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

Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 113

To Have Traced A Single Distinct Emotion In The Lineaments Of The

Captive. He Had Heard His Release Proclaimed,  With The Same

Indifference As The Order To Bind Him To The Stake. But Now,  That The

Moment Had Arrived When It Became Necessary To Make His Election,  He

Spoke In A Way To Prove That The Fortitude,  Which Had Bought Him So

Distinguished A Name,  Had In No Degree Deserted Him.

 

"My Father Is Very Old,  But He Has Not Yet Looked Upon Every Thing,"

Said Hard-Heart,  In A Voice So Clear As To Be Heard By All In

Presence. "He Has Never Seen A Buffaloe Change To A Bat. He Will Never

See A Pawnee Become A Sioux!"

 

There Was A Suddenness,  And Yet A Calmness In The Manner Of Delivering

This Decision,  Which Assured Most Of The Auditors That It Was

Unalterable. The Heart Of Le Balafre,  However,  Was Yearning Towards

The Youth,  And The Fondness Of Age Was Not So Readily Repulsed.

Reproving The Burst Of Admiration And Triumph,  To Which The Boldness

Of The Declaration,  And The Freshened Hopes Of Revenge Had Given Rise,

By Turning His Gleaming Eye Around The Band,  The Veteran Again

Addressed His Adopted Child,  As If His Purpose Was Not To Be Denied.

 

"It Is Well," He Said; "Such Are The Words A Brave Should Use,  That

The Warriors May See His Heart. The Day Has Been When The Voice Of Le

Balafre Was Loudest Among The Lodges Of The Konzas. But The Root Of A

White Hair Is Wisdom. My Child Will Show The Tetons That He Is Brave,

By Striking Their Enemies. Men Of The Dahcotahs,  This Is My Son!"

 

The Pawnee Hesitated A Moment,  And Then Stepping In Front Of The

Chief,  He Took His Hard And Wrinkled Hand,  And Laid It With Reverence

On His Head,  As If To Acknowledge The Extent Of His Obligation. Then

Recoiling A Step,  He Raised His Person To Its Greatest Elevation,  And

Looked Upon The Hostile Band,  By Whom He Was Environed,  With An Air Of

Loftiness And Disdain,  As He Spoke Aloud,  In The Language Of The

Siouxes--

 

"Hard-Heart Has Looked At Himself,  Within And Without. He Has Thought

Of All He Has Done In The Hunts And In The Wars. Every Where He Is The

Same. There Is No Change. He Is In All Things A Pawnee. He Has Struck

So Many Tetons That He Could Never Eat In Their Lodges. His Arrows

Would Fly Backwards; The Point Of His Lance Would Be On The Wrong End;

Their Friends Would Weep At Every Whoop He Gave; Their Enemies Would

Laugh. Do The Tetons Know A Loup? Let Them Look At Him Again. His Head

Is Painted; His Arm Is Flesh; His Heart Is Rock. When The Tetons See

The Sun Come From The Rocky Mountains,  And Move Towards The Land Of

The Pale-Faces,  The Mind Of Hard-Heart Will Soften,  And His Spirit

Will Become Sioux. Until That Day,  He Will Live And Die A Pawnee."

 

A Yell Of Delight,  In Which Admiration And Ferocity Were Strangely

Mingled,  Interrupted The Speaker,  And But Too Clearly Announced The

Character Of His Fate. The Captive Awaited A Moment,  For The Commotion

To Subside,  And Then Turning Again To Le Balafre,  He Continued,  In

Tones Conciliating And Kind,  As If He Felt The Propriety Of Softening

His Refusal,  In A Manner Not To Wound The Pride Of One Who Would So

Gladly Be His Benefactor--

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"Let My Father Lean Heavier On The Fawn Of The Dahcotahs," He Said:

"She Is Weak Now,  But As Her Lodge Fills With Young,  She Will Be

Stronger. See," He Added,  Directing The Eyes Of The Other To The

Earnest Countenance Of The Attentive Trapper; "Hard-Heart Is Not

Without A Grey-Head To Show Him The Path To The Blessed Prairies. If

He Ever Has Another Father,  It Shall Be That Just Warrior."

 

Le Balafre Turned Away In Disappointment From The Youth,  And

Approached The Stranger,  Who Had Thus Anticipated His Design. The

Examination Between These Two Aged Men Was Long,  Mutual,  And Curious.

It Was Not Easy To Detect The Real Character Of The Trapper,  Through

The Mask Which The Hardships Of So Many Years Had Laid Upon His

Features,  Especially When Aided By His Wild And Peculiar Attire. Some

Moments Elapsed Before The Teton Spoke,  And Then It Was In Doubt

Whether He Addressed One Like Himself,  Or Some Wanderer Of That Race

Who,  He Had Heard,  Were Spreading Themselves,  Like Hungry Locusts,

Throughout The Land.

 

"The Head Of My Brother Is Very White," He Said; "But The Eye Of Le

Balafre Is No Longer Like The Eagle's. Of What Colour Is His Skin?"

 

"The Wahcondah Made Me Like These You See Waiting For A Dahcotah

Judgment; But Fair And Foul Has Coloured Me Darker Than The Skin Of A

Fox. What Of That! Though The Bark Is Ragged And Riven,  The Heart Of

The Tree Is Sound."

