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

Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 103

Be Maintained Only By Constant Appeals To The Opinions Of His

Inferiors. As These Important Personages At Length Entered The Circle

In A Body,  Their Sullen Looks And Clouded Brows,  Notwithstanding The

Time Given To Consultation,  Sufficiently Proclaimed The Discontent

Which Reigned Among Them. The Eye Of Mahtoree Was Varying In Its

Expression,  From Sudden Gleams,  That Seemed To Kindle With The Burning

Impulses Of His Soul,  To That Cold And Guarded Steadiness,  Which Was

Thought More Peculiarly To Become A Chief In Council. He Took His

Seat,  With The Studied Simplicity Of A Demagogue; Though The Keen And

Flashing Glance,  That He Immediately Threw Around The Silent Assembly,

Betrayed The More Predominant Temper Of A Tyrant.

 

When All Were Present,  An Aged Warrior Lighted The Great Pipe Of His

People,  And Blew The Smoke Towards The Four Quarters Of The Heavens.

So Soon As This Propitiatory Offering Was Made,  He Tendered It To

Mahtoree,  Who,  In Affected Humility,  Passed It To A Grey-Headed Chief

By His Side. After The Influence Of The Soothing Weed Had Been Courted

By All,  A Grave Silence Succeeded,  As If Each Was Not Only Qualified

To,  But Actually Did,  Think More Deeply On The Matters Before Them.

Then An Old Indian Arose,  And Spoke As Follows:--

 

"The Eagle,  At The Falls Of The Endless River,  Was In Its Egg,  Many

Snows After My Hand Had Struck A Pawnee. What My Tongue Says,  My Eyes

Have Seen. Bohrecheena Is Very Old. The Hills Have Stood Longer In

Their Places,  Than He Has Been In His Tribe,  And The Rivers Were Full

And Empty,  Before He Was Born; But Where Is The Sioux That Knows It

Besides Himself? What He Says,  They Will Hear. If Any Of His Words

Fall To The Ground,  They Will Pick Them Up And Hold Them To Their

Ears. If Any Blow Away In The Wind,  My Young Men,  Who Are Very Nimble,

Will Catch Them. Now Listen. Since Water Ran And Trees Grew,  The Sioux

Has Found The Pawnee On His War-Path. As The Cougar Loves The

Antelope,  The Dahcotah Loves His Enemy. When The Wolf Finds The Fawn,

Does He Lie Down And Sleep? When The Panther Sees The Doe At The

Spring,  Does He Shut His Eyes? You Know That He Does Not. He Drinks

Too; But It Is Of Blood! A Sioux Is A Leaping Panther,  A Pawnee A

Trembling Deer. Let My Children Hear Me. They Will Find My Words Good.

I Have Spoken."

 

A Deep Guttural Exclamation Of Assent Broke From The Lips Of All The

Partisans Of Mahtoree,  As They Listened To This Sanguinary Advice From

One,  Who Was Certainly Among The Most Aged Men Of The Nation. That

Deeply Seated Love Of Vengeance,  Which Formed So Prominent A Feature

In Their Characters,  Was Gratified By His Metaphorical Allusions,  And

The Chief Himself Augured Favourably Of The Success Of His Own

Schemes,  By The Number Of Supporters,  Who Manifested Themselves To Be

In Favour Of The Counsels Of His Friend. But Still Unanimity Was Far

From Prevailing. A Long And Decorous Pause Was Suffered To Succeed The

Words Of The First Speaker,  In Order That All Might Duly Deliberate On

Their Wisdom,  Before Another Chief Took On Himself The Office Of

Refutation. The Second Orator,  Though Past The Prime Of His Days,  Was

Far Less Aged Than The One Who Had Preceded Him. He Felt The

Disadvantage Of This Circumstance,  And Endeavoured To Counteract It,

As Far As Possible,  By The Excess Of His Humility.

