

In His Eyes So Rapidly,  As The Moment Of Adventure Approached,  That He

Actually Contemplated The Desperate Effort Of Going Round The River,

In Order To Escape The Hazard Of Crossing It. It May Not Be Necessary

To Dwell On The Incredible Ingenuity,  With Which Terror Will At Any

Time Prop A Tottering Argument. The Worthy Obed Had Gone Over The

Whole Subject,  With Commendable Diligence,  And Had Just Arrived At The

Consoling Conclusion,  That There Was Nearly As Much Glory In

Discerning The Hidden Sources Of So Considerable A Stream,  As In

Adding A Plant,  Or An Insect,  To The Lists Of The Learned,  When The

Pawnee Reached The Shore For The Second Time. The Old Man Took His

Seat,  With The Utmost Deliberation,  In The Vessel Of Skin (So Soon As

It Had Been Duly Arranged For His Reception),  And Having Carefully

Disposed Of Hector Between His Legs,  He Beckoned To His Companion To

Occupy The Third Place.

 

The Naturalist Placed A Foot In The Frail Vessel,  As An Elephant Will

Try A Bridge,  Or A Horse Is Often Seen To Make A Similar Experiment,

Before He Will Trust The Whole Of His Corporeal Treasure On The

Dreaded Flat,  And Then Withdrew,  Just As The Old Man Believed He Was

About To Seat Himself.

 

"Venerable Venator," He Said,  Mournfully,  "This Is A Most Unscientific

Bark. There Is An Inward Monitor Which Bids Me Distrust Its Security!"

 

"Anan?" Said The Old Man,  Who Was Pinching The Ears Of The Hound,  As A

Father Would Play With The Same Member In A Favourite Child.

 

"I Incline Not To This Irregular Mode Of Experimenting On Fluids. The

Vessel Has Neither Form,  Nor Proportions."

 

"It Is Not As Handsomely Turned As I Have Seen A Canoe In Birchen

Bark,  But Comfort May Be Taken In A Wigwam As Well As In A Palace."

 

"It Is Impossible That Any Vessel Constructed On Principles So

Repugnant To Science Can Be Safe. This Tub,  Venerable Hunter,  Will

Never Reach The Opposite Shore In Safety."

 

"You Are A Witness Of What It Has Done."

 

"Ay; But It Was An Anomaly In Prosperity. If Exceptions Were To Be

Taken As Rules,  In The Government Of Things,  The Human Race Would

Speedily Be Plunged In The Abysses Of Ignorance. Venerable Trapper,

This Expedient,  In Which You Would Repose Your Safety,  Is,  In The

Annals Of Regular Inventions,  What A Lusus Naturae May Be Termed In

The Lists Of Natural History--A Monster!"

 

How Much Longer Doctor Battius Might Have Felt Disposed To Prolong The

Discourse,  It Is Difficult To Say,  For In Addition To The Powerful

Personal Considerations,  Which Induced Him To Procrastinate An

Experiment Which Was Certainly Not Without Its Dangers,  The Pride Of

Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 71

Reason Was Beginning To Sustain Him In The Discussion. But,

Fortunately For The Credit Of The Old Man's Forbearance,  When The

Naturalist Reached The Word,  With Which He Terminated His Last Speech,

A Sound Arose In The Air That Seemed A Sort Of Supernatural Echo To

The Idea Itself. The Young Pawnee,  Who Had Awaited The Termination Of

The Incomprehensible Discussion,  With Grave And Characteristic

Patience,  Raised His Head,  And Listened To The Unknown Cry,  Like A

Stag,  Whose Mysterious Faculties Had Detected The Footsteps Of The

Distant Hounds In The Gale. The Trapper And The Doctor Were Not,

However,  Entirely So Uninstructed As To The Nature Of The

Extraordinary Sounds. The Latter Recognised In Them The Well-Known

Voice Of His Own Beast,  And He Was About To Rush Up The Little Bank,

Which Confined The Current,  With All The Longings Of Strong Affection,

When Asinus Himself Galloped Into View,  At No Great Distance,  Urged To

The Unnatural Gait By The Impatient And Brutal Weucha,  Who Bestrode

Him.

 

The Eyes Of The Teton,  And Those Of The Fugitives Met. The Former

Raised A Long,  Loud,  And Piercing Yell,  In Which The Notes Of

Exultation Were Fearfully Blended With Those Of Warning. The Signal

Served For A Finishing Blow To The Discussion On The Merits Of The

Bark,  The Doctor Stepping As Promptly To The Side Of The Old Man,  As

If A Mental Mist Had Been Miraculously Removed From His Eyes. In

Another Instant The Steed Of The Young Pawnee Was Struggling With The

Torrent.

