The Knight Of The Golden Melice - John Turvill Adams (little red riding hood read aloud txt) 📗
- Author: John Turvill Adams
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Thou Not His."
"Nevertheless, It Were A Great Satisfaction Could I Discern The
Creature. Perhaps I May Bring Back A Buck For Breakfast. Thou Art
Acquainted With The Stupid Habit Of Deer To Gaze On Fire. It May Be
One Of Them."
"For All That, I Counsel Thee To Remain. A Prudent Soldier Exposes Not
Himself To Danger Without Cause."
"By Heaven!" Exclaimed Arundel, "I See The Eyes Of The Animal Again,
In The Light Of The Fire. I Will Shoot, Come What Will Of It;" And
Before The Knight Could Interfere, He Had Discharged His Piece In The
Direction Of The Object. The Dark Woods Echoed To The Report, And Some
Birds Disturbed From Their Perches Began To Flutter Blindly Round, But
No Other Sounds Were Heard, And Presently Silence, As Profound As
Before, Brooded Over The Forest.
"Thou Hast Been Guilty Of A Sad Imprudence, Master Arundel," Said The
Knight, "And I Hope No Evil Consequences May Result Therefrom. What
Art Thou About Now?"
But The Young Man, Who, From The Instant He Had Discharged His Piece,
Had Been Busy Reloading It, And Whose Preparations Were Now Completed,
Paid No Attention To The Question; But, Excited By What He Had Seen,
Rushed Out Of The Cave Into The Open Air.
"_Santa Madre De Dios!_" Exclaimed The Knight. "I Hope Nothing Evil
Will Befall Him. Were It Better Now To Follow Or To Remain?"
While Sir Christopher Was Deliberating, Arundel, Holding His Piece In
Readiness, Cautiously Took His Way Toward The Thicket, Whence He
Fancied The Eyes Had Looked. As He Was Groping Along, Not Yet
Recovered From The Blinding Effect Of The Fire-Glare, He Suddenly Felt
His Gun Seized, And Several Strong Arms Thrown Round His Person. He
Cried Out For Assistance, And Struggled, But In Vain. The Gun Was Torn
Away, A Hand Placed Over His Mouth, And A Tomahawk Brandished At Him,
As If To Intimate His Doom, Should He Continue His Outcries. In This
State Of Things Nothing Was Left But To Yield Himself To His Captors,
And, Resigning Himself To His Fate, He Waited For What Should Follow;
Nor Was He Kept Long In Suspense, For Presently An Indian Came Gliding
Up To The Group In Whose Midst He Stood, And Spoke A Few Words,
Whereupon He Was Led To The Cave, And Directed By Signs To Enter It.
Here He Found Sir Christopher Lying Quietly On The Ground, Without
Apparently Having Received Any Injury, And His Piece In The Possession
Of Some Indians By Whom He Was Surrounded. Arundel Was Permitted To
Sit Down By His Side, Admiring, As He Did So, The Wonderful Composure
Of The Knight.
Chapter XX ("There Have Been Holy Men Who Hid Themselves Deep In The Woody Wilderness.")
Bryant.
Arundel Had Now An Opportunity To Look Round And Observe The State Of
Things. Besides The Knight And Himself, There Were Seven Or Eight
Indians In The Little Cavern, Armed With Bows And Arrows; And He
Remarked With Pleasure That These Persons Were Not Stained With
War-Paint, Indicating That They Were On No Hostile Expedition, But
Engaged In Hunting. So Far From Offering Violence, Or Even Rudeness,
The Savages Treated Them With Marked Deference, Keeping At A
Respectful Distance, And Yielding To Them The Piles Of Hemlock
Branches Which They Had Arranged For Couches. Arundel Listened To The
Conversation Between The Knight And The Indians With That Strained
Attention With Which One Unacquainted With A Language Will Sometimes
Hang Upon Its Sounds, As If By A Concentration Of The Faculties To
Wring A Sense Out Of It; And If He Was Unable To Make Out The Meaning
Of The Words, He At Least Satisfied Himself, Both From The Intonation
Of The Voices And Expression Of The Faces, That No Immediate Injury
Was Designed. To The Appealing Looks Which Arundel From Time To Time
Directed To Him, The Knight At Length Replied:
"I Know Not, Master Arundel, Whether We Should Consider Ourselves More
Fortunate Or The Contrary, In Falling Into The Hands Of These
Copper-Colored Cavaliers. We Are Their Prisoners, And, As Such, Bound
To Obey Their Motions; But Their Presence Will Guard Us From Attack,
And In That Way Be A Shield; And Their Treatment In Other Respects
Will Shame, I Doubt Not, The Conduct Of More Civilized Men In Like
Circumstances."
