The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2 - J Fenimore Cooper (books to improve english TXT) 📗
- Author: J Fenimore Cooper
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No Claim, Unless It Be Such As The Wolf Has To The Lamb. He Will Not
Give You The Child, You Call Your Niece; And Therein I Acknowledge
That I Am Far From Certain He Has The Same Justice On His Side.
Moreover, Neighbour Squatter, He Flatly Denies Your Demand For Me,
Miserable And Worthless As I Am; Nor Do I Think He Has Been Unwise In
So Doing, Seeing That I Should Have Many Reasons Against Journeying
Far In Your Company. But He Makes You An Offer, Which It Is Right And
Convenient You Should Know. The Teton Says Through Me, Who Am No More
Than A Mouthpiece, And Therein Not Answerable For The Sin Of His
Words, But He Says, As This Good Woman Is Getting Past The Comely Age,
It Is Reasonable For You To Tire Of Such A Wife. He Therefore Tells
You To Turn Her Out Of Your Lodge, And When It Is Empty, He Will Send
His Own Favourite, Or Rather She That Was His Favourite, The 'Skipping
Fawn,' As The Siouxes Call Her, To Fill Her Place. You See, Neighbour,
Though The Red-Skin Is Minded To Keep Your Property, He Is Willing To
Give You Wherewithal To Make Yourself Some Return!"
Ishmael Listened To These Replies, To His Several Demands, With That
Species Of Gathering Indignation, With Which The Dullest Tempers Mount
Into The Most Violent Paroxysms Of Rage. He Even Affected To Laugh At
The Conceit Of Exchanging His Long-Tried Partner For The More Flexible
Support Of The Youthful Tachechana, Though His Voice Was Hollow And
Unnatural In The Effort. But Esther Was Far From Giving The Proposal
So Facetious A Reception. Lifting Her Voice To Its Most Audible Key,
She Broke Forth, After Catching Her Breath Like One Who Had Been In
Some Imminent Danger Of Strangulation, As Follows--
"Hoity-Toity; Who Set An Indian Up For A Maker And Breaker Of The
Rights Of Wedded Wives! Does He Think A Woman Is A Beast Of The
Prairie, That She Is To Be Chased From A Village, By Dog And Gun. Let
The Bravest Squaw Of Them All Come Forth And Boast Of Her Doings; Can
She Show Such A Brood As Mine? A Wicked Tyrant Is That Thieving Red-
Skin, And A Bold Rogue I Warrant Me. He Would Be Captain In-Doors, As
Well As Out! An Honest Woman Is No Better In His Eyes Than One Of Your
Broomstick Jumpers. And You, Ishmael Bush, The Father Of Seven Sons
And So Many Comely Daughters, To Open Your Sinful Mouth, Except To
Curse Him! Would Ye Disgrace Colour, And Family, And Nation, By Mixing
White Blood With Red, And Would Ye Be The Parent Of A Race Of Mules!
The Devil Has Often Tempted You, My Man, But Never Before Has He Set
So Cunning A Snare As This. Go Back Among Your Children, Friend; Go,
And Remember That You Are Not A Prowling Bear, But A Christian Man,
And Thank God That You Ar' A Lawful Husband!"
The Clamour Of Esther Was Anticipated By The Judicious Trapper. He Had
Easily Foreseen That Her Meek Temper Would Overflow At So Scandalous A
Proposal As Repudiation, And He Now Profited By The Tempest, To Retire
To A Place Where He Was At Least Safe From Any Immediate Violence On
The Part Of Her Less Excited, But Certainly More Dangerous Husband.
Ishmael, Who Had Made His Demands With A Stout Determination To
Enforce Them, Was Diverted By The Windy Torrent, Like Many A More
Obstinate Husband, From His Purpose, And In Order To Appease A
Jealousy That Resembled The Fury With Which The Bear Defends Her Cubs,
Was Fain To Retire To A Distance From The Lodge, That Was Known To
Contain The Unoffending Object Of The Sudden Uproar.
Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 101
"Let Your Copper-Coloured Minx Come Forth, And Show Her Tawney Beauty
Before The Face Of A Woman Who Has Heard More Than One Church Bell,
And Seen A Power Of Real Quality," Cried Esther, Flourishing Her Hand
In Triumph, As She Drove Ishmael And Abiram Before Her, Like Two
Truant Boys, Towards Their Own Encampment. "I Warrant Me, I Warrant
Me, Here Is One Who Would Shortly Talk Her Down! Never Think To Tarry
Here, My Men; Never Think To Shut An Eye In A Camp, Through Which The
Devil Walks As Openly As If He Were A Gentleman, And Sure Of His
Welcome. Here, You Abner, Enoch, Jesse, Where Ar' Ye Gotten To? Put
To, Put To; If That Weak-Minded, Soft-Feeling Man, Your Father, Eats
Or Drinks Again In This Neighbourhood, We Shall See Him Poisoned With
The Craft Of The Red-Skins. Not That I Care, I, Who Comes Into My
Place, When It Is Once Lawfully Empty; But, Ishmael, I Never Thought
That You, Who Have Had One Woman With A White Skin, Would Find
Pleasure In Looking On A Brazen--Ay, That She Is Copper Ar' A Fact;
You Can't Deny It, And I Warrant Me, Brazen Enough Is She Too!"
Against This Ebullition Of Wounded Female Pride, The Experienced
Husband Made No Other Head, Than By An Occasional Exclamation, Which
He Intended To Be Precursor Of A Simple Asseveration Of His Own
Innocence. The Fury Of The Woman Would Not Be Appeased. She Listened
To Nothing But Her Own Voice, And Consequently Nothing Was Heard But
Her Mandates To Depart.
