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

Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 106

Mighty Labour,  Is Drawing To A Premature Close,  And I Would Gladly

Unburden My Mind To One Who,  If Not A Pupil Of Science,  Has At Least

Some Of The Knowledge Which Civilisation Imparts To Its Meanest

Subjects. Doubtless Many And Earnest Enquiries Will Be Made After My

Fate,  By The Learned Societies Of The World,  And Perhaps Expeditions

Will Be Sent Into These Regions To Remove Any Doubts,  Which May Arise

On So Important A Subject. I Esteem Myself Happy That A Man,  Who

Speaks The Vernacular,  Is Present,  To Preserve The Record Of My End.

You Will Say That After A Well-Spent And Glorious Life,  I Died A

Martyr To Science,  And A Victim To Mental Darkness. As I Expect To Be

Particularly Calm And Abstracted In My Last Moments,  If You Add A Few

Details,  Concerning The Fortitude And Scholastic Dignity With Which I

Met My Death,  It May Serve To Encourage Future Aspirants For Similar

Honours,  And Assuredly Give Offence To No One. And Now,  Friend

Trapper,  As A Duty I Owe To Human Nature,  I Will Conclude By Demanding

If All Hope Has Deserted Me,  Or If Any Means Still Exist By Which So

Much Valuable Information May Be Rescued From The Grasp Of Ignorance,

And Preserved To The Pages Of Natural History."

 

The Old Man Lent An Attentive Ear To This Melancholy Appeal,  And

Apparently He Reflected On Every Side Of The Important Question,

Before He Would Presume To Answer.

 

"I Take It,  Friend Physicianer," He At Length Gravely Replied,  "That

The Chances Of Life And Death,  In Your Particular Case,  Depend

Altogether On The Will Of Providence,  As It May Be Pleased To Manifest

It,  Through The Accursed Windings Of Indian Cunning. For My Own Part,

I See No Great Difference In The Main End To Be Gained,  Inasmuch As It

Can Matter No One Greatly,  Yourself Excepted,  Whether You Live Or

Die."

 

"Would You Account The Fall Of A Corner-Stone,  From The Foundations Of

The Edifice Of Learning,  A Matter Of Indifference To Contemporaries Or

To Posterity?" Interrupted Obed. "Besides,  My Aged Associate," He

Reproachfully Added,  "The Interest,  That A Man Has In His Own

Existence,  Is By No Means Trifling,  However It May Be Eclipsed By His

Devotion To More General And Philanthropic Feelings."

 

"What I Would Say Is This," Resumed The Trapper,  Who Was Far From

Understanding All The Subtle Distinctions With Which His More Learned

Companion So Often Saw Fit To Embellish His Discourse; "There Is But

One Birth And One Death To All Things,  Be It Hound,  Or Be It Deer; Be

It Red Skin,  Or Be It White. Both Are In The Hands Of The Lord,  It

Being As Unlawful For Man To Strive To Hasten The One,  As Impossible

To Prevent The Other. But I Will Not Say That Something May Not Be

Done To Put The Last Moment Aside,  For A While At Least,  And Therefore

It Is A Question,  That Any One Has A Right To Put To His Own Wisdom,

How Far He Will Go,  And How Much Pain He Will Suffer,  To Lengthen Out

A Time That May Have Been Too Long Already. Many A Dreary Winter And

Scorching Summer Has Gone By Since I Have Turned,  To The Right Hand Or

To The Left,  To Add An Hour To A Life That Has Already Stretched

Beyond Fourscore Years. I Keep Myself As Ready To Answer To My Name As

A Soldier At Evening Roll-Call. In My Judgment,  If Your Cases Are Left

To Indian Tempers,  The Policy Of The Great Sioux Will Lead His People

Part 3 Chapter 27 Pg 107

To Sacrifice You All; Nor Do I Put Much Dependence On His Seeming Love

For Me; Therefore It Becomes A Question Whether You Are Ready For Such

A Journey; And If,  Being Ready,  Whether This Is Not As Good A Time To

Start As Another. Should My Opinion Be Asked,  Thus Far Will I Give It

In Your Favour; That Is To Say,  It Is My Belief Your Life Has Been

Innocent Enough,  Touching Any Great Offences That You May Have

Committed,  Though Honesty Compels Me To Add,  That I Think All You Can

Lay Claim To,  On The Score Of Activity In Deeds,  Will Not Amount To

Any Thing Worth Naming In The Great Account."

 

Obed Turned A Rueful Eye On The Calm,  Philosophic Countenance Of The

Other,  As He Answered With So Discouraging A Statement Of His Case,

Clearing His Throat,  As He Did So,  In Order To Conceal The Desperate

Concern Which Began To Beset His Faculties,  With A Vestige Of That

Pride,  Which Rarely Deserts Poor Human Nature,  Even In The Greatest

Emergencies.

 

"I Believe,  Venerable Hunter," He Replied,  "Considering The Question

In All Its Bearings,  And Assuming That Your Theory Is Just,  It Will Be

The Safest To Conclude That I Am Not Prepared To Make So Hasty A

Departure,  And That Measures Of Precaution Should Be,  Forthwith,

Resorted To."

