The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2 - J Fenimore Cooper (books to improve english TXT) 📗
- Author: J Fenimore Cooper
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Wickedness Of The Settlements And The Villages. If I Live In A
Clearing, Here, It Is One Of The Lord's Making, And I Have No Hard
Thoughts On The Matter; But Never Again Shall I Be Seen Running
Wilfully Into The Danger Of Immoralities."
"I Had Not Thought Of Parting," Answered Middleton, Endeavouring To
Seek Some Relief From The Uneasiness He Felt, By Turning His Eyes On
The Sympathising Countenances Of His Friends; "On The Contrary, I Had
Hoped And Believed That You Would Have Accompanied Us Below, Where I
Give You A Sacred Pledge, Nothing Shall Be Wanting To Make Your Days
Comfortable."
"Yes, Lad, Yes; You Would Do Your Endeavours; But What Are The
Strivings Of Man Against The Working Of The Devil! Ay, If Kind Offers
And Good Wishes Could Have Done The Thing, I Might Have Been A
Congress Man, Or Perhaps A Governor, Years Agone. Your Grand'ther
Wished The Same, And There Are Them Still Lying In The Otsego
Mountains, As I Hope, Who Would Gladly Have Given Me A Palace For My
Dwelling. But What Are Riches Without Content! My Time Must Now Be
Short, At Any Rate, And I Hope It's No Mighty Sin For One, Who Has
Acted His Part Honestly Near Ninety Winters And Summers, To Wish To
Pass The Few Hours That Remain In Comfort. If You Think I Have Done
Wrong In Coming Thus Far To Quit You Again, Captain, I Will Own The
Reason Of The Act, Without Shame Or Backwardness. Though I Have Seen
So Much Of The Wilderness, It Is Not To Be Gainsayed, That My
Feelings, As Well As My Skin, Are White. Now It Would Not Be A Fitting
Spectacle, That Yonder Pawnee Loups Should Look Upon The Weakness Of
Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 164An Old Warrior, If Weakness He Should Happen To Show In Parting For
Ever From Those He Has Reason To Love, Though He May Not Set His Heart
So Strongly On Them, As To Wish To Go Into The Settlements In Their
Company."
"Harkee, Old Trapper," Said Paul, Clearing His Throat With A Desperate
Effort, As If Determined To Give His Voice A Clear Exit; "I Have Just
One Bargain To Make, Since You Talk Of Trading, Which Is Neither More
Or Less Than This. I Offer You, As My Side Of The Business, One Half
Of My Shanty, Nor Do I Much Care If It Be The Biggest Half; The
Sweetest And The Purest Honey That Can Be Made Of The Wild Locust;
Always Enough To Eat, With Now And Then A Mouthful Of Venison, Or, For
That Matter, A Morsel Of Buffaloe's Hump, Seeing That I Intend To Push
My Acquaintance With The Animal, And As Good And As Tidy Cooking As
Can Come From The Hands Of One Like Ellen Wade, Here, Who Will Shortly
Be Nelly Somebody-Else, And Altogether Such General Treatment As A
Decent Man Might Be Supposed To Pay To His Best Friend, Or For That
Matter, To His Own Father; In Return For The Same, You Ar' To Give Us
At Odd Moments Some Of Your Ancient Traditions, Perhaps A Little
Wholesome Advice On Occasions, In Small Quantities At A Time, And As
Much Of Your Agreeable Company As You Please."
"It Is Well--It Is Well, Boy," Returned The Old Man, Fumbling At His
Wallet; "Honestly Offered, And Not Unthankfully Declined--But It
Cannot Be; No, It Can Never Be."
"Venerable Venator," Said Dr. Battius; "There Are Obligations, Which
Every Man Owes To Society And To Human Nature. It Is Time That You
Should Return To Your Countrymen, To Deliver Up Some Of Those Stores
Of Experimental Knowledge That You Have Doubtless Obtained By So Long
A Sojourn In The Wilds, Which, However They May Be Corrupted By
Preconceived Opinions, Will Prove Acceptable Bequests To Those Whom,
As You Say, You Must Shortly Leave For Ever."
"Friend Physicianer," Returned The Trapper, Looking The Other Steadily
In The Face, "As It Would Be No Easy Matter To Judge Of The Temper Of
The Rattler By Considering The Fashions Of The Moose, So It Would Be
Hard To Speak Of The Usefulness Of One Man By Thinking Too Much Of The
Deeds Of Another. You Have Your Gifts Like Others, I Suppose, And
Little Do I Wish To Disturb Them. But As To Me, The Lord Has Made Me
For A Doer And Not A Talker, And Therefore Do I Consider It No Harm To
Shut My Ears To Your Invitation."
"It Is Enough," Interrupted Middleton, "I Have Seen And Heard So Much
Of This Extraordinary Man, As To Know That Persuasions Will Not Change
His Purpose. First We Will Hear Your Request, My Friend, And Then We
Will Consider What May Be Best Done For Your Advantage."
"It Is A Small Matter, Captain," Returned The Old Man, Succeeding At
Length In Opening His Bundle. "A Small And Trifling Matter Is It, To
What I Once Used To Offer In The Way Of Bargain; But Then It Is The
Best I Have, And Therein Not To Be Despised. Here Are The Skins Of
Four Beavers, That I Took, It Might Be A Month Afore We Met, And Here
Is Another From A Racoon, That Is Of No Great Matter To Be Sure, But
Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 165Which May Serve To Make Weight Atween Us."