The Squatter Had Collected His Beasts And Loaded His Wagons, As A
Measure Of Precaution, Before Proceeding To The Extremity He
Contemplated. Esther Consequently Found Every Thing Favourable To Her
Wishes. The Young Men Stared At Each Other, As They Witnessed The
Extraordinary Excitement Of Their Mother, But Took Little Interest In
An Event Which, In The Course Of Their Experience, Had Found So Many
Parallels. By Command Of Their Father, The Tents Were Thrown Into The
Vehicles, As A Sort Of Reprisal For The Want Of Faith In Their Late
Ally, And Then The Train Left The Spot, In Its Usual Listless And
Sluggish Order.
As A Formidable Division Of Well-Armed Borderers Protected The Rear Of
The Retiring Party, The Siouxes Saw It Depart Without Manifesting The
Smallest Evidence Of Surprise Or Resentment. The Savage, Like The
Tiger, Rarely Makes His Attack On An Enemy Who Expects Him; And If The
Warriors Of The Tetons Meditated Any Hostility, It Was In The Still
And Patient Manner With Which The Feline Beasts Watch For The
Incautious Moment, In Order To Ensure The Blow. The Counsels Of
Mahtoree, However, On Whom So Much Of The Policy Of His People
Depended, Lay Deep In The Depository Of His Own Thoughts. Perhaps He
Rejoiced At So Easy A Manner Of Getting Rid Of Claims So Troublesome;
Perhaps He Awaited A Fitting Time To Exhibit His Power; Or It Even
Might Be, That Matters Of So Much Greater Importance Were Pressing On
His Mind, That It Had Not Leisure To Devote Any Of Its Faculties To An
Event Of So Much Indifference.
But It Would Seem That While Ishmael Made Such A Concession To The
Awakened Feelings Of Esther, He Was Far From Abandoning His Original
Intentions. His Train Followed The Course Of The River For A Mile, And
Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 102Then It Came To A Halt On The Brow Of The Elevated Land, And In A
Place Which Afforded The Necessary Facilities. Here He Again Pitched
His Tents, Unharnessed His Teams, Sent His Cattle On The Bottom, And,
In Short, Made All The Customary Preparations To Pass The Night, With
The Same Coolness And Deliberation As If He Had Not Hurled An
Irritating Defiance Into The Teeth Of His Dangerous Neighbours.
In The Mean Time The Tetons Proceeded To The More Regular Business Of
The Hour. A Fierce And Savage Joy Had Existed In The Camp, From The
Instant When It Had Been Announced That Their Own Chief Was Returning
With The Long-Dreaded And Hated Partisan Of Their Enemies. For Many
Hours The Crones Of The Tribe Had Been Going From Lodge To Lodge, In
Order To Stimulate The Tempers Of The Warriors To Such A Pass, As
Might Leave But Little Room For Mercy. To One They Spoke Of A Son,
Whose Scalp Was Drying In The Smoke Of A Pawnee Lodge. To Another,
They Enumerated His Own Scars, His Disgraces, And Defeats; With A
Third, They Dwelt On His Losses Of Skins And Horses; And A Fourth Was
Reminded Of Vengeance By A Significant Question, Concerning Some
Flagrant Adventure, In Which He Was Known To Have Been A Sufferer.
By These Means The Men Had Been So Far Excited As To Have Assembled,
In The Manner Already Related, Though It Still Remained A Matter Of
Doubt How Far They Intended To Carry Their Revenge. A Variety Of
Opinions Prevailed On The Policy Of Executing Their Prisoners; And
Mahtoree Had Suspended The Discussions, In Order To Ascertain How Far
The Measure Might Propitiate, Or Retard, His Own Particular Views.
Hitherto The Consultations Had Merely Been Preliminary, With A Design
That Each Chief Might Discover The Number Of Supporters His Particular
Views Would Be Likely To Obtain, When The Important Subject Should
Come Before A More Solemn Council Of The Tribe. The Moment For The
Latter Had Now Arrived, And The Preparations Were Made With A Dignity
And Solemnity Suited To The Momentous Interests Of The Occasion.
With A Refinement In Cruelty, That None But An Indian Would Have
Imagined, The Place, Selected For This Grave Deliberation, Was
Immediately About The Post To Which The Most Important Of Its Subjects
Was Attached. Middleton And Paul Were Brought In Their Bonds, And Laid
At The Feet Of The Pawnee; Then The Men Began To Take Their Places,
According To Their Several Claims To Distinction. As Warrior After
Warrior Approached, He Seated Himself In The Wide Circle, With A Mien
As Composed And Thoughtful, As If His Mind Were Actually In A
Condition To Deal Out Justice, Tempered, As It Should Be, With The
Heavenly Quality Of Mercy. A Place Was Reserved For Three Or Four Of
The Principal Chiefs, And A Few Of The Oldest Of The Women, As
Withered, As Age, Exposure, Hardships, And Lives Of Savage Passions
Could Make Them, Thrust Themselves Into The Foremost Circle, With A
Temerity, To Which They Were Impelled By Their Insatiable Desire For
Cruelty, And Which Nothing, But Their Years And Their Long Tried
Fidelity To The Nation, Would Have Excused.
All, But The Chiefs Already Named, Were Now In Their Places. These Had
Delayed Their Appearance, In The Vain Hope That Their Own Unanimity
Might Smooth The Way To That Of Their Respective Factions; For,
Notwithstanding The Superior Influence Of Mahtoree, His Power Was To
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