"Know You," Inquired Arundel, "The Name Of Their Tribe, And Their
Intentions Towards Us?"
"They Are Taranteens, And, As Far As I Can Learn, Mean To Take Us To
One Of Their Villages. It Was Fortunate Your Shot Took Not Effect;
For, Otherwise, I Know Not What Would Have Been The Consequence."
"I Confess Now Its Rashness; But It Is Manifest That We Were Tracked,
And, In Any Event, Would Have Been Prisoners."
"Perhaps Not Prisoners. Perhaps, After Making Our Acquaintance, They
Would Have Offered Us Their Company As An Escort. As It Is, We Must
Submit To Close Watchfulness On Our Journey, And, Afterwards, Take
What Fate May Come. I Counsel Thee (And Speak As One Knowing The
Habits Of These People) To Betray No Distrust Or Apprehension. We Must
Show That We Rely With Perfect Assurance On Our Character As
Ambassadors, Not Only For Immunity From Danger, But For Courteous
Treatment. And Now," He Added, Disposing Himself To Rest, "We Had
Better Court That Sleep Which Will Be So Necessary To Prepare Us For
The Fatigues Of To-Morow."
Arundel Followed His Example, And, As If It Had Been A Signal For The
Indians, They All Left The Cave, With The Exception Of Two, Who
Stretched Themselves Out By The Fire At The Mouth.
It Was Long After It Had Fallen Upon The Lids Of Sir Christopher, That
Sleep Visited The Eyes Of Arundel; But Tired Nature At Last Yielded To
The Solicitations Of The Drowsy Influence, And He Forgot Both His Joys
And His Sorrows.
When He Awoke, The Daylight Was Streaming Into His Retreat, And,
Sitting Up On The Hemlock Boughs, He Looked Around. The Couch Of Sir
Christopher Was Deserted, And No Indian Visible. Wondering What Had
Become Of Them, He Rose And Walked To The Entrance, And Beheld
Standing On The Margin Of The Brook, The Knight In Conversation With
The Savage, Who, The Night Before, Appeared To Be The Leader Of The
Party. They Were So Interested With Their Subject As Not To Notice His
Presence, And He Had An Opportunity To Observe Their Bearing To One
Another. To Judge From That, The Knight Looked To Arundel More Like A
Conqueror Than A Captive, And Rather Giving Than Receiving Orders. The
Attitude Of Sir Christopher Was Commanding, And He Engrossed The
Principal Part Of The Conversation. From The Frequency With Which It
Was Repeated, Arundel, As He Fancied, Could Make Out One Word, Which
Sounded Like "Mesandowit," But Its Meaning He Was Unable To Divine. He
Stood Looking At Them Until The Indian Discovered Him, Who,
Ejaculating The Word "Ahque," (Beware) The Knight Turned And Also Saw
Him.
"Thy Appearance Dispenses With The Necessity Of Asking How Thou Hast
Passed The Night, Master Arundel," Cried Sir Christopher. "Well, There
Is Nothing Like A Trust In Providence, Whereto I Commend Thee, To
Inspire With Courage. Courage May, In A Certain Sense, Be Said To Be
Piety."
"Truly, Sir Christopher," Said Arundel, Catching Confidence From The
Cheerful Tone Of The Knight, "I Begin To Regard Thee As A Sort Of
Providence, For Wherever You Move, You Seem To Exercise A Command. Now
Would I Give Something To Know The Secret Whereby You Have Tamed Yon
Savage."
"It Is No Astonishing Mystery. I Did But Elucidate To Him Clearly Our
Sacred Character And Thy Mistake In Firing."
"Is He Content With The Explanation?"
"He Seems To Be. The Natives Are Not So Unreasonable As Is Sometimes
Represented. Difficulties Between Men Do Often Arise From An Ignorance
Of Each Others Intentions; And One Grand Cause Of Contention Is,
Doubtless, An Inability To Comprehend Their Diverse Languages. Now, I
Suffer Under No Such Disability. I Can Impart My Ideas, And Receive
Their Own In Return, And Thus Is Language A Bridge Of Reconciliation
Betwixt Us. Believe Me--A Common Cord Vibrates Through The Hearts And
Minds Of All Men, And Skilful Words Are The Fingers Wherewith To Touch
It."