"And What Do You Propose To Do With Them?"
"I Offer Them In Lawful Barter. Them Knaves The Siouxes, The Lord
Forgive Me For Ever Believing It Was The Konzas! Have Stolen The Best
Of My Traps, And Driven Me Altogether To Make-Shift Inventions, Which
Might Foretell A Dreary Winter For Me, Should My Time Stretch Into
Another Season. I Wish You Therefore To Take The Skins, And To Offer
Them To Some Of The Trappers You Will Not Fail To Meet Below In
Exchange For A Few Traps, And To Send The Same Into The Pawnee Village
In My Name. Be Careful To Have My Mark Painted On Them; A Letter N,
With A Hound's Ear, And The Lock Of A Rifle. There Is No Red-Skin Who
Will Then Dispute My Right. For All Which Trouble I Have Little More
To Offer Than My Thanks, Unless My Friend, The Bee-Hunter Here, Will
Accept Of The Racoon, And Take On Himself The Special Charge Of The
Whole Matter."
"If I Do, May I B--!" The Mouth Of Paul Was Stopped By The Hand Of
Ellen, And He Was Obliged To Swallow The Rest Of The Sentence, Which
He Did With A Species Of Emotion That Bore No Slight Resemblance To
The Process Of Strangulation.
"Well, Well," Returned The Old Man, Meekly; "I Hope There Is No Heavy
Offence In The Offer. I Know That The Skin Of A Racoon Is Of Small
Price, But Then It Was No Mighty Labour That I Asked In Return."
"You Entirely Mistake The Meaning Of Our Friend," Interrupted
Middleton, Who Observed, That The Bee-Hunter Was Looking In Every
Direction But The Right One, And That He Was Utterly Unable To Make
His Own Vindication. "He Did Not Mean To Say That He Declined The
Charge, But Merely That He Refused All Compensation. It Is
Unnecessary, However, To Say More Of This; It Shall Be My Office To
See That The Debt We Owe, Is Properly Discharged, And That All Your
Necessities Shall Be Anticipated."
"Anan!" Said The Old Man, Looking Up Enquiringly Into The Other's
Face, As If To Ask An Explanation.
"It Shall All Be As You Wish. Lay The Skins With My Baggage. We Will
Bargain For You As For Ourselves."
"Thankee, Thankee, Captain; You Grand'ther Was Of A Free And Generous
Mind. So Much So, In Truth, That Those Just People, The Delawares,
Called Him The 'Openhand.' I Wish, Now, I Was As I Used To Be, In
Order That I Might Send In The Lady A Few Delicate Martens For Her
Tippets And Overcoats, Just To Show You That I Know How To Give
Courtesy For Courtesy. But Do Not Expect The Same, For I Am Too Old To
Give A Promise! It Will All Be Just As The Lord Shall See Fit. I Can
Offer You Nothing Else, For I Haven't Liv'd So Long In The Wilderness,
Not To Know The Scrupulous Ways Of A Gentleman."
"Harkee, Old Trapper," Cried The Bee-Hunter, Striking His Own Hand
Into The Open Palm Which The Other Had Extended, With A Report But
Part 3 Chapter 33 Pg 166Little Below The Crack Of A Rifle, "I Have Just Two Things To Say--
Firstly, That The Captain Has Told You My Meaning Better Than I Can
Myself; And, Secondly, If You Want A Skin, Either For Your Private Use
Or To Send Abroad, I Have It At Your Service, And That Is The Skin Of
One Paul Hover."
The Old Man Returned The Grasp He Received, And Opened His Mouth To
The Utmost, In His Extraordinary, Silent, Laugh.
"You Couldn't Have Given Such A Squeeze, Boy, When The Teton Squaws
Were About You With Their Knives! Ah! You Are In Your Prime, And In
Your Vigour And Happiness, If Honesty Lies In Your Path." Then The
Expression Of His Rugged Features Suddenly Changed To A Look Of
Seriousness And Thought. "Come Hither, Lad," He Said, Leading The Bee-
Hunter By A Button To The Land, And Speaking Apart In A Tone Of
Admonition And Confidence; "Much Has Passed Atween Us On The Pleasures
And Respectableness Of A Life In The Woods, Or On The Borders. I Do
Not Now Mean To Say That All You Have Heard Is Not True, But Different
Tempers Call For Different Employments. You Have Taken To Your Bosom,
There, A Good And Kind Child, And It Has Become Your Duty To Consider
Her, As Well As Yourself, In Setting Forth In Life. You Are A Little
Given To Skirting The Settlements But, To My Poor Judgment, The Girl
Would Be More Like A Flourishing Flower In The Sun Of A Clearing, Than
In The Winds Of A Prairie. Therefore Forget Any Thing You May Have
Heard From Me, Which Is Nevertheless True, And Turn Your Mind On The
Ways Of The Inner Country."
Paul Could Only Answer With A Squeeze, That Would Have Brought Tears
From The Eyes Of Most Men, But Which Produced No Other Effect On The
Indurated Muscles Of The Other, Than To Make Him Laugh And Nod, As If
He Received The Same As A Pledge That
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