 

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"I Am But An Infant," He Commenced,  Looking Furtively Around Him,  In

Order To Detect How Far His Well-Established Character For Prudence

And Courage Contradicted His Assertion. "I Have Lived With The Women,

Since My Father Has Been A Man. If My Head Is Getting Grey,  It Is Not

Because I Am Old. Some Of The Snow,  Which Fell On It While I Have Been

Sleeping On The War-Paths,  Has Frozen There,  And The Hot Sun,  Near The

Osage Villages,  Has Not Been Strong Enough To Melt It." A Low Murmur

Was Heard,  Expressive Of Admiration Of The Services To Which He Thus

Artfully Alluded. The Orator Modestly Awaited For The Feeling To

Subside A Little,  And Then He Continued,  With Increasing Energy,

Encouraged By Their Commendations. "But The Eyes Of A Young Brave Are

Good. He Can See Very Far. He Is A Lynx. Look At Me Well. I Will Turn

My Back,  That You May See Both Sides Of Me. Now Do You Know I Am Your

Friend,  For You Look On A Part That A Pawnee Never Yet Saw. Now Look

At My Face; Not In This Seam,  For There Your Eyes Can Never See Into

My Spirit. It Is A Hole Cut By A Konza. But Here Is An Opening Made By

The Wahcondah,  Through Which You May Look Into The Soul. What Am I? A

Dahcotah,  Within And Without. You Know It. Therefore Hear Me. The

Blood Of Every Creature On The Prairie Is Red. Who Can Tell The Spot

Where A Pawnee Was Struck,  From The Place Where My Young Men Took A

Bison? It Is Of The Same Colour. The Master Of Life Made Them For Each

Other. He Made Them Alike. But Will The Grass Grow Green Where A Pale-

Face Is Killed? My Young Men Must Not Think That Nation So Numerous,

That It Will Not Miss A Warrior. They Call Them Over Often,  And Say,

Where Are My Sons? If They Miss One,  They Will Send Into The Prairies

To Look For Him. If They Cannot Find Him,  They Will Tell Their Runners

To Ask For Him,  Among The Siouxes. My Brethren,  The Big-Knives Are Not

Fools. There Is A Mighty Medicine Of Their Nation Now Among Us; Who

Can Tell How Loud Is His Voice,  Or How Long Is His Arm?--"

 

The Speech Of The Orator,  Who Was Beginning To Enter Into His Subject

With Warmth,  Was Cut Short By The Impatient Mahtoree,  Who Suddenly

Arose And Exclaimed,  In A Voice In Which Authority Was Mingled With

Contempt,  And At The Close With A Keen Tone Of Irony,  Also--

 

"Let My Young Men Lead The Evil Spirit Of The Palefaces To The

Council. My Brother Shall See His Medicine,  Face To Face!"

 

A Death-Like And Solemn Stillness Succeeded This Extraordinary

Interruption. It Not Only Involved A Deep Offence Against The Sacred

Courtesy Of Debate,  But The Mandate Was Likely To Brave The Unknown

Power Of One Of Those Incomprehensible Beings,  Whom Few Indians Were

Enlightened Enough,  At That Day,  To Regard Without Reverence,  Or Few

Hardy Enough To Oppose. The Subordinates,  However,  Obeyed,  And Obed

Was Led Forth From The Lodge,  Mounted On Asinus,  With A Ceremony And

State Which Was Certainly Intended For Derision,  But Which

Nevertheless Was Greatly Enhanced By Fear. As They Entered The Ring,

Mahtoree,  Who Had Foreseen And Had Endeavoured To Anticipate The

Influence Of The Doctor,  By Bringing Him Into Contempt,  Cast An Eye

Around The Assembly,  In Order To Gather His Success In The Various

Dark Visages By Which He Was Encircled.