"Thou Art A Skilful Musician In More Than One Sense," Said Arundel, As
He Turned To The Brook To Wash His Hands And Face.
No Very Strict, Certainly Not Obtrusive Surveillance, Was Exercised By
The Taranteens Over Their Captives. They Were Allowed To Move About
Where They Pleased, And Their Escort Began To Assume The Appearance Of
A Guard Of Honor, Rather Than A Band Of Suspicious Enemies; Nor Did
The Savages Seem At All Disposed To Hurry, Or Take Any Measures To
Prevent A Surprise, Feeling, Probably, A Consciousness Of Security In
Being On Their Own Hunting Grounds. Their Breakfast, Of Which The Two
White Men Partook With Them, Was Leisurely Prepared, And Eaten With
Equal Deliberation, And The Sun Was High When They Resumed Their
Journey. All These Circumstances Were Noticed By Arundel, And Tended
To Increase His Confidence. However, He Made No Remark Respecting
Them.
But When, Soon After The Commencement Of Their March, Their Guns Were
Returned, He Could Not Forbear From Uttering His Surprise.
"They Know Not How To Use The Weapon," Replied Sir Christopher, "And
It Suits Them Not To Carry Loads Not Their Own. Besides, I Have
Pledged Our Honors That The Pieces Shall Not Be Used Against Them.
Methinks, Moreover, Were We Inclined To Play False, It Were Fruitless,
In View Of Their Superior Number."
Nothing Of Importance Occurred During The Couple Of Days Longer Their
Journey Lasted, And Before It Was Completed, Both The Prisoners Lost
All Apprehension Of Violence. They Were Even Permitted To Shoot The
Game Which Was Started, And The Indians Manifested No Little Pleasure
When The Shots Proved Successful. They Watched Closely The Loading Of
The Pieces And Priming, And The Manner In Which The Lock Trigger Was
Raised, And Sometimes Took The Guns Into Their Own Hands, And Brought
Them Up To The Shoulder, As They Had Seen The White Men Do, As If
Desirous To Be Taught Their Use. Something Also, In Reference To The
Subject, They Said To The Knight, But He Shook His Head, And Showed No
Disposition To Instruct Them. An Unlucky Experiment Made With The
Piece Of Sir Christopher, By One Of The Taranteens, At Length Put An
End To Their Importunities.
The Indian Took The Gun, After He Had Seen It Loaded By Sir
Christopher, And Imitating His Actions, Discharged It At A Bird
Sitting On A Bough, At No Great Distance.
He Had Failed To Remark That The Knight Placed The Piece Firmly
Against His Shoulder When It Was Fired, And Ignorant Of The Propriety
Of Doing So, Held It With A Natural Feeling Of Timidity At A Little
Distance From His Body. The Consequence Was, That The Recoil
Prostrated The Savage On His Back, And The Gun Dropped From His Hands,
While The Fortunate Bird Seemed To Deride The Unskilful Marksman, And
To Challenge Him To Another Trial, By Paying No Other Heed Than
Hopping On Another Bough. His Companions Gathered Round The Fallen
Savage, And Two Or Three Took Hold Of The White Men, As If To Prevent
Escape; But When They Saw No Wound Upon His Person, Nor Expression Of
Pain In His Face, (For The Pride Of The Unfortunate Warrior Forbade
The Betrayal Of What He Felt,) Their Words Of Sympathy And Intentions
Of Revenge Were Converted Into Jeers And Laughter. As For The Unlucky
Fellow Himself, On Rising From The Ground, He Retreated A Little Way
From The Gun, And Regarding It With A Look, Wherein Awe And Aversion
Were Combined, Took Care Not To Approach Nigh To It Again.
On The Evening Of The Seventh Day After Their Departure, They
Approached The Village Of The Taranteens. The Whole Company Halted At
A Little Distance From It, And The Returning Indians Shouted A
Peculiar Cry, After Which They Proceeded More Leisurely On Their Way.
The Yell Had Been Heard And Understood, For Soon Were Seen Advancing,
Groups Of Men, Women, And Children. These, Upon Joining Their Friends,
Manifested None Of That Stolid Indifference, Which It Has Been The
Pleasure Of Certain
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