 

"Being In That Mind," Returned The Deliberate Trapper,  "I Will Act For

You As I Would For Myself; Though As Time Has Begun To Roll Down The

Hill With You,  I Will Just Advise That You Look To Your Case Speedily,

For It May So Happen That Your Name Will Be Heard,  When Quite As

Little Prepared To Answer To It As Now."

 

With This Amicable Understanding,  The Old Man Drew Back Again Into The

Ring,  Where He Stood Musing On The Course He Should Now Adopt,  With

The Singular Mixture Of Decision And Resignation That Proceeded From

His Habits And His Humility,  And Which United To Form A Character,  In

Which Excessive Energy,  And The Most Meek Submission To The Will Of

Providence,  Were Oddly Enough Combined.

 

 

Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 108

  The Witch,  In Smithfield,  Shall Be Burned To Ashes,  And You Three

  Shall Be Strangled On The Gallows.

                                                   --Shakspeare.

 

The Siouxes Had Awaited The Issue Of The Foregoing Dialogue With

Commendable Patience. Most Of The Band Were Restrained,  By The Secret

Awe With Which They Regarded The Mysterious Character Of Obed; While A

Few Of The More Intelligent Chiefs Gladly Profited By The Opportunity,

To Arrange Their Thoughts For The Struggle That Was Plainly Foreseen.

Mahtoree,  Influenced By Neither Of These Feelings,  Was Content To Show

The Trapper How Much He Conceded To His Pleasure; And When The Old Man

Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 109

Discontinued The Discourse,  He Received From The Chief A Glance,  That

Was Intended To Remind Him Of The Patience,  With Which He Had Awaited

His Movements. A Profound And Motionless Silence Succeeded The Short

Interruption. Then Mahtoree Arose,  Evidently Prepared To Speak. First

Placing Himself In An Attitude Of Dignity,  He Turned A Steady And

Severe Look On The Whole Assembly. The Expression Of His Eye,  However,

Changed As It Glanced Across The Different Countenances Of His

Supporters And Of His Opponents. To The Former The Look,  Though Stern,

Was Not Threatening,  While It Seemed To Tell The Latter All The

Hazards They Incurred,  In Daring To Brave The Resentment Of One So

Powerful.

 

Still,  In The Midst Of So Much Hauteur And Confidence,  The Sagacity

And Cunning Of The Teton Did Not Desert Him. When He Had Thrown The

Gauntlet,  As It Were,  To The Whole Tribe,  And Sufficiently Asserted

His Claim To Superiority,  His Mien Became More Affable And His Eye

Less Angry. Then It Was That He Raised His Voice,  In The Midst Of A

Death-Like Stillness,  Varying Its Tones To Suit The Changing Character

Of His Images,  And Of His Eloquence.

 

"What Is A Sioux?" The Chief Sagaciously Began; "He Is Ruler Of The

Prairies,  And Master Of Its Beasts. The Fishes In The 'River Of

Troubled Waters' Know Him,  And Come At His Call. He Is A Fox In

Counsel; An Eagle In Sight; A Grizzly Bear In Combat. A Dahcotah Is A

Man!" After Waiting For The Low Murmur Of Approbation,  Which Followed

This Flattering Portrait Of His People,  To Subside,  The Teton

Continued--"What Is A Pawnee? A Thief,  Who Only Steals From Women; A

Red-Skin,  Who Is Not Brave; A Hunter,  That Begs For His Venison. In

Counsel He Is A Squirrel,  Hopping From Place To Place; He Is An Owl,

That Goes On The Prairies At Night; In Battle He Is An Elk,  Whose Legs

Are Long. A Pawnee Is A Woman." Another Pause Succeeded,  During Which

A Yell Of Delight Broke From Several Mouths,  And A Demand Was Made,

That The Taunting Words Should Be Translated To The Unconscious

Subject Of Their Biting Contempt. The Old Man Took His Cue From The

Eyes Of Mahtoree,  And Complied. Hard-Heart Listened Gravely,  And Then,

As If Apprized That His Time To Speak Had Not Arrived,  He Once More

Bent His Look On The Vacant Air. The Orator Watched His Countenance,

With An Expression That Manifested How Inextinguishable Was The Hatred

He Felt For The Only Chief,  Far And Near,  Whose Fame Might

Advantageously Be Compared With His Own. Though Disappointed In Not

Having Touched The Pride Of One Whom He Regarded As A Boy,  He

Proceeded,  What He Considered As Far More Important,  To Quicken The

Tempers Of The Men Of His Own Tribe,  In Order That They Might Be

Prepared To Work His Savage Purposes. "If The Earth Was Covered With

Rats,  Which Are Good For Nothing," He Said,  "There Would Be No Room

For Buffaloes,  Which Give Food And Clothes To An Indian. If The

Prairies Were Covered With Pawnees,  There Would Be No Room For The

Foot Of A Dahcotah. A Loup Is A Rat,  A Sioux A Heavy Buffaloe; Let The

Buffaloes Tread Upon The Rats And Make Room For Themselves.

 

"My Brothers,  A Little Child Has Spoken To You. He Tells You,  His Hair

Is Not Grey,  But Frozen--That The Grass Will Not Grow Where A Pale-

Face Has Died. Does He Know The Colour Of The Blood Of A Big-Knife?

No! I Know He Does Not; He Has