 

Truly,  Nature And Art Had Combined To Produce Such An Effect From The

Air And Appointments Of The Naturalist,  As Might Have Made Him The

Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 105

Subject Of Wonder In Any Place. His Head Had Been Industriously

Shaved,  After The Most Approved Fashion Of Sioux Taste. A Gallant

Scalp-Lock,  Which Would Probably Not Have Been Spared Had The Doctor

Himself Been Consulted In The Matter,  Was All That Remained Of An

Exuberant,  And At That Particular Season Of The Year,  Far From

Uncomfortable Head Of Hair. Thick Coats Of Paint Had Been Laid On The

Naked Poll,  And Certain Fanciful Designs,  In The Same Material,  Had

Even Been Extended Into The Neighbourhood Of The Eyes And Mouth,

Lending To The Keen Expression Of The Former A Look Of Twinkling

Cunning,  And To The Dogmatism Of The Latter,  Not A Little Of The

Grimness Of Necromancy. He Had Been Despoiled Of His Upper Garments,

And,  In Their Stead,  His Body Was Sufficiently Protected From The

Cold,  By A Fantastically Painted Robe Of Dressed Deer-Skin. As If In

Mockery Of His Pursuit,  Sundry Toads,  Frogs,  Lizards,  Butterflies,

&C.,  All Duly Prepared To Take Their Places At Some Future Day,  In His

Own Private Cabinet,  Were Attached To The Solitary Lock On His Head,

To His Ears,  And To Various Other Conspicuous Parts Of His Person. If,

In Addition To The Effect Produced By These Quaint Auxiliaries To His

Costume,  We Add The Portentous And Troubled Gleamings Of Doubt,  Which

Rendered His Visage Doubly Austere,  And Proclaimed The Misgivings Of

The Worthy Obed's Mind,  As He Beheld His Personal Dignity Thus

Prostrated,  And What Was Of Far Greater Moment In His Eyes,  Himself

Led Forth,  As He Firmly Believed,  To Be The Victim Of Some Heathenish

Sacrifice,  The Reader Will Find No Difficulty In Giving Credit To The

Sensation Of Awe,  That Was Excited By His Appearance In A Band Already

More Than Half-Prepared To Worship Him,  As A Powerful Agent Of The

Evil Spirit.

 

Weucha Led Asinus Directly Into The Centre Of The Circle,  And Leaving

Them Together,  (For The Legs Of The Naturalist Were Attached To The

Beast In Such A Manner,  That The Two Animals Might Be Said To Be

Incorporated,  And To Form A New Order,) He Withdrew To His Proper

Place,  Gazing At The Conjuror,  As He Retired,  With A Wonder And

Admiration,  That Were Natural To The Groveling Dulness Of His Mind.

 

The Astonishment Seemed Mutual,  Between The Spectators And The Subject

Of This Strange Exhibition. If The Tetons Contemplated The Mysterious

Attributes Of The Medicine,  With Awe And Fear,  The Doctor Gazed On

Every Side Of Him,  With A Mixture Of Quite As Many Extraordinary

Emotions,  In Which The Latter Sensation,  However,  Formed No

Inconsiderable Ingredient. Every Where His Eyes,  Which Just At That

Moment Possessed A Secret Magnifying Quality,  Seemed To Rest On

Several Dark,  Savage,  And Obdurate Countenances At Once,  From None Of

Which Could He Extract A Solitary Gleam Of Sympathy Or Commiseration.

At Length His Wandering Gaze Fell On The Grave And Decent Features Of

The Trapper,  Who,  With Hector At His Feet,  Stood In The Edge Of The

Circle,  Leaning On That Rifle Which He Had Been Permitted,  As An

Acknowledged Friend,  To Resume,  And Apparently Musing On The Events

That Were Likely To Succeed A Council,  Marked By So Many And Such

Striking Ceremonies.

 

"Venerable Venator,  Or Hunter,  Or Trapper," Said The Disconsolate

Obed,  "I Rejoice Greatly In Meeting Thee Again. I Fear That The

Precious Time,  Which Had Been Allotted Me,  In Order To Complete A