 

"My Brother Is A Big-Knife! Let Him Turn His Face Towards The Setting

Sun,  And Open His Eyes. Does He See The Salt Lake Beyond The

Mountains?"

 

"The Time Has Been,  Teton,  When Few Could See The White On The Eagle's

Head Farther Than I; But The Glare Of Fourscore And Seven Winters Has

Dimmed My Eyes,  And But Little Can I Boast Of Sight In My Latter Days.

Does The Sioux Think A Pale-Face Is A God,  That He Can Look Through

Hills?"

 

"Then Let My Brother Look At Me. I Am Nigh Him,  And He Can See That I

Am A Foolish Red-Man. Why Cannot His People See Every Thing,  Since

They Crave All?"

 

"I Understand You,  Chief; Nor Will I Gainsay The Justice Of Your

Words,  Seeing That They Are Too Much Founded In Truth. But Though Born

Of The Race You Love So Little,  My Worst Enemy,  Not Even A Lying

Mingo,  Would Dare To Say That I Ever Laid Hands On The Goods Of

Another,  Except Such As Were Taken In Manful Warfare; Or That I Ever

Coveted More Ground Than The Lord Has Intended Each Man To Fill."

 

"And Yet My Brother Has Come Among The Red-Skins To Find A Son?"

 

The Trapper Laid A Finger On The Naked Shoulder Of Le Balafre,  And

Looked Into His Scarred Countenance With A Wistful And Confidential

Expression,  As He Answered--

 

Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 115

"Ay; But It Was Only That I Might Do Good To The Boy. If You Think,

Dahcotah,  That I Adopted The Youth In Order To Prop My Age,  You Do As

Much Injustice To My Goodwill,  As You Seem To Know Little Of The

Merciless Intentions Of Your Own People. I Have Made Him My Son,  That

He May Know That One Is Left Behind Him. Peace,  Hector,  Peace! Is This

Decent,  Pup,  When Greyheads Are Counselling Together,  To Break In Upon

Their Discourse With The Whinings Of A Hound! The Dog Is Old,  Teton;

And Though Well Taught In Respect Of Behaviour,  He Is Getting,  Like

Ourselves,  I Fancy,  Something Forgetful Of The Fashions Of His Youth."

 

Further Discourse,  Between These Veterans,  Was Interrupted By A

Discordant Yell,  Which Burst At That Moment From The Lips Of The Dozen

Withered Crones,  Who Have Already Been Mentioned As Having Forced

Themselves Into A Conspicuous Part Of The Circle. The Outcry Was

Excited By A Sudden Change In The Air Of Hard-Heart. When The Old Men

Turned Towards The Youth,  They Saw Him Standing In The Very Centre Of

The Ring,  With His Head Erect,  His Eye Fixed On Vacancy,  One Leg

Advanced And An Arm A Little Raised,  As If All His Faculties Were

Absorbed In The Act Of Listening. A Smile Lighted His Countenance,  For

A Single Moment,  And Then The Whole Man Sunk Again Into His Former

Look Of Dignity And Coldness,  Suddenly Recalled To Self-Possession.

The Movement Had Been Construed Into Contempt,  And Even The Tempers Of

The Chiefs Began To Be Excited. Unable To Restrain Their Fury,  The

Women Broke Into The Circle In A Body,  And Commenced Their Attack By

Loading The Captive With The Most Bitter Revilings. They Boasted Of

The Various Exploits,  Which Their Sons Had Achieved At The Expense Of

The Different Tribes Of The Pawnees. They Undervalued His Own

Reputation,  And Told Him To Look At Mahtoree,  If He Had Never Yet Seen

A Warrior. They Accused Him Of Having Been Suckled By A Doe,  And Of

Having Drunk In Cowardice With His Mother's Milk. In Short,  They

Lavished Upon Their Unmoved Captive A Torrent Of That Vindictive

Abuse,  In Which The Women Of The Savages Are So Well Known To Excel,

But Which Has Been Too Often Described To Need A Repetition Here.

 

The Effect Of This Outbreaking Was Inevitable. Le Balafre Turned Away

Disappointed,  And Hid Himself In The Crowd,  While The Trapper,  Whose

Honest Features Were Working With Inward Emotion,  Pressed Nigher To

His Young Friend,  As Those Who Are Linked To The Criminal,  By Ties So

Strong As To Brave The Opinions Of Men,  Are Often Seen To Stand About

The Place Of Execution To Support His Dying Moments. The Excitement

Soon Spread Among The Inferior Warriors,  Though The Chiefs Still

Forbore To Make The Signal,  Which Committed The Victim To Their Mercy.

Mahtoree,  Who Had Awaited Such A Movement Among His Fellows,  With The

Wary Design Of Concealing His Own Jealous Hatred,  Soon Grew Weary Of

Delay,  And,  By A Glance Of His Eye,  Encouraged The Tormentors To

Proceed.

 

Weucha,  Who,  Eager For This Sanction,  Had Long Stood Watching The

Countenance Of The Chief,  Bounded Forward At The Signal Like A Blood-

Hound Loosened From The Leash. Forcing His Way Into The Centre Of The

Hags,  Who Were Already Proceeding From Abuse To Violence,  He Reproved

Their Impatience,  And Bade Them Wait,  Until A Warrior Had Begun To

Torment,  And Then They Should See Their Victim Shed Tears Like A

Woman.

Part 3 Chapter 28 Pg 116