 

The Utmost Strength Of The Horse Was Needed To Urge The Fugitives,

Beyond The Flight Of Arrows That Came Sailing Through The Air,  At The

Next Moment. The Cry Of Weucha Had Brought Fifty Of His Comrades To

The Shore,  But Fortunately Among Them All,  There Was Not One Of A Rank

Sufficient To Entitle Him To The Privilege Of Bearing A Fusee. One

Half The Stream,  However,  Was Not Passed,  Before The Form Of Mahtoree

Himself Was Seen On Its Bank,  And An Ineffectual Discharge Of Firearms

Announced The Rage And Disappointment Of The Chief. More Than Once The

Trapper Had Raised His Rifle,  As If About To Try Its Power On His

Enemies,  But He As Often Lowered It,  Without Firing. The Eyes Of The

Pawnee Warrior Glared Like Those Of The Cougar,  At The Sight Of So

Many Of The Hostile Tribe,  And He Answered The Impotent Effort Of

Their Chief,  By Tossing A Hand Into The Air In Contempt,  And Raising

The War-Cry Of His Nation. The Challenge Was Too Taunting To Be

Endured. The Tetons Dashed Into The Stream In A Body,  And The River

Became Dotted With The Dark Forms Of Beasts And Riders.

 

There Was Now A Fearful Struggle For The Friendly Bank. As The

Dahcotahs Advanced With Beasts,  Which Had Not,  Like That Of The

Pawnee,  Expended Their Strength In Former Efforts,  And As They Moved

Unincumbered By Any Thing But Their Riders,  The Speed Of The Pursuers

Greatly Outstripped That Of The Fugitives. The Trapper,  Who Clearly

Comprehended The Whole Danger Of Their Situation,  Calmly Turned His

Eyes From The Tetons To His Young Indian Associate,  In Order To

Examine Whether The Resolution Of The Latter Began To Falter,  As The

Former Lessened The Distance Between Them. Instead Of Betraying Fear,

However,  Or Any Of That Concern Which Might So Readily Have Been

Excited By The Peculiarity Of His Risk,  The Brow Of The Young Warrior

Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 72

Contracted To A Look Which Indicated High And Deadly Hostility.

 

"Do You Greatly Value Life,  Friend Doctor?" Demanded The Old Man,  With

A Sort Of Philosophical Calmness,  Which Made The Question Doubly

Appalling To His Companion.

 

"Not For Itself," Returned The Naturalist,  Sipping Some Of The Water

Of The River From The Hollow Of His Hand,  In Order To Clear His Husky

Throat. "Not For Itself,  But Exceedingly,  Inasmuch As Natural History

Has So Deep A Stake In My Existence. Therefore--"

 

"Ay!" Resumed The Other,  Who Mused Too Deeply To Dissect The Ideas Of

The Doctor With His Usual Sagacity,  "'Tis In Truth The History Of

Natur',  And A Base And Craven Feeling It Is! Now Is Life As Precious

To This Young Pawnee,  As To Any Governor In The States,  And He Might

Save It,  Or At Least Stand Some Chance Of Saving It,  By Letting Us Go

Down The Stream; And Yet You See He Keeps His Faith Manfully,  And Like

An Indian Warrior. For Myself,  I Am Old,  And Willing To Take The

Fortune That The Lord May See Fit To Give,  Nor Do I Conceit That You

Are Of Much Benefit To Mankind; And It Is A Crying Shame,  If Not A

Sin,  That So Fine A Youth As This Should Lose His Scalp For Two Beings

So Worthless As Ourselves. I Am Therefore Disposed,  Provided That It

Shall Prove Agreeable To You,  To Tell The Lad To Make The Best Of His

Way,  And To Leave Us To The Mercy Of The Tetons."

 

"I Repel The Proposition,  As Repugnant To Nature,  And As Treason To

Science!" Exclaimed The Alarmed Naturalist. "Our Progress Is

Miraculous; And As This Admirable Invention Moves With So Wonderful A

Facility,  A Few More Minutes Will Serve To Bring Us To Land."

 

The Old Man Regarded Him Intently For An Instant,  And Shaking His Head

He Said--

 

"Lord,  What A Thing Is Fear! It Transforms The Creatur's Of The World

And The Craft Of Man,  Making That Which Is Ugly,  Seemly In Our Eyes,

And That Which Is Beautiful,  Unsightly! Lord,  Lord,  What A Thing Is

Fear!"

 

A Termination Was,  However,  Put To The Discussion,  By The Increasing

Interest Of The Chase. The Horses Of The Dahcotahs Had,  By This Time,

Gained The Middle Of The Current,  And Their Riders Were Already

Filling The Air With Yells Of Triumph. At This Moment Middleton And

Paul Who Had Led The Females To A Little Thicket,  Appeared Again On

The Margin Of The Stream,  Menacing Their Enemies With The Rifle.

 

"Mount,  Mount," Shouted The Trapper,  The Instant He Beheld Them;

"Mount And Fly,  If You Value Those Who Lean On You For Help. Mount,

And Leave Us In The Hands Of The Lord."

 

"Stoop Your Head,  Old Trapper," Returned The Voice Of Paul,  "Down With

Ye Both Into Your Nest. The Teton Devil Is In Your Line; Down With

Your Heads And Make Way For A Kentucky Bullet."

 

The Old Man Turned His Head,  And Saw That The Eager Mahtoree,  Who

Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 73

Preceded His Party Some Distance,  Had Brought Himself Nearly In A Line

With The Bark And The Bee-Hunter,  Who Stood Perfectly Ready To Execute

His Hostile Threat. Bending His Body Low,  The Rifle Was Discharged,

And